CHAPTER XXXV
WAR AGAIN PICARDY, CHAMPAGNE, ILE DE FRANCE
WAR AGAIN PICARDY, CHAMPAGNE, ILE DE FRANCE
Did Vincent really imagine that his influence over the protagonists in France's great drama would put an end to these calamities? Probably not, but it was his duty to try and achieve this, and he had acted accordingly. However, there continued to be wars both at home and abroad. The Peace of Münster had eliminated only one adversary, but from a military and political point of view this was nonetheless quite a considerable achievement. But war with Spain was to continue for another 11 years. This, coupled with the Fronde, brought devastation to the frontier zones of Picardy and Champagne and even to the very heart of France, changing the pleasant countryside of Paris into battlefields.
We are not going to describe particular events in the war. Attacks and counter attacks followed each other as they did during the Lorraine campaign and with equally tragic results. They brought appalling misery for the populace who were victims of brutal harrassment by the armies. It didn't matter whether the army was friend or foe; both sides were equally guilty of bringing ruin to the people. Generals whose names have been written on the pages of this sad time in history, are more famous for the havoc they wrought than for any great feat of arms. These was no second Corbie, no second Rocroi, no second Lens. Only the battle of the Dunes is notable for the valour of those taking part and for its important consequences. On the French side; Erlach, the sinister Rosen, Du Plessis Praslin, and La Ferté, and on the Spanish side Fuensaldaña, Charles of Lorraine, the Archduke Leopold and Condé; all closed their eyes to the abuses of the soldierly, if they didn't actually encourage or sanction them. "I was given all the territory between the Aisne and the Marne to pillage," said Rosen when four generals complained to Mazarin about the unbelievable violence of this man's troops. [1] What happened at Lorraine was being repeated here but on a larger scale. Vincent's works of charity were also repeated but this time the relief measures were even more organised and methodically carried out because Lorraine had been a preparation for this.
"War on all sides; misery on all sides".
For a start, war had the effect of quickening Vincent's religious awareness. He saw the conflict as an evil that God permitted as a punishment for man's sins. The poor were suffering as a consequence of their ignorance and their sins while the missionaries were also guilty because of their neglect and failure to act. [2] For this reason the priests and the brothers were exhorted to offer continuous prayer and to perform acts of penance to turn away God's wrath.
"I repeat the recommendation I made to you and which I cannot stress often enough; that you should pray that God will unite the hearts of christian princes. There is war in every Catholic country; in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, and in Poland which is being attacked on three sides, and also in even the poorest mountain parts and most deserted regions of Ireland. Scotland isn't much better and you know the sorry situation England is in. War on all sides, misery on all sides. In France there are countless numbers of suffering people. Oh Saviour, Oh Saviour! If in the four months that we have had war hanging over us, there has been so much misery in France where there is plenty of food every where; what must it be like for those people living near the borders who have suffered this misery for 20 years? Yes, they've known continuous war for 20 years. If they sow crops they have no guarantee that they will be able to harvest them; the armies come along and loot and pillage on all sides, and what the soldiers don't steal is carried off by the sergeants..." [3]
As always, Vincent preached by example. Every morning when the community recited the Litany of the Holy Name he would repeat solemnly, the invocation "Jesus, God of Peace." In June 1652, he implemented the archbishop's instructions that special prayers be said and acts of penance performed on the occasion of the solemn translation of the relics of St. Genevieve, by ordering two priests or clerics and two lay brothers to fast each day. A priest would say Mass assisted by the clerics and brothers and they all offered their communion for peace. He did the same himself when his turn came. This practice was continued for 9 months, until the signing of the Peace of the Pyrenees. [4] Vincent's exhortations to prayer and penance were not confined to the community. He recommended these practices to the ladies, the Daughters of Charity and to all the pious people he knew. [5]
Mobilisation on a large scale
Prayer was just the first thing, and it had to lead on to action. The first news of the alarming situation in these regions reached Vincent in 1650 during the Spanish blockade of Guise and the relief expedition sent by the King of France. The retreating French army had left behind countless numbers of sick or wounded soldiers who had to make the long journey back and left the waysides littered with dying men and corpses. Vincent did as Mlle. de Herse wanted, and rushed to the aid of these needy people. He sent two missionaries to the area with 500 livres in cash and a horse laden with provisions. The resources of this expedition fell very much short of the need. It wasn't just in the countryside that sick and dying people needed help. The towns were just as badly off if not worse. The armies had reaped the harvest and looted the villages, leaving the peasants without a shirt to their back. The people had fled to the towns for refuge but nobody could help them because the people here had also been reduced to poverty and had neither bread nor money. Hunger and misery were everywhere. The missionaries wrote to Vincent telling him about the situation and begging for help. Vincent immediately called into action his relief aid procedures. His first step was to convoke a meeting of the Ladies of Charity. [6] The first delivery of relief supplies left Paris on 15th July, 1650. [7]
Other people and other religious bodies in Paris also got to hear of the scourge that was devastating the frontier regions. There were initiatives on all sides to combat the tragedy. The Jansenists of Port Royal and the Company of the Blessed Sacrament involved their members and supporters in the movement. Vincent would not be working alone. His greatness lay in being able to consolidate and organise that great outpouring of charity without worrying about where the aid came from or the motives or ideology of the people who helped. [8]
Publicity once more
The first thing they had to do was to organise a publicity campaign. His experience in Lorraine had shown him that this was absolutely essential. On that occasion the missionaries' letters had proved a very effective lever for moving people's hearts and gathering in funds. Vincent decided to use the same method again and he would perfect his techniques and extend the range of his influence. Instead of using hand written copies, he decided to have pamphlets printed and these were distributed all over Paris. These panphlets indicated the places where alms should be deposited. All this must seem self evident today when world wide campaigns for all sorts of needs are a commonplace. In 17th century France it was a novelty. The credit for inventing the system should be given to Vincent de Paul.
The printing of these pamphlets was confided to Charles Maignart de Bernières (1616 1662), a former official in Parlement who had resigned his post to dedicate himself to the service of the needy. His close links with the Jansenists of Port Royal didn't stop him collaborating with Vincent.
Bernières took the most interesting paragraphs from a selection of letters sent by the missionaries and put them together in a short article entitled "Report". This gave rise to the "Reports on what has been done to help the poor people of Paris and surrounding areas as well as in the provinces of Picardy and Champagne." Each "Report" was usually eight pages long and had a circulation of 4,000 copies. Its publication fluctuated quite considerably. Between September 1650, and February 1651, it appeared monthly but after that it came out less regularly. Other ecclesiastical writers such as the Jansenist, A. Lemaistre, and Vincent's great friend Godeau, the elegant bishop of Grasse, published religious works that exhorted the people of Paris to be generous in giving help to the needy." [9]
The "Reports" were a great success. Alms poured in from generous people and this in spite of the difficulties that were being experienced in Paris itself. Donations, either in kind or in money, were collected in every parish in the capital as well as in the houses of the leading Ladies of Charity such as Mesdames Lamoignon, Herse, Traversay, Viole, etc. We know this from the concluding lines of each "Report". Various other sums of money were collected by the Ladies, by generous noblemen or by Vincent himself. Between 1650 and 1652 the average monthly collection was 16,000 livres. The administrative part of this work was taken on by the Ladies who were also responsible for distributing the alms. They held weekly meetings for this purpose and on these occasions reports from the front line of operations would be read out and there would then follow a discussion about which needs were most urgent and how they should spend the money that had been collected. [10]
"Brother Jean Parre is in charge of distributing alms."
The missionaries took on the direct service of the poor and the distribution of alms just as they had done in Lorraine. Other missionaries went out to join those who had been sent in the beginning so that by March 1651, the priests and brothers numbered eighteen, [11] These were organised into small groups and they settled in strategic places in the dioceses of Noyon, Laon, Rheims, Soissons and Châlons. In the "Reports" we find mentioned over and over again the names of small towns and villages in the two provinces; Guise, Chauny, La Fère, Riblemont, Ham, Marles, Vervins, Rosay, Plomyon, Orson, Auberton, Montcornet, Arras, Amiens, Peronne, Saint Quintin, Catelet, Basoches, Brenne, Fismes, Rheims, Rethel, Château Porcien, Neufchâtel, Lude, Boul, Saint Étienne, Vandy, Saint Souplet, Rocroi, Mesières, Charleville, Donchéry, Sedan, Vaucouleurs... These same names figure in the great successes of the war but they show the other side of the story, too. Every glorious victory brought terrible misery with it and this was recorded in detail by the missionaries in their letters. These same details went into the "Reports" that were circulated to appeal to the compassion of the people in Paris. For centuries history has just repeated the communiqués issued by general headquarters and has ignored the humble reports of the missionaries. But it was these who had their finger on the real pulse of history. According to Abelly, Vincent's envoys visited and worked in more than 200 localities. [12] A Visitor was appointed to be in charge and to co ordinate and supervise the work. Fr. Berthe [13] was appointed to this office in 1651 52.
The missionaries stayed in Picardy and Champagne from July 1650 to August 1652 without a break. Then there was a breathing space in the conflict so the missionaries were able to withdraw and it was thought that the nightmare was coming to an end. [14] The truce was providential because in the months that followed, Paris suffered from the Fronde. The missionaries who returned from the provinces were sent by Vincent to help to relieve distress in the capital. But the "rest" was only a brief one. In January 1653 the situation again deteriorated.
One more the missionaries hurried back to Picardy Champagne but this time they were fewer in number. Fr. Alméras was in charge as Fr. Berthe had been posted to the house in Rome to negotiate with the Holy See about papal approbation for the vows. Alméras was in Picardy Champagne until May 1654. [15]
When Alméras left, the missionary team was reduced to 3 men; Brother Proust, Brother Mattieu Regnard (the ingenious courier of the Lorraine campaign) and Brother Jean Parre who was the trusted envoy for Picardy Champagne.
"At the meetings of the Ladies of Charity which are held to assist the poor people of Picardy and of Champagne," Vincent told his community, "they read the letters sent to us by Brother Jean Parre who is responsible for distributing the alms sent by these good ladies." [16]
Parre was, perhaps, less resourceful than his companion, Mattieu, but he was better at administrative work and leadership. He acted like a real Quartermaster General. Following Vincent's instructions, he found out what the poor people, and especially the clergy, needed. He sent out reports, received and distributed relief supplies and he even set up Confraternities of Charity. When she heard about his activities, the widow of Omar Talon, the Attorney General, exclaimed enthusiastically,
"If the brothers of the Mission have been given the grace to perform all the good works we have just heard about, how much more will the priests accomplish.!"
Vincent couldn't help feeling a bit complacent when he heard these words of praise but he accused himself of this fault in front of the whole community. [17]
Aid to Picardy and Champagne continued, though to a lesser extent, until 1659. The missionaries' works were ably backed up by the Daughters of Charity. [18]
"General review"
As we said earlier, the scene facing the missionaries when they arrived was heart breaking. Some thought it was worse than the situation in Lorraine ten years earlier. [19]
The general picture might be summed up as follows; the military campaigns which had inevitably entailed violence, arson, destruction of crops, sacrilege and every form of cruelty and abuse, had brought poverty to the country by depriving it of its natural resources. The country people had fled en masse to take refuge in the towns but these were unprepared for this avalanche of misery and lacked the resources to deal with it. The most immediate and obvious consequence of this was famine which was universal and affected even the wealthiest townsfolk. Added to this, the exceptional cold of some unusually severe winters raged against the hordes of refugees, very many of whom had abandoned their homes and had nothing but what they stood up in. In these circumstances it was impossible to prevent the spread of disease. People's weakened constitutions had no defence against scabies, ringworm, dysentery and all kind of fevers. The situation was made worse by lack of sanitation. The over all result of this was that many people died all over the country. Sometimes the mortality rate was so high that there weren't enough people to bury the dead so infection spread rapidly.
Suffice it to quote the "Report" of December, 1650, which gives an over all view of the desolation and the particular conditions operating in the region of Guise.
"We have reviewed the number of sick people in our département. The figure stays more or less the same because if some people recover, others fall ill. There are nearly 900 sick people and that doesn't include people from villages further away. We have no means of finding out about these. In the last four months 4,000 people have died through want of aid. If it hadn't been for the help that God sent the survivors, then all the sick would have perished. It would make you sad to see them; some are covered with scabies or purpura, others are full of tumours or abcesses, many suffer from swellings in the head, stomach or feet and there are some whose whole body is swollen up. When the swellings burst they discharge so much puss and give off such a terrible smell that the people are a horrible and pitiful sight to behold. The basic cause of all these ills is the awful food they eat. For a whole year now, they have eaten nothing but roots, grass, rotten fruit and some scraps of bread that even the dogs wouldn't eat. Another reason is that they have been living underground; all the caves round Guise are full of refugees. They sleep on the ground and have neither straw nor blankets. The weather is so damp that they might be better off sleeping in the fields than spending the night in those places that are soaking wet.
As we go from one place to another we hear nothing but lamenting. Some people complain that they have been abandoned in their sickness while others mourn for their parents who died of hunger. One poor woman threw herself at our feet, shouting that her husband and children died because she hadn't a morsel of bread to give them. Another said that if we had arrived earlier she wouldn't have seen her father and mother die in want. They run after us, howling like famished creatures. Some ask us for bread and others ask for wine. People from further off ask us for a little meat. They are so desperate that even the sick will drag themselves the two leagues journey to Guise and they will brave the rain and the bad state of the roads to get some soup from us. This means we have to make more frequent trips to the villages to take them food, and more importantly, to give them spiritual help. All the frontier towns have been left without priests so a lot of people have died without the sacraments and even without burial. This is so true, that only a few days ago as we were going to visit the sick in the village of Lasquielle near Guise, on the Landrecy side, we found a house where somebody had died for want of assistance; the head was torn to pieces and the whole body gnawed by animals which had wandered into the house. Isn't it heart rending to see christians abandoned both in life and in death? We fear there will be more such cases this winter because the people have neither firewood, blankets or clothing and so the cold and the rain will kill just as many people as hunger does." [20]
Soup, clothing, medicines, implements, graves.
Organised relief followed a similar pattern to that given in Lorraine. The basic form of aid was soup and this was distributed daily in places that the people had been notified about in advance. Soup was given out by the missionaries, by pious volunteers, by the Daughters of Charity or by people who were paid for this work. And soup was taken to the homes of those who were not able to walk. [21] There were different recipes for this soup which usually contained bread, meat and vegetables. From the end of October onwards there was more money available and this meant a better diet could be provided. The missionaries gratefully acknowledged this.
"We have seen God's very special providence in the increased amount of alms sent from Paris. This is the only place that we can hope to have assistance from. In this region, even the most comfortably off families have only harvested enough to feed themselves so that those who used to give to others have now got to receive. We have improved the soup by putting in more meat and have increased the number of helpings. Up to now it was one bowl of soup between two or three people; now they have a bowl each. Thi is putting new life into the people and giving them back the will to work. [22]
Medical supplies were an important part of the aid given by the missionaries. They used powders which seemed to work miracles against dysentery. [23] Whenever they could, the Daughters of Charity used blood letting which was the commonest remedy in those times. [24]
Bed linen and clothing were distributed to protect people from the cold. The "Reports" give graphic descriptions of the ingenuity displayed by the helpers.
"The sick people have neither clothing nor shifts so we are appealing to you for material. These people sleep on the bare ground or on rotten straw so they are perished with cold. Some old blankets would give them some protection. If you could replace the old ones in your house with new ones then our sick people would benefit and so would your servants. The sick people here who are beginning to recover soon fall ill again because they have no shoes for their feet an old pair of shoes or clogs costing about 12 sous would save them." [25]
Another need that was attended to was the lack of vestments and sacred vessels. Many churches had been desecrated, either from the hatred of religion felt by Protestant soldiers on both sides, or from covetousness of the sacred vessels.
"Churches have been desecrated, the Blessed Sacrament has been trodden underfoot, chalices and ciboria have been stolen, baptismal fonts have been destroyed and vestments torn to shreds so that in this tiny area alone, there are more than 25 churches where Mass cannot be said," stated the report of November, 1650. [26] In the following January they were able to report, "We have now distributed the vestments to the churches." [27]
Yet another type of aid given went beyond providing bare necessities. In areas that were relatively peaceful they distributed tools for various trades, farming implements and grain for sowing. [28] Vincent insisted on this form of aid because the gifts had the added value of helping the needy to do something for themselves so that aid could be targeted to the most desperately poor. Help of this kind was given priority as the general situation began to improve. In 1659, when the war was drawing to a close, Vincent wrote to Brother Parre;
"We have set aside a small amount of aid for these poor peasants who are able to sow a tiny bit of land; I am referring to the very poorest people who wouldn't be able to do anything if they didn't get help. We haven't anything organised just yet but we will try to collect at least 100 pistoles for the work before the sowing season starts... We would also like to help those who have no land at all to earn their living, and provide work for both men and women by giving the men some tools to work with and giving the women a distaff, tow and wool for spinning. Again, we would only be helping the very poorest people. Now that peace seems to be near everyone can find something to do and as the soldiers won't be robbing them of all that they have, they can now get something together and gradually get back on their feet." [29]
It was just as necessary to bury the dead as it was to care for the living. This task was all the more urgent because as well as being a work of mercy, it helped to eliminate sources of infection; no distinction was made between civilians and soldiers, or between friends and enemies. In 1650, Touraine's army which then supported the Spanish cause, left more than 500 dead unburied on the outskirts of Saint Etienne. Vincent instructed Fr. Deschamps, the priest in charge of that region, to attend to that need. The missionary was quick to comply with this directive and the work was done effectively and at not too much cost. Thanks to him and his helpers, "These bodies that will one day rise again" could now be laid to rest, "in the bosom of mother earth." [30]
Countless were the young women rescued from the danger of losing their virtue [31], the orphans that were rescued, [32] the nuns who were helped to survive [33] and the priests who were saved from starvation by periodic gifts of money and so were able to continue their ministry...
"You go to war to repair the damage."
As well as helping the missionaries, the Daughters of Charity started a new work which had been unheard of up till then but which was to have a glorious future; they were to help as nurses in military hospitals.
At the Queen's request they took charge of the hospitals at Châlons, Sainte Menehould, Sedan, La Fère, Stenay; and after the battle of the Dunes, Calais. [34]
Vincent encouraged them by his conferences and his letters and he drew up for them the spiritual guidelines that were appropriate for those circumstances. With unusual depths of discernment he gives us a picture of the deeply spiritual and warmly human character of these rural nurses.
"The Queen is asking for you to be sent to Calais to look after poor wounded soldiers. How humble this should make you feel; to think that God wants to make use of you in such a marvellous way! Oh Saviour, men go to war to kill each other, and you go to war to repair the damage that is done there! What a blessing from God! Men kill the body, and very often they kill the soul if people die in a state of mortal sin; you go to bring them back to life, or at least to preserve life by the care you give to those who survive and your efforts to show them, by your good example and your exhortations, that they should be resigned to God's will." [35]
Vincent's charity reached out to others as well as his fellow countrymen. A good number of Irish exiles had enrolled in the French army because they couldn't find any other work or means of support. They played a very active part in the taking of Bordeaux and were then transferred to the Northern front where they joined the siege of Arras. When their services were no longer needed there they were billeted at Troyes in Champagne. The troops were accompanied by a pitiful retinue of the widows and orphan children of soldiers who had died in the campaign. Soldiers and civilians were without any kind of help. Naked and hungry, they fought with dogs in the street over scraps of refuse.
The priests in the house at Troyes informed Vincent about this situation. Once more Vincent called a meeting of the Ladies and put before them this new calamity. Then the Irish missionary, Fr. Ennery, was sent there with 600 livres and a good supply of clothing. The women and girls were housed in the hospital and were taught how to sew and spin. The orphans were placed in charitable institutions or in appropriate employment. After seeing to his countrymen's bodily needs, Fr. Ennery prepared them for their Easter duties by preaching a mission in their own language. When the townspeople saw the missionaries' works of charity they, too, were moved to help the Irish people and other needy persons in that area. [36]
"Father of this nation"
The poor people who received help were extremely grateful to their benefactors in Paris and especially to Vincent de Paul. This is frequently mentioned in the "Reports".
"We can't tell you how grateful our poor people are to their benefactors; they raise their hands to heaven to pray for their prosperity and beg God to grant eternal life to the people who have helped to preserve their mortal life." "We can't describe the response that your charity has aroused throughout all the frontier region; people talk about nothing else; the poor people who have been restored to health by the aid that you sent, are storming heaven for their benefactors" [37]
Vincent de Paul, in particular, received the most moving messages from governing bodies and from private individuals. Still preserved are seven letters from the Councillors at Rethel and messages were sent by the deputy governor of Saint Quintin and of Rethel, the Knight Commanders and the Chapter of Rheims and the parish priests of many towns who all expressed their gratitude. [38] The most eloquent testimony came from the deputy governor of Saint Quintin.
"The alms which, thanks be to God and to your kindness, have been sent to this province and which have been distributed so impartially by your delegates, have given life to millions of people who were reduced to direst poverty, by the calamities of war. For this reason I feel myself obliged to send this testimony of the humble gratitude that all these people feel for your goodness. Last week when the troops passed through, we had as many as 400 poor refugees in this town and the poor were fed each day thanks to the alms you sent. Besides the peasants there are another thousand people in the town and their only sustenance comes from your charitable help. There is so much misery. The people in the villages have only a little straw to lie on and even the leading citizens of these parts haven't anything to eat. There are even some people who can count on an income of 20,000 écus but who, in actual fact, have only a scrap of bread and have not eaten for two days. For this reason, and in virtue of the office I hold, I feel obliged to entreat you to continue to show yourself a father to this country and to save the lives of countless poor people who are sick and dying and whom your priests look after in such an impartial and conscientious manner." [39]
An incomplete balance sheet
The best summary of Vincent de Paul's charitable works and the help given to Picardy and Champagne, was the one that he himself presented to the General Assembly of the Ladies of Charity when he gave them the statement of expenses accounts on 11th July, 1657.
"From 15th July 1650, until the previous General Assembly 348,000 livres have been sent out and distributed to the poor, and from the last General Assembly until today, 19,500 livres, which is not much compared with previous years. These sums of money have been used to feed poor, sick people to gather together and maintain about 800 orphans from the devastated villages and place these in employment after they had been given clothes and training; to support many priests in their parishes that have been badly damaged and which they would have had to abandon as they couldn't have stayed alive without the help you sent; and finally, to repair some churches which were in such a dreadful state that I cannot describe this without shocking you.
The money was distributes in the towns and neighbouring districts of Rheims, Rathel, Laon, Saint Quintin, Ham, Marle, Sedan and Arras. This is in addition to money spent or clothing, material, blankets, shirts, albs, chasubles, missals, ciboria, etc. which would come to a lot more.
Indeed, Mesdames, we are lost in admiration at the thought of such great quantities of clothing provided for men, women, children and priests, not to mention the vestments sent to churches that had been pillaged and ruined. We might even say that if these vestments had not been donated the sacred mysteries would not have been celebrated and these holy places would have been used for profane purposes. If you had visited the ladies who were in charge of sending these goods you would have found their houses looking like shops and stores belonging to some big business enterprise.
Blessed be God, Mesdames, who has given you the grace to clothe Our Lord in the person of these his poor members, most of whom were covered in rags, and many of the children went about as naked as the day they were born. Young people and women had so little clothing that anyone with any modesty at all wouldn't dare to look at them, and all these people were nearly dead with the cold that terrible winter. How grateful you should be to God for giving you the inspiration, and the means of helping to relieve such great need. How many sick people have had their lives spared! They had been abandoned by everybody, they slept on the ground, exposed to the elements, and were reduced to absolute destitution by the troops and by lack of grain. A few years ago they were even worse off and at that time 16,000 livres were sent every month. People were enthusiastic about giving because they knew that these people were in danger of perishing unless they received help immediately, and they encouraged each other to contribute to charitable relief; but in the last year or so, the situation has improved a bit and there has been a big drop in almsgiving. And yet there are still about 80 churches in ruins and the poor have to travel long distances to hear Mass. This is the situation at present. Thanks to God's providence for the Company, we have begun to do something about it." [40]
This information provided by Vincent shows that Abelly did not exaggerate when he calculated that the total amount of aid given to the provinces of Champagne and Picardy came to more than half a million livres. [41] Maynard increased that estimate to two million. Perhaps the romantic historian got carried away and exaggerated a bit but the information he provides to back up his calculation leads us to think that Abelly's estimate is much too conservative. [42]
The miseries of the Fronde
We have already referred to the temporary halt in the charity campaign for Champagne and Picardy during the summer and the winter of 1652. This was partly due to the relative improvement in the situation prevailing in the frontier zones but more importantly, it was because the Fronde had brought ruin and disaster to the outlying districts of Paris and this meant that resources from the capital were diverted there.
The general picture of misery here is a repetition of the scenes witnessed in Lorraine, Picardy and Champagne. It isn't necessary, then, to repeat the details because the only difference would be in the names of places, the dates of the pillaging and the amount of damage done. A special feature of the desolation in the Paris region is that it was caused by Frenchmen only, and this gives special poignancy to the tragedy.
The reaction of Paris.
The proximity of these sad events and the suffering inflicted on Paris itself, led to the relief movement becoming more widespread. Not just Vincent de Paul but all the religious orders as well, the civil and ecclesiastical bodies, the religious associations, the merchant and craftsmen's guilds, as well as private individuals, all collaborated in the work of relieving the catastrophe. The Company of the Blessed Sacrament and the Jansenists played an important part in this work, as they had done in the frontier towns, and this was particularly true of the Abbey of Port Royal. The archbishop took over all command of the movement but Vincent, because of his experience and his many resources, played a very important part in it, together with his priests, the Ladies and the Daughters of Charity. [43] There was bound to be friction and jealousy among such a wide variety of workers, some of whom were deeply divided on religious grounds. There was a misunderstanding between the Ladies of Charity and the religious of Port Royal over a donation sent by the Queen of Poland. Vincent was quick to clear up the matter. [44] What interested him was that the poor should be helped, not who did the work. His praise for the work of the Company of the Blessed Sacrament couldn't have been warmer or more completely free from self interest. [45]
The charity warehouse. "This holy economat."
The organisation for sending relief supplies had its central headquarters in an institution called "the charity warehouse" which was thought up by Christophe du Plessis, Bâron de Montbard (+1672). [46] Two general store depôts were set up; one at the house of Mde. de Bretonvilliers, on the Ile Saint Louis because it was close to the wharves of the Seine, and the second at the palais de Mandosse. Each of these provided for a different part of the diocese, depending on whether the goods were to be transported by water or by land, but both services were co ordinated. Benefactors could leave their gifts at either of the central depôts or at parish collection points. [47]
The stores would accept anything; church books and vestments, medicines, sheets, mattresses, shoes, shirts, food, tools, shrouds, furniture, crockery, kitchen utensils. The list of things asked for and the list of things donated are like some second hand dealer's catalogue which throws more light on daily life in the seventeenth century than many learned works do. [48] Vincent was full of admiration for this organisation, or to use his own phrase, "this holy economat" which he himself had helped to create. [49]
Religious were given the responsibility for distributing aid and personally caring for the sick. The diocese was divided into ten areas and each was directed by a different religious community; Corbeil was served by the Capuchins, Villeneuve Saint Georges was served first by the priests of Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet and later by the Jesuits, Brie was directed by the Picpus Fathers, Tournan by the Discalced Carmelites, Gonesse and Lazarches by the Reformed Dominicans, Mont Valérieu by Fr. Charpentier's priests, and Saint Denis by the Recollect Fathers. Vincent's missionaries were in charge at Lagny and Jusivy. Later on they would leave Juvisy to the Jesuits so that they could care for a new district, Étampes. This was outside the diocese but it received help because the people there were in such desperate need. [50]
Full use was made of the publicity measures which had been so successful in the relief of Picardy and Champagne. The "Reports" provided information on the state of affairs in the Paris region and new publications appeared; two documents recording the most pressing needs and the "Magasin Charitable" which was very much in the spirit of today's social welfare information, and gave the public a detailed balance sheet of goods received as well as details of what was sent to each centre and how the funds were used." [51]
Paris itself had a great number of poor people. When the city was under siege from the royal army, the landed gentry were prevented from collecting their dues and journeymen were unable to go out and work in the fields. All this had social repercussions; there was no demand for articles other than basic necessities so craftsmen, too, were reduced to poverty. Refugees from the country districts added to the army of those in need and this led to hardship all round and a great increase in the number of mendicants. This had happened before, in 1649. The effects of the Second Fronde, in 1652, proved more disastrous and lasted longer.
"This is the way that God wishes us to take part in such holy enterprises."
Let us first of all examine the help that Vincent gave to the poor people in the capital. During the most difficult months of the war, May July 1652, every work of charity was intensified. In a letter dated 21st June, 1652, Vincent himself gave a summary of "the good works that are being performed in Paris" and listed these as:
1) To distribute soup daily to about 15,000 people; some of these are the bashful poor and others are refugees.
2) To accommodate young refugee girls in private houses where they are looked after and receive training. Just think of the awful things that might have happened if they had been left to wander the streets. We have about 100 of them lodged in a house in the Saint Denis area.
3) To help, also, the nuns that the troops expelled from their convents in the country areas and made them flee to Paris. Some of these were thrown out on to the street; others were lodged in vey dubious places, and some had to return to their families. They were all dispersed and at risk so we thought it would be very pleasing to God if they could be brought together in a convent of the Daughters of St. Mary. Finally, we have been sent all the poor parish priests, vicars and other clergy who had to leave their parishes and flee to this city. They come here every day and we give them food as well as instructing them in the things they should know and the duties they should perform.
This, then, is the way that God wishes us to participate in so many and such holy works. But the poor Daughters of Charity are still doing even more than we are to look after the material needs of the poor. At the house of Mlle. Le Gras, in the faubourg Saint Denis, they prepare food every day and distribute it to 1,300 bashful poor and to 800 refugees in the Saint Denis area; four or five sisters give out food to 5,000 poor people in St. Paul's parish alone, as well as to the 60 or 80 sick people that they have to look after. And other sisters are doing the same elsewhere." [52]
In this account Vincent makes no mention of the work done at Saint Lazare. Here, too, soup was distributed twice a day to some 800 people and after the food was given out, a short mission service would be preached. After the sermon, the men and boys went into the enclosure where they were divided into 9 or 10 groups or "academies" and received more specialised catechism instruction from a priest. The women were similarly catered for in other parts of the building. Vincent himself took an active part in this work. [53] A similar mission was organised at Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet.
"There are too many poor people in Étampes."
In the country areas confided to the missionaries the work was even more exhausting. Étampes was one of the worst hit war zones. In January, 1653, it was said that
"There are too many poor and sick people for us to list them all. By and large we could say that all the inhabitants are either sick or living in extreme poverty. These good missionaries have put the hospital back into working order and, together with the Daughters of Charity, they look after the sick. In Étampes there is also a soup kitchen for about 200 poor people. Kitchens have been set up in four other places; at Etréchy, Villeconin, Saint Arnoult and Guillerval. The kitchen at Etréchy which serves 34 poor widows and orphans uses 12 loaves at 8 sous each, so they spend more than 60 sous a week and the other kitchens spend proportionally the same amount. They also help the poor people of Boissy le Sec, Saclas, Fontaine, Boissy, Guillerval, Dormoy, Marigny, Champigny, Saint Marc Mineur and Brières at a cost of more than 100 écus a week." [54]
The worst thing about Étampes was the tremendous number of deaths caused by repeated sieges and epidemics. The streets were full of corpses and dead animals all piled up together in a most pitiful way. Vincent kept on recommending them to clean up the city and give christian burial to the dead. The missionaries set about this work diligently and afterwards they disinfected the houses and streets to make them habitable again. [55]
Soon the missionaries, too, fell victim to the epidemic. Fr. David died in July 1652, and Vincent said of him,
"In a short time, "explevit tempora multa". He had only been helping the poor of Étampes for 10 days or a fortnight..." Fr. Deschamps who was with him told me that he did all that any man on earth could have done; he heard confessions, gave catechism instructions, gave material help to the poor and the sick, and buried the decomposing bodies of the dead. He had 12 corpses buried at Etrechy because they were infecting the whole village, and after that he fell ill and died." He was 25 and had been a priest for only one year. [56]
Fr. David was the first victim but not the last. Fr. de la Fosse (the classicist) who replaced him, was brought back to Saint Lazare on a stretcher after working at Étampes for a month. Fortunately, he recovered. [57] In September all the missionaries at Étampes fell ill [58] and two of them, Frs. Watebled and Deschamps, succumbed. [59] A Daughter of Charity also died, the victim of her selflessness. [60]
"Our loss is greater than words can say; that is, if we can call it a loss when God calls people to himself," [61] was Vincent's terse but supernatural epitaph.
"A waggon pulled by three horses."
A similar incident ocurred at Palaiseau, a place which Vincent helped as well as the other districts confided to his care. The first five missionaries fell ill and had to be sent back to Saint Lazare. The same thing happened to the priests who came to replace them. The town had no provisions whatsoever because the army had destroyed the crops. Vincent provided for the townspeople's needs at his own expense. Every morning a wagon loaded with food set out from Saint Lazare and returned empty each evening. This daily ritual aroused the curiosity of the sentries at the gates of Paris. One day they stopped the driver and asked him what was going on. They suspected him of ferrying contraband or of being in league with the enemy. The good man's explanation failed to satisfy them and they demanded a certificate from M. Vincent. Vincent sent them one and it is thanks to him that we know that every day they sent to Palaiseau, "sixteen large white loaves, fifteen pints of wine, eggs and yesterday, (4th June, '52) some meat; and as they told me they need flour and a muid of wine for the poor sick people of that place, I have sent them today a wagon drawn by three horses and loaded with four sacks of flour and two muids of wine... Saint Lazare, 5th June, 1652. [62]
By 24th July Vincent had spent 663 livres on Palaiseau and this is not counting donations in kind. When he had no money left he appealed to the Ladies of Charity for help and asked the Duchess d'Aiguillon to convoke a meeting of the Ladies at her house for this purpose. [63]
"We must spare nothing to help the poor."
It would be useless to try and calculate the exact, or even the approximate, amount of money and provisions provided by Vincent de Paul over more than 20 years of continual aid to the devastated regions. Other things are more important. Vincent, who had been so assiduous in consolidating the finances of the houses he founded, now squandered their assets in the service of his neighbour. His conduct and his teaching showed he believed it to be literally true that the money of the company was the money of the poor. "Spare nothing to save the lives of these poor sick people" was the motto he passed on to Brother Nicolas Sené who was so outstanding a worker at Lagny. [64]
They spared neither resources nor effort. During the most critical periods of the Fronde, Saint Lazare was almost completely deserted. Some of the empty places would never be filled again as the occupants had died, "arms in hand" to use Vincent's phrase, and "martyrs of charity." [65]
The mighty wave of active and compassionate charity towards the poor which Vincent unleashed, rescued France from being accused of inhumanity. This France was notorious for its ambitious cardinals, its scheming bishops, its merciless generals and a soldiery that was crazed with cruelty and envy. Thanks to Vincent and his magnificent band of helpers, another, underground France started to flourish beneath mountains of self interest and hypocrisy, the France which; ever since the days of St. Ireneus had taken to itself the gospel message of compassionate charity.
We are not going to describe particular events in the war. Attacks and counter attacks followed each other as they did during the Lorraine campaign and with equally tragic results. They brought appalling misery for the populace who were victims of brutal harrassment by the armies. It didn't matter whether the army was friend or foe; both sides were equally guilty of bringing ruin to the people. Generals whose names have been written on the pages of this sad time in history, are more famous for the havoc they wrought than for any great feat of arms. These was no second Corbie, no second Rocroi, no second Lens. Only the battle of the Dunes is notable for the valour of those taking part and for its important consequences. On the French side; Erlach, the sinister Rosen, Du Plessis Praslin, and La Ferté, and on the Spanish side Fuensaldaña, Charles of Lorraine, the Archduke Leopold and Condé; all closed their eyes to the abuses of the soldierly, if they didn't actually encourage or sanction them. "I was given all the territory between the Aisne and the Marne to pillage," said Rosen when four generals complained to Mazarin about the unbelievable violence of this man's troops. [1] What happened at Lorraine was being repeated here but on a larger scale. Vincent's works of charity were also repeated but this time the relief measures were even more organised and methodically carried out because Lorraine had been a preparation for this.
"War on all sides; misery on all sides".
For a start, war had the effect of quickening Vincent's religious awareness. He saw the conflict as an evil that God permitted as a punishment for man's sins. The poor were suffering as a consequence of their ignorance and their sins while the missionaries were also guilty because of their neglect and failure to act. [2] For this reason the priests and the brothers were exhorted to offer continuous prayer and to perform acts of penance to turn away God's wrath.
"I repeat the recommendation I made to you and which I cannot stress often enough; that you should pray that God will unite the hearts of christian princes. There is war in every Catholic country; in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, and in Poland which is being attacked on three sides, and also in even the poorest mountain parts and most deserted regions of Ireland. Scotland isn't much better and you know the sorry situation England is in. War on all sides, misery on all sides. In France there are countless numbers of suffering people. Oh Saviour, Oh Saviour! If in the four months that we have had war hanging over us, there has been so much misery in France where there is plenty of food every where; what must it be like for those people living near the borders who have suffered this misery for 20 years? Yes, they've known continuous war for 20 years. If they sow crops they have no guarantee that they will be able to harvest them; the armies come along and loot and pillage on all sides, and what the soldiers don't steal is carried off by the sergeants..." [3]
As always, Vincent preached by example. Every morning when the community recited the Litany of the Holy Name he would repeat solemnly, the invocation "Jesus, God of Peace." In June 1652, he implemented the archbishop's instructions that special prayers be said and acts of penance performed on the occasion of the solemn translation of the relics of St. Genevieve, by ordering two priests or clerics and two lay brothers to fast each day. A priest would say Mass assisted by the clerics and brothers and they all offered their communion for peace. He did the same himself when his turn came. This practice was continued for 9 months, until the signing of the Peace of the Pyrenees. [4] Vincent's exhortations to prayer and penance were not confined to the community. He recommended these practices to the ladies, the Daughters of Charity and to all the pious people he knew. [5]
Mobilisation on a large scale
Prayer was just the first thing, and it had to lead on to action. The first news of the alarming situation in these regions reached Vincent in 1650 during the Spanish blockade of Guise and the relief expedition sent by the King of France. The retreating French army had left behind countless numbers of sick or wounded soldiers who had to make the long journey back and left the waysides littered with dying men and corpses. Vincent did as Mlle. de Herse wanted, and rushed to the aid of these needy people. He sent two missionaries to the area with 500 livres in cash and a horse laden with provisions. The resources of this expedition fell very much short of the need. It wasn't just in the countryside that sick and dying people needed help. The towns were just as badly off if not worse. The armies had reaped the harvest and looted the villages, leaving the peasants without a shirt to their back. The people had fled to the towns for refuge but nobody could help them because the people here had also been reduced to poverty and had neither bread nor money. Hunger and misery were everywhere. The missionaries wrote to Vincent telling him about the situation and begging for help. Vincent immediately called into action his relief aid procedures. His first step was to convoke a meeting of the Ladies of Charity. [6] The first delivery of relief supplies left Paris on 15th July, 1650. [7]
Other people and other religious bodies in Paris also got to hear of the scourge that was devastating the frontier regions. There were initiatives on all sides to combat the tragedy. The Jansenists of Port Royal and the Company of the Blessed Sacrament involved their members and supporters in the movement. Vincent would not be working alone. His greatness lay in being able to consolidate and organise that great outpouring of charity without worrying about where the aid came from or the motives or ideology of the people who helped. [8]
Publicity once more
The first thing they had to do was to organise a publicity campaign. His experience in Lorraine had shown him that this was absolutely essential. On that occasion the missionaries' letters had proved a very effective lever for moving people's hearts and gathering in funds. Vincent decided to use the same method again and he would perfect his techniques and extend the range of his influence. Instead of using hand written copies, he decided to have pamphlets printed and these were distributed all over Paris. These panphlets indicated the places where alms should be deposited. All this must seem self evident today when world wide campaigns for all sorts of needs are a commonplace. In 17th century France it was a novelty. The credit for inventing the system should be given to Vincent de Paul.
The printing of these pamphlets was confided to Charles Maignart de Bernières (1616 1662), a former official in Parlement who had resigned his post to dedicate himself to the service of the needy. His close links with the Jansenists of Port Royal didn't stop him collaborating with Vincent.
Bernières took the most interesting paragraphs from a selection of letters sent by the missionaries and put them together in a short article entitled "Report". This gave rise to the "Reports on what has been done to help the poor people of Paris and surrounding areas as well as in the provinces of Picardy and Champagne." Each "Report" was usually eight pages long and had a circulation of 4,000 copies. Its publication fluctuated quite considerably. Between September 1650, and February 1651, it appeared monthly but after that it came out less regularly. Other ecclesiastical writers such as the Jansenist, A. Lemaistre, and Vincent's great friend Godeau, the elegant bishop of Grasse, published religious works that exhorted the people of Paris to be generous in giving help to the needy." [9]
The "Reports" were a great success. Alms poured in from generous people and this in spite of the difficulties that were being experienced in Paris itself. Donations, either in kind or in money, were collected in every parish in the capital as well as in the houses of the leading Ladies of Charity such as Mesdames Lamoignon, Herse, Traversay, Viole, etc. We know this from the concluding lines of each "Report". Various other sums of money were collected by the Ladies, by generous noblemen or by Vincent himself. Between 1650 and 1652 the average monthly collection was 16,000 livres. The administrative part of this work was taken on by the Ladies who were also responsible for distributing the alms. They held weekly meetings for this purpose and on these occasions reports from the front line of operations would be read out and there would then follow a discussion about which needs were most urgent and how they should spend the money that had been collected. [10]
"Brother Jean Parre is in charge of distributing alms."
The missionaries took on the direct service of the poor and the distribution of alms just as they had done in Lorraine. Other missionaries went out to join those who had been sent in the beginning so that by March 1651, the priests and brothers numbered eighteen, [11] These were organised into small groups and they settled in strategic places in the dioceses of Noyon, Laon, Rheims, Soissons and Châlons. In the "Reports" we find mentioned over and over again the names of small towns and villages in the two provinces; Guise, Chauny, La Fère, Riblemont, Ham, Marles, Vervins, Rosay, Plomyon, Orson, Auberton, Montcornet, Arras, Amiens, Peronne, Saint Quintin, Catelet, Basoches, Brenne, Fismes, Rheims, Rethel, Château Porcien, Neufchâtel, Lude, Boul, Saint Étienne, Vandy, Saint Souplet, Rocroi, Mesières, Charleville, Donchéry, Sedan, Vaucouleurs... These same names figure in the great successes of the war but they show the other side of the story, too. Every glorious victory brought terrible misery with it and this was recorded in detail by the missionaries in their letters. These same details went into the "Reports" that were circulated to appeal to the compassion of the people in Paris. For centuries history has just repeated the communiqués issued by general headquarters and has ignored the humble reports of the missionaries. But it was these who had their finger on the real pulse of history. According to Abelly, Vincent's envoys visited and worked in more than 200 localities. [12] A Visitor was appointed to be in charge and to co ordinate and supervise the work. Fr. Berthe [13] was appointed to this office in 1651 52.
The missionaries stayed in Picardy and Champagne from July 1650 to August 1652 without a break. Then there was a breathing space in the conflict so the missionaries were able to withdraw and it was thought that the nightmare was coming to an end. [14] The truce was providential because in the months that followed, Paris suffered from the Fronde. The missionaries who returned from the provinces were sent by Vincent to help to relieve distress in the capital. But the "rest" was only a brief one. In January 1653 the situation again deteriorated.
One more the missionaries hurried back to Picardy Champagne but this time they were fewer in number. Fr. Alméras was in charge as Fr. Berthe had been posted to the house in Rome to negotiate with the Holy See about papal approbation for the vows. Alméras was in Picardy Champagne until May 1654. [15]
When Alméras left, the missionary team was reduced to 3 men; Brother Proust, Brother Mattieu Regnard (the ingenious courier of the Lorraine campaign) and Brother Jean Parre who was the trusted envoy for Picardy Champagne.
"At the meetings of the Ladies of Charity which are held to assist the poor people of Picardy and of Champagne," Vincent told his community, "they read the letters sent to us by Brother Jean Parre who is responsible for distributing the alms sent by these good ladies." [16]
Parre was, perhaps, less resourceful than his companion, Mattieu, but he was better at administrative work and leadership. He acted like a real Quartermaster General. Following Vincent's instructions, he found out what the poor people, and especially the clergy, needed. He sent out reports, received and distributed relief supplies and he even set up Confraternities of Charity. When she heard about his activities, the widow of Omar Talon, the Attorney General, exclaimed enthusiastically,
"If the brothers of the Mission have been given the grace to perform all the good works we have just heard about, how much more will the priests accomplish.!"
Vincent couldn't help feeling a bit complacent when he heard these words of praise but he accused himself of this fault in front of the whole community. [17]
Aid to Picardy and Champagne continued, though to a lesser extent, until 1659. The missionaries' works were ably backed up by the Daughters of Charity. [18]
"General review"
As we said earlier, the scene facing the missionaries when they arrived was heart breaking. Some thought it was worse than the situation in Lorraine ten years earlier. [19]
The general picture might be summed up as follows; the military campaigns which had inevitably entailed violence, arson, destruction of crops, sacrilege and every form of cruelty and abuse, had brought poverty to the country by depriving it of its natural resources. The country people had fled en masse to take refuge in the towns but these were unprepared for this avalanche of misery and lacked the resources to deal with it. The most immediate and obvious consequence of this was famine which was universal and affected even the wealthiest townsfolk. Added to this, the exceptional cold of some unusually severe winters raged against the hordes of refugees, very many of whom had abandoned their homes and had nothing but what they stood up in. In these circumstances it was impossible to prevent the spread of disease. People's weakened constitutions had no defence against scabies, ringworm, dysentery and all kind of fevers. The situation was made worse by lack of sanitation. The over all result of this was that many people died all over the country. Sometimes the mortality rate was so high that there weren't enough people to bury the dead so infection spread rapidly.
Suffice it to quote the "Report" of December, 1650, which gives an over all view of the desolation and the particular conditions operating in the region of Guise.
"We have reviewed the number of sick people in our département. The figure stays more or less the same because if some people recover, others fall ill. There are nearly 900 sick people and that doesn't include people from villages further away. We have no means of finding out about these. In the last four months 4,000 people have died through want of aid. If it hadn't been for the help that God sent the survivors, then all the sick would have perished. It would make you sad to see them; some are covered with scabies or purpura, others are full of tumours or abcesses, many suffer from swellings in the head, stomach or feet and there are some whose whole body is swollen up. When the swellings burst they discharge so much puss and give off such a terrible smell that the people are a horrible and pitiful sight to behold. The basic cause of all these ills is the awful food they eat. For a whole year now, they have eaten nothing but roots, grass, rotten fruit and some scraps of bread that even the dogs wouldn't eat. Another reason is that they have been living underground; all the caves round Guise are full of refugees. They sleep on the ground and have neither straw nor blankets. The weather is so damp that they might be better off sleeping in the fields than spending the night in those places that are soaking wet.
As we go from one place to another we hear nothing but lamenting. Some people complain that they have been abandoned in their sickness while others mourn for their parents who died of hunger. One poor woman threw herself at our feet, shouting that her husband and children died because she hadn't a morsel of bread to give them. Another said that if we had arrived earlier she wouldn't have seen her father and mother die in want. They run after us, howling like famished creatures. Some ask us for bread and others ask for wine. People from further off ask us for a little meat. They are so desperate that even the sick will drag themselves the two leagues journey to Guise and they will brave the rain and the bad state of the roads to get some soup from us. This means we have to make more frequent trips to the villages to take them food, and more importantly, to give them spiritual help. All the frontier towns have been left without priests so a lot of people have died without the sacraments and even without burial. This is so true, that only a few days ago as we were going to visit the sick in the village of Lasquielle near Guise, on the Landrecy side, we found a house where somebody had died for want of assistance; the head was torn to pieces and the whole body gnawed by animals which had wandered into the house. Isn't it heart rending to see christians abandoned both in life and in death? We fear there will be more such cases this winter because the people have neither firewood, blankets or clothing and so the cold and the rain will kill just as many people as hunger does." [20]
Soup, clothing, medicines, implements, graves.
Organised relief followed a similar pattern to that given in Lorraine. The basic form of aid was soup and this was distributed daily in places that the people had been notified about in advance. Soup was given out by the missionaries, by pious volunteers, by the Daughters of Charity or by people who were paid for this work. And soup was taken to the homes of those who were not able to walk. [21] There were different recipes for this soup which usually contained bread, meat and vegetables. From the end of October onwards there was more money available and this meant a better diet could be provided. The missionaries gratefully acknowledged this.
"We have seen God's very special providence in the increased amount of alms sent from Paris. This is the only place that we can hope to have assistance from. In this region, even the most comfortably off families have only harvested enough to feed themselves so that those who used to give to others have now got to receive. We have improved the soup by putting in more meat and have increased the number of helpings. Up to now it was one bowl of soup between two or three people; now they have a bowl each. Thi is putting new life into the people and giving them back the will to work. [22]
Medical supplies were an important part of the aid given by the missionaries. They used powders which seemed to work miracles against dysentery. [23] Whenever they could, the Daughters of Charity used blood letting which was the commonest remedy in those times. [24]
Bed linen and clothing were distributed to protect people from the cold. The "Reports" give graphic descriptions of the ingenuity displayed by the helpers.
"The sick people have neither clothing nor shifts so we are appealing to you for material. These people sleep on the bare ground or on rotten straw so they are perished with cold. Some old blankets would give them some protection. If you could replace the old ones in your house with new ones then our sick people would benefit and so would your servants. The sick people here who are beginning to recover soon fall ill again because they have no shoes for their feet an old pair of shoes or clogs costing about 12 sous would save them." [25]
Another need that was attended to was the lack of vestments and sacred vessels. Many churches had been desecrated, either from the hatred of religion felt by Protestant soldiers on both sides, or from covetousness of the sacred vessels.
"Churches have been desecrated, the Blessed Sacrament has been trodden underfoot, chalices and ciboria have been stolen, baptismal fonts have been destroyed and vestments torn to shreds so that in this tiny area alone, there are more than 25 churches where Mass cannot be said," stated the report of November, 1650. [26] In the following January they were able to report, "We have now distributed the vestments to the churches." [27]
Yet another type of aid given went beyond providing bare necessities. In areas that were relatively peaceful they distributed tools for various trades, farming implements and grain for sowing. [28] Vincent insisted on this form of aid because the gifts had the added value of helping the needy to do something for themselves so that aid could be targeted to the most desperately poor. Help of this kind was given priority as the general situation began to improve. In 1659, when the war was drawing to a close, Vincent wrote to Brother Parre;
"We have set aside a small amount of aid for these poor peasants who are able to sow a tiny bit of land; I am referring to the very poorest people who wouldn't be able to do anything if they didn't get help. We haven't anything organised just yet but we will try to collect at least 100 pistoles for the work before the sowing season starts... We would also like to help those who have no land at all to earn their living, and provide work for both men and women by giving the men some tools to work with and giving the women a distaff, tow and wool for spinning. Again, we would only be helping the very poorest people. Now that peace seems to be near everyone can find something to do and as the soldiers won't be robbing them of all that they have, they can now get something together and gradually get back on their feet." [29]
It was just as necessary to bury the dead as it was to care for the living. This task was all the more urgent because as well as being a work of mercy, it helped to eliminate sources of infection; no distinction was made between civilians and soldiers, or between friends and enemies. In 1650, Touraine's army which then supported the Spanish cause, left more than 500 dead unburied on the outskirts of Saint Etienne. Vincent instructed Fr. Deschamps, the priest in charge of that region, to attend to that need. The missionary was quick to comply with this directive and the work was done effectively and at not too much cost. Thanks to him and his helpers, "These bodies that will one day rise again" could now be laid to rest, "in the bosom of mother earth." [30]
Countless were the young women rescued from the danger of losing their virtue [31], the orphans that were rescued, [32] the nuns who were helped to survive [33] and the priests who were saved from starvation by periodic gifts of money and so were able to continue their ministry...
"You go to war to repair the damage."
As well as helping the missionaries, the Daughters of Charity started a new work which had been unheard of up till then but which was to have a glorious future; they were to help as nurses in military hospitals.
At the Queen's request they took charge of the hospitals at Châlons, Sainte Menehould, Sedan, La Fère, Stenay; and after the battle of the Dunes, Calais. [34]
Vincent encouraged them by his conferences and his letters and he drew up for them the spiritual guidelines that were appropriate for those circumstances. With unusual depths of discernment he gives us a picture of the deeply spiritual and warmly human character of these rural nurses.
"The Queen is asking for you to be sent to Calais to look after poor wounded soldiers. How humble this should make you feel; to think that God wants to make use of you in such a marvellous way! Oh Saviour, men go to war to kill each other, and you go to war to repair the damage that is done there! What a blessing from God! Men kill the body, and very often they kill the soul if people die in a state of mortal sin; you go to bring them back to life, or at least to preserve life by the care you give to those who survive and your efforts to show them, by your good example and your exhortations, that they should be resigned to God's will." [35]
Vincent's charity reached out to others as well as his fellow countrymen. A good number of Irish exiles had enrolled in the French army because they couldn't find any other work or means of support. They played a very active part in the taking of Bordeaux and were then transferred to the Northern front where they joined the siege of Arras. When their services were no longer needed there they were billeted at Troyes in Champagne. The troops were accompanied by a pitiful retinue of the widows and orphan children of soldiers who had died in the campaign. Soldiers and civilians were without any kind of help. Naked and hungry, they fought with dogs in the street over scraps of refuse.
The priests in the house at Troyes informed Vincent about this situation. Once more Vincent called a meeting of the Ladies and put before them this new calamity. Then the Irish missionary, Fr. Ennery, was sent there with 600 livres and a good supply of clothing. The women and girls were housed in the hospital and were taught how to sew and spin. The orphans were placed in charitable institutions or in appropriate employment. After seeing to his countrymen's bodily needs, Fr. Ennery prepared them for their Easter duties by preaching a mission in their own language. When the townspeople saw the missionaries' works of charity they, too, were moved to help the Irish people and other needy persons in that area. [36]
"Father of this nation"
The poor people who received help were extremely grateful to their benefactors in Paris and especially to Vincent de Paul. This is frequently mentioned in the "Reports".
"We can't tell you how grateful our poor people are to their benefactors; they raise their hands to heaven to pray for their prosperity and beg God to grant eternal life to the people who have helped to preserve their mortal life." "We can't describe the response that your charity has aroused throughout all the frontier region; people talk about nothing else; the poor people who have been restored to health by the aid that you sent, are storming heaven for their benefactors" [37]
Vincent de Paul, in particular, received the most moving messages from governing bodies and from private individuals. Still preserved are seven letters from the Councillors at Rethel and messages were sent by the deputy governor of Saint Quintin and of Rethel, the Knight Commanders and the Chapter of Rheims and the parish priests of many towns who all expressed their gratitude. [38] The most eloquent testimony came from the deputy governor of Saint Quintin.
"The alms which, thanks be to God and to your kindness, have been sent to this province and which have been distributed so impartially by your delegates, have given life to millions of people who were reduced to direst poverty, by the calamities of war. For this reason I feel myself obliged to send this testimony of the humble gratitude that all these people feel for your goodness. Last week when the troops passed through, we had as many as 400 poor refugees in this town and the poor were fed each day thanks to the alms you sent. Besides the peasants there are another thousand people in the town and their only sustenance comes from your charitable help. There is so much misery. The people in the villages have only a little straw to lie on and even the leading citizens of these parts haven't anything to eat. There are even some people who can count on an income of 20,000 écus but who, in actual fact, have only a scrap of bread and have not eaten for two days. For this reason, and in virtue of the office I hold, I feel obliged to entreat you to continue to show yourself a father to this country and to save the lives of countless poor people who are sick and dying and whom your priests look after in such an impartial and conscientious manner." [39]
An incomplete balance sheet
The best summary of Vincent de Paul's charitable works and the help given to Picardy and Champagne, was the one that he himself presented to the General Assembly of the Ladies of Charity when he gave them the statement of expenses accounts on 11th July, 1657.
"From 15th July 1650, until the previous General Assembly 348,000 livres have been sent out and distributed to the poor, and from the last General Assembly until today, 19,500 livres, which is not much compared with previous years. These sums of money have been used to feed poor, sick people to gather together and maintain about 800 orphans from the devastated villages and place these in employment after they had been given clothes and training; to support many priests in their parishes that have been badly damaged and which they would have had to abandon as they couldn't have stayed alive without the help you sent; and finally, to repair some churches which were in such a dreadful state that I cannot describe this without shocking you.
The money was distributes in the towns and neighbouring districts of Rheims, Rathel, Laon, Saint Quintin, Ham, Marle, Sedan and Arras. This is in addition to money spent or clothing, material, blankets, shirts, albs, chasubles, missals, ciboria, etc. which would come to a lot more.
Indeed, Mesdames, we are lost in admiration at the thought of such great quantities of clothing provided for men, women, children and priests, not to mention the vestments sent to churches that had been pillaged and ruined. We might even say that if these vestments had not been donated the sacred mysteries would not have been celebrated and these holy places would have been used for profane purposes. If you had visited the ladies who were in charge of sending these goods you would have found their houses looking like shops and stores belonging to some big business enterprise.
Blessed be God, Mesdames, who has given you the grace to clothe Our Lord in the person of these his poor members, most of whom were covered in rags, and many of the children went about as naked as the day they were born. Young people and women had so little clothing that anyone with any modesty at all wouldn't dare to look at them, and all these people were nearly dead with the cold that terrible winter. How grateful you should be to God for giving you the inspiration, and the means of helping to relieve such great need. How many sick people have had their lives spared! They had been abandoned by everybody, they slept on the ground, exposed to the elements, and were reduced to absolute destitution by the troops and by lack of grain. A few years ago they were even worse off and at that time 16,000 livres were sent every month. People were enthusiastic about giving because they knew that these people were in danger of perishing unless they received help immediately, and they encouraged each other to contribute to charitable relief; but in the last year or so, the situation has improved a bit and there has been a big drop in almsgiving. And yet there are still about 80 churches in ruins and the poor have to travel long distances to hear Mass. This is the situation at present. Thanks to God's providence for the Company, we have begun to do something about it." [40]
This information provided by Vincent shows that Abelly did not exaggerate when he calculated that the total amount of aid given to the provinces of Champagne and Picardy came to more than half a million livres. [41] Maynard increased that estimate to two million. Perhaps the romantic historian got carried away and exaggerated a bit but the information he provides to back up his calculation leads us to think that Abelly's estimate is much too conservative. [42]
The miseries of the Fronde
We have already referred to the temporary halt in the charity campaign for Champagne and Picardy during the summer and the winter of 1652. This was partly due to the relative improvement in the situation prevailing in the frontier zones but more importantly, it was because the Fronde had brought ruin and disaster to the outlying districts of Paris and this meant that resources from the capital were diverted there.
The general picture of misery here is a repetition of the scenes witnessed in Lorraine, Picardy and Champagne. It isn't necessary, then, to repeat the details because the only difference would be in the names of places, the dates of the pillaging and the amount of damage done. A special feature of the desolation in the Paris region is that it was caused by Frenchmen only, and this gives special poignancy to the tragedy.
The reaction of Paris.
The proximity of these sad events and the suffering inflicted on Paris itself, led to the relief movement becoming more widespread. Not just Vincent de Paul but all the religious orders as well, the civil and ecclesiastical bodies, the religious associations, the merchant and craftsmen's guilds, as well as private individuals, all collaborated in the work of relieving the catastrophe. The Company of the Blessed Sacrament and the Jansenists played an important part in this work, as they had done in the frontier towns, and this was particularly true of the Abbey of Port Royal. The archbishop took over all command of the movement but Vincent, because of his experience and his many resources, played a very important part in it, together with his priests, the Ladies and the Daughters of Charity. [43] There was bound to be friction and jealousy among such a wide variety of workers, some of whom were deeply divided on religious grounds. There was a misunderstanding between the Ladies of Charity and the religious of Port Royal over a donation sent by the Queen of Poland. Vincent was quick to clear up the matter. [44] What interested him was that the poor should be helped, not who did the work. His praise for the work of the Company of the Blessed Sacrament couldn't have been warmer or more completely free from self interest. [45]
The charity warehouse. "This holy economat."
The organisation for sending relief supplies had its central headquarters in an institution called "the charity warehouse" which was thought up by Christophe du Plessis, Bâron de Montbard (+1672). [46] Two general store depôts were set up; one at the house of Mde. de Bretonvilliers, on the Ile Saint Louis because it was close to the wharves of the Seine, and the second at the palais de Mandosse. Each of these provided for a different part of the diocese, depending on whether the goods were to be transported by water or by land, but both services were co ordinated. Benefactors could leave their gifts at either of the central depôts or at parish collection points. [47]
The stores would accept anything; church books and vestments, medicines, sheets, mattresses, shoes, shirts, food, tools, shrouds, furniture, crockery, kitchen utensils. The list of things asked for and the list of things donated are like some second hand dealer's catalogue which throws more light on daily life in the seventeenth century than many learned works do. [48] Vincent was full of admiration for this organisation, or to use his own phrase, "this holy economat" which he himself had helped to create. [49]
Religious were given the responsibility for distributing aid and personally caring for the sick. The diocese was divided into ten areas and each was directed by a different religious community; Corbeil was served by the Capuchins, Villeneuve Saint Georges was served first by the priests of Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet and later by the Jesuits, Brie was directed by the Picpus Fathers, Tournan by the Discalced Carmelites, Gonesse and Lazarches by the Reformed Dominicans, Mont Valérieu by Fr. Charpentier's priests, and Saint Denis by the Recollect Fathers. Vincent's missionaries were in charge at Lagny and Jusivy. Later on they would leave Juvisy to the Jesuits so that they could care for a new district, Étampes. This was outside the diocese but it received help because the people there were in such desperate need. [50]
Full use was made of the publicity measures which had been so successful in the relief of Picardy and Champagne. The "Reports" provided information on the state of affairs in the Paris region and new publications appeared; two documents recording the most pressing needs and the "Magasin Charitable" which was very much in the spirit of today's social welfare information, and gave the public a detailed balance sheet of goods received as well as details of what was sent to each centre and how the funds were used." [51]
Paris itself had a great number of poor people. When the city was under siege from the royal army, the landed gentry were prevented from collecting their dues and journeymen were unable to go out and work in the fields. All this had social repercussions; there was no demand for articles other than basic necessities so craftsmen, too, were reduced to poverty. Refugees from the country districts added to the army of those in need and this led to hardship all round and a great increase in the number of mendicants. This had happened before, in 1649. The effects of the Second Fronde, in 1652, proved more disastrous and lasted longer.
"This is the way that God wishes us to take part in such holy enterprises."
Let us first of all examine the help that Vincent gave to the poor people in the capital. During the most difficult months of the war, May July 1652, every work of charity was intensified. In a letter dated 21st June, 1652, Vincent himself gave a summary of "the good works that are being performed in Paris" and listed these as:
1) To distribute soup daily to about 15,000 people; some of these are the bashful poor and others are refugees.
2) To accommodate young refugee girls in private houses where they are looked after and receive training. Just think of the awful things that might have happened if they had been left to wander the streets. We have about 100 of them lodged in a house in the Saint Denis area.
3) To help, also, the nuns that the troops expelled from their convents in the country areas and made them flee to Paris. Some of these were thrown out on to the street; others were lodged in vey dubious places, and some had to return to their families. They were all dispersed and at risk so we thought it would be very pleasing to God if they could be brought together in a convent of the Daughters of St. Mary. Finally, we have been sent all the poor parish priests, vicars and other clergy who had to leave their parishes and flee to this city. They come here every day and we give them food as well as instructing them in the things they should know and the duties they should perform.
This, then, is the way that God wishes us to participate in so many and such holy works. But the poor Daughters of Charity are still doing even more than we are to look after the material needs of the poor. At the house of Mlle. Le Gras, in the faubourg Saint Denis, they prepare food every day and distribute it to 1,300 bashful poor and to 800 refugees in the Saint Denis area; four or five sisters give out food to 5,000 poor people in St. Paul's parish alone, as well as to the 60 or 80 sick people that they have to look after. And other sisters are doing the same elsewhere." [52]
In this account Vincent makes no mention of the work done at Saint Lazare. Here, too, soup was distributed twice a day to some 800 people and after the food was given out, a short mission service would be preached. After the sermon, the men and boys went into the enclosure where they were divided into 9 or 10 groups or "academies" and received more specialised catechism instruction from a priest. The women were similarly catered for in other parts of the building. Vincent himself took an active part in this work. [53] A similar mission was organised at Saint Nicolas du Chardonnet.
"There are too many poor people in Étampes."
In the country areas confided to the missionaries the work was even more exhausting. Étampes was one of the worst hit war zones. In January, 1653, it was said that
"There are too many poor and sick people for us to list them all. By and large we could say that all the inhabitants are either sick or living in extreme poverty. These good missionaries have put the hospital back into working order and, together with the Daughters of Charity, they look after the sick. In Étampes there is also a soup kitchen for about 200 poor people. Kitchens have been set up in four other places; at Etréchy, Villeconin, Saint Arnoult and Guillerval. The kitchen at Etréchy which serves 34 poor widows and orphans uses 12 loaves at 8 sous each, so they spend more than 60 sous a week and the other kitchens spend proportionally the same amount. They also help the poor people of Boissy le Sec, Saclas, Fontaine, Boissy, Guillerval, Dormoy, Marigny, Champigny, Saint Marc Mineur and Brières at a cost of more than 100 écus a week." [54]
The worst thing about Étampes was the tremendous number of deaths caused by repeated sieges and epidemics. The streets were full of corpses and dead animals all piled up together in a most pitiful way. Vincent kept on recommending them to clean up the city and give christian burial to the dead. The missionaries set about this work diligently and afterwards they disinfected the houses and streets to make them habitable again. [55]
Soon the missionaries, too, fell victim to the epidemic. Fr. David died in July 1652, and Vincent said of him,
"In a short time, "explevit tempora multa". He had only been helping the poor of Étampes for 10 days or a fortnight..." Fr. Deschamps who was with him told me that he did all that any man on earth could have done; he heard confessions, gave catechism instructions, gave material help to the poor and the sick, and buried the decomposing bodies of the dead. He had 12 corpses buried at Etrechy because they were infecting the whole village, and after that he fell ill and died." He was 25 and had been a priest for only one year. [56]
Fr. David was the first victim but not the last. Fr. de la Fosse (the classicist) who replaced him, was brought back to Saint Lazare on a stretcher after working at Étampes for a month. Fortunately, he recovered. [57] In September all the missionaries at Étampes fell ill [58] and two of them, Frs. Watebled and Deschamps, succumbed. [59] A Daughter of Charity also died, the victim of her selflessness. [60]
"Our loss is greater than words can say; that is, if we can call it a loss when God calls people to himself," [61] was Vincent's terse but supernatural epitaph.
"A waggon pulled by three horses."
A similar incident ocurred at Palaiseau, a place which Vincent helped as well as the other districts confided to his care. The first five missionaries fell ill and had to be sent back to Saint Lazare. The same thing happened to the priests who came to replace them. The town had no provisions whatsoever because the army had destroyed the crops. Vincent provided for the townspeople's needs at his own expense. Every morning a wagon loaded with food set out from Saint Lazare and returned empty each evening. This daily ritual aroused the curiosity of the sentries at the gates of Paris. One day they stopped the driver and asked him what was going on. They suspected him of ferrying contraband or of being in league with the enemy. The good man's explanation failed to satisfy them and they demanded a certificate from M. Vincent. Vincent sent them one and it is thanks to him that we know that every day they sent to Palaiseau, "sixteen large white loaves, fifteen pints of wine, eggs and yesterday, (4th June, '52) some meat; and as they told me they need flour and a muid of wine for the poor sick people of that place, I have sent them today a wagon drawn by three horses and loaded with four sacks of flour and two muids of wine... Saint Lazare, 5th June, 1652. [62]
By 24th July Vincent had spent 663 livres on Palaiseau and this is not counting donations in kind. When he had no money left he appealed to the Ladies of Charity for help and asked the Duchess d'Aiguillon to convoke a meeting of the Ladies at her house for this purpose. [63]
"We must spare nothing to help the poor."
It would be useless to try and calculate the exact, or even the approximate, amount of money and provisions provided by Vincent de Paul over more than 20 years of continual aid to the devastated regions. Other things are more important. Vincent, who had been so assiduous in consolidating the finances of the houses he founded, now squandered their assets in the service of his neighbour. His conduct and his teaching showed he believed it to be literally true that the money of the company was the money of the poor. "Spare nothing to save the lives of these poor sick people" was the motto he passed on to Brother Nicolas Sené who was so outstanding a worker at Lagny. [64]
They spared neither resources nor effort. During the most critical periods of the Fronde, Saint Lazare was almost completely deserted. Some of the empty places would never be filled again as the occupants had died, "arms in hand" to use Vincent's phrase, and "martyrs of charity." [65]
The mighty wave of active and compassionate charity towards the poor which Vincent unleashed, rescued France from being accused of inhumanity. This France was notorious for its ambitious cardinals, its scheming bishops, its merciless generals and a soldiery that was crazed with cruelty and envy. Thanks to Vincent and his magnificent band of helpers, another, underground France started to flourish beneath mountains of self interest and hypocrisy, the France which; ever since the days of St. Ireneus had taken to itself the gospel message of compassionate charity.
