In which it is proved that, notwithstanding their names' endingin OS and IS, the heroes of the story which we are about to havethe honor to relate to our readers have nothing mythologicalabout them.

A short time ago, while making researches in the Royal Libraryfor my History of Louis XIV, I stumbled by chance upon theMemoirs of M. D'Artagnan, printed - as were most of the works ofthat period, in which authors could not tell the truth withoutthe risk of a residence, more or less long, in the Bastille - atAmsterdam, by Pierre Rouge. The title attracted me; I took themhome with me, with the permission of the guardian, and devouredthem.

It is not my intention here to enter into an analysis of thiscurious work; and I shall satisfy myself with referring such ofmy readers as appreciate the pictures of the period to its pages.They will therein find portraits penciled by the hand of amaster; and although these squibs may be, for the most part,traced upon the doors of barracks and the walls of cabarets, theywill not find the likenesses of Louis XIII, Anne of Austria,Richelieu, Mazarin, and the courtiers of the period, lessfaithful than in the history of M. Anquetil.

But, it is well known, what strikes the capricious mind of thepoet is not always what affects the mass of readers. Now, whileadmiring, as others doubtless will admire, the details we have torelate, our main preoccupation concerned a matter to which no onebefore ourselves had given a thought.

D'Artagnan relates that on his first visit to M. de Treville,captain of the king's Musketeers, he met in the antechamber threeyoung men, serving in the illustrious corps into which he wassoliciting the honor of being received, bearing the names ofAthos, Porthos, and Aramis.

We must confess these three strange names struck us; and itimmediately occurred to us that they were but pseudonyms, underwhich D'Artagnan had disguised names perhaps illustrious, or elsethat the bearers of these borrowed names had themselves chosenthem on the day in which, from caprice, discontent, or want offortune, they had donned the simple Musketeer's uniform.

>From the moment we had no rest till we could find some trace incontemporary works of these extraordinary names which had sostrongly awakened our curiosity.

The catalogue alone of the books we read with this object wouldfill a whole chapter, which, although it might be veryinstructive, would certainly afford our readers but littleamusement. It will suffice, then, to tell them that at themoment at which, discouraged by so many fruitless investigations,we were about to abandon our search, we at length found, guidedby the counsels of our illustrious friend Paulin Paris, amanuscript in folio, endorsed 4772 or 4773, we do not recollectwhich, having for title, "Memoirs of the Comte de la Fere,Touching Some Events Which Passed in France Toward the End of theReign of King Louis XIII and the Commencement of the Reign ofKing Louis XIV."

It may be easily imagined how great was our joy when, in turningover this manuscript, our last hope, we found at the twentiethpage the name of Athos, at the twenty-seventh the name ofPorthos, and at the thirty-first the name of Aramis.

The discovery of a completely unknown manuscript at a period inwhich historical science is carried to such a high degreeappeared almost miraculous. We hastened, therefore, to obtainpermission to print it, with the view of presenting ourselvessomeday with the pack of others at the doors of the Academie desInscriptions et Belles Lettres, if we should not succeed - a veryprobable thing, by the by - in gaining admission to the AcademieFrancaise with our own proper pack. This permission, we feelbound to say, was graciously granted; which compels us here togive a public contradiction to the slanderers who pretend that welive under a government but moderately indulgent to men ofletters.

Now, this is the first part of this precious manuscript which weoffer to our readers, restoring it to the title which belongs toit, and entering into an engagement that if (of which we have nodoubt) this first part should obtain the success it merits, wewill publish the second immediately.

In the meanwhile, as the godfather is a second father, we beg thereader to lay to our account, and not to that of the Comte de laFere, the pleasure or the ENNUI he may experience.

This being understood, let us proceed with our history.