# LXIII: The Trial explained — Twenty Years After

> Chapter companion for Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas.

## What happens

King Charles I is brought before the high court in London, where a reduced number of judges preside. The four French musketeers—Athos, D'Artagnan, Porthos, and Aramis—attend the trial, witnessing the king's dignified defiance and the insults hurled at him. Athos publicly denounces the accuser, prompting a violent response from Mordaunt, but the friends escape. After the trial, they follow and execute a butcher who spat on the king, with d'Artagnan asserting his commitment to the king's cause.

## Themes in this chapter

### Revenge and Justice

Athos and his friends exact personal vengeance on the butcher who insulted the king, blending justice with retribution.

### Honor and Duty

The musketeers defend the king's honor despite the danger, and d'Artagnan pledges to undertake all that concerns the king.

### Power and Corruption

The trial itself is a corrupt exercise of power by the rebel court, with Mordaunt's ruthless pursuit of his enemies.

## Character check-ins

### Athos

Pale with rage, he publicly denounces the accuser and later participates in executing the butcher who insulted the king.

### D'Artagnan

Observes the trial with concern, orchestrates the escape from Mordaunt's attack, and leads the punishment of the butcher, declaring his full commitment to the king.

### Porthos

Counts the reinforcements, admires the king's attire, and delivers the fatal blow to the butcher under d'Artagnan's direction.

### Aramis

Comments on Lady Fairfax's appearance and the legal principle that the king can do no wrong.

### Mordaunt

Commands the musketeers, recognizes the Frenchmen, and orders them to be fired upon, but they escape.

### Charles Stuart

The king on trial, maintains composure, wears his hat in defiance, and later endures insults from the crowd.

## Key lines

> The king is really very handsome, and look, too, though he is a prisoner, how carefully he is dressed. The feather in his hat is worth at least five-and-twenty pistoles.

Porthos remarks on the king's fine appearance and the expensive feather in his hat despite his captivity.

_Porthos's observation highlights the king's dignity and the contrast with his situation._

> You lie! Nine-tenths of the English people are horrified at what you say.

Athos stands up and shouts that the accuser is lying, claiming most English people are appalled by the accusation.

_Athos's outburst disrupts the trial and reveals his passionate loyalty to the king._

> Thus shall all die who forget that a captive man is sacred and that a captive king doubly represents the Lord.

D'Artagnan declares that anyone who forgets the sanctity of a captive, especially a king, will die.

_This statement justifies the execution of the butcher and underscores the friends' moral code._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/twenty_years_after_se/chapters/lxiii-the-trial
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/twenty_years_after_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/twenty_years_after_se/chapters