# The Tower of St. Jacques de la Boucherie explained — Twenty Years After

> Chapter companion for Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas.

## What happens

Gondy meets with Planchet, who offers his services to the Fronde, and then with Rochefort to coordinate the rebellion. Later, in the tower, a mendicant reveals he has mobilized ten thousand men for the uprising and signals the start of the barricades. The mendicant, a former Bastille prisoner, seeks Gondy's blessing and hints at a hidden past.

## Themes in this chapter

### Revolution and Rebellion

The chapter centers on organizing the Fronde uprising, with Gondy, Planchet, and Rochefort plotting against Mazarin.

### Power and Corruption

Gondy's manipulation of the mob and the mendicant's avarice reflect the corrupting influence of power and money.

## Character check-ins

### Gondy

Coordinates the Fronde uprising, meeting with Planchet, Rochefort, and the mendicant in the tower.

### Planchet

Former servant of d'Artagnan, now a confectioner and Frondist, offers to raise men for the rebellion.

### Rochefort

Recently escaped from the Bastille, coordinates with Gondy and promises fifty soldiers from the Chevalier d'Humières.

### Beaufort

Mentioned as being in Vendôme, waiting to be summoned to Paris to lead the revolt.

### Mazarin

Target of the Fronde; Planchet and Rochefort discuss opposing him.

### D'Artagnan

Mentioned as Planchet's former master and a Mazarinist lieutenant of Musketeers.

## Key lines

> I am a Frondist from my heart. You see in me, such as I am, a person sentenced to be hung.

Planchet declares his loyalty to the Fronde and reveals he is wanted by the authorities.

_Planchet's commitment to the rebellion is underscored by his willingness to risk execution._

> You asked me for five hundred men, did you not? Well, I have ten thousand for you.

The mendicant exceeds Gondy's expectations by providing a much larger force.

_The mendicant's ability to mobilize thousands highlights his hidden influence and the scale of the planned revolt._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/twenty_years_after_se/chapters/xlvi-the-tower-of-st-jacques-de-la-boucherie
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/twenty_years_after_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/twenty_years_after_se/chapters