Gilles de Rais:
A Fifteenth Cenr-
ury Aesthete.
Murderer and
Pederast.
A remarkable combination of moral and temperamental degeneracy, intellectuality not being impaired in it to any appreciable degree, occurs in Gilles de Rais. This young Bretagne nobleman was executed, along with certain accomplices, at Nantes, in the year 1440, after an amazing career of erotomania, with the gradual increase of a blood-lust sentiment in it. De Rais was born of a noble and wealthy stock. At an early age he became master of a revenue, for the time enormous. He fought bravely as a patriotic soldier at the side of Jeanne Dare, becoming sufficiently distinguished to be made one of her marshals. Abruptly closing his military career, he retired to his estates, especially to that of Tiffauges, near Nantes. Here Gilles de Rais devoted himself to a life of intense, passionate intellectualism and aesthetics. Collecting a notable library, he also maintained a large retinue of singers, comedians, poets and painters, with whom he passed all his time. Such luxury made deep inroads on his fortune. Accordingly Gilles de Rais undertook alchemy, and anon conjurations and magic, to maintain his splendour of living. These processes soon brought him to the next step—the murder of young children, partly for the use of their blood in diabolical rites, but soon as a regular element of sexual excitement. He had a staff of envoys who kidnapped handsome young lads, and frequently little children. They were brought to certain secret rooms of Tiffauges; where de Rais and his companions in diabolism violated their victims and then cut them to pieces. Often they first slaughtered the unfortunate youths, and then undertook coition in various ways, with the corpses. Hundreds of such murders were consummated before the proofs of their commission were sufficiently established and the timid legal arm was strong enough to act against so powerful a local lord. De Rais was arrested finally, with François Prelati, the famous necromancer—who was his companion and tutor—was duly arraigned and tried, with one or two
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