"All for one and one for all!"
Those were the great words sworn by Athos,
Aramis, and Porthos in The Three Musketeers, a novel written
by the French writer Alexander Dumas.
Why were they called
Musketeers? They don’t use muskets!
A Musketeer was a member in the group of bodyguards who
protected the French royalties in the 17th and 18th Centuries.
The Musketeers (of the book, anyway, I don’t know
about real life) were a military company. But were charged
with protecting the king, so wouldn’t normally have
to go out in the field. They did use muskets, just not
very often.
Set in France during the reign
of Louis XIII, The Three Musketeers is a historical
romance that tells the story of a young adventurer, D'Artagnan,
whose life changed when he left his provincial hometown
for Paris, and became friends with three Musketeers --
Athos, Aramis, and Porthos. Together they fought against
the evil Cardinal Richelieu for justice, love, and friendship.
"So thus they lived in
France of old,
When blood was young and hearts were bold,
And sword crossed sword for honor then,
When life was life and men were men."
