Letter of Recommendation

The Letter of Recommendation is the letter from M. d'Artagnan the elder to his old neighbor Monsieur de Treville, captain of the king's Musketeers, which the young d'Artagnan carries to Paris as his sole introduction to the court. It is the catalyst for the entire plot: its theft at Meung sets d'Artagnan on a collision course with the man who will become his nemesis, and its loss nearly derails his career before it begins.

Identity and Origin

The letter is one of the three paternal gifts with which d'Artagnan sets out from his home in Gascony, the others being fifteen crowns and a yellow Bearn pony. M. d'Artagnan the elder gives it to his son along with a long speech of advice, telling him to go to Monsieur de Treville, who was formerly a neighbor, and to make him his model. The father describes Treville as a man who began as the young man is beginning, and who has risen to become captain of the Musketeers, a chief of a legion of Caesars whom the king holds in great esteem and whom the cardinal dreads. The letter is thus the young man's only tangible link to the world of the court, a passport that is meant to open the door to Treville's patronage and, through him, to the king's service.

Theft at Meung

On the first Monday of April 1625, d'Artagnan arrives in the market town of Meung and is ridiculed for his horse by a gentleman with a scar on his temple. In the ensuing brawl, d'Artagnan is knocked unconscious. While he is insensible, the host of the Jolly Miller rummages his valise and finds nothing but a clean shirt and eleven crowns, but also the letter addressed to Monsieur de Treville. The host reports this to the stranger, who becomes attentive and asks what the pocket contained. Learning of the letter, the stranger murmurs that Treville may have set this Gascon upon him, and decides to steal it. He goes down to the kitchen where d'Artagnan's doublet is, and the host later concludes that the letter has been stolen by the gentleman. When d'Artagnan recovers and discovers the loss, he flies into a rage, threatening to spit everyone like ortolans if the letter is not found. The host, terrified by the name of Treville, joins the search, but the letter is gone.

Consequences and Significance

The loss of the letter has immediate and far-reaching consequences. When d'Artagnan finally gains an audience with Monsieur de Treville, he must explain that he has no letter of introduction. Treville is surprised that the young man would undertake so long a journey without that necessary passport, the sole resource of poor Bearnese. D'Artagnan relates the adventure of Meung, describing the unknown gentleman with the scar, and Treville recognizes the description as that of a man he believed still at Brussels. The theft thus not only delays d'Artagnan's entry into the Musketeers but also introduces him to the cardinal's agent, the Comte de Rochefort, who will become a recurring antagonist. The letter's absence forces d'Artagnan to prove himself through action rather than patronage, setting the pattern for his entire career. It also establishes the central conflict: the struggle between the king's party, represented by Treville and the Musketeers, and the cardinal's party, represented by Rochefort and Milady. The letter, though never recovered, remains a symbolic object throughout the novel, representing the lost opportunity for a straightforward path to advancement and the necessity of earning one's place through courage and loyalty.