So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king's son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud. – Jeremiah 38:6

Today's Scripture Reading (July 20, 2023): Jeremiah 38

Eustache Dauger was arrested on July 28, 1669. And that is the beginning of the mystery that surrounds his life. The reason for his arrest is unknown; none was ever given. As far as we can tell, there was no trial. Dauger was simply arrested and incarcerated. Dauger would spend the rest of his life in four different prisons in the care of one jailer, Benigne Dauvergne de Saint-Mars.

Even the name, Eustache Dauger, is in doubt. According to the arrest records, the name was written in a different hand, likely indicating that it was added later. Adding to the mystery, Eustache Dauger was never seen by anyone, possibly except for his jailer, without wearing a black mask. Eustache Dauger has become known in popular culture as "the Man in the Iron Mask," although the "iron mask" part is a bit of a misnomer. It was Voltaire who suggested the mask was iron, when in reality, it was likely made of some kind of black fabric.

Who was Eustache Dauger? That is an open and argued question. Some theories suggest that the man in the mask was a relative of King Louis XIV, possibly the King's twin brother or the King's biological father (which assumes that Louis XIII was not the father of his successor), amid several other suggestions. But the truth is that we don't know. What we know, or can assume, is that Eustache Dauger would have been recognized if he was seen, that his existence would have been problematic, probably to the King, if his identity was made known to the public. And, while the authorities wanted him out of the way, they did not want to kill him or maybe feared the repercussions if he was killed and that was discovered by the public. And so, Eustache Douger was hidden away in prison and behind a mask until he died in the Bastille on November 19, 1703.

The authorities in Jerusalem want Jeremiah dead, but no one wanted to be the one to kill the prophet. And so, they take Jeremiah to an unused cistern, and instead of unceremoniously throwing him into the hole, possibly allowing the prophet to die or, at least, sustain life-threatening injuries, as a result of the fall, they lower him gently into the cistern until the prophet sinks in the mud. But the hoped-for result would have been the same. Jeremiah, unless something changed, would eventually die of hunger or disease. The hope was that the prophet would be dead, but no blood would have been shed, and no one could be blamed for the death of Jeremiah.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 39