Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/northeasternfranOOhare BY AUGUSTUS J. C. HARE. Now ready, cro 2 vn ivo, los. 6d. per volume. With Maps and 500 Illustrations. NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. SOUTH-EASTERN FRANCE. SOUTH-WESTERN FRANCE. In preparation. NORTH-WESTERN FRANCE. Complete list of Works by same Author at end of this Volume. LONDON : GEORGE ALLEN, 8, BELL YARD, TEMPLE BAR ; AND SUNNYSIDE, ORPINGTON. NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE BY AUGUSTUS J. C. HARE AUTHOR OF ‘PsARUj:,’ ‘WALKS IN ROM-E,’ ‘ WALKS IN LONDON,’. ETC. GEORGE ALLEN 8, BELL YARD, TEMPLE BAR, LONDON AND SUNNYSIDE, ORPINGTON {^Ali rights reserved} Printed by Hazell, Watson, & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury. PREFACE. I N collecting materials for ‘France’ the principle has been adopted that it was better to leave the easiest and best-known part till the last; and Normandy and Brittany, which will form the fourth volume, have still to be finished. Other places are taken in the order in which they are most likely to be visited by English travellers, indicating the main lines of route by a larger type than the many lines diverging from or excursions to be made from them, even though this has in- volved printing some of the most interesting and remarkable places in the smaller type. The accounts are almost entirely drawn from personal observation ; but the author would never have known where to find the places, or what to look for there, if it had not been for the numerous volumes of Joanne, to which he cannot sufficiently express his indebtedness. Great are the complaints which Englishmen are in the habit of making about the discomforts of a tourist’s life in France, but this is generally because they know VI PREFACE. little about it, from keeping to the main lines, where the hotels have frequently been ruined by English couriers or servants. In provincial towns and country districts the beds are almost universally clean, the sheets well aired, and the food excellent. In one point, certainly, more easy to be imagined than described, French inns are terribly behindhand, and where this is the case, to a degree which is unendurable, the word ‘‘horrors” is usually added to the indication of an inn, even when it may otherwise be admirable. The excellence of the food and the discomfort in another respect are equally due to the fact that the only frequenters of the inns are commercial travellers. Indeed, an English tourist will always do well to remember that his approval or his custom is of no consequence whatever to an hotel- keeper in a quiet French town. Any attention he receives is due to the natural kindness and courtesy of his host and hostess : the only travellers of importance to them are ‘ Les Messieurs de Commerce,' upon whose patronage their house entirely depends. Therefore, however much they smoke horrible tobacco, spit like fountains, shout whenever they speak, and give them- selves the airs of princes, it is necessary to recollect that French commercial travellers are of considerable local consequence, whereas a foreigner, however dis- tinguished at home, is of none whatever. Many English tourists in France, especially English ladies, find much to complain of in their railway jour- neys ; indeed, it would often seem as if the railway PREFACE. Vll companies did everything in their power to prevent people from using their lines. Smoking is now allowed in al/ the carriages. It is true that, nominally, passengers can prevent anyone from smoking by an appeal to the guard, but he shrinks from interfering if possible; or, if he takes any notice, the complaining passenger’s position in the carriage is thenceforward almost untenable. Worse even than the smoking, and the spitting which is its constant concomitant, are the hot water tins, which may be welcome, especially in the north, during the cold days of December and January, but which are equally forced upon the miserable traveller in the most broiling days of April, or under the hottest Provencal sunshine. No remonstrance, no entreaty, not even any plea of illness, is of the slightest avail, until the day is passed upon which an unal- terable regulation allows the chaufferettes to be left behind. But t;he miseries of French travel reach a climax during a hot spring day on the Strasbourg line, in carriages heated to roasting-point by flues of hot air, which parch and excoriate their victims at the time, and leave a legacy of fever and bronchitis behind them. Then, in summer, what a boon might easily be secured to long-suffering travellers if the roofs of carriages exposed to the burning suns of Southern France were painted white. Perhaps it might make foreign travel, especially French travel, easier to an Englishman, if he were to observe some such rules as the following : — PREFACE. viil If he recollects that there is no unpunctuality of trains in France as in England. French trains are always punctual to a moment. If he remembers that, when he is at a place for one night only, it is unnecessary to remove his luggage from the station, should a hand-bag be sufficient. The luggage ticket must be kept and presented to be re- newed upon leaving. If a traveller stays more than one night at a place, as each piece of luggage is charged lO c. a day at the consigne, it is better to take it to the hotel. If he remembers that the railway companies only undertake to refund for the most valuable box lost on the railway ; and that on that account it may be better never unnecessarily to leave a valuable box in their charge. If he believes that it will save trouble if, on emerg- ing from the station, he gives his luggage ticket to the conduitciir of the omnibus belonging to the hotel he is going to ; the conducteur will find the luggage and see it put on the omnibus. Frenchmen universally do this. Unless economy is a primaiy object, if he remembers that diligences, with , their crovvding, spitting, smoking, smells, and fleas, mean a chaos of small miseries. It is always pleasanter to take a carriage of the country where one can be found ; the prices for excursions a?re generally fixed, and very low. If he does not fatigue himself by unnecessary walking PREFACE. IX in hot weather ; pleasure in sight-seeing is annihilated if the tourist arrives exhausted at the point of action. If he never trusts to the information of others, especially landlords or waiters, where he has the opportunity of finding out facts for himself : though for the moment others may be very civil, they have no time for personal interest in him or his questions. If he never thinks that himself or his affairs can be of the slightest consequence to anyone but himself or his own family. If he never fancies people wish to mislead or wrong him : they almost always intend to be kind, though they may not understand the best way of being so. If he never imagines people intend to cheat ; except on the main lines, where English couriers have intro- duced the custom, it is never thought of. Prices vary much in different parts of France, but in travelling constantly throu^ the length and breadth of it, the writer has never met with any small innkeeper or peasant who wished to take advantage of him. If he never packs up any worries to take with him : he will pick up plenty on the way. If he never anticipates evils : there are plenty of others, but those expected never come. If he always accepts an inevitable. If he has taken a wrong train or missed one, has lost some of his things, has wasted a day from wrong information, he must look upon it as part of the day’s work. X PREFACE. That day is over, but the future is his own to use and enjoy. If he never takes the commis-voyageurs he meets in hotels or railways as fair specimens of the Frsnch nation. If he always returns and cordially acknowledges a civility by whomsoever it may be offered. If he remembers that all classes in France are or ‘Monsieur’ or ‘Madame;’ forgets all stand-off Anglicisms; recog- nises courtesy and is courteous. If also he never presents himself ‘avec cet aplomb irritant des Anglais en voyage.’ If he never ruffles the prejudices of the people in whose country he should accept the position of a kindly-treated visitor — especially their religious pre- judices. If he never talks controversy ; always takes off his hat to the Sacrament or the dead ; never talks, or laughs, or walks arm-in-arm, in churches, especially during service-time. If he never talks at a table d'hote j or anywhere in public, of what ‘ these people ’ do, or say, or think. If he always occupies himself, whilst in France, as much as possible with French, not English, literature. The better class of French novels give marvellously true pictures of French life, and are often the only means accessible of learning anything about it. If he does not read exclusively the papers and books which agree with his own opinion ; he knows already what that is, but it will be interesting to learn what other people think. PREFACE. XI If he always, as much as possible, prepares himself for seeing a place by reading about it beforehand : he will find in every place chiefly what he is able to put into it. The man who knows most will always see most. Wer viel weiss, hat viel zu sorgen,’ is the true dictum of Lessing. If he never gives up anything he has resolved to see on account of temporary difficulties : these are never to be weighed against future recollections. If, except in case of illness, he is never deterred from carrying out a plan by bad weather : it constantly has to rain, and there is not time for everything on fine days. If he never sees anything in a hurry : should time be short, it is always better to see a few things well, than many things badly. If he remembers, in a town where galleries exist, that there is no weariness so weary as that caused by seeing too many pictures ; no dreariness so dreary as that which too many pictures themselves convey. If he always feeds himself as well — and as simply — as circumstances admit of : half the ruffles of travelling life come either from hunger or dyspepsia. The scale of prices in out-of-the-way places, especially in Western France, is much lower than on the main lines. It is usually : breakfast (tea or coffee, with bread and butter), 75 c.; luncheon (dejeuner a la fourchette), 2 frs. 50 c. ; dinner (table d’hote), 3 frs. ; room, 2 frs. 50 c., or 3 frs. ; omnibus, 50 c., or. XU PREFACE. with luggage, 6o c. Candles are never charged except in Anglicised hotels. Service is seldom charged, but about I fr. a day is expected to be divided amongst the servants; if there is only one servant, 50 c. a day is sufficient. English travellers should remember that soap is never provided, and that good ink and pens are difficult to obtain. In sending out these volumes, corrected and re- corrected as they have been, the author is well aware of their many deficiencies, and will be very grateful to any travellers who may be kind enough to send him corrections or additions, to be used if another edition is called for. Augustus J. C. Hare. Holmhurst, St. Leonards-on-Sea. CONTENTS. CHAP. PAGE I. Introductory i II. Calais to Paris by Boulogne, Abbeville (S. Riquier, Crecy), (Eu, Treport), Amiens (Beau- vais), Creil (Compiegne, Senlis), and S. Denis. Chemin de Fer DU Nord .... 30 III. Paris 144. IV. Excursions from Paris 233 V. Tour in North-Eastern France. Calais to Nancy BY S. Omer (Lille), Bethune, Arras, Douai (Cambrai)^ Valenciennes, Mezieres, Sedan (Montmedy), Verdun, S. Mihiel, and Com- MERCY 318' VI. Paris to the German Frontier by Meaux, Chalons-sur-Marne, and Nancy. Chemin de Fer de Strasbourg 362 VII. Calais to Bale by Amiens (S. Quentin, Noyon, Coucy, Soissons), Laon, Reims, Chalons-sur- Marne, Chaumcnt, and Langres . . . 408 VIII. Excursion in the French Vosges . . . 457 IX. Paris to Chaumont (Provins and Troyes) . . 474 Index 505 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. qu’il y a de plus etranger en France, pour les Frangais, c’est la France,’ says Balzac in his Modeste Mignon, and there are few Frenchmen who know anything of their native country beyond the neighbourhood of Paris and that of their own country residence. Englishmen, who think they have travelled in France, usually know it still less. They spend a winter on the coast near Nice or Biarritz, or make a summer tour in Normandy and Brittany, or on the Loire : but Englishmen always begin to play at ‘ follow the leader’ from the moment they cross the Channel, and are apt to judge of the rest of France by the districts they rush through in express trains on the lines to Marseilles, Bordeaux, or Strasbourg. Thus they describe it as a land of featureless plains, with long lines of poplars for vegetation, ignoring the fact that in France, which is three times the size of Great Britain, one-third of the country is moun- tainous, and that its mountains include fifty peaks above eleven thousand feet high. The more remarkable parts also of the comparatively lowland country — Creuse, Correze, Aveyron, Lot, Tarn, Herault, and Ardeche — remain as unknown as Central Africa, though they are full of mountainous districts with jagged precipices and tossing I 2 FRANCE. waterfalls, of thick forests abounding in rare plants, of grand rivers flowing through rocky chasms or lovely meadow lands and lined by such marvellous old towns and villages as transport those who visit them into the middle-ages, whilst the uplands are sprinkled by such a wealth of ancient churches and abbeys, of ruined castles and exquisite renais- sance chateaux, as is absolutely indescribable. Ampere truly says, ‘ II y a toujours profit a sortir des routes battues ; ’ and if travellers would only believe this, great would be the pleasure they might enjoy ! ‘ With what delight should we view those majestic remains of the last heroic world ! Time would fail me to describe Arques and Falaise ; the castle of Hauteville, near Coutances, in Nor- mandy, the seat of the illustrious Tancred ; that of Rohan and Clisson, on the beautiful banks of the Loire ; the dark fearful walls of Lusignan, near Poitiers ; Coney in Picardy ; the tower of the Constable at Vannes, in which Clisson was treacherously imprisoned by Montfort ; the Castle of Josselin, with the chamber in which Clisson would have slain his own daughter for advising him to murder the children of his enemy Montfort ; the proud tower of Montlhery ; or the Castle of Gozon_, in Languedoc, in which the stone was preserved that Dieudonne de Gozon, Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, found in the skull of the dragon which he slew at S. Stephen’s Mount. Can an Englishman be unmoved at Crecy, when he beholds the Tower of Edward on the hill three leagues N. of Abbeville, from which Edward III. surveyed the army and suspended the great standard of England on that memorable day ? Can a poet find no interest in Roussillon, where he may view the Castle of Rossello, in which Guillaume de Cabestaing served as a page, being the first stage of his melancholy fate ? Can a historian traverse Languedoc and not want to wander among the ruins of those old castles whose subterranean passages of vast length are said to have been constructed by Renaud de Montauban during his wars with Charlemagne ? Can a hero forget that in Dauphine may be seen the Vallee INTRODUCTORY. 3 Chevalereuse, so called from the number of its noble towers and the fame" of its ancient pomps and tournaments ? ’ — Ketieb?i Dig by, ‘ Broadstone of Honottri Godefridus. Any knowledge of France can only be obtained after many visits, and it will then be of the slightest without the help of French associations and friendships. The best chance of learning anything about it is to take a special district as the object of a single tour, and to devote attention exclusively to its history, associations, and architecture ; for in climate, scenery, and characteristics of every kind, the different parts of France are entirely unlike each other. Every great town, also, is made interesting and suggestive by its individuality — clerical, aristocratic, republican, aesthetic, or commercial. Certainly those who wish to get away from their fellow-countrymen cannot at present do it more effec- tually than by travelling in the more interesting of the French Departments. During the last three years, the writer has annually spent ten weeks in wandering through the length and breadth of the country ; for the first two years, even in a train or at a railway station, he never saw an English traveller after leaving Paris ; during the last year, he met a boy on a bicycle, and found two old ladies econo- mising at a little inn on the Cher. No more than this ! it is therefore in the hope of inducing English travellers to investigate some of the beauties of France for themselves that these volumes are published. In the belief, also, that the simplest outline-drawing conveys a better idea of a place than many pages of description, as many illustrations as possible have been given from sketches ^ taken on the * Transferred to wood by the kindness and skill of Mr. T. Sulman, of New Court, Carey Street. 4 FRANCE. spot, selecting subjects which are not already familiar from photographs ; though, as the sketches extend over a great number of years, and are the result of thirty-four separate tours, details of buildings may occasionally have become altered in a few of the subjects since the drawings were executed. From mere motives of economy, it is strange that more English do not resort to France. The writer, certainly, has found few inns so cheap as that at the Chaise Dieu, where only 50c. were charged for a room; but in most small pro- vincial towns or country villages, the expense of a long stay would not exceed 6 frs. a day ; and, where no great excite- ments are necessary, few summer residences could be pleasanter than such old countrified towns as, for instance, Provins, Loches, Clisson, Le Croisic, S. Emilion, where the extent of a man’s rent-roll would be a matter of absolute indifference to his neighbours. As an intelligent French- woman observed — ‘ La vie n’est pas chere chez nous, et meme si elle etait, nos usages ne le sont pas.’ ^ Travellers will see that there is scarcely any trace left of the inns of which Arthur Young wrote as ‘the most execrable receptacle of filth, vermin, impudence, and imposition that ever exercised the patience or wounded the feelings of a traveller,’ though along the beaten tracks which English travellers frequent, prices have risen considerably since Smollett complained so bitterly because a diner apart cost 3 frs. or 4 frs., whilst the price of the table d'hote was only 30 or 40 sous. Commercial travellers, it is true, are not always the pleasantest companions in the world, and there are persons of more cleanly habits ; but, in the provincial inns, Fraser^ September, 1877. INTRODUCTORY. 5 the beds are almost universally immaculate, and the food excellent, whilst the room allotted to the honoured stranger has nearly always the furniture which was formerly thought indispensable to a well-ordered salon — the gilt vases of artificial flowers under glass, the clock supporting a figure of a naked god or hero, and the gueridon or round table with a marble top. The landlord, well-to-do and well educated, will often wait cheerily at table, whilst his wife cooks, and as the host and hostess treat their guests like old friends during their stay, they take leave of each other with a mutually affectionate regard. Travellers are only their own enemies who will not open their hearts to the frankness and charm of character in the French, to which the whole system of their education tends. The French children, whom Evelyn describes as ‘ the fairest letter that nature can show through all the human alphabet,’ live entirely with their parents (for there are no nurseries in France), and are encouraged to communicate every im- pression, which facilitates their being afterwards influenced and guided. Unless she is educated in a convent, a French girl scarcely leaves her mother’s side till she is married, and generally becomes, through life, an echo of what her mother was before her; or, if the mother is unavoidably absent, there is generally the grandmother — bonne maman^ as she is prettily called in French — to take her place. The formation of character, and a frank acceptance of the duties and suffer- ings of life, dates in most persons, from the First Communion, of which many an old woman will speak as ‘ Le grand jour de ma vie,’ — a day when every French girl is robed in white in honour of La Sainte Vierge — ever the perfect ideal of gentleness and purity. 6 FRANCE. ‘ The night before it the child kneels down and asks her father and her mother to pardon all her faults ; then she goes gravely through the house and begs the same forgiveness from all its other inmates. When the morning comes, she goes, in white all over, shrouded in a long muslin veil, to join her com- rades at the church ; they, like herself, have been preparing themselves by two years of special instruction at the public Catechism for the great day which has come at last. Then, amidst the roll of music and the pomp of ceremony, the columns of young children march slowly down the aisle and kneel, right and left, boys on one side, girls on the other, until they have filled the nave. The church seems to be half choked with snow as the white sea of veils spreads over it. And when the moment comes, and the children advance slowly to the altar, there is not a dry eye round. Each father and each mother watches eagerly for its own ; and afterwards, if death should take them while still young, that is the instant of their lives which is best and most tearfully remembered.’ — ‘ French Ho7ne Life' Blackwood^ ex. It is often objected to French boys that they are not encouraged to play at cricket or football ; but it is doubtful if their constant practice in gymnastics and fencing is not more really advantageous to their future life, and military drill is becoming more and more imposed upon them as a necessity. Though it is rare to find good riders amongst French boys, they are generally encouraged to become good oarsmen if they live in the neighbourhood of a river, and, as swimmers, they far excel English boys. In learning, the system of education is different. Happily for boys in France, their discipline of teaching is often found in art, especially in music and drawing ; very little Latin is insisted upon, and scarcely any Greek. As for public schools, the distinction which exists in England is unknown. The place of his edu- cation makes no difference in a man’s future. Scions of the best families are often brought up at a lycee, where INTRODUCTORY. 7 their companions may be the sons of small shopkeepers. The Orleans princes were educated at the Lycee Henri IV. It has been noticed as characteristic of French society, that where men feel the most, women think the most, which is the result probably of their constant contact with those older than themselves, by which, at a very early age, they obtain facility of conversatipn, and considerable expe rience of human nature. From her cradle, a French girl has begun to learn to be a woman, to keep house, to receive and entertain visitors. From her cradle, also, her parents have begun to think about her dowry, which is regarded as a necessity. When the time for a child’s engagement comes, everything is carefully weighed, calculated, and con- sidered by her parents. As to the girl herself, she seldom knows much of her future husband before she is betrothed, and though manages dl inclination exist in all classes, a manage de convena7tce — meaning a marriage which outsiders consider suitable, and which is arranged by the prudence of parents — is far more common ; and where love does not exist before marriage, it usually springs up afterwards. By the Code Napoleon all marriages are forbidden without the consent of the mutual fathers and mothers, or proof that they are dead. Even at sixty, brides and bridegrooms must either produce this consent, or show proof of orphanage, or else of denial without cause. After marriage, the views of Malthus are carried out by the whole nation : no Frenchman has children for whom he is unable to provide ; the rate of births in France is the lowest in the world, yet the sanctity of the marriage-tie is seldom desecrated. ‘ II ne faut point chercher dans une decadence physique la cause de la lenteur avec laquelle s’augmente la population de la 8 FRANCE. France. L’interdiction dii mariage prononcee centre un demi- million de soldats et de marins, qni sent prdcisement I’elite physique de la nation, le voeu de celibat par laqiielle se sont engag6es plus de 200,000 personnes, hommes et femmes, enfin I’isolement, volontaire ou bien impose par les circonstances, dans lequel vit une moitie des francais en age de se marier, sont des causes evidentes d’une lente augmentation d’habitants. Ainsi qu’on I’a dit depuis longtemps, un des malheurs de la France est d’avoir trop de celibataires. Mais outre ces causes evidentes de la faible natalite fran^aise, il en est une autre, des plus importantes, qui ressort de la comparison des statistiques departementales, Cette cause, toute morale, provient du desir qu’ont les parents d’assurer I’aisance a leurs enfants. Ils se pri- vent volontairement d’avoir une nombreuse posterite, afin de laisser a chacun de leurs heritiers un patrimoine suffisant.’ — Eli see Rcchis. The secret of every Frenchwoman’s action lies in her personal originality. She regards dress and manners, but only as powerful auxiliaries to the conversational powers to which she trusts for her influence, and in which, by a clever assimilation and reproduction of the ideas of others, she is generally able to supply any want of per- sonal reading or thought. It is also through the medium of conversation that most Frenchwomen attain to any know- ledge they possess. In the middle classes, Frenchwomen usually speak with the same accuracy of expression, clearness of enunciation, and purity of accent, as ladies of rank. ‘ Englishwomen behave in the same fashion to everybody they know. But in France, if a lady has a dozen people in her salon, she acts a dozen parts to them ; she is a distinct person to each one of them, and each of her incarnations is proper to herself alone .... Frenchwomen seldom make friends with each other, though they are the most perfect acquaintances that the world can supply. But indoors the Frenchwoman exhibits a rare capacity for becoming the faithful friend, the active INTRODUCTORY. 9 companion, the true helpmate and guide. Indoors she shows how thoroughly she understands the active partnership of mar- riage ; how effectively she can practise the duties which result from keenly-felt associations and from common responsibilities. Indoors the calculating woman of the world almost always disappears ; in most cases the daughter, wife, and mother, stand forward in completeness. The home ties, the home tender- nesses, efface all outside thoughts. It is within her own walls that the Frenchwoman is, most of all, herself.’ ‘ Ff’ench Ho7ne Life^ Blackwood, cxxiii. It is most unfair to accept the descriptions of luxury and vice in French novels, written to supply what is in demand, because they are sure to find readers and thus to make money — as evidence of prevalent immorality in French life. It is not even for French readers that these books are written. A sufficiently depraved French novel is sure to find thousands of purchasers in other countries, especially in England, where, as The Saturday Review has observed,’ ‘not to have read any book that is more indecent than usual, is to be out of the fashion.’ Much of the good manners which characterise the French is, of course, mainly on the surface, but does not add less to the pleasure of life. The youngest boys are taught to bow with a gesture brimming with courtesy and politeness. All those who meet in the same house are considered to be on terms of speaking acquaintance without introduction^ Yet, in writing, the terms of friendship used by Frenchmen to one another are far less familiar than those common in England or Italy : even intimate acquaintances rarely venture upon more than ‘ Cher Monsieur,’ and a lady friend would usually be addressed as ‘ Madame ’ and begged in July 23, 1887. lO FRANCE. conclusion to accept ks ho?nmages 7'espectueux. The mar- vellously good manners of the lower orders may be traced to the extreme politeness with which they never fail to be treated by their superiors. No Frenchman would think of being aggrieved by having to sit down to a village table- d'hote with his driver, or would think of addressing him without a ‘ Monsieur.’ Servants are always treated as part of the family, and pains are taken by their masters to fall in with and adapt themselves to any characteristics or peculiari- ties which it may not be possible to change. Then the proverb ‘ Le maitre fait le valet ’ is realized. The servant also adapts himself with hearty goodwill to the life of the house, accepts his master’s interest as his own, and certainly will never answer, as in England, ‘ It is not my place to do it,’ but gladly undertakes any office or fulfils any duty besides those he is paid for, if there is the least reason for it. ‘ In England, no master or mistress would venture to disturb a servant at his dinner; in France, she would unceremoniously send him out, if necessary, on an errand of two hours between his soup and his meat, and the man would go cheerily and without a growl. He does this because he knows that, if he fell ill, the same mistress would tend him with her own hands ; that her children would come and read to him ; and that he would receive the signs of sympathy which indicate mutual regard. ‘ In France, masters and servants do not regard each other as enemies, and do not stand out for every inch of what we call “rights,” They give and take. The servant looks upon his master as a friend, and does all he can to be of use to him with- out haggling over the conditions of his “ place.” The master treats his servants kindly, and chats and laughs with them ; and it really appears that they , get on in France vastly better than we do — that the work is better done, and housekeeping is less expensive, all because everybody has the same end in view — that end being mutual satisfaction.’ — Blackwood, cx. (November, 1871). INTRODUCTORY. Those who compare the greasy, black-coated, pompous, vulgar waiters at English inns, with the clean, active, zealous, and simple-mannered servants in France, will see our own country at a great disadvantage, and the same spirit of willing, independent activity will be found throughout the middle classes. Where an English farmer’s wife, shabbily- genteel and self-important, will waste half her time on appearances, a French farmer’s wife, who can be really ladylike when occasion requires it, spends all her week days in hard work — ‘ making cheeses in a cotton gown, often in wooden shoes.’ On Sundays and holidays the peasantry — men in their clean blouses, women in their white caps and print dresses — have a much more prosperous and happier appearance than English ‘ poor people ’ can ever present. The cleanliness and freshness of their dress adds greatly to the cheerfulness of their aspect, but French peasants always know how — and how rationally — to amuse themselves, as was the case in England long after the Reformation, when, as encouraged by James I., dancing and games of all sorts, except such as were brutal, were in constant use on Sundays. The open-air balls on a fUe day have a wonderful charm where peasant life is happy and prosperous, and there are few Frenchmen who will not be willing to work harder and longer on other days in order to give themselves up to the unmixed enjoy- ment of a whole holiday. ‘In England people say, “Time is money,” but in PTance they say, “Time is pleasure,” ’ was an observation of the Shah of Persia during his late visit to France. One point there is in which French contrast very badly with English peasants. Those who travel in France, 12 FRANCE. especially those who pass a winter in south, are constantly horrified by the terrible cruelty shown to animals, even by those who would be most kind and affectionate to their human surroundings. ‘ They are not Christians ; they are infidels,’ is often the excuse for merciless beating of a horse and dog. A road at Nice is known as ‘ Misery Lane ’ amongst the English residents, because of the awful, unrebuked brutality of the carters who frequent it, in overweighting their carts and beating and goading the horses whose loads are beyond their strength. Bad priests, of course, are to be found in some of the country places in France, but they are very much the excep- tion. Generally, priests live amongst and for their people, and render religion attractive by the simple goodness of their own lives. More than any other class, however, they are in perpetual bondage to the conventional notion of what is necessary for their dignity. A priest is scarcely ever seen on horseback, and if he walks alone is generally expected to be met with his open breviary in his hand, a bishop must always be driven in a close carriage with two horses. Nevertheless, there are now no prizes in the Church. The highest pay of a parish priest is sixty pounds a year, the lowest thirty-six, with a small house, and wedding and burial fees. On this narrow income he has to exist, with his single female servant. A canon has only sixty pounds a year, a bishop four hundred, and an archbishop six hundred. Thus, as there are no worldly temptations to the sons of the upper classes to enter the Church, they almost universally refuse to do so ; they do not object so much to belong to one of the religious orders, but, apart from other considerations, to be a parish priest is not mnnie il faut. INTRODUCTORY. 13 Consequently, the clergy usually belong to a class little above that of ^he ordinary peasant. Since the Church is practically closed, the army and navy are the only professions which prejudice has left open to the upper classes. Both are miserably ill-paid, except in the highest grades, and no officer is allowed to marry except with a certain dowry, and in no case without a permission from the Ministry of War. ‘ The French Catholic laity,’ says Hamerton, ‘ only knows the Bible through the Histoire Sainte., the unbelievers take no interest in it.’ But, indeed. Faith seems to be almost extinct in France, and Religion — except in a few great centres, such as Ars — to have lost all its old power. Church ceremonials are regarded as good old customs to be observed as any other pageants might be ; the priests are chiefly honoured as domestic friends, closely connected with such family events as a marriage or a funeral ; even the Virgin — ‘ la menagere du Paradis ’ — inspires only a mitigated sympathy ; and, though women often continue to caress and cherish religion as their best comforter, men openly avow their contempt for it. Whilst nominally, and to evade scandal, belonging to the Church, they shrink from all its observances. ‘ Monsieur est catholique, mais il ne pratique pas,’ is a frequent description of a Frenchman of the present time.^ It is observable, however, that, in the working classes, un- believing fathers seldom seek that their children should resemble them. On an average, nineteen-twentieths of the children in the country, and five-sixths of those in the towns, are sent, at twelve years old, for their first Communion, so one may hope that, whilst men who profess to hate religion seek it for their children, their hatred must be ‘ See Hamerton, French and English. 14 FRANCE. skin-deep. Where religion still exists, it sanctifies and develops all home ties. There are no cold household prayers, no affectations of austere piety and gloomy Sabbatarianism, but numbers go daily to the early morning mass, and tens of thousands often enter at one of the ever- open church doors, finding themselves, as they believe, during their rapid solitary prayer, in the immediate presence of God : all is simple, hearty, and free from formality. Those who believe in a Providence at all, believe in it as especially favouring their country ; ‘ Dieu protege la France ’ is a tenet of the French Catholic faith. The love of their native land is the strongest feature of the national character. With us, emigration and other causes have weakened it ; but as there is no equivalent for the word home in French, so there is none for the word patrie in English. In recent years, the German invasion has increased a thousandfold the affectionate reverence of the French peasant for his native land, however much his faith in the French as ‘La Grande Nation ’ may have been shaken. It is equivalent to being a foreigner to be a Protestant in France. French Protestants have to live in a world of their own, and even amongst those who are quite free personally from religious intolerance, they are regarded, from habit, as quite outside the barrier of social intimacy. A professing Protestant has also small chance of any official appointment, though the merest nominal orthodoxy is accepted. The old divisions of noblesse.^ bourgeoisie.^ and peuple are still practically as much in use as ever. The nobility no longer enjoy any prerogatives, they exercise no rights, and, nominally, arouse no sympathy; and yet, incontestably, INTRODUCTORY. 15 they still form the highest society in France, characterised, as in England, by the simplicity of its manners and language. Wealth never confers caste, as in England. It is, however, difficult for a stranger to distinguish between the real and the false noblesse.^ the titles so plentifully scattered of late years amongst the rich bourgeoisie of England having been assumed by numerous unauthorized members of the bour- geoisie in France, many persons prefixing the aristocratic de to their name, and even calling themselves Comte and Comtesse, who have no claim to it whatever. There is natu- rally a temptation, because even when A and B are intimate friends, Madame de A would seldom be willing to associate with Madame B on terms of equal friendship. As a land- lord, a member of the real aristocracy is always preferred to any other, because it is felt that with those who have a sense of ‘ noblesse oblige ’ any meanness is impossible. Far less of real egalite exists in France than in England, where in the manufacturing districts the greatest landed proprietors are spoken of by their names without any prefix whatever, whilst in the rural districts of France an aristocratic land- owner is always spoken of by the peasantry as Monsieur le Comte., Monsieur de., etc. ; or, more affectionately, as notre Monsieur., notre bon Monsieur.^ No French gentleman can ever hope to make a fortune in business, it would cut him off too entirely from his class. No aristocrat in France recognises, or would sit down to dinner with, a radical ; all private relations are rendered impossible by the political differences between radicals and conservatives. Those who are only political adversaries in England are bitter enemies in France. See Hamertoiii i6 FRANCE. Many of the finest residences of the aristocracy peiished in the Revolution ; in some districts all were destroyed, but, in others, a great number still remain, and are nobly kept up. Such are the chateaux of Chantilly and Dampierre, near Paris; of Chaumont, Usse, Montreuil-Bellay, and many others in Touraine; of Tanlay and Ancy ie Franc in Bur- gundy ; though the small number of servants which meets their requirements would greatly astonish an English ‘ groom of the chambers.’ Before the perron of some of these chateaux, the great tree still stands — generally an elm — beneath which, in former times, the seigneur administered justice, and round which his vassals danced in the evening, whence the expression, ‘ Les jeux sous I’ormel.’ Here, as Michelet says — ‘ Le noble faisait hommage debout ; le bourgeois a genoux et baisant le dos de la main du seigneur ; I’homme du peuple, aussi a genoux, mais baisant seulement le pouce de la main du seigneur.’ It was such observances as these which led to the ruin of some of the noblest buildings in France, such as the glorious Chateau Grignan in Provence, where the reddened and blackened walls bear witness to the vengeance of the Revolution upon some such injustice as Philippe de Comines describes — ‘ Ce n’est pas peu de chose, quand un roi ou quand seigneur meurt qui aucunes fois ont ete cause de la mort de beaucoup d’hommes, lesquels sont creatures humaines, comme lesdits princes et seigneurs. Je crois qu’en I’autre monde ils ont beau- coup d’affaires a demeler, et principalement pour une raison, — c’est qu’un pauvre homme, lequel aura six ou sept petits enfants, et n’aura que vingt-six sous vaillants, est neanmoins taxe seize ou vingt sous pour la taille, et le percepteur viendra pour executer ledit pauvre homme, et il n’aura ni ne pourra nullement finer dudit INTRODUCTORY. 7 argent ; et nonobstant, il sera mis en prison. Je voudrais bien qu’on montrat la loi d’icelle belle raison — Dieu veuille aider au pauvre populaire ! ’ In most great French houses, the prodigality which was considered necessary a hundred years ago, and which led many families to ruin, is exchanged now for the utmost thrift and careful management. In other old families, the neces- sity of marrying an heiress of the bourgeois class to keep up the estate, has helped more than anything else could have done to break down the barrier of aristocratic exclusiveness. The old prejudices consequently are preserved far more strongly in the smaller than the greater chateaux. It is in remote country houses that the true Grande Dame of old times may still occasionally be found, though very rarely. ‘ La Grande Dame s’en va,’ wrote a well-known French author as long ago as 1830, and, in Parisian salons, the race is almost extinct. ‘ Le signe distinctif d’une femme bien nee, c’est de se connaitre en cuisine,’ was a saying of the old Princesse de Poix. And, all over France, the great event of domestic existence is the dinner. It is looked upon as the solace of many solitary lives, and it is the moment of social expansion. It is also the event upon the success of which every good housewife prides herself, and more care and intelligence is devoted to it than in any other country in the world. Gourmet is a term of honour applied to a discriminating eater, and most excellent is the feeding even in the humblest of village inns. ‘ In England, excluding the special cases, there are but three known national ways of dressing food — roasting, boiling, and that inconceivable horror known as “hash.” Roasting is not badly 2 i8 FRANCE. done by us, and we fry soles fairly ; and there end our faculties ; what we call “boiling” is one of the most senseless acts to which human intelligence can descend ; it is an inexcusable, unjustifiable, wanton folly ... To boil food, be it meat or vegetable, is to extract from it, first, its volatile aroma, then its essences and juices, and, finally, its power of nutrition ; aroma, essence, juice, and strength go out into the hot water, leaving behind them the fibre which they have quitted. Now in France this process is called making soup ; the water becomes excellent, but the materials which have imparted their nature to it are considered, with some few exceptions, to have lost all claim to be considered as real food, and are only used as inferior aliments. So thoroughly is this principle applied, that even the water in which white haricots or cauliflowers have been boiled, is always kept to serve as a basis for vegetable soups. Every liquid which has received the extracted flavour of a boiled substance, is looked upon as precious, and is applied again in some special form so as not to waste the properties which it has acquired. In England, on the contrary, when we have carefully abstracted from the chicken, ham, legs of mutton, green peas or beans, all that steady red-hot boiling can take out of them, we eat the tasteless azoteless relics of our work, and we diligently throw away the “ dirty water ” which contains all the nutrition that we have distilled. If ever prejudice and ignorance were thorough synonyms, it is surely in their application to British cookery.’ ‘ Fi'cnch Home Life', Blackwood, cx. Generally all the old furniture even of a well-preserved ehateau has perished in the Revolution, and the rooms, as at Biron or Oyron, are utterly desolate. To an English- man, however, a more disappointing feature connected with a French chateau is its garden — the trees and shrubs seldom thinned or gracefully disposed, the lawns shaggy and over- grown, and the flowers without variety, though there are no better nursery-gardens than those of France, especially near Angers and Amiens. Eastern is far less interesting, but, as a rule, much more INTRODUCTORY. 19 prosperous than Western France, and its soil is richer and more productive. All over the country, the peasant’s ideal of happiness is to fight his way to the purchase of a little farm, and in Eastern France even the poorest peasant possesses his own bit of land. A late official return of cultivated land in France gives 5,550,000 distinct ^properties, and 5,000,000 of these are under six acres in size. In Eastern France, where the natives, for the most part, are cleanly and well-to- do, the great event of life comes once a quarter in the lessive, the huge ‘ wash,’ which displays the enormous quantity of linen belonging to every well-to-do peasant. In Auvergne and Velay and in parts of Brittany the people are less cleanly. Well-to-do farmers will sleep with the cows — it is ‘ so warm and pleasant ’ — nurse-children are brought up thus. There is a deliberate choice of squalor. The beds are made on the mud floors, the rooms are never cleaned, the pigs and poultry have free use of them, the people never wash. Many more aids to making the lives of the humbler classes pleasant are to be found in France than in England. Every provincial town of importance has its shady walks and public promenades, where bands play gratuitously, and even large villages have their little dusty enclosures of lilacs and fir trees (called public gardens), where open-air benches supply the place of those in our public-houses. Every village has its fountain of pure water — a fountain which is often a work of art in itself. In every town a museum or picture gallery will be found, and, above all, a public library. In the larger towns are public lectures by first-rate professors — -scientific, literary, artistic, on chemistry, geology, astronomy, and also music academies. To this the 20 F'RANCE. superior taste, skill, and intelligence of the French workmen are due, as well as to the opening of museums, libraries, etc., on Sundays, when they spend their time there instead of at the cafes, which, however, have also their attractions, not so much from their eau-de-vie or absinthe, or as a place where the feuiIleto?i^ which doles out romances by instal- ments, may be read, as from the means afforded for con- versation, which is recognised as a natural occupation in France, where anyone gains popularity at once if he is endowed with a natural gift of esprit^ which is not like English humour, but mere brightness and sunshine con- veyed into words — ‘ La fureur des Frangais,’ as Montesquieu says, ‘ c’est d’avoir de I’esprit.’ As few Englishmen speak anything but what Chaucer called ‘French of Stratford or Bow town,’ the niceties of the French language are thrown away upon them, but each local district has its patois^ with colour and characteristics of its own, being subdivisions of twenty recognised forms of dialect. Formerly the French language was divided into the Langiie dPc and the Lajigue dPeil. The former, the language of the Troubadours, which prevailed in the south, and which is now represented, amongst others, by the Proven9al, Auvergnat, and Limousin dialects, had a famous literature before the Trouveres appeared in the north, and Thibault, Count of Champagne and King of Navarre (1201- 53), wrote his famous poems. The ‘ Court of Love’ pronounced the ‘ langue d’oc ’ the noblest of tongues, yet, after the troubadours were forgotten, it came to be regarded as patois, and the langue d’oeil was preferred, though Rousseau has declared ‘ the tongues of the south to be the daughters of joy, whilst necessity begot the tongues of the INTRODUCTORY, 21 north.’ Latterly, however, the literature of Provence has had soniething of a revival under Joseph Roumanville of S. Remy, and his followers Theodore Aubanel and Frederic Mistral. The enunciation and intonation of the French language is now considered to be purer in Touraine than anywhere else ; Blois is the centre of perfection. It may be accepted as a general rule by the tourist that the beaten tracks are the least interesting parts of France ; but he must set off into the unknown districts armed with a cheerful determination to make the best of whatever happens, not in a spirit like that of Smollett — ‘ The learned Smelfungus travelled from Boulogne to Paris, from Paris to Rome, and so on ; but he set out with the spleen and jaundice, and every object he passed by was discoloured or distorted. He wrote an account of them ; but ’twas nothing but the account of his own miserable feelings.’ Sterne^ ' Se7itimental Journey! It is to the artist that the country will prove especially entrancing. The old cities of Italy even afford no such exquisite compositions as those of France, and there are many small towns, such as Parthenay in Deux Sevres, possessing a charm which no painter who has not visited them can imagine. Since the German war, however, an artist in France has a far less agreeable time than any other traveller, and an Englishman drawing an old church window or a tree by a river side, has been as liable to arrest and insolent ill-treatment by officials, as if he had been making plans of a Russian fortress. Anywhere in Eastern France, within forty miles of the frontier, and anywhere in the whole country near a fortress or military station, the arrest of an artist is tolerably certain. In parts of Central or FRANCE. Western P'rance, where there are no fortifications, he may generally hope to work undisturbed. But many of the sketches from which the little woodcuts in these volumes are reproductions were brought to an abrupt conclusion through seizure by gendarmes, followed by an examination in the neighbouring Jidtel-de-viUe^ by wearisome delays, and upturnings and searchings of luggage. If a passport is all right, and the culprit has other papers of identification, all ends well at last, though French officials can hector their victims more unpleasantly and be longer about it than anyone else in the world. The risk of annoyance is worth while for the pleasure, but a passport is now indispe^isable in France., and it should always be carried in the pocket. P’or the antiquarian, France is an inexhaustible store house of treasures. The marvellous Celtic remains of Brittany, and the dolmens, menhirs, peulvens, tombelles, pierres-folles and pierres-ecrites scattered over the whole of Wffistern France will claim the first place. Then will come the Roman remains — the triumphal arches of Saintes, Orange, Carpentras, Cavaillon, S. Remy, S. Chamas, Langres, and Besan^'on ; the noble bridges of S. Chamas and Pont Julien; the temples of Nimes, Vienne, Orgon, Rieux, and Izernore ; the gates of Reims, Autun, and Nimes ; the theatres of Orange, Arles, Cahors, Lillebonne, Drevant, Lisieux, and Valognes (Alanna) ; the amphitheatres of Arles, Nimes, Orange, Perigueux, Bordeaux, Saintes, Poitiers, Frejus, Cimiez ; the funeral monuments of Cussy, Vienne, Autun, Nimes, S. Remy ; and the palace of Constantine at Arles ; besides many minor examples of most of these buildings. No country supplies so great a variety of ancient INTRODUCTORY. 23 churches to the architectural student as France. A de- lightful life might be spent in studying only the village churches, which, except in the ancient Poitou, have never been thoroughly explored or investigated, and which are always affected by the materials nearest to hand — the granite of Brittany, the ‘ Caen stone ’ of Normandy, the basalt of Auvergne, the brick of Languedoc, etc. In all the great ecclesiastical buildings, the lavish splendour of all that affects the mind contrasts strangely with the sim- plicity of all that affects the body : in the most glorious cathedrals are only rush-bottomed chairs, like those in the humblest cottage.^ A great deal of magnificent stained glass has survived, but, with the sole exception of those in the church at Brou, protected in the Great Revolution as a national monument, and those at Paris and S. Denis, saved by Alexandre Lenoir, almost all the important tombs in the French churches (except a very few at Amiens, Rouen, and Nantes, the splendid monument of a saint at Obazine, and some remnants at Limoges and Narbonne) perished then, if they had not been already battered to pieces by the Huguenots, who destroyed them whenever they had the power. Scarcely any ancient altar remains in France. They were usually the most magnificent point in the church, on which account the fury of the Huguenots was specially directed against them. Rare specimens of ancient altars may be seen at : (xii. c.) S. Germer and Paray- le-Monial ; (xiii. c.) the Sainte Chapelle of Paris, S. Sernin of Toulouse, and Valcabrere, in the Pyrenees ; (xvi. c.) S. Denis, and the Folgoet, in Brittany. Few ecclesiastical buildings in France are earlier than * See Hamerton, French and English. 24 FRANCE. the XII. c. Those remaining from an earlier date are : — iv. c. The Tomb of S. Eutrope, at Saintes. v. c. to vi. c. Portions of the cathedral of Le Puy, and some fragments in that of Dijon, the octagonal chapel of Rieux, and the baptistery of Aix in Provence, viii. c. Much of the curious church of S. Generoux. ix. c. The baptistery of Venasque, the little church of Coustouges, near the Spanish frontier, and probably S. Jean de Poitiers : of this date also was the most interesting church of Germigny-des-Pres, recently pulled down and rebuilt, x. c. The crypts of Jouarre and Venasque, the cathedral of Perigueux, the Basse Oeuvre at Beauvais, and much of Notre Dame du Port at Clermont and S. Hilaire at Poitiers, xi. c. 'Phe cathedral of Vaison, the ruined cathedral of Alet, the round church of Rioux- Minervois, the little churches of Comps, Baume de Transit, and S. Croix de Montmajour, the portal and crypt of S. Benigne at Dijon, the church of Ainay at Lyons, and part of the church of S. Menoux. Of XI. c. to XII. c. are S. Etienne, La Trinite, and S. Nicolas at Caen ; Notre Dame, Montierneuf, and part of S. Hilaire at Poitiers ; also the important churches of S. Aignan, Cunault, Truyes, Loches, Savonnieres, Airvault, S. Eutrope de Saintes, S. Croix de Bordeaux, S. Leonard, Le Dorat, Brantome, Cadouin, Souillac, Cahors, S. Nec- taire, Brioude, Issoire, Pontigny, and Conques, with the glorious portals of Arles and S. Gilles, and the cloisters of Arles, Moissac, and Elne. Of this date also are the curious fortified churches of S. Junien, Royat, Agde, Maguelonne, and Les Saintes Maries de la Camargue ; with the round churches of Neuvy S. Sepulcre, of Lanlelif near Paimpol, and of St. Michel d’Entraigues. INTRODUCTORY. 25 Grand examples of transition (xii. c. to xiii. c.) will be found in the cathedrals of Laon, Soissons, Noyon, S. Denis, Angers, Bayeux, Angouleme, and Autun, and in the churches of Etampes, Fontevrault, La Souterraine, Solignac, Uzerche, Fontfroide, Tournus, Notre Dame de Beaume, and Notre Dame de Chalons. Noble specimens of the xiii. p. are seen in much of the cathedrals of Reims, Amiens, Rouen, and Coutances ; in the Saintes Chapelles of Paris and S. Germer ; the choir of Le Mans j the tower of S. Pierre at Caen ; the monolith church of S. Emilion ; portions of the cathedrals of Auxerre, Meaux, and Rodez ; the churches of S. Germer, Notre Dame de Dijon, the Chaise Dieu, S. Sernin at Toulouse, and Notre Dame de I’Epine. A very curious building of this date is the tiny church of Planes. Of the XIV. c. are parts of the cathedrals of Reims, Limoges, Bourges, and Mende ; the cathedral of Rieux ; the churches of S. Ouen at Rouen, S. Savin, S.^Quentin, and S. Urbain de Troyes. Of the XV. c. are a portion of the cathedrals of Amiens, Beauvais, Evreux, Tours, Bazas, Lyons, and Albi ; the churches of Abbeville, S. Riquier, S. Maclou at Rouen, and most of Caudebec ; the porch of Louviers \ and the spire of S. Eutrope at Saintes. Of the XVI. c. are much of the cathedrals of Sens, Nevers, Auxerre, and Troyes ; the churches of Brou and S. Michel de Dijon ; the jubes of La Madeleine at Troyes, Limoges, and S. Florentin ; the magnificent tower and the jube of Rodez ; the tower of Verneuil ; the porch and jube of Albi ; the exquisite cloister of Cadouin, and the great Augustinian cloister at Toulouse ; the principal spires of 26 FINANCE. Chartres and Bordeaux; and the tower of S. Jacques at Paris. Of the XVII. c. are S. Eustache, S. Roch, and S. Etienne du Mont at Paris ; and the cathedrals of Orleans and Auch. Of the XVIII. c. are S. Sulpice at Paris, the cathedrals of Versailles, Arras, Nancy, and Montauban, the front of the cathedral of Langres, the fagade and decorations of Remiremont, and S. Pierre de Douai. Of the XIX. c. are the cathedrals of Cambrai, Rennes, Marseilles, Montpellier, Gap, Dieppe, and much of Moulins, the churches of La Salette, Lourdes, Ars, the Fourvieres at Lyons, Notre Dame at Valenciennes, S. Martial at Chateauroux, and Notre Dame du Mont at Marseilles. The great abbeys of France were usually founded close to the stone quarries from which they were built. Apart from their churches, they have almost all perished. The Grande Chartreuse is an exception, but its buildings are only XVII. c. In most cases, even the ruins have been destroyed. At Jumieges, S. Georges de Boscherville, S. Wandrille, the Abbaye Blanche and Savigny near Mortain, Fontevrault, Meillezais, Nouaille, La Couronne, P'ontenay, Montmajour, Silvacane (Bouches du Rhone), Thoronet (Var), S. Bertin de S. Omer, and La Victoire de Senlis, beautiful remains exist. A portion of Cluny and La Charite is still standing. Of the famous Paraclete, Clairvaux, and Citeaux scarcely a trace is left. The castles of France are almost innumerable, and some of them are of great magnificence. The finest of all are the great and the restored Pierrefonds, and Coucy near Laon. Gisors, La Roche Guyon, Chateau-Gaillard, Falaise, Mont INTRODUCTORY. 27 S. Michel, Fougeres, Chateaudun, Etampes, Beaugency, Loches, Angers, Chinon, Clisson, Bressuire, Chains, Issoudun, Chalusset, Turenne, Villandraut, Najac, Penne, Murols, Provins, Vincennes, Bourbon-PArchambault, Villeneuve le Roi, and the Papal Palace at Avignon may be mentioned as especially interesting. More remarkable still are the, chateaux (chiefly of the XV. c. and xvi. c.), of which a great number are still inhabited and kept up. Such are Rambures (partly xiv. c.), Vigny, the bishop’s palace at Evreux, Tancarville, Chateau Henri, Lasson, Mesnil-Guillaume, Josselin (partly ruined), Blois, Chambord, Chenonceaux, Chaumont, Amboise, Villandry, Valen9ay, Luynes, Usse, Langeais, Serrant, Montreuil- Bellay, Azay le Rideau, Oyron, Le Rochefoucault, Jonzac, Rochechouart, Biron, Paluel, Fenelon, Pompadour, Excideuil, Hautefort, Bruniquel, Chastellux, Meillant, Ecouen, Fontainebleau, Fleurigny, Tanlay, Ancy le Franc, Bussy-Rabutin, Grignan (partly ruined), Uzes, and Vizille. The Hotels de Ville of France form in themselves an interesting study. Examples are S. Antonin (xii. c.), S. Quentin (xiii. c.-xv. c.), Clermont sur Oise (xiv. c.), Perpignan (xiv. c.), Noyon (xiv. c.-xv. c.), Bethune (the beffroi c.), Douai (chiefly xv. c.), Luxeuil (xv. c.), Arras (xvi. c.), Compiegne (chiefly xvi. c.), Orleans (xvi.c.), Saumur (chiefly xvi. c.). The architect will also especially study the (xii. c.) Kitchen of Fontevrault and the Sepulchral Chapel of Montmorillon ; the (xiii. c.) Episcopal Palaces at Laon, Meaux, Auxerre, and Angers; the (xv. c.) Palais de Justice at Rouen, Bourges, Nevers, Poitiers, and Grenoble ; the noble (xv. c.) Maison de Jacques Coeur at Bourges ; the beautiful (xv. c.) Hospital 28 FRANCE. of Beaune ; the ruined (xii. c.) bridge of Avignon, and the magnificent (xiv. c.) bridge of Cahors ; the gates of many of the walled towns, as Nevers, Villeneuve-sur-Yonne, and x\igues Mortes; the (xv.c.)Palais de Bourgtheroude at Rouen; the Lanternes des marts sprinkled over Western France ; the cemetery crosses of Brittany ; the curious (xiii. c.) towns of Cordes, Montpazier, and Villeneuve-sur-Lot, and the still earlier and unrivalled Carcassonne. Cluny has several houses of xi.c. and xii.c. Amongst the towns which abound most in fine old houses of xiv. c., xv. c., and xvi. c., Parthenay, Sarlat, Thiers, Troyes, and Luxeuil may be mentioned, besides many towns in Brittany. The sculptor will find especial objects of attraction in the magnificent tombs and well at Dijon (xiv. c. and XV. c.), the tombs at Brou (xvi.c.), the tomb at Nantes (xvi.c.), the sculptures at Solesmes (early xvi. c.), and the sculptures at S. Mihiel (early xvii. c.). For scenery, besides the high mountain districts and parts of the valleys of the Seine, Loire, and Rhone, the exquisite gorge of the Alagnon in Cantal, the curious Canon du Tarn in the Cevennes, the valley of the Aveyron near Najac and Bruniquel, and the valleys of the Correze near Brive and the Creuse near Argenton deserve especial notice. Scattered points of extreme picturesqueness are Mont S. Michel, S. Emilion near Bordeaux, S. Benoit du Saut (Indre), the sanctuary of Rocamadour (Lot), Le Puy (Haute Loire), Minerve (Herault), S. Guilhem le Desert (Herault), the valley of the Bourdon containing Conques and Bozouls (Aveyron), and Peglione and Saorgio (Alpes Maritimes). In point of historic interest, no French village will be found equal to Domremy (Vosges). INTRODUCTORY. 29 ‘ Seule la France on void si riche et de tel heur Ou’elle meme ne sait sa force on sa valeur.’ Andre dtt Chesne. The most delightful kind of tour to make is that in which the tourist is neither bound by time nor any other fetter ; when he can stay a longer or shorter time in a place in proportion as he finds interest, and a good hotel — for if an hotel is congenial it is always better to stay there as long as possible, and make excursions, returning at night. Such a tour it was that Montaigne appreciated. ‘ S’il fait laid a droite, je prends a gauche ; si je me trouve mal propre a monter a cheval, je m’arreste. . . . Ay-je laisse quelque chose derriere moi, j’y retourne : c’est toujours mon chemin • je ne trace aucune ligne certaine, ny droicte ny courbe.’ — Essais. ' CHAPTER II. CALAIS TO PARIS BY BOULOGNE, ABBEVILLE (S. RIQUIER, CRECY\ {EU, TREPORT), AMIENS {BEAU- VAIS), CREIL (COMPIEGNE SENLIS), AND S. DENIS. CHEMIN DE PER DU NORD. T ravellers must not judge of French railway travelling by the Chemin de Fer du Nord, which is the least pleasant line in the country. Express trains perform the journey between Calais and Paris in 4J hours, but the second-class carriages are the worst in France, and the engines burn a kind of common coal which fills the air and eyes with black dust. The express on an average only stops about 5 minutes at Amiens (where there is an admirable buffet), so it may be well to take provisions. Calais (Hotels : Dessm ; Meurice ; Sauvage ; de Londres ; de Paris — near the station : all very indifferent). Most travellers are enchanted to see Calais as they are delivered from the miseries of the Channel passage, but few think of lingering there, though its ancient houses, with a grey gothic tower rising above them, have a very picturesque aspect as seen across the stony flats which the train passes over between the pier and the town. Calais, however, has been much modernised of late years. In its early history, as ‘ the Gate of Picardy,’ it belonged in turn to the Comtes de Flandre and the Comtes de Boulogne. It was fortified by Comte Philippe Hurepel in the xiii. c. In 1346, after the battle of Crecy, Edward HI. blockaded CALAIS TO PALIS. 31 the town, and after a heroic defence it was forced to capitulate. The King of England refused to consent to any terms till six of the principal citizens, with bare necks and feet, and ropes round their necks, brought him the keys of the town and castle. Then the richest man in Calais, Eustace de S. Pierre, olfered to suffer in the place of his townsmen, and five others followed him. Edward ordered their heads to be struck off at once, but his Queen, Philippa, kneeling and weeping, besought their lives, and they were granted to her entreaties.^ All the inhabi- tants of Calais, however, were exiled and their property seized, and the town, repeopled by an English colony, remained in the hands of the English for more than two hundred years, till Jan. 5, 1558, when the Due de Guise retook Calais and restored it to France, the garrison and inhabitants being permitted to cross the Channel with their lives, and nothing more. ‘ Measured by substantial value, the loss of Calais was a gain. English princes were never again to lay claim to the crown of France, and the possession of a fortress on French soil was a perpetual irritation. But Calais was called the “ brightest jewel in the English crown.” A jewel it was, useless and costly, but dearly prized. Over the gate of Calais had once stood the insolent inscription : — “ Then shall the Frenchmen Calais win, When iron and lead like cork shall swim ; ” and the Frenchmen won it — won it in fair and gallant fight.’ Fronde, vol. vi. The interior of the town is rather Belgian than French in aspect. The rugged old church of Notre Dame, erected 'This is the account of Froissart; other historians doubt the patriotism of Eustace de S. Pierre. 32 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. ji8o — 1224, was almost entirely rebuilt at the end of the XIV. c. under the English rule. It is chiefly remarkable for its weather-beaten steepled tower. ‘ I cannot find words to express the intense pleasure I have always in first finding myself, after some prolonged stay in England, at the foot of the old tower of Calais church. The large neglect, the noble unsightliness of it ; the record of its years written so visibly, yet without sign of weakness or decay ; its stern wasteness and gloom, eaten away by the Channel winds, and overgrown with the bitter sea-grasses ; its slates and tiles all shaken and rent, and yet not falling ; its desert of brickwork full of bolts, and holes, and ugly fissures, and yet strong, like a bare brown rock ; its carelessness of what anyone thinks or feels about it, putting forth no claim, having no beauty or desirableness, pride, nor grace ; yet neither asking for pity ; not, as ruins are, useless and piteous, feebly or fondly garrnlons of better days; but useful still, going through its own daily work, — as some old fisherman beaten grey by storm, yet drawing his daily nets ; so it stands, with no complaint about its past youth, in blanched and meagre massiveness and serviceableness, gathering human souls together underneath it ; the sound of its bells for prayer still rolling through its rents ; and the grey peak of it seen far across the sea, principal of the three that rise above the waste of surfy sand and hillocked shore, — the lighthouse for life, and the belfry for labour, and this for patience and praise.’— ^Modern Pamters! In the sunny old square stands the Hotel de Ville., founded by Robert, Comte d’Artois, in 1295, and rebuilt in 1740. A bust of Eustacbe de S. Pierre decorates the centre of the balcony on its fagade. Two pedestals in front bear bronze busts of the Due de Guise, ‘ Liberateur de Calais,’ and Cardinal de Richelieu, founder of its citadel and arsenal. The 1 . wing of the building is surmounted by the Beffroi., finished in 1609. Behind the Hotel de Ville stands the old Tour du Guet (watch-tower), a massive CALAIS. 33 tower with heavy buttresses, supporting a tourelle bearing a lanthom. It was probably due to Comte Philippe de Boulogne in 1214, though tradition ascribes it to Charle- magne. The Rue de Guise leads from the Place to the old Hotel de Guise, built by Edward III., as the Etape des Laines, and retaining its grey battered gateway, flanked by octagonal tourelles. The hbtel, now let in tenements, re- ceived its present name when it was given by Henri II. to the Due de Guise after the recapture of Calais. Henri II., Henri IV., Louis XIIL, and Louis XIV. have resided here during their visits to the town. At the angle of the Rue Eustache de S. Pierre, an inscription records the residence of the illustrious citizen in an earlier mansion on that site. The old Hotel Dessin, in the Rue Royale, mentioned by Sterne in his Sentimental Journey, is now a musee. A marble column near the pier used to commemorate the landing of Louis XVHL, ‘ enfin rendu a I’amour des Fran^ais,’ April 24, 1814. There are pleasant sands to the E. of the harbour. ‘ A thousand knights have rein’d their steeds, To watch this line of sand-hills run, Along the never silent strait, To Calais glittering in the sun ; To look towards Ardres’ Golden Field Across this wide aerial plain. Which glows as if the middle-age Were gorgeous upon earth again.’ Matthew Arnold. 10 k. S.W. of Calais is Sangatte, a village on the site of a XII. c. fortress, ruined in the xv. c. Near this it is intended that the International Channel Tunnel shall have its French mouth. The chalk cliffs, which begin at Sangatte, continue to Boulogne ; their prominent feature being the Cap Blanc-Nez. 0 34 north-eastern ERANCE. S Pierrc-lcs-CalaH formerly Paternesse, is an industrij suburb, rapidly increasing in importance. Tulle is t le pnncip article of manufacture. [A line running N.E, connects Calais with (a+k.) Gravelines, and (48 k.) Dunkerque. See ch. v. For the line to Lille and the Belgian frontier see ch. i.] The habit of filling up every place in the railway carriages at Calais makes the journey southwards by ex press trains a terrible penance. Eight persons, about fi^ handbags, and two steaming hot-water tins ren atmosphere almost insupportable during the winter mon , l^d the officials at Calais are allowed to fill one carnage quite full, whilst those on each side are left empty to save trouble to the ticket collectors ! These miseries, however only occur in the express trains corresponding with the stJmers. There are no non-smoking carnages on the Fmnch lines; everyone is at the mercy of their fellow- ^“l-hflL crosses a country which, during winter, is brown and dreary in the extreme, and passes 17 k. Caffiers. c:;:..." “ „ 1,, wa b. ... ...» * vol. vi. r- ■ c Hnnimes and Calais in 150° was less -The cost of maintaining Gumes, Hammes, an than ^10,000 a year. BOULOGNE-SUR-MER. 35 and Ferqties. 2 k. E. of the church of Ferques, on the edge of a wood, is the ruined Abbaye de Beaulieu^ founded 1150, and destroyed by the English in 1 544. Near the village of Landrethun- le-Nord is the stone circle known in the country as La Danse des Noces, from a tradition that a wedding party, on refusing to salute the Sacrament which a priest was carrying, was thus turned into stone. At ReE, 5 k. from Marquise, is a good xv. c. church. Ambleteiise^ 9 k. W. of Marquise, ^was a flourishing town and port in the vi, c. ; only a single tower now remains of its former fortifications. 8 k. from Ambleteuse is the Cap Gris-JVes, the nearest point of the French coast to England. It is ii k. from the Cape to Marquise by Waringuezelle. In a bay between the Caps Gris-Nezand Blanc-Nez is Wissant, which some antiquaries consider to be the ancient Portus Itius. 43 k. Boulogne-sur-Mer (Hotels : dii Pavilion; des Bains et de Bellevue — good ; Brighton; Bristol; Meurice). Boulogne is divided into the Basse and Flaute Ville. All the hotels and pensions are on the flat ground, whence steep streets lead to the upper town, a quadrilateral, surrounded by walls, and entered by three gates. The original Roman name of the town was Gessoriacum ; in the iv. c. it received the name of Bononia. Its counts, famous in the middle-ages, gave kings to England (Stephen) and Jerusalem. Louis XI. annexed it to the crown of France, by the clever trick of declaring the Virgin ‘ Comtesse et Dame de Boulogne,’ and then constituting himself her champion. In 1544, the town was taken, after a brave defence, by Henry VIII. of England, when its inhabitants were replaced by an English garrison and colony ; but this was soon so decimated by pestilence, that in 1550 England allowed France to ransom the place. It was at Boulogne that Napoleon I. collected his vessels for the invasion of England, and there that (Aug. 6, 1840) Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte made his second fruit- less attempt against the government of Louis-Philippe. 36 NORTH-EASTERN FINANCE. The old cathedral of Boulogne, on the top of the hill, was destroyed in 1798, and has been replaced by the pre- tentious, ill-proportioned Church of Notre Dame, consecrated in 1866, with an absurd dome which outrages the older buildings beneath it. Numerous ex-votos surround a modern image replacing the famous statue of Notre Dame de Boulogne (burnt in 1793), which was brought to the town in the vii. c., and whose memory is still honoured by pilgrimages. Under the whole church extends a vast Crypt (entrance i fr. each person), of which the central part (under the choir) dates from the xii. c. : here the pillars and walls have been repainted in crude imitation of some small remains of the ancient colour. The rest of the crypt is covered with frescoes intended to illustrate the history of the Church from the first century. Some fragments of building which have been discovered are supposed to indicate that a Gallo-Roman temple once occupied the site. At the N.E. angle of the ramparts of the upper town is the Chateau, built by Philippe, Comte de Boulogne, in 1231. The TEotel de Ville, rebuilt 1734, is supposed to occupy the site of the house in which Godfrey de Bouillon was born ; behind it is the Beffroi. Lesage, the author of Gil Bias, died (Nov. 17, 1747) at No. 3, Rue du Chateau. The poet Thomas Campbell died (June 15, 1844) at 5, Rue St. Jean. In the Grande Rue is a Musee, of no importance. 2\ k. from the ramparts of the Haute Ville opens a drive leading to the Colonne de la Grande Armee (begun by Soult, finished under Louis Philippe), whence there is a fine sea view. A number of short excursions may be made from Boulogne, but none are of special interest. At Samer (16 k.) are some BOULOGNE TO S. OMER. 37 remains of a Benedictine abbey and xv. c. church with x. c. font. Near Cordette (8 k.) is a chateau where Charles Edward waited to embark for Scotland in 1744, and 2 k. from this the Chateau d' Hardelot, built by Comte Philippe in 1223, picturesque, and still inhabited. [A line leads E. from Boulogne to (65 k.) S. Omer (see ch. v.), passing — ^ 15 k. Samer (see above). 32 k. Lotiinghem. 8 k. N.W. is Brunembert, with a good XVI. c, church and remains of a chateau of the bishops of Boulogne. 39 k. NieUes-les-Bleqnin has a xiii. c. and xiv. c. church with a stone spire. 4 k. S.E. is INismes, with a chateau of the Mont- morency. The handsome church is xiii. c., xiv. c., and xv. c. The Chapelle de S. Maxima encloses a fountain, frequented for the cure of headache. 46 k. Lumbres has a romanesque church tower. At Acquin (4 k. N.W.) are an old castle and xvi. c. church. On 1 . of the line is seen the Chateau d' Arquei 7 ibeonne^ which dates partly from 1525.] The line from Boulogne to Paris passes through a country which is somewhat featureless, yet not without a charm to those who have been little abroad, especially where the marshy land near Amiens has afforded a thousand subjects to French artists of the Corot school. The villages are full of character, and there is nowhere a more picturesque variety of village church architecture than in Picardy. Each farm possesses its cross, which has its little altar on S. John’s Day, and the peasants keep up a hundred old customs, especially that of nailing a wooden snake with an apple in its mouth — ‘ the enemy ’ — to the outer wall of a house where a death has occurred. ‘ Green plains' and sandy moors, rushy dunes, marshes where NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. 38 pools of water reflect the blue sky, fields marked out by long rows of poplars, now and then a tower rising above an assembly of houses.’ — Madame Fonteiioy. 56 k. Neiifchatel. The xv. c. church has a romanesque font. The sea is seen on the r., beyond the sandhills, as far as — • 69 k. Etaples. Considerable remains of a Roman villa and of a Gallo-Roman cemetery have been found here under the sandhills. In the chateau, destroyed in 1792, the treaty of Etaples was concluded between Charles VIII. and Henry VII. of England. The port, at the mouth of the Canche, had once some importance. [A line leads from Etaples to Arras, passing — II k. Mo 7 itre 2 iil-sur-Mer (Hotels ; de Fraiice et d' Europe ; de Lojidres). At the time of the Roman invasion there was a town here called Bracium, where the army of Claudius erected a triumphal arch, the ruins of which were in existence in 1789. On the decay of Centulla (now S. Riquier) this became the capital of the Counts of Ponthieu, and beside its ancient monas- tery of S. Sever, Count Helgand built a palatial castle, under whose shadow arose a town — Monasteriolum. ad mare, Montreuil- sur-lMer, now separated from the sea by six leagues of alluvial soil. The feudal chateau, which dates from the ix. c. and has sus- tained many sieges, still preserves many of its ancient towers. Queen Bertha, the divorced wife of Philippe I., died there miser- ably in 1095. The fortifications of the town, partly due to Vauban, have for the most part been demolished. The Chu 7 'ch of S. Saiilve is of many dates. A tomb under the tribune at the entrance is xiii. c., the font xii. c. The portal has lost its interest through restoration. In the sacristy is the IX. c. abbatial cross of S. Julienne de Pavilly. The Hotel Dieii, dating from 1200, has been rebuilt (1857), only a porch of the XV. c. chapel having been preserved. The interior has good XVII. c. wood-carving. Montreuil-sur-Mer — which was the native BERCK-SUR-MER. 39 place of Le Fleur — is the M. sur M. of Victor Hugo in his Miserables. I k. N. of Montreuil is Neuville-soiis-Mo 7 itreuil^ i k, E. of which is the Chartreuse de Notre-Da^ne-des-Pres^ founded 1338. At the Revolution it was turned into a chateau and farm, but has been re-purchased by the Carthusians. Nothing, however, re- mains of the original abbey except the gateway. 5 k. N. W. of Montreuil, the discovery of Roman remains has led archaeologists to place the site of the ancient Queniovic. 24 k. Maresqiiel. Some ruins remain of a fortress where the Saxon Harold is said to have been imprisoned in 1065. 33k. Efesdm (Hotel: de Fra 7 ice). A prettily-situated little town on the Canche, the birthplace of the Abbe Prevost, author of Manon Lescaut. The great church is xvi. c., the Hotel de Ville of 1629. The town v,/as only founded by Charles V. in 1554, after the destruction of Vieil-Hesdin, the ancient Helenum (4 k.), by the Imperial army in 1553. 38 k. Aiichy-les-Hesdin has a xiii. c. church, with a portal of 1080. An ancient abbey is occupied as a cotton-mill. 61 k. S. Pol-sur-Ternoise (Hotels: d' Angleferre ; du Co 77 i- 7 ?ierce), said to have existed, as Tervana, at the time of the Roman occupation. The town was pillaged and burnt, 4,500 of its inhabitants massacred by the Imperialists in 1537. No- thing is left of its two castles but the foundations. The church is of 1682. 77 k. Savy-Berlette. The church is xv. c., with a xiv. c. tower. 80k. Aubig 7 iy. The ancient abbey is now a chateau. 8 k. S. is the XV. c. church of Aves 7 ies-le-Co 77 ite , with a richly- sculptured tribune and confessional. 89 k. Maroeil. The church contains the shrine of S. Bertille, and the Fo 7 itai 7 ie de S. Bertille, supposed to cure affections of the eyes. 3 k. N.W. is Mount S. Eloi (see chap. v.). 100 k. Arras (see chap, v.)] 80 k. VertoTt, the station for (5 k. W.) Berck-su 7 '-Mer, where the town of Paris has established a maritime hospital, and the Rothschild family a hospital for poor 40 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Jewish children. The line enters the Department of the Somme, where the farms are celebrated for the vast number of chickens they raise, before reaching — 97 k. Rue (Hotel : des Voyageurs). The longjvillage street HOTEL DE VILLE, RUE. leads to the Hotel de Ville^ which has a picturesque many- tourelled tower and flamboyant windows. A little further (r.) is the marvellously rich flamboyant Chapelle du S. Esp 7 dt., covered with saints in niches and sculpture of most intricate design, being only a remnant of the beautiful RUE, S. VALERY. 41 church of S. Vulpy, wantonly destroyed in 1826. This remarkable chapel, begun xiii. c., was continued in the XV. c. with offerings from Louis XL, Isabeau de Portugal, and Philippe de Bourgogne, and finished in the xvi. c. The facade is adorned with statues, including Louis XL, Louis XIL, Philippe de Bourgogne and his wife Isabeau, Pope Innocent VII. and Cardinal Jean Bertrandi. Above the tympanum of the door is represented the history of the miraculous crucifix, said to have been brought from Golgotha to Jaffa, and thence, on a vessel without sails or sailors, to have been carried hither (1100) by the waves; similar images being miraculously carried at the same time to Lucca and to Dives in Normandy. The chapel is entered by a passage from the 1. of the modern church, and is separated from its ante-chapel by an exquisite open arch, with very characteristic statuettes of Louis XI. and his queen at the sides ; endless quaint birds and beasts peep out of the wreathed work in low relief. The vaulted ceiling is a miracle of stone Aace work, with the most beautiful pendants falling from the central roses. Altogether, Rue well deserves a visit— easily made from Abbeville — and is far too little known. The plain of Marquenteri'e is crossed before reaching — 107 k. Noyelles-sur-Mer. [A branch line, crossing a long bridge over the Somme, leads to (6 k.) S'. Valery -sur-Somme (Hotel : de Ei'ance^. A long road, lined with trees, follows the Somme from the station to the town, which is divided into La Ville Haute and La Ferte or La Ville Basse, Between the two is the Courgain, or fishermen’s quarter. The upper town retains two of its old gates, the Porte de Nevcrs (xv. c.) and the Poj'te d'Eu (xii. c.). The town originated in an 42 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. abbey, founded early in the vii. c., by S. Valery, or Walaric, a shepherd of Auvergne, who entered the great abbey of Luxeuil as gardener, and attracting the notice of the abbot S. Columban, was sent by him as a missionary to the mouth of the Somme. No place has been more often taken, retaken, and pillaged in war than S. Valery. The upper town, with its ancient gateways, has a very mediaeval aspect. The church of 6*. Martin is chiefly XV. c. Some xviii. c. buildings of the Abbey remain (outside the Porte Guillaume), with fragments of its church and cloisters. The difficult navigation of the port has hitherto prevented its extension. The promenade along the Somme, beyond the further part of the town, is a sea wall at high-tide, but during a great part of the day overlooks immense wastes of pink-grey mud, such as are to be seen in some parts of Holland. The sea recedes as much as three leagues. The modern Chapellc de S. Valery, at the end of the Rue de I’Abbaye, contains the tomb of the saint (622), and is covered with ex-votos, chiefly offered by sailors. The grassy boulevard on the S., called Le Chemm Vert, is said to have been the daily walk of the saint. A little W. is Cap Cornu, whence there is a wide view. Harold the Saxon, shipwrecked on the coast near S. Valery, was imprisoned here for a time by Guy de Ponthieu, till he was rescued by Duke William and taken as an honoured guest to Eu. A rude tower, on the coast, still bears the name of Harold. Here also the fleet of William, having set out from Dives, waited for the south wind which should waft it to the English shore, whilst to obtain a favourable breeze the relics of S. Valery were carried by the abbot and monks in procession. On Wednesday, Sept. 27, 1066, the wind blew from the south, the troops were embarked, and the fleet left the harbour, headed by the Mura, which had been given to William by his faithful duchess, and which bore a huge lanthorn on its mast, and on its prow a golden boy, blowing an ivory horn in the direction of England. A zinc slab in an old buttressed warehouse in the centre of the harbour at La Ferte commemorates the embarkation. Excursions may be made from S. Valery to (4 k) the Bois de Bruyeres; (7 k.) the xvii. c. Chdtcmi dArrest; (4 k.) the little port of Le Hour del. 5 k. beyond Hourdel is Cayeux-sur-Mer, a small fishing town.] ABBEVILLE. 43 [A line leads from Noyelles (12 k.) to the little port of Le Crotoy (Hotel : d.2i Casino), on the N. of the mouth of the Somme, opposite S, Valery. The modern church retains an ancient fortified tower. There is a tradition that Jeanne Dare was imprisoned here before being taken to Rouen.] 107 k. Port-le- Grand. The church contains — behind the altar — the tomb of S. Honore, eighth Bishop of Amiens, in VII. c. Four ancient gallic sepulchral mounds remain here, one of them known as Martimont (Martis Mons). 120 k. Aidemik (Hotels : de la Tele de Boeuf—goodi', a fine old house with tourelles \ de Fra 7 ice ; de Commerce). * For cheerful, unalloyed, unwearying pleasure, the getting in sight of Abbeville on a fine summer’s afternoon, and rushing down the street to see S. Wulfran before the sun was off the towers, are things to cherish the past for — to the end.’ — Ruskin, ‘ Praeterital Abbeville (Abbatis Villa), an exceedingly picturesque and interesting old city though its chief buildings are flam- boyant, was, in the ix. c., only a farm belonging to the great neighbouring abbey of S. Riquier. Under Hugues Capet it was surrounded by walls, and in the xii. c. it became the capital of Ponthieu, and acquired the title of Abbeville la fidele. The town was part of the dowry which Eleanor of Castille brought to Edward I. of England, and Isabella, wife of Edward II., inhabited it, and collected at Abbeville the troops with which she made war upon her husband. After having driven out the English in 1340, Abbeville again fell under their yoke in 1360, becoming French again in 1477. In 1776 the countship of Ponthieu became an appanage of the Comte d’Artois, who preserved it till the Revolution. Entering the town from the station by the Porte S. 44 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. Jean-des-Prcs^ the traveller will follow the Rue S. Jean- des-Pres and Rue S. Wulfran to the noble Church of S. W?i//ra 7 i, begun 1488, and continued in the xvii. c., but never completed. The facade has three portals adorned with statues and crowned by gables, with an open gallery above them. Over that is a great window, with a second gallery above it, and, finally, the terminal gable with three great S. WULFRAN, ABBEVILLE. statues of the Virgin, S. Wulfran, and S. Nicolas. The two towers, pierced with two tiers of long double windows, rise a story higher, and are surmounted by an open balustrade. Amongst the statues of the principal portal is (r.) a colossal lion, dressed in a royal mantle sown with fleurs-de-lis, and bearing a standard with the same arms ; this is supposed to be emblematic of the union of France and England, realized ABBEVILLE. 45 when 'Louis XII. was married here to Mary of England. The wooden doors are covered with well-preserved sculptures relating to the life of the Virgin, and were executed in 1550 at the expense of the merchant Gilles Amourette. The side walls of the nave, supported by buttresses and flying- buttresses, are surrounded by two galleries with open balus- trades, one below the roof, the qther above the vaulting of the chapels. At the angle of the N. transept is the leaning Clocher de S. Firmin. In the interior, S. Wulfran is composed of a narrow nave, with side-aisles, and of a choir, built in the xvii. c., with unfinished vaulting. Amongst the arms in the bosses of the roof are those of Louis XII. and Anne de Bretagne. Under the windows of the nave runs a rich, shallow, flamboyant triforium. Behind the high-altar is a xv.c. painting of the Last Judgment. The chapel of Notre- Dame des Merciers., at the end of the r. aisle, has a beautiful stained window representing the Tree of Jesse. In other chapels are inter- esting XV. c. and xvi. c. sculptures. Against the wall of the 1. aisle hangs a dried alligator, probably an ex-voto of a sailor.^ Formerly Abbeville had thirteen parish churches, six monasteries, eight nunneries, and five hospitals ; but now its buildings are much less important. There are a number of fine old houses in the streets around the cathedral, in the Rue de la Harangerie, etc. From the Place du Marche, the Rue S. Gilles (containing the Hotel de la Tete de Boeuf) leads to the r. Here we should turn r. (by the Cafe Frangais) to the Rue de la Tanner ie, where No. 29 is the Matson de Francois /., which ‘ As at S. Bertraud de Comm i ages. 46 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. he inhabited when he came to Abbeville in 1527, to league with Cardinal Wolsey against Charles V. It is one of the most exquisite old timber houses in France. An artist will not fail to draw the courtyard : the little door given in the woodcut is especially delicate and graceful. MAISON DE FRANCOIS I., ABBEVILLE. The Rue S. Gilles leads to the church of S. Gilles^ rebuilt in 1485. The facade is very rich flamboyant. The central portal bears the statue of S. Gilles, the hermit of the Rhone, with the hind upon whose milk he lived. The interior. ABBEVILLE. 47 which has good wooden vaulting, has been spoilt by poly- chrome. ^Following the rampart behind the church to 1., as far as the opening in the walls near the site of one of the principal gates, and turning down the Chaussee du Bois, the short Rue du S. Esprit leads (r.) to the xv. c. church of S. Sepulcre^ frequented for pilgrimages to Notre Dame de Guadeloupe. In a chapel opening from the 1. aisle is a beautiful flamboyant S. Sepulcre and a very curious altar, with a relief representing crusaders kneeling around the dead Christ. Returning to the Chausee du Bois, we find on the r. the Place S. Pierre, with a statue of the composer Lesueur by Rochet, 1852; a little further is the Rue de THotel de Ville, where the Hotel de Ville retains (in the court) a great tower of the original building of 1209. Near two flamboyant portals, a modern relief represents the citizen Ringois refusing to submit to Edward III., rather than which he threw himself from the walls of Dover Castle. In the Rue Barbafust are mutilated buildings of xiii. c., and in the Rue de hHotel Dieu the curious xiv. c. and XV. c. edifice, used as the post office. The Miisee Boucher de Perthes is a collection bequeathed to the town by the antiquary of the name in 1868, and contained in the house which he inhabited : it has a few tolerable pictures. 3 k. from the town is the hill called Mont de Caubert. The church of Moyenneville (3|k.) is an interesting building of XV. c. and xvi. c. ‘ At Abbeville I saw that art (of its local kind), religion, and present human life, were yet in perfect harmony. There were no dead six days and dismal seventh in those sculptured churches ; there was no beadle to lock me out of them, or pew-shutter to shut me in. I might haunt them, fancying myself a ghost ; peep 48 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. round their pillars, like Rob Roy ; kneel in them, and scandalise nobody ; draw in them, and disturb none. Outside, the faithful old town gathered itself, and nestled under their buttresses like a brood beneath the mother’s wings ; the quiet, uninjurious aristocracy of the newer town opened into silent streets, between self-possessed and hidden dignities of dwelling, each with its courtyard and richly-trellised garden. The commercial square, with the main street of traverse, consisted of uncompetitive shops, such as were needful, of the native wares ; cloth and hosiery spun, woven, and knitted within the walls ; cheese of neighbouring Neuchatel, fruit of their own gardens, bread from the fields above the green coteaux ; meat of their herds, un- tainted by American tin ; smith’s work of sufficient scythe and ploughshare, hammered on the open anvil ; groceries dainty, the coffee generally roasting odoriferously in the street before the door ; for the modistes — well, perhaps a bonnet or two from Paris, the rest, wholesome dress for peasant and dame of Ponthieu. Above the prosperous, serenely busy and beneficent shop, the old dwelling-house of its ancestral masters ; pleasantly carved, proudly roofed, keeping its place, and order, and recog- nised function, unfailing, unenlarging, for centuries. Round all, the breezy ramparts, with their long waving avenues ; through all, in variously circuiting cleanness and sweetness of navigable river and active mill-stream, the green chalk-water of the Somme.’ — Ruskm, ‘ Praeterita! An interesting and delightful excursion may be made for the day from Abbeville (12 k. E.) to S. Riquier and (19 k.) Crecy (carriage 12 fr.). The road passes the hamlet of Heitre^ where the romanesque church has been for centuries a place of pilgrim- age. The little town of vS. Riquier (with a station on the line to Bethune) is said to have been founded in 495 by Ragnacaire, King of Cambrai, killed by Clovis. Its original name was Centulla (Centulla of the hundred towers) ; but in the iv. c. S. Riquier, son of Alcaire, Comte de Ponthieu, after being con- verted to Christianity by two Irish priests to whom he had given hospitality, founded in his native town the monastery which bears his name, and which soon became celebrated. Dagobert, and many succeeding kings, richly endowed it, and the annual offerings at the tomb of the founder amounted to 2,000,000 fr. 5 . RIQUIER. 49 Charlemagne, who frequently held his court here, bestowed Centulla upon the afterwards canonised Angilbert, who had married his daughter Bertha, and who became a monk in the abbey, his wife at the same time taking the veil. The magnificent buildings which he erected enclosed three churches, and were inhabited by three hundred monks and one hundred scholars, amongst whom royal children were often included. S. Riquier himself was of royal descent ; the seventh abbot, S. Angilbert, had married Bertha, second daughter of Charle- magne, who became a Benedictine nun ; Louis, the eleventh abbot, was cousin of Charles le Temeraire ; the twelfth abbot was son of S. Angilbert, and cousin of Charlemagne ; the thirteenth was Raoul, brother of the Empress Judith; the six- teenth Carloman, son of Charles le Chauve. In 981, Arnoult, Comte de Flandre, carried off the relics of S. Riquier, with those of S. Valery, to his abbey of S. Bertin at S. Omer; but Hugues Capet compelled him to restore them. In 1134, the town and abbey were burnt by the Comte de S. Pol, and they were again burnt in the xv. c., after which the building of the 4 50 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. abbey was re-commenced in 1437. In 1536, the inhabitants, headed by a woman named Becquetoille, successfully defended the town against the English, but in 1544, it was taken and burnt by them. After this the place never recovered, and the greater part of the abbey-buildings perished by a fire in 1719. The C]w 7 xh of S. Riquiei^ now parochial, will be considered magnificent or mean as it is looked at from the W. or the E. It is of the end of the xv. c. and of the xvi. c. Louis XII. and Francois I. appear amongst the statues of the central W. portal, which is under the tower; in the tympanum is a Tree of Jesse. Between the windows stands S. Michael, with Adam and Eve on one side, Moses and David on the other. One of the tour- elles terminates in a colossal stone fleur-de-lis. Of the two side portals, the sculptures on the r. relate to the life of the Virgin, those on the 1 . to SS. Anthony and Roch. The plan of the church is a Latin cross, consisting of a nave with side-aisles prolonged around the choir, transepts, and eleven chapels radiating round the sanctuary. The first bays of the r. aisle have very rich pendants. The capitals are covered with sculpture of foliage and quaint figures and animals. A CRECY. 51 gallery runs above the windows of the nave and choir, of which the splendid glass perished in the fire of 1719. Under the organ are colossal statues of SS. Christopher and James the Great. The chapels which encircle the choir contain statues from the earlier church. On the high-altar is a reliquary containing the head of S. Riquier, and, above it, a crucifix by Girardin. The 1 . aisle has the xvi. c. font. Five of the pictures are by Antoine Coypel. THE MILL OF CRECY. In the XVIII. c. buildings of the abbey, Le Petit Seminaire is established. The Beffroi of S. Riquier is xiii. c. or xiv. c. La Fontaine de Mis-e 7 i-Deiiil is so called because the women of S. Riquier were occupied in washing there when they heard of the massacre of their husbands in one of the wars of the middle-ages. Crecy en Ponthieu is a desolate village in the corn lands. Its XV. c. and xvi. c. church has a heavy tower, and it contains pictures from the abbey of Dommartin. An old cross has a brick pedestal of the xii. c. To the N.E. of Cr6cy was fought, 52 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. Aug. 20, 1346, the famous battle, watched by Edward III. of England from the summit of the stone windmill, which still exists. ‘ There is no man, unless he had been present, that can imagine, or describe truly, the confusion of that day, especially the bad arrangement and disorder of the French, whose troops were innumerable. . . The English, who were drawn up in three divisions, and seated on the ground, upon seeing their enemies advance, rose undauntedly and fell into their ranks. That of the (Black) Prince was the first to form, their archers being arranged like a portcullis or harrow, with the men-at-arms in the rear. The earls of Northampton and Arundel, who com- manded the second division, had posted themselves in good order on the wing of the Prince, to succour him, if needful. ‘ You must know that these kings, earls, barons, and lords of P'rance, did not advance in any regular order, but one after the other, or as seemed good to themselves. When the King of France first saw the English, his blood boiled, and he cried, “ Order forward the Genoese and begin the battle, in the name of God and S. Denis.” The Genoese cross- bowmen were fifteen thousand in number, but they were already tired out, having marched six leagues that day completely armed and carrying their cross-bows. There- fore, they announced to the Constable that they were quite unfit for any great exploits that day. But when the Comte d’Alen^on heard them, he said, “ See the result of employing rascals like these ; they want to desert whenever one needs them.” Meanwhile a heavy rain was falling, accompanied by thunder and darkness, and before the rain a great flight of crows hovered over the army, cawing loudly. It cleared afterwards, and the sun shone brightly, but the French had it in their faces and the English at their backs. The Genoese, having arranged themselves in some kind of order, now approached the English, and set up a loud shout, which was intended to terrify them ; but they remained unmoved, and paid no attention to it. Shout- ing a second time, the Genoese advanced a little, but the Engli.sh never moved. They shouted a third time, and, presenting their cross-bows, began to shoot. Then the English archers advanced a single step, and shot their arrows with such force and quick- CRECY. 53 tiess, that it was like a storm of snow. As soon as the Genoese felt those arrows, which pierced their arms and heads and through their armour, some cut the strings of their cross-bows, others flung them on the ground, and all turned and fled in panic. The French had a large body of horsemen, richly equipped, to support the Genoese ; and as soon as the King of France saw their retreat he called out, “ Kill me those scoundrels, who are only blocking up the way unreasonably.” Then you might have seen the men-at-arms laying about them and killing all they could of those runaways. ‘ The English continued to take aim forcibly and vigorously. Some of their arrows fell amongst the horsemen, who were heavily armed, and, killing and wounding many, made their horses rear and fall amongst the Genoese, which wrought inex- tricable confusion amongst them. Amongst the English army were many foot soldiers from Cornwall and Wales, who were- provided with large knives ; and these, advancing through the ranks of men-at-arms and archers, who made way for them to pass, now attacked the French, and, falling upon them — barons knights, and squires— -slew many ; at which the King of England was afterwards much exasperated. Then was the brave King of Bohemia slain. He was Charles de Luxembourg, being son to the gallant king and emperor Henri de Luxembourg. When he heard the word of battle given, he asked where his son, the lord Charles, might be. His attendants replied that they did not know, but believed that he was fighting. The king then said, “ You are all my people, gentlemen, and my friends and brethren-in-arms this day ; therefore, since I am blind, 1 beseech you to lead me so far into the battle that I may at least strike one blow with my sword.” The knights answered that they would lead him for- ward at once; and that they might not be separated fiom him in the crush, they tied the reins of their horses to his, and, placing the king at their head, led him towards the enemy, fliat he might have his desire. The lord Charles of Bohemia, who had already given his signature as King of Germany, and bore those arms, had come well prepared to the engagement ; but when he saw that it was turning out ill for the French, departed. But the king, his father, rode in amongst the enemy, and made good use of his sword, for he and his companions fought most valiantly. 54 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. They advanced so far, however, that they were all slain ; and they were all found the next morning lying upon the ground, with their horses tied together. ‘ The Comte d’Aleii9on advanced in regular order upon the English, to fight with them ; as did the Comte de Flandre, in another place. These two lords, with their troops, coasting, as it were, the archers, came to the prince’s battalion, with whom they fought valiantly for a long time. The King of France was eager to march to the spot where he saw their banners wave, but the hedge of archers hindered him. . . . The battle was very murderous and cruel, and many gallant deeds of arms were performed which have never been known. The Comte d’Alen^on and the Comte de Flandre fought lustily under their banners, and Avith their own people ; but they were unable to stem the force of the English, and they fell on the field, with many knights and squires who followed them. The Comte de Blois, nephew to the King of France, and the Due de Lorraine, his brother-in-law, | with their followers, made a gallant defence ; but a troop of i English and Welsh surrounded them, and they were slain, with many others. Later, after vespers, not more than sixty men, all i included, remained around the King of France. Sir John de Hainault, who was amongst these, and had already remounted i the king, whose horse had been killed under him by an arrow, | now said, “ Sire, escape whilst you can, and cease to expose ' CRECY, ABB AYE DE VALLOIRES. 55 yourself ; for if this battle is lost, you may still be successful in another.” Then he took the bridle of the king’s horse, and led him off by force. . . . But this Saturday the English never quitted their ranks in pursuit of anyone, remaining on the field and guarding their position against all who attacked it. The battle was ended at the hour of vespers.’ — Froissart's Chronicles. The blood spilt on Saturday, Aug. 26, was for the most part that of the French nobility. The people had their turn the next day, when two battalions, caught in a thick fog, were surrounded by the English, and more than seven thousand common soldiers were cut to pieces. Altogether eleven princes, eighty bannerets, twelve hundred simple knights, and about thirty thousand men ‘ of other kinds ’ fell upon the field of Crecy. ‘ L’immense malheur de Creci ne fit qu’en preparer un plus grand : 1 ’ Anglais s’etablit en France.’ — Michelet. The field of Crecy is now covered in summer with waving corn, but its aspect can have changed little since the battle was fought. The little hollow, called La Vallee des Clercs, still exists, which Edward III. used as a kind of camp, and close to which the soldiers slain in battle were buried on the field in trenches still visible. The Mill Tower still stands from which the English king is said to have watched the battle. A battered, weather- beaten Cross still marks the spot where the blind king of Bohemia fell fighting so bravely * ; and one may visit Crecy- Grange (i k. N.), where the monks of Valloires received and tended the wounded. 7 k. N. of Crecy is Do 7 npierre-siir-Authie^ with a curious old fortress, turned into a farm. 2 k. further N. is Tortefontaine, where the church contains a beautiful xv. c. S. Sepulcre from the Abbey of Dommartm^ the ruins of which are to be seen I k. W. (7 k. direct from Crecy) — including those of a vast church, and xv. c. chapel, with xiii. c. monuments. 12 k. N.W. of Crecy is the Abbaye de Valloires, founded by Guy de Ponthieu, in 1137. Often destroyed and rebuilt, it is now once more occupied. The xiii. c. chapel contains, with others, the tombs of Guy de Ponthieu and his wife. A number of knights, killed at Crecy, repose in the burial-ground. ‘ He was buried in the Abbaye de Valloires, whence his remains were removed to the cathedral of Luxembourg. 56 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. [A line runs N.W. through featureless country from Abbeville to Treport, passing on to (lo k.) Miamtay, with a xv. c. church (tomb of a knight), and chateau turned into a farmhouse. 35 k. Eti (Hotel : du Cygne) is seen, crowned by its noble church, under ithe hill side. There was a town here in Gallo-Roman times. From 996 to 1350 the place belonged to the Norman princes and houses of Lusignan and Brienne. Charles VII. made it give a title to Charles d’Artois, which was considered to be that of the first peerage in France, and which descended through females as well as males. After passing EU. through the families of Bourgogne-Nevers and Cleves, Catherine de Cleves brought it to the house of Lorraine. It was bought by Mile, de Montpensier, who gave it up to the Due de Maine, from whom it was inherited by his nephew, the Due de Penthievre, who inhabited the chateau till 1789. The domain was sequest- ered at the Revolution, but given back by Louis XVIIL, in 1814, to the Dowager Duchesse d'Orleans (as representing her father, the Due de Penthievre), who transmitted it to her son, afterwards King Louis-Philippe. It was alienated under Louis Napoleon, in 1852, but restored by the National Assembly to the Comte de Paris, who, till his second exile, made it his principal residence, EU. 57 and gave employment to hundreds of labourers in reclaiming marshlands, and carrying out every modern agricultural im- provement. The Chateau occupies the site of a very ancient fortress, where Rollo of Normandy was wounded in defending the place against King Raoul. There Harold, shipwrecked on the coast of Ponthieu, became the guest of William, and was betrothed to one of his daughters. Jeanne Dare is said to have been shut up in one of its towers on her way from Crotoy to Rouen. The old castle was burnt in 1475, and the existing chateau was begun in in 1578 by Henri de Guise — le Balafre. Only the r. wing and the buildings towards the Bresle were finished when Mile, de Montpensier took possession in 1661. She often resided in the chateau, and received and quarrelled with M. de Lauzun there. ‘ La Comtesse de Fiesque fit le raccommodement : Mademoi- selle parut au bout d’une galerie : il etait a I’autre bout, et il fit toute la longueur sur ses genoux jusqu’aux pieds de Mademoi- selle. Ces scenes, plus ou moins fortes, recommencerent souvent dans les suites. Il se lassa d’etre battu, et a son tour battit bel et bien Mademoiselle, et cela arriva plusieurs fois, tant qua la fin, lasses I’mi de I’autre, ils se brouillerent une bonne fois pour toutes, et ne se revirent jamais. On ne se doutait pas qu’ils ne se fussent maries en secret.’ — S'. Sinioii, ‘ Memoires! The park and the terraces by Le Notre were due to Made- moiselle. A little chateau, built by her, was destroyed in 1795. A group of beeches is called Les Guisa 7 'ds^ because four hundred years ago the Guises met there in council. When Louis-Philippe, then Due d’Orleans, had taken possession (1821), the chateau was entirely restored, and numerous offices added. After this it became the favourite residence of Louis-Philippe, who twice received here a visit from Queen Victoria. The chateau is handsome, though not remarkable architecturally, but the grounds have much beauty. The beautiful Chureh of S. Laurent (Laurence O'Toole), built 1186 — 1230, rises near the Place du Chateau. It replaces an old collegiate church in which William the Conqueror was married to Matilda of Flanders, in 1050. From the xii. c. till 1791, the church belonged to an abbey in which S. Laurent, Archbishop of Dublin, died in 1181. The exterior is gradually losing all 58 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. character by over-restoration, but the effect of the E. end, raised high above the street, with its triple row of pinnacled buttresses, is very fine. At the W. end are three portals, of which the central has six slender detached marble columns. The N. transept has a great rose window of xii. c. The lofty interior is exceedingly beautiful. The wide, central nave has narrow side aisles which rise to the whole height of the graceful triforium, but in the transepts and choir the side aisles are lower. The choir was formerly surrounded by thirty magni- ficent canopied tombs of the princes and princesses of the house of Eu ; the canopies were all destroyed at the Revolution, and the effigies much mutilated. Only ten (in the crypt) have been partially restored. Some remains of the slab tombs are still to be seen, and the beautiful arcade of the cloture still exists, through which pilgrims venerated the relics of Laurence O’Toole, whose shrine is above the high altar. An exquisite door on the r. of the ambulatory is the entrance to a chapel containing a magnificent XIV. c. S. Sepulcre — once gilt and coloured — with a rich xvi. c. canopy. Opposite, is a fine head from a xiv. c. Ecce Homo destroyed in the Revolution. In the choir are two black marble columns to Catherine de Cleves, and the Prince de Dombes, son of the Due dll Maine ; and two grey and pink marble columns to the saintly Due de Penthievre and his daughter. The sacristan admits to the crypt, restored by Louis-Philippe to receive the remains of the monuments of his ancestors. Ten effigies are placed on modern sarcophagi. Nearest the door is S. Laurent (xiii. c.), then, but not in their order, Jean d’Artois (1386), and his wife Isabeau de Melun (a very noble figure, 1389), an infant Charles d’Artois (1368), Philippe d’Artois (i 397 )» and his daughter Isabelle ; Charles d’Artois, his little brother, and his wives, Johanne de Saveuse (1448), and Helene de Melun (1472). One of the marble effigies is covered with bronze fleur- de-lis. In the midst is the black marble tomb of the Due d’Aumale and the Prince de Dombes, sons of the Due du Maine. ‘ In Isabelle d’Artois, who died young, in 1379, the earlier con- ventional mode of representation prevails in the feebly designed eyes; on the other hand, the figure of her father, Jean d’Artois {ob. 1386), though similarly hard in execution, is much more individual in form, although the full mail armour (like that of LE TREPORT. 59 German knights) has led to a stiff and formal attitude. Her mother Isabelle de Melmi also {ob. 1389) is far more advanced in style, and has a portrait-like character. On the other hand, the figure of Philippe d’Artois {ob. 1397), with its stiff bearing, has a countenance which wavers between the usual conventional features, and the effort after individual delineation.’ — Liibke. The Chapelle dii College, formerly the church of the Jesuits, was founded by Catherine de Cleves, in 1622, and finished in 1624. It is a quaint specimen, in brick and stone, of the Greco- Roman architecture of the time of Louis XIII. On either side the altar are the magnificent tombs of Henri de Guise le Balafre, murdered at Blois, and his wife Catherine de Cleves. They are represented twice, reclining, and above upon their knees. The buildings of the college are entered by a picturesque porch- There are still two hundred students here. Remains of the ancient ramparts exist, probably of the xiii. c. On the high plateau to N. of the town beyond the railway is the Chapelle S. Laurent, of 1698, built at the point where Laurence, Archbishop of Dublin, rested, when he came to France to implore the protection of Henry II. of England for the Irish. Pleasant excursions may be made in the forest of Eu. 38k. Treport (Hotels; de la Plage; de V Europe ; de Erance). A very dull little town, but one of the prettiest of the French marine bathing-places, situated at the mouth of the Bresle, between two abrupt chalk cliffs. It is the port where Robert Courte-Heuse set sail to attack Henry I., of England, and is now a fashionable bathing-place. The xvi. c. Church oj S. Jacques is approached from the port by a steep ascent, and has a very rich portal, and a nave remarkable for the pendants of its vaulting. From the roof of the choir used to hang a silver ship, an ex-voto promised by Queen Marie-Amelie on the depar- ture of the Prince de Joinville for Vera Cruz, in 1838. At the top of the street, behind the church, a house which serves as a presbytery is richly sculptured. At the foot of the same street is an admirable stone cross of 1618, I k. E. of Treport is the bathing-place of Mers (Hotels : de r Europe ; de la Plage). [The line from Abbeville to (93 k.) Bethune passes : — 1 2 k. S. Riquier (see p. 48). 6o NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. Auxi-le-Chdteau. The town takes its name from a castle built in the xii. c. by Philippe cl’Alsace, Comte de Flandre, of which little remains bnt the outer walls. The Clwrch, of 1516, has been much altered. A fresco in the r. aisle represents Guillain Dubus, governor of Auxi, with his wife, a pope, a cardinal, and others. The principal choir window is of 1533, the pulpit of 1681. The Maison de Ville is of xvi. c. and is flanked by tourelles ; over the principal entrance is the ancient Salle du Bailliage.~^\ 129 k. Pont-Remy. The chateau, which was unsuccess- fully attacked by Edward III. after the battle of Crecy, is still inhabited ; the older parts are of xiv. c. and xv. c. i k. r. of the station is the Roman camp of Liercourt. The church of Fontaine-sur-SoJume, with a beautiful crocheted spire, is soon passed on the r. of the railway. 138 k. Longprc. The village of Longpre-ks-Corps-Salnts (i k. r.) owes its name to relics sent from the Holy Land by Aleaume de Fontaines, during the third crusade. Only the CHATEAU DE RAMBURES. 6i crypt and a sculptured portal remain from the Collegiate Clmrcli^ founded 1190. In the crypt is a colossal statue of Aleaume. The tower and spire of the present church are of 170a. 4 k. distant is the Roman camp of Etoile. The poplars between the peat beds in this district are favourite subjects with French artists — in the pink of spring, the grey- green of summer, the rich yellow and red of autumn. [A line branches off N.E. from Longpre to (58 k.) Treport by 7 k. Airaines. The xv. c. church of A. Denis has brilliant stained glass. The more ancient Notre Dame de I'Ahbaye has a XI. c. font. There were formerly two castles here ; of one the ancient gateway remains. 10 k. Allery. The fine xv. c. and xvi. c. church has good XVI. c. glass. 14 k. Wiry-au-Mont. The church has a sculptured cornice and curious sepulchral inscription. The church of Merelessa^'t (i^k. r.) has a curious xvi. c. relief of the Nativity. 20 k. Oisemont (a little inn near station). The xvii. c. and XVIII. c. church has a romanesque portal. R. of the station, at a cross roads, is a very old stone cross, with a metal crucifix of XI. c. 4 ^k. 1 . on the way to Senarpont, across open corn-lands, rises the beautiful old Chateau de Rambures (Marquis de Fontenilles), standing near the road in a deep dry moat, crossed on two sides by drawbridges. It is a great quadrangular mass, of brick and stone, infinitely picturesque, with four round towers at the corners, crowned by pyramidal roofs, with richly decorated dormers and girofles. There is a slender central tower. Beneath the building are vast subterranean chambers, capable of con- taining a large garrison, stables, and storehouses, besides prisons. The dwelling apartments communicate by a number of secret passages, and there are many hiding-places in the thickness of the wall. The dining room has a curious vaulted roof, and windows with exceedingly deep embrasures. There is a gallery of portraits of the family of Rambures, one of the most ancient 62 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. in Picardy. The greater part of the fortress is xiv. c. and xv. c., but its substructions are xiii. c. 23 k. Martamneville. The church (i k. 1 .) has a choir of xv. c. to XVI. c., and contains a fine xvi. c. bas-relief of the burial of Christ. The line passes (r.) the mounds which were the site of the fortress of Vismes-au-Mont, before reaching — 32 k. Maisnieres^ on the Vimeuse. The xvi. c. church of Tilloy-Eloriville (2^k. 1 .) contains a xvi. c. good font, and remains of glass. CHATEAU DE RAMBURES. 40 k. Gamachcs, where the line joins that from Paris to Treport.] PicquigJiy (Hotel: de Commerce — primitive, but clean and reasonable, suitable for artists), where Guillaume Long-Epee, Duke of Normandy, was assassinated in the x. c., and where Louis XL and Edward IV. of England held a conference through a wooden trellis-work, ‘ like that of a PICQUIGNY. 63 lion’s cage,’ ^ on a bridge over the Somme. This little town, much frequented by artists of the Corot school, should be seen in autumn, when the heavy foliage takes a golden and crimson colouring, but it has also a charm in the season PICQUIGNY. of lilacs and apple-blossom. A few minutes’ walk across two bridges over the Somme, and through the town, which has several picturesque houses adorned with rude sculpture, leads to the nearest of a little group of hillocks, occupied by Comines. 64 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. the remains of the Chateau which Gabrielle d’Estrees inha- bited whilst Henri IV. was besieging Amiens, and which retains its old gates. On the W. is the Porte du Gard, between two towers ; the principal entrance has a double gate. On passing the second gate, we find the portions of the building in best preservation to be the kitchen, of 1583, two towers, the cellars, and part of the subterranean passages leading to the Somme. The dwelling rooms, where Mdme de Sevigne stayed in 1689, are in complete ruin. Nestling in the green enclosure of the castle is the ancient collegiate Church of S. Martin^ which has a xv. c. choir and a xiii. c. nave. In the cemetery, which occupies the adjoining hill, is the tower of the old disused church of S. Jea^i. At the entrance of the Rue des Chanoines a monument marks the spot where S. Firmin first preached Christianity. 3 k., on the r. bank of the Somme (passing Tirancourt^ which has a gothic stone cross), is the well-preserved Ro77ia7i Ca77ip oj Tira7icou7i, known as Le G7mid Eo7't by the natives. 165 k. A7uic77s (Hotel : du best and excellent, but very dear ; d' Angleterre : Saisset-Dubois). The capital of the ancient province of Picardy, and of the present Departement de la Somme, was known as Samarobriva (Bridge over the Somme) at the time of the Roman invasion. In recent times the name of Amiens has been connected with the peace of 1802, between France and England. The first bishop of Amiens was S. Firmin the Martyr (beheaded by the Roman magistrate Sebastianus Valerius), to whom the third bishop, S. Firmin the Confessor, built the first cathedral. The early church, devastated by repeated in- vasions of the Normans, was totally destroyed by fire in 1218. The present glorious cathedral of Notre Dame was AMIENS, 65 begun by Evrard de Fouilloy (forty-fifth bishop) in 1220, from plans, of Robert de Luzarches. The first designs were enormous, but want of funds caused their restriction in 1238. Under the next bishop, Geoffroi d’Eu, Thomas and Regnaud de Cormont succeeded to the direction of the works, which were not finished till the end of the xiii. c. The upper part of the towers and the facade were not completed till the XV. c. ; the chapels of the nave were added in xiv. c. The present spire of 1529 replaces one of 1240, which was de- stroyed by lightning. It is difficult to realize that it is higher than that of Salisbury, being 422 feet above the pavement, as the gigantic roof reduces it to such insignificance that it is wholly inadequate to relieve the monotonous outline which is a characteristic of this cathedral externally. The whole building has undergone restoration of late years, under Viollet le Due. ‘ C’est le type le plus complet et le plus pur du treizieme siecle .’ — Hejiri Martin. The cathedral of Amiens is the largest church in the world except S. Peter’s at Rome, S. Sophia at Constanti- nople, and the cathedral of Cologne. It is difficult to obtain any good general external view. The magnificent W. facade is preceded by a parvis, which supplies the difference in level between the E. and W. ends of the building. Here, the central Porch of Le Beau Dieu d'‘Amie 7 is takes its name from the figure of Christ on its central pillar, which, at the time of its erection, was ‘ beyond all that had then been reached of sculptured tenderness.’ ^ ‘ Le type de la tete du Dieu d’Amieus merite toute I’attention des statuaires. Cette sculpture est traitee comme le sent les Ruskin. 5 66 XORTH-EyiSTERN ERANCE. tetes grecques elites eginetiques : meme simplicite de modele, merae piirete de contours, meme execution large et fine a la fois. . . . Cette tete est d’autant plus remarquable que toutes celles appartenant aux statues d’Apotres qui I’avoisinent, et qui out ete executees au meme temps, sont loin de presenter cette noblesse divine. Ce sont des hommes, des portraits meme, dans la plupart desquels on retrouve le type picard.’ — Viollet le Due, To the r. and 1. of the stylobate are medallions represent- ing the Virtues and Vices ; the Arts and Trades practised at Amiens at the time of the building of the church ; and even two allegorical fables ^ (the fox and the crow, the wolf and the crane). On the jambs of the portal are the wise and foolish virgins : the Last Judgment is represented in the tympanum. At the angles of the porches are the prophets. ‘ Note that the Apostles are all tranquil, nearly all with books, some with crosses, hut all with the same message, — “ Peace be to this house. And if the Son of Peace be there,” etc. But the Prophets — all seeking, or wistful, or tormented, or wondering, or praying, except only Daniel. The 7nost tormented is Isaiah ; spiritually sawn asunder. No scene of his martyrdom below, but his seeing the Lord in His temple, and yet feeling he had unclean lips. Jeremiah also carries his cross — but more serenely.’ — Ritslchi^ ‘ The Bible of Amiens! 'The (r.) Porch of the Virgin has, on its central pillar, a figure of the Virgin, simple and admirable in drapery, crushing a human-headed monster with her foot. Below are Adam and Eve and their expulsion from Paradise. The great side statues represent the Annunciation, the Visita- tion, the Presentation in the Temple, the Queen of Sheba, Solomon, the Magi, etc. In the tympanum are the Burial, ’ For wonderful meaning and intricate intention in these sculptures see ‘ The Bible of Amiens,’ in the Our Fathers have told its of Ruskin. AMIENS. 67 Assumption, and Coronation of the Virgin ; the medallions contain different incidents of her life. The (1.) Porch of S. Firmm., the first missionary to Amiens, bears his statue — a simple, admirable figure — trampling on idolatry. Round him are saints, who have been bishops of Amiens, or lived in the province. On 1. (S.), S. Firmin, S. Domice, S. Honbre, S. Salve, S. Quentin, S. Gentien ; on r. (N.), S. Geoffroy, an angel, S. Fuscien, S. Victoric, an angel, S. Ulpha. In the tympanum is represented the Discovery and glorification of the relics of S. Firmin. ‘ The other saints in this porch are all in like manner pro- vincial, and, as it were, personal friends of the Amienois ; and under them, the quatrefoils represent the pleasant order of the guarded and hollowed year, — the zodiacal signs above, and labours of the months below ; little differing from the constant representations of them, except in the May.’ — Ruskin. Under the open arches of the porches, which are surmounted by gabled frontals, is delicate lace-work of the XIV. c. On the summit of the principal frontal S. Michael is represented conquering the dragon. The ironwork of the doors is xiii. c. and xiv. c. Above the porches is a gallery corresponding with the triforium of the interior. It is divided into three parts by the finials of the second story of the buttresses. This first gallery is surmounted by a series of arches containing statues of twenty-two kings of Juda, ancestors of the Virgin. Then comes a magnificent rose-window (xiii. c. and xiv. c.), and above it the Galerie des Sotmeurs^ uniting the two towers, and hiding the gable of the nave. According to the original plan, each tower 68 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. was to have been surmounted by a spire, but this was given up in 1240. At the base of the S. tower is the Portail de S. Christophe^ which takes its name from the colossal statue which leans against the chapel of the same name, on the r. of the^door. The portal of the S. transept — Portail de S. PTonor'e or de la Vierge dorce^ owes its second name to a colossal statue of the Virgin mother, gilt at the expense of a private individual in 1705. At the sides are great statues of angels and of the sainted priests of the diocese, executed in 1258, but with the characteristics of an earlier time. In the tympa- num are the Discovery of the relics of SS. Fuscien, Victoric, and Gratien, and their Exaltation by S. Honore'. In the centre of the vault is a Crucifix between the Virgin and S. John, and around are bands of angels, confessors, martyrs, etc. The rose-window above presents a wheel of Fortune. On the summit of the gable is a statue of S. Honore. ‘ Cest le Christ qui se tient aii grand portail, le plus beau Christ qu’ait enfante la statuaire du moyen age ; il appelle les fideles de la main et leur ouvre le porche et les profondes per- spectives de la nef. Mais, si vous vous presentez au portail sud, line charmante Vierge couronnee vous introduit soudain en souriant au milieu des spleudeurs du choeur, sous les voCites qui montent jusqu’au ciel, parmi les roses des vitraux, ruisselantes de lumiere. On dirait que I’art a voulu symboliser la sagesse menant riiomne a Dieu par les epreuves graduelles de I’intelli- gence, et I’amour I’y jetant d’un seul elan .’ — Henri Martin, ‘ Hist, de Prance.' The Porch of the North Transept has a statue which represents either S. Firmin the Confessor or S. Honore. This side of the cathedral is simpler than the other, but is AMIENS. 69 adorned wkh beautiful statues of the founders and patrons of the adjoining chapels, or of the sovereigns in whose reign they were built. The choir was originally encircled by a xiv. c. cloister, on the S. of which stood the still-existing Chapelle Macabre or des Machabees., now occupied by the sacristy. A portion of the cloister on the N. has been rebuilt to unite the cathedral with the Salle des Conferences at the Eveche. To the N. of the chevet is the Chapelle des Catechismes. The Interior of the cathedral is a Latin cross, 442 ft. in length, and is composed of a triple nave with side- chapels, a large transept with side-aisles, a choir with its ambulatory, and seven apsidal chapels round the sanctuary. ‘ The mind is filled and elevated by the enormous height of the building (140 feet), its lofty and many-coloured clerestory^ its grand proportions, its noble simplicity. The proportion of height to breadth is almost double that to which we are accus- tomed in English cathedrals ; the lofty, solid piers, which bear up this height, are far more massive in their plan than the light and graceful clusters of our English churches, each of them being a cylinder with four engaged columns. The polygonal E. apse is a feature which we seldom see, and nowhere so exhibited, and j on such a scale ; and the peculiar French arrangement which 1 puts the walls at the outside edge of the buttresses, and thus 1 forms interior chapels all round, in addition to the aisles, gives a ! vast multiplicity of perspective below, which fills out the idea j produced by the gigantic height of the centre. Such terms will I not be considered extravagant when it is recollected that the roof is half as high again as the roof of Westminster Abbey.’ Whewell. The height of this cathedral is only surpassed in France by that of Beauvais. The vast arches rise to nearly half this height. Then comes a beautiful band of foliage, sur- mounted by the triforium, above which magnificent windows 70 NORTN-EASTERN ERANCE. occupy the whole upper surface of the walls, the windows being only separated by slender columns rising from the larger pillars. Before the construction of the lateral chapels of the nave in the xiv. c., the side aisles also showed great lines of windows, which gave unusual lightness to the building. The greater part of the stained glass perished in the xviii. c., and the building is therefore still too light. One hundred and twenty-six pillars sustain the vaulting of the nave, transepts, and aisles. At the entrance of the nave, between the pillars, are the brass tombs of the two great bishops who were the principal founders of the church, and which are the only important metal tombs left in France. On the r. is Evrard de Fouilloy (1223), on the 1 . Geoffroi d’Eu (1236). In each, the reposing figure is enclosed in a niche, with a sloping, pointed arch, supported by six lions. At their feet are winged dragons. In the latter, the treatment of the hands is very fine. ‘ Chef-d’oeuvres de fonte, — le tout foiidu d’un seal jet, et admirahlcment .’ — Viollct le Due. Aljove the organ loft opens a noble rose window — la rose de mer — with stained glass symbolical of earth and air. It bears the arms of Canon Firmin de Coquerel, by whose order it was made. The unsuitable pulpit is supported by figures of Faith, Hope, and Charity. A magnificent rood- loft, demolished in 1755, formerly separated the nave from the choir, which is now enclosed by a grille of wrought iron-work, forged in the xviii. c. by Jean Vivarais of Corbie, between two tasteless walls of masonry. In the choir we must remark the stained windows, of which those of the triforium represent the Apostles and AMIENS. 7i Bishops, arid those in the upper part of the apse the Annunciation, the Beheading of S. Firmin, etc. The beautiful window at the end bears the name of its donor. Bishop Bernard of Abbeville, and the date 1269. The high altar is feeble, and is backed by an enormous xviii. c. glory, greatly admired in its time.^ But the great feature of the choir are its hundred and ten magnificent stalls, executed 1508 to 1522 by four local artists, one of whom, Jean Turpin, has signed his name on the 86th stall on the 1. ‘ Le sanctuaire se tapisse d’une merveilleuse foret de hois sculpte foiirmillante d’innomhrables figures. Get immense travail est I’oeuvre d’une famille de menuisiers amienois, les Huet, dont la posterite subsiste encore : il avait ete commence au xv® siecle.’ — Martin.^ ‘ Hist, de Fra^ice.' ‘ Under the carver’s hand the wood seems to cut like clay, to fold like silk, to grow like living branches, to leap like living flame. Canopy crowning canopy, pinnacle piercing pinnacle — it shoots and wreathes itself into an enchanted glade, inextricable, imperishable, fuller of leafage than any forest, and fuller of story than any book.’ — Ruskm. The exterior of the wall enclosing the choir is covered with rich flamboyant arches, containing groups of stone figures, painted and gilt, which have recently been restored from the mutilations of the Revolution. The eight com- partments on the 1., executed in 1531 at the expense of the noble families of Coquerel and Louvencourt, relate to the history of John the Baptist. ‘First S. John is represented when he sees Christ and points him out to the astonished multitude ; then S. John preaching in * Voltaire did not only express his own, but the universal opinion of his time, when he said that a hundred and fifty years before he wrote, there was- not a single monument in France which was not barbarous and revolting ! 7'2 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. the wilderness, and the Baptism of Christ, which is arranged with peculiar beauty and simplicity; lastly S. John again as a preacher of repentance, when the listening multitude is depicted with life. The second (eastern) division again comprises four scenes; the Apprehension of S. John; the Banquet, at which Herodias asks for the head of the Preacher of Repentance — a scene executed in genre-like style, the figures appearing in the costume of the period; the Beheading of S. John; and, lastly, another Banquet scene, in which the severed head appears on the table, and Herodias puts out the eyes, at which her daughter sinks in a swoon, and is caught up by a young man, whilst a page, in horror, runs away with the dish. Below these larger representations, in the one case in ten, in the other in five medallions, scenes from the youth, and miracles from the legends of S. John are depicted. The relief is more shallow, and with its simple arrangement is very attractive in expression ; here also everything is coloured.’— The sculptures on the r. wall of the choir, relating to the stories of S. Firmin and S. Saulve, are even more beautiful and curious. Below them are the tombs, with statues, of Bishop Ferry de Beauvoir (1472) and his nephew. Dean Adrien de Flenencourt (1530), at whose expense these sculptures were executed. Against the pillar, which is touched by the grille of the choir, is the little monument of Charles de Vitry, seigneur des Auteux, 1679. Behind the sanctuary and facing the Chapel of the Virgin, is the tomb of Canon Guillain Lucas, founder of an orphanage, 1628, by Blasset of Amiens : the statuette of the Enfant pkureur has great local celebrity. In a lower arch reposes the marble statue of Cardinal Lagrange, Bishop of Amiens, and minister of Charles V., 1402. The predominating colour in the great rose-windows of the transept has given them the names of Fire and Water. In the S. transept, near the last pillar of the AMIENS. 73 nave, is the gravestone of the Spanish Captain Hernando Teillo, by whom Amiens was taken in 1597. Opposite, is the stone sarcophagus of Canon Claude Pierre. Facing the Chapelle de Notre Dame de Puy, the wall of the transept is covered with marble tables, relating to the establishment of the confraternity of that name. These tables are surmounted by marble reliefs relating to the Life of the Virgin. Above, in an intricate flamboyant framework, are four scenes from the Life of S. James the Great, very rich, but overcrowded, executed at the beginning of xvi. c., at the expense of Canon Guillaume Aucouteaux. In the 1. or N. transept is the monument of Canon Jehan Wyts, 1523, with scenes illustrating the four divisions of the Temple at Jerusalem: the ‘Atrium’ (the Expulsion from the Temple), ‘ Tabernaculum,’ ‘ Sanctum,’ and ‘ Sanc- tum sanctorum.’ Beneath the second pillar of this transept is the tomb of Cresset, a comic poet of the xviii. c. Near this are the white marble tomb of Cardinal Hemart, 1543, and the font of xii. c., formerly used for immersion. Opposite, is a shrine for the so-called head of John the Baptist, brought from Constantinople, and given to the cathe- dral by Wallon de Sarton, Canon of Picquigny, at the time of the crusades : the same relic is to be seen in several other churches of France, and in the cathedral of Genoa. In the 1. aisle of the nave is the tomb of Jean Desachy and his wife, Marie de Revelois. The third chapel of this aisle (of S. Saulve) contains a very handsome crucifix, revered as having bent its head to salute the relics of S. Hon ore : the second (Notre Dame de la Paix) has a statue of the Virgin by Blasset. 74 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. The architecture of the seven apsidal chapels greatly resembles that of the Sainte Chapelle at Paris. The Chapelle S. Eioi, which has preserved its ancient glass representing the life of the patron, contains the tomb of the learned Canon Lamorliere, 1639. In the Chapelle S. AMIENS. Jacques (the chevet) are the xiv. c. tombs of Bishop Simon de Goucans, and Canon Thomas de Savoie. The Eveche., with pleasant gardens on the N.E. of the cathedral, is xviii. c. The remaining objects of interest in Amiens are easily within the compass of a single walk, through streets with smells still almost as bad as they are described by Abraham Goelnitz, in the beginning of the xvii. c. Turning r. from the AMIENS. 75 W. front of the cathedral, the Kue Dubloc will soon lead us to the Church of S. Leu., with a flamboyant W. tower and portal. Hence the Rue des Poirees (with a fine old timber house) takes us to S. Germain., a striking xv. c. church, where the xv. c. carved doors and the glass of the side-aisles deserve notice. Hence we may ascend the Rue Delambre to the Hotel de Ville, begun 1550, with an xviii. c. facade, opposite which is the Beffroi of 1718, raised upon an earlier base. The Rue de la Republique will take us to S. Remy (xiv. c. and xv. c.), once the chapel of a convent of Cordeliers, containing the interesting tomb of the Connetable Nicolas de Lannoy and his wife, Jeanne Maturel. Their figures are represented twice — above, in life; below, very impres- sively, in death — by Blasset. In the Chapelle de Notre Dame de Bon Secours, is a statue of the Virgin by Blasset, offered to the convent of Cordeliers by the Grand Conde j in memory of the battle of Rocroi. 1 On the site of the ikrsenal is the Musee (1864) with a second-rate picture-gallery. From the Place S. Michel there is a view of the cathedral, somewhat altered by the square being planted since the view given here was taken. The manufacture of velveteen is the principal industry of Amiens. At 2 k. from Amiens, on the way to Longueau, is the ; church of S. Acheul (rebuilt 1752), containing, under its i choir, the relics of S. Firmin the martyr, a relief repre- senting the discovery of the tomb, and several ancient I sarcophagi. It was outside the S. gate of Amiens that S. Martin I divided (332) his knight’s cloak with the beggar. The name of Rougemare commemorates the bloody rout 76 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. of the army of the Emperor Otho, retreating by way of Amiens after its invasion of Normandy (946), and defeat by Richard sans Peiir. [There are three routes from Amiens to Doullens. (i) Rail- way by (21 k.) Vignacourt. (2) Railway by Longpre (40 k.) A. Leger les Doinaji, near which (3 k. N.) is the old town of Domart en Fonthicu, where the Hotel de Ville occupies a Templar convent, and there are some ruins of the x. c. chateau of Hugues II., Comte de Ponthieu. (3) The road by (25 k.) Beauval^ with a xiii. c. and xiv. c. church with a stone spire. Doullens^ 49 k., 63 k., and 32 k., by the different routes (TIotels : des quatre Fils Aymo?i ; de lEurope')^ the ancient Dulincum, belonged in the middle ages to the Counts of Vermandois, then of Ponthieu, and received the surname of Har'die, for its gallant defence against the Anglo-Burgundian army in 1523. The remains of the church of A, Piei're, partly xiii. c., are now a barn. Near the Place Notre Dame is a xv. c. chapel, which was once the sacristy of the destroyed church of Notre Daine^ consecrated, in 1170, by Thomas a Becket. Above the old Hotel de Ville, rises the brick Bepfj'oi^ of early xvii. c. The buildings of the Abbaye S. Michel are now used as public offices. The Citadel^ enclosing the remains of the old chateau, and now used as a prison, was begun under Francois I., and added to under Henri IV., Louis XIII., and Louis XIV. by Fraud, Deville, and Vauban. 7 k. from Doullens is the chateau of Lucheux^ which belonged to the Comtes de S. Pol; founded 1120, and dismantled after the XVI. c. In the Hotel de Ville of Lucheux, Louis XL signed (June 19, 1464) the edict which established postal service on the highroads of the kingdom. In the neighbouring forest, S. Leger, Bishop of Autun, and formerly minister of Childeric II., was beheaded in 678 by the emissaries of Ebroin. The railway from Doullens to (67 k.) Bethune (ch. v.) passes : — 18 k. Fr event (Hotel : du Grand S. Martin), which has two XV. c. churches, i k. S. are the remains of the once magnificent Abbaye de Cerca^nps, founded in 1137, by Hugues, Comte de S. Pol, in expiation of his crimes. 48 k. Pernes-Camblain. Of its ancient ramparts, Pernes only SEROUEUX. 77 retains the Po 7 'te de Lille, surmounted by a belfry. It has an old cross, and some remains of a chateau.] [A line leads W. from Amiens to Rouen, passing : — 20 k. Namps-Qiievauvillers. The interesting church of Namps an Val is partly romanesque. / 26 k. Fmneclion. There are some remains of a fortress which overlooked the village in x. c. 31 k. Poix (Hotel ; du Cheval- Blanc). The xv. c. and xvi. c. church of 6”. Denis stands above the town on a fortified terrace which belonged to the ancient chateau. The principal portal, approached by a long staircase, is of great richness. The interior is a very rich specimen of flamboyant, especially remark- able for the forty-five splendidly wrought pendants of its vaulting. Other points of interest are the piscinas, a bas-relief of the Baptism of Christ, and an old column supporting a holy-water basin. Behind the church are some remains of the ancient castle. 5 1 k. Aba 7 icourt, where the line crosses that from Beauvais to Treport. Fo 7 ' 7 nerie, which has an interesting church of xvi. c., XVII. c., and xviii. c. The line descends into the valley of Bi'ay, before reaching — 65 k. Gaillefo 7 itame. R. of the station is the xi. c. and xii. c. Cliapelle des Noyers. The church of Gaillefoutaine (3 k. N.) contains a fine altar-piece from the abbey of S. Aubin-jouxte- Boulleng. A promenade occupies the site of the x. c. castle. 72 k. Serqtieux, whence there is an omnibus to (3 k.) E"o 7 'ges Ics Faux (Hotel : des Faux Mmerales), a pleasantly situated bathing-place, frequented by all the great world in the reigns of Louis XIII. and Louis XIV., and frequently mentioned and com- mended by ‘ La Grande Mademoiselle,’ in her autobiography. At Serqueux the line crosses that from Paris to Dieppe. loi k. Mo 7 'gny. 6 k. (omnibus) is Blai 7 ivillc-C 7 ‘cvo 7 i, with an old collegiate church, founded l)y Jean d’Estouteville, and containing a xvi. c. rctablc. 117 k. Rouen.] [A line leads S.E. from Amiens to Beauvais by — 14k. P 7 'ouzcl {c)V. E. is Sams, where the church contains 78 NORTH-EASTERN ERANC'E. the tomb of SS. Fiiscien, Victoric, and Gentien, martyred in the XII. c.). 24 k. Co 7 tty (Hotel ; d' A 7 niens). The seigneurie of this place belonged to the family of Mailly in the xiii. c. In 1551, Eleanore de Roye brought it in dowry to Louis de Bourbon, Prince de Conde, head of the branch of princes of Bourbon-Conti, extinct in 1814. The chateau, partly destroyed by the Duke of Bedford, in 1427, and entirely pulled down in the Wars of Religion in the XVI. c., occupied a hillock r. of the existing ‘ place.’ The church of E. A 7 itoi 7 ie, founded xiii. c., was re-bnilt xv. c. A beautiful square tower rises on the r. of the chevet. At the S.E. angle is a statue of S. Antoine. To the 1 . of the W. portal, a staircase leads to the Eo 7 iiai 7 ie de S. A 7 itome, said to rise under the altar of the saint, and to cure complaints of the eyes. The side portal on r. (xv. c.) is adorned with statues. In the interior, the bosses of the vaulting, the bas-reliefs r. and 1 . of the altar of S. Antoine, various statues by Cressent, a sculptor of Amiens, and many XVI. c. monuments deserve attention. 41 k. Crevecoeu 7 '-le-G 7 ^a 7 id. The chateau is xv. c. 49 k. Oiideinl-Blicoini. The church of Oudeuil heis 7 m y.\. c. font. 53 k. E, 077 ie 7 '-e 7 i-Chaussee, where the line falls into that from Paris to Treport. 56 k. Mill}'. 5 k. distant is the Chateau de C7HI071 of xvi. c. and XVII. c., built by the Dues de Boufflers. 69k. Beauvais (Hotels: d' A 7 iglete 7 Te — excellent, with a charming typical courtyard, with flowers, birds, and fountain ; du Cyg 7 ie ; de T Ecu), the capital of the department of Oise, at the meeting of the Therain and Avelon, where the walled camp of Caesaromagus existed in Roman times. S. Lucien, who was martyred in the neighbourhood, brought the gospel hither, c. 25c, and (c. 580) the kings Childebert and Gontran founded, upon his grave, the Abbaye de S. Lucien, which was one of the richest in France. In the beginning of the xi. c. Beauvais was a countship, which, after having belonged to the houses of Vermandois and Blois, was united to the episcopal see, and became a great source of power to the bishops. High justiciary throughout all his countship, the Bishop of Beauvais, in the xii. c., was one of the six ecclesiastical peers of France, and, in 1195, added to his titles BEAUVAIS, 79 that of Vidame de Gerberoy. In 1190, the town was surrounded with walls by Philippe-Auguste, and in 1346 it was successfully defended by Bishop Jean de Marigny against Edward III. of England. In 1420, Pierre Cauchon (the infamous judge of Jeanne Dare) mounted the episcopal throne, and submitted to Henry V. In 1472 the women of Beauvais bravely defended the city against Charles le Temeraire, headed by Jeanne Laine — called Jeanne Hachette — who hurled from the walls the first Burgundian soldier who scaled them, after seizing his banner (which has since been preserved at the Hotel de Ville), and in whose honour Louis XI. instituted the procession of S. Angadreme, in which the women should take precedence of the men, and young girls should fire a salvo of artillery. The cathedral is the first object of interest. The traveller, however, who wishes to explore the city in a few hours, should take the following route. Entering the town by the Avenue de la Gare, he will see facing him the Church of S. Kiicime, a very interesting building of different dates. Most of the nave, the aisles, and transepts is of early xii. c., and forms one of the best specimens of transition romanesque. The facade and first bay 8o NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. of the nave are xiii. c., the gothic choir is xvi. c. ; the massive tower, of 1598, replaces a lighter steeple of 1480, The principal portal, with archivolts full of headless statuettes, has remains of the Death, Burial, and Coronation of the Virgin in the tympanum, and xiii. c. ironwork. The door on the W. of the chief entrance is xiii. c. The early xii. c. gable of the N. transept BASSE OEUVRE, BEAUVAIS. is one of the best specimens of a peculiar class of ornamentation found in this district. ‘ II couronne une rose entouree d’une suite de figures repre- sentant une roue de fortune. La structure du parement exterieur du pignon est entierement composee de tres petites pierres taillees, formant, par la maniere dont elles sont posees, un treillis de batons, entre les intervalles desquels sont incrustees BEAUVAIS. 8i des rosaces sculptees sur le parement d’un moellon carre. Ce treillis est coupe horizontalement par une ligne de batons rompus et par une ties petite baie rectangulaire terminee par un cintre pris dans une seule pierre.’ — Viollet le Due. In the interior, the vaulting and pendants of the choir chapels deserve special notice ; also the stained glass windows, frequently signed by Engrand Leprince and Nicolas Lepot or Leprince. One of the chapels has a Tree of Jesse, in which portraits of Louis XII. and Francois I. are to be seen. There are a number of curious XVI. c. paintings on panel, and a xii. c. bearded crucifix, honoured by the people as S. Wilgeforte, said to have been crucified in Portugal. In the N. aisle, near the transept, is the gravestone of Oudry (1755), ^^e painter of Louis XV.’s dogs, who was director of the tapestry manufactory at Beauvais. From the W. front of the church the little Rue S. Etienne leads to the Rue S. Jean, where turning r. we find on 1 . a very curious timbered house, Maison de V linage S. Jean, adorned with renaissance sculptures. We emerge upon La Grand’ Place, from the further side of which there is a striking view of the cathedral, and which contains the Hotel de Ville, of 1753, and a Statue of Jeanne Hachette, by Dubray, 1862. Many of the houses sur- rounding the square have gables of gothic form. Following the Rue S. Sauveur, the Rue du Chatel leads 1 . — passing the facade of the ancient collegiate church of 6*. Barthelemy — to the Place S. Pierre, which contains the cathedral, the Basse- Oeuvre, the Musee, Palais de Justice, and ( 1 .) La Maison de Pierre, a xii. c. house, with romanesque arcades. The splendid Cathedral of S. Pierre was originally founded by Bishop Hervee, at the end of the x. c. His church, finished by Roger de Champagne, the first count-bishop of Beauvais, was destroyed by fire in the beginning of the xiii. c. In 1225 the rebuilding was begun, by an architect now unknown, and the apse and choir were finished in 1272, but the vaulting fell in twelve years afterwards, and was only repaired in 1337, by Fnguerrand le Riche, under Bishop Jean de Marigny. Then the works were discontinued till 1 500, when the transept was begun under Bishop Louis de Villiers. The N. facade, built from designs of Martin Cambiche, under Francois I., was finished in 1537 ; the S. facade, under Michel Lalye, not till 1548. 6 82 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Instead of continuing the nave, Jean Vaast, who succeeded Lalye as architect, devoted himself to building a stupendous spire, 455 feet high, over the cross, which overpowered the sustaining pillars by its weight, and fell, April 30th, 1573. It was replaced by a little spire, destroyed at the Revolution. In 1630, Bishop Choart de Buzenval erected a black marble jube before the choir, which has ceased to exist. In 1757, the canons destroyed the rich and beautiful cloture of the choir, and twelve noble brasses of bishops, which they replaced by the present pavement. In spite of these mutilations, the church remains one of the most glorious fragments in Europe; whence is derived the saying, that the choir of Beauvais, the nave of Amiens, the facade of Reims, and the spire of Chartres would make a perfect cathedral. ‘ Quand aux grands edifices non termines, les uns semblaient se hater de fermer leurs voutes et d’elever les derniers etages de leurs tours et de leurs fleches jusqu’aux nues, avant que I’inspira- tion eut exhale son dernier souffle ; les autres, moins avances, s’arretaient pour jamais ! Telle, en Picardie, cette cathedrale de Saint-Pierre, oii Beauvais s etait efforcee de depasser la majeste de Notre Dame d’Amiens : la grandeur inouie de cet effort inacheve saisit Tame d’une sorte de terreur, quand on penetre entre ces deux immenses verrieres, sous cette voute de cent quarante pieds de haut.’ — Martin, 'Hist, de France.' The choir is the only part of the church which belongs to the original structure of the xiii. c. Its height is the greatest in the world — 153 feet. The original choir had five aisles, but after the fall of the vaulting, the intermediate pillars were suppressed, and the upper windows divided by masonry. Eight buttresses now' support the pillars which bear the weight of the apsidal vaults. Each of them formerly bore the statue of one of the patrons of Beauvais. From these buttresses, flying buttresses descend to hexagonal supports crowned with cornices. The S. facade is approached by a staircase. The portal is surmounted by a double open gallery. Above opens a rose- window, over which is a gable with the arms of the bishop and chapter. Two buttresses, disguised as tourelles, frame the facade. The sculptured doors, by Lepot, are from designs of the school of Fontainebleau. The salamander appears amongst their devices. BEAUVAIS. 83 The magnificent flamboyant N. portal is covered with royal emblems. In the tympanum is a genealogical tree, intended for the arms of the house of France. Above are a double gallery and a rose-window, and at the sides rectangular buttresses. Upon the doors, in beautiful statuettes, in relief, by Jean Lepot, appear the Evangelists, Sibyls, and the Latin Doctors. The Interior is most impressive from its majestic proportions, and from the effect of the immense windows around the apse, and the sheaves of delicate columns which encircle the more massive pillars. The windows in the choir chapels and in the galleries of the S. transept, and the rose-windows, have a great deal of stained glass, some of which is due to Nicolas and Jean Leprince. In the Chapelle du Saint-.Sacrement is the tomb of Cardinal de Forbin de Janson (1738), with a statue by Coustou. A very curious clock is of the xiv. c. The beautiful and curious tapestries, chiefly used to decorate the walls, are of four series. The first, of xiii. c., gives the story of SS. Peter and Paul. The second (of xvi. c.), probably exe- cuted at Arras, pourtrays old fables of French story. The third (of XVII. c.) reproduces the cartoons of Raffaelle. The fourth, kept in the sacristy, represents the battles of Alexander, after Lebrun. Joining the cathedral, on the site where the nave should be, is the Church of La Basse Oeuvre^ the primitive cathedral, one of the few religious buildings in France which are certainly older than the xi. c. It much resembles S. Vincenzo alle Tre Fontane, near Rome, which appears to be as old as viii. c. The fa9ade has a principal entrance, two smaller portals, a central window, surmounted by a very ancient bas-relief, and an upper gable, at the base of which is a curious anchored cross, accompanied by two oculi. The S. portal is of late xiii. c. ‘ On distingue, au haut des murs lateraux demeures intacts, et qui sont en petit appareil, des fenetres a plein-cintre, a claveaux separes par des briques ; un cordon horizontal, forme de deux rangs de bricpies, court d'une fenetre a I’autre au niveau des impostes et encadre I’archivoltc .’ — De Caumojit. ‘ This building consists of a nave and side aisles, separated from each other by a range of plain arches resting on piers, without either bases or capitals ; on one side the angles are cut 84 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. off, so as to give a slightly ornamental character, on the other they are left sc]iiare. The central aisle is twice the width, and more than twice the height, of the lateral aisles, and has a well- dehned clerestory ; the roof, both of the central and side aisles, is a flat ceiling of wood. The eastern end has been destroyed, but, judging from other examples, it probably consisted of three apses, one large in the centre and a smaller one at the end of each aisle.’ — Fcrgusson. The old buildings of the Cour d’Assises, close to the Basse Oeuvre, are now occupied by the Musee (open to the public on Sundays from 12 to 4). The Palais de Justice (opposite), once the Episcopal Palace, dates in part from the xi. c. It has a romanesque tower (towards the Boulevard), resting upon a Gallo-Roman base. The outer walls, sustained by massive buttresses, are xiv. c., as well as the entrance flanked by round towers, with conical roofs, below which runs a sculptured cornice. The principal buildings were erected by Bishop Louis de Villiers, in 1500. They have three graceful tourelles, and the doors and windows are richly deco- rated. The five dormers in the roof are surmounted by shields of arms; in the centre are those of France. I k. N. of Beauvais is NoU'e-Dame-du-Thil^ where the church, of IX. c. and xiii. c., is partly of reticulated brick work. The high walls on the other side of the lane are (with a xv. c. portal and restored xiii. c. tower) all that exists of the famous Abbey of S. Lucieii. The destroyed church of this abbey much resembled S. Etienne de Beauvais. An excursion should be m.ade from Beauvais to (22 k.) the curious and important abbey church of S. Germer (2 k. from a station), on the line to Gournay (see North-Western France). [A line runs N. from Beauvais to (106 k.) Treport by — 7 k. Fouquenies-Troissereux. The neighbouring hamlet of Mo7it77iille has a curious church of ix. c. and xii. c. On the gable of the facade is a rude figure of Christ. Under the choir is a crypt containing the relics of SS. Maxien and Julien, the apostles of the district. 17 k. 5 . 077ier e7i Chaussce, whence the line from Beauvais to Amiens turns off on r. AUMALE. 85 23 k. Marseille-le- Petit. The church is mostly xvi. c. 8 k. is Songeons, with a chateau of 1720, having gardens by Le Notre. The line now passes 1 . the ruined castle (xiii. c. and XIV. c.) of Foiitaine-Lavagne. 35 k. Grandvittiers. 5 k. distant was the magnificent renais- sance Chateau de Sarcus, now entirely destroyed. 47 k. Abancourt^ where we cross the line from Amiens to Rouen. Many trains stop here some time, but it is a pleasant station, with excellent buffet. (Dejeuner or diner at 2 fr. 50 c., with wine or beer.) On the 1 ., near the hamlet of Frettencourt^ is a curious old lime-tree enclosing a statue of the Saviour, known as Le Dieu de Pitie de Frettencourt. 58k. Aiimate du Chapeau Rouge — good. No omni- bus ; a man with a truck meets all trains. This is the cider country, and cider is served at the table d'hote instead of wine). An old fortified town on the Bresle, made a duchy by Francois I. in favour of Fran9ois de Lorraine. In 1631 it passed to the house of Savoie-Nemours, but in 1686 Marie Jeanne de Savoie sold it to the king, who gave it to Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, Due du Maine. His brother, the Comte de Toulouse, transmitted it to his son, the Due de Penthievre, who possessed it at his death in 1792. Confiscated at the Revolution, it was given back in 1814 to the duke’s daughter, who was widow of I^galite Due d’Orleans. The title of Due d’Aumale is now borne by the fourth son of Louis-Philippe. Aumale is an exceedingly pretty place, buried in verdure through the spring and summer, with clear streams and pic- turesque streets of old timber houses. The principal street, with a promenade of clipped lime-trees in the middle, is especially attractive. The noble churcli of 6'6'. Pieri'e et Paut was destroyed by Charles le Temeraire in 1472, and rebuilt in 1508-1610. The choir vaulting has rich but heavy pendants ; in a side chapel are more delicate pendants of the renaissance. Some of the eastern windows have xv. c. and xvi. c. glass. The Ilospitat was founded in 1694 by the Due du Maine. The Ilotet de Vitte (xvi. c. and xvii. c.) is flanked by an octa- gonal tower. Several houses in brick and stone, or in timber, are interesting. Two brick columns at the entrance of the Pout Iteuri IV. were erected in 1811, in memory of the day when 86 A^OR TH- a: ASTERN FRANCE. Henri IV., wounded and flying from the Liguenrs, was saved by the promptitude of one Jeanne Leclerc in letting down the drawbridge. The abbey of Anmale, founded in the x. c., was destroyed in the Revolution. Near A. Margucidte are the ruins of the Chateau Hubuald, named from a pagan lord who martyred S. Germain I’Ecossais on the banks of the Bresle, in 480. 66 k. Vieux-Roue7i. The church is said to occupy the site of a temple of Jupiter. AUMALE. 71 k. Sena7'pont. In the church is the tomb of a Seigneur de Mouch3^ 76 k. Nesle No7'77iande7isc, 4 k. N. of this little station, is the important and picturesque Chateau de Rambures (see p. 62). 80 k. Blangy su7' B7'esle. An old town, which was fortified in the middle-ages. The chateau was destroyed by Henri IV. The church of Notre Da77te dates from xiii. c., but was altered in XVI. c. ; it contains a fine S. Sepulcre. Opposite the church is a AILLV-SUR-NOVE. 87 XVI. c. house. The Hospital wdiS founded in 1695, by Mdlle. de Montpensier. i k, S.E. (close to the railway, on 1 .) is the highly picturesque xvi. c. Manoir de Fontaine. 2 k. N.W. is the xvi. c. Chdteati des Hattenaux. 84k. Monchaux\i2LS a picturesque church (xiii. c. and xvi. c.) with a slated spire, and ruins of a chstle burnt by Charles le Temeraire, in 1472. The line passes 1 . Soixnq, with a tine Chapelle Seigneuriale of xvi. c. 88k. Gafnaehes, where we join the line from Longprc to Eu. See p. 62.] Continuing the main line to Paris we reach — 171k. Lo?igueau^ whence the line to Calais by Arras branches off on 1. (see ch. v.) 176 k. Boves. The chateau, which corresponds ill with its distant aspect, gave rise to the Picard proverb — Belle montre, peu de chose. Aiily-snr-Noye (Hotel: d’A/niens). The church (of XII. c. and xiii. c.) contains the tomb of Jean Hubodin, batard de S. Pol (who was seigneur of Ailly), with his wife, Jacqueline de la Tremouille. In the embrasure of a window is a curious ex-voto, sculptured in stone. 10 k. is Moretiil. A pavilion flanked by a tourelle, and four outstanding towers, remain of the ancient Chdtean. In its enclosure was built a Benedictine J^riory, whicli was afterwards turned into an abbey. Only a gothic gateway remains, besides the CJutrcli — chiefly xiv. c. — which has a magnificent xv. c. portal, consisting of two porches united. Over one of these is a great square tower, with a tourelle at the angle. The sculptures of the vaulting relate to the life of the Virgin and that of .S. Waast, Bishop of Arras. The inhabitants of Moreuil were distinguished by their gallant resistance to the Prussians, on Nov. 25, 1870, the day before the battle of Amiens. 19T k. La Jdiloise, lias remains of a renaissance cliatcau. 88 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. 3 k. S.E. is Eollevillc^ with a very remarkable ruined castle of XV. c. Its watch-tower, cylindrical at the base, becomes hexagonal in the upper stories, and finally is polygonal with twelve sides. The Church encloses the splendid tomb of Raoul de Lannoy, seigneur de Folleville, and Jeanne de Poix, his wife, by the Milanese sculptor Antonio da Porta. Another tomb com- memorates Fraii9ois de Lannoy, son of Raoul. The font bears the arms of the seigneurs de Folleville. S. Vincent de Paul preached in the pulpit in 1646. 201 k. Bretenil-Gare. [A branch line of 7 k. leads r. to Brctc?dl (Hotel : S. Nicolas), which had a powerful Benedictine abbey in the middle-ages. Its remains (xii. c. and xv. c.) are used as a gendarmerie, etc. The parish church (of xii. c., xiii. c., and xvi.c.) has a flamboyant tower ; the font is romanesque. i k. S. is Vendeuil, at the source of the Noye, supposed by some archaeologists to be the Gallic oppidum of Bratuspantium.] 216k. S. J2ist-en- Chaiissee. [A line leads W. from S. Just to (37 k.) Beauvais by — 12 k. Bulles. The romanesque church is a remnant of the Briory of S. Madeleine, a dependency of the Burgundian Vezclay. 17 k. La Rue S. Bierre. The church has a fine romanesque portal. 21 k, Bresles. The church is partly older than xi. c. 4 k. N. is Eay S. Ouentin, with a curious church of xii. c. and xvi. c. Rochy-Co 7 ide (where the line joins that from Paris). I k. 1 . is the Chateau de Merlemoiit, partly xvi. c. In the wood above is the xi. c. Chapelle S. Ai'noult, founded by the patron himself.] [A line leads N.E. to (115 k.) Cambrai by — ()ls. Maignelay-Montigny. The church of Maignelay was finished (xvi. c.) by Vaast, one of the architects of Beauvais. The rich decorations of the portals and the pendentives of the vaulting are remarkable. • There are some remains of the xvi. c. MONTDIDIER. 89 chateau built by Louis d’Halluin, on the site of a fortress of the middle-ages. 14 k. Dompierre-Ferrieres. The church of Dompierre has a portal of XII. c. or xiii. c. The choir is flamboyant. In the neighbourhood is the curious subterranean refuge called La Muche. ' 16 k. Dojnfront. The church has a romanesque tower; the choir is of 1 560. At Royaumont (2 k. 1 .) are a xvi. c. church and mill. 21k. Montdidier (excellent Buffet at station. Hotel: de Conde), which received its name from Charlemagne, who im- prisoned Didier, king of the Lombards, there, before shutting him up as a monk at Corbie. The kings of the third race occasionally held their court at Montdidier, but its chateau was demolished by Philippe-Auguste, to prevent its falling into the hands of the English. The town is prettily situated on a height. In ascending from the station, we pass on the r. the church of 5 *. Sepulcre, with a flamboyant portal, rebuilt 1856. The main building is xvi. c. Against the pillars of the choir stand statues of S. Firmin, first bishop of Amiens, and nine apostles. At the end of the r. aisle is the XVI. c. S, Sepulcre which gave a name to the church : it is a feeble work, but the figure of Christ, upon the outer arch, is very superior to it. The Hotel de Ville has a tower, begun 1620, surmounted by a campanile bearing a figure known as Jean Duquesne, which strikes the hours with a hammer. Before it is a statue of Parmentier (whose cottage is marked near the church), by whom the cultivation of the potato was introduced into France. The church of 6'. Pierre is of 1475-80. On the 1 . of the entrance is the simple and beautiful tomb of Raoul III. le Vaillant, Comte de Crepy en Valois et Montdidier, 1074. A lion and dog at his feet arc admirably sculptured. The window above, of 1572, came from the Hotel Dieu, and contains kneeling figures of the donors, Pierre de Vignacourt and his wife. The fine font in the next chapel is xi. c. Beyond the church is the Palais de Justice, with some remains of the xii. c., and, passing its arched entrance, a terrace, with a wide view, called the Promenade du Prieurc. 40 k. Royc, founded in ix. c. after the destruction of the 90 NOR 7 N-E ASTERN ERANCE. ancient Khodium by the Normans. It was ruled by its own counts in the xii. c,, but was united to the crown by Philippe- Auguste. The English entirely destroyed it in 1373. Queen Jeanne de Bourgogne, wife of Philippe le Long, died here (Jan. 29, 1329), on her way to take possession of Flanders, and was buried in the now destroyed church of S. Florent. The church 6'. Pierre, of different periods, has an xi. c. porch, between two gothic XVI. c. portals. Above the cross rises (scarcely higher than the roof) a great square tower, with tourelles at the angles, and a tall xvii. c. spire. In the interior, the pendants of the choir vaulting, and the stained glass, are remarkable. Gilles has XVI. c. glass. The Hotel de Ville has an octagonal xvi. c. tower of brick and stone. A route of 20 k. connects Roye with Noyon, passing (4 k.) ReigUse, an important Roman station, and leaving 3 k. to 1 . (near Iiicuvilly) the remains of the fortress of Beaulieu, where Jeanne Dare was imprisoned, and of a house of the Templars.] [The (incomplete 1889) line from Roye to Pont S. Maxence passes — 7 k. Tilloloy, which has an interesting brick church with renaissance stone ornaments. The Cliapelle de la Vierge contains the tomb of Ponthus de Belleforiere (1590), and his wife Fran9oise de Soyecourt (1620). Near this is a m-onument to Maximilien, Charles, and Abdiers de Soyecourt, with the kneeling figures of those three knights. The chateau is of xvii. c. 1 8 k. Cuvilly. At 3 k., Mortemer, are remains of castle destroyed by the Burgundians in 1483. 26 k. Gournay-sui'-Aronde has a xvii. c. chateau. 8| k. r. is Moucliy-Thmiieres, which has a xvi.e. and xvii. c. chateau flanked by two round towers. The wings, in brick and stone, are of 1550. In a hall on the ground floor are the remains of the tomb of the Marechal d’Humieres. The church has portions of XII. c., XV. c., and xvi. c. On the opposite bank of the Aronde is the church of Baugy, with remarkable stained glass of 1520. Estre'es-S. -Denis. The church is xii. c , xvi. c., and XIX. c. The famous house of PJstrees, to which the mistress of Henri IV. belonged, takes its origin from a seigneur Picard, Pierre Carbonnel, who died in 1457. 45 k. Le Plessis-Longucau, where the chateau was long PERONNE. 91 inhabited by the Marquise de Villette (Mile, de Varicoiirt, immortalised by Voltaire as belle et bo?tne). Leaving Roye, the line passes on r. the chateau of Liancourt- Fosse^ which Gabrielle d’Estrees inhabited, before her divorce from the Seigneur de Liancourt. 53 k. Chaulnes, on the line from^ Amiens to Tergnier (see ch. vi.). 59 k. Marchelepot. The church is partly xvi. c. with a fine tower of 1530. 4 k. 1. is the xvi. c. Chateau P Ablainco2irt: The line passes ( 1 .) Fresnes-Mazanco2irt^ where the church is enclosed in the fortifications of a former castle. 65 k. Pont-les-B?'ic. S. Christ (2 k. S.) has a xii. c. church tower, which once served to defend the passage of the Somme. L. is the moated Chateau d' Happlincourty with an entrance between two towers, where the Ligueurs met, Feb. 13, 1577. The line passes ( 1 .) Eterpig^iy , with curious xiii. c. and xiv. c. buildings belonging to an old Cominanderie de Malte. 70 k. (Hotels ; S’. Claude; des Voyageurs'). One of the most interesting places in Picardy. A very ancient town upon the Somme, where the early kings had a palace, which was given by Clovis II. to the mayor of the palace, Erchinoald, who built a monastery here for Scotch monks, under the rule of S. Fursy. At the death of the saint, Erchinoald erected a collegiate church in his honour, which existed till the Revolution, but has now disappeared. It contained the tomb of Charles le Simple, who died of hunger at Peronne in the prison of Hubert, Comte de Vermandois. On the death of Philippe d’Alsace, Comte de Vermandois, at the Crusades (1199), the towns of Peronne and S. Quentin were reunited to the crown of France. In 1536, Peronne, formerly supposed to be impregnable, dis- tinguished itself for its successful resistance to Charles V., in a siege in which a woman named Marie Fourre performed great deeds of heroism. It was in Peronne, in 1577, that the Ligue was proclaimed for the first time outside Paris. Peronne la Pucelle was never taken till the Duke of Wellington took it on his way to Paris after Waterloo. In 1870-71 the town suffered greatly in a siege by the Prussians. The church of S. Jean, 1509 — 1523, has been restored since the siege of 1871. Tlie jiortal, of three gothic arcades, is 92 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. surmounted by a flamboyant rose-window. The tower is flanked by a tourelle. In the interior the vaulting, pulpit, and stained glass are remarkable. One of the chapels (on 1.) has a curious panel-painting of S. Louis assisting at the translation of the relics of S. Fursy. The occupies a bastion of the walls; but only four tall towers, with conical roofs, remain from the middle-ages. The Hotel de Ville is xvi. c. 77 k, Cartig 7 iy. The fortified church is partly xii. c. and XV. c. At (i k.) Catelet was a convent of Templars. The church oi Driencoiirt (5 k. N.) has portions of romanesque and a XV. c. choir. Tempi eux-la-Fosse (a little N.) has a church with good vaulting and wood carving. The line passes ( 1 .) the Cliapelle du Moyen Polity of 1672, before reaching — ■ Roisel. The church has a splendid sculpture in oak, representing the story of S. Barbara. 92 k. EpNiy, on the ancient Roman road or Chanssee Brune- haiit from Reims to Arras. Under the church are immense subterranean galleries. 98 k. Gouzeaiicourt. 3 k. S.E., at Vi'lH^s-Guizlam, is a vast subterranean refuge. Honnecourt (4 k. further) has the ruins of a Roman town and a church with an xi. c. portal. 107 k. Marcoing, has an immense subterranean refuge of the middle-ages. 3 k. E. is Masnieres, where the church (rebuilt) has a XV. c. tower and spire. At (3 k. further) Crevecoeu?'^ are remains of the Pont Jtdius, also of a xii. c. castle. The church (of XVI. c. and xviii. c.) has a fine carved pulpit. 4 k. from Crevecoeur is the ruined Abbaye de Vancelles^ founded 1131, with a romanesque cloister and some remains of a church, which was the united work of the architects Vilard and Pierre de Corbie. At Lesdam^ a little E. of Crevecoeur, are a ruined XIV. c. castle and a church with xv. c. chapel. 1 16 k. Cambrai.] 230 k. Clermoiit-de-V Oise (Hotel : des Deux Epees)., also called Clermont-en-Beauvais, once the capital of a count- ship. The old Castle on the hill S. of the station, founded by the Comtes de Champagne, was often inhabited by the kings of France in the xiii. c. and xiv. c. A rectangular CLERMONT-DE-L OISE. 93 donjon and the Forte de Nointel remain, the latter bearing an inscription recording that Charles le Bel was born in the chateau de Clermont in 1294. At the foot of the donjon extends the Promenade dii Chdtellier. The Porte de Nointel led from the castle to the Church, of XIV. c., but much altered. The doors are xvi. c. On the r. are a xv. c. sepulchral relief (against a pillar), and a XVI. c. tomb, with a statue. Below the church is the very curious Hdtel de Ville, built in xiv. c. by Charles le Bel, but altered in xv. c. The facade has two low arches on the ground floor, and three niches on the first floor, with a gable above, divided by a buttress which supports a little polygonal belfry. In the interior, the ground floor has two naves, of which one serves as a passage, leading to a little square. On this side of the Hotel de Ville are a double window, a square tower, and a machicolated gallery which united it to the xi. c. walls of the town. In one of the upper rooms is a sepulchral stele of a Greek who died in Gaul under the Roman rule. Several houses in Clermont are xv. c. and xvi. c. 2 k. W. is the XIII. c. church of Agnetz, with a font of that date, and a S. Sepulcre of the Renaissance. The church of Auvillier (3 k. S.W.) is partly xi. c. [A line of 29 k. connects Clermont with Beauvais, p. 78.] [A line leads E. to Compiegne by : — 3 k. Ih'cuil-lc-Sec . The church is xii. c., xiii. c., and xvi. c. 6 k. Nointel-S.-Auhm. The church is xi. c. and xii. c. 8 k. Catenoy. The church is chiefly romanesque, the old Priory of S. Antoine is late xv. c. Near this are the Roman remains called Camp de Cesar. 22 k. Estrces-S.-l)enis. See p. 90. 35 k. Compiegne. See p. 97.] 94 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. The line passes ( 1 .) the church of Breuil le Vert (of X. c. and xii. c., with a font of xi. c.) before reaching — 238 k. Liancouri-Rantigny. An omnibus takes travellers (i k.) to Liancourt-sous-Clermont (Hotel : du Chemin de Fer dll Nord). At the entrance of the town are some (xvii. c.) remains of the Chateau of the Dues de Rochefoucauld- Liancourt, rebuilt by Jeanne de Schomberg in 1640. On the place is a statue of Due Frederic-Alexander de la Rochefoucauld (1827), the great agriculturist. The Church (xv. c., XVI. c., and xvii. c.) has a fine tomb of Charles de Plessis, seigneur de Liancourt, and his wife, Antoinette de Pons, in the costume of Henri HI. On another monu- ment, the statues of Roger de Plessis and Jeanne de Schomberg have been replaced by figures of saints. 2 k. S., at Magneville, is a good xii. c. tower with a xiii. c. spire. 4j k. W. is Cambronne-les-Clermont, with an interesting church. The early gothic nave has been spoilt by alterations. The choir is xiii. c. Between the choir and nave, on a bay lower than the others, rises a beautiful octagonal tower of two stories, with its original spire. In the churchyard is an old carved cross. The line passes 1 . the church of Cauffry.^ xii. c. and XV. c., with a romanesque tower ; then r. Laigneville., with XII. c. and xvi. c. church \ then 1 . Mouchy-S.-Eloi., with XII. c. and xiii. c. church, before reaching — 245 k. Creil {Buffet ; Hotels : de dEpee ; Lion d’’ Argent ; des Cheniins-de-Fer), the ancient Credulium, a pretty town on the Oise. Its old turreted houses rise straight from the- river by the bridge, with the church spire behind them. In the castle, pulled down by the Prince de Conde before the Revolution, was the chamber, with a balcony NOGENT-LES- V/ERGES. 95 inclosed by an iron grille, where Charles VI, was shut up during his madness. On the island, where the castle once stood, are the remains of the Abbey of S. Evremond^ of which the desecrated choir exists, and shows some friezes of great beauty. The Church has a tower and crocheted spire of 1551. Near the entrance (r.) are remains of a chimney for warming the water used in baptisms. 1 I k. N.W. is Nogent-Ies-Vierges^ where Clovis is said to have had his camp when he drove out the Roman legions from Gaul, and where the earliest kings had a palace, in which Thierry III. was surprised by the rebel Ebroin, maire du palais, in 673. A road turning 1 . at the entrance of the village of Nogent, past the front of the chateau of Villers, leads for 2 k. along the foot of the hills to the hamlet of Royaumont, above which, most beautifully placed on the steep rocky crest of a wooded hill, with an old chateau nestling under it, and a wide view over the plain, is the interesting Clmrch of No geiit-les-Viergcs, dedicated to the Assumption. The beautiful tower has three tiers of arcades, ornamented at the angles with columns, twisted or adorned with foliage, and with a gabled roof. The very ancient nave — with gothic additions — has stone roofs. Two bas-reliefs on the pillars under the tower come from the destroyed church of S. Marguerite at Beauvais. The gothic choir was added by S. Louis ; it is lighted by seven lancet windows of three lights, with roses above them. The monument of Messire Jehan Bardeau is signed by Michel Bourdin. In front of this is a shrine with relics of SS. Maura and Bridget, Irish virgins, who gave a name to the place, having been buried here after their martyrdom at Baligny^ I k. distant. At the spot called La Ci'oix dcs Vicrgcs, a xiv. c. column marks the spot where the oxen stopped which drew the chariot of Queen Bathilde, when she was attracted to Nogent, in 645, by the fame of the miracle-working virgins. ' For a more detailed description of Crcil and all the ])laccs between it and Paris see Days near Paris. 96 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. Passing in front of the chateau of Villers, we may soon reach the church of Villers S. Paid. The nave and its aisles are romanesque, with gothic arches resting upon its huge columns and capitals. The choir and the tower, flanked by four tourelles, are gothic. The porch, in the facade, has curious sculptures. [A line turns N.E. from Creil to Compiegne (being part of the main line from Paris to Brussels), passing — 5 k. (from Creil) Rieux-Angicourt. The church of Rieux is XII. c. and xiii. c. That of Angicourt has a xii. c. portal and nave, and xv. c. choir. 1 1 k. Fonts. Maxence^ named from the Irish maiden Maxence, said to have been martyred here in in. The bridge (i774) is VERBERIE, COMPTEGNE. 97 the work of Perronet. The church is xv. c. and xvii, c. The Dues de Bourgogne had a palace here, of which a xiv. c. fa9ade remains. The old Hotel de Ville, or Maison du Roi (40, Rue de Cavillej, is xv. c. In the Rue de la Ville is a xv. c. tower, and several xvi. c. houses. The line passes on 1 . Houdancourt^ with a church of xii. c. and xvi. c./ and the xvi. c. farm of Lajiiotte, which was once a chateau of the Comtes de Lamotte- Houdancourt. 21 k. Longueil-S.-Marie^ with remains of a donjon dismantled in 1431. This is the station for (4^k. S.) Verberie, once a residence of the Merovingian kings. Charles Martel died there ; Pepin le Bref convoked a council there in 752. In the xi. c. three other councils were held in the palace, which was rebuilt by Charlemagne, in 808. In 829, it was at Verberie that the princes Pepin and Louis collected an army against their father, Louis le Debonnaire. There Charles le Chauve married his daughter Judith to Ethelwulf, King of England, and signed, in 869, a treaty with the Normans. The palace, built in the xiv. c. by the English, was restored by Charles V., but Charles VII. demolished the ramparts, and though they were renewed by Francois I., they were finally destroyed in the xviii. c. The palace, in the xvi. c., was given up to the inhabitants of the town, who employed the materials in building their houses. The CJmrch, of xii. c. (S. transept), xiii. c., and xv. c., has a good statue of the Virgin at its portal. The Hotel de Ville occupies part of the chapel of Notre Dame du Mont (1339). Le Petit Cappy^ at the S. end of the town, is a house of xiii. c. or XIV. c. I k. S.E. of Verberie is the hill-set church of S. Waast- de-Longmont, with a romanesque portal, and xii. c. apse, above which rises a tower with a stone spire, equally of xii. c. The line passes 1 . Rivecoiirt, where the church, now the chapel of a priory, has a very curious sculptured portal. The interior was painted in fresco in xvi. c. On the 1 . bank of the Oise is Croix- S.-Oue 7 i, the birthplace of the philosopher Roscelin, where there is a beautiful xvi.e. cross. 33 k .Cojnpiegne (Hotels : de la Cloche — very good ; de F?'ance ; dit Soleil d'Or). The Latin name of Compiegne was Compen- dium. The first Merovingian kings had a palace here, and, ever since, the town has been a resort of royalty. Pepin le Bref 7 98 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. received here, as a present from Constantine Copronymiis, the first organ which had been seen in France, Louis le Begue, son of Charles le Chaiive, was crowned here in 877, and died here two years after. It was here that Eudes, Comte de Paris, was elected king of France in 888. It was in the forest of Compiegne that Philippe-Auguste lost his way whilst hunting, in his fourteenth year, and was brought back to the palace by a charcoal-burner, an adventure of which he so nearly died of fright, that his father, Louis VIL, had to cross over into England to pray for his recovery at the shrine of S. Thomas of Canterbury. Under the reign of S. Louis, 2,000 barons assembled at Compiegne for the marriage of the king’s brother, Robert. It was here that, after the disasters which followed the battle of Poitiers, Charles V., in 1358, reunited the States-General, and provoked a monarchical and feudal reaction against the rebellion of Paris, which was making its first attempt at representative government. In the troublous times of Charles VIL, Compiegne was frequently taken and retaken by the conflicting armies, but only one attack of the English is especially remembered, for on that da}^, so fatal for the honour of France and England, Jeanne Dare was taken prisoner. ‘Tons les ennemis se ruaient a la fois centre elle. La banniere, bien autrement sacree que roriflamme, qui avait ete le salut de la France, la banniere d’Orleans, de Patai et de Reims, s’agita en vain pour appeler a I’aide. La fidele armee de Jeanne n'etait plus la. Le saint etendard tomba, renverse par les mains franyaises. Les derniers defenseurs de la Pucelle etaient morts, captifs ou separes d’elle par la foule des assaillants. Jeanne luttait toujours. Cinq ou six cavaliers I’entourerent et mirent la main, tons a la fois, sur elle et sur son cheval. Chacun d’eux lui criait : “ Rendez-vous a moi ! Baillez la foi ! ” “J’ai jure,” repondit-elle, “ et bailie ma foi a autre que a vous ; je lui tiendrai mon serment.” ‘Un archer la tira violemment “par sa huque (casaque) de drap d’or vermeil.” Elle tomba de cheval. ‘L’archer et “son maitre ” le batard de Wandomme, homme d’armes artesien an service de Jean de Luxembourg, s’emparerent d’elle. Elle fut eminence prisonniere a Margni. ‘ La prediction de -ses voix etait accomplie. La periode COMPIEGNE. 99 de la lutte etait achevee pour elle. La periode du martyre commen^ait.’ — MartiUj ‘ Elist. de France! All the later kings of France have from time to time in- habited Compiegne, which was the favourite residence of the Emperor Napoleon III., and the scene of his chief hospitalities. The town is prettily situated on tlie Oise, and its streets are clean and handsome. In a central position is the picturesque Hotel de Ville of 1502 — 1510. The figures of the Annunciation, which once decorated it, have been replaced by an equestrian statue of Louis XII., by Jacquemart. In the interior is a Mnse'e, with the ordinary collection of second-rate pictures. The very fine church of kS. Antoine dates from xii. c., but retains little of that time. The rest is chiefly rich xvi. c. gothic, but the very lofty choir and chevet are due to Pierre Dailly, xiv. c. The tracery of its parapets is very rich. A curious xi. c. font was brought from S. Corneille, and a stained window from the church of Gilocourt. The church of 6'. Jacques^ where Jeanne Dare confessed and received the sacrament before the battle, was founded at the beginning of xiii. c., but not finished till xv. c. It was intended to have two towers, but only one was com- pleted, and the portal which was to have connected them is also unfinished. The internal ornamentation is of xviii. c. On the neighbouring Place du Change is a house where Henri IV. often stayed with his mistress, the Duchesse de Beaufort, to whom it belonged. The Church of S. Nicolas, attached to the Hotel-Dieu, contains a curious renaissance wooden altar-piece. In 6*. Germain is a beautiful banc d'oenvre of 1587, which came from S. Jacques. The Chateau de Compiegne is the fourth royal residence which has existed here. The first was that of Clovis and Charlemagne ; the second was built by Charles le Chauve on the banks of the Oise ; the third, on the present site, was that of Charles V. ; the exi.sting chateau was built by Gabriel for Louis XV. The architectural effect of the principal part re- calls that of the Palais Royal at Paris, on the side towards the Louvre. It is approached through a grille from the great square. The chateau is 0])en to foreigners daily from 10 to i o’clock ; the public arc freely admitted on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, lOO NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. and Sundays, at the same hours. On the ground floor is installed the Musee Khvicr, of early Indian and Chinese monuments. The apartments, chiefly interesting from their association with Napoleon I. and Napoleon III., are handsome, but have no especial importance. The Galerie des Eetes has decorations in the style of the first Empire, by Girodet, and statues of Napoleon I. and Madame Mere, by Canova. There is a large collection of indifferent pictures ; those of the story of Don Quixote, by Charles Coypel, are amusing. ch.Geau de compiegne. The Gardens cannot be entered through the palace. Emerging from the Cour d’honneur, one must turn 1., where an open gate will soon be found on the left of the avenue. These unkempt gardens have a much greater look of the country than those of Versailles, and a long grass avenue, made by Napoleon L, in i8io, stretches away from them through the forest. The terrace is very handsome, lined with orange and palm-trees in tubs. The great N of Napoleon is often repeated on the facade of the palace on this side. At the end of the terrace, on the left, passing a^grille, we find ourselves above PIERREFOKDS. lOI the Porte Chapelle, built by Philibert Delorme for Henri II., with a vaulted gallery under the terrace. It bears the mono- grams of Henri II. and Diane de Poitiers. Hence, an avenue leads to the Cours along the river. Here we may see the moat of Charles V., and remains of the towers which defended it. Returning to the middle of tlie facade, and taking the staircase which descends to the park, we find to 1. the berceau, 1,800 met. long, which Napoleon I. made to please Marie Louise, in imitation of that of Schoenbrunn. The Forest of Co 7 npicgrie (called, till 1346, la forH de Guise) was a favourite hunting-ground with the kings of France. Here a wild man, ‘ vetu comme un loup,’ was seized in the time ot Charles IX. and brought to the king, and here Henri IV. narrowly escaped being carried off by Rieux, the brigand chieftain of Pierrefonds. An avenue, facing the chateau, leads to the heights called Beaux-Monts, from which and from the neighbouring hill, called Mont du Tremble, there are good points of view. A more distant point for an excursion is the Mo 7 it S. Marc. This may be combined with a visit to the royal Abbey of S. Cor 7 ieille, at the foot of the Beaux Monts. In this abbey, founded by Charles le Chauve, in 876, Henri HI. was buried, in accordance with his own desire, but was moved to S. Denis by the Due d’Epernon. The abbey was totally destroyed at the Revolution. A road now traverses the nave of the church. Only part of the cloister remains, and is used as a barrack. A direct road leads from S. Corneille to N. Pier 7 'c (8 k. from Compiegne), with ruins of a priory founded by Charles le Chauve for Benedictines, replaced by Celestines in 1308. Below the ruins is La F'o 7 itai 7 ic des Miracles, supposed to remove barrenness. [A line connects Compiegne with (30 k.) Villers-Cotterets (see ch. vi.), passing — 14k. P ier 7 'cfo 7 ids (Hotels: des Bai/is — prettily situated; des Rubies — good, less pretentious; du Chateau; des Et 7 'augc 7 's). One may dine at the Restaurant du Imc, which has a lovely view of the lake and the opposite lull, with every variety of forest green, and pink houses emerging from it. Pierrefonds 102 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. is much frequented for its mineral waters, useful for rheumatism and throat affections ; but of world-wide celebrity from its magnificent chateau, one of the finest existing fortresses of the middle-ages. The original castle dated from the xi. c., but this was replaced by the existing chateau (1398-1406) by the Due d’Orleans (brother of Charles VI.) who was assassinated in Paris by Jean sans Peur, in 1407. It was frequently besieged by the English and bravely defended against them. In 1588 it became the refuge of a band of brigands under the command of the brave Rieux, vainly besieged here by the Due d’Epernon and afterwards by the Marechal de Biron, but eventually taken whilst preparing to attack some public carriages, and hanged at Compiegne. Under Louis XIII. the castle was commanded by one Villeneuve, who pillaged the country much as Rieux had done. He was besieged by Charles de Valois, Comte d’Auvergne, and the castle was dismantled by Richelieu. During the Revolution the ruins were sold for 8,ioofr. In 1813 they were purchased by Napoleon I., and their restoration was begun in 1858 under Viollet le Due, and carried out through twenty-eight years at the expense of the State, the vast works being rendered comparatively easy owing to the neighbourhood of quarries of the right kind of stone. Now the magnificent chateau is as complete as when it was finished in the xiv. c., everything ancient having been carefully preserved and the old lines followed out. Tiie castle is open daily to the public, who are shown over it by warders, in large parties. ‘ Le chateau est a la fois une forteresse du premier ordre et une residence renfermant tons les services destines a pourvoir a I’existence d’un prince et dune nombreuse garnison. Le donjon pent etre completement isole des autres defenses. II etait I’habitation specialement reservee au seigneur, et comprenait tons les services necessaires : caves, cuisines, offices, chambres, garde-robes, salons et salles de reception. Le batiment qui renferme les grandes salles du chateau de Pierrefonds occupe le cote occidental du parallelogramme formant le perimetre de cette residence seigneuriale. Une fois casernees dans les salles de rez de chaussee, les troupes etaient surveillees par la galerie d’entre-sol qui se trouve au-dessus du portique, et ne pouvaient monter aux defenses que sous la conduite d’officiers. D’ailleurs PIERREFONDS. 103 ces salles sont belles, bien aerees, bien eclaires, munies de cheminees, et contiendraient facilement cinq cents hommes.’ — Viollet le Due. The chateau forms an irregular square of 6,270 met. at the end of a promontory from which it is separated by a moat. On each front are three great machicolated towers. There are two entrances to the outer wall, though from that nearest to the village only a steep footpath leads up the hill. Here, an outer gate and two drawbridges are passed, before entering the castle court close to the donjon tower. The Annunciation is sculptured on the front, S. Michael over the gate. On the r. of the court is the chapel, on the door of which Viollet le Due is himself represented as S. James of Compostella : in the interior, the gallery pew for the inmates of the castle draws attention. A statue of the Due d’Orleans stands opposite the perron which leads to the principal apartments. The Grande Salle de Reception^ with squirrels holding shields of fleurs-de-lis over the chimney ; the Cabinet de travail du Seigneur ; the Chambre a coucher du Seigneur^ with its curious arrangement for the Garde de Nuit ; the chamber for die Knights of the 104 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Round Table, are some of those which have been magnificently restored, their ancient decorations having been reproduced as far as possible. Over the chimney of the SalT d’Ar^nes are statues of the wives of j) 7 'e 2 ix chevaliers^ restored from statues found in the ruins. From the towers there is a wide view over the forests of Compiegne and Villers-Cotterets. In the S.W. tower are oubliettes, apparently veritable. The different arrangements for defence through the whole building are very interesting, and are well pointed out. ‘ Si les dispositions defensives du chateau Pierrefonds n’ont pas la grandeur majestueuse de cedes du chateau du Coucy, elles ne laissent pas d’etre combinees avec un art, un soin et line recherche dans les details, qui prouvent a quel degre de perfection etaient arrivees les constructions des places fortes seigneuriales a la fin du XIV. siecle, et jusqu’a quel point les chatelains a cette epoque etaient en defiance des gens du dehors.’ — Viollet le Due. The village church stands upon a crypt of 1060. The choir and chapels are of 1206, the nave and portal xv. c., the renais- sance tower of 1552. There are remains of xiv. c. stained glass. 5^- k. from Pierrefonds, 8 k. from Compiegne, is the ruined gothic church of F. Jean-aux-Bois^ occupying the site of the villa of Cuisa, which gave the forest its first name, and where King Gonthran died in 562, saying — ‘ Oue pensez-vous que soit le roi du del, qui fait mourir de si grands rois?’ It was Adelaide, mother of Louis VII., who built the convent and church for Benedictine nuns : the buildings were destroyed by the soldiers of Turenne. 2^ k., at X. Perinne, are remains of a succursale of the abbey. Some of the finest oaks in the forest are near S. Jean-aux-Bois. 14 k. from Compiegne, traversing the whole forest, is Morien- val, a hunting-lodge of King Dagobert, who founded a church and two monasteries there. The monastery for men was burnt by the Normans and rebuilt, as well as the church, in the x. c. 21 k. Taillefontaine. The beautiful xv. c. church has a lofty octagonal stone spire ; the porch is xi. c. Several windows have XV. c. glass. For the continuation of the line to Brussels and the beautiful old city of Noyon, see ch. vii. MELLO, HERMES. 105 [A line leads from Creil to Beauvais by — 9 k. Cires-les-Mello. The church is almost entirely xiii. c., and several houses xv. c. On r. of the line is the handsome chateau (Baron de Seilliere), rebuilt 1770, in the renaissance style. It retains, from an older chateau, two towers, of which the bases are XII. c., and a xv. c. chapel. Mello has ah ancient collegiate church, of which the nave, facade, and transepts are early xii. c. In a side chapel was a burial-place of the Montmorency family. The line passes r. Balagny, where the Irish virgins were martyred (see p. 95). 1 5 k. Moiiy. The church is chiefly xiii, c. There are some ruins of the castle, destroyed xvi. c. In the Rue Pavee is a XIV. c. house. Bury (2 k. E.) has a remarkable church, with a romanesque facade and font. The choir and transept are xiii. c. The line passes (r.) Angy, which has a xii. c. orxiii. c. church with a beautiful tower ; and (r.) Houdaiuville.^ with a church XI. c. and xv. c. 20 k. Heilles-Mouchy. The church of Heilles has a xii. c. tower and xiii. c. aisle, i k. S. is the chateau of Mouchy-le- Chdtel (Due de Mouchy) of the Renaissance, with a modern donjon in imitation of Coney. The line passes (r.) the church of 6”. Eelix, of xii. c., xiv. c., and xvi. c. 23 k. Hermes., with a' very curious church. The facade is believed to date from ix. c., though the portal and rose above it were added in xiii. c. The central tower is romanesque, the choir XVI. c., supported by buttresses, adorned by niches and statues. N. of the village are some small remains of the Abhaye de Eroidmont, founded 1 134. The line passes ( 1 .) Villers-S.-Sepulcre, where the church belonged to a priory, founded 1060 ; the portal is romanesque, the choir xiii. c., the rest xvi. c. In the S. tran- sept is a S. Sepulcre with seven life-sized figures, and a copper frame containing a tile from the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, whence the name of the village. The Celtic monument, called Pierre-aux-Eees^ is a covered avenue of stones. On 1 ., the church of Montreuil-sur-Therain (xii. c. or xiv. c.) is visible. On the 1 . bank of the Therain is Mont-Cesar, a Roman camp. 29 k. Rochy-Co 7 ide. i k. 1 . is the Chateau de Marleinont^ flanked by tourelles and partly xvi. c. In the wood above is the xi. c Chapelle S. Amioult. 37 k. Beauvais.] io6 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. [A line leads indirectly from Creil to Paris by Pontoise, passing — 252k. (from Calais, 7 from Creil) S.-Leu-d’Essere/it, famous lor its quarries of Pierre de S. Leu. The noble and picturesque church stands finely on a terraced height. It is approached by a striking xii. c. porch with a chamber above it. The steeple, of 1160, has the singularity of detached hips only united by rings to the main spire. To the S. and W. the church is surrounded by buttresses and flying buttresses. At the E. end is a romanesque tower on either side of the sanctuary. There are considerable remains near the W. end of the church of a priory, founded within the fortifications of his castle by Hugues d’Esserent, Comte de Dammartin, in xi. c., in gratitude to the Benedictines of the wood of S. Michel, who paid his ransom when he was taken prisoner whilst on a pilgrimage to Palestine. The most reiuark- able remnant of the priory is a machicolated gateway of the xiv. c., intended apparently as much for the entrance to a farm as for a fortified gate. There are beautiful later renaissance buildings. ROYAUAIONT, CHAMPLAtREUX. 107 260 k. Boran. A suspension bridge over the Oise leads (4 k. S.E.) to the still oceupied Abbey of Royatmi 07 it (Mons Regalis), founded in 1230 by S. Louis, who often made it a retreat, eating with the monks in the refectory, and sleeping in their dormitory. Five of his children were buried in the beautiful xiii. c. church, which is now a ruin. Several effigies of the family of S. Louis have been taken hence to S. Denis. Amongst other tombs which once existed here was that of Henri de Lorraine, Comte d’Har- court, 1666, a chef-d' oeuvre of Coysevox. The cloister and the refectory, which resembles that of S. Martin-les-Champs at Paris, are preserved : in the centre of the latter is an admirable reader’s pulpit. But visitors are not admitted to the abbey. 6 k. E. of Boran is the old chateau of la Morlaye, occupying the site of the Merovingian villa of Morlacum. 269 k. Persan-Beaumont. The little town oi Beamnonf-sur- Oise has some remains of a xin. c. chateau, and a church of the same period with five aisles. A road leads E. to (7 k.) Viarmes by (6 k.) Asniej'es-sur-Oise^ with modernised remains of an old chateau, and a church of xii. c. and xiii. c. with an octagonal tower.] [A branch line leads from Beaumont to S. Denis by — 1 3 k. Mo 7 isoult. [Hence there is a branch E. by Viar 7 )ies — whence Ro3mumont is 3k. distant, to (12k.) Luzarches (Hotel; A. Da 77 iie 7 i), where the church is xii. c., xiii. c., and xiv. c. There are remains of a chateau, and of the priory of S. Come, with a gate over a steep street. 3 k. S. is the stately xvi. c. Chateau de Cha 77 ipldt 7 'eux, belonging to the Due d’Ayen, who now represents the Noailles family. Here is preserved the l 77 iitaiiou of Christ which the young Duchesse de Noailles used during the Terror, in the prison of the Luxembourg, whilst keeping up the courage of her daughter and mother-in-law. When the three generations of the house of Noailles were summoned to the scaffold, the Duchesse was reading aloud from the chapter of ‘ Le Chemin de la Croix,’ and she turned down the page at that point, and gave it to one of her fellow-prisoners, begging her, if she ever escaped from prison, to convey it, as a memorial, to the Noailles family. The abbey of Rocque 77 io 7 it was bought at the Revolution by Sophie Arnould and turned into a villa. io8 NORTH-EASTERN TRANCE. whence she went to represent the Goddess of Liberty in the civic fetes at Luzarches.] 17 k. Domont. The church has a xii. c. choir, and curious XIII, c., XV. c., and xvi. c. tombstones in its nave and transept. 19 k. Ecoucn. The town (omnibus), 2 k. from the station, clusters round a little square with an old chestnut tree and a renaissance church with fine vaulting and glass (attributed to Jean Cousin) in the chancel and its aisle. This was built b}^ Jean Bullant for the famous Anne de Montmorency, atjhe same time with the magnificent chateau, which rises above the houses. The gothic choir windows bear the device of the Montmorency, aTvXavas, and the datesii 544 , 1545. Bullant, who wrote his Traite des cinq ordres ou nianiercs at Ecouen, died here in 1578, and had a monument in the church, which is now destroyed. The chateau of Ecouen was founded, xi. c., by the Barons de Montmorency. The Connetable Anne demolished the ancient fortress, and replaced it by a magnificent renaissance chateau by LISLE-ADAM. 109 Bullant. Primaticcio furnished designs for the two chapel win- dows. It was here that Henri II. published his famous edict of 1559, pronouncing sentence of death against the Lutherans. Confiscated from the Montmorency under Louis XIII., Iilcouen was given to the Duchesse d’Angouleme, and passed to the house of Conde, to which it belonged till the Revolution, when its treasures were dispersed. Napoleon restored the fabric of the chateau, and made it a school for daughters of members of the Legion of Honour, under the famous Madame Campan. It was restored to the Prince de Conde at the Restoration, but returned to the State in 1852, and is now once more a school for the daughters of officers. There is no admittance to the chateau or its pretty gardens ; but the buildings are well seen from the gate. 4 k. N. of Ecouen is le Mes 7 til-Aubry, with a very handsome renaissance church ; its side wall, of xv. c., has its ancient windows. 22 k. Sarcelles-S. -Brice. S. Brice has a xiii. c. steeple, and Sarcelles (2 k. omnibus) has a curious church of xii. c. and XVI. c., with a renaissance portal and romanesque steeple. 24 k. Groslay. The church, xiii. c. and renaissance, has good XVI. c. windows. 31k. S. Denis.] 273 k. E Isle-Adam^ where the Prince de Conti had a magni- ficent chateau,^ destroyed at the Revolution, on an island in the Oise ; nothing remains but a terrace. A modern villa replaces the chateau. The place owes its name to this island, upon which the Constable Adam built a chateau in 1019, under Philippe I. The church is of the xvi. c., but has a portal attri- buted to Philibert Delorme, and was built at the cost of Anne de Montmorency ; in one of its modern stained windows the great seigneurs of I’lsle-Adam — Philippe de Villiers, Louis de Villiers, Anne de Montmorency, and Francois de Bourbon, Prince de Conti — are seen assisting at a mass celebrated by S. Martin of Tours. In a chapel to 1 . is the tomb, partially destroyed at the Revolution, of Louis-Franyois de Bourbon, Prince de Conti, exiled to his estates of Isle-Adam by tlie vengeance of Madame de Pompadour, ‘ Armand de Conti inherited it as the second son of liis mother, Charlotte de Montmorency, Princesse de Conde, sister and heiress of Henri li. de Montmorency, belieaded at Toulouse in 1633. I lO NORTH-EASTERN TRANCE. whom he had treated with great disdain. To the N.E. and S.E. is the Eorest of r Isle- Adam. 276 k. Valmondois. 6 k. N.W. is the curious xii. c. church of Nesles. N. is the xvii. c. farm of Lannay, where Santeuil built a tower which is still standing. [Hence a line branches off to rejoin the larger branch at the station of Ermont, passing — 280 k. Meriel., whence it is 2 k. to the Abbaye du Val. Turn 1. from the station, under the railway ; then take the first turn 1. where a tramway crosses the road. On reaching a cross in the cornfields, turn r., and, in the next wooded hollow, find the gate of the inclosure of the Abbaye du Val, founded 1125, a favourite resort wnth the kings of France. In 1646 it was united with the Monastery of the Feuillants at Paris. Sold at the Revolution, it has since been partially demolished for the sake of its materials. Still, there are huge remains. The existing buildings include the E. corridor of the cloister, with several vaulted halls on the ground floor, of which the pillars are partially buried, including the chapter-house and refectory of late xii. c. On the first floor is the ancient dormitory, a vast vaulted gothic hall, divided into two aisles by eight columns with sculptured capitals. The divisions of the cells are marked by the windows, each monk having one. Near the S. gable of this dormitory stood the church, of which the walls of the apse and some pillars on the S. have been unearthed. W. of the cloister are several low vaulted gothic halls, a staircase of xiii. c., and a vestibule rebuilt xvii. c. Opposite the farm stood the palace of the abbot, of which only the foundations remain. On the ground floor of an adjacent building the lavatory of the monks remains, on the line of the stream, Vieux-Moutier ; on the first floor a gallery of xv. c. ; under ground a gallery communicating from the lavatory to the cellar and ice-house of xiii. c. The very picturesque mouUn d’e?i haul has perfectly-preserved buildings of xv. c., on the brook Vieux- Moutier, of which the source is not far distant. One of the high officials of the first empire, Comte Regnault de Saint-Jean-d’Angely, transformed the abbey into a chateau, and raised a colossal statue of Napoleon I. in the park ; but all his works have already perished. 5 . LEU-TAVERNY. 1 1 r 282 k, Mej-y. The church contains several spoils of the , i Abbaye du Val — -a xv. c. pulpit, an xviii. c. lectern, four stalls, ;j and some tombs, especially those of Charles Villiers of I’lsle- ,1 Adam, Bishop of Beauvais, and of Charles de Montmorency and ll his third wife, Peronnelle du Villiers. J 288 k. 61 Leu-TLiverny (Hotel ; Croix Blanche^. The modern church faces the station at the end df a road lined by villas. |! (The sacristan is to be found at No. 12, Grande Rue.) Behind the altar is the stately tomb of Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland, t\ who died at Leghorn, desiring to be brought hither to rest by the MOULIN d’eN HAUT. ABBAYE DU VAL. 1 two sons who had died before him. Below the king’s statue are busts of his father and his two sons ; on either side are statues — Faith and Charity. In the crypt beneath are four huge sarcophagi, I of equal size, though the elder boy, Napoleon, died at five years I old. The sarcophagus opposite that of King Louis encloses the ! remains of his father, Charles Bonaparte, who died at Montpellier. I A chapel, which belonged to an older church, contains the tomb ) of Mine, le Broc, niece of the famous Mine. Campan, who fell \ from a precipice whilst visiting a waterfall near Aix Ics Bains, in the presence of her sister, Marechale Ney, and of Oueen Hortense, to whom she was lady-in-waiting. The queen herself is buried with Jo.sej)hine at Rucil. I 12 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. S. Leu-Taverny once possessed two famous chateaux. One of these belonged to Philippe-^galite, Due d’Orleaus, whose children were educated there by Mme. de Geulis. The other had been inhabited by the Constable Mathieu de Montmorency. The grounds of the chateaux were united by Louis Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon I., and that of Montmorency pulled down. The other chateau became a palace, and gave the title of Comte de S. Leu to King Louis after he abdicated the throne of Holland : upon his separation from Queen Hortense, S. Leu was made a duchy for her. After the second Restoration, the Prince de Conde, Due de Bourbon, bought S. Leu, and was found hanged to the cord of the window, Aug. 28, 1830. He bequeathed S. Leu to his mistress, Mme. de Feucheres, who sold it, and the chateau was pulled down in 1835. Five minutes’ walk from the church (turning to the 1. from the door, and again to the 1. by the Rue du Chateau), on the site of his chateau, is a garden with a cypress avenue and a cross in memory of the Due de Bourbon. 280 k. Auvers. The noble cruciform church has a picturesque gabled tower. The chapel at the end of the 1 . aisle is xn. c., the nave xiii. c. or xiv. c., the choir xvi. c. 283 k. Pontoise (Hotels : du Pontoise ; de la Gare — omnibus, 20 c.). A picturesque little town on a height above the Oise, which is crossed by a stone bridge of five arches. Pontoise existed in the time of the Gauls, who called it Briva Isarae (the bridge of the Oise). The Romans called it Pons Isarae. The early kings of France were often here. Philippe I. coined mo 7 ieta po?itisiensis. Louis spent the early years of his married life here, in a castle in the upper town, Mont Belien,* and here after recovering from a dangerous illness, in 1244, took the vows of a crusader. In 1437 the town was taken by the English under Talbot, who covered his men with white sheets, and so enabled them to come close to the walls unobserved during a heavy » snowstorm. Amongst the many historical events which have since occurred at Pontoise, we may notice the consecration of Bossuet, as Bishop of Meaux, in the church of the Cordeliers, which possessed a magnificent refectory, three times used for meetings of Parliament. Winding streets lead up into the town, passing the church of '• Only destroyed in the xviii. c. MAUBUISSON. 113 Notre Da 77 ie, which is renaissance, though founded xiii. c. It has a very wide central aisle, on the r. of which is the beautiful altar- tomb of S. Gautier, 1146, bearing his figure, with four little angels swinging censers at the extremities. Finely placed, at the highest point of the town, is the vast and stately church of 5 . Macloii, which has a noble tower and flamboyant west front. The choir and transept date from xii. c., but have later vaulting. In the Chapelle de la Passion (first 1 .) is a splendid S. Sepulcre GATEWAY (ABBAYE DE MAUBUISSON). with eight statues : the Resurrection is represented above, and, on the side wall, the Marys hurrying to the tomb. The Hdtcl- Dicu^ founded by S. Louis, was rebuilt 1823-27. Its chapel contains the Healing of the Paralytic, a good work of Philippe de Champaigne, Beyond the river, at 2 k., is Aumone^ where the church of kS. Oiicn^ founded x. c., has a romanesque xi. c. portal, and contains an image of the Virgin, given by Queen Blanche to the Abbey of Maubuisson. Returning from S. Ouen d’Aumone to the highway, we should cross the road, and then the railway by an iron bridge, to where the gate of the famous Abbaye dc 8 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. 114 Maubuisson still crosses a lane on the r., and supports a covered passage. The greater part of the abbey ruins are in the beautiful gardens of the adjoining chateau, but travellers are allowed to see them on applying to the concierge. When the abbey was founded, in 1236, by Queen Blanche of Castille, for nuns of the order of Citeaux, it was at first called Notre Dame la Royale ; but the name of Maubuisson, which is that of a neighbouring fief, has prevailed. As she felt tlie approach of death (1253), Queen Blanche summoned the abbess to her palace at Melun, and received the monastic habit from her hands, and, after her death, she was buried, with great pomp, in the church of Maubuisson. Here, in 1314, Blanche, daughter of Othelin, Comte de Bourgogne, and wife of Philippe de Poitiers, son of Philippe le Bel, accused, with her two young sisters-in-law, of adultery, was shut up for life. But the convent itself had a very scandalous reputation in later days, especially when Angelique d’Estrees, sister of the famous Gabrielle, obtained the appointment of abbess from Henri IV., and spent five-and-twenty years in corrupting the sisterhood Then, Angelique Arnauld was sent from Port- Royal to spend five miserable years in the uphill work of reforming Maubuisson, where she had been educated in her early child- hood, and Angelique d’Estrees, arrested by the general of her Order, was carried off to the Filles Penitentes de S. Marie, at Paris, where, though she once contrived to escape and return to Maubuisson for a time, she ended her days. Succeeding abbesses were not, however, much more virtuous, certainly not Louise- Marie Hollandine, Princess Palatine (daughter of Frederick IV. of Bohemia and Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of James I., and aunt of George, I. of England), appointed abbess in 1664, who had had fourteen children, and used to swear ‘ par ce ventre qui a porte quatorze enfants.’^ In her latter days, however, this abbess became perfectly respectable, and was very highly esteemed. The ruins are of great extent. The abbey church was so completely destroyed at the Revolution that nothing remains but bases of walls and pillars and the altar, embedded in shrubs and flowers. Greatly to be regretted are its magnificent tombs, including those of Blanche of Castille ; of Bona of Luxembourg ; of Charles le Bel ; of a brother of S. Louis ; of Jean de Brienne, ‘ Lcitres cVElisabeth-Charloitc, Duchesse d'Orlemts. ENGHIEN-LES-BA INS. ii5 Prince of Acre ; of Jeanne de France, daughter of Charles le Bel and Blanche de Bourgogne; of Catherine of France, daughter of Charles V. ; of Jeanne, daughter of Charles VI. ; and of Gabrielle d’Estrees, who was brought hither to be buried in the choir of her sister’s abbey, in April 1599. The centre of the choir was occupied by the tomb of the foundress,/ The magnificent refectory is entire, in which the prioress, Mme. de Cleri, rebuked Henri IV. with profaning the temples of God, when he came with Gabrielle d’Estrees to the abbey. It has a vaulted roof, supported by four columns, but is sub- divided into an orangerie and dairy. The gravestone of a bishop is preserved here. The dormitory above is destroyed, and replaced by a terrace, at the end of which some curious openings are seen, over a stream which runs below at a great depth. In the gardens, where the Mere Marie Angelique used to walk with S. Fran9ois de Sales, there are some traces of the Palace of S. Louis. ‘ La Chapelle de nuit de S. Louis,’ supported by two columns, remained entire till 1884, when the columns suddenly gave way, without a moment’s warning, and all was instantane- ously buried in ruin. A little xvii. c. pavilion of the abbess — a kind of summer-house — remains. There is a huge monastic barn, divided into three aisles by pillars ; attached to the gable on the interior is a tourelle with a staircase to the roof. Tourelles of xiv. c. remain at the angles of the park wall. [For the line to Gisors, Neufchatel, and Dieppe see North- Western Erance.'] 298 k. Erinont (where the line by Taverny falls in). 301 k. Enghien-les- Bains (Hotel ; des quatre Pavilions')^ a village much frequented, since 1821, for its mineral waters, with an artificial lake. There is a branch of 31 ^ k. to Mont 7 norency (Hotel: de France; Cheval Blanc)^ which, from x. c., has given a name to one of the most illustrious families in France. Its chateau and the tombs in its church, including that of the great Constable Anne, perished in the Revolution. Turning 1 . from the station, and following the boulevard to the end, we find (1.) two groups of fine old chestnut trees. In front of the first of these, N.a Chdtaigneraie^' are several restaurants; in the second is a very ugly ruined house of three stories, with some doggerel NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. verses on its face. This is the so-called ‘ Hermitage ’ built for Jean-Jacques Rousseau by Mme. d’Epinay, on a site where the hermit Leroy had built a cottage in 1659. Rousseau came to inhabit it April 9, 1756, and wrote his Noiivellc Helo'tse there. Becoming national property at the Revolution, the hermitage passed into the hands of Robespierre, who slept there only three days before his execution. In 1798, the house was bought by the musical composer Gretry, who wrote there six volumes of Reflexions Tiin solitaire^ and died in 1813. His heart was buried in the garden, but afterwards removed. One of the old chest- nut trees in front of the house is especially shown as having been planted by Rousseau. When he left the hermitage on Dec. I 757 » he moved to the house called Le Petit S. Louis, where he finished the Nouvelle Helo'tse, and stayed till April 9, 1762. The first turn on 1 . of the boulevard after leaving the station, and then the first turn r., takes us into the Foi'it de Mont 7 nore 7 icy. After emerging from the village, the main road follows a terrace on the hillside, with a beautiful view over Paris, the plain, and the low-wooded hills. At 3 k. is A 7 idilly, once the property of the famous Arnaud d’Andilly, who sold it when he retired to Port-Royal. Half an hour’s walk from hence, through the forest, leads to the xiv. c. Chateau de la Cliasse, once moated and sur- rounded by four towers, of which two remain. A little N.W. of this is the valley of S. Radegonde, so called from a chapel belonging to the abbey of Chelles. It was here that the minister Roland took refuge in the Revolution, before he fled to Rouen. The village of G 7 'olay (ijk.), where the church has good stained glass, is another spot which may be visited from Montmorency. 313 k. Paris.] Leaving Creil, the line passes (r.) the curious church of Montataire^ in which Peter the Hermit preached the first crusade. The faqade is romanesque. The capitals and a chimney for heating the water for baptisms are xii. c. ; the choir and fortified tower xiii. c. The chateau (Baron de Conde) was rebuilt in xv. c. 255k. Chantilly (Hotels: du Cygne ; d’A/zgleterre), the ATrsailles of the Princes de Conde. The famous Constable CHANTILLY. 117 Anne de Montmorency inherited Chantilly through his grandmother, Marguerite d’Orgemont. He built the earlier part of the existing chateau in the style of the Renaissance, uniting it to the feudal castle, which had existed from IX. c. Henri II. , Due de Montmorency, grandson and heir of the Constable, was beheaded at Toulouse for joining in the conspiracy of Gaston d’Orleans against Richelieu. His confiscated domains were given by Louis XHI. to his sister Charlotte, who married Henry II., Prince de Conde, and was the mother of the Grand Conde, of Armand de Bourbon, Prince de Conti, and of the Duchesse de Longueville.^ The magnificence of Chantilly dates from the Grand Conde, under whom the gardens were designed by Le Notre, and the waters of the Nouette and the Theve pressed into service for magnificent cascades and fountains. The most celebrated of the fetes given by the Grand Conde at Chantilly, was that to Louis XIV. in April 1671, during which the cook, Vatel, hung himself, because the fish arrived late. During the Revolution, the old chateau of Chantilly was destroyed by the Bande noire : the little chateau escaped, as its sale was not completed at the time of the Restoration. The Due de Bourbon, father^ of the murdered Due d’Enghien, bequeathed Chantilly to his great-nephew, the Due d’Aumale, fourth son of Louis- Philippe. Opposite the station is the entrance to a delightful foot- ‘ The House of Conde descended from Louis de Bourbon, fifth and last son of Charles de Bourbon, Due de Vendome, younger brother of Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre. He was first cousin to Henri IV. By his first wife, he was the father of Henri, Prince de Conde ; by his second wife, of Charles de Bourbon, founder of the branch of Soissons. The Princes de Conti descended from Armand de Bourbon, son of Henri 11. de Conde, and younger brother of le Grand Conde. NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. 1 18 path which leads through a wood to the famous Racecowse, where the races, established 1832, take place every spring and autumn. On the third day of the spring races, which is always a Sunday, the ‘ Prix du Jockey-Club ’is contended for.^ The handsome building beyond the racecourse will be taken for the chateau, but is the magnificent Stables, built 1719 — 1735, by Louis-Henri, seventh Prince de Conde. Behind the stables rises the Church of 1672, where a monument, with an angel guarding a bronze door, incloses the hearts of the House of Conde, preserved, till the Revolution, in the church of the Jesuits at Paris. A stained window represents the death of S. Louis. Through a stately gateway at the angle of the stables, we re-enter the park, and descend to the lake, out of which the Chateau rises, the earlier part abruptly from the water. The stone pavilion at the gate, the old pillars and terraces close to the water, the feathery trees, the tall gilt spire of the chapel, the brilliant flowers on the flat land beyond the lake, and the groups of people perpetually feeding the fish, form a charming picture. An equestrian statue of the Connetable Anne de Montmorency, by Paul Dubois, has been replaced before the a"cade of the Cour d’Honneur. Opposite the chateau is the Pavilion dlEnghien, which the last Prince de Conde but one built for the accommodation of his suite. The parterre is open from half-past twelve to eight. A bridge leads over a sunken garden to wooded glades, where numbers of peacocks strut up and down. The name of that part of the grounds known as Parc de ' The races are in the second week in May ; on the Sunday towards the end of September which precedes the Paris races, and on the Sunday in October which follows the Paris races. CHANTILLY. 119 \ Sylvie comes from the ‘ Maison de Sylvie,’ a dull poem in I honour of the Duchesse de Montmorency, composed here j by Theophile de Vian, condemned to be burnt alive for ? sacrilege, and to whom the Duke (beheaded 1632) had ] given an asylum. I The noble domain of Chantilly was given in 1886 as a 1 free gift to the France to which his life and heart were CHANTILLY. 5 devoted, by the most distinguished and public-spirited of her sons, Henri d’Orleans, Due d’Aumale, immediately after his exile by the republican government. The art treasures with which the palace is filled will be open to the public, under the superintendence of officers appointed by the Academie de France, and will form the most touching and lasting evidence of forbearance and forgiveness which Europe has ever seen. The pictures belonging to Chantilly include the glorious 120 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. ‘ Vierge de la Maison d’Orleans ’ of Raffaelle^ the ‘ Venus and Ganymede ’ of Raffaelle^ the ‘ Battle of Rocroi ’ of Va?i der ATeitlen^ some of the best works of Waffeau in existence, the ‘ L’Ecole Turque ’ and ‘ Le Reveil ’ of Descamps ^ the ‘Deux Foscari’ of Delacroix^ and the ‘ Mort du Due de Guise ’ of Delaroche. There is a glorious collection of portraits of the house of Conde. The library is valued at 200,000 fr., and for a single chest of drawers, which belonged to Louis XIV., 20,000 fr. was refused by its late owner. In the splendid xvi. c. glass of the chapel windows, the chil- dren of the Connetable de Montmorency are represented. In the Forest of Cha 7 ttilly (i| hours, follow the Route du Connetable, opposite the chateau, as far as the Carrefour du Petit-Couvert, and thence take the third alley to the 1.) is the Chateau de la Reine Blanche^ or de la Loge, a building erected in the ancient style by the Due de Bourbon, on the supposed site of a little chateau of Queen Blanche, mother of S. Louis, built in 1227. The neighbouring village of S. Firmin was the place where the Abbe Prevost, author of Maiioji Lescaut, fell down in a fit. He was carried, apparently dead, into the house of the cure, and the authorities ordered the body to be opened. As the surgeon plunged his knife into the body, a fearful scream showed that a swoon had been mistaken for death ; but it was too late ! [The line from Chantilly to Crepy-en-Valois passes — 13k. Senlis (Hotels: du Gi'a 7 id Cc 7 p— good, clean, and rea- sonable ; des A 7 X 7 ies). The picturesque and attractive little city of Senlis is a treasure-house alike to the antiquary and artist. It retains its GalIo-Ro 77 ia 7 t fo 7 'tificatio 7 is (of the Silvanectes) more perfectly SEjVL/S. 121 than any town in France, except Bourges and S. Lizier, and its walls of cement, faced on both sides with cut stone, have pre- served sixteen out of their twenty-eight ancient towers. The site of the residence of the Roman governor was afterwards occupied by a Chateau of the Kings of France, from Clovis to Henri IV., of which interesting ruins remain from the xi. c., XIII. c., and xiv. c. The ancient gothic' entrance to this chateau is to be found at the end of the Rue du Chatel, but the modern approach is from the little Place S. Maurice. The towers of the royal chateau are well seen from the Rue de Chat-Huret. In 1863 some small remains of a Roman Amphitheatre were discovered. The Cathedral of Notre Da?ne, to which time has given colouring of exquisite beauty, is a noble building of the xii. c., XIII. c., and xvi. c. The plan on which it was begun, in 1155, was of vast size, but want of funds compelled the curtailment of the length which it was intended to give to the nave, and the suppression of the triforium. The church was consecrated in 1191. In the XIII. c., one of the west steeples was completed, leaving the other unfinished, chapels were added on the r. of the choir, and a transept was begun. The chapels of the nave and some of those of the choir date from the xiv. c. and xv. c. In 1 502 the cathedral was struck by lightning, and it became neces- sary to renew the whole of the vaulting and the upper windows. The transept was finished, and the fa9ade restored at the same time. The central portal of the fa9ade, formerly divided by a central pillar, has the burial and coronation of the Virgin in its tympanum, one of the earliest and best representations of this subject. The transept portals bear the salamander of Frau9ois I. : they are surrounded by a loggia under the principal windows. I The steeple on the r. of the fa9ade, pre-eminent in grace and , beauty, is a marvel of early xiii. c. I In the interior, the pillars, side-aisles, and tribunes of the j nave and choir belong to the construction of the xii. c. The nave I has five bays, of which the first is a vestibule under the towers, and the last opens upon the transepts. In a chapel on the 1 . tlie keystone of tlie vaulting represents a large crown, with four angels extending their wings toward it. The rectangular part of the choir has six bays, of which the first is common to the I 122 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. transepts. The chapels are xiii. c. and xiv. c. The ambulatory of the apse is encircled by five chapels, of which four are xii. c. The final chapel is modern. In the chapel of S. Rieul are some fine incised monuments of bishops, their crosiers inlaid in white marble. In the wall of the 1 . aisle is a fine xvii. c. relief of the Entombment. PORTAL, SENLIS. The ^Lveche to the S.E. of the cathedral, dates from xii. c., but has lost all its characteristics. Near the cathedral is the desecrated collegiate Clmrch of S. Frambourg,^ rebuilt in 1177, of striking and simple proportions, without aisles or transepts. In this part of the town are several curious old houses with 'To visit the interior apply at No. 6, Rue S. Frambourg. SENL/S. 123 oiirelles, and other desecrated churches, one of them, 6'. Aignajt XIV. c. and xvi. c.), turned into a theatre. Another collegiate :hurch, 5 ’. Riettl^ is greatly dilapidated. The fine Church of S. Pierre is now inclosed in a cavalry barrack. It is of the idlest XVI. c. flamboyant, and has two towers, one crowned 3y a beautiful spire of 1431. Approached by an avenue from ;he lower part of the town is the ancient Abbey of S. Vmce 7 it, bunded by Queen Anne of Russia in 1065, now modernised and ABBAYE DE LA VICTOIRE. iccupied by an ecclesiastical college. The monastic church ;till exists, with its vaulting of 1130, and its graceful early lointed (xn. c.) tower and low steeple. The Hotel de Ville was ebuilt in 1495. Of the fine old houses, we may especially lotice No. 53, Vieille Rue de Paris, with a xvi. c. polygonal ower, and No. 20, Rue du Chatel, with a curious gothic portal nd vaulted halls. We must take the Rue Bellon (first on the 1 . in descending he Grande Rue) and jirocced in a direct line till we reach a rucifix, then follow a stony road (r.) to a watermill, opposite 124 NORTH-EASTERN TRANCE. which take a paved lane to reach (r.), in the gardens of a chateau, the beautiful ruins of the Abbaye de la Victoire, founded by Philippe-Auguste in honour of the victory of Bouvines. The architect was a monk named Menand. Louis XI. often used to stay at this abbey, and built a chateau close by (which was pulled down by the monks in 1599), where he signed a treaty of peace with Francois II. of Brittany. In 1783 the abbey was suppressed, and the greater part of its buildings were pulled down. The existing remains are those of three bays of the S. aisle of the choir, which had been restored 1472 — 1519. Very near the Abbaye de la Victoire, 3|-k. from Senlis, is the ancient Chateau of Mont I’Eveqtie, which was the summer resi- dence of the bishops of Senlis. 4 ^k. further (twenty minutes’ walk from the station of Barbery, on the line from Senlis to Crepy-en-Valois) is the ruined castle of Montefilloy (Mons Speculatorum), built xii. c., partly rebuilt by Louis d’Orleans in 1400, and dismantled at end of xvi. c. Ermenonville (13 k.) may be visited from Senlis (see ch. iv.). 20 k. Barbery (the nearest station to Montepilloy). The church was consecrated in 1586 by Guillaume Rose, Bishop of Senlis, famous in the League. Near this is the chateau of Cha?nant, which belonged to Lucien Bonaparte. There is a monument there to his first wife Eleonore Boyer. 27 k. A^iger-S.-Vincent. The church is xii. c., xiii. c., and XVI. c., with some windows of 1534. 2 k. E. is the farm of Pare- aux-Dames^ once a monastery : the xv. c. chapel remains. 36k. Crepy-en-Valois (Hotel; de la Ban 7 iih'e). The former capital of the duchy of Valois has some remains of a chateau founded xi. c. The parish church of S. Defiis dates from the same time, but the facade is xii. c., the choir xv. c. The collegiate church of A. Tho?nas was begun in 1180 by Philippe d’ Alsace, Comte de Elandre. The facade is xiii. c. ; the tower, with a stone spire, xiv. c. Thomas a Becket passed through Crepy as the church was building, and asked to whom it would be dedi- cated. ‘To the first martyr,’ replied the count, meaning S. Stephen. But after the death of Thomas soon afterwards, the founder recalled his words to the archbishop, and dedicated the church to him. Several houses are of xv. c. and xvi. c., and one of the xiv. c.] MORFONTAINE. 125 266 k. Survilliers (omnibus), where the chateau was bought by Joseph Bonaparte, who took the name of Comte de Survilliers, when he went to America after the fall of the Empire. 4 k. E.,near Plailly, is Morfontaine — where the treaty of peace between France and the United States was signed — the favourite residence of Joseph Bonaparte. Mor- fontaine was afterwards possessed by the Due de Bourbon, who left it to his mistress, Mme. de Feucheres. 272 k. Louvres (i k.) has a xiii. c. portal of its ancient hospice. Of one of its two churches, only the tower (xi. c. and XIII. c.) remains. The other is xii. c. and xvi. c., with a romanesque facade. 4 k. N. (omnibus) is Marly-la- Ville^ with a fine xiii. c. church, and a gateway with tourelles. 10 k. E. is Moussy-le-Neuf^ with a xiii. c. church. 276 k. Goussainville. 4 k. is Fontenay-les- Louvres^ with a curious church of xii. c., xiii. c., and xvi. c. 281k. Villiers-le-Bel. The church is xii. c. andxiii.c. Omnibus to (5 k.) Ecouen (see p. 108). 9 k. E. is Boissy (where the banker Law had a chateau), passing (3 k.) Gouesse, where Philippe-Auguste was born in 1165. The church is of his time, but modernised. 286 k. Pierrefitte Stains. The chateau of Stains, which belonged to the family of Harlay in xvii. c., was bought by Jerome Bonaparte, King of Westphalia. The church is XVI. c. The Fort de Ganges was constructed in 1876. 290 k. S. Denis (Hotels : de France ; du Grand Cerf). The station of S. Denis is a long way from the cathedral. Those who make the excursion from Paris will find it simpler to take tlie tramway (every half-hour) from the Rue Taithout or the Boulevard Haussmann (with omnibus connection from the Boulevard S. Denis), which sets visitors down close to the church. 126 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. On the site of an oratory in which the pious Catulla placed the relics of S. Denis, with his companions Rusticus and Eleutheriiis, after their death at the Mons martyrum (Montmartre), and in the village which in the xii. c. w^as called from her Vicus Catholiacensis, rose the famous abbey of S. Denis. In the v. c. S. Genevieve rebuilt the chapel of S. Denis, and her work was four times reconstructed before the XIII. c., to which the present building is due, though, in the crypt, some arches remain from the church of Dagobert, 630. The Abbot Suger, who governed France during the crusade of Louis VI L, built the greater part of the church which w^e now see, the church in which Jeanne Dare offered her sword and armour upon the altar, and in which Henri IV. abjured Protestantism. The western fa9ade, of 1140, has three romanesque portals, richly decorated with sculpture, that in the centre with statues of the wise and foolish virgins. Only one of the two side towers remains ; that on the N., pulled down in 1846, had a tall spire. The remaining tower contains the great bell of Charles V., recast in 1758, and called Louise, in honour of Louis XV. The stately aspect of the interior is greatly enhanced by the four staircases leading to the chevet. The choir, surrounded by radiating chapels, was consecrated in 1144. The stained-glass windows are mostly of the reign of Louis- Philippe : only one is ancient, that in the Chapel of the Virgin, with the genealogy of Christ. In 1790, the decree which suppressed the religious orders put an end to the existence of the abbey of S. Denis, which had lasted more than eleven centuries and a half. The monks celebrated mass for the last time September 14, 1792, after which their church became that of the parish. 5 . DENIS. 127 I But in 1793 the church also was closed, and was only I reopened in the following year, as a Temple of Reason. Interesting as are the tombs now collected here, none i of the monuments which existed in the abbey-church I before the Revolution were older than the time of S. Louis. It was that king who placed tombs upon the resting-places i of his predecessors from the time of Dagobert to that of ! Louis VL, his great-great-grandfather. Very few princes and princesses of the first two dynasties were buried at S. Denis, but the house of Capet were almost all laid there. Of its thirty-two monarchs, only three desired to be buried elsewhere — Philippe I. at S. Benoit-sur-Loire ; Louis VII. at the abbey of Barbeau ; Louis XL at Notre Dame de Clery. The coffins up to the xiv. c. were in stone, after that in lead. The effigies placed here by S. Louis cannot ! be considered as portraits. The first statue which appears to aim at portraiture is that of Philippe le Hardi. After the time of Henri II. no royal monuments were erected, ' and two long lines of coffins of fifty-four members of the J House of Bourbon were placed on iron trestles in the I sanctuary of the crypt without tombs. The Dauphin, eldest I son of Louis XVI. (June 1789), filled the last place which 1 remained unoccupied ; a new burial-place was in contem- plation, when the Revolution cleared out all the vaults. Up to that time, besides the abbots of S. Denis, only twelve illustrious persons had received the honour of burial amongst the kings — Pierre de Nemours and Alphonse de Brienne, who died before Carthage in 1270, and whose remains were brought back with those of S. Louis; Du Guesclin, the liberator of Trance, and his brother in arms, Louis de Sancerre ; Bureau de la Riviere, the faithful 128 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. councillor of Charles V. and Charles VI. ; Arnaud de Giiilhem, killed at the battle of Bulgueville, 1431 ; Se'dile de S. Croix, wife of Jean Pastourel, councillor of Charles V. ; Guillaume de Chastel, killed at the battle of Pontoise, 1441; Louis de Pontoise, killed at the siege of Crotoy, 1475 1 ^^e Due de Chatillon, killed at the taking of Charenton, 1649; and the Marquis de S. Maigrin, killed fighting in the Faubourg S. Antoine, 1652 ; lastly, Turenne, whose body was removed to the Invalides by order of the first consul. Between Aug. 6 and 8, 1793, fifty monuments were thrown down at S. Denis, but by the indefatigable energy of a single private citizen, Alexandre Lenoir, the greater part of the statues and several of the tombs in stone and marble were preserved, and removed to a Musee des Monuments Franqais at Paris. The monuments in metal were almost all melted down, though they included the precious recumbent statue of Charles le Chauve, the tomb of Marguerite de Provence, the mausoleum of Charles VIII., and the effigy of the Sire de Barbazan, signed by Jean Morant, founder at Paris. At the same time the royal coffins were rifled of silver-gilt crowns, sceptres, hands of justice, rings, brooches, the distaffs of two queens, and many precious stuffs. A royal ordinance of December 1816 ordered the closing of the historical museum, and the restoration to the churches of such fragments of tombs as were preserved. A number of monuments from the abbeys of S. Genevieve, S. Germain des Pres, and Royaumont ; from the convents of the Cordeliers, Jacobins, Celestins, and other religious orders, were then sent to S. Denis with those which had originally belonged to the church. Only such tombs as 6 *. DENIS. 129 were too large to be placed in the crypt were left above ground ; the rest were arranged in the vaults, where they continued till the restoration of the monuments of S. Denis to their original site was begun by Viollet le Due, and the effigies brought from other sites placed as near as possible to the tombs of those with whom they were connected. According to present arrangements, the monumental trea- sures of S. Denis may be glanced at, but they cannot be seen. Every half-hour (except i p.m.) on weekdays, and between 3.30 and 5.30 on Sundays, parties of ten are formed and hurried full gallop round the church under the guardianship of a jabbering custode, who is unable to answer any question out of the regular routine, allows none to linger except over the xix. c. monuments, I which he greatly admires, and is chiefly occupied by the ‘ Gentle- j men and ladies, please remember your guide,’ at the end of the I survey. Wooden barriers prevent anyone from approaching the j tombs, so little is gained beyond a consciousness that they are I there. As the tombs are always shown from the 1 ., we follow that course here. At the end of the open part of the left aisle of the nave is the little Chapelle de la Trinitc. It contains the tombs of Charles de Valois, Comte d’’ Alen^oti, 1346, and his wife, Marie dlEspagne, 1379, brought hither from the great church of the Jacobins at Paris. Charles de Affilois fell in the battle of Crecy : his shield, sword, and baldrick were formerly covered with enamelled copper like those of the Earl of Cornwall in Westminster Abbey. In the same chapel is the tomb of Leon de Lusig 7 ian, King of Armenia, 1393, who died at Paris and was buried with great magnificence by Charles VI. in the church of the Celestins, whence it was brought here. His statue lies 9 130 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. on the spot where tradition says that Christ entered the church to consecrate it in person. Passing the barrier, the Chapelle de S. Hippolyte on the 1. — open towards the aisle — is devoted to the family of Valois or of S. Louis. The first group of monuments in point of date is that of Philippe., brother of S. Louis; Louis., eldest son of S. Louis., 1260; Louis and Philippe., sons of Pierre., Comte dHlencon and grandsons of S. Louis., XIII. c. All these w^ere originally buried in the abbey which S. Louis founded at Royaumont, and were brought here on its suppression in 1791. The figures of the brother and son of S. Louis rest on tombs surrounded by niches full of figures. Those on the tomb of Prince Louis represent the funeral procession which accompanied his remains to Royaumont. Henry III. of England, who was at that time at Paris, was amongst those who carried the coffin, and is thus represented in a relief at the foot of the tomb. The two Alenpon children died in infancy, and lie on the same tomb, divided into two niches ; but this tomb is a copy ; the original, with that of a child of Philippe, Comte d’iVrtois, 1291, also from Royaumont, is in the ‘ magazin ’ of the church ! Charles d' Anjou., King of Sicily and Jerusalem, 1285, brother of S. Louis, is buried at Naples, with a magnificent monument, but his heart was brought to the church of the Jacobins at Paris, where his great-granddaughter. Queen Clemence de Hongrie, erected (1326) the tomb which we now see here : his right hand holds a sword, and his left a heart. Blanche, third daughter of S. Louis 1320, married Ferdinand, eldest son of Alfonso X. of Castille, but returned to France after his death, and died in the convent of the Cordeliers in the 5 '. DENIS, 31 Faubourg S. Marcel, which she had founded, whence her tomb was brought hither. She is represented in extreme youth. Louis,, Comte LEvreux^ 1319? son of Philippe le Hardi, and his wife, Marguerite d’ Artois, 13 ii, were buried in the church of the Jacobins at Paris, whence their monu- ment was brought here. The figure of the Countess is one of the best mediaeval statues known — both as to expression and costume : at her feet two little dogs play with some oak-leaves. Charles, Comte de Valois, 1325, third son of Philippe le Hardi, and chief of the royal branch of A^alois, was also brought hither from the church of the Jacobins. His second wife, Catherine de Courtenay, 1307 (daughter of Philippe, titular Emperor of Constantinople, from whom she inherited the title of empress), was brought to S. Denis from the monastery of Maubuisson : her statue has the peculiarity of being in black marble. Clenmtce de Hongrie, 1328, second wife of Louis X. and daughter of Charles Martel (d’Anjou), King of Hungary, was brought hither from the Jacobins. The effigies of Blanche d'Evreux, second queen of Philippe VL, 1398, and their daughter Jeanne de France, 1371, rest on the spot which their tomb formerly occupied in the centre of the Chapelle S. Hippolyte, but the original black marble pedestal sur- rounded by twenty-four statuettes of the ancestors of Blanche d’Evreux is destroyed : the queen had formerly a metal crown. Jeanne de France died at Beziers on her way to marry Jean d’Aragon, Due de Gironne, but was brought for burial to S. Denis. The statue erect against a pillar is that of a Prioress of Poissy, Marie de BoiLrbon, 1402, daughter of Pierre I., Due de Bourbon, and sister- in-law of King Charles V. She received the veil in her 132 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. fourth year. Her effigy remained till the last century in the conventual church of S. Louis de Poissy, attached to a pillar. On the r. of the aisle is the pillar in honour of Cardinal Louis de Bourbon^ 1557 (son of Francois de Bourbon, Comte de Vendome, and Marie de Luxembourg), arch- bishop of Sens and abbot of S. Denis. He is buried at Laon, which was one of his five bishoprics, but his heart was brought hither. The pillar formerly bore a kneeling statue of the Cardinal. Close to this, but inside the choir, is the red marble twisted column in memory of Henri ///., 1589, assassin- ated at S. Cloud, and first buried at the abbey of S. Corneille de Compiegne, whence his remains were brought hither in 1610, to be buried in the chapel of the Valois. Now, on the r.,we see, restored to their original position between the choir and the transept, four tombs bearing statues — Robert le Pieux^ 1031, and Constance d' Arles ^ 1032, daughter of Guillaume, Count de Provence; Henri /., 1060, founder of S. Martin les Champs, and Louis VL., 1137 ; Philippe le Jeune^ eldest son of Louis VI., 1131 (who was crowned in the lifetime of his father, 1129, and was killed by a fall from his horse), and Consta^ice de Castille, 1160, daughter of Alphonso VHL, who married Louis VII. after his divorce from Eleanor of Aquitaine ; Carloman^ 771, king of Austrasia, and brother of Charlemagne, who died at twenty-one, and Ernientrude^ 869, first wife of Charles le Chauve. All this series belongs to the effigies erected by S. Louis to the memory of his ancestors in the XIII. c. Near these are the tombs of Louis X, le Hutin^ 5. DENIS. 133 1316, who died at Vincennes ; the charming little effigy of lean 1316, son of Louis X., who was born at the Louvre four months after his father’s death, and only lived five days; and Jeanne de France., i349) eldest daughter of Louis X. and Marguerite de Bourgogne, wife of Philippe le Bon, king of Navarre. Further inside the choir are tombs copied from those originally existing in the abbey of Royaumont, and supporting effigies brought from thence of Jean Trista^i ajid Blafiche, children of S. Louis, in enamelled copper. Blanche died 1243; Jean, who accom- panied his father to the crusades, died before him on the coast of Africa in 1247. On the 1., on either side of the entrance to the N. transept, are statues brought from Notre Dame de Corbeil — a king and queen, which have been long regarded, but with much uncertainty, as representing Clovis and Clotilde. Hard by is the splendid tomb of Louis XII., 1515, and his second wife, Anne de Bretagne, 1514, executed at Tours by Jean Juste. A large square base supports an edifice pierced by twelve arches, within which the royal pair are represented as skeletons, whilst above they kneel, as in life, with joined hands before a prie-dieu, in statues which are supposed to be portraits of the utmost fidelity. Statues of Fortitude, Justice, Prudence, and Temperance are seated at the angles; between the arches are statues of the apostles, and on the base are four bas-reliefs of wonderful workmanship, repre- senting the campaigns of the king in Italy. In this monument, says Liibke, ‘ French sculpture attained its classical perfection.’ d'he next great monument, of Henri II., 1559, and Catherine de Medicis, 1589, is the masterpiece of Germain 134 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Pilon. It formerly occupied the centre of a magnificent chapel of its own, destroyed in 1719, when it was trans- ferred to the N. transept. The royal pair are again here represented twice — below, in the sleep of death, the queen, beautiful as at the time of the death of her husband, whom she survived thirty years ; above, kneeling in royal robes. TOMB OF LOUIS XII., S. DENIS. The bas-reliefs of the stylobate represent Faith, Hope, Charity, and Good Works. Near the tomb of Henri II. is that of Guillaume du Chastely 1441? ‘ panetier du roi,’ killed at the siege of Pontoise, and buried here by Charles VII. on account of his great valour and services to the state. He is repre- sented in complete armour. 6 *. DENIS. 135 Beyond this, in the Chapelle Notre Dame la Bhmche.^ are three tombs. The first bears the effigies of Philippe V., le Long, 1322 ; his brother, Charles IV., le Bel, 1321, with his wife, Jeanne dlEvreux, 1371, long his survivor. The second is that of Blanche de Fra?ice, 1392, daughter of Charles IV., and wife of Philippe, £)uc d’Orleans, fifth son of Philippe de Valois. The third effigy represents Jea?i II., le Bon, taken prisoner at the battle of Poitiers, who died at the Savoy, in London, 1364. It was to this chapel that I Queen Jeanne d’Evreux gave the image of the Virgin which > is now at Paris, in the church of S. Germain-des-Pres. On the r. of tlie stairs ascending to the sanctuary, be- 7 tween them and the choir, are the cenotaph monuments of 5 Clovis I., 5 1 1, and his son Childebert I., 558. The statue t of Clovis, of XII. c., comes from a tomb which occupied the i centre of a (now destroyed) church which he founded under t the name of the Saints-Apotres, and which afterwards took j that of S. Genevieve. - The king has the long hair and i beard of the Merovingian race. The statue of Childebert I. comes from his tomb in the centre of the choir of the church which he founded in honour of S. Vincent, after- i wards S. Germain-des-Pres.^ Ascending the steps, we find, on the r., the tomb of a prince, supposed to be a Comte de Dreux, from the church of the Cordeliers ; the epitaphs were destroyed in a fire at 1 the monastery in 1580. Close by is an Unknoivn Prmcess, ' supposed to represent Blanche, daughter of Charles IV. On the 1 ., in the Chapelle S. Eiistache, the second quadrangular chapel of the apse, we are surprised to find ‘ Three sculptured gravestones placed by the Benedictines of S. Gerinain- des-Pres over the graves of Clotairc II., his wife Bertrude, and Childeric II., have been left neglected in the ‘magasin ’ of S. Denis, 136 NORTH-EASTERN TRANCE. Henri II. and Cathejine de Medicis, a- second time, lying on a bronze bed. The statues are splendid works of Germain Pilon, and were only brought to S. Denis in 1589, after the death of Catherine de Medicis. Behind this tomb is the kneeling statue of Marie de Bourbon., ^538, which once existed, with that of her sister Catherine, in the abbey of Notre Dame de Soissons, of which the latter was abbess. They were daughters of Charles de Bourbon, Due de Vendome, and sisters of Antoine de Bourbon, father of Henri IV. Marie was betrothed, in 1535, to James V. of Scotland, but died before her marriage could take place. On this spot was formerly the monument of Turenne, now at the Invalides. The seven semicircular chapels of the chevet are dedi- cated to S. Osmanne, S. Maurice, S. Peregrin, the Virgin, S. Caiaphas, S. Eugene, and S. Hilaire. A number of ancient inscriptions, and some sepulchral stones of abbots of S. Denis, have been placed in these chapels. On the S. side of the Sanctuary, but behind the high altar, inserted in a modern altar-tomb, is the curious mosaic tomb of Fredegonde^ wife of Childeric L, 597. The queen — who, amongst many others, murdered her brother-in-law, stepson, husband, and the bishop Pretextatus at the altar — is represented with crown and sceptre, and royal mantle. The tomb comes from S. Germain-des-Pres. The Sacristy is adorned with modern paintings relating to the history of the abbey. In an adjoining room is the Treasury., now of little interest. To the S. of the high altar, the side of the epistle, has been restored the tomb of Dagobert., 638, long exiled to the porch of the nave. This king died in the Abbey 6 '. DENIS. 137 j i i i I I I I i I I of S. Denis. His gothic monument is probably due to S. Louis. A modern statue has been copied from the fragments broken at the Revolution. At the sides of the arch are the statues of Nantilde., wife of Dagobert, and Clovis II., their son. A seated wooden statue of the Virgin, near the tomb of Dagobert, comes from the church of S. Martin-des- Champs at Paris. Descending the steps of the sanctuary we find on the 1 . four tombs bearing statues to Pepin, 768, who was buried near the high altar, with the good queen Berthe, 783 ; and to Louis III., 883, and Carloman, 884, sons of Louis II. The latter was killed at eighteen, in hunting, by the carelessness of one of his attendants, and died refusing to give his name, that the servant might not be punished ; his admirable statue is full of youthful grace. Here is the entrance to the Crypt, of which the walled-in central part, a relic of the xi. c., has served since the time of Henri IV. as a burial-place for the princes and princesses of the blood royal. It now contains the coffins of Louis XVI., Marie Antoinette, Louis XVIIL, Mesdames Addaide and Victoire de France (brought from Trieste, where they died), Charles Ferdinand, Due de Berry, and two of his children, who died in infancy, Louis Joseph, Prince de Conde, and Louis Henri Joseph, Due de Bourbon, father of the Due d’Enghien. Here also are Louis VII., brought from the Abbey of Barbeau near Melun, and Louise de Lorraine, wife of Henri HI., brought from the church of the Capucins at Paris. In a walled-up chapel at the end of the crypt aisle — Le Caveau de Turenne — have been placed all the remains of earlier kings and queens which were exhumed 138 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. from the trench into which they were thrown at the Revolution. In the east chapel are kneeling figures by Gaulle and Petitot to Louis XVI. and Marie Antomette. In another chapel is a monument to Louis XVIIL. by Valois, and a relief to Louis XVII. In a third a relief commemorates Madame Louise., daughter of Louis XV., who died a nun at S. Denis. In a fourth is a statue of Charlemagne by Gois, made by order of Napoleon I. In a fifth a monumental statue to Diane de France, 1619, Duchesse d’Angouleme et de Montmorency, brought from the Minimes of the Place Royale. On the wall to the S. is a bust of Louis XL. A passage containing four huge statues of Religion, Courage, France, and Paris, by Cortot and Dupaty, intended for the tomb of the Due de Berry, murdered 1820, leads to an inner crypt. Here are tombs to He 7 ud IV.; Louis XIII. and Anne of Austria ; Louis XIV. and Marie Therhe, Louis XV. The reliefs placed over the burial-place of the heart of Louis XIII. were brought from the Grands-Jesuites (SS. Paul et Louis) at Paris, and are the work of Jacques Sarrazin. Here also a tomb bears medallions to Mesdames Adelaide and Victoire and their niece, Madame Elisabeth, the brave and saintly sister of Louis XVI. The Caveau Imperial, which Napo- leon HI. made to receive his dynasty, is quite untenanted. P.eturning to the upper church, we find on the 1 . the Chapelle de S. Jea?i- Baptiste or des Connetables, which con- tains the very interesting tomb of Bertrand ..Duguesclin, Comte de Longueville and Constable of France, who died 1380 before the walls of ChMeauneuf de Randon. A white marble statue commemorates the Constable Louis de Sa?ice 7 ’re, 1402, brother-in-arms of Bertrand Duguesclin 6'. DENIS. 39 and Olivier de Clisson. ‘ “ Enfants,” disait-il a ses gens lorsqu’ils allaient en guerre, “ en quelque etat qu’un homme se trouve, il doit toujours faire son honneur.” ’ Near Duguesclin, two months later, was laid the king ' he served, Charles V., le Sage, 1380 — whose characteristic j statue reposes on a modern tomb of black marble, wuth that I of his queen Jeanne de Bourbon, 1377, daughter of Pierre I., j Due de Bourbon, who was killed at Poitiers. P’he statue of I the queen was brought from the church of the Celestins at i Paris, where her entrails were buried, as is indicated in the I figure, by the bag in its hands, which is supposed to contain I them. From the same church were brought two niches I containing statues of Charles V. and Jeanne, which formerly ! decorated the portal, destroyed in 1847. I Another modern tomb bears the remarkable effigies — apparently portraits — of Charles VI., 1422, who died insane, and his wicked wife Isabeau de Baviere, 1435. crowned head bears a double veil, the upper fastened to the lower by long pins. This hated queen was brought to I S. Denis in a boat by night, unattended — ‘ ni plus, ni I moins qu’une simple demoiselle.’^ A third tomb, almost j similar to the two last, commemorates Charles VII., 1461, I and his wife, Marie d'A^ijou, 1463, daughter of Louis IL, j king of Naples. Against the wall of this chapel, the burial-place of Charles V., have been placed two curious sculptured slabs commemorating the Battle of Bouvines, 1214, brought from the church of St. Catherine du Val-des-Ecoliers, founded by the sergeants-at-arms in thanksgiving for that victory, the Confraternity of Sergeants-at-arms owing its foundation * Brantome. 140 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. to Charles V. To the wall of the transept is removed the beautiful canopied tomb erected, in the church of the Celestins at Paris, by Frangoise d’Alengon, to her seven- years-old child, Renee T OrTea 7 is-Lo 7 igueville., 1515, daughter of Frangois IL, Due de Longueville, who died in the abbatial hotel of S. Genevieve. Descending the church, we now come on the r. to another group of tombs. That of Isabelle d’A/^agon, 1271, daughter of James I., king of Aragon, who died from a fall from her horse while crossing a river at Cosenza in Calabria, bears her white marble effigy with two little dogs at her feet. The tomb of Philippe le Hardi^ 1285, who died at Per- pignan, bears an effigy which is supposed to be the earliest authentic royal portrait-statue at S. Denis. Close by is the monument of Philippe /F., le Bel., 1314) with a well-pre- served but mannered statue. Behind are the tombs of Clovis //, 656, son of Dagobert I. and Nantilde, and husband of S. Bathilde (buried at Chelles) ; and Charles Martel, 741, son of Pepin d’Herstall, famous for his victories over the Saracens, who held the title of Maire in the palace of the Francs, or of ‘ Due des Frangais.’ On the 1 . side of the transept door is buried Suger, the great abbot of S. Denis, who built the greater part of the church, and governed France during the crusade of Louis VII. We now reach ( 1 .) the magnificent tomb of Franpis I., 1547, and his wife Claude de France, 1521, one of the most perfect masterpieces of renaissance architecture and sculp- ture in France, designed by Philibert de TOrme, with royal effigies by Jean Goujon, and exquisite sculptured details by Germain Pilon, Pierre Bontemps, Ambroise Perret, Jacques 5 . DENIS. 141 ! Chantrel, Bastien Galles, Pierre Bigoigne, and Jean de 1 Bourges. The tomb is an edifice of white marble — of which f the east and west facades are adorned, each with twenty-one I reliefs representing the campaigns of the king, with the ! battles of Marignan and Cerisoles. Within the open arches ; Francois — a sublime dead warrior — ^nd Claude (who died I at twenty-one), a gentle, melancholy girl, are seen lying in ; death. On the platform above they are represented a second I time, kneeling in life, with their children behind them — I Charlotte de Fra 7 ice., who died at eight years, the dauphin I Francois., and Charles., Due d’Orleans. I Under one of the arches of the wall arcade is the figure, I brought from the church of the Jacobins in Paris, of Beatrix \ de Bourbon^ 13835 queen of Bohemia, daughter of Louis L, I Due de Bourbon, and great-granddaughter of S. Louis, j whose first husband was Jean de Luxembourg, king of i Bohemia, killed upon the battle-field of Crecy, and who j afterwards married Eudes^ lord of Grancey in Burgundy. I Behind the tomb of Fraii9ois I. and Claude, in the chapel i of S. Michel, is an exquisite urn, sculptured by Pierre I Bontemps, to contain the heart of Francois L, which, after ! the death of the king at Rambouillet (March 31, 1547), was ; taken to the abbey of Notre Dame de Hautes-Bruyeres. ; Close to the urn, on its ancient site, is the effigy of I Princess Marguerite., 1382, daughter of Philippe le Long, I and wife of Louis, Comte de Flandre, killed at the battle of I Cr^cy. She died at the age of seventy-two, having endowed ! the chapel, where she was buried. Much more of the original tomb remains in the magasin of the church. Near the aisle is the tomb of Charles., Comte d’ Etampes., 1336, son of Louis, Comte d’Evreux, brought from the church 142 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. of the Cordeliers at Paris, where it occupied a place behind the high altar. The group of monuments behind was erected by Louis XIL, the son of Charles, Due d’Orleans, to his father, uncle, grandfather, and grandmother, in the church of the Celestins at Paris. The fragments were brought hither and restored. On a quadrangular base, surrounded by twenty- four niches, are the statues of Charles^ Due T Orleans, 1465, and Philippe, Comte de Vertus, 1420. Between these figures rises a sarcophagus bearing the effigies — full of character — of their parents, Louis de France, Due d’Orleans, 1407 (‘the very refuge and retreat of chivalry ’ i), second son of Charles V., and his wife Valentine de Milan, 1408 (daughter of Giangaleazzo Visconti, by his first wife, Isabelle de France), from whom both Louis XIL and Frangois I. descended. Twenty of the statuettes which surround the tomb are ancient. It was Louis d’Orleans who built the chffieaux of Pierrefonds and la Ferte-Milon, and who was murdered in the Rue Barbette. Charles d’Orleans was the poet-duke, who languished as a prisoner at Windsor for twenty-five years after the Battle of Agincourt. A modern copy near the high altar commemorates the famous Oriplamme {auriflamma — from its red and gold), the standard of S. Denis, which became the banner of the kings of France, and always accompanied them to the battle-field : its last appearance was on the field of i\,gincourt. The Abbey of S. Denis, ruled by a line of sixty-three abbots, several of whom were kings of France, and whither Abelard came as a monk in 1119, has entirely disappeared. Mme.de Maintenon appropriated its revenues Christine de Pisan. I ; 6’. DENIS. 143 i for her institution of S. Cyr. A house of education for 1 daughters of members of the Legion of Honour occupies ! the modern buildings. In the almost ruined church, I formerly known as La Paroisse, which was the chapel of i the Carmelite convent, a grave is pointed out as that of : Henriette d’Angleterre, youngest da^ughter of Charles I., I and wife of Gaston d’Orleans, brother of Louis XIV. ; her ! body, however, was amongst those exhumed in the abbey- church. In the Carmelite convent, Louise-Marie de France, ‘ Madame Louise,’ third daughter of Louis XV., took the veil in 1770; there she was constantly visited by her nephew, Louis XVI. , and there she died, before the I troubles of the Revolution, Dec. 23, 1787. I 296 k. Paris. CHAPTER III. PARIS. I ^HE capital of France is described at length in the volume called Paris, which is also sold in two small parts for convenience as a guide-book. Only a brief omitting historic detail- is given here. Arrival. Cabs. — From 6 a.m., March 31 to Oct. i, and from 7 a.m. from Oct. I to March 31 : — Ordinary cabs for 2 persons, i fr. 50 c. the course ; 2 fr. the hour. Ordinary cabs for 4 persons, 2 fr. the course ; 2 fr. 50 c. the hour. Omnibus for 6 persons, 2 fr. 50 c. the course ; 3 fr. the hour. From 12.30 p.m. to 6 a.m., from March 31 to Oct. i, and to 7 a.m. from Oct. I to March 31 : — For 2 persons, 2fr. 25 c. the course; 2 fr. 50 c. the hour. For 4 persons, 2 fr. 50 c. the course ; 2 fr. 75 c. the hour. Omnibus for 6 persons, 3 fr. the course; 3 fr. 50c. the hour. The price of cabs taken from a remise is slightly higher. All prices are raised outside the fortifications. When a cab is engaged, the driver should be asked to give his ticket {niimero), which is marked with the tariff of prices. Travellers arriving late in Paris and leaving early the next morning by another line, may do well to sleep at one of the hotels near the Gare du Nord, such as Hotel du Chemin de Per du Nord [good], opposite the station. Or they may prefer a hotel near the station of departure, such as — near the Gare de CEst (for Strasbourg and Nancy or Basle), H. de VEitrope [good], 74 Boulevard de Stras- bourg : H. S. Laurent, 4 Rue de Metz : H. de Bale, 6 Rue de Metz : H. de Strasbourg, 78 Boulevard de Strasbourg ; near the Gare de Lyon, H. du Chemm de Fer de Lyon ; near the Gare d' Orleans, H. du Chemin de Fer, 8 Boulevard de I’Hdpital ; near the Gare Montparnasse (for Chartres and Brittany), H. de France et de Bretagne, i Rue du Depart near the Gare S. Lazare (for Rouen and Normandy), H. de PARIS. 145 Londres et New York, 15 Rue du Havre; H. Anglo- Americain, 113 Rue S. Lazare. Hotels, — The best hotels are those on the western boulevards, in the Rue de Rivoli, Place Vendome, Rue de la Paix, and their neigh- bourhood. In these hotels the price of bedrooms varies from 4 to 10 fr., according to the size and floor. Pension in winter is from 15 to 20 fr. a day. Hotels in the Rue S. Honore are less expensive and often more comfortable — pension in winter from 10 to 15 fr. a day. The three largest Hotels are— H. Continental, 3 Rue de Castiglione, with a view of the Tuileries gardens ; Grand Hotel, 12 Boulevard des Capucins, close to the New Opera House; Grand Hotel dii Louvre, Rue de Rivoli, opposite the Louvre, and close to the Palais Royal. Important and comfortable hotels are — H. Bristol, 3 and 5 Place Vendome ; H. du Rhin, 4 and 6 Place Vendome ; H. Meurice, 228 Rue de Rivoli ; H. Windsor, 226 Rue de Rivoli; H. Brighton, 218 Rue de Rivoli; H. Wagram, 208 Rue de Rivoli; H. Mirabeau, 8 Rue de la Paix; H. Westminster, ii and 13 Rue de la Paix ; \i. de Hollande, 20 Rue de la Paix; H. Splendide, 24 Rue de la Paix ; H. Chatham, 17 Rue Daunou ; H. de I'Empire, 7 Rue Daunou ; H. des Deux-Mondes, 22 Avenue de I’Opera. Comfortable hotels for a long residence are — H. 5 . James the residence of the de Noailles), 21 1 Rue S. Honore; Yi. de Lille et d' Albion, 223 Rue S. Honore; lA. Richmond, 1 1 Rue du Helder. The hotels north of the Boulevards or south ot the Seine are much less expensive, and quite unfrequented by English. Bachelors making a long stay in Paris may live very comfortably and reasonably at Maisons Meublees, such as H. Noel-Peter, Rue d’Amboise ; H. de Rastadt, 7 Rue Daunou ; and many small hotels on the Quai Voltaire, and in the neighbouring streets. Travellers are never required to have luncheon or dinner in the Parisian hotels, but are generally expected to breakfast there. Restaurants. — The best as well as the most expensive restaurants are those on the boulevards and in the Palais Royal. Here a good dinner costs from 10 to 15 fr., exclusive of wine. Restaurants of high reputation are — le Grand Vc'four, 79 Galerie Beaujolais, Palais Royal; Maison Doree, 20; Cafe Riche, 29; Cafe Anglais, 13; Cafe du Helder, 29 — Boulevard des Italiens ; Bignon, 32 Avenue de I’Opera. Travellers who are not connoisseurs will, however, probably be satisfied with the Restaurants Duval, which are admirably managed and very moderate in price. These establishments are scattered all over the town, and a list of them is found on the card which is pre- sented to every one on entering, and on which the waitress (dressed in a costume) marks articles as they are ordered. Payment is made 10 146 north-eastekjn erance. at a desk, three or four sous being left on the table for the attendant. Some of the most convenient Restaurants Duval are — 194 Rue de Rivoli; 31 Avenue de TOpera ; 27 Boulevard de la Madeleine; 10 Place de la Madeleine; 10 Boulevard Poissonniere ; 21 Boulevard Montmartre; 26 Boulevard S. Michel (near Hotel de Cluny). Omnibuses . — The fares in all Parisian omnibuses are the same, for any distance whatever within the barriers — 30 c. inside, 15 c. outside. If no omnibus runs to the exact point a traveller wishes to reach, he demands correspondance (permission to change from one line to another), on entering a vehicle. Receiving a ticket, he will be set down at the point where the two lines cross, and the ticket will give him a prior right to a seat in the corresponding omnibus, and, in some cases, free him from a second payment. There are tramway lines to S. Cloud, Versailles, and other places in the suburbs. Theatres . — Tickets for theatres may be purchased beforehand at a bureau de location^ where a plan of the theatre is shown. Seats secured thus are slightly more expensive than those demanded au bureau (at the door). The most important theatre is the Theatre Fran^ais, on the S.W. of the Palais Royal. The performances of the Opera take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and, in the winter, on Saturdays also. I. THE TUILERIES AND LOUVRE. Those who visit Paris now, and look down the avenues of the Champs Elysees and gardens which lead to nothing at all, or mourn over the unmeaning desolate space once occupied by the central facade of the Tuileries, can scarcely realize the scene as it was before the Revolution of 1871. Then, between the beautiful chestnut avenues, across the brilliant flowers and quaint orange trees of the gardens, beyond the sparkling glory of the fountains, rose the majestic fagade of a palace, infinitely harmonious in colour, inde- scribably picturesque and noble in form, interesting beyond description from its associations, appealing to the noblest PARIS. 147 and most touching recollections, which all its surroundings led up to and were glorified by, which was the centre and soul of Paris, the first spot to be visited by strangers, the I one point in the capital which attracted the sympathies of ' the world. It is all gone now. Malignant folly ruined it : apathetic and narrow-minded policy declined to restore and preserve i it. Nothing remains of the past but the Tuileries garden, I with its great orange trees in tubs and its vast population of I statues. Most of these date from the Revolution ; but the i older statues, brought hither from the gardens of Marly, ! are of the time of Louis XIV. The north terrace, above i the Rue de Rivoli, is the same Terrasse des Feuillants., \ along which Louis XVL, and his family, escaped from ! the Tuileries on the terrible Aug. 10, 1792, to take refuge in I the National Assembly, then held in the Manege or riding- j school, which joined the old buildings of the Convent des ' Feuillants. Behind the -desecrated site of the Tuileries ‘ extend the vast courts of the Louvre^ originating in a fortress ; of Philippe-Auguste, but chiefly built by Pierre Lescot, , under Francois L; by Antoine du Cerceau, under Henri IV. ; and by Antoine le Mercier and Claude Perrault, under Louis XIV. The Louvre and Tuileries were united into ; one magnificent palace by Napoleon III. in 1857. Entering ! the Louvre from the Rue de Rivoli, we see the centre of the I grille, of what was formerly the court of the Tuileries, occu- ! pied by the Arc de Triomphe dtt Carrousel., built in 1806 for j Napoleon I. The car and horses which surmount it are I modelled in imitation of the famous horses of S. Mark, I restored to Venice l)y the Allies. It was in the Place du I Carrousel that the unfortunate family of Louis XVL met, 148 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. on the evening of June 20, 1790, before their fruitless flight to Varennes. Under the Consulate the enclosure was used for the weekly reviews of Napoleon. The collections of paintings and sculptures in the Louvre are freely open daily — except on Mondays — from 9 to 5 on weekdays, and 10 to 4 on Sundays and holidays. THE GARDENS OF THE TUILERIES. The most important of the numerous collections of the Louvre are the pictures on the first floor, reached on the r. of the Pavilion Sully, which faces the Arc du Carrousel in the centre of the front of the palace. On reaching the first floor, a door on the r. opens into the Salle des Seances^ containing a collection of pictures by many masters bequeathed by M. Louis la Caze, 1870. Passing through the Salle de Henri II. (with its French pictures) we reach the Salle des Sept Cheminees^ containing a collection of man- nered but exceedingly popular works of the French school. PARIS. 149 especially (242) the famous picture by Gericault^ represent- ing the ‘ Scene on the raft of the Medusa after its shipwreck,’ which is said to have inaugurated modern emotional French art ; and a lovely portrait of Mme. Recamier (160) by David. Passing through a room containing Etruscan jewels, we enter, from the 1. of the circular vestibule, the magnificent Galerie P Apollon., decorated with paintings by Lebrun and stucco ornaments by Girardon and other great masters. The central painting of the ceiling — the Victory of Apollo over the Python — is one of the finest works of Delacroix (1849). The gallery contains a collection of gems and precious objects, some of them of great historic importance. At the end of the gallery, we reach the Salon Carre, which contains the masterpieces of all the different schools collected in the Louvre. All the pictures in this room deserve study ; but, beginning from r., we must especially notice ; — 446. Titian. The Entombment. 410. Re 77 ibra 7 idt. The House of Joseph the Carpenter. Unnumbered. Perugmo. Apollo and Marsyas. 1 21. Gc 7 'ard Don. The Woman with the Dropsy. 229. Sebastia 7 t del Pio 77 ibo. The Visitation. 539. Mtirillo. The Immaculate Conception. ‘ The Soult Murillo.’ 96. Paid Ve 7 ' 07 iese. The Supper in the House of the Pharisee. 4; 2. Titiaii. Alfonso I. of Ferrara and Laura de’ Dianti. -V j 523. Fra 7 iciabigio I Portrait of a Young Man. 363. Raffaellc. ‘ La Vierge au Voile.’ 462. Liona 7 Ao da Vmci. Portrait of Mona Lisa, ‘La Joconde.’ 162. Va 7 i Eyck. ‘ La Vierge au Donateur.’ 447. N. Poiissm. Portrait of the Artist. 364. Rajfaclle. Tire Holy Family. 368. Rafjaellc. S. Michael. 365. Rajfaelle. Holy Family, with SS. Eli/aheth and John. 150 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. 362. Raffaelle. Madonna and Child with S. John, ‘ La Belle Jardiniere.’ 459. Lionardo da Vmd. Madonna and Child with S. Anne, ‘ La Sainte Anne.’ 395. Paul Veronese. The Feast of Cana. 19. Correggio. The Marriage of St. Catherine. 142. Va 7 idykc. ^ Charles I. of England. From the private salon of Louis XVI. 370. Raffaelle. S. Michael and the Dragon. A small room to r. of the Salon Carre contains beau tiful frescoes by Litini from the Palazzo Litta at Milan. Leaving the Salon Carre by the door opposite that by which we entered, we reach the Grande Galerie, immedi- ately to the right of which opens the Salle des Sefff Metres^ containing a precious collection of the earlier Italian schools especially : — 251. Mantegna. ‘ La Vierge de la Victoire.’ 250. Manfegfia. The Crucifixion. 221. Fra Filippo Lippi. Madonna and Child. 23. Niccolo Alunno. A Predella. 192. Giotto. S. Francis receiving the Stigmata. 170. Gentile de Fabriano. The Presentation in the Temple. 182. Fra Angelico. The Coronation of the Virgin. 184. Botticelli. Madonna and Child with S. John. La Grande Galerie., begun by Catherine de Medicis and continued under Henri IV., is filled with pictures divided according to their schools : but, going straight on, we must especially notice : — R. 463. Lionardo da Vinci. Bacchus. 373. Raffpaelle. Joanna of Arragon. 458. LJona 7 'do da Vmci. S. John Baptist. 367. Raffaelle. S. Margaret. 450. Titia 7 i. Portrait of Fran9ois I. PARIS. 15 366. Raffaelle. S. John Baptist. 546. Murillo. The Miracle of S. Diego. 556. Zurbara 7 i. The Funeral of S. Pedro Nolasco. 672. Albert Diirer. Head of an Old Man. 277. Jan von Mabuse. Portrait of Chancellor Jean Caron- delet. 434-457. Rubens. ‘La Galerie Medicis,’ ordered by Marie de Medicis, in 1620, to decorate the gallery which she had just built at the Luxembourg. 129. Gerard Dou. An old woman reading the Bible to her husband. 400, Paul Potter. ‘ The Prairie.’ 527. G. Terburg. The Music Lesson. 83. Philippe de Champaigne. Portrait of his daughter Suzanne, a nun of Port Royal, recovering from dangerous illness, in answer to the prayers of sister Catherine Agnes Arnauld. 146. Vandyke. Portrait of Francesco de Moncada, Marquis d’Aytona. 145. Va 7 idyke. Portrait of the Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia, as a widow. 144. Vandyke. Carl Ludovic, Duke of Bavaria, and his brother, Princo Rupert. L. (Returning) — 88. Philippe de Champaig 7 ie. Portrait of Arnauld d’Andilly. 148. Vandyke. Portrait of a gentleman and little girl. 407. Rembrandt. The Supper at Emmaus. 207. Holbein. Portrait of Archbishop Warham. 206. Holbein. Portrait of N. Kratzer, Astronomer to Henry VIII. 547. Murillo. The Young Beggar Boy. 551. Velasquez. Portrait of the Infanta Maria Margareta. 1 19. Ann Caracci. ‘LaViergeaux Cerises.’ 461. Lioriardo da Vinci. Portrait of Lucrezia Crivelli. The picture is known as ‘ La Belle Ferronniere ,’ 440. Titian. ‘La Vierge au Lapin.’ 372. Raffaelle. Portrait of a Young Man, said to be the artist. 56. Fra Bartolojneo. The Annunciation. 152 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. 371. Raffaclle. Portrait of Balthazar Castiglione. 460. IJonardo da Vinci. ‘ La Vierge aux Rochers,’ 449. Titian. Jupiter and Antiope, ‘ La Venus del Pardo.’ 38. Giorgio 7 ie. Holy Family, with SS. Sebastian and Catherine. 374. Raffaelle ? Male Portraits, supposed to represent the artist and his fencing-master. The third door we have passed on the right of La Grande Galerie is the entrance to five rooms devoted to French and English artists. The first room contains specimens of early French art in the works of Clouet and his pupils, two grand portraits by Jean Foucqiiet (1450), and a Last Judg- ment of Jean Cousin. The second room has a noble collection of the works of Eustache Lesueiir (1617 — 1655), from a destroyed monastery ; the third has works by the same artist, chiefly from the Flotel Lambert, in the Isle S. Louis. The fourth room is devoted to Horace Ver?ief : the fifth has indifferent English pictures. From the last room we may turn (r.), at the head of a staircase, to the Galerie Molllen., containing a vast collection of the works of N. Foussiti and Claude. (No. 306 is a noble portrait by Touve^iet of Fagon, physician of Louis XIV.) From the end of this gallery we may enter Le Pavilion Denon., containing pictures of the Battles of Alexander by Charles Lebrun. On the r. opens a gallery in which a collection of the Modern French School has recently been arranged. Returning to the Pavilion Denon, we may now enter the Galerie Daru., and observe some of the best works of Greuze (265, 260) and of Chaudin (99, 724, 98). On leaving the last hall of the French school we find ourselves at the top of the Escalier Darn. Crossing the PARIS. 153 i landing half-way up the staircase, entering the Vestibule, ; and leaving the Galerie d’ Apollon to the r., we reach again i the Salle des Sept Cheminees. If we cross this, by the I furthest door on the opposite wall we may enter the Musee ; Campana., a series of eight rooms devoted to Greek vases, j and a ninth filled with frescoes and ' relics from Pompeii. ^ Returning to the central room of the series {Salle des I Vases Corinthiens)., the visitor may enter (on 1.) the Miisee I Charles X. or des Antiquites Grecques. The five succeeding I halls and the staircase contain the very important collec- i tion of the Musee Egyptien. Hence, turning L, we find ! Les Anciennes Salles du Musee des Souzierains, which in i I themselves are full of interest, especially the second Salle ! (‘ La Chambre a I’Alcove ’), being the chamber in which 1 the body of Henri IV. was laid, after his murder by ; Ravaillac. In the Pavillozi Central (covered with bees) j which Napoleon I. intended to use as a throne-room, are ' a number of Italian works of art. By the landing of the Assyrian staircase we reach the J Musee de Sculpture du Moyen Age et de la Renaissance. , Then the Musee des Dessms occupies fourteen rooms, in which the drawings of the French school are very interest- ing, and the collection of sketches by early Italian masters , unrivalled. Passing the head of a staircase, a wrought iron gate from Maisons leads to the Salle des Bronzes^ containing ' precious works of art. We now find ourselves at the head of the stairs by which we entered, or, if we care to ascend j the staircase we have just passed, we may visit the Musee i de Marine., the Salle Etlmographique, and the Musee 1 Chinois, which are not of general interest to an English I traveller. 154 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. The Sculpture Galleries on the ground floor of the Louvre are entered by the Pavilion Deno^i., on the r. of the Place du Carrousel. Following the gallery on the 1 ., adorned with fragments or copies of antique sculpture, ascending several steps, and leaving the new staircase to the r., we descend to a series of halls filled with sculpture, and generally named from the most important work they contain. The most remarkable of all these is the beautiful Venus of Milo (136), found Feb. 1820, near the mountain- village of Castro, in the island of Melos. The Salle des Cariatides is the room where FTenri IV. was married to Marguerite de Valois : the beautiful caryatides which sustained its tribune, are the masterpieces of Jean Goujon. In a window of this room is (374) The Borghese Hermaphrodite. The Miisee de Sculpture du Moyen Age et de la Re- naissance is entered from the S. facade of the court of the Louvre, on the E. side of the S. gate. It is full of interest to anyone who has travelled much in France. The tombs and sculptures removed from still existing churches in Paris would be of much greater interest in the places for which they were intended, but, in the city of constant revolutions, they are safer here. The Egyptian Museum of Sculpture is entered from the E. side of the Court of the Louvre, by the door on the r. as you face S. Germain I’Auxerrois. The collection is magnificent. The museum forms a complete encyclopaedia of the religion, arts, and customs of the Egyptians. In the Salle Henri IV. the hieroglyphics on the granite sphinx from Tanis (numbered 2^a) record the name of King Meneptah, under whom the exodus of the Israelites took PARIS. 155 ;| place, and that of Sheshouk L, the Shishak who was the conqueror of Rehoboam. The Sa//e PApis is called after the bull in the centre, sacred to Ptah, the god of Memphis. Facing the entrance of the Egyptian collection is that of the Micsee Assyrien. Most of the objects here come from the Palace of King Sargon VIII. (b.c. 722 — 705) at Khorsabad, or from that of Sardanapalus V. (vii. c.) at Nineveh. Most magnificent are the four winged bulls, whose heads are supposed to be portraits of kings. From the north side of the Court of the Louvre is the entrance of the Miisee de Gravure ou de Chalcographie. The Sculpture Moderne Fran^aise is reached on the N. of the Pavilion Sully, on the W. of the Court of the Louvre, and contains the best works of Puget, Coysevox, Coustou, etc. Facing the E. front of the palace — ‘ La Colonnade du Louvre,' built by Claude Perrault, under the ministry of Colbert — is the parish church of the Louvre, S. Germam r Auxerrois, founded in 560 by S. Germain of Paris, in memory of his great namesake of Auxerre. But the earliest parts of the present building are the tower against the S. wall, the choir, and the principal entrance, of early xiii. c. ; the chapels of the nave are xv. c. ; the picturesque and cha- racteristic porch, built by Jean Gaussel (1435), the facade, transepts, and chapels of choir, are of xv. c. and xvi. c. The interior has been too much restored to be of much interest, and its roodloft by Jean Goujon, and most of its ancient tombs, have perished ; but it has still a greater air of antiquity than most Parisian churches. It was the bell of S. Germain which (Aug. 24, 1572) gave the first signal 156 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. for the massacre of S. Bartholomew. The body of Concim', the unpopular minister of Marie de Medicis, buried here after his murder, was torn from the grave on the following day by the people. II. OLD PARIS — THE EAST END. Starting from the part of the Rue S. Honore most frequented by the English, towards the eastern or older quarters of Paris, we pass, on 1 . of the Rue S. Honore, the Church of S. Each, founded by Louis XIV. in 1633. Its second Chapel (r.) contains the tomb of Cardinal Dubois, the infamous minister of the Orleans Regency. Crossing the Place Royale, we see, on 1 ., the Ei/e Jean- Jacques Rousseau^ where Rousseau lived for a time in 1776. On the r. of the Rue S. Honore is the Church of the Oratoire., built by Le Mercier under Louis XHL, and always famous for its preachers, who, of late years, have been Protestants. The Rue de PArbre Sec (r.) marks a famous place of execution, where a guillotine stood en permanence. On 1 ., the Rue Sauval leads to the circular au BTe^ recently transformed into a Bourse, which occupies the site of the Hotel de Nesle, built by Queen Blanche of Castille, and pulled down by Catherine de Medicis, who built the Hotel de Soissons on its site. Of this second palace, a fluted column remains, erected by Bullant in 1572, and said to have been used for the observations of PARIS. 157 Catherine’s 'astrologer. The vast neighbouring market — Les Halles Centrales — occupies the site of the famous Cimetiere des Innocents, of which the only memorial is the Fontaine des Innoceyits.^ adorned with sculpture by Jean Goujon, and now removed to the square at the S.E. corner of the Halles. Behind the Halles rises the huge renaissance Church of S. EUSTACHE. S. Eustache (1532 — 1642), striking from its vast size and richness, and containing (in a chapel behind the altar) the tomb of the famous minister Colbert, 1683. In the Rue Etienne Marcel, which crosses the Rue de Turbigo (running N.E. from S. Eustache), is a fine old tower, which is a relic of the Hotel de Bourgogne^ inhabited by Jean sans Peur. It was in the part (then much narrower) of the Rue S. 158 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. Honore, beyond the entrance of the Rue de la Tonnellerie that Henri IV. was murdered, May 14, 1610. The Rue S. Denis, which opens on L, contains the small gothic church of SS. Leu et Gilles of xvi. c. and xviii. c. Near the entrance of the next street, Rue S. Martin, is the Church of S. Merri, of which the bells have sounded the war-note of many -revolutions. Far up this street on r. is S. Nicolas des Champs, a fine church of xv. c. and xvi. c., adjoining the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers (open from 10 to 4), which occupies the buildings of the Priory of S. Martin-des- Champs, the xiii. c. refectory being used as a library, and the XIII. c. church — with choir and chapels of xi. c., being the earliest examples of Gothic architecture in Paris — as a museum. Crossing into the Rue du Temple and turning S., on the r. is (No. 71) the noble xvii. c. Hotel de S. Aignan. A little higher up the street, the Rue de Braque diverges E. to a picturesque gateway which is the only remnant of the Hotel de Clisson, which dated from 1371. This was afterwards united with the Hotel de Guise, from which the Due de Guise issued the order for the massacre of S. Bartholomew. The hotel, known in later years as Hotel de Soubise, is now occupied by the Archives Nationales, of which the museum is open to. the public on Sundays from twelve to three. S. of the Musee des Archives, the Rue de FHomme Arme descends to the Rue des Billettes, where (1.) the door on 1. of the church portal leads into a beautiful little xv. c. Cloister which belonged to a Carmelite convent. In the upper part of the Rue du Temple we find (r.) a square, which occupies part of the site of the famous citadel of the Knights Templar, the principal PARIS. 159 tower of which, surviving the destruction of the rest, became the prison for Louis XVI. and his family in Aug. 1793- Crossing by the Rue de Bretagne (which runs along he lower side of the Jardin du Temple) into the Ilife Vieille du Tanple, we find (1.), in the Rue des Coutures S. Gervais, the Ecole Centrale des Arts et Ma7iufactures-, occupying the old Hotel de Fontenay. No. 87 in the Rue Vieille du Temple is the Palais Cardinal, of 1712, i6o NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. which belonged to the famous Cardinal de Rohan, and is now occupied by the Imprimerie Nationale} No. 47 is called the Hotel de HoUande.^ from having been the residence of the ambassador of Holland under Louis XIV. HOTEL BARBETTE. At the entrance of the Rue des Francs Bourgeois is a still existing remnant of the beautiful old Hotel Ba)'bette., originally built by Etienne Barbette, master of the mint, in 1298. It was here, at ‘ le petit sejour de la reine/ that the Shown, with an order, at 2 p.m. on Thursdays. PARIS. i6i wicked Isabeau de Baviere, wife of Charles VI., received the visits of her brother-in-law, Louis d’Orleans, after one of which he was murdered in the street by the emissaries of the Due de Bourgogne. There are many other admirable old houses in the Rue des Francs Bourgeois, especially, at the corner of the Rue Pavee, thd Hotel de Lamoignon^ built by Diane de France, daughter of Henri II. and Philippa Due. Close by was the site of the old hotel of the Due de la Force, which became one of the most terrible prisons of the Revolution, and the place where the Princesse de Lamballe, the devoted friend of Marie Antoinette, was murdered. At the corner of the Rue des Francs Bourgeois and Rue de Sevigne is the admirable Hotel Carnavalet, built 1544 from designs of Pierre Lescot and De Bullant, and the residence of Mme. de Sevigne from 1677 to 1698. II NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. 162 It is now occupied as a Musk Municipal, chiefly devoted to memorials of the great Revolution, and open from eleven to four on Thursdays and Sundays. Removed from the Palais de Justice to the centre of the screen of its garden, is the Arc de Nazareth, a masterpiece of Jean Goujon. The Rue des Francs Bourgeois ends in the Place des Vosges, formerly Place Royale, constructed under Henri IV. on the site of the famous Palais des Tournelles, where Louis XII. and Henri II. died. In the centre of the square a statue of Charles X. replaces that of Louis XHL, destroyed in the Revolution. Behind the square the Rue des Tournelles contains (No. 28) the old Hotel de Nmon de VEnctos. The Rue des Tournelles falls into the Place de la Bastille, with the Colonne de Juillet — 1840) in its centre. This was the site of the celebrated fortress-prison of the Bastille, destroyed by the people in 1789. The Pue S. Antoine leads W. from the Place to the Rue de Rivoli, having on 1 . the Church of the Visitation, close to which is (No. 212) the Hotel de Mayenne, built by Du Cerceau. On the r. is (No. 143) the Hotel de Sully or de Bethu 7 ie, built from designs of Du Cerceau for the Due de Sully, the famous minister of Henri IV. Its courtyard is rich in stately sculpture. Another hotel in the Rue S. Antoine is (No. 62) the Hotel de Beauvais, of the time of Louis XIII. Opposite the Hotel de Sully, the Rue de S. Paul passes over the site of the famous palace of Charles VI., called the Hotel de S. Paul, his menagerie being commemorated in the Rue des Lions, and his gardens in the Rue des BeautreilHs and de la Cerisaie. The magnificent church PARIS. 163 of S. Pauir where all the Dauphins, from Philippe de Valois to Louis XI., were baptized, is entirely destroyed. Near the end of the Rue de S. Paul (1.), still stands the Hotel de Vieuville of the time of Henri III., and facing the neighbouring quay, the stately Hotel de Lavalette, built under the regency of Anne of Austria. Opposite this, HOTEL DE SULLY. the Rue de Sully is bordered (on r.) by the buildings called the Arsenal, which belonged, in part, to the official hotel of the great Sully, ‘who was made Grand Master of Artillery by Henri IV. The greater part of the hotel was rebuilt in the time of the Regent d’Orleans, but the rooms once occupied by Sully and Henri IV. are pre served, and are very beautiful and interesting. 'Phe main 164 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. buildings are now occupied by the public library known as Bihliotheqiie de Paulmy. In the Rue de Figuier, behind the Rue de S. Paul, are the remains of the Hotel de Sens, which was bought from the archbishops of Sens to be incorporated with the HOTEL DE SENS. palace, but restored to them upon the destruction of the rest of the Hotel de S. Paul. Under Henri IV. this was for a time the residence of his repudiated wife Marguerite de Valois. Close by, facing the Rue S. Antoine, is the Church of S. Paul and S. Louis, ‘ Les Grands Jesuites,’ of 1627-41. Two pillars at the end of the nave have inscriptions commemorating the famous preacher Bour- daloue, 1704, and Huet, Bishop of Avranches, 1721. At PARIS. 165 No. 102 Rue S. Antoine is the entrance of the Passage Charlemagne, crossing the courtyard of the old Hotel du Prevot de Paris., of which the remains, of the time of Frangois I., are highly picturesque and interesting. The S. side of the hotel opens upon the Rue Charlemagne, leading to the Rue de Jouy, where 'we find ( 1 .) the Hotel d'Aumont, a fine work of Mansart, now used as the Pharmacie Generale. In the Rue Geoffroy d’Asnier ( 1 .) is the XVII. c. Hotel de Ltixembourg^ opposite which a passage leads to the Church of SS. Gervais and Protais, chiefly xvi. c., with a portico Mded in 1616 by Salomon de Brosse. The interior is remarkable for the vault- ing and pendants of its apse. Paul Scarron, the first husband of Mine, de Maintenon, is buried in a chapel on the 1. We now reach the Hotel de Ville., a noble specimen of modern French renaissance, rebuilt after the destruction (May 24, 1871) of its more magnificent predecessor by the Communists. The place in front of it was once the Place de Greve, famous for many appalling executions. The magnificent Tour de S. Jacques (1508-22), which rises before us, is the sole remnant of the Church of S. Jacques de la Boucherie. The Boulevard de Sebastopol leads past the tower to the Place de Chatelet, com- memorating the ancient fortress of Le Grand Chatelet. Here is one of the principal entrances to Les Egouts — in which the astonishing drainage system of Paris is shown once a week in summer. Visitors must make a written application to the Pr^fet de la Seine, who will send a card of admittance announcing the time and starting- point. NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. 1 66 III. THE FAUBOURG S. ANTOINE. Beyond the Place de la Bastille opens the Faubourg S. Antoine^ at the entrance of which the great barricade of 1847 was erected, whence, as he was exhorting the people to peace. Archbishop Affre was mortally wounded. The Rue de la Roquette leads to Pere Lachaise, passing the Prison of La Roquette, where Archbishop Darboy and his companions were murdered by the Communists, May 24, 1871. Pere Lachaise is the largest and richest of Parisian cemeteries, and is named from a famous superior of the Jesuits, to whom the land belonged in the time of Louis XIV. Those who wish to find any special grave in the cemetery should take a guide at the gate. The tombs, chiefly pagan in aspect, are without beauty or cha- racter. Near a walk on r. is the canopied monument which covers the remains of Abelard and Heloise, moved hither from the Paraclete. The Rue du Faubourg S. Antoine leads from the Place de la Bastille to the Place de la Nation, where 1,300 victims of the Reign of Terror were guillotined. Many of these, belonging to noble families, are buried in the interesting Cimetih'e de Picpus, belonging to a convent of the Sacre Coeur and entered from 35 Rue de Picpus. The grave of Charles Comte de Montalembert may be seen in the same place. PARIS. 167 IV. THE ISLANDS AND THE FAUBOURG S. MARCEL. The principal island in the Seine, which in early times bore the name of Lutece, was the cradle of Paris. The town spread beyond the bounds of the island from Roman times onwards, but the island has ever remained the axis of the kingdom, the point whence the laws were disseminated and where the metropolitan cathedral has existed for fifteen centuries. In early times two islets broke the force of the river beyond the western point of the lie de la Cite. On one of these, the lie aux Trebles, Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Templars, and Guy, Dauphin d’Auvergne, were burnt alive, March ii, 1314. The islets were artificially united to the lie de la Cite, when Androuet du Cerceau was employed to build the Pont Neuf in the reign of Henri III. The bridge was finished in 1604 for Henri IV., whose equestrian statue was erected here after his murder. This famous and much revered statue perished in the Revolution, but the present statue was made in imitation of it after the Restoration. The Place Daiiphine., which Henri IV. built at the point of the island, occupied the site of the royal garden where S. Louis used to administer justice in the open air. There was a palace here in Roman times, probably inhabited by the Emperor Julian. From the time of Dagobert many of the early kings lived here ; but very little of the ancient building remains. The main portal of the existing Palace is approached through a Cour i68 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. d’Honneur. The interior can be visited daily from ten to four, except on Sundays and holidays. A passage on 1 . leads to the advocates’ library, and on r. to the lower story, of the Salle des Pas Pej'dus^ rebuilt, after its destruction under the Commune, on the lines of the reconstruction (1622) of the famous hall called Grande Salle du Palais, erected in the time of Philippe le Bel, where all the great solemnities of the monarchy were carried out, and to which the people were always admitted. The existing hall contains statues of Malesherbes (the defender of Louis XVI.) and Berryer. Leaving the hall by the gallery which runs parallel to the Cour d’Honneur, and turning at once to the r. by the Galerie Marchande or des Merciers — named from the tradesmen who once had stalls there — we reach a new Salle des Pas Perdus^ the work of Due, decorated at one end with statues of S. Louis and Philippe-Auguste, at the other with those of Charlemagne and Napoleon I. Grouped around this hall are the different law courts. The Galerie S. Louis (on the r. of the Galerie des Marchands) reproduces the style of the time of Louis IX. From the time of S. Louis, parliament shared the palace with the king, and after the accession of Henri II., who lived entirely at the Hotel des Tournelles, it was left in sole possession. But the parliament perished with the Revolution, which it had contributed to bring about. Suspended by a law of Nov. 3, 1789, it was suppressed on Aug. 29 following. Then the terrible massacres in the prisons were organised in the former hotel of its President, and the tribunal of executioners sat in the Cour de Mai, at the foot of the grand staircase, opposite what was then PARIS. the principal entrance to the Conciergerie. From March 1791, the revolutionary tribunal met in the Grand Chamber, which — much altered otherwise — still retained the vaulted roof of Louis XII. It was here that Charlotte Corday, Marie Antoinette, the Girondins, Mme. Roland, and hundreds of others, were tried in turn, in sittings by day and night, and hence Fouquier emerged so fatigued with his horrible task, that on passing the Pont-Neuf he would declare that instead of water he saw the Seine rolling blood. Two parasite buildings, the Conciergerie and the Cour d’ Appel, are now annexed to the Palais de Justice. The Conciergerie^ takes its name from the house of the con- ‘ The Conciergerie can only be visited on Thursdays from 12 to 4, with an order from the Prefecture de Police. 170 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. cierge in the time of the royal residence here. It has always been a prison, but all its other associations are lost in those which were attached to it by the great Revolution. The cell in which Marie Antoinette suffered her seventy- five days’ agony — from Aug. 2 till Oct. 15, when she was condemned — was turned into a chapelle expiatoire in 1816. The lamp still exists which lighted the august prisoner, and enabled her guards to watch her through the night. The door still exists (though changed in position) which was cut transversely in half and the upper part fixed that the queen might be forced to bend in going out, because she had said that whatever indignities they might inflict upon her, they could never force her to bend her head. After her condemnation, Marie Antoinette was not brought back to this chamber. It was a far more miserable cell which saw her write her last touching farewell to Mine. Elisabeth. But this was the room in which the Girondins spent their last night, when, as Riouffe, himself in the prison at the time, says, ‘Toute cette nuit affreuse retentit de leurs chants, et s’ils les interrompaient c’etait pour s’entretenir de leur patrie.’ The adjoining cell, now used as a sacristy, was the prison of Robespierre. Lighted by narrow windows from the same inner court of the prison are cells occupied in turn by Bailly, Males- herbes, Mme. Elisabeth, Mine. Roland, Camille Desmoulins, Danton, and Fcibre d’Eglantine. In 1792, 288 prisoners were massacred here. Afterwards George Cadoudal was im- prisoned here. The Comte de la Valette was rescued from hence by the courage of his wife. In later days Louvel, the assassin of the Due de Berri, Teste, Beranger, and PARIS. 171 Proudhon, have been amongst the prisoners of the Conciergerie. If we now turn to the 1 . by one of the three vaulted passages which lead from the Cour d’Honneur, we shall find the Sainte Chapelle (open to the public daily, except Monday and Friday, from 12 to 4),' which, in spite of a restoration almost amounting to renewal, is still one of the most beautiful buildings in France. It was the reception of the Crown of Thorns from Jean de Brienne, Emperor of Constantinople, and a great portion of the True Cross from his successor Baudouin, which made S. Louis determine to build a shrine worthy to contain them. Pierre de Montereau was employed as an architect, and the Sainte Chapelle, begun in 1242, was finished in 1247. The two stories of the building, forming two chapels, were consecrated April 25, 1248, the upper under the title of S. Couronne and S. Croix, the lower under that of S. Marie. No external stair leads to the upper chapel, because it was the royal oratory opening from the palace. We ascend, by an inner staircase, to the platform of the upper, porch, a vast covered balcony, forming the real approach, by which the royal family entered, and com- municating on the N. with the palace galleries. Hence the upper chapel is entered by a gothic double portal. It is a mass of gilding, and is harmonious in colour from the fifteen stained windows, which, as far as possible, are restorations of the old windows mutilated during and after the Revolution. Under the windows of the fourth bay on either side the nave are niches, containing the places of honour reserved for the king and queen. In the fifth bay (r.) a grille permitted Louis XL to assist. 172 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. unseen, at mass. One of the little tourelles at the sides of the shrine, that on the N., still contains the actual wooden stair which was ascended by S. Louis, when he went to take from its tabernacle the Crown of Thorns, which he, and he alone, was permitted to exhibit to the people below, through a large pane of glass, purposely inserted and always movable, in the end window of the apse. The centre of the island, till recently filled with laby- rinthine alleys of quaint old buildings, is now intersected by broad, featureless streets, and many ancient sites are swallowed up by the vast modern edifice of the Hotel Dieu. The Cathedral of Notre Dame rises on the spot where Prudentius, eighth bishop of Paris, built a church in 375, on the site of a pagan temple. A more magnificent build- ing was begun in 1163, but was not finished till the beginning of the reign of S. Louis, whose funeral service was performed here. On the splendid fagade. La Galerie des Rois (de Juda, as being ancestors of Notre Dame), surmounts the three portals, that in the centre being the Porte de Jugement^ that on the 1 . the unrivalled Portail de la Flerge, that on the r. de S. Anne or S. Marcel. The splendid portal of the N. transept is also devoted to the history of the Virgin, and beyond it is the graceful Porte Rouge, a masterpiece of early xiv. c. The S. fagade bears, with the date 1257, the name of the only known architect of Notre Dame— Jean de Chelles. On entering the church from the sunlit square the ex- treme darkness is at first almost oppressive, then infinitely imposing. The chief light comes from above, from the PARIS. 173 windows of the clerestory, which, in the choir, are filled with gorgeous stained glass. The five aisles, with their many pillars, afford most picturesque cross views. In the choir Henry VI. of England (1431), when only ten years old, was crowned king of France. The whole building, now so bare of historic memorials, was formerly paved with sepulchral NOTRE DAME. stones, and the church was filled with magnificent monu- ments, which have nearly all perished. The form is a Latin cross. The central aisle is of great width, and besides the chapels, there are double side-aisles, above which run the immense galleries of the triforium, united at the transept walls by very narrow passages. The choir retains some of its wood carving, executed under Louis XIII., from designs of Jean de Goulon. The group called Le Voeu 174 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. de Louis XIII. consists of a Descent from the Cross by Nicolas Coustou. The kneeling figure of Louis XIII. is by Guillaume Coustou, that of Louis XIV. by Antoine Coysevox. The tapestries hung up on festivals were given by Napoleon I. The dead Christ in gilt copper comes from the chapel of Louvois in the Capucines of the Place Vendome. Enclosing the west end of the choir is part of the curious xiv. c. screen, sculptured by Jean Ravy, a remnant of that destroyed under Louis XIV. Behind the sanctuary is the tomb of Archbishop Matiffas de Buci, 1304, and in the choir chapels are a number of monuments to archbishops who have ruled the see during the last hundred years. The Treasury of Notre Dame is open from 10 to 4 (50 c.) except on Sundays and holidays. It was despoiled at the Revolution, but a few of the most precious objects escaped, and others have since been collected from other churches. It is approached through the E. arcade of a little cloister, with stained glass representing the story of S. Genevieve. The greatest relics of all, the Crown of Thorns given to S. Louis and brought hither from the Sainte Chapelle, and the nail of the True Cross which belonged to the abbey of S. Denis, are only exposed on Fridays in Lent. The other treasures include the gold XII. c. cross of the Emperor Manuel Comnenus, be- queathed by Anne de Gonzague to S. Germain-des-Pres in 1683 ; the relic of the True Cross sent to Galon, bishop of Paris, in 1109; the cross, in wood and copper, of Bishop Elides de Sully; the discipline of S. Louis; the crucifix which S. Vincent de Paul held over Louis XIII. when he was dying; the coronation mantle of Napoleon I., PARIS, 175 and the chasuble which Pius VII. wore at the coronation ; chasubles embroidered in xv. c. and xvi. c. ; the pastoral cross of Archbishop Affre ; the dress worn by Archbishops Affre, Sibour, and Darboy in their last moments, with the marks left by the instruments of their death ; the magni- ficent silver image of the Virgin and Child given by Charles X. 1821; the ostensoir given by Napoleon I., and many magnificent church vestments and services of church plate presented by Napoleon I. and Napoleon III. on occasion of marriages, baptisms, etc. It is well worth while to ascend the Towers of Notre Dame. The entrance (40 c.) is on the N. side of the N. tower, 1 . of portal. The staircase is easy. On the first landing is a large chamber, containing an admirable little spiral staircase giving access to the roofs. A gallery, with a glorious view, runs round the final base of the towers and across the W. fagade. It is worth while to have accomplished the ascent if only to make the acquaintance of the extraordinary population of strange beasts and birds which guard the parapet. Two hundred and ninety- seven steps have to be mounted before reaching the summit of the S. tower, 223 ft. in height. This tower contains the great bell, ‘ le bourdon de Notre Dame,’ which has announced all the great French victories. The famous ‘Jacqueline,’ given in 1400, was named after Jacqueline de la Grange, wife of its donor, Jean de Montaigu (brother of Bishop G^-ard), beheaded at the Halles in 1409 ; but when recast, in 1686, the bell was called ‘Emmanuel Louise-Therese,’ in honour of Louis XIV. and his queen. A smaller bell shown here was brought from Sebastopol, and is of Russian workmanship. 176 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. Behind the cathedral is the Place Notre Dame^ with a gothic fountain of 1843. Here, at the end of the garden, shuddering figures are always pressing against the windows of a low one-storied building. It is the Morgue^ where bodies found in the river or streets are exposed for recog- nition during three days. The name Morgue comes from the old French word for visage. Formerly at the entrance of all the prisons was a chamber called the Morgue, where, on their arrival, prisoners were detained for some minutes, that their physiognomies might be well studied for after- recognition. The bodies here are seen through a glass screen, and a powerful refrigerating apparatus admits of their being preserved for a long time, to facilitate judicial PARIS. 177 inquiries. More than 300 is the average of bodies annually exposed. Nothing can be more appalling than the interior of the Morgue, where death is seen in its utmost horror. The Isle S, Louis^ which belonged to the chapter of Paris, remained uninhabited till the xvii. c. At the end of its long, quiet street is a garden, shading the front of the Hotel Lainbert., magnificently restored by the Czartoriski family. This hotel was built in the middle of the xvii. c., by Levau, for the President Lambert de Thorigny, and all the great artists of the time — Lebrun, Le Sueur, Franqois Perier, and the Flemish sculptor Van Obtal — were em- ployed in its decorations. The Galerie de Lebrun retains all the decorations by that great artist, the ceiling repre- senting the marriage of Hercules and Hebe. Only a few paintings in grisaille remain from the hand of Le Sueur, all his larger works having been taken hence to the Louvre. From the eastern point of the Isle S. Louis, the Pont de la Tournelle leads to the south bank ot the Seine, where, on the Quai de la Tournelle (r.) is the Hotel Pimodan., or Nesmond^ of the age of Henri IV. A little to the 1 . is the vast Halle anx Vlns, close to which is the Jardin des Plantes (open daily from 1 1 to 7 in summer, II to 5 in winter), the charming Botanical Garden of Paris, founded by Richelieu at the instigation of Labrosse, physician to Louis XI H. — especially attractive to botanists from its unrivalled collections of wild and herbaceous plants. The Natural History Collections^ which occupy the W. portion of the gardens, are open from i to 4, the gallery of savage beasts being open on Thursdays only, when they are not to be seen outside. 12 178 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. Turning L, behind the gardens, to the Boulevard S. Marcel, and following it (r.) for some distance, we shall find on the 1 . the Avenue des Gobelins., on the r. of which is the Manufacture Generale des Gobelins, open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 12 to 3. The work existed in France long before the time of Gilles Gobelin, who lived in the middle of the xv. c. ; but he acquired a fortune by the manufacture, in the art of which he in- structed all the members of his own family, and henceforth his name was connected with it. It was long supposed that the waters of the little stream Bievre, which flows by the establishment, had peculiar properties for the use of dyeing ; but the stream is now so adulterated that Seine water is used instead. The establishment comprises a school, and ateliers for the three branches of the art — the dyeing, the tapestry, and the carpet manufacture called Savonnerie, from the house at Chaillot, to which this part of the industry was at one time removed. Much of the old tapestry pre- served here was destroyed by the Communists in 1871. The best remaining pieces are of the time of Louis XIV., with two of Louis XIII., and are taken from the works of eminent French painters — Poussin, Vouet, Lebrun, Mignard, Lefebre, Rigaud, Coypel, Oudry, Boucher, etc. There are a few pieces of Flemish and Florentine tapestry, chiefly of XVII. c. Returning down the Avenue des Gobelins, on the r. is the Church of S. Medard (the S. Swithin of France), founded before the xii. c., but consisting at present of a gothic nave with aisles of the xvi. c. In the little churchyard adjoining, the bienheureux deacon Paris was buried, at whose grave numbers of enthusiastic Jansenists came to pray in 1727, PARIS. 179 believing that miracles were wrought there, and exciting themselves into such religious frenzy, that as many as 800 persons were sometimes seen in convulsions together around the tomb. The Rue Pascal ( 1 .) and the Bouleva.rd de Port Royal (r.) lead to the grille ( 1 .) of the Val de Grace^ once a Bene- dictine abbey, founded by Anne of Austria, who promised a ‘ temple au Seigneur ’ if, after twenty-two years of sterile married life, she should give birth to a son. The birth of Louis XIV. was the supposed result. After the suppression of the abbey at the Revolution, its buildings were turned into a school of medicine and a military hospital. The first stone of the Church (not open before 12) was laid for his mother by Louis XIV. in 1645, when he was seven years old. Francois Mansart was its original architect and began the work, which was continued by Jacques Lemercier, and completed by Pierre Lemuet, for it was not finished till 1665. The faqade is inscribed ‘Jesu nascenti Virginique Matri,’ and all the decorations of the interior have reference to the birth of Christ, in allusion to that of Louis XIV. The dome, which has considerable beauty, and is the most important in Paris after the Pantheon and the Invalides, is covered with paintings by Pierre Mignard, representing Anne of Austria (assisted by S. Louis) offering the church to the Trinity in her gratitude, in the presence of all Catholic Christendom, portrayed in two hundred figures. In the Rue Val de Grace and Rue d’Enfer was the Church of Notre Dame des Carmelites., with the convent where Mile, de la Valliere, mistress of Louis XIV., took the veil in 1675 Soeur Marie de la Misericorde, and where she died in 1710. A little xvii. c. chapel still stands, said to be i8o NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. that in which the remains of Sister Louise formerly reposed. Close to this was the convent of Port Royal de Paris, wLere the saintly Angelique Arnauld died in i66i. A little S.W. of the Val de Grace is the Observatoire.^ built after the ideas of Colbert and designs of the physician Perrault (1667-72). It was in the Alike de T Observatoire that Marshal Ney was CHAPEL OF LES CARMES. executed, Nov. 21, 1815. statue by Rude marks the spot. Just outside the Barriere d’Enfer, close to the Observa toire (in the garden of the W. octroi building) is the prin- cipal entrance to the Catacombs} formed out of the ancient stone-quarries which underlie — about 200 acres — a great part of Paris between this and the Jardin des Plantes. The sinking of these galleries in the latter part of the last " Visible the first and third Saturdays of every month, PARIS. i8i I I century made it necessary to consolidate them, and gave rise to the idea of using them as cemeteries, when it became necessary to transport the bones in the Cimetiere des Innocents to some other site. The catacombs were I solemnly consecrated April 7, 1786, since which they have I become a vast ossuary. Ninety steps lead down from the j level of the Barriere d’Enfer. Each set of bones has an inscription, saying whence and when it was brought here, with poetical inscriptions from different French authors. A little S. of the Boulevard Montparnasse, which leads from the Observatoire to the Invalides, on the Boulevard to Montrouge, is the Cimetiere Mont Parnasse (du Sud), opened 1824, on the suppression of the Cimetiere Vau- girard. Amongst the tombs are those of the famous Jesuit preacher Pere de Ravignan, the Pere Gratry, Edgar Quinet, and the artist Henri Regnault, killed in the siege of Paris, Jan. 19, 1871. Near the entrance (r.), behind the family tomb of Henri Martin, the historian, is a place railed in as the burial-place of the Sisters of Charity, amongst whom lies Soeur Rosalie (Rendu), the ‘ mother of the poor,’ who has probably influenced a greater number of persons for good than any woman of the present century. V. THE UNIVERSITY. The University has given its name to the district in which most of its teachers and scholars resided, a district i 82 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. now outwardly blended with the surrounding streets and houses, but which was once defined as including all the space within the wall of Philippe-Auguste on the 1 . bank of the Seine. The Boulevard S. Michel and the Boulevard S. Germain, the Rue des fcoles and the Rue Monge have put Old Paris to flight, by cutting into this thickly-packed quarter, with wide streets and featureless houses, destroying endless historic landmarks in their course. The greater part of its interesting buildings, however, had already disappeared, either during the Revolution, or in the great clearance made on the building of the Pantheon. Little that is mediaeval re- mains, and not one of the forty colleges of the time of Francois L, is in existence. Yet a walk through this quarter of the ‘ Civitas philosophorum ’ will still recall many historic associations from the very names which are met on the way, whilst here and there a precious relic of the past will still be found in its place. Crossing the island by the Rue de la Cite and passing the Petit Pont, the first turn 1 . is the Rue de la Bucherie, on r. of which, in a courtyard, is the deserted Church of S. JuUen le Paiivre (which can only be seen with an order from the Directeur of the Hotel-Dieu). It long served as a chapel to the Hotel-Dieu, and once belonged to a priory attached to the abbey of Longchamps, in which in the xiii. c. and xiv. c. the general assemblies of the University were held. The church was built towards the end of the xii. c. on the site of a basilica of the iii. c. Its portal and tower were demolished in 1675. The interior consists of a nave of four bays, with side aisles, ending in three apses, and containing several curious PARIS. 183 sculptures of xiv. c. and xv. c. The demolition of this beautiful and important church is threatened. The neighbouring Rue de Fouarre was the site of the famous school, held in the straw market, where both his earliest biographers, Boccaccio and Villani, affirm that Dante attended the lectures of Sigef de Brabant. Turning (r.) into the Boulevard S. Germain, we find on r. the apse of the Church of S. Nicolas du Chardonnet^ founded 1230, but in its present state a very handsome specimen of the end of the xvii. c., when it was rebuilt, except the tower, by Lebrun the artist, who is buried in the fourth chapel on the 1. of the choir, with a bust by Coysevox. Close by, is the striking and. terrible monument of his mother, by Callignon and Tuby. In the second chapel r. of the choir, is the tomb, by Girardon, of Jerome Bignon, 1656. The poet Santeuil, who died at Dijon in 1697, also lies in this church. Following the Boulevard S. Germain (r.), the Rue de Boutebric leads ( 1 .) to the fine church of S. Severin, one of the best gothic buildings in Paris, said to occupy the site of a hermitage where S. Severin lived in the vi. c. The church has been frequently enlarged and modernised, but the three western compartments of the nave, the tri. forium of the fourth, with the tower, portal, and lower part of the fagade, are of 1210 ; the rest of the nave, aisles, and choir probably of 1347 ; the apse and its chapels, of 1489. The early xiii. c. portal of the fagade formerly belonged to S. Pierre aux Boeufs in the Cite, and was brought here on the destruction of that church in 1837 ; but the bas-relief of the tympanum is modern. On the 1 . of the Boulevard S. Germain is the garden 1 84 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. in front of the ETotel de Clun)\ which is entered from the Rue de Sommerard, and open daily to the public except on Mondays and fete-days — from ii to 5 from April i to Sept. 30; from ii to 4 from Oct. i to March 31. The Abbots of Cluny bought the site of the old Roman baths, and built a palace there as their town residence, finished under Jacques d’Amboise, brother of the minister of Louis XII. Coming seldom to Paris, however, the Abbots let their hotel to various distinguished personages: thus Mary of England, widow of Louis XII. , lived there for a time after her husband’s death, and was married there to Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk. Here, also, James V. of Scotland was married to Madeleine, daughter of Francois I. The Cardinal de Lorraine, his nephew the Due de Guise, and the Due d’Aumale, were living here in 1565. Afterwards the hotel was inhabited by actors, then by nuns of Port Royal. In the early part of the XIX. c. the illustrious antiquarian M. de Sommerard bought the hotel and filled it with his beautiful collection of works of art, and the whole was purchased by the State after his death. Entering a gate surmounted by the arms of the Abbey of Cluny, we find the principal building flanked by two wings. A many-sided tower projects from the front, con- taining a stone staircase, and bearing the rose-medallions and cockle-shells of S. James, in allusion to the builder, Jacques d’Amboise. Opposite to this is an old well from the manor of Tristan I’Hermite, near Amboise. The building on the E. is the most richly decorated. On the N. side of the hotel are a beautiful bay-window and a vaulted hall called la chapelle lasse, the upper floor PARIS. 185 being supported on a single column, on the capital of which are seen the arms of Jacques d’Amboise and a crowned K (Karolus) for Charles VIII. The interior of the hotel is as interesting as the exterior. The room called Chamhre de la Reine Blanche takes its / HOTEL DE CLUNY (EAST WING). name from the white weeds of the widowed Queens of France, which Mary of England wore when she inhabited it. In the exquisite chapel, the vaulting rests on a single pillar. All the principal rooms in this beautiful and har- monious old house are now occupied by an archaeological museum of the greatest interest. The l)uilding, furniture, and ornaments are in perfect keeping. The precious NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. 1 86 contents are all named and catalogued, but not arranged according to their numbers. The Roman remains, always known as Palais des Thermes^ in the garden adjoining the Hotel de Cluny, probably belong to buildings erected a.d. 300, when Paris was a Gallo-Roman town, by Constantins Chlorus. It has been sometimes affirmed that the Emperor Julian the Apostate was proclaimed and resided here, but it is far more probable that he lived on the island in the Seine, and that these buildings were simply those of magnificent baths. The most perfect part of the baths is a great hall, decided to have been the frigidarium., which is exceedingly massive and majestic ; of the tepidarium., only the ruined walls remain. A Gallo-Roman museum, as well as a gothic museum, has been established amongst the ruins, and in the gardens are preserved other archi- tectural fragments, such as the portals of the old church of S. Benoit and of the College de Bayeux, three roman- esque arches from the Abbey of Argenteuil, etc. The door which leads to the garden from the court of the hotel comes from the destroyed house called Maison de la Reine Blanche. Ascending the Rue de la Sorbonne, into the heart of the Quartier Latin, we find ( 1 .) the Sorbonne — ‘ Le Louvre du corps enseignant,’ founded in 1256, by Robert de Sorbonne, almoner and confessor of S. Louis, who per- suaded the king, instead of founding a nunnery on that site, as he intended, to institute a charity — ‘ ad opus Congregationis pauperum magistrorum, Parisiensis, in theologia studentium.’ At first it was only a humble college for sixteen poor theological students, called la PARIS. 187 I I pauvre maison, and its professors pauvres maitres (‘ pauperes magistri ’) ; but these soon became celebrated, and the assembly of doctors of the Sorbonne formed a redoubtable I tribunal, which judged without appeal all theological I opinions and works, and did not hesitate to condemn I pope and kings. The collegiate buildings were recon- ! structed by Jacques Lemercier for Cardinal Richelieu, ! who was elected Grand-Master in 1622. The church, ! which has a stately dome, is entered from the principal quadrangle of the college, remarkable for its curious sun-dials, and is adorned internally with paintings of the Latin Fathers by Philippe de Champ aigne. The bare interior is very fine in its proportions. An inscription records the restoration of the church by Napoleon III., ‘regnante gloriosissime.’ The r. transept contains the tomb of Richelieu, by Frangois Girardbn (1694.) The cardinal is represented reclining in death in the arms of Religion, who holds the book he wrote in her defence. A weeping woman is intended for Science, and these two figures are portraits of the cardinal’s nieces, the Duchesses de Guyon and de Fronsac. In its time this was regarded as the finest monument of funereal sculpture in the world. The Rue de la Sorbonne leads to the Lycee Louis le Grand., whence the Rue S. Etienne-des-Gres will bring us by (1.) the College S. Ba7'be., and, skirting the N. side of the Pantheon, to the Church of S. l^tie7ine-du-Mont. This ‘ fine et delicate merveille de I’art frangais ’ was l)uilt (1517 — 1626) on the site of an earlier edifice of the xiii. c., which had l)een intended as a succursale to the adjoining church of S. Genevieve, that it might afford accommodation NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. 1 88 for its pilgrims. The existing church is a curious speci- men of renaissance, with a high gabled front of three stories (of which Queen Marguerite, first wife of Henri IV., laid the first stone) and a tall gothic tower flanked by a round tourelle. The building has been well described as ‘ a gothic church disguised in the trappings of classical details.’ The aisles are the whole height of the church. The triforium gallery merely runs from pillar to pillar along the sides of nave and choir, but is interrupted at the transepts. In the choir it is reached by twisted stair- cases wreathed round the pillars on either side of the eccentric rood-loft — the only one left in Paris — sculptured l)y Biard (1600-05). The pulpit, which Samson carries on his shoulders, was designed by Laurent de la Hire. The windows of the nave are round-headed, those of the choir pointed. Some of the windows have splendid examples of xv. c. and XVII. c. glass, and Cousin, Pinaigrier, and other great masters have worked on them : the earliest are in the apse. Against the wall of the S. aisle of the choir is the gravestone of Blaise Pascal, with a Latin inscription by Boileau, brought from the village church of Magny-les- Hameaux, to which it came from Port Royal : in the choir-aisles are the gravestones of Racine, who was buried behind the high altar, and Pascal, whose coffin was brought to the chapel of S. Jean Baptiste after the ruin of Port Royal. In the second chapel, on the r. of the choir, the modern gilt shrine of S. Genevieve, patroness of Paris, rises in gothic glory. Her original shrine was sent to the mint to be melted down in 1793. It was in this PARIS. 189 church, on the very steps of the altar, that Archbishop Sibour was murdered in 1857. Along the S. side of S. Etienne runs the Rue Clovis.^ at the end of which (r.), in a garden, a bit of the wall of Philippe-Auguste may be seen. Opposite the end of the street (in the upper part of the new Rue du Cardinal Lemoine) is the Institution Chevalier. Over its door, the inscription College des Ecossais^ in old characters, tells its former history. It was founded, in 1313, by David, Bishop 190 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. of Moray, for four poor scholars of his diocese desiring to study in Paris. Visitors are allowed to ascend the fine old oak staircase to the chapel (on the 1. of the first landing). It is like a college chapel at Oxford in its dark woodwork, stained glass, and picture (of the martyrdom of S. Andrew) over the altar. James II. of England, who died at S. Germain in 1701, bequeathed his brains to this chapel, where they were preserved in a gilt urn (given by the Duke of Perth) resting on a white marble obelisk, which stood on a black pedestal. Recently, in making a passage, the leaden case containing the brains of the king was found intact. A similar coffer which was found con- tained, it is believed, the heart of the Duchess of Perth, which formerly lay under an incised slab in the chapel floor. In the recess of one of the windows on the 1 . is an epitaph of a Monteith, mortally wounded at the siege of Dachstern in Alsace, in 1675. antechapel is the tomb of Frances Jennings, Duchess of Tyrconnell, sister of the famous Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, and lady-in-waiting to Queen Mary Beatrice (1731); and that, in black marble, which the faithful James Duke of Perth erected to his master moerens posuit ’), with a long epitaph describing the king’s gentleness and patience in adversity. In the Rue Clovis, opposite the Church of S. Etienne, are the buildings of the Zycee Henri IV., enclosing the beautiful Toiver of the destroyed church of S. Genevieve, which is romanesque at the base, but xrv. c. and xv. c. in its upper stories. The E. side of the Lycee, looking upon the quiet Rue Clotilde at the back of the Pantheon, occupies the site of the Abbaye de S. Genevieve, founded PARIS. 191 by Clovis and Clotilde in 508. The principal existing remnant of the abbey is the xiii. c. refectory, a great vaulted hall, without columns, partially restored externally in 1886. The cloister was rebuilt in 1776. We now reach the Pantheon^ which has divided its existence between being a pagan tepiple and a Christian church dedicated to S. Genevieve. Clovis built the first church near this site, and dedicated it to SS. Peter and Paul, and there he, S. Clotilde, the murdered children of Clodomir, and S. Genevieve were buried. The early church was burnt by the Normans, but restored, and from the X. c. the miracles wrought at the tomb of S. Genevieve changed its name. When Louis XV. recovered from serious illness at Metz, the canons, who disliked their old gothic church, urged upon him that as his restoration must be due to the prayers of S. Genevieve he owed her a fashionable Grecian church as a reward. The king acquiesced in ordering the new church, though the old one was not pulled down till 1801-7. Jacques German Soufflot was employed to design the new edifice ; and great difficulties, caused by the discovery of quarries under the building, which had to be filled up, were laboriously removed. The first stone of the new church was laid by Louis XV. in 1764; its original architect, Soufflot, died in 1780, but it was completed under his pupil Rondelet. After the death of Mirabeau, the building was conse- crated as the burial-place of illustrious citizens, and ‘ Aux grands hommes la patrie reconnaissante ’ was inscribed in large letters upon the fagade, as it now appears. At the Restoration, however, this inscription was for a time re- placed by another saying that Louis XVIII. had restored 92 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE, the church to worship. With the government of July the building became a Pantheon again. From 1851 to 1885 it was again a church, and then was once more taken away from God that it might be given to — Victor Hugo ! Now it is neither church, museum, nor funeral monument, and the public are always in doubt whether they ought or ought not to take their hats off and speak low as if they were in church. The Pantheon is open daily from 10 to 4. Visitors collect on the r, of the E. end until the guardian chooses to show the vaults {caveaux). Twenty is the nominal number allowed, but he will usually wait for a party of sixty to save himself (50 c.). To ascend to the dome an order from the Beaux Arts is required. The peristyle and dome of the Pantheon are magnifi- cent. The former is adorned with a relief, by David d’Angers, of France distributing palm-branches to her worthiest children; Napoleon I. is a portrait In the portico are groups of S. Genevieve and Attila, and the Baptism of Clovis. The steps (1887) are covered with wreaths offered to the memory of Victor Hugo. Stately and harmonious, the interior is cold, though colour is being gradually given by frescoes. In the dome, the apotheosis of S. Genevieve is represented by Gros, a work in which the shepherd maiden was originally portrayed as receiving the homage of Clovis, Charlemagne, S. Louis, and Napoleon I. After the return of the Bourbons, Napoleon disappeared, and Louis XVIII. took his place. Louis XVI., Marie Antoinette, Mme. Elisabeth, and Louis XVH. appear in the upper sphere of celestial glory. Against the piers are masses of wreaths in honour of the citizens who ‘ fell in defence of liberty ’ in 1850. PARIS. 93 The firsf tomb usually shown in the crypt is (r.) that of Victor Hugo. Facing him is Moliere. On the 1. are Voltaire, with a statue by Houdon, and the architect Soufflot. The tombs of Voltaire and Rousseau are empty, having been pillaged at the Revolution, though the tomb of Rousseau is still inscribed — ‘ Ici repose Thomme de la nature et de la verite.’ Lagrange the mathematician, Bougainville the great navigator, and Marshal Lannes, lie near. The remains of Mirabeau and Marat, brought hither in triumph, were soon expelled by the fickle Parisians. Caprice exiled Mirabeau, who had been entombed amid the mourning of the city, to a corner of the cemetery of S. £tienne-du-Mont : ‘ II n’y a qu’un pas du Capitole a la Roche Tarpeienne ’ had been an observation in one of his last speeches. At the same time a decree was passed that all the monuments in the Pantheon, except those of Voltaire and Rousseau, should be cleared away. There is a famous echo in one part of the crypt, shown off in an amusing way by the guardian, who produces a cannonade, a cracking of whips, etc. The great statesmen all lie one above another, in sarcophagi, exactly alike : many of them, especially the cardinals, seem oddly placed in a pagan temple. The remains of three Revolutionary celebrities — Carnot, Marceau, and Latour d’Auvergne, with Baudin, a deputy shot in resisting the coup d'etat of 1851, were exhumed from their different resting-places, and trans- planted to the republican Valhalla, Aug. 4, 1889. On the N. of the Place du Pantheon is the Bihliotheque S. Geuevihe. The broad Rue Soufflot leads direct to the Luxembourg. Descending the Boulevard S. Michel, we reach the great Fontaine S. Michel of i860, decorated with 13 194 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. a group of S. Michael and the Dragon by Duret. The Quai des Augustins extends hence along the river. In the Rue des Grands Augustins, Nos. 3, 5, and 7 belong to the IN THE^RUE HAUTEFEUILLE. Hotel dHercule., inhabited by Francois I. in his youth, and given by him to Chancellor Duprat. From the Place S. Andre des Arts, on the W. of the Fontaine S. Michel, the little Rue Hautefeuille runs S., and is, perhaps, in its domestic architecture, the most interesting and the best worth preserving of all Parisian PARIS. 195 streets. The name Hautefeuille comes from a fortress — altum folium^ the lofty dwelling — which existed close to this in very early times. No. 5 has an admirable round tourelle belonging to the Hotel de Feca 7 np. No. 9 is a very curious house with turrets. No. 21 has a well-proportioned octangular tourelle. The Rue Hautefeuille falls into the Rue de VEcole de Medecine, just opposite the interesting remains of the famous Convent of the Cordeliers., now used to contain the surgical Mus'ee Dupuytren. The convent took its popular name from the waist-cord of its Franciscan or Minorite friars, and was supposed to possess the actual ‘ cordon de S. Frangois.’ Its church was built by S. Louis, with the fine levied upon Enguerrand de Coucy, for having punished with death three young men who were poaching on his land. The heart of Jeanne d’Evreux, wife of Philippe le Bel, was deposited here by her desire. At the Revolution the confiscated convent became the place where Camille Desmoulins founded the club of the Cordeliers, of which he and Danton were the principal orators ; and it was the tocsin of the Cordeliers which gave the signal for the attack upon the Tuileries, on Aug. 10, 1792. It was also in the church of the Cordeliers that Marat lay in state, upon a catafalque, in his bloody shirt ; and in the little court close by he was buried at midnight by torch- light, to rest (till his removal to the Pantheon) in the very place where he had harangued and excited the people in life. Every Sunday pilgrimages were organized hither to the grave of Marat. Part of the site of the convent is now occupied by the Ecole de Dessin^ founded by Bachelier in 1767, and entered 196 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. from the Rue de I’Ecole de Medecine by a portal of great beauty, richly ornamented with caryatides in relief, by Constant Defeux. The buildings of the school are amongst the best specimens of xvii. c. architecture in Pans. On the other side of the street is the Ecole de Medecme, At No. 20, Rue de I’Ecole de Medecine (recently destroyed), was the house where, in a back room, Charlotte Corday stabbed Marat — ‘ I’ami du peuple ’ — in his bath, July 13, 1793. VI. THE FAUBOURG S. GERMAIN. The Pont Royal, opposite the site of the Tuileries, leads us to the Qiiai Voltaire^ so called because Voltaire died in the hotel of his friend the Marquis de Villette, at the angle of the quai and the Rue de Beaune. Beyond the Quai Voltaire is the Quai Malaquais, where No. 17 is the XVIII. c. Hotel de Bouillo?i or de Juigne. Close to the entrance of the Rue Bonaparte (r.) is the Ecole des Beaux Arts (open daily from 10 to 4, except Sundays and holidays, when it opens at 12), occupying the site of the Convent des Petits Augustins, founded by Marguerite de Valois. Nothing remains of the conventual buildings but the convent chapel and an oratory called after the queen. The present magnificent edifice was begun under Louis XVIII. and finished under Louis-Philippe. In the midst of the first court is a Corinthian column sur- mounted by a figure of Abundance, in the style of Germain Pilon. To the 1 . are a number of xv. c. sculptures from PARIS. 197 the Hotel d'e la Tremouille in the Rue des Bourdonnais, destroyed 1841. On the r. is the convent chapel, its portal replaced by that of the inner court of the Chateau d’Anet, — a beautiful work of Jean Goujon and Philibert Delorme. Dividing the first from the second court is a fagade from the chateau of Cardinal d’Amboise'at Gaillon. Amongst the fragments in the second court are symbolical sculptures executed for the chapel of Philippe de Comines at the Grands Augustins ; capitals from the old church of S. Genevieve (xi. c.) ; incised tombs ; and two porticoes (at the sides) from Gaillon. In the centre is the graceful shallow (xii. c.) fountain ordered for the cloister of S. Denis by the Abbot Hugiies. Returning to the Quai, and passing a Statue of Voltaire^ we reach the Institut de France^ held in a palace built on the site of the historic Tour de Nesle, in pursuance of the will of Cardinal Mazarin, who left a fortune to build a college for sixty gentlemen of Pignerol, the States of the Church, Alsace, Flanders, and Roussillon. The works, begun from designs of Levau, were finished in 1662, and the new college received the official name of College Mazarin, but the public called it College des Quatre Nations. Under the Revolution the buildings of the college were used as a prison. The Institute was installed there on Oct. 26, 1795, having been originally designed by Colbert, though only founded by the National Convention to replace the academies it had destroyed. The five academies united here are now: i. Academie Frangaise ; 2. Academie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres ; 3. Academie des Sciences; 4. Academie des Beaux- Arts ; 5. Academie des Sciences 198 NORTH-EASTERN ERA ATE. Morales et Politiques. The library and collections of the Institute are common to all the academies. A general meeting for the distribution of prizes is held every year on Oct. 25. The Acadhnie Eranfaise was founded by Richelieu (1635). It has never numbered more than forty members. Their object is supposed to be the perfecting of the French language and the advancement of literature. The front of the Palais de rinstitut is a concave semicircle, ending in pavilions, and in the centre is the domed church, which contained the tomb of Mazarin, the masterpiece of Coysevox, now in the Louvre. This is now the hall of the General Assembly of the different sections of the Institute. Mazarin collected books from his earliest years, and, after he became Prime Minister, opened every Thursday his library of 45,000 volumes to the public. But, in 1651, during the troubles of the Fronde, Parliament ordered the Cardinal’s books to be sold, and his library was entirely dispersed. When, only two years after, Mazarin returned more powerful than ever, he left no effort untried to recover his books, which was rendered easier because their bindings bore his arms. By 1660 the library was recovered, and in the following year he bestowed it upon his foundation of the College des Quatre Nations. At the Revolution the collection was increased by 50,000 books seized from religious houses or private collections, including those of ‘ Louis Capet, Veuve Capet, Adelaide Capet,’ etc. The Library is open to the public daily from 10 to 5, except on Sundays and holidays. The vacation is from July 15 to Sept. i. The Bibliothegue Mazarin is entered from the 1 . of the courtyard. In the anteroom is a copper globe executed by PARIS. 199 the brothers Bergwin for Louis XVI., and at which he is believed to have worked with his own hands. The library itself is a long chamber, full of dignity and repose. The bookshelves are divided by pillars, with busts in front : that of Mazarin stands at the end. In the centre are cases full of books attractive from rare bindings or autographs of previous possessors, and a collection of models of Pelasgic buildings very interesting to those who have travelled in Greece and Italy. A little east of the Institute is the Hotel de la Monnaie (the Mint), a fine building by Jacques Denis Antoine, erected 1768 — 1775, on a site previously occupied by the Hotel de Guenegand, then by the Grand et Petit Hotels de Conti. The original mint was in the lie de la Cite. The museum of coins, medals, etc., is open to the public on Tuesdays and Fridays from 12 to 3. The laboratory is only shown by a special permission from the Commission des Monnaies et Medailles. On the garden side a stately front of the Petit Hotel de Conti may still be seen enclosed in later buildings. The Rue de la Seine will bring us to the Palace of the Luxe^nbourg., now the Palace of the Senate (open from 9 to 4 in winter, 9 to 5 in summer), built by Marie de MMicis on the site of a hotel erected by Robert de Harlay de Saucy early in the xvi. c. The queen employed Jacques Debrosses as her architect in 1615, and his work was completed in 1620. It was intended by the queen that the palace should be called Palais Medicis, though the name has always clung to it which is derived from Francois de Luxembourg, prince de Tingry, who owned the site in 1570. The palace was bequeathed by Marie north-eastern erance. ^bo de Medicis to her younger son, Gaston, Due d’Orleans, from whom it came to his two daughters, who each held half of the Luxembourg, ‘ La Grande Mademoiselle,’ and the pious Duchesse de Guise. Treated as national property during the Revolution, the Luxembourg became one of the prisons of the Reign of Terror. Amongst other prisoners, comprising the most illustrious names in France, were the Vicomte de Beauharnais and his wife Jos($phine, afterwards Empress of the French. David the painter designed his picture of the Sabines during his imprisonment at the Luxembourg, in a little room on the second floor. Here also, in a different category, were imprisoned Hebert, Danton, Camille Desmoulins, Philippeaux, Lacroix, Herault de S^chelles, Payne, Bazire, Chabot, and Fabre d’Eglantine. It was at the Luxembourg that (Dec. lo, 1797) Bona- parte presented the treaty of the peace of Campo Formio to the Directory, after returning from his first campaign in Italy. At the end of 1799, the palace became for a time Ze Palais dti Consulat : under the empire it was Le Palais dll Senate then de la Pairie. Marshal Ney was condemned to death here, under the Restoration. The ministers of Charles X. were also judged in the palace, and Fieschi with the other conspirators of July 1835 were condemned here ; as was Prince Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, after the attempt at Boulogne in 1840. The Luxembourg is only shown when the Senate is not sitting. The apartments best worth seeing are the Chapel of 1844, decorated with modern paintings ; and the Ancienne Salle du Livre dAr — where the titles and arms of peers were preserved under the Restoration and Louis- PARIS. 201 ; Philippe — adorned with the decorations of the apartment ; of Marie de Me'dicis. The ceiling of the gallery which ! forms part of the hall represents the Apotheosis of Marie. I The arabesques in the principal hall are atttibuted to I Giovanni da Udine : the ceiling represents Marie de M^- I dicis re-establishing the peace and ilnity of France. The : first floor is reached by a great staircase which occupies the place of a gallery once filled with the twenty-four great pictures of the life of the Regent Marie by Rubens, now in the Louvre. The oratory of the queen and another room are now united to form the Salle des Gardes^ her bedroom is the Salle des Messagers dlEtat^ and her re- ception-room is known as the Salon de Napoleon I. ' The cupola of the Salle du Trone by Alaux represents the Apotheosis of the first emperor. The Hotel du Petit Luxe 7 nbourg is a dependency of the greater palace, and was erected about the same time by Richelieu, who resided here till the Palais Royal was built. It is now the official residence of the President of the Senate. The chapel, standing close to the grille of the Rue de Vaugirard, is an admirable specimen of the Renaissance of the end of the xvi. c. : on the summit of its gable is a symbolical Pelican nourishing its young. Beyond the Petit Luxembourg, is a modern building containing the Musce du Luxembourg. The collection now in the galleries of the Louvre was begun at the Luxembourg and only removed in 1779, when Monsieur came to reside here. In 1802 a new gallery was begun at the Luxembourg, but in 1815 its pictures were removed to the Louvre to fill the places of those restored to their rightful owners by the Allies. It was Louis XVIII. who 202 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. ordered that the Luxembourg should receive such works of living artists as were acquired by the State. The col- lection, recently moved from halls in the palace itself, is always interesting, but as the works of each artist are removed to the Louvre ten years after his death, the pictures are constantly changing. The Gardens of the Luxembourg., the ‘ bel-respiro ’ of Paris, as Lady Morgan calls it, are delightful, and are the best type of an ancient French palace pleasaunce — indeed, they are now the prettiest and pleasantest spot in Paris. There is a noble view of the Pantheon down one of the avenues. They present a lively scene on fine Sunday after- noons, when the gaufreurs still drive a brisk trade, as in the old days when the ‘ Foire de S. Germain ’ was held here. The parterres were decorated by Louis-Philippe with statues of the queens of France and other illustrious Frenchwomen, the best statue being that of Mile, de Mont- pensier by Desmesnay. Towards the Rue de Medicis, on the east, is a handsome fountain of Marie de Medicis, erected by Jacques Debrosses (1620). In the Rue M. le Prince (a little r. of the Luxembourg) is the house — No. 10 — where Comte lived and wrote his Positive Polity. He occupied the first floor, where his rooms are preserved by the Positivists in the same state in which he left them at his death — his salon, bedroom, bed, sofa, and even his old clothes in the cupboard, are cherished. He was buried at Pere Lachaise. Along the front of the Luxembourg runs the Rue de Vaugirard, in which No. 70 is the Dominican convent to which the famous Pere Lacordaire belonged. The founda- tion stone of its chapel was laid by Marie de MMicis PARIS. 203 in 1612. The heart of Archbishop Affre, killed on the Barricade S. Antoine, in the revolution of 1848, is pre- served here, and the epitaph of Cardinal de Beausset, historian of Fenelon and Bossuet. As Les Carmes, the convent (founded by Louis XIII.) was the scene of the terrible massacre of priests in Sept. 1792, but the historic chapel in which they were murdered was destroyed by the opening of the Rue de Rennes in 1867 : their bones were transferred to a crypt under the church (open on Fridays). 204 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. The Rue Garanciere, containing (No. 8) the Hotel de la Duchesse de Savoie (1538), leads N. to the Church of S. Sulpice., perhaps the finest example of the peculiar phase of architecture to which it belongs. A parish church was built on this site in the xn. c. In the xvii. c. its rebuilding was begun from designs of Gamart, Gaston d’Orleans laying the first stone ; but it was soon found that this church would be too small, and Anne of Austria laid the founda- tion stone of the present building, begun from designs of Levau, continued by other architects, and finished in 1749, under the Florentine Giovanni Servandoni, who is com- memorated in the name of a neighbouring street. Had the entire plan of Servandoni been carried out, it would have made the church a model of modern architecture. The facade, which presents two ranges of porticoes, doric and ionic, is exceedingly noble and imposing. On either side are square pavilions, upon which Servandoni erected two towers, but these were thought so bad that, after his death, one Maclaurin was employed to rebuild them ; since that, the tower on the N., which is different to the other, was, a second time, rebuilt by Chalgrin, in 1777. Under the Revolution the church became a Temple of Victory, and the great banquet to Napoleon, on his return from Egypt, was given within its walls. The interior is chiefly striking from its vast proportions. Its chapels are decorated with marble from the cascade at Marly. In the pavement of the south transept is a meridian line, traced by Lemonnier in 1743. The ugly pulpit, given (1788) by the Marechal de Richelieu, is sur- mounted by a group representing Christ surrounded by children. The organ (1862) is one of the finest in Europe. PARIS. 205 In the first chapel (of S. Agnes) on the r. are three great frescoes by Eugene Delacroix — S. Michael triumphing over Satan (on the ceiling) ; Heliodorus thrown down and beaten with rods ; and Jacob wrestling with the angel. All are fine, but the last is the most remarkable. The fifth chapel contains the tomb of the Cure Languet (1750), a fine work of Michel-Ange Slodtz. The magnificent chapel of the Virgin (with an illusory effect of light), behind the high-altar, is from designs of Wailly ; its sculptured decorations are by Slodtz, the others by Vanloo. The statue of the Virgin is by Pajou. The handsome Fountain of S. Sulpice (1847) is from designs of Visconti. Continuing N. from hence, we soon reach the modern Boulevard S. Germain, on the line of which we find (r.) the famous church of S. Ger??iain-des- Pr'es^ founded, with a monastery, by Childebert in the VI. c. and celebrated as the burial-place of the Merovingian kings. Childebert I., Caribert, Chilperic I., Clotaire II., Childeric II. ; the Queens Ultrogothe, Fredegonde, Ber- trude, and Bilihilde ; the Merovingian princes Clovis and Dagobert.j with Chrodesinde and Chrotberge, daughters of Childebert I., were interred within its walls ; and here many of their bodies were seen lying on beds of spices, wrapped in precious stuffs embroidered in gold, when their plain stone-coffins were opened at the Revolution. In 861 the monastery was burnt by the Normans, was restored, and destroyed again in 886. The existing church, begun by the twenty-ninth Abbot, Morardus (990 — 1019), was only finished in the followng century, and was dedicated by Pope Alexander III. in 1163. The tomb of Childebert was then placed in the centre of the present building. 2o6 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. The principal entrance of the church is in the Rue Bonaparte. It dates from the xvii. c., but encloses some fragments of the xil c. The interior is an inter- esting specimen of transition. The arches of the nave, which has no triforium, are romanesque, of the time of the Abbot Morardus ; the choir was added by Abbot Hugues III. in 1163. A polychrome decoration by Hippolyte Flandrin, though its pictures are admirable as works of art, has, since 1845, spoilt the interior of S. Germain. The xiii. c. statue of Childebert and the mosaic monument of Fredegonde, preserved by Alexandre Lenoir at the Revolution, are now at S. Denis ; the tombs of S. Germain, Chilperic, and Bilihilde were de- stroyed. Very few objects of interest remain. In the r. aisle near the W. door, surrounded by burning lights, is the statue of Notre Dame la Bla^icJie^ given to the abbey of S. Denis by Queen Jeanne d’Evreux in 1340, and brought here after the Revolution. In the third chapel 1 . of choir is the inscription which marked the remains of Boileau, transported hither, in 1819, from the Sainte Chapelle. In the fourth is the tomb of William, Earl of Douglas, 1611; in the 1 . transept that of John Casimir, king of Poland, described by Byron in Mazeppa^ who became Abbot of S. Germain in 1669. In the garden attached to the church is a statue of Bernard Palissy by Barras (i88o). The Abbofs Palace^ built by Cardinal de Bourbon in 1586, still exists in the Rue de I’Abbaye. The site of the terrible Prison de TAbbaye, where Mine. Roland wrote her memoirs and. Charlotte Corday spent her last days, has been swallowed up by the Boulevard S. Germain. PARIS. 207 Continuing to follow the Boulevard, we find (on L, near the Rue du Bac) the Hotel de Luynes., which was built by Pierre Lemuet for Marie Rohan-Montbazon, Duchesse de Chevreuse. Its gates are very handsome specimens of iron-work. Opposite, is the approach to the fashionable Church of S. Thomas Aquuias, erected from designs of Bullet. The ceiling of its sanctuary, representing the Transfiguration, is a famous work of Lemoine. We are now in the centre of the aristocratic quarter famous for 2o8 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. the hotels of the two last centuries, ‘ entre cour et jardin,’ of which many fine specimens are to be seen in the Rue du Bac, de Varennes, S. Dominique, de I’Universite, and de Crenelle. In the last-named street is the handsome Fontahie de Gre 7 ielle (1739-43), with figures and reliefs by Bouchardon. From the r. of the Rue de Crenelle, the Rue Casimir Perier leads to the Church of S. ClotUde^ a large cruciform gothic building erected 1846-57, from designs of Cau. We emerge from the Rue de Crenelle opposite the gardens to the N. of the magnificent Hotel des Invalides (open daily from ii to 4), planned by Henri IV., and begun by Louis XIV. in 1671, as a refuge for old soldiers, who, before it was built, had to beg their bread in the streets. On the terrace in front of the building are a number of cannon, trophies taken in different campaigns. Standing before the hotel is a statue of Prince Eugene. On either side of the entrance are statues of Mars and Minerva by Coustou jeune. In the tympanum of the semicircle over the centre of the facade is Louis XIV. on horseback. Behind the facade a vast courtyard is surrounded by open corridors lined with frescoes of the history of France ; those of the early history on the left, hy Bhiedict Massofi, 1865, have much interest. In the centre of the inner facade is a statue of Napoleon I. Beneath this is the approach to the Church of S. Lotiis, built 1671-79, from designs of Liberal Bruant, in which many banners of victory give an effect of colour to an otherwise colourless building. Against the walls are monuments to marshals or governors of the Invalides — the Due de Coigny, Due de Conegliano PARIS. 209 (Moncey), Due de Reggio (Oudinot), Marshal Jourdan, Due de Malakoff (Pelissier), ete. The Tonibeau Napoleon, under the magnifieent dome of the Invalides, whieh was added to the original ehureh by Jules Hardouin Mansart and is treated as a separate building, is entered from the Plaee Vauban at the baek, TOMBEAU NAPOLEON. or by the left eloister and a eourt beyond. It is only open to the publie on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 12 to 3, but should on no aeeount be left unseen. On entering the vast interior, a huge circular space is seen to open, beneath the cupola painted by Charles de Lafosse and Jouvenet, and, in it, surrounded by carya- tides and groups of mouldering banners, the huge tomb 14 210 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. of Finland granite, given by the Emperor Nicholas. Hither the remains of the great Emperor were brought back from S. Helena by the Prince de Joinville, in 1841. Four smaller cupolas encircle the great dome. In the first, on the r., is the tomb of Joseph Bonaparte. On the 1 . are the tombs of Jerome Bonaparte, with a statue, and of his eldest son and the Princess Catherine of Wiirttemberg. 'The other two cupolas are still empty ; when ever-changing France again changes her idols, and the dynasty of the Bonapartes is once more in the ascendant, they will probably be occupied, amid universal acclamation, by the tombs of Napoleon HI. and his ill-fated and heroic son. The transept contains the tomb of Turenne (formerly buried at S. Denis), by Tuby from designs of Lebrun. It represents the hero expiring (at the battle of Salzbach, July 27, 1675) arms of Immortality. Upon the violation of the tombs at S. Denis, the body of Turenne had been found in a state of complete preservation, and, whilst the royal remains were scattered to the winds, his were removed to the Jardin des Plantes and afterwards to the museum of the Petits Augustins. Napoleon, as first Consul, translated them with great honour to the Invalides, Sept. 22, 1800. In the 1 . transept is the tomb to which the remains of the illustrious Vauban were afterwards transferred. The minister Louvois, under whose auspices the hotel was built, was buried here by order of Louis XIV. in 1692, but afterwards removed to the Capucines of the Rue S. Honore. Descending the steps behind the splendid baldacchino, we find black-marble tombs of Marshals Duroc and Ber- trand guarding the approach to that of Napoleon I. His PARIS. 211 own words, taken from his will, appear in large letters over the entrance. ‘Je desire que mes cendres reposent sur les herds de la Seine, au milieu de ce peuple fran9ais que j’ai tant aime.’ The sentiment, the tomb, and the dome have a unique splendour. A white marble statue of Napoleon I. by Stuart is in a black-marble chapel. His Austerlitz sword, the crown voted by Cherbourg, and colours taken in his different battles, were formerly shown in a chapelle ardente. The Musk P Ar tiller ie^ entered from the cloister on the r. of the principal court, is only shown on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, from 12 to 4 in winter, and 12 to 5 in summer. The collection of arms begins with the rude flint weapons found in the valley of the Somme, and the caverns of Aurignac and Moustier. Then comes the age of polished-flint weapons, found in the lake cities of Switzerland, etc. The age of bronze succeeds, of which one of the finest specimens is a bronze sword found at Uzes. The arms introduced by the Romans follow, and the gradual changes which led to the steel armour of the XIV. c. The collection of bows and cross-bows is full of interest, as well as that of firearms from their earliest infancy. The collection of plans of fortresses, in relief, executed under Louis XIV. and Louis XV., is interesting to the archaeologist as showing (as at Arras, S. Omer, Besangon) many buildings of the middle ages which have ceased to exist. Amongst the historic arms preserved here are the helmet of Henri IV., the sword of Duguesclin, and the cuirass of Bayard. 212 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. The great barracks behind the Invalides formerly con- tained the military school now at S. Cyr. They face the end of the Champ de Mars, an immense open oblong space used for reviews and temporarily occupied by the great Exhibitions of 1867, 1878, and 1889. It was formed in 1790 for the famous Fete de la Federation (July 14), when the Autel de la Patrie was erected in the centre and Louis XVI. took an oath there to observe the new con- stitution. Here also Napoleon I. held the famous Champs de Mai before the battle of Waterloo. At the entrance of the Quai d’Orsay (No. 103) is the temporary Garde Meuble (open on Sundays and Thursdays from 10 to 4), containing a vast collection of tapestries, curious furniture, and jewels which belonged to the Crown. Many of the latter were put up to public auction in 1887. Returning by the Quai d’Orsay, on the site formerly called La Grenouilliere, we find, opposite the Pont des Invalides, the Manufacture des Tabacs, shown on Thursdays only from 10 to 12 and i to 4. It employs 200 workpeople, and manufactures 6,200 tons of tobacco annually. Near the Pont de Solferino is the Palais de la Legion T Homieur (1786), and opposite the Pont de la Concorde is the Palais du Corps Legislatif or Chambre des Deputes (open from 9 to 5). It is here that Benjamin Constant, Casimir P6rier, Guizot, Thiers, Berryer, Lamartine, Monta- lembert, Jules Favre, have in turn displayed their elo- quence, and it was also in the Salle du Corps Legislatif that, in 1848, the Duchesse d’Orleans presented herself with her two little boys to claim the regency, and was met by the words ‘ Too late.’ The handsome facade towards the Seine has a Corinthian portico by Poyet PARIS. 213 (1804-7). When the Chamber is sitting, visitors are only admitted to^the Salle des Seances, for which they require a ticket from a deputy or from the Secretaire de la Questure. VII. LUXURIOUS MODERN PARIS. The extreme western end of the Rue de Rivoli — which commemorates the Battle of Rivoli — always wears a festive aspect. On the r. are arcades, containing some of the shops most frequented by foreigners ; on the L, , railings, formed by gilt-headed spears, enclose the radiant gardens of the Tuileries. The Rue de Castiglione leads r. to the Place Venddme.^ a handsome old-fashioned octagonal square, begun under Louis XIV. (the king himself furnishing the leading ideas of the plan), and finished by the Ville de Paris, from designs of Jules Hardouin Mansart. The square was first called Place des Conquetes, then Place Louis le Grand, finally. Place Vendome, from the Hotel of the Due de Vendome (son of Henri IV. by Gabrielle d’Estrees) which once occupied this site. A bronze statue by Girardon at first ornamented the centre of the square. It represented Louis XIV. ‘in the habit of a Roman emperor, and on his head a large French periwig a la model 'Fhis was destroyed by the people on Aug. 14 1792 — the day on which Louis XVI. and his family were removed from the Chancellerie in this square to the Temple. The Coluimi was erected by Napoldon L, in 1 14 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. imitation of that of Trajan at Rome, and is covered with bas-reliefs, from designs of Bergeret, cast from Austrian cannon, representing his German campaign. At the top was originally placed a statue of the Emperor by Chaudet, which was pulled down after the allies entered Paris and melted down to make part of the second bronze horse of Henri IV. on the Pont Neuf. A second statue by Seurre, made from cannon taken in Algeria (magnanimously erected by Louis-Philippe in 1833), was replaced by a copy of the first statue by Chaudet in 1863. On May 16, 1871, the ridiculous Communists threw down the whole column, though it was able to be rebuilt from the fragments (in 1874) as it is now seen. The height is 135 feet. The proprietor of the Hotel du Rhin had offered the Com- munists 500,000 fr. if they would spare the column, and those robbers had answered, ‘ Donnez un million et Ton verra ! ’ From the Place Vendome the handsome R2ie de la Paix (formerly Rue Napoleon), dating from 1807, leads to the Place de I’Opera. In the Rue S. Florentin, the Hotel de la V 7 'illiere., also called Hotel de ITnfantado, was built for the minister M. de S. Florentin, who gave a name to the street. It was afterwards inhabited by the Spanish grandee who at one time gave a name to the house, then by M. de Talleyrand, who received the Emperor Alexander there in 1814. The house is now the residence of Baron Alphonse de Rothschild. In the Rue Cambo 7 i is the church of Z’Asso 77 iJ>twn, built (1670-76) for a convent of Augustinian nuns, now the depot of the Archives of the Ministere de Finance. Robespierre lived long opposite this church, at No. 396 PARTS. 215 Rue S Honore, in the house of the carpenter Duplay (destroyed by the Rue Duphot). Where the Rue Royale opens towards the Madeleine, we pass the Ministere de la Marine et des Colonies, built (1760-68) by Gabriel, gutted during the Commune, and reach the Place de la Concorde, stately and beautiful with its obelisk, fountains, and statues, its delightful views down green avenues to the Louvre on the E. and the Arc d’li^toile on the W., and towards the magnificent church of the Madeleine on the N. and the Chambre des Deputes on the S. The square was made under Louis XV., and was decorated with his equestrian statue by Bouchardon. This was demolished by the legislative assembly in 1792, and replaced by a statue of liberty. Soon, however, the square took the name of Place de la Revolution, when the expression guillotiner effaced that of lanterner, and, under the Reign of Terror, the scaffold was permanently established here. Thus the most terrible memories of the great Revolution are concentrated on this spot, where 2,800 persons perished between Jan. 21, 1793, and May 3, 1795. The fountain on the S. side, decorated with figures emblematic of Marine Navigation, marks the exact spot where Louis XVI. died, Jan. 21, 1793, and Marie Antoinette on the i6th of the following October. On the 31st of the same month, the Girondins were executed here, and on the loth of November, Mme. Roland. The 9th of May, 1794, saw the execution here of the saintly Mme. Elizabeth, and on July 28, 1794, Robespierre paid, upon the same spot, the inadequate penalty of his crimes. 'Die Obelisk, l)rought from Luxor, and given to France 2i6 NOI^TN-EASTEJ^A FRANCE. by Mahomet-Ali, was erected here under Louis-Philippe, in 1836. It is covered with hieroglyphics celebrating Rameses II., or Sesostris, who reigned in the fourteenth century before Christ. The history of its transport from Egypt is represented upon the pedestal. Eight allegorical statues typify the great cities of France before the German invasion — Lyons, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Nantes, Lille, Strasbourg, Rouen, and Brest. Two groups of sculpture by Guillaume Coustou, known as Les Chevmix de Mar/y — ‘ ces marbres hennissants,’ as Victor Hugo calls them — decorate the entrance to the noble promenade originally called ^ Le Grand Cours,’ but which has been known as Les Champs Elysees since the time of Louis XV. It extends from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de I’Etoile, and is the favourite afternoon walk of the fashionable world of Paris, where the hadated, or French cockney, is seen in perfection. Behind the principal avenues are ranges of exhibition booths, and cafes- concerts, which attract a humbler crowd. Here idolizing parents will stand for hours to watch their petits bo 7 ishommes caracolling on wooden horses, while la honne^ in a snowy cap, holds the babies. Here the sellers of soupirs and gateaux de Nanterre drive a busy trade. On the 1 . is the Palais dPndustrie., built (1852-55) for the Great Exhibition, and used since for the annual Exhibi- tions of Painting and Sculpture, open daily from 8 to 6 except on Mondays, when it opens at 12 (admission, i fr. ; free on Saturdays after 10, and Tuesdays from 12 to 6). Beyond this, the Ave^iue Montaigne branches off ( 1 .), con- taining the singular Hotel Pompeie 7 i.^ built (i86o) for Prince Napoleon. The Avenue d’Antin leads to the river, where. PARIS. 217 at the angle of the Rue Bayard and Cour de la Reine — nearly opposite the Pont des Invalides — is the quaint Maison de Franpis /., built by that king (in 1523) at Moret, near the forest of Fontainebleau, for his sister Marguerite, purchased by a private individual, transported hither in 1827, and rebuilt, stone for stone. From the Rond Pomt., the Avenue Kleber leads to the Place du Trocadero. The Palais du Trocadero.^ built in Oriental style (in 1878) is of the same character internally as the Crystal Palace at Sydenham. It contains a Musk de Sculpture Comparee or des Moulages., and an Ethnographical Museum. In the Avenue du Trocadero (to the 1 .) is the Musk de Galliera., containing collections bequeathed to the, town by the Duchesse de Galliera. The Avenue du Trocadero leads (W.) to the suburb of Passy, celebrated for its mineral waters in a garden entered (No. 32) from the Quai de Passy. This part of Paris is very featureless and uninteresting, but the situation is a favourite residence of French literati. Opposite to the station of Passy is La Muette., though very little remains of the famous chateau, which was the scene of many of the orgies of the Regency, and where Marie Antoinette held her first receptions. Beyond Passy is Auteuil., where a red-marble pyramid near the church is the tomb of the high-minded Chancellor d’Aguesseau. The Champs Elysees are closed by the huge Arc de VEtoile^ one of the four triumphal arches which Napoleon I. intended to erect in commemoration of his victories, and which he began from designs of Chalgrin, in 1806, though the work was not completed till 1836, long after founder and architect had passed away. It is the largest triumphal 2i8 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. arch in the world ; the arch itself being 90 feet high and 45 feet wide. The groups of sculpture which adorn it are by Rude, Cortot, and Etex ; that by Rude, of the Genius of War summoning the nation to arms, is the best. There is, however, nothing fine about the Arc de I’Etoile except its size. The arch itself is far too narrow for its height, and the frippery ornament along the top of the structure de- stroys all grandness of outline. The hugeness of the building is in itself a disfigurement, and, like the giant statues in S. Peter’s at Rome, it puts all its surroundings out of proportion. Erom the arch, the Avenue de Neuilly leads to the village of that name. About i k., opposite the entrance to the Bois de Boulogne called Port Maillot, is the Chapelle S. Ferdmand (shown daily), enclosing the room in which Ferdinand, Due d’Orleans, died from injuries received in trying to jump from his carriage, of which the horses were running away, at this spot. The touching cenotaph of the duke (who is buried with his family at Dreux) is by Trinqueti, from designs of Ary Scheffer. The angel on the r. is one of the last works of the Princess Marie. The prie-dieu in the chapel are all embroidered by different members of the Orle'ans royal family. A Descent from the Cross, by Trinqueti, from designs of Ary Scheffer, occupies a niche behind the high-altar. A picture by Jacquand represents the touching scene on this spot during ^ Les Derniers Moments du Due d’Orleans.’ The Chateau de Neuilly, built by the Comte d’Argenson in 1740, and afterwards inhabited by Talleyrand, Murat, and Pauline Bonaparte, was given by Louis XVIII. to his cousin the Due d’OrRans. Almost all the children of PARIS. 219 ! Louis-Philippe were born there, and there, in 1830, he ! accepted the French crown. The chateau was the scene of I most of the happy events of the family life of Louis-Philippe, ! and in its chapel the king and queen watched, from his I death to his funeral, beside the body of their beloved eldest I son. During the crisis of 1848, the French pillaged and I plundered the home of their king, and ^600,000 worth of his private property was destroyed by the robbers of the I revolution, though the private charities of Louis-Philippe and Marie-Amelie during their seventeen years’ reign had amounted to 21,650,000 fr. or ;^8oo,ooo, and those of the Due and Duchesse d’Orleans to an annual sum of nearly ;£'2 o,ooo. a cruel decree of Louis Napoleon compelled the royal family to sell their estates in 1851. Since that ' time the royal park of Neuilly has been cut up for avenues of villas. From the Arc de I’^ltoile several long and rather dreary avenues lead to the Bois. That called Avenue du Bois de Bo2ilogne (formerly de I’lmperatrice) is the most animated, but the Avenue d^Eylau leads more directly to the gate of the Bois called Porte de la Muette. The heights of Mont Valerien are always a fine feature, rising behind the woods. The Bois de Boulogne is part of the ancient forest of Rouvray — of which Louis XI. made his barber, Oliver le Daim, Grand-Forester {gruyer ) — where Henri II. and Diane de Poitiers loved to give hunting fetes, and where Louis XV. held orgies in the Chateau de la Muette which Charles IX. had built. The name was changed after pilgrims (in 1319) had erected a church in honour of Notre Dame de Boulogne in the neighbouring village of Menus- les-S. -Cloud, which forthwith took the name of Boulogne. 220 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Ceded to the town of Paris by Napoleon IIL, the Bois has ever since been the favourite playground of the Parisians, and in this ‘ nature si artistement mondaine ’ ^ all that is possible of luxury of equipages and toilette may be seen, especially from 3 to 5 in winter, and 5 to 7 in summer. Entering the Bois by the Avenue du Bois de Boulogne, the Rotite de Suresnes soon leads us to the Lac Siiperieur. On the further side of the lake, between it and the Pre Catelan, is the Parc atix Daims. Beyond the Lac Superieur is the Butte Mortemart.^ a hillock whence there are views towards the heights of Issy, Meudon, Bellevue, S. Cloud, Suresnes, and Mont Valerien. Between this and the Porte d’Auteuil is the Champ de Courses for steeplechases. On the further side of the Bois, reached most quickly by taking the direct road from the Carrefour des Cascades between the two lakes, is the plain of Longcha?np^ divided into a Hippo- drome and Champ d’’ Entrainement^ between which are to be seen some small remains of the Abbaye de Longchamp.^ founded by S. Isabelle of France, sister of S. Louis. The Hippodrome of Lo7igcha7Up is the principal race-course in the neighbourhood of Paris. The Grand Prix of 100,000 fr. is contended for in the beginning of June, and answers to the English ‘ Derby.’ Near the Carrefour de Lo7tgcha77ip are the Grande Cascade and the Mare de Lo7tgchamp ; fed by a stream from the Mare aux Biches. From the Carrefour, the Route de la Lo7igue Queue leads to the Porte de Madrid by the Chateaii de Bagatelle^ which belonged to the Comte d’ Artois, afterwards Charles X. Crossing the Alice de Longchamp, by the cafe-restaurant called Pre Catelan, we ^ Zola, La Cttree. PARIS. 221 may reach the Croix Catelan — a stone pyramid replacing a cross raised by Philippe le Bel to Arnauld de Catelan, a troubadour from Provence, murdered, with his servant, by the military escort which the king had given him, because they fancied that the chest of liqueurs which he was taking to the king was full of jewels : the murderers were burnt alive. Towards the N.' end of the Bois is the restaurant of Madrid., occupying the site of the villa which Frangois I. built on the model of that in which he lived as the captive of Charles V. Its rich decorations of plaques of Palissy-ware, gave it the name of Chateau de Faience. The kings of France frequently used it as a residence till the time of Henri IV., and its demolition, ordered by Louis XVI., is more to be regretted than that of any other building of its period. To the 1 . lies the Jardin d' Acclimation (with entrances near the Porte de Sablons and Porte de Neuilly : admission weekdays i fr., Sundays 50 c.), pleasant zoological gardens, crowded on fine Sundays, when elephants and camels laden with people stalk about the drives, and children are driven in llama and even in ostrich carts. Re-entering Paris by the Arc de Triomphe, the Rue de rOratoire (on the 1. in descending the Champs Elysees) leads to the Parc Mo^iceaux., a pretty public garden, originally planted from plans of Carmontel for Philippe d’Orl^ans (father of Louis-Philippe) on a site once occupied by the village of Monceaux. All the streets in this district are featureless and ugly. In the Boulevard Malesherbes (a little S.) is the great Church of S. Augustin, built 1860-68 — a climax of vulgarity and bad taste, in which the use of cast iron has its horrible apotheosis. 222 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Returning to the Rue du Faubourg S. Honore, and turning E., we pass on 1 . the doric Church of S. Philippe dit Roule., erected (1769-84) from plans of Chalgrin. At the corner of the Place Beauveau (r.) is the Palais de r Ely see Napoleon^ built (1718) by Molet for the Comte d’Evreux. It was a favourite residence with Napoleon L, who slept there during his last stay in Paris after the battle of Waterloo, and signed his abdication there. In 1814 — 1815 it was inhabited by the Duke of Wellington and the Emperor of Russia. Then, at the Restoration, the palace passed into the hands of the Due de Berry, who inhabited it, under the name of Palais Elysee Bourbon, till his murder (Feb. 13, 1820). For a short time the residence of the Due de Bordeaux, it was again confiscated, and was chosen as a residence by Prince Louis Napoleon from the time of his proclamation as President of the Republic (Dec. 20, 1849), continuing to be his dwelling till he moved to the Tuileries, after the proclamation of the second Empire. In the Salle du Conseil of the Elysee he prepared the Coup d’Etat of Dec. 2, 1851. Of late years the Elysee has been the residence of the President of the French Republic. No. 39, Rue du Faubourg S. Honore is the Hotel Charosf, now the British Embassy. It was formerly the residence of Pauline Bonaparte, Princess Borghese. On the 1 . the Rue d’Anjou S. Honore turns N., con- taining (r.) the Chapelle Expiatoire erected on the site of the cemetery (belonging to the Madeleine) where Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette were buried in 1793. The ground was afterwards bought by a M. Descloseaux, who planted it as an orchard, to preserve the royal graves PARIS. 223 from insult during the Revolution. At the Restoration, the orchard was purchased by the royal family, and the royal remains transported with great pomp to S. Denis. The remains of the other victims of the Revolution, in- cluding the Swiss guard, buried here, were collected into two large graves, and, at the instigation of Chateaubriand, the chapel was built by Louis Xyill. It contains statues of the king and queen, his will being inscribed on the pedestal of that of Louis, and portions of her last touching letter to Mme. Elisabeth on that of Marie Antoinette. A group by Francois Joseph Bosio (1769 — 1845), one of the best of the modern classic French sculptors, represents Louis XVI. sustained by an angel; and a group by Jean Pierre Cortot (1787 — 1843) represents Marie Antoinette supported by Religion. Though well-conceived, neither is successful. The Rue de la Madeleine will now lead us to the great Church of the Madeleine., resembling a magnificent pagan temple, which has frequently changed its destination. It was begun (1764) under Louis XV. as a church from designs of Constant dTvry, whose plans were thrown aside by his successor Couture (1777). The work was stopped by the Revolution, and taken up again in consequence of a decree of Napoleon L, issued from Posen in 1806, who ordered Pierre Vignon to finish the building as a Greek Temple of Victory, ‘ le temple de la Gloire,’ in honour of the soldiers of the Grand Army. But the Restoration changed every- thing, and the building was given back to its first destina- tion, though the plan was unaltered, and it was finished under Louis-Philippe in 1832. The interior is only open to visitors after i, when the morning services are over. 224 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. VIII. INDUSTRIOUS MODERN PARIS. We now enter the Boulevards, which have only really existed since the Revolution. Paris possesses an endless number of Boulevards, but when the Boulevard is spoken of, it means the Boulevard from the Madeleine to the site of the Bastille, in its different and varied divisions. Following the Boulevard de la Madeleine and the Boulevard des Capucines we reach, facing the entrance to the Rue de la Paix, the magnificent Opera^ built from designs of Charles Gamier (i86i — 1875), adorned with busts of great composers and musicians. The marble staircase is magni- ficent. (It can be visited on Sundays from 12 to 2.) Four great balls are given at the Opera House during the Car- nival. (Entrance; gentlemen, 20 frs. ; ladies, lofrs.) The Boulevard des Italiens.^ the gayest street in modern Paris, leads eastwards, almost exclusively lined by hotels and cafes, the most celebrated being ( 1 .), No. 16, Cafe Riche, and No. 20, Maison Doree. On the 1 . opens the Rue Laffitte (where Napole'on III. was born at No. 17), leading to the Chircli of Notre Dame de Lorette., built (1823-36) from designs of Le Bas. The interior is very richly decorated by modern French artists. The Rue Notre Dame de Lorette leads from the church to the new quarter known as La Nouvelle Athenes. In the Place S. Georges, decorated with a fountain. No. 37 was the residence of M. Thiers, destroyed during the Commune, and rebuilt at the expense of the State. Hence the Rue Fontaine leads to the Boulevard de PARIS. 225 Clichy, close to which is the Cimetiere Mo 7 it 7 nartre., formerly called ‘ Le Champ du Repos.’ This is less hideous than Pere Lachaise, and, though it has the same characteristics of heavy masses of stone or little chapels piled upon the dead and hung with wreaths of beads, they are more divided by trees. At the end of the short main avenue on the 1 . is a bronze statue of Godefroy Cavaignac, by Fran9ois Rude (1785 — 1855), marking the tomb of the Cavaignac family, of whom the most illustrious member was Eugene, head of the executive power in 1848. The name of Montmartre is usually derived from Mons Martyrum, because S. Denis, Bishop of Paris in the iii. c., and his companions, Rusticus and Eleutherius, were be-, headed at the foot of the hill, and ‘ afterwards the body of Dionysius rose upon its feet and, taking up its head in its hands, walked up the hill, angels singing hymns by the way,’ to the spot where S. Genevieve raised a church to their honour. Hence, in the reign of Dagobert, the relics of S. Denis were removed to the abbey of S. Denis. The Chapelle des Martyrs at Montmartre, visible in the xvii. c., has now disappeared. It was interesting as the place where Ignatius Loyola pronounced his first vows with nine of his companions (Aug. 15, 1534). Every army which has attacked Paris has in turn occupied the heights of Mont- martre. They were abandoned by Joseph Bonaparte and occupied by Bliicher in 1814. It was there that the Communist insurrection of 1871 was begun. From the Boulevard Rochechouart, the Rue Lepic leads up to the Butte Montmartre., with the remaining Mills of Mont 7 uartre — weather-worn, blackened, and picturesque. An obelisk near the marks the boundaries 15 226 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. of Paris. From the terrace of the Rue Lamarck there is a splendid view over the town. A waste of grey houses reaches almost to the horizon, only those nearest catch a few red and yellow tones, and are very scantily interspersed with green. For a panorama so vast it wants central points of MILLS OF MONTMARTRE. interest, such as S. Paul’s and Westminster supply to views of London— the Pantheon, S. Sulpice, and the Invalides, the most prominent objects here, are not large enough. Still, it is a very remarkable view, and one which no visitor to Paris should miss seeing. A great church— the E^/ise PARIS. 227 du Sacre Coeiu', from designs of Abadie — is in progress on the highest summit of Montmartre, where Temples of Mars and Mercury are supposed to have stood. The Boulevards called Montmartre.^ Boissonniere, and Bonne Nouvelle continue the line of the Boulevard des Italiens. In the Rue du Faubourg Poissonniere, on the N., is the Conservatoire de Musique et de Declamatioji., founded (1784) for the training of singers and actors. Those who win its Grand Prix obtain an allowance of 3,000 fr. for four years, that they may visit Italy. The interesting Collection of Musical Bistruments is shown on Mondays and Thursdays from 12 to 4. (The Rue Hauteville leads N. from the Boulevard to the Place Lafayette and the great Church of S. Vmcent de Paul, built (1824-44) from designs of Lepere and Hittorf.) At the entrance of the Rue du Faubourg S. Denis, from the boulevards, is the Porte S. De?iis, a heavy and hideous Arch of Triumph, built, as a medal attests (1670-72), by Bullet, a pupil of Blondel, to commemorate the earlier German victories of Louis XIV. In the Rue du Faubourg S. Denis (No. 107) is the Prison of S. Lazare, on the site of the Leper Hospital of S. Ladre, which existed in the xii. c., and which (in 1632) was given to S. Vincent de Paul, who made it the centre of his Congregation des Missions (Lazaristes). The cell of S. Vincent is preserved as an oratory. d'he Boulevard Sebastopol now diverges (r.), and the Boulevard de Strasbourg (1.), leading to the Gare de TEst. A considerable distance down the latter (on r.), at the entrance of the Boulevard Magenta, is the Church of S. 228 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. Laurejit^ which belonged to a monastery where S. Domnole was abbot in the vi. c. The older parts of the church (apse and tower) are early xv. c. ; the nave and transept, end of XVI. c. ; and the main W. fagade, of 1622. There is a line of omnibuses down the Boulevard de Strasbourg (falling into the Faubourg S. Martin and Rue Lafayette) to La Villette^ where Le Grand Abattoir may be seen, between the Canal S. Denis and the Canal de TOurcq. It is worth while to ascend to the Buttes Cha^imo^it — curious steep hillocks covered with grass, and quarried for gypsum. In the further part of these, one of the most charming pleasure-grounds in Paris has been created — the Parc des Buttes Chaiunont — with delightful drives and walks winding amongst the hills.) Returning to the Boulevard S. Denis, at the entrance of the Rue du Faubourg S. Martin, is the heavy Porte S. Martin^ built (1670-74) to commemorate the capture of Besangon. Continuing the Boulevard S. Martm (which contains the Cafe Parisien and the Theatre des Folks Draj/iatiqites), t\\Q Rue du Faubourg du Temple leads (N. E.) to the suburban heights of Belleville^ where the ‘ Battle of Paris ’ w^as fought (March 30, 1814), and gained by the allied sovereigns, who forthwith occupied the capital. The Boulevard du Temple leads (S.E.) from the end of the Boulevard S. Martin. No. 42 occupies the site of the house of Fieschi, whence the infernal machine exploded (July 28, 1835). Place de la R'ep2ibliq2ie (formerly the Chateau d’Eau) is a tasteless bronze Statue of the Republic. Returning as far as the Boulevard Montmartre, the Rue Vivmi 7 ie diverges on the 1 . Here is the Bourse (the Exchange, open on week-days from 12 to 3 for Bourse PARIS. 229 operations : from 3 to 5 for commercial transactions), built (1808-27) from plans of Brongniart — magnificent, yet not undeserving of the description ‘ grenier a foin, batard du Parthenon.’ The annual amount of business transacted on the Bourse is estimated at ^2,000,000,000. We must cross in front of the Bourse to the Riie de Richelieu — which the great Cardinal pierced to indemnify himself for his expenses in building the Palais Cardinal. Turning S. we find ( 1 .) occupying part of the magnificent hotel of Cardinal Mazarin, No. 58, the great buildings of the Bibliotheque Nationale. The library is open for study from 10 to 4, except on Sundays and holidays; closed Sept. I — Oct. 15 ; the collections are only visible to the public on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10.30 to 4. The library is entered by visitors from the Rue Richelieu by the door nearest the boulevards. Passing the Salle de Travail., and ascending the staircase, hung with a tapestry from Chateau Bayard, they find, in an anteroom, the curious bronze Parnasse Pran^aise, executed by Titon du Tibet in 1721. The Apollo, who is attended by the nine Muses, is Louis XIV. The magnificent Galerie Mazarine, which looks upon the Rue Vivienne, has a beautiful mythological ceiling by Romanelli, and is one of the finest galleries of its date in existence. Here many of the great MS. treasures of France are exhibited in cases. A little lower down the Rue Richelieu is the entrance to the Collection of Bro?izes, Medals, etc., open on Tuesdays only, from 10 to 3.30. Behind the Library (a little E.) is the Church of Notre Dame des Victoires or des Petits Peres, founded by Louis XIII. (in 1629) to commemorate the victories over the Protestants at La Rochelle, and given to the Augustins 230 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. dkhaussh^ known in Paris as Petits Peres. Lulli, the composer, is buried in a chapel near the entrance. A few steps E. take us into the circular Place des Victoires (with a statue of Louis XIV. in the centre), constructed from designs of Mansart (1685), at the expense of a private individual, the Due de la Feuillade. Close by (in the Rue de la Vrilliere) is the Banque de France., occupying part of the magnificent hotel of the Comte de Toulouse, son of Louis XIV. and Mme. de Montespan, which afterwards PARIS. 231 belonged to his son the Due de Penthievre, father-in-law of the Princesse de Lamballe. The most remarkable remains of the old hotel are, externally, the projecting angle by Mansart, bracketed over the Rue Radziwill, which is re- garded as a masterpiece of stone-work ; and, internally, the incomparable Galerie Doree of Mansart. The interior is not shown without a special permission, to be obtained by written application to the governor. In the Rue Neuve des Petits Champs., which leads west- wards from the Place des Victoires, No. 45, at the corner of the Rue S. Anne, is the noble mansion of Lulli, built for him by Gittard in 1671, with 11,000 livres (lent by Moliere, and only repaid in ingratitude). Opening from the Rue de Richelieu, opposite the library, is the Place Louvois, with a graceful fountain by Visconti, marking the site of the Opera House where the Due de Berry was murdered (Feb. 13, 1820). A fountain erected at the angle of the Rues de la Fontaine Moliere and de Richelieu, in 1844, commemorates the death of the poet in the house of the tailor Baudelet, the opposite house (No. 34), which has been since rebuilt. South of the National Library, flights of steps will lead us down into the Palais Royal. It was built by Cardinal Richelieu (1624-34), and known at first as Palais Cardinal, though nothing now remains of the time of Richelieu, except part of the second court. The great cardinal died here December 4, 1642, bequeathing his palace to the king, Louis XIII., who only survived him five months. But in the following year Anne of Austria came to live here with her two children, Louis XIV., then aged five, and Philippe d’Orleans. The name of the building was then changed 232 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. to Palais Royal. Under Philippe II. d’Orleans the palace became the scene of the celebrated suppers and orgies which disgraced the Regency. The father of King Louis- Philippe made great alterations in the building, including the arcades surrounding the gardens, which he let to trades- men, thereby making the palace the most magnificent bazaar in the world. In May 1871, a great part of the Palais Royal was burnt by the Commune. The principal buildings are now occupied by the Conseil d'^Etaf^ the Aile Montpensier by the Cour des Comptes, and the portion of the Aile de Valois upon the second court and the garden, by the Direction des Beaiix- Arts. The interior of the palace has now little interest, but the great gravelly square, misnamed Jar din du Palais Royal., surrounded by gay arcades of shops, and planted with lime- trees, is still a popular resort, though the opening of the Tuileries gardens under Louis XVI. deprived it of its glory, which was at a climax under Louis XIII., when it was the resort of all the rich citizens. CHAPTER I,V. EXCURSIONS FROM PARIS. L S. CLOUD AND SEVRES. HERE are four ways of reaching S. Cloud from Paris, i, The- pleasantest is to drive through the Bois de Boulogne, which is very enjoyable, or to take the tramway, leaving the Place du Louvre, which goes to Boulogne and the Pont de S. Cloud (fares 55 c. and 35 c.). 2. By the steamers (only in summer ) — les Hirondelles parisiennes—^hich start every half-hour from the Quai des Tuileries, opposite the Louvre (fares, week-days, 30 c. ; Sundays, 50 c.), and pass Sevres (see below). 3. By rail from the Gare S. Lazare, which is the more ordinary way, if, as is often the case, S. Cloud be visited on the way to another point of interest.' The railway line passes — 8 k. Courbevoie^ where Louis XV. built magnificent barracks, which still exist. Under the Empire they were used for the Imperial Guard. The plain is now full of villas and gardens. It is here that the coffin of Napoleon I. was disembarked from the Seine and placed upon its funeral car. An allegoric group, by Barrias, has been erected here in honour of the defence of Paris in 1869-70. 10 k. Puteaux., with pretty views over the Seine, and ' All the excursions round Paris are described at much greater length in Days near Paris. 234 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. rich cherry orchards. Bellini, the composer, died here in 1834, at the early age of thirty-four. 12 k. Suresnes (the ancient Surisnae), where the coiiron- nemenf (Tune rosiere takes place annually on the Sunday nearest to x\ug. i, at the little church in the valley on the 1 . The village, where ‘ Venus folatrait avec les Amours,’^ was a great place of Sunday resort in the last century. Suresnes is at the base of Mont- Valerien.^ origin- ally the site of a calvary and hermitage, now of a famous fortress. There is a splendid view across the Bois de Boulogne to Paris. 15 k. S. Cloud (Hotels : de la Tete Noire., Place Royale ; dll Chateau^ at the entrance of the Avenue du Chateau and the pare ; endless restaurants). Very near the station is the Chateau de S. Cloud.^ set on fire by order of the German commander-in-chief, on Jan. 28, 1870, and now the most melancholy of ruins. Sufficient, however, remains to indicate the noble character of a building partly due to Jules Hardouin Mansart. The chateau is more reddened than blackened by the fire, and the beautiful reliefs of its gables, its statues, and the wrought-iron grilles of its balconies are still perfect. Grass, and even trees, grow in its roofless halls, in one of which the marble pillars and sculptured decorations are seen through the gaps where windows once were. The view from the terrace is most beautiful. The name of S. Cloud comes from a royal saint, who was buried in the collegiate church, pulled down by Marie Antoinette (which stood opposite the modern church), and to whose shrine there is an annual pilgrimage. Clodomir, ‘ Chaulieu, au Chevalier de Bouillon, 1704. 5. CLOUD. 235 King of Orleans, son of Clovis, dying in 524, had be- queathedr his three sons to the guardianship of his mother Clotilde. Their barbarous uncles, Childebert and Clotaire, coveting their heritage, sent their mother a sword and a pair of scissors, asking her whether she would prefer that they should perish by the one, or that their royal locks should be shorn with the other, 'and that they should be shut up in a convent. ‘ I would rather see them dead than shaven,’ replied Clotilde proudly. Two of the princes were then murdered by their uncles, the third, Clodowald, was hidden by some faithful servants, but fright made him cut off his hair with his own hands, and he entered a monastery at a village then called Nogent, which afterwards derived from him the name of S. Clodowald, corrupted into S. Cloud. Clodowald bequeathed the lands of S. Cloud to the bishops of Paris, who had a summer palace here, in which the body of Franc^ois I. lay in state after his death at Ram- bouillet. His son, Henri II., built a villa here in the Italian style ; and Henri HI. came to live here in a villa belonging to the Condi family, whilst, with the King of Navarre, he was besieging Paris in 1589. The city was never taken, for at S. Cloud Henri was murdered by Jacques Clement, a monk of the Jacobin convent in Paris, who fancied that an angel had urged him to the deed in a vision. From this time the house of the banker Jerome Condi, one of the Italian adventurers, who had followed the fortunes of Catherine de Medicis, was an habitual residence of the Court. It became the property of Hervard, Con- troller of Finances, from whom Louis XIV. bought it for his brother Philippe d’Orleans, enlarged the palace, and 236 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. employed Le Notre to lay out the park. Monsieur married the beautiful Henriette d’Angleterre, youngest daughter of Charles I. She died here (June 30, 1670) with strong suspicion of poison ; S. Simon affirms the person em- ployed to have confessed to Louis XIV. having used it at the instigation of the Chevalier de Lorraine (a favourite of Monsieur), whom Madame had caused to be exiled. One of the finest sermons of Bossuet describes the ‘nuit desastreuse, oil retentit comme un eclat de tonnerre cette etonnante nouvelle : Madame se meurt ! Madame est morte ! Au premier bruit d’un mal si etrange., on accourt a Saint- Cloud de toutes parts, on trouve tout consterne, excepte le coeur de cette princesse.’ Monsieur gave magnificent fetes to the Court at S. Cloud, to which he added with splendour, causing the great cas- cade, which Jerome Gondi had made, to be enlarged and embellished by Mansart. It was at S. Cloud that Monsieur died of an attack of apoplexy, brought on by over-eating, after his return from a visit to the king at Marly. The chateau continued to be occupied by the second Madame, daughter of the Elector, the rude, original, and satirical Princess Palatine, in whom the modern House of Orleans has its origin, and here she died during the regency of her son. The Regent d’Orleans, nephew of I.ouis XIV., received Peter the Great at S. Cloud in 1717. In 1752 his grand- son, Louis-Philippe d’Orleans, gave here one of the most magnificent fetes ever seen in France. In 1785 the Due d’Orleans sold S. Cloud for six million francs to Queen Marie Antoinette, who made great alterations in the internal arrangements of the building, where she resided during the early days of the Revolution. It was here that the coup 5. CLOUD, 237 d'etat occurred which made Napoleon first consul. This led him ta choose the palace of S. Cloud, which had been the cradle of his power, as his principal residence, and, under the first empire, it was customary to speak of ‘ le cabinet de Saint-Cloud,’ as previously of ‘ le cabinet de Versailles,’ and afterwards of ‘le cabinet des Tuileries.’ Here, in 1805, Napoleon and Josephine assisted at the bap- tism of Napoleon Louis, the elder brother of Napoleon IIL^ It was also in the palace of S. Cloud that Napoleon I. was married to Marie Louise, April i, 1810. In this palace of many changes the allied sovereigns met after the fall of the first empire. Bliicher, after his fashion, slept booted and spurred in the bed of Napoleon • and the capitulation of Paris was signed here July 3, 1815. Louis XVIII. and Charles X. both resided much at S. Cloud, and added to it considerably ; but here, where Henri IV. had been recognised as King of France and Navarre, Charles X. was forced by the will of the people to abdicate, July 30, 1830. Two years after, Louis-Philippe established himself with his family at S. Cloud, his son Louis, Due de Nemours, was married in its chapel (April 27, 1840) to Princess Victoria of Saxe Coburg-Gotha, and his daughter Clementine (April 28, 1843) Duke Augustus of Saxe Coburg. Like his uncle, Napoleon HI. was devoted to S. Cloud, where — ‘d’un coeur leger’ — the de- claration of war with Prussia was signed in the library, July 17, 1870, a ceremony followed by a banquet, during which the ‘Marseillaise ’ was played. The doom of S. Cloud was then sealed. On the 13th of the following October the besieged Parisians beheld the volumes of flame rising * Who died in 1831, at Forli. 238 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. behind the Bois de Boulogne, which told that S. Cloud, recently occupied by the Prussians, and frequently bom- barded in consequence from Mont Valerien, had been set on fire. In the Lower Park of S. Cloud, an avenue, entered from the Place Royale, and bordered on one side by booths and shops, leads at once to the foot of the Grande Cascade. But visitors will generally start on a (short) walk from the chateau, at the back of which they will find the gardens (Parc Reserve), the Petit Parc of Marie Antoinette, now always open to the public. At the rond point took place the famous secret interview between Marie Antoinette and Mirabeau (July 3, 1790), when her dignity and grace, and the pathos of her position, won him over to the cause of the royal family. The walk between the flower-beds, facing the chateau, leads to the water called Piece de la Grande Gerhe., whence in a few minutes we arrive at a crossway formed by the Allies de Versailles, de la Felicite, and de la Lanterne. If we follow to the 1 ., the Alice de la Lanterne, we reach at once the terrace, where the Belvidere of Napoleon I. formerly stood, known as the Lanterne de Diogene, and destroyed during the siege of Paris in 1870. The view towards Paris is most interesting and beautiful. Following the Alice du Chateau as far as a grassy amphitheatre, a path on the r. leads down to the lower walks at Le gra?id jet di’eait, or Jet de la Gra?ide Gerbe, which (when it plays) is 42 metres in height. Hence, a few steps bring us to La Grande Cascade, the most magnificent of the ‘ grandes-eaux,’ which plays from 4 to 5 p.m. on the second Sunday of every month in summer, 5. CLOUD. 239 and on the three Sundays of the fete de S. Cloud, which lasts from three to five weeks from the first Sunday in September. The upper part of the cascade is due to Lepautre, by whom it was constructed for Mon- sieur, brother of Louis XIV. ; the lower to Mansart. The two cascades are completely harmonious, though separated LA GRANDE CASCADE, S. CLOUD. by the walk which takes its name of Alik de Tillet from a house which once occupied the site. True Parisians of the middle classes have no greater pleasure than a day spent at S. Cloud— ‘ pour voir jouer les eaux.’ At the end of one of the principal avenues, Alice de Br^teuil, below the Alle'e du Chateau, is the Pavillo72 de Breteuil., built by the Bailli de Breteuil, Chancellor of the 240 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE, Duke of Orleans. The wildest and most picturesque part of the park is that known as La Brosse. Joining the park of S. Cloud is that of Villeneuve TEtang, which belonged to the Duchesse d’Angouleme, who frequently resided there as Dauphine, during the reign of Charles X.j devoting herself to the education of her nephew, afterwards Comte de Chambord. It was here that, a fortnight before the revolution of 1830, which drove her from France, she received a visit — accompanied by vehement demonstra- tions of loyalty and affection — from Louis-Philippe. The favourite summer retreat of Napoleon III., whither he came with the Empress Eugenie immediately after their marriage, and where the garden still retains the seat of the Empress and the swing and the miniature railway of the Prince Imperial — is now occupied by the dog-kennels and experiments of M. Pasteur. Between S. Cloud and Versailles, with a station on the railway, is Vil/e TAvray (Restaurant ; de la Cliaumiere), with pools surrounded by wood, constantly painted by Corot, to whom a monument (by Dechaune) has been erected, near the house which he occupied. Marc Antoine Thierry, first valet de chambre of Louis XVI., built a chateau here, below which was a (still existing) fountain, of which the pure waters were exclusively reserved for the king’s table, and were daily sent for from Versailles. It was in the villa of ‘ Les Jardies' at Ville d’Avray, built by Balzac, that Gambetta died. The steamer from Paris to S. Cloud descends the Seine, passing under the Pont de Solf6ino, Pont de la SEVRES. 241 Concorde, Pont des Invalides, and Pont d’Alma. Then the Champ de Mars is seen on the 1 ., the Palais du Trocadero on the r. After the Pont dTena, Passy is passed on the r., and the lie des Cygnes on the 1 . Then comes the Pont de Crenelle, after which Auteuil is passed on the r. and Javel on the 1 . After leaving the Pont- viaduc du Point-du-Jour, the lie de Billancourt is seen on the 1 . After the Pont de Billancourt the steamer passes between the lies de Billancourt and Seguin to Bas Meudon. Hence, skirting the heights of Bellevue, it reaches its sixth station — Sevres (Severa). — Very near the river, at the end of the bridge, is the famous Manufacture de Porcelaine., open daily to visitors from 12 to 4 from Oct. i to March 31, and from 12 to 5 from April i to Sept. 30. The workshops are only supposed to be visible on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with an order from the administration, but strangers are generally admitted. A china manufactory, which had already existed at S. Cloud, Chantilly, and Vincennes, was first established here in 1756, and having been bought from its owners in 1760, at the instigation of Mme. de Pompadour, by Louis XV., became thence- forth a royal manufacture. The collections shown are divided into the Exposition des produits de Sevres and the Musee Ceramique. In the ateliers., visitors are shown the three processes of le Tournage., le Cou/age, and la Cuisson des pates et des emaux. The village of Sevres clusters round the Church of S. Romain, which dates from the xiii. c., but has been much altered at dilferent times. In the cemetery is the tomb of Senancour — the poet of the first Revolution — with the 16 242 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. words of his choice (from his Fibres Meditations)^ ‘ Eternite, deviens mon asyle ! ’ If the traveller enters the park of S. Cloud by the Sevres gate, a few minutes bring him to an avenue leading to the extremity of a piece of water which ends in the Grand Cascade. II. VERSAILLES. Summer visitors to Versailles should, if possible, be there on a Sunday when the gra 7 ides eaux are playing. This fairy scene is advertised in the newspapers, at the Gare de I’Ouest, and on the omnibuses which serve the station. Nothing can prevent a visit to Versailles from being exceed- ingly fatiguing. There is too much to be seen for one day. Even superficial visitors should give one day at least to the interior of the palace, and another to the gardens and the Trianons. If an attempt be made to see the whole in one day, a carriage should certainly be taken from the palace to the Trianons. The palace is visible daily, except Mondays., from 12 to 4, Visitors are allowed to wander unattended. The park and gardens are visible daily from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The fountains play about 4 p.m. on the first Sunday of every month in summer, except the Bassin de Neptune, which only plays from 5 to 5.30 p.m. The Gra?td Trianon, Muse'e des Voitures, and Petit Triano^i are shown daily, except Monday, from 12 to 4. Visitors are here hurried round by a guide. All the sights of Versailles are open free to the public. The galleries of the palace are very cold in winter. There are three ways of reaching Versailles, i. The plea- santest, by the tramway from the Quai du Louvre (interior, i fr. ; imperiale, 85 c.). Trams every quarter of an hour from 8 a.m. The road crosses the Seine at Sevres, passes through Chaville VERSAILLES. 243 and Viroflay, and ends at the Place d’Armes at Versailles, on the side opposite the palace, at the angle of the Rue Hoche. 2. By rail from the Gare S. Lazare (rive droitc) in thirty-five minutes express, fifty minutes slow trains. The line is the same as that to S. Cloud. There are omnibuses (30 c.), and tramway (25 c. and 15 c.), and carriages (i fr. 25 c. the course: and I fr. 50 c. the hour, without poiirboire) from the station to the palace. On leaving the station, pedestrians must turn 1 . by Rue Duplessis. Reaching the market, turn r. by Rue de la Paroisse to church of Notre Dame, built by Jules Hardouin- Mansart, 1684-86 ; turn 1 . by the statue of General Hoche (born at Versailles, 1768) to the Place d’Armes, where you find the palace on your r. 3. By rail from Gare Montpariiasse (very far from the English quarter of Paris) by Clamart, Mendon, and Belleville. From the station at Versailles, take the Avenue Thiers, then (r.) the Avenue de Sceaux, which will lead to the Place d’Armes, opposite the palace. Carriages for drives in the neighbourhood of Versailles, 2 fr. an hour, or 2 frs. 50 c. on Sundays and fete days. Hotels : des Reservoirs (which faced the mansion of the Princes de Conde, where La Bruyere died) ; de France. Restaurant : du Musee., Rue des Reservoirs, — good and reasonable. The first palace of Versailles was a huriting lodge built by Louis XIII. at the angle of the present Rue de la Pompe and Avenue de S. Cloud. This he afterwards found too small, and built, in 1627, a moated castle, on the site of a windmill in which he had once taken shelter for the night. The buildings of this chateau still exist, respected, as the home of his father, in all the alterations of Louis XIV., and it forms the centre of the present palace. In 1632 Louis XIII. became seigneur of Versailles, by purchase from Franqois de Gondi, Archbishop of Paris. The immense works which Louis XIV. undertook here, and which were carried out by the court architects Levau, 244 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Louis Levau, and Mansart in turn, were begun in i66i, and in 1682 the residence of the Court was definitely fixed at Versailles, connected by new roads with the capital. The very dulness of the site of Versailles, leaving everything to be created, was an extra attraction in the eyes of the king. The great difficulty to be contended with in the creation of Versailles was the want of water. Nine million francs were expended in the Aqueduct of Maintenon, of which the ruins are still to be seen, then it was interrupted by the war of 1688, and the works were never continued. Instead, all the water of the pools and the snow falling on the plain between Rambouillet and Versailles was brought to the latter by a series of subterranean water-courses. No difficulties, however — not even pestilence, or the ruin of the country by the enormous cost — were allowed to interfere with ‘ les plaisirs du roi.’ The palace rose, and its gigantic gardens were peopled with statues, its woods with villages. ‘ Louis a fait ce qu’il voulait ; il a cree autour de lui un petit univers, ou il est le seal etre necessaire, et presque le seul etre reel ’ — Henri Martin. Under Louis XV. Versailles was chiefly remarkable as being the scene of the extravagance of Mine, de Pompadour and the turpitude of Mine, du Barry. Madame Campan has described for us the life, the very dull life there of ‘ Mesdames,’ daughters of the king. Yet, till the great Revolution, since which the palace has only been a shadow of its former self, the town of Versailles drew all its life from the chateau. Approaching from the town, on entering the grille of the palace from the Place d’Armes, we find ourselves in the vast VERSAILLES. 245 Cour des Statues — ‘ solennelle et morne.’ In the centre is an equestrian statue of Louis XIV. by Petitot and Cartellier. Many of the surrounding statues were brought from the Pont de la Concorde at Paris. Two projecting wings shut in the Cour Royale, and separate it from the Cour des Princes on the 1 ., and the Cour de la Chapelle on the r. Beyond the Cour Royale, deeply recessed amongst later buildings, is the court called, from its pavement, the Cour de Marbre, in front of the little old red Chateau of Louis XIII. Under Louis XIV. this court was sometimes used as a theatre, and the opera of Alcestis was given there. It has a peculiar interest, for no stranger can look up at the balcony of the first floor without recalling Marie Antoinette presenting herself there, alone, to the fury of the people, Oct. 6, 1789. The palace of Versailles has never been inhabited by royalty since the chain of carriages drove into this court, later on the same day, to convey Louis XVI. and his family to Paris. From the Grande Cour the gardens may be reached by passages either from the Cour des Princes on the 1 ., or from the Cour de la Chapelle on the r. The palace has had three chapels in turn. The first, built by Louis XIII., was close to the marble staircase. The second, built by Louis XIV., occupied the site of the existing Salon d’Hercule. The present Chapel^ built 1699 — ^yio, is the last work of Mansart. Here we may imagine Louis XIV. daily assisting at the mass, and his courtiers, especially the ladies, attending also to flatter him, but gladly escaping, if they thought he would not be there. It was here also that the flattery of royalty took its strongest form. ‘ Lors qiie madame la Dauphine faisait ses Paques, il y avait 246 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. des hosties choisies pour cette princesse: apparemment Dieu s’imposait aiissi une presence reelle de choix pour la bru du grand roi/ — Da?igeau. On Sundays and fete days there is always a musical low mass m the chapel at 9 a.m. In describing the Musee, the apartments are taken in the order in which they are usually visited, and which it is better to follow, if one does not wish to be lost. All the furniture of Versailles was sold during the Revolution (in 1793), and, though a few pieces have been recovered, the palace is for the most part unfurnished, and little more than a vast picture-gallery. From the antechamber of the chapel open two galleries on the ground floor of the N. wing. One is the Galerie des Sculptures ; the other, divided by different rooms looking on the garden, is the Galerie de I Histoire de Frajice. The first six rooms of the latter formed the apartments of the Due de Maine, the much indulged son of Louis XIV. and Madame de Montespan. At the end of the gallery (but only to be entered now from the Rue des Reservoirs) is the Salle de r Opera, begun by Jacques Ange Gabriel under Louis XV. for Mme. de Pompadour and finished for Mme. du Barry. It was inaugurated on the marriage of the Dauphin with Marie Antoinette, and nineteen years after was the scene of that banquet, the incidents of which were represented in a manner so fatal to the monarchy, given by the body-guard of the king to the officers of a regiment which had arrived from Flanders. Returning from the end of the picture gallery, we may pass through the Galerie des Sculptures, chiefly casts from royal and other monuments. Some, however, are brought VERSAILLES. 247 from Paris churches destroyed at the Revolution, and are of considerable interest. Near (1.) a cast from the great monument of Ferdinand and Isabella, is the entrance to a suite of five rooms formerly occupied by the ladies and gentlemen in waiting, adorned with modern historic pictures, and known from their subjects as Salles des Croisades. 'Returning to the Galerie des Sculptures and following it to the vestibule of the chapel, we must now take the little staircase on the 1. of the chapel, which will conduct us to another vestibule of the chapel on the first-floor. Here we enter (r.) the second Galerie des Sculptures.^ from the midst of which we reach the Salles de Peinture, called Galerie de Constanti?t^ a set of seven rooms adorned with modern historic pictures and busts, some of them very interesting as representing the court, surroundings, life, campaigns, and battles of Napoleon III., the idol of France at the time they were executed. Returning from these rooms to the Galerie des Sculptures^ and, turning to the end, we reach the landing, where we find a staircase which leads us up to the second floor, the Attique du Nord, panelled with part of the vast Versailles collection of portraits, chiefly copies and poor as works of art, but including a few of great interest, especially here, in the palace where so many of the originals lived and died. Especially deserving of notice are : — Salle II.— 3282. Poi'hus. Henri IV. as a child. Salle III.— 3391. Philippe dc Champaignc. Cardinal de Richelieu. 48 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. Salle V— 3624. Mtgnard. Mile, de Blois, daughter of Louis XIV. Salle VII.— 3566. Vivien. Fenelon. Salle VIII.— 3673. Rigaud. The Due d’Antin, son of Mme. de Montespan. 3637. Mignard. Mme. de Maintenon. 2084. Rigaud. Elisabeth Charlotte de Baviere, Duchesse d’Orleans — ‘ Madame.’ 3701. SanteiTe. The Regent d’Orleans. Galerie . — 3789. Toeque. * Monseigneur,’ son of Louis XIV. 3751. Vanloo. Louis XV. 3741. Nattier. The Duchesse de Maine. 3755. Toeque. Marie Leezinska. 3791. Natoire. Louis Dauphin, son of Louis XV. 3795. Toeque. Marie Christine de Baviere, daughter-in-law of Louis XIV. 3810. Drouais. Mme. Sophie. 3813. Nattier. Mme. Louise. 3796. Marie Josephe de Saxe, Dauphine, mother of Louis XVI. 3806. Nattier. Mme. Victoire. 3890. Callet. Louis XVi. 3895. M 7 ne. Lebrim. Marie Antoinette. 3802. Heinsius. Mme. Adelaide. 3907. M^ne. Lebnm. Marie Therese de France, Mme. Royale, and Louis Joseph Xavier, the first Dauphin, son of Louis XVI. 3912. M 7 ne. Leb 7 ' 7 i 7 i. Louise Marie Adelaide de Bourbon, Duchesse d’Orleans. 3865. D 7 'ouais. Monsieur, afterwards Louis XVIII. VERSAILLES. 249 3899. Vanloo. The Comte d’Artois, afterwards Charles X. 3775. Boucher. Antoinette Poisson, Mme. de Pompadour. Salle VIII.— 3958. Gerard. Mme. Adelaide. 3960. Mme. Gtiiard. Mme. Victoire. 3962. Mme. Elisabeth. 3963. Carteatix. Louis XVI. on horseback. Redescending the staircase, we enter, on the second floor. La Galerie des Peintures. The order in which the palace must be visited has here the inconvenience of reversing the chronological order of the pictures which are named. Perhaps the most interesting picture is — • Salle V. : 1754. Pouget, The Marriage of Napoleon I. and Marie Louise. (Here we end our visit to the northern wing. The Salon d’Hercule is the communication between this wing and the central and principal part of the palace. This is the part of chief interest, and may be visited without the rest. Those who wish to do this will ascend one of the little staircases by the side of the chapel, from the vestibule on the ground floor, and, on reaching the vestibule on the first floor, will turn 1. The Salo7i d^Hercule is so named from the picture of i the ‘ Apotheosis of Hercules ’ on its ceiling, by Francois le j Mojate, who chose the subject in remote flattery of his j patron, Hercule de Fleury, the Cardinal Minister. This I salon was formed from the upper part of the old chapel, 1 where the many marriages of Louis XIV. ’s children took j place, beginning with the love-marriage of his lovely little daughter (by Mme. de la Valliere), Mile, de Blois, with the Prince de Conti. It was here that the Due de 250 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. Bourgogne, grandson of Louis XIV., was married to Marie Adelaide de Savoie, long the darling of the king and Court. Here Philippe d’Orleans, Due de Chartres (afterwards the Regent d’Orle'ans), was married to Fran^oise Marie de Bourbon, daughter of Louis XIV. and Mine, de Montespan ; and here her brother, Louis-Auguste, Due de Maine, was married to Louise-Benedieite de Bourbon- CondL Here also, in 1685, Louis XIV. was himself married to Mine, de Maintenon by Harlai, Arehbishop of Paris, and the Pere la Chaise, eonfessor of the king ; Bontems, first valet de ehambre, and the Marquis de Montehevreuil being the witnesses. The small room ealled the Salo 7 i T Ahondance leads ( 1 ., after passing an anteroom) to the Salle des Etats- ghi'eraiix (with a statue of Bailly), whence the Petits Appartements de Louis XV. — noticed later — are sometimes reached. The door on the opposite side of the Salle d’Abondance from which we entered, leads to the Salle de Vhms, marked by a group of the Three Graces. Next comes the Salle de Dia?ie, with a fine portrait of Marie Therese, attributed to Beaiibrim^ and of Louis XIV., by Eigaud, perhaps the most characteristic of the many portraits of the king. From the Salle de Diane we enter the Salon de Mars, which was used as a ball-room under Louis XIV., when it was decorated by some of the fine works of Paul Veronese and Titian, which are now in the Louvre. Over the chimney is the young Louis XIV. crowned by Victory. The great pictures represent the coronation of Louis XIV. and his interview with Philippe IV. at the lie des Faisans. Le Salon de Meraire was the ‘ ehambre de parade,’ VERSAILLES. 251 which served for the ‘jeu du roi ’ on the ‘jours d’apparte- ment.’ It contains good portraits of Louis XIII. and Anne of Austria, as well as of Louis XIV. and Marie Therese, of whom the king said at her death (July 30, 1683), ‘ Depuis vingt-trois ans, que nous sommes ensemble, voila le premier chagrin qu’elle m’ait donnd’ It was in this room, turned into a chapelle arde^ite., that the coffin of Louis XIV. lay in state for eight days. Le Saloti dl Apollo 7 i was formerly the throne-room. The three rings which supported the canopy are still in their places. Here Louis XIV. received the submission of the Doge of Venice, who answered to the courtiers when they asked him what he found most remarkable at Versailles ; ‘C’est de m’y voir.’ Here also Louis XIV. held his last public audience, in 1715. The portraits include — 3503. Henriette d’Angleterre (Madame, youngest daughter of Charles I.), and Philippe de France, Due d’Orl^ans ; 3504. Mile, de Montpensier (as Bellona), and Gaston, Due d’Orleans. Ix Salon de la Guerre is a magnificent room. The ceiling is adorned with pictures by Lebrun., celebrating the victories of Louis XIV. Over the chimney-piece is a relief, by Coysevox, of Louis XIV. on horseback, trampling upon his enemies. Le Grande Galerie des Glaces was built by Louis XIV. in the place of a terrace between two pavilions. The larger pictures are by Lebru 7 i, the sculptured children on the cornice by Coysevox ; the inscriptions are attributed to Boileau and Racine. All the symbolical paintings exalt Louis XIV. as a god. This gallery, which has a noble view down the gardens of the palace, was the scene 252 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. of the great fetes of the French Court. It was here also that King William of Prussia caused himself to be proclaimed German Emperor in Jan. 1871. From the Grande Galerie des Glaces, before advancing to the other galleries of the Musee, we should turn by first door on the 1 . to La Salle d2i Co?iseil^ which was divided under Louis XIV., the further part being the Cabinet des Perruques., where the king changed his wig several times a day. In the nearer part, called Cabmet du Rot, Louis XIV. transacted business with his ministers. In this room is preserved the clock of Louis XIV., which was stopped at the moment of his death, and has never been set in motion since. It was in the embrasure of the first window that the panic-stricken M. de Breze announced to Louis XVI. the terrible answer of Mirabeau, when the deputies were summoned to separate: ‘Nous sommes ici par la volonte du peuple, et nous n’en sortirons que par la force des baionnettes.’ From the Salle du Conseil we may turn aside to visit the very interesting historic rooms called Les Petits Apparte- nmits de Louis XV. (sometimes entered opposite the Salle des Ii^tats-Generaux, when the order is reversed), comprising the — Chambre a coucher de Louis X V. This was the billiard- room of Louis XIV. It was here that the game-loving king accorded his friendship over the billiard-table to Chamillart, who rose to be minister. Louis XV. died in this room May 10, 1774, of malignant small-pox, which fifty persons caught from merely crossing the neighbouring gallery ; though his three daughters nursed him with fearless devotion. The pictures include the Coronation of Louis XV. ; Louis XV. VERSAILLES. 253 as a child, by Rigaud ; and the six daughters of Louis XV., by Nattier. The Salon des Pendules was the council-chamber of Louis XV On the floor is a meridian line said to have been traced by Louis XVI. From a little window in this room, Louis XV., unseen himself, was fond of watching the courtyard and its arrivals. Hence also, as the fickle king saw the funeral train of his once beloved Mine, de Pompadour leaving Versailles, he exclaimed, ‘ La Marquise a mauvais temps pour son voyage ! ’ La Salle d'Or et d' Argent contained a collection of precious stones under Louis XV. The valuables in this room were concealed at the Revolution behind a portrait of Mme. de Maintenon. La Salle des Bicffets was also the Cabinet de Travail de Louis XV. et XVI. Adjoining it is shown the oratory of Louis XIV. Le Cabinet des Medailles was previously part of a little gallery ; it be- longed to the apartment of Mme. de Montespan. La Bibliotlieque de Louis XVL. Here the iron safe of Louis XVL, and the livre rouge which it contained, are said to have been found on the denunciation of Gamain. An autograph report of Mansart on some of his new build- ings, with the notes of Louis XIV. on the margin, is preserved here. La Salle des Porcelaines., which has a fine tapestry portrait of Louis XV., was the apartment of the king’s favourite daughter, Mme. Addaide. This leads to the E scalier du Roi. By a little passage, lighted from an inner court, we reach the Salle k Manger, whence we enter the Cabinet des Chasses, looking upon the little court called Cour des Cerfs^ which is surrounded by a balcony whither the royal family 254 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. used to come to inspect the spoils of the chase. The iron grille on the 1. of the balcony communicated with the alcove of the chamber of Louis XV., which Mme. du Barry entered by this means. The gilt door on the r. of the entrance communicates with a staircase which led up to the apartments of Mme. du Barry — small rooms lighted by round-headed windows. On the second story of the Cour des Cerfs, Louis XV. had some small private rooms, which Louis XVI. afterwards used as a workshop where he amused himself as a locksmith, and where, with the help of the workman Gamain, he constructed, in the beginning of 1792, his famous armoire de fer. Beyond this is the Salle des Etats-Generaux (see p. 250). From the Salle du Conseil we enter La Chambre a coiicher de Louis XLV. The bed and furniture of this room gave twelve years’ work to Simon Delobel, tapissier, valet de chambre du roi. The counterpane, originally adorned with the ‘Triumph of Venus,’ was exchanged in the latter years of Louis XIV. for the ‘ Sacrifice of Abraham ’ and the ‘ Sacrifice of Iphigenia,’ the work of the young ladies of S. Cyr. This quilt, found in two parts, in Germany and Italy, was recovered by Louis-Philippe. No one was allowed inside the balustrade in which the bed is placed — la ruelle — without being especially summoned by the king. The pictures of S. John by Raffaelle, and David by Domenichino, which are now in the Louvre, were originally on either side of the bed. The portrait of Anne of Austria, mother of Louis XIV., hung here in the king’s time. The other family portraits have been VERSAILLES. 255 brought hither since. The great king died in this room, Sept. I, .1715. When a king of France died the palace clock was stopped at the minute of his death, to remain motionless till the death of the next sovereign. The first gentleman, standing in the balcony above the Cour de Marbre, cried three times : ‘ Le roi est mort ! ’ then, breaking his wand of office, and taking a fresh one : ‘ Vive le roi ! ’ La Salle de I Oeil de Boeuf from the bedroom) is so called from its oval skylight. This was the king’s ante- chamber, in which the courtiers awaited ‘ le grand lever du roi.’ In a strange picture by Nocret^ Louis XIV. is represented as Apollo, and all the rest of the royal family of the earlier part of his reign — Marie Therese, La Grande Mademoiselle, Madame (Henriette), Monsieur, Anne of Austria, Henrietta Maria (of England), and the four daughters of Monsieur — as gods and goddesses. The guardian now stationed in the Salle de I’Oeil de Boeuf will admit visitors (50 c.) to Les Petits Appartements de Marie Afitoinette.^ 'previously used by Marie Leczinska. These little rooms are entered by the corridor by which the unfortunate Marie Antoinette escaped, Oct. 6, 1789. The Bibliotheque Rouge was the oratory of Marie Therese, and the painting room of Marie Leczinska. The BibliotheqiLe Bleue leads to the Bath-room of Marie Leczinska. The Salon de la Reine has panelling of the time of Marie Antoinette. P Antichambre du Roi (behind the Oeil de Boeuf) was used for dinners when there was grand convert., to which only fils et petits fils de France were admitted. La Salle des Gardes, at the top of the marble staircase, was used for the household guard of the king. 256 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE, (Returning into the Grande Galerie des Glaces, on the 1 ., at the bottom of this gallery we enter the Salon de la Paix, a pendant to the Salon de la Guerre at the other end of the gallery.) Le Salon de la Paix has a picture over the chimney- piece, by Le Moyne, representing Louis XV. as a god giving peace to Europe. The frescoes of this room are of the kind so offensive to foreign powers : Holland on its knees receiving upon its buckler the arrows which Love brings it with olive branches — symbolical of the provinces which the king had conquered from it, and the peace which he had given it, etc. On the ceiling is France drawn in a triumphal car by turtledoves, harnessed by Love — sym- bolical of the marriages of the Dauphin with a Bavarian princess, and of Mademoiselle with the King of Spain. This room was used as a Salle de Jen, and immense sums were lost here. Mme. de Montespan lost 400,000 pistoles here in one night at biribi. It was in this room that Louis XIV. and Mme. de Maintenon remained (1712) during the last agonising hours of the Duchesse de Bourgogne, who had been the light of their existence; that they received the opinions of the seven physicians in office ; and that Queen Mary Beatrice of England (hurrying from S. Germain) vainly tried to comfort them in the greatest sorrow of their lives — ‘ Ils etaient Fun et Fautre dans la plus amere douleur.’ La Chanibre de la Reine was that of Marie Therese, wife of Louis XIV., who died there. It was afterwards in- habited by his beloved granddaughter-in-law, the Duchesse de Bourgogne, who died in this room. Louis XV. and Philip V. of Spain were both born in this chamber. VERSAILLES. 257 Here Marie Leczinska died, and here also Marie Antoinette gave birth to Marie Therese (afterwards Duchesse d’Angouleme), Madame Royale. The pictures comprise : — 2092, Lebrun. Marriage of Louis XIV. 2091. Ant. Dieu. Birth of the Due de Bourgogne. 2095. Ant. Dieii. Marriage of thfe Due de Bourgogne and Marie Adelaide de Savoie. 2096. Nattier. Marie Leezinska. 2097. Mme. Lebrnn. Marie Antoinette. The picture of Marie Leczinska partly conceals the door of the passage by which Marie Antoinette escaped from her bed-chamber on the terrible night of Oct. 6, 1789. The next room, Le Salon de la Reine., was the meeting place for the Court of Louis XIV. after dinner. The pictures in this room include : — 2099. Joseph Christophe. The Baptism of Louis de France, Dauphin, son of Louis XIV. 2110. Establishment of the Hotel des Invalides. 2098. Visit of Louis XIV. to the Gobelins. The portraits are of unusual interest ; — 2101. Hyacinthe Rigaud. Louis de France, Due de Bour- gogne, the beloved pupil of Fenelon. 2102. Marie Adelaide de Savoie, Duchesse de Bourgogne. 2103. Rigaud. Philippe V., Roi d’Espagne, grandson of Louis XIV. 2104. Charles de France, Due de Berry, grandson of Louis XIV. IJ Antichambre de la Reine. This was used as a dining room for the grand convert de la reine. The ceiling 17 258 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. comes from the Ducal Palace at Venice. The portraits are : — 2109. Lebrun. Louis XIV. on horseback. 2113. Mme. de Maintenon. 2115. Louis Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de Toulouse, second son of Louis XIV. and Mme. de Montespan. 2110. Anne de Chabot-Rohan, Comtesse de Soubise. 2114. Louis de Bourbon, Comte de Vermandois, son of Louis XIV. and Mile, de la Valliere. By the door which the Garde du Corps was murdered while defending, Oct. 6, 1789, and which the bedchamber women bolted on the inside, we enter La Salle des gardes de la Reine., invaded by the torrent of revolutionists armed with pikes and sabres, shrieking for the blood of Marie Antoinette. 2116. After Mignard. Louis de France, le Grand Dauphin, and his family, *2117. Sa 7 iter 7 'e. Marie Adelaide de Savoie, Duchesse de Bourgogne, afterwards Dauphine. A lovely picture. Now, for a moment, we quit the historic recollections of the old regime to enter upon La Salle dii Sacre, furnished d r Empire.^ and adorned with busts of Josephine, Marie Louise, and the parents of Napoleon. In the centre is ‘ Gli Ultimi di Napoleone primo,’ a noble work of Vela^ i860. On the walls are — 2277. David. Coronation of Napoleon I. — an immense pic- ture, containing one hundred figures. With the second of the two succeeding rooms we return to the times of Louis XIV., as it was the Grand Cabinet of Mme. de Maintenon — ‘ la toute puissante,’ as the Duchesse d’Orleans calls her in her letters. Hence we enter — VERSAILLES. 259 La Salle de 1792, called Salle des Cent-Suisses under Louis XVI., decorated with portraits of the Consulate and Empire. The little rooms adjoining, now called Salles des Aquarelles^ were the apartment of the Due de Bourgogne, afterwards of Cardinal Fleury and the Due de Penthievre. Returning to the Salle de 1792, and crossing a landing which has statues of Louis XIV. by Marin.^ Napoleon I. by Cartellier^ and Louis-Philippe by Dumont., we reach — (The S. wing) La Galerie des Batailles, formed under Louis-Philippe from the suite of apartments inhabited under Louis XIV. by Monsieur (Due d’Orleans) and his children. We may notice — 2672. Ary ScheLfer. Charlemagne at Paderborn. 2676. Eugme Delacroix. Battle of Taillebourg. 2715. Gerard. Henri IV. entering Paris. Battle of Austerlitz. Battle of Bouvines. Battle of Fontenoy. Battle of Jena. Battle of Friedland. Battle of Wagram. 2765. Gerard. 2674." 2743 - 2768. 2772. 2776.J Horace Vernet. The gallery ends in the Salon de 1830 (in the ancient Pavilion de la Surintendance), containing pictures of events in the reign of Louis-Philippe. Hence we must return to the little rooms belonging to the apartment of Mme. de Maintenon, which now form a passage to a staircase — DEscalier de Marbre, leading to the upper floor of the S. wing. Here, turning 1 ., we enter — Salle I. (time of Louis XVIII. and Charles X.) begin- ning on the right — 4799. Gerard. Caroline Duchesse de Berry and her children 4795. Gerard. Charles X. 26 o NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. 798. Charles Ferdinand d’Artois, Due de Berry. 4797. Gras. Marie Therese, Duchesse d'Angouleine, Dan phine. 4835. Delaroche. Gregory XVI. Salle II— David. Pius VII. 4715. Meynier. Cardinal Fesch. Unn. Guerin. Marie Therese. 4700. Le ThiNe. The Empress Josephine. 4705. Menjard. Napoleon I. with Marie Therese and the king of Rome. Salle III. Pictures of Royal Palaces. Salle IV. English Portraits. Galerie . — R. 4558. Gerard. Mme. Mere. 4613. Hauer. Charlotte Corday, painted just before her execution. 4531. Mme. de Genlis with Mile. d’Orleans and Pamela. 4523. Risault. Marie Therese de Savoie Carignan, Princesse de Lamballe. 4458. Nattier. Mme. Sophie. 4428. Nattier. Mme. Louise. *2196. Mme. de Maintenon and Mile. d’Aubigne, afterwards Duchesse de Noailles. L.*4I7o. Philippe de Champaigne. Catherine Agnes d’Arnauld, Abbess of Port Royal. 4510., Nattier. Louise Iiilisabeth de France, ‘ Mme. I’lnfajite.’ 4455. Nattier. Mme. Henriette. 4448. After Drouais. Mme. du Barry and her black page Zamore, who afterwards betrayed her to death. *4520. Mme. Lebrun. Marie Antoinette and her three children. 4326. M 77 ie. Lebnm. Louise Marie Adelaide de Bourbon, Duchesse d’Orleans. 4558. Schillz. Louis Antoine de Bourbon, Due d’Enghien. *4630. Gi'euze. Napoleon Bonaparte, as First Consul. VERSAILLES. 261 Returning to Salle I. we find a little cabinet containing a number of sketches for pictures by Gerard. Beyond the head of the Escalier de Marbre are four rooms occupied by modern pictures. The second room contains portraits of Louis-Philippe, Marie Amelie, Mme. Adelaide, and all the princes and princesses of the House of Orleans, mostly by Winterhalter. The second room has a picture by Bonnaf of M. Thiers. The third room contains portraits of the Bonaparte family, including — 1561. David. Napoleon I. crossing the Great S. Bernard. 5134. Lefevre. Napoleon I. in his imperial robes. Gerard. Josephine. Gerard. Mme. Mere. Benoist. Marie Pauline, Princess Borghese. Lefevre. Mme. Clary, queen of Naples. 4412. Mine. Lebrun. Caroline, Mme. Murat. 4635. Lefevre. Lucien, prince of Canino. La. Thiere. Marianne Elise, Mme. Baciocchi. Elandrin. Napoleon III., the Empress Eugenie, and the Princesses Mathilde and Clotilde. A corridor contains pictures of events in the reign of Louis-Philippe. We may now descend the Escalier de Marbre., the famous staircase where Louis XIV. waited for the Grand Conde, weak from age and wounds, saying, ‘ Mon cousin, ne vous pressez pas, on ne peut monter tres vite quand on est charge comme vous de tant de lauriers.’ After de- scending, at the foot of the Escalier de Marbre, we find ourselves on the ground floor of the palace, and may finish exploring the S. wing, by traversing several vestibules leading to a series of halls which formed the apartments of the Due and Duchesse de Bourbon under Louis XIV. (as 262 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. far as the Vestibule Napoleon), and which now are the Galeries de V Empire. The pictures in these rooms, of the modern French school, illustrating the glories of the first Empire, are of no great interest. The last hall — Salle de Mare/igo — contains 1567. David. The First Consul crossing the Great S. Bernard. Hence, descending a few steps of the Escaher de Monsieur, we find — Les Salles des Marines., in the building called Le Pavilloji de Monsieur from having been inhabited, under Louis XVI., by his second brother the Comte de Pro- vence (Louis XVIII.). The pictures are by modern French artists, many of them by Gudin. From these halls we cross the Vestibule de VEscalier de Provence to the Salles des Tombeaiix, under the ground floor, because the level of the ground is so m.uch lower on the garden side of the palace. Mounting L’Escalier de Monsieur on the r. (parallel with the Galeries de I’Empire), we find — La q^iatrihne Galerie de Sculptures^ containing busts and statues of celebrated persons from the Great Revolution to 1814. This completes the tour of the S. wing. Descending LEscalier des Prmces^ and crossing the vestibule leading to the gardens, we may enter the halls on the ground floor of the central part of the palace. Three vestibules filled with sculpture lead to a number of rooms which formed the apartment of ‘ Monseigneur ’ (Le grand Dauphin), son of Louis XIV., and, after his death, of the Due and Duchesse VERSAILLES. 263 de Berry ; then, later, of the Dauphin, son of Louis XV. Of these— La Salle des A?niraiix contains portraits of French admirals from Florent de Varennes in 1270, admiral under S. Louis, to the Due d’Angouleme, son of Charles X. La Salle des Co 7 inetables. — There were thirty-nine con- stables under the old monarchy, the most illustrious being Duguesclin, Olivier de Clisson — Te boucher des Anglais,’ and Anne de Montmorency. The last was Lesdiguieres, under Louis XIII. La Salle des Marecliaux. — The portraits of the Marshals of France, more than 300 in number, fill thirteen halls. We should turn aside at the seventh hall if we wish to enter — La Salle des Rois de France., containing a collection of portraits of sovereigns. Les Salles des Residences royales contain a number of pictures of interest, especially those of palaces which have been destroyed — Marly, the old Louvre, the Tour de Nesle, etc., as well as of Versailles at many different periods. Returning to the Salle des Rois de France, and crossing the Vestibule de Louis XLLL., opening upon the Cour de Marbre, we reach — Les Salles des Tableaux-Flans, containing plans of battles from 1627 to 1844. The salle, which forms the angle of one of the pavilions of the chateau of Louis XIII. was part of the Salle des Gardes pour L Apparteinent particulier du Roi, with the staircase called F Escalier du Rol. Louis XV. was descending this staircase, when he was attacked by Damiens, who was seized in the hall below. Returning hence, we cross the vestibule, to the Galerie 264 NORTH EASTERN ERANCE. de Louis XIII., containing his statue, that of Anne of Austria, and — Charles Lebrmt. The Meeting of Louis XIV. and Philippe IV. at the Isle of Pheasants. Several of the last six Salles des Marechaux formed part of the Appartenmit des Bains, inhabited by ‘ Mesdames,’ daughters of Louis XV. The last salle was the bedchamber of Mme. de Pompadour. les Salles des Guerriers celebres contain portraits of famous warriors (not constables or marshals). These rooms were the cabinet and antechamber of Mme. de Pompadour. The garden front of the palace has not yet experienced the soothing power of age : it looks almost new ; two hundred years hence it will be magnificent. The long lines of the building, with its two vast wings, are only broken by the top of the chapel rising above the wing on the 1. The rich masses of green formed by the clipped yews at the sides of the gardens have the happiest effect, and contrast vividly with the dark background of chestnuts, of which the lower part is trimmed, but the upper falls in masses of heavy shade, above the brilliant gardens with their popula- tion of statues. These gardens are the masterpiece of Le Notre, and of geometrical gardening, decorated with vases, fountains, and orange trees. Lovers of the natural may find great fault with these artificial gardens, but there is much that is grandiose and noble in them ; and, as Voltaire says : ‘ II est plus facile de critiquer Versailles que de le refaire.’ Especially stately is the view down the main avenue — great fountains of many figures in the fore- VERSAILLES. 265 ground ; then the brilliant Tapis Vert, between masses of rich wood j lastly the Bassm dl Apollon, and the great canal extending to distant meadows, and lines of natural poplars. One of the finest views of the palace, giving an impression of its immensity, is from the head of the steps which descend from the terrace of the Parterre dii Midi towards the water. The lake is called the Piece d'Eau des Suisses, and was made by the Swiss regiment in 1679. Beyond it is an equestrian statue by Bernini, executed at Rome, and intended for Louis XIV., but the king was so dissatisfied with it that he cut ofi” its head and replaced it with one by Girardon, intended for Marcus Curtius. Beneath this terrace is the Orangerie, a stately arcaded building by Mansart, with noble orange and pomegranate trees. From the Parterre du Nord, the Alice d'Eau, formed by Claude Perrault, leads to the immense Bassin de Neptu 7 ie. Louis XV. used to watch the progress of its decorations, attended by his dogs — Gredinet, Charlotte, and Petite Fille,i — whilst Mme. du Barry walked in the Allee d’Eau, followed by her little negro Zamore. The Bassin de Neptune is the great attraction at the time of the grandes eaux. The great central Alice du Tapis Vert runs between bosquets adorned by statues and fountains. Of the bosquets on the 1 ., that nearest the palace is the Bosquet de la Cascade or Salle de Bal, where the Grand Dauphin used to give his hunting dinners. The neighbouring Bosquet de la Peine is that where Cardinal Rohan mistook Mile. Oliva for Marie Antoinette. The Alice d‘Automne and the Quinconce d2i Midi (where bands play in summer on Sundays and Thurs- * Familiar to us from the admirable paintings of Oudry in the Louvre. 266 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. days from 3 to 4.30) 'lead to the Jardin du Roi (open after May I from 2 p.m.), formed by Louis XVIII. The neighbouring Bosquet de la Colon 7 iade owes its architectural designs to Jules Hardouin Mansart. At the end of the All^e du Tapis Vert is the vast Bassin T Apollon^ decorated by a figure of the god in his chariot (designed by Lebrun), who throws up magnificent jets of water on the days when the fountains play. The Grand Ca 7 ial, which opens from this basin, was covered with boats in the time of Louis XIV. Amongst the bosquets on the N., we need only especially notice, near the Fontaine de Diarie, the Bosquet dl Apollon^ adorned by a group of Apollo and the nymphs, by Girardon and Regnaudin, one of the many sculptures in which Louis XIV. is honoured as a divinity. The Trianons may be reached in half an hour from the railway station, but the distance is considerable, and a carriage very desirable considering all the walking inside the palaces to be accomplished. Carriages take the straight avenue from the Bassin de Neptune. The pleasantest way for foot-passengers is to follow the gardens of Versailles as far as the Bassin d’ Apollon, and then turn to the r. At the end of the r. branch of the grand canal, staircases lead to the park of the Grand Trianon ; but these staircases are railed in, and it is necessary to make a detour to the Grille de la Grande Entree, whence an avenue leads directly to the Grand Trianon, while the Petit Trianon lies imme- diately to the r., behind the buildings of the concierge and Corps de Garde. LE GRAND TRIANON. 267 ‘ The Trianons are open daily, but the apartments cannot be visited without a guide. La Salle des Voitures (entered from the esplanade before the Grand Trianon) is only open on Sundays and Thursdays.’ The original palace of the Grand Trianon was a little chateau built by Louis XIV. in 1670, as a refuge from the fatigues of the Court, on land bought from the monks of S. Genevieve, and belonging to the parish of Trianon. Tut in 1687 the humble chateau was pulled down, and the present palace erected by Mansart in its place. For many years Louis XIV. was much delighted with the Grand Trianon and constantly visited it, but, after 1700, he never slept there, and weary of his plaything here, turned all his attention to Marly. Under Louis XV., however, the palace was again frequently inhabited, though, being entirely on one floor, the Grand Trianon continued to be a most uncomfortable residence, till subterranean passages were added under Louis-Philippe, who made great use of the palace. The buildings are without character or distinction. Visitors have to wait in the vestibule till a large party is formed, and are then hurried full speed round the rooms, without being allowed to linger an instant. Amongst other chambers thus scampered through are the Salon des Glaces, which was used for the council of ministers under Louis-Philippe, and is furnished d V Empire ; the Bedroom of Louis XLV., afterwards used by the Grand Dauphin, Josephine, and Louis-Philippe . the Sludy of Queen Marie Am'elie ; the Salon de Famille of the time of Louis-Philippe ; the Antechamber of Loiiis XIV., containing the extraordinary picture by Mignard, representing him as the sun — ‘ le roi 268 NORTH-EASTERN TRANCE. soleil ’ ; the Gallery., containing a group of sculpture by Vela, given by the ladies of Milan to the Empress Eugenie after the Italian campaign ; the Salon Circiilaire ; the Salle de Billard, v/ith portraits of Louis XV. and Marie Leczinska by Vanloo ; the Salle de Malachite, with portraits of Louis XIV. and Louis XV., the Grand Dauphin and Louis XVL, the Due de Bourbon and Due d’Enghien ; and the rooms prepared by Louis-Philippe for the visit of Victoria of England. The chapel, which is not shown, was built by Louis-Philippe, and his daughter Marie v/as married there to Duke Alexander of Wiirtemberg. On emerging from the Grand Trianon, we should turn to the 1. A door on the 1. of the avenue is the entrance to the Mitsee des Voitures — a blaze of crimson and gold — containing I, The gorgeous coronation carriage of Charles X., built 1825, and used at the baptism of the Prince Imperial. 2. The carriage built 1821 for the baptism of the Comte de Chambord, and used for the marriage of Napoleon III. 3. La Topaze, built 1810 for the marriage of Napoleon I. and Marie Louise. 4. La Turqitoise, built with (5) Lm Victoire and (6) La Brillante, for the corona- tion of Napoleon I. 7. LlOpale, which took Josephine to Mal- maison after her divorce. Two Chaises a Porteurs belonged respectively to Mme. de Maintenon and Mme. du Barry. Of the four sledges, one, formed like a shell, belonged to Mme. de Maintenon, another, also like a shell, was built in the time of Louis XV. for Mme. du Barry, and restored for Marie Antoi- nette. After the Revolution the citizen deputies of the people besported themselves, and their wives went to market, in the royal carriages. (On reaching the grille of the Cour d’Homie^ir of the Petit Trianon, visitors should enter on the 1. and ask for the concierge for the interior of the palace. But if they LE PETIT TRIANON. 269 only wish to visit the gardens, they may enter freely from a door out of the court on the r. of the grille.) The Petit Trianon was built by Gabriel for Louis XV. in the botanical garden which Louis XIV. had formed at the instigation of the Due d’Ayen. It was intended as a miniature of the Grand Trianon, as that palace had LE PETIT TRIANON. been a miniature of Versailles. The palace was often used by Louis XV., who was here first attacked by the smallpox, of which he died. Louis XVI. gave it to Marie Antoinette, who made its gardens, and whose happiest days were spent here. Mme. Campan describes ‘Marie Antoinette, vetue en blanc, avec un simple chapeau de paille, une legere badine h la main, marchant a pied, suivie d’un seul valet, dans les allees qui conduisent au Petit-Trianon.’ 270 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. The Petit Trianon is a very small and very unassuming country house. Mme. de Maintenon describes it in June as ‘ un palais enchante et parfume.’ Its pretty simple rooms are only interesting from their associations. The furniture is mostly of the time of Louis XVI. The stone stair has a handsome iron balustrade ; the salons are panelled in white. Here Marie Antoinette sat to Mme. Lebrun for the picture in which she is represented with her children. In the Sa//e d manger is a secretaire given to Louis XVI. by the States of Burgundy, and portraits of the king and Marie Antoinette. The Cabinet de travail of the queen has a cabinet given to her on her marriage by the town of Paris ; in the Salle de Reception are four pictures by Watteau ; the Boudoir has a Sevres bust of the queen; in the Chamber d coucher is ihe queen’s bed, and a portrait of the Dauphin by Lebrun. These simple rooms are a standing defence of the queen from the false accusations brought against her at the Revolution as to her extravagance in the furnishing of the Petit Trianon. Speaking of her happy domestic life here, Mme. Lebrun says, ‘ I do not believe Queen Marie Antoinette ever allowed an occasion to pass by without saying an agreeable thing to those who had the honour of being near her.’ In the Chapel (only shown on special application) is a picture by Vien of S. Louis and Marguerite de Provence visiting S. Thibault. In the early years of Bonaparte’s consulship, the Petit Trianon was turned into an inn. After the restoration, Louis XVIIL often came here for the day from Paris, and the gouty king would order himself to be carried through the rooms of many associations. LE PETIT TRIANON. 271 In the pleasant gardens, Le Temple dl Amour., surrounded by water, contains a statue by Bouchardon. A little further on, several cottages compose the Hameau where the queen kept her cows and poultry, and near which she planted a weeping willow in the year in which she left Versailles for ever. The buildings retain the names she gave t;hem — La Maison du Meiinier., once occupied by the Comte THE FARM OF MARIE ANTOINETTE. de Provence ; La Bergerie ; La Maison du Seigneur (Louis XVI.) ; La Maison du Bailli (Comte de Polignac) ; Le Presbytcre (Cardinal de Rohan) ; La Maison du Garde (Comte d’Artois). Close to the lake is the Laiterie., joined to the Tour de Marlborough. Near another little lake is the Salon de Afusujue, an octagonal building with four doors and windows, and the Salle de Spectacle., in which Marie Antoinette acted in the Devin du Village and the Barbier de Seville. 272 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Except to lovers of historic detail, there is little of importance in the town of Versailles — La Cite du Grand Rot. If the visitor leaves the gardens by the gate of the Granger! e at the foot of the E scalier des Cent Marches^ he will find himself facing the Rue de FOrangerie, which will lead him to (r.) the Cathedral of S. Louis., containing a monument by Pradier^ erected by the town of Versailles to the Due de Berry. Returning to the Rue de I’Orangerie, and turning L, then following (r.) the Rue de Satory to the Rue du Vieux-Versailles, we find, on r., the Rue du Jeu de Paume, on the r. of which is the entrance of the famous Salle du Jett de Paume. Over the entrance is inscribed : ‘Dans ce Jeu de paume, le xx juin mdcclxxxix, les deputes du peuple repousses du lieu ordinaire de leurs seances, jurerent de ne point se separer qu’ils n’eussent donne une constitution a la France. Ils ont tenu parole.’ The famous oath of the Jeu de Paume is engraved under a portico behind a statue of Bailly, and round the hall are inscribed the names of the 700 who signed the proces verbal of the meeting of June 20, 1789. In 1883 the hall was turned into a Musee de la Revolution Fran^aise. III. S. GERMAIN. There are two ways of reaching S. Germain, i. By rail from the Gat^e S. Lazare^ Express, 30 min.; slow trains, 50 min. Trains every hour, at 25 min. before the hour. {Single — First, I fr. 65 c.; second, i fr. 35 c. : Return — First, 3 fr. 30 c. ; second NANTERRE. 273 2 fr. 70 c.) 2. By the steamer Le Touriste, on the Seine, carriages at the landing-place. The train passes — 5 k. Asnieres. Its xviii. c. chateau was transformed into a restaurant in 1848. WELL OF S. GENEVIEVE, NANTERRE. i 12 k. Na 7 iterre. A large village, celebrated because i S. Germain of Auxerre, passing on his way to England 1 with S. Loup, Bishop of Troyes {c. 429), remarked the I shepherdess Genevieve amongst the crowd assembled to ! see him pass, and called her to a life of perpetual virginity, consecrating her to the service of God, and giving her a copper cross to wear. Here, while she was yet a child, 18 274 NORTH-EASTERN TRANCE. her mother is said to have been smitten with blindness, for giving her a box on the ear in a passion. Then S. Genevieve, having drawn water from the well of Nanterre, bathed her mother’s eyes with it, upon which she saw as clearly as before. From this time the well is said to have preserved its miraculous powers, and 20,000 pilgrims come to it annually. Queen Anne of Austria, in despair at not becoming a mother, came to drink of its waters, and the result was Louis XIV. The well is in the Garden of the Presbytery, v/hich can be entered through the Church of S. Maurice, dating from the xiii. c., but spoilt by restorations. The chapel of St. Genevieve is covered with ex-votos. A monument commemorates Charles Le Roy, ‘horloger du roi,’ 1771 . The Gateaux de Nanterre are celebrated, and have an immense sale to the pilgrims. The fete of the Posiere, when the girl who is esteemed the most virtuous in the town is led in pro- cession, publicly eulogised, and crowned with roses, is still observed every Whit Monday in this church. 13 k. Rtieil. There is a tramway from the station to the village, and to Malmaison and Marly. (See later.) 15 k. Chatou — where Soufflot built a chffleau, which still exists, for Bertin, minister of Louis XV. Hither, to another chateau (now destroyed), near the Avenue de Croissy, the hated Chancellor Maupeou retired after the king’s death. At the Revolution, Chatou belonged to the Comte d’Artois, and was sold as national property. ' 16 k. Le Vesinet — possessing a racecourse, and the Asile de V'esmet, a succursale of the Paris hospitals for female convalescents. 18 k. Le Pecq (once Alpicum, then Aupec) — where^ i 5 . GERMAIN. 275 V Orme de Stilly^ near the Seine, is the only tree remaining of many planted by the minister of Henri IV. A house is inscribed ‘Pavilion Sully, 1603.’ The Villa of Monte Cristo was built by Alexander Dumas ; its gate is in- scribed ‘ Monte Cristo, propriete historique,’ but it has long since been sold. The line from Le Pecq ascends the wooded hill to — ' 21 k. A. Germain-en-Laye (Hotels : du Pavillo?i Heiiri IV. — in a delightful situation on the terrace, and with a most beautiful view ; du Pavilion Louis XIV, Place Pontoise ; de lAnge-Ga/dien, Rue de Paris ; du Prince de Galles, Rue de la Paroisse. Restaurant Grenier, close to the station — very dear; many other restaurants). The first royal chateau of S. Germain was built by Louis Le Gros in XII. c., near a monastery belonging to S. Germain-des-Pres at Paris. Both palace and monastery were burnt by the Black Prince. Charles V. began to rebuild the palace in 1367, and it was continued by Francois I. Within its walls Henri H. and Catherine de Medicis received the six-year- old Mary Stuart from the hands of the Comte de Br&e, who had been sent to Scotland to fetch her, as the bride of their son, afterwards Francois H. The old palace was like a fortress, and Henri IV., wishing for a more luxurious residence, built a vast palace which occupied a site at the end of the existing terrace, j Beneath it a beautiful garden, adorned with grottoes, ; statues, and fountains in the Italian style, descended in i an amphitheatre as far as the bank of the Seine. The ! palace and garden of Henri IV. have entirely disappeared. I The former was destroyed by the Comte d’Artois, after- I wards Charles X. In the second chateau Louis XIV- was I 276 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. born, and Louis XIII. died, after a lingering illness. May 14, 1643. Here, also, six years after, Anne of Austria, flying from Paris with her two sons, before the rising of the Fronde, took refuge with all the royal family, except the Duchesse de Longueville, bivouacking upon straw in the unfurnished palace, whilst waiting for troops to come from the army in Flanders. CHATEAU OF S. GERMAIN. Louis XIV., who added the five pavilions at the angles of the older and still existing palace, at one time thought of rebuilding the whole on a much more magnificent scale ; one fatal obstacle prevented him : from its lofty site he could see S. Denis, his future burial-place ! ‘ Saint-Germain, lieu unique pour rassembler les merveilles de la vue, I’immense plain-pied d’une foret toute joignante, 5. GERMAIN. 277 unique encore par la beaute de ses arbres, de son terrain, de sa situation, I’avantage et la facilite des eaux de source sur cette elevation, les agrements admirables des jardins, des hauteurs et des terrasses, qui les unes sur les autres se pouvaient si aise- ment conduire dans toute I’etendue qu’on aurait voulu, les charmes et les commodites de la Seine, enfin une ville toute faite et que sa position entretenait par elle-meme, il I’abandonna pour Versailles, le plus triste et le plus ingrat de tous les lieux.’ — S'. Simojt. After the English Revolution of 1688, James II. found at S. Germain the generous hospitality of Louis XIV. He lived here for thirteen years as the guest of the King of France, wearing always a penitential chain round his waist (like James IV. of Scotland) and daily praying God to pardon the ingratitude of his daughters, Mary and Anne. Here his youngest child Louisa — ‘ la Consolatrice ’ — was born, and here, as the choir in the Chapel Royal were singing the anthem, ‘ Lord, remember what is come upon us, consider and behold our reproach’ (Sept. 2, 1701), he sank into the Queen’s arms in the swoon from which he never recovered. After the king’s death his widow, Mary Beatrice, con- tinued for seventeen years to reside at S. Germain. Here she witnessed the death of her darling daughter, Louisa, April 18, 1712; and here, in the thirtieth year of her exile, the queen herself passed away in the presence of i thirty Jacobite exiles, of whom she was the best friend and protectress. In accordance with her last wish, the Regent i d’Orleans allowed her ladies and many other noble British emigrants to continue in the palace, where they and their j descendants remained till the Revolution drove them from I their shelter. Till then, the room in which Mary Beatrice 1 278 ORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. died was kept as it was in her lifetime — her toilette table, with its plate, the gift of Louis XIV., set out, with four wax candles ready to light, as if the queen’s return was constantly expected. Under the Reign of Terror the name of S. Germain was changed to La ATontagne du Bel-Air^ and it was intended to turn the chateau into a prison, and to establish a guillotine en perjiianence in its courtyard, when the fall of Robespierre intervened. In the interior of the chateau the decorations and chimney-pieces are of brick. The rooms are now occupied by a Musee des Anti quit es Nationales^ chiefly of a very early date, of great interest to archaeologists, and intended as a prelude to the collections of the Hotel de Cluny. The museum is only open (free) on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, from 11.30 to 5 in summer, and 11 to 4 in winter. In one of the rooms on the ground floor the primitive boats (pirogues) hewn out of the trunk of a tree, and found in the Seine and Saone, are especially remark- able, Other halls are devoted to casts from the Roman buildings in France (at Orange, S. Remy, etc.) ; relics of the Roman legions in Gaul ; funeral urns and tombs in brick and lead ; bronzes and pottery. On the upper floor are flint weapons, fossils found in the caverns of France, and models of cromlechs, menhirs, etc. Opposite the palace is the parish Church., containing (ist chapel, r.) the monument erected by Queen Victoria to James II. of England, ‘magnus prosperis, adversis major,’ and inscribed ‘ Regio cineri pietas regia.’ Passing in front of the palace, by the gardens planned by Le Notre, we reach the Terrace., constructed by Le Notre 5 . GERMAIN. 279 in 1676, and one of the finest promenades in Europe. The view -is most beautiful over the windings of the Seine and the rich green plain : on the r. are the heights of Marly and Louveciennes ; on the 1 . the hills of Mont- morency, and Mont Valerien and Montmartre in the dis- tance; above Vesinet, the cathedral of S. Denis is visible — ‘ ce doigt silencieux leve vers le ciel.’ James II. declared that the view from the terrace of S. Germain reminded him of that from Richmond, and he used to walk here daily, leaning upon the arm of Mary Beatrice. The terrace ex- tends from the Pavilion Henri IV. — which was the chapel of Henri IV.’s palace, and in which Louis XIV. was baptized — to the Grille Poyale, leading to the forest. A number of drives and straight alleys pierce the forest of St. Germain, which is sandy, and, for the most part, beautiless. The Chateau du Val, to the right of the Grille Royale, built at an enormous cost by Mansart for Louis XIV., on the site of a pavilion of Henri IV., is now the property of M. Fould. The Pavilion de la Muette was built by Louis XIV. and Louis XVI. on the ruins of a chateau of Francois I. Les Loges are a succursale to the college for the daughters of members of the Legion of Honour at S. Denis. Near this was a hermitage to which one of Henri IV.’s courtiers retired under Louis XII L, with a chapel dedicated to S. Fiacre. The pilgrimage to this chapel has given rise to the annual Petes de Loges, cele- brated on the first Sunday after the day of S. Fiacre (Aug. 30) — the most popular and crowded of all fetes in the neighbourhood of Paris. Le Cliene des Loges is one of the finest oaks in France. In the neighbourhood of S. Germain are (3 k.) Mareil 28 o NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Marly, which has pleasant views, and (4 k.) Chambourcy, supposed to possess the relics of S. Clotilde, wife of Clovis, whose fete, July 3, attracts great crowds. It is a pleasant drive of 13 k. from S. Germain to Versailles. Public car- riages leave at 10.30, 2.30, and 7.30, passing through Rocquencoiirt, where M. Fould has a chateau. IV. RUEIL, MALMAISON, AND MARLY. It is only a pleasant afternoon’s drive through the Bois de Boulogne to Rneil and Malmaison. If Marly be visited on the same day it will be better to take a ticket from the Gave S. Lazare to Riieil Ville, or tickets can be taken direct to Marly. 13 k. Rueil. Below the station carriages are waiting on a tramway to take passengers to— 14 k. Rueil Ville. This large village was of no import- ance till Cardinal de Richelieu built here a chateau like a fortress, whither he often retired, and where he condemned the Marechal de Marillac, convicted of public peculation, to be executed in the Place de Greve. Pere Joseph died here, Dec. 18, 1638, when Richelieu said, ‘Je perds ma consolation et mon secours, mon confident et mon ami.’ The cardinal bequeathed his chateau de Rueil to his niece, the Duchesse d’Aiguillon, who made it so attractive that Louis XIV. coveted it and commanded Colbert to ask her to sell it to him. She proudly replied : — ‘Je ne puis jamais temoigner mon obeissance dans ime RUEIL. 281 occasion qui marque mieux mon respect infini pour les volontes de Sa Majeste, qu’au sujet dont il s'agit, n’ayant jamais pense a vendre Ruel, ni jamais pense aussi qu’il fust vendu. ‘ J'avoue qu’il m’est cher pour bien des considerations ; les depenses excessives que j’yai faictesfont connoitre I’attachement et I’affection que j’y ai toujours eus ; mais le sacrifice que je feray en sera plus grand ; j’espere que, presente par vos mains, vous en ferez valoir le merite. ‘ Le roy est le maitre ; et celui qui m’a donne Ruel a si bien appris a toute la France I’obeissance qu’elle lui doit, que Sa Majeste ne doit pas douter de la mienne.’ Louis XIV., however, found Rueil too small, and turned to the building of Versailles, only sending Le Notre to study the beautiful gardens of Richelieu. The grounds of Rueil were cut up by the heirs of the Duchesse d’Aiguillon, and the chateau was destroyed in the Revo- lution. On descending from the tramway it is only two minutes’ walk (r., then 1.) through the court of the Hotel de Ville to the Church of Rueil ^ rebuilt by Napoleon III. To the r. of the altar is the tomb of Josephine (by Gilet and Dubuc), bearing the figure of the empress (by Cartellier), dressed as in the coronation picture of David, kneeling at a prie-dieu, and inscribed; ‘A Josephine, Eugene et Hortense, 1825.’ Close by is the simple sarcophagus tomb of Count Tascher de la Pagerie, governor of Martinique, uncle of the Empress. On the 1 . of the altar is the tomb erected by Napoleon III. to his mother, with the figure of Queen Hortense (by Bartolini) kneeling, and crowned by an angel. ^ She died Oct. 5, 1837, at Arenenberg on the lake of Constance, desiring with her The vault beneath may be seen on application at 15 Place de I’Eglise. 282 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. last breath to be buried by her mother at Rueil. The tomb is inscribed : ‘ A la Reine Hortense, le Prince Louis Bonaparte.’ The street opposite the church door leads from Rueil to Malmaison, passing, to the 1 ., the property called Boispreaii.^ which, under the first empire, belonged to an old maiden lady, who refused to sell it to Josephine, in spite of her entreaties. Taking the convenient tram again, which runs direct along the road, we may descend at — 15 k. La Malmaison. The station is opposite a short avenue, at the end of which, on the r., is the principal entrance to Malmaison. A little higher up the road (r.) is a gate leading to the park and gardens, freely open to the public, and being sold (1890) in lots by the State. There is melancholy charm in the old house of many recollections — grim, empty, and desolate ; approached on this side by a bridge over the dry moat. A short distance off (rather to the 1. as you look from the house) is a very pretty little temple — the Temple of Love — with a front of columns of red Givet marble brought from the chateau of Richelieu, and a clear stream bursting from the rocks beneath it. Malmaison is supposed to derive its name from having been inhabited in the xi. c. by the Norman brigand Odon, and afterwards by evil spirits, exorcised by the monks of S. Denis. Josephine bought the villa with its gardens, which had been much praised by Delille, from M. Lecou- teulx de Canteleu for 160,000 fr., and it was the scene of the happiest days of her married life. After her divorce, Josephine retired to Malmaison, and seldom left it again. MALMAISON. 283 In 1814, the unhappy empress, whose heart was always with Napoleon, was forced to receive a visit here from the allied sovereigns, and died of a chill which she caught in doing the honours of her grounds to the Emperor Alexander (May 26), by a water excursion on the pool of Cucufa. Upon his return from Elba, Napoleon revisited the spot, and, after the defeat of Waterloo, he once more retired to Malmaison, then the property of the children of Josephine, Eugene and Hortense. There he passed June 25, 1815, a day of terrible agitation. ‘Tantot il demoiitrait la n6cessitC, pour la France et pour lui, de retirer son abdication, de ressaisir son dpde ; puis on I’enten- dait faire des plans de retraite et s’arranger une existence de profonde solitude et repos,’ — A. de Vaulabelle. d'hat evening at five o’clock he put on a ‘ costume de MALMAISON, 284 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. ville— un habit marron,’ tenderly embraced Queen Hortense and the other persons present, gave a long lingering look at the house and gardens connected with his happiest hours, and left them for ever. After the second Restoration Prince Eugene sold Malmaison, removing its gallery of pictures to Munich. There is now nothing remarkable in the desolate rooms, though the ‘Salle des Marechaux,’ the bedroom of Josephine, and the grand salon (with a chimney-piece given by the Pope), are pointed out. In later years the house was for some time inhabited by Queen Christina of Spain. It will be a source of European regret if at least the building connected with so many historic souvenirs, and the imme- diate grounds, are not preserved. Returning to the tram, we reach — 1 6 k. La Jonchere., where Louis Bonaparte had a villa. 17 k. Bougival (Restaurants: Pignon ; de Madrid. Hotel: de r Union). A rapidly increasing village, which, in its quieter days, was much frequented by artists of the Corot school, who appreciated the peaceful scenery of the Seine. The inventor of the Machine de Marly died here in great destitution, and is buried in the church, which has a stone spire of xii. c. On the Route de Versailles is a monument to three natives of Bougival, shot for cutting the telegraph lines of Prussian investiture. It is inscribed with the last words of one of them : ‘Je suis Frangais. Je dois tout entrependre contre vous. Si vous me rendez a la liberte, je recommencerai.’ The park of the neigh- bouring Chateau de Buzenval was twice the scene of a bloody conflict between the French and the Prussians. The painter, Henri Regnault, fell there, Jan. 19, 1870. MARLY-LE-ROL 285 The chateau is a quaint low building, with a tower at either end. 14 k. is the village of La Celle S. Cloud. Its chateau, the central part of which dates from 1616 (when Joachim Saudras added it to a hospice belonging to the abbey of S. Germain-des-Pres), was bought in 1686 by Bachelier, first valet de chambre of Louis ^IV., with money given him by the Due de la Rochefoucauld, on condition of his having it to inhabit whenever he pleased. The duke received Louis XIV. and Mme. de Maintenon there in 1695. In 1748 Mme. de Pompadour bought the chateau, but sold it two years after. The Chataignerie is reached by the avenue which opens on the 1. at the entrance of the village. 18 k. Marly 4a-Machme. The famous Machine de Marly which lifted the waters of the Seine 643 metres, to the height of the Aqueduc de Marly, by which they were carried to Versailles, passed for a long time as a chef- d’oeuvre of mechanism. It was invented by Rennequin Sualem, carpenter of Liege, but was executed under the inspection of the Chevalier Deville, who appropriated both the honour and the reward. Since 1826 the original machine has been replaced by another of 64-horse power, worked by steam. It is fifteen minutes’ walk from the machine to the first arches of the Aqueduct. 19 k. Port-Marly. Here carriages are changed for the ascent of the hill. The tram passes under the railway viaduct to — 2i| k. Marly-le-Roi, called Marlacum in the charters of King Thierry, 678. The tram stops close to the Ahreuvotr, a large artificial tank, surrounded by masonry for receiving 286 N07rjri-I-EAST£/y;N FRANCE. the surplus water from the fountains in the palace gardens, of which it is now the only remnant. Ascending the avenue on the r., we shall find a road at the top which will lead us, to the 1., through delightful woods to the site of the palace. Nothing remains but the walls supporting the wooded terrace. The very ruins have gone to ruin, and are buried in grass and flowers. It is difficult to realise the place as it was, for the quinconces of limes which stood between the pavilions on either side the steep avenue leading to the royal residence, formerly clipped and kept close, are now huge trees, marking still the design of the grounds, but obscuring the views, and, by their great growth, making the main avenue very narrow. S. Simon exaggerates the extravagance of Louis XIV. at Marly, who spent there four and a half million francs between 1679 1690, and probably as much or more between 1690 and 1715, perhaps in all ten or twelve millions, which would represent fifty millions at the pre- sent time. Nevertheless the expense of the amusements of Louis XIV. greatly exceeded the whole revenue of Henri IV. and those of the early years of Louis XIII. From the central pavilion in which the flattery of Mansart placed him as the sun, Louis XIV. emerged every morning to visit the occupiers of the twelve smaller pavilions (Les Pavilions des Seigneurs), the constellations, his courtiers, who came out to meet him and swelled his train. These pavilions, arranged on each side of the gardens, stood in double avenues of clipped lime-trees looking upon the garden and its fountains, and leading up to the palace., The device of the sun was carried out in the palace itself, where all the smaller apartments circled round the grand MARLY-LE-ROL 287 salon, the king and queen having apartments to the back, the dauphin and dauphine to the front, each apartment consisting of an anteroom, bedroom, and sitting-room, and each set being connected with one of the four square saloons, which opened upon the great octagonal hall, of which four faces were occupied by chimney-pieces and four by the doors of the smaller salpons. The central hall occupied the whole height of the edifice, and was lighted from the upper story. The great ambition of every courtier was ‘ etre des Marlys,’ and all curried favour with the king by asking to accompany him on his weekly ‘voyages de Marly.’ The Court used to arrive at Marly on a Wednesday and leave it on a Saturday : this was an invariable rule. The king always passed his Sundays at Versailles, which was his parish. In the life at Marly the leading figure was Mine, de Maintenon, who occupied the apartments intended for Queen Marie Therese, but who led the simplest of lives. She used to compare the carp languishing in the tanks of Marly to herself — ‘ Comme moi, ils regrettent leur bourbe.’ In all royal palaces, even at the present day, society is drearier than anywhere else, but it was never duller than at Marly. ‘ On apprend k se taire h Marly,’ we find the lively Duchesse d’Orl^ans writing to her family ; ‘ souvent, la plupart du temps meme, on est seize ou dix-sept h. table, et on n’entend pas un mot.’ An additional gloom fell upon Marly with the death of the Duchesse de Bourgogne, who had been the life of the court, followed quickly by the death, in the palace itself, of the Dauphin (Due de Bourgogne), the beloved pupil of hVnelon. 288 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. It was also at Marly — ‘la funeste Marly’ — that the Due de Berry, the younger grandson of Louis XIV., and husband of the profligate daughter of the Due d’Orleans, afterwards Regent, died, with great suspieion of poison, in 1714. The MS. memorials of Mary Beatriee by a sister of Chaillot, deseribe how, when Louis XIV. was mourning his beloved grandehildren, and that queen, whom he had always liked and respeeted, had lost her darling daughter Louisa, she went to visit him at Marly, where ‘ they laid aside all Court etiquette, weeping together in their common grief, because, as the Queen said, “We saw that the aged were left, and that Death had swept away the young.” ’ Marly was abandoned during the whole time of the Regency, and was only saved from total destruction in 1717, when the Regent Philippe d’Orleans had ordered its demolition, by the spirited remonstrance of S. Simon — ‘ Qu’il devait considerer combien de millions avaient dte jetes dans cet ancien cloaque pour en faire un palais des fees, unique eii toute TEurope en sa forme, unique encore par la beaute de ses fontaines, unique aussi par la reputation que celle du feu roi lui avait domiee ; que e’etait un des objets de la curiosite de tons les etraiigers de toute qualite qui venaient en France ; que cette destruction retentirait par toute I’Europe avec un blame que les basses raisons de petite epargne ne changeraient pas ; que toute la France serait Indignbe de se voir enlever un orne- ment si distingue. — ‘ MOnoires.' During the repairs necessary in the reign of Louis XV., who built Choisy and never lived at Marly, the cascade which fell behind the great pavilion was removed. Mine. Campan describes the later Marly of Louis XVI. , under whom the ‘ voyages ’ had become one of the great burdens and expenses of royal life. The Court of Louis XVI. was LOUVECIENNES. 289 here for the last time on June ii, 1789, but under the latter years of Louis XVI., M. de Noailles, governor of S. Germain, was permitted to lend the smaller pavilions furnished to his friends for the summer months. Marly perished with the monarchy, and was sold at the Revolution, when the statues of its gardens were removed to the Tuileries. A cotton mill was for a time established in the royal pavilion ; then all the buildings were pulled down and the gardens sold in lots ! Yet the site retains traces of its former beauty, and has such extraordinary interest as to be well worth a visit. The Forest of Marly has been greatly curtailed of late years. The parts worth visiting are perhaps best reached by the Porte de VEtang-la- Ville (4 k. from S. Germain), which has a railway station, named thus from a neighbour- ing village. If the Forest be entered at Forqueux one soon reaches the Desert de Retz, the gardens of which are lauded by Delille. As late as the time of Louis XIV. the forest abounded in wolves. ‘ Madame ’ (Duchesse d’Orleans) describes in her letters going to hunt them with the Dauphin, and how (February 1709) they devoured a courier and his horse. The return from Marly may be varied by taking the I railway by S. Cloud to Paris. The line passes at 2 k. (19 k. from Paris) Loiiveciennes (Mons Lupicinus), a pretty village, where Louis XV. built a delightful villa for VIme. du Barry, which she was allowed to retain under Louis XVI. , and where she always walked about dressed in white muslin in summer and percale in winter. In the early days of the Revolution Mine, du Barry escaped, but was persuaded to return to Louveciennes, not — as is usually said — to look for her jewels, as they were already sold in England, but to join 19 2go NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. her admirer, the Due de Brissac, who was murdered by the people at Versailles, and his head exhibited on a pike under her window. She was herself betrayed by the negro boy Zamore, upon whom she had heaped innumerable benefits, and was guillotined with the final supplication, ‘Ne me faites pas du mal, monsieur le bourreau ! ’ upon her lips. The beautiful pavilion of her villa, built by Ledoux, still exists, but the interior is much altered. In late times it has been the residence of Teresa Gamba, wife of the senator Marquis de Boissy, and famous as Countess Guiccioli, the ‘ muse ’ of Lord Byron. V. POISSY AND MANTES. See the line to Rouen, North- Western France. VI. ARGENTEUIL. Argenteuil is reached in 20 minutes from the Care S. Lazar e., passing — 6 k. Colonibes. In this village, which belonged to the abbey of S. Denis, was the convent of the Visitation de Chaillot, founded by Henrietta Maria, widow of Charles I. of England — la reine malheureuse.’ It was at Chaillot that Mme. de Motteville, ladyln-waiting to Anne of Austria, CHAILLOT. 291 wrote the description of the English Revolution in her Mhnoires from the lips of the queen ; and here her wise sister, known in the court as Socratine, took the veil. After the death of Henrietta Maria (Aug. 31, 1669, aged sixty, at a chateau which she possessed at Colombes^), her heart was given to Chaillot. Her body also lay in state in the convent before its removal to S. Denis ; and here, forty days after her death, a magnificent commemoration service was performed in the presence of the Duke and Duchess of Orleans. Bossuet then pronounced a dis- course, in which he reviewed the varied historic episodes which had attended the life of ‘ the queen incomparable, our great Henrietta,’ whose ‘griefs had made her learned in the science of salvation and the efficacy of the cross, whilst all Christendom united in sympathy for her un- exampled sorrow.’ ‘ Sa propre patrie lui fut un triste lieu d’exil.’ It was to Chaillot that Queen Mary Beatrice came from S. Germain to spend the time of James II. ’s absence in Ireland, and made a great friendship with three of the nuns in the convent, her ‘ three Angeliques.’ She frequently visited Chaillot afterwards, and kept up a constant corre- spondence with its inmates. Hither she retired imme- diately after the death of James II., and one of the nuns records^ how, in her weeds, covered by a long black veil, and preceded by the nuns singing the ‘ De Profundis,’ she came to the chapel to visit the heart of her husband. ‘ She bowed her head, clasped her hands together, knelt, and kissed the urn through the black crape which covered it, ‘ The Rue de la Reine-Henriette commemorates the residence of the queen at Colombes. Cliaillot MS. 292 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. then, after a silent prayer, rose, and having asperged it with holy water, without sigh or tear, turned about silently, with great apparent firmness, but, before she had made four steps, fell in such a faint as caused fears for her life.’ The queen lived much at Chaillot in her latter years, taking refuge here when she had given all she possessed to the importunity of the English exiles ; and she bequeathed her heart to rest for ever in the convent, and her body till the moment she always hoped for should arrive, when her remains should be transported to Westminster with those of the king her husband and their daughter Louisa. It was to Chaillot that Mile. de. la Valliere fled, when she first escaped from the Court and from the indifference of Louis XIV., captivated by Mme. de Montespan; and hither Colbert came on the part of his master, to bring her back once more to the Court, whence she soon fled a second time, and for ever. At Bezons, a little W. of Colombes, near the Seine, are some remains of the chateau inhabited by the Marechal de Bezons in the beginning of the xviii.c. 9 k. Argenteuil, famous for its bad wine, its good aspa- ragus, and its Benedictine monastery, where the famous Heloi'se first took the religious habit,^ and of which she was prioress in the beginning of the xii. c., before she went to the Paraclete. Its great relic was the seamless tunic of our Saviour, supposed to have been woven by the Virgin. Matthew of Westminster narrates that it grew with the growth of J esus — Mater ejiis fecerai ei^ et crevit ipso crescente, Gregory of Tours says that, after the Crucifixion, the ‘ Holy Tunic’ was preserved in a hidden cellar in the town of Galatia, * It was at Ar^enteui] that Abelard suffered the vengeance of Fulbert. ARGKNTEUIL. 293 50 leagues from Constantinople. This town was destroyed by the Persians in 590, but the tunic was saved, and carried to Jaffa, and thence, in 595, to Jerusalem. In 614 it is believed to have been carried off by Chrosroes II. of Persia, when he sacked the holy city, but his son gave it up in 628 to Heraclius, who carried it to Constantinople. Here it remained till the Empress Irene gave it to Charlemagne, who bestowed it upon his daughter Theodrada, abbess of Argenteuil. In the ix. c., when the convent was sacked by the barbarians of the north, the tunic was lost, but its existence is supposed to have been revealed by an angel to a monk in 1156, and henceforth it worked many miracles. The Huguenots, taking Argenteuil in 1567, used the tunic as ‘a plaything’; but Henri HI., Louis XHI., Marie de Medicis, and Anne of Austria made pilgrimages to it, and Mile, de Guise gave it a sumptuous shrine. At the Revolu- tion the church was pillaged, and the shrine carried off, but the tunic was hidden in the presbytery garden, where it was found by the Bishop of Versailles in 1804, and restored to the church. A morsel was given, at his urgent request, to Pius IX., and another to the Jesuit convent at Fribourg. The Cathedral of Treves possesses the robe of Christ, as ' distinguished from the tunic. ; At the end of the long winding street of Argenteuil is the I very handsome modern romanesque church. The shrine is I in the r. transept, and, near it, a picture by Boiderwek, I representing the reception of the relic by Charlemagne’s I daughter. The church bells still ring at i p.m., the hour at which the seamless tunic arrived in the viii. c. 294 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. VII. S. DENIS, ENGHIEN, AND MONTMORENCY. See the line to Boulogne and Calais, Chap. II. VIII. S. LEU TAVERNY, THE ABBAYE DU VAL, AND PONTOISE. See Chap. II. IX. ECOUEN, ROYAUMONT, S. LEU D’ESSERENT, CREIL, NOGENT- LES-VIERGES. See Chap. II. X. CHANTILLY AND SENLIS. See Chap. II. XI. COMPIEGNE AND PIERREFONDS. See Chap. II. NANTOUILLET. 295 XII. NANTOUILLET, DAMMARTIN, AND ERMENONVILLE. This is a pleasant and easy day’s excursion from the Gare du Nord. The best way is to take the 8.50 train, which does not stop till it reaches the station of Daminartin. Here the courier (a pleasant opeu omnibus) waits, and will take travellers to (2|k.) Juilly^ a village circling round a convent and the whitewashed buildings of a college of Oratorians, founded 1638. It possesses a statue of Cardinal de Berulle, founder of the society here, and the heart of Henri d’Albret, king of Navarre, deposited at Juilly in 1555. Probably the courier will go on to Na?itouillet^ but it is only I k. further. Here there are vast remains of the magnificent chateau built by the unpopular minister Duprat, who was chancellor under Fran9ois I. After the death of his wife, ambition induced him to take orders, and in time he became cardinal-legate. On the death of Clement VII. he hoped to succeed to the papal throne through the in- fluence of his patron Francois I., and laid aside 400,000 fr. to spend in bribery for the purpose. A stately renaissance gateway, near a huge brick tower, forms the approach to the chateau, which had a deep moat, formerly crossed by a drawbridge. Over the entrance is a storm-beaten statue, said to represent Jupiter, whom the founder — for a cardinal-legate— held in strange admira- tion, as is attested by the still legible inscription ‘Jovi gcnitori et protectori.’ The interior of the castle is now occupied as a farm, but has many renaissance details of excpiisite beauty. Especially deserving of attention are the wide gate on the 1. of the court, the door represented in 296 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. the woodcut, and a graceful staircase, with open windows towards the court. Amongst the ornaments, the sala- mander of Francois I. and the trefoils of Dnprat are PORTAL, NANTOUILLET. frequently repeated. The chimney-piece of the Salle des Gardes bears the arms of Duprat, and medallions with mythological subjects. The omnibus from Juilly will take tourists back to the station, where they may find another omnibus, which also DAMMARTIN. 297 comes to meet the train, to (4 k. from station) Dammariin (Hotel : du Chemin de Fer — a good country inn), a small town prettily situated on the ridge of a low hill. It was burnt down in 1230, according to the rhyming chronicle — ‘ L’an mil deux cents vingt et dix Fut Dammartin en flamme mis.’ The more important of the two churches, founded 1480, has a good flamboyant entrance. In its beautiful choir, divided by two central pillars, and surrounded by oak stalls, is the fine altar-tomb of the founder, Antoine de Chabannes, the companion in arms of Lahire and Jeanne Dare, who became Count of Dammartin by his marriage with Marguerite de Nanteuil. It was Antoine de Chabannes who revealed to Charles VII. the conspiracy of his son, afterwards Louis XI., for which he fell into disgrace and had his property con- fiscated, as soon as that king came to the throne, though his possessions were afterwards restored, and he lived to become the trusted friend of the king. Pierre Lemire, who saved the church under the Terror, is buried close by. On the N.E. of the town are some remains of the castle of Antoine de Chabannes, sold to Anne de Montmorency in 1554. It is an easy drive of 8 k. (carriage for half-day, 8fr.) from Dammartin to Ermenonville, through an uninteresting country, but passing the renaissance church of Orthis^ and Eve^ where the church has a very good early-pointed tower. In a wooded hollow, close to the road, is the handsome moated xviii. c. chateau of ErmeiionviUe^ belonging to Prince Radziwill. Permission must be asked of the con- cierge, before following a path, along (on the other side of 298 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. the road) the shore of an artificial lake, to an island at the further end, reached by a bridge. Here, under some poplars, is a tomb, still bearing its inscription to Rousseau— ‘ L’homme de la verite et de la nature.’ On a smaller island is the tomb of the painter G. F. Meyer, 1779. Not far distant, but on a separate property, is La cabane de J. J. Rousseau^ a cottage where he used to rest in his botanising excursions. Ermenonville, which had previously belonged to the families of Orgemont and Montmorency, fell, in 1763, into the hands of the Marquis de Girardin, who had a natural talent for landscape gardening, and made it one of the prettiest places near Paris. He offered a retreat here, in 1778, to Jean Jacques Rousseau, then very failing in body and mind, who inhabited a little pavilion (now destroyed) near the chateau. Here he expatiated over the delights of the country, and gave botanical lessons to the children of his host. At the end of six weeks he had a fall, injuring his head, and died, July 3, 1778. He was buried the same evening by moonlight in the Isle of Poplars, which has been a place of sentimental pilgrimage ever since, though his remains were removed to the Pan- theon, Oct. II, 1794. When Bonaparte visited the tomb of Rousseau, he said, ‘ It would have been better for France if this man had never existed !’ — ‘ And why, citizen consul?’ asked Girardin. ‘ Because he paved the way for the French Revolution.’ ‘ I think, citizen consul, that it is scarcely for you to complain of the Revolution.’ ‘ Well, the future will learn that it would have been better for the repose of the world if neither Rousseau nor I had ever existed.’ A walk of two hours, through woods, leads from VINCENNES. 299 Ermenonville to Morfontaine (see ch. ii.). Both places may be visited from Senlis, from which Ermenonville is 13 k. and Morfontaine 10 k. distant. XIIL ' VINCENNES AND BRIE-COMTE-ROBERT. Vincennes, a short drive from Paris, is most easily reached by omnibus from the Louvre, the Bourse, or Place de la Bastille to Vincennes itself; or by the Chemin de Fer de Vincennes (Place de la Bastille) in 15 min. Those who wish to walk to the castle through the Bois may take the tramway from the Bastille to Charenton, descending at the Porte de Picpus ; or may take the railway, and leave it at the station of Bel-Air, close to the Porte de Picpus. From the Porte de Picpus, the Avenue Daumesnil leads by the Lac Daumesnil to the fortress ; or by the Chaussee du Lac (third turn, 1 .) one may reach the Lac de S. Mande, and follow the Route de la Tourelle from thence, and then the Route de I’Esplanade to the chateau. From the station of Vincennes the Rue de Montreuil leads to the chateau. The chateau is only shown in detail, from 12 to 4, to those furnished with a special order from the Minister of War. Strangers are always allowed to visit the chapel in the centre of the enclosure unattended. Artists are not allowed to draw without special permission. The first castle of Vincennes was built by Louis VII. , 1164. This was rebuilt i)y Philippe-Auguste, and again liy Philippe de Valois. In 1560 Catherine de Medicis began to add the Pavilions du Roi et de la Rcine, which Louis XIV. united by covered galleries, forming a vast rectangle, flanked by nine outer towers. In the 300 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. middle of the xvin. c. the chateau ceased to be a royal residence, and it l:>ecame in turn a china manufactory, a military school, and a manufactory of arms. It was put up for sale at the Revolution, but no one would buy it, and it was restored as a fortress and barrack under Louis- Philippe. CHAPEL OF VINCENNES. Many historic associations linger around Vincennes, where several kings of France, Henry V. of England (1422), and Cardinal Mazarin died ; but the death by which the castle is most remembered is that of the brave and innocent Due d’Enghien, son of the Prince de Conde, treacherously seized on foreign soil, condemned without a trial, and executed at once by order of Napoleon I. in VINCENNES. 301 the night of March 20, 1804. It was in the moat towards the esplanade, to the r. of the drawbridge, in the angle formed by the Tour de la Reine, that the crime was com- mitted. A red granite column, inscribed ‘ Hie cecidit,’ marked the spot till the revolution of July, when it was destroyed. Vincennes is a fortress rather, than a chateau. The regular form of the enclosure, keep, towers, and curtain walls — a splendid example of a military work of the xiv. c. — prove that a regular form was then adopted wherever the site allowed. Though considerable walls have been added at later times, it is still easy in imagination to detach the XIV. c. fortress from its additions. Entering the gates, we find, on the 1 . of the great court, the Salle d’Armes, the Chapel, and the Pavilion de la Reine ; on the r., the Donjon and the Pavilion du Roi. The Chapel (the suc- cessor of those built by S. Louis and Philippe de Valois) was founded by Charles V. in 1379, finished by Henri II. in 1552. In the stained glass of the Last Judgment, the figure of Diane de Poitiers is pointed out — naked, her golden hair encircled by a blue riband. In the former sacristy ( 1 . of choir) is the tomb, by Deseine, erected by Louis XVIII. to the Due d’Enghien, whose body, buried on the spot where he fell, was then exhumed from the moat and brought to the chapel. The donjon is a lofty square tower, with a turret at each angle. It is five stories high, and when the castle was a royal residence, the king occupied the first floor, the queen and her children the second, the rest of the royal family the third, the guards and servants the fourth and fifth. The Bois de Vincennes, terribly curtailed of late years. 302 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. is the especial ^ promenade du peuple.’ Six railway stations, on the Vincennes Brie-Comte-Robert line, give access to it ; that of Nogent or Fontenay is nearest to the Lac des Minimes, that of Joinville-le-Pont to the Faisanderie. The Rue de Paris leads from the chateau to the eastern part of DONJON OF VINCENNES. the Bois, containing (2k.) Lcs Minimes., where a pretty lake with islands and cascades exists where a religious house, founded by Louis VIL, once stood. From Vincennes a line leads in a little more than one hour to Brie-Comte-Robert, passing-— 9 k. Nogent-snr-Marne, where Charles V. built a chateau 5. MA[/R-LES-FOSS£S. 303 — ‘ im moult notable manoir,’ called the Chateau de la Beaute — where he died (1380) ; it was destroyed in the XVI. c. In 1721 the painter Antoine Watteau died here, saying to the cure of Nogent, who held a common crucifix before his closing eyes, ‘ Otez-moi cette image ! Comment un artiste a-t-il pu rendre si mal les traits d’un Dieu ? ’ 13 k. S. Maur-Port-Creteil. /V famous Benedictine abbey was founded at S. Afaur-/es-Fosses, in the reign of Clovis IL, and dedicated to S. Peter, but changed its name in 868, when the monks of Grandfeuille in Anjou fled thither from the Normans, bringing with them the wonder- working body of S. Maur, which was henceforth invoked here every June 24, by vast multitudes shouting ‘ S. Maur, grand ami de Dieu, envoyez-moi guerison, s’il vous plait ! ’ On the death of Henry V. of England at Vincennes in 1423, his entrails were buried at S. Maur. The abbey was secularised in the xvi. c. by the Bishop of Paris, when its monks were replaced by eight canons, of whom Francois Rabelais was one. Bishop Jean de Bellay employed Philibert Delorme to build him, on the site of the abbey, a palace, which was sold to Catherine de Medicis in 1536. From the last Valois, the chateau passed to Charlotte de la Tremouihe, and from her, by marriage, to the house of Conde. The relics which had belonged to the abbey were removed to S. Germain-des-Pres at Paris, and the xi. c. reliquary of S. Maur is now in the Louvre. The chateau perished in the Revolution. 16 k. Champigny^ celebrated for the battles of Nov. 30 and Dec. 2, 1870, of which a monument keeps up the remembrance. 17 k. Varenne S.-Maiir, On the opposite side of 304 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. the Marne is Chennevicres, in a situation so admirable that Louis XIV. thought of making it the royal town before he decided to build at Versailles. An avenue leads to the very picturesque chateau of Ormesson, built (xvi. c. and XVII. c.) in a lake, and connected by two bridges with the main land. 20 k. Siicy-Bonneuil. The Chateau de Sucy, of 1640, belonged to the Marechal de Saxe, and his chamber re- tains the furniture of his time. In the neighbourhood are the chateau of Ckaud-Moncet, which belonged to the royalist ^ dames de Sainte-Amaranthe,’ guillotined on accusa- tion of plotting against the life of Robespierre, and the chateau de ATontaleau., which belonged to the Abbe de Coulanges, and where Mine, de Sevigne lived from her sixth to her twelfth year. ‘ Vous ai-je mande,’ she wrote late in life to her daughter, ‘ que je fus I’autre jour a Sucy. Je fus ravie de voir cette maison ou j’ai passe ma plus belle jeunesse ; je n’avais point de rhumatismes en ce temps-la ! ’ 22 k. Boissy-S.-Leger. Close by, on the 1 . of the line, is the very handsome moated Chateau de Gros-Bois, built by the arrogant Charles de Valois, Due d’Angouleme, bastard of Charles IX. and Marie Touchet. Wishing to enlarge his park at the expense of the village, but being opposed by the cure, who refused to allow the church to be pulled down, he took advantage of a processional pilgrimage in which the whole parish was engaged, to set such a vast number of soldiers to work, that when the priest and his congregation returned, no sign of the church remained, and its site was already enclosed with the park walls. In the XVIII. c.. Monsieur, Comte de Provence, was the owner of BRIE- COMTE-ROBERT. 305 Gros-Bois. When it was sold by the nation, it was bought by Barras, who was succeeded in turn by Moreau, Fouche, and Berthier. It still belongs to the son of the Marechal Prince de Wagram, and is filled with historic relics of the Empire. 20 k. Villecresnes. A little S. is the Chateau de Cereay, which was the residence of M. Roul]er, the favourite minister of Napoleon III. 36k. Brie-Couite-Rohert (Hotel; de la Grace de Bleu), named from Robert of France, fifth son of Louis le Gros. It retains some ruins of a xii. c. Castle. The Church., of XII. c. and xiii. c., was modernised in the xvi. c. In the chevet, which ends in a straight wall, is a fine rose, window, with xiii. c. glass, representing the months. The side chapels are xiv. c. and xvi. c. In the north aisle is a XIII. c. tomb, with the figure of a warrior. The tower is XIII. c. The Hospital has a gothic portal, with six arches of the XIII. c. XIV. MEAUX AND COULOISmiERS. See the line to Strasbourg, Ch. VI. XV. VAUX PF ASIAN AND FONTAINEBLEAU. See the line to Lyons, South-Eastern E'ra?ice, Ch. I. 20 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. 306 XVI. CORBEIL, SAVIGNY-SUR-ORGE, MONTLHERY, AND ETAMPES. See the line to Orleans, South-Western France^ Ch. I. XVII. SCEAUX, CHEYREUSE, AND LIMOURS. The Chemin de Fer de Sceaux et d’Orsay starts from Paris near the Barriere d’Enfer. A pleasant little afternoon excursion may be made to Robinson and Sceaux. The line passes through a bare country. The great asylum of Bicetre is seen on the 1 ., then the graceful aqueduct crossing a Yalley, before reaching — 6 k. Arcueih celebrated for its aqueduct, built by Jacques Debrosses for Marie de Medicis, to bring water to Paris, but chiefly to fill the fountains of the Luxembourg, on the site of an aqueduct which existed in Roman times, which gaYe a name (Arculi) to the Yillage, and which serYcd the Palais des Thermes. The church dates from the xiii. c., but was altered in the xy. c. In the Yillage, No. 24, Grande Rue, a picturesque building of stone and brick, was the house of the intendant of the Due de Guise, who possessed a splendid chateau, destroyed in 1753, on the neighbouring hill. A bust, on the Place des l^coles, com- memorates the residence at Arcueil of Laplace, author of the Mkanique celeste. Charles Louis, Comte de Berthollet, celebrated for his scientific and archaeological studies, died at Arcueil, Noy. 9, 1748. ROB/NSOJV. 307 8 k. Bourg la Reme^ where Edward III. of England encamped against Paris in 1359. Here Eouis XV., a twelve-year-old king, had his first interview with the still younger Infanta of Spain, who was intended for his bride, but was unceremoniously sent back to Spain three years after. P’he house in the Grande Rue w'-here the first meeting of Louis XV. and the ' Infanta took place, is believed to have been built by Henri IV. for Gabrielle d’Estrees. At the end of the Grande Rue is the old gate leading to the Chateau de Sceaux. On the little square a bust commemorates Condorcet (1743-93), author of Frogrcs de V esprit humain^ who poisoned himself in the prisons of Bourg-Egalite when arrested during the Revolution. The house called B Aumonerie was the scene of the horrible cruelties of the Marquis de Sade, condemned to the Bastille in 1784. 9 k. Fontenay-aux-Roses (to the r. of the railway) was the residence of Scarron. It is a pretty knot of villas, buried in gardens. Eontenay is most easily reached by tramway from S. Germain-des-Pres, passing through Chatillon-sous- Bagneux. It is a pleasant walk of 2 k. from the station of Fon- tenay (open omnibus, 50 c.) to Robmson^ a very singular and rather pretty village on the edge of a slight hill. It consists of a street of cafes and restaurants, the most impor- tant of which has its little dining-parlours under, around, and high in the branches of some curious old chestnut trees. The place is exceedingly popular with Parisians of the middle classes, and crowded in fine summer evenings. Numbers of donkeys and horses arc waiting to convey visitors to the neighbouring village of Aui/iay, which stands 3o8 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. at the entrance of the V( 7 //ee mix Loiips^ containing the grotesque house of Chateaubriand, about which he says : ‘Je precedais la manie du moyen age qui vous he'bete a ROBINSON. present.’ Pleasant rides may be taken from Robinson through the Bois de Verrieres. The railway winds oddly and pleasantly amongst gardens to — 12 k. Sceaux (which may also be reached by an omnibus starting every hour from the Passage Dauphine, 50 c., and passing through Bagneux^ where the church of S. Herbland SCEAUX. 309 has a fine xiii. c. portal). Sceaux first became celebrated in the xih. c. from the relics of S. Mammes, martyred in Cappadocia, brought from Palestine by Adam de Colis, and preserved in the church, where they were believed to cure from colic those who approached them. Colbert built a magnificent chateau at Sceaux, employing Perrault in his buildings, Lebrun for their decoration, and Le Notre in laying out the gardens. In 1690 Sceaux was purchased from the heirs of the Marquis de Seignelay for the Due du Maine, son of Louis XIV. and Mme. de Montespan, the idolised pupil of Mme. de Maintenon, who had first become known to the king as his son’s governess, and who had printed, in 1677, a book of historical extracts made by him, under the title of Oeuvres diverses d'un enfant de sept ans. The court of Louis XIV. frequently halted at Sceaux on the way to and from Fontainebleau, and it was here that the king took leave of his grandson, the Due d’Anjou, on his leaving France to assume the crown of Spain. But Sceaux is chiefly connected with the follies and extrava- gances of the Duchesse du Maine, Anne Louise Benedicite de Bourbon-Conde, granddaughter of the Grand Conde, and the sufferings of her feeble-minded husband. Under the Regency, the Due du Maine was arrested here for treason as he was coming out of chapel, and hurried off to a year’s imprisonment at Dourlans, at the same time that his wife, arrested in Paris, was taken to Dijon. Upon the death of the duke (1736), after terrible sufferings from a cancer in I the face, Mme. du Maine ceased her political intrigues and I devoted herself entirely to amusements and belles-lettres, 'i'hose were the brightest days of Sceaux, when Fonte- nellc, Lamotte, Chaulieu, were its constant guests, and 310 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. more especially Voltaire, who had a fixed apartment in the chateau. The Duchesse du Maine died in 1753. Her second son, the Comte d’Eu, spent twenty years at Sceaux and greatly embellished it. After his death the place passed to his cousin, the Due de Penthievre (father-in-law of the Princesse de Lamballe), whose gentleman-in-waiting was the poet Florian, who wrote part of his Pastorales at Sceaux, and died there. The Due de Penthievre gave Sceaux to his daughter, the Duchesse d’Orleans, from whom it was snatched by the Revolution, under which the chateau was demolished, and the park destroyed, except a very small portion. This fragment, dignified by the name of Parc de Sceaux.^ is entered at once from the railway station. It is appro- priated as a tea-garden, but is always open to the public. ‘ Sceaux possede iin autre attrait non moins puissant sur le Parisien. An milieu d’un jardin d’ou se decouvrent de delicieux aspects, se trouve une immense rotonde ouverte de toutes parts, dont le dome, aussi leger que vaste, est soutenu par d elegants piliers. Ce dais champetre protege une salle de danse .’ — De Balzac.^ ‘Ac bal de Sceaux I The garden is very quaint in its avenues, arcades, and circles of clipped limes. Here, where all other memorials of the favourite son of Louis XIV. are destroyed, visitors may still see the tomb of a cat of the Duchesse du Maine, inscribed — ‘ Ci-git Mar-la-main, le roi des animaux.’ Here Mine, de Lamballe wept for the loss of Marie Antoinette’s affection, upon the ascendency of Mine, de Polignac. Close also to the station is the Church., with a good flamboyant tower. The monogram of Colbert, by whom it PALAISEAU. 311 was rebuilt, is to be seen on the vaulting of the choir. Over the high-altar is a group by Puget, representing the Baptism of Christ, which comes from the chapel of the Due du Maine. Against a pillar on the left are propped up the broken fragments of a black marble monument inscribed to ‘ le tres-haut et tres-puissant Louis-Auguste de Bourbon, Due du Maine, Prince legitime de France 1736, et la tres-haute, tres-puissante Princesse Louise Benedicte de Bourbon, Princesse du Sang, avec le Comte d’Eu leur fils. . . .’ In the churchyard a bust commemo- rates Florian, who is buried there. (It is 5 k. from Sceaux to Verrieres by Chdte?iay, where Voltaire (Fran9ois Marie Arouet) was born, Feb. 20, 1694.) The Chemin de Fer d’Orsay branches off from that of Sceaux at Bourg-la-Reine and then passes — Ilk. Antony^ a village which belonged to the abbey of S. Germain-des-Pres at Paris from the ix. c. 14 k. Massy. The church has a xiii.c. portal and heavy tower. (There is an omnibus from this station to Verrieres. At the Chateau de Villegenis (r.) Prince Jerome Napoleon, ex-king of Westphalia, died June 24, i860. 17 k. Palaiseau has a handsome church, partly xii. c. and XIII. c. Against the inner wall of the fagade is placed the tombstone of the family of Arnauld of Port-Royal, exhumed from the destroyed abbey in the night of Sept. 13, 1710, and reburied fifteen years after, Sejit. 30, 1725. The church tower is connected with the favourite story of La Pie Vo/ease, for there it is said that a magpie was discovered to have hidden the jilate, for the theft of which 312 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. an innocent young girl — Ninette — was condemned, and was just about to be executed. A pleasant drive or walk of 15 k. leads hence to Versailles by (3|k.) Igny., where M. Tourneaux has built (1852) a fine chateau in the style of the renaissance ; and Bievres., amongst whose seigneurs was the Marquis de Bievre (1747-83) who collected the Bievriana. In a neighbouring valley some farm buildings are all that remain of the Benedictine Abbaye du Val pro- fond or Abbaye aux Bois, which afterwards received the name of Val de Grace from Anne de Bretagne. In 1621 its nuns were removed to the Faubourg S. Jacques at Paris. A path turning aside from the hill, which is ascended by the road to Versailles, leads to the artificial caves known as Grottes de Bievre. In the church of Chilly, a little east, are monuments of the family of Effiat. The tomb of Martin Ruze' bears his kneeling figure wearing the order of the S. Esprit. 23 k. Or say., famous for the robber chieftains who occupied its castle in the reign of Charles VI. and VII. The existing chMeau is surrounded by a moat, supplied by the Yvette. One of the seigneurs of the neighbouring Bures., distinguished in the crusades, was made Viceroy of Jerusalem during the captivity of Baldwin II. 26 k. Gif. Some small remains exist of the Benedictine abbey of Notre Dame du Val de Gif., founded in the xii. c., enclosed in the garden of Mme. Edmond Adam (Juliette Lamber), the authoress. A crypt is of the end of the xi. c. 31 k. S. Remy. An omnibus (20 c.) meets all the trains for (2 k.) Chevreuse — Cabrosia — (Hotel ; de h Esperance — a pleasant clean little country inn, a good centre for artists), a little town nestling under a steep hill crowned by the ruins CHEVREUSE. 313 of a large chateau — known in the country side as La Madeleine from its former chapel, ruined long before the Revolution. The seigneury of Chevreuse was given by Frangois I. to the Duchesse d’Etampes ; but after the death of Frangois I. her domains passed to Claude de Lorraine, Archbishop of Rheims. In 1612 Chevreuse was made a duchy for Marie de Rohan-Montbazon, widow of the Connetable de Luynes, whose second husband was the younger son of Balafre, Due de Guise. From its donjon tower, Racine, placed there by his uncle, the infendant of the house of Luynes, to overlook some workmen, metaphori- cally dated his letter of Baby lone, Jan. 26, i66i. There are some XII. c. remains of an Abbey of S. Saturjiin opposite the portal of the church. No. 14 Rue de Versailles is the 3 1 4 NOR TH-EASTERN ERANCE. curious Maison des Bannieres. The ascent to the castle, with its steps in wood, presents many picturesque points of view. A carriage (lofr.) may be taken from Chevreuse for the excursion to Dampierre and Vaux-le-Cernay, and, reaching Chevreuse in the middle of the day, there is plenty of time for this, and to return to Paris in the evening. In the midst of the trim village of (4 k.) Danipierre^ handsome wrought-iron gates open towards the chateau of the Due de Luynes, a vast red and yellow building with towers at the angles, and great ‘ dependances.’ It was chiefly rebuilt by J. H. Mansart for the Cardinal de Lorraine. It is backed by wooded hills and green avenues. The buildings were restored by the well-known archaeologist and historian Honore, Due de Luynes, in 1840. Ingres was permitted by the duke to destroy some fine works of Gleyre on a ceiling, and other decorations of the staircase, but before the great artist had begun to replace these, other works which he had begun at Dampierre, were so found fault with, that his connection with the place was cut short. Amongst the treasures of the chateau is a silver statue by Rude of Louis XIII. as a child ; but the interior of the building is only shown once a week during a portion of the year. The late duke, famous for his love of art, died of his service in the papal ambulance after the battle of Montana. (The pretty scenery of the Yvette near Levy-S.-Nom and Mesnil-S. -Denis may be visited from hence, and one may return to Paris from Verrieres.) Beyond Dampierre is good French home scenery — ■ woods alternating with open fields sprinkled with fruit trees. VA UX-LE-CERNA Y. 5^5 Beyond the pretty village of Senlisse, which has an old church, and a moated xvi. c. manor-house, the carriage should be left at Le Grand Moulin^ and regained at another old mill, and Le Repos des Artistes^ five minutes further on. A path leads along the r. bank of the Yvette, through a little wood painted by a thousand artists, full of great stones stained with crimson lichen, between which the Yvette tosses in little rapids (called here les cascades) to a limpid sheet of water in the more open ground. 2 k. further, lok. from Chevreuse, is the village of Vaiix- le-Cernay^ formerly Sernay {Au Rendez-voiis des Artistes — a good artist-inn), below which, reached through an old gate- way close to a chateau, are the remains of the abbey, founded 1128, of which Guy de Montfort, Bishop of Car- cassonne, was abbot, and Pierre des Vallees-Cernay, historian of the Albigensian war, was a monk. To enter the grounds it is necessary to have written beforehand to the proprietor, the Baroness Nathaniel de Rothschild, 33 Faubourg S. Honore, but the ruined church with its noble rose-window, is well seen from the road. In the nave is the tomb of S. Thibaut, and a fountain in the grounds, constructed from fragments of the cloister, receives its name from him. The abbey of Vaux-le-Cernay was an especially coveted possession. The poet Desportes possessed the abbey, but without interfering with any spiritual government. Henri III. asked him why he had refused the archbishopric of Bor- deaux ; he replied that he dreaded the charge of souls. ‘ “ Voire,” dit le roi, ‘‘ et vous etes abbe ! N’avez-vous pas charge des ames de vos moines?” “Non,” repondit Desportes, “ car ils n’cn ont point.”’ Another abbot com- mendatory was Flenri de Bourbon de Vcrneuil, bastard of 3i6 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. Henri IV. by Henriette d’Entraigues, who, after a nominal rule of sixty years, threw it up to marry at the age of sixty- nine ; it was then given to King Casimir V. of Poland, last of the family of Wasa, who had abdicated to take orders. Pedestrians who wish to vary their return to Paris may join the line to Rambouillet at Les Essarts du Roi. 40 k. Limoiirs has a good xvi. c. church. The chateau. AT VAUX-LE-CERNAY. ‘ des mignons et des mignonnes des rois de France,’ was destroyed at the Revolution. Anne de Pisseleu, Diane de Poitiers, and the Due de Joyeuse were amongst its owners. At 4 k. E., passing Eorges-les-Bains, is Briis, where a large square tower, with a round tourelle attached to it, is called the Tour TAnne de Boleyn, and is pointed out as the rem- nant of a chateau where the unfortunate Queen of England lived in her youth. When she came over to France as BRIIS. 317 maid of honour to Princess Mary on her marriage with Louis XII., she was left by her father to complete her education at Briis. It is supposed that a convent was chosen here for that purpose, because her ancestor Walter de Boleyn had been vassal-kinsman to the Lord of Briis in 1344. XVIII. MEUDON, BELLEVUE, AND S. CYR. See the line to Granville in N'07'th- Western Fra?ice. The glorious view from the terrace of Meudon (8 k.) is well worth a visit from Paris. XIX. PORT ROYAL AND RAMBOUILLET. See the line to Chartres and Brest in No?'th-Western France. XX. MONTFORT l’aMAURY AND DREUX, See the line to Granville in North- Western France. CHAPTER Y. TO UR IN NOR TH-EASTERN FRANCE. CALAIS TO NANCY BY S. OMER {LILLE), BETHUNE, ARRAS, DOUAI {CAMBRAI), VALENCIENNES, MEZIERES, SEDAN {MONTMEDY), VERDUN, S. MI HI EL, AND COM MERCY. RAVELLERS in search of picturesque scenery will certainly never make a tour in the hideous, wind- stricken, coal-blackened plains of N.E. France ; but the architect and artist will find much to interest them in several of the places mentioned in this chapter, especially at Arras, and in the sculptures of Avioth and S. Mihiel. There is some pretty scenery on the Meuse between Mezieres and the Belgian frontier. The railway passes — 14 k. Ardres (omnibus). The town, 5 k. S. of the station, fortified in 1070, was frequently besieged and taken, though it displayed a courage which caused Francois I. to give it the motto of ‘ Brave et fidele.’ The choir of the church is xiv. c. At 4 k. from the town, in the district called Balingheju., the famous meeting of the Field of the Cloth of Gold took place, June 7, 1520, between Francois I. and Henry VI 1 1 , of England. 22 k. Audruick has remains of its ancient ramparts and chateau. The xvii. c. church of S. Martin has sculptures of the Evangelists. The line leaves to the r. the ruins of the Chateau de la Montoire. 5 '. OMER. 3^9 33 k. Watten. An old fortified town. The church (of 1498) has a pilgrimage in honour of S. Gilles. [A branch line runs N. from Watten to — Bourbourg. The church (xvi. c. and xvii. c.) contains several curious reliquaries. 21 k. Gravelines (Hotel: des Messageries), a fortress of the second class. The church dates from 1598. Gravelines is on the line from Calais to Dunkerque.] ' 42 k. S. Omer (Hotels : de la Porte d’’ Or et d"" A 7 igleterre ; du Commerce')^ a curious and interesting place, which has its origin in the churches built by S. Audomare or Omer, Bishop of Therouanne, and in the monasteries founded by Bertin, Momelin, and Ebertram, three monks of Luxeuil, near a chateau called Sithin which belonged to Adroald, a nobleman at the court of Dagobert. In the ix. c. the town took the name of its founder, buried in his own church of Notre Dame. The bishopric of S. Omer, established by Philippe II. in 1559, was taken away in 1801. Entering the town from the station by the Porte de Lyzel^ and leaving the arsenal to the 1 ., we may follow r. the Rue de I’Arsenal, cross the Place du Vainquai, and turn 1 . by the Rue de I’Abbaye. At the end of this street rise the noble tower (1431 — 1520) and other ruins of the Abbaye de S. Bertin^ founded by S. Bertin, monk of Luxeuil, who came hither with S. Omer in the vii. c. Childeric III. died here in the viii. c. The remains of three successive ab- batial churches have been discovered by excavation. Of this abbey, which has given no less than twenty-two saints to the Church, Gerbod was advocate, the first husband of the English queen Matilda of Flanders, and father of her two eldest children — Gerbod and_^Gundrada. S. Bertin was 320 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. the principal abbey of Artois and great ornament of the town : its glorious church was destroyed by the municipal administration, under pretence of giving employment to workmen (!) since 1830. The long Rue S. Berlin leads from the ruins to the former cathedral of Notre Dame, of xiii. c., xiv. c., and XV. c. The beautiful S. portal is xiii. c. and xiv. c. In the nave is the xiii. c. tomb erected in honour of S. Omer, and adorned at the sides with bas-reliefs representing his miracles. The tomb of S. Erkembode, in a side aisle, formed from a single block of granite, is vii. c. or viii. c. 5 . OMER. 321 In a side chapel is the alabaster and marble tomb of Eustache de Croy, Bishop of Arras, 1538, by Jacques Dubroeucq. In the Chapelle de Wissocq is the tomb of Antoine de Wissocq. In the right aisle, a xiii. c. statue of Christ seated between kneeling figures of the Virgin and S. John, is known as ‘le Grand Dieu de Therouanne,’ and was brought from the principal portal of the cathedral of Therouanne, and given by Charles V. to the cathedral of S. Omer in 1553. The church of S. Sepiilcre^ of 1387, has a stone spire. The Hotel de Ville (1834-41) is built from the ruins of S. Berlin. The Palais de Justice^ the former Eveche, is a work of Mansart. The Lycee was the ancient Jesuit college; its chapel is of 1615-29. On the Grand’ Place, in the former (xviii. c.) Hotel du Baillage, is the Mitste (open free from 12 to 4 on Thursdays and Sundays), containing on its ground floor a statue of the late Due d ’Orleans removed from the square by the follies of . the 1848 revolution. An avenue leads to (2 k. N.) A. Martin an La'ert^ with the old Chateau de Schadembourg. In the northern faubourg of Haut-Pont^ the inhabitants preserve the Flemish language and costume, with Flemish manners and customs. 6 k. N.W, of S. Omer is Clair??iarais, where very little remains of an abbey, founded in 1140 by Thierri d’Alsace, Comte de Flandre, at the instigation of S. Bernard, and where Thomas a Becket took refuge in 1165. At Blandecques^ 4k. from S. Omer, are remains of the Cistercian abbey of A. Colombe^ with a xii. c. choir. The church of Esquerdes (9 k.) partly of xii. c., contains the fine xv. c. tomb of Marguerite de la Tremouille, mother of the Marechal d’Esquerdes. A round tower remains of the family chateau. 21 322 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. [At about 40 k. from S. Omer, to the 1 . of the road to Abbeville, is the village of Azincourt, celebrated for the victory gained by Henry V. of England, in which the Connetable d’Albret, general of the army, with six princes and 8,400 French nobles, died upon the field. The battle was gained by the prowess of the English archers. ‘ D energiques efforts furent tentes pour disputer la vic- toire ; mais toute manoeuvre d’ensemble etait impossible aux Eran^ais; I’elite de la noblesse francaise ne reussit qua vendre quelque peu sa vie ou sa liberte. Lefevre de S. Remi, temoin oculaire, rapporte que dix-huit chevaliers s etaient engages par serment a joindre le roi d’Angleterre et a lui abattre la couronne de la tete ou a mourir tous. 11s I’approcherent en effect de si pres qu’un d’eux lui abattit d’un coup de hache un des fleurons de sa couronne ; “ mais guere ne demeura qu’il ne fut rnort et detranche, lui et tous les autres.” Le due d’Alen^on, “a I’aide de ses gens, transperya grand’ partie de la batalle des Anglois,” tua le due d’York a deux pas de son cousin Henri V., et fut massacre par les gardes du roi d’Angleterre au moment ou Henri V. avan- cait pour le prendre a merci. Le due Antoine de Brabant, frere de Jean-sans-Peur, (pii accourait a marches forcees pour joindre I’armee, arrivait en ce moment sur le champ de bataille avec les mieux montes de ses gens. II n’avait pas meme sa cotte d’armes ; il prit une des barrieres “armoyees” de ses trompettes, y fit un trou pour y passer la tete, mit I’epee au poing et se rua sur les Anglais. II fut aussitot terrasse et mis a mort. Les archers et les gens d’armes anglais avan^aient toujours en bon ordre, “ combattant, tuant et prenant force prisonniers,” sans se debander a la poursuite des fuyards ; ils se trouverent enfin face a face avec I’arriere-garde francaise, qui etait demeuree a cheval. L’arriere-garde ne les attendit pas ; elle tourna le dos, a I’excep- tion des chefs et de six cents lances qui vinrent se briser dans une derniere charge centre I’armee victorieuse. ‘ Les Anglais etaient completement maitres du champ de bataille lorsqu’on annonca au roi d’Angleterre que de nouveaux ennemis apparaissaient sur ses derrieres et pillaient ses bagages. Henri V., trouble de cette attaque imprevue et voyant de loin les fuyards de I’arriere-garde “ se recueillir par compagnies,” fit crier, au son de la trompette, que chaque Anglais, sous peine AZINCOURT. 323 de la hart, “ occit ses prisonniers, de peur que ceux-ci ne fussent en aide a leurs gens.” Les soldats ne voulant point obeir, moins par humanite que pour ne pas perdre la “ grand’finance ” qu’ils attendaient de leur captifs, Henri V. preposa un gentilhomme avec deux cents archers a cette “ besogne, et de sang-froid, toute cette noblesse fran^oise fut la tuee et decoupee, tetes et visages, qui fut moult pitoyable chose a voir.” Une multitude de prisonniers avaient ete egorges quand le roi revoqua son ordre barbare en voyant les gens qui avaient assailli les bagages prendre la fuite avec leur butin ; ce n etaient que quelques centaines de soldats et de paysans, conduits par le seigneur d’Azincourt. Les gens de I’arriere-garde, qui avaient essaye de raillier, se mirent a fuir des qu’ils virent les Anglais prets a les combattre. ‘Les Anglais resterent jusqu’au soir a depouiller les morts . et a secourir ceux des blesses dont ils esperaient tirer random Ils revinrent le lendemain matin achever leur ouvrage : ils retournerent les monceaux des corps palpitants qui couvraient la plaine, pour faire leur choix, achever les uns et relever les autres .’ — Henri Martm, ‘ Hist, de France! ‘Les Anglais avaient perdu seize cents hommes, les Franyais dix mille, presque tons gentilhommes, cent vingt seigneurs ayant bannieres. La liste occupe six grandes pages dans Monstrelet. D’abord sept princes (Brabant, Nevers, Albret, Alen9on, les trois de Bar), puis des seigneurs sans nombre, Dam^pierre, Vaudemont, Marie, Roussy, Salm, Dammartin, etc., etc. ; les baillis du Vermandois, de Macon, de Sens, de Senlis, de Caen, de Meaux; un brave archeveque, celui de Sens ; Montaigu, qui se battit comme un lion. ‘ Le fils du due de Bourgogne fit a tons les morts qui restaient nus sur le champ de bataille, la charite d’une fosse. On mesura vingt-cinq verges carrees de terre, et dans cette fosse enorme Ton descendit tons ceux qui n’avaient pas ete enleves ; de compte fait, cinq mille huit cents hommes. La terre fut benie, et autour on planta une forte haie d’epines, de crainte des loups. ‘ II n’y eut que quinze cents prisonniers, les vainqueurs ayant tiie, comme on dit, ce qui remuait encore. Les prisonniers n’etaient rien moins que les dues d’Orldans et de Bourbon, le comte d’Eu, le comte de Vendome, le comte de Richemont, le 3^4 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. marechal de Boucicaiit, Messire Jacques d’Harcourt, Messire Jean de Craon, etc. Ce fiit toute ime colonie fran^aise trans- portee en Angleterre. ‘ Apres la bataille de la Meloria, perdue par les Pisans, on disait : “ Voulez-vous voir Pise, allez a Genes ” ; on eut pu dire apres Azincourt : “Voulez-vous voir la France, allez a Londres.” ’ — Michelet, ‘ Hist, de Era 7 icel A little further, in the same direction, i k. from the road, are the remains of the Chateau de Eressin, built 1450 on the site ol an earlier castle. A tomb of one of its lords and some good XV. c. sculpture may be seen in the church.] The line from Calais to Brussels, after leaving S. Omer, reaches — 62 k. Hazebrouck (Hotel : S. Georges ; Buffet-hotel at the station), a manufacturing town. The xvi. c. church of S. Nicolas has a tall spire and some good stained glass. [A branch line from Hazebrouck to Dunkerque passes — 71 k. (from Calais) CasselGloieX: duSauvage). In the old (re- naissance) Hotel de Ville is a collection of the geological specimens found in the isolated hill called Mo 7 it-Cassel, which, though only 157 met. in height, offers a view of one of the widest horizons in France, with thirty towns and a hundred villages, either in France or Belgium. The Hospice des Vieillards is a reconstruction of a XVII. c. building on the site of a foundation of 1255. Robert le Frison, who took Cassel in the xi. c., was buried in its octagonal chapel before being transferred to the crypt of S. Pierre in 1281. 78 k. Arncke. The xvi. c. church contains the tomb of Jean de la Halle, 1630. 85 k. Esquelbecq. Has ruins of a chateau of 1610. 94 k. Bergttes S. Wmox (Hotel : de la Tete d'Or), a strongly fortified town, founded by S. Winoc or Winox, monk of S. Bertin at S. Omer, who died in 696. The brick church of 6'. Martin is xvii. c. gothic. The beautiful gothic Be^roi, DUNKERQUE 325 of brick, is xvi. c. It is decorated with blind gothic arches on its four faces and flanked by polygonal tourelles with an octa- gonal lahthorn in the centre. Only two towers remain from the great Benedictine Abbaye of S. Winoc, founded in the xi. c. on a hill E. of the town. 5 k. S. W. are the xvi. c. church and renais- sance chateau of Steene. 102 k. Dunkerqite (Hotels: Flandre ; du Chapeau Rouge ; de Commerce), a town on the North Sea, which dates from the ix. c. It has always been important as a' fortress, and still, as during the visit of the traveller Du Fosse in 1632, ‘ les militaires fourmillent dans les rues.’ Of late years, Dunkerque has become popular as a bathing-place, and the Casino of the Villa des Dunes is crowded in the summer months. The church of S’. Eiloi, rebuilt in 1560, has a facade of 1783. The stalls have curious misereres. Jean Bart, 1702, is buried near the N. door. The Bejfroi, which formerly belonged to the church and is now isolated, is a great brick tower. The church of S'. Jea 7 i Baptiste, formerly the chapel of the Recollets, has, adjoining its cloister, a chapel of the miracle-working S. Philomene. Amongst the pictures in the church is a Christ of Vandyke. The Musee (at the angle of the Rue Benjamin Morel and the Place du Theatre — open on Sundays and Thursdays from 12 to 4 or 5) has the usual second-rate collections. The Lighthouse of the port was built in 1837. In the Place Jean Bart is a statue by David d’ Angers of the local hero, son of a Dunkerque fisherman, who rose by his exploits to be captain of a vessel, a semi- piratical, semi-loyal defender of his country. ‘ On raconte que le roi lui ayant annonce son avancement, Jean Bart lui repondit avec sa rude franchise ; “ Sire, vous avez bien fait.” Les courtisans riaient ; ‘‘ Vous n’avez pas compris,” leur dit Louis XIV. ; “ sa reponse est celle d’un homme qui sent ce qu’il vaut, et qui compte m’en donner de nouvelles preuves.” Un seul trait suffit a donner une idee de Jean Bart. II conduisait le Prince de Conti, qui venait d’etre nomine roi de Pologne ; attaque par les Anglais il courut le danger d’etre pris. Comme le Prince lui temoignait sa joie d’etre encore libre ; “ Nous n’avions pas a craindre d’etre faits prisonniers,” repondit le brave marin ; “ mon fils etait a la sainte-barbe, pret a nous faire sauter s’il eut fallu nous rendre ! ” ’ — Gregoirc.) 326 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. 76 k. BaiUeuI. The church of S. Vaast has a xiv. c. tower. The Hotel de Ville and its belfry are of xvi. c. 88 k. Arnmitieres^ a manufacturing town, with a xvii. c. Beffroi. 107 k. Lille (Hotels : de V Europe ; Grand; de France\ the fifth town of France in importance, once the capital of French Flanders and now the chef-lieu of the Departement du Nord. The commercial importance of Lille has greatly increased since it became the junction of seven railways. The town was first surrounded with walls by Baudoin IV., in 1030 ; its citadel is the work of Vauban. Often besieged and taken, Lille was forced, in 1667, to capitulate to Louis XIV. in person, but obtained the recognition of all its privileges and customs. There is not much to interest a stranger in the black streets of the smoky town, and a few hours suffice for its attractions, though it would be difficult to over-estimate the importance of its manufactories of cotton and linen, cloth, ribbons, oil, etc. ; and there is a greater commercial movement in Lille than in any town of France, except Paris.^ The Rue de la Gare leads from the station to the Place du Theatre, leaving, a little to the 1 ., the Church of S. Maurice^ founded 1022 and rebuilt in the xv. c. Its five aisles are separated by slender columns. On the 1 . of the Place du Theatre opens the Rue de Paris, one of the busiest streets of the old town, and the Rue des Manneliers, which leads to the Grand’ Place. Here we must visit the very curious Bourse.^ begun under the Spanish rule in 1652, enclosing a court surrounded by galleries with circular arcades supported by stone pillars. A bronze statue of ‘ Reseau du Nord, 1875. LILLE. 327 Napoleon L is formed from cannon taken at Austerlitz. The street, which opens at the S.E. corner of the Grand’ Place, leads to the Hotel de Ville.^ built in 1846 on the site of the old Palais du Rihour, which was built or enlarged by Philippe le Bon, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430. On the second floor are the Musk de Peinture and the Musks Wicar and Moillet., open daily from 9 to ^5 in summer, and 10 to 4 in winter. The picture gallery is one of the best provincial collections in France. We may notice — 143. Caspar de Grayer. Martyrs buried alive — a noble specimen of the master, 157. Etcgene Delacroix. Medea, the masterpiece of the artist. 193. Vandyke. The Crucifixion. 195. Va 7 idyke. Female Portrait. 196. Vandyke. Portrait of Marie de Medicis. 295, Jordaens. Study of Cows. 436, 437- Ravestem. Portraits of M. and Mme, Vrydags-van Vollenhaven. 460. Rubeiis. Descent from the Cross. 461, Rube 7 ts. Death of the Magdalen — a fine work from the church of the Recollets. 494. Carlo Veneziano {Saracini). The Flight into Egypt. 523. Thierry de Haarlerii {Bouts). “La Fontaine sym- bolique ” — from the abbey of Tongerloo. 540. Troy 071 , Scene in the forest of Fontainebleau. 572. Ar7iould de Vues or Hues. S. Francis receiving the stigmata. By this artist, who was a native of Lille, are many other works (572 to 613). 649. Zustris. Judith. 650. Zustris. Appearance of Christ to the Magdalen. The Musk Wicar (l)equeathcd to his native towii by the artist J. B. Wicar, ob. 1834) contains a most precious 328 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. — almost unrivalled — collection of original drawings by great masters, including 200 drawings by Michelangelo, 68 by Raffaelle, and others by Francia and Titian, etc., besides endless fine drawings of the Renaissance. The Musk Moillet is an ethnographique collection bequeathed by a native of Lille, who died in 1850. Behind the Hotel de Ville, the Rue du Palais leads to the Rue de THopital-Militaire, opposite the handsome Hospital^ once a Jesuit college, the ancient chapel of which (xvii. c. and xviii. c.) is now the Church of S. Etie 7 i 7 ie. Descending as far as the Rue de Bethune, and turning to the r., we reach the Boulevard de la Liberte which leads (r.) to the old Porte de la Barre. Returning to the Grand’ Place, we may follow the Rue Esquermoise and Rue Royale, the handsomest streets of the old town. Near the entrance of the Rue Royale, between it and the Rue de la Barre, is the Church of S. Catherme^ founded in xii. c., but in its present buildings of XVI. c. and xviii. c. Above the high altar, is a martyrdom of S. Catherine by Rubens. By the Rue Negrier, which crosses the Rue Royale, we reach the Esplanade, at the N. end of which is a statue of General Negrier. In the Rue Royale is the xviii. c. Church of S. Andre, once of the Cannes dechausses, which has some tolerable pictures : the works of the native artist Amoutd de Vuez are especially interesting at Lille. The Rue S. Andre con- tains the Hotel des Archives defartementales, at the angle of the Rue du Pont-Neuf ( 1 .), which is divided by the bridge of that name, beyond which are the immense buildings of the Hdpital general, begun in 1740. Here, the chapel contains an Adoration of the Magi by Vandyke. LILLE. 329 Further, in the Rue du Pont-Neuf, is the domed Church of the Madeleine., of 1675. The high altar-piece, representing the Four Latin Doctors, is by Va 7 i Cost. In the chapel of Notre Dame de Bon-Secours ( 1 .) is an Adoration of the Shepherds, by Rubens, and in the opposite chapel (r.) a Crucifixion by Vandyke: there are pictures by Arnould de Vuez at the entrance of the choir. ^ Returning as far as the quays of the Basse-Deule, and following them to the 1 ., we see on the S. quay the facade of the Palais de Justice, of 1837, between the two wings of the prison, and we reach the little Place S. Martin, near which is the Church of Notre Da 7 iie de la Treille, occupying the site of the Chateau du Buc, around which Lille had its origin. The church was begun in 1855, and is built in the style of the xiii. c. by the English architects Clutton and Burges. From the Place S. Martin and the Place du Lion d’Or, beyond it, a little street leads into the Rue des Arts, by which we may reach the Rue de Tournai, and so return to the station. [For the lines from Lille to Beth line, Lens, Doiiai, and Valenciennes, see later.] [The line from Lille to Ypres, or to Courtrai, in Belgium, passes — 14 k. Quesnoy-sur-Deule, where a great battle was fought between the French and the Flemings in 1347. 21 k. Comines, where the river Lys divides France and j Belgium. Philippe de Comines, the historian of Louis XL, I was born here in 1445.] I [The line from Lille to Gaud and Ostende, in Belgium, I passes— ] 8 k. Roichaix, which, since the Revolution, has become a most important cotton manufacturing centre. 5 k. distant (omnibus) is La 7 i 7 ioy, another prosperous manufacturing town. 330 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. 1 1 k. I'ourcoing, a manufacturing town, which was already known for its woollen factories in the xiv. c., and is now famous for its table-linen. The church of 5 . Christophe has a xvi. c, spire.] Leaving S. Omer, the line to Paris passes — 69 k. (from Calais) Aire Bergiiette., whence there is a branch line to (7 k. N.W.) Aire sur-la-Lys (Hotel ; de la Clef TOr), a curious old town, which originated in a castle built in the VII. c. by Lideric, grand-forester of Flanders. The collegiate church of S. Pierre., built xv. c. and xvi. c., has been moder- nised and very richly decorated. The Hotel de Ville is of 1714-21. At the corner of the Grand’ Place and the Rue Arras is the old Hotel du Bailliage, of xvi. c., decorated with allegorical figures. A graceful corbelled balcony bears the date 1595. Nothing remains of the old castle, built in 970 by Arnould II., Comte de Flandre, but a gothic arch, supported by two tourelles, by which the Lys enters the town. To the W. of Aire is Therouanne, destroyed by Charles V. in 1553, but once an important episcopal city, of which S. Omer was bishop. There are some remains of the town walls. 75 k. Lillers (Hotel : dii Cygne), called Busnette in the VII. c., originated in the hosteleries for worshippers esta- blished around the chapel where two Irish pilgrims, Lugle and Luglien, murdered at Ferfay, were buried. The xii. c. church is very remarkable and interesting. The gables of the nave and transepts have curious zig-zag ornamentation. At the end of the apse is Le Chidst dii Saint Sang, a wooden image from which it is said that a Huguenot drew blood BETHUNE. 331 when he struck it with his dagger. The first artesian well- now almost dry — was dug at Tillers in 1126 or in 1210. 12 k. distant is Amettes^ where the house in which the vener- able Benoit- Joseph Labre was born (1718), and the font in which he was baptized, are objects of pilgrimage. 87 k. Bethu 7 ie (Hotels : du No-rd ; du Lion d^Or), a town which dates from x. c., and was surrounded with walls and towers by Robert VII., in 1248. The Due de Sully obtained the countship of Bethune, with absolute powers, which existed in his family till the Revolution. The gothic church of *S. Vaast (1533-45) has been recently restored: the columns of the nave belong to an earlier church of XIII. c. The Beffroi was re-built in 1388 on the site of an earlier building. ‘ Get edifice se compose d’une tour carree, flanquee, aux angles d’echauguettes ou tourillons hexagones en encorbellement et d'une tourelle de meme forme ou se trouve un escalier a vis ; le tout surmonte d’une campanile en bois et ardoise d’une forme aussi pittoresque qu’elegante, qui doit etre posterieure a la tour de pierre ,’ — De Catimoni. • There are several xv. c. and xvi. c. houses, including that on the Grand’ Place, occupied by the Hotel du Nord. The custom of the famous Frocessio?i de Bethme, which resembled the Spanish Easter processions, was preserved till the XVIII. c. It consisted of thirty-two groups, of the Passion, Crucifixion, and Ascension, ending in the Judgment. I k. W. is the Chateau d'Annezin, of 1555 and 1775, and a vast church of 1789. At Ilesdigneul (5 k, S.W.) are some re- mains of a chateau of the family of Bethune-Sully, with the choir ( XVI. c.) of the parish church built into one of its towers. Opposite Ilesdigneul, on the other side of the Lawe, are some remains of the Chartreuse of Gos?iay, founded by Matildedc Flandrc in xiv. c. 332 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE, i|-k. distant is the mined chateau of Volleville, dismantled by the Due de Vendome, in 1522. [A branch line turns N.E. from Bethune to (41 k.) Lille, passing — 5 k. Beuvry, with a fine xv. c. church containing a beautiful font of the period, surmounted by a carved wooden ciborium. 31 k. Hauhou 7 'din, where the xvi. c. chateau is of Spanish construction. 33 k. Loos^ to tlie W. of which is a Cistercian Abbey, founded 1140, by Thierry d’ Alsace, Comte de Flandre, and now occupied as a prison.] 99 k. Bu//y-Gre 7 iay, an important colliery centre. A branch line leads to (10 k.) Violaines, on the line from Bethune to Lille, and another to (31 k.) Bryas, passing (19 k.) Houdain, which has a church approached by two staircases, said to occupy the site of a temple of Diana. The gothic vaulting is in wood, beneath wliich the nave is surrounded by a line of quaintly-sculptured heads. The pulpit is supported by a statue of Christ. A xvi. c. gravestone has the figure of an abbot in relief. 106 k. Leiis (Hotel : de la Pomme d^Or). The church, (1775-80) contains the body of S. Vulgan, an English monk, who preached the gospel in this district in the vi. c. At 7 k. N.W, of the town is a monument commemorating the great victory of Lens which Conde gained over the Netherland army on August 20, 1648. [A line leads N.E. from Lens to (36 k.) Lille, passing — 37 k. BiUy-Mo 7 itigny. A branch line of 7 k. leads to the mines of CoiuTieres, where the xvi. c. church contains a magni- ficent marble tomb of Jean de Montmorency. 69 k. He 7 ii 7 i-Lieta 7 'd^ which was a walled town in xi. c. The Cluirch is interesting, the principal portal and two first bays of the nave of the xi. c. or xii. c. ; the centre of the nave of the end of XV. c. ; the upper part of the tower re-built in the end of xvi. c. ; the choir and apsidal chapel modern. On the exterior of the ARRAS. older walls is a curious cornice of heads. The choir has good XVIII. c. stalls, by P. J. Flamen of Douai, The Hotel dc Ville is XVIII. c,] [There is a direct line of 34 k. from Lens to Douai.] 115 k. Farbus- Vimy. The church of Vimy (2 k.) is xv. c., with a romanesque tower, xii. c. font, and renaissance wood- sculpture. 126k. Arras (Hotels: de VUnivers; du Petit S. Pol), formerly the capital of Artois, and now of the Departement du Pas de Calais, a very interesting and remarkable old town, which may almost be regarded as the Nuremberg of the north of France in its very curious old houses and arcades and richness of sculpture. Originally called Nemetacum, it was the capital of the tribe of the Atrebates before the Roman conquest. In the iv. c. it was already celebrated for its tapestries and its woollen stuffs, which are mentioned by S. Jerome.^ The gospel was first preached at Arras in iv. c. by a Greek priest named Diogenes, who was martyred here ; but Christianity was finally established under S. Vaast, when Afras was made an episcopal see, removed soon afterwards to Cambrai, but restored in the XI. c. An independent Countship of Arras was established under Baudouin Bras-de-Fer, son-in-law of Charles le Chauve, whose name remains to part of the town in Baudimont (Balduini mons). In the xi. c. the town was divided into la ville under the Comte de Flandre and Abbe de S. Vaast, and la cite under the bishop and the King of France. Artois remained with the descendants of * The finest known tapestries of Arras are those in the cathedral of Beauvais, the church of the Chaise Dieu, and those given by Philippe le Bon, Due de Bourgogne, to the Sultan Bajazet, which are now in the seraglio at Constantinople. 334 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Baudouin Bras-de-Fer till the marriage, in ii8o, of Isabelle de Hainaut with King Philippe-Auguste. In 1237, S. Louis gave Artois to his younger brother Robert, whose grand- daughter brought it by marriage, in 1291, to Othon IV., Comte de Bourgogne. On the death of Marguerite de France in 1382, it passed to Louis le Male, Comte de Flandre, whose daughter brought it again to the house of Burgundy, till it was taken by Louis XL, in spite of the proud distich over its gates- - ‘ Ouand les souris preiidront les chats) Le roi sera seigneur dArras.’ Louis levelled the walls with the ground, and expelled the whole population, abolishing even the name of Arras, which he changed to that of Franchise. In 1490 the town was treacherously given up to Maximilian, and was retaken by the P'rench, after a heroic defence, in 1640. Its magnificent cathedral (of xii. c., xiii. c., xv. c., and xvi. c.) was sold during the Revolution, and pulled down under the Empire and Restoration. 1 Robespierre was a native of Arras. Entering Arras from the station by the EoNe de Rouville., we should follow the Rue Gambetta to (r.) the Rue S. Gery. This leads to the picturesque Petite Place., and the noble XVI. c. Hotel de Ville, which has a glorious tower, 75 met. high, surmounted by a ducal crown. The fagade of the building is enriched by a portico of gothic arches, sur- mounted by a range of beautiful windows, with a rich open balustrade under the high roof, which has three ranges of dormers. Before the Revolution, the Chapelle des Ardents ' The Comte de Vermandois, Admiral of France, son of Louis XIV. and Mile, de la Valliere, who died at the siege of Courtrai, was buried in this cathedral, Nov. 1688. ARRAS. 335 and the spire of la Sainte-Chandelle on the Petite Place, commemorated the deliverance of Arras in the xii. c. from the plague called the mal des ardents, when the Virgin is believed to have given a candle to two fiddlers, declaring that water into which a drop of its holy wax had fallen would save all who drank of it. The Pyramide de la S. Chandelle (erected 1215, destroyed 1793) was a kind of grand’ place, arras. minaret, 86 feet high, and splendidly decorated. Every house in this square is ancient and very richly ornamented. From the further end of La Petite Place opens La Grand' Place, an immense square, surrounded by the same kind of arcades below, and peculiar carved gables above, except in the case of two houses which date from the xiii. c., and which have step-gal^les and arched windows. Behind the Hotel de Ville we reach the modern Cathedral, formerly the abbey church of S. Vaast, begun 1755, and continued 1814-33 : the tower has been left unfinished. 336 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE, In the chapel of the Virgin is the tomb of Cardinal de la Tour d’Auvergne-Lauraguais : the chapel of S. Vaast con- tains the XII. c. tomb of an abbot, and that of Philippe de Torcy, governor of Arras (1652) and his wife. In the treasury are the blood-stained rochet in which Thomas a Becket was murdered, and some relics of the Sainte- Chandelle in a fine xiv. c. reliquary. A picture of the XVI. c. shows the very curious xiii.c. altar of the old cathedral. The abbatial buildings are now occupied as Eveche, Seminary, Library, and Musee. The two latter, open to the public on Sundays, are entered from the garden. The staircase has a noble iron balustrade. In the corridor are the tomb of a canon of Bethune, with his skeleton figure by Pettier, and the beautiful monument of Andant de Bourmenville, first Comte d’Henin-Lietard, 1585. The pictures are more than usually bad. On the upper floor are some specimens of Arras tapestry. An excursion of 9 k. should be made from Arras to Mont S. Eloi. The road follows the old Roman way, called Chaussee Briinehaut, for some distance. The village of Mont S. Bloi occupies a steep hill, known as Mont-Blanc, till S. Eloi, the goldsmith-minister of Dagobert, retired hither to a hermitage after the king’s death. A number of disciples gathered around him, and S. Vindicien, Bishop of Arras and Cambrai, desired to be buried on the holy hill in the end of the vii. c. The earliest monastery was destroyed by the Normans in ix. c. ; but the dis- covery of the grave of S. Vindicien in 926 led Bishop Fulbert to build on the hill (henceforth called Mont S. liloi) a collegiate church, served at first by secular, then (after 1061) by regular Augustinian canons. The abbey was entirely rebuilt in the xviii. c. Being secularised in 1792, it was turned into a military hospital, and afterwards sold in lots, and, for the most part, destroyed. The principal entrance remains, with the strangers’ quarter, called L’Administration, part of an enormous barn with MATLLY. 337 a step-gable, and a deep well. Only two sqnare towers exist of the church, behind which, above a cloister, is a broad terrace with a wide view. The English, under Henry of Lancaster, established themselves on Mont S. Eloi, in 1359, and ravaged the country from thence. At 55 k. from Mont .S. Eloi is the beautiful xvi. c. church of Ablain S. Nazaire built by Charles de Bourbon-Carency and the nobles of Artois. [A line runs S.E. from Arras to join the main line of rail from Paris to Calais at Longueau, near Amiens, by — 144 k. (from Calais) Achiet le Grand^ whence a branch line of 7 k. leads to Bapaimie, a very ancient town, which retains some remains of its former fortifications. The church of A. Nicolas is of 1570. The Hotel de Ville, in brick and stone, is a picturesque relic of the Spanish rule, and retains its breteche, or window with a corbelled balcony. [A railway leads from Achiet to (63 k.) S. Quentin, by (52 k.) Vej'mand^ where a Roman camp is to be seen, in the enclosure of which an abbey was founded in the ix. c., but has given place to the parish church. The pillars on the 1 . of the nave are romanesque. Some painted wooden statues, of xiv. c., come from the abbey, as well as the curious xi. c. font.] [A line of 41 k. leads from Achiet to Cambrai.] 162 k. Albeid. In the church is the miracle-working image of Notre-Dame-Brebieres, which was brought from the monastery of Brebieres, and derives its name from its discovery by a shepherd in a spot which his sheep refused to leave. A picturesque pilgrimage of shepherds and shepherdesses takes place here on Sept. 8. Near the remains of the ramparts are cascades of the river Ancre. [At 14 k. (omnil)us) is Mail/y, cradle of the family of which Louis de Mailly, Marquis de Nesle, was the father of five beautiful and nobly married daughters, of whom four became mistresses of Louis XV., the fifth alone (Marquise de Flavacourt) refusing all the riches and honours offered by the Due de Richelieu, with ‘ Voila done tout ! Eh bien ! je prefere I’estime de mes contemporains.’ The church has a rich xv. c. portal, with 22 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. 338 curious reliefs above it. To the 1 . of the porch is a kneeling figure of Isabeau d’Ailly, with her patroness, S. ^ilisabeth, standing by her; on a banner is inscribed, Tout pour le 7 ?iieux. There are some remains of the ancient chateau, and the chapel of the convent of Cordeliers, containing a tomb.] 178 k. Corbie, a town built around a Benedictine abbey, founded in 662 by S. Bathilde, wife of Clovis II., which became one of the most important in France. Didier, King of the Lom- bards, dethroned by Charlemagne, died within the walls of the abbey in viii. c. Amongst its learned monks were S. Adhelard, grandson of Charles Martel, and S. Anschaire, Bishop of Breme, known as the ‘ apostle of the north,’ from his efforts in christian- ising Denmark. S. Colette, foundress of the order of Clarisses {ob. 1447), was born at Corbie. The Church of S. Pierre is a remnant of the famous abbey church, begun in 1501, and, after many interruptions, completed by the Cardinal de Polignac in 1732. Despoiled during the Revolution, the church was mutilated and almost ruined by the government architects at the beginning of the century, when the transept, choir, central tower, and Chapelle des Corps Saints were destroyed, and the sculptures pared down and injured in every possible way. On the r. of the altar is a statue of S. Bathilde, dating from c. 1300. A gate of the abbey, surmounted by figures of Faith and Charity, remains between the buildings of the Mairie and the Halle aux Grains. At an angle of the vast ‘ place ’ behind the church is an ancient well. An excursion may be made to the remains of the magnificent chateau of Heilly, including those of the Tour de Gannelon, where Charlemagne is said to have made the traitor Gannelon swear that he was not the cause of the death of the famous Roland. 181 k. Daours, near which the battle of Pont-Noyelles was fought, Dec. 23, 1870. 192 k. Longueau. The line from Arras to Douai passes — 142 k. (from Calais) Vitry^ on the Scarpe, where the DOUAL 339 Romans are said to have had a fortress, and where the Merovingian kings had a palace, in which Sigibert, King of Austrasia, was murdered, in 575, by order of Rredegonde, who took refuge there herself after the murder of Chilperic. i52_k. Douai (Hotels : de Flandre — good ; de V Europe ; de Versa i 7 /es), an important town, surrounded by strong fortifications of the xv. c. and xvi. c., completed by Vauban. The original city is said to have arisen around a Gallo-Roman fortress of iv. c. The town belonged to the Flemings from the XIV. c. till 1667, when it was taken by Louis XIV. after five days’ siege. Jean Boullogne, usually known as John of Bologna, was a native of Douai. From the street facing the station, a passing visitor should turn 1. to the promenade called Place S. Jacques. At the end of this opens the Rue Fortier, which contains (in the former Jesuit convent) the Musee, open to the public the first Sunday in every month, and every Sunday during summer. The picture-gallery has an unusual amount of rubbish, in gaudy frames, crowded together. We may notice — 23. Jclian BcUcgambe V Ancien (a native of Douai, 1470? — 1 532 ?), a triptych, finished 1 526, from the Church of the Recollets. 237. Van der Meulen. Equestrian portrait of I.ouis XIV. The Rue S. Jacques begins at the angle of the Place. To the r. of this is the xviii. c. Church of S. Pierre^ remarkable for its quaint dome over the apsidal chapel, and retaining a huge XVI. c. tower. Near the W. entrance, in the Rue Clochcr S. Pierre, is the admirable xvii. c. HCdel des Reniy, of brick and stone. The Rue du Cantelux, behind the church, will lead to the Porte de Valenciennes, close to 340 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. which is the Church of Notre Dame^ with a nave of xii. c. and choir and transept of xiv. c. It contains a famous altar-piece, called le retahle TAnchm^ having been painted (1511) for Coguin, abbot of Anchin, by the native artist, HOTEL DE VILLE, DOUAI. Jehan Bellegambe. It represents Christ throned between the Virgin kneeling and the abbot Charles Coguin, pre- sented by his patron S. Charlemagne, with the monks of his abbey, led by S. Benedict. The Rue Notre Dame leads to the Place d’Armes, CAA/BRAI. 341 beyond which we see rising the beautiful crowned xiv. c. belfry of the Hdtel de Vide, surmounted by a lion. The part of the hotel to the r. (looking at the belfry) is xv. c., except the attic, which, with the whole of the building to the 1., is XIX. c. ^ In the Rue des Foulons, a little beyond the Hotel de Ville, are the old Hdtels de Goy (xvii. c.) and de Mar-de- Hem (xvi. c.). 2 k. N. of the town is the xvii. c. Chateau de Wagnonville, with an entrance flanked by tourelles. 6 k. S. is the xvii. c. Chateau de Cuincy. / [A line leads N. from Douai to (32 k. ) Lille, passing — 13 k. Libercourt. 3 k. is Carvin, which has a fine xvii. c. church. In the suburb of Epinoy is the pilgrimage-chapel of R Druo 7 i. 21 k. Seclin. The church is chiefly xii. c. and xiii. c. Under the later choir, in the crypt, is the Fontaine S. Fiat, commemorat- ing a martyr under the Roman occupation.] A line of 29 k. leads from Douai to — ^ (Hotels : deE'rance — fair; de Commerce) as Cameracum till the xii. c., a very ancient fortified town, chiefly interesting from its connection with Fenelon in the XVII. c.”"^ In the centre of the city is the large Place d’Armes, on the N. of which rises the Hotel de Ville, rebuilt in the last century. The front of its tower bears the giant statues called Martin and Martine, dating from 1510, and said to have been given by Charles V. From the S. of the ‘ There are two stations here, so beware of leaving luggage. - The historian Monstrelet was a native ol'Cambrai. 342 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. square opens the Rue S. Martin, containing a gothic Belfry., of 1447, which belonged to the church of S. Martin, with an upper story added in 1746. Turning 1 . by the Rue de Noyon, we reach the Cathedral of Notre Dame, partly re- built after a fire in 1859. xviii. c. interior contains, on the 1 . of the entrance, the tomb of Bishop Belmas, 1848; in the r. aisle, that of Cardinal Regnier, 1871 ; and, behind the altar, the monument of Fenelon, erected in 1826, with a striking statue by David d’Angers. On the side of the Place S. Sepulcre opposite the cathedral opens the Rue du Grand Seminaire, containing a college and chapel. At the end of this street the Rue de I’Aiguille leads r., then the Rue des Chanoines 1 ., to the little Place Thiers, which has a monument to the soldiers from Cambrai, who fell 1870-71. Here, in the former church of S. Croix, is a Musee. The Petite Rue Vanderbruck leads to the Place Fenelon, with the Church of S. Gery or S. Aubert, built in the last century on the site of a church founded by S. Vaast in 520. The dome is supported by four slender columns. Moved to the W. end is a handsome renaissance jube of coloured marbles. In the r. transept is an Entombment attributed to Rubens. Opposite the church is a remnant of the Ar chi episcopal Palace of Fenelon, in a triple portal, richly decorated in the style of the renaissance. Over its side-doors are the mottoes: ‘A clave justitia ‘ A gladio pax.’ After the battle of Malplaquet, when Cambrai was crowded with fugitives, Fenelon threw open his palace to receive them. Every corner in it was occupied — corridors, staircases, rooms great and small. The courts and gardens were filled with the beasts which the terrified owners had carried off with VALENCIENNES. 343 them in their flight. A hundred and fifty officers, whether French or prisoners of war, the archbishop received at once at his table. ‘ God will help us,’ he said, ‘ Providence has infinite resources on which I confidently rely. Only let us give all we have : it is my duty and my pleasure.’ ^ The Rue S. Aubert will take us back to the Place d’Armes. [A line leads from Cambrai to (37 k.) Ouesnoy, passing — 8 k, Rieux, with a good xvi. c. church, after which the railway passes, on 1 ., Avesncs-Ics-Aubcrt, which has a gothic church, with a beautiful tower of 1543, and 'a fine sculptured pulpit. 20 k. Solesmcs, on the Selle, Some ruins are visible of the ancient fortress repaired by Pepin d’Herisdal in the vii. c. A beautiful gothic cloister remains from a priory dependent on the abbey of S. Denis. The vast church is of 1780. An excursion of 5 k. may be made to Haussy, near which are remains of axii. c. fortress of the Templars.] The line from Cambrai to Valenciennes passes through dreary country, by — 14 k. Bouchain.^ which has a gothic church of many dates, the earliest 1166. 4 k. S.E. \?> Avesnes-le-Sec^ the church has a beautiful xv. c. stone spire. 24 k. Somain, where the line from Douai is joined. 44 k. Valenciennes {VlotC\s du Coninm'ce ; des Princes)., a very ancient and large fortified town of no general interest. From the station visitors may turn r. to the Rue Ferrand, containing the Ecoie des Beaux Arts. On the 1 . is the Place des Recollets, containing the large Cimf'ch of S. Gery, built for the Recollets by Jeanne de Flandre in 1225, but modernised, with a ridiculous modern tower. The Rue Ferrand ends at the Grand’ Place, containing a few old ' Fenclon a Cambrai, par Eniiiianuel de Broglie 344 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. houses and the Hotel de Ville., built 1612, and overladen with indifferent ornaments. It contains the Musee (open on Sundays from 10 to 12 and 2 to 3) which possesses — 81-85. Rubens. A triptych, having the martyrdom of S. Stephen in the centre. The other subjects are the Preaching and Burial of S. Stephen, with the Annunciation. In a direct line behind the Hotel de Ville is the large modern (1864) Clnurh of Notre Dame. Valenciennes abounds in forges, foundries, distilleries, and manufac- tories of cambric and lawn ; but the lace manufacture, which made the town so famous before the great Revolution, is almost extinct. [A line of 40 k. leads from Valenciennes to Tournai.] [The line from Valenciennes to (48 k.) Lille passes — 13 k. A. A?na?id-lcs-Eaux (Hotel : d't.tablisse? 7 ient. Rooms I fr. 50 c. to 6 fr. ; ist table, 5 fr. 50 c. ; 2nd table, 3 fr. a day). The baths of S. Amand — much used for rheumatism, gout, neuralgia, and affections of the skin — were well known to the Romans. A famous abbey was founded here in 647 by S. Amand, Bishop of Tongres, who obtained a grant of the land from King Dagobert. Rebuilt in the xvii. c., the abbey was one of the most perfect in the country till 1789. Now it is entirely destroyed, except the entrance gateway, which is used as a mairie and prison. Nothing remains of the abbey church of 1662 but a facade with three towers. The site of the abbey is now covered with gardens, amongst which the gravestone of S. Amand has been found. 19 k. Rosult. S.W. of the station is the Chateau de Leloh'e of 1401. 26 k. Orctiies. In the church a number of large blue stones cover the graves of French gentlemen killed, in 1304, in the battle of Mons-en-Pevele. [The line from Orchies to (30 k.) Tourcoing passes (at ii k.) BAVAI, LE QUESNOY. 345 Cysomg, where the church has an ancient stained window repre- senting S. Everard, founder of the abbey, which has now perished. In the garden of the house which replaces it is a pyramid, erected by the monks, in 1745, in memory of the battle of Fontenoy. 2 k. S.W. is Bouvincs, famous for the victory of Philippe-Auguste (July 27, 1214) over the united armies of Otho IV., the Counts of Boulogne and Flanders, and all the princes of the Low Countries. A commemorative obelisk was erected on the battlefield in 1863.] 33 k. Tejnpleuve. The romanesque church has much remark- able sculpture in stone and wood.] [The line from Valenciennes to (37 k.) Maubeuge passes — • 9 k. Cnrgies^ where the church, of 1616, has good xvii. c. glass. The neighbouring church of Scbourg dates from 1186, though altered, and contains the tomb of S. Druon, who died in x. c. The modern chateau occupies the site of an ancient residence of the Counts of Flanders and Hainault. 19 k. A. Vaast-Us-Bavai. i k. N. is a very curious ancient moated tower. 23 k. Bavai (Hotel : du Cerf), the ancient Bavacum, capital of the Nerviens, in the time of Tiberius, when it was well known for its baths, of which considerable remains have been found, with traces of a circus. Eight Roman roads met at Bavai at a point still marked in the xvii. c. by an octagular pillar. A septangular pyramid now stands on the spot. The church is of 1575, except the tower, which is of 1781. The Hotel de Ville, of 1784, has an older belfry. In the, plain which the line crosses alter leaving Bavai is (r.) Audlgnies^ which has an ancient moated castle, known as la Eorteressed\ The line from Valenciennes to Mezieres runs across hideous and featureless plains. It passes — i8k. Quesnoy, a very ancient fortified town, where S. Norbert preached in 1120. The church is of 1829 ; the Hotel de Ville of 1700. 346 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. 34 k. Aulnoye junction station, on the line from Paris to Brussels. \\\i. Dompierre. The xiii. c. choir of the church is a relic of a priory founded by S. Etton, and dependent on the abbey of Liessies. There are pilgrimages here on Ascension Day and July lo to the tomb of S. Etton. W. of Dompierre is the Chateau de Hugemont^ of 1640. 48 k. Avesnes-sur-Helpe, an ancient town, formerly fortified. The Church of S. Nicolas was almost entirely rebuilt by Louise d’Albret in 1534. Its massive tower, supported by eight buttresses, contains a carillon of bells, which is one of the finest in the north of France. The choir is a remnant of the earlier church of xiii. c. A monument commemorates two young Spanish soldiers, one of whom died of grief for his friend, shot in 1650. The Hotel de Vllle was rebuilt in 1757. 5 k. distant, in the forest of Avesnes, is the Hermitage of Bondelet^ which existed in the xi. c. The road from Avesnes to Maubeiige passes through S. Aiihin^ where there are remains of a house and xii. c. chapel of the Templars (Cense-du-Temple). The church has a xv. c. nave, and a choir of 1500. At Mont Dotders, r. of the road, is an old XVI. c. hospital and the Matson de VErmitagey of 1619. At Eclaibes are remains of a xii. c. castle. N Beaufort (r.j are ruins of the Tour des SarrasinSy built by Baldwin V. of Hainault in 1373, and a church restored in 1500. This is the district which, on Oct. 16, 1793, was the scene of the battle of WatiignieSy between the republicans under Jourdan and the Austrians under the Duke of Coburg. Sains. 3k. r. at Semeries is the monument called Dieu de Pitie (1534), under a roof supported by four columns. 2 k. from the line on r. is the old chapel MEZIERES-CHARLE VILLE. 347 of Waudrec/iies^ with a tower of 1567. On the L, near the line, is Avesnelles^ with an interesting xvi. c. church, which has a rich portal. The chateau of Pont de Sains, which Talleyrand inhabited during his disgrace, is passed before reaching — 67 k. Fournues, which has remains of a xvi. c. fortress. 79 k. Hirson, a great junction station. 15 k. distant, on the road to Guise, is La Capelk-en-Thierache, celebrated for the pilgrimages made thither to the shrine of S. Germaine or Grimonie. The line continues across treeless plains, black with coal dust, to — 81 k. S. Mictiel-Songland, The town of S. Michel- Rochefort rose around an abbey founded, 945, by Ebbert de Vermandois on the site of the hermitage of S. Ursmar. The buildings of the abbey, rebuilt in 1715, are now used for an industrial school. The church, now the parish church, has apse, choir, and part of the transepts xii. c., the nave and side-aisles renaissance. The line has now entered upon the dreary Departement des Ardennes, an unbroken flat, except where it is cut, on the N. and S.E., by the two long valleys of the Meuse and the Aisne. We pass (r.) the abbey of Wattigny, before reaching — 114k. Treniblois. iik. distant is Rocroi (Hotel: du Coinnierce) — Croix-de-Rau, Rau-Croix, Rocroi — a strongly fortified place, with walls by Vauban, on a plateau over- looking the valley of the Meuse. Mezicres-Ctiarleville du LioJi d’Argent ; Grand Hbtet— both in Charleville). These twin cities, in a flat country, are only divided by the Meuse. The chief characteristic of Charleville, which was founded in 1606, is its central square called the Place Ducale (from the 348 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. Dukes of Gonzaga), surrounded by high-roofed houses of brick and stone, recalling those of the Place des Vosges at Paris. The square receives a finish from the Pavilion dll Moulin^ a fine xvi. c. building with a water mill over a branch of the Meuse at the end of the Rue S. Catherine, one of its four converging streets. The Rue Thiers and a bridge lead in the opposite direction to Mezieres^ the capital of the department of the Ardennes, which rose round a castle of the bishops of Reims in the ix. c. After the battle of Waterloo the town was bombarded ineffectually for six weeks, and only opened its gates on the news of a general peace. Its fortifications are now destroyed. It was in this town — ‘ ville etroite et fort incommode pour cette dignite ’ ^ — that Charles IX. was married to Elisabeth of Austria, daughter of Maximi- lian II. The ceremony took place in the stately church of Notre Dame (1499 — 1556), entered from the N. by a rich flamboyant portal of 1586. In the interior, the lofty central nave has two low side-aisles on either side, but the narrow choir only one aisle with chapels ; there is no triforium. In the vaulting of the 1. choir-aisle is a bomb which fell during the Prussian siege, and remained imbedded here without exploding. In a neighbouring chapel is the grave of Antoine de S. Paul, Marechal de la Ligue and Governor of Mezieres. For the line from Mezieres to Paris see ch. vi. [A line leads N., by the valley of the Meuse, to the Belgian frontier, passing through the district once covered by the forest of Ardennes (ar dninn, the dense). Beyond Mezieres begins a series of beautiful gorges, where the river winds at 200 or 300 ‘ Mezeray. THE MEUSE. 349 metres below the plateau, now following the base of a precipice of solid rock, now bathing the roots of trees which grow on some slaty landslip. Eacli valley, each breach in the rocky wall, is filled with verdure, which contrasts strikingly with the dark red and grey tints of the cliffs. Little towns, with scarcely room for their houses and factories, occupy from time to time the narrow space between the rocks and the river. The line passes — ■ 7 k. Nou2071^ a town on the Meuse, devoted to the manufacture of nails and waggons ; after leaving which the line winds, by sharp curves, througli a forest-clad ravine, broken here and there by rocks. 16 k. Braitx-Levrezy . Braii.r was the seat of a chapter founded by Archbishop Hincmar in the ix. c. The handsome church has some ancient bas-reliefs. The line passes a promontory witli the rocks called Les Ouatre-Fils-Ayfiion, above the villages of Chateau Regnaiilt and Bogny^ of which the former was the capital of a principality united to France in 1629. 17 k. Mo7ither7ne ^-Chateau Rcg7iauIt,-Bog7iy. A tramway leads from the station to (2 k.) Lavaldieit.^ named from an abbey founded by Witten, Comte de Rethel, in the xn. c. A suspension bridge leads to Mo7ithe7'77id full of forges and foundries. Upon the Se77ioy, which enters the Meuse upon the r., after passing through a most picturesque valley fringed by high rocks, by a course even more winding than that of the main river. The town is so shut into the hollow of the ravine, that during a great part of the day, the rays of the sun cannot reach it. The valley is very picturesque, and passes the rocks called Les Da77ies de Me77se, before reaching — 33 k. Rev77i, which retains the churcli and other buildings of a Dominican convent founded by the Prince de Chimay, in the XVII. c. 40 k. Fu77iay, with important slate-quarries. 53 k. Vi7'cux-Molhcd7i. The parish church has a line square tower with a slated spire. On the 1. of the line the ruined Chateau de IIie7ges, burnt in 1793, rises above the gorge: the brick and stone facade is of the renaissance. 64 k. Civet (Hotels: du Mo7it d'07‘; de V A7ic7'e), an important manufacturing town, divided into three parts — le C7'a7id Civet, which contains the church of S. HilaB’e, built by Vauban, and a monument to the musician Mehul, who was born here le Petit 350 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. Givet^ reached by a stone bridge built by Napoleon I., and de- voted to the manufacture of pipes, pencils, and sealing-wax ; and the fortress of Charlemoiit, a work of Vauban. ‘ Le clocher du petit Givet est une simple aiguille d’ardoise ; quant au clocher du grand Givet, il est d’une architecture plus compliquee et plus savante. Void evidemment comment I’in- venteur Fa compose. Le brave architecte a pris un bonnet carre de pretre ou d’avocat. Sur le bonnet carre il a dchafaude un saladier renverse ; sur le fond de ce saladier devenu plate- forme, il a pose un sucrier, sur le sucrier une bouteille; sur la bouteille un soleil emmanche dans le goulot par le rayon infe- rieur vertical ; et enfin sur le soleil un coq embroche dans le rayon vertical superieur. En supposant qu’il ait mis un jour a trouver chacune de ces idees, il se sera repose le septieme jour.’ ■ — Victor Hugo, ‘ Le Rh/n,' Ictt. if. Excursions may be made to Dinant in Belgium, and to the very curious caverns of (32 k.) Hau, and (38 k.) Rochefort.^ The line from Mezieres to Sedan passes — 6 k. (from Mezieres) Nouvion-sur-Meiise, with a fortified XV. c. church. 17 k. Dotichery, where the xvi. c. church has a quad- rangular apse of the xiii. c. 26 k. Sedtiit (Hotels : de 1' Europe ; de la Ci'oix TOr). The town, utterly without interest, except from its famous battle (Sept, i, 1870), has the peculiar shabbiness of a place in progression, for, since the recent destruction of its fortifications, it has been extending on every side. The original prosperity of the place is due to the vast number of Protestants who took refuge there during the wars of Religion with the Protestant prince Henri-Robert. It bears on its arms the boar, chosen as a device by its huntsman SEDAN. 351 Prince Guillaume de la Mark,— ‘ the boar of the Ardennes ’ — with the motto — ‘ Si Dieu ne me veult, le diable me prye.’ From the station an avenue leads r. to the shabby Place d’Alsace-Lorraine, containing the College and Miisee. Hence the Avenue du College takes us to the Place d’Armes, with the xvii. c. church, once a Protestant ‘temple.’ Above is the chateau of the great family of La ALarh, which acquired the lordship of Sedan in 1424, and of which two members ip turn bore the name of Le Sanglier des Ardennes, Guillaume, who killed Louis de Bourbon, Bishop of Liege, with his own hand, and Robert II. (1480 — 1536), who defied Charles V. in full diet at Worms. The son of the latter was the Robert de la Mark, Marshal of France, who wrote a history of the reigns of Francois I. and Louis XII. In 1591 Charlotte de la Mark, the heiress of her house, married Henri de la Tour d’ Auvergne, Vicomte de Turenne, and founded the second house of Bouillon. The great Turenne was born in the chateau in 1611. Behind the church, the Grande Rue leads to the Place de Turenne, with his bronze statue by Gois (1823). Hence the Rue Turenne will bring us back to the station by a public garden in its infancy. Those interested in recent French history will visit the Battle -Ji eld of Seda 71 , upon which 10,000 Germans and 11,000 Frenchmen fell. Sept, i, 1870, a day which ended in the capitulation of the French army, signed in the chateau de Bellevue. A visit to the battle-field will occupy several hours, and should include tlie promontory of Iges, where the unfortunate French army was encamped for ten days, as prisoners, before leaving for Germany. 352 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. ‘ La pliiie qiii tombait a torrents depuis le September avait fait de la presqu’ile d’lges, terrain bas et natnrellement humide, un veritable marecage. C’est dans cette pourriture que couchaient nos 80,000 prisonniers, sans aucun abri. Tout aiitour d'enx la Meuse charriait des cadavres. Ceux des chevaux etaient en si grand nombre que, par places, ils s’amoncelaient et formaient des digues infectes. Pour surcroit de douleur il n’y avait litteralement rien a manger . un biscuit par jour pour deux hommes. Nous avons vu la des malheureux atteints de la fievre typlioide, de la petite verole, de toutes les maladies possibles, etendus dans la bone, sous la pluie. Ce supplice dura plusieurs jours, plus d’une semaine pour quelques- uns.’ — E. de Montagnac, ‘ Les Ai'dennes! The village of Bazeilles should also be visited, which was l)Lirnt by the Bavarians in 1870, on the day of the battle of Sedan, and restored by public subscription. The upper room of the first house, inscribed ‘a la derniere cartouche,’ is the scene of the picture of Neuville— Zfi- deniicres ca 7 Louches : the house is now a little museum of relics collected on the battle-field. In the cemetery is an ossuaire of bones from the field of battle, and in the ‘ Place ’ a monument to the French soldiers who fell, Aug. 31 and Sept. I, 1870. The famous Turenne lived in the chateau of Bazeilles as a child. About 20 k. from Sedan, in the direction of Vouziers, near Maiso 7 ieeUe, are the remains of the Abbey of Mo 7 it Dieu, founded 1130, and now turned into a country house. All abbeys of the Ardennes are xii. c. There are two routes from Sedan (and Mezieres) to Nancy. That which runs most to the E. passes— 7 k. Bazeilles. See above. MONTMEDY. 353 lo k. Douzy, a place which was given by S. Remy to Clodoald, son of Clodomir, known as S. Cloud, and which was possessed by the archbishops of Reims till 772, when it was ceded by Archbishop Tilpin to Charlemagne, whose successors had a palace here, in which Charles le Chauve was married to his second wife, Richilde, sister of Boson, Comte d’Ardenne. Important councils were convoked here by Hincmar, Archbishop of Reims, in 871 and 874. 44 k. Ca?ignan, formerly known as Yvois, where S. Martin made a public profession of penitence in the church for not having been sufficiently severe against heresy at Treves, and which was the birthplace of S. G^ry and his brothers, SS. Landon and Taurin, in the vi. c. In 1662 Yvois was made a duchy, on condition that the town changed its name to Carignan. The duchy was sold by Victor Amadeus of Savoy (1751) to the Due de Penthievre, father of the Prince de Lamballe and of Marie Louise AdGaide de Bourbon, who brought the duchy by marriage to the Due d’Orleans. 49 k. (from Sedan) Mo/ifmedy, Mons Medius (Hotels : de la Gave ; de VOitrs)^ a picturesque town, scarcely more than a fortified village, rising with picturesque walls above the Chiers, founded in 1239 by Arnould III., Comte de Chiry, and divided into La Ville Basse and I^a Ville Haute. No one, however, would be tempted to linger here, except to make an excursion to (7k.) Avlol/i, where one of the most remarkable churches in this part of France was founded on the spot where a black statue of the Virgin had been found in a thorn bush in the xi. c. The church, begun at the instigation of S. Bernard at the end of the XI. c., was built in xiii. c. and xiv. c. The gabled W. 354 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. front has a beautiful rose-window and rich portal, almost copied from Notre Dame de Reims, with sculptures of the Passion. On the S. is another richly decorated entrance, celebrating the triumph of the Virgin • on the S.W. is a door pourtraying the Last Judgment, much injured by the Calvinists. The interior has a triple nave and a choir with a pentagonal ambulatory. The r. transept had a beautiful chapel added in 1539. In the apsidal chapel is a stone XIII. c. altar, and the xv. c. tomb of a Dame de Breux. The stone pulpit in the nave bears the date 1538. The high-altar, of xiii. c., is sculptured with the symbols of the Four Evangelists. On the r. is a stone tabernacle for the sacrament ; on the 1 . a throne for the ‘ Sainte Image de Notre Dame d’Avioth.’ There are some remains of ancient glass and mural paintings. Outside the church on the r. is the beautiful ChapeUe des ATorfs, of the end of xiv. c., sometimes called La Eecevresse, because the offerings of pilgrims were deposited there. Of hexagonal form, it is supported by four columns with delicately sculptured capitals and two pillars decorated with pinnacles, and is surmounted by an open stone spire. It contains a little altar with a statue of Notre Dame d’Avioth, and the chain of a prisoner, supposed to have been delivered by her intercession. ‘ C’est la qiie la fabrique et le clerge d’Avioth recevaieiit autrefois les riches offrancles apportees par les paroisses du voisinage le 29aout de chaqiie annee, au jour de la Decollation de Saint Jean-Baptiste. On y deposait aussi aux pieds de la tres- sainte Vierge les enfants morts sans bapteme. Tres-souvent, disent les documents les plus authentiques, ils se sont ranimes et out vecu assez longteinps pour etre regeneres par I’eau du saint.’ — Tourneur., ‘ Les EgUses en Ardcn?ic' CO UR-LE- GRAND VILLE. 355 70 k. Lo 7 'iguyon. The church is xii. c. [Here a line diverges E. to Thionville and Metz, by the valley of the Chiers, famous for its iron mines. It passes — 9 k. Cour-Ie-GrandviUe^ with a very interesting renaissance chateau, built 1 572 by Martin de Custines, on the site of an ancient castle. Many of the internal decorations are renaissance. A room inhabited by Stanislas of Poland preserves its ancient furniture. The church, rebuilt 1732, belonged to a priory of which the buildings are occupied by a farm. There is a cross 356 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. of 1591. The neighbouring church of Cutry is xv. c. At i k. is a fine xvii. c. cross. 15 k. Longwy, a fortified manufacturing town. 18 k. Alont S. Martin has an interesting xi. c. church. 2 k, beyond this, the line enters Belgium.] 112 k. Confians-Jarny. Junction with a line to Metz (a line of 13 k. leads from Conflans to Briey, which has a large XV. c. church). 12 1 k. ATars-!a-Tour, where a collegiate church, founded by Gerard d’Avillers in 1500, is now a barn. Near Mars- la-Tour, on the W., is a monument to the French soldiers who fell at Gravelotte, S. Privat, S. Marie-aux-Chenes, and Mars-la-Tour, on Aug. 16 and 18, 1870. 127 k. Chamhley. Between this and the next station of Onville, the picturesque village of Waville is passed at the entrance of a rocky gorge on 1 . The xiii. c. church has a XVI. c. portal with a bas-relief, and beautiful capitals. 136 k. Onville. There is a branch of 1 1 k. from hence to — Tliiaiicourt. Leaving Onville, the line passes 1 . — Bayouville., where the church has a fortified tower of the XII. c. (which once belonged to a castle) as its belfry. 14 1 k. Arnaville^ at the confluence of the Rupt de Mad with the Moselle, has an old castle and a xv. c. cemetery- chapel. 144 k. Fagny-sur-AEoselle. 2^ k. W. is the fine ruined Chateau de Freny, dismantled by Richelieu. 148 k. Vaudieres. 7 k. W. are the remains of the abbey of S. Marie-aux-Bois, founded early in xii. c., restored in XVI. c., now a farm.’ The church, chapter-house, refectory, and dormitory remain. PONT- A- MO USSON. 357 154 k. Font-a-Mousson, divided by the Moselle into la Ville Haute and la Ville Basse, was a university town from 1572 to 1763. The principal square is surrounded by arcades. One house has a corbelled tourelle, and another is adorned with allegoric sculpture of the capital sins. The Church of S. ATartin., in the upper town, is of 1474, the work of Jacquemin de Commercy : its flamboyant portal and tower are of 1460. In the interior are a xv. c. jube and a S. Sepulcre. S. Laurent^ in the lower town, has a good XVI. c. triptych : near it are several xvi. c. and xvii. c. houses. The hill on the E. of the town is crowned by the village of Afousso/i, on a site occupied by a fortress from Roman times. The chateau of the Comtes de Bar was destroyed by the Marechal de Crequy : its chapel of xi. c. is the parish church : the romanesque font has reliefs relating to baptism. Margaret d’Anjou, wife of Henry VI. of England, was born at Pont-a-Mousson, March 23, 1429, being the youngest daughter of Rene, King of Sicily and Jerusalem, and Isabella, heiress of Lorraine. 161 k, Dieulouard^ at the foot of a steep hill above the Moselle. There are some remains of a chateau (xi.c. — XVII. c.), built by Henri, Bishop of Verdun, in 1020, and dismantled by Louis XIV. The xv. c. church has a rich pulpit and stalls ; under the choir is an xi. c. crypt cut out of the rock. In the plain to the E. of Dieulouard stood the important Roman city of Scarpone. 172 k. Fompey (a branch line leads by [2 k.] Ciistines — where the Chateau de Conde [of xiii. c.] belonged to the bishops of Metz, and where Claude de Lorraine, first Due de Guise, was born in a later chateau [Chateau d’En has] — to Nome/iy, the ancient Nomencium, which 358 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. has an interesting church and several early xvii. c. houses). 183 k. Nancy. The other line from Sedan to Nancy passes — 6 k. Rhnilly^ whence there is. a branch line to Rauamrt, a small manufacturing town. The xii. c. church has a curious font. 15 k. Mouzon, the ancient Mosomagus, where a famous abbey was founded in the x. c. Its majestic and important church is chiefly xiii. c., and has three W. portals of that date, surmounted by a noble rose-window. The two spires are also xiii. c. The beautiful spire, erected by Abbot Jean Gilmer, in 1485, was sold for its lead at the Revolution. The church is dedicated to Notre Dame, who is represented on the central pillar of the portal • in the tympanum are the Annunciation, Visitation, and Coronation of the Virgin. The lofty interior is a Latin cross, with low side aisles, and chapels radiating round the apse. ‘ Les details d’execution laissent beaucoup a desirer. Rare- ment les arcades sent correctes, la pointe des ogives ii’est pas toujoiirs au milieu, leiir retombee arrive plus ou moins juste sur le chapiteau ; I’exterieur, a part le portail, est d’une extreme severite. Mais, neanmoins, Mouzon est la grande eglise des Ardennes, la premiere du diocese de Reims, apres la cathedrale et S. Remi.’ — Tourne2ir, ‘ Les Eglises e?i Ardennet 25 k. Letanne- Beaumont. Beaumont was the scene of a terrrible battle, Aug. 30, 1870, two days before Sedan, in which the French lost 1,300 men killed and 3,000 prisoners. 39 k. Stenay, the ancient Stenacum. 359 VERDUN, S. MIHIEL. 46 k. Saulmory-Montigny . On the r. on high ground is Mont-devant-Sassey , with a good church, chiefly romanesque, the portal xiii. c., the tower xiv. c. 92 k. Verdufi-su?'-Meuse{V>wEQt‘, Hotels : des Trois Maiires : dll Coq Elardi), a rather picturesque town in a plain, sur- rounded by fortiflcations planted with trees, and with a mediaeval gateway flanked by huge towers. Verdun was the Roman Verodunum. It was a bishopric from the iii. c. In Xov., 1S70, it was taken by the Prussians after a very gallant defence. The Cathedral, dating from the xi. c., has been much modernised. The buttresses (xii. c.) of the apse have curious sculptures. The interior has a triple nave with gothic vaulting. In the r. transept is a curious bas-relief of the Assumption. A xv. c. cloister connects the cathedral with the Grand Seniinaire. The Eveche is xviii. c. The Citadel occupies the site of the Abbaye de S. Vannes, founded in the x. c. The xvii. c. Hotel de Ville has . the usual J/iisee. Verdun, with IMetz and Toul, gave the name of Les Trois Eveches to this part of Lorraine. [A road leads E. from Verdun to (67 k.) IMetz by — 20 k. Etain, with a good xv. c. church. 32 k. Ollcy. The church, of xr. c., belonged to a Benedictine prior}’, founded 1050 by S. Arnould de i\Ietz. 39 k. Conflans. At the meeting of the Orne and Yron. 41 k. Jarny, with a gothic church, formerly fortified ; the tower was the donjon of a fortress.] [A road leads 1 . to (32 k.) Varennes-en-Argonne. See ch. vi.] 151 k. A. Jlllilel (Hotel: de Cygne — good), on the IMeuse, at the foot of limestone hills, surmounted by a Calvaire, had its origin in the houses which collected round a monastery founded in the viii. c. It was the residence of Cardinal de 36 o NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Retz, who wrote his memoirs here. From the Place des Halles (where the hotel is situated) the Rue Notre Dame leads r. (a xv, c. house on 1 .) to the church of S. Michel — important as containing the great works of Jean and Ligier Richier, a name still common in the town. It is a very hand- some renaissance (late xvii.c.) building, with part of a romanesque W. tower. In the baptistery, r. of the entrance, is a child playing with two skulls, a beautiful miniature work of Jean Richier (early xvii. c.). At the end of the choir is the Virgin fainting in the arms of S. John, a marvellous work of Ligier Richier, the powerlessness of the fainting woman being wonderfully rendered. In the passage 1 . of the choir are remains of a stone rood-loft. At the E. end of the church is the Place des Moines, with remains of the abbey, now used as public offices. Hence, the central road and its continuation, the Rue des Ingenieurs (containing the house of Ligier Richier, 1535-40) lead to S. Etienne^ heavy outside, but handsome XVI. c. within. In the 1 . aisle is the famous S. Sepulcre of Ligier Richier, consisting of thirteen figures. The helplessness of the Virgin fainting in the arms of Mary Cleopas and John, the tenderness of the Magdalene and Joseph of Arimathea, the grief of the angel, and greed of the dice-players, are given with simple, unexaggerated truthfulness. We must turn 1 . from the church door if we visit the cemetery containing the monument of General Blaise, killed at Ville-Evrard, by Martin Pierson. Turning r. from the church door, the Rue de TEglise will lead us to the Rue de la Vaux, containing (r.) the Hotel de Ville.^ and (r.. No. 3) a very curious old house, with huge MiniEL. 361 animals under its roof. Hence the Rue Basse (No. 6 is a remarkable house) takes us back to the Place des Halles. A road leads W. to Vigneulles, near which is the church of Hatton chdtel, containing the tomb of Gerard de Haraiicoiirt, Bishop of Verdun, and a creche by Richier (1523). 174 k. Commercy, where we join the main line from Paris to Strasbourg. 232 k. Nancy. CHAPTER VI. PARIS TO THE GERMAN FRONTIER BY MEAUX, CHALONS-SUR-MARNE, AND NANCY. C ITEM IN DE PER DE STRASBOURG. HE station at Paris of the Chemin de Per de FEst is close to the Gare du Nord and to the Boulevard Magenta. The railway, for the most part, runs through very featureless country, but it is the rich district of Brie, the garden of Northern France, a countship which only became part of the French kingdom on the marriage of Jeanne de Navarre with Philippe le Bel in 1361. The line passes at first through the banlieue of Paul de Kock described in so many of his novels, but now built over and blackened, to — Ilk. Bondy, near the forest of Bondy, where Childeric IT, King of Austrasia, is supposed to have been murdered in 673. dire Avenue de FAbbaye leads to the site of the Abbey of Livry, founded 1200, whither Mme. de Sevigne often retired, and of which she wrote, ‘ I make a little La Trappe of this place.’ The small remains of the abbey are now an orphanage, and the gardens are cut up and destroyed. At the Restoration the chateau of Livry belonged to the Comte de Damas, the faithful friend of I.ouis XVIIL, who slept here April ii, 1814, the day before his entry into Paris. LE EA/NCV, CHELLES. 363 13 k. Zt? Rainey (Rinciacum), where, in the xvii. c., Jacques Bordier built a magnificent chateau on the site of a Benedictine abbey. In 1750 the Due d’Orleans made here a park which is described in the stilted verses of Delille. Under the first empire the chateau belonged to Marshal Junot, whose wife (Duchesse d’Abrantes) de- scribes the first interview of Jerome Bonaparte with his second wife, Princess Catherine of Wilrtemberg, which took place there under her auspices. Napoleon I. after- wards imperiously forced the Due d’Abrantes to give up the chateau to him. Louis-Philippe was staying here whilst his sister, Mme. AdUaide, at Neuilly, was accepting the crown in his name. The chateau was pulled down under Louis-Philippe, and the park has since been cut up and destroyed. The tine marble busts of Henry IL, Charles IX., Henri HI., and Henri IV., now in the Louvre, formed part of the decorations of Rainey. 15 k. Gagjiy. Idie church of Gagny dates partly from XIII. c. 2 k. distant (omnibus, 30 c.) is Montfernieil, cele- brated by Victor Hugo and Paul de Kock, but the place is much changed of late years. 19 k. Chelles^ where the Marne, dividing into various branches, runs between thickly-wooded heights. Here the early kings of France had a palace, stained, in the VI. c., by the crimes of Fredegonde, who murdered the last of her stepsons at Noisy, on the opposite bank of the Marne, in 580. ddie great stone called Pierre de Chilperic once sustained the Croix de Sainte-Banfeiir, marking the spot where Fredegonde caused her husband Chilperic to be assassinated. That morning he had come playfully behind her whilst she was dressing her hair, and had given 3^4 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. her a rap with his cane. ‘ Pourquoi me frappes-tu ainsi, Landri ? ’ she had exclaimed, thinking that it was the Maire dll Palais, her favoured lover of the moment. The king then went off abruptly to the chase, and she felt that he must never return. Dagobert I., Clovis II., and his son lived at the villa regalis of Chelles, Clotaire III. died there, and Robert II. (le Pieux) convoked meetings of bishops there. The palace fell into decay under the last Capetian kings, but the abbey, founded by S. Clotilde in the be- ginning of the VI. c. and rebuilt by S. Bathilde, wife of Clovis II., flourished till the great Revolution, and counted Gisela, sister of Charlemagne, amongst its many abbesses of royal birth. Little remains of it now, except some wood carvings in the church and some reliquaries containing bones of S. Bathilde, S. Bertille, etc. When Louis XIV. was inspired with his sudden passion for Mile, de Fontanges, amongst the benefits heaped upon her family, he made her sister abbess of Chelles, a dignity usually conferred upon the daughters of princes or dukes. A few months later Mile, de Fontanges herself came hither as to a refuge, with her health and power broken. In 1719 the masculine and eccentric Louise Adelaide de Chartres, daughter of the 1 )uc d’Orleans and granddaughter of Louis XIV. and Mine, de Montespan, became Abbess of Chelles. The abbey was totally destroyed at the Revolution, and the tombs of Clotaire, Bathilde, and the numerous prin- cesses who had reigned as abbesses perished with it. A few statues which belonged to the abbey ornament the parish church. 28 k. Lag?iy, with some remains (near the church) of a Benedictine abbey, founded by a Scotchman in the xii. c ME A UX. 3^35 10 k. S. is Ferrieres, which belonged to the famous Foiiche, and which was bought from his heirs by Baron Rothschild, who pulled down the old chateau and built an Italian renaissance palace in its place, from designs of Paxton. The sumptuous interior is only shown with an order from M. de Rothschild. 45 VrAfeaux (Hotels : dii Grand Cerf ; des Trois Rois)^ in the flourishing and prosperous pays Adeldois — a vast fruit and vegetable garden, an attractive old town, worth staying to see. Meaux has the reputation of being one of the most prosperous as well as one of the most liberal and charitable of French cities. The Cathedral is seen from the station, rising above the trees of the pleasant public walks. It was begun in the xii. c., but was only finished to its present point in the xvi. c. It has never been completed. On the N.W. is a massive square tower. The interior, of XV. c. and xvi. c., is exceedingly beautiful and harmonious ; faultless as far as it reaches, it impresses more than many grander buildings. In the r. aisle of the choir is the monument by Buixiel (1822) of Bossuet, the most illustrious bishop of Meaux ; he is buried at the entrance to the sacristy. ‘ C etait un homme dont fhonneur, la vertu, la droiture, etaient aussi inseparables que la science et la vaste erudition. Sa place de precepteur de Monseigneur I'avait familiarise avec le roi, qui s etait adresse plus dune fois a lui dans les scrnpules de sa vie. Bossuet lui avait souvent parle la-dessus avec une liberte digne des premiers siecles et des premiers eveques de leglise. II avait interrompu le cours du desordre plus d’une fois ; il avait ose poursuivre le roi, qui lui avait echappe. II lit a la fin cesser tout mauvais commerce, et il acheva de couronner cette grande oeuvre par les derniers coups qui chasserent pour jamais Mine, de Montespan de la cour.’ — T. Sinion, '' Memoircsl In the 1 . choir aisle is the tomb of Philippe de Castille, 366 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. son of the Seigneur de Chenoise, 1627, with his kneeling figure ; and, opposite, the beautiful flamboyant portal called Porte Maugarni. Entered to the 1 . of the cathedral facade is the Evkhe^ of XV. c. and xvi. c. ‘ Le degre de I’eveche est tres extraordinaire ; on le pourrait plus proprement nommer une montee ; il n’y a point de marches ; il est de brique ; on y monte insensiblement ; je n’en avois jamais vii de cette maniere, cela me le fit remarquer.’ — ‘ Memoires de Mile, de Montpensierl Visitors are admitted by the portress to the charming old-fashioned garden behind the palace, designed by Lenbtre, covered with snowdrops in early spring. It is backed by a sunny terrace — Bossuet’s walk — upon the walls, ending in a pavilion, where the bishop spent much of his time, but which is no longer furnished. Here were composed many of those sermons (which began in improvisations at the Hotel de Rambouillet) in which, with thorough knowledge and use of the Fathers, and in kingly splendour of style, the great bishop chiefly aimed at upholding the majesty of the Church doctrines, and making of dogma a living reality. He is, however, almost better known by his funeral orations than by his sermons, though they are more artificial, and their high-sounding phrases would now be unendurable. ‘ The Eveche is full of historic associations, besides being very curious in itself. Here have slept many noteworthy personages — Louis XVI. and Marie Antoinette, when on their return from Varennes, June 24, 1791; Napoleon in 1814; Charles X. in 1828 ; later. General Moltke in 1870, who said on that occasion, “ In three days, or a week at most, we shall be in Paris,” not LA FERTE-MILON. 367 counting on the 'possibilities of a siege.’ — ‘ EloHdays in Eastern France! Behind the cathedral is the curious building, of xiii. c., called La Ma^trise. The bridges across the Marne are covered with mills, some of them very old and picturesque. 7 k. from Meaux, at Mo?itcean.r, are the ruins of a chateau LA MAITRISE, MEAUX. built by Debrosse for Catherine de Medicis, and given by Henri IV. to Gabrielle d’Estrees. 51k. Trilport. [A line (unfinished in 1889) will lead direct N.E. from Meaux by Trilport to Reims, passing — 76 k. (from Paris) Marenil-snr-Onrcq (whence there is a branch line to Crepy en Valois (ch. ii.). 82k. La Ferte-Milon (Hotel: du Lion d'Or). The Cimrch of Noire l)a 7 ne (formerly called S. Vulgis, after a disciple of S. Remi) is xii. c. and xvi. c. The renaissance choir of 1563 and 368 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. the r. aisle have each a good stained window. The xvi. c. church of 6'. Nicolas (xvi. c.) has good glass. The chdteazt, built by the great Louis d’Orleans, brother of Charles VI., was once of great inagnihcence : only a facade of four huge towers remains. The road to Villers Cotterets (9 k.) passes near the farm of Bourgfontaine, where a famous Chartreuse was built by Charles de Valois (1316). 84 k. Silly-la-Poterie, whence there is a branch line of 10 k. to Villers Cotterets. loo'k. Bre?iy, whence there is a line to (22 k.) Soissons by (2 k.) Oale/iy-/e-C/idteau, near which is the village of La Butte Chabnont, with an interesting xii. c. church enclosed in a ruined castle. 103 k. Ar 7 nentiNes (with a branch to Chateau Thierry) has a ruined castle. ink. Saponay. 2^k. S.E. is Eere-en-Tardenois, a pictur- esque little town, with a xv. c. church. 3 k. N.N.E. is the in- teresting Chdteaii de Fere^ originally built in xiii. c. by Robert de Dreux and Jean de Bretagne, but modernised as a residence by Anne de Montmorency, to whom it was given by Fraii9ois I. The magnificent entrance bridge was built in the place of the old gateway for the great constable by Jean Bullant, and is one of the finest works of the xvi. c. A curious Gallo-Roman necro- polis has been discovered at Caranda (7 k. S.E.). Mont-Notre-Da 7 ne. The church has good fragments of the end of xii. c. 131 k. Fis 77 ies (see ch. vii.), and 157 k. Reims.] 66 k. La Ferte-sous-Joiiarre. Lm Ferte is a very thriving manufacturing town on the Marne, where mill-stones are made. 3 k. S., in a lovely situation, is Jouarre^ an interest- ing old town originating in a monastery founded in vii. c. The XV. chmxh contains several ancient shrines, the most remarkable being the xiii. c. Chasse de S. Jule. Behind the church, and separated from it by a cemetery with a beautiful and well-preserved xiii. c. cross, is (shown by the sacristan) the very important C7'ypt of the original church. JOUARRE. 369 Its first chapel, called ChapeUe de S. Paul, is supported by six splendid ancient columns of marble and porphyry from Gallo-Roman buildings, probably erected here in the XI. c., and around are ranged nine ancient stone sarcophagi. That of S. Telchilde, the first abbess of Jouarre {c. 660), has an epitaph. That ( 1 .) of S. Agilbert (xiii. c.). Bishop of Paris and brother of S. Telchilde {c. 680), with a broken relief, representing the Resurrection, and that of S. Mode, abbess, sister of S. Ebregesille of Meaux, have no inscrip- tions. Opposite the entrance is the tomb of a queen, said to be ‘S. Osanne, Queen of Scotland’ (xiii. c.) with a stone statue. Other tombs are believed to be those of S. Odon, brother of S. Ouen, and S. Agilbert, Bishop of Paris. A double passage, with a vaulting supported by square pillars, separates the Chapelle S. Paul from the ChapeUe A. Ebregesille. Here the columns of the nave (xi. c.) are of stone, but in the sanctuary are five mutilated marble columns like those in the first chapel. The tomb of S. Ebregesille, Bishop of Meaux, in the vii. c., has been restored. The intention of another tomb is unknown. The road from La Ferte-soiis-Jouarre to (47 k.) Mormant passes (13 k.) Aulnoy, where the church has a xiii. c. choir, and the old Chateau de la Iloussiere is flanked with tourelles ; and (36 k.) Rozoy-en-Brie, with a xiii. c. church. A road connects La Ferte-sous-Jouarre with (26 k. ) La Ferte- Gaucher, passing (9 k.) Afauroy, with a xiii. c. church and (15 k.) Rebais, where the church has a xii. c. choir and xiii. c. statue of S. Aile. The country here is most prosperous. Fromage de Brie is the riches of the dairy farms. [The highroad from La Ferte to (95 k.) Chalons passes — 10 k. Bussieres, a little E. of which is the old gothic Chateau de Serieoiirt, transformed into a residence by Scribe. 24 370 NORTH-EASTERN TRANCE. 40 k, Vauchamps. 10 k, N.E. is Orbais, where a famous Benedictine abbey was founded by S. Reol, Archbishop of Reims, in 680. The church, which remains, is an interesting building of the end of xii. c., the radiating chapels having been added in XIII. c. The splendid oak stalls were given by the Cardinal de Vendome in 1520. The singular spire is entirely covered with slates. The Tour de S. Reol is a remnant of a hunting- lodge of the Merovingian kings. 3^ k. E. is the chateau of Mareuil- en-Brie, of xvi. c. and xvii.c. The church has a fine xiv. c. retable. 47 k. Fromentieres. The church has a fine late xv. c. retable. ‘ As you stroll along, now climbing, now descending this plea- santly undulating country, you may see a dozen crops on less than an acre. A patch of potatoes here, vines growing there, on one side a bit of wheat, oats, rye, or barley, with fruit-trees casting abundant shadow over all, or Indian corn, clover, and mangel- wurzel in the green state, recently planted for autumn fodder, are found side by side, further on a poppy field, three weeks ago in full bloom, now having full pods ready for gathering — the poppy being cultivated for the manufacture of oil here — all these and many more are seen close together, and near them many a lovely little glen, copse, and ravine, recalling Scotland and Wales. You may walk for miles through what seems one vast orchard, only instead of turf, rich crops are growing under the trees. This is indeed the orchard of France, on which we English largely depend for our summer fruits.’ — ‘ Holidays in Eastern France' 52 k. Cliampaubai., where Napoleon I. gained a victory over the allies, Feb. 10, 1814. The romanesque church has two good XIV. c. statues. 6 k. N.N.E. is Montmori, where the xiii. c. church has XVI. c. glass and the tomb of the Duchesse d’Angouleme^ wife of Charles de Valois, natural son of Charles IX. The chateau^ built 1577-80 by Jeanne de Haugest, and called the Donjon, to distinguish it from an earlier fortress, is a vast quad- rangular building, with bastions at the angles. The platform is reached by a staircase accessible to riders, with another for foot passengers in its central pillar. The square brick dungeon is flanked by four towers. In the Salle de Gardes is a magnificent himney-piece attributed to Jean Goujon. 2 k. N. W. of Montmort SCENERY OF THE MARNE. 37t are the remains of the xiii. c. Priory of Mont-Arme. 3 k. E. are those of the Abbey of La Charinoye. consecrated 1100 and rebuilt 1747. 3 k. S. is the Chateau de Baye, chiefly xvii, c., but with a chapel partly xiii. c., paved with encaustic tiles and with contemporary windows, telling the story of S. Alpin. Under the chapel is a crypt where the saint is said to have been buried in 480. A house in the village is the romanesque nave of the Abbey of A?tdecy (11^1), taken from which are various objects preserved in the XIII . c. parish church. To the r, of the road(2jk.j are the xvi, c. and xvii. c. Chateau de Congy, and (5 k. further S.E.) the prehistoric caves of Coizard- Joches. I 57 k. Ferebriauges has a gothic church with a good spire. 58 k. Etoges has a romanesque church, with a gothic apse and renaissance portal. The chateau is xvii. c., moated, and with four great towers at the corners. 85 k. Thibie has a xii. c. romanesque church. 6 k. N.W. is the Chdteait d'Ecury, with a famous heronry.] Leaving La Ferte, the line passes (r.) the Chateau de Reuil., with the ruins of a xii. c. priory ; and 1. the xvii. c. Chateau de Tanqueux and the church of Chamiguy, with a XII. c. crypt ; then (r.) Mery-sur-Marne, with a xii. c. church. ‘ Quiet little rivers and canals winding between lofty lines of poplar, undulating pastures, and amber cornfields, picturesque villages crowned by a church spire here and there, wide sweeps of highly cultivated land interspersed with rich woods, vineyards, orchards, and gardens — all these make up the scenery familiarised to us by some of the most characteristic of French painters. Just such rural pictures have been portrayed a thousand times by Millet, Corot, Daubigny, and in their ver}'- simplicity often lies the chief charm.’ — ‘ Holidays in Eastern France'^ Eraser, Sept. 1878. 74 k. Nanteuil-Saacy. The line now passes (1.) C?vuttes which has a fine reliipiary cross of xii. c. or xiii. c. ; and (r.) 372 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. Citry^ where the church has the tombs of Jacques de Renty and his wife. 84 k. Nogent-V Artaud-Chai'ly. The church of Nogent has a XII. c. font. The line passes (r.) the churches of CIiezy-sur-MarHe, with a good xiii. c. tower ; (r.) Azy, xii. c., with romanesque tower and xv. c, pulpit ; (r.) Nogentel, with a remarkable pendant, and a pulpit from the convent of Cordeliers at Chateau-Thierry ; ( 1 .) Essommes, an abbey church of xiii. c. and xvi. c., enclosing fine stall-work and a XVI. c. tomb. 95 k. Chateaii-T/iierry (JAoiA'i : de V Elephant ; d^Ang/e- terre). The town, the ancient Castrum Theodosii, is reached by two bridges over the Marne ; near the second is a statue of La Fontaine by Laitie. Hence we follow the Rue du Pont, containing the xvi. c. Beffroi^ hemmed in amongst houses. From the Place du Marche we ascend (r.) to the entrance-gate of the Chateau, of which the plat- form is now laid out in public walks. Descending on the W. side we find, in the Rue Jean de la Fontaine, the white House of La Eo 7 itaine, with a grille in front of it. The simple rooms, with white panelling, contain some in- different pictures. Behind is a little garden. The xv. c. church is without interest. [A line leads from Chateau-Thierry to Soissons by (24 k.) Armentieres (see p. 368).] [A line leads to (88 k.) Romilly, on the line from Paris to Troyes (ch. ix.) by — 35 k. MonUnii'ait (mons mirabilis), which has a fine xvii. c. Chateau of the Due de la Rochefoucault-Liancourt. The church is XIII. c. At Courhetaux is the ancient abbey of Notre Dame de Grace, DORMANS, HAUTVILLERS. 373 64 k. Lcs Essa7'ts-la-Fo7'esticre. In a valley on r. is the mined Benedictine abbey of Nesle-Ia-Reposte, with a fine romanesqiie tower; the church is xii. c. 72 k. Ville7iauxe. The church is xiii. c., xv, c., and xvi. c. There are curious timber houses. 82 k. L7irey-Co7ifla7is. The church of Co7ifia7is has a xiv, c. choir, with a renaissance retable.] 104 k. Mezy. On the opposite side of the Marne is CharRves, with a good xii. c. church and a cemetery cross. 117 k. Dor77ia7is. The church has a xiii. c. tower; the chateau is of the reign of Charles VI. Cardinal Jean de Dormans, Chancellor of France, was born here. The line passes (r.) the xvi. c. church of T7vissy. 126 k. Po7't-a-Bi7iso7i-ChatiUo77. 2 k. N., on the opposite side of the Marne, is Chatillo7i-sur-Mar7ie. The church has columns of x. c. There is a small fragment of the castle destroyed in 1545. The line passes (r.) within sight of the Chateau de Boursault^ bought by Mme. Veuve Clicquot from Count d’Orsay, and now the property of her grand- daughter, the Duchesse d’Uzes, before reaching — ■ 135 k. Da77iery-Bou7'sauIf. The church of Da77iery has a XII. c. nave and tower, with xvi. c. spire. The line, which now enters the vine country, passes ( 1 .) the xii. c. abbey church of Ha7itville7s, containing good stall- work. ‘ Comme S. Nivaud, archeveque de Reims, visitait son diocese a pied, etaut arrive sur la belle cote qui domine le cours de la Marne, en face d’Epernay, et se trouvant fatigue, il s’endormit sur les genoux de sou compagnon Berchaire et a I’ombre d’un grand lietre : pendant son sommeil, il vit une Colombo descendre du del sur cet arbre, puis marquer trois fois le meme circuit par son vol et remonter au ciel. Berchaire, qui ne dormait point, eut la memo vision. 11s convinrent d’y batir une abbaye, qui s’appela Hautvillers ; Berchaire en fut le 374 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. premier abbe ; et le maitre-aiitel s’eleva sur le lieu meme de I’arbre ou la colombe avait pose, cornme im doux symbole de la tranquille innocence qui allait y regner/ — Montalambert^ ‘ Les Moines d' Occident i 142 k. Epernay (Hotels : de V Europe ; de Haris) ^ a town which existed in the v. c., but is only remarkable as the capital of the Champagne country, and for its vast cellars of valuable wines. ‘ Les acheteurs les plus empresses, sont ceux de I’Angleterre, de I’AHemagne, de la Russie, des Etats-Unis, de I’Amerique meridionale, des Indes et de la Soude ; la France n’en garde que la cinquieme ou sixieme partie. D’ailleurs il faut preparer diversement le vin selon le gout des consommateurs : la nature du sol et la choix des cepages ne donnent pas a la liqueur toutes ses qualites, sa delicatesse, son esprit, sa ferveur sou- daine ; I’art y est pour beaucoup. Le vigneron s’occupe seule- ment de la culture, I’industriel achete la recolte et la met en oeuvre : aussi doit-il s’entourer de tout un monde de travail- leurs ; ses caves sont deveritables usines.’— Reclus. An excursion may be made, passing (6 k.) the interesting XII. c. church of Vinay, to (9 k. S.W.) Ab/ois, picturesquely situated in the heart of the wine district. [The line from Paris to Namur turns off N.E. by — 145k. Ay (Hotel: des Voyageiirs), famous for its vineyards. The church is xiii. c. and xvi. c. 149 k. Avenay, where nothing remains of an abbey founded by S. Berthe in 660 ; but a fountain is shown which the saint is said to have raised with a blow of her distaff. The church has a square romanesque chevet. 172 k. Reims ( Buffet). See chap. vii. 1 80 k. Witry-les-Reims, with a xii. c. church. On r. is Caiiret, with a beautiful gothic (xiii. c.) church. Further (r.) is Lava?ines, where the xiii. c. church has a curious tower, nearing inscriptions relating to historic events of the xvii. c. 189 k. Razancourt, whence there is a branch lineito (8 k.) Hen- R ETHEL. 375 tregiville^ which has a good xiii. c. church, and ( 1 8 k.) Betheniville^ which has a xiii. c. church ; ( 52 k. ) Challevange, on the line from Rethel to Menehould ; and (62 k.) Grandpre, with the fine xv. c. church ofS. Medard, containing the tombs of Claude de Joyeuse, and Philiberte de Saux-Tavanne, with their kneeling statues, to (76 k) Apremojit^ known for its iron foundries. 21 1 k. Rethel (Hotel: de France), a dull little town, whicli had its origin in a priory belonging to the abbey of S. Remi. On the highest point of the hill is the church of S. Nicolas, formed by the union of the parish church with that of the priory. The most ancient parts are xiii.c., the rest xv. c. and xvi. c., the heavy tower of 1650. The mutilated portal of 1510 has sculp- ture relating to the story of the patron saint, and the central pillar bears his statue. At the end of the r. aisle some steps descend to a small xiv. c. crypt, containing a S. Sepulcre. By the quaint font, formed of dolphins bearing a shell, Louis XIII. and Anne of Austria stood sponsors for Louis, son of Jacques de Metayer, one of their gentlemen. The Halle is 1636 ; the Hdtel de Ville of 1750. The Ma/son de V Arquebuse (xvii. c.), so called because it was given by the last Duchesse de Rethel- Mazarin to the Societe de I’Arquebuse, is now a theatre. N.W. of the town, on the r. hand of the Aisne, is the Promenade des lies. The famous Jean Charlier (called Gerson), Chancellor of the University of Paris, was born at Gerson, near Rethel. 4 k. N.W. is the village of Sorbon, where Robert de Sorbon was born, who founded the Sorbonne in 1253, and Jacques Clement, the assassin of Henri HI. At 7 k. S.E. is the fine XVII. c. Chdtean de TJwg 7 iy. At 15 k., on the way to Rozoy-sur- Serre, is the ruined abbey of I.a Piscine. The interesting village of Attigny (see later) may be visited from Rethel. 220 k. Amagne-Lucquy . Lienee there is a branch line to (67 k.) Hirson (see ch. v. ) by (12 k.) Novy-Chevrieres, where the fine church of the xvii. c, belonged to a Benedictine priory, founded 1097; (24 k.) Wasigny, iik. from which is Signy- I'Abbaye, with remains of a Cistercian abbey, founded 1172 ; and ( 54 k.) Anbenton, where the church is partly xi. c., and there are remains of ancient fortifications. For the branch to (82 k. ) S. Menehould see later. 376 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. 236k. Laimois, whence there is an omnibus to (iik.) Signy-l’Abbaye, by Dommery, where the xv. c. church has a font of great antiquity, and Thin-h-MoMier, where some ruins are supposed to have belonged to a fortress of Clovis. 258 k. Moho 7 i has a late gothic church (of 6'. Lie), with a renaissance portal. 260 k. Mezieres-Charleville. See chap, v.] [A line leads S.E. to (89 k.) Romilly, on the line from Paris to Troyes, passing — 16 k. Vertits, the old capital of the Pagus Vertudensis, made acountship in 1361, and given as dowry to Isabelle of France on her marriage with Galeazzo Visconti. The xv. c. church, founded 1080 by Thibaut I., Comte de Champagne, contains old statues and tombs and a curious crypt. A gate remains from the old fortifications. Bergcres-les-Vert2is has a xii. c. church. 24 k. Colligny. The church has a magnificent xv. c. retable. 34 k. Eere-Champenoise. The ill-restored church has a xiii. c. choir and tower. 54 k. Sezanne (Hotel : de Erance), an ancient town, said to occupy the site of the Gallo-Roman Bibe. The church of S'. Denis is a handsome xvi. c. building. Pleasant public walks follow the line of the former fortifications. 73 k. Anglure, one of the first baronies of Champagne. The first baron, Jean I., went with S. Louis to the crusades, and was taken prisoner, but sent home to collect his ransom. Being unable to obtain the sum demanded, he returned to recon- stitute himself a prisoner, but the Sultan was so charmed with his loyalty that he gave him his liberty at once, only exacting as a condition that he and his descendants should always add the name of Saladin to that of Anglure. The church is xiv. c. 78 k. S'. Jnst, was a powerful barony of the middle ages. The churcli is xiv. c. A little S. is the farm of Macheret, once an abbey.] 148 k. Oiry-ATm'enil. 2 k. N. Mareiiil-sitr-Ay has a xii. c. church, and a modern chateau of the Due de Montebello. 155 k. Athis has a romanesque belfry of xiii. c. and chateau of xvii. c. chAl ons-sur-marne. 377 159 k. JiVons. The church (xii. c., xiii. c., and xv. c.) has a fine romanesque tower and a curious Crypte de S. Ephrem^ dating from vii. c. 163 k. Matougues. The church has a romanesque nave and tower, xvi. c. choir and transept. 173 k. Chalons-sur-Marne (Buffet. Hotels : de la EPaute Mere de Dieu — very good ; du Renard ; de la Cloche). The capital of the Department of the Marne was an important town when S. Memmie preached Christianity here in iii. c. From the reign of Lothaire it was recognised as an inde- pendent countship, and was only reunited to the French crown by King Jean in 1360. It is worth while to sleep at Chalons to make the interesting excursion to Notre Dame de I’Epine (p. 379); but if a traveller visits the town between two trains, he should turn 1. from the station. Crossing the canal, he will follow the Rue du Marne, which leads to the Hotel de Ville. On r. he passes the Place S. Etienne, containing the Cathedral., which is chiefly xiii. c. The principal portal and fagade were added xvii. c. The interior is very lofty and graceful, and in the side aisles of the choir are a number of fine incised xiv. c. gravestones. The incongruous high- altar was from designs of Mansart (1686). In the treasury are curious reliquaries. To r. of the cathedral are the Porte du Jard and the Pro- menade dll Jard^ where we may see a remnant of the Chateau- du-Marche upon some arches, beneath which flows the Canal de Nau. Re-entering the town on the E. by the Porte d’Ormesson, the Cours d’Ormesson leads to the Prefecture, opposite which is the portal of the old conventual church of Vinetz. Following (r.) the Boulevard Vaubecourt and Boulevard S. Croix, we reach, near the Porte 8. Jean, the 37B NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Church of S. Jeait., which has a romanesque nave, the rest of the building xiii. c. and xiv. c., except la Chapelle des Arbaletriers (xv. c.) and the tower (xvi. c.). A picture of St. Sebastian is by Philippe de Champaigtie. Outside the Porte S. Jean is the modern Church of S. Memmie, with a modern tomb of the saint, enclosing an xi. c. gravestone. The Rue Haute-S.-Jean and its continuations lead to the Church of S. Loup., of 1420, which contains a good picture by fouve 7 iet. Hence the Rue de TArquebuse and Rue S. Jacques lead to the noble restored Church of Notre Dame^ one of the finest churches in Champagne, rebuilt (on the site of a v. c. church of S. Alpin) 1158 — 1322, and alike beautiful in its outline and its harmonious yellow-grey colouring. It is flanked by four romanesque and gothic towers. Those at the W. front have steeples, one of xiv. c., the other modern. The choir, transept, ambulatory, and chapels are xii. c., the nave and aisles xiii. c., but the windows xiv. c. A triforium surrounds the whole building, with a shallow second triforium beneath the clerestory windows. There are nine windows of xvi. c. stained glass. A street facing Notre Dame leads to the Place de V Hotel de Ville (1771), near which (r.), at the entrance of the Rue d’Orfeuil, is the entrance to the Mus'ee (unimportant) and the Bildiotheque, in the old Bureau de Finances of xvii. c. On the E. of the Place de THotel de Ville is the Church of S. Alpi/i, rebuilt 1136, and preserving a nave and principal portal of that date. The r. aisle has windows en grisailles of XVI. c. : those liehind the high altar are fine specimens of XIV. c. The Grand Dauphin, son of Louis XIV., was married to Marie Anne de Baviere in the episcopal chapel of Chalons. NOTRE DAME DE DEFINE. 379 ‘ On arriva a Chalons, on Ton mena madame la danphine dans sa chambre ; elle voulut se confesser, on Talloit marier ; on fut fort embarrasse, il n’y avoit personne qui sut I’aHemand, et elle ne savoit pas se confesser en francais. On tronva heureusement un chanoine de Liege, qni etoit venu voir le Cardinal de Bouillon, qui pour lors songeoit a etre prince de Liege, On alia ensuite a la chapelle de M. de Chalons, on on les maria. Le roi, la reine et tontes les princesses allerent la concher apres sonper ; la reine lui donna la chemise. Le lendemain, on alia a sa chambre, et on la mena a la messe a la cathedrale, on on fit la ceremonie du poele, qui ne se fait pas a la messe.’—* Mcnwircs de Mile, de Montpc 7 isierI 13 k. S.E. is the xiii.c. church oiMarson, with a piscina of 1550. 8 k. E. of Chalons (carriage 8 fr. ), across open corn-lands, is the magnificent flamboyant Church of Notre Dame de V Epine built at the end of the xv. c. in honour of an image of the Virgin and Child, which was disclosed in a luminous vision on the eve of the Annunciation, 1419, to two shepherds of the village of S. Marie, which occupied the site at that time. The W. front of the church is of wonderful richness. Of the three splendid portals, that in the centre is enclosed in a vast arch, with an immense crucifix in the tympanum ; above are a rose-window and three small gables. Of the two towers, that on the N. is surmounted by a stone spire bearing a crown adorned with fleurs- de-lis, recalling the donation to the church of 1200 gold crowns by Louis XL, and forming, for its size, as graceful an object as can well be designed.' The twelve flying buttresses which support the exterior of The church are enriched by remarkably quaint gargoyles. A rich open balustrade surrounds the upper part of the building. The interior consists of a nave and aisles, transept, and choir, with seven chapels opening from its ambulatory. A roodloft of exquisite grace stands at the entrance of the choir, having an altar on either side. Above that on the r. is the miraculous image, nearly hidden by jewels and ornaments. In the N. tran- sept is a well, to whose waters marvellous powers are attributed. The delicately sculptured T/rsor, in the ambulatory near it. See Fergusson. 38 o NORTH-EASTERN TRANCE, formerly contained the most precious offerings to the church. To the r. of the Lady Chapel is a S. Sepulcre. The choir is surrounded by a rich stone cloture. Margaret of Scotland (daughter of James I.), first wife of the Dauphin, afterwards Louis XL, died here of a sudden chill after a pilgrimage she made to the shrine in great August heat, coming on foot from the Chateau de Sarry. Her last words were, ‘ Fi de la vie, qu’on ne m’en parle plus,’ so disgusted was she with the false accusations which had been brought against her, though no one believed them. On the highroad from Notre Dame to S. Menehould is (lok. from Chalons) Coi^rEso/s, where the church of S. Martin has 5 . MENEHOULD. 381 richly sculptured capitals, and that of S. Memmie a romanesque tower. [For the line from Chalons to Reims, see ch. vii.] [The line from Chalons to Metz passes — 196 k. (from Paris) Cnperly. The church has a xii. c. apse and curious sculptured capitals in its choir. The tower is xiii. c. 3^k. E. (12 k. from Chalons) is the Roman camp known as Le Camp) d'Attila, designated in old deeds as Viels Chaalons. There, in the champs catalaunicns^ the power of the Huns was broken. Further N. is the vast modern camp, called the Camp of Chalons, covering 12,000 hectares. 206 k. Suippes. The Suippe rises ( 1 .) in front of the (xiii.c. and XIV. c. ) church of Somme-Snippes (somme meaning source). 225 k. Valmy, where Dumouriez and Kellermann gained a victory over the Prussians, Sept. 20, 1792. ‘ II etait midi. Le brouillard epais qui, jusqu a ce moment, avait enveloppe les deux armees s’etait dissipe : elles s’aperce vaient distinctement, et nos jeunes soldats voyaient les Prussiens s'avancer en trois colonnes, avec I’apparence de troupes vieilles et aguerries. C etait la premiere fois qu’ils se trouvaient sur le champ de bataille et qu’ils allaient croiser la bai'onnette. Ils ne connaissaient ni eux ni rennemi. Kellermann entre dans les retranchements, dispose ses troupes par colonnes d’un bataillon de front, et leur ordonne, lorsque les Prussiens seront a une certaine distance, de ne pas les attendee et de courir au-devant d’eux a la baionnette. Puis il s’ecria : Vive la nation ! On pouvait dans cet instant etre brave ou lache, Le cri de Vive la nation I ne fait que des braves, et nos jeunes soldats, entraines, marchent en repetant le cri de Vive la nation ! A cette vue, Brunswick hesite, arrete ses colonnes, et finit par ordonner la retraite.’ — Thiers. 3 k, N.W., at Hans, are some remains of the chateau of the Comtes de Dampierre. The church is xii. c. to xv. c. : the square chapels of xiii. c. have curious sculpture. 235k. 6'. Mcnehould (Hotel: S. Nicolas), an ancient town above the meeting of the Auve and Aisne. The church, rebuilt 1280 — 1350, is entered by a portal in the 1. transept, near which 382 NORTH-EASTERN TRANCE. is a XV. c. tomb. The interior has a nave of five aisles, choir, transept, and many xiv. c. and xv. c. chapels. In the transept, under a gothic arcade, is a sculpture of the Death of the Virgin. The chapel, r. of choir, which belonged to the corporation of vine-dressers, has a curious capital of an oak covered with acorns, towards which a peasant is guiding three pigs. The Rue du Cimetiere and Rue Basse-du-Chateau lead from the church to the remains of the Chateau. [For the line from S. Menehould to Rethel see p. 375.] Leaving S. Menehould the line to Metz enters the forest of Argonne. 248 k. Clermo}it-e 7 i- Argonne, with a xv. c. church. 254 k. Aiihreville. This is the nearest station to (iik.) Vareimes-eji-Argoime (Hotel : dit Grand Monarque), a small town famous for the capture of Louis XVI. and his family in 1791. All the details of the thrilling story of “ the Flight to Varennes” are now well known. The royal family — Louis XVI., Marie Antoinette, Mme. Elisabeth, Mme. Royale, and the Dauphin, with Mme. de Tourzel, governess of children of France — having met in the courtyard of the Tuileries on the night of June 20-21, had been driven by Count Axen Fersen, who commanded the royal Swedish regiment, to a point outside the Barriere S. Martin. Here a large plain travelling-carriage, drawn by four strong Norman horses, was in waiting for them, and to it the}^ were transferred. At Claye they were joined by a post chaise containing two waiting maids. The horses did their work well, the royal party were amply supplied with provisions, and at 5 p.m., on the evening of the 21st, they reached Chalons in safety. Up to that time all were in good spirits, the success of the enterprise seemed certain, and at Pont-Sommesvesle, a lonely posthouse fourteen miles beyond Chalons, their first military escort was to meet them. But, owing to some blunder, the Due de Choiseul, who was in command of it, had expected the royal party to arrive at 2.30 instead of 6.30, and, fearing that the scheme had collapsed, lost his head, and had already retreated with his hussars to Orbeval. Thus, at 8 p.m., the travellers reached S. Menehould unprotected, and the arrival VARENNES-EN-ARGONNE. 383 of a large luxurious travelling carriage in that quiet place excited considerable attention. As fresh horses were being harnessed in front of the inn, the postmaster, J, B. Drouet, recognised the king from his likeness to the portrait on an assignat which he had just received in payment for the relays, and called ont ‘ Void le roi et sa famille.’ The news spread rapidly, and Drouet and Guillaume — one of their officials — were at once despatched by the municipality to follow and expose the fugitives. The royal family reached Clermont at 9.30, and there again M. de Damas, in command of the escort in waiting, had given them up and allowed his men to go to bed. Still, the king might have escaped, if the courier had not called out loudly ‘ Route de Varennes ’ to the postilions, which enabled Drouet and Guillaume to follow him, though the few soldiers hurriedly despatched by Damas for his protection, took the wrong road. At II p.m. the travellers reached Varennes (150 miles from Paris), ^ and stopped at the entrance to the town, where relays of horses were expected. None were ready, and whilst they were being searched for, Drouet and Guillaume had ridden past the carriages and given the alarm at the tavern of Le Bras d’Or in the town. Its landlord at once recruited several young men who happened to be in his parlour, and roused M. Sauce, procureurof the commune, whilst Drouet barricaded the approach to the bridge over the Aisne at the further end of the long hilly street with a waggon full of furniture. Meantime, the queen spent half an hour in the house of a M. de Prefontaine, in the Place du Chateau, and, when she returned, was met with the news that fresh horses could not be found, and that the postilions refused to allow the last relays to proceed any further. When she had entered the carriage, the body guards, by threatening the postilions with their hunting-knives, forced them to move on. But as the carriages passed under the arch, which at that time crossed the main street between the Hotel de Ville and the now-destroyed church of S. Gengoult, the passport of the travellers was demanded, and as it did not bear the countersign of the President of the National Assembly, Sauce insisted upon detaining them. * The account of Carlyle, incorrect in many points, is especially so as to distances and the slowness of the royal party in accomplishing them. 3^4 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. ‘ Sauce oifered the hospitality of his house. It was only a few steps distant on the left-hand side of the sloping street. It has since been altered, and local tradition states that it has been moved back in order to make the street wider, but its main features still remain unchanged. On the ground floor there was a grocer’s shop, with a strong smell of tallow, which the queen could not endure. The upper story is reached by a narrow corkscrew staircase, which has, apparently, remained unchanged till the present day. On the upper floor are two rooms, one looking into the street, the other into a small courtyard. In the back room, about hfteen feet by twenty, was collected the majesty of France. The king seated himself in an arm-chair in the middle of the room, the queen asked for some hot water, wine, and clean sheets, probably all for the children. The dauphin and his sister were placed upon a bed and were soon asleep, the faithful Mme. de Tourzel seated by their side. The body-guards sat on a bench under the window. It is incredible that the king should not have been rescued at this moment. Sixty hussars were in their barracks at a short dis- tance from the bridge, with their horses harnessed, ready to start at any moment.’ * Very soon Choiseul and his forty hussars reached Varennes from one direction and Damas and his dragoons from another, and the former drew up his men opposite the house of Sauce. Even then, the slightest firmness on the part of either the men or their commander would have saved the fugitives, but delay upon delay ensued. The populace were allowed, without inter- • ference, to gather in masses round the house, aud, before 5 a.m., five thousand men from the neighbouring villages were per- mitted to join them. Barricades were erected and strengthened at each exit of the town, and when at length an attempt was made to disperse the crowd which had collected round the empty royal carriage, the hussars began to fraternise with the people. At 6 a.m. two messengers — Baillon and de Romeuf — sent to follow the king, forced their way, covered with dust and perspira- tion, into his presence, and handed to the queen the Decree of the National Assembly ordering his return to Paris. ‘ After this, the only chance for the king was to gain time for ^ Quarterly Review, 1886, No. 163. VARENNES-EN-ARGONNE. 385 Boiiille to arrive (with a troop from Stenay). He asked to speak with the deputies alone. Romeuf was willing to grant this request, but Baillon refused. The people below called out, “ Let us compel him to go by force, we will drag him into the carriage by his feet.” The king supplicated for a moment’s delay; “Could they not wait till eleven o’clock ? ” A hasty breakfast was served for the royal family. The tvro children were still asleep, and the king went to sleep also. As a last resource, one of the waiting- maids (Mme. de Neuville) declared herself to be seized with a violent attack of illness. The king refused to desert her, and a doctor was sent for. All these stratagems could not procure more than an hour’s delay ; the shouts of the impatient mob surged up from the street. The king went, once more to the window to quiet them, and then begged to be left alone for a few minutes with his family. The carriages had been harnessed, and brought up to Sauce’s door. The royal family slowly and sadly de- scended the winding staircase. The king walked first and was followed by Mme. de Tourzel and the two children. Choiseul gave his arm to the queen, Damas to Mme. ^llisabeth. The body-guards were placed on the box-seat in front, guarded by two grenadiers, with bayonets fixed to their muskets. When the royal family had entered the carriage, Choiseul, who had been the chief cause of their calamity, closed the door. He tells us that he then experienced an inexpressible pang of anguish, that he felt as if he was surrendering Charles I. to the tender mercies of the Scotch,’ — Qua^'terly Review. In descending the village street, we find first the Place dit Chdteoji (marking the site of a destroyed castle), where the queen, on first reaching Varennes, entered the house of M. de Prefontaine. A little further is the Hotel de Ville, then on the right hand side, close to the bell tower (of the former church of S. Gengoult), is a house which was once the Tave7'7i of the B7‘as d’Or. On the opposite side of the street, a little lower down, is the House of M. Sauce, in which the royal family were captured. At the bottom of the street a narrow bridge crosses the river, and beyond it, facing a church, is the Hotel du Gra7id Mo7ia7'q7ie, where the relays expected at the other end of the town were waiting for the king. 280 k, Verdim-su 7 '-Meuse (see ch. v.). 25 386 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. 302 k. Etain^ with an admirable church of xiii. c. — xv. c., con- taining a group by Ligier Richier (Notre Dame de Pitie), 335 k. Amanvillers, the German custom-house. 350 k. Metz.] 175 k. Cooliis, with church of xv. c., and xvi. c. and chateau of xviii. c. [Here a line branches off to (94 k.) Troyes (ch. ix. ) by — 20 k. (From Chalons) Bussy, which has a good romanesque church, with xvi. c. windows. 57 k. A 7 'cis-sur-Aube^ the scene of a terrible battle between the Allies and NapolCon I., in which the emperor had his horse shot under him. The xv. c. church has a beautiful sculptured portal and xvi. c. glass. The chateau, where Brunehaut took refuge in 599, was rebuilt in the xviii. c. 79 k. LuyNes. The church of xv. c. and xvi. c. has a jube. 86 k. Crhiey, with a good xvi. c. church. 89 k. Pont S. Mmie-Lavau. The beautiful xvi, c. church of Pont S. Marie has a fine xvi. c. retable. At 3^k. the church of 6'. Maure contains an old stone coffin said to be that of the saint, a XVI. c. retable, and a banc-seigneitrial of the same date.] A number of village churches of xiii. c. are passed before reaching — 188 k. Vitry-la-ViUe., where the church is xv. c., the chateau of 1735, with gardens laid out by Le Notre. 205 k. Vitry-le-Franfois (Hotel ; de la Cloche')., a town built on a regular plan of the Bolognese architect Hieronimo Marino, in 1545, by Frangois L, with rectangular streets, surrounded by moats and walls, pierced by four gates. The ancient Vitry (now Vitry-en-Perthois, 4 k. N.E.) was a countship, only united to the French crown in 1224. The Church of Notre Dame is one of the first important build- ings in France, erected in the new style of xvii.c. In the r. aisle is the gravestone of Jean de Mutigny, governor of VI TR Y-EN-PER THOIS. 387 the town, 1590. In a little square r. of the church is a statue by Marochetti of Royer-Collard, a native of Vitry. The Hotel de Ville occupies a xvii. c. convent of Recollets, and contains a Musee and Bibliotheque. 4 k, N.E. is Vitry-en-Peiihois, with remains of a Roman entrenchment known as Le Camp de Louvieres, The beau- tiful flamboyant church was mutilated in 1541, The Croix de I'Abbaye is xvi. c. Only stables remain of the abbey of ►S'. Jacques. There are ruins of the chapel of the priory of ►S'. Genevieve. II k, N. is the fine church of S.^Ama^id, with portal of xi, c. nave and aisles xii, c. and xiii. c., choir and sanctuary xv. c. [A line connects Vitry-le-Francois with (79 k.) Troyes, passing (25 k.) Chavanges. The church (of xv, c. and xvi. c.) has beau- tiful XVI. c. glass. 69 k. Thennelieres^ where the church contains the xvi. c. tomb of Louise de Coligny.] 218k. Blesmes-Haussignemont. [For the line from hence to Chaumont see ch. vii.] 236 k. Sej'maize, near which are the mineral springs and hotel of the Source des Sarrazins. An excursion (10 k. S.) may be made to the ruined abbey of Trois-Fo?itaines, founded 1114, with an entrance of the time of Louis XV 6 k. S. is the fine gothic church of Cheminon. 239 k. Reingny-aux- Vacbes, with branch lines to (34 k) Triaucourt., and (27 k.) Haironinlle. [A line leads S.W. to (28 k.) S. Dizier. See ch. vii.] [A line turns N.W. to (149 k.) Mezieres, by — 36 k. S. MCnehould (see p. 381). 43 k. La NeuviIlc-au-Po 7 it^ on the Aisne, which has a fine NORTH-EASTERN TRANCE. 388 church of XIV. c,, xv. c., and xvi. c., with an octagonal tower. A beautiful pendant in the 1 . aisle deserves attention. At the top of a hill, called La Cote aux Vignes, are the oratory chapel and fountain of S. Menehould. 54k. Ville-sur-Tourbe^ has the remains of a castle of the family of Joyeuse. 58 k. Ce 7 ' 7 iay-e 7 i-Dor 7 nois^ has a xiii. c. church, with a spire and a renaissance portal: it contains the gravestone (1593) of Nicolas Boucher, Bishop and Count of Verdun. Several capitals and pendants of xiv. c. and xv. c. deserve notice. 68 k. Challe 7 'a 7 ige^ with a ruined castle. Blence there is a branch to (24 k.) Ap 7 'e 77 W 7 it, passing (10 k.) G 7 'a 7 tdp 7 X p. 375). 71 k. Mo 7 ithois, has a fortified church of the xvi. c. 74 k. S'. Morel. The xv. c. church has fine wood carving. 78 k. Savig 7 iy, has a xvi. c. church with interesting sepulchral stones of xiv. c., xv. c., and xvi. c. 82 k. Vor/ziers (Hotel: des Voyageurs). The church, of xv. c. and XVI. c., has a triple renaissance portal of the time of Francois I. The interior has tapestries representing the Visitation. [A road runs E. from Vouziers to (59 k.) Stenay on the line from Mezieres to Verdun, passing (22 k.) Buza 7 icy, which con- tains a curious monument known as Le Maho 777 et. To the W. of the town is the Chateau de la Cour, replacing a house in- habited by S. Rdmi. At its entrance are two huge lions given by Louis XV. to his father-in-law. King Stanislas. ] 99 k. Attlg 7 iy, once a very important place, where Clovis II. built a palace in 647, which was a frequent residence of the Carlovingian kings. Edicts of Carloman (769) are dated ‘ Attiniaco palatio publico.’ Pepin convoked an assembly of his nobles here. Witikind, the Saxon chieftain, received baptism here, in the presence of Charlemagne, in 786, to propitiate his conqueror. Louis le Debonnaire (822) performed public penance here for having put out the eyes and so caused the death of his nephew Bernard. Attigny was the scene of several later councils, but its prosperity paled in the middle ages, and it was almost destroyed in the xiv. c. Beneath the Hotel de Ville is the picturesque porch called the Dd 77 ie, altered in renaissance times, but still interesting as a remnant of the ancient royal palace. A TTIGNY. 389 Passing through this we reach the church, xiii.c., with a romanesque tower, but a classic front. Some of the windows are admirable. The old building, called La Mosqiiee^ is used as a school. 106 k. Aviagne^ on the line from Paris to Namur. PALACE OF ATTIGNY. Bar-le-Duc (Hotels: du Cygne ; de Metz), the capital of the Department of the Meuse. Having possessed a chateau from the v. c. the town became the residence of the sovereign rulers of Bar, which was founded as a count- ship in 964, became a duchy in 1354, and was re-united to 390 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. the crown in 1766. Bar-le-Duc is exceedingly picturesque; the Ville Haute, with its old houses, recalling the old town of Edinburgh. Turning r. from the station, by the Rue de Chenevieres, we may just visit the xv. c. Church of Notre Dame. Admiring the bridge over the Ornain, with its picturesque chapel, steep streets lead up into the Haute BAR-LE-DUC. Ville, where an old gateway remains of the Chatea^i of the Dues de Bar (burnt in 1649), the Church of S. Pierre or S. ^.tien 7 ie (xiv. c. — xv. c.) Here, in the r. transept, is a marvellous half-skeleton statue by Ligier Richier, from the tomb of Rene de Chalons, Prince of Orange, killed at the siege of S. Dizier, in 1544. The statue is that of his wife, Louise de Lorraine, sister of Duke Francois I., who himself ordered the great sculptor to represent her thus. The BAR^LE-DUC 391 Musee^ in the Place S. Pierre, occupies a mansion of 1520 where Marie Antoinette slept on her way to marry the Dauphin. The Ville Haute, especially the Rue des Dues de Bar, is full of houses of the Renaissance. In descend ing one may visit the xiv. c. Church of S. Ajitoine. [A road leads N.E. from Bar-le-Duc to (58 k.) Verdun, by — 21 k. Erize-la-G 7 'ande, 5 k. W. is the beautiful xv. c. church of Rcmbercourt-aux-Pois, with a renaissance portal, and stalls of the time of Henri IV.] [A line leads S.E. from Bar-le-Duc to Neufehateau, by — ■ 16 k. Lig 7 iy-en-Ban'ois. The town has remains of its for- tifications. In the church is the tomb of the Marechal de Luxembourg. After passing Menaucourt, the line leaves to 1 . Nain-aux- Forges, occupying the site of the Roman city of Nasium. 59 k. Grand- Av}’anville. 4 k. r. is Grand, occupying a Gallo- Roman site, where the Emperor Julian resided some time, and BRIDGE OF BAR-LE-DUC. 392 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. where he martyred S. l^lophe, S. Eucaire, and S. Libaire, for refusing to seicrifice to Apollo. The remains of an oj7ipJiitheatre have been found. The church has a great square fortified tower. I k. N.E. is the romanesque chapel of S. Libaire. 74 k. Frehecourt. The great Chateau de Boiudemont, founded in XIII. c., but modernised, rises above the Meuse. 8o k. Neufchdteau (Hotel : de la Providence')^ a dreary little town where the kings of France had a residence in the ix. c. The large church of 6*. CJiristophe is xi. c. and xv. c. The baptistery has admirable vaulting. The church of 6’. Nicolas^ consecrated 1097, has a romanesque portal and slated spire. In the Place Jeanne Dare is a statue of the heroine. 4 k, S.E. of Neufehateau is the church of Rollainville^ which dates from the xi. c., with an interesting square tower of two stories between the nave and choir. On the basement of the apse is inscribed ‘ Robertus ex hoc opere fuit magister.’ The church is supposed to have been once the chapel of a destroyed chateau.] 289 k. Lerouville., at the junction with the line from Verdun and Sedan. See chap. v. 295 k. Commercy (Hotel : de Earis), famous for its cakes called Madeleifies, which are sold at the station. The hand- some chateau is a rebuilding by the Benedictine architect Leopold Durand, in the xvii. c., and was the residence of Stanislas, Due de Lorraine. It is now a barrack. [A line leads S.W. from Commercy to (164 k.) Troyes (ch. ix.), by (86 k.) Vassy and (123 k.) Brienne (ch. viii.). The country is uninteresting.] 308 k. Pagny-sur-Meiise. [A line leads S.E. to (47 k.) Neufehateau, by — 14 k. Vaucouleiirs^ which equipped Jeanne Dare for her campaign, and whence she, set forth, with the aid and approval of Baudricourt, governor of the town. By the valley of the infant Meuse, which is alive with memories of Jeanne, we reach — DOMREMY. 393 35 k. Do 7 nre 7 ny-Maxey-sur-Mcuse (no carriage obtainable). From the station, beyond flat marshy meadows, watered by the Meuse, here a little winding stream, under a low range of hills, tufted with wood, we see two villages ; the larger is Greoulx, the smaller Domremy, k. distant. Turning 1 . from the station, then 1 . over a bridge, and 1 . again through the street of Greoulx, we reach Doinrcmy, a mere hamlet, little altered probably since the time of Jeanne. A cluster of low white houses lines the road, each with its own dunghill in front, in the shade of which the mistress sits and knits, whilst watching her pigs and chickens, feeding in the high- way. The wide street, if it can be so called, ends at the church, which has a xv. c. tower. Inside, it is handsome, and its broad, low, vaulted aisles are Ming, with ver}^ pretty effect, with wreaths and banners sent in honour of Jeanne. In the r. transept is the incised xv. c. monument, with figures, of Jacob and Didier Tierselin, the sons of her god-mother, who appeared as wit- ness in her behalf at her trial. Since — at least at Domremy — Jeanne is honoured as a saint, there are pictures of her mission, etc., and, over the altar of S. Michael, figures representing the appearance of the archangel to her. Outside the church door is a kneeling statue of Jeanne, and, in the little bosquet opposite, a worthless monument of 1820. ‘Dans la nuit de TEpiphanie (6 janvier 1412), on racconte 394 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. que, “ tous les habitants de Domremi, saisi d’lin inconcevable transport de joie, se mirent a coiirir 9a et la en se demandant Fun a I’autre, quelle chose etoit done advenue . . . Les coqs, ainsi que herauts de cette all6gresse inconnue, eclaterent en tels chants que jamais semblables n’avoient ete oms.” Une enfant etait nee de Jacques Dare et d’Isabeau Romee, pauvres et honnetes laboureurs d’origine servile, etablis a Domremi, mais natifs de deux autres villages de Champagne. La mere avait, dit-on, reve recemment ciu’elle accouchait de la foudre. ‘ L’enfant fut appelee Jeanne. Autour de ses jeunes annees se renouvelerent les legendes qui poetisent le souvenir des saints celtiques, de saint Columban, de saint Gall, de saint Brandaines, et qui, emanees dune inspiration plus ancienne que le christianisme, nous montrent leurs pieux heros dans une communion mystique avec tous les etres de la nature. “ Quand elle gardoit les brebis de ses parents, le loup jamais ne mangea ouaille de son troupeau . . . Quand elle etoit bien petite , . . les oiseaux des bois et des champs, quand les appeloit, venoient manger son pain dans son giron, comme prives. Les deux grands courants du sentiment celtique et du sentiment chretien, qui s'etaient unis pour enfanter la poesie chevaleresque, se melant de nouveau pour former cette ame predestinee. La jeune pasto2ire tantot reve au pied de “Farbre de mai,” ou sous les chenes, d’entre lesquels on voit de loin fuir la Meuse a travers les prairies ; elle ecoute les rumeurs confuses de Fair et de la feuillee ; elle plonge ses yeux, durant de longues heures, dans les profondeurs du del etoile. Tantot elle s’oublie au fond de la petite eglise, en extase devant les saintes images qui resplendissent sur les vitraux. Elle prie les saints du paradis pour la France, dont les malheurs ont deja frappe vaguement son oreille et son coeur. Quant aux fees, elle ne les a jamais vues mener au clair de lime les cercles de leur danse autour du dea?2 mai ; mais sa marraine les a rencontrees jadis, et Jeanne croit apercevoir parfois des formes incertaines dans les vapeurs du cr^puscule ; les voix gemissent le soir entre les rameaux des chenes ; les fees ne dansent plus ; elles pleurent ; e’est la plainte de la vieille Gaule qui expire ! ‘ La serieuse enfant, reservee, un peu sauvage, rarement melee aux jeux de ses compagnes, fort aimee d’elles toutefois “ pour sa DOMREMY. 395 grande bonte,” et ardemment secourable a toute infortune, offrait d6ja ce melange de meditation solitaire et de puissante activite qui caracterise les etres promis anx grandes missions. Elle se cherchait elle-meme ; les faits du dehors eclairerent et fixerent sa sublime inquietude. . . . Elle ecoutait, le sein palpitant, les yeux en pleurs. les lamentables recits qu’on faisait a la veillee^ sur les calamites du beau royaume de France, “ du royaume de Jesus.” Elle voyait les campagnes en feu, les cites croulantes, les armees fran^aises jonchant de leurs morts les plaines ; elle voyait errant, proscrit, ce jeune roi quelle parait de vertus imaginaires, et qui personnifiait a ses yeux la France. Elle implorait ardemment le Seigneur et ces anges, ces saints qu’on lui avait appris a considerer comme les intermediaires entre I'liomme et Dieu. Cher sentiment exclusif, unique, la pitie et I’amour de la patrie, envahissait pen a peu tout entiere cette ame passionnee et profonde. ‘L’autel etait pret ; le feu du del descendit un jour d’ete, c’dait en 1425, Jeanne etait dans sa quatorzieme annee ; elle courait dans la prairie avec ses compagnes, soulevee comme par une force invisible, elle prenait tant d’avance sur ses jeunes 396 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. amies qiie celles-ci, frappees de surprise, croyaient la voir voler et non courir. “ Ravie et comme hors de sens,” elle s’arrete pour reprendre haleine. En ce moment, il lui semble oui’r une voix qui la rappelle au logis, pres de sa mere. Elle retourne ; elle se trouve seule dans le petit jardin paternel. Tout a coup une voix “moult douce et belle,” I’appelle par son nom : “ Jehanne la Pucelle, fille de Dieu, sois bonne et sage, frequente I’eglise, mets ta confiance au Seigneur, Jehanne, il faut que tu allies en France.” Elle ne voit personne, mais une grande clarte brille a la droite de leglise. L’enfant reste saisie dune premiere revelation de sa destinee ; elle sent vaguement qu’elle ne doit pas porter les douces chaines des affections privees ; elle renonce a etre epouse et mere, et voue sa virginite au Seigneur. Bientot la voix se fait entendre de nouveau, et Jeanne entrevoit, dans un nimbe lumineux, une figure ailee, au majestueux visage, qu’environne un tourbillon d’esprits. “ Je suis I’archange Michel,” dit I’appari- tion ; “ je te viens commander, de la part du Seigneur, que tu allies en France, que tu allies au secours du dauphin, afin que par toi il recouvre son royaume.” ‘La jeune enfant, se trouvant ainsi pour la premiere fois face a face avec I’audacieuse idee qui fermentait dans son sein, eut peur et fondit en larmes ; mais la vision ne tarda pas a reparaitre plus brillante. Le chef des armees celestes amenait avec lui deux gracieux fantomes, “ couronnes de belles couronnes moult riches et precieuses ; ” c etaient deux des bienheureuses les plus celebres de la legende, sainte Catherine et sainte Marguerite. Michel avait prevenu Jeanne que ces deux saintes avaient ete choisies pour etre ses guides et ses conseilleres. Les appari- tions des lors se multiplierent, et la vie de Jeanne ne cessa plus d’etre partagee entre le monde reel et le monde ideal que lui ouvrait I’extase. La frayeur que lui avaient inspiree ses pre- mieres visions s’etait changee en joie et en amour ; elle attendait impatiemment ses “ freres de paradis ; ” elle pleurait quand ils la quittaient pour retourner au ciel, et “ eut voulu qu’ils I’empor- tassent avec eux,” Elle s’etait prise d’une vive tendresse pour ces etres fantastiques, forme ideale de ses pensees, nuees trans- parentes qui voilaient a ^s yeux le divin soleil d’ou I’inspiration rayonnait sur elle. Et toujours les esprits lui parlaient de DOMREMY. 397 sa mission, “ de la grande pitie qiii etoit au royaiime de France,” des maux quelle seule devait finir ; ils I’exhortaient d’aller trouver le dauphin Charles, et de le mener sacrer a Reims. Jeanne se debattait contre elle-meme ; elle “repondait quelle etoit line pauvre femme, qui ne sauroit ni chevaucher, ni mener la guerre.” Mais les esprits repetaient opiniatrement : “ Va en France ! Va en France ! ” ‘ Trois ans s’etaient ecoules depuis les premieres revelations de Jeanne, et les devenaient toujours plus pressantes ; elle les entendait dans le son des cloches, tant aime de sa reveuse enfance ; elle les entendait dans les murmures des bois ; elle les entendait a la fontaine des fees comme a I’eglise. Les voix se faisaient ou'ir jusqua deux ou trois ,fois par semaine, et Jeanne etait consumee d’un feu interieur, d’une fievre heroique qui ne lui laissait plus de repos ; bien que personne, ni parents, ni pretre, n’eut le secret des mysteres qui se passaient en elle, il lui ediappait parfois des paroles etranges qui etonnaient et alar- maient ses pere et mere. Un jour, c’etait la veille de Saint-Jean (23 juin 1428), elle dit a un laboureur du voisinage “ qu’il y avoit, entre Coussei et Vaucouleurs, une fille qui avant un an feroit sacrer le roi de France.” Son pere reva qu’elles’en “ alloit avec des gens d’armes ; ” il eut mieux aime “ la noyer ” de sa propre main que de voir “ telle chose advenir.” Ses parents la surveil- lerent de plus pres, ne I’envoyerent plus aux champs garder les troupeaux, et I’occuperent au logis a filer et a coudre. Ils tacherent de la marier. Un jeune homme qui aimait Jeanne pretendait avoir d’elle une promesse de mariage, et la cita devant rofficialite de Toul, avec la connivence de ses parents, pour Tobliger a remplir cette pretendue promesse ; on esperait que Jeanne n’oserait comparaitre devant les juges ecclesiastiques. Elle comparut ; elle jura qu’elle n’avait rien promis et gagna son proces. Une catastrophe qui frappa son hameau vint, sur ces entrefaites, la confirmer dans ses desseins : en 1428, le pays fut envahi par une compagnie bourguignonne ; les habitants de Domremi eurent le temps de s’enfuir avec leurs troupeaux et de gagner la ville lorraine de Neufchastel (Neufchateau), qui ne leur refusa point un asile. Neufchatel, qui relevait du royaume et non de I’Empire, penchait pour la cause fran9aise. Ouand Fennemi fut parti et que les gens de Domremi retournerent chez 398 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. eux, Jeanne ne retrouva que mines et que desolation dans tons les lieux qu’elle avait aimds : son village avait 6te saccagd, son eglise livree aux flammes. N etait-ce pas le del qui chatiait ainsi ses retards ? ‘Jeanne n’hesita plus. Longtemps avant que la nouvelle du siege d’Orldans arrivat dans les mardies de Lorraine, Jeanne s etait mise en devoir d’obeir aux voLv qui la tourmen- taient sans relache: “ Hate-toi ! hate-toi ! disaientles votx, va-t’en a Vaucouleurs, vers Robert de Baudricourt ! par deux fois il te rebutera ; a la troisieme il t’oui'ra et te baillera des gens d’armes pour te conduire au dauphin'.' Baudricourt etait le gouverneur de Vaucouleurs ; Jeanne obtint d’aller passer quelque temps chez un frere de sa mere, au village du Petit-Burd, entre Domremi et Vaucouleurs ; elle fit ses adieux a ses compagnes, a son hameau, qu’elle ne devait plus revoir, et, a peine arrivde chez son oncle, elle s’ouvrit a lui : “ N’a-t-il pas dte dit autrefois que la France, perdue par une femme, seroit sauvee par une pucelle, une pucelle des marches de Lorraine ? La femme, c’est la reine Isabeau ; la pucelle, c’est moi.” L’oncle de Jeanne fut subjugue par I’autorite avec laquelle s’exprimait la jeune fille : il se rendit aupres du gouverneur de Vaucouleurs, et lui parla de la mission que s’attribuait sa niece ; Baudricourt le renvoya avec force railleries. Jeanne alors se prdsenta en personne chez Baudri- court : elle le reconnut au premier abord, quoiqu’elle ne I’eut jamais vu ; ses voix le lui avaient fait connaitre. “ Capitaine,” lui dit-elle, “sachez que Messire (mon seigneur), a qui appartient le royaume de France, et qui le veut bailler en commande au dauphin, m’a commande d’aller vers le dit dauphin, afin que je le mene sacrer et qu’il devienne roi en depit de ses ennemis.” “ Et qui est ton sb'e? " demanda Baudricourt. “ Le Roi du ciel ! ” ’ — Hejiri Martin^ ‘ Hist, de Erance ' Twice repulsed by Baudricourt, Jeanne was at length furnished by him with an escort, and sent to the court of the dauphin at Chinon. Close to the Church of Domremi, where the road turns, at the entrance of a second row of buildings, is the little house where Jeanne Dare was born, Jan. 6, 1411, standing in a tiny garden. The door is gothic, with a figure of Jeanne — a copy of that ordered by Louis XL to be placed there — in the niche over it. DOMREMY. 399 The principal room is the kitchen, in which only the central beam of the ceiling is really old. Here are a miniature copy from the statue by the Princess Marie d’Orleans, given by Louis Philippe, and the hrst statue made of Jeanne (kneeling in armour), said to be taken from one of her nieces, who was thought to resemble her. Opening behind the kitchen is a dismal little bedroom, very dark and only lighted by a very small window high in the wall. The ceiling and the remains of an armoire are of the time of J eanne. The house is cared for by Sisters of Charity, who have a school, and sell memorials in a building close by to the numerous pilgrims. On the crest of the hill above the village (2 k.) is a modern chapel marking the spot where Jeanne heard, for the first time, the mysterious voices urging her to the deliverance of France. On a hill on the other side of the railway is the Chapel of Noire Dame de Bermont, whither Jeanne and her sister made a pilgrimage every Saturday, and lighted a candle before the shrine. 320k. Toul (Hotels: de la Cloche; de Metz). The 400 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. capital of the Leuci in early times, Toul (Tullum) was an important place under the Romans. In the latter part of IV. c., S. Mansuy preached Christianity here, and in vi. c. S. Epure founded a great abbey here. From the end of the X. c. the Bishops of Toul exercised an independent sovereignty, and it was only finally united to France in 1648. In 1870 Toul underwent a bombardment from the Germans, and was taken after a twelve days’ siege. Toul is entered from the station by the Porte de France, whence, in a direct line, we re^ich the Rue de la Re- publique ; and then, turning 1 . at the crossways, the Chirch of S. Gengoult — an important gothic building of xiii. c., containing fine contemporary stained glass. From a door in the 1 . aisle (or from the Place du Marche) we may enter a very rich cloister of xvi. c. From the Place du Marche, the Rue Lafayette leads r. to the Rue Michalez, containing (No. 12) a good xvi. c. house, and the Gendarmerie^ once a convent of the Dames du S. Sacrement. The Rue du Salvateur (r.) leads to the Church of S. Etienne^ once the cathedral, where the choir and transept are xiii. c., the nave and aisles xiv. c., the beautiful facade being the work of Jacquemin de Commercy in the XV. c. Marguerite d’ Anjou, daughter of King Rene, and wife of Henry VI. of England, was baptized here. Opening from the 1 . aisle is the Chapelle des Eveques, in which the bishops were buried, with a carved stone episcopal throne, called Fauteuil de S. Gerard, of xiii. c. The very beautiful cloister, much mutilated in the Revolution, is xiii. c. and XIV. c. ‘Among the statutes of the cathedral of Toul there is an article with the title “ Sepelitur Halleluia.” It is well known TOUL. 401 that, during the seasons of fasting, Halleluia, as being an ex- pression of joy, was not sung in the ancient Church. Hence, to honour this Halleluia (which was dead, as it were) in the time of the fast, a solemn funeral was instituted. ‘ On the Saturday night before Septuagesima Sunday, chil- dren carried through the chancel a kind of coffin, to represent the dead Halleluia. The coffin was attended by the cross, incense, and holy water. The children wept and howled all the way to the cloister, where the grave was prepared.’ — Mos/ieim’s l 7 istitiites, ii., 360. The former episcopal palace (of xviii. c.) is now the Hotel de Ville. An interest attaches to it as having been the residence of the bishop described as ‘ Monsignor Bien- venu,’ by Victor Hugo in the ‘ Miserablesl [A road connects Toul with (44k.) Neufchateau (p. 392), passing — 9 k. Moiitrot^ whence the Bourade falls into the gulf called Trou de Diane. 36 k. S'. Elophe. The church is raised on the spot where the saint was martyred in 362. In the choir is her sleeping statue, supported by seven stone pillars. 37 k. Soulosse, the ancient Solimariaca, where a number of Gaulish and Gallo-Roman antiquities have been found. A mound is called the Cainp de JuUen.'] [A line unites Toul with Mirecourt (see ch. viii.) and I^pinal.] 338 k. Liverdun, has ancient fortifications and the remains of a chateau destroyed 1457. In the xiii.c. church is the tomb of S. Eucaire. On the road to Saizenais is La Croix de S. Eucaire, of 1289. 345 k. Frouard. In the cemetery is a curious xiii. c. calvary. The line to Pont-a-Mousson and Mezieres branches off here (see ch. v.). The line to Nancy passes 1 . the XV. c. church and the houses of the Chanoinesses of the 26 402 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. ancient chapter of BouxRres-aux-Dames ; then the xii. c. church of S. Christophe.^ near which S. Arnould was born, the head of the family from which the Carlovingian dynasty had its origin. 353 k. (Hotels: de France; de V Europe ; de Paris), the capital of the Department of Meurthe et Moselle, the ancient capital of the Duchy of Lorraine — the land of Lothair, named after the grandson of Charlemagne. The town did not become celebrated till the latter part of the XV. c., when Charles le Temeraire, Due de Bourgogne, repulsed as a besieger, fell in battle before the walls. From this time Nancy constantly became more prosperous under the wise rule of its dukes, till its reunion to France in 1766. The passing visitor will, from the station, follow the Rue Stanislas to the Place Stanislas, which is one of the most remarkable squares in France. In the centre is the bronze statue of Duke Stanislas Leezynski (“Stanislas le Bienfaisant,”) by Jacquot, 1831, replacing one which he had erected to his son-in-law, Louis XV. All around are handsome buildings, including the modern Hotel de Ville (containing the usual gallery of fifth-rate pictures), and (opposite) the triumphal arch called the Porte Royale, lead- ing into the Place Carriere, at the end of which is the Hotel du Mar'echal Conwianda^it. Turning 1 . at the end of the Place, we enter the Grande Rue, containing the remains of the old Palais Ducal (xv. c.), entered by a magnificent xvi. c. portal — La Grande-Porterie, surmounted by an equestrian statue of Duke Antoine. The greater part of the old palace was destroyed by Duke Leopold. In the interior there remains the ground floor NANCY. 403 gallery and the staircase, which leads to the Gakrie des Cerfs., now used to contain a Musk historique Lorrain (open free on Sundays from i to 4). The adjoining Church of the Cordeliers., built by Rene II. to commemorate the victory of Nancy and as a family burial-place, 1482-87, was mutilated and devastated at the Revolution. What remains of the tombs of the ancient dukes has been recently replaced, but a great part of what we see are restorations. L. are — a reproduction of the tomb of Jacques Callot, the famous engraver, formerly in the cloisters ; the 404 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. tomb of Antoine (rival of Rene I. for the crown of Lor- raine) and Mary his wife, with statues ; the tomb of Philippe de Gueldres, second wife of Rene IL, with a statue (fine though retouched) by Ligier Richier. Beyond these tombs and the door which communicates with the cloister, are commemorative statues of Dukes Charles V. and Leopold I. On the r. of the church are— the tomb of Henri IIL, Comte de Vaudemont, and his wife Isabelle de Lorraine : a tomb, supposed to be that of Thibault de Neufchatel, killed at the battle of Nicopolis, 1396 ; the stately tomb of Rene IL, erected by his widow, 1515. On the same side, beyond the balustrade of the sanctuary, is the tomb of Charles de Lorraine, Cardinal de Vaudemont, 1587, with his statue, by the native sculptor Nicolas Drouin. 0})posite the cardinal’s tomb is the entrance of the Chapelle Ducale.^ or Chapelle Ronde^ begun by Charles IIL in 1608, finished by Henri HI. in 1611, and restored by Francois I. after he exchanged the ducal for the im- perial crown on his marriage with Maria Theresa. The little vestibule which separates the church from the chapel contains the tomb, brought from the Abbey of Belval, of its founder (1120) Cerard d’Alsace, Comte de Vaudemont, and Hadwige de Hapsbourg, his wife. The octagonal chapel is surrounded by seven black marble monuments, and, above the cornice, are sixteen medallions of the Dukes of Lorraine. A staircase behind the altar leads to the vault. From the opposite side of the Crande Rue, the Rue des Morts leads to the little Place S. Epure., with an equestrian statuette of Duke Rene IL From the N.E. angle of the Place Stanislas, the Rue de NANCY, VARANGEVILLE. 405 la Constitution leads past the Hospital of S. Julien to the Cathedral (1703-40), a handsome building of its kind. The Rue S. Georges and Rue S. Dizier lead to the Faubourg S. Pierre, at the end of which is the Church of the Bon Secours, built (1738) by Duke Stanislas, and con- taining., (in the choir) his tomb (1766) by Vasse, and that of his wife Catherine Opalinska (1747) with sculptures by Sebastien Adam. At the r. angle of the sanctuary is a little monument containing the heart of their daughter, Marie Leczinska, Queen of PTance. Their ashes, dispersed at the Revolution, have been partially restored. Over the high altar of the church is a (xvi. c.) statue of the Virgin by Mansny-Gauvain. A white marble monument com- memorates Tennezin-Ossolinski, Controller of the Household of the King of Poland. 2 k. beyond the Bon Secours, at Jarville^ is a villa which has appropriated the facade of a building of the time of Francois L, which formed part of the old hotel Lunati- Visconti, and is attributed to the sculptor and architect, Florent Drouin. The only one of the old gates remaining is the Porte Notre Name, or de la Crajfe ; on the opposite side of the town, near the citadel, a cross marks the spot ‘ oil fut le due de Bourgogne . . . en bataille transcy,’ as the inscription says. 7 k. distant is the Chartreuse de Bosserville (1666), con- taining the tombs of Charles IV. and his son, the Prince de Vaudemont. 366 k. Varangeville. i k. distant (omnibus) is the magnificent gothic church of A Nicolas du Port, built 1494 to 1544 on the site of a church of the xii. c., which 4o6 NORTH-EASTERN TRANCE. itself replaced an earlier chapel built to receive a joint of a finger of S, Nicolas of Myra presented in 1087. To this sacred spot, said the legend, the Comte de Rochecourt, imprisoned in Palestine, having made a vow to the saint, was transported instantaneously in his chains, and laid at the church doors. Forthwith pilgrimages and offerings flowed in, and a vast church was the result. The portal is flanked by two lofty square towers, terminating in an octagonal stage, surmounted by a little dome. The church consists of a nave with aisles bordered by chapels, and an ambulatory with three apses. A greater height in the vaulting of the last two bays before the apsidal chapels, is the only indication of a transept, which is lighted by vast windows at either end. Before the high altar rests the Cure, Simon Moyset, by whom the present church was founded. A staircase in the N. apse leads to the baptistery. Under the choir is a crypt. ‘ Nous passames a S. Nicolas, qui est une grande devotion. On nous montra les fers d’un homme qui avait ete prisonnier des Turcs, et qui, pendant ce temps, avait fait un voeu a S. Nicolas ; il se sauva, et s’en vint accomplir son voeu, et reinettre les fers qu’il avoit aux pieds et aux mains. Je laisse a juger a ceux qui connoitront combien mon coeur est occupe de la prison de M. de Lorraine, le zele avec lequel je demandai a Dieu, par Tintercession de S. Nicolas, de vouloir lui rendre la liberte. Je n’oubliai pas de center au roi le miracle de I’esclave ; je joignis mes mains pour exprimer la grace qu’il avait du rendre a Dieu et a S. Nicolas ; je fis assez apercevoir que je lui ferois un remerciment, et bien naturel, s’il donnoit la liberte a M. de Lauzun.’ — ‘ Mcmoircs de Mile, de Montpeiisierl The line passes ( 1 .) the ruined castle of Dombasle. 376 k. Blamvillel a-Grande, whence a line diverges to Epinal and Vesoul. See chap. viii. LUNEVILLE. 407 386 k. Luneville (Hotel : des Vosges), a town which rose to great prosperity under Leopold I., Due de Lorraine, who made it his residence, building a magnificent palace, which was completed by his successor, Stanislas le Bienfaisant, who lived here from 1737 to 1766, devoting himself to the embellishment of Nancy and Luneville, founding colleges, establishing hospitals, etc. Here he lost his wife, Catherine Opalinska, in 1747 ; and here, at eighty-nine, being in full powers of mind and body, he was burnt to death in his palace (Feb. 5, 1766). A wide street leads from the station to the Place Leopold, beyond' which is the magnificent Chateau (now used as a barrack) overlooking, on one side, the Promenade dit Bosquet. On the 1 . of the Place, a street leads to the Church of S. Jacques, a rich and stately building of its kind, begun 1730 by Duke Frangois HI. from designs of Boffrand, and finished by Duke Stanislas in 1745, under Here, who built the towers which flank the fagade. An urn in the church contains the entrails of Duke Stanislas. S. Maur is a handsome church of 1849-54. [For the line from Luneville to S. Die in the Vosges, see ch. viii.] 410 k. Avr i court if xQXiCcv Custom House). [A line leads S. to (17 k.) Cirey-stir-Vesonze, a little town at the foot of the Vosges. 6 k. distant are the ruins of the Bene- dictine abbey of S', Sauveur.~\ After leaving Avricourt the line enters Germany. 502 k. Strasbourg. CHAPTER VII. CALAIS TO BALE BY AMIENS (S. QUENTIN, NO YON, COUCY, SOISSONS), LA ON, REIMS, CHALONS-SUR- MARNE, CHAUMONT, AND LANGRES. CHARMING tourette of four days from England may be made amongst the delightful old cities described in the earlier part of this route. Sleep the first night at Noyon. Spend the second day at Coney and sleep at Soissons; the third day see Soissons and Reims, and sleep at the latter ; the fourth day see Laon and return. It is one of the most repaying short expeditions to be made in France. Compiegne and Pierrefonds may be added by taking in another day from Noyon. This attractive excursion may easily be taken on the way to Switzerland, but then travellers will probably go first to Laon and return (a very short distance), via Tergnier, to Noyon. For the line from Calais to (177 k.) Amiens see chap, ii. 2 k. beyond Amiens the line leaves the main line to Paris and diverges E., passing — 182 k. (from Calais) Villers Breto^ineux, the scene of the first battle between the Prussians and the French army of the north, Nov. 27, 1870. 190 k. Guillaucourt. 3gk. S. is with a fine church of XV. c. and xvi. c. The tower is flanked by tourelles, with stone roofs, in the form of bells. 2^k. further is the fine church of Hm'honnieres. The nave is xv. c. and xvi. c., the transept and choir xvi. c. and xvii. c. The S. portal, flanked NESLE, HAM. 409 by a graceful tourelle, is of 1568. The choir has handsome XVIII. c. wood-carving. 197 k. Rosieres. To the 1 . is seen Lihons-en-Santerre.^ with some small remains of a Cluniac priory. The parish church is partly xiii. c. 204 k. Chatlines., created into a duchy by Louis XIII., retains only the offices of the chateau where Mine, de Sevigne stayed in 1689. It is 31 k. hence by rail to Mont- didier. (See chap, ii.) 213 k. Nesle (Nigella), which Dagobert gave as a dowry to his daughter Bathilde. The ^great collegiate church of Notre Dame is partly romanesque. Its 1 . portal has pillars covered with zig-zag ornaments. The vaulting of the chapter-house rests on a single column, and has the sacristy above it. Beneath the choir is a romanesque crypt. There are some small remains of the chMeau, built, at the end of XVII. c., by the Marquis de Nesle on the site of a xv. c. fortress, replacing the xii. c. castle, inhabited by Jean de Nesle, distinguished in the battle of Bouvines ; Simon de Nesle, Constable of France under S. Louis ; and Raoul de Nesle, also Constable of France, killed at the battle of Courtrai in 1302. The line passes (r.) the church of Hombleux, partly romanesque, and ( 1 .) Ojfoy (xii. c. and XIV. c.), containing mutilated tombs. 224k. Ham (Hotel: de France). A famous chateau existed here from the x. c., when it belonged to the family of the Comtes de Vermandois, who held it till 1374, when it passed to the family of Coucy, then to the Comtes de S. Pol, from whom it came by marriage to the house of Bourbon- Vendome, and was thus reunited to the crown on the accession of Henri IV. The chateau which still exists is 410 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. the same which was built by Odon IV., Baron de Ham, in 1216, on the site of an older castle, but it has been consider- ably altered in xiv. c. and xv. c. It is a rectangle, flanked at each corner by a round tower, and with square towers on the N. and W. The round tower at the N.E. angle, which rises from the canal, is the work of Louis de Luxembourg (1490), and is called To?ir du Comietable. Above the portal is the devise of the founder, ‘ Mon myeulx.’ The walls of the great tower are of enormous thickness. Its lower story is a vast hexagonal hall, with gothic vaulting, and is provided with twelve furnaces to be used in blowing up the tower in case of need. The ground floor is the Salle des Gardes, and contains an enormous chimney, a well, and an oven. The first floor, or Chambre de Conseil, is a great hall lighted by a single window, with stone benches in its embrasure. In the thickness of the wall is the little room called La Chambre du RoL The Chateau of Ham has frequently served as a prison, and its prisoners include Jeanne Dare, under Jean de Luxembourg ; Conde, the Huguenot leader ; Riom, the lover of the Duchesse de Berri, daughter of the Regent; Jacques Cassard of Nantes, who died here in prison; a vast number of the victims of the Revolution ; the ministers of the Coup d’Etat of 1830; and Prince Louis Napole'on, after he had renewed at Boulogne, in 1840, the attempt he had made at Strasbourg in 1836. Failing, fromi the first moment of his landing, he was taken and imprisoned here in August 1840. He escaped by the assistance of Dr. Conneau, disguised as a workman, under the very eyes of his keepers, on, the morning of May 22, 1846. ‘ Louis Napoleon and his associates were tried before the Court of Peers and were sentenced to different terms of imprison- HAM, TERGNIER. 4II ment, the Prince himself for life. He was kept at Ham more than five years, closely guarded, but otherwise treated with much consideration ; allowed as many books or philosophical instru- ments as he chose to purchase, a rubber of whist in the evening with his two companions and his governor, and, by special permission, to receive his friends. ... In his prison he devoted himself steadily to study. History, politics, mechanics, physics, chemistry, all had their turn. For a prisoner he was comfortable enough, and in after-years used to speak of having studied at the University of Ham. It was a university that he, not unnaturally, longed to quit; and in May 1846 he took the opportunity, when a number of workmen were busy about some repairs, to dress himself like a joiner, shave off his moustache, shoulder a plank, and walk past the sentry out through the gate. At a little distance a carriage was waiting for him ; he flung the plank into a ditch, and was driven through S. Quentin to Cambrai, where he took the train, and so got into Belgium, and thence to England.’ — Edin. Rev., civ., ‘ The Bonapartes: The church of Notre Dame is partly xii. c. and xiii. c., and has, under the sanctuary, a curious crypt containing the tomb of Odon IV. and that of his wife, Isabelle de Bethencourt, a work of great delicacy and beauty, on which she is represented in the rich costume of the xiii. c. The isolated tower of the old church of S. Pierre serves as a belfry to Notre Dame. A building between them, bearing the date 1701, is a remnant of the Abbaye de Notre Dame which was in existence in the xii. c. 245 k. Tergnier (Buffet), the junction station from the lines of Cologne, Brussels, Paris, Laon, and Amiens. [The line to Brussels turns N.W. from Tergnier by — 23 k. (from Tergnier) A. Quentm (Hotels: du Cygne : d' An- gleten'e), an ugly prosperous manufacturing town, the old capital of the Gaulish Veromanduens, which bore the name of Augusta Vermanduorum in Roman times, and (received its present name 412 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. from Caius Quintinus, who came here to preach Christianity in the III. c., and was martyred by the Prefect Rictins Varus. Honour to his remains was encouraged by S. Eloi in the time of Dagobert. Whilst here, we may recall that the building of the Escurial was due to a vow which Philip II. of Spain made in case of success, when he was besieging S. Quentin in 1557. The town was given back to France in 1559, following year, was bestowed as a dowry upon Mary Stuart, who possessed its revenues till her death. On Jan. 19, 1871, a great victory was gained near S. Quentin by the Prussians over the French army of the North. Following the Rue de I’lsle from the station, and ascending the hill, we reach the Hdtelde Ville., an admirable xiv. c. and xv. c. building of flamboyant gothic. On the ground floor of the facade is an open arcaded gallery, above which nine rich flam- boyant windows are divided by 'niches. The upper story has a rich balustrade and three gables. Behind the central gable rises a cam.panile of 1759. The Salle du Conseil is a very handsome chamber, with a chimney-piece half gothic, half renaissance. Turning r. as we face the Hotel de Ville, we reach the noble Collegiate Church of S. Queiitin, begun 1114, but with very little of that date. The choir was finished in 1257, the nave 1456, the S. portal in 1477. The great features of the interior are its double transept (very rare in a gothic church), its vast height, and the beautiful xiv. c. triforium and terminal windows of the principal transept. The oldest part of the church (end of xii. c.) is that between the two transepts. There are seven apsidal chapels. In the Chapelle S. Roch is the remarkable incised gravestone of Mahaus Patrelatte, 1272. Under the choir is a crypt, dating from ix. c., but re-built xiii. c. Three vaults of the older crypt remain, containing the stone sarcophagi of S. Quentin and SS. Victoric and Gentien, his companions in martyrdom. 59 k. Le Chateau Cambresis takes its name from the Chateau de S. Marie, founded by Herluin, Bishop of Cambray in 1021. The parish church (xvi. c. and xvii. c.) belonged to the abbey of S. Andre. The renaissance Hotel de Ville has a belfry of 1703. 70 k. Landre'cies. The church contains the tomb of Charles, Due de Feltre, born here in 1765. 84 k. Aulnoye. See ch. v.]. NO YON. 413 [The line from Tergnier to Paris via (49 k.) Compiegne, passes — 7 k. Chaiuiy (for the branch to Coney see later ), whence there is a branch to the little manufacturing town of (15 k.) Gobain^ which derives its name from a martyred hermit of the VII. c. The church has a gothic crypt and a fountain which the hermit-saint is believed to have caused to burst forth by a blow of his staff. 15 k. Apilly., where there is a fountain with a huge stone, which the natives call Pierre de S. Urbain, and believe to have the power of curing headache. 23 k. Noyon (Hotel : du Nord — good and clean, and delight- fully situated ; omnibus), an attractive and beautiful little town, which dates from Roman times, when it was known as Novio- dunum Veromanduorum. In 531, S. Medard-— the S. Swithin of France — became its hrst bishop, and here afforded the protection of the Church to S. Radegonde, flying to the cloister from her husband Clotaire. In the following century, the diocese, which was united with that of Tournai, was ruled by S. Eloi. Chilperic II. was buried at Noyon ; Carloman, son of Pepin le Bref, was proclaimed King of Noyon in 752, at the time of his father’s coronation ; Charlemagne was crowned here in 771. The bishopric of Noyon was separated from that of Tournai in 1135, and in 1791 the see was suppressed. Surrounded with beautiful verdure in summer stands the former Cathedral of Notre Da 7 ue, half romanesque, half gothic, infinitely picturesque, and one of the best specimens of the tran- sition in France. It was begun in 1152 by Bishop Baudouin II., after the earlier church was destroyed by fire, and was finished in 1200, probably by the same architect who had been employed by Suger (the intimate friend of Baudouin) at S. Denis, to which Noyon has a great resemblance. The form is a Latin cross, of which the arms (as at Tournai) end in apsides. The facade — which is uninteresting — has a triple porch added in xiv. c., and two unfinished and disfigured towers. In the nave are eleven bays, the bay of the facade forming a kind of western transept. Above the low side-aisles of the nave is a vaulted gallery, which opens upon the central aisle by double gothic arcades. This is surmounted by a triforium, of which the arches are romanesque, 414 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. as well as the upper windows, and those of the aisles. The vaults were formerly six-ribbed, as is indicated by the pillars of the nave, composed alternately of a great column and of eight little columns, but a fire in 1293 injured the roof, and the vault was reconstructed, after the usual system. The side chapels on 1. were added in xiv. c., and on r. in xv. c. and xvi. c. ; one of the last, occupying three bays, is very richly decorated. The windows in the apsides of the deep transepts are romanesque without and gothic within. The rectangular portion of the choir consists of three bays flanked by four square chapels. The triforium in the choir is false, and merely decorative. Two towers over the first bay after the transept remain unfinished. The E. apse is surrounded by five shallow semicircular chapels, flanked by buttresses in the form of columns. To the r. of the nave one gallery remains from a beautiful cloiste}-, restored in 1 293, after a fire ; it was formerly fortified externally. The chapter- house is of 1230, with a rich portal adorned with statuettes. The treasury is a double nave with gothic vaulting, containing a beautiful xiv. c. armoire, and a Pascal candlestick of xiv. c. COUCY-LE-CHATEA U. 415 To S. of the cathedral apse is the Sainte Chapelle of the old bishops’ palace. The present Eveche (on N.) is renaissance, of brick and stone, with a round (xv. c.) tourelle. The Biblio- theque des Chanoines is a timber building (N. of the choir) of the XV, c. The Hotel de Ville is gothic and renaissance (1485 — 1523). The House of Calviiiy in which he is affirmed to have been born (1509), only dates from 1683. Some remains of the Roman fortifications still exist, known as Chateau Corbaut. An excursion may be made to (20 k.) Roye. See ch. ii. [For Compiegne, on the line to Paris, see ch. ii.] If we proceed by rail from Noyon to Soissons, we must return to — 16 k. Chauny^ and branch off by — 30 k. Coucy-le-Chdteatc (flotel : des Trots E^nperetirs — humble but clean), which possesses the finest old castle in France. Legend says that the site was given to S. Remi by Clovis, as part of the land which the swift-footed saint accomplished walking around whilst the king took his mid-day nap. Hence- forth it belonged to the chapter of Reims for two hundred years. In 920 an archbishop of Reims built a fortress above the Lette, a little river running into the Oise, round which the hamlet collected which was called Coucy-le-Chateau. A few years later (929) Herbert, Comte de Vermandois, kept his king, Charles le Simple, prisoner here for several weeks. In the xi, c. Enguerrand I., de Boves, received Coucy in fief from the arch- bishop of Reims, and founded the famous house of Coucy. This chieftain had been distinguished in the crusades, as were Enguerrand II,, and Raoul L, who married two heiresses, his second wife being a cousin of Philippe-Auguste. Enguer- rand III, (sLirnamed the Great), who rebuilt the castle, was the most powerful scion of his house. When he quarrelled with the chapter of Reims, and they appealed to the king, the diffident answer they received was: 'Je ne puis faire autre chose pour vous que de prier le sire de Coucy de ne point vous inquieter.’ When he afterwards quarrelled with the chapter of Laon, Enguerrand did not scruple to enter the cathedral by force, and, 4i6 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. seizing the dean, to carry him off prisoner to Coney. For the government of his barony he made the laws called Le coiitunie de Coney. In the Albigensian campaign of 1209, and at the battle of Bouvines, he was greatly distinguished, and his prowess at one time induced a league of nobles to offer to take the crown of France from Louis IX., who was then a child, and to give it to him. One of his proud descendants, who died in 1335, gave up all other titles, keeping only that of Coucy. To him is ascribed the famous device, ‘ Roi ne suys — ne prince, ne due, ne comte aussi — ^je suys le sire de Coucy.’ The name of Enguer- rand descended from father to son till the time of Enguer- rand VIE, who was taken prisoner at the battle of Nicopolis, and died in Bithynia. He had married Isabel, the favourite daughter of Edward III. of England, but left no son. His daughter Marie, Comtesse de Bar, having no children, sold the seigneurie de Coucy (in 1400) to Louis d’Orleans, brother of Charles VL, and builder of Pierrefonds, for whom it was made a duchy, and who added much to the decoration of the chateau. In 1411, the castle was besieged and taken by the royal troops; in 1419 by those of the Due d’Orleans; in 1423 by the English, and in 1652 by the royal forces, upon which Mazarin dismantled it. It now belongs to the State, and has been strengthened against further ruin under the care of Viollet le Due. One of the finest views of Coucy is that on approaching by road from Laon (a pleasant drive by the Maison des Fous and Moulin de la Bataille). Then its grand pink-grey mass is seen rising on a considerable height above the plain, set off by delicate distance. The little town retains its ruined walls and is entered by the Porte de Laon^ which well deserves the study of the antiquarian for its remarkable system of defence. ‘ La porte de Laon est une des plus belles conceptions d’architecture militaire du commencement du moyen-age. Batie, ainsi que les remparts de la ville et le chateau lui-meme, tout au commencement du xiiF siecle par Enguerrand III., elle donne entree dans la ville en face du plateau qui s’etend du cote de Laon. Cette porte, placee en face de la langue de terre qui reunit le plateau a la ville de Coucy, donnait une entree presque de niveau dans la cite ; mais a cause de cette situation meme, elle ddmandait a etre bien defendue, puisque cette couc\ ^- le-chAtea u. 417 langue de terre est le seul point par lequel on pouvait tenter d’attaquer les remparts .’ — Viollet le Due. The clmrch of Coney has a xii. c. facade. The chateau^ which occupies the end of a promontory, is approached by a very narrow causeway. The vast outer court is of irregular form, with a curtain wall of great thickness, and beneath it runs a subterranean passage, arranged so as to prevent any attempt at mines. The wall is flanked by ten towers, of which three, COUCY-LE-CHATEAU. at the principal angles, are circular ; the other seven semi- circular. Between the curtain wall and the keep was a dry moat, paved with stones, and crossed by a single drawbridge, the drawing up of which completely isolated the inner court of the castle. Above the arch over the drawbridge was sculptured the victorious combat of Enguerrand II., sire de Coney, with a lion in the wood of Prdmontre, and near it stood a stone table resting on three lions concJiant, and supporting a lion passa?tl, upon which every year a representative of the neighbouring 27 4i8 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. peasantry used to stand to give cakes and fruit to the inhabitants of the castle in memory of this exploit. The walls of the noble circular keep, 23 ft. in thickness, have resisted the efforts of Mazarin for their destruction. The tower was 153 ft. high, and 305 ft. in circumference ; when its roof was intact, it was probably 200 ft. high. The interior was divided into three floors, once covered with ribbed vaulting, which has now perished. The upper floors and the platform at the top were reached by a winding staircase in the thickness of the wall. In the centre of each vault was an opening, through which men in armour could be let down quickly. The two lower floors were apparently used for the arms and provision of the garrison. The cylin- drical space of the upper floor is divided into twelve bays, divided by piers, and in each bay was a wooden gallery, at 12 ft. from the floor, and connected by a passage in the thickness of the wall, which allowed a continuous gallery to run round the hall, without encroaching upon it. Only two windows were allowed in the outer wall, but light could also be admitted through an aperture in the key-stone of the vaulting. To the right of the entrance was the well, 200 ft. deep. In the last century the noble guard-room, which occupied the first floor of the principal buildings, was almost entire, and near it was a chapel, of which only the foundations remain. ‘ Le chateau de Coucy dut etre blevetres-rapidement, ainsi que I’enceinte de la ville qui I’avoisine, de 1220 a 1230. Le caractere de la sculpture, les profils, ainsi que la construction, ne permettent pas de lui assigner une dpoque plus ancienne ni plus r^cente. ‘ Le chateau de Coucy n’est pas une enceinte flanqude en- veloppant des batiments disposes au hasard, c’est un bdifice vaste, con^u d’ensemble et eleve d’un seul jet, sous une volonte puissante, et au moyen des ressources immenses. Son assiette est admirablement choisie et ses defenses disposdes avec un art dont le description ne donne qu’une faible idee. . . . Malgre sa mine, la masse du chateau de Coucy est encore debout et est restee une des plus imposantes merveilles de I’epoque feodale. Si Ton eut laisse au temps seul la tache de degrader la residence seigneuriale des sires de Coucy, nous verrions encore aujourd’hui ces enormes constructions dans toute leur splendour primitive, car les materiaux, d’une excellente qualite, n’ont PREMONTRE. 419 subi aucune alteration, les batisses etaient coii^ues de maniere a durer eternellement, et les peintures intbrieures, dans les endroits abrites, sont aiissi fraiclies que si elles venaient d’etre faites. . . . Le donjon de Coney est la plus belle construction militaire du moyen age qui existe en Europe. Aupres de ce geant, les plus grosses tours connues soit en France, soit en Italie ou en Allemagne, ne sont que des fuseaux. . . . Tout est colossal dans le chateau ; quoique executee avec grand soin, la construction a quelque chose de rude et de sauvage qui rapetisse Thomme de notre temps. II semble que les habitants de cette demeure devaient appartenir a une race de geants, car tout ce qui tient a I’usage habituel est a une echelle superieure a celle admise aujourd’hui : les marches des escaliers, les alleges des creneaux, les bancs, sont faits pour des hommes au-dessus de I’ordinaire.’ — Viollet le Due. 2 k. N. of Coucy-le-Chateau is Co2tcy-la- Ville, which has an interesting church of xii. c. and xv. c., containing some curious XV. c. paintings of the life of S. Antoine. The W. tower (xv. c.) has a very beautifully decorated spire. Opposite Coucy-le- Chateau is the handsome Chateau de Moyejnbrie^ with a tower of XIV. c. or XV. c. 39 k. Bra 7 icourt. The church is xii. c. and xvi. c. 5 k. is the lunatic asylum of P}'emo 7 ilre^ occupying the site and the remain- ing buildings (of very little interest) belonging to a once famous mother abbey of the Premonstratensian order, founded in 1120 by S. Norbert, afterwards Archbishop of Magdeburg. ‘After preaching for several years through the northern provinces of France, Hainault, Brabant, and Liege, S. Norbert assembled around him those whose hearts had been touched by his eloquence, and who were resolved to adopt his austere discipline. Seeing the salvation of so many committed to his care, he humbly prayed for the divine protection ; and thereupon the Blessed Virgin appeared to him in a vision, and pointed out to him a barren and lonesome spot in the valley of Coucy, thence called Pre-montre. Hence the name adopted by his community “ the Premonstratensians.” ’ — Jamesons ‘ Monastic Orders! 42 k. Anizy-le-Chdtcau ^ which has a fine xii. c. transition church. 2 k. (r. of the station) is the handsome Chateau de 420 NORTH-EASTERN TRANCE. P 111071 ^ of 1730. At Anizy we join the main line from Paris to Laon by Crepy-en-Valois (see ch. ii.), and turning S. reach { 1 8 k. from Anizy) — 60 k. Soissons (Hotels: de la C 7 'oix d'Or — very good; dii Soleil d'Or ; des Trois Pacelles), a city of the Suessiones at the time of the Roman occupation. It is supposed to have received Christianity from SS. Crispin and Crispinian, martyred in 297. Clovis was married here to Clotilde, and, after his death, his eldest son, Clotaire I., was at first known as King of Soissons. In 752 Pepin le Bref was proclaimed king here. Louis le Debonnaire was imprisoned here (829), by his sons, in the Abbey of S. Medard. From the beginning of xi. c. to the middle of the XIV. c., Soissons was ruled by its hereditary counts, but the son of Louis de Chatillon, Comte de Soissons, who fell at the Battle of Crecy, being imprisoned in England, to pay his ransom sold his countship to Enguerrand VII. de Coucy (1367), and, with the other possessions of the house of Coucy, it was united to the crown by Louis XII. Of remarkably picturesque and venerable aspect, Soissons is best seen from the meadows on the r. bank of the Aisne. In all directions there are pleasant walks, redolent of lime flowers in the late spring, and the streets are full of quaint character. SO/SSONS. 421 The Cathedral of Notre Dame, SS. Geruais and Protais, is a very perfect and magnificent gothic church, begun at the end of XII. c. and finished before the end of xiii. c. On the principal la^ade, two of the portals have been altered in xviii. c., but the noble rose-window, the open gallery above it, and tlie tower, with statues at the angles, are intact. All the upper vaulting is supported externally by a double chain of flying buttresses. The N. transept has a beautiful rose-window, with glass repre- senting the Life of the Virgin ; a very rich portal ; and contains a tomb to Bishop de Simony. The vS. transept is the oldest part of the cathedral (end of xii. c. ), and is flanked on the E. by a sacristy of the same date. The c|ioir (1212) is surrounded by eight square and the apse by five polygonal chapels. ‘ Nothing can exceed the justness of the proportions of the centre and side aisles, both in themselves and to one another.’ ^ On either side of the W. portal are kneeling statues of Henriette de Lorraine d’Elbeuf and Marie de la Rochefoucauld, abbesses, from tombs in the royal abbey of Notre Dame. To the 1 . of the W. facade are some remains of the xiii. c. Evechd In the Rue Cloitre S. Gervais, which leads to the cathedral on the N., No. 14 has xiii. c. arcades. Near this are some remains of the xiii. c. church of G. Nicolas. Proceeding N., behind the cathedral, we reach the xviii. c. Hotel de Ville, containing the Bibliotlieqne and Musee. Close by ( 1 .) rises the tower of the church of A*. Leger, which has two crypts (XII. c. and xiii. c.), and two galleries of a cloister (xiii. c. — XIV. c.) communicating with a chapter-house. Very little remains, except the ruined facade of the once mag- nificent abbey of A". Jean-des-Vignes, where Thomas a Becket lived in 1170, and which was rebuilt in xiii. c. The remaining buildings are used as a military prison. The royal abbey of Notre Dame is a barrack. Near it is the Tour Tardier, in which popular legend says that the devil was imprisoned by S. Vaast. Nothing remains of the abbey of S. Crepin le Grand, where a council was held in the ix, c., but a little N. of the town is the ruined church of 6". Crepin-en-Chaye, on the site of an abbey built in file xi. c. on the spot where SS. Crepin and Crepinien were martyred. Fergusson. 422 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. By a pleasant walk along the r. bank of the Aisne, we reach the remains of the abbey of kS. Medard, founded by Clotaire I. in 560, and where the kings Clotaire and Sigebert were buried near the holy relics of S. Medard, the apostle of Vermandois. It was in this famous abbey that Childeric III. was deposed, and that Pepin received his first coronation, and Louis le Debonnaire was imprisoned. Its abbots coined their own money, and when Abelard, condemned at the council of Soissons, was shut up in its prisons, the monastery possessed two bundled and twenty villages, farms, or manors. At the battle of Bouvines the abbot appeared at the head of one hundred and fifty vassals. Nothing remains now of the seven churches of S. Medard. The buildings, like a humble chateau, which crown a low emi- nence, are those of a Deaf and Dumb Institution. Beneath the chapel the crypt of the abbey church remains, and contains a stone coffin, said to be that of Clotaire. A little subterranean vault near the crypt is shown as the prison of Louis le Debonnaire, An inscription (unfortunately of xiv. c.) says ; — ‘ Helas, je suys bons prins des douleurs que j’endure ! Mourir mieux me vaudrait ; la peine me tient dure.’ A tower, surmounted by a little chapel, is shown as the prison of Abelard. There is communication between Soissons and Compiegne by steamer on the Aisne, passing (20 k.) Vic-S 7 ir- Aisne ^ with an interesting church, having nave of xi. c., and transepts of xiii. c. and XVI. c. (6 k. N. is the church of Autreclies, chiefly xiii. c,, with a beautiful central spire ; and (24 k.) Aitic/iy, with a good xvi. c. church).] [A line connects Soissons with (35 k.) Laon, passing — 18 k. Anizy-le-Chdteau. See p. 419. 25 k. Chailvet. i k. ( 1 .) is Royaucomd, with (at the hamlet of S. Julien) a Templar church of 1130—1216, possessing a beautiful rose window, a spire with four pinnacles at the angles, and re- markable sculptured capitals. 2 k. S. of the station is Urcel, with a curious church which belonged do the knights of S. John of Jerusalem, who had a commanderie here. The very unusual porch, the tower rising BRAiSNE. 423 I'rom the facade, and the first bay of the nave are of xi. c., the rest being rich gothic of the middle of the xii. c. The vaulting and pendants of the aisles are peculiarly beautiful. The lofty eight-ribbed vaults of the transepts recall the Angevine cupolas. The triumphal arch is of great beauty, and the three apses are covered with rich arcades, framing windows. The capitals of the nave are sculptured with Old Testament subjects. The font is XI. c. A road (of 5 k. S.E.) leads to Chevregny, which has a good church of the end of the xi. c. To the 1. is the church of Mona7npteuiI^ with tower, choir, and transept of the end of XII. c. The line passes (on r.) the church of Chivy, chiefly xi.c., with circular apsidal chapels, a square sanctuary (xv. c. ), a heavy (xiii. c.) tower, and a renaissance porch, where some curious capitals (probably Merovingian) have been recently discovered. Clacy-Mons. Mons-e}i-Lao7uiois has a large gothic church, and Clacy remains of a xiii. c. castle. 1 [The line from Soissons to Reims (part of the main line from Paris) passes r. (on the hills) Ve7iizei, with a church, partly romanesque, partly xv. c., and Se7‘77ioise, where the church has fine XV. c. and xvi. c. glass. Before reaching — 1 1 k. Ci7y-Sc7'77ioise, 7 k. is Vailly, with a good church of transition romanesque. The line passes 1. Vassc7iy, with xiii. c. and XV. c. church. 17 k. B7'ais7ic, famous as a royal residence of the Merovin- gian kings. ‘ C etait, au vi°. siecle, une de ces immenses fermes on les rois des Franks tenaient leur cour, et qu’ils preferaient aux plus belles villes de la Gaule. L’habitation royale n’avait rien de I'aspect militaire des chateaux du moyen age, c’etait un vaste batiment, entoure de portiques d’architecture romaine, quelque- fois construit en bois poll avec soin, et orne de sculptures qui ne manquaient pas d elegance. Autour du principal corps de logis se trouvaient disposes par ordre les logements des officiers du palais, soit barbares, soit remains d’origine, et ceux des chefs de bande qui, selon la coutume germanique, s’etaient mis avec leurs guerriers dans la t7'ustc du roi, c’est-a-dire, sous un engagement 424 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. special de vasselage et de fidelite, D’aiitres maisons de moindre apparence dtaient occiipdes par un grand nombre de families qui exer9aient, hommes et femmes, toutes sortes de metiers, depuis I’orfevrerie et la fabrique des armes jusqu’a I’etat de tisserand et de corroyeur, depuis la broderie en sole et en or jusqu’a la plus grossiere preparation de la laine et du lin. ‘ Braisne fut le sejour favori de Clother, le dernier des fils de Chlodowig, meme apres la mort de ses trois freres lui eut donne la royautd dans toute I’dlendue de la Gaule. C’etait la qu’il faisait garder, au fond d’un appartement secret, les grands coffres a triple serrure qui contenaient ses richesses en or monnaye, en vases et en bijoux precieux ; la aussi qu’il accom- plissait les principaux actes de sa puissance royale. II y convoquait en synode les eveques des villes gauloises, recevait les ambassadeurs des rois etrangers, et presidait les grandes assemblies de la nation franke, suivies de ces festins traditionnels parmi la race teutonique, ou des sangliers et des daims entiers etaient servis tout embroches, et ou des conneaux difonces occupaient les quatre coins de la salle.’ — A. Thierry^ ' Recits des temps MHovmgiens' Here Sigebert, King of Neustria, was murdered (580) by the emissaries of Fredegonde, four years after the bishop Salvius of Alby, walking by the riverside with Gregory of Tours, had seen the sword of the judgment of God suspended over the palace of the king.' There is no trace of the Merovingian palace remaining at Braisne, but the noble church of 6'. Yved^ on the river Vesle, well deserves a halt from architects and antiquarians. It be- longed to an abbey of Premonstratensians, and its resemblance to the cathedral of Laon, and its being of the same date (end of XII. c.) cause it to be attributed to the same architect. Its beautiful portal and two bays of the nave have been recently destroyed, otherwise it is unaltered. The church, as it remains, consists of two bays of the nave, with aisles, transepts project- ing to the depth of one bay, and a choir without aisles, united to the wall of the transept by chapels of unusual grace. A triforium runs under the upper windows, which have no mullions. Great rose-windows light the transepts. In the centre of the cross Greg, Turon, ^ Hist. Franc..,'’ v., t. ii., 264. BRAISNE. 425 rises a tower with a lanthorn, having a second triforinm in the interior. ‘ L’eglise abbatiale de S. Yved de Braisne, un des monu- ments les mieux census, fnt bati certainement sons la direction d’un artiste consomme dans son art. Ce monument, commence en 1180, n’etait consacrd qn’en 1216. La legende qui donne I’histoire de sa construction est empreinte de cette tradition de nombres sacres qn’on retrouve soiivent dans les legendes antiques relatives aux travaux d’architectnre. C’est Mathien Herbelin qui parle : “ An terns qiie la notable dame Agnes, comtesse de Dreux et de Brayne, faisoit bastir et ediffier I’ouvrage dicelle Plsglise, y avoit douze maistres ma9ons, lequels avoient le regnard et congnoissance par dessus tons les autres onvriers, taut en taillant 426 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. les imaiges et ouvrages somptueux deceile esglise comme a conduire ledit oeuvre. Et combien qiie en faisant et conduisant ledict ouvrage par chacun jour se trouvoient continuellement et journellement t 7 'dze maistres, neantmoins, au soir et en payant et sallariant lesdits ouvriers, iie se trouvoient que lesdits douze maistres. Parquoy Ion peult croire et estymer que cestoit ung oeuvre miraculeux, et que Nostre Seigneur Dieu amplioit ledict nombre de treize. Pour lequel ouvrage, ainsi comme on peult verre presentement, fust faict et accomply en sept ans et sept jours, ainsi que Ton trouve par les ancyennes croniques de la fondation de ladicte Esglise.” Nous ne pournons certifier que ce monument ait ete construit en sept ans et sept jours ; mais nous pouvons constater que le nombre sept est le generateur du plan .’ — Viollet le Due. Not far from the village is the picturesque xiii. c. Chateau de la Folie de Bi'aisne. The remains of a priory of S’. Thibault (xi. c. and xii. c.) are passed on r, before reaching — 29 k. Fis 7 ?ies, the Roman station of Fines Suessionum. The church is xi. c., xiii. c., and xvi. c. The ramparts, which have four gates, are employed as promenades. Near this, on the high road from Soissons to Reims, is a rare example of an ancient Reposoh-, or chapel, which was also intended as a refuge for travellers. It was built by Enguerrand de Courcelles, in 1265, but has been altered in xvi. c. It has gothic vaulting and contains an altar and piscina ; the crucifix and statues which once decorated the front, have perished. 5 k. from Fismes is Cou 7 "villey with a fine xii. c. church, and a ruined castle where Mazarin was a prisoner, and 9 k. in the same direction Arcis-le-Po 7 isart, with a church partly xii. c., partly renaissance. Near this is the abbey of Igny^ founded 1126, and rebuilt 1780. 55 k. Reims (see later).] Leaving Tergnier the main line reaches — 250 k. (from Calais) La Fere, a fortified town in the valley of the Oise, with a xv. c. church of N. Moiitain, containing the monument of Marie de Luxembourg, 1546. LA ON. 427 262 k. Crepy-Couvron.^ Crepy-en-Laonais \\2i'& two churches — S. Pierre (xiii. c.) and Notre Dame (xiv. c. and xv. c.). 272k. Laon (Hotels: de la Hure — very indifferent; de PEcu de France — omnibus). The ‘ .Rock of Laon/ the capital of the Department of Aisne, rises to the r. of the railway, Overlooked by its glorious cathedral. The Celtic Laudunum, known as Lugdunum Clavatum in Roman times, Laon was evangelised by S. Remi, who established its bishopric. Here the famous Louis, or Lodowig, son of Count Eudes, held in the x. c. a court illustrious under the brave Duchess Gerberga, anci here their son Charles afterwards established himself, and was fruitlessly besieged by Hugues Capet in the ancient Carlovingian stronghold, till it was taken by the treachery of Bishop Asceline. Hugues Capet rewarded the treacherous bishop with the rank of the second ecclesiastical peer of France, and his city became thenceforth the cradle of the Capetian dynasty. In later days the history of the town became chiefly that of its bishops, till, in 1814, after it had fallen into the hands of the Prussians, Bliicher made it his principal point of successful resistance to Napoleon I. during March 9 and 10. Here also the French army attempted to re-form after the catastrophe of Waterloo. Berthe, mother of Charlemagne, Louis IV., Lothaire, and Louis V. were all born at Laon. The magnificent many-towered Cathedral of Notre Dame nobly crowns the flat top of the hill, and is a glorious feature in all distant views. It was chiefly the work of Bishop Gauthier H. de Mortagne, 1155 to 1174, as it was then found necessary to rebuild many of the calcined walls, hastily restored after the cathedral 428 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. was burnt and the bishop murdered during a popular tumult in 1112. The W. fagade, which is exceedingly striking, is remarkable for its deep portals and its two towers, square at the base and terminating in octagonal belfries, whilst the buttresses at the angles support graceful openwork turrets of two stories. Four similar towers formerly stood at the angles of the transepts, and two of these remain, though deprived of their spires. In the centre of the church is a square lanthorn tower, pierced on each face by two windows, separated by buttresses. The twin portals of the N. transept and the rose above them date from xii. c., those of the S. transept were re-made in XIII. c., when their rose was replaced by a large mullioned window. The apse is square as in so many churches of Brittany and Normandy. A rose opens above three long windows in the wall of the chevet, crowned ex- ternally by a gallery between two turrets. Above the aisles runs a vaulted triforium and a second triforium at the base of the central lanthorn ; at the sides of the choir are the Treasury and Sacristy. At the E. end of each transept is a two-storied chapel with an apse. The pulpit comes from the abbey of Val-S. -Pierre. S. of the nave are the noble little xiii. c. cloister and the chapter-house. ‘ Laon est une ville turbiilente qui, pendant un siecle, est en lutte ouverte avec son seigneur, leveque. Apres ces troubles, ces dissensions, le pouvoir royal qui, par sa conduite, commence a inspirer confiance en sa force, parvient a etablir la paix : mais on se souvient, de part et d’autre, de ces luttes dans lesquelles seigneurs et peuple ont egalement souffert ; il faut faire des concessions reciproques pour que cette paix soit durable. La cathedrale se ressent de cette sorte de compromis : sa destination est religieuse, son plan conserve un caractere civil. LAON. 429 ‘ La cathedrale n’a pas I’aspect religieiix des eglises de Chartres, d’Amiens, 011 de Reims. De loin, elle parait un chateau plutot qu’ime eglise ; sa nef est, comparativement aux nefs ogivales et meme a celle de Noyon, basse ; sa physionomie exterieure est quelqiie pen brutale et saiivage ; et jusqua ces sculptures colossales d'animaux, boeufs, chevaux, qui semblent garder les sommets des tours de la facade, tout coiicourt a produire line impression d’effroi plutot qu’un sentiment religieux, lorsqu’on gravit le plateau sur lequel elle s’eleve. On ne sent pas, en voyant Notre Damede Laon, I’empreinte d’une civilisation avancee et policee, comme a Paris on a Amiens ; la tout est rude, hardi : c’est le monument d’un peuple entreprenant, dner- gique et plain d’une male grandeur. Ce sont les memes homines que Ton retrouve a Coucy-le-Chateaii, c’est une race de geants. ‘ C’est dans ce vaisseau, qui conserve tons les caracteres d’une salle immense, que, pendant plus de trois siecles, se pas- serent, a certaines epoques de I’annees, les scenes les plus etranges. On y celebrait, le 28 decembre, la fete des Innocents, ou les enfants de choeur, portant chapes, occupaient les halites stalles et chantaient I’office avec toute espece de bouffonneries ; le soir, ils etaient regales aux frais du chapitre. Huit jours apres, venait la fete des Fous. La veille de I’Epiphanie, les chapelains et choristes se reunissaient pour elire un pape, qu’on appelait le patriarche des fous. Ceux qui s’abstenaient de I’election payaient une ammnde. On offrait au patriarche le pain et le vin de la part du chapitre, qui donnait, en outre, a chacun huit livres parisis pour le repas. Toute la troupe se revetait d’orne- ments bizarres, et avait, les deux jours suivants, I’eglise entiere a sa disposition. Apres plusieurs cavalcades par la ville, la fete se terminait par la grande procession des rabardiaux. Ces farces furent abolies en 1560, mais le soiivenier s’en conserve dans I'usage, qui subsista jusqu’au dernier siecle, de distribuer, a la messe de I’lipiphanie, des couronnes de feuilles vertes aux assistants .’ — Viollct le Due. N.E. of the cathedral is the xiii. c. Eveche, now the Palais de Justice. Its great hall (now divided) was built by bishop Gamier in 1242. Delightful promenades with lime avenues run below along the edge of the hill. 430 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. cornice which deserves attention. Legend tells that the first bay of the nave was added at the end of the xiii. c. to contain the tomb of a Sire de Coucy, who had been a great benefactor of the abbey. Dying excommunicated, he had been buried outside the W. door, which caused such remonstrance, that it was necessary to enlarge the church to enclose his grave. From the last bay of the nave rise twin XIII. c. towers. Of the tombs near the entrance, that on 1 . commemorates Jeanne de Flandre, widow of A very long street winds along the ridge of the hill to A. Martin^ at the extreme N.W. of the town, once belonging to a Premonstratensian abbey and built in 1140. Its plan is a triple nave of two bays, a transept — in which there is little external of gothic except the form of the mouldings — flanked on the E. by six little square chapels, and a choir without aisles, ending in a straight wall, and with a simple LAON. LA ON. 431 Enguerrand IV., sire de Coucy, who died abbess of Sauvoir- sous-Laon 1333 — a remarkable work of the Flemish sculptor Pierre de Puez. In the other tomb, the figure of a xiii. c. knight in armour, is in very slight relief. Inserted in a pillar on 1 . is the gravestone of the abbot Pierre du Pont (xv. c.). Many of the pictures are copies by the monk Crepin Quillet, of the time of Louis XV. The abbatial buildings are occupied by the Hotel-Dieu. An octagonal chapel of the Templars., now belonging to the Freres de la Doctrine Chretienne, is of 1134. Nothing remains of the ancient royal abbey of S. Saleberga, named after the first wife of Charles le Simple. Her successor Ogiva, sister of Athelstan of England, was its abbess, and afterwards her daughter-in-law, Gerberga, wife of Louis V. of France. To the S. of the town is the Abbaye de S. Vincent, now belonging to the Jesuits. Its magnificent church, of the end of XII. c., was demolished in 1794. The abbot’s house, of XVII. c., and the outer walls, partly xiii. c., alone remain. The buildings of the Abbaye de S. Jean are now used for the Prefecture. In the suburb of Vaux, near the railway, is a beautiful church of the xi. c. with a choir of xii. c. It contains an old silk tapestry. The remarkable xiii. c. buildings, usually known as Les Granges de Vauclair, deserve the attention of architects.^ An excursion may be made from Laon to (16 k.) Urcel (see p. 422), passing (6 k.) Bruyei'es, a very ancient fortified village with a church chiefly xi. c. and xii. c., possessing a low for- tified XIII. c. tower, and three apses with sculpture ; (7 k. ) JArgcs picturesquely situated, with a fortified xiii. c. church; (10 k.) * 3ee De Caumont, Arch, Civile dii Moycit Age, 432 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Fresles^ with an xi. c. and xii. c. church and a ruined castle of the bishops of Laon ; (ii k.) Nouvion-le-Vineitx, with a beautiful church, chiefly xii. c. and xm. c., with a porch of xiv. c. ; and (i2k.) Laval, with an octagonal tower with moucharabis. Another excursion may be made to (6 k.) Molinchart, with the curious mass of rocks called Hottee de Garganhia, or la Butte des Rocailles. Turning aside (r.) from the road to Molin- chart, the interesting ruined xiii. c. castle of Cerny-les-Bucy may be visited. A short distance from Molinchart (2 k. from Mons- en-Laonnois (see p. 423) is the picturesque^ situated church of Lanlscourt (xi. c. and xii, c.) on a steep hill which contains the caves called Lcs Grottes des Moines Rouges, [There is a diligence from Laon to Aubenton by — 1 3 k. Notre Dame de Liesse (de Laetitia), a famous place of pilgrimage from the xii. c. Tradition tells that, in that century, three brothers of the family of Eppes de Marchais were taken prisoners during the Crusades. The sultan sent his daughter to their dungeon in the hope that she might convert them to the Mussulman faith, but, on the contrary, she listened to their argu- ments, and promised herself to embrace Christianity if an image of the Virgin were shown to her. The brothers Eppes had no- thing of the kind, but forthwith an image miraculously appeared in the cell, blazing with celestial light; and the sultan’s daughter, entirely convinced, set the brothers free, and eloped with them, carrying off the image, which has ever since been venerated here. The church, which the three brothers built in xii. c., was replaced in xiv. c. by the present building ; the portal is xv. c. At the cross is a spire with pinnacles. A rich jub6 divides the nave from the choir, and almost hides the sanctuary, which con- tains the black image, and, amongst thousands of ex-votos, a picture given by Louis XIII. and Anne d’Autriche, when they came hither to pray for a son. Against the pillars of the nave are statues of the Eppes brothers. A miraculous fountain is enclosed in a little chapel. 3 k. to S. of Liesse is the beautiful renaissance Chateau de Marchais, built xvi. c. by Nicolas de Longueval, Comte de Bossut, surintendant des finances, who, to save his life, when accused of treason, gave up his chateau and lands to Cardinal Charles de Lorraine, by whom Fran9ois I. RUM I G NY, ASF ELD. 433 was often received. The chateau now belongs to Albert, Prince of Monaco, and is fuH of precious objects. 35 k. Mo 7 itcornet, formerly fortified, has a church of xii. c. and XIII. c. 44 k. Rozoy-sur-Serre, fortified at a very early period, has a church (S. Laurent) partly xii. c. and xiii. c. 53 k. Brunechamel, has a xvi. c. fortress. 61 k, Aube 7 ito 7 i, near the confluence of the Ton with the Aube, has a church, partly xi. c. Its portal has a curious relief. 6 k. S.W. is Ru 77 iig 7 iy, a barony of the house of Guise, afterwards of Bourbon-Conde, which has a xvi. c. chateau, and a pilgrimage Chapelle de la Houssoye.'\ [A line runs N.E. from Laon to Mezieres (and Namur), by Hirson, passing — 25 k. Marie. The early gothic church, with a spire, contains the XV. c. tomb of Sire de Bournonville. On the r. of the line are Prisces, Biirelles, and Hary, all with fortified churches. 39 k. Vervms, a small manufacturing town with a church chiefly xvi. c. 47 k. La Botileille. The church of xvi. c., flanked by four towers, contains a xiii. c. chalice, and a bell from the abbey of Foig 7 iy (founded 1121), of which the small remains lie 3 k. to the N. 57 k. Hirson. See ch. v.] Leaving the suburb of Vaux, the main line reaches — 291 k. (from Calais) S. Er77ie. On the hill of Vieil- Lao7i to S.W. are the remains of an ancient camp. 303 k. Guig7iicourt. [A road turns E. to (38 k.) Rethel (see ch. vi. ) by — 14 k. 1 . 2 k. Asfeld, which has a very curious brick church built in 1683, in imitation of the Pantheon at Rome. Near this is the fine church of Saulx-S.-Rc 77 iy, which has a triple romanesque nave of three bays, romanesque transepts and choir, and a square tower with roman»»que windows. 28 k. Chateau Porcie 7 i, which belonged to the family of 28 434 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Richelieu, and has some remains of its ancient castle. The choir and tower of the church are xvi. c. 34 k. Barby. The modern church contains the epitaph of Elisabeth la Chandeniere, mother of the famous Jean Gerson, chancellor of the University of Paris in xiv. c.] 313 k. Loivre. 6 k. E. is Bourgogn-e, with a xiii. c. church. 324 k. Reims (Hotels : Lion diOr — close to the cathedral, good; Grmid Hotel— good', de la Croix Rouge — all near the cathedral). There are tramways in the principal thorough- fares of the town ; one may be taken — from the Square Colbert opposite the station — to the cathedral or to S. Remi. Reims, known as Durocortorum at the time of the Roman invasion, was a flourishing city under the Romans. About 352 SS. Sixte and Sinice came hither to preach Christianity, which was embraced by the consul Jovinus, whose cenotaph is still to be seen at the Archeveche. Forty years later, Reims was taken by the Vandals, and S. Nicaise was murdered (406) on the threshold of the cathedral which he had founded. After the conquest of Champagne by Clovis, the see of Reims was occupied for seventy-five years by S. Remi (Remigius — bishop at twenty-two), and Clovis was baptized by his hand in the cathedral ; a circum- stance which led to its after-importance in the history of the monarchy, as the kings of the first and second race desired to be consecrated with the oil which tradition affirmed a dove to have brought in the holy phial (ampoule) for the baptism of the first Christian king, and which was preserved in the abbey of S. Remi. Taken by Chilperic in 563, and by Charles Martel in 720, in spite of the courage of the bishop, S. Rigobert, who A^£/J/S. 435 was driven into exile, Reims witnessed the interview ot Pope Stephen III. and Pepin, and of Leo III. and Charlemagne (804), as well as the coronation of J.ouis le Debonnaire by Stephen IV. (816). In the succeeding centuries many archbishops of Reims attained a world-wide fame, especially the learned Hincmar (845), and Gerbert (afterwards Pope Sylvester II.), whose lectures as a monk, under his pre- decessor Adalberon, had a great celebrity. The archbishops had temporal rule over their town, and coined their own money till the xiv. c. In 1119 Calixtus II. held a council at Reims to reconcile Henry 1 / and Louis le Gros and to excommunicate the emperor Henry V. In 1429 Reims was delivered from the yoke of the English by Jeanne Uarc, who herself presented the keys of the town to Charles VII., and assisted there at his coronation. The town of Reims, till recently one of the most picturesque in France, is now intersected by wide and handsome streets, in the style of Parisian boulevards which give it quite another character. There are many who will deplore the change to the straight lines and featureless cha- racter of the present approach, from the quaint street which formerly led to the W. front of the cathedral, as shown in the accompanying woodcut. The magnificent Cathedral of Notre Dame, which has undergone complete restoration under Viollet le Due, is one of the finest buildings in the Christian world. ‘ Ce prodige de magnificence, qni s’entonre d’nne annee de cinq mille statues, et qui fait flamboyer an soleil coiichant les vitres resplendissantes de sa fa9ade percee an jour, comine iin mnr de pierreries ruisselantes de himiere.’ — Henri Martin. ‘ Celle-ci est achevee, contre I’ordinaire des cathddrales. 436 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. Riche, transparente, pimpante dans sa coquetterie colossale, elle semble attendee une fete ; elle n’en est que plus triste, la fete ne revient plus. Chargee et surchargee de sculptures, couverte plus qu’aucune autre des emblemes du sacerdoce, elle sym- bolise I’alliance du roi et du pretre. Sur les rampes exterieures de la croisee batifolent les diables, ils se laissent glisser aux REIMS. pertes rapides, ils font la moue a la ville, tandis qu’au pied du clocher-a-l’Ange le peuple est pilorie.’ — Michelet^ '•Hist, de Erancei ' The little basilica where S. Remi baptized Clovis was replaced in the ix. c. by a church which was built in 1211, and in the following year Archbishop Alberic Humbert REIMS. 437 began to raise a new cathedral upon a. gigantic scale ; he pushed the work with such vigour that it was finished in T242. The wonderful unity of the architecture attests the rapidity of the work. The architects employed were Bernard de Soissons, Gauthier de Reims, Jean d’Orbais, and Jean Loups. At the end of the xiii. c. the church was found to be too small for the vast crowds who flocked to the coronations, and the nave was lengthened, the present facade having been finished in the course of the xiv. c. from designs of the xiii. c. under the architect Robert de Coucy. On July 24, 1481, a terrible 'fire consumed the roof, the five lead spires of the transept, the balustrades, and as much as had been executed of the W. spires, which were not replaced. In the xviii. c. many valuable architectural details perished, and many of the statues on the W. front were destroyed, for fear of their falling during the corona- tion of Charles X. in 1825. The beautiful cloistered parvis of the cathedral remained entire till the coronation of Louis XVI. The principal features of the glorious W. facade of Reims are its three portals — of the Virgin, S. Paul (1.), and the Last Judgment (r.) — with their numerous statues ; the great rose-window, framed in a gothic arch, de- corated with statues like the doors ; the Galerie de Rois (de France) ; and the towers, — that on the S. contains the two great bells. In the central portal the Madonna has the principal place (not Christ, as at Chartres, Amiens, and Paris). ‘ All the dignity and grace of the style here reaches a truly classical expression. Nevertheless, even here, in one of the master-works of the time, we find great variety in the mode of 438 NORTH-EASTERN TRANCE. treatment. There are heavy stunted statues with clumsy heads and vacant expression, like the earlier works at Chartres ; others are of the most refined beauty, full of nobility and tenderness, graceful in proportion, and with drapery which falls in stately folds, free in movement, and with gentle loveliness or sublime dignity of expression ; others again are exaggerated in height, awkward in proportion, caricatured in expression, and affected in attitude.’ — Liibke. The N. transept had two portals. The greater — of S. Rhni — has statues of the principal bishops of Reims. ‘ That different hands were employed on the same portal may be seen in the forty-two small seated figures of bishops, kings, and saints, which, in three rows, fill the hollows of the archi- volts. They are, one and all, of enchanting beauty, grace, and dignity ; the little heads delightful ; the attitudes most varied ; the drapery nobly arranged, and so varied in conception that it would be impossible to conceive more ingenious variations.’ — Liibke. The smaller portal, amongst other statues, has the beau- tiful figure of Christ in benediction, known as Le Beau Dieu. ‘ This is a work of such beauty that it may be considered the most solemn plastic creation of its time. It shows perfect understanding and admirable execution of the whole form in its faultless proportions, and moreover there is such majesty in the mild, calm expression of the head, over which the hair falls in soft waves, that the divine seriousness of the sublime Teacher seems glorified by truest grace. The right hand is uplifted, and the three forefingers stretched out ; the left hand holds the orb, and, at the same time, the mantle, which is drawn across he figure, and the noble folds of which are produced by the advancing position of the right foot. The following of nature in this masterly figure is in all its details so perfect that not merely the nai\s of the fingers, but the structure of the joints, is cha- racterised in the finest manner.’ — Liibke. REIMS. 439 Equally beautiful are the reliefs on the tympanum, repre- senting the Last Resurrection and Judgment. In the former the varied emotions of the many figures rising from their tombs are marvellously expressed. On the frame of the rose-window above are colossal figures of Adam and Eve, and over this a gallery with seven statues of prophets ; higher still the Annunciation. Beneath the rose of the S. transept^ behind the archbishop’s palace, are statues representing the Church and the Synagogue, and, in the gable, the Assumption. The Angels’ Tower ^ over the choir, is, the only one restored after the fire of 1481. At its foot are statues. ‘ Ce sont hiiit figures de taille gigantesque, servant de cariatides. L’lm des bourgeois tient une bourse d’ou il tire de I’argent, un autre porte des marques de fletrissure : d’autres, perces de coups, presentent les roles d’impots lacdrds. Quel- ques amateurs croient que ces figures font allusion a une revolte arrivee au sujet de la gabelle, en 1461, et connue sous le nom de mique-maque. Louis XL fit pendre deux cents des rebelles. D’autres prdtendent que des le onzieme siecle les Remois s etant revoltes centre Gervais, leur archeveque, furent condamnes a construire le clocher a leurs ddpens. Ouatre statues semblables etaient placees sur des colonnes d’argent qui entouraient le maitre-autel’ — Michelet, ‘ Hist, de France. The interior of^Reims cathedral is 466 ft. long, and 1 21 ft. high. The nave and transepts have aisles. The nave has eight bays, and the transepts project to the depth of a single bay. Above the aisles is a triforium. Eight chapels radiate around the choir. The exquisite sculpture of the capitals in the nave deserves attention. Over the great W. portal the Martyrdom of S. Nicaise, at the entrance of the original church, is commemorated in sculpture ; and over 440 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. the whole W. wall are little statues in niches, sometimes combined into scenes, such as the Massacre of the Inno- cents. A population of statues fills the whole church. On the buttresses of the choir chapels are small figures of adoring angels ; while in the niches stand larger angels, as guardians of the house of God. To most visitors, however, the chief interest of the interior will be derived froiTi its beautiful xiii. c. glass, and its rich decoration of tapestries, of which fourteen (at the transept end of the nave) were given by Robert de Lenoncourt in 1530. Then (nearer the W.) come two remaining out of the six called Tapisseries du fort roi Clovis.^ given by the Cardinal de Lorraine in 1570 ; then (more W.) a selection from the splendid Tapisseries de Perpersack (named from a manufacturer of great repute, who worked for the Duke of Mantua), given in 1633 by Archbishop Henri de Lorraine. In the r. transept are sometimes hung some Gobelins tapestries, from designs of Raffaelle, given by the Government in 1848. In the 1 . transept is a clock with figures. The organ is of 1481, by Oudin Hestre. In the Chapelle S. Jean is the XIII. c. monument of Hugues Libergier, architect of S. Nicaise. The interesting contents of the Treasury (le Tresor, shown by the sacristan) include le Reliquaire de Sanson (xii. c.) ; le Reliquaire de SS. Pierre et Paul (xiv. c.) ; le Reliquaire du S. Sepulcre (xvi. c.), given by Henri II. at his coronation ; le Vaisseau de S. Ursule, given by Henri HI.; the chasuble of S. Thomas a Becket; the XII. c. chalice, called Calice de S. RGni ; le Reliquaire de la S. Ampoule, made for the coronation of Charles X., with a vast quantity of church plate given by that king. REIMS. 441 ‘ On se sert an sacre de denx couronnes : de la grande de Charlemagne, et d’line autre qui est faite pour la tete du roi, et enrichie de pierreries. La grande est expres d’une largeur a ne pas pouvoir etre portee sur la tete, et c’est celle qui sert au couronnement. Elle est faite ainsi pour donner lieu aux onze pairs servans d’y porter chacun une main au moment que I’archeveque de Reims I’impose sur la tete du roi, et de le conduire, en le soutenant toujours, jusqu’au trone du jube, ou se fait I’intronisation.’ — -S'. Swwh, ^ Meinoires,' 1722. Of the many historic events which this old cathedral has witnessed, the most important to French history was doubtless the coronation of Charles VII. ‘ Le sacre eut lieu dans Notre Dame de Reims, selon les rites accoutumes ; le Due d’Alencon, les Comtes de Clermont et de Vendome, les sires de la Tremouille et de Laval, et un autre seigneur, representerent les six pairs lai’ques de I’ancienne monarchie ; les regards des assistants portaient bien moins sur les acteurs de cette imposante ceremonie, que sur Jeanne la Pucelle, debout, pres de I’autel, son etendard a la main. Cette celeste figure, illuminee par les rayons mysterieux qui tombaient des vitraux peints, semblait Tange de la France presidant a la resurrection de la patrie : on eut dit qu’autour d’elle, a Tappel des trompettes qui sonnaient “ a faire fendre les voutes de la cathedrale,” s’animait tout ce peuple immobile et muet de Sera- phims, d’eveques et de rois qui remplie et environne Tauguste basilique. ‘ Apres que les pairs eurent proclame le roi et que Charles VII. eut recu Tonction sainte, Jeanne s’avanca vers Ini et lui em- brassa les genoux, “ en pleurant a chaudes larmes ; ” “ Gentil roi, “ lui dit-elle,” ores est execute le plaisir de Dieu, qui vouloit que vous vinssiez a Reims recevoir votre digne sacre, en montrant que vous etes vrai roi, et celui auquel le royaume doit appartenir ! ” Des acclamations eiitrecoupees de pleurs sympathiques Trent retentir de toutes parts les voutes de la cathedrale. C’etait la France renaissante que se sacrait elle- meme ! On sentait que rien de si grand ne s’etait accompli dans la cite de Saint-Remi, depuis le jour on Ta})6tre des 442 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Franks avait initie Clovis et son peuple a la foi du Christ.’ — He 7 iri Martin^ ^ Hist, de France! ‘ Entre, 6 peuple ! — Sonnez, clairons, tambours, fanfare ! Le prince est sur le trone ; il est grand et sacre ! Sur la foule ondoyante il brille comme un phare Des dots d’une mer entoure. Mille chantres des airs, du peuple heureux image, Melant leur voix et leur plumage, Croisent leur vol sous les arceaux ; Car les Francs, nos aieux, croyaient voir dans la nue Planer la Liberte, leur mere bien conuue, Sur I’aile errante des oiseaux. ‘ Le voila Pretre et Roi ! — De ce titre sublime Puis que le double eclat sur sa couronne a lui, Il faut qu’il sacrifie : ou done est la Victime? La Victime, e’est encore lui ! Ah ! pour les Rois fran^ais qu’un sceptre est formidable ! Ils guident ce peuple indomptable, Qui des peuples regie I’essor ; Le monde entier gravite et penche sur leur trone ; Mais aussi I’indigent que cherche leur aumone Compte leurs jours comme un tresor ! ’ Victor Hugo. To the r. of the cathedral is the Palais Archiepiscopal (shown by the concierge), begun by Guillaume Briconnet in 1498, finished in 1509 by Robert de Lenoncourt, partly rebuilt in 1675 by Charles-Maurice Le Tellier. The Salle de Tan is a fine hall, with a xv. c. chimney-piece, sixteen medallions of archbishops round the cornice, and portraits of fourteen kings crowned at Reims. A handsome suite of rooms were used by the kings when they came for corona- tion. The chapel or Chapelle Palathie., of two storeys, dates from 1230. The upper still serves for worship; the lower is used as a Musk d’A^iti^i/ites, the most important T^E/MS. 443 object preserved here being the cenotaph tomb of the Christian consul Jovinus, with sculptures of a hunting scene. The tramway may be used to accomplish the con- siderable distance (by Rue du Bourg-S. -Denis, and Rue Gambetta) from the cathedral to the Church of S. Rani. Here, theThapel in which the body of the saint had been laid in 600 was rebuilt by Tilpin and Hincmar, and again by the Abbot Airard, in 1015. But the present church was only begun in 1041 and consecrated by Leo IX. in 1049. The rond-point, the portal and two bays next to it, were added (1162-81) by Pierre de Celles, after- wards bishop of Chartres, and the transept by Robert de Lenoncourt in 1481. The S. transept, which is partly flam- ])oyant, has a beautiful portal surmounted l)y a rose-window. Each of the five apsidal chapels opens upon the ambulatory by three graceful arches, as at Notre Dame de Chalons. The splendid windows of the apse are of the beginning of the XIII. c. ; the cloture of the choir is renaissance. Louis V. of France, who died of injuries received by a fall from his horse in pursuing what was supposed to be a were- wolf, near the town, was buried here (954), with his wife Gerberga, and their son Lothaire was laid beside them in 986. But all the precious monuments in S. Remi perished in the Revolution, except twelve statues, belonging to the ancient tomb of the saint, representing the twelve peers of France, and the figure of the saint himself These sculptures were arranged to form part of a tomb erected in 1803, ihe present renaissance Tomb of S. Remi only dates from 1847. "i’he dignified statues of the saints which surround it are full of expression and character. In the triforium are ten tapestries illustrative of the life of 444 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. S. Remi, given by Archbishop Robert de Lenoncourt in 1531. At the end of the 1. aisle is a list of the kings, princes, archbishops, abbots, and other great personages buried near the shrine of S. Remi. The abbatial buildings of S. Remi are now occupied by the Hdtel-Dieu^ founded and richly endowed in 848 by Archbishop Hincmar. A beautiful gothic cloister remains. The tramway will lead (re-passing the cathedral) to the Place Roya/e, which has a bronze statue of Louis XV. The figures of France and Commerce at the sides of the pedestal are by Pigalle. Hence the Rue Royale leads to the Place des Marches^ where the Maison de Jacqiies-Callou (No. 9) is XV. c. The Rue de Tambour (containing the interesting XIV. c. Maison des Mnsiciens, built for the poet Guillaume de Machau, and another xiv. c. hotel beside it) takes us to the Pfdtel de Ville., the older part of which, decorated with an equestrian statue of Louis XIII., dates from 1627. It con- tains the Bibliotheque and Musk., with the usual picture gallery (open i to 5 in summer, 1 to 4 in winter, on Sun- days and Thursdays, and always shown to strangers from 10 to 4 on weekdays). Behind the Hotel de Ville, three streets lead to the Roman Triumphal Arch., called Porte de Mars., said to have been built by Agrippa, when governor of Gaul, in honour of Julius and Augustus Caesar, and named from a temple of Mars which stood close by.^ Enclosed in the ramparts in ^ Reims is the only town in France where the gates have pagan names — de Lumiere (or Dieu Lumiere) on the east ; de Ceres, opening to the country towards Rethel, covered with wheat {cereales ) ; de Mars, towards the Roman road, the military way of Caesar from Laon to Soissons ; de Venus, towards the walks propitious for love ; and the Porte Basee, said to have been Porte Bacchus, opening towards the vineyards of Ay and fipernay. See Didron, Annalcs Archcologiques. 5. DIZIER. 445 1544, it was only entirely exposed in 1857. Under the central arch were representations of the months ; under one of the others, Romulus and Remus with the wolf ; under the third, Leda and the swan. In the promenades near the arch, a Roman Mosaic Pavement is to be seen. In the Faubourg de Laon, facing the arch, is the modern church of S. Thomas (1847), with the tomb of its archi- episcopal founder Cardinal Gousset. At Legery^ near Reims, Urban II., who preached the first crusade, was born. [For the line from Reims to l^pernay see ch. vi. From Reims to Mezieres (Paris to Namur) see ch. vi. For the line to Paris by Le Ferte-Milon, Trilport, and Meaux see ch. vi.] 338 k. Sillery, producing a famous dry wine. The church is xi. c. and xiii. c. 345 k. Thuisy. The xii. c. church contains a xv. c. tomb. At 6 k. S. W. is Versy, famous for its wine, with the ruined monastery of S. Basle. The church of Courmelois (r. of the line) is xiii. c. and xvi. c. 381 k. Chalons-sur-Marne (see ch. vi.). The line follows that from Paris to Nancy to (413 k.) Vitry-le-Frangois, and (426 k.) Blesmes (see ch. vi.). From Blesmes, the line turns S.E. to— 434 k. S. Dizier (Hotel : du Soleil d’Or), a dull manu- facturing town on the Marne, which owes its name to the remains of vS. Didier having been brought here by the Chris- tians after the destruction of Langres by the Germans in 264. In 1570 S. Dizier formed part of the dowry of Mary Stuart. On leaving the station (turning 1., then r.) we soon see the gothic chapel and spire of the College Ecclesiastiqiie esta- blished in a former Capuchin convent. The street ends in 446 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. a square containing the Hotel de Ville of 1824. Hence the Rue de 1 ’ Hotel de Ville leads to the parish church., rebuilt in XVIII. c. except the gothic faqade with its triple portal. [A line leads N.E. to (28 k.) Revigny. See ch. vi.] [A line leads from S. Dizier to Bar-sur-Aiibe, by — 23 k. Vassy, famous for the massacre of its Protestant popu- lation in 1562 by the followers of the Due Francois de Guise. The road from the station leads to the ancient Porte Notre Dame. The church dates from xi. c. — sanctuary, transept, and tower, with additions (lateral chapels) of xv. c. and xvi. c. The noble, but injured, portal is xiii. c. The woodwork of the choir comes from Abbaye de S. Urbain. 40 k. Doutevaui (Hotel ; du Lion d'Or). The church is xiii. c. and XV. c. except the renaissance portal. A modern chateau replaces the old castle. Omnibus to (2| k.) Cirey-sur-Blaise, which has a fine xvii. c. chateau (with xviii. c. additions, where Voltaire resided from 1733 to 1749 with Mme. Duchatelet, and where he wrote many of his works). The chateau is now the property of the family of Damas. 1 5 k. from Doulevant is Soulahies, with a very fine church, chiefly xvi. c. The vaulting and pendants of the interior are unusually beautiful. A timber chapel, with a porch, is xiv. c. 65 k. Bar-sur-Aube. See ch. ix,] [A line leads S.W. from S. Dizier to Troyes, by — 29 k. Mo 7 itier-e 7 i-Der, which owes its existence to an abbey founded in 671 by S. Bercaire, of which the magnificent church remains. The romanesque nave is of x. c., the choir of xiii. c. The vaulting of the central nave is in wood, that of its aisles in stone. Five chapels radiate round the ambulatory, which opens to the choir by seven gothic arches, surmounted by a double triforium. To the 1 . of the church is a famous Haras. In the neighbouring village of Ceffo 7 ids, where Jacques Dare, father of Jeanne, was born, is a xii. c. and xiii. c. church, with fine xvi. c. glass. There is a diligence to (ii k.) So 77 i 77 ievoire (at the source BRIENNE-LE-CHATEA U. 447 of the Voire), with a xii. c. church containing xiv. c. frescoes, and admirable glass by Claudius Lavergne. The chateau is xv. c. 52 k. Biicnne-le-Chdteau (Hotel: de la C'roix Bla?iche). The birthplace of Jean de Brienne, King of Jerusalem and Emperor of Constantinople, and the scene of a battle between Napoleon I. and the Allies, Jan. 29, 1814. An avenue leads from the station to the handsome Chateau of the Prince de Bauffremont- Courtenay, built by Fontaine 1770-78, upon the site of an older building. It contains a number of curiosities, autographs, and portraits, the most interesting being that of Arnaud d’Andilly by Philippe de Chajnpaigne. The church is xvi. c. On the Place is a statue of Napoleon I. at sixteen, by L. Rochet, recording his residence as a pupil of the military school, which he entered at nine years old, in 1779. pedestal of the statue are inscribed the words of his will, in which he bequeathed 400,000 fr. to the town — ‘ Pour ma pensee Brienne est ma patrie ; c’est la que j’ai ressenti les premieres impressions de Thomme.’ At the farm of Basse-Foitlaine are some romanesque remains of a XII. c. abbey. At Brienne-la-Vieille is a church of xii. c. and XVI. c., with a beautiful portal of xii. c. brought from Basse Fontaine, as well as a charming xv. c. reliquary in the sacristy with a statuette of S. J. Baptist pointing out the relic (his own forefinger). To the 1 . of the line is the xvi. c. and xviii. c. church of La Rothiere. 108 k. Troyes. See ch. ix.] 439 k. Ancerville-Gue. [A branch turns E. to (30 k.) Naix-Menaucourt on the line from Bar-le-Duc to Neufchateau, by (27 k.) Dammarie.] 444 k. Eiirville. 35 k. S.W., at Troisfontaines^ are beau- tiful remains of an abbey church of transition romanesque. The line passes near the Roman monument called La Pyramide de la Haute-Borne^ supposed to have belonged to an aqueduct, formerly regarded with superstitious respect by the natives. 448 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. 453 k. Ch&uillon. In a valley to the 1 . is an old house which belonged to the chronicler Joinville. 457 k. Curel^ a junction with the line from Commercy to Troyes. See ch. ix. ^ 6 Joinville (Hotel: du Soleil dHr), a little town, prettily situated under wooded hills. It is supposed to have had its origin in a fortress founded in the iv. c. From the beginning of the middle ages it was a barony, but till the XIV. c. its most illustrious lord was the Sire Jean de Joinville, Seneschal de Champagne, the friend of S. Louis, whom he accompanied to the first crusade, which he describes in his Histoire de S. Louis. In the xiv. c. the seigneury passed to the house of Lorraine: in 1552 it was made a principality by Henri H. in favour of Frangois de Guise, and became the principal residence of his illustrious family. The famous Ligue du Bien Public was signed in the chateau, Dec. 31, 1584, between Philippe H. of Spain and the chiefs of the League. At the end of the xvii. c. the principality passed by heritage to the house of Orleans, which held it till the Revolution, when the Due d’Orleans sold the chateau for demolition. ‘Joinville, dont la Marne arrose le pied, fait un fort bel effet. C’est une bonne compagnie qiie cette riviere ; vous la perdez ; vous la retrouverez pour la perdre encore ; et toujours elle vous plait ; vous marchez entre elle et les plus beaux coteaux.’ — Diderot^ ‘ Lettres d Mdlle. Vollandl On entering the town from the railway we are confronted by a characteristic Statue of the Sire de Jobiville.^ by Lescorne (1861). In the Place du Marche is idvo. church {pi xii. c., XIII. c., and xvi. c.) with a graceful spire, but ‘restored’ into complete newness. The Rue des Capucins leads to the VIGNORY. 449 Hdpital S. Croix, founded by Antoinette.de Bourbon and Claude de Lorraine, and enlarged in 1864 : it preserves splendid enamel portraits of the founders by Leonard Limosin. A little street leads hence to the cemetery, where, behind the Chapelle S. Anne (built 1502 by Claude de Lorraine), is a commemorative monument to the Sires de Joinville, constructed with fragments from their original tombs. In the Hdtel de Ville are preserved two white marble statues, by Dominique le Florentin, from the tombs of Claude de Lorraine and Antoinette de Bourbon. A vine- yard occupies the site of the old chateau on the hill behind the town. Near the river are some remains of a ‘ Maison de Plaisance,’ called Le Chateau du Grand Jardin, erected in the xvi. c. by Claude Due de Guise. 7 k. E. of Joinville (omnibus) is Poissons, with a fine flam- boyant-gothic church of xvi. c. The dividing pillar of the portal bears a statue of S. Vincent : in the tympanum are the Nativity and Adoration of the Magi, separated by Christ in Benediction. Leaving Joinville, the line passes near the ruined abbey of S. Urbain, said to have been founded by Charles le Chauve. - Donjeux. The xii. c. church has a beautiful gothic portal and frescoes of the twelve apostles. 484 k. Vignory. The church, built 1040, has a fine XI. c. tower. It has a triple nave, with triforium, and an ambulatory with three radiating chapels. Some good statues are of xiv. c. and xv. c. To the S.W., near a farm, is a ruined castle of x. c., rebuilt xii. c. 488 k. Vraincourt- Vicville. Vicville has a ruined castle 29 450 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. dismantled in xiv. c., at the entrance of the valley of Vaux, which contains the cave called Ciive de la Roche and the rocks of Roche-Bernard. At Roocourt-la-Cote are remains of a castle and a church of the Templars. 492 k. Bologne. [A line turns off N.E. to (49 k.) Neufchateau (see p. 392) by — 9 k. Chautraines, near which are the remains (xvi. c.) of the Premonstratensian abbey of Septfontaines ; and— 15 k. Andelot, on the site of the important Roman station of Andelaum, where the church contains a xiii, c. tomb.] Chauniont (Buffet. Hotels: de France — good,; de rEcii). The town, on a lofty and once barren plateau (Mont Chauve) above the meeting of the Marne and Suize, originated in a fortress built c. 940. It was the place where the Allies (March i, 1814) signed a treaty not to lay down their arms till they had overthrown Napoleon I. and reduced France to the limits of 1789. The church of S, Jean Baptiste dates from the xiii. c., but the choir is XVI. c. flamboyant : the principal nave is early gothic. The church has two W. spires, and a beautiful S. porch, with rich flamboyant tracery. In the interior are ( 1 . transept) a winding staircase in an open tourelle ; in the chapel of the Virgin curious mural paintings : in the r. transept is a picture of S. Alexis attributed to Andrea del Sarto. The pulpit and banc d’oeuvre are by Bouchardon pere. The handsome chapel of the Lycee., which belonged to a Jesuit convent till the Revolution, has very rich xviii. c. decorations. In the buildings of the Palais de Justice may be seen the Tour Hautefeiiille (x. c.), a remnant of the old LANGRES. 451 castle of the Comtes de Champagne, with a balustrade of open work. The town is surrounded by promenades ; that called Le BoHlingrin has a local popularity. [A line leads S.W. from Chaumont to (56 k.) Chatilion- sur-Seihe (see ch. ix. ) by (27 k.) Latrecey, whence there is a diligence to (13 k.) Arc-eu-Barrois, where Mme. Adelaide built a chateau. At 4 k. is the curious old Chateau de Wal- bruant.'] 518 k. Foulain. 5 k. is the ruined abbey of Poiilangy. 541 k. Langres (Hotels ; de t Europe ; de la Foste). The town, 3 k. from the station, is reached by a Chemin de fer d Cremaillere (the only one in France : ascent 35 c., descent 20 c.), which takes travellers swiftly up two steep hills and lands them on the ramparts of the grey cathedral town, surrounded by beautiful boulevards and overlooking a vast expanse of open country. ‘ Langres est le type des villes silencieuses, austeres de la contree ; les neiges y sejournent longtemps, souvent Fair y souffle en tempete. Les habitants sont graves d’aspect comme les hommes du Nord : mais, quoique plus cachee, I’ardeur de lame n’est pas moins vive chez eux que chez leurs voisins de la Bourgogne: “Langres sur son rocher — moitie fou, moitie enrage,” dit le proverbe malveillant des gens de la plaine .’ — Elise Reclus. Formerly a principal town of the Lingones, Langres was an important place under the Romans. In the iii. c. it was invaded by Germans, l)y whom S. Didier, its third bishop, was murdered. Louis VII. erected its bishopric into a duchy, and gave the bishop of Langres the right of carrying the sceptre at coronations. Jean Buvet, the first 452 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. French engraver, and the philosopher Diderot, were natives of Langres. The Cathedral of S. Mammes is a fine specimen of the transition of the latter part of xii. c. and beginning of XIII. c., though in external effect it is spoilt by the portal and fagade of 1761-68. The vaulting and arches of the nave are gothic, but the triforium is romanesque 1 eight monolith columns, with richly sculptured capitals, surround the choir. In the chapel of S. Mammes is a fine statue of the saint by Henri Bertrand {ob. 1834). The xiii. c. font is richly ornamented. In the N. transept is the tomb of Bishop Gwerrin, 1877. The chapter-house is coeval with the cathedral. On the S. is the gallery called Clottre des chanoines, of very early gothic. All the ancient tombs, the pulpit in which S. Bernard preached, and most of the precious objects in the treasury, perished during the Revolution. The church of S. Martin is an interesting xiii. c. build- ing, and contains Le Christ de S. Martin., one of the best known sculptures in wood, the work of Gentil, a pupil of Primaticcio. It was given to the church by Cardinal Claude de Givry, Bishop of Langres 1729-31. The Porte Gallo-roniaine is outside the Porte du Marche, on the W. of the town. It is supposed to have been an arch of triumph, as well as one of the four great entrances of the Roman city. Its two arches are now blocked up. The handsome Porte des Mouiins, of 1647, belongs to the fortifications, by Vauban. Beyond it is the really beautiful lime avenue called Promenade de la Blanche Fontaine^ which is justly the pride of Langres. No. 21, Grande Rue, has a twisted staircase in its courtyard, and SOURCES OF THE MARNE. 453 there are several other good renaissance houses in Langres. On the balcony of the Hotel de Ville^ a petard is annually exposed, which was discovered by a baker placed with the intent of blowing up the Porte du Marche and admitting the Lorrains (Aug. 20, 1591), and a grand procession com- memorates the escape of the town. The church of S. Didier is used as a Musee., rich in Roman remains. The knives called Couteaux de Langres are really manufactured in the little town of Nogent-le-Roi. An excursion of 5 k, S.E. may be made to the sources of the Mai'7ie, at the foot of a circle of rocks. The first source, called Mamotte, bursts from the rock, the others from the ground near tlie farm of La Maniotte. In a hollow of the rock above the upper source is a little Chapel of the Virgin. Some antiquarians say that a neighbouring cave is that in which Julius Sabinus, who had claimed the title of Caesar, and his wife Epponina were concealed for nine years from the vengeance of Vespasian. ‘Julius Sabinus, ce chef des Lingons qui avait usurpb la pourpre et s’etait fait passer pour mort apres sa defaite, ne fut decouvert et arrete qu’au bout de neuf annCes ; il qtait restb presque tout ce temps enseveli dans un souterrain avec sa femme ^ponine oimPeponila, dont Plutarque a immortalisei le devouement par ses touchants recits. Sabinus et Eponine furent enfin pris et conduits a Rome, eux et leurs deux enfants, qu’^lponine avait “ mis au monde et eleves, comme une lionne, au fond de son antre.” Elle se prosterna avec ses enfants devant rempereur : “ Vois,” dit-elle, “Cesar, je les ai engendrds et nourris dans les tombeaux pour que nous fussions plus de suppliants a t’implorer.” Vespasien fut inflexible et ordonna le supplice de Sabinus. “ Fais-moi done mourrir aussi,” s’ecria- t-elle alors en se relevant fierement ; “car j’aime mieux les tenebres de mon antre que la lumiere du jour en face de Vespasien empereur.” Et elle suivit son epoux au supplice.’ — Henri Martin^ ‘ Hist de France.' [A line leads N.W. to Neufehateau and Mirecourt, passing — 454 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. 37 k. Merrey^ whence the line branches 1. to (75 k.) Neuf- chateau (see p. 392). The line to Mirecourt continues by— 54 k. Lamarche, which has a xiv. c. church and a ruined castle. 70 k. Contrexeville de T Etahlisse 77 ient ; des Apotres ; de la Provide 7 ice ; du Farcy')., a dull little bathing-place, only used since the middle of the xviii, c., but now much frequented for gouty affections. The neighbourhood is uninteresting. Excur- sions may be made to (9 k.) the ruined castle of ►S. Basle 7 no 7 it and (13 k.) dime dcs Pa 7 ’tisans. In the Val S. A 7 itoi 7 ie a rock- hermitage may be visited, and the ruined chapel of Not 7 -e Da7ne de Consolation on the Clievre-Roche. 75 k. Vittel ( Hotels ; de V Etablisse 7 nent ; des Sources), a dull bathing-place. 84 k. Re 77 i 07 iconrt, has a church of transition romanesque. 96 k. Mirecourt. See ch. viii.] 552 k. Culmont-Chatindrey. 3 k. from the station, i|k, from the village, is the fine renaissance Chateau de_ la Pailly, built by the Marechal de Tavannes in 1563, on the site of a feudal castle. The keep still remains, overlooking the surrounding xvi. c. buildings. Formerly the chateau was quadrangular, enclosing a courtyard, but much of this was destroyed by the Protestants in 1576, and only one faqade remains, with two wings flanked by round towers. On the ground floor is an open gallery of arches separated by Doric pillars. The first floor is reached by a staircase in a tourelle. Only the central pavilions have two storeys, the lower orna- mented with ionic, the upper with corinthian columns, both decorated with friezes of the most refined beauty. Along the whole length of the W. faqade runs a balcony, supported on double consoles ornamented with heads of animals. It is believed that the architect of Pailly was VESOUL. 455 Nicolas Ribonnier of Langres. The chateau suffered much in the Revolution, especially the xvii. c. chapel. [A branch runs N. from Chalindrey to join the line from Langres to Neiifchateau and Mirecourt at Andilly.] [For the line from Langres to (88 k.) Dijon, which diverges S.W. at Chalindrey, see South-Eastern Franceh] [A line of no interest diverges S.E. to (56 k.) Gray. See South-Eastern Franceh] 580 k. Vitrey, whence there is a branch line of 16 k. to Bourbonne-les-Bahis (Hotels : Gra 7 id des Bains ; du Com- merce)^ a bathing-place which has been popular from Roman times, for cases of rheumatism, contusion, etc. Excursions may be made to (15 k.) the Cistercian abbey of Morimont, founded in 1100, and ruined in xvii. c. wars of France and Lorraine ; and (8 k.) Aigremont, which has a ruined castle and church, with tombs. 605 k. Port d^ Atelier^ where the line branches off into the Vosges — to Plombieres, Epinal, etc. See chap. viii. 625 k. Vesoiil (Buffet. Hotels : de V Europe; de la Madelei/ie), a dull town, in which the public buildings — all of XVIII. c. — have no interest whatever. [A line leads to (127 k.) Dijon by Gray and Auxonne. See South-Eastern Fra 7 ice?^ [For the line to Nancy by Spinal, see ch. viii.] [A line leads from Vesoiil to (64 k.) Besan^on, passing — 7 k. Ville 7 's-/e-Sec, remarkable for the curious funnel called Le Frais Puits, which, in wet weather, sometimes throws up 100 cubic met. of water per second. 24 k. Montbozon, with a Dominican convent which was a seat of the Inquisition. 456 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. 35 k. Rig?iey, near which (r.) is the curious Chateau de la Roche, and a cave where the inhabitants took refuge in the Thirty Years’ War.] 655 k. Lure (Hotel : de la Bahmce). The Sous-Prefec- ture occupies xviii. c. buildings which once belonged to the famous abbey founded by the Irish monk Desle, a disciple of S. Columban. [For the branch to Nancy by Spinal, and to the interesting old town of Luxeuil, see ch. viii.] 687 k. Belfort (Hotel : de F Ancmiiie Boste), formerly the capital of the Department of the Haut-Rhin, now of the Territoire de Belfort. Strongly fortified by Vauban for Louis XIV. to defend the plain between the Vosges and the Jura — ‘ la porte de Belfort’ — the town is otherwise with- out interest. The principal church is of 1729-50. [For the line to (97 k.) Besancon, see South-Eastern France. A line leads S.E. to (35 k.) Porrentruy, on the Swiss frontier.] 699 k. Betit-Crolx, after which the line enters Germany. 769 k. Bale. CHAPTER VIII. EXCURSION IN THE FRENCH VOSGES. T he beauty of the Vosges is, for the most part, con- fined to the German side; but the hills and lakes on the French side have a quiet charm of their own, and a few summer or autumn days may be pleasantly spent amongst them. Nancy is the best point from whence to make an excursion into the Vosges, and heavy luggage may be left there. ‘ Les Ardennes et les Vosges ont eu, dans I’histoire de la France, nne importance considerable: elles ont frequemment arrete les invasions, on de moins en ont diminue la force en les obligeant a faire de longs detours. Les Ardennes surtout etaient un boulevard de defense, non seulement a cause de leur masse, de leur largeur, des vallees profondes qui s’y ouvrent comme des abimes, mais bien plus encore a cause du manque d'habitants et de culture : nulle armee ne pouvait s’aventurer en de pareilles regions. Les cliemins de I’invasion sont traces, a Test de I’Ardenne, par la vallee de la Moselle, a Touest par celle de I’Oise et par les plaines de la Flandre. Les Vosges quoique moins fortes que le massif ardennois comme barriere stratCgique etaient cependant un tres-serieux obstacle a la marche des armees, et celles-ci devaient passer soit an sud par la trouee de Belfort, entre les Vosges et le Jura, soit au nord par la depression de Saverne. ‘ Mais rimjiortancc militaire du massif de rArdcnnc et de la chaine des Vosges est minime en comj)araison de leur im- portance etlmologicpie. Pendant les guerres, les armees se 458 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. heurtent et s’ecrasent ; dies ravagent le sol, brulent les demeures humaines, exterminent 9a et la les habitants, mais il est rare qu’elles deplacent les populations et modifient froncierement les races : c’est pendant la paix que se font les grandes et durables invasions, soit par la preponderance politique, agricole industrielle ou commerciale de Tune ou I’autre des deux races limitrophes, soit par la plus igrande fecondite de ses families. Or, quoiqu’on ait dit souvent, les populations du Rathelois, du Verdunois, du Barrois, de la haute Lorraine n’ont jamais ete germanisees ; I’Ardenne et les Vosges ont empeche le melange des races ; seulement au nord, les immigrants de souche alle- mande se sont etablis d’une maniere permanente, grace a la breche que leur offrait la vallee de la Moselle, La limite des langues coincide en cet endroit avec celle des races .’ — Elisee Reclus. The line from Nancy to Epinal follows the line to Stras- bourg as far as Blainville-le-Grande (ch. vi.), whence it diverges S. to — 49 k. (from Nancy) Charmes, whence there is a line to (64k.) Rambervillers (Hotel: de la Paste). The much- altered church dates from the xi. c., and Hotel de Ville from 1581. 5 k. N. of Charmes is the village of Clianiagne^ which was the birthplace of Claude Gelde de Lorraine (1600-82). His house, marked by an inscription, still belongs to members of the family. 74 k. Epinal. A line leads from Neuchateau l)y — 22 k. Chatenois, with very slight traces either of the chateau founded by Gerard d’Alsace, first Due de Lorraine, and inhabited by him and his successors, or of a priory Spinal. 459 founded by his wife, Hedvvige de Namur, and in which she was buried. 29 k. Giro 7 icourt-Houecourt. The chateau of Hoiiecourt belonged to the Due de Choiseul. 46 k. Aliremirt (Hotel : du Conwierce) has a xiv. c. church and handsome Halles of 1617. 50 k. Hy 7 no 7 it-Mattahicoiirt. The church of Matfamcoind contains the tomb of the Bienheureux Pierre Fourier. 79 k. Epinal (Hotels : dii Louvre ; de la Eoste), the capital of the Department of the Vosges, is a considerable place, chiefly on an island in the Moselle. In the lower town is the large Church of S. Maurice, approached by a huge gothic porch from the N. : on the S. is a curious round tower : the heavy W. tower and the arches of the central aisle are romanesque : the windows of the triforium are oddly lighted by a squint from above. To become a Chanoinesse, or demoiselle d' Epinal, it was necessary to prove four generations of noble fathers and mothers. The Musee has an admirable collection of local geology, and a number of pre-historic and Gallo-Roman antiquities, found in the neighbourhood. Visitors often sleep three nights at the good inn at Epinal, making excursions by rail to Gerardmer and Remiremont. ‘ Epinal est cClebre siirtoiit par ses images grossierement enluminCes qii’on voit dans les aiiherges et dans les maisons de paysans, non seulement en France, mais dans tons les pays voisins et jusqu’aux extremitCs du monde. Dans les siecles a venir, une collection complete des images d’l^pinal sera I’lin des plus prCcieux documents pour I’etude du gout poi)ulaire au dix neuvieme siecle .’ — Kliscc Reclus. \o.\V. Julius (Hotels: de la ClefuVOr; de la J\yste), a 460 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. bathing-place in the valley of the Baignerot, with a modern pilgrimage chapel of Notre Dame de la Brosse. An ex- cursion may be made to (8 k.) Fontenoy-le-Chdteati, with a ruined castle, and in the church the tomb of Princess Yolande de Ligne. i k. further is the hamlet of Molieres^ where the unfortunate poet Gilbert was born in 1751. An oak is pointed out as le Cliene Gilbert.^ near the pilgrimage chapel of Le Bois Bani. From NoBmont (4 k. from Bains) is a fine view. 1 18 k. Ailleinllers. [A branch leads N.E. to ( 1 2 k.) Plombieres (Hotels ; Grand; de la Paix ; Stanislas), a little bathing-place which formerly belonged to the Dames de Remiremont and is now much frequented in cases of gout and rheumatism. A pleasant walk through the park and woods leads to (3 k.) the Fontamc Sta?tislas, a spring at the foot of some rocks overhung by an old oak. A day’s excursion may be made in the rather pretty scenery of the valley of the Semousse.] [A branch leads S.E, by (8 k.) Fougerolles, which has a sculptured cross of 1212, and (15 k.) Le Val d'Ayot, with a xvi. c. church, to Fay 7 nont, a pretty spot with a waterfall.] [A line leads from Aillevillers to Vesoul (and Paris), joining the main line at (148 k.) Port d’Atelier. See ch. vii.] Continuing the line to Bale, we reach — 13 k. Luxeuil-les-Bams (Hotels-: des Thermes ; dii Lion Vert), the most interesting and historic little town in this part of France. Inscriptions have been found which indi- cate that Luxeuil was known as a bathing-place before the time of the Romans, but its importance dates from 590, when the famous Irish missionary, S. Columban, founded here the great monastery which was the centre of religious L UXE UIL-LES-BAINS. 461 influence in France, and which continued till the Revolution to be one of its most important monastic institutions. ‘ Columban obtint du roi Goiitran un chateau fort, nomme Luxeuil, ou il y avait eu des eaux thermales magnifiquement ornees par les Romains et ou Ton voyait encore, dans les forets voisines, les idoles que les Gaulois avaient adorees. Ce fut sur les mines de ces deux civilisations que vint s’implanter la grande metropole monastique de I’Austrasie et de la Bourgogne. ‘ Luxeuil etait situe sur les confins de ces deux royaumes, au pied des Vosges et au nord de cette Sequanie dont I’abbaye de Condat avait deja, depuis plus d’un siecle, illumine la region meridionale. Toute cette contree qui setendait sur les flancs des Vosges et du Jura, depuis si illustre et si benie sous le nom de Franche-Comte, n’offrait alors que des chaines paralleles de defiles inacessibles, entrecoupes par des forets impenetrables, herisses d’immenses sapinieres qui descendaient du sommet des plus halites montagnes et venaient ombrager le cours des eaux rapides et' pures du Doubs, du Dessoubre, et de la Loue. Les invasions des barbares, celle d’Attile surtout, avaient reduit en cendres les villes romaines, aneanti toute culture et toute popu- lation. La vegetation et les betes fauves avaient repris pos- session de cette solitude, qii’il etait reserve aux disciples de Columban et de Benoit de transformer en champs et en paturages. ‘ Les disciples affluaient autour du colonisateur irlandais. Bientot il en compta plusieurs centaines dans les trois monasteres (Annegray, Luxeuil, et Fontaines ) qu’il avait successivement con- struits et qiflil gouvernait a la fois. Les nobles francs et bour- guignons, dominds par le spectacle de ces grandeurs du travail et de la priere, lui amenaient leurs fils, lui prodiguaient leurs donations, et souvent venaient lui demander de couper leur longue chevelure, insigne de noblesse et de liberte, et de les admettre eux-memes dans les rangs de son armee. Le travail et la priere y avaient pris, sous la forte main de Columban, des proportions inoines jusqifalors. La foule des pauvres serfs et des riches seigneurs y devint si grande, (]u’il put y organiser cet office perpCtuel, appele Laus 'perennis^ on jour et nuit les voix des moines “ aussi indel'atigables (pie cclles des anges ” se 462 NORTH-EASIERN FRANCE. relevaient pour celebrer les louanges de Dieu par un cantique sans fin.’ — Mo7italc7nbert^ ^ Les Momes d Occide7it' The road from the station enters the long hilly street of stone houses close to (r.) the arcaded xvi. c. house, known MAISON DE FRANCOIS I., LUXEUIL. as ALaison de Fra7ipis 7., or Maison du Juif. In the upper part of La Grande Rue is (r.) the beautiful early xv. c. Hotel de Ville^ with a tower used as the Beffroi, containing a staircase lighted by little windows, each of which contains one of the words composing the ‘ Ave Maria.’ It is not L UXE UIL-LES-BAINS. 463 known whether this building and the opposite house were due to Perrin Jouffroy early in the xv. c., or to Cardinal Jean Jouffroy, Abbot of Luxeuil, in the middle of the xv. c. Along the whole front of the beautiful xv. c. Maison IN THE HOTEL HE VILLE, LUXEUIL. Jouffroy runs a splendid flamboyant balcony, to which stone pillars have been added as supports and an entablature, destroying ancient wreathed work, ddie windows are sur- rounded with delicate sculpture. Augustin 'rhicrry lived in this house when he was writing his Kccits Merovingiens. 464 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. Lower down the street opens ( 1 .) the Place de PEglise, containing several xv. c. houses and the huge parish Church., formerly abbatial (1328-40), occupying the site of the church whence Columban was driven into exile (610), by the soldiers of Thierry and Brunehaut, after having ruled his abbey twenty years. It has a long nave of six bays, with a dark triforium, a transept with four chapels to the east, and a choir. It is beautiful in colour. The stalls are xvii. c. At the W. end is a splendid organ. In the N. transept are incised tombs and remains of statues, including one of S. Peter of xi. c. On the S. a door opens on the mutilated cloisters, of which one of the galleries is missing, leaving it open to the street. The immense buildings of the abbey are used as a seminary, and the abbot’s house (xviii. c.) as the residence of the Cure. There are many xvi. c. and XVII. c. houses in Luxeuil. ‘ La grande abbaye sequanaise devint la pepiniere des eveques et des abbes, des predicateurs et des reformatenrs pour toute I’Eglise de ces vastes contrees, et principalement pour les deux royaumes d’Austrasie et de Bourgogne. Elle dut cette influence preponderante non seulement a la regularity monastique qui y etait severement observee, mais surtout a la florissante ecole que Columban y avait creee, qu’il avait confiee, pendant qu’il y sejournait encore, a la direction speciale d’Eustaise, et dont celui-ci, devenu abbe a son tour, fomenta les progres avec un zele infatigable. Luxeuil fut pendant tout le vii. siecle la plus celebre ecole de la chretiente et la plus frequentee. On y voit affluer les clercs et les moines des autres monasteres, et, plus nombreux encore, les enfants des plus nobles races franques et bourguignonnes. Lyon, Autun, Langres, Strasbourg, les cites les plus fameuses de la Gaule, y envoient leur jeunesse laique. Les peres y viennent en force etudier avec leurs enfants : les Lins pour aspirer a I’honneur de compter un jour parmi les fils de S. Columban, les autres, pour rentrer dans la vie seculaire avec LUXEUIL-LES-BAINS. 465 la renommee d’avoir pulse la coniiaissance des lettres divines et humaines dans un centre d’etude si fameux. ‘ Des bords du lac de Geneve jusqii’aux plages de la mer du Nord, chaque annee voyait naitre quelqiie monastere peuple et fonde par les enfants de Luxeuil, tandis que les villes Episco- pates reclamaient pour eveques des hommes formes augouverne- ment des ames parle souffle regEnErateur de Luxeuil. Besan9on, FOUNTAIN OF S. VALBF.RT. Noyon, Laon, Verdun, et les chef-lieux diocEsains du pays des Rauragues et des Morins, furent assex heiircux pour en obtenir presque en meme temps. Tons enviaient leur bouheur, tons demandaicnt a I’envi des suj)Ericurs qu’ils tenaient d’avance pour des saints. Kt c’Etait justice: car pcut etre vit-on jamais rEuni sur le meme ])oint, et dans le court esj)ace de vingt anuEes, un si grand nombre d’liommes honorEs apres leur mort d’un culte j)ublic par I’Kglise. 30 466 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. ‘ Ce serait une rude tache que de vouloir retracer le tableau fidele de la colonisation monastique de la Gaule franque, dont Luxeiiil fnt le foyer pendant tout le vii. siecle.’ — Montalembert. 6 k. from Luxeuil, picturesquely situated, are the hermitage, cave, and fountain of S. Valbert. Through dull moorland country, the line reaches — lok. S.W. of Luxeuil, 6'. Mar/e-en-C/ia?wis, with a pretty covered fountain, and the hermitage of S. Columban on a rock, beneath which rises a spring considered to have miraculous virtues. 152 k. Z?/re, on the line from Paris to Bale (see ch. vii. ). The line from Epinal to S. Die passes — 12 k. Arches. [A branch leads to — 16 k. Re'miremo?A (Hotels : de laPosie; du Cheval de Bronze), a clean little town embosomed in wooded hills, pretty, but easily seen in half an hour, and not worth turning aside to visit except for its associations with the history of its famous Chapter ot Chanoinesses. S. Romaric, a great Austrasian lord, who had been persuaded by the preaching of S. Amat to follow the religious life at Luxeuil, where he had been a monk for six years, founded, with the help of S. Amat, two monasteries for men and women on a hill which he had preserved (Castrum habendi), when he sold the rest of his lands for the poor, and which took the name of Romarici mons or Remiremont. The place was much frequented by Charlemagne and his son for their autumn hunting. ‘ Dans cette celebre abbaye, que les deux fondateurs sou- mirent tout d’abord a la regie de saint Colomban, tout fut mis sur le pied le plus magnifique, grace a I’affluence des religieuses et a la munificence des rois et des seigneurs austrasiens. Clotaire II. donna en une seule fois a la fondation de son ancien leude la somme enorme de deux cents pieces d’or. Remiremont fut bientot pour les femmes ce que Luxeuil etait ddja pour les hommes. Le nombre des religieuses permit d’y REMIREMONT. 467 organiser la Laus perennis^ au moyen cle sept choeurs qiii chantaient alternativement les louanges de Dieu dans sept eglises on chapelles dilf6rentes. La ferveur et la r6giilarite de toutes ces vierges meriterent au site occupe par lenr com- munaiit6 le nom de Saint-Mont, qu’il a garde pendant plusieurs siecles. ‘ Romaric la dirigea pendant trente ans. Avant d’entrer a Luxeuil il avait ete marie et avait eii trois lilies : les deux puinees prirent le voile dans le monastere de leur pere. L’amee, qui setait marine sans le consentement de Romaric et sans dot, essaya de revendiquer une part de I’heritage paternel. Elle envoya done a son pere son premier enfant, qui etait une fille, dans I’espoir que le coeur de /Romaric se laisserait flechir, et qu’il rendrait a sa petite-fille ce qu’il avait refuse a sa fille. L’ai'eul la re^ut avec joie,, mais ne la renvoya plus, et la fit elever par les religieuses dont elle devint plus tard abbesse. Alors la mere, ayant un fils, le fit porter, avant meme d’avoir etd baptise, a son grand-pere, toujours dans I’espoir que celui-ci en ferait son heritier. Mais Romaric en agit de meme qu’avec sa petite- fille ; il garda I’enfant dans son monastere, et ne lui laissa d’autre succession que celle de la dignite abbatiale dont il etait revetu. ‘ Car il avait a Remiremont deux monasteres, I’un de moines et I’autre de religieuses, tout a fait rapproches, mais avec un sup6rieur special pour chacune des deux communautes. Les uns et les autres, suivant la noble expression de Bossuet, s’aidaient a gravir le rude se 7 itier! — Mo 7 italemhert. In the troubled times of the x. c., the nuns of Remiremont took refuge in the town in the valley, the monastery of men on the ,hill continuing to exist till the Revolution. But the com- munity in the plain gave rise to the famous Chapter, which threw off the severe rules of S. Benedict in the xii. c., from which time the nuns, becoming Chanoinesses, lived apart with the utmost comfort, and their abbess bore rather a sceptre than a cross. Under the endowments of successive dukes of Lorraine, Remiremont became almost the most illustrious Chapter in Europe. The abbess, always chosen from a family of the very highest rank, exercised sovereign authority over its domains, and, in virtue of a diploma from the P^mperor Rudolph, 1290, bore the title of Princess of the Holy Empire. She was elected only b 468 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. the united voice of the Chapter, and went to Rome to receive consecration from the Pope himself in the Lateran. To him she offered in sign of homage, every three years, a white horse and a piece of purple stuff; and when, after many years, the Pope remitted this tax, she bore, in all solemn processions, a red silk banner sprinkled with gold and silver birds in remem- brance of it. A sword was carried before her. She had the right of giving liberty to prisoners. In the choir she sate on a throne placed on a carpet of crimson velvet and gold, and on fete days she held ‘ grand-couvert,’ as was the custom with sovereigns. The Chapter of Remiremont counted sixty-four abbesses. The last was Louise-Adelaide de Bourbon-Conde. ‘ L’Abbesse 6tait pour moitie dans la justice de la ville, et nommait, avec son chapitre, des deputes aux etats de Lorraine. La doyenne et la sacristaine disposaient chacune de quatre cures. La souzier^ ou recevreuse, partageait avec I’abbesse la justice de Valdajoz (val-de-joux), consistant en dix-neuf villages ; tous les essaims d’abeilles qui s’y trouvaient lui appartenaient de droit. L’abbaye avait un grand prevot, un grand et petit chan- celier, un grand souzier, etc.’ — Michelet. The fifty Chanoinesses were compelled to prove a noble descent on the four paternal and maternal lines, a descent which in every case must extend beyond two hundred years ; and as to this, the rule was so severe that difficulties were made about the reception of a daughter of Gaston d’Orleans, brother of Louis XIV., because the house of Bourbon was considered to have made a mesalliance in intermarrying with the Medicis. In the later days of the Chapter, its vows were only temporary. The Chanoinesses could renounce them and marry. They took the title of countess, and each lived alone in little houses grouped around the abbatial palace. From the beginning of the xvii. c. their life was entirely mundane. On Monday in Pentecost, the abbess, seated on a throne surrounded by all the ladies and clergy of her Chapter, received the homage of the different villages of her domain, their inhabi- tants arriving in procession, and presenting the first green boughs of spring, those of a different tree being due from each parish — from S. Amd, lilac ; from S. ^itienne, cherry, etc. This was called REMIREMONT. 469 the procession des Kyrioles — from the chaiint (Kyrie eleison) which each village sang as it passed before tht abbess. The fete ended in a ball, given in the court of the abbatial palace, and in which all the ladies of the Chapter, and even many of the ecclesiastics of the abbey, took part. When a new duke of Lorraine came to the throne, he was bound to go in great pomp to Remiremont, and there, in front of the church, to swear to protect the Chapter and to maintain all its privileges. In return, when Remiremont was besieged by the French in 1638, the abbess and her ladies were constantly seen in person upon the walls, urging the defenders to repel their assailants. After the reunion to France in 1766, Remiremont bore for a time the name of Libremont. Considering what its past histofy has been, it is astonishing how little interest Remiremont has now. The church which was consecrated by Leo IX. in 1284, where Rudolph of Hapsburg was married to Elisabeth de Bourgogne, has quite disappeared, with the exception of its curious crypt, perhaps of xi. c. which con- tains the tombs of several abbesses. The huge existing church, of the XIV. c., is spoilt by its xviii. c. facade, and its bulbous spire. Inside, it is a handsome cruciform building, with wide gothic vaulting, and no chapels or triforium. The high altar and decora- tions of the choir are all xviii. c. In the 1 . transept is a curious statue of S. Nicolas. There is no other point worth noticing except the shrine containing the relics of SS. Romaric, Amat, and Idulphe, which the nuns brought with them, in the x. c., from the church on the hill. The Abbatial Palace (xviii. c.) is now the Palais de Justice, and other late buildings of the abbey are employed for public offices. Some of the canonical houses are XVII. c. One of the streets has stone arcades under the houses. ‘ Remiremont est une des villes de France autour desquelles on pent faire des promenades charmantes ; eaux rapides et claires, cascades veinees decume, prairies alternant avec des vergers et des bois, fraiches vallees, coteaux gracieux et roches abruptes, blocs glaciaires converts de mousse, voila ce que montrent tons les paysages des alentours.’ — Elisee Reclus. 3k. distant is Le Saint Mont, with a fine view and two little chapels, one of which is said to mark the cell of Romaric. In a valley, between the S. Mont and Fossard, is the curious rudely- 470 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. constructed barrier, supposed to be of Roman date, known as the Pont des Fees, i k. W. of the S. Mont, is the pretty Cascade de Miramont. About 4 k. N. is the red sandstone monolith called Pie 7 Te Kirlmki 7 i, and, in the same direction, the Fontaine S. Sabine, into which girls, who wish to marry, throw a pin ; if it floats, they will marry within the year. 18 k. distant is the wooded Vallee dHNival, with some remains of xvii. c. buildings belonging to a priory founded in 1090. 14 k. in the direction of S. Die is Sapois, a pretty spot, with the Saut du Bouchet. The line continues to — 25 k. W. Near Jei'don is the Saut du Scouet, the best waterfall in the Vosges. 35 k. kS. Ame (S. Amat), near which is the little waterfall called Saut de la Ctive. 52 k. Cornbnont (Hotel : de la Moselotte'), said to owe its name to an enormous horn, preserved at the mairie, which was ormerly blown to summon the inhabitants in any time of danger. [Another line leads from Remiremont by the base of the Ballon d’Alsace to (47 k.) Wesserling, by — 26k. 6*. Maurice d’ Alsace (Hotel: de la Paste'), whence the ascent of the Ballon d’Alsace (1244 met.) is usually made. 33 k. Bussang, at the upper end of the valley of the Moselle.] Continuing the line from Epinal to S. Die, we reach — 36 k. Laveline. [From Laveline there is a branch line, and carriages are changed there for Gerardmer. The scenery is like the lowlands of Scotland, for the last few miles rather pretty, through rocky pine-woods. 54 k. (from I^pinal) GHard^ner (Hotel : de la Paste — immense and excellent, where 200 people live in summer like one family, with music and dancing in the evenings, after the fashion ot French watering-places). The hamlet of wooden chalets, with bright red roofs, recalls villages in Norway. It produces the cheeses called geromes at Paris. The air is delightful. The meadows are one sheet of daffodils in spring. Close by is the GERARDMER. 471 lake, encircled by forests strewn with mossgrown rocks — ‘ mou- tons de Gerardmer.’ ‘ Le lac est retenii a I’ouest par une moraine frontale de 70 a 80 metres de hauteur que ses eaux n’ont pu franchir ; elles refluent au nord vers la Vologne, apres s’etre elevee jusqu’a 75 metres au-dessus de la partie la plus creuse du lit Les eaux tranquilles et les cascades bruyantes, les forets sombres con- trastent avec les paturages d’un vert plus tendre, les blocs GERARDMER. erratiques parsemes sur les pentes et semblables de loin a des troupeaux, d’ou le nom plaisant de ‘ moutons ’ qu’on leur a donne, rendent cette region I’une des plus aimables des Vosges. En comparant la beaute de la nature et cede des constructions de I’homme, les montagnards peuvent bien repeter sans trop d’arrogance leur vieux dicton : “ Sans Gerardmer et un pen Nancy, que serait la Lorraine .”’ — Elisce Reclus. There are endless walks in pine woods, carpetted with moss and bilberries, to little waterfalls, and views — of no real import- ance or beauty, but pleasant points for afternoon excursions. 472 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. made easy for visitors by sign-posts at every turn of the forest. 6 k. distant are the little lakes of Lotigemer, forming the Vologne, which falls from a granite ledge in the Sant des Owes, and the lake of Retournemer, in a circular basin near the Col de la Schlucht.'\ 6i k. .S. Die (Hotels : du Commerce ; dela Foste), a town beautifully situated amongst forest-clad hills, which derives its name from Dieudonne (Deodatus), who gave up his bishopric of Nevers to become the missionary of the Vosges, and who founded a monastery here in the time of Chilperic II. His foundation became, in the x. c., a canonical chapter which was endowed with great riches and privileges by successive dukes of Lorraine, but was weakened by the creation of the bishopric of S. Die, during the reign of Stanislas, and perished at the Revolution. The Cathedral^ near the ex- tremity of the Grande Rue, has a romanesque nave, gothic aisles and choir, and xviii. c. portal. The capitals of the nave, of the beginning of xi. c., have interesting sculptures. To the 1. of the vestibule is the entrance of a large and much mutilated gothic Cloister, on one side of which is an admirable stone pulpit. Through the cloister, is the entrance to a little square containing La petite Eglise, a very curious early romanesque building of ix. c. ; each of its three aisles terminates in an apse, and in each bay are two round-headed arches enclosed in a larger one which reaches to the vault and is pierced in the upper part by a double window. Opposite the cathedral portal is a good xvii. c. house. From the Montague S. Martin (2 k.) is a fine view. ‘S. Diey est une assez jolie ville au pied de la montagne, de laquelle on fait toutes les annees une procession solennelle, pour demander a Dieu la grace de les preserver d’une ancienne MO YEN MO UTIER. 473 prediction qui menace cette ville que la montagne tombera dessus, et qu’elle I’ensevelira ; les hommes et les femmes n’y out que la figure humaine ; pour I’esprit, ils n’en ont point.’ — ‘ Memo ires de Mile, de Montpensier! qk. from S. Die, near the foot of the Kemberg (741 met.), is Taintrux^ with an old chateau used as a farm. A deeply interesting excursion may be made from S. Die to the district of the Ban de la Roche (now in Germany), 32 k. on the road to Strasbourg, with the pretty simple village of Fouday, which was the scene of the life and labours of Oberlin, who is buried (1827) in its churchyard with his wife, one of his sons, and his devoted servant, Louise Schepler. His parsonage is at Waldersbach, 3 k. from Fouday. / From S. Die one may return to Nancy by (51 k.) Luneville (see ch. vi.), passing — 17 k. Raon VEtape. 6 k. E. is the abbatial church of MoyemnoiUier (i\\e surrounding buildings being used as a cotton-mill), founded in vii. c. by S. Hydulphe, whose relics are shown there. In the cemetery, on the side of the hill, S. of the Abbey, is the exceeding curious Oratoire de S. Grcgoire., believed to be the same erected by S. Hydulphe in the vii. c., and containing the stone coffin in which his remains rested till they were placed in a shrine in the church eighty years after his death. 6 k. further E. is Se?io?ies, with some remains of an abbey rendered illustrious in the xviii. c. by the learning of its abbot Dom Calmet, who died in 1754, and is buried in the parish church. It was on a visit here to Dom Calmet that Voltaire collected part of the materials for his Essai sur les Moeurs. ^ 26 k. Baccarat^ famous for its glass-works. CHAPTER IX. PA/?IS TO CHAUMONT (TPOV/NS AND TROYES'). 17 k. J\^ ogent-sur-Marne. The church is xii. c., xiii. c., and XV c. In the cemetery is the tomb of Watteau.^ 28 k. Emerainville-Pontault. [A branch of 6 k. turns N. to Noisiel, where M. Menierhas his great chocolate factory. It has schools, libraries, and prosperous happy cottages, surrounding the chateau and gardens of the owner — a community of working people, whose toil is lightened and whose position is made happy by a sympathy and munifi- cence rarely found allied.^] The railway passes through the Forest of Armainvilliers. 33 k. Ozouer-la-Ferriere. [5^k N.E. is Ferrieres., with the magnificent modern Louis XIV. chateau and lovely gardens of Baron Rothschild. The piano of Marie-Antoinette is preserved here. The church is xiii. c.] 39 k. Gretz- Armainvilliers. [A branch line turns off N.E. to Vitry-le-Fran9ois, passing — 41 k, (from Paris) Toiir 7 tan ; church xiii. c. and xiv. c. 49 k. Marles-Fontenay ; i k. r. Ma?'les. The church is xv. c. In the inn close by are remains of a chateau where Henri IV. stayed. 3 k. S. is Fontenay-Tresig 7 iy., with church of xiii. c. and remains of a royal chateau of xvi. c. 7 k. E. is Lu 77 iig 7 iy, ^ For details of the first part of this route, see Days near Paris. See Holidays in Eastern France. COULOMMIERS. 475 with the chateau where Helvetius composed his book De VEspi'it. ^2\i. La Houssaye-Crevecoeur. La Houssaye has a fine chateau of xvi. c. ; Crevecoeur (3^ k. W.) a ruined manor ot XIV. c. or XV. c. The line passes through the Forest of Crecy. y2k. Coulo 7 umiers {Y{o\.q\s\ dn Soleil Levant ; deVOu 7 's). On leaving the station, a street turns r. to a half island in the Grand- Morin, containing the old church of the Capuchins, 1617-80, and the remains of a chateau built, xvii. c., by the Duchesse de Longueville, Dame de Coulommiers. Turning 1 . from the station, we reach the town. The church of 6'. De 7 iis was rebuilt xiii. c., the portal is xvi. c. The nave has a painted wooden roof, the choir a stone vaulting. There is good XVI. c. glass. On a height N. of the town is an ancient Co 7 n 77 ia 7 iderie de VHopital, now a farm, with towers, chapel, and chapter-house. 78 k. Chailly-Boissy. The church of (r.) CJiailly-e 7 i-Bfiey ot XIII. c., has a curious xv. c. painting of the Crucifixion in the tympanum of its portal. 92 k. La Fei'tc-Gaiicher. The church ot S. Ma 7 Li 7 i-e 7 i-Ville is XV. c. or XVI. c. The old chateau of the Prior of the Maison- Dieu is now divided into dwellings. A road runs hence to La Fert6-sous-Jouarre, through (17 k.) Alanroy, where the xiii. c. church has beautiful stained glass, and a curious xi. c. font. 202 k. Vitry-le-Francois. See ch. vi.] The line passes ( 1 .) Presks, having a xiii. c. church with great xvi. c. tower. 44 k. Villepatour-Coubert. The xiii. c church contains a beautiful XV. c. processional cross. 53 k. Verneuil-Chan 77 ies. Omnibus to (2^ k. S.W.) Guignes, with a beautiful xviii. c. church, and (8 k.) CIuwi- peaux^ with a fine late xii. c. church, with xv. c. glass, and stallwork of the Renaissance. 3^k. further is Bla/idy^ with a fine ruined castle of xiii. c., xiv. c., and xv. c. 65 k. Grand-Puits, with xii. c. castle in ruins. 70 k. Nangis (Hotels : dii Dauphin ; de la Provide 7 ice). 476 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. The XIII. c. church has a choir with beautiful triforium and XV. c. ambulatory. The Hotel de Ville occupies part of the remains of the chateau of xv. c. and xvii. c. Diligence to (7 k.) La Croix-en-Brie^ with church xiii. c. and XIV. c., and (18 k.) Jouy-le-Chdtel, with remains of ancient walls and castle, and church of xvi. c. 80 k. Maison-Rouge, Diligence to (8 k. S.) Donnemarie-en-Monthois^ in the valley of the Auxence, with church of xii. c. and xiii. c., and remains of the abbey of Preuilly^ founded 1116. 89 k. Longiieville. 5 k. N.W. is 6^. Loup-de-Naud^ with remains of a Benedictine Priory, dedicated to S. Loup, Bishop of Sens. The interesting church of the end of xi. c. is of latest romanesque ; its principal portal, of XII. c., is richly decorated with statues, and the interior of the apse has curious contemporaneous painting. [A short branch line leads to — 95 k. (from Paris) Provins (Hotels ; du Boule d’Or — very tolerable ; de la Foiitame). This curious old town is divided into the Ville Haute and the Ville Basse. The former is on a hill-promontory between the Durtain and the Voulzie, and preserves an aspect of the middle-ages. Paul Hentzner, who travelled in France in 1598, compares its situation to that of Jerusalem.^ Some suppose Provins to be the Agendicum of Caesar ; others give it a still earlier date. It is mentioned in the capitularies of Charlemagne, and in the middle-ages it was the capital of Basse-Brie, and the residence of the Comtes de Champagne. It reached its greatest prosperity and had 80,000 inhabitants under Thibault VI. (le Chansonier). In 1432 it was taken by the English, and retaken in the next year. It submitted to Henri IV., in 1590, was pillaged, and has never recovered ; now it has only 7,000 inhabitants. The town has always been celebrated for its crimson roses — the mis-called ^ ^ Itimmriiim Germaniae, Galliae, Angliac, Italiael scriptum a Paulo Hentzner. Breslae, 1618. PRO VI NS. 477 ‘ Provence roses ’ of England, said to have been brought hither from the East by the Crusaders. ‘ Le chateau, la vieille ville et ses anciens ramparts sont etages sur la colline. La jeune ville s’^tale en bas. II y a le haut et le bas Provins : d’abord, une ville aeree, a rues rapides, a beaux aspects, environnee de chemins creux, ravines, meubles de noyers, et qui criblent de leurs vastes ornieres la vive arete de la colline ; ville silencieuse, proprette, solennelle, dominee paries mines imposantes du chateau ; puis une ville a moulins, arrosee par la Voulzie et le PROVINS. Durtain, deux rivieres de Brie, menues, lentes et profondes ; une ville d’auberges, de commerce, de bourgeois retires. Ces deux villes ou cette ville, avec ses souvenirs historiques, la melancolie de ses mines, lagaiete de sa vallee, ses d^licieuses ravines pleines de haies echevelees de fleurs, sa riviere cr^nelee de jardins, excite si bien I’amour de ses enfants, qu’ils se conduisent comme les Auvergnats, les Savoyards et les Fran^ais ; s’ils sortent de Provins pour aller chercher fortune, ils y reviennent toujours. Le pro- verbe “ Mourir au gite,” fait pour les lapins et les gens fideles, semble etre la devise des Provinois .’ — De Balzac^ Dcs Celibatau'cs' On leaving the station, turning r,, and crossing tlie Voulzie, 478 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. we reach the Ville Basse, and the Rue cles Bordes, and ( 1 .) Rue Felix Rourguelot takes us to the Church of S. Ayoul (S. Aigiilfe), of which the chevet (xiii. c. and xv. c.), transepts, and chapels are occupied as a barn. The mutilated W. portal is decorated with figures of saints and Christ in benediction. The nave, which has a wooden ceiling, is xvi. c., with three side- aisles of XIII. c., XIV. c., and xvi. c. The retable of the high altar, as well as the wood carvings in the Chapel of the Virgin (r. aisle) are by Pierre Blasset, whose monument, 'pour le recompenser de la fdlicite des bien heureux’ (1663), with an interesting epitaph, is in the chapel on 1 . of the high altar. The painting over the high altar is by Stella. There is a curious wooden statue of S. Ayoul. The church belonged to a priory where Abelard taught. The old Benedictine convent to the r. of the church serves as a sous-prefecture. To the 1 . is the xvi. c. tower of Notre-Dame- du-Val, with a gateway underneath it. The Rue de la Cordon- nerie, containing the Hotel du Boule d’Or, leads to the Place du Val with the Hotel de Ville, in front of which the Rue du Val leads towards the Ville-Haute, and by which hurried travellers may reach it at once. More leisurely tourists should take the first street on the r. — Rue des Oignons~to — The church of 6*. Croix, consisting of four naves and a short transept, a very lofty choir surrounded by chapels, and a tower at the cross. The two inner naves are xiii. c. ; most of the rest of the church xvi. c. The choir is enclosed by a fine wrought- iron screen. The wooden vaulting of the choir and 1 . transept preserves remains of painting ; in the r. aisle are two fine windows of ancient stained glass. Another, at the E. end, repre- sents the Annunciation to Joseph as well as to Mary. At the S. door is a curious benitier. The 1 . aisle has a xvi. c. font and two remarkable twisted columns. Opposite S. Croix the alley called Rue Toussaint-Rose leads to the pretty, well-kept Public Garde 7 i, containing the Musee and Bibliotheque. [Turning hence to the r., by the unusually fine promenades, we may reach the Hospital, occupying the site of an old convent of Cordeliers, of which the chapter-house and a beautiful frag- ment of cloister remain's. In the church is a curious monument, enclosing the heart of Thibault V., 1270.] PROVINS. 479 Turning 1. from the Public Garden, the promenades lead towards the ramparts of the Ville Haute. Crossing the brook Durtain, by a lime avenue, we reach a steep ascent to the Po7’te Farieron. But the archaeologist should turn r, under the Tour (in Trou au Chat, and follow the walls externally by a wooded walk. We pass the Tour au Pain, and ascend to the Porte de Jouy, of which only the side towers remain. At the Tour aux Eiigins, facing a little cemetery, the walls make an abrupt angle. From this point the moat remains perfect. The Breche aux Anglais recalls the attack of the English in 1432. Between the Tour aux Engins and the Porte S. Jean, the towers are alternately square and round. The Porte S. Jea7i is still quite perfect. Hence a narrow path, bordered by clematis, leads to the To7ir a7ix Pou7'ceaux. From this poinb the path ceases to follow the walls, of which the principal points are the Tour du Bourreau, united to the donjon by a succession of ruined walls, and the Tour de L7txe7nho7irg, which, with the adjoining building called Le Pmacle, formed part of the first palace which the Comtes de Champagne had at Provins. Unless they have ascended, direct from the lower town pedestrians will probably enter the walls by the Porte S. Jean, and so reach the centre of the town, where all the principal monuments are within a stone’s throw of each other. The Donjon, called Toiir de Cesar, Grosse Tour, To7ir du Roi, or ToiLr des P7iso7i7iie7'S (and which had nothing to do with either Caesar or king), is one of the most remarkable xii. c. towers in existence. It serves as belfry to the Church of S. Ouiriace ; its great bell is xv. c. In its cells Louis d’Outremer and others are said to have been confined. ‘ C’est un veritable donjon dont relevaient la plupart des fiefs du domaine de Provins, et qui fut construit vers le milieu du XII. siecle. Le donjon de Provins presente en plan un octagone a quatre cotes plus petits que les quatre autres, les petits cotes etant flanques de tourelles engagees a leur base, mais qui, se d^tachant du corps de la construction dans la partie supdrieure, permettent ainsi de battre tons les alentours. Le donjon pouvait etre garni d’un grand nombre de defen seurs, a cause des differents btages en retraite et de la position flanquante des tourelles.’ — Viollet le Due. 480 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. ‘Une galerie ou chemin de ronde, qui probablement etait couverte dans I’origine, fait le tour de Toctagone en passant derriere les tourelles. De la, on monte a letage siiperieur par quatre escaliers pratiques dans I’epaisseur du mur. Cette portion du donjon a 6te refaite en grande partie, et les seize ouvertures TOUR DE CESAR, PROVINS. qui existent au-dessous de la toiture ne paraissent pas ant^rieures au XVI. siecle. II faut aussi distraire du donjon du xii. le soubasse- ment ou retroussis cylindrique en maconnerie, qui garnit la motte sur laquelle le donjon est fonde. Ou salt que cette construction est due a Thomas Guerard, capitaine anglais, qui fit executer divers travaux aux fortifications de Provins apres la prise de PROVINS. 4S1 Cette ville par les Anglais en 1432, aiissi appelle-t-on ce soiibasse- ment dii donjon le Pate des Anglais. La disposition interienre de la tour est aussi tres curieiise ; les deux salles qui subsistent intactes sont voutees ; celle du premier etage renferme ime grande cheminee dont le tuyau rond se perd dans la ma^onnerie.’ — A. de Caumont. W. of the Tour de Cesar is the Place du Chatel, where the building called Vieux-Chdteau replaces the Chateau de la Buffette, of which pillars with rudely-sculptured capitals remain. Oppo- site the Nicole S. Thibaiilt (r.) are some remains of the ancient church of that name, to which the stone pedestal of the cross in the middle of the sc^uare also belonged. Near this is a well with ancient ironwork, and a stone which is said to have served as a block in executions. An inscription marks the house where the naturalist Lelorgne de Savigny was born in 1777. In the street on 1 . of the school of S. Thibault are remains of the very curious old Maison des Orphelines. From the Place du Chatel, the Rue Couverte, and the Rue S. Jean lead to the Grange aux Dimes (Tithe Barn), a curious building of xiii. c. It is divided into two parts, one subterranean, the other on the level of the soil. Two staircases, one internal and the other external, lead to the single hall on the first floor. This is divided by two ranges of pillars, bearing capitals adorned with foliage. The subterranean hall is of the same character. There are vast subterranean passages. If we continue to follow the street (Rue de Jouy) which leads from the Place du Chatel to the Porte de Jouy, we shall pass (r.) Le Cavean de S. Esprit, a great vaulted hall, which is the only remnant of the hospital of that name. Near this is Le Puits Sale, supposed to have been the entrance to other vaults — a subterranean city extending under many private houses — used for merchandise in the important trade of Provins in the middle-ages. Returning to the Place du Chatel, we must now turn behind the Tour de Cesar, to the ancient collegiate church of N. Quiriace, begun 1 160. The fayade (xv. c.) is unfinished ; the short transepts have beautiful (closed) xiii. c. portals. The interior is strikingly graceful. The very wide nave, of only two bays, is much shorter than tlie choir, of end of xii. c. 31 482 A^ORTH^EASTEJ^N FRANCE. ‘ Les bases des colonnes du choeur sont elevees sur des socles et des plinthes donnant en plan im octagone a qnatre grands cotes et qnatre petits. Tontefois, comme pour conserver a sa base son caractere de force, nn empattement considerable sous le fut de la colonne, les constructeurs reculent encore devant I’octagone a cotes egaiix ; ils conservent la griffe, mais en lui donnant moins d’importance, puisqu’elle couvre une plus petite surface.’ — Viollet le Due. Under the two E, chapels are crypts, connected by a modern passage. Inside the W. door is a beautiful wronght-iron grille. The Treasujy contains the pontifical vestments of S. Edme, Archbishop of Canterbury. In this church Thibault VI. was baptized- the song-maker, lover of art, patron of letters, and importer of the Provence rose, of whose productions an old chronicler wrote : — ‘ C’etaient les plus belles chansons, les plus delectables et melodienses, qui oncqnes fussent onies en chansons ne instruments, et il les fit ecrire en la salle de Provins et en celle de Troyes.’ The Rue du Palais leads from the church to the College., which encloses the remains of the Palace of the Comtes de Champagne — part of the chapel and magnificent cellars. The road which descends the hill from hence falls into the Rue du Val, which contains (r.) the Hotel-Dieu, ‘Le Grand Hotel- Dieu,’ with an entrance and hall of xiii. c. In the Rue des Capucins (r. from Hotel-Dieu) is the gothic Hotel des Lions y which, on its ground floor, has a vaulted chamber supported by a central pillar. The ornamented circular chimney is remarkable. Opposite is the Hotel du Croix d’Or, an ad- mirable XIII. c. house. [A road of 46 k. leads N.E. from Provins to Sezanne, by (14 k.) Villiers-S.-Georges, which has a xii. c. church and xv. c. chateau. Another road of 42 k. leads to the same placeLy (20 k.) Villenauxe and (25 k.) Betlioiiy which has a fine renaissance church,] Continuing the line from Longueville, we reach — Fltwiboin-Gouaix. The Chateau de Flambohi\y<\.^ a square tower and gothic gate with turrets. THE PAR AC LET. 483 \ooV. ETennc. In the church is a silver xii. c. pro- cessional cross. wiV. Nogent-sur-Seine (Hotels: du Cygne ; de la Clef d’Arge/il), an ancient town, whither the monks of S. Denis sent their relics for safety in ix. c. In 1 122, Thibault le Grand, Comte de Champagne, gave an asylum here to Abelard, and bestowed upon him the domain where he founded the Paraclet. In the xv. c. the town, which then belonged to the king of Navarre, was surrounded by walls. The church of A. Laurent was built 1421 — 1554 . The noble tower on N.W., a flamboyant side-door, and the XVI. c. ornamentation of the windows demand attention externally, and, in the interior, the renaissance choir and organ-loft. In the third chapel, 1 ., are curious sculptures representing the New Jerusalem. The sculptor Paul Dubois has erected a monument to his father in the cimetiere. In the valley of the Arbusson (2^ k.) is the fine xviii. c. Chateau de la Cliapelle-Godefroy. Only historic pilgrims will find it worth while to make an excursion (carriage 5 fr.) to the Paraclet — the site of the famous abbey founded by Abelard, of which Heloise was the first abbess. 6 k. of utterly shadeless white road lead S.E. to a wooded spot, where fine poplars surround a small country house and farm. Here, visitors are allowed to make their way through an un- kempt shrubbery, in which they will discover the small plain XII. c. vault, which contained the coffins of Abelard and Heloise before their removal to the cemetery of Pere Lachaise. A little commemorative obelisk stands close by. The outer walls of the farm, with round towers at the angles, may have belonged to the monastic buildings ; nothing else is left. ‘Abelard fut cite devant un concile provincial. On le con- damna sans I’entendre. II fut condamne a jeter de sa propre main son ouvrage dans les flammes etaetre enferme a perpetuite dans I’abbaye de S. Medard de Soissons. Le cri public s eleva 484 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. contre cette sentence. ... II avait enfin rautorisation de vivre on il voudrait, sans quitter I’habit de son ordre. ‘ II se retira dans iiii lieu desert du diocese de Troies, sur la petite riviere d’Ardusson. La solitude s’anima aussitot autour de lui. Ses disciples surent bien retrouver sa trace, et obliger a se rouvrir cette bouche mal resolue a se taire. Une foule toujours croissante de jeunes enthousiastes vinrent se batir des cabanes autour de la cabane du maitre, et I’ermitage devint une WALLS OF THE PARACLET. cite. La rustique cite eut pour temple un oratoire dedie a la sainte Trinite : Abelard, comme pour protester contre I’accusation d’avoir nie la realite des personnes divines, y fit sculpter une image de la sainte Trinite, unique dans la symbolique chretienne. Cetaient trois figures adossees, sculptees dans la meme pierre : Le Pere portant la couronne fermee et le globe, insignes de la puissance supreme ; le Fils, portant la couronne d epines, embleme de sa passion ; le Saint-Esprit, avec la couronne d’olivier, comme pacificateur et consolateur. C’est a ce qu’il THE PAR AC LET 485 semble, la premiere fois qu’on ait represents le Saint-Esprit sous forme humaine.^ Un pen plus tard, I’oratoire fut spScialement consacre au Saint-Esprit, sous le titre de Paraclet ou Consolateur. ‘La lutte devait infailliblement s’engager entre le monastere de Clairvaux et I’ecole du Paraclet : la consecration de Bernard, en qualite d’abbe de Clairvaux, fut le presage de ce grand combat. L’hostilitS fut longtemps sourde et implicite, pour ainsi dire, avant d eclater. AbSlard, qui savait ses adversaires peu amis de la discussion, crut qu’ils se preparaient a I’accabler par les armes de Tautorite. La terreur le prit ; il se deroba a I’orage prevu, abandonne le Paraclet, remise entre les mains d'Heloi'se, et se retira en Bretagne, on les moines de S. Glides venaient de lelire pour abb6(ii25). . . . MaisLe fut a I’illustre monastere de Cluni, non dans quelque obscure obedience, qu’il passa la fin des ses jours. La direction spirituelle des religieuses du Paraclet fut la consolation des dernieres anndes d’Abelard, et valut a la post^rite les immortelles lettres d’Heloise, provoquees par cette Histoh'e de mes malheiu's, qui rappelle saint Augustin et annonce Rousseau, et qui montre au moyen-age surpris cette melancholique et subtile analyse de Tame par elle-meme, car- actere d’une tout autre epoque et d’une tout autre litterature. Les lettres d’Heloise, bien superieures, n’ont le cachet d’aucune epoque ; comme tout ce qui est vraiment grand, elles sont au-dessus des temps ; ce n’est plus une forme accidentelle de Tame, c’est le fond eternel qui s’y revele .... ‘ La derniere volonte d’Abelard avait ete de se reposer au Paraclet. II avait pense du moins, en mourant, a celle qui n’avait jamais eu de pensee c|ue pour lui. L’Eglise elle-meme respectait le lien mystique du philosophe et de la grande abbesse. Pierre- le-V6nerable, qui avait ecrit pour Abelard une epitaphe on il I’appelait le Socrate gaulois, le Platon et I’Aristote de I’Occident^ remit ses restes mortels a Heloise. “ Le Seigneur,” ecrivait-il a I’abbesse du Paraclet, comme entrevoyant un autre del que celui des ascetes, “ le Seigneur vous le garde pour vous le rendre par sa grace.” ‘Heloise siirvecut, en silence, jusqu’au 1164. Ce fiit seule- ment au bout de vingt-deux ans qu’on I'inliiime pres de son epoux.’ — Martin, ‘ Hist, de Erancei ^ This interesting- monument was destroyed in the Revolution. 486 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. In Nov. 1 13 1 Abelard had made over the Paraclet as a priory of niins, of which Heloise, then aged twenty-nine, became the first prioress. Hither (Nov. 1142), seven months after the death of Abelard at S. Marcel, near Soissons, Peter the Venerable brought his remains. ‘ Vous nous avez donne le corps de notre maitre,’ said Heloi'se simply on receiving them. It is believed that a funeral hymn, written by Heloise, was annually sung by the nuns around his grave. ‘ Tecum fata sum perpessa ; Tecum dormiam defessa, Et in Sion veniam. Solve crucem. Due ad lucem Degravatam an imam.’ Heloise, however, lived on for twenty-two years, and died Aug. 16, 1 164, as the register records : ‘ Heloise, mere et premiere abbesse de ceans, de doctrine et religion tres-resplendissante.’ She was buried in the same crypt with Abelard, whence their remains were removed to the choir of the church by Catherine de Cour- celles, seventeenth abbess, in 1497. In 1630, Marie de la Rochefoucauld, twenty-third abbess, moved them again to the chapel of the Trinity. The vault, which still exists, was formerly situated beneath this chapel. 12 k. N.E. of Nogent is ViUenauxe^w\i\\ many curious timber houses, and a church of xiii. c., xv. c., and xvi. c. 119 k. Pont-sur-Seine, with a church of xii. c. and xvi. c. The chateau was purchased for Madame Mere, mother of Napoleon I. ‘ Le chateau de Pont-sur-Seine n’a pour lui que sa position an bord de la Seine. A I’epoque on Madame en devint pro- pri6taire, il n’y avait autour du chateau, et meme dans ses dependances, qu’une seule allee d’arbres, encore fort courte, formde par des arbres a peine donnant de I’ombre, et que Ton appelait V Allee de la Glacierc: de plus, on ne pouvait s y promener que lorsque le soleil dtait couche. Le chateau avait appartenu autrefois au prince Xavier de Saxe, et an comte de Lusace.’ — ‘ Mhnoires de la Ducliesse d’Adf'aules.’ TROYES. 487 Romilly-sur- Seine. 4 k. N.W. is the Chateau de Scellieres, occupying the ancient Cistercian abbey where Voltaire was buried, before his remains were transferred to the Pantheon. [For the lines from Romilly to Chateau Thierry and jfipernay see ch. vi.] 141k. Mesgrigny has a church of xii. c. and xvi. c. 147 k. S. Mesmin takes its name from a priest whom S. Loup, Bishop of Troyes, sent to implore the mercy of the Huns towards the episcopal cify, and whom Attila put to death here. A chapel and cross mark the spot of his death. 152 k. Savieres, with a good church of xii. c. and xvi. c., tower of XII. c. 158 k. S. Lye. The church, xi. c. and xii. c., has a good XIII. c. benitier, and xvi. c. altar-piece. In the now ruined castle, Louis X. was married, in 1315, to Clemence de Hongrie. i6i k. Barbarey. The church, of xii. c. and xvi. c., retains its ba 7 ic seigneur iat. The cheeses known as fro mages de Troyes are chiefly made here. 167 k. Troyes (Hotels : du Mulet., Place de la Bonneterie ; du Commerce ; S. Laurent; des Courriers ; de France). At the time of the Roman invasion Trecae was the principal town of the Gaulish tribe Tricasses, which, with the neigh- bouring tribe of Senons, took Rome in 400 a.c., and gave a name to the town of Troja in Apulia. Under the Romans the city took the name of Augustobona. In the iii. c. the gospel was preached there by SS. Potentien and Savinien, Greek priests from Samos, and S. Patroclus suffered martyrdom there in 259, followed shortly after by S. Jule 488 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE. and twenty other Christians. In 340 S. Amateur became the first bishop of Troyes. The most celebrated of his successors was S. Loup (426 — 479), who, by his natural ascendency, preserved the city from Attila. The Dues de Champagne maintained a semi-sovereignty here from vi. c. to IX. c., when they were replaced for a time by Comtes de Troyes. But in 923 Herbert II., Comte de Vermandois, took the title of Comte de Champagne, and transmitted it to his descendants. In 1284 Jeanne de Navarre, Comtesse de Champagne, married Philippe le Bel, but the province was not definitely united to the French crown till 1360. In England, Troyes is associated with troy weight, which derives its name from a standard of this town. Mignard the painter, Girardon the sculptor, and Idnard Gonthier the artist on glass, were amongst the many eminent natives of Troyes. The Blanchisserie Troyemie is an art unknown in England. Troyes cannot be seen satisfactorily under a two nights’ stay. It is a large town, and more full of interesting iiuildings than any other in the E. of France. The pictur- esque streets are full of xv. c. and xvi. c. houses ; the churches are almost all important, and contain much priceless stained glass ; they are nearly all pewed. Girolamo Lippomano, ambassador from Venice in the XVI. c., speaks of Troyes as being frequently considered the most beautiful city in France. Paul Hentzner (1598) says it is ‘ si noble par son eveche et son commerce, qu’on I’appelle parfois la fille de Paris.’ Turning to the r. from the station we soon reach the church of S. Nicolas] of xvi. c., with a porch of xvii. c. The windows of the aisle contain admiralile stained glass ; the S. door and font are renaissance. The pulpit, of 1525, has T/^OVES. 489 wonderful reliefs in wood, telling the story of the patron saint with great power. Behind the church is the Place de la Bonneterie, containing the Hotel du Mulct. Close by, on r., in the Rue du Dauphin, the renaissance chevet of S. Pantaleon rises from a gothic base, with exquisitely sculptured niches, all different. The beautiful S. portal is a marvel of rich gothic foliage. The N. portal, now blocked up, is admirable renaissance ; the W. end is XVIII. c. The interior is strikingly rich and interesting. The vaulting of the lofty central aisle is in wood, that of the low side-aisles in stone, with pendants. Against the pillars of the nave are a double range of statues, very remarkalde in originality and power. We should especially notice (r.) S. James by Domenique Florentin, with S. George above ; the Madonna facing the pulpit ; and S. Nicolas (2nd pillar r.). The windows of the choir have important XVI. c. grisailles. The pulpit has bronze reliefs by Simari. The I St chapel r. (du Calvaire) has statues of the Marys, and of the repentant S. Peter by Gentil : in the 2nd chapel, is a curious group of the sainted shoemakers, Crispinus and Crispianus, on whose anniversary the battle of Azincourt was fought. In the 1 . aisle is a graceful stone staircase. Opposite the A¥r end of the church is the stately Hotel de Vauluisaitt^ of 1564. It has a richly decorated facade and tourelles, and its entrance hall has a magnificent oak ceiling and renaissance chimney-piece. The Rue du Dauphin leads to the Rue de Croncels, where No. 9 is the Hofei de Chapelaines, with a very rich frieze. In this hotel Louis XIII. lodged in 1629, and Napoleon and the Emperor of Austria in 1814. Near the entrance of the Faubourg de Croncels (r.) is the Cliapelle S. 490 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE, Gilles, now closed, a curious little wooden building chiefly of the end of xiv. c., containing a good deal of ancient wood carving. Returning to the Rue Notre Dame, the main street of HOTEL DE MAUROY, TROYES. d'royes, on the r. is the Rue de la Trinite, containing (1.) the very interesting xvi. c. Hotel de Maiiroy. Towards the street is some admirable ironwork at the windows, d'he buildings surround a courtyard, two sides of which, built in brick and stone, are supported by pillars covered with most delicate foliage in low relief. On one side T/^OVES. 491 is a tourelle, coated with slates, d'he chimneys deserve notice. The Rue Notre Dame is the nearest way to the cathedral, but on the 1 ., by the Rue Coin Coignier, is S. Jea 7 i^ hemmed in by houses, but marvellously picturesque. The heavy tower is xii. c. ; the nave and its aisles xiv. c. to XVI. c. ; the very lofty choir renaissance. It is in this church that Henry V. of England was married to Catherine of France after the signing of the treaty of Troyes (1420), which practically gave up France to England. The stained glass, mostly of 1530, is magnificent; in the third window of the r. aisle, we may especially notice the Judgment of wSolomon. A curious stone group represents the Visita- tion. In the chevet is a splendid window representing the East Supper, and beneath it, in the Chapelle de la Com- munion, a retable by Jacques Julyot. Under the altar of the chapel at the end of the 1 . aisle is a S. Sepulcre of XV. c. The high-altar (xvii. c.) has bronze angels by Girardon. In the retable are pictures l>y Mignard. Behind S. Jean, is the Rue des Champeaux. No. 25 is the Hotel des Ursins^ with a picturesque tourelle and good stained glass. In the Rue de la Monnaie, which leads into this street, is the Maison de rEIection^ an admiralile high- gabled house. This is the most picturesque part of Troyes, where the artist may find many studies. Turning W. from the Rue des Champeaux by the Rue des Quinze Vingts, we find, at the angle, the Hotel de jWai'isy, of 1531, restored by Millet in 1872. 'The tower of Iai Sainte Madeleine now directs us to that church, of XII. c., enlarged in xvi. c. It is celebrated for its magni- ficent Jube or roodloft, executed by Giovanni Gualdo in 492 NORTH-EASTERN E RANGE, 1508, ‘a curtain of lace cut in marble.’ Its decorations, which are six yards deep and proportionately long, extend over the two pillars at the sides, beneath which are altars. At the W. end are a Flemish statue of S. Peter, and a good Holy Family ; in the r. transept is an admirable statue of S. Martha ; the sanctuary has splendid xvi. c. glass, and. RUE DE LA MONNAIE, TROYES- beneath it, paintings on wood by Jean Nicot, a pupil of Poussin, representing the story of the Magdalen. S. of the tower, facing the street, is a rich xvi. c. portal, which once led to the cloister. The Rue Claude Huez now leads to a market-place, beyond which rises the Chitrch of S. Rani, with a fine steeple, romanesque in style, though built in xiv. c., to which the nave also belongs, the rest of the church being TROYES. 493 XV. c. and xvi. c. In the interior are several good pictures by Ninet de Lctin. The chapel of St. Joseph in the r. tran- sept is panelled with xvi. c. pictures of New Testament history. The 1. transept has panels in grisaille ; and the monument of Girardon, the world-renowned artist of the bronze- Christ over the high-altar. Turning to the r., and crossing the canal of the Seine by the bridge opposite the Hotel-Dieu, the Rue de la Cite soon leads us to the square in front of the Cathedral of SS. Pierre et Paul., a magnificent building which exhibits every phase of gothic architecture from the xiii. c. to the renais- sance, having been founded in 1206, and only finished in the XVI. c. The fa9ade has three portals adorned with pinnacled niches of great richness, but bereaved of most of their statues. On the 1. it is overlooked by the Tour S. Pierre., only finished in xviii. c. ‘ II serait difficile a la parole, de pei'ndre toiites les ciselures qui coiivrent le portail de la base au sommet. Le crayon est hii-meme insiiffisant pour rendre ces iiinombrables decoiipures, ces milles fleiirons ouvrages, ces dentelles, ces festons, ces guirlandes jetes d’une main prodigue sur toutes les surfaces libres de la muraille ; la decoration monumentale a ouvert id ses tresors et les a tout epuises. C’est I’abondance luxuriante de I’art voisin de la renaissance.’ — Bourasse, ‘ Les Catlicdralcs de France! The interior, of five naves, is 117 met. long, 51 met- 33 wide at the transept ; 45 met. 30 at the nave, and 39 at the choir ; 30 met. 25 high. The nave is of seven bays, of which the five first have four collaterals and two ranges of chapels, the two last only two collaterals. The choir, of XHi.c., is of extreme beauty, and has glorious, 494 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. indeed unrivalled, contemporary glass ; there is also splendid glass of 1625 in the Baptistery by the great native artist Linard Gonthier, representing the mystical wine press. The colouring of the grand rose-windows is very beautiful. Before the high-altar Henry V. of England was affianced to Catherine of France, May 20, 1420, on the day before the Treaty of Troyes was signed. ‘ Les dimensions gigantesques du vaisseau, la hauteur des voiites, lelancement des piliers, letendue des fenetres, la splen- deur des roses, I’eclat des verrieres peintes, les prodiges de la decoration sculpturale, tout se reunit pour exalter fadmiration. La richesse de la perspective, le pittoresque de Tordonnance, la majeste de I’abside avec ses ogives surelevees, ses galeries transparentes, ses vitraux etincelants, viennent encore ajouter a I’effet de cette basilique vraiment royale.’ — Bourasse. On the r. of the choir a staircase leads to a gothic hall enclosing the Treasury., which contains, amongst other relics, a tooth of S. Peter ; the splendid enamelled reliquary of SS. Bernard and Malachi, a chef-d’oeuvre of the xii.c., from the abbey of Nesle-la-Reposte ; the reliquary of S. Loup, with enamels by ITonard Limosin • the x. c. ivory reliquary of S. Camelien, given by Blanche of Castille ; a silver image of the Virgin from the abbey of Colbert ; mitres of the abbots of Clairvaux, and a number of precious episcopal crosses. ‘ The cathedral, visible far and wide over the fields seemingly of loose wild-flowers, itself a rich mixture of all the varieties of the pointed style down to the latest flamboyant, may be noticed among the greater French churches for breadth of proportions internally, and is famous for its almost unrivalled treasure of stained glass, chiefly of a florid, elaborate, later type, with much highly conscious artistic contrivance in design as well as in TROVES. 495 colour. Ill one of the richest of its windows, for instance, certain lines of pearly white run hither and thither, with delight- ful effect, upon ruby and dark blue. Approaching nearer, you find it to be a traveller’s window, and those odd lines of white the long walking-staves in the hands of Abraham, Raphael, the Magi, and the other saintly patrons of journeys. The appropriate provincial character of the bourgeoisie of Champagne is still to be seen amongst the citizens of Troyes. Its streets, for the most part in timber and parqueting, present more than one unaltered specimen of the ancient hotel or town-house, with forecourt and garden in the rear ; and its more devout citizens would seem even in their church building to have sought chiefly t-o please the eyes of those occupied with muqdane affairs and out of doors, for they have finished, with abundant outlay, only the vast, useless portals of their parish churches, of surprising height and lightness, in a kind of wildly elegant gothic-on-stilts, giving to the streets of Troyes a peculiar air of the grotesque, as if in some quaint nightmare of the middle-ages .’ — Walter Pater. Beyond the cathedral, the Rue de la Cite will bring us to S. Nizier., a beautiful xvi. c. church, with a renaissance W. portal, and a roof of coloured tiles. The five-sided apse, with three chapels and a surrounding gallery, has xvi. c. glass. At the W. end of the r. aisle is an ancient S. Se- pulcre. There are several pictures by Ninet de Letin. In the sacristy are glass panels with portraits, including one of Henri IV. The N. portal (renaissance) is adorned with crossed crescents. In returning, the Rue S. Loup leads r. to the abbey of S. Loup (the famous Bishop of Troyes), containing the Musee. The gallery of sculpture includes a great collection of the works of Simart. The Picture Gallery has a portrait of Mine, de Montespan by Mignard. On recrossing the bridge, we should turn 1. to the Place de la Prefecture, whence it is only a few steps to the 496 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. famous church of S. Urbain., begun, in 1262, by Urban IV., son of a shoemaker of Troyes, on the site of his father’s workshop ^ ; continued in xiv. c. and restored xix. c. ‘ Le plan de leglise S. Urbain est champenois. Sur les qiiatre piliers de la croisee devait s clever une tour probablement fort elevee, si Ton examine la section large de ces piliers. Deux autres dockers flanquaient I’entree, accompagnee d’un porche saillant. La tour centrale ne fut point commencee, la nef et la facade restent inachevees. On pent toutefois, par ce qui reste de ces parties, se rendre un compte exact de ce que devait etre cette eglise, Le choeur et les transepts sont complets. Le plan de leglise presente les points d’appui solides, epais, re- sistants, une disposition generale tres-simple. Plantes entre deux rues, deux porches profonds, bien abrites, donnent entree dans les deux branches de la croix. Au-dessus de rez-de- chaussee, a la hauteur de 3 m. 30 toute la construction ne presente plus qu'une lanterne vitree, d’une extreme legerete, maintenue par les contre-forts qui seuls restent pleins jusqu’aux cheneaux superieurs. . . , Leglise S. Urbain est certainement la derniere limite a laquelle la construction de pierre puisse atteindre, et comme composition architectonique, c'est un chef- d’oeuvre.' — VioUet Ic Due. The most marked feature of this church is its two side porches, which, since their restoration, are more interesting to the architect than to the artist. ‘ Ces porches sont de veritables dais soutenus par des arcs- boutants reportant la poussee et la change de leurs voutes sur des contre-forts exterieurs isoles. Malgre leur excessive legerete et la tenuite des divers membres de Tarchitecture reduits a leur plus faible dimension, ces portails sont grands d’echelle et n’ont pas la maigreur qu'on reproche a beaucoup d’edifices eleves a la fin du xni, siecle et au commencement ^ The Pope was so little ashamed of his origin, that he ordered the pulpit of S. Urbain, on great festivals, to be hung with tapestry representing his father’s stall. TROYES. 497 dll XIV''. La composition est large, claire, et les details sont soumis aux masses. ... La construction est con^ue comme celle de toiites les autres parties de cette jolie eglise ; c’est-a- dire qu’elle se compose de grands morceaux de pierre de Tonnerre formant une veritable devanture pour les archivoltes, gables, balustrades, claire-voics et clochetons, et d’assises basses pour les contre-forts. Quant aux remplissages des voutes, ils sont faits en petits materiaux. Ces porches, comme toute la construction de S. L'rbain, elevee d’un seul jet, datent des dernieres annees du xii° siecle, et sont une des oeuvres les plus hardies et les plus savantes du moyen-age .’ — Viollet le Due. The W. portal has curious sculptures of the Last Judg- ment. In the interior the pavement is full of interesting engraved tombstones of xiv. c., xv. c., and xvi. c. Near the N. door is a relief attributed to F. Gentil. The choir has a piscina of the same date as the building. The environs of Troyes have much architectural interest. Beyond the Faubourg de Croncels (see above) vve must turn r., by the route de Bouilly (crossing the railway), to find on r. (3 k. ) F. Andre, where the xvi. c. church has a very beautiful renais- sance portal of 1549. In the interior are a xv. c. pulpit and tabernacle, and a xii. c. relief of gilt copper. Returning as far as the route de Bouilly, and crossing it, we reach (3 k. from S. Andre) Rosieres, with an interesting chateau, partly of Henri II., partly xviii. c., preserving the fortified gateway and moat of an earlier cattle. L. of the station opens the Faubourg A. Snvine, where the church contains the tomb of Ragnegisile, Bishop of Troyes, in VII. c., a simple sarcophagus with a wooden canopy of the time of Louis XII. 2 k. W. of this, the little village of N^ocs has a fine XVI. c. church with a beautiful spire, which contains a rich renaissance high-altar and stall work. 5 k. N.W. is A. Maure, where the xvi. c. church contains the (ix. c.) sarcophagus of the saint. 3 k. W., b}^ the Faubourg S. Jacques, is F. Parres-les-Tertres, where the church has a fine xvi. c. portal, and good stained glass. 32 498 NORTH-EASTERN ERANCE. [For the line from Troyes to Sens, South-Eastern E7'ancc, ch. i.] [For the line from Troyes to Clialons-sur-Marne, see ch, vi,] [For the line from Troyes to S, Dizier, see ch. vii.] [A line turns S.E. from Troyes to Chatillon-sur-Seine by — 9 k. VerriO'es, with a fine xvi. c, church. S'. Aventin has a church, partly xii. c., with fine xvi. c. glass. On r. is the XII. c church of Isle-Aumont, with a beautiful xvi. c. retable. 14 k. CIe/-ey, where the church has a fine xvi. c. retable. R. is Vaudes, where the church has good glass and font of xvi. c. 1 8k. S'. Parres-les-Va?/des. The church has a sculptured hanc scigneuriale of xvi. c. 3 k. S. is Rumilly-Ies-Vaudes^ a picturesque, fortified manor of xvi. c. The church, also xvi. c., has glass and a fine ratable of the same date. The line passes 17 t/enwyenne, with a church partly xii. c. ; then 1. the xii. c. and XVI. c. church of Chappes. 22 k. Eoucheres-Vaux. The xii. c. church has good glass of 1575, and a xvi. c. processional cross. 33k. Bar-snr-Seinc (Hotel; de la Eoiitaine), where Jeanne de Navarre, wife of Philippe le Bel, was born in 1272, The church of S'. Etienne (xvi. c. and xvii. c.) has good glass and a richly-sculptured triforium. Many houses are xvi, c. On the hill above the town are remains of the castle of the Comtes de Bar, and (2 k. S.W.) the pilgrimage church of Notre Dame du Chene. On a hill 3 k. S.W, Avaleurx?, an ancient commanderie with a XII. c. chapel, and other buildings of xvi. c. 18 k. W. is Chaonrce, with a number of houses of xv. c. and xvi. c. The XVI. c. church has good stained glass. 43 k. Gye-siir-Seine has a ruined xii. c. castle. 52 k. Mussy-siir-Seine, The late xiii. c, church has glass of XIV. c. and xvi. c., an octagonal chapel, and a curious xiv. c. tomb of Guillaume de Mussy. There are considerable ruins of a castle of the bishops of Langres. 58 k. Pothieres has ruins of an abbey. Upon Moiit Lassois are remains of the ancient town of Latiscum. 67 k. ChdtiUo 7 i-sur-Seine (Hotels : de la Paste; de la Cote d'Or). The town takes its name from a fortress which existed here V^INDEUVRE, JAUCOURT. 499 before the Roman conquest, and was renowned in the middle- ages for its schools, in which S. Bernard was a student. The church of S. IVor/e, once the chapel of the castle of the counts of Chaumont, was begun in 991, but is chiefly xi. c. with a heavy tower of xvii. c., nave vaulting of 1610, and a xii. c. tower at the transept. A S. Sdpulcre, full of expression, is the work of Dehors, a local sculptor. A little chapel in the N. aisle of the transept recalls by its frescoes the tradition that there S. Bernard composed his ‘ Ave Maria Stella.’ A reliquary preserves the head of S. Worle, priest of Marcenay in the vi. c. and patron of Chatillon. The church of 6*. Nicolas is xii. c. and xiii. c., except the choir of 1546. The Hospice of S. Pierre occupies the site of the abbey of Notre Dame, celebrated for its schools. The abbey church, which still exists, is xii. c. The Hotel de V^ille occupies part of a Benedictine convent. Many houses are xvi. c. In the cemetery is the tomb of the Due de Raguse.] [For the lines from ChMillon to Nuits and Chaumont see South-Eastern Eraiice, ch. i.] Leaving Troyes, the line from Paris to Chaumont passes— 182 k. Lusigny. The church is chiefly xvi. c. 2 k. N. are remains of the abbey of I^arivom\ founded xii. c. The line leaves to r. Montreuil^ with a church xii. c. and xvi. c. 189 k. Montieramey. The church is xii. c. and xvi.e. ; there are remains of a Benedictine abbey, founded ix. c. L. 2| k. is Mesnil-S. Pere^ with church xii. c. and xvi. c. 199 k. Vendeuvre. The chateau, partly xii.c., has a splendid xvi. c. staircase. The renaissance church, of 1510, has a beautiful portal, and a pulpit from the abbey of Clairvaux. 2t 6 k. Arsonval-Jaucoiirt. Arsonval has a xii. c. church with a romanesque tower. The church of Jaiicomd (choir XII. c.) contains a curious xiv. c. reliquary. There are ruins of a (xiv. c. — XV. c.) chateau of the Dues de Bourgogne. 500 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE, We pass 1. the moated xvii. c. chateau of Ailleville, before reaching — 221 k. Bar-sur-Aube (Hotel: du Co7umerce — good and clean), a very pretty little town, backed by low wooded hills of good outline. The Grande Rue contains a number of picturesque houses. In the Rue de I’Epicerie (on 1.) is BRIDGE OF AR-SUR-AUBE. the building called Petit Ciairvaux, from having belonged to that abbey, with a noble gothic crypt of the end of xii. c. Beyond this street (on 1.) is an old Chapel of the Kriights of S. John (xii. c. and xiii. c.). The Clmrch of S. Pier^^e is XII. c. and xiii. c., and has two fine gothic porches, outside wooden galleries of xvi. c., and an engraved xv. c. tomb- stone. The street which opens from the Grande Rue facing the Rue de TEpicerie leads to S. Maclou, chiefly CLAIRVAUX. 50 r XII. c., with apsides xiv. c., and portal xviii. c. The sacristy is said to have been the chapel of the old castle of the Comtes de Bar, and the door in the (xiii. c.) N. tower to have been reserved for the Comtes de Champagne. In the interior are many engraved tombstones of xv. c. and xvi. c. The street behind the church leads to the Bridge over the Aube, with a miniature xv. c. chapel, built by his friends in memory of the bastard Alexander de Bourbon, brother of the Due de Bourbon, who was sewn up in a sack and drowned in the river (1440) in punishment for his cruelties in the reign of Charles VII. The Hospital of S. Nicolas has a hall of xii. c. and a chapel xii. c., once the choir of the ancient monastery of S. Nicolas, which became a priory for men in xv. c. There is a good view from the Chapelle A. Germaine^ on the hill to S. of the town. 229 k. BayeL The church is partly xii. c., with painted statues of xvi. c. The ruins of the priory of Belroi are XII. c. and xiii. c. 234 k. Clairvaux (Hotel : S. Bernard). Even the most devoted pilgrims to shrines of S. Bernard may imagine Clairvaux without visiting it ; there is absolutely nothing characteristic. The omnibus (30 c.), which meets travellers at the station, winds for 2 k. through the low meadows on r. of the line to a featureless hollow (Clara vallis) between two very low wooded hills, where great walls now enclose an immense prison, Maisoii Centrale de Detention., the modern Bastille,^ covering the site once occupied by the famous abbey. In the only part of the enclosure to which the public can penetrate is the Chapelle S. Anne, said to be ' Where, if the statements of modern so-called ‘ political prisoners ’ are to be trusted, the scandal of incarceration is as great as in the worst days of the Parisian prisons. 502 NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. abbatial, but quite modernised. Part of a vaulted xii. C. cellar remains inside the prison, but is not visible. Amongst the fir-trees on the knoll above the village stands a theatrical modern statue of S. Bernard, and this is all. The magni- ficent church, having survived the Revolution in safety, was pulled down in the first year of the Restoration, and utterly destroyed, with all the historic monuments it contained, including that of S. Bernard. ‘ Le camp de la raison est au Paraclet : le camp de I’ascetisme et de la foi absolue est a Clairvaux. S. Bernard est le seul homme de I’Europe qui soit digne d’etre le rival d’ Abelard. . . . En 1115a vingt-qnatre ans, il avait ete place par I’abbe de Citeaux a la tete dune colonie monastique, qui alia peupler une solitude au diocese de Langres, appelee la Vallee d'Absmihe. Bernard valut a ce triste lieu le nom de Clairvaux ou Vlllustre Vallee ; mais il n’y ensevelit point sa vie dans le silence et I’ombre, comme il Tent d’abord souhaite ; jamais I’homme ne parut moins aspirer a dominer les hommes et ne les dominer davantage ; la prodigieuse influence qu’il conquerait de pres par sa parole, sa renommee la lui gagnait au loin ; il ne quittait jamais qu’avec larmes ses bois et ses rochers, qui lui avaient, disait-il, appris plus des choses que les livres sur les verites divines ; et pourtant il les quittait sans cesse, invoque comme un arbitre, ou plutot comme un oracle, dans toutes les grandes affaires du siecle, par les princes, par les rois, par les eveques, par les papes eux-memes ! ’ — MaiEn, ‘ Hist, de Francel ‘ The twelve colonist monks from Citeaux settled with their abbot in a desert called the Valley of Wormwood, encompassed by a wild forest, which then afforded a retreat for abundance of robbers. These thirteen monks grubbed up a sufficient spot, and, with the assistance of the bishop of Chalons and the people of the country, built themselves little cells. This young colony had often much to suffer, and, being several times in extreme necessity, was as often relieved in an unexpected manner, which effects of providence S. Bernard made use of to excite their CLAIRVAUX. 503 confidence in God. The bread of the monks was usually made of coarse barley, and sometimes chiefly of vetches or codile ; and boiled beech-tree leaves were sometimes served up instead of herbs. Tescelin, the aged father of Bernard, followed him, received the habit at his hands, and died happily soon after at Clairvaux. Of the four daughters of Citeaux, Clairvaux has had the most numerous offspring. At his death S. Bernard left in it seven hundred monks. He founded one hundred and sixty other monasteries ; and their number was so much increased after his death that, before the dissolution of monasteries in Britain and the northern kingdoms, eight hundred abbeys were subject to Clairvaux, being filiations of that place. . . , Dying at Clair- vaux on Aug. 20, 1158, in the sixty-third year of his age, having been abbot thirty-eight years, S.' Bernard was buried in the abbey before Our Lady’s altar. He was enrolled among the saints by Alexander III. in 1165 .’ — Alban Butler. 262 k. Chaumont. See eh. vii. INDEX. A. Abancourt, 77, 85 Abbeville, 43 Ablain S. Nazaire, 337 Achiet le Grand, 337 Acquin, 37 Agnetz, 93 Aigremont, 455 Aillevillers, 460 Ailly-sur-Noye, 87 Airaines, 61 Aire Berguette, 330 Aire-sur-la-Lys, 330 Albert, 337 Allery, 61 Amagne-Lucquy, 375 Ambleteuse, 35 Amettes, 331 Amiens, 64 Ancerville-Gue, 447 Andelot, 450 Andilly, 116 Angicourt, 96 Anglure, 376 Angy, 105 Anizy-le-Chateau, 419 Annezin, chateau de, 331 Antony, 3 1 1 Apilly, 413 Apremont, 375 Arc-en-Barrois, 451 Arches, 466 Arcis-le-Ponsart, 426 Arcis-sur-Aube, 386 Arcueil, 306 Ardres, 318 Argenteuil, 292 Armentieres, 326 Arnaville, 356 Arneke, 324 Arquembeonne, chateau de, 37 Arras, 333 Arrest, ch^eau de, 42 Arsonval, 499 Asfeld, 433 Asnieres, 273 Asnieres-sur-Oise, 107 Athis, 376 Attichy, 422 Attigny, 388 Aubenton, 375, 433 Aubigny, 39 Aubreville, 382 Auchy-les-Hesdin, 39 Audruick, 318 Auger-S.-Vincent, 124 Aulnay, 307 Aulnoy, 369 Aulnoye, 346 Aumale, 85 Aumone, 1 13 Autreches, 422 Auvers, 112 Auxi-le-Chateau, 60 Avenay, 374 Avesnes-les-Aubert, 343 sur-Helpe, 346 Avioth, 353 Avricourt, 407 5o6 INDEX. Ay, 374 Azincourt, 322 B. Baccarat, 473 Bailleul, 326 Bains, 459 Balagny, 105 Balinghem, 318 Ballon d’Alsacc, 470 Ban de la Roche, 473 Bapaume, 337 Bar-le-Duc, 389 -sur-Aube, 500 -Seine, 498 Barbarey, 487 Barbery, 124 Barby, 434 Bavai, 345 Baye, chateau de, 37 1 Bayel, 501 Bayonville, 356 Bazeilles, 352 Beaufort, 346 Beaulieu, abbaye de, 35 Beaumont, 358 Beauvais, 78 Belfort, 456 Berck-sur-Mer, 39 Bergeres-les-Vertus, 376 Bergues S. Winox, 324 Betheniville, 375 Bethon, 482 Bethune, 331 Beuvry, 332 Bezons, 292 Bicetre, 306 Bievres, 312 Bdly-Montigny, 332 Blainville-Crevon, 77 -la-Grande, 406 Blandecques, 321 Blandy, 475 Blangy-sur-Bresle, 86 Blesmes-Haussignemont, 387 Bois, abbaye aux, 312 Boispreau, 282 Boissy, 125 -S.-Leger, 304 Bondy, 362 Bosserville, 405 Bouchain, 343 Bougival, 284 Boulogne-sur-Mt r, 35 Bourbonne-les-Bains, 455 Bourbourg, 319 Bourg-la-Reine, 307 Bourgfontaine, 368 Bourgogne, 434 Boursault, 373 Bouteille, La,, 433 Bouvines, 345 Boves, 87 Braisne, 423 Brancourt, 419 Braux, 349 Breny, 368 Breteuil, 88 Breuil-le-Sec, 93 Brie-Comte-Robert, 305 Brienne-la-Vieille, 447 -le-Chateau, 447 Briey, 3^6 Briis, 316 Brunembert, 37 Bruyeres, 431 Bulles, 88 Bully-Grena}’, 332 Bury, 105 Bu relies, 433 Bussang, 470 Bussy, 386 Buzancy, 388 Buzenval, chateau de, 284 C. Caffiers, 34 Caix, 408 Calais, 30 Cambrai, 34T Cap Blanc-Nez, 33 Cap Gris-Nez, 35 Capelle-en-Thierachc, 347 Carignan, 353 Cartigny, 92 INDEX. Cassel, 324 Catelet, 92 Catenoy, 93 Cauret, 374 Cayeux-sur-Mer, 42 Ceffonds, 446 Celle S. Cloud. 285 Cercamps, abba3^e de, 76 Cercay, chateau de, 305 Cernay-eu-Dormois, 388 Cerny-les-Bucy, 432 Chaiilot, 290 Chailly-en-Brie, 475 Chailvet, 422 Challerange, 388 Chalons-sur-Marne, 377 Chamagne, 458 Chamant, chateau de, 1 24 Chambley, 356 Chambourcy, 280 Chamigny, 371 Champaubert, 370 Champeaux, 475 Champigny, 303 Champlatreux, 107 Chantilly, 116 Chantraines, 450 Charleville, 347 Charmes, 458 Charmoye, La, 371 Chasse, chateau de la, 116 Chateau Porcien, 433 Thierry, 372 Chatenay, 31 1 Chatenois, 458 Chatillon-sous-Bagneux, 307 -sur-Marne, 373 -Seine, 498 Chatou, 274 Chaud-Moncel, 304 Chaulnes, 409 Chaumont, 450 Chauny, 413 Chaussee Brunehaut, 336 Chavanges, 387 Chelles, 363 Chennevieres, 304 Chevillon, 448 Chevregny, 423 Chevreuse, 312 Chezy-sur-Marne, 372 Chilly, 312 Chivy, 423 Cires-les-Mello, 105 Cirey-sur-Vesouze, 407 Clacy, 423 Clainnarais, 321 Clairvaux, 501 Clerey, 498 Clermont-en-Argonne, 382 Clermont- sur-l’Oise, 92 Coizard-Joches, 371 Colligny, 376 Colombes, 290 Comines, 329 Commercy, 392 Compiegne, 97 Conde, chateau de, 357 Conflans, 359 -Jarny, 356 Congy, chateau de, 371 Contrexeville, 454 Conty, 78 Coolus, 386 Corbie, 338 Cordette, 37 Cornimont, 470 Coucy-le-Chateau, 415 la-Ville, 419 Coulommiers, 475 Cour, chateau de la, 388 le Grandville, 355 Courbetaux, 372 Courbevoie, 233 Courmelois, 445 Courrieres, 332 Courtisols, 380 Courville, 426 Crecy, Si Creil, 94 Creney, 386 Crepy-en-Laonais, 427 -Valois, 124 Crevecoeur, 92 -le-Grand, 78 Crillon, chateau de, 78 Croix-en-Brie, La, 476 Croto39 Le, 43 Crouttes, 371 Cuincy, 341 5o8 index. Cuise, forest of, lOi Culmont-Chatindrey, 454 Cuperly, 381 Corel, 448 Curgies, 345 Cuvilly, 90 Cysoing, 345 D. Damery, 373 Dammartin, 297 Dampierre, 314 Daours, 338 Dieulouard, 357 Domart-en-Poiithieu, 76 Domfront, 89 Dommartin, abbaye de, 55 Dommery, 376 Domont, 108 Dompierre, 346 -Ferrieres, 89 -sur-Authie, 55 Domremy, 393 Donchery, 350 Donjeux, 449 Donnemarie-en-Monthois, 476 Dormans, 373 Douai, 339 Doulevant, 446 Doullens, 76 Douzy, 353 Dunkerque, 325 E Ecouen, 108 Ecury, chateau de, 371 Emerainville-Pontault,”474 Enghien-les-Bains, 115 Epehy, 92 Epernay, 374 Epinal, 459 Erize-la-Grande, 391 Ermenonville, 297 Ermont, 115 Esquelbecq, 324 Esquerdes, 321 Essarts-la-Forestiere, Les, 373 Essommes, 372 Estrees-S. -Denis, 90 359> 386 Etaples, 38 Eterpigny, 91 Etoile, 61 Eu, 56 Eurville, 447 Eve, 297 F. Faloise, La, 87 Famechon, 77 Farbus-Vimy, 333 Fay S. Quentin, 88 Fere, La, 426 Ferebrianges, 371 Fere Champenoise, 376 -en-Tardenois, 368 Ferte-Gaucher, La, 475 Ferte-Milon, La, 367 Ferte-sous-Jouarre, 368 Fismes, 426 Flamboin, 482 Folleville, 88 Fontaine-Lavagne, 85 -sur-Somme, 60 Fontenay-les-Louvres, 125 -aux-Roses, 307 -Tresigny, 474 Fontenoy-le-Chateau, 460 Forges-les-Bains, 316 Eaux, 77 Formerie, 77 Foucheres-Vaux, 498 Fouday, 473 Fougerolles, 460 Foulain, 451 Fouquenies-Troissereux, 84 Fourmies, 347 Frebecourt, 392 Frettencourt, 85 Frevent, 76 Froidmont, abbaye de, 105 Fromentieres, 370 Frouard, 401 Fumay, 349 INDEX. G. Gag-ny, 363 Gaillefontaine, 77 Gamaches, 62, 87 Ganges, Fort de, 125 Gerardmer, 470 Gif, 312 Gironcourt-Houecourt, 459 Civet, 349 Gosnay, 331 Gouesse, 125 Gournay-sur-Aronde, 90 Goussainville, 125 Gouzeaucourt, 92 Grand, 391 Grand-Puits, 475 Grandvilliers, 85 Gravelines, 319 Greoulx, 393 Gretz Armainvilliers, 474 Grolay, I16 Gros-Bois, 304 Groslay, 109 Guignes, 475 Guignieourt, 433 Gui 11 an court, 408 Gaines, 34 G}^e-sur-Seine, 498 M. Haironville, 387 Ham, 409 Hans, 381 Happlincourt, 91 Harbonnieres, 408 Hardelot, chateau de, 37 Hary, 433 Hattenaux, 87 Hatton-Chatel, 361 Haubourdin, 332 Haussy, 343 Haute Borne, P3^ramide de la, 447 Hautvillers, 373 Hazebrouck, 324 Heilles, 105 Henin-Lietard, 332 Herme, 483 Hesdigneul, 331 Hesdin, 39 Heure, 48 Hierges, 349 Hirson, 347 Hombleux, 409 Honnecourt, 92 Houdain, 332 Houdainville, 105 Hourdel, Le, 42 Houssaye-Crevecoeur, 475 Houssiere, chateau de la, 369 Hymont-Mattaincourt, 459 I. Iges, 351 Igny, abbey of, 426 Isle-Adam, 109 J. Jalons, 377 Jarny, 359 Jaucourt, 499 Joinville, 448 Jonchere, La, 284 Jouarre, 368 Jiiiily, 295 L. Lagny, 364 Lainarche, 454 Landrecies, 412 Landrethun-le-Nord, 35 Langres, 451 Laniscourt, 432 Lannoy, 329 Laon, 427 Larivour, 499 Latrecey, 451 Launois, 376 Lavannes, 374 Laveline, 470 Legery, 445 Lens, 332 510 INDEX. Lerouville, 392 Lesdain, 92 Letanne-Beaumont, 358 Liancourt-Fosse, 91 -soLis-Clermont, 94 Libercourt, 341 Liercourt, 60 Ligny-en-Barro'.s, 391 Lihons-en-Santerre, 409 Lille, 326 Billers, 330 Limours, 316 Liverdun, 401 Livry, 362 Loges, Les, 279 Loivre, 434 Longemer, 472 Longpre-les-Corps-Saints, 60 Longueau, 87 Longueil-S. -Marie, 97 Longuyon, 355 Longwy, 356 Loos, 332 Lottinghein, 37 Louveciennes, 289 Louvieres, 387 Louvres, 125 Lucheux, chateau de, 76 Lumbres, 37 Lumigny, 474 Luneville, 407 Lure, 456 Lurey-Conflans, 373 Lusigny, 499 Luxeuil-les-Bains, 460 Luyeres, 386 Luzarches, 107 M. Macheret, 376 Maignelay, 88 Mailly, 337 Maisnieres, 62 Maison-Rouge, 476 Malmaison, La, 282 Marchais, chateau de, 432 Marchelepot, 91 Marcoing, 92 Mareil, 279 Maresquel, 39 Mareuil-sur-Ay, 376 -Ourcq, 367 Marie, 433 Marlemont, 105 Maries, 474 Marly-la-Machine, 285 -Ville, 125 -le-Roi, 285 Marnotte, La, 453 Maroeil, 39 Marquenterre, 41 Marquise, 34 Mars-la-Tour, 356 Marseille-le-Petit, 85 Marson, 379 Martainneville, 62 Massy, 31 1 Matougues, 377 Maubuisson, 1 14 Mauroy, 369 Meaux, 365 Mello, 105 Meriel, no Merlemont, 88 Merrey, 454 Mers, 59 Mery, 141 Mesgrigny, 487 Mesnil-Aubry, Le, 109 Mezieres, 348 Mezy, 373 Mohon, 376 Miannay, 56 Milly, 78 Molieres, 460 Molinchart, 432 Monampteui!, 423 Monchaux, 87 Moncornet, 433 Mons-en-Laonnois, 423 Monsoult, 107 Mont-Cesar, 105 Mont-devant-Sassey, 359 Mont Dieu, 352 Mont Doulers, 346 Mont Lassois, 498 Mont I’Eveque, 124 INDEX. Mont-Notre-Dame, 368 Mont S. Eloi, 336 Mont S. Martin, 356 Mont-Valerien, 234 Montaleau, 304 Montataire, 116 Montbozon, 455 Montceaux, 367 Montdidier, 89 Montepilloy, 124 Montherme, 349 Monthois, 388 Montier-en-Der, 4z]6 Montmedy, 353 Montmille, 84 Montmirail, 372 Montmorency, 115 Montoire, chateau de la, 318 Montreuil, 499 -sur-Mer, 38 -Therain, 105 Moreuil, 87 Morfontaine, 1 25 Morgny, 77 Morienval, 104 Morimont, 455 Mouchy-le-Chatel, 105 -Hiimieres, 90 Moussy-le-Neui’, 125 Moutrot, 401 Mouy, 105 Mouzon, 358 Moyembrie, 419 Moyenmoutier, 473 Mussy-snr-Seine, 498 N. Nain-aux-Forges, 391 Namps-Quevauvillers, 77 Nancy, 402 Nangis, 475 Nanterre, 273 Nanteuil-Saacy, 371 Nantouillet, 295 Nesle, 409 Nesle Normandeuse, 86 Neufchatean, 392 Neufchatel, 38 Neuville-sous-Montreui] -au-Pont, 387 Nielles-les-Blequin, 37 Nogent, 372 Nogent-sur-Marne, 302, 474 -Seine, 483 -les-Vierges, 95 Nogentel, 372 Nointel-S.-Aubin, 93 Nomeny, 357 Notre Dame de I’Epine, 379 Liesse, 432 Nouvion-sur-Meuse, 350 -le-Vieux, 432 Nouzon, 349 Novy-Chevrieres, 375 'Noyelles-sur-Mer, 41 Noyon, 413 O. Offoy, 409 Oisemont, 61 Olley, 359 Onville, 356 Orchies, 344 Ormesson, 304 Orsay, 312 Orthis, 297 Oudeuil, 78 Oulchy-le-Chatean, 368 Ozouer-la-Ferriere, 474 P. Pagny-sur-Meuse, 392 -Moselle, 356 Pailly, Chateau de la, 454 Palaiseau, 31 1 Paraclet, Le, 483 Parc-aux-Dames, 124 Paris, 144 Abattoir, le Grand, 228 Abbaye de S. Genevieve, 190 Academie Fran^aise, 197 Arc du Carrousel, 147 de I’Etoile, 217 de Nazareth, 162 512 INDEX. Paris — Archives Nationales, 15S Arsenal, 163 Athenes, La Nouvelle, 224 Auteuil, 217 Bagatelle, chateau de, 220 Banque de France, 230 Bastille, the, 162 Baths, Roman, 186 Beaux Arts, palais de, 196 Belleville, 228 Bibliotheque, de I’Arsenal, 164 Mazarin, 198 Rationale, 229 de Paulmy, 164 S. Genevieve, 193 Bois de Boulogne, 219 Boulevards — Bonne Nouvelle. 227 des Capucines, 224 des Italiens, 224 de la Madeleine, 224 Magenta, 227 Malesherbes, 221 Montmartre, 227 Poissonniere, 227 S. Germain, 183 S. Marcel, 178 S. Martin, 228 S. Michel, 193 de Sebastopol, 165, 227 de Strasbourg, 227 du Temple, 228 Bourse, la, 228 British Embassy, 222 Buttes Chaumont, 228 Montmartre, 225 Carmes, Les, 203 Carrousel, Place du, 147 Catacombs, 180 Cathedral of Notre Dame, 172 Chambre des Deputes, 212 Champ de Mai, 212 de Mars, 212 Champs Elysees, 216 Chapelle Expiatoire, 222 Sainte, 171 S. Ferdinand, 218 F aris — - Chateau de Bagatelle, 220 d’Eau, 228 Madrid, 221 de la Muette, de Neuilly, 218 Chevaux de Marly, 216 Churches — L’Assomption, 214 des Billettes, 158 La Madeleine, 223 Notre Dame, 172 des Carmelites, 179 deLorette, 224 des Victoires, 229 L’Oratoire, 156 Sacre Coeur, 227 S. Augustin, 221 S. Clotilde, 208 S. Etienne-du-Mont, 187 S. Eustache, 157 S. Germain FAuxerrois, 155 -des-Pres, 205 SS. Gervais et Protais, 165 St. Jacques-de-la-Bou- cherie, 165 S. Julien-le-Pauvre, 182 S. Laurent, 228 SS. Leu et Gilles, 158 S. Medard, 178 S. Merri, 158 S. Nicolas des Champs, 158 du Chardonnet, 183 S. Paul, 163 SS. Paul et Louis, 165 S. Philippe du Roule, 222 S. Pierre aux Boeufs, 183 S. Roch, 156 S. Severin, 183 S. Sulpice, 204 S. Thomas Aquinas, 207 S. Vincent de Paul, 227 Val de Grace, 179 Visitation, 162 INDEX. 513 Paris — Cimetiere — des Innocents, 157 Montmartre, 225 Mont Parnasse, 18 1 Pere Lachaise, 166 Picpus, 166 ' Cloister of les Billetes, 158 College — des Ecossais, 189 Louis le Grand, 187 S. Barbe, 1S7 Sorbonne, 186 Colonne de Juillet, 162 Comte, house of, 202 Conciergerie, 1 70 Conservatoire de Musique, 227 Convent of — les Cordeliers, 195 les Dominicains, 202 Ecole des Beaux Arts, 196 de Dessin, 195 de Medecine, 195 Egouts, Les, 165 Elysee, palais de 1 ’, 222 Embassy, British, 222 Faubourg S. Antoine, 166 S. Germain, 207 S. Honore, 221 S. Marcel, 178 Fontaine — de Grenelle, 208 des Innocents, 1 57 Louvois, 231 Moliere, 231 ^ S. Michel, 193 de Medicis, 202 S. Sulpice, 205 Garde Meuble, 212 Gobelins, des, 178 Halle au Ble, 156 aux Vins, 177 Halles Centrales, 156 Hospital de I’Hotel Dieu, 172 Val de Grace, 1 79 Hotel— d’Aumont, 165 Barbette, 160 Paris — Hotel— de Beauvais, 162 de Bouillon, 196 de Bourgogne, 157 Carnavalet, 16 1 Charost, 222 de Clisson, 158 de Cluny, 184 Dieu, 172 dela Duchessede Savoie, 204 de Fontenay, 159 de la Force, 161 de Guise, 158 ' d’Hercule, 1 94 de Hollande, 160 dej’infantado, 2 14 des Invalides, 208 de Juigne, 196 Lambert, 177 de Lamoignon, 16 1 de Lavalette, 163 de Luxembourg, 163 de Luynes, 207 de Ma3^enne, 162 de la Monnaie, 199 de Nesle, 156 Nesmond, 177 de Ninon de I’Enclos, 162 Petit de Conti, 199 Petit Luxembourg, 201 du Prevot de Paris, 165 Pompeien, 216 de S. Paul, 163 S. Aignan, 158 de Sens, 164 de Soissons, 156 de Soubise, 158 de Sulljq 162 de Toulouse, 230 de Vieuville, 163 de Ville, 165 de la Vrilliere, 2 14 lie de la Cite, 167 S. Louis, 177 aux Treilles, 167 Imprimerie Nationale, 160 Institut de France, 197 Invalides, Hbtel des, 208 33 5H INDEX. Paris — Jardin d’Acclimatation, 22 1 du Luxembourg, 202 du Palais Royal, 232 des Plantes, 177 des Tuileries, 147 Longchamp, 220 Louvre, palais du, 147 Luxembourg, palais de, 1 99 Lycee Henry IV., 1 90 Louis le Grand, 187 Madeleine, La, 223 Madrid, chateau de, 22 1 Maison de Francois L, 217 de Lulli, 231 Manufacture des Gobelins, 178 des Tabacs, 212 Mint, the, 199 Monceaux, Parc de, 221 Montmartre, 225 Morgue, 176 Muette, La, 217 Musee des Archives, 158 d’Artillerie, 21 1 des Arts et Metiers, 158 Carnavalet, 161 de Cluny, 184 Dupuytren, 195 Ethnographique, 217 de Galliera, 21 7 du Louvre, 149 du Luxembourg, 201 des Thermes, 186 Napoleon, tombeau, 209 Neuilly, 218 Obelisk of the Place de la Concorde, 215 Observatoire, 180 Opera, 224 Oratoire, the, 156 Palais (Palace) — of the abbot of S. Ger- main, 206 des Beaux Arts, 196 Cardinal, 159 de la Cite, 168 du Corps Legislatif, 212 Paris — Palais de I’Elysee, 222 de rindustrie, 215 de rinstitut, 198 de Justice, 168 de la Legion d’Honneur 212 du Louvre, 147 du Luxembourg, 199 Royal, 231 des Thermes, 186 des Tournelles, 162 du Trocadero, 217 des Tuileries, 146 Pantheon, 191 Parc des Buttes Chaumont, 228 Monceaux, 221 Passy, 217 Pays Latin, 186 Pere Lachaise, 1 66 Pharmacie Generate, 165 Picpus, Cimetiere de, 166 Place de la Bastille, 162 du Carrousel, 147 du Chateau d’Eau, 228 du ChMelet, 165 de la Concorde, 215 Dauphine, 167 de Greve, 165 de I’Hotel de Ville, 165 Louis XV,, 215 Louvois, 231 de la Nation, 166 Notre Dame, 176 de la Republique, 228 Roy ale, 162 S, Georges, 224 du Temple, 158 du Trocadero, 217 Vendome, 213 des Victoires, 230 des Vosges, 162 Port Royal de Paris, 180 Porte S. Denis, 227 S. Martin, 228 Priory of S. Martin des Champs, 158 Prison de I’Abbaye, 206 INDEX. 515 Paris — Prison de la Conciergerie, 169 de la Force, 161 S. Lazare, 227 de la Roquette, 166 Ouartier Latin, 186 Restaurants, 145 Sainte Chapelle, 171 Sorbonne, La, 186 Statue of Bernard Palissy, 206 Charles X., 162 Henri IV., 167 Louis XIV,, 230 Napoleon L, 214 Ney, 180 Voltaire, 197 Temple, the, 158 Terrasse de Feuillants, 147 Thermes, palais des, 186 Tombeau Napoleon, 209 Tour de S. Jacques, 165 Tournelles, palais des, 162 Trocadero, Le, 217 Tuileries, Les, 146 Universite, i8i Val de Grace, 179 Villette, La, 228 Walls of Philippe-Auguste, 189 Pecq, Le, 275 Pernes-Camblain, 76 Peronne, 91 Persan-Beaumont, 107 Petit-Croix, 456 Picquigny, 62 ^ Pierre-aux-Fees, 105 Pierrefitte, 125 Pierrefonds, 10 1 Pinon, chateau de, 420 Plessis, Longueau, 90 Plombieres, 460 Poissons, 449 Poix, 77 Pompey, 357 Pont-les-Bric, 91 -a-Mousson, 357 -Noyelles, 338 -Re my, 60 de Sains, 347 Pont S. Marie, 386 S. Maxence, 96 -sur-Seine, 486 Pontoise, 142 Port d’Atelier, 455 Port-a-Binson-Chatillon, 3^73 Port-le-Grand, 43 Pothieres, 498 Premontre, 419 Presles, 475 Preuilly, 476 Prisces, 433 Prouzel, 77 Provins, 476 Puteaux, 233 Q- Quesnoy, 345 -sur-Deule, 329 R. Rainc33 Le, 363 Rambervillers, 458 Rambures, chateau de, 61 Raon I’Etape, 473 Rebais, 369 Reiglise, 90 Reims, 434 Rembercourt-aux-Pois, 391 Remilly, 35S Remiremont, 466 Remoncourt, 454 Rethel, 375 Retournemer, 472 Revigny-aux-Vaches, 387 Rsvin, 349 Rieux, 96, 343 Rigney, 456 Robinson, 307 Rochy-Conde, 105 Rocquencourt, 280 Roisel, 92 Romilly-sur-Seine, 486 Roocourt-la-Cdte, 450 Rosieres, 409, 497 INDEX. 516 Result, 344 Roubaix, 329 Rougemare, 75 Roye, 89 Rozoy-sur-Serre, 433 Rue, 40 S. Pierre, 88 Rueil, 280 Rumigny, 433 S. Sains, 77, 346 S. Acheul, 75 S. Amand, 387 -les-Eaux, 344 S. Arne, 470 S. Andre, 497 S. Brice, 109 S. Cloud, 234 S. Corneille, lOi S. Denis, 125 S. Die, 472 S. Dizier, 445 S. Elophe, 401 S. Erme, 433 S. Firmin, 120 S. Germain-en-Laye, 275 S. Jean-aux-Bois, 104 S. Just, 376 -en-Chaussee, 88 S. Eeger-les-Doinart, 76 S.-Leu-d’Esserent, 106 -Taverny, 14 1 S. Loup-de-Naud, 476 S. Eucien, abbey ol^, 84 S. Lye, 487 S. Marie aux Bois, 356 -en-Chanois, 466 S. Martin an Laert, 321 S. Maur-les-Fosses, 303 -Port-Creteil, 303 S. Maure, 386, 497 S. Maurice d’Alsace, 470 S. Menehould, 381 S. Mesmin, 487 S. Michcl-Rochefort, 347 -Songland, 347 S. Mihiel, 359 Saint Mont, Le, 469 S. Morel, 388 S. Omer, 319 -en-Chaussee, 78, 84 S. Parres-les-Tertres, 497 -les-Vaudes, 498 S. Perinne, 104 S. Pierre, priory of, loi -les-Calais, 34 S. Pol-sur-Ternoise, 39 S. Quentin, 41 1 S. Re my, 312 S. Riquier, 48 S. Sail veil r, 407 S. Thibault, 426 S. Urbain, 449 S. Vaast-les-Bavai, 345 S. Valbert, 466 S. Valery-sur-Somme, 41 S. Waast-de-Longmont, 97 Samer, 36, 37 Sangatte, 33 Sapois, 470 Saponay, 368 Sarcelles, 109 Sarcus, 85 Saulmory-Montigny, 359 Saulx-S.-Rein}', 433 Savieres, 487 Savigny, 388 Savy-Berlette, 39 Sceaux, 308 Scellieres, chateau de, 487 Scouet, Saut du, 470 Sebourg, 345 Seclin, 341 Sedan, 350 Semeries, 346 Senarpont, 86 Senlis, 120 Senlisse, 315 Septfontaines, 450 Sennaize, 387 Sennoise, 423 Serqueux, 77 Sevres, 241 Sezanne, 376 Signy-l’Abbaye, 375 Sillery, 445 Silly-la-Poterie, 368 INDEX. 517 Soissons, 420 Solesmes, 343 Somain, 343 Songeons, 85 Sorbon, 375 Sorenq, 87 Soulaines, 446 Soulisse, 401 Stains, 125 Stenay, 358 Sucy, 304 Suippes, 381 Suresiies, 234 Survilliers, 125 T. Taillefontaine, 104 Taintrux, 473 Tanqueux, chateau de, 371 Templeiive, 345 Templeux-la-Fosse, 92 Tergnier, 41 1 Thennelicres, 387 Therouanne, 330 Thibie, 371 Thugny, 375 Thuisy, 445 Tilloloy, 90 Tilloy-Floriville, 62 Tortefontaine, 55 Toul, 400 Tourcoing, 330 Tollman, 474 ^ Tremblois, Le, 347 Treport, Le, 59 Trianon, Le Grand, 267 Petit, 269 Triaucourt, 387 Trois-Fontaines, 387 Troisfontaines, 447 Troyes, 487 U. V. Vailly. 423 Val, abbaye du, 140, 312 d’Ayot, 460 chateau du, 279 Valenciennes, 343 Valloires, Abbaye, 55 Valmondois, no Vandieres, 356 Varangeville, 405 Varennes-en-Argonnc, 382 Varenne S.-Maur, 303 Vasseny, 423 Vassy, 446 Vaucelles, abbey of, 92 Vauchamps, 370 Vaucouleurs, 392 Vaux, 431 -le-Cernay, 315 Venizel, 423 Verdun sur Meuse, 359 Vermand, 337 Verneuil-Chaumes, 475 Versailles, 243 Verton, 39 Vertus, 376 Vervieres, 498 Vervins, 433 Vesinet, Le, 274 Vesoul, 455 Viarmes, 107 Vic-sur-Aisne, 422 Victoire, abbaye de la, 124 Vieil-Laon, 433 Vieux-Rouen, 86 Vieville, 449 Vignory, 449 Villecresnes, 305 Ville d’Avray, 240 Viliegenis, chateau de, 311 Villenauxe, 373, 486 Villeneuve I’Etang, 240 Villepatour-Coubert, 475 Ville-sur-Tourbe, 388 Villers Bretonneux, 408 -Guislain, 92 S. Paul, 96 -le-Sec, 455 Urcel, 422 INDEX. 518 Villiers-le-Bel, 125 -S.-Georges, 482 Vincennes, 299 Vireux-Molhain, 249 Vitrey, 455 Vitry, 338 -le-Fran^ois, 386 -en-Perthois, 387 -la-Ville, 386 Vittel, 454 Volleville, chateau de, 332 Verges, 431 Vouziers, 388 W. Wagnonville, 341 Walbruant, 451 Wasigny, 375 Watten, 319 Wattignies, 346 V^attigny, 347 Wiry-au-Mont, 61 Wissant, 35 Witry-les-Reims, 374 Printed by Hazell, Watson, & Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury. WORKS BY AUGUSTUS J. C. HARE. SKETCHES IN HOLLAND AND SCANDINAVIA. Crown Svo, with Illustrations, 5r. “ This little work is the best companion a visitor to these countries can have, while those who stay at home can also read it with pleasure and profit.” Glasgow Herald. “ Will be popular for its handy size and light manner. Without being strikingly amusing it is yet never wearisome. . . . His notes of travel in Norway are very tempting to tourists attracted to the north.” — Art Journal. STUDIES IN RUSSIA. Crown Svo, with numerous Illustrations, lot. 6t/. “ Mr. Hare’s book may be recommended as at once entertaining and instructive.” Athen/eum. “A delightful and instructive guide to the places visited. It is, in fact, a sort of glorified guide-book, with all the charm of a pleasant and cultivated literary com- panion.”— Scotsman. CITIES OF SOUTHERN ^ ITALY AND SICILY. With Illustrations. Crown Svo, I2s. 6 d. “ Mr. Hare’s name will be a sufficient passport for the popularity of his new work. His books on the Cities of Italy are fast becoming as indispensable to the traveller in that part of the country as the guide-books of Murray or of Baedeker. . . . His book is one which I should advise all future travellers in Southern Italy and Sicily to find room for in their portmanteaus.”— Academy. “We regard the volume as a necessary part of the equipment of a traveller in Southern Italy ; if he goes without it he will miss the most thorough and most help- ful book that has treated it. The part devoted to Sicily is especially full of interest ; and we should not omit to make mention of the exquisite little woodcuts done from Mr. Hare’s water-colours executed on the spot.” — British Quarterly Review’. CITIES OF CENTRAL ITALY. Second Edition. AVith Illustrations. 2 vols., crown Svo, 21^. CITIES OF NORTHERN TrALY. Second Edition. With Illustrations. 2 vols., crown Svo, 2i.f. “We can imagine no better way of spending a wet day in Florence or Venice than in reading all that Mr. Hare has to say and quote about the history, arts, and famous people of those cities. These volumes come under the class of volumes not to borrow, but to buy.”— Morning Post. WALKS IN ROME. Twelfth Edition. With Map. 2 vols., crown Svo, iSy. “ The best handbook of"^the city and environs of Rome ever published. . . . Cannot be too much commended.” — Pall Mall Gazette. “This book is sure to be very useful. It is thoroughly practical, and is the best guide that yet has been offered.”— Daily New’S. “ Mr. Hare's book fills a real void, and gives to the tourist all the latest dis- coveries and the fullest information bearing on that most inexhaustible of subjects, the city of Rome. ... It is much fuller than ‘ Murray,’ and anyone who chooses may now know how Rome really looks in sun or shade.’ — Spectator. WALKS IN LONDON. Fifth Edition. With numerous Illustrations. 2 vols., crown Svo, 2i.r. “ One of the really valuable as well as pleasant companions to the peripatetic philosopher’s rambling studies of the tow'ii.” — Daily Telegraph. London : GEORGE ALLEN, 8, Bell Yard, Temple Bar ; and Sunnyside, Orpington. Works by Augustus J. C. Hare. WANDERINGS IN SPAIN. With 17 full-page Illus- trations. Fifth Edition. Crown 8vo, "]s. 6d. “Mr. Hare’s book is admirable. We are sure no one wilt regret making it the companion of a Spanish journey. It will bear reading repeatedly when one is moving among the scenes it describes— no small advantage when the travelling library is scanty.” — Saturd.vv Review. “Here is the ideal book of travel in Spain; the book which exactly anticipates the requirements of everybody who is fortunate enough to be going to that enchanted land ; the book which ably consoles those who are not so happy by supplying the imagination from the daintiest and most delicious of its stories.” — Spectator. “ Since the publication of ‘ Castilian Days,’ by the American diplomat, Mr. John Hay, no pleasanter or more readable sketches have fallen under our notice.” Athenaeum. DAYS NEAR ROME. With more than 100 Illustrations by the Author. Third Edition. 2 vols., crown 8vo, i8.y. LIFE AND LETTERS OF FRANCES BARONESS BUNSEN. Third Edition. With Portraits. 2 vols., crown 8 VO, 21 s. MEMORIALS OF A QUIET LIFE. 3 vols., crown 8vo. Vols. I. and II. 21 s. {Nmeteenth Edition)', Vol. III., with numerous Photographs, lo.v. (id. “ The name of Hare is one deservedly to be honoured ; and in these ‘ Memorials,’ which are as true and satisfactory a biography as it is possible to write, the author places his readers in the heart of the family, and allows them to see the hidden sources of life and love by which it is nourished and sustained.”— Athenaeum. “ One of those books which it is impossible to read without pleasure. It conveys a sense of repose not unlike that which everybody must have felt out of service time in quiet little village churches. Its editor will receive the hearty thanks of every cidtivated reader for these profoundly interesting ‘ Memorials,’ of two brothers, whose names and labours their universities and Church have alike reason to cherish with affection and remember with pride, who have smoothed the path of faith to so many troubled wayfarers, strengthening the -weary and confirming the weak.” Standard. “The book is rich in insight and in contrast of character. It is varied and full of episodes, which few can fail to read with interest ; and as exhibiting the sentiments and thoughts of a very influential circle of minds during a quarter of a century, it may be said to have a distinct historical value.” — Nonconformist. “A charming book, simply and gracefully recording the events of simple and gracious life. Its connection with the beginning of a great movement in the English Church will make it to the thoughtful reader more profoundly suggestive than many biographies crowded and bustling with incident. It is almost the first ’of a class of books the Christian world just now greatly needs, as showing how the spiritual life was maintained amid the shaking of religious ‘opinions’; how the life of the soul deepened as the thoughts of the mind broadened ; and how, in their union, the two formed a volume of larger and more thoroughly vitalised Christian idea than the English people had witnessed for many days.” — Glasgow Herald. FLORENCE. Second Edit. | VENICE. Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo, cloth limp, 2s. 6d. | Fcp. 8vo, cloth limp, 2 s. 6d. “ The plan of these little volumes is excellent. . . , Anything more perfectly fulfilling the idea of a guide-book we have never seen.” — Scottish Review. London : GEORGE ALLEN, 8, Bell Yard, Temple Bar ; and Sunnyside, Orpington. Works hy Augustus J. C. Hare. PARIS, With Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth, ioj". DAYS NEAR PARIS. With Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth, IOJ-. A NEW WORK ON FRANCE. WITH MAPS, AND BOO ILLUSTRATIONS. Crown 8vo, 70s. 6d. per Volume. NORTH-EASTERN FRANCE. SOUTH-EASTERN FRANCE. SOUTH-WESTERN FRANCE. ALSO IN PREPARATION, NORTH-WESTERN FRANCE. London : GEORGE ALLEN, 8, Bell Yard, Temple B.ar ; and Sunnyside, Orpington. 34 Fifth Edition, crown 8vo, ^s. 6d. THE ALTON SERMONS. BY THE LATE AUGUSTUS WILLIAM HARE, RECTOR OF ALTON, BARNES. “They are, in truth, as appears to us, compositions of very rare merit, and realise a notion we have always entertained, that a style of sermon for our rural congregations there somewhere was, if it could be hit off, which in language should be familiar without being plebeian, and in matter solid, without being abstruse.” — Quarterly Review. “ Sermons which a former generation highly prized, and which this should welcome. They were preached to simple country folk, and heard by them with loving attention and appreciation, but they are such as no man need disdain to listen to.” — Spectator. “ Sermons which have taken their place with English classics, which were understood and liked by rustics when delivered in the tiny village church, and when printed were read and admired by the most learned and fastidious.” — Nonconformist. “All may read these sermons with proht, but to clergymen, if studied with discretion, they may prove serviceable in no common degree, in regard especially to the lucid clearness of their style, their striking illustration, their tone of earnestness, and above all the admirable skill with which abundant intellectual resources are adapted to the capacities of an unlearned audience.” — Christian Observer. ‘ ‘ These sermons present us with the working of a pious and highly gifted mind in its endeavours to impress the truths of Christianity upon the understanding of a rural population. Thei'e are few placed in circumstances similar to those of the accomplished author who will not find valuable hints suggested in them for parochial instruction.” British Magazine. SERMONS ON THE LORD’S PRAYER. By the late Augustus William Hare. Crown 8vo, is. 6d. London : GEORGE ALLEN, 8, Bell Yard, Temple Bar ; and Sunnyside, Orpington. GETTY CENTER LIBRARY 3 3125 00705 2315