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diff --git a/16224-h/16224-h.htm b/16224-h/16224-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..36929da --- /dev/null +++ b/16224-h/16224-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,17021 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> +<HTML lang="en"> +<HEAD> +<META name="generator" content="HTML Tidy, see www.w3.org"> +<TITLE>A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ANTIQUARIAN AND PICTURESQUE TOUR, VOL 1</TITLE> +<META http-equiv="Content-Type" content= +"text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> +<STYLE type="text/css"> + <!-- +BODY + { + Margin-Left: 10%; + Margin-Right: 5% + } +P + { + Text-Align: justify; + } +HR + { + width: 30%; + Margin-Left: 2em; + } +.centered + { + Text-Align: center; + } +.footnote + { + Margin-Left: 4em; + } +.fnref + { + Font-size: 70%; + Vertical-Align: top; + } +.ind2 + { + Margin-Left: 1em; + } +.ind4 + { + Margin-Left: 2em; + } +.ind8 + { + Margin-Left: 4em; + } +.letter + { + Margin-Top: 4em; + Text-Align: center; + } +.spaced + { + Margin-Top: 4em; + } +.poetry + { + Margin-Left: 2em; + } +.quotepoetry + { + Margin-Left: 5em; + } +.quote + { + Margin-Left: 3em; + } +.figcenter + { + padding: 1em; + text-align: center; + font-size: 0.8em; + border: 0; + margin: auto; + } + +--> +</STYLE> +</HEAD> +<BODY> + + +<pre> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and +Picturesque Tour in France and Germany, Volume One, by Thomas Frognall Dibdin + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany, Volume One + +Author: Thomas Frognall Dibdin + +Release Date: July 6, 2005 [EBook #16224] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOUR IN FRANCE AND GERMANY *** + + + + +Produced by Robert Connal, Paul Ereaut and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net, from +images generously made available by gallica (Bibliothèque +nationale de France) at http://gallica.bnf.fr. + + + + + + +</pre> + +<H2 class="centered">BIBLIOGRAPHICAL Antiquarian AND PICTURESQUE +TOUR.</H2> + +<H3 class="centered">PRINTED BY WILLIAM NICOL, AT THE<BR> +Shakespeare Press.</H3> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:50%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/003.png" alt="T. F. DIBDIN, D.D."> + +<P class="centered">T. F. DIBDIN, D.D.</P> + +<P class="centered">Engraved by James Thomson from the<BR> + Original Painting by T. Phillips Esq. R.A.<BR> +</P> + +<P class="centered">London. Published June 1829 by R. Jennings, +Poultry.</P> +</DIV> + +<H3 class="centered">A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL<BR> +Antiquarian<BR> +AND<BR> +PICTURESQUE TOUR<BR> +IN<BR> +FRANCE AND GERMANY.</H3> + +<H3 class="centered">BY THE REVEREND THOMAS FROGNALL DIBDIN, +D.D.<BR> +MEMBER OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY AT ROUEN, AND OF THE ACADEMY OF +UTRECHT.</H3> + +<H3 class="centered">SECOND EDITION.</H3> + +<H3 class="centered">VOLUME I.</H3> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:30%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/004.png" alt="DEI OMNIA PLENA"> + +<P class="centered">DEI OMNIA PLENA</P> +</DIV> + +<H3 class="centered">LONDON:<BR> +PUBLISHED BY ROBERT JENNINGS, AND JOHN MAJOR.<BR> +1829.</H3> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:30%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/005.png" alt="Heraldic Shield"></DIV> + +<H2 class="centered">TO THE REVEREND</H2> + +<H1 class="centered">JOHN LODGE, M.A.</H1> + +<H2 class="centered">FELLOW OF MAGDALEN COLLEGE,</H2> + +<H3 class="centered">AND</H3> + +<H3 class="centered">LIBRARIAN TO THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE.</H3> + +<P class="spaced">MY DEAR FRIEND,</P> + +<P>Most grateful it is to me, at all times, to bear in remembrance +those pleasant discussions in which we were wont so frequently to +indulge, relating to the LIBRARIES upon the Continent:--but more +than ordinarily gratifying to me was <EM>that</EM> moment, when you +told me, that, on crossing the Rhine, you took the third volume of +my Tour under your arm, and on reaching the Monasteries of Mölk and +Göttwic, gave an off-hand translation to the venerable Benedictine +Inmates of what I had recorded concerning their MSS. and Printed +Books, and their hospitable reception of the Author. I studiously +concealed from You, at the time, the whole of the gratification +which that intelligence imparted; resolving however that, should +this work be deemed worthy of a second edition, to dedicate that +republication to YOURSELF. Accordingly, it now comes forth in its +present form, much enhanced, in the estimation of its Author, by +the respectability of the name prefixed to this Dedication; and +wishing you many years enjoyment of the honourable public situation +with which you have been recently, and so deservedly, invested, +allow me to subscribe myself,</P> + +<P>Your affectionate<BR> +and obliged Friend,</P> + +<P>T.F. DIBDIN.</P> + +<P>Wyndham Place,<BR> + June 30, 1829.</P> + +<H3 class = "letter">CONTENTS OF VOLUME I.</H3> + +<H3 class = "spaced">CONTENTS.</H3> + +<H3>VOLUME I.</H3> + +<P>LETTER I.</P> + +<P><EM>Passage to Dieppe</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER II.</P> + +<P>DIEPPE. <EM>Fisheries. Streets. Churches of St. Jacques and St. +Remy. Divine Worship. Military Mass</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER III.</P> + +<P><EM>Village and Castle of Arques. Sabbath Amusements. Manners +and Customs. Boulevards</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER IV.</P> + +<P>ROUEN. <EM>Approach. Boulevards. Population. +Street-Scenery</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER V.</P> + +<P><EM>Ecclesiastical Architecture. Cathedral. Monuments. Religious +Ceremonies. The Abbey of St. Ouen. The Churches of St. Maclou, St. +Vincent, St. Vivien, St. Gervais, and St. Paul</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER VI.</P> + +<P><EM>Halles de Commerce. Place de la Pucelle d'Orleans. +(Jeanne d'Arc). Basso-Rilievo of the Champ de Drap d'Or. +Palace and Courts of Justice</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER VII.</P> + +<P>ROUEN. <EM>The Quays. Bridge of Boats. Rue du Bac. Rue de Robec. +Eaux de Robec et d'Aubette. Mont Ste. Catherine. +Hospices--Générale et d'Humanité</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER VIII.</P> + +<P><EM>Early Typography at Rouen. Modern Printers. Chap Books. +Booksellers. Book Collectors</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER IX.</P> + +<P><EM>Departure from Rouen. St. George de Boscherville. Duclair. +Marivaux. The Abbey of Jumieges. Arrival at Caudebec</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER X.</P> + +<P><EM>Caudebec. Lillebonne. Bolbec. Tankarville. Montmorenci +Castle. Havre de Grace</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER XI.</P> + +<P><EM>Havre de Grace. Honfleur. Journey to Caen</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER XII.</P> + +<P>CAEN. <EM>Soil. Society. Education. A Duel. Old houses. The +Abbey of St. Stephen. Church of St. Pierre de Darnetal. Abbé de la +Sainte Trinité. Other Public Edifices</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER XIII.</P> + +<P>CAEN. <EM>Literary Society. Abbé de la Rue. Messrs. Pierre-Aimé. +Lair and Lamouroux. Medal of Malherbe. Booksellers. Memoir of the +late M. Moysant, Public Librarian. Courts of Justice</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER XIV.</P> + +<P>BAYEUX. <EM>Cathedral. Ordination of Priests and Deacons. Crypt +of the Cathedral</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER XV.</P> + +<P>BAYEUX. <EM>Visit near St. Loup. M. Pluquet, Apothecary and +Book-Vendor. Visit to the Bishop. The Chapter Library. Description +of the Bayeux Tapestry. Trade and Manufacture</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER XVI.</P> + +<P><EM>Bayeux to Coutances. St. Lo. The Cathedral of Coutances. +Environs. Aqueduct. Market-Day. Public Library. Establishment for +the Clergy</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER XVII.</P> + +<P><EM>Journey to Granville. Granville. Ville Dieu. St. Sever. Town +and Castle of</EM> VIRE</P> + +<P>LETTER XVIII.</P> + +<P>VIRE. <EM>Bibliography. Monsieur Adam. Monsieur de la +Renaudiere. Olivier Basselin. M. Séguin. The Public +Library</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER XIX.</P> + +<P><EM>Departure from Vire. Condé. Pont Ouilly. Arrival at</EM> +FALAISE. <EM>Hotel of the Grand Turc. Castle of Falaise. +Bibliomaniacal Interview</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER XX.</P> + +<P><EM>Mons. Mouton. Church of Ste. Trinité, Comte de la Fresnaye. +Guibray Church. Supposed head of William the Conqueror. M. +Langevin, Historian of Falaise. Printing Offices</EM></P> + +<P>LETTER XXI.</P> + +<P><EM>Journey to Paris. Dreux. Houdan. Versailles. Entrance into +Paris</EM></P> + +<H3 class = "letter">LIST OF PLATES.</H3> + +<P>VOL. I.</P> + +<P>Portrait of the Author<BR> + Fille de Chambre, Caen<BR> + Portrait of the Abbé de la Rue</P> + +<P>VOL. II.</P> + +<P>Anne of Brittany<BR> + Medal of Louis XII<BR> + Pisani<BR> + Denon<BR> + Comte de Brienne<BR> + Stone Pulpit, Strasbourg Cathedral</P> + +<P>VOL. III.</P> + +<P>Fille de Chambre, Manheim<BR> + Monastery of Saints Ulric and Afra<BR> + Prater, Vienna</P> + +<H3 class = "letter">LIST OF AUTOGRAPHS.</H3> + +<TABLE border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" summary= +"LIST OF AUTOGRAPHS."> +<TR> +<TD> </TD> +<TD>Vol.</TD> +<TD>Page.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Artaria, Dom. Manheim</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>470</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Barbier, Antoine Alexandre; Paris</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>204</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Bartsch, Adam de; Vienna</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>394</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Beyschlag, Recteur; Augsbourg</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>104</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Brial, Dom; Paris</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>254</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Brunet, Libraire; Paris</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>235</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Bure, De, Freres; Paris</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>220</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Chateaugiron, Marquis de; Paris</TD> +<TD>i.</TD> +<TD>xxxviii</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Dannecker; Stuttgart</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>54</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Denon; Paris</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>293</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Gaertner, Corbinian; Salzburg</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>201</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Gail; Paris</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>259</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Hartenschneider, Udalricus; Chremsminster Monastery</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>229</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Henri ii.</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>151</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Hess, C.E.; Munich</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>165</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Lamouroux; Caen</TD> +<TD>i.</TD> +<TD>137</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Lançon, Durand de; Paris</TD> +<TD>i.</TD> +<TD>xxxviii</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Langevin; Falaise</TD> +<TD>i.</TD> +<TD>341</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Langlès, L.; Paris</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>268</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Larenaudiere, De; Vire</TD> +<TD>i.</TD> +<TD>309</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Lebret, F.C.; Stuttgart</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>56</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>May, Jean Gottlob; Augsbourg</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>104</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Millin, A.L.; Paris</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>264</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Pallas, Joachim; Mölk Monastery</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>254</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Peignot, Gabriel; Dijon</TD> +<TD>i.</TD> +<TD>xxvii</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Poitiers, Diane de</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>151</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Renouard, Ant. Aug.; Paris</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>227</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Schlichtegroll, Frederic; Munich</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>161</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Schweighæuser, Fils; Strasbourg</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>426</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Van Praet; Paris</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>278</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Veesenmeyer, G.; Ulm</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>71</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Willemin; Paris</TD> +<TD>ii.</TD> +<TD>320</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Young,.T.; Vienna</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>390</TD> +</TR> +</TABLE> + +<H3 class = "letter">PREFACE.</H3> + +<P>PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.</P> + +<P>If I had chosen to introduce myself to the greatest possible +advantage to the reader, in this Preface to a Second Edition of the +"<EM>Bibliographical, Antiquarian, and Picturesque +Tour</EM>," I could not have done better than have borrowed +the language of those Foreigners, who, by a translation of the Work +(however occasionally vituperative their criticisms) have, in fact, +conferred an honour upon its Author. In the midst of censure, +sometimes dictated by spite, and sometimes sharpened by acrimony of +feeling, it were in my power to select passages of commendation, +which would not less surprise the Reader than they have done +myself: while the history of this performance may be said to +exhibit the singular phenomenon, of a traveller, usually lauding +the countries through which he passes, receiving in return the +reluctant approbation of those whose institutions, manners, and +customs, have been praised by him. It is admitted, by the most +sedulous and systematic of my opponents--M. CRAPELET--that +"considering the quantity and quality of the ornaments and +engravings of this Tour, one is surprised that its cost is so +moderate."<A name="fnref_1"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_1">1</A></P> + +<P>"Few books (says the Bibliographer of Dijon) have been +executed with greater luxury. It is said that the expenses of +printing and engraving amounted to 6000 l.--to nearly 140,000 +franks of our money. It must be admitted that England is the only +country in which such an undertaking could be carried into effect. +Who in France would dare to risk such a sum-- especially for three, +volumes in octavo? He would be ruined, if he did."<A name= +"fnref_2"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_2">2</A> I quote these +passages simply to shew under what extraordinary obliquity of +feeling those gentlemen must have set down to the task of +translation and abuse--of THAT VERY WORK, which is here admitted to +contain such splendid representations of the "bibliographical, +antiquarian, and picturesque" beauties of their country.</P> + +<P>A brief account of this foreign <EM>travail</EM> may be +acceptable to the curious in literary history. MONS. LICQUET, the +successor of M. Gourdin, as Chief Librarian to the Public Library +at Rouen, led the way in the work of warfare. He translated the +ninth Letter relating to that Public Library; of which translation +especial mention is made at p. 99, post. This version was printed +in 1821, for private, distribution; and only 100 copies were struck +off. M. Crapelet, in whose office it was printed, felt the embers +of discontent rekindled in his bosom as it passed through his +press; and in the following year HE also stepped forward to +discharge an arrow at the Traveller. Like his predecessor, he +printed but a limited number; and as I have more particularly +remarked upon the spirit of that version by way of +"Introduction" to the original letter, in vol. ii. 209, +&c. I shall not waste the time of the Reader by any notice of +it in the present place. These two partial translators united their +forces, about two years afterwards, and published the whole of the +Tour, as it related to FRANCE, in four octavo volumes, in 1825. The +ordinary copies were sold for 48 francs, the large paper for 112 +francs per copy. The wood-cuts only were republished by them. Of +this conjoint, and more enlarged production, presently.</P> + +<P>Encouraged by the examples of Messrs. Licquet and Crapelet, a +Bookbinder of the name of LESNÉ (whose poem upon his +"Craft," published in 1820, had been copiously quoted and +<EM>commended</EM> by me in the previous edition) chose to plant +his foot within this arena of controversy; and to address a letter +to me; to which his model, M. Crapelet, was too happy to give +circulation through the medium of his press.<A name= +"fnref_3"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_3">3</A> To that letter +the following metrical lines are prefixed; which the Reader would +scarcely forgive me if I failed to amuse him by their introduction +in this place. "<EM>Lesné, Relieur Français, à Mons. T.F. +Dibdin, Ministre de la Religion, &c.</EM>"</P> + +<P class="poetry">Avec un ris moqueur, je crois vous voir +d'ici,<BR> + Dédaigneusement dire: Eh, que veut celui-ci?<BR> + Qu'ai-je donc de commun avec un vil artiste?<BR> + Un ouvrier français, un <EM>Bibliopégiste</EM>?<BR> + Ose-t-on ravaler un Ministre à ce point?<BR> + Que me veut ce <EM>Lesné</EM>? Je ne le connais point.<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Je crois me souvenir qu'à mon voyage en +France,</SPAN><BR> + Avec ses pauvres vers je nouai connaissance.<BR> + Mais c'est si peu de chose un poète à Paris!<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Savez-vous bien, Monsieur, pourquoi je vous +écris?</SPAN><BR> + C'est que je crois avoir le droit de vous écrire.<BR> + Fussiez-vous cent fois plus qu'on ne saurait le dire,<BR> + Je vois dans un Ministre un homme tel que moi;<BR> + Devant Dieu je crois même être l'égal d'un roi.</P> + +<P>The Letter however is in prose, with some very few exceptions; +and it is just possible that the indulgent Reader may endure a +specimen or two of the prose of M. Lesné, as readily as he has that +of his poetry. These specimens are equally delectable, of their +kind. Immediately after the preceding poetical burst, the French +Bibliopegist continues thus:</P> + +<P class="quote">D'après cet exorde, vous pensez sans doute +que, bien convaincu de ma dignité d'homme, je me crois en droit +de vous dire franchement ma façon de penser; je vous la dirai, +Monsieur. Si vous dirigiez un journal bibliographique; que vous +fissiez, en un mot, le métier de journaliste, je serai peu surpris +de voir dans votre Trentième Lettre, une foule de choses hasardées, +de mauvais calembourgs, de grossièretés, que nous ne rencontrons +même pas chez nos journalistes du dernier ordre, en ce qu'ils +savent mieux leur monde, et que s'ils lancent une epigramme, +fût-elle fausse, elle est au moins finement tournée. Mais vous êtes +ANGLAIS, et par cela seul dispensé sans doute de cette politesse +qui distingue si heureusement notre nation de la vôtre, et que vos +compatriotes n'acquièrent pour la plupart qu'après un long +séjour en France." p. 6.</P> + +<P>Towards the latter part of this most formidable "Tentamen +Criticum," the irritable author breaks out +thus--"C'est une maladie Française de vouloir toujours +imiter les Anglais; ceux-ci, à leur tour, commencent à en être +atteints." p. 19. A little farther it is thus: "Enfin +c'est <EM>en imitant</EM> qu'on reussit presque toujours +mal; vous en êtes encore, une preuve évidente. J'ai vu en +beaucoup d'endroits de votre Lettre, que vous avez voulu imiter +<EM>Sterne</EM>;<A name="fnref_4"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_4">4</A> qu'est-il arrivé? Vous êtes resté au- dessous de +lui, comme tous les Imitateurs de nôtre bon La Fontaine sont restés +en deçà de l'immortel Fabuliste." p. 20. But most +especially does the sensitive M. Lesné betray his surprise and +apprehension, on a gratuitous supposition--thrown out by me, by way +of pleasantry--that "Mr. Charles Lewis was going over to +Paris, to establish there a modern School of Bookbinding." M. +Lesné thus wrathfully dilates upon this supposition:</P> + +<P class="quote">"Je me garderai bien de passer sous silence +la dernière partie de votre Lettre; <EM>un bruit assez étrange est +venu jusqu'à vous</EM>; et Charles Lewis doit vous quitter pour +quelque temps pour établir en France une école de reliure +d'apres les principes du gôut anglais; mais vous croyez, +dites-vous, que ce projet est sûrement chimérique, ou que, si on le +tentait, il serait de courte durée.</P> + +<P class="quote">Pour cette fois, Monsieur, votre pronostic serait +très juste; cette demarche serait une folie: il faudrait +s'abuser sur l'engouement des amateurs français, et ceux +qui sont atteints de cette maladie ne sont pas en assez grand +nombre pour soutenir un pareil établissement. Oui, l'on aime +votre genre de reliure; mais on aime les reliures, façon anglaise, +faites par les Français. Pensez-vous done, ou Charles Lewis +pense-t-il, qu'il n'y ait plus d'esprit national en +France?</P> + +<P class="quotepoetry">Allez, le sang Française coule encore dans +nos veines;<BR> + Nous pourrons éprouver des malheurs et des peines,<BR> + Que nous devrons peut être à vous autres Anglais;<BR> + Mais nous voulons rester, nous resterons, Français!</P> + +<P class="quote">Ainsi, que Charles Lewis ne se dérange pas; +qu'il cesse, s'il les a commencés, les préparatifs de sa +descente; qu'il ne prive pas ses compatriotes d'un artiste +soi-disant inimitable. Nous en avons ici qui le valent, et qui se +feront un plaisir de perpéteur parmi nous le bon gôut, +l'élégance, et la noble simplicité. p. 25.<A name= +"fnref_5"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_5">5</A></P> + +<P>So much for M. Lesne. I have briefly noticed M. Peignot, the +Bibliographer of Dijon. That worthy wight has made the versions of +my Ninth and Thirtieth Letters (First Edition) by M.M. Licquet and +Crapelet, the substratum of his first brochure entitled +<EM>Variétés, Notices et Raretés Bibliographiques</EM>, +<EM>Paris</EM>, 1822: it being a supplement to his previous Work of +<EM>Curiosités Bibliographiques</EM>."<A name="fnref_6"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_6">6</A> It is not always agreeable for an +Author to have his Works reflected through the medium of a +translation; especially where the Translator suffers a portion, +however small, of his <EM>own</EM> atrabiliousness, to be mixed up +with the work translated: nor is it always safe for a third person +to judge of the merits of the original through such a medium. Much +allowance must therefore be made for M. Peignot; who, to say the +truth, at the conclusion of his labours, seems to think that he has +waded through a great deal of <EM>dirt</EM> of some kind or other, +which might have been better avoided; and that, in consequence, +some general declaration, by way of <EM>wiping, off</EM> a portion +of the adhering mud, is due to the original Author. Accordingly, at +the end of his analysis of M. Licquet's version, (which forms +the second Letter in the brochure) he does me the honour to devote +seven pages to the notice of my humble lucubrations:--and he +prefaces this "<EM>Notice des Ouvrages de M. +Dibdin"</EM>, by the following very handsome tribute to their +worth:</P> + +<P class="quote">Si, dans les deux Lettres où nous avons rendu +compte des traductions partielles du voyage de M.D., nous avons +partagé l'opinion des deux estimable traducteurs, sur quelques +erreurs et quelques inconvenances échappées a l'auteur anglais, +nous sommes bien éloigné d'envelopper dans le même blame, tout +ce qui est sorté de sa plume; car il y auroit injustice a lui +refuser des connaissances très étendues en histoire littéraire, et +en bibliographie: nous le disons franchement, il faudroit fermer +les yeux à la lumière, ou être d'une partialité revoltante, +pour ne pas convenir que, juste appréciateur de tous les trésors +bibliographiques qu'il a le bonheur d'avoir sous la main, +M. Dibdin en a fait connoitre en détail toute la richesse dans de +nombreux d'ouvrages, ou très souvent le luxe d'érudition se +trouve en harmonie avec le luxe typographique qu'il y a +étalé.</P> + +<P>At the risk of incurring the imputation of vanity, I annex the +preceding extract; because I am persuaded that the candid Reader +will appreciate it in its proper light. I might, had I chosen to do +so, have lengthened the extract by a yet more complimentary +passage: but enough of M. Peignot--who, so far from suffering ill +will or acerbity to predominate over a kind disposition, hath been +pleased, since his publication, to write to me a very courteous +Letter,<A name="fnref_7"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_7">7</A> +and to solicit a "continuance of my favours."</P> + +<P>Agreeably to the intimation expressed in a preceding page, I am +now, in due order, to notice the labours of my translators M.M. +LICQUET and CRAPELET. Their united version appeared in 1825, in +four octavo volumes, of which the small paper was but indifferently +well printed.<A name="fnref_8"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_8">8</A> The preface to the first two volumes is by M. +Licquet: and it is not divested of point and merit. It begins by +attacking the <EM>Quarterly Review</EM>, (June 1821, p. 147.) for +its severity of animadversion on the supposed listlessness and want +of curiosity of the French in exploring the architectural +antiquities of their country; and that, in consequence of such +supineness, the English, considering them as their own property, +have described them accordingly. "The decision (says the +French translator) is severe; happily it is without +foundation." After having devoted several pages to +observations by way of reply to that critical Journal, M. Licquet +continues thus:--unless I have unintentionally misrepresented +him.</P> + +<P class="quote">The Englishman who travels in Normandy, meets, at +every step, with reminiscences of his kings, his ancestors, his +institutions, and his customs. Churches yet standing, after the +lapse of seven centuries; majestic ruins; tombs--even to the very +sound of the clock--all unite in affecting, here, the heart of a +British subject: every thing seems to tell him that, in former +times, HERE was his country; here the residence of his sovereigns; +and here the cradle of his manners. This was more than sufficient +to enflame the lively imagination of Mr. D. and to decide him to +visit, in person, a country already explored by a great number of +his countrymen; but he conceived that his narrative should embody +other topics than those which ordinarily appeared in the text of +his predecessors.</P> + +<P class="quote">"His work then is not only a description of +castles, towns, churches, public monuments of every kind:--it is +not only a representation of the general aspect of the country, as +to its picturesque appearances-- but it is an extended, minute, +though occasionally inexact, account of public and private +libraries; with reflections upon certain customs of the country, +and upon the character of those who inhabit it. It is in short the +personal history of the author, throughout the whole length of his +journey. Not the smallest incident, however indifferent, but what +has a place in the letters of the Bibliographer. Thus, he mentions +every Inn where he stops: recommends or scolds the landlord-- +according to his civility or exaction. Has the author passed a bad +night? the reader is sure to know it on the following morning. On +the other hand, has he had a good night's rest in a comfortable +bed? [dans un lit <EM>comfortable</EM>?] We are as sure to know +this also, as soon as he awakes:--and thus far we are relieved from +anxiety about the health of the traveller. Cold and heat--fine +weather and bad weather-- every variation of atmosphere is +scrupulously recorded.</P> + +<P>What immediately follows, is unworthy of M. Licquet; because it +not only implies a charge of a heinous description--accusing me of +an insidious intrusion into domestic circles, a violation of +confidence, and a systematic derision of persons and things--but +because the French translator, exercising that sense and shrewdness +which usually distinguish him, MUST have known that such a charge +<EM>could</EM> not have been founded in FACT. He must have known +that any gentleman, leaving England with those letters which +brought me in contact with some of the first circles on the +Continent, MUST have left it without leaving his character +<EM>behind</EM> him; and that such a character could not, in the +natural order of things-- seen even through the sensitive medium of +a French critic--have been guilty of the grossness and +improprieties imputed to me by M. Licquet. I treat therefore this +"damnation in wholesale" with scorn and contempt: and +hasten to impress the reader with a more favourable opinion of my +Norman translator. He <EM>will</EM> have it that</P> + +<P class="quote">"the English Traveller's imagination is +lively and ardent--and his spirit, that of raillery and lightness. +He examines as he runs along; that is to say, he does not give +himself time to examine; he examines ill; he deceives himself; and +he subjects his readers to be deceived with him. He traverses, at a +hard trot, one of the most ancient towns in France; puts his head +out of his carriage window--and boldly decides that the town is of +the time of Francis I."!<A name="fnref_9"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_9">9</A> p. xviij.</P> + +<P>There is pleasantry, and perhaps some little truth, in this vein +of observation; and it had been better, perhaps, for the credit of +the good taste and gentleman-like feeling of Mons. Licquet, if he +had uniformly maintained his character in these respects. I have +however, in the subsequent pages,<A name="fnref_10"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_10">10</A> occasionally grappled with my +annotator in proving the fallacy, or the want of charity, of many +of his animadversions: and the reader probably may not be +displeased, if, by way of "avant propos," I indulge him +here with a specimen of them--taken from his preface. M. Licquet +says, that I "create scenes; arrange a drama; trace +characters; imagine a dialogue, frequently in French--and in what +French--gracious God!--in assigning to postilions a ridiculous +language, and to men of the world the language of postilions." +These be sharp words:<A name="fnref_11"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_11">11</A> but what does the Reader imagine may be the +probable "result" of the English Traveller's +inadvertencies?... A result, ("gracious Heaven!") very +little anticipated by the author. Let him ponder well upon the +awful language which ensues. "What (says M. Licquet) will +quickly be the result, with us, of such indiscretions as those of +which M. Dibdin is guilty? The necessity of SHUTTING OUR PORTS, or +at least of placing a GUARD UPON OUR LIPS!" There is some +consolation however left for me, in balancing this tremendous +denunciation by M. Licquet's eulogy of my good qualities--which +a natural diffidence impels me to quote in the original words of +their author.</P> + +<P class="quote">"A Dieu ne plaise, toutefois, que +j'accuse ici LE COEUR de M. Dibdin. Je n'ai jamais eu +l'honneur de le voir: je ne le connais que par ses ecrits; +principalement par son <EM>Splendid Tour</EM>, et je ne balance pas +à déclarer que l'auteur doit être doué d'une ame honnête, +et de ces qualités fondamentales qui constituent l'homme de +bien. Il préfère sa croyance; mais il respecte la croyance des +autres; son érudition parait....<A name="fnref_12"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_12">12</A> variée. Son amour pour les antiquités +est immense; et par antiquités j'entends ici tout ce qui est +<EM>antique</EM> ou seulement <EM>ancien</EM>, quellesque soient +d'ailleurs la nature et la forme des objets." Pref. p. xv. +xvij.</P> + +<P>Once more; and to conclude with M. Licquet. After these general +observations upon the <EM>Text</EM> of the Tour, M. Licquet favours +us with the following--upon the <EM>Plates</EM>. "These plates +(says he) are intended to represent some of the principal +monuments; the most beautiful landscapes, and the most remarkable +persons, comprehending even the servants of an inn. If +<EM>talent</EM> be sought in these Engravings, it will doubtless be +found in them; but strangers must not seek for <EM>fidelity</EM> of +representation from what is before their eyes. The greater number +of the Designs are, in some sort, ideal compositions, which, by +resembling every thing, resemble nothing in particular: and it is +worthy of remark that the Artist, in imitation of the Author, seems +to have thought that he had only to shew himself <EM>clever</EM>, +without troubling himself to be <EM>faithful</EM>." To this, I +reply in the very words of M. Licquet himself: "the decision +is severe; luckily it is unjust." The only portions of the +designs of their skilful author, which may be taxed with a tendency +to extravagance, are the <EM>groups</EM>: which, when accompanied +by views of landscapes, or of monuments, are probably too profusely +indulged in; but the <EM>individuals</EM>, constituting those +groups, belong precisely to the <EM>country</EM> in which they are +represented. In the first and second volumes they are +<EM>French</EM>; in the third they are <EM>Germans</EM>--all over. +Will M. Licquet pretend to say that the churches, monasteries, +streets, and buildings, with which the previous Edition of this +Tour is so elaborately embellished, have the slightest tendency to +IMAGINED SCENERY? If he do, his optics must be peculiarly his own. +I have, in a subsequent page, (p. 34, note) slightly alluded to the +cost and risk attendant on the Plates; but I may confidently +affirm, from experience, that two thirds of the expense incurred +would have secured the same sale at the same price. However, the +die is cast; and the voice of lamentation is fruitless.</P> + +<P>I now come to the consideration of M. Licquet's coadjutor, +M. CRAPELET. Although the line of conduct pursued by that very +singular gentleman be of an infinitely more crooked description +than that of his Predecessor, yet, in this place, I shall observe +less respecting it; inasmuch as, in the subsequent pages, (pp. 209, +245, 253, 400, &c.) the version and annotations of M. Crapelet +have been somewhat minutely discussed. Upon the SPIRIT which could +give rise to such a version, and such annotations, I will here only +observe, that it very much resembles that of searchers of our +street-pavements; who, with long nails, scrape out the dirt from +the interstices of the stones, with the hope of making a discovery +of some lost treasure which may compensate the toil of +perseverance. The love of lucre may, or may not, have influenced my +Parisian translator; but the love of discovery of latent error, and +of exposure of venial transgression, has undoubtedly, from +beginning to end, excited his zeal and perseverance. That carping +spirit, which shuts its eyes upon what is liberal and kind, and +withholds its assent to what is honourable and just, it is the +distinguished lot--and, perhaps, as the translator may imagine, the +distinguished felicity--of M. Crapelet to possess. Never was +greater reluctance displayed in admitting even the palpable truths +of a text, than what is displayed in the notes of M. Crapelet: and +whenever a concurring sentiment comes from him, it seems to exude +like his heart's life-blood. Having already answered, in +detail, his separate publication confined to my 30th Letter<A name= +"fnref_13"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_13">13</A>--(the 8th of +the second volume, in <EM>this</EM> edition) and having replied to +those animadversions which appear in his translation of the whole +of the second volume, in this edition--it remains here only to +consign the Translator to the careful and impartial consideration +of the Reader, who, it is requested, may be umpire between both +parties. Not to admit that the text of this Edition is in many +places improved, from the suggestions of my Translators, by +corrections of "Names of Persons, Places, and Things," +would be to betray a stubbornness or obtuseness of feeling which +certainly does not enter into the composition of its author.</P> + +<P>I now turn, not without some little anxiety, yet not wholly +divested of the hope of a favourable issue, to the character and +object of the Edition HERE presented to the Public. It will be +evident, at first glance, that it is greatly "shorn of its +beams" in regard to graphic decorations and typographical +splendour. Yet its garb, if less costly, is not made of coarse +materials: for it has been the wish and aim of the Publishers, that +this impression should rank among books worthy of the DISTINGUISHED +PRESS from which it issues. Nor is it unadorned by the sister art +of <EM>Engraving</EM>; for, although on a reduced scale, some of +the repeated plates may even dispute the palm of superiority with +their predecessors. Several of the GROUPS, executed on +<EM>copper</EM> in the preceding edition, have been executed on +<EM>wood</EM> in the present; and it is for the learned in these +matters to decide upon their relative merits. To have attempted +portraits upon wood, would have inevitably led to failure. There +are however, a few NEW PLATES, which cannot fail to elicit the +Purchaser's particular attention. Of these, the portraits of +the <EM>Abbé de la Rue</EM> (procured through the kind offices of +my excellent friend Mr. Douce), and the <EM>Comte de Brienne</EM>, +the <EM>Gold Medal of Louis XII</EM>. the <EM>Stone Pulpit of +Strasbourg Cathedral,</EM> and the <EM>Prater near Vienna</EM>--are +particularly to be noticed.<A name="fnref_14"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_14">14</A> This Edition has also another attraction, +rather popular in the present day, which may add to its +recommendation even with those possessed of its precursor. It +contains fac- similes of the AUTOGRAPHS of several distinguished +Literati and Artists upon the Continent;<A name="fnref_15"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_15">15</A> who, looking at the text of the +work through a less jaundiced medium than the Parisian translator, +have continued a correspondence with the Author, upon the most +friendly terms, since its publication. The accuracy of these +fac-similes must be admitted, even by the parties themselves, to be +indisputable. Among them, are several, executed by hands.. which +now CEASE to guide the pen! I had long and fondly hoped to have +been gratified by increasing testimonies of the warmth of heart +which had directed several of the pens in question--hoped ... even +against the admonition of a pagan poet ...</P> + +<P class="poetry">"Vitae summa brevis SPEM nos vetat inchoare +LONGAM."</P> + +<P>But such hopes are now irretrievably cut off; and the +remembrance of the past must solace the anticipations of the +future.</P> + +<P>So much respecting the <EM>decorative</EM> department of this +new edition of the Tour. I have now to request the Reader's +attention to a few points more immediately connected with what may +be considered its <EM>intrinsic</EM> worth. In the first place, it +may be pronounced to be an Edition both <EM>abridged</EM> and +<EM>enlarged</EM>: abridged, as regards the lengthiness of +description of many of the MSS. and Printed Books--and enlarged, as +respects the addition, of many notes; partly of a controversial, +and partly of an obituary, description. The "Antiquarian and +Picturesque" portions remain nearly as heretofore; and upon +the whole I doubt whether the amputation of matter has extended +beyond <EM>an eighth</EM> of what appeared in the previous edition. +It had long ago been suggested to me--from a quarter too high and +respectable to doubt the wisdom of its decision--that the Contents +of this Tour should be made known to the Public through a less +costly medium:--that the objects described in it were, in a +measure, new and interesting--but that the high price of the +purchase rendered it, to the majority of Readers, an inaccessible +publication. I hope that these objections are fully met, and +successfully set aside, by the Work in its PRESENT FORM. To have +produced it, <EM>wholly divested</EM> of ornament, would have been +as foreign to my habits as repugnant to my feelings. I have +therefore, as I would willingly conclude, hit upon the happy +medium-- between sterility and excess of decoration.</P> + +<P>After all, the greater part of the ground here trodden, yet +continues to be untrodden ground to the public. I am not acquainted +with any publication which embraces all the objects here described; +nor can I bring myself to think that a perusal of the first and +third volumes may not be unattended with gratification of a +peculiar description, to the lovers of antiquities and picturesque +beauties. The second volume is rather the exclusive province of the +Bibliographer. In retracing the steps here marked out, I will not +be hypocrite enough to dissemble a sort of triumphant feeling which +accompanies a retrospection of the time, labour, and money +devoted.. in doing justice, according to my means, to the +attractions and worth of the Countries which these pages describe. +Every such effort is, in its way, a NATIONAL effort. Every such +attempt unites, in stronger bonds, the reciprocities of a generous +feeling between rival Nations; and if my reward has not been in +<EM>wealth</EM>, it has been in the hearty commendation of the +enlightened and the good: "Mea me virtute involvo."<A +name="fnref_16"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_16">16</A></P> + +<P>I cannot boast of the commendatory strains of public Journals in +my own country. No intellectual steam-engine has been put in motion +to manufacture a review of unqualified approbation of the Work now +submitted to the public eye--at an expense, commensurate with the +ordinary means of purchase. With the exception of an indirect and +laudatory notice of it, in the immortal pages of the Author of +Waverley, of the Sketch book, and of Reginald Dalton, this Tour has +had to fight its way under the splendour of its own banners, and in +the strength of its own cause. The previous Edition is now a scarce +and a costly book. Its Successor has enough to recommend it, even +to the most fastidious collector, from the elegance of its type and +decorations, and from the reasonableness of its price; but the +highest ambition of its author is, that it may be a part of the +furniture of every Circulating Library in the Kingdom. If he were +not conscious that GOOD would result from its perusal, he would not +venture upon such an avowal. "FELIX FAUSTUMQUE SIT!"</P> + +<P class="spaced"> </P> + +<H3 class="centered">BIBLIOGRAPHICAL<BR> +Antiquarian<BR> +AND<BR> +PICTURESQUE TOUR.</H3> + +<P class="spaced">The Notes peculiar to THIS EDITION are +distinguished by being inserted between brackets: as thus:--[]</P> + +<P>*** The Index is placed at the end of the First Volume, for the +purpose of equalising the size of the Volumes.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:90%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/049.png" alt="DUKEDOM OF NORMANDIE"></DIV> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER I.</H3> + +<P>PASSAGE TO DIEPPE.</P> + +<P><EM>Dieppe, April 20, 1818.</EM></P> + +<P>At length then, my dear Friend, the long projected +"<EM>Bibliographical, Antiquarian</EM>,<A name= +"fnref_17"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_17">17</A> and +<EM>Picturesque Tour"</EM> is carried into execution; and the +Tourist is safely landed on the shores of Normandy. "Vous +voilà donc, Monsieur à Dieppe!"--exclaimed the landlord of the +Grand Hôtel d'Angleterre--as I made my way through a +vociferating crowd of old and young, of both sexes, with cards of +addresses in their hands; entreating me to take up my abode at +their respective hotels.... But I know your love of method, and +that you will be angry with me if I do not "begin at the +beginning."</P> + +<P>It was surely on one of the finest of all fine days that I left +my home, on the 14th of this present month, for the land of +castles, churches, and ancient chivalry. The wind from the +south-east was blowing pretty smartly at the time; but the sky was +without a cloud, and I could not but look upon the brilliancy of +every external object as a favourable omen of the progress and +termination of my tour. Adverse winds, or the indolence or +unwillingness of the Captain, detained us at Brighton two whole +days-- instead of sailing, as we were led to expect, on the day +following our arrival. We were to form the first ship's company +which had visited France this season. On approaching our gallant +little bark, the <EM>Nancy</EM>,<A name="fnref_18"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_18">18</A> commanded by Captain BLABER, the +anchor was weighed, and hoisting sail, we stood out to sea. The day +began to improve upon us. The gloomy appearances of the morning +gradually brightened up. A host of black clouds rolled heavily +away. The sun at length shone in his full meridian splendour, and +the ocean sparkled as we cut through its emerald waves. As I +supposed us to near the French coast, I strained my eyes to obtain +an early glimpse of something in the shape of cliff or jettie. But +the wind continued determinedly in the south east: the waves rose +in larger masses; and our little vessel threw up a heavy shower of +foam as we entered on the various tacks.</P> + +<P>It is a grand sight--that vast, and apparently interminable +ocean--</P> + +<P class="poetry">.... maria undique et undique coelum!</P> + +<P>We darted from Beechy Head upon a long tack for the French +coast: and as the sun declined, we found it most prudent to put the +Captain's advice, of going below, into execution. Then +commenced all the miseries of the voyage. The moon had begun to +assert her ascendancy, when, racked with torture and pain in our +respective berths, a tremendous surge washed completely over the +deck, sky-light, and binnacle: and down came, in consequence, +drenched with the briny wave, the hardiest of our crew, who, till +then, had ventured to linger upon deck. That crew was various; and +not without a few of the natives of those shores which we were +about to visit.</P> + +<P>To cut short my ship-narrative, suffice it only farther to say, +that, towards midnight, we heard our Captain exclaim that he saw +"the lights of Dieppe"--a joyful sound to us miserable +wretches below. I well remember, at this moment, looking up towards +the deck with a cheerless eye, and perceiving the light of the moon +still lingering upon the main-sail,--but I shall never forget how +much more powerfully my sensations were excited, when, as the dawn +of day made objects visible, I looked up, and saw an old +wrinkle-visaged sailor, with a red night cap on begirt with large +blue, puckered, short petticoats--in possession of the helm--about +to steer the vessel into harbour!<A name="fnref_19"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_19">19</A></P> + +<P>About seven we were all upon deck. The sea was yet swoln and +agitated, and of a dingy colour: while</P> + +<P class="poetry">.... heavily with clouds came on the day,</P> + +<P>as we slowly approached the outward harbour of DIEPPE. A grey +morning with drizzling rain, is not the best accompaniment of a +first visit to a foreign shore. Nevertheless every thing was new, +and strange, and striking; and the huge crucifix, to the right, did +not fail to make a very forcible impression. As we approached the, +inner harbour, the shipping and the buildings more distinctly +presented themselves. The harbour is large, and the vessels are +entirely mercantile, with a plentiful sprinkling of fishing smacks: +but the manner in which the latter harmonized with the tint and +structure of the houses--the bustle upon shore--the casks, deal +planks, ropes, and goods of every description upon the quays,--all +formed a most animated and interesting scene. The population seemed +countless, and chiefly females; whose high caps and enormous +ear-rings, with the rest of their paraphernalia, half persuaded me +that instead of being some few twenty-five leagues only from our +own white cliffs, I had in fact dropt upon the Antipodes! What a +scene (said I to my companion) for our CALCOTT to depict!<A name= +"fnref_20"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_20">20</A> It was a full +hour before we landed--saluted, and even assailed on all sides, +with entreaties to come to certain hotels. We were not long however +in fixing our residence at the <EM>Hotel d'Angleterre,</EM> of +which the worthy Mons. De La Rue<A name="fnref_21"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_21">21</A> is the landlord.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER II.</H3> + +<P>DIEPPE. FISHERIES. STREETS. CHURCHES OF ST. JAQUES AND ST. REMY. +DIVINE WORSHIP. MILITARY MASS.</P> + +<P>The town of Dieppe contains a population of about +twenty-thousand souls.<A name="fnref_22"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_22">22</A> Of these, by much the greater <EM>stationary</EM> +part are females; arising from one third at least of the males +being constantly engaged in the FISHERIES. As these fisheries are +the main support of the inhabitants, it is right that you should +know something about them. The <EM>herring</EM> fishery takes place +twice a year: in August and October. The August fishery is carried +on along the shores of England and the North. From sixty to eighty +vessels, of from twenty-five to thirty tons burthen each, with +about fifteen men in each vessel, are usually employed. They are +freighted with salt and empty barrels, for seasoning and stowing +the fish, and they return about the end of October. The herrings +caught in August are considerably preferable to those caught in +October. The October fishery is carried on with smaller vessels, +along the coast of France from Boulogne to Havre. From one hundred +and twenty, to one hundred and thirty vessels, are engaged in this +latter navigation; and the fish, which is smaller, and of inferior +flavour to that caught upon the English coasts, is sent almost +entirely to the provinces and to Paris, where it is eaten fresh. So +much for the herring.<A name="fnref_23"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_23">23</A></P> + +<P>The <EM>Mackarel</EM> fishery usually commences towards the +month of July, along the coast of Picardy; because, being a sort of +fish of passage, it gets into the channel in the month of April. It +then moves towards the straits of Dover, as summer approaches. For +this fishery they make use of large decked-vessels, from twenty to +fifty tons burthen, manned with from twelve to twenty men. There +are however Dieppe boats employed in this fishery which go as far +as the Scilly Islands and Ushant, towards the middle of April. They +carry with them the salt requisite to season the fish, which are +afterwards sent to Paris, and to the provinces in the interior of +France. The <EM>cod fishery</EM> is divided into the fresh and +dried fish. The former continues from the beginning of February to +the end of April--and the vessels employed, which go as far as +Newfoundland, are two deckers, and from one hundred to one hundred +and fifty tons burthen-- although, in fact, they rarely carry more +than fifteen tons for fear of spoiling the fish. The dried-cod +fishery is carried on in vessels of all sizes; but it is essential +that they be of a certain depth, because the fish is more +cumbersome than weighty. The vessels however usually set sail about +the month of March or April, in order that they may have the +advantage of the summer season, to dry the fish. There are vessels +which go to Newfoundland laden with brandy, flour, beans, treacle, +linen and woollen cloths, which they dispose of to the inhabitants +of the French colonies in exchange for dried cod. This latter +species of commerce may be carried on in the summer months--as late +as July.</P> + +<P>In the common markets for retail trade, they are not very nice +in the quality or condition of their fish; and enormous conger +eels, which would be instantly rejected by the middling, or even +lower classes in England, are, at Dieppe, bought with avidity and +relished with glee. A few francs will procure a dish of fish large +enough for a dozen people. The quays are constantly crowded, but +there seems to be more of bustle than of business. The town is +certainly picturesque, notwithstanding the houses are very little +more than a century old, and the streets are formal and +comparatively wide. Indeed it should seem that the houses were +built expressly for Noblemen and Gentlemen, although they are +inhabited by tradesmen, mechanics, and artizans, in apparently very +indifferent circumstances. I scarcely saw six private houses which +could be called elegant, and not a gentleman's carriage has +been yet noticed in the streets. But if the <EM>Dieppois</EM> are +not rich, they seem happy, and are in a constant state of +occupation. A woman sells her wares in an open shop, or in an +insulated booth, and sits without her bonnet (as indeed do all the +tradesmen's wives), and works or sings as humour sways her. A +man sells gingerbread in an open shed, and in the intervals of his +customer's coming, reads some popular history or romance. Most +of the upper windows are wholly destitute of glass; but are +smothered with clothes, rags, and wall flowers. The fragrance +emitted from these flowers affords no unpleasing antidote to odors +of a very different description; and here we begin to have a too +convincing proof of the general character of the country in regard +to the want of cleanliness. A little good sense, or rather a +better-regulated police, would speedily get rid of such nuisances. +The want of public sewers is another great and grievous cause of +smells of every description. At Dieppe there are fountains in +abundance; and if some of the limpid streams, which issue from +them, were directed to cleansing the streets, (which are +excellently well paved) the effect would be both more salubrious +and pleasant--especially to the sensitive organs of Englishmen.</P> + +<P>We had hardly concluded our breakfasts, when a loud and +clattering sound was heard; and down came, in a heavy trot, with +sundry ear-piercing crackings of the whip, the thundering +<EM>Diligence</EM>: large, lofty, and of most unwieldy dimensions: +of a structure, too, strong enough to carry a half score of +elephants. The postilion is an animal perfectly <EM>sui +generis</EM>: gay, alert, and living upon the best possible terms +with himself. He wears the royal livery, red and blue; with a plate +of the fleur de lis upon his left arm. His hair is tied behind, in +a thick, short, tightly fastened queue: with powder and pomatum +enough to weather a whole winter's storm and tempest.<A name= +"fnref_24"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_24">24</A> As he never +rises in his stirrups,<A name="fnref_25"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_25">25</A> I leave you to judge of the merciless effects of +this ever-beating club upon the texture of his jacket. He is +however fond of his horses: is well known by them; and there is all +flourish and noise, and no sort of cruelty, in his treatment of +them. His spurs are of tremendous dimensions; such as we see +sticking to the heels of knights in illuminated Mss. of the XVth +century. He has nothing to do with the ponderous machine behind +him. He sits upon the near of the two wheel horses, with three +horses before him. His turnings are all adroitly and correctly +made; and, upon the whole, he is a clever fellow in the exercise of +his office.</P> + +<P>You ought to know, that, formerly, this town was greatly +celebrated for its manufactures in <EM>Ivory</EM>; but the present +aspect of the ivory-market affords only a faint notion of what it +might have been in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. I +purchased a few subordinate articles (chiefly of a religious +character) and which I shall preserve rather as a matter of +evidence than of admiration. There is yet however a considerable +manufacture of <EM>thread lace</EM>; and between three and four +thousand females are supposed to earn a comfortable livelihood by +it.<A name="fnref_26"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_26">26</A></P> + +<P>My love of ecclesiastical architecture quickly induced me to +visit the CHURCHES; and I set out with two English gentlemen to pay +our respects to the principal church, St. JAQUES. As we entered it, +a general gloom prevailed, and a sort of premature evening came on; +while the clatter of the sabots was sufficiently audible along the +aisles. In making the circuit of the side chapels, an unusual light +proceeded from a sort of grated door way. We approached, and +witnessed a sight which could not fail to rivet our attention. In +what seemed to be an excavated interior, were several figures, cut +in stone, and coloured after life, (of which they were the size) +representing the <EM>Three Maries, St. John, and Joseph of +Arimathea</EM>.. in the act of entombing Christ: the figure of our +Saviour being half sunk into the tomb. The whole was partially +illuminated by some two dozen of shabby and nearly consumed tallow +candles; affording a striking contrast to the increasing darkness +of the nave and the side aisles. We retired, more and more struck +with the novelty of every object around us, to our supper and beds, +which were excellent; and a good night's rest made me forget +the miseries of the preceding evening.</P> + +<P>The next morning, being Sunday, we betook ourselves in good time +to the service of ST. JAQUES:<A name="fnref_27"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_27">27</A> but on our way thither, we saw a waxen +figure of Christ (usually called an "Ecce Homo") enclosed +within a box, of which the doors were opened. The figure and box +are the property of the man who plays on a violin, close to the +box; and who is selling little mass books, supposed to be rendered +more sacred by having been passed across the feet and hands of the +waxen Christ. Such a mongrel occupation, and such a motley group, +must strike you with astonishment--as a Sunday morning's +recreation.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:70%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/061.png" alt="Scene"></DIV> + +<P>By half past ten the congregation had assembled within the +Church; and every side-chapel (I think about twelve in number) +began to be filled by the penitent flocks: each bringing, or +hiring, a rush-bottomed chair--with which the churches are pretty +liberally furnished, and of which the <EM>Tarif</EM> (or terms of +hire) is pasted upon the walls. There were, I am quite sure, full +eighteen women to one man: which may in part be accounted for, by +the almost uniform absence of a third of the male population +occupied in the fisheries. I think there could not have been fewer +than two thousand souls present. But what struck me as the most +ludicrously solemn thing I had ever beheld, was a huge tall figure, +dressed like a drum-major, with a large cocked hat and three white +plumes, (the only covered male figure in the congregation,) a broad +white sash upon a complete suit of red, including red +stockings;--representing what in our country is called a +<EM>Beadle</EM>. He was a sturdy, grim-looking fellow; bearing an +halberd in his right hand, which he wielded with a sort of pompous +swing, infusing terror into the young, and commanding the +admiration of the old. I must not, however, omit to inform you, +that half the service was scarcely performed when the preacher +mounted a pulpit, with a black cap on, and read a short sermon from +a printed book. I shall long have a distinct recollection of the +figure and attitude of the <EM>Verger</EM> who attended the +preacher. He followed him to the pulpit, fastened the door, became +stationary, and rested his left arm over the railings of the +stairs. Anon, he took out his snuff-box with his right hand, and +regaled himself with a pinch of snuff in the most joyous and +comfortably-abstracted manner imaginable. There he remained till +the conclusion of the discourse; not one word of which seemed to +afford him half the satisfaction as did the contents of his +snuff-box.</P> + +<P><EM>Military Mass</EM> was performed about an hour after, at the +church of ST. REMY, whither I strolled quietly, to witness the +devotion of the congregation previous to the entry of the soldiers; +and I will not dissemble being much struck and gratified by what I +saw. There was more simplicity: a smaller congregation: softer +music: a lower-toned organ; less rush of people; and in very many +of the flock the most intense and unfeigned expression of piety. At +the elevation of the host, from the end of the choir, (near which +was suspended a white flag with the portrait of the present King<A +name="fnref_28"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_28">28</A> upon it) +a bell was rung from the tower of the church; the sound, below, was +soft and silver-toned--accompanied by rather a quick movement on +the organ, upon the diapason stop; which, united with the silence +and prostration of the congregation, might have commanded the +reverence of the most profane.</P> + +<P>There is nothing, my dear friend, more gratifying, in a foreign +land, than the general appearance of earnestness of devotion on a +sabbath day; especially within the HOUSE OF GOD. However, I quickly +heard the clangor of the trumpet, the beat of drums, the measured +tramp of human feet, and up marched two or three troops of the +national guard to perform military mass. I retired precipitately to +the Inn, being well pleased to have escaped this strange and +distracting sight: so little in harmony with the rites and +ceremonies of our own church, and in truth so little accordant with +the service which I had just beheld.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER III.</H3> + +<P>VILLAGE AND CASTLE OF ARQUES. SABBATH AMUSEMENTS. MANNERS AND +CUSTOMS. BOULEVARDS.</P> + +<P>As I had received especial injunctions from our friend P--- not +to leave Dieppe without paying a visit to the famous <EM>Chateau +d' Arques</EM><A name="fnref_29"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_29">29</A>, in its neighbourhood, I resolved to seize the +opportunity of a tolerably fair, or rather gray-looking day, to go +and pay due homage to those venerable remains of antiquity. The +road thither is completely rural: apple-trees, just beginning to +burst their blossoms; hamlets, small farm- houses: a profusion of +rich herbage of various kinds--delighted and regaled me as I +pursued my tranquil walk. The country is of a gently-undulating +character; but the flats or meadows, between the parallel ranges of +hills, are subject to constant inundation from the sea; and in an +agricultural point of view are consequently of little use, except +for summer grazing of the cattle.</P> + +<P>It was drawing on to vespers as I approached the <EM>Village of +Arques</EM>. The old castle had frequently peeped out upon me, in +my way thither, from its elevated situation; but being resolved to +see "all that could be seen," a French village, for the +first time, was not to be overlooked. For a country church, I know +of few finer ones than that of Arques.<A name="fnref_30"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_30">30</A></P> + +<P>The site of the castle is admirable. My approach was to the +western extremity; which, as you look down, brings the village and +church of Arques in the back ground. If the eye were to be +considered as a correct judge, this venerable pile, composed of +hard flint-stone, intermixed with brick, would perhaps claim +precedence, on the score of antiquity, over most of the castles of +the middle ages. A deep moat, now dry pasture land, with a bold +acclivity before you, should seem to bid defiance, even in times of +old, to the foot and the spear of the invader. There are circular +towers at the extremities, and a square citadel or donjon within. +To the north, a good deal of earth has been recently thrown against +the bases of the wall. The day harmonised admirably with the +venerable object before me. The sunshine lasted but for a minute: +when afterwards a gloom prevailed, and not a single catch of +radiant light gilded any portion of the building. All was quiet, +and of a sombre aspect,--and what <EM>you</EM>, in your admiration +of art, would call in perfectly "fine keeping."</P> + +<P>I descended the hill, bidding a long adieu to this venerable +relic of the hardihood of other times, and quickened my pace +towards Dieppe. In gaining upon the town, I began to discern groups +of rustics, as well as of bourgeoises, assembling and mingling in +the dance. The women never think of wearing bonnets, and you have +little idea how picturesquely the red and blue<A name= +"fnref_31"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_31">31</A> (the colours +of Raffaelle's Madonnas) glanced backwards and forwards amidst +the fruit trees, to the sound of the spirit-stirring violin. The +high, stiff, starched cauchoise, with its broad flappers, gave the +finishing stroke to the novelty and singularity of the scene; and +to their credit be it spoken, the women were much more tidily +dressed than the men. The couples are frequently female, for want +of a sufficient number of swains; but, whether correctly or +incorrectly paired, they dance with earnestness, if not with grace. +It was a picture à la Teniers, without its occasional grossness. +This then, said I to myself, is what I have so often heard of the +sabbath-gambols of the French--and long may they enjoy them! They +are surely better than the brutal orgies of the pot-house, or the +fanatical ravings of the tabernacle.<A name="fnref_32"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_32">32</A></P> + +<P>A late plain dinner, with my favourite vin ordinaire, recruited +my strength, and kept me in perfectly good humour with Dieppe.</P> + +<P>The deportment of the <EM>Dieppois</EM><A name="fnref_33"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_33">33</A> towards the English, is, upon +the whole, rather gracious than otherwise; because the town profits +by the liberality and love of expense of the latter. Yet the young +ones, as soon as they can lisp, are put in training for pronouncing +the <EM>G---- d----</EM> ; and a few horribly-deformed and +importunate beggars are for ever assailing the doors of the hotels. +But beggary is nothing like so frightful an evil as I had +anticipated. The general aspect of the town seems to indicate the +poverty of the inhabitants; their houses being too large to be +entirely occupied. Bonaparte appears to have been anxious about the +strengthening of the harbour; the navigation into which is somewhat +difficult and intricate. The sides of the walls, as you enter, are +lofty, steep, and strong; and raised batteries would render any +hostile approach extremely hazardous to the assailants.</P> + +<P>There is no ship-building at this moment going on: the ribs of +about half a dozen, half rotted, small merchant-craft, being all +that is discernible. But much is projected, and much is hoped from +such projects. Dieppe has questionless many local advantages both +by land and by sea; yet it will require a long course of years to +infuse confidence and beget a love of enterprise. In spite of all +the <EM>naval zeal</EM>, it is here exhibited chiefly as affording +means of subsistence from the fisheries. I must not however +conclude my Dieppe journal without telling you that I hunted far +and near for a good bookseller and for some old books--but found +nothing worth the search, except a well-printed early <EM>Rouen +Missal</EM>, and <EM>Terence</EM> by <EM>Badius Ascensius</EM>. The +booksellers are supplied with books chiefly from Rouen; the local +press being too insignificant to mention.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER IV.</H3> + +<P>ROUEN. APPROACH. BOULEVARDS. POPULATION. STREET SCENERY.</P> + +<P>Here I am, my excellent good friend, in the most extraordinary +city in the world. One rubs one's eyes, and fancies one is +dreaming, upon being carried through the streets of this +old-fashioned place: or that, by some secret talismanic touch, we +are absolutely mingling with human beings, and objects of art, at +the commencement of the sixteenth century: so very curious, and out +of the common appearance of things, is almost every object +connected with ROUEN. But before I commence my observations upon +the <EM>town</EM>, I must give you a brief sketch of my +<EM>journey</EM> hither. We had bespoke our places in the cabriolet +of the Diligence, which just holds three tolerably comfortable; +provided there be a disposition to accommodate each other. This +cabriolet, as you have been often told, is a sort of a buggy, or +phaeton seat, with a covering of leather in the front of the coach. +It is fortified with a stiff leathern apron, upon the top of which +is a piece of iron, covered with the leather, to fasten firmly by +means of a hook on the perpendicular supporter of the head. There +are stiffish leathern curtains on each side, to be drawn, if +necessary, as a protection against the rain, &c. You lean upon +the bar, or top of this leathern apron, which is no very +uncomfortable resting-place. And thus we took leave of Dieppe, on +the 4th day after our arrival there. As we were seated in the +cabriolet, we could hardly refrain from loud laughter at the +novelty of our situation, and the grotesqueness of the conveyance. +Our Postilion was a rare specimen of his species, and a perfectly +<EM>unique copy</EM>. He fancied himself, I suppose, rather getting +"into the vale of years," and had contrived to tinge his +cheeks with a plentiful portion of rouge.<A name="fnref_34"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_34">34</A> His platted and powdered hair +was surmounted with a battered black hat, tricked off with faded +ribband: his jacket was dark blue velvet, with the insignia of his +order (the royal arms) upon his left arm. What struck me as not a +little singular, was, that his countenance was no very faint +resemblance of that of <EM>Voltaire</EM>, when he might have been +verging towards his sixtieth year. Most assuredly he resembled him +in his elongated chin, and the sarcastic expression of his mouth. +We rolled merrily along--the horses sometimes spreading, and +sometimes closing, according to the size of the streets through +which we were compelled to pass. The reins and harness are of +<EM>cord</EM>; which, however keep together pretty well. The +postilion endeavours to break the rapidity of the descent by +conducting the wheels over small piles of gravel or rubbish, which +are laid at the sides of the road, near the ditch; so that, to +those sitting in the cabriolet, and overlooking the whole process, +the effect, with weak nerves, is absolutely terrific. They stop +little in changing horses, and the Diligence is certainly well +managed, and in general no accidents occur.</P> + +<P>The road from Dieppe to Rouen is wide, hard, and in excellent +condition. There are few or no hedges, but rows of apple-trees +afford a sufficient line of demarkation. The country is open, and +gently undulating; with scarcely any glimpses of what is called +forest-scenery, till you get towards the conclusion of the first +stage. Nothing particularly strikes you till you approach +<EM>Malaunai</EM>, within about half a dozen miles of Rouen, and of +course after the last change of horses. The environs of this +beautiful village repay you for every species of disappointment, if +any should have been experienced. The rising banks of a brisk +serpentine trout stream are studded with white houses, in which are +cotton manufactories that appear to be carried on with spirit and +success. Above these houses are hanging woods; and though the early +spring would scarcely have coated the branches with green in our +own country, yet <EM>here</EM> there was a general freshness of +verdure, intermingled with the ruddy blossom of the apple; +altogether rejoicing the eye and delighting the heart. Occasionally +there were delicious spots, which the taste and wealth of an +Englishman would have embellished to every possible degree of +advantage. But wealth, for the gratification of picturesque taste, +is a superfluity that will not quickly fall to the lot of the +French. The Revolution seems to have drained their purses, as well +as daunted their love of enterprise. Along the road- side there +were some few houses of entertainment; and we observed the emptied +cabriolet and stationary voiture, by the side of the gardens, where +Monsieur and Madame, with their families, tripped lightly along the +vistas, and tittered as John Bull saluted them. Moving vehicles, +and numerous riding and walking groups, increased upon us; and +every thing announced that we were approaching a <EM>great and +populous city</EM>.</P> + +<P>The approach to ROUEN is indeed magnificent. I speak of the +immediate approach; after you reach the top of a considerable rise, +and are stopped by the barriers. You then look down a strait, +broad, and strongly paved road, lined with a double row of trees on +each side. As the foliage was not thickly set, we could discern, +through the delicately-clothed branches, the tapering spire of the +CATHEDRAL, and the more picturesque tower of the ABBAYE ST. +OUEN--with hanging gardens, and white houses, to the left-- +covering a richly cultivated ridge of hills, which sink as it were +into the <EM>Boulevards</EM>, and which is called the <EM>Faubourg +Cauchoise</EM>. To the right, through the trees, you see the river +SEINE (here of no despicable depth or breadth) covered with boats +and vessels in motion: the voice of commerce, and the stir of +industry, cheering and animating you as you approach the town. I +was told that almost every vessel which I saw (some of them of two +hundred, and even of three hundred tons burthen) was filled with +brandy and wine. The lamps are suspended from the centre of long +ropes, across the road; and the whole scene is of a truly novel and +imposing character. But how shall I convey to you an idea of what I +experienced, as, turning to the left, and leaving the broader +streets which flank the quay, I began to enter the +<EM>penetralia</EM> of this truly antiquated town? What narrow +streets, what overhanging houses, what bizarre, capricious +ornaments! What a mixture of modern with ancient art! What +fragments, or rather ruins, of old delicately-built Gothic +churches! What signs of former and of modern devastation! What +fountains, gutters, groups of never-ceasing men, women, and +children, all gay, all occupied, and all apparently happy! The +<EM>Rue de la Grosse Horloge</EM> (so called from a huge, clumsy, +antiquated clock which goes across it) struck me as being not among +the least singular streets of Rouen. In five minutes I was within +the court-yard of the <EM>Hôtel Vatel</EM>, the favourite residence +of the English.</P> + +<P>It was evening when I arrived, in company with three Englishmen. +We were soon saluted by the <EM>laquais de place</EM>--the +leech-like hangers-on of every hotel--who begged to know if we +would walk upon the Boulevards. We consented; turned to the right; +and, gradually rising, gained a considerable eminence. Again we +turned to the right, walking upon a raised promenade; while the +blossoms of the pear and apple trees, within a hundred walled +gardens, perfumed the air with a delicious fragrance. As we +continued our route along the <EM>Boulevard Beauvoisine</EM>, we +gained one of the most interesting and commanding views imaginable +of the city of Rouen--just at that moment lighted up by the golden +rays of a glorious sun- set--which gave a breadth and a mellower +tone to the shadows upon the Cathedral and the Abbey of St. Ouen. +The situation of Rouen renders it necessarily picturesque, view it +from what spot you will.</P> + +<P>The population of Rouen is supposed to be full one hundred +thousand souls. In truth, there is no end to the succession of +human beings. They swarm like bees, and like bees are busy in +bringing home the produce of their industry. You have all the +bustle and agitation of Cheapside and Cornhill; only that the +ever-moving scene is carried on within limits one-half as broad. +Conceive Bucklersbury, Cannon-street, and Thames-street,--and yet +you cannot conceive the narrow streets of Rouen: filled with the +flaunting cauchoise, and echoing to the eternal tramp of the sabot. +There they are; men, women, and children--all abroad in the very +centre of the streets: alternately encountering the splashing of +the gutter, and the jostling of their townsmen--while the swift +cabriolet, or the slow-paced cart, or the thundering +<EM>Diligence</EM>, severs them, and scatters them abroad, only +that they may seem to be yet more condensely united. For myself, it +is with difficulty I believe that I am not living in the times of +our Henry VIII. and of their Francis I.; and am half disposed to +inquire after the residence of <EM>Guillaume Tailleur</EM> the +printer--the associate, or foreign agent of your favourite +<EM>Pynson</EM>.<A name="fnref_35"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_35">35</A></P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER V.</H3> + +<P>ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE. CATHEDRAL. MONUMENTS. RELIGIOUS +CEREMONIES. THE ABBEY OF ST. OUEN. THE CHURCHES OF ST. MACLOU, ST. +VINCENT, ST. VIVIEN, ST. GERVAIS, AND ST. PAUL.</P> + +<P>I have now made myself pretty well acquainted with the geography +of Rouen. How shall I convey to you a summary, and yet a +satisfactory, description of it? It cannot be done. You love old +churches, old books, and relics of ancient art. These be my themes, +therefore: so fancy yourself either strolling leisurely with me, +arm in arm, in the streets--or sitting at my elbow. First for THE +CATHEDRAL:--for what traveller of taste does not doff his bonnet to +the <EM>Mother Church</EM> of the town through which he happens to +be travelling--or in which he takes up a temporary abode? The west- +front,<A name="fnref_36"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_36">36</A> +always the <EM>forte</EM> of the architect's skill, strikes you +as you go down, or come up, the principal street--<EM>La Rue des +Carmes</EM>,-- which seems to bisect the town into equal parts. A +small open space, (which however has been miserably encroached upon +by petty shops) called the <EM>Flower-garden</EM>, is before this +western front; so that it has some little breathing room in which +to expand its beauties to the wondering eyes of the beholder. In my +poor judgment, this western front has very few elevations +comparable with it<A name="fnref_37"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_37">37</A>--including even those of <EM>Lincoln</EM> and +<EM>York</EM>. The ornaments, especially upon the three porches, +between the two towers, are numerous, rich, and for the greater +part entire:--in spite of the Calvinists,<A name="fnref_38"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_38">38</A> the French revolution, and time. +Among the lower and smaller basso-relievos upon these porches, is +the subject of the daughter of Herodias dancing before Herod. She +is manoeuvering on her hands, her feet being upwards. To the right, +the decapitation of St. John is taking place.</P> + +<P>The southern transept makes amends for the defects of the +northern. The space before it is devoted to a sort of vegetable +market: curious old houses encircle this space: and the ascent to +the door, but more especially the curiously sculptured porch +itself, with the open spaces in the upper part--light, fanciful and +striking to a degree--produce an effect as pleasing as it is +extraordinary. Add to this, the ever-restless feet of devotees, +going in and coming out--the worn pavement, and the frittered +ornaments, in consequence--seem to convince you that the ardour and +activity of devotion is almost equal to that of business.<A name= +"fnref_39"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_39">39</A></P> + +<P>As you enter the cathedral, at the centre door, by descending +two steps, you are struck with the length and loftiness of the +nave, and with the lightness of the gallery which runs along the +upper part of it. Perhaps the nave is too narrow for its length. +The lantern of the central large tower is beautifully light and +striking. It is supported by four massive clustered pillars, about +forty feet in circumference;<A name="fnref_40"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_40">40</A> but on casting your eye downwards, you are +shocked at the tasteless division of the choir from the nave by +what is called a <EM>Grecian screen</EM>: and the interior of the +transepts has undergone a like preposterous restoration. The rose +windows of the transepts, and that at the west end of the nave, +merit your attention and commendation. I could not avoid noticing, +to the right, upon entrance, perhaps the oldest side chapel in the +cathedral: of a date, little less ancient than that of the northern +tower; and perhaps of the end of the twelfth century. It contains +by much the finest specimens of stained glass--of the early part of +the XVIth century. There is also some beautiful stained glass on +each side of the Chapel of the Virgin,<A name="fnref_41"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_41">41</A> behind the choir; but although +very ancient, it is the less interesting, as not being composed of +groups, or of historical subjects. Yet, in this, as in almost all +the churches which I have seen, frightful devastations have been +made among the stained-glass windows by the fury of the +Revolutionists.<A name="fnref_42"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_42">42</A></P> + +<P>Respecting the MONUMENTS, you ought to know that the famous +ROLLO lies in one of the side-chapels, farther down to the right, +upon entering; although his monument cannot be older than the +thirteenth century. My attachment to the bibliomanical celebrity of +JOHN, DUKE OF BEDFORD, will naturally lead me to the notice of his +interment and monumental inscription. The latter is thus;</P> + +<P class="quote"><EM>Ad dextrum Altaris Latus</EM><BR> +<BR> + <EM>Jacet</EM><BR> +<BR> + IOANNES DUX BETFORDI<BR> +<BR> + <EM>Normanniæ pro Rex</EM><BR> +<BR> + <EM>Obiit Anno</EM><BR> +<BR> + MCCCCXXXV.</P> + +<P>The Duke's tomb will be seen engraved in Sandford's +Genealogical History,<A name="fnref_43"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_43">43</A> p. 314; which plate, in fact, is the identical one +used by Ducarel; who had the singularly good fortune to decorate +his Anglo-Norman Antiquities without any expense to himself!<A +name="fnref_44"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_44">44</A></P> + +<P>There is a curious chapter in Pommeraye's <EM>Histoire de +l'Eglise Cathedrale de Rouen</EM>, p. 203, respecting the +Duke's taking the habit of a canon of the cathedral. He +attended, with his first wife, ANNE OF BURGUNDY, and threw himself +upon the liberality and kindness of the monks, to be received by +them as one of their order: "il les prioit d'être receu +parmy eux comme un de leurs frères, et d'avoir tous les jours +distribution de pain et de vin, et pour marque de fraternité +d'être vétu du surplis et de l'aumusse: comme aussi +d'être associé, luy et sa très généreuse et très illustre +épouse, aux suffrages de leur compagnie, et à la participation de +tous les biens qu'il plaira à Dieu leur donner la grace +d'opérer," p. 204. A grand procession marked the day of +the Duke's admission into the monkish fraternity. The whole of +this, with an account of the Duke's superb presents to the +sacristy, his dining with his Duchess, and receiving their portion +of "eight loaves and four gallons of wine," are +distinctly narrated by the minute Pommeraye.</P> + +<P>As you approach the <EM>Chapel of the Virgin</EM>, you pass by +an ancient monument, to the left, of a recumbent Bishop, reposing +behind a thin pillar, within a pretty ornamented Gothic arch.<A +name="fnref_45"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_45">45</A> To the +eye of a tasteful antiquary this cannot fail to have its due +attraction. While however we are treading upon hallowed ground, +rendered if possible more sacred by the ashes of the illustrious +dead, let us move gently onwards towards the <EM>Chapel of the +Virgin</EM>, behind the choir. See, what bold and brilliant +monumental figures are yonder, to the right of the altar! How +gracefully they kneel and how devoutly they pray! They are the +figures of the CARDINALS D'AMBOISE--uncle and nephew:--the +former, minister of Louis XII.<A name="fnref_46"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_46">46</A> and (what does not necessarily follow, +but what gives him as high a claim upon the gratitude of posterity) +the restorer and beautifier of the glorious building in which you +are contemplating his figure. This splendid monument is entirely of +black and white marble, of the early part of the sixteenth century. +The figures just mentioned are of white marble, kneeling upon +cushions, beneath a rich canopy of Gothic fretwork. They are in +their professional robes; their heads are bare, exhibiting the +tonsure, with the hair in one large curl behind. A small +whole-length figure of <EM>St. George</EM>, their tutelary saint, +is below them, in gilded marble: and the whole base, or lower +frieze, of the monument, is surrounded by six delicately sculptured +females, about three feet high, emblematic of the virtues for which +these cardinals were so eminently distinguished. These figures, +representing Faith, Charity, Prudence, Force, Justice, and +Temperance, are flanked by eight smaller ones, placed in carved +niches; while, above them, are the twelve Apostles, not less +beautifully executed.<A name="fnref_47"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_47">47</A></P> + +<P>On gazing at this splendid monument of ancient piety and +liberality--and with one's mind deeply intent upon the +characters of the deceased--let us fancy we hear the sound of the +GREAT BELL from the south-west tower ... called the <EM>Amboise +Tower</EM> ... erected, both the bell and the tower, by the uncle +and minister AMBOISE. Know, my dear friend, that there was +<EM>once</EM> a bell, (and the largest in Europe, save one) which +used to send forth its sound, for three successive centuries, from +the said tower. This bell was broken about thirty years ago, and +destroyed in the ravages of the immediately succeeding years.<A +name="fnref_48"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_48">48</A> The +south-west tower remains, and the upper part of the central tower, +with the whole of the lofty wooden spire:--the fruits of the +liberality of the excellent men of whom such honourable mention has +been made. Considering that this spire is very lofty, and composed +of wood, <EM>it is surprising that it has not been destroyed by +tempest, or by lightning</EM>.<A name="fnref_49"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_49">49</A> The taste of it is rather capricious +than beautiful.</P> + +<P>I have not yet done with the monuments, or rather have only +commenced the account of them.<A name="fnref_50"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_50">50</A> Examine yonder recumbent figure, to +the left of the altar, opposite the splendid monument upon which I +have just been dilating. It is lying upon its back, with a ghastly +expression of countenance, representing the moment when the last +breath has escaped from the body. It is the figure of the Grand +SENESCHAL DE BREZE,<A name="fnref_51"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_51">51</A>--Governor of Rouen, and husband of the celebrated +DIANE DE POICTIERS--that thus claims our attention. This figure is +quite naked, lying upon its back, with the right hand placed on the +stomach, but in an action which indicates <EM>life</EM>-- and +therefore it is in bad taste, as far as truth is concerned; for the +head being fallen back, much shrunken, and with a ghastly +expression of countenance--indicating that some time has elapsed +since it breathed its last--the hand could not rest in this +position. The cenotaph is of black marble, disfigured by the names +of idle visitors who choose to leave such impertinent memorials +behind. The famous GOUJON is supposed to be the sculptor of the +figure, which is painfully clever, but it strikes me as being too +small. At any rate, the arms and body seem to be too strong and +fleshy for the shrunken and death-stricken expression of the +countenance. Above the Seneschal, thus prostrate and lifeless, +there is another and a very clever representation of him, on a +smaller scale, on horseback.</P> + +<P>On each side of this figure (which has not escaped serious +injury) are two females in white marble; one representing the +VIRGIN, and the other DIANE DE POICTIERS:<A name="fnref_52"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_52">52</A> they are little more than half +the size of life. The whole is in the very best style of the +sculpture of the time of Francis I. These precious specimens of +art, as well as several other similar remains, were carried away +during the revolution, to a place of safety. The choir is spacious, +and well adapted to its purposes; but who does not grieve to see +the Archbishop's stall, once the most curious and costly, of +the Gothic order, and executed at the end of the XVth century, +transformed into a stately common-place canopy, supported by +columns of chestnut-wood carved in the Grecian style? The LIBRARY, +which used to terminate the north transept, is--not gone--but +transferred. A fanciful stair-case, with an appropriate +inscription,<A name="fnref_53"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_53">53</A> yet attest that it was formerly an appendage to +that part of the edifice.</P> + +<P>Before I quit the subject of the cathedral, I must not fail to +tell you something relating to the rites performed therein. Let us +quit therefore the dead for the living. Of course we saw, here, a +repetition of the ceremonies observed at Dieppe; but previously to +the feast of the <EM>Ascension</EM> we were also present at the +confirmation of three hundred boys and three hundred girls, each +very neatly and appropriately dressed, in a sort of sabbath attire, +and each holding a lighted wax taper in the hand. The girls were +dressed in white, with white veils; and the rich lent veils to +those who had not the means of purchasing them. The cathedral, +especially about the choir, was crowded to excess. I hired a chair, +stood up, and gazed as earnestly as the rest. The interest excited +among the parents, and especially the mothers, was very striking. +"Voila la petite-- qu'elle a l'air charmant!--le petit +ange!"....A stir is made ... they rise ... and approach, in +the most measured order, the rails of the choir ... There they +deposit their tapers. The priests, very numerous, extinguish them +as dexterously as they can; and the whole cathedral is perfumed +with the mixed scent of the wax and frankincense. The boys, on +approaching the altar, and giving up their tapers, kneel down; then +shut their eyes, open their mouths; and the priests deposit the +consecrated wafer upon their tongues. The procession now took a +different direction. They all went into the nave, where a sermon +was preached to the young people, expressly upon the occasion, by a +Monsieur Quillebeuf, a canon of the cathedral, and a preacher of +considerable popularity. He had one of the most meagre and +forbidding physiognomies I ever beheld, and his beard was black and +unshaven. But he preached well; fluently, and even eloquently: +making a very singular, but not ungraceful, use of his left +arm--and displaying at times rather a happy familiarity of manner, +wholly exempt from vulgarity, and well suited to the capacities and +feelings of his youthful audience. His subject was "belief in +Christ Jesus;" on which he gave very excellent proofs and +evidences. His voice was thin, but clear, and distinctly heard.</P> + +<P>And now, my dear Friend, if you are not tired with this détour +of the CATHEDRAL, suppose we take a promenade to the next most +important ecclesiastical edifice in the city of Rouen. What say you +therefore to a stroll to the ABBEY of ST. OUEN? +"Willingly," methinks I hear you reply. To the abbey +therefore let us go.</P> + +<P>Leaving the Cathedral, you pass a beautifully sculptured +fountain (of the early time of Francis I.) which stands at the +corner of a street, to the right; and which, from its central +situation, is visited the live-long day for the sake of its limpid +waters. Push on a little further; then, turning to the right, you +get into a sort of square, and observe the ABBEY--or rather the +<EM>west-front</EM> of it, full in face of you. You gaze, and are +first struck with its matchless window: call it rose, or marygold, +as you please. I think, for delicacy and richness of ornament, this +window is perfectly unrivalled. There is a play of line in the +mullions, which, considering their size and strength, may be +pronounced quite a master-piece of art. You approach, regretting +the neglected state of the lateral towers, and enter, through the +large and completely-opened centre doors, the nave of the Abbey. It +was towards sun-set when we made our first entrance. The evening +was beautiful; and the variegated tints of sun-beam, admitted +through the stained glass of the window, just noticed, were +perfectly enchanting. The window itself, as you look upwards, or +rather as you fix your eye upon the centre of it, from the remote +end of the Abbey, or the <EM>Lady's Chapel</EM>, was a perfect +blaze of dazzling light: and nave, choir, and side aisles, seemed +magically illumined ...</P> + +<P class="poetry">Seemed all on fire--within, around;<BR> + Deep sacristy and altar's pale;<BR> + Shone every pillar foliage-bound....</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>Lay of the Last Minstrel</EM>.</P> + +<P>We declared instinctively that the ABBEY OF ST. OUEN could +hardly have a rival;--certainly not a superior.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:70%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/093.png" alt="Chapel"></DIV> + +<P>As the evening came on, the gloom of almost every side chapel +and recess was rendered doubly impressive by the devotion of +numerous straggling supplicants; and invocations to the presiding +spirit of the place, reached the ears and touched the hearts of the +bystanders. The grand western entrance presents you with the most +perfect view of the choir--a magical circle, or rather +oval--flanked by lofty and clustered pillars, and free from the +surrounding obstruction of screens, &c. Nothing more airy and +more captivating of the kind can be imagined. The finish and +delicacy of these pillars are quite surprising. Above, below, +around--every thing is in the purest style of the XIVth and XVth +centuries. The central tower is a tower of beauty as well as of +strength. Yet in regard to further details, connected with the +interior, it must be admitted that there is very little more which +is deserving of particular description; except it be <EM>the +gallery</EM>, which runs within the walls of the nave and choir, +and which is considerably more light and elegant than that of the +cathedral. A great deal has been said about the circular windows at +the end of the south transept, and they are undoubtedly elegant: +but compared with the one at the extremity of the nave, they are +rather to be noticed from the tale attached to them, than from +their positive beauty. The tale, my friend, is briefly this. These +windows were finished (as well as the larger one at the west front) +about the year 1439. One of them was executed by the master- mason, +the other by his apprentice; and on being criticised by competent +judges, the performance of the <EM>latter</EM> was said to eclipse +that of the former. In consequence, the master became jealous and +revengeful, and actually poniarded his apprentice. He was of course +tried, condemned, and executed; but an existing monument to his +memory attests the humanity of the monks in giving him Christian +interment.<A name="fnref_54"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_54">54</A> On the whole, it is the absence of all obtrusive +and unappropriate ornament which gives to the interior of this +building that light, unencumbered, and faery-like effect which so +peculiarly belongs to it, and which creates a sensation that I +never remember to have felt within any other similar edifice.</P> + +<P>Let me however put in a word for the <EM>Organ</EM>. It is +immense, and perhaps larger than that belonging to the Cathedral. +The tin pipes (like those of the organ in the Cathedral) are of +their natural colour. I paced the pavement beneath, and think that +this organ cannot be short of forty English feet in length. Indeed, +in all the churches which I have yet seen, the organs strike me as +being of magnificent dimensions.</P> + +<P>You should be informed however that the extreme length of the +interior, from the further end of the Chapel of the Virgin, to its +opposite western extremity, is about four hundred and fifty English +feet; while the height, from the pavement to the roof of the nave, +or the choir, is one hundred and eight English feet. The transepts +are about one hundred and forty feet in length. The central tower, +upon the whole, is not only the grandest tower in Rouen, but there +is nothing for its size in our own country that can compare with +it. It rises upwards of one hundred feet above the roof of the +church; and is supported below, or rather within, by four +magnificent cluster-pillared bases, each about thirty-two feet in +circumference. Its area, at bottom, can hardly be less than +thirty-six feet square. The choir is flanked by flying buttresses, +which have a double tier of small arches, altogether +"marvellous and curious to behold."</P> + +<P>I could not resist stealing quietly round to the porch of the +<EM>south transept</EM>, and witnessing, in that porch, one of the +most chaste, light, and lovely specimens of Gothic architecture, +which can be contemplated. Indeed, I hardly know any thing like +it.<A name="fnref_55"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_55">55</A> The +leaves of the poplar and ash were beginning to mantle the exterior; +and, seen through their green and gay lattice work, the traceries +of the porch seemed to assume a more interesting aspect. They are +now mending the upper part of the façade with new stone of peculiar +excellence--but it does not harmonise with the old work. They merit +our thanks, however, for the preservation of what remains of this +precious pile. I should remark to you that the eastern and north- +eastern sides of the abbey of St. Ouen are surrounded with +promenades and trees: so that, occasionally, either when walking, +or sitting upon the benches, within these gardens, you catch one of +the finest views imaginable of the abbey.</P> + +<P>At this early season of the year, much company is assembled +every evening in these walks: while, in front of the abbey, or in +the square facing the western end, the national guard is exercised +in the day time--and troops of fair nymphs and willing youths +mingle in the dance on a sabbath evening, while a platform is +erected for the instrumental performers, and for the exhibition of +feats of legerdemain. You must not take leave of St. Ouen without +being told that, formerly, the French Kings used occasionally to +"make revel" within the Abbot's house. Henry II, +Charles IX, and Henry III, each took a fancy to this spot--but +especially the famous HENRI QUATRE. It is reported that that +monarch sojourned here for four months--- and his reply to the +address of the aldermen and sheriff of Rouen is yet preserved both +in MS. and by engravings. "The King having arrived at St. Ouen +(says an old MS.)<A name="fnref_56"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_56">56</A> the keys of the tower were presented to him, in the +presence of M. de Montpensier, the governor of the province, upon a +velvet- cushion. The keys were gilt. The King took them, and +replacing them in the hands of the governor, said--"Mon +cousin, je vous les baille pour les rendre, qu'ils les +gardent;"--then, addressing the aldermen, he added, +"Soyez moi bons sujets et je vous serai bon Roi, et le +meilleur Roi que vous ayez jamais eu."</P> + +<P>Next to the Abbey of St. Ouen, "go by all means and see the +church <EM>St. Maclou</EM>"--say your friends and your guides. +The Abbé Turquier accompanied me thither. The great beauties of St. +Maclou are its tower and its porch. Of the tower, little more than +the lantern remains. This is about 160 English feet in height. +Above it was a belfry or steeple, another 110 feet in height, +constructed of wood and lead--but which has been nearly destroyed +for the sake of the lead,--for the purpose of slaughter or +resistance during the late revolution.<A name="fnref_57"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_57">57</A> The exteriors of the porches are +remarkable for their elaborate ornaments; especially those in the +<EM>Rue Martainville.</EM> They are highly praised by the +inhabitants, and are supposed to be after the models of the famous +Goujon. Perhaps they are rather encumbered with ornament, and want +that quiet effect, and pure good taste, which we see in the porches +of the Cathedral and of the Abbey St. Ouen. However, let critics +determine as they will upon this point--they must at least unite in +reprobating the barbarous edict which doomed these delicate pieces +of sculptured art to be deluged with an over-whelming tint of +staring yellow ochre!</P> + +<P>Of the remaining churches, I shall mention only four: two of +them chiefly remarkable for their interior, and two for their +extreme antiquity. Of the two former, that of <EM>St. Vincent</EM> +presents you with a noble organ, with a light choir profusely +gilded, and (rarer accompaniment!) in very excellent taste. But the +stained glass is the chief magnet of attraction. It is rich, +varied, and vivid to a degree; and, upon the whole, is the finest +specimen of this species of art in the present ecclesiastical +remains of the city. <EM>St. Vivien</EM> is the second of these two +former. It is a fine open church, with a large organ, having a very +curious wooden screen in front, elaborately carved, and, as I +conceive, of the very earliest part of the sixteenth century. I +ascended the organ-loft; and the door happening to be open, I +examined this screen (which has luckily escaped the yellow-ochre +edict) very minutely, and was much gratified by the examination. +Such pieces of art, so situated, are of rare occurrence. For the +first time, within a parish church, I stepped upon the pavement of +the choir: walked gently forwards, to the echo of my own footsteps, +(for not a creature was in the church) and, "with no +unhallowed hand" I would hope, ventured to open the choral or +service book, resting upon its stand. It was wide, thick, and +ponderous: upon vellum: beautifully written and well executed in +every respect, with the exception of the illuminations which were +extremely indifferent. I ought to tell you that the doors of the +churches, abroad, are open at all times of the day: the ancient or +more massive door, or portal, is secured from shutting; but a +temporary, small, shabby wooden door, covered with dirty green +baize, opening and shutting upon circular hinges, just covers the +vacuum left by the absence of the larger one.</P> + +<P>Of the two ancient churches, above alluded to, that of <EM>St. +Gervais</EM>, is situated considerably to the north of where the +<EM>Boulevards Cauchoise</EM> and <EM>Bouvreuil</EM> meet. It was +hard by this favourite spot, say the Norman historians, that the +ancient Dukes of Normandy built their country-houses: considering +it as a <EM>lieu de plaisance.</EM> Here too it was that the +Conqueror came to breathe his last--desiring to be conveyed +thither, from his palace in the city, for the benefit of the pure +air.<A name="fnref_58"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_58">58</A> I +walked with M. Le Prevost to this curious church: having before +twice seen it. But the <EM>Crypt</EM> is the only thing worth +talking about, on the score of antiquity. The same accomplished +guide bade me remark the extraordinary formation of the capitals of +the pillars: which, admitting some perversity of taste in a rude, +Norman, imitative artist, are decidedly of Roman character. +"Perhaps," said M. Le Prevost, "the last efforts of +Roman art previous to the relinquishment of the Romans." Among +these capitals there is one of the perfect Doric order; while in +another you discover the remains of two Roman eagles. The columns +are all of the same height; and totally unlike every thing of the +kind which I have seen or heard of.</P> + +<P>We descended the hill upon which <EM>St. Gervais</EM> is built, +and walked onward towards <EM>St. Paul</EM>, situated at the +further and opposite end of the town, upon a gentle eminence, just +above the Banks of the Seine.<A name="fnref_59"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_59">59</A> M. Le Prevost was still our conductor. +This small edifice is certainly of remote antiquity, but I suspect +it to be completely Norman. The eastern end is full of antiquarian +curiosities. We observed something like a Roman mask as the centre +ornament upon the capital of one of the circular figures; and Mr. +Lewis made a few slight drawings of one of the grotesque heads in +the exterior, of which the hair is of an uncommon fashion. The +<EM>Saxon whiskers</EM> are discoverable upon several of these +faces. Upon the whole, it is possible that parts of this church may +have been built at the latter end of the tenth century, after the +Normans had made themselves completely masters of this part of the +kingdom; yet it is more probable that there is no vestige left +which claims a more ancient date than that of the end of the +eleventh century. I ought just to notice the church of <EM>St. +Sever</EM>,<A name="fnref_60"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_60">60</A> supposed by some to be yet more ancient: but I had +no opportunity of taking a particular survey of it.</P> + +<P>Thus much, or rather thus little, respecting the ECCLESIASTICAL +ANTIQUITIES of Rouen. They merit indeed a volume of themselves. +This city could once boast of upwards of <EM>thirty parish +churches</EM>; of which very nearly a <EM>dozen</EM> have been +recently (I mean during the Revolution) converted into +<EM>warehouses</EM>. It forms a curious, and yet melancholy +mélange-- this strange misappropriation of what was formerly held +most sacred, to the common and lowest purposes of civil life! You +enter these warehouses, or offices of business, and see the broken +shaft, the battered capital, and half-demolished altar-piece--the +gilded or the painted frieze--in the midst of bales of +goods--casks, ropes, and bags of cotton: while, without, the same +spirit of demolition prevails in the fractured column, and +tottering arch way. Thus time brings its changes and +decays--premature as well as natural: and the noise of the car-men +and injunctions of the clerk are now heard, where formerly there +reigned a general silence, interrupted only by the matin or evening +chaunt! I deplored this sort of sacrilegious adaptation, to a +respectable-looking old gentleman, sitting out of doors upon a +chair, and smoking his pipe--"c'est dommage, Monsieur, +qu'on a converti l'église à"--He stopped me: raised +his left hand: then took away his pipe with his right; gave a +gentle whiff, and shrugging up his shoulders, half archly and half +drily exclaimed--"Mais que voulez vous, Monsieur?--ce sont des +événemens qu'on ne peut ni prévoir ni prévenir. Voilà ce que +c'est!" Leaving you to moralize upon this comfortable +morceau of philosophy, consider me ever, &c.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER VI.</H3> + +<P>HALLES DE COMMERCE. PLACE DE LA PUCELLE D'ORLEANS (JEANNE +D'ARC.) BASSO- RILIEVO OF THE CHAMP DE DRAP D'OR. PALACE +AND COURTS OF JUSTICE.</P> + +<P>You must make up your mind to see a few more sights in the city +of Rouen, before I conduct you to the environs, or to the summit of +<EM>Mont St. Catherine</EM>. We must visit some relics of +antiquity, and take a yet more familiar survey of the town, ere we +strive</P> + +<P class="poetry">... superas evadere ad auras.</P> + +<P>Indeed the information to be gained well merits the toil endured +in its acquisition. The only town in England that can give you any +notion of Rouen, is CHESTER; although the similitude holds only in +some few particulars. I must, in the first place then, make +especial mention of the HALLES DE COMMERCE. The <EM>markets</EM> +here are numerous and abundant, and are of all kinds. Cloth, +cotton, lace, linen, fish, fruit, vegetables, meat, corn, and wine; +these for the exterior and interior of the body. Cattle, wood, +iron, earthenware, seeds, and implements of agriculture; these for +the supply of other necessities considered equally important. Each +market has its appropriate site. For picturesque effect, you must +visit the <EM>Vieux Marché</EM>, for vegetables and fish; which is +kept in an open space, once filled by the servants and troops of +the old Dukes of Normandy, having the ancient ducal palace in +front. This is the fountain head whence the minor markets are +supplied. Every stall has a large old tattered sort of umbrella +spread above it, to ward off the rain or rays of heat; and, seen +from some points of view, the effect of all this, with the +ever-restless motion of the tongues and feet of the vendors, united +to their strange attire, is exceedingly singular and +interesting.</P> + +<P>Leaving the old market place, you pass on to the <EM>Marché +Neuf</EM>, where fruits, eggs, and butter are chiefly sold. At this +season of the year there is necessarily little or no fruit, but I +could have filled one coat pocket with eggs for less than half a +franc. While on the subject of buying and selling, let us go to the +<EM>Halles</EM> of <EM>Rouen</EM>; being large public buildings now +exclusively appropriated to the sale of cloths, linen, and the +varied <EM>et-ceteras</EM> of mercery. These are at once spacious +and interesting in a high degree. They form the divisions of the +open spaces, or squares, where the markets just mentioned are held; +and were formerly the appurtenances of the palaces and chateaux of +the old Dukes of Normandy: the <EM>latter</EM> of which are now +wholly demolished. You must rise betimes on a Friday morning, to +witness a sight of which you can have no conception in England: +unless it be at a similar scene in <EM>Leeds</EM>. By six +o'clock the busy world is in motion within these halls. Then +commences the incessant and inconceivable vociferation of buying +and selling. The whole scene is alive, and carried on in several +large stone-arched rooms, supported by a row of pillars in the +centre. Of these halls, the largest is about three hundred and +twenty English feet in length, by fifty-five in width. The centre, +in each division, contains tables and counters for the display of +cloth, cotton, stuff, and linen of all descriptions. The display of +divers colours--the commendations bestowed by the seller, and the +reluctant assent of the purchaser--the animated eye of the former, +and the calculating brow of the latter--the removal of one set of +wares, and the bringing on of another--in short, the never-ceasing +succession of sounds and sights astonishes the gravity of an +Englishman; whose astonishment is yet heightened by the +extraordinary good humour which every where prevails. The laugh, +the joke, the équivoque, and reply, were worth being recorded in +pointed metre;--and what metre but that of Crabbe could possibly +render it justice? By nine of the clock all is hushed. The sale is +over: the goods are cleared; and both buyers and sellers have +quitted the scene.</P> + +<P>From <EM>still</EM>, let me conduct you to <EM>active</EM> life. +In other words, let us hasten to take a peep at the <EM>Horse and +Cattle Market</EM>; which is fixed in the very opposite part of the +town; that is, towards the northern Boulevards. The horses are +generally entire: and indeed you have scarcely any thing in England +which exceeds the <EM>Norman horse</EM>, properly so understood. +This animal unites the hardiness of the mule with the strength of +his own particular species. He is also docile, and well trained; +and a Norman, from pure affection, thinks he can never put enough +harness upon his back. I have seen the face and shoulders of a +cart-horse almost buried beneath a profusion of ornament by way of +collar; and have beheld a farmer's horse, led out to the +plough, with trappings as gorgeous and striking as those of a +General's charger brought forward for a review. The carts and +vehicles are usually balanced in the centre upon two wheels, which +diminishes much of the pressure upon the horse. Yet the caps of the +wheels are frightfully long, and inconveniently projecting: while +the eternally loud cracking of the whip is most repulsive to +nervous ears. On market days, the horses stand pretty close to each +other for sale; and are led off, for shew, amidst boys, girls, and +women, who contrive very dexterously to get out of the way of their +active hoofs. The French seem to have an instinctive method of +doing that, which, with ourselves, seems to demand forethought and +deliberation.</P> + +<P>Of the STREETS, in this extraordinary city, that of the +<EM>Great Clock-- (Rue de la Grosse Horloge)</EM> which runs in a +straight line from the western front of the Cathedral, at right +angles with the <EM>Rue des Carmes</EM>, is probably the most +important, ancient, and interesting. When we were conveyed, on our +entrance, (in the cabriolet of the Diligence) beneath the arch to +the upper part of which this old fashioned clock is attached, we +were lost in admiration at the singularity of the scene. The +inhabitants saw, and enjoyed, our astonishment. There is a fountain +beneath, or rather on one side of this arch; over which is +sculptured a motley group of insipid figures, of the latter time of +Louis XIV. The old tower near this clock merits a leisurely survey: +as do also some old houses, to the right, on looking at it. It was +within this old tower that a bell was formerly tolled, at nine +o'clock each evening, to warn the inhabitants abroad to return +within the walls of the city.<A name="fnref_61"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_61">61</A></P> + +<P>Turning to the left, in this street, and going down a sharp +descent, we observed a stand of hackney coaches in a small square, +called <EM>La Place de la Pucelle</EM>: that is, the place where +the famous JEANNE D'ARC<A name="fnref_62"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_62">62</A> was imprisoned, and afterwards burnt. What +sensations possess us as we gaze on each surrounding +object!--although, now, each surrounding object has undergone a +palpable change! Ah, my friend--what emotions were <EM>once</EM> +excited within this small space! What curiosity, and even agony of +mind, mingled with the tumults of indignation, the shouts of +revenge, and the exclamations of pity! But life now goes on just +the same as if nothing of the kind had happened here. The past is +forgotten. This hapless Joan of Arc is one of the many, who, having +been tortured as heretics, have been afterwards reverenced as +martyrs. Her statue was, not very long after her execution, almost +<EM>adored</EM> upon that very spot where her body had been +consigned with execrations to the flames. The square, in which this +statue stands, contains probably one of the very oldest houses in +Rouen--and as interesting as it is ancient. It is invisible from +without: but you open a wooden gate, and quickly find yourself +within a small quadrangle, having three of its sides covered with +basso-rilievo figures in plaster. That side which faces you is +evidently older than the left: indeed I have no hesitation in +assigning it to the end of the XVth century. The clustered +ornaments of human figures and cattle, with which the whole of the +exterior is covered, reminds us precisely of those numerous little +wood-cut figures, chiefly pastoral, which we see in the borders of +printed missals of the same period. The taste which prevails in +them is half French and half Flemish. Not so is the character of +the plaster figures which cover the <EM>left</EM> side on entering. +These, my friend, are no less than the representation of the +procession of Henry VIII. and Francis I. to the famous CHAMP DE +DRAP D'OR: of which Montfaucon<A name="fnref_63"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_63">63</A> has published engravings. Having +carefully examined this very curious relic, of the beginning of the +sixteenth century, I have no hesitation in pronouncing the copy of +Montfaucon (or rather of the artist employed by him) to be most +egregiously faithless. I visited it again and again, considering it +to be worth all the "huge clocks" in Rouen put together. +I hardly know how to take you from this interesting spot--from this +exhibition of beautiful old art--especially too when I consider +that Francis himself once occupied the mansion, and held a Council +here, with both English and French; that his bugles once sounded +from beneath the gate way, and that his goblets once sparkled upon +the chestnut tables of the great hall. I do hope and trust that the +Royal Academy of Rouen, will not suffer this architectural relic to +perish, without leaving behind a substantial and faithful +representation of it.<A name="fnref_64"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_64">64</A></P> + +<P>While upon the subject of ancient edifices, let me return; and, +crossing the <EM>Rue de la Grosse Horloge</EM>, contrive to place +you in the centre of the square which is formed by the PALAIS DE +JUSTICE. The inhabitants consider this building as the principal +<EM>lion</EM> in their city. It has indeed claims to notice and +admiration, but will not bear the severe scrutiny of a critic in +Gothic architecture. It was partly erected by Louis XII. at the +entreaty of the provincial States, through the interest of the +famous Cardinal d'Amboise, and partly by Francis I. This +building precisely marks the restoration of Gothic taste in France, +and the peculiar style of architecture which prevailed in the reign +of Francis I. To say the truth, this style, however sparkling and +imposing, is objectionable in many respects: for it is, in the +first place, neither pure Gothic nor pure Grecian--but an +injudicious mixture of both. Greek arabesque borders are running up +the sides of a portal terminating in a Gothic arch; and the Gothic +ornaments themselves are not in the purest, or the most pleasing, +taste. Too much is given to parts, and too little to the whole. The +external ornaments are frequently heavy, from their size and +elaborate execution; and they seem to be <EM>stuck on</EM> to the +main building without rhyme or reason.</P> + +<P>The criminal offences are tried in the hall to the right, and +the prisoners are confined in the lower part of the building to the +left: above which you mount by a flight of stone steps, which +conducts you to a singularly curious hall,<A name="fnref_65"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_65">65</A> about one hundred and +seventy-five English feet in length--roofed by wooden ribs, in the +form of an arch, and displaying a most curious and exact specimen +of carpenter's work. This is justly shewn and commented upon to +the enquiring traveller. Parts of the building are devoted to the +courts of assize, and to tribunals of audience of almost every +description. The first Presidents of the Parliament lived formerly +in the building which faces you upon entrance, but matters have now +taken a very different turn. Upon the whole, this <EM>Town +Hall</EM>, or call it what you will, is rather a magnificent +structure; and certainly superior to most provincial buildings of +the kind which we possess in England. I should tell you that the +courts for commercial causes are situated near the quays, at the +south part of the town: and Monsieur Riaux, who conducted me +thither, (and who possesses the choicest library<A name= +"fnref_66"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_66">66</A> of antiquarian +books, of all descriptions, relating to Rouen, which I had the good +fortune to see) carried me to the <EM>Hall of Commerce</EM>, which, +among other apartments, contains a large chamber (contiguous to the +Court of Justice) covered with <EM>fleurs de lys</EM> upon a light +blue ground. It is now however much in need of reparation. Fresh +lilies and a new ground are absolutely necessary to harmonise with +a large oil-painting at one end of it, in which is represented the +reception of Louis XVI. at Rouen by the Mayor and Deputies of the +town, in 1786. All the figures are of the size of life, well +painted after the originals, and appear to be strong resemblances. +On enquiring how many of them were now living, I was told that--ALL +WERE DEAD! The fate of the <EM>principal</EM> figure is but too +well known. They should have this interesting subject--interesting +undoubtedly to the inhabitants--executed by one of their best +engravers. It represents the unfortunate Louis quite in the prime +of life; and is the best whole length portrait of him which I have +yet seen in painting or in engraving.</P> + +<P>It is right however that you should know, that, in the Tribunal +for the determination of commercial causes, there sits a very +respectable Bench of Judges: among whom I recognised one that had +perfectly the figure, air, and countenance, of an Englishman. On +enquiry of my guide, I found my supposition verified. He +<EM>was</EM> an Englishman; but had been thirty years a resident in +<EM>Rouen</EM>. The judicial costume is appropriate in every +respect; but I could not help smiling, the other morning, upon +meeting my friend the judge, standing before the door of his house, +in the open street--with a hairy cap on--leisurely smoking his +pipe--And wherein consisted the harm of such a +<EM>delassement</EM>?</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER VII.</H3> + +<P>THE QUAYS. BRIDGE OF BOATS. RUE DU BAC. RUE DE ROBEC. EAUX DE +ROBEC ET D'AUBETTE. MONT STE. CATHARINE. HOSPICES--GÉNÉRAL ET +D'HUMANITÉ.</P> + +<P>Still tarrying within this old fashioned place? I have indeed +yet much to impart before I quit it, and which I have no scruple in +avowing will be well deserving of your attention.</P> + +<P>Just letting you know, in few words, that I have visited the +famous chemical laboratory of M. Vitalis, (<EM>Rue +Beauvoisine</EM>) and the yet more wonderful spectacle exhibited in +M. Lemere's machine for sawing wood of all descriptions, into +small or large planks, by means of water works--I must take you +along THE QUAYS for a few minutes. These quays are flanked by an +architectural front, which, were it finished agreeably to the +original plan, would present us with one of the noblest structures +in Europe. This stone front was begun in the reign of Louis XV. but +many and prosperous must be the years of art, of commerce, and of +peace, before money sufficient can be raised for the successful +completion of the pile. The quays are long, broad, and full of +bustle of every description; while in some of the contiguous +squares, ponderous bales of goods, shawls, cloth, and linen, are +spread open to catch the observing eye. In the midst of this varied +and animated scene, walks a well-known character, in his large +cocked hat, and with his tin machine upon his back, filled with +lemonade or coffee, surmounted by a bell--which "ever and +anon" is sounded for the sake of attracting customers. He is +here copied to the life.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:70%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/118.png" alt="Well-known character"></DIV> + +<P>As you pass along this animated scene, by the side of the rapid +Seine, and its <EM>Bridge of Boats</EM>, you cannot help glancing +now and then down the narrow old-fashioned streets, which run at +right angles with the quays- -with the innumerable small +tile-fashioned pieces of wood, like scales, upon the roofs--which +seem as if they would be demolished by every blast. The narrowness +and gloom of these streets, together with the bold and overwhelming +projections of the upper stories and roofs, afford a striking +contrast to the animated scene upon the quays:--where the sun +shines with full freedom, as it were; and where the glittering +streamers, at innumerable mast-heads, denote the wealth and +prosperity of the town. If the day happen to be fine, you may +devote half a morning in contemplating, and mingling with, so +interesting a scene.</P> + +<P>We have had frequent thunder-storms of late; and the other +Sunday evening, happening to be sauntering at a considerable height +above the north-west Boulevards, towards the <EM>Faubourg +Cauchoise</EM>, I gained a summit, upon the edge of a gravel pit, +whence I looked down unexpectedly and precipitously upon the town +below. A magnificent and immense cloud was rolling over the whole +city. The Seine was however visible on the other side of it, +shining like a broad silver chord: while the barren, ascending +plains, through which the road to Caen passes, were gradually +becoming dusk with the overshadowing cloud, and drenched with rain +which seemed to be rushing down in one immense torrent. The tops of +the Cathedral and of the abbey of St. Ouen were almost veiled in +darkness, by the passing storm; but the lower part of the tower, +and the whole of the nave of each building, were in one stream of +golden light--from the last powerful rays of the setting sun. In +ten minutes this magically-varied scene settled into the sober, +uniform tint of evening; but I can never forget the rich bed of +purple and pink, fringed with burnished gold, in which the sun of +that evening set! I descended--absorbed in the recollection of the +lovely objects which I had just contemplated--and regaled by the +sounds of a thousand little gurgling streamlets, created by the +passing tempest, and hastening to precipitate themselves into the +Seine.</P> + +<P>Of the different trades, especially retail, which are carried on +in Rouen with the greatest success, those connected with the +<EM>cotton manufactories</EM> cannot fail to claim your attention; +and I fancied I saw, in some of the shop-windows, shawls and gowns +which might presume to vie with our Manchester and Norwich +productions. Nevertheless, I learnt that the French were extremely +partial to British manufactures: and cotton stockings, coloured +muslins, and what are called ginghams, are coveted by them with the +same fondness as we prize their cambric and their lace. Their best +articles in watches, clocks, silver ornaments, and trinkets, are +obtained from Paris. But in respect to upholstery, I must do the +Rouennois the justice to say, that I never saw any thing to compare +with their <EM>escrutoires</EM> and other articles of furniture +made of the walnut tree. These upright escrutoires, or writing +desks, are in almost every bed-room of the more respectable hotels: +but of course their polish is gone when they become stationary +furniture in an inn--for the art of rubbing, or what is called +<EM>elbow-grease</EM> with us--is almost unknown on either side of +the Seine. You would be charmed to have a fine specimen of a side +board, or an escrutoire, (the latter five or six feet high) made by +one of their best cabinet-makers from choice walnut wood. The +polish and tone of colour are equally gratifying; and resemble +somewhat that of rose wood, but of a gayer aspect. The +<EM>or-molu</EM> ornaments are tastefully put on; but the general +shape, or contour, of the several pieces of furniture, struck me as +being in bad taste.</P> + +<P>He who wishes to be astonished by the singularity of a scene, +connected with <EM>trade</EM>, should walk leisurely down the RUE +DE ROBEC. It is surely the oddest, and as some may think, the most +repulsive scene imaginable: But who that has a rational curiosity +could resist such a walk? Here live the <EM>dyers of +clothes</EM>--and in the middle of the street rushes the +precipitous stream, called <EM>L'Eau de Robec</EM><A name= +"fnref_67"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_67">67</A>--receiving +colours of all hues. To-day it is nearly jet black: to-morrow it is +bright scarlet: a third day it is blue, and a fourth day it is +yellow! Meanwhile it is partially concealed by little bridges, +communicating with the manufactories, or with that side of the +street where the work-people live: and the whole has a dismal and +disagreeable aspect--especially in dirty weather: but if you go to +one end of it (I think to the east--as it runs east and west) and +look down upon the descending street, with the overhanging upper +stories and roofs--the foreshortened, numerous bridges-- the +differently-coloured dyed clothes, suspended from the windows, or +from poles--the constant motion of men, women, and children, +running across the bridges--with the rapid, <EM>camelion</EM> +stream beneath--you cannot fail to acknowledge that this is one of +the most singular, grotesque, and uncommon sights in the +wonder-working city of Rouen. I ought to tell you that the first +famous Cardinal d'Amboise (of whom the preceding pages have +made such frequent honourable mention) caused the <EM>Eau de +Robec</EM> to be directed through the streets of Rouen, from its +original channel or source in a little valley near <EM>St. Martin +du Vivien</EM>. Formerly there was a much more numerous clan of +these "teinturiers" in the Rue de Robec--but they have of +late sought more capacious premises in the fauxbourgs <EM>de St. +Hilaire</EM> and <EM>de Martainville</EM>. The neighbouring +sister-stream, <EM>l'Eau d'Aubette</EM>, is destined to the +same purposes as that of which I have been just discoursing; but I +do not at this moment recollect whether it be also dignified, in +its course, by turning a few corn mills, ere it empties itself into +the Seine. Indeed the thundering noise of one of these mills, +turned by the Robec river, near the church of St. Maclou, will not +be easily forgotten. Thus you see of what various, strange, and +striking objects the city of Rouen is composed. Bustle, noise, life +and activity, in the midst of an atmosphere unsullied by the fumes +of sea coal:--hilarity and apparent contentment:--the spruce +bourgeoise and the slattern fille de chambre:--attired in vestments +of deep crimson and dark blue--every thing flits before you as if +touched by magic, and as if sorrow and misfortune were unknown to +the inhabitants.</P> + +<P>"Paullò majora canamus." In other words, let us leave +the Town for the Country. Let us hurry through a few more narrow +and crowded alleys, courts, and streets--and as the morning is yet +beautiful, let us hasten onwards to enjoy the famous Panorama of +Rouen and its environs from the MONT STE. CATHARINE.... Indeed, my +friend, I sincerely wish that you could have accompanied me to the +summit of this enchanting eminence: but as you are far away, you +must be content with a brief description of our little expedition +thither.<A name="fnref_68"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_68">68</A> The Mont Ste. Catharine, which is entirely chalk, +is considered the highest of the hills in the immediate vicinity of +Rouen; or rather, perhaps, is considered the point of elevation +from which the city is to be viewed to the greatest possible +advantage. It lies to the left of the Seine, in your way from the +town; and the ascent begins considerably beyond the barriers. +Indeed it is on the route to Paris. We took an excellent +<EM>fiacre</EM> to carry us to the beginning of the ascent, that +our legs might be in proper order for scrambling up the acclivities +immediately above; and leaving the main road to the right, we soon +commenced our ambulatory operations in good earnest. But there was +not much labour or much difficulty: so, halting, or standing, or +sitting, on each little eminence, our admiration seemed to +encrease--till, gaining the highest point, looking towards the +west, we found ourselves immediately above the town and the whole +of its environs....</P> + +<P class="poetry">"Heavens, what a goodly prospect spread +around!"</P> + +<P>The prospect was indeed "goodly--" being varied, +extensive, fertile, and luxuriant ... in spite of a comparatively +backward spring. The city was the main object, not only of +attraction, but of astonishment. Although the point from which we +viewed it is considered to be exactly on a level with the summit of +the spire of the Cathedral, yet we seemed to be hanging, as it +were, in the air, immediately over the streets themselves. We saw +each church, each public edifice, and almost each street; nay, we +began to think we could discover almost every individual stirring +in them. The soldiers, exercising on the parade in the Champ de +Mars, seemed to be scarcely two stones' throw from us; while +the sounds of their music reached us in the most distinct and +gratifying manner. No "Diable boiteux" could ever have +transported a "Don Cleophas Léandro Perez Zambullo" to a +more favourable situation for a knowledge of what was passing in a +city; and if the houses had been unroofed, we could have almost +discerned whether the <EM>escrutoires</EM> were made of mahogany or +walnut-wood! This wonder- working effect proceeds from the +extraordinary clearness of the atmosphere, and the absence of +sea-coal fume. The sky was perfectly blue--the generality of the +roofs were also composed of blue slate: this, added to the +incipient verdure of the boulevards, and the darker hues of the +trunks of the trees, upon the surrounding hills--the lengthening +forests to the left, and the numerous white "maisons de +plaisance"<A name="fnref_69"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_69">69</A> to the right-- while the Seine, with its hundred +vessels, immediately below, to the left, and in face of you--with +its cultivated little islands--and the sweeping meadows or +race-ground<A name="fnref_70"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_70">70</A> on the other side--all, or indeed any, of these +objects could not fail to excite our warmest admiration, and to +make us instinctively exclaim "that such a panorama was +perfectly unrivalled!"</P> + +<P>We descended Mont Ste. Catharine on the side facing the +<EM>Hospice Général</EM>: a building of a very handsome form, and +considerable dimensions. It is a noble establishment for +foundlings, and the aged and infirm of both sexes. I was told that +not fewer than twenty-five hundred human beings were sheltered in +this asylum; a number, which equally astonished and delighted me. +The descent, on this side the hill, is exceedingly pleasing; being +composed of serpentine little walks, through occasional alleys of +trees and shrubs, to the very base of the hill, not many hundred +yards from the hospital. The architecture of this extensive +building is more mixed than that of its neighbour the <EM>Hospice +d'Humanité</EM>, on account of the different times in which +portions of it were added: but, upon the whole, you are rather +struck with its approach to what may be called magnificence of +style. I was indeed pleased with the good order and even good +breeding of its motley inhabitants. Some were strolling quietly, +with their arms behind them, between rows of trees:-- others were +tranquilly sitting upon benches: a third group would be in motion +within the squares of the building: a fourth appeared in deep +consultation whether the <EM>potage</EM> of to day were not +inferior to that of the preceding day?--"Que cherchez vous, +Monsieur?" said a fine looking old man, touching, and half +taking off, his cocked hat; "I wish to see the Abbé +Turquier,"--rejoined I. "Ah, il vient de sortir--par ici, +Monsieur." "Thank you." "Monsieur je vous +souhaite le bon jour--au plaisir de vous revoir!" And thus I +paced through the squares of this vast building. The +"Portier" had a countenance which our Wilkie would have +seized with avidity, and copied with inimitable spirit and +fidelity.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER VIII.</H3> + +<P>EARLY TYPOGRAPHY AT ROUEN. MODERN PRINTERS. CHAP BOOKS. +BOOKSELLERS. BOOK COLLECTORS.</P> + +<P>Now for a little gossip and chit-chat about <EM>Paper, Ink, +Books, Printing- Offices</EM>, and curiosities of a GRAPHIC +description. Perhaps the most regular method would be to speak of a +few of the principal <EM>Presses</EM>, before we take the +<EM>productions</EM> of these presses into consideration. And +first, as to the antiquity of printing in Rouen.<A name= +"fnref_71"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_71">71</A> The art of +printing is supposed to have been introduced here, by a citizen of +the name of MAUFER, between the years 1470 and 1480. Some of the +specimens of Rouen <EM>Missals</EM> and <EM>Breviaries</EM>, +especially of those by MORIN, who was the second printer in this +city, are very splendid. His device, which is not common, and +rather striking, is here enclosed for your gratification.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:50%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/129.png" alt="Device"></DIV> + +<P>Few provincial towns have been more fertile in typographical +productions; and the reputation of TALLEUR, GUALTIER, and VALENTIN, +gave great respectability to the press of Rouen at the commencement +of the sixteenth century.</P> + +<P>Yet I am not able to ascertain whether these presses were very +fruitful in <STRONG>Romances, Chronicles</STRONG>, and <STRONG>Old +Poetry</STRONG>. I rather think, however, that they were not +deficient in this popular class of literature, if I am to judge +from the specimens which are yet lingering, as it were, in the +hands of the curious. The gravity even of an archiepiscopal see +could never repress the natural love of the French, from time +immemorial, for light and fanciful reading.</P> + +<P>You know with what pertinacity I grope about old alleys, old +courts, by- lanes, and unfrequented corners--in search of what is +curious, or precious, or rare in the book way. But ere we touch +that enchanting chord, let us proceed according to the plan laid +down. First therefore for printing- offices. Of these, the names of +PÉRIAUX, (<EM>Imprimeur de l'Academie</EM>,) BAUDRY, +(<EM>Imprimeur du Roi</EM>) MÉGARD, (<EM>Rue Martainville</EM>) and +LECRENE-LABBEY, (<EM>Imprimeur-Libraire et Marchand de +Papiers</EM>) are masters of the principal presses; but such is the +influence of Paris, or of metropolitan fashions, that a publisher +will sometimes prefer getting his work printed at the capital.<A +name="fnref_72"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_72">72</A> Of the +foregoing printers, it behoves me to make some mention; and yet I +can speak personally but of two: Messieurs Périaux and Mégard. M. +Periaux is printer to the <EM>Académie des Sciences, Belles-Lettres +et Arts de Rouen</EM>, of which academy, indeed, he is himself an +accomplished member. He is quick, intelligent, well-bred, and +obliging to the last degree; and may be considered the <EM>Henry +Stephen</EM> of the Rouen Printers. He urged me to call often: but +I could visit him only twice. Each time I found him in his counting +house, with his cap on-- shading his eyes: a pen in his right hand, +and a proof sheet in his left. Though he rejoiced at seeing me, I +could discover (much to his praise) that, like Aldus, he wished me +to "say my saying quickly,"<A name="fnref_73"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_73">73</A> and to leave him to his +<EM>deles</EM> and <EM>stets</EM>! He has a great run of business, +and lives in one of those strange, old-fashioned houses, in the +form of a square, with an outside spiral staircase, so common in +this extraordinary city. He introduced me to his son, an +intelligent young man--well qualified to take the labouring oar, +either upon the temporary or permanent retirement of his parent.<A +name="fnref_74"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_74">74</A></P> + +<P>Of Monsieur MÉGARD, who may be called the ancient +<EM>Jenson</EM>, or the modern <EM>Bulmer</EM>, of Rouen, I can +speak only in terms of praise--both as a civil gentleman and as a +successful printer. He is doubtless the most elegant printer in +this city; and being also a publisher, his business is very +considerable. He makes his regular half yearly journeys among the +neighbouring towns and villages, and as regularly brings home the +fruits of his enterprise and industry. On my first visit, M. Mégard +was from home; but Madame, "son épouse, l'attendoit à +chaque moment!" There is a particular class of women among the +French, which may be said to be singularly distinguished for their +intelligence, civility, and good breeding. I mean the wives of the +more respectable tradesmen. Thus I found it, in addition to a +hundred similar previous instances, with Madame Mégard. "Mais +Monsieur, je vous prie de vous asseoir. Que voulez vous?" +"I wish to have a little conversation with your husband. I am +an enthusiastic lover of the art of printing. I search every where +for skilful printers, and thus it is that I come to pay my respects +to Monsieur Mégard." We both sat down and conversed together; +and I found in Madame Mégard a communicative, and well-instructed, +representative of the said ancient Jenson, or modern Bulmer. +"Enfin, voilà mon mari qui arrive"--said Madame, turning +round, upon the opening of the door:--when I looked forward, and +observed a stout man, rather above the middle size, with a +countenance perfectly English--but accoutred in the dress of the +<EM>national guard</EM>, with a grenadier cap on his head. Madame +saw my embarrassment: laughed: and in two minutes her husband knew +the purport of my visit. He began by expressing his dislike of the +military garb: but admitted the absolute necessity of adopting such +a measure as that of embodying a national guard. "Soyez le +bien venu; Ma foi, je ne suis que trop sensible, Monsieur, de +l'honneur que vous me faites--vû que vous êtes antiquaire +typographique, et que vous avez publié des ouvrages relatifs à +notre art. Mais ce n'est pas ici qu'il faut en chercher de +belles épreuves. C'est à Paris."</P> + +<P>I parried this delicate thrust by observing that I was well +acquainted with the fine productions of <EM>Didot</EM>, and had +also seen the less aspiring ones of himself; of which indeed I had +reason to think his townsmen might be proud. This I spoke with the +utmost sincerity. My first visit concluded with two elegant little +book-presents, on the part of M. Megard--one being <EM>Heures de +Rouen, à l'usage du Diocese</EM>, 1814, 12mo. and the other +<EM>Etrennes nouvelles commodes et utiles</EM>; 1815, 12mo.--the +former bound in green morocco; and the latter in calf, with gilt +leaves, but printed on a sort of apricot-tinted paper--producing no +unpleasing effect. Both are exceedingly well executed. My visits to +M. Mégard were rather frequent. He has a son at the Collége Royale, +or Lycée, whither I accompanied him, one Sunday morning, and took +the church of that establishment in the way. It is built entirely +in the Italian style of architecture: is exceedingly spacious: has +a fine organ, and is numerously attended. The pictures I saw in it, +although by no means of first-rate merit, quite convince me that it +is in churches of <EM>Roman</EM>, and not of <EM>Gothic</EM> +architecture, that paintings produce the most harmonious effect. +This college and church form a noble establishment, situated in one +of the most commanding eminences of the town. From some parts of +it, the flying buttresses of the nave of the Abbey of St. Ouen, +with the Seine at a short distance, surmounted by the hills and +woods of Canteleu as a back ground, are seen in the most gloriously +picturesque manner.</P> + +<P>But the printer who does the most business--or rather whose +business lies in the lower department of the art, in bringing forth +what are called <EM>chap books</EM>--is +LECRENE-LABBEY--<EM>imprimeur-libraire et marchand de papiers</EM>. +The very title imports a sort of <EM>Dan Newberry's</EM> +repository. I believe however that Lecrêne-Labbey's business is +much diminished. He once lived in the <EM>Rue de la +Grosse-Horloge</EM>, No. 12: but at present carries on trade in one +of the out-skirting streets of the town. I was told that the +premises he now occupies were once an old church or monastery, and +that a thousand fluttering sheets are now suspended, where formerly +was seen the solemn procession of silken banners, with religious +emblems, emblazoned in colours of all hues. I called at the old +shop, and supplied myself with a dingy copy of the <EM>Catalogue de +la Bibliothéque Bleue</EM>--from which catalogue however I could +purchase but little; as the greater part of the old books, several +of the <EM>Caxtonian stamp</EM>, had taken their departures. It was +from this Catalogue that I learnt the precise character of the +works destined for common reading; and from hence inferred, what I +stated to you a little time ago, that <EM>Romances, Rondelays</EM>, +and chivalrous stories, are yet read with pleasure by the good +people of France. It is, in short, from this lower, or +<EM>lowest</EM> species of literature--if it must be so +designated--that we gather the real genius, or mental character of +the ordinary classes of society. I do assure you that some of these +<EM>chap</EM> publications are singularly droll and curious. Even +the very rudiments of learning, or the mere alphabet-book, meets +the eye in a very imposing manner--as in the following +facsimile.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:50%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/136.png" alt="Specimen"></DIV> + +<P><EM>Love, Marriage</EM>, and <EM>Confession</EM>, are fertile +themes. in these little farthing chap books. Yonder sits a fille de +chambre, after her work is done. She is intent upon some little +manual, taken from the <EM>Bibliothèque Bleue</EM>. Approach her, +and ask her for a sight of it. She smiles, and readily shews you +<EM>Catéchisme à l'usage des Grandes Filles pour être Mariées; +ensemble la manière d'attirer les Amans</EM>. At the first +glance of it, you suppose that this is entirely, from beginning to +end, a wild and probably somewhat indecorous manual of instruction. +By no means; for read the <EM>Litanies</EM> and <EM>Prayer</EM> +with which it concludes, and which I here send; admitting that they +exhibit a strange mixture of the simple and the serious.</P> + +<P class="quote">LITANIES.</P> + +<P class="quote"><EM>Pour toutes les Filles qui désirent entrer en +menage</EM>.</P> + +<P class="quote"><EM>Kyrie,</EM> je voudrois,<BR> + <EM>Christe</EM>, être mariée.<BR> + <EM>Kyrie</EM>, je prie tous les Saints,<BR> + <EM>Christe</EM>, que ce soin demain.<BR> + <EM>Sainte Marie</EM>, tout le Monde se marie.<BR> + <EM>Saint Joseph</EM>, que vous ai-je fait?<BR> + <EM>Saint Nicolas</EM>, ne m'oubliez pas.<BR> + <EM>Saint Médérie</EM>, que j'aie un bon mari.<BR> + <EM>Saint Matthieu</EM>, qu'il craigne Dieu.<BR> + <EM>Saint Jean</EM>, qu'il m'aime tendrement.<BR> + <EM>Saint Bruno</EM>, qu'il soit juli &beau.<BR> + <EM>Saint Francois</EM>, qu'il me soit fidele.<BR> + <EM>Saint André</EM>, qu'il soit à mon gré.<BR> + <EM>Saint Didier</EM>, qu'il aime à travailler.<BR> + <EM>Saint Honoré</EM>, qu'il n'aime pas à jouer.<BR> + <EM>Saint Severin</EM>, qu'il n'aime pas le vin.<BR> + <EM>Saint Clément</EM>, qu'il soit diligent.<BR> + <EM>Saint Sauveur</EM>, qu'il ait bon coeur.<BR> + <EM>Saint Nicaise</EM>, que je sois à mon aise.<BR> + <EM>Saint Josse</EM>, qu'il me donne un carrosse.<BR> + <EM>Saint Boniface</EM>, que mon mariage se fasse.<BR> + <EM>Saint Augustin</EM>, dès demain matin.<BR> +</P> + +<P class="quote">ORAISON.</P> + +<P class="quote">Seigneur, qui avez formé Adam de la terre, et qui +lui avez donné Eve pour sa compagne; envoyez-moi, s'il vous +plait, un bon mari pour compagnon, non pour la volupté, mais pour +vous honorer &avoir des enfants qui vous bénissent. Ainsi soit +il.</P> + +<P>Among the books of this class, before alluded to, I purchased a +singularly amusing little manual called "<EM>La Confession de +la Bonne Femme</EM>." It is really not divested of merit. +Whether however it may not have been written during the Revolution, +with a view to ridicule the practice of auricular confession which +yet obtains throughout France, I cannot take upon me to pronounce; +but there are undoubtedly some portions of it which seem so +obviously to satirise this practice, that one can hardly help +drawing a conclusion in the affirmative. On the other hand it may +perhaps be inferred, with greater probability, that it is intended +to shew with what extreme facility a system of +<EM>self-deception</EM> may be maintained.<A name="fnref_75"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_75">75</A> Referring however to the little +manual in question, among the various choice morceaus which it +contains, take the following extracts: exemplificatory of a +woman's <EM>evading the main points of confession</EM>.</P> + +<P class="quote"><EM>Confesseur</EM>. Ne voulez vous pas me +répondre; en un mot, combien y a-t-il de temps que vous ne vous +êtes confessée?</P> + +<P class="quote"><EM>La Pénitente.</EM> Il y a un mois tout juste, +car c'étoit le quatrième jour du mois passé, &nous sommes +au cinquième du mois courant; or comptez, mon pere, &vous +trouverez justement que ...</P> + +<P class="quote">C. C'est assez, ne parlez point tant, +&dites moi en peu de mots vos péchés.</P> + +<P class="quote"><EM>Elle raconte les péchés d'autrui.</EM></P> + +<P class="quote"><EM>La Pénitente</EM>. J'ai un enfant qui est +le plus méchant garçon que vous ayez jamais vu: il jure, bat sa +soeur, il fuit l'école, dérobe tout ce qu'il peut pour +jouer; il suit de méchans fripons: l'autre jour en courant il +perdit son chapeau. Enfin, c'est un méchant garçon, je veux +vous l'amener afin que vous me l'endoctriniez un peu +s'il vous plaît.</P> + +<P class="quote">C. Dites-moi vos péchés.</P> + +<P class="quote">P. Mais, mon père, j'ai une fille qui est +encore pire. Je ne la peux faire lever le matin: Je l'appelle +cent fois: <EM>Marguerite: plait-il ma Mere? lève-toi promptement +et descends: j'y vais</EM>. Elle ne bouge pas. <EM>Si tu ne +viens maintenant, tu seras battue.</EM> Elle s'en moque. Quand +je l'envoie à la Ville, je lui dis <EM>reviens promptement, ne +t'amuse pas</EM>. Cependant, elle s'arrête à toutes les +portes comme l'âne d'un meûnier, elle babille avec tous +ceux qu'elle rencontre; &quand elle me fait cela, je la +bats: ne fais-je pas bien, mon père?</P> + +<P class="quote">C. Dites-moi <EM>vos</EM> péchés et non pas ceux +de <EM>vos enfans</EM>.</P> + +<P class="quote">P. Il se trouve, mon père, que nous avons dans +notre rue une voisine qui est la plus méchante de toutes les +femmes: elle jure, elle querelle tous ceux qui passent, personne ne +la peut souffrir, ni son mari, ni ses enfans, &bien souvent +elle s'enivre, &vous me dites, mon père, quelle est +celle-la? c'est ...</P> + +<P class="quote">C. Ah gardez-vous bien de la nommer; car à la +confession il ne faut jamais fair connoitre les personnes dont vous +déclarez les péchés.</P> + +<P class="quote">P. C'est elle qui vient se confesser après +moi: grondez-la bien, car vous ne lui en sauriez trop dire.</P> + +<P class="quote">C. Taisez-vous donc, &ne parlez que de +<EM>vos</EM> péchés, non pas de ceux <EM>des autres</EM>.</P> + +<P class="quote"><EM>Elle s'accuse de ce qui n'est point +péché.</EM></P> + +<P class="quote"><EM>Pénitente</EM>.--Ah! mon père, j'ai fait +un grand péché, ah! le grand péché! Hélas je serai damnée, quoique +mon confesseur m'ait defendu de le dire j'amais, néanmoins +mon père je vais vous le declarer.</P> + +<P class="quote">C. Ne le dites point, puisque votre confesseur +vous l'a defendu, je ne veux point l'entendre.</P> + +<P class="quote">P. Ah! n'importe; je veux vous le dire, +c'est un trop grand péché: J'ai battu ma mère.</P> + +<P class="quote">C. Vous avez battu votre mère! Ah! misérable, +c'est un cas réservé & un crime qui mérite la potence. Et +quand l'avez-vous battue?</P> + +<P class="quote">P. Quand j'étois petite de l'âge de quatre +ans.</P> + +<P class="quote">C. Ah! simple, ne savez-vous pas que tout ce que +les enfans font avant l'âge de raison, qui est environ +l'âge de sept ans, ne sauroit être un péché.</P> + +<P>There is however one thing, which I must frankly declare to you +as entitled to distinct notice and especial commendation. It is, +the method of teaching "catechisms" of a different and +higher order: I mean the CHURCH CATECHISMS. Both the Cathedral and +the Abbey of St. Ouen have numerous side chapels. Within these side +chapels are collected, on stated days of the week, the young of +both sexes. They are arranged in a circle. A priest, in his white +robes, is seated, or stands, in the centre of them. He examines, +questions, corrects, or commends, as the opportunity calls for it. +His manner is winning and persuasive. His action is admirable. The +lads shew him great respect, and are rarely rude, or seen to laugh. +Those who answer well, and pay the greater attention, receive, with +words of commendation, gentle pats upon the head--and I could not +but consider the blush, with which this mark of favour was usually +received, as so many presages of future excellence in the youth. I +once witnessed a most determined catechetical lecture of girls; who +might be called, in the language of their matrimonial catechism, +"de grandes filles." It was on an evening, in the Chapel +of Our Lady in St. Ouen's Abbey, that this examination took +place. Two elderly priests attended. The responses of the females +were as quick as they were correct; the eye being always invariably +fixed on the pavement, accompanied with a gravity and even piety of +expression. A large group of mothers, with numerous spectators, +were in attendance. A question was put, to which a supposed +incorrect response was given. It was repeated, and the same answer +followed. The priest hesitated: something like vexation was +kindling in his cheek, while the utmost calmness and confidence +seemed to mark the countenance of the examinant. The attendant +mothers were struck with surprise. A silence for one minute ensued. +The question related to the "Holy Spirit." The priest +gently approached the girl, and softly articulated--"Mais, ma +chère considerez un peu,"--and repeated the question. +"Mon pere, (yet more softly, rejoined the pupil) j'ai bien +considerée, et je crois que c'est comme je vous l'ai déjà +dit." The Priest crossed his hands upon his breast ... brought +down his eyebrows in a thoughtful mood ... and turning quickly +round to the girl, addressed her in the most affectionate tone of +voice--"Ma petite,--tu as bien dit; et j'avois tort." +The conduct of the girl was admirable: She curtsied, blushed ... +and with eyes, from which tears seemed ready to start, surveyed the +circle of spectators ... caught the approving glance of her mother, +and sunk triumphantly upon her chair--with the united admiration of +teachers, companions, parents and spectators! The whole was +conducted with the most perfect propriety; and the pastors did not +withdraw till they were fairly exhausted. A love of truth obliges +me to confess that this reciprocity of zeal, on the part of master +and pupil, is equally creditable to both parties; and especially +serviceable to the cause of religion and morality.</P> + +<P>Let me here make honourable mention of the kind offices of +<EM>Monsieur Longchamp</EM>, who volunteered his friendly services +in walking over half the town with me, to shew me what he justly +considered as the most worthy of observation. It is impossible for +a generous mind to refuse its testimony to the ever prompt kindness +of a well-bred Frenchman, in rendering you all the services in his +power. Enquire the way,--and you have not only a finger quickly +pointing to it, but the owner of the finger must also put himself +in motion to accompany you a short distance upon the route, and +that too uncovered! "Mais, Monsieur, mettez votre chapeau ... +je vous en prie ... mille pardons." "Monsieur ne dites +pas un seul mot ... pour mon chapeau, qu'il reste à son +aise."</P> + +<P>Among book-collectors, Antiquaries, and Men of Taste, let me +speak with becoming praise of the amiable and accomplished M. +AUGUSTE LE PREVOST--who is considered, by competent judges, to be +the best antiquary in Rouen.<A name="fnref_76"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_76">76</A> Mr. Dawson Turner, (a name, in our own +country, synonymous with all that is liberal and enlightened in +matters of virtù) was so obliging as to give me a letter of +introduction to him; and he shewed me several rare and splendid +works, which were deserving of the commendations that they received +from their owner.</P> + +<P>M. Le Prevost very justly discredits any remains of Roman +masonry at Rouen; but he will not be displeased to see that the +only existing relics of the castle or town walls, have been copied +by the pencil of a late travelling friend. What you here behold is +probably of the fourteenth century.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:60%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/144.png" alt="Relics of the castle or town walls"></DIV> + +<P>The next book-collector in commendation of whom I am bound to +speak, is MONSIEUR DUPUTEL; a member, as well as M. Le Prevost, of +the <EM>Academy of Belles-Lettres</EM> at Rouen. The Abbé Turquier +conducted me thither; and I found, in the owner of a choice +collection of books, a well-bred gentleman, and a most hearty +bibliomaniac. He has comparatively a small library; but, withal, +some very curious, scarce, and interesting volumes. M. Duputel is +smitten with that amiable passion,--the love of printing for +<EM>private distribution</EM>--thus meriting to become a sort of +Roxburghe Associate. He was so good as to beg my acceptance of the +"nouvelle édition" of his "<EM>Bagatelles +Poétiques,"</EM> printed in an octavo volume of about 112 +pages, at Rouen, in 1816. On taking it home, I discovered the +following not infelicitous version of our Prior's beautiful +little Poem of <EM>the Garland</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>La Guirlande</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>Traduction de l'Anglais de +Prior</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Pour orner de Chloé les cheveux ondoyans,<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Parmi les fleurs nouvellement +écloses</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">J'avais choisi les lis les plus +brillans,</SPAN><BR> + Les oeillets les plus beaux, et les plus fraîches roses.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Ma Chloé sur son front les plaça la matin:<BR> + <SPAN class="ind4">Alors on vit céder sans peine,</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Leur vif éclat à celui de son teint,</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Leur doux parfum à ceux de son +haleine.</SPAN></P> + +<P class="poetry">De ses attraits ces fleurs paraissaient +s'embellir,<BR> + Et sur ses blonds cheveux les bergers, les bergères<BR> + Les voyaient se faner avec plus de plaisir<BR> + Qu'ils ne les voyaient naître au milieu des parterres.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><SPAN class="ind2">Mais, le soir, quand leur sein +flétri</SPAN><BR> + Eut cessé d'exhaler son odeur séduisante,<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Elle fixa, d'un regard attendri,</SPAN><BR> + Cette guirlande, hélas! n'aguères si brillante.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Des larmes aussi-tôt coulent de ses beaux +yeux.<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Que d'éloquence dans ces larmes!</SPAN><BR> + Jamais pour l'exprimer, le langage des dieux,<BR> + Tout sublime qu'il est, n'aurait assez de charmes.</P> + +<P class="poetry">En feignant d'ignorer ce tendre +sentiment;<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">"Pourquoi," lui dis-je, "ô ma +sensible amie,</SPAN><BR> + Pourquoi verser des pleurs? et par quel changement<BR> + Abandonner ton ame à la melancholie?"</P> + +<P class="poetry">"Vois-tu comme ces fleurs languissent +tristement?"<BR> + Me dit, en soupirant, ce moraliste aimable,<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">"De leur fraîcheur, en un +moment,</SPAN><BR> + S'est éclipsé le charme peu durable.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><SPAN class="ind2">Tel est, hélas! notre +destin;</SPAN><BR> + Fleur de beauté ressemble à celles des prairies;<BR> + On les voit toutes deux naître avec le matin,<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Et dès le soir être flétries.</SPAN></P> + +<P class="poetry">Estelle hier encor brillait dans nos hameaux,<BR> + Et l'amour attirait les bergers sur ses traces;<BR> + De la mort, aujourd'hui, I'impitoyable faulx<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">A moissonné sa jeunesse et ses +graces.</SPAN></P> + +<P class="poetry">Soumise aux mêmes lois, peut-être que demain,<BR> + Comme elle aussi, Damon, j'aurai cessé de vivre....<BR> + Consacre dans tes vers la cause du chagrin<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Auquel ton amante se livre."</SPAN></P> + +<P class="poetry">p. 92.</P> + +<P>The last and not the least of book-collectors, which I have had +an opportunity of visiting, is MONSIEUR RIAUX. With respect to what +may be called a ROUENNOISE LIBRARY, that of M. Riaux is greatly +preferable to any which I have seen; although I am not sure whether +M. Le Prevost's collection contain not nearly as many books. M. +Riaux is himself a man of first-rate book enthusiasm; and unites +the avocations of his business with the gratification of his +literary appetites, in a manner which does him infinite honour. A +city like Rouen should have a host of such inhabitants; and the +government, when it begins to breathe a little from recent +embarrassments, will, I hope, cherish and support that finest of +all patriotic feelings,--a desire to preserve the RELICS, MANNERS, +AND CUSTOMS of PAST AGES. Normandy is fertile beyond conception in +objects which may gratify the most unbounded passion in this +pursuit. It is the country where formerly the harp of the minstrel +poured forth some of its sweetest strains; and the lay and the +fabliaux of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, which delight us +in the text of Sainte Palaye, and in the versions of Way, owed +their existence to the combined spirit of chivalry and literature, +which never slumbered upon the shores of Normandy.</P> + +<P>Farewell now to ROUEN.<A name="fnref_77"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_77">77</A> I have told you all the tellings which I +thought worthy of communication. I have endeavoured to make you +saunter with me in the streets, in the cathedral, the abbey, and +the churches. We have, in imagination at least, strolled together +along the quays, visited the halls and public buildings, and gazed +with rapture from Mont Ste. Catharine upon the enchanting view of +the city, the river, and the neighbouring hills. We have from +thence breathed almost the pure air of heaven, and surveyed a +country equally beautified by art, and blessed by nature. Our +hearts, from that same height, have wished all manner of health, +wealth, and prosperity, to a land thus abounding in corn and wine, +and oil and gladness. We have silently, but sincerely prayed, that +swords may for ever be "turned into plough-shares, and spears +into pruning-hooks:"--that all heart-burnings, antipathies, +and animosities, may be eternally extinguished; and that, from +henceforth, there may be no national rivalries but such as tend to +establish, upon a firmer footing, and upon a more comprehensive +scale, the peace and happiness of fellow-creatures, of whatever +persuasion they may be:--of such, who sedulously cultivate the arts +of individual and of national improvement, and blend the duties of +social order with the higher calls of morality and religion. Ah! my +friend, these are neither foolish thoughts nor romantic wishes. +They arise naturally in an honest heart, which, seeing that all +creation is animated and upheld by ONE and the SAME POWER, cannot +but ardently hope that ALL may be equally benefited by a reliance +upon its goodness and bounty. From this eminence we have descended +somewhat into humbler walks. We have visited hospitals, strolled in +flower- gardens, and associated with publishers and collectors of +works--both of the dead and of the living. So now, fare you well. +Commend me to your family and to our common friends,--especially to +the Gorburghers should they perchance enquire after their wandering +Vice President. Many will be the days passed over, and many the +leagues traversed, ere I meet them again. Within twenty-four hours +my back will be more decidedly turned upon "dear old +England"--for that country, in which her ancient kings once +held dominion, and where every square mile (I had almost said +<EM>acre</EM>) is equally interesting to the antiquary and the +agriculturist. I salute you wholly, and am yours ever.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER IX.</H3> + +<P>DEPARTURE FROM ROUEN. ST. GEORGE DE BOSCHERVILLE. DUCLAIR. +MARIVAUX. THE ABBEY OF JUMIEGES. ARRIVAL AT CAUDEBEC.</P> + +<P><EM>May</EM>, 1818.</P> + +<P>MY DEAR FRIEND.</P> + +<P>In spite of all its grotesque beauties and antiquarian +attractions, the CITY OF ROUEN must be quitted--and I am about to +pursue my route more in the character of an independent traveller. +No more <EM>Diligence</EM>, or <EM>Conducteur</EM>. I have hired a +decent cabriolet, a decent pair of horses, and a yet more promising +postilion: and have already made a delightfully rural migration. +Adieu therefore to dark avenues, gloomy courts, overhanging roofs, +narrow streets, cracking whips, the never- ceasing noise of carts +and carriages, and never-ending movements of countless masses of +population:--Adieu!--and in their stead, welcome be the winding +road, the fertile meadow, the thickly-planted orchard, and the +broad and sweeping Seine!</P> + +<P>Accordingly, on the 4th of this month, between the hours of ten +and eleven, A.M. the rattling of horses' hoofs, and the echoes +of a postilion's whip, were heard within the court-yard of the +<EM>Hôtel Vatel</EM>. Monsieur, Madame, Jacques--and the whole +fraternity of domestics, were on the alert-- "pour faire les +adieux à Messieurs les Anglois." This Jacques deserves +somewhat of a particular notice. He is the prime minister of the +Hôtel Vatel.<A name="fnref_78"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_78">78</A> A somewhat <EM>uncomfortable</EM> detention in +England for five years, in the character of "prisoner of +war," has made him master of a pretty quick and ready +utterance of common-place phrases in our language; and he is not a +little proud of his attainments therein. Seriously speaking, I +consider him quite a phenomenon in his way; and it is right you +should know that he affords a very fair specimen of a sharp, +clever, French servant. His bodily movements are nearly as quick as +those of his tongue. He rises, as well as his brethren, by five in +the morning; and the testimonies of this early activity are quickly +discovered in the unceasing noise of beating coats, singing French +airs, and scolding the boot-boy. He rarely retires to rest before +mid-night; and the whole day long he is in one eternal round of +occupation. When he is bordering upon impertinence, he seems to be +conscious of it--declaring that "the English make him saucy, +but that naturally he is very civil." He always speaks of +human beings in the <EM>neuter</EM> gender; and to a question +whether such a one has been at the Hotel, he replies, "I have +not seen <EM>it</EM> to-day." I am persuaded he is a +thoroughly honest creature; and considering the pains which are +taken to spoil him, it is surprising with what good sense and +propriety he conducts himself.</P> + +<P>About eleven o'clock, we sprung forward, at a smart trot, +towards the barriers by which we had entered Rouen. Our postilion +was a thorough master of his calling, and his spurs and whip seemed +to know no cessation from action. The steeds, perfectly Norman, +were somewhat fiery; and we rattled along the streets, (for the +<EM>chaussé</EM> never causes the least abatement of pace with the +French driver) in high expectation of seeing a thousand rare sights +ere we reached Havre--equally the limits of our journey, and of our +contract with the owner of the cabriolet. That accomplished +antiquary M. Le Prevost, whose name you have often heard, had +furnished me with so dainty a bill of fare, or carte de voyage; +that I began to consider each hour lost which did not bring us in +contact with some architectural relic of antiquity, or some +elevated position--whence the wandering Seine and wooded heights of +the adjacent country might be surveyed with equal advantage.</P> + +<P>You have often, I make no doubt, my dear friend, started upon +something like a similar expedition:--when the morning has been +fair, the sun bright, the breeze gentle, and the atmosphere clear. +In such moments how the ardour of hope takes possession of +one!--How the heart warms, and the conversation flows! The barriers +are approached; we turn to the left, and commence our journey in +good earnest. Previously to gaining the first considerable height, +you pass the village of <EM>Bapeaume</EM>. This village is +exceedingly picturesque. It is studded with water-mills, and is +enlivened by a rapid rivulet, which empties itself, in a serpentine +direction, into the Seine. You now begin to ascend a very +commanding eminence; at the top of which are scattered some of +those country houses which are seen from Mont Ste. Catharine. The +road is of a noble breadth. The day warmed; and dismounting, we let +our steeds breathe freely, as we continued to ascend leisurely. Our +first halting-place, according to the instructions of M. Le +Prevost, was <EM>St. George de Boscherville</EM>; an ancient abbey +established in the twelfth century, This abbey is situated about +three French leagues from Rouen. Our route thither, from the summit +of the hill which we had just ascended, lay along a road skirted by +interminable orchards now in full bloom. The air was perfumed to +excess by the fragrance of these blossoms. The apple and pear were +beautifully conspicuous; and as the sky became still more serene, +and the temperature yet more mild by the unobstructed sun beam, it +is impossible to conceive any thing more balmy and genial than was +this lovely day. The minutes seemed to fly away too quickly--when +we reached the village of <EM>Boscherville</EM>; where stands the +CHURCH; the chief remaining relic of this once beautiful abbey. We +surveyed the west front very leisurely, and thought it an extremely +beautiful specimen of the architecture of the twelfth and +thirteenth centuries; for certainly there are some portions more +ancient than others. A survey of the chapter-house filled me with +mingled sorrow and delight: sorrow, that the Revolution and a +modern cotton manufactory had metamorphosed it from its original +character; and delight, that the portions which remained were of +such beautiful forms, and in such fine preservation. The stone, +being of a very close-grained quality, is absolutely as white and +sound as if it had been just cut from the quarry. The room, where a +parcel of bare-legged girls and boys were working the respective +machineries, had a roof of the most delicate construction.<A name= +"fnref_79"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_79">79</A></P> + +<P>The very sound of a <EM>Monastery</EM> made me curious to +examine the disposition of the building. Accordingly, I followed my +guide through suites of apartments, up divers stone stair-cases, +and along sundry corridors. I noticed the dormitories with due +attention, and of course inquired eagerly for the LIBRARY:--but the +shelves only remained--either the fear or the fury of the +Revolution having long ago dispossessed it of every thing in the +shape of a <EM>book</EM>. The whole was painted white. I counted +eleven perpendicular divisions; and, from the small distances +between the upper shelves, there must have been a very considerable +number of <EM>duodecimos</EM>. The titles of the respective classes +of the library were painted in white letters upon a dark-blue +ground, at top. <EM>Bibles</EM> occupied the first division, and +the <EM>Fathers</EM> the second: but it should seem that equal +importance was attached to the works of <EM>Heretics</EM> as to +those called <EM>Litterae Humaniores</EM>--for each had a division +of equal magnitude.</P> + +<P>On looking out of window, especially from the back part of the +building, the eye rests entirely upon what had once been fruitful +orchards, abundant kitchen gardens, and shady avenues. Yet in +England, this spot, rich by nature, and desirable from its +proximity to a great city, would, ere forty moons had waned, have +grown up into beauty and fertility, and expanded into luxuriance of +condition.</P> + +<P>The day was now, if possible, more lovely than before. On +looking at my instructions I found that we had to stop to examine +the remains of an old castle at <EM>Delafontaine</EM>--about two +English miles from <EM>St. George de Boscherville</EM>. These +remains, however, are but the fragments of a ruin, if I may so +speak; yet they are interesting, but somewhat perilous: for a few +broken portions of a wall support an upper chamber, where appears a +stone chimney-piece of very curious construction and ornament. On +observing a large cavity or loop-hole, about half way up the outer +wall, I gained it by means of a plentiful growth of ivy, and from +thence surveyed the landscape before me. Here, having for some time +past lost sight of the Seine, I caught a fine bold view of the +sweep of that majestic river, now becoming broader and +broader--while, to the left, softly tinted by distance, appeared +the beautiful old church we had just quitted: the verdure of the +hedges, shrubs, and forest trees, affording a rich variety to the +ruddy blossoms of the apple, and the white bloom of the pear. I +admit, however, that this delicious morceau of landscape was +greatly indebted, for its enchanting effect, to the blue splendour +of the sky, and the soft temperature of the air; while the +fragrance of every distended blossom added much to the +gratification of the beholder. But it is time to descend from this +elevation; and to think of reaching Duclair.</P> + +<P>DUCLAIR is situated close to the very borders of the Seine, +which has now an absolute lake-like appearance. We stopped at the +auberge to rest our horses; and I commenced a discourse with the +master of the inn and his daughter; the latter, a very +respectable-looking and well-behaved young woman of about +twenty-two years of age. She was preparing a large crackling +wood-fire to dress a fish called the <EM>Alose</EM>, for the +passengers of the <EM>diligence</EM>--who were expected within half +an hour. The French think they can never <EM>butter</EM> their +victuals sufficiently; and it would have produced a spasmodic +affection in a thoroughly bilious spectator, could he have seen the +enormous piece of butter which this active young +<EM>cuisinière</EM> thought necessary to put into the pot in which +the '<EM>Alose</EM>' was to be boiled. She laughed at the +surprise I expressed; and added "qu'on ne peut rien faire +dans la cuisine sans le beurre." You ought to know, by the by, +that the <EM>Alose</EM>, something like our <EM>mackerel</EM> in +flavour, is a large and delicious fish; and that we were always +anxious to bespeak it at the table-d'hôte at Rouen. Extricated +from the lake of butter in which it floats, when brought upon +table, it forms not only a rich, but a very substantial dish.</P> + +<P>I took a chair and sat in the open air, by the side of the +door-- enjoying the breeze, and much disposed to gossip with the +master of the place. Perceiving this, the landlord approached, and +addressed me with a pleasant degree of familiarity. "You are +from London, then, Sir?" "I am." "Ah Sir, I +never think of London but with the most painful sensations." +"How so?" "Sir, I am the sole heir of a rich banker +who died in that city before the Revolution. He was in partnership +with an English gentleman. Can you possibly advise and assist me +upon the subject?" I told him that my advice and assistance +were literally not worth a sous; but that, such as they were, he +was perfectly welcome to both. "Your daughter Sir, is not +married?"--"Non, Monsieur, elle n'est pas encore +épousée: mais je lui dis qu'elle ne sera jamais +<EM>heureuse</EM> avant qu'elle le soit." The daughter, +who had overheard the conversation, came forward, and looking +archly over her shoulder, replied--"ou <EM>malheureuse</EM>, +mon père!" A sort of truism, expressed by her with singular +epigrammatic force, to which there was no making any reply.</P> + +<P>Do you remember, my dear friend; that exceedingly cold +winter's night, when, for lack of other book-entertainment, we +took it into our heads to have a rummage among the <EM>Scriptores +Historiae Normannorum</EM> of DUCHESNE?--and finding therein many +pages occupied by <EM>Gulielmus Gemeticensis</EM>, we bethought +ourselves that we would have recourse to the valuable folio volume +yeleped <EM>Neustria Pia</EM>:--where we presently seemed to hold +converse with the ancient founders and royal benefactors of certain +venerable establishments! I then little imagined that it would ever +fall to my lot to be either walking or musing within the precincts +of the Abbey of Jumieges;--or rather, of the ruins of what was once +not less distinguished, as a school of learning, than admired for +its wealth and celebrity as a monastic establishment. Yes, my +friend, I have seen and visited the ruins of this Abbey; and I seem +to live "mihi carior" in consequence.</P> + +<P>But I know your love of method--and that you will be in wrath if +I skip from <EM>Duclair</EM> to JUMIEGES ere the horses have +carried us a quarter of a league upon the route. To the left of +<EM>Duclair</EM>, and also washed by the waters of the Seine, +stands <EM>Marivaux</EM>; a most picturesque and highly cultivated +spot. And across the Seine, a little lower down, is the beautiful +domain of <EM>La Mailleraye</EM>;--where are hanging gardens, and +jets d'eaux, and flower-woven arbours, and daisy-sprinkled +meadows--for there lives and occasionally revels <EM>La +Marquise</EM>.... I might have been not only a spectator of her +splendor, but a participator of her hospitality; for my +often-mentioned valuable friend, M. Le Prevost, volunteered me a +letter of introduction to her. What was to be done? One cannot be +everywhere in one day, or in one journey:--so, gravely balancing +the ruins of still life against the attractions of animated +society, I was unchivalrous enough to prefer the former--and +working myself up into a sort of fantasy, of witnessing the +spectered forms of DAGOBERT and CLOVIS, (the fabled founders of the +Abbey) I resolutely turned my back upon <EM>La Mailleraye</EM>, and +as steadily looked forwards to JUMIEGES. We ascended very +sensibly--then striking into a sort of bye-road, were told that we +should quickly reach the place of our destination. A fractured +capital, and broken shaft, of the late Norman time, left at random +beneath a hedge, seemed to bespeak the vicinity of the abbey. We +then gained a height; whence, looking straight forward, we caught +the first glance of the spires, or rather of the west end towers, +of the Abbey of Jumieges.<A name="fnref_80"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_80">80</A> "La voilà, +"Monsieur,"--exclaimed the postilion--increasing his +speed and multiplying the nourishes of his whip--"voilà la +belle Abbaye!"</P> + +<P>We approached and entered the village of Jumieges. Leaving some +neat houses to the right and left, we drove to a snug auberge, +evidently a portion of some of the outer buildings, or of the +chapter-house, attached to the Abbey. A large gothic roof, and +central pillar, upon entering, attest the ancient character of the +place.<A name="fnref_81"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_81">81</A> +The whole struck us as having been formerly of very great +dimensions. It was a glorious sun-shiny afternoon, and the +villagers quickly crowded round the cabriolet. "Voilà +Messieurs les Anglois, qui viennent voir l'Abbaye--mais +effectivement il n'y a rien à voir." I told the landlady +the object of our visit. She procured us a guide and a key: and +within five minutes we entered the nave of the abbey. I can never +forget that entrance. The interior, it is true, has not the magical +effect, or that sort of artificial burst, which attends the first +view of <EM>Tintern</EM> abbey: but, as the ruin is larger, there +is necessarily more to attract attention. Like Tintern also, it is +unroofed--yet this unroofing has proceeded from a different cause: +of which presently. The side aisles present you with a short +flattened arch: the nave has none: but you observe a long +pilaster-like, or alto-rilievo column, of slender dimensions, +running from bottom to top, with a sort of Roman capital. The +arched cieling and roof are entirely gone. We proceeded towards the +eastern extremity, and saw more frightful ravages both of time and +of accident. The latter however had triumphed over the former: but +for <EM>accident</EM> you must read <EM>revolution</EM>.</P> + +<P>The day had been rather oppressive for a May morning; and we +were getting far into the afternoon, when clouds began to gather, +and the sun became occasionally obscured. We seated ourselves upon +a grassy hillock, and began to prepare for dinner. To the left of +us lay a huge pile of fragments of pillars and groinings of +arches--the effects of recent havoc: to the right, within three +yards, was the very spot in which the celebrated AGNES SOREL, +Mistress of Charles VII, lay entombed:<A name="fnref_82"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_82">82</A>--not a relic of mausoleum now +marking the place where, formerly, the sculptor had exhibited the +choicest efforts of his art, and the devotee had repaired to</P> + +<P class="quote">Breathe a prayer for her soul--and pass on!</P> + +<P>What a contrast to the present aspect of things!--to the mixed +rubbish and wild flowers with which every spot is now well nigh +covered! The mistress of the inn having furnished us with napkins +and tumblers, we partook of our dinner, surrounded by the objects +just described, with no ordinary sensations. The air now became +oppressive; when, looking through the few remaining unglazed +mullions of the windows, I observed that the clouds grew blacker +and blacker, while a faint rumbling of thunder reached our ears. +The sun however yet shone gaily, although partially; and as the +storm neared us, it floated as it were round the abbey, +affording--by means of its purple, dark colour, contrasted with the +pale tint of the walls,--one of the most beautiful painter-like +effects imaginable. In an instant almost--and as if touched by the +wand of a mighty necromancer--the whole scene became metamorphosed. +The thunder growled, but only growled; and the threatening phalanx +of sulphur-charged clouds rolled away, and melted into the quiet +uniform tint which usually precedes sun-set. Dinner being +dispatched, I rose to make a thorough examination of the ruins +which had survived ... not only the Revolution, but the cupidity of +the present owner of the soil--who is a <EM>rich</EM> man, living +at Rouen--and who loves to dispose of any portion of the stone, +whether standing or prostrate, for the sake of the lucre, however +trifling, which arises from the sale. Surely the whole corporation +of the city of Rouen, with the mayor at their head, ought to stand +between this ruthless, rich man, and the abbey--the victim of his +brutal avarice and want of taste.<A name="fnref_83"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_83">83</A></P> + +<P>The situation of the abbey is delightful. It lies at the bottom +of some gently undulating hills, within two or three hundred yards +of the Seine. The river here runs gently, in a serpentine +direction, at the foot of wood- covered hills--and all seemed, from +our elevated station, indicative of fruitfulness, of gaiety, and of +prosperity,--all--save the mournful and magnificent remains of the +venerable abbey whereon we gazed! In fact, this abbey exists only +as a shell. I descended, strolled about the village, and mingled in +the conversation of the villagers. It was a lovely approach of +evening--and men, women, and children were seated, or sauntering, +in the open air. Perceiving that I was anxious to gain information, +they flocked around me-- and from one man, in particular, I +obtained exact intelligence about the havoc which had been +committed during the Revolution upon the abbey, The roof had been +battered down for the sake of the <EM>lead</EM>--to make bullets; +the pews, altars, and iron-work, had been converted into other +destructive purposes of warfare; and the great bell had been sold +to some speculators in a cannon-foundery at Rouen.<A name= +"fnref_84"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_84">84</A> The +revolutionary mania had even brutalized the Abbot. This man, who +must be considered as</P> + +<P class="poetry">....damned to everlasting fame,</P> + +<P>had been a monk of the monastery; and as soon as he had attained +the headship of it, he disposed of every movable piece of +furniture, to gratify the revolutionary pack which were daily +howling at the gates of the abbey for entrance! Nor could he plead +<EM>compulsion</EM> as an excuse. He seemed to enjoy the work of +destruction, of which he had the uncontrouled direction. But enough +of this wretch.</P> + +<P>The next resting-place was CAUDEBEC: a very considerable +village, or rather a small town. You go down a steep descent, on +entering it by the route we came. As you look about, there are +singular appearances on all sides--of houses, and hanging gardens, +and elaborately cut avenues--upon summits, declivities, and on the +plain. But the charm of the view, at least to my old-fashioned +feelings, was a fine old gothic church, and a very fine spire of +what <EM>appeared</EM> to belong to another. As the evening had +completely set in, I resolved to reserve my admiration of the place +till the morrow.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER X.</H3> + +<P>CAUDEBEC. LILLEBONNE. BOLBEC. TANKARVILLE. MONTMORENCI CASTLE. +HAVRE DE GRACE.</P> + +<P>My last concluded with our entrance into Caudebec. The present +opens with a morning scene at the same place. For a miracle I was +stirring before nine. The church was the first object of +attraction. For the size of the place, it is really a noble +structure: perhaps of the early part of the sixteenth, or latter +part of the fifteenth century.<A name="fnref_85"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_85">85</A> I speak of the exterior generally, and +of a great portion of the interior. A little shabby green- baise +covered door (as usual) was half open, and I entered with no +ordinary expectations of gratification. The painted glass seemed +absolutely to warm the place--so rich and varied were its colours. +There is a great abundance of it, and especially of figures of +family-groups kneeling--rather small, but with great appearance of +portrait-like fidelity. They are chiefly of the first half of the +sixteenth century: and I own that, upon gazing at these charming +specimens of ancient painting upon glass, I longed to fix an artist +before every window, to bear away triumphantly, in a portfolio of +elephantine dimensions, a faithful copy of almost every thing I +saw. In some of the countenances, I fancied I traced the pencil of +LUCAS CRANACH-- and even of HANS HOLBEIN.</P> + +<P>This church has numerous side chapels, and figures of +patron-saints. The entombment of Christ in white marble, (at the +end of the chapel of the Virgin,) is rather singular; inasmuch as +the figure of Christ itself is ancient, and exceedingly fine in +anatomical expression; but the usual surrounding figures are +modern, and proportionably clumsy and inexpressive. I noted one +mural monument, to the memory of <EM>Guillaume Tellier</EM>, which +was dated 1484.<A name="fnref_86"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_86">86</A> Few churches have more highly interested me than +this at Caudebec.<A name="fnref_87"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_87">87</A> From the church I strolled to the <EM>Place</EM>, +where stood the caffé, by the banks of the Seine. The morning view +of this scene perfectly delighted me. Nothing can be more +picturesque. The river cannot be much less than a mile in width, +and it makes a perfect bend in the form of a crescent. On one side, +that on which the village stands, are walks and gardens through +which peep numerous white villas--and on the other are meadows, +terminating in lofty rising grounds--feathered with coppice-wood +down to the very water's edge. This may be considered, in fact, +only a portion of the vast <EM>Forest de Brotonne</EM>, which rises +in wooded majesty on the opposite heights. The spirit and the +wealth of our countrymen would make Caudebec one of the most +enchanting summer-residences in the world. The population of the +town is estimated at about five thousand.</P> + +<P>Judge of my astonishment, when, on going out of doors, I saw the +river in a state of extreme agitation: the whole mass of water +rising perpendicularly, as it were, and broad rippling waves +rolling over each other. It was the <EM>coming in of the +tide</EM>.... and within a quarter of an hour it appeared to have +risen upwards of three feet. You may remember that, in our own +country, the Severn-tides exhibit the same phenomenon; and I have +seen the river at Glocester rise <EM>at once</EM> to the height of +eight or ten feet, throwing up a shower of foam from the gradually +narrowing bed of the river, and causing all the craft, great and +small, to rise up as if by magic, and to appear upon a level with +the meadows. The tide at Caudebec, although similar in kind, was +not so in degree; for it rose gradually yet most visibly--and +within half an hour, the elevation could not have been less than +<EM>seven</EM> or <EM>eight</EM> feet.</P> + +<P>Having walked for some time on the heights of the town, with +which I was much gratified, I returned to my humble auberge, +ordered the cabriolet to be got ready, and demanded the +reckoning:--which, considering that I was not quite at an +hôtel-royale, struck me as being far from moderate. Two old women, +of similar features and age, presented themselves as I was getting +into the carriage: one was the mistress, and the other the fille de +chambre. "Mais, Monsieur (observed one of them) n'oubliez +pas, je vous prie, la fille-de-chambre--rappellez-vous que vos +souliers ont été supérieurement décrottés." I took out a franc +to remunerate the supposed fille-de-chambre--but was told it was +the <EM>mistress</EM>. "N'importe, Monsieur, c'est à +ce moment que je suis fille-de-chambre--quand vous serez parti, je +serai la maitresse." The postilion seemed to enjoy this +repartee as much as ourselves.</P> + +<P>I was scarcely out of the town half a mile, when I began to +ascend. I found myself quickly in the middle of those rising +grounds which are seen from the promenade or <EM>Place du +Caffé</EM>, and could not look without extraordinary gratification +upon the beautiful character of spring in its advanced state. The +larch was even yet picturesque: the hazel and nut trees were +perfectly clothed with foliage, of a tender yet joyous tint: the +chestnut was gorgeously in bloom; the lime and beech were beginning +to give abundant promise of their future luxuriance--while the +lowlier tribes of laburnum and box, with their richly clad +branches, covered the ground beneath entirely from view. The apple +and pear blossoms still continued to variegate the wide sweep of +foliage, and to fill the air with their delicious perfume. It might +be Switzerland in miniature--or it might not. Only this I +know--that it seemed as though one could live embosomed and +enchanted in such a wilderness of sweets--reading the +<EM>fabliaux</EM> of the old Norman bards till the close of human +existence!</P> + +<P>I found myself on a hard, strait, chalky old road--evidently +Roman: and in due time perceived and entered the town of +LILLEBONNE. But the sky had become overcast: soft and small rain +was descending, and an unusual gloom prevailed ... when I halted, +agreeably to my instructions, immediately before the gate of the +ancient <EM>Castle</EM>. Venerable indeed is this Norman castle, +and extensive are the ruins which have survived. I have a perfect +recollection how it peeped out upon me--through the light leaf of +the poplar, and the pink blossom of the apple. It lies close to the +road, on the left. An old round tower, apparently of the time of +William the Conqueror, very soon attracts your attention. The +stones are large, and the interstices are also very considerable. +It was here, says a yet current report, that William assembled the +Barons of Normandy, and the invasion of England was determined +upon. Such a spot therefore strikes an English beholder with no +ordinary emotions. I alighted; sent the cabriolet to the inn, and +wished both postilion and horses to get their dinners without +delay. For myself, I had resolved to reserve my appetite till I +reached <EM>Bolbec</EM>; and there was food enough before me of a +different description, to exercise my intellectual digestion for at +least the next hour. Knocking at the massive portals, I readily +obtained admittance.</P> + +<P>The area, entirely a grass-plat, was occupied by several cows. +In front, were evidently the ruins of a large chapel or +church--perhaps of the XIVth century. The outer face of the walls +went deeply and perpendicularly down to the bottom of a dry fosse; +and the right angle portion of the building was covered with garden +ground, where the owner showed us some peas which he boasted he +should have at his table within five days. I own I thought he was +very likely to carry his boast into execution; for finer +vegetables, or a finer bed of earth, I had scarcely ever beheld. +How things, my dear friend, are changed from their original +character and destination! "But the old round tower," say +you!--To "the old round tower" then let us go. The +stair-case is narrow, dark, and decayed. I reached the first floor, +or circular room, and noticed the construction of the window +seats--all of rough, solid, and massive stone. I ascended to the +second floor; which, if I remember rightly, was strewn with a +portion of the third floor--that had fallen in from sheer decay. +Great must have been the crash--as the fragments were huge, and +widely scattered. On gaining a firm footing upon the outer wall; +through a loop-hole window, I gazed around with equal wonder and +delight. The wall of this castle could not be less than ten feet in +thickness. A young woman, the shepherdess of the spot, attended as +guide.</P> + +<P>"What is that irregular rude mound, or wall of earth, in +the centre of which children are playing?" "It is the +<EM>old Roman Theatre</EM>, Sir." I immediately called to mind +M. Le Prevost's instructions--and if I could have borrowed the +wings of a spirit, I should have instantly alighted upon the +spot--but it was situated without the precincts of the old castle +and its appurtenances, and a mortal leap would have been attended +with a mortal result. "Have you many English who visit this +spot?" said I to my guide.-- "Scarcely <EM>any</EM>, +Sir--it is a frightful place--full of desolation and +sadness.." replied she. Again I gazed around, and in the +distance, through an aperture in the orchard trees, saw the little +fishing village of <EM>Quillebeuf</EM>,<A name="fnref_88"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_88">88</A> quite buried, as it were, in the +waters of the Seine. An arm of the river meanders towards +Lillebonne. Having gratified my picturesque and antiquarian +propensities, from this elevated situation, I retrod, with more +difficulty than toil, my steps down the stair-case. A second stroll +about the area, and along the skirts of the wall, was sufficient to +convince me only--how slight and imperfect had been my survey!</P> + +<P>On quitting the portal through which I entered, and bidding +adieu to my Shepherdess and guide, I immediately hastened towards +the Roman Theatre.<A name="fnref_89"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_89">89</A> The town of Lillebonne has a very picturesque +appearance from the old mound, or raised terrace, along the outer +walls of the castle. In five minutes I mingled with the school boys +who were amusing themselves within the ruins of all that is left of +this probably once vast and magnificent old theatre. It is only by +clearing away a great quantity of earth, with which these ruins are +covered, that you can correctly ascertain their character and state +of preservation. M. Le Prevost bade me remark that the walls had +much swerved from their original perpendicularity,--and that there +was much irregularity in the laying of the bricks among the stones. +But time, design, and accident, have each in turn (in all +probability) so contributed to decompose, deface, and alter the +original aspect of the building, that there is no forming a correct +conjecture as to its ancient form. Earth, grass, trees, flowers, +and weeds, have taken almost entire possession of some low and +massive outer walls; so that the imagination has full play to +supply all deficiencies which appear to the eye.</P> + +<P>From the whole of this interesting spot I retreated--with mixed +sensations of melancholy and surprise--to the little auberge of the +<EM>Three Moors</EM>, in the centre of the town. It had begun to +rain smartly as we took shelter in the kitchen; where, for the +first time since leaving England, I saw a display of utensils which +might have vied with our own, or even with a Dutch interior, for +neatness and order of disposition. Some of the dishes might have +been as ancient as--not the old round Tower--but as the last +English Duke of Normandy who might have banquetted there. The whole +was in high polish and full display. On my complimenting the good +<EM>Aubergiste</EM> upon so creditable a sight, she laughed, and +replied briskly--"Ce n'est rien, ceci: Pentecôte est tout +près, et donc vous verrez, Monsieur!"--It should seem that +Whitsuntide was the season for a general household purification. +Some of her furniture had once belonged to the Castle: but she had +bought it, in the scramble which took place at the dispersion and +destruction of the movables there, during the Revolution. I +recommend all travellers to take a lunch, and enjoy a bottle of vin +ordinaire, at <EM>Les Trois-Nègres.</EM> I was obliged to summon up +all my stock of knowledge in polite phraseology, in order to +decline a plate of soup. "It was delicious above every +thing"--"but I had postponed taking dinner till we got to +Bolbec." " Bon--vous y trouverez un hôtel superbe." +The French are easily pleased; and civility is so cheap and current +a coin abroad, that I wish our countrymen would make use of it a +little more frequently than they appear to do. I started about two +for Bolbec.</P> + +<P>The rain continued during the whole of my route thither; but it +did not prevent me from witnessing a land of plenty and of +picturesque beauty on all sides. Indeed it is scarcely possible to +conceive a more rich and luxuriant state of culture. To the left, +about half a league from Lillebonne, I passed the domain of a once +wealthy, and extremely extensive abbey. They call it the <EM>Abbey +of Valasse.</EM> A long rambling bare stone wall, and portions of a +deserted ruin, kept in sight for full half an English mile. The +immediate approach to BOLBEC is that of the entrance to a modern +and flourishing trading town, which seems to be beginning to +recover from the effects of the Revolution. After Rouen, and even +Caudebec, it has a stiff modernized air. I drove to the principal +inn, opposite the church, and bespoke dinner and a bed. The church +is perfectly, modern, and equally heavy and large. Crowds of people +were issuing from <EM>Vespers</EM>, when, ascending a flight of +steps, (for it is built on ground considerably above the +ground-floor of the inn) I resolved to wait for the final departure +of the congregation, and to take a leisurely survey of the +interior, while dinner was getting ready.</P> + +<P>The sexton was a perfect character in his way; old, shrewd, +communicative, and civil. There were several confessionals. +"What--you confess here pretty much?" "Yes, Sir; but +chiefly females, and among them many widows." I had said +nothing to provoke this ungallant reply. "In respect to the +<EM>sacrament</EM>, what is the proportion between the +communicants, as to sex?" "Sir, there are one hundred +women to twelve men." I wish I could say that this +disproportion were confined to <EM>France</EM>.</P> + +<P>Quitting this heavy and ugly, but large and commodious fabric, I +sought the inn and dinner. The cook was in every respect a learned +professor in his art, and the produce of his skill was equally +excellent and acceptable. I had scarcely finished my repast, and +the <EM>Gruyere</EM> cheese and nuts yet lingered upon the table, +when the soft sounds of an organ, accompanied by a youthful voice, +saluted my ears in a very pleasing manner. " C'est LE +PAUVRE PETIT SAVOYARD, Monsieur"--exclaimed the waiter--" +Vous allez entendre un air touchant! Ah, le pauvre +petit!"--"Comment ça?" "Monsieur, il n'a ni +père ni mère; mais pour le chant--oh Dieu, il n'y a personne +qui chante comme le pauvre petit Savoyard!" I was well +disposed to hear the song, and to admit the truth of the +waiter's observation. The little itinerant stopped opposite the +door, and sung the following air:--</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>Bon jour, Bon soir</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><SPAN class="ind2">Je peindrai sans +détour</SPAN><BR> + Tout l'emploi de ma vie:<BR> + C'est de dire <EM>bon jour</EM><BR> + Et <EM>bon soir</EM> tour-à-tour.<BR> + <EM>Bon Jour</EM> à mon amie,<BR> + Lorsque je vais la voir.<BR> + Mais au fat qui m'ennuie,<BR> + <SPAN class="ind8"><EM>Bon soir</EM>.</SPAN></P> + +<P class="poetry"><SPAN class="ind2"><EM>Bon jour</EM> franc +troubadour,</SPAN><BR> + Qui chantez la bombance;<BR> + La paix et les beaux jours;<BR> + Bacchus et les amours.<BR> + Qu'un rimeur en démence<BR> + Vienne avec vous s'asseoir,<BR> + Pour chanter la Romance,<BR> +<SPAN class="ind8"><EM>Bon soir</EM>.</SPAN></P> + +<P class="poetry"><SPAN class="ind2"><EM>Bon jour</EM>, mon cher +voisin,</SPAN><BR> + Chez vous la soif m'entraîne:<BR> + <EM>Bonjour</EM>--si votre vin<BR> + Est de Beaune ou du Rhin;<BR> + Mon gosier va sans peine<BR> + Lui servir d'entonnoir;<BR> + Mais s'il est de Surêne,<BR> +<SPAN class="ind8"><EM>Bon soir</EM>.</SPAN></P> + +<P>I know not how it was, but had the "petit Savoyard" +possessed the cultivated voice of a chorister, I could not have +listened to his notes with half the satisfaction with which I dwelt +upon his history, as stated by the waiter. He had no sooner +concluded and made his bow, than I bought the slender volume from +which his songs had been chanted, and had a long gossip with him. +He slung his organ upon his back, and "ever and anon" +touching his hat, expressed his thankfulness, as much for the +interest I had taken in his welfare, as for the trifling piece of +silver which I slipt into his hand at parting. Meanwhile all the +benches, placed on the outsides of the houses, were +occupied--chiefly by females--to witness, it should seem, so novel +and interesting a sight as an Englishman holding familiar discourse +with a poor wandering Savoyard! My friend the sexton was among the +spectators, and from his voice and action, appeared especially +interested. "Que le bon Dieu vous bénisse!" exclaimed the +Savoyard, as I bade him farewell. On pursuing my route for a stroll +upon the heights near the town, I had occasion to pass these +benches of spectators. The women, almost without any exception, +inclined their heads by way of a gracious salute; and Monsieur +<EM>le Sacristain</EM> pulled off his enormous cock'd hat with +the consequence of a drum-major. He appeared not to have forgotten +the donation which he had received in the church. Continuing my +pursuit, I gained an elevated situation: whence, looking down upon +the spot where I had left the Savoyard, I observed him surrounded +by the females--each and every one of them apparently convulsed +with laughter! Even the little musician appeared to have forgotten +his "orphan state."</P> + +<P>The environs of <EM>Bolbec</EM>, especially in the upper part, +are sufficiently picturesque. At least they are sufficiently +fruitful: orchards, corn and pasture land--intermixed with meadows, +upon which cotton was spread for bleaching--produced altogether a +very interesting effect. The little hanging gardens, attached to +labourer's huts, contributed to the beauty of the scene. A warm +crimson sun-set seemed to envelope the coppice wood in a flame of +gold. The road was yet reeking with moisture--and I retraced my +steps, through devious and slippery paths, to the hôtel. Evening +had set in: the sound of the Savoyard's voice was no longer +heard: I ordered tea and candles, and added considerably to my +journal before I went to bed. I rose at five; and before six the +horses were harnessed to the cabriolet. Having obtained the +necessary instructions for reaching <EM>Tancarville</EM>, (the +ancient and proud seat of the MONTMORENCIS) I paid my reckoning, +and left Bolbec. As I ascended a long and rather steep hill, and, +looking to the right and left, saw every thing in a state of +verdure and promise, I did all I could to persuade myself that the +journey would be agreeable, and that the castle of Montmorenci +could not fail to command admiration. I was now in the high and +broad "<EM>roúte royale</EM>" to Havre le Grace; but had +scarcely been a league upon it, when, looking at my instructions, +we struck out of the high road, to the left, and followed a private +one through flat and uninteresting arable land. I cannot tell how +many turns were taken, or how many pretty little villages were +passed-- till, after a long and gradual ascent, we came upon a +height, flanked the greater part by coppice wood, through one +portion of which--purposely kept open for the view--was seen at a +distance a marvellously fine group of perpendicular rocks (whose +grey and battered sides were lighted up with a pink colour from the +morning sun) in the middle, as it were, of the +<EM>Seine</EM>--which now really assumed an ocean-like appearance. +In fact, these rocks were at a considerable distance, and appeared +to be in the broadest part of the embouchure of that river. I +halted the cabriolet; and gazed with unfeigned delight on this +truly magnificent and fascinating scene!... for the larks were now +mounting all around, and their notes, added to those of the +"songsters of the grove," produced an effect which I even +preferred to that from the organ and voice of the "pauvre +petit Savoyard." The postboy partook of my rapture. +"Voilà, Monsieur, des rochers terriblement +perpendiculiers--eh, quelle belle vue de la rivière, et du +paysage!"</P> + +<P>Leaving this brilliant picture, we turned rather to the left, +and then found our descent proportionably gradual with the ascent. +The Seine was now right before us, as hasty glimpses of it, through +partial vistos, had enabled us to ascertain. Still +<EM>Tancarville</EM> was deemed a terrible way off. First we were +to go up, and then we were to go down--now to turn to the right, +and afterwards to the left--a sort of +<!-- [Greek: polla d'ananta katanta] --> +πολλα +δ'αναντα +καταντα +route--when a prepossessing young paysanne told the +postilion, that, after passing through such a wood, we should reach +an avenue, from the further end of which the castle of +<EM>Montmorenci</EM> would be visible .. "une petite lieue de +distance." Every thing is "une petite lieue!" It is +the answer to every question relating to distance. Though the +league be double a German one, still it is "une petite!" +Here however the paysanne happened to be right. We passed through +the wood, gained the avenue, and from the further end saw--even yet +towering in imposing magnitude--the far- famed <EM>Chateau de +Montmorenci</EM>. It might be a small league off. I gained spirits +and even strength at the sight: told the postilion to mend his +pace--of which he gave immediate and satisfactory demonstration, +while the echoes of his whip resounded along the avenue. A closer +road now received us. Knolls of grass interwoven with moss, on the +summits of which the beech and lime threw up their sturdy stems, +now enclosed the road, which began to widen and to improve in +condition. At length, turning a corner, a group of country people +appeared--"Est-ce ici la route de +Tancarville?"--"Tancarville est tout près: c'est là, +où on voit la fumée des cheminées." Joyful intelligence! The +post-boy increased his speed: The wheels seemed to move with a +readier play: and in one minute and a half I was upon the beach of +the river Seine, and alighted at the door of the only auberge in +the village.</P> + +<P>I know you to be both a lover of and connoisseur in +Rembrandt's pictures: and especially of those of his +<EM>old</EM> characters. I wish you could have seen the old woman, +of the name of <EM>Bucan</EM>, who came out of this same auberge to +receive us. She had a sharp, quick, constantly moving black eye; +keen features, projecting from a surface of flesh of a subdued +mahogany tint; about her temples, and the lower part of her cheeks, +were all those harmonizing wrinkles which become old age--<EM>upon +canvas</EM>--while, below her chin, communicating with a small and +shrunken neck, was that sort of concavity, or dewlap, which +painters delight to express with a minuteness of touch, and +mellowness of tint, that contribute largely to picturesque effect! +This good old woman received us with perfect elasticity of spirits +and of action. It should seem that we were the first Englishmen who +had visited her solitude this year. Her husband approached, but she +soon ordered him "to the right about"--to prepare fuel, +coffee, and eggs. I was promised the best breakfast that could be +got in Normandy, in twenty minutes. The inn being sufficiently +miserable, I was anxious for a ramble. The tide was now coming up, +as at Caudebec; but the sweep and breadth of the river being, upon +a considerably larger scale, its increase was not yet so +obvious--although I am quite sure that all the flats, which I saw +on my arrival as a bed of mud, were, within a quarter of an hour, +wholly covered with the tide: and, looking up to the right, I +perceived the perpendicular walls of <EM>Montmorenci Castle</EM> to +be washed by the refluent wave. It was a sort of ocean in miniature +before me. A few miserable fishing boats were moored upon the +beach; while a small number of ill-clad and straggling villagers +lingered about the same spot, and seemed to look upon the postboy +and myself as beings dropt from the sky!</P> + +<P>On ascending a considerable elevation, I had the gratification +of viewing <EM>Quillebeuf</EM> a little more nearly. It was almost +immediately opposite: while, to the right, contemplating the wide +sweep of the river towards its embouchure, I fancied that I could +see <EM>Havre</EM>. The group of rocks, which had so charmed us on +our journey, now assumed a different character. On descending, I +could discover, although at a considerable distance, the old woman +standing at the door of the auberge--apparently straining her eyes +to catch a glimpse of us; and she was almost disposed to scold for +having put her reputation of giving good breakfasts to so hazardous +a trial. The wood was blazing, and the room was almost filled by +smoke--but a prolonged fast, and a stage of sixteen or eighteen +miles, in a keen morning air, made Mr. Lewis and myself only think +of allaying our hunger. In every public house, however mean, you +see the white metal fork, and the napkin covering the plate. A +dozen boiled eggs, and a coffee pot and cups of perfectly +Brobdignagdian dimensions, with tolerable bread and indifferent +butter, formed the <EM>materiél</EM> of our breakfast. The postboy, +having stabled and refreshed his horses, was regaling himself in +the kitchen--but- how do you think he was regaling himself?--Truly, +in stretching himself upon a bench, and reading, as old Ascham +expresses it, "a merry tale in Boccace." In other words, +he was reading a French version of the Decameron of that celebrated +author. Indeed, I had already received sufficient proof of the +general propensity of the common people to <EM>read</EM>--whether +good or bad books ... but let us hope and believe the former. I +left the bibliomaniacal postboy to his Boccaccio, and prepared to +visit the CASTLE ... the once proud and yet commanding residence of +the family of MONTMORENCI.</P> + +<P>I ascended--with fresh energies imparted from my breakfast. The +day grew soft, and bright, and exhilarating ... but alas! for the +changes and chances of every thing in this transitory world. Where +was the warder? He had ceased to blow his horn for many a long +year. Where was the harp of the minstrel? It had perished two +centuries ago, with the hand that had struck its chords. Where was +the attendant guard?--or pursuivants--or men at arms? They had been +swept from human existence, like the leaves of the old limes and +beech trees by which the lower part of the building was surrounded. +The moat was dry; the rampart was a ruin:--the rank grass grew +within the area ... nor can I tell you how many relics of halls, +banqueting rooms, and bed- rooms, with all the magnificent +appurtenances of old castellated architecture, struck the eager eye +with mixed melancholy and surprise! The singular half-circular, and +half square, corner towers, hanging over the ever-restless wave, +interested me exceedingly. The guide shewed me where the prisoners +used to be kept--in a dungeon, apparently impervious to every +glimmer of day-light, and every breath of air. I cannot pretend to +say at what period even the oldest part of the Castle of +Montmorenci was built: but I saw nothing that seemed to be more +ancient than the latter end of the fifteenth century.<A name= +"fnref_90"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_90">90</A> Perhaps the +greater portion may be of the beginning of the sixteenth; but, +amidst the unroofed rooms, I could not help admiring the painted +borders, chiefly of a red colour, which run along the upper part of +the walls, or wainscoats--giving indication not only of a good, but +of a splendid, taste. Did I tell you that this sort of ornament was +to be seen in some parts of the eastern end of the Abbey of +Jumieges? <EM>Here</EM>, indeed, they afforded evidence--an +evidence, mingled with melancholy sensations on reflection--of the +probable state of magnificence which once reigned throughout the +castle. Between the corner towers, upon that part which runs +immediately parallel with the Seine, there is a noble terrace, now +converted into garden ground--which commands an immediate and +extensive view of the embouchure of the river. It is the property +of a speculator, residing at Havre.</P> + +<P>The cabriolet meeting me at the bottom of the mound upon which +the castle is built, (having paid the reckoning before I left the +inn), I had nothing to do but to step in, and push forward for +<EM>Havre</EM>. Retracing the road through which we came, we darted +into the <EM>Route Royale</EM>, and got upon one of the noblest +high roads in France. Between <EM>Tancarville</EM> and +<EM>Havre</EM> lie <EM>Hocher</EM> and <EM>Harfleur</EM>; each +almost at the water's edge. I regretted I could not see the +former; but on our approach to Harfleur I observed, to the right, +some delightfully situated, and not inelegantly built, country +villas or modern chateaux. The immediate run down to Harfleur is +exceedingly pleasing; and though we trotted sharply through the +town, the exquisite little porch of the church was not lost upon +me. Few places, I believe, for its dimensions, have been more +celebrated in the middle ages than Harfleur. The Seine to the left +becomes broader and bolder; and, before you, beneath some wooded +heights, lies HAVRE. Every thing gives indication of commerce and +prosperity as you gain upon the town. The houses increase in number +and respectability of appearance--"Voyez-vous là, Monsieur, à +droite, ces belles maisons de plaisance?--(exclaimed the +charioteer)--"C'est la où demeurent Messieurs vos +compatriotes: ma foi, ils ont un joli gout." The first glance +upon these stone houses confirmed the sagacity of the postilion. +They are gloriously situated--facing the ocean; while the +surrounding country teems with fish and game of every species. +Isaac Walton might have contrived to interweave a pretty ballad in +his description of such trout-streams as were those before us.</P> + +<P>But we approach the town. The hulls of hundreds of vessels are +seen in the commodious docks; and the flags of merchantmen, from +all quarters of the globe, appear to stream from the mast-heads. It +is a scene of bustle, of business, and variety; and perfectly +English. What a contrast to the gloomy solitude of Montmorenci! The +outer and inner gates are passed. <EM>Diligences</EM> issue from +every quarter. The centinels relieve guard. The sound of horns, +from various packet-boats immediately about to sail, echoes on all +sides.... Driving up the high street, we approached the hôtel of +the <EM>Aigle d'Or,</EM><A name="fnref_91"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_91">91</A> kept by Justin, and considered to be the best. +We were just in time for the table d'hôte, and to bespeak +excellent beds. Travellers were continually arriving and departing. +What life and animation!... We sat down upwards of forty to dinner: +and a good dinner it was. Afterwards, I settled for the cabriolet, +and bade the postboy adieu!-- nor can I suppress my feelings in +saying that, in wishing him farewell, I felt ten times more than I +had ever felt upon taking leave of a postilion.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER XI</H3> + +<P>HAVRE DE GRACE. HONFLEUR. JOURNEY TO CAEN.</P> + +<P><EM>Caen, May</EM>, 1818.</P> + +<P>Well, my friend!... I have at length visited the interior of the +Abbey of St. Stephen, and have walked over the grave of WILLIAM THE +CONQUEROR and of MATHILDA his wife. But as you dearly love the +gossip of a travelling journal, I shall take up the thread of my +narrative from the place in which I last addressed +you:--particularly as our route hither was marked by some +circumstances worthy of recital. First, however, for +<EM>Havre</EM>.</P> + +<P>I staid there only long enough to express my regret that the +time of my residence could not be extended. It happened to be a +fine afternoon, and I took a leisurely stroll upon the docks and +ramparts.<A name="fnref_92"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_92">92</A> The town was full of animation--whether relating to +business or to pleasure. For the former, you must visit the quays; +for the latter, you must promenade the high street, and more +especially the <EM>Boulevards</EM>, towards the heights. The sun +shone merrily, as it were, upon the thousands of busy, bustling, +and bawling human creatures.. who were in constant locomotion in +this latter place.</P> + +<P>What a difference between the respective appearances of the +quays of Dieppe and Havre? Although even <EM>here</EM> things would +assume a rubbishing and littered aspect compared with the quays at +<EM>Liverpool</EM> or at <EM>Hull</EM>, yet it must be admitted, +for the credit of Gallico-Norman commerce, that the quays of Havre +make a very respectable appearance. You see men fiddling, dancing, +sleeping, sitting, and of course talking <EM>à pleine gorge</EM>, +in groups without end--but no drunkenness!.. not even an English +oath saluted my ear. The Southampton packets land their crews at +Havre. I saw the arrival of one of these packets; and was cruel +enough to contrast the animated and elastic spirits of a host of +French <EM>laqnais de place</EM>, tradespeople, &c.--attacking +the passengers with cards of their address--with the feeble +movements and dejected countenances of the objects of their +attack.</P> + +<P>From the quays, I sauntered along the ramparts, which are +flanked by broad ditches--of course plentifully supplied with +water; and passing over the drawbridge, by which all carriages +enter the town--and which absolutely trembles as if about to sink +beneath you, as the <EM>diligence</EM> rolls over it.--I made for +the boulevards and tea-gardens; to which, business being well nigh +over, the inhabitants of Havre flock by hundreds and by thousands. +A fine afternoon throws every thing into "good +keeping"--as the artists say. The trees, and meadows, and +upper lands, were not only bright with the sun-beam, but the human +countenance was lighted up with gladness. The occupations partook +of this joyful character. Accordingly there was dancing and singing +on all sides; a little beyond, appeared to sit a group of +philosophers, or politicians, upon a fantastically cut seat, +beneath laburnums streaming with gold; while, still further, +gradually becoming invisible from the foliage and winding path, +strolled pairs in more gentle discourse! Meanwhile the whoop and +halloo of school-boys, in rapid and ceaseless evolutions, resounded +through the air, and heightened the gratification of the +scene....</P> + +<P class="poetry">And young and old came out to play<BR> + Upon a sun-shine holiday.</P> + +<P>Gaining a considerable ascent, I observed knolls of rich +verdure, with fine spreading trees, and elegant mansions, to be in +the foreground--in the middle-ground, stood the town of Havre:--in +the distance, rolled and roared the expansive ocean! The sun was +visibly going to rest; but his departing beams yet sparkled upon +the more prominent points of the picture. There was no time for +finishing the subject. After a stroll of nearly a couple of hours, +on this interesting spot, I retraced my steps over the draw-bridge, +and prepared for objects of <EM>still</EM> life; in other words, +for the examination of what might be curious and profitable in the +shape of a <STRONG>boke</STRONG>.</P> + +<P>The lamps were lighted when I commenced my <EM>Bibliomaniacal +Voyage</EM> of discovery among the BOOKSELLERS. But what poverty of +materials, for a man educated in the schools of Fust and Caxton! To +every question, about rare or old books, I was told that I should +have been on the Continent when the allies first got possession of +Paris. In fact, I had not a single <EM>trouvaille</EM>.</P> + +<P>The packet was to sail by nine the next morning, precisely. For +a wonder, (or rather no wonder at all, considering what had +occurred during the last twenty-four hours) I had an excellent +night's rest, and was prepared for breakfast by eight. Having +breakfasted, I accompanied my luggage to the inner harbour, and +observed the <EM>Honfleur</EM> packet swarming with passengers, and +crammed with every species of merchandize: especially tubs, casks, +trunks, cordage, and earthenware. We went on board, and took our +stations near the helm; and after experiencing a good deal of +<EM>uncomfortable</EM> heaving of the ocean, got clear from the +mouth of the harbour, and stood out to sea. The tide was running +briskly and strongly into the harbour. We were in truth closely +stowed; and as these packets are built with flattish bottoms, and +low sides, a rough sea would not fail to give to a crew, thus +exposed, the appearance of half-drowned rats. Luckily the wind +began to subside, and by degrees old ocean wore a face of +undisturbed serenity. Our crew was a motley one; but among them, an +Abbess, with a visage of parchment-like rigidity, and with her +broad streaming bands, seemed to experience particular distress. +She was surrounded by some hale, hearty market women, whose robust +forms, and copper-tinted countenances, formed a striking contrast +to her own. A little beyond was an old officer or two, with cocked +hats of the usually capacious dimensions. But the poor Abbess was +cruelly afflicted; and in a gesture and tone of voice, of the most +piteous woe, implored the steward of the vessel for accommodation +below.</P> + +<P>Fortunately, as I was not in the least annoyed by sickness, I +had leisure to survey the heights of Honfleur before we landed; and +looking towards the course of the River Seine, as it narrowed in +its windings, I discovered <EM>Harfleur</EM> and <EM>Hocher</EM> +nearly opposite; and, a good deal lower down, the little fishing +town of <EM>Quillebeuf</EM>, apparently embedded in the water. +Honfleur itself is surely among the most miserable of fishing +towns<A name="fnref_93"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_93">93</A>-- +or whatever be the staple commodity that supports it. But the +environs make amends for the squalidness of the town. A few years +of peace and plenty would work wonders even in the improvements of +these environs. Perhaps no situation is more favourable for the +luxury of a summer retirement.<A name="fnref_94"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_94">94</A> I paid only eight sous for my passage; +and having no passport to be <EM>viséd</EM> (which indeed was the +case at Havre,) we selected a stout lad or two, from the crowds of +lookers on, as we landed, to carry our luggage to the inn from +which the diligence sets off for CAEN. It surprised us to see with +what alacrity these lads carried the baggage up a steep hill in +their trucks, or barrows; but we were disgusted with the miserable +forms, and miserable clothing, of both sexes, which we encountered +as we proceeded. I was fortunate to be in time to secure my place +in the Diligence. The horses were in the very act of being put to, +as I paid my reckoning beforehand.</P> + +<P>Judge of our surprise and gratification on seeing two +well-dressed, and apparently well-bred Englishmen, securing their +places at the same time. It is not always that, at first sight, +Englishmen associate so quickly, and apparently so cordially, as +did these gentlemen with ourselves. They were the Messrs. D*** of +<EM>L</EM>**** <EM>Hall</EM> in Yorkshire: the elder brother an +Oxford man of the same standing with myself. The younger, a Cantab. +We were all bound for Caen; and right gladly did we coalesce upon +this expedition.</P> + +<P>We proceeded at a good sharp pace; and as we ascended the very +high hill on the direct road to Caen, with fine leafy trees on each +side, and upon a noble breadth of road, I looked out of the +diligence to enjoy the truly magnificent view of the Seine--with +glimpses of <EM>Harfleur</EM> and <EM>Havre</EM> on the opposite +coast. The cessation of the rain, and the quick movement of the +vehicle, enabled me to do this in a tolerably commodious manner. +The ground however seemed saturated, and the leaves glistened with +the incumbent moisture. There was a sort of pungent freshness of +scent abroad--and a rich pasture land on each side gave the most +luxuriant appearance to the landscape. Nature indeed seemed to have +fructified every thing in a manner at once spontaneous and perfect. +The face of the country is pasture-land throughout; that is to say, +there are comparatively few orchards and little arable. I was told +to pay attention to the cattle, for that the farmers prided +themselves on their property of this kind. They may pride +themselves--if they please: but their pride is not of a lofty cast +of character. I have been in Lincolnshire, Herefordshire, and +Gloucestershire--and have seen and enjoyed, in these counties, +groups of cattle which appeared calculated for the land and the +table of giants, compared with the Lilliputian objects, of the +bucoline species, which were straying, in thin flocks, through the +luxuriant pastures of Normandy. That triumphant and immutable maxim +of "small bone and large carcase" seems, alas! to be +unknown in these regions.</P> + +<P>However, on we rode--and gazed on all sides. At length we +reached <EM>Pont L'Eveque</EM>, a pretty long stage; where we +dined (says my journal) upon roast fowl, asparagus, trout, and an +excellent omelette, with two good bottles of vin ordinaire--which +latter, for four Englishmen, was commendably moderate. During +dinner the rain came down again in yet heavier torrents--the +gutters foamed, and the ground smoked with the unceasing fall of +the water. In the midst of this aquatic storm, we toasted Old +England right merrily and cordially; and the conducteur, seeing us +in good humour, told us that "we need not hurry, for that he +preferred a dry journey to a wet one." We readily assented to +this position; but within half an hour, the weather clearing, we +remounted: and by four o'clock, we all got inside--and +politics, religion, literature, and the fine arts, kept us in +constant discourse and good humour as we rolled on for many a +league. All the way to <EM>Troarn</EM> (the last stage on this side +of Caen) the country presents a truly lovely picture of pasture +land. There are occasionally some wooded heights, in which English +wealth and English taste would have raised villas of the prettiest +forms, and with most commanding views. Yet there is nothing to be +mentioned in the same breath with the country about Rodwell in +Glocestershire. Nor are the trees of the same bulk and luxuriant +foliage as are those in our own country. A fine oak is as rare as +an uncut <EM>Wynkyn de Worde</EM>:<A name="fnref_95"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_95">95</A> but creeping rivulets, rich coppice +wood, avenues of elms and limes, and meadows begemmed with +butter-cups--these are the characteristics of the country through +which we were passing. It is in vain however you look for neat +villas or consequential farm houses: and as rarely do you see +groups of villagers reposing, or in action. A dearth of population +gives to French landscape a melancholy and solitary cast of +character. It is in cities that you must look for human beings--and +<EM>for</EM> cities the French seem to have been created.</P> + +<P>It was at <EM>Troarn</EM>, I think, or at some halting place +beyond, that our passports were demanded, and the examination of +our trunks solicited. We surrendered our keys most willingly. The +gentlemen, with their cocked hats and blue jackets--having a belt +from which a sword was suspended--consulted together for a minute +only--returned our keys--and telling us that matters would be +thoroughly looked into at Caen, said they would give us no trouble. +We were of course not sorry at this determination--and the Messrs. +D---and myself getting once more into the cabriolet, (a postboy +being secured for the leaders) we began to screw up our spirits and +curiosity for a view of the steeples of CAEN. Unluckily the sun had +set, and the horizon had become gloomy, when we first discovered +the spires of <EM>St. Stephen's Abbey</EM>--the principal +ecclesiastical edifice at Caen. It was hard upon nine o'clock; +and the evening being extremely dusky, we had necessarily a very +indistinct view of the other churches--but, to my eye, as seen in a +lengthened view, and through a deceitful atmosphere, Caen had the +appearance of OXFORD on a diminutive scale. The town itself, like +our famous University, is built in a slanting direction; though the +surrounding country is yet flatter than about Oxford. As we entered +it, all the population seemed collected to witness our arrival. +From solitude we plunged at once into tumult, bustle, and noise. We +stopped at the <EM>Hotel d'Espagne--</EM>a large, but black and +begrimed mansion. Here our luggage was taken down; and here we were +assailed by garçons de place, with cards in their hands, intreating +us to put up at their respective hotels. We had somehow got a +recommendation to the <EM>Hotel Royale, Place Royale</EM>, and such +a union of <EM>royal</EM> adjuncts was irresistible. Accordingly, +we resolved upon moving thither. In a trice our trunks were placed +upon barrows: and we marched behind, "in double quick +time," in order to secure our property. The town appeared to +improve as we made our different turnings, and gained upon our +hotel. "Le voilà, Messieurs"--exclaimed our guides and +baggage-conductors--as we got into a goodly square, and saw a fair +and comely mansion in front. The rush of landlord, waiting maids, +and garçons de place, encountered us as we entered. +"Messieurs, je vous salue,"--said a huge, ungracious +looking figure:--which said figure was nothing less than the master +of the hotel--Mons. Lagouelle. We were shown into a small room on +the ground floor, to the right--and ordered tea; but had scarcely +begun to enjoy the crackling blaze of a plentiful wood fire, when +the same ungracious figure took his seat by the side of us ... to +tell us "all about THE DUEL."</P> + +<P>I had heard (from an English gentleman in the packet boat from +Havre to Honfleur) something respecting this most extraordinary +duel between a young Englishman and a young Frenchman: but as I +mean to reserve my <EM>Caen budget</EM> for a distinct dispatch, +and as I have yet hardly tarried twenty hours in this place, I must +bid you adieu; only adding that I dreamt, last night, about some +English antiquaries trying to bend the bow of William the +Conqueror!--Can this be surprising? Again farewell.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER XII.</H3> + +<P>CAEN. SOIL. SOCIETY. EDUCATION. A DUEL. OLD HOUSES. THE ABBEY OF +ST. STEPHEN. CHURCH OF ST. PIERRE DE DARNETAL. ABBÉ DE LA SAINTE +TRINITÉ. OTHER PUBLIC EDIFICES.</P> + +<P>I have now resided upwards of a week at Lagouelle's, the +<EM>Hotel Royale</EM>, and can tell you something of the place and +of the inhabitants of CAEN. Caen however is still-life after Rouen: +but it has been, and yet is, a town exceedingly well-deserving the +attention of the lounging traveller and of the curious antiquary. +Its ecclesiastical edifices are more ancient, but less vast and +splendid, than those of Rouen; while the streets and the houses are +much more wide and comfortable. This place is the capital of the +department of CALVADOS, or of LOWER NORMANDY: and its population is +estimated at forty thousand souls. It has a public library, a +school of art, a college, mayoralty, and all the adjuncts of a +corporate society.<A name="fnref_96"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_96">96</A> But I must first give you something in the shape of +political economy intelligence. Caen with its arrondissemens of +<EM>Bayeux, Vire, Falaise, Lisieux, Pont L'Eveque</EM>, is the +country of pasturage and of cattle. It is also fertile in the apple +and pear; and although at <EM>Argences</EM> there have been +vineyards from time immemorial, yet the produce of the grape, in +the character of <EM>wine</EM>,<A name="fnref_97"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_97">97</A> is of a very secondary description. +There are beautiful and most abundant market gardens about Caen; +and for the last seventy years they have possessed a garden for the +growth and cultivation of foreign plants and trees. It is said that +more than nine hundred species of plants and trees are to be found +in the department of CALVADOS, of which some (but I know not how +many or how few) are considered as indigenous. Of forests and +woods, the number is comparatively small; and upon that limited +number great injuries were inflicted by the Revolution. In the +arrondissement of Caen itself, there are only 344 +<EM>hectares</EM>.<A name="fnref_98"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_98">98</A> The truth is, that in the immediate neighbourhood +of populous towns, the French have no idea of PLANTING. They suffer +plain after plain, and hill after hill, to be denuded of trees, and +make no provision for the supply of those who are to come after +them. Thus, not only a great portion of the country about +Rouen--(especially in the direction of the road leading to Caen--) +is gradually left desolate and barren, but even here, as you +approach the town, there is a dreary flatness of country, +unrefreshed by the verdure of foliage: whereas the soil, kind and +productive by nature, requires only the slightest attention of man +to repay him a hundred fold. What they will do some fifty years +hence for <EM>fuel</EM>, is quite inconceivable. It is true that +the river Orne, by means of the tide, and of its proximity to the +sea, brings up vessels of even 200 tons burthen, in which they may +stow plenty of wood; but still, the expenses of carriage, and +duties of a variety of description--together with the +<EM>dependence</EM> of the town upon such accidental supply--would +render the article of fuel a most expensive concern. It is also +true that they pretend that the soil, in the department of +Calvados, contains <EM>coal</EM>; but the experiments which were +made some years ago at <EM>Littry</EM>, in the arondissement of +<EM>Bayeux</EM>, should forbid the Caennois to indulge any very +sanguine expectations on that score.</P> + +<P>In respect to the trade of the town, the two principal branches +are <EM>lace</EM> and <EM>cap</EM> making. The former trade is +divided with Bayeux; and both places together give occupation to +about thirty thousand pairs<A name="fnref_99"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_99">99</A> of hands. People of all ages may be so +employed; and the annual gross receipts have been estimated at four +millions of francs. In <EM>cap</EM> making only, at Caen, four +thousand people have been constantly engaged, and a gross produce +of two millions of francs has been the result of that branch of +trade. A great part of this manufacture was consumed at home; but +more than one half used to be exported to Spain, Portugal, and the +colonies belonging to France. They pretend to say, however, that +this article of commerce is much diminished both in profit and +reputation: while that of <EM>table linen</EM> is gaining +proportionably in both.<A name="fnref_100"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_100">100</A> There were formerly great <EM>tanneries</EM> +in Caen and its immediate vicinity, but lately that branch of trade +has suffered extremely. The revolution first gave it a violent +check, and the ignorance and inattention of the masters to recent +improvements, introduced by means of chemistry, have helped to +hasten its decay. To balance this misfortune, there has of late +sprung up a very general and judiciously directed commercial spirit +in the article of <EM>porcelaine</EM>; and if Caen be inferior to +its neighbouring towns, and especially to Rouen and Lisieux, in the +articles of cloth, stuffs, and lace, it takes a decided lead in +that which relates to <EM>pottery</EM> and <EM>china</EM>: no mean +articles in the supply of domestic wants and luxuries. But it is in +matters of higher "pith and moment" that Caen may claim a +superiority over the towns just noticed. There is a better spirit +of <EM>education</EM> abroad; and, for its size, more science and +more literature will be found in it.</P> + +<P>This place has been long famous for the education of Lawyers. +There are two distinct academies--one for "Science and the +Belles-Lettres"--the other for agriculture and commerce. The +<EM>Lycée</EM> is a noble building, close to the Abbey of St. +Stephen: but I wish its façade had been Gothic, to harmonise with +the Abbey. Indeed, Caen has quite the air of Oxford, from the +prevalent appearance of <EM>stone</EM> in its public buildings. The +environs of the town afford quarries, whence the stone is taken in +great blocks, in a comparatively soft state--and is thus cut into +the several forms required with the greatest facility. It is then +exposed, and every succeeding day appears to add to its white tint +and durable quality. I saw some important improvements making in +the outskirts of the town,<A name="fnref_101"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_101">101</A> in which they were finishing shafts and +capitals of columns in a manner the most correct and gratifying. +Still farther from the immediate vicinity of Caen, they find stone +of a closer grain; and with this they make stair- cases, and +pavements for the interior of buildings. Indeed the stone stair- +cases in this place, which are usually circular, and projecting +from the building, struck me as being equally curious and uncommon. +It is asserted that they have different kinds of <EM>marble</EM> in +the department of Calvados, which equal that of the south of +France. At <EM>Basly</EM> and <EM>Vieux</EM> white marble is found +which has been judged worthy of a comparison with Parian; but this +is surely a little presumptuous. However, it is known that Cardinal +Richelieu brought from Vieux all the marble with which he built the +chapel in the college of the Sorbonne.</P> + +<P>Upon the whole, as to general appearance, and as to particular +society, Caen may be preferable to Rouen. The costume and manners +of the common people are pretty much, if not entirely, the same; +except that, as to dress, the <EM>cauchoise</EM> is here rather +more simple than at Dieppe and Rouen. The upper fille-de-chambre at +our hotel displays not only a good correct model of national dress, +but she is well-looking in her person, and well-bred in her +manners. Mr. Lewis prevailed upon this good-natured young woman to +sit for her likeness, and for the sake of her costume. The +girl's eyes sparkled with more than ordinary joy at the +proposal, and even an expression of gratitude mingled itself in her +manner of compliance. I send you the figure and dress of the +fille-de-chambre at the <EM>Hotel Royale</EM> of Caen.<A name= +"fnref_102"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_102">102</A></P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:70%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/209.png" alt="Fille de chambre"> + +<P class="centered">FILLE DE CHAMBRE, CAEN.</P> +</DIV> + +<P>Caen is called the dépôt of the English.<A name= +"fnref_103"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_103">103</A> In truth +there is an amazing number of our countrymen here, and from very +different causes. One family comes to reside from motives of +economy; another from those of education; a third from those of +retirement; and a fourth from pure love of sitting down, in a +strange place, with the chance of making some pleasant connection, +or of being engaged in seeking some strange adventure: Good and +cheap living, and novel society, are doubtless the main +attractions. But there is desperate ill blood just now between the +<EM>Caennois</EM> (I will not make use of the enlarged term +<EM>Francois</EM>) and the English; and I will tell you the cause. +Do you remember the emphatic phrase in my last, "all about the +duel?" Listen. About three weeks only before our arrival,<A +name="fnref_104"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_104">104</A> a duel +was fought between a young French law-student, and a young +Englishman; the latter the son of a naval captain. I will mention +no names; and so far not wound the feelings of the friends of the +parties concerned. But this duel, my friend, has been "THE +DUEL OF DUELS"--on the score of desperation, and of a fixed +purpose to murder. It is literally without precedent, and I trust +will never be considered as one. You must know then, that Caen, in +spite of all the "bouleversemens" of the Revolution, has +maintained its ancient reputation of possessing a very large +seminary, or college for students at law. These students amount to +nearly 600 in number. Most young gentlemen under twenty years of +age are at times riotous, or frolicsome, or foolish. Generally +speaking, however, the students conduct themselves with propriety: +but there had been a law-suit between a French and English suitor, +and the Judge pronounced sentence in favour of our countryman. The +hall was crowded with spectators, and among them was a plentiful +number of law-students. As they were retiring, one young Frenchman +either made frightful faces, or contemptible gestures, in a very +fixed and insulting manner, at a young Englishman--the son of this +naval captain. Our countryman had no means or power of noticing or +resenting the insult, as the aggressor was surrounded by his +companions. It so happened that it was fair time at Caen; and in +the evening of the same day, our countryman recognised, in the +crowd at the fair, the physiognomy of the young man who had +insulted him in the hall of justice. He approached him, and gave +him to understand that his rude behaviour should be noticed at a +proper time and in a proper place: whereupon the Frenchman came up +to him, shook him violently by the arm, and told him to "fix +his distance on the ensuing morning." Now the habit of +duelling is very common among these law-students; but they measure +twenty-five paces, fire, and of course ... MISS--and then fancy +themselves great heroes ... and there is an end of the affair. Not +so upon the present occasion. "Fifteen paces," if you +please-- said the student, sarcastically, with a conviction of the +backwardness of his opponent to meet him. "FIVE, +rather"--exclaimed the provoked Englishman--"I will fight +you at FIVE paces:"--and it was agreed that they should meet +and fight on the morrow, at five paces only asunder.</P> + +<P>Each party was under twenty; but I believe the English youth had +scarcely attained his nineteenth year. What I am about to relate +will cause your flesh to creep. It was determined by the seconds, +as <EM>one</EM> must necessarily <EM>fall</EM>, from firing at so +short a distance, that only <EM>one</EM> pistol should be loaded +with <EM>ball</EM>: the other having nothing but +<EM>powder</EM>:--and that, as the Frenchman had challenged, he was +to have the choice of the pistols. They parted. The seconds +prepared the pistols according to agreement, and the fatal morning +came. The combatants appeared, without one jot of abatement of +spirit or of cool courage. The pistols lay upon the grass before +them: one loaded only with powder, and the other with powder and +ball. The Frenchman advanced: took up a pistol, weighed and +balanced it most carefully in his hand, and then ... laid it down. +He seized the other pistol, and cocking it, fixed himself upon the +spot from whence he was to fire. The English youth was necessarily +compelled to take the abandoned pistol. Five paces were then +measured ... and on the signal being given, they both fired ... and +the Frenchman fell ... DEAD UPON THE SPOT! The Frenchman had in +fact <EM>taken up</EM>, but afterwards <EM>laid down</EM>, the very +pistol which was loaded with the fatal <EM>ball</EM>--on the +supposition that it was of too light a weight; and even seemed to +compliment himself upon his supposed sagacity on the occasion. But +to proceed. The ball went through his heart, as I understood. The +second of the deceased on seeing his friend a reeking corpse at his +feet, became mad and outrageous ... and was for fighting the +survivor immediately! Upon which, the lad of mettle and courage +replied, that he would not fight a man without a +<EM>second</EM>--"But go," said he, (drawing his watch +coolly from his fob). I will give you twenty minutes to come back +again with your second." He waited, with his watch in his +hand, and by the dead body of his antagonist, for the return of the +Frenchman; but on the expiration of the time, his own second +conjured him to consult his safety and depart; for that, from +henceforth, his life was in jeopardy. He left the ground; obtained +his passport, and quitted the town instantly ... The dead body of +his antagonist was then placed on a bier: and his funeral was +attended by several hundreds of his companions--who, armed with +muskets and swords, threatened destruction to the civil and +military authorities if they presumed to interfere. All this has +necessarily increased the ill- blood which is admitted to exist +between the English and French ... but the affair is now beginning +to blow over.<A name="fnref_105"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_105">105</A></P> + +<P>A truce to such topics. It is now time to furnish you with some +details relating to your favourite subjects of ARCHITECTURAL +ANTIQUITIES and BIBLIOGRAPHY. The former shall take precedence. +First of the <EM>streets</EM>; secondly of the <EM>houses</EM>; and +thirdly of the <EM>public buildings</EM>; ecclesiastical and +civil.</P> + +<P>To begin with the STREETS. Those of <EM>St. Pierre, Notre +Dame</EM>, and <EM>St. Jean</EM> are the principal for bustle and +business. The first two form one continuous line, leading to the +abbey of St. Stephen, and afford in fact a very interesting stroll +to the observer of men and manners. The shops are inferior to those +of Rouen, but a great shew of business is discernible in them. The +street beyond the abbey, and those called <EM>Guilbert</EM>, and +<EM>des Chanoines</EM>, leading towards the river, are considered +among the genteelest. Ducarel pronounced the <EM>houses</EM> of +Caen "mean in general, though usually built of stone;" +but I do not agree with him in this conclusion. The open parts +about the <EM>Lycée</EM> and the <EM>Abbey of St. Stephen</EM>, +together with the <EM>Place Royale</EM>, where the library is +situated, form very agreeable spaces for the promenade of the +ladies and the exercise of the National Guard. The <EM>Courts</EM> +are full of architectural curiosities, but mostly of the time of +Francis I. Of <EM>domestic</EM> architecture, those houses, with +elaborate carvings in wood, beneath a pointed roof, are doubtless +of the greatest antiquity. There are a great number of these; and +some very much older than others.</P> + +<P>A curious old house is to the right hand corner of the street +<EM>St. Jean</EM>: as you go to the Post Office. But I must inform +you that the residence of the famous MALHERBE yet exists in the +street leading to the Abbey of St. Stephen. This house is of the +middle of the sixteenth century: and what Corneille is to +<EM>Rouen</EM>, Malherbe is to <EM>Caen</EM>. "ICI NAQUIT +MALHERBE," &c. as you will perceive from the annexed view +of this house, inscribed upon the front of the building. Malherbe +has been doomed to receive greater honours. His head was first +struck, in a series of medals, to perpetuate the resemblances of +the most eminent literary characters (male and female) in France: +and it is due to the amiable Pierre-Aimé Lair to designate him as +the FATHER of this medallic project.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:80%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/215.png" alt="Building"></DIV> + +<P>In perambulating this town, one cannot but be surprised at the +absence of <EM>Fountains</EM>--those charming pieces of +architecture and of street embellishment. In this respect, Rouen +has infinitely the advantage of Caen: where, instead of the +trickling current of translucent water, we observe nothing but the +partial and perturbed stream issuing from ugly <EM>wells</EM><A +name="fnref_106"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_106">106</A> as +tasteless in their structure as they are inconvenient in the +procuring of water. Upon one or two of these wells, I observed the +dates of 1560 and 1588.</P> + +<P>The PUBLIC EDIFICES, however, demand a particular and +appropriate description: and first of those of the ecclesiastical +order. Let us begin therefore with the ABBEY OF ST. STEPHEN; for it +is the noblest and most interesting on many accounts. It is called +by the name of that Saint, inasmuch as there stood formerly a +chapel, on the same site, dedicated to him. The present building +was completed and solemnly dedicated by William the Conqueror, in +the presence of his wife, his two sons Robert and William, his +favourite Archbishop Lanfranc, John Archbishop of Rouen, and Thomas +Archbishop of York--towards the year 1080: but I strongly suspect, +from the present prevailing character of the architecture, that +nothing more than the west front and the towers upon which the +spires rest, remain of its ancient structure. The spires (as the +Abbé De La Rue conjectures, and as I should also have thought) are +about two centuries later than the towers.</P> + +<P>The outsides of the side aisles appear to be of the thirteenth, +rather than of the end of the eleventh, century. The first exterior +view of the west front, and of the towers, is extremely +interesting; from the grey and clear tint, as well as excellent +quality, of the stone, which, according to Huet, was brought partly +from Vaucelle and partly from Allemagne.<A name="fnref_107"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_107">107</A> One of the corner abutments of +one of the towers has fallen down; and a great portion of what +remains seems to indicate rapid decay. The whole stands indeed +greatly in need of reparation. Ducarel, if I remember rightly,<A +name="fnref_108"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_108">108</A> has +made, of this whole front, a sort of elevation, as if it were +intended for a wooden model to work by: having all the stiffness +and precision of an erection of forty-eight hours standing only. +The central tower is of very stunted dimensions, and overwhelmed by +a roof in the form of an extinguisher. This, in fact, was the +consequence of the devastations of the Calvinists; who absolutely +sapped the foundation of the tower, with the hope of overwhelming +the whole choir in ruin--but a part only of their malignant object +was accomplished. The component parts of the eastern extremity are +strangely and barbarously miscellaneous. However, no good +commanding exterior view can be obtained from the <EM>place</EM>, +or confined square, opposite the towers.</P> + +<P>But let us return to the west-front; and opening the unfastened +green- baize covered door, enter softly and silently into the +venerable interior--sacred even to the feelings of Englishmen! Of +this interior, very much is changed from its original character. +The side aisles retain their flattened arched roofs and pillars; +and in the nave you observe those rounded pilasters--or +alto-rilievo-like pillars--running from bottom to top, which are to +be seen in the abbey of Jumieges. The capitals of these long +pillars are comparatively of modern date. To the left on entrance, +within a side chapel, is the burial place of MATILDA, the wife of +the Conqueror. The tombstone attesting her interment is undoubtedly +of the time. Generally speaking, the interior is cold, and dull of +effect. The side chapels, of which not fewer than sixteen encircle +the choir, have the discordant accompaniments of Grecian +balustrades to separate them from the choir and nave. There is a +good number of <EM>Confessionals</EM> within them; and at one of +these I saw, for the first time, <EM>two</EM> women, kneeling, in +the act of confession to the <EM>same priest</EM>. "C'est +un peu fort," observed our guide in an under-voice, and with a +humourous expression of countenance! Meanwhile Mr. Lewis, who was +in an opposite direction in the cathedral, was exercising his +pencil in the following delineation of a similar subject.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:80%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/219.png" alt="Confession"></DIV> + +<P>To the right of the choir (in the sacristy, I think,) is hung +the huge portrait, in oil, within a black and gilt frame, of which +Ducarel has published an engraving, on the supposition of its being +the portrait of WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. But nothing can be more +ridiculous than such a conclusion. In the first place, the picture +itself, which is a palpable copy, cannot be older than a century; +and, in the second place, were it an original performance, it could +not be older than the time of Francis I:-- when, in fact, it +purports to have been executed--as a faithful copy of the figure of +King William, seen by the Cardinals in 1522, who were seized with a +sacred phrenzy to take a peep at the body as it might exist at that +time! The costume of the oil-painting is evidently that of the +period of our Henry VIII.; and to suppose that the body of +William--even had it remained in so surprisingly perfect a state as +Ducarel intimates, after an interment of upwards of four hundred +years--could have presented such a costume, when, from +Ducarel's own statement, another whole-length representation of +the same person is <EM>totally different</EM>--and more decidedly +of the character of William's time--is really quite a reproach +to any antiquary who plumes himself upon the possession even of +common sense.</P> + +<P>In the middle of the choir, and just before the high altar, the +body of the Conqueror was entombed with great pomp; and a monument +erected to his memory of the most elaborate and costly description. +Nothing now remains but a flat black marble slab, with a short +inscription, of quite a recent date.</P> + +<P>In the present state of the abbey,<A name="fnref_109"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_109">109</A> and even in that of +Ducarel's time, there is, and was, a great dearth of sepulchral +monuments. Indeed I know not whether you need be detained another +minute within the interior; except it be, to add your share of +admiration to that which has been long and justly bestowed on the +huge organ<A name="fnref_110"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_110">110</A> at the west end of the nave, which is considered +to be the finest in all France. But Normandy abounds in church +decorations of this kind. Leaving therefore this venerable pile, +endeared to the British antiquary by a thousand pleasing +associations of ideas, we strike off into an adjoining court yard, +and observe the ruins of a pretty extensive pile of building, which +is called by Ducarel the <EM>Palace of the Conqueror</EM>. But in +this supposed palace, in its <EM>present</EM> state, most assuredly +William I. <EM>never</EM> resided: for it is clearly not older than +the thirteenth century: if so ancient. Ducarel saw a great deal +more than is now to be seen; for, in fact, as I attempted to gain +entrance into what appeared to be the principal room, I was stopped +by an old woman, who assured me "qu'il n'y avoit rien +que du chauffage." It was true enough: the whole of the +untenanted interior contained nothing but wood fuel. Returning to +the principal street, and making a slight digression to the right, +you descend somewhat abruptly by the side of a church in ruins, +called <EM>St. Etienne le Vieil</EM>. In Ducarel's time this +church is described as entire. On the exterior of one of the +remaining buttresses is a whole length figure, about four English +feet in height (as far as I could guess by the eye) of a man on +horseback--mutilated-- trampling upon another man at its feet.</P> + +<P>It is no doubt a curious and uncommon ornament. But, would you +believe it? this figure also, in the opinion of Bourgueville,<A +name="fnref_111"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_111">111</A> was +intended for William the the Conqueror--representing his triumphant +entry into Caen! As an object of art, even in its present mutilated +state, it is highly interesting; and I rejoice that Mr. Cotman is +likely to preserve the little that remains from the hazard of +destruction by the fidelity of his own copy of it.<A name= +"fnref_112"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_112">112</A> It is quite +clear that, close to the figure, you discover traces of style which +are unequivocally of the time of Francis I. The interior of what +remains of this consecrated edifice is converted "horresco +referens" into a receptacle for ... carriages for hire. Not +far from this spot stood formerly a magnificent CROSS--demolished +during the memorable visit of the Calvinists.<A name= +"fnref_113"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_113">113</A> In the way +to the abbey of the Trinity, quite at the opposite or eastern +extremity of the town, you necessarily pass along the <EM>Rue St. +Pierre</EM>, and enter into the market-place, affording an opening +before the most beautiful church in all Normandy. It is the church +of <EM>St. Pierre de Darnetal</EM> of which I now speak, and from +which the name of the street is derived. The tower and spire are of +the most admirable form and workmanship.<A name="fnref_114"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_114">114</A> The extreme delicacy and +picturesque effect of the stone tiles, with which the spire is +covered, as well as the lightness and imposing consequence given to +the tower upon which the spire rests, are of a character peculiar +to itself. The whole has a charming effect. But severe criticism +compels one to admit that the body of the church is defective in +fine taste and unity of parts. The style is not only florid Gothic, +but it is luxuriant, even to rankness, if I may so speak. The parts +are capriciously put together: filled, and even crammed, with +ornaments of apparently all ages: concluding with the Grecian +mixture introduced in the reign of Francis I. The buttresses are, +however, generally, lofty and airy. In the midst of this +complicated and corrupt style of architecture, the tower and spire +rise like a structure built by preternatural hands; and I am not +sure that, at this moment, I can recollect any thing of equal +beauty and effect in the whole range of ecclesiastical edifices in +our own country. Look at this building, from any part of the town, +and you must acknowledge that it has the strongest claims to +unqualified admiration.<A name="fnref_115"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_115">115</A> The body of the church is of very +considerable dimensions. I entered it on a Sunday morning, about +eleven o'clock, and found it quite filled with a large +congregation, in which the <EM>cauchoise</EM>, as usual, appeared +like a broad white mass--from one end to the other. The priests +were in procession. One of the most magnificent organs imaginable +was in full intonation, with every stop opened; the voices of the +congregation were lustily exercised; and the offices of religion +were carried on in a manner which would seem to indicate a warm +sense of devotion among the worshippers. There is a tolerably good +set of modern paintings (the best which I have yet seen in the +interior of a church) of the <EM>Life of Christ</EM>, in the side +chapels. The eastern extremity, or the further end of <EM>Our +Lady's Chapel</EM>, is horribly bedaubed and over-loaded with +the most tasteless specimens of what is called Gothic art, perhaps +ever witnessed! The great bell of this church, which has an +uncommonly deep and fine tone, is for ever</P> + +<P class="poetry">Swinging slow with solemn roar!</P> + +<P>that is to say:--it is tolling from five in the morning till ten +at night; so incessantly, in one side-chapel or another, are these +offices carried on within this maternal parish church.<A name= +"fnref_116"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_116">116</A></P> + +<P>I saw, with momentary astonishment, the leaning tower of a +church in the <EM>Rue St. Jean</EM>,<A name="fnref_117"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_117">117</A> which is one of the principal +streets in the town: and which is terminated by the <EM>Place des +Cazernes</EM>, flanked by the river Orne. In this street I was +asked, by a bookseller, two pounds two shillings, for a thumbed and +cropt copy of the <EM>Elzevir-Heinsius Horace</EM> of 1629; but +with which demand I did not of course comply. In fact, they have +the most extravagant notions of the prices of Elzevirs, both here +and at Rouen.</P> + +<P>You must now attend me to the most interesting public building, +perhaps all things considered, which is to be seen at Caen. I mean, +the <EM>Abbey of the Holy Trinity</EM>, or L'ABBAYE AUX +DAMES.<A name="fnref_118"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_118">118</A> This abbey was founded by the wife of the +Conqueror, about the same time that William erected that of St. +Stephen. Ducarel's description of it, which I have just seen in +a copy of the <EM>Anglo-Norman Antiquities</EM>, in a +bookseller's shop, is sufficiently meagre. His plates are also +sufficiently miserable: but things are strangely altered since his +time. The nave of the church is occupied by a manufactory for +making cordage, or twine; and upwards of a hundred lads are now +busied in their <EM>flaxen</EM> occupations, where formerly the nun +knelt before the cross, or was occupied in auricular confession. +The entrance at the western extremity is entirely stopped up: but +the exterior gives manifest proof of an antiquity equal to that of +the Abbey of St. Stephen. The upper part of the towers are palpably +of the fifteenth, or rather of the early part of the sixteenth +century. I had no opportunity of judging of the neat pavement of +the floor of the nave, in white and black marble, as noticed by +Ducarel, on account of the occupation of this part of the building +by the manufacturing children; but I saw some very ancient +tomb-stones (one I think of the twelfth century) which had been +removed from the nave or side aisles, and were placed against the +sides of the north transept. The nave is entirely <EM>walled +up</EM> from the transepts, but the choir is fortunately preserved; +and a more perfect and interesting specimen of its kind, of the +same antiquity, is perhaps no where to be seen in Normandy. All the +monuments as well as the altars, described by Ducarel, are now +taken away. Having ascended a stone staircase, we got into the +upper part of the choir, above the first row of pillars--and walked +along the wall. This was rather adventurous, you will say: but a +more adventurous spirit of curiosity had nearly proved fatal to me: +for, on quitting daylight, we pursued a winding stone staircase, in +our way to the central tower--to enjoy from hence a view of the +town. I almost tremble as I relate it. There had been put up a sort +of temporary wooden staircase, leading absolutely to ... nothing: +or, rather, to a dark void space. I happened to be foremost in +ascending, yet groping in the dark--with the guide luckily close +behind me. Having reached the topmost step, I was raising my foot +to a supposed higher or succeeding step ... but there was +<EM>none</EM>. A depth of eighteen feet at least was below me. The +guide caught my coat, as I was about to lose my balance--and roared +out "Arrêtez--tenez!" The least balance or inclination, +one way or the other, is sufficient, upon these critical occasions: +when luckily, from his catching my coat, and pulling me in +consequence slightly backwards, my fall ... and my LIFE ... were +equally saved! I have reason from henceforth to remember the ABBAYE +AUX DAMES at Caen.</P> + +<P>I gained the top of the central tower, which is not of equal +altitude with those of the western extremity, and from thence +surveyed the town, as well as the drizzling rain would permit. I +saw enough however to convince me that the site of this abbey is +fine and commanding. Indeed it stands nearly upon the highest +ground in the town. Ducarel had not the glorious ambition to mount +to the top of the tower; nor did he even possess that most +commendable of all species of architectural curiosity, a wish to +visit the CRYPT. Thus, in either extremity--I evinced a more +laudable spirit of enterprise than did my old-fashioned +predecessor. Accordingly, from the summit, you must accompany me to +the lowest depth of the building. I descended by the same (somewhat +intricate) route, and I took especial care to avoid all +"temporary wooden stair-cases." The crypt, beneath the +choir, is perhaps of yet greater interest and beauty than the choir +itself. Within an old, very old, stone coffin--at the further +circular end--are the pulverized remains of one of the earliest +Abbesses.<A name="fnref_119"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_119">119</A> I gazed around with mixed sensations of +veneration and awe, and threw myself back into centuries past, +fancying that the shrouded figure of MATILDA herself glided by, +with a look as if to approve of my antiquarian enthusiasm! Having +gratified my curiosity by a careful survey of this subterraneous +abode, I revisited the regions of day-light, and made towards the +large building, now a manufactory, which in Ducarel's time had +been a nunnery. The revolution has swept away every human being in +the character of a nun; but the director of the manufactory shewed +me, with great civility, some relics of old crosses, rings, veils, +lachrymatories, &c. which had been taken from the crypt I had +recently visited. These relics savoured of considerable antiquity. +Tom Hearne would have set about proving that they <EM>must</EM> +have belonged to Matilda herself; but I will have neither the +presumption nor the merit of attempting this proof. They seemed +indeed to have undergone half a dozen decompositions. Upon the +whole, if our Antiquarian Society, after having exhausted the +cathedrals of their own country, should ever think of perpetuating +the principal ecclesiastical edifices of Normandy, by means of the +<EM>Art of Engraving</EM>, let them begin their labours with the +ABBAYE AUX DAMES at Caen.</P> + +<P>The foregoing, my dear friend, are the principal ecclesiastical +buildings in this place. There are other public edifices, but +comparatively of a modern date. And yet I should be guilty of a +gross omission were I to neglect giving you an account, however +superficial, of the remains of an apparently CASTELLATED BUILDING, +a little beyond the Abbaye aux Dames--or rather to the right, upon +elevated ground, as you enter the town by the way we came. As far +as I can discover, this appears to have escaped Ducarel.<A name= +"fnref_120"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_120">120</A> It is +doubtless a very curious relic. Running along the upper part of the +walls, there is a series of basso-relievo heads, medallion- wise, +cut in stone, evidently intended for portraits. They are assuredly +not older than the reign of Francis I. and may be even as late as +that of Henry II. Among these rude medallions, is a female head, +with a ferocious- looking man on each side of it, either saluting +the woman, or whispering in her ear. But the most striking objects +are the stone figures of two men, upon a circular tower, of which +one is in the act of shooting an arrow, and the other as if holding +a drawn sword. I got admittance within the building; and ascending +the tower, found that these were only the <EM>trunks</EM> of +figures,--and removable at pleasure. I could only stroke their +beards and shake their bodies a little, which was of course done +with impunity. Whether the present be the <EM>original</EM> place +of their destination may be very doubtful. The Abbé de la Rue, with +whom I discoursed upon the subject yesterday morning, is of opinion +that these figures are of the time of Louis XI.: which makes them a +little more ancient than the other ornaments of the building. As to +the interior, I could gather nothing with certainty of the original +character of the place from the present remains. The earth is piled +up, here and there, in artificial mounds covered with grass: and an +orchard, and rich pasture land (where I saw several women milking +cows) form the whole of the interior scenery. However the +<EM>Caennois</EM> are rather proud of this building.</P> + +<P>Leaving you to your own conclusions respecting the date of its +erection, and "putting the colophon" to this disquisition +respecting the principal public buildings at Caen, it is high time +to assure you how faithfully I am always yours.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER XIII.</H3> + +<P>LITERARY SOCIETY. ABBÉ DE LA RUE. MESSRS. PIERRE-AIMÉ LAIR AND +LAMOUROUX. MEDAL OF MALHERBE. BOOKSELLERS. MEMOIR OF THE LATE M. +MOYSANT, PUBLIC LIBRARIAN. COURTS OF JUSTICE.</P> + +<P>From the dead let me conduct you to the living. In other words, +prepare to receive some account of <EM>Society</EM>,--and of things +appertaining to the formation of the intellectual character. Caen +can boast of a public Literary Society, and of the publication of +its memoirs.<A name="fnref_121"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_121">121</A> But these "memoirs" consist at present +of only six volumes, and are in our own country extremely rare.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:80%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/236.png" alt="ABBÉ DE LA RUE"> + +<P class = "centered">ABBÉ DE LA RUE <BR> +Ætat. LXXIV.</P> +</DIV> + +<P>Among the men whose moral character and literary reputation +throw a sort of lustre upon Caen, there is no one perhaps that +stands upon <EM>quite</EM> so lofty an eminence as the ABBÉ DE LA +RUE; at this time occupied in publishing a <EM>History of +Caen</EM>.<A name="fnref_122"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_122">122</A> As an archaeologist, he has no superior among his +countrymen; while his essays upon the <EM>Bayeux Tapestry</EM> and +the <EM>Anglo-Norman Poets</EM>, published in our +<EM>Archæologia</EM>, prove that there are few, even among +ourselves, who could have treated those interesting subjects with +more dexterity or better success. The Abbé is, in short, the great +archaeological oracle of Normandy. He was pleased to pay me a Visit +at Lagouelle's. He is fast advancing towards his seventieth +year. His figure is rather stout, and above the mean height: his +complexion is healthful, his eye brilliant, and a plentiful +quantity of waving white hair adds much to the expression of his +countenance.<A name="fnref_123"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_123">123</A> He enquired kindly after our mutual friend Mr. +Douce; of whose talents and character he spoke in a manner which +did equal honour to both. But he was inexorable, as +to--<EM>not</EM> dining with me; observing that his Order was +forbidden to dine in taverns. He gave me a list of places which I +ought to visit in my further progress through Normandy, and took +leave of me more abruptly than I could have wished. He rarely +visits Caen, although a great portion of his library is kept there: +his abode being chiefly in the country, at the residence of a +nobleman to whose son he was tutor. It is delightful to see a man, +of his venerable aspect and widely extended reputation, enjoying, +in the evening of life, (after braving such a tempest, in the +noon-day of it, as that of the Revolution) the calm, unimpaired +possession of his faculties, and the respect of the virtuous and +the wise.</P> + +<P>The study of <EM>Natural History</EM> obtains pretty generally +at Caen; indeed they have an Academy in which this branch of +learning is expressly taught--and of which MONSIEUR LAMOUROUX<A +name="fnref_124"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_124">124</A> is at +once the chief ornament and instructor. This gentleman (to whom our +friend Mr. Dawson Turner furnished me with a letter of +introduction) has the most unaffected manners, and a countenance +particularly open and winning. He is "a very dragon" in +his pursuit. On my second call, I found him busied in unpacking +some baskets of seaweed, yet reeking with the briny moisture; and +which he handled and separated and classed with equal eagerness and +facility. The library of M. Lamouroux is quite a workman-like +library: filled with sensible, solid, and instructive books--and if +he had only accepted a repeated and strongly-pressed invitation to +dine with me at Lagouelle's, to meet his learned brother +PIERRE-AIMÉ LAIR, nothing would have been wanting to the completion +of his character!</P> + +<P>You have just heard the name of Pierre-Aimé Lair. Prepare to +receive a sketch of the character to which that name appertains. +This gentleman is not only the life and soul of the society--but of +the very town--in which he moves. I walked with him, arm in arm, +more than once, through very many streets, passages, and courts, +which were distinguished for any relic of architectural antiquity. +He was recognised and saluted by nearly one person out of three, in +our progress. "Je vous salue"--"vous voilà avec +Monsieur l'Anglois"--"bon jour,"--"comment +ca va-t-il:"--The activity of Pierre-Aimé Lair is only +equalled by his goodness of heart and friendliness of disposition. +He is all kindness. Call when you will, and ask for what you +please, the object solicited is sure to be granted. He never seems +to rise (and he is a very early riser) with spleen, ill-humour, or +untoward propensities. With him, the sun seems always to shine, and +the lark to tune her carol. And this cheerfulness of feeling is +carried by him into every abode however gloomy, and every society +however dull.</P> + +<P>But more substantial praise belongs to this amiable man. Not +only is Pierre-Aimé Lair a lover and collector of tangible +antiquities--such as glazed tiles, broken busts, old pictures, and +fractured capitals--all seen in "long array", up the +windings of his staircase--but he is a critic, and a patron of the +<EM>literary</EM> antiquities of his country. Caen (as I told you +in my last despatch) is the birth-place of MALHERBE; and, in the +character now under discussion, it has found a perpetuator of the +name and merits of the father of French verse. In the year 1806 our +worthy antiquary put forth a project for a general subscription +"for a medal in honour of <EM>Malherbe</EM>,"<A name= +"fnref_125"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_125">125</A> which +project was in due time rewarded by the names of <EM>fifteen +hundred</EM> efficient subscribers, at five francs a piece. The +proposal was doubtless flattering to the literary pride of the +French; and luckily the execution of it surpassed the expectations +of the subscribers. The head is undoubtedly of the most perfect +execution. Not only, however, did this head of Malherbe +succeed--but a feeling was expressed that it might be followed up +by a <EM>Series of Heads</EM> of the most illustrious, of both +sexes, in literature and the fine arts. The very hint was enough +for Lair: though I am not sure whether he be not the father of the +<EM>latter</EM> design also. Accordingly, there has appeared, +periodically, a set of heads of this description, in bronze or +other metal, as the purchaser pleases--which has reflected infinite +credit not only on the name of the projector of this scheme, but on +the present state of the fine arts in France.</P> + +<P>Yet another word about Pierre-Aimé Lair. He is not so inexorable +as M. Lamouroux: for he <EM>has</EM> dined with me, and quaffed the +burgundy and champagne of Lagouelle, commander in chief of this +house. Better wines cannot be quaffed; and Malherbe and the Duke of +Wellington formed the alternate subjects of discourse and praise. +In return, I have dined with our guest. He had prepared an abundant +dinner, and a very select society: but although there was no wand, +as in the case of Sancho Panza, to charm away the dishes, &c. +or to interdict the tasting of them, yet it was scarcely possible +to partake of one in four... so unmercifully were they steeped and +buried in <EM>butter!</EM> The principal topic of discourse, were +the merits of the poets of the respective countries of France and +England, from which I have reason to think that Pope, Thomson, and +Young, are among the greatest favourites with the French. The white +brandy of Pierre-Aimé Lair, introduced after dinner, is hardly to +be described for its strength and pungency. "Vous n'avez +rien comme ca chez vous?" "Je le crois bien, (I replied) +c'est la liquéfaction même du feu." We broke up before +eight; each retiring to his respective avocations--but did not dine +till five. I borrowed, however, "an hour or twain" of the +evening, after the departure of the company, to enjoy the more +particular conversation of our host; and the more I saw and +conversed with him; the greater was my gratification. At parting, +he loaded me with a pile of pamphlets, of all sizes, of his own +publication; and I ventured to predict to him that he would +terminate his multifarious labours by settling into consolidated +BIBLIOMANIACISM. "On peut faire pire!"--was his reply--on +shaking hands with me, and telling me he should certainly meet me +again at <EM>Bayeux</EM>, in my progress through Normandy.<A name= +"fnref_126"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_126">126</A> My +acquaintance with this amiable man seemed to be my security from +insults in the streets.</P> + +<P>Education here commences early, and with incitements as alluring +as at Rouen. POISSON in the <EM>Rue Froide</EM> is the principal, +and indeed a very excellent, printer; but BONNESERRE, in the same +street, has put forth a vastly pretty manual of infantine devotion, +in a brochure of eight pages, of which I send you the first, and +which you may compare with the specimen transmitted in a former +letter.<A name="fnref_127"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_127">127</A></P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:60%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/242.png" alt="Pater noster..."></DIV> + +<P>Chapolin, in the <EM>Rue-Froide-Rue,</EM> has recently published +a most curious little manual, in the cursive secretary gothic, +entitled "<EM>La Civilité honnête pour les enfans qui commence +par la maniere d'apprendre et bien lire, prononcer et +écrire</EM>." I call it "curious," because the very +first initial letter of the text, representing C, introduces us to +the <EM>bizarrerie</EM> of the early part of the XVIth century in +treatises of a similar character. Take this first letter, with a +specimen also of those to which it appertains.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:80%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/243.png" alt="Initial letter C"></DIV> + +<P>This work is full of the old fashioned (and not a bit the worse +on that account) precepts of the same period; such as we see in the +various versions of the "De Moribus Juvenum," of which +the "<EM>Contenance de la Table,"</EM> in the French +language, is probably the most popular. It is executed throughout +in the same small and smudged gothic character; and, as I conceive; +can have few purchasers. The printers of Caen must not be dismissed +without respectful mention of the typographical talents of LE ROY; +who ranks after Poisson. Let both these be considered as the Bulmer +and Bensley of the place.</P> + +<P>But among these venders of infantine literature, or of cheap +popular pieces, there is no man who "drives such a trade" +as PICARD-GUERIN, <EM>Imprimeur en taille-douce et Fabricant +d'Images</EM>," who lives in the <EM>Rue des +Teinturiers,</EM> no.175. I paid him more than one visit; as, from, +his "fabrication," issue the thousands and tens of +thousands of broadsides, chap-books, &c. &c. which inundate +Lower Normandy. You give from <EM>one</EM> to <EM>three</EM> sous, +according as the subject be simple or compound, upon wood or upon +copper:--Saints, martyrs, and scriptural subjects; or heroes, +chieftains, and monarchs, including the Duke of Wellington and +Louis XVIII. le Désiré--are among the taille-douces specified in +the imprints. Madame did me the honour of shewing me some of her +choicest treasures, as her husband was from home. Up stairs was a +parcel of mirthful boys and girls, with painting brushes in their +hands, and saucers of various colours before them. Upon enquiry, I +found that they received four sous per dozen, for colouring; but I +will not take upon me to say that they were over or under paid--of +so <EM>equivocal</EM> a character were their performances. Only I +hoped to be excused if I preferred the plain to the coloured. In a +foreign country, our notice is attracted towards things perhaps the +most mean and minute. With this feeling, I examined carefully what +was put before me, and made a selection sufficient to shew that it +was the produce of French soil. Among the serious subjects were +<EM>two</EM> to which I paid particular attention. The one was a +metrical cantique of the <EM>Prodigal Son,</EM> with six wood cuts +above the text, exhibiting the leading points of the +Gospel-narrative. I will cut out and send you the <EM>second</EM> +of these six: in which you will clearly perceive the military turn +which seems to prevail throughout France in things the most minute. +The Prodigal is about to mount his horse and leave his father's +house, in the cloke and cock'd hat of a French officer.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:70%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/245.png" alt="French officer"></DIV> + +<P>The <EM>fourth</EM> of these cuts is droll enough. It is +entitled, "<EM>L'Enfant Prodigue est chassé par ses +maîtresses."</EM> The expulsion consists in the women driving +him out of doors with besoms and hair-brooms. It is very probable, +however, that all this character of absurdity attaches to some of +our own representations of the same subject; if, instead of +examining (as in Pope's time)</P> + +<P class="poetry">... the walls of Bedlam and Soho,</P> + +<P>we take a survey of the graphic broadsides which dangle from +strings upon the wall at Hyde Park Corner.</P> + +<P>Another subject of a serious character, which I am about to +describe to you, can rarely, in all probability, be the production +of a London artist. It is called "<EM>Notre-Dame de la bonne +Délivrande</EM>," and is necessarily confined to the religion +of the country. You have here, first of all, a reduced form of the +original: probably about one-third--and it is the more appropriate, +as it will serve to give you a very correct notion of the dressing +out of the figures of the VIRGIN and CHILD which are meant to grace +the altars of the chapels of the Virgin in most of the churches in +Normandy. Is it possible that one spark of devotion can be kindled +by the contemplation of an object so grotesque and so absurd in the +House of God?</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:60%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/247.png" alt= +"SAINTE MARIE, MÈRE DE DIEU, priez pour nous."></DIV> + +<P>To describe all the trumpery which is immediately around it, in +the original, would be a waste of time; but below are two good +figures to the right, and two wretched ones to the left. Beneath +the whole, is the following <EM>accredited</EM> consoling piece of +intelligence:</P> + +<P class="quote">L'AN 830, <EM>des Barbares descendent dans les +Gaules, massacrent les Fidèles, profanent et brûlent les Eglises. +Raoul, Duc de Normandie, se joint à eux; l'image de la Ste. +Vierge demeure ensevelie sous les ruines de l'ancienne chapelle +jusqu'au règne de Henri I. l'an 1331. Beaudouin, Baron de +Douvres, averti par son berger qu'un mouton de son troupeau +fouillait toujours dans le même endroit, fit ouvrir la terre, et +trouva ce trésor caché depuis tant d'années. Il fit porter +processionnellement cette sainte image dans l'Eglise de +Douvres: mais Dieu permit qu'elle fut transportée par un Ange +dans l'endroit de la chapelle où elle est maintenant révérée. +C'est dans cette chapelle que, par l'intercession de Marie, +les pécheurs reçoivent leur conversion, les affligés leur +consolation, les infirmes la santé, les captifs leur delivrance, +que ceux qui sont en mer échappent aux tempêtes et au naufrage, et +que des miracles s'opèrent journellement sur les pieux +Fidèles</EM>.</P> + +<P>A word now for BIBLIOPOLISTS--including <EM>Bouquinistes</EM>, +or venders of "old and second-hand books." The very +morning following my arrival in Caen, I walked to the abbey of St. +Stephen, before breakfast, and in the way thither stopped at a book +stall, to the right,--and purchased some black letter folios: among +which the French version of <EM>Caesar's Commentaries,</EM> +printed by Verard, in 1488, was the most desirable acquisition. It +is reserved for Lord Spencer's library;<A name= +"fnref_128"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_128">128</A> at a price +which, freight and duty included, cannot reach the sum of twelve +shillings of our money. Of venders of second hand and old books, +the elder and younger MANOURY take a decisive lead. The former +lives in the <EM>Rue Froide</EM>; the latter in the <EM>Rue Notre +Dame.</EM> The father boasts of having upwards of thirty thousand +volumes, but I much doubt whether his stock amount to one half of +that number. He unhesitatingly asked me two <EM>louis d'or</EM> +for a copy of the <EM>Vaudevires</EM> of OLIVIER BASSELIN, which is +a modern, but privately printed, volume; and of which I hope to +give you some amusing particulars by and by. He also told me that +he had formerly sold a paper copy of <EM>Fust's Bible of +1462,</EM> with many of the illuminated initials cut out, to the +library of the Arsenal, at Paris, for 100 louis d'or. I only +know that, if I had been librarian, he should not have had one half +the money.</P> + +<P>Now for Manoury the younger. Old and young are comparative +terms: for be it known that the son is "agé de soixante +ans." Over his door you read an ancient inscription, thus:</P> + +<P class="poetry">"<EM>Battu, percé, lié, Je veux changer de +main</EM>."</P> + +<P>This implies either (like Aladdin's old lamps for new) that +he wishes to give new books in exchange for old ones, or that he +can smarten up old ones by binding, or otherwise, and give them a +renovated appearance. But the solution is immaterial: the +inscription being as above. The interior of the younger +Manoury's book repository almost appalled me. His front shop, +and a corridor communicating with the back part of the house, are +rank with moisture; and his books are consequently rotting apace. +Upon my making as pitiable a statement as I was able of this +melancholy state of things--and pleading with all my energies +against the inevitable destruction which threatened the dear +books--the obdurate bibliopolist displayed not one scintillation of +sympathy. He was absolutely indifferent to the whole concern. In +the back parlour, almost impervious to day-light, his daughter, and +a stout and handsome bourgeoise, with rather an unusually elevated +cauchoise, were regaling themselves with soup and herbs at dinner. +I hurried through, in my way to the upper regions, with apologies +for the intrusion; but was told that none were necessary--that I +might go where, and stay as long, as I pleased--and that any +explanation would be given to my interrogatories in the way of +business. I expressed my obligations for such civility; and gaining +an upper room, by the help of a chair, made a survey of its +contents. What piles of interminable rubbish! I selected, as the +only rational or desirable volume--half rotted with moisture-- +<EM>Belon's Marine Fishes</EM>, 1551, 4to; and placing six +francs (the price demanded) upon the table, hurried back, through +this sable and dismal territory, with a sort of precipitancy +amounting to horrour. What struck me, as productive of a very +extraordinary effect--was the cheerfulness and <EM>gaieté de +coeur</EM> of these females, in the midst of this region of +darkness and desolation. Manoury told me that the Revolution had +deprived him of the opportunity of having the finest bookselling +stock in France! His own carelessness and utter apathy are likely +to prove yet more destructive enemies.</P> + +<P>But let us touch a more "spirit-stirring" chord in the +book theme. Let us leave the <EM>Bouquiniste</EM> for the PUBLIC +LIBRARY: and I invite you most earnestly to accompany me thither, +and to hear matters of especial import. This library occupies the +upper part of a fine large stone building, devoted to the public +offices of government. The plan of the library is exceedingly +striking; in the shape of a cross. It measures one hundred and +thirty-four, by eighty, French feet; and is supposed, apparently +with justice, to contain 20,000 volumes. It is proportionably wide +and lofty. M. HÉBERT is the present chief librarian, having +succeeded the late M. Moysant, his uncle. Among the more eminent +benefactors and Bibliomaniacs, attached to this library, the name +of FRANCOIS MARTIN is singularly conspicuous. He was, from all +accounts, and especially from the information of M. Hébert, one of +the most raving of book-madmen: but he displayed, withal, a spirit +of kindness and liberality towards his favourite establishment at +Caen, which could not be easily shaken or subdued. He was also a +man of letters, and evinced that most commendable of all literary +propensities--a love of the LITERATURE OF HIS COUNTRY. He amassed a +very large collection of books, which was cruelly pillaged during +the Revolution; but the public library became possessed of a great +number of them. In those volumes, formerly belonging to him, which +are now seen, is the following printed inscription: +"<EM>Franciscus Martin, Doctor Theologus Parisiensis, +comparavit. Oretur pro co</EM>." He was head of the convent of +Cordeliers, and Prefect of the Province: but his mode of collecting +was not always that which a public magistrate would call +<EM>legitimate</EM>. He sought books every where; and when he could +not <EM>buy</EM> them, or obtain them by fair means, he would +<EM>steal</EM> them, and carry them home in the sleeves of his +gown! He flourished about a century ago; and, with very few +exceptions, all the best conditioned books in the library belonged +to this magisterial book-robber. Among them I noted down with +singular satisfaction the Aldine edition of <EM>Stephanus de +Urbibus</EM>, 1502, folio--in its old vellum binding: seemly to the +eye, and comfortable to the touch. Nor did his copy of the +<EM>Repertorium Statutorum Ordinis Cartusiensis</EM>, printed by +<EM>Amerbach, at Basil</EM>, in a glorious gothic character, 1510, +folio, escape my especial notice--also the same Bibliomaniac's +beautiful copy of the <EM>Mentz Herbal</EM>, of 1484, in 4to.</P> + +<P>But the obliquities of Martin assume a less questionable aspect, +when we contemplate a noble work, which he not only projected, but +left behind ready for publication. It is thus entitled: <EM>Athenæ +Normannorum veteres ac recentes, seu syllabus Auctorum qui oriundi +è Normannia, &c.</EM> It consists of one volume, in MS., having +the authority of government, to publish it, prefixed. There is a +short Latin preface, by Martin, followed by two pages of Latin +verses beginning thus:</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>In Auctorum Normannicorum Syllabum.<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Prolusio metrica.</SPAN><BR> + En Syllabus prodit palàm<BR> + Contextus arte sedula<BR> + Ex litteratæ Neustriæ<BR> + Auctoribus celebribus.</EM><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">&c. &c.</SPAN></P> + +<P>Among the men, the memories of whom throw a lustre upon Caen,<A +name="fnref_129"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_129">129</A> was +the famous SAMUEL BOCHART; at once a botanist, a scholar, and a +critic of distinguished celebrity. He was a native of Rouen, and +his books (many of them replete with valuable ms. notes) are among +the chief treasures of the public library, here. Indeed there is a +distinct catalogue of them, and the funds left by their illustrious +owner form the principal support of the library establishment. +Bochart's portrait, with those of many other benefactors to the +library, adorns the walls; suspended above the books: affording a +very agreeable coup-d'oeil. Indeed the principal division of +the library, the further end of which commands a pleasant prospect, +is worthy of an establishment belonging to the capital of an +empire. The kindness of M. Hébert, and of his assistant, rendered +my frequent sojournings therein yet more delectable. The portrait +of his uncle, M. MOYSANT, is among the ornaments of the chief room. +Though Moysant was large of stature, his lungs were feeble, and his +constitution was delicate. At the age of nineteen, he was appointed +professor of grammar and rhetoric in the college of Lisieux. He +then went to Paris, and studied under Beau and Batteux; when, +applying himself more particularly to the profession of physic, he +returned to Caen, in his thirtieth year, and put on the cap of +Doctor of medicine; but he wanted either nerves or stamina for the +successful exercise of his profession. He had cured a patient, +after painful and laborious attention, of a very serious illness; +but his patient chose to take liberties too soon with his +convalescent state. He was imprudent: had a relapse; and was +hurried to his grave. Moysant took it seriously to heart, and gave +up his business in precipitancy and disgust. In fact, he was of too +sanguine and irritable a temperament for the display of that cool, +cautious, and patient conduct, which it behoveth all young +physicians to adopt, ere they can possibly hope to attain the +honours or the wealth of the <EM>Halfords</EM> and <EM>Matons</EM> +of the day! Our Moysant returned to the study of his beloved +belles-lettres. At that moment, luckily, the Society of the Jesuits +was suppressed; and he was called by the King, in 1763, to fill the +chair of Rhetoric in one of the finest establishments of that body +at Caen. He afterwards successively became perpetual Secretary of +the Academy of Sciences, and Vice-President of the Society of +Agriculture. He was next dubbed by the University, Dean of the +faculty of arts, and was selected to pronounce the public oration +upon the marriage of the unfortunate Louis XVI. with Marie +Antoinette. He was now a marked and distinguished public character. +The situation of PUBLIC LIBRARIAN was only wanting to render his +reputation complete, and <EM>that</EM> he instantly obtained upon +the death of his predecessor. With these occupations, he united +that of instructing the English (who were always in the habit of +visiting Caen,) in the French language; and he obtained, in return, +from some of his adult pupils, a pretty good notion of the laws and +liberties of Old England.</P> + +<P>The Revolution now came on: when, like many of his respectable +brethren, he hailed it at first as the harbinger of national +reformation and prosperity. But he had soon reason to find that he +had been deceived. However, in the fervour of the moment, and upon +the suppression of the monastic and other public libraries, he +received a very wide and unqualified commission to search all the +libraries in the department of <EM>Calvados</EM>, and to bring home +to Caen all the treasures he might discover. He set forth upon this +mission with truly public spirited ideas: resolving (says his +nephew) to do for Normandy what Dugdale and Dodsworth had done for +England--and a <EM>Monasticum Neustriacum</EM> was the commendable +object of his ambition. He promised much, and perhaps did more than +he promised. His curious collection (exclusively of the cart-loads +of books which were sent to Caen) was shewn to his countrymen; but +the guillotine was now the order of the day--when Moysant +"resolved to visit England, and submit to the English nobility +the plan of his work, as that nation always attached importance to +the preservation of the monuments, or literary materials, of the +middle ages."--He knew (continues the nephew) how proud the +English were of their descent from the Norman nobles, and it was +only to put them in possession of the means of preserving the +unquestionable proofs of their origin. Moysant accordingly came +over with his wife, and they were both quickly declared emigrants; +their return was interdicted; and our bibliomaniac learnt, with +heart-rending regret, that they had resolved upon the sale of the +national property in France. He was therefore to live by his wits; +having spiritedly declined all offer of assistance from the English +government. In this dilemma he published a work entitled +"<EM>Bibliothèque des Ecrivains Français, ou choix des +meilleurs morceaux en prose et en vers, extraits de leurs +ouvrages</EM>,"--a collection, which was formed with judgment, +and which was attended with complete success. The first edition was +in four octavo volumes, in 1800; the second, in six volumes 1803; a +third edition, I think, followed, with a pocket dictionary of the +English and French languages. It was during his stay amongst us +that he was deservedly admitted a member of the Society of +Antiquaries; but he returned to France in 1802, before the +appearance of the second edition of his <EM>Bibliothèque</EM>; +when, hawk-like, soaring or sailing in suspense between the +book-atmospheres of Paris and Caen, he settled within the latter +place--and again perched himself (at the united call of his +townsmen) upon the chair destined for the PUBLIC LIBRARIAN! It was +to give order, method, and freedom of access, to the enormous mass +of books, which the dissolution of the monastic libraries had +caused to be accumulated at Caen, that Moysant and his colleagues +now devoted themselves with an assiduity as heroic as it was +unintermitting. But the health of our generalissimo, which had been +impaired during his residence in England, began to give way beneath +such a pressure of fatigue and anxiety. Yet it pleased Providence +to prolong his life till towards the close of the year 1813: when +he had the satisfaction of viewing his folios, quartos, octavos, +and duodecimos, arranged in regular succession, and fair array; +when his work was honestly done; and when future visitors had only +to stretch forth their hands and gather the fruit which he had +placed within their reach. His death (we are told)<A name= +"fnref_130"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_130">130</A> was gentle, +and like unto sleep. Religion had consoled him in his latter +moments; and after having reposed upon its efficacy, he waited with +perfect composure for the breathing of his last sigh! Let the name +of MOYSANT be mentioned with the bibliomaniacal honours which, are +doubtless its due!...</P> + +<P>From Librarians, revert we to books: to the books in the PUBLIC +LIBRARY of Caen. The oldest printed volume contained in it, and +which had been bound with a MS, on the supposition of its being a +manuscript also, is Numeister's impression of <EM>Aretinus de +Bella adversus Gothós</EM>, 1470, folio; the first book from the +press of the printer. I undeceived M. Hébert, who had supposed it +to be a MS. The lettering is covered with horn, and the book is +bound in boards; "all proper." The oldest <EM>Latin +Bible</EM> they possess, is of the date of 1485; but there is +preserved one volume of Sweynheym and Pannartz's impression of +<EM>De Lyra's Commentary upon the Bible</EM>, of the date of +1471-2, which luckily contains the list of books printed by those +printers in their memorable supplicatory letter to Pope Sixtus IV. +The earliest Latin Classic appears to be the <EM>Juvenal</EM> of +1474, with the <EM>Commentary of Calderinus</EM>, printed at Rome; +unless a dateless impression of <EM>Lucan</EM>, in the earliest +type of Gering, with the verses placed at a considerable distance +from each other, claim chronological precedence. There is also a +<EM>Valerius Maximus</EM> of 1475, by Cæsaris and Stol, but without +their names. It is a large copy, soiled at the beginning. Of the +same date is Gering's impression of the <EM>Legenda +Sanctorum</EM>; and among the Fifteeners I almost coveted a very +elegant specimen of <EM>Jehan du Pré's</EM> printing (with a +device used by him never before seen by me,) of an edition of +<EM>La Vie des Peres</EM>, 1494, folio, in its original binding. I +collected, from the written catalogue, that they had only +FORTY-FIVE works printed in the FIFTEENTH CENTURY; and of these, +none were of first-rate quality.</P> + +<P>Among the MSS., I was much struck with the beautiful penmanship +of a work, in three folio volumes, of the middle of the sixteenth +century, entitled; <EM>Divertissemens touchant le faict de la +guerre, extraits des livres de Polybe, Frontin, Vegece, Cornazzan, +Machiavel, et autres bons autheurs."</EM> It has no +illuminations, but the scription is beautiful. A <EM>Breviary of +the Church Service of Lisieux</EM>, of the fifteenth century, has +some pretty but common illuminations. It is not however free from +injury. Of more intrinsic worth is a MS. entitled <EM>Du +Costentin</EM>, (a district not far from Caen,) with the following +prefix in the hand-writing of Moysant. "Ces mémoires sont de +M. Toustaint de Billy, curé du Mesnil au- parc, qui avoit travaillé +toute sa vie à l'histoire du Cotentin. Ils sont rares et +m'ont été accordes par M. Jourdan, Notaire, auquel ils +appartenoient. Le p. (Père) le Long et Mons. Teriet de fontette ne +les out pas connu. Moysantz." It is a small folio, in a neat +hand-writing. Another MS., or rather a compound of ms. and printed +leaves, of yet considerably more importance, in 3 folio volumes, is +entitled <EM>Le Moreri des Normans, par Joseph Andrié Guiat de +Rouen:</EM> on the reverse of the title, we read, +"<EM>Supplément au Dictionnaire de Moreri pour ce qui concerne +la province de Normandie, et ses illustres</EM>." A short +preface follows; then an ode "aux Grands Hommes de +Normandie." It is executed in the manner of a dictionary, +running in alphabetical order. The first volume extends to the +letter I, and is illustrated with scraps from newspapers, and a few +portraits. It is written pretty fully in double columns. The +portrait and biography of <EM>Bouzard</EM> form an admirable +specimen of biographical literary memoirs. The second volume goes +to Z. The third volume is entitled "<EM>Les trois Siècles +palinodiques, ou Histoire Générale des Palinods de Rouen, Dieppe, +&c.</EM>--by the same hand, with an equal quantity of matter. +It is right that such labours should be noticed, for the sake of +all future BLISS-like editors of provincial literature. There is +another similar work, in 2 folio ms. volumes, relating to +<EM>Coutance</EM>.</P> + +<P>Before we again touch upon printed books, but of a later period, +it may be right to inform you that the treasures of this Library +suffered materially from the commotions of the Calvinists. Those +hot-headed interpreters of scripture destroyed every thing in the +shape of ornament or elegance attached to book-covers; and piles of +volumes, however sacred, or unexceptionable on the score of good +morals, were consigned to the fury of the flames. Of the remaining +volumes which I saw, take the following very rapid sketch. Of +<EM>Hours</EM>, or <EM>Church Services</EM>, there is a +prodigiously fine copy of an edition printed by <EM>Vostre</EM>, in +4to., upon paper, without date. It is in the original ornamented +cover, or binding, with a forest of rough edges to the leaves--and +doubtless the finest copy of the kind I ever saw. Compared with +this, how inferior, in every respect is a cropt copy of +<EM>Kerver's</EM> impression of a similar work, printed upon +vellum! This latter is indeed a very indifferent book; but the +rough usage it has met with is the sole cause of such inferiority. +I was well pleased with a fair, sound copy of the <EM>Speculum +Stultorum</EM>, in 4to., bl. letter, in hexameter and pentameter +verses, without date. Nor did I examine without interest a rare +little volume entitled "<EM>Les Origines de quelques Coutumes +anciennes, et de plusieurs façons de parler triviales. Avec un +vieux Manuscrit en vers, touchant l'Origine des Chevaliers +Bannerets</EM>; printed at Caen in 1672, 12mo.: a curious little +work. They have a fine (royal) copy of <EM>Walton's +Polyglot</EM>, with an excellent impression of the head; and a +large paper copy of <EM>Stephen's Greek Glossary</EM>; in old +vellum binding, with a great number of ms. notes by Bochart. Also a +fine large paper <EM>Photius</EM> of 1654, folio. But among their +LARGE PAPERS, few volumes tower with greater magnificence than do +the three folios of <EM>La Sainte Bible</EM>, printed by the +Elzevirs at Amsterdam, in 1669. They are absolutely fine creatures; +of the stateliest dimensions and most attractive forms. They also +pretend that their large paper copy of the first edition of +<EM>Huet's Praeparatio Evangelica</EM>, in folio, is unique. +Probably it is, as the author presented it to the Library himself. +The <EM>Basil Eustathius</EM> of 1559, in 3 volumes folio, is as +glorious a copy as is Mr. Grenville's of the Roman edition of +1542.<A name="fnref_131"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_131">131</A> It is in its pristine membranaceous attire--the +vellum lapping over the fore-edges, in the manner of Mr. +Heber's copy of the first Aldine Aristotle,--most comfortable +to behold! There is a fine large paper copy of <EM>Montaigne's +Essays</EM>, 1635, folio, containing two titles and a portrait of +the author. It is bound in red morocco, and considered by M. Hébert +a most rare and desirable book. Indeed I was told that one +Collector in particular was exceedingly anxious to obtain it. I saw +a fine copy of the folio edition of <EM>Ronsard</EM>, printed in +1584, which is considered rare. There is also a copy of the well +known <EM>Liber Nanceidos</EM>, from Bochart's library, with a +few ms. notes by Bochart himself. Here I saw, for the first time, a +French metrical version of the works of <EM>Virgil, by Robert and +Anthony Chevaliers d'Agneaux freres, de Vire, en +Normandie</EM>; published at Paris in 1582, in elegant italic type; +considered rare. The same translators published a version of +Horace; but it is not here. You may remember that I made mention of +a certain work (in one of my late letters) called <EM>Les +Vaudevires d'Olivier Basselin</EM>. They preserve here a very +choice copy of it, in 4to., large paper; and of which size only ten +copies are said to be in existence. The entire title is +"<EM>Les Vaudevires Poesies du XVme. siècle, par Olivier +Basselin, avec un Discours sur sa Vie et des Notes pour +l'explication de quelques anciens Mots: Vire, 1811</EM>." +8vo. There are copies upon pink paper, of which this is one--and +which was in fact presented to the Library by the Editors. Prefixed +to it, is an indifferent drawing, in india ink, representing the +old castle of Vire, now nearly demolished, with Basselin seated at +a table along with three of his boosing companions, chaunting his +verses "à pleine gorge." This Basselin appears in short +to have been the French DRUNKEN BARNABY of his day.</P> + +<P>"What! (say you:) "not <EM>one</EM> single specimen +from the library of your favourite DIANE DE POICTIERS? Can this be +possible?"--No more of interrogatory, I beseech you: but +listen attentively and gratefully to the intelligence which you are +about to receive--and fancy not, if you have any respect for my +taste, that I have forgotten my favourite Diane de Poictiers. On +looking sharply about you, within this library, there will be found +a magnificent copy of the <EM>Commentaries of Chrysostom upon the +Epistles of St. Paul</EM>, printed by <EM>Stephanus et Fratres a +Sabio, at Verona</EM>, in 1529, in three folio volumes. It is by +much and by far the finest Greek work which I ever saw from the +<EM>Sabii</EM> Press.<A name="fnref_132"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_132">132</A> No wonder Colbert jumped with avidity to obtain +such a copy of it: for, bating that it is "un peu rogné," +the condition and colour are quite enchanting. And then for the +binding!--which either Colbert, or his librarian Baluze, had the +good sense and good taste to leave <EM>untouched</EM>. The first +and second volumes are in reddish calf, with the royal arms in the +centre, and the half moon (in tarnished silver) beneath: the +arabesque ornaments, or surrounding border is in gilt. The edges +are gilt, stamped; flush with the fore edges of the binding. In the +centre of the sides of the binding, is a large H, with a fleur de +lis at top: the top and bottom borders presenting the usual D and +H, united, of which you may take a peep in the <EM>Bibliographical +Decameron.</EM> The third volume is in dark blue leather, with the +same side ornaments; and the title of the work, as with the +preceding volumes, is lettered in Greek capitals. The H and crown, +and monogram, as before; but the edges of the leaves are, in this +volume, stamped at bottom and top with an H, surmounted by a crown. +The sides of the binding are also fuller and richer than in the +preceding volumes. This magnificent copy was given to the Library +by P. Le Jeune. It is quite a treasure in its way.</P> + +<P>Another specimen, if you please, from the library of our +favourite Diana. It is rather of a singular character: consisting +of a French version of that once extremely popular work (originally +published in the Latin language) called the <EM>Cosmography of +Sebastian Munster.</EM> The edition is of the date of 1556, in +folio. This copy must have been as splendid as it is yet curious. +It contains two portraits of Henry the Second ("HENRICVS II. +GALLIARVM REX INVICTISS. PP.") and four of Holofernes +("OLOFARNE.") on each side of the binding. In the centre +of the sides we recognise the lunar ornaments of Diane de +Poictiers; but on the back, are five portraits of her, in gilt, +each within the bands--and, like all the other ornaments, much +rubbed. Two of these five heads are facing a different head of +Henry. There are also on the sides two pretty medallions of a +winged figure blowing a trumpet, and standing upon a chariot drawn +by four horses: there are also small fleur de lis scattered between +the ornaments of the sides of the binding. The date of the +medallion seems to be 1553. The copy is cruelly cropt, and the +volume is sufficiently badly printed; which makes it the more +surprising that such pains should have been taken with its +bibliopegistic embellishments. Upon the whole, this copy, for the +sake of its ornaments, is vehemently desirable.</P> + +<P>And now, my dear friend, you must make your bow with me to M. +Hébert, and bid farewell to the PUBLIC LIBRARY at Caen. Indeed I am +fully disposed to bid farewell to every thing else in the same +town: not however without being conscious that very much, both of +what I have, and of what I have not, seen, merits a detail well +calculated to please the intellectual appetites of travellers. What +I have seen, has been indeed but summarily, and even superficially, +described; but I have done my best; and was fearful of exciting +ennui by a more parish-register-like description. For the service +performed in places of public worship, I can add nothing to my +Rouen details--except that there is here an agreeable PROTESTANT +CHURCH, of which M. MARTIN ROLLIN, is the Pastor. He has just +published a "<EM>Mémoire Historique sur l'Etat +Eclésiastique des Protestans François depuis François Ler +jusqu'à Louis XVIII</EM>:" in a pamphlet of some fourscore +pages. The task was equally delicate and difficult of execution; +but having read it, I am free to confess that M. Rollin has done +his work very neatly and very cleverly. I went in company with Mrs. +and Miss I---- to hear the author preach; for he is a young man +(about thirty) who draws his congregation as much from his talents +as a preacher, as from his moral worth as an individual. It was on +the occasion of several young ladies and gentlemen taking the +sacrament for the first time. The church is strictly, I believe, +according to the Geneva persuasion; but there was something so +comfortable, and to me so cheering, in the avowed doctrine of +Protestantism, that I accompanied my friends with alacrity to the +spot. Many English were present; for M. Rollin is deservedly a +favourite with our countrymen. The church, however, was scarcely +half filled. The interior is the most awkwardly adapted imaginable +to the purposes either of reading or of preaching: for it consists +of two aisles at right angles with each other. The desk and pulpit +are fixed in the receding angle of their junction; so that the +voice flies forth to the right and left immediately as it escapes +the preacher. After a very long, and a very tediously sung psalm, +M. Rollin commenced his discourse. He is an extemporaneous +preacher. His voice is sweet and clear, rather than sonorous and +impressive; and he is perhaps, occasionally, too metaphorical in +his composition. For the first time I heard the words "<EM>Oh +Dieu!</EM>" pronounced with great effect: but the sermon was +made up of better things than mere exclamations. M. Rollin was +frequently ingenious; logical, and convincing; and his address to +the young communicants, towards the close of his discourse, was +impressive and efficient. The young people were deeply touched by +his powerful appeal, and I believe each countenance was suffused +with tears. He guarded them against the dangers and temptations of +that world upon which they were about to enter, by setting before +them the consolations of the religion which they had professed, in +a manner which indicated that he had really their interests and +happiness at heart.</P> + +<P>A word only about COURTS OF JUSTICE. "A smack of the +whip" will tingle in my ears through life;<A name= +"fnref_133"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_133">133</A> and I shall +always attend "<EM>Nisi Prius</EM>" exhibitions with more +than ordinary curiosity. I strolled one morning to the <EM>Place de +Justice</EM>--which is well situated, in an airy and respectable +neighbourhood. I saw two or three barristers, en pleine costume, +pretty nearly in the English fashion; walking quickly to and fro +with their clients, in the open air before the hall; and could not +help contrasting the quick eye and unconcerned expression of +countenance of the former, with the simple look and yet earnest +action of the latter. I entered the Hall, and, to my astonishment, +heard only a low muttering sound. Scarcely fifteen people were +present, I approached the bench; and what, think you, were the +intellectual objects upon which my eye alighted? Three Judges ... +all fast asleep! Five barristers, two of whom were nodding: one was +literally addressing <EM>the bench</EM> ... and the remaining two +were talking to their clients in the most unconcerned manner +imaginable. The entire effect, on my mind, was ridiculous in the +extreme. Far be it from me, however, to designate the foregoing as +a generally true picture of the administration of Justice at Caen. +I am induced to hope and believe that a place, so long celebrated +for the study of the law, yet continues occasionally to exhibit +proofs of that logic and eloquence for which it has been renowned +of old. I am willing to conclude that all the judges are not alike +somniferous; and that if the acuteness of our GIFFORDS, and the +rhetoric of our DENMANS, sometimes instruct and enliven the +audience, there will be found Judges to argue like GIBBS and to +decide like SCOTT.<A name="fnref_134"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_134">134</A> Farewell.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER XIV.</H3> + +<P>BAYEUX. CATHEDRAL. ORDINATION OF PRIESTS AND DEACONS. CRYPT OF +THE CATHEDRAL.</P> + +<P><EM>Bayeux, May 16</EM>, 1818.</P> + +<P>Two of the most gratifying days of my Tour have been spent at +this place. The Cathedral (one of the most ancient religious places +of worship in Normandy)<A name="fnref_135"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_135">135</A> has been paced with a reverential step, and +surveyed with a careful eye. That which scarcely warmed the blood +of Ducarel has made my heart beat with an increased action; and +although this town be even dreary, as well as thinly peopled, there +is that about it which, from associations of ideas, can never fail +to afford a lively interest to a British antiquary.</P> + +<P>The Diligence brought me here from Caen in about two hours and a +half. The country, during the whole route, is open, well +cultivated, occasionally gently undulating, but generally denuded +of trees. Many pretty little churches, with delicate spires, peeped +out to the right and left during the journey; but the first view of +the CATHEDRAL of BAYEUX put all the others out of my recollection. +I was conveyed to the <EM>Hôtel de Luxembourg</EM>, the best inn in +the town, and for a wonder rather pleasantly situated. Mine hostess +is a smart, lively, and shrewd woman; perfectly mistress of the art +and craft of innkeeping, and seems to have never known sorrow or +disappointment. Knowing that Mr. Stothard, Jun. had, the preceding +year, been occupied in making a fac-simile of the "famous +tapestry" for our Society of Antiquaries, I enquired if mine +hostess had been acquainted with that gentleman: +"Monsieur," "je le connois bien; c'est un brave +homme: il demeura tout près: aussi travailla-t-il comme quatre +diables!" I will not disguise that this eulogy of our amiable +countryman<A name="fnref_136"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_136">136</A> pleased me "right well"--though I was +pretty sure that such language was the current (and to me somewhat +<EM>coarse</EM>) coin of compliment upon all occasions: and instead +of "vin ordinaire" I ordered, rather in a gay and +triumphant manner, "une bouteille du vin de +Beaune"--"Ah! ça," (replied the lively landlady,) +"vous le trouverez excellent, Monsieur, il n'y a pas du +vin comme le vin de Beaune." Bespeaking my dinner, I strolled +towards the cathedral.</P> + +<P>There is, in fact, no proper approach to this interesting +edifice. The western end is suffocated with houses. Here stands the +post-office; and with the most unsuspecting frankness, on the part +of the owner, I had permission to examine, with my own hands, +within doors, every letter--under the expectation that there were +some for myself. Nor was I disappointed. But you must come with me +to the cathedral: and of course we must enter together at the +western front. There are five porticos: the central one being +rather large, and the two, on either side, comparatively small. +Formerly, these were covered with sculptured figures and ornaments; +but the Calvinists in the sixteenth, and the Revolutionists in the +eighteenth century, have contrived to render their present aspect +mutilated and repulsive in the extreme. On entering, I was struck +with the two large transverse Norman arches which bestride the +area, or square, for the bases of the two towers. It is the boldest +and finest piece of masonry in the whole building. The interior +disappointed me. It is plain, solid, and divested of ornament. A +very large wooden crucifix is placed over the screen of the choir, +which has an effect--of its kind: but the monuments, and mural +ornaments, scarcely deserve mention. The richly ornamented arches, +on each side of the nave, springing from massive single pillars, +have rather an imposing effect: above them are Gothic ornaments of +a later period, but too thickly and injudiciously applied. Let me +now suppose that the dinner is over, and the "vin de +Beaune" approved of--and that on a second visit, immediately +afterwards, there is both time and inclination for a leisurely +survey. On looking up, upon entering, within the side aisle to the +left, you observe, with infinite regret, a dark and filthy green +tint indicative of premature decay--arising from the lead (of that +part of the roof,) having been stript for the purpose of making +bullets during the Revolution. The extreme length of the interior +is about 320 English feet, by 76 high, and the same number of feet +in width. The transepts are about 125 feet long, by 36 wide. The +western towers, to the very top of the spires, are about 250 +English feet in height.</P> + +<P>One of the most curious objects in the Cathedral, is the CRYPT; +of which, singularly enough, all knowledge had been long lost till +the year 1412. The circumstance of its discovery is told in the +following inscription, cut in the Gothic letter, upon a brass +plate, and placed just above the southern entrance:</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>En lan mil quatre cens et douze<BR> + Tiers iour d'Auril que pluye arrouse<BR> + Les biens de la terre, la journee<BR> + Que la Pasques fut celebree<BR> + Noble homme et Reverend Pere<BR> + Jehan de Boissey, de'la Mere<BR> + Eglise de Bayeux Pasteur<BR> + Rendi l'ame a son Createur<BR> + Et lors enfoissant la place<BR> + Devant la grand Autel de grace<BR> + Trova l'on la basse Chapelle<BR> + Dont il n'avoit ete nouvelle<BR> + Ou il est mis en sepulture<BR> + Dieu ueuille avoir son ame en cure. Amen</EM>.</P> + +<P>It was my good fortune to visit this crypt at a very particular +juncture. The day after my arrival at Bayeux, there was a grand +<EM>Ordination</EM>. Before I had quitted my bed, I heard the +mellow and measured notes of human voices; and starting up, I saw +an almost interminable procession of priests, deacons, &c., +walking singly behind each other, in two lines, leaving a +considerable space between them. They walked bareheaded, chanting, +with a book in their hands; and bent their course towards the +cathedral. I dressed quickly; and, dispatching my breakfast with +equal promptitude, pursued the same route. On entering the western +doors, thrown wide open, I shall never forget the effect produced +by the crimson and blue draperies of the Norman women:--a great +number of whom were clustered, in groups, upon the top of the +screen, about the huge wooden crucifix;-- witnessing the office of +ordination going on below, in the choir. They seemed to be +suspended in the air; and considering the piece of sculpture around +which they appeared to gather themselves--with the elevation of the +screen itself--it was a combination of objects upon which the +pencil might have been exercised with the happiest possible result. +An ordination in a foreign country, and especially one upon such an +apparently extensive scale, was, to a professional man, not to be +slighted; and accordingly I determined upon making the most of the +spectacle before me. Looking accidentally down my favourite crypt, +I observed that some religious ceremony was going on there. The +northern grate, or entrance, being open, I descended a flight of +steps, and quickly became an inmate of this subterraneous abode. +The first object that struck me was, the warm glow of day light +which darted upon the broad pink cross of the surplice of an +officiating priest: a candle was burning upon the altar, on each +side of him: another priest, in a black vesture, officiated as an +assistant; and each, in turn, knelt, and bowed, and prayed ... to +the admiration of some few half dozen casual yet attentive +visitors--while the full sonorous chant, from the voices of upwards +of one hundred and fifty priests and deacons, from the choir above, +gave a peculiar sort of solemnity to the mysterious gloom +below.</P> + +<P>I now ascended; and by the help of a chair, took a peep at the +ceremony through the intercolumniations of the choir: my +diffidence, or rather apprehension of refusal, having withheld me +from striving to gain admittance within the body. But my situation +was a singularly good one: opposite the altar. I looked, and beheld +this vast clerical congregation at times kneeling, or standing, or +sitting: partially, or wholly: while the swell of their voices, +accompanied by the full intonations of the organ, and the yet more +penetrating notes of the <EM>serpent</EM>, seemed to breathe more +than earthly solemnity around. The ceremony had now continued full +two hours; when, in the midst of the most impressive part of it, +and while the young candidates for ordination were prostrate before +the high altar (the diapason stop of the organ, as at Dieppe,<A +name="fnref_137"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_137">137</A> +sending forth the softest notes) the venerable Bishop placed the +glittering mitre (apparently covered with gold gauze) upon his +head, and with a large gilt crosier in his right hand, descended, +with a measured and majestic step, from the floor of the altar, and +proceeded to the execution of the more mysterious part of his +office. The candidates, with closed eyes, and outstretched hands, +were touched with the holy oil--and thus became consecrated. On +rising, each received a small piece of bread between the thumb and +forefinger, and the middle and third fingers; their hands being +pressed together--and, still with closed eyes, they retired behind +the high altar, where an officiating priest made use of the bread +to rub off the holy oil. The Bishop is an elderly man, about three +score and ten; he has the usual sallow tint of his countrymen, but +his eye, somewhat sunk or retired, beneath black and overhanging +eyebrows, is sharp and expressive. His whole mien has the +indication of a well-bred and well-educated gentleman. When he +descended with his full robes, crosier, and mitre, from the high +altar, me-thought I saw some of the venerable forms of our WYKEHAMS +and WAYNEFLETES of old-- commanding the respect, and receiving the +homage, of a grateful congregation! At the very moment my mind was +deeply occupied by the effects produced from this magnificent +spectacle, I strolled into <EM>Our Lady's Chapel</EM>, behind +the choir, and beheld a sight which converted seriousness into +surprise--bordering upon mirth. Above the altar of this remotely +situated chapel, stands the IMAGE OF THE VIRGIN with the infant +Jesus in her arms. This is the usual chief ornament of Our +Lady's Chapel. But what drapery for the mother of the sacred +child!--stiff, starch, rectangularly-folded, white muslin, stuck +about with diverse artificial flowers--like unto a shew figure in +Brook Green Fair! This ridiculous and most disgusting costume began +more particularly at Caudebec. Why is it persevered in? Why is it +endured? The French have a quick sensibility, and a lively +apprehension of what is beautiful and brilliant in the arts of +sculpture and painting ... but the terms "joli," +"gentil," and "propre," are made use of, like +charity, to "cover a multitude of sins" ... or +aberrations from true taste. I scarcely stopped a minute in this +chapel, but proceeded to a side one, to the right, which yet +affords proof of its pristine splendour. It is covered with gold +and colours. Two or three supplicants were kneeling before the +crucifix, and appeared to be so absorbed in their devotions as to +be insensible of every surrounding object. To them, the particular +saint (I have forgotten the name) to whom the little chapel was +dedicated, seemed to be dearer and more interesting than the +general voice of "praise and thanksgiving" with which the +choir of the cathedral resounded. Before we quit the place you must +know that fourscore candidates were ordained: that there are sixty +clergy attached to the cathedral;<A name="fnref_138"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_138">138</A> and that upwards of four hundred +thousand souls are under the spiritual cognizance of the BISHOP OF +BAYEUX. The treasures of the Cathedral were once excessive,<A name= +"fnref_139"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_139">139</A> and the +episcopal stipend proportionably large: but, of late years, things +are sadly changed. The Calvinists, in the sixteenth century, began +the work of havoc and destruction; and the Revolutionists in the +eighteenth, as usual, put the finish to these devastations. At +present, from a very respectable source of information, I learn +that the revenues of the Bishop scarcely exceed 700<EM>l</EM>. per +annum of our own money. I cannot take leave of the cathedral +without commending, in strong terms of admiration, the lofty flying +buttresses of the exterior of the nave. The perpendicular portions +are crowned with a sculptured whole length figure, from which the +semi-arch takes its spring; and are in much more elegant taste than +any other part of the building.</P> + +<P>Hard by the cathedral stood formerly a magnificent EPISCOPAL +PALACE. Upon this palace the old writers dearly loved to expatiate. +There is now however nothing but a good large comfortable family +mansion; sufficient for the purposes of such hospitality and +entertainment as the episcopal revenues will afford. I have not +only seen, but visited, this episcopal residence. In other words, +my friend Pierre-Aimé Lair having promised to take his last adieu +of me at Bayeux, as he had business with the Bishop, I met him +agreeably to appointment at the palace; but his host, with a strong +corps of visitors, having just sate down to dinner--it was only one +o'clock--I bade him adieu, with the hope of seeing the Bishop +on the morrow--to whom he had indeed mentioned my name. Our +farewell was undoubtedly warm and sincere. He had volunteered a +thousand acts of kindness towards me without any possible motive of +self interest; and as he lifted up his right hand, exclaiming +"adieu, pour toujours!" I will not dissemble that I was +sensibly affected by the touching manner in which it was uttered +... and PIERRE AIMÉ LAIR shall always claim from me the warmest +wishes for his prosperity and happiness.<A name="fnref_140"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_140">140</A> I hurried back through the +court-yard--at the risk of losing a limb from the ferocious spring +of a tremendous (chained) mastiff-- and without returning the +salute of the porter, shut the gate violently, and departed. For +five minutes, pacing the south side of the cathedral, I was lost in +a variety of painful sensations. How was I to see the +LIBRARY?--where could I obtain a glimpse of the TAPESTRY?--and now, +that Pierre Aimé Lair was to be no more seen, (for he told me he +should quit the place on that same evening) who was to stand my +friend, and smooth my access to the more curious and coveted +objects of antiquity?</P> + +<P>Thus absorbed in a variety of contending reflections, a tall +figure, clad in a loose long great coat, in a very gracious manner +approached and addressed me. "Your name, Sir, is D----?" +"At your service, Sir, that is my name." "You were +yesterday evening at Monsieur Pluquet's, purchasing +books?" "I was, Sir." "It seems you are very +fond of old books, and especially of those in the French and Latin +languages?" "I am fond of old books generally; but I now +seek more particularly those in your language-- and have been +delighted with an illuminated, and apparently coeval, MS. of the +poetry of your famous OLIVIER BASSELIN, which..." "You +saw it, Sir, at Monsieur Pluquet's. It belonged to a common +friend of us both. He thinks it worth..." "He asks +<EM>ten louis d'or</EM> for it, and he shall have them with all +my heart." "Sir, I know he will never part with it even +for that large sum." I smiled, as he pronounced the word +"large." "Do me the honour, Sir, of visiting my +obscure dwelling, in the country--a short league from hence. My +abode is humble: in the midst of an orchard, which my father +planted: but I possess a few books, some of them curious, and +should like to <EM>read</EM> double the number I +<EM>possess</EM>." I thanked the stranger for his polite +attention and gracious offer, which I accepted readily.... +"This evening, Sir, if you please." "With all my +heart, this very evening. But tell me, Sir, how can I obtain a +sight of the CHAPTER LIBRARY, and of the famous TAPESTRY?" +"Speak softly, (resumed the unknown) for I am watched in this +place. You shall see both--but must not say that Monsieur ---- was +your adviser or friend. For the present, farewell. I shall expect +you in the evening." We took leave; and I returned hastily to +the inn, to tell my adventures to my companion.</P> + +<P>There is something so charmingly mysterious in this little +anecdote, that I would not for the world add a syllable of +explanation. Leaving you, therefore, in full possession of it, to +turn and twist it as you please, consider me as usual, Yours.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER XV.</H3> + +<P>VISIT NEAR ST. LOUP. M. PLUQUET, APOTHECARY AND BOOK-VENDER. +VISIT TO THE BISHOP. THE CHAPTER LIBRARY. DESCRIPTION OF THE BAYEUX +TAPESTRY. TRADE AND MANUFACTURE.</P> + +<P>Well, my good friend! the stranger has been visited: his library +inspected: his services accepted: and his character partly +unfolded. To this I must add, in the joy of my heart, (as indeed I +mentioned slightly in my last) that both the Chapter LIBRARY and +the famous TAPESTRY have been explored and examined in a manner, I +trust, worthy of British curiosity. I hardly know what sort of +order to adopt in this my second and last epistle from Bayeux; +which will be semi-bibliomaniacal and semi-archaeological: and sit +down, almost at random, to impart such intelligence as my journal +and my memory supply.</P> + +<P>The last was almost a purely <EM>ecclesiastical</EM> dispatch: +as I generally first take off my cap to the towers and turrets of a +cathedral. Now then for THE STRANGER! ... for it would be cruel to +prolong the agony of expectation. Mr. Lewis having occupied +himself, almost exclusively, with his pencil during the whole +morning, I persuaded him to accompany me to <EM>St. Loup</EM>. +After dinner we set out upon our expedition. It had rained in the +interim, and every tree was charged with moisture as we passed them +... their blossoms exhaling sweets of the most pungent fragrance. +The road ran in a straight line from the west front of the +cathedral, which, on turning round, as we saw it irradiated by +partial glimpses of sunshine, between masses of dark clouds, +assumed a very imposing and venerable aspect. I should tell you, +however, that the obliging Monsieur ---- came himself to the Hôtel +de Luxembourg, to conduct us to his humble abode: for +"humble" it is in every sense of the word. About +two-thirds of the way thither, we passed the little church of +<EM>St. Loup</EM>: a perfect Gothic toy of the XIIth century--with +the prettiest, best-proportioned tower that can be imagined.<A +name="fnref_141"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_141">141</A> It has +a few slight clustered columns at the four angles, but its height +and breadth are truly pigmy. The stone is of a whitish grey. We did +not enter; and with difficulty could trace our way to examine the +exterior through the high grass of the church yard, yet +<EM>laid</EM> with the heavy rain. What a gem would the pencil of +BLORE make of this tiny, ancient, interesting edifice! At length we +struck off, down a lane slippery with moisture--when, opening a +large swinging gate--"here (exclaimed our guide)--lived and +died my father, and here his son hopes to live and die also. +Gentlemen, yonder is my hermitage." It was a retirement of the +most secluded kind: absolutely surrounded by trees, shrubs, hay- +stacks, and corn-stacks--for Monsieur ---- hath a fancy for farming +as well as for reading. The stair-case, though constructed of good +hard Norman stone, was much worn in the middle from the frequent +tread of half a century. It was also fatiguingly steep, but luckily +it was short. We followed our guide to the left, where, passing +through one boudoir-like apartment, strewn with books and papers, +and hung with a parcel of mean ornaments called <EM>pictures</EM>, +we entered a second--of which portions of the wainscoat were taken +away, to shew the books which were deposited behind. Row after row, +and pile upon pile, struck my wondering eye. Anon, a closet was +opened--and there again they were stowed, "thick and +threefold." A few small busts, and fractured vases, were meant +to grace a table in the centre of the room. Of the books, it is but +justice to say that <EM>rarity</EM> had been sacrificed to +<EM>utility</EM>. There were some excellent, choice, critical +works; a good deal of Latin; some Greek, and a sprinkle of +Hebrew--for Monsieur ---- is both a general and a sound scholar. On +pointing to <EM>Houbigant's Hebrew Bible</EM>, in four folio +volumes, 1753, "do you think this copy dear at fourteen +francs?" said he!--"How, Sir," (replied I, in an +exstacy of astonishment)--you mean to say fourteen +<EM>louis</EM>?" "Not at all, Sir. I purchased it at the +price just mentioned, nor do I think it too dear at that +sum"--resumed he, in the most unsuspecting manner. I then told +him, as a sort of balsamic consolation, that a late friend (I +alluded to poor Mr. Ormerod) rejoiced on giving £12. for a copy by +no means superior. "Ah, le bon Dieu!...." was his only +observation thereupon.</P> + +<P>When about to return to the boudoir, through which we had +entered, I observed with mingled surprise and pleasure, the four +prettily executed English prints, after the drawings of the present +Lady Spencer, called "<EM>New Shoes"--"Nice +Supper</EM>" &c. Monsieur ---- was pleased at my stopping +to survey them. "Ce sont là, Monsieur (observed he), les dames +qui me font toujours compagnie:"--nor can you conceive the +very soft and gentlemanly manner, accompanied by a voice subdued +even to sadness of tone, with which he made this, and almost every +observation. I found, indeed, from the whole tenor of his +discourse, that he had a mind in no ordinary a state of +cultivation: and on observing that a great portion of his library +was THEOLOGICAL, I asked him respecting the general subjects upon +which he thought and wrote. He caught hold of my left arm, and +stooping (for he is much taller than myself, ... which he easily +may be, methinks I hear you add...) "Sir, said he, I am by +profession a clergyman ... although now I am designated as an +<EM>ex-Curé</EM>. I have lived through the Revolution ... and may +have partaken of some of its irregularities, rather, I should hope +than of its atrocities. In the general hue-and-cry for reform, I +thought that our church was capable of very great improvement, and +I think so still. The part I took was influenced by conscientious +motives, rather than by a blind and vehement love of reform;... but +it has never been forgiven or forgotten. The established clergy of +the place do not associate with me; but I care not a farthing for +that--since I have here (pointing to his books) the very best +society in the world. It was from the persuasion of the clergy +having a constantly-fixed eye upon me, that I told you I was +watched ... when walking near the precincts of the cathedral. I had +been seeking you during the whole of the office of +ordination." In reply to my question about his +<EM>archaeological</EM> researches, he said he was then occupied in +writing a disquisition upon the <EM>Bayeux Tapestry</EM>, in which +he should prove that the Abbé de la Rue was wrong in considering it +as a performance of the XIIth century. "He is your great +antiquarian oracle"--observed I. "He has an over-rated +reputation"--replied he--"and besides, he is too +hypothetical." Monsieur ---- promised to send me a copy of his +dissertation, when printed; and then let our friend N---- be judge +"in the matter of the Bayeux Tapestry." From the open +windows of this hermitage, into which the branches absolutely +thrust themselves, I essayed, but in vain, to survey the +surrounding country; and concluded a visit of nearly two hours, in +a manner the most gratifying imaginable to honest feelings. A +melancholy, mysterious air, seemed yet, however, to mark this +amiable stranger, which had not been quite cleared up by the +account he had given of himself. "Be assured (said he, at +parting) that I will see you again, and that every facility shall +be afforded you in the examination of the Bayeux Tapestry. I have +an uncle who is an efficient member of the corporation."</P> + +<P>On my way homeward from this ramble, I called again upon M. +Pluquet, an apothecary by profession, but a book lover and a book +vender<A name="fnref_142"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_142">142</A> in his heart. The scene was rather singular. +Below, was his <EM>Pharmacopeia</EM>; above were his bed-room and +books; with a broken antique or two, in the court-yard, and in the +passage leading to it. My first visit had been hasty, and only as a +whetter to the second. Yet I contrived to see from a visitor, who +was present, the desirable MS. of the vulgar poetry of OLIVIER +BASSELIN, of which I made mention to M.----. The same stranger was +again present. We all quietly left the drugs below for drugs of a +different description above--books being called by the ancients, +you know, the "MEDICINE OF THE SOUL." We mounted into the +bed-room. M. Pluquet now opened his bibliomaniacal battery upon us. +"Gentlemen you see, in this room, all the treasures in the +world I possess: my wife--my child--my books--my antiquities. +"Yes, gentlemen, these are my treasures. I am enthusiastic, +even to madness, in the respective pursuits into which the latter +branch out; but my means are slender--and my aversion to my +<EM>business</EM> is just about in proportion to my fondness for +<EM>books</EM>. Examine, gentlemen, and try your +fortunes."</P> + +<P>I scarcely needed such a rhetorical incitement: but alas! the +treasures of M. Pluquet were not of a nature quite to make +one's fortune. I contrived, with great difficulty, to pick out +something of a <EM>recherché</EM> kind; and expended a napoleon +upon some scarce little grammatical tracts, chiefly Greek, printed +by Stephen at Paris, and by Hervagius at Basil: among the latter +was the <EM>Bellum grammaticale</EM> of E. Hessus. M. Pluquet +wondered at my rejecting the folios, and sticking so closely to the +duodecimos; but had he shewn me a good <EM>Verard Romance</EM> or a +<EM>Eustace Froissart</EM>, he would have found me as alert in +running away with the one as the other. I think he is really the +most enthusiastic book-lover I have ever seen: certainly as a +Bibliopolist. We concluded a very animated conversation on all +sides: and upon the whole, this was one of the most variously and +satisfactorily spent days of my "voyage +bibliographique."</P> + +<P>On the morrow, the mysterious and amiable M. ---- was with me +betimes. He said he had brought a <EM>basket of books</EM>, from +his hermitage, which he had left at a friend's house, and he +entreated me to come and examine them. In the mean while, I had had +not only a peep at the Tapestry, but an introduction to the mayor, +who is chief magistrate for life: a very Cæsar in miniature. He +received me stiffly, and appeared at first rather a priggish sort +of a gentleman; observing that "my countryman, Mr. STOTHARD,<A +name="fnref_143"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_143">143</A> had +been already there for six months, upon the same errand, and what +could I want further?" A short reply served to convince him +"that it would be no abuse of an extended indulgence if he +would allow another English artist to make a fac-simile of a +different description, from a very small portion only."<A +name="fnref_144"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_144">144</A></P> + +<P>I now called upon the Abbé Fétit, with a view to gain admission +to the <EM>Chapter Library</EM>, but he was from home--dining with +the Bishop. In consequence, I went to the palace, and wrote a note +in pencil to the Bishop at the porter's lodge, mentioning the +name of M. Lair, and the object of my visit. The porter observed +that they had just sat down to dinner--but would I call at three? +It seemed an age to that hour; but at length three o'clock +came, and I was punctual to the minute. I was immediately admitted +into the premises, and even the large mastiff seemed to know that I +was not an unexpected visitor--for he neither growled, nor betrayed +any symptoms of uneasiness. In my way to the audience chamber I saw +the crosier and robes which the Bishop had worn the preceding day, +at the ceremony of ordination, lying picturesquely upon the table. +The audience chamber was rather elegant, adorned with Gobeleins +tapestry, quite fresh, and tolerably expressive: and while my eyes +were fastened upon two figures enacting the parts of an Arcadian +shepherd and shepherdess, a servant came in and announced the +approach of MONSEIGNEUR l'EVEQUE. I rose in a trice to meet +him, between doubt and apprehension as to the result. The Bishop +entered with a sort of body-guard; being surrounded by six or seven +canons who had been dining with him, and who peeped at me over his +shoulder in a very significant manner. The flush of good cheer was +visible in their countenances--but for their Diocesan, I must say +that he is even more interesting on a familiar view. He wore a +close purple dress, buttoned down the middle from top to bottom. A +cross hung upon his breast. His countenance had lost nothing of its +expression by the absence of the mitre, and he was gracious even to +loquacity. I am willing to hope that I was equally prudent and +brief in the specification of the object I had in view. My request +was as promptly as it was courteously granted. "You will +excuse my attending you in person; (said the Bishop) but I will +instantly send for the Abbé Fétit, who is our librarian; and who +will have nothing to do but to wait upon you, and facilitate your +researches." He then dispatched a messenger for the Abbé +Fétit, who quickly arrived with two more trotting after him--and +enlivened by the jingling music of the library keys, which were +dangling from the Abbé's fingers, I quickened my steps towards +the Chapter Library.</P> + +<P>We were no sooner fairly within the library, than I requested my +chief conductor to give me a brief outline of its history. +"Willingly" he replied. "This library, the remains +of a magnificent collection, of from 30, to 40,000 volumes, was +originally placed in the Chapter-house, hard by. Look through the +window to your left, and you will observe the ruins of that +building. We have here about 5000 volumes: but the original +collection consisted of the united libraries of defunct, and even +of living, clergymen--for, during the revolution, the clergy, +residing both in town and country, conveyed their libraries to the +Chapter-house, as a protection against private pillage. Well! in +that same Chapter-house, the books, thus collected, were piled one +upon another, in layers, flat upon the floor-- reaching absolutely, +to the cieling ... and for ten long years not a creature ventured +to introduce a key into the library door. The windows also were +rigidly kept shut. At length the Revolutionists wanted lead for +musket balls, and they unroofed the chapter-house with their usual +dexterity. Down came the rain upon the poor books, in consequence; +and when M. Moysant received the orders of government to examine +this library, and to take away as many books as he wanted for the +public library at Caen ... he was absolutely horror-struck by the +obstacles which presented themselves. From the close confinement of +every door and window, for ten years, the rank and fetid odour +which issued, was intolerable. For a full fortnight every door and +window was left open for ventilation, ere M. Moysant could begin +his work of selection. He selected about 5000 volumes only; but the +infuriated Revolutionists, on his departure, wantonly plundered and +destroyed a prodigious number of the remainder ... "et enfin +(concluded he) vous voyez, Monsieur, ce qu'ils nous out +laissé." You will give me credit for having listened to every +word of such a tale.</P> + +<P>The present library, which is on the first floor, is apparently +about twenty-five feet square. The Abbé made me observe the XIIIth. +volume of the <EM>Gallia Christiana</EM>,<A name="fnref_145"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_145">145</A> in boards, remarking that +"it was of excessive rarity;" but I doubt this. On +shewing me the famous volume of <EM>Sanctius</EM> or <EM>Sanches de +Matrimonio Sacramentario</EM>, 1607, folio, the Abbé +observed--"that the author wrote it, standing with his bare +feet upon marble." I was well pleased with a pretty +<EM>illuminated ms. Missal</EM>, in a large thick quarto volume, +with borders and pictures in good condition; but did not fail to +commend right heartily the proper bibliomaniacal spirit of M. Fétit +in having kept concealed the second volume of <EM>Gering's +Latin Bible</EM>--being the first impression of the sacred text in +France--when M. Moysant came armed with full powers to carry off +what treasures he pleased. No one knows what has become of the +first volume, but this second is cruelly imperfect--it is otherwise +a fair copy. Upon the whole, although it is almost a matter of +<EM>conscience</EM>, as well as of character, with me, to examine +every thing in the shape of a library, and especially of a public +one, yet it must be admitted that the collection under +consideration is hardly worthy of a second visit: and accordingly I +took both a first and a final view of it.</P> + +<P>From the Chapter I went to the COLLEGE LIBRARY. In other words, +there is a fine public school, or Lycée, or college, where a great +number of lads and young men are educated "according to +art." The building is extensive and well-situated: the +play-ground is large and commodious; and there is a well-cultivated +garden "tempting with forbidden fruit." Into this garden +I strolled in search of the President of the College, who was not +within doors. I found him in company with some of the masters, and +with several young men either playing, or about to play, at +skittles. On communicating the object of my visit, he granted me an +immediate passport to the library--"mais, Monsieur, (added he) +ce n'est rien: il y avoit autrefois <EM>quelque chose</EM>: +maintenant, ce n'est qu'un amas de livres très +communs." I thanked him, and accompanied the librarian to the +Library; who absolutely apologized all the way for the little +entertainment I should receive. There was indeed little enough. The +room may be about eighteen feet square. Of the books, a great +portion was in vellum bindings, in wretched condition. Here was +<EM>Jay's Polyglot</EM>, and the matrimonial <EM>Sanctius</EM> +again! There was a very respectable sprinkling of <EM>Spanish and +French Dictionaries</EM>; some few not wholly undesirable +<EM>Alduses</EM>; and the rare Louvain edition of <EM>Sir Thomas +More's Works</EM>, printed in 1566, folio.<A name= +"fnref_146"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_146">146</A> I saw too, +with horror-mingled regret, a frightfully imperfect copy of the +<EM>Service of Bayeux Cathedral</EM>, printed in the Gothic letter, +UPON VELLUM. But the great curiosity is a small brass or bronze +crucifix, about nine inches high, standing upon the mantlepiece; +very ancient, from the character of the crown, which savours of the +latter period of Roman art--and which is the only crown, bereft of +thorns, that I ever saw upon the head of our Saviour so +represented. The eyes appear to be formed of a bright brown glass. +Upon the whole, as this is not a book, nor a fragment of an old +illumination, I will say nothing more about its age. I was scarcely +three quarters of an hour in the library; but was fully sensible of +the politeness of my attendant, and of the truth of his prediction, +that I should receive little entertainment from an examination of +the books.</P> + +<P>It is high time that you should be introduced in proper form to +the famous BAYEUX TAPESTRY. Know then, in as few words as possible, +that this celebrated piece of Tapestry represents chiefly the +INVASION OF ENGLAND by WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR, and the subsequent +death of Harold at the battle of Hastings. It measures about 214 +English feet in length, by about nineteen inches in width; and is +supposed to have been worked under the particular superintendance +and direction of Matilda, the wife of the Conqueror. It was +formerly exclusively kept and exhibited in the Cathedral; but it is +now justly retained in the Town Hall, and treasured as the most +precious relic among the archives of the city. There is indeed +every reason to consider it as one of the most valuable historical +monuments which France possesses. It has also given rise to a great +deal of archaeological discussion. Montfaucon, Ducarel, and De La +Rue, have come forward successively--but more especially the first +and last: and Montfaucon in particular has favoured the world with +copper-plate representations of the whole. Montfaucon's plates +are generally much too small: and the more enlarged ones are too +ornamental. It is right, first of all, that you should have an idea +how this piece of tapestry is preserved, or rolled up. You see it +here, therefore, precisely as it appears after the person who shews +it, takes off the cloth with which it is usually covered.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:60%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/297.png" alt="BAYEUX TAPESTRY"></DIV> + +<P>The first portion of the needle-work, representing the embassy +of Harold, from Edward the Confessor to William Duke of Normandy, +is comparatively much defaced--that is to say, the stitches are +worn away, and little more than the ground, or fine close linen +cloth, remains. It is not far from the beginning--and where the +colour is fresh, and the stitches are, comparatively, +preserved--that you observe the PORTRAIT OF HAROLD.<A name= +"fnref_147"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_147">147</A></P> + +<P>You are to understand that the stitches, if they may be so +called, are threads laid side by side--and bound down at intervals +by cross stitches, or fastenings--upon rather a fine linen cloth; +and that the parts intended to represent <EM>flesh</EM> are left +untouched by the needle. I obtained a few straggling shreds of the +<EM>worsted</EM> with which it is Worked. The colours are generally +a faded or bluish green, crimson, and pink. About the last five +feet of this extraordinary roll are in a yet more decayed and +imperfect state than the first portion. But the designer of the +subject, whoever he was, had an eye throughout to Roman art--as it +appeared in its later stages. The folds of the draperies, and the +proportions of the figures, are executed with this feeling.</P> + +<P>I must observe that, both at top and at bottom of the principal +subject, there is a running allegorical ornament;<A name= +"fnref_148"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_148">148</A> of which I +will not incur the presumption to suppose myself a successful +interpreter. The constellations, and the symbols of agriculture and +of rural occupation, form the chief subjects of this running +ornament. All the inscriptions are executed in capital letters of +about an inch in length; and upon the whole, whether this +extraordinary and invaluable relic be of the latter end of the +XIth, or of the beginning or middle of the XIIth century<A name= +"fnref_149"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_149">149</A> seems to me +a matter of rather a secondary consideration. That it is at once +<EM>unique</EM> and important, must be considered as a position to +be neither doubted nor denied, I have learnt, even here, of what +importance this tapestry-roll was considered in the time of +Bonaparte's threatened invasion of our country: and that, after +displaying it at Paris for two or three months, to awaken the +curiosity and excite the love of conquest among the citizens, it +was conveyed to one or two <EM>sea-port</EM> towns, and exhibited +upon the stage as a most important <EM>materiel</EM> in dramatic +effect.<A name="fnref_150"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_150">150</A></P> + +<P>I think you have now had a pretty good share of Bayeux +intelligence; only that I ought not to close my despatches without +a word or two relating to habits, manners, trade, and population. +This will scarcely occupy a page. The men and women here are +thoroughly Norman. Stout bodies, plump countenances, wooden shoes, +and the cauchoise--even to exceedingly <EM>tall copies</EM> of the +latter! The population may run hard upon ten thousand. The chief +articles of commerce are <EM>butter</EM> and <EM>lace</EM>. Of the +former, there are two sorts: one, delicate and well flavoured, is +made during winter and spring; put up into small pots, and carried +from hence in huge paniers, not only to all the immediately +adjacent parts of the country, but even to Paris--and is shipped in +large quantities for the colonies. They have made as much as +120,000 lb. weight each season; but <EM>Isigny</EM>, a neighbouring +village, is rather the chief place for its production. The other +sort of butter, which is eaten by the common people, and which in +fact is made throughout the whole of Lower Normandy, (the very +butter, in short, in which the huge <EM>alose</EM> was floating in +the pot of the lively cuisiniere at Duclair<A name= +"fnref_151"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_151">151</A>) is also +chiefly made at Isigny; but instead of a delicate tint, and a fine +flavour, it is very much the contrary: and the mode of making and +transporting it accords with its qualities. It is salted, and +packed in large pots, and even barrels, for the sake of +exportation; and not less than 50,000 lb. weight is made each week. +The whole profit arising from butter has been estimated at not less +than two millions of francs: add to which, the circulation of +specie kept up by the payment of the workmen, and the purchase of +salt. As to <EM>lace</EM>, there are scarcely fewer than three +thousand females constantly employed in the manufacture of that +article.</P> + +<P>The mechanics here, at least some of them, are equally civil and +ingenious. In a shop, in the high or principal street, I saw an +active carpenter, who had lost the fore finger of his right hand, +hard at work--alternately whistling and singing--over a pretty +piece of ornamental furniture in wood. It was the full face of a +female, with closely curled hair over the forehead, surmounted by a +wreath of flowers, having side curls, necklace, and platted hair. +The whole was carved in beech, and the form and expression of the +countenance were equally correct and pleasing. This merry fellow +had a man or two under him, but he worked double tides, compared +with his dependants. I interrupted him singing a French air, +perfectly characteristic of the taste of his country. The title and +song were thus:</P> + +<P class="poetry">TOU JOURS.</P> + +<P class="poetry">TOUJOURS, toujours, je te serai fidèle;<BR> + Disait Adolphe à chaque instant du jour;<BR> + Toujours, toujours je t'aimerai, ma belle,<BR> + Je veux le dire aux échos d'alentour;<BR> + Je graverai sur l'écorce d'un hètre,<BR> + Ce doux serment que le dieu des amours,<BR> + Vient me dieter, en me faisant connaître;<BR> + Que mon bonheur est de t'aimer toujours. <EM>Bis</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Toujours, toujours, lui répondit Adèle,<BR> + Tu régneras dans le fond de mon coeur;<BR> + Toujours, toujours, comme une tourterelle,<BR> + Je promets bien t'aimer avec ardeur;<BR> + Je pense à toi quand le soleil se lève,<BR> + J'y pense encore à la tin de son cours;<BR> + Dans le sommeil si quelquefois je reve,<BR> + C'est au bonheur de te chérir toujours.</P> + +<P>He was a carver on wainscoat wood: and if I would give myself +"la peine d'entrer," he would shew me all sorts of +curiosities. I secured a favourable reception, by purchasing the +little ornament upon which he was at work--for a napoleon. I +followed the nimble mechanic (ci-devant a soldier in +Bonaparte's campaigns, from whence he dated the loss of his +finger) through a variety of intricate passages below and up +stairs; and saw, above, several excellently well finished pieces of +furniture, for drawers or clothes-presses, in wainscoat wood:--the +outsides of which were carved sometimes with clustered roses, +surrounding a pair of fond doves; or with representations of +Cupids, sheep, bows and arrows, and the various <EM>emblemata</EM> +of the tender passion. They would have reminded you of the old +pieces of furniture which you found in your grandfather's +mansion, upon taking possession of your estate: and indeed are of +themselves no despicable ornaments in their way. I was asked from +eight to twelve napoleons for one of these pieces of massive and +elaborately carved furniture, some six or seven feet in height.</P> + +<P>In all other respects, this is a town deserving of greater +antiquarian research than appears to have been bestowed upon it; +and I cannot help thinking that its ancient ecclesiastical history +is more interesting than is generally imagined. In former days the +discipline and influence of its See seem to have been felt and +acknowledged throughout nearly the whole of Normandy. Adieu. In +imagination, the spires of COUTANCES CATHEDRAL begin to peep in the +horizon.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER XVI.</H3> + +<P>BAYEUX TO COUTANCES. ST. LO. THE CATHEDRAL OF COUTANCES. +ENVIRONS. AQUEDUCT. MARKET-DAY. PUBLIC LIBRARY. ESTABLISHMENT FOR +THE CLERGY.</P> + +<P>I send you this despatch close to the very Cathedral, whose +spires, while yet at Bayeux, were already glimmering in the horizon +of my imagination. The journey hither has been in every respect the +most beautiful and interesting that I have experienced on +<EM>this</EM> side the Seine. I have seen something like undulating +pasture-lands, wooded hills, meandering streams, and well-peopled +villages; and an air of gaiety and cheerfulness, as well as the +charm of picturesque beauty, has accompanied me from one cathedral +to the other.</P> + +<P>I left the <EM>Hôtel de Luxembourg</EM>, at Bayeux, in a hired +cabriolet with a pair of horses, about five in the afternoon, +pushing on, at a smart trot, for ST. LO: which latter place I +entered by moon-light. The road, as usual, was broad and bold, and +at times undulating; flanked by beech, elm, and fir. As I just +observed to you, I entered St. Lo by moon-light: the double towers +of the great cathedral-like looking church having a grand and even +romantic effect on approaching the town. An old castle, or rather a +mere round-tower relic of one, appeared to the left, upon entering +it. Passing the porch, or west end of the church, sometimes +descending, at others ascending--midst close streets and +overhanging roofs of houses, which cast a deep and solemn shadow, +so as to shut out the moon beams for several hundred yards--and +pursuing a winding route, I at length stopped at the door of the +principal hôtel--<EM>au Grand Coq!</EM> I laughed heartily when I +heard its name; for with the strictest adherence to truth the +adjective ought to have been <EM>petit!</EM></P> + +<P>However, the beds seemed to be in good order, and the coffee, +with which I was quickly served, proved to be excellent. I strolled +out, on a <EM>reconnoissance</EM>, about half-past nine; but owing +to the deep shadows from the moon, arising from the narrowness of +the streets, I could make out nothing satisfactory of the locale. +The church, however, promised a rich treat on the morrow. As soon +as the morrow came, I betook myself to the church. It was Sunday +morning. The square, before the west front of the church, was the +rendezvous both of townsmen and countryfolks: but what was my +astonishment on observing in one corner of it, a quack doctor +vending powder for the effectual <EM>polishing of metals</EM>. He +had just beaten his drum, in order to collect his audience; and +having got a good assemblage, was full of the virtues of his +wares--which were pronounced to be also "equally efficacious +for <EM>complaints in the stomach!</EM>"</P> + +<P>This man had been preceded, in the situation which he occupied, +by a rival charlatan, on horseback, with <EM>powders to kill +rats</EM>. The latter stood upon the same eminence, wearing a hat, +jacket, and trowsers, all white -- upon which were painted +<EM>black rats</EM> of every size and description; and in his +harangue to the populace he took care to tell them that the rats, +painted upon his dress, were <EM>exact portraits</EM> of those +which had been destroyed by means of his powders! This, too, on a +Sunday morning. But remember Dieppe.<A name="fnref_152"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_152">152</A></P> + +<P>Having despatched my breakfast, I proceeded to survey the +church, from which the town takes its name. First, for the +exterior. The <EM>attached</EM> towers demand attention and +admiration. They are so slightly attached as to be almost separated +from the body or nave; forming something of that particular +character which obtains more decidedly at the cathedral of +Coutances. I am not sure whether this portion of the church at St. +Lo be not preferable, on the score of regularity and delicacy, to +the similar portion at this latter place. The west front is indeed +its chief beauty of exterior attraction; and it was once rendered +doubly interesting by a profusion of alto-rilievo statues, which +<EM>disappeared</EM> during the commotions of the revolution. You +ascend rather a lofty flight of steps to this entrance; and into +which the whole town seemed to be pouring the full tide of its +population. I suffered myself to be carried away along, with the +rest, and almost startled as I entered the nave.<A name= +"fnref_153"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_153">153</A> To the +left, is a horribly-painted statue of the Virgin, with the child in +her arms. The countenance is even as ugly, old, and repulsive, as +the colouring is most despicable. I never saw such a daub: and what +emotions, connected with tenderness of feeling, or ardour of +devotion, can the contemplation of such an object excite? Surely +the parish must have lost its wits, as well as its taste, to endure +such a monstrous exhibition of art.</P> + +<P>As I advanced towards the choir, I took especial notice of the +very singular, and in my opinion very ugly, formation both of the +pillars and arches which sustain the roof. These pillars have +<EM>no capitals</EM>, and the arch springs from them in the most +abrupt manner. The arch itself is also very short and sharp +pointed; like the tops of lancet windows. This mode obtains pretty +generally here; but it should be noted that, in the right side +aisle, the pillars have capitals. There is something unusual also +in the row of pillars which spring up, flanking the choir, half way +between the walls of the choir and the outward wall of the church. +Nor am I sure that, destitute of a graceful, superadded arch, such +massive perpendicular lines have either meaning or effect. Whether +St. Lo were the <EM>first</EM> church upon which the architect, who +built both <EM>that</EM> and the cathedral at <EM>Coutances</EM>, +tried his talents--or whether, indeed, both churches be the effort +of the same hand--I cannot pretend to determine; but, both +outwardly and inwardly, these two churches have a strong +resemblance to each other. Like many other similar buildings in +France, the church of St. Lo is closely blocked up by surrounding +houses.</P> + +<P>I prepared to leave St. Lo about mid-day, after agreeing for a +large heavy machine, with a stout pair of horses, to conduct me to +this place. There are some curious old houses near the inn, with +exterior ornaments like those of the XVIth century, in our own +country. But on quitting the town, in the road to Coutances,--after +you come to what are called the old castle walls, on passing the +outer gate--your eye is struck by rather an extraordinary +combination of objects. The town itself seems to be built upon a +rock. Above, below, every thing appears like huge scales of iron; +while, at the bottom, in a serpentine direction, runs the peaceful +and fruitful river <EM>Aure</EM>.<A name="fnref_154"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_154">154</A> The country immediately around +abounds in verdant pasture, and luxuriantly wooded heights. Upon +the whole, our sortie from St. Lo, beneath a bright blue sky and a +meridian sun, was extremely cheerful and gratifying.</P> + +<P>A hard road (but bold and broad, as usual) soon convinced me of +the uncomfortableness of the conveyance; which, though roomy, and +of rather respectable appearance, wanted springs: but the +increasing beauty of the country, kept my attention perfectly +occupied, till the beautiful cathedral, of COUTANCES caught my +notice, on an elevated ground, to the left. The situation is truly +striking, gaze from what quarter you will. From that of St. Lo, the +immediate approach to the town is rendered very interesting from +the broad <EM>route royale</EM>, lined with birch, hazel, and +beech. The delicacy, or perhaps the peculiarity of the western +towers of the cathedral, struck me as singularly picturesque; while +the whole landscape was warmed by the full effulgence of an +unclouded sun, and animated by the increasing numbers and activity +of the <EM>paysannes</EM> and <EM>bourgeoises</EM> mingling in +their sabbath-walks. Their bright dark <EM>blues</EM> and +<EM>crimsons</EM> were put on upon the occasion; and nought but +peace, tranquillity, and fruitfulness seemed to prevail on all +sides. It was a scene wherein you might have placed Arcadian +shepherds--worthy of being copied-by the pencil of Claude.</P> + +<P>We entered the town at a sharp trot. The postilion, flourishing +his whip, and causing its sound to re-echo through the principal +street, upon an ascent, drove to the chief inn, the <EM>Hôtel +d'Angleterre</EM>, within about one hundred yards of the +cathedral. Vespers were just over; and I shall not readily forget +the rush and swarm of the clergy who were pouring out, from the +north door, and covering the street with one extensive black mass. +There could not have been fewer than two hundred young +Ecclesiastics--thus returning from vespers to their respective +homes; or rather to the College, or great clerical establishment, +in the neighbourhood. This College, which has suffered from +violence and neglect, through the revolution and Bonaparte's +dynasty, is now beginning to raise its head in a very distinguished +and commanding manner. It was a singular sight--to see such a crowd +of young men, wearing cocked hats, black robes, and black bands +with white edging! The women were all out in the streets; sitting +before their doors, or quietly lounging or walking. The afternoon +was indeed unusually serene.</P> + +<P>I ordered a late dinner, and set out for the cathedral. It was +impossible to visit it at a more favorable moment. The congregation +had departed; and a fine warm sun darted its rays in every +surrounding direction. As I looked around, I could not fail to be +struck with the singular arrangement of the columns round the +choir: or rather of the double aisle between the choir and the +walls, as at St. Lo; but here yet more distinctly marked. For a +wonder, an <EM>unpainted</EM> Virgin and child in Our Lady's +chapel, behind the choir! There is nothing, I think, in the +interior of this church that merits particular notice and +commendation, except it be some beautifully- stained glass windows; +with the arms, however, of certain noble families, and the regal +arms (as at Bayeux) obliterated. There is a deep well in the north +transept, to supply the town with water in case of fire. The pulpit +is large and handsome; but not so magnificent as that at Bayeux. +The organ is comparatively small. Perhaps the thirteenth century is +a period sufficiently remote to assign for the completion of the +interior of this church, for I cannot subscribe to the hypothesis +of the Abbé de la Rue, that this edifice was probably erected by +Tancred King of Sicily at the end of the eleventh, or at the +beginning of the twelfth century.</P> + +<P>The exterior of this Church is indeed its chief attraction.<A +name="fnref_155"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_155">155</A> +Unquestionably the style of architecture is very peculiar, and does +not, as far as I know, extend beyond St. Lo, in Normandy. My great +object was to mount upon the roof of the central tower, which is +octagonal, containing fine lofty lancet windows, and commanding +from its summit a magnificent panorama. Another story, one half the +height of the present erection from the roof of the nave, would put +a glorious finish to the central tower of NOTRE DAME at COUTANCES. +As I ascended this central tower, I digressed occasionally into the +lateral galleries along the aisles. To look down, was somewhat +terrific; but who could help bewailing the wretched, rotten, +green-tinted appearance of the roof of the north aisle?--which +arose here, as at Bayeux, from its being stripped of the lead +(during the Revolution) to make <EM>bullets</EM>--and from the +rain's penetrating the interior in consequence. As I continued +to ascend, I looked through the apertures to notice the fine +formation and almost magical erection of the lancet windows of the +western towers: and the higher I mounted, the more beautiful and +magical seemed to be that portion of the building. At length I +reached the summit; and concentrating myself a little, gazed +around.</P> + +<P>The view was lovely beyond measure. Coutances lies within four +miles of the sea, so that to the west and south there appeared an +immense expanse of ocean. On the opposite points was an extensive +landscape, well-wooded, undulating, rich, and thickly studded with +farm-houses. <EM>Jersey</EM> appeared to the north-west, quite +encircled by the sea; and nearly to the south, stood out the bold +insulated little rock of <EM>Granville</EM>, defying the eternal +washing of the wave. Such a view is perhaps no where else to be +seen in Normandy; certainly not from any ecclesiastical edifice +with which I am acquainted. The sun was now declining apace, which +gave a wanner glow to the ocean, and a richer hue to the landscape. +It is impossible to particularize. All was exquisitely refreshing +and joyous. The heart beats with a fuller pulsation as the eye +darts over such an expansive and exhilarating scene! Spring was now +clad in her deepest-coloured vesture: and a prospect of a fine +summer and an abundant harvest infused additional delight into the +beholder. Immediately below, stood the insulated and respectable +mansion or Palace of <EM>the Bishop</EM>; in the midst of a formal +garden--begirt with yet more formally clipt hedges. As the Prelate +bore a good character, I took a pleasure in gazing upon the roof +which contained an inhabitant capable of administering so much good +to the community. In short, I shall always remember the view from +the top of the central tower of the cathedral of Coutances!</P> + +<P>I quitted such a spot with reluctance; but time was flying away, +and the patience of the cuisinier at the Hôtel d'Angleterre had +already been put somewhat to the test. In twenty minutes I sat down +to my dinner, in a bed- room, of which the furniture was chiefly of +green silk. The females, even in the humblest walks, have generally +fine names; and <EM>Victorina</EM> was that of the fille de chambre +at the Hôtel d'Angleterre. After dinner I walked upon what may +be called the heights of Coutances; and a more delightful +evening's walk I never enjoyed. The women of every +description-- ladies, housekeepers, and servant maids--were all +abroad; either sitting upon benches, or standing in gossiping +groups, or straying in friendly pairs. The comeliness of the women +was remarkable; a certain freshness of tint, and prevalence of the +embonpoint, reminded me of those of our own country; and among the +latter, I startled--as I gazed upon a countenance which afforded +but too vivid a resemblance to that of a deceased relation! +Certainly the Norman women are no where more comely and interesting +than they are at Coutances.</P> + +<P>The immediate environs of this place are beautiful and +interesting: visit them in what direction you please. But there is +nothing which so immediately strikes you as the remains of an +<EM>ancient Aqueduct</EM>; gothicised at the hither end, but with +three or four circular arches at the further extremity, where it +springs from the opposite banks. Fine as was yesterday, this day +has not been inferior to it. I was of course glad of an opportunity +of visiting the market, and of mingling with the country people. +The boulevards afforded an opportunity of accomplishing both these +objects. Corn is a great article of trade; and they have noble +granaries for depositing it. Apparently there is a great conflux of +people, and much business stirring. I quickly perceived, in the +midst of this ever-moving throng, my old friend the vender of +rat-destroying powders--busied in the exercise of his calling, and +covered with his usual vestment of white, spotted or painted with +black rats. He found plenty of hearers and plenty of purchasers. +All was animation and bustle. In the midst of it, a man came +forward to the edge of a bank--below which a great concourse was +assembled. He beat a drum, to announce that a packet boat, would +sail to Jersey in the course of the afternoon; but the people +seemed too intent upon their occupations and gambols to attend to +him. I sat upon a bench and read one of the little chap +books--<EM>Richard sans peur</EM>--which I had purchased the same +morning.</P> + +<P>While absorbed in reflections upon the heterogeneous scene +before me-- and wishing, for some of my dearest friends in England +to be also spectators of it--the notes of an hand-organ more and +more distinctly stole upon my ear. They were soft; and even +pleasing notes. On looking round, I observed that the musician +preceded a person, who carried aloft a Virgin, with the infant +Jesus, in wax; and who, under such a sign, exhorted the multitude +to approach and buy his book-wares. I trust I was too thorough-bred +a <EM>Roxburgher</EM> to remain quiet on the bench: and accordingly +starting up, and extending two sous, I became the fortunate +purchaser of a little <EM>chap</EM> article--of which my friend +BERNARDO will for ever, I fear, envy me the possession! The vender +of the tome sang through his nose, as the organ warbled the +following</P> + +<P class="poetry"><STRONG>Cantique Spirituelle</STRONG>.</P> + +<P class="poetry">EN L'HONNEUR DU TRÈS-SAINT SACREMENT,</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>Qui est exposé dans la grande Eglise +cathédrale de St. Pierre et St. Paul de Rome, pour implorer la +miséricorde de Dieu</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Air: du Théodore Français.</P> + +<P class="poetry">APPROCHEZ-VOUS, Chrétiens fidèles,<BR> + Afin d'entendre réciter:<BR> + Ecoutez tous avec un grand zèle,<BR> + Avec ferveur et piété,<BR> + Le voeu que nous avons fait,<BR> + D'aller au grand Saint Jacques;<BR> + Grace à Dieu nous l'avons accompli,<BR> + Pour l'amour de Jésus Christ.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Dieu créa le ciel et la terre,<BR> + Les astres et le firmament;<BR> + Il fit la brillante lumière,<BR> + Ainsi que tous les autres élémens,<BR> + Il a tiré tout du néant,<BR> + Ce qui respire sur la terre:<BR> + Rendons hommage à la grandeur<BR> + De notre divin Créateur.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><A name="fnref_156"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_156">156</A>Tous les jours la malice augmente, Il y a très- +peu de religion; La jeunesse est trop petulante, Les enfans jurent +le saint Nom. Et comment s'étonneroit-on Si tant de fléaux nous +tourmentent? Et si l'on voit tant de malheurs, C'est Dieu +qui punit les pécheurs.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Souvent on assiste à l'Office, C'est +comme une manière d'acquit, Sans penser au saint Sacrifice; Ou +s'est immolé Jesus Christ. On parle avec ses amis, De ses +affaires temporelles, Sans faire aucune attention Aux mystères de +la religion.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Réfléchissez bien, pères et mères, Sur ces +morales et vérités: C'est la loi de Dieu notre Père; C'est +lui qui nous les a dictées: Il faut les suivre et les pratiquer, +Tant que nous serons sur la terre. N'oublions point +qu'après la mort, Nos ames existeront encore.</P> + +<P>The day was beginning to wear away fast, and I had not yet +accomplished the favourite and indispensable object of visiting the +PUBLIC LIBRARY. I made two unsuccessful attempts; but the third was +fortunate. I had no letter of introduction, and every body was +busied in receiving the visits of their country friends. I was much +indebted to the polite attention of a stranger: who accompanied me +to the house of the public librarian, his friend, who, not being at +home, undertook the office of shewing me the books. The room in +which they are contained--wholly detached--and indeed at a +considerable distance from the cathedral--is about sixty English +feet long, low, and rather narrow. It is absolutely crammed with +books, in the most shameful state of confusion. I saw, for the +first time in Normandy, and with absolute gladness of heart, a copy +of the <EM>Complutensian Polyglot Bible</EM>; of which the four +latter volumes, in vellum binding, were tall and good: the earlier +ones, in calf, not so desirable. For the first time too, since +treading Norman soil, I saw a tolerably good sprinkle of +<EM>Italian</EM> books. But the collection stands in dreadful need +of weeding. Indeed, this observation may apply to the greater +number of public collections throughout Normandy. I thanked my +attendant for his patient and truly friendly attention, and took my +leave.</P> + +<P>In my way homewards, I stopped at M. Joubert's, the +principal bookseller, and "beat about the bush" for +bibliographical game. But my pursuit was not crowned with success. +M.J. told me, in reply to black-letter enquiries, that a Monsieur +A----, a stout burly man, whom he called "un gros papa"-- +was in the habit of paying yearly visits from Jersey, for the +acquisition of the same black-letter treasures; and that he swept +away every thing in the shape of an ancient and <EM>equivocal</EM> +volume, in his annual rounds. I learnt pretty nearly the same thing +from Manoury at Caen. M. Joubert is a very sensible and respectable +man; and is not only "<EM>Seul Imprimeur de Monseigneur +l'Evêque"</EM> (PIERRE DUPONT-POURSAT), but is in fact +almost the only bookseller worth consulting in the place. I bought +of him a copy of the <EM>Livre d'Eglise ou Nouveau Paroissien à +l'usage du Diocèse de Coutances</EM>, or the common prayer book +of the diocese. It is a very thick duodecimo, of 700 double +columned pages, printed in a clear, new, and extremely legible +character, upon paper of sufficiently good texture. It was bound in +sheepskin, and I gave only <EM>thirty sous</EM> for it new. How it +can be published at such a price, is beyond my conception. M. +Joubert told me that the compositor or workman received 20 francs +for setting up 36 pages, and that the paper was 12 francs per ream. +In our own country, such prices would be at least doubled.</P> + +<P>It is impossible not to be struck here with the great number of +YOUNG ECCLESIASTICS. In short, the establishment now erecting for +them, will contain, when completed, (according to report) not fewer +than four hundred. It is also impossible not to be struck with the +extreme simplicity of their manners and deportment. They converse +with apparent familiarity with the very humblest of their flock: +and seem, from the highest to the lowest, to be cordially received. +They are indifferent as to personal appearance. One young man +carries a bundle of linen to his laundress, along the streets: +another carries a round hat in his hand, having a cocked one upon +his head: a kitchen utensil is seen in the hand of a third, and a +chair, or small table, in that of a fourth. As these Clergymen +pass, they are repeatedly saluted. Till the principal building be +finished, many of them are scattered about the town, living quite +in the upper stories. In short, it is the <EM>profession</EM>, +rather than the particular candidate, which seems to claim the +respectful attention of the townsmen.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER XVII.</H3> + +<P>JOURNEY TO GRANVILLE. GRANVILLE. VILLE DIEU. ST. SEVER. TOWN AND +CASTLE OF VIRE.</P> + +<P><EM>Vire</EM>.</P> + +<P>Since my last, I have been as much gratified by the charms of +nature and of art, as during any one period of my tour. Prepare, +therefore, for miscellaneous intelligence; but such as, I will make +bold to predict, cannot fail to afford you considerable +gratification. Normandy is doubtless a glorious country. It is +fruitful in its soil, picturesque in the disposition of its land +and water, and rich in the architectural relics of "the olden +time." It is also more than ordinarily interesting to an +Englishman. Here, in the very town whence I transmit this +despatch--within two hundred and fifty yards of the hotel of the +<EM>Cheval Blanc</EM>, which just now encloses me within its +granite walls--here, I say, lived and revelled the illustrious +family of the DE VERES.<A name="fnref_157"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_157">157</A> Hence William the Conqueror took the famous +AUBREY DE VERE to be a spectator of his prowess, and a sharer of +his spoils, in his decisive subjugation of our own country. It is +from this place that the De Veres derive their name. Their +once-proud castle yet towers above the rushing rivulet below, which +turns a hundred mills in its course: but the warder's horn has +long ceased to be heard, and the ramparts are levelled with the +solid rock with which they were once, as it were, identified.</P> + +<P>I left Coutances with something approaching to reluctance; so +completely <EM>anglicised</EM> seemed to be the scenery and +inhabitants. The evening was beautiful in the extreme: and upon +gaining the height of one of the opposite hills, within about half +a league of the town, on the high Granville route, I +alighted--walked, stopped, and gazed, alternately, upon the lovely +landscape around--the cathedral, in the mean time, becoming of one +entire golden tint from the radiance of the setting sun. It was +hardly possible to view a more perfect picture of its kind; and it +served as a just counterpart to the more expansive scene which I +had contemplated, but the preceding evening, from the heights of +that same cathedral. The conducteur of the Diligence rousing me +from my rapturous abstraction, I remounted, and descended into a +valley; and ere the succeeding height was gained, a fainter light +floated over the distant landscape ... and every object reminded me +of the accuracy of those exquisite lines of Collins-- descriptive +of the approach of evening's</P> + +<P class="poetry">... gradual, dusky veil.</P> + +<P>For the first time, I had to do with a drunken conducteur. +Luckily the road was broad, and in the finest possible condition, +and perfectly well known to the horses. Every turning was +successfully made; and the fear of upsetting began to give way to +the annoyance experienced from the roaring and shouting of the +conducteur. It was almost dark when I reached GRANVILLE--about +twelve miles from Coutances; when I learnt that the horses had run +six miles before they started with us. On entering the town, the +road was absolutely solid rock: and considering what a +<EM>house</EM> we carried behind us (for so the body of the +<EM>diligence</EM> seemed) and the uncertain footing of the horses, +in consequence of the rocky surface of the road, I apprehended the +most sinister result. Luckily it was moon-light; when, approaching +one of the sorriest looking inns imaginable, whither our conducteur +(in spite of the better instructions of the landlord of the Hôtel +d'Angleterre at Coutances) had persuaded us to go, the +passengers alighted with thankful hearts, and bespoke supper and +beds.</P> + +<P>Granville is fortified on the land side by a deep ravine, which +renders an approach from thence almost impracticable. On every +other side it is defended by the ocean, into which the town seems +to have dropt perpendicularly from the clouds. At high water, +Granville cannot be approached, even by transports, nearer than +within two-thirds of a league; and of course at low water it is +surrounded by an extent of sharply pointed rock and chalk: +impenetrable--terrific--and presenting both certain failure and +destruction to the assailants. It is a GIBRALTAR IN MINIATURE. The +English sharply cannonaded it a few years since, but it was only a +political diversion. No landing was attempted. In the time of the +civil wars, and more particularly in those of the League, +Granville, however, had its share of misery. It is now a quiet, +dull, dreary, place; to be visited only for the sake of the view +from thence, looking towards <EM>St. Malo</EM>, and <EM>Mont St. +Michel</EM>; the latter of which I give up--as an hopeless object +of attainment. Granville is in fact built upon rock;<A name= +"fnref_158"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_158">158</A> and the +houses and the only two churches are entirely constructed of +granite. The principal church (I think it was the principal) is +rather pretty within, as to its construction; but the decidedly +gloomy effect given to it by the tint of the <EM>granite</EM>--the +pillars being composed of that substance-- renders it disagreeable +to the eye. I saw several confessionals; and in one of them, the +office of confession was being performed by a priest, who attended +to two penitents at the same time; but whose physiognomy was so +repulsively frightful, that I could not help concluding he was +listening to a tale which he was by no means prepared to +receive.</P> + +<P>An hour's examination of the town thoroughly satisfied me. +There was no public conveyance to <EM>Vire</EM>, whither I intended +immediately departing, and so I hired a voiture to be drawn by one +sturdy Norman horse. To a question about springs, the conducteur +replied that I should find every thing "très propre." +Having paid the reckoning, I set my face towards VIRE. The day, for +the season of the year, turned out to be gloomy and cold beyond +measure: and the wind (to the east) was directly in my face. +Nevertheless the road was one of the finest that I had seen in +France, for breadth and general soundness of condition. It had all +the characteristics, in breadth and straitness, of a Roman route; +and as it was greatly undulating, I had frequently some gratifying +glimpses of its bold direction. The surrounding country was of a +quietly picturesque but fruitful aspect; and had my seat been +comfortable, or after the fashion of those in my own country, my +sensations had been more agreeable. But in truth, instead of +<EM>springs</EM>, or any thing approximating to "très +propre," I had to encounter a <EM>hard plank</EM>, suspended +at the extremities, by a piece of leather, to the sides; and as the +road was but too well bottomed, and the conveyance was open in +front to the bitter blast of the east, I can hardly describe (as I +shall never forget) the misery of this conveyance.</P> + +<P>Fortunately the first stage was <EM>Ville Dieu</EM>. Here I +ordered a voiture and post horses: but the master of the Poste +Royale, or rather of the inn, shook his head--"Pour les +chevaux, vous en aurez des meilleurs: mais, pour la voiture il +n'y en a pas. Tenez, Monsieur; venez voir." I followed, +with miserable forebodings--and entering a shed, where stood an old +tumble-down- looking phaeton--"la voilà, c'est la seule +que je possède en ce moment"-- exclaimed the landlord. It had +never stirred from its position since the fall of last years' +leaf. It had been--within and without--the roosting place for fowls +and other of the feathered tribe in the farm yard; and although +literally covered with the <EM>evidences</EM> of such long and +undisturbed possession, yet, as there was no appearance of rain, +and as I discovered the wished for "<EM>ressorts</EM>" +(or <EM>springs</EM>) I compromised for the repulsiveness of the +exterior, and declared my intention of taking it onward. Water, +brooms, brushes, and cloths, were quickly put in requisition; and +two stately and well fed horses, which threatened to fly away with +this slender machine, being fastened on, I absolutely darted +forward at a round rattling gallop for <EM>St. Sever</EM>. +Blessings ever wait upon the memory of that artisan who invented +... <EM>springs</EM>!</P> + +<P>The postilion had the perfect command of his horses, and he +galloped, or trotted, or ambled, as his fancy--or rather our +wishes--directed. The approach to our halting place was rather +imposing. What seemed to be a monastery, or church, at St. Sever, +had quite the appearance of Moorish architecture; and indeed as I +had occasional glimpses of it through the trees, the effect was +exceedingly picturesque. This posting town is in truth very +delightfully situated. While the horses were being changed, I made +our way for the monastery; which I found to be in a state rather of +dilapidation than of ruin. It had, indeed, a wretched aspect. I +entered the chapel, and saw lying, transversely upon a desk, to the +left--a very clean, large paper, and uncut copy of the folio +<EM>Rouen Missal</EM> of 1759. Every thing about this deserted and +decaying spot had a melancholy appearance: but the surrounding +country was rich, wooded, and picturesque. In former days of +prosperity--such as St. Sever had seen before the Revolution--there +had been gaiety, abundance, and happiness. It was now a perfect +contrast to such a state.</P> + +<P>On returning to the "<EM>Poste Royale</EM>" I found +two fresh lusty horses to our voiture--but the postilion had sent a +boy into the field to catch a <EM>third</EM>. Wherefore was this? +The tarif exacted it. A third horse "réciproquement pour +l'année"--parce qu'il faut traverser une grande +montagne avant d'arriver à Vire"--was the explanatory +reply. It seemed perfectly ridiculous, as the vehicle was of such +slender dimensions and weight. However, I was forced to yield. To +scold the postboy was equally absurd and unavailing: "parce +que la tarif l'exigea." But the "montagne" was +doubtless a reason for this additional horse: and I began to +imagine that something magnificently picturesque might be in store. +The three horses were put a-breast, and off we started with a +phaeton-like velocity! Certainly nothing could have a more +ridiculous appearance than my pigmy voiture thus conveyed by three +animals--strong enough to have drawn the diligence. I was not long +in reaching this "huge mountain," which provoked my +unqualified laughter--from its insignificant size--and upon the top +of which stands the town of VIRE. It had been a <EM>fair</EM>-day; +and groups of men and women, returning from the town, in their blue +and crimson dresses, cheered somewhat the general gloom of the day, +and lighted up the features of the landscape. The nearer I +approached, the more numerous and incessant were these groups.</P> + +<P>Vire is a sort of <EM>Rouen</EM> in miniature--if bustle and +population be only considered. In architectural comparison, it is +miserably feeble and inferior. The houses are generally built of +granite, and look extremely sombre in consequence. The old castle +is yet interesting and commanding. But of this presently. I drove +to the "<EM>Cheval Blanc</EM>," and bespoke, as usual, a +late dinner and beds. The first visit was to the <EM>castle,</EM> +but it is right that you should know, before hand, that the town of +Vire, which contains a population of about ten thousand souls, +stands upon a commanding eminence, in the midst of a very beautiful +and picturesque country called the BOCAGE. This country was, in +former times, as fruitful in civil wars, horrors, and devastations, +as the more celebrated Bocage of the more western part of France +during the late Revolution. In short, the Bocage of Normandy was +the scene of bloodshed during the Calvinistic or Hugonot +persecution. It was in the vicinity of this town, in the parts +through which I have travelled--from Caen hitherwards--that the +hills and the dales rang with the feats of arms displayed in the +alternate discomfiture and success of COLIGNY, CONDÉ, MONTMOGERY, +and MATIGNON.<A name="fnref_159"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_159">159</A></P> + +<P>But for the Castle. It is situated at the extremity of an open +space, terminated by a portion of the boulevards; having, in the +foreground, the public library to the left, and a sort of municipal +hall to the right: neither of them objects of much architectural +consequence. Still nearer in the foreground, is a fountain; whither +men, women, and children--but chiefly the second class, in the +character of <EM>blanchisseuses</EM>-- regularly resort for water; +as its bason is usually overflowing. It was in a lucky moment that +Mr. Lewis paid a visit to this spot; which his ready pencil +transmitted to his sketch-book in a manner too beautiful and +faithful not to be followed up by a finished design. I send you a +portion of this prettily grouped picture; premising, that the woman +to the right, in the foreground, begged leave purposely to sit--or +rather stand--for her portrait. The artist, in a short time, was +completely surrounded by spectators of his graphic skill.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:80%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/332.png" alt="Picture by Mr. Lewis"></DIV> + +<P>The "<EM>Cheval Blanc</EM>"--the name of the hotel at +which I reside-- should be rather called the "<EM>Cheval +Noir</EM>;" for a more dark, dingy, and even dirty residence, +for a traveller of any <EM>nasal</EM> or <EM>ocular</EM> +sensibility, can be rarely visited. My bed room is hung with +tapestry; which, for aught I know to the contrary, may represent +the daring exploits of MONTGOMERY and MATIGNON: but which is so +begrimed with filth that there is no decyphering the subjects +worked upon it.</P> + +<P>On leaving the inn--and making your way to the top of the +street--you turn to the left; but on looking down, again to the +left, you observe, below you, the great high road leading to +<EM>Caen</EM>, which has a noble appearance. Indeed, the manner in +which this part of Normandy is intersected with the +"<EM>routes royales</EM>" cannot fail to strike a +stranger; especially as these roads run over hill and dale, amidst +meadows, and orchards, equally abundant in their respective +harvests. The immediate vicinity of the town is as remarkable for +its picturesque objects of scenery as for its high state of +cultivation; and a stroll upon the heights, in whatever part +visited, will not fail to repay you for the certain disappointment +to be experienced within the streets of the town. Portions of the +scenery, from these heights, are not unlike those in Derbyshire, +about Matlock. There is plenty of rock, of shrubs, and of fern; +while another <EM>Derwent</EM>, less turbid and muddy, meanders +below. Thus much for a general, but hasty sketch of the town of +Vire. My next shall give you some detail of the <EM>interior</EM> +of a few of the houses, of which I may be said to have hitherto +only contemplated the <EM>roofs</EM>.</P> + +<P>And yet I must not close my despatch without performing my +promise about the CASTLE; of which indeed (as you will see by the +subjoined miniature view) only a sort of ruinous shell remains. Its +age may be a little towards the end of the thirteenth century. The +stone is of a deep reddish tint: and although what remains is only +a portion of the <EM>keep</EM>, yet I can never suppose it, even in +its state of original integrity, to have been of very capacious +dimensions. Its site is most commanding.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:80%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/334.png" alt="ABBÉ DE LA RUE"></DIV> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER XVIII.</H3> + +<P>BIBLIOGRAPHY. MONSIEUR ADAM. MONSIEUR DE LARENAUDIERE. OLIVIER +BASSELIN. M. SÉGUIN. THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.</P> + +<P>It is a sad rainy day; and having no temptation to stir abroad, +I have shut myself up by the side of a huge wood fire--(surrounded +by the dingy tapestry, of which my last letter did not make very +honourable mention) in a thoroughly communicative mood--to make you +acquainted with all that has passed since my previous despatch. +Books and the Bibliomania be the chief "burden of my present +song!" You may remember, in my account of the public library +at Caen, that some mention was made of a certain OLIVIER BASSELIN-- +whom I designated as the DRUNKEN BARNABY <EM>of Normandy</EM>. +Well, my friend--I have been at length made happy, and comforted in +the extreme, by the possession of a copy of the <EM>Vaudevires</EM> +of that said Olivier Basselin--and from the hands, too, of one of +his principal editors ... Monsieur Lanon de Larenaudiere, Avocat, +et Maire, de Tallevende-le-Petit. This copy I intend (as indeed I +told the donor) for the beloved library at Althorp. But let me tell +my tale my own way.</P> + +<P>Hard by the hotel of the <EM>Cheval Blanc</EM>, (the best, bad +as it is-- and indeed the only one in the town) lives a printer of +the name of ADAM. He is the principal, and the most respectable of +his brethren in the same craft. After discoursing upon sundry +desultory topics--and particularly examining the <EM>books of +Education</EM>, among which I was both surprised and pleased to +find the <EM>Distichs of Muretus</EM><A name="fnref_160"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_160">160</A>--I expressed my regret at +having travelled through so many towns of Normandy without meeting +with one single copy of the <EM>Vaudevires of Olivier Basselin</EM> +for sale. "It is not very surprising, Sir, since it is a +privately printed book, and was never intended for sale. The +impression too is very limited. You know, Sir, that the book was +published here--and--" "Then I begin to be confident +about obtaining it"--replied I. "Gently, Sir;--" +resumed Monsieur Adam--"it is not to be bought, even here. But +do you know no one...?" "Not a creature." +"Well, Sir, take courage. You are an Englishman. One of its +principal editors--a very gallant <EM>Bibliomaniac</EM>--who is a +great collector and lover of the literature of your country--(here +I picked up courage and gaiety of heart) lives in this town. He is +President of the Tribunal. Go to him." Seeing me hesitate, in +consequence of not having a letter of introduction--"Ce +n'est rien (said he) allez tout-droit. Il aime vos +compatriotes; et soyez persuadé de l'accueil le plus +favorable." Methought Monsieur Adam spake more eloquently than +I had yet heard a Norman speak.<A name="fnref_161"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_161">161</A></P> + +<P>In two seconds I quitted his shop, (promising to return with an +account of my reception) and five minutes brought me into the +presence of Monsieur Lanon de Larenaudiere, Président du Tribunal, +&c. It is not possible for me to convey to you a notion of the +warmth, cordiality, and joyousness of heart, that marked the +reception which this gentleman instantly gave me: and I will +frankly own that I was as much "abashed" as ever our +ancient friend Caxton had been--in the presence of his patroness +the Duchess of Burgundy. I followed my new bibliomaniacal +acquaintance rapidly up stairs; and witnessed, with extreme +pleasure, a few bundles of books (some of them English) lying upon +the window seats of the first landing-place; much after the fashion +followed in a certain long, rambling, and antique residence, not +quite three quarters of a mile from the towers of Westminster +Abbey.</P> + +<P>On gaining the first floor, mine host turned the keys of the +doors of two contiguous rooms, and exclaimed, "VOILA MA +BIBLIOTHEQUE!" The air of conscious triumph with which these +words were uttered, delighted me infinitely; but my delight was +much increased on a leisurely survey of one of the prettiest, most +useful, and commendable collections of books, chiefly in the +department of the Belles-Lettres, which I had ever witnessed. +Monsieur de Larenaudiere has a library of about 9000 volumes, of +which <EM>eight hundred are English</EM>. But the owner is +especially fond of poetical archaeology; in other words, of +collecting every work which displays the progress of French and +English poetry in the middle and immediately following ages; and +talks of <EM>Trouveurs</EM> and <EM>Troubadours</EM> with an +enthusiasm approaching to extacy. Meanwhile he points his finger to +our Warton, Ellis, Ritson, and Southey; tells you how dearly he +loves them; but yet leads you to conclude that he <EM>rather</EM> +prefers <EM>Le Grand, Ginguené, Sismondi</EM>, and +<EM>Raynouard</EM>. Of the venerable living oracle in these +matters, the Abbé de la Rue, he said he considered him as "un +peu trop systématique." In short, M. de Larenaudiere has +almost a complete critical collection, in our tongue, upon the +subject of old poetry; and was most anxious and inquisitive about +the present state of cultivation of that branch of literature in +England: adding, that he himself meditated a work upon the French +poetry of the XIIth and XIIIth centuries. He said he thought his +library might be worth about 25,000 francs: nor did I consider such +a valuation overcharged. He talks rapidly, earnestly, and +incessantly; but he talks well: and spoke of the renown of a +certain library in <EM>St. James's Place</EM>, in a manner +which could not fail to quicken the pulse and warm the blood of its +Librarian. I concluded an interview of nearly two hours, by his +compliance with my wish to dine with me on the following day: +although he was quite urgent in bargaining for the previous measure +of my tasting his <EM>pôtage</EM> and <EM>vol au vent</EM>. But the +shortness and constant occupation of my time would not allow me to +accede to it. M. de Larenaudiere then went to a cabinet-like +cupboard, drew forth an uncut copy, stitched in blue spotted paper, +of his beloved <EM>Vaudevires</EM> of OLIVIER BASSELIN:<A name= +"fnref_162"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_162">162</A> and +presenting it to me, added "Conservez le, pour l'amour de +moi." You may be assured that I received such a present in the +most gracious manner I was capable of--but instantly and honestly +added--"permettez qu'il soit déposé dans la bibliothèque +de Milord S...? "C'est la même chose"--rejoined he; +and giving me the address of the public librarian, we separated in +the most cordial manner till the morrow.</P> + +<P>I posted back to Monsieur Adam, the printer and bookseller, and +held aloft my blue-covered copy of the <EM>Vaudevires</EM> as an +unquestionable proof of the successful result of my visit to +Monsieur La Renaudiere. Leaving the precious cargo with him, and +telling him that I purposed immediately visiting the public +library, he seemed astonished at my eagerness about books--and +asked me if I had ever <EM>published</EM> any thing +<EM>bibliographical</EM>? "Car enfin, Monsieur, la pluspart +des <EM>Virois</EM> ne savent rien de la litérature +angloise"--concluded he ... But I had just witnessed a +splendid exception to this sweeping clause of censure. I then +sought the residence of the Abbé Du MORTUEUX, the public librarian. +That gentleman was from home, at a dinner party. I obtained +information of the place where he might be found; and considering +<EM>two</EM> o'clock to be rather too early an hour (even in +France) to disturb a gentleman during the exercise of so important +a function, I strolled in the neighbourhood of the street, where he +was regaling, for a full hour and half: when, at the expiration of +that time, I ventured to knock at the door of a very respectable +mansion, and to enquire for the bibliographical Abbé. "He is +here, Sir, and has just done dinner. May I give him your +name?" "I am a stranger: an Englishman; who, on the +recommendation of Monsieur Larenaudiere, wishes to see the public +library. But I will call again in about an hour." "By no +means: by no means: the Abbé will see you immediately." And +forthwith appeared a very comely, tall, and respectable- looking +gentleman, with his hair en plein costume, both as to form and +powder. Indeed I had rarely before witnessed so prepossessing a +figure. His salutation and address were most gracious and winning; +and he told me that I had nothing to do but to accompany him to the +place which I wished to visit. Without even returning to his +friends, he took his hat--and in one minute, to my surprise, I +found myself in the street with the Abbé de Mortueux, in the high +way to the PUBLIC LIBRARY. In our way thither our discourse was +constant and unrestrained. "You appear here; Monsieur +l'Abbé, to be partial to literature;... but allow me first to +congratulate you on the beautiful environs of your town." +"For literature in general, we are pretty well disposed. In +regard to the beauties of the immediate neighbourhood of Vire, we +should be unworthy inhabitants indeed, if we were not sensible of +them." In five minutes we reached the Library.</P> + +<P>The shutters of the room were fastened, but the worthy Abbé +opened them in a trice; when I saw, for the first time in Normandy, +what appeared to be a genuine, old, unmutilated, unpillaged +library. The room could be scarcely more than twenty-two feet +square. I went instantly to work, with eyes and hands, in the +ardent hope, and almost full persuasion, of finding something in +the shape of a good old Greek or Roman Classic, or French +Chronicle, or Romance. But, alas, I looked, and handled the tomes +in vain! The history of the library is this:--The founder was a +Monsieur PICHON; who, on being taken prisoner by the English, at +the capture of Louisburg in 1758, resided a long time in England +under the name of TYRREL, and lived in circumstances of +respectability and even of opulence. There--whether on the +dispersion of the libraries of our Meads, Foulkes', and +Rawlinsons, I know not--he made his collection; took his books over +with him to Jersey, where he died in 1780: and bequeathed them, +about 3000 in number, to his native town of Vire. M. du Mortueux, +who gave me these particulars, has drawn up a little memorial about +Pichon. His portrait, executed by an English artist, (whilst he +lived among us) adorns the library; with which I hope it will go +down to a distant and grateful posterity. The colouring of this +portrait is faded: but it is evident that Monsieur Pichon had an +expressive and sensible physiognomy.</P> + +<P>Wonderful to relate, this collection of books was untouched +during the Revolution; while the neighbouring library of the +<EM>Cordeliers</EM> was ransacked without mercy. But I regret to +say that the books in the cupboards are getting sadly damp. Do not +expect any thing very marvellous in the details of this collection; +The old-fashioned library doors, of wood, are quite in character +with what they protect. Among the earlier printed books, I saw a +very bad copy of <EM>Sweynheym and Pannartz's</EM> edition of +the <EM>De Civitate Dei</EM> of St. Austin, of the date of 1470; +and a large folio of <EM>Gering's</EM> impression of the +<EM>Sermons of Leonard de Utino</EM> printed about the year 1478. +This latter was rather a fine book. A little black-letter Latin +Bible by Froben, of the date of 1495, somewhat tempted me; but I +could not resist asking, in a manner half serious and half jocose, +whether a napoleon would not secure me the possession of a piquant +little volume of black-letter tracts, printed by my old friend +Guido Mercator?<A name="fnref_163"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_163">163</A> The Abbé smiled: observing--"mon ami, on +fait voir les livres ici; on les lit même: mais on ne les vend +pas." I felt the force of this pointed reply: and was resolved +never again to ask an Ecclesiastic to part with a black-letter +volume, even though it should be printed by "my old friend +Guido Mercator."</P> + +<P>Seeing there was very little more deserving of investigation, I +enquired of my amiable guide about the "LIBRARY OF THE +CORDELIERS," of which he had just made mention. He told me +that it consisted chiefly of canon and civil law, and had been +literally almost destroyed: that he had contrived however to secure +a great number of "rubbishing theological books," (so he +called them!) which he sold for <EM>three sous</EM> a piece--and +with the produce of which he bought many excellent works for the +library. I should like to have had the sifting of this +"theological rubbish!" It remained only to thank the Abbé +most heartily for his patient endurance of my questions and +searches, and particularly to apologise for bringing him from his +surrounding friends. He told me, beginning with a "soyez +tranquille," that the matter was not worth either a thought or +a syllable; and ere we quitted the library, he bade me observe the +written entries of the numbers of students who came daily thither +to read. There were generally (he told me) from fifteen to twenty +"hard at it"--and I saw the names of not fewer than +<EM>ninety-two</EM> who aspired to the honour and privilege of +having access to the BIBLIOTHECA PICHONIANA.</P> + +<P>For the third time, in the same day, I visited Monsieur Adam; to +carry away, like a bibliomaniacal Jason, the fleece I had secured. +I saw there a grave, stout gentleman--who saluted me on my +entrance, and who was introduced to me by Monsieur A. by the name +of SÉGUIN. He had been waiting (he said) full three quarters of an +hour to see me, and concluded by observing, that, although a man in +business, he had aspired to the honour of authorship. He had +written, in fact, two rather interesting--but wretchedly, and +incorrectly printed--duodecimo volumes, relating to the BOCAGE,<A +name="fnref_164"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_164">164</A> in the +immediate vicinity of Vire; and was himself the sole vender and +distributer of his publications. On my expressing a wish to possess +these books, he quitted the premises, and begged I would wait his +return with a copy or two of them. While he was gone, M. Adam took +the opportunity of telling me that he was a rich, respectable +tradesman; but that, having said some severe things of the +manufactures of Vire in his <EM>first</EM> publication,<A name= +"fnref_165"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_165">165</A> relating to +the <EM>civil</EM> history of the Bocains, his townsmen sharply +resented what they considered as reflections thrown out against +them; and M. Séguin was told that perhaps his personal safety was +endangered ... He wanted not a second hint--but fled from home with +precipitancy: and in his absence the populace suspended his effigy, +and burnt it before the door of his house. This, however, did not +<EM>cool</EM> the ardour of authorship in M. Séguin. He set about +publishing his <EM>military</EM> history of the Bocains; and in the +introductory part took occasion to retort upon the violence of his +persecutors. To return to M. Séguin. In about ten minutes he +appeared, with two copies in his hand-- which I purchased, I +thought dearly, at five francs each volume; or a napoleon for the +four books. After the adventures of this day, I need hardly tell +you that I relished a substantial dinner at a late hour, and that I +was well satisfied with Vire.</P> + +<P>Yesterday M. de Larenaudiere made good his engagement, and dined +with me at five, in the salle à manger. This is a large inn; and if +good fare depended upon the number and even elegance of female +cooks, the traveller ought to expect the very best at the +<EM>Cheval Blanc</EM>. The afternoon was so inviting--and my guest +having volunteered his services to conduct me to the most beautiful +points of view in the immediate neighbourhood--that we each seemed +to vie with the other in quickly dispatching what was placed before +us; and within thirty-five minutes, from the moment of sitting +down, we were in the outskirts of Vire. Never shall I forget that +afternoon's ramble. The sun seemed to become more of a golden +hue, and the atmosphere to increase in clearness and serenity. A +thousand little songsters were warbling in the full-leaved branches +of the trees; while the mingled notes of the +<EM>blanchisseuses</EM> and the milk-maids, near the banks of the +rippling stream below, reached us in a sort of wild and joyous +harmony--as we gazed down from the overhanging heights. The meadows +were spotted with sheep, and the orchards teemed with the coming +fruit. You may form some notion of the value of this rich and +picturesque scenery, when I tell you that M. de Larenaudiere +possesses land, in the immediate vicinity of Vire, which lets per +acre at the rate of <EM>6l.</EM> <EM>6s.</EM> English. My guide was +all gaiety of heart, and activity of step. I followed him through +winding paths and devious tracks, amidst coppice-wood and fern--not +however till I had viewed, from one particular spot upon the +heights, a most commanding and interesting panorama of the town of +Vire.</P> + +<P>In our perambulation, we discoursed of English poetry; and I +found that THOMSON was as great a favourite with my guide as with +the rest of his countrymen. Indeed he frankly told me that he had +translated him into French verse, and intended to publish his +translation. I urged him to quote specimens; which he did with a +readiness and force, and felicity of version, that quite delighted +me. He thoroughly understands the original; and in the description +of a cataract, or mountain torrent, from the Summer, he appeared to +me almost to surpass it. My guide then proceeded to quote Young and +Pope, and delivered his opinion of our two great Whig and Tory +Reviews. He said he preferred the politics and vivacity of the +<EM>Edinburgh</EM>, but thought the <EM>Quarterly</EM> more +instructive and more carefully written. "Enfin (he concluded) +j'aime infiniment votre gouvernement, et vos écrivains; mais +j'aime moins le peuple Anglois." I replied that he had at +least very recently shewn an exception to this opinion, in his +treatment of <EM>one</EM> among this <EM>very</EM> people. +"C'est une autre chose"--replied he briskly, and +laughingly--"vous allez voir deux de vos compatriotes, qui +sont mes intimes, et vous en serez bien content!" So saying, +we continued our route through a delightful avenue of beech-trees, +upon the most elevated part within the vicinity of the town; and my +companion bade me view from thence the surrounding country. It was +rich and beautiful in the extreme; and with perfect truth, I must +say, resembled much more strongly the generality of our own scenery +than what I had hitherto witnessed in Normandy. But the sun was +beginning to cast his shadows broader and broader, and where was +the residence of Monsieur and Madame S----?</P> + +<P>It was almost close at hand. We reached it in a quarter of an +hour-- but the inmates were unluckily from home. The house is low +and long, but respectable in appearance both within and without. +The approach to it is through a pretty copse, terminated by a +garden; and the surrounding grounds are rather tastefully laid out. +A portion of it indeed had been trained into something in the shape +of a labyrinth; in the centre of which was a rocky seat, embedded +as it were in moss--and from which some fine glimpses were caught +of the surrounding country. The fragrance from the orchard trees, +which had not yet quite shed their blossoms, was perfectly +delicious; while the stillness of evening added to the peculiar +harmony of the whole. We had scarcely sauntered ten minutes before +Madame arrived. She had been twelve years in France, and spoke her +own language so imperfectly, or rather so unintelligibly, that I +begged of her to resume the French. Her reception of us was most +hospitable: but we declined cakes and wine, on account of the +lateness of the hour. She told us that her husband was in +possession of from fourscore to a hundred acres of the most +productive land; and regretted that he was from home, on a visit to +a neighbouring gentleman; assuring us, if we could stay, that he +would be heartily glad to see us--"especially any of his +<EM>countrymen</EM>, when introduced by Monsieur de +Larenaudiere." It was difficult to say who smiled and bowed +with the greater complacency, at this double-shotted compliment. I +now pressed our retreat homewards. We bade this agreeable lady +farewell, and returned down the heights, and through the devious +paths by which we had ascended,</P> + +<P class="poetry">While talk of various kind deceived the road.</P> + +<P>A more active and profitable day has not yet been devoted to +Norman objects, whether of art or of nature. Tomorrow I breakfast +with my friend and guide, and immediately afterwards push on for +FALAISE. A cabriolet is hired, but doubts are entertained +respecting the practicability of the route. My next epistle will be +therefore from Falaise--where the renowned William the Conqueror +was born, whose body we left entombed at Caen. The day is clearing +up; and I yet hope for a stroll upon the site of the castle.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER XIX.</H3> + +<P>DEPARTURE FROM VIRE. CONDÉ. PONT OUILLY. ARRIVAL AT FALAISE. +HOTEL OF THE GRAND TURC. THE CASTLE OF FALAISE. BIBLIOMANIACAL +INTERVIEW.</P> + +<P><EM>Falaise</EM>.</P> + +<P>Here I am--or rather, here I have been--my most excellent +friend, for the last four days--and from hence you will receive +probably the last despatch from NORMANDY--from the "land (as I +told you in my first epistle) of "castles, churches, and +ancient chivalry." An old, well-situated, +respectably-inhabited, and even flourishing, town--the birth-place +too of our renowned FIRST WILLIAM:--weather, the most serene and +inviting--and hospitality, thoroughly hearty, and after the English +fashion:--these have all conspired to put me in tolerably good +spirits. My health, too, thank God, has been of late a little +improved. You wish me to continue the thread of my narrative +unbroken; and I take it up therefore from the preparation for my +departure from Vire.</P> + +<P>I breakfasted, as I told you I was about to do, with my friend +and guide Mons. de Larenaudiere; who had prepared quite a sumptuous +repast for our participation. Coffee, eggs, sweetmeats, cakes, and +all the comfortable paraphernalia of an inviting breakfast-table, +convinced us that we were in well-furnished and respectable +quarters. Madame did the honours of the meal in perfectly good +taste; and one of the loveliest children I ever saw--a lad, of +about five or six years of age--with a profusion of hair of the +most delicate quality and colour, gave a sort of joyous character +to our last meal at Vire. The worthy host told me to forget him, +when I reached my own country;<A name="fnref_166"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_166">166</A> and that, if ever business or +pleasure brought me again into Normandy, to remember that the Maire +de Tallevende-le-Petit would-be always happy to renew his +assurances of hospitality. At the same time, he entreated me to pay +attention to a list of English books which he put into my hands; +and of which he stood considerably in need. We bade farewell in the +true English fashion, by a hearty shake of the hands; and, mounting +our voiture, gave the signal for departure. "Au plaisir de +vous revoir!"--'till a turning of the carriage deprived us +of the sight of each other. It is not easy--and I trust it is not +natural--for me to forget the last forty-eight hours spent in the +interesting town of VIRE!</P> + +<P>Our route to this place was equally grand and experimental; +grand, as to the width of the road, and beauty of the surrounding +country--but experimental, inasmuch as a part of the <EM>route +royale</EM> had been broken up, and rendered wholly impassable for +carriages of any weight. Our own, of its kind, was sufficiently +light; with a covering of close wicker-work, painted after the +fashion of some of our bettermost tilted carts. One Norman horse, +in full condition of flesh, with an equal portion of bone and +muscle, was to convey us to this place, which cannot be less than +twenty- two good long English miles from Vire. The carriage had no +springs; and our seat was merely suspended by pieces of leather +fastened at each end. At <EM>Condé</EM>, about one-third of the +distance, we baited, to let both man and horse breathe over their +dinners; while, strolling about that prettily situated little town, +we mingled with the inhabitants, and contemplated the various faces +(it being market-day) with no ordinary degree of gratification. +Amidst the bustle and variety of the scene, our ears were greeted +by the air of an itinerant ballad-singer: nor will you be +displeased if I send you a copy of it:--since it is gratifying to +find any thing like a return to the good old times of the sixteenth +century.</P> + +<P class="poetry">VIVE LE ROI, VIVE L'AMOUR.</P> + +<P class="poetry">François Premier, nous dit l'histoire,<BR> + Etoit la fleur des Chevaliers,<BR> + Près d'Etampes aux champs de gloire<BR> + Il recueillit myrtes et lauriers;<BR> + Sa maîtresse toujours fidèle,<BR> + Le payant d'un tendre retour,<BR> + Lui chantant cette ritournelle;<BR> + <EM>Vive le Roi, vive l'Amour</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Henri, des princes le modèle,<BR> + Ton souvenir est dans nos coeurs,<BR> + Par la charmante Gabrielle<BR> + Ton front fut couronné de fleurs;<BR> + De la Ligue domptant la rage,<BR> + Tu sus triompher tour-à-tour,v Par la clémence et ton courage:<BR> + <EM>Vive le Roi, vive l'Amour</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Amant chéri de la Vallière,<BR> + Des ennemis noble vainqueur,<BR> + LOUIS savoit combattre et plaire,<BR> + Guidé par l'Amour et l'honneur;<BR> + A son retour de la Victoire,<BR> + Entouré d'une aimable cour,<BR> + Il entendoit ce cri de gloire:<BR> + <EM>Vive le Roi, vive l'Amour</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry">&c.</P> + +<P>There was a freshness of tint, and a comeliness of appearance, +among the bourgeoises and common people, which were not to be +eclipsed even by the belles of Coutances. Our garçon de poste and +his able-bodied quadruped having each properly recruited +themselves, we set forward--by preference-- to walk up the very +long and somewhat steep hill which rises on the other side of Conde +towards <EM>Pont Ouilly</EM>--in the route hither. Perhaps this was +the most considerable ascent we had mounted on foot, since we had +left Rouen. The view from the summit richly repaid the toil of +using our legs. It was extensive, fruitful, and variegated; but +neither rock nor mountain scenery; nor castles, nor country seats; +nor cattle, nor the passing traveller--served to mark or to animate +it. It was still, pure nature, upon a vast and rich scale: and as +the day was fine, and my spirits good, I was resolved to view and +to admire.</P> + +<P><EM>Pont Ouilly</EM> lies in a hollow; with a pretty winding +river, which seems to run through its centre. The surrounding hills +are gently undulating; and as we descended to the Inn, we observed, +over the opposite side of the town, upon the summit of one of the +hills, a long procession of men and women--headed by an +ecclesiastic, elevating a cross--who were about to celebrate, at +some little distance, one of their annual festivals. The effect--as +the procession came in contact with a bright blue sky, softened by +distance--was uncommonly picturesque ... but the day was getting on +fast, and there was yet a considerable distance to perform,--while, +in addition, we had to encounter the most impassable part of the +road. Besides, I had not yet eaten a morsel since I had left Vire. +Upon holding a consultation, therefore, it was resolved to make for +the inn, and to dine there. A more sheltered, rural, spot cannot be +conceived. It resembled very many of the snug scenes in South +Wales. Indeed the whole country was of a character similar to many +parts of Monmouthshire; although with a miserable draw-back in +respect to the important feature of <EM>wood</EM>. Through the +whole of Normandy, you miss those grand and overshadowing masses of +oak, which give to Monmouthshire, and its neighbouring county of +Glocester, that rich and majestic appearance which so decidedly +marks the character of those counties. However, we are now at the +inn at Pont Ouilly. A dish of river fish, gudgeons, dace, and +perch, was speedily put in requisition. Good wine, "than which +France could boast no better!" and a roast fowl, which the +daughter of the hostess "knew how to dress to admiration" +... was all that this humble abode could afford us." "But +we were welcome:"--that is, upon condition that we paid our +reckoning....</P> + +<P>The dinner would be ready in a "short half hour." Mr. +Lewis, went to the bridge, to look around, for the purpose of +exercising his pencil: while I sauntered more immediately about the +house. Within five minutes a well- looking, and even handsome, +young woman--of an extremely fair complexion-- her hair cut close +behind--her face almost smothered in a white cap which seemed of +crape--and habited in a deep black--passed quickly by me, and +ascended a flight of steps, leading to the door of a very humble +mansion. She smiled graciously at the <EM>aubergiste</EM> as she +passed her, and quickly disappeared. On enquiry, I was told that +she was a nun, who, since the suppression of the convent to which +she had belonged, earned her livelihood by teaching some of the +more respectable children in the village. She had just completed +her twentieth year. I was now addressed by a tall, bluff, +shabby-looking man--who soon led me to understand that he was +master of the inn where my "suite" was putting up;--that +I had been egregiously deceived about the nature of the road--for +that it was totally impossible for <EM>one</EM> horse:--even the +very best in Normandy--(and where will you find better? added he, +parenthetically--as I here give it to you) to perform the journey +with such a voiture and such a weight of luggage behind." I +was struck equally with amazement and woe at this intelligence. The +unpitying landlord saw my consternation. "Hark you, sir ... +(rejoined he) if you <EM>must</EM> reach Falaise this evening, +there is only one method of doing it. You must have <EM>another +horse</EM>." "Willingly," I replied. "Yes, +sir--but you can have it only upon <EM>one</EM> condition." +"What is that?" "I have some little business at +Falaise myself. Allow me to strap about one hundred weight of +loaf-sugar at the back of your conveyance, and I myself will be +your garçon de poste thither." I own I thought him about the +most impudent fellow I had yet seen in Normandy: but there was no +time for resistance. Necessity compelled acquiescence. Accordingly, +the dinner being dispatched--which, though good, was charged at six +francs a-head--we prepared for our departure.</P> + +<P>But judge of my surprise and increased consternation, when the +fellow ordered forth a little runt of a quadruped--in the shape of +a horse--which was hardly higher than the lower part of the chest +of the animal which brought us from Vire! I remonstrated. The +landlord expostulated. I resisted--but the fellow said it was a +bargain; and proceeded quietly to deposit at least <EM>two</EM> +hundred weight of his refined sugar at the back of the carriage. +This Lilliputian horse was made the leader. The landlord mounted on +the front seat, with our Vire post-boy by the side of him; and +sounding his whip, with a most ear-piercing whoop and hollow, we +sprung forward for Falaise--which we were told we should reach +before sunset. You can hardly conceive the miseries of this +cross-road journey. The route royale was, in fact, completely +impassable; because they were repairing it. Alarmed at the +ruggedness of the cross-road, where one wheel was in a rut of +upwards of a foot deep, and the other elevated in proportion--we +got out, and resolved to push on a-foot. We walked for nearly two +leagues, before our conveyance overtook us--so harassing and so +apparently insurmountable seemed to be the road. But the cunning +aubergiste had now got rid of his leader. He said that it was only +necessary to use it for the first two or three leagues--which was +the most difficult part of the route- -and that, for the remainder, +about five English miles, our "fine Norman horse" was +perfectly sufficient. This fine Norman horse was treated most +unmercifully by him. He flogged, he hallooed, he swore ... the +animal tript, stumbled, and fell upon his knees--more than +once--from sheer fatigue. The charioteer hallooed and flogged +again: and I thought we must have taken up our night quarters in +the high-way;--when suddenly, to the left, I saw the fine warm glow +of the sun, which had set about twenty minutes, lighting up one of +the most perfect round towers, of an old castle, that I had yet +seen in Normandy. Voilà FALAISE!--exclaimed the ruthless +charioteer; ... and in a quarter of an hour we trotted hard down a +hill (after the horse had been twice again upon his knees) which +terminated in this most interesting place.</P> + +<P>It will be difficult for me to forget--after such a long, +wearisome, and in part desperate journey--our approach to +Falaise:--and more especially the appearance of the castle just +mentioned. The stone seemed as fresh, and as perfectly cemented, as +if it had been the work of the preceding year. Moreover, the +contiguous parts were so fine and so thoroughly picturesque-- and +the superadded tradition of its being, according to some, the birth +place--and according to others, the usual residence--of WILLIAM THE +CONQUEROR ... altogether threw a charm about the first glimpse of +this venerable pile, which cannot be easily described. I had +received instructions to put up at the "<EM>Grand +Turc</EM>"--as the only hotel worthy an Englishman's +notice. At the door of the Grand Turk, therefore, we were safely +deposited: after having got rid of our incumbrances of two +postilions, and two hundred weight of refined sugar. Our reception +was gracious in the extreme. The inn appeared "tout-à-fait à +la mode Anglaise"--and no marvel ... for Madame the hostess +was an Englishwoman. Her husband's name was <EM>David</EM>.</P> + +<P>Bespeaking a late cup of tea, I strolled through the principal +streets,-- delighted with the remarkably clear current of the +water, which ran on each side from the numerous overcharged +fountains. Day-light had wholly declined; when, sitting down to my +souchong, I saw, with astonishment--a <EM>pair of sugar-tongs</EM> +and a <EM>salt-spoon</EM>--the first of the kind I had beheld since +I left England! Madame David enjoyed my surprise; adding, in a very +droll phraseology, that she had "not forgotten good English +customs." Our beds and bed rooms were perfectly comfortable, +and even elegant.</P> + +<P>The moat which encircles, not only the castle, but the town--and +which must have been once formidable from its depth and breadth, +when filled with water--is now most pleasingly metamorphosed. +Pasture lands, kitchen gardens, and orchards, occupy it entirely. +Here the cattle quietly stray, and luxuriously feed. But the +metamorphosis of the <EM>castle</EM> has been, in an equal degree, +unfortunate. The cannon balls, during the wars of the League--and +the fury of the populace, with the cupidity or caprice of some +individuals, during the late revolution--helped to produce this +change. After breakfast, I felt a strong desire to survey carefully +the scite and structure of the castle. It was a lovely day; and in +five minutes I obtained admission at a temporary outer gate. The +first near view within the ramparts perfectly enchanted me. The +situation is at once bold, commanding, and picturesque. But as the +opposite, and immediately contiguous ground, is perhaps yet a +little higher, it should follow that a force, placed upon such +eminence--as indeed was that of Henry the Fourth, during the wars +of the League--would in the end subdue the garrison, or demolish +the castle. I walked here and there amidst briars and brushwood, +diversified with lilacs and laburnums; and by the aid of the guide +soon got within an old room--of which the outer walls only +remained--and which is distinguished by being called the +<EM>birth-place</EM> of WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.</P> + +<P>Between ourselves, the castle appears to be at least a century +later than the time of William the Conqueror; and certainly the +fine round tower, of which such frequent mention has been made, is +rather of the fourteenth, if not of the beginning of the fifteenth +century;<A name="fnref_167"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_167">167</A> but it is a noble piece of masonry. The stone is +of a close grain and beautiful colour, and the component parts are +put together with a hard cement, and with the smallest possible +interstices. At the top of it, on the left side, facing the high +road from Vire,--and constructed within the very walls themselves, +is a <EM>well</EM>--which goes from the top apparently to the very +bottom of the foundation, quite to the bed of the moat. It is about +three feet in diameter, measuring with the eye; perhaps four: but +it is doubtless a very curious piece of workmanship. We viewed with +an inquisitive eye what remained of the <EM>Donjon</EM>: sighed, as +we surveyed the ruins of the <EM>chapel</EM>--a very interesting +little piece of ecclesiastical antiquity: and shuddered as we +contemplated the enormous and ponderous portcullis-- which had a +<EM>drop of</EM> full twenty feet ... to keep out the invading foe. +I was in truth delighted with this first reconnoissance of +FALAISE--beneath one of the brightest and bluest skies of Normandy! +and--within walls, which were justly considered to be among the +most perfect as well as the most ancient of those in Normandy.</P> + +<P>Leaving my companion to take a view of the upper part of this +venerable building, I retreated towards the town--resolved to leave +no church and no street unexplored. On descending, and quitting the +gate by which I had entered, a fine, robust, and respectable +figure, habited as an Ecclesiastic, met and accosted me. I was most +prompt to return the salutation. "We are proud, Sir, of our +castle, and I observe you have been visiting it. The English ought +to take an interest in it, since it was the birth-place of William +the Conqueror." I readily admitted it was well worth a minute +examination: but as readily turned the conversation to the subject +of LIBRARIES. The amiable stranger (for he was gaining upon me +fast, by his unaffected manners and sensible remarks) answered, +that "their <EM>own</EM> public library existed no +longer--having been made subservient to the inquisitorial visit of +M. Moysant of Caen<A name="fnref_168"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_168">168</A>: that he had himself procured for the Bishop of +Bayeux the <EM>Mentz Bible</EM> of 1462--and that the +Chapter-Library of Bayeux, before the Revolution, could not have +contained fewer than 40,000 volumes. "But you are doubtless +acquainted, Sir, with the COMTE DE LA FRESNAYE, who resides in +yonder large mansion?"-- pointing to a house upon an elevated +spot on the other side of the town. I replied that I had not that +honour; and was indeed an utter stranger to every inhabitant of +Falaise. I then stated, in as few and precise words as possible, +the particular object of my visit to the Continent. "Cela +suffit"--resumed the unknown--"nous irons faire visite à +Monsieur le Comte après le diné; à ce moment il s'occupe avec +le pôtage--car c'est un jour maigre. Il sera charmé de vous +recevoir. Il aime infiniment les Anglois, et il a resté long-temps +chez vous. C'est un brave homme--et même un grand +antiquaire."</P> + +<P>My pulse and colour increased sensibly as the stranger uttered +these latter words: and he concluded by telling me that he was +himself the Curé of <EM>Ste. Trinité</EM> one of the two principal +churches of the town--and that his name was MOUTON. Be assured that +I shall not lose sight of the Comte de la Fresnaye, and Monsieur +Mouton.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER XX.</H3> + +<P>MONS. MOUTON. CHURCH OF STE. TRINITÉ. COMTE DE LA FRESNAYE. +GUIBRAY CHURCH. SUPPOSED HEAD OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR. M. +LANGEVIN, HISTORIAN OF FALAISE. PRINTING OFFICES.</P> + +<P>I lose no time in the fulfilment of my promise. The church of +SAINTE TRINITÉ, of which Monsieur Mouton is the Curé, is the second +place of worship in rank in the town. During the Revolution, Mons. +Mouton was compelled, with too many of his professional brethren, +to fly from the general persecution of his order. One solitary and +most amiable creature only remained; of the name of LANGEVIN--of +whom, by and by, Monsieur Mouton did me the honour of shewing me +the interior of his church. His stipend (as he told me) did not +exceed 1500 francs per annum; and it is really surprising to +observe to what apparent acts of generosity towards his flock, this +income is made subservient. You shall hear. The altar consists of +two angels of the size of life, kneeling very gracefully, in white +glazed plaister: in the centre, somewhat raised above, is a figure +of the Virgin, of the same materials; above which again, is a +representation of the TRINITY--in a blaze of gilt. The massive +circular columns surrounding the choir--probably of the fourteenth +century--were just fresh painted, at the expense of the worthy +Curé, in alternate colours of blue and yellow-- imitative of +marble;--that is to say, each column, alternately, was blue and +yellow. It was impossible to behold any thing more glaring and more +tasteless. I paid my little tribute of admiration at the simplicity +and grace of the kneeling figure of the Virgin--but was stubbornly +silent about every thing else. Monsieur Mouton replied that +"he intended to grace the brows of the angels by putting a +<EM>garland</EM> round each." I felt a sort of twinge upon +receiving this intelligence; but there is no persuading the French +to reject, or to qualify, their excessive fondness for flower +ornaments.</P> + +<P>Projecting from the wall, behind the circular part of the choir, +I observed a figure of <EM>St. Sebastian</EM>--precisely of that +character which we remark in the printed missals of the fifteenth +century,--and from which the engravers of that period copied them: +namely, with the head large, the body meagre, and the limbs loose +and muscular. It was plentifully covered, as was the whole surface +of the wall, with recent white wash. On observing this, my guide +added: "oui, et je veux le faire couvrir d'une teinte +encore plus blanche!" Here I felt a second twinge yet more +powerful than the first. I noticed, towards the south-side door, a +very fine crucifix, cut in wood, about three feet high; and +apparently of the time of Goujon. It was by much the finest piece +of sculpture, of its kind, which I had seen in Normandy; but it was +rather in a decaying state. I wished to know whether such an object +of art--apparently of no earthly importance, where it was +situated--might be obtained for some honourable and adequate +compensation. Monsieur Mouton replied that he desired to part with +it--but that it must be replaced by another "full six feet +high!" There was no meeting this proposition, and I ceased to +say another word upon the subject.</P> + +<P>Upon the whole, the church of the Holy Trinity is rather a fine +and capacious, than a venerable edifice; and although I cannot +conscientiously approve of the beautifying and repairing which are +going on therein, yet I will do the <EM>planner</EM> the justice to +say, that a more gentlemanly, liberally-minded, and truly amiable +clergyman is perhaps no where to be found,--within or without the +diocese to which he belongs. Attached to the north transept or side +door, parallel with the street, is a long pole. "What might +this mean?" "Sir, this pole was crowned at the top by a +garland, and by the white flag of <EM>St. Louis</EM>,<A name= +"fnref_169"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_169">169</A>--which were +hoisted to receive me on my return from my long +expatriation"--and the eyes of the narrator were suffused with +tears, as he made the answer! It is of no consequence how small the +income of an unmarried minister, may be, when he thus lives so +entirely in the HEARTS OF HIS FLOCK. This church bears abundant +evidence, within and without, of what is called the restoration of +the Gothic order during the reign of Francis I.: although the most +essential and the greater portion is evidently of the latter part +of the fourteenth century.<A name="fnref_170"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_170">170</A> Having expressed my admiration of the +manufacture of wax candles (for religious purposes) which I had +frequently observed in the town, Monsieur Mouton, upon taking me +into the sacristy (similar to our vestry-room) begged I would do +him the honour to accept of any which might be lying upon the +table. These candles are made of the purest white wax: of a spiral, +or twisted, or square, or circular form; of considerable length and +width. They are also decorated with fillagree work, and tinsel of +various colours. Upon that which I chose, there were little +rosettes made of wax. The moderate sum for which they are obtained, +startles an Englishman who thinks of the high price of this article +of trade in his own country. You see frequently, against the walls +and pillars of the choir, fragments of these larger wax candles, +guttering down and begrimed from the uses made of them in time of +worship. In this sacristy there were two little boys swinging +<EM>wooden</EM> censers, by way of practice for the more perfect +use of them, when charged with frankincense, at the altar. To +manage these adroitly--as the traveller is in the constant habit of +observing during divine worship--is a matter of no very quick or +easy attainment.</P> + +<P>From the Curé we proceed to the Comte DE LA FRESNAYE; whose +pleasantly situated mansion had been pointed out to me, as you may +remember, by the former. Passing over one of the bridges, leading +towards <EM>Guibray</EM>, and ascending a gentle eminence to the +left, I approached the outer lodge of this large and +respectable-looking mansion. The Count and family were at dinner: +but at <EM>three</EM> they would rise from table. +"Meanwhile," said the porter, it might give me pleasure +to walk in the garden." It was one of the loveliest days +imaginable. Such a sky--blue, bright, and cloudless--I had scarcely +before seen. The garden was almost suffocated with lilacs and +laburnums, glittering in their respective liveries of white, +purple, and yellow. I stepped into a berceau--and sitting upon a +bench, bethought me of the strange visit I was about to make--as +well as of all the pleasing pastoral poetry and painting which I +had read in the pages of De Lille, or viewed upon the canvas of +Watteau. The clock of the church of <EM>St. Gervais</EM> struck +three; when, starting from my reverie, I knocked at the hall-door, +and was announced to the family, (who had just risen from dinner) +above stairs. A circle of five gentlemen would have alarmed a very +nervous visitor; but the Count, addressing me in a semi-British and +semi- Gallic phraseology, immediately dissipated my fears. In five +minutes he was made acquainted with the cause of this apparent +intrusion.</P> + +<P>Nothing could exceed his amiable frankness. The very choicest +wine was circulated at his table; of which I partook in a more +decided manner on the following day--when he was so good as to +invite me to dine. When I touched upon his favourite theme of +Norman Antiquities, he almost shouted aloud the name of +INGULPH,--that "cher ami de Guillaume le Conquérant!" I +was unwilling to trespass long; but I soon found the advantage of +making use of the name of "Monsieur Mouton--l'estimable +Curé de la Sainte Trinité."</P> + +<P>In a stroll to Guibray, towards sunset the next day, I passed +through a considerable portion of the Count's property, about +300 acres, chiefly of pasture land. The evening was really +enchanting; and through the branches of the coppice wood the sun +seemed to be setting in a bed of molten gold. Our conversation was +animated and incessant. In the old and curious church of Guibray, +the Count shewed us his family pew with the care and particularity +of an old country squire. Meanwhile Mr. Lewis was making a hasty +copy of one of the very singular ornaments--representing <EM>Christ +bearing his cross</EM>--which was suspended against the walls of +the altar of a side chapel.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:80%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/379.png" alt="Christ bearing his cross"></DIV> + +<P>You have it here. It is frightfully barbarous, and +characteristic of the capricious style of art which frequently +prevailed about the year 1520: but the wonder is, how such a +wretched performance could obtain admission into the sanctuary +where it was deposited. It was however the pious gift of the vestry +woman--who shewed us the interior--and who had religiously rescued +it, during the Revolution, from the demolition of a neighbouring +abbey. The eastern end of this church is perhaps as old as any +ecclesiastical edifice in Normandy;<A name="fnref_171"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_171">171</A> and its exterior (to which we +could only approach by wading through rank grass as high as our +knees) is one of the most interesting of its kind. During our +admiration of all that was curious in this venerable edifice, we +were struck by our old friends, the <EM>penitents</EM>,--busy in +making confession. In more than one confessional there were two +penitents; and towards one of these, thus doubly attended, I saw a +very large, athletic, hard-visaged priest hastening, just having +slipt on his surplice in the vestry. Indeed I had been cursorily +introduced to him by the Count. It was Saturday evening, and the +ensuing Sunday was to be marked by some grand procession.</P> + +<P>The village-like town of Guibray presents a most singular sight +to the eye of a stranger. There are numerous little narrow streets, +with every window closed by wooden shutters, and every door +fastened. It appears as if the plague had recently raged there, and +that the inhabitants had quitted it for ever. Not a creature is +visible: not a sound is heard: not a mouse seems to be stirring. +And yet Guibray boasts of the LARGEST FAIR in France, save one!<A +name="fnref_172"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_172">172</A> This, +my friend, precisely accounts for the aspect of desolation just +described. During the intervals of these <EM>triennial</EM> fairs, +the greater part of the village is uninhabited: venders and +purchasers flocking and crowding by hundreds when they take place. +In a short, narrow street--where nothing animated was to be +seen--the Count assured me that sometimes, in the course of one +morning, several millions of francs were spent in the purchase of +different wares. We left this very strange place with our minds +occupied by a variety of reflections: but at any rate highly +pleased and gratified by the agreeable family which had performed +the part of guides on the occasion. In the evening, a professor of +music treated us with some pleasing tunes upon the guitar--which +utterly astonished the Count--and it was quite night-fall when we +returned homewards, towards our quarters at the hotel of the +<EM>Grand Turc</EM>.</P> + +<P>A memorable incident occurred in our way homewards; which, when +made known, will probably agitate the minds and shake the faith of +two-thirds of the members of our Society of Antiquaries. You may +remember that I told you, when at Caen, that the Abbe De la Rue had +notified to me what were the objects more particularly deserving of +attention in my further progress through Normandy. Among these, he +particularly mentioned a figure or head of William the Conqueror at +Falaise. In the <EM>Place St. Gervais</EM>, this wonderful head was +said to exist--and to exist there only. It was at the house of an +Innkeeper--certainly not moving in the highest circle of his +calling. I lost little time in visiting it; and found it situated +at the top of a dark narrow staircase, projecting from the wall, to +the right, just before you reach the first floor. Some sensation +had been excited by the enquiries, which I had previously set on +foot; and on a second visit, several people were collected to +receive us. Lights, warm water, towels, soap and brushes, were +quickly put in requisition. I commenced operations with a kitchen +knife, by carefully scraping away all the layers of hardened white +and ochre washes, with which each generation had embedded and +almost obliterated every feature. By degrees, the hair became +manifest: then followed the operation of soap and water--which +brought out the features of the face; and when the eyes fully and +distinctly appeared, the exclamation of "<EM>Mon +Dieu</EM>!" by the spectators, was loud and unremitting. The +nose had received a serious injury by having its end broken off. +Anon, stood forth the mouth; and when the "whiskered +majesty" of the beard became evident, it was quite impossible +to repress the simultaneous ejaculation of joy and astonishment ... +"<EM>Voilà le vrai portrait de Guillaume le +Conquérant</EM>!</P> + +<P>The whiskers apparently denote it to be rather <EM>Saxon</EM> +than <EM>Norman</EM>. The head is nearly eleven inches in length, +by seven and a half in width: is cut upon a very coarse, yet +hard-grained stone--and rests upon a square, unconnected +stone:--embedded within the wall. If it ever had shoulders and +body, those shoulders and body were no part of the present +appendages of the head. What then, is the Abbé de la Rue in error? +The more liberal inference will be, that the Abbé de la Rue had +never seen it. As to its antiquity, I am prepared to admit it to be +very considerable; and, if you please, even before the period of +the loves of the father and mother of the character whom it is +supposed to represent. In the morning, Madame Rolle seemed disposed +to take ten louis (which I freely offered her) for her precious +fragment: but the distinct, collected view of whiskers, mouth, +nose, eyes, and hair, instantaneously raised the quicksilver of her +expectations to "<EM>quinze</EM> louis pour le moins!" +That was infinitely "trop fort"--and we parted without +coming to any terms. Perhaps you will laugh at me for the previous +offer.</P> + +<P>The church of St. Gervais is called the mother church of the +town: and it is right that you should have some notion of it. It +stands upon a finely elevated situation. Its interior is rather +capacious: but it has no very grand effect-arising from simplicity +or breadth of architecture. The pillars to the right of the nave, +on entering from the western extremity, are doubtless old; perhaps +of the beginning of the thirteenth century. The arches are a +flattened semicircle; while those on the opposite side are +comparatively sharp, and of a considerably later period. The +ornaments of the capitals of these older pillars are, some of them, +sufficiently capricious and elaborate; while others are of a more +exceptionable character on the score of indelicacy. But this does +not surprise a man who has been accustomed to examine ART, of the +middle centuries, whether in sculpture or in painting. The side +aisles are comparatively modern. The pillars of the choir have +scarcely any capitals beyond a simple rim or fillet; and are +surmounted by sharp low arches, like what are to be seen at St. Lo +and Coutances. The roof of the left side aisle is perfectly green +from damp: the result, as at Coutances, of thereof having been +stripped for the sake of the lead to make bullets, &c. during +the Revolution. I saw this large church completely filled on +Sunday, at morning service--about eleven: and, in the congregation, +I observed several faces and figures, of both sexes, which +indicated great intelligence and respectability. Indeed there was +much of the air of a London congregation about the whole.</P> + +<P>From the Church, we may fairly make any thing but a +digression--in discoursing of one of its brightest ornaments, in +the person of Monsieur LANGEVIN:--a simple priest--as he styles +himself in an octavo volume, which entitles him to the character of +the best living HISTORIAN OF FALAISE. He is a mere officiating +minister in the church of Mons. Mouton; and his salary, as he led +me to infer, could be scarcely twenty louis per annum. Surely this +man is among the most amiable and excellent of God's creatures! +But it is right that you should know the origin and progress of our +acquaintance. It was after dinner, on one of the most industriously +spent of my days here--and the very second of my arrival,--that the +waiter announced the arrival of the Abbé Langevin, in the passage, +with a copy of his History beneath his arm. The door opened, and in +walked the stranger-- habited in his clerical garb--with a +physiognomy so benign and expressive, and with manners so gentle +and well-bred,--that I rose instinctively from my seat to give him +the most cordial reception. He returned my civility in a way which +shewed at once that he was a man of the most interesting simplicity +of character. "He was aware (he said) that he had intruded; +but as he understood "Monsieur was in pursuit of the +antiquities of the place, he had presumed to offer for his +acceptance a copy of a work upon that subject--of which he was the +humble author." This work was a good sized thick crown octavo, +filling five hundred closely and well-printed pages; and of which +the price was <EM>fifty sous</EM>! The worthy priest, seeing my +surprise on his mentioning the price, supposed that I had +considered it as rather extravagant. But this error was rectified +in an instant. I ordered <EM>three copies</EM> of his historical +labours, and told him my conscience would not allow me to pay him +less than <EM>three francs</EM> per copy. He seemed to be +electrified: rose from his seat:--and lifting up one of the most +expressive of countenances, with eyes apparently suffused with +tears-- raised both his hands, and exclaimed.... "Que le bon +Dieu vous bénisse--les Anglois sont vraiement généreux!"</P> + +<P>For several seconds I sat riveted to my seat. Such an unfeigned +and warm acknowledgment of what I had considered as a mere +matter-of-course proposition, perfectly astounded me: the more so, +as it was accompanied by a gesture and articulation which could not +fail to move any bosom--not absolutely composed of marble. We each +rallied, and resumed the conversation. In few but simple words he +told me his history. He had contrived to weather out the +Revolution, at Falaise. His former preferment had been wholly taken +from him; and he was now a simple assistant in the church of Mons. +Mouton. He had yielded without resistance; as even +<EM>remonstrance</EM> would have been probably followed up by the +guillotine. To solace himself in his afflictions, he had recourse +to his old favourite studies of <EM>medicine</EM> and +<EM>music</EM>;--and had in fact practised the former. "But +come, Sir, (says he) come and do me the honour of a call--when it +shall suit you." I settled it for the ensuing day. On breaking +up and taking leave, the amiable stranger modestly spoke of his +History. It had cost him three years' toil; and he seemed to +mention, with an air of triumph, the frequent references in it to +the <EM>Gallia Christiana</EM>, and to <EM>Chartularies</EM> and +<EM>Family Records</EM> never before examined. On the next day I +carried my projected visit into execution--towards seven in the +evening. The lodgings of M. Langevin are on the second floor of a +house belonging to a carpenter. The worthy priest received me on +the landing- place, in the most cheerful and chatty manner. He has +three small rooms on the same floor. In the first, his library is +deposited. On my asking him to let me see what <EM>old books</EM> +he possessed, he turned gaily round, and replied--"Comment +donc, Monsieur, vous aimez les vieux livres? A ça, voyons!" +Whereupon he pulled away certain strips or pieces of wainscot, and +shewed me his book-treasures within the recesses. On my recognising +a <EM>Colinæus</EM> and <EM>Henry Stephen</EM>, ere he had read the +title of the volumes, he seemed to marvel exceedingly, and to gaze +at me as a conjuror. He betrayed more than ordinary satisfaction on +shewing his <EM>Latin Galen</EM> and <EM>Hippocrates</EM>; and the +former, to the best of my recollection, contained Latin notes in +the margin, written by himself. These tomes were followed up by a +few upon <EM>alchymy</EM> and <EM>astrology</EM>; from which, and +the consequent conversation, I was led to infer that the amiable +possessor entertained due respect for those studies which had +ravished our DEES and ASHMOLES of old.</P> + +<P>In the second room stood an upright piano forte--the +<EM>manufacture</EM>, as well as the property, of Monsieur +Langevin. It bore the date of 1806; and was considered as the first +of the kind introduced into Normandy. It was impossible not to be +struck with the various rational sources of amusement, by means of +which this estimable character had contrived to beguile the hours +of his misfortunes. There was a calm, collected, serenity of manner +about him--a most unfeigned and unqualified resignation to the +divine will--which marked him as an object at once of admiration +and esteem. There was no boast--no cant--no formal sermonising. You +<EM>saw</EM> what religion had done for him. Her effects +<EM>spake</EM> in his discourse and in his life.... Over his piano +hung a portrait of himself; very indifferently executed--and not +strongly resembling the original. "We can do something more +faithful than this, sir, if you will allow it"--said I, +pointing to Mr. Lewis: and it was agreed that he should give the +latter a sitting on the morrow. The next day M. Langevin came +punctually to his appointment, for the purpose of having his +portrait taken.</P> + +<P>On telling this original that the pencil drawing of Mr. Lewis +(which by the bye was executed in about an hour and a half) should +be <EM>engraved</EM>-- inasmuch as he was the modern <EM>Historian +of Falaise</EM>--he seemed absolutely astonished. He moved a few +paces gently forwards, and turning round, with hands and eyes +elevated, exclaimed, in a tremulous and heart- stricken tone of +voice, "Ah, mon Dieu!" I will not dissemble that I took +leave of him with tears, which were with difficulty concealed. +"Adieu, pour toujours!"--were words which he uttered with +all the sincerity, and with yet more pathos, than was even shewn by +Pierre Aimé Lair at Caen. The landlord and landlady of this hotel +are warm in their commendations of him: assuring me that his name +is hardly ever pronounced without the mention of his virtues. He +has just entered his sixty-second year.<A name="fnref_173"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_173">173</A></P> + +<P>It remains only to give an account of the progress of Printing +and of Literature in this place: although the latter ought to +precede the former. As a literary man, our worthy acquaintance the +Comte de la Fresnaye takes the lead: yet he is rather an amateur +than a professed critic. He has written upon the antiquities of the +town; but his work is justly considered inferior to that of +Monsieur Langevin. He quotes <EM>Wace</EM> frequently, and with +apparent satisfaction; and he promises a French version of his +beloved <EM>Ingulph</EM>. Falaise is a quiet, dull place of resort, +for those who form their notions of retirement as connected with +the occasional bustle and animation of Caen and Rouen. But the +situation is pleasing. The skies are serene: the temperature is +mild, and the fruits of the earth are abundant and nutritious. Many +of the more respectable inhabitants expressed their surprise to me +that there were so few English resident in its neighbourhood--so +much preferable, on many accounts to that of Caen. But our +countrymen, you know, are sometimes a little capricious in the +objects of their choice. Just now, it is the <EM>fashion</EM> for +the English to reside at Caen; yet when you consider that the major +part of our countrymen reside there for the purpose of educating +their children--and that Caen, from its numerous seminaries of +education, contains masters of every description, whose lessons are +sometimes as low as a frank for each--it is not surprising that +Falaise is deserted for the former place. For myself-- and for all +those who love a select society, a sweet country, and rather a +plentiful sprinkle of antiquarian art,--for such, in short, who +would read the fabliaux of the old Norman bards in peace, comfort, +and silence--there can be no question about the preference to be +given to the spot from which I send this my last Norman +despatch.</P> + +<P>I have before made mention of the fountains in this place. They +are equally numerous and clear. The inn in which we reside has not +fewer than three fountains--or rather of <EM>jets +d'eau</EM>--constantly playing. Those in the <EM>Place St. +Trinité Grand Rue</EM>, and <EM>Place St. Gervais</EM>, are the +largest; but every gutter trickles with water as if dissolved from +the purest crystal. It has been hot weather during the greater part +of our stay; and the very sight of these translucent streams seems +to refresh one's languid frame. But I proceed chiefly to the +productions of the PRESS. They do a good deal of business here in +the way of ephemeral publications. Letellier, situated in the +Grande Rue, is the chief printer of <EM>chap books</EM>: and if we +judge from the general character of these, the <EM>Falaisois</EM> +seem to be marvellously addicted to the effusions of the muse. +Indeed, their ballads, of all kinds, are innumerable. Read a few-- +which are to be found in the very commonest publications. There is +something rather original, and of a very pleasingly tender cast, in +the first two:</P> + +<P class="poetry">LE BAISER D'ADIEUX.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><SPAN class="ind2">Pres de toi l'heuré du +mystère</SPAN><BR> + Ne m'appellera plus demain,<BR> + Vers ta demeure solitaire<BR> + Mes pas me guideront en vain;<BR> + J'ai respiré ta douce haleine,<BR> + Et des pleurs ont mouillé mes yeux,</P> + +<P class="poetry">J'ai tout senti, plaisir et peine,<BR> + J'ai reçu ton baiser d'adieux. ) <EM>bis.</EM></P> + +<P class="poetry"><SPAN class="ind2">Tu pars, et malgré ta +promesse</SPAN><BR> + Rien ne m'assure de ta foi,<BR> + Nul souvenir de ta tendresse<BR> + Ne vient me dire: Pense à moi.<BR> + Ton amour qu'envain je réclame<BR> + Ne me laisse, en quittant ces lieux,<BR> + Que Phumide et brulante flamme<BR> + De ton dernier baiser d'adieux.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><SPAN class="ind2">Puisse au moins ton +indifférence</SPAN><BR> + Te garder d'un nouvel amour.<BR> + Et le veuvage de l'absence<BR> + Hâter ton fortuné retour!<BR> + Puisse alors l'amant qui t'adore,<BR> + Te revoyant aux mêmes lieux,<BR> + Sur tes lèvres vierges encore<BR> + Retrouver son baiser d'adieux!</P> + +<HR> +<P class="poetry">L'IMAGE DE LA VIE.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Nous naissons et dans notre coeur,<BR> + A peine aux portes de la vie,<BR> + Tout au plaisir, tout au bonheur,<BR> + Et nous invite et nous convie;<BR> + D'abord, simples amusements<BR> + Savent contenter notre enfance;<BR> + Mais bientòt aux jeux innocens,<BR> + L'amour nous prend ... sans qu'on y pense.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Fillette à l'âge de quinze ans,<BR> + Offre l'image de la rose,<BR> + Qui dès l'approche du printemps,<BR> + Entr'ouvre sa feuille mi-close;<BR> + Bientôt l'aiguillon du désir<BR> + Vient ouvrir fleur d'innocence,<BR> + Et sous la bouche du plaisir,<BR> + Elle s'éclôt ... sans qu'elle y pense.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Vous, qui pendant vos jeunes ans,<BR> + Ne courtisez pas la folie,<BR> + Songez donc que cet heureux temps<BR> + Ne dure pas toute la vie,<BR> + Assez vite il nous faut quitter<BR> + Tendres ardeurs, vives jouissances;<BR> + Et dans uu coeur qui sait aimer,<BR> + La raison vient ... sans qu'on y pense.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Mais enfin, sur l'âile du temps,<BR> + On arrive au but du voyage,<BR> + Et l'on voit la glace des ans,<BR> + Couronner nos fronts à cet âge;<BR> + S'il fut sensible à la pitié,<BR> + S'il cultiva la bienfaisance,<BR> + Entre les bras de l'amitié<BR> + L'homme finit ... sans qu'il y pense</P> + +<P>You must know that they are here great lovers of royalty, and of +course great supporters of the Bourbon Family. The King's +printer is a Mons. BRÉE l'Ainé. He is a very pleasant, +well-bred man, and lives in the <EM>Place Trinité</EM>. I have paid +him more than one visit, and always felt additional pleasure at +every repetition of it. My first visit was marked with a somewhat +ludicrous circumstance. On entering the compositors' room, I +observed, pasted upon the walls, in large capital letters, the +following well known words:</P> + +<P class="quote">GOD SAVE THE KING.</P> + +<P>Both Monsieur Brée l'Ainé--and his workmen were equally +gratified by my notice and commendation of this sentiment. "It +is the favourite sentiment, Sir, of your country,"--remarked +the master. To this I readily assented. "It is also, Sir, the +favourite one of our own," replied M. Brée l'Ainé-- and +his men readily attested their concurrence in the same reply. +"Ah, Sir, if you would only favour us by <EM>singing the +air</EM>, to which these words belong, you would infinitely oblige +us all" ... said a shrewd and intelligent-looking compositor. +"With all my heart"--rejoined I--"but I must frankly +tell you, that I shall sing it rather with heart than with +voice--being neither a vocal nor an instrumental performer." +"No matter: give us only a notion of it." They all stood +round in a circle, and I got through two stanzas as gravely and as +efficiently as I was able. The usual "charmant!" followed +my exertions. It was now my turn to ask a favour. "Sing to me +your favourite national air of ROBERT and ARLETTE." "Most +willingly, Sir," replied the forementioned "shrewd and +intelligent-looking compositor." "Tenez: un petit moment: +je vais chercher mon violon. Ca ira mieux."</P> + +<P>He left the house in search of his violin. The tune of the +National air which he sung was both agreeable and lively: and upon +the whole it was difficult to say which seemed to be the better +pleased with the respective national airs. M. Brée shewed me his +premises in detail. They had been formerly a portion of an old +church; and are situated on the edge of the great fosse which +encircles the town. A garden, full of sweet blooming flowers, is +behind them; and the view backwards is cheerful and picturesque. +There are generally five presses at work; which, for a provincial +printing office, shews business to be far from slack. Mons. B. +sells a great number of almanacks, and prints all the leading +publications connected with the town. In fact, his title, as +<EM>Imprimeur du Roi</EM>, supposes him to take the principal lead +as a printer. This agreeable man has a brother who is professor of +rhetoric in the Collège Royale at Paris.</P> + +<P>Of <EM>Bouquinistes</EM>, or dealers in old books, there are +scarcely any. I spent three or four fruitless hours in a search +after old chronicles and old poetry: and was compelled, almost from +pure civility, to purchase of DUFOURS a <EM>Petit's Virgil</EM> +of 1529, folio--which will be hardly worth the carriage. I tried +hard for a fine copy of <EM>Fauchet's Origines de la Poésie +Françoise</EM>, 1581, 4to. with the head of the author, but in +vain; yet endeavoured to console myself by an old blue morocco copy +of <EM>Les regrets et tristes lamentations du Comte de +Montgomery</EM>, by <EM>Demorenne</EM>, Rouen, 1574, 8vo. as well +as a clean, fresh, and almost crackling copy of <EM>Amoureuses +occupations de la Taysonniere</EM>, Lyon, 1555, 8vo.--for two +francs each--and both destined for the rich and choice library of +our friend....</P> + +<P>Thus much for FALAISE: for a spot, which, from the uniform +serenity of the weather since I have been here--from the comfort of +the inn--from the extreme civility and attention of the +townspeople--and from the yet more interesting society of the Comte +de la Fresnaye, the <EM>Curés</EM> Mouton and Langevin--together +with the amenity of the surrounding country, and the interesting +and in part magnificent remains of antiquity--can never be erased +from my recollection. It is here that the tourist and antiquary may +find objects for admiration and materials for recording. I have +done both: admired and recorded--happy, if the result of such +occupations shall have contributed to the substantial gratification +of yourself and of our common friends. And now, farewell; not only +to Falaise, but to NORMANDY. I shall leave it, from this delightful +spot, in the most thorough good humour, and with more than ordinary +regret that my stay has necessarily been short. I have taken my +place in the Diligence, direct for PARIS. "Il n'y a +qu'un Paris"--said the Comte de la Fresnaye to me the +other day, when I told him I had never been there--to which I +replied, "Are there then TWO Londons?" Thirty-six hours +will settle all this. In the mean time, adieu.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">LETTER XXI.</H3> + +<P>JOURNEY TO PARIS. DREUX. HOUDAN. VERSAILLES. ENTRANCE INTO +PARIS.</P> + +<P><EM>Paris, Rue Faubourg Poissonière, May</EM> 30, 1819.</P> + +<P>"Time and the hour runs through the roughest day." +They must be protacted miseries indeed which do not, at some period +or other, have something like a termination. I am here, then my +good friend--safe and sound at last; comfortably situated in a +boarding house, of which the mistress is an agreeable Englishwoman +and the master an intelligent Swiss. I have sauntered, gazed, and +wondered--and exchanged a thousand gracious civilities! I have +delivered my epistolary credentials: have shaken hands with +Monsieur Van Praet; have paced the suite of rooms in which the +renowned BIBLIOTHEQUE DU ROI is deposited: have traversed the +<EM>Thuileries</EM> and the <EM>Louvre</EM>; repeatedly +reconnoitred the <EM>Boulevards</EM>; viewed the gilt dome of the +<EM>Hôtel des Invalides</EM>, and the white flag upon the +bronze-pillar in the <EM>Place Vendome</EM>; seen crowds of our +countrymen at <EM>Meurice's</EM> and in the hotels about the +<EM>Rue de la Paix;</EM> partaken of the rival ices of +<EM>Tortoni</EM> and the <EM>Caffé des Mille Colonnes</EM>; bought +old French poetry at a Bouquiniste's: and drank Chambertin and +Champagne at the richly garnished table of our ----. These are what +may be called good <EM>foreground objects</EM> in the composition +of a Parisian picture. Now for the filling up of the canvas with +appropriate and harmonizing detail.</P> + +<P>A second reflection corrects however the precipitancy of such a +proposal; for it cannot be, in this my <EM>first</EM> despatch, +that you are to receive any thing like an adequate notion of the +topics thus hastily thrown together on the first impulse of +Parisian inspiration. Wait patiently, therefore: and at least +admire the methodical precision of my narrative. My last letter +left me on the eve of departure from Falaise; and it is precisely +from that place that I take up the thread of my journal. We were to +leave it, as I told you, in the Diligence--on the evening of the +Sunday, immediately following the date of the despatch transmitted. +I shall have reason to remember that journey for many a day to +come; but, "post varios casus, &c." I am thankful to +find myself safely settled in my present comfortable abode. The +Sabbath, on the evening of which the Diligence usually starts for +Paris, happened to be a festival. Before dawn of day I heard +incessant juvenile voices beneath the window of my bedroom at the +Grand Turc; What might this mean? Between three and four, as the +day began to break, I rose, and approaching the window, saw, from +thence, a number of little boys and girls busied in making +artificial flower-beds and sand- borders, &c. Their tongues and +their bodily movements were equally unintermitting. It was +impossible for a stranger to guess at the meaning of such a +proceeding; but, opening the window, I thought there could be no +harm in asking a very simple question--which I will confess to you +was put in rather an irritable manner on my part ... for I had been +annoyed by their labours for more than the last hour. "What +are you about, there?" I exclaimed --"Ha, is it you +Sir?" replied a little arch boy--mistaking me for some one +else. "Yes, (resumed I) tell me what you are about +there?" "in truth, we are making <EM>Réposoirs</EM> for +the FETE-DIEU: the Host will pass this way by and bye. Is it not a +pretty thing, Sir?" exclaimed a sweetly modulated female +voice. All my irritability was softened in a moment; and I was +instantly convinced that Solomon never delivered a wiser sentiment +than when he said--"A soft answer turneth away wrath!" I +admitted the prettiness of the thing without comprehending a +particle of it: and telling them to speak in a lower key, shut the +window, and sought my bed. But sleep had ceased to seek me: and the +little urchins, instead of lowering their voices, seemed to break +forth in a more general and incessant vociferation. In consequence, +I was almost feverish from restlessness--when the fille de chambre +announced that "it was eight o'clock, and the morning most +beautiful."</P> + +<P>These <EM>réposoirs</EM> are of more importance than you are +aware of. They consist of little spots, or spaces in the streets, +garnished with flowers, and intersected by walks, marked with fine +gravel, in the centre of which the Host rests, on its passing to +and fro from the several parishes. When I rose to dress, I observed +the work of art--which had been in progress during the +night--perfectly complete. Passengers were forbidden to trespass by +pieces of string fastened to different parts by way of a fence--or, +whoever chose to walk within, considered themselves bound to +deposit a sous as the condition of gratifying their curiosity. Upon +the whole, this réposoir might be about sixteen feet square. +Towards eleven o'clock the different religious ceremonies +began. On one side the noise of the drum, and the march of the +national guard, indicated that military mass was about to be +performed; on the other, the procession of priests, robed and +officiating--the elevation of banners--and the sonorous responses +of both laity and clergy--put the whole town into agitation, and +made every inmate of every mansion thrust his head out of window, +to gaze at the passing spectacle. We were among the latter +denomination of lookers on, and recognised, with no small +gratification, our clerical friends Messieurs Mouton, Langevin, and +the huge father confessor at Guibra, followed by a great number of +respectable citizens, among whom the Comte de la Fresnaye and his +amiable and intelligent son (recently married) made most +respectable figures; They approached the réposoir in question. The +priests, with the Host, took their station within it; silence +followed; one officiating clergyman then knelt down; shut, what +seemed to be, the wooden covers of a book,--with, considerable +violence--rose--turned round, and the procession being again put in +motion--the whole marched away to the church of the Holy +Trinity;--whither I followed it; and where I witnessed what I was +unable to comprehend, and what I should not feel much disposed to +imitate. But let every country be allowed to reverence and respect +its own particular religious ceremonies. We may endure what we +cannot commend ... and insult and disrespect are among the last +actions which a well regulated mind will shew in its treatment of +such matters. I should add, that these réposoirs, a few hours after +the performance of the ceremony just described, are +indiscriminately broken up: the flowers and the little sand banks +falling equally a prey to the winds and the feet of the +passenger.</P> + +<P>Opposite to the inn was an hospital for the female sick. It had +been formerly an establishment of very considerable extent and +celebrity; but whether it was originally connected with the +hospital of the <EM>Léproserie de Saint Lasare</EM>, (about which +the Abbé Langevin's History of Falaise is rather curious) the +<EM>Hôtel-Dieu</EM>, or the <EM>Hôpital Général</EM>, I cannot take +upon me to pronounce. Certain it is, however, that this +establishment does great credit to those who have the conduct of +it. As foreigners, and particularly as Englishmen, we were +permitted to see the whole, without reserve. On my return from +witnessing the ceremony at the church of the Trinity, I visited +this hospital: my companion having resumed his graphic operations +before the Castle. I shall not easily forget the face and figure of +the matron. To a countenance of masculine feature, and masculine +complexion--including no ordinary growth of beard, of a raven +tint--she added a sturdy, squat, muscular figure--which, when put +into action, moved in a most decided manner. A large bunch of +massive keys was suspended from a girdle at her side; and her +dress, which was black, was rendered more characteristic and +striking, by the appearance of, what are yet called, +<EM>bustles</EM> above her hips. As she moved, the keys and the +floor seemed equally to shake beneath her steps. The elder Smirke +would have painted this severe Duenna-like looking matron with +inimitable force and truth. But ... she no sooner opened her mouth, +than all traits of severity vanished. Her voice was even musical, +and her "façon de parler" most gracious. She shewed me +the whole establishment with equal good humour and alertness; and I +don't know when I ever made such a number of bows (to the +several female patients in the wards) within such limited time and +space. The whole building has the air of a convent; and there were +several architectural relics, perhaps of the end of the fifteenth +century, which I only regretted were not of portable dimensions; +as, upon making enquiry, little objection seemed to be made to the +gratuitous disposal of them.</P> + +<P>The hour for departure, after sun-set, having arrived, we were +summoned to the Diligence when, bidding adieu to the very worthy +host and hostess of the <EM>Grand Turc</EM>, (whom I strongly +recommend all Englishmen to visit) I made up my mind for a +thirty-six hour's journey--as I was to reach Paris on Tuesday +morning. The day had been excessively hot for the season of the +year; and the night air was refreshing. But after a few snatches of +sleep-- greatly needed--there appeared manifest symptoms of decay +and downfall in the gloomy and comfortless machine in which we took +our departure. In other words, towards daylight, and just as we +approached <EM>L'Aigle</EM>, the left braces (which proved to +be thoroughly rotted leather) broke in two: and down slid, rather +than tumbled, the Falaise Diligence! There were two French +gentlemen, and an elderly lady, besides ourselves in the coach. +While we halted, in order to repair the machine, the Frenchmen +found consolation in their misfortune by running to a caffé, (it +was between four and five in the morning), rousing the master and +mistress, and as I thought, peremptorily and impertinently asking +for coffee: while they amused themselves with billiards during its +preparation. I was in no humour for eating, drinking, or playing: +for here was a second sleepless night! Having repaired this crazy +vehicle, we rumbled on for <EM>Verneuil</EM>; where it was +exchanged for a diligence of more capacious dimensions. Here, about +eleven o'clock, we had breakfast; and from henceforth let it +not be said that the art of eating and drinking belongs exclusively +to our country:--for such manifestations of appetite, and of attack +upon substantials as well as fluids, I had scarcely ever before +witnessed. I was well contented with coffee, tea, eggs, and +bread--as who might not well be?... but my companions, after taking +these in flank, cut through the centre of a roast fowl and a dish +of stewed veal: making diversions, in the mean while, upon sundry +bottles of red and white wine; the fingers, during the meal, being +as instrumental as the white metal forks.</P> + +<P>We set off at a good round trot for <EM>Dreux</EM>: and, in the +route thither, we ascended a long and steep hill, having +<EM>Nonancourt</EM> to the left. Here we saw some very pretty +country houses, and the whole landscape had an air of English +comfort and picturesque beauty about it. Here, too, for the first +time, I saw a VINEYARD. At this early season of the year it has a +most stiff and unseemly look; presenting to the eye scarcely any +thing but the brown sticks, obliquely put into the ground, against +which the vine is trained. But the sloping banks, on each side of +the ascending road, were covered with plantations of this precious +tree; and I was told that, if the <EM>autumn</EM> should prove as +auspicious as appeared the <EM>spring</EM>, there would be a season +of equal gaiety and abundance. I wished it with all my heart. +Indeed I felt particularly interested in the whole aspect of the +country about <EM>Nonancourt</EM>. The sun was fast descending as +we entered the town of <EM>Dreux</EM>--where I had resolved upon +taking leave both of the diligence and of my companions; and of +reaching Paris by post. At seven we dined, or rather perhaps made +an early supper; when my fellow travellers <EM>sustained</EM> their +reputation for their powers of attack upon fish, flesh, and fowl. +Indeed the dinner was equally plentiful and well cooked; and the +charge moderate in proportion. But there is nothing, either on the +score of provision of reasonableness of cost, like the <EM>table +d'hôte</EM> throughout France; and he who cannot accommodate +himself to the hour of dining (usually about one) must make up his +mind to worse fare and treble charges.</P> + +<P>After dinner we strolled in the town, and upon the heights near +the castle. We visited the principal church, <EM>St. Jean</EM>, +which is very spacious, and upon the whole is a fine piece of +architecture. I speak more particularly of the interior--where I +witnessed, however, some of the most horrible devastations, arising +from the Revolution, which I had yet seen. In one of the side +chapels, there <EM>had been</EM> a magnificent monument; perhaps +from sixteen to twenty feet in height--crowded with figures as +large as life, from the base to the summit. It appeared as if some +trenchant instrument of an irresistible force, had shaved away many +of the figures; but more especially the heads and the arms. This +was only one, but the most striking, specimen of revolutionary +Vandalism. There were plenty of similar proofs, on a reduced scale. +In the midst of these traces of recent havoc, there was a pleasure +mingled with melancholy, in looking up and viewing some exceedingly +pretty specimens of old stained glass:--which had escaped the +destruction committed in the lower regions, and had preserved all +their original freshness. Here and there, in the side chapels, the +priests were robing themselves to attend confession; while the +suppliants, in kneeling attitudes, were expecting them by the side +of the confessionals. From the church I bent my steps to the +principal bookseller of the place, whom I found to be an +intelligent, civil, and extremely good- natured tradesman. But his +stock was too modern. "Donnez vous la peine de +monter"--exclaimed he precipitately; begging me to follow him. +His up- stairs collection was scarcely of a more ancient character +than that below. There were more copies of <EM>Voltaire</EM> and +<EM>Rousseau</EM> than I should have supposed he could sell in six +years--but "on the contrary" (said he) "in six +months' time, not a single copy will remain unsold!" I +marvelled and grieved at such intelligence; because the poison was +not extracted from the nourishment contained in these works. To an +enquiry about my old typographical friends, <EM>Verard, +Pigouchet</EM>, and <EM>Eustace</EM>, the worthy bibliopole replied +"qu'il n'avoit jamais entendu parler de ces +gens-la!" Again I marvelled; and having no temptation to +purchase, civilly wished him good evening.</P> + +<P>Meanwhile Mr. L. had attained the castle heights, and was lost +in a sort of extacy at the surrounding scene. On entering the outer +walls, and directing your steps towards the summit, you are +enchanted with a beautiful architectural specimen--in the character +of a zigzag early Norman arch-- which had originally belonged to a +small church, recently taken down: The arch alone stands insulated +... beyond which, a new, and apparently a very handsome, church is +erecting, chiefly under the care and at the expence of the present +Duke of Orleans;--as a mausoleum for his family--and in which, not +many days before our arrival, the remains of one of his children +had been deposited. I wished greatly for a perfect drawing of this +arch ... but there was no time ... and my companion was exercising +his pencil, on the summit, by a minute, bird's eye of the sweep +of country to be seen from this elevated situation--through the +greater part of which, indeed, the diligence from <EM>Verneuil</EM> +had recently conducted us. I should add, that not a relic of that +CASTLE, which had once kept the town and the adjacent country in +awe, is now to be seen: but its outer walls enclose a space hardly +less than twenty acres:--the most considerable area which I had yet +witnessed. To give a more interesting character to the scenery, the +sun, broad and red, was just hiding the lower limb of his disk +behind the edge of a purple hill. A quiet, mellow effect reigned +throughout the landscape. I gazed on all sides; and (wherefore, I +cannot now say) as I sunk upon the grass, overwhelmed with fatigue +and the lassitude of two sleepless nights, wished, in my heart, I +could have seen the effect of that glorious sun-set from, the +heights of Dover. Now and then, as when at school, one feels a +little home-sick; but the melancholy mood which then possessed me +was purely a physical effect from a physical cause. The shadows of +evening began to succeed to the glow of sun-set--when, starting +from my recumbent position, (in which sleep was beginning to +surprise me) I hastened down the heights, and by a nearer direction +sought the town and our hotel. We retired betimes to rest--but not +until, from an opposite coach maker, we had secured a phaeton-like +carriage to convey us with post horses, the next day, to Paris.</P> + +<P>Excellent beds and undisturbed slumber put me in spirits for the +grand entrée into the metropolis of France. Breakfasting a little +after nine-- before ten, a pair of powerful black horses, one of +which was surmounted by a sprucely-attired postilion--with the +phaeton in the rear--were at the door of the hotel. Seeing all our +baggage properly secured, we sprung into the conveyance and darted +forward at a smart gallop. The animals seemed as if they could fly +away with us--and the whip of the postilion made innumerable +circular flourishes above their heads. The sky was beautifully +clear: and a briskly-stirring, but not unpleasantly penetrating, +south-east wind, played in our faces as we seemed scarcely to be +sensible of the road. What a contrast to the heat, vexation, and +general uncomfortableness of the two preceding days of our journey! +We felt it sensibly, and enjoyed it in proportion. Our first place +of halting, to change horses, was at HOUDAN; which may be about +four leagues from Dreux; and I verily believe we reached it in an +hour. The route thither is through a flat and uninteresting +country; except that every feature of landscape (and more +especially in our previous journeys through Normandy) seems to be +thrown to a greater distance, than in England. This may account for +the flatness of views, and the diminutiveness of objects. Houdan is +a village-like town, containing a population of about 2000 +inhabitants; but much business is done on market days; and of +<EM>corn</EM>, in particular, I was told that they often sold +several thousand sacks in a day. Its contiguity to Paris may +account for the quantity of business done. In the outskirts of the +town,--and flanked, rather than surrounded, by two or three rows of +trees, of scarcely three years growth--stands the "stiff and +stower" remains of the <EM>Castle of Houdan</EM>. It is a very +interesting relic, and to our eyes appeared of an unusual +construction. The corner towers are small and circular; and the +intermediate portion of the outer wall is constructed with a swell, +or a small curvature outwards. I paced the outside, but have +forgotten the measurement. Certainly, it is not more than forty +feet square. I tried to gain admittance into the interior, but +without success, as the person possessing the key was not to be +found. I saw enough, however, to convince me that the walls could +not be less than twelve feet in thickness.</P> + +<P>The horses had been some time in readiness, and the fresh +postilion seemed to be lost in amazement at the cause of our +loitering so long at so insignificant a place. The day warmed as we +pushed on for the far-famed "proud Versailles." The +approach, from Houdan, is perhaps not the most favourable; although +we got peeps of the palace, which gave us rather elevated notions +of its enormous extent. We drove to the <EM>Hôtel de Bourbon</EM>, +an excellent, clean mansion, close to the very façade of the +palace, after passing the Hôtel de Ville; and from whence you have +an undisturbed view of the broad, wide, direct road to Paris. I +bespoke dinner, and prepared to lounge. The palace--of which I +purposely declined visiting the interior--reserving Versailles for +a future and entire day's gratification--is doubtless an +immense fabric--of which the façade just mentioned is composed of +brick, and assumes any thing but a grand and imposing air: merely +because it wants simplicity and uniformity of design. I observed +some charming white stone houses, scattered on each side of this +widely extended chaussée--or route royale--and, upon the whole, +Versailles appeared to us to be a magnificent and rather +interesting spot. Two or three rows of trees, some forty or fifty +generations more ancient than those constituting the boulevards at +Houdan, formed avenues on each side of this noble road; and all +appeared life and animation--savouring of the proximity of the +metropolis. Carriages without number--chiefly upon hire, were going +and returning; and the gaits and dresses of individuals were of a +more studied and of a gayer aspect. At length, we became a little +impatient for our dinner, and for the moment of our departure. We +hired one of these carriages; which for nine francs, would convey +us to the place of our destination. This appeared to me very +reasonable; and after being extravagant enough to drink Champagne +at dinner, to commemorate our near approach to the metropolis, we +set forward between five and six o'clock, resolving to strain +our eyes to the utmost, and to be astonished at every thing we +saw!--especially as <EM>this</EM> is considered the most favourable +approach to the capital.</P> + +<P>The <EM>Ecole Militaire</EM>, to the left, of which Marshal Ney +had once the chief command, struck me as a noble establishment. But +it was on approaching <EM>Sèvre</EM> that all the bustle and +population, attendant upon the immediate vicinity of a great +metropolis, became evident. Single-horsed vehicles--in many of +which not fewer than nine persons were pretty closely stowed--three +upon a bench, and three benches under the roof--fiacres, barouches, +and carriages of every description, among which we discovered a +great number from our own country--did not fail to occupy our +unremitting attention. <EM>Sèvre</EM> is a long, rambling, and +chiefly single-street town; but picturesquely situated, on a slope, +and ornamented to the left by the windings of the Seine. We were +downright glad to renew our acquaintance with our old, and +long-lost friend, the river Seine; although it appeared to be sadly +shorn of its majestic breadth since we had parted with it before +the walls of Montmorenci castle, in our route to Havre. The new +nine-arch bridge at Sèvre is a sort of Waterloo bridge in +miniature. Upon the heights, above it, I learnt that there was a +beautiful view of the river in the foreground with Paris in the +distance. We passed over the old bridge, and saw <EM>St. Cloud</EM> +to the left: which of course interested us as the late residence of +Bonaparte, but which, in truth, has nothing beyond the air of a +large respectable country-gentleman's mansion in England. We +pushed on, and began to have distinct perceptions of the great +city. Of all the desirable places of retreat, whether for its +elevated situation, or respectable appearance, or commodious +neighbourhood, nothing struck me more forcibly than the village of +PASSY, upon a commanding terrace, to the left; some three or four +English miles from Paris--and having a noble view both of the river +and of the city. It is also considered to be remarkably healthy; +and carriages of every description, are constantly passing thither +to and from Paris.</P> + +<P>The dome of the <EM>Pantheon</EM>, and the gilded one of the +<EM>Hôtel des Invalides</EM>, together with the stunted towers of +<EM>Notre Dame</EM>, were among the chief objects to the right: +while the accompaniment of the Seine, afforded a pleasing +foreground to this architectural picture in the distance. But, my +friend, I will frankly own to you, that I was disappointed ... upon +this first glimpse of the GREAT city. In the first place, the +surrounding country is flat; with the exception of <EM>Mount +Calvary,</EM> to the left, which has nothing to do with the +metropolitan view from this situation. In the second place, what +are the <EM>Pantheon</EM> and <EM>Notre Dame</EM> compared with +<EM>St. Paul's</EM> and <EM>Westminster Abbey</EM>?--to say +nothing of the vicinity of London, as is connected with the +beautifully undulating ground about Camberwell, Sydenham, Norwood, +and. Shooter's Hill--and, on the other side of the water, +Hampstead, Highgate and Harrow: again, Wimbledon and Richmond!... +What lovely vicinities are these compared with that of <EM>Mont +Martre</EM>? And if you take river scenery into the account, what +is the <EM>Seine</EM>, in the neighbourhood of Paris, compared with +the <EM>Thames</EM> in that of London? If the almost impenetrable +smoke and filth from coal-fires were charmed away--shew me, I +beseech you, any view of Paris, from this, or from any point of +approach, which shall presume to bear the semblance of comparison +with that of London, from the descent from <EM>Shooter's +Hill</EM>! The most bewitched Frenchified-Englishman, in the +perfect possession of his eye sight, will not have the temerity to +institute such a comparison. But as you near the barriers, your +admiration increases. Having got rid of all background of +country--as you approach the capital--the foregoing objections +vanish. Here the officers of police affected to search our luggage. +They were heartily welcome, and so I told them. This disarmed all +suspicion. Accordingly we entered Paris by one of the noblest and +one of the most celebrated of its Boulevards--the <EM>Champs +Elysées</EM>. As we gained the <EM>Place Louis Quinze</EM>, with +the <EM>Thuileries</EM> in front, with the <EM>Hôtel des +Invalides</EM> (the gilded dome of which latter reflected the +strong rays of a setting sun) to the right--we were much struck +with this combination of architectural splendour: indisputably much +superior to any similar display on the entrance into our own +capital.<A name="fnref_174"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_174">174</A> Turning to the left, the <EM>Place Vendome</EM> +and the <EM>Rue de la Paix</EM>, with the extreme height of the +houses, and the stone materials of their construction, completed +our admiration. But the <EM>Boulevards Italiens</EM>--after passing +the pillars of the proposed church of <EM>Ste. Madelaine</EM>, and +turning to the right-- helped to prolong our extreme gratification, +till we reached the spot whence I am addressing you. Doubtless, at +first glance, this is a most splendid and enchanting city. A +particular detail must be necessarily reserved, for the next +despatch. I shall take all possible pains to make you acquainted +with the treasures of PAST TIMES--in the shape of Manuscripts and +printed Books. THE ROYAL LIBRARY has as much astonished me, as the +CURATORS of it have charmed me by their extreme kindness and +civility.<A name="fnref_175"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_175">175</A></P> + +<P class="spaced">END OF VOL. I.</P> + +<P>London: Printed by W. Nicol,<BR> +Cleveland-row, St. James's.</P> + +<H2 class="letter">SUPPLEMENT TO VOL. I.</H2> + +<H3 class="centered">OLD POEM ON THE SIEGE OF ROUEN.</H3> + +<P>The city of Rouen makes too considerable a figure in the +foregoing pages, and its history, as connected with our own country +in the earlier part of the fifteenth century, is too interesting, +to require any thing in the shape of apology for the matter which +the Reader is about to peruse. This "matter" is +necessarily incidental to the <EM>present</EM> edition of the +"Tour;" as it is only recently made public. An +"<EM>Old English Poem</EM>" on our Henry the Fifth's +"<EM>Siege of Rouen</EM>" is a theme likely to excite the +attention of the literary Antiquary on <EM>either</EM> side of the +Channel.</P> + +<P>The late erudite, and ever to be lamented Rev. J.J. Conybeare, +successively Professor of the Saxon language, and of English Poetry +in the University of Oxford, discovered, in the exhaustless +treasures of the Bodleian Library, a portion of the Old English +Poem in question: but it was a portion only. In the 21st. vol. of +the Archæologia, Mr. Conybeare gave an account of this fortunate +discovery, and subjoined the poetical fragment. Mr. Frederick +Madden, one of the Librarians attached to the MS. department in the +British Museum, was perhaps yet more fortunate in the discovery of +the portion which was lost: and in the 22d. vol. of the +<EM>Archæologia</EM>, just published, (pp. 350-398), he has annexed +an abstract of the remaining fragment, with copious and learned +notes. This fragment had found its way, in a prose attire, into the +well-known English MS. Chronicle, called the BRUTE:--usually (but +most absurdly) attributed to Caxton. It is not however to be found +in <EM>all</EM> the copies of this Chronicle. On the contrary, Mr. +Madden, after an examination of several copies of this MS. has +found the poem only in four of them: namely, in two among the +Harleian MSS. (Nos. 753; 2256--from which <EM>his</EM> transcript +and collation have been made) in one belonging to Mr. Coke of +Holkham, and in a fourth belonging to the <EM>Cotton</EM> +Collection:--Galba E. viii. This latter MS. has a very close +correspondence with the <EM>second</EM> Harl. MS. but is often +faulty from errors of the Scribe, See <EM>Gentleman's Magazine, +May</EM>, 1829.</P> + +<P>So much for the history of the discovery of this precious old +English Poem--which is allowed to be a contemporaneous production +of the time of the Siege--namely, A.D. 1418. A word as to its +intrinsic worth--from the testimony of the Critic most competent to +appreciate it. "It will be admitted, I believe, (says Mr. +Madden) by all who will take the trouble to compare the various +contemporary narratives of the Siege of Rouen, that in point of +simplicity, clearness, and minuteness of detail, there is NO +existing document which can COMPARE with the Poem before us. Its +authenticity is sufficiently established, from the fact of the +Author's having been an EYEWITNESS of the whole. If we review +the names of those Historians who lived at the same period, we +shall have abundant reason to rejoice at so valuable an accession +to our present stock of information on the subject." +<EM>Archæologia</EM>, vol. xxii. p. 353. The reader shall be no +longer detained from a specimen or two of the poem itself, which +should seem fully to justify the eulogy of the Critic.</P> + +<P>"On the day after the return of the twelve delegates sent +by the City of Rouen to treat with Henry, the Poet proceeds to +inform us, that the King caused two tents to be pitched, one for +the English Commissioners, and the other for the French. On the +English side were appointed the Earl of Warwick, the Earl of +Salisbury, the Lord Fitzhugh, and Sir Walter Hungerford, and on the +French side, twelve discreet persons were chosen to meet them. Then +says the writer,</P> + +<P class="poetry">'It was a sight of solempnity,<BR> + For to behold both party;<BR> + To see the rich in their array,<BR> + And on the walls the people that lay,<BR> + And on our people that were without,<BR> + How thick that they walked about;<BR> + And the heraudis seemly to seene,<BR> + How that they went ay between;<BR> + The king's heraudis and pursuivants,<BR> + In coats of arms <EM>amyantis</EM>.<BR> + The English a beast, the French a flower,<BR> + Of Portyngale both castle and tower,<BR> + And other coats of diversity,<BR> + As lords bearen in their degree.'</P> + +<P>"As a striking contrast to this display of pomp and +splendour is described the deplorable condition of those +unfortunate inhabitants who lay starving in the ditches without the +walls of the City, deprived both of food and clothing. The +affecting and simple relation of our Poet, who was an eye- witness, +is written with that display of feeling such a scene must naturally +have excited, and affords perhaps one of the most favourable +passages in the Poem to compare with the studied narratives of +Elmham or Livius. In the first instance we behold misery literally +in rags, and hiding herself in silence and obscurity, whilst in the +other she is ostentatiously paraded before our eyes:</P> + +<P class="poetry">'There men might see a great pity,<BR> + A child of two year or three<BR> + Go about, and bid his bread,<BR> + For Father and mother both lay dead,<BR> + And under them the water stood,<BR> + And yet they lay crying after food.<BR> + Some <EM>storven</EM> to the death,<BR> + And some stopped both eyen and breath,<BR> + And some crooked in the knees,<BR> + And as lean as any trees,<BR> + And women holding in their arm<BR> + A dead child, and nothing warm,<BR> + And children sucking on the pap<BR> + Within a dead woman's lap.'</P> + +<P>On Friday the 20th of January, King Henry V. made his public +entry into Rouen. His personal appearance is thus described:</P> + +<P class="poetry">'He rode upon a brown steed,<BR> + Of black damask was his weed,<BR> + A <EM>Peytrelle</EM> of gold full bright<BR> + About his neck hung down right,<BR> + And a pendant behind him did honge<BR> + Unto the earth, it was so long.<BR> + And they that never before him did see,<BR> + They knew by the cheer which was he.'</P> + +<P>"With the accustomed, but mistaken, piety for which Henry +was ever distinguished, he first proceeded to the monastery, where +he alighted from his charger, and was met by the chaplains of his +household, who walked before him, chanting <EM>Quis est magnus +Dominus?</EM> After the celebration of mass, the king repaired to +the Castle, where he took up his abode. By this termination of a +siege, which, for its duration and the horrors it produced, is +perhaps without a parallel in ancient or modern times, the city was +again plentifully supplied with provisions, and recovered the shock +so tedious and afflicting a contest had occasioned:</P> + +<P class="poetry">'And thus our gracious liege<BR> + Made an end of his siege;<BR> + And all that have heard this reading,<BR> + To his bliss Christ you bring,<BR> + That for us died upon a tree,<BR> + Amen say we all, <EM>pur charite!</EM>'</P> + +<P>The Duke of Exeter is appointed Governor of the City, and +ordered by Henry to take possession of it the same night. The Duke +mounts his horse, and rides strait to the Port de Bevesyne or +Beauvais, attended by a retinue, to carry the commands of his +sovereign into execution. His Entré, and the truly miserable +condition of the besieged, together with the imposing appearance of +Henry, shall now be described in the language of the poet.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Thanne the duke of Excestre withoute bode<BR> + Toke his hors and forth he rode,<BR> + To bevesyne<A name="fnref_E"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_E">E</A> that porte so stronge,<BR> + That he hadde ley bifore so longe,<BR> + To that gate sone he kam,<A name="fnref_F"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_F">F</A><BR> + And with hym many a worthy<A name="fnref_G"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_G">G</A> manne.<BR> + There was neying of many a stede,<BR> + And schynyng of many a gay wede,<BR> + There was many a getoun<A name="fnref_H"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_H">H</A> gay,<BR> + With mychille<A name="fnref_I"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_I">I</A> and grete aray.<BR> + And whanne the gate was openyd there,<BR> + And thay weren<A name="fnref_J"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_J">J</A> redy into fare,<BR> + Trumpis<A name="fnref_K"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_K">K</A> +blewgh her bemys<A name="fnref_L"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_L">L</A> of bras,<BR> + Pipis and clarionys forsothe ther was,<BR> + And as thay entrid thay gaf a schowte<BR> + With her<A name="fnref_M"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_M">M</A> +voyce that was fulle stowte,<BR> + 'Seint George! seint George!' thay criden<A class="fnref" href="#fn_N">N</A> on height,<BR> + And seide, 'welcome oure kynges righte.'<BR> + The Frensshe pepulle of that Cite<BR> + Were gederid by thousandes, hem to see.<BR> + Thay criden<A name="fnref_N"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_N">N</A> alle welcome in fere,<BR> + 'In siche tyme mote ye entre here,<BR> + 'Plesyng to God that it may be,<BR> + 'And to vs pees and vnyte.'<BR> + And of that pepulle, to telle the trewthe,<BR> + It was a sighte of fulle grete ruthe.<BR> + Mykelle of that folke therynne<BR> + Thay weren<A name="fnref_O"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_O">O</A> but verrey bonys and skynne.<BR> + With eyen holowgh and<A name="fnref_P"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_P">P</A> nose scharpe,<BR> + Vnnethe thay myght brethe or carpe,<BR> + For her colowris was<A name="fnref_Q"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_Q">Q</A> wan as lede,<BR> + Not like to lyue but sone ben dede.<BR> + Disfigurid pateronys<A name="fnref_R"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_R">R</A> and quaynte,<BR> + And as<A name="fnref_S"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_S">S</A> a +dede kyng thay weren paynte.<BR> + There men myght see an<A name="fnref_T"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_T">T</A> exampleyre,<BR> + How fode makith the pepulle faire.<A name="fnref_U"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_U">U</A><BR> + In euery strete summe lay dede,<BR> + And hundriddis krying aftir brede.<BR> + And aftir long many a day,<BR> + Thay deyde as<A name="fnref_V"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_V">V</A> faste as<A name="fnref_W"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_W">W</A> they myght be lad away.<BR> + Into<A name="fnref_X"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_X">X</A> that +way God hem wisse,<BR> + That thay may come to his blisse! amen.<BR> + Now<A name="fnref_Y"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_Y">Y</A> wille +y more spelle,<BR> + And of the duke of exestre to<A name="fnref_Z"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_Z">Z</A> telle.<BR> + To that Castelle firste he rode,<BR> + And sythen<A name="fnref_AA"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_AA">AA</A> the Cite alle abrode;<BR> + Lengthe and brede he it mette,<BR> + And rich baneris he<A name="fnref_AB"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_AB">AB</A> vp sette.<BR> + Vpon the porte seint Hillare<BR> + A Baner of the Trynyte.<BR> + And at<A name="fnref_AC"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_AC">AC</A> +the port Kaux he sette evene<BR> + A baner of the quene of heven.<BR> + And at<A name="fnref_AD"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_AD">AD</A> +port martvile he vppyght Of seint George a baner bryght.<BR> + He sette vpon the Castelle to<A name="fnref_AE"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_AE">AE</A> stonde<BR> + The armys of Fr[a]unce and Englond.<BR> + And on the Friday in the mornynge<BR> + Into that Cite come oure kynge.<BR> + And alle the Bisshoppis in her aray,<BR> + And vij. abbottis with Crucchis<A name="fnref_AF"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_AF">AF</A> gay;<BR> + xlij.<A name="fnref_AG"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_AG">AG</A> +crossis ther were of Religioune<A name="fnref_AH"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_AH">AH</A>,<BR> + And seculere, and alle thay went a precessioun,<BR> + Agens that prince withoute the toune,<BR> + And euery Cros as thay stode<BR> + He blessid hem with milde mode,<BR> + And holy water with her hande<BR> + Thay gaf the prince of oure lande.<BR> + And at<A name="fnref_AI"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_AI">AI</A> +the porte Kaux so wide<BR> + He in passid withoute<A name="fnref_AJ"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_AJ">AJ</A> pride;<BR> + Withoute pipe or bemys blaste,<BR> + Our kyng worthyly he in paste.<BR> + And as a conquerour in his righte<BR> + Thankyng<A name="fnref_AK"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_AK">AK</A> euer god almyghte;<BR> + And alle the pepulle in that Citie<BR> + 'Wilcome our<A name="fnref_AL"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_AL">AL</A> lorde,' thay seide, 'so fre!<BR> + 'Wilcome into<A name="fnref_AM"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_AM">AM</A> thyne owne righte,<BR> + 'As it is the<A name="fnref_AN"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_AN">AN</A> wille of<A name="fnref_AO"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_AO">AO</A> god almyght.'<BR> + With that thay kryde alle <EM>'nowelle!</EM>'<BR> + Os<A name="fnref_AP"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_AP">AP</A> +heighe as thay myght yelle.<BR> + He rode vpon a browne stede,<BR> + Of blak damaske was his wede.<BR> + A peytrelle<A name="fnref_AQ"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_AQ">AQ</A> of golde fulle bryght<BR> + Aboute his necke hynge<A name="fnref_AR"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_AR">AR</A> doun right,<BR> + And a pendaunte behynd him dide<A name="fnref_AS"></A><A class= +"fnref" href="#fn_AS">AS</A> honge<BR> + Vnto the erthe, it was so longe,<BR> + And thay that neuer before hym dide<A name="fnref_AT"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_AT">AT</A> see,<BR> + Thay knew by chere[u] wiche was he.<BR> + To the mynster dide he fare,<BR> + And of his horse he lighte there.<BR> + His chapelle<A name="fnref_AU"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_AU">AU</A> mette hym at<A name="fnref_AV"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_AV">AV</A> the dore there,<BR> + And wente bifore<A name="fnref_AW"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_AW">AW</A> hym alle in fere,<BR> + And songe a response<A name="fnref_AX"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_AX">AX</A> fulle glorivs,<BR> + <EM>Quis est magnus dominus</EM>.<BR> + Messe he hirde and offrid thoo,<BR> + And thanne to the Castelle dide he goo.<BR> + That is a place of rialte,<BR> + And a paleis of grete beaute.<BR> + There he hym<A name="fnref_AY"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_AY">AY</A> loggid in the Toune,<BR> + With rialle and grete renoune.<BR> + And the<A name="fnref_AZ"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_AZ">AZ</A> cite dide faste encrece<BR> + Of brede and wyne, fisshe, and fflesshe.<A name="fnref_BA"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_BA">BA</A><BR> + And thus oure gracious liege<BR> + Made an ende of his seege.<BR> + And alle that<A name="fnref_BB"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_BB">BB</A> haue hirde this redynge<A name="fnref_BC"></A><A +class="fnref" href="#fn_BC">BC</A><BR> + To his<A name="fnref_BD"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_BD">BD</A> +blisse criste you brynge,<BR> + That for vs deide vpon<A name="fnref_BE"></A><A class="fnref" +href="#fn_BE">BE</A> a tre,<BR> + Amen sey<A name="fnref_BF"></A><A class="fnref" href= +"#fn_BF">BF</A> we alle, pur cherite!</P> + +<P><EM>There was many a getoun gay</EM>.] The following particulars +relative to the <EM>getoun</EM> appear in MS. Harl. 838. +"Euery baronet euery estat aboue hym shal have hys baner +displeyd in y'e field yf he be chyef capteyn, euery knyght his +penoun, euery squier or gentleman hys <EM>getoun</EM> or +standard." "Item, y'e meyst lawfully fle fro y'e +standard and <EM>getoun</EM>, but not fro y'e baner ne +penon.". "Nota, a stremer shal stand in a top of a schyp +or in y'e fore-castel: a stremer shal be slyt and so shal a +standard as welle as a <EM>getoun</EM>: a <EM>getoun</EM> shal berr +y'e length of ij yardes, a standard of iii or 4 yardes, and a +stremer of xii. xx. xl. or lx. yardes longe."</P> + +<P>This account is confirmed by MS. Harl. 2258, and Lansd. 225. f. +431. as quoted by Mr. Nicholas, in the Retrosp. Rev. vol. i. N.S. +The former of these MSS. states: Euery standard and +<EM>Guydhome</EM> [whence the etymology of the word is obvious] to +have in the chief the crosse of St. George, to be slitte at the +ende, and to conteyne the creste or supporter, with the posey, +worde, and devise of the owner." It adds, that "a +guydhome must be two yardes and a halfe, or three yardes +longe." This rule may sometimes have been neglected, at least +by artists, for in a bill of expences for the Earl of Warwick, +dated July 1437, and printed by Dugdale, (Warw. p. 327.) we find +the following entry; "Item, a <EM>gyton</EM> for the shippe of +viij. yerdis long, poudrid full of raggid staves, for the lymnyng +and workmanship, ijs." The Grant of a <EM>guydon</EM> made in +1491 to Hugh Vaughan, is preserved in the College of Arms. It +contains his crest placed longitudinally. <EM>Retrospective Review, +New Series</EM>, vol. i. p. 511.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_E"></A><A href="#fnref_E">E</A> +<EM>bewesyns</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_F"></A><A href="#fnref_F">F</A> +<EM>came</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_G"></A><A href="#fnref_G">G</A> +<EM>worthy</EM> deest.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_H"></A><A href="#fnref_H">H</A> A +species of banner or streamer. See Note.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_I"></A><A href="#fnref_I">I</A> +<EM>noble</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_J"></A><A href="#fnref_J">J</A> +<EM>were</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_K"></A><A href="#fnref_K">K</A> +Trumpeters.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_L"></A><A href="#fnref_L">L</A> +Trumpets.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_M"></A><A href="#fnref_M">M</A> +<EM>that</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_N"></A><A href="#fnref_N">N</A> +cryed.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_O"></A><A href="#fnref_O">O</A> +<EM>were</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_P"></A><A href="#fnref_P">P</A> +<EM>with nose</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_Q"></A><A href="#fnref_Q">Q</A> +<EM>were</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_R"></A><A href="#fnref_R">R</A> +<EM>patrons</EM>.--Workmens' models or figures. +<EM>Patrone</EM>, forme to werke by. <EM>Prompt. Parvul</EM>. MS. +Harl. 221. There is probably here an allusion to the waxen or +wooden effigies placed on the hearse of distinguished +personages.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_S"></A><A href="#fnref_S">S</A> +<EM>as dede thyng they were peynte</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_T"></A><A href="#fnref_T">T</A> +<EM>in</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_U"></A><A href="#fnref_U">U</A> +<EM>to fare</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_V"></A><A href="#fnref_V">V</A> as +<EM>deest</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_W"></A><A href="#fnref_W">W</A> +<EM>as cartes led awey</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_X"></A><A href="#fnref_X">X</A> +<EM>Vnto</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_Y"></A><A href="#fnref_Y">Y</A> In +MS. Harl. 753, a break is here made, and a large capital letter +introduced.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_Z"></A><A href="#fnref_Z">Z</A> +<EM>to</EM> deest.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AA"></A><A href="#fnref_AA">AA</A> +<EM>sithe</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AB"></A><A href="#fnref_AB">AB</A> +<EM>vp he</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AC"></A><A href="#fnref_AC">AC</A> +<EM>atte porte kauxoz</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AD"></A><A href="#fnref_AD">AD</A> +<EM>atte</EM> porte.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AE"></A><A href="#fnref_AE">AE</A> +<EM>that stounde</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AF"></A><A href="#fnref_AF">AF</A> +Crosses.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AG"></A><A href="#fnref_AG">AG</A> +xliiij.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AH"></A><A href="#fnref_AH">AH</A> +<EM>religiouns</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AI"></A><A href="#fnref_AI">AI</A> +<EM>atte porte hauxoz</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AJ"></A><A href="#fnref_AJ">AJ</A> +The remainder, of this, and the two following lines are +omitted.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AK"></A><A href="#fnref_AK">AK</A> +<EM>Thanked</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AL"></A><A href="#fnref_AL">AL</A> +<EM>they seyde our lord so free</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AM"></A><A href="#fnref_AM">AM</A> +<EM>vnto</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AN"></A><A href="#fnref_AN">AN</A> +<EM>the</EM> deest.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AO"></A><A href="#fnref_AO">AO</A> +<EM>to</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AP"></A><A href="#fnref_AP">AP</A> +<EM>As</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AQ"></A><A href="#fnref_AQ">AQ</A> +Poitrell, breast plate.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AR"></A><A href="#fnref_AR">AR</A> +<EM>hangyng</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AS"></A><A href="#fnref_AS">AS</A> +<EM>dide</EM> deest.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AT"></A><A href="#fnref_AT">AT</A> +<EM>the</EM> chere.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AU"></A><A href="#fnref_AU">AU</A> +The chaplains of his household. Lat. <EM>capella</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AV"></A><A href="#fnref_AV">AV</A> +<EM>atte</EM> dore, <EM>there</EM> deest.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AW"></A><A href="#fnref_AW">AW</A> +<EM>afore</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AX"></A><A href="#fnref_AX">AX</A> +<EM>respon.</EM></P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AY"></A><A href="#fnref_AY">AY</A> +<EM>logged hym.</EM></P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_AZ"></A><A href="#fnref_AZ">AZ</A> +<EM>his cite fast encrest</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_BA"></A><A href="#fnref_BA">BA</A> +<EM>beste</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_BB"></A><A href="#fnref_BB">BB</A> +<EM>that</EM> deest.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_BC"></A><A href="#fnref_BC">BC</A> +<EM>tydyng</EM>.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_BD"></A><A href="#fnref_BD">BD</A> +<EM>his</EM> deest.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_BE"></A><A href="#fnref_BE">BE</A> +on.</P> + +<P class="footnote"><A name="fn_BF"></A><A href="#fnref_BF">BF</A> +<EM>seyde all for charitee</EM>.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">BRONZE GILT ANTIQUE STATUE AT LILLEBONNE, p. +127-8.</H3> + +<P>This Statue, as the above reference will testify, is now in the +possession of Mr. Samuel Woodburn, of St. Martin's Lane. When +the note relating to it was written, I could, not place my hand +upon a Brochure (in my possession) published at Rouen in 1823,<A +name="fnref_176"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_176">176</A> +containing an archaeological description of this Statue by M. +Revet, and a scientific account of its component parts, by M. +Houton La Billardière, Professor of Chemistry at Rouen. The former +embodied his remarks in two letters addressed to the Prefect of the +Lower Seine. A print of the figure in its then extremely mutilated +state, is prefixed; but its omission would have been no great +drawback to the publication--which, in its details, appears to be +ingenious, learned, and satisfactory. The highest praise is given +to the Statue, as a work of art of the second century.<A name= +"fnref_177"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_177">177</A> Its +<EM>identity</EM> seems to be yet a subject of disputation:--but M. +Revet considers it as "the representation of some idolatrous +divinity." The opinion of its being a representation of +Bacchus, or of Apollo, or of a Constellation, he thinks might be +regulated by a discovery of some emblem, or attribute, found in the +vicinity of the Statue. Two other plates--lithographised--relating +to explanations of the pieces of the Statue, close this interesting +performance.</P> + +<H3 class="letter">BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INDEX.</H3> + +<H3>INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS, AND OF PRINTED BOOKS, +DESCRIBED, QUOTED, OR REFERRED TO.</H3> + +<TABLE border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" summary= +"BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INDEX."> +<TR> +<TD> </TD> +<TD>Vol</TD> +<TD>Page</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Æneas Sylvius de Duobus Amantibus</EM>, no date, 4to.--in +the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>315</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Æsopus, Gr</EM>. 4to. Edit. prin.--in the Imperial Library +at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>308</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Lat</EM>. 1481, folio--in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>141</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Ital</EM>. 1485, <EM>Tuppi</EM>, in the same library +at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>142</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Ital</EM>. 1491 and 1492, 4to.--in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>308</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Hispan</EM>. 1496, folio--in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>142</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Germ. Without Date, &c</EM>., in the same +library</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>142</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the same library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>142</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Alain Chartier, paraboles de, Verard</EM>, 1492, +folio--UPON VELLUM--in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>134</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Albert Durer</EM>; original drawings of, in a Book of +Prayers, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>132</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Alcuinus de Trinitate, Monast. Utimpurrha</EM>, 1500, +folio--in the Public Library at Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>101</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Aldine Classics</EM>, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>145</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, in the Library of St. Geneviève,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>177</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, in the King's Private Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>41</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>146</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Alexandrus Gallus</EM>, vulgo <EM>de Villa Dei Doctrinale +de Spira,</EM> folio--in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>315</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Almanac historique--le Messager Boiteux</EM>--a chap book, +extracts from,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>73</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Anti-Christ--block book</EM>--in the Public Library at +Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>181</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Ambrosii Hexameron</EM>, 1472, folio--in the Public Library +at Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>99</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Nuremberg, +<EM>Supplement</EM>,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>430</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Amours, chasse et départ, Verard</EM>, 1509, folio--UPON +VELLUM, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>132</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Anthologia Græca</EM>, 1498, 4to.--UPON VELLUM, in the +Library of Ste. Geneviève, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>176</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1503, <EM>Aldus</EM>, UPON VELLUM, in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>145</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Antonii Archpi Opera Theologica</EM>, 1477, +<EM>Koberger</EM>, folio--in the Public Library at Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>407</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Apocalypse, block book</EM>, in the Royal Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>26</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>331</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Apostles Creed</EM>, in German, <EM>block book</EM>, with +fac simile--in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>137</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Appianus, Lat. Ratdolt</EM>, 1478, folio--in the library of +the Monastery of St. Florian,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>236</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Apuleius</EM>, 1469, folio--in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>128</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, in the Library of the Monastery of Closterneuburg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>397</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, imperfect, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>142</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>308</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, 1472, <EM>Jenson</EM>, folio--in the last mentioned +library,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>308</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Aquinas, T., Sec. Secundæ, Schoeffher</EM>, 1467, +folio--UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>316</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, <EM>Opus Quartiscript. Schoeffher</EM>. 1469, folio--UPON +VELLUM, in the same Library,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>316</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, <EM>In Evang. Matt, et Marc</EM>. 1470, <EM>S. and +Pannartz</EM>, folio--in the same library,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>316</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>de virtut. et vitiis. Mentelin</EM>--in the Public +Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>141</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Arbre des Batailles, Verard</EM>, 1493, folio--UPON VELLUM, +in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>132</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Aretinus de Bella Gothico</EM>, 1470, folio--in the Public +Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>208</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Aristotelis Opera, Gr. Aldus</EM>, 1495, 6 vols. Two copies +UPON VELLUM (the first volume in each copy wanting) in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>136</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Ethica Nichomachea. Gr. (Aldus)--</EM>remarkably +splendid copy of, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>138</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Ars Memorandi</EM>, &c.--<EM>block book</EM>: five +copies of, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>135</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>181</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>332</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Library of Göttwic Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>428</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Ars Moriendi, Germanicé--4to.--</EM>in the Royal Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>26</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Lat. block book</EM>--two editions, in the Public +Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>136</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Art de bien Mourir, Verard</EM>, no date, folio--UPON +VELLUM, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>133</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Art and Crafte to know well to dye, Caxton</EM>, in the +Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>124</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>ARTUS LE ROY; MS. xiith century,--in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>94</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Another MS. of the same Romance, in the same Library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>94</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Artaxani Summa</EM>, (1469) folio--in the Public Library at +Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>232</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Augustinus Sts. De Civitate Dei</EM>, 1467, folio--in the +Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>113</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Library of Ste. Geneviève at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>173</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>301</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Library of Closterneuburg Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>397</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Sweynheym and Pannartz</EM>, 1470, folio, in the +Public Library at Vire,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>297</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Augustinus Sts. De Civitate Dei</EM>, 1467, folio, UPON +VELLUM, late in the Library of Chremsminster Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>221</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>181</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Schoeffher,</EM> 1473; folio--in the Library of the +Monastery of Chremsminster,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>221</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Jenson</EM>, 1475, folio--UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>301</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Confessionum Libri XIII</EM>. 1475. 4to.--in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>301</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>de singularitate Clericorum</EM>, 1467, 4to. in the +King's Private Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>40</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>AUGUSTINI STI. IN PSALMOS, MS. xvth century--formerly in the +library of Corvinus, King of Hungary, and now in the Royal Library +at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>36</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Yppon. de Cons. Evang</EM>. 1473, folio--in the Public +Library at Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>101</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Aulus Gellius</EM>, 1469, folio--in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>127</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>308</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Aurbach's Meditations upon the Life of Christ, 1468, +Printed by Gunther Zeiner. <EM>Pub. Lib. Augsbourg</EM>,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>100</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Ausonius</EM>, 1472, folio--in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>128</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>309</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Aldus</EM>, 1517, Svo. Grolier's copy, on large +paper, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>148</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Aymon, les quatre filz</EM>, 1583, 4to.--in the Library of +the Arsenal, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>163</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">B.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">BALLADS;</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Bon Jour, Bon Soir</EM>,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>132</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>--<EM>Toujours</EM>,</TD> +<TD> </TD> +<TD>389</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>various, from the <EM>Vaudevires of Olivier Basselin</EM>,</TD> +<TD> </TD> +<TD>292-293-294</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Vive Le Roi, Vive L'Amour</EM>,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>310</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>en arborant le drapeau blanc, at Falaise</EM>,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>324</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>le Baiser d'Adieu</EM>,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>343</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>L'Image de la Vie</EM>,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>344</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Bartholi Lectura de Spira</EM>, 1471. Folio. In the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>316</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Bartsch, I. Adam de--Catalogue des Estampes, par, +&c.</EM> 1818. 8vo.</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>393</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Bella (La) Mono</EM>, 1474, 4to.--in the Imperial Library +at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>321</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Bellovacensis Vinc. Spec. Hist.</EM> 1473, folio--in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>317</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Berlinghieri, Geografia</EM>, folio--in the Imperial +Library (Prince Eugene's copy) at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>321</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Berinus et Aygres de Lamant, Bonfons</EM>, no date, in the +Library of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>165</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Bessarionis Epistolæ</EM>, (1469) folio--in the Royal +Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>24</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>BIBLIA LATINA, MS. ixth century, of Charles the Bald--in the +Royal Library at Paris, with a copper-plate engraving of that +Monarch's portrait,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>65</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>------ ------ XIIth century, in the same library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>67</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>------ ------ XVth century, of the <EM>Emperor +Wenceslaus</EM>--in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>290</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>BIBLIA HIST. PARAPHRASTICA, MS. XVth century,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>69</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Biblia Polyglotta Complut.</EM> 1516, &c. in the Public +Library at Coutances,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>270</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>------ ------ copy belonging to Diane de Poictiers, in the +Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>149</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>------ ------ 1521, in the Public Library at Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>181</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>------ ------ copy of Demetrius Chalcondylas, afterwards that +of Eckius, in the Public Library at Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>181</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>------ ------ <EM>Walton</EM>; royal copy, in the Public +Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>211</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>------ ------ with the original dedication, in the Public +Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>22</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>------ ------ in the Library of the Monastery of St. Florian, +in Austria,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>237</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Biblia Polyglotta, Le Jay</EM>: in the Library of the Lycée +at Bayeux</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>245</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>------ <EM>Hebraica, edit. Soncini</EM>, 1488, in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>303</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Biblia Hebraica edit. Houbigant</EM>, 1753, in a Private +Collection near Bayeux,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>235</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Hahn</EM>, 1806, in the Library of the Monastery of +Closterneuburg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>396</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Græca, Aldus</EM>, 1518, folio--Francis Ist's +copy, upon thick paper, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>148</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Aldus</EM>, upon thick paper, in the Library of the +Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>157</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- the usual copy, in the King's Private Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>39</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Biblia Latina</EM>, (<EM>edit. Maz. 1455</EM>) folio, 2 +vols., two copies of, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>106</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- a copy in the Mazarine Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>190</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- a copy in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>139</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- a copy in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>302</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Pfister</EM>, (1461) folio, 3 vols. in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>108</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- two copies, 1592, 1603, in the Royal Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>39</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>302</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Fust und Schoeffher</EM>, 1462: folio--three copies, +(two UPON VELLUM, and a third on paper) in the Library of the +Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>154</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- VELLUM COPY, in the Library of Ste. Geneviève,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>173</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- VELLUM COPY, in the Mazarine Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>190</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>22</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- (imperfect) in the Public Library at Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>181</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>302</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Biblia Latina Mentelin</EM>--in the Public Library at +Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>404</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Biblia Latino Mentelin</EM>, in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>302</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Eggesteyn</EM>, (ms. date, 1468) in the Public Library +at Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>404</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- (ms. date, 1466) in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>141</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Sweynheym and Pannartz</EM>, in the Imperial Library +at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>302</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- supposed edition of Eggesteyn, in the Public Library at +Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>55</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1475, folio, <EM>Frisner</EM>, &c.--in the Public +Library at Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>96</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- (1475 <EM>edit. Gering</EM>) imperfect copy in the Chapter +Library at Bayeux,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>244</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Hailbrun</EM>, 1476, folio: two copies, of which one +is UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>303</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Jenson</EM>, 1479, folio, in the Public Library at +Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>405</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna--and a +second copy upon paper,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>303</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1485, folio, in the Public Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>208</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Froben</EM>, 1495, 8vo. in the Public Library at +Vire,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>298</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>BIBLIA GERMANICA, MS. of the Emperor Wenceslaus, in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>290</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Biblia Germanica, Mentelin</EM>, folio--in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>108</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>403</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- two copies, in the Public Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>21</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- two copies in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>140</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>180</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Biblia Germanica, Mentelin</EM>, folio, in the Library at +Closterneuburg Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>397</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Ratisbon, +<EM>Supplement</EM>,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>418</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Nuremberg, +<EM>Supplement</EM>,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>431</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>supposed first edition</EM>, in the Public Library at +Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>180</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>supposed first edition</EM>, folio, in the Library of +Closterneuburg Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>397</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Biblia Germanica, Sorg. Augsbourg</EM>, 1477, folio, in the +Library of the Monastery of St. Florian,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>236</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Peypus</EM>, 1524, folio--UPON VELLUM, in the Public +Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>22</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Biblia Italica; Kalend. Augusti</EM>, 1471--folio--in the +Mazarine Library, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>191</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- imperfect copy, in the Public Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>22</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Kalend. Octobris</EM>, 1471, folio--in the Library of +Ste. Geneviève, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>173</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>22</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>303</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Bibl. Hist, Venet.</EM> 1492, folio--copy purchased of M. +Fischeim at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>154</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Biblia Bohemica</EM>, 1488, folio--in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>109</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Biblia Polonica</EM>, 1563, folio--in the same +Library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>109</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>22</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- copy purchased by the Author at Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>96</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>304</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1599; folio, in the Library of Ste. Geneviève,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>174</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Biblia Hungarica</EM>, 1565, folio--incomplete, in the +King's Private Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>39</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Sclavonica</EM>, 1581, folio, in the Royal Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>22</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- 1587, folio--in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>109</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Bible, La Sainte</EM>, 1669, folio; large paper copy in the +Public Library of Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>211</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>BIBLIA-HISTORICA, <EM>MS. versibus germanicis</EM>, Sec. +XIV.--in the Royal Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>29</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Aurea. Lat. I. Zeiner</EM>, 1474, folio--in the +Library of Chremsminster Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>222</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Pauperum, block book</EM>: in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>108</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- <EM>block book</EM>, German,--in the Public Library +at Stuttgart</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>26</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- <EM>Latine</EM>, first edition, in the same +Library,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>27</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- <EM>block book</EM>--one German, and two Latin +editions, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>136</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>331</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>BIOGRAPHY, ROYAL, OF FRANCE;--XVIth century--magnificent MS. in +the Royal Library at Paris.</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>87</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>BLAZONRY OF ARMS, BOOK OF--XIVth century, with facsimile +portrait of <EM>Leopold de Sempach</EM> in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>299</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Block books</EM>; at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>208</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>26</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>134</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>at Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>181</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>331</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>BOCACE, DES CAS DES NOBLES HOMMES ET FEMMES, MS. XVth century, +in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>84</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- two more MSS. of the same work, in the same +Library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>85</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Boccace Ruines des-Nobles Hommes</EM>, &c. 1476, +<EM>Colard Mansion</EM>, folio, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>126</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Boccaccio Il Decamerone</EM>, 1471, <EM>Valdarfer</EM>, +folio--in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>125</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- 1472, <EM>A. de Michaelibus</EM>, folio, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>126</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Boccaccio II Decamerone</EM>, in the Public Library at +Nuremberg, <EM>Supplement</EM>,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>431</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1476, <EM>Zarotus</EM>, folio, in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>321</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Deo Gracias, Sine Anno: forsan edit. prin</EM>. in the +Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>143</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Nimphale</EM>, 1477, 4to., in the Royal Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>26</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Boetius, F. Johannes</EM>, 1474, 4to. in the Library of +Ste. Genevieve. at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>176</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Bonifacii Papæ Libr. Decret</EM>, 1465, folio, UPON VELLUM, +in the Library of Mölk Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>252</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- UPON VELLUM, in the Public Library at Nuremberg, +<EM>Supplement</EM>,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>430</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Bonnie vie, ou Madenie, Chambery</EM>, 1485, folio, in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>326</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Book of the Gospels of the Emperor Lotharius, Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>67</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>BREVIAIRE DE BELLEVILLE, MS. xivth century, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>72</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>BREVIARY OF JOHN DUKE OF BEDFORD, MS. xvth century--in the +Royal Library at Paris--with copper plate fac-simile of a portion +of the Adoration of the Magi, from the same,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>73</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>BREVIARE DE M. DE MONMORENCY, MS. xvth century--in the Emperor +of Austria's private collection at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>386</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>BREVIARIUM ECCL. Liss. MS.; in the Public Library at Caen</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>209</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>BRUT D'ANGLETERE, MS. xivth century--in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>300</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Budæi Comment, in Ling. Gr.</EM> 1529, folio--Francis 1st. +copy, UPON VELLUM, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>140</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Burtrio, Anthon. de, Adam Rot</EM>, 1472, folio, in the +Library of Closterneuburg Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>399</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">C.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Cæsar</EM>, 1469, folio--in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>128</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Cæsar</EM>, 1460, folio, in the Mazarine Library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>192</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>142</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial Library,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>309</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1471. <EM>Jenson</EM>, in the library of Göttwic +Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>430</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1472. <EM>S. and Pannartz</EM>, folio, in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>309</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Calderi Opus Concilior. Adam Rot</EM>.--1472. Folio, in the +library of Closterneuburg Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>399</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>CALENDARIUM, MS., xvith century in the Public Library at +Munich</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>128</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- <EM>Regiomontani, block book</EM> in the Public +Library at Munich</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>138</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Cantica Canticorum, Edit. Prin</EM>. three copies in the +Public Library at Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>138</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Castille et Artus d'Algarbe,</EM> 1587-4to., in the +Library of the Arsenal at Paris</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>160</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Catéchisme à l'usage des grandes filles pour êtres +mariés</EM> </TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>89</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Caterina da Bologna</EM>, no Date. 4to. in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>332</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>da Sienna</EM>, 1477, 4to., in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>322</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>de Senis</EM>, 1500, folio, in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>149</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Catholicon</EM>, 1460, folio, UPON VELLUM, in the Royal +Library Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>114</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1460, folio, in the Imp. Lib. at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>317</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- UPON VELLUM, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>143</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>G, Zeiner,</EM> 1469, UPON VELLUM, in the Public +Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>143</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- in the Monastic Library of Chremsminster,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>221</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>317</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Catullus, Tibullus, et Propertius</EM>, 1472, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>128</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Catullus, Tibullus, et Propertius</EM>, in the Mazarine +Library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>193</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>409</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Caxton, books printed by</EM>, in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>102</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>331</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Celestina Commedia de, Anvers</EM>, 18mo., in the Library +of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>162</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Chaucer's Book of Fame, Caxton</EM>, folio, in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>332</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>CHESS, GAME OF, <EM>metrical German version of</EM>, MS., sec. +xv., in the Royal Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>154</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Chevalier Delibre</EM>, 1488, 4to., in the Imperial Library +at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>326</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>CHEVALIER AU LION, MS., 1470, in the Public Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii.</TD> +<TD>33</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Chivalry</EM>; see <EM>Tournaments</EM>.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Chrétien de Mechel</EM>, Cat. des Tableaux de la Galerie +imp. et roy. de Vienne, 1781, 8vo.,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>371</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Foresii, Lat.</EM> 1474, folio, <EM>printed by +Gotz</EM>, in the Public Library at Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>405</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Hungariæ</EM>, 1485, 4to., in the Public Library at +Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>99</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Chronicon Gottwicense</EM>, 1732, folio, 2 vols., some +account of this rare and valuable work,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>436</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- referred to,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>271</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Chrysostomi Comment., Gr.</EM> 1529, folio, copy of Diane +de Poictiers, in the Public Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>213</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Cicero, de Officiis</EM> 1465, 4to., two copies UPON +VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>309</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1466, 4to., upon paper, in the Mazarine Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>192</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1466, 4to., UPON VELLUM, in the Royal Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>24</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1466, 4to., UPON VELLUM, in the Imp. Lib. at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>309</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- (<EM>Aldus</EM>), 8vo., UPON VELLUM, in the Royal Library +at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>146</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Cicero, Epistolæ ad Familiares</EM>, 1467, Cardinal +Bessarion's copy in the Imperial Library, at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>310</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1469, <EM>S. and Pannartz</EM>, folio, in the same +Library,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>310</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1469, <EM>S: and Pannartz</EM>, folio, in the Public +Library at Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>98</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1469, <EM>I. de Spira</EM>, in the Royal Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>24</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1502, Aldus, 8vo., UPON VELLUM, in the possession of M. +Renouard, bookseller,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>222</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Cicero, de Oratore, Monast. Soubiac.</EM>, folio, in the +Library of Ste. Geneviève, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>173</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>V. de Spira</EM>, folio, in the Public Library at +Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>408</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Opera Philosophica, Ulric Han</EM>, folio, in the +Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>142</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>De Natura Deorum, V. de Spira.</EM> 1471, folio, in +the Mazarine Library, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>192</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Rhetorica Vetus, Jenson</EM>, 1470, folio, UPON +VELLUM, in the Library of Ste. Genevieve, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>175</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- ---- UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>310</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Orationes, S. and Pannartz</EM>, 1471, folio, in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>310</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Valdarfer</EM>, 1471, folio, UPON VELLUM, (wanting one +leaf) in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>141</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1519, <EM>Aldus</EM>, 8vo, UPON VELLUM, first volume only, +in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>146</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- perfect copy, UPON VELLUM, in the Library of St. +Geneviève,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>177</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Opera Omnia</EM>, 1498, folio, 4 vols., in the Library +of Ste. Geneviève, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>176</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>310</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1534, <EM>Giunta</EM>, folio, singular copy in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>152</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Cid el Cavalero</EM>, 1627, 4to., in the Library of the +Arsenal, at Paris: bound with <EM>Seys Romances del Cid Ruy Diaz de +Bevar</EM>, 1627, 4to.</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>161</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>CITÉ DE DIEU, MS., in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>82</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Cité des Dames, (Verard)</EM> folio, UPON VELLUM, in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>327</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Codex Ebnerianus</EM>, referred to</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>447</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Compendium Morale</EM>, folio, UPON VELLUM, unique copy, +late in the possession of the Baron Derschau, at Nuremberg, +<EM>Supplement</EM>,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>443</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>COSTENTIN DU, MS., in the Public Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>209</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>COUTANCES, MS., biographical details connected with, in the +Public Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>210</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Coutumes Anciennes</EM>, 1672, 12mo. at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>211</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Cronica del Cid. Seville.</EM> 4to., in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>327</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Cronique de France, 1493, <EM>Verard</EM>, UPON VELLUM, in the +Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>130</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>de Florimont</EM>, 1529, 4to.--in the Library of the +Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>164</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>de Cleriadus</EM>, 1529, 4to.,--in the Library of the +Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>166</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">D.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Daigremont et Vivian</EM>, 1538, 4to., in the Library of +the Arsenal, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>166</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Dante Numeister</EM>, 1472, folio, in the Mazarine Library +at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>193</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>322</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Petrus Adam</EM>, 1472, folio, in the Library of Ste. +Geneviève, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>176</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Neapoli, Tuppi,</EM> folio, in the Public Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>25</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Milan</EM>, 1478, with, the comments of G. Tuzago, +folio, in the same collection,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>25</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1481, folio, perfect copy, with twenty copper plates, in +the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>144</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1481, folio, with xx copper-plates, in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>323</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Decor Puellarum, Jenson</EM>, 1461, 4to., in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>323</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Defensio Immac. Concept. B.V.M</EM>. 1470, <EM>block +book</EM>, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>139</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Delphin Classics</EM>, fine set of, in the library of +Chremsminster Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>222</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Der Veis Ritter</EM>, 1514, folio, unique copy, in the +Public Library at Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>183</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Dion Cassius</EM>, 1548, Gr. folio, edit. prin., Diane de +Poictiers' copy, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>152</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Dio Chrysostom. de Regno, Valdarfer</EM>, 4to. UPON VELLUM, +in the Emperor's private collection at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>388</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>DIOSCORIDES, GRÆCE, MS., VIth century, in the Imperial Library +at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>296</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>DIVERTISSMENTS TOUCHANT LA GUERRE, MS., in the Public Library +at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>209</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Doolin de Mayence, Paris, Bonfons</EM>, 4to. in the Library +of the Arsenal,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>167</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Durandi Rationale</EM>, 1459, folio, in the Royal Library +at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>108</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, in the Imperial Library, Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>317</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Durandi Rationale</EM>, 1459, folio, in the Public Library +at Nuremberg, <EM>Supplement</EM>,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>430</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, 1474, <EM>I. Zeiner</EM>, folio, in the Library of +Chremsminster Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>222</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">E.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>ECHECS AMOREUX. MS. folio--with copper-plate facsimile in the +Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>83</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Echec Jeu de, (Verard)</EM> no date--UPON VELLUM, in the +Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>132</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Ein nuizlich büchlin, Augs</EM>., 1498, 4to.--in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>327</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Erasmus expurgatus iuxta cens. Acad. Lovan</EM>. 1579, +folio, in the Public Library at Augsbourg. See <EM>Testament. +Novum,</EM> 1516.</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>102</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>EVANGELIA QUATUOR, Lat. MS. VIth century, in the Royal Library +at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>64</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- VIIIth century, in the Library at Chremsminster +Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>224</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- IXth century--in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>123</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- XIth century, in the same Library,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>124</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- Xth century, in the Public Library at Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>179</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- XIth century--in the Public Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>27</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- XIVth century, in the Imperial Library at Vienna</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>291</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>EVANGELIUM STI. IOHANNIS, MS. Lat. XIth century, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>71</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Evangelia cum Epistolis: Ital</EM>. folio--in the Library +of Göttwic Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>428</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Evangelistarium, of Charlemagne, MS. folio, in the Private +Library of the King, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>199</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Euclides</EM>, 1482, folio, UPON VELLUM, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>139</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- four varying copies of, in the Public Library at +Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>143</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- Ratdolt. 1485, in the Library of the Monastery of St. +Florian,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>236</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Euripides, Gr</EM>., 1503, <EM>Aldus</EM>--UPON VELLUM, in +the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>145</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Eustathius in Homerum</EM>, 1542--folio, UPON VELLUM, in +the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>138</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- upon paper, in the same collection,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>151</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1559, folio, fine copy, upon paper, in the Public Library +at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>211</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Eutropius</EM>, 1471, <EM>Laver</EM>, folio--in the +King's Private Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>39</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Exhortation against the Turks</EM> (1472) in the Public +Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>136</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">F.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Fait de la Guerre C. Mansion</EM>, folio--in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>127</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Fazio Dita Mundi</EM>, 1474, folio--in the Imperial Library +at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>323</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Ficheti Rhetorica--Gering</EM>--4to.--UPON VELLUM, in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>317</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Fiorio e Biancifiore, Bologna</EM>, 1480, folio--in the +Library of the Arsenal, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>161</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Fierbras</EM>, 1486, folio--Prince Eugene's copy, in +the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>327</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Fortalitium Fidei</EM>--folio--no date--in the Public +Library, at Munich: curious printed advertisement in this +copy,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>145</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Frezzi Il Quadriregio</EM>, 1481, folio--in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>323</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Fulgosii Anteros</EM>--1496--folio--in the Imperial Library +at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>323</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>FUNERAILES DES REINES DE FRANCE, MS. folio--in the +Emperor's Private Collection at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>387</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">G.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Galenus, Gr</EM>. 1525, folio. <EM>Aldus</EM>--large paper, +in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>148</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Galien et Jaqueline</EM>, 1525, folio--in the Library of +the Arsenal, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>163</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Gallia Christiana</EM>, 1732, folio, in the Chapter Library +at Bayeux,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>244</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Games of Chess, Caxton</EM>, folio, 2d. edit.--in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>332</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>GENESIS--MS. of the <EM>ivth century--fragments of Chapters +of</EM>, account of--with fac-simile Illuminations, in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>289</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Gerard Comte de Nevers</EM>, 1526, 4to.--in the Library of +the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>164</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Geyler, Navic. Fat.</EM> 1511, 4to.--in the Public Library +at Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>102</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Gloria Mulierum Jenson</EM>, 4to.--in the Imperial Library +at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>324</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Godfrey of Boulogne, Caxton</EM>, folio--in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>333</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Gospels</EM>, folio--MS. xiiith century--in the +Emperor's Private Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>386</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Grammatica Rythmica</EM>, 1466, folio--in the Royal Library +at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>114</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Gratian Opus. Decret. Schoeffher</EM>, 1472, folio, UPON +VELLUM, in the Library of Closterneuburg Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>398</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Guillaume de Palerne</EM>, 1552, 4to, in the Library of the +Arsenal: another edition, 1634, 4to.,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>166</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Guy de Warwick</EM>, no date, 4to., in the Library of the +Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>159</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Gyron Le Courtoys</EM>, no date, <EM>Verard</EM>, UPON +VELLUM, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>130</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">H.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Hartlieb's Chiromancy, block book</EM>, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>115</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>332</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Helayne La Belle</EM>, 1528, 4to., in the Library of the +Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>166</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Hecuba et Iphigenia in Aulide</EM>, Gr. et Lat. 1507, UPON +VELLUM, 8vo.</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>145</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Hector de Troye, Arnoullet</EM>, 4to., in the Library of +the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>167</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Heures, printed by Vostre</EM>, fine copy of, in the Public +Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>210</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Herodotus, Gr</EM>. 1502, <EM>Aldus</EM>, folio, large +paper copy in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>150</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>HISTORIA B.M. VIRGINIS, MS., folio, xvth century, in the Public +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>76</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>block book</EM>, folio, in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>116</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>26</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>331</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Historiæ Augusta Scriptores</EM>, 1475, folio, <EM>P. de +Lavdgna</EM>, in the Public Library at Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>408</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Aldus</EM>, 1521, 8vo., UPON VELLUM, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>147</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>History of Bohemia</EM>, <EM>by Pope Pius II</EM>, 1475, in +the Public Library at Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>99</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>HISTOIRE ROMAINE, MS, xvth century; folio, 3 vols. in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>87</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Homeri Opera, Gr.</EM>, 1488, folio, UNCUT, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>129</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>311</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Nuremberg, +<EM>Supplement</EM>,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>432</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>No date</EM>, <EM>Aldus</EM>, 8vo., UPON VELLUM, in +the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>145</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Library of Ste. Genevieve,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>177</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1808, <EM>Bodoni</EM>, folio, UPON VELLUM, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>129</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Batrachomyomachia</EM>, <EM>Gr.</EM> 4to., edit. prin. +in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>311</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>HORÆ B.M. VIRGINIS, MS., 8vo., in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>74</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- folio, belonging to ANN OF BRITANNY, with copper plate +engraving of her portrait therefrom, in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>78</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- belonging to Pope Paul III. in the same Library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>80</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- MS., XVth century, in the Royal Private Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>37</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 8vo., in the Emperor's private collection at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>386</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- STI. LUDOVICI, MS., XIIIth century, in the Library of the +Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>157</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Gr.</EM> 1497, 12mo. <EM>printed by Aldus</EM>, in the +Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>103 -147</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- purchase of a copy from Mr. Stöger, at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>151</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>HORATIUS, M. S., XIIth century in the Mölk Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>258</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- Edit. Prin. 4to., in the Public Library at Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>96</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Venet</EM>. 1494, 4to., purchased of Mr. Fischeim, at +Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>154</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1501, <EM>Aldus</EM>, 8vo., UPON VELLUM, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>146</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- UPON VELLUM, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>143</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Horloge de Sapience, Verard</EM>, 1493, folio, UPON VELLUM, +in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>131</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>HORTUS DELICIARUM, MS., XIIth century, in the Public Library at +Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>401</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>HORTULUS ANIMÆ, MS., XVth century, in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>294</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1498, 12mo., in the King's Private Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>38</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Rosarum, &c</EM>., 1499, 8vo., in the Public +Library at Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>101</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Huet, Demonstrat. Evang.</EM> 1690, (1679?) folio, unique +copy in the Public Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>211</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Huon de Bourdeaux</EM>, four editions of, in the Library of +the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>163</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">I.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Isocrates, Gr., Aldus</EM>, 1534, folio, large paper copy +in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>148</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- Printed at Milan, 1493, folio,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>149</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Jason, Roman de, printed by Caxton</EM>, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>103</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>same edition</EM>, in the Library of the Arsenal at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>155</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Jason, printed by Caxton</EM>, in the Imp. Lib. at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>332</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Iehan de Saintré, Bonfons</EM>, no date, 4to., in the +Library of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>165</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Paris, Bonfons</EM>, no date, 4to., in the same +collection,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>165</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>JEROME, ST., VIE, MORT, ET MIRACLES DE, MS., XVth century, in +the Public Library of Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>31</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Ieronimi Epistolce</EM>, 1468, UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>304</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1470, <EM>S. and Pannartz</EM>, folio, in the Library of +Closterneuburg Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>398</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Nuremberg, +<EM>Supplement</EM>,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>431</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1470, <EM>Schoeffher</EM>, in the Public Library at +Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>406</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Nuremberg, +<EM>Supplement</EM>,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>431</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Parmæ</EM>, 1480, folio, in the Public Library at +Augsbourg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>98</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Josephus, Lat.</EM> 1480, folio, in the Library of the +Monastery of St. Florian,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>236</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Gallicè</EM>, 1492, folio, in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>328</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Jourdain de Blave, Paris, Chretien, no date</EM>, 4to., in +the Library of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>166</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Jouvencel le</EM>, 1497, <EM>Verard</EM>, folio, UPON +VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>328</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Juvenalis</EM>, folio, <EM>V. de Spira</EM>, edit. prin. in +the Public Library at Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>409</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Ulric. Han. typ. grand</EM>, folio, in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>311</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1474, folio, in the Public Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>208</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>--- <EM>I. de Fivizano</EM>, folio, in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>311</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">L.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Lactantii Institutiones</EM>, 1465, folio, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>112</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Library of Ste. Geneviève,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>172</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>305</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1470, <EM>S. and Pannartz</EM>, folio, in the Mazarine +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>192</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Rostoch</EM>, 1476, UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>305</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>LANCELOT DU LAC, MS., XIVth century, in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>88</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- another MS. of about the same period, in the same +Library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>89</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- another MS. in the same library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>89</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1488, <EM>Verard</EM>, folio, in the Imperial Library +(Prince Eugene's copy) at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>328</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1494, <EM>Verard</EM>, folio, UPON VELLUM, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>130</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1496, <EM>Verard,</EM> folio, UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>328</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Lascaris Gram. Græc.</EM> 1476, 4to., in the Royal Library +at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>127</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>LEGES BAVARICÆ, MS., XIIIth century, in the Public Library at +Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>179</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Legenda Aurea, (seu Sanctorum) Ital. Jenson</EM>, 1476, +folio, in the Mazarine Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>191</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>324</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1475, <EM>Gering</EM>, folio, in the Public Library at +Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>208</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Les Deux Amans, Verard</EM>, 1493, 4to., in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>328</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>LIBER GENERATIONS IES. XTI. MS. VIIth century: in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>70</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Liber Modorum significandi</EM>, 1480, <EM>St. +Albans</EM>,--in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>125</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Liber Moralisat. Bibl.</EM> 1474, Ulm, folio--copy +purchased of M. Fischeim, at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>154</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>LIBER PRECUM, <EM>cum not. et cant.</EM> MS. <EM>pervet.</EM> +in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>71</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- MS. xvth century, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>131</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Liber Regum, seu Vita Davidis--block books</EM>--in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>331</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Life of Christ, block book</EM>--in the Public Library at +Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>134</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Littleton's Tenures, Lettou</EM>, &c. folio--in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>333</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>LIVIUS, MS. XVth century--in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>298</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1469, folio,--in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>122</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>142</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1470, <EM>V. de Spira</EM>, folio, UPON VELLUM, in the +Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>122</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- upon paper, in the same Library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>122</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Library of Closterneuburg Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>397</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1472, <EM>S. and Pann.</EM>, folio, in the Royal Library +at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>123</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Lombardi Petri Sentent. (Eggesteyn)</EM>, folio, in the +Library of Closterneuburg Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>399</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Lucanus</EM>, 1469, folio--in the Public Library at +Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>142</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1475, folio, cum comment. Omniboni--in the Public Library +at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>24</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Luciani Opera</EM>, Gr. 1496, folio--fine copy, in the +possession of M. Renouard, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>230</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1503, <EM>Aldus</EM>, folio--large paper copy, in the +Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>151</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Opusc. Quæd. Lat.</EM> 1494--4to.--UPON VELLUM, in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>311</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Lucretius</EM>, 1486, folio--in the King's Private +Collection at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>39</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Aldus</EM>, 1515, 8vo.--UPON VELLUM, (supposed to be +unique) in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>146</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Luctus Christianorum, Jenson</EM>, 4to.--in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>324</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Ludolphus Vita Christi (Eggesteyn)</EM>, 1474, folio, in +the Public Library at Nancy,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>363</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>De Terra Sancta</EM>, &c. 4to.--in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>317</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">M.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Mabrian</EM>, 1625, 4to.--in the Library of the Arsenal at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>163</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Maguelone, La Belle</EM>, 1492, <EM>Trepperel</EM>, +4to.--in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>328</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Maius, de propriet. prisc. verb.</EM> 1477. folio--<EM>B. +de Colonia</EM>--in the Public Library at Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>407</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Mammotrectus, Schoeffher</EM>, 1470--folio--UPON VELLUM, in +the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>317</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Library of Closterneuburg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>398</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>H. de Helie</EM>, 1470, folio--in the Public Library +at Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>181</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>MANDEVILLE, MS. <EM>German</EM>--in the Public Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>32</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Manilius</EM>, 1474, folio,--in the King's Private +Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>39</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Marco Polo, Germ.</EM> 1477, folio--in the Imperial Library +at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>329</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Marsilius Ficinus: In Dionysium Areopagitam</EM>, no Date, +folio, in the Library of Ste. Geneviève at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>176</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Martialis</EM>, 1475, folio--in the Library of a Capuchin +Monastery, near Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>403</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Aldus</EM>, 1502, 8vo. two copies UPON VELLUM, in the +Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>146</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>MAYNI IASONIS EPITALAMION, MS. 4to.--in the Emperor's +Private Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>387</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Mayster of Sentence, Caxton</EM>, folio--in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>332</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Meinart, St. Life of, block book</EM>: in the Public +Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>137</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Melusina, Historie von der, Germ.</EM> no date, folio, in +the King's Private Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>41</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Melusine, P. Le Noir</EM>, 4to.--in the Library of the +Arsenal</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>167</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Memoirs of the Transactions of the Society of Belles +Lettres &c. at Rouen</EM>, vol. i. page 49, of a +<EM>similar</EM> Society at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>185</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Messer Nobile Socio, Miserie de li Amante di</EM>, 1533, +4to. in the Library of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>159</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Meurin Fils d'Oger, Paris, Bonfons</EM>, 4to.--in the +Library of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>167</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Milles et Amys, Verard</EM>, no date, folio--UPON VELLUM, +in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>131</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Rouen</EM>, 4to.--in the Library of the Arsenal at +ditto,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>162</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Mirabilia Urbis Romae, block book</EM>,--in the Public +Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>137</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>MISSALE, MS. XIVth century, in the Public Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>30</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- XVth century, two in the Public Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>31</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- of Charles the Bold, XVth century--in the Imperial Library +at Vienna, with fac-simile,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>292</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- XVth century,--in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>129</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 8vo.--belonging to Sigismund, King of Poland, in the +Public Library at Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>180</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Herbipolense</EM> (1479), folio, UPON VELLUM, in the +imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>306</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Venet.</EM> 1488, folio,--UPON VELLUM, in the +Emperor's Private Collection at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>388</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Pro. Patav. Eccl. Ritu</EM>, 1494, folio, in the +Library of a Capuchin Monastery, near Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>403</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Mozarabicum</EM>, 1500, folio--with the Breviary 1502, +in the Library of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>156</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Library of Ste. Geneviève,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>178</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>305</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Parisiense</EM>, 1522, folio--UPON VELLUM, in the +Library of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>156</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Missal of Henry IV.</EM> XVIth century, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>81</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Missa Defunctorum, Viennæ</EM>, 1499, folio, in the Library +of a Capuchin Monastery, near Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>403</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Montaigne's Essays</EM>, 1635, folio, large paper, in +the Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>212</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Monte Sancto di Dio</EM>, 1477, folio,--in the Royal +Library, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>134</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Monte Sancto di Dio</EM>, 1477, folio, in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>324</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Moreri des Normans; par I.A. Guiat</EM>, MS. in the Public +Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>209</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Morgant le Géant</EM>, 1650, 4to.--in the Library of the +Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>164</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Mori Thomæ Opera, edit. Lovan.</EM> 1566, folio, in the +Library of the Lycée at Bayeux,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>245</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Munsteri Cosmographia</EM>, 1556, folio, copy of, belonging +to D. de Poictiers, in the Public Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>214</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Mureti Disticha</EM>, Lat. and Fr. <EM>chap book</EM>, at +Vire,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>286</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">N.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Nanceidos Liber</EM>, 1518, folio; copy of, with ms. notes +of Bochart, in the Public Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>212</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- two copies of, one upon large paper, in the Public Library +at Nancy,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>362</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- one, UPON VELLUM, in the possession of Messrs. Payne and +Foss,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>362</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Nef des Folz du Monde</EM>, Verard, no date, folio--UPON +VELLUM, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>133</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- Printed by the same, UPON VELLUM, in the same +library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>133</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Nef des Dames, Arnollet, à Lyon</EM>, 4to.--in the Library +of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>160</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Niger P., contra perfidos Judæos</EM>, 1475, folio--in the +King's Private Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>41</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Nonius Marcellus</EM>, 1471, folio,--in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>318</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Nova Statuta, Machlinia</EM>, in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>125</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Novelas, par de Maria Zayas</EM>, 1637, 4to.--in the +Library of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>160</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Amorosas</EM>, 1624, 4to. in the same Library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>160</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">O.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>OFFICIUM B.M. VIRGINIS, MS., XVth century, in the Emperor's +private collection at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>386</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- MS., XVIth century, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>129</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>OFFICIUM B.M. VIRGINIS, MS., in the same library,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>130</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Ogier le Danois</EM>, 1525, folio, in the Library of the +Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>162</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Ovidii Opera Omnia, Azoguidi,</EM> 1471, wanting two +leaves, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>141</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Fasti, Azoguidi</EM>, in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>312</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Opera Omnia, S. and Pannartz</EM>, 1471, in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>312</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Epistolæ et Fasti</EM>, folio, in the same +collection,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>312</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">P.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Paris et Vienne, Paris</EM>, no date, 4to., in the Library +of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>164</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Pentateuch, Hebr.</EM> 1491, folio, in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>111</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Petrarcha Sonetti</EM>, 1470, Prince Eugene's copy in +the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>325</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1473, <EM>Zarotus</EM>, folio, in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>325</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Jenson</EM>, 1473, folio, in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>325</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Comment. Borstïï, Bologn.</EM>, 1475, folio, two +copies in the Imperial Library at Vienna, of which one belonged to +Prince Eugene,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>325</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Bolog.</EM>, 1476, folio, (<EM>Azoguidi</EM><A name= +"fnref_178"></A><A class="fnref" href="#fn_178">178</A>) with the +comment of Philelphus, in the Public Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>25</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Aldus</EM>, 1501, 8vo., UPON VELLUM, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>147</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1514, 8vo., UPON VELLUM, in the possession of M. Renouard, +bookseller,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>229</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1521, 12mo., in the King's Private Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>41</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Sonetti cum Comment. Velutelli</EM>, 1546, 8vo.,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>41</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Hist. Griseldis, Lat.</EM>, 1473, folio,--Prince +Eugene's copy in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>318</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Phalaris Epist.</EM>, 1471, 4to., in the Imperial Library +at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>318</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Ulric Han</EM>, folio, in the same collection,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>319</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>PHILOSTRATUS, <EM>Lat.</EM>, MS., XVth century in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>297</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Pierre de Provence et la belle Maguelonne</EM>, 1490, 4to. +in the Library of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>165</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Pindarus, Gr.</EM> 1502, <EM>Aldi</EM>, 12mo., in the +Library of the Monastery of St. Florian,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>237</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Plautus</EM>, 1472, folio, edit. prin. in the Mazarine +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>192</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1522, <EM>Aldus</EM>, 4to., Grolier's copy, apparently +<EM>large paper</EM>, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>148</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Plinius Senior</EM>, 1469, folio, one copy, UPON VELLUM, +and another upon paper, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>120</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Library of Ste. Geneviève,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>174</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>312</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Jenson</EM>, 1472, folio, UPON VELLUM, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>120</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Jenson</EM>, 1472, folio, UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>313</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- upon paper, in the Library of Closterneuburg +Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>398</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Ital.</EM> 1476, <EM>Jenson</EM>, folio, UPON VELLUM, +in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>121</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- upon paper, in the same collection,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>121</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- upon paper, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>313</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Plutarchi Vitæ; Parallellæ, Ital.</EM>, folio, Litt. R., in +the Public Library at Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>409</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- the same edition in the Monastic Library at +Closterneuburg,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>398</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Plutarchi Opuscula Moralia, Gr.</EM>, 1509, <EM>Aldus</EM>, +UPON VELLUM, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>137</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Poetæ Græci Principes, Gr.</EM>, 1556, folio, large paper, +De Thou's copy in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>152</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Pogii Facetiæ, Monast. Euseb.</EM>, folio, in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>319</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Hist. Fiorent.</EM>, 1476, folio, UPON VELLUM and paper, in +the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>325</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>POLYBIUS, <EM>Gr.</EM> MS., sec. XVI., Diane de Poictiers's +copy, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>99</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Polybius, Lat., S. and Pannartz</EM>, 1473, folio, in the +Library of Closterneuburg Monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>398</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>PRAYER BOOK OF CHARLES THE BALD, Ill. MS. 4to, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>67</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Priscianus</EM>, 1470, <EM>V. de Spira</EM>, folio, UPON +VELLUM, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>139</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>319</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Ulric Han</EM>, folio--in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>319</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, <EM>Aldus</EM>, 1527, 8vo., Grolier's copy, upon +large paper, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>148</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, <EM>Printed by V. de Spira</EM>, UPON VELLUM, in the +Library of Ste. Geneviève,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>175</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>PSALTERIUM, MS., IXth century, of Charles the Bald; in the +Public Library at Paris;</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>66</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, Sti. Ludovici, XIIIth century, in the same library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>68</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, XIth century, in the Public Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>27</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, XIIth century, in the same Collection,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>28</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, XIIth century, in the Royal Private Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>36</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, XIIth century, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>125</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, with most splendid illuminations, of the XVIth century, +in the same library,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>133</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, St. Austin, XVth century, in the Public Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>33</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Latine</EM>, 1457, <EM>Fust and Schoeffher</EM>, +folio, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>104</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>306</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Psalterium Latine</EM>, 1459, folio--in the Royal Library +at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>105</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, 1490, folio, <EM>Schoeffher</EM>, UPON VELLUM, in the +Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>105</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, 1502, folio, <EM>Schoeffher</EM>, in the same +library,</TD> +<TD>--</TD> +<TD>106</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, UPON VELLUM, <EM>Printed by Schoeffher's Son</EM>, +1516, folio,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>106</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, without date--in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>307</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, <EM>Lips.</EM> 1486, 4to.--in the Public Library at +Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>181</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>PTOLEMÆUS, <EM>Lat.</EM> MS. folio--in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>85</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- MS. folio, in the Public Library at Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>59</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, 1462, folio, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>142</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>319</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, <EM>Printed by Buckinck</EM>, 1478, folio, in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>320</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">Q.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Quintilianus, I. de Lignam.</EM> 1470, folio, in the +Library of Ste. Geneviève, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>175</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, 1471, <EM>Jenson</EM>, folio, in the Public Library at +Nuremberg, <EM>Supplement</EM>,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>431</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">R.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Ratdolt</EM>, specimens of the types from his press, in the +Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>144</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Recueil des Histoires de Troye, printed by Caxton</EM>, in +the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>102</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>printed by Verard</EM>, UPON VELLUM, in the same +Library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>102</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Regnars, les, &c. Verard</EM>, 4to. Prince Eugene's +copy in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>329</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Regulæ, Confitend. peccata sua. Ital.</EM>, 1473, 4to., in +the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>326</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Repertorium Statut. Ord. Carth.</EM> 1510, folio, in the +Public Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>202</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Richard sans Peur, Janot, no date</EM>, 4to., in the +Library of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>168</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Bonfons, no date</EM>, 4to., in the same library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>158</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Robert le Diable, Janot, no date</EM>, 4to., in the Library +of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>158</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Romances, MS</EM>., in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>88</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, <EM>printed</EM>, in the same Library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>131</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, in the Public Library at Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>407</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>126</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Ronsard</EM>, 1584, folio, in the Public Library at +Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>212</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>ROSE, ROMAN DE LA, MS. XIVth century, in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>95</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- MS. XIVth century, in the Public Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>31</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Verard</EM>, no date, UPON VELLUM, in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>131</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Rossei opus elegans, &c., Pynson</EM>, 1523, 4to., the +author's copy, afterwards that of Sir Thomas More, in the +Public Library at Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>183</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">S.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>SACRAMENTARIUM, SEU MISSA <EM>Pap. Greg.</EM>, MS., VIth +century, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>290</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Sanchez de Matrim. Sacram</EM>., copy in the chapter +Library at Bayeux,</TD> +<TD>i.</TD> +<TD>244,</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>in the Library of the Lycée at Bayeux,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>245</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Sannazarii Arcadia</EM>, 1514, <EM>Aldus</EM>, 8vo., +Grolier's copy, on large paper, in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>148</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Sannazarius de partu Virginis, Aldi</EM>, 1527, 12mo. in +the King's Private Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>41</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>SCHAKZABEL, DER, MS. 1400 or 1450, in the Public Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>32</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Séguin, Histore Militaire des Bocains</EM>, quoted, i 300, +301, 302, <EM>sur l'histoire de l'industrie du Bocage, en +général, et de la ville de Vire sa capitale en particulière,</EM> +1810, 8vo.,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>303</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Servius in Virgilium</EM>, see <EM>Virgilius</EM>.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Sforziada La</EM>, 1480, folio, UPON VELLUM, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>134</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Shyppe of Fools</EM>, 1509, 8vo. <EM>printed by W. +Worde</EM>, UPON VELLUM, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>103</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>SIBILUS, &c.</EM>, MS., xvth century, in the Public +Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>127</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Silius Italicus, Laver</EM>, 1471, folio, in the Mazarine +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>193</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>313</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>S. and Pannartz</EM>, 1471, folio, in the Imperial +Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>313</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>26</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>332</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Spec. Hum, Salv</EM>, 1476, folio, <EM>printed by +Richel</EM>, in the Public Library at Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>407</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Spec. Morale P. Bellovacensis</EM>, 1476, folio,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>405</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Judiciale Durandus</EM>, Printed by Hussner and +Rekenhub, 1473, folio,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>405</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Speculum Stultorum</EM>, <EM>no date</EM>, 4to., in the +Public Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>211</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Statius in usum Delphini</EM>, 4to., two copies, in the +Library of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>156</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- beautiful copy in the Library of Chremsminster +monastery,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>222</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Statutes of Richard III. Machlinia</EM>, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>124</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the King's Private Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>41</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Stephani, H. Gloss. Græc</EM>. 1573, &c., +folio--<EM>cum notis mss: Bocharti</EM>, copy of, in the Public +Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>211</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Successos y Prodigos de Amor</EM>, 1626, 4to., in the +Library of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>161</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Suetonius I. de Lignamine</EM>, 1470, folio--in the Library +of Ste. Geneviève, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>175</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Suetonius S. and Pannartz</EM>, 1470, folio--in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>313</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Jenson</EM>, 1471, 4to.,--in the same collection,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>313</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Reisinger</EM>, 4to.,--<EM>without date</EM>, in the +private royal collection at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>39</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Suidas, Gr.</EM>, 1499, folio--Lambecius's copy, in the +Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>314</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1503, folio, <EM>Aldus</EM>--large paper copy, in the +Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>151</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Sypperts de Vinevaulx, Paris, no date</EM>, 4to.--in the +Library of the Arsenal at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>159</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">T.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Tacitus, I. de Spira</EM>, folio, edit. prin. in the Public +Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>24</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>314</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Tasso, Gerusalemme Conquistata</EM>, the author's +autograph--in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>300</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Terentius, Mentelin</EM>, folio--in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>314</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, <EM>Ulric Han</EM>, folio--in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>136</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, <EM>Reisinger</EM>, folio--in the Public Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>23</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Testamentum Novum, Hollandicè et Russ.</EM>, 1717, folio, +in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>110</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, <EM>Bohemice, Sec.</EM> xv--in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>307</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, <EM>Græcè Erasmi</EM>, in the King's Private Library +at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>39</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, <EM>R. Stephani</EM>, 1550, folio--Diane de +Poictiers's copy--in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>150</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Tewrdanckhs</EM>, 1517, folio--UPON VELLUM, in the Library +of Ste. Geneviève, at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>179</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, two copies of, in the Public Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>147</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Tewrdanckhs</EM>, 1517, folio, UPON VELLUM, two copies of, +in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>329</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, in the Library of the Monastery of St. Florian,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>238</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Theophrastus</EM>, 1497, Gr. <EM>Aldus</EM>,--Diane de +Poictiers's copy, in the possession of M. Renouard at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>231</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Thucydide, Gourmont</EM>, folio, <EM>Verard</EM>--UPON +VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna--Prince Eugene's +copy,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>330</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>TITE LIVE, MS. folio--in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>86</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Tityrell and Pfartzival</EM>, 1477, folio--in the Public +Library at Landshut,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>181</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Library of the Monastery of St. Florian,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>236</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>TOURNAMENTS, BOOK OF, MS. xvth century--in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>95</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- duplicate and more recent copy of</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>99</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Tracts</EM>, Printed by Pfister, at Bamberg, folio,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>111</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Trebisond, Paris</EM>, 4to.--in the Library of the Arsenal +at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>167</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>TRISTAN, MS. xivth century, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>91</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, another MS. in the same library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>91</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, a third MS. in the same library,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>92</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Gall.</EM> Sec. XIII., in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>299</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, another MS. in the same Collection,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>300</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Tristran, Verard</EM>, folio--in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>330</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Trithemii Annales Hirsaugienses</EM>, 1690, folio--in the +Library of the Monastery of Chremsminster,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>227</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, in the Library of a Capuchin Monastery, near Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>403</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Troys filz de Roys</EM>, Paris, no date, 4to.--in the +Library of the Arsenal,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>164</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Tully of Old Age, Caxton</EM>--in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>124</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Turrecremata I. de Meditationes, Ulric Han</EM>, 1467, +folio--in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>320</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Nuremberg, +<EM>Supplement</EM>,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>430</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>----, 1473, in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>307</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">V.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>VALERIUS MAXIMUS, MS. xvth century--in the Imperial Library at +Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>298</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Mentelin</EM>, folio--two copies in the Public Library +at Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>408</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>314</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Royal Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>24</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1475, <EM>Coes &Stol</EM>, folio--in the Public +Library at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>208</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Aldus</EM>, 1534, 8vo. Grolier's copy, on large +paper, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>148</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Valturius De Re Militari</EM>, 1472, folio--in the Imperial +Library (Prince Eugene's copy) at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>321</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Vaudevires, Basselin</EM>, 1811,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>212 -289</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Vie des Peres</EM>, 1494, folio, at Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>208</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Virgilius, S. &Pannartz</EM>, (1469) folio--in the +Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>116</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Public Library at Strasbourg--incomplete,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>408</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>314</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1470, <EM>V. de Spira</EM>, UPON VELLUM, in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>117</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- upon paper, in the Royal Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>117</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- in the Imperial Library at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>314</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1471, <EM>S. and Pannartz</EM>, folio--in the Royal +Library at Paris,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>118</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Virgilius,</EM> 1471, <EM>S. and Pannartz</EM>, late in the +Public Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>23</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1471, <EM>V. de Spira</EM>, folio--in the Imperial Library +at Vienna,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>315</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1471, <EM>Adam</EM>, folio--late in the Public Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>23</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Servius in Virgilium</EM>. <EM>Ulric Han</EM>, +folio--Diane de Poictiers's copy, in the Mazarine Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>191</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Valdarfer</EM>, 1471, folio--in the Public Library at +Strasbourg,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>408</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1478, <EM>Gering</EM>, 4to., in the Royal Library at +Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>119</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Aldus</EM>, 1501, 8vo.--UPON VELLUM, in the Public +Library at Munich,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>146</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- 1505, 8vo.--in the possession of M. Renouard, +bookseller,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>230</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>S. and Pannartz</EM>, (1469) folio--in the Library of +Ste. Geneviève,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>174</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>---- <EM>Gallice</EM>, 1582, folio--in the Public Library at +Caen,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>212</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>VITÆ SANCTORUM, MS. Sec. XII.--in the Public Library at +Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>29</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Vitruvius Giuntæ</EM>, 1513, 8vo.--UPON VELLUM, in the +Library of Ste. Geneviève at Paris,</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>178</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>Vocabularius, Bechtermuntze, 1467, 4to.</TD> +<TD>ii</TD> +<TD>115</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>U.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD><EM>Utino, T. de, Sermones</EM>, <EM>printed by Gering</EM>--in +the Public Library at Vire,</TD> +<TD>i</TD> +<TD>297</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD colspan="3">W.</TD> +</TR> + +<TR> +<TD>WILLIBROODI STI. VITA. AUCT. ALCUINO. MS. xith century, in the +Private Royal Library at Stuttgart,</TD> +<TD>iii</TD> +<TD>38</TD> +</TR> +</TABLE> + +<DIV class="footnote"> +<P><A name="fn_1"></A><A href="#fnref_1">1</A> M. Crapelet is of +course speaking of the PREVIOUS edition of the Tour. He continues +thus: "M. Dibdin, dans son voyage en France, a visité nos +départemens de l'ouest et de l'est, toutes leurs +principales villes, presque tous les lieux remarquables par les +antiquités, par les monumens, par les beautés du site, ou par les +souvenirs historiques. Il a visité les châteaux, les églises, les +chapelles; il a observé nos moeurs, nos coutumes; nos habitudes; il +a examiné nos Musées et nos premiers Cabinets de curiosité; il +s'est concentré dans nos Bibliothéques. Il parle de notre +littérature et des hommes de lettres, des arts et de nos artistes; +il critique les personnes comme les choses; il loue quelquefois, il +plaisante souvent; la vivacité de son esprit l'égare presque +toujours." A careful perusal of the notes in THIS edition will +shew that my veracity has not "almost always led me +astray."</P> + +<P><A name="fn_2"></A><A href="#fnref_2">2</A> GABRIEL PEIGNOT; +<EM>Variétés, Notices et Raretés Bibliographiques, 1822, 8vo. p. +4</EM>.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_3"></A><A href="#fnref_3">3</A> <EM>Lettre d'un +Relieur Francais à un Bibliographe Anglais; à Paris, de +l'Imprimerie de Crapelet</EM>, 1822, 8vo. p.p. 28.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_4"></A><A href="#fnref_4">4</A> It is a little +curious that M. Lesné has not been singular in this supposition. My +amiable and excellent friend M. Schweighæuser of Strasbourg had the +same notion: at least, he told me that the style of the Tour very +frequently reminded him of that of Sterne. I can only say--and say +very honestly--that I as much thought of Sterne as I did of ... +William Caxton!</P> + +<P><A name="fn_5"></A><A href="#fnref_5">5</A> Copious as are the +above quotations, from the thoroughly original M. Lesné, I cannot +resist the risking of the readers patience and good opinion, by the +subjoining of the following passage--with which the brochure +concludes. "D'après la multitude de choses hasardées que +contient votre Lettre, vous en aurez probablement recu quelques +unes de personnes que vous aurez choquées plus que moi, qui vous +devrais plutôt des remercimens pour avoir pris la peine de traduire +quelques pages de mon ouvrage; mais il n'en est pas de même de +bien des gens, et cela ne doit pas les engager à être autant +communicatif avec vous, si vous reveniez en France. Je souhaite, +dans ce dernier cas, que tous les typographes, les bibliothècaires, +les bibliognostes, les bibliographes, les bibliolathes, les +bibliomanes, les biblophiles, les bibliopoles, ceux qui exercent la +bibliuguiancie et les bibliopégistes même, soient pour vous autant +de bibliotaphes; vous ne seriez plus à même de critiquer ce que +vous sauriez et ce que vous ne sauriez pas, comme vous l'aviez +si souvent fait inconsidérément:</P> + +<P class="poetry">Mais tous vos procédés ne nous étonnent pas,<BR> +C'est le sort des Français de faire DES INGRATS;<BR> +On les voit servir ceux qui leur furent nuisibles;<BR> +Je crois que sur ce point ils sont incorrigibles.</P> + +<P>Je vous avouerai cependant que je suis loin d'être fâché de +vous voir en agir ainsi envers mes compatriotes: je désirerais que +beaucoup d'Anglais fissent de même; cela pourrait désangliciser +ou désanglomaniser les Français. Vous, Monsieur, qui aimez les mots +nouveaux, aidez-moi, je vous prie, à franciser, à purifier +celui-ci. Quant à moi</P> + +<P class="poetry">Je ne fus pas nourri de Grec et de Latin,<BR> +J'appris à veiller tard, à me lever matin,<BR> +La nature est le livre où je fis mes études,<BR> +Et tous ces mots nouveaux me semblent long-temps rudes;<BR> +Je trouve qu'on ne peut très bien les prononcer<BR> +Sans affectation, au moins sans grimacer;<BR> +Que tous ces mots tirés des langues étrangères,<BR> +Devraient être l'objet de critiques sévères.<BR> +Faites donc de l'esprit en depit du bon sens,<BR> +On vous critiquera; quant à moi j'y consens.</P> + +<P>Je terminerai cette longue Lettre de deux manières: à +l'anglaise, en vous souhaitant le bon jour ou le bon soir, +suivant l'heure à laquelle vous la recevrez; à la française, en +vous priant de me croire,</P> + +<P>Monsieur,</P> + +<P>Votre très humble serviteur,</P> + +<P>LESNÉ.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_6"></A><A href="#fnref_6">6</A> The above brochure +consists of two Letters; each to an anonymous bibliographical +"Confrere:" one is upon the subject of M. Crapelet's +version--the other, upon that of M. Licquet's version--of a +portion of the Tour. The notice of the Works of the Author of the +Tour; a list of the prices for which the Books mentioned in it have +been sold; a Notice of the "Hours of Charlemagne" (see +vol. ii. 199) and some account of the late Mr. Porson +"Librarian of the London Institution"--form the remaining +portion of this little volume of about 160 pages. For the +"Curiosités Bibliographiques," consult the +<EM>Bibliomania</EM>, pp. 90, 91, &c. &c.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_7"></A><A href="#fnref_7">7</A> This letter +accompanied another Work of M. Peignot, relating to editions and +translations of the Roman Classics:--and as the reader will find, +in the ensuing pages, that I have been sometime past labouring +under the frightful, but popular, mania of AUTOGRAPHS, I subjoin +with no small satisfaction a fac-simile of the Autograph of this +enthusiastic and most diligent Bibliographer.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:60%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/031.png" alt="Autograph"></DIV> + +<P><A name="fn_8"></A><A href="#fnref_8">8</A> See page +xviii.--ante.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_9"></A><A href="#fnref_9">9</A> M. Licquet goes on +to afford an exemplification of this precipitancy of conjecture, in +my having construed the word <EM>Allemagne</EM>--a village near to +Caen--by that of <EM>Germany</EM>. I refer the reader to p. 168 +post, to shew with what perfect frankness I have admitted and +corrected this "<EM>hippopotamos</EM>" error.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_10"></A><A href="#fnref_10">10</A> More especially +at pages 82, 100, 367.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_11"></A><A href="#fnref_11">11</A> "Sharp" +as they may be, they are softened, in some measure, by the +admission of my bitterest annotator, M. Crapelet, that "I +speak and understand the French language well." vol. ii. p. +253. It is painful and unusual with me to have recourse to such +apparently self-complimentary language; but when an adversary +drives one into a corner, and will not allow of fair space and fair +play, one must fight with feet as well as with hands ... +"manibus pedibusque" ...</P> + +<P><A name="fn_12"></A><A href="#fnref_12">12</A> This +<EM>hiatus</EM> must not be filled by the Author: ... "haud +equidem tali me dignor honore."</P> + +<P><A name="fn_13"></A><A href="#fnref_13">13</A> See vol. ii. p. +210-11.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_14"></A><A href="#fnref_14">14</A> See vol. i. p. +186, vol. ii. pp. 49, 296, 392. The other fresh plates are, +<EM>Portrait of the Author</EM>, frontispiece; Bird's-eye views +of the <EM>Monasteries of St. Peter's, Salzburg, and of +Molk:</EM> vol. iii. pp. 195, 248, 381, <EM>Black Eagle Inn</EM>, +Munich, p. 156. But the Reader will be pleased to examine the +<EM>List of Plates prefixed</EM>--in a preceding page.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_15"></A><A href="#fnref_15">15</A> Among these +distinguished Literati, I here enrol with peculiar satisfaction the +names of the MARQUIS DE CHATEAUGIRON and Mons. DURAND DE LANCON. No +opportunity having occurred in the subsequent pages to incorporate +fac-similes of the Autographs of these distinguished +<EM>Bibliophiles</EM>, they are annexed in the present place.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:90%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/042.png" alt="Autographs"></DIV> + +<P><A name="fn_16"></A><A href="#fnref_16">16</A> It is more than a +negative consolation to me, to have lived to see the day, that, +although comparatively impoverished, <EM>others</EM> have been +enriched by my labours. When I noticed a complete set of my +lucubrations on LARGE PAPER, valued at 250<EM>l</EM>. in a +bookseller's catalogue, (Mr. Pickering's) and afterwards +learnt that this set had found a PURCHASER, I had reason to think +that I had "deserved well" of the Literature of my +country: and I resolved to live "mihi carior" in +consequence.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_17"></A><A href="#fnref_17">17</A> [Mons. Licquet, +my translator, thinks, that in using the word +"<EM>Antiquaire</EM>"--as appears in the previous edition +of this work, incorporated in the gallicised sentence of +"<EM>Voyage Bibliographique Antiquaire</EM>, &c."--I +have committed an error; as the word +"<EM>Archéologique</EM>" ought, in his opinion, to have +been adopted--and he supposes that he best expresses my meaning by +its adoption. Such a correction may be better French; but +"Archaeological" is not exactly what is usually meant--in +our language--by "Antiquarian."]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_18"></A><A href="#fnref_18">18</A> This smart little +vessel, of about 70 tons burden, considered to be the fastest +sailing packet from Dieppe, survived our voyage only about eighteen +months. Her end had nearly proved fatal to every soul on board of +her. In a dark night, in the month of September, when bound for +Dieppe, she was struck by a heavy London brig. The crew was with +difficulty saved--and the vessel went down within about twenty-five +minutes after the shock.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_19"></A><A href="#fnref_19">19</A> The English are +not permitted to bring their own vessels into harbour--for obvious +reasons.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_20"></A><A href="#fnref_20">20</A> [This +"scene" has been, in fact, subsequently depicted by. the +masterly pencil of J.M.W.TURNER, Esq. R.A: and the picture, in +which almost all the powers of that surprising Artist are +concentrated, was lately offered for sale by public auction. How it +was suffered to be <EM>bought in</EM> for three hundred and eighty +guineas, is at once a riddle and a reproach to public taste.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_21"></A><A href="#fnref_21">21</A> [I learn that he +is since DECEASED. Thus the very first chapter of this second +edition has to record an instance of the casualties and +mutabilities which the short space of ten years has effected. Mons. +De la Rue was a man of worth and of virtue.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_22"></A><A href="#fnref_22">22</A> [Mons. Licquet +says that there were about 17,000 souls in 1824; so that the above +number may be that of the amount of its <EM>present</EM> +population. "Several changes (says my French translator) have +taken place at Dieppe since I saw it: among the rest, there is a +magnificent establishment of BATHS, where a crowd of people, of the +first distinction, every year resort. Her Royal Highness, the +Duchesse de Berri, may be numbered among these Visitors.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_23"></A><A href="#fnref_23">23</A> [The common +people to this day call a <EM>herring</EM>, a <EM>child of +Dieppe.</EM> LICQUET.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_24"></A><A href="#fnref_24">24</A> ["Sterne +reproaches the French for their hyperbolical language: the air of +the country had probably some influence on M. Dibdin when he +adopted this phrase." LICQUET.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_25"></A><A href="#fnref_25">25</A> +["Signifying, that the French postilions do not ride like the +English." LICQUET.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_26"></A><A href="#fnref_26">26</A> ["Dieppe for +a long time was the rival of Argentan and Caen in the +lace-manufactory: at the present day, this branch of commerce is +almost annihilated there."--LICQUET.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_27"></A><A href="#fnref_27">27</A> [In a note +attached to the previous edition--I have said, "Here also, as +well as at Rouen; they will have it that the ENGLISH built the +Churches." Upon which M. Licquet remarks thus: "M. +Dibdin's expression conveys too general an idea. It is true +that <EM>popular</EM> opinion attributes the erection of our gothic +edifices to the ENGLISH: but there exists <EM>another</EM> opinion, +which is not deceptive upon this subject." What is meant to be +here conveyed? Either the popular opinion is true or false; and it +is a matter of perfect indifference to the author whether it be one +or the other. For Mons. Licquet's comfort, I will freely avow +that I believe it to be <EM>false</EM>.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_28"></A><A href="#fnref_28">28</A> [Louis +XVIII.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_29"></A><A href="#fnref_29">29</A> The French +Antiquaries have pushed the antiquity of this castle to the 11th +century, supposing it to have been built by <EM>William +d'Arques</EM>, Count of Tallon, son of the second marriage of +Richard Duke of Normandy. I make no doubt, that, whenever built, +the sea almost washed its base: for it is known to have occupied +the whole of what is called the <EM>Valley of Arques</EM>, running +as far as <EM>Bouteilles</EM>. Its position, in reference to the +art of war, must have been almost impregnable. Other hypotheses +assign its origin to the ninth or tenth century. Whenever built, +its history has been fertile in sieges. In 1144, it was commanded +by a Flemish Monk, who preferred the spear to the crosier, but who +perished by an arrow in the contest. Of its history, up to the +sixteenth century, I am not able to give any details; but in the +wars of Henry IV. with the League, in 1589, it was taken by +surprise by soldiers in the disguise of sailors: who, killing the +centinels, quickly made themselves masters of the place. Henry +caused it afterwards to be dismantled. In the first half of the +eighteenth century it received very severe treatment from pillage, +for the purpose of erecting public and private buildings at Dieppe. +At present (in the language of the author of the <EM>Rouen +Itinerary</EM>) "it is the abode of silence--save when that +silence is interrupted by owls and other nocturnal birds." The +view of it in Mr. Cotman's work is very faithful.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_30"></A><A href="#fnref_30">30</A> The +<EM>Itinéraire de Rouen</EM>, 1816, p. 202, says, absurdly, that +this church is of the XIth century. It is perhaps with more truth +of the beginning of the XIVth century. A pleasing view of it is in +Mr. Dawson Turner's elegant Tour in Normandy, 1818, 8vo. 2 vol. +It possessed formerly a bust of Henry IV., which is supposed to +have been placed there after the famous battle of Arques gained by +Henry over the Duke of Mayenne in 1589.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_31"></A><A href="#fnref_31">31</A> The blue gown and +red petticoat; or vice versa.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_32"></A><A href="#fnref_32">32</A> [I am anxious +that the above sentence should stand precisely as it appeared in +the first edition of this work; because a circumstance has arisen +from it, which could have been as little in the anticipation, as it +is in the comprehension, of the author. A lady, of high +connections, and of respectable character, conceived the passage in +question to be somewhat indecorous; or revolting to the serious +sense entertained by all Christians, and especially by CHRISTIAN +MINISTERS, of the mode of devoting the Sabbath day. In consequence, +being in possession of a copy of this work, she DIVIDED it into +two; not being willing to sully the splendour of the plates by the +supposed impurity of such a passage:--and the prints were +accordingly bound APART. The passage--as applied to the FRENCH +PEOPLE-- requires neither comment nor qualification; and in the +same unsophisticated view of religious duties, the <EM>latter</EM> +part may be as strictly applied to the ENGLISH.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_33"></A><A href="#fnref_33">33</A> The dress of the +<EM>sailors</EM> is the same as it was in the XIVth century; and so +probably is that of the women. The illuminations in Froissard and +Monstrelet clearly give us the Norman cauchoise.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_34"></A><A href="#fnref_34">34</A> [Mons. Licquet +here observes, "This is the first time I have heard it said +that our Postilions put on rouge." What he adds, shall be +given in his own pithy expression.--"Où la coquetterie +va-t-elle se nicher?" What, however is above stated, was +stated from a <EM>conviction</EM> of its being TRUE]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_35"></A><A href="#fnref_35">35</A> [The third +English Printer.] See the <EM>Bibliographical Decameron</EM>, vol. +ii. p. 137, 8.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_36"></A><A href="#fnref_36">36</A> A most ample and +correct view of this west front will be found in Mr. +<EM>Cotman's Norman Antiquities</EM>.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_37"></A><A href="#fnref_37">37</A> It is about 180 +English feet in width, by about 150 in the highest part of its +elevation. The plates which I saw at Mr. Frere's, bookseller, +upon the Quai de Paris, from the drawings of Langlois, were very +inadequate representations of the building.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_38"></A><A href="#fnref_38">38</A> The ravages +committed by the Calvinists throughout nearly the whole of the +towns in Normandy, and especially in the cathedrals, towards the +year 1560, afford a melancholy proof of the effects of RELIGIOUS +ANIMOSITY. But the Calvinists were bitter and ferocious +persecutors. Pommeraye, in his quarto volume, <EM>Histoire de +l'Eglise Cathedrale de Rouen</EM>, 1686, has devoted nearly one +hundred pages to an account of Calvinistic depredations.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_39"></A><A href="#fnref_39">39</A> [Mr. Cotman has a +plate of the elevation of the front of this south transept; and a +very minute and brilliant one will be found in the previous edition +of this Tour--by Mr. Henry le Keux: for which that distinguished +Artist received the sum of 100 guineas. The remuneration was well +merited.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_40"></A><A href="#fnref_40">40</A> [Mons. Licquet +says each clustered pillar contains thirty-one columns.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_41"></A><A href="#fnref_41">41</A> This chapel is +about ninety-five English feet in length, by thirty in width, and +sixty in heighth. The sprawling painting by Philippe de Champagne, +at the end of it, has no other merit than that of covering so many +square feet of wall. The architecture of this chapel is of the +XIVth century: the stained glass windows are of the latter end of +the XVth. On completing the circuit of the cathedral, one is +surprised to count not fewer than <EM>twenty-five</EM> chapels.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_42"></A><A href="#fnref_42">42</A> [Mons. Licquet is +paraphrastically warm in his version, here. He renders it thus: +"les atteintes effroyables du vandalisme révolutionaire," +vol. i. p. 64.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_43"></A><A href="#fnref_43">43</A> Sandford, after +telling us that he thinks there "never was any +portraiture" of the Duke, thus sums up his character. "He +was justly accounted one of the best generals that ever blossomed +out of the royal stem of PLANTAGENET. His valour was not more +terrible to his enemies than his memory honourable; for (doubtful +whether with more glory to him, or to the speaker) King Lewis the +Eleventh being counselled by certain envious persons to deface his +tomb (wherein with him, saith one, was buried all English men's +good fortune in France) used these indeed princely words: 'What +honour shall it be to us, or you, to break this monument, and to +pull out of the ground the bones of HIM, whom, in his life time, +neither my father nor your progenitors, with all their puissance, +were once able to make flie a foot backwarde? who, by his strength, +policy and wit kept them all out of the principal dominions of +France, and out of this noble duchy of Normandy? Wherefore, I say +first, GOD SAVE HIS SOUL; and let his body now lie in rest, which +when he was alive, would have disquieted the proudest of us all. +And for THIS TOMB, I assure you it is not so worthy or convenient +as his honour and acts have deserved.'" p. 314-5, Ed. +1707<A name="fnref_A"></A><A href="#fn_A">A</A> The famous MISSAL, +once in the possession of this celebrated nobleman, and containing +the only authenticated portrait of him (which is engraved in the +<EM>Bibliog. Decameron</EM>, vol. i. p. cxxxvii.) is now the +property of John Milner, Esq. of York Place, Portman Square, who +purchased it of the Duke of Marlborough. The Duke had purchased it +at the sale of the library of the late James Edwards, Esq. for +687l. 15s.</P> + +<P class="ind2"><A name="fn_A"></A><A href="#fnref_A">A</A> [Upon +this, Mons. Licquet, with supposed shrewdness and success, +remarks,--"All very well: but we must not forget that the +innocent Joan of Arc was burnt alive--thanks to this said Duke of +Bedford, as every one knows!"]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_44"></A><A href="#fnref_44">44</A> [A different tale +may be told of ONE of his Successors in the same Anglo-Norman +pursuit. The expenses attending the graphic embellishments alone of +the previous edition of this work, somewhat exceeded the sum of +<EM>four thousand seven hundred pounds.</EM> The risk was entirely +my own. The result was the loss of about 200l.: exclusively of the +expences incurred in travelling about 2000 miles. The +<EM>copper-plates</EM> (notwithstanding every temptation, and many +entreaties, to <EM>multiply</EM> impressions of several of the +subjects engraved) were DESTROYED. There may be something more than +a mere negative consolation, in finding that the work is RISING in +price, although its author has long ceased to partake of any +benefit resulting from it.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_45"></A><A href="#fnref_45">45</A> A plate of this +Monument is published in the Tour of Normandy by Dawson Turner, +Esq.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_46"></A><A href="#fnref_46">46</A> The Cardinal died +in his fiftieth year only; and his funeral was graced and honoured +by the presence of his royal master. Guicciardini calls him +"the oracle and right arm of Louis." Of eight brothers, +whom he left behind, four attained to the episcopal rank. His +nephew succeeded him as Archbishop. See also <EM>Historia +Genealogica Magnatum Franciae</EM>; vol. vii. p. 129; quoted in the +<EM>Gallia Christiana</EM>, vol. xi. col. 96.</P> + +<P>It was during the archiepiscopacy of the successor of the nephew +of Amboise--namely, that of CHARLES of BOURBON--that the +<EM>Calvanistic persecution</EM> commenced. "Tunc vero coepit +civitas, dioecesis, universaque provincia lamentabilem in modum +conflictari, saevientibus ob religionis dissidia plusquam civilibus +bellis," &c. But then the good Archbishop, however +bountiful he might have been towards the poor at +<EM>Roncesvalles</EM>, (when he escorted Philip II.'s first +wife Elizabeth, daughter of Henry II. to the confines of Spain, +after he had married her to that wretched monarch) should not have +inflamed the irritated minds of the Calvinists, by BURNING ALIVE, +in 1559, <EM>John Cottin</EM>, one of their most eminent preachers, +by way of striking terror into the rest! Well might the Chronicler +observe, as the result, "novas secta illa in dies acquirebat +vires." About 1560-2, the Calvinists got the upper hand; and +repaid the Catholics with a vengeance. Charles of Bourbon died in +1590: so that he had an arduous and agitated time of it.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_47"></A><A href="#fnref_47">47</A> How long will +this monument--(matchless of its kind)--continue unrepresented by +the BURIN? If Mr. Henry Le Keux were to execute it in his best +style, the world might witness in it a piece of Art entirely +perfect of its kind. But let the pencils of Messrs. Corbould and +Blore be first exercised on the subject. In the mean while, why is +GALLIC ART inert?</P> + +<P><A name="fn_48"></A><A href="#fnref_48">48</A> The choir was +formerly separated from the surrounding chapels, or rather from the +space between it and the chapels, by a superb brass grating, full +of the most beautiful arabesque ornaments--another testimony of the +magnificent spirit of the Cardinal and Prime Minister of Louis +XII.: whose arms, as well as the figure of his patron, St. George, +were seen in the centre of every compartment ... The Revolution has +not left a vestige behind!</P> + +<P><A name="fn_49"></A><A href="#fnref_49">49</A> [In this edition, +I put the above passage in <EM>Italics</EM>,--to mark, that, within +three years of writing it, the spire was consumed by LIGHTNING. The +newspapers of both France and England were full of this melancholy +event; and in the year 1823, Monsieur Hyacinthe Langlois, of Rouen, +published an account of it, together with some views (indifferently +lithographised) of the progress of the burning. "It should +seem (says Mons. Licquet) that the author had a presentiment of +what was speedily to take place:--for the rest, the same species of +destruction threatens all similar edifices, for the want of +conductors." I possess a fragment of the lead of the roof, as +it was collected after a state of <EM>fusion</EM>--and sent over to +me by some friend at Rouen. The fusion has caused portions of the +lead to assume a variety of fantastic shapes--not +<EM>altogether</EM> unlike a gothic building.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_50"></A><A href="#fnref_50">50</A> Let me add that +the whole length of the cathedral is about four hundred and forty +feet; and the transept about one hundred and seventy- five; English +measure. The height of the nave is about ninety, and of the lantern +one hundred and sixty-eight feet, English. The length of the nave +is two hundred and twenty-eight feet.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_51"></A><A href="#fnref_51">51</A> He died in 1531. +Both the ancient and yet existing inscriptions are inserted by +Gilbert, from Pommeraye and Farin; and formerly there was seen, in +the middle of the monument, the figure of the Seneschal habited as +a Count, with all the insignia of his dignity. But this did not +outlive the Revolution.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_52"></A><A href="#fnref_52">52</A> It must be +admitted that Diana, when she caused the verses</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>Indivulsa tibi quondam et fidissima +conjux<BR> +Vt fuit in thalamo, sic erit in tumulo</EM>.</P> + +<P>to be engraved upon the tomb of the Seneschal, might well have +"moved the bile" of the pious Benedictine Pommeraye, and +have excited the taunting of Ducarel, when they thought upon her +subsequent connexion, in the character of mistress, with Henry the +Second of France. Henry however endeavoured to compensate for his +indiscretions by the pomp and splendor of his processions. Rouen, +so celebrated of old for the entries of Kings and Nobles, seems to +have been in a perfect blaze of splendor upon that of the Lover of +Diana--"qui fut plus magnifique que toutes celles qu'on +avoit vu jusqu'alors:" see <EM>Farin's Hist. de la +Ville de Rouen</EM>, vol. i. p. 121, where there is a singularly +minute and gay account of all the orders and degrees of +citizens--(with their gorgeous accoutrements of white plumes, +velvet hats, rich brocades, and curiously wrought taffetas) of whom +the processions were composed. It must have been a perfectly +dramatic sight, upon the largest possible scale. It was from +respect to the character or the memory of DIANA, that so many +plaster-representations of her were erected on the exteriors of +buildings: especially of those within small squares or quadrangles. +In wandering about Rouen, I stumbled upon several old mansions of +this kind.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_53"></A><A href="#fnref_53">53</A> The inscription +is this:</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>Si quem sancta tenet meditandi in lege +voluntas,<BR> +Hic poterit residens, sacris intendere libris</EM>.</P> + +<P>Pommeraye has rather an interesting gossiping chapter [Chap. +xxii.] "De la Bibliothêque de la Cathédrale;" p. 163: to +which FRANÇOIS DE HARLAY, about the year 1630, was one of the most +munificent benefactors.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_54"></A><A href="#fnref_54">54</A> <EM>Christian +interment</EM>.]--"Les Religieux de Saint Ouen touchez de +compassion envers ce malheureux artisan, obtinrent son corps de la +justice, et pour reconnoissance des bons services qu'il leur +avoit rendus dans la construction de leur église, nonobstant sa fin +tragique, ne laissèrent pas de luy fair l'honneur de +l'inhumer dans la chapelle de sainte Agnes, ou sa tombe se voit +encore auec cet Epitaphe:</P> + +<P class="quote"><EM>Cy gist</EM> M. ALEXANDRE DE BERNEUAL, +<EM>Maistre des oeuvres de Massonnerie.</EM></P> + +<P><A name="fn_55"></A><A href="#fnref_55">55</A> Even Dr. Ducarel +became warm--on contemplating this porch! "The porch at the +south entrance into the church (says he) is much more worthy of the +spectator's attention, being highly enriched with architectonic +ornaments; particularly two beautiful cul de lamps, which from the +combination of a variety of spiral dressings, as they hang down +from the vaulted roof, produce a very pleasing effect." p. +28.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_56"></A><A href="#fnref_56">56</A> Consult the +account given by M. Le Prevost in the "<EM>Précis Analytique +des Travaux de l'Academie, &c. de Rouen</EM>," for the +year 1816, p. 151, &c.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_57"></A><A href="#fnref_57">57</A> Farin tells us +that you could go from the top of the lantern to the cross, or to +the summit of the belfry, "outside, without a ladder; so +admirable was the workmanship." "Strangers (adds he) took +models of it for the purpose of getting them engraved, and they +were sold publicly at Rome." <EM>Hist. de la Ville de +Rouen</EM>, 1738, 4to. vol. ii. p. 154. There are thirteen chapels +within this church; of which however the building cannot be traced +lower than quite the beginning of the XVIth century. The extreme +length and width of the interior is about 155 by 82 feet English. +Even in Du Four's time the population of this parish was very +great, and its cemetery (adds he) was the first and most regular in +Rouen. He gives a brief, but glowing description of it--"on va +tout autour par des galeries couvertes et pavées; et, deux de ces +galeries sont decorées de deux autels," &c. p. 150.</P> + +<P>Alas! time--or the revolution--has annihilated all this. Let me +however add that M. COTMAN has published a view of the +<EM>staircase</EM> in the church of which I am speaking.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_58"></A><A href="#fnref_58">58</A> Ordericus Vitalis +says, that the dying monarch requested to be conveyed thither, to +avoid the noise and bustle of a populous town. Rouen is described +to be, in <EM>his</EM> time, "populosa civitas." Consult +Duchesne's <EM>Historiæ Normannor. Scrip. Antiq.</EM> +p.656.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_59"></A><A href="#fnref_59">59</A> A view of it is +published by M. Cotman.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_60"></A><A href="#fnref_60">60</A> <EM>St. +Sever</EM>. This church is situated in the southern fauxbourgs, by +the side of the Seine, and was once surrounded by gardens, &c. +As you cross the bridge of boats, and go to the race-ground, you +leave it to the right; but it is not so old as <EM>St. +Paul</EM>--where, Farin says, the worship of ADONIS was once +performed!</P> + +<P><A name="fn_61"></A><A href="#fnref_61">61</A> [I apprehend this +custom to be prevalent in fortified towns:--as Rouen +<EM>formerly</EM> was--and as I found such custom to obtain at the +present day, at Strasbourg. Mons. Licquet says that the allusion to +the curfew--or <EM>couvre-feu</EM>--as appears in the previous +edition--and which the reader well knows was established by the +Conqueror with us--was no particular badge of the slavery of the +English. It had been <EM>previously</EM> established by William in +NORMANDY. Millot is referred to as the authority.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_62"></A><A href="#fnref_62">62</A> <EM>the +famous</EM> JEANNE D'ARC.] Goube, in the second volume of his +<EM>Histoire du Duché de Normandie</EM>, has devoted several +spiritedly written pages to an account of the trial and execution +of this heroine. Her history is pretty well known to the +English--from earliest youth. Goube says that her mode of death had +been completely prejudged; for that, previously to the sentence +being passed, they began to erect "a scaffold of plaster, so +raised, that the flames could not at first reach her--and she was +in consequence consumed by a slow fire: her tortures being long and +horrible." Hume has been rather too brief: but he judiciously +observes that the conduct of the Duke of Bedford "was equally +barbarous and dishonourable." Indeed it were difficult to +pronounce which is entitled to the greatest abhorrence--the +imbecility of Charles VII. the baseness of John of Luxembourg, or +the treachery of the Regent Bedford?</P> + +<P>The <EM>identical</EM> spot on which she suffered is not now +visible, according to Millin; that place having been occupied by +the late <EM>Marché des Veaux</EM>. It was however not half a +stone's throw from the site of the present statue. In the +<EM>Antiquités Nationales</EM> of the last mentioned author (vol. +iii. art. xxxvi.) there are three plates connected with the History +of JOAN of ARC. The <EM>first</EM> plate represents the <EM>Porte +Bouvreuil</EM> to the left, and the circular old tower to the +right--in which latter Joan was confined, with some houses before +it; the middle ground is a complete representation of the +rubbishing state by which many of the public buildings at Rouen are +yet surrounded; and French taste has enlivened the foreground with +a picture of a lover and his mistress, in a bocage, regaling +themselves with a flagon of wine. The old circular tower ("qui +vit gémir cette infortunée," says Millin) exists no longer. +The second plate represents the fountain which was built in the +market-place upon the very spot where the Maid suffered, and which +spot was at first designated by the erection of a cross. From the +style of the embellishments it appears to have been of the time of +Francis I.</P> + +<P>Goube has re-engraved this fountain. It was taken down or +demolished in 1755; upon the site of which was built the present +tasteless production-- resembling, as the author of the +<EM>Itinéraire de Rouen</EM> (p. 69) well observes, "rather a +Pallas than the heroine of Orleans." The name of the author +was STODTS. Millin's <EM>third</EM> plate--of this present +existing fountain, is desirable; in as much as it shews the front +of the house, in the interior of which are the basso-rilievos of +the <EM>Champ de drap d'Or</EM>: for an account of which see +afterwards.</P> + +<P>Millin allows that all PORTRAITS of her--whether in sculpture, +or painting, or engraving--are purely IDEAL. Perhaps the nearest, +in point of fidelity, was that which was seen in a painted glass +window of the church of the <EM>Minimes</EM> at Chaillot: although +the building was not erected till the time of Charles VIII. Yet it +might have been a copy of some coeval production. In regard to oil +paintings, I take it that the portrait of JUDITH, with a sword in +one hand, and the head of Holofernes in the other, has been usually +copied (with the omission of the latter accompaniment) as that of +JEANNE D'ARC. I hardly know a more interesting collection of +books than that which may be acquired respecting the fate of this +equally brave and unfortunate heroine.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_63"></A><A href="#fnref_63">63</A> Far be it from me +to depreciate the labours of Montfaucon. But those who have not the +means of getting at that learned antiquarian's <EM>Monarchie +Françoise</EM> may possibly have an opportunity of examining +precisely the same representations, of the procession above alluded +to, in <EM>Ducarel's Anglo-Norman Antiquities</EM>, Plate XII. +Till the year 1726 this extraordinary series of ornament was +supposed to represent the <EM>Council of Trent</EM>; but the Abbé +Noel, happening to find a salamander marked upon the back of one of +the figures, supposed, with greater truth, that it was a +representation of the abovementioned procession; and accordingly +sent Montfaucon an account of the whole. The Abbé might have found +more than one, two, or three salamanders, if he had looked closely +into this extraordinary exterior; and possibly, in his time, the +surfaces of the more delicate parts, especially of the human +features, might not have sustained the injuries which time and +accident now seem to have inflicted on them. [A beautiful effort in +the graphic way representing the entire interior front of this +interesting mansion, is said to be published at Rouen.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_64"></A><A href="#fnref_64">64</A> In the previous +edition of this work, there appeared a facsimile of a small portion +of this bas-relief, representing--as I imagine--the setting out of +Francis to meet Henry. Nothing, as far as correctness of detail +goes, can give a more faithful resemblance of the PRECISE STATE in +which the original appears: the defaced and the entire parts being +represented with equal fidelity. Mons. Langlois has given a plate +of the entire façade or front--in outline--with great ability; but +so small as to give little or no notion of the character of the +original.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_65"></A><A href="#fnref_65">65</A> In Ducarel's +time, "the ground story consisted of a great quadrangle +surrounded with booksellers shops. On one side of it a stone +staircase led to a large and lofty room, which, in its internal as +well as external appearance, resembled, though in miniature, +Westminster Hall. Here (continues Ducarel) I saw several gentlemen +of the long robe, in their gowns and bands, walking up and down +with briefs in their hands, and making a great show of +business." <EM>Anglo-Norman Antiquities</EM>, p. 32. +[According to Mons. Licquet, this "singularly curious +hall" was begun to be built in 1493. It was afterwards, and is +still called, <EM>la Salle des Procureurs</EM>.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_66"></A><A href="#fnref_66">66</A> <EM>the choicest +library</EM>] Monsieur Riaux, Archiviste de la Chambre de Commerce. +This amiable man unites a love of literature with that of +architectural antiquities. The library of M. Le Prevost is however +as copious as that of Mons. R.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_67"></A><A href="#fnref_67">67</A> Bourgueville +describes this river, in the sixteenth century, as being +"aucune fois iaulne, autrefois rouge, verte, bleüe, violée +&autres couleurs, selon qu'vn grand nombre de teinturiers +qui sont dessus, la diuersifient par interualles en faisant leurs +maneures." <EM>Antiquitez de Caen</EM>, p. 36.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_68"></A><A href="#fnref_68">68</A> <EM>expedition +thither</EM>.]--When John Evelyn visited this neighbourhood, in +1644, "the country so abounded with <EM>wolves</EM>, that a +shepherd, whom he met, told him that one of his companions was +strangled by one of them the day before--and that, in the midst of +the flock! The fields (continues he) are mostly planted with pears +and apples and other cider fruits. It is plentifully furnished with +quarries of stone and slate, and hath iron in abundance." +<EM>Memoirs of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn</EM>, vol. i. +p. 50. Edit. 1818. My friend Mr. J. H. Markland visited Mont St. +Catharine the year after the visit above described. He was of +course enchanted with the view; and told me, that a friend whom he +met there, and who had travelled pretty much in Italy, assured him +there was nothing like it on the banks of either the <EM>Arno</EM> +or the <EM>Po</EM>. In short, it is quite peculiar to itself--and +cannot be surpassed.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_69"></A><A href="#fnref_69">69</A> It is thus +prettily observed in the little <EM>Itineraire de Rouen</EM> +--"Ces agréables maisons de plaisance appartiennent à des +habitants de Rouen qui y viennent en famille, dans la belle saison, +se délasser des embarras de la ville et des fatigues du +commerce." p. 153.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_70"></A><A href="#fnref_70">70</A> +<EM>race-ground</EM>]--When the English cavalry were quartered here +in 1814-5, the officers were in the frequent habit of racing with +each other. These races were gaily attended by the inhabitants; and +I heard, from more than one mouth, the warmest commendations +bestowed upon the fleetness of the coursers and the skill of the +riders.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_71"></A><A href="#fnref_71">71</A> The reader may +possibly not object to consult two or three pages of the +<EM>Bibliographical Decameron</EM>, beginning at page 137, vol. ii. +respecting a few of the early Rouen printers. The name of MAUFER, +however, appears in a fine large folio volume, entitled +<EM>Gaietanus de Tienis Vincentini in Quatt. Aristot. Metheor. +Libros</EM>, of the date of 1476--in the possession of Earl +Spencer. See <EM>Æd. Althorp</EM>. vol. ii. p. 134. From the +colophon of which we can only infer that Maufer was a <EM>citizen +of Rouen</EM>. [According to M. Licquet, the first book printed at +Rouen--a book of the greatest rarity--was entitled <EM>Les +Croniques de Normandie, par Guillaume Le Talleur</EM>, 1487, +folio.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_72"></A><A href="#fnref_72">72</A> [Since the +publication of the first edition of this Tour, I have had +<EM>particular</EM> reason to become further acquainted with the +partiality of the Rouennois for Parisian printing. When M. Licquet +did me the honour to translate my IXth Letter, subjoining notes, +(which cut their own throats instead of that of the author +annotated upon) he employed the press of Mons. Crapelet, at Paris: +a press, as eminently distinguished for its beauty and accuracy, as +its Director has proved himself to be for his narrow-mindedness and +acrimony of feeling. M.L. (as I learnt from a friend who conversed +with him, and as indeed I naturally expected) seemed to be sorry +for what he had done.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_73"></A><A href="#fnref_73">73</A> <EM>like Aldus, +"say my saying" quickly</EM>.] Consult Mr. Roscoe's +<EM>Life of Leo X.</EM> vol. i. p. 169-70, 8vo. edit. Unger, in his +Life of Aldus, <EM>edit. Geret.</EM> p. xxxxii. has a pleasant +notice of an inscription, to the same effect, put over the door of +his printing-office by Aldus. [It has been quoted to satiety, and I +therefore omit it here.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_74"></A><A href="#fnref_74">74</A> [Mons. Périaux +has lately published a Dictionary of the Streets of Rouen, in +alphabetical order; in two small, unostentatious, and useful octavo +volumes.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_75"></A><A href="#fnref_75">75</A> [Mons. Licquet +translates the latter part of the above passage thus:--"avec +quelle facilité nous parvenons à nous abuser nous-mêmes,"-- +adding, in a note, as follows: "J'avais d'abord vu un +tout autre sens dans la phrase anglaise. Si celui que j'adopte +n'était pas encore le veritable, j'en demande sincèrement +pardon à l'auteur." In turn, I may not be precisely +informed of the meaning and force of the verb +"<EM>abuser</EM>"-- used by my translator: but I had been +better satisfied with the verb <EM>tromper</EM>--as more closely +conveying the sense of the original.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_76"></A><A href="#fnref_76">76</A> M. Le Prevost is +a belles-lettres Antiquary of the highest order. His "Mémoire +faisant suite à l'Essai sur les Romans historiques du moyen +âge" may teach modern Normans not to despair when death shall +have laid low their present oracle the ABBE' DE LA RUE. [I am +proud, in this second edition of my Tour, to record the +uninterrupted correspondence and friendship of this distinguished +Individual; and I can only regret, in common with several friends, +that M. Le Prevost will not summon courage sufficient to visit a +country, once in such close connexion with his own, where a HEARTY +RECEPTION has long awaited him.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_77"></A><A href="#fnref_77">77</A> [The omission, in +this place, of the entire IXth Letter, relating to the PUBLIC +LIBRARY at Rouen, must be accounted for, and it is hoped, approved, +on the principle laid down at the outset of this undertaking; +namely, to omit much that was purely bibliographical, and of a +secondary interest to the general Reader. The bibliography, in the +original IXth Letter, being of a partial and comparatively dry +description--as relating almost entirely to ancient volumes of +Church Rituals--was thought to be better omitted than abridged. +Another reason might be successfully urged for its omission.</P> + +<P>This IXth Letter, which comprehends 22 pages in the previous +impression, and about 38 pages in the version, having been +translated and <EM>separately</EM> published in 1821, by Mons. +Licquet (who succeeded M. Gourdin as Principal Librarian of the +Library in question) I had bestowed upon it particular attention, +and entered into several points by way of answer to his remarks, +and in justification or explanation of the original matter. In +consequence, any <EM>abridgement</EM> of that original matter must +have led to constant notice of the minute remarks, and pigmy +attacks, of my critical translator: and the stream of intelligence +in the text might have been diverted, or rendered unpalatable, by +the observations, in the way of controversy, in the notes. If M. +Licquet considers this avowal as the proclaiming of his triumph, he +is welcome to the laurels of a Conqueror; but if he can persuade +any COMMON FRIENDS that, in the translation here referred to, he +has defeated the original author in one essential position- -or +corrected him in one flagrant inaccuracy--I shall be as prompt to +thank him for his labours, as I am now to express my astonishment +and pity at his undertaking. When M. Licquet put forth the brochure +in question--(so splendidly executed in the press of M. +Crapelet--to harmonise, in all respects, with the large paper +copies of the original English text) he had but recently occupied +the seat of his Predecessor. I can commend the zeal of the +newly-appointed Librarian in Chief; but must be permitted to +question alike his judgment and his motives.</P> + +<P>One more brief remark in this place. My translator should seem +to commend what is only laudatory, in the original author, +respecting his countrymen. Sensitively alive to the notice of their +smallest defects, he has the most unbounded powers of digestion for +that of their excellences. Thus, at the foot of the ABOVE PASSAGE, +in the text, Mons. Licquet is pleased to add as follows--in a note: +"Si M. Dibdin ne s'était livré qu'à des digressions de +cette nature, il aurait trouvé en France un chorus universel, un +concert de voeux unanimes:" vol. i. p. 239. And yet few +travellers have experienced a more cordial reception, and +maintained a more <EM>harmonious</EM> intercourse, than HE, who, +from the foregoing quotation, is more than indirectly supposed to +have provoked opposition and <EM>discord!</EM>]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_78"></A><A href="#fnref_78">78</A> [I am ignorant of +his present destination; but learn that he has quitted the above +situation a long time.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_79"></A><A href="#fnref_79">79</A> [Mr. COTMAN has +published views of the West Front, the South East, the West +Entrance, and the South Transept, with sculptured capitals and +basso-relievos, &c. In the whole, seven plates.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_80"></A><A href="#fnref_80">80</A> [Mr. Cotman has +published etchings of the West Front: the Towers, somewhat +fore-shortened; the Elevation of the Nave--and doorway of the +Abbey: the latter an extremely interesting specimen of art. A +somewhat particular and animated description of it will be found in +<EM>Lieut. Hall's Travels in France</EM>, 8vo. p. 57, 1819. [In +the first edition, I had called the west end towers of the +Abbey--"small." Mons. Licquet has suggested that I must +have meant "<EM>comparatively</EM>" small;--in +contradistinction to the centre-tower, which would have been +larger. We learn also from M. Licquet that the spire of this +central tower was demolished in 1573, by the Abbé le Veneur, Bishop +of Evreux." What earthly motive could have led to such a +brutal act of demolition?]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_81"></A><A href="#fnref_81">81</A> ["I know +perfectly well, says M. Licquet, the little Inn of which the author +here speaks. I can assure him that it never formed any portion of +the "chapter house." It was nevertheless une +<EM>dependance exterieure</EM> (I will not attempt a version of +this phrase) of the abbey. Dare I venture to say it was the +<EM>cowhouse</EM>? (étable aux vaches). Thank you, good Mons. +Licquet; but what is a cow-house but "an <EM>outer +building</EM> attached to the Abbey?" Vide supra.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_82"></A><A href="#fnref_82">82</A> [The heart and +entrails only of this once celebrated woman were, according to M. +Licquet, buried in the above spot. The body was carried to Loches: +and BELLEFOREST <EM>(Cosmog.</EM> vol. i. Part ii. col. 31-32. +edit. 1575, folio) gives a description of the mausoleum where it +was there entombed: a description, adds M. Licquet, which may well +serve for the mausoleum that was at Jumieges.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_83"></A><A href="#fnref_83">83</A> [Not the smallest +portion or particle of a sigh escapes us, on being told, as my +translator has told us, that the "soil" in question has +become the property of another Owner. "Laius EST +MORT"--are the emphatic words of M. Licquet.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_84"></A><A href="#fnref_84">84</A> [One of the bells +of the Abbey of Jumieges is now in the Tower of that of St. Ouen, +at Rouen. LICQUET.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_85"></A><A href="#fnref_85">85</A> The nave was +begun in 1416. LICQUET.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_86"></A><A href="#fnref_86">86</A> Corrected by +Mons. Licquet: with thanks from the Author. It was, before, +1184.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_87"></A><A href="#fnref_87">87</A> Lieutenant Hall +has well described it. I did not see his description till more than +a twelvemonth after my own had been written. A part may be worth +extracting.... "The principal object of attraction is the +CHURCH, the gothic spire of which is encircled by fillets of roses, +beautifully carved in stone, and continued to the very summit of +the steeple. The principal portal too is sculptured with no less +richness and delicacy than that of St. Maclou at Rouen. Its +interior length is about 250 feet by 72 of width. The central aisle +[nave] is flanked on either side by ten massive circular columns, +the capitals of which represent vine leaves and other decorations, +more fanciful, and not less rich, than the Corinthian acanthus.... +In one of the chapels there is a rude monumental effigy of the +original architect of this church. It consists of a small skeleton, +drawn in black lines, against a tablet in the wall: a mason's +level and trowel, with the plan of a building, are beside it, and +an inscription in gothic characters, relating that the architect +endowed the church he had built with certain lands, and died Anno +1484." <EM>Travels in France</EM>, p. 47, 1819, 8vo. I take +this to be GUILLAUME TELLIER-- mentioned above: but in regard to +the lands with which Tellier endowed the church, the inscription +says nothing. LICQUET.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_88"></A><A href="#fnref_88">88</A> Small as may be +this village, and insignificant as may be its aspect, it is one of +the most important places, with respect to navigation, in the whole +course of the river Seine. Seven years ago there were not fewer +than <EM>four-score</EM> pilots settled here, by order of +government, for the purpose of guarding against accidents which +arise from a want of knowledge of the navigation of the river. In +time of peace this number would necessarily be increased. In the +year 1789 there were upwards of 250 English vessels which passed +it--averaging, in the whole, 19,000 tons. It is from +<EM>Quillebeuf</EM>to <EM>Havre</EM> that the accidents arise. The +author of a pompous, but very instructive memoir, "<EM>sur la +Topographie et la Statistique de la Ville de Quillebeuf et de +l'embouchure de la Seine, ayant pour objet-principal la +navigation et la pêché</EM>," (published in the Transactions +of the Rouen Society for the year 1812, and from which the +foregoing information has been obtained) mentions three or four +<EM>wrecks</EM> which have taken place in the immediate vicinity of +Quillebeuf: and it should seem that a <EM>calm</EM> is, of all +things, the most fatal. The currents are strong, and the vessel is +left to the mercy of the tides in consequence. There are also rocks +and sand banks in abundance. Among the wrecks, was one, in which a +young girl of eighteen years of age fell a victim to the ignorance +of the pilot. The vessel made a false tack between <EM>Hode</EM> +and <EM>Tancarville</EM>, and running upon a bank, was upset in an +instant. An English vessel once shared the same calamity. A thick +fog suddenly came on, when the sloop ran upon a bank near the +<EM>Nez de Tancarville</EM>, and the crew had just time to throw +themselves into the boat and escape destruction. The next morning, +so sudden and so decisive was the change wrought by the sand and +current, that, of the sloop, there remained, at ebb-tide, only ten +feet of her mast visible! It appears that the <EM>Quillebois</EM>, +owing to their detached situation, and their peculiar occupations, +speak a very barbarous French. They have a sort of sing-song method +of pronunciation; and the <EM>g</EM> and <EM>j</EM> are strangely +perverted by them. Consult the memoir here referred to; which +occupies forty octavo pages: and which forms a sequel to a previous +communication (in 1810) "upon the Topography and Medical +properties of Quillebeuf and its adjacent parts." The author +is M. Boismare. His exordium is a specimen of the very worst +possible taste in composition. One would suppose it to be a prelude +to an account of the discovery of another America!</P> + +<P><A name="fn_89"></A><A href="#fnref_89">89</A> ["The Roman +Circus (says M. Licquet) is now departmental property. Many +excavations have already taken place under the directions of Mons. +Le Baron de Vanssay, the present Prefect of the Department. The +most happy results may be anticipated. It was in a neighbouring +property that an ANTIQUE BRONZE GILT STATUE, of the size of life, +was lately found," vol. i. 194. Of this statue, Mr. Samuel +Woodburn, (with that spirit of liberality and love of art which +have uniformly characterised his purchases) became the Owner. The +sum advanced for it was very considerable; but, in one sense, Mr. +W. may be said to have stood as the Representative of his country; +for the French Government declining to give the Proprietor the sum +which he asked, Mr. Woodburn purchased it--solely with the view of +depositing it, on the same terms of purchase, in a NATIONAL GALLERY +OF ART, of which the bequest of Mr. Payne Knight's ancient +bronzes and coins, and the purchase of Mr. Angerstein's +pictures, might be supposed to lay the foundation.</P> + +<P>This statue was accordingly brought over to England, and freely +exhibited to the curious admirers of ancient art. It is the figure +of an APOLLO--the left arm, extended to hold the lyre, being +mutilated. A portion of the limbs is also mutilated; but the torso, +head and legs, are entire: and are, of their kind, of the highest +class of art. Overtures were made for its purchase by government. +The Trustees of the British Museum were unanimous both in their +admiration and recommendation of it: it was indeed "strongly +recommended" by them to the Treasury. Several months however +elapsed before an answer could be obtained; and that answer, when +it <EM>did</EM> come, was returned in THE NEGATIVE. The +disappointment of reasonably indulged hopes of success, was the +least thing felt by its owner. It was the necessity of transporting +it, in consequence, to enrich a <EM>rival capital</EM>--which, were +its means equal to its wishes and good taste, it must be confessed, +makes us frequently blush for the comparative want of energy and +liberality, at home, in matters relating to ANCIENT ART.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_90"></A><A href="#fnref_90">90</A> Mr. Cotman has a +view of the gateway of Tancarville, or Montmorenci Castle.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_91"></A><A href="#fnref_91">91</A> I am not sure +whether this inn be called the <EM>Armes de France</EM>, or as +above.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_92"></A><A href="#fnref_92">92</A> Evelyn, who +visited Havre in 1644, when the Duke de Richlieu was governor, +describes the citadel as "strong and regular, well stored with +artillery, &c. The works furnished with faire brass canon, +having a motto, "<EM>Ratio ultima Regum</EM>." The haven +is very spacious." <EM>Life and Writings of John Evelyn</EM>, +edit. 1818, vol. i. p. 51. Havre seems always to have been a place +of note and distinction in more senses than one. In Zeiller's +<EM>Topographia Galliae,</EM> (vol. iii.) there is a view of it, +about the period in which Evelyn saw it, by Jacques Gomboust, +Ingénieur du Roy, from which it appears to have been a very +considerable place. Forty- two principal buildings and places are +referred to in the directions; and among them we observe the +BOULEVARDS DE RICHELIEU.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_93"></A><A href="#fnref_93">93</A> It was so in +Evelyn's time: in 1644, "It is a poore fisher towne (says +he) remarkable for nothing so much as the odd yet usefull habites +which the good women weare, of beares and other skinns, as of raggs +at Dieppe, and all along these coasts." <EM>Life and Writings +of J. Evelyn</EM>; 1818, 4to. vol. i. p. 51.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_94"></A><A href="#fnref_94">94</A> [It is near a +chapel, on one of the heights of this town, that Mr. Washington +Irving fixes one of his most exquisitely drawn characters, ANNETTE +DELABRE, as absorbed in meditation and prayer respecting the fate +of her lover; and I have a distinct recollection of a beautiful +piece of composition, by one of our most celebrated artists, in +which the <EM>Heights of Honfleur</EM>, with women kneeling before +a crucifix in the foreground, formed a most beautiful composition. +The name of the artist (was it the younger Mr. Chalon?) I have +forgotten.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_95"></A><A href="#fnref_95">95</A> [My translator +says, "un Wynkyn de Worde non coupé:" Qu. Would not the +<EM>Debure</EM> Vocabulary have said "non rogné?"]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_96"></A><A href="#fnref_96">96</A> ["Besides +her numerous public schools, Caen possesses two Schools of Art--one +for design, the other for Architecture and Ornament--where the +Students are <EM>gratuitously</EM> instructed." LICQUET.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_97"></A><A href="#fnref_97">97</A> It is called +<EM>Vin Huet</EM>--and is the last wine which a traveller will be +disposed to ask for. When Henry IV. passed through the town, he +could not conceive why such excellent grapes should produce such +execrable wine. I owe this intelligence to Mons. LICQUET.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_98"></A><A href="#fnref_98">98</A> Somewhere about +150 English acres.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_99"></A><A href="#fnref_99">99</A> [I had before +said <EM>twenty</EM>--but Mons. Licquet observes, I might have +said--thirty thousand pairs of hands.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_100"></A><A href="#fnref_100">100</A> Caen was +celebrated for its table linen three centuries ago. Consult +BOURGUEVILLE: <EM>Antiquitez de Caen</EM>; 1588, 8vo. p. 26.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_101"></A><A href="#fnref_101">101</A> The fauxbourgs +of Caen, in the present day, wear a melancholy contrast to what +they appear to have done in the middle of the XVIth century. +Consult the pleasantly penned description of these fauxbourgs by +the first topographer of the place, BOURGUEVILLE: in his +<EM>Antiquitez de Caen</EM>, pp. 5, 6, 26.</P> + +<P>It may be worth subjoining, from the same interesting authority, +that long after the time even of the publication just referred to, +the town of Caen was surrounded by lofty and thick stone +walls--upon the tops of which three men could walk a-breast: and +from thence the inhabitants could discern, across those large and +beautiful gardens, "the vessels sailing in the river Orne, and +unloading their cargoes by the sides of walls." It appears +indeed to have been a sort of lounge, or fashionable promenade--by +means of various ladders for the purposes of ascent and +descent.</P> + +<P>Among the old prints and bird's-eye views of Caen, which I +saw in the collection of DE BOZE at the Royal Library at Paris, +there is one accompanied by three pages of printed description, +which begins with the lines of Guillaume Breton "Villa potens, +opulenta, situ spatiosa decora." See First Edition, vol. i. p. +274. Evelyn, in 1644, thus describes the town of Caen. "The +whole town is handsomely built of that excellent stone so well +knowne by that name in England. I was lead to a pretty garden, +planted with hedges of Alaternus, having at the entrance, at an +exceeding height, accurately cut in topiary worke, with well +understood architecture, consisting of pillars, niches, freezes, +and other ornaments, with greate curiosity, &c. <EM>Life and +Writings of J. Evelyn</EM>, 1818, 4to. vol. i. p. 52.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_102"></A><A href="#fnref_102">102</A> See the +OPPOSITE PLATE.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_103"></A><A href="#fnref_103">103</A> It was a +similar dépôt in Ducarel's time.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_104"></A><A href="#fnref_104">104</A> The story was +in fact told us the very first night of our arrival, by M. +Lagouelle, the master of the hotel royale. He went through it with +a method, emphasis, and energy, rendered the more striking from the +obesity of his figure and the vulgarity of his countenance. But he +frankly allowed that "Monsieur l'Anglois se conduisait +bien."</P> + +<P><A name="fn_105"></A><A href="#fnref_105">105</A> [The affair is +now scarcely remembered; and the successful champion died a natural +death within about three years afterwards. Mons. Licquet slenderly +doubts portions of this tragical tale: but I have good reason to +believe that it is not an exaggerated one. As to what occurred +<EM>after</EM> the death of one of the combatants, I am unwilling +to revive unpleasant sensations by its recapitulation.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_106"></A><A href="#fnref_106">106</A> Bourgueville +seems bitterly to lament the substitution of wells for fountains. +He proposes a plan, quite feasible in his own estimation, whereby +this desirable object might be effected: and then retorts upon his +townsmen by reminding them of the commodious fountains at +<EM>Lisieux, Falaise and Vire</EM>--of which the inhabitants +"n'ont rien espargné pour auoir ceste decoration et +commodité en leurs villes."--spiritedly adding--" si +j'estois encore en auctorité, j'y ferois mon pouuoir, et ie +y offre de mes biens." p. 17.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_107"></A><A href="#fnref_107">107</A> [I am most +prompt to plead guilty to a species of <EM>Hippopotamos</EM> error, +in having here translated the word <EM>Allemagne</EM> into GERMANY! +Now, although this translation, per se, be correct, yet, as +applicable to the text, it is most incorrect--as the +<EM>Allemagne</EM> in question happens to be a <EM>Parish in the +neighbourhood of Caen</EM>! My translator, in turn, treats me +somewhat tenderly when he designates this as "une méprise fort +singulière." vol. ii. p. 25.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_108"></A><A href="#fnref_108">108</A> The plate of +Ducarel, here alluded to, forms the fourth plate in his work; +affording, from the starch manner in which it is engraved, an idea +of one of the most disproportioned, ugly buildings imaginable. Mr. +Cotman has favoured us with a good bold etching of the West Front, +and of the elevation of compartments of the Nave; The former is at +once faithful and magnificent; but the lower part wants +characteristic markings.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_109"></A><A href="#fnref_109">109</A> It should be +noticed that, "besides the immense benefactions which William +in his life time conferred upon this abbey, he, on his death, +presented thereto the <EM>crown</EM> which he used to wear at all +high festivals, together with his <EM>sceptre and rod</EM>: a cup +set with precious stones; his candlesticks of gold, and all his +regalia: as also the ivory bugle-horn which usually hung at his +back." <EM>Anglo-Norman Antiquities</EM>, p. 51. note. The +story of the breaking open of the coffin by the Calvinists, and +finding the Conqueror's remains, is told by Bourgueville--who +was an <EM>eye witness</EM> of these depredations, and who tried to +"soften the obdurate hearts" of the pillagers, but in +vain. This contemporaneous historian observes that, in his time +"the abbey was filled with beautiful and curious stained-glass +windows and harmonious organs, which were all broken and +destroyed--and that the seats, chairs, &c. and all other wooden +materials were consumed by fire," p.171. Huet observes that a +"Dom Jean de Baillehache and Dom Matthieu de la Dangie," +religious of St. Stephen's, took care of the monument of the +Conqueror in the year 1642, and replaced it in the state in which +it appeared in Huet's time." <EM>Origines de Caen</EM>; +p.248. The revolution was still more terrible than the Calvinistic +fury;--for no traces of the monument are now to be seen.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_110"></A><A href="#fnref_110">110</A> The west +window is almost totally obscured by a most gigantic organ built +close to it, and allowed to be the finest in all France. This organ +is so big, as to require eleven large bellows, &c. +<EM>Ducarel</EM>, p.57. He then goes on to observe, that +"amongst the plate preserved in the treasury of this church, +is a curious SILVER SALVER, about ten inches in diameter, gilt, and +inlaid with antique medals. Tradition assures us, that it was on +this salver, that king William the conqueror placed the foundation +charter of the abbey when he presented it, at the high altar, on +the dedication of the church. The edges of this salver, which +stands on a foot stalk of the same metal, are a little turned up, +and carved. In the centre is inlaid a Greek medal; on the obverse +whereof is this legend, +<!-- [Greek: Ausander Aukonos] --> +Αυσανδερ +Αυκονος +but it being +fixed in its socket, the reverse is not visible. The other medals, +forty in number, are set round the rim, in holes punched quite +through; so that the edges of the holes serve as frames for the +medals. These medals are Roman, and in the highest +preservation."</P> + +<P><A name="fn_111"></A><A href="#fnref_111">111</A> Yet +Bourgueville's description of the group, as it appeared in his +time, trips up the heels of his own conjecture. He says that there +were, besides the two figures above mentioned, "vn autre homme +et femme à genoux, comme s'ils demandoient raison de la mort de +leur enfant, qui est vne antiquité de grand remarque dont je ne +puis donner autre certitude de l'histoire." <EM>Antiquitez +de Caen</EM>; p.39. Now, it is this additional portion of the group +(at present no longer in existence) which should seem to confirm +the conjecture of my friend Mr. Douce--that it is a representation +of the received story, in the middle ages, of the Emperor Trajan +being met by a widow who demanded justice against the murderer of +her son. The Emperor, who had just mounted his horse to set out +upon some hostile expedition, replied, that "he would listen +to her on his return." The woman said, "What, if you +never return?" "My successor will satisfy you"--he +replied--"But how will that benefit you,"--resumed the +widow. The Emperor then descended from his horse, and enquiring +into the woman's case, caused justice to be done to her. Some +of the stories say that the murderer was the Emperor's own +son.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_112"></A><A href="#fnref_112">112</A> [Since the +publication of the first edition of this work, the figure in +question has appeared from the pencil and burin of Mr. Cotman; of +which the only fault, as it strikes me, is, that the surface is too +rough-- or the effect too sketchy.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_113"></A><A href="#fnref_113">113</A> Bourgueville +has minutely described it in his <EM>Antiquities</EM>; and his +description is copied in the preceding edition of this work.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_114"></A><A href="#fnref_114">114</A> Bourgueville +is extremely particular and even eloquent in his account of the +tower, &c. He says that he had "seen towers at Paris, +Rouen, Toulouse, Avignon, Narbonne, Montpelier, Lyons, Amiens, +Chartres, Angiers, Bayeux, Constances, (qu. Coutances?) and those +of St. Stephen at Caen, and others, in divers parts of France, +which are built in a pyramidal form--but THIS TOWER OT ST. PETER +exceeded all the others, as well in its height, as in its curious +form of construction." <EM>Antiq. de Caen</EM>; p.36. He +regrets, however, that the <EM>name of the architect</EM> has not +descended to us. [It is right to correct an error, in the preceding +edition, which has been committed on the authority of Ducarel. That +Antiquary supposed the tower and spire to have been built by the +generosity of one NICHOLAS, an ENGLISHMAN." Mons. Licquet has, +I think, reclaimed the true author of such munificence, as his +<EM>own</EM> countryman.--NICOLAS LANGLOIS:--whose name thus occurs +in his epitaph, preserved by Bourgueville.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>Le Vendredi, devant tout droict</EM><BR> +<EM>La Saint Cler que le temps n'est froit,</EM><BR> +<EM>Trespassa</EM> NICOLLE L'ANGLOIS,<BR> +<EM>L'an Mil Trois Cens et Dix Sept.</EM>]<BR> +&c. &c.</P> + +<P>Reverting, to old BOURGUEVILLE, I cannot take leave of him +without expressing my hearty thanks for the amusement and +information which his unostentatious octavo volume--entitled +<EM>Les Recherches et Antiquitez de la Ville et Université de Caen, +&c</EM>. (à Caen, 1588, 8vo.) has afforded me.</P> + +<P>The author, who tells us he was born in 1504, lived through the +most critical and not unperilous period of the times in which he +wrote. His plan is perfectly artless, and his style as completely +simple. Nor does his fidelity appear impeachable. Such ancient +volumes of topography are invaluable--as preserving the memory of +things and of objects, which, but for such record, had perished +without the hope or chance of recovery.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_115"></A><A href="#fnref_115">115</A> [Ten years +have elapsed since this sentence was written, and the experience +gained in those years only confirms the truth (according to the +conception of the author) of the above assertion. Such a tower and +spire, if found in England, must be looked for in Salisbury +Cathedral; but though this latter be much loftier, it is stiff, +cold, and formal, comparatively with that of which the text makes +mention.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_116"></A><A href="#fnref_116">116</A> [For six +months in the year--that is to say, from Lady Day till Michaelmas +Day--this great Bell tolls, at a quarter before ten, as a +curfew.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_117"></A><A href="#fnref_117">117</A> A plate of it +may be found in the publication of Mr. Dawson Turner, and of Mr. +Cotman.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_118"></A><A href="#fnref_118">118</A> Of this +building Mr. Cotman has published the West front, east end, +exterior and interior; great arches under the tower; crypt; east +side of south transept; elevation of the North side of the choir: +elevation of the window; South side exterior; view down the nave, +N.W. direction.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_119"></A><A href="#fnref_119">119</A> Bourgueville +describes the havoc which took place within this abbey at the +memorable visit of the Calvinists in 1562. From plundering the +church of St. Stephen (as before described p. 172,) they proceeded +to commit similar ravages here:--"sans auoir respect ni +reuerence à la Dame Abbesse, ni à la religion et douceur feminine +des Dames Religieuses."-- "plusieurs des officiers de la +maison s'y trouucrent, vsans de gracieuses persuasions, pour +penser flechir le coeur de ces plus que brutaux;" p. 174.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_120"></A><A href="#fnref_120">120</A> Unless it be +what he calls "the FORT OF THE HOLY TRINITY of Caen; in which +was constantly kept a garrison, commanded by a captain, whose +annual pay was 100 single crowns. This was demolished by Charles, +king of Navarre, in the year 1360, during the war which he carried +on against Charles the Dauphin, afterwards Charles V., +&c." <EM>Anglo-Norman Antiquities</EM>, p. 67. This +castle, or the building once flanked by the walls above described, +was twice taken by the English; once in 1346, when they made an +immense booty, and loaded their ships with the gold and silver +vessels found therein; and the second time in 1417, when they +established themselves as masters of the place for 33 years. +<EM>Annuaire du Calvados</EM>; 1803-4; p. 63.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_121"></A><A href="#fnref_121">121</A> <EM>Mémoires +de l'Academie des Belles Lettres de Caen. Chez Jacques Manoury, +1757, 4 vols. crown 8vo. Rapport générale sur les travaux de +l'Academie des Sciences, Arts, et Belles Lettres de la ville de +Caen, jusqu'au premier Janvier, 1811. Par P.F.T. Delariviere, +Secrétaire. A Caen, chez Chalopin</EM>. An. 1811-15. 2 vols. on +different paper, with different types, and provokingly of a larger +form than its precursor.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_122"></A><A href="#fnref_122">122</A> [On consulting +the Addenda of the preceding edition, it will be seen that this +work appeared in the year 1820, under the title of <EM>Essais +Historiques sur la Ville de Caen et son Arondissement</EM>, in 2 +small octavo volumes. With the exception of two or three +indifferent plates of relics of sculpture, and of titles with +armorial bearings, this work is entirely divested of ornament. +There are some useful historical details in it, taken from the +examination of records and the public archives; but a HISTORY of +CAEN is yet a desideratum.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_123"></A><A href="#fnref_123">123</A> [By the favour +of our common friend Mr. Douce, I have obtained permission to +enrich these pages with the PORTRAIT of this distinguished +Archaeologist, from an original Drawing in the possession of the +same friend. See the OPPOSITE PLATE.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_124"></A><A href="#fnref_124">124</A> He has +recently (1816) published an octavo volume entitled +"<EM>Histoire des Polypiers, Coralligènes Flexibles, +vulgairement nommés Zoophytes. Par J.V.F. Lamouroux</EM>. From one +of his Epistles, I subjoin a fac-simile of his autograph.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:80%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/237.png" alt="Lamouroux"></DIV> + +<P><A name="fn_125"></A><A href="#fnref_125">125</A> The medallic +project here alluded to is one which does both the projector, and +the arts of France, infinite honour; and I sincerely wish that some +second SIMON may rise up among ourselves to emulate, and if +possible to surpass, the performances of GATTEAUX and AUDRIEU. The +former is the artist to whom we are indebted for the medal of +Malherbe, and the latter for the series of the Bonaparte medals. +[Has my friend Mr. Hawkins, of the Museum, abandoned all thoughts +of his magnificent project connected with such a NATIONAL +WORK?]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_126"></A><A href="#fnref_126">126</A> See +post--under the running title Bayeux.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_127"></A><A href="#fnref_127">127</A> See page 172 +ante.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_128"></A><A href="#fnref_128">128</A> It is +described in the 2d vol. of the ÆDES ALTHORPIANÆ; forming the +Supplement to the BIBLIOTHECA SPENCERIANA: see page 94.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_129"></A><A href="#fnref_129">129</A> Goube, in his +<EM>Histoire du Duché de Normandie</EM>, 1815, 8vo. has devoted +upwards of thirty pages to an enumeration of these worthies; vol. +iii. p. 295. But in <EM>Huet's Origines de la Ville de +Caen;</EM> p. 491-652, there will be found much more copious and +satisfactory details.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_130"></A><A href="#fnref_130">130</A> I am furnished +with the above particulars from a <EM>Notice Historique</EM> of +Moysant.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_131"></A><A href="#fnref_131">131</A> [A copy of +this Roman Edition of 1542, of equal purity and amplitude, is in +the library of the Rev. Mr Hawtrey of Eton College: obtained of +Messrs. Payne and Foss.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_132"></A><A href="#fnref_132">132</A> When I was at +Paris in the year 1819, I strove hard to obtain from Messrs. Debure +the copy of this work, UPON VELLUM, which they had purchased at the +sale of the Macarthy Library. But it was destined for the Royal +Library, and is described in the <EM>Cat. des Livres Imp. sur +Vélin</EM>, vol. i. p. 263.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_133"></A><A href="#fnref_133">133</A> [Twenty-eight +years have passed away since I kept my terms at Lincoln's Inn +with a view of being called to THE BAR; and at this moment I have a +perfect recollection of the countenances and manner of Messrs. +Bearcroft, Erskine, and Mingay,--the pitted champions of the +King's Bench-- whom I was in the repeated habit of attending +within that bustling and ever agitated arena. Their wit, their +repartee--the broad humour of Mingay, and the lightning-like +quickness of Erskine, with the more caustic and authoritative dicta +of Bearcroft--delighted and instructed me by turns. In the year +1797 I published, in one large chart, an <EM>Analysis of the first +volume of Blackstone's Commentaries</EM>--called THE RIGHTS OF +PERSONS. It was dedicated to Mr. (afterwards Lord) Erskine; and +published, as will be easily conceived, with more zeal than +discretion. I got out of the scrape by selling the copper plate for +50 shillings, after having given 40 guineas for the engraving of +the Analysis. Some fifty copies of the work were sold, and 250 were +struck off. Where the surplus have lain, and rotted, I cannot +pretend to conjecture: but I know it to be a VERY RARE +production!]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_134"></A><A href="#fnref_134">134</A> [So in the +preceding Edition. He who writes notes on his own performances +after a lapse of ten years, will generally have something to add, +and something to correct. Of the above names, the FIRST was +afterwards attached to the <EM>Master of the Rolls</EM>, and to a +<EM>Peerage</EM>: with the intervening honour of having been +<EM>Chief Justice of the Common Pleas</EM>. My admiration of this +rapid elevation in an honourable profession will not be called +singular; for, after an acquaintance of twenty years with Lord +Gifford, I can honestly say, that, while his reputation as a +Lawyer, and his advancement in his profession, were only what his +friends predicted, his character as a MAN continued the same:-- +kind hearted, unaffected, gentle, and generous. He died, 'ere +he had attained his 48th year, in 1826.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_135"></A><A href="#fnref_135">135</A> [Mons. Licquet +supposes the crypt and the arcades of the nave to be of the latter +end of the eleventh century,--built by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and +Brother of William the Conqueror; and that the other portions were +of the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth centuries. I have very +great doubts indeed of any portion being of a date even so early as +1170.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_136"></A><A href="#fnref_136">136</A> [Another +demonstration of the fickleness and changeableness of all mundane +affairs. Mr. Stothard, after a successful execution of his great +task, has ceased to be among us. His widow published his life, with +an account of his labours, in a quarto volume in 1823. Mr. +Stothard's <EM>Monumental Effigies</EM>, now on the eve of +completion, is a work which will carry his name down to the latest +posterity, as one of the most interesting, tasteful, and accurate +of antiquarian productions. See a subsequent note.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_137"></A><A href="#fnref_137">137</A> See page 12, +ante.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_138"></A><A href="#fnref_138">138</A> ["That +was true, when M. Dibdin wrote his account; now, the number must be +reduced one half." LICQUET, vol. ii. p. 121.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_139"></A><A href="#fnref_139">139</A> Cette église +... étoit sans contredit une des plus riches de France en vases +d'or, d'argent, et de pierreries; en reliques et en +ornemens. Le procès-verbal qui avoit été dressé de toutes ses +richesses, en 1476, contient un détail qui va presque à +l'infini." Bezières, <EM>Hist. Sommaire</EM>, p. 51.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_140"></A><A href="#fnref_140">140</A> [But ONE +letter has passed between us since this separation. That letter, +however, only served to cement the friendliness of our feelings +towards each other. M. Pierre Aimé Lair had heard of the manner in +which his name had been introduced into these pages, and wished a +copy of the work to be deposited in the public library at Caen. +Whether it be so deposited, I have never learnt. In 1827, this +amiable man visited England; and I saw him only during the time of +an ordinary morning visit. His stay was necessarily short, and his +residence was remote. I returned his visit-- but he was away. There +are few things in life more gratifying than the conviction of +living in the grateful remembrance of the wise and the good; and +THAT gratification it is doubtless my happiness to enjoy--as far as +relates to Mons. PIERRE AIMÉ LAIR!]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_141"></A><A href="#fnref_141">141</A> [Mr. Cotman +has an excellent engraving of it.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_142"></A><A href="#fnref_142">142</A> He has since +established himself at Paris, near the Luxembourg palace, as a +<EM>bookseller</EM>; and it is scarcely three months since I +received a letter from him, in which he told me that he could no +longer resist the more powerful impulses of his heart--and that the +phials of physic were at length abandoned for the volumes of Verard +and of Gourmont. My friend, Mr. Dawson Turner, who knew him at +Bayeux, has purchased books of him at Paris. [The preceding in +1820.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_143"></A><A href="#fnref_143">143</A> Mr. Stothard, +Jun. See page 221 ante. Mr. S's own account of the tapestry may +be seen in the XIXth volume of the Archæologia. It is brief, +perspicuous, and satisfactory. His fac-simile is one half the size +of the original; executed with great neatness and fidelity; but +probably the touches are a <EM>little</EM> too artist-like or +masterly.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_144"></A><A href="#fnref_144">144</A> [The facsimile +of that portion of the tapestry which is supposed to be a portrait +of Harold, and which Mr. Lewis, who travelled with me, executed, is +perhaps of its kind, one of the most perfect things extant. In +saying this, I only deliver the opinions of very many competent +judges. It must however be noticed, that the Society of Antiquaries +published the whole series of this exceedingly curious and ancient +Representation of the Conquest of our Country by William I. Of this +publication, the figures measure about four inches in height: but +there is also a complete, and exceedingly successful fac-simile of +the first two figures of this series-- of the size of the originals +(William I. and the Messenger coming to announce to him the landing +of Harold in England) also published from the same quarter. The +whole of these Drawings were from the pencil of the late ingenious +and justly lamented THOS. STOTHARD, Esq. Draftsman to the Society +of Antiquaries.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_145"></A><A href="#fnref_145">145</A> A complete +copy is of rarity in our own country, but not so abroad. It is yet, +however, an imperfect work.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_146"></A><A href="#fnref_146">146</A> There have +been bibliographers, and there are yet knowing book- collectors, +who covet this edition in preference to the Leipsic impression of +Sir T. More's Works of 1698; in folio. But this must proceed +from sheer obstinacy; or rather, perhaps, from ignorance that the +latter edition contains the <EM>Utopia</EM>--whereas in the former +it is unaccountably omitted to be reprinted--which it might have +been, from various previous editions.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_147"></A><A href="#fnref_147">147</A> This figure is +introduced with pursuivants and dogs: but great liberties, as a +nice eye will readily discern, have been taken by Montfaucon, when +compared with the original--of which the fac-simile, in the +previous edition of this work, may be pronounced to be PERFECT.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_148"></A><A href="#fnref_148">148</A> Something +similar may be seen round the border of the baptismal vase of St. +Louis, in Millin's <EM>Antiquités Nationales</EM>. A part of +the border in the Tapestry is a representation of subjects from +Aesop's Fables.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_149"></A><A href="#fnref_149">149</A> Of a monument, +which has been pronounced by one of our ablest antiquaries to be +"THE NOBLEST IN THE WORLD RELATING TO OUR OLD ENGLISH +HISTORY," (See <EM>Stukely's Palæog. Britan.</EM> Number +XI. 1746, 4to. p. 2- 3) it may be expected that some archæological +discussion should be here subjoined. Yet I am free to confess that, +after the essays of Messrs. Gurney, Stothard, and Amyot, (and more +especially that of the latter gentleman) the matter--as to the +period of its execution--may be considered as well nigh, if not +wholly, at rest. These essays appear in the XVIIIth and XIXth +volumes of the Archæologia. The Abbé de la Rue contended that this +Tapestry was worked in the time of the second Matilda, or the +Empress Maud, which would bring it to the earlier part of the XIIth +century. The antiquaries above mentioned contend, with greater +probability, that it is a performance of the period which it +professes to commemorate; namely, of the defeat of Harold at the +battle of Hastings, and consequently of the acquiring of the Crown +of England, by conquest, on the part of William. This latter +therefore brings it to the period of about 1066, to 1088--so that, +after all, the difference of opinion is only whether this Tapestry +be fifty years older or younger, than the respective advocates +contend.</P> + +<P>But the most copious, particular, and in my humble judgment the +most satisfactory, disquisition upon the date of this singular +historical monument, is entitled, "<EM>A Defence of the early +Antiquity of the Bayeux Tapestry</EM>," by Thomas Amyot, Esq. +immediately following Mr. Stothard's communication, in the work +just referred to. It is at direct issue with all the hypotheses of +the Abbé de la Rue, and in my opinion the results are triumphantly +established. Whether the <EM>Normans</EM> or the <EM>English</EM> +worked it, is perfectly a secondary consideration. The chief +objections, taken by the Abbé, against its being a production of +the XIth century, consist in, first, its not being mentioned among +the treasures possessed by the Conqueror at his decease:--secondly, +that, if the Tapestry were deposited in the church, it must have +suffered, if not have been annihilated, at the storming of Bayeux +and the destruction of the Cathedral by fire in the reign of Henry +I., A.D. 1106:--thirdly, the silence of <EM>Wace</EM> upon the +subject,--who wrote his metrical histories nearly a century after +the Tapestry is supposed to have been executed." The latter is +chiefly insisted upon by the learned Abbé; who, which ever champion +come off victorious in this archæological warfare, must at any rate +receive the best thanks of the antiquary for the methodical and +erudite manner in which he has conducted his attacks.</P> + +<P>At the first blush it cannot fail to strike us that the Abbé de +la Rue's positions are all of a <EM>negative</EM> character; +and that, according to the strict rules of logic, it must not be +admitted, that because such and such writers have <EM>not</EM> +noticed a circumstance, therefore that circumstance or event cannot +have taken place. The first two grounds of objection have, I think, +been fairly set aside by Mr. Amyot. As to the third objection, Mr. +A. remarks--"But it seems that Wace has not only <EM>not</EM> +quoted the tapestry, but has varied from it in a manner which +proves that he had never seen it. The instances given of this +variation are, however, a little unfortunate. The first of them is +very unimportant, for the difference merely consists in placing a +figure at the <EM>stern</EM> instead of the <EM>prow</EM> of a +ship, and in giving him a bow instead of a trumpet. From an +authority quoted by the Abbé himself, it appears that, with regard +to this latter fact, the Tapestry was right, and Wace was wrong; +and thus an argument is unintentionally furnished in favour of the +superior antiquity of the Tapestry. The second instance of +variation, namely, that relating to Taillefer's sword, may be +easily dismissed; since, after all, it now appears, from Mr. +Stothard's examination, that neither Taillefer nor his sword is +to be found in the Tapestry," &c. But it is chiefly from +the names of ÆLFGYVA and WADARD, inscribed over some of the +figures, that I apprehend the conclusion in favour of the +Tapestry's being nearly a contemporaneous production, may be +safely drawn.</P> + +<P>It is quite clear that these names belong to persons living when +the work was in progress, or within the recollection of the +workers, and that they were attached to persons of some particular +note or celebrity, or rather perhaps of <EM>local</EM> importance. +An eyewitness, or a contemporary only would have introduced them. +They would not have lived in the memory of a person, whether +mechanic or historian, who lived a <EM>century</EM> after the +event. No antiquary has yet fairly appropriated these names, and +more especially the second. It follows therefore that they would +not have been introduced had they not been in existence at the +time; and in confirmation of that of WADARD, it seems that Mr. +Henry Ellis (Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries) +"confirmed Mr. Amyot's conjecture on that subject, by the +references with which he furnished him to <EM>Domesday Book</EM>, +where his name occurs in no less than six counties, as holding +lands of large extent under <EM>Odo</EM>, Bishop of Bayeux, the +tenant in capite of those properties from the crown. That he was +not a <EM>guard</EM> or <EM>centinel,</EM> as the Abbé de la Rue +supposes, but that he held an <EM>office of rank</EM> in the +household of either William or Odo, seems now decided beyond a +doubt." Mr. Amyot thus spiritedly concludes:--alluding to the +successful completion of Mr. Stothard's copy of the entire +original roll.--"Yet if the BAYEUX TAPESTRY be not history of +the first class, it is perhaps something better. It exhibits +general traits, elsewhere sought in vain, of the costume and +manners of that age, which, of all others, if we except the period +of the Reformation, ought to be the most interesting to us;--that +age, which gave us a new race of monarchs, bringing with them new +landholders, new laws, and almost a new language."</P> + +<P>Mr. Amyot has subjoined a specimen of his own poetical powers in +describing "the Minstrel TAILLEFER'S achievements," +in the battle of Hastings, from the old Norman lays of GAIMAR and +WACE. I can only find room for the first few verses. The poem is +entitled,</P> + +<P class="poetry">THE ONSET OF TAILLEFER.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Foremost in the bands of France,<BR> +Arm'd with hauberk and with lance,<BR> +And helmet glittering in the air,<BR> +As if a warrior knight he were,<BR> +Rush'd forth the MINSTREL TAILLEFER<BR> +Borne on his courser swift and strong,<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">He gaily bounded o'er the plain,</SPAN><BR> +And raised the heart-inspiring song<BR> +(Loud echoed by the warlike throng)<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Of <EM>Roland</EM> and of +<EM>Charlemagne</EM>,</SPAN><BR> +Of <EM>Oliver</EM>, brave peer of old,<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Untaught to fly, unknown to yield,</SPAN><BR> +And many a Knight and Vassal bold,<BR> +Whose hallowed blood, in crimson flood,<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Dyed <EM>Roncevalle's</EM> +field.</SPAN></P> + +<P><A name="fn_150"></A><A href="#fnref_150">150</A> M. Denon told +me, in one of my visits to him at Paris, that by the commands of +Bonaparte, he was charged with the custody of this Tapestry for +three months; that it was displayed in due form and ceremony in the +Museum; and that after having taken a hasty sketch of it, (which he +admitted could not be considered as very faithful) he returned it +to Bayeux--as it was considered to be the peculiar property of that +place.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_151"></A><A href="#fnref_151">151</A> See p. 109 +ante.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_152"></A><A href="#fnref_152">152</A> See page 13 +ante.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_153"></A><A href="#fnref_153">153</A> Mr. Cotman has +a view of this church, in his work on Normandy.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_154"></A><A href="#fnref_154">154</A> I suspect that +the "peaceful" waters of this stream were frequently died +with the blood of Hugonots and Roman Catholics during the fierce +contests between MONTGOMERY and MATIGNON, towards the latter half +of the sixteenth century. At that period St. Lo was one of the +strongest towns in the Bocage; and the very pass above described, +was the avenue by which the soldiers of the captains, just +mentioned, alternately advanced and retreated in their respective +attacks upon St. Lo: which at length surrendered to the victorious +army of the <EM>latter</EM>; the leader of the Catholics. SEGUIN: +<EM>Histoire Militaire des Bocains</EM>; <EM>p. 340- 384</EM>; +1816, <EM>12 mo</EM>.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_155"></A><A href="#fnref_155">155</A> The reader +will be doubtless gratified by the artist-like view of this +cathedral, by Mr. Cotman, in his <EM>Architectural Antiquities of +Normandy</EM>.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_156"></A><A href="#fnref_156">156</A> It cannot fail +to be noticed that the following sentences are in fact <EM>rhyming +verse</EM>, though printed prose-wise.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_157"></A><A href="#fnref_157">157</A> The reader +will find the fullest particulars relating to this +once-distinguished family, in <EM>Halstead's Genealogical +Memoirs of Noble Families, &c</EM>.: a book it is true, of +extreme scarcity. In lieu of it let him consult <EM>Collin's +Noble Families</EM>.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_158"></A><A href="#fnref_158">158</A> [Mons. Licquet +tells us, that in 1439, a Seigneur of Gratot, ceded the rock of +Granville to an English Nobleman, on the day of St. John the +Baptist, on receiving the homage of a hat of red roses. The +Nobleman intended to build a town there; but Henry VI. dispossessed +him of it, and built fortifications in 1440. Charles VII. in turn, +dispossessed Henry; but the additional fortifications which he +built were demolished by order of Louis XIV. &c.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_159"></A><A href="#fnref_159">159</A> An epitomised +account of these civil commotions will be found in the <EM>Histoire +Militaire des Bocains, par</EM> M. RICHARD SEGUIN; <EM>a Vire</EM>, +1816; 12mo. of which work, and of its author, some notice will be +taken in the following pages.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_160"></A><A href="#fnref_160">160</A> "<EM>Les +Distiques de Muret, traduits en vers Français, par Aug. A</EM>. Se +vend à Vire, chez Adam imprimeur-lib. An. 1809. The reader may not +be displeased to have a specimen of the manner of rendering these +distichs into French verse:</P> + +<P class="poetry">1.<BR> +Dum tener es, MURETE, avidis hæc auribus hauri:<BR> +Nec memori modò conde animo, sed et exprime factis.</P> + +<P class="poetry">2.<BR> +Imprimis venerare Deum; venerare parentes:<BR> +Et quos ipsa loco tibi dat natura parentum.<BR> +&c.</P> + +<P class="poetry">1.<BR> +<EM>Jeune encore, ô mon fils! pour être homme de bien,<BR> +Ecoute, et dans ton coeur grave cet entretien</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry">2.<BR> +<EM>Sers, honors le Dieu qui créa tous les êtres;<BR> +Sois fils respectueux, sois docile à tes maîtres.<BR> +&c</EM>.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_161"></A><A href="#fnref_161">161</A> [Smartly and +felicitously rendered by my translator Mons. Licquet; "Jamais +bouche Normande ne m'avait paru plus éloquente que celle de M. +Adam." vol. ii. p. 220.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_162"></A><A href="#fnref_162">162</A> The present +seems to be the proper place to give the reader some account of +this once famous Bacchanalian poet. It is not often that France +rests her pretensions to poetical celebrity upon such claims. Love, +romantic adventures, gaiety of heart and of disposition, form the +chief materials of her minor poems; but we have here before us, in +the person and productions of OLIVIER BASSELIN, a rival to ANACREON +of old; to our own RICHARD BRAITHWAIT, VINCENT BOURNE, and THOMAS +MOORE. As this volume may not be of general notoriety, the reader +may be prepared to receive an account of its contents with the +greater readiness and satisfaction. First, then, of the life and +occupations of Olivier Basselin; which, as Goujet has entirely +passed over all notice of him, we can gather only from the editors +of the present edition of his works. Basselin appears to have been +a <EM>Virois</EM>; in other words, an inhabitant of the town of +Vire. But he had a strange propensity to rusticating, and preferred +the immediate vicinity of Vire--its quiet little valleys, running +streams, and rocky recesses--to a more open and more distant +residence. In such places, therefore, he carried with him his +flasks of cider and his flagons of wine. Thither he resorted with +his "boon and merry companions," and there he poured +forth his ardent and unpremeditated strains. These +"strains" all savoured of the jovial propensities of +their author; it being very rarely that tenderness of sentiment, +whether connected with friendship or love, is admitted into his +compositions. He was the thorough-bred Anacreon of France at the +close of the fifteenth century.</P> + +<P>The town of Vire, as the reader may have already had intimation, +is the chief town of that department of Normandy called the BOCAGE; +and in this department few places have been, of old, more +celebrated than the <EM>Vaux de Vire</EM>; on account of the number +of manufactories which have existed there from time immemorial. It +derives its name from two principal valleys, in the form of a T, of +which the base (if it may be so called--"jambage") rests +upon the <EM>Place du Chateau de Vire</EM>. It is sufficiently +contiguous to the town to be considered among the fauxbourgs. The +rivers <EM>Vire</EM> and <EM>Viréne</EM>, which unite at the bridge +of Vaux, run somewhat rapidly through the valleys. These rivers are +flanked by manufactories of paper and cloth, which, from the XVth +century, have been distinguished for their prosperous condition. +Indeed, BASSELIN himself was a sort of cloth manufacturer. In this +valley he passed his life in fulling his cloths, and "in +composing those gay and delightful songs which are contained in the +volume under consideration." <EM>Discours Préliminaire</EM>, +p. 17, &c. Olivier Basselin is the parent of the title +<EM>Vaudevire--</EM> which has since been corrupted into +<EM>Vaudeville</EM>. From the observation of his critics, Basselin +appears to have been the FATHER of BACCHANALIAN POETRY in France. +He frequented public festivals, and was a welcome guest at the +tables of the rich; where the Vaudevire was in such request, that +it is supposed to have superseded the "Conte, or Fabliau, or +the Chanson d'Amour."<A name="fnref_B"></A><A href= +"#fn_B">B</A> p. xviij:</P> + +<P class="poetry">Sur ce point-là, soyez tranquille:<BR> +Nos neveux, j'én suis bien certain,<BR> +Se souviendront de BASSELIN,<BR> +<EM>Pere joyeux du Vaudeville:</EM> p. xxiij.</P> + +<P>I proceed to submit a few specimens of the muse of this ancient +ANACREON of France; and must necessarily begin with a few of those +that are chiefly of a bacchanalian quality.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>VAUDEVIRE II</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry">AYANT le doz au feu et le ventre à la table,<BR> +Estant parmi les pots pleins de vin délectable,<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Ainsi comme ung poulet</SPAN><BR> +Je ne me laisseray morir de la pepie,<BR> +Quant en debvroye avoir la face cramoisie<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Et le nez violet;</SPAN></P> + +<P class="poetry">QUANT mon nez devendra de couleur rouge ou +perse,<BR> +Porteray les couleurs que chérit ma maitresse.<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Le vin rent le teint beau.</SPAN><BR> +Vault-il pas mieulx avoir la couleur rouge et vive,<BR> +Riche de beaulx rubis, que si pasle et chétive<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Ainsi qu'ung beuveur d'eau.</SPAN></P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>VAUDEVIRE XI</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry">CERTES <EM>hoc vinum est bonus</EM>:<BR> +Du maulvais latin ne nous chaille,<BR> +Se bien congru n'estoit ce jus,<BR> +Le tout ne vauldroit rien que vaille.<BR> +Escolier j'appris que bon vin<BR> +Aide bien au maulvais latin.</P> + +<P class="poetry">CESTE sentence praticquant,<BR> +De latin je n'en appris guère;<BR> +Y pensant estre assez sçavant,<BR> +Puisque bon vin aimoye à boire.<BR> +Lorsque maulvais vin on a beu,<BR> +Latin n'est bon, fust-il congru.<BR> +Fy du latin, parlons françois,<BR> +Je m'y recongnois davantaige.<BR> +Je vueil boire une bonne fois,<BR> +Car voicy ung maistre breuvaige;<BR> +Certes se j'en beuvoye soubvent,<BR> +Je deviendroye fort éloquent.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>VAUDEVIRE XXII</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><SPAN class="ind2">HE! qu'avons-nous +affaire</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Du Turc ny du Sophy,</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind4">Don don.</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Pourveu que j'aye à boire,</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Des grandeurs je dis fy.</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind4">Don don.</SPAN><BR> +Trincque, Seigneur, le vin est bon:<BR> +<EM>Hoc acuit ingenium.</EM></P> + +<P class="poetry"><SPAN class="ind2">QUI songe en vin ou +vigne,</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Est ung présaige heureux,</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind4">Don don.</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Le vin à qui réchigne</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Rent le coeur tout joyeux,</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind4">Don don.</SPAN><BR> +Trincque, Seigneur, le vin est bon:<BR> +<EM>Hoc acuit ingenium</EM>.<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">&c.</SPAN></P> + +<P>The poetry of Basselin is almost wholly devoted to the +celebration of the physical effects of wine upon the body and +animal spirits; and the gentler emotions of the TENDER PASSION are +rarely described in his numbers. In consequence, he has not invoked +the Goddess of Beauty to associate with the God of Wine: to</P> + +<P class="poetry">"Drop from her myrtle one leaf in his +bowl;"</P> + +<P>or, when he does venture to introduce the society of a female, +it is done after the following fashion--which discovers however an +extreme facility and melody of rhythm. The burden of the song seems +wonderfully accordant with a Bacchanalian note.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>VAUDEVIRE XIX</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry">En ung jardin d'ombraige tout couvert,<BR> +Au chaud du jour, ay treuvé Madalaine,<BR> +Qui près le pié d'ung sicomorre vert<BR> +Dormoit au bort d'une claire fontaine;<BR> +Son lit estoit de thin et marjolaine.<BR> +Son tetin frais n'estoit pas bien caché:<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">D'amour touché,</SPAN><BR> +Pour contempler sa beauté souveraine<BR> +Incontinent je m'en suys approché.<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Sus, sus, qu'on se resveille,</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Voicy vin excellent</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Qui faict lever l'oreille;</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Il faict mol qui n'en prent.</SPAN></P> + +<P class="poetry">Je n'eus pouvoir, si belle la voyant,<BR> +De m'abstenir de baizotter sa bouche;<BR> +Si bien qu'enfin la belle s'esveillant,<BR> +Me regardant avec ung oeil farouche,<BR> +Me dit ces mots: Biberon, ne me touche.<BR> +Belle fillette à son aize ne couche<BR> +Avecq celuy qui ne faict qu'yvrongner,<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">&c. &c.</SPAN></P> + +<P>The preceding extracts will suffice. This is a volume in every +respect interesting--both to the literary antiquary and to the +Book-Collector. A NEW EDITION of this work has appeared under the +editorial care of M. Louis Dubois, published at Caen in 1821, 8vo. +obtainable at a very moderate price.</P> + +<P class="ind2"><A name="fn_B"></A><A href="#fnref_B">B</A> The +host, at these public and private festivals, usually called upon +some one to recite or sing a song, chiefly of an amatory or +chivalrous character; and this custom prevailed more particularly +in Normandy than in other parts of France:</P> + +<P class="poetry">Usaige est en Normandie,<BR> +Que qui hebergiez est qu'il die<BR> +Fable ou Chanson à son oste.</P> + +<P class="ind2">See the authorities cited at page XV, of this +Discours préliminaire.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_163"></A><A href="#fnref_163">163</A> Some account +of this printer, together with a fac-simile of his device, may be +seen in the <EM>Bibliographical Decameron</EM>, vol. ii. p. +33-6.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_164"></A><A href="#fnref_164">164</A> The first +publication is entitled "<EM>Essai sur l'Histoire de +l'Industrie du Bocage en Général et de la Ville de Vire sa +capitale en particulier, &c.</EM>" Par M. RICHARD SEGUIN. +<EM>A Vire, chez Adam, Imprimeur, an</EM> 1810, 12mo. It is not +improbable that I may have been the only importer of this useful +and crowdedly-paged duodecimo volume; which presents us with so +varied and animated a picture of the manners, customs, trades, and +occupations of the Bocains and the Virois.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_165"></A><A href="#fnref_165">165</A> I subjoin an +extract which relates to the</P> + +<P class="quote">DRESS AND CHARACTER OF THE WOMEN.</P> + +<P class="quote">"Quant au COSTUME DES FEMMES +d'aujourd'hui, comme il faudrait un volume entier pour le +décrire, je n'ai pas le courage de m'engager dans ce +labyrinte de ridicules et de frivolités. Ce que j'en dirai +seulement en général, c'est qu'autant les femmes du temps +passé, etaient décentes et chastes, et se faisaient gloire +d'être graves et modestes, autant celles de notre siècle +mettent tout en oeuvre pour paraître cyniques et voluptueuses. Nous +ne sommes plus au temps où les plus grandes dames se faisaient +honneur de porter la cordélière.<A name="fnref_C"></A><A href= +"#fn_C">C</A> Leurs habillemens étaient aussi larges et fermés, que +celui des femmes de nos jours sont ouverts et légers, et d'une +finesse que les formes du corps, au moindre mouvement, se +dessinent, de manière à ne laisser rien ignorer. A peine se +couvrent-elles le sein d'un voile transparent très-léger ou de +je ne sais quelle palatine qu'elles nomment point-à-jour, qui, +en couvrant tout, ne cache rien; en sorte que si elles +n'étalent pas tous leurs charmes à découvert, c'est que les +hommes les moins scrupuleux, qui se contentent de les persifler, en +seraient révoltés tout-à-fait. D'ailleurs, c'est que ce +n'est pas encore la mode; plusieurs poussent même +l'impudence jusqu'à venir dans nos temples sans coiffure, +les cheveux hérissés comme des furies; d'autres, par une +bizarrerie qu'on ne peut expliquer se dépouillent, autant +qu'il est en leur pouvoir, des marques de leur propre sexe, +sembleut rougir d'être femmes, et deviennent ridicules en +voulant paraitre demi-hommes.</P> + +<P class="quote">"Après avoir deshonoré l'habit des +femmes, elles ont encore voulu prostituer CELUI DES HOMMES. On les +a vues adopter successivement les chapeaux, les redingotes, les +vestes, les gilets, les bottes et jusqu'aux boutons. Enfin si, +au lieu de jupons, elles avaient pu s'accommoder de l'usage +de la culotte, la métamorphose était complette; mais elles ont +préféré les robes traînantes; c'est dommage que la nature ne +leur ait donné une troisième main, qui leur serait nécessaire pour +tenir cette longue queue, qui souvent patrouille la boue ou balaye +la poussière. Plût à Dieu que les anciennes lois fussent encore en +vigueur, ou ceux et celles qui portaient des habits indécent +étaient obligés d'aller à Rome pour en obtenir +l'absolution, qui ne pouvait leur être accordée que par le +souverain pontife, &c.</P> + +<P class="quote">"Les femmes du Bocage, et sur-tout les +Viroises, joignent à un esprit vif et enjoué les qualités du corps +les plus estimables. Blondes et brunes pour le plus grand nombre, +elles sont de la moyenne taille, mais bien formées: elles ont le +teint frais et fleuri, l'oeil vif, le visage vermeil, la +démarche leste, un air étoffé et très élégantes dans tout leur +maintien. Si on dit avec raison que les Bayeusines sont belles, les +filles du Bocage, qui sont leurs voisines, ne leur cèdent en aucune +manière, car en général le sang est très-beau en ce pays. Quant aux +talens spirituels, elles les possèdent à un dégré éminent. Elles +parlent avec aisance, ont le repartie prompte, et outre les soins +du ménage, ou elles excellent de telle sorte qu'il n'y a +point de contrées ou il y ait plus de linge, elles entendent à +merveille, et font avec succès tout le détail du commerce." p. +238.</P> + +<P>These passages, notwithstanding the amende honorable of the +concluding paragraph, raised a storm of indignation against the +unsuspecting author! Nor can we be surprised at it.</P> + +<P>This publication is really filled with a great variety of +curious historical detail--throughout which is interspersed much +that relates to "romaunt lore" and romantic adventures. +The civil wars between MONTGOMERY and MATIGNON form alone a very +important and interesting portion of the volume; and it is evident +that the author has exerted himself with equal energy and anxiety +to do justice to both parties--except that occasionally he betrays +his antipathies against the Hugonots.<A name="fnref_D"></A><A href= +"#fn_D">D</A> I will quote the concluding passage of this work. +There may be at least half a score readers who may think it +something more than merely historically curious:</P> + +<P class="quote">"Je finirai donc ici mon Histoire. Je +n'ai point parlé d'un grand nombre des faits d'armes et +d'actions glorieuses, qui se sont passés dans la guerre de +l'indépendance des Etats-Unis d'Amérique où beaucoup de +Bocains ont eu part; mais mon principal dessein a été de traiter +des guerres qui ont eu lieu dans le Bocage; ainsi je crois avoir +atteint mon but, qui était d'écrire l'Histoire Militaire +des Bocains par des faits et non par des phrases, je ne peux +cependant omettre une circonstance glorieuse pour le Bocage; +c'est la visite que le bon et infortuné Louis XVI. fit aux +Bocains en 1786. Ce grand Monarque dont les vues étaient aussi +sages que profondes, avait résolu de faire construire le beau Port +de Cherbourg, ouvrage vraiment Royal, qui est une des plus nobles +entreprises qui aient été faites depuis l'origine de la +Monarchie. Les Bocains sentirent l'avantage d'un si grand +bienfait. Le Roi venant visiter les travaux, fut accueilli avec un +enthousiasme presqu'impossible à décrire, ainsi que les Princes +qui l'accompagnaient. Sa marche rassemblait à un triomphe. Les +peuples accouraient en foule du fond des campagnes, et bordaient la +route, faisant retentir les airs de chants d'alégresse et des +cris millions de fois répétés de Vive le Roi! Musique, Processions, +Arcs de triomphe, Chemins jonchés de fleurs; tout fut prodigué. Les +villes de Caen, de Bayeux, de Saint-Lo, de Carentan, de Valognes, +se surpassérent dans cette occasion, pour prouver à S.M. leur amour +et leur reconnaissance; mais rien ne fut plus brillant que +l'entrée de ce grand Roi à Cherbourg. Un peuple immense, le +clergé, toute la noblesse du pays, le son des cloches, le bruit du +canon, les acclamations universelles prouvérent au Monarque mieux +encore que la pompe toute Royale et les fêtes magnifiques que la +ville ne cessa de lui donner tous les jours, que les coeurs de tous +les Bocains étaient à lui." p. 428.</P> + +<P class="ind2"><A name="fn_C"></A><A href="#fnref_C">C</A> +"Ceinture alors regardée comme le symbole de la continence. La +reine de France en décorait les femmes titrées dont la conduite +était irréprochable." <EM>Hist. de la réun. de Bretagne a la +France par l'abbé Irail</EM>.</P> + +<P class="ind2"><A name="fn_D"></A><A href="#fnref_D">D</A> +"Les soldats Huguenots commirent dans cette occasion, toutes +sortes de cruautés, d'infamies et de sacrilèges, jusqu'à +mêler les Saintes Hosties avec l'avoine qu'ils donnaient à +leurs chevaux: mais Dieu permit qu'ils n'en voulurent pas +manger." p. 369.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_166"></A><A href="#fnref_166">166</A> [Only ONE +letter has passed between us since my departure; and that enables +me to subjoin a fac-simile of its author's autograph.</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:80%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/359.png" alt="Autograph"></DIV> + +<P><A name="fn_167"></A><A href="#fnref_167">167</A> [It was in +fact built by the famous Lord Talbot, about the year 1420. A +similar castle, but less strong and lofty, may be seen at Castor, +near Yarmouth in Norfolk--once the seat of the famous Sir JOHN +FASTOLF, (a contemporary with Talbot) of whom Anstis treats so +fully in his <EM>Order of the Garter</EM>, vol.i. p.142.]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_168"></A><A href="#fnref_168">168</A> See p. 205 +ante.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_169"></A><A href="#fnref_169">169</A> On the return +of Louis the XVIII. the town of Falaise manifested its loyalty in +the most unequivocal manner.</P> + +<P class="poetry">COUPLETS</P> + +<P class="poetry"><EM>Chantés par les Elèves du Collége de Falaise, +en arborant le Drapeau Blanc</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry">Air: <EM>Un Soldat par un coup funeste</EM>.</P> + +<P class="poetry"><SPAN class="ind2">Loin de nous la sombre +tristesse,</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Mars a déposé sa fureur;</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Enfin la foudre vengeresse</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Vient de terrasser +<EM>l'opresseur,</EM></SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind4">L'aigle sanguinaire</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Succombe à l'aspect de ces LYS.</SPAN><BR> +Peuple français, tu vas revoir ton Père!<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Vive le Roi! Vive LOUIS!</SPAN></P> + +<P class="poetry"><SPAN class="ind2">Drapeau, que d'horribles +tempêtes</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Avoient éloigné de ces lieux,</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Tu reviens embellir nos Fêtes,</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Plus brillant et plus radieux!</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind4">Ta douce présence</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Ramène les jeux et les ris;</SPAN><BR> +Sois à jamais l'Etendard de la France,<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Vive le Roi! vive LOUIS!</SPAN></P> + +<P class="poetry"><SPAN class="ind2">O Dieu! vengeur de +l'innocence,</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Protège ces LYS glorieux!</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Conserve long-temps à la France</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">LE ROI que tu rends à nos voeux!</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind4">Si la perfidie</SPAN><BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">De nouveau troubloit ton bonheur</SPAN><BR> +Viens nous guider, ô Bannière chérie!<BR> + <SPAN class="ind2">Nous volerons au champ +d'honneur.</SPAN></P> + +<P><A name="fn_170"></A><A href="#fnref_170">170</A> The worthy +historian of Falaise, quoted in a preceding page, is exceedingly +anxious to make us believe that there are portions of this +church--namely, four stones--in the eastern and western gable +ends--which were used in the consecration of it, by MATHILDA, the +wife of our first William. Also, that, at the gable end of the +south transept, outside, an ancient grotto,--in which the Gallic +priests of old purified themselves for the mysteries of their +religion--is now converted into the sacristy, or vestry, or robing +room. But these are surely mere antiquarian dreams. The same author +more sagaciously informs us that the exact period of the +commencement of the building of the nave, namely in 1438, is yet +attested by an existing inscription, in gothic letters, towards the +chief door of entrance. The inscription also testifies that in the +same year, "there reigned DEATH, WAR, and FAMINE." The +<EM>chancel of the choir</EM>, with the principal doors of +entrance, &c. were constructed between the years 1520, and +1540. It may be worth remarking that the stalls of the choir were +brought from the Abbey of St. John--on the destruction of that +monastic establishment in 1729; and that, according to the +<EM>Gallia Christiana</EM>, vol. xi. p. 756, these stalls were +carved at the desire of Thomas II. de Mallebiche, abbot of that +establishment in 1506-1516. In a double niche of the south buttress +are the statues of HERPIN and his WIFE; rich citizens of Falaise, +who, by their wealth, greatly contributed to the building of the +choir. (Their grandson, HERPIN LACHENAYE, together with his +mistress were killed, side by side, in fighting at one of the gates +of Falaise to repel the successful troops of Henry IV.) The +<EM>Chapel of the Virgin</EM>, behind the choir, was completed +about the year 1631. LANGEVIN, p. 81-128-131.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_171"></A><A href="#fnref_171">171</A> We have of +course nothing to do with the first erection of a place of worship +at Guibray in the VIIIth century. The story connected with the +earliest erection is this. The faubourg of Guibray, distant about +900 paces from Falaise, was formerly covered with chestnut and oak +trees. A sheep, scratching the earth, as if by natural instinct (I +quote the words of M. Langevin the historian of Falaise) indicated, +by its bleatings, that something was beneath. The shepherd +approached, and hollowing out the earth with his crook, discovered +a statue of the Virgin, with a child in its arms. The first church, +dedicated to the Virgin, under the reign of Charles Martel, called +the Victorious, was in consequence erected--on this very spot--in +the centre of this widely spreading wood of chestnut and oak. I +hasten to the construction of a second church, on the same site, +under the auspices of Mathilda, the wife of the Conqueror: with the +statue of a woman with a diadem upon her head--near one of the +pillars: upon which statue Langevin discourses learnedly in a note. +But neither this church nor the statue in question are now in +existence. On the contrary, the oldest portions of the church of +Guibray, now existing--according to the authors of the <EM>Gallia +Christiana</EM>, vol. xi. p. 878, and an ancient MS. consulted by +M. Langevin--are of about the date of 1222; when the church was +consecrated by the Bishop of Coutances. The open space towards the +south, now called <EM>La Place aux Chevaux</EM>, was the old +burying ground of the church. There was also a chapel, dedicated to +St. Gervais, which was pillaged and destroyed by the Hugonots in +1562. I should add, that the South-East exterior (behind the +chancel) of this very curious old church at Guibray, resembles, +upon a small scale, what M. Cotman has published of the same +portion of St. Georges de Bocherville. <EM>Recherches sur +Falaise</EM>, p. 49-53. Monsieur le Comte de la Fresnaye, in his +<EM>Notice Historique sur Falaise</EM>, 1816, 8vo. will have it, +that "the porch of this church, the only unmutilated portion +remaining of its ancient structure, demonstrates the epoch of the +origin of Christianity among the Gauls." "At least, such +is the decision of M. Deveze, draftsman for Laborde; the latter of +whom now Secretary to the Count d'Artois, instituted a close +examination of the whole fabric." p. 5-6. I hope there are not +many such conclusions to be found in the magnificent and +meritorious productions of LABORDE.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_172"></A><A href="#fnref_172">172</A> This fair +lasts full fifteen days. The first eight days are devoted to +business of a more important nature--which they call the GREAT +WEEK: that is to say, the greatest number of merchants attend +during the earlier part of it; and contracts of greater extent +necessarily take place. The remaining seven days are called the +LITTLE WEEK--in which they make arrangements to carry their +previous bargains into effect, and to return home. Men and +merchandise, from all quarters, and of all descriptions, are to be +seen at this fair. Even Holland and Germany are not wanting in +sending their commercial representatives. Jewellery and grocery +seem to be the chief articles of commerce; but there is a +prodigious display of silk, linen, and cotton, &c.: as well as +of hides, raw and tanned; porcelaine and earthen ware. The live +cattle market must not be forgotten. Langevin says that, of horses +alone, they sometimes sell full four thousand. Thus much for the +buyer and seller. But this fair is regularly enlivened by an +immense confluence of nobility and gentry from the adjacent +country--to partake of the amusements, which, (as with the +English,) form the invariable appendages of the scene. Langevin +mentions the minor fairs of <EM>Ste. Croix, St. Michel</EM>, and +<EM>St. Gervais</EM>, which help to bring wealth into the pockets +of the inhabitants. <EM>Recherches Historiques sur Falaise</EM>; p. +199, &c.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_173"></A><A href="#fnref_173">173</A> [Since the +publication of this Tour, the amiable Mons. Langevin has published +"additions" to his historical account of Falaise; and in +those additions, he has been pleased to notice the account which is +HERE given of his labours and character. It would be bad--at least +hardly justifiable--taste, to quote that notice: yet I cannot +dissemble the satisfaction to find that there is <EM>more</EM> than +ONE sympathising heart in Normandy, which appreciates this record +of its excellence. I subjoin, therefore, with the greatest +satisfaction, a fac-simile of the autograph of this amiable and +learned man, as it appears written (at my request) in the +title-page of a copy of his "Researches."</P> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:50%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/391.png" alt="Autograph"></DIV> + +<P><A name="fn_174"></A><A href="#fnref_174">174</A> [The above was +written in 1818-19. Now, what would be said by a foreigner, of his +first drive from Westminster Bridge, through Regent Street to the +stupendous Pantheon facing the termination of Portland Place?]</P> + +<P><A name="fn_175"></A><A href="#fnref_175">175</A> At this point, +the labours of Mons. LICQUET, as my translator, cease; and I will +let him take leave of his task of translation in his own words. +"Ici se termine la tache qui m'a été confiée. Après avoir +réfuté franchement tout ce qui m'a semblé digne de lêtre, je +crois devoir déclarer, en finissant, que mes observations n'ont +jamais eu <EM>la personne</EM> pour objet. Je reste persuadé, +d'ailleurs, que le coeur de M.D. est tout-à-fait innocent des +écarts de son esprit. Si l'on peut le condamner pour le fait, +il faudra toujours l'absoudre pour l'intention...." +The <EM>concluding</EM>-sentence need not be copied: it is bad +taste to re- echo the notices of one's own good qualities.</P> + +<P>My Norman translator at least takes leave of me with the grace +of a gentleman: although his thrusts have been occasionally direct +and severely intended. The foil which he has used has not always +had the button covered. The candid reader will, however, judge how +these thrusts have been parried; and if the "hits" on the +part of my adversary, have been sometimes "palpable," +those of the original author will not (it is presumed) be deemed +feeble or unimpressive. After all, the sum total of +"Errata" scarcely includes THREE of <EM>substantial +moment</EM>: and wishing Mons Licquet "a very good day," +I desire nothing better than to renew our critical coqueting on the +floor of that Library of which he is the "Bibliothècaire en +Chef."</P> + +<P><A name="fn_176"></A><A href="#fnref_176">176</A> +"<EM>Description de la, Statue Fruste, en Bronze Doré, trouvée +a Lillebonne &c. Suivie de l'Analyse du Métal, avec le +dessein de la Statue, et les Tracés de quelques particularités +relatives à la Confection de cette Antique." Rouen,</EM> 1823. +pp. 56.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_177"></A><A href="#fnref_177">177</A> Other details +induce me to fix the period of its completion towards the end of +the second century: and after the unheard of difficulties which the +artist had to overcome, one would scarcely be believed if one said +that every thing is executed in a high state of perfection." +p. 34.</P> + +<P><A name="fn_178"></A><A href="#fnref_178">178</A> In the page +referred to, I have conjectured it to be printed by Ulric Han-or +Reisinger. To these names I add the above.</P> +</DIV> + +<DIV class="figcenter" style="width:30%;"><IMG width="100%" src= +"images/472.png" alt="Logo"></DIV> + +<P class="letter">PRINTED BY WILLIAM NICOL, AT THE<BR> +<STRONG>Shakspeare Press</STRONG>.</P> + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and +Picturesque Tour in France and Germany, Volume One, by Thomas Frognall Dibdin + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TOUR IN FRANCE AND GERMANY *** + +***** This file should be named 16224-h.htm or 16224-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/6/2/2/16224/ + +Produced by Robert Connal, Paul Ereaut and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net, from +images generously made available by gallica (Bibliothèque +nationale de France) at http://gallica.bnf.fr. + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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