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)
A
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL
Slnttquattan
AND
PICTURESQUE TOUR
IN
FRANCE AND GERMANY.
BY THE REV.
THO. FROGNALL DIBDIN, F.R.S. S.A. VOLUME I.
DEI OMNIA PLENA.
LONDON:
PSIKTED FOa THE AUTHOR, BY W. BULMER AND W. XI< OL,
AND SOLD BY PAYNE AND F088, LONGMAN, HURST AND CO. J. AND A. ARCH^ R. H. EVANS, R. TRIPHOOK, AND JOHN MAJOft.
1821.
TO THE
PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS
OF THE
THESE VOLUMES
ARE RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR.
N appearing before the Public for the first time in the charac- ter of a Traveller, I am naturally desirous, like most candidates for fame in a similar situation, of throwing myself upon the liberality of those whom I address.
Since the establishment of peace upon the Con- tinent, the English have eagerly yielded to their well-known ardour and curiosity, in visiting those countries, firom which, by a long and apparently interminable state of warfare, they had been pre- viously excluded. In consequence, the wealth of Great Britain has been plentifiiUy scattered upon VOL. I. b
ii
PREFACE.
the soils of Italy, France, and Gennany ; and we have been fevoured, in return, with many valuable publications, in which the character, antiquities, or peculiarities, of the countries visited, have been described with ability and truth.
But, while one Traveller has confined his at- tention exclusively to Antiquities ; and another, with the same exclusive attention, to the produce and properties of soil; while a third has travelled for the purposes of political economy — a fourth as a statistical, and a fifth as apicturesqtie, tourist; there have been few or none who have favoured us with an account of the treasures of the Libraries, or of the general literary character; of those people with whom they have associated. For the first time, therefore, the Public will here find some attempt to gratify them in this important branch of information.
Not that I can boast of having done much, beyond exciting the curiosity of the more en- terprising to make further researches, and to impart more valuable information : yet I would fain believe that, in a Tour which professes to be " BIBLIOGRAPHICAL," as wcU as "antiquarian and picturesque," there have been some suc- cessful attempts to inform the lovers of literature.
PREFACE.
and the collectors of books, of the various and almost inexhaustible sources of information which the Libraries of foreign countries contain. And perhaps it may be here worth remarking, that there are few pursuits, more gratifying" to foreigners, or more likely to lead to useful results, than those comiected with the object firnt specified in the title-page of this work. In the furtherance of such object, I am wilhng to hope that, as, on the one hand, I have always found the friendliest dis- position to assist my researches, so, on the other, there has been no backwardness in a grateful ac- knowledgment of favours conferred. Where so many have contributed their kind offices, it would be invidious to mention some names in exclu- sion of others ; and a register of the whole would occupy too large a portion of these prefetory remarks. But it is here the less necessary, as the names and the services of the persons alluded to will be found recorded in the body of the work.
It will therefore be for the reader to determine in what manner I have done justice to the " rich and rare" volumes, in manuscript and print, which have been imreservedly submitted to my inspec- tion. My object has been to select, and bear away, many of the curious, splendid, and interest-
iv
PREFACE.
ing specimens of art, of the lriK>Ctitfni0/*' con- jtdiiiLed ia these volumes ; and ^rhich, till their pre- jieiit appearance, were probably scarcely known — even to their possessors. If, by means of the beautiful embellishments selected from such vo- lumes— and especially from those in the royal libraries of Paris and Vienna* — may be said tp have thrown a few flowers upon the otherwise unalluring path of Bibliography^ I shall never .consider my time mis-spent, nor the expenses, attendant on my labours, misappUed. I am, how- ever, abundantly persuaded that very much, of the same character, yet remains to be accompUshed ; which, should the present attempt be crowned with success, may possibly stimulate other travel- lers tp more prosperous undertakings. For myself, the present is both ajirst and final effort.
* The reader will be pleased to examine the pages, in the y^cxind and third volumes, under the above running titles; in iv)v(ch he will disoover, together with several okiginal portraits, (}\ere published for the first time) a great many beautiful spe- cimens of art which have been hid for centuries from general knowledge. The series of wood cuts, illustrative of the block-books pr^ry^ at Mvxich, form striking contrasts to the more de- licate specim^ of art" just alluded to. But such rude repl-c- sentations are not without their use — even if they be considered only as a supplement to Heineken^s Idte GerUrale (Tune Collection Completie'^es Estampes.
FREFAGE.
V
^..ABiicaaQdittfttliispiiimdt, has been the desiM^ pwaMfling the makradb of Instnictionyot (>f Amu^ mexkU common to: the lower orders^ ^ tihe' p^dple iHiere I have resided. These miauuals are m verse and in prose ; and I haTte endeavotirdd both to diversify and enHven the foUbvnng pages, by tibe introduction of specimens or extracts fitmi dmnr^'-^pecially throughout the account of the tour in Normandy. Whether in Ihe unpi;'enije- ditated BaUad^ or the systematic Cdteehvimf^\t will be 'Observed that the genius and charactel^ of the people are yet the same. There will be f5rei- quently found, in either composition, the s^e peculiarity of custom, the same naivete 6f expries- fflon, and the same felicity of reply. Whether the BUnual be moral or religious— and whether the song treat of chivalry or of love —it generally jiitr- takes of that spirit and raciness which defies trans- fusion into a different language. In the notes, will be found accounts of, and extracts from, rare and Gwrious pieces, which may reward the toil of dili- gent perusal.
So much in explanation of the bibliographical ol]gects in this Tour. The second object, as the
•Sec Vol. i. pp. 133— 6: 138—146: 224; 316—321: 435— 444: Vol. iL pp. 3: 23: 48—52: 54: &c.
vi PR£FAC£.
title-page announces, is antiquarian; or con- nected with the Antiquities of the several places visited. These antiquities have been principally architectural^ with the exception of such as are in- dicated chiefly in the second volume,* Of those, which are distinctly architectural, the views of the Cathedral and the Rm du Bac, at Rouen ; of the Church of St. Pierre and of the Abbey of St. StepJieny at Caen ; of the Cathedrals of Coutances, Strasbourg, UJm, and Vienna ; of the churches of St. Mary and St. James, at Nuremberg — ^together with the monasteries of Molk and Gottwic, and por- tions of the crypt at Freysing, and the church of the Monastery of St. James, at Ratisbon — ^as well as the old Palace or Castle at Heidelberg — may alone be considered sufficient to establish the propriety of the second epithet in the title-page of this work. But there are other decorations, smaller in size, yet not less briUiant in execution, which may be equally classed in the same department.*!' It remains to notice the portion of the work
* This exception refers more particularly to the Plates from page 491 to p. 500.
f Of these smaller antiquarian decorations, the Castle of Argues^ near Dieppe ; the remains (vfthc old castle xoalls^ the basso-relievo of the Champ de Drap (tOr, and the figures upon the monuments of Cardinal Amboise, and the Senesclud de Bre^e, at Rouen ; the
PREFACE.
which is denominated picturesque ; and of which some of the embellishments necessarily par** take of the antiquarian character. The View of Rouen, on the road to Havre ; of Cofudebec ; of Montmorenci Castle, at Tancarville ; of Falaise Castle ; of the Boulevards at Paris ; of the Old Gateway and New Gateway, at Nancy; of the Market Place and H6tel de ViUe at Stuttgart; of the Citadel of Salzburg; of Albert Durer's Street, hi Nuremberg ; and the Halt of Pilgrims to Gotttoic Monastery to say nothing of minor views, of the same character, may iairiy en* tide me to this popular epithet ; even at a time when almost every bookseller's shop is teem- ing with publications professing to be similar views of countries abroad and at home. I will not enter upon the invidious task of comparing these, with others which are just now claiming the attention of the public ; but it is equally my duty and inclination to affirm, that the beauty
old lumses at Caen ; the fac-similes of the Bayeux Tapestry^ (of which the larger plate is perfectly unrivalled,) at Bayeux ; the Castle at Viee ; the Castle and supposed head of WiUiam the Conqueror, at Falaise ; the dd buildings, and cathedral oma^ ments, at Steasboubg — together witli the illustrations, of a similar kind, at Ratisbon and Nueembebg, are among the principal . . which claim the peculiar attention of the reader.
Tiii
PREFACE.
ef the views in this work; is at least equalled by Hkek ^fidelity.
rit is therefore but a necessary consequence of the foregoing prraiises^ to introduce the nione of the A&TisT, to whom, after all, these pages are probably indebted for their chief source of attrac* tion. Mr^ George Lewis, who accompanied me, has here given such proofs of a varied and happy talent, that I hardly know ( absit invidia" ) where to look for a union of such attainments in any other Uving Artist. When I say this, I am not unmindful of the superior claims of merit, in a knowledge of architectural perspective and an* tiquities, which distinguish the efforts of Coney, Mackenzie, Blore, Nash, Wild, and Cot- man* — ^names, which are equally a glory to the
* Of the above artists, two only have ventured to exercise their {^dls upon the shores of Normandy. Mr. Cotman is first in the cmder of time. His work will be found occasionally referred to, in the first volume of these pages. They are entitled Anglo- NoEMAN Antiquities ; of which four parts (in folio) have al- ready appeared. This publication consists entirely of architec- tural and antiquarian views, with a slender portion of text, without Ihei^ry pretensions ; and these views are both drawn and engraved by the author. They are thoroughly artist-like ; without minute finish or marking of the parts, or much breadth of shadow : and they reflect very great credit upon the talents of their author. Some- thing in the shape of a rival publication has recently appeared in France, under the title of Mommens NormandSy by J olimens : ac-
PRSFACB.
ix
9itaaiid tp the age. But the Nader will cast his eye upon the views included in the ANTiQUARiADr department of this wod:, and he will perceive that Mr. Lewis is nearly as powerfid in the de^ lineati«n of Gothic remains^ as of picturesque ap- pearanoes of nature^ and of national character in groups of the common people. It was 4ue to talents of this descripticni, and more especially was it due to a Uberal public, that the copies from sudi a pmeil should be worthy of the originals ; and I am willing to hope that, as no expanse has been spared, and no pains and exertions have been withheld, the engravings in these volumes may$ upon the whole, be considered a s{dendid and permanent monument of the progress of B&iTistt Art. - . . ■
oMnpamed by letter-press, in folio. The plates are lithognq)hical — but they are what artists call woolly and feeble.'*' Nevertheless, they occasionally exhibit architectural relics which are dear to the cu- rious eye of an Antiquary. The performances of Mr. Mackenzie are of a class quite different to either of the foregoing. They are minute, elaborate, and highly finished drawings, chiefly of the Ca- THBDRAL Aktiqoitibs of France - with the figures supplied by the pencil of a very able native artist, M. L akglois. It is hardly possible to say too much in commendation of these exquisite, and really matchless, productions; and when the public learn that they will be made acquainted with them through the burins of the two Lb Keuxs . . . they will have only to look forward to a gratification, which, of its kind, cannot possibly be exceeded.
PREFACE.
Reverting to the Text^and being desirous of detaining the reader as short a time as possible— it may be necessary, in the first place, to state, that these Letters must be understood as having been written abroad; and that the Notes are necessarily the result of subsequent intelligence, since the author's retum to England. In the second place, it may be permitted me to re- mark, that, of the countries here described^ Nor- mandy (although in France) may be considered a distinct and peculiar country ; and in a great measure new to British readers. Since the ap- pearance of DucareVs very pompous but very im- perfect work upon Anglo-Norman Antiquities,* there has been, with some few recent exceptions,"!" scarcely any thing deserving of the careful perusal
* It was published in 1768, in a thin folio volume, with a good number of plates ; which latter are remarkable only for . . . their general infidelity, and want of the most ordinary artist^like talent.
some Jew recent eaceptionsyl The principal of these " excep- tions,^ is the work of my friend Mr. Dawson Turner, under the tide of Some Account of a Tour in Normandy^ S^c. published by J. and A. Arch, in 1820, in two octavo volumes, in a manner equally Czeditable to the author, the artists, and the printer. I hardly know flo el^ant a specimen of a Provincial Press. But tliis is only a secondary merit ; the style is that of a lettered gentleman, and the researches and opinions, which the work developes, are those of a sober and sensible antiquary. The copper-plate embellishments
PREFACE.
xi
of an English aBtiquary . . respecting a country^ from which our Kings, and a great portion of our Nobility, have sprung — ^and in which many of the churches and castles are supposed to have been erected either by English money or by English hands. Nor is the fertility of its soil, and beauty of its landscape, (which latter har- monises so perfectly with its objects of art) less deserving of the admiration of the traveller:
are entirely by female hands . . the dearest to the author which could have been employed . . and if they are sometimes slight, or sometimes incomplete, they are generally delicate and faithful, and rarely fail to arrest attention and receive applause. Mr. Turner was earlier in the Norman field than myself ; but it has been gratifying to me to observe, that, without any previous or subsequent communication, we have formed many similar opinions respecting the same objects of art and antiquity. We have, also, without the least previous knowledge, devoted pretty nearly the same number of pages to the same countries described. In our respective performances, however, some places will be found to have been visited by one traveller, which the other omitted to see : and vice versa. Upon the whole, Mr. Turner's performance is a valu- able addition to our stock of knowledge respecting the architec- tural Antiquities of Nobmandy. A yet more recent publica- tion upon Normandy is that of Mrs. Stothabd, under the title of " Letters mritten durinff a Tour tlirough Normandy y Brittany^ and other Parts ofFrancey in the year 1818 ; published by Messrs. Longman and Co. in 1820, 4 to. This work appears to treat more fully of Brittany than of Normandy ; but I have as yet had no opportunity of examining its contents. The platesy for the sake of the name and reputation of Mr. Stotha&d, should have been elsewhere.
YfkS^, hkj tiiQ)ito8(aime > of the «Kyitalhoti'^^ ii|^,fi!eq«en%fcbsc^ those' oh&nukeriili^di^ of a ^le^j^foA^ ynA which our antiquaiiah ^ei^ have be^ £iiDUiar in ths illuminated pages of the fifteenth century. r , .
.,The first volume of this work, together with a sw^U : portion of the second, is exclusively devoted tQ Nonnimdy. The treasures of the Public LiBBJLRiES OF Paris fiimish the chief materials of the second volume ; and a portion of the third still belongs to France. In consequence, the account of Germany is confined within narrower limits than was originally intended : yet I am wil- ling to hope that it will appear that the biblio- graphical and architectural antiquities of
* ihe costume of the common people.] — The smaller plates (en- gratred with so much talent by the several artists whose names are attached to them) will fully justify the truth of the above remark. These pistes abound more frequently in the first volume; as in the groups at Dieppe, Rouen, Caen, and St, Lo, — Normandy being a country fertile in the exhibition of ancient and curious costume. But they are also seen at Paris, (vol. ii. p. 499.) Stras- bourg, (vol. iii. p. 82.) and Munich (vol. iii. p. 255.) In respect to the larger subjects — such as the Fille de Chambre at Dieppe, at Caen, and at Nuremberg — it should be observed that these are re- {Hi-esented with great attention to truth ; and perfectly divested of that theatrical and artificial air given to similar subjects by French Artists. They also serve to prove, that the high caps and stiff garments, which have delighted the curious Antiquary in andent Sluminations, are yet fiur from being ideal ornaments.
that, Jiug^^XwilMiW^s;^^ not been
iiegle9jl;^.. ,ijk^^ fanner department, the librti- rie^.pf Mu^jRa^adViBHiTA afford inexhanstiUe su}]jject^ of s«leqtiaii and' admiration ; and to have seen the celebrated purple MS. of a portion of the J^o^k ^ G^m^^rradomed with the art of the ffiurtb centuryr-'has, alone, almost requited the toil^^nd pains of a journey of no very ordinary ex- tepit* In the department of architectural anti- guitifs, the cities of. Ratisbon and Nuremberg ar^ of themselves, sufficient to supply the most curious and interesting details for a work of at lefust half the extent of the present.
One word more, and I have done. Whatever may have been the objects of other travellers, or the feelings with which those objects have been viewed by them — whether as connected with
* purple MS. of a portion of the book of Genesis.] This MS. I apprehend to be the oldest extant. It has been before des- cribe (on the exclusive authority of Lambecius) in the Bibliogra^ jhicaiJ)ecameronj voL L p. xliii.— iv. Once, for all, let me be here allowed to say» that, whenever that work and the Bibliotheca Sper^ ceriana have been quoted, in the following pages, it has been only whex^ they were conceived to afiPord the best information, within the au^qr^ knowledge, upon the subject treated of. I would cheers fulfy wave the rigjbit, which every man possesses, of doing what he plcpaies witH his qmyi property, if I thought the imputation of e^oHUm could be justly said to apply to sudi self-reference.
xiv
PREFACE.
art or with society — I have never ceased to bear in mind, that an attachment to the laws and liberties of one*s oum comitry, could never be in- creased by a systematic disparagement of those of others: that civilities and kindnesses conferred, called for grateful returns ; and that the senti- ments which possessed me, at an early period of my continental visit,* have never ceased to operate till the moment of my return. This confession implies neither unqualified praise, nor unqualified censure, of the manners and customs of the coun- tries visited. It neither checks fi*eedom of thought, nor truth of observation — ^but least of all does it betray a fiixed and malign disposition to disown the soil of one's birth, to forget the country which has yielded protection to our persons and pro- perties, and to traduce those laws which have long rendered her the envy and admiration of the world. If, on the one hand, I may say with a wri- ter,-!* when speaking of the character of France — Gens, humanitate in exteros, benevolentia in eru- ditos, et facili in omnes comitate, pr^e aliis in- siGNis " — I trust, on the other hand, that I may be
• See vol. i. 183, 4.
f Buckley ; in his dedication of the edition of De Thau's Histaria Temporia to Dr. Mead.
PREFACE. XV
permitted to conclude, in the words of a much higher authority,* — I suppose that, wherever mention is made of countries, manners, or men, the English People, among the first that shall be praised, may deserve to be accounted a right pious, right honest, and right hardy nation/'
Thomas Frognall Dibdin.
P. S. I had forgotten to state, that the references, in some of the notes, to the -/Edes Althorpian^ must, till the publication of that work — towards the close of the year — be considered as premature. When these volumes were put to press, it was imaged that they would have been preceded by the work in question. The unavoidable cause of the delay of that work, is sufficiently known to the public.
♦ Milton:— irorfo, vol. i. p. 217 : fd. edit. I698
CONTENTS.
VOL. I.
C
CONTENTS.
VOLUME I. Letter I.
Passage to Dieppe^ - - - - p. 1 Letter II.
Dieppe. Fisheries. Streets. Churches of St. Jacques and St. Remi. Divine fForship. Military Mass, 9
Letter III.
ViUage and Cattle of Argues. Sabbath Amusements. Manners and Customs. Boulevards, - - 26
Letter IV.
Rouen. Approach. Boulevards. Population. Street- Scenery, - - - - 36
Letter V.
Ecclesiastical Architecture. The Cathedral. Monu^ ments. Religious Ceremonies. The Abbey of St. Ouen. The Churches of St. Maclou, St. Fincent, St. Vivian, St. Gervais, and St. Paul, - - 47
Letter VI.
Halles de Commerce. Place de la Pucelle d^ Orleans i (Jeanne d!Arc). Basso-Relievo of the Champ de Drap d^Or. Palace and Courts of Justice, 89
XX
CONTENTS.
Letter VII.
Rouen. The Quays. Bridge of Boats. Rue du Bac. Rue de Rohec. Eatuc de Robec et d^Auhette. Mont Ste. Catherine. Hospices — Ginirale et d^ Humanity,
108
Letter VIII.
Early Typography at Rouen. Modem printed Chap Books. Booksellers. Book Collectors^ - 123
Letter IX.
The Public Library. Account of some of the more curious and rare MSS. and Printed Books, 161
Letter X.
Departure from Rouen. St. Georges de Bocherville. Duclair. Marivaux. The Abbey of Jumiegts. Ar- rival at CaudebeCj - 185
Letter XI.
Caudebec. Lillebonne. Bolbec. Tankarville. Mont- morend Castle. Havre de Grace, - 208
Letter XII.
Havre de Grace. Honfieur. Journey to Caen, 242
Letter XIII.
Caen. Soil. Society. Education. A duel. Old houses. The Abbey of St. Stephen. Church of St. Pierre de Darnetal. Abbaye de la Sainte Trinity. Other Public Edifices, - - 261
CONTENTS.
xxi
Letter XIV.
Caen. Literary Society. Abhi de la Rue. Messrs. Pierre AimS Lair and Lamouroux. Medal of MaL- herbe. Booksellers. The Public Library. Memoir of the late M. Moysant, public Librarian. Manu^ scripts and printed Books. Protestant Place of tVorship. Courts of Justice, - - 308
Letter XV.
Bayeux. Cathedral. Ordination of Priests and Dea- cons.^ Crypt of the Cathedral. A Mysterious Inter- view, - - - - 345
Letter XVI.
Bayeux. Fisit near St. Loup. M. Pluquet, Apo* thecary and Book Fendor. Visit to the Bishop. The Chapter Library. Description of the Bayeux Tapes- try, with Facsimiles. Trade and Manufactures, 359
Letter XVIL
Bayeux to Coutances. St. Lo. Adventure at St. Gilles. CouTANCES. The Cathedral, Environs. Aqueduct. Market-day. Public Library. Establishment for the Clergy, - - - - 392
Letter XVIIL
Journey to Granville. Granville, Ulle Dieu, St. Sever. Town and Castle o/'Vire, - 415
Letter XIX.
Vire. Bibliography. Monsieur Adam. Monsieur de la Renaudiere. Olivier Basselin. M, Sdguin. The Public Library^ - - • - 428
xxii
CONTENTS.
VOLUME II.
Letter XX.
Departure from Fire. Condi. Pont Ouilly. Arrival at Falaise. Hotel of the Grand Turc. The Castle of Falaise. Bibliomaniacal Interview , - p.\
Letter XXI.
Mans. Mouton. Church of Ste. Trinitd. Comte de la Fresnaye. Guibray Church. Supposed head of William the Conqueror. M. Langevin, Historian of Falaise. Printing Offices, - - 21
Letter XXII.
A Sabbath at Falaise. Departure. Journey to Paris. Dreux. Houdan. Versailles. Entrance into Paris, 58
Letter XXIII.
Paris. The Boulevards. Public Buildings. Street- Scenery. Churches, Sgc. Musee des Monumens Francois. Fountains, - - - 76
Letter XXIV.
General Description of the Bibliothique du Roi. The Librarians, - - . - 122
Letter XXV. Account of Illuminated MSS. in the Royal Library, 155
Letter XXVI. The same subject continued.
204
CONTENTS.
Letter XXVII. Paris. Account of some of the early printed and rare
BooJcs, in the Royal Library y - - 246
Letter XXVIII. Conclusion of the Account of the Royal Library. The Library of the Arsenal^ - - 300
Letter XXIX.
Library of Ste. Genevieve. The AbbS Mercier St. Leger. Library of the Mazarine College, or Instil tute. Private Library of the King. Mons. Barbier, Librarian, - - - 342
Letter XXX.
Some Account of the late Abbd Rive. Booksellers. Printers. Book Binders, - - 381
Letter XXXI. Men of Letters. Dom Brial. The Abbi B^tencourt. Messrs. Gail^ Millin, and Langles. A Roxburghe Banquet, - . - - 423
Letter XXXII.
The Collections of Mons. Denon, M. Quintin Craufurd, and the Marquis de Sommariva, - 453
Letter XXXIII.
Notice of M. Willemins Monumens Francais in^dits. Miscellaneous Antiquities. Present State of the Fine Arts. General Observations on the National Cha- racter, - - . . 491
Letter XXXIV.
Journey from Paris to Strasbourg. Nancy, 521
xxiv CONTENTS.
VOLUME m.
Letter XXXV. Strasbourg. Establiskmentof the Protestant Religion. The Cathedral. Other Ecclesiastical Buildings. The Public Library J - - - P-^
Letter XXXVL Society. Environs of Strasbourg. Domestic Archi- tecture. Manners and Customs. Free Masonry. Literature. Language, . - 74
Letter XXXVII. Strasbourg to Stuttgart. Baden. The Elder Schweig- hasuser. Stuttgart. The Faustus of Goethe, 101
Letter XXXVIII.
Stuttgart. The Public Library. The Royal Library ,
131
Letter XXXIX. The Royal Palace. A Bibliographical Negotiation. Dannecker the Sculptor. Environs of Stuttgart,
166
Letter XL.
Departure Jrom Stuttgart. Ulm. Augsbourg. The Picture Gallery at Augsbourg^ - - 180
Letter XLI.
Augsbourg. Civil and Ecclesiastical Architecture. Population. Trade. The Public Library, 218
CONTENTS.
XXV
Letter XLII.
Munich. Churches. Royal Palace. Picture Gallery. The Public Library, - - 238
Letter XLIII.
JPurther Book- Acquisitions. Society. The Arts. Lithography, - 299
Letter XLIV.
Freysing. Landshut. Altoting. Salzburg. The Mo- nastery of St. Peter, - - - 322
Letter XLV.
Salzburg to Chremsminster. The Lake Gmunden. The Monastery of Chremsminster. Lintz, 360
Letter XL VI.
The Monasteries of St. Florian, Molk^ and Gottwic,
386
Letter XLVIL
Vienna. The Imperial Library. Account of IHumi- nated MSS. and early printed Books^ - 446
Letter XLVIIL*
Population. Streets and Fountains. Churches. Con- vents. Palaces. Theatres. The Prater. The Em~ peror^s Private Library. Collection of Duke AU bert. The Ramparts. Suburbs. Monastery of Clostemeuburg. Capuchin Monastery in the Sub- urbs. Departure from Vienna, - - 535
SUPPLEMENT. Ratisbon, Nuremberg, Manheim - - i — Ixii * This is numbered^ erroneously, XLIX.
PLATES WITHOUT TEXT.
VOL. I.
To hce page
Crucifix at Dieppe • ... 7
Fille de Chambre^ Dieppe - - - 32
South transept of Rouen Cathedral - • 50
Rue du Bac, Rouen - - - - 1 12
View of Rouen^ on the road to Havre - - 188
Caudebec, the Heights .... ^Qg
Montmorenci Castle^ Tancarville - . - 234
FUle de Chambre^ Caen . . . . 268
View of the Abbey of St. Stephen, Ditto - - ^82
Church of St. Pierre de Dametal, Ditto ... ^97
Portrait of Harold, from the Bayeux Tapestry - 378
Aqueduct and Cathedral of Coutances ... 4^9
Market-Place and Fountain, Vire . . 421
VOL. II.
Falaise Castle, Normandy - - - 10
Boulevards Italiens, Paris - - - - 77
John, King of France from a coeval painting - - 140
Figure from an ancient Ivory Diptych of the Vlth Century (No. 1.) 146 Figure of Christ, on ancient Brass Bookbinding - (No. 2.) 146 Soldiers sleeping near the Sepulchre of, from the same (No. 3.) 146 Charles the Bald, from a Latin Bible of the IXth Century 162 TheEmperorLotharius,from a MS. ofthe Gospels of the same period 164 Louisa of Savoy, Mother of Francis I. from a coeval MS. - 187 Ann of Britanny, from a similar MS. - - 190
Louis the Twelfth, from a similar MS. - - 215
John, Duke of Britanny, from a similar MS. - - 225
Figure of Christ, (folded) fiiom the Prayer Book of Charlemagne 373 Portraitof A. A. Barbier ... 376
LIST OF PLATES.
To face page
Portrait of Mons. Chardin^ Bookseller - - 400
Portrait of Dom Brial - 428
PiBani, the Medallist .... 458
The Knife and Case of Diane de Poictiers - - 493
Faience Plate, from B. Palessi ... 494
Statues in the grand Porch of the Cathedral at Chartres - 494
Wood Cut of St. Bemardinus - - - - 515
Portrait of the late A. B. Millin - - 524
Old Gate, Nancy - - (No. 1) 538
New Gate, Nancy - - - (No. 2) 538
VOL. III.
Front View of Strasbouig Cathedral - - 12
Suburbs of Strasbourg - . - . 53
Portrait of J. Schweighsuser, Sen. - - 1 lo
Crucifix at Stuttgart - - - - 1 18
Hotel de Ville and Market-Place at Stuttgart - - 136
Representation of the Trinity, from an illuminated MS. of the
Xllth Century, in the King*s private library at Stuttgart 159
Ulm Cathedral - ... 191
Folded Cut of four Female Figures, from an ancient wooden block
at Augsbourg .... 234-5
Gaspard Hitter, a Bookbinder of the sixteenth century - 274
Wood Cut of St. Christopher, at Munich - - 277
Fac-simile of a Dead Christ, copper- plate of, of the date of 1462 278 Fac-simile of a copper-plate Engraving of a Salvator Mundi, with
the Initials £. S. as the Engraver - - - ibid.
Wood Cut from an old Dance of Death - - 279
Wood Cut of the Resurrection - - 284
Wood Cut, — from the Life of St. Meinart - - 285
Another — from ditto - - - ibid.
Pillars in the Crypt at Freysing ... S26
Citadel, Salzburg ... 347
Monastery at Molk, in Austria ... 4og
Berthold Dietmayr, Restorer of the Monastery at Ditto - 415
Halt of Pilgrims in the road to Gottwic Monastery - - 422
Portrait of J. Adam de Bartsch ... 443
Interior of the Imperial Library at Vienna - - 454
LIST OF PLATES.
To (ace page
Jaosimile^ from the purple MS. of the Pentateuch, Sec. IV., in
the same library .... 459
St. Jerom, from an Ivory Diptych in Ditto . - 460
The Emperor Wenceslaus and his Queen, from a coeval MS. Bible 462
Fac- simile from the same ... 463
Saint Catherine - - . . 4^ Saint Agnes ... .
Sidnt Margaret ... n^d,
Leopold de Sempach .... 475
Song, from an old MS. of Sir Tristan - - 476
Fac-simile from the Breviaire d* Amour MS. of the Xlllth Century 479 Fac-simile of the Autograph of Tasso's Gerusalemme Conquistata 482 The Cathedral Church of St. Stephen, Vienna - - 548
Master and Apprentice, Architects of the same - - 554
SUPPLEMENT. Specimens of the Interior of the Monastery of St. James, Ra.
tiflbon - - . - xiii Portrait of Dr. Charles Arbuthnot, the late President of the same xiv
Portraits of De Murr and Panzer - - - xviii
Interior of the Church of St. Mary, Nuremberg - xxi
Interior of the Church of St. James, Ditto - - xxii
Albert Durer's Street and House - - xxviii Fac-similes of the Paintings and Engravings of I. A. Klein,
of Nuremberg ... - xxicviii
Fille de Chambre, Nuremberg ... xliv
Heidelberg Palace, or Castle ... xlviii Unknown Portrait, from the Collection of M. Artaria, at
Manheim • • - - liv
PLATES WITH TEXT.
VOL- I.
Beach at Brigfaton - - . . • 1
Fish Market at Dieppe - - • - 17
Eoce Homo, and attendant Gioup« at Dieppe - - - 80
Market Women at Dieppe . • . - 25
CasUe and VQlage of Arques . • - - 99
Boulevards^ Rouen - - - - 44
Monumental Figure of Charity^ in the Cathedral of Rouen - 57
Ditto, of the Seneschal Brez6, in ditto - - 61
Confession in the Abbey of St. Ouen - - - 73
Basso-Relievo at Rouen .... ^qI
Lemonadier and Halle de Commerce at ditto - - 109
Castellated Remains - - - - 154
Rocks, and view of the Seine, Tancarville ... $34
Fteket Boat, from Havre to Honfleur - - 258
Group of Women, Caen - - - . 253
Old Houses at ditto - - - . 277
House of Malherbe, ditto - - 279
- Confession, in the Abbey-Church, at Caen - - 283
Medal of Malherbe - .... 312
Tapestry-roll, Bayeux . - - - - 377
Charlatan, at St Lo - - - - 394
Remains of Vire Castle ..... 425
VOL. 11.
Ancient appearance of Falaise Castle - - - 11
Capital of an Ancient Pillar in the Interior of . - - 12
Christ bearing his Cross at Guibray - - - 28
Supposed Head of William the Conqueror, Falaise - 34
Portrait of M Langevin, the Historian of Falaise - - 44 Remains of the Castle at Houdan ... 70
Ancient Games of the Circus, Ivory Diptych - - 1 47 Adoration of the Magi, from the Breviary of John Duke of Bedford 178 Chess Flay, from an illuminated MS. - - - 210
Portraitof the Abb^MerderSt. Leger - - 361
LIST OF PLATES.
Portrait of Go^jet^ the PVench BibUograpber - - 379
ZFortrait of the late Abbd Rive^ ditto ... 384
T^ortrait of the Baron Denoa ... 459
!Sook-binding pattern • • • • 495
Bust of Francis I. - - - . 495
Diane de Poictiers . - - - 497
Blancbisseuses^ Rue St. Jacques ... 499
VOL. III.
Old Convent^ at Strasbouig - • • . 4
Pignre of Clovis, on the exterior of the Cathedral at ditto -16
Group at Prayers — Interior of ditto - - 39
Old Houses — in the Town of ditto - - - 82
Portrait of Melancthon> in the Picture Gallery at Augsbouig 216
Vision of Pcregrinus> (whole length figure irradiated) - 222
niyricusj Pope and Martyr - - - . 223
Biarket Women at Munich - - 255
Portrait of John Mielich, the painter - - 275
Capital of a Pillar in the Crypt at Freysing - - 326
View from the Window of the Public Library at Landshut 333
figure of Michael Neander, the Friend of Budsus - - 353
Pilgrimage to the Monastery at Gdttwic - - 433 Esau returning from Hunting, from a MS. of the Pentateuch of
the IVth Century, - - ■ - 458 The Emperor Wenceslaus, and his Bathing Girls, fiiom a MS. Bible 463 Figures in a Boat, with Music, from an illuminated MS. - 468 Mary Magdalene, from an illuminated MS. - - 469 Group of Females at Prayers, in the Cathedral of Vienna - 55 1 Portrait of Charles the Bold, from an Illuminated MS. in the Em- peror of Austria's private Library - - - 591
SUPPLEMENT.
Portions of the Exterior of the Porch in the Monastery of St. James,
at Ratisbon - - - - x
Portion of the Castle Walls of Nuremberg, - - xvi
Portrait of a Female at Nuremberg . - xvii
A Hdrse, from an original design by M. Klein of Nuremberg xxxix
The Palace of Heidelbeig, ... xlviii
LETTER 1.
PASSAGE TO DIEPPE.
Dieppe, April 20, 1818.
At length then, my dear Friend, the long projected " Voyage bibliographique, antiquaire, et pittoresque/* has begun to be carried into execution ; and the
Voyageur" is safely landed upon the shores of Nor- mandy. When I think upon those pleasant strolls which we used occasionally to enjoy together upon the Downs, or on the Cliff, at Brighton — when I call to mind how you used to excite my curiosity, and inflkme my love of enterprise, by pointing to every accidental white sail which glimmered in the offing of that dreary expanse of sea ; — how you told me that the outward-bound vessel was carrying some adven- turous bibliographer to nm away with all the book- treasures along the shores of the Mediterranean, and that the inward-bound was freighted with such vo- lumes as Maittaire had never dreamt of, nor Panzer had seen— -and when you chided me for my scrupur
2
PASSAGE TO DIEPPE.
lous delays^ because I was unwilling to break away from Decameronic engagements, till the " Ten Days Pleasant Discourse" were fully and feirly before the public : — when, I say, " I do remember me of these things," and look back upon that said ocean which I have crossed, and upon the strange and grotesque objects by which I am here surrounded, I cannot but experience a combination of feelings and of thoughts which it were difficult to have anticipated, and which it is still more difficult to describe. Without further preface or prologue, therefore, I shall rush at once upon the subject-matter of discussion. In other ^ords, I shall transmit to you (as you have earnestly requested me to do) such periodical accounts of my " travels and adventures** as may be most Ukely to interest yourself and family. Grant me all your indulgent patience, and all your unqualified candour.
^ Vous voil^ done, Messieurs, k Dieppe!" — ex- elaimed the landlord (De La Rue) of the Grand H6tel d'Angleterre — as we made our way through a vociferating crowd of old and young, of both sexes, with cards of addresses in their hands, entreating us
to take up our abode at their respective hotels
But I know your love of method, and of minuteness of detail, and that you will be angry with me if I do not " b^gin at the beginning." Be it so then : and yet, what can you possibly expect in the description of that, whieh thousands, and perhaps tens of thousands, have done and said before me?
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
PASSAGE TO DIEPPE.
3
wind from the south-east was blowing pretty smartly at the time; but the sky was without a cloudy and I could not but look upon the brilliancy of every ex- ternal object as a fitvourable omen of the progress ^nd termination of my tour. The word of departure being given — ^in one minute not a particle of my little brick dwelling was to be seen: when^ commending its precious inhabitants to the especial care of Heaven till my return^ I tenk quietly backwards upon my seat^ and essayed to hold discourse with my companions. Those companions, as you well know^ were Mr. GEORiQB Lb WIS, and my Son. The former, an artist of singular m^t and amiable manners, was selected to accom- pany me throughout the whole of my journey for the purpose of taking views, or of making copies, of what might be deemed curious and precious in art.
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 there. We were to form the first ship*s company which had visited France this season. The passengers becoming clamorous as well as numerous, it was resolved that we should s^l on the Friday: when, the wind still blowing stiffly, with lowering clouds from the south-east — and the Ciq)tain still thinking his passengers out of their wits to desire to sail with such an almost directly adverse wind — we were launched upon the ocean in the jolly boat ; and approaching our gallant little packet, the Nancy commanded by Captain Blaber, the anchor
* This niiart Ihtk vessel^ consideTed to be tbe fastest aaifing packet {tern Dieppe, of about 70 toii9 burden, scarcely survived our voyage VOL. 1. B
4
PASSAGE TO DIEPPE.
was weighed^ and hoisting sail, we stood out to sea. The day began to improve upon us. The gloomy ap* pearances 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 . •
Vela dabant Iseti, et spumas salis sere ruebant.
As we were approaching the period of a full moon, about four o'clock that chaste orb became faintly visible in the opposite horizon ; and for some two or three hours our spirits continued buoyant, chiefly firom the extraordinary beauty of the day. What moments were these for the indulgence of gay hope, and ardent expectation ! It was to be my dehUt upon a foreign
eighteen months. Her end had nearly proved fatal to every soul oh board. In a dark night, in the month of September, when bound for Dieppe, she was struck by a heavy London brig. The crew were with difficulty saved — and the vessel went down within about twenty- five 'minutes after she had been struck.
In former times, it should seem that the voyage was usually under- taken from Rye, In the Memoirs of Sir Hugh Chohnley, Knt, and Bart, ]687> Part II. p. xxl. 4to. there is an interesting accoimt of a passage from ' Rye to Deep,' (in which Sir Hugh was a passenger), upon a very stormy night— in which above eighty sail ' were lost between the entrance of the river at Rye, and the mouth of the Thames.* Sir Hugh was driven back but in a week afterwards tried the same passage with success. He concludes by describing the sailors at Dieppe as a sort of very troublesome and exacting seamen, and with the stink of the worst tobacco in the world, added such suf- fering to those who being subject to sea-sickness, had endured enough a-board a bad vessel, and small cabin, that this addition be- came almost intcderable. Indeed it was scarce to be endured by such who used not to comidain of evils at sea I'
0
PASSAGE TO DIEPPE. 5
land ; and as I supposed we neared the French coasts I strmned my eyes to obtain an early glimpse of somer thifig in the shape of cliif or jettie. But the wind con- tinued more 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 upon the various tacks. Then it was that the pallid cheeky and heavy eye^ and dejected visage, became manifest : while^ to add to our wretchedness, the Captain told us that, on tacking from Beechey Head, it would be advisable for every one to go below — for that the wind would be blowing rather fresh." These " rathers," my good friend, sound gently enough from the mouth ; but are, in themselves, sometimes words of terrific import. In another sense^ we were to prepare for a strong breeze, or something like a stiff gale — although, wonderftil to say! the atmosphere continued cloudless.
It is a grand sight — that vast, and apparently inter- minable ocean I
maria undique et undique ccelum I
We now darted from Beechy Head upon a long tack for the French coast ; and as the sun declined, we found it most prudent to put our Captain's advice info 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 con^ sequence, drenched with the ^ briny wave,' the hardiest of our crew, who had, till then, ventured to linger upon deck. That crew was various ; and not without a few of the natives of those shores which We were
6
PASSAGE TO DIEPPE.
about to viidt. Tlieir gwety however contiaued undis- turbed, in spite of frequent and violent indispoMtion.
Dr. Johnson, I believe, preferred a prison to a ship — chiefly from the dread of fire. There are other causes from which a prefiarence may be given. These I will not enumerate. But to cut short my ship-narrative, suffice it only further to say, that, towards midnight, we heard our Ci^itain exclaim that he sal¥ the lights of Dieppe!** — a joyful sound to us miserable wretches below. There, however, we cimtinued to lie, tossing at anchor : it being impossible to enter the harbour till towards seven in the morning, owing to a want of sufficient water. But it was good news to find that we were safe, and beyond the reach of further ovmvhelming surges. I well remember, at this mo- ment, looking up towards the deck with a cheerless eye, and perceiving the light of the moon still linger- ing upon the mainnsail,— 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 I'ed night cap on, begirt with large blue, puck- ered, short petticoats, in possession of the helm — about to steer the vessel into harbour ! * " Here is the true weather-beaten French mariner,*' thought I to myself ; -^^d Mr. Lewis would have given his last English piece of money to have sketched the face and figure of this picturesque old pilot. But extreme indisposition confined him in his berth, among the most helpless of the passengers.
* The Englkh are not pennitted to bring their own vesflda into hariK>ur— for obvious resaons.
•
PASSAGE TO DIEPPE:
7
About seven we were all upon deck. The' sea was yet swoln and agitatec^ and of a dingy colour ; while
heavily with clouds came on the day,
as we slowly approached the outward harbour of DiBPPB. A grey morning, with drizzling nun, is not the best^ accompaniment of a first visit to a fordgn shore. Nevertheless, every thing was new, and strange, and striking; and the huge crucifix to the right, (of which a representation is conveyed in this despatch) did not fail to make a very forcible impression. It is, however, sufficiently tasteless ; having the negative merit only of being the largest in France. As we approached the inner harbour, the shipping and the buildings more distinctly presented themselves. What a scene (said I to my companion) for our Calcott ! The harbour is large, and the vessels are entirely mercantile, with a plentiful sprinkling of fishing smacks — ^but the manner in which the latter harmonised 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, — ail formed a most animated and inter^ting scene. The population seemed countless, and chiefly females ; whose high caps and enormous ear-rings, with the rest of thdr paraphernalia, half per- suaded us that, instead of being some few twenty-five leagues only from our own white cliffs, we bad in &ijct dropt upon the Antipodes ! It was a full hour before we got upon terra firma — sahited, and even assailed on all sides, with entreaties to come to certain hdtels. " Mais, Monsieur, Monsieur, par ici, par ici, — c'est ici oik vous serez charm6 de votre reception — vous serez
8
PASSAGE TO DIEPPE.
h votre aise chez'' — ^^C*e8t FHotel d'Angleterre qnentous eherehons (replied I.)** — A la bonne heure, (exclaimed a lively young man) — suivez, Monsieur, je vous prie T when^ upon entering the coffee-room of thie inn, the worthy De La Rue, the landlord, exclaimed (as I think I bdfore told you) " Vous voilk done. Messieurs, k ZKeppe-Hsoyez le bien venft !'* We declared ourselves well satisfied : and willing to forget the miseries of the voyage, sat down to eggs and coffee, resolving to be ia good humour with every thing around us.
9
LETTER II.
DIBPPB. VISHBRIBS. 8TRBBTS. CHURCHES OF ST. JACQUES AND ST. RBMY. DIVINE WORSHIP, MILI- TARY MASS.
The town of Dieppe* contains a population of about twenty-thousand souls. Of these^ by much the greater
* town of Dieppe,'] Dieppe owes its origin to the accidental asso- ciation of a few adyenturous fishermen. The rapid strides by which it rose from insignificancy to importance^ are not mariced in the annals of the historian : nor does its present population arise from those causes which hare rendered Brighton and Hastings so prosperous. No Frenchman thinks of settling at Dieppe without having commerdal olijects in view whereas^ in the i^es just mentioned* some hundreds of &milies yearly resort for the benefit of sea-air and sea-bathing. Hence, the crescent^ the colonnade^ and other stately architectural appendages^ are erected^ to invite residence and cause the diffusion of money. At Dieppe a very different order of things prevails. I shall translate an interesting passage from a French work published in 1795 J which gives a pretty good outline of the origin and ancient fish* eries of Dieppe : In its origin^ this town was only a miserable collec- tion of huts of fishermen^ who^ for the convenience of carrying on their trade^ united themselves at the embouchure of the Arques^ at the foot of the western cliffl At that time Dieppe was only a smaU bay, to which vessels resorted by favour of the tide': the whole of the ground^ in which the present port is excavated^ exhibiting nothing but a swamp inundated twice a day. By degrees Dieppe reared its head^ and the fishery, which may be called the agriculture of the sea, was the first foundation of its future grandeur.
As this town owed its origin to some obscure fishermen, so. has it owed its prosperity to the same useful class of men. The deeds and
10 DIEPPE.
stationary pait are females; arising from one-third at least of the males being constantly engaged in the fish- eries. As these fisheries form the main support of the
charters of the time make mention of a gnat nmnber of different sorts of fish which every day arrived at the port,— of which the prindpai species was the ha ring, and of which species the antiquity reaches to the year 1030 ; there was also the mackarel, mentioned in a number of title-deeds of the xiith century : to which must be added the cod, the whiting, the congre-eel, more abundant formerly than at present 3 le colUtan, a fish which has now entirely forsaken our rivers the thoru' hack, tumhe, sole, haddock, anon, salmon, turhot, roach, porpoite, sturgeon, &c. But of all these species, the herring was infinitely the most useful and important in every respect ; and not only were they sought in the Channel, but our vessels went in search of them to the northern seas, to Yarmouth even on the English coasts, and upon those of ScJionen in Sweden : they even brought away the herring from Escone, of which there is often mention made in the ordinances of the time. Afterwards they exported this fish, salted, to all the ports of the Medi- terranean ; and, for this purpose, made use of their own vessels, which were called druggers ; because, in return, they brought home from the sea-ports in the Levant, spices and drugs, such as wax, oil, honey, pepper, saffron, ginger, cinnamon, rosin, alum, woad, &c. and all the provisions of which mention is made in the tarifs of entry, by sea, at Dieppe, in the xiiith and xivth centuries." p. 105.
Consult the " Premier Essai sur le Dipartement de la Seine Infi- rieure, contenant les districts de Goumay, Neufchatel, Dieppe et Cany, Outrage topographique, historique et pittoresque, &c. par S. B. J. Noel, Redacteur du Journal de Rouen,"' 1795, an iii. 8vo. 3 a scarce work at the present moment. But the author would have shewn more judgment if he had spared a few imbecile flings at his opposite neighboiu^. My predecessor. Doctor Dugarkl, in his Anglo-Norman Antiquities, 1767, folio, p. 6, devotes about sixteen widely-spaced lines only, to his account of Dieppe ; subjoining, however, in a note, a copy of the original letters-patent of King Richard I. who granted the town to Walter^ Archbishop of Rouen, in exchange for Andely, which he annexed to the duchy of Normandy.
DIEPPE-
11
inhabitants, it i6 right that you should know something about them — and the recent appearance of Goube'% work upon Normandy, will better enable me to send you a tolerably correct account. " That which chiefly ^ves occupation to the Dieppe vessels, is the diffe- rent fisheries of the place — and especially the salted herring, mackarel, and cod. The herring 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 ton burthen each, with about fifteen men in each vessel, are usually employed. They ai*e 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 consider- ably preferable to those caught in October. The Octo- ber 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 later 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.
The mackarel fishery usually commences towards the month of July, along the coast of Picardy; be- cause, 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 burden, manned with from twelve to twenty men. There are however Dieppe boats em- ployed in this fishery which go as far as the Scilly
12
DIEPPE.
Iskmdfl and Uflhant^ towards the middle of April. Tbey cany 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 cod fishery 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 Newfound- land, are two deckers, and from one hundred to one hundred and fifty tons burden — although, in fsjcty they nu*ely carry more than fifteen tons for fear of spoiling the fish. The dried-cod fishery is carried on in vessds 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 inhabi- tants 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.'* The author thus concludes with some animation: Ces pSches occupent un grand nombre de marins : elles vivifient le commerce de Dieppe : elles occupent tons les ateliers — ^les chantiers pour la construction des b^timens, la confection des filets pour la p^che, celle des hamegons, des cordages, des voiles, des barils ; ensuite vient la pre- paration des poissons, et leur expeditions joumalieres, ainsi que celle du poisson frais, qui se renouvelle, pour ainsi dire, k chaque mar^e.** * Vol. iii. p. 170.
* Hisioirt du Duche de Normandie, par J. J. C. Goubc, 181 5> 8vo.
DIEPPE.
13
In the oommon markets, for retail trade, tliey are not very nice in the quality or condition of their fish ; and enormous congre eels, which would be instantly rqected 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 pictunesque, notwithstanding the houses are very little more than a century o\d;^ and the streets are formal
3 toIb. In the sequel^ this work will be more particularly noticed. The author of the Itin&aire de Rouen (1816, 12mo.) has given a more dramatic effect to his colouring of the same picture : Alors tout est en mouvement, et Vobservateur peut juger k son aise de leur industries remarquer les diffiE^rents effets de la joie, de la crainte, quel- (JOefois m^me de la tristesse, a la moindre nouvelle alarmante. L'alter- native du plaisir, de Tinqui^tude se peint sur la physionomie des fanmes et des filles des marins, si le Tent furieux et des nuages, pr6- cmacun de la temp^te, viennent soul^rer lea flots ^cumants.*' p. 303.
t Utile more than a century oldJ] The town of Dieppe has suffered often and severely. During the time of the Normans it was almost demolished. It was sharply attacked by Lord Talbot (called the EngHsh Caesar) in 1442, whose army seems to have been encamped liear Ban^uemont, about a league from Dieppe, and to have occupied the strong position vulgarly called Qcesar's Camp ; (see Duoarel, p 5, and Noel, p. 87-8) but it rose again with strength and beauty, tiU the middle of the dxteenth century, when, in consequence of a most sanguinary sea-fight between the Flemish and Dieppois, (in which the ftinoiis Coligny commanded the latter) it experienced a very heavy eiOamity in the loss of many vessels, and the destruction of a portion of the town by fire. But a heavier calamity awaited it in the memorable bombardment of the (own by the English in 1694. Every thing seemed demolished but the old churches. Within the
14 DffiPPE.
and comparatirely wide: but this picturesqueness arises from the materials of the buildings being of stone and brick, now gray-tinted — from the sharp pointed poofe — ^from the bold projections of the architecture, and the large dimensions of the windows. 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. There is a great waste of brick, stone, and mortar, and some of the largest buildings are situated in the gloomiest courts. We saw scarcely six private houses which could be called
short space of thirty hours (says Noe1)> the English threw in 3000 shells and 4000 balls, and made use of a machine charged with all manner of combustible materials and bars of iron, in the view of set- ting fire to the two wooden jetties, in which attempt, however, they were foiled." p. 1 16. An ordonnance of Louis XIV., carried into effect by the patriotic spirit of the people, caused the town of Dieppe to rise out of its ashes, as we now behold it. The streets are well planned and well paved j and the Dieppois would feign compare their High-street to the rue de Richlieu, at Paris. I suspect that it is sheer poverty which causes so great a number of their upper win- dows to remain unglazed. A Tour in France, published in 1701, thus notices the town of Dieppe shortly after the memorable bombardment just mentioned. These preparatory steps being over^ we had our dinner, and afterwards walked into the town which, being bom- barded last war (1694) by the English, is hardly yet rebuilt. What houses are up are lofty, so that the town is almost new, and will be a fine one, when finished, though not large ; we saw the ruins of many houses ; for the bombardment was so violent and successful that few were left standing entire. The great Church and Castle suf- fered in some parts* and other churches were quite demolished. The streets are large and straight, and the buildings uniform, generally of the same height, and aU of a sort of white brick,** Bic—Gent. Maga- zine^ March 1B19, p. 807> vol. lxxxix.
DIEPPE.
15
elegant, and not a gentleman's carriage has been yet noticed by us in the streets. But if the Dieppois 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 gin- gerbread in an open shed, and in the intervals of his cus- tomers 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 d^ scription: — and here we begin to have a too convincing proof of the general character of the country in re- gard to the want of cleanliness. A little good sense, or Mtther a better-regulated police, would speedily get rid of such nuisances. The great crying evil throughout Prance, in respect to out-door inconveniences, arises from suffering the filth, of whatever description, to accumulate in the streets : and when the office of porification is put in force, it is so slovenly executed, that a portion is always left behind in order to show where future deposits are to be made. TTie want of public sewers is another great and grievous cause of smells of every description : but the French are used to these things — and will quietly sit with a collection of dirt beneath their noses, which would cause a notable spinster or housewife, on our side the water, to start back with disgust. At Dieppe there are fountains in abundance ; and if some of the limpid streams, which issue therefrom, were directed to cleansing the streets.
16
DIEPPE.
(which are excellently well paved) the effect wbuld be both more salubrious and pleasant — especially to the sensitive organs of Englishmen !
We had hardly concluded our break&sts, on land- ing, when we saw a funeral go by : the priests and boys, with their black caps, white surplices, and umbrellas over their heads, (as it was raining) chauntr ing both loud and lustily — ^unconcerned at the busy and bawling scenes through which the procession must necessarily pass. What a novel object was this to gaze at ! Anon, a loud and clattering sound was heard ; and down came, in a heavy trot, with sundry ear-piercing crackings of the whip, the thundering Diligence: large^ lofty, and of most unwieldy dimensions : of a structure, too^ strong enough to carry a half score of elq^ianta. The postilion is an animal perfectly mi gemeris: gt^ alert, and living upon the best possible tenns tftt himself. He wears the royal livery, red and UaiB ; with a plate of the fleur de lis upon his left arm. IBs hair is tied behind in a thick, short, tightly fiisteiifld queue : with powder and pomatum sufficient to wea- ther a whole winter*s storm and tempest. As he menr rises in his stirrups, I leave you to judge of the mmr ciless effects of this ever-beating club upon the textnra of his jacket. He is however fond of Us horaet : if well known by them ; and then is all flourish and noise, and no sort of cruelty, in his treatment of then^ 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 ats upon the near of the two wheel horses, with three horses before hun.
DneppE.
17
His turnings are aU adroitly and correctly ihade; and^ upon the whole, he is a clever fellow in the exercise of his office.
We had not spent half of the Saturday at Dieppe, before Mr. Lewis brought us a sketch, of which the en- closed is a feithful and spiritedly-finished drawing ; and so correctly are the characters identified, that the JiUe de chambre, at our hotel, instantly recognized the old woman, or the stout figure, to the right — as the per- son who usually brought fish for the consumption of their table. In this group^ in fact, you have an epitome
OF THE WHOLE FISH-MARKET.
18
dibppb:
I shall probably send you/ in some fiitnre despatch^ a more sober and near view of the far-famed cauchaise. You ought to know, that, foiinerly, this town was greatly celebrated for its manufactures in Ivory but the present aspect of the ivory-market affords but a faint notion of what it might have been in the sixteenth fUid seventeeth centuries. I purchased a few subordinate articles (chiefly of a reli^ous character) and which I shall preserve rather as a matter of evidence than of admiration. There is yet however a considerable ma^ ntifacture of thread lace; and between three and fbur thousand females are supposed to earn a comfortable livelihood by it.
* manufactures in Ivory. "] It was possibly under the bold excur- sion of such distinguished navigators and captains as Parmentuu> DysMESNiL, and the great merchant Anoo, (in the sixteenth and seven- teenth centuries) that the ivory trade had attained its highest pitch of prosperity. The establishments of the Dicppois in Guinea necessarily facilitated the means of improving this branch of commerce. Walpole^ in his Anecdotes of Painting, vol. iii. p. 262, makes honorable mention of Lb marchand^ a native of Dieppe, who worked very successfully for several years in London. Mr. West was in possession of that Artist's own head, cut by himself ; and Lord Oxford had his head of Lord Somers. Evelyn, who visited Dieppe in the year 1644, observes that it then *^ abounded with workmen who made and sold curiosities of wory and tortoise-shell, and whatever the East Indies afforded of cabinets and purcelan ; and that natural and exotic rarities were there to be had with abundant choice.** Life and Writings of Evelyn, vol. i. p. 51, edit. 1818, 4to. In short, it appears to have been just at the time of Evelyn's visit, that Dieppe was in the height of its opulence and population for in one of ZeiUer's views of it, (in his TopograpJua OaUia, 1650) there are special designations of the establishments of Mmimes, Capucins, Carmelites, Jesuits, Ursulins and the HaUes, &c. The river Jrques seems also to have been very wide, particularly at its embouchure in the harbour.
DIEPPE.
]9
' My love of eccleidastical architecture quickly in- duced me to visit the churches ; and we all three set out to pay our respects to the principal churchy called St. Jacqubs. As we entered it^ a general gloom pre- vailed^ 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 sig^ 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 three Maries, St. John, and Joseph of Arimaihea . . in the act of en- tombing Christ : the figure of our Saviour being half sunk into the tomb. The whole was partially iUu- minated by some two dozen of shabby and nearly con- sumed 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 both excellent ; and a good night's rest made us fi>rget the miseries of the preceding evening.
The next morning, being Sunday, we betook our- selves in good time to the service at St. Jacques'* : not however before Mr. Lewis, who had risen between six and seven o'clock, had brought home a sketch of what had taken place in the front of the church in the market place. This sketch represents a waxen figure
* the service at St. Jacques*,'] — ^The stone with which this church is built, is said to have been brought from England; but I shonld rather apprehend it to have been obtained from Caen, which, as the reader wiU see in the sequel^ has been long and
of CMM (what is ciilled Ecce 'Homb^ Closed within a brix, of wMcfa the doors Oi^ opened. *Th6 figure and' box are the property of the' man whrf'plttys the' Violin, and who is selling little mass books, siip^ pMedto be rendered more sacred by hating been [ias^ ac^s the feet and hands of the waxen Christ. iSuct aliM^hgtel otecn^ation, and snch a motley gronp, mtiAt strikef yon trith astonishment — as a Snnday morning's recreation ! You receive it here, after its having been submitted to the finishing process of light and shade.
DIEPPE.
21
By half past ten the congregation had assembled in good earnest ; 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 Tarif (or terms of hire) is pasted upon the waUs. There were, I am quite sure, full eighteen women to one man ; which may in part be accounted for (as I before observed) by the almost uniform absence of a third of the male population occupied in the fisheries. I think there could not have been fiswer than two thou- sand souls present. I contrived to get upon the steps which separate the choir from the nave, and witnessed fiom thence a sort of ocean of white caps — as the 8at w knelt. But what struck me as the most flolemn thing I had ever beheld^ was, a huge jtad fiipirBv dressed like a drum-major^ with a large i Iwt and three white plumes^ (the only covered
■ JbdnguMied for the superior qualities of its stone. Here ^ #1 wdl as at Eonen^ they wiU have it that the JSi^iiifc built ^.lltaebesl Nod aqfs that the entombing of Chikl. as abore ri^d» is done after the original at Jerusalem^ and that It waa eaa* Ilia 1619, at the eipense of a pious traveller, who letmaed ftooa ijfaie. The fine scnl^ptnred culs-de-lampes, in silvsrj ivUch «ad- ;|pkli%alioiit the diapd of the \rirgin, and whi(^ cxdled Oie adBiii»- .
«f Caidhial Baibcrlii|^ together with snnfty «lksr ddicite and liilipf . embfilltahnasatii, were destrojed daring ..the boDfaaidflBeat iMnBoned at p. 13 ante. And I may add that onpments^ of % more 4olid diaracter, suchas interior and exterior ftet-worics, porches, ballus- tiades, &c. were dreadfully defiM:ed during the Revolution — ^which, has left frightftd nuirks of its ravages in Normandy !
22
DIEPPE.
male figure in the congr^tion), a broad white sash upon a complete suit of red, including red stockings ; — ^representing what in our country is called a Beadle! He was a sturdy, baboon-visaged gentleman — 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. In the procession of the priests, where the voices are raised to a higher pitch, and where the service seems to de- mand a more pious expression, the zeal of the con- gr^tion was unequivocally manifested by very general and sonorous responses : and I must say that, in same particulars connected with the fiilfilment of church du- ties, it were well if we took a lesson from our conti-- nental neighbours. But so little sense of out-door public decency prevails, that, during service, we were constantly annoyed by the sounds of the drum and fife, calling the national guard together for military mass at St. Remy. 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 oii> and read a short sermon from a printed-book — -a method, by the bye which some apologists for intellee- tual and manual labour might think worthy of imita- tion in our own countiyl I shall never forget the figure and attitude of the Ferger who attended the preacher : he followed him to the pulpit, festened the door, became stationary, and reposed 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-ab-
DIEPPE.
23
stracted manner imaginable. There he remained till the conclusion of a thirteen minutes discourse ; not one word of which seemed to afford him half the satis&c- tion as did the contents of his snuff-box ! You know that you have absolutely commanded me to be mi« nute in all things/' and you see with what trifles I have in consequence ventured to entertain you.
Military Mass was performed about an hour after at the church of Sr. Remy. Both Mr. Lewis and my Son saw this extraordinary spectacle, but I had had " sufficient for one dose/' Yet I strolled quietly to that same church, to witness the devotion of the congrega- tion previous to the entry of the soldiers ; and I will not dissemble that I was much struck and gratified by what I saw. There was more simplicity: a smaller congregation : softer music : a lower-toned organ : less rash of people; and in very many of the flock the mofit 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 thereupon) a bell was loing from the tower of the church : the sound, below, was soft and silver-toned — accompanied by rather a quick movement of the organ^ upon the diapason stop ; which, united with the silence and prostration of the congregation, might have commanded the reverence of the most pro- &iie. I became motionless, save a slight and fixed mdination of the head — ^in which attitude I could not refrain from offering up a prayer for the preservation of those left behind ! — and which prayer, although not bor- rowed from the Romish ritual, might possibly be not the less availing on that account. There is nothings my
24 DIEPPE.
dear friend^ more refreshings in a foreign land, than this general appearance of earnestness of devotion, upon a sabbath day ; especially within the House of God, Out of doors a veiy different order of things prevails : But I quickly heard the clangor of the trumpet, the beat of drums, the measured tramp of human feet, and in marched two or three troops of the national guard to perform military mass. I retired precipitately to the Inn. My companions, who staid behind, told me that this military mass consisted of certain manoeuvres of the soldiers, with their caps on^ within the choir — ac- companied by loud and stunring music. It seemed a frightful contrast to all tliat had preceded it.
I must not conclude this epistle, while upon the sub- ject of churches, without informing you that^ of the two, I consider that of St. Remy, or rather of mme portions of it, to be the more ancient; but St.f upon the whole, is not only the largest, but the elaborately sculptured, edifice. I should think die
latter end of the XlVth century, a date quite anti- quated enough for the completion oy|^iiildtng* 111? Revolution has not failed to leave : ^^^^ devastations upon portions of thelHpofS of churches ; but modem manners ham not yqt prodi a re\*olution of a different and moi'e iCiWvMf chat^ ter — that of paying attention to the i the outer walls — ^in which all are strictly forbidden to be bid is one thing; and to pay attent^ tion is another. The filth that sometimes these churches is equally gross, noxious, and revolting. ITiey certainly do " order these things better in" —
^^ehes^nck upon et iintiiondiqtt"
DIEPP£. 25
England. Forgive this new reading : but I cannot help^ in spite of all the marvels by which I am surrounded^ putting in a good word now and then for my own country. So God bless you.
P. S. Mr> Lewis has just brought me another spirited drawings of what may be considered equally characte- ristic of the Market Women^ look at it attentively ; for I can assure you that the fidelity is equal to the spirit, of the performance.
96
LETTER IIL
VILLAGE AND CASTLE OP ARQUB8. SABBATH AMUSE- MENTS. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. BOULBTARDS.
•As I had recdyed especial injunctions from ont flmtoid N * ♦ ♦ not to ieaye Dieppe without paying n visit to the famous Chateau dArques* in its neighbouf- hood^ I resolved to seize the opportunity of a tolerably fedr^ or rather gray-looking day, to go and pay due homage to these venerable remains of antiquity ; and accordingly, on the same Sunday, between one and two, Mr. L. and myself set out upon this congenial en- terprise. You go up the principal street, continue to the left, and pass under the gate or outlet to Rouen^ where
* the fammu Chateau d'Arques.] — The French Antiquaries have pufibed the antiquity of this castle to the 8th century^ suppoeing it to have been built by William d*Arques, Count of TalIoi|> son of the se- cond marriage of Richard Duke of Normandy. I make no doubt^ • that, Ti^henever built^ the sea almost washed the base of it ) for it is known to have occupied the whole of what is called the Faliey of Arqaes, running as far as Bouteilles, Its position, in reference to the art of war, must have been almost impregnable. Other hypotheses assign its origin, perhaps with more truth, to the ninth or tentb century ) as a bulwark against the invasion of the Nonnans. When- ever built, its history has been fertile in sieges. In ] 144, it was commanded by a Flemish Monk, who preferred the spear to the crosierj but who perished by an arrow in the contest. Of its history, up to the nxteenth century, I am not able to give any details i but in the wan of Henry IV, with the League, 1589^ it was taken by surprise by sol-
DIEPPE.
27
the noble road to Paris, on a fine ascent, faces yon upon quitting the town. You leave this to the right, turn down a bye-road, which runs beneath a high bank, or small hanging wood, and continue straight forward about two English miles ; when you catch the first glimpse of the castle to the right. The road thither is completely rural : apple-trees, just beginning to burst their blossoms, hamlets, small farm-houses, (many of which wereskilfully covei*ed with blue slate) a profusion of rich herbage of various kinds, delighted and regaled us as we pursued our tranquil walk. The country is of a gently-undulating character : but the flats or mea- dows, between the parallel ranges of hills, are subject; to constant inundation from the sea ; and in an agri- cnltural point of view are consequently of little use, except for summer grazing of the cattle.
It was drawing on to vespers as we approached the FiUage of Argues: a young countryman neatly dressed, but bare-headed, liaving undertaken to conduct us thi- ther by a nearer road. The old castle had frequently peeped out upon us from its elevated situation ; but we were resolved to see all that could be seen,*" — and a FreDch village^ for the first time, was not to be over-
dien io the diiguiae of sailors : who, stabbing the centmels, quickly made themselTes masters of the place. Henry caused it afterwards to be diimantled. In the first half of the eighteenth century it received my serere treatment from pillage, for the purpose of erecting public and private baOdings at Dieppe. The Revolution added to these lavages : " Aigonid'hui ses tours, ses remparts, ce doqjon qui reten- tirent poidant pfauieurs siddes des cris des combattans et de la victoire, livrtfl maintenant au plus mome silence^ sont devenus le s^jour des Mboox et des daeauz noctumes :** such is the solemn description of diis venerable min bj the author of (he Itin4raire de JtoMx ; 1 8 1 6, p. 1 99.
28
DIEPPE.
looked. Accordingly we made a complete detour ; and passing through the principal, or high street, ap- proached the church. The bell was ringing for prayers and we entered with the congregation. For a village church, I hardly know a finer one than that of Arqaes : it having much in common with portions of the cathe- dral of Lincoln. Tlie upper part of the outer walls, with the tower and roof of the nave, are however com- paratively modem ; but the interior, which is light and airy, may be of the latter end of the xiiith century.* This interior is rather capacious, and may vie with any simi- lar building, attached to a village, which the province of Normandy (rich in ecclesiastical edifices) can boast of. We had no time to wait the commencement of the service, and indeed you will say we had already had a sufficient portion ; but, on quitting the church, to asoead the hill on which the castlftrftands, we passed a weO- dressed young lady, with a iiikaiitibditBd lierpWlio ww hastening to prayers, and who entettdtbeciiurdi with the cleigyman, whom she ov ertook on the way. We had reason to be well satisfied with this excellent lady ; for we found that, to preserve the old cascle iVom ucter destruction, she had purchased It «f government for . about seven thousand fr0m ; and hf causing locks \ and other fiisteninga to be applied to the principal | gates, she had sepnred it from the consent |4Uag9
* Tl^ lUUfwre de Rouen, IBmfflftSt «if»» vbiiitdlf j tlm Uili jcimtdl il of tfw xitfa centwy. It poasessccl fiirnierly a buat of Hmmf, ipf^ wUch !• wapfoted to have ^een iilaced tUm alter the Wttle of An]iif^g»iQed^ Heaiyi :^%lit chinch ivip jfiodimfti, occow||^ tejhc mim wa^Vtf ;
DIEPPE.
29
which used to be carried on within — ^for no one thought of building, without demolishing a certain portion of the castle for materials. To the best of my recollec- tion, this lady's name is Barrois. She has certainly, in one of its very best senses, " deserved well of her country.'*
The sdte of the castle is admirable. Our approach was to the western extremity; which, as you look down, brings the village and church of Arques in the back-ground. Mr. Lewis, inspii*ed I suppose by the chaunt of the vespers, which we heard from our elevated station — took out his pencil, and made the following spirited little design.
30
DIEPPE.
If the eye were to be considered as a correct jndgpe, this venerable pile, composed of hard flint-stone, inter- mixed with brick, (but not in layers, after the Roman feshion of uniting these two materials) would perhaps claim precedence, on the score of antiquity, over every other relic of the middle ages. A deep moat, now diy pasture land, with a bold acclivity before you, should seem to bid defiance, even in times of old, to the £90t and the spear of the invader. There are circular towers (as the view shews) at the extremities, and a square "ci- tadel or donjon within. Its area is also very extensive, smd perhaps yet retains its pristine limits as in the time of William the Conqueror. The wars of Henry the Fourth with the League helped to add to the previous devastations; but, although one of the most ancient and decayed-looking places of fortification imaginable — and although, from the crumbling and broken outlines, and the shelving of the banks rising from the moat, you might expect it to yield within some few twenty years to the ravages of time — yet I question if it be not tough enough to outlive all the great great grand-children of the present beholders of it! 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 us. 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 gray, and quiet, and of a sombre aspect, — and whatyow, in your admiration of art, would call in perfectly " fine keeping." Perhaps there is no object which more powerfully excites meditation, and calls forth the finer feelings connected with thoughts
DIEPPE.
upon the past, than that of an ancient, decayed, and magnificently-situated castle. But all is here hushed ; within and without. — ^Nor the harp of the minstrel, nor the clang of armour, nor the echoes of the horn, nor the uproar of the banquet — no, nor the invading nor the repelling foe — are now heard or distinguished ! . . but — It is time to wake out of this trance, and to pursue our journey homeward. We descended the liill, bade a long adieu to this venerable relic of the hardihood of other times, and quickened our pace towards Dieppe. As we gained upon the town, we began to discern groups of rustics, as well as of bourgeoises, assembling and mingling in the dance. ITie women never think of wearing bonnets ; and you have little idea how bril- Uantly the red and blue* (the very colours of Raffaelle's Madonnas !) glanced backwards and forwards, amidst the trunks of the fruit trees, to the sound of tlie 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 nmch more tidily dressed than the men. We soon became spectators at more than one place of festivity. The couples are frequently female, for want of a sufficient number of beans ; but, whether correctly or incorrectly coupled, they dance with earnestness, if not with agility. No foolish tricks, or wanton mischief, ever disturbs the harmony of the scene. It was a picture k la Teniers, without its occa- sional grossness. "This then," said I to my companion, " is what I have so often heard of the sabbath-gambols of the French — and long may they enjoy them I .... for * The blue gown and red petticoat } or vice versa.
32
DIEPPE.
they ai-e surely better than the brutal orgies of a pot- house^ or the &natical ravings of the tabernacle." You will please to remember^ my dear friend, that amidst these groups, we discovered some score fiices which we had noticed the same morning in the cathedral ; and as you cannot convince a Frenchman, or a Frenchwo- man, that tlie evening of the sabbath may be better devoted to a quiet stroll abroad, or to the penml of religious and instnictive books at home, the maaa of people had better be so occupied than ... do worse
A late plain dinner, with our favourite vin ordinaii^ recruited our strength and kept us in perfectly gocid humour with Dieppe. My companion, in the eyenio^^ made a sketch of the fijlle de chambrb, — an important personage in my collection of costume — as yon mU observe from the representation of her, here enclose£^. She chose to put on lier best bib and tucker" upotl the occasion — ^it being Sunday evening: so that yte behold her to every possible advantage. I have reasoli to think tliat this costume, with very few and sligirt variations, has continued for several centuries.*!* The . following and last day, spent at Dieppe, was as 'beaa*^ tiful as that of our voyage thither. Mr. LfCwis beggsk at times with his pencil. He took a small bird's-^ view of the harbour, and woukl have made anothar drawing of a very picturesque cliaracter — were it not for the iGishing boats which continued to crowd into
* See the opposite Plate. The original thought it " un peu trop ag^e."
t The dress of the sailors is the same as in the xivth century j and so probably is that of the women. The illuminations in Froissard and Monstrelet dearly give us the Norman cauchoise.
"0 (KPPK .
DIEPPE.
33
the basoD^ and, by their extended sails, to shut out the view. He was also equally unfortunate in his attempt at a sketch of the castle just above the town,* to the north-west, but from another cause. On com- mencing it, a centinel advanced, and brutally tore the leaf out of his book — telling him it was ^ d^fendu/ He was surely a boor of a centinel, and had never danced on a Sunday evening ! To prohibit the drawing of an unfortified place is quite a piece of absurdity ; and a word to the Commandant would doubtless have equally led to the chastisement of the centinel, and the gratifi- cation of the a.rtist's wishes . . . but 9a ne vaut pas la peine and I essayed to comfort Mr. L. upon his mis- fortune.
Upon the whole the French are rather jealous of the pencil of a British artist : for, on beginning the sketch of the harbour, I was obliged to muster up all the eloquence and logic I was master of, to persuade a custom-house officer and a corps of gens-d^armes that it was " tout-^fait une aflFaire pittoresque, et qui n'avoit aucun rapport ^ la guerre.'* A surly " hon I" was the only reply to my remonstrance ; but " bon" was cer- tainly preferable to another " d^fendu ! "
The deportment of the Zh'e/^pou 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, ais soon as
^ It is built upon the scite of an old castle which was demolished at the end of the xiith century ; and the townsmen^ fearing that it might be rendered an important position to the Leaguers^ in the xvith cen- tury, proceeded to dismantle it. It was also materially injured in the following century.
34
DIEPPE.
they can lisp^ are put in training for pronouncing the' G — d — ; 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 vast to be entirely occupied* The Boulevards, &cing the new bason, left unfinished by Napoleon^ or rather facing the range of meadows that run towards the village of Arques, might be advantageously occu- pied with houses ; but there is no speculation, and no love of picturesque, among the French. I should not be surprised, were the peace to continue a dozen years, (and God send it may, three times three dozen of years !) if a few adventurous English caused some more houses to be built, to be tenanted on easy terms, as a summer watering-place for those of their countrymen who can only muster up courage sufficient just to put their feet upon Gallic Ground. The immediate neigh- bourhood of Dieppe, and its proximity to Rx)uen and Paris, are inducements of no ordinary kind.
Bonaparte seems to have been veiy 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.
There is no ship-building at this moment going on : the ribs of about half a dozen, half rotting, small mer- chant-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
DIEPPE.
35
land and by sea ; yet it will require a long course of years to infuse confidence and beget a love of enter- prise. In spite of all the naval zealy it is here exhibited chiefly as affording means of subsistence from the fish- eries. The army will always be the favourite, even at a sear port. A regiment marched into the town on Monday evening. The men, were intoxicated — and the officers not only partook of the general inebriety, but paraded the streets arm in arm with the common men. This is equally a decoy and a disgrace — and dared not have been shewn at Versailles, or at Paris. I must not how- ever conclude my Dieppe journal without telling you that I hunted far and near for a good bookseller and some old books — ^but found nothing worth the search^ except a well-printed old Rouen Missal, and a Terence by Badius Ascensius. The booksellers are supplied with books chiefly from Rouen; the local press being too contemptible to mention. In respect to ^ hwA tWOtOt^ my countrymen had been beforehand with me ; and I was told strange anecdotes of their lucky trouvailles^ and of their unlimited generosity. May this ever attend them !
V
36
LETTER IV.
ROUEN. APPROACH. BOULEVARDS. POPULATION. STREET SCENERY.
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 com-* mencement of the xvith century : so very curious, and out of the common routine of things, is almost every object connected with Rouen. But before I commence my observations upon the town, I must give you a brief sketch of my journey thither.
Previously to leaving Dieppe, we had obtained our regular circumstantial passports. No recruit was ever more exactly measured than were Mr. L. and myself ; and Linnseus could not have wiitten down the charac- teristics of a plant with more scrupulous accuracy than did the municipal officer survey and describe " Mes- sieurs les Anglois.*" You should know, in few words, that there is a printed list of the features ; so that the scribe has only to add the epithet in writing to each particular feature.
We had bespoke our places in the cabriolet of the Diligence, which just holds three, tolerably comfort- able; provided there be a disposition to accommodate
BOUEN.
37
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 peipendicular supporter of the head« There are stiffish leathern curtains on each side, to be drawn, if necessary, as a protection agsdnst 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 scarcely refrain from loud laughter at the novelty of our situation, and the grotesqueness of the convey- ance. Our postilion was a rare specimen of his species; and a perfectly unique cofpy. He fancied himself, I suf^ pose, rather getting " into the vale of years,'* and had contrived to tinge his cheeks with a plentiful portion of rouge. His platted and powdered hair was sur- mounted with a battered black hat, tricked off with &ded ribband : his jacket was dark blue velvet, with the insignia of his order upon his left arm. What struck us as not a little singular, his countenance was no very &int resemblance of that of Voltaire^ when he might have been verging towards his sixtieth year. Most assuredly he resembled him in his elongated chin, and the s^castic expression of his mouth. We rolled mer- rily along — ^th^ horses sometimes spreading, and some- times closing, according to the size of the streets through which we were compelled to pass. Nothing apparently can be more bungling than the management of the conveyance^ in going down hill. There is no such
38
ROUEN.
thing as a drag-chain; and at times the whole weight of the machine seems to press upon the haunches of the wheel-horses, — who, without breeching, go staggering along, sometimes at right angles, sometimes almost in one continued strait line with each other, turning face to face. The reins and harness are of cord; which, however, keep together pretty well. The postilion endeavours to break the rapidity of the descent by conducting the wheels over 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 overlook- ing the whole process, the eflFect, with weak nerves, is absolutely terrific. They stop httle in changing horses, and the Diligence is certainly well managed ; and in general no accidents occur. We carried with us about fifty thousand francs of government money, and a cavalry soldier (one of the gens-darmes) accompanied us, in consequence, all the way to Rouen.
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 de- markation . 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. There are several sharp ascents and descents ; yet the conducteur does not request the passengers to get down and walk. Nothing particularly strikes you till you approach Malaunaiy 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
ROUEN.
39
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 scwcely have coated the branches with green in our own country, yet here 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 fall to the lot of the French. The Revolution seems to have drained their purses, as well as daunted their love of enterprise, and thinned their population. Along the road-side there were some fiew 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 vistos, and smirked as John Bull saluted them! Moving vehicles, and numerous riding and walking groups, increased upon us, and every thing announced that we were approach- ing a great and populous city. Let me tell you, how- ever, that we had accomplished the last eight miles within an hour ; but during the preceding stages we had not exceeded five miles in the hour.
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 bar- riers. You then look down a strait, broad, and strongly paved road, lined with a treble row of trees on each side.
40
KOUEN.
As the foliage was not thickly set, we could discern, through the delicately-clothed branches, the tapering spire of the Cathedral^ and the more massive tower of the Ahhaye de St. Ouen — ^with hanging gardens, and white houses, to the left — covering a richly cultivated ridge <rf hills, which sink, as it were into the Boulevards ; and which is called the Faubourg Cauchoisb. Perhaps the Cathedral and St. Ouen are rather more in front ; yet, with the town, they incline somewhat to the left : liie whole being built upon a slope. To the right, throu^ 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 indus- try, cheering and animating you as you approach the town. We were told that almost every vessel which we saw (some of them of two hundred, and even of three hundred tons burden) 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, turn- ing to the left, and leaving the broader streets which flank the quay, we began to enter the penetralia of this truly antiquated town. What narrow streets, what overhanging houses, what bizarre,* capricious
* The French themselves acknowledge that the houses and streets are absolutely ''f rightful.** I strove frequently to defend them on principles of picturesque taste^ and from the association of ideas arinng from antiquity — but I should hope the defects of my speech^ rather than the weakness of my arguments^ failed to produce the desired effect. In Zeillefs European Topography, 1655^ &c. folio^ there is a bird's-eye view of Rouen^ of the date of 1620, [Rothomagvs, Rovan.] about two feet two inches in lengthy by ten inches in width. It shows
EOUEN.
41
ornamenta^what a mixture of mod^n with ancient art — what fragments or rather ruins, of old delicately-
the old stone bridge (now destroyed) with two of the central arches brokeo down— *and therefore impassable. The walls and ramparts are entire, and the view appears to be taken from the south-east point. The hills surroimding it are thickly wooded. It exhibits but indifierent art, yet is a pleasing print. There is another plate im- mediately fbUowing it, of the date of 1655, where the bridge of boats appears to the east of the old stone bridge, nearly one-half of whidi latter is destroyed. This view is a ground plan : the walls, &c. are entire 5 and the gardens, to the left of the western iauxbourgs, appear rich and endless.
When I was at Paris, I examined, as the Abbd De la Rue advised me, the three volumes of Drawings and Prints relating to Normandy, which once belonged to De Boze, and are now to be found in the BUfL du Roy, Of their general merit this is not the place to say a word $ but as connected with the preceding, and for the sake of juxta-positicm, it may be as well to notice a few more old prints of Rouen. There are three pretty etchings of the ruins of the old stone bridge by Israel SUvestre, A bird*s-eye view of the town, pretty much in the style of that first above mentioned, after a painting by Georgvas Hoefiutgle, A man and woman are in the foreground. It is an oblong clever print. There is a duplicate of it. There is a laige ^und plan of Rouen^ with a small view in the comer : likewise an oblong view in profile, as it were, by SUvestre: weU engraved. Also a laxge bird's- eye view, from a position, nearer than the two preceding, — sold by H. JuiUot'-proche les grands Augustins au bout du pont neuf avec priu, &c. : a black and badly-engraved print. Several similar views not worth describing. There is an immense print, six feet, nine inches, by two feet in width, of Rouen and its ramparts, published by Jansen at Amsterdam in 1631, with letter- press beneath. The inscrip- tion above is in large white capital letters upon a black ground. It is useful for the detail 3 but the effect is bad.
There has been recently (1817) published a Carte Topographique de la,f^ etdesFctuxbourgs de R^uen ; being a ground plan of the whole. It is a large and handsome map, but perti^ too4elicately executed
42 BX)UEN.
built Gothic churches — ^what signs of former and of modem devastation ! — ^what fountains, gutters, groups of never-ceasing men, women, and children, all gay, all occupied, and all apparently happy ! The Rue de la Grosse Horloge (so called from a huge, clumsy, anti- quated clock which goes across the street) struck us as not among the least singular streets of Rouen! Amazed, and half-bewildered, we turned floundering from street to street, with the eyes of the gazing mul- titude upon us, — " \oilk des Anglois !" On reaching the office of the Diligence, we prepared to put our baggage in motion for the Hotel-Vately the favourite inn of the English. Porters appeared, with their hottes upon their backs ; and a burden of at least two hundred and fifty pounds was placed upon one of those machines, and marched away with, in all the triumph of conscious skill and strength. The hotte is well contrived, causing the principal weight of the burden to fell horizontally across the shoulders, in an upright position, which is infinitely preferable to the perpendicular pressure, from the English knoiy upon the nape of the neck and shoulders. In five minutes we were in the court-yard of the hotel, in the centre of which was a large newly-constructed public vehicle caUed a velocifere. The springs are enormous, but there is much good sense in the planning of the whole — and I thought that it savoured of British inge- nuity, before I was told of the springs being actually modelled after those of our own vehicles.
Ibr its svEe, and the variety of objects which it embraces. It ianever- theless very useful^ and has materially assisted me in designating with accuracy the^veral places above mentioned.
BOUEN;
43
I commenced settling our plans by steuring roomiSi and bespeaking board and lodging according to art.** The landlady, a civil little woman, soon convinced ns that she was perfect mistress of her occupation, by an- ticipating many of our wants, and answering all pur queries in a very good-humoured and satisfactory manner. The relics of a table d^hdte, hashed up in the French style, was not the most agreeable dinner we could have desired for our first meal — especially when five francs were charged for one re-boiled fowl enfiladed by sorel sauce I However, here we are ; here we have been these two days ; and here we purpose staying till my particular objects of research shall have been ac- complished. In spite of their national antipathies, the French cannot but admit that in general les Anglois sent bien bons et tvhs propres." On the evening of our arrival, we were soon saluted by a laquais de place — the leech-like hanger-on of every hotel — ^who begged to know if we would walk upon the Boule- vards. We consented ; turned to the right ; and, gra- dually rising, gained a considerable eminence. Again we turned to the right, walking upon a raised prome- nade ; while the blossoms of the pear and apple trees, within a hundred walled gardens, perfumed the air with their delicious fragrance. As we continued our route along the Boulevard Beauvoisine, we gained one of the most interesting and commanding views ima- ginable of the city of Rouen — just at that moment lighted up by the golden rays of a glorious setting sun — ^which gave a broader and mellower tone to the shadows upon the Cathedral and the Ahhey of St. Ouen. The locality of Rouen renders it necessarily 1
44
ROUEN.
picturesque, view it from what station you will. To convince you of this, examine the following sketch, made but yesterday — from nearly the same spot, only a little more elevated — by the inde&itigable graphic companion of my tour.
ROUEN.
45
The population of Rouen should seem to be after * the Chinese £[ishion : in other words, of an enormous extent. It is supposed to amount to full one hundred thousand souls. In truth, there is no end to the suc- cession 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 Cheqiride and Comhill ; only that the ever-moving aeoie 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 echo- iqg to the eteraal tramp of the sabot. Here they are ; men^ women, and children, all abroad in the very cmtre of the streets — alternately encountering the lyl^giiing of the gutter, and the jostling of their towns- moDi — while the swift cabriolet, or slow-paced cart^ or thmidering diligence, severs them, and scatters them abroad^ only that they may seem to be yet more con- deasefy united. Mr. L. with the natural enthusiasm of Us profession, becomes daily more in ecstacies with aU around him ... for myself, it is with difficulty I am penoaded that I am not living in the times of our Henry VIII. and of their Francis I. ; and am half dis- posed to inquire after the residence of George Tailleur the printer-^he associate, or foreign agent, of your bronrite PjfnsonJ^ You will call this epistle a rare rlMfiaody : but let it pass. To-morrow, and a few fol- lowing days,
.... to fresh fields and pastures new • Pot fields** yon must read churches ; and for " pastures**
* See the BibUographkal Decameron, vol. ii. p. 1S7> 8* VOL. I. D
46
ROUEN.
the public library, booksellers* shops, and printers* offices. A thousand times fistrewell.
P. S. I cannot refrain from adding a postscript. Not- withstanding all those tonneaus ffeau de vie and du vin ordinaire y of which I spoke in the body of this letter, we have been here upwards of forty-eight hours, and have not yet encountered a drunken person. Thdr brandy-shops (liere, as well as at Dieppe) are however as numerous as our pot-houses.
47
LETTER V.
ECCLESIASTICAL ARCHITECTURE. THE CATHEDRAL. MONUMENTS. RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES. THE ABBEY OF ST. OUEN. THE CHURCHES OF ST. MACLOU, ST. VINCENT, ST. VIVIEN, ST. GERVAIS, AND ST. PAUL.
I HAVE now made myself pretty well acquainted with the locale of Rouen. How shall I convey to you a stimmary, and yet a satisfactory, description of it ? It cannot be done. Let me prose away, then, as I list — and for^ve all the minuteness, and even tautology, of detml which you may encounter. You love old drarches, 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, conning over the marvellous things that this city contains. First for the Cathe- dral : — ^for what traveller of taste does not doff his bonnet to the mother church of the town through which he happens to be travelling— or in which he takes up a temporary abode? You may remember that I gave you a glimpse of this Cathedral in my last letter, as we descended from the barriers down the pav^, towards the city. At that time only its two end towers, and central spire-crowned tower, were visible. Now let us ^proach it in good earnest. The west- front,* always the forte of the architect's skill, strikes
* A view of this west front will be found in Mr. Cotman's Norman JnHquUiei.
48
EOUEN.
you as you go down, or come up, the pimoipal street; or La Rue des Cannes j which seems to biseetittfejtown into equal parts. A small dpen «pM6^ (which tow- ever has been miserably encroaclied upon .rby tpetly shops) called tbid^lawer^gardmf is before itbis iirMteisp front — so that it has some bttle. breathing jfOoia'iiq which to expand its beauties to the wondering >^6»Qf the beholder. In my' poor judgmentvrtlus WMti^ front has very few elevations comparable with It^WreiwH including those of Lincoln and Ywk. - Iti mayl ftHh aibly want the severe, simple, breadth of this lormfr^ but it unites vastness of outline with miautepieai|>irf detail in a very extraordinary manner. TJjjie pOMh meats, especialiy upon the three porches, betwecy^tthe two towers, are numerous, rich, apd for the gE«pfenr patft even yet entice :~in fi^te of the Calvimist^lwi^ths IVench revolution, and, time. ^ Among tbeJowwi Aod smaller basso retievofil upop tJaese pdrcbciSi. i^ tjbft>i«|^ ject 'of the daughter of Herodiaa dancing l^omHeiyftci She is mamieuvering.oB her bands, bar feet bein^ at|h-
in width, plates
frbm'the drawUgS of 'I^glois, wek^ Tcll^ihddec^ repniilkilMtoto oftheorigintolii » ' ... vi!»*»v --im,
fmtpUe4^the,C€hitMl Tlie vb!9^^ commit ksfilf^ throughout nearly the whole of the towns in Normandy, and especdaUy m%ie cathedrals, towards the year 1560, afibnl melani6hbly'j^r&okof the effects of religious animosities — however teal, or fana^riafj^^ tiU^it have been the provocations experienced. But the 'Cdlviii!^^%^ always a bitter an^ ferocious sect. Fommenlye', in his qtla^^iiiiU^ Htftotre de V£glise ' Caihedrate de Jtbuen, 1686^ hak'id^vbtid db^y one hundred pagds to an acfo^ilnt of taiViiiid^i ikt^fSreddfic^'/ ^\ d6- 157. Farin is necessarily brie?. ' * • •
ROUEN.
49
vardfl. To tfae.rigfat, the decapitation of St. John is lAing place.
: '^Of the two towers, at the western extremity, on look- 'at the cathedral, that to the left, or the northern kmeTy is very much the older — ^perhaps of the early part ^ofihe nith century, if not of the latter part of ilie'Xtthi^ It wants, however, the elegance of the Oipporite, or southern tower, which I imagine to be of ibd xivth century; but of which the upper part is oiarly of the sixteenth.
' Before I take you into the cathedral, you must just step on each side to obtain a view of the transept daMB. They are both extremely elaborate in their •dalptore, but the exterior approach to the northern is WBifnfW and confined — little frequented — and half <sh6k6d with every species of revolting nuisance. The Mttthem transept makes amends for the defects of its nppombe neighbour. The space before it is devoted to itwrlof v^table market: curious old houses flank <Us space : and the ascent to the door, but more especi- ally the curiously sculptured porch itself, with the open spaces in the upper part — flight, fanciful, and striking to a degree — ^produce an effect as pleasing as it is extra- ordinary. Add to this, the ever-restless feet of suppli- ants, going in and coming out — the worn pavement, and the frittered ornaments, in consequence — seem to
* The author of the Description Historique de Notre Dame de Rouen, \Si6, 8vo. p. 13, 13, (judiciously compiled from the larger works of Pmnmerfi^e and Farm) assigns the year 1100 as that of the com- H^^lioement of the building of this tower. He seems to think it pro- bable that it was built upon the scite of the ancient tower erected by St. Romanus, about the year 633. The upper part of the tower is howerer of the end of the xvth.. centuiy.
50
ROUEN.
convince you that the ardour and activity of devotion- are almost equal to that of business. It was in firbjtt of this south transept, for five successive days, sitting within the chamber of a miserable entresol^ (over what in England we should call a liquor-shop) that, Mr. Lewis made the enchanting drawing which ac- companies this dispatch.*
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 at the lightness of the galliery which runs along the upper part of it. By a gallery, I mean a sort of open work, or passage left be^ tween the upper ornamental arches and the solid walls. This continues throughout the choir also. 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 pillarsi about forty feet in circumference ; but on casting youir eye downwards, you are shocked at the tasteless divi- sion of the choir from the nave by what iis called a Gre^ dan screen : and the interior of the transepts has under- gone 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 know you will be anxious to have an account of monuments^ stain- ed glass, and of all the et ceteras of cathedral accom^ paniments. But remember, I am not only not an archi- tectural antiquary, but, in order to satisfy your wishes on tliis head, you must absolutely read professional treatises — till the enterprising and well-directed taste
* See the opposite plati. M. Cotman intends publishing a portion of the same subject; upon a lai^ger scale^ as an etching.
ROUEN.
51
of Mr. Britton send some British artist over to do jus- tice to the manifold beauties of this venerable building. Yet the drawings and etchings of M. Cotman, of which I heard much from the inhabitants^ may possibly render the enterprise of Mr. Britton useless. 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, before mentioned. It contains by much the finest specimens of stained glass— of the early part of the xvith century. The capitals of the pillars are of a twelfth century aspect — ^for I dread the chastisement of our friend N****** if I carry them only into the last ten years of the eleventh ! There is also some beautiful stained glass on each side of the Chapel of the Vir^n,* 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.
Respecting the Monuments, I have no time, and less inclination, to be copiously minute : never having possessed that patient spirit of tomb-stone chronicling which is painfully evident even in the pages of some of
* 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 coTering 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 going the circuit of the cathedral, one is surprised to count not fewer than twenty-Jive chapels.
52
Boum
oiir.fcMt 'anti^Mite. -Yet 'you'Otight to know that the
* thefamnu BibLik}."] M. Gilbert^ the author ot th^ Descriptum, &o. (mentioned at page 49> ante) says that both Rollo and his son William were buried in the south side of the cathedral, and that their remains were discovered about the year 1900> on building the present choir — and tiiat it was Rollo who built the ancient cathedral — ** according to Ordericus Vitalis and other contemporaneous historians," p. 56. But it must be observed that Vitalis, (as may be seen in Duchesne's Hisi, Normann, Script, p. 459) says not a word about it : and from the pages of the Neustria Pia, (9>300-l) it should seem that Rollo was rather partial to the Abbey of St. Ouen. He died in 917. On the opposite dufiel is tibe tomb of his son William Longesp^« who wastakai oiS ,^P9ll4i#imd|f in 944» «od his reinaias earned for iaterment to this Cf^O^^djpnd*:^ Jhfl.imonuBKental inscriptions of these are as fbUoir : Pommeraye {p. 68) having given the mart ancient ones.
B09J4>. WiLUAM.
Hie positUB est Hie positus est
>.* RoUo GuiUelmiis IHctus Longua Spala
oNMQiiMi«8ttttritiVart«CBb RoUoais FUhii,
.fliM. .'. vRestituln DaaLNormsBBin
; ,,Ft}iip9l)uxCoiiditorP8^ IVoditorie OccUus occccoxxsv.
A FVancone Archiep. Rotom. Ossa Ipsius in veteri S«nctuar|o,
Baj^tizatus Anno Dccccxiii. Ubi nunc est Caput Naris Primum
Obiit Anno Dccccxvii. Condita, Transjato Altari, Hie
Ossa fpsiiis in veteriBanctuario CDilocata sunt k B. Manrilio
Nunc capite Natis Primnm Archiepisc. Rotom.
- ' CmOta, Anno MXJuii. • ^Tteilhrto AltMTi, Golldctta So&ib&B. Maorilio Ardiiep. Rotom. An. uuKiiu
Qu^ toiraids the end of the choir, at the back of the high altar, aie iTTi<?auni|pnt,al inscr^ons yet more interesting to Englishmen. The brother of Richard I. Richard 1. himself, and John Duke of Bedfofd. Aftjth^ are short I shall give them : ,
..^c "i Richard L Hbnrt ms Yqukobiu
.:/•.:'! j'A- ■ ■ T. cw IficJaoet
ROUEN.
53
dowB to the lights upon eutering ; although his monu- iDffliA(WnaQt.JtK^ older than tha xiiith century. As you
NonnaamaB Duds Richardi Regis Angliae
GoR Lbonis Dx€Ti Cor Leonis Dicti FVater
Obiit Anno Obiit Anno
mcxcix. mclxxxiii. John Duke of Bedford.
Ad dextrum Altaris Latus Jacet
lOANNBS Dux BeTFORDI
Normannise pro Rex Obiit Anno
MCCCCXXXV.
IM Diike't tott^ivSl be seen engraved in San^^hf^s Getteatogteat Bb^ UUhft p. 914^ ivlridi plate, in faxX^ is the identical one uted hj DM»rel \ ^vho had the singularly good fortune to decorate his Anglo-Nonnan Antiquities witiMMftmny expense to himself.
The above is the fiunous Duke of Bedford, of biUiamaniacal cele- brity. Consult for one minute the BihL Decameron, to)* !• P* cxxxvi. There is a curious chapter in Fommeraye*8 Histaire de VEgUie CeUhe- drale de Rouen, p. SOS, respecting the Duke's tddng the habit of a canon of the cathedral. He attended, with his first ^vrife, Anne of Bur- 9U1IDY, 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*6tre re9eu panny eux comme un, de leurs fr^res, et d'avoir tous les jours distnbu* tion de pain et de vin^ et pour marque de fr^temit^ d'etre v^tu du sur- plis et de I'aumusse : . comme aussi d*6tre a3aoci^, luy et sa tr^ gdn^- reuse et tr^ iUustre Spouse, aux suffrages de leur oompagnie, et k la participation de tous les biens qu'il plaira k Dieu leur domier la grace d*op6rer,*' p. 204 . A grand procession marked the day of the Duke's admission into the monkish fraternity. The whole of diis, with the Duke*s snpistb presents to the sacristy, and his dining with his Duchess, and reoeMsg^their portk>n of eight loaves and Ibur gallons of tme," aN» distioleUy-itttitated by the minute Pommeraye.
Sandford, after telling us that he ^nks there never was any por- traiture*' of the Duke, tlius sums up his character. He was justly accounted ooA.of Ijhe best generals that ever blossomed out of the royal stem oi thunAQwmn. His valour was not mofettnftk to Us enemies
54
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approach the Ch&pd of the Firgin,yoja pass by au andeni iftomiiMiit, ito the left, of a recumbent Bishi^,
reposing behind a thin pillar, within a vastly-pretty ornamented Gothic arch. To the eye of a tastefiil anti- quary, this cannot fail to have its due attraction. While however we are treading upon hallowed ground, ren- dered if possible more sacred by the ashes of the illus- trious dead, let us move gently onwards towards the Chapel of the Firgin — 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 Car- DiNAjus d'Amboisb* — uucle and nephew : — ^the former,
than ikis memory honourable 3 for (doubtful whether with more glory to hinii or to tfae speaker) King Lewis the Eleventh^ being counselled by oertain envious persons to deface his tomb (wherein with him^ auth onej was buried all English men*s good ftDrtune ih France) used Uieae indeed prineely words : ' What honour shaU it be to us, or you, to break this monument, and to puU out of the ground the bones Hiif> whom, in his life* time, neither my. &ther nor your progenitors, with aU th«if puissance, were once able to make flie a foot backwarde ? who, by ids stren^k, policy and wit, kept them aU out of the principal domiaielis of Trance, and out of this noble dudiy of Normandy ? Wherefoi^, 1 aay first, God sats his Sovl ; and let his body now lie in rest, which, when he was aHve, would have disquieted the proudest of us all. And for THis#ToicB, r assurt you it is not so worthy or convement as his honour and acts have deserved.* " p. 514-5, £d. I707.
the CAaniNALS d*Amboi8e.] Fmnce can boast of few brighter orna- ments of church and of state than were these Cardinals : both of the Christian name of Oboegx. The uncle died in 1510 : the nephew abdut thirty years afterwards. It was the unde, minister of Louis XTI. w1ii6 diverted the rivers of Robec and Auhette so as to pass through the city of Booeii for the purpose of dyeing and manufacturing woollen cloths. He aba caoaed to be built, fX his^wn expense^ the whdeof the iapade •oTthe west ftont, between the towers^ running over the andent porches
ROUEN.
55
minister of Louis XII. and (what does not neoessariiy, fcM&Wy bnt wfaat ghres him an infiniteljr higher olaim.
— ''fiiU (aajs Gilbert) of the moat beautiful fitogrpc-k^oking W9fV/ Hie magnificent tomb, above mentioned^ waa executed at ,chaijg;e and coat of the nephew, and finished in 1522 The names of the artL^ employed upon it are, unfortunately, unknown. It is abouViwenty-^iree feet high, by sevefiteen In length ; and displays the ft>Ifo1rii^ ^hscii^ tkm:
rABTOm SRAM OLBRI, POPULI rATBR, AURIA ti^B
LILIA SUBDSaANT, QUKRCU8 BT IPSA MIHI. MORTUUS BN lACBO, MORTB BXTINGUUNTUR H0N0RB8 : AT VIRTUS MORTIS NB8CIA, MORTE VIRBT.
" Hub sumptuous monument was erected in the year 15^, by'Geoige d'Amboifle, the nephew, when he was only Archbishop of RoiKn,'aiid had no great expectation of obtuning the purple ; so that his statue, wfaidi wna at that time placed on the mausoleum, represented him dressed in his archiepisoopal habit : but as soon as he had procured a cardiiial's hat, he ordered his statue to be taken down, and replaced by tiiat which we now see. This mausoleum is said to have been seven years in making.'* Ducarbl; p. 19. I wish Ducarel had stated hid andiority for this anecdote. The word quercus," in the above imcrip- tkm, alludes to Pc^ Julius 11. who was of the house of Rovxra : M is the ItaUan word latinised. Perhaps the three greatest ministers which Frenoe ever possessed, were Amboise, Sully, and Colbert. Voltaire, who always loved a sneer at dmrchmen, says, that if Amboise had but (me benefice in his own diocese, the wfiole Kingdom of Prance served him for a tecond ! It may have been so ; for the Archbishop died immensely rich — leaving (according to the authors of the Gallia Chris- tiana, vol. xi. col. 96,) not less than 300,000 crowns (aureorum, qu. ?) bdiind him— but then " he made the poor hib heirs, and willed that th^ should enjoy every thing which he had accumulated by means of his jffchiepiscopal, or other, revenues." Pope Julius 11. pretended that Amboise had no right, as a churchman, to leave such an immense pio- perty behind him: buttheKmg (Louis XII.) was of a different qiimon; and, on iht other hand, forbade the interference of the Pope in the din posMkm of private pn^perty. The Archbishop's improvemeiita in tht
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upon the gratitude of posterity) the restorer and beau- l^er of the glorious building in which you are contem- plating his figure ! This splendid monument is entirely of black and white marble, of the early part of the six- teenth century. The figures just mentioned are of white marble, kneeling upon cushions, beneath a rich canopy of Gothic firet-work. 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 St. George, their tutelary saint, is below them, in gilded
Cathedral alone shewed the liberality and munificence of his cha- racter. His letters must be interesting ; and especially those to Francis de Paula (of the order of the Minimes, to which order the Cardinal was much attached)^ of whom he was very fond. The Cardinal died in his fiftieth year only $ and his funeral was graced and honoured by the pre- sence of his royal master. Ouicciardini 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 Historia Genecdogica Magnahm Erancke ; voL vii. p. 129 : quoted in the work last mentioned.
It was during the archiepiscopacy of the successor of the nephew of Amboise — namely, that of Charles of Bourbon — that the Calvmistic persecution commenced. Tunc vero coepit civitas, dicecesis, imiver- saqueprovincia lamentabilem in modum conflictari, ssvientibus ob reli- gicHiis dissidia plusquam civilibus bellis," &c. But then the good Arch- bishop, however bountiful he might have been towards the poor at Roficevalles, (when he escorted Philip H.'s first wife Elizabeth, daughter of Henry U. 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, John Coitin, one of their most eminent preachers ; by way of striking terror into the rest ! • .Well might the Chronicler observe, as the result, *' novas secta ilia in dies acquirebat vires.*' About 1560-2 the Calvinists got the upper hands and repaid the Catholics with a vengeance ! Charles of Bourbon died in 1590 : so that he had an arduous and agitated time of it.
jtingoished. Take one — as a specimen— rrepresenting Charity.
Tbe cross and the heart were mutilated dijuivg, thp Rr^lutaon. These figures again are flanked by «ght smklter' ones, placed in eafved iucIkb; while above thM/'ln'turn, kre' the twelve Apbsthts^ not 'le^i hmt^ Urally executed* . 1
58
irlfhtAiHMiii^tcased hya, faBlf>doien- ngged-coatadiiule A^gne4> <vbo iofipqi^ujip 1': ito moiiiit the tow<er." . fintiiie Gbmax, T^jtfif, ^Snpf* up loo^rexfsts there. ThisbeUwaa lurokeii in the year 179|6> on die airiTal of Loiiis XVI. at Rouen ; and during the revplutionaiy period o( TifsS it was conveyed to Romilly, for the puT|>ose of being mel^ i4>']^n'6h'. 'tet fragments of it were transported to the mint lit Paris, i^'ilKl'Mib^ of ifttrikhiga^efvr medals frotn it. These medals aredf Ike VIMNSbpossihibbcetnnrenee. MMn,in\^ HuLMedaUliqitedcUiRewolu-^ ti^J^of^ajife,, Ptkiis^ 1308, 8vo. has engraved the two aides of one. Th.^.English are .fbn4 of the histories of great bells ^ and I shall give a very brief one of the present. It was cast in 1501, under the auspices of the first Cardinal d'Amboise, by one Jean lb Masson, or Machon ; who, the story goes, died of joy on having succeeded in the attempt, and was bnried at the end of the nave under a small tomb^ with a bdl sculptured upon it. The following were the verses upon his tomb, before the Revolution had destroyed both :
Cff'deiMs grist Jehan le Mack^n,
De ChMTtres, homme de/achon, t .,, , Z/e^t^//W»^ Georgjbs d'AMBOiSE,
^ Qui trente^ix mille livre poise.
Mil cinq cens un,Jour d*aoust deuwiesme.
Puis maurust le vingt et uniesme. iilus unfortunately-sensitive artist never lived to hear the sound of the bell which he had manufoctured 3 for it was not rung until the 1 6th of February, 1509, by sixteen men. See Pommeraye, p. 50. 1686, folio, llie following was the quatrain, in Gothic letters, which was cut upon tiiebyi'its^lf!
j(e 0u(0 noirimee ^e0rae0 toBofce,
^ ipsA iitn tat pAftiidf a^uatante milTe e tsoutieta#
ROUEN. 69
the bell and the tower, by the uncle and minister d'Amboisr. How the tone goes to one's heart! How the nave and the choir reverberate its echoes ! *Ti8 delusion all; a mere cheat of the imagination. But know, my dear friend, that there was once 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 was destroyed in the ravages of the inunedi- atdy succeeding years.* The south-west tower remains and the upper part of the central tower, with the whcie 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, it is surprising that it has not
Below these were sixteen hexameter and pentameter verses. The dia- meter of the beU was nearly eleven feet English. The enormous size of the clapper (weighing 1838 lbs.) is said to have been the cause of the original fracture. The knob of this clapper^ yet in existence at the door of a blacksmith of Deville^ a village near Bouen^ is seventeen inches thidc. It follows that this bell^ although smaller than that at Mosoow> was the laigest in the world which was placed in a tower and sounded.
It may be worth further remarking^ that this tower goes by the name of the Butter Tower. In other words, the Pope permitted the town's- fblk and country people, who had contributed by liberal donations to its re-edificatu>n^ to sell butter and milk in the market-place during Lent.
* The choir was formerly separated from the surrounding ch^[)ek« or rather from the space between it and the chapeb, by a superb brass grating, fiill of the most beautiful arabesque ornaments — another testi- mony ^of the magnificent spirit of the Cardinal and Prime Minister of Louis XII. : whose anns^ as weU as the figure of his patron^ St. Geoige,
were seen in the centre of every compartment The Revolution
has not left a vestige behind !
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been destroyed by tempest j or accident from lightning.* The taste of it is rather capricious than beautiful.
But I have not yet done with the monuments, or rather have only commenced the account of them. 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 dk BfLEzk,^ — 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 upon the stomach, but in an action which indicates life — and therefore is in bad taste, as far as truth is concerned ; for the head being
* It has, however, imdeigone great changes and reparations. This central tower, with the superincumbent spire^ disphiys the architecture of the xiiith, xivth, and xvth centuries. From bottom to top it is four hundred and thirty English feet in height. The cock is fixed upon a slender base of only six inches yet it measures three feet and a half in length. It is supposed to be precisely parallel with the top of Mont St. Catharine. Let me add, that the whole length of the cathedral is about four hundred and forty feet and the transept about one huadfed and seventy-five, English measure. The height of the nave is about ninety^ and of the lantern one hundred and sixty-eight feetj English. The length of the nave is two hundred and twenty-eight feet.
t the Grand Sbnischal Db Brsz£'.] He died in IhSl. Both the ancient and yet existing inscriptions are inserted by Gilbert, from Pommeraye and Farin, and formeriy there was seen^ in the middle of the moniunent^ the figure of the Seneschal halnted aa a Count, with all the msignia of his dignity. But this did not outlive the Revolution.
BOUEN.
61
fidlen back,, much shrunken, and with a ghastly ex- pression of countenance — vindicating that sonie , time has elapsed since it breathed its last — the j^nd conld not rest in this position. The cenotaph i£i of black marble, disfigured by the names of idle visi- tors who choose to leave such impertinent memprijals 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 counte- nance. Above the Seneschal, thus prostrate and life- less, there is another and a very clever representation of him on a smaller scale; as the following copy (sup- plied from an etcliing by an ingenious female) evi- dently proves.
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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 Diana op PoicTiERS :* they are little more than half the size of
* Diana of Poictibss.] — ^Again mention made of this extraor- dinary woman! ? (See tlie Bibliographical Decameron, yoI. ii. p. 486j &c.) The other figure^ with a cluld in its arms, supposed to be the ViBOiN, is by some with more propriety thought to be the nurse of the Seneschal. She is in the act of giving nourishment to a child, and the child is considered to be no less a personage than the Seneschal himself. In Ponmieraye's time (about the year 1660) there used to be a number of votive gifts " presented by the piety of the faithful.*' These have been all stolen. Besides the two figures of the Virgin or Nurse^ond Diana, there are, by the side of the equestrian statue, female figures representing the four virtues Prudence, Glory, Victory, and Faith. To her honour it must be mentioned, that Diana Was exceedingly liberal in her presents to the Cathedral. I regretted that I had not an opportunity of visiting even the scite only of the Chateau d^Anct, the residence of tliat extraordi- nary woman— especially as it was near Dreux, in the neighbourhood of Rouen — but I was deterred by the assurance that not a vestige of it re- mained ; the whole having been broken up and appropriated during the revolution. Gilbert quotes the verses upon this castle by Voltaire, in his Henriade,
U voit Ics murs d^Anct, l)&tis aux bords de PElurc ;
Lui-mtoe en ordoima la superbc structure.
and refers to the Anecdote*, Sfc. des Reines et Regentes de France, 1776, vol. iv. p. 456.
Brantome may be advantageously consulted 3 as will be acknow-- ledgedon reading the smart and lively account of Diana in the Vlllth. chapter of the 1st volume of [Sir Nathaniel] WraxalVs Memoir* of the Kings of France; 1777, 8vo. an amusing, and now uncommon perform- ance. In Zeiller'9 Topography of Gaul, forming three volumes out of the sixteen in folio, of his views of the principal towns in Europe, 1650, &c., there is a bird's eye view of the Chateau d*An£t, from which it appears to have been, even at that time, in every respect magnificent
ROUEN.
63
life. The whole is in the very best style of the sculp- ture of the time of Francis I. These precious speci-
and complete. A kind of heavy portal entrance, in the middle^ (like that wbkih may be now seen at the late Colonel Seijeantson*s mansion, near Cuckfield^ in Sussex,) conducted you into a mansion containing three sides of a sort of college quadrangle — the ends, upon entering, haTing round towers, -of a castellated structure. Immediately behind the house was a sumptuous garden, laid out in formal flower beds^ and flanked, apparently, by offices and garden houses. Two foun- tains played in the middle. Behind the garden, again, there was a laige smooth meadow or lawn, with a piece of water in the middle — the whole surrounded by trees. On each side of the house, was a laige court, surroimded with offices for servants. In the centre of each court a laige fountain played having a stag in the centre of one, and a statue of Diana in that of the other. To the right of the ri^t hand court, appears what may be called stables — or the menagerie of Diana : and behind this, was a thick wood or forest. Upon a hill, to the left of the meadow behind the garden, was a church and a cru- cifix by the side of it. Everything wears the aspect of a royal resi- dence. Sir N. Wraxall observes that it was respectable even when he saw it in 1774.
It must be admitted that Diana, when she caused the verses
Indimka tibi quondam et fidmima cm^tw Vt fuit in thaiamo, sic erii in tumulo.
to be engraved upon the tomb of the Seneschal, might well have moved the bile'* of the pious Benedictine Ponuneraye, and have ex- cited the taunting of Ducarel, when they thought upon her subse- quent connexion, in the character of mistress, with Henry the Second of France. Henry however endeavoured to compensate for his indis- cretions by the pomp and splendor of his processions. Rouen, so cele- brated 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 plip magniflque que toutes ceUes qu*on avoit vu jusqu'alors see Farini Bist. de la VtUe de Aouen, vol. i.p. 191, where there is a sin- gularly minute and g^y account of all the orders and d^rees ^ citi- zens— (with their gorgeous accoutrements of white plumes, velvet
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mens of art^ as well as several other onular remainB, were carried away during the revolution, to a place of
hatSj rich brocades^ and curiously wrought taffetas) of wbom the peo- cessions were composed. It must have been a perfectly druralie sight, upon the largest possible scale. It was from reqpect to the 'character or the memory of Diana, that so many plaister-represenla- tions of her were erected on the exteriors of buildings : espedalfy of those within small squares or quadrangles. In wandering about Roueuj I stumbled upon sereralold mansions of this kind.
May I be forgiven for an extension of this note}— already peiluipf somewhat unconscionably long. Ds Thou, who was a little boy^ about six years of age, when he was present at the tilting matdi be- tween Henry II. and Mongomery (so fatal to the former,*) seems to have been unusually enflamed against Diana : and certainly he lived near enough to the time in which she ruled her royal lover, to gather evidence which would necessarily escape a later historian. He cbUb her a woman of a proud and weak understanding^*' adding, that " it was thought she ruled Henry by means of philtres and charms, and that she preserved her imbounded influence over him, till the dose of his life. All things (continues he) were ruled by her authority; and Montmorenci himself submitted to the veriest acts of meanness to in* gratiate himself with her-—'' pessimo exemplo summi imperii ad im- potentis foemins libidinem prostituti." A little onward he says that
• Je vis bksser le Roi Henry 11. par Mongommery. La Reine fit d^molu* les Toumellei pour ce fiut : lieu unsi appell6, k cause d'un vieuz Chateau, oA 11 y avoit beaucoup de toumelles." See the Thuana, p. 199: attached to De Thou's Hut. iui temp. De Thou treats this duel Qn whkh dtt stomp of Mongomery's lance penetrated the eye and fractured the slodl of Henry) much too seriously. A various reading has it — " regem, in gr». garii militis modum, dignitatis 8U» oblitum, inter ludos jocosque periisie.'' But surely it was only the indulgence of a high chivalrous feeling, conunon to that age — and which had been in some sort practised by Henry's own fiuther with our Henry VIII. Besides, it must be remembered that Mongomeiy, the ablest champion of the lance in Christendom, was compelled unwiUini^y to fi^. De Thou says that Henry's death was predicted by Luca Guaricos, a madiematidaa and conjuror. See his History j voL L p. 768-8.
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66
jsafttjFi Ite choir it spacions^ and well adapted to ite ^grarpoaeB ; but who does not grieve to see the Arch* "bishop's stall, once the most curious and costly, of the 4jtothi0 order, and executed at the end of the xvth cen- ^tnrf, 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 fimciful stair-case, with an appropriate inscription,*
the King effus^ Annam diligebat" — and that Diana was equally mistress of the royal stud and palace.'* Hisi, Sui Temparu : edU. BHdtkjf, vol. i. p. 108-9. At p. 76J he thus describes her downfiiU: .... Deserted in her utmost need
By those her former bounty fed ! ... . " Valbntina [she was the DucnEssE be Valentinois] ignominiose aula esigitur^ f^ia gsiza oc gemmis ingentis pretii, quas ilia penes se habebat, non sine exprobratione repetitis : quod insigne fluxae auli- corum fidd testimonium fuit. Nam ex iis omnibus^ quosj dum remm potiretor, multos sed fere indignos ad honores evexerat, nemo unus repertuSj qui jacentis et a suis relicts fortunam sublevaret, praevalente adverstis beneficia privata odio publico." vol. i. 767.
* vitk-an appropriate inscription.] The inscription is this : Si quern sancta tenet meditandi in lege voluntas. Hie poterit residens, sacris intendere libris. Pommeraye has rather an interesting gossipping chapter [Chap, xxii.] "De la Biblioth^ue de la Cathedrale:** p. 163: to which FsAMfOis DB Uarlay^ about the year 1630^ was one of the most omniftcent benefactors. Ducarel thus notices this library, as it appwed in his lime. The Library belonging to the cathedral is It oable gaUAryvone hundred feet in length by twenty feet in breadth ; bol-lMUk not a sufficient quantity of light. It is furnished with a gvest' number of printed books, and some indifferent pictures of its benefactors. Free access is allowed to all persons desirous of study- ing there, from eight of the dock in the morning till twelve, and from two till five in the afternoon, of every day in the week except Sundays and holidays p. 23.
VOL. I. E
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yet attest that it was formerly an appendage to that part of the edifice.
Before I quit the subject of the cathedral, I must not fail to tell you something relating to the rites perfonned 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 Ascension* we were also present at
* feast of the Ascension.'] On this day there was formerly a very singular ceremony observed — which has now gone to decay. At least none such took place during my stay— although the prisons did not want even capital criminals. It may perhaps be worth while to refer the reader to Ducarel, p. 23> for a copious account of this ceremony.
The authors of the Gallia Christiana, vol. xi. col. 3^ &c. notice the privilege, enjoyed by the Chapter, of rescuing one condemned male- factor {roxa decapitation, upon the feast of the Ascension 3 and at col. 12 it is again somewhat more particularly mentioned. Speaking of the victory gained by the Saint over the Devil — and especially of the " Draconis ingentis simulacrum, quasi imago idololatrise pros- trat«" — they take care to warn us, in a note, that the Devil, or the Dragon of St. Romanus was " not a real dragon,** but only a symbol of idolatry — like those dragons attached to the figures of St. Marcellus and St. Margaret.
Evelyn, who visited the cathedral of Rouen in 1644, says that the quire had behind it a create dragon paynted on the wall 5 which they said had don much harme to the inhabitants till vanquished by St, Romain, their archbishop 3 for which there is an annual proces- sion." Life and Writings of John Evelyn ; vol. i. p. 56, edit. 1818. No traces of this precious piece of fresco painting now remain. Indeed I do not find it even noticed by Pommeraye, who published upon the cathedral about forty years afterwards.
St. Romain, or Romanus, was the first Archbishop of Rouen. In the Thesauftu Novus Anecdotorum of Martene and Durand, vol. iii. coL 1653, &c. there is a metrical life of this archiepiscopal Saint.
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67
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 ear- nestly as the rest. The interest excited among the parents^ and especially the mothers, was very striking.
Voil^ la petite — qu'elle a Fair 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 ap- proaching 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 direc- tion. 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 popu- larity. 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 fiimiliarity of manner, wholly exempt from vulgarity, and well suited to the capacities and
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feelings of his youthful audience. His subject ww " belief in Christ Jesus on which he gave very excels lent proofs and evidences. His voice was thin^ but clear^ and distinctly heard;
On the Feast of the Ascension, the Archbishop offi« ciated. He is the brother of Cambac^r6s^ the seccmd Consul of France when Bonaparte was the first ; and he is said to have once brandished the dagger as graces fully as he now does the crosier. However this may he, the Archbishop is, upon the whole, rather popular^ yet not with his clergy : by some of whom he is called cunning and worldly, and by others ignorant and selfish. The laity will have it that he is too shrewd for his brethren." He is a very portly gentleman, above the mean height ; and the Abbd T***, with whom I walked to the ceremony, did not scruple to call him
une grosse machine de chair." His countenance is full, but of a benign expression ; and he has a sort of gentlemanly air with him. I was opposite to him during the service. He sat in his modernised stall, before described ; and had two attendants, full* dressed, with bag-wigs and swords. His squaro cardinaFs cap was placed upon the red cushion before him. During the service he seemed to enjoy his fre- quent pinch of snuff, but was not free from the odious custom of spitting — even over the sides of his stall. I had however the satisfaction of witnessing about his person the only clean pair of bands and white pocket-handkerchief, which I had then seen in France. The service was long, and wearisomely ceremonial: but I could not disguise my indignation on seeing the canons, in pairs, or alone, as they passed the stall to
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and from tbe high altar, make low obdisances, almost amonnting to prostrations, before the Archbishop ; of which the latter took as little notice as the Great Tnrk wonld of those of his Muftis. This adulation to man, ia a house of God, is most repulsive to honest feelings. Tbe Archbishop lives in a retired manner, within an (dd and spacious palace, hard by the cathedral, into ,jHiicfaL he has a private entrance ; and is said to be Af- of letting the English visit his residence.* The leveaues of the archbishopric are yet very considerable; biit they are supposed to have once netted little short £30,000. sterling.-^
And now, my djear Friend, if you are not tired with jthis. detour of the Cathedral, suppose we take a {Homenade to the next most important ecclesiastical edifice in the city of Rouen. What say you therefore to a stroll to the Abbey of St. Oubn ?| Willingly,**
. * He died within eight months after the ceremony above witnessed^ io ]ua-6Sd year.
. t In the year 1740> tbe diocese of Rouen comprdiended thirty 'inml deaneries, thirty-four abbeys^ twelve monasteries, and at least finty ether ccwgregations or societies-— of both sexes. To this, add one thousand four hundred and thirty parishes, besides chapels and sidMdiary establishments. In the whole, one thousand seven hun- dred places of worship. OalUa Christiana 3 vol. xi. edit. 1759. ' t ^ Abbet of St. Oubn.] The first sixty pag^es of the Neuttria ■Pia are devoted to an account of this abbey. It wUl answer all rea- dable purpose, if, from these minute and ponderous details, it be mdj observed that there was probably an ecclesiastical building, on the present scite of St. Ouen, erected about the year 540 during the 4dgn of Clothaire I. as Pope Gregory I. is supposed to have granted .some privileges to the monks of the said church or abbejF— first dedi- iMted to St. Peter, about the year 595. However, the piety of St.
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methinks I hear you reply. — ^To the abbey therrfore let us go. In other words, you must listen patiently to my description of this enchanting building.
AuDOEN or St. Ouen, together with his attachment to this fovowile spot^ soon eclipsed all recollections of previous devotional ardour, among the monks and abbots. The second chapter of the Neustria Pia affords abundant confirmation of this remark ; and thenceforward, St. Ouen^ having been made Archbishop of Rouen, and dying in 638 (not in 6S9, as Ducarel intimates), the abbey was to be designated hj his own name. Consult too the Gallia Christiana, vol. xi. col. 19, &c. Ducarel says, that " St. Ouen dying at Clichy, his body waB brought to Rouen^ and deposited in a tomb which he had prepared for himself during his life-time, within the church of St. Peter, now the abbey church of St. Ouen that three years after his inter- ment, his remains were, by his successor Ausbert, inclosed in a shrine of silver, and placed near the high altar :** and that, in 848 they were removed to Paris, and in 918 brought back to this abbey, where they remain|ed till they were burnt by the Calvinists in 1562." p. 25 5 note.
This is erroneous. The shrine might have been carried away in 842, when the whole abbey was utterly destroyed by the incur- sions and ravages of the Normans. Towards the commencement of the following century, Rollo and other Norman chieftains were converted to Christianity— when also, the shrine might have been restored : but about the year 1050 the abbey was destroyed by fire ; and is supposed to have been rebuilt by Richard I. and the Empress Maud, in the following century. However, in the year 1248 it suffered a second general destruction by Jire — Qui combussit eccle- sias S. Laurentij et S. Gildardi, et totam abbatiam S. Audobni. Tantum enim inualuit impetus ignis, vt omnia aedificia breui con- sumpserit, campanasque liquefecerit, et abbatem cum monachis exind^ fugere compulerit." It is true, the monks carried away some
ornaments, chalices, deeds, writings, and reliquesj" but 1 appre- hend the shrine of the Founder was rather too weighty for transporta- Uon. Seethe iV^et<^<rtaPta;p.31. The Hugonots of 1562 have enough to answer for, without the additional act of sacrilege in destroying the
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Leaving the Cathedral, you go along the Rue des CarmeSy and pass a beautifully sculptured fountain (of the early time of Francis I.) which stands at the comer of a street, to the right ; and which, from its central flKtoation, is visited the live^long day for the sake of Its limpid waters. Push on a little further; then, turning to the rights you get into a sort of square, and observe the Abbey^— or rather the west-front of it, fidl 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, tliis window is perfectly unrivalled. There is a play of line in the mullions, which, considering their siz^ and strength, may be pronounced quite a master-piece of art. You approach, regretting the neg- lected state of the lateral towers, and enter, through
ahiine of St. Ouen. It was after this Jire, towards the end of the znith^ or rather about the beginning of the xivth century, that the abbey, in its present form, was begun to be erected by the cele- brated Jkan Mabdaboent — and the building was continued by the ten successiye abbois. But the Abbots Bohier and Cibo, in the xvth century, put the finishing strokes to it, as it now appears. > though yet imperfect. Consult Pommeraye's Histoire de VAhhaye Royale de St. (hmde Rouen, 1662, folio : especially the xxi-iid chapters : p. 188. Consult also Ducarel 5 p. 26. " La seconde singularity c'est I'^difice de Vig^se et maisons de TAbbaye de St. Ouen, comprins les plaisants iaidins et ToUier de toutes sortes d'oyseaux : oti y a aussi vne fontaine de marbre haute esleuee auecques diners tuyaux d Vn plaisant et singu- lier artifice : et je puis a3seurer que le nef de ce temple est la plus ample et mieux vitree qui soit en ce royaume/* Such is the pithy but doquent little passage of Bourgueville, relating to this abbey, in his Reekerches et Antiquitds de Caen; 1588, 8vo. p. 39, from a personal su^ey of it towards the middle of the xvith centory.
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tbe large and completely-opened centre doors^ flie nave of the Abbey. It was towards sun-set when We made our first entrance. The evening was beautiful ; and tbe variegated tints of sun-beam, admitted through the stained glass of the window, just noticed, weite perfectly enchanting. The window itself, as you look upwards, or rather as you fix your eye upon the centra of it, firom the remote end of the Abbey, or the LaAf$ Chapel^ was a perfect blaze of dazzling light : and nave^ choir, and side aisles, seemed magically illifr- mined • • •
Seemed all on fire — ^within, around ;
Deep sacristy and altar's pale ; Shone every pillar foliage-bound....
Lay of the Last Mtrntrel.
We declared instinctively that the Abbby of St.Oubn could hardly have a rival ; — cei*tainly no superior.
A trifling circumstance here occurred to divert our attention. In one of the remoter side chapels, feebly visited by all this magic of light, there stood a Coit- fessional. Within this confessional was an invisible priest. On the outside a woman was kneeling and confessing: just before her, upon the pavement, be- tween the pillars of the choir and the confessional, a poor woman, and a lad or two, had each taken a chair, and were praying in the attitudes here exhibited by the rapid pencil of Mr. Lewis : and I wall defy you to see the story better told in any of the more elaborate engra^^ngs of Picart. In the course of my corres- pondence, you will probably be treated with another similar exhibition or two.
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As the evening came on^ the gloom of abnost every nde chapel and recess was rendered doubly impres- ave by the devotion of numerous straggling suppli- cants ; and invocations to the presiding spirit of the place, reached the ears and touched the hearts of the by-8tanders. The grand western entrance presents you wiUi the most perfect view of the choir — a magical circle, or rather oval — ^flanked by lofty and clustered pillars, and free from the suiTounding obstruction of screens, &c. Nothing more airy and more captivating of the kind can 1)6 imagined. The finish and delicacy of these pillars are
quite gurprising. Above, below, around — every thing, is 1
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in the purest style of the xi vth and xvth centuries. The central tower is a tower of beauty as well as of strength. Yet in regard to further details, connected ^th the interior, it must be admitted that there is very little more which is deserving of particular description: except it be the gallery ^ which runs within the vralls 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 ex- ecuted by the master-mason, the other by his appren- tice ; and on being criticised by competent judges, the performance of the latter was said to eclipse that of the former. In consequence, the master became jealous and revengefril, and actually poniarded ' his apprentice. He was of course tried, condemned, and executed ; but an existing monument to his memoiy attests the humanity of the monks in ^ving him christian interment.* On the whole, it is the absence
* christian interment.] — Les Religieux de Saint Ouen touches de compassion envers ce malheureux artisan, obtinrent son coips de la justice^ et pour reconnoissance des bons services qu*il leur avoit rendus dans la construction de leur 6g\lse, nonobstant sa fin tragique, ne laiH- Bbrent pas de hiy fair I'bonneur de Tinhumer dans la chapeUe de sainte AgneSy oh sa tombe se voit encore auec cet Epitaphe : ' (^gati M. Albxandrs db Berncual, Makire de9,eey9r»de Mu9omurie,
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of aU obtrusive and unappropriate ornament which ^▼es to the interior of this building that lights un- encumbered^ 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 shnilar edifice.
Let me however put in a word for the organ. It Us 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 it cannot be short of fcNTty English feet in length. Indeed^ in all the ehurches which I have yet seen^ the organs strike me as being of magnificent dimensions.
You should be informed however that the extreme length of the interior, from the further end of the Chapel of the \lrgin, to its opposite western extre- mity, is about fi)ur 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 monuments are easily run
Off BaHUage de Rouen, et de cette Eglise, qui trhpaisa Pan de grace, 1440, le 5 Jmmer* Priez Dieu p&ur Pame de luy,
PoMMERATE : HUt de VAbhaye de St. Ouen, p. 197, 1662, folio.
At Pteiff , in a collection of prints^ relating to Nonnandy, (see page 41 ante) I saw some clever, minute engravings in Grignion*s style, of these three rose windows : together with a geometrical plan of the abbey. But these I think may be seen in Pommeraye, p. 1 96.
* The reader will find a description of the interior of this Abbey in Ducarel, p. 28, as it appeared in his time. I may add, however, that the dock, with " the figures of St. Michael and the Devil," and the " griUes de fer,*' are now no longer in existence.
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over: indeed they scarcely deserve to be mentioned. Not so the exterior of this wonderful building. I have already told you that the west end was never com- pleted, but what i'^ finished is worthy of its neighbour- ing beauties. 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 com- pete with it. It rises upwards of one hundred feet above the roof 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 efiect, seen at a due distance, is perfectly enchanting — owing to the fine proportions of every thing about it, which are neither too slim nor too massive, neither too plain nor too ornate. Turn which way you will, from any part of the town or boulevards, the great tower of this Abbey lifts its magnificent head
Quantum lenta solent inter viburna cupressi.
The choir is flanked by flying buttresses, which have a double tier of small arches, altogether " marvellous and curious to behold." Attached to the northern transept, was once a refectory, chapter-house, and CLOISTER. But refectory, chapter-house, and cloisters, are now gone ! — save a mere relic of the latter. What could have caused their removal, think you? The van- dalic revolution? No — for hereunto adjoining, stand some oflSces of government; the Hotel de Fillcj Library, &c. — and the Refectory was taken down in
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order that it might not impede the vieiv of a tasteless^ monotonous pile of what is called Greek or Roman ardhiteeture — in which the said government offices are contained! Nay, down went the very northern porch itself, attached to the northern transept . . and all this within thi*ee years of writing the melancholy record of such a preconcerted, tasteless, act of demo- lition. Where were the pencils — ^where were the pens —of the whole corps academique" of the city of Rouen. Pommeraye has favoured us with a view of this refectory, &c.* and my friend M. Le Prevost gratified me with a sight of some drawings of i1>--i- executed at his own expense, to enrich his choice little cabinet. It is due however to the present cor- poration to state, that the earliest acts of devasta- tion commenced during the revolution ; yet the grati- tude of the survivors of that horrible scene should rather have repaired what had been effaced, than have demolished the whole fabric — for the petty gratification of an architect's vanity. To compensate you, in some measure, for this ruthless act, you may steal quietly
♦ Pommeraye has favoured us with a view of this refectory. "] — It is a bird's-eye view, and will be found between pages 220 and 221 of his History. It is not only a view of the refectory and cloisters^ but of the gardens, &c. and is extremely curious. In fhicarel's time those fine appurtenances were standing. He thus describes them. The RsFSCTORT, Chapter House, and Cloisters, are very grand edi- fices. In the latter, which appears to be much more ancient than the church, I observed some old stone desks stuck to the piUars, and de- signed to place books upon : but I did not meet with the image of any saint, or crucifix,'* Anglo-Norman Antiquities/* 1767> folio, p. 29. See old Boorgaeville's short description^ at page 73 ante ; where he talks of singing birds warbling in the a4jaoent gardens.
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round to the pwch of the south transept^ and witness, in that porch^ one of the most chaste, light, and lovely specimens of Gothic architecture, which can be con* templated. Indeed, I hardly know any thing ilike it.* The leaves of the poplar and a&h were b^inning to mantle the exterior ; and, seen through their green and gay lattice work, the ti'aceries of the porch seemed to assume a more interesting aspect. They are now laending the upper part of the facade 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*; j J should remark to you that the eastern and north-- eastern sides of the abbey of St. Ouen are surrounded by 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. Indeed, attached to the north-east side of the north transept, there is one relic of forma* times^ rather of the castellated than of the ecclesiastical cha^ raeterf* — which strikes me as the oldest piece of build-
• hardly know any thing like i*.]— Even Dr. Ducarel became warm— on contemplating this porch ! " The porch at the south en* triemce into the church (says he) is much more worthy of the spectator's attention^ being highly enriched with architectonic ornaments; parti'- cularty 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. 98.
t rather of coitellated, than of eecledastical c^aroc^er.]-^^' Adjoin- ing to that part of the north side of the church, which is just below the transept of the cross, I observed a very old tower, which, as the monks assert, was part of the church built by king Ridiard I. and Maud the Empress,** Ducabel, p. 39. I have no doubt of this being of the
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mgj of whatever kind, in Rouen — at least, that I have yet seen. At this early season of the year, nrach com- paftiy is assembled every evening in these walks : while, in front of the abbey, or in the square fisicing the western end, the national guard is exercised in the day time— and troops of feir nymphs and willing jrouths mingle in the dance on a sabbath evening, while a platform is erected for the instrumental per- formers, and for the exhibition of feats of legerdemain. Yottt must not take leave of St. Ouen without bdng told that, formerly, the French Kings used occasion- ally to " make revel" within the Abbofs house. Henry II, Charles IX, and Henry III, each took a fancy t<ythis spot — but especially the famous Henri Quatre. It is reported that this monarch sojourned her^ 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.)* the keys of the tower were pre- sented to him, in the pi*esence of M. de Montpensier, the governor of the province, upon a velvet-cushion. TTie keys wei^e .gilt. The King took them, and re- placing them in the hands of the governor, said — " Mon cousin, je vous ies bailie pour les rendre, qu'ils les gar- dent;" — then, addressing the aldermen, he added, Soyez moi bons sujets et je vous serai bon Roi, et le meiUeur Roi que vous ayez jamais eu.*"
laUei: part of the xiith century 3 but it must be now quite impossiUe to a[^ropriate, with exactitude^ every portion of this building.
• Consult the account given by M. Le Prevost in the Precis Ana- lutupte des Travaux de V Academic, 4rc. de Rouen,"* for the year 1816^ p. 151^ &c.
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Unconscionably long as you may have found this letter^ I shall hazard an extension of it by ^ving you a rapid sketch of the remaining ecclesiastical edifices which are more particularly deserving of notice. Next to the Abbey of St. Ouen, go by all means and see the church St. Maclou^ say your friends and your guides. The Abb6 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 belfiry or steeple, another 110 feet in height, constructed of wood and lead — ^but which has been nearly destroyed for the sake of the latter arti- cles— for sundry purposes of slaughter or resistance during the revolution.* The exterior of the porches are remarkable for their elaborate ornaments ; espe- cially those in the Rue Martinville. They are highly praised by the inhabitants, and are supposed to be
* Farin tells us that you could go firom the top of the lantern to the cross^ or to the summit of the belfry> outside^ without a ladder : so ad- mirable was the workmanship/* Strangers (adds he) took models of it for the purpose of getting them engraved^ and they are sold pub- licly at Rome." Hiit. de la rille de Rouen, 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 xvidi century. The extreme length and width of the interior is about 15& 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 pav^j et, deux de ces galeries sont decor^ de deux autels/* &c. p. 150.
Alas! time-^r the revolution --has annihilated all this. Let mt add that M. Cotman has published a view of the stairccue in the church of which I am speaking.
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after the models of the famous Goujon. Perhaps they are rather enemnbered with ornament^ and want that quiet effect^ and pure good taste^ which we see in the porches of the Cathedral and the Abbey of 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! The monuments and the stained glass cease to be interesting after what you have already seen. Two circumstances, connected with this church, I shall not easily forget. The one was, that, close to the principal door of entrance, (at right angles with the Rue Martinville) I got intelli- gence from a vender of old and second-hand books — who was seated in a narrow stall, or shed, with a cocked hat on, which almost touched each extremity of it— of a copy of the first impression of the New Testament printed in the French language about the year 1478, which he had sold to a brother book-vender, and which I purchased within five minutes after re- ceiving the intelligence. The other circumstance, of a very different complexion, was, that, in one of my visits to M. Megard, (the typographical Bulmer of Rouen) on a Sunday morning, I arrived just at the moment when the congregation were quitting the church. The Rue Martinville runs at right angles with the Rue Malpalu^ which latter is on a rapid de- scent, terminating at the quays. The human beings, almost all females, with their broad streamers waving in the wind" — in other words, with their white spiral caps, in a sort of undulating motion, as they
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descended the streets — ^presented one of the most novel imd amusing sights of the kind which I had ever wit^ nessed. It seemed as if half of the population ci Rouen had uttered their orisons within St. Macloit; Indeed, I thought there would have been no end to the departing procession.
Of the remaining churches, I shall mention only four: two of them chiefly remarkable for their intarior, and two for their paramount antiquity. Of the two former, that of St. Vincent * presents you with a nofade oi^gan^ with a light choir profusely gilded, and (rarer ac- companiment) in very excellent taste. But the stained glass is the chief magnet of attraction. It is riol^ varied^ and vivid to a degree ; and, upon the whole, is the finest specimen of this species of art in the pre« sent ecclesiastical remains of the city. St. Fivienjf is
* that of St. Vincent J} Farin is rather brief in his account of this church : which however he calls one of the lai^g^t and finest in Rouen.** He coldly observes les vitres sont estim^ he might have inserted the adverb " tr^'* before the participle. The rqparB- tions and beautifying^ &c. took place diiefly about the year 17S0. The church suffered dreadfully from Calvinistic wrath in the year 156^. The tower was built in 1669. It was on a fine sunny morur ing, before break£eist^ that I visited this church } and am willing to hope that> if the panegyric above bestowed upon the stained glass viindows be overchaiged^ the fault may be attributed to the Sun ! — ^Yet Gilbert countenances the eulogy.
t St. Vivien.'] In the beginning of the xiiith century^ this church, now almost in the heart of the city, was in the suburbs. The pre- sent structure was completed towards the end of the xvth century. Towards the middle of the same century a bone of the arm, one of the shoes, and a part of the sepulchre — belonging to St. Vitikh — were carried to the cathedral church, and from thence deposited in that called by the i;iame of the Saint.** In the year 1588 a very extraor-
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the second of these two former. It is a fine open chnrch, with a large organ^ having a very curiona
Aaaiy procession of the White" Penitents*' set out from this church to the Cathedral. In 1560 it partook of the general calamity inflicted tiie implacable Calvinists. See Farin, toL ii. p. 162-4. I regret that I omitted to visit the churches of St. Patrice and St. 0§dard } and more especially the latter — ^which Farin says (in his time) boasted of the finest stained glass windows in France" — and whidi gave rise to the saying — when speaking of wine of a fine transparent colour^ il est de la couleur des vitres de St. Godard !** Tliese biHliant windows are of the xvith century. The church of St Godard is also one of the very laigest^ as well as most ancient^ in Hooen. In former days^ the rich and the powerful seemed to vie witb each other in bestowing marks of their munificence upon it. But it suffered perhaps more dreadfully than any other from the un- bridled fury of the Calvinists. It may be worth noticing that Farin sajB that the organ^ which was erected in 1640, was the work of Wit,iiAU Lesley, a Scotchman. Vol. ii. p 132—143. Ducarel (p. 3S) has taken his brief notice of this church from Farin, without /MKving had the grace to acknowledge it. It should seem, from Gilbert^ that a great quantity of old stained glass had been of late sold to the English at Rouen. But the revolution had facilitated this traffic.
On doit (says Gilbert) un tribut de reconnoissance k ceux des ma- giatrats et des habitans qui, par leur z^le et par leur courage, soiit parvenus h les preserver de la destruction.** He then goes on to observe : " La peinture sur verre, cultivee alors avec le plus grand suecte par dliabiles artistes (dont les descendans exercent encore la profession de vitrier k Rouen et k Paris,) ^ trouva dans la munificence des Rauennois, un noble sujet d'encouragement, et produisit cette multitude de magnifiques vitraux peints qui Ton admiroit autrefois dans les ^lises, et dont un petit nombre a fDrt heureusement ^happ^s ^ la foreur revolutionnaire, aussi bien qu* k la cupidite des acquireurs
• M. M. Levieil. " On doit ^ Pierre Levieil, mort en 1772, un excellent TVaiU HUtarique et pratique de la peinture tur verre, qui fait partie de PEncydop^iie. Get ouvrage est rempli de savantes recherches. Gilbert, p. 4.
VOL. I. F
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wooden screen in front, elaborately carved, and, as I conceive, of the very earliest part of the sixteenth cen- tury. I ascended the organ-loft ; and the door hap- pening 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.
But for the two ancient churches, above alluded to. Of these two ancient churches, therefore, situated at
des monumens religkux qui en ont vendu une grande quantity aux Anglois. Le8 ^lises de Saint Godard^ de Saint Patrice^ de Saint Vivien^ et la Cathedrale^ poss^dent encore de pr^cieux morceaux de peinture sur verre." f Descript. Hist, de Ndtre Dame de Rouen, p. 4.
f On se rappelle d'avoir vu avec intdr^t les beUes vitres de I'^lise de Saint Cande-le-vieux, de Saint Nicolas, et de la chapelle de Saint Maur.
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the opposite extremities of the city, let me first take you to that of St. Gervaisy considerably to the north of where the Boulevards Cauchoise and Bouvreuil meet. It was hard by this favourite spot, say the Norman histo- rians, that the ancient Dukes of Normandy built their country-houses : considering it as a lieu de plaisance. 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. * I walked with M. Le Provost to this curious church : having before twice seen it. But the Crj/pt is the only thing worth talking about, on the score of antiquity. We were both
• Ordericus Vitalis says that the dying monarch requested to be loonveyed thither^ to avoid the noise and bustle of a populous town. Rouen is described to be, in his time, populosa civitas.** Consult J>uche8ne*8 HistoruB Normannor. Scrip, Antiq, p. 656. It is not perhaps generally known that William was considered to be extremely munificent. He was certainly fond of giving large possessions to monastic establishments. In the archives of St. Ouen was a Carta Willelmi Anglorum regis, pro Monasterio Floriacbnsi Anno 1067> in which he liberally confirmed all the privileges granted to the same monastery by his ancestors Richard and Robert. In this charter he styles himself Anglorum rex effectus.** Consult Martene and I>urand*s Thesaurus Novus Anecdotorum, 1717^ fol. vol. 1. col. 196, F. But in the prologue to the work, concerning the acts of the later Kings of France, in 1110, the Conqueror is thus designated : " Nullus rex nostrorum temporum hoc Giullelmo fiiit felicior ac moderatior. Ejus magnanimitatem & magnificentiam nemo laudare suffidt, quibus ille usque ad tenninos terrse super omnes sevi nostri r^es ac principes apparuit gloriosus. Fauci posthac reges, sicut reor, ilium imitabuntur, & ejus affluenti^ & morum eleganti^ per- fhientur, quibus eum Deus in hac vita felixque fortuna ditavit.** Eiusd. Op. vol. i. col. 3S7-8.
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struck, after descending a narrow stair-case^ with the light which streamed from an aperture at the fiirthw end — half covered by the " youngand lusty grass" — and which shed a soft mellow tint upon the gloom below. As you enter, there are two tombs of the oldest Arch-.- bishops of Rouen — ^who lived in times remote enough (for aught I know to the contrary) to have shaken hands with St. Jerom. 'Hiese tombs are flat, solid, and plain. But it is the crypt (designed by Mr. Cot- man) upon which M. Le Prevost loves to expatiate ! — and which strikes the eye of the antiquary. Perhs^ I might say with perfect safety that here are the un- questionable remains of a Roman road. On quitting this crypt, and examining the architecture of the exterior above it, the same accomplished guide bade us 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 relin- quishment 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. Let me tell you, however, as we take leave of this curious old church, that William the Conqueror died in its vicinity.
We descended the hill upon wiiich St. Gervais is built ; and walked onward towards St Paul, situated at the further and opposite end of the town, upon a
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gentle eminence, just above the banks of the Seine. M. Le Provost was still our conductor. The day grew gloomy, and the heavens became black with thtmder--clouds, as we approached this small edifice. It is certainly of remote antiquity, but I suspect it to be completely Norman. The eastern end is full of antiquarian curiosities. We observed a Grecian 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 fiaishion. We discovered the Saxon whiskers upon several of these SBbces. 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 St. SeveTy^ supposed by some to be yet more ancient : but I had no opportunity of taking a parti- cular survey of it.
T!hus much, or rather thus little, respecting the ECCLESIASTICAL ANTIQUITIES of Roucn. They merit indeed a volume of themselves. This city could once boast of upwards of tbirtyi parish churches; of
• A view of it is published hy M. Cotman.
t Si. Sever."] This church is situated in the southern fauxbourgs, by the side of the Seine, and was once siurounded by gardens, &c. As yofu cross the bridge of boats, and go to the race-ground, you leave it to the right : but it is not so old as St. Paul — whexe, Farin says, the worship of Adonis was once performed !
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which very nearly a dozen have been recently (I mean during the Revolution) converted into ware- houses. It forms a curious, and yet melancholy melange — this strange misappropriation, of what was formerly held most sacred, to the common and lowest purposes of civil life! You enter these ware* houses, or oflBices 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 i 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 carmen and injunctions of the clerk ai-e now heard, where formerly there reigned a general silence, interrupted only by the matin or evening chaunt! I deplored this sort of sacrilegeous adaptation, to a respectable-looking old gentleman, sitting out of doors upon a chsur, and smoking his pipe — c'est dommage. Monsieur, qu'on a converti T^glise ^" — He stopped me: raised bii 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 vou'^ lez vous, Monsieur? — ce sont des ^v^nemens qu'on ne pent ni pr6voir ni prevenir. Voil^ ce que c'est T Leaving you to moralize upon this comfortable mor^ ceau of philosophy, consider me ever, &c.
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LETTER VI.
HAUiES D£ COMMERCE. PLACE DE LA PUCELLE d'oR- liEANS (JEANNE d'aRC). BASSO-RELIEVO OF THE CHAMP Dfi DRAP d'oR. PALACE AND COURTS OF JUSTICE.
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 Mont St. Catharine. We must visit a few more relics of antiquity, and take a yet more familiar survey of the town, ere we strive
superas evadere ad auras.
Indeed the information to be gained well merits the toil endured in its acquisition ; and as the labour we delight in physics pain,'' so you must at least listen attentively to the continuation of the Rouen Tale. I should however notice to you, before hand, that Goube*s * account of this city, which occupies scarcely twenty-five pages of his third volume, is utterly un- worthy of criticism ; and though Goube says his work is written without literary pretension,** yet he might have filled these twenty-five pages with better stuflF. TTie 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 db Commerce. The marhetsheve are numerous and abun-
* See p. 12, ante.
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dant, and are of all kinds. Cloth^ cotton^ lace^ linen^ fish^ fruity vegetables, meat, corn, and wine ; these for the exterior and interior of the body. Cattle, wood, iron, earthen- ware, seeds, and implements of agricul- ture; these for the supply of other necessities considered equally important. Each market has its appropriate scite. For picturesque effect, you must visit the Ftetix Marchd, 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 ofi^ 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. Mr. Lewis's occupation would not admit of his making a satisfactory sketch of it, or I am not certain whether any efibrt of his pencil could have more gratified the tastes of our country^ men. These huge and broad spreading umbrellas, with their accompaniments of live and dead stock, taken in a somewhat fore-shortened manner, would produce a truly spirited picture for the burin of Mitan.
Leaving the old market place, you pass on to the March^ Neuf^ where fruits, eggs, and butter are chiefly sold. At this season of the year there is necessarUy little or no fruit, but I could have filled one coat pocket with eggs (a dangerous experiment!) for less than half a franc. These market places are at the southern extremity of the town, near the quays. But
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while upon the subject of bujdng and selling, I must take you with me to the Halles of Rouen ; in other words, to the large public buildings now exclusively appropriated to the vendition of cloths, linen, and the varied etceteras of mercery. These are at once qiacious 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 for- merly the appurtenances of the palaces and chateaux of the old Dukes of Normandy : the latter 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 Leeds. By six o'clock the busy world is in motion within these halls. Then com- mences the incessant and inconceivable vocifera- tion of buying and selling. The whole scene is alive, and carried on in several vast, stone-arched rooms, supported by a row of pillars in the cen- tre. 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, con- tains tables and counters for the display of cloth, cotton, stuff, and linen of all descriptions. The dis- play of divers colours — the commendations bestowed by the seller, and the reluctant assent of the pur- chaser— the animated eye of the former, and the cal- culating 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 asto- nishment is yet heightened by the extraordinary good
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humour which every where prevails. The laugh, the joke^ the Equivoque, and reply^ were worth being re- corded in pointed metre ; — and what metre but thlit of Dan 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.
La Halle au Bled, or the Com Market, probably presents a more interesting scene. This hall is close to the preceding, and is about three hundred and twenty English feet in length, and proportionably broad and Icrfty. The market days are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; but more especially the latter day. Indeed if you cast a leisurely and reflecting survey upon these several markets — ^if you consider the bustle and barter that is going on, and that every thing indicates the renovation of prosperity after the late afflicting events of the revolution — if you consider too (as the Rauen-^ mis ought, and I hope do, consider !) how good the God of harvest" has been to them in the fecundity of their pasture and arable soil ! — ^when you gaze, I say, with a truly philosophical feeling upon all this ani- mated scene, here so inadequately described, you can- not but instinctively acknowledge how preferable are the quiet pursuits of peace to the tumultuous occu- pations of war — how infinitely more instructive are the arts of agriculture than those of arms — and what in- calculable moral benefits result from the cultivation of industrious habits, compared with all the glories to be acquired from conquest, from ambition, and from despotism !
O Fortunatos nimium sua si bona ndrint ! —
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From still, let me conduct you to active life. In other words, let us hasten to take a peep at the Horse and Cattle Market. These are subjects of consideration, to which you, my dear friend, who equally love to be borne upon a fiery steed, and to see your cows grazing in your meadows, or grouped upon canvas, by a Cuyp or a Vandevelde, can never be indifferent. On the other hand, consider my inexperience — ^my total ignorance of the meaning of words in Tattersal's Dic- tionary ; though, for dead stock, I will not allow your admiration of Cuyp, or of Vandevelde, to exceed my own. In few words then, be it known that the Horse and Cattle Market is carried on 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 Nar^ man horsey 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 shoul(fers of a cart- horse quite buried beneath a profusion and weight of collar; and have beheld a farmer's horse, led out to the plough, with trappings as gorgeous and strik-» ing 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 pro- jecting : while the eternally loud cracking of the whip is most repulsive to nervous ears. On one of these
BOUEN.
market days^ my son, more learned in the knowl^lge of horses than his parent, asked the price of an en- tire, fine animal; but the vender would hear of nothing under forty louis — ^which I thought " a good round sum.'' In the market these animals stand pretty close to each other for sale; and are led off, for shew, amidst boys, girls, and women, who contrive very dex- terously to get out of the way of their active hoofis. The French seem to have an instinctive method of doing that, which, with ourselves, demands forethought and deliberation.
Of the Streets, in this extraordinary city, that of the Great Clock — (Rue de la Grosse HorlogeJ which runs in a straight line from the western front of the Cathe- dral, at right angles with the Rue des Carmes, 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 singur larity 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 sculp^ tured 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
• C'est, comme on Ta dit, dans cette Tour qu*est plac^ la cloche dite d*ai^nt> ou BefiProy^ que Ton sonne dans les c^r^monies pub- liques, pour les diverses Elections, les moments de calamity, teU que les incendies^ etc. elle se fiut remarquer par un timbre tr^s-
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each evenings to warn the inhabitants abroad to retire irithin the walls of the city; but not for the purpose of extinguishing their fires — no curfew — as in times of old with us. As to the clocks it is remarkable rather for its antiquity than for the regularity of its move- ments. It is heavy and clumsy, yet not wanting a certain old feshioned richness of ornament. No in- habitant, living on either side of it, whether stationary^ or moving beneath it, ever now thinks of lifting his eyes towards this object — which formerly perhaps com- manded the admiration of the young and the respect of the old. Ancient usages are speedily forgotten ; and what we are in the habit of contemplating when young, ceases to attract attention in maturer years.
Turning to the left, in this street, and going down a sharp descent, we observe a stand of hackney coaches in a small square, called La Place de la Pucelle: that is, the place where the famous Jbannb d'ARc*
c!air et sonore qui produit une sensation extraordinaire. On la sonne tons les soirs k neuf-heures : c*est que Ton nomme k Rouen la retraite, paice que dans les temps de guerre, ou lorsque les portes de la yiUe se fomaient, elle averdssait les habitants hors de la ville d'y rentrer, an risque de passer la nuit dans les fauboui^. Sa destination a iii aussi d*avertir les soldats de la gamison de Theure de la retraite/' Itim&€ure, p. 126.
* the famous Jranne d*Abc.] Goube, in the second volume of his Bistwre du Duchd de Narmandie, 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 b^an to erect " a scaffold of plaister, so raised, that the flames could not at first
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was imprisoned^ and afterwards burnt. What sensa- tions possess one as we gaze upon each surrounding
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 abhor- reijice — the imbecility of Charles VII. the baseness of John of Luxembourg, or the treachery of the Regent Bedford ? I hope this latter renowned character employed and paid the artists for his Beuuous Missal and Breviary — as an act of penance and atone- ment for his absolute wickedness towards the Maid of Orleans.
It seems pretty clear that Monstrelet, the celebrated historian, and contemporary with Joan, was not well disposed towards her. She was taken prisoner in a sortie from Compeigne, about five o'clock in the afternoon, upon the eve of the day of Ascension, and " was drag- ged from her horse (says that chronicler) by an archer, near to whom was [Lyonnel] the hastarde de Vendome ; and to him she sur- rendered, and pledged her foith. He lost no time in carrying her to Maligny, and putting her under a secure guard,** &c. " The Duke of Burgundy went to the lodgings where she was confined, and spake some words to her ; but what they were (continues Monstrelet) I do not now recollect, although I was present [dolt !] The Duke and the army returned to their quarters, leaving the Msdd under the guard of Sir John Luxembourg ; who shortly after sent her, under a strong escort, to the castle of Beaulieu, and thence to that of Beau- Tevoir, where she remained, as you shall hear, a prisoner a long time.'* (Johnes*s Monstrelet, vol. ii. p. 380, folio impression. Edit. Sauvage, 1572. vol. ii. fol. 57-8.) So that it should seem Sir John did not immediately dispose of his prisoner : Monstrelet has confined his account of the incarceration and death of the Maid, to the Lettres Missives of the Regent Bedford : in which, among her supposed crimes, formal mention is made of her wearing man*s apparel for two whole years — chose d Dieu abhominabU P EUe fut men^ par la dicte iustice li^e au vieil marchb' dedans Rouen, et Ik pub- liquement fiit arse k la veue de tout le peuple.** Monstrelet, edit. Sauvage, vol. ii. fol. 71.
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object I — although, now, each surrounding object has undergone a most palpable change. Ah, my friend —
The unfortunate sufferer is thus described by a French poet of the latter end of the xyth century :
£t a Rouen en emmenerent La PucELLE pour prisonniere.
EUe est tr^ doulce, amiable, Moutonne, sans orgueil ne envie, Oracieuse, moult serviable, Et qui menoit bicn belle vie.
Trb souvent elle se confessoit, Pour avoir Dieu en protecteur, Ne gaire Feste se passoit. Que ne receust son Cr^teur.
Mais ce nonobstant les Angloys Aux vertuz & biens ne penserent, Aingois en hiune des Fran^oys, Tres durement si la traicterent.
Puis an derrenier la condamnerent A mourir douloureusement, £t brief Tarderent & brullerent A Rouen tout publiquement.
Z/M Poeiies de Martial de Parti, Paris, 1724, 12mo. vol. i. p. 120.
The identical spot on which she suffered is not now visible, accord- ing to Milling that place having been occupied by the late Marchi des Veaux, It was however not half a stone*s throw from the scite of the present statue. In the Antiquit^s Nationales of the last mentioned author (vol. iii. art. xxxvi.) there are three plates connected with die History of Joan of Arc. The Jirst plate represents the Parte Bauve- reml to the left, and the circular old tower to the right — in which lat- ter 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 for^round with a picture of a lover and his mistress, in a bocage^ regaling themselves with a flagon of wine. The old
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what emotions were once excited within this small space! What curiosity, and even agony of mind,
circular tower qui vit g^mir cette infortun6e/' flays MiDin) exiBts 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. Goube has re-engraved this fountain. It was taken down or demolished in 1/55 i upon the scite of which was built the present tasteless production — resembling, as the author of the Itin^aire de Ronen (p. 69) well observes, rather a Pallas than the heroine of Orleans.'* The name of the author was Stodts. Millin*s third 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-relievos of the Champ de drap d'Or: for an account of which see afterwards.
In the same work, vol. ii. p. 2, is a plate of the Maid*s monument at Orleans, cast in bronze (the second of the kind in France) in the year 1571. She is kneeling, with her long hair slightly tied with a riband behind the nape of her neck. Her head is imcovered, and her helmet and spear are by the side of her. Opposite to her is no very desirable neighbour — Charles VII. The central subject is the dead Christ in the lap of the Virgin. Does this monument yet exist? In a note at vol. iii. p. 3, Art. xxxvi., Millin properly refers to Lenglet du Fresnoy and Fontette*s edition of Le Long*s BihUotK^ue Histarique, for a catalogue of the numerous, or rather innumerable, works, of all kinds, and in all shapes, which were published relating to the Maid's life and death. The subject has been even dramatifleds and in the MSS. of the Vatican there is a metrical mystery of the Siege of Orleans, Millin allows, with equal propriety, 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 Minimes at Chaillot: although the building was not erected till the time of Charles VIII. Yet it might have been a copy of some coeval produc- tion. In regard to oil paintings, I take it that the portrait of Judith, with a sword in one hand, and the head of Holofbmes in the other, has
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mmgled with the tumults of indignation^ the shouts (^levenge^ and the exclamations of pity ! But life now goes on just the same as if nothing remarkable had hap- pened here. The past is forgotten. Nor smoke nor flame is seen ; nor the shrieks of the sufferer are heard. Poor Joan ! — she is one of the many who, having been twtured as a heretic, have been afterwards reverenced as a martyr. Her statue was, not very long after her execution, almost adored upon that very spot where her body had been consigned, with execrations, to the flames. As I gazed upon the present wretched soolptured representation of her, I could not but think of the sleepy attempt of Chapelaine, and the more ani- mated effort of our Southey — to immortalize her memory. The prison where Joan of Arc was confined yet partly exists ; and the spot where she was burnt is attested both by a fountain and a statue, in the centre of the square. The present statue is indeed frightful in every respect. It is defective in form, and divested of the costume of the time : two faults, which no other beauties (had it possessed any) could have compensated. However, this square contains probably one of the very oldest houses in Rouen — and as inte- racting as it is ancient. It is invisible from without : bat yon open a wooden gate, and quickly find yourself jivllhin a small quadrangle, having three of its sides i'
iMi QfloaUy copied (whh the omission of the latter accompaniment) as that of Jbanvm d'Abc. But it is time to clow this account of her. Yet I hardly know a more interesting coUection of books than that uliidi may be acquired respecting the &te of this equally brare and anfofiiinate heroine.
VOI«. I. G
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covered with ba88o-relieyo figures in plaister. lliat aide which feces 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 plaister figures which cover the left side on enter- ing. These, my fiiend, are no less than the represen- tation of the procession of Henry VIII. and Francis I. to the fiunous Champ db drap d*Or : of which Mont- fiiucon^ after his fashion,* has published engravings.
* Montfaucon, after his fashUm,'] Far be it from me to deiNnedate 4ie labours of Mont&ucon. But those who have not the means of getting at that learned antiquarian's Monarchie Eran^oue may posdbly hm an opportunity of examining precisely the same representatkmt^ of the procession above alluded to, in DueareVi Anglo-Ntnnum JM> ^mties, Plate XII. Till the year 1726 this extraordhiary aeiiea of ornament was supposed to represent the Council of TrfoU} bol Hit Abb^ Noel, happening to find a salamander noarked upon the badL of one of the figures, supposed, with greater truth, that it was a representation of the abovementioned procession; and accQrdin|^ * sent Montfiiucon an account of the whole. The Ahhi might hftft •■ found more than one, two, or three salamanders, if he had lodhil sharply upon this extraordinary exterior and possibly, in his tfai^ the surfaces of the more delicate parts, especially of the te^tnm^ might not have sustained the iiguries which time and aocideiii noir seem to have inflicted upon them. Mr. Lewis, in the opposite beanftifid specimen of art, both drawn and engraved by himself, has been scrupulously exact in shewing the decayed and perfect parts juit as they appeared at the period of our visit.
ROUEN.
101
Having carefully examined this veiy curious relic^ of the beginning of the sixteenth century^ I have no hesi- tation in pronouncing the copy of Montfoncon (or rather of the artist employed) to be most egregiously fiuthless. I visited it again and again ; considering it- to be worth all the " huge clocks" in Rouen put toge- ther. It was of course too tempting a subject to be n^lected by the pencil of Mr. Lewis : who selected the following small portion — as being nearly the most perfect which remains.
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BOUEN«
The house itself now a lady^s Imrdiiig^^schooly w<t thie mistress (Mrs^ Hannar, an English woman) sheirad Mr. L. all manner of civility and attention during the execution of the drawing. Several of the young and sprightly tenants of this old-fkshion^ place caae and conversed with him, while his pencil was in hia^ hand, and he contrived to vary the occupation of jthat said pencil, by making one or two pretty little sketches of their physiognomies. Mrs. Harmar herself had nearly forgotten her legitimate English — so insenidbly and surely do foreign sounds and language operate in living an altered character to our own. I hardly know how to take you from- this interesting spot — from this exhibition of beautifiil old art — especially too when I consider that Francis himself once occupied the man- sion, and held a council here, with both English and French : that his bugles once sounded from beneath the gate-way; and 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 a faithful representation of it.
While upon the subject of ancient edifices — * and
* the subject of ancient edtfices,] On examining the note at page 41, it will be seen that mention is made of certain views of Rouen, or of portions of it, which are to be found in the Bibliotheque du Roi at Paris. In the same collection is a drawing of part of the ancient building in the Court of the Abbey St, Amand, in one of the streeTs of Rouen of which I have forgotten the name. In this composi- tion are seen the arms of Mary of Anhault, the Abbess. It is cleverly executed> and is well worth engraving. There i« also rathjer
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wiute'the gallant deeds of Francis I. may be called to mind from reading the last paragraph but one — let me take you with me back again a few steps, and eromng the Rue de la Chrosse Horlogey contrive to ]plaoe yoQ in the centre of the square which is formed by the Palais de Justice. The inhabitants con- sider this building as the principal lim (of a civil character) in their city. It has indeed great claims to notice and admiration, but will not bear the severe acrotiny of a critic in Gothic art. It was partly erected by thefisunous Cardinal d^Amboisb, (of whom I expatiated somewhat in my fifth letter) and partly by Francis I. ; and the Parliament of Normandy assembled here at the beginning of the sixteenth cen- tury, as it was built upon the scite of the old parlia- mait house. This building precisely marks the resto- mtion 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 sparkfing 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 pui'est, or the most pleasing, taste. Too much is given to parts, and too little to the whole. The external orna- ments are frequently heavy from their size and dabo-
mn interesting view of the entrance into the same abbey^ of the date <if 1702. Not a vestige of the original now remains. A little prints liy Sylvestre^ of one of the ^Ad castles^ at Rouen^ may be also just worth mentioning.
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rate execution ; and they seem to be stuck an to the main building without rhyme or reason. Nevertheless I know not how you can refusQ assent to the criticism that this is a vaste batiment d'un gothique ^r6me- ment d^licat^ et tr^s hardi dans son execution.*** Surely however the architect would have improved^ as well as enriched, his building, if he had selected portions from a purer as well as better style of art, observable in the Cathedral and the Abbey of St. Ouen: — but men will be always inventing, and indulging their fancies equally at the expense of their judgment and reputation.
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 pretty lofty flight of stone steps, which conducts you to a singularly curious hall,'^' 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 Pdrlia-
* Itin^aire de Rouen, 1815, 8vo.
t In DucareFs time, " the ground story consisted of a great quad- rangle 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, West- minster 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,** AngUh Norman Antiquitiesj p. 3^.
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ment lived formerly in the building which faces yon upon entrance, but matters have now taken a very differei\t turn. Upon the whole, this Town Hall, or call it what you will, is rather a magnificent erection ; aad certainly very much superior to any provincial building of the kind which we possess in England. I should tell you that the courts for commercial or civil 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 * of antiquarian books, of all descriptions, relating to Rouen, which I had the good fortune to see) carried me to the Hall of Commerce, which, among other apartments, contains a large chamber (contiguous to the Court of Justice) covered with fleurs de lys 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,-f' in which is represented
* the choiice$t Ubrary,'] Monsieur Riaux^ Aichiviste de la Chambre de Commerce. This amiable man and intelligent Bibliomaniac pro- mised to send me a list of his rarer and more valuable volumes^ before I left Rouen. He unites a love of literary with architectural an- tiquities. The collection of M. Le Prevost is however as copious.
f At another end of this chamber of the Hall of Commerce is a Uglily coloured picture, of colossal dimensions, representing the Genitu of Commerce. It was bespoke by the Corporation of M. Le Monnier, of the Royal Academy of Painting, and is full of allegorical repre- sentations, comprehending the four quarters of the globe. " Imposant*' as this picture may be considered, and introduced to your attention by several printed pages of description, I could not but consider it very duU, very faulty, and very uninteresting.
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the reception of Louis XVI. at Rouen by the Mayor and Deputies of the town, in 1786. AU 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 livmg, I was told that — ALL WERE DEAD ! The fatc of the principal figure is but too well known. They should have this inte* resting subject — ^interesting undoubtedly to the inha* bitants — 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 engraving. What an ornament for a provincial, or what we should call a county, publication ? But let us hope that the city of Rouen will yet have its Whittakbr to describe its curiosities, and record its antiquities. I wish it no better historian.
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. I will also add (in sober truth) that he was the best looking of the whole. On enquiry of my guide, I found my supposition verified. He was an English- man ; but peradventure was indebted to a thirty years residence in the climate of Rouen for his handsome countenance and gentlemanly appearance I The ju- dicial costume is appropriate in every respect; but I could not help smiling upon meeting, the other morning, betimes, with my friend the judge, standing before the door of his house, in the open street — ^witb
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a hairy cap on — leisurely smoking his pipe. Would
Mr. Justice L of old, or Mr. Justice ■
that now is, recreate himself in the like manner ? I trow not. I hope you do not fail to remember that this is my Sixth Letter — " from the vine-covered hills and gay regions of France
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the quays. bridge of boats. rub du bac. rub de robec. eaux de robbc bt d*aubettb.
mont stb. catharine. hospices g^n^ralb et
d'humanit^.
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 de- serving of your attention. Do not expect me however to be for ever lingering within mouldy walls and per- ishing towers — and that the living are to be systemati- cally neglected for the dead — ^tho* as^uedly you
life enough" towards the latter parlNMVi l^t patch. Our day of departure is at lengt^xed, probably ^his may be my last epistlft but om hence.
Just letting you know^ in few worda^ Jhat I 1ml visited the famous chemical labor (Rue Beauvoisine) and the yet more tacle exhibited in M. Lemere's machine for sav wood of all descriptions, into small or large planks, 1 means of water works — must take you along thb QUAYS for a few minutes. Iliese quays aie flanked by an architectural front, which, were it \ to the original plan, would present ilg^l the noblest structures in Europe. To the blest <tf my recollection this stone front was begun in the reign of Louis XV. but many and prosperous must be the years
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of art> of commerce, and of peace, before money suffi- cient 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 Ihien, 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 lemon- ade or coffee, surmounted by a bell — which " ever and anon*' is sounded for the sake of attracting customers. Mr. Lewis has copied the entire scene to the life.
1
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. As you pass along this animated scene, by the side of the rapid Seine, and its Bridge of Boats*, yoa
" * The communication with the country lying south of Roaeo> is canted on by means of a timber bridge, two hundred paces in length, thrown over the River Seine from the middle of the quay to the Ftta- bourg St. Sever^ and of which the inhabitants talk with infinite rap- tures. This structure, begun in the year 16^6, is framed upon nwetetn barges which rise and fall with the flux and reflux of the tide. It is so contrived that when there is occasion for vessels to pass through, one* |Art of it, by the help of pullies, turns upon iron rollers over the othir part, without the least iiyury to either. It hath also, as I was infonn- ed, this farther covenience, that it can be taken to pieces in a few hours, when any danger is apprehended from the winter floods bring* ing down large flakes of ice. Tlie expense of keeping this flaatmg bridge in repair is very considerable, as the barges on which it is con- structed, as wetl as the other parts of it, are subject to frequent decay \ inasmuch that it is said to amount, comniunibus annis, to ten thousand livres French, or upwards of four hundred pounds sterling. Just be- low it are the ruins of the once magnificent stone bridge, which con- sisted of thirteen arches, and was built by the Empress Maud, daughter of Henry I. King of England. This old bridge seems to have been much better situated than the present, having been placed so as to range in a line with the principal street, which is to this day called B.ue Grand Pont ; but after having stood firm between three or four hundred years, it began to feel a very sensible decay, and on the 22d of August 1502, three arches fell down, which in 1533 were followed by two others. These defects were supplied by a super-structure of tim- ber} but a few years after, some of the other arches beginning to open^ the carriage and foot ways became so dangerous, that they were to- tally abandoned, and the passage over the river was from that time effected by means of ferry boats. Several attempts were after this made to repair the old bridge, but the ignorance of the French archi- tects was so great, that they unanimously declared it impossible to re- build a stone bridge in that place, on account of the depth of the water, and the rapidity of the river. Whereupon the present floating bridge was constructed in the manner I have mentioned.** Ducaskl^ p. 35-6.
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cannot help glancing now and then down the narrow old-£ei8hioned 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, aflford a striking contrast with the animated scene upon the quays : — where the sun shines with full freedom, as it were, and where the glitter- ing 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 con- templating, and mingling with, so interesting a scene. Judge yourself of one of these cramped streets, and overshadowing roofe, by the following spirited drawing
To this may be subjoined^ that Buonaparte commenced the building of a new stone bridge 3 of which only the abutments on each side of the river^ and one or two of the piers for arches in the middle, mre executed. I should apprehend that the present bridge of boats (which is always one of the ugliest and most unpicturesque convey- ances imaginable) would hardly last two dozen of years. The central part for the carriages is terribly worn and as I was walking upon it, during the passage of the Caen diligence, I thought the whole structure would have sunk into the bed of the river. A view of the river, the flhqiping, and the town, from a fine lofty stone bridge, would be en- dianting. I saw however, at Paris, in a collection of prints relating to Normandy (mentioned at page 41 ante) three pretty etchings, by IsBABL SiLVESTRS of the ruius of the old stone bridge. Silvestre flourished in 1650-60. Evelyn thus notices these ruins in 1644. There stand yet the mines [says he] of a magnificent bridge of stone, now supply'd by oneof boates only, to which come up vessels of consider- able burden." EveUfn's Memoirs-, vol. i. p. 50. Edit. 1S18.
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of the Rue du Bac — leading to the south transept of the Cathedral — which has already cut so gay a figure in tliese despatches.*
We liave liad frequent thunder-storms of late; and the other Sunday evening, happening to be sauntering at a consi(ieral)le heiglit above the north-west Boulevards, towards the Fauhotir^i: Caucholse^ I gained a summit, upon the edge of a gravel pit, wlience I looked down unexpectedly and precipitously upon the town below. A magnificent aiul immense cloud was rolling over the whole (?ity. The Seine was however visible on the; other side of it, shining like a broad silver chord; whil9 the barren, ascending |)lains, through which the road to (,'aen |)asscs, were gradually becoming dusk with the overshadowing cloud, and drenched with rain which, seemed to be rushing down in one immense torrent. The top of the Cathech-al and of the abbey of St. Ouen were almost veiled in darkness, by the passingstonn ; but the lower part f)f 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 nuigically-varied scene settled into the sober, uniform tint of evening ; but I can never forget the rich bed of i)nrj)le and pink, fringed with burnish- ed gold, in which the sun of that evening set. I de- scended— absorbed in the r(»collection of the lovely- objects which 1 had just contemplated — and regaled by the sounds of a thousand little gurgling streamlets^
* See the opposite copper-plate. Perhaps this is one of the closest and most faitliful of copies; and gives you a decided idea of the fj^eiierality of those ohi, narrow streets^ so particularly mentioned in the text.
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created by the passing tempest, and hastening to pre- cipitate themselves into the Seine.
Of the different trades, especially retail, which are carried on in Rouen with the greatest success, those connected with the cotton manufactories cannot fiail to claim your attention ; and I fancied I saw, in some of the shop-windows, shawls and gowns which might pre- sume to vie with our Manchester andNoi-wich produc- tions. Nevertheless, I learnt that the French were extremely partial to British manufactures: and cotton stockings, colored muslins, and what are called ginghams, are covetted by them with the same fcmdness as we prize their cambric and lace. Thdr best articles in watches, clocks, silver orna- ments^ 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 escrutoires and other articles of Aimiture 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 elbow- grease with us, is almost unknown on either side of the Seine. You would be charmed to have a fine spe- cimen 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 gratifjdng; and resemble somewhat that of rose wood, but of a gayer aspect. The or-molu ornaments are tastefrilly put on ; but the
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general shape, or contour, of the several pieces of fur- niture, struck me as being in bad taste.
He who wishes to be astonished by the singnlarity of a scene, connected with trade, 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 dyers of clothes — and in the middle of the street rushes the precipitous stream, called LEau de /ioftec*— receiving colours of all hues. To day it is nearly jet black : to-morrow it is br^t 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 as- pect— especially in dirty weather : but if you go to one end of it (I think to the north — ^as it runs north and south) and look down upon the descending street, with the overhanging upper stories and roofe — ^the foreshortened, numerous bridges — the differently-co- lored dyed clothes, suspended from the windows, or from poles — the constant motion of men, women, and children, running across the bridges — with the rapid, camelion stream beneath — ^you cannot fail to acknow- ledge that this is one of the most singular, gro-
* Bourgueville describes this river, in the sixteenth centary, asbdi^ aucune fois iaulne, autrefois rouge^ verte, bleu^^ viol^e & autres couleurs, selon qu'vn grand nombre de teinturiers qui sont dessus^ la diuersifient par interualles en faisant leurs maneures."
Antiquitez de Caen, p. 36.
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tesque, and uncommon sights in the wonder-working city of Rouen. With all the betraying simplicity of a stranger^ I stopped opposite a house in which I saw a basso-relievo ornament of a knight, praying be neath a tree, while his horse was grazing beside him. This plaister ornament had the date of somewhere be- tween 1580 andl590 — ^but just now I forget the precise year. Possibly this might have been a representation of St* Hubert; or possibly the house might have been the residence of some distinguished character during the League, — ^but how comfortable are possibilities** in the solution of difficulties, or the appropriation of persons and things? I ought to tell you that our old friend the first jbmous Cardinal d*Amboise caused the Eau de Robec to be directed through the streets of Rouen, from its original channel or source in a little valley near St. Martin da Vivien. Formerly there was a much more numerous clan of these teintu- riers'* in the Rue de Robec — but they have of late sought more capacious premises in the fauxbourgs de St. Hilaire and de Martainvil/e. The neighbouring sis- ter-stream, FEau d^Aubette, is destined to the same pur- poses 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 com 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 for- gotten by me. 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 at- mosphere unsullied by the fumes of sea coal : hilarity
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and apparent contentment: the spraoe bourgeoise and the slattern fille de chambre : — attired in vestments of deep crimson and dark blue — every thing flits be- fore you as if touched by magic, and as if sorrow and misfortune were unknown to the inhabitants.
Paull5 majora canamus.** In other words, let us leave the town for the country. Let us hurry through a few more bizarre 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 us to the summit of this enchanting eminence : but as you are far away, you must be coAtent with a brief de- scription of our little expedition thither.* The Mont St. 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
* expedition thither,']— When John Evelyn visited this neighbour- hood^ in 1644> the country so abounded with wolres, that a shep- herd^ whom he met, told him that one of his companions was stran- gled 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." Memoirs of the Uife and Writings of John Evelyn, vol. i. p. 50. Edit. 1818. My friend Mr. J. H. Markland (a tried good Roxburgher) visited Mont St. Catha- rine the year after the visit above described. He was of course en- chanted with the view 3 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 Amo or the Po. In short, it is quite peculiar to itself— and cannot be smpassed.
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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 fiacre to carry us to the beginning of the ascent, that our 1^ might be in proper order for scrambling up the acclivities imme-* diately above ; and leaving the main road to the light, 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 en- crease — ^till, gaining the highest point, looking towards the west, we found ourselves immediately above the town and the whole of its environs ....
Heavens, what a goodly prospect spreads around !'*
8ud I to myself— bethinking me of the well-known verse in Thomson*s description of the view from Rich- mond Hill. 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 astonish- ment. 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
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us in the most distinct and gratifying manner. No-— ■ " Diable boiteux** could ever have transported a Don Cleophas L^ndro Perez Zambullo** to a more favour- able situation for a knowledge of what was passing in a dty ; and if the houses had been unroofed^ we could have almost discerned whether the escrutoires were made of mahogany or of walnut-wood ! This wonder-working effect proceeds from the extraordinary clearness of the atmosphere, and the absence of sea-coal Aime. The sky was perfectly blue — the generality of the roofe 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"* to the right — while the Sdne, 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-f- 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 pa- norama was perfectly unrivalled!" Mr. Lewis took
• It is thus prettily observed in the little Itineraire de Rouen — Ces agr^ables maisons de plaisance appartiennent h. des habitants de Roue n qui y viennent en famille, dans la belle saison^ se d^lasser des embams dela viUe et des fatigues du commerce.'* p. 153.
t race-ground.'] — ^When the English cavalry were quartered here in 1814-5, the officers were in the frequent habit of racing with each other. These races weregaily attended by the inhabitants; and I hcard^ from more than one mouthy the warmest conunendations bestowed upon thefleetness of the coursers and the skill of the riders
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oat his. drawiiig4)ook and pencil — and rather attempt- ed^ than executed, a sketch of this enchanting view.
More immediately opposite, within a fine wood upon a bold hill, stood the house of the Mayor of Rouen for time being. I think they call this place Canteleu. It is very picturesque : but, as my hour of departure from hence draws near, and as you cannot possibly liave more than another Rouen dispatch, (which mti^^ and shall be devoted to Iiooftejf — with the delightful et cetaras dependent thereupon) 1 shall only express my T^pret that I cannot visit other equally well known spots in the environs of Rouen . . . that I cannot wander in the lonely valley of Mont-aux-Malades* — ^fit place for conventual or monastic dwelling — and ascend its nu- merous adjacent eminences, which, although they should seem to shut out the world, enable you to see the world from thence ! . . . that I must turn my back perhaps for ever upon Bapaume, Croissety and D^viUe, and (yet more cruel fate !) upon the sweet and smiling plains of Bois-guillaume. But I will not repine. I have seen much and enjoyed much. I have paced the naves of the Cathedral and of the abbey of St. Ouen ; and
* Mant'Oux-Malades], — Les campagnes environnantes du Mont- aux-Malades ofirent des cdteaux charmants qui invitent k s*y reposer. IjeuTB richesses, leur vari^t^^ le silence de ces lieux solitaires^ qui n*est troabl^ que par les chants de PhilomMe et des heureux habitants des mirs, tout invite h, s'y arr^ter et k se livrer k la plus douce m^lancholie l«ur ces pelouses ^maill^es de fleurs." Itineraire de Rouen, p. 152. Such a passage — though from a waistcoat-pocket Itinerary — is not un- deserving of quotation. Mont-aux-Malades (its name derived, I ap- prehend, from the place being the resort of valetudinarians) lies above *the Fauxbourgs Cauchoise and Bouvreuil about a French league from the dty.
VOL. I. H
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have stood as it were upon their pinnacles, while gazing at them from the height of Mont St£. Catharine I
M. P^riaux, a very sensible man, and Member of the Royal Academy of Rouen, as wdl as a printer of equal business and reputation, wrote out for me a list of all the desirable places to be visited in the vicinity of the city : but to write out," and to carry what is written into execution, are very different matters. I admitted to my Instructor that Mant-aux^Maladei and Bihorel must remain unvisited by me ... He answered, done vous n'auriez rien vft.** But thus is surely a mere Academic flourish. We descended Mont Ste. Catharine* on the side facing the Hospice G^ndrali a building of a very handsome form, and considerable dimensions. It is a noble establishment for foimdUngs, and the aged smd infirm of both 8«es. I was told that not fewer than twenty-five himdred human beings were sheltered in this asylum ; a numba:, which equally astonished and delighted me. The de- scent, on this side the hill, is exceedingly pleasing ; being composed of serpentine little walks, through occasional alleys of trees [and shrubs, to the vary base of the hill, not many hundred yards from the
* This mount takes its name from an abbey formerly built there and dedicated to the Holy Trinity of which abbey Simeon, a religious character from Moimt Sinai, was the founder. He, and his holy at- tendant (of the name of Gosselin) carried thither the relics of St. Ca- therine, and hence the place is called Mont Ste. Catharine. Pommeraye has devoted ninety folio pages to the Histaire de VAhhaye de la Ste. TVi- niti; dite du Mont de Sainte Catharine; and is careful to tell us how Simeon got into possession of the relics of the Saint.*'
Histoire de VAhhaye Roy ale de St Ouen, 1662^ folio.
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faoqiitd. The architecture of this extensive building is more mixed tiian that of its neighbour the Hospice dUumamtij 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 breeeding of its motley inhabitants. Some were strolling quietly, with thdr arms behind them, between rows of trees: — others were tranquilly sitting upon benches : a tliird group would be in motion within the squares of the building : a fourth appeared in deep consultation whether the patage of to-day were not inferior to that of the pre- ceding day? — Que cherchez vous. Monsieur ?'* said a fine looking old man, touching, and half taking off, his cocked hat f " I wish to see the Abb6 Tur- quier," — re^cmed I. " Ah, il vient de sortir — par ici, Monsieur." Thank you." " Monsieur je vous sou- haite le bon jour — au plaisir de vous revoir T And thus I paced through the squares of this vast building. The Portier" had a countenance which our Wilkie irould have seized with avidity, and copied with inimi- table spirit and fidelity.
The Jardin des Plantes is in the immediate vicinity of this Hospital. It was established during the reign of Louis XV., and my amiable acquaintance, the fore- mentioned Abb£, is one of the brightest ornaments of the Botanic institution which is attached to it. This garden, next to that at Paris, is considered the most carious in France. I rambled through it — regaled by
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the odours of the violet and jonquille, and still more rejoiced at the sight of the blossoms of the apple and ahnond trees. Spring is come at last . . . But where are the Books, and MSS. and Printing Presses of which I heretofore spake ? A little patience^ and then.
LETTER VIIL
BARLY TYPOGRAPHY AT ROUEN. MODERN PRINTERS. CHAP BOOKS. BOOKSELLERS. BOOK COLLECTORS.
" Yes — and then" ... for all the gossip and chit- chat connected with paper ^ inky books, printing-offices, and curiosities of every graphic description. Perhaps the most regular method would be to speak of a few of the principal presses, before we take the productions of these presses into consideration. And firsts as to the antiquity of printing in Rouen.* The art of print- ing is supposed to have been introduced here, by a citizen of the name <^ Maufer, between the years 1470 and 1480. Some of the specimens of Rouen Missals and Breviaries, especially of those by Morin^ who was the second printer in this city, are very splendid. His device, which is not common, but ra- ther striking, is here enclosed for your gratifica-^ tion.
* antiquity of printing in 12oti6n.]— The reader may possibly not Ob- ject to coDsnlt two or three pages of the BihUographical Decameron, begmning. at page 137> vol. ii. respecting a few early Rouen printef8» The name of Maufsb> however, appears in a fine large folio volume, entitled Gaietanus de Ttenis Vincentini in Quatt. Aristot. Metheor, Li- bras, of the date of 1476 — in the possession of Earl Spencer. From the colophon of which we can only safely infer that Maufer was a ^izen of Rouen,
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Few provincial towns have been more fertile in ty- pographical productions ; and the reputation of Taii.* LBUR, GuALTiBR^ and Valentin^ gave great respect* ability to the press of Rouen at the commencement of the XVI th century.*
* at the commencement of the xyith ceitliiry.]— Among the earlier works of a poetical description^ which seem to haveanj direct oonnectifm with Rouen, is the one entitled Palinodz^ Chants royauz. Ballades^ Rddeaulx, et Epigrammes } a Fhonnem' de limmacuke Coception^ &o.
On the third leaf are the names of those who contrihuted ballads, &c. among which we read M. Andry de la vigne : M. Guillaome Cretui. lehanMarot. Nicolle le vestu. Nicolle aubert. Pierre lelieor. N.tiuw hot. G. Thibault. laques du pare. Innocent tourmente. Pierre le cheuallier. Crygnon de Dieppe. Guygnart appotkaire. Pieot. Guil*
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Yet I am not tSble to ascertain whether this press was very frditM in 1lmiiMejf,€^mdcltfty and o&l S^oettp-
lanme roger. Clement marot. laques fiUaster. Busquet. Tasserie. Prere Guillaiune Alexis.
All the poetry is of a serious and sombre cast— not approaching any thing like energy or sublimity : with over-strained conceits. I will give a specimen or two^ that the reader may judge for himself. At feoillet. Ixxi^ we have
Ballade premier de la roze,
Lan passe en terre gellee Bk fut si nidement traicte. Que au iourdhuy par la jprande gdee Nous souffroDS au ble la charte : Mais deuant que tout fut gaste, Dieu retint en certaine place. Contre firoit qui cest trop haste La terre rendant ble de grace :
Ceste terre nest point fbullee Ne fouye yucr ny este Le soleil ou pluye coulee Par grace ya tousiours este Son rayon dorient monte Grace sur elle contre la glace Garda par diuine bonte La terre rendant ble de grace.
Par la terre idnsy desolee Vint hm au peuple supplian Par lautre ame est consolee Du ble que grace y a plante Ble en lyuer fiit desplante Lautre est tousiours fertHle et grasse Preste a donner fruict a plante La terre rendant ble de grace.
Renuoy.
Prince le pfun par vous gouste De son ble porte lefficace
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your beloved objects of research ! I rather think, however/that it was not deficient in this popular class
Qui presenia du froit double La terre rendant ble de grace M. Guillaume Thibault.
Beneath a rondeau^ by Guillauine Cretin^ is the fbUowing — by the same hand :*-*
Argumentum,
Vng fiacteur fut Osrhan nomme Roy sur tous chantres renomme Qui feist en des partz trente six Vng motet tellement asseis Quon ne veit oncq oemire semblable A derici chantre louable Premier queuoyer par chemin Le feist noter en parchemin Puys pour le chanter assembht Chantres auquelz tresbon sembk. Le fiBM^teur dieu nous signifie Son motet dont les partz ie nombre Ce sacre concept certifie Qui grace et vertus eut sans nombre.
Le noteur et le parchemin Flgurent Anne & loachin Verbes passifz, pleurs manifestes Chantres, patriarches, prophetes Et les docteurs de saincte egUse ^ Qui prouuent oenure tresexquise Ceste vierge dont fut yssant lesu Christ sen resiouyssant
fueillet Ixxii.
I may be pardoned for not giving more of the French : the latter few leaves are devoted to Latin verse — somewhat more refreshing than the preceding : Thus : —
" QtuB est ista qua progyeditur, quan
aurora consurgens, Cantworum vL cap.
lam noua concipiens intacte exordia proUs, Pieria proferre tuba, atq decentibus orsis
I
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of Hterature, if I am to judge from the specimens which are yet lingering, as it were, in the hands of the curi- ous. I ought rather to say, which are yet extant** (certainly not in choice print/*) in the hands of the many. The gravity even of an archiepiscopal see could never repress the natural love of the French, from time immemorial, for light and fancifrd reading.
You know with what pertinacity I grope about old alleys, old courts, bye-lanes, and unfrequented comers — ^being like Harry Dyson of old, (according to Tom Hearne's account of him*) a person of a very strange, prying, and inquisitive genius, in the matter of books*' — in the search of what is curious, precious, and rare in the book way. But ere we touch that enchant- ing chord, let us proceed according to the plan laid down. First therefore for printing offices. Of these, the names of Periaux, (Imprimeur de FAcademieJ
Hereo, cui liceat diuam conferre nitentem. An sit phas homini, quae iam supereminet orbes : Etheris ardentis describere nubibus imbris Sine niui similem, plenimq ; nocentia terns Icta cadut. sed lorgo manet super astra salutem Terrigenum curans, ne non nocitura coercens. Ergo nec est nubes seu nix dicenda nec imber Virgo mihi. potius latijs aurora vocanda est VodbuSy etherei certissima nunda solis.
&c. &c. &c. Fo. Ixxvii.
It is si^ed " Picardus laurea donatus.** The whole volume con- tains 100 leaves. A wood cut of the Virgin and child within a glory^ in the middle of an upright figure of a female^ radiated^ is on the reverse of the last leaf. Messrs. Arch^ Booksellers^ had a copy of this curious volume in their Catalogue of 1819> which was bound in blue morocco^ marked at the price of 82. 6s,
* See BiblUmania, p. 398.
ROTIEN.
Baudry^ (Imprimeur du Roi) MkQAnb, fBue JUar- tinmllejy and Lbcr&kb-Labbby^ (Imprmeur^IAhr&ire et Marchand de Papiers) are masters of the pHncipal presses ; but such is the influence of Paris, or of me- tropolitan fashions, that a publisher will sometimes prefer getting his work printed at the capital-r-and even the " Description Historique de VEglise M^ro- politaine de Notre-Dame de Rouen (which I have so frequently mentioned, and which is published by Frbrb, the most respectable bookseller at Rouen), was printed in the Metropolis. Of the foregoil^^ printers, it behoves me to n^e sonie particular mention ; and yet I can speak personally but of tW0 : Messieurs P^riaux and M^gard. M. P^riaux is printer to the Acadimie des Sciences, Belles-Lettres et Arts die Rouen, 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 Harry Stephen o[ the Rouen Printers. He urged me to call often: but I could visit him only twice. Each time I found him in his
* himself an accomplished MemberJ] — ^In the sittiiigs cxf the Society for August L812> M. Periaux is announced as having communicated
un m^moire rempli de recherches et d*6rudition^ dans lequel il examine cette question:** La Lune pascaXe doit elle 4tre appelUe Lune de Mars** En d*autres termes : Aquel mots solaxre un mots (u- fiaire est-il cens4 appartenir?'* Two of the Members pronounced a most favourable eulogy upon this ingenious performance— whidi is printed^ and may be had of all the Rouen booksellers. M. Periaux is just now occupied in the laborious but useful task of giving a Guide or HisTOBY of RouBN^ according to the alphabetical order of the streets and public buildings^ &c.
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conntii^ hduse^ with his cap on-shading his eyes : a peii in his right hand, and a proof sheet in his left, fnioiigh he rqoiced at seeing me, I could discover ^mach to his praise) that, like Aldus, he wished me to
msy my saying quickly,"* and leave him to his deles and stets ! He has a great run of business, and lives In me of those strange, old-*&shioned 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 — ^weil quali* fied to take the labouring oar, either upon the tem- porary or permanent retirement of his parent. M. P^riaux shewed me, with a conscious air of triumph, a map — printed with metal types within wood*cut de- markations of the different countries — and executed upon a scale which renders it rather an uncommon performance for the press. He has promised to pre- sent me with a copy of it — but I am not sure that I merit such a mark of his kindness. He was very anxioufi that I should make myself well acquainted with the UH:ale of this city, and even penned down, as I told you, the several places I ought to visit, with an earnestness approaching to a command — that I should of necessity see them.
(X Monsieur Megard, who may be called the an- cient Jenson^ or the modem Buhner, of Rouen, I can speak only in terms of praise — ^both as a civil gentle- man and as a successfol printer. He is doubtless the
* like Aldus, ''say my saying'* quickly,'] Consult Mr. Roscoe's Life of Leo X. vol, i. p. 169-70> 8vo. edit. Unger^ in his Life of Aldus, edt^. Geret p. xxxxii. has a pleasant notice of an inscription^ to the same efiect> put over the door of his printing office by Aldus.
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most elegant printer in this city ; and being also a publisher, his business is veiy 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 indus- try. The approach to his premises, in the Rue Martinville^ is sufficiently repulsive. In the usual manner, you pull a wire or string, and the door u opened by an invisible hand. You enter; pass along a range of offices, where presses are at work; ascend a flight of steps in front ; enter the warehouse, filled with a large stock of common vendible books ; and view, from the windows thereof, a beautiful portion of the south side of the Abbey of St. Ouen. Below, are a small court and garden ; such as would be considered of in- estimable value if adjoining the premises and appurte- nances of many of our London printers. If a large chimney, or a good part of a shabby old house were difr* placed, the view of the abbey, from this warehdose, would be perfectly enviable. On my first visits M; M^gard was from home ; but Madame, son ^powe Tattendoit k chaque moment There is a particular class of women among the Fi*ench, which is sin- gularly intelligent, civil, and even well-bred. I mean the wives of the more respectable tradesmen. Thus I found it, in addition to a hundred similar previous instances, with Madame M^gard. Mais Monsieur, je vous prie devous asseoir. Quevoulez vous?**'*^! wish to have a little conversation with your husband. I am an enthusiastic lover of the art of printing. I search every where for skilfril printers, and thus it is that I am in pursuit of Monsieur M^gard."
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An immediate declension of the eye-lids^ accompa- nied with the most gentle obeisance^ attested the sensibility of the wife to the just eul(^ bestowed iipon her husband. We both sat down and con- versed together; and I found in Madame M^gard a middle-aged woman^ and mother of several children,) a communicative, and well-instructed representative of the said ancient Jenson, or modem Buhner. — ^ Enfin, voilk mon mari qui arrive" — said Madame, taming round, upon the opening of thp 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 national guardy with a huge grenadier cap upon 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 snch a measure as that of embodying a national guard.
Soyez le bien venu : Ma foi, je ne suis que trop sensible. Monsieur, de Thonneur que vous me faites — vA que vons 6tes antiquaire typographique, et que vous avez public des ouvrages relatife k notre art. Mais oe n*est pas ici qu'il fsmt en chercher de belles ^preuves. Cest k Paris."
I parried this delicate thrust by observing that I was weil acquainted with the fine productions of JMdot — 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 smcerity. But you are printer to his Grace the Archbishop !" " Yes, Sir." " I hope he is a patron
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the art, as well as a Cardinal of the see of Romer M. M^gard hesitated. But think of the .eodefflas- tical patrons of typography, of old. Think of the'Cardi- nals Bessarion, Campanus,and of the Bishop of Aleria.** C'est bien vrai. Monsieur, mais rAreh^ydque de Rouen n*est ni le Cardinal Bessarion ni rEv^qne d*A16rie — ^replied M. M^gard with equal promptitude and dexterity. In short, I learnt that M. M£gacd had seen his patron but once ; at which interview it should seem that he had experienced ten times the reserve and formality which were ever displayed by the Popes Paul II. and Sixtus IV. towards Sweyn- heym and Pannartz, and John Philip de Lignamine. I then bethou^t me of the grosse machine de chair*' of the Abb6 T.* My first visit concluded with two elegant little book-presents, on the part of M. M^gard— one being Heures de Rouen^ it Fusage du Diocise, 1814, 12mo. and the other Eirennes nxm- veUes commodes et utileSy 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 exceed-^ ingly well executed ; and which our Bensley or Buhner might own without the least apricot-blush upon their cheek. My visits to M. M6gard were rather frequents He has a son at the College Royale, or Lyc^, whither I accompanied him, one Sunday morning, and took tte church of that establishment in the way. It is built entirely in the Italian style of ai'chitecture : is exceed- ingly spacious: has a fine organ, and is numerously attended. The pictures I saw in it, although by no
• See page 68.
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means of first-rate merits quite convince me that it is in cfanrehes of Roman^ and not of Crothic architecture^ that paintings produce the most harmonious effect. Hiis college and church form a noble establishment^ atuated in one of the most commanding eminences of the town. From some parts of it, the flying buttresses d 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 mc^st gloriously picturesque manner.
But the printer who does the most business — or rather whose business lies in the lower department of the art, in brining forth what our friend B. usually calls chap books — is Lecrbne Labbey — imprimeur- l^aire et marchand de papiers. The very title im- ports a sort of Dan Newberry's repository. I believe however that Lecr6ne Labbey's business is much dimi- nished. He once lived in the Rue de la Qrosse^ Horloge, 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 were now suspended where formerly was seen the solemn procession of silken banners^ with religious emblems emblazoned in colours of all hues. I called however at the old shop, and supplied myself with a dingy copy of the Catalogue de la Bihliothique Bleue* — ^from which catalogue however I could pur-
* Catalogue de la BibUotheque Bletie qui se trouve chez LecrAie- Labbof, ImpftmeuT'^Libravre et Marchand de Papiers, ruedela Groue Hwrloge, No. l^, d Rouen, Such is the title. I select a few of the
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chase but little: as the greater part of the older books^ several of the Caxtanian stamp, had taken their de- more curiouB works^ desiderated more particularly by the Roxburghen, and by collectors of our ancient literature. It will be seen that^ what was popular in Caxton*stime^ is yet sought after at the openhig of the xixth century.
The following at 4 liv. 16 sous the dozen:
Calendrier du Berger, fig. (Our old Shepherd's Calendar: see Typog, Aniiq. vol. ii. p. 596.) Gallien Restaur^, fig. Huan de Bor- deaux, premier et seconde parties. Les quatre FiU Aynum, Wood cut frontispiece opposite the title-page: pp. 152^ large 8vo. No&$, d 16 feuilles, Valentin et Orson. I purchased a copy of this edition^ as well as of The Four Sons of Aymon*' just noticed. It is a laige^ and closely printed octavo volume of 166 pages.
When we consider that a dozen of ^ch books as these may be had for about 4s, English^ one cannot help contrasting it with the very dear terms upon which a similar set of books would be purchased in our own country. I apprehend that a volume^ like either of those here last noticed^ could not possibly be sold under 1«. 6d. : thus raising the sum of a dozen copies to little short of that of four times beyond what is given abroad. I proceed leisurely with a few others at
Four livres 4 sous the dozen,
Conquites de Charlemagne — which I presume to be the Life of Charlemain^ as originally printed in the xvth century, and fhnn which our Caxton published his version : see Typ. Jniiq, vol. i. p. 265.
Cuisinier Eranfais. Marichal expert, nouveUe Edition, figures neuves.
I obtained a copy of this latter work, which is a small, but full- printed, octavo of 153 pages. The figures" are sufficiently mise- rable; but I could not help smiling to observe, with all the veterinary quackery of the present day, a few of the old maxims of Dame Juliana Bemers* Book of Hunting, &c. engrafted upon the text of this woik. Thus, at page 11 we read :
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parti»re8. It was from this Cataiogae that I learnt the precise character of the works destined for vulgar reading, and irom hence inferred, what I stated to yon a little time ago, that Romances, Randelays, and cliivalroas stories, are yet read with pleasure, if not wit haviditf, by the good people of France. It is, in short, from this lower, or lowest species of literature—
De$ marqim que dokmU avoir le$ bans Chevaux.
Si ta max bon Gheral, qni longnement te serve, Fkcnds mr^oiit k bnm bai, et Boignenx k conaem; Le grison n'est mauvaisi maU on r^te beau Le cheval quand il est de toutes parts moreao. Si pour les tiens et toi tu veuz avoir monture, Choisis sur-tout le blaoc, car longnement 11 dun.
Le cheval doit avoir des marques distingudes^ tant pour la bont^ qne poor la beauts. II doit tenir de la Femme, du Boeof, du Renard^ etdu Cerf.
De la Femme. Qa*il soit doux au montoir> beau de devant^ et belk cbevelure de icrin.
Dm Bctuf. Qu'il ait les yeux beaux et gros^ Tenoolure belle^ et qu*il «oit Inen relev^.
JDu Renard. Qu*il ait beau trot^ les oreilles petites et belles^ la ^ueae grande et toussue.
Dm Cerf. Qa*il ait les jambes s^ches^ qu*il soit bien relev^ du Levant, qa*il ait la t^ s^che.
Consult Tifpog. Jniiq. vol. ii. p. 55-9^ fbr something like a similar description in the work of Daub Juliana Bebners. This book has some wretched wood cuts in the first part. The second part exhibits, in the title page, the dead stag, with his heels upwards, fisistened ^ a pole — as we see it in some of the more ancient works upon hundng. This second part is devoted to Phisieurs Recettes, Apptoov^es du Sienr d L^Esphiey, Gentilhonmie P^rigourdin, pour tovles les maladies et accidens qm arrivent aux Chevaux.*' This second part is composed of 76 pages : the first, of SO. VOL. I. I
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if it must be so designated— that we gatlier the real genius^ or mental character, of the wdinary classes of society. I do assure you that some of these chap publications are singularly droll and curious. Even the very rudiments of learning, or the mere alphabet* book, meets the eye in a very imponng manner. Let me send you the following specimen, being the first page of a little reli^ous manual, of whidi the press of M. M^gard has not disdained to throw off a few copies UPON VELLUM. You will observe from hence how carefully, and at what a tender age, the forms of the Roman Catholic religion are impressed upon the minds of youth. No child ever enters a place of wor- ship without making the form of a cross upon his breast — ^which custom, as you will observe by the red cross in the specimen here sent, he has been taught in the very elements of his education. In other respects, there i^ little difference in the formularies, or elemen- tary treatises, of both countries.
Chap books at 3 livres 1^ sous the dozen.
Ancien Testament, Aventurier Buscon. Figures de la Bible. Grande Danse Macabre, Jig, (From the celebrated old work under that name.) Histoire de Fortunatus. Palais des Curteux, Recueil de Chantons.
At S livres the dozen.
Les Loisirs des jolies Femmes, ou Recueil d^ariettes nouvelles. Pro — ph^ties de Moult, edit, ample. LAmant de J4sus, Doctrinal de 8a-^ pience. (Caxton's ordinal: see Typ. Antiq, vol. i. p. 266.) PurgaMr^ de St, Patrice, fig. Recueil de Chansons, &c. &c. &c. The Purgatorsr of St. Patrick was out of print. I sought for it every where^ in vain : but they endeavoured to console me by the assurance that a new, and improved edition had been long in contemplation.
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In nomine Patris, & Filii, & Ipiritus fancti. Amen.
• .^^^ A a b c d
efghik ^^jT^B 1 m n o p
T^^^^ r q r f s t u
V X y z & a e 1 o u m n ft ct fi fi
fl jQ ffl ffi ffi « oe. L'Oraifon Dominicale.
A ter nofter ,
P
tur
qui lis
es m coe- fanctifice- nomen tuum ,
Love, Marriage, and Confession, are fertile themes for dissemination by means of these little farthing chap books. Whether such fugitive and superficial pieces ever find their way into the boudoirs of respecta- ble families^ I will not^ as a traveller^ have the teme- rity to affirm : but that they are familiar to the middling and lower orders of society, is palpable from almost every lounge which you take in the streets. Yonder sits a fille de chambre, after her work is done. She is
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decorous manual of instruction. By no means; for read the very devout Litanies and Prayer with "which it
6. Heureiix sont lea Amans riches^ car 1 amour aime la d^pense.
7. Heureux sont les Amans saoB rivaux^ car ils poasedent seuls lea bomies graces de leurs Maitresses.
Oraison trh-utile d une fille qui 44nre 4tre pourtfue eamme UfanU du
Sacrement de Manage,
Mon Dieu^ qui avez cr6d le genre hmnain pour benir votre nom pdorable, & qui lui avez donn^ par la source f^conde du sacrement de Manage^ une voie legitime pour ^teindre le feu de la concupiscence^ & en m^me temps multiplier; je vous addresse mes voeux du plus profond de mon coeurs, afin qu'il vous plaise me remplir d'une vertu vivifiante, qui me rende capable de produire du fruit de Tunion con- jugale, & me donner un Epoux qui ait toutes les quality n^cessaxres
pour s*acquitter dignement des voeux du Manage
• C*est> mon Dieu^ ce
que je vous demande de toute mon ame avec les demi^res instances ^ regardez done en pitid votre trfes humble servante N.
It is observable, from hence> how little the French character has altered. In the copper plates to the better editions of their pas- toral and love poets^ upwards of a century ago^ we o'bserve young' ladies and young gentlemen, of fourteen and twelve years^ with their brows encircled by wreaths of flowers^ reclining upon grass banks^ and enacting the parts of passionate lovers. The same thing is observed io their modem productions. I now proceed^ in the second place^ to a specimen or two from the Cat^cJunne ^ V Usage des Grandes FUlespour itre marines; Ensemble la maniere dattirer les Amans, Par Demandes is Expenses, A Rouen chez Lecr^e-Labbey, &c.
Demande. Quel est le Sacrement le plus n^cessaire aux graodes Filles }
R^onse. C'est le Manage.
D. A quel dge doit on marier les Filles ?
R. Selon comme elles sont belles.
D. Les plus belles^ k quel ftge faut-il les marier }
R. C*est ordinairement k seize & dix huit ans.
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lUmclades^ and which I here send — for your gratifica- tion^ however transient. I admit that it is a strange mixture of the simple and serious.
LITANIES
Pour Umtes le» BIU» qui dhureni entrer em manage.
Kyriey je voudrois^
Christe^ 6tre marine.
Kyrie^ je prie tous les Saints^
Chriate, que ce soit demain.
Saiote Marie, tout le Monde se marie.
Saint Joseph, que vous al-je £ut?
Saint Nicolas, ne m^oubUex pas. . Saint M^rie, que j*aie un bon mari.
Saini Matthieu, qu*ilcraigne Dieu. . Saint Jean, qu'il m'aime tendrement.
Saint Bruno, qu'il soit joli & beau. , Saint Francois, qu'il me soit fidele. . Saint Andr^, qu*il soit k mon gr6.
Saint Didier, qu*il aime k trayaiUer. . Saint Honor^, qu*il n'aime pas k jouer. . Saint S^verin, qu*il n'aime pas le vin.
Saint Clement qu*il soit diligent.
Saint Sauveur, qu'il ait bon coeur.
Saint Nicaise, que je sois a mon aise. . Saint Josse, qu'il me donne un carosse. . Saint Boni£ftce, que mon mariage se fisisse.. . Saint Augustin, d^ demain matin.
OaAisoN.
Seigneur, qui ayez fbnn^ Adam de la terre, and qui lui avez donn^ Ere pour sa compagne ; envoyez-moi, s'il vous plait, un bon mari pour oompagnon, non pour la volupt^, mais pour vous honorer & avoir dea en&nts qui vous b^nissent. Ainsi soit il.
D. Pourquoi k cet ftge }
R. De peur qu'il n'arrive quelque inconvenient k leur honneur. ' D. Mais celles qui ne sont pas belles, k quel ftge feut-il done les marier?
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Amoi^ the books of this class, before allucled to, I purchased a singularly amusing little mairaal called
R. Au8sit6t que les Gardens les demandent> pour ne pas perdre la bonne occasion.
D. Quand une FQle n*a point d'Amant^ comment iaat-il £ure poor en avoir?
R. II y a plusieurs moyens pour 8*en procurer. D. Quels sont ces moyens ?
£. Premi^rement^ il £Eiut avoir la sagesse & la modestie; se- condement^ ^tre bonne m^nag^re> bien actionn^e & son oceupatkm k son travail ; troisi^mement^ 6tre bien propre dans ses habilleiiieiits, dans son linge & dans sa chambre ; quatri^mement> ne pas a'aviser de porter plus que son itai ne permet, car c*est le moyen de lesren- voyer, plut6t que de les attirer.
D. Quand une Ulle a un Amant bien k son gi^^ comment doit-elle fure> peur de le perdre ?
R. n faut Taimer d'un amour honn^> qui est le v&itable moyen de le conserver; il font aussi ^viter envers lui les paroles hardies & pea respectueuses, peur de le f&cher ; se garder bien d'^couter les mauvais discours, tant d*un c6t^ que de I'autre 5 il faut aussi < toigonrs toe de bonne humeur^ principalement devant lui; ne point lui causer de la jalousie en fEusant trop d'accueil aux autres.
D. Quand une Fille veut aller k la promenade, comment dmt^lle se comporter avec son Amant & avec ceux de la compagnie ?
R. Elle doit premi^rement en demander permission k son pere, H sa m^re ou k ses sup^rieurs, & leur dire que c*est pour aller en tel en- droit. II faut aussi qu'elle se comporte en la compagnie de laqaelle est son Amant, avec beaucoup de modestie
D. Les Dimancbes et les F^tes, quand une Fille garde la maison pendant la grand*-Messe ou les V^pres, & que son Amant la vient yoir^ conmient doit-elle se comporter?
R. Avec une grande modestie & retenue, faisant son manage avec beaucoup d'action, sans s'amuser k badiner avec son Amant, ii cause des mauvaises suites qui pourroient en provenir. II fieiut aussi lui re- montrer qu'il auroit €t6 plus k propos d'etre k la giand'-Mwe ou L V^pres, & qu*il seroit Uen venu k une autre, le tout avec tenmes &.pa- roles de douceur. ,
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La Confession de ia Bonne Femme."^ It is really BOt ^vested of merit. Whether however it may not have
D. Qoand une Fille est demand^ en manage par un Garcon qui est 1»en li son gr^, que doit elle r^pondre ?
R. n fout d'abord qu'elle ^se semblant d'etre un peu surprise, ft i^pondre qu*elle ne pent pas croire qu'un Garcon de son m^rite & de son moyen, youltlt avoir en manage une aussi simple Fille comme elle.
D. Si TAmant persiste, lui faisant des protestations d'amiti^, ou lui disant par exemple : Ce seroit tout mon d^ir, si je pouvois poss^er I'ami^ d'une aimable personne comme vous, & je serois le plus con- tent du monde. Si je ne craignois point de vous faire de la peine, j*aiirois Thonneur d'en parler k M. votre Pere et k Madame votre
IL La Kile doit r^pondre ayec beaucoup de respect : Monsieur, si TOUs avez Tamiti^ que vous dites avoir pour moi, ils ne seront pas moins surpris que j*ai it6, parce qu'ils ne s*attendent, pas d'avoir cet avantage.
Si Tamant a Pere ou Mere, il doit leuren parler, leur t^moigner son dessein, en leur disant : Si c'^toit votre volont^ comme c*est lamienne, je Bouhaiterois avoir en manage une telle, qui est une ti^-honn6te FiOe.
Mbn FilSj j'ai trouv^ que vous avez ti^s-bien choisi, il £Eiut voir au phit6tsi nous pourrons avoir cet avantage.
Le Pere & la Mere du Garcon parlant au Pere & k la Mere de la FiUe, api^s avoir fait le salut & lea complimens ordinaires, pourront dire: Monsieur & Madame, nous avons appris avec bien du plaisir qoL li J avoit une parfaite amiti6 entre Mademoiselle votre Fille & noire Garcon ; c*est ce qui nous oblige ^ vous la demander en mariage pour notre FIls, si vous nous Taccordez, nous serous parfiedtement con- %6oa«
Monsieur & Madame, nous sommes charm^s de l*honneur que vous II0II8 ikites axgourd*hui 5 pour vous faire voir que nous avons une parfaite amiti^ pour vous & pour toute votre aimable famille, nous Y(his la promettons de bon coeur.
Monsieur & Madame, nous sommes entibrement satisfaits} c'est ^ vtmh, s'il vous plait, k donner jour pour passer le contrat.
Mon^euTj k jour de votre commoditi^ sera le n6tre.
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been written, during the Revolution, with a view to ridicule the practice of auricular confession which yet obtmns throughout France, I cannot take upon me to pronounce ; but there are undoubtedly some por- tions of it which seem so obviously to satirise tUs practic, that one can hardly help drawing a conclu- sion in the aflGirmative. On the other hand it may perhaps be inferred, with greater probability, that it is intended to shew wilh what extreme fecility a system * of self-deception may be maintained. Referring how- ever to the little manual in question, it is to be ob- served that the book has neither imprint nor date. Among the various choice morceaus which it con- tains, take the following exti*acts-— exemplificatory of a woman's evading the main points of confession — and judge yourself of the accuracy, or otherwise, of my opinion.
C. Ne voulez vous pas me r^pondre ; en un mot> combien y a-t-il de temps que vous ne vous 6tes confess^ ?
P. II y a un niois tout juste, car c*6toit le quatri^e jour du mob pass6, & nous sommes au cinqui^me du mois courant; or comptez, mon pfere, & vous trouverez justement que
C. C*est asisez, ne parlez point tant, & dites moi en peu de mots tos p^h^.
Elle raconte les p^chis d^autrui.
La P4nitente, J*ai un enfant qui est le plus m6chant gar^on que vous ayez jamais vu, il jure, bat sa soeur, il fuit T^cole, d^robe tout ce qu*il pent pour jouer ; il suit de m^chans i^pons : Fautre jour en cou- rant il perdit son chapeau. £nfin, c'est un mdchant gar^n, je veux vous Tamener afin que vous me Tendoctriniez un peu 8*il vous plait.
C. Dites-moi vos p^ch^?
P. Mais, mon p^re, j*ai une fille qui est encore piie, je ne la penx faire lever le matin, je Tappelle cent fois : Marguerite : plait-il ma Mere? Ihe-ioi promptement et descend* , va%$. Elle ne booge pas. Si tu
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vient mamtenant, tu seraa hattue. Elle 8*en moque : quand je Ten- voie k la VlSiB, je lui dis^ retieru promptetnent, ne Vamitse pas, Ce- pendant^ die 8*aiT^ k toutes les portes comme Vkne d*iin meiiDier, die babOle avec tous oeux qu*elle rencontre > & quand elle me Mi cela> je la bats : ne fais-je pas bien^ mon p^re?
C. Dites-moi vos p^h^ et non pas ceux de vos enfians? P. n se trouve> mon p^re^ que nous avons dans notre rue une voisine qui est la phis m^chante de toutes les femmes, elle jure, elle querelle tous ceux qui passent, personne ne la pent souffrir, ni son man, ni ses enlkDS, &bien sonvent elle s*enivre, & tous me dites, mon pfere quelle
eatoeUe-lk? c'est
C. Ah gardez-vous bien de la nommer, car k la confession il ne fimt jamais &ir connoitre les personues dont vous d^darez les p^chds.
P. C*est elle qui vient se confesser api^ moi, grondez-la bien, car TOUS ne lui en sauriez trop dire.
C. Taisez-vous done, & ne parlez que de vos p^ch€s, non pas de oeux des autres.
EUe 9' accuse de ce qui n*est point pdch4.
Pemiente, — Ah ! mon p^re, j*ai fait un grand p^h^, ah! le grand p6di^, h£las je serai damn6e, quoique mon confesseur m'ait d^fendu de le dire j'amais, n^anmoins mon p^re je vais tous le declarer.
C. Ne le dites point puisque votre confesseur vous Fa defendu, je ne Teux point I'entendre.
P. Ah! nimporte; je veux vous le dire, c*est un trop grand p^h6 : J'ai battu ma m^re.
C. Vous avez battu votre mere ! Ah ! mis^rablej c*est un cas r^rv6 & un crime qui m^rite la potence. £t quand I'avez-vous battue?
P. Quand j'^tois petite de r%e de quatre ans.
C. Ah ! simple, ne sai^-vous pas que tout ce que les enfians font avant Tftge de raison qui est environ Tftge de sept ans, ne sauroit ^tre un y€ch6,
P. J'ai d^sir^ la mort dans Fimpatience.
C. Mais auriez-vous \oulu ^trc morte tout de bon !
P. O que nenni : je Vai d^sir^e k mon enfant.
C. Auriez-vous voulu qu'il lui fdi arriv6e quelque mal?
P. Ah! que Dieu Ten preserve.
146 BOX7EN.
C. Fourquoi dites-TOus done cela ? P. Je me suis fiSLehe^ du bien d*autnii.
C. Est-ee par envie que vous avez m afflig^ que lea antres eoBieiit
du bien ?
P. Non: mais j*auix>is souhait^ que le bon Dieu m*ea e<it donnd an- tant. Je me suis i^jouie de la mort d*un fils que j'avois^ qui muet^ aveugle & paitdytique.
C. Fourquoi vous en ^tes-vous rejouie } est-ee paroe que toub hd Touliez du mal ?
P. Non, mais parce que je me voyois d^livx^ d*une grande peine qu*il nous donnoit k tons. C. Cela n*est pas un p^h^.
P. Je me suis i^jouie de la mort de mon oncle, qui m*a laiss^ son heritage.
C. Vous ^tes-TOus rdjouie de sa mort ou seulement d*aTOir, eu ton heritage?
P. Ce n'estque d'avoir eu son heritage. C. Cela n*est pas aussi p^ch^.
P. J*aijug6 t^m^rairement d*un gar^on & d'une fiUe que j'ai vu en cachette se comporter mal.
C. Cela n*est pas un p^h^ ni un jugement t^oidraire^ qoand ils YOU8 donnent un juste siget de juger mal d*eax^ & troua ^p66benm si vous jugiez qu'ils font bien.
P. J'ai travaill^ les F^es & les Dimanches.
C. Quel travail avez- vous ?
P. J*ai attach^ avec un pcnnt d'aguille le colet au pouipoint de mon enfant.
C. Cela n'est rien. P. J*aijur6Dieu.
C. Vous avez jur^ Dieu^ voilk qui est fort scandaleux k une fbnme ; & comment disiez-vous? ^ P. JedisoisMafoi.
C. Cda ne s'appelle pas jurer Dieu> mais seulement jurer sa foi, et quoiqu*il ne le faille jamais dire ce n'est pas toujours un p6di€, P. J*ai blasph^m^. C. Comment disiez-vous? P. Je disois Chienne k ma vache ! !
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Of R0MANCB89 1 bought terribly coarse editions of Mmm de BaurdeauSD, Falentin et Orson^ and the Fowr Sms of Aymon. However^ I knew they would be ac- eq>tad[>let08omeof our curious friends ; thoughlam well aware that Palmbrin would not exchange his Elnglish iiRST EDITION of the secofid of these Romances for a •hip-load of such gipsey copies as are to be sold" at Licr£ne-Labbey*s. Upon the whole^ our own presses, even in country-towns, put forth better impressions of popular tales: but what is novel, especially in a fo- fcign land^ is generally acceptable ; and I am almost IttAiamed to think how many sous, or rather francs^ I iMure expended upon the Bibliothique Bleue ! There is one thing, my dear friend, which I must frankly de- dare to you as entitled to distinct notice and especial ooilmiendation. It is — the method of teaching ca- techisms'* 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, ques- tions^ corrects, or commends, as the opportunity calls for. 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 an- swer well, and pay the greater attention, receive, with words of commendation, gentle {mts 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
146
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witnessed a most determined catechetical lectnre of ^Is ; who might be called, in the language of their matrimonial catechism, des grandes filles*** It was on an evening in the Chapel of My Lady in St. Oaen*s Abbey, that this examination took place. Two el- derly priests attended. The responses of the fe- males were as quick as they were correct; the eye being always invariably fixed upon the pavement^ accompanied with a gravity and even piety of expres- sion. A large group of mothers, with sundry spec- tators, were in attendance, — and perceiving we were English, both teachers and pupils seemed to exert themselves with greater energy. At length a question was put, to which a supposed incorrect response was given. It was repeated, and the same answer fol- lowed. 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 ques- tion related to the Holy Spirit.'" The priest gently approached the girl, and softly articulated — " Mais, ma ch^re considerez un pen,** — and repeated the ques- tion. Mon pere, (yet more softly, rejoined the pupil) j'ai bien consider^e, et je crois que c*est comme je vous Tai d^j^ dit.*" The Priest crossed his hands upon his breast. . .brought down his eye-brows in a thinking 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/' I shall never forget the expression of the girl. She curtsied,
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Uushed • • • and with eyes^ from which tears seemed ready to start, surveyed the circle of spectators... caught the approving glance of her mother, and snnk trimnphantly upon her chmr-^with the united admira- tiim of teachers, companions, parents and spectators ! The whole was conducted with the most perfect pro- priety ; and the pastors did not withdraw till they were fiurly exhausted. Candour obliges one to confess that this reciprocity of zeal, on the part of master and papil, is equally creditable to both parties — and espe- cially serviceable to the cause of religion and morahty. Between compUns and vespers, on the Sabbath, it is delightful to observe this attention to the performance of clerical duties.
We approach by degrees the book-themb in all its plenitude of discussion. Of Booksellers^ the principal IB the house of Frere, situated on the Quai de Parisy no. 70. Whether the father be living, I have forgotten to enquire ; but if civility, quickness, and intelligence be the chief requisite of a bibliopolist, the young Frere stands not in need of parental aid for the prosperity of hia business. His sisters are also very active in their se- veral capacities. The premises, although not large, are sufficiently commodious. The more respectable literati q£ Rouen come to read, to lounge, and to gossip in the upper room : in the manner of our own literati at Mr. Murray's more costly suite of apartments in Albemarle Street. From one comer of this upper room, I wa^ surprised and delighted, on my first entrance, by the notes of a warbling canary. This bird is taught to sing opera and concerto airs — and at particular periods
150
't will discourse most eloquent muSc." The efitet is not unpleasing^ especially as the soundis infitiitefy softer and mellower than the generally shrill and penetrating notes of that bird: and, peradventure, occasionally somewhat more gratefill than the potes oi the said loun^ng literati ! From the windows of this room you have also a good view of the bustle of the quay, and of the movements which take place on the river Seine ; wiiiie, within, you may discoure with an ancient white- crossed Bourbonist, a suppressed Buonap^n-tist, an abb^, a chevalier, a barrister, a critic, or a student. Here I met the amiable and well-informed Monsieur Adam ; a gentleman, whose kindness and pleasing con- versation only makes me regret that the period is fast approaching when I am probably to take leave of him forever.
• Of the remaining booksellers in our way, I need only notice Le Maitre and Le Roux. The former, who has A very good stock of literary publications, lived in the Place St. Ouen . . and it was here that I hunted down the fine copy of the first edition of the French version of the New Testament (printed at Lyons about the year 1478), of which (as you may remember)^ I had got scent, at a stall, close to the portal of St. Machm. You may be sure that I scrupled not to give fifteen francs for this desirable copy — ^in its ancient monastic binding. I bought here a French version of the first volume only of Strutfs Manners and Customs^ Sfc. with a great number of the plates, for dght firanCs : and a copy of the Bihliothkque Pran^mse of Goujet
* See p. 81, ante.
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for twenty-five francs. This latter has been sold for £4. 4s. in our own country ; but to my joy I have found that it might be obtained for one half that sum. Let me here make honourable mention of the kind offices of Monsieur Langchampy 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 refose 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 <mly a finger quickly pointing to it, but the owner of the finger must also put himself in motion to accom- pany you a short distance upon the route, and that too uncovered ! Mais, Monsieur, mettez votre cha- peau. . je vous en prie . . mille pardons.** Monsieur ne dites pas un seul mot . . pour mon chapeau^ qu*il reste k 8on aise."
Upon the whole, the soil of Rouen is not at present fertile in the curious lore of antiquity ; — ^however it might have once yielded a rich harvest from the pro- lific seeds sown by Morin, Tailleur, and Valentin. I gtaped about in all directions ; and to an hundred earnest enquiries for something curious, or rare, or ancient, was answered that I ought to have been there in the year 1814, when Paris was first taken possession of by the Allies — that my countrymen had preceded me, and had left nothing for future gleaners. I bought however of Lemaitre the last unsold copy, probably in Rouen, as well as in his own warehouse, of Pammerai/e's History of the Abbey of St. Ouen, to
VOL I. K
153
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which I have so frequently alluded, and for which I was glad to give a dozen francs.
I find I cannot include the whole of my book-theme in this my intended last Rouen dispatch — as I have one or two private collectors to notice ; and as the ac- count of the Public Library and Picture Gallery y &c* must be considered at least worthy of a separate epistle. Among these book-collectors^ or antiquaries^ let me speak with becoming praise of the amiable and accomplished M. Augusts Le Pbbvost — who is considered, by competent judges, to be the best anti- quary in Rouen.* Mr. Dawson Turner, (a name, in
* the best Antiquary tn RouenJ] — ^This gentleman is a belles-lettres Antiquary of the highest order. His " Mdmoire faisant suite li 1*E8- sai sur les Romans historiques du moyen lige** may teach modem Normans not to despair when death shall have laid low their present oracle the Abbb* db la Rub. This m^moire^ printed in the Transact tions of the Rouen Society fur 1816^ p. 117-141^ is written in excel- ' lent taste and with sound critical acumen. It is followed by the same gentleman's " remarks upon the abbey church of St. Ouen*' — and upon Uie drawings relating to its ancient construction.** At page 151^ M. Le Prevost speaks^ in a dignified style of serarity^ of the de- struction of ancient monuments of art — Encore quelques annte, diront-ilSy (observes he) et k Texception d*un petit nombre d*6difioe8 d'une utility pressante et imm^diate^ nous aurons vu disparaitre tout ce qu*ont ^lev^ nos anc^tres : — ces iglisea, ces convents^ ces pa]ais> ces chateaux^ toutes ces constructions consacr^es k la religion^ li la repr^ntation ou k Futility publique. Une population li-la-fbis su- perbe et frivole^ d^pensi^re et mesquine, a pris la place de ces sages et pieuses generations, aust^res et ^conomes dans les details habitoels de la Tie privee, mais si magnifiques dans les grandes occasions^ et qui b£itissaient comme les Romains pour retemite^** p. 151. This is eloquent, but it is also just. M. Le Prevost was one in the cpnmus- sion with Messrs. Gourdin, Descamps, de Bois-H^bert^ Vauquelin,
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in our own country synonymous with all that is libe- ral and enlightened in matters of yirti!l) was so oblig- ing as to give me a letter of introduction to him. Unluckily he has been unavoidably absent during half the time of my stay here. M. Le Prevost had reason to exult in shewing me the following books.
Romances Nvevamente sacados de Hhstorias anti- guas de la Cronica de Espana compuestos par Loren^ de Sepulueda, &c. en Anvers^ 1566. 1 2mo.
Another edition^ 1580. 12mo.
For the first, the fortunate owner gave four sons — and for the second, six sous only — at Rouen.
Cancionero General, 1573. 8vo. The table MS. : but bought at the sale of La Serna Santander's library for 40 francs only.
Leonis Papce SermoneSy 1470 : printed by Sweyn- heym and Pannartz, folio. A cropt and rather indiffe- rent copy.
Chrysostomi Sermones, &c. 1470 : printed in the Eusebian monastery. A clean and sound copy ; ex- hibiting the peculiarity which is mentioned in a note (vol. i. p. 409) in the Bibliographical Decameron.
Missale Rothomagense, 1499, folio. Without the device in front. A fine copy : but with two leaves MS.
A beautiful Missal hy Pigouchet upon vellum, in 8vo. in the original binding.
M. Le Prevost very justly discredits any remains of Roman masonry at Rouen ; but he will not be dis-
and D^soria, to give an accouDt of the more precious relics of art yet existing in the Abbey Church of St. Ouen— of which the destruc- tion 18 ALREADY BEGUN !
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pleased to see that the only existmg relics of the castle or town walls^ have been copied by the pencil of a late travelling friend. What you here bdiold is pro- bably of the fourteenth century.
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The next book-collector in commendation of wliom I am bound to speak^ is Monsieur Duputel ; a member, as well as M. Le Prevost, of the Academy of Belles-Lettres at Rouen. The Abb6 Turquier conducted me thither ; and I found, in the owner of a choice col- lection 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 and enviable passion, — ^the love of printing for prwate distribution — thus meriting to become a sort of Rcncburglie Associate. He was so good as to beg my acceptance of the nouvelle Edition" of his Bagatelles PoMqueSy* printed in an octavo volume of about 112 pages^ at Rouen, in 1816. I took it home and quickly namined its contents. An advertisement^ foUomng the title page, tells us that of this new edition, which is notprinted for sale, there are only eighty copies F— and tiMiifr copies, which have not the signa- of the author subjoined, must be considered as iterfcits/' Wtiether any speculator has had the ibood to counterfeit, or to put forth a spurious of, these rhymes, I have never had an opportu- certmniip. Perhaps the attempt may not ether taniL However, I am willing that M. lie] «ihould speak for himself, — ^which I think he ; wmewhat funettily in the following ori^nal lines.
Jtofe ei le Ruisieau.
Une Rose un jour se mimit Dans le crisul d*une onde claire ;
156 ROUEN.
Mais^ pendant qu*elle a'admirmit, — Du bout de son aile Ugbre,
Zephir reffeuille Le Ruisaeau
Revolt sa fragile panire^
Et Tentratne au gr€ de son eau.
Tel est I'ordre de la nature, ces agr^mens^ Dont aigourdliui vous semblez vaine^ S'^uleront avec le tems^ Qui^ dans sa course^ les entraine«
p. 10.
The version from the German fable^ and from our Prior*s well-known beantiful little poem^ are certainly very creditable to a muse which boasts only a trifling^ degree of inspiration. Receive them with courtesy.
Ma Solitude.
Loin des temp^tes du monde^ . Dans cet asile enchanteur^ Au sein d*une paix profbnde, •Tai tiouv^ le vrai bonheur.
II fuit Tenceinte des viUes^ S^jour que les passions, £n erreure toigours fertilesj Remplissent d'illusions.
Leur s^dnisante imposture, Voudrait en vain m*^louir j Des bienfoits de la nature Ici j'apprends k joulr.
Dans ces riaotes prairies, Quand je yois declairsruisseaux
BOUEN.
Le long des rives fleuries Roiiler leurs limpides taxsx,
Le seul destin que j'envie Est de voir, comme leurs cours^ Paisiblement de ma vie Couler les rapides jours.
Puisse TEcho solitaire De ces tranquilles vallonSj Modeste Andelle, se plaire A r^pdter ses chansons !
p. 57.
La Guvrlande^ Traduction de V Anglais de Prior.
Pour omer de Chlo^ les cheveux ondoyans, Parmi les fleurs nouvellement ^closes J'avais choisi les lis les plus brillans,
Les oeillets les plus beaux, et les plus fraiches roses.
Ma Cblo^ sur son ^nt les plapa le matin : Alors on vit c^der sans peine> Leur vif ^clat k celui de son teint, Leur doux parfum k ceux de son haldne.
De ses attraits ces fleurs paraissaient s'embellir, £t sur ses blonds cheveux les bergers, les berg^res Les voyaient se £&ner avec plus de plaisir Qu*ils ne les voyaient naitre au milieu des parterres.
Mais, le soir, quand lem" sein fl^tri Eat cess^ d^exhaler son odeur s^duisante,
EUe fixa, d*un r^ard attendri, Cette guirlande^ h^las ! n'aguibres si brillante.
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Des larmes ausai-tdt coulent de ses beaux yeiuc.
Que d*^oquence dans ces larmes ! Jamais pour Texprimer^ le langage des dieox^ Tout sublime qu'il est^ n'aurait assez de charmes.
£n feignant d'ignorer ce tendre sentiment ;
Pourquoi/* lui dis-je^ 6 ma sensible amie^ Pourquoi verser des pleurs? et par quel changement Abandonner ton ame k la melancbolie V*
Vois-tu comme ces fleurs languissent tristement Me dit^ en soupirant^ ce moraliste aimabLe^ De leur fraicheur^ en un moment, S'est ^clips^ le cbarme peu durable.
Tel est, b^ ! notre destin, ^* Fleur de beauts ressemble k celles des prairies ; On les voit toutes deux naitre aveo le matin, £t d^ le soir ^tre flaries.
Estelle bier encor brillait dans nos hameaux, Et I'amour attirait les bergers sur ses traces % De la mort, ai:yourd*hui> I'impitoyable faalx " A moissonn^ sa jeunesse et ses graces.
" Soumise aux m^mes lois, peut-^tre que demain, Comme elle aussi, Damon, j'aurai cess^ de vivre .... Consacre dans tes vers la cause du chagrin " Auquel ton amante se livre.*'
p. 92.
The last and not the least of book-collectors, which I have had an opportunity of visiting, is Monsieur RiAux ; of whose very choice collection I have indeed already had occasion to make slight mention. With respect to what may be called a Rouennoisb Li- brary, that of M . Riaux is infinitely preferable to any which I have seen ; although I am not sure whether M. Le Prevost*s collection contain not nearly as many
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books. He promised me a list of his works relating to the antiquities of Normandy in general, but I fear I must leave this place without it. I shall not however easily forget his fine copy of the Images de Philostraie, (always a shewy book) formerly in the library of Db Thou. M. Riaux is himself a man of first-rate book enthusiasm ; and unites the avocations oi 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 sup- port that finest of all patriotic feelings, — a desire to preserve the relics, manners, and customs of past AOBs. 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 xiith and xiiith 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 lite- rature, which never slumbered upon the shores of Nor- mandy ! But do not let me omit telling you of a very singular character, a priest of the name of. . m • . . . who lives in the vicinity of Rouen. He is the keenest of all bibliomaniacal hunters ; and evinced, in a late acqui- sition, the spring of a tiger with the eye of a lynx. He bought at Rouen the rarest of all rare Mysteries,* for a few sous. Within three weeks of the purchase, I was told that Monsieur Van-Praet, made the irresis-
* Let bkuphemateurs du mm de Dteu."
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tible offer of 750 francs for the acquisition of it ! . . . and it is now reposing upon the shelves of the royal library. " Thinks I to myself—*' I will see this said mystery when I reach Paris; but ere that event take place, I have Cathedrals, and Libraries in abun- dance to visit. Upon the whole, it may be safely affirmed that accident only can present the most diligent enquirer after old and curious books^ with any thing in the shape of a satis£Eictory result from his searches. Rouen has been thoroughly weeded: or rather little better than weeds, in the charac- ter of books, now present themselves to the eye of the travelling collector. To be successful, you must be stationary/ for a few months : as there is no time for a temporary inhabitant to make experimental journeys to neighbouring villages^ or to neighbouring private collections. One more letter^ and then — ^fisu^ewell to Rouen !
LETTER IX.
PHB PUBLIC LIBRARY, ACCOUNT OF SOME OF THE MORE CURIOUS AND RARE MSS. AND PRINTED BOOKS.
The clock of the Cathedral has struck eleven, and it lis high time to visit the Public Library. In other words, iMs Public Library is open every day, with the excep- fion of Thursday, from ten till two. M. Gourdin, the principal librarian, is an intelligent and experienced t>ibliographer ; to whom we are indebted for two good treatises upon the famous Missal and Benedictiona- riusy — ^the oldest and most curious of their illuminated manuscripts. Of these, presently. M. Fossard is the sub-librarian ; and M. Fossard shall always have my best thanks and kindest reminiscences for the obli^ng and even laborious manner in which he was pleased to verify some readings and transcribe a 3ortion of a MS. of Robertus Montensis — to satisfy mr fnend * * *. At present, M. Fossard has some- rfaat to learn in his bibliographical calling; but an arly period of life, and a willing, well-regulated, and rell-educated mind can accomplish any thing. He is . sprightly and pleasing young man; and facilitated my esearches with unintermitting assiduity. He would ill up the intervals of bibliographical gossip by expa- iating, in raptures, upon the beautiul blue eyes of a air English Lady, whom he once saw in the great
4
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library— looking at the huge folio Missal of wMch some notice has been taken in the pages of a certain work called the Bibliographical Decameron.* Of this splendid volume, by and by.
Meanwhile it is necessary that you should know aU about the scite upon which this respectable edifice is built. Turn to one of my former letters, if you biq[)pen not to have burnt it, and you will find mention made of a certain ancient refectory running at right angles with the north side of the Abbey of St. Ouep. This was taken down ; and the present Hotel de ViLLB built either upon the scite of, or contiguous to it. The building is respectable from its size rather than from its beauty. The offices of goyemment occupy the ground and first floors^ and the Public Gallery of Pictures, and Public Library, running in parallel lines, fill the whole of the second or upper floor. The staircases, leading to all the public depart- ments, are airy and elegant ; especially that conduct- ing to the Library and Picture Gallery. I was shewn, as an unrivalled specimen of masonry, the flying sti(ir« case to one of the government offices ; but observed that we had two similar and rather superior specimens — one at Somerset House, and the other at Drury-lam Theatre. For a provincial town, the Library an/ Picture Gallery are two noble institutions. Of tl pictures, seen at all times, without fee, by strange I will only observe^ that, amidst a great deal of glar; trash, sent thither from Paris to astonish the Rou nois, I saw with great satis&ction a curious
♦ Sec Vol. I . p. clxxxiv.
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jiisbate containing the portraits of the chiefe of the League — ^for which I learnt that one of the Princes of the Blood was willing to give a considerable sum. There IB also a good early picture or two, supposed to be by Jakm VanEyk^BXk early RqffaeUe of the entombing of Clirist, somewhat in his Perugino manner — and, better than many dozens of surrounding ornaments, a fine St. Francis, by Jnnihal Caracci ; worthy of all his high rq>iitation. The La Hires and Jouvenets cover count- lets square feet; and seem to be estimated rather firom their size than by their merit. A little tender Raffiielle, or elegant Parmegiano, is worth a ship-load of such gaudy colouring and unmeaning composition. At the end of the first of the two long rooms, or galleries of pictures, is placed a whole-length statue, ia terra cotta, of Cornbillb — a native, and the boast of Rouen. It is in a sitting posture ; and has very con- siderable merit. The countenance is full of expression ; but the nose, though sufficiently prominent, is somewhat flattened — contrary to the medallic representation of his countenance, which exhibits it rather aquiline. Every fiacility is afforded to artists, male and female, to copy the treasures of this collection ; and we saw, with equal pleasure and surprise, two ladies, and one Major of the National Guard, (the latter in long spurs and hessian boots, with a due portion of mustachios) busied in covering no small quantity of canvas with subjects not remarkable for their beauty or expression.*
* The Founder of the Academy of Painting atRou^N was Monsieur ]>s8CAMP8j a young Flemish painter, who happened to be passing that way in the year 1740> in his route to England by Havre. Des«
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In approaching the Public LiBRARY^you passthroiigh a well-proportioned but not a very large room^ in which the sittings of the Academy of Rouen are held. A marble bust of the present King is at one end of it. The view from the opposite side^ or from the range of windows in the Library^ is really exhilarating. Tliis view commands some of the gently rising eminenoeg in the environs of the town ; and M. Gourdin^ who lives behind one of these eminences, told me that he retired thither, and returned from thence, every day to the performance of his public duties in the Library. After passing the before-mentioned room, you enter the second — which is designated the Reading-room : here the books, of whatever description you stand in need, are regularly brought to you. The librvy, where these books are kept, maybe full one hundred English
camps was strongly urged to alter his views by Messrs. Cideville, Bourdonnaye^ and Lecat^ and to settle at Roaen^ and become tiie founder of a School of Painting there. About the year 1750 the estai^ blishment was perfected. Descamps is better known by his eleg^ performance entitled La Vie des Peintres Flamandes, AUemands ei HoUandois, arec des portraits graves, IJ^S, 8vo. 4 vols. TTie engrav- ings^ of which FicQUET executed several^ are supposed by some to constitute the chief merit of this work. It was translated into Dutch, and HouBRAKEN exhibited his unrivalled talents in executing seven! of the heads. Lord Spencer has a collection of proofs of these heads^ grouped without order and without letter-press, in a quarto form. Hie grandson of Descamps^ now an old man^ is the professor of painting; and a very civil and lively old gentleman he is. If the reader wish for a more particular account of the pictures in the Museum at Rouen^ be may consult Travels m France by Lieut, Hall, 1819^ 8vo ; whoe^ how- ever, it is evidently intended only as a subordinate portion of that gen- tleman's account of the dty of Rouen.
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eet in lengthy of a proportionate height and width, [be windows are large^.and there is ample light for lie. survey of the treasures exhibited. Among these ireasiires, at the fiirther end of the room, reposes^ ipon a small table^ the huge folio Missal of which I leretofore spake. The shew-man^ or Cicerone^ an old MMter^ of about seventy^ advances in due form^ and places you at the bottom of the book^ while he stands sit the top : after a little common-place flourish^ the luund-hearted creature wets his huge thumb, and turns nvcr the leaves by fixing it precisely, every time, in the 9d£«ame spot. In consequence, I leave you to judge of the frightful appearance of the mar^n where this begrimed thumb is in the habit of alighting ! This prac- doe is most heretical and abominable, and should be instantly corrected. All strangers, and especially the English, visit this graphic curiosity as the first thing to )e seen. It is the result of thirty years patient and ingenious toil. The character, or the style of art, may be variously criticised ; but nothing can induce you to withhold your admiration from the felicity of invention and the splendor of colouring which it displays. Having before described the writing, &c. it only remains to add that the name of the artist was D*£aubonne, a Benedictin monk, and that he died in 1714.
The first MS. which I opened to examine minutely, was the famous Missal, supposed with good reason to be of the xith. century ; as the dominical table ead;ends from 1000 to 1095.* It is called St. Guthlac's
* Of the English Samts> we observe^ in the Calendar^ the names of Cuthbert, Gutklac^ Elfege and Etheldithr^hui neither Dumtan, nor Etiuhoold.
166 rouen:
book; and the first sentence contains an oriscmfiM? the protection of that saint. It is a fine beantifiil volume^ about 13 inches in lengthy by 9 in width. I shall be particular in my account of it. The first four leaves are written in the usual large semi-Saxon cfafir racters of the time. The calendar is in a small band^ with alternate red, blue, and gold. In the opinion of the Abb6 Gourdin, this is not only a very copious^ bot a curious calendar; at the end of which we observe a short poem^ in hexameter and pentameter verses, upon the lunar revolutions, the days of the wedt, and the months of the year. It is also observable that they then used the terms of the Easter Moon, Rogatum Moon, and tVhitsuntide Moon. In the pr^BMse, tte name of each person is noticed for whom mass for the repose of his soul is said. The prefiEitory matter may be said to occupy the first sixteen leaves. The leaves immediately succeeding appear to have been cut out. The work itself follows, precisely in the character, or general style, of the Duke of De- vonshire's famous Missal, written by Godemann^ in the xth. century, by command of the Great Ethelwold.* Hie illuminated borders, consisting of architectural ornaments, in colours andgold^ together with the larger capital letters, are very splendidly executed. On the re- verse of the 8th, and on the recto of the 9t\i, leaf of the text, begins the series of illuminated subjects : such as the Nativity, Adoration of the Magi, Sgc. The Flight into Egypt is thus singularly represented ; Jor seph being made to carry the distaff of Mary.
* See the BibliograpMcal Decameron ; vol. i. p. lix.
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All these are within a sort of ai*chitectural border^ w frame work. Among the subsequent subjects^ the Metrayat of Christ is not very inaptly treated ; the figures are about three inches in height, and the border is here very good. The Crucifixion and the taking down from the Cross follow ; in the latter, the figure of the mother of Christ is rather touchingly executed. In the Resurrection^ the angel upon the tomb is pre- cisely in the style of art of that in the Duke of Devon- shire's book ; but, the composition is less spirited. On the recto of the leaf where the Day of Pentecost occu- ines the reverse, the border encircles a text entirely gold. On the reverse of the 106th leaf is the following %are, intended for St. Peter ; the text on the oppo* site page^ in letters of gold, relating to him.
108 AOtTEN.
It may be worth informing you that the hair of tiie Saint is light blue ; his vestment^ or upper garment green — ^his under garment, orange : the glory, gold : the book, gold ; and the footstool gold. The illuminar tion for All Saints Day is fresh and good. Tliat of
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St. Andrew is particularly brilliant ; the opposite page of text is gold* The representation of the Trinity is torn out : the text^ opposite^ is in capitals of gold. After the 100th leaf—'' 3[tK^tt TpCU ittSrmitf
Tbe text concludes on the reverse of the 201st leaf. Upon the whole this is a volume of great intrinsic curiosity, and considering its age, is in a fine state of preservation. — It belonged formerly to the Abbey of Jumieges; as is evident from the following coeval memorandum: — ^written in the hand-writing of Robert Bishop of London (afterwards Archbishop of Canter- bury), who was formerly head of that Monastery, and who died there in 1053 : It is as follows ; being an anathema against any future purloiner of the volume —
Quem si quis vi vel dolo sen quoquo modo isti loco fiubtraxerit, animae suae propter quod fecerit detrimen- turn patiatur atque de libro viventium deleatur et cum justis non scribatur/*
We must now take a peep at the companion of the foregoing old-fisushioned treasure. This is empha- tically called the Benbdictionarius. It is a curious volume ; perhaps of equal — perhaps of greater — anti- quity : bdng about half an inch shorter, and having twepty-two lines in a full page. The text is generally executed in larger lettei*s. The illuminations (de- scribed by M. Gourdin*) are larger, coarser, and fewer in number than those in the Missal. The first speci-
* described by M, Gourdin.^ Notwithstanding this worthy Abb^ and most respectable librarian has published a sort of critical disser- latkm upon this old-foshioned tre^ure/' in the transactions of the Rcpuen Society for 1812^ p. 164 — 174 — in which he is pleased to gire the preference to the ffliiminationB in the BenetHctionanuioyrer those
▼pL. I. L
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men of frame-work bordering is broad and bold. The second similar specimen encloses the angel upon the
ot the Misiol juat above described — ventare to diier ham him entirely in such conclusion. His criticism is thus : Lea figures en sont beaucoup plus mal dessindes que ceUes du B6iedicHi(nmaire, maps on pent dire que Tor est prodigu^ dans ce numuscrit^ — that is to say, there is a lavish expenditure of gold in the Ifissal.** But there is something more than a mere profusion of gold; wfaile the figures in theBenedictionarius are, in &ct, less skilfully and lesaspiritedtydrsim.
Thk Benedictionarius, as above intimated^ has given rise to a critical dissertation of the Abb^ Gourdin, in the work just mentionjpA. The object of this dissertation is to refute the opinion of the Abb^ Saas, who assigned this ancient volume, apparently on the authority of Father Morin, to the viiith century. Montfoucon, without having seen the book, acquiesced in the same conclusion. But M. Cknir^ has justly shewn, from the introduction of certain Saints {Switkm and Ortm6a2d, the latter of whom died in the beginning of the xth century) that it could not have been executed in the eighth century. It seems the MS. had been given to the Cathedral of Rouen ; and the second question in agitation is, whether it was given by Robert Archbishop of Rouen, or by Robert Archbishop of Canterbury — a question, upon which a lively altercation took place between the Abb^ Saas and Dom Tassin, one of the Editors of the Nouveau Tr<Uti de Diplomatique, That it was given by an Archbishop of the name of Robert, seems incon- trovertible— from an ancient entry in an old Catalogue of the Books of the Cathedral. After six pages of bibliographical criticism, M. Crourdin concludes, upon apparently safe grounds, that the volume in question was given by the Robert who was Archbishop of Rouen, and who died in 1053 : in consequence, says M. Gourdin, the MS. is not of the ixth nor of the xiiith century. In all probability, it is of the com'* mencement of the xith century. The latter part of the volume contains a Pontifical, or forms and ceremonies connected with the eccle- siastical office. My friend the Rev. H. Drury posseses a very fine MS. (from the McCarthy collection) of the Cathedral Service of Rouenj, of the xiith or xiiith century. The initials are in a sober and appro- priate style ; the text is a large semi-gothic^ varied by red and bhie
»OUEN. 171
ftmb, (after the resurrection Irf Christ) of which I teve thus made a fee-simile.
The markings of the lights are very strong, and have the roughness of oil-painting. The gilding is less skil-
inka, but more particularly red. The fonns of the exorcism of oil> as well as the exorcism itself C Exorciso te creatura olei per domi* num patrem omzupotentem^ &c.) are curious and even diverting.
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fiilly exeratedthanin theMissai^andtheBtTlei^ i» generally of a very inferior kind. I subjoin two traetngs of comer portions from the fourth and sixth frame woilc, at top, which you may compare with what has already i^peared before the public, and hence convince yoursdf of the contemporaneousness of the respective produc- tions.
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The Dewceni of the Holy Ohost is rather boldly npmented by flames of fire issuing from the opened moath of the Dove. In the whole^ there are only eight fflnminations; of which three are composed of figures^ and of these the third represents the Death of the Virgin. The vellum is thick^ but S(^; wd though this volume^ on the score of graphic beauty^ be inferior to the preceding, yet is it a most interesting and vene- rable relic of ancient art. The Abb^ Gourdin says, that it was reported that some of our countrymen had offered as much as 15,000 francs for this volume but I consider this report as exceedingly questionable* The Missal, "which is in every respect a more market- able article, may be worth one^eventh of that sum. Of the remaining MSS. there was little or nothing (on the score of art, antiquity, or intrinsic worth) in those which I saw, that much interested me ; and when I expressed a desire to make further and minute researches, I learnt, with equal surprise and sorrow, that they wanted both room and opportunity to exa- mine upwards of eight hundred yet uninspected MSS* In other words, they want finances ; for the reading- room itself, with appropriate shelves, might contain the whole of these unexamined volumes very commo- diously. However, you shall have the fioiils of a little more gleaning among illuminated MSS. An Ovid MORALIZED, iu Frcuch, in one large folio written in double columns, in a small close gothic character, is no contemptible volume for a short half hour*s amusement. This volume is evidently much cropt. The illuminations are precisely similar, in style and
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colour^ to those of the Raman ff.Alexandre—heioire so copiously expatiated upon:* the back grounds aie diamond-wise : the figures are of the same height ; but there are no drolleries ; and upon the whole fewer embel- Mmients. One illumination is worth noticing. It is a representation of fortune, blinded, in the middle of her wheel — around which are £3ur figures: a king at top, and a naked figure at bottom. At folio 59^ recto, from the commencement of the text, which begins thus : — after 13 leaves of table :
Se lescripture ne nous ment Tout eat pour nre erueignement QU quU a en Uures escript Soient bon ou mal U escript,
Tliere is at bottom an escutcheon of arms^ five balls argent, upon a ground azure. At the end of the MS., which is much soiled, we read
Explicit
Ci finent Us fables douide le grant.
Another MS. worth noticing, is that entitled Livrb HiSTORiAL des faits de feu Messire Betrand du GuESCLiN jWi^ connetable du Royaume de France^ Dm interesting volume was given to the library by the Abb6 Des Jardins, a canon of the cathedral of Rouen, in 1640. A note prefixed by Saas is wrong, according to M. Gourdin, who refers to Lehong's Bibl.Historiquey art. 13495-6. This MS. is executed in a coarse Gothic hand, in prose ; and has the following colophon :
En vng teps qui a yuer no Ou chastel royal de vemon Qui ist aux chaps & la ville
* Bibliogr, Decameron; vol. i. p. cxcviii.
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list iehaiuiel destoutenville Au dh chastel lors capitaine Aussi de veraomel sur saine Et du roy escuier de corps Mectre en prose vn mS recors Ce Ihire cy extrait de rime Complet en mars dix & neufuieme Qui de Ian la date ne sect Mil. ccc. quatre vins & sept
This volume is in good condition; and is bound in boards covered with red velvet. I examined also a curious old volume of various tracts^ which is bound in wood ; having in the centre, on each side, a large fi- gure, about nine inches high, carved in ivory. This volume is called the Ivory Book — and may be of the vvth century. I was well satisfied with turning over the leaves of an old volume of Homilies and Sermons^ some of them of St. Jerom, of the xiith century ; hav- ing two or three ancient and weU-executed grotesque capital initials ; of which the M. and P. struck me as bdng admirably ima^ned.
From MSS. it is natural to go to Printed Books. When I first took my station among the students, I was much amused on finding, at my left hand, my old fiiend the porter, or Cicerone, gravely sitting, with
spectacles on nose'', intent upon a modern publication —which was entitled, I think, Precis de la Revolution Francoise.^ The generality of the students, few in num- ber, were not remarkable for a very spruce exterior — ^in- cluding even the venerable head Librarian himself: but they sometimes compensate for these outward defi- ciences by the respectability and utility of their pur- suits. Thus, I saw a dingy looking young man con-^
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suiting with facility the Arabic hoAom of Castell^ to assist him in the perusal of a lai^ Latin and Arabic folio: while to my right sate an ancient gentleman^ busied in a careful examination ci the Index Chronolo- gicus** of Bouquet's Recueil des Hisioriens des Omdes. But this is very immaterial — and we go at onoe to the Mttft : especially to the F^eeners. The oldest woik they possess^ of the xvth century^ is
Sti. Jeronimi Epistoljb: printed hy Sweynhtym and Pannartz in 1468, 2 vols, folio. A fair copy, but cropt — ^in its second binding, and wormed a little at the end.
S. AuGUSTiNus DE CiviTATB Dei, printed hf J. de Spira in 1470, folio. The largest and finest topy I ever saw of this not very uncommon book. It is in Its original binding, with many rough leaves.
Manipulus Curatorum, printed hy Cassaris onfy, _ (without his partner Stol) in 1473, at Paris, folio. A Vety early specimen of the press of this printer: but unluckily this is a very bad copy. ' Speculum Historiale Vincentii Bellovacbnsis, printed hy Mentelin in 1473, in four folio volumes : the name of the printer in each volume. This copy is much eropt, and soiled.
ZoPHiLOLOGiUM edituM ajratre Jacobo Magin de Parisius ordinis heremitarum sti Augustini.JinftfeUr- citer (sic.) This is a folio volume, without date— ^stinguishable for the peculiar formation of the letter R ; but respecting the name of the printer, all en- quiries have been hitherto fruitless. Look into the firsts volume of the Bibl. Spenceriana, and you will 4nd fto-simile of this long-I^;ged lettw. Togethw with
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Ulisirwk is bound an edition of the Three Kings of CiiHbOONB^ printed by GuUensckaiff* in 1477^ in his best manner. The copy is too much crept.
Tractatus db Questionibus sec. Balbum. Print- ed at Parisj in 1477, 4to. without name of printer. To me, this type is perfectly new — as a Parisian produc* ticMi. It resembles the small and earlier type of Pyn* aon ; but is certmnly the model upon which Vostre, Eostace, and Bonfons, &c. formed their character. Perhaps it may have been executed by the printer of ^the Ckronique de St. Denis^ in three folio volumes, 1476.
Ju8TiNU3* Printed hy Philip Condom Petri, in
1479, folio. This is the earliest printed Classic in Ithe library: but as a specimen of ancient and valuable printing, it is scarcely worth more than a Napoleon or two.
BiBLiA Sacra. Latine. Printed hy Koberger in
1480. This is their earliest Bible. They ought to have one eighteen years earlier. Take eighteen from 1480, and there remains the number 1462. You un- derstand me.
La Vie des Peres, 1486, folio. An indifferent copy. M. Gourdin thinks that this is the first and oply edition of the work in the xvth century — ^but il Be trompe.*"
CiCBRONis Epistol^ Familiarbs. Printed in 1488. The earliest Cicero of the xvth century. There are libraries, private as well as public, which contain a fisw more Fifteeners of the same author !
We may notice, en passant, the Lbgbnda Aurba of 1486j La Mbr des Histoir^s, by my old friend Philip
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tiC Rouge, in 1488, a Catholicon of 1489, and Lb SoNGE Du Verdier, 1491 : the latter the edition. I tried to get a sight of the Sacramento db la pbni- TENciA, printed at Seville in 1492 ; but M. Fossard, whose attentions were unremitting, and whose manual exertions covered him with dust and cobwebs, was not able to lay his hand upon it. A word now re- specting
Missals and Breviaries appertaining to the church service at Rouen. They have a ruled and washed** paper copy of the Missal, printed at Paris, in 1491, folio ; and also of the Breviary, printed at Paris by Levet, for Bernard, a Rouen bookseller, in the same year : folio. Also an edition of the Breviary in 1491, printed at Rouen. But the folio editions by Morin, in 1495 and 1499, are glorious volumes— especially as they are printed upon vellum. The former is soiled from much thumbing: the latter is fresh, beautiful, and splendid : presenting us with a magnificent title-page. They have a duplicate of the latter, equally fine, and also upon vellum : with a difference in the title-page, it being ornamented at bottom. There is, however, a MS. leaf in the middle of this second copy. An edi- tion of the fVinter Part of the Cathedral Service at Rouen, printed by Jean de Bourgoys, in 1492, 8vo. UPON VELLUM, cxhibits a beautiful specimen of print- ing ; but the copy is rather cropt. We may vary our book subject by a notice or two of
Aldine Classics. There is a good, clean, but cropt copy of the first Theocritus, 1495 : a desirable, clean copy of the Aristophanes of 1498 : a sound, clean, and perfect copy of the Epistolw Diversor. Phtlos. et
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179
(hakm* 1499,4to. and a very good copy of the second DmnastheneSy of 1504. But the whole of these form nothing to boast of. I shall conclude my remarks among the Fifteeners^ by mentioning
HoRATius^ 1492 : 1498, folio. The former has the commentaries of Aero and Porphyrio: the latter has the well known wood-cut decorations : but, singularly enough, a figure seems wanting in the middle com- partment at folio Ixxxix. As well as I could estimate, there are about 245 articles printed in the xvth cen- tury, with dates ; and about 88 articles in the same "century without dates. But the character and com- plexion of these Fiftbeners are, upon the whole, of a very secondary nature. Indeed, two-thirds of them may be easily dispensed with. Of the more rare and curious articles in the sixteenth century^ I noticed only the following :
Victoria POrcheti adversus impios Hebraos> &c. 1520. A beautiful small folio, printed by Des- plain for Gourmont and Regnault, upon vellum. It came from the library of the Abbey of Jumieges.
Flos Sanctorum. Toledo^ 1582, folio. A curious volume ; abounding with legendary tales of consider- able interest — as Mr. Southey, in his occasional re- fvences to it, has given us opportunities of knowing.
Acta Sanctorum, 52 volumes : including a portion q£ the month of October. A very desirable copy, in nice old calf binding, with gilt tooling.
Upon the whole, they reckon upon about 20,000 volumes in the public library. Alas ! it was once of far greater extent. During the Revolution, they could boast of about 250,000 volumes ; but a considerable
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ROUEN.
portion of this vast number wag piEaged from the libraries of the Emigrants. These however have been partly restored to their respective owners. Yet dmiag that maddest of all manias, the revolutionary mama., they sold the greater part of this library tot the paltiy sum of 20,000 francs, and not fewer than 10,000 vo^ lumes are supposed to have been publicly burnt in the Place des Cannes . . . within fifty yards of the very spot .whence this account of it is penned! Do I still sniff the heart sickening odour of the fire and smoke of thii almost sacrilegious conflagration ? How many unique JMLysteries, Romances, and Chronicles, were possibly ^destroyed at that eventful crisis i A word now onty respecting the^nances of this public library* The last year 1000 francs—only — were expmded upon it. it wa^ all they could spare. But what can you expeet — ^when I learnt, at the last sSance of their Royal Aca- demy, (in reply to some official questions from the Minister of the Interior) that the annual funds of the iK>ciety consisted only of 1800 francs ?
I attended two Meetings of this Society — which can boast of some very intelligent clever members. 'Hiey meet once a week, on a Friday, at six o^clodc, and terminate the sitting at dg^t. M. Vitalis, who took the chsdr of the President, understands English well, and is a very well-informed and respectable man. He gave me a good notion of the French gentleman of former times. There were about thirty Members pre- sent. Excellent order was observed, and some dis- cussions took place, in the shape of debates, which were conducted with equal temper and spirit. I heard a paper read relating to some travels in the alpine
ROUEN.
161
Mnetattf itafy» nndeitaken with a view to botanical re- mmkesy wfaiolir wa» justly commoMied. Indeed bo- bny is a &voarite subject with nearly all the Members of the Society: but I hope good M. Le Prevost will mstet lose sight of locals Antiquities — ^in every point of mw in which it is capable of affording equal instruo- tkm and delight. What a volume they might produce Mnected with their own city ! They print, but do not Ipnblish^ an analytical abridgment of the Transactions wf the Society and I should tell you that^ had it ib^BOt been for the kind activity of M. Le Prevost, I fhtrald never have procured for Lord Spencer a perfecH; copy of these Memoirs — ^upwards of fifteen volumes fa octavo. In the Althorp Lihrary such a work is absohitely necessary : the more so, as I understood^ vben I left England, that neither the British Museum aor the Bodleian Library possessed a perfect set. .'I
, .f OemoirM of the Tratuactwm of the Sock^jf.]— The History of these MeiOBoirB is briefly this. The Society was established in 1744 \ and a ^ Frdcis Analytiqae*' of its labours, from the date of its foundation to attt year of its ifMoration in 1803, was published in the years 1814, and 1817' These three volumes comprehend its history in ^e Mlpifing manner : that of 1814> called the 1st vcdmne, gives the his- %Bry from 1744 to 1750: that of 1816> from 1751 to 1760: and thai of 1817 " from 1761 to 1770." What became of the History from the year 1770 to the period of its interruption by the Revolution -^or whether it ceased in the year 1770 — am imable to mention ; as a toppbsed iperfect copy of these Transactions, supplied by the kindness ef'M. lie PrimMt, only famishes me with a resumption of the labours «f |lie:Academy in 1804. These were published in 1807. From this kltcr period^ that is from 1804, the series goes in aregular succession dbwh to the year 1815 — the account of the transactions in one year bdng regularly published in the year following. Thus, induding the three volumes published in 1814, 1816, and 1 8 l7«8upply(Dgaa abridged
ff
183
BOUEN.
Farewell now to Roubn. I have told yoa all tlie tdlings which I thought worthy of oommimication; I
hifltory of the labours up to the year 1770, there will be sixteen vo- lumes in the whole. The work is published in an octsro form, xxpaa an indifferent paper^ and is indifferently printed. The title ift nal^ temly thus: " Prick Jnali/Hque des Traioaux de fAcadAme Rof4k dtf Sciences, dee Belles Lettres et dee ArU de Rouen:' De FIw^ de P. Pfrittux, Imprimeur du Roi et de VAcadhne" There are no oh graidngs — ^but those which are tabulated^ displaying the results of certain calculations and experiments. The generality of the comnnk nications are abridged; but there are several " Mteoires dont TAca* dtele a delib^r^ de Timpression en entier dans ses Actes/* Tlicie communications^ like those of our Royal Society's Transactions^ are most entirely scientific. Chemistry, Botany, and Medicine are in high request among the Rouennois.
In the last volume, published in 1817# giving an account of the la* hours of the preceding year, the stream ofusual infbnnationis diverted a little into political channels^ all about Lovit Lb DB8IRB^ The French are admirable masters of quick transition. Thus, upon the in- auguration of the bust of Louis XVIII., M. Gourdin, the President, ** pronounces a discourse'* beginning thus — Messieurs^ la o6pfi- monie qui nous rassemble aigourd'hui est ^galement auguste et touchante. Elle est auguste, puisqu*il s'y agit de Tinauguration du buste de notre Monarque : elle est touchante, puisque ce sent dei en&ns r^unis autour de I'image de leur p^re pour lui payer le tribut de leur amour. C'est done une f^te de famille. Ah I Messieurs, qu'dle est douce pour nos coeurs !'* — ^This is fbUowed by yet more ardent and more encomiastic language by M. Boistard, Ing^nieur en dief, chevalier de VOrdre royal de la L^on d'Honneur,** which concludes with'^Vivent les Bourbons ! Vivele Roi .Vive le Roi ! Vivent ks Bourbons!" My worthy acquaintance M. Dupntel— <^ whose privately-printed lucubrations of the muse, honourable mention has been made in a preceding page, has fbUowed up these testimo- nies of loyalty in prose, by the efiusions of his own muse— entitled and (beginning thus :
BOUBN.
188
ve endeavoured to make yon saunter with me in the reets, in the cathedral, the abbey^ and the churches, e have, in imagination at least, strolled together mg the quays, visited the halls and public build-
and gazed with rapture from Mont Ste. Ca* irine upon the en(!Aianting view of the city, the
and the neighbouring hills. We have from nee breathed almost the pure air of heaven, and rveyed a country equally beautified by art, and sflsed by nature. Our hearts, from that same height, ve wished all manner of health, wealth, and pros* rity, to a land thus abounding in com and wine, d oil and gladness. We have silently, but sincerely lyed, that swords may for ever be " turned into iQgh-shares, and spears into pruning-hooks" : — that heart-burnings, antipathies, and animosities, may eternally extinguished ; and that, from henceforth, ire may be no national rivalries but such as tend establish, upon a firmer footing, and a more com- nhensive scale, the peace and happiness of fellow* »tures, of whatever persuasion they may be:— of A, who sedulously cultivate the arts of individual
HOMMAGB A Louis LB DeSIAb'.
IdyUe.
Voas, da docte I^umasse et ramouret rhonnear,
Au 8on de la trompette> Des vertus de Louis c^l^brez la grandeur;
Une simple musette Sied mieux k mon esprit, et plait mieuz i, mon coeur. &c. &c. &c.
apprehend there are no similar specimens in the printed Memoirs or own Societies • • • .But what then }
184
BOUEN.
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 honeist 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 benefitted 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 the Itvin^. Hence we have diverged to witness the silent, and. yet eloquent relics of ancient art ; from the chissel of the iculptor, to the pencil of the illuminator ; and aidto ItilQf, like ''atdb lang ifptier have comforted us in our latter and more congenial researches. So now, fare you well. Commend me to your fitmily and to our common Mends, — especially to the "BfU^batffytCitf diould they perchance enquire after thdr wandering Vice President. Many wiU be the days passed over, and many the leagues traversed, ere I meet them again. No Clarendon festivals for me, till the year of our Lord 1819 ! Again adieu ! . . . I have hired a decent cabriolet, a decent pair of horses, and a yet more promising pos- tilion ; and within twenty-four hours my back will be more decidedly turned upon ''dear old England*' — for that country, in which her ancient kings onc^ held dominion, and where every square mile (I had. almost smd acre) is equally interesting to the anti^ quaiy and the agriculturist. I salute you wholly^ andL am yours ever.
.185
LETTER X.
pBPARTURB FROM ROUEN. ST. GEOROpiS DE BOCHI&R- VILLE. DUCLAIR. MARIVAUX. THE ABBEY Of
4 -I V
IjlUMIEGBS. ARRIVAL AT CAUOEBBG.
til . ..
. MY DEAR FRIEND. Milfff 181|.
,,.,f4^Y,]aat letter led you to eixpect tfaat».ia spite of.aU iO l^tcsque boautiep^ aad antiquariaa- a^ttractkMiS) tbe ciffT OF ibpqBN wQS ftt leqgtli.ti^ .be quitt6d-*4uid thut % foc^ were to piirsue our foute Qiore in Uie charaetor/lif iiHifipepi^iit tmvdiers^ in na: hiiieii oftbric^. IHfiyp IHUgenc^y qr (^d^ctew^ Our o^ sagaoity and nrdd^iice^ aidad by.tliat ^.the f^gon de poiSte^ mfft ^fooefi^h to be fm sole fuides« Adieu therefi^re. to dpijir avemi^j gloomy courts^ o^pl^ging moq£^ mut^ v^iiff^Mi^^ whips^ the iiQy^^oeaai»g tm»
qf,4ifirt9 and cairriages^ neve^^odi^g: movements of cwsntless oiajBses.ctf popuialMn ^?r^Adieu I-r-andin their 8|W(il» wekome: be the windingsn^^ the fertile mea* dwri the thickly-planted orchard^ and! the broad abd cKw^ing Sidney
r^Ao^oiMiiiigljr, cooi'tfae^th of th^ between the
h0ara of ten and dbeYen>; A. M. the raabtltng of horses' hoofed and the eehoes of a postillion's . whip, were beard vjilhin'the 'Court-^yard of th^ Hdtel Vatd. Monsieur, Madame, Jacques, ami the whole firatemity of domes- tiWi, were (m the.. alert^^^ pour faire les adieux k AiissieuF9 les Aagloia.* < This. Jacques . has been ai* ready incidentally noticed. He is the prime minister of
VOL. I. M
186 DEPARTUEE FROM ROUEN.
the Hotel Vatel. A somewhat uncomfortable deten- tion 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 move- ments are nearly as quick as those of his tongue. He rises, as well as his brethren, by five in the mom- # ing; and the testimonies of this early activity are quickly discovered in the unceasing noise of beating coats, singing French aii-s, 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 occu- pation. When he is bordering upon impertinence, he seems to be conscious of it — declaring that " the Elng- lish make him saucy, but that naturally he is very civil.*" He always speaks of human beings in the neu- ter gender ; and to a question whether such a one has been at the Hotel, he replies, ^'I have not seen to- day.'* I am persuaded he is a thoroughly honest crea- ture ; and considering the pains which are taken to spoil him, it is surprising with what good sense and propriety he conducts himself.
But to return. The whole complement of inn-* door occupants, including even visitors, attended our departure. " Au plaisir de vous revoir'* — Bon voyage" — and other similar exclamations resounded on all sides — when, about eleven o'clock, we sprung for- ward, at a smart trot, towards the barriers by which
DEPARTUHE FROM ROUEN. 187
we had entered Rouen. Our postillion was a thorough master of his calling, and his spurs and whip seemed to know no cessation from action. The steeds, per- fectly Norman, were somewhat fiery ; and we rattled along the streets, (for the pav6 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 cabrio- let. 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 anti- quity, or some elevated position — whence the wander- ing Seine and wooded heights of the adjacent country might be sui-veyed with equal advantage.
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, having the Grande Route du Havre rather before us, and commence our journey in good earnest. Pre- viously to gaining the first considerable height, you pass the village of Canteleu. This village is exceed- ingly 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 cqmmanding eminence ; at the top of
188
ROUEN TO HAVRE.
which are scattered some of those country houses which are seen from Mont Ste. Catharine. Tlie road is of a noble breadth. The day wanned — and we dismounted to let our steeds breathe more freelv, as we continued to ascend leisurely. Mr. Lewis ran on befoi'e ; took a position, — ^with the magnificent sweep of the river, and the towers and spires of Rouen at a little distance before him — and drawing forth his ready pencil, trans- ferred, in a fit of extacy, the whole of the enchanting scene * into his sketch-book. I send it you : matured and mellowed by the magic of light and shade. It is at once a most faithful copy of the particular scene re- presented, and of the generality of the river and hill sce- nery in the route from Rouen to Bolbec. Perhaps the distance is too delicately marked ; so as to give you an idea of the hill, to the right of Rouen, (which hi fact is Mont Ste. Catharine) being farther situated from the city than it really is. But the whole is de- lightfully picturesque.
We romounted, having gratified the postilion by granting his request to have a peep at the drawing, which he pronounced to be " charmant !" I love cu- riosity of this kind, when it does not border upon im- pertinence ; and I had a shrewd suspicion that our gar^on was a lad of no ordinary mettle. Our first halting-place was to be St, Georges de Bocherville ; an ancient abbey of the xiith century, according to the instructions of M. Le Prevost. This abbey is situated about three French leagues from Rouen. Our route
* See tlie Opposite Plate. Lieut. Hall has described the same, or a similar scene, with great truth and animation, in his TVimti in France, in 1818; 8to. p. 45, 6.
ST. GEORGES DE BOCHERVILLE- 189
thither^ from the summit of the hill which we had just ascended, lay along a road skirted by interminable orchards now in their fullest bloom. The air was absolutely perfumed, to a sort of aromatic excess, by tiie 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 con- ceive any thing more balmy and more genial than was this lovely day. The minutes seemed to fly away too quickly — when we reached the village of Bocherville, where stands the church ; the chief remaining relic of this once beautiful abbey. We alighted at the au- berge ; and while our steeds and postillion were feast- ing upon their peculiar provenders, we started for the enjoyment of provender of a very different description.
Turning quickly down a lane to the left, thickly shaded by overhanging branches of fruit trees^ we hastened onward, still keeping to the left ; when, peep- ing between the trees, at a little distance, we discerned the venerable ecclesiastical edifice— of a pale and even fresh tone of colour. It appeared to be small, but extremely beautiful, and of a deliciously old aspect. The village was all alive in a moment. Women and children were chiefly visible; the men being engaged in the fields. The towering cauchoise and wooden shoes proved that we were still in the vi- cinity of Rouen. There seemed to be plenty of dirt and plenty of wretchedness in the village. We in- qnired for Le Concierge ; and in his absence came ^'madame son Spouse.*' We surveyed the west front very leism-ely^ and thought it an extremely beautiful
190
ROUEN TO HAVRE.
specimen of the architecture of the twelfth and thir- teenth centuries; for certainly there are some portions more ancient than others. M. Le Prevost had apprised me that Mr. Cotman had designed pretty nearly the whole of the building,* with the exception of the chap- ter-house to the left of the west front. A survey of this chapter-house filled me with mingled soitow and de- light : sorrow, that the Revolution and a modern cot* ton manufactory had metamorphosed it from its origi- nal 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 what may be called interlaced arches of the most delicate construction.
This old building has been recently divided into an upper and ground floor ; and it was by means of this artificial division that, while upon the upper floor, we were enabled to make so minute a survey of the arched roof. I imagine the whole of this portion of the build- ing to have been the Chapter House ; and that on the scite, which is now occupied by a long front of build- ing, of the usual architecture of modern times^ stood the Refectory and Dormitory. It may, however, be just the reverse : nor is it material whether what we saw be the chapter-house or the refectory. The conversion of the whole to the purposes of trade has a very strange
• Mr. Cotman has in fact published views of the West Fronts the South East, the West Entrance^ and the South Transept, with sculp- tured capitals and basso-relievosj &c. In the whole, seven plates.
ST. GEORGES DE BOCHERVILLE. 191
effect. But the present is not the first metamoiphosis : for the large building, just mentioned, was erected about four-score years ago by a nobleman, or prince, who diose to retire from the bustle of public life„ and to de- TOte a large fortune to the erection of this mansion as a monastery for a prior and seventeen lay-monks. A fine piece of ground, or walled park, surrounds it ; which is just now in a most pitiable state of neglect. In short, this general aspect of decay pervades the interior^ or manufactory itself. The superintendant, who shewed 08 every part of this large establishment, told us that the owner was anxious to get rid either of the whole or of the half of it ; and that he would part with the latter for 35,000 francs. This apparently trifling sum would startle, at first sound, an English manufiEicturer : but all things, you know, must be estimated with refe-^ rence to the country in which they occur. Here, land and labour are cheap and reasonable enough^ and the demand (though things are upon the mend) is slow and uncertmn.
The very sound of a Monastery made me curious to egcamine the disposition of the building. Accordingly, I followed my guide through suites of apartments up divers stone stair-cases, and along sundry corridores. 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 hook. The whole was punted white. I counted eleven perpendicular di- visions ; and, from the small distances between the up- per shelves, there must have been a very considerable
192
ttOUEN TO HAVBE.
number of duodecimos. The titles of the respective classes of the library were painted in white letters Yq>on a dark-blue groun^, at top. Bibles occupied the first division^ and the Fathers the second : but it should seem that equal importance was attached to the works of Heretics as to those called Littene Hu- maniores — ^for each had a division of equal ma^itnde.
On close inquiry, I found that the ravages of cme day, during the Revolution, had gutted the poor li* brary of all its book-furniture. It is, hovrever, a very small room. There was something excessively melaii- choly in the air of all this premature ruin : stout walls, and spacious chambers, (the paint yet fresh) without occupation ! . . On looking out of window, especially from the back part of the building, the eye rests en- tirely 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 even into luxuriance of condi- tion. How interesting are the remans of ecclesiasti- cal architecture — and how yet increased in sanctity seems to be the house of God — ^when surrounded by a domain of this description! I must confess that I quitted this congenial spot (the first which united rural quiet vrith architectural antiquity, since our ears had been stunned by the " train-train*' of Rx>uen) with sensations of no ordinary kind. We retrod our steps ; and reaching the aiiberge, where stood the horses with the cabriolet ready to receive us, we remounted, and told the postillion to push on for Duclair.
BE LA FONTAINE
193
The day was now, if possible, more lovely than before. Od looking at my instructions I found that we had to stop to examine the remains of an old castle at De^ k^tmtaine — about two English miles from St. Georges de Bocherville. These remains, however, are but the fragments of a ruin, if I may so speak ; yet they are intei^sting, but somewhat perilous : for a few broken portions of a wall support an upper chamber, where appears a stone chimney-piece of very curious con- stmction and ornament. Mr. Lewis contrived in ten minutes to make a slight yet characteristic sketch of it. I call these fragments perilous ; for there is a portion of Unem of which the superincumbent floor, of flint-stone and mortar, is just giving way — ^threatening to crush every thing below. 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 TOTveyed 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 be- coming broader and broader — ^while, to the left, softly tinted by distance, appeared the beautiful old church we bad just left behind : — 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. For a painter, or rather upon the principles of compo- sition for a well-painted landscape, there was nothing that an artist would think deserving of representing upon canvas : for there was absolutely neither what is called f(»^ground, nor middle-ground, nor distance — and yet, altogether, you would have preferred it even to the wooded scenery of Hobbima, to the cool stream-
194
ROUEN TO HAVRE.
lets of Rysdael, or to the herbacious richness of Cuyp. I admit, however, that this delicious morceau of land* scape 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 bios* som added vastly to the gratification of the beholder. But it is time to descend from this elevation^ and to think of reaching Duclair.
DucLAiR is situated close to the very borders of the Seine, which has now an absolutely lake-like appear- ance. We stopped at the auberge to rest our horses ; and Mr. Lewis, as usual, betook himself to some fa- vourable spot, at a small distance^ for the sake of exer- cising his pencil. Meanwhile I commenced a dis- course with the master of the inn and with his daugh^ ter ; the latter, a very respectable-looking and well-be- haved young woman of about twenty-two years of age. She was preparing a large crackling wood-fire to dress a fish, called the Alose, for the passengers of the dili^ gence — who were expected within half an hour. The French think they can never butter 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 ac- tive young cuisini^re thought necessary to put into the pot in which the ^ Alose' was to be boiled. She laughed at the surprise I expressed; and added ^*qu*on ne pent rien faire dans la cuisine sans le bewre." You ought to know, by the bye, that the Alose^ something like our mackerel in flavour, is a large and delicious fish ; and that we were always anxious to bespeak it at the table-d'hdte at Rouen. Extricated
DUCLAIR.
195
from the lake of butter in which it floats, when brought upon table, it is not only a rich, but a very substantial fish ; and I give it decidedly the preference to all the items of every bill of fare presented to us by Juliana Bemers or Isaac Walton.
The auberge is situated at the base of rather a lofty chalk cliff, close to the road side; and the opposite side of the road is washed by the waters of the Seine. 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, he approached, and addressed me with a pleasant degree of famiharity. " You are from London, then, SirT ''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 partner* ship 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 ^pous^e : mais je lui dis qu*elle ne sera jamais heurewe avant qu*elle ne le soit.** The daughter, who had overheard the conversation, came forward, and look • ing over her shoulder very archly, replied — " ou tnal^ heureuse, mon p^re !'* In the discourse which followed, the worthy innkeeper seemed wholly to forget all the agonies of disappointment in not succeeding as heir to the rich banker in London. Nevertheless, I am far from accusing him of felsehood . . . but the French
196
BOUEN TO HAVRE.
Steadily looked forwards to Jumieges. " We will eat onr cold fowl and drink onr vin ordinaire upon tbe grass within the walls of the abbey/' said I to my companion : The Marchioness (rejoined he) can afford us nothing so delightful.'" Unchivalrous reply ! The road became more and more circuitous. We ascended very sensibly — ^then striking into a sort of bye-road, in a field, we were told that we should
former, but to retain the latter : see pages 259> 26 1 , of the work just mentioned. Yet William Longesp^e, and his Son William, have doubtless better claims than either although not a restige remains of the building as it appeared in the times of the more andent Rulers of Normandy. I do not conceive indeed that any present portion of the ruins can be older than the beginning of the xiitfa cen- tury. That Clovifl may have been the original planner of the Abbey should seem to be not very improbable, from the following verses, taken from an old MS. Life of St. Bathilde, the wife and Queen of the French King :
Jumegia ex natis Godouaei dicta Gemellis : Aucta refiilgebat nongentis fratribos olim.
It must have been in Rollo*s time, therefore, a noble establishment. Rollo is indeed considered as the great restorer of religious edifices in Normandy:
Tunc fieri delubra iubet, cellasque, domofique; Multaque rcstituit, priscis subuersa minis Prsedia, diuitla8, quo possent qofistibus absque, Quique Monoptolemi sedusam ducere vitam.
Protinhs artificas sponsa mercedc labori, Structuras renouare parant arctando minori Schemate, limitibus, domumque lodque tenore Archetypum : tandem fobrefiacti encoenia Templi,
&c. &c. &c. Neustria Pia, p. 306.
William, sumamed Longespde, was the son of Rollo ; and it is just possible that he may have the most effectually contributed to the building of the Abbey. The first Abbot was Martinus ; or rather St. Martin — for, like St. Ouen» and the generality of first Abbots^ he was
ABBEY OF JUMIEGES.
190
quickly reach the place of our destination. A frac^ tured capital^ and broken shafts 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 giance of the spires, or rather of the small towers of the Abbey of Jumieges.* La voiU, Monsieur," — exclaim- ed the postilion — increasing both his speed and the flourishes of his whip—" voil^ la belle Abbayel'*
It was indeed " beautiful" or " fine :" but these are words which carry force only by association of ideas. It hud been questionless most beautiful. The grey or almost white tint of the stone, contrasted by the wood- covered hills, in which the monastery seemed to be embosomed, struck us with peculiar force : " if these are end-towers (observed my companion) the central tower, now destroyed, must have been of very large dimensions." We approached and entered the village of Jumieges. Leaving some pretty houses to the right and left, among which is a parsonage residence of more than usually comfortable appearance for France,
canonized. Among the grants of privileges^ &c. is one from our Henry T. " Not only (says Du Monstier) did the Norman Dukes love Ihe locality of> and largely endow^ the Abbey of Jumieges, but even the Kings of France— and chiefly Charles VII. — ^who erected there a reli- gious house which was standing in Du Monstiers time — not however without affording evidence of the ravages committed upon it by the Calvinists in the xvith century. It is above observed that Aones 80RBL (mistress of Charles) was buried in the Abbey.
* Mr. Cotman has published etchings of the West Eront : the Towers, aomewhat fore-shortened 5 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 LAeut, BalXi Ttaoeltin France, 8vo. p. 57, 1819.
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we descended — and drove to a snug aubei^ 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, un- equivocally attest the ancient character of the place. The whole struck us as having been formerly of very great dimensions. It was a glorious sun-shiny af- ternoon, and the villagers quickly crowded round the cabriolet. Voil^ Messieurs les Anglois^ qui viennent voir FAbbaye— mais effectivement il n*y a rien k 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.
Sacred be the moment, and serene be the heavens^ on the first view of this interior ! I can never forget it. It has not the magical effect, or that sort of artificial burst, which attends the first view of Tintem abbey: but, as the ruin is larger, there is necessarily more to attract atten- tion. Like Tintem also, it is unroofed — ^yet this unroof- ing has proceeded from a different cause : of which pre- sently. The side aisles present you with a short flat- tened arch : the nave has none : but you observe a long pilaster-like or alto-relievo column, of slender dimen- sions, running from bottom to top, with a sort of Ro- man 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 ac- cident. The latter however had triumphed over the former : but for accident you must read revolutum.
On the first view of each surrounding object, we were struck with a variety of sensations. In the land of Normandy — the land of castles and cathedrals —
ABBEY OF JUMIB6ES. 201
we fwcied a higher tone of feeling was connected with every thing we saw. But this was only the venial enthusiasm of young travellers. 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 cUnner. To the left of us lay a huge pile of fragments of pillars and groin- ings 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 : — 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 f^mired to
Breathe a prayer for her soul — and pass on !
What a contrast, my dear friend, to the present aspect of things! — ^to the mixed rubbish and wild flowers with which every spot is now well nigh covered ! The mis- tress 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, llie first and only sentiment which we drank, was, (naturally I would hope) " dear Old England, and all that it contains — more enthusiastic toper would have drunk to the memories of those who slept within the walls of the abbey — ^but we were content to sacrifice Uie unknown dead to the cherished living. Yet I will not conceal that, more than once or twice, I felt a sort of romantic twinge come across me, which had
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nearly induced me to make a libation to . . • Bat it was only a twinge — and, like twinges in general, was perfectly evanescent.
llie air now became oppressive ; when, looking through the few remaining unglazed mullions of the windows, I observed that the clouds grew darker and darker, while a faint rumbling of thunder reached our ears. The sun however yet shone gaily, although paitially ; and as the storm neared us, it floated as it were round the abbey — affording, by means of its purple, black colour, contrasted with the pale tint of the walls,— one of the most beautiful painter-like effects ima^nable. Mr. L. started up from his seat to enjoy a more general view : but I was unwilling to quit the vicinity of Agnes Sorel — and remained tranquilly upon the hillock, even though two smart flashes of lightning had come across me. 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 pha- lanx of sulphur-charged clouds rolled away — and melted into the quiet uniform tint which usually precedes sun-set. Our dinner being dispatched, we 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 rich man, living at Rouen — and who loves to dispose of any portion of the stone, whether standing or pros- trate, for the sake of the lucre, however trifling, which arises from the sale. Surely the whole cor- poration of the city of Rouen, with the mayor at
ABfiEY OF JUMIE6ES. 208
their head^ ought to stand between this ruthless ri^ iban/* and the abbey — ^the victini of his brutal avarice and want of taste.
We ascended the worn stone steps of the left tower of the western extremity as you enter, and walked over the ardied roof of the sid6 aisles^ which was covered with earth, grass, weeds, and wild flowers. There is nothing above it ; so that^ in a short time, from its es^posure to the vicissitudes of weather^ it must soon ^ve way, and add to the enoripous heap of rubbish below. Indeed^ in one part, (but I forget over which of tile aisles) there is a frightful fracture, or opening, threatening to precipitate several ton weight of the MOf. The right tower is inaccessible of ascent ; but we pursued our spiral route to the very top of the left ; and, from its summit, enjoyed a glorious view of every thing immediately below and around us. The abbey had a most interesting but somewhat terrific ap- pearance. Nearly the whole of the eastern extremity was in ruins: — ^while, in the centre, the portion of the laptem, or square tower, which remained, denoted the extent of its original dimensions. The nave was en- tirely unroofed ; — and indeed not a single fragment of any portion of the roof was visible. Such a scene of sa- crilegious desolation can scarcely be conceived. What had been the abbot's lodge, the refectory, the chapter- house and cloisters, with all their appurtenances, is now perhaps only matter of conjecture : but the mate- rials are in a very entire state — that is to say, the stone is yet hard, close-grained, and of a beautiful creamy tint.
The situation of the abbey is delightful. It lies at the bottom of some gently undulating hjills, within two or
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three hundred yards of the Seine. The river here nms gently, in a serpentine direction, at the foot of wood- covered hills — and all seemed, from our elevated sta- tion, indicative of fruitfulness, of gaiety, and of pros- perity,— all — save the mournful and magnificent remains of the venerable abbey whereon we gazed ! — In fact, Jumieges exists only as a shell. We descended^ strolled about the village, (taking every possible view of the Abbey) 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 we were anxious to gain information, they flocked around us — and from one man, in particular, I obtained exact intelligence about the havoc which had been committed during the Revo- lution upon the abbey. The roof had been battered down for the sake of the lead — ^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. The revolutionary mania had even brutalized the Abbot. This man, who must be considered as
damned to everlasting fame,
had been a monk of the monastery ; and as soon as he had attained the headship of it, he took it into his head to dispose of every tangible and moveable piece of furniture, to gratify the revolutionary pack which were daily howling at the gates of the abbey for entrance! Nor could he plead compulsion as an excuse. He seemed to enjoy the work of destruction, of which he had the absolute direction. But enough of this wretch.
CAUDEBEC.
905
Having gratified our curiosity, as much as we were enabled, rather than as much as we wished, to do— we returned to the cabaret : ordered the horses, and prepared to quit Jumieges for Caudebec. The land- lady seemed loath to part with us, — tant elle aima Messieurs les Anglois qui venoient voir sa ch^re Abbaye de Jnmieges !** In five minutes we retraced our route through the village, and bade adieu to the Abbey . .
a long and lingering adieu" — while the two slim western towers seemed to requite us for our solicitude by keeping in view whenever we chose to look behind —even till we came within a league of our next resting^ place.
That resting-place was Caudebec; and the road thereto, from the spot we had just quitted, was, if pos- sible, more interesting than the preceding route. The son was about to sink into the waters of the Seine : —which were in one warm crimson hue for the last hour before we reached Caudebec. An evening of un- uraal serenity— or rather of splendour — crowned the gratifications of this busy day. The road was fre- quently winding ; but in general we kept pretty close to the banks of the Seine — on the opposite side of which, within about a league of Caudebec, we saw the chateau and terrace of the Marquise of (men- tioned a few minutes ago) whither many English resort, and where fruit trees and flowers rejoice the wondering eye and make sweet the circumambient air ! A ferry conducts you straight to the spot — ^which my imagina- tion peopled with valorous knights and courtly dames. Indeed I almost sighed as I passed this supposed ma- gical residence . . • and pressed onwards for Caudebec.
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Caudebec is 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 eyes, was a fine old gothic church, and a very fine spire of what appeared to belong to another. As the evening had completely set in, we resolved to reserve our admiration of the place till the morrow. We had forgotten the Bame of the best inn — always a most important me- mento—and acqprdingly, in compliance with the in- structions received from the people in the street, we drove to the first auberge which presented itself. It was certainly of the sorriest possible aspect, and of the most straightened dimensions. But we were tired, and heartily glad of a resting-place. After securing beds, we strolled about the village. An avenue of trees, close to the water's edge, (I am speaking of the Seine) quickly caught our attention — and the light from a spruce calffi^e as quickly induced us to enter and be- speak refreshment. It was now quite dark. Remote as was this solitude, and humble as appeared almost every mansion, we were equally surprised and delighted by the appearance of neatness and comfort of every thing within this cofiee-house. We ordered tea: when the sound of this well-known English beVerage brought forth a middle-aged, respectable looking woman, who addressed us in French — ^which instantly struck me asl an Anglo-gallican melange. My reply helped to throw off the mask completely ; and we were glad to recog-
CAUDEBEC.
207
nise each other as English. She told us she had been fourteen years domesticated in that mansion, of which the mistress was a woman of beauty and virtue, but overwhelmed with misfortune — " but," says she, " let me go and tell the girl how to make your tea, and then we will talk more at leisure/'
On her return, we quickly resumed our promis- cuous chit-chat. To be sure she dearly loved talking : but the tea was good, and so was the cream, and so were the eggs, and eke the bread and butter : — and a delicious repast we made. Meanwhile some straggling, countrified-looking customers, camerwith their sous to enjoy their draught of eau de vie, but without the least tendency to inebriety. Tliere was a brightly-burn- ing lamp suspended to the cieling of the coffee house, and as Englishmen were rarely seen in the retired village of Caudebec, these customers gazed at us with a wonder-smitten eye. " You must come to-morrow morning and take your coffee here" — observed our good countr}'woman — they make excellent coffee at this house." We agreed to come on the morrow to breakfast, and so took our leave : retiring to our humble auberge, where two good beds, and sheets yet whiter than the freshest looking remaining stone in the abbey of Jumieges, awaited our return. Here I finished the journal of the occurrences of the day before I went to rest. . . • and here methinks is a fair and fitting oppor- tunity to wish my friend good night. So fare you well : and open the leaves of your Neush*ia PiOy to make yourself master of the Antiquities of the Abbey
OF JUMIEGKS.
206
LETTER XL
CAUDEBEC. LILLfiBONNE. BOLBEC. TANKAi|VILLB. MONTMORBNCI CASTLE. HAVRE DE GRACE.
My last concluded with a night-scene at Caudebec. The present opens with a morning scene at the same place. Mr. Lewis, who generally contrives to borrow the wings of the lark, was stirring before six o'clock : and put his pencil in requisition a very short time after he had reached a fdvoumble spot. I told you in my last that Caudebec was a sort of an up-and-down place : nith hanging gardens, villas, and commanding terraces. Upon one of these latter, Mr. L. took liis station. It commanded a good bird's-eye view of the principal rtreet in the town. The sun was shining beautifully bright, lighting up the broad meandering Seine, the tower, and spire of the church, and the curiously cut avenues of the public gardens : which latter, indeed, have the effect, upon paper, of an ancient aqueduct. In the foreground, upon the walled terrace, some girls were sitting and gathering vegetables. One of them was reading. A dexterous aitist knows how to seize such an opportunity — and accordingly Mr. L contrived to put his whole picture together in a man- ner which perfectly enchanted me — when we met at the foi*ementioned caffie at breakfast. Look at it — * and fastidious as you are, dare you ventui'e to say that it hath a single defect ?
• Sec the Oi*posit£ Plate.
CAUDEBEC. 209
I was however myself, for a miracle, stirring before line. The church was the first object of attraction. For the size of the place, it is really a noble structure : 3erhaps of the early part of the sixteenth, or latter part y[ the fifteenth century. I speak of the exterior gene- rally, and of a great portion of the interior. A little shabby green-baise covei-ed door (as usual) was half open, and I entered with no ordinary expectations of gratification. The painted glass seemed abso- lutely to warm the place — so rich and varied were its colours. ThM*e is a great abundance of it, andespe* cially of figures of families 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 fiEiithful copy of almost every thing I saw. In some of the counter- nances, I &ncied I traced the pencil of Lucas Cra- NACH — and even of Hans Holbein. But I must not omit informing you of an interesting occurrence, which helped to give additional magic to the scene. I have told you that, in France, there is a perpetual in- gress and egress of devotees— especially of females. The nave and aisles are plentifully sprinkled with rush- bottomed chairs, upon which the devotees kneel — but always with a slanting or see-saw position of the chair. Upon one of these chairs, in such slanting posi- tion, knelt a young woman of the most regular set of features and interesting expression. Her profile, even to your own severe taste, might have been considered
210 ROUEN TO HAVRE.
perfect. She had large circular ear-rings, and was dressed in the Norman attire of blue and crimson. Her lips appeared to be exercised in prayer before a statue of the Virgin, and her raised eye and clasped hands denoted an intensity of devotion. The sun shone full upon the window which faced her, and which threw a warmth of colour over her whole figure. Her eye turned towards me, but her lips and hands were yet occupied in devotion. Perhaps, for effect, no devo- tional figure ever presented itself in a more interesting manner — both personally and locally considered.
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 mo- dern, and proportionably clumsy and inexpressive. I noted one mural monument, to the memory of GrutL- laume TeUier, which was dated 1184. This date was undoubtedly only a repetition of the ancient one. Few churches have more highly interested me, than this at Caudebec* From the church I strolled to the Place, where stood our calBK, 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 per- fect bend in the form of a crescent. On one side, that on which the village stands, are walks and gardens
* the Church at Caudebec,'] — ^Lieutenant Hall has weU described it. I did not see his description till more than a twelremonth alter mj
CAUDEBEC.
211
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 Forest de Breione, which rises in wooded majesty on the opposite heights. As the morning was fine, the effect was really exhilarating: but the recollection of Richmond Hill suggested to me how this infinitely more magnificent sweep of river* would have been improved, in a picturesque point of view, by vessels and sailing bolfts, with gay streamers, in perpetual motion ! The spirit and the wealth of our countrymen would make Caudebec one of the most enchanting summer-residences in the world. The po- pulation of the town is estimated at about five thousand* We assembled at the caff€ a little after nine, and there met the good Englishwoman who had procured
own had been written. A part may be worth extracting The principal object of attraction is the Church^ the gothic spire of whid^ is encircled by fillets of roses^ beautifidly carved in stone, and conti- nued to the very summit of the steeple. The principal portal too is •colptured with no less richness and delicacy than that of St. Macloud al 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 decora- tions, 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 1184.'* Travels tn France, p. 47, 1819, 8vo. I take this to be Guillaume Tbllie*— mentioned above.
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us tea according to art** the preceding evening. The coffee, I must own, was even better than we were taught to expect. Our conversation was directed chiefly to a knowledge of the locale, and of the general character of the inhabitants. There was a brewery; which, said our loquacious guide, was conducted by a Scotchman; who had also entered into partnership in the coal trade. This latter will excite your astonishment — considering that Normandy abounds in woods. But the truth is, the present generation is entirely thought- less of that which is succeed. Within the imme- diate vicinity of great towns, even of Rouen, the coun- try is denuded of trees; and yet no one thinks of planting. Thus, let only twenty-five years pass away, and where will be the Frenchman's fuel ? Even as it is, that article is of excessive high price — through- out the whole of France. Understanding that our friends in * * * * * had some thoughts of hiring a house for the summer in this neighbourhood, I told our iiemale acquaintance of the circumstance, and begged that she would interest herself for me. LiCt us," said she, ^^set off immediately — for at this precise moment, there is an excellent vacant residence close to the river side.*' We paid our reckoning, (three francs a-head) and left the coffee-house immediately.
But 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 wei-e, and broad rippling waves rolling over each other. It was the coming in of the tide .... and within a quarter of an hour it appeared to have risen upwards of two feet. You may remember that, in our own
CAUDEBEC.
213
country^ the Severn-tides exhibit the same phenome- non; and I have seen the river at Gloeester rise at once to the height of eight or ten feet, throwing up a shower of foam fipom 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, though similar in kind, was not so in degree ; for it rose gradually yet most visibly — and by the time we had reached the
house to let," the elevation could not have been less than seven or eight feet.
As you ought to have a picture of a bettermost house to let in Normandy, you must read patiently what follows. An outer-wall with a carriage entrance first arrested our attention. We could not see what iFas behind — and omne ignotum pro magnifico** you know. We pulled a wire, expecting that wire to cause a bell to sound; but we pulled a long time with- out being favoured with any such sound. Effects are tmly adequate to their causes, and vice versa. Now the bell happened to have no connection with the wire, simply because the wire happened to have no connec- tion with the bell: in other words, because the said wipe had been broken these six months. We knocked with our fists, and obtained admission. To the left was. a remise, or place to put a carriage in : above was a good hay loft, and below was a stall (without divisions, as usual) for five horses. The mansion house was long and low: covered with white thick Venetian blinds, half open, and half in want of re- pair. The suite of apartments was considerable, but in a most melancholy looking plight : the furniture be-
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ROUEN TO HAVRE.
low was withdrawn. • The dining room, with a brick floor, was of goodly dimensions — and the end-rooms were in the character of bondoirs. The kitchen, liard by, exhibited but sorry capabilities — and neither spit, pot, nor pan, was visible. Above stairs, there were bed rooms furnished with beds, and a good drawing room — ^with yellow velveteen furniture, even to the bottoms of the chairs. The view of the garden, and of the river, immediately in front, was extremely in- teresting— and English neatness would have ren- dered the former a little " paradise of sweets.** The end rooms, like those below, in the character of boudoirs, had each a view of the bend of the river ; — and that, to the left, might have warmed the most cold-hearted observer of nature. The situation was un- doubtedly charming; but a rubbishing look pervaded even the very laburnums, which were streaming with gold. As for the box, which flanked the gravel walks, both box and walk wanted a thorough revolutionising — in other words, clipping, turning up, and rolling. Thf furniture must have been hired ; and exclusively of this extra cost, we were told that the house could not bie let for three months under forty Napoleons : — ^un^ doubtedly a very considerable price for the remote town of Caudebec.
Having followed up this expedition by a walk upon the heights of the town, with which I was much grati- fied, we returned to our humble auberge, ordered the cabriolet to be got ready, and demanded the reckon- ing : — which, considering that we were not quite at an hdtel-royale, struck us as being far from moderate. Two old women, of similar features and age, presented
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215
themselves as we were getting into the carriage: one was the mistress, and the other the fiUe de chambre. " Mais, Monsieur (observed one of them) n'oubliez pes^je vous prie, la-fille-de-chambre — rappellez-vons que vos souliers ont et€ sup^rieurcment d^crott^s.'* I took ont a franc to remunerate the supposed fille-de- diambre — but was told it was the mistress. N'importe, Monsieur, c'est k ce moment que je suis fille-de-cham-^ bre— qnand vous serez parti, je serai la mattresse.'* Hie postillion seemed to enjoy this reparteee as much as ourselves : and bidding adieu to the worthy English- woman, who had so long resided in this place, and who appeared to look upon her countrymen as the rarest of all rare birds, we started forward for Lillebonnb.
We were scarcely out of the town half a mile, when we began to ascend. We found ourselves quickly in die middle of those rising grounds which are seen from the promenade or Place du CaffSy and could not look nithout extraordinary gratification upon the beautiAil sliaracter of spring in its matured state. The larch tru even yet picturesque: the hazel and nut trees irere perfectly clothed with foliage, of a tender yet joyous tint : the chestnut was gorgeously in bloom ; the [kne and beech were beginning to give abundant pro- miale of their future luxuriance — while the lowlier tribes df laburnum and box, with their richly clad branches, covered the ground beneath entirely from view, rhe apple and pear blossoms still continued to varie- ^te the wide sweep of foliage, and to fill the mr with their delicious perfume. It might be Switzerland in niniature— or it might not. Only this I know — ^that it seemed as though one could live embosomed and en-
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ROUEN TO HAVRE.
chanted in such a wilderness of sweets — ^reading the fabliaux of the*old Norman bards till the close of hu- man existence. We continued visibly, and even sharply^ to ascend ; and when we caught glimpses of the reach or winding of the river, nothing more beauti- fully picturesque could be imagined. But it was a picture of Spring scenery — ^lighted up by a bright bhic sky, and golden glow of sun shine. Nor must my fiu vourite church, before so particularly described, be forgotten in this joy-inspiring panorama. It stood, grey and venerable, (yet full of projecting gothic or- nament), like age in the mi^st of youth : attemp»ii^ and harmonising every thing around it. Still we con- tinued to mount higher and higher. We had some time past quitted the cabriolet, and walked on foot.
Ma foi Messieurs (exclaimed our postillion) il me paroit que nous aliens monter jusqu*au ciel.** Mais pour mes pauvres chevaux. Monsieur — ^ils seront bien fiatigu^. II faut qu'ils mangent un bon din6.'* Us le mangeront k Lillebonne,** replied I. — A la bonne heure, done. Messieurs, montez, je vous prie : Lille- bonne est un pen loin d*ici— et pour y arriver k midi, il faut les fouett^r un pen."' So saying, we mounted — having gained the summit, and one of the animals be- coming hot and I'esti ve, the postillion forgot all his com- passionate feelings, and never ceased to belabour him, with spur and whip, at a smart gallop, for nearly half a French league. In five minutes we left all that was picturesque behind us ; and striking ojflf through bye- roads, across fields, (of which every inch was in an ad- mirable state of cultivation) enquired at almost every turn for the nearest route to Lillebonne.
LILLEBONNE.
217
We found ourselves on a hard, strait, chalky old road— evidently Roman : and in due time perceived and entered the town of Lillbbonnb. But the sky had become overcast : soft and small rain was descending, and an unusual gloom prevailed • • . when we halted, agreeably to onr instructions, immediately before the gate of the ancient Castle.* Venerable indeed is this Norman castle, and extensive are the ruins which have survived. I shall never forget how it peeped odt npon us — through the light leaf of the pop- lar, and the pink blossom of the apple. It lies ckwe 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 aasembled the Barons of Normandy, and the invasion of England was determined upon. Such a spot thens- fore strikes an English beholder with no ordinary emotions. We alighted; sent the cabriolet to the inn, and wished both postillion and horses to get their dinners without delay. For ourselves, we had resolved
• the andeni Caitle,']—Tbis Castle is well described by Lieut. HaU; who has also given a wood-cut representation, but in too rude a manner, of the discovered walls in the ai^acent Raman theatre. He thinks this latter the Julia Bona of Ptolemy and Antoniniis. He supposes the old circular Norman tower, above mentioned, to be the doi\)on-keep. Upon the key-stone of the vaulting of the upper story, which had fallen in, was carved an escutcheon, bearing quarterly 1 and 4, three manacles upon barulets; 3 and 3, five bosses, (peihaps besaats) with an escutcheon of pretence, three banilets.**
Traioels in Erance, p, 58.
VOL I. O
2ia ROUEN TO HJlVBE.
to reserve our appetites till we reached Bolbec; and there 'was food enough before us^ of a different description^ to exercise our intellectual digestioa fi>rat least the next coming hour. We knocked at the mas^ sre portals, and readily obtained admittance.
The area, entirdy a grass-plat, was occupied several cows. Be£Dre us were evidently the . ruins of a large chapel or church — ^perhaps of the xivth centmy. The outer foce of the walls went deeply and perpendh> cularly down to the bottom of a dry fosse ; and.theri^ angle portion of the building was covered with garden ground, where the owner showed us some peas, winch be boasted he should have at his table within fiie. days. I own I thought he was. very likely to carry hit boast into execution ; for finer vegetables, or a finer bed of earth, I had scarcely ever noticed. How tfaii^ my dear friend,^ are changed from their original Fueter and destination I But the okl round tower/* say you ! — to the old round tower** then let us ga Tlie stair-case is narrow, dark, and decayed. We reached the first floor, or circular room, and Mr. L. made a rough drawing of the peculiarity of the eon<^ struction of the window seats — all of rough, solid, and massive stone. No silken settees, or chintz sofas, ever adorned the interior of this prison-like abode! We 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^ we gazed around us with equal wonder and delight. Bunches
LILLEBOMMB.
ttw^SM&w», in ftiU bloom, were growiog at our feet, ttd tf^iaBftg OS #itb tiseir fingnntie ; ttrfaile Rhi'abs of different species had contrived to take root in the in- iWWtfCiLtf 6t the wall, tad t6 make otir immecfiate fore- grotfnd a retyresentation of youth compared with old age, • • . the latter arising from the character of the sur- fomiding ruins. The wall of this round castle could Mfc be le89 than ten feet in thickness. A yonng woman, tte riiq>er4cft of the spot, attended us as guide.
^ What kF that irregular rude mound, or wall of €Hith, in' the centre of which children are playing ^It is the old Raman Theatre^ Sir.** 1 immediate^ ealled to mind M. Le Prevost^s instructions — and if I imild have borrowed the wings of a ^irit, I shoidd have instantly alighted upon the spot— but it was situ- ated inthout the precincts of the old castle and its ap^ jjMUtenances, and a mortal leap would have been at- tended with a mortal result. Have you many English who visit this q)ot?** said I to my guide. — Scarcely aogr, Sir-4t is a frightful place — ^friU of desolation and sadncgs . .** replied she. We gazed around, and in the Asfance, through an aperture in the orchard trees, we mW the little fishing village of Quillebettfy* quite bu- ried^ as it were, in the waters of the Seine. An arm of the nxer meanders towards Lillebonne. Having gtalified oor picturesque and antiquarian propensities, from this elevated situaticm, we retrod, with more dif-
* ihe UHU fahmg vUlage of QtitUe6etif:]— -Small as naay be thk tilli^ and inwgnificant as may be its aspect, it is one of themodt im-. pnrtant plag<a, with respect to navigatioD, in the vrhxAe course of thi6' river Seine, Seven yeais a^ theie were not fewer than fimr-Memrt
220
ROUEN TO HAVRE.
ficulty than toil, our steps down the stair-case. A second stroll about the area, and along the skirtazof
pilots settled here> by order of goTemmeat, for the purpose of goaid- ing against accidents which arise from a want of knowledge of th^ navigation of the river. In time of peace this nmnber would necessa- rily be increased. In the year 1789 there were upwards of 250 Eng- lish vessels which passed it — averaging, in the whole, 19,000 tons. It is from QuiUebeuf to Havre that the accidents arise. The author of a pompous, but very instructive memoir, " Sur la Topographie et la SiatUtique de la Ville de QuiUebeuf et de Vembauchure de la Seine, aifont pour objet-principal la navigation et la peM" (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 weeks which have taken place in the Immediate vicinity of Quillebeaf : and it should seem that a calm is, of all things, the most fotal. The currents are strong, and the vessel is left to the mercy of the ti^es in consequence. There are also rocks and sand banks in abundancer 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 Hode and TancarviUe, 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 Nez de Tancarville, and the crew had just time to throw them- selves into the boat and escape destruction. The next mornings so sudden and so decisive was the change wrought by the sand and cur- rent, that, of the sloop, there remained, at ebb-tide, only ten feet of her mast visible ! It appears that the QuUlebois, owing to their de- tached situation, and their peculiar occupations, speak a Very bar- barous French. They have a sort of sing-song method of pronuncia- tion ; and the g and j 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 QuiUebeiif and its a4iacent parts.*' The author is M. Boismare. His exordium is a spedm^ of the very worst possible taste in composition !** One would suppose it to be a prelude to an account of the discovery of anoUiflr Amerieai ! •
LILLEBONNE.
221
the wall, was sufficient to convince us only — ^how sUgfat and imperfect had been our survey ! This I am qute sure of : — our friend * * * * would have break- ihsted, dined, and supped, within the walls of the castle of Lillebonne : or, rather, he would have gone without breakfast, dinner, and supper, could he only have had a fair sky and a good Brookman and Lang^ ion pencil, with kindly drawing-paper, in his hand !
On quitting the portal through which we had en^ tered, and bidding adieu to our Shepherdess and guide, we immediately hastened towards the Roman The-^ atre. The town of Lillebonne has a vastly pretty, pi<!turesque appearance from the old mound, or raised tarace, along the outer walls of the castle. In five minutes we 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 ci 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 perpendi- cularity,— and that there was much irregularity in the laying of the bricks among the stones. But time, de- sign, and accident, have each in turn (in all probabi- lity) so contributed to decompose, defiice, 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 wiiUs ; so th'at the imagination has full play to supply aU defifciencies which appear to the eye.
/
m ROUEN TQ II^VRE.
From the whole of this interesting spot we retrestted, with mixed sensations of melancholy and frarporisf-^ our little anberge of the Three NegroeSy in the ceatre of the town. It had begun to rain smartly as we took shelter in the kitchen — ^where^ for the first time sum leaving England, I saw a display ofntensils which mjighl have vied with our own, or even with a Dntch inteyior, for neatness and order of disposition. Some oflhi dishes might have been as ancient as — ^n<»t the M Round Tower — but as the last English Duke of Nor^ mandy who might have banquetted there. The wiude was in high polish and in full display. On my q«n»* plimenting the good Aubergiste upon so creditable fi sight, she laughed, and replied briskly — Ce ne'rt rien, ceci : Pentecdte est tout pr^s, et done voua vwm, Monsieur/' — It should seem that Whitsuntide was tb9 season for a general household purification. Some of her furniture had once belonged to the Castle: but sli9 had bought it, in the scramble which took place at th^ dispersion and destruction of the move^les there^ during the Revolution. Wherever we went, traoes of that curse of France seemed to come across us I I recommend all travellers to take a lunch, and eiyoy a bottle of vin ordinaire, at Les Trois Nigresr^^ we did. I was obliged to summon up all my stock of knowledge in polite phraseology, in order to d^cliw ft plate of soup. It was delicious above every thii^ — but we had postponed taking dinner till we got to Bolbec." " Bon — ^vous y trouverez un hotSl su- perbe.'' We parted in the utmost good huinour^ upon my making no doubt that her soup was the b«ipt in jtho world.'' The French are easily pleased^ wid qivtfity is
BOLBEC.
223
00 cheap and tmrrent a coin abroad^ that I wish our ooantrymen irould make use of it a little more fre- qnently than th^ appear to do. We started about tiro for Bolbec.
The rain continued during the ^hole of our route thither ; but it did not prevent us from witnessii^g a land of plenty and of picturesque beauty on all sides. Indeed it is scarcely possible to conceive a more rich aad luxuriant state of culture. To our left, about half a league from Lillebdnne, we passed the domain of a ttnce wealthy, and extremely ^tensive abbey. I think Aey call it the Ahhey of Beauclois. A long rambling kare stone wall, and portions of a deserted ruin, kept ki right for fall half an English mile. What a country is Normandy for ecclesiastical remains ! The immediate approach to Bolbbc is that of the entrance to a modem ud flourishing trading town, which seems to be be^ ginning to recover from the effects of the Revolu*' tibn. After Rouen, and even Caudebec, it has a st^ modernized air. We drove to the principal inn> ^l^iosite the church, and bespoke dinner and beds^ The church is perfectly modem, and equally heavy and large. Crowds of people were issuing from f^es- pers ; when, ascending a flight of steps, (for it is built on ground considerably above the ground-floor of the inn) we resolved to wait for the final departure of the congregation, and to take a leisurely survey of the in- terior, while our dinner was getting ready.
The sexton was a perfect character in his way ; old, shrewd, communicative, and civil. We saw several confessionals. " What — you confess here pretty muchr Yes, Sir; but chiefly females^ and among
224
ROUEN TO HAVRE.
them many widows.*" I had said nothing to provoke this ungallant reply. In respect to the sacrament^ what is the proportion between the communicants, as to sex " Sir, there are one hundred women ta twelve men.** I wish I could say that this dispropor- tion were confined to France.
We quitted this heavy and ugly, but large and com- modious fabric, and betook ourselves to our inn and dinner. The cook was in every respect a learned pro- fessor in his art, and the produce of his skill was equally excellent and acceptable. We had scarcely finished our repast, and the Gruyere cheese and nuts yet lingered upon our table, when the soft sounds of an organ, accompanied by a youthful voice, saluted our ears in a very pleasing manner. Cest lb PAUVRB PETIT SAVOYARD, Messieurs'*— exckumed the waiter — " Vous allez entendre un air touchant ! Ah, le pauvre petit !" — " Comment 5a " Messieurs, il n'a ni p^re ni m^re ; m^s pour le chant— oh Dieu, il n'y a personne qui chante comme le pauvre petit Savoy- ard We were 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 airs : —
Ban jour, Bon soir.
Je peindrai sans detour
Tout Temploi de ma vie :
C*est de dire bonjour
£t ban soir tour-ii-tour.
Bonjour k mon amie,
Lorsque je vfus la voir.
Mais au fat qui m'ennuie,
Bom soir.
BOLBEC.
225
Bon jour iranc troubadour, Qui chantez la bombance ; La paix et lea beaux jours ; Bacchus et les amours. Qu'un rimeur en d^mence Vienne avec vous s'asseoir, Pour chanter la romance,
Bon soir.
Bonjour^ mon cher vcnsin, Chez vous la soif m'entndne : Bon jour — si votre vin Est de Beaune on du Rhin ; Mon gosier va sans peine Lui servir d'entonnoir ; Mab sll est de Surene,
Bon soir.
Aussi content qu un roi Quand mes vers vous font rire, Je suis de bonne foi, CTest un bon jour pour moi. Si ma muse en d^ire A trahi mon espoir, Je n^ai qu^un mot k dire,
Bon soir,
Le VaiUant Troubadour.* Beulant d'^amour, et partant pour la guerre, Un Troubadour, ennemi du chagrin,
* I subjoin a version of this popular French air, from Pouts Letters to his Kinsfolk^ p. 21 1. It is worthy of juxtarposition, because it may be con^dered as fully equal to the ori^nal*
The Troubadour. Glowing with love, on fire for fame,
A Troubadour that hated sorrow. Beneath his Lady's window came.
And thus he snog his last good morrow ;
4
EOUEN TO HAVRE.
Dans son dSxre, k ba jeune Bergire, En la quittant r^p^tait sod refraia: Mon bras i ma petrie, Mon ooeur k moo amie ; Mourir gaiment pour la gknre ou ramour, C'est le devoir d^m vaillant Troubadoiir» Dans le bivouac k Troubadour fid^ Le casque au front, la guitare k la main, Toujours penaf et regrettant sa Bdlc^ Allait partout en cfaantant aoii refrain :
" My arm ic is my eomitry'ft rSgfat,
My hetit is in my tnie lo?e's bower ;
Guly for love and fkme to tgY^t Befits the gallant Troubadoar."
And while he marchM with hebn on head And harp in hand, the descant rang.
As faithfiil to his favoorite maid.
The minstrel burthen still he sung :
" My arm it is my country's right.
My heart Is in my Lady^i bower ;
Resolv'd for love and &me to fight,
I come a gallant Troubadour."
Even when the battle's roar was deep.
With dauntless heart he hew'd lus way Mid splintering lance, and falchion sweep.
And still was heard his warrior lay i My Hfe it is my country's right ;
My heart is in my Lady's bower For love to die, for fame to fight.
Becomes the valiant Troubadour."
Alas ! upon the bloody field
He fell beneath the foeman's glaive 3 But stiU, leciining on his shield.
Expiring sung the exuhfaig stave ; " My Hfe it is my country's right.
My heart is in my Lady's bower For love and fiune to fiUl in fight
Becomes the vaUaat Troubadour."
BOLBEC.
227
Mon bras k ma patrie, etc. Dana les combats d^plopmt son oourage, Des emiemis terminant le destin, Le Troubadour, au milieu du carnage^ Faisait encore entendre ce refrun : Mon bras k ma patrie, etc Ce brave, h^las ! pour prix de sa yaiUanoe Tfouva bientot la tr^pas en chemin ; U expira sous le fer d^une knoe Nommant sa belle et en chantant son nfcain : Mon bras k ma patrie^ Mon cceur k mon amie; Mourir gaiment pour la gloire ou ramour, CTest le devoir d^un vaillant Troubadour.
I know not how it waa, but had the petit Savoy- ard** possessed the cultivated voice of a chorister^ I could not have listened to his notes with half the satis- Auction 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, ind ever and anon** touching bis 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 henches, placed on the outMde of the houses, were occupied— chiefly by fen^ales — ^to witness, it should aaem^ so novel and interesting a sight as two English- men holding familiar discourse with a poor wandering ^Savoyard! Our friend the sexton was among the spectators, and from his voice and action, appeared especially interested. Que le bon Dieu vous b^nisse i*'
ROUEN TO HAVRE.
exclaimed the Savoyard as we bade him fereweli. On pursuing our route for a stroll upon the heights near the town, we had occasion to pass these benches of spec- tators. The women, almost without any exception, inclined their heads by way of a gracious salute ; and Monsieur le Sacristain pulled oflF his enormous cock'd hat with the consequence of a drum*major. He ap- peared not to have forgotten the donation which he had received in the church. We smiled ; and conti- nuing our pursuit, gained an elevated situation: whence, looking down upon the spot where we had left the Savoyard, we observed him surrounded by the aforesaid females— each and every one of them appa- rently convulsed with laughter ! Even the little mu- sician appeared to have forgotten his orphan state.'""* The environs of BolbeCy especially in the upper part, are sufficiently picturesque. At least they are sufficiently fruitful : orchards, com and pasture land — intermixed with meadows, upon which cotton was spread for bleaching — produced altogether a very interesting effect. The little han^ng gardens, at- tached to labourers' huts, contributed to the beauty of the scene. A warm crimson sun-set iseemed to en- velope the coppice wood in a flame of gold. The road was yet reeking with moisture— and we retraced odr steps, through devious and slippery paths, to the h6tel. Evening had set in : the sound of the Savoyard's voice was no longer heard : we ordered tea and candles^ and I added considerably to my journal before I went to bed. As we were to sleep directly opposite the church, we were compelled the live-long night to hear the striking of every quarter of every passing hour — in sounds the
BOLBEC.
most hai-sh and penetrating. Mr. Lewis; who boasts of having a patent for sleeping, (and wlio had hither- to scarcely known the deprivation of slumber) was equally awake and restless with myself. As dawn and son-rise appeared, we determined upon an immediate departure ; and though we had told the post-boy that we should not want him till eight, his good nature was not to be ruffled by our impatience. We rose at five ; and before six the horses were harnessed to the cabri- olet. Having obtained the necessary instructions for reaching Tancarvilley (the ancient and proud seat of the MoNTMORBNCis) we paid our reckoning, and left Bolbec in a very cross and almost irritable mood. In proportion to the comfort of body, and elasticity of mind, arising from a night of sweet slumber, is the misery of a heated frame, and an oppressive head-ach — the effect of the want of that delicious slumber ! The latter was my lot in particular — ^for my companion's nerves had not been shattered like my own by repeat- ed nights of wakefulness and weariness. Allow, my friend, that the misery endured in consequence, is just in proportion to the joy and rapture with which one looks upon every gilded piece of scenery, and every transparent vapour, within an hour or two after son-rise ! A fine day, fresh objects, and strange oc- currences— how they make the heart dance with exul- tation ! As we ascended a long and rather steep hill, and, looking to the right and left, saw every thing in a Mate of verdure and promise, we did all we could to persuade ourselves that the journey would be agree- able, and that the castle of Montmorenci could not &il to command our admiration. We were now in
230
BOUEN TO HAVRE.
t!ie bigh and broad route roj/akT to Ham te Graee i but bad scarcely been a kagne open it, when, lodcii^ 8t our instmctions, we struck out cf the high rottd, to the left, and followed a private one through flat and nninterasting arable land. I cannot tell how nMtf turns we took, or through how many prett^^ MttletH^ lages we passed — till, after a long a^d graiikial aseent; we came upon a height, flanked the greater part by coppice wood, through one portion of wtndi — poi^ posely kept open for the view— we saw at a distance a marrellously fine group of perpendicular rocks (whose grey and battered sides were lighted up with a phrit colour from the morning sun) in the middle, as it were, of the Seine — ^which now really assumed an ocean-Uke appearance. In fact, these rocks were af a considerable distance, and appeared to be in the broadest part of the embouchure of that river. We halted the cabriolet; and almost forgot the souittd of the Bolbec clock — as we gazed upon thn truly magnificent and fascinating scene ! . . for the larks were now mounting all around us, and their notes, added to those of the songsters of the grove,** pro^ dttced an eflect which I even preferred to that arising from the organ and voice of the " pauvre petit Savoy- ard.** The post-boy partook of our rapture. Voilftj Messieurs, des rochers terriblement perpendiculiers^ eh, quelle belle vue de la riviere, et du paysage It was impossible to make any thing of so expansive a scene with the pencil — at least, by travellers who had wanted the refreshment of sleep, and who were begtm- ningto grow hungry and impatient for their breakfiist. But I shall always bear in remembranee these terriUy
TANCABYILLE.
381
perpendicular rocks,** and the foregroond from which it was our good fortune to yiew them.
Leaving this brilliant panorama, we kept onward, taming rather to the lelft, 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 we deemed TancarviUe a terrible way off ; irst we were to go up, and then we were to go down— ^now to turn to the right, and afterwards to tiie kft*^ sort of mMUi fmmflik nAnfia route — ^when a prepossessing^ ymng pAysanne, with a decidedly-pointed finger and a weU<> rqpnlated vmce, told us that, after passii^ through sudita wood, we should reach an avenue, from the fiirtfaer end of which the castle of Mentmorenci would be visible . .
nne petite lieue de distance.*' Every thing is ^ une petite lieue !** It is the answer to every question rela- tisf to distance. Though the league be double ader-* Mm one, still it is une petite** — Here however the payeanne 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 fiup-fiyned Chateau deMonimarend. It might be a small lei^^ off. We gained spirits and even strength at the sight : told the postillion to mend his. pace — of wiuch he gave immecfi^^ and satisfiKtory^ demonstra- tion, while the echoes of his whip resounded akmg the afewue. A closer road now received us. The hasiel md filbert occasionally brushed oar Ihcesy and the lad eonld with dilficulty quarter the ruts — almost broad and de^ enough to bury a Lincolnshire ox. We stiU ooDtianed to descend, and at length to discern
232
ROUEN TO HAVRE.
die form and colour of the castle, to the right. As we descended, the castle seemed to gain in height and nbAgnitude — ^but that descent brought us into the very heart of a neighbourhood, in which Mrs. Ratcliffe would have placed troops of retidners, or of bimditti^ to listen to the warder's horn from the turrets of the castle. It was on all sides woody : at this period, of a bright, yellowish green — but in autumn, rich must be the tints, and dark and deep must be the shadows. Knolls of moss-interwoven grass, on the summits of which the beech and hme 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 id la route de Tancarville P*" — Tancarville est tout pr^ : c'est Ik, oh on voit la fiim^ des chemin^.*" Joyful intelligence ! — ^The post-boy increased his speed . • . the wheels seemed to move with a readier play^ and in one minute and a half we were upon the beach of the river Seine, and ali^ted at the door of the only auberge in the village.
I know you to be both a lover of and connoisseur in Rembrandt's pictures ; and especially of those of his old characters. I wish you could have seen the old woman, of the name of Bucan, who came out of this same auberge to receive us. She had a sharp^ quick, constantly moving black eye ; keen features^ projecting from a surfiEice 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 — upon canvas — ^while, below her chin, communi- cating with a small and shrunken neck^ was that sort
TANCABVILLBL
233
of concavity, or dewlap, which painters delight to ex- press 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. We were promised the best breakfast that could be got in Normandy, in twenty minutes. The inn being suffici- ently miserable, I was anxious for a ramble— and Mr. L. of course for a sketch. 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 — though I am quite sure that all the flats, which we saw on our arrival as a bed of mud, were, within a quarter of an hour, wholly covered with water : and, looking up to the right, we perceived the perpendicular walls of Montmorenci Castle to be washed by the refluent wave. It was a sort of ocean in minia- ture before us. 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 us as beings dropt from the sky ! We strolled to the left — quickly mounted a wooded cliff — and, gaining a considerable eminence, Mr. Lewis saw the village of Tancarville at his feet . . : while the tide was coming up in a more agitated man* ner, and the Castle of Montmorenci appeared to gain a most imposing height and magnitude. A dark sha- dow flitted across the whole range of intermediate
forest scenery, and an angry atmosphere seemed to 1
234
ROUEN TO HAVRE.
threaten to ovei-whelm castle^ trees, village, and river, in a deluge of rain. The view was so striking, that my companion hastened to transfer it to his sketch book ; — and you shall not only see, but be charmed with it, on our return from this wild region of solitude and romance.*
I continued my route — still ascending, and leaving Mr. L. to his sketch. From the beach I had observed two very singular mushroom-shaped rocks: and I was resolved to stand upon their summits. Tlicy project from the cliff as if they had been cut out by art, and the bottom parts have been so worn, or scooped away by a strong current of water — that nothing can afford more decisive proof of ancient diluvian havoc. You have here the slight but faithful sketch of them taken by Mr. Lewis.
Sec the Oppukitk Plate.
TANCARVILLE.
235
• A winding path leads to them^ which you must re- trace if you wish to gain^ as I did^ a higher part of the cliff. The whole is covered with coppice-wood. I had now the gratification of viewing Quilleheuf a little more nearly. It was almost immediately opposite: while, to the right, I looked up the wide sweep of the river towards its embouchure, and fancied I could see Havre. The group of rocks, which had so charmed us on our journey, now assumed a different character. Meanwhile the threatening tempest passed on^ — rolling over the forest of Montmorenci : the sun was restored, and the day and the scenery equally broke upon us with an effulgence which cannot easily be described. But twice twenty minutes had elapsed — and where were our coffee and eggs ? On descending, we could discover, although at a considerable distance, the old woman standing at the door of the cabaret — apparently straining her eyes to catch a glimpse of us ; and she was almost disposed to scold us for having put her reputation of giving good breakfasts to so hazardous a trial. The wood was blazing, and the room was al- most filled by smoke — ^but a prolonged fost, and a stage of sixteen or eighteen miles, in a keen morning air, made us think only 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 per* fectly Brobdingnagdian dimensions, with tolerable bread and indifferent butter, formed the subject matter of our breakfast : and heartily and satisfactorily did we get through that meal. The postboy having stabled and refreshed his horses, was regaling himself fh the
VOL. I.
p
336
BOUEN TO HAVRE.
kitchen^but how do you tlmik be was r^tiliiig fafan- Mii ? — ^Truly^ in stretcbing Ixmself upon a bencb^ and teading, as old Ascbam expresses it^ a merry tale m Boccace.** In otber words, be was reading a Fre&oh version of tbe Decameron of that celebrated author. Niofw, my friend, wbetber be bad ever beard of tbe Fid- darfer Boccaccio,* is truly beyond my power of divl* nation to affirm : but most certain it is tbat be was lb occupied — ^tbereby putting to sbame perbaps tbe wbole tribe of postillions in Great Britain ! Indeed, I bad already received sufficient proof of tbe general pnK pensity of tbe common people to read — whethei good or bad books . . . but let us bope and believe tbe former. We left tbe bibliomaniacal postboy to bis Boccaccio^ and prepared to visit tbe castlb . . .the once proud and yet commanding residence of tbe fomily of Montho*
RBNCI.
We ascended — ^with fresh energies imparted from our breakfast. Tbe day grew soft, and bright, and exhi- larating . . but alas ! for tbe changes and chances q( every thing in this transitory world. Where was the warder? He bad ceased to blow his bom for many a long year. Where was tbe harp of the minstrel ? It
« the Faldaffer Boecaecio,']— At the sale of the preaeDt Duke of Marlborough's Library^ in 181 9, this fitf-famed volume was purchased by the House of Messrs. Longman^ Hurst^ Rees^ Brown^ and Ormefbr jC918. it having cost the Duke, at the sale of the Roxbubohe Libbabt (see the BibliographiccU Decameron, vol. iii. p. 69), in 1813, not less a sum than £.2260. Earl Spencer, who was the Duke*8 opponent, obtained this desirable volume of Messrs. Longman, Hunt, and Co. for precisely the same sum which they had given for it. Such a pur- H^kMae was equally honourable to both parties.
CASTUB OF MONTMOiLENCI. 237
^ad pesifibed two centuries ago, with the hand that had flmck its chords. Where was the attendant guard? — fir pwauivants — or men at arms ? They had been swept #ro9i human eidstence, like the leaves of the old limes MMi beech trees by which the lower part of the buili- 4iMg was surrounded. The moat was dry ; the rampart WW a ruin : — ^the rank grass grew within the area • . • JWn; can I tell you how many vast relics of halls, ban^ ilimting rooms, and bed rooms, with all the magnificent f4ppurtenances of old castellated architecture, struck the eager eye with mixed melancholy and surprise ! The singular half-circular, and half square, corner towers, hanging oyer the evei-restless wave, interested m exceedingly. The guide shewed us where the luriaoners used to be kept — ^in a dungeon, apparently impervious to evqry glimmer of day-light, and every breath of air. I cannot pretend to say at what periqd «ren the oldest part of the Castle of Montmorenci was Iwilt : but I saw nothing that seemed to be more an- caent than the latter end of the xvth century.* Per- the greater portion may be of the beginning of the xvith ; but, amidst the unroofed rooms, I could not lielp admiring the planted borders, chiefly of a red co- lour, 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 orna- ment was to be seen in some parts of the eastern end <rf the Abbey of Jumieges ? Here, indeed, they afforded 6¥idence— an evidence, mingled with melancholy sen-
■p BCr. Gotman haa a view of the gateway of TancarviUe^ or Mont- inpienci Castle.
1238
ROUEN TO HAVRE.
sations on conviction — of the probable state of mag- nificence which once reigned throughout the castle. Between the comer 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 spe- culator residing at Havre. Parallel with this terrace, runs the more modernised part of the castle, which the last residing owner inhabited. It may have hem built about fifty years ago, and is— or rather the re- mains of it are — quite in the modem style of domestic architecture. The rooms are large, lofty, and commo- dious ; — yet nothing but the shells of them remain. The revolutionaiy patriots completely gutted them of every useftil and every valuable piece of furni- ture: and even the bare walls are beginning to grow damp, and threaten immediate decay. I made several memoranda upon the spot, which have been unluckily, and I fear irretrievably, misplaced ; so that of this once vast, and yet commanding and interesting edifice, I regret that I am compelled to send you so short and so meagre an account. Farewell — a long and perhaps perpetual farewell — to the Castle oip
MONTMORENCI !
The cabriolet met us at the bottom of the mound upon which the castle is built. We had paid our reckoning before we left the inn — so that we had no- thing to do but to step in, and push forward for Havre. We retraced the road through which we came ; and having repassed the village of St Romaine^ (containing a very picturesque sprinkling of houses) we darted
HAVRE.
239
into the Route Royale^ and got upon one of the noblest Ugh roads in France. Between Tancarville, and Havre lie Hocher and Harfieuv ; each almost at the water's edge. I regretted I could not see the former; but in our approach to Harfleur we observed, to the i%ht^ some delightfully situated, and not inelegantly built, country villas or modern chateaux. The imme^ diate 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 ofl. It resembles that of St. Ouen — ^in miniature. The town, but especially the church,* is of the time of Francis I. Few places, I beUeve, for its dimensions, ^ye 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 Havrb. Every thing gave indication of commerce and prosperity as we gained upon the town. The hoQses increased in number and respectability of ap^ pearwce — Voyez-vous 1^, Messieurs, ^ droit, ces belies maisons de plaisance? — (exclmmed our charioteer) — Cest 1^ oil demeurent Messieurs vos compatriotes : ma foi, ils ont un joU gout.'' The first glance upon these stone houses confirmed the sagacity of our postil- Hob. They are gloriously situated — ^facing the ocean ; while the surrounding country teems with game of every spedes. Isaac Walton might have contrived to interweave a pretty ballad in his description of the trout streams.
' But we approach the town. The hulls of hundreds
* Mr. CotDoan has given a view of the Spire only.
240
lEIAVRB.
of vessels ai'e seen in the commodkms^ dodt&; and the flags of merchantmen^ from all quarters of the glotMi Appear to stream from the mast-heads. It is a* scede of bustle, of business, and variety; and perfectly Eiig^- lish. What a contrast to the gloomy Solitude Montmorenci ! The outer and inner gates aref passed. Diligences issue from every quarter. The eentinds i*elieve guard. The sound of horns, from variouir jacket-boats immediately about to sail, echoes on $3i
lodes We drove up the high street, and ^
t)roached the hfitel of the Jigle d'Ovy* kept by Justin, aAd considered to be the best. We were just in time for the table d*h6te, and to bespeak exccikfnt beds. Travellers were continually arriving and de* parting. What life and animation ! . . and eould I have shaken off my jaded spirits, arising from a sfei^ less and restless night, I should have relished, with a keener delight, the multitudinous objects before me. We sat down upwards of forty to dinner : and a good dinner it wds. Two English ladies, and three English gentlemen, were among the guests ; and though We were too distant to interchange a word, I could per- ceive and feel that we each thought ourselves a jiro^ tection to the other. After dinner, I settled for the cabriolet, and bade the postboy adieu ! — ^nor can I sup- press that, in wishing him well, I felt ten times mote than I had ever felt upon taking leave of a postillion. Was it because I found him reading a French vennon df Boccaccio? Something better, I should faope^ mingled itself with my sensations ; and I would willingly be-
* I am not sure whether this inn be called the Arme9 de France, or as above.
HAVRE.
241
fieve^ although he knows not my name^ that the said postillion will not think the worse of Messieurs les Anglois'* ... for having conducted a Bibliomaniac and a craniology-loving artist from Rouen to Havre. And now^ fare you well^ till I reach the opposite shore . . . and take up my residence at Caen.
242
LETTER XII.
HAVRE DE GRACE. HONFLBUR. JOURNEY TO CABN.
Caen^ May^ 1818.
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. I am here very comfortably situ- ated, and shall not think of quitting this place for a week at least. But as you dearly love the gossip of a travelling journal, I shall take up the thread of my narrative from the spot in which I last addressed you : — ^particularly as our route hither was marked by some circumstances not unworthy of recital. First, how- ever, for Havre.
We staid there only long enough to express our re- gret that the time of our residence could not be ex- tended. It happened to be a very fine afternoon, and I took a leisurely stroll upon the docks and ramparts,^
* £velyn> who visited Havre in 1644^ when the Duke de Richlieu was governor^ describes the citadel as strong and regular^ weU stored with artiUery^ &c. The works furnished with flEure brass canon^ having a motto^ *'Eaiw ultima Regum.** The aUogiamenta (om- tinues he) of the garrison are uniforme ; a spacious place for drawing up the soldiers, a pretty chapell, and a &ire house for the governor, &c The citadel was built by the late Cardinal Richlieu, unkk of the present Duke, and is very strong. The haven is very spadoufl.**
Life and Writings of John Evelyn, edit. 1818, vol. i. p. 51.
Indeed Havre seems always to have been a place of note and dis-
HAVRE.
243
while Mr. Lewis ascended the heights upon which we had observed the " maisons de plaisance** pointed out to us by our postillion. The principal street is broad, straight, and seems surmounted at one end by these heights ; though there can be little short of a French league between them and its extremity : the other ex- tremity of the street ending with the harbour. The rect- angular and parallel streets are narrower and of less length ; but there are more interesting pieces of archi- tectural antiquity in them. As far as I could observe, or could receive information, thei-e was no house older than of the time of Francis I. Few of the churches could boast of a much more remote antiquity. The population of Havre is estimated at 20,000; and I should think this is no exaggerated statement. The town is full of aninlation — whether as relating to busi- ness or pleasure. For the former, you must visit the quays ; for the latter, you must promenade the high street, and more especially the Boulevards, 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.
Resolving to postpone my visits to the Booksellers till evening, I took advantage of every quarter of an
tinction in more senses than one. In ZeiUer's Topographia GaUuB, (▼d. iii.) there is a view of it, about the period in which Evelyn saw it, by Jacques Gomboust> Ingdnieur du Boy, 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 ob- serve the BouLEVABDs DE RiCBLiso. There are windmills in abun- dance in the neighbourhood.
244
HAVRE.
hour of day-light, after four, to make myself master of the locale of the harbom*. The docks are the great guns*' of the place ; and in these you see three Am^ rican vessels for one English. In fact, the business with America is of very considerable extent. I recog* nised among the vessels a beautiful little three-masted merchantman, which I had seen, about five years ago^ lying within Ramsgate pier — and any thing which re« minds you of your own country, though at no very tcr* rific distance from it, is looked upon with a fonder and more frequent eye. Just so it was upon viewing this tightly trimmed vessel. I wished, for a minute only, that I could leap on board — command a pros*' perous breeze, unfurl the sails by magic, — ^and gently landed upon that said pier at Ramsgate ! But where would have been Caen — and Bayeux — and Ckmtances — whither my steps were bending? What a difierence between the respective appearances of the quays of Dieppe and Havre? Although even here things would assume a rubbishing and littered as- pect compared with the quays at Liverpool or at Hull, yet it must be admitted, for the credit of Gal- lico-Norman commerce, that the quays of Havre make a very respectable appearance. You see men fiddling, dancing, sleeping, sitting, and of course talk- ing k pleine gorge, in groupes without end — but no drunkenness! . . not even a G m 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 Fi*ench laquais de place, trades- people, &c. — attacking the passengers with cards of
HAVRR
945
their address — ^with the feeble movemeDts and dejected coantenances of the objects of their attack. Mean- while a packet would sail in the evening for Harjlewr^ but nothing could shake the determination I had made of stopping (and sleeping^ if possible) at Havre. Again the packet masters caused the note of departure** to foe sounded; and again the high street reverberated its echoes — while trucks and wheel-barrows, laden with goodly or with sorrowful looking furniture, ap- peared in motion on all sides — hastening to be in time for the moment of departure.
From the quays, I sauntered along the ramparts, which are flanked by broad ditches ; (of course plentlp folly supplied with water) and passing over the draw- bridge, by which all carriages enter the town — and which absolutely trembles as if about to sink beneath you, as the diligence rolls over it. — I made for the boulevards and tea-gardens ; to which, business being well nigh over, the inhabitants of Havre flock by hun*- ^breds 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 counte- nance 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 politi*- cians, upon a fantastically cut seat, beneath laburnums streaming with gold — ^while, still fort her, gradually be- coming invisible from the foliage and winding path, strolted pairs in more gentle discourse ! Meanwhile the whoop and halloo of school-boys, in rs^id and
246 HAVRE.
ceaseless evolutions, resounded through the air^ and heightened the gratification of the scene.
And young and old came out to play Upon a sun-shine holiday.
On looking up a winding road, I saw Mr. Lewis busi* ed with his pencil. Knolls of rich verdure, with fine spreading trees, and elegant mansions, were in the foreground — in the middle-ground, and quite at his feet, 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 pic- ture. There was no time for finishing the subject. After a stroll of nearly a couple of hours, on this inter- esting spot, I retraced my steps over the draw-bridge, and prepared for objects of still life ; in other words, for the examination of what might be curious and pro- fitable in the shape of a Itoftt- Yet I could not turn my back upon the rising ground, which I had just con- templated, without thinking that your friends in London— or any friends in any part of England— would do very wisely to spend an occasional sunimer and autumn upon the heights of Havre: and I will tell you why. In the first place, the locale is perfectly picturesque : there are both town and country gratifi- cations : sea and landscape in abundance^while the air is pure and elastic. In the second place, the time (that engenderer of spleen, and deadly weight upon the shoulders of too many of our countrymen) may be pleasingly and even usefully divided : in the morning you are mixing with the inhabitants of the town : in the
HAVRE.
247
evening, with those of the country : the walks are com- modious, and the roads are, in that season of the year, perfectly excellent. But you begin to grow tired both of town and country. Be it so. In the third place, then, take a trip to Rouen, for a week or ten days ; (to say nothing of the intermediate and interesting spots, so superficially described in my late dispatch) return, and then tell me how you like the heights of Havre!! Or, cross an arm of the sea, (as I have just done) ramble about Honfieur, and make a leisurely journey to Caen or, go yet further : — then return, and tell me how you like the heights of Havre P Re- member> that the streams abound with trout, and the acy acent hills in variety and plenty of game ; also do not fidl to call to mind that one shipment, at Southampton, brings you direct to your place of destination. A praeperous wind may make you dress at one place, and undress at another. Where then shall be the ra- tionally founded objection to a residence upon the HBiORTS OF Havre ?
^ The lamps were lighted when I commenced my bib- Hmnamacal voyage of discovery among the book- sellers. 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 there when the allies first got fiopsession of Paris. In one of the shops of a respect* alite bibliopolist, I heard an animated, and even some- what fierce, discussion about the good or bad efiects ci the respective dynasties of the Bourbons and Buonaparte. Each of the two disputants defended his own side ^th warmth and eloquence. Each took
948
HAVRR
fftfoffy and toefk it pretty oopiousljr; and the inom ve» hement the argument^ the more frequent .the miqoly of (tiat s{»rit-stiiTing stimulant. Berceiving me ta be an Englishman, I began to be appnehensive that { should be appeided to — or peradventnre^ abused with equal heartiness by both parties. But the iesal$ was Tery different, and afforded an admirable Uluatqit tiioB of the facility and sang-froid mth which tiis French can take up, or discard, any subject, however faiterestiBg or important. ^ You are from En^^d, Sir,'*— ^remarked the Buonapartist, taking off his hat, and inclining his head towards me, with a gracioiis ■ahitalaoB. ^ lam. Sir.** How go€m your Hmse of Lerds and House of Commons ?'* As usual, Skyr-r very sound and very active : at least they were so. At present the latter exists no longer.** Exists iio lon^ ! — what has happened then, Sir ? — Hal you idy right to visit these shores in such a crisis of alamJ Did I not (turning to his Bourbon antagonist) did J not predict that things could not long last as they bad been going on -in Engkmd!** Whereupon, the said Prqphet added sundry other sympathetic >exclamatioQ0^ without allowing me to say one word in explanation id the cause of the dissolution of our &r-&med House of .Commons I At length, an opening presenting itself, I observed, with a mock solemnity of manner, tiiat it was the period of a gener€U election.'' QvCe^t-od ipiP ee mot \k vent signifier ?— ^je n*ai jamais entradu fvtknf de cela.** I explained it as briefly and as perspknir ously as I was able : but both Buonapartist and Bpur* bonist (to my astonishment) continued to ^ress titieir ignorance and surprise. I then eiqilained to them hm
HAVRE.
these rdqpeetive houses oamed on their proceedinj^ ; and that the mettbero of the house of Lords sat ubt oovered, with soviet robes trimmed with ermine— 4iut that those of the House of Commons sat with thetir iMto on^ and appeared in the dresses which diey hap- pened to wear during the day — ^booted^ or otherwise^ jmut as they pleased. It is impossible for me to oonyey to you an idea of the shrug, and exclamation of oon-r tempt^ with which these opposite-principled disputants simidtaneously treated our unfortunate Cosmmners : nor could these political champions separate the elor qiienoe and importance of the debates from the pikm appearance of hats and boots : while the Upper House was pronounced by them to be the only proper arena fer the display of intellectual strength and 'national insdonu Enfin, mon ami, (exclaimed the one, tum^ lif to the other) il faut avouer que ces ohoses sont idm fkoB mauYaas gout ; et je ne puis pas concevxnr CMOk memt ks Anglois^ qui sont yraiment de braves gens, pen- tIMt se conformer k des r^ig^ements qui doivent avoir an r6sultat si fimeste. A 9a I partons. Neuf heures vient de sonner. Monsieur je vous souhaite le bon aoir. Adieu, adieu."* These adieus were directed, the fimt to the booksellar, the second to myself., .and bolh Bourbonist and Buoni^Hurtist marched off, arm m vm, forgetting the dynasties which th^ had advo-r CMled^ but uniform in their expressions of surprise, and ]tt»dictions of evil from the homdy costume of the Membm of the House of C!ommons ! I could scarcely refrain from loud laughter as they shut the door of the flbop, and disappeared. Doubtless these gentlemen had never consulted our BlackstMie'I
250
HAVRE.
Luckily^ at that moment^ a copy of the Habiti mtu chi modemi, from the supposed designs of Utian^ and printed in 1590, Svo. happened to catch my eye^ and make me forget the scene which had just taken place. It was a sound, but somewhat cropt copy, and attired in a goodly jacket of calf-skin. The price de- manded was twelve francs : in our own country it brings double that price . . . and even more than treble might be given for such a copy as Mr. Grenville possesses. " C*est un pen fort, ce prix,*' observed I. " Comment fort, Monsieur? voiUi un joli livre, rempli de planches en bois — dont on ne pourroit, aujourd*hui, ex6cuter on pareil, sans en exiger an moins trois fois le prix.** This is any thing but an argument; but it is the common observation used by very many booksellers, whether near the banks of the Seine or the Thames. I counted down nine francs . • • and made a pditte^ looking at my bibliopolist. Hi bien, comme vous le d^sirez, je prendrai les nenf francs et vous prendres le livre. Ce'st ga.*" This was droll enough. I laid the book aside, and sought about for more . . . but a torn Sauvage Monstreletj and a thumbed and defective GdguifCs Chronicle, (these are technical phrases) were the only fruits-^r rather results— of a very anxkras forage for full three quarters of an honr. In three ahops, previously visited, there was scarody a&y thiiig to be seen but Voltaire and Rousseau. I made the most of my supposed prize, returned to the hfttd, drank a late and excellent cup of coffee, and afto* com- paring notes with Mr. Lewis, as to vAxeX we had seve- rally seen and heard, retired to rest, thoroughly worn out, and oppressed with sleep.
HAVRE.
951
The packet was to sail by nine in the morning ; pre- oisely. For a wonder, (or rather no wonder at all, con- sidering what had occurred during the last twenty-four boors) I had an excellent night*s rest, and was pre- pared for breakfast by eight. Having breakfasted, we immediately accompanied our luggage to the inner harbour. Of course we had plenty of offers for the conveyance of it : so that in five minutes we were close to the water's edge, and observed the Honfleur packet swarming with passengers, and crammed with every species of merchandize: especially tubs, casks, trunks, cordage, and earthen-ware. We descended; saw our luggage stowed, took our stations near the helm — and after experiencing a good deal of un- comfortable heaving of the ocean, got clear from the mouth of the harbour, and stood o.ut to sea. The tide was running briskly and strongly into the harbour ; and a good deal of see-sawing of the vessel was the consequence- of such current. We were in truth very closely stowed ; and as these packets are built with flattish bottoms, and low sides, — a rough sea would not have failed 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. Not how- ever that very many of the passengers were not tn- cmwenienced by the agitation, however trifling, which had occurred. Our crew was a motley one ; but among them, a parchment-visaged Abbess^ with her broad streaming bands, seemed to experience parti- cular distress. She was surrounded by some hale,
hearty market women, whose robust forms, and copper- 1
HAVBE.
twted countenanceB, formed a strikiiig oantraat to ber own. A little beyond was an old office or two, Willi OQcfced hata of the usually capacious . diimenbioiM. Biit the poor Abbess was cruelly afflicted ; and ia a^gestive and t<me of voice, of the most piteous woe, impiloved the stewardof the vessel for accommodation below. Mr l^ewis seized an opportunity of transferring the whole foreshortened picture to his sketch book ; and I think you will allow it to be an admirable piece of compo- sition.
HONFLEUR.
253
. Fortunately^ as I was not in the least annoyed by sickness^ I had leisure to survey the heights of Honfleur before we landed. These heights may be called counter- parts to those of Havre; but they are less lofty^ though equally well wooded. Looking towards the course of the River Seine^ as it narrowed in its windings, I dis- covered Harjleur and Hocher nearly opposite ; and, a good deal lower down, the little fishing town of Quilie- heufy apparently embedded in the water. I necessa- rily had a different view of those rocks which so much astonished our postillion on the approach to Tancar- ville ; and indeed on all sides I contemplated nothing bat picturesque beauty ttid agricultural plenteousness. Honfleur itself is surely among the most miserable of fishing towns*— or whatever be the staple commodity that supports it. But the environs make amends for -tfie squididness of the town. A few years of peace and iflenty would work wonders even in the improvements 43l£ these environs. Perhi^)s no situation is more fa- vourable for the luxury of a summer retirement. . AcrofiB this arm of the sea, or rather the very embou- 'diure of the river Seine, you observe Havre — (some ^c^t English miles distant) yet a consequential look- 'il^ town. We paid only eight sons apiece for our ^''fMfNige ; and having no passport to be visid (which in- '•d0Bd was the case at Havre,) we selected a stout lad or
* It wu 80 in Evelyii*B time: in 1644j It is a poore fidier towne '(wys he) femarlLable for nothing so mudi as the odd yet useAill liabites which the good women weare> of beares and other skinns, as of raggs at Dieppe^ and all along these coasts.*'
Lift and fVritings of J, Evelifn 1818, 4to. vol. i. p. 51. VOL. I. Q
264
HAVRE TO CAEN.
two, from the crowds of lookers on, as we landed, to carry our luggage to the inn from which the diligence sets off for Cabn. It surprised us to see with what alacrity these lads carry the luggage up a steep hill in their trucks, or barrows ; but we were disgusted with the miserable forms, and miserable clothing, of both sexes, wtiich we encountered as we proceeded. Most fortunately we were in time to secure our placmi and the horses were in the very act of being put to^ as we paid our fares beforehand.
All this, you will say, is very trifling ; but the fitct is, you tell me that I must make you accompany me wherever I go, and in whatever transaction I am am- cemed. Pbullo majora.** Judge of our surprise and gratification upon seeing two well-dressed and well- bred Englishmen, in the very act of securing their places. It is not always that, at first sight, English^ men associate so quickly, and apparently so cordially, as did these gentlemen with ourselves. They were the Messrs. D*** ofL**** Hallin 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. I shall not easily forget the shower of rain which fell as we set off ; and most thankfully did I prefer the shelter of the roof of the coach to the security of an umbrella in an open packet-boat. The mode of starting was peculiar to this part of the world. My love of out-door comforts, and of witnessing the scenery of a new countiy, made me solicitous to secure a place in the cabriolet ; but our acquaintances had previously obtained two places, and the driver and con-
HAVRE TO CAEN.
255
ducteur (on this occasion the same individual) claimed the third place as a matter of right and necessity, for himself; from whence he exercised the office of the niiip— a singular, and rather ticklish, situation for the management of four horses, unaided by a postillion ! But what was my astonishment, when, on his good- nature ceding to me this third place, he took his iltation upon the roof — and from thence, with the reins in one hand, and a whip in the other, he es- sayed to guide four high-mettled Norman stallions, down one descent and up another ascent . • . the rain at the same moment pouring down in torrents ! To say that I was not nervous, would be foolish . . I will own that I was even terrified — ^for what a machine was bdiind me ! . . and if we had been overset, what a result must have ensued ! Fortunately we had not got out of the town, and had scarcely cleared the first descent, when one of the horses got his leg completely 0V9 the rope traces, and it was impossible to pro- ceed. I now saw the danger of retaining my place in the cabriolet to the exclusion of the worthy driver, and instantly gave it up. He said very coolly Ce sent des diables de chevaux, et il faut Stre un peu plus pr^s poor les chatouiller/* Leaving him in full possession to tickle'' the animals as he pleased, I got inside the dili^pence ; and as the rain continued to descend yet more heavily and steadily, I was not chagrined at thQ (jbange : the leathern curtains of the cabriolet proving bata sorry defence. — ^Nothing, however, could discom- pose the gravity, or ruffle the good-humour of the oonducteur. In the midst of the descending rain, and vhile the horses appeared to be sprawling all over the
266
HAVRE TO CAEN.
rocid, he whistled and sang alternately, as if nodmp had taken place.
We now proceeded at a good sharp paoe, and m we ascended the very high hill on the direct road to Om, with fine leafy trees on each sidc^ and upon a nobk breadth of road, I looked out of the diligence to eogcy the truly magnificent view of the Seine — ^with glimpsel 6f Harfleur and Havre on the opposite coast. TMt cessation of the rain, and the slow movement id the vehicle, enabled me to do this in a tolerably commcK dious manner. The ground however seemed saturated, and the leaves glistened with the incumbent mcnsture. 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 in- deed seemed to have fructified every thing in t manner at once spontaneous and perfect. The fiu» of the country is pasture-land thro^ighout ; 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 upon their property of thtt kind. They may pride themselves — if they please : but their pride is not of a lofty cast of character. Yoii know I am rather more conversant in Caxtons thab in cows ; but I have been in Lincolnshire, Hereford- shire, and Gloucestershire — and have seen and enjoyed, in these said counties, groups of cattle which appeared calculated for the land and the table of giants, com- pared with the Lilliputian objects, of the bucoline spe- cies, which were straying in thin flocks, throughout the luxuriant pastures of Normandy. That trium- phant and immutable maxim of small bone and
PONT L^EVEQUR 257
large carcaHe** seems, alas ! to be unknown in these re- gions. Nor are the cows extraordinary good milchers.
However, on we rode — and on all sides we gazed. At length we reached Pont LEveque, a pretty long stage ; whare we dined (says my journal) upon roast lirarl, aspcutigos, trout, and an excellent omelette, with two good bottles of vin ordinsdre — which latter, for fonr Englishmen, was commendably moderate. Dur- ing 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 mer- rily 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 reactily 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, i*eligion, literature, and the fine arts, kept us in constant dis- course and good humour as we rolled on for many a league. All the way to Troam (the last stage on this side of Caen) the country presents a truly lovely picture of pasture land. There are occasionally some wooded haghts^ in which English wealth and English taste would have raised villas of the prettiest forms, and with most commanding Mews. 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 Wyn- kyn De fVorde\ but creeping rivulets, rich coppice wood^ avenues of elms and limes, and meadows be- gemmed vnth butter-cups — these are the characteristics
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of the country through which we were pasfiing. It U in vain however you look for neat villas or come* quential farm houses : and as rarely do you see groups of villagers reposing, or in action . . A dearth of popu- lation gives to French landscape a melancholy and soli- tary cast of character. It is in cities that you must look for human beings — and for cities the French seem to have been created. Not any thing like an exempli- fication of Watteau's enchanting pieces . . but I chedc myself — ^ladies and gentlemen do not stir abroad to dance^ swing, romp, and enjoy a fgte champetre^
When storms and clouds obscure the sky^ And thunders roU^ and lightnings fly!
Yet I shall not easily forget the sweep of country, or continuation of pasture land, between Pont L*£veqae and Troam. This latter village is sufficiently poor. We passed a good house to the left, and a delicious trout stream to the right ; but the road itself was absolutely flooded with rain. It was at Troam, 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 thorough^ 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 curio-
CAEN-
sity for a view of the steeples of Caen. The country, from Troam to Caen, gets more into the arable kind ; but, though flatter and less ornamented with trees, it 18 fruitful and agreeable to the eye. Unluckily the sun had set, and the horizon had become gloomy, when we first discovered the spires of St. Stephens ahhey — ^the fNrincipal ecclesiastical edifice at Caen. It was hard upon nine o'clock ; and the evening being extremely dusky, we had necessaiily a very indistinct view of the other churches— but, to my eye, as seen in a lengthened view, and through a treacherous atmosphere, Caen had the appearance of Oxford upon a diminutive scale. The town itself, like our famous University, is built in a slanting direction ; though the surrounding country 18 yet flatter than about Oxford. As we entered it, Idl the population seemed collected to witness our arrival. From solitude we plunged at once into tu« mxQt, bustle, and noise. We stopped at the Hotel iEspagne — a large, but black and begrimed mansion. Here our luggage was taken down ; and here we were assailed by gar^ons de place, with cards in their hands, intreating us to put up at their respective hotels. We had somehow got a recommendation to the Hotel Roy ale in the Place Royale^ — and such a union of royal 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 pro- perty. The place appeared to improve as we made our different turnings, and gained upon our hotel. " Le voil^. Messieurs" — exclaimed our guides and baggage conductors — as we got into a goodly square.
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CAEN.
and saw a fiedr and comely mansion in front. The rash of landlord; waiting maids^ and gargons de plaoe^ en- countered 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 — yclep*d 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 cf a plentiful wood fire^ when the said ungracious figure took his seat by the side of us ... to tell us aU about THE duel/'
• I had heard (from an English gentleman in the packet boat from Havre to Honfleur^) something res- pecting this most extraordinary duel between a young Englishman and a young Frenchman : but as I mean to reserve my Caen btidgei 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 sur- prising ? Again farewell.
I
261
LETTER XIIL
CABN. BOIL. SOCIETY. EDUCATION. A DUEL. OLD HOUSES. THE ABBEY OF ST. STEPHEN. CHURCH OF ST. PIERRE DE DERNETAL. ABB^ DE LA SAINTE TRINIT^. OTHER PUBLIC EDIFICES.
I HAVE now resided upwards of a week at La- gouelle*S; the Hotel Royale^ and can tell you something of the place and of the inhabitants of Caen. But do not (BOEpect such a copious or curious sketch of these as you received of Rouen and of the Rouennois. Caen is still-life after Rouen : but it has been^ and yet is^ a town exceedingly well-deserving the attention of the loonging 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. Ibis place is the capital of the department of Cal- vados^ 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 etceteras of a corporate society. But I must first give you something in the shape of political economy intelligence. Caen with its arrondissemens of Bayeux, Fire J Falaiscy Lisieux, and Pont LEvequCj is the coun- try of pasturage and of cattle. It is also fertile in the apple and pear ; but from recent experiments made at Jirgences^ they have abandoned all further attempts to cultivate the vine. There are beautiful and most abun-
264
CAEN.
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 inat- tention of the masters to recent improvements, intro* duced 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 pommercial spirit in the article of porcelaine; 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 pottery and china : 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 education abroad; and, comparatively for its size, more science and more literature. This place has been long famous for the education of lawyers. There are two distinct acade- mies— one for "Science and Belles-Lettres" — the other for agriculture and commerce. The Ljfc^e is a noble building, close to the Abbey of St.lStephen : but I wish its fagade had been Gothic, to harmonise with this latter. Indeed^ Caen has quite the air o( Oxford, from the prevalent appearance of stone in its public
taire qu'il n'y a viUe en Europe oh il se fac^ de plus beaux & singulkr LiNOE DE TABLE que Toii appeUe hautelke — sur lequel les artisans telliers representent toutes sortes de fleurs^ bestes^ oyscaux, arbres^ me- dalles^ & armoiries de Rois^ Princes^ Seigneurs, voire aussi naifue- ment & proprement que le plus estim^ Peintre pourroit rapporter auecques son pinceau, &c. Bourovbville; Jntiquiiez de Caen; 1 588^ 8vo. p. 36.
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buildings. The environs of the town afford qnar- lies, 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 18 then exposed, and every succeeding day appears to add to its white tint and durable quality. I saw some important improvements making in the out- skirts of the town,* in which they were finishing
^ mpraumeHti making m the ouiskirU of the townJ] — ^The &ux- bcmgB of Caeii> in the present day, wear a melancholy contrast to what they appear to have been in the middle of the xviih century, listen to the pleasantly penned description of them by the first topo- gnpher of the place . . . auxquelles les habitans et ieunesse se pour- meinent^ prennent plaisir k la saison du printemps> et de I'est^^ mftme lea fliers de TUniTersit^ ; les vns k sauter^ lutter^ oourir^ iouer aux Imrcs^ nager en la riviere qui les enclot> tirer de Tarc^ et prendre tontes honnestes recreations^ comme aussi font les damoiselles^ dames^ et bouigeoises, k y estendre et secher leur beau linge^ duquel les dites prairies sont aucunes fois si couuertes quelles semblent plustot blanches que yertes— et au jour des festes api^s le souper s*y assemblent les graades compagnies, tant de seigneurs^ offiders, dames, damoiselles^ boorgeoises^ en nombre de trois k quatre mile personnes qui 8*y pour- ■woent par troupes> pour y auoir leur plaisir et recreation & voir les paase temps, &c.*'—Mais encores le plus grand plaisir qui se treuue en teUes assemble, c*est qu*en ce beau printemps vernal Ton y voit le diant et ramage melodieux des rossignols qui fleurissent^ firedonnent et degoissent, dedans cette circle et iardins prochains, rapportans par leor chant la m^moire de I'histoire de Fhilomene^ &c.*' Again, a few pages further: Je dir^ aussi^ auecques assurance, qu'il croist aux Imux prairies et iardins de cette ville & fauxbourgs des plus excellens etdelicats fruits de toutes series que en autre ville de France, et de toutes iiciirs odoriferentes en de belles & plaisantes trailles, gallerie, pallis- sades & parterres.'* Boubgusville : Antiquitez de Caen ; pp. 5, 6> 26.
It may be worth subjoining, from the same interesting authority, that long after the time even of the puUication just referred to.
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shafts and capitals of columns in a manner the most correct and gratifying. Still further from the
the town of Caen was surrounded by lofty and thick stone walla— upon the tops of which three men could walk a-breast ; and fran thence the inhabitants could discern the vessels sailing in the river Orne, across those large and beautiful meadows^ and unloading their cargoes by the sides of the walls.*' It appears indeed to have been a sort of a lounge or fashionable promenade— by means of various ladders for the purposes of ascent and descent.
Among the old prints and bird*s-eye views of Caen^ whidi I saw in the coUection of Ds Boze at the Royal Library at Paria, there is one' accompanied by three pages of printed description ; which latter be- gins with the lines of Guillaume Breton Villa potens^ opulenta^" ftc. ; see post. There is also a very large print of Coen^ by P. Buache, of Oe date of 1747 : in which^ however^ the trees are made of more oonw- quence than the houses. Also a bird's-eye print of the dty, ham Hat pmaiat GumUmtie. This latter Itake to be from ZeiIler*sTopogni|iUa Gallis^ vol. iii. in which the towers of the Jbbaye dela TrinM, and of St. Etienne, having two stories, as it were, are unlike any thing we now observe. The view, in other respects, gives a good idea of the tows (of the date of 1640-50) and of the precincts of St. Stephen's abbey. The Place Royale seems to have been the Placede la Ckaimiei where we observe a gallows to be erected. Among the drawing8> &c. in the royal collection, is one of the castle of Caen, of the date of 1702, father interesting. The castle is now destroyed. There is also an impOBHig view of the Ahhaye de la Trinity : or rather of the monastery or hospi- tal now attached to it : also of the date of 1702 : a wretdied per- formance. An equally faithless view of the abbey of St. Stephen ; of the same date. Evelyn, in 1644, thus describes the town of Caen. The whole town is handsomely built of that excdl-; lent stone so well knowne by that name in England. I was lead to a pretty garden, planted with hedges of Alaternus, having at the en- trance, at an exceeding height, accurately cut in topiary worke, with well understood architecture, consisting of pillars, niches, freeases, and other ornaments, with greate curiosity, &c.
Life and Writings of J. Evelyn; 1818^ 4to. vol. L p. 52.
CAEN.
267
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 uncommon and curious. It is assert- ed that they have different kinds of marble in the department of Calvados, which equal that of the south of France. At Basly and Fieux white marble is found which has been judged worthy of a compari- son with Parian ; but this is surely a little presump- tuous. 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.
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 cauchoise 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 girls eyes sparkled with more than ordinary joy at the pro- posal, and even an expression of gratitude mingled it- self in her manner of compliance. I send you, as a rival to the cauchoise Dieppoiscy* the figure and dress
• See p.
1
268
CAEN.
of the iille-dc-chambre at the Hotel Rafale of Caen.* And as a counterpart to it, pray examine this pleajsing little group, of the same character, or order in society, which Mr. L. brought in this morning — ^from a peram- bulation in the suburbs of the town before breakfiast. fli"^ms that Norman women sit, and out of doors, betimes in the moniii^«
• Sec the Opposite Plate f depdt of . the English,'] — lti;va5 a similar d{;p6t in DucareFs Ume.
CAEN.
269
and from very different causes. One fiunily comes M 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 con- nection^ or of seeking some strange adventure. Good and cheap livings and novel society^ are doubtless the main attractions. But there is desperate ill blood just now between the Caennois (I will not make use of the enlarged term Francois) and the English; and I will tell you the cause. Do you remember the em- phatic phrase in my last^ all about the duel?'' Listen. About three weeks only before our arrival,* a duel was fought between a young French law stu- dent 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 con- cerned. But this duel, my friend, has been " the duel of duels"— on the score of desperation and of a fixed pur pose 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 stu- dents at law. These students amount to nearly 600 in number. Most young gentlemen under twenty years of
* 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 TAnglois se conduisoit bien/'
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CAEN.
age are at times riotous^ or frolicsome^ or foolish. Geiie* rally speakings however^ the students conduct thCTi-- selves with propriety : but there had been a law-suit be- tween a French and English suitor^ and the Judgerpro* nounced sentence in favour of our countrjrman. The hall was crowded with spectators, and among them was a plentiful number of law-students. As th^ were retir* ing, 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 countiyman recognised, in the crowd at the £Etir, 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 beha- viour 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 fimcy themselves great heroes, and there is an end of the aflfair I Not so upon the present occasion. Fifteen paces,** if you please- said the student sarcastically, with a conviction of the backwardness of bis opponent to meet him. " Five, rather" — exclaimed the provoked antagonist — ^' I will fight you at five paces :** — audit was agreed that they
CAEN.
271
should so meet and fight on the morrow, at five paces only asunder.
Each party was under twenty; but I believe the English youth had scarcely attained his nineteenth 3^ear. What I am about to relate will cause your flesh to creep. It was determined by the seconds, as one must necessarily fall, from firing at so short a distance, that only one pistol should be loaded with ball: the other having nothing but powder : — and that, as the Frenchman had challenged, he was to have the first choice of the pistols. They parted : the seconds pre- pared the pistols according to agreement — and the &tal morning came. The combatants appeared, with- out 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! Hc had in fiict taken up and laid down the very pistol which was loaded with the ficital ball, on the supposition of its being of too light a weight ; and even seemed to compliment himself upon his supposed sagacity upon the occasion. But to pro- ceed. The ball went through his heart, as I under- stood. The second of the deceased, upon seeing his friend a reeking corpse at his feet, became mad and
VOL. I. R
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CAEN.
outrageous • . and was for fighting the survivor imma- diately ! Upon which the lad of mettle and courage reptied, that he would not fight a man without a second — " But go," said he, (drawing his watch coolly ftom out of 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 ; but he had scarcely lost sight of the field of action a dozen minutes, ere a multitude of students came, determined to avenge the death of their country- man by that of his destroyer ! . . The dead body of the duellist was then placed upon a bier : and his Mineral was afterwards attended by several hundreds of his companions — ^who, armed with muskets and swords, threatened destruction to the civil and military autho- rities if they presumed to interfere ... for the Mayor had, in fact, prohibited the funeral rites to be performed within consecrated ground. All this, my dear friend, has necessarily increased the ill-blood which is ad- mitted to exist between the English and French . . . but the affair is now beginning to blow over — and when one of our fair young countrjrwomen, who has been visiting in the best circles here, with her mother, (for the last eight or ten months) asked me how oft;en I had been insulted since my arrival?*' — and I replied not once" — she expressed herself astonished beyond measure.
CAEN.
373
^ A trace to sach topics of vexation and dismay. Only let us admit that, at this present moment, after what has passed, the wonder may be that the breach is not mder between the Caennois and our countrymen. It -IB now hig^ time to furnish you with some details relating to your fitvourite subjects of architbctural aod BOOKISH ANTiQurriBs. The former shall take precedence. First of the streets; secondly of the houses ; and thirdly of the public buildings, ecclesias* tical and civil. Yet a word upon the antiquity of the town itself. Its name, Cabn, (Cadami in Latin) is supposed to be derived from Cad-Hom : a compound word, half Celtic and half Saxon— ^lenoting, in the opinion of Bochart, the place of war. Hence the old words CadrJumj Cat/Uen, Cahem — and finally Caen. Let this suffice for etymological research. As to the antiquity of the place, it is supposed never to have been inhabited by the Romans : in other words, not to have existed as a town when they occupied the country : I shall say nothing about its condition during the time of llie Saxons ; who, it should seem, made no settlement here but it may be fairly stated that, on the introduc-
* ike Saxmu . . . made no settlemerU hereJ] — " It was not, however, a gieat many years after, [the possession of the aoriAent parts of Qaul lif the Danes] that it was esteemed one of the chief towns in the pro- irincef as we find in the account of the intenriew at Rouen, in the year 943, between Louis Ultramarinus, King of France, and Rollo, Duke of Normandy, as given us in a very ancient chronicle of that dukedom. Monsieur De Bras assures us, that in a MS. of the customs of Nor- mandy, written in the time of Duke RoUo, and which had fallen into his hands, Caen is spoken of as a town which then made no contemp- tible appearance ; and in the charter of dotation given by Richard II.
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CAEN.
tion and establishment of Christianity, Caen was^ at least a more insignificant place than Bayeux ; inasmuch as the Diocesan*s see is established at this latter place — ^whereas^ had Caen been of more local importance, w% should not have heard of the Bishop of Bayeux, but et the Bishop of Caen. Let me therefore take you at once to the beginning of the tenth century, when, under the government of the famous Rolloy this place attained strength and celebrity. It appears to have increabed in wealth and distinction during the following century. William the Conqueror built a noble abbey here, and chose it as the spot for his interment ; and such was its population and magnificence during the thirteenth century, that a poet of that period has noticed it in the most pointed and commendatory manner.* Before the Revolution it had thirteen parishes, a ooU^[e, aiid twenty public establishments for either sex. ^^t pre- sent the number of parishes is reduced to two ; and of the thirteen churches, seen in DucareFs time, I should
Duke of Normandy, to his daughter Adela^ upon her maniage with Raynauld Count of Buigundy, the town of Caen, together with its churches, markets, custom-house, quay, and other dependen- des, are amply specified.** Anglo-Norman AntiquUies; p. 48.
* a poet has noticed U in the most poMed and commendatory —This poet is WiUiam Le Brito, or Guillaume Breton, who teUsnt^ in his PhUipidos, that it was so weU peopled, and so mBgxuBoeaQf built, that there was no town in all France comparable to it, except Paris. His words are these :
Villa potens, opnlenta» situ spatioea decors ;
Fluminibus, pratis, et agronun fertilitate,
Merciferasque rates portu capiente marine ;
Seqne tot ecdesiis, domibus, et dvibus miaoi,
Ut se Fteisk) viz annnat esse minoitm.
p. 48-9.
CAEN.
275
think it probable that a foui-th part has been demo- lidied. At leaat I know that, on the further extremity otthe town, beyond the Abbey of St. Stephen, there is little more than the shell of an ancient church, (St. Nicholas,* I think) of which the western end, be- Uaying the architecture of the thirteenth century, is OMverted into a blacksmith's shop, and the nave and ride aisles are mere stabling for horses. The Revolu- tion taught the importance of this adaptation to time aad circumstances !
However, to begin with the Streets. Those of St. Pierre, Notre Dame, and ^S'^. Jean are the principal for bustle and business. The first two form one con- tinuous line, leading to the abbey of St. Stephen, and afford in £Etct 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 oalled Guilberty and des Chanoines, leading towards the river, are considered among the genteelest. Du- carel pronounced the hotises of Caen mean in gene- ral, though usually built of stone but I do not agree with him in this conclusion. The open parts afiout the Lj/c^e and the Abbey of St. Stephen, toge- ther with the Place Royale, where the library is rituated, form very agreeable spaces for the promenade
* All that Ducarel says of it^ is '* that it is remarkable on account of its great age. " He calls it St. Nicholas des Champs, p. 75. Hue! observes that time and the new fortifications had much changed the limits of this parish — ^which formerly extended as far as the Isle Re- naud, out of the enclosure of the town^ behind St St^hen*s. Origmet de Caen ; p. 3(8.
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of the ladies and the exercise of the National Guard. - The Courts are full of architectural curiosities^ but mostly of the time of Francis I. — ^Indeed that monarch- seems to have been particularly anxious, both here and at Rouen, to revive a taste, whether good or bad, for gothic architecture and it is not only in courts, but in public edifices, wherever situated, that you observe specimens of architecture of the early part of the six-^* teenth century. Of the houses, those witn elaborate carvings in wood, beneath a pointed roof, are doubt- less of the greatest antiquity. There are a great num- ber of these ; and some very much older than others. M. Pierrb-Aim£ Lair (a worthy gentleman, of whom I shall by and by speak in ample terms) conducted Mr. Lewis and myself to two of these booses — ^wldcb he deemed the oldest in the town. Thcly are in the Rue St. Pierre : but modem innovations had begun to make encroachments in the one to the left. Mr. L. ob- tained permission to at in a room on the first floor, oh the opposite side of the way, and occupied two mormngs in making drawings of these old-fashioned resideiices. Cast your eye upon them : and tell me whether you are not charmed by the brilliancy and minuteness of Much
* a taste, whether good or badtfor Gothic archiUeture.']—¥mada not only introduced a taste for architecture/* but fbrspectades^ fesiinties, and gaities of almost every class and description. The account of the triumphal entry of that Monarch and the Dauphin, In the year 1538, by Bourgueville, (taken apparently from his oiwn corious and contemn poraneous publication) may be placed alongside of any thing wiiich has been said of the triumphal entries of Henry II. at Rouen— though even at Caen, Henry took pains to rival the regal pomp of his prede^ cessor. Consult the Jntiquit^i de Caen, p. 103-*121, &c.
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which the artist has exhibited. At the same time they win remind you of the general character of our older hooses in the city of Chester, and elsewhere. They are coirered with ceats of plaister, the work of succeeding generations.
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A third curious old house is to the right hand corner of the street St. Jean ; as you go to the Post Office. But talking of houses, I must inform you that the resi- dence of the famous Malherbe yet exists in the street leading to the abbey St. Etienne. This house is of the middle of the sixteenth century : and what Corneille is to Roueriy Malherbe is to Caen. Ici naquit Malt- HERBE, &c. as you will perceive from the annexed drawing of this said house, is inscribed upon the front of the building. But Malherbe has been doomed to receive greater honours. His head was the first struck, in a series of medals, to perpetuate the resemblances of the most eminent literary characters (male and fe- male) in France : and it is due to the amiable Kerre- Aim£ Lair to designate him as the Father of this medallic project.
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- Towards the street La helle Croix, is this inscription with the subjoined arms^
FRANCISCVS MALHERBVS HASCE AEDES EXTBVI CVBAVIT
Towards la Rue de L'Odeon :
CIVTTATIS OBNAMENTO LARIVMQUE AVITORVM MEMORIiE.
In perambulating this town^ one cannot but be sur- prised at the non-appearance of fountains — those charming and commodious 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 wellsy* as tasteless in their structure as they
* ugl^f wetif .] — ^Bouigueville seems bitterly to lament the substitu- tion of weUs for fountains. He proposes a plan^ quite feasible in his
280 CAEN.
are inconvenient in the procuring of water. Upon one or two of these wells^ I observed the dates of 1560 and 1588.
The Public Edifices, however, demand a particular and appropriate description : and first of those of the ecclesiastical order. Let us begin therefore with the Abbby of St. Stephbn ; 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 scite, dedicated to him. Hie present building was completed and solemnly dedi- cated by William the Conqueror, in the presence of his wife, his two sons Robert and William, his fitvourite 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 Abb6 De La Rue conjectures, and as I should also have thought) are about two centuries later than the towers.
The outsides of the side aisles appear to be of the thir- teenth rather than of the end of the eleventh, centuiy. The first exterior view of the west front, and of the
own estimation, whereby this desirable object migfat be effected : and then retorts upon his townsmen by reminding them of the commodioas fountains at Lineux, Faktue and Vire^o^ which the inhabitants " n'ont rien espaign^ pour auou- ceste decoration et commodity en leurs ▼iUes/'— spiritedly adding—'' si j'estcns encore en auctorit^^ j'y ferois mon pouucnr, et ie y oifre de mes biens."* p. 17.
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towers^ is extremely interesting ; from the grey and dear tint^ as well as excellent quality of the stone, which, according to Hnet, was brought partly from Vaucelle and partly from Germany. One of the comer 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. The prettily f^hioned Norman stone- tile upon the spires, cannot fail to attract the attention of the antiquary. Ducarel, if I remember rightly,^ 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- dght hours standing only. As the eye runs along the body of the building, towards the eastern end, a pro- portionate disgust prevails. The central tower is cropt close, 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 over- whelming the whole choir in ruin — ^but a part only of their malignant object was accomplished. The com- ponent parts of the eastern extremity are strangely and barbarously miscellaneous. However, no good conmianding exterior view can be obtained from the
* Ducarel, if I remember rightly,"] The plate of Ducarel, here alluded to, forms the fourth plate in his work : afibrding, from the starch mamier in which it is engraved, an idea of one of the most dispropor- tioned, ug]y buildings imaginable. Mr. Cotman has favoured us with a good bold etching of the West Front, and of the elevation of com- partments of the Nave : The former is at once fsuthful and magnificent 5 but the lower part wants characteristic markings.
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placcj or confined square^ opposite the towers. Yoa mnst thei-efore turn to the right about, and procure a survey from the more open space, (assuming the cha* racter of boulevards) facing also the Lycee — ^which em- braces a view of the eastern end, taking in the towers in a veiy picturesque manner. Hither Mr. Lewis and myself resorted ; and while I was seated upon a bench, reading the Abbe De la Rue's recent treatise upon the Armoric Bards (which the venerable author had pre- sented to me on the same morning,) IMr. Lewis was occupied with his pencil in transferring one of the prettiest representations imaginable of the objects be- fore him to his sketch book. It unites the fidelity of antiquarianism with all the picturesqueness of which the subject is capable.*
But let us go back again to the west-front ; and opening the unfastened green baize covered door, enter softly and silently 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-relievo-like pillars — nmning 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. Tlie tombstone attesting her interment is undoubtedly of the time. Generally speaking, the in- terior is cold, and dull of effect. A desolate nakedness
* Sec the Opposite Plate.
I
w
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prevails, and you are disappointed that you do not see more objects of costliness or curiosity. 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 confessionals within them ; and at one of these I saw, for the first time, two wo- men, kneeling, in the act of confession to the same priest. " C'est un pen 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.
1
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GAEN,
To the right of the choir (in the sacristy, I think,) is hnng 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 ridicu- lous 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 feet, it purports to have been executed — as a faithful copy of the figure of King William as it appeared to the Cardinals in 1522, who were seizerf with a sacred phrenzy to take a peep at the body as it might exist at that time ! The cos- tume of the oil painting is evidently that of the time of our Henry VIII. ; and to suppose that the body of William— even had it remained in so surprisingly per- fect a state as Ducarel intimates, after an interment of upwards of four hundred years — could have presented such a costume, when, from DucareFs own statement, another whole-length representation of the same person is totally different y and more decidedly of the cha- racter of William's time, is really quite a reproach to any antiquary who plumes himself upon the posses- sion even of common sense.
In the middle of the choir, and just before the high
• the huge portrait , . , of which Ducarel has published an engraving.l Ducarel shall tell his own prosing tale ; lest, by abridging it, I should be suspected of partiality. I only beg that a second perusal of the text may follow the first perusal of this note : of which latter, indeed, a small portion is not divested of interest. See the next note but two, at page 292.
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285
dltar^ 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
* '* In the middle of the choir, and just before the high altar, was deposited the body of the founder, William the Conqueror, King of England, and Duke of Normandy, under a most stately monument, erected at the expence of his son, William Rufus, and richly adorilM with gold, silver, and precious stones, by one Odo, a goldsmith of Caen. The top stone of the monument was of ttmch, supported on each side by three pilasters of white marble 5 and thereon lay the figure of the King, as large as life, dressed in his robes of state ; and at the foot, was the following epitaph, composed by Thomas, Arch- bishop of York. :
QUI REXIT RIGIDOS NORTHMANOS ATQUE BRITANOS,
AUDACTER VICIT FORTTTER OBTINUIT ET CCENOMANENSIS VIRTUTE COERCUIT ENSIS
IMPERHQUE SUI LEGIBUS APPLICUIT REX MAGNUS PARVA JACET HAC GULIELMUS IN URNA
SUFFICIT ET MAGNO PARVA DOMUS DOMINO TER SEPTEM GRADIBUS SE VOLVERAT ATQUE DUOBU8
VIRGINIS IN GREMIO PHCEBUS ET HIC OBUT.
losr.
In the year 1538^ one of the cardinals^ attended by an archbishop and several dignified ecclesiastics, visiting the town of Caen, was prompted by a strong curiosity to see the body of the Conqueror^ and having, for that purpose, obtained permission flrom Peter de Martigny, bishop of Castres, who was at that time abbot of St. Stephen, they caused the tomb to be opened. Upon removing the cover stone, the body, which vras corpulent, and in stature greatly exceeded the tallest man then known, appeared as entire as when it was first buried. Within the tomb lay a copper plate gilt, on which was engraven the like epitaph with that on the outside of die monument, and beneath it was the fol- lowing inscription in old French :
le Guillaume tres magnanime
Due de Neustrie pareil a cbarlemaigne
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now remains but a flat black marble slab^ witiii a short inscription^ of quite a recent date.
Pftssay le mer par un doux rent de siut
Pour conquester toute la grand bretugne
Puis desployer fis miunte noble enseigne
£t dresser tentes et pavilions de guerre
Et ondrier fis comme fil d'araigne
Neuf cent grand's nefz si tost qui euz pied a teire
Et puis en armes de la partis grauderre
Pour coups recenz au doubte roy heranlt
Dont come preux i'euz toute la deferre
Non pas sans dur et manreilleux assault
Pour bien jouster le desloyal ribault
Je mis a mort et soixante et sept mille
Neuf cents dixhuict et par unsi d'un sault
Fnz roy d'anglois tenant toute leur isle
Or n'est il nue tant soit fort et habile
Qui quant c'est fut i^res ne se repose
Mort m'a deffiedt que suis il cendre vile
De toute choses ou jouit une pose.
The cardinal^ who^ as well as the rest of the spectators, was greatly surprised at finding the body in so perfect a state, aflter having been buried near four hundred and fifty years, in order to perpetuate the memory of so remarkable an incident, procured a picture of the royal remains, in the condition they then appeared, to be painted on board, by the most eminent painter of the place, and caused it to be htmg up, together with the before-mentioned original inscription, on the wall of the abbey church, opposite to the monument. The tomb being agan carefully closed, remained undisturbed until the year 1 B6^, when the Calvinists, in a religious fury, forced it open, in expectation of meeting with immense treasures, but finding nothing more than the bones of the Conqueror, wrapt up in red taffets^ they threw them about the church in great derision, after having broken in pieces the monument, together with the royal eflfigies which lay thereon. Most of the bones were afterwards collected together by Monsieur de Bras, and delivered into the custody of Father Michael de CanaUe one of the monks and bailly of the abbey, who carefully lodged them in his cell, with an in-
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In the present state of the abbey, and even in that of BucareFs time, there is, and was, a great dearth of se- pulchral monuments. Indeed I know not whether
tent to restore them to their ancient place of sepulture^ as soon as the troubles should be ended but the town being some time after taken hj Admiral Chastellion^ the religious were driven from the abbey^ and the royal remains once more dispersed. However^ the Viscount de lUaise having at the time of these disturbances obtained from the rioters one of the thigh bones^ it was by him afterwards deposited in the royal grave. About the same time the picture of the Conqueroi^s remains^ as they appeared lying in the tomb^ in the year 1582, fell in the hands of Peter Hod^, gaoler of Caen, and one of the rioters, who converted one part thereof into a table, and used the other as a cupboard door; but these being four years after discovered and re* daimed by Monsieur de Bras, remained in his possession till his death, since which time it is unknown what is become of them. Jnglo' Norman Antiquities', p. 51-4.
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 crown which he used to wear at all high festi- vals, together with his sceptre and rod : a cup set with precious stones ; his candlesticks of gold, and all his regalia 5 as also the ivory bugle-horn which usually hung at his back.*' p. 5 1 . note. The story of the breaking open of the coffin by the Calvinists, and finding the Con- queror's remains, is told by Bourgueville — who was an eye witness 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." Origines de Caen-, p. 248. The revolution was still more terrible than Cahrinistic fury:— fbr no traces of the monument are now to be seen.
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you need be deUuned another minute widiin the inte- rior ; except it be to add your share of admiration to that which has been long and justly bestowed upoQ the huge organ* at the west end of the nave, which is
* die huge organ] — " The west window is almost totally obscoied by a most gigantic organ built close to it^ and allowed to be the finest in aU France. This organ is so big, as to require eleven large bellows, &c.*' Ducard, p. 57. He then goes on to observe, that amongst the plate preserved in the treasury of this church, is a curious •ibVSB SALVXB, about ten inches in diameter^ gilt, and inlaid with an- tique medals. Tradition assures us, th&t it was on this salver, that king William the conqneror phiced the foundatioa charier 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, AvaaAp Avkomc 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. They Wjcre probably collected by Duke Robert, ftither of the Conqueror, during his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and after his death fell into the hands of his son."
*' The convent is a fine stone building, consisting of two quad- rangles 'j one whereof hath of late been partly rebuilt three of its sides being already finished. The galleries and cells for the monks are upon the principal and second stories. Under them, on the ground- floor, is a large refectory, fronting the garden, and near it a hand- some room, well fitted up, called la Salle de compagnie^ where, over the chimney, I was shewn a diminished picture of William the Conqueror, copied from the original, stiU preserved in the porter's lodge, and of which I shall speak hereafter. In the same room are likewise the pictures of the present king and queen of France, that of Cardinal Fleury, formerly abbot of this convent ; and some others. The south side of this quadrangle, which was formerly the abbatial house, is now in a ruinous conditionji but is intended to be soon rebuilt.
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289
considered to be the finest in all France. But Nor- mandy 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 Palace of the Conqueror * But in this supposed palace, in its*
The second, or inner quadrangle, is very laige, but not closely built. Some of the windows of the apartments have pointed arches, but otiiers are circular, as are likewise those of the house at present appro- priated for the abbot's residence, and which was part of the ancient palace. The whole of these buildings is encompassed with laige and extensive gardens.** AngUh-Norman Antiquities; p. 57.
• called by Ducarel the palace of the Conqueror.'] — ^It may be as well to give the whole of DucareFs account of this palace, as time (even fifty years !) has now given it a so decidedly altered character. That the building, in its present construction, was ever inhabited by Wil- liam the Conqueror is utterly absurd to imagine. Ducarel has en- deavoured to render his description more palateable by the addition of a copper plate representation of a portion of this supposed regal resi- dence. But he shall speak for himself.
" Within the precinct of this abbey, adjoining to the church, king MHUiamthe Conqueror built a stately palace, for his own residence : several parts of it still remain ; particidarly one apartment, which is very large, and makes a noble appearance. The rooms in this apart- ment are at present used as granaries, but were formerly called the Guard chambers and Baron*s hall. These are perhaps as well worth the notice of an English antiquary, as any thing within the province of Nonnandy. One of these rooms, and indeed the principal now re- maining, was distinguished by the name of the Great Guard Cham- ber. This room, the cieling whereof is vaulted, and forms a most magnificent arch, is lofty, and well proportioned, being one hundred and fifty feet in length, and ninety in breadth. The windows on the east and west sides are decorated with fluted pillar8,«nd at each end is
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present state, most assuredly William I. never resided : for it is clearly not older than the thirteenth centmy: if
a beautifiil rose window of sUme work, glazed with painted glaas of exquisite workmanship. On the north sides are two magnificent chim- neys in good preservation ; and round the whole of the room runs a stone bench intended for the convenience of the several persons dmng duty therein. The floor is paved with tiles, each near five inches ■qoare, baked almost to vitrification. Eight rows of these tiles, running from east to west, are charged with different coats of arms, generally said to be those of the families who attended Duke William in his invasion of England. The intervals between each of these rows are filled up with a kind of tessellated pavement i the middle whereof represents a maze, or labyrinth, about ten feet in diameter, and so art- fliUy contrived, that, were we to suppose a man following all the in- tricate meanders of its volutes, he could not travel less than a mile be- fore he got from the one end to the other. The remainder of this floor is inlaid with small squares of different colours, placed alternately, and formed into draught or chess boards, for the amusement of the sdidiery whilst on guard. Turning out of this room on the left hand, you enter into a smaller room, called the Banm^s Hall, twenty-four feet in breadth and twenty-seven feet in length ; paved with the same sort of tiles as the former — but with this difference, that instead of coats of arms they are stained with figures of stags, and dogs in full chase. The walls of this room seem to have been ornamented with escutcheons of arms painted on heater shields, some of which are still remaining.**
The fertile foncy of Ducarel will here have it that " it was in this guard chamber, and the baron*s hall a4ioining, that King William the Conqueror, as tradition tells us, in the most sumptuous manner enter- tained his mother Arlette with her wedding dinner on the day of her marriage to Harluin Count de ConteviUe, by whom she had Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, &c. &c,"
It is further remarkable, that, notwithstanding these rooms have been used as granaries for upwards of four hundred years, neither the damps of the wheat, the turning and shifUng of the grain, nor the wooden shoes or spades of the peasants constantly eiB|dqyed in Mng-
CAEN.
291
ancients. Ducarel saw a great deal more than is now to be seen ; for, in fact, as I attempted to gain entrance into
lag in and cleansing the wheat> have in the least damaged the floor> or worn off the painting from the tiles. The only injury this floor hath reeeired, is the taking up some few of the tiles, in order to open flmnds through the floor for the more ready conveyance of the corn inlo the rooms beneath. The great door of the guard room is very ciirkms, and shows the skill of the woikmen of those times. It Is loaded with fine carvings, and though injured by time and the putting on and pulling off its locks, is well worth observation. Under these rooms is another apartment, supported by fine columns. They were formerly used as waiting rooms for persons of inferior rank, but are now likewise converted into granaries.
Opposite to the great wall, which was taken down about twenty years since, and till that time had for many years served as a dormitoiy for the monks, stood an ancient chapel, built before the abbey was founded j upon the outside of the wall of this chapel, were painted in fttaco, four portraits, as big as life, representing WUUam the Conqueror, his wife Matilda, and their two sons, Robert and WiUiam, The Con- queror was drawn as a very tall man, clothed in a royal robe, and standing on the back of an hound couchant : on his head was a diadem, ornamented with trefoils, his left hand pointed to his breast ; and in his right he held a sceptre surmounted with a fleur de lys. Queen Matilda was dressed in a kirtle and mantle, and had on her head a di- adem similar to that of her husband from the under part whereof hung a veil, which was represented as foiling carelessly behind her shoulders; in her right hand was a sceptre, sunnounted with a fleur de lys, and in her left, a book : her feet were supported by the figure of a lion. Duke Robert was represented as standing on a hound, and clad in a'tunique, over which was thrown a short robe, or mantle, his head was covered with a bonnet upon his right hand, clothed with a glove, stood a hawk ; and in his left hand was a lure. The picture of Duke William represented him as a youth bare headed, dressed in the same habit as his brother, and standing upon a fobulous monster, pro* bably intended for a double-bodied harpy, it having only one head with the face of a virgin, and two bodies, each resembling in akmpe VOL. I. S
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iwhat appeared to be the principal room, I was stopped by an old woman, who assured me qu'il n*y avoit
•thai of a bird ; each of the bodies of this monster tenninated in the tail of a cat, and had the hind legs of a swine; the left hand of this Prince was clothed with a glove, and supported a falcon, which he was ^feeding with his right. These paintings are supposed to have been •coeval with the foundation of the abbey of St. Stephen; and to have been drawn from the life : [of course !] They were destroyed in the year.1700, when the chi^ was pulled down but fortunately ftther •Montfaucon had previously procured drawings of them to be made; •and from those drawing I have caused them to be engraven.** AngUh Norman AnHquiHes; p. 69.
I have caused reduced, but fedthful, copies of the two first, and die last of these figures to be taken ; and I here put it to the reader •how it is possible that such figures, as the first and the last^ in such different costumes, can be meant to represent the same person ?
In regard to this supposed regal palace, I am surprised how Huet could observe that the abbey and the palace were of the same stmc- tose." They are surely quite different — unless Huet saw what has since been demolished. That cautious antiquary observer, however.
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Tidn que da chauffiige/* It was trae enough: the trliole 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 St. Etienne le Vieil. In DucareFs time this i^ureh is described as entire. On the exterior of one of the remaining buttresses is a whole length figure, about four EngUsh feet in height (as far as I could guess by the eye) of a man on horseback — mutilated — ^tramp- ling upon another man at its feet. ' It is no doubt a curious and uncommon ornament. But would you believe it? — this figure also, in the t^inion of M. Le Bras,* was intended for William
properly rejects the supposition that the coat armours are of the time of William the Conqueror. He adds^ veryjudiciously^ thatj in respect to residence, " he is persuaded that that monarch was more fre- quently at his castle than at his palace.** Origines de Caen-, p. 247.
* See the Jnglo-Narman Antiquities; p, 74. Bourgueville fevours the same hypothesis; but his description of the group, as it appeared in his time, trips up the heels of this conjecture. He says that there were, besides the two figures above mentioned, ^* vn autre honmie et femme h, genoux, comme s*ils demandoient raison de la mort de leur en&nt, qui est vne antiquity de grand remarque dont ie ne puis donner autre certitude de Thistoire.** Antiquitez de Caen ; 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 de- manded 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 wonuin said> '* What, if you never return ?** " My successor will satisfy you** — he replied — ''But how will that benefit yon^'* — resumed the widow. The
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*mE Conqueror — ^representing his trinmphant entry into Caen ! As an object of art, even in its present mutilated state, it is highly interesting; and I re- joice that M. Cotman is likely to preserve! the little that i-emains from the hazard of destruction by the fidelity of his own copy of it. It is quite clear that, close to the figure, you discover traces of style which are unequivocally of the time of Francis I. The in- terior of what remains of this consecrated edifice is con- verted into a receptacle for . . carriages for hire. IShea 1 Not far from this spot stood formerly a magnificent Cross — demolished during the memorable visit of the Calvinists. I was told that drawings and prints of it were yet in existence.* In the way to the abbey ot the Trinity, quite at the opposite or eastern eictremity
Emperor then descended from his horse^ and enquiring into the wo- man's case^ caused justice to be done to her. Some of the stories say that the murderer was the £mperor*s own son.
♦ prints of it [the cross] yet in existence."] — Bouipieville has fur- nished us with a very minute description of this cross — such as it was before its destruction by the Calvinists. " Ceste grande et belle Croix estoit d*une structure singuliere, dont la masse contenoit quinze pieds de haut, et trente de tour^ sur laquelle masse y auoit cinq coulonnes de vingt pieds de haut^ & n*auoient que demy pied de diamettre pour chacun chapiteau^ sur les dites coulonnes y auoit vne masse dc sept pieds de haut & de deux pieds & demy dia- mettre^ & entour estoient poshes quatre images de dnq pieds de haut, et sur Tamortissement du chapiteau estoit une belle Croix plants de cinq pieds de hauteur auecques autres imaginaires^ et graueures memo- rabies de belle et forte pierre^ & tour au tour d'icelle vn grand escalier de degrez^ par les quelz les Catholiques amontoyent & receuoyoient ce signe de Croix au jour dcs Rameaux^ qui leur reduissoit en m^moirede la passion de nostre Seigneur. Et en ce quel quartier de St. Estiennei residoient du temps de ma ieunesse vn bon iiombre d'officiers en de belles et magnifiques maisons^ &c.'* AntiquUex de Caenj p. 17.
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<rf the town, you necessarily pass along the Rue St. Pierre, and enter into the market-place^ affording an opening before the most beautiful church in aU Normandy. It is the church of St. Pierre de DsRNETAL* of which I now speak, and from which the
* the church of St, Pierre de Demetal.'] — Situate in the middle of the town, and remarkable for the elegance and beauty of its spire, which is extremely lofty, and so admirably contrived, that, at what part soever of the church you enter, the eye does not discover either of the four columns on which the spire rests. This elegant piece of masonry was completed in the beginning of the xivth century, by [the cost and charges ofj one Nicholas, an Englishman, who was at that time a burgess of Caen, and treasurer of this church. At the tfane of his death, which happened in June, in the year 1317> the fol- lowing epitaph, preserved by Monsieur de Bras, was composed ; but it is not altc^ther certain whether it was ever placed over his grave, or not:
LE VENDREDY DEVANT TOUT DROICT
LA SAINT CLERQUE LE TEMPS n'eST FBOIT
TBE8PA88A NICOLLE L*AN0L0IS
L*AN MIL TBOIS CENS ET DIX SEPT
SON CORPS GIST CY L*AMB A DIBU 80IT
CHASCUN KN PRIE CAB C*EST BIEN DROICT.
BOURGEOIS ESTOIT DE NOBILE GUISE MOVLTE DE filEN FIST EN CESTE EOLISB TBBSOBIEB EN FUT LONGUEMENT BT PAB LUY ET PAB SA DEVISE FUT LA TOUB EN SA VOYK MISB D*XSTBE FAICTE SI NOBLEMBNT,
PBUO* HOMS ESTOIT COURTOI8 ET SAGS
BT SANS OBGUEIL ET SANS OUTBAUE
DB TOUS GENS CHEBY ET AIME
DB SA MORT SB FUT GBAND DOMMAOB
SON BSPBIT SOIT EN l'hEBITAOE
OB PABADIS SOIT HOIB CLAMB.
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name of the street is derived. The tower and spire, the, effect ofENQLisH liberality, are of the most admirable
The remainder (two stanzas) > is devoted to his wife who died the 2d October, in the same year :
OBAND DOMMAGE FUT COMME ON SCAIT CAR ELLE BSTOIT BIBN SAGE BT 80BBE OR PRIBZ PAB DBTOTION QU'lLB ATBNT PLEINE REMISSION.
The body of another of our countrymen, Michael Treoorb, the; first rector of the University of Caen, lies buried at the entrance of the choir of this church, where his effigies still remains. Te Deum is constantly sung in this church upon all high festivals and other solemn occasions, and from hence it is, that the clergy and religious of Caen set out, in order to make their public processions.** Anglo-Norman Antiquities, p. 72.
Ducarel, in saying that the above epitaph was preserved by M. Le Bras, appears to have been unacquainted with its preservation by Boui^eville a century and a half before. Bouigueville 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, Anglers, 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 of St. Peter exceeded all the others, as well in its height, as in its curious form of construction.** Antiq, de Caen; p. 36. He regrets, however, that the name of the architect has not descended to us. His more particular eulogy upon this tower is worth transcription: " C'est vn grand cas & bien digne de remarque que neanmoins la hauteur de ceste tour piramide, qui semble auoisiner les nues, le soufflement et violence des vents, la rigueur des gellees, la froideur des nieges, gresles, & frimats, Tabondance des pluyes, la ve- hemence des chaleurs du soleil, et orages, la lueur et humidity de la lune, n'ont faict aucun dommage, ny apparence de firoissure k au- cunes des pierres de ceste tour depuis son edification.'* &c. p. 38. At page 145 he relates a hardy adventure of a young man who mounted on the outside to the very summit, to take down the weather cock,
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form and workmanship. Mr. Lewis went to the left, facing the great window, at right angles witli the Rue St. Pierre, and made the beautiful drawing, of which a copy is here sent you.* Observe the extreme delicacy
which had grown stiflf> and would not turn — II auoit (concludes he) vn cer\'cau bien asseur6, & plus de temerity que de sagesse.**
Huet is somewhat particular in his account of the locale of the parish of St. Pierre de Dametal : observing^ firsts that it had the names of Pierre sous Caen, and S, Pierre du Chdtel en rive. Of the appel- lative " Dametalj" he thus remarks. Mais le nom qu'on luy a donni^S plus commun^ment^ a 6t6 S. Pierre dc Dametal. C*6toit Tancicn nom du principal lieu de cette paroiflse^ et peut-^tre de la pa- roisse toute enti^re : car le Pont de Saint Pierre, et un moulin sur rOdoUj dont il est parl^ dans la Chartre de fondation de I'Abbaye de S. Etienne, ont port6 le nom de Darnetal." Again : " Le nom de Dar- netal.que rondonnoitit ce lieu, semble marquer un bourg, un village, ou une seigneurie.'* Of the different periods of the completion of the church, he goes on to say : Quoy qu'il en soit, le b£ttiment a ^t^ fait k diverses reprises. M. de Bras en a marqu^ quelques dattes : celle du docher, en Fan 1308; ccUe de Taile du c6t6 du Carrefour, en Van 1410 i celle de 1* autre aile quelque terns api^ : le rond-point et les voutes du choeur et des atles, FanlSSl. Jacques de Cahuignes a donn^ rang panni les iUustres citoyens de Caen, k Hector Sohier, oflebre architectes pour avoir fait les voutes du choeur et des alles de oette EgUse/* Origines de Caen -, p. 263, 4, 7, 8 ; 1702, 8vo. Huet msys not one single word in commendation of the building. He is unong the driest of dry antiquaries. Reverting, however, to old BousGUEViLLE, 1 cannot take leave of him without expressing my
« bcuty thanks for the amusement and information which his unosten- tatious octavo volume^entitlcd Les Recherdhes et Antiquitez de la
' FUk ef Universite de Caen, ^c. (A Caen, 1588, 8vo.) has afforded me.
I Aad as we love to.be made acquainted with the persons of those, from
' whom we have received instruction and pleasure, so take, gentle reader, a representation of the Portrait of BouRouEviLLs-^as it ap- jpan on the reverse of the title of the book just mentioned.
* See the Opposite Plate.
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Ce Pourtrait & maint liure Par le Peintre & I'escrit, Feront reuoir et viure Ta face & ton esprit. I. V. D. L. F. Hoc pictoris opu8> vigilataque scripta labore £t vultum & mentem pott tua busta fereut.
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and pictui*esque effect of the stone tiles, with which the spire is covered, as well as the lightness and im- posing consequence given to the tower upon which the spire rests! The whole has a charming effect. But severe criticism compels one to admit that the body of the church is defective in point of 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, how- ever, generally, lofty and airy. Towards the op- posite extremity of this view, a branch of the river Ome, if not the river itself, runs : and from the prome- nade, or part where the post office is established, the body of the church is seen with all its grotesque and multiform divisions. In the midst of this complicated and corrupt style of architecture, the tower and spire rise like a structure built by preternatural bands 4 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 stongest claims
The author^ who tells us he was bora 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 topo- graphy are invaluable— as preserving the memory of things and of ob- jects^ which, but for such record, must perish without the hope or chance of recovery.
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to unqualified admiration. 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 cauchxnsej 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 should seem to indicate a warm sense of devotion among the worshippers. There is a tolerably good set of modem paintings (the best which I have yet seen in the interior of a church) of the Life of Christ J in the side chapels. The eastern extremity, or the farther end of Our Ladjfs Chapel, is most hor- ribly bedaubed and overloaded 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
Swin^ng slow with solemn roar !
that is to say, is tolling from five in the morning till ten at night, for the performance of the several offices of religion, so incessantly, in one side-chapel or ano- ther, are these offices carried on within this maternal parish church.
I saw, with momentary astonishment, the leaning tower of a church in the Rue St. Jean, which is on6 of the principal sti*eets in the town: and. which
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terminated by the Piacf des Cazernes, flanked by the river Orne. In this street I was asked, by a book- seller, two pounds two shillings, for a thumbed and cropt copy of the Elzevir^Heins^ius Horace of 1629 ; but with which demand I did not of course comply. In &€t, they have the most extravagant notions of the prices of Elzevirs, both hei*e and at Rouen. We shall see how this rage increases, or cools, as we approach F^ris. But you must now attend me in a visit to the most interesting public building, perhaps all things considered, which is to lie seen at Caen : I mean the Abbey of the Holy Trinity^ or L'Abbave aux Dambs.* This abbey was founded by the wife of the Conqueror, about the same time that William erected that of St, Stephen. It was founded for nuns of the Benedictin order. DucareFs description of it, which I have just seen in a copy of the Anglo-Norman Antiquities^ in a bookseller s shop, is sufficiently meagre, as are also his plates sufficiently miserable : but things ai'e stranger ly 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 flaxen occupations, where formerly the nun knelt before the cross, or was occupied in auricular con- fession, llie 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.
* Of this building M. Cotman has published the West fronts east end^ exterior and interior ; great arches under the tower ^ crypt 3 east side of South transept ; elevation of the North side of the choir : eleva- iioD of the window ; South side exterior 3 view down the nave, N.W. direction.
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Stephen. A representation of the western front of this exterior will be drawn and engraved by M. Cotman ; together with one of the subterraneous Saxon-called arches. Hie upper part of the towers are palpably of the fifteenth, or rather of the early part of the six- teenth 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 muiufisu^turing 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 perpendicularly, or rather leaning a little against the sides of the north transept. The nave is entirely walled up from the transepts, but the choir is £Mtunately preserved ; and a more perfect and inte- resting specimen of its kind, and 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 fieital to me : for, on quitting day-lig^t, we pursued a winding stone staircase,* in our way to the central tower — ^from hence to have a view of the town. I almost tremble as I relate it. There had been put up a sort of temporary wooden staircase, leading abso- lutely to . . . nothing : or rather to a dark void space. I happened to be foremost in ascending this, yet grop- ing in the dark — ^with the guide luckily close bdiind
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me : and having reached the topmost step, was raising my foot to a supposed higher or succeeding step . . . bnt there was none ! A depth of eighteen feet at least was below me. The guide caiight my coat, as I was about to lose my balance — and roared out " Arretez — 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 thereby pulling me slightly backwards, my fall . . and my life . • were equally saved ! I have reason from henceforth to remember the Abbaye aux Dambs at Caen.
However, let us proceed. We gained the top of the central tower, which is not of equal altitude with those of the western extremity, and from thence sur- veyed the town, as well as the drizzling rain would per- mit us. I saw enough however to convince me that the scite 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 ; and did not even possess that most commendable of all species of architectural cu- riosity, a wish to visit the crypt. Thus, in either extre- mity— whether to gaze upon the starry heavens, or to commune with the silent dead — we evinced a more laudable spirit of enterprise than did our old-fashioned predecessor. Accordingly, from the summit, you must accompany me to the lowest depth of the building. We descended by the same (somewhat intricate) route^ and I took especial care to avoid all temporary wooden stair-cases.*' The ciypt, beneath the choir^ is perhaps of yet greater interest and beauty than the choir itself. Within an old, very old stone coffin — at
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the further circular end— are the pulverised retnahig of one of the earliest Abbesses. I gazed around with mixed sensations of veneration and awe, and threw my- self back into centuries past, foncying that the shrond- ed figure of Matilda herself ghdM by, with a look as if to approve of my antiquarian enthusiasm. Havii^ gratified our curiosity by a careful survey of this sub- terraneous abode, we revisited the r^ons of day-ligfat, and made towards the large building, now a manufiie- tory, which in Ducarel's time had been a nunnery.*
^ in DucareFs time had been a nunnery.]-— Ducarel's account of this nunnery^ is as follows : — I was not permitted to see any other part of the Abbey, except the Lady Abbess's parlour, which is a small room commanding a most delightful prospect of the country, exten^Ki^ to a great distance, this abbey being situated on a very high hiU. Among the muniments preserved here, is a very curious manuscript, containing an account of the foundress. Queen Matilda's wardrobe, jewels, toi- lette, &c. but I was not able to procure a copy of it, neither would the abbess admit me to a sight of a very ancient picture which hangs in one of the rooms, and is generally thought to be that of Matilda, tiieir first abbess, dressed in the habit of a nun ^ though some are rather inclined to believe it to be the picture of the royal foundress. Cicely, eldest daughter of William the Conqueror, having in the year 1075, made her profession at Fescamp, was, upon the dedication of this church, removed hither, in order to be educated under the care of Matilda the first abbess, upon whose decease she succeeded to the go- vernment of the abbey ; which she managed with singular piety, for the space of fifteen years, and dying upon the 13th day of July in the year 1 126 was buried in the church of the monastery, having worn a religious habit for the space of fifty-two years. From that time the government hath constantly been conferred on ladies of the first rank. All the nuns are likewise daughters of persons of high birth, no others being admitted to take the veil here.*' — Anglo-Norman AntiqtMes, p. 96. There is of course an end to every thing of the kind at the preaent day.
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The revolution has swept away every human being in the character of a nun ; but the director of the manu&ctory shewed us, with great civility, some relics, of oldc rosses, rings, veils, lachrymatories, &c. which had been taken from the crypt we had recently visited— on account of erecting some tomb, or eleva* tifig some portion of the ground, to the i*emains of a person of distinction — ^whether of old or modem times, I cannot just now recollect. These relics savoured of considerable antiquity. Tom Hearne would have set about proving that they must have belonged to Ma- tilda 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 eccle- siastical edifices of Normandy, by means of the Art of Engravingy let them begin their labours with the Abbayb aux Dames at Caen.
The forgoing, 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
BotirgueviUe 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. 386>) they proceeded to commit similar ravages here : — " sans auoir respect ni reuerence k la Dume Abbesse, ni k la religion et douceur feminine des Dames Reli- gKuaes.**— plusieurs des officiers de la maison 8*y trouuerent, vsans de gradeuses persuasions, pour penser flechir le cceur de ces plus que brutaux p. 174.
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to neglect giving yon an acconnt^ however snperficial, of the remains of an apparently castellated build* iNo, 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.* It is doubtless a very curious relic. Running along the upper part of the walls, is a series of basso-relievo heads, medal- lion-wise, cut in stone, evidently intended for por- traits. They are assuredly not older than the rdgn oi Francis I. but 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, dther sahrt- ing 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. We got admittance to the interior of the .building ; and ascending the tower, found that these were only the trunks of figures, — and removable at pleasure. We could only stroke their beards and
• appears to have escaped Ducarel,'] — Unless it be what he calls the FORT OF THB 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 Nararre, in the year 1360, during the war which he carried on against Charles the dauphin, afterwards Charles V., &c.** Anglo-Norman Antiquities, 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. Animoite du Caka- dosi 1803-4) p. 63.
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diake thdr bodies a little, which we of course did with impunity.. Whether the present be the original place of their destination may be very doubtful. The Abb^ de la Rue, W)t|i whom I discoursed upon the sub- ject yesterday morning, is of opinion that these figures a)p^4>f the time of Louis XI. : which makes them a little illpre ancient than the other ornaments of the build- uig.. . 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 th^, in . artificial mounds covered with grass : and an or- chard, and rich pasture land (where we saw several women milking cows) form the whole of the interior acenery* However the Caennois are rather rproiid of t^his building.
^. Leaving you to your own conclusions respecting tj^e date of its erection, and putting the colc^faon'* to. this disquisition respecting the princqMd public bpildings at Caen, it is high time to assure you* how . fiuthfully I am always yours.
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LETTER XIV.
UTBRARY 80CIBTY. ABB^ DB LA RUB. 'MBBBM.
purbb-aimA lair and lamouroux* mbdal of
MALHBRBB. BOOKSBLLERS. THB PUBLIC LIBRARY. MBMOIR OF THB LATB M. MOY8ANT, PUBLIC LIBRA* RIAN. MANUSCRIPTS AND PRINTED BOOKS. PRO- TESTANT PLACB OF WORSHIP. COURTS OF JU8TICB.
From the dead let me conduct you to the Iirm^. In other words^ prepare to recdve some account (sf Society,— of Libraries — and of things appertaming to the formation of the intellectual character. Caen can boast oi a public Literary Society, and of the publica- tion of its memoirs.* But these memoirs^ consist at present of only six volumes, and are in our own coun- try extremely rare. My excellent friend, Pierre- Aim6 Lair, made me a present of a set, which I intend for Lord Spencer's library. The volumes are in crown octavo, tolerably well printed.
Among the men whose moral character and literary reputation throw a sort of lustre upon Caen, there is no one perhaps that stands upon quite so lofty an emi-
* M^moins de rJcadende det BeUet Lettres de Caen, CkezJaequet Manoury, 1757« 4 voU, croum Svo, Rapport g^nirale tur les traoaus de tJcademie det Sciences, ArU, et BeUee Lettres de la villede Caenjusqu*au premier Janvier, 1811. Par P. F. T, Delarnnere, Secretaire. A Caen, thex Chalopin. An. 1811 — 15. Q vols, on different paper, with diffs- rent types, and provokiogly of a larger fbnn than its precunor.
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lieiice as the Abb£ dr la Rub ; at this time oceupiied in publishinga /Ti^/oi^ of Caen in two quarto volumes. As an archaeologist, he has no superior among his coun- trjrmen ; while his essays upon the BayeUx Tapestry and theAnglo-Norman Poets, published in our Archa^ologia, prove that there are few, even among ourselves, who could have treq,!ted those interesting subjects with more dcKterity or better success. The Ahh6 is, in short, the great archaeological oracle of Normandy. He was pleased to pay me a visit at Lagouelle*s. He is fisust advancing towards his seventieth year. His figure is father stout, and above the mean height : his com* {dexion is healthful, his eye brillisint, and a plentiful quantity of waving white hair adds much to the expresr Am of his countenance. He enquired kindly after oar mutual Mend Mr. Douce ; of whose talents and character he spoke in a manner which did equal honour to both. But he was inexorable, as to — not dining with me : observing that his Order was forbidden to dine in taverns. He gave me a list of places which I onght to visit in my further progress through Nor- mandy, and took leave of me more abruptly than I could have wished. He rarely visits Caen, though a great portion of his library is kept there : his abode being chiefly in the country, at the residence of a noble- mafi to whose son he was tutor. It is deligfatful to see a man, of his venerable aspect and widely extended reputation, enjoying, in the evening of life, (after brav- ing 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. The study of Natural History obtains pretty gene-
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hJly at Caen ; indeed tbey have an Academf in* which this branch of learning is expressly taught— 4Uid <rf which Monsieur Lamouroux* is at once the chirf bmament and instructor. This gentleman (to whom oiir friend Mr. Dawson Turner furnished me with a letter of introduction) has the most unaffected man- ners, and a countenance particularly open and winmog^ He is a very dragon*' in his pursuit. On my second call, I found him busied iu unpacking some baskets of sea-weed, yet reeking with the briny moisture ; and which he handled and separated and classed with the same eagerness that we have seen our friend * ♦ ♦ run through an auction lot of books with 13 more !'* Hie library of Mr. Lamouroux is quite a workman^like library: filled with sensible, solid, and instructive books. His mansion, in the Rue Jaune, is of mndi narrower dimensions than his mind. Though he be a member of the Institute, he spoke of Sir Joseph Banks, and of our literary Societies, in a manner whidi did him infinite honour — 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- Aim6 Lair, nothing would have been wanting to the completion of his character. There's elevation ojf sen-^ timent for yon ! What alert creatures these Savants ai-e. Ihey rise 1>efore six, and labour incessantly in their respective vocations (chiefly in the instruction of youth,) till dinner-time, at twelve or one ; and then at it again" till six in the afternoon.
* Monsieur Lamouroux.'] — He lias recently (1816) published anoc- t&TO Tolume entitled Histoire des Polypiert, CoraiUghiei Flexibki, wigttiremeni n^mmh Zoophptei. Par J, F. F, Lomownm.
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You have frequently read the name of Pierre-Aim£ IjAir. Prepare to receive a sketch of the character to which that name appertains. But what a pallet of folours should I possess for such a task !— or^ rather^ what dexterity of handling were required if such a pal* let could be furnished ? With what hues, tints, tones, and masses/' should the picture glow ! A truce to com- mon-place exclamation — and receive, in good sooth, a very homely and very sober, but very faithful, descrip- tion. This gentleman is not only the life and soul of the society — ^but of the very town — ^in which he moves. Mr. L. and myself walked udth him, more than once, through very many streets, passages, and courts, which were distinguished for any relic of architectural anti- quity. He was recognised and saluted by nearly one person out of three — at all distinguished for respecta- bility of appearance — in our progress. " Je vous salue'* vous voiU avec Messieurs les Anglois" — ban jour," — " comment 5a va-t-il — The activity of Pierre-Aim^ Lair is only equalled by his goodness of heart and friendliness of disposition. He is all kind- ness. 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. In short, he is always the gay and the good-natured Pierre-Aim6 Lair.
But more substantial praise belongs to this amiable
man. Not only is Pierre-Aim6 psir a lover and col- 1
S12 CAEN.
kctor .of tangible antiquities — such as glaaed tikSs broken busts, old pictures^ — and fractured ci^iitala-^ tdl seen in long array'* up the windings of his stair- case— but he is a critic, and a patron of the Uterdrjf antiquities of his country* Caen (as I told you in my last despatch) is the birth-plaoe of Malhbkbb ; and^iA the character now under discussion, it has found a pm petuator of the name and merits of the fitther <tf FVendi verse. In the year 1806 our worthy antiquary putfi>rtk a prefect for a general subscription for a medal in honour of Malherbe''* — ^which project was in due timie
* suhicripikm for « medal t» hommr of Malbbbbs.}— The mnklHr project here alluded to is one which does, both theprqiector^andthe arts of FraDce, infinite honour j and I sincerely wish that some second Simob may rise up among ourselves to emulate^ and if possible to surpass, the performances of Gattbiux and Auobieu. The former is the artist to whom we are indebted for the medal of Malherfoe, and the latter for the series of the Buonaparte-noedak M. Lair told me that his sabscribers amounted to 1500 in number ; nor do I think this, hq^ evidence of the printed brochure before me, an exagi^rated statem^ The price of the head in bronze is 5 firancs ; and with the addition of a ring, one quarter of a franc more.
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vewarded by the names of fifteen hundred efficient sub- •criberSy at five francs a piece. The proposal was doubtless flattering to the literary pride of the French ; wd luckily the execution of it surpassed the expectSr tions of the subscribers. The head is undoubtedly of the most perfect execution ; and almost puts me in a fisver, on contemplating it, when I think upon the com- paratively decrepid state of the medaUic art in our own fWantry. Wherefore is it so ? Not only, however, did diis head of Malherbe succeed — ^but a feeling was ex* pressed that it might be followed up by a series of beads 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 latter design also. Accordingly, there has appear- ed periodically a set of heads of this description, va bronze or other metal, as the purchaser pleases, which )ia6 reflected infinite credit not only upon the name of jkhe projector of this scheme, but upon the present state <tf the fine arts in France.
. On the reverse is a Ijre^ surmounted by a laurel crown, with this emphatic inscription ;
BNFIN IULBBRBE ttUt.
which is taken from the weU-lmown passage in Bdileau*s Art Poetique beginning thus : ^ '
Enfin Malherbe f^ty et le premier en niuiee. Fit sentir dans les fen nne jnste cadeooe ; D'unmotmisensapliwpenseignelepoiifolr^ . i
£t reduiflit la muse aiizrii|^ da devoir*
The profile of Madame de S^vigii^, eiiecated by the same able me- daUist (Gatteaux)^ has in every respect equal merit.
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Yet another woi^ about Heire-Aim^ Lair. Heisfliofc 80 inexorable as M. Lamouroux: for he has dined With me, and quaffed the chatnbertin and champagne of La- gouelle, commander in chief of this house. Better wines cannot be quaflfed ; and Malherbe and the Duke bf Wd- lii^on formed the alternate subjects of discourse and praise. In return, Mr: L. and myself dined with our guest. He had prepared an abtindant dinn6r^ and a V«ry select sociky : but although there was no wand^ as in the case of Sancho Panza, to charm away the dishes, &c. oi* to interdict the tasting of th^, yet it was scarcely possible to partake of one in' four; .so umnercifolly were they steeped and buried in butter. Among various vegetables was a dish of pommes d^ terre, k la mode Angloise.** — professed so to be — but utterly untouchable. They were almost iBoating in tlie liquified produce Of the dairy. However thete was an excellent course of pastry ; and, better thmi all the wines, was the society whicih encircled the table. The principal topic of discourse was the tne^ rits 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 great- est &vourites with the French. The white brandy of Pierre- Aim6 Lair, introduced after dinner, is hardly to be described for its strength and pungency. Vous n^avez rien comme 5a chez vous ?" Ma foi je le crois bien ; c*est la lique&ction m£me du feu.'* We broke up before eight ; each retiring to his respective avoca- tions— but we did hot dine till five. I borrowed, how- ever, " an hour or twain** of the evening, after the de- parture of the company, to enjoy the mdre "patticular
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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 multifa- rious labours by settling into consolidated Biblioma- NiACiSM. " On peut faire pire!" — was his reply— on shaking hands with me^ and telling me he should cer- tainly meet me again at BayeuXj in my progress through Normandy. My acquaintance and walks with this amiable man seemed to be my security from insults iu the streets. But I must absolutely now have done with him : delightful as it is to think upon, and to record, acts of friendliness and liberality in a fo- reign land.
Educa.tion, here commences early, and with incite- ments as alluring as at Rouen. Poisson in the Rue Proide is the principal — and indeed a very excellent — printer ; but Bonnbsbrre, 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 tiie specimen transmitted in a former letter.* . '
* See page 137, ante.
816
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Aabc de fghikl m n op q r f s t u vx y z &
j ^ ae oe ii^.
P
VOraison dominicale.
Ater nos-
ter, qui es in
Chalopin, in the Rue-Froide-Rue, has recently pub- lished a most curious little manual, in the cursive se- cretary gothic, entitled " La Civility hannite pour les EnfanSj qui commence par la maniere dcepprendre et bien lire, prononcer et Retire** I call it curious/' be-
caom tbe V^ry first initial letter of the tesKt, rq[>re8etit- idg introduces us to the bizarrerie 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.
^fuj qui
This work is full of the old fashioned (and not a bit the worse on that account) precepts of the same pe- riod ; such as we see in the various versions of the " De Moribus Juvenum," of which the " Contenance de la Table,' in the French language^ is probably the most popular. It is executed throughout in the same small and smudged gothic character ; and, as I con- ceive, can have few purchasers. The printers of Caen must not be dismissed without respectfiil mention of the typographical talents of Lb Roy ; who ranks after Poisson. Let both these be considered as the Buhner and Bensley of the place.
But among these venders of infantine literature, or of cheap popular pieces, there is no man who drives such a trade** as Picard-Guerin, Imprimeur en taiUe-
4wce et Fabricant ^ Images^'' who lives in thelitie 4ef
■TeinturierSf n''. 175. I paid him more than one^yisit; My from his ^^fabrication/' issue, the thousands and Mm of thousands of broadsides^ chap-books, ^. .&o. which inundate Lower Normandy. You give from- one to three sous, according as the subject be simple or compound, upon wood or upon copper: — Saints, mar- tyrs, and scriptural subjects ; or heroes, chieftmns, md monarchs, including the Duke of yVeH&Bigton and Louis XVIIL le D^8ir6— -are among the tiuUe-douces speci- fied in the imprints. Madame did, ii|ie.t)ie honour of shewing me some of her choicest; treasures, as her hus- band was from home. Up stairs was a |iarcel 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 co- louring ; but I will not take upon me to say that they were over or under paid — of so equivocal a character were their performances. Only I hoped to be excused if I preferred the plain to the coloured. In a foreign coun- try, 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 two to which I paid particular attention. The one was a metrical cantique of the Prodigal Sotiy with six wood cuts above the text, exhibiting the leading points of the Gospel-narrative. I will cut out and send you the second 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
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leave his fiitber^s house, in the cloke and oock'd hat of a Fraich officer.
The fourth of these cuts is droll enough. It is entitled, " VEnfant Prodigue est chassS par ses maitresses.^ The expulsion consists in the women driving him out of doors with besoms and hfur-brooms. It is very pro- bable, 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)
«... the walls of Bedlam and Soho.
we take a survey of the graphic broadsides which dangle from strings upon the wall at Hyde Park Comw.
Another subject of a serious character, which I am about to describe to you, can rarely, in all probability.
8S»
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be tte production of a London artist. It is called Notre-Dame de la bonne D4Uvrande^* and is neces- sarily 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 appro- priate^ as it will serve to giv^ 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 Nor- mandy.
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' To' describe all the trampery which is immediately around it, in the original, would be a waste of time ; tvut below are two good figures to the right, and two Wretched ones to the left. Beneath the whole, is the following accredited consoling piece of intelligence :
Ii*AN SSOj des Barbares descendent dans le$ Gaulei, manacrent In HdHes, profanent et brUlent le$ EgUses. Raoult Due de Narmandiey $e Jomt d eux: r image de la Ste.'Vierge demeure enseveUe sous les ruineM dt llandenne dhapelle jusqu^au rigne de Henri J. Van 1331. Beaudaum, Baron de Douvres, averti par son berger qu*un mouton de son troupeau fowllait toujours dans le mime endroit, fit ouvrir la terre, et trouva ce trisor cachi depuis tant d^ann^es. II fit porter processionnellement ceite iomte image dans VEgUse de Douvres : mais Dieu permit qu^eUe Jut transport4e par un Ange dans V endroit de la chapelle oU elle est mainte- nant rivirie, C'est dans cette chapelle que, par rintercession de Marie, les prehears refoivent leur conversion, les affligis leur consolation, les m- firmes la sant4, les captifs leur dilivrance, que ceux qui sont en mer ichappent aux tempites et au naufrage, et que des miracles s'optrent joumellement sur les pieux Fiddles.
A word next for Bubliopolists — including £ou- quinistesy 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, within one hundred yards of the " Place** before 'the said abbey — and purchased some black letter folios: among which the French version of Ccesar's Commentaries, printed by Verard, in 1488, was the most desirable acquisition. It is reserved for Lord 8pencer*s library ;♦ at a price which, freight and duty
* for Lord Spencer's Library.'] — and is described in the 3d voL of the ^DES Althorpiana ; forming the Supplement to the Biblio- THSCA SpsMCSRiANA : toe page 94.
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indnded^ canaot reach the Bum of' twelve AilfingB of oar money. I carried it home, triumphantly beneath* my arm, wishing^ however, it had been in a •little more desirable condition. Of venders of second hand and old books, the elder and younger Ma- NOURY take a decisive lead. The former: lives in the Rue Frmde ; the latter in the Rue Notre Dame. . The ftither boasts of having upwards of thirty thomaiMl Wnmes, and is tolerably knowing in the arte and crafte** of vendition. But I much doubt whether his stock amount to one half of the number just mention** ed. He asked me two lauis dor for a copy of the Fiaudevires of Olivibr Ba6sblin> which is a modmi, but privately printed, volume ; and of which I hope to g^ve you some amusing particulars anon. He also told me that he had formerly sold a paper copy of Fktgfs Bible of 1462, 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. It i& car ther singular that, both here and at Rouen, I have not found a single copy of the Anglica Normanica of Du Chesne: nor indeed does Manoury the elder pes* sess any stock of vendible volumes in the way of lite- rature or antiquities, either in the French or in the Latin language.
Now for Manoury the younger. Old and young are comparative terms : for be it known that tibe son is
ag6 de soixante ans." Over his door you read an ancient inscription, thus :
" Battu, percd, US, Je veux changer demain.**
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HhiB implies either <l]ke Aladdin's old lamtM for tte^> that he wishes to give new bocks in exchange tot old ones^ or that he can smarten np old onies by binding 6r otherwise, and give tbefn a - renovated bj^pearancM/ But the solution is immaterial:. the Inscription belngf as above. The interior of the younger Manotiry*H book repository almost iq>palled me. His front sho{f> and a eorridore communicating with the back part'Of the house, are rank with moisture ; and his -books are dmsequently rotting apace. Upon ray making ail pitiable a statement as I was able of this BtielanctH^ state of things — and pleading with all my energies agAinst the inevitable destruction which threatened the Han Mu^ — the obdurate bibliopolist displayed not one sdn^llation of sympathy. He was absohitdy indif- ferent to the whole concern. In the back parlour, al- most impervious to day-light, his daughter, and a stout and handsome bourgeoise, with rather an unusually elevated cauchoise, were regaling themselves with sonp and herbs at dinner. I hurried through, in my way to the upper regions, with apologies for the intru-> sion ; but was told that none were necessary — ^that I might go where, and stay as long, as I pleased; and that an explanation would be given to any iiiterroga- tory in the way of business. I expressed my obliga- tions 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 — Belongs Marine Fishes, 1551, 4to ; and pbcing six' francs (the price demanded) upon the table^ hurried back, <iux>ugfa this sable and dismal ter*
994 CLKEN:^
^toryy iHth a "flort' of piiedpitancjf amatanting' id horronr. What struck me, as productive of a rerf extraordinary effect — (like the light pouring through an artificial aperture in one of Rembrandt*s tures — thereby giving a radiant magic to the wbxM) was the cheerfulness and gaiety de ccsur of these fe-^ males, in the midst of this region of darkn^ and de^ Solation. 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 'de8tru6«r tive enemies.
But let us touch a more spirit-stirring*' chord in the book theme. Let us leave the Bouquiniste 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 office! 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 ifi supposed, apparently with justice, to contain 20fi00 volumes. It is propoitionably wide and lofty. M. Hu- bert is the present chief librarian, having succeeded the late M. Moysant, his uncle. Of this latter presently. Among the more eminent benefactors and Biblioma- piacs, attached to this library, the name of FRAN9eis Mar'tin is singularly conspicuous. He was, from all accounts, and especially from the information at Mw Hubert, one of the most raving of book-madmen : but lie displayed, withal, a spirit of kindness and liberality towards his: fiavourite esjtablishment at Caeii> which
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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 Litbraturb of HIS Country. He amassed a very large collection of books^ which was cruelly pillaged during the Revolu- tion; 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 : " Franciscus Martin y Doctor Theo- logus Parisiensisy comparavit. Oretur pro eo." He was head of the convent of Cordeliers, and Prefect of the Province: but his mode of collecting was not ex- actly that which a public magistrate could call legiti- mate. He sought books everywhere; and when he could not buy them^ or obtain them by fair means^ he would steal them, and carry them home in the sleeves of his ^ownl He flourished about a century ago; and, with very few exceptions, all the best conditioned books in the libmry belonged to this magisterial book- robber. Among them I noted down with singular sa- tisfaction the Aldine edition of Stephanm de Urbibus, 1502, folio — ^in its old vellum binding : — seemly to the eye, and comfortable to the touch. Nor did his copy of the Repertorium Statutorum Ordinis Cartusiensis, printed by Amerbachy at Basil, in a glorious gothic character, 1510, folio, escape my especial notice — more than the same Bibliomaniac^s beautiful copy of the Mentz Herbal, of 1484, in 4to.
But the obliquities of Martin assume a less formi- dable aspect, when we contemplate a noble work, which he not only projected, but left behind ready for publication. It is thus entitled : Athence Normanno^
VOL. I. u
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rum veteres ac recentes, seu syllabus Auctorum qui oriundi e Normannia^'^ Sgc. It consists of one volumey in MS., having the authority of government to publidi it, prefixed. There is a short Liatin preface, by Mardn^ followed by two pages of Latin verses beginning thus : In Auctorum Normanicorum Syllahum. Prolusio metrica.
En Syllabus prodit paldm
Contextus arte sedula
Ex Litteratce Neustrias
Auctoribus celebribus.
Why this work has not been taken up and published by the Academy of Caen, seems rather strange — ^if they possess the pecuniary means of bringing it to light. But the " Satumia regna," should they ever " return" to France, may give animation to this inactivity, and pour a little gold into the emptied coffers of the trea- sury. Among the men, the memories of whom throw a lustre upon Caen,* was the fomous Samuel Bochart ; at once a botanist, a scholar, and a critic of distin- guished celebrity. He was a native of this place, and his books (many of them replete with valuable ms. notes) are among the chief treasures of the public li- brary. In(^d there is a distinct catcdogue of them, and the funds left by their illustrious owner form the
* the memories of whom throw a lustre upon Caen,'] — Goube, in his Histoire du Duch4 de Normandie, 1816, Svo. has devoted upwards of thirty pages to an enumeration of these worthies toI. iii. p. S95. But in Huefs Origines de la ViUe de Caen; p. 491-65S, there wffl be fontfd miHch Diore eopious and satisfactory details.
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principal support of the library establishment. Bo- ebart*s portrait^ with those of many other benefactors to the library*^ adorns the walls; suspended above the
* wUh those of many other benefactors to the library, ^^M.. Hubert was so obliging as to favour me with a list of these portraits; which may probably be gratifying to the curious :
BsBTAND^ Jean^ £v6que de S^ez, n^^ Caen^ en 1552. BocHABT, Samuel, Ministre Protestant, ^ Caen, n^ Rouen. Bloust, de Camilly, Vice-Amiral, n^ ^ Rouen. Blouxt de CamiUy, Arch^v^ue de Bouiges. BvousT, Premi^ Biblioth^caire de 1* University en 1736. Catbaones, Jacques, Professeur en M^decine, n6k Caen, en Catslisb, Antoine, imprlmeur ^ Caen. Db Collbvillb, fils de Bocharc.
CovTUBB, J. Baptiste, Recteur de rUniversit^, Pkiris, n^ )t Langrune>
pite Caen. Peint en habit de Recteur. Cbbtbl, Professeur en Droits n^ k Ifs, pr^ Caen> en 1692. Peint en
habit de Recteur de TUniv. de Caen. EuDBB, Jean, Fondateur de la Congregation des Eudistes, n^ en 1601. Flbuby, (Le Cardinal de,) Abb^ de St. Etienne de Caen. GoNFBBT, Professeur en Droit, Caen. Hallet^ Antoine, Professeur d*£loquence It Caen. Hvwr, FitmDskmel, n6 k Caen, en 1630. Db laLondb, Ingdnieur, n^ k Caen^ en 1689. Db LutneSj Ev^que de Bayeux. BIacb', Astronome, n^ k Caen, en 1586* Malhbmbb, Fran9ois, PoSte^ n^ k Caen, en 1555. Lb IfAttTBE DB Saviony^ Jacqucs, Recteur de ITJniversitd. MoTBAMT, Francois, Professeur et Biblioth^caire de la Ville. IiB Nbvf db Montbnat> Abbe de Ste. Gen^vi^ve^ It Fms. Pobb'b^ J^suite.
PoBTBL, Guillaume, Professeur en M^dedne. Ptbbbon, Guillaume, Professeur en Droit. Sbobais, de FAcad^mie Fran^aise^ It Caen. Lb Sbns db Mons, de TAcad^me de Caen.
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books : affording a very agreeable coup d'oefl. Indeed the principal division of the library^ the farther end of which commands a pleasant prospect^ is worthy of an establishment belonging to the capital of an empire. The kindness of M. Hubert, and of his assistant^ render- ed my frequent sojoumings therein yet more delectable. But I have promised (before we come to notice a few of the books seriatim) to ^ve you some account of MoYSANT, the late principal librarian^ and uncle of the present. His portrait is among the pictured orna- ments of the chief room. The nephew has jfigtvoured me with a copy or two of the Notice Histarique** upon the uncle — composed by himself, and read at a public sitting of the Academy of Science, Art, and Belles-Lettres at Caen, on the 29th of July, 1814^ From this you are to learn that Francis Moysant was born in 1735, at the village of Audrieu, near Caen. Though he was of a large stature, his hmgs were feeble, and his constitution delicate. At the age of nineteen, he was appointed professor of grammar and rhetoric in the college of Lisieux. He then went to FariB, and studied under Beau and Batteux; when, applying himself more particularly to the profession of physic, he I'eturned to Caen, in his thirtieth year, and put on the cap of Doctor of medicine ; but he wanted dthar nerves or stamina for the successful exercise of his pro- fession. He had cured a patient, after painful and la- borious attention, of a very serious illness ; but his^pa-
Tannboui le Fevre, k Caen^ en 1647i p^re de Mde. Dacier. Varignov^ Pierre^ Math^atjcien^ ii6 It Caen^ en 1664.
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tknt chose to take liberties too soon with his conva* lescent state. He was imprudent : had a relapse; and was hurried to his grave. Moysant took it seriously to hearty and gare 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 phy- mdans to adopt, ere tbey can possibly hope to attain the honours or the wealth of the Baillies and Halfords 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 Rhe- toric in one of the finest establishments of that body At Caen. He afterwards successively became per* petual 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^ ^d 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 that 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.
The Revolution now came on : when, like many of his respectable brethren^ he hailed it at first as the hai"-
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binger of national reformation and prosperity. But he had soon reason to find that he had been decdved. 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 Calvados, 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 Monasticum Neustriacum was the commendable object of his ambition. He pro* mised much, and perhaps did more than he promised. His curious collection (exclusively of the cait-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 pre^ servation of the monumcDts, 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 pos- session 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 pro- perty in France. He was therefore to live by his wits; having spiritedly declined all offer of assistance from the English g;ovemment. In this dilenmia he pub-
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Ifahed a work entitled Bibliothique des Ecrivaim Francais, ou choix des meilleurs morceaux en prose et en versy extraits de leurs ouvrages^ — 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 £nglish and French lan- guages. It was during his stay amongst us that he was deservedly admitted a member of the Society of Antiquaries ; but he had returned to France in 1802^ before the appearance of the second edition of his Bihlioth^que ; and 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 ! Up to this moment, or rather till just before the return of Moysant, the public libraiy could not boast of a fine locale.* A portion of the present building, called les Batimens de la Mairicy was accordingly devoted to its reception ; the books having been formally declai-ed " the property of the town" — and not, as before, of the University. 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
• In DucaFcVs time^ it was a handsome regular building, tolerably well furnished with books, and was kept open for the public two days in every week. — JnglO'Narman Jntiquities, p. 70.
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it was unintennittiDg. But the health of onr. generalis- simo, which had been impaired during his residence im England, began to give way beneath such a pressure of fetigue and anxiety. Yet it pleased Providence to prolong his life till towards the close of the year 1813 1 When he had the satisfaction of viewing his folios; quartos, octavos, and duodecimos, arranged in regular succession, and fydr array — ^when his work was honestly done — and when future visitors had only to stietdi forth their hands and gather the fruit which he had placed within their reach. His death (we are fold) was gentle, and like unto sleep. Religion had con* soled 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 words of his nephew tell the rest ;* and meanwhile,
* " M. Mojsant avait uoe cooyersation douce> instructiYe, et eo xn^me temps amusante par le grand nombre d' anecdotes qa*il racon- tait d*un ton qui lui ^tait propre, et qui y ajoutait encore und^r^d*in- t^r^t ; sa correspondance ^tait ti^s-^tendue, ct son extreme complain sance lui faisait fairevolon tiers les recherches qui lui ^taient demaod^es^ Toujours pret k &ire part des connoissances qu'il avait acquises par ses travaux, il pensa toiyours que les services qu*il rendait avec plaisir ^taient une des obligations de la place qu*il occupait, et si M. Barbier^ auteurdudictionnaire des ouvrages anonymes, etM.Henniker^ auteur d un ouvrage en Anglais sur les briques armorito de TAbbaye St. Etienne de Caen, n*eussent consign^ son nom dans leurs anvnges, On ignorerait les obligations qu*i1s lui out, et qu*ils se sont pta k iaiie oonnattre ; il a revu et corrig^ deux ^tions du Dictionnaire des Giands Hommes qui lui doit plus d*un volume d*augmentation.
" Les di£P(^rens emplois queM. Moysantarempliset seautres travaux lui ont assign^ un rang honorable parmi les hommes instniits : sa m^- moire vivra encore long-temps dans une portion de la sod^t^ ^tran- g^re k sa reputation litt^raire, et c'est k une des plus beOes quality
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let the name of Moysant be mentioned with thebiblir omaniacal honours which are doubtless its due ! . .
From Librarians reveit 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 Aretin de Bella adversus Gothos, 1470, folio ; the first book from the press of the printer. I undeceived M. H6bert, who had supposed it to be a MS. The lettering is covered with horn, and the book is bound in boards ; all pro* per." The oldest Latin Bible they possess, is of the date of 1485 ; but there is preserved one volume of Sweynheym and Pannartz's impression of De Lyrds Commentary upon the Bible, of the date of 1471-2, which luckily contains the list of books printed by those printers in their memorable supplicatory letter to
qui fessent honneur au cceur humain^ c'est au d^ir de se rendre ntile wax malheureux qu*il doit le souvenir qu*ils conserveront des services qu*Q leur a rendus : ses connoissances litt^raires Tavaient mis de bonne heure en relation avec les personnes les plus distingu^cs de la ViUe et de la Province, par leur rang ou leur fortune j plus tard ses ^^ves remplissaient les premiers emplois dans les administrations et la ma- gistrature 5 il se servit de I'acc^ qu*il avait aupi^ d*eux pour leur porter les reclamations de ceux qui g^missaient dans Tinfortune^ ou qui avaient des graces k demander > il ^tait si naturellement compa- tissant^ qu'il s'occupa toute sa vie des malheureux^ et qu*il d^ploya dans tons les instans la plus grande activity pour leur rendre service.
M. Moysant s*dtait mari^ et une union qui a dur6 quarante-trois ans^ lui avait fait gouter tons les charmes du bonheur domestique ; H fat cependant trouble par la mort de son fils unique : le temps seul put affaiblir sa douleur, le temps seul consolera I'^pouse qui lui •urvit/'
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Pope l^tnB IV. Tbe earliest Latin Classic i^peara to be tke Juvenal of 1474, with the Commentary of Cal* derinus, printed at Rome ; unless a dateless impress sion of Lucauy in the earliest type of Gering, with the verses placed at a considerable distance from each other, claim chronological precedence. There is also a Valerius Mammas of 1475, by Csesaris and Stol, bnt without their names. It is a large copy, soiled at the beginning. Of the same date is Gering's impres- sion of the Legenda Sanctorum ; and among the fUSfi tttnttfi I almost coveted a very elegant specimen of Jehan du Pr6's printing (with a device used by him never before seen by me,) of an edition of La Fie des PereSy in 1494, folio, original binding. It was not however free from the worm. I collected, from the written catalogue, that they had only forty-fivb works printed in the fifternth century ; and of these, none were of fii*st*rate quality. Indeed I know not if the most interesting be not already recorded.
Among the MSS., I was much struck with the beau- tiful penmanship of a work, in three folio volumes, of the middle of the xvith century, entitled ; Divertisse-^ mens touchant le faict de la guerre^ extraits des livres de Polj/be, Frantin, Fegece, Cornazzan, Machiavely et autres bans autheurs'' It has no illuminations, but the scription is beautiful. A Breviary of the Church Ser- vice of LisieuXj of the xvth century, has some pretty but common illuminations. It is not fi*ee from injury. Of more intrinsic worth is a MS. entitled Du Castentin (a district not far from Caen,) with the following prefix in the hand-writing of Moysant. Ces m^moires sont de M. Toustaint de Billy, cur6 du Mesnil au-parc^ qui
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avoit trayaill^ toute sa vie h Thistoire du Cotentin. lis 8ont rares et m'ont ^t^ accord^s par M. Jourdan^ No- taire, auqnel ils appartenoient. Le p. (P^re) le Long et Mons. Teriet de fontette ne les ont pas connu. Moysantz/' It is a small folio^ in a neat band-writing. Another MS., or rather a compound of ms. and printed leaves, of yet considerably more importance, in 3 folio volumes, is entitled Le Mover i desNormans^par Joseph Andri^ Guial de Rouen : on the reverse of the title^ we read," Supplement au Dlctionnaire de Moreripour ce qui conceme la province de Normandie, et sea iUustresr 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. Hie first volume extends to I, and is illustrated with scraps from newspapers, and a few portraits. It is written pretty fiilly in double columns. The portrait and biography of Bouzard form an admirable specimen of biographical literary memoirs. The second volume goes to Z. The third volume is entitled "Le^ trois Slides palinodiquesy ou Histoire Gindrale des Palinods de Rouen^ Dieppe, 8^c. — by the same han(^ with an equal quantity of matter. It is right that such labours should be noticed, for the sake of all fiiture BLiss-like editors of provincial literature. There is another similar worh, in 2 folio ms. volumes, relating to Coutance.
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 in«- terpreters of scripture destroyed everything in the shape of ornament or elegance attached to book-covers^
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and pilies of volumes, however sacred, or tmexceptiona* ble on the score of good morals, were consigned to tiie fury of the flames. Of the remaining volumes which I saw, take the following very rapid sketch. Of HourSj or Church Services, there is a prodigiously fine copy of an edition printed by VostrCy in 4to., upon paper, with- out 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. Kerver's impression of a similar work, printed upon vellum ! This latter is indeed a very indifierent book ; but the rough usage it has met with is the sole cause of such inferiority. I was well pleased with a fiur, sound copy of the Speculum Stultarumy in 4to., bl. letter, in hexameter and pentameter verse, without date. Consult De Bure, vol. i. no. 3988. Nor did I examine without interest a rare little volume entitled ^^Les Origines de quelques Coutumes andennes, et deplusieurs fa^ons de parler triviales. Avec un vieux Manuscrit en vers, touchant FOrigine des Chevaliers Bannerets ; printed at Caen in 1672, 12mo. : a curions little work. They have a fine (royal) copy of fValtatCs Polyglot J with an excellent impression of the head; and a large paper copy of Stephens Greek Glossary ; in old vellum binding, with a great number of ms. notes by Bochart. Also a fine large paper Photius of 1654, folio. But among their large papbrs, few volumes tower with greater magnificence than do the three folios of La Sainte Bible, printed by the Elze- virs at Amsterdam, in 1669. They are absolutely fine creatures ; of the stateliest dimensions and most attracr
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tive forms. They also pretend that thdr large paper copy of the first edition of Huefs Prceparatio Evan^ geUca, in folio^ is unique. Probably it is, as the author presented it to the Library himself. The Basil Eusta- ikim of 1559, in 3 vc^umes folio, is as glorious a copy tiB is Mr: Grenville's of the Roman edition of 1542. It is in its pristine membranaceous attire — the Vellum lapping over the fore-edges, in the manner €f Mr. Heber's copy of the first Aldine Aristotle, — most com- fortable to behold ! There is a fine large paper copy of Montaigne's Essays ^ 1635, folio, containing two titles imd a portrait of the author. It is bound in red mo- rocco> and considered hj M. Hubert a most rare rad desirable book. Indeed I was told that one CoUectw m particular was exceedingly anxious to obtain it. I WW a fine copy of 4^ folio edition of Ransard, printed im 1584j which is considered rare. Th^ is also a copy <if the w^ known Ldber NanceidoSy from Bochart's library, with a few ms. notes of Bochart himsetf. Here I saw, for the first time, a French metrical ver- irion of the works of FirgUy hy Robert and Anthony Cheualiers d^Agneamx peres^ de Vire^^en Normandie ; pnblisfaed at Paris in 1585, in el^nt italic type ; con- sidered rare. The same titmslators published a vmion lei Horace ; but it is not here. You may remember dtat I made mention of a certain work (in one of my 4ate letters) called Lbs Vaudevires d'Oltoier Basselm. They preserve here a very choice copy of it, in 4to«> lai^ paper ; and of winch size only three copies are Mid to be ia existence. The entire title is Les Faude- viresj Poesies du xvine. ndc/e, par OUvier Basselm^ avec 4m JHseoursjmr M Fie et des Notes pour texpUcalion
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de quelques anciens Mots: Fire, 1811.** 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, channting his Terses k pleine gorge.** This Basselin appears in short to have been the French Drunken Barnamt of his day.
What ! (say you :) not one single specimen from the library of your favourite Dianb db Poictibu! Can this be possible ? — No more of interrogatoty, I beseech you : but listen attentively and gratefully to the. intelligence which you are about to receive— mmI fiuicy not, if you have any i-espect for my taste, that I have forgotten my favourite Diane de Ptoictiers. On looking sharply about you, within this library, iheie will be found a magnificent copy of the Cammentmries of Chrysostom upon the Epistles of St. Pauly printed by Stephanus et Fratres da Sabio, at Ferona, in 1529, in three folio volumes. It is by much and by fiur the finest Greek work which I ever saw from the Sabii Press. No wonder Colbert jumped with avidity to receive such a copy of it : for, bating that it is nn pen rogn^,** the condition and colour are quite enchant- ing. And then for the ligature, or binding thereof!— idiich either Colbert, or his librarian Baluze, had the good sense and good taste to leave untouched* The first and second volumes are in reddish calf, with the royal arms in the centre, and the half moon (in ti^mishecl silver) beneath : the arabesque omamentSy or sorroimd^
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iDg border are in gilt. The edges are gilt^ stamped ; flush with the fore edge of the binding. In the centre of the sides of the binding, is a large with a fleur de lis at top: the top and bottom borders presenting the usual D and H, united — ^for which you may take a peep at a certain work ycleped the Bihliographicat Decameron. 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 iit 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. I well remember, at this moment, that ttiis was the very work, of which, when residing at Worcester, — commencing my career in life as a provincial Counsel — I had the misfortune to lose the third volume : and the loss so alBected me, that, to recover it, I left the profession, and became biblio^ grapher and divine. But the long sought after, and deeply r^retted object, has ever continued to elude my reiearch. The magnificent copy which I have been just describing was given to the Library by P. Le Jeune. It is quite a treasure in its way.
Anodier specimen, if you please, from the library of the said 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 Cosmography of Sehas^ turn Munster. The edition is of the date of 1555, in fidio. This copy must have been as splendid as it is ytt. curious. It contains two portraita of Henry tte
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Second (^^ Henricvs U. Galliarvm Rbx invictiss/ PP.") and four of Holofernes (" Oloparnb*') on each side of the binding. In the centre of the sides we recognise the lunar ornaments of Diane de Ptoictiers ; but on the back, are five portraits of her, in gilt, eadi 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 ndeir two pretty medallions of a winged figure blondng a' trumpet, and standing upon a chariot drawn by four horses : there are also small fleur de lis scattered be- tween the ornaments of the sides of the binding. The date of the forementioned medallion seems to be 1553.* The copy is cruelly cropt, and the volume is sufficieiitly badly printed ; which makes it the more surprising that such pains should have been taken with its bibliop&^ gistic embellishments. On examining it, I coald not help thinking how much inferior, in size and condition^ was the copy of it which I had seen at Frere's^ at Rouen, and in the darik and dank corridore of the younger Manoury at Caen. Yet, upon the whole, the copy, for the sake of its ornaments, is vehemently desirable.
And now, my dear friend, you must make your bow with me to M. Hubert, and bid fistreweU to the PUBLIC LIBRARY at Cacu. Indeed I am fully dis» posed 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 in* tellectual appetites of travellers. What I have seen^ has been, indeed, but snmmaiily, and even soperfif
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dftlly described ; but I have done kny best ; and was ftarfol of exciting ennui, by a more parish register-like description. Yet what becomes of those grand topicsj ^ religion and law of the country through which one kbs tratdled i Not a word about altars and tribiK mhl Very little indeed : and that little, I fear, most and unsatisfiEu;tory . For the service performed ik fladesof public worslup, I can add nothing to my Rouen delai]»-*excq[>t that there is here a brilliant diversity iii^ PaoTfiSTANT CHURCH iu the person of M. Marthi ]toi.UN— Risteur, President de Ffiglise Refohii6 eonsistoriale de Caen**— who has just published a ^ Mi^ fmm'eHistoriqmesurrEtatEccl^iMtique desPrbtestatui Snmfois depuU Francis \er. jusqu'h Lmis XFIIIi* JM a pamphlet of some fourscore pages. The task was efuaUy delicate and difficult of execution ; but hav-^ ilig read it, I am firee to confess that M. RoUin bail done his work very neatly and Very cleverly* I went ia company with Mrs^ and Miss I*** to htor the author ^-eaeh ; for he is a young man (about thirty) who draws his congregation as much from hiis talents aSf a preacher, as from his moral worth as an indivi* dual. It was on the occasion of several young ladies a«d gentlemen taking the sacrament for the first time* The church is strictly, I believe^ according to the Qe. neva persuasion ; but there was smnething so comj^ fertable, and to me so cheering, in the avowed doo* tme of Protestantism, that I accompanied my friends witb alacrity to the spot. Many English were pre* sent ) for M. Rollin is deservedly a fovourite with our coontrymeufc The church, however^ was scarcefy hatf^Hsd* The interior is the most^ukwardly adapt-
VOL. I. X
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ed imaginable to the purposes either of readii^ or of preaching : for it consists of two aisles at right Itngies with each other. The desk and pulpit are fixed in the receding angle of their junction ; so that the ydic6 flies forth to the right and left immediately as U escapes the preacher. After a very long, and a veiy dicQsly-sang psahn, Mr. RoUin commenced his dis^ eomrse. He is an extemporaneous preacher, and is said to strive (very foolishly, in my oi»nlon) to imi- tate Talfna in some of his action. I observed (and ckmld not help regretting as I observed) the mode m winch, after extending his arms at their entire length in a right line, he would cause his hands to e^ake kod flutter, like the tremulous wing of a bird ere it settles I But de gustibus** . . . His vmce is sweet and clear, rather than sonorous and unpressive i aad lie is perhaps, occasionally, too metaphorical m his composition. For the first time I heard the words ^ Oh Dieu r pronounced with great effect : but the wnatra was made up, of better things than mere exclamadoM. M. RolHn was frequently ingmiious, logicid, and GOBvincing; and his address to the young coinnMih nicants, towards the close of his discourse, waa imr pressive and efficient in the extreme. The ymmg people were deeply touched by his powerful apped^ aad I believe each countenance was suffiised with teais. 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 rdigioa which they had professed, in a manner whioh i&dicatiMl that he had really their interests and hi^iaets at heart The fiemales were dreMed in white^ with loag wliits
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rab ; and not one of the congregation, on quitting tiie churchy passed by them without fixing their eye upon cDjects'of such iriterest atid sensibility. The sermon was feUowed by a psalm, as drawling in its mode of per- formance as that by which it haid been preceded. I forget if it was permitted to any of the congregatidA' to iMay behind, to communicate ; but I cannot leave the threshold of the church without expressing how much I was gratified by the promptitude and civility of the ftrger, in accommodating us with good seats : " si ric aeioiper apud nos'* — ^would be no bad hint to attend to aeross the Channel.
So much for Sabbath worship. A word only abottt Comfs of Justice. A smack of the whip** will tingle In My ears through life ; and I shall always attend Nisi '9rkur exhibitions with more than ordinary curiosity* I strolled one morning to the Place de Justice — ^whicb is Wrfl situated, in an airy and respectable neighbourhood, isaw two or three barristers, en pleine costume, pretty marly in the English fashion, walking quickly to aild fro with their clients, in the open air, before the heik \ and could not help contrasting the quick eye and un- concerned expression of countenance of the former^ with the simple look and yet earnest action of the latter. One of these barristers might have been mis- taken for an Englishman : but I will not say wherefore^ for fisar a Frenchman should be looking over your shoulderwhen you read this. I entered the Hall, and to ray astonishment, heard only a low muttering sound. Scarcely fifteen people were present. I approached the bench ; and what, think you, were the intellectual ob- jects upon which my eye alighted ? Tliree Judges . .
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(dl &st toleep! Five barristers/ two of whom were nodding: one was literally addressing the bench. and the remaining two were talking to their clients in the most nnooncemed manner imaginable. The entire efkct, on my mind, was ridiculons in the extreme. With difficulty I refrained from absolute laughter^ and^quitted the Hall of Justice within five minutes of my entrance. Far be it from me, however, to desig- nate the forcing as a generally ti-ue picture of tiie 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 ex- hibit 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 acfuteness of our Giffords, and the rhetoric ttf onr Dsnmans, sometimes instruct and enliven the aur dience, there will be found Judges to ai^ue like Gibbs and to decide like Scott. Farewell. Ere the setting of to-morrow's sun, I shall have gazed upon the famous tapestry at Bayeux. Most cordially yours.
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LETTER XV.
BAYKUX* CATHEDRAL. ORDINATION OF PRIESTS AND DEACONS. CRYPT OF THE CATHEDRAL. A MY8TERI- OUS INTERVIEW*
BtijfeuTj MtMy IG, 181*8.
• Tito of the most gratifying days of my- voyage** have been spent at this place r and^althoi^h the TapM* iry has not yet been absolntely -^^gazed vpon/^ the Ca« Ihedral (the most ancient reli^ous place of worship u| fionnandy) has been paced with a reverential step^ and surveyed with a careful eye; That which scarcdy warmed the blood of Ducarel has made my heart beat ivith an increased action ; and though this town be even dreary, as- well as thinly peopled, there is that about it, which^ from associations of ideas^ can nevw llul to afford a lively interest to a British antiquary.
• Our old favourite method of travelling, in the ci^bri* tilet of the diligence, brought us here from- Caen in About two hours and a half^ The country, during the whole routei is open> well cultivated^ occasionally liently undulating, but generally denuded of trees. It \s always so- in the vicinity of great towns. Many pretty little churches, with delicate spires, peq>ed upon us to the right and left during our journey; but Ihe first view of the Cathedral of Baybux put all tbe ^hers out of our recoUectiott. Yet even this first
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view produced a pish !'* from both of us : which arose from the corrupt style of architecture of the central tower— the upper part of which is of the time of Francis I. This central tower is not only lower than the two spire-crowned towers at the western extremity^ but is, in other respects, a very indifferent piece of building. The end spires are rather lofty than elegant : in tmtk tiiey are, in respect to form and ornament, aboat as sorry performances as can be seen. We were (Mm- veyed to the H6tel de Luxemhourgy the best inn in the town, and for a wonder rather pleasantly situated.
Mine hostess'' is a smart, lively, and direwd woQian v^-perfectly mistress of the art and cr^ of innkjqep- iulf, and seen^ to have never known sorrow or disap* pOintment. Our bed-i-ooms are excellent, and a mXk ooverlld and fringed bed-frimiture gives to my own apartment the aspect of neatness and even of gaifBty^ Knowing that Mr. Stothard, Jim. had, the preceding year, been oqcupied in making a fiEU^-simile of the fiir mous tapestry'' for our own Society of Antiquaries, I en- quired if mine hostess had been acquiunted with that gentleman : Monsieur," replied she, je le connois Med ; c'est un brave homme : il demeura tout pr^ : waaA travailla-t-il comme quatre diables !" I will not ^iik guise that this eulogy of our amiable cocintrymaii pleased me right well" — though I was pretty snie that such language was the current (and to me aome;- what coarse) coin of compliment upon all OGcasioqsrr Imd instead of vin ordinaire" I ordered, rather ip a* gay and triumphant manner, une bouteille dy ¥111 de Beaune"— ''Ah 1 9a," (repUed th^ livdy^aiidbdy^
vous' le (yowvei^ exceUeiM>--Me08ieiuii^ il V^J^ V^
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iHym comme le Tin de Beaune/' We beiqpoke our liuiaer^ and strolled towards the cathedral. . There is^ in fact^ no proper approach to this inter-^ esting edifice. The western end is suffocated with houses. Here stands the post-office ; and with the most unsu^>ecting frankness^ on the part of the owner^ I had permission to examine, with my own hands> within doors, every letter — ^under the expectation that ibere 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 laifpe, and the two, on either side, comparatively smalls Formerly, these were covered with sculptured figures aad ornaments ; but the Calvinists in the sixteenth, and the Revolutionists in the eighteenth century, have coui- trived to render their present aspect mutilated and rer pulnve in the extreme. You should know, however, before you enter, that the tower to the left is coeval with the nave and choir — that is, of the middle of the l^th century ; while the one to the right is of the xvth ixntory. On entering, we were struck with the two hkrge 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. We were disappointed with the interior. It 18 plain, solid, and rather divested of ornament. A very large wooden crucifix is placed over the screen of the i^ir, which has an effect — of its kind : but the monu* :ment8,and mural ornaments, scarcely deserye mention^ The rieUy ornamented arches, on each side of the naive, sprini^ng from massive tingle pillars, have rathar an im-
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pomng eflfect : above them are Gotluc omamentB of a later period^ but too thickly and injadicionsly appBed. The choir is rather fine^ than otherwise ; but taken as a whole, I cannot say much for the interior of thid ca* thedral. Let us, however, suppose that the dinnor m over, and the vin de Beaune*" approved of— and tkat on our second visit, immediately afterwards, there is both time and inclination for a leisurely survey. On k)oking 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 finr the purpose of making bullets during the Revolntioi^-* a fate usually attendant upon poor cathedrals during popular insurrections I The extreme length of the in^ tenor is about 320 English feet, by 76 high, and the ^ latter 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 Bnglish feet in height. The cathedral, in its present format f with the exception of such additions as are evidently of a posterior date) pwes its erection to the munificent spirit of Philip de Harcourt, bishop of the diocese in the middle of the xiith century. The exact date of the completion of the choir, supposed to be the earlier
* in its present form!] — Ducarel*a faithless and diminutiye Tiew of It is only fit for a lady's pocket-book. Nor can I think, without pain, <tf a copy of this defbctiye print having been introduced into the pages of the Gentleman* s Magaxine for July 1819 $ espedallj as the SSd and 64th voluines of that work contain some creditable repesciita* iMN)s of the cathe^nJs, copied from better modeb jio Ducand^ work.
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part, is of the year 1159. But it had been previously twice or thrice rebuilt; by the Normans in 891^* and afterwards, from two successive fires— one in 1046, and the other in 1 106. As you pace the nave you cannot fidl to be struck, on the left, with one of the most magnificent and highly ornamented pulpits in Normandy. Jt has however sufiered from the revolutionary barbarians.
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 ^abore the southern entrance:
€tt Ian mfl quatre cenii $ tiouje '
%t0 1nm0 tu la tent, la fttacntt ^ue la S^quejf fttt (debtee l^oUe $omme $ lletoerettb ^ece ^< 1S^^f He la a?ere
• f The church was dedicated, after the second fire^ by Odo de Covts- viLi4i, the Conqueror's brother: — and William, his wife^ and two chfldren (Robert and William Rufus) were present at the ceremony. Odo lavished upon the church still greater property than "Wlliam had bestowed upon it— and especially the Barony of Plessis. <3e Mlat combla sa nouveUe ^lise de pr^sens. Un des plus r^ooarqui^ Uee^toit la Couronne de cuivre dor 4, couverte de lames d*argent, & at- tach^e k une chaine de fer dans la nef vis-k-vis du crucifix. Cette couronne de 16 pieds de hauteur, et om^ d*autres couronnes en forme de tours, occupoit la largeur de la nef : elle servoit k porter quantity de defges qu*on allumoit dans les grandes ffetes : il y avoit ausd 47 ▼«» iAtins gnm^ tout autour, k la louange de FegliBe.*' JEfiit. Sammmre d$ JtLyUle de Bajfeuxf 1773, Svo. p. 39. This extraordinary omament jf^ dest^ed durui^ the Keli^ous peraec^ . ,
IfiFiftt Venitit a jfon Cvf atntr €t lotjf nt Mffattt la ^late ttMtiaiit la gtanii Glutei bt ^tatt Cnfea I'M la (ajf^e €|apcll( fiHmt il n'atoott ete nrniMKe
8)lni nfttfflc atioic if 0)1 atnt at ttite; SbtKit
Ducssuhel BeemB to have had an aversion^ or at lettt barioflky^ towards crypts ; and accordingly both at Caen and Bayeux he raised his head above tfate inte- ence of subterran^us^ and supposed noxious^ vapoars: bat a good, sniflf 6t these cold and darksome regions is quite refreshing to a thorough-bred architectural anti- quary ! It was my good fortune to idsit this crypt at a very particular juncture. The day after my arrival at Bayeux^ there was a grand ordination. Before I had quitted my bed^ I heard the mellow and measured notes of human voices; and starting up, I saw an id* most interminable procession of priests, deacons, &c, walking singly behind each other, in two lines, leaving a'considerable space between them. They walked bara- headed, 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--^ great number of whom were dia- tmd, in groups, upon the top of the screen, about die
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bage wooden crucifix ;^witBesaiiig the office of ordi* nation going on.below^ in the choir. They 4seemed to be suspended in the air ; and considering the piece of acn^ture around which they appeared, to gather them- selres — ^with the elevation of the screen itself — ^it was a eombination ot objects upon, which the pencil jof Nash (the most poetical of (mv architecture draftsmen) might have been exercised with the happiest possible resdlt. An ordination in a foreign country^ and espe- milly one upon such an apparently extensire scales ims^ to a professional man, not to be slighted ; and ac^ oordingly I determined upon making the most of the qm^tacle before me. Looking accidentally down mf fiHTOorite crypt, I observed that some religious cere^ mumy was going on there. The northern grate, w ^ tonce,. being open, I descended a flight of steps, and qnickly became a lodger in this subterraneous abode; "Pie first object that struck me was, the warm glow of dbjr light which darted upon the broad pink cross of the surplice of an officiating priest : a candle was bttraing upon the altar, on each side of him : another print, in a black vesture, officiated as an assistant-^-* and each, in turn, knelt^ and bowed, and prayed . • to tbe admiration of some few half dozen casual yet b,U tantive visitors — while the full sonorous chant from the voioes of upwards of one hundred and fifty priests and deacons, from the chcnr above, gave a peculiar sort of aolemmty to the mysterious gloom below. In spite of mf abstraction, I did not £bu1, however, to notice tbiit tbe pallani, about half a dozen in number, were of the deuraoter of those in the crypt of the Ahhmfe mut Iktme^ ftt Qmi hnt tl» t9e{>ital of the fiisi piikir^
368:
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upon entering, exhibits almost the perfect Compo^te order ! . • . while the other capitals are,^ generally^ of the grotesque character of the xiith centiuy. Hie arch above them takes its spring immediatriy from the abacns of the capital : producing rather a dngiriar effisct : there is something like painting in finewbjntfc above the capital: but evidently, I should thiak^wof thelatter half of the xvth century.
I now ascended ; and by the help of a chair, took a peep at the ceremony through the intercolummatim» of the choir : my diffidence, or rather apprehensionof n- fiisal, having withheld me f]x>m striving to gain admib* tance within the body. But my situation was asingularfy good one : opposite the altar. I looked, and behekL'^kk vast clerical ccmgregation at times kneeling, or standn^ or sitting : partially, or wholly : while the swdl of their vmces, accompanied by the full intonati<ms of the gan, and the yet more penetrating notes of the serpent^ seemed to breathe more than earthly solramity arouwL The ceremony had now continued full two hoars-^ when, in the midst of the most impressive part of Jt^ and while the young candidates for ordination wem prostrate before the high altar — the diapasoa stop c$ the organ (as at Dieppe) 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, de<» seended, with a measured and majestic step, ftom l3im floor of die altar, and proceeded to the execution of the more mysterious part of his office. The cancfidatcs^ with closed eyes, and outstretched hands^ weretondnd jMi the holy oil — and tlms became caoienatML . Oa
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•ririiig^each received a small piece of bread between the thumb and forefinger^ and the middle and third fingers ; tteir hands being pressed together — and^ still with doted eyes retired behind the high altar — ^where an o&k CMting priest made use of the bread to rub off the holy ojL The bishop is an elderly man, about three score and tm ; he has the usual sallow tint of his countrymen^ but his eye, somewhat sunk or retired, beneath bladE WnL overhanging eyebrows, is sharp and expressive -<^«and his whole mien has the indication of a weUU brad and well-educated gentleman. When he descend** ed with his full robes, crosier, and mitre, from the high altar, methought I saw some of the venerable forms of owWykbhams and WAVNRFLETBsof old — commands iqg the respect, and receiving the homage, of a grate* fbl congregation I You must allow, my dear friend^ thai if there be few ceremonies more imposing, there aure also few more beneficial, than that which I have described ; and that impressions, imbibed in young and honest minds, by such serious offices, are not easily effaced, but are productive in the end of the most sala* tary results. I really do not speak and reason thus because I have partaken of the same ceremony, in a mitigated form, in my owh country— or from any vio^ lent adherence to what may be called a Laud-like pas Am for hierarchy. On the contrary ... but you know my sentiments upon this head so frdly, that, if you pltase, as this ceremony is just ended — ^ we will tfrike »ittroU together to see what else is worthy of observa< tiDD.within this veneraUe cathedraL How provoking «-f«r rathar how disgusting! • At the very momcpi Hqr niiodMdtifly oti^^
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from tfaul ishgfB&SLceat spectacle; t MwHed ittta <^ l4ufy*9 Chapel; behind the choir^ and behdd' ^ AgtA which converted serionsness into snrpiite^llOftlerilij^ uponi mirth. Abore the altar of this reMOIety ^itiiaMd ohapel^ stands the ibcaos of thb Vihoin with tliK^iil^ fint Jesus in ber wms. This is the nsnal -chief oraiP pmrt of Our Lady's Chapd. But whart; dmpery Ibr tM mother of the sacred child I^tiff, starchy rectiriigtlu kiiy^lded white muslin, stuck about with dhreriif artificial flowers — like uato a shew figtire in BtWok Green Fair ! This ridiculous and most disgusting tm^ tome began more particularly ai; Caudd&ec. is if jptrsevered inr Why is it endured? The FVenblt'tuMtf'a quick sensibility, and a lively al|)prehenrioti wfaM is? beautiful and brilliant in the arts of scu^stms PmI painting . . • but the terms ^ jolijr geatik^^* and ^;pp^re,^ arc made use of, like chaiity; te ^^covw^iA Bwdititude of sins'* * . or aberrationsirom true taste :t toarcely stopped a minute in this chapiil,- but proctfeedeA to a side one, to the right, which yet afibtcb procrf^^ its pristine splendour. It is coTcred with goU aid colours. Two or three supplicants 'were kneeling before the crucifix, and appeared to be tso absorbed in thar devotions as to be insensible of every surrounding oV ject. To them, the particular saint (I have forgotten the name) to whom the little chapel was dedicated, seemed to be dearer and more interesting tlum the gCMral voice of praise and thanksgiving^ with wfalA the : choir of the cattiedral resounded. Befbre we q[oii the place you must know that foutlscoK oandit dates were ordadned : that there are;8i3ety cleq^ at- tadMHbto the^hodf^i ; «nd'that vinraiMM ftwh
8S6
4rad< th<ii»aiid sotils anre under the ^pkitaal eogniMace of tlie BiBHC^B OP Baymvx. The treasufes of the Aedral' were once exeeBsive/^ and the episcopal stiptttd pfoportionably large : bnt^ of late years^ thingft^ are ndlf dmnged. The Calvinists in the sixteenth cen^ tivyy be^fan the work of havoc and destraction ; and tiiB Rerolnticmists in the dghteenth, as nsml^ ^|mt tbevcolophon"" to these devastations. At present^ fihom la^tmy respectable source of information, I learn tbtit the ranMnes of thei Bishop scarcely exceed 7001^ annnm if ow own money. The chapter had anciently the j^il^ of coining money. I cannot take leave of the tfathedfal without commending in strong terms of ad-" ttir|tti9o^ the lofty flying buttresses of the exterior of tl»nare. Tbe^perpendicular portions are crowned with sicnlptured whole lengtb %ure, from which the semi- arah takes its spring ; and are in much more elegant iaste tiban ayy other part of the builcKng. While view« ing the exterior, you cannot &il to be struck, in the genaral dearth of monuments^ with the following mjrs-* ttnooB inscri^ion rf*
QuAite dies Ftachft fcwfBt cum
Que iacet hie uetok uoiimiiB exeqidas, Leiitieqne diem magii amisuae dolemuB
Qoam centom tales d caderentuetide.
^i^ere aiioe exemm.]---€ette^;ttae . ..^toilaana^soati^ pfatf ridiea de Franoe en vaaea d*or d'aigeiit> et de piemriea ) em i^ Kqaeaetenornemens. Leprob^yerbalqiiiavoit^ diesa^ detiwlea aea rfekesaea^ en 1476, cootient tm detail qid ▼& presque k YioiBtd**
< i iki^mif9teHomm$cr^>Hm.J—^^ inaeriplioib dontlei kttm aootaMknoB «ttdaeaqii*oaa'«B aerfOil othH ka ^pfciosgnaar aa
356
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Hard by the cathedral stood formerly a magnifibeiA BPI6C0PAL PALACE. Upon this palace the old wvitem (and Bezieres, in particular — whose sensible mannalof the history of the town^ I purchased within two hours after my arrival here) dearly loved to expatiate. Tbera is now however nothing but a good large comfortable fiunily mansion: sufficient for the purposes of such boqritality and entertainment as the episcopal revenues- will afford* I have not only seen, but visited^ this ^iscopal residence. In other words, my fiiend Pierre- Aim6 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 — bade him adieu, with the hope of seeing the Bishop on the morrow — ^to whom he had indeed mentioned my name. Our£EU*ewell was undoubtedly warm and
porte ni date ni nom appeOatif. Quelques uns pr^tencleiit iiu^elle regarde la Maitresu du Due de Narmandie, qvd, an lien d'te« cuteii<ip dans r^lifle^commeelle Tavoit dedr^, fut endav^e^ pour parlor aliin, daoB r^paisaeur du mur de la Tour^ par ordre du cfaafntie. Ne serait- ce point plut6t liobelle de Douvre, maltresse de Robert Cooite de Gloce8tre> batard de Henri I. Roi d*Angleterre« dont naipiit Ricbard, qui malgr^ le ddfeut de sa naissance fut nomm^ Fan 1 133, kTEvMi^ de Bayeux) La date de son Obit au 94 d'Avril indnue, que ce fntle joordeaond^c^s. La femme d^ngn^ dans T^pitaphe moorat agfc> et aux F^tes de Fftques : at F&quea en I'ann^e 1166 tomlMi aatl#.' d*ATriL Ces cpoques paroistent asses s*accorder entr^dles, et Tii^ scription est assur^ent du m^e terns.*' In a note, Bezierea addsy Le Necrologe delaCath^rale en Mi mention en oes temies : Mdie menrii JpriUi, ObUui habellU, mairiM Rkhardi JE^dicofi iqfoc JOU
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iiafiere. He had volunteered a thousand acts of kind- ness towards me without any possible motive of self int^^est; and as he lifted up his right hand^ exckdming
adieu^ pour toujours! — I will not dissemble that I was sensibly affected by the touching manner in which it was uttered . . and Pibrrb Aimi^ Lair shall always claim from me the warmest wishes for his prosperity and happiness. 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 even painful sensations. How was I to 4Be the Library ? — where could I obtain a glimpse of the Tapbstry r — and now, that Kerre Aim6 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 <^ antiquity ?
Thus absorbed in a variety of contending reflec- tions, 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 Bt 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 fitmous Olivibr
VOL. I. Y
858
BAYEUX.
Bassblin, which . . You saw it^ Sir^ at Monnair nuquet*s. It belonged to a common firiend of ns both. He thinks it worth . • He asks ten Unas dor tot % and he shall have them with all my heart." Sir, I know he will never part with it even for that large gum.** I smiled, as he pronounced the word larger — bethinking myself of Atticus, for whose library I had intended it ! Do me the honour. Sir, of vifflting 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 read double the number I possess.*' I thanked the stranger for his polite attention and gracious c^er, 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 Chap- ter Library, and of the famous Tapestry?*' l^ieak 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.
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.
359
LETTER XVI.
VISIT NBAR ST. LOUP. M. PLUQUET^ APOTHECARY AND BOOK-VENDER. VISIT TO THE BISHOP. THE CHAP- TER UBRARY. DESCRIPTION OF THE BAYEUX TAPES- TRY> WITH FAC-SIMILES. TRADE AND MANUFACTURES.
Well^ my good friend ! the stranger has been visited; his library inspected: his services accepted : and his cha- racter partly unfolded. To this I must add^ in the joy of my hearty (as indeed I mentioned slightly in my last) that both the Chapter Library and the famous Tapes- try have been explored and examined in a manner^ I trusty 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-bibliomania- oal and semi-archaeological: and sit down, almost at random, to impart such intelligence as my journal and memory may supply.
The last was almost a purely ecclesiastical dispatch : as I generally first take oflf my cap to the towers and turrets pf 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 St. jAmp. 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
360 BAYEUX.
blossoms exhaling sweets of a yet more pungent fin* grance* 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, be- tween masses of dark clouds, assumed a very imposing and venerable aspect. I should tell you, however, that the obliging Monsieur # * * ♦ • came himself to the Hdtel 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 St. Loup : a perlfect Gothic toy q{ the xiith century — ^with the prettiest, best-proportknied tower that can be imagined. It has a few slight cfan^ tered columns at the iTour angles, but its hdgfat and breadth are truly pigmy. The stone is of a wfaitish grey. We did not enter ; and with difficulty omdd trace our way to examine the exterior through the faigb grass of the church yard, yet Icdd with the heavy rain. What a gem would the pencil of Blorb make of this tiny, ancient, interesting edifice I At length we struck off, down a lane slippery with moisture — when, opening a large swinging gate — hevfi (exclumed our guide) — ^lived and died my father, and here his son hopes to live and die also. Gentlemen, yonder is my hermitage.*" On looking at it,
... I said to myself if there's peace in the world, A heart that is humble might hope for it here.
It was indeed a retirement of the most secluded kind : absolutely surrounded by trees, shrubs, hay-stacks, and corn-stacks — for Monsieur * • • * • hath a &ncy for fiuming as well as fbr reading. The stair-case,
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though constructed of good hard Nonban stone, was much worn in the middle from the frequent tread of half a century. It was also &tiguingly steep, but biekily it was short. We followed our guide to the left^ where, passing through one boudoir-like apaet* ment, strewn with books and papers, and hung with tt'imrcel of mean ornaments called pictures, we en* tend a second — of which portions of the wainscoat were taken away, to shew the books which were de» posited behind. Row after row, and pile upon pile, •thick my wondering eye. Anon, a closet was opened -"T^und there again they were stowed, thick and three- Ibid/* A few small busts, and fractured vases, were meant to grace a table in the centre of the room. 0£ the books, it is but justice to say that rarity had been flBcrificed to utility. There were some excellent^ choice^ oiitical 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 HwAiganfs Hebrew Bibley in four folio volumes, 1712,
do you think this copy dear at fourteen francs T ssuid. he I — " How, Sir,'* (i*eplied I, in an exstacy of as- tonishment)— ^you mean to say fourteen lauis ?** Not at all. Sir. I purchased it at the price jmit men-^ tioned, nor do I think it too dear at that sum,** re- sumed 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, l&bon Dieu I • • •** was his only observation thereupon.
When about to return to the boudoir, through whieh we had. entered^ I observed with mingled, surimae. and
362
BAYEUX.
pleasure, the four prettily executed English prints^ after the drawings of Lady Spencer, called Ntw Shoes,'' — Nice Supper,'' &c. Monsieur ♦ • • ♦ was pleased at my stopping to survey them. Ce sont Uty Monsieur (observed he), les dames qui me font toujours compagnie — nor can you conceive the reatf soft and gentlemanly manner, accompanied by a voice subdued even to sadness of tone, with which he made this, and almost every observation. I founds indeed, from the whole tenor of his discourse, that he had a mind in no ordinary a state of cultivation : and on ob- serving that a great portion of his library was thbolo- -^iCAL, I asked him respecting the general subject 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 deigy- man . . although now I am designated as an ex-Curi* I have lived through the Revolution • • and may have partaken of some of its irregularities, rather, I shooU hope, than of its atrocities. In the general hue-and- cry for reform, I thought that our church was capabk 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 esta- blished clergy of the place do not associate with me ; but I care not a forthing 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 hav- ing a constantly-fixed eye upon me, that I told you I was watched . . when walking near the precincts of the
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eathedral. I had been seeking you during the whole of the office of ordination.** In rq>ly to my question about his archoeological researches, he said he was then occupied in writing a disquisition upon the Bay- emst Tapestry J in which he should prove that the Ahh6 de la Rue was wrong in considering it as a perfonn- aoce of the xiith century. He is your great anti- quarian oracle'* — observed I. He has an over-rated rqratation** — replied he — " and besides, he is too hy- pothetical.** 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 thraiselves, I essayed, but in vain, to survey the sur- rounding country ; and concluded a visit of nearly two hours, in a manner the most gratifying imaginable to himest feelings. A melancholy, mysterious air, seemed yety however, to mark this amiable stranger, which bad not been quite cleared up by the account he bad given of himself. Be assured (said he, at part- ing) that I will see you again, and that every fiEicility ■ball be afforded you in the examination of the Bayeux Tapestry. I have an uncle who is an efficient member of the corporation.**
Never was a solitude more complete, nor were man- ners more mild than those of Monsieur and I returned through the orchard which his father bad planted, with sensations that it would be difficult to describe. On my way homeward, I called again upon M. Pluquet, an apothecary by profession^ but a
364
BAYEUX.
book lover and a book Tender* in hifl beart. The •cene was ratber singular. Below, was bis Pharma- copeia ; above were bis bed-room and books ; with a broken would-be antique or two, in the cotirt^jrard, and in the passage leading thereto. My first visit had been hasty, and only as a wbetter to the second. Yet I contrived to see from a visitor, who was pre* sent, the desirable MS. of the vulgar poetry of Olivibb Basselin, of which I made mention to M. * • Tlie same stranger was again present. We all qoiedy left the drugs below for drugs of a diflferent de- scription above — books being called by the ancients, you know, the " Medicine of the Soul." We mounted into the bed-room. Two birds, in comically- wired cages, were suspended from the cieling, and warbling aloud. A sick child, of three years of age, lay in a crib, by the side of the bed of Monsieur and Madame Pluquet^ — ^the pillows of which were fnnged in a very fonciful manner. Opposite the side of the bed, were some few half dozen shelves, covered with books of all descriptions. M. Pluquet now opened his bibliographical battery upon us. Gentlemen (for M. Lewis was with me) you see, in this room, all the treasures in the world I possess : my wife— -my
* He has ainoe established himself at Faris^ as a bookidier : 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 Gouimont. My ftiendj Mr. Dawson Tnmerj who knew him at Bayeux^ has pordiased hooka of him at Paris.
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i^d— my books—my antiquities.** Here the child moaned somewhat piteously, crying out cher papa, veaez ici but the hard-hearted biliomaniacal iEsou- lapius continued — with a parenthetically pronounced
soyez tranquille, mignon " — Yes, gentlemen, these nrt my treasures. I am enthusiastic, even to mad- ness, in the respective pursuits into which the latter branch out ; but my means are slender — and my aver-^ sion to my business is just about in proportion to my fondness for books. Examine, gentlemen, and try your fortunes.**
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 re- cherchS 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 Bellum grammcUicale of E. Hessus. M. Pluquet wondered at my rejecting the folios, and sticking so closely to the duodecimos ; but bad he shewn roe a good Ferard Romance or Eustace Proissart^ 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 ani- mated conversation on all sides : rendered more noisy by the notes of the canaries, (who raised their voices as we raised ours) and the squalling of the sick child^ who necessarily in turn became more clamorous as papa and mama refused to listen to its cries. M.
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Pluquet told me at parting that M. * * * had requested his uncle to facilitate our researches respecting the Chapter Library, and the Tapestry : that he had him*- self spoken to the adjoint of the mayor respecting the former, and that the Abb6 F^tit had been solicit- ed to promote my wishes in regard to the latter. Upon the whole, this was one of the most yariouriy and satisfactorily spent days of my *^ voyage biUio- graphique.''
On the morrow, the mysterious and amiable M. • • * was with me betimes. He said he had brought a basket of books, 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 we had had not only a peep at the Tapestry, but Mr. Lewis had obtained pmnission to make a fec-simile of such portion of it as I might deem necessary for any par- ticular object in view. I had been introduced to the mayor, who is chief magistrate for life : a very Caesar in miniature. He received me stiffly, and appeared at first rather a priggish sort of a gentleman ; observ- ing that my countryman, Mr. Stothard,* had been
* Mr. Stothard, Jun. This gentleman has completely finished his lAboiurs> in a manner which reflects equal credit upon the Societj of Antiquaries^ at whose expense his mission was performed^ and upon himself. His own account of the tapestry may be seen in the xxxth tolume of the Archsologia. It is brief, perspicuous, and satis&c- tory. His fac-simile is one half the size of the original 5 executed with great neatness and fidelity ; but probably the touches are a UiUe too artist-like or masterly. This invaluable drawing wiU be engraved and published by the same Society.
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afready 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 anotter English artist to make a fiEU^-simile of a diflferent de- scription, from a very small portion only/* Permis- skm was then granted — the Tapestry unrolled — and down sat, or stood, or stooped, my graphic companion to commence and conclude his labours. Let us leave him awhile, hard at work, and continue the hooh-nar^ ratwe.
In our way to M. ♦ * * **s friend, I called with him at the Abb^*s, with a view to get a sight of the Chapter Library. He was from home, but would re- turn in an hour. I then attacked the aforesaid basket — ruot of apples, or of flowers, but — of haohs : and from a few unimportant articles I selected a loose uncut (mark that !) copy of the Petit Bernards Ovid*s Meta- morphoses*, of which the generous Stranger begged my acceptance. What a pretty thing will Charles Lewis (thought I to myself) make of this book!** and so sapng I slipt it gradually, but in the face of all present, (mark that also!) into my large inner pocket. Meanwhile a young paysanne^ of the superior ordw, arrived with her cher ami ; who carried a gay china cup in one hand, and a slender cane in the other. Droll accompaniment! She had averytower- ing^^cauchoise ; and as it was market-day, was dressed in her best. A fourth gentleman next arrived; another friend of M. * * ♦ ♦'s. He had brought a
* (kmsultthe MtUogrophical Decameron toL l.p. 181-8.
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hd exemplaire*' of a Latin Testameni in a silk haiid-^ kerchief, and would I do him the &Yoar to accept* i»r I was absolutely "p6n6tr6.*' This foUowedits precursor into the self-same inner pocket. It was bound in blue morocco, and the outside decoration pttt me in mind of Count Hoym — simply because the arms of that distinguished Bibliomaniac were upon the coyer.
The little book-assembly broke up, and the Stranger again accompanied me to the Abb6. Mofethan^afB* hour had clasped — but the Ahh€ was still invisibld*. The maid smiled as I repeated the question of his being at home, and I thought I saw the head of it' man peeping through the blinds of the parlour. Yotf shall quickly know why I am thus particular. This will never do, said I to my amiable companion : we will go at once to the Bishop.'* ^^Say not toe;** lie- replied. If you take me there, you will never obtain the object you have in view. Besides, lam an excom- municated man. . added he, smiling. He left me, to return with his basket of books under his arm to his beloved hermitage ; promising to see me once again be« fore my departure. I then went boldly towards the epis^ copal palace, and wrote a note in pencil to theBidiop 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 ottH at three? It seemed an age to that hour; but at lei^h three o'clock came, and I was punctual to the milDUte. The recollection of a certain library attached to one of the most venerable and most magnificent of the cathedrals of our own countiy — and of which the
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curators have always shewn a most liberal sense of its management^ as well as a just appreciation of its trea^ sores — has always inlBiamed my curiosity to take ar peep at C^aptft MStuoi^f wherever situated. I was immediately admitted into the premises, and even the htge mastiff seemed to know that I was not an un- expected visitor— for he neither growled, nor betrayed any symptoms of uneasiness. In my way to the bxl^ dience chamber I saw the crosier and robes which the Bishop had worn the preceding day, at the ceremony oi ordination, lying picturesquely upon the table : a good vignette (thought I to myself) for a history of the cathedral. The audience chamber was rather an d^nt one, 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 Monseignsur l*£vBQUB. 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 ttgnificant manner. The flush of good cheer was ▼ifttble in their countenances — but for their Diocesan, I must say that he is yet more interesting upon a fiuniliar view. He wore a close purple dress, but- toned down the middle from top to bottom. A cross hmng 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 hq)e that I was eq<ially prud^t and brief in the
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q>ecificatioii of the object I had in view. My retjiiest itbs as promptly as it was courteously granted. Yea wiD excuse my attending you in person ; (said the Bishop) but I will instantly send for the Abb£ F^tit^ who is cor librarian ; and who will have nothing to do but to wuit upon you, and fiEicilitate your researches." He then dispatched a messenger for the reluctant LitmriaBi and b^n a familiar chat respecting the sitnatkm and number of my Cures^' — ^the answer to which of eoorse did not require a catalogue raimmU. At tiie mention of this Abb6 F^tit, I pricked up my eai8~ but I had now only to thank the Bishop for his poUte* ness, and to wish him a good day. The Abb6 F^lit quickly arrived with two more, who came trotting after him — and enlivened by the jingling music of the library keys^ which were dangling from the Abb6*8 fingers, I quickened my steps towards the Chapter library.
: But I was resolved to catechise this said Abb6 for his indvility in not admitting me into his house after two repeated calls. While therefore we were posting thrbugh the transepts of the cathedral, or rather just as we had gained a confined passage, aft;er turning the key upon the north transept door, I began to prepare my string of interrogatories. My first question was perfectly a home thrust : Je vous dirai (replied he, very readily— just as the key of the Library door had been admitted into the wards of the lock, and looking at me at the same time rather archly, over his rig^t shoulder) je vous dirai pourquoi je ne vous ai pas admis chez moi, pour causer touchant la bibUoth^ue. ^'6toit parce que j*ai bien apper^u que voire com*
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pagnon n*4toit pas Fhamme pour nous.** The reool- lection of the conversation near the cathedral^ the preceding day — as well as the whole conduct of M * * — immediately came across me . . and I asked no more questions. But the Ahh€ complaisantly, and even jocosely, added — " comme vons Stes bien avec Mon-i- seigneur L*£v6que, vous verrez tout ce qu*il vous font. Ah 9a, montons!'* This addition"* — ^together with a certain unaccountable magnetic influence, arising, I make no doubt, from the properties of the /uirni' iure above stairs*— entirely subdued all irritabilities, and I mounted a good deal quicker than my com* panions.
We were no sooner, all four, 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 6000 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 coimtry, conveyed their libraries to the Chapter-house, as a protection against private pillage. Well ! in that same Chi^ter-house, the books, thus collected, were piled one upon another, in layers, flat upon the flow — reaching absolutely to the deling . . . 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
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musket balls^ and they anroofed the chapter-house; / with their usual dexterity. Down came the rain upon^
the poor books^ in consequence ; and when M. Moy- sant 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 abso-. lutely 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 therefrom, was intolerable. For a lull fort- night every door and window was left open for venti- lation, ere M. Moysant could begin his work of selec- tion. He selected about 5000 volumes only ; but the infuriated Revolutionists, on his departure, wantonly plundered and destroyed a prodigious number of the remainder • . et cnfin (concluded he) vous voyev. Monsieur, ce qu'ils nous out laiss^.** — ^You will give me credit for having listened to every word of such a tale.
The present library, which is on the first floor, is apparently about twenty-five feet square. But what, think you, was the first curiosity which the Abb4 F^tit jdarted upon to shew me ? The Contes de la Fontaine in four folio volumes — as common a work (I had al- most said) as a penny roll. My cicerone was astonish- ed on hearing of its frequent occurrence with us ; — but I hastened to dispense with his services — ^under the more courteous toumure de phrase of giving him no fur- ther trouble, and began to cater for myself. On. re- marking that, of the jicta Sanctorum^ they had only 20 volumes, — it is complete nevertheless,** was. the reply I A good sample of fitness for the pffice of Head
liftirariaii/ f had not yet met with a diDgle copy of Hie Pohfglat Bible of Cardinal JGmeneSj and of course wil8 not mnch disappointed at finding it wanting here. Of Le Jajfs Polyglot there was, as nsual^ a very desi- rAble copy. The Abb6 made me observe the Xlllth. i^nme of the Gallia Christianay* in boards, remark- kig that it was of excessive rarity i* but I doubt this. On shewing me the famous volume of Sanctius or San-- ehez de Matrimonio SacramentariOy 1607, folio, the Abhi observed — that the author wrote it, standing with his bare feet upon marble.** I was well pleased with a vastly pretty illuminated ms. Missaly in a large thick quarto volume, with borders and pictures in good condition ; but did not fail to commend right hear- tily the proper bibliomaniacal spirit of M. F^tit in ha;ving reserved (or kept concealed) the second volume of Gering^s Latin Bible — 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 Y<dume, but this second is cruelly imperfect — contiun- ing about a dozen blank leaves to supply the place of those which were wanting. It is otherwise a fair copy. ITiere are scarcely any classics, and not three of the tvth century. Upon the whole, although it is almost a matter of conscienccy 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 Gallia CAmiknur.J^A complete copy is of excesaiy^ rarity our own country, but not bo abroad. It is yet^ however, an imperfBCl wdfk.
VOL. !• Z
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the collection under consideration is hardly worthy cf a second visit : and accordingly I took both a first aoda final view of it. The Ahh€ F^tit gsdned upon me madi before I took my leave. To say the truth, he is not only very good-looking, but very civil, and even isMr tious in his manner of shewing the book-lions. Why does an unchristian-like spirit of prejudice, in religMm matters, turn the milk of human nature into gall ?
From the Cliapter I went to the Coulbgb Librabt. In other words, there is a fine public school, orLyce£, or college, where a gi*eat number of lads and young men are educated according to art.*' The buildiiig is extensive and well-situated : the play-ground is large and commodious ; and there is a well-cultivated gar- den tempting with forbidden fruit.** Into this gar- den I strolled in search of the President of the College, who was not within doors. I found lum in company with some of the masters, and with several young men either playing, or about to play, at skittles. On com- municating 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 quelque chose ; maintenant, ce n*est qu*un amas de livres tth 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 por- tion was in vellum bindings, in wretched condition. Here was Jaj/s Polyglot^ and the matrimonial Sane- tins again! There was a very respectable sprink- ling of Spanish and French Dictionaries ; some few not
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WlMlljniidtskfMe Aldoses ; and the rare Lonvain edi tiM dt Sir Th&mas More's Works, printed iti 1566, fcK Mdw^ I too with horror-mingled regret, a frightfuUy imperfect copy of the Service of Bdyeu^ Cathedraly printed in the Gothic letter, upon vbllum. But the great cariosity is a small brass or bronze crucifix, aboiit nine inches high, standing upon the mantle- piece ; 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 tbe 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 enmination of the books.
Now then, my friend, it is high time that you should be introduced in proper form to the famous Bayei^x l^APasTRT. Let us leave, therefore, paper and print- ing, for linen and needle-work. It is unnecessary to communicate the hundred little things which oc- curred till Mr. Lewis had finished his laborious task,
• ike rare Lowain edition of Sir Thofnat More*t Works, &c.] —There iMnre been bibliographers^ and there are yet knowing book-coUecton, who covet this editk>n in preference to the Leipsic impression of SirT. More*8 Works of 1 698 ; in folio. But this must proceed from sheer ob- stinacy or rather^ perhaps, from ignorance that the latter edition con- tains the Utopia — whereas in the former it is imaccountably omitted to be vquinfeed— which ftmigfathave been^ from various previous editions*
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after an iq)plicatioii of six or dght honrs^ for two tiic^ cessive momiDgfiu His labours are at an end, and they have been thoroughly successfuL I hope to carry with me, throughout France and Germany, this most maryellous fac-simile — stitch for stitch^ colour for co^ loiu*, size for size. Not that I would be understood to ujQder-rate the previous labours of Mr. Stothard, which are in truth equally admirable— only that they are of a different nature, and upon a more extensive scale. Know then, in as few words as possible, that this cele- brated piece of Tapestry represents chiefly the Invasion OF England by William the Conqueror, and the subsequent d^ath of Hait>ld at the battle of Hasr tings. It measoiea abpot S14 English feet in length, by about nineteen inchHiii width ; and is supposed to have been woiked under ^ particnlar superinten- danceand direction of Matilda» 4kit irifii of tiieCion- queror. It was formerly exclusively kept and exhi- bited 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. TTiere is indeed every reason to consider it as on^ of the most valuable historical monuments, which France possesses. . It has also given rise to a gnat deal of archaeological discus^ i^ion. Montfoucon, Ducarel, and De La Rue, have come forward successively — ^but more especially the first and last : and Monkfoucon in particular has fiir voured the world with, oopper-^late representations of the whole. There are in fact several series of plates of portions of this needle-work ; but all those which I have seen are lamentably defective. Montfaucon's plates are generally much too small : and the more enlarged
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are too ornamental. It is right, first of all, that you should have an idea how this piece of tapestry is pre- served, or rolled up. You see it here, therefore, pre- cisely as it appears after the person who shews it takes off the cloth with which it is usually covered.
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A female unrolls and explains it to yoa. The first portion of the needle^work, representing the embassj of Harold, from Edward the Conf(^or to William Duke of Normandy, is comparatively much defeeed:-^ that is to say, the stitches are worn iaway^ and little more than the ground, or fine close linen cloth, remains. It is not far from the be^nning — and where the colour is fresh, and the stitches are, comparatively, preserved — that you see the Portrait of Harold which accom- panies this letter,* Nothing can be more true to the original.
* See the Opposite Plats. In the original, this figure, which is upon horseback, is thus introduced — with the attendant pursohrants and dogs : but great liberties, as a nice eye will readily discern— eren upon this reduced scale — ^have been taken, when compared with the opposite fac-simile. The ensuing is a mere copy of the smaller suite from MontflEuicon } also in outline.
0
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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 jiesh are left untouched by the needle. I obtained a few straggling shreds of the worsted 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 de- cayed 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 pro- portions of the figures, are executed with this feeling : witness the following representation of one of the messengers of William.
I admit that this is a mere copy of Montfaucon*s plate, and that, compared with the original, it is too sharp and brilliant — ^but you can hence judge pretty
880
accurately of the general character the origitaal. You may possibly like to have a further speoiiiieii or two : first of the Shipping , and secondly of the Arckitec- ture. Take th^^ and admit that they are very cniioas and very interesting performances of the age.
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: You will bbserve that, both at top and at bottom of the principal subject, there is a running allegorical ornament ;* of which I will not incur the presumption to suppose myself a successful interpreter. The constel-' lations, and the symbols of agriculture and of rural oc- cupation, form the chief subjects of this running orna- ment. All the inscriptions, as you have them above, are executed in capital letters of about an inch in length ; and upon the whole, whether this extraordinary and in- valuable relic be of the latter end of the xith,or of the banning or middle of the xiith century^ seems to me a
* a running allegorical ornament,'] — Something similar may be seen Doand the border of the baptismal vase of St. Louis, in Millin*s Antp- qmUt Naiionales. A part of the border in the Tapestry is a represen- tation of subjects from ^sop*s Fables.
f be of the latter end of the Xlth or of 4he beginning or middle of the Xllih century] — Of a monument^ which has been pronounced by one of our ablest antiquaries to be The noblest in the world relat- uie TO OUR OLD English History,*' (See Stukely's PaUtog, Britan, Number XI. 1746, 4to. p. 2-3) it may be expected that some archaeo- logical discussion should be here subjoined. Yet I am free to confess that, after the essays of Messrs. Gumey> Stothard, and Amyott> (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 XlXth vcdumes of the Archaeologia. The Abb^ de la Rue contended that this Tapestry was worked in the time of the second Matilda, or the Empress Hand, which would bring it to the earlier part of the xiith. centurjr. The antiquaries above mentioned contend, with greater probability, that it is a performance of the period which it professes to commemo- rate ; 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 WiUiam* This latter therefore brings it to the period of about 1066|t to 1088 — so that, after all, the di£Ference of opinion is
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matter of rather secondary consideration. Tbat it ik at once (boiTowing a word out of the bibliomaniacal to^:
only Aether this Tapestrj be fiftyyean Mat, or younger Uma th^ lespective advocate contend.
Mr. Gurney^s Essay is chiefly occupied by the IntcriptianM and St/A* iecU** These are faithfully specified ; as are the engravings of a few of the subjects to be seen on the banners. Mr. Gumey justly observes that " the prints we have of it, are very insufficient to convey any accurate idea*' of the original. He further calls the perfonoaiioi f an apologetical history of the claims of William to the Crown of England, and of the breach of faith and fall of Harold) and that it li a perfect and finished action/' Archsologia : voL xviii. p. d59.<-4lfr. Charles Stothard has an observation worth extracting. On coming (myB he) to that part of the tapestry where Harold is priscmer In the hands of Guy Earl of Ponthten, a most singular custom first preaents itself in the persons of Duke William, Guy, and thehr people ; not only are their upper lips shaven, but nearly the whole of their heads, excepting a portion of hair left in front. It is from the striking con- trast which these figures fbnn with the messenger who is croiicl&^ before William, that it is evident he is a Saxon, and probably dis* patched from Harold. It is a curious circumstance in favour of tiie great antiquity of the Tapestry, that time has, I believe, handed down to UB no other representation of this most singular fashion, and itappears to throw new light on a fact, which has perhaps been mimmderstood: the report made by Harold*s spies, that the Normans were an army of priests, is well known. I should conjecture, from what appears in the tapestry, that their resemblance to priests did not so much arise fmn the upper lip being shaven, as from the circumstance of the complete tonsure of the back part of the head. The following pas- sage seems to confirm this coiyecture, and at the same time to prove the truth of the tapestry :
Un des Engles que ot veus, To8 les Normans res et tondus Cuida que tot provoire feussent Et que messes eaater peussent
LeRmm^ Rmt,f6L2SjL
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cabidarjr) unique and important^ must be considered as a pootion to be neither doubted nor denied. It is at once
• How (oontinuefl Mr. StoChard) are we to reconcile these fiicts with ft conjecture that the tapestry might have been executed in the time of Ckury the Erst, when we are well assured that during the reign of UMit king the hair was wom so long, that it excited the anathemas of iiw ehurch Y* Archteologia ; vol. xix. p. 184, &c.
But the most copious, particular, and in my humble judgment the most satisfiurtory, disquisition upon the date of this singular historical monument, is entitled Defence of the early AnOquiiff of the Boffem Tapestry,"* by Thomas Amyott, Esq. immediately following Mr. Slo^ ttard*s communication, in the work just referred to. it is at direct issue ^rith all the hypotheses of the Ahbi de la Rue, and in my opinion the le^ fohsare triumphantly established. Whether the Normans or theEngUth worked it, is perfectly a secondary consideration. The chief objections^ lilben by the Abb^, against its being a production of the xith century, eonsists 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 anni- hilated, 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 Wace upon the 8ubject,*»-who wrote his metrical histories nearly a cen* tarj after the Tapestry is supposed to have been executed." The latter is chiefly insisted upon by the learned Abb^; who, which erer diampion come off victorious in this archoeological warfiure, must •t any rate receive the best thanks of the antiquary for the methodical sod erudite manner in which he has conducted his attacks.
At the first blush itcannot fail to strike us that the Abb^ de la Rue's positions are bW of a negative character; and that, accordingto the strict ndes of logic, it must not be admitted, that because such and such writers have not noticed a circumstance, therefore that drcumstam^ or event cannot have taken place. The first two grounds of objection have, I think, been fairly set aside by Mr. Amyott. As to the third olgection, Mr. A. remarks — But it seems that Wace has not only n6t quoted the tapestry, but has varied fimn it in a manner which {AOfes that he had never seen it. The instances given of thiaTariatiim
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an exceedingly curious document of the conjugal attach- ment, and even enthusiastic yeneration^ of MatHiDa^
tfe» bowerer, a little unfiNrtanate. The first of them is yery ndanpor- taiit» for the difference merely consists in placing a figure at the iierm instead of the prow of a ship^ and in giving him a bow instead of.a trumpet. From an authority quoted by theAbb^ himself, it appean thatj with regard to this latter fiict, the Tapestry was rights and Wace was wrong : and thus an argument is unintentionally furnished in fimmr of the superior antiquity of the Ti^^estiy. The second instance of Tariation, namely, that relating to Taillefer's sword, may be easily dismissed ; since, after all, it now appears, from Mr. Stothard*s ezami- Mtion that neither Taillefer nor his sword is to be (bund in the Ti^wstry,*' &c. But it is chiefly from the names of JSlfgtta and Wa* oaan, inscribed over some of the figures, that I apprehend the oondu* sioQ in &vour of the Tapestry's being nearly a contemporaneous pioduction, may be safely drawn.
It is quite dear that these names belong to perstms living when the work was in progress, or within the recollection of the woricers, and that they were attached to persons of some particular note or celebrity^ or rather pertiaps of local importance. An eye-witness, or a con- temporary only would have introduced them. They would not have lived in the memory of a person, whether mechanic or historian> whd lived a centunf after the event. No antiquary has yet fieurly approt priated these names, and more especially the second. It follows therefore that they would not have been introduced had they not beea in existence at the time ; and in confirmation of that of Wadakd, it seems that Mr. Henry Ellis (Secretary of the Society of Antiquaries^
confirmed Mr. Amyott*s conjecture on that subject, by the references with which he furnished him to Domesday^ Book, where his name occurs in no less than six counties, as holding lands of laige extent under Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, the tenant in capite of those propertiss ftom the crown. That he was not a guard or centinel, as the Abb^ de la Rue supposes, but that he held an office of rank in the household of either William or Odo, seems now decided beyond a doubt.** Mr Amyott thus spiritedly concludes alluding to the successful comple- tkm of Mr. Stothard's ciopy cif the entire original ndi.— Yet if the
BAYBUX.
and a political record of more weight tlian may. at first fligbt appear to belong to it. I suspect that^in paiatiDg as well as in poetry, a little fiction is mixed up with the truth ; but taking it altogether none but itsdf
Baybux TAFBtsTRT be not history of the first class, it is perhaps some- ttdog better. It exhibits general traits, elsewhere sought in vain, of the costume and manners of that age^ which, of all others, if we ei^- cept 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*' . . .
Most sincerely therefore do I congratulate the Society on possessing a fiiithful and elegant copy of this matchless relic, affording at once a testimonial of the taste and liberality of our Council, and of the dili- gence and skill of our artist/'
Mr. Amyott has subjoined a delightful specimen of his own poetiod powers in describing " the Minstrel Taillepbr's achievements,'* fai die battle of Hastings, from the old Norman lays of Gaimar and Wao^. lam hfilf tempted to subjoin it ; but can ofnly find room for the first few verses. The poem is entitled.
The Onset of Taillsfkr.
Foremost in the bands of France, ArmM vrith hauberk and vrith lance. And helmet glittering in the air. As if a warrior knight he were, Rush'd forth the Minstrel Taillbfbr Borne on his courser swift and strong.
He gaily bounded o'er the plain. And raised the heart-inspiring song (Loud echoed by the warlike throng)
Of Roland and of Charlemagne, Of Oliver, brave peer of old.
Untaught to fly, unknown to yield. And many a Knight and Vassal bokl, Wh^se hallowed blood, in crimson flood.
Dyed /iMKrm//^ field.
986
BAYEUX.
loan be its pamllel.^ I have learnt^ evm here^ c(f what importance this tapestry*roli was considered in the time of Buonaparte's threatened invasion of oinr coahtry : and that, either after, or befon^ displaying it at Paris for two or three months, to awaken the curio- sity and excite the love of conquest among the dti-^ sens, it was conveyed to one or two sea-port townsi and exhibited upon the stage as a most important nm- iiriel in dramatic effect. Whether, at such a sight, the soldiers shouted — and, drawing their glittering swords.
Clashed on their sounding shields the din of war,
•--confident of a second representation of the same subject, by a second subjugation of our country — ^isa point which has not been exactly detailed to me ! But the supposition may not be considered very violent^ when I inform you that I was told, by a casual Frbnch visitor of the Tapestry, that — *^ pour cela, si Bonaparte avoit eu le courage, le r^sultat auroit ^t6 comme autre- fois." Matters however have taken rather a different turn ; and instead of all the notable duchesses and countesses of Paris,* sitting down to display the pro- gress and the prowess of their needles, to commemorate
* M. Denon told me, in one of my visits to him at Paris, that by the commands of Bonaparte, he was chai^ged with the custody of this Tapestry for three months : that it was displayed in due form and cere- mony in the Museum and that after having taken a hasty sketch of it, (which he admitted could not be considered as very faithful) he le- torned it to Bayeux— as it was considered to be the peculiar property of that place.
BAYEUX
« aeoond conquest of the same country by a seoond tapestry roU — I would advise tbon^ as a sabject for a reverse to the present, to embody, in suitable stitches and tints, the poor solitary intended pillar of nraiuifPH upon the heights near Boulogne, with the rotting gun-boats and deserted corvettes, in picturesque groups around ! . . . and instead of Caesar's memoraUe threo-worded designation of victory, to substitute a motto a little more lengthy, but not quite so pleasant:
" VOLUI SBD NON POTUI.**
And now, my dear friend, I think you have had a pretty good share of Bayeux intelligence ; only that I ought not to close my despatches mthout a word or two relating to habits, manners, trade, and population. This will scarcely occupy a page. The men and wimea here are thoroughly Norman. Stout bodies, plump countenances, wooden shoes, and the caucb<nse— evento eKceedingly tall copies of the latter ! The pppulatioii may run hard apon ten thousand. The chief articles of commerce arc butter and lace. 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 P^uis — and is shipped in large quantities for the coUk nies. They have made as much as 120,0001b. weight each season; but Isigny, a neighbouring viUage, is rather the chief place for its production. The other sort of butter, which is eaten by the common pec^le, and which in fact is made throughout the whole of Lower Normandy, (the very butter, in short, in which the huge alase was floating in the. pot of the lively
38B
BAYEUX.
coifiin^re at Dnchdr*) is also chiefly made at hig^f; but instead of a delicate tint, and a fine flavour, it is very mnch the contrary : and the mode of middng and transporting it accords with its qualities. It k saked, and packed in lai^ pots, and even barrels, fior the sake of exportation ; and not less than 50,0001b. iragfat is made each week. The whole profit arising fimn 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 lace, there are scarcely fewer than three thousand females constantly employed ia the manu&cture of that article.
With respect to agricultural pursuits, in the vicinity of Bayeux, it may be fitting that you should know that lime is a most important article of profit* It hi used equally for manure and for building. The softer Hme is appropriated to the former, the harder to the latter purpose ; and both sorts are burnt either with wood or coal. The kilns, where coal is used, are built of a conical form, of which the interior is about five, and the exterior about fourteen, French feet in diameter: the depth is about eighteen feet. Each kiln at a working consumes about two hundred bushels of coal. The other kilns are nearly of the same depth, and always of the same diameter. Without reckoning those who are em- ployed in hewing and drawing the stone, each kiln employs twenty men, and it is filled about one hundred times in the course of the year, yielding about seventy- five tons of lime in the same period. One hundred weight of lime is sold for about one franc and a half:
• ^ See page 194. ante.
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3»
a treasure^ wluch, if obtainable at the same price in our own country^ would make the farmers jump for joy.
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 sin^ng—overaprettypieceof 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 sin^ng a French air, perfectly characteristic of the taste of his country. The title and song were thus:
TOUJOURS. TwjJovMB, ioiyoun, je te serai fiddle ; Disait Adolphe k chaque instant du jour ; Toijyours, totyours je t'aimenti^ ma belle> Je veux le dire aux ^chos d*alentour Je graverai surl'^rce d'un h^tre, €e doux serment que le dieu des amours, Vient me dieter, en me fkisant connaitrej Que mon bonheur est de t'aimer toujours. Bit.
Toujours, toiyours, lui r^pondit Ad^le,
Tu r^neras dans le fond de mon coeur ;
Tovyours, toujours, com me une tourtereUe,
Je promets bien t*aimer avec ardeur^
Je pense k toi quand le soleil se Vbve, . t ■ ,
J*y pense encore k la fin de son cours ;
Dans le sommeil si quelquefois je rive,
C*e8t au bonheur de te<^rirCoii(jom. *^''
aoo:
BAYEUX;
Feia robiiet de mes pins tendres vceuz^ Toi^jours, toiyours, je garderai loin d'dle Le souvenir de sea traits radieux. Dans ses beaux yeux V^us a son empire, Sa douce voix commande les amours ; Un baiser d'elle, excitant k d^lire. Me fidt jurer de la chMr Unyours.
The craft he exercised is now lost^ as a distinct branch of business, in our own coantry. 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 fovourable reception, by purchasing the little ornament upon which he was at work — for a na- poleon : and this ornament, if I can manage well, shall be transported to England as soon as I reach P^ris. I followed the nimble mechanic (ci-devant a soldier in Bonaparte's campaigns, from whence he dated the losr of his finger) through a variety of intricate passages below and up stairs ; and saw, above, several excel- lently 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 represen- tations of Cupids, sheep, bows and arrows, and all the various emblemata 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 th&ak- selves 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.
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391
Nowfiu% you well. To have seen the Bayeux Tapb^- TRY is a requital for all my sufferings at sea^ and all my tours and detours by land. But^ in other respects, this is a town well deserving of greater antiquarian re- search than appears to have been bestowed upon it ; and I cannot help thinking that its ancient ecclesias- tical history is more interesting than is generally ima- gined. Informer days the discipline and influence of its .See seem to have been felt and acknowledged through- out nearly the whole of Normandy. Agsdn adieu. In imagpination/ the spires of Coutancbs Cathbdral beg^n to peep in the horizon. First, however, for St. Lo.
VOL. I.
A a
393
LETTER XVIL
BAYEUX TO C0UTANCE8. ST. LO. ADVENTURE AT ST. GILLBS. THE CATHEDRAL OF C0UTANCB8. ENVI- RONS. AQUEDUCT. MARKET-DAY. PUBLIC LIBRARY. ESTABLISHMENT FOR THE CLERGY.
I SEND you this despatch close to the very Cathe- dral, 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 we have experienced on this side the Seine. We have seen something like undulating pasture-lands, wooded hills, meandering streams, and well-peopled villages ; and an air of gaiety and of cheerfulness, as well as the charm of picturesque beauty, has accompanied us from one cathedral to the other.
We left the Hdtel de Luxembaurgy at Bayeux, in a hired cabriolet with a pair of horses^ about five in the afternoon, pushing on, at a smart trot, for Sr. Lo: which latter place we entered by moon-light. It was delightful to witness the gradual decay of day, as we passed through the extended forest of Cermf ; now in full luxuriance of foliage. The road, as usual, was broad and bold, and at times undulating; flanked by beech, elm, and fir. As I just observed to you, we entered St. Lo by moon-light : the double towers
ST. LO.
393
of the great cathedral-like looking church, having a grand and even romantic effect, as we approached the town. An old castle, or rather a mere round- tower relic of one, appeared to the left, upon entering it. We passed 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 pur- suing our winding route, we at length stopped at the door of the principal hdtel — au Grand Coij ! We laughed heartily when we heard its name ; for with the strictest adherence to truth the adjective ought to have been petit ! It was one of the dingiest and smallest at which we had yet stopped ; a degree only superior to that of which such honourable mention was made in the account of Caudebec*
However, we were shewn up stairs ; and the best front bed rooms were assigned to us. They were tole- rably large. The beds seemed to be in good order, and the coffee, with which we were quickly served, proved to be excellent. We strolled out, on a reconnoissance, about half-past nine ; but owing to th^ deep shadows from the moon, arising from the narrowness of the streets, we could make out nothing satisfactory of the locale. The church, however, promised a rich treat on the morrow. As soon as that morrow came, Mr. Lewis sprang mth his accustomed alertness from his bed, and betook himself to the occupations of his pencil. It was Sunday morning. The square, before the
* See page 206, ante.
1
394 BAYEUX TO COUTANCES.
west front of the church, was the rendezvous both of townsmen and countryfolks. How was I defighted and surprised, when, on his returning to break- fast, he exhibited a sketch,— of which you have here the finished picture! It is a charlatan vending powder for the effectual polishing of metals. He has just beaten his dram, which you see by the side of him, in order to collect his audience ; and having got a good assemblage, is full of the virtues of his wares — ^which are pronounced to be also equally efficacious for colmplaints in the stomach r
ST. LO.
305
This man had been preceded^ in the situation which he occupied, by a rival vendor, upon horseback, with powders to kill rats. The latter stood upon the same eminence, wearing a hat, jacket, and trowsers, all white — ^upon which were panted hlack rats 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 exact portraits of those which had been destroyed by means of his powders ! This, too, on a Sunday morning. But remember Dieppe.* For a wonder, I had risen time enough to take a turn before breakfast; when I paid my respects to the Cur^^ or minister of the church, in order to make enquiries about a Chapter Library. For the first time, since I trod upon GalBc ground, I found a clean, well-dressed, closely shiivm, and respectable looking clergyman, of a Sunday i^imiiiig. Note well, he had resSded several years in £nglaiid as an emigrS. Such is th» force of habit. He M0eived and treated me with that chrility whidi one ideman should always shew to amlber ; and thoagh ^library, guch as I enquired after^ was in existr %y I had reason to be well satisfied with my yisii. the residMM 4>f the Cur6, (still before bveak&st) nut the pitfect, or chief superintetodant, df ihife Bfttel de Ville, in order to ezamuw the public U- brary there. Although he was not al home, an entire i^t ranger, and acddental looker on, told me he would me where the key oonU be readily pto^ kn, equaHy gratified and surprised at this po- Hte oflfer, I accepted it, and followed my man'' down
* See page 90, ante.
396 BAYEUX TO C0UTANCE8.
one street and ap another ; till, having obtained the wished-for keys, I was shewn, by a second stranger, the library in question.
It is certainly a most unostentatlons affidr^ A room, scarcely seventeen feet square, contains the library at- tached to the H6tel de Ville. Here I saw confiunon of every description. Imperfect duplicates ; piled up volumes of obsolete divinity, and neglected canon-law. Two copies of Le Jai/s Polyglot Bible had a singular i^pearance in this straitened collection : but there was nothing exactly to my palate (hungry as I then was) saving an early Boecius, a good copy oi Aldoses Qtem- tUian of 1514, and a black letter edition of the. GrimJ Coustumier de Normandie. The books, however^ had suffered dreadfully during the Revolution. I thanked my Cicerone for his obliging attention, and sought the oofiee and eggs of the Hdtel du Grand Coq, with the best possible disposition to do them justice. I found Mr. L. ready to receive me — ^putting a few finishmg touches to the characteristic drawing of which J have just made mention. Having dispatched our break- .fiusts, we proceeded to survey the church — ^from which the town takes its name. And first for the es(tarior of this edifice. The attached towers demand atten- tion and admiration. They are so. slightly attached as to be almost separated bom 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 den licacy, to the similar portion at this latter place. The west firont is indeed its chief beauty of exterior attrac-
ST. LO.
397
tion ; and it was once rendered doubly interesting by a profesion of alto-relievo statues, which disappeared 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. We sufiiered ourselves to be canned away along Mrith the rest, — and were qiuckly separated from each other.
I almost startled as I entered the nave.* 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 niost despicable. I never saw such a daub : and what emotions, con- nected with tenderness of feeling, or ardour of de- Totioti, can the contemplation of such an object excite? Surely the parish must have lost its witSy b» weU as its taste, to endure such a monstrous exhibit tioB of art.
As I advanced towards the choir, I took especial notice of the very singular, and in my opinion very Qgly, formation both of the pillars and arches which snstain the roof. These pillars have no capitals^ and 'the arch springs from them in the most abrupt man* ner^ The arch itself, is also very short and sharp pointed ; like the tops of lancet Mdndows. This mode obCuns pretty generally here ; but it should foe noted iSM, in the right feide aisle, the pillars have capitals, lliefe 18 something unusual also in the row of pil- lars which spring up, flanking the choir, half way
* M. Coiman has a view of this church ; as annoimced in his Pr»- q>ecttt8.
398 BAYEUX TO €OUTANCES.
between the walls of the choir and the outward wall of the church. Nor am I sure that, destitate of a ^ceful, superadded arch, such massiye perpendiculai^ Imes have either meaning or effect. Whether St. Lo were the Jirst church upon which the architect^ who built both that and tlie cathedral at Coutances, tried his talents — or whether, indeed, both churches be the effort of the same hand — I cannot pretend to d^er- mine ; 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 the sur- rounding houses.
On descending the flight of steps by which I had en- tered, I turned to the right, and inquired the price of some plaister images of the Virgin, coloured, about three feet high, and intended as ornaments for churches. I was asked foi-ty francs for one, which I thought a Sufficiently extravagant price for such an article.' We prepared to leave St. Lo about mid-day, aft^ agredng for a large heavy machine, with a stout pair <^ horses, fo conduct us to this place. Hiere are some curious old houses near the inn, with exterior ornaments like those of the xvith century in our own countiy. But on quitting the town, in the road to Coutances, — after you come to what we 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, all appears like huge scales of iron; while, at the bottom, in a serpentine direction, runs the peaceful and fruitlul
BAYEUX TO COUTANCES. : 309
river Awre.* The country inixn^ately arotind abouncte hi verdant pasture, and luxuriantly wooded heights. Upon the whole, our sortie from St. Lo, beneath a bright blue sky and'a meridian sun, was extreme^ ibieerfnl and gratifying.
A hard rdad (but bold and broad, as usual) soon con- vinced us of the uncomfortableness of our conveyance ; which, though roomy, and of rather respectable appear^ ance, wanted springs. Add to this, the post-boy gravely
* * the peaceful and fruUful river ^tcrtf.]— -I suspect tliat the pe8oet Ml' waters of this stream were frequently died with the blood of Bxh gOQOts and Roman Catholics during the fierce contests between MoNTr OOMSRY and Matignon towards the latter half of the sixteenth cen* tmy. At that period St. Lo was one of the strongest towns in die Socage ; uid the very pass above described, waS the avenue by whid^ Hie soldiers of the captains just mentioned, alternately advanced and retreated in their respective attacks upon St. Lo; which at length sui^ rendmd to- the victorious army of the latter; the leader of the Cathor Hcs* Le nom de Matignon devint alors c^lbbre dans toute TEurope. On toivit lliistoire de ses expeditions au Bocage, et elle fut imprimie ^ Paris chez Ruffet. Les Peuples chantaient 1^ louanges dans plusi^ufii diansons dont je rapportend quelques couplets :
At premier imtr de Mai par permissian divine, Saixt Lo /If/ asiailli d cwpt de couleuvrinee, Somme qi^on e^U petui que tout yfut nuh Et cendre coruumi. Matigwon y itait et ea Gendarmerie, Rempan, CUrel, auui Agneawe, Ste-Marie Qui iOM ceue disait Cohmbiires, rend§4tn Au grand Charles ton Roi Ou tu perdroi la vie, ColombUrei r^fond tout rempii de/Me De me rendre en poltron qtion ne me parte mye. Jamais ne me rendrai J^y veua perdre la vie. ^ Sieum : Hi^oire Jimaire dee Boeam t p. d4(K384 : mS, \3m^
40a BAYEUXTOCOUTANCES.
told 08 that he could not venture npon putting hi8 horses beyond the speed of ;^mr miles an hoiir^ (and it was upwards of 12 miles to Coutances) as be bad to return to St. Lq the same evenings Complaint and vexation were equally unavailing : so we gaaed around uSj and having got into a country of rich verdure and variegated scen^^ we endeavoured to forget the occar sional jolts and inconveniences of our vehicle. We approached a pretty village ; in the centre of whidi a church stood by the road side. It was the village of St. GiiJiBs; to which saint the church is dedicated. This was too tempting an object to forego the visita^ tion of it. Our time was oor own ; and both the garden and the sturdy Norman horses, which he drove so ki-' smrdy along, were also at our command. Arretez :** and in five seconds we were within the church — a dr»» ry, deserted, and unomamented building ; but yet an* dent. Somebroken fragments ofsculpture were thrown about in obscure places — but what is that yonder T observed I to my companion. A more interesting mor- ceau^— and clearly of the time of Francis I. — I had not seen. It was a dead Chiist in the lap of his mother, each without head and feet. Mr. Lewis took a small and hasty sketch of it, and we both agreed that a more interesting and perfect specimen of the scu^ture of that time had not been seen by us. It was lodged npon a stone shelf, or projection from the wall, and might be about two feet in height.
The more I examined it, the greater was my admira- tion. Let us see if we cannot obtmn it.** So wjin% — (leaving Mr. L. to make further sketches) I quitted the church, and enquired for theresidenceof Monsieur
ST. GILLES.
401
JLe Cut6. His house was completely a rural hermitage ; half smothered with the blossoms of trees of various descriptions. The good man bad dined^ and was di-r gesting his potage by a stroll in his garden. He was decently attired ; and looked with more than ordinary surprise at the intrusion of an English stranger* In three minutes I told my tale. Without making the least objection, or even observation, he looked around him, and replied coolly — A 9a, mais il font mettre les sabots, parceque le hameau est un peu crott^ h cause de la pluie qui vient de tomber.** So the worthy Cur6 put on his wooden shoes, surmounted with a coarse skin, and we both trotted along together to^ wards the church-door, where stood the voiture and the aforesaid sturdy Norman horses.** It was quite a sight for the villagers ; who, by this time, had assembled to the number of fifty at least, around the carriage, Que vent dire tout ceci "? — was the obser* vation of more than one of the spectators. We ap» preached; and I was delighted to see the general attention paid to the clergyman by the respectful manner of their salutation. Under such a convoy I considered myself quite safe, and even b^fan to think I might be successful in the object for which I had InnDught him thither. But nothing could be done without the sub-mayor. It concerned the parish at large ; and they must be consulted. What is the sum you propose giving for this fragment " Two louis,** -'--replied I, with the utmost dedsioii and promptitude.
A 9a, voyons.** The sub^mayor was sent for. He was not fyr off; — in an auberge, which we should call a common pot-house. On his arrival the wor-
MB BAYEUX TO COUTANCES.
thy Cur^y reusing his Voice^ addressed the magistrate wad the ' people^ — ^now much increased in number-^ and stated the object and the wishes of MonsiAair TAnglois, voyageur antiquaire/* I then claimed a nio* menfs attention^ and urged the reasonableness of my proposal—to which^ as they appeared to listen^ I Mt ^considerable gratification . . . inasmuch as my Freilch ^pras endured.
The people looked at each other and siud nothing. In the midst of this general wonder^ Mr. I». surveyed us all with the iiitelligent eye of an artist, and dectered that he had never seen so very singular and novel ^ «cene. His pencil was beginning to be exercised'; When Messieurs Le Cnr6 and Sous-maire consulted apart — and turning round to me, concluded by observ- ing— " vous pouvez bien partir : nous y aviserons ; et t6us aurez des nouvelles li-dessus.** I requested, if they agreed, that the marble might be sent to Pierre-Aimi Lair at Caen ; who would receive intelligence frbmme upon the subject, and would be authorised to pay the two louis as soon as the packet should arrive. We mounted our voiture, apparently in the best posrible humour with each other: and bidding a thousand adieus, pushed on for this place. I am very sanguine — ^firom the good-humoured expression of countenance of the Cur6 and Sub-mayor, after they had chatted apart — that the affair will terminate agreeably to my wishes.*
The reflection upon this whimsical adventure, toge-
* Not a syllable of intelligence has since reached me upon the sub- ject. The fragment is however worth a eontre*p(r&iei.
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ther with the mcreasing beauty of the countiy^ kept our attention perfectly occupied — so as almost to forget ibai the voitare was without springs — ^till the beautiftd cathedral of Coutances caught our notice^ upon an elevated ground, to the left. The situation is truly stri- king, gaze from which quarter you please ; but from that of St. Lo, the immediate approach to the town is rendered very interesting from the broad route royale lined with birch, hazel, and beech. The delicacy, or perhaps the peculiarity of the western towers of the cathedral, struck us as singularly picturesque ; while the whole landscape was warmed by the foil efiulgeiice oi an unclouded sun, and animated by the increasing numbers and activity of the paysannes and bourgeoises mihghng in their sabbath-walks. Thdr bright daHc blues and crimsons were put on upon the occasion ; and nought but peace, tranquillity, and fruitlulness seemed to prevail on all sides. It was a scene wherein you might have placed Arcadian shepherds — ^worthy ci being copied by the pencil of Claude. . We entered the town at a sharp trot. The postillion, flourishing his whip, and causing its sound to re-echo through the principal street, upon an ascent, drove to the chief inn, the Hdtel dAngleterre, within about one hundred yards of the cathedral. Vespers were just over; and I diall not readily forget the rush and swarm of clergymen who ' were pouring out, from the north door, and covering the street with one ex* tensive black mass. Hiere could not have been t&wef than two hundred young Ecclesiastics — ^thus return- ing from vespers to their respective homes ; or rather to the CoU^, or great deriral establishment, bard
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by ; which having sufiered from violencie atid mgkdtf through the revolution and Buonaparte^s dynaatj, » 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! Hie women were all out in the streets ; sitting before their doors, or quietly lounging or walking. The af- ternoon was indeed unusually serene.
We ordered a late dinner, and set out for the cathe- dral. It was impossible to visit it at a more fiivorabfe moment. The congregation had departed ; and a fine warm sun darted its rajrs in every surrounding direc- tion. We had also a communicative and civil guide) and were resolved to glean every intelligence wUeh could be imparted. As we looked around, we codd not foil to be struck with the singular arrangOEnent of the columns round the choir : or rather of the dou- ble msle between the choir and the walls, as at St. L o but here yet more distinctly marked. For a wondar^ an unpainted Virgin and child in Our Lady*s chapel, behind the choir ! There is nothing, I think, in the in^ tenor of this church that merits particular notice aQid commendation, except it be some beautifully-stained glass windows ; with the arms, however, of certain no^ ble families, and the regal arms (as at Bayeux)oblitera-' ted. There is a deep well in the north transept, to sup^ ply 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 xiiith century is a period sufficient^ remote to assiga for the completioik of the interior of this diorcb^
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for I cannot subscribe to the hypothesis of the Abb6 de la Rue^ that this edifice was probably erected by Tan* cred King of Sicily at the end of the xith^ or begin* Bing of the xiith century.
Herewith I transmit you a print* of the exterior of this beautiful church ; which exterior is indeed its chief attraction. Unquestionably the style of architecture is very peculiar^ and does not^ as for as I know^ extend beyond St. Lo, in Normandy. Our 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 pano- rama. Another story, one half the height of the pre* sent erection from the roof of the nave, would pat a glorious finish to the central tower of Notre Dam b at CouTANCBs. As we ascended this central tower, we digressed occasionally into the lateral galleries along the aisles* To look down, was somewhat terrific ; but we coidd not 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 bullets — and from the rain-s penetrating the interior in consequence.
^ This prints about 19 inches long^ and 14 wide^ is executed in a coane manner. It Is dedicated to " Leonor Goiyon de Matignou. £y^ue de Coutances^ of the date of 1747. To the left«. stuck i^t the top of a roof of a house^ the artist has represented himself in tbe act of taking his view. I bought it for a franc. The nesrt prindpel diurdi St. ... is to the right, as a sari of background. The whole is ayerj gross deviation from the rules of perspective. But the reader wiU be doobtlesa gratified by the artist-like view of M. Cotman, ^s annouiiced to rmbelliah his JrckUe^ral JnHfuiti€i iqf Jffammdi/.
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It was a most melancholy sight ; and the same had occurred beneath the roof of the tower whereon we stood, which had been also stript for the like murde- rous purpose. As we coutinued to a^cend^ we looked through the apertures to notice the fine formation and almost magical erection of the lancet windows of the western towers : and the higher we mounted, the more beautiful and magical seemed to be that portion of the building. At length we reached the summit; and con: centratiug ourselves a little, gazed around.
The view was lovely beyond measure. CoutaDoesIies within four miles of the sea, so that to the west and south appeared an immense expanse of ocean. On the oppo- site points was an extensive landscape, well-wooded, undulating, rich, and thickly studded with fium-houses. JfTsty appeared to the north-west, quite encircled by the sea ; and nearly to the south stood out the ^Kdd insulated little rock of GranviUe, 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 ac- quainted. The sun was now declining apace, which gave a warmer glow to the ocean, and a richer hue to the landscape. It is impossible to particu- larize. ^1 was exquisitely refreshing, and joyous. The heart beats with a fuller pulsation as the eye darts over such an expansive and exhilirating scene! Spring was now clad in her deepest-coloured ves- ture : and a prospect of a fine summer and an abuii; dant harviest infused additional delight into the, be- holder. Immediately below, stood the insulated and respectable mansion or Palace of the Bishop ; in tfie
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midst of a formal garden— begirt with yet more for* mally dipt hedges. As the Prelate bore a good char- acter, 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 Ck)utances I*
We quitted such a spot with reluctance ; but tinie was flying away, and the patience of the cuisinier at the Hdtel d'Angleterre had already been put somewhat to the test. In twenty minutes we sat down to our
* I went up to the top of the great center tower^ to enjoy one of the finest prospects imaginable. The town of Granville appears In fronts and beyond it are the islands of Chausey and Jersey^ at the diar tance of seven leagues to the north, forms a noble object. The country on all sides, towards St. ho, Avranche, and Carenten, is a garden, rich, cultivated, and shaded with woods." [Sir Nathahiet] WraxalVs Tour, 1775, 8vo. The author, a little before, thus describes the town and Beigfabouihood — ^but I must be permitted to question the aiccuraej of tke date of some of the domestic architecture ; as well as of the ere<>* tion of the cathedral in its present state. — Coutances stands on a hill, the sides of wliich descend with prodigious rapidity. Beyond the vale, a range of hills rises like a superb amphitheatre, and invests it on every side. The houses bear all the marks of antiquity in their struc- ture and taste, which is rude in a great degree. Many of them have donybtless stood five or six hundred years ; and on one, the style oif which merits peculiar study, is the date 1007^ yet remaining, in vety l^ible characters. On the s^^unit of the lull, in the centre of the town^ stands the cathedral. I have spent several hours in the examination of Us architecture. There is a grotesque beauty spread over the whole j and the fiuitastic ornaments of gothic building are mingled with a won* dtons elegance and delicacy in many of its parts. It was begun in 1047> and William the Conqueror, King of England^ asaated in person at its solemn coneecFBtion some years afler."
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dinner^ in a bed- room, of which the formtQre wm ehiefly of green silk ; but the produce of the kitcheD and the skill of the cook made us wholly indifierent to surrounding objects, llie females^ even in the humblest walks, have generally fine names ; and Fictorina was that of the fille de chambre at the H6tel d*Angle- terre. After dinner we walked upon what may be called the heights of Coutances ; and a more delightfiil iBvening^s walk I never enjoyed. The women of every description — ladies, housekeepers, and servant maids — were all abroad ; either sitting upon benches, or stand- ing in gossiping groups, or straying in friendly pairs. We were much struck with the comeliness of the women; a certmn freshness of tint, and prevalence of the bon point, reminded us of those of our own country ; and among the latter, I startled, — as I gazed upon a countenance which afforded but too virid a resemblance to that of my late lamented niece ! Here indeed we almost fancied ourselves in a large mar- ket town in England. Certainly the Norman women are no where more comely and interesting than at Coutances.
The immediate environs of this place are beautifiil and interesting: visit them in what direction you please. But there is nothing which so immediately strikes you as the remains of an ancient Aqueduct; gothicised at the hither end, but, with three or four cir- cular arches at the further extremity, where it springs from the opposite banks. Mr. Lewis in his stroll of this morning — ^it being market-day — ^visited that par- ticular spot, and from thence took the charming little view,— of the aqueduct in the foreground, and the ca-
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diedraly and St. . . . in the distance,— of which I trans- mit you a finished copy.* Tlie market-people add mildb to the effect ; while the peculiar play of light and .shade cannot fidl to strike you as singularly happy. Fine as was yesterday^ this day has not heen inferior tiil>it. I was of course glad of an opportunity of visiting the market, and of mingling with the country people. Tlie boulevards afforded an opportunity of accomplish* ing 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, our old friend the vender of rat-destroying po\^derfr-r-biisied in the exer- cise of his calling, and covered with his usual vest- ment of white, spotted or painted with black rats. He found plenty of bearers 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 hoclks— Richard sans peur — which I had pur- chased the same morning : Mr. L. being wholly occu- lted, in the mean time, with the'view of which I have jnst made mention.
While absorbed in reflections upon the heteroge- neous scene before me — and wishing for some of my dearest friends in England to be also spectators of it —
* See TBB Opposite Flate. ▼OL I. B b
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the notes of an hand-organ more and more dis- tinctly 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 waxen Virgin with the infe^nt Jesus ; and who, under such a sign, exhorted the multitude to approach and buy his book-wares. I trust I was too thorough-bred a jRoar- burgher to remain quiescent upon the bench : and accordingly starting up, and extending two sous, I be- came the fortunate purchaser of a little chap article — of which our 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
EN L*BONNEUR DU TRE8-8AINT 8ACEEMENT,
Qui est txposi dans la grande EgUse caih^drale de St, Pierre et St Paul de Rome, pour implorer la miM&icorde de Die%u
A IB : Du Theodore Francais.
Approchez-vour, Chretiens fid^les^ Afin d*entendre rdciter : Ecoutez tous avec un grand z^le, Avec fen-eur et ^i6ii, Le voeu que nous avons hit, D'aller au grand Saint Jacques ; Grace k Dieu nous Tavons accompli. Pour Tomour de J^sus Christ.
Dieu cr^ le del et la terre, Les astres et le firmament 3 n fit la brillante lumibre, Ainsi que tous les autres ilimens, II a tir6 tout du n^ant, Ce qui respire sur la terre : Rendans hommage k la grandeur De notre divin Cr6ateur.
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* . TVms lea jours la malice augmente, II y a tr^-peu de religion \ La jeuoesse est trop p^tulaate^ Les enfEins jurent le saint Nom. £t opmment s*^tonneroit-on Si tant de fl^ux nous tourmenteut, £tsi Ton ▼oit tant de malheurs, C'est Dieu qui punit les p^cheurs.
Souvent on assiste k VOffice^ C'est comme une mani^re d*acquit^ Sans penser au saint Sacrifice, Oti s*est immol^ Jesus-Christ. Oh parle avee ses amis De ses afiaires temporelles. Sans fisure aucune at- tention Aux myst^res de la religion.
Hifl^hissez bien, p^res et m^res, Sur ces morales et v^rit^s: C'est la loi de Dieu notre P^re; C'est lui qui nous les a dict^es : II faut les suiyre et les pratiquer, Tant que nous serous sur la terre. N'oublions point qu'api^s la mort, Nos ames existeront encore.
J^sos nous en montre I'exemple Par sa bont^ et par sa douceur. Mnrdions^ allons k son saint Temple^ Pour le prier avec ferveur. Pour qu'il r^pande ses bienfaits Sur les pr^cieux biens de la terre, Et qu'il accorde k chaque maison Sa saintc benediction.
Portons, Chretiens, sur nous I'imageDe notre Sauveur J6sus-Christj Flafons la dans notre manage. Sera en tout lieu notre appui. II met le Chretien k I'abri Du feu du ciel et du tonnerre. Portons les armes du Seigneur, Pour nous preserver de malheur.
Que la paix chez nous toi:gours r^ne, £n bons Chretiens accordons- nous, £t que tons les troubles s'dteignent. Nous gouterons un sort plus doux. Que d une parfedte union Nous jouissions comme des fr^res : Ayons confiance en J^sus Christ, Nous aurons ses dons infinis.
Adorons tons, d'lin coeur sincere, J^sus-Christ notre Rddempteur 5 Offrons-lui nos voeux, nos pribres; Keclamons le avec ferveur. Tons les jours prions le Seigneur De nous preserver sur la terre, De mal- heurs et d'accidens. Prions le Sauveur tout-puissant.
The day was beginning to wear away &st, 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.
* It cannot fiail to be noticed that the following smtences are in fisct r%iiiiiig' vene, though printed prose-wise.
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I had no letter of introduction, and every body was busied in receiving the visits of th^r country friendB. I was much indebted to the polite attention of a stranger : who accompanied me to the house of the public librarian, his friend, and, he 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 ca- thedral— ^is about sixty English feet long, low, and rather nan-ow. It is absolutely crammed with books, in the most shameful state of confusion. I saw, for the first time in Normandy, and with absolute glad* ness of heart, a copy of the Complutensian Pofygldt Bible ; of which the four latter volumes, in vellum binding, were tail 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 Halim books. Ascensius*s first edition of Bedels EpisHeSy in small quarto : several old first editions of Greek au- thors : and a copy of the edition of the History of the Chevalier Bayard, with the portrait, precisely in the same style of binding, as that for which, at the sale of the Roxburghe Library y I was insane enough to give nine guineas. Bat the collection stands in dread- Ail 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.
In my way homewards, I stopped at M. Joubert*8, the principal librarian, and beat about the bush** for bibliographical game. But my pursuit was not crowned
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with raccesfik M. J. told me, in reply to black-letter enquiries, that a Monsieur A****, a stout burly man, whom he called un gros p^a'' — 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 equi- vocal 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 Seul Imprimeur de Manseigneur CEvSque** (PiBRRE Dupont-Poursat), but is in fact almost the only bookseller worth consulting in the place. I bought of him a copy of the Livre (TEglise ou Nau- veau Paroissien a V usage du Diocise de Coutances, or the common prayer book of the diocese. It is a very thick duodecimo, of 700 double columned pages, print- ed in a clear, new, and extremely legible character^ upon paper of sufficiently good texture. It was bound in sheepskin, and I gave only tkirtj/ sotis 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.
It is impossible not to be struck here with the great number of young ecclesiastics. In short, the estab- lishment now erecting for them, vrill 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. 'Riey converse with apparent familiarity with the very humblest of their flock : and seem, from the highest to
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the lowest, to be cordially received. They are indiffe- rent as to personal appearance : one young man car- ries a bundle, as if of linen for his laundress, along the streets : another carries a round hat in his hand, with 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 they pass, they are repeatedly saluted. TUl the principal building be finished, many of them are scattered about the town, living quite in the upper stories. In short, it is the profession, rather than the particular candidate, which seems to claim the respect- ful attention of the townsmen.
Thus much, or rather thus little, for Coutances. At five this afternoon we start in the cabriolet of the dili- gence for Granville — where we purpose sleeping. I regret that my time will only allow of so superficial a survey of this interesting place : of which both the town and the environs would richly repay a week*s resi- dence at least . . and I have been here scarcely seventy- two hours ! A well-built country-house in the neigh- bourhood, especially in that direction whither the aque- duct leads, would be a delightful acquisition to the lover both of nature and of the antiquities of art. In- deed, to a Parisian, what residence, throughout Nor- mandy, could be more desirable ? But Fictorina has announced the speedy approach of the diligence — and having dispatched our medntenon cutlet and our vin de Beaune, we are preparing for our departure. A thousand adieus.
415
LETTER XVIII.
JOURNBY TO GRANVILLE. GRANVILLE. VILLB DIBC. ST. SEVER. TOWN AND CASTLE OF VIRE.
Vire.
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 a melange of intel- ligence; but such as, I will make bold to predict^ cannot fidl to afford you considerable gratification. Normandy is doubtless a glorious country. It is fimitful in its soil, picturesque in the disposition of its la,nd and water, and rich in the architectural relics of
the olden time/' It is also more than ordinarily in- teresting to us Englishmen. Here, in the very town^ whence I transmit this despatch — ^within two hundred and fifty yards of the hotel of the Cheval Blanc^ which just now encloses us within its granite walls — here, I say, lived and revelled the illustrious family of the Db Verbs.* Hence William the Conqueror took the £unous Aubrey db Verb to be a spectator of his prowess, and a sharer of his spoils, in his decisive sub- jugation of our own country. It is from this place that
* The reader wUl find the fullest particulars relating to this once- distinguished family, in Halstead*s Genealogical Memoirt of Noble Families, &c. : a book, it is true, of extreme scarcity : but in lieu of it let him consult CoUim^s Noble FamiUes.
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COUTANCES TO GRANVILLE.
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. The ruin, how- ever, which remains, will probably speak for itself in the course of this epistle.
I recollect that my last concluded with the an- nounce of the lurrival of the diligence at Goutances, an4 of our preparatloa for departure to GrafwUte, in our route hither. We were well pleased to .find a seat in the cabriolet occupied by a very agreeable and intelligent countryman — ^Lieutenant M. of the n>yal artillery at Woolwich : with whom we quickly became fEuniliar — and who was, at that moment, in the pro^cution of an extenave tour to all the sea port towns, of France. We left Coutances with something i^proaching to reluctance; so completely anglicised seemed to be the scenery and inhabitants. Tlie 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, in the high Granville route, tjre alighted walked, stopped, and gazed, alternately, upon the lovely landscape around us — the cathedrali ifa 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 expan- sive scene which we had contemplated, but the pre- ceding evening, from the heights of that same cathe- dral. Mr. Lewis was for exercising his pencil without
GRANVILLE.
417
dday ; but an en avant"* from the conducteur roused him from his rapturous abstraction^ when we remounted^ and descended into a valley ; and ere the succeeding height was gained, a fainter light floated over the dis- tant landscape . • . and every object reminded me of the accuracy of those exquisite lines by Collins — descrip- tive of the approach of evening's
. . . gradual^ dusky veil.
For the first time, we had to do with a drunken con- ducteur. 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 we reach- ed Granville — about twelve miles from Coutances ; when we learnt that the horses had run six miles before they started with us. As we descended towards the town, the road was absolutely solid rock : and considering what a house we' carried behind us (for so the body of the rft'/i- gence seemed) and the uncertain footing of the horses, in consequence of the rocky surface of the road, we ai^rehended 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 H6tel d*Angleterre at Coutances) had persuaded us to go, we alighted with a thankful heart, and bespoke supper and beds. The landlord's, or landlady's name was Fouche ; whereas we ought to have paid our re-
418
GRANVILLE.
spects to Madame Puquet— or some such name — and it is right that, (for the benefit of all travellers^ who are unhappy unless they sleep at what is called the principal inn") the first auberge, to the left, upon entrance into Granville, be studiously avoided. But wherefore ? In a case of necessity, or indeed in any case, let none but the most fastidious eschew the resi* deuce of Madame Fouche ; for her manner is civil, her discourse is kind, her farinage is sweet and good, her beds are clean, and her charges are moderate.
. In the morning (which was one of the coldest I ever remember for the season of the year) Mr. Lewis rose betimes, and betook himself, as usual, to his pencil: but the time did not admit of any very extensive operation.
Granville is fortified on the land side by a de^ 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^ how- ever, had its share of misery. It is now a quiet, dull^
GRANVILLE TO VIRE. 419
dreary, place ; to be visited only for the sake of the view from thence, looking towards St. Maloy and Mont St. Michel; the latter of which I give up — as an hopeless object of attainment. After breakfast —which was of the very best quality — we joined our fellow traveller Lieutenant M. in visiting the town. Granville is in fact built upon rock ; 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 construc- tion ; but the palpably gloomy eflfect given to it by the tint of the granite — ^the pillars being composed of that substance — renders it disagreeable to the eye. We saw several confessionals ; and in one of them, the office of confession was performing by a priest, who attended to two penitents at the same time ; but whose physiognomy was so repulsively frightful, that we could not help concluding he was listening to a tale which he was by no means prepared to receive. Mr. Lewis took a sketch of him.
An hour's examination of the town thoroughly satisfied us. There was no public conveyance to ^/re, whither we intended immediately departing, and so we hired a voiture to be drawn by one sturdy Norman horse. To a question about springs, the conducteur replied that we should find every thing " tvhs propre/' We paid our reckoning, parted with reluctance from our ami- able countryman Lieutenant M. (who was pursuing his journey towards St. Malo) and set our faces to- wards ViRE. The day, for the season of the year, turned out to be gloomy and cold beyond measure : ^nd the wind (to the east) was directly in our faces*
420
GRANVILLE TO VIRE.
Nevertheless the voiid was one of the finest that we had seen in France^ for breadth sind general soundness of condition. It had all the consequence and evident* utility of a llonian route ; and as it was perpetually undulating, we had frequently some gratifying glimpses of its broad and bold direction. The suiTonnding country was of a quietly picturesque but fraitful as- pect ; and had our seats been comfortable, or after the fashion of those in our own country, our sensations had been more agreeable. But in truth, instead of springs, or any thing approximating to " tres propre," we had to encounter a hard planky susixnided at the extremities, by a piece of leather, to the sides ; and as the road was but too well bottomed, and the convey- ance was open in friMit to the bitter blast of the east, I can hardly describe (as I shall never forget) the misery of this conveyance.
Fortunately our first stage was fllle Dieu. Here we ordered a voiture c'uid post horses: but, the master of the Poste lloyale, or rather of the inn, shook his head — " Four les chevanx, vous en aurez des meilleurs; mais, pour la voiture il n'y en a pas. Tenez, Messieurs ; venez voir." We followed, with miserable forebodings — and entering ashed, where stood an old tumble-down- looking phaeton — *' la voih\,Messiein's, c'estlaseule que je possMe dans ce moment" — exclaimed the landlord. It had never stirred from its j)osition since the fall of last year s leaf. It had been — within and without — the roosting place for fowls and other of the feathered tribe in the iurm yard ; and although literally covered with the ( ridences of such long and undisturbed pos- session, yet, as there was no appearance of rain, and as
ST. SEVER.
421
we discovered tlie wished for ressorts'' (or springs) we compromised for the repuisiveness of the exterior, asid declared our intention of taking it onward. Water, brooms, brushes, and cloths, were quickly put in re- quisition ; and two stately and well fed horses, which threatened to fly away with our slender machine, being &8tened on, we absolutely darted forward, at a round rattling gallop, for St. Sever. Blessings wait upoA the memory of that artisan who invented • • . springs I We began to recover from our past miseries, and to fismcy ourselves upon the Bath roady as we pursued our route towards St. Sever. The postillion had the perfect command of his horses, and we gallopped, or trotted, or ambled, as his fancy— or rather bur 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 we had occa- sional 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, we made our way for the monastery ; which we found to be in a state rather of dilapidation than of ruin. It had, indeed, a wretched aspect. I en- tered the chapel, and saw lying, transversely upon a desk, to the left — a very clean, large paper, and uncut copy of the folio Rouen Missal of 1759. I had no doubt but that a few francs would have made me the possessor of it ; but surely this would have been called little short of an act of mitigated sacrilege ! Every thing about this deserted and decaying spot had a melancholy appearance : but the surrounding country
422
GRANVILLE TO VIRE.
was rich^ wooded^ and pictui-esque. In former days of prosperity — such as St. Sever had seen before the Re^ ▼olution — there had been gaiety, abundance, and hap- piness. It is now a perfect contrast to its pristine state.
On returning to the " Poste Royale"^ we found tWD fresh lusty horses to our voiture — but the postitlira had sent a boy into the field to catch a third. Where^ fore was this? The tarif exacted it. A third hone
r6ciproquement pour Tann^e" — parce qu'il faut tra verser une grande montagne avant qu'on pent arriver liVire'' — was the explanatory reply. It seemed per^* fectly ridiculous, as our vehicle was of such slendo* dimensions and weight. However, we were forced to yield. To scold the post-boy was equally absurd and unavailing ; parce que le tarif Texigea." But the
montagne" was doubtless a reason for this addi- tional horse : and we began to imagine that something magnificently picturesque might be in store, for us. The three horses were put a-breast — and oflF we started with a phaeton-like velocity ! Certainly no- thing could have a more ridiculous appearance than our pigmy voiture thus conveyed by three animals — strong enough to have drawn the diligence. We were not long in reaching this " huge mountain," which provoked our unqualified laughter — from its insignifi- cant size — and upon the top of which stands the town of ViRE. It had been a Jair-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 featui*es of the landscape. The nearer we approached, the more nu- merous and incessant were these groups.
VIBE.
423
' Vire is a sort of Rouen in miniature — if bustle and population be only considered. In architectural com- parison, it is miserably feeble and inferior. The houses are genei*ally built of granite, and look extremely sombre in consequence. The old castle is yet inter- esting and commanding. But of this presently. We drove to the Cheval BktnCj' and bespoke, as usual, a late dinner and beds. Our first visit was to the castle ; but it is right that you should know, before hand, that the town ctf Vire, which contains a peculation of about ten thousand souls, stands upon a commanding emi- nence, in the midst of a very beautiful and picturesque country called the Socage. This country was, in former times, as fruitful in civil wars, horrors, and de- vastations, as the more celebrated Socage of the southern part of France, during the late Revolution. In shorty the Socage of Normandy was the scene of blood- shed during the Calvinistic or Hugonot persecution. It was in the vicinity of this town, in the parts through which we have travelled — from Caen hitherwards — that the hills and the dales rang with the feats of arms displayed in the alternate discomfiture and sue*
cess of COLIGNY, CONDB, MONTGOMERY, UUd Ma- TIONON.*
* An epitomifled account of these civil commotions will be found in the Histoire MiUtcttre des Bocains, par M. Richabd Sequin j d Fire, 1816 : 12mo. of which work^ and of its author^ some notice will be taken in the following pages. Meanwhile^ consult page 399, ante. Amoi^ the MSS. in the Royal Library at Paris^ there are three Iblios (to be distinctly noticed in the second volume of this work) oontaining various excerpts relating to the town of Vire. In the
434
TIRE.
But for the castle. It is situated at the extremity of an open space, terminated by a portion of the bou- levards ; having, in the foreground, the public libraiy to the left, and a sort of municipal hall to the right : neither of them objects of much architectural conse- quence. Still nearer in the foreground, is a fountain ; whither men, women, and cluldren — but chiefly the second class, in the character of blanchigseuBet^ regularly resort for water; as its bason <iB lunially overflowing. It was in a lucky moment that 1^. Lewis paid a visit to this spot; which his taidy pencil transmitted to his sketch-book in a mannor ttto beautiful and faithful not to be followed up by a fidiflii- ed design This design is enclosed for your . . . nn- qualified admiration I * But much as you love tfrt,^ and much as you will be gratified by such a delightful specimen of it, I am persuaded you would be iQcli^i||^
third of these nu. volumes^ (numberad 1089 or littdj) it^d«r the title of " Arme$ qui wnt H VEglue porwrnaU dM Vire, . there is an account of the town being taken by the gomery^ in the year 1568> about five o'clock in the assailants are caUed an army de la pr^tendue noixi^e i quelez auroient pill^ et rauagi6 VEglise^ rompu, froiss^^ cassi et mfa^ les vitres^ greillez, huis et fenetres, chaires^ bancs^ siegez> coffirez* sa- crairez^ autelz^ imagez/' &c. This account is followed by two laige, and not unskilfully executed drawings, of two feunilies^ kneeling, which were in the stained glass windows of the principal church.
* See the Opposite Plate.' The woman with a bucket before her, turning round to the left^ stood on purpose to be drawn 3 and seemed Tastly pleased by the compliment which she considered to be thus paid her. The castle shews the reverse of that side which i^ipears in the opposite vignette.
VIRE.
to wold me if I do not give yon a nearer introduction to the old castle. Accordingly you have here a most exquisite little morceau of its kind. It is taken from behind the portion which you observe in the annexed representation ; and was minutely finished^ upon the spot.
Frequently^ in the act of executing it^ several young men^ apparently students at the CoU^^ would sur- round Mr. L. with exclamations and compliments upon the minute delicacy and apparent difficulty of the un- dertaking As to the antiquity of the castle^ I should apprehend it to be of the twelfth century. Probably of a more ancient date ; though this is pretty well. 1
426
VIRE:
Its foundation is a solid rock. Indeed the whole ke^ is of the same kind of stone. Hie Chewd BUjouP-^ the name of the hotel at which we reside — should be rather called the Cheval Noir ;** for a more dark, dingy, and even dirty residence, for a traveller of any nasal or ocular sensibility, can be rarely visited. Our bed room, where we drink tea, is hung with tapestry; which, for aught I know to the contrary, may repre- sent the daring exploits of Montgomery and M atig- NON but which is so begrimed with filth that there is no decyphering the subjects worked upon it. On leav- ing 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 Caen, which has a noble appearance. Indeed, the manner in which this part of Normandy is intersected with the routes royales^^ cannot feul 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 remarkable as well for pic- turesque objects of scenery as for a high state of culti- vation ; 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 Derwent, less turbid and muddy, meanders below. Thus much for a genei*al, but hasty
* Sec page 399, ante.
VIRE. 427
sketch the town of Vire. My next shall g^ve you some detail of the interior of a few of the houses, of which I may be said to have hitherto only contemplated the roofs.
VOL. I.
428
LETTER XIX.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. MONSIEUR ADAM. MONSIEUR DE LA- RENAUDIERE. OLIVIER BASSELIN. M. SEGUIN. THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
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 men- tion)— in a thoroughly communicative mood, to make you acquainted with all that has passed since my pre- vious despatch. SE^Oldlfl and the S&i&ttOtnattta be the cluef " burden of my present song !" You may re- member, 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 Bar- NABY of Normandy ? Well, my friend — I have been at length made happy, and comforted in the extreme, by the possession of a copy of the Faudevires of that said Olivier Basselin — and from the hands, too, of one of his principal editors ! . . Monsieur Lanon de la Re- NAUDfERE, Avocat, ct Mairc, 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.
Hard by the hotel of the Cheval Blanc, (the best,
• See page 3S7# ante.
VIRE.
429
bad as it is — and indeed the only one in the town) lives a printer of the name of Adam. He is the prin- cipal, and the most respectable of his brethren in the same craft. After discoursing npon sundry desultory topics — and particularly examining the hooks of Edu- catiofiy among which I was both surprised and pleased to find the Distichs of Muretus* — I expressed my re-
• Les Disiiques de Muret, traduits en vers Eranfait, par Aug. A, Se vend k Vire^ chez Adam, imprimeur-lib. An. I8O9. The reader may not be displeased to have a specimen of the manner of rendering these distichs into French verse :
1.
Dum tener es, Murbtb, avidis hsc aoribuB hanri : Nec memori mod6 conde animo, sed et ezprime flM^tifl.
2.
Inprimis yenerare Denm ; venerare parentes : Et quos ipsa loco tibi dat natura parentum.
3.
Mentiri noli. Nunquiun meodada protont. Si qmd peccaris, venia est tibi prompta fieitenti.
4.
Disce libens. Quid dulcius est quiun discere multa ! Discentem comitantur opes, comitantur honores.
5.
Si quis te objurget, mal^ cbm quid feceris, flli Oratiam babe, et ne iterbm queat objurgare cavet.
6.
Ne temer^ banc credas tibi qui blanditnr amicum. Peccantem puenun quisqius non corrigit, odit.
1.
Jeune encore^ 6 man Fik ! pour itre homme de bien, Ecoute, et dam ton ccmr grave cet eniretien.
480
VIRE.
gret at having travelled through bo many towns of Normandy without meeting with one single copy of the Vaudevires of Olivier Basselin for sale. It is not very surprising^ Sir, since it is a privately printed book, and was never intended for sale. The impres- sion too is very limited. You know, Sir^ that the book was published here — and — ^ I started backwards, just one step and " no more." " 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 ; and one of its principal editors — a very gallant Bibliomane — ^who is a great collector and lover of the literature of your country — (here I picked up courage and gaiety of heart) Uves in this
2.
Sert, honore le Dieu gut cria tmu let itres ; Soii fiU respectueuM, ioit docile i tei maUret,
a
Craifu de mentir: t<mJour$ (?e%t en vain que Pan ment; En awHtant ses torts, on est presqi^ innocent,
4.
Qt^il est beau d'itre tmtruit I Aime, acquiert la science i Assez d'honneurs, de biens seront ta recompense.
5.
I>un reproche obligeant, au Ueu d^kte C09^, Rends grAce it PamitU, mais n'en nUrite plus.
6.
Crains la louange : il est Pennemi de Pe^fHnee Celui qui pour sea torts plaque de timMgenee.
VIRE.
431
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. II aime vos compatriotes ; et soyez persuade d*un accueil le plus favorable." Methought Monsieur Adam spake more eloquently than I had yet heard a Norman speak.
In two seconds I quitted his shop, (promising to re- turn with an account of my reception) and five mi- nutes brought me into the presence of Monsieur Lanon de la Renaudiere, President du Tribunal, &c. My name is a most unfortunate one (as I have experienced more than once) for Gallic ears. It is made caco- phony itself. Monsieur Le President repeated it — and I repeated it — " Enfin, donnez vous la peine de r^crire" — said the Bibliomane, very politely. I had no sooner got through the half of the final n, than he shouted aloud, — "Est-ce done vous qui 6tes . . ?! naming certain bibliographical performances which need not be here mentioned. I never heard so rapid an utterance. On bowing, and replying in the affir- mative— 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 gentle- man instantly and in consequence gave me: and I will frankly own that I was as much abashed" as ever our ancient friend Caxton had been — ^in the pre- sence of his patroness the Duchess of Burgundy. I fol- lowed 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
432 VIRE.
the fashion followed in a certain long, rambling, and antique residence not quite three quarters of a mik from the towers of Westminster Abbey.
We gained the first floor ; when mine host tamed the keys of the doors of two contiguous rooms, and exclaimed, Voila ma Bibliothkque ! Theair of con- scious triumph with which these words were uttered, delighted me infinitely ; but my delight was much in- creased on a leisurely survey of one of the prettiest, most useful, and commendable collections of books, chiefly in the department of the Belles-Liettres, which I had ever witnessed. Monsieur La Renaudiere has a library of about 9000 volumes, of which eight hundred are English. But the owner is especially fond of poe- tical archceology ; in other words, of collecting every work which displays the progress of French and Eng- lish poetry in the middle and immediately following ages ; and talks of Trouveurs and Troubadours with an enthusiasm approaching toextacy. 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 rather prefers Le Grandy Ginguene Sismondiy and Renouard.* Of the venerable living oracle in these matters, the Abb£ de la Rue, he said he considered him as un peu trop syst^matique.'* In short, M. La Renaudiere has almost a complete critical collection, in our tongue, upon the subject of old poe- try ; and was most anxious and inquisitive about the present state of cultivation of that branch of literature
* A member of the Institute ; and not the bibliographical bookseller of the same name.
VIRE.
433
in England : adding, that he himself meditated a work npon the French poetry of the xiith and XTiith cen- turies. He said he thought his library might be worth about 25,000 francs : nor did I consider such a valu- ation overcharged. He talks rapidly, earnestly, and incessantly ; but he talks well : and spoke of the renown of a certain library in St. James's Place^ in a manner which could not fail to quicken the pulse and warm the blood of its historian. We concluded an interview of nearly two hours by his compliance with my wishes to dine with me on the following day : al- though he was quite urgent in bargaining for the pre- vious measure of my tasting his pdtage and vol au vent. But the shortness and constant occupation of my time would not allow me to accede to it. M. La Renaudiere then went to a cabinet-like cupboard, drew forth an uncut copy, stitched in blue spotted paper, of his beloved Vaudevires by Olivier Bassk- lin:* and presenting it to me, added " Conservez
* beloved Vaudevires by Olivier Basselin.] — ^The present seems to be the proper place to give the reader some account of this once fa- mous Bacchanalian poet. It is not often that France rests her preten- sion^ to poetical celebrity upon such claims. Love> romantic adven- tures^ gaiety of heart and of disposition form the chief materials of her minor poems : but we have here before us^ in the person and produc- tions of Olivieb Basselin^ a rival to Anacreon of old ; to our own Richard Braitbwait^ Vincent Bourne^ and Thomas Moore. As this volume is perhaps the only one which has travelled into England, the reader may be prepared to receive an account of its contents with the greater readiness and satisfoction. Firsts 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
434
VIRE.
le, pour Tamour de moi/' You may be assured that I received such a present in the most gracious man- ner I was capable of— but instantly and honestly
Firois ; in other words^ an inhabitant of the town of Vire. But he had a strange propensity to rusticating, and preferred the immediate ▼idnity 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 meiry con^Nmions,'* 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 the close of the fifteenth century.
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 Vaux de Vire; on account of the number of manufoctories which have existed there from time inmiemorial. It derives its name finom two principal valleys, in the form of a T, of which the base (if it may be so called — " jambage*') rests upon the Place du Chateau de Vire, It is sufficiently contiguous to the town to be considered among the fauxbourgs. The rivers Fire and Virene, 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. In- deed, Babselin himself was a sort of doth manufacturer. In thb valley he passed his lifo in fulling his cloths, and " in composing those gay and delightful songs which are contained in the volume under consideration." Discours Prilinunaire, p. 17, &c. Olivier Basselin is the parent of the title Vaudevire — which has since been corrupted into Vaudeville. From the observation at page 16, Basselin appears to have been also the Fathee of Bacchanalian Po- BTEY in France. He frequented public festivals: and was a welcome guest at the tables of the rich— where the Vaudevire was in such re-
VIRE.
436
added — permettez qn'il soit d6pos^ dans la bibli- oth^ue de Milord S . . . ? " C'est la mime chose** —
quest, that it is supposed to have superseded the " Conte, or Fabliau, or the Chanson d* Amour."* p. xviij :
Sur ce point-1^ soyez tranquille :
Nos neveux, j'en suis bien certain,
Se souTiendront de Basse lin,
Perejoyeux du Faudeville : p. xxiij.
Basselin is supposed to have died at the conclusion of the fifteenth century. His first editor was Jean le Houx, a poet and advocate of Vire, who was bom about the middle of the following centuiy. Le Houx was also an imitator of the Vaudevires of Basselin, and in short preferred poetry to his profession. The editors of the present volume have favoured us with one of Le Houx*s " Vaudevire pour le jour de la Ste. Yves, ffete des Avocats." 1 shall select the third and fourth stanzas as specimens of the imitator's muse :
Que les auares Aduocats Gaignent ^ se rompre la teste, Pourvft que je sois de leur feste, Certes ne me souciray pas De leur procez ni dc leur sacs.
MiEux vaut vider et assaillir Un pot qu'un procez difficile ; Au moins cela m'est plus utile. Car les procez me font vieillir^ Le bon vin me fait raieunir.
Le Houx*s commendation of Basselin b thus expressed :
De ce Virois conservons la mdmoire, A tout le moins k la table en beuvant ; Lequel ne beut jamais en rechignant, £t qui nous fait si joyeuscment boire-
* 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
436
VIRE.
rejoined he ; and giving me the address of the public librarian, we separated in the most cordial manner till the morrow.
Une bonne boisson
Prise avec marisson
Pkr un satunuen,
Ne lui hit point de bien. Mu8 le vin honor^ d'un gentil Vaodevire, N'aporte que 8ant^ en ne beuvant du pire.
The poems of fiasselin were printed at least twice by Le Hoax— be- fore the year 1 600 but he took a few liberties with the style in adapt- ing it to his own times. Le Houx was persecuted by the clergy for the supposed licentiousness of these poems^ and could only obtain ab- solution by a journey to Rome^ and by the suppression of his own edi- torial labours. The first edition is now wholly unknown; and only two copies of the second, or last, should seem to have been known to the editors of the reprint under consideration. The title of that edi- tion is as follows : Le Litre des Chants nouveaux de Vaudevire, par ordre alphaheiique, corrigi et augment^ outre Iafr4c4dente impression; it Fire, chez Jean de Cesne, Imprtmeur** It is without date. Le Houx died in 1616, and this impression is supposed to have been published before his death. The text of this edition, together with a purer one found in an octavo MS. written in the black letter, and containing the poetry both of Basselin and Le Houx — (probably of the time of the latter) formed the basis of that of the present impression. This MS. belonged to a medical gentleman, of the name of Poliniere. The corruptions in orthography have been corrected from the models af- forded by the older compositions of Charles d^OrUans and Alain Char- tier* But it should doubtless appear that the curators of the present
and this custom prevailed more particularly in Normandy than in other parts of France :
Usuge est en Normandie, Que qui hebergiez est qu'il die \ Fable ou Chanson it son oste.
See the authorities dted at page xv, of this Discours prdliminaire.
VIKE.
437
I pdsted back to Monsieur Adam^ the printer and bookseller, and held aloft my blue-covered copy of
edition were ignorant of the genuine, and somewhat elegant MS. written also in the gothic letter, which is incidentally noticed at page 357^ ante, as in the possession of M. Pluquet.
We now come, therefore, immediately to the volume before us, and to a consideration of the character of its contents. It is of a handsome form, approaching the size of a royal octavo. The half title is thus :
Les Vaudevires par OUvier Bastelin" The fiill title, on the follow- ing leaf, is — " Les Vaudevires, Podsies du Ibme Steele, par Olivier Basselin, avec tin Discours sur sa Vie, et des Notes pour Vejcplication de quelques anciens mots. Vire, 1811.** On the reverse of this title- page we learn the names of the gentlemen, inhabitants of Vire — ten in number—'' by whose care and at whose expense the edition was put forth.** The preliminary discourse, with its notes, occupiesthe firstxxxvi pages. The text of the poet begins with this prefix : " Les Chants du Vaudevire par Olivier Basselin The text, composed ofxxvi Vaude- vires, occupies 190 pages : the notes conclude the volume at page 131. At the bottom of this last page we read the imprint thus : " De Vlm^ primerie de F, Le Court, d. Avranches." For the honour of the place, and of the memory of its old poetical inhabitant, the book should have been printed as well as published at Vire. There is nothing so very skilful or splendid in its typographical execution, as should have caused Monsieur Adam to have despaired. However, as the produc- tion of a provincial press, it is very creditably executed.
I now proceed to submit a few specimens of the muse of this Fa- ther OF Bacchanalian Poetry in France 3 and must necessarily begin with a select few of those that are chiefly of a bacchanalian quality.
VAUDEVIRE IL
Atant le doz au feu et le ventre k la table, Estant parmi les pots pleins de via delectable,
Ainsi comme ung poulet Je ne me laisseray morir de la pepie. Quant en debyroyc avoi la face cramoisie
Et le nez violet.
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VIRE.
the Vaudemres as on unquestionable proof of the suc- cessful result of my visit to Monsieur La Renaudiere.
Quant mon nez deyendra de couleur rouge on perse, Porteray lea couleurB que ch^t ma maitresse.
Le vin rent le teint beau. Vault-il pas mieulx ayoir la couleur rouge et yive, Riche de beaulx rubis, que si pasle et ch^ve
Ainsi quhmg beuyeur d'ean.*
VAUDEVmE XXIX.
Jb ne treuye en ma mededne Simple qui soit plus excellent, Que la noble plante de rigne IVoii le bon vin dairet {HToyient. •
1l n'y a chez I'Apothicaire De drogue que je prize mieulx. Que ce bon vin qui me faict faire Le sang bon et Pesprit joyeulx.
Qu'oN ne m'apporte point de casse, Et qu'on ne courre au Medecin : De Tin qu'on remplisse ma tasse, Qm me vouldra rendre bien sain.
En mon r6cip^ qu'on ordonne Que je boind vin d'0rl6ans ^ La recepte me sera bonne, Les Mededns honnestes gens.
Mais s'ils m'ordonnent de I'eau doulce, Ou la tisanne simplement,
* The opening of the foUomng and third Vaudevire begins thus epigram- matically :
Adam, c'est chose tr^ notolre Ne nous eust mis en tel dangier, Se au lieu du fatal mangier U se fust plustost mis k boire.
VIRE.
439
N'est-ce pas done. Monsieur, (replied be) que je voiis ai bien conseili^ ? Ma foi, vous avez bien jou£ votre r61e."
Sont gens qni veulent tout de course Me (aire morir povrement.
Jb ne vueil ni laict ni fruictaige ; De ce je ne suys point friant. Mais je vendroye mon h^itage Pour avoir de ce vin friant.
O que c'est dure d^partie De ma bouche et de ce bon vin A tons ceulx-1^ je porte envie Qui ont encor le verre plein.
The greater part of the Xlth Vaudevire has some fair good broad humour about it :
VAUDEVIRE XL
Certes hoc vinum est bonus : Du maulvais latin ne nous chaille, Se bien congru n'estoit ce jus, Le tout ne vauldroit rien que vaille. Escolier j'appris que bon vin Aide bien au maulvais latin.
Cestb sentence praticquant, De latin je n'en appris gakre ; Y pensant estre asscz s^avant, Puisque bon vin aimoye h boire. Lorsque maulvais m on a beu, Latin n'est bon, fust-il congru
Fy du latin, parlous fran^ois, Je m'y recongnois davantiuge. Je vueil boire une bonne fois. Car voicy ung mabtre breuvaige : Certes se j'en beuvoye soubvent, Je deviendroye fort ^oquent.
440
VIRE.
Ce*9t un livre de la plii8*giwide raret^, mdmechez noas.** Leaving the precious cargo with him, and
The manner of thanking his jolly host, and of getting up from a well furnished table^ is thus humorously expressed :
VAUDEVIRE Xn.
C7bst assez, troupe honorable, De ces gentils chants Virois ; n fault se lever de table, Le reste en une aultre fois ;
Car peut-estre
Quele maistre Qm nous assemble edans
N'oze dire
Le martire £t mal que lid font les dents : Souvent incommodit^ Provient d'avoir trop chants.
Mais il est trop Tdontaire Poor avoir le cneur marry IVavoir veu la bonne chi^ Que nous avons fedct chez luy.
Monsieur I'hoste,
Voyez, j'oste Mon bonnet honnestement.
On me prie
Que je die Qu'on Tous rent graces humblement Mais si le vin reste au pot, Sommes encor de Pdcot
Faictbs-bn layer la bouche A quelques uns d'entre nous, Avant qu'ung varlet y touche, Puisque tout d^nd de tous.
Je ne cure,
Je Tous Jure,
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telling liim that I purposed immediately visiting the public library, he seemed astonished at my eagerness
Jamais ma bouche aultrement
Nostre hoetesse,
Je Yous lusse Mille mercis en payement ; Cecy seroit esventd, J'en boy votre santd.
J' AT ouy-dire it ma grand-m^, Tonsioura des vieulx on i^prent. Que de la goutte demi^ La bonne chiere ddpent
Bonne femme.
Que ton ame Piusse estre au ciel en repos !
J'ay envie.
Si j'ay vie, D'ensuibvre bien tes propos ; Quant sur le bon vin je suls, J'en laisse moins que je puis.
A further variety of Bassclin*s metre is discoverable in his KXIId. Vaudevire, thus :
VAUDEVIRE XXIL
He! qu'avons-nous affaire Du Turc ny du Sophy,
Don don. Pourveu que j'aye k boire, Oes grandeurs je dis fy, Don don. Trincque, Seigneur, le vin est bon : Hoc acuii ingenium.
Qui songe en vin ou vigne. Est ung prdsaige beureux, Don don.
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about books — and asked me if I had ever published any thing bibliogrcq^hicalP ^^Car enfin^ Monsieur, la plus-
Le vin k qui redugne
Rent le cneiir tout joyeuz, Don don. Trincque, Seigneur, le Tin est bon : Hoc acuU ing^nhm.
Meschaxt est qui te broiuUe, Je parle aux tavernien,
Don don. Le breuyaige k grenouille Ne doibt estre aux celHen, Don don. Trincque, Seigneur, le vin est bon : Hoc acuU ingenium.
Que ce vin on ne coiq[^, Ain^ois qu'on b^nre net,
Don don. Je pry toute la trouppe De vuider le godet, Don don. Trincque, Seigneur, le Tin est bon : Hoc acttit ingenium*
1 have observed that the poetry of Basselin is almost wholly devoted to the celebration of the physical effects of wine upon the body and animal spirits and that the gentler emotions of the tender passion are rarely described in his numbers. In consequence he has not in- voked the Goddess of Beauty to associate with the God of Wine : to
" Drop from her myrtle one leaf in his bowl 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 wonder- fully accordant with a Bacchanalian note.
VAVDEVIRE XIX.
En ung jardin d'ombraige tout convert, Au chaud du jour, ay treuv^ Madalaine,
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443
part des Firois ne savent rien de la literature an- gloise** — concluded he . . . but I had just witnessed a
Qui pr^ le pi^ d'mig sicomorre yert Donnoit au bort d'une claire fontune ; Son lit estoit de thin et maijolaine. Son tetin frais n'estoit pas bien cach^ :
lyamour touch^ Poor contempler sa beaut^ souvenune Incontinent je m'en suys approch^*
Sua, 8US, qa'on se resveille,
Voicy vin excellent
Qui feuct lever Poreille ;
n fuct mol qui n'en prent
Jb n'eus pouvoir, si belle la voyant, De m'abfltenir de baizotter sa bouche ; Si bien qu'enfin la belle e'esveillant* Me regardant avec ung oeil flEurouche, Me dit ces mots : Biberon, ne me touche, Tu n'est pas digne avecq moy d'esprouver
Le jeu d'amer : Belle fillette h son aize ne couche Avecq celuy qiu ne fiedct qu'yvrongner.
Sus, BUS, qu'on se resveille,
Voicy vin excellent
Qui fiEuct lever Poreille ;
II fiuct mol qui n'en prent.
Jb lay respons : Ce n'est pas desbonneur D'amer le vin, une choze si bonne : Vostre bel oeil entretient en chaleur, Et le vin en santd, ma personne. Poor vous amer, foult-il que j'abandonne Le soing qu'on doibt avoir de sa sant^ ?
Fy de Beauty Qui son amant de desplaisir guerdonne, Au lieu de bien qu'il avoit mdrit^
Sus, sus, qu'on se resveille,
Voicy vin excellent
Qui fiuct lever Poreille ;
n fiuct mol qui n'en prent. VOL. I. D d
444
VtBE.
s]^lendid exception to this sweeping clause of eensnre. 1 then sought the residence of the Abb6 Du Mbft-
J'atmb bien mienlx I'omhre d'ong cabaret
£t da beuchon de taverne yineuse^
Que cil qui est en xmg bean jardinet
La Belle alon me respond despiteoie ;
Tu ne m'es bon, cherefae one aaltie amoureuae.
Poisque par toy j'ay perdn mes amonrs,
Tousiours, tonBionn» Contre Tamour et la soif rigooreusey Que sois, bon Tin, arm6 de ton seoonra.
Su8, 8U8, qnon se resveille,
Voicy Tin Excellent
Qui feict lever Toreille ;
n fiiict mol qui n'en prent. p. 33.
There is no space for fuiiher extracts 3 and possibly too much already may be supposed to have been devoted to the poetry of Basselin. Bat this is a volume in every respect interesting — ^both to the literary aoti- quary and to the Book-Collector. It remains therefore only to add-r according to the very minute and specific note, acoompftnying the copy of it presented to me by Monsieur Lanon de La Renaudiere^ one of the Editors — and who now meditates a new and improved as well as enlarged edition of it — that^ of this privately circulated impression, ONLY ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY COPIES wcFc printed } of which uumber ten were upon red coloured paper, of the manufacture of Vire— ten upon fine vellum paper— ten upon vellum paper in quarto— ten upon common paper in quarto. In his projected edition, M. La Renaudiere purposes to separate the poetry of Basselin from that of Le Houx— which have been somewhat mingled in the volume before us : as well as to write notes upon local customs, events, and places mentioned or alluded toby Basselin, &c. It is proper also to add, that this gentleman is the author of the article Basselin in the Biograpfue UnwerteUe-^ which work indeed he is a regular contributor. The copy under con- sideration has been recently bound by C. Lewis, in red morocco binding, with every appropriate garniture in the character of gilt ornaments : — a compliment due to the liberality of apiiit, and kindness of disposition, of its enthusiastic donor.
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'TVEUX, the public librarian. That gentleman was ftom bome, on a dinner party. I obtained information of the place where he might be found ; and considering two 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 neigh- bourhood of the street, where he was regaling, for a fhn hour and half : when, at the expiration of that time, I ventured to knock at the door of a very res^ pectable mansion, and to enquire for the bibliogra- phical Abb6. ^ He is here. Sir, and has just done dinner. May I give him your name I am a stran- ger : an Englishman ; who, on the recommendation of Monsieur La Renaudiere, wishes to see the public library. But I will call again in about an hour." ^^y no means : by no means : the Abb6 will see you •immediately." And forthwith appeared a very comely, tall, and respectable-looking gentleman, with his hair en pldn costume, both as to form and powder. Indeed I bad rarely before witnessed so prepossessing a figure. His salutation^^d address were most gracious and
but to accompany him to the place which I wished to visit. Without even returning to his friends, he -took his hat, gave me the precedence on quitting the bouse — and in one minute, to my surprise, I found * myself in the street with the Abb^ de Mortueux, in tbe high way to the Public Library. In our way tiiither our discourse was constant and unrestrained. ^You appear here. Monsieur TAbb^, to be partial to literature; ..but allow me first to congratulate you on the beautiful environs of your town." For
wlaning; an(
me that I had nothing to do
446
VIRE.
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.
The shutters of the room were fastened, but the wor- thy Abb£ 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 couM 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 histoiy of the library is this : — ^The founder was a Monsieur PicHON : who, on being taken prisoner by the Eng- lish, at the capture of Louisburg in 1758, resided a long time in England under the name of Tyrrbl, and lived in circumstances of respectability and even of opu- lence. There — whether on the dispeinsion of the libra- ries of our Meads, Foulkes*, and RaiMtasons, 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 him. 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 remote and grateful posterity. The colour-
* It forms the building to the ieft> in the middle ground, in the ▼iewof theFoant«iD>&c. See page 4S4> ante.'
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447
ingof this portrmt is faded: but it is evident that Monsieur Pichon had an expressive and sensible phy- siognomy. Mr. Lewis could not do every thing ; or I would have carried a transcript of it^ by his faithful pencil^ with me to Paris — to be executed by a French burin.
Wonderful to relate, this collection of books was un- touched during the Revolution ; while the neighbour- ing library of the Cordeliers was ransacked without mercy. But I regret to say that the books in the cup- boards 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 Sweynheym and Pannartz's edition of the De Civitate Dei of St. Austin, of the date of 1470 ; and a large folio of 6e- ring*s impression of the Sermons of Thomas de Utino printed in the xviith year of the reign of Louis XI : or about the year 147L This latter was rather a fine copy. A little black-letter Latin Bible by Froben, of the date of 1495, rather tempted me ; but I could not resist asking, in a manner half serious and half jocose^ whether a napoleon would not secure me the posses- ion of a piquant little volume of black-letter tracts, printed by my old friend Guido Mercator?* The Ahbi smiled : observing — mon ami, on fait voir les livres ici : on les lit meme : mais on ne les vend pas.** I felt the force of this pointed reply : and was re- solved never again to ask an ecclesiastic to part with
* Some account of thiB printer^ together with a fac-simile of hia device, may be seen in the BiUiographkal D€C€uneron, vol. ii. p. 33-6.
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VIRE.
a black-letter volume^ even though it were printed by ^my old Mend Goido Mercator*" Seeing^ there wafe very little more deserving of investigation, 1 enqnired of my amiable guide about the Library of thb 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 three sous a piece — and with the pro- duce of which he bought many excellent works for the library* I should like to have had the sifting of this
theological rubbish Peradventure an Olivet BiUe, or a TyndaTs New Testament^ (in former times, when theCalvinists got a temporary ascendancy) might have found their way amidst the interminable rows of the Latin vulgate impression. Or rather, I wished to per- suade myself that this supposition was not a mere delusion ; and accordingly rummaged, high and low, in all directions . . . but to no purpose. It remained therefore only to thank the Abb6 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 I'ead. There were generally (he told me) from fifteen to twenty hard at it and I saw the names of not fewer than ninety-two who aspired to the honour and privilege of having access to the Bibliothbca
VIBE.
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PiCHONiANA. There is certainly no evidence of a back- wardness of disposition to obtain knowledge among the students of the department of Calvados.
For the third time^ in the same day, I visited Monr sieur 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 Seguin. He had been waiting (he said) fuU 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 feet, two rather interesting — but wretchedly, and incorrectly printed — duodecimo volumes, relating to the Socage,* in the immediate vicinity of Vire ; and
♦ relating to the Socage.'] — ^The first publication is entitled EnoT iur VHistoire de V Industrie du Bocage en G6iSral, et de la VUle de Fhre sa capitate en particulier, 8(c" Par M. Richard Seouin. A Vh-e, chez Adam, Imprimeur, an 1810^ ISmo. It is not improbable that I may have been the only importer of this useful and crowdedly- paged duodecimo volume 3 which presents us with so varied and ani- mated a picture of the manners^ customs^ trades^ and occupations of the Bocains and Virois^ that I am persuaded the following extracts will be received rather with indulgence than censure.
Manufactories of Cloth and Papbb. "La reunion dcs deux rivieres de Fire et de Vir^e, ainsi que de plu- oeurs ruisseaux^ ont encore facility en cette ville Tdtablissement de deux autres belles manufactures^ la draperie et la papeterie. La Vir^e^ dont les eaux claires et limpides roulent sur un sable dork, semble avoir ^t^ plac^e expr^s par la nature pour Templacement des moulins k papier; car les bords de la Vire ^tant couverts de moulins k fouler^ et lea eaux de cette riviere ^tant continuellement trouble par la craase des d^^raia des draps et tirtaine cpi'on y foule en grande
460
VIBE.
' W1B8 himself the sole vender and distributer of his pub- lications. On my expressing a wish to possess these
qaantit^^ elle ne serait gu^res propre pour la papeterie ; cependant il 8*7 en est ^tabli qaelques-unes depuis la grande inondation de Vire^ ar- ibrie en 1782.
''Flusieurs moulins foulons ayant 6t6 entrain^ par les eaux, quelques fiibricants de papier achet^rent les emplacexnens situ^ sous le ch&teau de Vire, et y Mtirent plusieurs moulios qu*on y voiC. On en tnmve aussi quelques-uns sur la petite riyi^re de Maisoncelles^ qui se jette dans la Vire audessus de cette villej mais le plus grand nombre des papeteries de Vire> et ks plus belles de tout le Bocage^ sont sur la Vir^e. Au commencement du quatorzi^me si^cle^ le papier fiit in- vent^ par un citadin de Padoue en Italic. Auparavant on ne fiaisait usage que de parchemin. On ne commen^a k s*en servir en France qu'en 1342. Toute la Valine des Vaux de Vire est remplie de moulins k papier^ de vastes magasins^ tant pour loger le chifibn, la oolle et les autres mati^res premieres que poiu' le papier de toute esp^ qu*on y fabrique en grande quantity. Toutes ces usines^ ainsi que les maisons des manufacturiers qui les accompagnent, sont b&ties presque toutes en pierre de taille et bien construites^ &c. &c.*' p. 156.
''Quoiqu*on ne puisse fixer au juste T^tablissement de la papeterie k ^re^ il parait pourtant que c'est dans le courant du seizi^me siMe puisque d^ ]*an ICOO^ il y avait d^jk des moulins k papier b&tis dans les Vaux de Vire 3 ainsi il y avait k peine deux si^cles que cette inven- tion dtait connue qu*on en fabriquait dejk k Vire. Les manufacturiers de cette ville tirent la plus grande partie du chiffon necessaire^ de la ci-devant Brefeigne. Tout le papier de cette fabrique est export^ en diff^rentes villes de Tintferieur, k Rouen, au H&vre et sur-tout k Paris, *otl il en est vendu la msyeure partie.** p. 1 59.
In the following paragraph we learn that " St. Anne is the pre- siding patroness of paper makers 5 and that the anniversary of her birth day is celebrated by a suspension of all labour, and by proces- sions and amusements among the workmen.*' But of these two ma- nufetctorics, that of cloth is the greater. The author becomes quite animated and picturesque in a portion of his description of it.
Quoiqu*il en soit, cette manu&cture^^tablie k Vire^ ne tarda pas k y
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books, he quitted the premises, and begged I would wait his return with a copy or two of them. While he
fiiire de grands progr^. Le cours tortueux de la riviere de Vire^ sa rapidit^^ lea rochers dont elle est remplie^ fbrmant aupr^ de cette Tille une grande quantity de cascades et de sauts> a rendu focile la construction des moulins k foulon, et autres qui y sont en assez grand nombre. D*autre part^ la terre qui sert k ddgraisser les draps s'y trouve ti^s k commodity dans la lande de Clermont $ les fbulons de Vire la yantent comme excellente et lui donnent la pr^fi^rence sur toutes celles qu*on trouve ailleurs. Ces divers avantages naturels i^unis, &voris^rent beaucoup r^tablissement et les progi^ de cette gninde manufacture, ime des plus considerables qui soit en France, an moins par le grand nombre d*ouvriers qu'elle occupe, puisque je ne crois pas exag^rer de porter leur nombre k plus de cinq mille per- sonnes, tant dans la ville qu*k la campagne.** p. 161 .
During the invasion of Italy by the French, it was the town of Vire which supplied all the clothing — especially the coarser part— for the army. Hear what the author observes upon this.
Dans ce tems-lk nos arme^s faisant de grands progr^ en Italic, Vire fbumit k cette arm^e une immense quantity de draps de bourre, de la plus basse qualitd qu*il soit possible de faire. On les nomma cisal- pins, du nom d*une r^publique nouvellement fondle. Ces draps gris, bruns, et de toutes series de couleurs mk\€es, semblaient ^tre toi^ours trop bons, puisqu*on voyait des marchands, apr^s les avoir achetds, les fedre remettre k la ramme pour les faire allonger de plusieurs aunes : aussi le plus cher des cisalpins allait-il au prix de cine francs Taune } car les Virois ont le talent de faire du drap au prix le plus modique qu'on puisse d^irer. Quoiqu'il en soit, ce talent, si c*en est im, a foit entrer dans Vire, des sommes immenses de numeraire, et les cisalpins ont enrichi bien des drapiers, qui auraient tout perdu, s*ils n*avaient febriqud que des draps fins et de haut prix.*' p. 172
The concluding sentence, and that which immediately follows*
* Voil^, je crois, la vrme cause qoi fiidt que la dnq>erie de Mrs est depois long-tems dans le mfime ^tat, d'oil elle ne peat gu^res espd^r de sortir, paroe
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was gone, M. Adam took the opportunity of telling me that he was a rich, respectable tradesman ; but that,
the preceding, were one aroong the causes which drew down upon the author the indignation of his fellow-townsmen. I proceed to pro- bably more interesting extracts ; and shall commence with that reladng to the
Drbbb and Charact£r of th£ Women. " Quant au costumb des femmbs d'ai:yourd*hui> comme il fiaudrait on volume entier pour le d^crire, je n*ai pas le courage de m'engager dans ce labyrinte de ridicules et de frivolity. Ce que j*en dirai seuk- ment en g^n^ral^ c*est qu'autant les femmes du temps pass^, etaieot d^centes et chastes^ et se faisaient gloire d*6tre graves et modestes, antant celles de notre si^de^ mettent tout en ceuvre pour paraltre cj- nyques et vohiptueuses. Nous ne sommes plus au temps oil les plus grandes dames se fEiisaient honneur de porter la cord^^re.* Leurs ha- biUemens ^taient aussi larges et ferm^s^ que cdui des femmes de nos jours sont ouverts et l^rs et d*ime finesse que les formes du coqis, au moindre mouvement^ se dessinent^ de mani^re ^ ne laisser rien ig- sorer. A peine se couvrent-elles le sein d'un voile transparent ti^ l^er ou de je ne sais quelle palatine qu'elles nomment point-k-jour, quij en couvrant tout> ne cache rien ; en sorte que si elles n'etalent pas tous leurs charmes k d^couvert> c*est que les hommes les moins acrupuleux^ qui se contentent de les persifler^ en seraient revolt^ tout-k-fait. D*ailleurs^ c*est que ce n*est pas encore la mode 3 plu- aieurs poussent m^me Timpudence jusqu*k venir dans nos temples tans coiffure^ les cheveux h^riss^ comme des furies 3 d*autres^ par une bizarrerie qu*on ne pent expliquer se d£pouillent> autant qu*il est en leur pouvoir^ des marques de leur propre sexe^ semblent vougir d*6tre femmes^ et deviennent ridicules en voulant paraitre demi- hommes.
que pluBieurs obstacles presqu'inTincibles s'y opposent. Le premier est dans la quality des hunes qu'on y employe ; un second vient du trop peu d'attention de la part des fabricants. "
^ Ceinture alors regardde comme Ic symbole de la continence. La reine de FVaiioe en d^rut les femmes titr^ dont la oonduite ^t irr^rochable." Hiii. (h im rhm. ie Bretmgme i la Fnmee par PabU IrmL
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having siud some severe things of the manufactures of Vire in his Jirst publication^ relating to the cwil
Api^ ayoir d^shonor6 l*habit des femmes« elles ont encore vouln prostituer celui des hommes. On les a vues adopter succesaivement lea chapeauxy les redingotes^ les vestes^ les gilets, les bottes et jus- qu*aux boutons. Enfin si, au lieu de jupons, ellea avaient pu s'ac- ooounoder de Tusage de la culotte, la metamorphose ^tait complette; mais elks ont pr&f^r^ les robes tralnantes 3 c*est dommage que la na- ture ne leur ait donn6 une troisi^me main, qui leur serait n^cessaire pour tenir cette longue queue, qui sou vent patrouille laboue ou balaye la poussi^re. Pliit k Dieu que les anciennes lois fussent encore en vi- goeur, oil ceux et celles qui portaient des habits indecent etaientobligifo d*aller k Rome pour en obtenir Vabsolution, qui ne pouvait leur Hre accordee que par le souverain pontife.*
Eneffet, le pape Eugene ne permit, en 1435, aux Cordeliers, d*ab- aondre les femmes qui portaient des habits ind^cens et des robes k queues, que dans le cas oil elles n'auraient fait que suirre la coutume da pays et non k dessein de squire; et s*il permit ^galement d*ab80U- dre les taiUeurs et couturi^res qui fEiisaient de ces habillemens, ce ne fbt qu'k condition qu'ils n'imagineraient plus de nouvelles modes. O antiques et sages ordonnances, que vous seriez utiles de nos jours !
Mais apr^ m'^tre ennuy^ k d^uvrir la turpitude de quelques folks k qui la fureur des modes toume la t^te, ou dont la toilette fait toute I'occupation, il est doux de se reposer sur un sujet plus agr^able, en essayant de tracer le tableau des vertus et des talens du plus grand nombre des femmes du Bocage, oi^ Ton peut dire que les bonnes moBuri et Thonnfttet^ sont encore en honneur, malgr^ k d^bordement des Tices qui ont inond^ la France pendant Tabsence de la Religion. Mais comme ks Bocains y sont ti^-attach6s et que la plupart lui sont rest^s fiddles, m^me durant son exil, on doit esp^rer que Tair hagard et les reparties fibres de quelques femmes (assaisonntes d^un b. ou d'une t) disparaStront enti^rement. On voit d^k avec plaisir que k saine morale reprend son empire dc jour en jour, sur-tout parmi les femmes.
* Foifez Phab. des hcol siculien par MM Boiletm. Reeriatkms kUimiqtm pmr M, Dr€%m-Dur^wr^ tme II.
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histoiy of the Bocains^ his townsmen sharply resented what they considered as reflections thrown out against
qui ne devraient jamais oublier que la sagesse et la modestie aoiit kt deux plus beaux oraemens de leur sexe.
"Les femmes du Bocage, et sur-tout les Viroises^ joigiient k un eqvit ▼if et e^jou^ les qualit^s du coips les plus estimables. Blondes et bruues pour le plus grand nombre^ elles sont de la moyenne taille^ mais bte Ibnn6es : elles ont le teint firais et fleuri^ Toeil vif^ le visage yenadi, k demarche leste^ un air ktoBk et tr^ ^^gantes dans tout lenr maintiai. Si on dit avee raison que les Bayeusines sont belles^ les fiUes da Bo- cage> qui sont leurs voisines^ ne leur oklent en aucune mani^^ car en gki6ral le sang est ti^beau en ce pays. Quant aux talens spiritods^ elles les possMent k un dkgrk Eminent. Elles parlent avec aisanoe^ cot le repartie prompte^ et outre les soins du m^nage^ oh elles excdknt de telle sorte qu*il n*y a point de contrfees oil il y ait plus de linge> dies entendent k menreiUe^ et font avee succts^ tout le detail du com- meroe." p.ttS.
These passages also^ notwithstanding the sort of amende honor- able made in the concluding paragraph^ raised a storm of indignadon and bitterness against the imsuspecting author. From a consideration that copies of this work may be of extreme rarity^ as well as from a conviction that it contains within itself some very interesting informa- tion^ I shall submit two— and only two more passages : the one^ rela- ting to the introduction of the art of painting } the other^ to that of the art of printing^ in the Bocage. They are as follow:
Le grand nombre d'anciens tableaux qu*on voyait dans les ^liseset les monast^s du Bocage^ peuvent faire croire que cet ^tat y 6tait en estimes sans doute que la plupart de ces tableaux n*avaient pas kt6 ex^cut^s que par des 6trangers^ puisque ce fiit un peintre de Rome qui vint peindre la voiite de Valise de Vire en 1 534^ cela prouve qu'il n'y avait point de peintre en ce pays^ puisqu*on fot oblig^ d*en foire venir un de si loin et k si grands frais. Entre tous les anciens tableaux qui se voyaient dans T^glise Notre-Dame de Vire^ on remarquait Tado- ration des bergers qui 6tait autrefois au maitre-autel ; il est actuelle- ment plac6 dans la chapelle N uve^ au c6tk de T^pitre. Quoiqu*il soit vieux^ il porte encore des marques de son ancienne beautfe. Le co-
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them ; and M. S^gnio was told that perhaps his per^ sonal safety was endangered ! ... He wanted not a
lorifl en dtait ^datant^ il fbrmait un bel ensemble, on y remarquait BUT- tout un bel ange qui parait dans Tadmiration, ainsi qu'un beiger tenant sa houlette, ayant un agneau coucb^ k c6t6 de lui.*' p. 945.
Quant k l'imprim brib, on sait que cet art n*e8t pas anden, puisqu'il n*a invente qu*au quinzi^me uMe. Pendant tout le si^le suhrant, 0 n*y ent gu^res que les grandes villes qui en eussent. Ainsi il n*ett pas etonnant qu'il n*y en edt pas au Socage.
''Le prenuer Imprimeur dont on ait connaissance, pour la ville de Vire, fut ut nomme Jean Decetne, yers le commencement du 17e. aiMce. Qttdques exemplaires de son impression font voir que, non* •eulement il 6tait habfle dans Tart typograpbique, mais qu*il 4tait sa- vant et poss^dait les langues andennes : car dans quelques livres sortis de ses presses, on trouve, outre le Latin, du Grec, et m^me de Viil- hreu. II y a entr autres un livre de controverses contre les Calvinistes, que Decetne imprima en 1670. Les exemplaires en sont ti^ rarcs.
'' Depnis sa mort, jusqu'en 1790,\^re n*eut aucune Imprimerie, mais k cette epoque, la revolution etant arriv6e, M. Malo, frfere-qu^teur cor* ddier, du couvent de cette ville, se fit Imprimeur. Mau M. Malo osa aspirer k une plus baute fortune. On a vu bien des fob, sous la baire et le froc, le m^me courage, que sous le casque et la cuirasse. M. Malo, sentant p^tiUer le feu martial au fond de ses entrailles, se fit sol« dat, et la fortune le servit si bien qu*il devint g^n^ral. Ce grade valait infiniment mietix que de fieure g^mir la presse 5 aussi il la vendit, et le sieur Lebel lui succMa.
" Un an api^s, le sieur Jdam en ^tablit une nouvelle k Vire. Ainsi cette villeposs^ actuellement deux Imprimeries. £n 1S08, le pre- mier Janvier, le sieur Adam entreprit de publier un nouveau journal, qu'il continue sous le nom de Journal de Varrondisiement de Vire*' p. S53.
It seems not a little bevere and discouraging, tbat a man, wbo, im- mersed in business, and writing botb to amuse bimself and to exalt tbe talents of bis townsmen — as M. S^guin bas done — (in tbe litde volume before us, of upwards of 400 pages) sbould bave met witb a fate so wbolly unmerited and unexpected. But doubtless tbere must be a
456
VIRE.
fiecoad hint — ^but fled from home with precifntancjr: and in his absence the populace suspended his efllgy^
secret history^ or key^ attached to the transaction^ whichlfiranklyowi I have neither the curiosity nor the means to ascertain. We now come to the second of M. Spain's publications— entitled HistoireMUi' iairedes Bocains; k Vire^ &c. 1816 12mo. pp. 429. This is in emy respect more generally interesting (beyond the limits of Vire) than its precursor. The author begins thus :
Lorsque je donnai monHistoire de Tlndustrie du Socage au Public, je me vis en butte aux calomnies les plus odieuses et les plus oonlia- dictoires. Ma vie fiit expos^e aux plus graves dangers. Je fas jng^ sans examen, condamn^ avec fureur^ et livr^ aux ex6cuteurs des hautci oeuvres, avant m^me d'avoir pu ouvrir la bouche pour me d^endie. Mais Tavidit^ mercantile qu*on supposait bless6e^ n*en ktail quele pii- texte la jalousie en 6tait le veritable styet^ et Tesprit r^olutionnaife permettait alors de tout oser contre moi.*
II est vrai que ce n*est pas d'aiyourd*hui que les hommes qui ont le plus travaill^ k illustrer leur Patrie, ont ktb honnis et p^rsecutte. N*est-ce pas dans ce pays qu'ont vtoi des Olivier Basseiin et des Ma^- aire, dontTun fut priv^ de ses droits les plus l%itimes, et I'autre rfeduit k mourir de mis^re? Si de si grands honunes ont 6te m^connusoa m^pris^s^ je sais que je ne suis pas trop en droit de me plaindre^ car je n*ai ni leur talent^ ni leur r6putation^ aussi n*est-ce point pour accuser per* Sonne que je rapporte ces faits^ mais seulement pour obtenir la grioe d'etre lu avant d'etre jug6^ afin du moins de n'^tre condamn^ que dans les formes. J'aurais pu citer en ma faveur le t^moignage honorable que m'ont rendu plusieurs Acad^miciens et autres Savans illustres, tant de la Capitalc que des D^partemens. Mais quelques soient les clameurs de mes ennemis^ je me contenterai de leur r^pondre avec un des plus grands liommes du 16^. sl^cle^f Faites mieux, ou kugsex /aire ceux d qui Dieu en a donn4 le talent. I**
♦ Voyez le Journal de rArrondissement de Vire, Aodt 18 10. + Le Card. Ximdn^s aux ddtracteurs d'Erasme. Dupin des Antiquity T. 1. p. 77., Fleuri Hist. Eccl. T. 26, p. 339.
X Chacun k ce metier
Peat perdre impun^ent de I'encre et du papier. BoUew.
VIRE.
457
and burnt it before the door of his house. 'Riis, how-> ever^ did not cool the ardour of authorship in M. guin. He set about publishing his military history of
This publication is refdly filled with a great variety of curious histo« rical detail — throughout which is interspersed much that relates to " romaunt lore*' and romantic adventures. The civil wars between MoNTOOM£]iT and Matignon form alone a very important and inter* esting portion of the volume 3 and it is evident that the author has ex* erted himself with equal energy and anxiety to do justice to both par. ties'— except that occasionally he betrays his antipathies against the Hugonots.* I have quoted the commencing passage of this work : let me also quote the concluding one. There may be at least half a score readers who may think it something more than merdy histo- rically curious :
Je finirai done ici mon Uistoire. Je n*ai point parl^ d*im grand nombre des faitsd*armes etd'actions glorieuses^ qui se sont passes dans la guerre de Tind^pendance des Etats-Unis d'Am^rique oti beaucoup de Bocains ont eu part ; mais mon principal dessein a 6te de traiter des goerres qui ont eu lieu dans le Bocage 3 ainsi je crois avoir atteint mon bot^ qui ^tait d*ecrire THistoire Militaire des Bocains par des fiedts el non pas des phrases $ je ne peux cependant omettre une circonstance glorieuse pour le Bocage 3 c*est la visite que le bon et infbrtune Louis XVI. fit aux Bocains en 1786. Ce grand Monarque dont les vues ^talent aussi sages que profondes^ avait resolu de faire construire le beau Port de Cherbourg^ ouvrage vraiment Royal^ qui est ime des plus nobles entreprises qui aicnt ^te fiutes depuis Torigine de la Mo- narchic. Les Bocains sentirent I'avantage d*un si grand bienfoit. Le Roivenant visiter les travaux^ fut accueilli avec un enthousiasme presqu*- impossible 4 d^crire^ ainsi que les Princes qui I'accompagnaient. Sa marche ressemblait k un triomphe. Les peuples accouraient en fbule du fond des campagnes, et bordaient la route, feasant retentir les airs de chants d*al%resse et des cris millions de fois r6p4t6s de Vive le Roi !
* " Les soldats Huguenots commirent dans cette occasion, tontes sortes de cruaut^, d'infaimes et de sacrileges, jusqu'k m^er les Saintes Hosties am rsvoine qn'ils donnaient k leurs chevaux : mais Dieu permit qu'ils n'en vou- lurent pas manger." p. 369.
458
VIBE.
the Bocains ; aod in the introductory part takes occa- sionto retort upon the violence of his persecutors. To return to M. S4guin. In about ten minutes he appear- ed^ 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 both Mr. L. and myself were well satisfied with Vire.
Yesterday M. La Renaudiere made good his engage- ment, and dined with us at five, in the salle k manger. This is a large inn ; and if good fore depended upon the number and even elegance of female cooks, the tra- veller ought to expect the very best at the Cheval Blanc. The afternoon was so inviting — and iny guest having volunteered his services to conduct me to the most beautiful points of view in the immediate neigh- bourhood— that we each seemed to vie with the other in 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
Musique^ Processions^ Arcs de triomphe^ Chemins jonch^s de fleors ; tout flit prodigu6. Les villes de Caen^ de Bayeux^ de Saint-Lo, de Carentan^ de Valognes, se surpass^rent daos cette occasion^ pour prouver ^S. M. leur amour et leur reconnaissance; mais rien ne fut phis brillant que Tentr^e de ce grand Roi k Cherbourg. Un peuple immensej le clerg6^ toute la noblesse du pays^ le son des cloches, le bniit dn canon, les acclamations universelles prouv(;rent au Monarque mieuz encore que lu pompe toute Royale et les f^tes magnifiques que la ville ne cessa de lui donner tous les jours, que les coeurs de tous les Bocains 6taient k lui.'* p. 428.
yiRE.
459
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 blanchis^ seuses 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 overhang- ing 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 pictu- r^ue scenery, when I tell you that M . La Renau- diere possesses land, in the immediate vicinity of Vire, which lets at <£6. 6«. per English acre ! My guide was all gaiety of heart, and activity of step. We followed him through winding paths and devious tracks, amidst ooppice-wood and fern — not however till we had viewed, from one particular spot upon the heights^ a most commanding and interesting panorama of the town of Vire. We left Mr. Lewis, busied in tracing this panorama with his pencil, to continue our route^ and to pay a visit to a Mr. and Mrs. S * * * English p^ple — and friends of M. La Renaudiere . • . living about a league further on.
In our way thither, 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 ilito French verse, and intended to publish his transla- tion. I urged him to quote specimens ; which he did with a readiness and force, and felicity of version, that quite enchanted me. He thoroughly understands the origi- nal ; and in the description of a cataract^ or mountain
VOL I. Be
4fl0
VIBE.
torrent^ from the Summer, he appeared to me ahnoit to surpass it. Monsieur R. 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 Edinburgh^ but thought the Quarterly more instructive and more carduUy written. ^^Enfin (he concluded) j*aime infiniment votre gouvemement, et vos ^crivains; mais j'aime m<Mns le peuple Anglois.** I replied that he had at least very recently shewn an exception to this opimol^ in his treatment of one among this very people. Cert une autre chose** — replied he briskly^ and laughingly— vous aUez voir deux de vos compatriotes^ qui sont mes amis 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 beautifril ia 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 * * *?
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 respect- able in appearance both within and without. The ap- proach to it is through a pretty copse, terminated by a garden ; and the surrounding grounds are rather taste- fully laid out. A portion of it indeed had been trained
VIEE.
461
into something in the lihape 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 blos^ soms, was perfectly delicious; while the stilness 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 gen- tleman ; assuring us, if we could stay, that he would be heartily glad to see us — " especially any of his countrymen^ when introduced by Monsieur La Re- naudiere.** It was difficult to say who smiled and bowed with the greater complacency, at this double- shotted compliment. I now pressed our retreat home- wards. We bade this agreeable lady farewell, and re- turned down the heights, and through the devious paths by which we had ascended,
l^Tiile talk of various kind deceived the road.
A more active and profitable day has not yet been de- voted to Norman objects, whether of art or of nature. To morrow I breakfast with my friend and guide, and immediately afterwards push on for Falaisb.
462
• VIBJB*
A cabriolet is hired^ bat doabts are 'entertained ft^ speeting the practicability of the route. My next epistle will be therefore from fWaise— where the re- nowned William the Conqaeror was born whose body we left entombed at Caen. The day is clearing np ; and I yet hope for a stroll upon the sdte of the castle.
END OF VOL. I.
London : printed by W. Bulmer and VV. MicoU Ciereland-iow, St James's.
A
FVom the omistion to notice certain e^tiona of works, in certam libraries, the reader will not infer that such libraries are theiefore without them. Nor does it necessarily follow that they emUm them. My object hai been, only to describe sudi books as, from choice, or the pardcnlar inclina- tions of the librarians, were placed before me in the several libraries visited.
The MSS. are designated by the titles being printed in small c^iital letters.
INDEX
OF MANUSCRIPTS,
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS,
DE8CBIBKD9 QUOTED, OR BEFXBBED TO.
Fol. Page.
Abano de Petri, Cmciliator, 1472, folio— ia the Public library
atManich, - - - - iii. 392-3
jEne^ Silvii Hut, Bohem, 1475, foUo — in the Public Li- brary at Augsbourg, - - • Hi. 228 JEtoput, Gr. 4to. Edit, piin.— in the Imperial Library atA^enna, — 493
Lai, 1475, 4to. de FUla in the Royal Library at
Stuttgart, . - - - - — 142
Lai, 1480, folio— in the Royal library at Pfcris, - ii. 296
i-; lial 1486, T^pp%, in the same library at Ptoris, - — 297
Lat, 1486, G. de Leeu, folio— in the same library, 297
fFiihimt date, or name ef printer, in the same, - 297
FtaL 1491 and 1492, 4to.— in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - - - iii. 493
— Hiipan, 1496, foUo — ^in the Royal Library at Ptoris, ii. 298
Germ. fFiihimt date, ifc., in the same library, - 297
in the same library, - 298
— Lat. 4to. — Prince Eugene's copy in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - - iii. 493
no date. Jig. lig. incis. (/. Zeiner) in the Royal
library at Stuttgart, - - - - — 143
^iopi Fabulee (Fab. topics) Brandt. 1501, folio copy pur- chased of Mr. Fischeim at Munich, - - — 304
Acta Sanctorum, 52 vols., folio— in the PubUc Library at Rouen, - - - i. 179
20 volumes, in the Chapter Library at Bayeux — 372
• three sets of, in the Public Library at Stras- bourg, - - - - iiL 73
■ six sets of, in the Public Library at Munich, — 298
Alain Chartier, parabolet de, Ferard, 1492, foUo — upon til-
LUM — ^in the Royal Library at Paris, - - ii. 289
iv
INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
|
Fd. Page. |
||
|
Alain Ckartier, let faU de, f^erard, no date, folio— 4n the |
||
|
Royal Ldbrary al Fwis, • - |
289 |
|
|
Albert Durer ; ongnial drawings or, in a Bo<hl of tTaycfB, |
||
|
in tnc tniDiic Ldorary at iviiuiicny |
273 |
|
|
Alcuimu de lyinUate, Mtmast, Uiht^mrrha, 1500, folio— in |
||
|
the Public library at Angsboiiigy ... |
— |
233 |
|
Alatne viauwif in tne tnioiic iiiDrary at icooeny |
L |
178 |
|
X_. •.t^-. D^^^l ¥ 11._S. |
u. |
311-314 |
|
— • |
350 |
|
|
seller, - - - |
351 |
|
|
J_ l^J t_ • T - - |
Si. |
|
|
296 |
||
|
jnexttfutrui uouuif vuigo ae rtiut uei uocvntuue. v. or |
||
|
sspwa^ folio— in the Imperial Library at Vienna^ |
502 |
|
|
AlfMMoc hiiteri^ue — le Bt^tnget B(^teuM — a chapbook. |
||
|
extracts firom, ... |
199 |
|
|
jMgevMi ue jtfctUf 14/4, /. ae^ oiorafiOy louo— *in uie iTioiic |
||
|
Liiorary at niiinicny .... |
■292 - |
|
|
AniM-CkrOi-^olock dooi^-^ the I\rouc idbrary at Landshnt, |
335 |
|
|
Ambroiu Hemnneron, (14oD,) in the Library of Uottwic |
||
|
monaSfeery, - - - |
— |
429 |
|
Aogsbourgy - - * - • |
■— |
229 |
|
a1«a OUa1%18;M Y ?ll ■ II HI 1 .A ^T«l.Ma«ii * |
||
|
zxv |
||
|
jvfnourif Catuse et aepurt^ rerarOf louy, loiio— *ufon vbllum. |
||
|
in ine itoyni liiDrary at « oriBy " • |
ii. |
287 |
|
Angelui de Gamb. Tract Maleficwrum, 1472, folio— 4n the |
||
|
Public Ubrary at Augsbourg, |
nL |
232 |
|
Anthologia Grmca, 1496, 4to. — upon vellum, in the li- |
||
|
brary of Ste. GenoTi^ve, at Pfeuis, |
B. |
349 |
|
, 1603, Aldus, 8?o. upon vbllum, in the |
||
|
Royal Library at Pfeuis, - - . |
ii. |
311 |
|
ArUhfui de Burtrw Concilia, Adam Rot, 1472, folio— in the |
||
|
Royal Library at Stuttgart, |
iii. |
143 |
|
■ , in the li- |
||
|
brary of Gostemeuberg Monastery, |
617 |
|
|
Antonii Archpi Opera Theologica, 1477, Koberger, folio— |
||
|
in the Public Library at Strasbourg, |
61 |
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS.
Fol. Page,
AnUmku SabeWumt, m Mtmii. Stmikc. 4to.^ the Ubrary of
Gdttwic Monastery, - - - - iii. 430 jtnton, de S, Greg. Cam. Deeret. Paoia, 1476, folio— in tlie
Imperial Library at ATienna, . - - - iii. 602
Apocalifpie, bioeh-book^ia the Royal Library al Fsris, - ii. 256
, in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, iii. 146
, in the library of Gdttwic Monastery, — 428
, in the Imperial library at A^enna» — 631
, /la/. /Zamii^^, in the Imperial Library at Vienna^ — 483
ApoiiinariM Offred. adv. Mani. B. Cfallui, 1478, 4to.— in the
Imperial Ubrary at Vienna, - - - ^ 504
ApotUei Creeds in German, block-book, with fitK: simile— in the
Public Library at Mmiich, • • - — 384
ApfMMUi Lot., 1472, F. de Sjnra, in the Public Library at
Nuremberg, - . - Supplemeni, zz?i , Raidolt. 1478, folio— in the library of the Monas- tery of St. Florian, - - - - iii. 390 -, Gr. 1551. folio— Diane de Poictiers' copy, in the
Royal Library at Pteris, - - - - ii. 316-7
JjmUm$, 1469, folio-^ the Royal Library at Ptois, - — 282 , imperfect, in the Public Library at
Munich, - - - - iiL 290
, UPON VKLLUM, in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - - - — 493 , 1472, Jenmm, folio — ^in the last mentioned
library, - - - - — 493
Aquinas, T., Sec. Secunda, Schoeffher, 1467, folio — upon
VBLLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna^ - - — 505 , Mentelin, folio, in the Public
Library at Strasbourg, - - — 69 , P. de PuMback. No date, folio
— in the same library, ... ilnd. , OpuM (iwnrtiicript. Schoefker. 1469, folio—
UPON VBLLUM, in the same library, - - ibid , In Evang. Matt, ei Marc. 1470, S. and
PannartM, foUo— in the same library, - - iM. , de virtui. et vitiit. Menielm — ^in the Public
Library at Munich, - - - — 289
Arbre des Batailies, Ferard, 1493, folio — upon vkllum, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - i. 286
▼i INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
Areimu de Beih G0tkko, 1470, folkH-in the l\iblie Libnry
alGMn, . . . . L 333
Aretnm^ L., de Siudm et LUterU, {Unef^ 4to.— in the Royil
Ubrary tl Stattgart, - - . - iiL 143
Ariitaphanei, Gr, Aldtu, 1496, folio, in the Public Library it
Ronen, - - - - * i. 178
ArUMelU Operas Gr. Ahku, 1498, 6 fols. Two copies vfw
VBLLUM (the fint volume in each copy wanting) in tiie
Royal library at PteriB, - . - - u. 291 Comment EuitraHi, 1636, Ald^i, folio, hige pi^
copy in the same collection, - - . — 314 ■' Eihicn Nicham0ckea. Gr. (i^MKt) — remaricaUy
splendid copy of, in the Royal Library at Paris, • • — 893 Eikica. Lai. Mentdin, Folio — in the Public
Idbmy at StFBsbonrg, - - • i& 69
Ar» Memorandi, &c. — - Mock book : five copies of, in the
Public library at Munich, - - j — 282
— — ^— — — — in the Public Library at
Landshnt, - • . S36
————————— in the Imperial library at
Vienna, - - - . . . _ 531 in the Library of CkKtwic
Monastery, - - - - — 428
An Aforiendi, Germanici — 4to. — in the Royal library at
Stuttgart, - - - .^14$ , Lai, block book — two editions, in the Public
library at Munich, - - • - 283
Art de bien Afourir, f^erard, no date, folio — upon vbllum ,
in the Royal Library at Ptoris, - - - ii. 288
Art and Crqfte to know well to dpe, Caston, in the Royal
library at P^, - - - - ii. 1177
Artus Le Rot, MS. xiith century, — in the Royal library
atPtuis, - - - - - ii. 223
Another MS. of the same Romance, in the same library, 224 Artajtani Summa, (1469) folio — in the PubUc Library at
Augsbourg, - - - - iii. 232
Auguttinui Stt. De Cwitate Dei, 1467, folio — in the Royal
Librar>- at Pari», - , - - - ii. 262
— in the Library
of Ste. Gencvi^re at Paris, - 346
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS. vu
fW. Page.
|
AuguHinm Su. Dt Cwitaie Ddi, 1467, folio, in the Imperial |
||
|
library at Vienna, ... |
iii. |
483 |
|
, in the Library |
||
|
of Caostemeuburg Monastery, - - |
— |
616 |
|
■ Sweffnheffm mnd Pannartg, |
||
|
1470, folio, in the Public Library at Vm, |
i. |
447 |
|
r, de Spim, 1470, folio — |
||
|
in the Public Library at Rouen, - - |
i. |
176 |
|
■ , UPON VBLLUM, |
||
|
late in the Library of Chremsminster Monastery, - - - |
iii. |
375 |
|
, UPON YBLLUM, |
||
|
in the Imperial Library at Vienna, |
483 |
|
|
— — , upon paper, in |
||
|
the Library of Odttwic Monastery, |
— |
429 |
|
in the Public Library at Strasbourg, |
— |
62 |
|
, in the Public |
||
|
library at Munich, ... |
— |
293 |
|
, in the Public |
||
|
library at Landshut, - - - - |
— |
335 |
|
Schaeffher, 1473, |
||
|
folio— in the Library of the Monastery of Chremsminster, |
374 |
|
|
, Jensan 1475, |
||
|
foUo — UPON VBLLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, |
483 |
|
|
Episiol^, Menirlin, folio, three copies, with |
||
|
different ms. dates, in the Public Library at Munich, |
— |
293 |
|
, Mentelm — in the Imperial Library |
||
|
iii. |
484 |
|
|
Coitf'eishmtm, Libri Kill, 1475. 4to. — in the |
||
|
Iiisperial Library at Vienna, |
484 |
|
|
de Trinitate, folio— in the same collection. |
ibid. |
|
|
de arte pr^icandi. Fuit — in the possession of |
||
|
M. Levranlt at Strasbourg, ... |
96 |
|
|
' de tingularitate Clertcorum^ 1467, 4to. — in the |
||
|
King's Private Library at Stuttgart, |
163 |
|
|
AuGUSTiNi Sti. in Psalmos, MS. xyth century — formerly |
||
|
in the library of Gor?inus, King of Hungary, and now in |
||
|
that of the Royal Library at Stuttgart, |
155 |
|
|
' Yppon, de Com, Evang, 1473, foUo — in the |
||
|
Public Library at Augsbourg, ... |
232 |
|
|
Aulu» Gellius, 1469, folio-— in the Royal Library at Paris, |
ii. |
282 |
viii
INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
rol. Pnge.
AuUu Gellhtt, upon vkllum, in the ImperUJ Library »l
Yienna, - - . . - iii.
Aummkti, 1472, fi^— in the Royal Library at - ii. 282
■ in the Impend Library at Vienna/ - ui. 494
, Aldui^ 1617, 8fo. Grolier's copy, on large
paper, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - - ii. 314
Aymon, les quaireJUg, 1683, 4to. —in the Library of the Ar- senal, at Pteris - ... . _ 334
B.
Ba!^, Tract, de QiuBsi. 1477- 4to. in the Public Library at Rouen, - - - - - i. 177
BALI.AD8; Ban J<ntr, Bon Soir : Le Faillant Thmbadaur, vol. i. 224 — Ton^oun^ 389 ; various, from the Fmtdemre$ of Oli- vier Bauelin, 436-444 ; Fhe Le Roi, Vwe DAmmtr^ ii. 3. ; Nautance de Guillaume le Conquerant, ii. 64 ; m arborani le drapeau blanc, at Falaise, ii. 23 ; le Bauer d* Adieu, 48.; VImagedela Fie, 49iLe Troubadour Pariiien, 50 Sauve quipeut^BX ; Balade joyeux det Tavemiers, ii. 287.
Bartholus Lectura. F. de Spira,\Al\. FoUo. Inthe Impe- rial Library at Vienna, - ...
Bartsck, I. Adam de — Catalogue de» E»tan^>e», par, tfc. 1818.
8?o. - - . - -
Bastiano Foreii, 4to.-^in the Imperial Library at Vienna,
Bella (La) Mano, 1474, 4to. — in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - . . .
Bellovacefwis Fine. Spec. Hist. 1473, folio ; in the Public Li- brary at Rouen, . - - .
in the Public Library at Augs-
bourg, - .... -
in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - - - Morale, 14/6, folio, in the Public
Library at Strasbourg, - - - -
Benedictionarius, MS. xith century -in the Public Library at Rouen, - ... -
Berlinghieri, Geograjla, folio — in the Imperial Library (Prince Eugene's copy) at Vienna, - - -
Berinus et Aygres de Lamant, Bonfons, no date, in the Li- brary of the Arsenal at Paris, -
|
iii. |
606 |
|
606 |
|
|
614 |
|
|
514 |
|
|
i. |
176 |
|
iii. |
233 |
|
iii. |
606 |
|
iii. |
59 |
|
i. |
169-175 |
|
iii. |
515 |
|
ii. |
336-7 |
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS. ix
Fol Pagt,
Bmmrwm» Efiiiiolm, (1469) fbtio-in the Royd Litniry »l Stuttgart, - - - - iii. 143
>i > foUo— in the Imperial Library at
Vienim, - - - - - - 606
BeuarioB, Card, Orai, ad Inclii. Itai, Prme. Going. 4to. in
the Imperial Library at Vienna^ - . . ^ 606
BiBUA Latina, MS. Dcth century, of Charles the Bald* in the Royal library at IHuii, with a copper-plate engraving of that Monarch's portrait, - - - ii. 156-168
— ' xiith century, in the same library, - ii. 166-
^— — — — xvth century, of the Emperor Wen- ee»lmu--hjDi the Imperial Library at Vienna^ with three fiu>- nmile engraved illustrations, - - - iii. 461-463
Hut, Paraphraiiica, MS. xvth century, - - ii. 168-172 Bibiia Polygloita Camplui. 1516, &c. in the Public library at Coutances, - - - - - i. 412
^ copy belongingto Diane
de Poictiers, iu the Royal Library at Fstib, - - - ii. 315
' — copy of Demetrius Chalcondylas, afterwards that of Eckius, in the Pubfic Library at Land- shut, - - - - in. 336
— — — fTalton ; royal copy, in the Public Library alCaen, - - - - - i. 336
' with the original de-
dication, in the Library of the Arsenal at Paris, - - iii. 138 (lUMeJ ——————————— Mrith the original de-
cBcation, in the Public library at Stuttgart, - - — 138
- in the Library of the Monastery of St. Florian, in Austria - - — 391
BiMh PolyglotUi, Le Jay: in the Chi^ter library at Bayeux, i. 373 - in the Library of the Lyc6e at do. — 374 ——————— in the Library of the Hotel de ^Ic
atSt.Lo, - - - - - — 396
'• — Hebraiea, edit. Soncini, 1489, in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - - - - - iii. 486
Houbigant^ 1763, in a Private Ck>l]ec-
tion near Bayeux, - - w - i. 361
Hahn, 1806, in the Library of the Mo-
nastery of Glostemeuburg, - - - - iii. 615
— — (rr«M, Aldiu^ 1518, folio — FVaikds Isf s copy, upon thick paper, in the Royal Library at Paris^ - - ii. 313
B
X INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
fW. Pagt,
Biblia Gr^eca, Aldui, upon thick paper, in the Library of the Arsenal at Pftris, - - - - ii. 323-4
— — - the usual copy, in the King's Private
brary at Stuttgart, - . - - iii. 1G2
Biblia Latina, (edU, Mmx, \4S5) folio, 2 ?oli., two copies of, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - - iL 253
' >■ a copy in the Masarine
Library at Paris, - - - - ii. 364-5
a copy in the Public Li- brary at Munich, - - - - - iu. 287
a copy in the Imperial
Library at Vienna - - - . . _ 494
Pfitter, (1461) folio, 3 v-ols. in the
Royal Library at Paris, - - - - ii. 265
in the
Royal Library at Stuttgart, Cunperfect) - - iii. 137
• in the
Imperial Library at Vienna - - . — - 485
f^si and Schoeffher, 1462: foUo—
three copies (two upon yblluk, and a third on paper) in
the fiibrary of the Arsenal at Paris, - - - ii. 321
VBI4LUM COPT, in the Library of Ste. Genevieve, - - ii. 346
in the Mazarine Library at Paris, - ii. 365
in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, - - iii. 137
(imperfect) in the Public Library at Landshut, — 335
— ^— — iu the Imperial Library at Vienna, - — 485 Biblia Latina, Mentelin — in the Public Library at Stras- bourg, - - - - - — 56
iu the Imperial Library at Vi- enna, - - - - — 485
Eggetteyn, (ms. date, 1468) in the Public
Lilirary at Strasbourg, - - - - — 57
(ms. date, 1466) in the Public
Library at Munich, - - - - - — 289
. supposed edition of Eggesteyn, in the Public
Library at Strasbourg, - - - - — 55
, 1475. folio, Frisner, &c. — in the Public Li- brary at Augsbonre, - - - - iii. 228
(14/5 edit. Gering) imperfect copy in the
Chapter Library \X Bayeux, - - - i. 373
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS.
Fol. Page,
Bibiia Lathm, Hailbrun, 1476, folio : two copies, of which one is UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial library at Vienna, - iii. 486
jgfuon, 1479, folio, in the Public
Library at Strasbourg, - - . . 68
• UPON VEL- LUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna -and a second copy upon pi^r, ..... 486
■ Litt. - in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - - - - iii 486 : , 1483, folio, in the Public
Library at Rouen, - - - - i. 177 , 1486, folio, in the Public
Library at Caen, - - - ^ i. 333 : Fhfben, 1496, 8vo. in the Public
Library at Vire, - - - - . . — 447 Bibim Germanica, Mentelin, folio — in the Royal Library at
Paris, - - ii. 266
■ in the Public Library
at Strasbourg, - - - - - - iii. 66
■ two copies, in the Public
Library at Stuttgart, - - - . ^ 137
■ two copies in the Public
Library at Munich, - - - - . 287
■ in the Public Library at Landshut, - - - . . _ 334
■ ■ in the Library at Clos- temeuburg Monastery, - - - - — 616
in the Public Library at Ratisbon, - - - Supplement, xy
- imperfect copy, (ms. date of 1467) in the Library of the Prince of Tour and Tazii, at Ratisbon, - - - Supplement, — xi
■ in the Public Library at
Nuremberg, - - Supplement, — xxv
tuppoied fint edition, in the
Public library at Landshut, . - . — 334
— , iuppated fint edition, folio, in the Library of Gdttwic Monastery, - - - - — 428
> Sorg, Augtbaurg, 1477, folio, in the Li- brary of Professor Veesenmeycr, at Ulm, - - — 196
xij INDEX OF MANUSGRIFTS
|
BtUm Germamem, Sarg, Angibmnrg^ 1477> folio, in tbe li- |
||
|
brary of the olonastery of St. Fbrifto, |
XO |
|
|
■ , Pepjm, 1624, folio— UPON vbllum, in |
||
|
the Royal Library at Stuttgart, - - - |
W |
|
|
Bihlla Italica; Kdend, AugtuH, 1471— 4blio— inthe Manrine |
||
|
Library, at IWs, - . - - |
366 |
|
|
in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, |
iiL |
138 |
|
. Kalend. Oetobru, 1471, foho — m the Ubiary |
||
|
of Ste. GeneW^, at Plunt, ... |
•• u. |
346 |
|
brary at Stuttgart, - ... |
iii. |
138 |
|
' in the Imperial |
||
|
Library at VicBna, - - - - |
486 |
|
|
1477» folio, in the Library of Grottwic Mo- |
||
|
nastery, .... |
4SB |
|
|
B%M, Hut. Fenet. 1492, folio — ^ copy purchased of M. FIs- |
||
|
304 |
||
|
HiMMr Bohemtcti, 1488, folio — in the Royal Library at Fsria, |
iL |
267 |
|
- Poiontca, 1663, folio — in the same Library, |
"— |
256 |
|
■■ ■ in the Royal Library at Stutt- |
||
|
gart, - - - . - |
iii. |
137 |
|
copy purchased by the Author at |
||
|
iiL |
228 |
|
|
in the Impenal Library at Vienna, |
— |
488 |
|
1699, folio— 4n the Library of Ste. Genevieve, |
ii. |
347 |
|
>■ Hunganca, 1666, folio— mcomplete, in the King's Pn- |
||
|
Tate Library at Stuttgart, ... |
iiL |
162^ |
|
, 1626, folio, in the Public Library at Stras- |
||
|
bourg, - - . . . |
68 |
|
|
^ Sclatfonica,\5B\, folio, in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, |
139 |
|
|
, 1684, in the Public Library at Stras- |
||
|
bourg, - - - . . |
68 |
|
|
, 1687, folio— in the Royal Library at Phris, |
ii. |
267 |
|
Bible, La Sainte, 1669, folio ; large paper copy in the Public |
||
|
Library of Caen, .... |
L |
336 |
|
BiBLiA — ^HiSTORiCA, MS. vfrttbui germanwit. Sec. xiv. — in |
||
|
the Royal Library at Stuttgart, |
iii. |
162 |
|
— — Aurea, IM. I. Zemer, 1474, folio — in the Library of |
||
|
Chremsminster Monastery, ... |
376 |
AND OP PRINTED BOOKS.
xiii
Fol. Pag€,
Biblia Pmtpemm, Neck book: in the Royal library at Paris, ii. 265
, printed by Pfister, in the same, - - — 261
' — , block book, German, — in the Royal lA-
biBry at Strasbourg, - - - iii. 146
, Laiine, first edition, in the same Library, — 147
, block book — one (}erman, and two Latin
editions, in the Public Library at Munich, - - — 283 — , Lat. in the Library of Gdttwic Monas- tery, - - . - - — 428 . in the Imperial Library at Vienna, — 531
BiOGRAPHT, RoTAL, OF Francb — XTith ccutury — magnifi- cent MS. in the Royal Library at Paris, - . - ii. 216
Bkupkemaieun du mm de Dieu, an ancient morality, in Svo., without date — discovered in the vicinity of Rouen, i. 159 — and fully described, with copious extracts, from the same tniiqae copy in the Royal Library at Paris, ... — 302^10
Blazonry of Arms, Book of — xivth century, with he- simfle portrait of Leopold de Sempach — in the Imperial Li- brary at Vienna, - - - - uL 4744^
Block books; at Paris, i. 255; at Stuttgart, iiL 146; at Mu- nich, iii. 279 ; at Landshut, iii. 335 ; at Gdttwic Monastery, iii. 428 ; at Vienna, iii. 531.
BOCACB, DE8 CaS DE8 NOBLBS HoMMBS & FeMMBS, MS.
XTth century, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - iL 218
' ■ . ■ two more
MSS. of the same work, in the same Library, - - — 214
Boccace Ruinei det Nobla Hommes, Sfc, 1476, Coktrd Mam-
thn, folio, in the Royal Library at Pftris, - - — 280
Boccaccio II Decamerone, 1471, Valdatfer, folio — in the
Royal Library at Paris, - - . 279
, 1472, A, de Mckaelibui, folio, in
the Royal Library in Paris, - - - ibid.
in the Public Library at Nurem-
berg, .... Supplement, 1476, Zarohu, folio, in the Impe-
rial Library at Vienna, - - iii. 616
• Deo Gradas, Sine Anno : fimam adk.
prtn. in the Public Library at Munich, - - — 291
Nhmpkaie, 1477» 4to., hi the Royal Library at
Stuttgart, - . 145
INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
Boccaccio, de Clar. Muiier. (1470, qtL ?) folio, in the Imperial
Library at Vienna, - - ilL 507
Boetius, Kohurger, Germ. Lat., 1473, folio, in the Public Library at Augsbourg, - - iii. 231
, F, Johannes, 1474, 4to., in the Library of Ste.
Genevieve at Paris, - - iL 348
Bonacenturte Pajkc Medit. Ht. Christi, 1468, G. Zeiner, in
the Library of Gottwic Monastery, - - ui. 431
Boni/acH Papa Lihr. Decret, 1465, folio, upon vellum, in the Library of Molk Monastery, " - - - — 411
, UPON VELLUM, in the
Imperial Library at Vienna, • - — 507
UPON VELLUM, in the Poblic Library at Nurem-
berg, - Sktpplemeni, xet
Bonne Vie, ou Mademe, Chambery, 1485, folio, in the Im- - perial Library at Vienna, • - — 525
Brandt Navu Stuit, Germ,, 1499, 4to., in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - - - — 526
Bbbviairb d' Amours, MS. xiiith century, with copper plate
fac-simile, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - — 477-480
BREviAiaa DE Belleville, MS., xivth century, in the
Royal Library at Paris, - - ii. 174-6
Breviary of John Duke of Bedford, MS. xvth century —
in the Royal Library at Paris — with copperplate fac-simile
of a portion of the Adoration of the Magi, from the same, ii. 176-185 Brbviaire de M. de Monmorenct, MS. xvith century— in
the Emperor of Austria's private collection at Vienna - iii. 592 Breviarhim, ieu de dubiii Casibus in Missa: no date, &c., in
the Public Library at Strasbourg - - - — 63 , Teutonic^, 4to.,'^upoN vellum, copy purchased
of M. Flscheim, at Munich, - - - — 304
Brbviarium Eccl. Libs. MS. ; in tlie Public Library at Caen i. 334 Breydenbach Itinerarium Lat. 1486, folio, in the library of the
Prince of Tour and Taxis, at Ratisbon, Supplement, xi. , Itineraire, 1488, folio— in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - , - - iii. 526
Brut d' Anglettere, MS. xivth century — ^in the Imperial
Library at Vienna, - - — 477
Bud€Bi Comment, in Ling. Gr. 1529, folio— Francis 1st. copy,
upon vellum, in the Royal Library at Pari?, - ii. 295
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS.
XT
Vol. Page.
Burchiello Saneiii, 4to., in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - iii. 516 Burtrio, AfUfum, de, Adam Rot, 1472, folio, in the library of Clostemeuburg Monastery, - - iii. 617
C.
Cadeaudei Mttset, - - - ii. 53
Cflfwr, 1469, folio— in the Royal Library at Paris, - ii. 282
, in the Mazarine Library, - - ii. 367
■ , in the PubKc Library at Munich, - iii. 290
, UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial Library, - iii. 494
, 1471. Jenson, in the library of Gottwic Monastery, iii. 430
, 1472. iS^. and Pannarts, folio, in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - - - - — 494
Calderi Opus Conciliar. Adam Rot. 1472. Folio, in the
library of Clostemeuburg^ Monastery, - - — 617
Calbndarium, MS., xvith century in the Public Library at
Munich, - - - — 269 , Regiomontani, block book, in the Public Library
at Munich, - - . _ 286
Cancionero General, 1666, 8vo., 1673, 1680. 8vo., at Rouen, i. 153 CaratzuUuM, De Tm. Div. Judic. Arnold de Brtueella, 1473,
folio, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - iii. 607
Castille et Artut d'Algarbe, 1687. 4to., in the Library of the
Arsenal at Ptuis - - - ii. 327.
Catichtsme dei Amant, - - i. 140
, d Pusage des grandes fiUes pour itre marines - — ibid. Caterinn, da Sienna, 1477, 4to., in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - iii. 617
, de Senis, 1600, folio, in the Royal Library at Paris, ii. 315 Catholicon, 1460, folio, upon vellum, in the Royal Ldbrary
atParis, - - - — 264 , in the Public Library
at Munich, - • - - iii. 290 , G. Zeiner, 1469, folio, upon vellum, in the
Public Library at Munich, - - — 291 ^ in the Monastic Library of
Chremsminster, - - - — 374 , upon vellum, in the Monastic
Library of Gottwic, - - - — 428
UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial
Library at Vienna, - - — 607
FVom the omisuoii to notice oeruin editioDi of woriu, in certain libraries, the reader fnll not infer that inch libraries are theretoe without them. Nor does it necessarily follow that they CMlcm them. My object has been, only to describe such books as, from dioioe, or the particolar inclina- tions of the librarians, were placed before me in the several libraries risited.
The MSS. are designated by the titles being printed in small capital letters.
INDEX
OF MANUSCRIPTS,
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS,
DESCBIBRD, QUOTED, OB BEFEBBED TO.
Foi. Page.
AhtMO de Petri^ Conciliator, 1472, folio-^ the Public Library
at Munich, . . . . iii. 392-3
jEnem Silvii Hit$, Bohem, 1475, folio — in the Public Li-
brary at Augsbourg, - - - iii. 228
J5!M^,6y.4to.Edit,prin — ^in the Imperial Library atVienna, — 493 — — Lat. 1475, 4to. V, de mia in the Royal Library at
Stuttgart, - - - - - — 142
Lai. 1480, folio—in the Royal library at Paris, - ii. 296
• Ital, 1485, 7%n, in the same library at Paris, - — 297 LaL 1486, G. de Leeu, foU<h— in the same library, 297
■ fFithaat date, or name of printer, in the same, - 297 ftal. 1491 and 1492, 4to.— in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - - - iii. 493
■ Hispan, 1496, folio — in the Royal Library at Puis, ii. 298
Germ, Without date, 8fc., in the same library, - 297
—————————— in the same library, - 298
Lat. 4to. — Prince Eugene's copy in the Imperial
Library at Vienna, - - - iii. 493
' no date, fig. lig. incii. (/. Zeiner) in the Royal
Library at Stuttgart, - - - - — 143
JEiopi Fabulm (Fab. ^sopicse) Brandt. 1501, folio copy pur- chased of Mr. Flscheim at Munich, - . — 304 Acta Sanctorum, 52 vols., folio— in the Public Library at Rouen, - - - i. 179 ■ 20 volumes, in the Chapter Library at Bayeux — 372
three sets of, in the Public Library at Stras-
bouiKf - - - - iiL 73
six sets of, in the Public Library at Munich, — 298
Alain Chartier, paraboles de, Verard, 1492, folio — upon til-
LUM — ^in the Royal Library at Paris, - - ii. 289
iv
INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
Vd, Page,
AUun Chartier, let faii de, Gerard, no date, folio— In the
|
Royal Ldbrary at Paris, • - |
iL |
289 |
|
Albert Durer ; original drawings of, in a Book of IVaym, |
||
|
in the Public library at Munich, |
iiL |
273 |
|
Alcuimu de TrmUate, Mfrnatt. Utimfmrrha, 1500, folio— in |
||
|
the Public library at Augsbourg, ... |
— |
233 |
|
Aldme Clauki, in tiie PnbUc library at Rouen, |
i. |
178 |
|
, in the Royal library at Paris, |
ii. |
311^14 |
|
, in the Library of St. Generi^e, |
— |
350 |
|
seller, - .... |
351 |
|
|
,in the King's Private library at Stuttgart, |
ni. |
ld5 |
|
: — , in the Public Library at Muiuch; |
— |
296 |
|
AleMifuhms GaUui^ vulgb de Filla Dei Doetrinale. V, de |
||
|
Spkra^ folio— in the Imperial Library at Vienna, |
— |
502 |
|
Almanac kisi&rique — le Meeeager Boitena — a duipbook. |
||
|
extracts from, ... |
ifi. |
199 |
|
Angdhude Aretit, 1474, IdeSidrano, fbfio— in the Publk |
||
|
library at Muiuch, . . . . |
— |
«2 |
|
Anti-CMH-^block book^ the PubKc library at Landshut, |
— |
335 |
|
Ambratu HeMomeron, (1460,) hi the library of G5tt^ |
||
|
monastery, - - - |
— |
429 |
|
1472, foU<h— b the PnbKc library at |
||
|
Augsbourg, - - - ■ - |
— — |
229 |
|
SappleMentf |
zzv |
|
|
Amours, chaue et d^Mri, Ferard, 1509, folio— upon ybllum^ |
||
|
in the Royal library at Pteis, |
ii. |
287 |
|
Angelut de Gamb. Tract Malejlchrum, 1472, fi^o— in the |
||
|
Public library at Augsbourg, |
iii. |
232 |
|
AfUhohgta GrsBca, 1496, 4to. — upon vsllum, in the li- |
||
|
brary of Ste. Qenayi^, at Phris, |
fi. |
349 |
|
, 1503, Aldus, 870. upon vbllum, in the |
||
|
Royal Library at Paris, - - - |
ii. |
311 |
|
Anihmui de Burtrio Concilia, Adam Rot, 1472, folio— m the |
||
|
Royal Library at Stuttgart, |
iii. |
143 |
|
' — , in the li- |
||
|
brary of Gostemeuberg Monastery, |
617 |
|
|
Antonii Archpi Opera Theologica, 1477, Koberget, folio— |
||
|
in the Publio Library at Strasbourg, |
61 |
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS.
Fd, Page.
Antomut Sabetticui, m Mumi. Saniiac. 4to.— in the library of
Gdttwic Monastery, - - - - iii. 430
Anion, de S. Greg. Cam. Decret. Pama, 1476, foli<h— in the Imperial library at Vienna, - - - iii. 602
Apocdiypie, bloch-booi^m the Royal Library at Paris, - ii. 266 , in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, iii. 146
, in the library of Odttwic Monastery, — 428
, in the Imperial Library at Vienna^ — 631
, Ital. ReUmger, in the Imperial library at Vienna^ — 483
Apdlinam Ojfred. ado. Mant. B. Gallui, 1478, 4to.— ui the Lnperial Library at Vienna, ' - - - — 604
ApoHlei Creeds in German, block-book, with he simile— on the Publicldbrary at Munich, - - . ~ 384
Appiamu Lat, 1472, K de Spira, in the Public Library at Nuremberg, - - Supplement, zxvi
, Ratdoli. 1478, folio— in the library of the Monas- tery of St. Florian, - - • - iii 390
, Gr. 1661. folio — ^Diane de Poictiers' copy, in the
Royal Library at Paris, - - - • ii. 316-7
|
Apulehu, 1469, folio— in the Royal library at Plvis, |
282 |
|
|
Munich, - - |
iii. |
290 |
|
, UPON VBLLUM, in the Imperial Library |
||
|
at Vienna, ... |
493 |
|
|
, 1472, Jemon, folio— in the last mentioned |
||
|
library, - - - |
493 |
|
|
Aquinas, T., Sec. Secund€B, Sckqeffher, 1467, folio — ^upon |
||
|
VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, |
606 |
|
|
Library at Strasbourg, |
69 |
|
|
; , P. de Puzbach. No date, folio |
||
|
— in the same library, ... |
ibid. |
|
|
, Opus Quartiscript. Schoeffher. 1469, folio— |
||
|
UPON VELLUM, in the same library. |
ibid |
|
|
, In Evang. Matt, et Marc. 1470, S. and |
||
|
Pannarig, folio— in the same library. |
ibid. |
|
|
, de virtut. et vUiis. Menielut—ia the Public |
||
|
Library at Munich, - |
289 |
|
|
Arbre des BaUnUes, Verard, 1493, folio — upon vellum. |
||
|
in the Royal Library at Paris, |
i. |
286 |
Ti INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
Arettmt it BeUo GMico, 1470, folkH-in the PttbBe Ubrary
atCten, - - . • L 333
Jretimu, L., de Studiit et Litteris, {Unef) 4to.— in the Royil
library at Stuttgart, - - - - iii. 148
Ariitophanes, Gr. Aldm^ 1498, folio, in the Public Library at
Rouen, - - - - • i. 178
AriMtotelii Opera, Gr. Aldui, 1498, 6 toIb. Two copies upon VBLLUM (the first volume in each copy wanting) in the Royal library at Phrifl, - - - - ii. 291
Comment EuHraiU, 1636, Akku, foUo, laige pq^
copy in the same collection, - - - — 314
Ethica Nichomackea. Gr. iAUhu) -^remaricably
splendid copy of, in the Royal Library at Plsris, Eikka. Lai. Menielin. Folio — in the Public
library at Strasbourg, - - • iii. 69
An Memarandi, Bee. — biock book : five copies of, in the
Public library at Munich, - - ^ — 282
' in the Public Library at
Landshut, - . . ^ 335
—————————— in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - - — 631 ' ^ in the Library of Odttudc
Monastery, - - - • — 428
An Moriendi, Germanki — 4to. — in the Royal library at
Stuttgart, . - - - — 146 , Lat. block book—Kw editions, in the Public
Library at Munich, .... 283
Art de bien Mourir, Ferard, no date, folio — upon yillum,
in the Royal Library at Paris, - - - ii. 288
Art and Cm^fte to know well to dye. Canton, in the Royal
Library at Puis, - - - - u. 277
Artus Lb Rot, MS. xiith century, — in the Royal Library
at Puis, - - - - ii. 223
Another MS. of the same Romance, in the same Library, 224 Artasani Summa, (1469) folio — in the Public library at
Augsbourg, - - - - iii. 232
Auguitinui Sti. De Cmtate Dei, 1467, folio — in the Royal
Librar>' at Paris, - . - - - u. 262
■ in the Library
of Ste. Genevieve at Paris, - - - 346
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS. vu
fV. Page,
|
Augu^hMu SU, De Cwitate IM, 1467, folio, in the Imperial |
||
|
Library at Vienna, ... |
iii. |
483 |
|
, in the Library |
||
|
of dostemeuburg Monastery, - - - |
"~ |
616 |
|
1470, folio, in the Public Library at Vlre, |
i. |
447 |
|
f^, de Spira, 1470, folio — |
||
|
in the Public Library at Rouen, - - |
i. |
176 |
|
________ , UPON YBLLUM, |
||
|
late in the Library of Chremsminster Monastery, - - - |
iii. |
375 |
|
, UPON TBLLUM, |
||
|
in the Imperial Library at Vienna, |
483 |
|
|
— — , upon paper, in |
||
|
the Library of Gdttrnc Monastery, |
||
|
in the Public Library at Strasbourg, |
62 |
|
|
Library at Munich, ... |
293 |
|
|
Library at Landshut, - - - - |
335 |
|
|
■ Sckoeffher, 1473, |
||
|
toiio— in tne idbrary ot tne monastery oi cnremsminster. |
374 |
|
|
folio — UPON YBLLUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, |
483 |
|
|
Eputolit, MefUrlm, folio, three copies, with |
||
|
different ms. dates, in the Public Library at Mumch, |
293 |
|
|
, Menteltn — m the Imperial Library |
||
|
at Vienna, ..... |
lU. |
484 |
|
— — Cot^feuhfwm, Libri XIIL 1476- 4to. — in the |
||
|
Ii|»perial Library at Vienna, |
484 |
|
|
de Triniiate, folio — ^in the same collection. |
m. |
|
|
de arte pr^edicandi. Futt — in the possession of |
||
|
M. Levrault at Strasbourg, ... |
96 |
|
|
de iingulariUUe Clerieorum, 1467, 4to. — ^in the |
||
|
King's Private Library at Stuttgart, |
163 |
|
|
AuousTiNi Sti. in Psalmos, MS. xvth century — formerly |
||
|
in the library of Corvinus, King of Hungary, and now in |
||
|
that of the Royal Library at Stuttgart, |
155 |
|
|
Yppan. de Com. Emng. 1473, folio — in the |
||
|
Public Ldbrary at Augsbourg, ... |
232 |
|
|
Aului Gelliui, 1469, folio— in the Royal Library at Paris, |
u. |
282 |
viii
INDEX OF &UNUSCRIPTS
rol Page.
Aulut GeUwM, UPON vbllvm, in tbe Imperiftl Ubrmry at
Vienna, - - . - - iU. 493
Ammmhu, 1472, folio— m the Royal Library at Ptaris, u. 282
■ in the Impend Library at Vienna,' - liL 494
, Jkhu^ 1617, Bro. Orolier's copy, on large
paper, in the Royal Library at Puis, - - • ii. 314
Agmon, lei quaireJUg, 1683, 4to. — in the Library of the Ar- senal, at Ptfis - . - - — 334
B.
Balku, Tract, de QhmL 1477- 4to. in the Pablic Library at Rouen, - - - - - i. 177
Ballads; Bon Jtmr, Bon Soir : Le yaillant Thmbadour, vol. i. 224 — 7\nffo9iri, 389 ; various, from the Faudevirei of Oli- vier Bauelin, 436-444 ; Hve Le Roi, Five DAmwtr, ii. 3. ; N&iuance de Gmlktume le Conqt$erani, ii. 64 ; m arborani le drtgi>eau Mane, at Falaite, ii. 23 ; le Bauer d' Adieu, 48.; V/magedela Vie, 49; Le Troubadaw Pariiien,60i Sauve qmpoMt^bl ; Balade joyeux des Tavemiers, ii. 287.
Bmrtkolus Lectura. F. de Spira, 1471. Folio. In the Impe-
|
rial library at Vienna, ... |
iii. |
606 |
|
Bmiock, i. Adam de-^Catalogue det Eitampet, par, tfe. 1818. |
||
|
8?o. - - . . - |
606 |
|
|
Boitiano Foreti, 4to.-4n the Imperial Library at Vienna,. |
614 |
|
|
Bella (La) Mano, 1474, 4to. — in the Imperial Library at |
||
|
Vienna, . . . . |
5J4 |
|
|
Bellovaceniis Fine. Spec. Hist. 1473, folio; in the Pablic Li- |
||
|
brary at Rouen, .... |
i. |
176 |
|
' — in the Publio Library at Augs- |
||
|
iKHirg, - - ... |
iii. |
233 |
|
— in the Imperial Library at |
||
|
Vienna, - - ... |
iii. |
506 |
|
Morale, 14/6, folio, in the Public |
||
|
Library at Strasbourg, - - - - |
iii. |
59 |
|
Benedictionarius, MS. xith century -in the Public Library |
||
|
at Rouen, - - - - - |
i. |
169.175 |
|
BerUnghieri, Geografia, folio — in the Imperial Library |
||
|
(Prince Eugene's copy) at Vienna, - - |
iii. |
615 |
|
Berinus et Aygres de Lamant, Bonfons, no date, in the li- |
||
|
brary of the Arsenal at Paris, ... |
ii. |
336-7 |
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS. ix
Fol Page,
Betmrionii Epklolm, (1469) folio-in the Royal Library at Stuttgart. - - - ... iii. 143
— ^ — , foHo — in the Imperial library at
Vienna,. - - - - - — 606
Beuarion^ Card. Orai. ad Inclii. lial. Prine. Going. 4to. in
the Imperial Library at Vienna, - . . — 606
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, - - - ii. 166-162
— ■ xiith century, in the same library, - ii. 166
xvth century, of the Emperor fFen-
cetiaui — ^in the Imperial Library at Vienna, with three he- simile engraved illustrations, - - - iii. 461-463
Bibiia Hitt, Paraphrastica, MS. x?th century, - - ii. 16S-172 Biblk Polyglotta Camplut. 1616, &c. m the Public Library at Coutances, - - - . . i. 412
^ copy belongingto Diane
de Poictiers, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - - ii. 316 - copy of Demetrius Chalcondylas,
afterwards that of Eckius, in the Public Library at Land- shut, - - - - iii. 336 fFaltan ; royal copy, in the Public Library
at Caen, - - - - - i. 336
. with the original de- dication, in the Library of the Arsenal at Paris, - - iii. 138 (noiej
with the original de- dication, in the Public Library at Stuttgart, - - » 138
• in the Library of the
Monastery of St. Florian, in Austria - - ^ 391
Bil^lia Poljfglotta, LeJay i in the Chapter Library at Bayeux, i. 373 - in the Library of the Lyc6e at do. — 374 ■ in the Library of the Hotel de Viile atSt.Lo, - - - - - — 396
— Hebraica^ edit. Soncini, 1489, in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - - - - - iii. 486 Houbigant, 1763, in a Private Collec-
tion near Bayeux, - - w - i. 361
■ Hahn, 1806, in the Library of the Mo-
nastery of Clostemeuburg, - - - -iii. 616
Graca, Jidvs, 1618, folio — FVancis Isf s copy, upon
thick paper, in the Royal Library at Pteis^ - - ii. 313
B
X INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
fW. Page.
|
nfhiM fwf^^/*A JmljttiM nnt\n t\\itAr nAtiAr in Y^itkmirv fliA Mjfutm jwHMwSf upuii uuwK pApor^ in uic uiuraiy vx buc |
||
|
/IrBQiUti M tiBTlS, .... |
•• 11. |
OAS-* |
|
brary at Stuttgart, .... |
iii. |
162 |
|
Rihlin F^ifSiua f^Ali \iam. I^AA ) fftli/i Q «rrk1a ft-orrk «v\iiiMI sjiviiu MjwtfHif ( rocf . ^CTH#. i^ooy itMiu, i> vuu«y »wu. cupioo Wf |
||
|
in tlip TI/)va1 TjihrM*v ttt Vtkviu _ _ _ |
ii. |
263 |
|
Library at Furis, .... |
ii. |
364-6 |
|
a copy in the Public Li- |
||
|
111. |
*o/ |
|
|
Royal Library at Plans, - - - |
11. |
ORE |
|
xwyoi ijiurary ai oiimKori, yunuCTivci) - ~ |
••• 111. |
|
|
Imperial Library at Vienoa ... |
||
|
loree copies \iWO upon ytHtLUMf oxui & mira on papery m |
||
|
tnc liiorary or tne Arsenal at rans« - - |
11. |
OKI |
|
wt t 1TM fi\nyr tn tVio f >ikraf*ir e\f f^tA ^AtiPinAirP _ . VBbiiUn curTf 111 iiic liiuriuy ui ofcc. vTCUCvicvCy ~ |
iia |
346 |
|
.•• 111. |
lot |
|
|
485 |
||
|
Rihlin iMiinn Mtftnki^liwk •— in t)iA l^ihlin f lihrAFV A.t StTAS. |
||
|
bourg, - . - . |
66 |
|
|
in the Imperial Library at Vi- |
||
|
enna, - - - - - |
486 |
|
|
Eggetleyn, (ms. date, 1468) in the Public |
||
|
library at Strasbourg, - - - |
67 |
|
|
(ms. date, 1466) in the Public |
||
|
Library at Munich, - .... |
289 |
|
|
. supposed edition of Eggesteyn, in the Public |
||
|
Library at Strasbourg^ - - - - |
65 |
|
|
, 1476, folio, FrUner, &c. — in the Public Li- |
||
|
brary at Augsbourir, . . . . |
iii. |
228 |
|
(1475 edit. Gering) imperfect copy in the |
||
|
Chapter Library i.t Bayeux, - |
i. |
373 |
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS.
Vol, Page,
Biblia Latina, Hailirun^ 1476, folio : two copies, of which one
is UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial library atYlenna, - iii. 485
Jemom, 1479. folio, in the Public
Library at Strasbourg, - - . — . 68
UPON VEL- LUM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna -and a second copy upon paper, ----- 486
' Litt. A - in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - - - - iii 486
: , 1483, folio, in the PubUc
Library at Rouen, - - - - i. 177
— . , 1486, folio, in the Public
Library at Caen, - - - - i. 333
: Froben, 1496, 8vo. in the Public
Library at Vire, — 447
BiUia Germanica, Mentelin, folio — in the Royal Library at PMt», ii. 256
— — — ■ in the Public Library
at Strasbourg, - - - - --iii. 55
■ two copies, in the Pubfic
Library at Stuttgart, - - - . _ 137
■■ — • two copies in the Public Library at Munich, - - - - - — 287
. in the Public library at
Landshut, - - - . . — 334
in the Library at Clos-
temeuburg Monastery, - - - - — 616
. —— in the Public Library
atRatisbon, - - Supplement, xw
• — — imperfect copy, (ms. date
of 1467) in the Library of the Prince of Tour and Taxis, at Ratisbon, - - - Supplement, — xi
■ in the Public Library at
Nuremberg, - - Supplement, — xxv
iuppated fint edition, in the
Public library at Landshut, - - . — 334
, iuppased fint edition, folio, in the library
of Gottwic Monastery, - - - - — 428
, Sorgr, Augibourg, 1477» folio, in the Li- brary of Professor Veesenmeyer, at Ulm, - - — 196
xu INDEX OF MANUSGRIFT8
|
BfbUa Germamea, Swrg, AugdKmrg, 1477, folio, in the Ii> |
||
|
biwy of the Monastery of St. Floriftn, |
ill* |
390 |
|
, Peffpui^ 1624, folio— ^PON tsllum, in |
||
|
the Royal Libnuy at Stuttgart, - - - |
— |
137 |
|
BiUki Italica; KiUend. AugtuH, 1471— Iblio— in the Mazarine |
||
|
Library, at Puia, - ... |
iL |
366 |
|
in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, |
iiL |
loo |
|
Kalend. Odobris, 1471, folio — in the Library |
||
|
of Ste. Genen^fe, at nurii, ... |
iL |
346 |
|
— — in the Royal li- |
||
|
brary at Stuttgart, - ... |
ui- |
138 |
|
—————— in the Imperial |
||
|
Library at Vienna, - - - - |
4oD |
|
|
1477, folio, in the Library of Gdttwic Mo- |
||
|
nastery, ... - |
428 |
|
|
Btbl Hut. Fenet. 1492, fobo — p copy purchased of M. Fls- |
||
|
cheim at Munich, ... |
304 |
|
|
AMwr Bohemka, 1488, folio — in the Royal Library at Paris, |
iL |
267 |
|
Polonica, 1663, folio — in the same Library, |
— ■ |
266 |
|
in the Royal Library at Stutt- |
||
|
gart, .... - |
iiL |
137 |
|
copy purchased by the Author at |
||
|
iO. |
228 |
|
|
— — — in the Imperial Library at Vienna, |
— |
488 |
|
1699, folio— in the Library of Ste. Genevieve, |
ii. |
347 |
|
- Nungarwa, 1666, folio— mcomplete, m the King's Pri- |
||
|
Tate Library at Stuttgart, ... |
iii. |
16M |
|
, 1626, folio, in the Public Library at Straa- |
||
|
68 |
||
|
Sclavonica,\6B\, folio, in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, |
139 |
|
|
, 1684, in the Public Library at Stras- |
||
|
bourg, ..... |
68 |
|
|
, 1687, folio— in the Royal Library at Paris, |
iL |
267 |
|
Bible, La Sainie, 1669, folio ; large paper copy in the Public |
||
|
Library of Caen, - . . |
L |
336 |
|
BiBLiA — ^HisTORiCA, MS, vernbui germamcit. Sec. xiv. — in |
||
|
the Royal Library at Stuttgart, |
iiL |
162 |
|
■ Aurea, Lti, /. Zemer, 1474, folio — in the Library of |
||
|
Chremsminster Monastery, |
376 |
AND OP PRINTED BOOKS.
xiii
Fal. Page.
BihUa Pauperum^ bhck book : in the Royal library at Paris, ii. 256 , printed by Pfister, in the same, - — 261
, block book, Cterman, — in the Royal Li- brary at Strasbouq^, - - - - iii. 146 , Latine, first edition, in the same Library, — 147
block book — one German, and two Latin
editions, in the Public Library at Munich, - - — 283 , Lat. in the Library of Gdttwic Monas- tery, - - - - - — 428 > in the Imperial Library at Vienna, — 531
Biography, Rotal, op France — xvith century — magnifi- cent MS. in the Royal Library at Paris, ' - , - ii. 216
Blasphemateun du nam de Dieu, an ancient morality, in Svo., without date — discovered in the vicinity of Rouen, i. 159 — and fully described, with copious extracts, from the same unique copy in the Royal Library at Paris, - - - — 302-310
Blazonry op Arms, Book op — xivth century, with he-
simile portrait of Leopold de Sempach — in the Imperial Li- ^ brary at Vienna, - - - - iiL 4744»
Block books; at Paris, i. 255; at Stuttgart, iii. 146; at Mu- nich, iii. 279 ; at Landshut, iii. 335 ; at 05ttwic Monastery, iii. 428 ; at Vienna, iii. 531.
BOCACB, DES CaS DE8 NOBLES H0MME8 & FeMMES, MS.
xTth century, in the Royal Library at P^, - - ii. 212
' ■ two more
MSS. of the same work, in the same Library, - - ^ 214
Boccace Ruine» des Nobles Hommes, 4^. 1476, Colard Mm^
eion, folio, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - — 280
Boccaccio II Decamerone, 1471, Faldaffer, folio — in the
Royal Library at Paris, - - - — 279
, 1472, A, de Michaelibui, folio, in
the Royal Library in Paris, - - - ibid,
in the Public Library at Nurem-
berg, - - . - Supplement^ xxy ' , 1476, Zarohu, folio, b the Impe- rial Library at Vienna, - - iii. 615 - Deo Gracioi, Sine Anno : /hrem edk.
/>rtii. in the Public Library at Munich, - - — 291
-, Nimpkale, 1477, 4to., in the Royal Library at
Stuttgart, . - - 146
INDEX OF MANUSCRIPT8
Boocaecio, de CJar, Mulier. (1470, qu. }) folio, in the Imperial
Library at Vienna, - - iii. 507
Boetius, Koburger, Germ. Lat., 1473, folio, in the Public
Library at Augsbourg, - - iii. 231 , F. Johannet, 1474, 4to., in the Library of Ste.
Geneneve at Paris, - - ii. 348
Bonacenturte Papa Medit. Fit. ChrUti, 1468, G. Zeiner, in
the Library of Gottwic Monastery, - - iii. 431
Bam/acii Papa Libr. Decret. 1465, folio, upon vbllum, in
the Library of Molk Monastery, - - - — 411 , UPON TBLLUM, in thc
Imperial Library at Vienna, - - — 507
— , UPON VELLUM, in the Public Library at Nurem-
berg, • SupplemefU, xzr
Bonne Pie, ou Madenie, Chamber^, 1485, folio, in the Im- • perial Library at Vienna, - - — 525
Brandt Navis Stult. Germ., 1499, 4to., in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - - - — 526
Bbbviairb d' Amours, MS. xiiith century, with copper plate
fac-simile, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - — 477*480
Bretiairb de Bellbvillb, MS., xivth century, in the
Royal Library at Paris, - - ii. 174-6
Breviary of John Dukb of Bedford, MS. xvth century —
in the Royal Library at Paris — frith copperplate fac-simile
of a portion of the Adoration of the Magi, from the same, ii. 176>185 Brbviairb de M. de Monmorbnct, MS. xvith century — in
the Emperor of Austria's private collection at Vienna - iii. 592 Brevhrium, seu de dubiis Casibw in Misia: no date, &c., in
the Public Library at Strasbourg - • - — 63 , Teutonic^, 4to.,'upoN vellum, copy purchased
of M. Flscheim, at Munich, - - - — 304
Brbviarium Eccl. Li88. MS.; in the Public Library at Caen i. 334 Breydenbach Itinerarium Lai. 1486, folio, in the library of the
Prince of Tour and Taxis, at Ratisbon, Supplement, xi. , Itineraire, 1488, folio— 4n the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - , - - iii. 526
Brut d' Anglbttere, MS. xivth century — ^in the Imperial
Library at Vienna, - - — 477
Bud^ei Comment, in Ling. Gr. 1529, folio— Francis 1st. copy,
UPON vellum, in the Royal Library at Paris, - ii. 295
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS.
XT
rol Page.
Burcfuello Sonetti, 4to., in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - iii. 516 Burtrio, Anthon, de, Adam Rot, 1472, folio, in the library of
Closterneuburg Monastery, - - iii. 617
C.
|
Cadeau des Mutes^ ... |
ii. |
53 |
|
Ctetar, 1469, folio— in the Royal Library at Paris, |
ii. |
282 |
|
, in the Mazarine Library, |
ii. |
367 |
|
, in the Public Library at Munich, |
iii. |
290 |
|
, UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial Library, - |
iii. |
494 |
|
, 1471. Jenton, in the library of G6ttwic Monastery, |
iii. |
430 |
|
, 1472. S. and Pannartz, folio, in the Imperial Library |
||
|
at Vienna, - - - - |
494 |
|
|
Calderi Opus Concilior. Adam Rot. 1472. Folio, in the |
||
|
library of Clostemeuburp^ Monastery, |
617 |
|
|
Calbndarium, MS*, xvith century in the Public Library at |
||
|
Munich, - - • |
269 |
|
|
, Regiomontani, block book, in the Public Library |
||
|
at Munich, - - |
286 |
|
|
Canchnero General, 1566, 8vo., 1573, 1580, 8to., at Rouen, |
i. |
153 |
|
Caratzullus, De Tim. Dir. Judic. Arnold de Brucella, 1473, |
||
|
folio, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, |
iii. |
507 |
|
Coitille et Arttu d'Algarbe, 1587. 4to., in the Library of the |
||
|
Arsenal at Paris - - - |
ii. |
327. |
|
Catickiime des Amans, |
i. |
140 |
|
, ^ ttuage des grandet filles pour itre marines |
ibid. |
|
|
Caterina, da Sienna, 1477. 4to., in the Imperial Library at |
||
|
Vienna, ... |
iii. |
617 |
|
ii. |
315 |
|
|
Catholicon, 1460, folio, upon vellum, in the Royal Library |
||
|
atParis, - - - |
264 |
|
|
, in the Public Library |
||
|
at Munich, - • - - |
iii. |
290 |
|
, G. Zeiner, 1469, folio, upon vellum, in the |
||
|
Public Library at Munich, |
291 |
|
|
, in the Monastic Library of |
||
|
Chremsminster, - - - |
374 |
|
|
, UPON VELLUM, in the Monastic |
||
|
Library of Gbltwic, - - |
428 |
|
|
, UPON VELLUM, iu thc Imperial |
||
|
Library at Vienna, |
507 |
x?i INraX OF MANUSGRlPn
|
OlMkm, 1488, folio, in the IHd^ - |
L |
178 |
|
^ without date, &c., in Hie Pablic libivy tt |
||
|
Stmbomf , ... |
iiL |
63 |
|
^ wkkmU dtie, folio, in the Imperial I^bnoy |
||
|
at Vienna, . . . |
||
|
(ktomt Etkica, 1477, folio, in the Royal Ubiury at Stuttgart, |
164 |
|
|
, a. Zeiner) no date, in the Public Library al |
||
|
Straibounr,* |
63 |
|
|
C§hi!hu, T^Mhu, Pnpertims, 1472, in the Royal Library at |
||
|
Ptfii, |
iL |
282 |
|
, in the Maiarine Library, |
367 |
|
|
' , in the Public library al |
||
|
Strasbourg, - |
iiL |
67 |
|
, 1473, folio, in the Imperial |
||
|
Library at Vienna, |
494 |
|
|
CtuH^ bookiprmied ^, in the Royal Library at Puis, |
iL276^^ |
|
|
iiL |
632 |
|
|
CeUitma Commedia de, Anvtn^ 18mo., in the library of the |
||
|
Arsenal at Paris, - - - |
iL |
332 |
|
Ckaucef^t Book of Ftme, Caxton^ folio, in the Iihperial |
||
|
LAnrary at Vienna, ... |
iu. |
532 |
|
Chi88, Game of, metrical German verthn of, MS., see. xv.. |
||
|
in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, |
154 |
|
|
Chevalier Delibre, 1488, 4to., in the Imperial Library at |
||
|
Vienna, ... |
526 |
|
|
Chevalier au Lion, MS., 1470, in the Royal Library at |
||
|
Stuttgart, |
155 |
|
|
Chivalry i see ToumametUs, |
||
|
Ckriiien de Mechel, Gat. des Tableaux de la Galerie imp. et |
||
|
roy. de Vienna, 1781, 8vo., |
573 |
|
|
Ghroniqub de Louis XI., MS., xvith century, in the |
||
|
Imperial Library at Vienna, |
iiL |
480 |
|
Chronicon Ponii/teum, 1474, 4to., in the Imperial Library at |
||
|
Vienna, - - - |
507 |
|
|
Public Library at Strasbourg, |
59 |
|
|
Hungarim, 1485, 4to., in the Public Library at |
||
|
Augsbourg, ... |
229 |
|
|
Chromcon Normbergente, 1493, folio, quoted, or |
||
|
referred to, iiL 219, 237, 356, 536, Supplememi, |
ix. |
ANI> OP PRINTED BOOKS.
|
/V. |
Page. |
|
|
Ckrwmieon Goitwicmtt, 173S» Mio^ 2 volt., womt aooowil |
||
|
of this nre and vifauible work* |
iiL |
|
|
Cmysolcrmi ErUemmtm, Gr, edit. priiL 4to.y in the Impenai |
||
|
library at Yiennay |
509 |
|
|
CAfyif /owt Gnmmw/., Crr. 1529, folio, copy of Diane de |
||
|
Poictiers,* in the P^lic Ldbrary at Caen, |
i. |
|
|
(^eer^ de O/icn*^ 1465, 4to., upon tellum , from a private |
||
|
collection in toe vosges, now in tnat of tne KeT. U. Lfnuy* |
2SS m. |
70. |
|
, 1465, 4to., two copies cpom ybllcm, in |
||
|
the imperial Library at Vieiina, |
iiL |
494 |
|
, 1466, 4to., upon paper, m the Mannne |
||
|
liUxrary at Fans, |
iL |
367 |
|
, 1466, 4to., UPON VELLUM, in the Ro3raI |
||
|
Uifaryat Stuttgart, - - - |
iii. |
I4U |
|
collection, - |
||
|
, i/ildut), Syo., upon vellum, in the Royal |
||
|
Library at Paris, - - |
iL |
312 |
|
~, Efiutolm mi Fmmlmm^ 1467» fobo, CanUnal Bes- |
||
|
sarion's copy, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, |
iiL |
|
|
1 AC€% O ——J -- - |
||
|
lOHO^ m tne same liiDrary, - - - |
fVNf. |
|
|
f<dio, in the Public Library at Augsbourg, |
||
|
■ , 1469, /. ae Sptra^ m the |
||
|
itoyal idorary at otuttgart. |
140 |
|
|
L |
177 |
|
|
^ , 15Q2, Aldus, 8vo., upon vellum, in |
||
|
the possession of M. Renouard, bookseller. |
ii. |
395 |
|
-^Cicero^ de OraUire, Monuit. SouMac., folio, in the Library |
||
|
of Ste. Genevieve, at Paris, |
ii. |
346 |
|
, f - de Spira, folio, in the Public Library |
||
|
at Strasbourg, - - |
iii. |
67 |
|
1 , in the In^ierial Li- |
||
|
brary at Vienna, . . - |
496 |
|
|
— ^ — ^ Opera PkUa§ophica, Ulric Nan, folio, in the Public Library at Munich, ... |
||
|
290 |
||
|
brary at Vienna, - - . |
495 |
c
xvHi
INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
rol. Page,
Cicero, Opera Philotophica, typ. Auionii, 1472, in the Library of Gottwic Monastery - - iii. 431
, De Xatura Deorum, V. de Spira^ 1471, foUo, in the
Mazarine Library, at Paris, - - ii. 367
, Rhetorica foetus, Jenson, 1470, folio, upon vellum.
in the Library of Ste. Genevieve, at Pftris, - - — 34s
1 UPON TSLLUM,
in the Ini])erial Library at Vienna, - - iii. 496
Oraiionei, S. and Pannartz^ 1471, folio, in the
Imperial Library at Vienna, - - — 496
-, raldar/er, 1471, folio, upon tillum.
(wanting one leaf) in the Royal Library at Paris, - ii. - 295 , perfect vellum copy, in the
possession of Mr. Renouard, bookseller, - - — 394 , 1519, ^Idus, 8vo. , u po N ve llu m , firs t yolume
only, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - iL 312 , perfect copy, upon vellum.
in the Library of Ste. Genevieve, - - iL 351
Pediani Comment, und cum Trapezuni.
de art. Cicer. orat. (/. de Colonk) 1477, folio, in the Public Library at Strasbourg, • - - iu. 67
-, Opera Omnia, 1498, folio, 4 vols., in the Library of
Ste. Genevifcve, at Paris, - - ii. 349
, in the Imperial
Library at Vienna, - - — 496
1534, Giunta, folio, singular copy in
the Royal Lil)rary ut Paris, - - ii. 317
Cid, el Caralero, 1627, 4lo., in the Library of the Arsenal, at Paris : bound with Seffs Romances del Cid Ruy Diaz de Hevar, 1627, 4to. - - - ii. 330
Cite pk Diev, MS., in the Royal Ubrary at IVis, - ii. 204-209
Citk des Dames, (Frrard) folio, upon vellum, in the Impe- rial Library at Vienna, - - iii. 626
Clement. Pap. Coftstit. 1468, rpoN vellvm, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - — 506
Compendium Morale, folio, upon vellum, unique copy, late in the possession of the Baron Der^chau, at Nuremberg,
Supplement, xxxiv.
Con/essionale, Arnol irs, 1473, 4lo., in the library of Gottwic Monastery, - - - iii. 430-1
C08TENTIX Du, MS., in the Public Library at Caen, - i. 334
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS.
xix
Fol.^ Page,
Cotman, Mr., character of his Anglo-Norman Antlquitieg,
preface, p. viii. See Genbral Index, Cotutumier Grand, de Normandie, in the Public Library at
St. Lo, in NcMinandy, - > - i. 39S
CouTANCES, MS., biographical details connected with, in
the Public Library at Caen, - - — 336
Ccutumet Anciennes, 1672, 12mo. at Caen, - - — 336
Craitom Lecncon, 1481, Gr. and Lat., folio, in the Library of
Professor Veesenmeyer, at Ulm, - - iii. 194 ^ . Gr. and Lat,, 1499, folio, in the Library
of the Prince of Tour and Taxis, at Ratisbon, Supplement, xi Cronica del Cid. Seville, 4to., in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - — 627
Cronica del rey Don Juan, Seville y 1663, 4to., copy pur- chased of Mr. Fischeim, at Munich, - - — 304 Cronique de France, 1493, Ferard, i:pon vcllum, in the
Royal Library at Paris, - • ii. 284 de Florimont, 1629, 4to. — in the Library of the
Arsenal at Paris, - - - — 336 de Cleriadus, 1629, 4to., — in the Library of the
Arsenal at Paris, - - — 337
D.
Daigremont et Fknan, 1638, 4to., in the Library of the
Arsenal, at Paris, - - — 338
Dance of Death, MS., with wood cuts, in the Public Library
of Munich, - - iii. 278-9
Dante, Numeiiter, 14/2, folio, in the Mazarine Library at Paris, - - - - - ii. 368
. — , in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - iii. 618
Petrtu Adam, 1472, folio, in the Library of Ste.
Genevieve, at Paris, - - - - ii. 348
-, Neapoli, Tuppi, folio, in the Royal Library
at Stuttgart, - - - iii. 144
-, Milan, 1478, with the comments of G. Tu-
zago, folio, in the same collection, - - — ibid,
1481, folio, imperfect copy, in the Public Library
at Augsbourg - iii. 231
-, perfect copy, with twenty copper plates.
in the Public Library at Munich, - - - — 291
XX
INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
Dante, 1481, folio, with xx, cc^perplates, in tbe Imperial li-
bwry at Vienna, - - iii. 618
Diuffpodhu Conrad^ his treatise on the clock in Strasboiuip
Cathedral, - - - - - — 33
Datti Elegant iolof, cum quibusd. aliU opuic, grammat., 4to.
no date, in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, - - — 141
Decor Puellantm, Jenmm^ 1461, 4to., in the Imperial Li-
brary at Vienna, - - - - — 518
Dtfemio Immac. Concept. B, V. Af. 1470, block book, in the
Public Library at Munich, - - - — 286
De Ftde Concubinamm in Sacerdot. 4to., late in the possession
of M. Koch, of Manheim, Supplement, IyL
Delphin Claisia, fine set of, in the library of Chremsminster
Monastery, - - - . ^ 376
Demoithenet, Gr.^ 1604, folio, in the Public Library at Rouen, i. 179 Der rets Ritter, 1614, folio, unique copy, in the PubHc
Library at Landshut, - - - - iii. 337
Dictionarium Pauperum, Colon. 1604, 8?o., copy purchased
of M. Flscheim, at Munich, - - . — 304
Dion Cassiuif 1648, Gr. folio, edit, prin., Diane de Poictiers
copy, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - ii. 316-7
Dio Chryiottom. de Regno, Valdarfer, 4to., upon vellum,
in the Emperor's private collection at Vienna, - iii. 693
Dionysius Halicarnatsensit, Gr., 1646, folio, Diane de Poic-
tierd' copy, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - ii. 317
DioscoRiDES, Grace, MS., vith century, in the Imperial
Library at Menna, - - - - - iii. 471-3
D1VBRTI88MENT8 TOucHANT LA GUERRE, MS., in the Public
Library at Caen, - - - - i. 334
Doolin de Mapence, Paris, Bonfont, 4to. in the Library of the
Arsenal, - - - . - - ii. 339
Donatus : several early editions of, in the Public Library at
Munich, - - - - - iii. 294 , 4to. — {Bamler) in the Library of the Prince of
Tour and Taxis, at Ratisbon, - Suppletnent, z
Duns Scotus, I. de Rheno, 1473, folio — in the Library of
Gottwic Monastery, - - - - iii. 431 Durandi Rationale, 1469, folio, in the Royal Library at Paris, ii. 266 , in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - - - - ui» 608
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS. x
Foi. Page.
Durandi Rationale, 1459, folio, in the Public Library at Nu- remberg, .... Supplement y — xxv
, 1474, /. Zetner, folio, in the Library of
Chremsminster Monastery, - - - - iiL 375
, fTtthout Date, Litt, R. m the Public Li-
brary at Strasbourg, - - - - — 63
Speculum Judieiale, H«unet\ 1473, folio— in the
Public Library at Strasbourg, - - - — 59
EcHECs Amorsux, MS. folio— with copper-plate fius-simile — in the Royal Library at Paris, - - - - ii. 209
Echec Jeu de,{Ferard) no date — upon tbllum, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - - - — 286
Ein nuizlich btkchlin, Augi., 1498, 4to. — in the Imperial Li- brary at Vienna, - . - - - iii. 527
Eratmut ejtpurgatu* iuxta cent. Acad. Lotan. 1579, folio, in the Public Library at Augsbourg. See TVf/imi^. AVmM, 1516. — 234
EvAKGELiA QuATUOR, Lat. MS. vith century, in the Royal
Library at Paris, - - - ii. 155-6 VII ith century, in the Library
of Chremsminster Monastery, - - iii. 377-9
ixth century, belonging to
the Emperor Lotharius, with engraving of his portrait, ii. 163-166
ixth century— in the Public
Library at Munich, - - - iii. 259-261 xith century, inthe same Li- brary, - - - - — 262
zth century, in the Public
Library at Landshut, - - . — 333
— xith century — in the Royal
Library at Stuttgart, - - .... 143
xvth century, in the Im- perial Library at Vienna - . ... 464
Eyangelium Sti. Iohannis, MS. Lat. xith century, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - - ii. 173
Evangelia cum EpUtolU : ItaL folio — in the Library of Gdtt- wic Monastery, - . . - iii. 428
Euclides, 1482, folio, upon vellum, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - . - . iL 294
, four varying copies of, in the Public
Library at Munich, - - iiL 290
INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
rd. Page
Euripides, Gr., 1603, Jldui-^vpov vellum, in the Royal Li-
braiy at Pari9, - - - - ii. 311 , Hecuba et Iphigenia in Jul. Gr. and Lat. 1507,
8vo. UPON VELLUM, in the same Library, - - — iM,
Eustathiui in Hwnerum, 1542, folio — upon yellum, in the
Royal Library at Paris, - - - — 292 upon paper, in the
same collection, - - - - - — 316 , 1559, folio, fine copy, upon paper,
in the Public Library at Caen, - - - i. 337
Eutropiui, 1471, Lover, folio — in the Kmff's Private Library
at Stuttgart, - iii. Id2
Exhortation against the Turks (1472) in the Public Library at
Munich, - - - - - — 282
Eyb. Margarita Poetica, 1472, folio— in the Public Library at
Strasbourg, - - - - — 62
F.
Fait de la Guerre, C. Mansion, folio— in the Royal Library at
Ptais, - - - - - ii. 280
Fazio Dita Mundi, 1474, folio — in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - - - iil 518
Fichi'ti Rhetorica — Gering—4to. — upon vellum, in the Im- perial Library at Vienna, - - - — 509 Fiorio e Biancijiore, Bologna, 1480, folio — in the Library of
the Arsenal, at Paris, - - - - ii. 331
Fierbras, 1486, folio— Prince Eugene's copy), in the Imperial
Library at Vienna, - - - - iii. 528
Flos Sanctorum, 1582, folio — in the Public Library at Rouen, i. 179 Fontaine Contes de la, copy of in the Chapter Library at
Bayeux, - - - - - i. 372
Fortalitium Fidei — folio — no date — in the Public Library at
Munich : curious printed advertisement in this copy, - iii. 295 Frezzi II Quadriregio, 1481, folio— in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - . - — 518
Fulgosii Anteros — 1496 — folio— in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - - - - — 518
Funrrailleh deh Reineh de France, MS. folio — in the
Emperor's Private Collection at Vienna, - - — 592
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS. xxiii
Fol Page.
G.
Gaientu, Or. \S25, folio, ^Idus — large paper copy, in the
Royal Library at Paris, - - - - ii. 314
F. Oaffcrii Laud. Harm. Inst. MS. XFith century — in the Emperor's Private Collection at Vienna, - - - iii. 692
Galien et Jaquehne, 1525, folio— in the Library of the Arsenal, at Paris, - - - - - ii. 3^3
Gallia Christiana, 1732, folio, in the Chapter Library at Bayeux, - - - - - i. 373
Garnet of Cheu, Caxton, folio, 2d. edit. — in the Imperial Li- brary at Vienna, - - - - iii. 632
Genesis — ^MS. of the ivth . century— fragmentt of Chapters of, account of — with fac-simile lUuminations, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - - - — 457
Gerard, Comte de Nevers, 1526, 4to. — in the Library of the Arsenal at Paris, - - ' - - ii. 336
Germanicar. Rer. Tres Script. Select. 1707, folio — referred to, iii. 363
(?wrffii/^iViVfa»o,(5-c. 1726— referred to, - — 366-378
Gesta Romanorum, MS. xivth century, in the King's Pri- vate Library at Stuttgart, - - - - — - 163
Geyler, Navic. Fat. 1511, 4to — in the Public Library at Augsbourg, - - - - — 233
Gloria Mulierum, Jenson, 4to. — in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - - - - — 619
Godfrey of Boulogne, Caxtm, folio — in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - - - — 632
Graal, St., MS. in the Royal Library at Paris, - - ii. 223
Grammatica Rhythmica, 1466, folio— in the Royal Library at Paris, — 264
Grandidier, Essai Hist, et Topog. sur PEglise CathMrale de Strasbourg, 1782, 8vo. - - - iii. 17-18
Gratian Opus. Deeret. Schoeffher, 1470, folio, upon vellum, in the Library of Gottwic monastery,* - - iii. 428
, Schoeffher, 1472, folio, upon vellum, in
the Library of Closterneuburg monastery, - - — 617
Gregorii Opera, Germ. 1483, folio, in the Library of Professor Veesenmeyer, at Ulm, - - - - — 193
• I doubt whether there be any such edition, or whether the ensuing, by the same printer, be not here intended.
IHUEX OP MANUSCaUPTS
(ffiMlrfif, 6'0fw.« 1*483, 4to., wood ^to, in th^ '
fiessor Veesenmeyer, at Ulm, - . •HI. Mi'
9 1471, 4to., widuMit aiti, in the same collee-
tion. Set Petrmrcka, - . . — iM
GuilUmme 4e Pdeme, 1552, 4to., in the Ldbrary of the Aise-
nal: tocher edition, 1634, 4to., - . B. "SS^S
Gulklmui de Saiketo, Ital 1474, folio, in the Libraiy of
GMwic Monastery, - - . . _ 451
Gnu de fFarwich, no date, 4to., in the Library of the Arsenal
atFvis, . - . . - ii. 326
Gjfnm Le Comriojfi, no date, Fierard, upon vellum, in the
Royal library at Pkris, - . - ii. 284
H.
N&rtHei^i Chirmaney, block book, m the Royal Library al Ptois, . - - - it 266
, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - iii. 531 '
ffmberim, Aualecta Medu ^ei, 1734, 12mo., copy in the pos- session of Professor Siebenkees at Strasbourg - ui. 80 Hekyne La Belle, 1528, 4to., in the library of the Arsenal at
Pteis, - - - - ii. 339
Hector de Troye, Amoullet, 4to. in the Library of the
Arsenal at Paris, - - . _ 340 /'
Herborwm Mogunt,, 1484, 4to., in the Pablic Labrary at Caen, i. 325 Hermann, Noiicet Hutoriques, StatUHquet, et Litt^hrei mr
la FUle de Strasbourg, - - - iii. 3, &c.
Heuret, printed by Fottre, fine copy of, in the Public library
at Caen, - - - - i. 336
Herodotus, Gr. 1502, Aldus, folio, large paper copy in the
Royal Library at Paris, - - - - ii. 316
HiSTORiA B. M. V1R01NI8, MS., folio, xvth century, with engraving of the portrait of Louisa of Savoy, therefrom, in the Public Library at Paris, - - - - H. 186-188
, block book, folio, in the Royal
Library at Paris, - - - — 266
in the Royal Library
at Stuttgart, - - - - - . — 146
-, in the Public Library
at Munich, - - - - ill. 286
in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - - - - . — 631
AND OP PRINTED BOOKS.
xxxix
rd. Page.
Repertwium, N, deMilU, 1475, folio, in the Library of Gott-
wic Monastery, - - - iii. 432 Richard sam Peur, Janot, no date, 4to., in the Library of the
Arsenal at Paris, - - - - S. 325
, Bon/ofu, no date, 4to., in the same Library, ibid.
, chapbook, — at Rouen and Contances, - i. 409 Robert le Diable, Janot, no date, 4to., in the Library of the
Arsenal at Paris, - - . - ii. 326 Romancero General, 1492, folio, in the possession of Madame
Debure, at Paris, - - - - ii. 388
Romancei, MS,, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - — 217-229
, printed, in the same Library, - - ii. 284-288
, in the Public Library at Strasbourg, - iii. 64-6,&c
, in the Public Library at Munich, - — 263, &c.
/ZewMtfrrf, 1584, folio, in the Public Library at Caen, - i. 337 RosB Roman de la, MS. xmh century, in the Royal Library
at Paris, . . - ii. 224 , Ferard, no date, upon vellum, in the
Royal Library at Paris, - - — 285 Rotseioptu elegam, ^c., Pyntm, 1523, 4to., the author's
copy, afterwards that of Sir Thomas More, in the Public
Library at Landshut, - - - iiL 337 Ruberto Quadrageiimale, 1479, 4to., in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - • - iii, 524
Sacramentarium, seu Missa Pap, Greg., MS., vith cen- tury, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - iii. 469
Salluitius, 4to., edit. pr'm. in the Imperial Library at Vienna, — 499
, Gering, 4to., in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - 500
Sanchez de Matrim. Sacram., copy in the chapter Library at Bayeux, i. 373, in the Library of the Lyc^, at Bayeuz, i. 374
Sannazarii Arcadia, 1514, Aldtu, 8vo., Grolier's copy, on large paper, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - ii. 314
Sannazarius de partu Firginis, Aldi, 1527, 12mo. in the
King's Private library at Stuttgart, - - iiL 165
Saxoferrato Ditputationei de-^F. de Spira, 1472, folio, in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, - - . — . 143
, 1470, folio, in the Public Li- brary at Munich, - - - - — 292
xxn INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
fW. Ptige,
HoRATius, MS.y xiith century, in the Ubniy of Molk Mo- nastery, - - - - - in. 412
, Edit prin. 4to., in the Pnblic Ubrwy al Augi-
bonrg, - - - - — 228
, 1492-8, folio, in the Public library at Rouen, - L 179
1498, folio, in the Public library al Stras-
bourg, - - - - iii.
1501, jildus, 8?o., UPON VBLLUM , in the Royal
Library at Puu, - • - - iL 312 , UPON VBLLUM, in thc Public
Library at Munich, - - - iii. 296
Horloge de Sapience^ Verard, 1493, folio, upon vbllum, in
the Royal Library at Pkris, - - - iL 285
HoRTUs Dbuciarum, MS., xiith century, in the Public Li- brary at Strasbourg, - - - iii. 52 HoKTULus Anima, MS., xvth century— with five fiM>4imile copper plate engravings therefrom, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, ... . . . — 467-471
, 1498, 12mo., in the King's Private li- brary at Stuttgart, - - - — 162 Ratarum, 1499, 8vo., in the Public Library
atAugsbourg, - - - - — 233
Huet, Demanttrat. Evang. 1690, (1679?) foUo, unique copy in
the Public Library at Caen, - - - i. 337
Huon de Bourdeaux, four editions of, in the Library of the
ArRenal at Paris, - - - - ii. 333
Isocrates, Gr., Aldui, 1534, folio, large pi^r copy in the Royal Library at Paris, - - - - ii. 314
Jiuany Rotnan de, printed hy Ctupton, in the Royal Library at Rffis. . - - . . — 250
, same edition, in the Library of the Arsenal
at Paris - - - - - — 322
lehan de Saintri, Bon/on* , no date, 4to., in the Library of the Arsenal at Paris, - - - — 336
Paris, Bon/ons, no date, 4to., in the same col- lection, - - - - - — 337 , Paris, 1600, 4to., in the same, - — ibid.
Jbrome, St., V^e, Mort, et Miracles de, MS., xTth cen- tury, in the Royal library of Stuttgart, - - m. 153
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS. xxv
Fol. Page,
leronimi EpUtoUt, 1468, 5. and Patmartz, folio, in the Public Library at Rouen, - - - i. 176
, UPON TBLLUH, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - - - iii. 488
, 1470, S. and Pan, folio, in the li-
brary of dostemeuburg Monastery, - — 617
in the Public Library at
Nuremberjir^ - - - Supplement, xxv.
1470, Schoeffher, in the Public Li-
brary at Strasbourg, - » - iii. 61
- — , Mentelin, in the Public Library
at Strasbourg, - - - - — 62
, in the Pttblic library at Nuremberg, - - Supplement, xxv.
Parmte, 1480, folio, in the
Public Library at Augsbourg, - - ill 228
Joiephui, Lat., 1470, Schuzler, folio, two copies, someidiat difiering from each other, in the library of Fh)fes8or Vee- senmeyer, at Ulm, - . - - - — 193
— — , 1480, folio, in the Library of the Monastery
of St. Florian, - - - . - — 390
Gallic^, 1492, folio, in the Imperial Library at
Vienna,
Jourdain de Blave, Paris, Chretien, no date, 4to., in the Library of the Arsenal at Paris, - - - ii. 339
Jouvencel le, 1497, f^erard, folio, upon vellum, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - - ilL 528
Juitinus, 1479, folio, in the Public Library at Rouen, - i. 177
Juvenalis, folio, K de Spira, edit. prin« in the Public li- brary at Strasbourg, - - - iii. 68
— — , Ulric Han, typ, grand, folio, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - ' - . — 496
, 1474, folio, in the Public Library at Caen, - i. 334
, /. de Ftvizano, folio, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - iii. 497
K.
Kentzinger, Documem Hittariques relat\fi d thistaire de France, tires desj4rchivetde la nilede Strasbourg, - iiL 9
uviii INDEX OF MANUSGR1PX6.
L.
Lactantii Imtituiionet, 1465, folio, in the Royal Library at
|
Paris, - - - - |
ii. |
262 |
|
Genevieve, - - - |
345 |
|
|
at Vienna, - - - - |
489 |
|
|
, 1470, S, and Pmmarts, folio, in the |
||
|
Mazarine Library at Paris, ... |
367 |
|
|
' , 1478> folio, in the Poblic Library at |
||
|
Strasbourg, - - ... |
iiL |
64 |
|
Imperial Library at Vienna, . . . |
489 |
|
|
Lancelot du Lac, MS., xivth century, in the Royal Li* |
||
|
brary at Paris, u. 217: another MS. of about the same |
||
|
period, in the same Library, ii. 219 : another MS. in the |
||
|
same library, - • |
ii. |
220 |
|
, 1488, Verwd^ folio, in the In^ierial |
||
|
Library (Prince Eugene's copy) at Vienna, - . - |
iii. |
528 |
|
the Royal Library at Paris, ... |
ii. |
284 |
|
the Imoerial Libiw fit Vienna - - - |
iii. |
528 |
|
LaicarU Gram. Grac. 1476, 4to., in the Royal Library |
||
|
at Paris, - . - - - |
iL |
281 |
|
Laurentiui ralla, Jemoo, 1471, folio, in the Library of |
||
|
Gottwic Monastery, - . - . |
iii. |
431 |
|
Leges Bavarica, MS., xiiith century, in the Public Li- |
||
|
brary at Landshut, .... |
334 |
|
|
Legenda Aurea, (ten Sanctorum) Ital. Jeman, 1476, folio, in |
||
|
the Mazarine Library at Parif, - - - |
ii. |
365.6 |
|
, UPON VELLUM, in the Imperial Library at |
||
|
Vienna, - |
iiL |
519 |
|
, 1486, folio— in the Public Library at Rouen, |
i. |
177 |
|
, 1475, Gertng, folio, in the Public library |
||
|
at Caen, - . . - - |
334 |
|
|
Leanii Papa Sermones, 1470, folio, in the possession of M. |
||
|
Le PreTOSt, at Rouen^ - - - |
153 |
|
|
Lfs Dewe Amant, Ferard, 1493, 4to., in the Imperial |
||
|
Library at Menna, .... |
iu. |
528 |
AMI OF PRINTED BOGKS. sdz
Lusm GsxsRATiONis Iks. Xti. MS. Tuth century : in the
Royal Ulmiry at PHris, - - iL 172
IMfr Modmrtm ngni/Scmdi^ 1480, Si. Albmu, —in the Royal
Library at IHurifl, - - . — 278
MomHtai. Bibl. 1474, Ulm, folio — copy pordiaaed of
M. Fischeim, at Munich, - - - iiL 304
LiUr 1518, folio; copy of, with ms. notes of
B«diart, in the Public Library at Caen, - - i. 337 1 two copies of, one iqKm large
paper, in the Public Library at Nancy, - - ii. 643 Lnum Prbcum, cum noi, 9f cami, MS. pervet, in the Royal Li- brary at Puris, - — 173 , MS. XTth century, in the Public Library at
Mnnidi, - - - - - iu. 272
Liber Begwm, seu Fiia DavieRt — block book—hk die bnperial
Lflnary at Vienna, - - - - — 631
Z.^4re^(^/,^i(^A— in the Public Library at Munidi, iiL 279 jUgynrmi Poet, cknr. 1607, folio — in the Minster Library at
Ulm, - - - - . — 187
LMtletoti^i Temtree, LetUm, &c folio— in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - - - . — 632,
IMmrgia Suecmue Eccleeim, 1676, folio-4n the Library of the
Anenal at Paris, - - - iL 324
LmuB, MS. ZYth century — in the Imperial Library at
Vioina, - - - - - iii. 473
, 1469, folio,— in the Royal Library at Pkris, - ii, 274
, — ^in the Public Library at Munich, - iii, 290
, 1470, y. de Spira, folio, upon ybllum, in the Royal
library at P^, - - - - ii. 276 upon pi^er, in the same
library, - - - - - — 276
• in the Library of Goster-
neoburg Monastery, - - - - iiL 616
, 1472, S, and Pann,, folio, in the same Collection, - — 276 Litre Historial, MS. Auct. B. du Guesclin ; in the Public
Library at Rouen, - - - - L 174-6
Lombardi Petri Sentent. (JEggeiteyn), folio, in the library
of Clostemeuburg Monastery, - - - iii. 617
Imcos Cranach, his Book of Ptayers, with original drawings
by, in the Public Library at Munich, - - — 273
xzx
INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
rd. Page.
Lucanui, 1469, folio-^ the Publk Libnry at Munich, - iH. 290 , 1476, folio, cum comment. Omniboni — in the
Royal Library at Stuttgart, - - - — 14!
, /Jp. Gering, folio, in the Public Library at Caen, - L 334
Luciani, Opera, Or. 1496, folio— 4ne copy, in the poMession of
M. Renouard, at Puis, - - . . U. 396 , 1603, j^Idus, folio — large paper copy, hi the
Royal library at Paris, - - . — 316 , Opusc. Quad. Lat. 1494 — 4to. — ufon
YsiiLnM, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - ui. 497
Lucrethu, 1486, folio— in the King's Private €k>llection at
Stuttgart, - - - - - — 162
in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - — 497
, T. de Ragass., 1496, 4to.— in the same library, — 498
,Aldui, 1600, 4to.— in the same Library, - — Und.
- — , Aldus, 1616, 8fo. — UPON tsllum, (siq^posed to
be unique) in the Royal library at Ph^, - - iL 312
Luctus Christianorum, Jemon, 4to. — in the Imperial Li- brary at Vienna, - - - - iiL 520 Ludolphui Vita Ckriiti {Eggesieyn), 1474, folio, in the PubUc
Library at Nancy, - - - - iL 644 De Terra Sancta, &c. 4to.— in the Imperial Li-
brary at Vienna, - - - - - iii. 609
Lffra Nic, de in Biblia, 1471-2 ; one volume of, at Caen, - i. 333
M.
Mabrian, 1625, 4to.— in the library of the Arsenal at P^, ii. 334
Macros, 1472, folio— in the Imperial Library at Vienna, iiL 498
Maguelone, La BeUe, 1492, Trepperel, 4to. — in the Imperial library, at Vienna, - - - - — 628
Maiui, de propriet. priec. verb. 1477» folio— ^. de Ceioma — in the Public Library at Strasbourg, - - - — 64 •
Mammotrectui, Scho^her, 1470 — folio — upon vbllum, in the Imperial library at Vienna, - - - — 609
■ in the Library of
Olostemeuburg Monastery, - - . — 617
, H. de Helie, 1470, folio — in the Public Li- brary at Landshut, - - - - — 336
Manc'mellui, de mode ScribemU, 1499, 4to. — in the library of Professor Veesenmeyer, at Ulm, - - — 194
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS. xxxl
Fol Page,
Mandbtillb, MS. German — 1471 — in the Royal library at
Stuttgart, - - - - iii. 165
Maniliui, 1474, folio, — ^in the King's IVivate Library at Stutt- gart, - . - - . — 162 Manipului Curaimtm, 1473, folio, in the Public Library at
Rouen, - - - - - i. 176
Marco Polo, Germ. 1477> folio— 4n the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - - - iil. 629
Martialis, 1476, folio — in the Library of a Capuchin Monas- tery, near Vienna, - - - - — 621 — — — — {Lover) folio — in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - . — 498
— ! , Aldui, 1602, 8vo. two copies upon ybllum,
in the Royal Library at Paris, - - - ii. 312
Matni Iasonis Epitalamion, MS. 4to. — in the Emperor's
Private Library at Vienna, - - - iii. 692
Maytter of Sentence, Caston, folio — in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - - - - - — 632
Meinart, Si. L^e of, block book : in the Public Library at
Munich, - - - - - — 286
Meltmna, HUtorie von der. Germ, no date, folio, in the King's
Private Library at Stuttgart, - - - — 164
Meluiine, P. Le Noir, 4to. — ^in the Library of the Arsenal, - iL 339 Memoirt of the Transactions of ike Society of Belles Lettres,
&c. at Rouen, toI. i. page 181 : of a similar Society at Caen, i. 308 Mer des Histoires, 1488, folio; in the Public Library at
Rouen, - - - - - i. 178
Messer Nobile Socio, Miserie de li Amante di, 1633, 4to. in
the Library of the Arsenal at Paris, - - ii. 327
Meurin Fils d*Oger, Paris, Bonfons, 4to. — in the Library of
the Arsenal at Paris, - - - - ii. 339
Miles et Amys, Verard, no date, folio— ^upon ykllum, in the
Royal Library at Paris, - - - ii. 286
— , Rouen, 4to. — in the Library of the Arsenal at
ditto, - - - . - — 332
Mirahilia Urbis Ronue, block book^ — in the Public Library at
Munich, - - - - - iii. 284
MissALE, MS. (Sti. Quthlaci) xith century, in the Public
Library at Rouen, - - - - L \6bS xivth century, in the Royal Library at Stuttgart iii. 162
szxB INMDC OP MANUStaWS.
MiMALB, MS. zftt flMrr. MM iB tte MofA IMm? at
|
hL |
MV ^ |
|
|
of QMriet Ike Bold, xrdi cmtnrj — m the te- |
||
|
perift librHy at Vieaiia, With fiM>«iiiile, |
wl |
|
|
— — — xvtfc oeatoy, — in the Ptablie Librwy at M«- |
||
|
■id^ |
8/0 |
|
|
ni tiie Pnblic Library of Landshut, |
334 |
|
|
— HeritpoUme (1479), foBo, upon thiLUM , in the |
||
|
Lnperial Library at Vienna, ... |
490 ' |
|
|
, lUpter, folio — in the King's Pn- |
||
|
▼ate Ubrary at Stattgart, |
lis |
|
|
Fenet. 1488, folio— upom yniiLVM» |
||
|
fai the Emperor's Rriyate Collection at ^enna. |
— |
694 |
|
of a CSapndiin Monastery, near Vienna, |
6tl |
|
|
Roihofmag^me, 1499, folio, in the possesuonl of M. |
||
|
Le FreTOst at Ronen, - - - - |
i. |
168 |
|
Publle Library at Rouen, |
i. |
178 |
|
MozMnMcum, 1600, folio— with the Breriary 1603, |
||
|
in me Library of the Arsenal at Pans, |
iL |
388 |
|
——————————— in the Library of Ste. |
||
|
— |
362 |
|
|
Vienna, - - |
489 |
|
|
• • a ^ rfc ^ i>a« |
||
|
of the Arsenal at Paris, ... |
ii. |
383 |
|
Miua D^nciomm, Fiewud, 1499, folio, in the Library of a |
||
|
G^>ndun Monastery, near Vienna, |
iii. |
621 |
|
Latma, 1667, 8vo., in the Library of the Arsenal, |
ii. |
328 |
|
MmOmgn^i Euay$, 1636, folio, large paper, in the Pnblic |
||
|
Library at Caen, - ... |
i. |
337 |
|
MmUe Sancto di Dw, 1477, folio, — in the Royal Library at |
||
|
Paris, ..... |
289 |
|
|
, in the Lnperial Library at |
||
|
iii. |
620 |
|
|
M^reri dei Narmmu, par I. A, Gmmi, MS. in the Pnblic Li- |
||
|
brary at Caen, .... |
i. |
336 |
|
Mhrgmt U Citmi, 1660, 4to.— in the Library of the Arsenal, |
||
|
ii. |
334 |
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS. xlv
Fol, Page.
|
rtrgtltui, o. Of r'atmartz, touo— in tne ivoyai Ldorary |
||
|
at PkuiSy - - - - • |
11* |
267 |
|
rtrg^itus, .Menteitn, folio — m tae Library of ote. Uene- |
||
|
Tiifeve— (incomplete^ - - - - |
•>!/ |
|
|
bour^*— 'incomplete, - - • - |
••• ill* |
66 |
|
enna, ----- |
/tOl |
|
|
Drnry cU raTlBy - - - - |
^7 |
|
|
of Messrs* Treuttel and Wiirtz, - - - |
||
|
brary at Pans, - - - « |
tota. |
|
|
enna, ----- |
... iii. |
601 |
|
14/1, otff. ana Fannartz, folio — m the Koyal Li- |
||
|
brary at Paris, - - - - |
269 |
|
|
— — — ^— — — — — ^— late in the Royal |
||
|
LiDrary at otuttgart, - - - - |
iii. |
138 |
|
brary at Vienna, - - - . |
501 |
|
|
138 |
||
|
— — — — 14/3, L. Acnatei, lolio — in the Imperial Li- |
||
|
brary at Vienna, - - - . |
501 |
|
|
wic Monastery, - - . - |
431 |
|
|
1475, Jemon, folio, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, |
502 |
|
|
Servius in Firgilum. Ulric Han^ folio — Diane de |
||
|
Poictiers's copy, in the Mazarine Library at Paris, |
iL |
366 |
|
. Faldarfer, 14? 1, folio — in |
||
|
the Public Library at Strasbourg, - |
iii. |
66 |
|
. Litt R, in the Imperial Li- |
||
|
brary at Vienna, - - - - |
502 |
|
|
^ 1478, Gering'f folio — in the Royal Li- |
||
|
brary at Paris, - - - - . |
ii. |
271 |
|
j4ldui, 1501, 8vo. — UPON VELLUM, in the Public |
||
|
Library at Munich, .... |
iii. |
296 |
|
y'trgiliuMy Aldus, 1505, 8?o. — in the possession of M. Re- |
||
|
iii. |
395 |
xxxW INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
Fol. Page.
Oisian, copy of, with drawing of Isabey, in tht King's Private Library at Paris, - - - iL 376
Omdiut maraltMitu, MS., xvth century in die Public li- brary at Rouen, - - - - i. 173
Ovidii Opera Ommia, j^gagukU^ 147 \, wanting two leavei, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - - ii. 296
, Fa*ti, Azoguidi, in the Imperial Library at Yieaaa, iiL 498
Opera Omnia, S. and Pannartz, 147 \, in the Im- perial Library at Vienna, - - - iii. 498
, EpiitoUt et Fasti, folio, in the same collection, - —
Metamorpk, Edit, Bermard,, 1557, 8to., in a private
collection at Bayeux, - - - - i. 367
P.
Paris et Fienne, Paris, no date, 4to., in the Library of the Arsenal at Paris, - - - - ii. 336
Parole Devote de Vanma, Jenson. 4to., in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - - - iU. 521
Pentateuch, Hebr. 1491, folio, in the Royal Library at Puis, See also Gbkesis, ante. - - - iL 260
Pbtrarcha, MS. xvth century, in the Library of Chrems- minster Monastery, - - - - iii. 379
Petrarcha Sonetti, 1470, Prince Eugene's copy in the Im- perial Library at Vienna, - - - — 521
, 1473, Zarotus, folio, in the Imperial
Library at Vienna, - - - - — 622
, Jenson, 1473, folio, in the Imperial
Library at Vienna, - - - - — ibid,
folio, in the Library of
Gdttwic Monastery, - - - — 429 , L. Achates, 1474, folio, in the same
Library, ----- iM.
Comment. Borstii, Bologn., 14/5, folk).
two copies in the Imperial Library at Vienna, of which one belonged to Prince Eugene, - - • — 522
-, Bolog., 1476, folio, (Asoguidi^) with
the comment of Philelphus, in the Royal Library at Stutt- gart, - - - . - iil 145 <
* Id the page refened to, I have coujectured it to be printed by UlricHao or Reifioger. To theie namet, I add the abore.
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS. xlv
/ W. Pafff.
nrgilitu, S. 4- Pannartz, (1469) folio— in the Royal Library
at Paris, . - - - - ii. 267
yWgilhu, Mentelin, foUo — in the Library of Ste. Gene
vifeve— (incomplete^ - - - - — 347 in the Public Library at Stras- bourg— ^incomplete, ... - iii. 66 — in the Imperial Library at Vi-
enna, - - - - - — 601
■ 1470, r. de Spira, upox tellum, in the Royal Li-
brary at Paris, - - - - — 267
t UPON TELLUM, in the possession
of Messrs. Treuttel and Wiirtz, - - - — 268
upon paper, in the Royal Li-
brary at Paris, - - • - — ibid,
, in the Imperial Library at Vi-
enna, - - - - - iii. 601
1471, Sur. and Pannartz, folio — in the Royal Li-
brary at Paris,
. late in the Roval
Library at Stuttgart, - - - iii. 138
,1471, y. de Spira, folio— in the Imperial Li-
brary at Vienna, - - - - — 501
1471, ^dom, folio— late in the Royal Library
at Stuttgart, - - - - - - ^ 138
1473, L. Ackatei, folio — in the Imperial Li-
brary at Vienna, - - - - — 601
- P de Lnraftna, 1474, folio — in the librar\- of Gott-
wic Monastery, - - - - - — 431
1475, •fnifo/i, folio, in the Imperial Library at M«nna, — Uf2
Smhu in flrgilvm. Uric Nan, folio — Diarie de
Poictiers's copy, in the Mazarine Library a< Pari*. - ii. 30^
raldar/er, 1471, folio — in
the Public Library at Strasboorsr, ... \\i r/;
Liit, R. in the Imp^Al Li-
brary at Vienna, - . . . r^f2
I47S, Gmar, folio ^ in thft R//;*J Li-
brary at Paris, - - . . . ;I. 271
i^/</tf#, 1501, Std.— UPOS TELLIM, IZJ: V JjVj:
Ldbrary at Munich, - . . _ •
nrgriliuM, Aldus, 1505, 8to. — in the pr/He**>A M fU-
nouard, bookseller, . . -
• - - -/f.j
INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS, &c.
Firgilhu, lUtl H. L. de Coin. 1476, folio— b the Ubrary of G5ttwic Monastery, - - - - iii 431
GaUiei, 1586, folio — in the PubUc Library al
Caen, - - - - - i. 33?
Vita Christi, MS. in the Royal Library at Parii, - ii. 209
VUa SH, Gear, Scho^ffher, 1481, 4to.— late in the possesaum of M.Traiteur, at Manhdm, - - Suppieimeni, Iv.
ViTiB Sanctorum, MS. Sec. xii. — in the Royal library at
Stuttgart, - - - . - iii. 149
Dwerior, Prmc, et Tyran, cum Eutnpk, Pamh Di-
acMo, ifc. P. de Lavagna, folio — in the library of Gdttvnc Monastery, - - — 431
Fitntchu, Giuntm, 1613, 8vo. — upon tellum, in the library
of Ste. Genevieve at Puns - - - - ii. 362
yocaMarmmm^kum, H. de Hastm, fidiio— in the Public Li- brary at Strasbourg, - - - . iii. d2
U.
Utmo, T. dg, Semume9,pruued by Gering^-m the Public Li- brary at - - - - L 447
— — , L, de, Quadrogeemale, 1471, folio— in the Library of Chremsminster Monastery, - - - iii. 376
W.
fTtcliffii Dialog!, 1625, 4to.— in the library of Professor Vec- senmeyer at Ulm, - - - - — 194
WiLLiBRooDi Sti. Vita. Auct. Alcuino. MS. xith century, in the Pri?ate Royal Library at Stuttgart, - - . — 161
Z.
Zophilologhtm, ttithout date — in the Public Library at Rouen, - - - - - i. 176
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS. xxxvn
FoL Page,
Pritctamu, Uiric Han^ folio— in the Imperial Library at Vieima, iii« 5 12
, j4ldus, 1627, 8vo., Grolier's copy, upon large paper,
in the Royal Library at Parifl, - - - iL 314
■ , UPON YBLLUM,
in the Library of Ste. Genevifeve, - - - — 348
Proiperi Liber, {H. Glim) 4to. — ^in the PubMc Library at
Munich, - - - - ' - ilL 293
PsALTBRiUM, MS., ixth ccntufy, of Charles the Bald ; in the Public Library at Paris; - - - - ii. 163
— , Sti. Ludovici, xiiith century, in the same
library, - - - - . . — 166-168
-, xith century, in the Royal Library at Stutt-
gart, - - - - - iii. 147 , xiith century, in the same Collection, - — 149
xiith century, in the Royal Private Library
at Stuttgart, - - - - - — 158-9
xiith century, in the PublicLibrary at Mu-
nich, - - - - - — 263
, with most splendid illuminations, of the XTith century, in the same library, LaL 1467, f\ut and Schoeffher, folio,, in
the Royal Library at Pbris, - - . - , in the Imperial Li-
brary at Vienna, - - - - - 1469, folio— in the Royal
Library at Paris,
1490, folio, Schoeffher,
UPON VBLLUM, lu the Royal Library at Paris, 1602, folio, Schoeffher, in
the same library, .... without date — Cretuner^
in the Imperial Library at Vienna, ...
folio, in
the same Collection, - -
, Lips. 1486, 4to. — in the Public Library at
Landshut, .....
, Germanic^, 4to. — in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - . -
PT0LBMi«u8, Lat. MS. folio— in the Royal Library at Paris,
Piolenueus, Lai, 1462, folio, in the Public Library at Stras- bourg, .....
|
ii |
260 |
|
iii. |
490 |
|
ii. |
260 |
|
ii. |
261 |
|
252 |
|
|
iii. |
491 |
|
ibid. |
|
|
335 |
|
|
491 |
|
|
ii. |
214 |
|
59 |
xuriiS INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
roi. Page.
Ptolemmut, Lai,, 1462, folio, in the Public Library at Mvmch, ill. 290 , in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - ... — 512
Pulci n Driadeo, 1481, 4to., in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - - - - iii. 523
, Pistole, 1492, in the same Library, - - iM,
, Morganie Maggiare, 1500, 4to., in the same Library, iii. 524
Q.
iiuotuar NwMmorum, Germ,, 1473, folio, in the Library of
Professor Veesenmeyer at Ulm, - - . .i—
Quiniilianui, I. de Lignam. 1470, folio, in the Library of
Ste. Genevieve, at IVis, - - - ii. 343 , 1471, Jenam, folio, in the Public Library at
Nuremberg, ... Supplement, zz?
Quintus Curtiui, Lover, folio, in the Library of Gottwic
Monastery, • - - - - iiL 431
Rabamu Maunu, de Umcerto, Cfc,, Litt. R,, mo date, folio, in the Public Library at Strasbourir, - - iiL 69
Raderi Bavaria Sancta, 1615, &c., folio, extracts, with fac- simile copper plates, from, - - - 221-4
Ratdoli, specimens of the types from his press, in the Public Library at Munich, - - - - — 294
Recveildes Hittoires de Troj^e, printed by Caaton, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - - ii. 247
, printed by Verard, upon vbl-
LUM, in the same Library, - - - — 248
Regnari lek, ifc, Verard, 4to., Prince Eugene's copy in the Imperial Libivy at Vienna, - - iii. 529
Regulo! Juris Canon. Adam Rot, 1472, folio, in the Impe- rial Library at Vienna, - - - - — 512
, Confitend, peccata sua. Ital., 1473, 4to., in the Im- perial Library at Vienna, - - - — 524
Repertorium Statu t. Ord. Carth., 1510, folio, in the Public Library at Caen, - - - - i. 325
Repertorium Foeabuhr. Exquisit. Bertddus, Basle, folio, no date, in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, . . iii. • 142
AND OF PRINTBD BOOKS.
zzxix
Vol. Page.
Repertarium, N. deAfilU, 1475, folio, in the Library of Oott-
wic Monastery, - - - iii. 432 Richard sam Peur, Jamt, no date, 4to., in the Library of the
Arsenal at Paris, - - - - ii. 325
, BmfoM, no date, 4to., in the same Library, ib 'd.
, chapbook,-—9X Rouen and Gontances, - i. 409 Robert ie Viable, Janot, no date, 4to., in the Library of the
Arsenal at Paris, - - . - ii. 326 Romancero General, 1492, folio, in the possession of Madame
Debure, at Paris, - - - - ii. 388
Romancet, MS,, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - — 217-229
— — , printed, in the same Library, - - ii. 284-288
, in the Public Library at Strasbourg, - iii. 64-5,&c.
, in the Public Library at Munich, - — 263, &c.
/ZoiMorrf, 1584, folio, in the Public Library at Caen, - i. 337 Ross Roman de la, MS. xivth century, in the Royal Library
atParis, - . - u. 224 , Ferard, no date, upon vellum, in the
Royal Library at Paris, - - — 285 Rotseioptu elegant, SfC., Pynson, 1523, 4to., the author's
copy, aftem-ards that of Sir Thomas More, in the Public
Library at Landshut, - - - iiL 337 Ruberto Quadragesimale, 1479, 4to., in the Imperial Library
at Vienna, - . - iii. 524
S.
Sacramentarium, 8EU M188A Pap. Greg., MS., vith cen- tury, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - iii. 469
Salluitiui, 4to., edit, prin, in the Imperial Library at Vienna, — 499
, Gering, Sfc, 4to., in the Imperial Library at
Vienna, - - . ^ 500
Sanchez de Matrim. Sacram., copy in the chapter Library at Bayeux, i. 373, in the Library of the Lyc^e, at Bayeux, i. 374
Sannazarii Arcadia, 1514, Aldus, 8vo., Grolier's copy, on large paper, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - ii. 314
Sannataritu de partu flrginis, Aldi, 1527, 12mo. in the
King's Private Labrary at Stuttgart, - - iiL 165
Saxoferrato Duiputationes de — F. de Spira, 1472, folio, in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, - - . _ 143
, 1470, folio, in the Public Li- brary at Munich, - - - - — 292
xl INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
Vol. PMgf.
Sigmm, HUtoire MlUkure det Booains, quoted, i. 399; 423; JUT f^Hoire de frndrnttrie dm Bocage en gMrtil, et de la
|
mile de Fire m eepUeie en particulUre, 1810, 8?o., |
i. |
449 |
|
Serehu m FirgUmm, see nrgilhts. |
||
|
Sevii G. de, DecreUdki, 1472, folio, printed by Adam Rot, in |
||
|
the Public Library wX StrMboorg, |
in. |
62 |
|
S/brziada La, 1480, foUo, upon vbllcm, in the Royal Li- |
||
|
brary al P^, ... |
ii. |
290 |
|
Skm^ of FaoU, 1609, 8vo., prmied fF. de fFarde, |
||
|
UPON VBLLUM, in the Royal Library at P^, |
ii. |
249 |
|
SiBiLJB, &c., MS., xvth century, in the Public Library at |
||
|
Mamch, - - |
iii. |
269 |
|
Silms lialicus. Later, 1471, folio, in the Mazarine Library |
||
|
alPiris, |
ii. |
367 |
|
, in the Imperial library at |
||
|
Vienna, - - ... |
iii. |
600 |
|
, andPannarti, 1471, folio, in the Imperial |
||
|
Library at Vienna, - - - - |
— |
600 |
|
Songe du Ferdier, 1491, folio, in the Public Library at Rouen, |
i. |
178 |
|
Speculum Hum Sale, block book, in the Royal library at Paris, |
ii. |
266 |
|
, in the Royal Library at Stutt- |
||
|
gart, .... |
iii. |
146 |
|
, in the Imperial Library at |
||
|
Vienna, ..... |
— |
631 |
|
Spec. Hum. Sale. 1476, fo^o, printed by Richel, in the Public |
||
|
Library at Strasbourj^, - - - - |
— |
61 |
|
Spec. Fit. Hum, 1471, folio, G.Zeiner, in the Public Library |
||
|
at Strasbourg, - - . . . |
62 |
|
|
Speculum Stultorum, no date, 4to., in the Public Library at |
||
|
Caen, |
i. |
336 |
|
Statiut in uium Delphini, 4to., two copies, in the Library of |
||
|
the Arsenal at P^, ... |
ii. |
323 |
|
> beautifol copy in the Library of Chremsmin- |
||
|
ster monastery, - - |
iii. |
376 |
|
Statutes of Rich, HI. Machlinia, in the Royal Library at |
||
|
Paris, - ... |
ii. |
278 |
|
Stella Meeehiah, 1477, 4to., in the Public Library at Stras- |
||
|
bourg, ..... |
iii. |
69 |
|
■ ' , in the King's Private Library |
||
|
at Stuttgart, ... |
164 |
|
|
Stengelii /mag. Sanct. August. Sfc., et Monasteriologia, |
||
|
1619-20, referred to, - . . . |
224 |
A
INDEX
OF PERSONS, PLACES, AND THINGS.
^^ofSt. Oaen, i. 69-78; of Jnmieges; i. 196-206; of 8t Stepken,
ftt Caen; 280-288; of the Holy Trinity, at Caen, 301. Achermmm, Mr., his extraordinary copy of hia own publicaition of Wes^
minster Abbey, iii. 696.
, a collector of medals and coins at Manhdm, Siq^jilmmU, M. Adam, Mr. attentions to the author at Rouen, i. 160 ; and at Caen. , a printer at Vire, i. 429, 449.
JEneat Sjflmut, his account of Strasbourg Cathedral in the xrth century, itt. 24.
4fl^ ftnd Ulric, Stt., Abbey of, at Augsbourg, ui. 220.
AgneiSorel; her tomb in the abbey of Jumieges, i. 201.
, supposed portraitof, in thecollection of Q. CrauiVird, iL 472*
Agfuntgofaw Savhvr in the Garden of Gethsemane, representation of, at Laadshut, iii. 339 ; various, 346; at Kopff, near Salxburg, 361 ; at tht church of St. Mary, at Vienna, 667 ; in a church at Neiimarkt, SuppU meni, xviL
Albert, Madame, opera singer, at P&ris, ii. 616-7.
Albert, Duke, his fine collection at Vienna, iii. 699; monument eraded
by him to the memory of his Duchess, iiL 668. Albert Durer, his productions at Nuremberg— the street called after Ui
name, with copper-^late view of— his tombstone—and high character of.
Supplement, xrii., zxvi., zL ; destruction of his diary, zxziiL, pietures of
in KlosterHeilbronn, xliv-y. Alexander, late Mr., allusion to his talents, iii. 33. Allan, Sir Alexander, Bart., late,— -tribute to his memory, iiL 171.
fish so called, i. 194. Altmann, Principal w Abbot of die mooaatary of OoClwie, in Austria, Us
O
sdii INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
Vol. Page.
TereiUiui, Gerardmg^en, 1479, folio — in Ae Libnuy of I^ fenor Vee8eiune3rer, at Ulm» • - - iiL 194
Teitamentum Nmmm, Gullied, (1478,) folio, copy purchased at Rouen, - - - - - iL 81
, HMtndieietltMu., 1717, ioHo,
in the Royal Library at IHw, - - - — 256^
, B^hemM, Sec. xv — m the Im- perial Library at Vienna, - - • iu. 492
, Gritei, Enumi, 1616, folio — three co- pies of, in the Public Library at Strasbourg,- - — 56
copy ot in the Librvy of Mr. Haffner, at Strasbourg, - - - — 81
, —in the King's Plri
vate Library at Stuttgart, - - - - — 163
■ R. Stephani, 1660, folio
Diane de Poictiers's copy — in the Royal Library at
Ptais, - - - - - ii. 316
Teirrdanckks, 1517, folio — upon VBLLfiif, in the Library of Ste. Genevi^?e, at Pkris, - - - - n. 362
, two copies of, in the Public Library at Munich, - - - iiL 297
« , ditto, in the Im- perial Library at Vienna, - - - - — 629
, in the Library of the Monastery
ofSt. Florian, - - - - iii. 391
, upon paper, in the
pofMession of M. Traiteur, at Manheim, Supplement, U.
Theocritfu, Gr. 1493, folio unique copy, upon large paper, in the Royal Library at Ptuis, - - - ii 316
— , yildui, Or. 1496, folio — in the Public Library at
Rouen, - - - - - L 178
TheophroMtui, 1497, Or. Aldui — Diane de Poictiers's copy, in the posHession of M. Renouard at Puis, - - ii. 396
Thucydidf, G<ntrmoni» folio, Ferard — upon vbllum, in the Imperial Library at Vienna— Prince Eugene's copy, - iii. 630
TiMdeo da Ferrara, 4to. fFitkaut date, — in the Imperial li- bary at Vienm^ - - - — 625
Tixa-LivK, MS. folio — in the Royal Library at Paris. See
Livius. - - - - u. 216
Tityrell Pfartzivnl, 14/7, folio — in the Public Library at Strasbourg, - - - - - iii. 65
AND OF PRINTED BOOKS. xM
Fd. Page.
Tltpreil 4* P/artgkfai, 1477* folio — in the Public Library at Landahut, - - - - - iii 336
■ in the Library of the Mo- nastery of St. Horian, - - - — 390
' in the Library of Gdtt-
wic Monastery, - - - - - — 431
Tournaments, Book or, MS. XTth century ^ in the Royal Library at Paris, with copper-plate portrut of John Duke of Brittany, - - • - ii. 225
■ duplicate and more recent
copy of, - - - - - 228
■ another MS. of the same
work, 8?o., - - - - - — 229
TVaetaius de Fenemt, &c. 1473, 4to.^in the Library of Gott-
wic Monastery, ... . . iii 432 dedoctrina dicendi, &c. : without date, &c. — in the
Public Library at Strasbouryj^, - - - iii. 64 d€ Pietate Condi. Gen,, 1480, folio, in the Impe-
rial Library at Vienna, - - . . ^ 512
TVebUandt Pari*, 4to. — in the Library of the Arsenal at
Paris, . . . . - iL 340
Tristan, MS., xi?th century, in the Royal Library at
Pkris, - . - - - — 220
, another MS. in the same
Library, - - - - • — 221
, a third MS. in the same
librmry. - - - - - - — 222
— , Germ, Sec. xiii., in the Public Library at Munich,
with wood-cut fac-similes, - - • - iii. 263-268 Gall, Sec. xiii., in the Imperial library at Vienna,
with copper-plate engraving, - - - — 475
, another MS. in the same Collec-
tion, - - - - . — 476
Triitran, Verord, folio — in the Imperial Library at Vienna, — 530 Trttkemn Annulet Hhrsaugientei, 1690, folio — in the Library
of the Monastery of Chremsminster, - • — 381
J' , in the Library of a
Capuchin Monastery, near Vienna, - - - — 621
Tnnff^filz de Rayi, Paris, no date, 4to. — in the Library of the
Arsenal, - - - - - ii. 335
INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS
Foi. Page.
Tully of Old Age, Caxtm—m the Ro3ral Library at Fwis. - ii. 276 Tundali, f^ish. Germ, 4to. in the Library of Professor Veesen-
meyer at Llm, • - - - . iiL 194
7\imer, Mr, Dawitm, Tour in Normandy, - - Pref. x.
Turrecremata L de Mediiathnei, UHc Han, 1467, folio — in
the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - . ~ 513 in
'the Public Library at Nuremberg, - Supplement, , 1473, in the
Library of Gdttwic Monastery, - - - iii. 431 , the same edition
in the Imperial Library at Vienna, - - - — 492 — : , In lAbrum Piahnor. Craeii impr, no date —
in the Public Library at Munich, - - — 294
V.
Valerius Maximus, MS. xvth century — in the Imperial Li- brary at Vienna, - - - - iii 473
, Mentelin, folio— two copies in the Pub- lic Library at Strasbourg, - - - — 66
■ in the Imperial
Library at Vienna, - - - - — 500
' in the Royal Li- .
brary at Stuttgart, - - - - — 140 , /' <fe Spira, folio— in the Imperial
Library at Vienna, - - - - - — 501 , Schoeffher, 1472, folio — upon
VELLUM, in the same library, - - - — ibid. , 1476, Cte$ ?r Stol, folio — in the
Public Library at Caen. - - - - i. 334
-, Aldui, 1534, 8?o. Grolier*s copy.
on large paper, in the Royal Library at Paris, - - ii. 314 yalturiun DeReMUitari, 1472, folio— in the Imperial Library
(Prince Eugene'n copy) at Vienna, - - - iii. 514 , Ital. Reisinger, folio — in the
same CoUection, - - . . . — f^«/.
Fauderirea : see Basselin, Genbral Index.
He des Peres, 1486, folio, in the Public Library at Rouen. - i. 177 , 1494, folio, at Caen, - - . — 334
■tPkm, - - - - . L -96:
nrfrUmi. .M/mieim. Mk* — it Ar Ubwrr of Stt Gtaw^
Tftft — rmrampirte - - ^ — ^ m tfcp Fufaiir Libimry ax 3uai>
bcNiz^^ — if jumptetfc. - ~ • - ni. 'fit"
— iL tbf lxni%GiiLl IdbnDT at T»-
auHL, . - - . , _ 50: 1470, 6fnm, iTn% vm^vu, m tht Bmrnl Li-
bnrystBDk. - - - ~ — • . rwjK TEia«ni. in tbr iwHeMMn
of M«Mn- Tiraittel BiidTniraL - - - — -Sff"
lllOJ I It T*Wki&. « « - «• I^IK.
— . m 'hapeM lahnor kt T).
aim^ - - - - ai. iiO:
1471. Aw. flw? Pammenz. fiilir — m ttu.^ JUvvwu Li-
bnry ax Vmnsk, - - • - — 36f*
. kzf m the Boval
Uhran' Ot Siiiniiart. - - - - iE JJIf'
. . 1471, r tff .%»rB, foliiv— in At InqieriBl 1*-
hrwT at Tieiiim. - - - - — ^''l
. . 147L jidawL, fuiiiy— Iku: in tkf Bfival LBmoT
8t Sluripin, - - - - - - —
3-i7X. L. J0ckett%^ fcibfi — m-dsi liii|ienal Li-
hrwT Bt Tiaiiuu - - - - —
P de Lmw^ 1474, fciBo — in ^ Khran df G&tt-
^MimaBtar, - - - - - — 42il
1475.«^f!wim,fuSifuinTiieIin|ienalIal^ — dAf?
Servmr n />jrfl«». flrir Him^fofio — Dmut dt
Poir^eiT^f onpy. in thf Mazannf Liiinrr at Pari^ - iL 366
. ^. yakiarftT^ 1471, Mil* — in
1^ PidtBc LahruT ai Sowiieiineu - - « iiL ^
. LitL JL in 1^ laqMBial
WvratVienna, - - - - —
w 147?v Grrmg. io&o — in R^wwH li-
WvraEtPvifi, - - • > • iL 571
Aldmt^ 13CH, ?TO. — rroic txluii^ in tiie Ihihlir
L3wvT ■! Munich, - - • • in. 52%
rwgHmg^ JUni^ 15(6, c*w». — in tiie possesnon of M. 1^ OMiird, bookseDer. - - - iii.
INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS, &c.
fV. Pagg.
rtrgilhu, Jtal. N.L.de CMn. 1476, falk>-4n the Library of GOttwk Monastery, - - - - iii 431
GaUiei, 1585, folio — in the Public library at
Caen, - - - - ^ L 333
Vita Christi, MS. in the Royal Library at Puis, - U. 209
FUa SH. Gogr, Scho^jfher, 1481, 4to. — late in the poiseBUon of M. Truteur, at Manheim, - - SmppUmeni, Iv.
ViTJi Sanctorum, MS. Sec. xii. — in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, - • • . - uL 149
Dwerior. Princ. et Tyran, cum Eutr^ph, Paulo Di-
aamOf ifc. P. de Lavaf^na, folio — in the Library of Gdttwic Monastery, . - — 431
ntrwhUf Gmnta, 1513, 8vo. — vpon viLLUit, in the library ofSte-Oeneri^TeatPftris - - - - iL 352
rocoMarmmBWieum, H. de Husm, folio— in the Public li- brary at Strasbourg, - - - . iii. 62
U.
Utmo, T. dg^ Sermottes, printed Gering^^ the Public Li- brary at Vire, - - . - i. 447
» L, de, Quadragenmale, 1471, folio— in the library of Chremsminster Monastery, - - - iii. 375
W.
fTwlifii Diahgi, 1525, 4to.— in the Ubrary of Phrfessor Vee- senmeyer at Ulm, - - . - — 194
WiLLiBRooDi Sti. Vita. Auct. Alcuino. MS. zith century, in the Private Royal Library at Stuttgart, - - . ^ 161
Z.
ZophUologium, wUhout date — in the Public Library at Rouen, . - - . - i. 176
GENERAL INDEX.
INDEX
OP PERSONS, PLACES, AND THINGS.
^MtyofSt. Ooen, i. 69-78; of Jnmieges; L 196-205; of 8t. Steplmi.
at Caen; 280-288 ; of the HolyTrimty.at Gaen, 301. Ackermann, lUr,, his extraordinary copy of his own pablicadon of Wett-
minster Abbey, iiL 596.
, a coUecU^ of medals and coins at Manheim, Siq^piemmU, M. Adam, Mr. attentions to the author atRonen, i. 150; and at Caen. , a printer at Vire, i. 429, 449.
JSneoi Sylmui, his account of Strasbourg Cathedral in the xvth century, UL 24.
and Ulric, Sis,, Abbey of, at Augsbourg, iii. 220. Agnet Sorei; her tomb in the abbey of Jumieges, i. 201 .
, supposed portrait of, in the collection of Q. Crauftird, ii. 47% Agim^ufwar Savhur in the Garden o/ Gethsemane, representation of, at Landshut, iii. 339 ; various, 345; at Kopff, near Salzbuix, 361 ; at tki church of St. Mary, at Vienna, 557 ; in a church at Neiimarkt, Sappia^ mem, XTiL
AHert, Madame, opera singer, at Pluris, ii. 516-7-
Alkeri, Duke, his fine collection at Vienna, iiL 599; monnment ereded
by him to the memory of his Duchess, iiL 558. Albert Durer, his productions at Nuremberg^-the street caDed after Idi
name, with copper-plate view of— his tombstone— and high character of.
Supplement, zrii., xxvi., xL ; destruction of his diary, xxxiiL, pictures of
in KlosterHeilbronn, xli?-T. Alexander, laie Mr,, allusion to his talents, iii. 33. Allan, Sir Alexander, Bart., late,— tribute to his memory, iiL 171. Aloee, fish so called, L 194.
Mmasm, Prine^w Abbai of die moaaflery of OoCtwic, in Aurtrfa* Ui
O
1
INDEX OF PERSONS,
hotpitable reception of tbe author, iH. 433, &c, his book presents, 436; his autograph, 439. Aliace, entrance within — and description of the country so called, iL 651-3;
ii. 551-3; See also Voigei. AUatktn poetry, ui. 90-92.
AhBHng, town between Munich and Salxbarg— singular place of worslup,
iii. 340, 342.
Amberger^ Chriiiapher, pictures by, at Augsbourg, with copy of the head of
Melanchthon from, iii. 215, 6. Ambmte Cardinal^ monument of unde and nq>hew, in the cathedral at
Rouen, i. 54, 60 ; high characters and anecdotes of, ibid. Ambrois, collection of armoury from the castle of, in the little BeWedere at
Vienna, iii. 567.
Amyou, Mr. Thomas, his dissertation on the Bayenx tapestry, i. 3S3, 385:
his poetical composition, 385. Andriotsi, Gen, commander of the artillery at the capture of Vienna, aaeodote
of, iii. 611.
Andrieu^ his great talents as a medallitt, ii. 466-7*
Ann of Brittany, account of her copy of the HarmB. M. Fhrgtma^ widi
copper-plate engraving of her portrait, ii. 188, 201 ; her copy of Catherine
deSenie, 1500, folio, 315. Antbachy arrival at, and interview with Comte DnBChsd, Sapplamentp zlv. Antiquities, National and MisoeUaneoas, at Paris, iL 494» 502. Apponi Count, his library, with intended sale of a portion of, iii. 601, 603. Arhuthnot, Dr. Charlee, late P^sident of the monastery of St. James, at
Ratisbon, with portrait of. Supplement, xiii. Arc Jeanne d*, account of her sufferings, i. 95-8— her ancient and present
sutue, 99.
Arch, Messrs. J. and A., booksellers — in possession of a fine copy of die supposed first edition of the German Bible, from the public library at Landshut, iii. 335.
Argues y village and castle of, near Dieppe, i. 26, 31. •
^rsenal, library of, at Paris, ii. 320— collection of miUtary stores at Viema, iii. 569.
Artaria, printseller at Vienna, iii. 605 ; Dom>, bookseller, printseller, and banker, at Manheim, Supplement, Hi.; his collection of pictures, Uii.; his kind-hearted hospitality, liv.
Arts, Fine, present state of, at Paris, ii. 502-14 ; at Nuremberg^ SsqtpUmeni, xxxviii.
Ascension Day, ancient custom on, at Rouen, i. 66.
Atticus, a book collector — ^his library alluded to. i. 358; his visit to Paris, ii. 446.
PLAC£S AND THINGS
li
AnoiBOUBO.: eotranoe into, iiL 2Q2; •ppeannce oi the houses, i6i ^; mag- nificent hotel of the Three Negroee, 202; its gallery of pietnras, with specimens of the catalogue, describing them, written in the English langnage, 203; the Town Hall, 206; the Picture Gallery, 206; ancient splendour of the City, 218 j abbey of Sts. Ulric and Afn, 220; die martyrological roll of Augsbourg, 221 ; trade of Augsbonrg, 224; forti* cations and enrirons, 225 ; the public library, with account of some of the rarar books, &c, 226, 235; society of the Rev., at the table d'hdts^ of the inn, 238-9— departure from Augsbourg, 239.
B.
Baber, Rer, H. //., honourable mention of, by the Baron Von MoU, iiL 309.
Baobn, near Rastadt, arri?al at, iii. 104 ; ita hot baths, 105; raomments in the principal church, 106-8; sabbath occupations, 106; master«ager and his niece, 109: the mall, 110 ; cTening walk to an a4{aoent conTcnl, with the EMer SchweiglaRiser, 111; castle in the vicinity of, 115.
Bagiter, Mr,, his mtended Mfition of a Polyglot Bible aUnded to, iiL 606.
Barbery, abbaye de, ms. ooDecdons relatingto— 4n the royal Library at Parity
ii. 240.
Barbier, Mr., private librarian of the King, iL 371 ; portrait of, and ao
aooountof his works, 376-7; his present to Earl Spencer, 380. Barthtiemi late AM, bust of— in the collection o# Q. Cranlard, li. 471. Ar-/^Z>m;, town on the road to StFBsboorg, iL 534.
Barteeh, /. Adam de, AuHc counsellor, and director in chief of the Imperial Library— lus kind receptk>n of the andior, and tethermnce of his views,
iii. 447, 451, 536 ; his portnut, 446; his talents appreciated, 604. Bauelm Oimer, see Olhmr Bauelm,
Bavaria, entrance into the territories of, and forests of fir, iiL 200.
Batbux : cathedral ; ordination of priests and deacons; crypt of the csthedsal; a mysterious interriew, i. 345, 358 ; visit near 8t. Loup, 359 ; M. PliH|iiet, apothecary and book vendor, 364-5 ; visit to die Bishop, 369 ; the cliapier library, 370, 374 ; College Library, 374; aocoont of the Bayenx tapestryi with vignette and plate, 375, 367; agriculture and trade, 387, Sec.; ms. papers and drawings reladng to the history of, in the Royal Library at Paris, iL 241-3.
Beamclok, ruins of the abbey, near LdUebonae, i. 283.
Beeket, Tkomas-a^ ms collections relating to, IL 236-^.
Bedford, John Duke of, his monnment in the cathedral at Rooen, i. 63; his Breviary in the Royal Library at Puis, ii. 176, 185.
BeU,ikegreai, atRooen,L56; at Strasbowg, HL 83 ; at IVcysfaig, »i. 327.
Behedere Palacee, great andmali, at Vienna^ iiL 567, 573.
INDBX OF FfiRaONB,
Bhi&rd, Mr., printsdler to hu Mijesty, at Fvii, iLI»7$ vifmaa aWiit dtt eigrtfingB of tlM D«)» of WeIBBgl«^
W.
iSI^^I^ £)M,4SKtraoitlh^ called, paBfofmed m titt tabiiite of
Vieiina,uL679,682. BmoNirMM, old prim o( U. 614.15. Bemank, • RiKtaiigh€»-oHaded to, L410.
Bemhani, M,, one ^ tiw poblie m»miia •! Mondi ; Idf bibfifl^c^^ded
talents, and kiiid attentioDi to .die entiior, SL 266, 8ia MflWMirr, AbH bis fiterarycliaiacto
Be^hlagt Rector, public librarian at Augsbonig, iii. 226; negoliatioa with,
about the povcbaae of certain books, 228. BHiiopkiiei, lei, a sodety so called, at Buk^ B. 447*9; list of meaim
of the same society, 449; symposium pven by the society to BadSpeneer,
449,460. Bmdmg, see Book.
JNaf,anantiqoar,orscnerof oldbook^sftl^emM^M. 606. Bieekofekem^nmrKM, miztnra of aeili kilte oblBcbo^ ii. 100^8. 9km»i, old castle at, ui the wy to BtfaaboMg; iL 647> > BAmcAtsMiMf, at Pm^ copper plaaaof, iL 499. BMMii, batlkof, aMiidedto,m.l84.
Mkck wood, co»-original'">'of dio xnrtli OBpliiiy yaiiiiiaiad ^af tlMeaMnM
of die pubBcHbrary at As^aboaq^ iL 284^ Blore, iff. Us talentitaa an artlit, dlMto;
Boeoge, account of the country so called ' in vicinily 'of Viio, ki fior- mandy, i. 423, 449.
Boccaccio, Waldarfer, 1471; sale of, L 236; see Bibliooraphicai. Imdbz. Bochart, Samuel, native of CSaen, his books, (many of diem widi ma. notes)
in dw public libnuy at Caen, L 326, 836. BoekervUle, Si. Veorget do; village and cbuteb of, !. 108, 190; monastery
and manufactory at, i. 191. Boldec, town of, in Normandy, i. 223 ; the dnudi, and sm^ of tte T^f^
Savoyard there, 228-6; anecdote connected dle)rcwid^ 227-9; eBvirottsof
Bolbec,228.
BoMiparie, anecdote of at St. Diiier, H. 632; of him, and Marahsi Lasties, Hi. 308 ; receptionof, at the monastery of Gottwk, iH. 424 ; chancier of
bis son, at Vienna, 674. Bookt, numbers of, in public Hbraries at Paris, ii. 869. BooMmding, ancient, at Paris — ^widi three copper plates, and one Tignette,
of die ezteriorB of some of the more anrient diptydis, 14^7*; nodem^
at Ftei8,ii. 411,421.
^iMOBB AND THIKOS.
Itti
BmkMUeny ft« IUmM. 149:151 ^ at H»m, K'd47'»Sm;«t Ca«^id9Mv»« Bayeiix»d6d; atCoutances, 412;at Vire^429;at FalaiBe, ii. 48-56; atfMs, d06i4O4; at Naatfy, 6«1-, a^ Sirasboulrit, fii 71j «t^9t«ttg^,Hi^l9yM^ Munich, 299 : at Vienna, 606 ; at Nuremberg, Supplemettty xlL ' ■■
Bootey, Mr,jun. bookseller, his republication of the Fratos of OeCtiM eotl^ mended, iii. 121; his manual of the eunodite of 'Nureoiberg, XX. 9 and apeciBai of Klmn't drawing!, Smpplemewt, xiz-xxxix. ?
Bouuet, portrait of, by P. de Champagne, iL 475.
BimguemUe, topographer of Gaen;^ extracts fipom Ids woric^ nd wood«Ml
portrait a^L 294.7. Boulevards at Pbris, with copper-plate of the Booleyarda ItalieiiB,'' ii. 76*80. BoMhrmm, Mr Elder, boolc-binder at Paris, IL 414. ^ ^^'^
' the Yotmger, do. 416. Bret Le, Mr., public librarian at Stuttgart — anecdotes and character of^ Hi,
131, 133> 171, 181. ,.\^.w\ BreMi, Seneschal 4e$ husband of Diane de Pdctierii^^ds tomb (with «l&
graying) in die Cathedral of Rouen, i. 60^1. . ^ . ^
Brial, Dom, his residence, library, and literary diaraeler, ii» 4234Sl^flA
portrait, 428; symposium urith him and the Abb4Beteilcovt^ 426. wQ ^tdj^^e a€TOfff Me /ZAiiitf, near Stntsbouig---importance of, iu^ ''^y Bright, Jk^ hb aaAi&stei descriptiott of the Prater, at Vienna, iii. 58^ Mi
account of the present state of Nurembeq;, Stfplement, p. x?fi. ' t< BrUtoMjf, John Duke of, portrait of, ii. 225 ; Ann«f Brittany--see Ann. tv'.n Brunet Ftls, /. C, bookseller at Pteis, ii. 397; character of hia |mblieatls«s,
38&400risterfiow with Eiri Spencer, 400. . ■x^)'>^■\' Bmrgmair Hans, fine pictures by, at Augsbourg, iii. 2124U6.
Cobma da MedaUkt, at Parif» iL 136; des Estampes, ii. 136-144.
Caen ; i^proach to the town, i. 269. Account of its soil, mannlytprigs^ ■ populaitino, apd eoviroas, i 26.1-267i costuq;ie of the common wmfa^ wisjb, fignette, and oopper-plate of the FlDe-de-Chavihre, 268;. despqcate duel fought there, 269-273; antiquities of the town, 273; streets and ho^fes of, irith cqiper-plate vignettes^ 275-8; fountMns of, 279; abbey of 8(t Stj^hen* with riew of, 280-288; tomb, portrait, ssid palace of Wil|iam the Conqueror, 284-292; supposed figure of do, 293; church of St. Dfar- netal, with copper-plate view, 295-7 ; portrait of Bourgueville, the h|u«^ nan of Caen, with extracts firoin his work, 294^9; account of the Abbaye aux Dames, or of the Holy Trinity, 301-5 : castellated buildings, 306; the Abb6 de la Rue, 309; Memoirs of the Acwiemy at Caaii^ 308 ;
1
lif INDBX OF PERSONS,
Mods. Lamouroiix, 310; Pierre Aim£ Lidr, 311 ; printen, and Manoala of instruction, 316-321 ; bodLsellen, 321-4; description of tiie Public labmy, with account of the books, 324-340 ; list of portraits in the same, 327 ; pro- testant ehundi and preachii^, 341 ; courts of Justice, 342. Cathi Jacquet, original portrait of, in the collection of Mr. Q. Granfurd, ii.479.
MvimsU, ravages committed by — at Rouen, i. 49, 56, S2, — at Caen, 281, 287,335,— at Bayeux, 355.
Cambacir^, j4rchbishop; of Rouen, i. 68.
CttmpbeU, Mr. his Poem of Hohoilinden » aUuded to, iU. 325.
Canava, specimens of his sculpture in the coUection of the Marquis de Som- marira, ii. 4^5-489, in the palace at Stuttgart, iii. 168; his tomb of the Du- chess Albert, at Vienna, iii. 558, &c.
Canttadi, near Stuttgart, description of, iii. 177.
.C^pvcAm comtfeni, at Vienna, iii. 563 ; in the suburbs of, cafied the Rossau, 619.
CtudewalU^ remains of, at Ronen, i. 154; —at Caen, i. 306; al Nuremberg,
Supplemeni, xviii. 'tkieehumt; see ckap-Mkt, and BinLiooRAPBiCAL Ikdr. Catharine, Mont Sie,, at Rouen, riew from, i. 116-120. Caiharine, S$e., chapel of, in Strasbourg cathedral, with copper-plale of a
group of women at prayers, in the same, iH. 32.-— engraving ef the
Sunt, from an illuminated MS. in the Imperial Library, at Vi^ma, iii.
469.
Caikolhf and ProtesianU, controversy between, at Strasbourg, in the xvth and xTith centuries, iii. 5-10.
Cathedral— of Rouen, with a plate, i. 50; of Caen, with a plate, i. 282; of Coutances, with a plate, i. 409; of Ptuis, ii. 95; of Strasbourg, witii a plate, iii. 12 ; of Ulm, with a pkte, 191; of Munich, 242; of Freysing, with a pkte, 325-7; of Vienna, with a plate, 547^ of Ratisbon, Sappi. viii.
Caudebec, village near Rouen; i. 206-215 ; copper-plate view of, 208 ; church of, 209-10; description of a ready furnished house to let at, 212^14; ap- pearance of the tide coming in, 212.
Cemy^f&reit of^ in Normandy, i. 392.
Chalons iur Mame, town on the road to Strasbourg, ii. 530.
Chamilli Af., instrumental to the smrender of Strasbourg to Louis XIV. ui. 8-10.
Champ de Drop (fOr, basso-relievo repnisentation of, with engraving, i. 100-2. Chap-boohs, at Rouen ; including Catechisms, Romances, Manuals of instruc- tion, &c. i. 134-148, 410. Chapleio/ihe Hrgin, Hymn BO called, ^,531.
PLACES AND THINGS.
Chardm, Mr. bookseller at Ftais ii. 400. — portnut of, with some particulars relating to, 400-403.
Ckariatany at St. ho, vignette of, i. 394— account of, 396.
Charlemagne, book of prayers belonging to, in the Private Library of the King of France, with iiic-simile of the figure of Christ therefrom, ii. 372*6.
— ■ , a similar book in the library of Chremsminster
Monastery, iii. 378.
Charles the Bald, his Latin Bible, Psalter, and Prayer Book, in the Royal Li- brary at Paris, ii. 156-163.
Chateaugiron, le Marquis de, president of the Society of Bibliophiles at Puris, ii. 449.
Chewe, Du, M., curator of the print room in the Royal Library at Paris, ii.
140 ; his opinion respecting the supposed original wood-cut of St Quriato-
pher, of the date of 1423, ii. 143. Chevalier, M., Librarian of Ste. Genevieve library, ii. 343. Chrkmsminster, town and Monastebt of, account of a visit paid to the
latter, with a description of the Monastery and of its Library, iii. 370-381.
Jommey from Chremsminster to Linz, 381-3. Christopher, St., wood-cut of, of the date of 142^— at Paris, ii. 143 — di8<ioi-
sition upon its genuineness, 143-145 ; ancient wood-cut of at Munich, iiL
277.
Cloch, at Strasbourg — ^formerly much celebrated, iii. 33.
Closternbuburo Monastbrt, near Vienna, account of a visit to, with a
description of the Library of, iii. 613-619. Clovis, figure of, on Strasbourg Cathedral, iii. 15-17. Cluny, Hdtel de, at Paris, ii. 118.
Colbert, le Mimstre, his book passion : portrait of, in the collection of Mr. Q. Cranfurd, iL 477.
Colmar, a town near the Rhine, supposed place for early typogn^hical pro- ductions, iii. 96.
Colonnies, Hdtel des, rue de Richelieu, ii. 128»; Supplement, bdi.
Cond^, village of, between Vire and Fahiise, ii. 3.
Coney, Mr, his graphic talents alliided to. Pre/, viii : — iii. 42.
Cof^fessional 'm the Abbey of St. Onen, i. 72-3 ; in the Abbey of St. Stephen, at Caen, i. 283; at Granville, 419.
Conrad de LAchtemberg, the founder of Strasbourg cathedral, iii. 17.
Cemeille, plaister figure of, at Rouen, i. 163.
bust of, at Mr. Q. Crauford's, ii. 471.
Cotman, Mr. references to his engravings of the arclutectnral antiquities of
Normandy, i. 199, 281, 301, 397; u. 13. Cotta, M. bookseller at Stuttgart, iii. 119.
CouTANGBS ; approach to, i. 403 ; the town, 403 ; the Galhedral, and view
Ifl
INHBX of FES80N8.
fktmi thence, 404^$ mnalMr of jmag dtqff, md 40MU; eomeUness of die women, 406 ; andeat aqwdiict, 406 ; ooppef-^kte viMr
of iht9qa/t^mMAcaaMM,4^
Oie Public Ubnr7,411;boolneUflffi, 41d}ms. eoOeetioMiel^^ to^iL
231-236 ; aodent tqpettrj lMkiii«ii« to tiw crtiietoJ, 237. Onq^, Mr. cefeluMid printer at M», IL 40&410; kb Snmrndn if
Ltmkei, 407s bibttflgnpLkaatympoiii^ 409; Madune, mentkm aML Crmei/Ut, at Dyeppe, with copper-plate, i. 7; »t Ftdaiae, iL 22; aH ViliBbaif,
near Landshut, uL 340 ; at St. P^dlen, 419 ; near Nn^
old oofpe^pte engrafingof, bought of Baroo Dendun at do. zzshr. Orgpt, in tiw etorch of St. Gerraia, at Rouen, L 85; of Bayeuz eathednJ,
349} of Abbaye anz Damea, at Caen 303, ; of Stnyibougcathedral, 13.
37: of die cadMdral of Breysfaig^ wi«hcopper.platet, i&L 324-7.
D.
Dmmeeher, scuJ^tor, at Stattgart, iii. 172-176 ; obiervatioae his boat of 8diiller,tm
2^mf<€, the river, from Linx to Vienna, appearance of, near the Monaalory of
M(dk, iiL407; nearthat of GOltwic, 422 ; near that of GkMtemeiibv]^ 613-
14 ; at Straubing, Supplement^ iv.-v. Dmrid, a Pluriiian artist, his picture of Cupid and Pkyche, uu 482; Ids si^
posed skill in drawing, 502 ; remariu upon his picture of the Hofttii and
Gnratii,50a4.
Dehure, Mem, booksellers to His Majesty, at Puis, iL 387-9.— IMbM^ hv very choice collection of books, ii. 388.
Demt^ M, (now Baron) ; his anecdote about the Bayeuz Tapestry, i. 366; a guest at the Roxburghe banquet, 442 ; account of his collection of cnriorities, prints, and pictures, 453-461 ; of his library, 402-464; his portrait, from the bust ofBosio, 459.
Denekau, Barm, )iis curiosities at Nuremberg, Sigtpl, xxxii-v.
Dtmoftre, celebnite<l engraver at Paris, ii. 504-5.— His opfadon die BritUi school of engraving, ii. 51 1.
DwiM de Paiciiere, anecdotes of, at Rouen : i. 62-5 : several books belonging to, in the Public Library at Ca^n, i. 338-40, in the Royal labrwy at Paris, ii. 291-2 ; 293, 315, 316, 317, in the Library of Ste. Genevieve, Ii. 366; hv case-knife, with engraving, ii. 493 ; engraving o£ her bust, 497 ; her por- trait, in the collection of Mr. Q. Craufurd, ii. 478.
Dkbit /Itmm, celebrated printerat P^, ii. 405; his letter-foondery, Mf.
Dawn: passage from Brighton to, L 1.8: fisheries at, 11-13: rise and progress o£ the town, 13: want o£ good poUoe, 15 : engnviiga of maikel Maaea, 17^ encnrrinf of mrr rnrtf¥,1ft mgraTliy nf weeiWi iiimiii
placbs and things.
Ivii
on totrene^ of tbe^iirboiir, 8 : diilreli of St. Jacques, 19 ; senlce thcrdn, 21; dmrcb service at St. Remy, 23: engraytng- of Fille de Chambre, 92^; loiad adrantages of I>iept>e, 34-3.
Dietmapr, BertMeku, Restorer of the Monastery of llfalk, account and copper-plate engraving of the poitrdt of, Ifi. 415.
D^igenee: at Dieppe, i. 16, 37, 38; In Germany, ffi. 201.
Diptych, ancient, in the Royal Libraiy afPsHv^ wfth two copper-pkte engrarings, ii. 146, 147; in the Imperial Library at \^eittia, with a cop- per-plate engraving of St. Jerom, npon the same, ill. 460.
Digier, St., town in the road to Strasbourg, anecdote of Bonaparte when there;a.632.
D&»ce,^T., in possession of a bronze medal of Lbids XII., 4. '13fi.— his (Col- lection, referred to. Supplement, xxxv.
Drew, between Falaise and Paris, ii. 65; churches and ruins of castles, 66-7.
Drolleriee, m eeulpture, on the outside of Strasbourg cathedral, iu. 25-29.
Drury, Rev, Henry, In possession of a MS. of the cathedral service at Rouen, of the xiiith century, i. 170 ; of a copy of Cicenfi Officee of 1465, u#bii VELLUM, from a private collection in the Vosges, iii. 70.
Duddfr, village of, 1. 194 ; anecdote of the innkeeper and his daughter, 194-6.
Duel, desperate one fought at Caen, i. 269-272.
DUjputel, M., a book-collector at Rouen, i. 155; specimens of his poetical
compositions, 155-8, 182-3. Durand de Langon, M., an active member of the Society of the BiblhpMIei, at
lWs,fi.447.
E.
Earthquakee, frequency of at Strasbourg, iii. 39.
Ebner Family , and Cadejp Ebneriame, at Nuremberg, Suj^, juvi.
Eckme, the celebrated antagonist of Luther— his chair^ cap, and coUeotiMi^
tracts by, preserved in the Public Library at Landshut^ iiL 336. Ef^B^eram, Sl Monastery of, at Ratisbon, Su/^l, x. En^elhardt, M. at Strasbourg, his work connected with the Mhuie-Siagen,
iiL 90, 91, 120.
Eagraeing, French echaol of, preceded by notices of a few of the move cele- brated engravers, ii. 504-511.
Eng^ings, nuniber and value of, in the Imperial Idbrary at Vianni^ jil. ^^^l in the private collection of the Emperor of Austria, $96k^ tha^M^ 4j(j^n of tU Ih^ . .
advance of the French to Vienna, ibid.
Iviii
INDEX OF PERSOK^
Epernajf, distinginBhed for its champagne wine — aoaed^le of the Pkraanans,
when passing through this town, ii. 629. Evelyn, John, his description of Havre, i. 242 : of HoBflear, i. 263 ; of Mont
Ste. Catherine, at Rouen, i. 116. Eugene, Prince, his book benefactions to the laqperial Library at Yienna, iii.
452, &c.
Eutiache, Si^ church of, at Pteis, ii. 97.
P.
" Falaise ; approach to, ii. 9: Hdtel of the Grand T\tre, 9-10; eo^er-pbte view of Fabuse castle, 10; copperplate vignette of the castle, aa it appeared two centuries ago, 11 ; copper-plate vignette of one of the qyitala of the pillars in the same, 13 ; general description of the castie, 13-19; church of Ste. IVinit^ 21^ ; return of Looia XVIII. celebrated, 23; mamifartiire of wax candles, 25 ; mansion and hospitable treatment of the Comte de la Fresnaye, 25^ ; diurch and fidr at Guibray, in the neighbooiiiood, i28-31 ; supposed head of William the Conqueror, with engraving, 33-36; church and place of St. Gervais, 36-40; account of M. Laageviap the Uatorian ^ Falaise, with copper-plate vignette, 40-46; temperature and situation of, 47; fountains, ib,; printers, 48-56; booksellers, 56; odebcation of the fite-dieu, 59-62^ Hdpital 66i6ra], 62; departure in a diligence for Paris, 63.
Fttustus {the) of Goethe, account of, with fac-simile wood-cuta from, iii. 120- 130 : reference to a more particular account of in Mr. Baldwin's Magazine,
iii. 121.
Fkitt, Abhi, librarian to the Chapter Library at Bayeux, i. 370.
FUle de Chambre, at Dieppe, engraving of, i. 32 ; at Caen, engraving of, i.
268; at Nuremberg, engraving of. Supplement, Ixiv. Fhre-uforks, at the Prater, near Vienna, iii. 588. FUcheim, Fan, bookseller at Munich, purchases from, iu. 303-5. Fheon, M., head librarian of Ste. Genevieve, ii. 343.
Florian, St., Monastery of — visit to, and account of the building, — church, library, saloon, and picture gallery, iii. 387-404; description of the Abbot, 388-9; antiquity of the monastery, 397*
Font, in a church at Salzburg, iii. 349 ; in the church of St. Sebald, at Nu- remberg, Supplement, xx.
Fontaine, de la, village of, near Rouen, i. 193.
Forest, in the neighbourhood of Baden, iii. 103 ; in the neighbourhood of
Heilbronn, Supplrment, xlvi. Forster, Mr., celebr itcd engraver at Paris, ii. 507. Fotsard, M., sub-librcirian at Rouen, i. 161.
PLACES AND THINGS.
Fountahu, at Fnlaise, iL 10-47 ; at Puis, ii. 110-1 14 ; at AunrsboarR, iii. 180 ; at Yieima, iii. 542.
fhmci^ (FVankfl) Madame, iMnker at StrMbourg, iii. 745— hoepitality and liberal conduct towards the author, 75, 77> 97 ^S.
Francit his ybllum copy of the Commentaries of Budaras (his tutor) upon the Greek language, in the Royal Library at Paris, ii. 295; his copy of the Aldine Greek Bible upon thick paper, ii. 313 ; portnut of, in the Loufre, and in the collection of M. Q. Craufiird, ii. 472 ; engraving of the bast of,ii. 496,
Franciscan Convent, at Vienna, iii. 564.
fyeenmeotuy, account of its rise and progress at Strasbourg, iii. 88, 90- F)rench, national diaracter of, ii. 517, 520. Freree, Messrs. booksellers at Rouen, L 149.
Fremoffe, Camte de la, residing at Fslaise— his literary amusements and
kind attentions to the author, ii. 19, 25, 30, 37. Freysing, visit to ; the church, crypt, (with copper pUte engravings of pillan
in the latter) and adjacent library, iii. 325, 329 ; M. Mozler, bookseller at,
ihid
F^h, a town near Nuremberg, excursion to, Supplemeni, zli. Fuit and Gutenberg, original depositions relating to the lawsuit between them, at Strasbourg, iii. 53.
G.
Gaertner Carbinian, librarian of the monastery of St. Peter, at Salzburg, iii. 354-5.
Gail, M., one of the curators of the Royal Library at P^, ii. 150; his
literary character, and editions of Thucydides and Xenophon, 430, 433 ;
his verses redted at the Roxburghe banquet, 445. Gallery of Pictwrei, at Rouen, L 162-4; of portraits at Caen, i. 327; at
Augsbourg, iiL 203, 206; at Munich, 249 ; at Vienna, 571; at Nurem-
berg, xxviiL Gascon, ancient book-binder at Paris, ii, 412. Geisler, M., beautiful engraver at Nuremberg, Supplement, i. xl. Geislingen, town near Llm, curious adventure at, iii. 182. GenevOve, Ste., nouvelle Egliee de, ii. 99, 100; Uhnry of, 342, 362. Gerard, M., portrait painter at Puis, renuurlu upon some of his pictures, ii.
503.
Germain, St. des Prie, iL 97 ; aux Augerrois, 98; destruction of the old library, u. 284.
German character, Mendlinegs of dispoeition of, iii. 198 ; 622.
GervaiM, St., church of, at Rouen, i. 85 ; at Falaise,ii. 36; at Paris, ii. 96.
INDEX OP PERSONS,
• Oejfler, John, a celebrated refonaer at StMbou]^, Hi. B, 35. GiIg'en,St., village near Gmandeii — night adFentore at, iiL 363. GUIeM, St., village between St. Lo and Coataneea— adventure there, i. 40L Gmunden, lake and village of, iiL 367-9; journey from Gmnnden to ChreBu- minsto-, iii. 370.
tioTTwic MoNASTBRT; appprooch and viiit to — with an account of the church, library, saloon, and hoephabk reoeptdon at, fit 422, 440 ; copper- plate engraving of halt of pilgrims, in the approach to, 421-2; ^ same, of a portion of the same party, on their nearer approadi to the monastery, 433.
Gififfet, account of his bibliograplucal labours, with portrait, iL 378-9. Gwrdm, Mr., chief librarian of the public Idbrary at Rouen ; L 161. Grahame, Mr., commendation of his poem called tke Skbbaik/* u. 106. Orammoni, Camteue d!^— portrait of, in the collection of Q. Grauford, n.
473.
Gnuwilie, town in Normandy, i. 417, 419.
GrenvUIe, Right Han, T., his library aUnded to, I. 337; H. 262; 264; 316; iu. 68; 616.
Griffiths, Dr,, about to establish a stereotype preu at Viemia, attention to
the author. Supplement, vii. Grolier, books formerly in the library of, ii. 312, 314. Gfoiier, AbU, chief librarian of the library of the Arsenal, u. 320 Grotifu, portrait of, in the collection of Q. Craufurd, iL 472. Gruber, AnUmnu, M., librarian to Count Apponi — his bibliogn^hical aid,
iii. 601-3.
Guerin, M., his picture of Diana and Endymion, iL 483. Guibray, in the vicinity of Falaise — church and ftir, ii. 28, 31. Gvidet, publications, rarity of, upon the continent, iii. 178. Gurney, Mr. ^Hudson) his dissertation on the Bayeux tapestry, i. 382. Gutenberg, spot at Strasbourg, where his first operations with the press are supposed to have been carried on, iii. 78 ; see /W/.
H.
Naffher, M., a protestant clergyman, at Strasbourg — his library, iii. 77, 80.
Halles de Commerce, at Rouen, L 89, 92.
Hammer, Mr. a celebrated orientalist, at Vienna, iii. 604.
Hamilton, Mr., charg6 d'afiaires at Stuttgart— his kind attentions to the
author, iii. 134, 168. Hapsburg, Rudolph Count of, one of the benefactors towards the buikymg
of Strasbourg Cathedral, iii. 17- Harfleur, in the route to Havre, L 239.
Hartenschneider, M., Professor — in the monastery of Chremsminster—
PLACES AND THINGS.
Ixi
his kind attentions to the aathor, iii. 374, Sec, ; his opinion of our more celebrated writers, 380.
Haslewood, Mr. J., historian of the Roxburghe Club, ii. 445.
Hav&b, road from Rouen to— and view of the latter from, i. 187-8; ap- proach to the town, 239, &c. ^ description of the town and environs, 242, 250.
Heber, Mr., his library alluded to, iii. 381. mbert, M., public librarian at Caen, i. 324, 328.
Heerdegen, M., bookseller at Furth, visit to, and purchases from. Supple- ment, zli.
Hbidslbero, description of the palace, or castle, with engravings of.
Supplement, xlvii ; of the great Tun, xlix. ; visit to the public library, L Heilbrann, near Heidelberg, Supplement, xlvi.
Henry 11. , King of France, his triumphal entry into Rouen, i. 63-4; his death, ibidr, books in the public library at Caen, i. 338, &c. ; at Paris, u. 311, 317; bronze bust of, in the collection of the late Q. Craufrurd, 47 L
Henri IV., College de, near Ste. Genevieve, ii. 353.
Herarde, Abbeu of Landsberg, account of a ms. by her called Hortut Deliciarum, iii. 52.
Herman, King of Hungary, sec. xii. his psalter in the private library of
the King of Wirtemberg, iii. 159. Hermann, M., a literary gentleman at Strasbourg, iii. 77 ; See Bibliogiu«>
PHicAL Index.
Heu, M., Professor of design, and engraver, at Munich, his amiable dia*
racter, iii. 313, 316. Hibbert, Mr. George, his copy of the Sforxiada alluded to, ii. 291. Hohenlinden, plains of— seen from the top of Freysing cathedral, iii. 327. Holbein, John, father of Hans Holbein— pictures by, at Augsbourg, iii.
207, 211.
Hommartin, village in the road to Strasbourg, ii. 548.
Honfleur, passage thither from Havre — and departure from thence to Caen
in the Diligence, i. 251-5; description of the country from Honfleur to
Caen, i. 256, 260. Hook, Mbi, late librarian of the Ste. Genevieve library, ii. 363-4. Hotel de FiUe, at Paris, ii. 89 ; de Soubise, at Paris, ii. 90 ; de Cluny, at Ptffis,
ii. 118 ; at Stuttgart — ^with copper-plate, iii. 136. Houdan, between Dreux aad Pftris, with copper-plate vignette of the
castle, ii. 69,70. Houiet, old, at Caen, i. 277 ; at Strasbourg, iii. 81-2. Hulmandel, M. C, the excellence of his lithogn^hical publications, iii. 319.
I.
lUyricui Quirinui, Pope and Martyr, copper-plate of, iii. 223.
Izii
INDEX OF PERSONS,
Inttitute at Parii, description of tiie library of, ii. 370 ; sitting of the society, ii. 429.
Inderlambach, near the lake Gmundeny iii. 366.
liobejf, M., his painting in a copy of Ossian, formerly belonging to Bona- parte, ii. 376. Ischel, near the lake Gmunden, iii. 365. /vofy manufactures, at Dieppe, i. 18 ^ at Geislingen, iii. 182.
J.
Jacijues, St,, church of, at Dieppe, i. 21.
J&eguet, head waiter at the H6tel-Vatel, at Rouen, i. 185.
Jaquiftot, Madame, her eminence as a punter in enamel, ii. 5(XX-502.
Jamet, St., monastery of, at Ratisbon, Supplement, xii.
Jeuft, at Bischo£&heim, iii. 102; at Forth, Sigsplemeni, zlii., &c.
John, King of France, original portnut — ^with o(^>per-p]ate of, iL 140.
Joieph II. Emperor of Austria, character of, iii 564.
Jouhert, M. bookseller at Coutances, i. 413.
Judges, at Rouen, i. 106 ; at Caen, 343-4.
Jumieges, description of the abbey of, L 196-205.
Karlsruhe, near Rastadt, iiL 1 16.
Kensmgtonksn acputintanee, met at Strasbourg, iii. 84.
Keus, /. and H, Messrs., their gn4[>hic talents commended. Pre/, ix. iii. 42.
Klein, M. librarian of the monastery of St. Florian, iii. 388, &c.
Klein, M., distinguished artist at Nurembei^g, with copper-plate fMNsimiks of
his drawings and engravings. Supplement, xzz?iii-xL Koberger, Anthony, the famous printer at Nuremberg, his office, &e. Suppl,
xxii-iii. ; bronze head of his nephew John, in tiie possession of the author,
xxiil.
Kooh, late, one of the celebrated literary characters of Strasbourg, IiL 47>
Koch, M., a book-collector at Manheim, Supplement, Iv.
Kopitar, M. one of the librarians of the Imperial library at Vienna, iii. 448-
9 ; his opinion of the antiquity of a German Tersion of the Bible, 462. Kopff, village near Landshut, iii. 361.
Kraemer, M . Augustus, librarian to the Prince -of Tour and Taxis, — kind at- tentions of to the author. Supplement, x-xv.
L.
Lacquais de Place, at the H6tel Vatel at Rouen, i. 43-183.
PLACES, AND TmNOS.
Lair Pierre Aimiy M., at Caen ; his patriotic zeal, and kind attention to the
author, i. 31 1-315 ; his parting farewell at Bayeux, i. 356. Lamouroujp, M., botanical professor at Caen, i. 310.
Landshut, arrival at, viith anecdote of its capture by the FVench, iii. 329; ac- count of the books in the Public Library, removed thither from the Um- versity of Ingoldstadt, 330 ; copper-plate engraving of street scenery seen from the library, 333 ; the chair and doctor's bonnet of the celebrated Eckius, kept in the Public Library, iii. 336 ; opinion of a professor of botany at Landshut, respecting Shakspeare, iii. 338 ; church of St. Martin, the highest in Bavaria, 339.
Langlii^ M., one of the head librarians of the Royal Library at Paris, ii. 151 ; his literary and social qualities, 438, &c. ; his praise-worthy conduct during the revolution, 441.
Lasnes, late Marshal, anecdote of and Bonaparte, iii. 308.
Laugher, a distinguished engraver at Paris, ii. 508.
Laurent, M., distinguished punter at P&ris, ii. 520.
Latfs, M. an Opera singer at Strasbourg, iii. 83.
Lecrine, ^^^M, printer at Rouen, i. 133.
Lemanadier, at Rouen, engraving of, i. 109.
Lenoir, M. keeper of the monuments in the Rue des PetiU Augwtint— com"
mendation of his work upon the same, ii. 107-9. Lesn^, M., book-binder and poet, at Paris, iL 412-421. Levrault, M., a celebrated printer at Strasbourg, iii. 95. Lewis, Charles, bookbinder ; his talents alluded to, i. 367 ; ii. 189, 245, 262,
399, 421.
Library, Public ; at Rouen, i. 161-179; at Caen, i. 324-340; at Bayeux, i. 371 ; at St. Lo, i. 396; at Coutances, 411 ; at Vire, 446; at Paris ^ the Royal, ii. 128-318; the Arsenal, 318-341 ; of Ste. Genevieve, 342-362; the Mazarine, 362^368; private library of the King, 371-380 ; at Strasbourg, iii. 50-69 ; at Stuttgart, 136-165 ; at Ulm (the Chapter Library), 187 ; of Augs- bourg, 227-235 ; at Munich, 257-297 ; at Freysing, 327 ; at Landshut, 331-3 ; at Salzburg, (monastic) 354 ; at Chremsminster monastery, 374 ; at St. Flo- rian Monastery, 391 ; at Molk monastery, 409; at Gdttidc monastery, 427 ; at Vienna, 451, &c. ; at Clostemeuburg, 614 ; at Ratisbon, Suppl, xiv. at Nuremberg, SuppL xxiii-v.
Library, Private; of Messrs. Le Prevost, Duputel, and Reanx, at Rouen, i. 153, 155, 158 : of a gentleman near Bayeux, i. 361 ; at Strasbourg, iii. 70- 77; of Professor Veesenmeyer at Ulm, 193; of Professor May at Augsbonrg, 229 ; of the Emperor of Austria, at Vienna, iii. 589-599 ; of the Duke Al- bert, at ditto, 599 ; of Count Fries, at ditto, 600; of Count Apponi, at ditto, 601 ; of the Prince of Tour and Taxis, Si^pl, x.
bdv
INDEX OF PERSONS,
Lhktmberger, M., the typogn^ihical antkpiaryt at Strisbaibg; his book
donation to Earl Spencer, iiL 79» 80. LignoHy M,, celebrated engrarer at ii. 506.
IMieh<mne, town of, in Normaod^r* i* 2^7 ; andeat castle, 217, 221 ; inn of
the Three Negroes, 222. Lmig or Ling, a town in Austria, brief description of, ilL jomey
from Linz to St. Florian, iii. 386-7. IMhagraph^, as practised at Paris, ii. 513; at Bfunich^its ezcellenee there,
iiL 317, 320.
Lo, St, between Bayeux and Goutances, i. 393 ; anecdotes of itinerary charlatans, with a copper-plate vignette, 394-5 ; library of the hotel de Tille, 396 'y principal parish church, 397; andent strength and history of the town, 399.
L&uii XII., gold medal of, bk the Cabinet des Mddailles at Paris, ii. 133;
portndtof, from an illuminated MS., 214. Imit Xiy,, manner of taking possession of Strasbourg, iiL 10. Imli XniL, homage paid to, at Rouen, L 182-3; his return to FVanoc,
celebrated at Falaise, u. 23; his patronage of Madame Jaquotot» tha
enamellist, ii. 500. Loup, St,, visit to, in the neighbourhood of Bayeux, i. 359. Lothariui, Emperor, his copy of the Gospels, ii. 163-6. Louvre, description of, ii. 84-5.
Lucas Cranach, extraordinary spedmens of his painting, in the dtaddat Nuremberg, Supplement, xxviii.
Luther, Martin, his hymn sung by children at Strasbourg, iu. 54 ; his mo- nument by Ohmacht, iii. 98 ; collection of tracts relating to his contro- versy with Eckius kept in the public library at Landshut, iii. 336 : portrait of his wife at Nuremberg, Supplement, xxviiL
lAUtembourg gardem, and palace of, ii. 94, 427.
M.
Jf *, Lieutenant, meeting and parting with, 416, 417.
Mack General, his treachery or cowardice, in the surrender of Ulm, iii. 184.
Maclou, St., church of, at Rouen, i. 80-2.
Mackenzie, Mr., his beautiful drawings of the Cathedrals of France, Preface, viii-ix.
Malkerbe, view of his house at Caen, i. 278 ; medal struck in honour of him, 312.
Manheim; arri\'alat the Golden Fleece, now so called: visit to Dom.Artaria, and friendliness of his reception; his collection of paintings, &c., and extensive business; book-collectors there; the public gardens, and old
PLACES AND THINO&
pakce; coltore of gnpes ia Uie Beli^dNmrliood; journey from Maoheim
to i Suppiemeni, lii-lxfi. Magdalen, statue of the, by Caaoya, ii. 487, &c. Mmmtr^, Sen. andJun., bookseOen at Caen, i. 322-3. Mamion Cefard, books printed by— in the Royal library at P^, ii. 280. Marwmut, village of, near Rouen, i. 197. Marmhny Bobertde, his arms, 11.240.
Martin, Franfoisy a singular bibliomaniac at Caen, i. 325; his copy of the
jiikenw Normannorum, 326-6. Mary, Queen o/ Scats, portrait of, ii. 477 ; altar of goM, belonging <o, noir
in the palace at Munich, iii. 248. Maaard, celebrated engrarer at P^, ii. 605. Ma^er, an ancient printer at Rouen, i. 123.
Majnmilian the Great, adventure of, upon the top of Ulm cathedral, 191 ; his own copy of the Tewrdanckh in the Imperial Library at Vienna* IH.
529.
May, ProfeMor, public librarian at Augsbourg, iii. 226 ; purchase of books from, 229.
Mazarine Library, description of, ii. 362, 368.
Mazarin, Cardinal, portrait of, in the collection of Q. Cranfurd, ii. 477.
Meau», cathedral of, ii. 526.
Mhgard, M., printer at Rouen, i. 129, 132.
Melanekthan, his portrait when young, from an original picture by Christ. Amberger, at Augsbouig, iii. 215-6; literary pieces of, collected at Nu- remberg, Supplement, uvi.
Mercatar, Gwdo, book printed by, in the public library at Vire, i. 447.
Mercier, St, lAger, Abhk, some account of, with engraving of his portrait, ii. 353, 362.
, his posthumous labours, ii. 360, 378.
Metz, briefly described, on the road from Manheim to Paris, Supplement, lis.
Millin, M,, one of the curators of the royal library at Paris ; his dissertation upon the medal of Louis XIL, ii. 134 his literary character, 433, 438 ; library, 434 ; symposium at Paris, 435 ; preservation of national antiquities, 437 } writes the account of the Roxburghe banquet, 444 ; his death, and portrait of, 522, 524.
Minne-Singeri, or love poets, history of, at Strasbourg, iii. 90.
Miual, MS., several in the Royal Library at Paris, ii. 202 ; in the collec- tion of M. Denon, ii. 462; in the Royal Library at Stuttgart, iii. 152; in the Royal Library at Munich, iii. 270; in the Imperial Library at Vienna, iii. 465.
Mieeale, printed, copies of at Rouen, i. 165 ; at Caen, 336^ at Bayeoz, 373,375 ; St. S^, 421; in the Ubrary of the Arsenal, U. 323.
I
INDEX OF PERSONS,
MdLK, in Austria, Monastbrt of^Hioooimt of a fiiH to Une same, with a description of the interior, Gnchiding the Hbraiy aaddmrdi) and s copper- plate engraving of a riew of the exterior, and of the porfnit of Berthold Dietmayr, the restorer of the monastery, IH. 406, 418; aneedote of the French here, on theor march to Vieima, 414 ; monaitfry rerisited, on return from Vienna, Supplement, v.
Moll, Baron Fon, one of the earaton of tiie Pkiblk libary at Minidi, iH. 306, &c. ; ezcuniimto his rilk, 307.
MoMASTBRiBS : St. Peter, at Salsbuif, 349, 366; o£ Cfarenamiiiater, 370, 381; St. norian, 387, 404; Molk, 406, 418; O&ttwie, ^ «ec.; Clostemeubiiif, 613-9^ Oapachliii, 619, &c.| Sla. EnuMraiii and James, Ratisbon, Supplemeni, x-xiv.
Moniauiier, J. L. dmeheue de, portrahof, in tlK eolleetai of Q. CSranfiud, «. 473.
Montmarenci, Cattle, at TaaeanrlUe; deaeripHon, and eopper-plate Tiew of,
i. 234-8.
More, Sir Tkomai, his copy of the work of Eaooei lywf ehgmm, See., for- merly belonging to Eckuis— 4n the Pnblie Library at Landshut, iii 337.
Moreau, late General, commendatkm of by Barai Von MoD, Ui. 306.
Morm, andent printer at Rouen— his ^rice, i. 183-4
Morteux, the MM, public librarian at Vu%, i. 445.
Mouton, M. Le, Cnr6 of St. Trinity Church, at FUaise, u. 20, 25.
Moj/eant, Mr. late public librarian at Caen— some account of, i. 328, &c., his mission to search libraries, 330 ; at Bayeux, 372; at FUaiseb ii. 19.
Mosler, M., bookseller at Freysing, iii. 328.
Munich ; appearance of the city, population, &c., iiL 241 ; the ealhedral, 242; fine monument in the choir, 242 ; church of St. Michael, 243; of St Caetan, 245 ; palace of Maximilian, 246, 249; pkture gallery, 249, 252; palace of Schlebheim, 252; public garden, 253; a threatemng storm, 254 ; market women, with copper-plate, 255 ; the public Ubrary, 251— descrq^ tion of the MSS. and rarer printed books, 259 — ^298; book acquisitiotts, and booksellers, 299, 306; curators of the pnblu; library, 306, 313; M. Hess, engraver, 314-5; M. Nockher, 316: Ldthography,317.
Mffit^oui intervieip, with Strat^er, at Bayeux, i. 357, 363.
N.
Nanct; approach to, ii. 537; description of, 537, 545; copper-plate views of the old and new gates, 538; public garden, by moonlight, 539; the ca- thedral, 539; churches, 540; booksellers, 541 ; Le Dragon Rouge, 542; public library, 543.
NenndeVy BttchntI, the fnend of Budseus, portndtof, iii. 353.
PLACES AND THINGS.
Ixvii
Ne&markt, a post town between Landshut and Altdting, iii. 340; between
Ratiflbon and Nuremberg, Supplement, xri. Nejf, late Afanhal, spot where he wtig shot, ii. 427. Nicholas, St., village near Nancy, ii. 545.
Nockher, Afr., banker at Munich — his kind attentions to the author, iii. 316-7» 365.
NuREMBXRO; approach to, 5ii/>/)^ff»<ftl> zvii— copper-plate vignette of a portion of the walls, xviii— of a townswoman met in the vicinity of, xiz; appearance and population of the town, xx ; description of the churches, with copper-plate views of the interiors of St. James and St. Mary, xix, xxii j of the public library, xxiii; of the citadel, xxvi, xxx; of the town hall, XXX; decay of art and commerce, xxxi; writers upon the antiqui- ties and customs, &c., of the town, xviii, xx; supposed residence of Anthmy Koberger, the feunous printer of Nuremberg, in the xvth century, xxii, &c. ; the curiosities of Baron Derschau, xxxii, xxxv ; negotiation for the Codew Ebnerianus, a Greek ms. of the New Testament of the xiith century, xxxvi; present state of the fine arts at, xxxviii, xl; anti- quity of some of the bookselling-establishments, xli ; excursion to Furth, in the neighbourhood of, and purchase of books of Heerdegen, a book- seller there, xli-ii ; gaiety of sabbath costume, xliii ; departure from, to Manheim, xliv.
O.
Oberlin, one of the celebrated literary characters of Strasbourg, iii. 45-6, 90. Odilo, Klama, Mr., librarian at the monastery of Gdttwic, iii. 422. Ohmacht, sculptor, at Strasbourg, iii. AT, 97.
Olivier Baeselin, price of a copy of Ms Vaude vires, i. 322; copies of that work in the public library at Caen, 337 ; some account of that work, and of its author, 433, 444 ; original MS. of, in the possession of a private genUeman at Bayeux, 364; copy of, presented to the author at Vire, 433, &c.
Organ, in the church of St. Godard, at Rouen, i. 83 ; in the abbey of St. Ouen, i. 75; in the abbey of St. Stephen at Caen, 288; at Coutances, 404 ; at St. Germun des Prb, at Paris, ii. 98 ; in the cathedral of Strasbourg, iii. 36 ; in the church of the monastery of St. Florian, 399.
Ottley, Mr. W. Y., his fine collection of engravings alluded to, iii. 600 ; Supplement, xxxvi.
Ouen, St., abbey of, at Rouen, i. 69, 78; refectory attached to, 77.
OuUljf, Pont, village between Vire and Faliuse, ii. 5.
P.
P * ., Captain, R. N., pleasant fellow-traveller — met at Nancy, ii. 539; and at Strasbourg, iii. 98.
kfiii
Awirgrf oee fHrnhwi; ^ -»
Pdirii de JuaiM, utRaaen, i. 108, 6 ; Mib Ro^y, st Ml, & Bl^ .
Pa/itft\8<?riuir(/, FaSenee-plBte by, ii. 494.
Pai/tiw, Mr., Vice PHndpal of the noiMlay at M 9lk— liiB^ attftntiom to
the aathor, iii. 413, Stc
Paper and printing, ordinary, at P^, ii. 410 ; at VienBa, iiL 610.
Paris; approach lo,'!i. 73^; the Botilentfds, wiHi a copper-plate view of
' r^BaiOmmhh ItoHem, 76, 80; the Thinleries, 80, 84 ; QiamiM Elyi^i,
* 1*81; Mail R03ral,8K2; Gaff6 dee mllle coionnes, 82 ; Jardindes Fbuites, 83; Louvre, 84-5; Bridges, 87; Halle auz Bib, 88; Ezdiange, 89; HaCel Sottbke, 90; Street Scenery, 91,94; Notre Dame, 95; Sl.Ger- Tus, 96; St. Eustache, 97 ; St. Germain des Pk-b, 97; St. Germain anx Auxerrois, 98; the Sorbonne, 99; the new Ste. GencTi^ve, or FniUieon, 99, 100; St. Solpice, 100; the Oratoire, 103; St. Rodi, 103; FAasomp.
'X'ViOD, 104; St. Philippe da Roule, 104; a PariBian sabbath, 105; mo- numents in the Rue des Petits Augustins, 107; Fountains, 110, 114; topographical woilu upon, 115, 117; Hotel de Cfamy, 118; old and
^^^mMerh Psrit, 119, 120; ancient manners, custoais, and locality of Fuis, 120, 127; general description of the Royal Library, 128, 148; ^ public
{ <'>Hbrarians, 131, 150, 151; Cabinet des MedaiDes, 1^6, 137; OMiet des
' ^^ £stampes, 138, 144; account of the illumhiated MSS.; 165, 245$* of the early printed books in the royal coUection, 246^ 318 ; library of the
< ^n/taienal, 318, 341 ; Library of Ste. Genevieve, ^ 363; Abb6 Merder Saint L^, late librarian, 354, 362; the Maarine Library, 362, 368; Library of the Institute, 370; private library of the Kiag, 371, 3/6;
^"tfome aee<mnt <tf the late Abb^ Rive, 381, 385; booksellers, 387, 404; printers, 405, 411; bookbinders, 413, 4^; men of letters, DomBrial, the Ahb^ Bdtencourt, 423, 430; Messrs. Gail, Millin, and Langib, 430, 440; a Roxburghe banquet, 443, 452; collection of M. Denon, 453, 467; of M. Qointin Cranfurd, 468, 480. of the Marquis de Sommariva, 481, 490; notice of M. Willemins Monnmens In^U, 491, 493; miscel- laneous national antiquities, 495^ 502; of the Fine Arts, 502, 515; national character, 516, 520; departure from, 524. Pascal, Blaise, portrait of, in the collection of Q. Cranfurd, IL 473^ Paul, St., church of at Rouen, i. 86-7.
Payne, Mr. John, his purchase of the second edition of Shakspeare, from the public library at Augsbourg, iii. 231 ; his purchase of the Code^ Ebnerianus, Supplement, xxxrii.
Peregrinm^ B, G,, vision of, to Count Albert, with copper-plate, iu. 221.
Piriaux, M., printer, and member of the Academy at Rouen, i. 127-9.
Pfister, traeU printed bp^ in the Royal Library at Ptois, ii. 260; the Four
FliAC^S AND THINOS.
NitiorieM, Bihlia Pamperum, LaL and Germ, 261 ; FMei^ 1461 — fomerly in the Royal Library, now vestored, to tke Wolfenbuttle library, iL 261.
Phaltbourg, a fortified town near tbe Vosget, ii. 649. .
Pkardj Guerm, Mr., veiidor of ehap-bookfl Irt Caeo, i. dl7"8.
Pichon, Mr., founder of the Public Library at Vire, L 446.
Pictures, see Gallery,
Pilgram, Anikonf, architect of Vienna oathedral, ill. 64a^.
Pilgrims, halt of, in the road from St. Pdlten to Odttwic Monattery, wkh a
copper-plate engraving of the same party, on their nearer approach to the
same monastery, iii. 421-2, 433. Pieam, portnut of^ from the punting of Antonello da Messinap H. 467-8L Plochingen, curious old town, near Stuttgart, liL 181. Pluqnet, Mr. an apothecary and book vendor at Bayeux, i. 363. Pdlten, St., post-town between MQlk and Vienna^ iiL 419. Pont UEveque, between Honfleur and Caen, L 267. — Owilif, between Vh«
and Falaise, ii. 5. Portraits, list of, in the Public Library at Caen, L 327. Portraits, engraned, number of, in the collection of the Enq)eror ef katXn^
iu.698.
Postillion, in the Dieppe diligence, i. 37 ; at Ttocarville, i. 236 ; in the^nchy of Baden^ iiL 101 ; in the territory of Bavwia, IiL 200; ia Austria, iii. 369. Prater, the, at Vienna, description of, iii. 582, &c.
PretfostLe, Mr. his drawings of the Abbey of St. Ouen, L77 ; hifl antiqaarian ] knowledge, 152 ; list of some rare books in his library, 153 $ attentioaa to the author, 187.
Printing, ancient and modem, at Rouen, L 12S-152; at Viemia, iii. 606. ;
see Stereotype. Printselling and Print shops, at Fnris, ii. 512. Protestant church at Caen, I 341. See Catholics. Prudhon, Parisian pdnter, character of his pictures, iL 483. Pucelle if Orleans ; see j4re, Jeanne ^.
Pulpit, in Bayeux cathedral, L 349; of stone, in Strasbourg cathedral, iii 35; of marble and g^t in the church of the monastery of St. Florian, 400| en- tirely of gilt, in the monastic churdk of Molk, iiL 416.
a
Quays, at Rouen, i. 108.
Quilleheuf, Mr., his preaching in Rouen cathedral, i. 67.
Quillebeuf, fishing village in Normandy, L 219.
Quintin CraufUrd, late Mr., his collection of pictures, ii. 468-480.
R.
Radel, Petit, Mr., librarian of the Maiarine Library, ii. 364-369.
WDEK OF PERSONS,
JUmUmUei, & i/cryiMM d^, jMrfrift^ in the ool^ ii474.
JUtmpartt of Henna, remarks iqM>ii» iii. 610.
iUnner, Mr.» Pablic Librarian at Niirembei]|;, Suppl, xiii., &c.
Ratdbon : account of the town, cathedral, monasteries, and public cdiec-
tions, Stippl, viL-XY. JMmM, Mr., his drawings of flowers — coUeetioo of, in the King's FHfate
library at Pbris, ii. 376. R^itrmaikm, ut Simbtmrg, anecdotes connected with, iii. 87. Rembrandt, M. Denon's collection of prints by, ii. 460. Remmdiere, M. Ixmon de la, at \^re — ^his bibliomaaiacal ardour and libiary,
i. 431-46 ; society 458 his love of, and translations from, Thomson's
Seasons, 459, &c. ; opiidon of onr reviews, 460; afternoon's ramble with
the author, 460; friendly attentions to the author, IL 2. Renowtrd, Mr., bookseller at Paris, iL 392; character of his publications,
39^ ; his choice library, 394-7 . Repomnrs, what— «t Falidse, ii. 60. ,Remewi, Edmburg'h and Qaarterlff, opinion upon, L 460. Revaimthn, late, in France, direful effects of, i. 88, 180, 204, 362, 371, 405,
iL 360; iii. 50. ,Rhemi, its cathedral, &c. briefly described, St^jd. Ix. JUaum, Mr., at Rouen— his library, i. 10&.158.
Rk9€, AM, the late — account of, with oopper-plate of his portrait, iL 381- 385.
Robec, Raede, at Rouen, i. 114-5. Reberteau, place so called near Strasbourg, iii. 13. Rob Roy, read for the first time at Strasbourg, iii. 76. Roger, Mr. stippling engraver at Ptais, ii. 509-
Rohfiritsch, a Talet— hired at Strasbourg, ilL 99f — his expedition fiwi Man-
heim to Stuttgart, iii. 171-2. Rdiin, Mr., protestant preacher at Caen, L 341.
RoUo, the monument of, in Rouen cathedral, L 52, his patronage of ecelcsias tical architecture, 198 ; 274.
Romain, &r Romamu, St. and the dragon— at Rouen, i. 66.
RouxN : approach to the city, i. 38-40 ; general impression from appearance of the streets, i. 40-2 ; old copper-plate views of the town, and of its rid- nity, 40^1 ; Hdtel Vatel 42; Boulevards, 434 ; population. 45; cathedral, 47 ; copper-plate view of the exterior of the south transept, 50; chapel of our Lady, 51 ; Monuments (with engravings) in the cathedral, 51-64; an- cient library attached to it, 65; ancient least on Ascension Day, 66; con- firmation, seen by the author, 67 ; the abbey of St. Ouen, 69-78 ; churches of St. Maclou, St. Vincent, St. Vivien, St. Gervab, and St. Paul, 80^;
PLACES AND TfflNOS.
Ixxi
revolationary depredatioBB, 88, 180; Halles de Commeroe, 90-2 ; cattle-' market, 93 ; Rue de la Groflse Horloge, 94 ; Place de la Pucelle, 95 $ repre- sentation of the Champ de Drap d'Qr, 100^2; PtJius de Justice, 103-6; Judges in the Tribunal of Commerce, 106 ; Quays, 108 ; Bridge of Boats, 1 10 ; Rue du Bac, with engraving, 1 U-2 ; manufactories, 1 13 ; Rue de Re- bec, 1 14 ; Mont Ste. Catharine, 1 1^122 ; old and modem printing at Rouen, 123-161 ; chap-books, religious, moral, and amusing, 134-148 ; booksellers, 149 161 ; book-collectors, 162-160 ; account of the MSS. and early printed books in the Public Library, 161-184; departure from, and distant view of, with engraving, 186-8; picture gallery, 162.
RoMburgke CM, aUuded to, i. 184 ; ill. 302 ; iiL 446 ; Roxburghe banquet, given by the author at P^, ii. 441-461.
Rue, Abh6 d!? fo, his Treatise upon the Armoric bards, i. 282; description of his person, i. 309 ; appreciation of his talents, i. 363.
S.
Sabbath, the, at Dieppe, i. 19-24; at Falaise, ii. 69; at Ptais, ii. 106; at Vienna, iii. 684, &c. at Nuremberg, SuppL xliiL-iv.
Sac^f, SilveMtre de, Mr., his high character as an Orientalist, ii. 438.
Saloon, in the monastery of St. Florian, magnificence of, iii. 402, &c.
Salzbubg, approach to, iu. 322, 329, 343, 346; the hotel of the Golden Schiff, 346 ; the Citadel, with copper-plate engraving, 347 ; Place, near the cathedral, 348; diminished population of the town, 348; churches ci Sie. TVinUi and Seboitien, ibid. ; monastery of St. Peter, with an account of the library and book purchases therefrom, 349-366 ; mountainous country in the vicinity of Salzburg, 367 ; height of the prindpal mountams, ibid ; de- parture from Salzburg, 361.
SalMburg marble, commendation of, iii. 403.
Sandrart, his chef d'oeuvre, as a, painter, at Nuremberg, Suppl. xxix. Sarcander, P. /. librarian of the Capuchin convent, in the Rossau, near
Vienna; his Latin bill of parcels, of books bought from thence, iu. 621. Saveme, entrance into — and mountainous country in the vicinity of, ii.
661-3.
Saudmpi, tillage on the road to Strasbourg, ii. 633.
Sa:pe, Marshal, account of his monument, in the church of St. Thomas, at
Strasbourg, iiL 43. Schalbacher, a bookseller at Vienna, purchase of books from, iii. 607> &c. Scherer, Mr., head librarian of the Public Ubrary at Munich, iii. 312-3;
kind assistance of, in the translation of a German metrical ms. of Sir TVii-
trero, 264.
INDEX OF PERSONS,
SekUUr, colossal bust of, by Daanacker, iii. 173^.
Sehlichtegroil, Mr., one of the canton of the Public Libnry at Mmiich, iiL
310; kind attentions of, iM. Soklouer, Mr. Ptofeasor at Heidelberg, his Universal Biogn^hj,*' Sufpi.
Sehoepfin^ among the celebrated characten of Stnsbooig, iii. 45. SekMrunm Palace, near Vienna, 675.
Sehweighmuier, L ten. Mr., his talents aUuded to, iii. 79-20; his edition of
Herodotus, 95$ interview with, at Baden» iiL 105, &c. ; his portrait, 110 ;
evening walk with, iiL 114. Sekweighmuerjun.^., his kmd attentions to the author, iiL 25, 60, 97;his
Memoin of Koch, iiL 47* Sebastian, St., sculptured figure of, in the church at Falaise, ii. 22. Segwn, Mr. account of his publications at Vire, L 449. See Bibliooeaphi-
CAL Indbx.
Sever, St., between Ville^eu and Vm, i. 421. Sevre, near Pbris, ii. 72.
^ebenkeee, Mr. Professor, public librarian at Landshut — kind attentions to
the author, iii. 330332. Seeietff o/Bellee Lettres, at Rouen: sitting of, L 180. S^einne, Mr., his fine dramatic library, ii. 301.
Semmarhfa, Marquis de, his collection of paintings and sculpture, iL 480- 490.
Sarboime, neighbourhood of, and College Royale, iL 386. Specklhn, Darnel, Ids plate of Strasbourg cathedral, iii. 41. S^^encer, Countess, prints from her designs in a private house near Bayenz, L362.
, Early his purchase of the Valdarfer Boccaccio, L 236; his visit
to Paris, and confrontation of his own impression of the woodcut of St Christopher, with a supposed similar impression at Paris, ii. 143-145; his library aUuded to, L 433 ; ii. 263, 265, 266, 273, 311,314, 316, 317; iiL 56, 79, 132, 140, 192, 288, 306, 381, Suppl. x., zxv , xxziv.; his opimon respecting a copy of Ulric Han's edition of Servius in VirgiHum, in the Mazarine library, iL 366 ; is toasted, with the Roxbuighe Chib, 443 ; f&ted by the Society of Bibliophiles at Paris, 449-450.
Spire, on the banks of the Rhine, near Manheim, desolated state of the catiie- dral, Suppl. Iviii.
Steinbach, Ervin de, one of the architects of Strasbourg catiiedral, iiL 15-17. Stereotype printings, andent-^ the PubUc Library at Augsbouig, iiL 235;
modem, about to be established at ^enaa, iii. 608. Stoeger, Mr., bookseller at Munich, iiL 299^.
PLACES AND THINGS.
Ixxili
Stothard, Mr.Jun., his laboun connected with the Bayenx tapestry, i. d66»
383.
Strasbourg; approach, and entrance into, IL 664; the IVotestaat Reli^oD, iii. 6; treacherous surrender of the dty to L(mis XIV., 8; the cathedral, with account of publications and prints relating to, 11, 41 1 chureh of 8t Thomas, 41 1 the Public Library, 49 1 booksellers, 71 1 society, 74| euTirons of Strasbourg, 81 1 mannen and customs, 85 1 Ree^aaonry, 89 1 literature^ &C.91.
Strattman, AbM, the a resident in the Monastery of Mfilk, and late public H- brarian of the Imperial library of Vienna, SL 408-410, &c. i urges the author to visit the monastery of G5ttwic, 411.
Straubing, town near Ratisbon, Su/^l. vi.
StudenU, in the Public library at Rouen, 1. 176.
i9ruTT6ARTi arriTal at, iiL 116| crudftx at, with a ptete, 117i booksellers, 119 f M. Le Bret, public librarian, 131 1 the Publk: or Royal library, 134- 167 1 copper-plate view of the street scenery near, 136 1 Private Library of the Kii^^ of Wirtemberg, with a fiMN«imile of the Trinity, of the xnth century, iiL 167-166 1 descriptkm of the Royal PliJatie, iiL 166 1 description oftheUte Queen, 168-171; attendance at the levee for a Mbliograi^deal negotiation, 168.
T.
Tancmvilief village of, in Normandy i route thither from Bolbec, L 231 1 Aa> berg^ste, 232 1 Montmorend castle, and neighbourhood^ with vignette and separate y\ew of, 233-4 1 anecdote of the postillion, L 236.
Tepettrp, at Bayeuz, account of, with woodcuts and copper-|dates, L 376, &c. in the cathedral of Strasbourg, iii. 30.
ThoUf De, was an eye witness of the fiital wound received by Henri II. from Montmorend, i. 64 1 numerous coi^ of books, from his library, in the royal collection at Paris, S. 317-
Thowenin^ Mr., book-buider at Pteb, ii. 416-418.
Thundef'ttorm, over the dty of Rouen, i. 113 1 over the town of Baden, Iii.
106 f over that of Munich, iiL 264. Tfniileries, description of, ii. 80-84.
Tmbitanei in Germm^, brief description of their general character, iii. 369.
Taul, town on the road to Strasbourg, iL 636.
TraUewr^ Mr., a book^ollector at Manhdm, Suppl, liv.
Travellmg, dearth of fellow-travellers in France, ii. 666.
TreuUel and fHirtZf booksdlers at Paris, ii. 389 1 excursion to their country
villa, iL 390i benevolent character of Madame Treuttel, 390 { bookseUeriat
Strasbourg, iii. 72.
K
<I\imef, Jknumm, Mr., lib wrtqiwimi^Hrtil* api l«p> of viit^ tikoM^, u 162-3 ; dbtncUr of hk Tkir «§ Narmam^^ Erefiuc, z.
Vlm; appro«:h to. Hi. 1884; k(M^liie iS'/^ir cosuBe^^ 1&4, 193; visit to ProfesBor Veesenmeyer, iiL 186; deacriplioii of il>e cBtbe- aiid of the Kbnry within it, 188,188^ 182; of the eboir^ 189; view
I. from the tower of the cathedral, 190; adveataretiiereii^oii, 190; co]^er- piale view of the exterior, 191 ; market place, and credulity of ^ common people, 199 ; departure from, 200 ; date of die completion of the caAedral,
- 287.
UrntU, St., legend of, ii. 199.
FMere, DwtkeueJe la, portrait o( m Ae coUeetkm of Ifr. Q. Gnnfod, M. 474.
y^n ProeU M., one of the public fibrariaas at Faria, ii. 131 ; a guest at the RoriNDghe banqnet,442, &e.; at M. kdHn's dejenn^ hhifoiircbette,435; his kind attentions to the author, 132; his forthcoming catalogue of books printed iqion vdhim, in the Royal lilnnry, 247; his pmdiaee cf the mo- rality of the Bloiphemaieun th jmm de Dim, u. 301 ; his himwitatkm at the departure of the FabUi printed bp PJUier m 1471, 460; his print of St. Bemardinus, 614.
y§eienmeffer, Profeuor, at Ulm ; visit to, and ifocomit of his library, fare- well sahitation of, iii. 186, 193^, 197.
Fermi, M., his lithographical productions, ii. 613.
Fenaiilei, ii. 71.
Vienna ; approach to, iii. 442-3 ; arrival at the hotel called the Crown Hungary, 444 ; description of the Imperial Library, and head librarians, 447, &c. ; number and value of the volumes in the same library, 461 ; copper-plate- riew of the interior of the library, 464; description of some of the MSS. in the library, 466, 486 ; description of the rarer and earlier printed books in the same, 483, 633 ; population and general description of Vienna, 636 ; number of Jews at, 637 ; national character and sodety at, 639; the streets, 641 ; fountains, 642; mode of living, 644; cairiages, 646 ; description of the cathedral, with copper-plate view of the exterior, 647, 666; monuments in the cathedral, 663; church of St. Mary, 666; publication descriptive of ecclesiastical edifices at Vienna, 666-7 ; church of the Augustins, and monument by Canova, to the memory of the Duchess Albert of Saxe-Teschen, 668; convents, 663; Gi^iuchin and Fhmdscan, 663-6; the two Belvedere Palaces, 667, 673; the young Bonaparte, 574; Pdace of SchSnbrunn, 676; the Treasury, 677; Theatres, &c., 678; the Prater, 683, 686; fire works, near the same, 688; account of the Emperor of Austria's private library, &c., 689, 699; of the collection of drawings, &c. of Duke Albert, 699 ; of the libraries of Counts Fries and Apponi, 600; literature, 603; booksellers, 606; printing, 608; the
PLAGB6 AND ^THWOa
nuBupvtt, 610; mooMtary of CaMtmeutMq^t in the viciiiityot the Capachins, in the Roflsan, 619 ; depvtiire firom, SkppiemeiU, v.
mie Dieu, post town, between GrtnTille and Vire, i . 420.
yi»c€ni, St., diuix^ of, at Rouen, i. 82.
Virb; approadi to, i. 422; the town, 423; hdtel of the GhewU Blanc, 423, 436; market place and old castle, mth copper-plate view of, 424; vig- nette of the castle, 425; bibliography, 428, 458; aocoont of the Vandevires of Olivier Bassdin, 433, &c.; of the Public library, 446; founder and history of the Public Library, 447; manuftctories, manners and customs, 449, &c. ; history of printing at, 455.
yhrgil, two andent editions of— procured from the Royal Library at Stutt- gart, iiL 170, 171-3.
Hrgin Mary, wretched representation of at St. Lo., i. 397; price of plaister images of, at St. Lo, 398; figure of, in the ctthedral at Coutaooes, 404; wood cut of, i. 320.
yUalii, M., {Nresident of the society of belles-lettres at Rouen, i. 180.
f7/fy, a small town, <m the road to Strasburg, ii. 531.
Hvien, St, church of at Rouen, i. 82-4.
roiture to Ville Dieu, i. 419 : from Dreux to Paris, iL
f^oltaire, his bust by Houd<m, in the collection of Mr. Q. Craufurd, ii. 471 1 his figure, in the Library of the Institute, ii. 370.
f^o#^«ff, mountainous country near Strasbomg, iii. 20; number of baromal castles in the same, ibid. ; libraries in the same, iii. 70.
W.
Waterloo, print representing the efifects of the battle of, ii. 510.
H^atU, Mr., about to establish a stereotype press at Vienna, iiL 608.
Wellington, Duke of, his portrait by Gerard, iL 507; in aquatint, 51 1 ; anecdote relating to, at Phalsbourg, 550 ; at Strasbourg, iii. 85 ; at Vienna, 606 ; at Neiimarkt, between Ratisbon and Nuremberg, Supplement, xd ; his military character appreciated, ibid. ; ii. 467 \ sale of his portrait, en- graved by Bromley, from Sir T.Lawrence's painting, at Manheim, Supple- ment, liii.
Wenceilaue, Emperor of Bohemia, his MS. Bible (with three copper-plate
engravings of his person) in the Imperial Library at Vienna, iii. 461, 463. fnikie, D., R. A., engravings from his pictures in the collection of M.
Langlb, ii. 439 ; his talents complimented by M. B^nard, ii. 510. fFillemin, M., his antiquarian labours commended, ii. 491-4. fniliam the Conqueror, his tomb and supposed portndt in the abbey of St
Stephen, at Caen, i. 284, 294; Pdace of, at Caen, 289; collection of
chartularies, granted by, ii. 236. fTmdowi, painted, in the abbey of St Ouen, i^ 71 ; in the churches of Sdnts
IxxTi
INDEX OF PERSONS, te.
^^Boeiit and Qodard* at Rouen, L 82-3; in jChe ebm^ at Dreoz, IL 66 1 io the church «t Tool, 635; in the eethednl at Strasboiiig, lii. 31 } in the church attached to tiie Public library at Stnvboiirs. in. 49. fFwiew^g^ itOe Queen of, description of her penon and manneri, nl eoort, iii. 168, 170; her funeral, 175.
Y.
Ymng, Mr., libnffian to the Emperor of Anstria^ and Secretary to the PHvy Coondl of State— hit kind attention to the aathor, uL 599.
Z.
Zeimer, J, printer at Ulm, supposed place of lus residence, iii. 192.
[ Ixxvii ]
ADDENDA.
Vol, i. p. 309. The History of Caen by the Abb^ de la Rue, ^ has just appeared m two small octavo volumes (not quarto--4b5 here spedfied— and as I had been previously informed) under the title of Essais Historiquea sur la Vilk de Caen et son Arrondissement. Caeny 1820. With the exception of two or three indifferent plates of relics of scidpture, and of tiles, with armorial beanngs, this work is entirely divested of ornaments. There are some useful historical details in it, taken from the examination of records and achives: but a HiaTOBT of Caen b yet a desideratum.
Vol. i. p. 444. The new edition of the Faudevires a£ Oli- vier Basselin, here alluded to, has recently appeared under the editorial care of Mr. Louis Dubois, under the title of " Vaux^^ Vires d'OUvier BamJin^ Pdeie Normandy de la Jin du env. Siede^ &c. Poisson^ Caeny 1821. 8vo. pp. 264: Paper at^SL J fr. Pap. v^ 15 fir.
Vol. ii. p. 59. Falaise. The Sabbath-prepaiation, and pro- cession thereftom, here recorded, denoted the celebration of the Fete Djeu. I hiqjpened to be at Paris, two years afterwards, on the celebration of the same fete ; and walked between the fa- mous GU>blein tapestry, extended on either side, for at least 100 yards, towards the Louvre. The grandest proces»on in Paris, on that day, was from the TTiuilleries to the parish dburch of Si. Gemmns aux Auxerrois. The Duchesse d'Angouleme walked in this procession; and it happening to rain, several umbrellas, from the bystanders, were offered for her acceptanoe--but she de- clined receiving one. These procesaons are moving in all parts of Paris, by times in the morning : but the people, generally q)eak- ing, heed them very little.
Vol. ii. p. 313. The first Aldine Arisiotk VFOV YEhLVU. Not- withstanding I deferred to the opinion of Mr. Van Praet, and had even supposed, bom the evidence here adduced, that there was no
cofpy of tht/ril iFotume of dik adHioD
wijB sppeftrod to me strange and unaoooantaUe, that a printer, like Aldus, dmild lum t^trutk off cxipieB upon Tdhmi, of tlie rr- fMOfiMf^ volumes of an edition^ of wlndi there had been no similar iminressions taken of the ^rst : and thereby rendering every mem- faranaoeous cc^ ino(xnplete. It has at length turned out that there doM exist a copy of the Jirsi vcdume upon vellum: and die K- farary of New Ccdlege, Oxford, boasts of this umque treasure in its wsy. This discovery, I learn, was made by die Rev. Mr. Gaisfoid, the GredL Prafessor of that University. It is probaUe diat some aoddent hadattended the impressions of the^ri^ volume upon vd- fann; as it b otherwise impossible to account for its general non-ap- pearance.
VoL iiL 455. MSS.in AelmperialLibraiy ai ViemuL In the xlvth number of die Classical Journal^ for March 1821, there iqipears a very particular account of the Thsodosiax Map, or Tabtda PetMngmanOj (it having bdonged to an individual of the name of Demderms Ignatius Peuimger, in 1714) die two Gred^ MSS. of Dioscorides, and some GredL MSS of Homer, &c together with slighter notices of a few other mmilar curiosities. The author is Dm. NosHDXN.
Sftppkmenij p. xx, noU. The Shrike of St. Sbbald. I am fiivoiured by Mr. Boosey, jun. with a tiansladon of that part of the Guide of Nuremberg^ printed in the GCTian language, which relates to this very curious and splendid shrine, and which is as follows : The shrint of St Sebald was b^an m 1506 by Peter Fisdier, and his five sons, and was finished on the 19th June 1519 ; it required one hundred and twenty hundred weight of metal, and cost twenty-ax thousand four hundred guldois, which was paid by voluntary contributions. The part which is covered with gold and silver, is five feet ten inches long, and one foot seven inches broad inside the coffin. It was built in 18979 and cost five hundred and six guldens in gold. Fischers work measures fifteen feet in height, eight feet bbt&i inches in length, and four feet eight inches in breadth. It has ibis inscription upon it : Peter Fischer, citizen of Nuremberg, par-
formed this work with his aona, and brought it to a completion in the year 1519. To GrOD aloks is the praise, and to Si SebaJdj the heavenly prince, the honour, with the assistance of the charity of pious persons.^^
Lnncluii : Printed by W. Bulroer and W. Nicol, ClevcIaiid-roWf St. James's.
COEEECTIONS.
VOLUME I.
page. line. >br rend.
67. 13. dioir. altar.
159. 21. Saint Pdaye, Barbaaan.
221. 12. vastly pretty, extremely picturesque
261. 4. Demetal, DametaL (Thii error has been introduced hi tlie in8cripd<m of Uie oopper-plate of tlie churdi Bo caUed.)
291. I. ancients, so andent.
— — 11. ine, five.
315. 20. a vastly. rather a
361. 20. 1712, 1753
406. 15. enbonpomt, embonpoint.
412. 32. librarian, bookseDer.
VOLUME IL
ftr re&d
62. last but 6. leatore, fieatores.
122. 2. indea. Mm.
448. 17. Transdentab, TVansoendaitals.
457. 6. infentor, restorer.
467. the reference, to the '* Qproam F^jltk* at the bottom of page, M eiToneoiis.* the head of DenoB being introdnoed at pafe 459, aft^ prevkma leaf was cancdkd.
478. 8. MaraMmtel, MontmaiteL
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