MENTONE
JVD ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD
PAST AND PRESENT
EDITED BY
J.E.SOMERVILLE,B.D.
FROM-THE- LIBRARY OF
" NITYCOLLEGETORONTO
1936
PRESENTED' A.D.
From the Library of the
BY
late Colonel Henry Brook
1 by
EDWARD BAKER ,
MENTONE
MentOne and its Neigh-
bourhood: *The Past and
the Present : by Dr. George Miiller
Edited by Rev. J. E. Somerville
B.D., F.S.^.SCOT. Illustrated.
London : Hodder and
Stoughton &* MCMX
ME
Mo
MOV 17 1948
EDITOR'S PREFATORY NOTE
THE late Dr. George A. Miiller, a cousin of the more cele-
brated Professor Max Miiller, resided in the neighbourhood of
Mentone for some thirty years, and died in 1891. He was a
man of cultured mind, and given to research, and he left a
manuscript, which he had intended to publish, containing
an account of Mentone and the surrounding district. In
this were recounted not only original investigations and
experiences, but also much historical information derived
from his study of books, records, old charts, and parchments,
in French, Italian, Latin, and other languages. After his
death, the manuscript remained in obscurity for a number of
years. Circumstances having recently led to my perusal of
it, I found it to contain a large amount of information, not
easily accessible to English readers. It seemed regrettable
that this should not be made public ; and the suggestion
that I should undertake the work of editing it having met
with hearty approval from the few to whom the manuscript
was already known, I have endeavoured to do so. The task,
however, has been by no means an easy one. Dr. Miiller's
style of composition is his own. For one born in Germany
he exhibits marvellous command of our language, though
he himself apologises for defects in style and diction, and
craves the indulgence of critics, as he writes not in his
native tongue but in that of his adopted country. He
vi MENTONE
would, however, be but inadequately described as long-
winded. He is effusive, exuberant, and verbose to an
extraordinary degree. He is perpetually breaking into
rhapsodies over the scenery and moralising as he goes along ;
while his sesquipedalian sentences are fraught with terror
to an English reader.
I have found it necessary to omit large sections, and to
curtail descriptions, as well as to break up his huge sentences
into those of manageable size ; but I am still conscious
that the pruning has not been sufficient, and that the
editing leaves much to be desired. On his excursions he
was frequently accompanied by his pupils, which accounts
for the cast of some of his writings. Mentone has changed
very much since Dr. Muller wrote, but some of his descrip-
tions have been allowed to remain, to show what the place
was forty years ago. I have, as far as possible, verified the
numerous references and quotations, and have retained
Dr. Muller's spelling of names.
I have added a short chapter on the Mentone
Caves and their prehistoric remains ; another on the
Ligurian forts of the neighbourhood, a subject which
has not received much attention from visitors to the
Riviera ; and also one on the Roman Road, the Via
Aurelia, which passes through the district. The illustra-
tions are from various sources. Dr. Muller's manuscript
contains some pen and ink sketches and old prints. These
have been reproduced ; the others are from photographs
taken by myself during the past twenty years.
J. E. SOMERVILLE.
MENTONE, 1910.
PREFACE
THE following pages, compiled within the past twenty years
(1870 to 1890), are strictly and conscientiously devoted to the
object indicated by the title. The reader is considered to be
already one of the colony of visitors to Mentone. Hence
all indications about hotels and other places of residence,
all information regarding climate, health conditions, insti-
tutions, or municipal affairs is omitted. As far as our
limited experience and knowledge permit, everything that
may be charming, interesting, amusing, or instructive in and
around Mentone, including buildings, constructions, and
monuments has been represented or narrated. After having
consulted many sources of information and many docu-
ments besides, I come to the conclusion that there is yet a
good deal to be learned about Mentone that lies buried in
the libraries of Monaco, Nice, Genoa, Turin, and other towns.
But I am not in a position to unfold the precious store of
historical facts to be found there. A man who has learned by
sad experience that
' the web of our life is of a mingled yarn '
must needs bridle his great love for antiquities and history,
and be satisfied with the meagre fare dealt out to him.
viii MENTONE
As to my defects in style and diction, I beg the critics'
indulgence for having not written in the tongue of my native
but of my adopted country. And I tender to all who have
helped me my most sincere thanks.
GEOKGE A. MtiLLEK.
CONTENTS
PACK
EDITOR'S PREFATORY NOTE .... . , . v
PREFACE . .- . ' . . . . . . vii
INTRODUCTION . 1
CHAPTER II
MENTONE AS IT IS . 15
CHAPTER III
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS, OR MENTONE AS IT WAS . .59
CHAPTER IV
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS . .- . . . ' 80
CHAPTER V
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS COMPLETED . . ." . 119
x MENTONE
CHAPTER VI
PAGE
CAP MARTIN, OR CAP ST. MARTIN 133
CHAPTER VII
CASTELLARE, OR LE CASTELLAR 141
CHAPTER VIII
ST. AGNES . 155
CHAPTER IX
CARNOULES, OR CARNOLESE . . . . .178
CHAPTER X
MONACO, OR PORTUS HERCULIS MONCECI . . . . 188
CHAPTER XI
MONTE CARLO , . 202
CHAPTER XII
GORBIO 212
CHAPTER XIII
ROCCABRUNA, OR ROQUEBRUNE 227
CONTENTS xi
CHAPTER XIV
PAGE
PEGLIA, OR PEILLE 240
CHAPTER XV
EZA, OR EZE 253
CHAPTER XVI
CASTIGLIONE, OR CASTILLON 263
CHAPTER XVII
TURBIA OR LA TURBIE, TURRIS VIAE, TROPHAEA AUGUSTI 282
CHAPTER XVIII
VIGILIA, LES VEILLES, OR LA VIGIE 316
CHAPTER XIX
BEAULIEU, ST. JEAN, ST. HOSPICE, AND VILLEFRANCHE SUR
MER OR VILLAFRANCA SUPER MARE .... 327
CHAPTER XX
THE ANNUNCIATA . 346
CHAPTER XXI
LAGUET, OR LAGHETTO 351
xii MENTONE
CHAPTEE XXII
MOB
EASTWARD BOUND GRIMALDI, MORTOLA .... 364
CHAPTER XXIII
VENTIMIGLIA, OR VENTIMILLE 388
CHAPTEE XXIV
THE MENTONE CAVES . . . . . . . 412
CHAPTEE XXV
LIGURIAN FORTS - . . . . . . . 419
CHAPTEE XXVI
THE ROMAN ROAD *. . ... .... . 424
APPENDIX. . .' . . . ' . . . . 433
BOOKS REFERRED TO . . . . . . 444
INDEX 446
ILLUSTRATIONS
Mentone from Cap Martin .... Frontispiece
Church of St. John the Evangelist (p. 18)1 PAOE
Jardin publique and Annunciata (p. 19) J
The Old Market, Mentone (p. 22))
/ '
VJ _ ,
Rochers Rouges and Gorge of St. Louis : looking east-"
wards from Villa les Grottes (p. 24) 24
Les Logettes and Entrance to Rue Longue (p. 24)
Scotch Church, Mentone (p. 26) 1
26
Gate of St. Julien at head of Rue Longue (p. 26)J
Castle of Mentone as in 1835 (p. 28)"
28
) \
r
Church of St. Michel (p. 33)
Gate of the Castle of Jean n., on the top of which is the"}
first Protestant Grave in Mentone (p. 37) 38
Russian Chapel in the Cemetery (p. 38) J
Mentone Harbour and Old Town as in 1902 (p. 41)1
Drawing in the Net (p. 51)
A Peasant Mother (p. 50) 1 _
Redeeming the Time (p. 50) J
The Three Mills, Val du Care"i (p. 130)) 13Q
An Olive Patriarch (p. 133) J
Olive Pickers (p. 134)
134
Chapel of St. Martin at the Cap (p. 135),'
Monte Carlo and Tete de Chien from Cap Martin (p.
f 136
Ruins of Monastery (p. 138)
xiii
xiv MENTONE
PAGE
Koman Tomb, Lumone, Cap Martin (p. 140)"! _
Ploughman of Castellar (p. 142) J
Remains of South Castle of Lascaris, Castellar (p. 143)1
Chapel of St. Sebastian, Castellar (p. 147)
St. Agnes Village (p. 155) )
... ID*
St. Agnes and its Neighbours (p. 155)J
Bridge and Olive Mill, Cabrolles (p. 156))
The Village of Cabrolles (p. 156) J
Inscription formerly on right-hand pillar in Temple of
Diana, Chapel of Madonne, Carnoules (p. 181)
I 182
Capitals in the Chapel of La Madonne, Carnoules
(p. 182)
Monaco (p. 188) . .; . ... .188
Arms of the Prince of Monaco (p. 188) )
Jl 92
^ t
The Gate of Gorbio (p. 212) 1
\ 21 9
The Village of Gorbio (p. 213)J
The Elm-tree in the Place, Gorbio (p. 218))
218
Roccabruna (p. 227)
A Street in Roccabruna (p. 230) ")
I OQf)
The Fountain, Roccabruna (p. 230)J
Main Street, Roccabruna (p. 231) )
Roman Inscription removed from Roccabruna to Museum, \ 234
Monaco (p. 234) J
Peille (p. 245)
The Fountain, PeiUe (p. 245),
The Mairie, Peille (p. 248))
r 24-K
Eza (p. 253) J
Bridge over the Bevera, Sospelle (p. 263))
Castiglione after the Earthquake (p. 263)J
Tower of Augustus, La Turbie, as at present (p. 282) )
/ 282
,
} . . . . 246
ILLUSTRATIONS xv
PAGE
Monument of Augustus as believed to have been originally "|
(p. 282) 284
Tower, Turbia, as restored in 1325 (p. 282)
Triglyph from the Monument of La Turbie, in the Mussel
Anthropologique, Monaco (p. 287) 288
Colonne Judiciare, La Turbie (p. 287)
Letters from the Inscription of the Turbia Monument nowl
in Paris (p. 294) L 294
Basement of Tower of Augustus, La Turbie (p. 315)
Drums of Columns, La Turbie (p. 315) "j
Base of the Monument, La Turbie (p. 315)J
La Vigie: Pointe de la Vieille (p. 31 8) "|
St. Hospice and St. Jean (p. 338) / '
The Nun, Vigilia (p. 326) "1
The Monk, Vigilia (p. 326)J
Villefranche (p. 344)
The Monastery, Laghet (p. 351)J '
Pont St. Louis (p. 364) 1
v QRA
Saracenic Towers, Grimaldi (p. 367)/
Spinning with Distaff, Grimaldi (p. 372)~j
The Village Oven, Grimaldi (p. 372) } ' 372
Mentone : the two Bays seen from above Grimaldi (p. 374)1
The Nice Snowflake (p. 374) / 374
Old Olive Mill, Val de St. Louis (p. 374)^1
Scuola Hanbury, La Mortola (p. 376) J 376
Palazzo Orengo, La Mortola, south front (p. 381) 1
f 382
Palazzo Orengo, La Mortola, from the east (p. 381 )J
Small Oven. Lancari : Val di Latte (p. 385)1
386
Porta Canarda, Ventimiglia (p. 385)
San Michele, Ventimiglia (p. 391)1
I 392
The Museum, La Mortola (p. 399)J
Castel dAppio (p. 397) 1
398
Castel d'Appio, interior (p. 397)J
xvi MENTONE
Chapel of San Rocca, Nervi (p. 405))
406
Roman Monument, Nervi (p. 405) J
The Bridge over the Nervi, Dolceacqua (p. 407)~|
Barma Grande, Rochers Rouges (p. 413)
The Rochers Rouges, from the east (p. 412), . . 412
Prehistoric Skeletons in the Banna Grande, Rochers
Rouges (p. 413), . . . . . 414
Grotte des Enfants (p. 417)
Roman Milestone in San Michele (p. 430)j
Ligurian Fort, La Malle (p. 421)
422
. 421)J
Ligurian Fort, La Tourre", St. Vallier (p. 421).
St. Agnes, with Siricocca and Orso (p. 422) 1
. J- 424
Les Meules, Ligurian Fort, Monte Carlo (p. 423)J
Roman Milestone, Museum, Monaco (p. 430) "|
Roman Milestone of Augustus, Monaco (p. 430) /
INTRODUCTION
THE mountains which surround Mentone in a semi-circle
from the rock of Monaco on the west to the ' Balzi Rossi '
on the east, have witnessed many and varied scenes during
their silent existence. On that small peninsula, where
the princes of Monaco have reigned for a thousand years,
the Phoenicians are said to have erected a temple to their
god Melkarth identified in Greek and Roman times with
Hercules Monceci. Massive Aggel had been a prehistoric
camp and burial-place ages before it was immortalised by
Virgil ; l and Turbia, standing on one of its lofty spurs,
recalls volumes of history, and is a tangible record of bygone
ages and of tribes of whom little but their name remains.
Eoccabruna still possesses part of her ancient castle to
proclaim her former greatness. Gorbio, hidden away in
the valley, like a hermit tired of life's incessant battles,
seldom missed taking her share in all the contests on these
shores, nor did Castellare, another fief of the powerful
Lascaris family. Castiglione, which commands the summit
of the pass between Mentone and Sospello, has been
held in turn by Romans, Saracens, Spaniards, Austrians,
and French as a point of vantage in their campaigns.
Granmont or Grammont (but never Granmondo) , with Bress
or Berceau (also more fitly named ' Les Rockers d'Ormea '),
and all the other neighbouring peaks, saw the warriors
of many nations pass over or encamp upon them. Balzi
Rossi (Bausse Rousse in Mentonese dialect), the Red Rocks,
id, lib. vi. v. 825 :
' Illse autem, paribus quas fulgere cernis in armis
Concordes animse nunc, et dum nocte premuntur
Heu quantum inter se bellum, si lumina vitse
Attigerint, quantas acies stragemque ciebunt
Aggeribus socer Alpinis atque arce Monceci
Descendens, gener adversis instructus Eois.'
See also Gioffredc, Storia delle Alpi Marittime.
A
2 MENTONE
were repeatedly assailed and defended probably even from
the times when their caves were the dwelling-place of
primitive man. And if the few remaining vestiges of the
ancient road along the coast could tell their tale, what
visions could be conjured up ! Roman legions, saintly
pilgrims, poets, crusaders, popes, kings, and emperors,
passed and repassed along its narrow, perilous ledges down
to the time of Napoleon Bonaparte, who, like Augustus
of old, initiated a new era by commencing the present
' Cornice.'
CHAPTER I
ANCIENT LIGURIA AND THE ROMAN PERIOD
AT the dawn of history the district around Mentone formed
part of Liguria, which name was then given to a large
tract of country extending from the Rhone to the Magra,
including the Maritime Alps and a large part of northern
Italy. 1
The Ligurians 2 were divided into many tribes a natural
consequence of the configuration of their country, with its
extended mountain ranges, secluded valleys, and irregular
coastline, with high, projecting headlands and deep bays :
in consequence also of the great varieties of climate and
natural vegetation within a comparatively limited area.
The inhabitants of each small district received a local,
individual impress, and their characteristics are very
variously described by Greek and Roman writers. They
were frugal, enterprising, and industrious ; persevering in
their efforts to obtain the means of livelihood from their
stony soil, for Cicero says : ' Ligures montanos duros atque
agrestes, docuit natura ipsa loci, nihil serendo, nisi multo
labore qusesitum.' 3
Diodorus Siculus mentions their activity, endurance,
and patience : their strength and agility as foot-soldiers :
their sinewy and wiry frames. 4
Livy 5 writes of their unwearying energy in warfare, and
1 For classical allusions, see Note A in Appendix.
2 Greek Aiyvs, a Ligurian, Aryixmjcos, Ligurian ; Latin Ligures, Ligur,
Ligus, Ligusticus and Ligustinus. ' Liguria ' is a very good name for a
district abutting on, or near to water ; the Keltic bli, water, being liable
among other forms to become lag, leg, lig, log, lug, and finally Liguria.
Hence, also, the name Liger corrupted to Loire, and the diminutive Loiret.
See R. S. Charnock in Notes and Queries, September 9, 1882, p. 216.
3 De leg. agr. * Lib. iv. et vi. s Lib. xxxiv.
3
4 MENTONE
of their sudden descents from their inaccessible mountain
fastnesses ; and Lucius Florus deemed it harder to find
than to conquer them.
Their women, too, have their fair share of praise ; they
were inured to hardship and fatigue, sharing the labours
of their husbands, 1 and the usual diet of both sexes con-
sisted only of milk and barley porridge. Both Strabo 2
and Diodorus 8 speak highly of their domestic virtues,
though they were pompous, vain, and talkative.
That these Ligurians had their shortcomings and vices
as well cannot but be expected. Their soil yielding scarcely
enough for their sustenance, they were induced to lead a
roving life and to make frequent inroads into their neigh-
bours' territory. Necessity as well as disposition turned
them into thieves and robbers, and their faction fights
occurred more frequently over their share in the spoil than
their share in the glory. Those who lived on the lower
lands near the coast, especially those who came into contact
with the Greek colonists of Marseilles, Nice, and Antibes,
engaged in trade and were, to some extent, civilised. They
were masters in deceit and ' barbarus est Lydus, servus
Geta, fosmineus Phrix, fallaces Ligures ' was true as far as
they were concerned, and their feelings of revenge ran deep
and far.
All were religious, but very little is known of their
primitive deities. These were gradually, if not rapidly,
superseded by those of Greece and Rome, most likely early
and quickly since the Phoenician settlers had already
modified the manner of their native worship.
Hercules, who gave his name to a neighbouring port,
Herculis Portus, must have possessed a good many temples.
Out of many inscriptions we select the following found in
Nice :
HERCULI
LAPIDARI
ALMANTI
CENSES
P
1 Strabo, lib. iv. Lib. iv. 3 Lib. iv. c
ANCIENT LIGURIA 5
Which is to be read : ' Herculi Lapidarii, Almanticenses
posuerunt.' And is to be translated : ' To Hercules the
stone-masons of Almanticum have placed (this stone).' l
Mercury, the patron of merchants, manufacturers, and
travellers, points to trade, commerce, and cunning, which all
were in a flourishing condition before even the Romans came.
He was usually invoked for conquest, booty, and general
success!
L M
L COELIUS RU
FINUS Q CO
ELIUS NICEP
MERCURIC AR
A. POSUERU QU
OD PATER VOV
ERAT
Which is to be read : * Lubens Merito. Lucius Ccelius
RufinusQuintusCcelius Nicephorus, Mercuric aram posuerunt
quod pater voverat.' And is to be translated : ' Lucius
Ccelius Rufinus and Quintus Coelius Nicephorus have
willingly and dutifully erected this altar to Mercury accord-
ing to their father's vow.' 2
This inscription seems to be of an early date, as the name
Nicephorus is undoubtedly of Grecian origin.
Jupiter, the St. Michael of our time and region, the father
of the firmament, and the dispenser of the floods and storms
and droughts, is most appropriately worshipped in a land
like this. Traces of his temple are found in many places
within the Maritime Alps.
IOVI M
CETERISQ DIIS
DEABUSQ IMMORT
TIB CL DEMETRIUS
DOM NICOMED
V E PROC AUGG NN
ITEM CC EPISCEPSEOS
CHORAE INFERIORIS
1 Gioffredo, Storia delle Alpi Marittime, p. 112 ; Annales de la Societe des
lettres, etc., Nice, vol. vi. p. 115; Th. Wright, The Celt, the Roman and the
Saxon, p. 268 ; La Grece et I'Orient en Provence, par Ch. Lenth6ric, p. 384
and 465.
2 Gioffredo, p. 109.
6 MENTONE
Which is to be read : ' Jovi optimo maximo ceterisque diis
deabusque immortalibus Tiberius Claudius Demetrius domo
Nicomedia, vir egregrius procurator Augustorum nostrorum
item Ducenarius episcepseos chorae inferioris.' And is to be
translated : ' To Jupiter the best and greatest, and to other
immortal gods and goddesses, Tiberius Claudius Demetrius,
his home Nicomedia, a learned man, procurator of our
divine emperors, and public inspector of the lower district.' 1
This stone having been found at Cimies, we may fairly
conclude that T. C. Demetrius was stationed at Nice as
procurator of the Maritime Alps, most likely under the
emperors Valerianus and Gallienus, between 254 and 260 A.D.,
and was besides a kind of administrator of the lower land
between the Paillon and the Var.
Juno, invoked by the Ligurian fair sex in all their
domestic arrangements, had a temple at Ventimiglia.
Mars, judging from various local names, must have
been very generally worshipped within the Maritime
Alps, and had his Campus Martius or Collis Martius
close to Mentone. Peace-loving as well as warlike
people seemed equally to trust in him. Cato's form of
prayer applied with singular force to this neighbourhood :
' Father Mars, I pray thee, be merciful unto me, my house
and family ! I have ordered sacrifices of swine and sheep
and bulls around my field. Keep thou off all maladies
known or unknown, desolation and devastation, storms and
bad weather. Let fruit tree, vine, and corn grow and
prosper ! Preserve my herds and herdsmen ! Let no harm
be done, Mars, to our blossoms ! Moderate the burning
heat of the sun ! Do thou stand by us, Father Mars !
Give us Victory ! Let us be triumphant ! '
We give this inscription from the ancient town of Vence :
MARTI VINTIO
M RUFINIUS FELIX
SAL Illll VIR ET IN
COLA CEMENEL
EX VOTO S
1 Annales, Nice, vol. vi. p. 117, and vol. iv. p. 162; compare Th. Wright,
p. 260.
ANCIENT LIGURIA 7
Wliich is to be read : ' Marti Vintio, Marcus Rufinius Felix,
Saliniensis, sevir, et incola Cemenelei, ex voto solvit.'
And is to be translated : ' To Mars, the Ventien, Marcus
Rufinius Felix of Salinium a sevir and an inhabitant of
Cimies has fulfilled his vow. 1
And who would not remember Neptune in a land like
Liguria, where frequent tempests heave up the deep and
drive it furiously against the shore, where countless vessels
ply from port to port, and where lakes abound and springs
gush forth in every corner !
NEPTUNO
VERATIA
MONTANA 2
Which is to be read : ' Neptuno Veratia Montana.' And
to be translated : ' To Neptune, Veratia Montana (erected
this monument).' 3
Pan was not forgotten either, for he protected the herdsmen
and their flocks and pasture-lands, and when playing his
flute in the forests he made the nymphs dance to his sweet
bewitching melodies and caused his favourite goddess, the
Echo, to repeat them until they died away in the glens and
gorges and along the mountains' flanks ; whilst he could, if
he chose, so terrify his enemies by his stentorian voice, that
they became actually panic-stricken.
PRO SALUTE
M JULII LIGURIS
PROCURATORIS AUG
AGATHOCLES
SERVUS
VOTUM NUNCUPAVIT
PANI.
Which is to be translated thus : ' For the health of Marcus
Julius, a Ligurian, a procurator of Caesar, Agathocles his
slave, made his vow to Pan.' 4
Apollo, the deliverer of those who suffer in body, soul, or
mind ; Apollo, who could ward off the plague that was once
1 Annales, Nice, vol. v. pp. 225-319; idem, vol. vi. pp. 119, 297 and 339;
compare Th. Wright, p. 261.
2 Said to have been seen on an ancient slab at Antibes.
3 Annales, Nice, vol. v. p. 550; Gioffredo, p. 113.
4 Annales, Nice, vol. v. p. 333.
8 MENTONE
so frequent and destructive here, had his altar on Nervia
river, near Ventimiglia, where the following inscription may
still be seen in the little chapel of St. Roch :
APOLIN
V S
M. C. AN0US
Which is to be read : ' Apolini votum solvit Marcus
Claudius Anthus.' And is to be translated : ' To Apollo
Marcus Claudius Anthus performed his vow.' l
Nor must we forget Apollo's son, the god of the heal-
ing art, or as Homer prettily calls him : ' The blameless
physician.' 2
AESCULAPIO ET
HYGIAE SACRUM
TI CLAUDIUS TI
CLAUDI FILIUS
HELENUS DOM
CEMENELENS
PUXIDEM EBO
REAM DEBIT
Which is to be read : ' ^Esculapio et Hygiae sacrum Tiberius
Claudius, Tiberii Claudii filius Helenus domo Cemenelensi,
puxidem eboream.' And to be translated : ' To ^Escu-
Isepus and Hygia, Tiberius Claudius Helenus, son of Tiberius
Claudius, from Cimies, has given this ivory box.'
Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, would find many
worshippers in a country where nature is so fair and where
young maidens could so easily bring to her shrine their
sprigs of myrtle or sprays of maiden hair (Capillus Veneris),
and Cybele too, the great mother, who shed her blessing
over fields and vineyards.
* The Phocsean towns all had a temple in the neighbour-
hood of the port . . . invariably dedicated to Diana of
Ephesus.' 3
The worship of Diana is supposed to have been specially
1 Storia della citta di Ventimiglia, G. Rossi, p. 443; Annales, Nice,
vol. vi. p. 262.
2 Gioffredo, p. 112 ; Annales, Nice, vol. vi. p. 122 ; compare Th. Wright,
p. 268.
1 Lenthric, La Provence Maritime, p. 383.
ANCIENT LIGURIA 9
localised in the Valle di Diano, with its towns of Diano
Marina, Diano Castello, etc. 1
Minor and local deities were as numerous as the saints
in our well-filled almanacs, who have often taken their
places. These strange transformations, caused probably
by fear or prudence, were afterwards not merely approved
of but recommended by Pope Gregory the Great, when he
advised that the heathen temples should never be destroyed
but should be purified and appropriated to the worship
of the true God. Thus Mercury, the divine messenger,
was often superseded by St. Peter, the apostolic door-
keeper of Paradise ; >t. Martin, the humble Christian
soldier, or St. George, the valiant knight, often dislodged
Mars ; and the Holy Virgin replaced Diana, Venus, or
Minerva.
* Les deesses meres (Matres ou Matrse ou Matronae avec
des epithetes generalement topiques, par exemple MATREBO
NEMAUSICABO " aux meres de Nimes " et MATRIBUBUS
TBEVIRIS " aux Meres de Treves ") semblent avoir ete " les
bonnes dames ou les dames blanches " de Fendroit et sont
vraisemblablement le prototype de nos fees. On les presente
generalement assises tenant un ou plusieurs enfants .sur leurs
genoux. Plusieurs d'entre elles ont la m6me attitude que
plus tard la Vierge tenant 1'enfant Jesus ; et les statues
miraculeuses de la Vierge Marie trouvees dans la terre a
diverses epoques (telle est, dans plus d'un cas, 1'origine
de ce qu'on appelle les " Vierges Noires ") etaient sans
doute des Statues des deesses Meres gauloises ou gallo-
romaines.' 2
Of the numerous tribes which formed a kind of Ligurian
nation, we only mention the Intemelii, the ancient inhabi-
tants of the county of Ventimiglia, a district which ex-
tended along the shore as far as the principality of Monaco
(therefore including Mentone) up to Dolceacqua, around
Castiglione, St. Agnes, Gorbio, and Roccabruna, as can be
distinctly traced for many centuries through endless divi-
1 See Prof. Gerolamo Rossi's interesting monograph, La Valle di Diano.
G. B. Paravia & Co., Turin. 1900.
2 Encyclopedic des sciences religieuses, par Gaidoz.
10 MENTONE
sions, exchanges, or sales. This tribe has been frequently
alluded to by various writers, especially by Tacitus. 1
And Cicero ' . . . sed tamen quodnam ob scelus iter mihi
necessarium retro ad Alpes versus incidit ? Ideo quod
Intemelii in armis sunt.' 2
Sempronius Gracchus, sent first in 238 B.C., could not do
much and left all the honour and glory to Lucius Cornelius
Lentulus and Quintus Fabius Flaccus, consuls, the former
defeating the Ligurians easily and making many prisoners ;
the latter, finding it more difficult in a mountainous district,
added fire to the sword in order to burn them literally out of
their gorges and fastnesses. This w&s about 225 B.C. 3 They
soon recovered from their losses, and a few years later they
descended from their Alpine abodes, sacking the plains until
they were once more defeated and compelled to keep to their
settlement by Quintus Fabius Maximus. 4
All these engagements taking place in eastern Liguria
were mere forerunners of more serious conflicts nearer home.
Publius Furius and Caius Flaminius not only came much
nearer, but subdued a new tribe and eventually turned it
into an ally. In 206 B.C. Consul M. Sempronius Intidanus
advanced as far as Albenga, where he defeated his enemy
in a series of stubborn engagements, destroying at the same
time several strongholds, killing a good many of the natives,
and leading their chiefs into captivity. Yet those swarthy
and tough mountaineers recovered soon from their heavy
losses in places and people. What losses could dishearten
them as long as their barren soil was free ? This, however,
was not much longer to be the case. M. Sempronius came
again, stronger and better informed too, than before ; he
was accompanied by Appius Claudius, and advanced to our
very doors. The Intemelii had to yield, and finally to
submit in 181 B.C. A castle was erected on the crest of the
hill above the present town of Ventimiglia and its scanty
ruins bear still the name of the conqueror. The final blow
seems to have been struck by L. Emilius Paulus who, a
1 Vita Agricola>, vii.
2 Epi.it. Fam., lib. 8.
3 Florus, Epitome rerum Romanarum.
4 Plutarch, in Fab. Cic. de Nat. Deor., i. 2.
ANCIENT LIGURIA 11
year later, routed about 30,000 natives with his 8000
soldiers, razed their forts, and took their vessels. He,
however, restored his prisoners to freedom. Here Livy
differs in his accounts from several others in a few essential
points. 1
The Massilians having lodged loud and frequent com-
plaints against their Eastern neighbours, Consul Publius
Cornelius Lentulus marched with a very large army against
the unruly tribes the Ingauni, Intemelii, and Oxibii. He
is said to have had as many as 5200 foot, 300 Roman horse,
15,000 auxiliaries and 800 Latin cavalry. A fleet under the
supreme command of L. E. Paulus co-operated with this
force along the shore. The Ligurians, being thus hard pressed
and inferior in numbers and equipment, went to the camp and
obtained a truce of two days hi order, as they said, to induce
their allies to surrender, and furthermore the assurance that
the Roman soldiers would abstain from foraging and exact-
ing requisitions around their mountain and their camp.
Having thus lulled the Romans into security they assembled
their forces, combined in an ingenious attack, and then
sallied forth from various points, pressing the Roman flanks
very hard all day, and hemming the consul into such a
narrow compass that he could not develop his full strength ;
he would have been altogether lost, had not the darkness
of the night prevented any further fighting.
^Emilius being thus shut in, having no other alternative
but to cut through or to be starved, sent to Consul Bebius,
then near Pisa, and to Marcellus, governor of Gaul, for
immediate support. But neither could assist him in time.
^Emihus, a brave and cautious commander, resolved to
tempt fortune once more, to fight without delay and before
the Ligurians could considerably improve or strengthen
their position. He gave, therefore, prompt and strict
orders that, at a given signal, all his companies should, at
one and the same time, issue from the four gates of the camp,
dash at the enemy and come at once to close quarters. A
few new troops having been added, unusual precautions
taken, minute instructions given, reserves conveniently
1 Livy, xl., 27, 28, 34 ; and Durante, vol. i. p. 37.
12 MENTONE
placed, ready for any emergency, the soldiers' enthusiasm
roused to a high pitch, the enemy's cunning highly coloured,
and their bravery and tactics sneered at, and Rome and the
names of great fallen heroes solemnly called upon as witnesses,
the general finished by assuring his men of certain victory
over these treacherous and barbarous tribes.
The Ligurians were encamped in two distinct quarters
on the slopes of their mountains. At daybreak they
appeared as usual, in strong bands, spread over a large space
of ground, apparently believing that the enemy would not
venture out. The Romans, however, undeceived them very
soon by swarming out of their camp, forming quickly,
adopting all the while the wild battle-cry of the enemy,
then moving on steadily but resolutely, they surrounded
them and worked total confusion in their ranks. The
sturdy mountaineers endeavoured again and again to
rally, and fought with a will, but every effort proved a
new disaster and the rout became general. More than
15,000 men fell in action, and 2500 were made prisoners,
the remainder dispersed and gained their homes as speedily
as possible. Three days after, the chiefs of the tribes
tendered their unconditional submission, gave hostages, and
surrendered their thirty vessels. The Roman senate, being
informed of this brilliant success, ordered public rejoicings
and conferred great honours on the victorious general.
Twenty golden crowns were distributed, and the Ligurian
chiefs passed before the triumphant shouts of the exalted
populace. The conquerors were, however, generous, accepted
the foe's solemn promise to be for ever peaceful and
obedient, and mitigated the hard terms at first imposed.
What a pity the Ligurians did not keep their word !
Fallaces Ligures indeed they were ! Just one year they
waited, and, resuming their threatening attitude, were
only prevented from a general rising by A. Postumius
appearing with a considerable land and sea force before
Albenga and Ventimiglia. Burning their granaries, cutting
off their supplies, he left them only iron enough to cultivate
their land.
The Romans advanced now steadily, and hi 166 B.C.
ANCIENT LIGURIA 13
reached as far as Cannes, where the Oxibii l sustained, after
an obstinate resistance to Papilius Lenatus' army, a signal
defeat, and were one of the earliest, if not the first subjected
tribes in Provence. Q. Opimius, one of the most successful
generals, made their submission more complete and secure,
155-154.
C. Hostilius Mancinus was less fortunate. Having in 137
received orders to betake himself into Spain through
Liguria in order to operate first against the restive
Oxibians, again bent on rebellion, he landed either at
Monaco or Villafranca. He had scarcely set his foot on
terra firma when a mysterious voice slowly uttered these
warning words : Mane, Mancine ! Not seeing any one near,
he was so much terrified and unnerved that he was going to
embark at once for Genoa, when a second warning revealed
to him the disasters that would befall him and his fleet in
Numantia, and would be for ever associated with his name.
Just as he reached his skiff to start for his destination,
notwithstanding the twofold warning, a huge, serpent rose
suddenly as if to warn or to remind him once more of his
impending humiliation. Being, however, more afraid of
his fellow creatures' opinion and judgment than of the
warning of a mystic voice, he started for Numantia, where he
was soon beaten and compelled to sign a humiliating treaty.
This the Roman Senate refused to ratify, and went rather
through the hypocritical ceremony of delivering Mancinus
naked and chained into the hands of the enemy, who,
however, like the Samnites on a similar occasion, declined
to accept the offer.
Little happened, at least little is known of whatever may
have happened within our narrow limits. The Romans had,
perhaps, too much to do elsewhere to mind minor infring-
ments on their sovereign rights. Only occasional and
isolated outbreaks occurred, convulsive rather than pre-
meditated, against the steady progress and firm attitude
of Rome. Ventimiglia had become the capital of the
Maritime Alps. Caesar, on his way to Spain, took up
his abode at Domizio's house. On his return he embarked
1 See chap. xxv.
14 MENTONE
at Villafranca. His mission was accomplished, for, accord-
ing to all writers, the whole of Liguria was incorporated with
the Roman empire in 40 B.C. The task of Augustus was
rather to conciliate than to conquer, to consolidate than to
acquire new provinces, as is more exactly delineated in the
monument of Turbia, erected by the Roman senate in honour
of all the victories gained along the Ligurian coast, and the
final submission of numerous tribes existing between and
beyond the Alps from the Gulf of Lyons to the Adriatic.
After the long struggle for dominion on one side and for
independence on the other, there came peace when, the
conquerors being fully occupied at home or more toward
the north and west, the Ligurians quietly enjoyed their
rights as Roman citizens, and were governed by a prefect of
the equestrian order.
' LiguribusMaritimus Prefectus ex ordine equestri missus.' 1
The names of all the prefects of the Maritime Alps in their
chronological order are : Caius Barbius Atticus, between
41 and 54 A.D. ; Egnatius Calvinus, from 54 to 68 ; Marius
Maturus, on and after 69 ; L. Valerius Proculus, about 130 ;
C. Junius Flavianus, about 135 ; one prefect whose name
cannot be read, nor the dates exactly stated. 2
1 Sigonio, De Jure Italiano, p. 225.
2 Anncdes, Nice, vi. pp. 54-68.
CHAPTER II
MENTONE AS IT IS
To give an adequate description of the picturesque scenery
around Mentone, and to do full justice to the place and
its imposing neighbourhood, would require the graphic pen
of the joint authors of Pictures of Italy. In fixing the rail-
way station where they did, the engineers have succeeded in
doing their duty to the company and, at the same time,
rendering an essential service to the town by placing the
lovely panorama within sight of all that come and go.
Whether we arrive by train or trot swiftly down the
numerous windings of the celebrated Cornice road, with lofty
mountains on the left, steep precipices here and there, and
the unrivalled Mediterranean Sea on the right ; or drive
leisurely along the new road by Villefranche, Beaulieu, and
Monaco, which meets the former just below Roccabruna,
the scenery is almost equally charming, but naturally far
more grandiose on the loftier passage. Sites of historical
interest ; monuments of Roman and Mediaeval origin ;
mementoes of usurpation and tyranny ; all lie in peaceful
harmony side by side with rustic dwellings, dotted all over,
the soil ; with gay country seats and villas rising out of
gardens and groves ; with numerous chapels for the pious ;
with villages and boroughs of an ancient aspect, often spoiled
by modern improvements. The town itself, though French
by annexation, has quite an Italian look. It has gradually
changed and expanded, though in a very irregular and not
exactly tasteful way.
I do not think it out of place to copy here what a great
traveller saw and said about sixty-eight years ago, 1 though
some of the lines I am going to quote ought to appear under
different headings. I deem it better to give the whole text
just as it runs :
1 This was written before 1891.
15
16 MENTONE
' Soon after leaving " La Turbie " (March 22, 1823), we
caught a view of the village of Monaco, which stands on a
sort of cape that advances into the sea. At a distance it
looks like a town built for children, and its pigmy white
houses, peeping out from groves of olive, orange, and lemon
trees, have a beautiful appearance. The climate becomes
still milder as we advance, and the vegetation proves its
warmth, being far more advanced than at Nice and infinitely
more luxurious in its growth. The arbutus and carubia
flourish here, and, mingled with the olive, orange, and lemon
trees, clothe the very rocks with their verdure, which lift
their heads through the rich foliage that surrounds them.
Terraces surmounting terraces are by the industry of the
peasants brought into cultivation ; soil is conveyed to these
terraces, which are formed on the ledges of rocks, and aided
by the fertility of the clime, they yield an abundant harvest.
At each step some new and attractive view fills the traveller
with admiration, and begets the desire of fixing on some one
of the various beautiful sites for a residence where " the
world forgetting by the world forgot," existence might glide
tranquilly and sweetly away. Numberless pretty fountains
are erected on the road, and tasteful and well-constructed
bridges span the ravines.
' We passed near to a village named Roque Brune, built in
the midst of a pile of rocks, with which the houses are so
mingled that they appear one mass, except where, as hi
many Distances, the rocks are covered with flowering plants
and aloes, which produce the most picturesque effect.
' We arrived at Mentone, delighted with our first day's
journey, which, for beauty of scenery, is unrivalled. The
abundance and luxurious growth of the trees, the genial
warmth of the climate, the magnificent views and the blue
Mediterranean, render the route of the Cornice the one that
all who love nature must prefer. Near the entrance to
Mentone stands the Chateau Monaco, which was nearly
dilapidated in the revolution. The new road of the Cornice
passes through the courtyard of this chateau, where, as our
guide told us, the grand manege (riding-school) once stood,
entirely doing away with its privacy.
MENTONE AS IT IS 17
' Mentone is a town of considerable extent ; its quay is
large, but has more the appearance of an esplanade than of
a structure intended for the purposes to which it is devoted.
The houses that occupy one side of it, are composed of stone
and are seven or eight storeys high. Above them rise
others, built on the rocky eminence, which forms the
centre of the town, and the cathedral, with two or three
other churches, painted in rich and varied colours, crown
the whole.' l
Formerly, even at the time of Lady Blessington's visit,
Mentone began at the Rue du Castellar and ended at the
angle of the Quai. Now it begins at the river Gorbio, spanned
by the Pont de 1'Union, and ends at the Pont St. Louis,
with the property Naylor, now belonging to Dr. Hearn, 2 its
eastern extremity, thus extending more than two miles and
a half from west to east along the shore. They were and are
still building in many directions and shapes without con-
sulting either taste or local regulations. This was a mistake
that could hardly be avoided in a new place springing
suddenly into being. Moreover prejudice, private interests,
and jealousy ran deep and obstinate, and these three ugly
sisters make still occasionally a stubborn stand against
municipal orders and plans. This is the chief cause why
the ' Plan Regulateur ' has never been enforced or, perhaps,
never been even approved or, as some sceptical people say,
does not exist at all. The destructive earthquake on
February 23, 1887, has unfortunately not only inflicted
heavy and serious losses on almost every proprietor, but will
for some time paralyse and check private enterprise.
The Imperial Road, now called Route Nationale, passes
right through Mentone. On driving in from Nice, and after
having crossed le Pont de V Union we enter la Condamine?
pass several villas, ancient and modern, the drilling ground,
Place d'armes, several villas on each side, then cross the
Pont du Borrigo. Lady Blessington visited the Riviera in
1823. On the 23rd of March of the same year she gives
us her impressions in these few lines :
1 The Idler in Italy, by the Countess of Blessington. Paris, 1839.
2 Died 1904. 3 Appendix. See note B.
B
18 MENTONE
' Our inn here, the Hotel Turin, although scrupulously
clean, is in a state of primitive simplicity, worthy of the
patriarchal times, but little in accordance with ours. An
amusing proof of this was given when our courier asked
for a tea-pot. Our good hostess looked confounded, and
when he began to explain the kind of utensil he required,
she stopped him by declaring, with an air of no little pride,
that she knew well enough what he meant, for that the good
Lady Bute had made her a present of one which all the
English who stopped at the Hotel de Turin had admired,
but which, in an evil hour, had been broken by having been
placed on the fire to boil water. " Ah, Signer, I was so
proud of it, for there never was such a thing at Mentone
before or since, but accidents will happen . . . '
' I slept here for the first time on a mattress filled with
the straw of the Indian corn. They use no other in this
simple place, and I reposed as well on it as on the most
luxurious couch. The mattress consisted of a sack of clean,
coarse material, open at one end, into which a sufficient
quantity of straw is put to fill it, and fresh straw is put in
for each new guest (?). How an English housemaid would
wonder to see a fine lady content with such a bed ! But
they who travel on mules over mountains and moors must
not be particular.'
What a change ! Though many travellers slept on such
mattresses up to 1862, Mentone has gradually overtaken,
and in some cases outstripped, her older competitors.
On arriving either by rail or road we first notice, at the
angle formed by our road and the Avenue de la Gare, the
English church, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, and
most conveniently situated for the west end and the central
part of the town. The construction of the edifice rapidly
followed the first conception of the plan. Its completion and
opening took place earlier than was anticipated. Very
few churches and parsonages have been planned and
achieved in so short a time. It is provided with an organ
handsome in appearance and sweet in tone, and always in
good hands.
The garden opposite, plainly laid out with a pretty
CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST
Page 1 8.
Page 19.
MENTONE AS IT IS 19
restaurant, well managed, surrounded by trees, shrubs, and
flowers is a great improvement. We cross now the sus-
pension bridge, 1 a shaky construction, and being under
constant repair, is a very costly and discreditable affair
and a real disgrace to the French Board of Works. We feel,
therefore, all the more bound to join in the general feeling
of gratitude and praise to the municipality for their perse-
verance and success in the covering of the torrent, the
construction of a new bridge connecting the Promenade
Prolongee with the older one, for the laying out of gardens
and walks, and the erection of the Pavilion des Musiciens.
We enter now Avenue Victor Emanuel, changed to Felix
Faure, which up to Rue Longue was formerly called Carriera
About one hundred yards farther on, opposite a short
street leading to the sea, whose towering waves in the spring
of 1864 dashed up to the main road, is la Place S. Roche,
and the chapel of the same name, a favourite and fashionable
place of worship for the fair sex.
The street on our left is, or rather was, St. Benoit, now
termed Partounneaux. Old familiar names have to give
way to fanciful changes. It seems a mania just now in
many French towns to replace Imperial and historical terms
by Republican ones. But why disgrace old St. Benoit ?
Being the St. Swithin of England, and thus the mighty
keeper of the rain bag, he ought rather to be honoured than
degraded, coaxed rather than offended. Woe unto natives
and visitors if he frowns on them on the 10th of December,
as forty wet days and nights will surely follow. You are
therefore requested to make a pilgrimage to his chapel on
his festive day, and remember :
' St. Benoit's day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain.'
or :
1 St. Benoit's day, if thou be fair,
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.'
1 Replaced by a substantial stone bridge, and the torrent of the Carei, as
far as the railway arch, being arched over now, forms a beautiful jar din
publique with parterres of flowers. ED.
20 MENTONE
There are, however, several saints invested with power over
sunshine and rain, for I remember having read in a French
book :
1 S'il pleut le jour de St. M^dard
II pleuvra quarante jours plus tard.'
We can hardly assume that all of the Riviera chapels
of this name should owe their baptism to St. Benoit,
who was born A.D. 628, and died either 690 or 705. He
was Abbot of Canterbury, went five times to Rome, and on
nearly all his pilgrimages stopped at St. Honore Island,
and most likely at Mentone as well.
Between the H6tel de Venise and the Baths a road has
been opened leading to the German Evangelical Church,
a monument of German political unity. During the war^ / (
feelings ran sometimes away with common sense, calm
reflection, and Christian love and charity. May political
union and energy stimulate religious zeal and concord !
Beyond St. Benoit Chapel, which is private property,
the road divides ; straight on, it leads over a handsome
bridge to the further embankment of the Carei torrent and to
the Avenue de la Gare and the station ; on the right it leads
up over the railway, and for a mile it offers to invalids a short
but sheltered walk or drive, especially in the afternoon and
on windy days.
On our return we leave the Post Office on our right. It is
a new building, but I was told that there was something
essentially defective and wanting when it was opened. It, .
along with all the neighbouring houses, greatly suffered on
February 23, 1887. The authorities, however, were equal
to the occasion, and business was most regularly carried
on in barracks hastily erected.
The various openings effected recently and completed in
autumn 1884 seem to indicate that the ' Plan Regulateur ' is no
longer a piece of waste paper, and that new promissory notes
are issued on the Bank of Hope ! All this part, west and
south, is comparatively new, having sprung up since 1860,
when lemon and orange groves and numerous aqueducts had
to make room for villas and houses, all useful, no doubt, but
all more or less ungainly, without any real symmetry or
MENTONE AS IT IS
21
regard to the public interest. All this space, over to the
Carei and Borrigo torrents, was once frequently used as a
camping-ground where troops of all nations were quartered
after their long and tiring marches along the narrow rough
roads, and where Mentonese hospitality and sympathy
administered comfort in a substantial manner to friend and
foe. It is quite a bright spot in the dark picture wrought
by human passion and ambition, and quite a treat to listen
nowadays to the grandsons and great-grandsons as they
relate those truly Christian actions noted down in the family
records.
On our return to St. Michael's Street, through Rue
St. Honore or under its fine arcades, we continue our walk
eastward and reach Rue Gavine, servilely named after the
last imperious Imperial prefect. This short Gavine Street,
now more justly called Rue Trenca, after one of Mentone's
worthies, leads to the Promenade du Midi on our right, and
on our left up Mentone valley, or rather le Vallon du
Fossan, formerly a dirty torrent, but covered in in 1862,
and lately greatly improved. The new road to the
new Slaughterhouse is preferable. On our onward course
we leave on our right La Place Nationale, formerly called
Place de Napoleon III., whose miniature bust crowned a
small column erected over a fountain, a bust now replaced
by that of the Republique. Such is the human destiny and
such is logically the fate of busts !
The large building facing the small square has been hired
by the municipality, and appropriated for the housing of all
the town services under one roof. 1
The Museum is Mr. Bonfils' own creation, the work of his
whole life ; the result of his untiring devotion to science and
nature, a collection rich in variety and great in value. It
shows what a relatively poor man in a humble station of life
and with comparatively few leisure hours can accomplish
by dint of unwavering perseverance. He has good reason
to be proud of his success. No one helped him, and what
he gets now is but little, and that little late. His pay, as
the former head of the mariners, was small, and his pension
1 Vacated for the new Hotel de Ville in 1902. ED.
22 MENTONE
is accordingly and grammatically speaking in ' un degre
d'inferiorite absolue.' Yet he toiled and toils on still.
When occupying a small room, his various objects stored
everywhere, he could only move sideways and yet,
among all this profusion, there was no confusion. Full of
anxiety and care, he brightened up whenever he could show
the children of his affection and explain their character.
He and his are better housed now, and he is still multiplying
his varieties and increasing his stock. He was one of the
very first explorers of the Rochers Rouges grottoes.
Another reaped the honours. The municipality has begun
to do something. May this tardy and meagre acknowledg-
ment soon increase in value, and may this self-made repre-
sentative of science enjoy a long series of happy and more
prosperous years ! l
On ourwaylies the Market-place, 2 a little further up, which
is generally well supplied with provisions of every kind, and
offers early in the morning an animated and curious scene,
well worthy the painter's brush and the linguist's study,
with the queerest medley of costumes for the former and
the strange confusion of tongues and idioms for the latter.
Near by is a large manor with an extensive garden, between
the house and the Rue de la Republique, belonging to the
Trenca family, whose last representative was the zealous
servant of his legitimate prince, and at the same time the
ardent friend of his native place, and who laboured hard for
independence, freedom, progress, and a closer union with
Sardinia. His opponents accused him of duplicity in his
transactions, and of abusing the confidence and reliance of
the Prince of Monaco to the advantage of the royal house
of Savoy. His fellow citizens, however, judged his character
differently, and as an expression of their appreciation of his
merits had the following inscription placed over his door-
way :
1 Retired 1906. His collection has been removed to the elegant build-
ing of the New Musee, at the head of the Place des Carmes, where also the
Municipal Library is housed. ED.
2 Deprived of much of its interest since the opening of the Market Hall,
on the Promenade. The fish market remains in the old place, where in the
early morning many strange and even repulsive-looking creatures may be
seen. ED.
THE OLD MARKET, MENTONE
Page 22.
MENTONE AS IT WAS
Page 23.
MENTONE AS IT IS 23
A CARLO TRENCA
CAVALIERE COMMENDATORE DEI SANTI MAURIZIO E
LAZZARO, PRESIDE AL GOVERNO, AGLI STUDI, ALLA
MILIZIA NATIONALE DI MENTONE E ROCCABRUNA
PER DOTTRINA, PER PATRIA CARlTl, PER VIRTU
PRECLARO; BENEMERITO CARISSIMO
I MEMORI CONCITTADINI
4 GIUGNO 1854.
From the little square called Place du Cap, a narrow lane
leads to the Bastion. 1 Many houses in this district belonged,
and partly do still belong, to old wealthy families. The fort
itself is not very ancient, having been erected between 1616
and 1646, as will be gathered from my historical sketch
(p. 110). The port was constructed out of a sum of two
millions of francs granted by the late Imperial Government
immediately after, and promised before, the vote of annexa-
tion, and as evil-disposed persons will have it, as a bait in
the pending, and as a reward for the accomplished case, and
to gild the chain that now links them to France. The late
war against Germany delayed the work, and the spring gales
of 1873, more violent than any before witnessed on this part
of the coast, swept away part of the breakwater, too loosely
constructed on a new and doubtful foundation. The money,
amounting to four times the sum originally intended to be
spent, was thus literally thrown into the sea, and might
have been more profitably spent on other works. But this
heavy outlay, hardly warranted by the insignificant coasting
trade, may be excused, for the port adds animation to the
place, attracts yacht owners, specially during the regatta
week, received even the English ironclads during Queen
Victoria's stay in Mentone, and enlivens the Eastern
Bay. From the platform of the tower on the top of
the wall of the breakwater a beautiful panorama extends
from east to west. Bordighera, boldly stretching out
into the sea, looks always bright and sunny. Nearer
home is the promontory known as the Red Rocks, and
just above, half hidden in an olive garden, is the
village of Grimaldi. A little westward is the lofty span of
Pont St. Louis, the frontier bridge, with its wild Alpine
1 Bastia, bastile, bastille, castrum turris, propugnaculum.
24 MENTONE
gorge and Bellinda, a mountain easily accessible, and offering
an extensive view, but from here it is thrown into the shade
by the smaller but nearer peak Giraude, a forerunner or
rather an outpost of Bress or Berceau. Then come in rapid
succession, Mont Ours, St. Agnes, Baudon, and Aggel with
their lower brethren, like pages and esquires in attendance
on their haughty lords ; and then Turbia's antique, trun-
cated tower, a graphic memorial of ancient history. There
the chain slopes down and terminates in Tete de Chien,
the formidable mastiff of the neighbourhood, watching over
Monaco and its golden treasures and all the charms around.
Returning to the main artery of Mentone life, we first
notice the fountain, surrounded by a motley crowd, each
individual patiently awaiting her turn, chatting away 'an idle
moment, her turn because they are all women, working their
tongues as fast as their knitting-needles, and carrying their
pitchers on their head. The erection of new fountains by
the ' Compagnie des Eaux ' will deprive this corner of much
of its originality, though this water coming down from
a spring high up, the part known as Beausset, must be
better than the Vesubia supply.
Wending our steps round the Quay, 1 the costly and useful
work of warlike times, we behold the Eastern Bay in all its
glory. But on windy days beware of old Boreas, whose icy
blasts rule here at times in their wildest fury.
All along there is a line of workshops manufacturing
articles of daily use and fancy work. These industrious
artisans while away their few leisure moments by looking
at or listening to a set of idlers, who live on the vain
hope of getting a job or catching a fish once a week,
instead of earning decent wages by more manly and
regular occupations.
We now come to Christ Church, an unpretending building,
constructed when Mentone as a health resort was in its
infancy, and when a convenient rather than a handsome or
showy place of worship was needed. At one time, in 1858
1 The Quai Bonaparte was constructed by Napoleon. Before his time
there was no road round the East Bay. All the traffic between Italy and
Provence had to pass through the narrow Rue Longue and through its two
gates. ED.
ROCHERS ROUGES AND GORGE OF ST. LOTJIS : LOOKING EASTWARDS
FROM VILLA LES GROTTES
Page 24.
LES LOGETTES AND ENTRANCE TO RUE LONGUE
Page 24.
MENTONE AS IT IS 25
or thereabout, Anglicans had only a room in a large manor
situated in a narrow street leading out from Place du Cap,
whose proprietor would now not even use it as his office.
The Reverend D. F. Morgan, B JX, the first chaplain, who
died many years ago, shared with Dr. H. Bennet the honour
of being the real founders of Mentone. Through the efforts
of several influential regular visitors and proprietors the
building has been greatly improved.
St. Anne, a chapel behind the Hotel des Anglais, the first
important modern hotel here, gives its name to the immediate
neighbourhood, Quartier Ste. Anne. Just above it is the
tunnel leading in a gentle curve through the rocks to the
station. Further on we reach the Chapelle St. Jacques,
renovated not long ago. The lane further east leads up to
Mr. Charles Henfrey's villa, Chalet des Hosiers, occupied by
her Majesty Queen Victoria in spring 1883, and to the Pian, a
beautifully situated plateau, a fine olive grove, the only one
within the town. Then we cross the torrent Garavan, as it is
officially written, once forming the boundary between Italy
and Monaco, and we step into Garavan, the most sheltered
position of Mentone. The new chapel on our left bears the
old Latin inscription, DEO OPTIMO MAXIMO. Its foundation-
stone was laid in 1882, and its consecration by an
Italian bishop gave rise to some unpleasant feelings,
and even an interchange of diplomatic correspondence.
It was officially closed by the French Government in July
1885 after the Bishop of Ventimiglia had held his confirma-
tion there. It is strange that the originator of this chapel,
when there are four within less than a mile, should have
asked Queen Victoria to contribute to its funds, when the
cure would not allow the church tower to be illuminated two
days previous, in honour of the same Queen, because she
was not a Roman Catholic ! The Pope is evidently more
liberal than his priests here, whose piety and devotion
may be very great, but whose narrow-mindedness and
ignorance of the world is still greater. I cannot help quoting
what Dupatry says, ' Point de Mceurs, peu de religion, mais
beaucoup de devotion, c. a. d. d'hypocrisie.' l And Fodere :
1 Lettres d'ltalie, lettre v. , par Dupatry, 1 785.
26 MENTONE
' II faut a ce pays non pas des pretres ignorants, mais des
ecclesiastiques sages, eclaires et desinteresses, prechant une
bonne morale par 1'exemple et par les paroles, et assez
dotes pour pouvoir se passer de Madonnes.' l
From hence we might either follow the embankment
towards the Red Rocks to the well-known grottoes and the .
Roman bridge, or the high road to La Cuse over the Pont
St. Louis. But all these places lie beyond our present plan.
We return to Rue Ste. Anne, and rounding the chapel that
gives the name to the quarter, we notice, on our right, just
at the beginning of the railway tunnel, Villa Helvetia, a
home for delicate ladies not overburdened with money, and
which deserves every support. Only a few yards further on
is St. Vincent, another chapel, for a long time left in
neglect, but now restored and placed under the mighty
miraculous tutelage of Notre Dame de Lourdes, an old saint,
beneath the wings of a doubtful modern apparition, in whose
honour, however, all the candles which are thrown through
the railings will be religiously burnt. Passing Villa les
Grottes in the hall of which the Scotch congregation for a
number of years has worshipped, 2 we observe, beyond the
Hotel Bellevue and Hotel d'ltalie, a large building. This
is the hospital. The nursing of the patients is entrusted
to the sisters of St. Vincent.
This locality has of late been considerably improved.
The gateway leads to the narrow lane Rue Longue,
formerly the only thoroughfare. This gate and a part of
the wall still existing formed part of the old castle, con-
structed most likely on Roman foundations. It is still
called ' Porta Julia,' a popular allusion to its primitive
destination. A chapel, sometime turned into a shop
of a kind, is one of the earliest sacred chambers of
Mentone. The old wall, running up towards the cemetery
and thence round to the churches, is but a small remnant
of the former town wall and of the castle itself, which
once crowned the hillock now consecrated as a burial-
ground.
1 Foder4, vol. ii. p. 326.
2 The Scotch Church in Rue de la Republique was opened in Jan. 1891
by the late Rev. Charles H. Spurgeon. ED.
SCOTCH CHURCH, MENTONE
Page 26.
GATE OF ST. JULIEN AT HEAD OF RUE LONGUE
Page 26.
27
By a decree of January 18, 1487, the perception of import
duties was, with the exception of the county of Ventimiglia,
rigidly enforced, and a chain, Catena, barred the access.
The duty was rather heavy but well defined. The county
of Ventimiglia did not include the city, but only the land and
mountains called Val de Lantosque.
Rue Longue, now well paved, has a very appropriate name,
and leads down to the fountain already spoken of. The
occupants of these houses, being accustomed to sitting on
the threshold of their homes, working and talking with their
neighbours whom they can never lose sight of, present an
animated and busy appearance, especially when their men
return from their campagne, as they call their rural property,
their donkeys laden with varied burdens. Many of the
houses in this part belong to three or even four different
families, and are divided not only into flats but semi-flats
and rooms, just as they divide the land, an acre into halves
and terraces and semi-terraces according to the number of
the children in a family ; hence it often happens that a
man really possesses only half a terrace with a single
olive-tree on it. This minute subdivision of property
makes the acquisition of larger plots of land for building
purposes very difficult, complicated, and expensive, if not
altogether impossible. There are plenty of proprietors here,
it is true, but they live from hand to mouth, and cannot
lay by anything for a bad season, though the influx of
strangers gives occupation to many, and has considerably
increased the value of labour. Let those who, in England,
aim at a division of land, come out here and live among
those small proprietors for one year and their eyes will soon
be opened and their ideas changed !
Those who have never seen any real old Italian town will
hardly believe that this street, though greatly improved and
more easily accessible, was once the principal and, in fact,
only artery between the two bays, between Provence and
Italy, up to 1810, and at the same time the residence of the
upper and wealthy classes, clustering thus around their
ruler's manor, for the Quai and road from here to Ventimiglia
were only opened or completed in 1828. Nearly all these
28 MENTONE
narrow lanes and passages bear still marks of their former
importance.
In the main lane a few houses are still occupied by the
descendants of old noble names. No. 1 23 bears the following
inscription :
H II
ANTIQVE ARCI BELLORVM INIVRIA DEVASTATE
IDONEO DEHINC TEMPORE RESTITVEND^
DOMVM HANG PRIVATI PRIVS
MODO PRINCIPVM AD VSVM SVFFECTAM
AMPLIAVIT EXORNAVIT
ANNO JUBILEI MDCL
The engraving of the castle of Mentone is from a
sketch in the possession of Mr. Bonfils, the obliging
director of the Museum. This sketch was taken in 1835.
The last repairs I can trace took place in 1 707. On March 22,
1823, Lady Blessington mentions it briefly thus : ' The ruins
of the Chateau Capourana form a very picturesque feature
in the view of Mentone. Placed on an eminence, it com-
mands a prospect of the town, its environs, and the sea. It
is so ancient that its construction has been attributed to the
Romans. It has been purchased for a cemetery, and one
part is appropriated to the remains of a number of persons,
soldiers and others, who were killed during the revolution.
This pile of bones lies exposed to the elements. . . .' The
remainder of her remarks cannot be repeated ; they belong
to the past, and besides, the cemetery is now in perfect order
and beautifully arranged and maintained. The name
Capourana, most likely badly pronounced and incorrectly
caught, reminds me forcibly of Capodanne which we meet
further on.
The Castle, built on the imposing ruins of the ancient one
constructed by Jean n. from 1492 to 1505, on the site of a
much older one, in fact on the stronghold of the Ventos,
must have been very strong and even extensive, as its
fortified walls seem to have reached as far as Castellare, and
1 The two crowns of different forms are said to indicate that the father
and son stayed in that house together. ED.
CASTLE OF MKNTONE AS IN 1835
Page 28.
CHURCH OF ST. MICHEL
Page 33.
MENTONE AS IT IS 29
its gardens once to have been occupied by Pomelline as
Chateau de Mentoni, May 14, 1493. Viridarium Castri et
Pratum in loco dicto le Val de Care. The houses destroyed
by the storming of June 1, 1466, and joining those of the
Trenca family, were given to Bertolo Laurenti. The walls,
very much damaged by the Catalonians between Sadoch
tower and domos Girbaudorum, were repaired in August
1457. According to an act drawn up on February 28, 1466,
it was provisioned for six months, the gate strictly watched,
taverns carefully inspected, and all gambling forbidden.
On March 4, 1468, a few conspirators, in the service of the
prince, and having his confidence, called for water for an
invalid, and the postern being opened, they led in their con-
federates, in league with the Beuil branch, and sacked the
castle and the place. The rebellion was soon quenched, and
order and submission restored.
Among the maze of lanes seemingly running into an abyss
on our left and up to the sky on our right, two are remarkable
for their outlandish names. Rue Mattoni is only a few steps
lower down, and takes us within a few minutes into Capo-
danne, thence into Lampeduze. Without entering into
several far-fetched and really absurd explanations, or rather
speculations, I venture to assert that Capodanne comes
from Caput Annonce (in classical Latin, Curatores annonce)
turning into Caput d'annon, then Caput d'Ann and Capo-
danne, i.e. the head of the fruit, of the tithes, i.e. Chef de
dime, as it is called in a Charta Othonis Imperatoris, anno
973 ; Annastarius vel amastarius, i.e. the rent collector,
the tithe master, having his residence most likely in this
quarter. This Annona represented under the Roman
Empire the direct imperial revenue, and the office was called
' Cura Annonse,' and the very goddess that presided over
the victualling of Rome was called Annona. 1
Lampeduze is undoubtedly but a slight corruption of
Lampas duds, Lampa duds, Lampa duce, Lampaduze
the duke's lamp or light-post, the c, z, and s interchange
1 Apvd: Les Medallions de V Empire Romain, par W. Froehner, Paris,
1879, pp. 14, 15, 89, 106, 159. That the Custom-house duties were
carefully regulated and superintended is clearly proved by several acts,
especially in one of February 28, 1466, and again on May 15, 1487, when
30 MENTONE
pretty easily ; vide, Nive, Nize, Niza, Nizza. This mode of
explaining and deriving such names does not appear to
be very far fetched. These changes and curtailings are
frequent, especially in Italy. I beg leave to quote just one
instance, St. Erasmus, a church that crowned, in the tenth
century, the well-known hill where now St. Elmo stands.
St. Erasmus gradually became San Erasmo, San Ermo,
and finally San Elmo. This Lampeduze street, narrow and
dark, underwent a similar change. It leads up to the late
castle, and was surely lit up to facilitate the passage of the
Count's generals, commanders, and household, who must
have frequently used the boat and walked or ridden up
and down the steep lane connected with the landing-place.
The change of a consonant is a mere trifle, for in etymology
vowels are worth but little, and consonants almost nothing.
Such a thing happens in every language, and particularly in
a dialect having no written rules. All the people, learned
and unlearned, unconsciously followed the general variation,
chiefly caused by migration, immigration, and invasion, three
agents which have been repeatedly at work in and about
Mentone, thus fully verifying Home Tooke's clever words :
' Letters, like soldiers, being very apt to desert and drop off
in a long march.' l
Admission is willingly given to any visitors who would
like to have a peep down on the quay in order to convince
themselves that they are really on a fifth floor, counting from
the road below, while there may be still three floors above
them. Most of the houses belong to several families, and
they all bear such a great family likeness that we may as
well leave the street at a flight of steps nearly opposite
to No. 45, the ancient mansion of the St. Ambroise
Galleani family, which bears the long, deeply incised
inscription :
MISERICORDIA EIVS A PROGENIE IN PROGENIES
TIMENTIBVS DEVM ANNO DOMINI MDCIL
le droit de la chatne, i.e. chain-bar, in Mentonese Catena, Cadena, was
rigorously carried out, so that the streets leading to the castle were barred
by a chain. * Appendix. See Note C.
MENTONE AS IT IS 31
and mount to the parish church and its small platform,
whence is obtained a splendid view over the eastern bay.
The lofty spire of St. Michael's (both spire and church
suffered a good deal from the earthquake on February 23,
1887) looks quite noble and graceful, especiaUy when seen at
a distance. It is well worth while to walk up to the belfry
to enjoy an uninterrupted view all round. We must again
quote Lady Blessington's diary of March 22, 1823 : ' The
view from the cathedral is magnificent both of land and sea ;
but I turned from the former, with all its rich and diversified
hues, to behold the beautiful Mediterranean, blue as the
heavens that canopy it, and dotted with white sails, which, in
the distance, look like birds cleaving the air. We ascended
to the topmost towers of the cathedral, our cicerone having,
and with reason, vaunted the view it commands, but he did
not inform us that this tower was the belfry and that the
hour for tolling the enormous bell was fast approaching.
We were descending the spiral staircase, delighted with the
prospect we had beheld, when this terrible bell was put in
motion. Never shall I forget its effect ! The senses were
stunned and the power of hearing seemed a malediction !
The tower rocked to each movement of its heavy and noisy
guest and vibrated to the deafening peals it sent forth ;
while we felt overpowered by the tremendous clamour and
rendered giddy by the movement of the building of which
each fresh peal made us acutely sensible, our cicerone
seemed totally regardless of what occasioned us so much
annoyance, and merely shrugged his shoulders when he per-
ceived that we bore it less patiently than he did.' l
Without being able to give the exact date of its foundation,
we may fairly assume that St. Michael's is a very old place
of worship, founded on a primitive chapel early erected like
many others on this coast. Its actual name occurs, for the
first time, rather late in the historical records, and this
happens on two solemn occasions, both of which occurred
within a short time of each other ; the first when Vento
received the homage of the patricians of Mentone on his
accession to government in 1311 ; 2 the second when, on his
1 The Idler in Italy. 2 Du Sanctuaire de N. D, de VAnnonciade, p. 17-
32 MENTONE
brother's return from exile, the ceremony was repeated in
1346 ; * on the 12th of December 1444 there was a congress,
under the auspices of a delegate of the pope (Eugene iv.)
and one of the rulers of Monaco, to settle the differences
between the republic of Genoa, and the King of Naples, when
Jean promised to take the pope's side. On April 5, 1454,
Jean Grimaldi left by his will . . . ' intra ecclesiam beati
Michaelis de Mentono, etc., Morenos quinquaginta,' and
many other gifts for various charitable purposes, and desired
to be buried there side by side with his father and mother
and brothers ; and on January 4, 1457, Catalan Grimaldi
leagued to . . . ' operi ecclesie sancti Michaelis de Mentono
flor. xxv. prediti valoris, operi ecclesie Nostre Domine de
Carnolesio Mentoni posite flor. xxv . . . ; et Sancti
Antoni de Mentono flor. .x. . . . ; seu capelle Sancti
Juliani de Mentono flor. x,' and to the poor a certain quan-
tity of wine, bread, and vegetables ; and on October 30,
1487, Lambert Grimaldi wills to . . . ' dictis ecclesiis
Menthone et Rochbrune florenos quinque,' etc., for the
reparations of their churches and chapels. Jean Grimaldi
had the Chapelle ,de 1'Assomption added and wished to
be buried there, as did Catalan. 2 It was enlarged, and
Bishop Nicholas Spinola laid the foundation-stone in
Honore n.'s presence on May 27, 1619, but it was not
finished till 1653. The following inscription is seen in this
church, engraved on a marble slab in memory of John
Grimaldi : 3
M. cccc L.
IIII DIE VIII MADII
MAGNIFICUS MILES ET POTENS DOMINUS
IOANNES DE GRIMALDIS, MONACHI ETC.
DOMINUS HODIE DIES SUOS CLAVSIT EXTREMOS
ANIMA CUIUS REQUIESCAT IN PACE AMEN.
which, I fancy, ought to be written M cccc urn, the more
usual style of putting it. St. Michael, the patron saint,
greatly honoured in this part of the world, was perhaps the
successor of Mars, who certainly was worshipped here.
1 M6tivier, vol. i. p. 109.
2 Documents hiatoriques relatifs a la principautt de Monaco, vol. i.
3 Gioffredo, p. 1100.
MENTONE AS IT IS 33
Now this St. Michael looks more as if he were on the stage than
over the main door of a sacred edifice. He, nevertheless,
appears greatly pleased with his victory over Satan, on
whom he is trampling. The mighty guardian is sufficiently
supported by two fellow saints, St. Roch and St. Martin,
both equally honoured in this neighbourhood. All keep a
steady watchful eye over the hallowed entrance as if to
prevent any infidel from passing the threshold. Beyond its
being roomy, lofty, newly refitted, and lavishly decorated,
it does not offer anything striking. 1 There is one object of
historical interest which the verger will produce to polite
and inquisitive visitors, and that is the mace with its massive
silver cross. Moorish pirates, allies of Francis I., King of
France, in one of their frequent incursions, made a sudden
and daring attack under the lead of Hairaldin Barbarossa,
a potter's son, and in 1545 sacked and burnt Mentone,
Roccabruna, Nice, and other Ligurian towns. Honore I.,
taking the cruel sufferings of his subjects to heart, and deeply
grieved, resolved to make these pirates pay for their pillage.
He therefore gladly joined in an expedition just then organis-
ing against the Turks under the auspices of John, Duke of
Austria, and soon sailed for the East. They met the
Turkish fleet at Lepanto, and after a sanguinary encounter,
October 7, 1571, in which they fought hand to hand, brave
Honore slew his man, carried off the Mussulman's rich
weapons, brought them back with the rest of the booty,
and presented the Turkish lance to Mentone as a small token
of the victory over their barbarian invaders. The trans-
formation of the lance, 2 a weapon of war, into a mace, the
1 In the chapel of the St. Ambroise family, on the right aide of the nave,
there is to be seen at the back of the altar the escutcheon of the St. Ambroise
family, which the head of the family, Admiral St. Ambroise Galleani, with
pride pointed out to me as the only symbol of nobility which the revolu-
tionaries in 1793 spared in these parts. ED.
2 In the Maison Galleani in the Rue Longue is another lance, captured
at the battle of Lepanto. It is attached to the left wall of the vestibule.
Beneath it a marble plaque tells its history :
Lanceam hanc
Bartholomoeus Preti Johannis filius
n. 1520 + 1594
A Naupacti proelio tulit.
1571. ED.
C
34 MENTONE
sign of peace, may seem strange, but it is true never-
theless.
The Mentonese, a decidedly religious people, are
good church-goers, and on Sundays and festivals every
place of worship is literally crowded. This is especially
the case on Christmas Eve, when a solemn mass is
celebrated to usher in the birth of our Saviour, with
fervent prayers, indifferent chanting, and grand cere-
monials, so as to bring the momentous event home
to the minds and hearts and eyes of all believers. As the
ceremony proceeds natives flock in in larger numbers.
There are more women than men ; a good many small
children ; talkative girls ; dirty and unruly roughs ; steady
and unsteady young fellows coming more for fun than
devotion ; a crying baby here and there ; only a few persons
sleep ,and still fewer are really disorderly. A spirit of
general forbearance and good humour prevails. The censer
is profuse, but garlic and its kindred smells are hardly
neutralised. The beadle in his queer attire, more military
than ecclesiastical, always stern, looks quite indignantly
at a set of unwashed and uncombed urchins sitting on.
the chancel steps against the railing, they being evidenlly
bent on mischief ; he finds it difficult to command
respect, as he has nothing of the Saracen cast about him,
though he seems often inclined to use his Saracen relic in
true Saracen fashion. There is generally little attention
and still less devotion, and when, soon after 11.30,
the lamb is brought in, the lamb announcing its
arrival by a cry sounding more plaintive than natural, a
cry caused by a gentle pinch of its tail, all eyes turn
instinctively towards the primitive shepherd family which
has the much envied privilege of providing the lamb
for the solemn occasion, thereby ensuring the Church's
benediction on their flocks in the mountains. Shepherds,
we are told, first received the good tidings of our
Redeemer's birth from angels, heaven's holy messengers ;
and so shepherds even now and here are first admitted to
kiss that baby doll, meekly representing the Divine Infant.
But we must not anticipate ; the service is becoming more
MENTONE AS IT IS 35
solemn, the chanting more elevated and fervent ; the
silence more general ; curiosity and expectation more
intense. The decisive moment is drawing near, and whilst
the anxiously expected midnight hour booms forth its
deep, well-measured notes, the last sounds of the aged
celebrant slowly die away ; the shepherd bowing rever-
ently, with his family and the lamb step within the
chancel ; the snow-white lamb is duly blessed ; they all
kiss piously the baby doll, Bambino, and then the priest
advances, offering the baby to the crowd that eagerly press
on to kiss most reverently the doll that represents the new-
born Christ. The priest retires finally, sometimes not
without difficulty, within the more sacred precincts, and
during a few short prayers and chants, the congregation
leaves the church, disperses in different directions, and by
half -past one all is quiet in the streets.
The washing of the feet of twelve poor old men on Holy
Thursday or Maunday Thursday, as it is done in Rome and
the principal Roman Catholic cities on the Continent, takes
place generally in the Church of the Conception. It is the
well-known Oriental custom, according to which the master
or his servants used to wash the feet of the guests as a sign of
hospitality. But as Christ washed the feet of his disciples
as a symbol of humility, it was soon, in the fourth century,
I believe, adopted in the Early Church, when the priest or
even the bishop washed the feet of his catechumens. Later
on, twelve poor old men were selected as representatives
of the apostles. Now the ceremony has lost all its real
meaning and is a mere show.
From St. Michael's also starts the pompous procession on
Good Friday. The Christ, having been removed from the
altar, lies all Saturday in state in the middle of the nave
and all crucifixes being carefully covered or veiled, pious
Catholics reverence the supposed sacred body and kiss it,
especially on that part where their own ailings spring from.
Late on Good Friday, after a sermon and short funeral ser-
vice, the above mentioned procession is formed in which
priests, monks, sisters of mercy, confraternities of all colours
and denominations, men, women, and children join, carrying
36 MENTONE
tapers that have constantly to be lit, and singing hymns they
do not understand. It is strange that the former pagan con-
fraternities and processions have hardly lost anything of their
original and very peculiar character as now existing in the
Roman Catholic Church, for ' les jours de ces f6tes sont ceux
qu'avaient adoptes les anciens colleges, et Ton peut dire que,
si ce n'est le Dieu adore, rien n'a ete change depuis ; les
confreries chretiennes ont simplement pris la place des
colleges.' l However that may be, it is a ceremony inti-
mately connected with the Roman Church, and though
we may not approve it, we must, or at least ought to,
respect it.
The body is elaborately and even showily laid out on the
bier, which is lighted up by about twenty lamps screwed on
to it. A band plays a dead march or some other solemn airs,
drummers beating their muffled drums. Formerly soldiers
enlivened the ceremony inside the church. Formerly, too,
all the officials followed, two by two, and thus gave the
ceremony an official stamp. The municipality acted as
bearers, or at least as pall-bearers, a real work of labour, since
the procession moves up the narrow street just opposite
St. Michael's, drops then into Rue Longue, passes through
Rue Neuve, down Rue de la Caserne, up Rue St. Michael
into La Place du Cap, where a kind of sarcophagus is erected
and where the priest reads the prayers appointed for this
special occasion. There, too, we meet a compact crowd,
not many of them devout, seldom even attentive, but always
good-natured and well behaved. Then the procession
re-forms and returns up Rue Longue to its starting-point.
Most of the windows are brightly illuminated, many houses
variously, a few gorgeously draped along the streets
through which the procession passes, the whole effect being
more imposing and strange than religious.
Whilst our Saviour is supposed to be resting in the grave
the bells are doomed to silence, and noisy, boisterous
youngsters take it upon themselves, or by custom or clerical
injunction, to call the people to the usual services by violently
turning their big clumsy rattles at a tremendous pace, or
1 Annales, Nice', etc., vol. viii. p. 115.
MENTONE AS IT IS 37
by shaking huge boxes filled with pebbles, nails, and bits of
iron at such a rate that even strong nerves cannot endure
the unearthly and unholy vacarme. Rattles are used in
many Roman Catholic countries on a like day, but then they
are small and elegant and turned in a more gentle way.
Here it is downright coarseness. Nowhere have I seen such
vile doings or heard such a vulgar uproar. They caU it
grinding the bones of Judas. It is to be hoped that for the
honour of Mentone, for the solemnity of the season, and for
the sake of common propriety this antiquated, ridiculous,
and disgraceful practice will, soon be modified, if not alto-
gether forbidden.
Just opposite St. Michael's is an old gateway now dis-
figured by a so-called restoration. It is the entrance to the
street that led formerly to the castle, and now to the cemetery.
But at present people usually take the new road round the
' Conception,' a church a few steps higher up belonging to
the White Friars (Les Penitents Blancs), desecrated during
the great French revolution like many other sacred buildings
of the time. The Place bearing the same name has under-
gone many improvements. The former college, now housing
the elementary schools, is a comparatively new institution.
On walking up to Campo Santo, Mentone appears more
in its primitive garb ; dark, short courts, narrow lanes,
circuitous passages, weather-beaten houses, time-honoured
ruins, most of them occupied by large families who leave
early in the morning and come home late in the evening,
with their beasts of burden laden with all sorts of things to
provide for the few wants of their daily life.
Funerals accompanied by the black or white brotherhoods,
sometimes by both, all bearing candles, look always very
striking and impressive, but often obstruct the road. The
first final resting-place met with is the old Protestant burial-
ground (now closed), containing only a few graves ; one seen
in a narrow strip wedging out eastward over the archway
below, is quite lonely and isolated. Was he friendless or
of a solitary disposition in life ? *
1 This is the grave of the first Protestant buried in Mentone, Gustavus
Adolphus Fahrener, lieutenant of infantry, of Copenhagen, died December 26,
1851 ; indeed, only with difficulty was permission to bury him obtained. ED.
38 MENTONE
The Roman Catholic Campo Santo, formerly the castle, is
now changed into a pleasant resting-place, where sweet
flowers perfume the air and charm the eye in every direction,
where family tombs and little chapels are neatly kept ' in
memoriam ' of departed friends.
The new edifice for the community of the orthodox Greek
faith outshines all by its graceful style and colouring.
The new Protestant cemetery just below is perhaps
the prettiest of all. The mortuary chapel l was erected by
voluntary subscriptions collected by a Captain Egan, who
now rests nearer home. The great variety and generally
good taste in the tombstones and monuments ; the paths,
the cypresses, and flowers ; the most perfect harmony and
order ; all enhance the beauty of this hallowed spot.
The graves are assigned for a certain number of years
or for perpetuity ; and a few already contain two dear
members of the same family. There is no doubt that our
friends sleep here on the sunniest and one of the brightest
resting-places in the world, and whether we look on the
sea when calm, as few lives are ; or when boisterous and
stormy, as most lives must be ; or on the solid mountains
undulating around Mentone, symbols of our faith in the
' Rock of Ages,' a faith so often undulating, wavering, and
barren, we cannot help feeling that ' rest we must somewhere,
why not rest here ? ' And many rest here already ; dear
relations, old friends, new acquaintances, passing com-
panions, the tenderest ties cut asunder, loving and beloved
hearts separated, and all far from home ; but for a short
time only, in hope of a better home !
Ere we leave this ground of peace and concord, where
thousands of members of every religious community sleep in
perfect harmony, we cast a parting glance at the marvellous
scenery spread around us, and then walk down a way cut
into the rock, noticing on our left the remains of the castle
wall, and on our right several small cottages where old
1 This has been demolished now, and replaced by a more commodious
chapel in the cemetery which has been formed higher up on the hill-side.
One of the most interesting tombs is that of John Richard Green, historian
of the English people, died 7th March 1883, which bears the significant
epitaph, He died learning, an epitaph chosen by himself. ED.
MENTONE AS IT IS 39
women are busily engaged in weaving, an old but almost
obsolete proceeding in our day, when everything is done
by steam.
After having safely passed through a steep and slippery
lane, we cross the new road that leads to Castellare and pay
a visit to St. John the Baptist, the Church of the Black
Friars (Penitents Noirs), also called the Convent. Honore u.
and his consort were present when Bishop Nicholas Spinola,
already mentioned, consecrated the building on August 27,
1617. The Capuchins, who occupied a number of places
during that century, held it until 1793, when, on the passage
of the first revolutionary army, the church was transformed
into a salt store. On being restored, it was very damp, and
had to be panelled. It contains a rather tragical picture
representing the blood-stained head of its patron saint.
The cloisters served, until quite recently, as barracks for
a company of soldiers. 1
There are now four roads open to us, viz. Rue de la
Caserne leading down into the main artery ; Rue de la
Republique to the post office and the station ; Route du
Castellar, which we shall notice on our excursions r and Rue
Neuve, 2 much improved and well paved, with large mansions
belonging to some of the old local families. But having
nothing to do with individuals, we only note down an
inscription bearing testimony to the eminent services of
a brave soldier spoken of thus :
Au General Brea
Ne a Menton le 23 Avril 1790
Mort a Paris le 24 Juin 1848
Pour la defense de 1'ordre
et de la Patrie.
Part decret du grand conseil des
Villes libres de Menton et de Eoccabrune
du 25 Septembre 1848
Unless General Brea was a Frenchman this inscription
forestalls the inclination of the inhabitants towards France,
1 They are now used as a commercial school for boys, the soldiers having
removed to the new barracks, out to the west, near Cap Martin. ED.
2 Now Brea.- -Eo.
40 MENTONE
and foreshadows the ultimate vote for annexation. A few
yards further on we read and copy again :
Pius vn P. M.
Lutetia Romam Redux Hinc
Coelestem Populo Supplici Undique
Coacto Benedictionem Impertibat
Die XI Mensis Februarii
An. Dom. MDCCCX
Thus the same people, and most likely many of the
same individuals, cheered and implored the blessing of a
man against whose priestly power they clamoured not many
years before.
Almost next door, No. 3, is another memorable house
where Napoleon I. used to stay on his journeys to and
from Italy. Recognising the exceptional position of
Mentone, he was most anxious to unite it with France and
Italy by a road, and decreed the construction of the present
quay as particularly useful and urgent, and thought even of
a port. This latter idea, however, circumstances deferred
to his nephew, Napoleon m., and the third republic. The
proprietor of the house, a very modest second etage,
is very willing to admit visitors to look over the place
where the greatest military genius of that momentous epoch
passed a few days, not for rest, perhaps, but for directing,
altering, and recasting his vast operations.
On descending into the main street, we cross the Place
Nationale and drop into the Promenade du Midi, begun in
1861, steadily carried on to the river Gorbio, and finally,
perhaps, to be continued to and round Cap Martin. May
this pious wish be soon realised ! * But compared with what
it was in 1860, this drive, as it is, is decidedly a long step
forwards. The good fishermen's pretended rights have been
wisely curtailed, and do not now much interfere with the
convenience of visitors in their walks and drives. The new
gardens with their flowers, shrubs and trees ; with the
Pavilion des Musiciens, and the bridge connecting the two
esplanades, we have already noted down (p. 19) as signs of a
certain amount of good-mil and a decisive step into a better
1 This pious wish has now been realised. ED.
MENTONE AS IT IS 41
era. All along this Promenade let the shrubs be resolutely
protected and all the shore kept clean, strictly clean, and all
dirty intruders and beggars be unhesitatingly removed or
ordered off, and thousands of visitors will flock to Mentone
and admire and enjoy her walks and drives and excursions !
Before we conclude our walk through the town we feel
constrained to point out the great and unquestionable
progress Mentone has made since 1860, in the completion
of the esplanades east and west ; the Boulevard from Pont
St. Louis to the cemetery ; the carriage drive to Castellare ;
the widening of the Rue Partounneaux, and the erection of
the new post office ; the formation of a very creditable band ;
the laying out of handsome gardens ; the opening of the Rue
de la Republique ; the slaughter-house in Mentone valley,
Val de Fossan, far away from the town ; the construction of
the new college in an out-of-the-way place, it is true, and
the improvements of other educational establishments ;
the new waterworks, 1 supplying, however, not spring, but
river water, coming from the Vesubia ; many smaller enter-
prises already executed, or in course of execution ; new
drives already opened or officially approved ; they one
and all prove that Mentone has gained a great deal,
and that the administration, which unfortunately cannot
please everybody and satisfy every expectation, is fully alive
to its duty, and though often lacking two essential elements,
union and support, has inscribed on its banner : STEADILY
ONWARD ! There is, therefore, hope that good measures will
be prepared and carried out, imperfect ones amended, bad
ones given up, so that there will be no further loss of
either time or money ! 2
1 This question of a sufficient water-supply is of old standing and dates
from 1793, when Gregory, one of the deputies of the newly annexed
Maritime Alps, read his report to the ' Convention .Nationale.'
2 Since this was written a great deal has been done to improve Mentone,
e.g. the arching over of the torrent of the Carei and the formation of the
jardin publique on the top, the continuation of the Promenade du Midi
all the way from the stream of the St. Louis, which forms the frontier, to
the Bay of Cap Martin. The narrow portion of the road at the Quai
Bonaparte has been greatly widened by the construction of a series of
arches, built on ground which has been reclaimed from the sea. An electric
tram now runs all the way to Monte Carlo and Nice. Another is in con-
struction over the mountain to Sospel. A wide street has been run up from
Avenue Felix Faure through the Condamine to the railway station. ED.
42 MENTONE
CUSTOMS AND DIALECTS
The Mentonese vernacular is very peculiar and character-
istic, confined to the town, and vastly different from that of
all surrounding places. It is sonorous, though somewhat
hard and even guttural. It is not Italian, still less French.
It contains many traces of Arabic, Greek, Spanish, and Celtic,
elements all strangely amalgamated, strangely disfigured
and distorted, and from not having any written rules, it is
very fluctuating, difficult to acquire, and easily influenced
by contact with foreign elements. That the Phoenician
traders must have had frequent communications with the
whole of western Liguria, cannot be denied. That they
imported, to a certain degree, their religious, social, and
political ideas, their special tastes and dispositions and some
of their words intimately connected with their extensive
commercial pursuits may be granted. But the incessant
commotions during so many centuries ; the long occupation
by the Saracens ; the wars of the Middle Ages and conse-
quently a continual interchange of dialects ; the Spanish
protectorate, the reiterated presence of the French ; the
first and second annexation to France, and the previous
influence of Piedmont in administrative and commercial
affairs, have naturally effaced, or, at least, considerably
altered early forms and inflections, and logically stamped
their presence especially on those classes with whom they
came most frequently into contact. In spite of all these
incessant abradings, it has scarcely suffered in its close
relationship to the Provengal, or, more correctly speaking,
to the Roman language (so scientifically treated by F. Diez
in his etymology), and the Mentonese dialect is, or rather
was, nothing eke but the Latin itself, as naturally and
normally developed by the people in the course of time. It
is, of course, not the Latin of the classic authors ; it is the
Lathi of the Roman people at large as they changed,
curtailed, and mutilated it in various ways, and ingrafted it
often upon the various languages they met with. ' C'est
dans le latin populaire qu'il faut chercher la source des
MENTONE HARBOUR AND OLD TOWN AS IN IQO2
Page 41.
-
I)K \\V1NC, IN THE NET
Page 51.
MENTONE AS IT IS 43
langues romaines. Mais est-il juste de les appeler langues
filles et de dormer le nom de langue mere a ce latin rustique
que parlaient des le temps de la conquete romaine les colons
et les soldats ? ' l
' Les echantillons du bas-latin qui nous sont parvenus des
premiers temps barbares, semblent montrer que Fetat de la
latinite ou Ton ne connait plus que le nominatif et le com-
plement fut universel dans tout le domaine romain. Mais
d'une part il s'incorpora dans le ProvenQal et le frangais,
d'autre part il s'effaga dans 1'espagnol et Fitalien, qui
continuerent d'une maniere latente leur marche vers
1'abolition des cas. Cette distinction se revela au onzieme
siecle quand on commena d'ecrire, le groupe hispano-
italique usait d'un idiome pleinement moderne, le groupe
franco-provenal d'un idiome intermediate. Les langues
romaines sont sceurs et non pas meres ou filles ; le travail
qui les a produites fut simultane sur toute la face de la terre
romaine.' 2
' Au vneme siecle le latin vulgaire avait subit une telle
decomposition qu'il put etre considere comme un nouvel
idiome, entierement distinct de 1'ancienne langue latine, a
laquelle il devait son origine. La nouvelle langue fut
appelee romane, parce qu'elle etait 1'idiome propre des
vaincus, a qui Ton donnait le nom de Romains par opposition
aux conquerants issus de la noble race des Francs.' 3
Though, as Felix Atzler says, ' Die vornehmste und
eigentliche Quelle des Romanischen ist die lateinische
Vulgarsprache.' * There are, nevertheless, many German
elements in several languages, and Gaston Paris says : ' La
masse des elements germaniques, en prenant toutes les
langues romanes, est considerable. ... La langue la plus riche
sous ce rapport est incontestablement la langue fran9aise.
. . . Apres le franais c'est 1'italien qui est le plus
riche.' 5
1 Introduction a la Grammaire des langues Somaines, par G. Paris,
Pref. ix.
2 Littre, Histoire de la langue frangaise, vol. i. p. xxxi. et vol. ii. p. 98.
3 De Chevallet, Origine et formation de la langue franqaise, vol. i. p. 27.
4 Die germanischen Memente in der franzosischen Sprache, p. xiii.
5 Introduction, etc., p. 80.
44 MENTONE
Having already strayed far beyond my beat, I only quote
a few of these words :
GERMAN. PROVENCAL. FRENCH. ITALIEN. ENGLISH.
Burger Burges bourgeois borghese burgher
Balken balkoun balcon balcone balcony ,
Frau frema femme femmina female
Garbe garbo, gerba gerbe erba herb
Garten jardis, jardin jardin giardino garden
Harnisch arnes harnais arnese harness
Kater kat, cat chat gatto cat.
I must needs stop, though I feel greatly tempted to carry
the quotations a little further. But such is the origin and
composition of the tongue spoken here and in varying shades
all along the coast and on the slopes of the Maritime Alps,
and considering ah 1 the other influences, we easily understand
why it should sound somewhat harsh, for dialects are
necessarily harsh and stronger in their sounds and less
polished in their terms than the acknowledged tongue.
Speaking one's language well is invariably a sign of educa-
tion, refinement, and good breeding. It is, therefore,
surprising that nearly all natives of Nice and Mentone,
high and low, express themselves in their vernacular, and
often use terms they would never employ without a blush
in talking French, and there is some truth in the saying,
' Une dame qui parle patois c'est un diamant monte en
cuivre.' But this will only disappear when there shall be a
thoroughly French spirit, French priests conversing and
preaching in French, and French teachers instructing in
French, and when pupils shall be compelled to answer and
converse in French, and when teachers and priests shall have
disappeared who are not able either to speak or write well
even after a thirty years' annexation ! Even whole com-
panies of soldiers, whom I have frequently met in the Alps
during* their summer manoeuvres, never talk French, but
patois, and French officers themselves have told me that it
is severely forbidden, but done nevertheless.
' Parmi les causes qui prolongent, dans une contree
1'enfance de la raison et la vieillesse des prejuges, on peut
compter la disparite et la rusticite des idiomes.' 1
1 Gr^goire, Rapport a la Convention, 1 Juillet 1793.
MENTONE AS IT IS 45
And to terminate these remarks with a very clever and
concise Italian quotation :
' La parola e la prima istoria delle nazioni, percib i parlari
plebei sono, oserli dire, gli archivi,- la piu ricca miniera dei
documenti d'un populo.' l
There is no doubt that a linguist would find here an
extensive area for his philosophical or rather philological
studies, and might, by looking over old records, charters,
and parchments, furnish a series of practical and valuable
contributions both to the historian and the etymologist.
Moving on, terra incognita, I only venture to give what
is already known, viz., a passage out of the Gospel of
St. Luke in the five languages that bear a certain family
likeness. The Mentonese has been kindly prepared by Mr.
Charles Trenca, well versed in this local patois. Mr. V.
Lieutaud, once head of the Marseilles library, has favoured
me with the Proven9al copied from one of the oldest
versions of the New Testament. To both gentlemen I
feel most grateful, and I hereby tender them my very best
thanks.
The Mentonese are an eminently religious people, fond of
Oriental ceremonies like their brethren in central and
southern Italy ; showy and gay in their annual gatherings.
Their different festivals are intimately connected with, or
rather result from, their numerous saints' days. They
combine piety, however, with a certain amount of good
taste, enhance their devotion by pretty dresses, a natural
and universal weakness of the fair sex, particularly on
high days and holidays ; and in their frequent pro-
cessions, priests and people, friars and fraternities, wor-
shippers and sight-seers, muster in great force. Though
faithfully attached to their own church, they are, if not
from force of conviction, at least for the sake of their own
interests, tolerant towards others, and conversions from
either camp are rare and pass off quietly. Their priests
very seldom abuse the pulpit, but carefully avoid all that
might hurt the feelings of those professing other creeds ;
and on several occasions, when I needed their services for
1 E. Celesia, DelV antichissimo idioma dei Liguri.
PROVENCAL.
02
H
P
H
g
1
o
I-H
"H
k
. Et Gesu di digue. Un
fagu6 uno gran riboto e
ritefouasso moundi' 1 .
. E mande soun varlet,
uro deu repas per dire ei
vida de veni que tout ero
. Erne aio tutti ^coumes-
de sescusa. Lou proumie'
e, Ai croumpa uno bastido
fan parti per I'ana veirca
en pregu6 fai mi escuso.
P"" 1 *o ^So^Sjj'"""'"'
d ^ "a ^ ^ S g -g T! - 'o ~*
W
S |a^O
s ll!l
S lg|"'ll"lllljlll
MENTONESE.
b"
o
O3
P
O
i
o
>
Capo xiv. 16-21.
6. E Gesu di un ome ania
in gran supii e i ania envia
nde gent.
7. E a r'oura d'ou supa
a manda ou seu servitore
de a ru envia Vene, per-
tout ez prount.
8. Ma ella anian coumensa
te unanimamente a se
sa. Ou primou ri di, mi
catta una ereditk e me
necessariamente parti per
ira. Ve me te pregou de
| s ^gl^-gs'^i-i '!
"- 1 - 83 ~< -
a i* a o
2 So 9 Ail
^ggjSS
-U OJrd O C3
a '3 > P. *S ~> 2 a2 8'> s *
a -g * i i
O 03 - <
O . Ofl - o i i t^
g * S "*
o'*^a 60 >d fl j3 '^'^"a'2' 1 '
4
c5 S ^ ft ft
g 2 .2 u oT
go^ti o^ ""OajOjSg-"
o
o> d ^ c
CJ o ^ O ^^^ ^
W *^ .^, ft *^ ^) ? 'tg ^ S "oo o
p
3
?!
3 g 111' 3 *
Ii^>g 8 |
g oT' 3 -^3 aT'o a, ^'O o -S o3 o
*
fc
<!
O2
to
I 1
sll i*
^=5^1^ ft 1^-^ftSgU
3
-4
P
>
'
05 o S
-ag ^ o
^l^iil
glislla "lltfg-sl
5 cS a5M c3r jo ' S so-S*ojo
t->
it
S
e
&
C5 o> 22 "3 to -2 d
~-*l g 1 .^ j;
a '3 S 't! a g .2 ^ -g Is I ,cf o
H
.a
O
O
T 1 (M d Cirl """ ^ 1^
^ JJ * ^
en "*-* n n *"* * 'S ft.^H
5
sfS-fJi
fti i a ^ -8 s ^(N f 5 sS tiS'5-
M O r ft .2. =8 O *>"" U
fi *i 0> *>
M ^ -<U Jj 03
MO> -om o c a " <e
td
t2
l-q
H
CO
fc
CQ
CO
J-T 4) 0> *- 3
S> n g ft^ o
.. a) g a^- 3 +*
tJ <&S n x
SS-SaJS
&& o/^'p N
^ a s E 2
S D "S T" ^
-2|-SSS
^S fl: clg
4) O> -4-3 ,
|"-3lS|
s ..a -= ^ 2 a
2 ' < "^ -^ "S * - ft" 1 * "d
FRENC
EVANGILE SELO
Chapitre xiv
01 03 O X 0) d
s >- t> s K s>
M bDS 0) >
-cu os^3 d^
3!^:*
05 S - S ^> . >
s gi s ?N
sl^s a
L8. Mais ils se
7ime de concert
premier dit,
e terre, et il me
rement partir
ir, Je te prie de
Ijjjl}
J
o 3
rC !3 B<
UBff
iVa a^ -SeJgagJl
o a a ^ 3
as s i -s
g83
cSlflJ dd 'oowco
^J<8 <^3 3s&ur3
3
o a a 5 ^
KbO 05 - ^
^' * >
P
03 > ft
c^ 2
-S^ acL .'tJ'S'^
p5
rf
a g .^ JH
5 f j
-*-S ' P Q ^ -.
g
;V
' g g
03 s d
.'H'S"' 3 _^ ^p^oSrtp
g"
'"5
J
3| S i'.s
. 1J 1
S *- a
Pa, a ^ +i
S*" ^ v g J3 | g
E-J
j:
Q ^^"5 0*
9 3
-SSSP "o Baao
^-'32 d <UOo5"*e3t-
i_3
kj ^
1
"^ E 'a os +>* c
0) 03 ^- O
" O .'^t ' r:Jt n ft"a
H
O
2-
a*ig|||
o 03 a 'p
Sl^ls-8 fili *3
1
rf||cgl|
oo cs S
|. leJ- B .^^ S S .li
d +j o -u a
r^ 'x 03
^^OrtM^^O^^^S"^"
,0 & 9 ^ > '3 -^ W *0 "S
MENTONE AS IT IS 47
friends or acquaintances, I found them most obliging.
Their flocks are not quite free from superstition, found
everywhere, I fear, and even more ridiculous than here.
Out of the forms of lead, when melted on a charcoal fire and
in a brand-new pan, and during the mysterious hours of
spectres on twelfth night, some old women will, operating
on a distant cross way, reveal your future for a trifle. Other
people go soon after midnight, or just before sunrise to the
seashore in order to find a grain or two of St. John's silvery
hair in the ashes of numerous large bonfires, which were lit
in his honour on the eve of his festival. They have their
lucky days on which an undertaking may be safely started,
and their unlucky ones, and woe unto him who ventures on
a journey, or an enterprise, or on matrimony on such an evil
day ! From his journey he will return a cripple, or perhaps
not at all, his enterprise must end in utter ruin, his married
life will be misery, his children an ill-shaped set. They have
their haunted places, their apparitions, their evil eyes, their
fortune-tellers, their soothsayers, their visions, and their
dreams, their woe-begetting moons, their churchyard
ghosts, etc. And so have we, and so has every nation.
The curious incident I am going to relate may have its equal
somewhere. One day I went to Roccabruna for the purpose
of sounding the castle well. Beyond the chapel dedicated
'A notre Dame de la Neige,' not very far from my des-
tination, I found that I had forgotten the most essential
part, viz., my string and lead. As, however, the former
might be borrowed and the latter replaced by a pebble, I
went on. Partly angry, partly amused at my foolish
errand, I arrived at the entrance of the venerable building,
and, to my great delight, I saw a man unloading his donkey
and displaying half a dozen cords, the shortest of which
would have done for me. After a random conversation
with the individual, I finally told him the object of my
mission and of my foolish forgetfulness, and having laughed
a good deal at myself so as to enlist his sympathies on my
behalf, I picked up one of the cords and asked him to be
good enough to lend it to me for a moment that I might
accomplish the measurement. To my great surprise he
48 MENTONE
came out with a string of excuses as long as all his cords
together, if not even longer, such as : The cord might be
too short, or I might drop it, or it would get so wet that it
could not be used again for a day or two, or that he had to
lock them up at once as he was in a great hurry to return to
his field, etc. etc. I endeavoured to meet all these objec-
tions one by one. It was useless. I requested him to come
with me. He would not and could not. Then I offered
the usually successful tempter, a franc staring right in his
face. He cast a sly glance at it, and my hope revived, but
his resolve could not be shaken, and with sulky Non vuol
as determined as the sulkiest child's ' I won't,' he hurriedly
picked up his cords, moved with all his goods and chattels
into a hovel, shut the door behind him, and left me to
muse and meditate over my signal defeat. On my way
home, musing and grumbling, and I fear more angry with
the poor ignorant peasant than with myself, I met
a native, a slight acquaintance of mine, and told him my
mishap. ' Well,' quoth he, ' I am but little surprised.
Many of our poor labourers who spend nearly all their time
in the fields and woods far away from any village, leaving
early in the morning and returning late in the evening,
talking little and pondering much on what they have seen
or heard, finally firmly believe in many an absurd story
and store it up, striking deep roots into their hearts and
minds. That poor fellow who would not lend you a cord
was told that the well was bewitched, and he believed it and
believes it still, and many others do the same I am ashamed
to say, though otherwise they are very affable and obliging.'
The standard of morality is comparatively high, yet not
so high as it was, it is true. The rapid increase of popula-
tion and the large influx of strangers have, naturally,
favoured and multiplied temptation of every kind.
People here are attentive without much demonstration,
and any one accustomed to a studied social and grammatical
politeness may consider them less polished than they actually
are, because every patois is rude in its forms ; most of them
are honest in their dealings, agreeable in their demeanour,
jealous of the influence of strangers, and therefore exclusive
MENTONE AS IT IS 49
and reserved, tolerably sound in their judgment, wanting
in energy, sober in their habits, boisterous in their social
gatherings, fond of songs and dances, attached to their few
rural pleasures, their homes, and their native place, brave
as soldiers and sailors.
The Ligurians altogether are a handsome race, the men
strong, the women pretty. The Saracens, appreciating both
qualities, often carried them away, the former for work,
the latter for gracing their harems. Black hair and dark
sparkling eyes, the almost genuine type of southern Italy,
are predominant. I have, however, seen a few fair boys and
girls. The dress of women, old and young, is light, plain, and
suitable to their mild climate and their occupations, though
fashion creeps in very fast. A flower jauntily stuck behind
the ear or in the hat, the real mountain hat, now less in vogue,
completes their toilette. A great many girls go bareheaded
in spite of the great heat, and yet sunstrokes are hardly ever
heard of.
Stockings and shoes are frequently conspicuous by their
absence. Costumes have naturally changed, or rather
varied a great deal here where invasions occurred so often.
Sometimes they may have been imported, sometimes freely
adapted by the natives because it suited their fancy. But
records are very scanty from which to form any precise idea.
Many years ago, on March 22, 1823, Lady Blessington made
the following remarks : ' At Mentone the costume of the
women is pretty and becoming. The young wear their hair
simply braided, with bunches of natural flowers placed over
one of the ears ; the children's heads are arranged in the
same manner, and they look like those in a picture of
Watteau. The women of a more advanced age wear
handkerchiefs of the brightest colours twisted round their
heads, like turbans, or nets of a dark hue.'
As for their customs and costumes in past centuries
we can only judge from isolated descriptions, which
seldom refer to small places in particular, but to a
county or its capital in general. Thus I gather from
various sources that from 1100 to 1300, noblemen and
burghers wore a small hat of black velvet, their long hair
D
50 MENTONE
floating, a long beard, a shirt with open front, and a large
cloak in winter ; working-men and peasants wore a cap and
a kind of Roman toga with a cowl. Ladies wore a gown
reaching down to the heels, a tunic over it down to the knees,
their hair curled or in ringlets, and a large veil ; whilst the
women of the lower classes wore a mantilla without sleeves ;
their hair rolled up over their forehead, a hat with a ridicu-
lously large brim, and in the absence of a veil, a distinctive
mark of divers colours.
Though there is a very pronounced infusion of the dolce
far niente in both sexes, the lower classes do a fair amount
of work ; the men in the fields, chiefly owned by themselves,
la chere campagne, or on the sea as fishermen and sailors.
Victor Hugo's The Toilers of the Sea, and Holy Writ's words :
' Master, we have toiled all night and have taken nothing,'
singularly apply to their hard and often thankless task.
The women in their usual branches of labour, carry on
their head everything portable, in a bundle or in a basket,
even baskets of lemons [containing as many as 350, and
weighing from 80 to 100 ft]. Bearing the heaviest burdens,
they walk with erect figure for miles along the rough paths
uphill and down. 1 What with scanty food, the great heat,
and incessant work, their constitutions become gradually
undermined, their complexions tanned and shrivelled, and
they look old in the very prime of life. There is plenty of
lighter work, such as gathering olives, picking, wiping,
sorting, and packing lemons ; but though wages have
considerably risen, proprietors and merchants find it often
difficult to get a sufficient number of hands.
The fishermen are always busy with their boats and nets.
The latter are immensely large, and the meshes being very
fine they retain the smallest fry. They are taken out a
considerable distance, sometimes a mile, brought round, and
then pulled in by men, women, and children, who often find
scarcely anything to repay them for their time and labour.
Yet as they ply their trade all the year round, in summer
1 We have seen a woman with a large flat basket on her head ascend one
of the steep goat-paths at the head of the Carei valley. On arriving at the
high road, she let down her basket and took out from the linen which tilled
it a smiling baby, ED.
A PEASANT MOTHER
Page 50.
REDEEMING THE TIME
Page 50.
MENTONE AS IT IS 51
generally during the night, they earn a fair amount of wages,
and are, as a rule, a well-to-do class, for fish is really never
cheap in Mentone, though in winter there is a large supply
coming from the Channel and the Italian lakes. It is a
perfect picture to see them pull ashore their thousand yards
of cord. The progress is slow, for their net is far out and
sometimes very heavy. Look how the men lasso the stout
rope with a short one going round their back, and having
a lump of cork at the end, and then pull, bringing all their
muscles into play ! Their garments being of the plainest
kind, their wiry frame is seen in full activity, worthy of the
pencil and the block. On festive days the tall red cap of
Phrygian shape forms a characteristic and essential addition
to their light blue attire and scarlet sash. Sometimes, at
night, they fish close along the coast ; their boats, lit up by a
large pan filled with tar, move along and up and down like
phantoms, spreading their lurid light on land and water.
Sometimes, too, they ply their trade near Cap Martin, when
one man, sitting on a tall tripod, directs the boats and nets
beneath his lofty throne, the fish being attracted by the
light. This, watched from near or far, is an original and
striking sight on a calm dark evening. Their trade is not
quite so flourishing now, as the fish, being constantly dis-
turbed, often emigrate.
Less interesting are the washerwomen as seen along the
torrents and tiny streamlets, and even on canals of water
coming from the olive mills, where it seems impossible to
wash dirty linen clean. But I forget, they do not wash, but
beat the dirty linen clean. The wonder is that the linen
does come back at all and is not reduced to pulp, con-
sidering the long process of beating it goes through. There
are, however, washerwomen who have a lavoir of their
own, and they deserve your patronage. The new lavoir
in the Carei valley, and near the waterworks affords,
perhaps, enough accommodation, but it is seemingly too
open and too draughty. Since the new supply of the
Vesubia Company seems to be abundant, there ought to be
no difficulty in erecting another basin in the Eastern Bay.
But it must be flushed every morning, so as to prevent the
62 MENTONE
soapy water from becoming stagnant near the seashore, and
increasing thus the unsavoury appearance, offensive both to
nose and eyes.
As for commerce and trade, we need only mention four
branches the gathering, carrying, sorting, and packing of
the lemons, which rank amongst the best in Europe ; the
gathering of olives and the working of the oil mills ; the
manufacture of essences and perfumes ; and wood carving.
The picking and packing of lemons goes on nearly all the
year round, but trade is chiefly brisk in early spring, when
you can observe buyers walking through the lemon groves
measuring the size of the fruit ; men picking them, old
women wiping and sorting ; strong lasses carrying them on
their heads to carts near at hand or to headquarters in
Mentone, where the different kinds are once more sorted
according to size and quality, carefully cleaned and wrapt
in soft paper, and quite as carefully packed hi boxes of light
wood. They are generally sent away by rail, now very
seldom by boat, either to Marseilles or straight to their final
destination. The best quality is sent to America, and the
rest all over Europe. As a thousand lemons cost from
thirty to fifty francs on the tree, thus a halfpenny each,
they must come to a penny a-piece before leaving the place,
and we cannot therefore expect to get really sound lemons
in London at the low rate at which they are sold.
The olive gathering, too, is going on all the winter, but
is most animated in and after the month of February. The
process of crushing the fruit is a very primitive one, and you
cannot see any modern appliances in any mill. A great deal
of oil is thus wasted or lost by imperfect extraction. Time
and bodily strength, where there is plenty of water-power,
are literally thrown away. I have never seen anything
more slavish than in Sospello, a borough about fourteen
miles from Mentone. A stout beam crossed by two poles,
which are worked by four men, sets an immense stone in
motion that crushes the olives. These men, real giants,
use their bare shoulders, and turn the beam rather fast,
changing every half-hour with four others and this from
4 A.M. till 10 P.M., with a short rest at midday. As they
MENTONE AS IT IS 63
live chiefly on oil and bread their brownish skin looks like
oiled leather, and their perspiration smells and looks oily.
In spite of all their toil they are healthy and strong. A
short visit to any of the numerous oil mills will give a better
idea than the most minute description. The brownish
refuse collected in a series of cisterns, the uppermost con-
taining still some oily matter, is frequently skimmed, is
dried, and then used as fuel. How the oil is purified, refined,
and prepared for the market or export can best be seen in
M. Saissi's establishment, the largest and most perfect of
the kind, and one which has lately been very successful at a
national oil exhibition. The proprietor, M. Cyr Saissi,
will permit strangers to watch the whole process from the
mill through the various stages of refining the oil for
machinery or for the table. The coarsest stuff is sold to
soap manufacturers, or as wheel grease.
Flowers and perfume are almost inseparable. But though
nearly all flowers are sweet and beautiful, all are not odor-
iferous according to our ideas, and only a few in proportion
contain and yield the perfume and essence wanted. Beauty
is at a discount here ; utility is all that is needful. Just
look at those orange blossoms that fill the air with fragrance !
And yet 30 kilogrammes (66 pounds) of flowers have to
be mixed with 50 litres (11 gallons) of water to get
10 grammes (154 grains) of essence. But one drop of that
essence is quite equal to one litre of rose or orange or
lavender water, as you buy it at a perfumer's shop. Cologne
alone consumes annually fifty thousand francs' worth in the
production of its celebrated scent ! Besides the lemon and
bitter orange blossoms there are the jasmine, the violet,
the lavender, and several others. They all yield their share
and speciality for the composition of our various essences
and perfumes, pomades, and those endless varieties of scent
and smelling-bottles which are indispensable in any hair-
dresser's shop or dressing-room. Few have any notion of
the cost of perfumes. An ounce of violet essence can never
and nowhere be produced for less than 10, 10s. Fortun-
ately a minimum drop is sufficient for a good-sized bottle.
I myself paid for a small flask of pure, but not purified
54 MENTONE
lavender essence, 1. A lady residing with me wanted
it because it was made at St. Martin Lantosque, and not
far from our house. She saw the poor peasants and their
children bring the plant to the very primitive distillery for
4d. per 20 fb. Sometimes they earned as much as 10s. a
day, but only for a very short season. After that they began
to pick absinthe, aconite, and other aromatic and phar-
maceutical plants. In the Maritime Alps they produce
about 60,000 pints of perfume and essence, Mentone alone
one-eighth of the whole. To see it done, and to get an
insight into its manufacture, the distilleries of the place
ought to be visited several times, as different plants come in.
It may interest some readers to peruse the average statistical
statement between the years 1880 to 1887 inclusive. Count-
ing good and bad years, the hillocks of Golf e- Juan yielded
350,000 kilogrammes of orange blossoms, and this is now
their most important branch of culture. It would be impos-
sible to give the exact figures, but from the district be-
tween Cannet and the Italian frontier it may fairly be
assumed that 450,000 kilogrammes are annually produced ;
that the gathering lasts from April 25 to the end of May,
and that an orange tree, according to its age, yields 1 to
80 kilogrammes. And again : ' Le Bigaradier bitter orange
(citrus vulgaris) ou oranger a fleur aigre, est moins haut que
1'oranger doux. Son fruit n'est pas mangeable, mais sa
fleur est tres recherchee ; car pendant que sur le marche
de Nice, la douce vaut 40 c. le kilo, 1'aigre se paie 60 cent.
En 1883, a la suite de fortes gelees, les fleurs du Bigaradier
ont atteint le prix de 2 frs. 50 cent, et meme 3 frs. le kilo.
L'ecorce de Forange amere est decoupee en lanieres sechees
au soleil, et expediee au loin, pour la fabrication du cura9oa.
Les lanieres desechees sont livrees, en Allemagne surtout, au
prix de 1 frs. le kilo. La feuille infusee dans de 1'eau bouil-
lante donne une boisson calmante.'
The style of wood-carving practised all over Italy, and
especially in the southern provinces, is exhibited in a great
many shops. Patterns vary but little, and you must
furnish your own design if you want anything particular or
original. The wood employed is only partially natural,
MENTONE AS IT IS 55
most of it being more or less strongly dyed. There are some
very able and really skilled workmen in Mentone who not
only execute all orders, but show how the work is done, and
even give lessons ; but those who want to learn ought first
to study a little Manual for Fret-cutting and Woodcarving,
by Major-General Sir T. Seaton, K.C.B., published by
Routledge & Sons, and bring out their English tools. In
conclusion, I mention the various kinds of wood employed
here : Orange and lemon, light yellow ; caruba, deep red ;
box, white ; fig, black ; oak, light brown ; walnut, grey ;
jujuba, light red ; yew, arbutus, ebony, cherry, and
many others.
CONVEYANCES
There are more drives about Mentone than a casual
visitor might suppose. The road to Roccabruna, Turbia,
Laghetto, and Eza will never lose its charms. Every turn
has its own pleasant; view ; every winding its peculiar
interest ; every nook and corner something striking. There
is the road to Monaco, Beaulieu, etc., where people, after
having contemplated nature and art, listened to excellent
music, enjoyed a first-rate dinner, seen the very best acting,
may finally try their luck and return, their purse, most
likely, considerably relieved.
In the same direction is Cap Martin, offering a short but
quiet and delightful drive, with grand views over valleys,
mountains, and the sea ; roads constructed for and trodden
by Roman soldiers ; ruins of chapels and convents ; myrtle
in abundance, reminding us happily or unhappily of our
wedding days ; time-worn rocks, old but still solid targets
of the tempest-driven waves ; a lighthouse, permitting
through its telescope a peep at distant Corsica, a restaur-
ant near the shore, and a Roman arch erected after 1848 !
Both walk and drive were, for a couple of seasons, sadly
interfered with by the Monte Carlo sporting club, who rented
the wood and stocked it with rabbits, hares, pheasants, etc.
Mentone applauded the idea, but has soon come back to
sounder views, and caused the nuisance to be removed !
56 MENTONE
Now the property has changed hands, and the place may
gain by it.
There are, in an exactly opposite direction, the pretty
drive to Ventimiglia, with its openings on snow-capped
Alpine peaks ; to Airola, Giandola, and Tenda, following the
new road on the left bank of the Roya ; to Camporosso and
Dolceacqua with its ruined castle (see p. 406) ; Pigna and
Apricale ; to Bordighera, the land of palms ; and to San
Rejmo, the Sanctus Romulus of yore.
There is the road to Castellare, where several kinds of
anemones bloom early, in goodly numbers. The drive is
short, easy, and sheltered, and can be recommended to
invalids.
And there is the romantic Carei drive, winding heavily
up above the torrent, crossing it, and creeping back again
as if it were afraid of venturing higher up ; most calm and
sunny in winter between ten and one, and for healthy people
just before sunset. I have never anywhere seen the light
break into such varied refractions or present such rapid
changes of colour. The road leads to Castiglione, Sospello,
and thus to Turin. Though considered important in 1293, 1
it was only completed in 1866.
Finally the drive up theGorbio valley, the easiest of all, and
offering pretty views of St. Agnes, Gorbio, and many slopes
and gorges. All these roads are accessible to carriages of
every size and description, and as far as they are level to
bath-chairs. These bath-chairs are hired by the hour, the
day, or month, with or without an attendant, who is, how-
ever, always useful in giving the necessary information and
selecting the walk most convenient for the day. Such a
walk leads up and around the H6tel du Louvre, crosses
the railway, and joins the embankment of the Carei, which
from here onward is called Pietra Scritta, i.e. the Written
Rock or the Inscribed Rock, because there was an inscrip-
tion on a marble slab fitted into a sandstone rock close to
the road. I noticed the empty place as early as 1863. This
slab has lately been discovered in a room, then used as a
carpenter's shop, on the flight of steps that leads from the
1 Rapport de H. Qrigoire. A la Convention Nationals, 1 Juillet 1793.
MENTONE AS IT IS 57
Rue Longue to the parish church. M. Bonfils, the intelligent
director and generous founder of the municipal museum,
has restored it to its original place. Here is a copy :
ANTONIUS I
SUI POPULI COMMODO
PROPRIIS DEAMBULATIONIBUS
VIAM HANG PER RUPES
AMPLIARI IUSSIT
AN : SAL : MDCCXVII.
Which is to be read : ' Antonius I., for the accommodation of
his people and his own walks has ordered the widening of
this road along the rocks in the year of our Lord 1717.'
Most excellent carriages, with a number of indifferent ones,
are at the command of strangers. But whether they are
hired by the hour, the day, or the month, the price ought to
be fixed beforehand, so as to avoid all misunderstandings
or imposition. The drivers are generally steady men, well
acquainted with the road and neighbourhood and accidents
are almost unknown. There are also plenty of cabs on their
respective stances, or plying for hire. There is a tariff,
and the safest thing is to get a copy of it.
Prices, of course, are high, very high. But it cannot be
otherwise in a place where provender, coming from a long
distance, paying import duty and octroi, is naturally ex-
pensive.
As for boating, there will never be any lack of amusement
in this beautiful spot of the Mediterranean. It is, however,
not much patronised, owing to the uncertain temper of the
sea. Most boats are heavy and clumsy, it is true, but what
does that matter as long as sails are safe and arms are
strong ! Even these heavy boats are dear. Of late years
a good many lighter ones have made their appearance. The
demand has not been sufficient to tempt speculators. But
a good start has certainly been made ; quality and quantity
have risen and charges fallen.
Now last and least, about our donkeys and mules. They
are a capital set, though they do not exactly look so, but
you must not judge even a beast by its look. They do not
mind any amount of work as long as they get a little rest and
58 MENTONE
food now and then, and are kindly treated. Sure-footed
and docile, they climb up the stiffest paths, wind cautiously
around precipices and feel their way when there is hardly
any room for human feet. Shod animals are not quite
so safe as unshod ones. Mules suitable for longer ex-
cursions are to be had, but they are not very numerous.
The charge is five francs a day for ordinary excursions, but
over the Bress, or round Baudon to Peglia, it is more.
A smah 1 loaf of common bread for one's own animal is but
a trifling outlay, but will save time, lessen fatigue, and
increase the comfort.
CHAPTER III
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS, OR MENTONE AS IT WAS
AFTER strolling about the old and new town for several days,
becoming acquainted with its ways and means, its inlets
and outlets, it is quite time to hear something about its
origin, its progress, its former and present site, its historical
and political connection. If the oldest inhabitant, well
versed in the legends and traditions of his native place, is to
be credited, Mentone must be very old. Indeed and in
fact it existed before any city quoted in the earliest manu-
script, since Eve is said to have been so charmed with this
little corner that she presented it with a lemon and an orange
when she was turned out of Paradise, a hint immediately
acted upon by the intelligent and forturiate receiver of this
precious gift. But where that lucky and thoughtful
individual came from who received or found the fruit and
planted the seed, tradition passes over in ominous silence.
Now it so happens that the name of Mentone does not occur
in any record dated before 1200 A.D. And surely where
there is no name, the object cannot be supposed to exist and
still less to be renowned. There may have been a settle-
ment, and most likely there was, and that very early, on its
present site, or not very far from it. The position is, in a
strategical point of view, very important, and the Romans
who passed here long before the Christian era, and the
Phoenicians still earlier, made, most likely, some use of its
bay and hill, though little remains to prove this assertion,
unless we take into account all the circumstantial and
collateral evidence to be gathered here and there. The Via
Aurelia, passing through its present precincts, naturally
brought it in early contact with the moving, conquering,
59
60 MENTONE
and civilising part of the Roman world ; and the natives
being by nature excellent soldiers and sailors, after having
stubbornly and gallantly defended their soil and sea, may
have submitted to their aggressors, superior in number and
skill, and become even their allies to their mutual advantage.
But whatever their primitive circumstances may have been
their individuality was lost among the numerous Ligurian
tribes, and even the gratifying story that the rival emperors,
Otho and Vitelhus (68-70 A.D.) were the accidental god-
fathers to the name, will not pass scrutiny. Otho was in
Rome, and Vitellius on the Rhine. The latter immediately
returned to Italy and defeated his rival's army at Bedriacum
on the Po. 1 But even if their' partisans fought along this
coast, it was hardly on this side of the mountains, as one of
the battles raged in Peglia valley, a battle in which the
Peglians had their prehistoric strongholds destroyed.
Others say that the hostile forces met beyond Monaco
somewhere between Nice and Hyeres, and some of the most
reliable authors fix the encounter between Nice and Antibes.
But Rossi, a very good authority on the history of Liguria,
positively states that the troops of the two emperors had a
most desperate engagement within the territory of Venti-
miglia. The Othonians, fighting against the natives,
stormed the town, and after a most sanguinary conflict
plundered the unarmed inhabitants and put the rest to
fire and sword. 2 Three pitched battles within so narrow
a circuit and so limited a period seem to be quite
sufficient to prove their warlike tendencies. It is, how-
ever, not so easy to comprehend how all these engage-
ments could have engendered the name Mentone out of
Memoria Oihonis, or perhaps Memor Othonis, though capri-
cious changes and contractions are everywhere, and more
particularly along this coast, very frequent. All this rests
on Gioffredo's saying : ' After having passed the small pro-
montory, commonly called Cap Martin, and greeted the
village of Roccabruna, one disembarks at Mentone, a name
1 Dr. Weber, Allgemeine Weltgeschichtc, vol. i. p. 219 ; Duruy, Histoire
des Romains.
8 Rossi, Storia delta cittd di Ventimiglia, p. 17.
MENTONE AS IT WAS 61
said to be corrupted from Memoria Othonis in consequence
of an engagement having taken place there between the
Othonians and Vitellians.' x This sentence has been faith-
fully copied (but never been refuted) by all of those who
wrote about Mentone, without any serious consideration of
the matter. True there is not much harm done. Gaston
d'Hombres, however, a professor of history, did more mischief
in sanctioning in his Notice historique sur le comte de Nice
this worn-out notion by giving it on page twelve a kind of
official authority. This name thus corrupted seems equally
to apply to Lumone, which Antonine, in his itinerary,
mentions as being between Ventimiglia and Turbia, giving
even the distance. And on page 307 Giofifredo quotes
Pietro Ant. Bojero's Historia di Nizza, a manuscript, and
says : ' The naval force disembarked between the towns of
Nice and Ventimiglia, perhaps in the neighbourhood of
Mentone, which name is said to be taken after a battle that
happened thereabout, the place being formerly called
Memoria Othonis, though Antonine, in his itinerary, calls
it Lumone, a name that may have undergone the same
changes as his book.' 2 The army which came along the road
from Genoa the second half was sent by sea desolated
the whole country, burning and plundering everything, the
inhabitants being unable to provide against these sudden
invaders, or to get their goods and chattels away. The
soldiers found, therefore, the fields well stocked, the houses
open, the occupiers, with their wives and daughters and
servants, meeting them as friends. These good and simple-
minded people perceived too late the unbounded covetous-
ness, the cold-blooded cruelty, and the disgraceful outrages
of their uninvited and now unwelcome guests, and if Mentone
really derives its name from the presence of such ruffians,
it ought to change it and to sink into oblivion the dishonour
to which their forefathers were compelled to submit. Had
it, however, existed at that time, it would have been brought
1 Gioffredo, Storia delle Alpi Marittime, p. 78.
2 Marius Maturus was then, 69 A.D. , prefect of the Maritime Alps.
Tacitus mentions him in two places : ' Maritimas turn Alpes tenebat Marius
Maturus,' Hist., ii. 12, and 'Haud procul inde, agebat Marius Alpinum
Maritimarum procurator,' Hist., iii. 42.
62 MENTONE
into more conspicuous notice in the historical events im-
mediately following. But the name of Mentone does not
appear. Even during the invasions of the Saracens, 720-
975, its name is not met with anywhere, though Eza, Turbia,
St. Agnes, etc. etc., are frequently mentioned as great
sufferers. It is true A. de Longperier says l that Mentone,
after the expulsions of the Saracens, passed into the hands
of the Counts of Ventimiglia (975), who held it in fief direct
from the German empire. But I cannot find the statement
supported by any documentary evidence, though the
Ventimiglian counts are reported to have existed in the
tenth century, since San Bemo is said to have been situated
within their county in 962. 2 There is, however, no doubt
that Mentone and (or rather or) Podium Pinum, if existing
under any name, or even just springing into existence, did
belong to Ventimiglia, since Roccabruna, Gorbio, St. Agnes,
and Castellare were within its confines. 3 Such being the
case it must have passed over to the Genoese hi 1140. As
Podium Pinum or Mentone, however, are not mentioned in
any transfer, they may have already been in the possession
of the Ventos, being lost and regained later. This might be
explained by the fact of the original owners' not recognising
or not even noticing the illegal and unceremonious exchanges,
cessions, and sales which so often took place at this period.
Podium Pinum, being, by the way, frequently found enumer-
ated with Boccabruna, Gorbio, and Castellare, 1146, 1157,
1177, and 1182, 4 must have existed in the very neighbour-
hood of the actual Mentone. Monaco, the residence of a
prince, appears for the first time in 1162. Mentone cannot
have existed in 1002, for in a convention passed between the
inhabitants of Tenda, Saorgio, and Briga on the one side,
and Ardoino Marquese di Ivrea on the other, three castles
only are inscribed and said to be held by the Ventimiglian
counts, Otho and Conrad, as within their jurisdiction, and
1 A. de Longperier, L'hiver ct Menton, p. 12.
2 Albert!, Istoria della Cittd, di Sospello, p. 78.
3 Liber Jurium Reipub. Genuen. Doc., ii. 962, Mense Martio Petitio facta
a nonnullis Teodogiho ianuensi, epiacopo ut bona cuique in sorte contingentia
posita in commitatu Vigintimiliensi colenda tradat ; and Lib. Jur. dociim.
cxxi. cxxii. cxxiii. et cxxvii.
Gioffredo, vide the respective years.
63
these were : Gorbio, St. Agnes, and Castellare. Had any
other existed lower down, it would have been noticed as
being quite as important as the rest. Nor is it enumerated
when Bishop Thomas, son of Conrad n., Count of Venti-
miglia, made in 1061 an unconditional donation of all his
landed property in Carnolese to Count Rinaldo.
Nor is it mentioned in 1061, when, in the self-same year,
the very same count, Rinaldo or Rainaldo, who together
with his sons made to the monks of the Lerins a donation
of a piece of land situated within the place of Carnolese and
the mount of St. Martin, just as he had acquired it from
Bishop Thomas of Ventimiglia.
Such donations happened very frequently in the eleventh
century. There was a general belief that the end of the
world was drawing near, and a good many nobles, having
enriched themselves by ignoble means, gave the greatest
part, and often all they had, to religious houses, in order
to pave their way into paradise. Most of our leading
monasteries date their fortunes and influence from this
period. 1
Neither may its existence be fixed even within a few years
of 1078 and 1082 2 when Oberto i., Count of Ventimiglia,
interfered with the aforesaid gift of the Church of St. Martin
in the valley of Carnolese. In August 1146, however,
Podium Pinum, the. cradle of Mentone, is mentioned in two
different books, and in each under a different name. As we
shall say more about the site of Podium Pinum under its
proper heading, we only quote here the historical facts.
In the first book, chapter cxxii. runs thus : ' Otto vinti-
miliensis cometis filius castrum Podii Pini ad mandatum
Januse communis custodire pollicetur.' In the second,
cxxiii., we find: '1146 mense Aug. Obertus vintimiliensis
comes castrum Podii Pini consulibus ianuensibus tradere
promittit si requisitus.'
These two entries so similar in style and purpose may
seem a useless repetition. Otho, a branch of the Venti-
miglian counts, by this declaration, promises protection for
the collateral line, and Oberto n., the Count of Ventimiglia,
1 Gioffredo, p. 340. 2 Liber Jurium Reipublicae Qenuensis.
64 MENTONE
confirms his relation's gift, and stamps it with his authority
as the senior or head of the noble house.
On July 30, 1157, Guido Guerra, another count of
Ventimiglia, gives to the republic of Genoa the castles of
' Roccabruna, Gorbium, Poipinum, Pennam, aliaque castra
Januensibus consulibus cedens, eorundem vassalus efficetur
salva fidelitate.'
And on September 6, 1177, we read hi the next number
of the same book : ' Januenses Consules Ottonem vinti-
miliensem comitem de castris Roccabruna, Gorbio, Poipini
et Pennae feudi jure investiunt.'
And finally a document hi which several important
acquisitions of the Genoese are carefully dated from Sep-
tember 19 to October 1199, and January 7, 1200, records
again the purchase of the moieties of the towns and
castles of Roccabruna, Gorbio, Poipino, all three promising
to assist .the counts (now conspiring against their own
subjects) and the Genoese in the approaching war with the
Ventimiglians. 1
From all these documents we are led to conclude : 1. That
Podium Pinum, the Poipino of the Italians, the Pepino of
the Mentonese, the Puypin of the modern French 2 did not
exist before, or at least not much before, 1100. 2. That its
existence began, beyond a shadow of a doubt, immediately
after that date, or from the beginning of the twelfth century.
3. That Mentone cannot have existed before the beginning
of the thirteenth century, not at least as a place of note.
Should, however, any one still doubt the existence of
Pepino, let him read a bull of Pope Lucian in., dated June 8,
1182, 3 hi which he grants to the dean and chapter of the
Cathedral of Ventimiglia all the tithes of St. Martin in
1 Liber Jurium Reipublicae Genuensis, 433 and 434.
2 Pay, in Catalonian Puig, is a name generally given to conic mountains
supposed to be of volcanic origin, and in the Auvergne and Cevennes we
have still several Puys. Puypin, Pepino, or Podium Pinum would thus
designate a pine cone, a pine ridge, which our place in question evidently
is, or rather was, for the pines have nearly all gone and the soil has been
washed away.
3 Du Sanctuaire de V Annonciade, pres Menton, par le Chevalier H.
Ardoino, p. 7 : ' Privilegio communimus Ecclesiam Sanctae Mariae de
Carnolese cum omnibus pertinentiis suis ; medietatem decimae Podii Pini ;
decimam quam habetis in braida comitis de Carnolese et decimam quam
habetia in Lacte et quidquid habetis in Agerbol aut in ejus territorio.
MENTONE AS IT WAS 65
Carnolese, Latte, and Agerbol, whilst he only takes away half
of the tithe, from Podium Pinum, which facts clearly
demonstrate the existence therein of a cure of souls where
the sacramental rites of baptism, confirmation, and mar-
riage were performed by the regular or secular clergy,
whilst St. Martin, Latte, and Agerbol were merely chapels.
The erection of a church in Carnolese, as referred to in a
document dated 1177, will once more corroborate this
statement. For we read : ' Anno Dominicae incarnationis
millesimo centesimo septuagesimo septimo indictione decima,
sexto kal. martii (February 24) Commutatio bonse fidei
noscitur esse contractus, ut vice emptionis obtineat firmi-
tatem eodemque nexu obliget contrahentes. Placuit itaque,
et bonam convenit voluntatem inter Dominum Otonem
comitem Vintimilii, nee non et Dominum Laugerium
abbatem St. Onorati, et dederunt in altari de suis rebus
vicissim causa commutationis. Ideo in primis Dominus
Abbas voluntate et auctoritate totius sanctae congregationis
sui ccenobii Lirinensis, et monachorum secum degentium
videlicet Joffredi des Crocs prioris de monasterio sancti
Michaelis Vintimilii et auctoritate Guilielmi Bertranni
prioris Saurgii, Beraldi prioris Carnolesii, Raimundi Bai
sacristse Lerini, Salomonis, Ugonis Gilii, Augerii, et csete-
rorum monachorum et laicorum fratrum dedit et investivit
Domino Otoni comiti totum quod habebat de comptile hi
tota marca Albinganae ecclesia Sancti Michaelis Vintimilii
ab aqua Armeniae usque ad Pream, et a collibus jugum
usque in mare per helemosinam comitum prse-decessorum.
Equidem, et ab invicem recepit ipse dominus Laugerius
Lirinensis abbas, causa commutationis ab eodem domino
Otone comite ad partem ipsius monasterii similiter Braidam
totam de Clusa ad Gamavarii cum toto hoc quod poterit
Abbas, et Prior invenire per circuitum, quod fuisset unquam
de ipsa Braida, et quod pertineat ei, et medietatem de Prato
Vintimilii ultra pontem, scilicet totam portionem praedicti
domini Otonis comitis has denique res supra nominatas et
commutatas una cum accessionibus et ingressionibus earum
qualiter superius legitur, in integrum sibi unus alteri pars
parti per hanc paginam commutationis tradiderunt, etc.
E
66 MENTONE
Actum est hoc in Vintimilio, in domo et claustro. St.
Michaelis,' etc. 1
The term cum curiis et pertinentiis we meet with in some
documents cannot in fact mean anything else. It is the
official style used in ecclesiastical decrees, and supports thus
our suggestion that Podium Pinum must have been an
important place.
Having repeatedly used the words Carnoles or Carnolese,
St. Martin, Latte, and Agerbol, we must now add a few
remarks on their meaning, a few only, as our readers will
find them more particularly described under their respective
headings.
Carnolese is situated at the western extremity of the town,
and must very early have been a place of some importance,
since the abbots of St. Mary's have affixed their signatures
to many a document. It is, most likely, the small plain
that lies between the Borrigo and the Gorbio rivers, and
is one of the earliest settlements where Christians have
gathered and prospered, and may have been a branch or
even the root of Podium Pinum.
The Church of St. Martin, said to have been in the valley
of Carnolese, cannot, therefore, have been very far off ; it
was, perhaps, the original chapel of the early convent, known
now as the Madonna, where we find the temple of Diana,
generally replaced by Mary, and is thus in the same quar-
ter, which comprises all the land up the valley and the hills
and down to the sea. The said chapel may have occupied a
more eminent position on the slope, for I cannot conclude
that it stood on the table-land of the cape.
Sraida, praida, prado, is still used in Lombardy for a
large plain, a kind of common for any public use, a drilling-
ground, a space for popular meetings, or for voting, and
allied to the German briete. It is a term of the Middle
Ages, and frequently used in monk's or kitchen Latin.
' Braida Campus, vel ager suburbanus, in Gallia Cisalpina
ubi Bveda vulgo appellatur. Anno 813 et 1217.' ' Insuper
concedimus Canonicis decimas braidarum Episcopalium
curtium . id est, vinum et granum, legumina, etc . Anno 813.'
1 Gioffredo, p. 455.
MENTONE AS IT WAS 67
Agerbol was a chapel situated on the south-eastern slope
of Mount Aggel. The late chevalier Ardoino spoke to me
several times about it ; but was never able to find any
undoubted traces of its former existence. I feel, therefore,
legitimately proud of my discovering both its actual position
and the derivation of its name. Any one leaving the Cornice
Road, just after having passed the first bridge beyond
Roccabruna, and walking up towards a prominent pillar
standing before a curious well, and going beyond a few
terraces, cannot fail to perceive the remains of several
buildings almost covered with brambles and filled up with
rolling stones. A well, ruins, and road, a few traces of the
latter can still be detected, testify individually and collec-
tively to a settlement here. And there stood also the chapel
whose outlines, I confess, are not very distinctly defined.
Several external and internal evidences have, however, led
me to the conclusion that this is the real site of the ancient
Agerbol. It had only a curate, i.e. vicarius, a kind of un-
attached priest living there for a certain time only, or coming
on given days from a neighbouring church. A priest was, at
that period, called Bollanus seu Bullanus secundus curio,
seu sacerdos ecclesise parochialis B. M. de Lorriaco in qua
duo vicissim presbyterii curionis seu pastorio officio funge-
bantur.' l
That Agger frequently means or meant a way, a road, is
to be seen in Ducange, who quotes Ammianus M., lib. 18
and 19, defining agger thus : ' Via publica, iter publicum,
via militaris strata ; agger est mediae stratse eminentia
coaggeratis lapidibus strata.'
We get thus : Aggerbollanus, Agerbollan, Aggerbol,
Agerbol, i.e. the field or camp chapel or field lane chapel,
a change and a corruption not more violent and abnormal
than Tooley Street from St. Olave Street, or St. Mary
Overy from St. Mary of the Ferry. This reasoning is borne
out by the bull of Pope Lucius in., just quoted, and accord-
ing to which this our Agerbol was merely a chapel (may I
call it a chapel of ease ?) with no cure of souls, where mass
was said on Sundays and the principal saints' days by a
1 Charta Gapituli Senonensis, anno 1171.
68 MENTONE
subordinate priest, a Bollanus secundus, and that is the real
meaning of ' et quidquid habetis in Agerbol aut in ejus
territorio.'
The terms de Clusa ad Gamavarii refer to a quarter in the
Eastern Bay, now called La Cusa and Garavant or Gare a vent.
The latter includes the land between the torrent of Garavant
and ends with the torrent Peyrone, quite recently formed
near the beginning of the lemon groves, where La Cusa (La
Cuse) begins, and reaching up to the Pont St. Louis, the
present frontier.
Neither Garavant nor La Cuse belonged to the principality
of Monaco, but constituted formerly part and parcel of
Italy. A continual fluctuation in the vernacular naturally
wrought a considerable change in the two terms. From
clausum, la Clausa, la Clusa, la Cuse, the transformation is
wonderfully easy. But then the change from Gamavarii
into Garavant is almost beyond conception, and decidedly
far beyond my power of explanation. Gamavarii is un-
doubtedly meant for an accusative, a most ungrammatical
termination, because ad never governs anything but an
accusative. However, this faulty construction ought not,
perhaps, to surprise us so very much in 1177, when we
consider that Gregory of Tours, who lived 600 years earlier,
truly and very frankly acknowledges that he often con-
founds the accusative with the ablative ; and we indeed
find pro redemptionem inter sanctis, cum filios suos? Seven
centuries have worked greater wonders in grammar and
language, and have also corrupted Gamavarii into Garavant,
and whilst the former may have been a local or a proper
name, the latter now signifies in the popular mind, Gare
a vent, i.e. ' sheltered jrom the wind, guarded against the
wind,' which cannot possibly have been the primitive
meaning, for the writer would not have said, ' from an
enclosure into a shelter,' but rather, ' from the enclosure to
Gamavarius.' After having penned these lines I wrote to
the learned and indefatigable secretary of the ' Societe des
Lettres, Sciences et Arts des Alpes Maritimes a Nice,' who
1 Inscriptions chrtliennes de la Gaule, par Edouard le Blant, Nos. 374, 541,
and 651 A.
MENTONE AS IT WAS 69
is the very personification of an archaeological searcher.
After having explained a fragmentary inscription he added :
* II est a remarquer que le mot Garavant est purement
Keltique ainsi que beaucoup d'autres noms de localites.
Kaer a van signifie le village des rochers, mot a mot : Kaer
village a des, van rocher. Ce mot est un des plus anciens
et indique 1'existence des habitations sous les rochers des
Baussi Russi.' I give his explanation as it stands. No
doubt it is very plausible and deserves further inquiry.
By this gift the Abbot of St. Honore gained an
extensive and valuable tract of land, since it seems
to have included all between the Borrigo torrent and
the western slope of the cape, now partly belonging
to Mentone and partly to Roccabruna ; and nearly
all the Eastern Bay from the present Grand Hotel to
the boundary of Italy. These territorial acquisitions did
not, however, stimulate the monks' zeal for improving and
enlightening their minds, for it is stated that in 1189 out of
eighteen monks in the Lerin monastery only three could
either read or write. Need we therefore be astonished at
the imperfect copy of the manuscripts, or at the gross
ignorance of the masses ?
These monks, like their pious brethren all over the
world, cared more for good living than sound learning ;
they were rather disciples of Bacchus than of Scholasticus.
Read and judge : ' En Dec. 1244 on ecrit : Les chanoines de
Bleves avaient de toute antiquite sept plats les jours gras :
bons chapons, agneau, chevreau, pore sale avec des herbes
autour, omelette d'oauf, chair rotie, muscarpas et lait. On
donnait les jours maigres : truite avec bonne preparata ou
brochet en sauce, tanche rdtie, feves a 1'huile, ceufs meles
avec malioca veteri, bon pain et vin. 1
Now however that may be, if the counts of Ventimiglia
could give away these two large properties, they may be
fairly supposed to have possessed land on either side of
Mentone. What was on the plot between, if not Men-
tone, does not appear. Yet as all its neighbours live
and prosper and traffic in various ways, and have their
1 Tisseran et Hist, civile et religieuse de Nice, vol. i. 199.
70 MENTONE
important chapels and churches close to its very gates, if
gates there were, all assertions that it derives its name
from a battle fought there 1200 years before, or that some
African pirates immortalised themselves in the names of
two of its streets, must therefore be dismissed as unfounded
traditions.
From two documents alluded to previously, it is proved
that Otho, Count of Ventimiglia, held the castles of Rocca-
bruna, Gorbio, Pepino, and Penna, and moreover the
churches of Carnolese and St. Martin. The latter went,
as we have just seen, to the abbots of St. Honore, and
we shall soon see that Roccabruna, and perhaps Gorbio too,
belonged already at that time to the Ventos, a Genoese
noble family. The limits of the remaining property
were contiguous and, as already stated, corresponded
with the present position and extent of Mentone. This
very territory remained in Otho's possession. ' Ego
Gandolphus convenio et promitto tibi Otoni Comiti Vinti-
milii quod Vintimilienses non recipient aliquem de quinque
castris videlicet Zerbi, Puipini, Roccabrunse et Dulceaquse
nee aliquem de hominibus tuis in civem Vintimilii neque
juramenti alique quod sit contra te Oto Comes et filios
tuos.' l
At this time he must have begun the .construction of the
castle, which was naturally called Mons Othonis or Mons
Otonis, more easily turned into Monthonis, Monthoni,
Montoni, Mentoni, Mentone, than Gamavarii into Garavant.
Chevalier Ardoino, searching and deciphering different
manuscripts, had come to this conclusion before, but being
cautious he would not advance any positive statement.
His ideas were, however, soon borne out by written evidence.
He had scarcely given utterance to his supposition, or rather
conviction, when Professor Rossi confirmed this view
through a document found in the possession of the Marquis
J. B. Doria of Dolceacqua, stating that an act of sale took
place on January 30, 1298, wherein Nicolas, Bishop of
Albenga, sold several places to Nicolas and Frederic Doria,
and is attested by several witnesses, i.e. Retius de Ugonius,
1 De Gubernatia Memorie della nobile famiglia dei conti di Ventimiglvi.
MENTONE AS IT WAS 71
D. Batholomseo, Auria, and Benevento de Montone,
Notarius. 1
In an act of donation, dated December 19, 1441, it is thus
mentioned and spelled : ' ' Domino Roche Brune et Condo-
mino loci Menthonis ' ; and in an act of investiture of the
same date : ' et castro Menthonis suisque pertinenciis et
appendenciis universis ' ; and in an act of donation, dated
April 21, 1477 : ' Personaliter constitutus magnificus et
potens dominus Lambertus de Grimaldis dominus monaci
et Roquebrune ac condominus loci Menthoni diocesis
Vintimiliensis.' In the same way in an act dated
March 5, 1546 ; and in another act of the same year, July 6,
written in French by Lucyan de Grimault it is once spelt
Menton and once Menthon ; and in an act dated April 26,
1583, drawn up in Italian, it is mentioned as ' II feudo di
Mentone.' 2
The derivation of the name being thus most satisfactorily
proved, it only remains to trace the origin and gradual
influx of its population. Let us see how far this can be
done.
Castles and chapels, military stations and monastic
retreats, soldiers and missionaries, conquest and religion,
have generally been the origin of settlements. Mons
Othonis would also fulfil its mission. It may have
stood there for a long time in isolated dwellings, but
it had none of those rallying-points just mentioned. But
as soon as it had got its castle, immigration began
slowly but gradually to develop into a more regular and
extensive influx from 1177 to 1257, and there is hardly
any doubt that the principal and final influx came from
Pepino, which getting old and infirm, lost its hold upon
the attachment of its former children who, finding the times
more secure and peaceful, only consulted their own interest
by forsaking their home and by adopting an abode quite as
safe and more convenient, because it was nearer the sea and
the road. And they were not even obliged to change
masters ; for decaying Pepino and adolescent Mentone
1 Du Sanctuaire, p. 12.
2 Question de Menton et de Roccabruna, pp. 117-140. Turin, 1857.
72 MENTONE
belonged to the same lord ; both the former in its decline,
and the latter springing into early manhood, had just been
ceded to the Ventos, patricians of Genoa. Transfers and
exchanges seemed to have been the order of the day, and
Otho, now possessing very little, if anything at all on this
side of the Var, the houses of Anjou and Savoy soon at-
tempted to get a firm footing within this district.
The Ventos might have possessed this territory for a
whole century or even longer, for they were frequently in
this part of Liguria, and when Ildefonso, King of Aragonia,
was at Nice, settling some differences that arose between
himself and the town, the treaty was signed by numerous
followers, amongst them two Ventos ; ' Ac turn est hoc
apud Niciam anno Domini MCLXXXIX mense octobris,
vn Kal. novembris. Signum ^ . . . Augerio Venti,
P. Venti.'
Again in 1233, when some unruly minds, in the valley of
Oneglia, refused to acknowledge the Bishop of Albenga as
their temporal sovereign, three columns, commanded by
three Ligurian nobles, marched against them, and one of
these commanders was Guillaume Vento.
In the following year, 1234, Peter Vento commanded
four companies against some rebellious subjects in the same
place. 1 And G. Vento, a son of the then actual owner of
Mentone, was created Bishop of Antibes, but found Nice a
more pleasant place for his residence. Niccolo Vento held
in 1257 a high military command ; Ottone Vento being in
1264 less lucky, was with many others tried for having
lost a fleet ; D. Vento ranked about this time with the
noblest Genoese families. We see even from these few notes
that the Ventos were then an influential family, and I am
sorry to say I do not possess M. Ardoino's means of access to
private records, since they contain most interesting con-
tributions to the local history of Mentone. I know that he
made extensive extracts, but they will never be published
I fear.
Such migrations as I have mentioned several times are
not without precedent. Many old places have been given
1 Varese, Storia ddla Reppublica de Geneva, vol. i. 298, 324 ; vol. ii. 9.
MENTONE AS IT WAS 73
up for new ones. Our particular case has, moreover, a
very striking illustration within a few miles of Mentone, and
will be found related under the head of Castellare. The
only difference is that in the latter place the change was
sudden and complete whilst in the former it took place
gradually. 1
' Ce n'est que lorsque la population s'est accrue et qu'une
sorte de securite relative a fait place a Fetat de guerre
permanente, qui etait la condition normale de la vie publique
chez ces peuplades primitives que les habitants ont quitte les
hauteurs f ortifiees pour se repandre sur le versant du coteau
et dans le fond de la vallee ; et on peut dire en these generale
que toutes les villes d'abord construites sur les sommets
ont fini par descendre dans la plaine.' 2
The Genoese, ever anxious to extend their power and
influence, tried to get hold of Pepino and Mentone, and to
sever them from the Ventos, Genoese citizens though they
were. But G. Vento pleaded his good cause before a Genoese
court so effectively that he was declared sole lawful owner
of the aforesaid castles. This was on December 5, 1251.
The verdict is alluded to and sanctioned in a convention
agreed to only eighteen months later between Charles of
Anjou and his consort, and the Genoese representative,
whereby the former receive the county of Ventimiglia
(minus the town), Castellare, etc., and the Mentone and
Pepino estates remain with the Ventos, whose rights appear
only definitely and generally settled in a regular treaty
signed on July 22, 1262. 3 The counts of Ventimiglia having
sometime previously ceded the heritage and birthplace of
their ancestors to the powerful Prince of Anjou, the Genoese
saw in him a dangerous neighbour and rival, and insisted
on a declaration being made and attested by influential and
competent witnesses, whereby the boundary line of the
contracting parties might be clearly defined. In con-
formity to that wish it was enacted that Ventimiglia, Rocca-
bruna, and Monaco should pass to the Genoese, and
Mentone and Pepino still remain with the Ventos, and even
1 Gioffredo.
2 Lea Villes mortes, etc., par Ch. Lenth4ric, p. 134.
3 Gioffredo, p. 605.
74 MENTONE
to their successors for ever. This is, if I am not mistaken,
the first time that Mentone is reported in such a document,
and certainly for the first time placed before Pepino, a sure
sign that the latter was losing its importance.
The Ventos were still gaining influence and their alliance
was much coveted. G. Vento purchased Castellare in 1263
and entered into a closer union with Charles of Anjou. At
that time Italy was the theatre of the most sanguinary and
passionate conflicts. The German emperors, placed under
ban and interdict by successive popes and hated by the
people, had in vain shed the blood of their subjects and seen
the flower of their armies perish in an inglorious cause. The
Guelphs and the GhibeUines vied with each other in com-
mitting outrages and crimes, and inflicting cruelties which
disgrace humanity. Land against land, nation against
nation, town against town, nay, families against families,
fought with equal bitterness. Dante, in this confusion and
desolation of all human feelings, found plenty of material
for his Inferno, 1 in which he enacted many a scene in which
the German emperor, Frederick n., a man of noble bearing,
of great talent, learning, and experience, but full of cunning,
unbelief, and lust, is pictured among the number of un-
believers burning in their graves or trying to storm heaven,
whilst the sufferings and agonies of some men of this said
period furnish the subject of many stanzas for the celebrated
poet's most famous episodes. In such times G. Vento shared
the hazardous undertaking of Charles of Anjou, who had been
appealed to by Pope Urban rv. The hostile forces met at
Benevento on February 26, 1266 ; both sides were resolute
and brave^ but Charles, supported by the Church, gained
the victory.
Vento's mtimate connection with the house of Anjou
roused his neighbour's jealousy and distrust, and caused
open aggression. Party spirit ran then very high. Liguria
was split into two factions equally impassioned, some siding
with the Guelphs or Papists, others with the GhibeUines or
Imperialists ; changing sides after a defeat. Losses were
cruelly and individually revenged, victories shamefully
1 DelV Inferno, canto decimo.
MENTONE AS IT WAS 75
abused. G. Vento 1 leagued with Prince Charles to the
Guelphs, had to pay his share for the defeats of his party in
Genoa and elsewhere. The Fieschis and Grimaldis, two
noble and powerful families, his allies and supporters, had
to go into exile, and entered forthwith into a formal engage-
ment with Charles against their native city, whilst Dorias
and Spinolas, his opponents, supported the imperial autho-
rity unpopular though it was, on account of the continual
disturbances inside and around the city. On January 7,
1273, 2 they declared war against Vento, Charles's ally, for
receiving into his Mentone Castle the troops which the
seneschal of Provence had sent, though Vento did this,
perhaps, more with the view of getting the five castles of
the Maro belonging to his rivals than for the sake of taking
up the cause of the Guelphs. This time he was, however,
mistaken, for the Imperialists were strongly represented
there, since it happened that one half of the commanding
officers were appointed by the Genoese. In 1274 the
Genoese returned much stronger under Ansaldi Spinola,
the governor of the ' Riviera di Ponente,' and after having
besieged and finally taken Ventimiglia and the surrounding
forts, he tried his fortune against Mentone, which G. Vento
had transformed into a real stronghold against the Genoese.
From May to July they continued their operations and
attacks, but without any chance of success, when all at
once the providential Seneschal arrived with a large troop
of horse and foot and put the assailants to a hasty flight,
their ranks having been previously thinned by heat, famine,
and disease. 3
The two great rival parties of that time had succeeded in
exhausting their means and in ruining their subjects ; the
land was laid waste ; cities, counts, and princes, depending
on each other and on others as well, had hardly any
resources left ; even the popes became alarmed at the fearful
consequences of this protracted fratricidal struggle, so much
1 I suppose this is the same Vento alluded to in the following sentence :
' Guillaume de Vento (1277-1282) qui succeda a Guillaume de Grasse, Cabris,
etait Genois. Les Ventos avaient acquis le fief de Menton en 1240. Obliges
a fuir devant la faction Gibeline, ils s'etaient e'tablis a Nice sous la protec-
tion de Charles d'Anjou.' Histoire d'Antibes, par 1'abbe" Tisserand, p. 138.
2 Gioffredo, p. 624. 3 Idem, pp. 627, 668.
76 MENTONE
so that Innocent v. chanted the hymn of peace, and this
destructive war ended in a treaty, 1276.
But the Mentonese could not long enjoy their rest. They
had soon to join hi another quarrel. The Genoese, having a
spite against the Pisans, their prosperous rivals, wanted to
check them in some way. To this end they armed the
largest fleet ever manned by them, and made all those
towns over which they had any real or plausible authority
provide a certain number of galleys. Mentone, though
seemingly belonging to the Ventos, had to send its con-
tingent of three men for manning them. 1 This repara-
tion enables us to compare the population of Mentone
with that of Roccabruna, which sent two ; and that of
Ventimiglia, which sent fifty men to the fleet ; and though
we do not know the basis of the census, we may fairly assume,
that Mentone was then a very small place. During that lull
G. Vento directed his attention and talents to essentially
internal affairs, and turning the varied experiences of his
long life to good account, became legislator, giving to his
faithful subjects a code of laws drawn up in thirty-three
chapters, and published in pleno parlamento, 1290. 2 Few
princes have gone through so much, and fewer still reigned
so long. Having been declared lawful sovereign of Men-
tone in 1251, and dying hi 1302, he held it for fifty-one
years.
As long as their mighty protector and ally, Charles of
Ajou, lived, the Ventos remained in the fuU enjoyment of
their patrimony. We cannot, however, discover the name
of Guillaume's successor. He reigned, perhaps, for a few
years only. Antonio Vento received the homage of the
Mentonese in 1311 in St. Michael's, the first time this
church is mentioned. (See p. 32.)
But the evil spirit of faction, so widespread in these
troublesome times, though never, felt within the Vento
domain, now raises its ominous head amongst the inhabitants
and sows its seed of civil discord. George Vento was
thereby banished in 1313, though not for many years, his
1 Gioffredo, p. 657.
2 La Ligurie Franyaise, par J. B. 1'Hermite de Souliers.
MENTONE AS IT WAS 77
mutinous subjects repenting, recalled him and installed him
again hi 1316. 1 In 1316 2 there appeared Bruno Richiero,
mentioned in a letter dated Naples, October 3, and written
by Robert, King of Sicily and Jerusalem, with some members
of his family and some of the counts of Ventimiglia on the
one side, and the Ventos and other Genoese nobles, amongst
them the Dorias, on the other side, disputing about the
jurisdiction over Mentone and Poypino claimed by both
parties. Factions having divided opinions not only in the
city of Genoa, but also in several other localities along the
Riviera, where Genoese exiles arrived almost daily for
refuge, it happened that the Ventos and their adherents,
having favoured the Ghibellines, had been driven away by
the opposition. These called in the counts of Ventimiglia
and also the Richieros, lords of Eza, both of whom claimed
part ownership of Mentone, and made a declaration in favour
of the Guelphs, so that it might be defended by King
Robert's forces against the Vento party. Now the Ventos,
powerfully supported by their allies, the actual masters of
Genoa, came with Percival Doria's army, besieged Mentone,
and pressed it so hard that it was considered prudent to
yield. Both parties came then to an amicable arrangement
on October 15, 131 6, according to which the Dorias, the exiled
Ventos, and their adherents on the one part, the counts of
Ventimiglia, Bruno Richiero of Eza, and the Mentonese
secessionists on the other part, agreed to remit Mentone
and Poypino into the hands of Eccelino Doria, he to keep
them both in the name of the Genoese republic and the
pretenders, until arbiters should be chosen to decide to
whom the two places really belonged, the trustees binding
themselves to the loyal observance of this agreement.
' Actum in territorio Mentoni hi terra communi.'
By another act drawn up the same day, both parties
stipulated that Conrad Doria and Philibert, Count of Venti-
miglia, both then and there present and assenting, should
be the arbiters. I have not been able to find the result of
their arbitration anywhere. There is, however, reason for
believing that they pronounced in favour of Ventimiglia
1 Du Sanctuaire, etc. 2 Gioffredo, pp. 710, 711.
78 MENTONE
and Eza, tor an act passed in Gorbio on November 29, 1316,
informs us that these two houses for themselves and for their
heirs, lawfully begotten, transferred the governments and
other feudal rights, which both parties possessed in and over
the castles of Mentone and Poggio del Pino (without saying
a word about the Ventos), to any of their families who might
by posterior acts be declared their successors.
The events are thus far of local import as they distinctly
state that Mentone was, for a short time at least, a depend-
ency of Eza, now a poor struggling village, and that they
bring the name of Podium Pinum for the last time before us
in any public record. It not only disappears from the pages
of historical report, but from the very soil it had occupied for
several hundred years. Thenceforth the spade became
more destructive than the sword and spear. The walls built
on the solid rock, decaying when exposed to the elements,
with hardly any foundation, soon vanished, and time and
labour turned the former haunt of warriors into the peaceful
homes of toiling men and praying monks.
Both parties in Genoa, the Guelphs and the Ghibellines,
being alternately attacked by the Catalans, a truce was
agreed upon in the spring of 1331, which, followed by new
trouble, led after all to a regular peace. Luca Fiesco, leagued
with the king, was one of the Guelfish chieftains and the
main instrument in another sally against the exiled
Ghibellines staying at Savona, and who had invaded the
island of Sardinia. They had fifteen galleys. Fiesco
offered himself as captain to the powerful fleet sailing under
the royal colours. Forty galleys and thirty other vessels
left the harbour, and having cruised in the western Riviera,
inflicted an almost deadly blow on Mentone and endeavoured
to take Monaco. They continued their destructive attacks
as far as Savona, burning towns, sacking and pillaging
villages all along the coast. 1
The end of the reign of the Vento family is drawing near.
I should, however, not wonder if they had been concerned
in another struggle between the Genoese against Robert of
Anjou and Charles Grimaldi, for their town is affixed with
1 Gioffiredo, p. 752.
MENTONE AS IT WAS 79
other Guelph possessions to the convention drawn up and
signed on February 9, 1332, for the space of three years only.
This seems to confirm the arrangement come to in 1316,
and foreshadows an eventful fact for Mentone, for it appears
no longer to be a free and independent agent, since Charles
Grimaldi, its future lord and master, acts in the name and
stead of Mentone, and Mentone alone, its foster-mother
Pepino being politically defunct. 1
1 Alberti, Storia di Sospello, p. 352.
NOTE. Dr. Miiller's account of the origin of Mentone, its relation to Puy
Pino, and its possession by the family of the Ventos, and after them the
Grimaldis, is confirmed by an admirable large volume recently produced
under the auspices of Albert, Prince of Monaco, Monuments Historiques de
Menton, Roccabruna et Turbie. The work is edited by MM. Saige and
Labande. It contains a vast number of documents bearing on the whole
region, from the Archives of Monaco. ED.
CHAPTER IV
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS
FORMIDABLE armaments are going on right and left formid-
able for their promoters. Two small estates are at feud, both
having exhausted their respective resources ; Genoa in a
greater degree, perhaps, than Monaco, and for a cause which
was hardly worth the trouble. The Genoese rose against their
merchant princes and sent them into exile ; the will of the
people was to be respected and was to be the supreme law-
giver. The Grimaldis felt personally aggrieved, and appre-
hending a considerable loss of their private property, retired
to Monaco determined to revenge their defeats and expul-
sion and to maintain their rights. Hence these formidable
preparations, thirty galleys with ten thousand men, to be
led by their own prince against Genoa.
The Genoese soon sobered down from their intoxication
of popular power, and realising their danger, took prompt
measures for their defence. Money, chief among the sinews
of war then as now, was wanted and money could only be
got from the velvet lords. And they advanced it. Within
a short time twenty-nine galleys and twelve thousand men
left the port, the admiral of the fleet hoisting the St. George
which was unfurled only on grave occasions.
But wonders never cease. These gigantic armaments
were all in vain. Murem mons peperit. When the Grim-
aldis beheld all these galleys bristling with men spring
out of the sea, as it were by enchantment, they with-
drew and went home, having received the pressing order
from their royal ally, Philip vi., to come to his immediate
assistance against the English.
Whilst Charles Grimaldi had his head full of extensive
operations, he found time, notwithstanding his transactions
of diplomatic business at home, to enlarge his holdings. He
80
MENTONE UNDER THE GR1MALDIS 81
quietly purchased or annexed, as the phrase would now run,
Mentone, a transaction foreshadowed by previous events.
Emmanuel Vento, in his own name and in that of his
brother Rafo and his cousin Athosie Vento, sold Mentone,
his patrimony, and all his property in the territories of
Ventimiglia and Roccabruna for sixteen thousand florins in
gold, on April 19, 1346, 1 Bertrand Silvestre of Nice acting as
their solicitor. And for this self -same domain Napoleon m.
paid four million francs in 1862 !
Their new sovereign was too restless a warrior to remain
passive and to enjoy a quiet walk over his recently acquired
possessions when he felt the electric impulse of distant
convulsions. It is true, land and people were already
familiar to him. Why should he therefore remain at home ?
He had, moreover, a fleet ready, well armed, well manned, and
well provisioned, a considerable army of picked men well
equipped, for his old and new subjects were all good soldiers
and sailors. He responded therefore cheerfully to the call
of his ally and set out without delay. He was, nevertheless,
too late to intercept the English fleet a prince of Monaco,
intercepting an English fleet ! on its passage. The
English king, Edward in., being hotly pursued by the
French, advanced rapidly, laying waste the coast he sailed
along.
In venturing upon a cursory sketch of the well-
known battle of Crecy, I hope to be excused on the plea
that the eventful day is so closely connected with the
people and places we are attempting to depict in these
pages. We have said that Edward ni. was pursued
by the French king with an immense army. Edward
had crossed the river Somme. When overtaken, he took up
his position about fifteen miles east of Abbeville, and deter-
mined to await the enemy there. He had taken the pre-
caution to draw up his army on a gentle ascent, and divided
his men into three lines, the first commanded by the
Prince of Wales, and the third by himself. He thoroughly
understood how to meet the enemy, as he had thrown up
trenches on his flanks and placed all his baggage behind his
* oo o
1 Manuscript in the Archives of Monaco, apud M6tivier, vol. i. p. 108.
F
82 MENTONE
line in a wood, which he also secured by an entrenchment.
Besides the resources which he found in his own genius and
presence of mind, he employed a new invention against the
enemy by placing in his front some pieces of artillery, the
first mentioned as having been used on any memorable
occasion in Europe. Philip, in his hurry to overtake him,
either forgot, or left his guns behind him. The French
army arrived after a long day's march, and though
over- tired, was at once formed into three lines. The first
consisted of Genoese, Monachians, and Mentonese crossbow-
men, under the command of native leaders, Anthony Doria
and Charles Grimaldi ; the second under the king's brother,
Count d'Alen9on ; and the third under Philip's own
command.
A great number of noble followers were in his camp, and
his army of 120,000 men, led by experienced and brave
generals, ought to have beaten that handful of 40,000 English
soldiers ! But the prudence of one man was of greater
advantage than all this show of force. The islanders calmly
awaited the attack. The hot-headed Southerners could
not resist their natural fiery impulse. They forgot, too,
that their bows were strung for their own dry climate.
Unfortunately for them the day was wet and stormy.
Their arrows fell short and did not do justice to their skill.
On the other hand the English, being prepared for and
acquainted with the climate, adjusted their arrows with
remarkable precision, and their shafts told terribly on the
French ranks. Disorder and confusion were the conse-
quence. The Prince of Wales, only knighted a short time
before, took advantage of this critical moment, and with the
presence of mind of a well-seasoned soldier led his division in
a decisive charge. Stout was the resistance of the Ligurian
warriors ; exemplary the valour of their leaders, though
both were gravely wounded ; heroic the charge of the French
cavalry and of their young princely leader, though hard
pressed. King Edward, watching the fight from a hillock,
took intense delight in his son's gallant leadership, and on
being urged to send him immediate help, coolly replied :
' Let the youth win his spurs and let the day be his ! ' And
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 83
the day was his ! The Duke of Alengon was slain ; the
French line had to give way, King Philip did his utmost to
restore order and to arrest the impending defeat, but in
vain ! He was in personal danger, had his horse killed
under him, and had finally to leave the battlefield in order
to save his life. The flight became general ; the pursuit
was hot ; the slaughter went on till nightfall ; no mercy was
asked for, and none given. King Edward, on his return to
the camp, rushed into his son's arms, exclaiming, ' My son,
persevere in your honourable course ! You are my brave
son, for valiantly have you acquitted yourself to-day and
worthy you are of a crown ! ' From the colour of the armour
he wore on that day the French gave him the name of the
Black Prince, and held him in great terror.
Thus ended the battle fought on Saturday, August 26,
1346, only four months after the official union of Mentone
with Monaco, and in which undoubtedly many a brave
Mentonese lost his life. But they fell side by side with the
noblest blood of France. The blind old King of Bohemia
resolved to hazard his person and set a noble example to
others present, and he ordered, therefore, the reins of his
bridle to be tied on each side to a gentleman of his suite.
They were found among the slain with their horses standing
faithfully by them. A blind man blindly guided !
Charles Grimaldi seemed to multiply his forces and to be
everywhere. Scarcely back from his northern expedition,
he set out again, joining the Spanish against the Moors,
the sworn enemies of his house ; thereafter the Genoese, once
more his friends, against Venice. But in spite of his con-
tinual warfare, his roving sailor and soldier life, he not once
lost sight of his chief aim and object, viz., the consolidation
and aggrandisement of his principality. On November 20,
1348, he bought three-fourths of the domain of Castiglione, a
near and influential neighbour of Mentone, for eight hundred
golden florins, and on January 2, 1355, his agent purchased
the town and territory of Roccabruna for six thousand
golden florins. Considering the endless number of petty
states Italy was then split into, his country, small as it was
according to modern ideas, represented a certain consolidated
84 MENTONE
power, and exercised some influence on the political
world of that time. Successful as he was in his ambitious
career, fate would not allow him to pass the remainder of
his active life in peace and die quietly at home. The
jealousy of the Genoese republic, a city guild of wealthy,
spirited, and independent traders, was once more awakened
when the consequence of the commercial privileges granted
to Charles Grimaldi by the King of France began to be felt
by them. After having shaken off the protection of Milan,
Boccanegra ascended the ducal throne in 1356 and made up
his mind to humble Monaco. Grimaldi, shut in by land and
sea and totally unprepared, could not resist as he was wont
to do. Courage and genius could supply regiments, but they
could not produce bread and water. Hunger and thirst,
more powerful than the Genoese, decimated the ranks, and
the valiant general had to surrender and the aged prince to
leave his residence in 1357 with an indemnity of twenty
thousand florins in gold. He retired to Mentone and
passed the last years of his busy life in apparent tranquillity
and resignation, apparent I say, for he pondered and
schemed incessantly as to the way of speedily and success-
fully recovering his dominions. His most devoted partisans
having retired to Nice, being accused of conspiring against
the authority of Genoa over Monaco, Boccanegra de-
manded their expulsion, and the request or rather order
not being complied with, new hostilities were to commence
forthwith, but fortunately they were prevented by the
duke's sudden death. Peace was concluded and signed
in the Church of St. Michael, Mentone, on September 5, 1363,
just when death overtook Charles in the midst of his projects,
leaving his principality and the realisation of his dearest
dreams to Rainier and Charles, joint rulers of Mentone,
Roccabruna, and Castiglione.
RAINIER nr. (1363 to 1407)
This prince, called the third, to fill up the lineal succession,
just as Napoleon I. and m., was a brave soldier and a clever
diplomat, as he had already shown himself in his father's
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 85
lifetime whilst in French service. His younger brother
Charles was only nominal joint lord, though the real founder
of the Grimaldi dynasty. His alliances were judiciously
selected according to his interests, and he made the best of
existing circumstances so as to be always on the stronger
and winning side. He served Jane, Queen of Naples and
Countess of Provence, resisting tempting offers from other
quarters, and for this assistance in men and money he was
liberally rewarded by gifts of land.
Here I must mention another Vento named Aimar, who
resided at Antibes from 1374 to 1379, with Pons Cai's of Nice
acting as bailiff during the great schism. He considered
himself safer in this town, partly belonging to him, than in
Grasse, whose inhabitants were much devoted to Queen
Jane. But soon after, Antibes became Grimaldi property,
and for Rainier as well as for others, new difficulties began
to arise on the political horizon. 1
The Church was divided there were two heads for one
body ; two tongues cursing each other in the name of the
Most High ; two pairs of eyes seeing no good, but only evil
in the rival ; two pairs of ears listening to the flattery
of self and the malicious reports against an opponent.
The Church having, for a long time, played with the two-
edged tool of politics, and playing with it still, became the
dangerous weapon of worldly men and wicked ambition.
Urban vr., elected by the Italian and German faction of the
cardinals, was just a little more than half a pope in Rome,
and his rival, Clement vn., chosen by the French cardinals
and their satellites, was the minor half in Avignon. Ac-
cusations and excommunications were bandied about in
profusion, and seemed to be the order of the day. Anti-
christ was personified by Christ's two stadtholders. Faith
became weakened, a tender conscience too troubled Rainier,
for he had to side with one of the popes. He decided for
Rome, where Urban occupied the old papal throne, whilst his
antagonist seemed to be more firmly seated in his new chair
at Avignon, because he was propped up by French bayonets.
Rainier was, therefore, easily induced to stop the anti-
1 Histoire d' Antibes, par I'abb6 Tisserand, p. 175.
86
MENTONE
pope's cardinals travelling towards Avignon, to arrest them,
and to take from them all those sacred books, vestments,
gold and silver vases, valuable ornaments, jewels and relics,
precious stones and money, which were all to be his, except
those which belonged to the apostolic chamber. The offer
was too tempting, the opportunity too good and too rich
for him not to accept it. When the cardinals came, there-
fore, along with their followers, they were entrapped in
different ways and brought to Mentone. Amongst the relics
Rainier sent back to Rome in September 1379 was the
Rod of Moses. 1 What he did with the rest of the valuable
booty the archives of Monaco do not tell. But alliances
based on s. d. and personal interest only do not last long.
Both the pope and the prince had now satisfied their private
views and the rest mattered but little. They were no longer
bound by their mutual engagement ; the work was done and
paid for. Neither held himself restrained for the future.
Urban vi., indignant at the conduct of the Queen Jeanne
d'Anjou, shocked at the assassination of her husband in a
room adjoining hers, and suspecting her guilty of a heinous
crime, excommunicated her. This act, just though it was,
irritated Rainier to such a degree that he broke off with the
pope and joined the party of the queen and her intimate
friend, Clement vn., the anti-pope, doing as much harm as
possible to his former ally. Queen Jeanne was strangled
in 1382, notwithstanding all her powerful friends.
As a curious specimen of the capricious and vicious
changes in the spelling of a language struggling into existence
and continually metamorphosing, I insert the following
letter with a French translation. As it was written by a
prince, we have a right to presume that his style and spelling
represent the standard grammar of the time :
Cars amics tant coma frayres
Nostres,
Honorables et car amics et
frayres.
Plas a nos vos a saber que hyer
Chers amis autant que freres
notres,
Honorables et chers amis et
freres.
Nous nous plaisons a vous faire
a vespre nos apliquem en lo luec de savoir que hier au soir nous abor-
Gioffredo, pp. 864-867.
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS
87
Menton sans et alegres, le Dieu
mercy, et disapre partim de Jenoa
en la bona licencia de Mons. lo
Conte de Sant Pol, lo qual nos a
fayt tres grant aculhiment, et mes
final conclusion en nostra delievrans-
sa. Item quar nos auriam tres grant
desir de parler ambe alcuns nostres
cieutadins ; nos scrivem a la corna
de regimont, que sa nos voulgues
mandar un sieu ambe alcuns de vos.
E per so vos pregain carament, que
vos plagues de far sa venir un, o dos
des nostres ambe eels, que la corna
sa volva far venir, quar nos luz direm
chosa, que sera profiech, e honor de
nostres tres redoute seghnor, rnon-
seigneur de Savoya ; et de eels del
pays.
Item auem ausit coma Valantin
servidor nostre es arrestat a Nisa en
preyson de que avem grant mera-
vilha. Poi que vos pregain carement
que vos plasa de far lo relaxar.
Autre non vos scrivem ; mas que si
ren podent far en plozer nostre,
scrives nos orquar o farem de tres
bon cuer. Lo Sant Esprit vos aya
en sa garda. Scricha a Menton lo
16 iorn de may.
Lo Segnhor de Buelh.
E Loys de Grimaul frayres. 1
dames au lieu de Menton sains et
alegres, grace a Dieu, et samedi
partimes de Genes avec la bonne
permission de Mons le Comte de
Saint Paul lequel nous a fait bien
bon accueil et mis finale terminaison
de notre deliverance. Item car nous
aurions bien grand desir de parler
avec quelquesuns de nos concitoyens,
nous ecrivons a la Corna de Regimont
qu'ici il veuille nous envoyer un des
siens avec quelques uns des votres.
Et pour cela nous prions cherement,
qu'ii vous plaise de faire venir un ou
deux des notres avec ceux que la
Corna voudra faire venir ici, car nous
leur dirons chose qui sera a profit et
honneur de notre bien redout^ sei-
gneur, Monseigneur de Savoie et de
ceux du pays.
Item avons oui comme Valentin,
notre serviteur est arrete a Nice en
prison de quoi avons grande surprise.
Pourquoi nous vous prions chere-
ment qu'il vous plaise de le faire
relacher. Autre (chose) ne vous
ecrivons, mais si rien pouvons faire
en votre plaisir, ecrivez-le-nous, car
nous le ferons de tres-bon coeur. Le
Saint Esprit vous ait en sa garde
Ecrit a Mentone le 16 jour de Mai.
Le Seigneur de Beuil
Et Louis de Grimaut, freres.
About this time, in 1379, Rainier ceded half of his rights
in Mentone to G. del Caretto, Marquis di Savona, to whom,
as co-regent, homage was paid by a committee of the
principal landowners, and by two men, Rospando and
Revelli, representing the citizens at large. This ceremony
took place in the Church of St. Michael, the marquis promis-
ing to uphold justice and peace, and to respect and protect
the liberties and privileges of the inhabitants, as the Ventos
and King Charles had done before. Mentone had thus
three lords Rainier and Charles representing one half, and
Caretto the other. Charles, however, ceded his claims to
Marc and Luc Grimaldi, a branch line, possessing, or rather
holding Antibes on the security of a loan of nine thousand
1 Gioffredo, p. 955.
88 MENTONE
florins, advanced to Clement vn., the anti-pope, in 1373.
The ceremony of homage was repeated in the same church
in 1382, raising the number of rulers to four, viz., Rainier,
Caretto, Marc, and Luc, the last dying, however, very soon
after. Branch lines are only noticed as far as they are really
connected with Mentone, the author disclaiming every idea
of writing the history of Monaco. This cession to a Savona
noble seemed to have lasted three years only. In 1382
the Grimaldis of Cannes and Antibes rallied more closely to
their palatines of Monaco, entertaining, at the same time,
cordial relations with the house of Anjou. In 1382 they
also repurchased from Caretto of Finale and Savona that
part of Mentone which was ceded to him in 1379 by Remo,
i.e. Rainier of Monaco. A Guillaume de Vento was then at
Nice, Charles of Anjou's guest, with whom he was on very
intimate terms. All these transactions must have taken
place very early in 1382, or in Rainier's absence through his
locum tenens, since he himself sailed for Naples in the begin-
ning of June, arriving there on or about the 13th of that
month, where he had, as the naval commander, to supply and
support the land forces from the sea. For this essential
service he received a number of worthless estates, merely a
nominal grant, on August 22, 1384, for which, however,
Queen Mary, Louis n.'s mother, substituted a more useful
gift in the shape of several substantial pensions. In spite
of the tact and assistance of the Grimaldis, Louis i. lost his
cause. Being constantly harassed by the famous John
Hawkwood, 1 who had taken up Durazzo's cause, Louis had
to pass through devastations and ruin, his valiant army
got more and more reduced, and he at last irretrievably lost
favour with the kingdom of Naples. After several minor
1 Sir John Hawkwood, not one of the least of the London worthies,
attracted the notice of the Black Prince through his brave conduct in action,
and he gave him a noble charger. He made such good use of his gift that he
was knighted by his captain and enrolled among his esquires. When there
were no more battles to be fought in France, Sir John collected about
15,000 Britons, entered first the service of the Duke of Milan, and gradually
began to fight for any cause where fame and booty were to be gained. See
' The nine worthies of London : explaining the Honourable Exercise of Arms,
the Virtue of the Valiant, and the Memorable attempts of Magnanimous
Minds, pleasant for Gentlemen, not unworthy for Magistrates, and most
profitable for 'Prentices,' by Richard Johnson, 1592.
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 89
troubles and engagements at home, Rainier regained Monaco
in 1402, and seemed to pass the remainder of his days in
peaceful occupation, receiving even the visit and blessing of
Boniface VHI., the anti-pope of Avignon, in 1405. He died
in 1407 after a reign of forty-nine years.
AMBEOISE (1407 to 1422)
his eldest son and successor, must have been a prince, who
really took things easily, since history only records his early
death while fishing in the sea in 1422. During his short
reign, a treaty was agreed upon between 'AmS due de Savoie
et avec la tres-haute Princesse la Royne de Jerusalem,'' ending
thus : ' et en tesmoing de ce nous avons faict sceller ces presentes
de noire propre seel Donnez a TTionon dernier iour de Septembre
I'an de grace 1419,' and signed among others by ' Henri
Seigneur de Menton,' of whose existence and standing I
cannot find any traces.
The pretensions of the dukes of Savoy, which began
from their near stronghold, Turbia, did not seriously disturb
his mind, bent more on quiet amusement and occupation than
on warlike pursuits. Even the fortifications of Nice and
Turbia, then under the sagacious administration of Nicodo
of Mentone, caused him little, if any, uneasiness, though
they were the stepping-stones of important changes brought
about under
JEAN i. (1422 to 1454)
and materially affecting Mentone. This Nicodo just
mentioned, lord of Versoy and Hermy, a man of tried
experience, governor of the county of Nice and all the naval
stations, often annoyed and provoked the Prince of Monaco,
but seemed always to please his master, the Duke of Savoy.
Giacomino Gribaudi di Mentone was then keeper of the fort
with the title Castellan. Nicodo's reputation for courage
and sagacity was so great that the holy fathers assembled
in council at Basel selected him, with the duke's permission,
to be commander of a fleet then manning and equipping at
Marseilles, Villafranca, and elsewhere, for the transport of
the Emperor and the Greek patriarchs and prelates from
90 MENTONE
Constantinople to Basel to join in the debate for the union
of the churches. On August 6, 1437, he left Villafranca,
after having officially received the standard of the Church,
and the solemn blessing of the cardinal legate. But not-
withstanding all these clerical ceremonies, one of his vessels
was captured and stripped of all that was on board. The
pirates being hotly pursued were soon caught and brought
back to Nice. The second start was more successful, though
the Greek prelates declined to appear, and Nicodo, highly re-
commended to Louis, Prince of Savoy, reigning in his father's
stead, was reappointed governor of Nice, where he enlarged
and fortified both town and castle. He so pleased both
the prince and the citizens that they placed the following
inscription on a marble slab in the church, Nice : MCCCCXL.
' Hoc opus, hanc molem Menthonis stirpes erectus
Effecit Niceae rector, milesque Nycodus,
Ad duels excelsi, quern tota Sabaudia adorat,
Et Pedemontani, et Nicea antiquissima laudem.'
His father, Peter di Mentoni, lord of Montrolier, was
entrusted with several important missions under Duke
Louis, and proved to be a very skilful negotiator and clever
diplomatist. Both father and son were liked and respected. 1
Jean I. was a true soldier, showing his great abilities as a
commander near Cremona, where he led the Duke of Milan's
fleet and army to a decisive victory against the Venetians,
whose valiant captain, Count Canuagnoli, accused of
treachery, was condemned to death by the famous council
of ten. Yet though this victory showered on him glory
and honour, though the last doge of Genoa gave him his
daughter in marriage, and though the Duke of Milan gave
him back Monaco lately acquired, Jean gave up half his
sovereign rights over Mentone to the house of Savoy, in spite
of the manifest opposition and vehement protest of his
relations so deeply interested in the transfer. He received
only two hundred gold guldens, for which the tax on salt
was mortgaged, and he had to admit a Piedmontese garrison
in the two castles. 2 The treaty was concluded, and Mentone
1 Gioffredo, pp. 1061, 1063, 1072, 1073, 1075, 1079.
2 Question de Menton et de Roccabrune, p. 117.
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 91
signed away on December 19, 1448. After having reduced
the Catalans to submission, regulated the order of succession
for his numerous relatives, and introduced the Salic law, he
died in 1454, and with him disappeared the elder branch of
the Grimaldis.
CATALAN (1454 to 1457).
his son and sole heir, was installed on May 9, the day follow-
ing his father's death. He had scarce sworn to the usual
form of homage which he was constrained to do by the
governor of Nice, when he died leaving only one daughter,
Claudine, invested with her share of rights over Mentone,
and who married the same year, her cousin,
LAMBERT (1457 to 1493)
He governed whilst she reigned, and like all his ancestors,
was fond of adventures, and was a thoroughgoing partisan.
He received the government of Ventimiglia for having
faithfully served the Duke of Milan. Emboldened by this,
he declared himself independent, and proclaimed Claudine 's
previous engagement to be null and void. This was too
much, both for his friends and foes. His suzerain pro-
tested, but finding all verbal demonstrations unheeded, he
secured his vassal's submission by some more telling means.
Monaco capitulated on April 3, 1466, Ventimiglia was lost
and homage had to be pafd. Unfortunately there were other
people dissatisfied with the actual state of things. The
Mentonese seemed to be tired of these repeated homage-
payings to princes, real or ideal, powers endlessly divided,
of the transfers and changes they entailed, receiving orders
from the one, neutralised, modified, delayed, or counter-
manded by another. Their sons shed their blood freely,
and fell by hundreds on the numerous battlefields from
Naples to Holland, or lay buried in the deep. And for
whom did they fight ? And what return did they get for
their sacrifice ?
There was no need to accuse the intrigues of an
old dowager-princess in the local commotions of Mentone.
She might have had, and I think she really had, her own
92 MENTONE
grievances like her former subjects. Princess Pommelius
Fregosa, widow of Jean I., residing by preference in Mentone,
away from her former court, saw things greatly changed
and opinions sadly divided. For her it was quite natural
to compare her former position with her actual one, and to
come to the not very unreasonable conclusion that she might
reign quite as well as, if not better, than a child of fourteen
or fifteen. For some cause or other, however, the Mentonese
became unruly, and expressed their dissatisfaction in a
meeting where they very plainly and very decidedly declared
the Grimaldis deprived of their sovereignty, and on March 4
and 5, 1466, the two governors were sent to the Duke of
Savoy, asking him to incorporate Mentone and Rocca-
bruna with his dominions. 1 According to an act of February
28, 1466, these castles and their dependencies already be-
longed to the dukes of Savoy. The twin sisters seemed
always to act together. But conscience and diplomacy
differ in their ways and views ; the duke declined the offer,
and conforming himself strictly to existing treaties induced
the two places to return to their former allegiance.
We must now allude to a more social or perhaps to a
mere household question, the monopoly of salt. For many
years past this important privilege had been granted
to different towns for loyal acts, for great misfortunes, or
for a favourable position, and there had been various
squabbles between many places enjoying or desirous of
enjoying such a favour. Mentone and Ventimiglia held
then the exclusive right of storing salt and sending it on
roads to be made within given years to Sospello and Breglia
respectively. Now the Genoese and Nizzards complained
of delay, vexation, and expense, and these complaints told
especially against Mentone as belonging to different masters,
some of whom would never permit the Genoese to land any
salt without a special licence, which was obtained with
difficulty. On December 23, 1475, 2 these differences were
1 Gioffredo, p. 1124.
2 Mentone and St. Agnes must have been well peopled towards the end of
the century, since twenty-five families left for Cabris, decimated by an
epidemic. This was done through the agency of a Balthasar of Grasse, who
with the families interested signed the act on March 1, 1496.
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 93
so far settled that the Genoese had to pay an annual sum
of one thousand Savoy gold florins. Mentone did after all
gain very little, since the privilege was altogether taken
away very soon after for the benefit of St. Martin Lantosque,
which had been partly destroyed by fire.
In 1477 Lambert purchased five-twelfths of Mentone
from his cousins, Honore and Luc, only one-twelfth remain-
ing now in the possession of a branch line. He and his
consort swore fealty to Duke Philibert I., who preferred a
dukedom to a bishopric, and a crown to a mitre, and to
whom Lambert transferred the aforesaid five-twelfths in an
act passed on April 21, 1477. In order to complete his work
of unification, Lambert also purchased for 655 ducats the
last twelfth part of Mentone from Lucas Grimaldi, so that
Mentone had two masters, one Grimaldi and one Savoyard.
This was enacted on Christmas Eve, 1489, being Lambert's
last public act. He died in 1493. How the little chapel of
Carnolese, dedicated to the Holy Virgin, had by this time
attained great renown, and how Lambert had the question
about miracles settled, will be related in another chapter
under Carnolese, p. 183.
JEAN n. (1493 to 1506)
now directed the affairs of the principality under the auspices
of his mother. The political horizon looked dark and
gloomy and clouds of ominous forebodings moved heavily
towards Naples. The King of France, Charles vin., was
about to discharge all his thunderbolts upon that unhappy
land. Jean had to assist in these destructive operations ;
his poor subjects were to increase the number of legions ;
to destroy or to be destroyed ; his genius had to direct the
fulminatory expedition. The whole affair, however, turned
out an inglorious undertaking, profitable to Jean and to him
almost alone. On August 3, 1495, he was named maritime
prefect-general along the Riviera di Ponenti in reward for
his services rendered in the Neapolitan campaign. Mentone
and Roccabruna also derived a small advantage in these
troubled times. King Charles vm. wished to be generous
towards those who lent him a helping hand in his venture-
94 MENTONE
some enterprise against Naples. Having rewarded the
young Grimaldi, lie granted these two places free trade all
along Provence, placing them on an equal footing with the
most favoured nation, as the phrase runs nowadays. On
November 4, 1497, Jean and his subjects were taken under
the protection oi Charles's governor against any enemy
whatsoever. When Charles vm. died on April 27, 1498,
Louis xii., his successor, added some new favours and
confirmed former grants. It was therefore quite natural
' that both prince and people should again assist Louis in
his second expedition against Naples. They must have
been crowned with success, since they returned with plenty
of booty, out of which the lucky Mentonese got some
tangible benefit, not exactly in hard cash, but in the shape
of a princely castle, erected or rather reconstructed in 1505
on the spur that runs right into and through the town,
dividing the two bays and terminating with the rock on
which the Bastion braves the waves even in their greatest
fury. There is nothing recorded about the destruction
of the castle founded by Otho of Ventimiglia about five
hundred years previously. It existed in 1466, and
Lambert's widow had it assigned to her as a residence
for life. Yet destroyed it was, and Jean, by rebuilding
it, gave occupation to a good many people for ' Wann die
Konige bauen, haben die Karrner zu thun,' is a proverb
verified by history. There is now very little left of this
construction for, ' Time, war, and weather wore it off
together.'
Just when he was going to enjoy the fruit of his busy
life he was struck down by an assassin's hand, and was
succeeded by his brother
LUCIAN (1506 to 1523)
whose mother, Claudine, was the nominal ruler. She hired
a house for him in Mentone where he passed the first years
of his reign. In order to understand the sanguinary
drama just enacted in Monaco, and which called Lucian
to the princely throne, we must retrace our steps and sketch
a family picture of earlier days.
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 95
Duke Philibert of Savoy, being desirous of bestowing on
Lambert a proof of his esteem, gave his eldest and favourite
daughter Jane in marriage to Jean, Lambert's eldest son.
Now Jane was a natural child, born to him of the noble
dame Liberia Portoneria and not of Bona Romagnano,
as erroneously supposed. The issue of this union was a
daughter called Mary. Jean, who had been brought up
as a soldier according to family tradition, and fighting as
a dashing leader and a brave warrior for Charles xn. before
Naples, had been duly rewarded for his gallant conduct by
his generous ally, and even entrusted with the government
of Ventimiglia in 1500, retired to Monaco to enjoy the full
happiness of his home graced by his wife Jane and enlivened
by his daughter Mary, and to enter on a reign of peace so
much needed by his subjects. But his life was cut short
by the murderous hand of his own brother Lucian in
1506. An indomitable ambition, a craving for power
had struck deep into this miserable man's heart, whom
Providence had endowed with rare gifts of intellect, and
whilst still reeking with his brother's blood, he expelled
from his dominion the widow and child upon whom the
reins of government would have devolved, and went
straight to the King of France to implore his protection,
and asked Charles in., Duke of Savoy, for immediate
investiture of Mentone and Roccabruna. Strange as it
may appear, this was hastily granted on March 5, 1506. 1
Many trustworthy French and Italian authorities mention
this murder as an incontestible fact, whilst Metivier in his
excellent history of the house of Grimaldi only refers to
it as a vague rumour. The deed being not proven, admits
of Lucian's innocence. But the very steps that prince
took at the courts of France and Sardinia compromise him
quite as much as Duke Charles's hasty indult, by granting
him the investiture without any inquiry or delay.
Lucian was a brave soldier, and at the very outset of his
accession he had an opportunity of showing his personal
courage, and he gave ample proof that he was not wanting
in this quality, which was almost an heirloom from his
1 Question de Menton et de Roccabrune, p. 130.
96 MENTONE
ancestors. The Genoese disturbances gave him plenty to
do. The mercantile republic felt aggrieved and provoked
by the asylum the Grimaldis granted to some exiles, and
especially by the open impunity with which the pirates
could exercise their nefarious operations in and near the
Monaco waters. Genoa manned and armed a large fleet
under Tarlatino di Castello in order to besiege and punish
Monaco. This siege lasted fully seven months without abat-
ing the courage and vigilance of the assailed city. After
having done little harm, but having sustained great losses by
heat and sickness, the Genoese had to retire to Ventimiglia,
to give up Mentone and Roccabruna which they had held,
and to retreat altogether with their land and sea forces on
March 22, 1507. Instead of simply attributing the victory
to their own courage, Monaco loudly proclaimed that their
deliverance was due to their patron saint Santa Devota,
whose sudden apparition in all her virgin glory at one time,
and her agony as a martyr at another, frightened the Genoese
forces away. Others ascribe it to Savoy's pressure, driving
its wedges from Eza and Turbia between the Genoese navy
and army. The truth, however, I think is, that slow and
indifferent allies induced the republican forces to raise the
blockade of the Grimaldi city much more than Santa Devota
or the sideway movements of the Piedmontese commanders,
otherwise they would not have permitted Louis xn. and
Lucian to enter their town as acknowledged victors with
drawn sword in hand.
This was the last time Mentone suffered from any Genoese
invasion. That republic, having arrived at her culminating
point some years before, began to descend from the height
she had attained with such astonishing success and endur-
ance. In 1508 Lucian went to Milan and paid his respects
to Louis xn., where his temper, dignity, and forbearance
were sorely tried, and where he had, after much manly
resistance, and two years' treacherous detention, to consent
to admit a French garrison into his capital, a humiliation
inadequately palliated by subsequent favours, promises,
and verbose declarations about protection and independence.
After his arrival in Monaco in 1511, he received the
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 97
celebrated Nicolas Macchiavelli as an ambassador from the
Florentines, who wished to live in peace and harmony with
him, and in consequence of this visit a commercial treaty
was concluded between the two petty states. On August 27
of the same year another treaty was signed by the inhabi-
tants of Sospello, Castiglione, and Mollinetto on the one
side, and those of Monaco, Mentone, and Roccabruna on
the other, to settle several disputes about private and public
wrongs, and to terminate their frequent reprisals about
commercial debts. 1
In 1514, Claudine, Lambert's aged widow, went down
to her grave with accusations against the Duke of Savoy
on her lips. Her will may have been drawn up with a good
intent, but it engendered ill-feelings, evil passions, and
most lamentable results. In 1515 Lucian purchased some
rights over Mentone from Anna Lascaris, Countess of Tenda,
and wife of the bastard of Savoy, which had come to her
in consequence of endless divisions and subdivisions among
all branches, and which she graciously resigned for the
trifling sum of five thousand gold dollars.
When the fair lady Annes de Ponteves of the noble house
of Chabannes, Lucian's beloved wife, whom he married in
1518, gave him a son and heir, and later on a second son,
his happiness seemed complete. We say seemed, for a
secret grief troubled his mind and deprived him of real
comfort and peace. His manly courage, tried on many a
battlefield in his younger days, was gone, and like a timid
child he was afraid of walking about alone in the ill-lit
corridors of his strong castle. Following the custom of
his time, he thought of calming his gnawing conscience by
erecting a convent, and after having humbly solicited and
gracefully obtained the necessary permission of Leon x., the
sacred building was constructed in the neighbourhood of Car-
lonese, and in due time handed over to the pious and gifted
father, Thomas Stridonio, a Franciscan, now raised to the
exalted rank of a saint. By his holy life and truly Christian
conviction he was urged on to expose and combat vice
wherever it showed its head or attempted to take up its
1 Albert! , Istoria della citta di Sospello.
G
98 MENTONE
abode. He must have maintained towards Lucian that
firmness and penetration wherewith he had wrought the
agony of penitent Lorenzo di Medici ; for the sublime tran-
quillity that reigned within the humble walls of the
Carnolese convent induced Lucian one day to visit it for
spiritual comfort and peace of heart and mind. But it
was rather the irresistible power of remorse than penitence
that led him there, face to face with the scrutinising
servant of Christ, whose searching look he seemed unable
to bear, and would have avoided, had not Thomas slowly
and beseechingly exclaimed :
' For heaven's sake, Sire, do not torture your soul any
longer with the agonising guilt that lies so heavy on
your heart ! Restore to your niece, Mary, the land you
withhold from her by sheer misdeed and treason ! Wash
now, while there is yet time, these blood-stained hands of
yours, still reeking like those of Cain, with your brother's
blood, and implore God's mercy so that our divine Master's
prophetic words : " The voice of thy brother's blood crieth
unto me from the ground, and now thou art cursed from the
earth" may not be fulfilled in you.'
These solemn words of the pious monk did not find any
echo in Lucian's heart, who returned impenitent to his
castle, labouring, however, under deep emotion and anxious
foreboding, having a presentiment that something very
awful would happen to him. How far this moral dejection
was justified, approaching events will soon reveal.
Francisca, one of Lucian's sisters, was married to Lucas
Doria, signer of Dolceacqua. Having become a widow,
she made a will on December 19, 1513, and when in
Genoa, on October 15, 1515, she added a codicil, proposed
by her son Bartholomeo, against his uncle Lucian.
After several minor depositions concerning her sepulchre,
a small gift to a painter named Brea for a picture of
Santa Devota for the parish church of Dolceacqua, many
legacies to convents and churches, a donation to St.
Mary of Carnolese, and the division of her property among
her children, she names as her executors her brother,
Augustin Grimaldi, Bishop of Grasse. Lucian Grimaldi.
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 99
the reigning prince of Monaco, and her cousin, Ansaldo
Grimaldi of Genoa. Immediately after her death
Bartholomeo, her eldest son, complained that his uncle
Lucian had not remitted to him the due part of his mother's
legacy. Blinded by hatred and covetousness, Bartholomeo
listened to the tempter, and governed by his deep-set
passion against his uncle, he resolved to rid himself of him
and to become master of Monaco. Some say that before
his black design was agreed upon, he sent a few accomplices
to Monaco, several of whom were subjects of his famous
cousin, Andrea Doria of Oneglia, requesting his uncle
Lucian to kindly permit them a brief sojourn, since a boyish
plot prevented them from residing in his own dominion.
Lucian imprudently received these secret agents. Soon
after his nephew wrote about his intention of going to
Lyons to see the king of France, and to get some command
in the expedition then organising against Milan. He
followed soon in person, told his uncle about a letter written
in Lyons by Andrea Doria, requesting him to come soon
and to execute the plan which he knew was matured. These
equivocal expressions led afterwards to the belief that the
illustrious admiral had a hand in this infamous assassination,
a belief which seemed rather strengthened by the presence
of his galleys in the port of Monaco, and which left immedi-
ately after the crime had been committed.
Having lulled every suspicion of Lucian by taking him
into his council, Bartholomeo returned to Dolceacqua,
pretending that he had several final arrangements to make,
and that he would await his uncle's vessels at Ventimiglia,
on August 22, 1523, to convey him and his luggage back to
Monaco, where he would take leave of his uncle and then
continue his journey. This was on a Saturday. On Sunday
morning he was invited to mass, but on his saying that he
had already attended an earlier one, Lucian went alone leav-
ing his nephew on the loggia talking with his followers, most
likely about the definitive arrangements and details of the
impending tragedy. At dinner Bartholomeo occupied the
place of honour. His pale face, his meditative expression,
his furtive looks, his unexplained abstinence from any dish
100 MENTONE
offered to him, and above all his nervousness, might, and to
thoughtful people ought to have betrayed some sinister
plot. Lucian attributed all to momentary dullness or
humour. He put one of his little children into his arms,
but it was of no avail ; Bartholomeo could not be cheered
up, he trembled so much that the child had to be taken
away from him. But neither did Lucian, timid and
nervous, nor his attendants yet suspect anything.
On leaving the table, and after having bid good-bye to
the company, Bartholomeo asked Lucian to give him a few
important instructions about his journey, and to this end
they passed along a corridor to Lucian's private study.
Whilst discussing the subject, the majordomo informed
his master that four galleys were in sight, sailing along the
coast towards Monaco. Bartholomeo at once replied that
they were his cousin, Andrea Doria's squadron. He
forthwith wrote to the commander to enter the harbour in
order to receive some pressing communications. This
letter was shown to Lucian and was ordered to be trans-
mitted to the arriving flotilla. By this means about a
dozen men were withdrawn from the palace. Seeing thus
the gallery empty, except for a negro who would never leave
his master, Bartholomeo proposed that even the secretary
might leave, as he himself could fill his place. When finally
both sat down, one dictating and the other writing, one
of Bartholomeo's conspirators stole in, left the door ajar, and
was followed by Vincenzo, who seized Lucian, inflicting on
him several deadly wounds, so that the victim could only
faintly scream, ' Traitors, traitors ! '
From the recess of a window at the further end of the
gallery the negro slave rushed up, hearing but faintly the last
shriek of his master, and on looking he saw Bartholomeo Doria
using his dagger against Lucian like a professional assassin.
Before the arrival of sufficient help, the conspirators had
1 Ponteves, Lucian's widow, had this part of the castle surrounded by a
double wall, which was only opened and destroyed in 1815, after having
been shut out from the light of day for three centuries. It no longer exists.
Formerly there were two more wings running parallel with the two existing
wings. The southern one contained fountains and baths and statues all
in marble and richly decorated. The next wing contained the room where
the murder was committed. Annales de Nice.
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 101
left, brandishing their weapons, barring every inlet, and
shouting : ' To the sword with every one ! ' This order
was immediately taken up by all his followers, distributed
about the passages. When the inhabitants heard the cries
of the family assembled on the now isolated great loggia they
hurried up, but found all the gates locked or barricaded
and the few servants collected on a lawn below the terrace.
The band could thus not escape without some fighting with
the loyal household and subjects of the murdered prince.
The murderers set several things on fire, even quilts, so
as to produce a thick smoke to increase the confusion,
and to give the signal of success to some galleys at
Cap d'Aglio a short distance to the west, but the smoke not
rising high enough no galleys appeared. In the meantime
the gates and doors had been forced and the band attacked,
when Bartholomeo Doria had the audacity to stand forward
and to tell the people that he had caused all this to be done
for Mary of Villeneuve, John's daughter and only legitimate
heiress ; that four hundred soldiers would arrive in her
name within three hours, and that from her they might
expect kind treatment and a wise administration. At
this moment Lucian's body was brought down and roused
the fury of the unarmed Monachians to the highest pitch.
Bartholomeo Doria, stoutly defended by his eighteen accom-
plices, made his escape into the Turbia territory, where he
had the boldness to declare that he was sorry for not having
thrown the whole family over the rock into the sea*
We resume our historical sketch and continue with
HONOR I. (1523 to 1581)
who was only five years old when his father was murdered.
Up to 1520, on his coming of age, he had nothing to do
with the government. His uncle Augustin, an ambitious
priest, 1 cunning in statecraft, became his guardian and the
1 This prince, Bishop of Grasse, became in 1505 abb6 commanditaire of
the Lerins. As such he received homage of the inhabitants of Cannes on
August 24, 1505, and in 1514 rigidly claimed certain rights and privileges
which the Cannois contested, but which a judgment of the Court of Aix
102 MENTONE
virtual ruler of the principality. He had, above all, two
things in view, the revenge of his brother's death and the
glory of his family.
The two leading rival monarchs of the day, outbidding
each other in securing alliances, were Charles v. and Francis I.
The former offered better terms, more tempting promises.
The Spanish alliance promised therefore to be the more
advantageous, and was consequently fostered, whilst the
French knot was gradually loosened and finally severed.
The Mentonese soon felt the consequences of this change.
Andrea Doria, confessedly a French partisan, but in reality
out of spite, sailed straight for Mentone, the abode of the
bishop, the prime mover in the union. The first shot fired
nearly killed his eminence, the ball falling within half a
yard of the place where he was sitting. A brig and boat of
his were captured. This raised his ire, and he swore that he
would requite it some day together with his grudges against
the Dorias. Bartholomeo Doria was to atone for the sins of
others as well as of his own. He was quietly and perse ver-
ingly hunted down, and finally discovered at Penna, a castle
on the Roya, close to the French territory. Not being pre-
pared for a sudden attack, he was soon captured, brought to
Monaco as a state prisoner, formally tried and hurriedly sen-
tenced to death, and soon after executed. Pope Clement vn.
was moved in his favour, and on April 27 wrote a most
touching letter to the bishop regent : ' Venerabilis frater,
salutem et apostolicam benedictionem. Inter ceteras
virtutes et laudes quae Christiano homini convenient a
misericordia et pietate principem locum possideri Dominum
ac Redemptorem nostrum J. C. autorem habemus. . . .'
But Augustin, though a Christian, a priest, a bishop even,
did not spare his cousin's life, but had him executed on
declared legal and binding ou seven points out of eight. He must, how-
ever, have been a man of a high moral character, for in 1515 he stood
boldly and successfully up against the laxity, dissipation, and unbelief of the
Lerin monks, and with the sanction of Pope Leo x. he united his monastery
with that of Monte Cassino, in order to improve its moral condition and
raise its moral standard. But it was all in vain. Worldly pleasures and
sensual enjoyments had deadened the primitive faith, fervour, and simplicity
of the order, and the abbot was perhaps not sorry to become a political
agent of a principality small though it was.
July 13, 1525 ; thus vengeance was accomplished within a
year.
In the meantime the tide of Spanish influence flowed
gently in and the French ebbed gradually out. France had
given a few welcome causes of offence and Augustin made
the most of them. Had not France sheltered Bartholomeo
Doria ? Had not Andrea Doria, sailing under French
colours, attacked and bombarded Mentone ? Had not French
generals plundered everything around Mentone and annoyed
the regents ? On the other hand Charles v., having recog-
nised the importance of Portus Herculis (Monaco), met
Augustin's ambitions and vindictive plans more than half-
way, wrote flattering letters, promised liberal pensions,
honourable and rich councillorships, and lucrative livings,
was most pliable on the stipulations of the treaty, and
consented to a personal interview at Monaco in July 1529.
Having thus brought the alliance to a satisfactory conclusion.
Augustin set to work in another direction by the purchase of
St. Agnes, which might, in the hands of an able adversary,
drive its wedge down to the sea and sever Roccabruna
from Mentone. Duke Charles of Savoy received the
proposition most favourably and parted with St. Agnes
for four thousand golden dollars. The treaty was con-
cluded when the SospeUians, afraid of the pretensions
of Monaco, protested and got the convention annulled.
This mishap was a sad blow for the bishop and seemed to
have hastened his death, which occurred on April 14, 1532. 1
As representative abbot of the Lerins he was far from being
liberal towards his canons, whose request, made in 1514,
for a more extensive grant of liberties, he ignored from
year to year, and never took one single step towards its
realisation, though Pope Adrian vi., when there in August
1522, granted to the monastery a perpetual indulgence to
all monks, present and to come.
Honore could not yet assume the government, and
Stephen, a Grimaldi of a branch line, became his tutor
and governor. This Stephen was a Genoese, and whilst
his ward, brave and warlike like all Grimaldis, went
1 Gioffredo, pp. 1187, 1227, 1277-89, 1034-36.
104 MENTONE
to Tunis to fight against the Turks, he occupied him-
self at home with the general improvement of the
estate. Honore's chaplain, a Carnolese friar, brought
back some leaves of the prickly pear and planted them on
the rocks around Monaco and Mentone, where they are
now seen in great profusion. Honore's absence was only
of short duration, for in 1536 he received the visit of Pope
Paul m., 1 when nothing was spared to do honour to his
pious guest, bent on a peaceful mission. The holy father
tried to bring about a reconciliation between the rulers of
France and Spain, who, in spite of their spiritual adviser,
would not meet, though their mutual headquarters were
only a few miles distant. War soon began again. The
French were supported by the Turks, 2 under Khays-Eddyn
Barbarossa, who burnt a large part of Mentone and Rocca-
bruna, and who (according to a letter written from Sospello
to the Duke of Savoy on August 9, 1543), driven from
Nice by the heroic efforts of the inhabitants under their
enthusiastic leader Dame Mauf accia, the maiden of Liguria,
ordered his savage bands all over the neighbourhood.
They carried off every treasure and led into captivity all
men, women, and children whom they did not choose to
murder. Though the star of the Ottoman was sinking and
setting with Solomon, they had still power and energy
enough to send their flying forces along the Mediterranean
and commit numerous acts of cruelty and destruction
along the coast, so that Charles v. ordered a general razzia
against them. John of Austria, his natural brother, was
its leader, and Honore, now of age, leaving his principality
a little longer in Stephen's hands, joined him. The youthful
1 About this time the following inscription was discovered, now split in
two pieces, which may, however, still be seen in Antibes and which inscrip-
tion runs thus : VIATOR AUDI si LIBET INTUS VENI TABULA EST AENA QUAE TE
CUNCTA PERDOCET. It is a most curious composition and may mean any
invitation into a house to see.a family vault, or receive hints and instructions
for his journey, or to indulge in secret pleasures. What may the holy
father have thought of it ? And what may be his interpretation ? It was
presented to him on his journey : that is certain.
2 This alliance of the most religious king with the arch enemy of Christen-
dom against the emperor, called the most Catholic, is blamed by all the
historians of note, and Mezecray, in his Histoire de France, calls it infamous,
heretic, and odious, whilst others call it a perpetual infamy, a disgrace, and
a lasting stain on the king's character.
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 105
prince commanded his own galleys against the Turks who
assailed Malta, which was gallantly defended. The allied
squadron pursued those sworn enemies of the Christian
world as far as Lepanto, where Honore fought side by side
with the Austrian prince. The struggle was severe,
often hand to hand, and the Mussulman's fleet only sur-
rendered after a stout resistance. Honore, with a lion's
courage and an eagle's eye, singled out man after man.
The lance of his fiercest antagonist he brought back to
Mentone, as before related under St. Michael's church
(see p. 33).
During his reign some other Mentonese seem to have
distinguished themselves by feats of arms or stratagem.
Among these was Peter of Mentone, one of the most daring
defenders of the Castle of Nice, when on the very verge of
surrendering to the Turks in 1543 ; and Claudio of Mentone
holding at the same time a command in the second squadron.
Honore died in 1581, highly esteemed both for his valour
abroad and his learning and his civil administration at
home.
CHARLES n. (1581 to 1589)
his eldest son, succeeded him, and having either failed or
refused to do homage to Charles Emmanuel the Great,
Duke of Savoy, Mentone remained evidently a dead letter
in 1583. 1 The Spanish garrison in Monaco may have had
its weight and now advised moderation. After a short
reign of nine years he was succeeded by his brother
HERCULES (1589 to 1604)
The French failed again in their attempt to secure Monaco,
and the boundary question with Turbia was once more
given up as too intricate for a peaceful settlement. Hercules,
accused of great laxity in his manners, of immoral conduct
in his intercourse with some of his subjects, and of a shameful
abuse of his influence and position, roused such a storm
of indignation that a few enraged husbands and fathers
1 Question de Menton, etc., p. 136, act dated April 26, 1583, Mentone being
named Feudo di Mentone. On March 31, 1588, the Emperor Rudolphus n.
gave to Charles Emmanuel I. Mentone and Roccabruna.
106 MENTONE
penetrated into his apartment, murdered him, mutilated
his body, and then threw it into the sea.
HONORE n. (1604 to 1662)
being a ward of his Spanish uncle, was brought up in a
Spanish atmosphere, and in due time married to a Spanish
lady. His guardian, caring more for the interests of his
imperial master than those of his ward, made a treaty for
the admission of a Spanish garrison into Monaco, with
Spanish officers under Spanish regulations. It is true
the prince was the nominal captain of the troops, but he
could not judge or punish them according to his laws,
although he had to maintain and pay them. Five hundred
Spaniards entered on March 7, 1605, and the next day
they issued an order that no one would be allowed to carry
arms of any kind. The Monaco ward, under a Spanish
guardian, satisfied his conscience beneath the Golden Fleece
and shut his eyes under a Spanish helmet ! In fact,
the principality was a Spanish province in all but name.
Philip iv. showered honours and titles on Honore to gild
the bitter pill of thraldom. The ancient order of Calatrava
and a grandeeship of Spain dazzled the young prince. As
long as his Spanish uncle lived all went on smoothly, but
later, on growing in years and experience, Honore felt
more and more that he was after all but a vassal. His
arrival in his capital showed him the abuse the Spaniards
made of their power. 1 The sad fate of his cousin at Beuil ~
made him cautious, favoured though he was by circum-
stances. The French came into his immediate neighbour-
hood, reconnoitring Monaco from land and sea, and Honore
had a relative in the French army, a man of rare tact and
talent. This man began negotiations, but whether acting
on his own responsibility or on gentle hints from home,
no one can tell. Suspicions, easily engendered, arose on
many sides and delayed and protracted proceedings. The
French and Spanish fleets watched and dogged each other
constantly. The former, moving on September 7, 1636, in
1 Appendix. See note D.
3 He was executed for rebellion in 1621. Gioffredo, pp. 1797-99.
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 107
smooth Mentone waters, was suddenly attacked, but got the
upper hand in the affray and the latter had to take refuge
in Genoa harbour. 1 Intrigues went on, however. Plots
were quickly concocted, quickly given up. Spies plied for
prey then as they do now. Four long years passed away
without any visible advantage. A sudden change of
locality, a transfer of the scene to distant quarters agreed
upon between France and Monaco succeeded, however, in
lulling all Spanish suspicions. Politics seemed to have
gone abroad and diplomacy on a long pilgrimage. The
prince pretended to be highly pleased with his Catalonian
friends and retired to Mentone, where he ostentatiously
busied himself with the embellishment or reconstruction of
churches. Nicolas Spinola, then Bishop of Ventimiglia,
was called upon to consecrate the church of the Conception,
also called the Convent, because the Reformati, not the
Reformers, had occupied it in 1640. Honore went still
further. He even married his son and heir, Hercules, to
Aurelia Spinola of Genoa, of Spanish extraction, and the
marriage was celebrated in Monaco in July 1641. This
very prince, however, whose Spanish education, alliance,
marriage, and taste, appeared to link him for perpetuity
to the Spanish ruler and nation, was nevertheless soon
able to shake off the foreign yoke. His power having
become merely nominal, his principality a Spanish drilling
ground, his person a cypher, his life a disguised captivity,
his protector his oppressor, no one can wonder that his sole
aim was directed towards the expulsion of the Spaniards,
and no one can feel sorry his clever plot was crowned
with complete success. Here again his Mentonese were
on the foremost post of honour and trust. In spite of a
recent order not to carry arms, many went about well
armed, causing surprise to the uninitiated and alarm to
the officials. One day there was a great stir and display
of force, and Prince Honore took an active share in the
movement spread all over Mentone and Roccabruna, for
the plausible object of catching the delinquents. This
object he attained. The prisoners were conveyed to
1 Gioffredo, p. 1886.
108 MENTONE
Monaco and disarmed and lodged in the castle. Both
sides were satisfied. Spanish susceptibilities were allayed.
Honore's armoury was replenished.
The number of men on whom the prince could fully rely
was limited to thirty. It was only possible to smuggle
in a few more here and there. At a late hour the rising
in all its details was agreed upon, the eventful moment
arrived, the decisive blow was to be struck, all was ready.
At the momentous hour two incidents happened that
seemed to portend signal failure. On preparing and
distributing the arms one pistol went off accidentally.
The Spaniards having, however, enjoyed an extra good
dinner and an extra allowance of wine were fortunately
sound asleep and did not hear j;he report. Shortly after
a Spaniard found a letter carelessly dropped by the prince
himself, providentially he handed it back to the owner
without having shown it to any one. Providence seemed
to favour the undertaking. The parish priest, taking an
active part hi the scheme, brought over many a waverer
to his senses. A nine days' prayer had been ordered, osten-
sibly for the faster and safer defeat of the enemy, whom
people supposed to be the French, but in reality to give
a plausible reason for the general stir. These prayers
took place every evening from 4th to 13th November 1641.
On the last day of the devotional exercise the greater
portion of the garrison was to leave for Nice, only 110
men remaining behind. This day was therefore fixed upon
for the realisation of the plot. There were still too many
Spaniards to admit of success being certain. A singular
means of diminishing their number was provided by the
soldiers themselves. They renewed this very day their
complaint against the frequent arrears of their pay.
Honore, having shown his helplessness, feigned pity for
them, and allowed the soldiers to quarter themselves on
Roccabruna, whose inhabitants had long held back money
they had promised. The soldiers, nothing loth, accepted
this offer and took themselves off to the number of sixty.
The above-mentioned thirty Mentonese had arrived two days
before. Captain Jerome Monleon of Mentone had received
orders to assemble all his men, 200 in number, coming
from outlying districts, to advance under night and to keep
watch near the gates of the castle. Captain Jerome Key,
commanding the guards, was to take the side gate by assault,
Honore's son, the Marquis des Baux, a youth of seventeen
years, another strategical point called Serraval, and the
prince himself, with fifty men, the main entrance.
With the main population at church listening to the
extraordinarily long exposition of their priest ; with most
of the Spanish officials seated at the prince's table ; with
a compact batch of picked men as resolute as their leaders,
the attempt could not but succeed. When the palace
clock struck eleven all the initiated assembled at their
respective posts, and two columns emerging from their
lanes rushed on the Spanish outposts, which for a moment
were stunned, but soon recovered their wonted presence
of mind and fought bravely against their less trained
opponents. It was a most critical moment. The marquis
was in personal danger; the Spanish captain brought all
his individual bravery and the strength of his position into
effective play ; Prince Honore came to his son's timely
assistance ; Monleon advanced steadily towards the gates ;
many Spaniards fell, many were severely wounded ; the
outposts, outdone by local knowledge and by the devotion
both of civilians and soldiers, had to surrender ; the garrison
decimated, isolated, without provisions and ammunition,
cut off from all outer communication, had to yield and
was shut up in the palace yard. A heap of wood was set
on fire, the signal of victory for Count Alais, who was
watching and waiting beyond Cap d'Aglio. No incident
occurred to mar the patriotic undertaking. The night of
the 13th November 1641 was a memorable one. Prince,
priests, and people, united for one holy cause, had gained
their great object, the deliverance of their native soil from
the foreign oppression of more than a century's duration.
A few days later, on November 18, the French entered,
and in the presence of the two garrisons, one entering
victorious, the other leaving beaten and captive, Honore,
true to his name and principles and acting up to the generous
110 MENTONE
dictates of his heart, divested himself of the collar of the
Golden Fleece and the insignia of all his other Spanish
decorations, and remitted them to the departing captain,
Caliente, with a letter running thus : ' ... If I take
what is mine it is but just to return what is your Majesty's.
The order of the Golden Fleece was conferred upon me as a
sign of my servitude and the only reward for my having
consigned my own case into your royal keeping. Having
out of sheer necessity broken the tie, I send back this collar
so that it may be employed hi gracing or fettering any
other ally or vassal who may be a happier, but can never
be a more faithful servant to your Catholic Majesty than
I was. . . .'
Honore acted most nobly throughout the whole trans-
action, for he fought against the system and not against
the man. In parting with the garrison, the agent and not
the cause of the long oppression, he furnished all with
provisions, gave them extra pay, returned their swords to
the officers, and paid a handsome tribute to their past
conduct under such trying and anomalous circumstances.
Therewith ended the Spanish rule in Mentone. The
vernacular, very different from that of the neighbourhood,
had retained a great many Spanish terms of which, how-
ever, but few are now traceable, nearly all being either
distorted or amalgamated with the local dialect.
The collar of the Golden Fleece enables us to settle
pretty accurately the time of the construction of the
Bastion fort (p. 23), which was in a state of dilapida-
tion, but has been repaired, adorned with a weather-
cock, and is now only used for the two great State
monopolies, salt and tobacco. The collar was received
in 1616 and returned in 1641. The arms of the fort, now
no longer visible (the restoration destroyed them), were
those of the Prince of Monaco quartered with the Golden
Fleece. Honore had been almost entirely excluded from the
government of his own land, and feeling acutely the humilia-
tion inflicted on him by an ambitious uncle, spent nearly
all his time in Mentone in improving or restoring public
buildings. If we assume that the construction and restora-
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 111
tion of some churches the churches of the Capucins and
St. Michel occupied his time up to 1620, that his marriage
was celebrated about the same year, that his young wife
died in 1638, we cannot be very wrong in asserting that the
said Bastion was constructed between 1620 and 1638, most
likely constructed on an old foundation, a former fort of
very early date.
After several visits to the court of France, and after the
reception of many favours in lieu of others forfeited or
returned when changing protectors, Honore had also
the satisfaction of seeing, his devoted servants rewarded.
In 1642 Captain Rey was styled Jerome Rey de Villarey
and Jerome Monleon became Jerome de Monleon. The
latter family has, however, an older pedigree, one of the
ancestors being maire of Mentone in 1535, and another
attested, as Beneventus de Monleone, an important docu-
ment, on January 30, 1298.
Ten years of peace and happiness passed fast away and
then sorrow again visited his home. His only son,
Hercules, his right hand in the memorable November 13,
1641, a most hopeful prince, and created Marquis des
Baux, went on August 2, 1651, with his wife to Carnolese
in order to discharge a pious duty and to implore the
indulgence of the still famous Church des Recollets. Their
prayers and devotions over, Hercules, in company with
several of his followers, went into the pleasure gardens
of St. Ambroise adjoining the cloister, in order to amuse
himself with target shooting. A carabineer of the guard,
whom he bade show his skill, got his pistol entangled in
his shoulder belt, it exploded, and the shot struck the
prince in the spine, causing a fatal injury. He was at
once taken to Monaco, but no human skill could save him.
Eighteen hours after his arrival he expired, demanding
and obtaining a full pardon for him who had uninten-
tionally shortened his days. The man who exposed his
life in many an engagement died thus in the midst of peace
and pleasure. Eleven years later Honore followed his son
to the grave, universally regretted on account of his learn-
ing, valour, kindness, and prudence.
112 MENTONE
Louis I. (1662 to 1701)
inherited his throne but not his kindly disposition. His
reign was almost sterile and void of any measure that might
promote the happiness of a small nation. He began with
a few pious deeds, the founding of chapels and convents
and left the rest to routine. Unhappy in his marriage and
domestic relations, oppressed by family misfortunes, he
threw himself into a series of scandalous adventures,
became dissolute in his conduct and prodigal with his
money. Yet at Texel, in the most memorable of all
naval engagements, memorable for its duration and
memorable for the courage displayed on either side, he
showed a bright spark of his intrepidity and presence
of mind when he had to swim for his life, carrying his
sword away between his teeth. Later on he framed a
code of miscellaneous laws enacting, as expressions of his
own personal suffering, draconic penalties against immor-
ality, adultery and vice.
Being sent to Rome by Louis xn. on a most delicate
mission, his diplomatic skill was only outshone but not out-
done by the luxurious display of his equipages, his horses
being shod with silver shoes, and purposely shod so loosely
that they might drop off the more easily, and his carriage
wheels bound with silver tyres. The immediate consequences
of this absurd extravagance abroad were arbitrary measures,
misrule, abuse, and usury by his officials at home, laying
thereby the corner-stone of subsequent immoderation,
taxation, and general discontent, and the ultimate loss of
the two most valuable jewels in his crown, Mentone and
Roccabruna. He died in Rome in 1701 hardly regretted
by his subjects. He died just when the Spanish succession
was causing universal anxiety.
ANTOINE i. (1701 to 1731)
began therefore his reign literally beset with difficulties
on every side. The rapid development and final velocity
with which great events moved over the political stage
required the undivided attention of those who had even
113
the smallest share in guiding the diplomatic chariot.
From the safe distance of about 180 years we calmly look
back and pick out only such dates as refer particularly
to Mentone and places treated within the narrow compass
of this book.
At the outset Mentone did not suffer much, because
Monaco was recognised as a neutral power, and the Savoy
garrison was disarmed by the French general, Consul
Mussau, who occupied the Quartier St. Benoit. However,
the unexpected issue of the battle of Turin, September 8,
1706, forced the French to a hasty retreat, inducing
the Piedmontese and Imperialists to an inconsiderate
pursuit and a few months later to a hurried return,
and brought both armies twice within our neighbour-
hood, when Mentone had to pay heavy contributions.
The French under d'Artagnan destroyed all the roads
except that leading to Castellare and Castiglione. As this
was the best track, and yet one fit for mules only,
what must the other roads have been ! The Imperial troops
passed only one night here. These military operations
induced Antoine to yield to the repeated representations
of the French general to repair and strengthen the castle
of Mentone. He did it the more willingly as this would
secure the road to Castiglione and check the hold of the
Genoese over Balsi Rossi. The French promised to defray
the larger part of the outlay, but never did so. When in
July 1708 things looked graver still, Mentone received
a garrison of fifty dragoons, who were to watch the Genoese
whose entrenchment worried La Feuillade, the French
general, as he had been positively assured that it was
impregnable without cannons, unless approached and
stormed from the heights above, accessible only by the
track leading from Grimaldi by Ciotti to Castellare. These
outposts and earthworks are still visible in many places
as one passes over the Giraude, and considering that 180
years have passed, their remains indicate that their con-
struction must have entailed a good deal of time and labour.
All these precautions on both sides caused an unusual
stir in the little boundary town, and finally ended in the
H
114 MENTONE
peace of Utrecht on April 11, 1713. Monaco, being on the
wrong side, had to acknowledge the Duke of Savoy as
her suzerain for eleven parts of Mentone and the whole
of Roccabruna. The duke was, however, generous and
permitted the ceremony to be gone through by proxy.
The continual influx of troops caused an immense deal
of misery to all classes of society, especially to landowners ;
fields remaining uncultivated, crops failing, whole hamlets
and homesteads being deserted, towns and villages deci-
mated, and hunger setting in in its most hideous forms
and accompanied by its most distressing associates.
The opening of new and improved communications between
several places and the carriage-drive round Cap Martin,
completed in 1713, gave occupation to only a few.
Antoine was a shrewd economist, and a speculating
father. Having a number of daughters and still more
empty coffers, he bethought him of a healthy and wealthy
young nobleman who might satisfy two conditions of
his matrimonial and genealogical scheme, a rich husband
for his eldest daughter and a rich successor for his
principality. The two old, noble houses, Grimaldi and
Goyon-Matignon, united on October 24, 1715. The ancient
aristocracy protested loudly against such a humiliating
union as they called it, but the king of France favoured the
alliance, smoothed down divers scruples and healed various
sores by bestowing new titles and new favours on the closer
union between south and north. Antoine died in 1731, and
was greatly regretted as a brave soldier and an honoured
prince.
LOUISE HLPPOLYTE
succeeded him, but died on December 29, 1731, the last
of the direct line of the Grimaldis. After eleven months
enjoyment of the principality she was succeeded by her
eldest son
HONORE m. (1731 to 1795)
This succession was disputed by the Antibes line claiming
to be the male heirs direct, though the Archbishop of Besan-
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 115
9011, Anthony Grimaldi, was the only real claimant up to
1748, when he died.
There are now other claimants, one of them, an English
gentleman, William Beaufort Grimaldi, whose acquaintance
I had the pleasure to make at Mentone, when he was in
search of evidence to establish his rights as a Grimaldi.
With Honore in. begins a new line, as with his mother the
direct branch of the real Grimaldi stock expired, and during
his minority his father, the duke of Valentinois, was charged
with the administration of the principality.
Some one has said : ' Treaties are made to be broken.'
That of Utrecht, at least, was no exception to this rule.
Previous wars not having consumed all the political ire, the
Austrian succession was greeted as a welcome opportunity for
beginning open hostilities again. I say open, because hos-
tilities were carried on by diplomatic cabinets whence
violent attacks were soon launched on the battlefields and
discussed under the shelter of glittering swords and roaring
guns. The originally more local conflagration soon became
general, and the numerous explosions were felt even in remote
corners that had not the slightest interest in either side.
Mentone became alarmed. The English fleet had already
destroyed several Ligurian towns, and began to bombard it
also. It was saved only by the heroic and generous inter-
cession of its governor, Count d'Adhemar de Latagnai.
The Spanish landed reinforced in the Golfe de la Paix, and
Las Minas had his headquarters in Mentone all July 1746.
The presence of the English fleet was altogether an inci-
dental and perhaps ill-timed operation of Admiral Matthews,
who was not quite up to his task. Admiral Haddock,
his predecessor, seemed to have been more resolute and
decided. There was, however, a good deal of hesitation
and division at home. Walpole, then minister, strenuously
opposed an open declaration of war against France and
Spain. War being, however, declared, he exclaimed on
hearing the church bells being rung : ' You are now ringing
your bells, but before long you will be wringing your hands.'
There was also great confusion, France being ally or enemy
according to circumstances. Matthews was only appointed
116 MENTONE
in March 1742. Perhaps he did not like the prime cause of
the quarrel, the loss of sailor Jenkins' ears. They were cut off
in 1731 in the Gulf of Florida, and the gallant captain carried
them about him carefully wrapped up, and even exhibited
them at the bar of the House of Commons as a proof of his
sufferings by the hands of the cruel Spaniards. The story
as told before a Committee is long, and inquisitive readers
are referred to ' Hansard.'
There was a serious check sustained on the Col de
1'Assiette on July 17, and a hurried retreat. On the 27th of
September 1746 the Sardinian general, Marquis de Balbiau,
marched down from Pigna with 8000 men on Dolceacqua ;
nine Spanish battalions were so terrified that they left
their quarters, blew up the old castle, retired along the river
and occupied the Roya. Martini, a bold Piedmontese
captain, displayed his small band very cleverly, chased the
enemy towards Castiglione, and drove them down to the
Bevera. This untoward movement endangered Count
Mallebois' right whig and forced him to leave Ventimiglia,
entrusting the castle to a small garrison, whilst he himself
moved westward, strengthening the heights from Gorbio to
Turbia. The head of the imperial army reached Mentone l
on October 12, having left a corps of observation to watch
the Ventimiglia forts. Charles Emmanuel did not remain
inactive, he urged the Austrian general Goravion to
attack the enemy on his right while he himself hurried on
to Mentone and Turbia. The general's troops suffered a
great deal from the Gorbio redoubts, and could not have
1 On another occasion, May 1800, a few days before the battle of
Marengo, when the Austrians were again fighting the French, the Austrian
troops under General Melas were about to be billeted on the inhabitants of
Mentone, much to their annoyance. The general had an interview with the
maire, M. Horace Preti de Saint Ambroise, who in a friendly way held out to
him his snuff-box, on the lid of which was the picture of a young officer in
Austrian uniform. It caught the general's eye, who asked, ' Who is
that?' 'It is my son,' he replied, 'the Chevalier Michel Preti de Saint
Ambroise.' He had taken service under Austria, and was in Austrian
uniform. The general was so pleased to meet the father of his young
officer that he withdrew his troops from Mentone, and the town was spared
the annoyance with which it had been threatened. This story was narrated
to me by Admiral St. Ambroise Galleani, grandson of the young officer
whose portrait saved Mentone, when I called at the family mansion,
Maison Galleani, 45 Rue Longue. The deed signed by General Melaa, giving
a slightly different account of the imposition laid on Mentone, I have seen
in the hands of M. Bioves, ex-maire of Mentone.' ED.
MENTONE UNDER THE GRIMALDIS 117
borne the murderous fire much longer, had not timely
assistance come from Nice. Notwithstanding the loss of
their general, the Sardo-Austrians dislodged their adversary
from every position as far as Turbia, whence the Franco-
Spanish retreated partly by Laghetto and partly by Villa-
franca, and a panic striking confusion into their ranks, they
did not stop until they had reached the other side of the Var.
Michelet's corps remaining firmly posted at Laghetto
facilitated the removal of the wounded and the evacuation
of the hospital. The general's rejoicings were, however,
most imprudent, and gave the beaten army plenty of, time
to reorganise, to return, and to become victorious. 1
These political quarrels became contagious, since even the
fathers of the Holy Catholic Church were affected by them.
The Bishop of Ventimiglia found fault with many persons and
circumstances within his immediate vicinity and retired to
Mentone in 1746, and in spite of all the military movements,
held his synod there and excommunicated Honore in. for a
trifling act of jurisdiction. Honore was, however, too strong
for the meddlesome bishop. He not only compelled him to
quit Mentone, but obtained from Rome an apostolic legate,
(then as now, Monaco had a certain influence in Rome),
with episcopal authority independent of the see of Venti-
miglia ; and town and chapter, people and priests compelled
the blind old man to retire to Bordighera where a stroke of
apoplexy ended the days of this misguided bishop.
Mentone became comparatively quiet, gradually recovering
from its long sufferings. In 1757 it took an active part in
the gay festivities of the court. Honore in. took unto him-
self a wife, one of Genoa's loveliest, handsomest, and noblest
maidens, the fair young Catherine of the ancient house of
Brignole-Sale. The chief magistrate of Mentone, H. de Mon-
leon, was sent to escort her to her new home. They arrived
in a boat. Thousands of curious people lined the port of
Monaco, hundreds of boats surrounded the state barge, all
gaily decorated. All was ready for the landing, when in
the midst of the national enthusiasm an ugly question of
etiquette arose, threatening to break off the match and all the
1 Kossi, p. 312.
118 MENTONE
festive preparations. The all-important question was : 'Who
had to take the first step for the meeting, the bride or the
bridegroom ? and who was the higher in rank ? ' There was
no court guide, no book about such all absorbing state cere-
monials to settle the knotty point which admitted of no delay.
Honore wanted his bride, but his sovereign rank forbade him
de faire le premier pas ; Madame de Brignole would not yield,
she was as hard as the rock on which she wished to build
her daughter's future home. After a short but serious
deliberation a friend of the families proposed to have at
once a floating bridge formed between the port and the galley
so that both parties might start at the same time and meet
mid-way. This offer was gladly accepted, and the ceremony
ran its natural course and ended in a happy wedlock.
A local question which had for centuries caused ill-feelings
between two parishes, if not between two sovereigns, Turbia
and Monaco, Savoy and Grimaldi, was brought to a satis-
factory conclusion in 1760. Until that date the Liliputian
principality had no tangible boundary. It existed some-
where on the Mediterranean confined but not defined. The
war of contest raged especially about its northern limits.
There was no legal mark. They there and then placed the
stones. On November 24, 1760, 1 a day ever memorable in
diplomatic transactions, Monaco entered into real and
positive existence. The two communes, the residence of
Hercules, and Turbia, the supposed birthplace of Pertinax,
had then an official landmark ; and though the mutual
irritation broke out over and over again, it gradually calmed
down, and there is no longer any fear that this question will
again disturb the peace of Europe.
A few years later Edward Augustus, the Duke of York,
brother to George m., having become seriously ill on his
cruise in the Mediterranean, was obliged to take refuge in
the port of Monaco, where he was respectfully greeted by the
inhabitants and hospitably received by the prince. But in
spite of every attention the royal visitor began to sink, and
expired ten days after his arrival, namely on September 14,
1767. The room in which he died still bears his name.
1 M6tivier, vol. ii. p. 74.
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS COMPLETED
AMIDST these various domestic affairs the outer world was
nearly forgotten. But time wore on and events drew near,
casting their shadows before them. Beyond these solid
Maritime Alps there was an ominous gathering of heavy
clouds, * war-clouds that gather on the horizon dragon-
crested, tongued with fire,' dispersing one day and reappear-
ing all the more gloomy or fiery on the following morn.
But these storm signals, coming and going, were not
much noticed. People here concerned themselves more
about their private affairs, their communal interests, their
personal influences, and their corporation privileges. Now
the latter were few and small. Mentone had a kind of
consultative council composed of twenty-one members, with
the faculty of proposing and debating different measures, the
real legislative power being exclusively vested in the person
of the reigning prince. Laws and rules of taxation issued
from the private cabinet of the ruler, the former to be
obeyed, the latter to be paid. The people seemed, however,
to be happy and prosperous, more than can be said of many
other nations largely invested with voting powers and
expensive representatives.
The times were excited and disturbed, and we need not
wonder that reckless agitators and repeated inflammatory
calls for insurrection met with a willing response on the part
of the numerous class of suffering humanity as well as of
many others. In due course the agitation reached Mentone
and set the council, if not even the council chamber, in com-
motion. Fresh powers were claimed with an unusual
amount of celerity and courage, and Honore hastened back to
his dominions with the intention of weakening, circumscrib -
119
120 MENTONE
ing, moderating, or even finally resisting the wave of open
insurrection. Had he yielded with good grace and granted
little by little, he might after all have been successful. As
it happened all privileges and feudal rights were abolished ;
all reforms granted ; Honore became a mere cipher ; he
signed his death-warrant and returned to Paris. A few
days later a petition numerously signed was forwarded to
Paris, not to him, but to the Constituante, humbly craving
for annexation as the sole object of their ultimate happiness
and glory. Here is a copy of the letter :
'MONACO, VILLE LIBRE,
'le Janvier 20, 1793.
' Dimanche dernier les assemblies primaires de Monaco, Menton
et Roquebrune se sont formees et chacune d'elles apres avoir
prononce la souverainete du peuple et demande a devenir partie
integrante de la Republique Fra^aise a elu quatre repr^sentants
qui hier se sont reunis a Monaco ; quoiqu'ils ne soient qu'au petit
nombre de douze, ils se sont constitues en convention nationale
particuliere, en attendant 1'adoption par celle de France.
'Aujourd'hui apres -midi Grand Te Deum accompagne de
quarante coups de canons, de brulement des titres de Noblesse du
pays et de celui du pavilion du ci-devant prince. Ce soir illumina-
tion ge'nerale.'
Their ardent desire was favourably received ; they were
adopted as naturalised children of the great French family,
and enjoyed their full share of Liberte, Egalite, et Fraternite.
One of the warmest partisans of the new ideas was Massa, a
chemist, a true apostle of ultra-radicalism. But it seems
that the new order of things was favourably received among
all classes, in spite of the lawless conduct of some Corsican
bands marching along hi rapid succession and causing an
unspeakable amount of desolation and misery.
These hasty decisions of the municipal authority were of
course not equally acceptable to all. There were animated
and bitter discussions without and within the council
chamber. Nationality will not and cannot be changed at
the pleasure and dictation of a few exercising political
influence according to their personal views or social standing
or advantage. Personal wrongs blended with political
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS COMPLETED 121
fanaticism and led to deeds that disgrace any cause.
Thus it came to pass that women and priests were grossly
insulted ; that churches and altars were shockingly pro-
faned ; that saints and saintly pictures were draped in tri-
colour or red and decked with the Phrygian bonnet ; that
conspicuous houses were pillaged ; that valuable furniture
was broken and burnt ; that precious books and documents
and libraries and public acts and titles were openly de-
stroyed ; that private and public treasures disappeared ;
that heavy fines were imposed on a suspected family,
and heavy ransoms exacted for absent members ! Some
fled with what they could carry away ; others entrusted
their valuables to old acquaintances, never receiving them
back again ; some concealed them, and they were lost for
ever ; a few resisted and were killed ; fewer still submitted
sincerely ; but the fraction, or rather faction, constituted
itself into a most dangerous and arbitrary majority. The
first revolutionary bands that arrived were not soldiers,
but loose fellows, thieves, criminals of the deepest dye, who
turned liberty into licence, lawlessness into authority,
bandits into battalions, by whom were committed the most
disgraceful atrocities. Nothing was sacred ; no one was re-
spected. Young fellows and men of riper age formed them-
selves into companies to defend their homes, their property,
to revenge the outrages committed on their wives, their
sisters, their daughters, their children, their neighbours, and
friends. They were called Barbels, and their system of
defence was an inevitable consequence, an outgrowth of the
turbulent times and general disorganisation. Finally
French soldiers, though brave and regular, became the
objects of their hatred, were waylaid, killed, mutilated,
massacred by foes, Barbets, hidden behind a wall or
issuing from an impenetrable thicket or descending from
inaccessible rocks, gliding along a narrow defile, or dashing
from a track whose stupendous height overhanging the road
defied the bravest and boldest soldier. These Barbets,
often homeless, sometimes outcast, outlawed, and always
desperate, used their skill as marksmen and their agility as
climbers to a frightful extent. Pursued, but seldom caught,
122 MENTONE
and never discouraged, welcome guests in lonely and miser-
able homesteads, they became dangerous assailants to the
regular troops. Under a reckless leader and in moments of
great distress they often degenerated from Barbets into
bandits, as Durante says ' compelled to defend their lives
by every possible means, because no quarter was given.
They often used reprisals ; in the blood of their enemies
they washed the outrages, persecutions, and violence in-
flicted on their families. But the French must accuse
themselves of having provoked such vengeance.' 1
The abominable maxim of the Jesuits, * the end justifies
the means,' in vented to cover illegal actions with the elastic
cloak of false religion, was here frequently applied. It is
almost superfluous to add that these political vendettas were
often the pharisaical cloak to hide darker crimes with viler
motives, and that many a villain enrolled himself as a Barbet
who had no other object but plunder and bloodshed. The
peaceful wanderer or pilgrim ; the honest trader ; the
wealthy citizen in his isolated home ; the peasant in his
humble cottage ; and the innocent messenger from place to
place were perhaps as often attacked as the solitary soldier
who could no longer follow his regiment. At a time when
unspeakable misery kindles the lowest instincts of the human
heart, it sometimes turns even a lamb into a tiger. We
ought not to be so severe upon ill-guided persons. But let
us quote a few French authors, explaining and extenuating
circumstances and facts frequently too highly coloured.
First of all Gregoire, a radical member of the ' Constitu-
ante ' :
* What has chiefly delayed the progress of the public
spirit in the Maritime Alps, and what has even estranged
many a heart, are the horrors committed in October last.
The French under Anselme's command were received as
brethren ; but pillages commenced and continue there, and
the open country has speedily become a prey of robbery and
brutality. Houses are entered and everything eatable
carried away. The unfortunate inhabitant loses his cow,
his sheep, his fowl. They break his poor furniture just for
1 Durante, Histoire de Nice.
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS COMPLETED 123
the pleasure of destruction, and if they suspect money,
he has no choice but to give it or to be hanged. The
soldiery put a pocket-handkerchief around the neck of a
poor peasant with the threat of strangling him if he does not
at once provide a sum of money arbitrarily fixed. His
broken-hearted wife, not knowing where to get it, runs wildly,
madly about, and finally brings a neighbour as security, who
in the place of the first victim receives the fatal cord until
the ransom is paid.
' Women have been violated, morality has been outraged ;
even in the poorest cottage and in the midst of the ruins of
his hut, the unhappy citizen sheds bitter tears over his wife,
his children, his burning rags. The daily recital of these
crimes and the picture of the misery inflicted on most com-
munes are heartrending. How can we earn our daily bread
without a pang of conscience if numbers of our brethren are
the prey of hunger ? The infamous deeds are witnessed in
our cottages, in several towns, and especially in Sospello, six
times lost and retaken and now but a heap of ruins. These
horrors lead people to despair and incite to vengeance, and
many a ruined man, seeing his family on the verge of utter
misery, goes into the enemy's camp in search of a morsel of
bread or of certain and speedy death. These are the causes
that have lowered our credit, chilled patriotism, embittered
the population, and stifled the revolutionary movement in
this department. A cry of indignation rises against Anselme,
whom the people consider to be the Verres of the district,
against Ferus, whose name makes them shudder, and against
several others on whom they hurl maledictions. Besides
the pillage of private houses, the state has been robbed ;
the coffers of emigrants have been rifled ; money and furni-
ture have been carried away. In the stores of Villafranca
two hundred thousand dollars have disappeared ; and a
pamphlet published at Nice values the loss of the depart-
ment at fifteen millions ! ' l
And again : ' Les rapports des espions indiquaient une
grande indignation centre les Fran9ais qui commettaient
1 Rapport presents le premier Juillet 1793 a la Convention Nationale, Henri
Gr6goire,
124 MENTONE
toute sorte d'horreurs centre la religion, 1'honneur, la vie et
les proprietes des habitants. Sospello d'un cote, Levens et
Lantosque de 1'autre, furent specialement saccages de la
maniere la plus barbare. Les malheureux habitants
pousses a tout s'armerent et, tombant sur les postes detaches,
les massacrerent. A Levens les Fran9ais perdirent le
detachement entier qui y etait cantonne . Dumerbion y fut
envoye par Anselme pour reprimer 1'insurrection et il
1'etouffa dans le sang. Les horribles devastations entrai-
nerent ces montagnards belliqueuxaabandonner leurs foyers.
Animes par la vengeance et par le devouement a la cause du
Roi, ils s'organiserent en compagnie de Mihce. Ces volon-
taires actifs infatigables, audacieux jusqu'a la temerite,
harcelaient sans cesse 1'ennemi, rodaient autour de ses
camps et eclairaient la marche des troupes royales. Tom-
bant a Fimproviste sur les postes isoles, sur les convois, et sur
les depots, ils enlevaient tout. Surmontant les obstacles
dont sont herisses les Alpes, ils se jetaient inopinement a de
grandes distances sur les derrieres des Fran9ais et ramenaient
au camp des prisonniers encore tout ebahis de leur capture.
Tantot embusques au fond des vallees tantot eparpilles sur
les hauteurs, toujours poursuivis, jamais atteints, ils ne se
decourageaient aucunement.' l
In order to show our perfect impartiality we only quote
French authors. Toselli, almost an eye-witness and a very
sage guide says : ' Les habitants des villages de la montagne
que 1'on nomme Barbels, ont le cceur si ulcere qu'ils ont jure
d'exterminer tous les Fran9ais qu'ils rencontreraient. C'est
la seule guerre qui nous inquiete. Chaque jour ils nous
tuent du monde jusqu'aux postes de la ville. Ils se cachent
dans des taillis, dans des rochers; ils tirent tres juste. Cette
petite guerre fatigue nos detachements. L'armee piemon-
taise est bien moins a craindre.' 2
And again : ' Ces bandes composees de la plus vile canaille
entrerent dans Nice aux cris mille fois repetes de : " ^Ja ira !
a la lanterne, les Aristocrates ! et vive la liberte ! " Leur
1 Mdmoires sur la guerre des Alpes Maritime* tires des papiers du comtc
Jonace Thdon de Revel (page 17).
3 Toselli, Recits historiques, vol. i. partie l e , page 97.
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS COMPLETED 125
premier exploit fut de s'emparer de trois paysans que Ton
avait arretes comme suspects d'espionnage, et sans forme de
proces ils allerent les pendre aux arbres du Cours ; le geolier
des prisons ayant ose dire que ces hommes etaient innocents,
fut accuse aristocrate et on lui fit subir le meme sort. Quel-
ques jours apres, le 19 Novembre, un pauvre montagnard,
nomme Tordolo, venant de Tourette avec une charge de
chataignes et de bois, esperant recueillir quelques sous pour
soulager sa famille, fut arrete du cote de la Pairoliere par une
troupe de ces brigands qui parcouraient la ville pour frater-
niser, comme ils disaient alors ; ils voulurent lui faire crier :
vive la republique ! Le pauvre homme etourdi par tous ces
cris, resta comme un imbecile et ne repondit rien ; les
bandits insisterent ; le pauvre miserable se jeta a genoux ;
exasperes de ce qu'il ne criait pas comme eux et avec eux,
ils se jettent sur lui, le terrassent et 1'assomment ; avec la
corde qui servit a tenir la charge de son anesse on le lie par
les pieds et on traine par la ville son cadavre sanglant !
D'un coup de sabre on lui coupa la tete, qui fut promenee au
bout d'une pique, forgants les passants a baiser ce vil trophee
du crime. Dans leur promenade ils eurent la cruaute de
faire baiser cette tete a une femme enceinte qui approchait
de son dernier terme, elle en mourut de frayeur. Une
certaine Me. Cognet, femme de grand courage, eut la bonne
inspiration de repondre a celui qui voulait la forcer a baiser
cette tete : " Comment citoyen, vous auriez cette preten-
tion ? Mais je vous embrasserais plutot mille fois, vous que
cette tete de mort ! " Sitot dit, sitot fait ; ce vil vaurien
sauta au coup de cette femme en criant : " Qa ira ! Vive la
bonne citoyenne ! "
The Barbets were in the beginning of their organisation, a
mere band for legitimate self-defence, but many escaped
criminals joined them, for all the prisons were opened.
The celebrated Marseillese Phalane originated and degene-
rated them.
The persons most to be pitied were the exiles. Some could
not return because they were too much compromised and
would not be allured by liberal promises of pardon and
1 Toselli, vol. i. partie 2 e , p. 97.
126 MENTONE
reinstatement in their former rights ; others could not
return because their homes were down and their property
swept away ; some had been betrayed by friends to whom
they had entrusted nearly all that they had been able to save.
These friends were either induced by the incessant threats
of corrupted officials to give up money and money's worth,
or by their own covetousness to keep for calmer times
what was not their own ; or they went even so far as to
become willing traitors, and keep the larger share of the
sacred trust to build up their private fortunes on such base
and shameless principles.
Several years passed rapidly away, regiments continued
to pass to and fro, some better, some worse, all exhausting
the country which, by its very nature, is poor in cereals.
Hundreds of men were constantly taken from neglected
homes to exchange the rusty spade for the bright sword, the
tool of production for the weapon of destruction. Commerce
was hampered, interrupted, paralysed ; industry deprived
of hands was dormant ; the whole population sorely
tried, cruelly abused, sadly decimated, continually bled ;
yet human charity flowed still freely. When thousands
of soldiers came and were quartered along the shore or in
the olive and lemon groves, whether as allies or enemies,
they all found willing and generous hearts to quench their
thirst and satisfy their hunger ; to relieve their numerous
wants, especially to minister comfort to the wounded, sick,
and dying, and if we call to mind that food was scarce and
that a loaf of bread fetched sometimes one hundred francs,
we may perhaps realise their self-sacrifice and self-denial.
Victuals became still more scarce, and reached a fabulous
price, a price only within reach of the few. The Countess
Cessole had to pay twenty francs for a few slices of bread
for her starving children.
One of the finest roads along a most delightful coast was
begun and continued to Mentone, and though the child of
war and revolution, confers still its peaceful blessings upon
posterity. This gigantic construction, accomplished under
no ordinary difficulties, and comparatively speaking within
a short tune, will remain when every trace of misery, and
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS COMPLETED 127
every shadow of ill-will and hatred have been long buried
and forgotten. Napoleon the Great, who often drove and
rode along this petted Riviera, pondering over an unex-
pected defeat in one quarter, a glorious victory in another,
encountering open foes without and secret ones within,
scheming new alliances, and planning new attacks, out-
witting opponents at home and duping allies abroad,
raising new armies and opening new resources, meddling
with the destinies of nations, and settling at the same time
family quarrels and domestic concerns, restoring religious
principles and keeping a pope captive ; Napoleon has, in
the construction of this road, erected to himself a monument
that will proclaim his genius to many future generations.
Napoleon became an exile ! ' As we were ! ' was the
motto and aim of the new Royal and Imperial Geographical
Association. As John Ruskin says, ' The great firm of the
world is managing its business at this moment just as it
had done in past time.' The latest formation of states was
consequently annulled, the previous one was almost entirely
restored and propped up by military weapons. Monaco,
miniature Monaco, did not escape their solicitude, and
again became a Principality. According to the status quo
before the fatal " 92," Mentone became as it had been.
The prince, however, to whom it rightfully belonged, and
who had so miraculously escaped from Robespierre's
hangmen, while his consort fell a victim to the lawless
band, having died in 1795, and therefore before the
restoration, left the succession to his son,
HONOR iv. (1814 to 1819)
He being too great an invalid to fulfil his duties as a ruler,
appointed first his brother Joseph to govern in his stead,
and then his son as
v. (1819 to 1841)
who reigned nominally from 1814, 1 but really from 1819.
1 The sovereignty of the Matignon-Grimaldi family was really lost for
twenty-two years, from 1792 till 1814. ED.
128 MENTONE
He was most unfortunate in the practical application of his
profound studies of political economy. He followed the
bad example of his royal and imperial cousins, whose
frantic joy was suddenly interrupted by the almost miracu-
lous appearance of Napoleon on the Ligurian coast on the
east side of Cannes, where Honore rv., on his return from
Paris to his dominions, met the Great Emperor. I need not
repeat here how new hopes, new enthusiasm, new deceptions,
and new defeats passed in rapid succession over the political
stage of Europe. As soon as the decisive blow was struck,
the Holy Alliance began its sittings and its work of re-
organisation more vigorously than ever. The general and
passive reaction was taken for a tacit approval. From
extreme radicalism to extreme despotism there is but a step.
Extremes always meet. Mentone could not expect to fare
better than the rest of Europe. There was no need for any
extraordinary outcry against modern tyrants. One little
prince could not possibly struggle against the tidal waves
of reaction. Self-preservation is a quality common to all
of us. But servile and unscrupulous ministers may distort
the law, abuse the master's confidence, and frustrate the
most wholesome measures, and if such measures are
exceptional and restrictive, they become intolerable by
dishonest management. How far this may apply to our
case will soon be seen.
Mentone having been restored to its legitimate prince,
the former administration was ad interim resorted to, and
it had therefore four councillors whilst Monaco had three
and Roccabruna two. The tax on landed property
was virtually abolished, the duties on imports re-
duced, and yet these measures were ill received. A
sullen opposition was manifest on the part of the people.
Haughty and inexperienced officials acting harshly seem-
ingly cannot perceive or appreciate popular feelings,
and their ultimate consequences. The laws exist, they
must be executed. The summer of 1816 was unusually
bad. Fields having been neglected yielded nothing. Bread
was scarce, bad, and dear, much dearer than in Nice. A
monopoly was granted to a man to provide this important
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS COMPLETED 129
supply as cheap and as good as in Nice. Flour mills were
included in the monopoly. This clashed with private
rights. All was bad now ; the flour and the bread and
the price. Extraordinary measures demand extraordinary
caution. But instead of conscientious reporters there were
spies ; instead of forbearance, vexations and provoca-
tions ; instead of calm inquiry, a real inquisition. The
good intentions of the prince were arbitrarily executed.
The bread question was the first step to a sullen
conspiracy.
Then came the establishment of a mint from which
Mentone was to derive particular pecuniary advantages.
But in order to realise a prompt gain the contractors acted
most unwisely in introducing the coin too largely into France,
where administrative measures, orders against the fast influx,
though not against the coin itself, were considered as im-
pairing its intrinsic value, and so brought the Sou de Monaco
at once and for ever into bad repute. Thus actually
proscribed, the ambitious and childish scheme, which
ought never to have been hatched, expired before the
mint was closed. There is a similar thing practised in
France now where some administrations refuse the Italian
copper.
The strict regulations against the cutting down of trees
of every kind were undoubtedly most excellent in their
principle as far as forest and agricultural laws go, but
harsh in their strained application. The tax itself was
not heavy, and the collecting of it not excessively severe.
The people here being collectively and individually sworn
enemies to trees and birds, the former are recklessly hewn
down and the latter killed and trapped in season and
out of season and cruelly interfered with during their
breeding time, and this by old and young roughs and others
who ought to look after the roughs. It would be a blessing
for the whole Riviera if forejst and game laws were more
strictly carried out. The laws themselves are good, but are
not enforced, and since 1863 I have never seen an official
withstand bird-catching. His eyes and ears are hermeti-
cally closed, birds are killed, and so insects and caterpillars
i
130 MENTONE
do their destructive work, and there are no warblers in
either woods or fields. 1
The most absurd ordinance, and one for which no one,
I firmly believe, ventures to break a lance, was the petty
interference with the breeding, disposing, and slaughtering
of domestic animals. A formal declaration had to be made
for every head born, and a permission to be obtained for
killing and selling it. Such a vexatious meddling with the
homesteads was too revolting, and engendered more bitter
feeling than any other measure, especially among the numer-
ous small proprietors. That was another step towards dis-
content and revolt. 2
The establishment of a workhouse where regular vagrants
and casuals, and they were numerous and bold in 1816,
could earn their daily bread honestly and temporarily,
so as to check mendicity and pauperism, met stubborn
resistance hi a land where religious associations set a
bad example, and where begging is no disgrace, but a
standing evil. Had the prince left the support of such an
asylum to private charity, and given a liberal donation
himself, and not imposed a compulsory tax, he might have
carried out his philanthropic object, removed a social sore,
and caused a salutary reform, as the idea is founded on
a sound principle, and seems to be realised in Nice and
elsewhere under the name Bureau de bienfaisance et de
mendicitb.
Neither could a cotton or oil mill find favour here and
succeed. The innate taste of the people is opposed to
indoor occupation and factory life. They are satisfied
with little, and are fond of open air life and what their
campagne may produce. Spinning-rooms would not do,
though a few old women, unfit for field work, have taken
to weaving ; and the oil mill now belonging to the parish,
though constructed on what they called improved principles,
had then, and has still, too many private mill-owners
Some improvement has during the last ten years been effected by the
passing of a close time law. But there is much room for more. ED.
2 The same order is now more strictly enforced under French rule, and
no one resists. I could not even lead my pet chamois up and down the
mountains without permission and without paying a small sum.
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS COMPLETED 131
to confront, and they swell the ranks of the opposition
to such a degree that the public interest is paralysed and
improvements are out of the question. The oil mill, the
thrashing-floor, the plough, and the way of watering gardens
do not date from the Christian era !
The only thing that seemed to have taken a permanent
root, and agreed with the taste and custom of the inhabitants
was straw plaiting, busily, and I should say profitably
carried on, especially in Roccabruna, occupying many
hands and filling many a show window.
The whole badly digested and sadly executed system,
which entailed a large number of insolent and inquisitive
agents and frequent domiciliary visits, with a continual
prying into private affairs, chilled every undertaking in its
very inception, so that even the prince's best wishes and
proposals were but grudgingly accepted as insufficient
palliatives.
Need we wonder that the old and radical opposition, so
deeply rooted and so systematically kept alive, should soon
be manifested in open dissatisfaction to being ruled by
Monaco, and in a growing leaning towards Sardinia, as
plainly shown in the liberal movement of 1821, which ought
to have been taken as a timely warning. It would have
been expedient rather to conciliate the Mentonese by wise
and temperate measures and to forgive and forget than to
provoke and alienate by harshness and continued essays
in political economy entrusted to men without experience
and tact ! Whatever Mentone may have suffered under the
last Honore and under its first and last Florestan, its pro-
vidential position in one of the loveliest indentations of the
whole Riviera, and its delightful climate, causing a steadily
increasing influx of strangers, have amply compensated
and largely counterbalanced former wrongs it may have
endured. Its princes, in spite of a later Napoleonic recoup-
ment, have been the greater, in fact the only losers.
Ere we close this political sketch, we ought perhaps
to mention, even if only in outline, the names of those
men who worked in the interest of their town in order to
bring about healthy changes, to develop commerce and
132 MENTONE
industry, to sever the tie that had united them for five
hundred years with Monaco, to enter into a closer union
with Sardinia, and to oppose or to favour the annexation to
France in 1860. But the political events with which all
these patriots are so intimately connected are too recent
to be impartially judged. We merely attempt writing an
epitome of the history of the place, and not a biography of
each leading man, and as we should not like to imitate either
Metivier on the one hand or Rendu, the narrow-minded
French chronicler on the other, both abounding in angry
vituperations or suspicious flattery, we close our sketch and
leave this important task to others better acquainted with
all the documents and circumstances connected therewith,
and proceed to other places, taking people and things as they
are and not as they ought to be.
CHAPTER VI
CAP MARTIN, OR CAP ST. MARTIN
Distance, about 2 miles.
' His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree.'
HOSEA xiv. 6.
CAP MARTIN is not only the nearest, but the easiest and
loveliest drive, ride, or walk near Mentone, where one
can enjoy the pure air saturated with the saline evaporation
of the sea and the turpentine exhalation of the pine-trees,
the solemn calm and rare solitude, and last, not least, the
landscape all around. The walk through the majestic
olive grove is charming. These trees, of every form and
shape, that bear the heavy weight of a thousand years
and more, these trees, time-honoured, but weather-
beaten, ill-used by tempests and by man, these trees that
never die, that link a long series of centuries together,
might, could they but speak, relate the history of many
races, sanguinary scenes, and mighty changes. 1 And these
noble trees are cut down wholesale for firewood ! It is
true some years ago a few dry seasons and the Keiron, 2 a
most destructive insect, have greatly reduced the quantity
and quality of the berries, and consequently the production
of oil. As these sons of Athena are disappearing, the
country loses its most characteristic charm ; ancient
Olivula will weep and mourn, and pen and brush will soon
have no more chance to dwell and write and paint in stately
olive groves. We can, therefore, not restrain from quoting
the following passage of a well-informed French engineer :
' Mais ce qui donne a cette partie de 1'extreme France un
caractere antique et presque sacre, ce sont ses magnifiques
bosquets d'oliviers plusieurs fois seculaires. On ne recon-
nait plus le sujet chetif et rabougri, quoique productif, de
1 The picture shows one ancient olive-tree, so old that the heart has died
out, but the rest has grown into several almost distinct trees. Such is the
vitality of the olive. ED. 2 Cynips or Dacus oleae. ED.
133
134 MENTONE
la vallee du Rhone, de la plaine d'Aix et de toute la Provence
pierreuse. L'arbre de Minerve atteint ici des proportions
colossales ; ses branches independantes s'elevent a vingt
metres de hauteur. On en voit qui surgissent comme des
colosses au milieu des champs de violettes de Parme et
mesurent au niveau du sol pres de quatorze metres de
circonference. La Grece et la Palestine n'en ont pas de plus
beaux. C'est bien 1'arbre roi dont Fficriture parle ainsi :
' Les arbres allerent un jour pour s'elire un roi et ils dirent a
1'olivier : Commande-nous (Juges ix. 8).' Son age nous
echappe, et il est impossible de compter le nombre de siecles
qu'il a traverses en renaissant constamment de sa souche.
Vieillard, presque squelette a la base, il rajeunit presque
eternellement a sa cime ; et son feuillage aux teintes pales,
emporte la reverie aux lieux les plus celebres du monde et
reveille le souvenir de toutes les grandeurs de Fantiquite.'
Some people will, however, have it that the olive-tree is a
native of the soil, and was improved by culture and grafting. 1
It is true the natives did not at all, or at least but
imperfectly, know the value and use of the berries until
the arrival of the first peaceful invaders and settlers. The
principal varieties are the Ponchineri, the Pignole, the
Couloumban, the Spagnou. As it can stand as much as
18 Fahrenheit of frost, but not a prolonged frost, it never
suffers on the Mediterranean, and grows up and prospers
well to a height 1800 feet above sea-level.
Other trees, chiefly the Aleppo pine and ilex, with
bushes, 2 enhance the beauty of the place, each one adding its
particular shade of green, all melting into one soft harmony
so pleasing to the eye. After having passed beneath the
railway bridge we skirt one of our largest orange groves.
The perfume of all these blossoms in spring is almost over-
powering. But the orange-tree (Citrus aurantium) is at
the same time the most useful gift nature has bestowed on
these southern regions. The whole tree is most valuable.
1 The wild olive or oleaster, with small berries of the size of black
currants, is a native of the Riviera, but the cultivated olive was first brought
from Asia by the Phoenician trader a thousand or twelve hundred years
before the Christian era. ED.
2 Myrtle, cystus, terebinth, genista, and heath. ED.
OLIVE PICKERS
Page 134.
CHAPEL OF ST. MARTIN AT THE CAP
Page 135.
CAP MARTIN 135
The fruit, fresh or preserved in various ways, is sweet and
wholesome ; the flowers, gracing bridal brows or perfuming
the air of the fields or the boudoirs of ladies, have but few
peers, the leaves provide both shadow and a calming
remedy ; the wood as an excellent material for furniture,
and the bark as a medical substance are highly appreciated ;
and the tree, when groaning beneath its golden apples, is the
grandest and most imposing picture. We ought to be very-
grateful to the Portuguese who brought it from China, and
in whose honour an orange is still called Portugallo, though
it is said that orange-trees came into France much earlier.
Our orange and lemon trees require twenty years to come
to perfection, and to yield an abundant harvest, and
may even reach the patriarchal age of two hundred years.
But how many die before they reach that age, and how very
few pass even one century ! Frost, drought, disease, and
rarity of birds, are continually working against perfect
maturity. These trees, too, need a little more care,
manure, water, and good soil. The orange-tree, more-
over, infuses into the soil a kind of bitterness which is
repugnant to most vegetables, and excludes, therefore,
every other kind of cultivation. Their sweet blossoms
and their golden fruit entail much toil and expense, and
we ought to pay cheerfully our small outlay, both for
fruit and perfume, so as to encourage an industry equally
pleasing to the eye, the nose, and the palate !
Yonder desolate chapel 1 and three villas further on illus-
trate, and strikingly illustrate the saying, ' Don't reckon
without your host.' The first owner these villas here
change hands more frequently than tenants thought
that strangers coming out for health would like to settle
here, so as not to have too much sun. But it is just the
early disappearance of the sun, the frequent east wind, and
the want of drinking water that made him not only lose the
expected ten per cent, but the very capital sunk in this
property ; a residence both unsuitable in winter and too
hot in summer. Then comes the Roman arch, as some wit
will call it. Had the contractor shown a little more skill
1 The Chapel of St. Martin. ED.
136 MENTONE
and used more freely old Roman mortar and imitation
old bricks, the deception might have succeeded. As it is,
the work is too clumsily done, though the conception may
have been excellent. But the walk and view from here
and on to the round point no pen can adequately describe ;
a painter only, ' who has learned the language by which his
thoughts are to be expressed,' can capture it. All along the
coast on to Bordighera there is an endless variety of views ;
the mountain chain ' tossed into ever-changing heaps, now
of perfect repose,' each creek, each nook and corner, each
village, each gorge has its own individual charm, and
Mentone is the gem among the jewels. This view is always
beautiful, but it looks quite fairy like just before the sun is
setting, ' when the whole sky from the zenith to the horizon
becomes one molten sea of colour and of fire ; every black
bar turns into massy gold, every ripple and wave into un-
sullied shadowless crimson and purple and scarlet, and
colours for which there are no words in language and no
ideas in the mind, things which can only be conceived whilst
they are visible.' I venture to assert that few pictures can
vie with this one and fewer still surpass it. The point of
this peninsula, with its little platform and its storm-beaten
rocks, 1 changes the scenery altogether. Monte Carlo and
Monaco, St. Jean and St. Hospice, the Lerin Islands and the
Esterel, the Tete de Chien and Turbia all appear, and all
embellish what really is already wonderfully beautiful.
The drive up to the Semaphore makes the extensive view
still more extensive, and the panorama is everywhere.
Following a small track along the shore one arrives at
the blow hole, 2 to be seen at its best in all its roaring
power when the mistral unmercifully sweeps over land
and sea, or when a south-wester dashes in with all its
fury. A vessel driven against these shores must perish.
There is no escape from the lashes of these tremendous
breakers against these open and hidden rocks. There were
1 The point has changed in appearance since the erection of the Mauresque
Pavillion. ED.
3 This is merely a passage which the water has gradually worked through
the limestone rock. From the sea-level it is about six yards inland and about
three above it.
MONTE CARLO AND TETE DE CHIEN FROM CAP MARTIN
Page 136.
RUINS OF MONASTERY, CAP MARTIN
Page 138.
CAP MARTIN 137
some wrecks not many years ago. Fortunately such
tempests are rare ; one of the most violent I have referred
to under Villafranca.
The walks are very numerous. I cannot describe them.
Visitors will be all the more delighted to find them out on
their rambles. The more often this short tongue of land is
visited the more it will be appreciated, for all the winter
there is a fine St. Martin's summer here.
It is generally called Cap Martin, but frequently St.
Martin and Cap St. Martin. Both names are historically
correct, the former refers rather to its original use, the
latter to its later destination when it was crowned by a
convent. Cap Martin clearly comes from Campus Martius,
the Romans having had a camp here and their god his
temple. Mars was worshipped all along the coast ; the
Romans never left him behind nor forgot him, or more
correctly speaking, he never forgot the Romans nor left
them. And that is the reason why we have so many
hillocks, hills, and peninsulas called Martin or St. Martin.
There is Colomar Collis Martius ; Camas Campus Martius ;
and Mont Martin is plainly Mons Martis, or Mons Martius,
The Christian soldier, fully armed, replaced the ancient gods ;
St. Peter, who opens the gate of Heaven, has in the same
way dethroned Mercury, the conductor of souls into the
Elysian fields ; just as St. George and St. Martin dislodged
Mars, the gods of warriors. Moreover Mars, having very
nearly become a topical divinity, is naturally more frequent
in woods, on hills, and capes. We have thus, Mars Ceme-
neleus, Mars Jeusdrinus, Mars Ollondius, Mars Segomon,
Mars Vintius, and Mars Majurrus. But those who do not
like these heathen derivations and these pagan names
changed into or transferred to Christian saints and martyrs
will say, perhaps, that there are two Christian saints and
martyrs, and why should they not have their holy names
stamped on these hills, hillocks, and peninsulas ? It is true
there is a St. Martin, confessor, on the llth, and another
St. Martin, pope and martyr, on the 12th of November.
Both figure in the Roman Calendar ; the former a greater
personage than the latter. Both were great and saintly
138 MENTONE
men ; both would confer honour and glory on a hill,
peninsula, monastery, or church. But though Martin the
Pope, who died in 655, ' was a man well deserving respect
and sympathy, yet it is only by a little stretching the term
that he can be called a martyr, as he died from the cruel
treatment he had received in his exile at Cherbon.' If our
Cap Martin is, however, to be the godchild of either saint,
we should give the preference to St. Martin of Tours, who
is, I believe, the father of our St. Martin's summer. Who
has not heard of St. Martin of Tours, the confessor, the
great St. Martin, the glory of God, and the light of the
Western Church ? This question is too big and thorny for
my superficial knowledge of these and all other saints, and
the subject has already been exhaustively treated by several
great scholars, viz., Cardinal Newman in the Church of the
Fathers, Alban Butler, in his life of St. Martin of Tours, and
in Lives of the Saints, by the Reverend S. Baring-Gould.
These authors ought, therefore, to be consulted to decide
the question.
Later on the Saracens transformed whatever they found
useful into a Fraxinetum. The Ligurian coast became a
continuous line of forts (originally Roman) used as outposts,
retreats, or watch-towers according to their strength or
distance from the sea, so that between Spain and Italy no
merchant ship could ply without being immediately espied,
signalled, chased, and captured by these daring pirates.
Whether or not they destroyed the first Christian refuge
or hermitage here cannot be proved. The ruins of a later
cloister are still partially visible and can be traced in their
foundations. These are, however, of mediaeval styles, and
bear a strong family likeness to many other constructions
of the period in the neighbourhood. The skeletons and
especially the heads of nuns that were found in 1865, and
of which discovery I could never get a reliable account,
have been disposed of, as the keeper of the signal station
positively assured me. But there is no direct documentary
evidence about St. Martin as a religious establishment.
And even the following story connected, I fancy, with some
other nunneries, belongs to the vast realm of legends :
CAP MARTIN 139
The nuns, being much frightened by the atrocities
committed along the coast by invaders and pirates, made
an agreement with the inhabitants of Roccabruna that they
should come down in large numbers and well armed on the
first sound of the alarm bell. Being somewhat sceptical,
they wanted to test the ready faith of the Roccabruners.
On a dark and stormy night the alarm was given, and
within a short time the men were on the spot to protect the
pious maidens. When told that it was a mere test, the
people felt rather vexed, but returned home without much
grumbling. A few weeks passed away ; the invaders came
nearer, attacks increased, the nuns became very nervous
and would test the Roccabruners once more, who responded
quickly to the call. This time no excuse would calm
them, and they went back full of anger. Then arrived
the Saracens. There was real danger, great danger. The
alarm bell sounded loud and long, but no help came. On
the morrow they found some nuns had been carried off and
the rest killed. The good Roccabruners felt heartily grieved.
But who was to blame ?
Unable to find anything certain about this mysterious
convent, may we not assume that it owed its second origin
after the departure of the Saracens to the general panic that
prevailed between 1000-1150, when the counts, having
become unjustly and immensely rich, and apprehending the
end of the world, created no end of monasteries and convents,
and endowed them most liberally. The counts of Venti-
miglia, when they made over the land about here to the
abbot of Lerins, might have had this cloister built. This
is all the more likely, as in the act of donation the cape
is called Mount St. Martin, and the church ecclesiam
St. Martin. This is the only clue we possess. According
to several historians the Knights Templars had about nine
thousand commanderies along the Ligurian coast, most of
them being ancient settlements dedicated to Mars, and later
on placed under the patronage of St. Michael and St. Martin.
The convent again destroyed, must have been reconstructed
and finally been abandoned. But when and why and how no
one can tell. The road we have already described was
140 MENTONE
first constructed by Antoine i. in 1713, and has been greatly
improved since. 1
Before closing this sketch of the Cap, I must mention
Lumone, a small Roman ruin. 2
1 Since Dr. Miiller wrote the foregoing account Cap Martin has greatly
changed. The Cap became some years ago the property of Mr. George
Colvin White. The fine Cap Martin Hotel has been erected on the promon-
tory, the chosen abode of the royalties and aristocrats of Europe. A
Mauresque Pavillion decorates the extremity of the point close to the rocks
and the sea, where of an afternoon hundreds congregate, who are quite as
intent on tea and cakes as on the splendid views to be had all around.
Several lots of the Cap have been sold off and villas been built, among
others, Villa Cyrnos, the residence of the ex-Empress Eugenie. Roads have
been made through the pines, and the electric tramway from Mentone to
Nice passes through the northern part of the property, surmounting the ridge
of the Cap by a steep gradient ziz-zag and a cleverly constructed tunnel.
The Semaphore still crowns the height and does good service, but the little
chapel of St. Martin is in a very decadent condition. ED.
2 This most interesting structure, the only bit of old Roman building to
be seen in this neighbourhood, is a tomb. It consists of a facade with three
arched niches, the middle one being rather larger than the other two.
Some traces of the original frescoes which lined them may still be discovered.
At the lower part is a string-course, consisting of stones neatly arranged in
a sort of mosaic, known by the name of Opus reticulatum, which style of
work dates from the time of Hadrian, emperor from 117 to 138. We thus
get some idea of the age of the erection. The upper part shows a course of
double bricks, and a space, which was doubtless occupied by the marble
plaque, bearing an inscription which has disappeared. This most picturesque
little ruin has been placed under the protection of the Society for the Pre-
servation of Ancient Monuments. ED.
ROMAN TOMB, LUMONE, CAP MARTIN
Page 140.
PLOUGHMAN OF CASTEI.LAR
Page 142.
CHAPTER VII
CASTELLAEE, OE LE CASTELLAR
Height, 1186 feet.
Distance, direct, . . .3 miles.
,, by Cemetery ride, . 4 miles.
,, carriage road, . . 5 miles.
Fete Day, San Sebastian, . January 20.
THE immediate neighbourhood of Mentone ought not to
be explored in one, two, or even three series of walks, but
by degrees, so as to vary the subjects.
The excursion to-day was to be to the village of Castellare.
The meeting-place was to be Rue du Castellar, time nine
o'clock, on an early November day, 1865. After a quarter
of an hour's rather steep ascent, we reach the plateau once
covered with venerable fir- trees. Men who did not plant
them cut them down without caring for replantation ;
rain swept away the soil, bare rocks remain, and though they
seem to have no value whatsoever, two neighbours quarrelled
some years back about their possession ; but they found
out soon that law paper is dearer than the hardest limestone.
We enjoy the lovely morning. A few fleecy clouds chase
each other in quick succession and light and shade have
therefore full play. The picture alters with every step.
The air, too, is pure and soft and pleasant ; the numerous
indentations of the coast offer far east and west a great
variety of views ; the Lerin Islands look dim ; the Tete de
Chien as a dutiful dog is wide awake, though he seems half
asleep ; Cap Martin, not in its brightest of humours, wears
a thin grey veil not quite out of mourning yet ; besides it is
St. Agatha's day, 1 and she may have been one of the martyrs ;
Mentone looks better, seen from the Arbutus ridge ; Grim-
aldi and the more distant Bordighera are evidently the
favourites of Helios ; the eastern mountains, in their deep
grey, form a strange contrast to the western slopes, where
1 St. Agatha's day is really 5th February. ED.
141
142 MENTONE
rosy sunbeams play at hide-and-seek ; Annunziata, re-
modelled and whitewashed and embellished, looks by far too
gay for her brownish monks ; Gorbio, the sober-minded,
is meditating on her glorious past, and still bewailing those
five hundred men and women once carried off as slaves by
savage Turks ; the castle of St. Agnes feels lonely on its
lofty cone, but still bears witness against the destructive
actions of time and man ; Aggel once trodden by Roman
soldiers, and Baudon, with its defying slope, and Grammont,
big and clumsy, and Bresse, the cradle-shaped, with all
their satellites, offer a stout resistance to chilly Boreas, and
do not seem to suffer from Eurus. Such is the revolving
picture we behold as we advance, and our frequent stop-
pages and exclamations prove that we appreciate it too. It
is, indeed, an interesting canvas south, east, and west ; the
present and the past, the warrior and the monk, strangers
and natives, land and sea elbowed, and still elbow each other
in divers ways to make the picture all the more sublime.
When once beyond the cross, the track leads to a noble
olive grove. The trees are full of berries, and promise an
abundant harvest, and many people are already busy in
picking the oily fruit that falls rather early. For many
years these giant trees were barren ; droughts and insects
were their enemies ; but a few good seasons make up some-
what for former losses. Before we come quite close to the
village we cross the new road several times, climb slowly
up the last incline, turn to our right and take possession of
the square and its stately elm-tree, the usual halting-place.
The tree bids welcome to all comers, and shelters many
sparrows which watch the display of our baskets' contents
quite as eagerly as do the little children who scan us with
sparkling eyes from head to foot. What a pity that their
pretty little owners seem to be so shy of water, brush and
comb, and leave the brightness of their handsome faces
eclipsed by various meteors !
The iron gate in the southern wall, just opposite the tree,
a relict of the last decade of the last century, leads to a
beautiful vineyard where a hovel, the only remains of the
outbuildings of a former castle, is occupied by an obliging
CASTELLARE 143
peasant who gives us free admission, though I often see
kindly disposed visitors drop a coin into his leathery hand. 1
The unpretending walls formed once the manor of the
Lascaris, who frequently intermarried with the Grimaldis
and the counts of Ventimiglia, possessed large properties
within and beyond the Maritime Alps, and swayed their
political influence for many centuries over the events of this
region. The family which saw one of their ancestors
emperor in Constantinople (1222), held this barony till the
dissolution of the feudal system in 1792, and covered their
honourable shield with fame and glory. Up to 1886 there
was still a family living here descended from the original
lords, but it has gradually sunk into comparative poverty,
lost every connection with the noble stock, like many an old
house out here, and become mere peasants. The extensive
estate of the Lascaris was sold in small lots, and has suffered
endless and ruinous subdivisions, in keeping with the un-
fortunate custom of the country, where they continue
dividing until there is no more left to be split up.
The two streets might be cleaner and better paved, but
they are in true keeping with the houses whose ground floors
are invariably reserved for the mule, donkey, sheep, and
fowls ; the first two are the faithful and untiring companions
or rather workmates of the peasant. Some of the wealthier
people possess even a cow or two and a few goats. The rest
with more windholes than windows, is allotted to the family
or families, as the houses are often portioned out into floors,
and the floors into apartments consisting frequently of one
room and a kitchen only. Between the two fountains that
supply the village with a sufficient quantity of water brought
down from a considerable distance, is the ancient castle,
now the property of twenty-one families. The lady who
held it divided the whole building into twenty-four lots, each
lot containing one room or two, seldom three. Three lots are
seemingly still to be disposed of. But this does not matter
as things change from year to year. Each lot fetched from
1 A large underground cistern, 12 metres by 5, which formerly supplied
the castle is still in existence, and some hard to be deciphered human
features are to be seen sculptured on part of the remaining wall, also a
fragment of an arch. ED.
144 MENTONE
thirty to seventy pounds, and if we take the average as
thirty-five pounds, we get the present value of this seigniorial
residence to be eight hundred and eighty pounds. This
is rather good for such an old-fashioned construction.
Admission is willingly granted to those who wish to visit
the former abode of the Lascaris, now the simple and
cheerless dwelling of peasants. 1
The first floor, consisting of five dwellings, contains or,
perhaps, we must now say contained some tokens of
princely magnificence. One shows some well-preserved
scripture frescoes, especially Moses striking the rock when
surrounded by Israelites ; the history of Adam and Eve ;
and a few traces of the arms of the ancient occupants.
In a large hall with a western aspect, divided into four
chambers which, with those beneath, formed a memorial
hall, are depicted the feasts of the gods presided over
by Jove himself in the best of humours, though his table
seems but scantily provided with victuals and wines,
for his heralds and butler, jovial Mercurius, three graces,
and two nymphs, very pretty girls, but very indifferent
attendants, do not at all look after their Olympic master's
comfort. Then there is Daphne represented as pursued by
Apollo smitten with her charms. And close by, as a
companion picture, is Syrinx, the proverbial Arcadian
beauty, who also was pursued, but jumped into a river
and was changed into a reed. Again, just over the door,
is Hermes playing, who by the sweet enchanting notes of
his lyre sends Argus to sleep and kills him whilst watching
over his precious charge, the handsome lo. Opposite is
Hercules, wearing the poisoned garment of the Centaur
Nessus, and throwing Lichas his attendant, who brought
it to him, into the sea, where he was immediately changed
into a rock, now forming the Lichades, three small islands
between Euboea and Locris.
Up to the middle of the eighteenth century there existed
two palaces for the two branches of the Lascaris family,
represented by two brothers. One day they quarrelled,
1 On the door-post of one of the rooms is scratched the words Joannes
Paulus Augustinus Lascaris, 1497. ED.
REMAINS OF SOUTH CASTLE OF LASCARIS, CASTELLAR
Page 143.
CHAPEL OF ST. SEBASTIAN, CASTELLAR
Page 147.
CASTELLARE 145
and the population, siding with him who dwelt on the
northern slope, made the manor of the elder branch unfit
for habitation, and in 1792, when hatred and revenge
executed hideous work unpunished, it was entirely de-
stroyed, and nothing was left standing but the four walls
we noticed on our arrival.
The church dedicated to St. Peter, recently restored,
formerly adjoined the manor and the chapel of St. John
by arcades or cloisters. Opposite the main altar, but now
separated from the body of the sacred building, and near
the principal entrance, was the sepulchre of the counts of
Lascaris. The vaults have not been desecrated, but filled
up and covered. A marble slab, at the entrance of the
mortuary, is still to be seen.
A few steps beyond the gateway there is a fine view ot
Castiglione, which, after having been quietly seated on a
ragged saddle, changed its position in consequence of the
destructive effects of the earthquake in 1887. This ridge
separates the Bevera valley from the sea. Old Castellar
Lo Vecchio Castello the cradle of its namesake, cannot be
seen. One of Ormea's bleak and rugged outriders conceals
it from our eyes. The real founders of this old settlement
so high up are unknown. Peglia's early settlers beyond
Mount Baudon, being frequently assailed by eastern invaders,
determined, it is said, to stop up one of the passages or make
its access more difficult, and built, or at least strengthened,
a castle already existing. They turned it into one of the
safest strongholds within this Alpine range and fortified the
whole spur, an almost impregnable position for the time,
too strong even for the Saracens. It is mentioned as early
as 779, 806, 954, and in 1002 we read that the flag of the
Ventimiglian counts waved already from its pinnacles.
These valiant knights held it then, under their bishop, a
man who knew, like many others of his order, that the sway
of the spiritual power very often needs, though very seldom
deserves, the sway of the warrior. The counts seem to
have done well in verifying the old adage :
' Sous le Baton pastoral
On ne vit pas du tout mal.'
K
146 MENTONE
In fact they must have done uncommonly well. In places
of less consequence they put the weight of the government
of the viscounts on their lieutenants as they did in Castigli-
one. Their residences were numerous and vast ; their
equipments costly ; their horses of a superior breed ; their
falcons well trained ; their table abundantly supplied.
But their extravagance injured their power, and curtailed
their influence, because it lowered their credit. This is per-
haps the reason why Count William ceded his patrimony to
Count Charles of Provence in exchange for other lands, far
away and less independent. Money was the principal
agent in this disadvantageous transaction, for, according
to the convention signed at Aix on January 19, 1257, 1 he
got a good round sum in hard cash and a promise of more.
Nevertheless, this must only have been a cession of personal
sovereign rights, for the counts remained after all, and
exercised at least the lower jurisdiction. A concentration
of power in one strong hand was almost unavoidable in
those days when party spirit engendered party feuds which
often assumed vast proportions. That the counts of
Provence had really acquired sovereign rights over the
place, the history of which we are sketching, is clearly
shown in an understanding arrived at between them and
the Genoese in 1296 - enjoining the exclusion of all the
Ghibellines as outlawed from all their territories. And
on February 9, 1331, a large number of Ligurian states
affirmed anew that Guelphs and Ghibellines could not pass
into each other's country. Charles Grimaldi, as governor
of Ventimiglia, signed this treaty on behalf of Castellare.
In 1388 it belonged to the house of Savoy, and in 1394 we
read already of a Henry Lascaris making his will on
March 9 in favour of his son, Guido, and leaving consider-
able legacies to the cathedral of Nice, to the monks of
St. Honore, and others.
For two hundred years Old Castellare shared all the
vicissitudes of party warfare and change of masters, their
respective fortunes and defeats. It was alternately Guelph
and Ghibelline, papal or imperialist just as the master's
1 Rossi, p. 83. 2 Idem, p. 127.
CASTELLARE 147
advantage, prudence, or necessity suggested. In such a
wild retreat, very wild then, amidst extensive pine forests
and craggy rocks stretching their prickly bluffs deep into
olive groves, many a piratical outlaw found shelter and
protection, especially when the governor connived at the
nefarious traffic and shared in the spoils. This naturally
caused many complaints, which the various treaties
mentioned above sought to remove. The times became
gradually less favourable to such lofty and out-of-the-way
haunts, and the palatial residence up here got neglected,
and by and by uninhabitable. Rain, storm, and wind
worked an easy and free access through all the ancient
lordly halls. The walls began to crack, the turrets to
totter, one had, in fact, already given way ; the gates could
no longer be closed. The whole spur exposed to frost and
heat having been laid bare, gave signs of decay, lost the
former bulk of solidity, and the foundations of the various
little castellos became more and more insecure. The sur-
rounding houses of the burghers sank into a most deplor-
able condition, and the church, whose walls were evidently
more solid, began to succumb too. Things had thus come
to such a pass that Henry and Leonis of Lascaris, the then
proprietors, decided on giving up their time-honoured
stronghold altogether. The counts of Savoy, the former
holders of this mountain fief, owned a bit of table-land lower
down, well adapted for a settlement with plenty of arable
land around it, and at a convenient distance from the sea,
so that the inhabitants could more easily dispose of the
products of their soil. The plot of land, called S. Sebastian,
after a very old chapel still existing, was purchased in 1435.
The Old Castellarians were allowed to construct, within the
space of five years, twenty-nine new houses, corresponding
in every respect to their former dwellings, the materials of
which were more or less used for their new abodes. 1 This
partly explains why so little remains of the mother settle-
ment. The houses just examined have thus literally been
moved from the mountains to the plain, a fact which even
our American friends have not yet attempted. These
1 Gioffredo, p. 1055.
148 MENTONE
dwellings are therefore about four hundred and seventy
years old, and can easily be distinguished from those more
recently erected. If judged from the gates, etc., Castellare,
then as now, had two streets merging into one near the
church, the western or lower one being evidently for com-
munication with the public court and the northern gate, and
the upper one, between the two castles. Around the primi-
tive chapel of S. Sebastian a small colony may have already
existed and was most likely merged into the new one.
The festival is celebrated on the 20th of January, and
not on St. Peter's day, the patron of the parish church.
S. Sebastian, born in Narbonne, was a captain in the
Pretorian army, under Diocletian, and having been early
converted, had a good many opportunities of assisting his
persecuted brethren. When the persecution reached even
him, and he was ordered to abjure his new faith, he remained
unshaken, and was then handed over to the Mauritanian
sharp-shooters, who lodged not less than one thousand
arrows in his body, leaving him for dead. A Christian
woman, Irene, on attempting to bury the body, found
Sebastian still alive, and thus saved him. But this very
same saint was soon afterwards flogged and put to death
on January 20, 1288. He is also held in high veneration for
his special power against the pest, and is the patron of
sharp-shooters and riflemen.
Historical records concerning New Castellare are very
scanty, or coincide with facts quoted elsewhere. In 1464
a monk attracted large congregations, wrought many
miracles, and prophesied the plague in this place, the
desolation of the plain of Taggia, and a famine all along
the Riviera and even further. 1 The inhabitants were,
afterwards, exempted from all taxes in consequence of their
endurance and devotion during their local trials. Their
lords, represented by Bartholomew and Onorato Lascaris, 2
sat in the councils of forty of the city of Nice. 3 Colonel
Giov. Lascaris died a glorious death before that city, when it
1 Gioffredo, p. 1119. 2 Idem, p. 1138.
3 Louis de Castellare fut en 1543 nomm6 Capitaine des Arquebusiers
nigois, hativement forme's centre lea Turcs. Durante, ii. p. 283.
CASTELLARE 149
was besieged by the Turks on August 15, 1543, and when
Maufaccia, the great Nice maid, delivered her native town
from the arch-enemy of Christendom and civilisation. The
Lascaris of Castellare must have been a different branch
from that of Gorbio, since, in 1517, two different masters are
named for these villages, and in 1533 they are again quoted
as vassals of the dukes of Savoy.
The great reformation of the sixteenth century did not
spread far over this last ridge of the Maritime Alps, those
affected by it were chiefly the dwellers along the Bevera
and Roya. There were,, however, some heretics burnt in
Sospello, and a good many ill-treated near Ventimiglia.
In 1747 General Leutron formed an extensive line of
defence against the Austrians reaching from the heights of
Belvedere, in the Vesubia valley, over Braus, Authion, to
Bruis, as far as the Berceau, with strong detachments on all
these and some other intermediate points, also at Castigli-
one, Castellare, and Baussi Rossi. 1
The Lascaris remained in sovereign possession of Castel-
lare until 1792, when the violent changes wrought by the
French Revolution swept away their feudal rights, and
inflicted much misery on Liguria, and on all the immediate
neighbourhood, when lawless bands of the lowest class
without any honest leader struck terror into every place
and household.
Before I conclude these historical remarks, or rather
monotonous description of Castellare, I cannot refrain from
telling how the last two scions of the Lascaris family fared
during the abominable revolutionary movement. All
are more or less acquainted with the state of things in
1793, and the following years : the popular, or rather
officially imposed rejoicings over theft, robbery, violation,
and murder ; the famous, or rather infamous trees of
liberty, and the frantic, scandalous dances around them,
whilst abject misery shed bitter tears in desolated homes
or sobbingly ate the hard bread of exile. Those poor,
wretched exiles and emigrants were, however, not forgotten.
1 La Guerre des Alpes, p. xvi., par le Comte Jonace Thaon cle Revel.
Turin, 1871.
150 MENTONE
On the contrary they were carefully watched and often
betrayed into unguarded words or movements in order to
get at their fortune. The last Count of Castellare, Jean
Paul Augustine Lascaris, seventy years old, is but one
example out of the many thousands that might be fur-
nished. A childless, helpless, and almost friendless cripple,
he left for Piedmont long before the arrival of the French,
to be nursed by a kind-hearted, distant relative. In
the middle of an extremely cold winter he was summoned
to return within two months unless he could show a legiti-
mate cause why he should stay away. On his applying for
a new leave of absence he obtained only thirty days more,
expiring on the 24th of March. Now though the passage
over the Col di Tenda was impracticable, and the road along
the Riviera encumbered and unsafe, he set out for Nice,
though borne down by age, infirmity, and fatigue. On his
arrival he ventured to observe that he should consider it a
great favour if the Republicans would kill him. They did
not kill him, however, but sent him to Montpellier and re-
commended him as a good old citizen to the indulgence of
the authorities there. According to an act passed on
September 5, 1797, Lascaris could not stay there, and was
requested to leave in spite of his warden's report that he was
too dangerously ill to be removed. The judges sent their
medical men to examine him, and their four doctors de-
clared him quite unfit for travel. And yet those very
judges, who seemed to conform to the letter of the law, over-
ruled the medical opinion and ordered his immediate
transfer to Nice. On his arrival he was forcibly put into a
boat and sent to La Cuse, then Genoese territory though
near Mentone, where he soon expired, his death being un-
doubtedly accelerated by the harsh treatment of those in
authority. This, as we shall soon see, was skilfully planned,
and must have been done with the connivance and help of
a person who knew the locality and had, perhaps, a pecuniary
interest in the case.
And why was * radiation ' or the striking off from the list
of exiles granted to so many others, refused to this venerable
old man, the last descendant, perhaps, of an honourable
CASTELLARE 151
noble house ? Because his estates were to be sold, his heirs
being strangers living abroad, and therefore not entitled to
inherit the property. And to save appearances, he had
to be expelled again (into Genoese jurisdiction) ; he had to
die on foreign soil and thus be maintained on the list,
so that the pending sequestration might have a touch of
legality, and not lay too bare the growing rapacity of the
officials. They became even so bold as to put in sworn
declaration that the money, jewels, and titles he brought
back from Italy were not taken from him, casting thus a
serious accusation on those who, at his death, lived in his
immediate neighbourhood.
Such cases were rather the rule than the exception, unless
large sums were paid down to satisfy the exorbitant
demands of the rotten central administration, shamefully
corrupted, from its director down to the lowest clerk. In
Lascaris' case they demanded twenty thousand livres, and
when told that it was a most monstrous imposition in such
a painful case, one of the members of the court argued
thus :
' Having already come to terms with my colleagues, I
cannot take less. Moreover the Lascaris estate would fetch
four million francs for the benefit of the government, and
our percentage would amount to twenty thousand livres.
Now we cannot " radiate " him unless you pay down the
sum proposed, and considering that you will be the principal
gainer as successor after this transaction you ought not to
hesitate one moment.'
These outrageous conditions being finally accepted, the
family plate was deposited as a security of the bribe. But
when the bribe was paid down and the deposit plate claimed,
the same depraved functionary merely added :
' Never mind the plate. It goes into the bargain when such
a valuable estate is at stake ! ' And the plate was lost !
It is true the affair oozed out and the officials were
dismissed. But this only happened because they had
become reckless, and set too openly to their iniquitous work.
And who was the gainer ? The government, of course,
the Lascaris having died on foreign soil, and the promised
152 MENTONE
' radiation ' not having been enacted. The government,
seemingly so indignant at the base conduct of their agents,
quietly confiscated the estate and ignored every previous
transaction.
This is but one of the innumerable vile deeds that dis-
credit equally the system, its authors, and its agents !
Another Lascaris, a direct descendant of the Castellare
Ventimiglia line, born in Nice 1767, played rather a strange
part in connection with the first Napoleon's great plans,
and would have certainly played a greater one, had not
events taken such an unexpected turn and blighted all his
hopes. When at Malta he made the emperor's acquaint-
ance, an acquaintance which rapidly ripened into intimacy,
for he soon received orders to go to Aleppo, and to engage
a courageous and trustworthy Arab who might become his
interpreter and instructor in the Arabic language, to go to
Palmyra, to travel among the Bedouin tribes, to befriend
their various chiefs, to unite them into one confederacy
independent of the Turks, to explore the Arabian and
Persian deserts with all their tracks and roads and water-
stations as far as India. Napoleon, we know, not only
wanted to close the Continent to England's commerce, but
to drive, with the co-operation of that Bedouin confederacy,
a deadly wedge into India, and to attack, alienate, and
separate this important colony from the mother country.
Lascaris' diplomatic skill, endurance, and tact, discarded
every difficulty and obstacle one by one ; he created and
cemented a powerful league among and with the chiefs.
A genius himself, he appreciated Napoleon's still greater
genius which, in fact, appeared too great for such a small
play-ground as Europe could offer, and might have been
suited to Asia, where the full-blown absolutism of an ac-
complished strategist and military despot could really play
a gigantic game for centuries and not for decades only.
In all his sufferings Lascaris showed an unfaltering
devotion to his ideal. His resolute advance and his success-
ful understanding with the principal chiefs of all the tribes
and their final consolidation was not an easy task, and could
only be the result of the most earnest and strenuous efforts
CASTELLARE 153
of a mind thoroughly convinced of obtaining the ultimate
object of his mission. In his intercourse with his guide
and teacher, Fatalla, on the one side, and with the numerous
chieftains and their tribes on the other, he displayed the
most winning manners, a natural capacity for acquiring
languages, and a rare gift of sagacious penetration and
persuasion. Being fully satisfied with the result of his
labours, he started for Europe to acquaint the Emperor
with all he had seen and heard and done and achieved,
justly proud of his great success. But on his arrival in
the Bosphorus he heard of the fatal disaster at Moscow,
and a little later of his master's further misfortunes,
and his final fall. This was too much for his worried mind
and weary heart, devoted as they were. Under the crushing
weight of grief and disappointment his mental power and
physical strength, too sorely tried and suddenly unstrung,
gave way. His herculean enterprise and labours seemed
to have been carried on in vain. All his clever strategy,
all his stoic endurance, all his bodily hardships, all his hearty
devotion, all his studies, his mappings, his schemes, his
descriptions ; all, all a final disappointment and deception.
Love's labour lost ! A life's labour lost ! What could he
do now in Europe ? To be laughed at and scorned un-
bearable ! He returned to Egypt and settled down in
Cairo where, sorrow-stricken and heart-broken, he soon died.
To enter into all the details of such a checkered life would
lead me too far astray. They have been minutely related
and feelingly described by Lamartine as he had them from
Fatalla himself, Lascaris' faithful servant, companion, and
friend.
These two noble scions of an illustrious house of world-
wide fame, some of whose members have worn an imperial
crown, these two noble scions were, I fancy, the last male
representatives, and most worthy representatives too, of the
worthy race of the Lascaris., Two good men die under the
same revolution, one through and the other for it !
But we must return, and as we pass the eastern ridge
called Cima di Gall our way is a little longer. Leaving
S. Sebastian on our left on the road leading to Bress, Gram-
154 MENTONE
mont, Mulassier, etc., and a lower track to the Cascade, etc.,
we turn to the right and descending cross a kind of gorge
which becomes wider year by year. In 1863 we passed along,
leaving the chapel of St. Roch on our left, and joined the path
we see opposite. A hundred feet of soil have thus been
swept away within twenty-five years, i.e. four feet annually.
A hundred plants of pines and acacia would prevent any
further slips. After a rainy day it is not quite safe to ride
over. Soon we reach the chapel of St. Roch. There we
stop and hunt up a few early anemones. Above, around,
and below the chapel there are several kinds, but at this
time of the year we are very thankful to find about a dozen
pink ones. On December 6. 1873, we found two kinds on
our return from Berceau. Here we are just one thousand
feet above sea-level. The big rock below our passage over
the torrent fell down January 1879. The terraces on our
left are, later on, full of anemones. We come now to a new
torrent, calm at times, but when suddenly swelled a powerful
stream, sweeping down everything in its way and loosening
masses of soil and rock as it did in spring 1877, and barring
the passage for several days. Then we reach what we may
call the former sea-level, now eight hundred and fifty feet
above it, a rocky corner full of shells of several kinds, speci-
ally nummulites. After having made a collection of these
we proceed over and around the petrifaction corner, then
cautiously down a steep narrow track and on to the top of
the valley of St. Jaques, where our party divides according
to the bay we live in.
ST. AGNES VILLAGE
Page 155.
ST. AGNES AND ITS NEIGHBOURS
Page 155.
CHAPTER VIII
ST. AGNES
Heights, Pine ridge level, .
Pass or saddle, Chapelle S. Sebastian,
Village plateau, . . '
Castle, ....
Highest spring, Baudon track,
First Col, snow line visible,
Higher Col, peep at Gorbio,
Baudon, or Aiguille, .
Distance, to St. Agnes,
Time, ......
Fete day, ....
800 feet.
2000
2200
2500
2900
3100
3500
4250
9 kilom., i.e. 5% miles.
1 hr. 45 m. to 2 hra.
January 21.
' Like an eagle's nest
Hangs on the crest
Of purple Apenuine.' MACAULAY.
THERE are four different ways leading up to the giddy top
of yonder peak, which looks almost inaccessible, though it is
the site of a strong castle formerly occupied and stoutly
defended by an unwelcome horde of foreign invaders.
Frequently stormed and finally reduced to ruins, it is now
fast falling into decay. The work of destruction which war
and self-preservation may once have justified and even
rendered inevitable, is now frequently carried on in vandal-
ism and wanton mischief by those who visit these interesting
ruins, and thus lend a helping hand to the ever-consuming
influence of time and weather. John Ruskin truly re-
marks : ' Time is scytheless and toothless ; it is we who
gnaw like the worm, we who smite like the scythe. It is
ourselves who abolish, ourselves who consume ; we are the
mildew and the flame, and the soul of man is to its own work
as the moth, that frets when it cannot fly, and as the hidden
flame that blasts when it cannot illuminate.' It so happens,
therefore, that some of those very people who ascend thither
for the avowed purpose of contemplating the sublime beauty
of nature from this lofty spot in solitude, and beyond the
165
156 MENTONE
reach of human turmoil, indulge in the childish, nay wicked
pastime of breaking the walls and throwing down stones
that have resisted the gnawing teeth of centuries, have
witnessed many important events, and which confirm the
various records of ancient chroniclers. The remaining
window and door, through which many a warrior's eye has
watched the suspicious movements of a vessel or of a land
force or followed in an evil moment the unsuspected
traveller to rob him of his goods, and life too, will soon
disappear, and thus destroy a prominent feature of the
landscape, interesting to the antiquary and historian, and
even to the ordinary sight-seer. But we anticipate !
The choice of one of the four roads was left to the guide,
who decided on the one leading along the left bank of the
Boirig, now Borrigo, called also Bourrique, a torrent,
generally dry, but filling rapidly at times. It is a very
pleasant road for the first hour at least, nearly as far as
Cabrolles, but much steeper after this hamlet. From the
oil mill, where the carriage road ends, the path is most
agreeable, being but slightly shaded against the mild beams
of an early morning sun by the overhanging branches of
lemon and olive trees. A few birds having so far luckily
escaped the cruel sportsmen, warble the last stanzas of their
morning hymn ; a few industrious bees, members of a lonely
hive in the window of a small cottage on the other side of the
river, are already busily engaged in their sweet occupation ;
a peasant here and there is hard at work among half a dozen
trees, the only strip of land he can call his own ; a donkey
attracts the attention of ours, and their united, unearthly
chorus causes a roar of laughter among our younger friends ;
a solitary butterfly flutters across the path in search of a
flower or a companion ; these are the only living creatures
we meet, and yet they make us nearly forget to catch a
glimpse of old and odd Cabrolles embowered in an olive
grove. By this time we have reached the bridge covered
with ivy, both bridge and ivy seemingly as old and tenacious
as the castle we are going to visit, and as a contrast there
stands the shaky, tottering skeleton of an oil mill that may
have merrily rattled away when water and olives were more
BRIDGE AND OLIVE MILL, CABROLLES
Page 156.
THE VILLAGE OF CABROLLES
Page 156.
ST. AGNES 157
abundant, and on our left over the bridge you see the ruins
of a solid fort that formerly protected the castle road
against invaders. Our donkey man was sighing for the
good old times, when rain used to fall in due season
and watered the land, so that it brought forth fruit in
abundance. But he never uttered a word about five
franc pieces being more numerous now and more easily
gained.
After a few sharp and steep turnings we were within
Cabrolles; Caperling would be a most appropriate name, for
it is really a place where one must skip and caper from stone
to stone, from terrace to terrace, in order to get along.
To derive its name from Capriola, a wild goat, or even from
Caprifoglio, the honey-suckle, for both are plentiful here,
would be a guess as capricious as the configuration of the
land. Yet such is the opinion expressed in one or two guide-
books, whose authors have, perhaps, never studied the
history and the language of the places they talk about, but
have merely copied stereotyped phrases and written down
mere hearsay for facts. As there is generally a great deal
in a name, so there is here much of history in the ap-
pellation of localities, valleys, mountains, and tracks, and
plots of land. And so our Cabrolles has its historical
significance, which enables us, when we compare it with
Agerbol and Latte, to say that it existed at least eight
hundred years ago, and is as old and perhaps older than
many of its neighbours. For Cabrarius pro Caprarius,
Caprarum pastor in lege Longob., means a shepherd, a
goatherd, perhaps, because goats were numerous and sheep
rare, but it was early applied to the pastor of a flock, a
spiritual guide, and we have documents as early as 1200 that
mention Capere se ad Feodum, occupare feodum, and
Capere Bollanum (like Aggeris Bollanus, i.e. Agerbol),
changed naturally and gradually into Caperbollanum,
Caperbolle, Caberbolle and Cabrolle, or CabroUes, thus
denoting a place where they had a priest officiating, but
depending from another church ; the chapel being in the style
of those we so often see remote from parish churches, all
over the Maritime Alps. That this spot, a short distance
158 MENTONE
from the coast, was formerly more thickly peopled may
fairly be concluded from the numerous chapels mentioned
in the historical records, and one of them, Santa Lucia
on yonder hill, is still in use on certain days.
The traces of the party warfare in the Middle Ages, and
even in earlier times are visible all along, and there are
some remains of rude, ancient stations or forts, most likely
constructed for the safety of the road leading to the castle,
and alternately occupied by friend and foe, and especially
by the Saracens. They may then have been important
outposts for sentinels, but are now used as barns or given
up altogether.
As we ascend our view becomes gradually more extensive,
and we often stop to admire the beautiful scenery beneath
and around us, every one of us pointing out something
striking or noteworthy, such as Old Castellare, with
its few ruins on a sharp spur ; Castellare, the only off-
spring of the former ; Berceau, sheltering many homesteads
within its flanks ; Grammont, with its few pines, its
gentians and Alpine roses in early spring ; the Cascade,
with its neighbour the Hermit's Cave ; Mentone gracefully
following the windings of its two bays ; Grimaldi, half
hidden amongst olive-trees just above Dr. Bennet's earthly
paradise, and palm-famed Bordighera in the distance. But
in spite of our halt at the spring, the rough road, and many
stoppages, we reach the Cross of St. Agnes in two hours, and
the castle 'itself a quarter of an hour later. The lonely
little chapel, with its small, levelled square very quiet to-day,
is most animated on January 21, the parish festival, when
all make merry.
Upon examining the outer and inner ramparts of the
summit, we find they were six in number of various strength
and distance ; the lowest appears to have been the broadest,
forming a kind of terrace, and undoubtedly requiring an
uncommonly strong wall to support the upper structure.
A good many outposts where brave natives defended their
homes, or where captives groaned during their long seclusion
are still discernible. From the uppermost part of the wall
we espy just one snow-capped mountain, most likely the
ST. AGNES 159
Cima del Diavolo of the Nauca line, and looking nearer at
hand, discern that all the spurs still bear traces of former
fortification. The small plateau we stand on formed the
tower where the governors used to reside.
Then we visited the spot where Mr. Joseph Tempelman
Speer met his untimely death on January 2, 1876. Not
listening to the warning of his companion, he rather rashly
attempted to climb to the castle straight from the gorge,
up the rocks. Whether fatigue or sudden giddiness caused
the sad accident no one can tell. His companion, ascending
by the usual zig-zag path, heard him exclaim : ' The ascent
has begun.' Reaching the top and not seeing his friend,
he felt very uneasy, and with assistance, went down the
gorge. Far below he found his companion breathing his
last. The fall must have caused instantaneous insensibility.
Let his sad fate be a warning to those mountaineers
whose daring is above their capabilities and experience !
After having paid our full share of attention to the
extensive panorama from west to south and east, we finally
settle down to our luncheon, well earned and thoroughly
enjoyed. Whilst thus engaged, our guide gave us the
benefit of Abel Rendu's exquisite legend of Anna and
Haroon, and which runs thus.
Here on this giddy summit and in this very castle, the
ruins of which are impressing on our incredulous minds the
truth of the story, reigned, towards the middle of the tenth
century, a renowned African chieftain, the leader of all the
Saracen clans in the neighbourhood. Eza, St. Hospice,
Mont Alban, Turbia, all these places, transformed into so
many fortresses by the infidel, bowed to him. This power
he owed neither to his birth nor his fortune, but solely to his
persistent persecution of the Christians, in which he showed
a heart of stone, a will of iron, and the strength of a Hercules.
Being born and bred amidst the spoils of his kinsmen, his
earliest fancies indulged in the wildest dreams, and from
his very childhood he thirsted for adventures. The recital
of his brethren's expeditions against the enemy's fleet,
their conquests in Spain, in Gaul, and on the Ligurian shore,
made his whole frame quiver and his mind eager to imitate
160 MENTONE
them, and to pounce, as it were, on the phantom of his
frantic imagination, just as the lion is said to tremble at the
bleating of the gazelle. Like Hannibal swearing in front
of the altar an implacable hatred to the Romans, so he too,
when hardly old and strong enough to bear, and still less
to wield a weapon, swore over the tombs of his forefathers
and on the Koran an equally deep hatred to the disciples of
Christ. His memory held fast the vow he made, and
would not forget it. Since he had crossed the sea and
visited the new possessions of the Moors, he had given many
a proof of his courage, and at Granada and Cordova he
covered himself with glory. The mothers of Valencia,
bewailing the loss of their captive daughters, had in the
pangs of their grief but one name to curse by, and that
name was Haroon, the daring young African. One hope
only was left to them ; the hope of vengeance.
Tired of the Peninsular warfare, and being a true son of
Atlas, Haroon made up his mind to change the scene of
action and to encounter new dangers on the sea. The
clever pirate selected the right moment. The galleys of
the Barbarians furrowed the Mediterranean, the dreaded
standard of the Mussulman was seen in every gulf, and from
Marseilles to Genoa people were terror-stricken on account
of the atrocities committed by the common enemy, and one
universal cry of despair rose over vessels being captured,
valuable freights lost, Christians captured and carried off.
These pirates swooped down upon honest traders, sure
of their helpless prey. But such capturing did not satisfy
their insatiable covetousness. They laid waste the
shores and plundered the settlements they had taken by
surprise. The very wrath of Heaven seemed to swell their
sails and to favour their nefarious doings. The coasts of
Provence and Liguria had, for a long time, suffered from the
incessant visits of these terrible invaders. The ' Grand
Fraxinet ' was in their power, and no Christian could pass
the Alpe Summa without risk of life or the paying of a
heavy tribute.
The virgin rock of St. Agnes had not been profaned as yet
by the presence of these infidels, though its lower ranges had
ST. AGNES 161
been already scoured by them. But even such a strong
place was finally doomed to succumb to their power. Their
progress seemed to stimulate their audacity, and make
victory easy and sure. These Saracens had inspired such
terror that it paralysed the natives' courage, and from
Nice to Albenga, life and energy appeared to be asleep.
The natives had retired into fortified towns or fled
beyond the first ranges of the Maritime Alps. One day
some fishermen bolder than others ventured to sea, and
observed hostile sails on the main. They rowed back fast,
and on their report bonfires were ordered to be lit on all
the peaks. Haroon's formidable fleet was approaching.
Just a month ago he had left Melilla and innumerable
disasters had already marked his course. In order to
gratify the brutal fancies of his wife, Haroon would
sometimes send for young mothers and maidens, have
them flogged in her presence, and their bleeding bodies
thrown into the ocean. To be handsome and a Christian
was in her eyes a twofold crime, and could only be
atoned for by death. And death was always at her com-
mand. Among the young women whom Haroon led away
prisoners on his flagship, there was a Ligurian maiden,
fair, noble, and beautiful. The vessel, which was conveying
her to her home in Spain, had met the pirate fleet, and
after a short but sanguinary struggle, in which her father
and her two brothers were killed, she and her attendants
were removed on bpard Haroon's galley. Haroon having
witnessed her courageous bearing during the fight, and
her subsequent sobs and cries of despair, was moved to
pity, and he who had, in the midst of carnage, never evinced
the slightest human feeling, seemed to understand and
appreciate her misfortune, and kept her under his own
personal protection.
Her countenance once so bright, now bore signs of deep-
set anguish. The Moorish chief tried hard to comfort and
revive his victim, and was unceasing and unsparing in
his care.
' You look sad, sir,' said Sarah his wife one evening,
when bent on vengeance ; ' an evil spirit besets you by day
L
162 MENTONE
and haunts you by night, yet, Allah smiles upon all your
undertakings, blesses all you lay hands upon, and places
the lives and fortunes of your enemies at your feet. All
around you is gay, you alone are restless and melancholy.
Whence this unusual sadness, my lord ? What has
happened ? Or is Sarah henceforth no longer worthy of
your confidence ? '
' True, I am sad,' said Haroon, ' but do not try to solve
the mystery. I myself do not understand it.'
' My lord, before your last victory, you were the ardent,
joyous hero I loved so much ; now I no longer recognise
you.'
The Moorish chief was silent.
' You do not answer,' rejoined Sarah after a solemn
pause. ' Well, then, I will tell you the cause of the change.
On this vessel that carries all your dearest treasures the
Koran, your aged mother, and the wife you wedded on
this vessel lives also a young infidel woman, to whom you
devote too much time, pay too much attention.'
' Sarah, who has told you that ? '
4 My heart has, can it be mistaken ? '
' Your heart misleads you and dims your reason.'
* No, no,' cried Sarah, a prey to indescribable emotion,
' my heart has never deceived me. You love Anna, and
Anna must die ! '
This sudden outburst of jealousy revealed to Haroon all
the peril that threatened the young Christian. Leaving
Sarah in her ire, he went straight to Anna's cabin. There
a horrid sight met his eye ; Sarah's revenge had preceded
him. According to the orders of their mistress, two slaves
had just tied Anna's feet and arms in order to throw the
fair captive into the sea under cover of night. At the
sight of this attempt against his authority, and against
the life of her to whom he had granted protection,
Haroon could not restrain himself. One single look of
his confounded the two female slaves. He bade them
loose their victim, and then put them in ward. On his
return to Sarah he, without uttering a word of explanation,
1 Gareth and Lynette.
ST. AGNES 163
excuse, or accusation, had her seized and fettered. On the
following morning, before sunrise, three women were brought
on deck, and in presence of the whole crew, were tied
together, and at a given signal of Haroon thrown into the
sea.
The fleet soon afterwards steered into the Gulf of Peace,
so well named by the Romans, as affording shelter against
the mistral, a real Sinus Pacis, to the west of our modern
port, the elbow formed by the shore and Cap Martin.
Like the eagle that espies at one glance the place most
favourable for his eyrie, so Haroon, at the sight of these
imposing peaks, forthwith decided that he would plant his
standard on the hill known in the country as St. Agnes.
And so he did. He ordered all his galleys around him,
selected three hundred of his best hands, informed them of
his determination to uphold and extend the honour of Islam
in these valleys and mountains, and invited them to follow
him. One and all decided to follow their leader wherever
he might go, and whatsoever he might venture on. Those
only who had to remain on board felt disappointed. He bid
them return to their brethren at Fracinetum magnum, in
the gulf of Sambracia, and tell them that Haroon would
carry on the fight in those mountains. Haroon having
selected all he wanted, victuals, arms, and camp necessaries,
having fettered all his captives except Anna, who, weak and
resigned, moved among her sisters in exile, set out with
his small escort.
The Saracen band advanced. There was no resistance.
All the natives had fled. The road, though rough, did not
delay their march. In a few hours they reached the peak
and forthwith pitched their tents. On the following day
they set to work in good earnest, planted the first courses
of the fortress, and within two months all was completed
and they could defy any attack. Haroon inaugurated this
event by the songs and dances of his men, in the presence
of the chiefs of Eza, St. Hospice, and the Great Fraxinet.
They had come to offer him the supreme command of all the
Saracen forces. The hero, proud of this mark of esteem on
the part of his peers, accepted the flattering offer on con-
164 MENTONE
dition that he should only assume the general command
on days of common danger, and in the meantime remain on
the spot he had selected and intended to make famous.
The leaders thanked him in their own name and in that of
their absent brethren, and after having exchanged arms,
they departed singing praises to Allah for having given
them such a chief tarn. Haroon, having made his camp
impregnable, began his plundering excursions, perpetrated
cruel massacres, laid the land waste, burnt down part of the
forests, sacked homesteads and hamlets, assailed and
carried other strongholds, and thought he was really doing
a pious action and rendering himself agreeable to the
Prophet in realising these words : ' Ye old and young join
in the holy war, and consecrate your days and your wealth
to the defence of the faith. There is no fate more glorious
for you.' Being an earnest and even ardent believer, he
deemed every good Mahomedan in duty bound to be a
destroying angel, and he was almost afraid that he did not
and, perhaps, even could not, sufficiently fulfil his saintly
mission.
Jt was on returning from one of his frequent raids that the
indomitable African presented himself before Anna, offering
her his useless consolation and entreating her hi vain to
favour him with a smile. They were separated by the
double barrier of faith and race, and a miracle alone could
break it down. If Anna saw in Haroon the preserver of her
Life, she also saw in him a murderer, the murderer of her
father and her brothers, the sworn enemy of every Christian
family. His fanaticism inspired her with terror, and was,
in her eyes, without excuse. Who would bring timid
innocence in contact with open, odious crimes ? Who
could unite by the bond of sympathy and love a Christian
virgin and a Mahomedan pirate ?
Haroon knew all this, and lost hope. From the day he
first saw Anna he had loved her, and this love which had
grown upon him in spite of himself, and which he pleased to
indulge in, weighed heavily on his conscience. As one of
the Prophet's zealous disciples, brought up to hate the
Christian name, he reproached himself for not casting off
ST. AGNES 166
this profane affection, for wavering between his holy
religion and a guilty love ; and yet he often dwelt on this
idea and this love. Anna was to him like the sudden dawn
of an unknown, mysterious sentiment, full of sweetness and
charm, sent to lead him into a new life. The Saracen had
involuntarily yielded to the irresistible passion which ran
through his whole nature at the sight of this angelic creature.
He could no longer resist. Never before had a like being
appeared on the scenes of his roving life ; he was vanquished.
During the last few months a profound sadness had gradu-
ally glided into his heart, undermined his energy, nipped the
very root of all his faculties ; his mental powers were
paralysed. No longer eager for battle nor for long excur-
sions into the valleys or mountains in search of foes, Haroon,
once so bent on all such perilous pursuits, grew fond of rest
and solitude. The first tidings of change of fortune in the
Saracen camp were almost unheeded by him. This extra-
ordinary change, this incomprehensible inactivity, caused
much anxiety amongst his followers and damped their
ardour, for their resolute chief was, to them, worth a whole
army.
On the other hand his visits to Anna became more
frequent ; every day he spent hours in her company. In
their conversations he talked less of his love than of his ardent
desire that she should abjure her religion and embrace
Islamism. He who had hitherto only proselytised with
the edge of the sword, now tried the force of argument,
hoping against hope to convert her. Over and over again
had he declared that he would place his heart, his fortune
at her feet if she would only exchange the cross for the
crescent. Anna's faith was stronger than a brazen wall.
Haroon's pressing solicitations were met by deep-rooted
convictions, by expressions of sincere gratitude for the
respect shown to her sex and her creed. She took advantage
of the liberty granted her, and sought in persuasive terms
to show the superiority of the Christian doctrine ; thus
places were changed, the virgin becoming preceptor to
the hero.
One day, after one of these prolonged conversations
166 MENTONE
which invariably intensified his passion, weary of his
continual and hopeless struggles, and having a vague pre-
sentiment of his final defeat, he entered his armoury,
summoned eight of his most trustworthy companions, had
his most valuable things brought in, his diamonds numerous
and precious, enough to form a crow r n, his jewels, his
gold, his arms ; he himself filled three large trunks and
sealed them with the seal of the prophet ; then he returned
to Anna for whom he was going to sacrifice all, faith, flag,
and future. He found her on her knees praying for him,
her eyes full of tears, raised to heaven. These tears, this
humility, these looks of piety and resignation, this almost
tangible communication with God, whom the orphan girl
seemed to ask for a home, for protection, for deliverance,
made a profound impression on the Moor, and the expres-
sion of his countenance, together with his faltering voice,
betokened great agitation of his whole being. ' Anna,' he
said, ' calm yourself. I did not intend to interrupt your
solitude. You are praying to your God to be your succour,
and perhaps he leads me now to comfort and save you.
You know I love you ; my life, my fortune, my future are
in your hands, and there is no sacrifice that I am not willing
to make for your sake, Anna. Will you then be mine ? '
' Sire,' replied the maiden, whom this formal declaration
had touched but not surprised. ' Sire, you are a Mussul-
man, and I am a Christian.'
This simple reply fell on Haroon's heart like a drop of
water on hot iron. It stirred him to his innermost soul,
and wrenched from his heart these hasty words : ' Anna,
I love you, and you shall be mine.'
Perceiving at once his imprudence, and the shudder it
caused, he quickly added: ' You shall be mine, not as a slave,
not as a captive, but as a freewoman, as a respected wife,
for I adore you as much as I love you. Listen but one
moment. In asking you to unite your destiny with mine,
I am fully aware of the difficulties I have to encounter, the
obstacles I have to overcome, but I have foreseen them all.
I also felt the great and grave objection you have just
made. I expected it; I am prepared to meet it satisfactorily.
ST. AGNES 167
First of all I am glad and thankful that I have no rival.
I am a Mussulman, you say, and you are a Christian ; that is
true. You abhor my faith, I know ; I do not like yours, I
confess, but I have no longer any faith ; you have taken it
away altogether. I know not what magical power you
possess, but ever since I have seen and known you, an
extraordinary change has been wrought within me, and,
Anna, you alone have wrought it.'
' Sire, this is not and cannot be the work of a woman
God chooses his visible instruments to work wonders.'
' Anna, you alone have wrought this wonder. Without
any effort you have changed my whole nature. I have now
but one thought ; one affection ; one aim to have you as
my lawful wife ; one faith, and that is yours. For your
sake I am ready to sacrifice all ; my native land, the graves
of my ancestors, war which is my second nature, my all !
I will learn and adopt the tenets of your faith, live in the
land of your birth, the quiet and sweet life you long after.
I have spoken.'
Anna could resist no longer, she merely uttered these
words : ' Haroon, at such a sacrifice, the greatness of which
I understand, I am yours.'
The chieftain then cast on the young Christian one of
those glances which say more than lips can utter. At the
same time he seized her hand and placed it on his heart.
They were betrothed.
At midnight a small party left the castle quietly, hastening
towards the sea. It was Haroon, accompanied by his aged
mother, carried by four faithful slaves, who would not leave
their infirm mistress, Anna and the female captives, and
eight sturdy fellows. Haroon traced a few prophetical
lines on the table of his armoury to warn his followers of
the approaching decline and fall of the Moorish cause within
Liguria, and to enjoin them to repair to the Great Fraxinet,
where all would concentrate for the final struggle. As for
him, he added, he was going where Allah, the master of our
destiny, would call him. He was, however, at this hour,
assailed by the most conflicting emotions ; at one moment,
reproaching himself with deserting the fortress which his
168 MENTONE
own hands had built, and accusing himself of abandoning
his brave companions, who had left home and fought the
fight of faith with him ; at another, divesting his mind of
all regret and remorse, he pictured to himself the happy
days and the new life that were in store for him with her
whom fate had placed in his adventurous path, and on
looking at his fiancee all was forgotten. And putting
himself at the head of his little troop, he led them to the
seashore. There a bark, light and pointed as an arrow, con-
structed for a stealthy departure, and well manned, awaited
them. All the treasures and provisions were carefully
stowed on board, and Haroon, supporting in his arms his
precious conquest, was the first to embark. An eastern wind
bore them in a few hours to the gulf of Sambracia, where they
were able to distinguish the lights of the famous fortress.
Here our hero passed through his last ordeal, but assuredly
not without remorse. The following day the bark cast
anchor in the port of Marseilles, where, of course, no one
expected the arrival of so dangerous a foe.
Anna's first duty was to render thanks unto God for
having delivered her from so many perils. She led her
betrothed to the Abbey of St. Victor, where she visited
the catacombs and knelt at the tombs of the martyrs
opposite an altar, where a priest was just in the act of
elevating the host. Here, on that hallowed ground, she
prayed for the speedy conversion of her infidel lover. Her
prayers and supplication ended, she looked around for
Haroon in order to remind him of his promise. But what
was her astonishment when she beheld that once so terrible
man on his knees in prayer in the corner of the chapel.
His promise was already fulfilled. He rose a Christian.
Heaven had answered her prayers, had touched his heart,
had wrought his conversion. She went up to him, stretched
out her hand to him and bid him rise. This merciful
conversion completed her happiness. Henceforward the
same religion would consecrate their love. On leaving,
they walked straight to her mother's house, but sorrow and
death were there before them. The cruel news that all her
dear ones were either slain or captives had broken the
ST. AGNfiS 169
poor old woman's loving heart, and her unspeakable grief
hurried her into her lonely grave. Still weeping, Anna,
with Haroon, went to the bishop to claim, as shipwrecked
pilgrims were wont to do, his fatherly protection. This
was a happy day in the house of this good shepherd. All
the noble warriors of Provence, who had solemnly pledged
themselves to drive the Africans from Liguria and Gaul,
were then just assembled around the bishop's table. The
intrepid Viscount Guillaume de Marseilles, the chosen
leader of the expedition, was remarkable for his stately and
imposing figure. He had started and organised this crusade,
and was therefore its real head and spirit. As soon as the
prelate had learned the names of his visitors, and heard from
Anna a brief account of her misfortunes, her firmness, and
her successful missionary work, he embraced and blessed
them. Then he hastened back to his noble guests to tell
them the great news.
' My lords,' exclaimed the bishop, ' the formidable
chieftain, Haroon, against whom you are united, is here, and
is a Christian.'
The name of Haroon, strongly emphasised by their
host, brought the whole company to their feet. One and
all involuntarily put his hand to his sword. But when
briefly told the sad story of their young countrywoman,
and the solemn object of the voyage, a shout of admiration
burst forth, and the startling event was pronounced to be a
forerunner of certain victory. All promised to assist at the
solemn abjuration and baptism of the far-famed African,
and to give a sumptuous dinner to the celebrated couple.
A short time after, Haroon, surrounded by the most faithful
and famous warriors, abjured before the bishop that very
religion whose apostle and defender he had been all his life-
time, and received holy baptism. Twenty-four hours later
his aged mother and her slaves followed his noble example,
and within a week the whole city of Marseilles celebrated
the wedding that had cost so many victims on either side.
All the nobility vied with each other in the splendour
of the entertainments given in honour of the bridal pair 4 .
But Guillaume carried off the palm. He received them in
170 MENTONE
his palace, and brave Haroon and the noble viscount ex-
changed their most valuable and favourite arms. Provence
and Languedoc shared hi the legitimate enthusiasm of
the Phocaean city.
The expectations of the chief tain were fully realised.
He enjoyed the serene happiness he anticipated in a union
with Anna. Sometimes, however, hi thinking of his un-
happy and forlorn countrymen, against whom a powerful
expedition was preparing under his very eyes, a furtive
feeling of regret stole into his heart and embittered, though
momentarily only, the calm of his days. The great emo-
tions and the sudden changes he underwent evidently told
on his own constitution. Fights and hardships had had
little or no effect on his iron frame, but worries and struggles
of heart and mind took away his strength. The warrior was
disarmed by a woman who succeeded in saving his soul, but
all her prayers and care could not avert his bodily decline.
After having lingered through a year, he gave up his re-
deemed soul unto Christ his Saviour, against whom he had
so often drawn the sword.
The whole population, parishes, corporations, fraternities,
citizens of both sexes, and all ranks followed his remains to
the grave. At their head walked the Viscount Guillaume
and his officers, clad in deep mourning, and the procession
was brought up by the bishop and all his clergy. Marseilles
seemed to have lost her best citizen.
Soon afterwards, when Guillaume had rid Provence and
Liguria of the Saracens, and when Haroon's prophecy was
thus verified, Anna, having already buried her grief in
deep seclusion, resolved now to break entirely with the
world and to spend the rest of her days on the very spot
of her captivity. She divided her property between the
Church of St. Victor and the Church of Ventimiglia, and
retired to the quiet Vallee des Chataigniers at the foot of the
hill, where she had wept and prayed so much.
On the slope of the village she founded a chapel to which
she often repaired to pray for the conversion of the Moors.
The ruins of this chapel have entirely disappeared, unless
some fragments of masonry on the western slope, hidden
ST. AGNfiS 171
amongst shrubs and trees, be the traces of that pious
abode.
Anna was for long looked upon, not merely as a
pious woman, but as the guardian angel of the country :
all the inhabitants who had escaped the sword attributed
to her powerful intercession the final expulsion of the
infidels. When she ceased visiting their poor huts, and no
longer prayed with them and for them in the chapel, they
would not believe that she had died. According to them
the kind-hearted genius of the hill had simply gone back to
heaven.
After having left the ruins with which this story is so
intimately connected, we paid a visit to the new churchyard,
consecrated in 1862. The old one, a little lower down, and
accessible from the church platform, is void of interest. It
was merely a cave with a round opening, opened and closed
by a movable stone, through which hole the corpses were
thrown indiscriminately. A like way of burial is still
resorted to in a small mountain village beyond Fontan,
the French custom-house station on the road from Nice or
Mentone, by Sospello to Turin. There the bodies are put in
a sack and lowered into a cavern, the exact depth of which is
unknown, and into which plenty of water rushes. It is
indifferently closed, and on the small platform, in spite
of the sickening effluvia, people amuse themselves and
chat away their leisure hours, and dance on Sundays and
festivals !
Ere we leave this old resting-place of St. Agnes, we must
notice just above the door this very appropriate inscription :
' Vede, Mortal, tu che vivi giocondo,
Ove finisce la scena del mondo ! '
which I venture to turn into :
' Behold, Mortal, still full of mirth
Where endeth your very last scene on earth ! '
corresponding with :
' Whilst we think well, and think t' amend,
Time passeth away, and death 's the end. 1517. >l
1 On the tomb of John Grunevay in the Parish Church of Tiverton.
Notes and Queries, January 20, 1883, p. 47.
172 MENTONE
Just opposite the church, on a stone, we read : Issi DIEVMF,
surely done by an ignorant mason, and in the church
itself is shown an old pyx, said to have belonged to
the primitive chapel of St. Agnes. For if we may
believe tradition, the origin of the place can be traced
back to the very first centuries of the Christian era.
A princess, named Agnes, whence she came no one knows,
climbed these steep and rugged slopes with a few
faithful attendants. Princesses then travelled less cere-
moniously than they do in our days. The wanderings
of a lady of high rank amid such wild and untrodden
scenery are rare though not altogether unexampled.
But this said noble dame, being bound for distant Tenda,
was overtaken by a terrible storm and lost her way alto-
gether. In her great distress she implored her patron
saint's influence and her holy namesake to lead her to a
grotto ; the grotto still exists, though much reduced, on the
platform near the cross. In gratitude for this miraculous
rescue from imminent peril the princess gave wherewith to
build a chapel, provided that it should be called St. Agnes.
It was built and called after her and after her saint. The
chapel attracted worshippers and settlers, and became thus
the nucleus of the present village of St. Agnes. 1
There is a great gap between the period of tradition and
that of real history, since the name of the place occurs only
in 1102. This we learn from a document giving a kind of
geographical sketch of the county of Ventimiglia, and
which tells us that it was a dependency of the Marquisate
of Susa, which extended from the Tinea valley, round to
Turbia, down to the Ligurian sea and to Turin, and thus
our St. Agnes 2 was within the county of Ventimiglia, but
under the sovereign power of the bishop. Count Otho and
his immediate predecessors and successors may have been
good-natured and pious men founding and endowing
churches and chapels everywhere, and exchanging lands
with priests and abbots, but they did not always show signs
of political wisdom and prudence. The counts were fond
of good living, and were apparently satisfied to leave
1 Durante, Chorographie de Nice. 2 Rossi, p. 38.
ST. AGNES 173
their numerous minor castles in charge of viscounts, and
lived, as stated elsewhere, far beyond their means. 1 Their
increase of wealth and influence was a mere sham. They
became haughty and quarrelsome, and having no sincere
allies, they generally lost their cause. If they had no
outward foe to encounter they quarrelled amongst them-
selves or even with their subjects.
In consequence of such family disputes, the Ventimiglians,
early in September 1184, marched against St. Agnes, 2
where Enrico and his son were entrenched. Roderico Borsa
and Gandolfo Cassolo led the attack. The besiegers met
with a stout resistance, and had to sustain a shower of
arrows and stones, and buckets of boiling water and oil.
Oil and water and wood must then have been more plenti-
ful than they are now. Enrico, wounded though he was,
escaped with the help of a faithful servant, and hastened
to Dolceaqua. The Ventimiglians, hearing of it, followed,
took the latter castle, and in their fury had the governor
and his adherents beheaded for having granted an asylum
to Enrico (who had the good luck to escape again), when
peace was concluded on September 8, 1185. 3
The village continued to prosper, and aroused thereby
the envy and jealousy of its neighbours. The Genoese,
encroaching perseveringly along the coast, cast a longing eye
on St. Agnes. About seventeen years later, on January 19,
1257, Count Guillaume had to cede half of his rights to
Countess Beatrice, acting and negotiating for her ward.
The good people of Sospello protested against this transac-
tion, lest such a powerful neighbour as the house of Anjou
might feel tempted to infringe on their liberties as well ;
but the act was ratified notwithstanding their remon-
strances. On February 16, 1296, the governor of St. Agnes
was enjoined not to admit any fugitive Ghibellines, a blow
aimed at the Grimaldis, who were then strong partisans of
the pope.
1 Arche Reale, foglio 141 : L)e Gubernatis, tnemorie della nobile ed antica
famiglia dei conti di Ventimiglia : Ego Gandulphus convenio et promitto
tibi Othoni comiti Vintemiliensi non recipient aliquem de quinque castris,
videlicet Zerbi, Gorbi, Poipini, Rocchebrvmae et Dulciaquae, etc.
2 Gioffredo, p. 193. 3 Rossi, p. 54.
174 MENTONE
But changes of religious and political creeds were then
as common as they are now. One of the Grirnaldis of a
collateral line, having become governor of St. Agnes, and of
many strong places around, signed on June 28, 1330, an
agreement according to which both parties were pledged to
live in peace and could only enter their opponents' dominion
by special leave. 1 Sospello seems to have been the centre of
this confederation.
Long after this amicable arrangement the inhabitants
went to Nice and swore allegiance to a new master,
Amadaeus vin., Count of Savoy. This took place on
October 10, 1388. 2 On March 23, 1435, St. Agnes was
sold to Antoninus Grimaldi, lord of Boglio, for the sum of
1200 golden florins, a small sum, considering that the repairs
of the castle of Castellare had to be defrayed out of it.
For nearly a century, a time of continuous troubles and
struggles, St. Agnes was alternately claimed by the Genoese,
the Piedmontese, and the Grimaldis, and I fear the pro-
sperity of the place greatly suffered through the mutual
attacks of these paternal pretenders. In 1531 Augustin
Grimaldi, Bishop of Grasse, purchased it for four thousand
florins, from the house of Savoy, in whose hands it then
actually was. The inhabitants not only put in a strong
verbal protest, but even took arms. The prelate being,
however, the stronger, they had to submit to his rule. So
says Durante. Metivier, the able historian of the princes
of Monaco, relates that Augustin attempted the annexation
as early as 1529, but that the act was rescinded through the
prompt and telling interference of the Sospellians. This
seems to be the true version of the event, for in 1533 it was
in the possession of the dukes of Savoy, since an enumeration
of their domains within the different provinces reports it as
part of the county of Ventimiglia. 3
It is rather interesting to students of history, and perhaps
to every one who spends a winter in Mentone, to hear of
the comparative importance of various localities from the
statistical statement furnished in 1544, according to which
1 Alberti, Istoria della citta di Sospello, p. 497.
2 Gioffredo, p. 914. 3 Idem, p. 1313.
ST. AGNES 175
Sospello provided forty soldiers, Peglia twenty-four, Peglione
four, and St. Agnes eleven. 1
Long and frequent wars with aggressive neighbours en-
tailed heavy expenses, and the Duke of Savoy had to get
money as best he could. Thus it happened that a Captain
Stephen Barretals became the owner of St. Agnes on
December 10, 1588. But as he died before all the formalities
of the purchase had been completed, his nephew and heir,
Camille, received the investiture of it. The inhabitants,
apparently accustomed to protests, made such an obstinate
and resolute resistance that he did not enter into regular
possession till four years later.
This was a year in which the Benedictines were success-
fully bent on a large extension of their order in various ways.
Some towns and villages obtained their contingent from
Italy, but St. Agnes got them from Antibes.
During events and wars of more than local range, small
places like St. Agnes, where only short halts were made, or
sentinels posted, begin to lose their strategical importance.
During the Franco-Austrian war it is only mentioned once,
July 1691 ; during the Spanish war of Succession (1701-
1713), and during the more stirring and thoroughgoing
French Revolution in 1792, it is almost forgotten, though it
must have gone through much suffering like the rest. If
it escaped all the horrors of that period of unbridled
passion, lust, and outrage, so much the better. But I fear
it had its full share of all the abominable crimes inflicted
by bloodthirsty, plundering bands, on whom the word
liberty meant slavery, meant shame and infamy. A
glorious history unavoidably entails great sacrifices in
money and men. But what did these toilers and tillers of
the soil care for glory ? They ate their frugal meals most
truly in the sweat of their brow. In its present more
humble position, St. Agnes may go on prospering for
generations to come. Though the forests, its most valu-
able resources, have disappeared, and replanting finds great
opposition here, there is plenty of soil left for cultivating
oil and wine and fruit and corn. There is an abundant
1 Albert!, p. 510.
176 MENTONE
spring of excellent water on the north-eastern slope of Mount
Piauli, which a well-maintained aqueduct leads up to the
village. Though this spring, I am told, is getting gradually
weaker, they have but to capture the water more carefully,
plant plenty of trees on the slopes, and keep their goats and
sheep off these plantations, and water will become more
plentiful for them, their cattle, and their crops. It is not
likely that any more battles will be fought up here ; there
might be some fighting and a change of masters, that is all,
and as long as the people are satisfied, chroniclers ought not
to grumble.
As I said at the beginning of this sketch, the 21st of
January is the great festival day, when the usual religious
ceremony with the solemn procession and the various
amusements take place, much tamer, however, than those
I describe under Gorbio and Roccabruna. Singing, drinking,
dancing, and smoking are the chief features during these
merry days. Young men, with a basket of rosettes and
flowers, offer the former to gentlemen, who are expected to
silver them, and the latter to the ladies, who accepting
them are booked for a dance. Many fair maidens of Albion
have joined in a dance, and been pleased with their
partner's natural grace and politeness. Here young ladies
ought to be in the sweetest mood and on the best terms with
St. Agnes, for on this her festive night she presides over
the fate of their dreams and visions. In an old dream-book
of great authority I read this, and I extract the following
lines :
' St. Agnes, be a friend to me
In the gift I ask of thee,
Let me, to-night, my husband see ! '
According to previous agreement, we returned along the
Madonna ridge, enjoying the view over both valleys, and the
pretty spur itself studded with pines and arbutus-trees,
laden with ripe and unripe fruit and flowers. The sun was
setting, and his golden rays stole rapidly over the eastern
range of mountains, down the Red Rocks into the sea,
covering them all with a rosy veil deepened or heightened
ST. AGNfiS 177
by the hue of the background, and in bidding them good-
night with a variety of soft tints such as no human skill
can capture, but Longfellow's pen can describe :
' The day is done, and slowly from the scene
The stooping sun upgathers his spent shafts
And puts them back into his golden quiver ! ' l
1 In 1909 I made the acquaintance in Mentone of the intelligent Abbe
Felix Gourio, wlio serves the Chapel of the Madone of Carnoules. He
showed me a vellum charter which he had purchased from a man in the
village of St. Agnes, who used to pick up old books, of which the cure had
purchased several. One day he showed him this charter, and when asked
what he was going to do with it, replied, he was going to give it to the boys
to make a drum of. No doubt similar charters are to be found in the
mountain villages which would be treasures to the antiquarian collector,
though some may receive the base treatment with which this one was
threatened. The charter, which is in well-written but much contracted
Latin, not very easy to read, dates from 1357, but founds upon an older
one of 1218. It is a grant to the village of St. Agnes by Charles, Count of
Anjou. ED.
M
CHAPTER IX
CARNOULES, OR CARNOLESE
CARNOTTLES is the name borne by that part of Mentone which
lies between the Union Bridge, spanning the Gorbio river,
and the drilling-ground, Place d'Armes, generally known as
the Madonna quarter. It formerly included all the plain from
the Borrigo valley to the said Union Bridge. The name is
said to be derived from Carnis Icesio, an attack on flesh,
a slaughtering, a battle-field, because some say a battle was
fought here in 70 A.D. between Vitellius and Otho, rival
emperors, or between their adherents. This interpretation
is not rational ; it is fanciful and, notwithstanding the
astonishing pliability and stretches of etymology, is really
too far-fetched. Ducange, an undoubted authority, says
that Carnulentus, Carnolentus, means rich, fat, and Carno-
lentes, easily shaped into Carnolese and Carnoules, means
therefore a rich soil, a fertile plain or field. And this
derivation I consider all the more natural, correct, and
conclusive, because Carnolese is a plain, and it is fertile.
This plain was very early occupied by a religious order, and
monks have invariably chosen a fertile and beautiful
position. Their churches and land were later on made over
to the monks of the Lerin Islands, and their monastery must
have been of some importance, since one of their abbots
had to attest a treaty.
But now comes Mons. Brun, an architect by profession,
but an archaeologist of undoubted authority and zeal, a
member of the Historical Society at Nice, who will have it
that Carnolese is a pure Celtic name. Karnoles, he says,
* was a group of houses where, most likely, resided a chief.'
This might be accepted as most probable, as for the word
Kaer, it merely signifies a village, and the word les or lez }
178
CARNOULES 179
the residence of a chief or king. And by a singular
series of circumstances this seat of a Keltic chief had
become the property of the princes of Monaco. All this is
rather a conjecture, but I mention it on account of its very
strange affinity. I leave it to my learned readers to decide
who is right.
All the authors mentioning the transfer of this place
Carnolese, to the monks of Lerins have already been quoted ;
and I add only Tisserand's statement that Albert Bertrand,
a prior of Carnolese, signed, with several others, the act that
conveyed, in 1077, the priory of St. Michael to the monks of
Lerins, and in 1082, Cap Martin to the same religious order. 1
This monastery, together with Lerins and St. Hospice,
was a kind of resting-place for pilgrims going to Rome, and
as early as 742 St. Boniface wrote to Cuthbert, Archbishop
of Canterbury, the following complaints : ' I cannot dis-
guise from you that all true servants of God complain
that the righteousness and modesty of your Church is at
stake, and that it can only be remedied by a council for-
bidding nuns and women their frequent journeys to Rome.
Most of them lose their character, and there are few towns in
Lombardy and in Gaul in which there cannot be found
proof of my assertion. And this is a scandal to the Church.' 2
In the year 921, 923, and again 929, chroniclers recorded
that English pilgrims proceeding to Rome were attacked
by the Saracens while crossing the Alps. 3
Pilgrimages seem to have been as numerous and frequent
then as they are now, and the Abbey of St. Victor, Marseilles,
and St. Honorat and Carnolese have merely been replaced
by Paray-le-Monial and Lourdes.
But Carnolese was a religious station long before the birth
of Christ. It owns its origin to the Phocseans, and these
mercantile explorers came here a few hundred years before
the Christian era, and naturally spread their religious ideas
and worship among those peoples with whom they traded,
1 Histoire de la Cit6 de Nice, vol. i. p. 132. The Cartularium abbatiae
Lerinensis mentions this transfer under fol. 76, 5 vo., year 1061, aud under
fol. 77, vo. 19, Mart. 1082.
2 Histoire ecclesiastique, par Fleury, vol. vi. p. 377.
3 Words and Places, by Isaac Taylor, M.A., p. 72.
180 MENTONE
dealt, associated, and lived. Now Strabo says somewhere
that when the Phocaeans left their home, an oracle enjoined
them to ask Diana for a guide on their journey. They went
therefore to Ephesus in order to learn how the goddess would
wish them to carry out the suggestions of the oracle. Diana
appeared then in a dream to Aristarcha, one of the most
esteemed women, ordering her to depart with the Phocaeans,
and to take with her one of the statues consecrated in the
goddess's celebrated temple. This was done. The statue
was placed in the first temple of the natives they met.
Aristarcha was appointed guardian and priestess, and this
first temple, appropriated or erected, became the rallying-
point of all other temples scattered along the coast as far as
Mentone. Every important place in connection with the
Phocaeans had thus its temple near or at least never very far
from the port, and this temple was invariably dedicated to
Diana. NOAV it so happens that the chapel of Carnolese, a
part of the Madone belonging to the lamented Dorident, is,
by the people at least, still called the temple of Diana, and is,
moreover, not very far from the Sinus Pacis, or what is now
called the Eastern Bay. The whole structure, as it now
exists, bears more or less the style of an early temple.
But I should not like to say much about that, nor venture
to assert anything. The only matter that I positively
know of is the inscription on the pillars on the right and left
of the interior of the chapel. Since the restoration of both
the interior and the exterior in 1868, I fancy all has been
changed, and an interesting link of antiquity entirely
destroyed. At the time when the restoration of the two
pillars just mentioned was going on, Mrs. Muller and I
passed the chapel on our way to Gorbio valley. It must
have been in June or July. On entering the place we noticed
the pillar on our right already deprived of its more modern
coating, but could still distinguish the traces of some
ancient Greek letters. I told the man who was removing
the mortar of the other pillar to do his work as carefully and
gently as possible as he would surely find an inscription,
more or less covered by previous restoration. And in
order to get my request attended to, I added that I would
CARNOULES 181
reward him for his loss of time in working more cautiously
than he would otherwise have done. On our return early
on the following day we found nearly all the mortar
removed, distinguished only a few lines with unmistakable
traces of antique characters, and could only clearly decipher
these two words, or part of two words, which Mrs. Muller
at once copied as faithfully as possible. It was a most
determined vandalism, especially as the contractor or
architect, I do not know which, was by the mason himself
informed of my request and of my willingness to pay for
lost time, and this man simply told the mason to go on and
not to mind any one. Had the whole, or the greater part of
this inscription been preserved, we might have got hold of
the key, or a valuable addition to the earliest history of this
little temple of Diana. I myself cannot decipher the mean-
ing of this fragment, nor could any of my friends. On
sending a copy to Monsieur .Brun, already quoted, I received
the following reply :
'II n'y a d'etranger dans 1'inscription que vous me signalez ;
c'est une simple date ainsi que vous pouvez vous convaincre
en retournant la feuille. Ce n'est que la date de 1530
en caractere de Fepoque ainsi que vous pouvez vous en
assurer en retournant 1'ecriture. II est possible que la
chapelle ait 6te edifice a la place d'un ancien temple
payen.'
Now with all due deference to Mons. Brim's learning and
experience, I cannot accept this interpretation. It is bold,
it is one-sided ; for Mons. Brun takes the first part of the
inscription only, which coincides with his views and entirely
ignores the second and perhaps more difficult and interest-
ing part. But supposing even that Mons. Brun is correct,
what does he say to the three dots below the I, dots
which are somewhat peculiar in shape ? I hope we shall
obtain a more complete and a more satisfactory answer
about these eight letters. I must, however, not forget to
mention that Mons. Bran's view is quite in keeping with the
changes and reparations operated within this chapel during
the long and eventful reign of Honore I. (1523-1605).
But why write that date with many other words on a
182 MENTONE
pillar ? You cannot turn a pillar and read the words or
letters or numbers as they ought to be read ! It is a
mystery. 1
The inscription on the corresponding north pillar will
show that it coincides with the other pillar ; but the
characters are quite different, and why record the same
event twice ? The two designs (see photograph) vary
but little, it is true, but on following Honore's military
career, we easily discover that one pillar was restored before,
and one after his Oriental campaign, and both must have
been done between April 14, 1532, the date of the death
of Archbishop Augustin Grimaldi, and 1540, when Honore
became of age. From 1532 to 1540 Stephen Grimaldi was
governor of the principality. Now both inscriptions bear
his name with a very slight variation, a variation of great
importance. Both inscriptions have Steph. Guberte.
( = Gubernante) and H. G., which indicates that Stephen
was governor during Honore Grimaldi's minority. But
there is this significant difference, that one has the lozenges
between the H and G and the other the lozenges between
Stephen and Guberte, and that the latter has I H S, the
monogram of Christ, between the H and G. I conclude,
therefore, that the former pillar was restored before, and the
latter after the return from his famous expedition against
, the Turks in 1535, and that Christ's monogram was added in
order to give a kind of public expression to his services
rendered to Christianity against its arch enemy, especially
after the flattering letter addressed to him by the Emperor
Charles v., and dated April 25, 1532, Ratisbon. Here are
the two capitals of the columns, and after having read my
historical sketch, Honore i. (p. 101), the reader will come
to the same conclusion as I have.
1 Before we relate the following events we must mention that Pomelline,
John's widow, was by Lambert permitted to reside at Carnolese, living very
retired, and being beloved by all the inhabitants. This was about 1493.
In May 14, 1493, Lambert leaves to Our Lady of Carnolese, Marie de
Carnolesio, a certain sum to have perpetually a lamp burning, and the
syndics of Mentone have, on assuming office, to swear that the obligation
will be faithfully kept. Some years previous, in 1466, Lambert de Lue
received the submission of the rebellious Mentonese in a chapel near the
seashore and road leading to Roccabruna. This must be Carnolese.
INSCRIPTION FORMERLY ON RIGHT-HAND PILLAR IN TEMPLE
OF DIANA, CHAPEL OF MADONNE, CARNOULES
Page 181
CAPITALS IN THE CHAPEL OF LA MADONNE, CARNOULES
Page 182.
CARNOULfiS 183
A few years previous, in 1523, a certain dame, Francesca,
Lambert's daughter, and therefore Lucian's sister, both of
Monaco, and widow of Lucas Doria, lord of Dolceacqua,
made a small bequest to Carnolese for spiritual comfort she
had received there. Having purchased from his cousins a
large fraction of the domain of Mentone, Lambert began
to improve his part, and especially Carnolese, whose little
chapel attracted large numbers of pilgrims, and the miracles
wrought by the Holy Virgin caused so much sensation and
astonishment that Lambert solicited Pope Sixtus iv. to order
a strict inquest on this delicate point. Father Martin of
Bologna, a learned divine, having carefully examined every
case, and favourably reported thereon, the chapel became
still more famous, but too small to hold half the pious
crowds that flocked to it, and with the sanction of the pope
a church and convent were planned, begun, and literally
sprang into existence as if by a miracle, and were entrusted
to two monks with the power to add more as time and
circumstances might demand. This convent was called
Madonna di Carnolese. ' Tel qu'il est maintenant ce n'est
plus qu'une annexe du palais de plaisance. En 1573 le
pape Gregoire xn. accorda une indulgence pleniere a
quiconque apres s'etre confesse visiterait pour la premiere
fois 1'eglise de Carnolese a la fete de la Nativite de la vierge
Marie et y prierait pour la concorde des princes Chretiens,
1'extirpation de 1'heresie et la tranquillite de notre Sainte
Mere 1'Eglise.' l
This once so celebrated building belongs now to the
Dorident family, who have transformed it into a comfortable
villa.
The renown and sanctity of Carnolese founded in 1482
by Father Martin of Bologna, were greatly enhanced
by Thomas Stridonio, from Stridonia in Sclavonia, a very
pious monk and an eloquent preacher, who prophesied
things to come, and worked several miracles. The influx
of pilgrims became so great that he had to address them in
the open air. In his impressive sermons he upbraided,
admonished, warned, and implored sinners to begin and lead
1 Metivier, vol. i. p. 173 (written before 1849).
184 MENTONE
a holy life ; he condemned, especially heresy and its
leaders, and earnestly entreated his flock to repent, to
walk steadfast in their faith. He frequently visited the
people along the coast, riding on an ass up the valleys,
'deep into the mountains to instruct the people and to
keep them within the pale of the Church. One day,
finding that his donkey had lost a shoe, he requested a
farrier to put on a new one. This being done, the muscular
son of Vesubius, not satisfied with the priest's profuse verbal
gratitude, demanded to be paid for his work. The poor
friar, not having the smallest coin to bless himself with,
asked the man to do it for the Holy Virgin's sake. Not
accepting her as a paymaster, and charity not being his coin,
payment was insisted upon. Father Stridonio, seeing that
this farrier's heart was as hard as the anvil he hammered on,
turned to his ass, and in a solemn voice addressed it thus :
' In the name of Jesus Christ I command thee to throw off
that new shoe.' And the beast immediately carried out
its master's order, by knocking off the shoe against the
heartless worker in iron, who with several bystanders was
so overawed that he was unable to utter a single word of
excuse or repentance.
Preaching one day to the sailors at Villafranca, he re-
primanded them severely for taking out their boats to
ply their trade before having been to mass, particularly
on Sundays. Instead of taking his admonition kindly, they
merely smiled, shrugged their shoulders, and sailed, thus
disregarding Stridonio's renewed entreaties not to tempt
the Holy Spirit who spoke through him. But they would
brave the divine warning. And they paid dear for it, for
they had hardly reached the main when a sudden gale sprang
up and all hands perished.
Quite as wonderful was his gift of prophecy. Once when
he met Honore, the heir presumptive, still a minor, and
the Archbishop of Grasse, his uncle and tutor, who both were
anxious to see him, he passed them without taking the least
notice of either. They recalled him and asked his motive
for not saluting them. He said that having only bad and sad
news to tell them he preferred avoiding them altogether.
CARNOULfiS 185
' And what is the sad news ? ' observed the prelate.
' Well, it is very sad indeed, for the Spirit of the Lord
has revealed unto me in a vision that Lucian will soon be
assassinated by an intimate kinsman with whom he lives on
the most friendly terms, and who has frequently sat at his
table and enjoyed his hospitality and confidence.'
The archbishop became very thoughtful, and after
having given his apostolic blessing to the humble friar, left
with his nephew to ponder over this strange revelation
when alone in his private room. How soon this prophecy
was to be realised is related in my historical sketch of
Mentone, p. 100, and also in the accident that happened here
to the Marquis des Baux, p. 111. The saint is buried in San
Remo, and was beatified in 1612.
Before leaving this interesting Templum Dianae, we must
mention that numerous pilgrimages came here from all
parts of the coast and the mountains, especially the large
and imposing one of the Sospellians on July 27, 1688,
when the whole town walked over to crave for mercy. At
that time Sospello was a more extensive and important
borough than it is now, since it possessed several monas-
teries and convents, a cathedral, many religious companies,
and confraternities, a score of churches and chapels, an
academy, colleges of lawyers, notaries, and a host of scribes,
a garrison, and forts on all the passes.
The following inscriptions found on pictures behind the
altar tell, by their style and characters, their age and value.
I copy them without any further comment :
SANTUS CORPORE SACELLUM
ET SPIRITUS DIVE LVCCE DICATUM
NUNE RESTAURATUM
ET EXORNATUM
MDCCCXXXXI
We proceed now to ancient Carnolese, formerly the resi-
dence of the princes of Monaco, the gardens of which are,
for Mentone, extensive and pretty, and are now the property
of Mr. Savarese. 1 These gardens were once plentifully
1 Now the property of Mr. Phelps Allis, an American scientist, who has
greatly embellished it. ED.
186 MENTONE
supplied with water coming down from yonder northern
spur, which was captured together with the rain-water in large
deep cisterns, partly still existing. But then the property
was vaster, going down to the sea, including all between the
Gorbio river and the drilling-ground. Let us now hear
what Sulzer says and what he saw there in spring 1776 :
' This summer residence contains nothing worth mentioning
except the ventilator which, consisting of lattice-work,
profusely covered with silken and velvet fringes, moves up
and down, and to and fro, as if by clockwork, and is a very
ingenious contrivance for driving the flies away and cooling
the air. But the pleasure-garden around, though the prince
spent last summer there, looks so neglected that it is difficult
to discover the box which surrounds the flower-beds, as all
is covered, thickly covered, with tall weeds of every kind.' l
To return to our object, on the western wall of this
property, now within a hen-house, we find a large stone
fitted into it, after it had been broken. The mason who put
it up must have been very ignorant, or rather his master
must have been so, since the two main fragments were set in
the wrong way. Here is the inscription, as it had been
originally on the stone, which is 0'77 by 0'43 centimetres,
and is to be read : ' Diis
Manibus. Publio Metilio
Publii filio, Tertullino, Lauro
Lavinensi, egregio viro,
Publius Metilius Tertul-
linus Vennonianus, filius
vivus posuit.' And to be translated : ' To the Gods of the
shades. To Publius Metilius Tertullinus, son of Publius of
Laurolavinium, a learned man, Publius Metilius Tertullinus
Vennonianus, his son, during his life has erected (this stone).'
Another similar inscription is in Albenga. It was
copied, and kindly sent to me by the honourable syndic
of that town, on February 2, 1881, for which I feel very
grateful and heartily thank him, and give it here just as it
came to me :
1 Tagebuch einer Reise von Berlin nach Nizza, and zuruck in den Jahren,
1775, 1778. Published by Weidmann, Leipzig, 1780.
CARNOULES 187
P. METILIO
P. F. FAL
TERTULLINO
VENNONIANO
C. V. LAVR. LAVIN
QUAESTORI DESIGNATO
PATRONO
PLEBS VRBANA
ALBINGAVNENS1S
L. D. D. D.
Before closing my sketch of this interesting quarter of
Mentone, I must quote Mr. Edmond Blanc's remarks : l
' Ce texte se reconstitue facilement a 1'aide de deux autres
inscriptions qui mentionnent le meme personnage ; 1'une
de ces inscriptions fut trouve a Albenga. Publius Metilius
y est qualifie clarissimus vir, de questor designatus et de
pair onus. Le Monument lui est eleve par la plebs urbana
Albingaunense . '
' Cette inscription est aujourd'hui a Menton dans le mur
de la maison d'habitation de la villa Savarese, qui appar-
tenait autrefois aux Galleani de St. Ambroise. M. A. de
Longperrier pretend qu'il y a a cote un Temple de Diane.'
The construction of which M. Ed. Blanc speaks and
considers of a Roman appearance, and which is within the
Galleani property is a warren and hay-loft surmounted by a
cupola of a somewhat more fanciful than ecclesiastical look,
and has not the slightest resemblance to a Phocsean temple.
The Diana temple is on the right in taking the Gorbio road,
the basement, in fact, of the ancient cloister, the present
Madonna, the very temple we have been describing.
My short narrative may stimulate new researches and
induce others to correct and complete mine, and finally prove
that this little temple is undoubtedly of real Phocsean origin. 2
1 Annales de la Societe des Lettres, etc., Nice, vol. vi. p. 257.
2 Through the kindness of Mr. Phelps Allis, to whom the Palais Carnoules
belongs, I was permitted to visit and examine the Roman inscription. It is
no longer in a hen-house, but forms part of the western wall of the property.
It is somewhat difficult to find, being entirely screened by a plantation of
bamboos. The stone with its two misplaced parts are as Dr. Mtiller describes.
Professor Rossi in his volume, Iliguri Intemeli, p. 123, tella the story of
the stone. It did not belong originally to Mentone, but was found among
the ruins of the theatre at Nervia in 1835, was brought by a lemon merchant
to Mentone, was purchased by Baron G. B. Galleani di S. Ambrogio, and was
placed by him in the wall of the property as described by Dr. Miiller. ED.
CHAPTER X
MONACO, OR PORTUS HERCTJLIS MONCECI
MONACO, the capital of a small but rich state, derives its
name, perhaps, from MOVOIKOS, Monoacus, signifying one
person, one inhabitant, and may therefore claim not an
ecclesiastical, but a heathen denomination, an epithet of
Hercules, he being considered the only and earliest con-
queror of Liguria. 1 M. Charles Lentheric derives Monaco
from Monoicos, Movo<? ol/crt), alone in the house, a divinity
that rules absolutely, exclusively, and tolerates no rival
power, and connects it with Melkarth, the strong god of
physical rather than of spiritual influence. His argu-
ments, deductions, and conclusions are too long to be quoted,
and I refer my readers to his books. 2 The Herculean size
and muscular strength of the two monks that support the
arms of the Grimaldi seem to tell in favour of his reasoning.
But wherever the protection may come from, whether it be
monastic or Herculean, it has now lost its prestige and
could not even prevent the final secession of Mentone and
Roccabruna. Through the generosity of the late Emperor
Napoleon in., this loss in land has been made up by the
handsome sum of four million francs, which the French
nation had to pay into the Grimaldi exchequer in order to
show the emperor's respect for the great principle of Divine
right. Now it is only about two miles long and three-quarters
of a mile broad, but it is most prosperous, has no stand-
ing army, and imposes only taxes for stamp duties on
the transfer of property. 3 M. Lentheric, just quoted, gives
a very graphic description about that, which I quote : *
1 Hercules dictus autem MOPOIKOS vel quod pulsis omnibus illic solus
habitavit ; vel quod in ejus templo nunquam aliquis deorum simul colitur,
sicut in Jovis Minerva, Juno, in Veneris, Cupido.
2 La Grece et I'orient en Provence, pp. 382-383 ; La Provence Maritime,
pp. 509-513.
3 All municipal expenses are defrayed by the Societe of the Casino. ED.
4 Ce dernier livre, p. 518.
188
MONACO
Page it
MONACO
Page
MONACO 189
' Le peuple minuscule, unique tres certainement dans le
monde, vit exclusivement de 1'argent de 1'etranger auquel
il ne donne absolument rien. Les rouages de la machine
gouvernementale partout ailleurs si compliques, si fragiles,
sujets a de graves derangements et a de couteuses repara-
tions sont ici d'une admirable simplicite. Quatre petites
roues montees sur pivot vertical, et qu'un enfant pourrait
faire mouvoir a la main, tournent jour et nuit, et sont
chargees d'assurer a la fois et le fonctionnement regulier
des finances de 1'etat, la fortune du Souverain et le bien-etre
de son peuple.'
' Par une singuliere anomalie, les habitants du pays
sont les seuls qui ne payent aucune taxe, aucune redevance,
aucun impot direct ou indirect. Les vrais contribuables
de Monaco sont les etrangers, qui seraient les premiers a
reclamer si on leur interdisait la faculte de venir periodique-
ment verser leur or sur les tapis verts de Monte Carlo.
Le casino est en realite la caisse centrale de la Tresorerie de
ce bienheureux petit peuple. La contribution est volon-
taire ; le recouvrement facile, immediat, assure et la
prosperite du royaume monegasque se trouve ainsi hypothe-
quee de la maniere la plus solide sur 1'exploitation intelli-
gente de la passion du jeu, au developpement de laquelle
on donne les facilites les plus grandes et que Ton surexcite
sur les raffinements les plus exquis.
' L'ancien royaume d'Hercule est devenu une opulente
maison de jeu. La peau de lion et la massue du fils de
Jupiter sont remplacees par 1'habit noir et le rateau du
croupier.'
I have just said there is no standing army ; there are,
however, about three hundred men, all told, whom the
prince, 1 being very fond of reviews, pays out of his private
purse. This small army represents the most cosmopolitan
troop existing. The present influence of this petty state is
considerably smaller than its size. But this is not the fault
of the reigning prince, who is a kind-hearted, and in conse-
quence of his blindness, a very unfortunate man. Time
and circumstances, and the system of modern warfare are
1 Father of the present Prince Albert. ED.
190 MENTONE
the read causes of this limitation of influence. The Grimaldis
have always been brave, and are a race as old and valiant
as any reigning European family. They fought in many
battles, in many countries, and their renown and decisions
reached far and wide, far beyond the Maritime Alps and
Liguria, where they held their ground and swayed their
power in spite of mighty rivals. In my sketch of 'Mentone as
it was,' I have done full justice to their long line of worthy
ancestors and gallant deeds. Here I mean only to allude to
a few facts that I could not very well bring in elsewhere.
Besides its antiquity and position, the latter will be most
exactly given in my notes on the Roman road, the former l
in the historical part. Lucanus, Pharsalia 1, i. 413, refers
to Monaco : ' solus sua littora turbat
Circius et tuta prohibet stations Monaeci.'
And Virgil, Mnzid vi., 413 :
' Quantas acies, stragemque ciebunt !
Aggeribus socer Alpinis, atque Arce Monaeci
Descendens Gener adversis instructus Eois ! '
That it was one of the earliest Roman stations is mainly
due to its naturally strong position as an important naval,
military, and strategical point. The port as well as the
mountain fort, called Abeglio, were therefore in two direc-
tions at least, connected with the Roman road. The
Saracens turned it to good account, and held it most tenaci-
ously until their final departure. During the Crusades, and
especially during the Guelph and Ghibelline period, it
suffered much in various ways. But for that the princes
have only to blame themselves because they changed sides
almost with every quarter of the moon, devastated when
victorious their neighbours' homes and fields and forests,
and when defeated had, of course, to put up with severe
reprisals. Their wavering and fickle line of conduct will
hardly find a parallel even in the behaviour of some German
princes during the Napoleonic campaign. The various
encounters during the Spanish and Austrian wars of suc-
cession brought on Monaco as much misery as on its
neighbours, though it enjoyed alternately the French and
Spanish protectorate. The more recent political changes
1 Dr. Muller's notea on the Roman road cannot be found. ED.
MONACO 191
having been already depicted, we now close our historical
data and walk up the castle road, a very easy one indeed,
hewn in the solid rock on which Monaco is so snugly settled.
The new place between the railway station and Monte Carlo
has a surprisingly short existence. It has sprung out of the
ground within a very short space of time indeed, for in 1868
there was scarcely a house to be seen. It is called Conda-
mine, like a good many small plains, patches of land between
two small states or baronies or independent parishes, belong-
ing to both. Ducange defines it thus : ' Condamina vel
Condomina Narbonensibus Condomine quasi Condominium
a jure unius Domini dicti, vel ut alii volunt quasi Campus
Domini, nam in Occitania, maxime versus Sevennas Camp,
aut Con, Campum sonat, ubi, hae Condaminae ab omni
onere agrario immunes consentur.'
The definition can be applied to any Condamine. But
judging from various cessions frequently made to a church
or a religious order, and from the numerous quotations in
'Gioffredo, it appears that it meant a piece of neutral ground
conjointly held by the two neighbours. Here Turbia and
the Grimaldis used alternately their right of fishing in the
harbour, at Mentone the Condamine was shared between
the Ventimiglian counts and the Ventos on the one side,
and the Grimaldis on the other ; between the two Lascaris
branches of Castellare and Castiglione and so on.
We must now direct our attention to the four gates that
lead to the princely residence. On one of them we read :
i H s
H G
DIE JANUARI 1533
which is very similar to that in the Diana chapel at Carnolese,
near Mentone.
The other reads thus :
ANTONIUS I
MUNITO PORTUS ADITU
ARCEM ROSTI VIAM
RESECTIS RUPIBUS FECIT
TUTA HYPOGEA
HANC ET ALTERAM PORTAM
ET PONTEM
EDIFICAVIT MDCCXII1I
192 MENTONE
The square offers nothing of interest. There are a good
many rusty cannon-balls, a score of old, useless guns, a few
trees, and a dozen soldiers. The fa9ade, frequently injured
and often repaired, still shows traces of the mischief done
by the first revolutionists in 1791, and even by subse-
quent restorations. The Cour d'honneur has not exactly a
princely appearance, but bears the imprint of quietness and
taste, and though the northern wing of the parallelogram is
only partially and imperfectly arranged, and its interior even
in the same state as the first French invaders left it, the
southern wing, with its graceful staircase and splendid
arcade, largely makes up for it. It has required great skill
and talent, a thorough artist in fine to restore in their
primitive character a series of classical frescoes that have
been so wantonly disfigured and mutilated by the apostles
of liberty or rather licence. The archives and library, with
their precious manuscripts, documents, and books ; valu-
able objects and priceless treasures brought together, for
centuries, from all parts of the world wherever the Grimaldis
had been fighting (and where did they not fight ?) nearly
all have been injured, dispersed, or destroyed. This princely
residence remained in a state of desolation until 1815. The
princes, having suffered and lost so much, shrank from the
heavy outlay a thorough repair would entail. Since that
time, however, the restoration has been steadily carried on
by eminent artists who have really imbibed the author's
sublime design and colouring as the subjects of the arcade
and the frescoes do prove. Through one of the gates, now
a secondary one, passed many crowned heads, several
pontiffs, and numerous celebrities. The following inscription
alludes to this fact :
H II
Cryptoporticum hanc etsi Eegum Imperatorum et Pontifi-
cum maximorum ingressu decoratam tamen tantae molis
vastitati angustam amplificavit illustravit exornavit anno
salutis. MDCXXXII.
The suite of apartments, open to all comers twice or thrice
a week, comprises several beautiful rooms. As the atten-
dants explain everything to sets of visitors admitted gradu-
ARMS OF THE PRINCE OF MONACO
Page 1 88.
PALACE OF THE PRINCE OF MONACO
Page 192.
MONACO 193
ally, I merely mention the names of two connected with
some historical incidents. The Grande Salle des Grimaldi,
the monumental chimney of which had a narrow escape
from being transferred to the museum in Paris ; the Duke of
York's room, in which the Duke of York, brother of
George in., died on September 14, 1767 ; the remain-
ing rooms, more or less interesting, once contained the
invaluable treasures brought from the Orient, but 1793-94
destroyed them, dispersed them, or housed them no one
knows where.
The gardens are quite in keeping with the palace ; small
but beautiful ; antique appearance admirably blended with
modern taste ; foreign plants and shrubs and trees grace-
fully clustering around the native vegetation ; fertile
terraces hiding barren rocks ; redoubts, strong in bygone
times and useless now ; towerlets, offering a lovely view over
land and sea, a panorama quite unique in its kind ; a bit of
ancient fortifications strangely contrasting with the mural
and earthworks of our days ; broad walks along the sea-wall
rising almost perpendicular from the water ; smaller paths
branching off here and there ; graceful climbers all along
the southern facade, such is the garden which Florestan I.
had traced in 1848, other more urgent and more expensive
affairs having swallowed up all the money that flowed in so
slowly after the disastrous years of 1793 and 1794.
Before leaving this pretty garden, consisting of several
divisions, evidently added by degrees, we were told that all
this space was once occupied by a set of forts running parallel
with the present palace ; forts against which many a power-
ful assailant wasted his energy and powder ; all made
useless during the first French Revolution ; then dismantled
and finally demolished in 1848, and gradually turned into
the present garden. We ought, therefore, all the more
to admire the lovely flowers that peep out from every
nook and corner, the giant geraniums that cover yards of
ground and walls in every variety of shape and colour, and
have stems as hard and thick as trees ; elegant creepers
that delight the eye and fill the air with fragrance ; and
especially the aloes on the rocks, and the prickly pears that
N
194 MENTONE
grow nowhere better and bigger than here, seemingly
rewarding the Grimaldis for having imported them first. 1
Our stroll through the town will be short. In fact I
leave it entirely to personal curiosity to visit the numer-
ous chapels and churches of the town and neighbourhood.
The new parish church, 2 into which all the monuments
and tombs of the old building have been transferred,
is worth a visit, also the former convent of the visitation,
founded in 1673, and transformed into a barrack from 1793
until 1860, for the Sardinian corps of occupation, when it
was handed over to the Jesuits, who established therein a
noviciate and a large school of considerable repute.
The hospital, the asylum, and the schools are well
managed and well cared for, and the instruction, a trust-
worthy person informed me, is of a high standard. The
prince is said to be very liberal and greatly interested in
education. The government house is small, but well adapted
to its purpose. Justice is chiefly administered by French
lawyers mainly belonging, or rather having belonged to the
former imperial law courts, and I understand all the higher
officials are Frenchmen. Moreover France or, perhaps,
rather French papers claim a legitimate protectorate over
Monaco. It is chiefly for this reason that the old Monaco
dialect, quite peculiar, a fusion of the old Provencal, with
the corrupted Italian and French of the neighbourhood, and
a strong infusion of the Castilian idiom will gradually, but
very gradually disappear, and with it the principal feature
of nationality. For Monaco, small as it has always been,
1 The gardens along the south front of the rock have been encroached upon
by the erection of the magnificent Oceanographic Museum of Prince Albert,
opened March 1910, the building of which took eleven years. It occupies the
extremity of the rock, and, indeed, projects over the sea, being buttressed
up from beneath. In it are stored among other things the rich collections
gathered by the Prince of Monaco during his scientific and dredging expedi-
tions, chiefly in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The aquaria in the base-
ment show a number of the Mediterranean fauna in life and motion. The
new Anthropological Museum opposite the Cathedral exhibits, besides
Roman monuments and inscriptions, the numerous prehistoric remains
obtained from the two caves at the Rochers Rouges, acquired and excavated
by the prince. These contain, besides other prehistoric skeletons, those of
the new race of Grimaldi, as it has been called, which bears distinct negroid
features. ED.
2 The cathedral now occupies the site of this church.
MONACO 195
and shorn as it was in 1848 of two important townships,
certainly had the imprint of a nation. Idioms and nations
die but slowly. Peculiar laws and customs and traditions,
a personal government, the close, might I say, family
relationship between the rulers and their subjects of a
thousand years' standing, gave to this little state a certain
individuality ; but through the cosmopolitan nature of
Monte Carlo and some minor causes, this characteristic
is visibly melting away. Metivier, the impartial bio-
grapher and historian of the Grimaldis, is quite sorry that
the Monaco idiom is dying out, whilst he records with real
French pride and pleasure that ' Charles in. conserva
toujours des sympathies toutes frangaises qui devinrent dans
la suite pour la principaute une source de precieux avan-
tages ; que toute sa cour etait toute frangaise ; que toute
la Frange veille sur le prince et sur ses sujets en protectrice
vigilante et desinteressee ; que la justice est administree a
la frangaise par des juges et administrateurs presque
exclusivement frangais,' etc., etc. 1
The once famous procession on Good Friday, of which
Roccabruna alone preserved a skeleton, exhibited in August,
was, through its gorgeous sumptuosity, almost profane, and
therefore interdicted by the late bishop of Nice, but per-
mitted again since the prince obtained a separate and
independent ecclesiastical organisation, presided by an
apostolic legate in immediate and direct communication
with the pope.
In the now defunct Monaco newspaper, Eden, No. 48, we
read the following enthusiastic description of this Good
Friday procession :
' We are in the full swing of the Middle Ages. Strangers
and natives seem to have been transformed within this city
of the Grimaldis. Jewish soldiers, relieved every two hours,
armed with their antique lances, watch over the tomb of
Christ. A reddish, lurid light shines on their armours,
their black flags, and the different emblems of the chapel.
Then follows a torchlight procession ; that of Mary in deep
mourning in search of her son. They chanted sad, monoton-
1 Metivier, etc., vol. ii. ; Charles ill., etc.
196 MENTONE
ous hymns. She passes through the principal churches
and returns to the Chapel of the Black Friars, whence the
procession starts in the evening through the narrow street
brilliantly illuminated, torches flickering in corners and
beneath vaults, pots and pans full of burning pine cones,
carried and swung about on high sticks, represent scent
boxes, and the deep, hollow sounds of a muffled drum
announce, accompany, and follow the funeral train, slowly
advancing between a thick, motley, but orderly crowd.
The procession is led by the captain of Herod's troops,
bedecked with plumes, his soldiers, swords in hand, march
silently behind him ; then come Adam and Eve, an old
couple indeed, attended or perhaps watched by the angel
of paradise Eve offering the apple to her mate, the angel
pointing to the gate. This first transgression is followed
by Christ's suffering to redeem it. Herod, surrounded by
his suite, slaves acting as train-bearers, one holding a huge
parasol over his master's head, heads the march. Every
station to the cross shows its own particular Christ. At the
Mount of Olives an angel offers him the cup. Judas
precedes Christ, and on shaking his money-bag, the armed
men of the chief priests make a rush at him. After that,
Christ bearing his cross, his hands tied, men provided with
sticks around him threatening him constantly, striking him
often. Then Christ, with his crown of thorns, soon followed
by another group, with Christ being offered the sponge
dipped hi vinegar mixed with gall. Then we notice Peter
cutting off the ear of Malchus ; soldiers casting lots over
Christ's garment ; the scribes condemning Jesus ; Pontius
Pilate washing his hands, and between these different
figures we observe St. Catherine, St. Mary Magdalene, and
Santa Devota, Monaco's patron saint. Then comes Christ,
bearing his cross in the midst of soldiers striking him,
Simon helping, and Veronica sustaining him, men carrying
a ladder, nails, etc. Two angels accompany the sorrow-
stricken mother. Finally appears Christ dead, watchmen
around him, his mother and three young maidens thickly
veiled. Then there is a band playing woeful tunes, the
doleful accents of a fiddler, the funeral sounds of the drum,
MONACO 197
the painful silence of the crowd, the extreme sadness on
every face, the solemn pantomime of the dejected actors,
the whole show makes a certain impression on your mind.
You excuse, perhaps, the performance, thinking of the holy
facts they mean to commemorate, the good such passion-
plays may have done in their infancy, and forget what is
vulgar, absurd, and profane in such processions ! '
In the Rue de Lorraine is the house then and now called
Mon Desert, where the unhappy Marie de Lorraine passed
her solitary days when separated from her faithless husband,
Prince Antoine i., and where she planted the beautiful palm-
tree we still admire. The prince was base enough to increase
her grief and lowered himself to such a point as to lodge in
Villa Giardinetto, Rue de Briques, only a few yards from
Mon Desert his mistress, who lived there in the most
luxurious style, thus adding insult to injury.
The last place we visit is the Promenade de St. Martin,
laid out under Honore v. after his own plan. For a small
town like Monaco, perched on a rock, it is not only a beauti-
ful, but a large public garden, where old and young, natives
and strangers may enjoy themselves. The flowers, the
perfume, and shade of a large variety of plants, shrubs,
and trees ; the play of the sunbeams through the
foliage and on the smooth Mediterranean ; the oriental
appearance of Monte Carlo ; the Tete de Chien, with its
new fortifications ; the old, gigantic ruins of Turbia ; Rocca-
bruna on its movable pudding-stones ; bright Bordighera
at the foot of an eastern spur ; and all the undulating hills,
here barren, there wooded, lower down studded with olive
and caruba trees ; and finally the lemon groves along
the shore ; one and all add their charm and make
this place a real little jewel. But we must pass on, just
noticing on our way the large cistern constructed in 1709
to supply the town with the indispensable drinking water.
It is surrounded by casements wherein the inhabitants
might take refuge in case of a bombardment. Since
1816 the supply of water has been increased and im-
proved by the administration of Monte Carlo, and quite
recently through the extension of the waterworks of the
198 MENTONE
Vesubia company. The fine road we walk down was
opened in 1836, and naturally facilitates the access to this
princely residence which, before that date, was only acces-
sible to visitors on foot or on horseback, up a broad track
leading directly to the castle square. The gate is called
Porte Neuve, but ought to be named after its creator,
Honore v., who also opened the road to Spelunca, and
thence to Mentone.
Just before us, and beyond the railroad, between Conda-
mine and the Monte Carlo rise, there stands a modern chapel,
erected on the spot of an old one, the gift, I believe, of the
same munificent hand that showers charities and donations
even beyond the principality. The valley, called Gau-
mates, is now dry except after heavy rains, when it may,
for a short time, be filled with muddy water. Many
hundred years ago it must, however, have been a limpid
rivulet, a kind of Bethesda, in which the people never failed
to wash their hands and face ere they entered the little
sanctuary, in order to purify themselves, as it were, from
their bodily and moral leprosy. If by mishap they omitted
it, or did not, or would not remember a particular stain, the
skin of the culprit would peel off forthwith, and the poor
creature would be treated as an outcast. A pilgrimage to
Rome barefooted, and the kissing of the holy father's right
slipper, could alone atone for such a crime. If any one
should have ventured to go through this sanitary process out
of sheer curiosity, malice, or unbelief, he would, if discovered
by the watchers, have been at once reported, and most
severely punished. According to Guyot de Merville, who
travelled through Provence into Italy between 1716 and
1717, the old chapel was in a very dilapidated condition, but
was, nevertheless, as much resorted to as ever. Amongst
other curious statements scattered all over his book, he
relates that in this chapel he saw a hole into which a person
suffering from neuralgia might thrust his head after having,
of course, devoutly prayed and conscientiously confessed.
In that position he had to remain for fully half an hour
constantly repeating, ' Santa Devota, my faith in thy
grace is unbounded.' This devotional exercise having been
MONACO 199
successfully endured, the neuralgia disappeared for ever.
But there was a peculiar and even dangerous condition to
ensure success. If by any chance the devotee had been
incomplete, neglectful, or light-hearted in his confession, and
had thus not made a clean breast of all his sins, he would
be surely caught, for the hole, contracting at once, would
become a trap, and retain his poor head and squeeze it
gradually until a priest arrived and pronounced his absolu-
tion over the sufferer's head, when the hole would expand
to its normal size, and release the penitent from his extra-
ordinary captivity. 1
This is one of Santa Devota's ways to expose, punish, and
convert sinners, but to relate them all would take too much
time and space, and I simply give a condensed translation
of her wonderful history. In the time of the emperors
Diocletian and Maximian, there lived in Corsica a young
Christian girl called Devota. Having been informed of the
approaching arrival of a new prefect reported to be very
cruel against the Christians, she took refuge in the house of
Euticius, a senator, and passed all her days in ascetic devo-
tions, singing psalms and hymns, reading religious books,
observing a rigorous fast, taking substantial food on
Sundays only, literally macerating her frail body. Euticius
could not dissuade her from excessive austerity, and she
merely replied : ' I do not inflict any cruelty on myself,
I delight in the gifts the Lord showers down on me day by
day.' And in saying so her eyes beamed with joy and bore
an expression of supreme happiness.
In the meantime the new prefect arrived, and the
official world offered him a sumptuous repast, during which
one of his agents informed his superior that in the house
of Euticius there was hidden a maid who would not worship
the gods nor offer up any sacrifice unto them. As the
prefect could not get hold of the girl, and as he did not like
to quarrel openly with a senator, he had her poisoned. Still
alive she was finally brought before him. At his command
her mouth was crushed so that she could no longer blas-
pheme the gods, her hands and feet were tied together,
1 Voyage historique d'ltalie, par Guyot de Merville. Hagues, 1724.
200 MENTONE
and her body put on the rack. But after all these cruelties
she was enabled to exclaim : ' Lord, listen to the prayers of
thy humble servant and receive among thine elect, Euticius,
who was killed for having sheltered her.' And a voice from
heaven replied : ' My servant, thy prayer has been granted
and all thou hast asked and wilt ask shall be accorded unto
thee,' and all of a sudden a dove flew out of her mouth and
up to heaven.
The prefect, on the advice of his satellites, forbade to
bury her, as he wanted to have her body burnt on the
morrow. At that very time a Savoyard priest, Benenatus,
was hiding in the caverns abounding there, and near him
ApoUinarius, a deacon, who each had a vision instructing
them to take away the body from the island. They came
to an understanding with Gratian, an experienced mariner,
and assisted by a band of virgins, carried the body to a
boat, and made for Africa. But a strong southern wind
frustrated their plan. The boat began to fill, and all their
efforts to keep down the water were in vain. Gratian,
exhausted, fell asleep, leaving Benenatus to manage the
vessel. While he slept Devota appeared, roused him, and
said : ' Pilot Gratian, the storm is calming down, and no
more waves shall endanger you. You and your saintly
companions watch attentively, and when a dove flies out
of my mouth follow it to a place called Monaco, in Greek,
and Lonely in Latin. There bury my body.' Watching,
they saw a dove rise from her mouth. They followed it till
it perched in the valley Gaumates, near a chapel dedicated to
St. George, and there they buried the body of Santa Devota
on the 27th of January. 1
This saint is still held in high honour both by prince
and people. On solemn occasions her relics are brought to
the castle, kissed and adored by the sovereign and his
family, whilst his devout subjects kneel in front of the palace
praying for their benign ruler. And on the memorable
anniversary the inhabitants of the principality, both high
and low, those who rule and those who are ruled, betake
1 Ex Ghronologia Lerinensi. A eta Sanctorum januarii. Apud Abel
Rendu, Menton et Monaco, p. 318. ED.
MONACO 201
themselves in solemn procession to the sacred shrine and
sing hymns to the praise and glory of their mighty pro-
tectress, in whose favour Sixtus iv., in 1475, and Benedict,
in 1725, granted a two years' indulgence to all who contri-
buted to the restoration and maintenance of the chapel, and
visited the tomb on the 27th of January.
Here we leave Monaco which was, is, and seemingly ever
will be :
' Son Monaco sopra un scoglio
Non semino e non raccoglio
E pur mangiar voglio.' l
Yes, sing and play and eat and rejoice, and take it easy
whilst fools work for you . Standing on s uch a firm Herculean
foundation ; patronised by the Church and her agents ;
protected by Santa Devota ; your coat-of-arms sustained
by two devoted robust monks and favoured by many
circumstances, you may look cheerfully into the future,
and with all maintain your independence and prosperity.
But mind there are rocks beneath these smooth Mediter-
ranean waters and thunderbolts hovering over these seem-
ingly protecting mountains ! Do not fall asleep in your
present ease and peace !
I, Monaco, on my rock so bare,
For sowing and reaping did never care,
But eat I do, I will declare.
CHAPTER XI
MONTE CARLO
Distance, 7 kilometres, or nearly 5 miles.
Time, along the upper road, . . 1 hr. 40 m.
,, over the neck of Cap Martin, 1 hr. 30 m.
MONTE CARLO is the name, quite a modern name, given to
the beautiful plateau we are going to. Formerly it was
called Spelunca, 1 which means a cave, a den, from having
been the resort of smugglers and pirates. That race has
now died out. Yet the name clings to the place. People
do not like to give up old familiar expressions. Sometimes
they have even become pet names. Spelunca would not,
however, attract strangers, rich people at least, and what-
ever the country may have been in ante-Christian times, it
was quite early very much frequented by daring traders,
and was, as Monaco , hi direct communication with the
most opulent cities of Asia Minor. Thus its present wealth
stands on an ancient, sound, commercial footing, as sound
as any of the oldest trading houses in the world. Then the
Romans came, less for commerce than for conquest, which,
though often destructive to life and ruinous to property,
was almost invariably followed by a slow but sure civilising
progress. The Goths, too, came and ruined the land and
the people. The Saracens repaired and used what was good
for their object. Spelunca remained a wild spot ; plenty
of rocks, little good soil, few trees. Centuries sailed by
and left their traces of destruction here, of civilisation there.
The land remained in its primitive wildness, a wildness
growing stronger and civilisation weaker. Up to 1855
there was hardly any change. There was a gambling-room
in Monaco. Monaco is pretty, the climate could not be
better ; it was rather lonely, but the access was compara-
1 Gioffredo, p. 728 ; Metivier, vol. ii. p. 356.
202
MONTE CARLO 203
tively easy. The primitive casino became too small. It
could hardly be enlarged, was hardly attractive enough, for
gold is a magnet ; it draws, entices, it becomes a centralising
power, a monopoly. A bright idea struck a clever man.
He cast his eyes on Spelunca ; Spelunca was selected as the
spot that would ultimately allure and concentrate glittering
wealth, doubtful honesty, suspected morals. The plan was
skilfully conceived, it was steadily, perseveringly, and
successfully carried out. Rocks were blasted, trees felled,
terraces levelled, roads laid out, gardens and plantations
charmed out of the barren soil ; aqueducts supplied plenty
of water, and centenarian trees plenty of shade. The central
hall of a vast building, designed after old, notorious German
gambling-houses, rose rapidly, and was opened in 1860.
Hotels, restaurants, cafes, and shops multiplied ; all went
on well. The principal building had two wings added, these
wings grew fast ; new walks led to new wonders, the
railway necessitated and facilitated a splendid terrace ;
a bridge connected the casino with the sea and pigeon-
shooting ground ; the best musicians delighted the ear, the
most renowned actors charmed the eye ; and every addition
proved a new attraction and tended to its present harmoni-
ous completeness. Spelunca was dead and buried in spite
of popular belief and historical records. 1 Monte Carlo
usurped its place and extinguished its name, and added
a fame and lustre hitherto unknown along the sunny
Mediterranean. It is of bold conception, of an infallible
speculation, of undeniable beauty, of multifarious, artificial
attractions ; a natural or unnatural child of the present state
of society ; a mirror wherein a goodly number of our short-
comings and weaknesses and tendencies are faithfully
reflected ; a photograph in which many a contemporary
cannot fail to discover the traits of his character. But the
place has succeeded and success is half the battle. Monte
Carlo had taken a firm footing on Spelunca and a firm
hold of many men and women !
It is sometimes said that miracles, spiritual miracles, are
1 The name Le Mont Charles, Monte Carlo, was given to the old Spelugues
by Charles in., father of the reigning Prince. ED.
204 MENTONE
becoming rare, though there are some new, powerful shrines ;
but money, under the princely wings of the noble house of
the Grimaldis, the influence of the Jesuits, and the saintly
halo of Santa Devota is working miracles every day. The
agent of these Monte Carlo wonders sets up an ever- varying
picture for his own personal benefit first, and by a sideway,
for those who sanction and sanctify his rolling-stock. He is
a real conjurer. Hospitals, charities, associations, muni-
cipalities, churches, monks, journals and journalists get their
annual share ; French lawyers, retired colonels, captains,
and sergeants, wearing and displaying their decorations and
medals, are largely employed in the courts of law, adminis-
tration, and police of the principality and gambling-house.
Would this show of medals and crosses be deemed correct
or be tolerated elsewhere ? French generals and prefects,
mayors and deputies grace and honour the table of a
director,- a count now, but a former valet of the late Napoleon
the Third. But this is no surprise, because real nobility
and dignity elbow each other daily with assumed names and
titles. These gratuitous treats and pleasures ought to be
very sweet unless a very scrupulous friend of mine is right
in saying that it is wrong to derive pleasures from polluted
sources ! I wonder where that Puritan gets his bread and
wine and beer and grocery from ? Why they are all, if not
exactly polluted, shamefully adulterated everywhere ! The
gambling world is bad, but there are black stains in other
industries ! Monte Carlo is bad, very bad, but there are
things as bad, and worse even, here and everywhere !
Besides, Nature herself is a great temptress. She charms
the eye and elevates the heart ! The vast expanse of the
sea in its fairy tints ; the countless bays and creeks and
capes and peninsulas created by capricious waves ; towns
and villages coquettishly distributed along the shore,
pinned to the slopes or saddled on a ridge ; the pale green
olive gardens and the dreamy lemon groves pleasantly
relieved by clusters of deciduous trees ; a rustic cottage, a
dilapidated barn, an antique chapel, an elegant villa, a
barren spur, and a fertile valley ; the lofty mountains of
historical renown above, stretching their massive limbs
MONTE CARLO 205
deep into the sea or turning east and west ; they all, indi-
vidually and collectively, are grand and beautiful and
enshrine the tiny state, the old, tenacious principality of
Monaco !
No wonder that thousands of people come here with an
eye for nature's genuine beauties and for art's tasteful
oddities ; a shop of fancy goods stands on an olive trunk ;
a pottery transforms coarse clay into exquisitely shaped
and coloured vases ! But the artist is never satisfied.
He metamorphoses from day to day. Nature is less fickle.
But she must submit to human freaks and speculations.
Once upon a time the road followed the sinuous pranks of
nature, and was dangerous, steep, and narrow, so that
Sulzer found it difficult to pass in 1777. And yet Napoleon's
soldiers toiled and trotted along this very road by thousands !
But what a change. What a change from year to year.
What an easy access to all sorts of pleasures, smooth and
full of light. Look around, and you cannot help admir-
ing the creative mind and liberal purse that caused such
prodigies. Here, there, and everywhere villas of all sizes,
forms, and tastes an avenue large enough for twenty men
abreast, and well lit up at night. There are new churches
and old chapels for Roman Catholics, but heretics Pro-
testants and Anglicans alike are not permitted to worship
according to their rite within the principality, where Jesuits
and gamblers can only live in perfect freedom. We ap-
proach the centre of attraction and drive down the gentle
slope. Flowers and flower-beds, lawns with rare trees,
grass-plots with shrubs and plants, a bubbling fountain
playing in all the colours of the rainbow ; a barn and
stable which were burnt down in 1864, transformed into
elegant shops ; an art gallery ; convenient billiard and
refreshment-rooms, where the Teuton relishes his beer, the
Italian his sugar-water, the Gaul his absinthe, the Briton
his whisky, and all their pipes, cigars, and cigarettes ; and
on your right, above, below, and everywhere, hotels built
with a view to taste, where comfort administers to the wants
and luxury of visitors, the choicest wines and daintiest of
viands. There is no lack of pleasure and supply.
206 MENTONE
And just before us, the Casino surrounded by palms, all
sorts of shrubs, innumerable flowers, graceful creepers,
trim borders, delightful paths, extensive terraces, an arena
for pigeon-shooting, various amusements for old and young
children, plenty of kiosks for trade and pleasure, a beach for
bathing and swimming, an abundant supply of water to
wash away every stain and to keep everything clean and
fresh and healthy, a sea of lights at night, and every day a
pleasure-ground unparalleled a gem !
Such is Monte Carlo viewed from without.
And all for nothing, remember. Come and behold !
The band begins to play. And what a band ! Let us
enter the hall, spacious and commodious, where all the latest
news, flashed from the furthest corner of this immense globe,
is stuck up from hour to hour. Just cast a passing glance
on those people seated around. There are some who have
lost, some who are ruined for ever, some expectants, some
hopeful, some despairing, some indifferent, whose hearts
and minds can hardly be deciphered. What a study for a
physiognomist ! The concert room is almost crowded.
There is hardly standing room. It is Thursday, a gala
day, when all the grand folks come to see and hear, to listen
aiid be listened to, to chat and criticise, to admire and to be
admired ; to lose and to be lost ; to win and to be won ;
to scorn, blame, and cry down. What a sight ! A galaxy !
A galaxy of all the stars, suns, planets, comets, satellites !
The highest, noblest, wealthiest, and most respected
gathering of the whole world, with a few spotted individuals,
a mere speck on the sun's disc that cannot be noticed except
with Mr. Bischofsheim's biggest magnifying-glass which,
fortunately, is on Mont Gros.
But the magic strains of the orchestra do not allow you to
observe and scrutinise. Your ears and eyes are not at your
command. You must needs listen. You are a slave
enchanted by the choicest compositions executed by real
artists, inspired by a leader, a man, of talent, and of taste,
himself a tried composer. There is no better band in
Europe. And if you doubt my saying, do tell me where
to find it !
MONTE CARLO 207
And all for nothing, remember. Just come and listen !
And the new opera, or theatre, or whatever you may call
it. In design and execution, in taste and decoration, in
acoustic power and skill, in harmonious arrangements and
gorgeous splendour, it has, considering its dimensions, no
equal. Actors and singers are recruited out of the very
flower of the stage. The administration shrinks from no
sacrifice to ensure the greatest talents of the day.
Then there is a most commodious reading-room, pro-
fusely supplied with reviews, magazines, newspapers,
illustrations ; papers clerical, comical, satirical, of every
nation and language ; an accumulation of science, art, and
commerce ; a room where you may read and write and
study to your heart's content.
And all for nothing, remember.
But let us now enter that mine of inexhaustible wealth
whence all this splendour comes ! The days being short, it
is Christmastide, the height of the season, all the passages
and corridors and apartments are very early brilliantly
lighted. The night seems brighter than the day. And
outside a thousand lamps defy the prince of darkness.
The rooms, lofty and spacious, run from south to
north, and from west to east, with large windows on either
side, between them glitter, long ere the sun has set, Herculean
arms that hold forth such mighty jets of light that they
rival the sun. Each table has, moreover, its own solar
system. But few people seem to appreciate the efforts to
captivate the eye. Surely if anything is wrong here, no
attempt is made to hide or to conceal it. All is open, fair,
and bright. And if disputes occur and doubtful claims are
made, they are most liberally settled. There is no rest, no
holiday ; the tables work all the year round ; there is nothing
sacred, the high festivals of the Church are ignored. And
why ? Because the Jesuits have sanctioned and, perhaps,
even hold some shares. No one will therefore be surprised
to hear that the holiest of holy feelings, religion, is sometimes
profaned and outraged. Look in yonder corner. There
I saw, in 1868, a tall and handsome man of middle age, a
regular attendant, but an unlucky player, yet who means to
208 MENTONE
win to-day, nay, more, to break the bank. Why, there I saw
him say a silent prayer to the Holy Virgin or to his patron
saint, for gamblers have their patron saints as well as other
people, so after having duly crossed himself, he sets to work
with a will. This morning's post brought him a goodly sum.
His monthly bills are paid. He wants so little. His only
passion, much stronger than he fancies, his only passion is
to gamble. Like many others, he follows the centripetal
power around a kind of billiard-table of somewhat large
dimensions. How shall I begin to describe the picture ?
Shall I tell you that fortune, here, turns really on wheels ?
That the die is cast, or rather the ball is lodged before you
have a second to reflect ? That loss and gam depend on
numbers odd or even ? On colours red or black ? That
thirty-six, for there are thirty-six numbers and a zero, full
thirty-six times are the chances against you ? That ladies
of rank and station sit down side by side with their fallen
sisters. That many lose and only one out of a million may
get rich ? That earnings of a week, a month, a year, a
whole honourable life drop in the deep beyond the reach of
diving-bells ? That well-established incomes, fair prospects,
a smiling future are for a long time, perhaps for ever
blighted ? That a family, a good old name, long-standing,
sterling qualities, are gone for ever, never to be retrieved ?
That some who had come out so prosperous, so happy are
doomed to ruin, to an ignominious flight, because one weak
member of the flock, the guide and keeper of the purse, was
insane enough to stake his all, his money, and his honour ?
That gentlemen, surprised by a passion they were quite
unaware of, losing their generally well-balanced head,
borrow from coachmen and waiters, dragging thus poor,
honest servants into the abyss ? That yonder invalid,
trembling with emotion, has gone many yards nearer his
grave ? That captains sell their pensions, the dowries of
their wives, and carried away by sudden death, leave their
dear families in abject poverty ? That once a general lost
his equilibrium and money, and had to beg his fare in order
to go home ? That the man who prayed in yonder corner
before he went to play, lost all, looks as pale as death ?
MONTE CARLO 209
' Rien ne va plus ! ' This warning, so monotonous and
yet so ominous, makes some people only all the more eager
to get rid of their silver, gold, and notes. What a study hi
these physiognomies, where hope and disappointment tell
so sad a tale, and drive a deadly wedge into the strongest
constitution ! Where noble feelings are on their sorest trial,
and where honour and self-respect capsize into fraud and
lasting shame !
Rien ne va plus ! Et on y va tou jours !
Suchis humanity! We move on to the 'Trente et Quarante'
where only gold and notes are to be seen, and where the
lowest stake is twenty francs, and twenty thousand is the
highest. It looks quite different, less exciting, calmer,
less crowded, more select, less fussy, more composed, less
plebeian, more aristocratic ; there is seemingly less chance,
more calculation. But the danger is the same. These two
tables are much less frequented, because no silver is accepted,
but speculation through two similar channels leads or
empties all the money lost into the same bag.
But let us leave these rooms ! We do not want to see the
end, and how the mammon is, after the stroke of eleven
for all is clockwork here roughly counted, quickly put into
sacks, immediately sealed up, carried upstairs, and placed
under lock and key. A scene of witches and Mephi-
stopheles ! The house is closed before the solemn hour of
midnight has sent its thrilling sounds abroad, the death-
knell of the departed day !
Our carriage was waiting and we drove home. The night
was glorious. Early spring they call it here. A soft gentle
breeze played wistfully up from the sea and amalgamated
with the sweet perfumes of flowers, trees, and shrubs. The
wavelets down below exchanged their evening murmurs
with the pebbles of the shore, which we, poor mortals, could
not understand, and were not in a mood to listen to. Luna
had just gone to rest. It was very considerate on her part ;
for Monaco and Monte Carlo look all the brighter, all the
more enchanting. A sea of lights, a sea on fire, transformed
the whole panorama into a fairy land. There was but little
talk. The rapid visions and the various scenes seemed to be
o
210 MENTONE
reviewed and sifted privately. I wonder what were then the
evolutions and conclusions of our younger friends ! Pater-
familias alone moralised, hardly audibly, on the degrading
effect of a regular open gambling-house ; but after having
evidently carefully revolved the knotty question, he said,
only half aloud, as if not quite sure of his conclusions :
* Since some people will lose their money, let them lose it
openly when public opinion and a wholesome press exercise
a salutary control and check, and where you can only lose
what you actually possess and have in your pocket. In
other places hard and fast play is practised within closed
doors, under the privilege of association ; where the police
and the public are excluded ; where touters, having ascer-
tained your financial position, lend you any amount until
they have you fully within their clutches, and where are
consequently the heaviest losses sustained and the most
ruinous engagements transacted. Such places are infinitely
more mischievous than the ' Rouge et Noir ' or the ' Trente
et Quarante ' of Monte Carlo. But both come under the
same appellation Spelunca.
I am not hi favour of either establishment, but I greatly
prefer Monte Carlo to any club, circle, or casino, where
they play hard and fast, and I have been told by many a
German that since the abolition of their famous gambling-
houses, private and secret gambling has alarmingly increased.
Nor must we attempt the closing of such places by getting
up petitions to the French legislative body to ask them to
interfere with national and sovereign rights. The Prince
of Monaco is as independent a sovereign as any royal and
imperial family in Europe. Besides Italy has older and
more legitimate claims than France. Napoleon's three or
four millions paid to a prince whom he considered illegally
deprived of his rights, do not prove anything. It was
merely a shameful, disgraceful transaction. It is always
impolitic to use pressure on weak and small states. Besides,
would we tolerate any interference about our clubs and races,
where there is a vast amount of betting and many a man
ruined ? Moreover, not very many years ago, Frenchmen
talked very big about erecting gambling-houses in every
MONTE CARLO 211
corner of their country to bait and to fleece strangers for the
benefit of French trade and industry, and the national cash-
box. There are plenty of clandestine and tolerated
roulettes in France and everywhere, and gambling can
never be rooted out by legislators. Morality, public
opinion, an independent press are the only effective levers
that can shake and move and upset such infernal machines.
Monte Carlo is especially singled out because of world-wide
renown and because all the suicides, and they are certainly
numerous, committed within its precincts and the princi-
pality, are put down against the establishment.
' II est trois portes a cet antre :
L'espoir, 1'infamie, et la mart ;
C'est par la premiere qu'on entre
C'est par les deux autres qu'on sort ! '
CHAPTER XII
GORBIO
Height 1320 feet.
Distance, 7 kilom. , or about 5 miles.
Time, ..... about 1 hr. 40 m.
Festival, St. Barthelemy, . . 24th August.
IT was a lovely morning in August, just such an one as ex-
cursionists or holiday-makers would wish or even order if
they had the command over the weather. When we set out
for Gorbio, the outrider of the heavy thunderstorm .that had
during the night roared in the direction of Bordighera and
poured down on its parched fields buckets of refreshing
water, reached even as far as here, but only cooled the air
and laid the dust and revived the drooping vegetation ; so
that gardens, terraces, hills and dales, trees and plants
looked quite fresh and cheerful on our emerging from Men-
tone. The little river too received its share, and well deserved
it, for he never forsakes his bed entirely as do many others,
and the tiny streamlet murmurs along to escape, as it were,
the leaky aqueducts that catch the water up and divide it
into endless branches, so as to keep plants, lemon and orange
trees alive, for they cannot stand a long drought. This little
valley is therefore never quite out of season, looks lovely in
summer and winter, and is a favourite drive now, and will
be still more so when the road reaches the village. 1
Now the flowers alone are wanting (conspicuous by their
absence), in which this valley abounds in early spring. Then
the modest violet lines almost every path, peeps out of walls
and corners, covers grass plots early in February, and liter-
ally saturates the air with its exquisite perfume, for we need
not go far to realise Shakespeare's
' I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where ox-lips and the nodding violet grows, 5
1 The carriage-drive now reaches up to the village by means of a number
of zigzags, which climb the eastern side of the valley. ED.
212
THE GATE OF GORBIO
Page 212.
THE VILLAGE OF GORBIO
Page 213.
GORBIO 213
the tulip in faultless stripes of pink and white, and crimson
sisters here and there, flowers proud of their showy, bright
appearance to catch the wanderer's eye, the hyacinth both
sweet and beautiful, the narcissus of various tints, the
numerous species of the orchid, the anemone in cardinal pink
or scarlet, we all regretted their absence now because we
hunted them up and gathered them abundantly last spring.
But whilst Flora is more than half asleep, Pomona, on the
other hand, is smiling everywhere, and peaches, figs, and
grapes abound.
After half an hour's steady walking, Gorbio, the final
object of our journey, came into view, astride on one of
father Aggel's spurs. The road is very good, follows an
aqueduct, leads over the torrent close to an old oil mill,
and then winds arid creeps heavily up the olive grove that
grants us welcome shade. Before we crossed we noticed
the remainder of a solid wall, whose foundation lay bare.
A thousand years' erosion has carried away more than fifteen
feet of the underlying limestone. These olive groves right
and left have for many years suffered from want of rain,
but are recovering fast and yielding plenty of fruit and oil,
and the proprietors now stop cutting them down. These
stately trees grow up to a height of 1700 feet above the sea,
whilst peas, beans, egg plants, cucumbers, and gourds, etc.,
thrive best near cisterns and watercourses, and form a plea-
sant contrast to the grave and sturdy grove through which
the road climbs up. The rapid passage of a deep black
cloud, bringing light and shade into full play, adds
to the beauty of the fields, the slopes, and peaks. Various
groups of merry country people and sprightly townsfolk,
all in their best attire, we overtake, moving very slowly up
the steep incline. The festive place picturesquely pitched
on this spur, and clustered around two seigniorial castles or
manors rather, sends forth its merry peals inviting the
approaching or expected visitors to hasten their steps.
Though deprived of its noble founders and stripped of its
former importance, Gorbio has preserved a good deal of its
antique look. When near the cross where people generally
rest to pass in review all that is beautiful around
214 MENTONE
Mentone the sea as a near, and Corsica as a distant, back-
ground, and whilst admiring the picture spread out before
us, the boom of ten big blunderbusses let off in quick
succession and fifteen times repeated by Echo and her
descendants hidden among these gorges and passes, the
flanks of Monts Baudon and Aggel, made the air vibrate
and quiver and frightened many people. The roar was a
tremendous surprise, and the pilgrims were loudly told to
hurry up, and stragglers made a last effort in order to witness
the very beginning of the ceremonies about to take place
within and in front of the church. Just as we were setting
foot on the plateau, five more detonations started within
two minutes of each other, and caused the very soil we stood
on to shake ; and these ten minutes seemed to last intermin-
ably, for the echoes were distinct and wonderful, and died
slowly away in their mysterious abodes.
We received a hearty welcome, and were politely decor-
ated with favours in the French tricolour. This was a sign
of being admitted members of the social and jovial, urban
and rural gathering. The few worshippers in front of, and
the multitude within the church looked all very cheerful,
very tidy, and very clean, and made a most favourable
impression on all the strangers present. We found just
standing room, from which we could observe all that was
going on. But holy administrations and earnest prayer
were evidently not the order of the day ; all were bent on
merry-making, on exchanging smiles and greetings. The
church was filled with sight-seers rather than with worship-
pers, all gaily dressed and bedecked with flowers and favours.
The boys and girls in bran-new dresses formed two rows
facing the altar ; the weaker sex, much more numerous than
the stronger, wore white veils in Genoese fashion. Intro-
ductory prayers had already begun. No one was listening.
There was a general bustle. Shortly after our arrival the
celebrant, assisted by two neighbouring priests, pronounced
his first ' Dominus Vobiscum,' and in came four musicians,
a viola, a flute, a cornet, and a bass, who passed up the aisles
and took their places on the epistolar's side. The faces of
the younger members, bright before, now shone.
GORBIO 215
The first part of mass being over, the small band struck
up a lively mazurka. Feet were gently beating time, smiles
were exchanged for the first mazurka in the afternoon. As
soon as the preacher had ascended the pulpit, the merry
strains of the instruments died away, and people seemed
disposed to listen to the sermon, delivered in an unaffected,
impressive style, too lively perhaps, but in the broad, hard
vernacular of the place, accompanied by a variety of
gestures to give greater weight to his weighty words and
illustrations. He spoke loud and fast, and full of earnest-
ness. He had to stop for five minutes to wipe away the
perspiration. The band played a waltz. The heat was
unbearable. My thermometer marked 110 degrees ; and
the church was crowded ! But the congregation did not
seem to suffer. The second part of the sermon had hardly
commenced when the devout attention of the worshippers
was strangely interrupted by the sudden, but evidently
anticipated appearance of a tall, stalwart fellow, soon
followed by another, each one bearing on an antiquated
halberd, profusely decorated with fine old Coventry ribbons,
such as are now seldom seen, four fat, full-grown, live cocks
suspended from the cross-piece, one at each corner. These
eight unexpected representatives of the farmyard seemed
to me quite out of place here, but they seemed to feel quite at
home, for they proclaimed their entry in true cock fashion,
and as worthy messengers of their numerous tribe, heralded
their presence within the sacred edifice with a long and
unanimous shrill tri-ki-ri-ki ! All smiled. No one was
surprised, neither priests nor preacher nor people at this
extraordinary, untimely, profane proceeding. A good many
members of the congregation were more amused at our
astonished looks than at the religio-comical exhibition.
We sight-seers and strangers had hardly recovered from
our amazement when another man appeared on the scene
wearing a broad scarf that must have cost some money and
been beautiful, and holding high up in the air a long, old-
fashioned sword bedecked with ribbons old and new, and
crowned with a good-sized apple studded with twenty
bran-new napoleons. Whilst all eyes were eagerly fixed on
216 MENTONE
and evidently longing for this seductive bait of mammon,
ours wandering about to see the effect on the clergy and their
flock, the preacher kept on preaching, the cocks crowing,
and the people staring. The first, hoarse and visibly
exhausted, finally descended from the pulpit, and during
his short passage to the altar, the small band played a sweet
air very effectively indeed, and the cocks getting quite
excited, chanted their monotonous hymn in their own
homely way. Then the priest hurried over a few prayers
no one understood, and no one listened to. It was a sad sight
for an earnest Christian to see, and in a church too religion
blasphemed in her very home ! This sham service being
over, all eyes turned towards the golden apple, and had
each individual been alone he or she would have surely done
what Eve did once in paradise. The noisy, unruly cocks
were no longer noticed, but old and young were seemingly
studying the impression all these strange doings produced
on us. But we were serene and would not betray our feelings.
Another ' Dominus Vobiscum ' and a lively familiar polka
brought the three officiating priests to the steps outside the
railing, the celebrant holding in his hands a crucifix ending in
a good-sized box, that one to be kissed, this one to be filled.
The mayor advances, bows lowly, kisses reverently, drops
his alms dutifully, slowly retires three steps, then bows again
meekly and with a measured tread walks to his seat ; all
the members of the municipal council one by one follow
their leader's example ; the few officials that may be present
come in turn, the lord of the manor and the leading families
walk up next ; and then a few monks and sisters of mercy ;
then the principal members of the confraternities, both male
and female, all kissing piously, all offering their alms
according to their means and hearts. The boys and girls
alone remain in file. This scene was acted in a really
solemn way.
Then come the cocks. Their bearers walk up, stately,
imposing. They feel that all eyes watch their movements
and the discharge of their important functions. For a
moment, and for a moment only, they are the chief attrac-
tion. They approach, one by one, bow humbly, kiss
GORBIO 217
devoutly, drop their offering gently, retreat three steps, and
one after the other lower steadily their halberds, and with a
solemn reverence present the cocks to their priest, who takes
them from the cross-bar and passes them on to his house-
keeper, who disappears with them through a side door behind
the altar leading to the presbytery. Thus ends the second
act. The cock-bearers retire. They played their part well.
Now comes the turn of the most noticed and most envied
man of the day ; the real hero of the hour ; the central
figure of attraction ; the bearer of that tempting golden
apple ; he is the leader of the bachelors and spinsters. His
bearing is dignified. He feels the importance of his mission
at this decisive moment and acts accordingly. He ad-
vances gravely, makes a deep obeisance, his kiss is devout,
his alms why, the fellow gives nothing, but merely causes
his precious distinctive sword to pass from youth to youth,
from lassie to lassie, all advancing in single file, bowing,
kissing and giving, when the last little maid returns the
saintly weapon to its worthy custodian, who, with a genuine
graceful bow presents the jewelled apple to the cure, who
accepts and pockets the noble present. Thus ends the third
and last act of this curious custom (shall I call it comedy ?).
As a finale of this strange, anomalous, but time-honoured
church ceremony, 1 the priest pronounced the customary
blessing ; the band played a march, and thus subdued the
animated conversation which was loud and general, for
everybody wanted to be heard and to give his own impres-
sions first. A procession was soon formed, and the streets
being few and short, returned within twenty-five minutes
and terminated the church rite of the festival.
All were glad and happy, everything passed off quietly ;
perfect order and harmony prevailed ; it was a good-
humoured crowd, the enjoyment was genial and congenial
to the place and its small population, and I hope the Gorbions
will enjoy their annual gatherings for many years to come
There were jovial parties in every house ; in some small
houses they were even large, in some large ones, strangely
small, the owners being abroad, guests invited and guests
1 This ceremony is still annually gone through. ED.
218 MENTONE
uninvited received an equally hearty welcome; all doors were
open ; generous hosts presided ; and whether the fare was
humble and plain, or rich and sumptuous, one and all were
seasoned with cordiality, cheerfulness, good humour, out-
spoken freedom and moderation. I was not able to dis-
cover a single act of inebriety. It was genuine pleasure,
but there were great lamentations in the farmyard and
deep sorrow in the warrens !
Just as we were going to open our luncheon-baskets and
consume our frugal meal in a meadow close at hand, the
Mayor de Gubernatis, a worthy man, now dead, a descendant
of the old, noble family of that name, came and invited us in
such pressing and hearty terms that we could not refuse
him the pleasure he said our presence would give him and
all his other guests. And a very pleasant hour we spent
with them enjoying all; meat and wine and what old, pure
wine, home-made but especially their unaffected conversa-
tion, hearing and learning a great deal about the good old
times, as they called them, and as they are called everywhere,
and the good old people that lived before us, and the good
deeds they did, and the stories they told, and they had them
from their sires and grandsires. Grands remerciments de
Vhospitalite et du bon accueil ! Nous en avons emporte les
meilleurs souvenirs et nous savons les garder !
According to an inscription on the northern wall, the
stately elm-tree that provides such pleasant shade on hot
summer days, and is the making of the little square, was
planted in 1713, and the Place itself improved on May 6,
1804 a peaceful occupation in the then warlike times.
Both tree and square must have witnessed many passages of
troops, and sheltered weary soldiers of many tongues and
nations. Could tree and square but speak, what things
they might reveal ! But they are doomed to silence.
OLMO PTO
1713
LA PIAZZA
R1STABILITA
DIE 6 MAY 1804
The inscnption, rather illiterate even for 1713, literally
THE ELM-TREE IN THE PLACE, GORBIO
Page 218.
ROCCABRUNA
Page 227.
GORBIO 219
means : ' This elm was planted in 1713, and this place im-
proved on 6th day of May 1804.' The elm is thus (in
1889) just 176 years old. A very good age. May it live
on to the end of the world, or at least as long as Gorbio
lasts ! That 's all they want.
After our convivial dinner and these short observations,
we passed through an old gateway into the large Lascaris
farm, and a new view rewarded our climb. Old Gorbio in its
gayest aspect and liveliest mood lay quietly and confidently
around, or rather before their old manors, still reminding
the people of their former importance and greatness. One
belongs to the well-known Malaussena family, represented
now, if I mistake not, by Comte de Malaussena, elected
Maire of Nice in 1886. Their property, I am told, extends
down the valley as far as Mentone boundary, where there
is the chapel of St. Joseph, whose bell is, according to an
act, to be rung every evening at eight o'clock, else the
holding will be forfeited.
The other manor, facing south, is in the possession of the
d'Adhemar, connected by marriage with the Lascaris.
We may as well give an historical sketch of the locality
as the general gaieties of this day will not begin till four
o'clock. A large boulder, formerly part and parcel of Mount
Aggel, but now deeply embedded and settled close by,
offers a most appropriate spot for an historical review.
Whether this lofty position will enable us to clear up some
disputed points, and to cast a penetrating glance through
the misty traditions of times long gone by, seems more than
doubtful. At the very outset of our researches we despair
of getting much reliable information. That Gorbio is a
very old settlement is an indisputable fact. Yet we cannot
but doubt the assertion that St. Barnabas, the great apos-
tolic missionary, converted the primitive inhabitants of this
neighbourhood to Christianity until we find it confirmed
by a written document or by circumstantial evidence in the
lives of the earliest saints. However that may be it is one
of the few old places mentioned in the earliest records of
Liguria. The name Gorbio itself, differently spelt, points to
old age. It appears to be a corruption from the Latin
220 MENTONE
vulpes, volpes, easily changed into Volpio, Folpio, Golpo,
Gobbio, Gorbio. We shall point out these variations in the
historical data that follow, for such changes are not con-
fined to Gorbio. Not even suspecting copyists' faults made
at all times and everywhere, this is not surprising in Liguria,
where numerous invaders took up their abode, leaving all
sorts of etymological recollections behind them, and not
even strange to etymology in general, when we consider that
wolf and whelp come from the same root. 1 Luigi Delatre
connects gorbia, i.e. a ferrel, a point, a wedge, with the
German kerbe. 2 Now it is true that Gorbio stands on a
wedge driven down by Aggel between two small torrents.
This is, perhaps, far fetched, but not impossible. I leave
the whole responsibility with the authors.
As most of the documents of all this neighbourhood have
been lost or destroyed, we only read about Gorbio in the
tenth century. 3 There is a good deal of collateral evi-
dence. At that time the name appears in a convention
which the inhabitants of Tenda, Saorgio, and Briga drew
up with Ardoino, Marquis di Ivrea, in order to settle the
boundaries of the county of Ventimiglia, then situated
within the extensive marquisate of Suza. Among the only
three castles quoted as being within the county is Gorbio,
then held in fief from the episcopacy. This was in 1002.
The most reverend father stood then, book in hand,
administering the oath of fealty to Othon, Count of Venti-
miglia, and son of William. This document is one of the
oldest of a very rare and valuable collection.
What Gorbio may have done or undergone for the next
two centuries is impossible to say ; records are missing ;
those still left are defective and scanty. It must, however,
have remained in the possession of the Ventimiglian counts,
since they sold half of the castle and territory to the Genoese
in 1200, who were bent on a crusade against most of the
Ligurian townships. 4
1 Diez, Etymologisches W&rterbuch und Grammatik der romanischen
Sprachen : art. ' Permutation. '
2 Vocabile Germanici e loro derivati nella lingua Italiana, p. 75.
3 Rossi, Storia, etc., p. 38.
4 Liber jurium reipublicce Oenuensis, pp. 433, 434.
GORBIO 221
Not much later, on January 19, 1257, Gorbio became the
property of the handsome Beatrix, Countess of Provence,
to whom Guillaume n. gave it in exchange, on his own
behalf and on that of his sons and brothers, for some other
domains within the valley of Lantosca, a sign that the
Counts of Ventimiglia were fast losing their influence and
standing along this part of the coast. 1
In 1296 Count Charles promised to the Genoese to refuse
admittance to their exiles, the Ghibellines, into a certain
number of their castles, Gorbio included. 2 And on Febru-
ary 9, 1331, Gorbio appears again in a treaty concluded for
three years, and signed by Charles Grimaldi in the name
of Robert, Count of Anjou, in virtue of which no Guelphs
were to be allowed to reside within the territory of their
Ghibelline neighbours. 3
In these sad times of local feuds and fierce party struggles
between papal and imperial partisans, families and villages
became estranged, and Gorbio got its full share of sore trials,
the two leading families frequently formed two hostile
camps, and quite as frequently changed their colours, and
so party spirit disappeared more slowly than in larger com-
munities.
About this time it must have been incorporated with the
bishopric of Nice, since one, Emanuel Grimaldi, had to
submit to the prelate in 1352, in order to be released from
the interdict which had been laid on the inhabitants of
Gorbio and other places. 4 The relations between sovereigns
and their vassals seemed to have become rather loose and
ill-defined, and very different from what is implied in
our days, for the Grimaldis are frequently mentioned as
governors of Ventimiglia, and as such must have been lords
of Gorbio, and in a convention in 1388 they paid homage
to the Duke of Savoy for being situated within the eastern
half of the Provence that had passed away from the house
of Anjou. 5 In another document, September 30, 1435,
decreeing the transfer of Old Castellare to its present site,
1 Gioffredo, Historice, p. 591. 2 Anncdi di Geneva.
3 Gioffredo, pp. 669, 803, 914, 1055. 4 Alberti, pp. 353, 354, 491, 497.
5 Gioffredo, Historice, p. 669.
222 MENTONE
Gorbio is accidentally alluded to as belonging to the Lascaris
Counts of Ventimiglia. In 1463 there was a John Lascaris,
Count of Gorbio, and in 1476 Duke Philip n. enjoined the
Gorbians not to import or export any goods from or to Nice. 1
Another John Lascaris, after having consolidated and greatly
improved his various domains, which for nearly fifty years
had been in a sad plight, went to Chambery on August 19,
1517, and renewed the oath of fealty to the duke, obtaining
new and more favourable terms, and an annual grant of one
hundred florins to be paid out of the salt tax levied at Nice. 2
Only two years later Luichino Lascaris sold all his claims
and privileges to Duke Charles in.
On the invasion of Liguria and Provence by the Turks,
Gorbio was plundered, and these barbarians struck terror
into the homes of these poor mountaineers by carrying off
six hundred men and women, the former to be sold as slaves
and the latter to grace the harems of their chiefs. This
happened on August 9, 1543. At Nice they captured and
embarked about two thousand. But the son of the king of
Naples overtook the vessel and brought back most of them.
These numbers suggest that Gorbio must have been con-
siderably larger than it is now. About the same time one
of the lords of Gorbio, commonly called the Bastard of Gorbio,
turned traitor against Eza and its garrison ; but two brave
priests dogged him and brought him to justice, which at
the period was prompt and inexpensive. Honore Isnardo,
lord of Gorbio about 1650, and consul of Nice, was a far
better man, endeavouring to do good during his short
administration, and really anxious for the welfare of Gorbio
as well as the restoration of Laghetto.
Though it must have shared the varied fortunes of the
neighbouring villages, and suffered more or less from the
presence of Spanish, Austrian, and French soldiers, we
cannot find any direct traces of how it fared for the last
two hundred years. We know that the Spanish, having
entrenched themselves on the south-western heights after
their hasty retreat from Ventimiglia, were attacked in the
end of September 1746, and after a most obstinate resist-
1 Alberti, p. 353. 2 Durante, Le Comte de Nice.
GORBIO 223
ance, yielding only step by step, were dislodged, and that
afterwards the contending parties frequently strengthened
this position ; l we also know that the French, on their
eastward movement in 1793, occupied this district, and in
their enthusiasm and frenetic cry for liberty, equality, and
fraternity, which meant licence, usurpation, and fratricide,
were generally led to extreme violence and abuse. It is,
however, rarely mentioned. So much the better for the
inhabitants if they were seldom molested. What cared they
for the outer world, for Spanish pretensions, Austrian claims,
French influence as long as they could quietly till their soil
and rove undisturbed over their shaggy mountains, and
kill a few beasts, the real or only imaginary enemies of
their crops and flocks ? Invaders never brought them any
good, but left ruin and misery behind. All these vexations
and losses could not eradicate their good qualities and
make them morose and suspicious for ever. What we
have seen already, and the merry strains of the band, the
hearty acclamations, and the repeated shouts of the laughter
that reached us from below the elm-tree are the best proof
of my assertion.
On our arrival at this public ballroom we found all the
young and many elderly villagers busily engaged in doing
honour to Terpsichore, and two different dances were gone
through to the same tune. Some men and women who
had evidently spent a few winters in Mentone or Nice, or
still further off, representing, according to their notions, a
superior degree of refinement, looked with an ill-disguised
condescension on those lassies who had never left their home,
wearing their short frocks and their home-knit stockings,
performing their evolutions and country dances in true
original mountain fashion, modified here and there, but more
natural and more graceful than any affected importation.
Here we met the priest, a venerable old man of a type that
is, unfortunately, dying out fast, because religious conflict
and unconditional surrender to rigid ultramontane views
at the expense of every spark of independence and patriotic
feeling and opinion gain ground even in the remotest corners
1 Durante, Le Comti de Nice.
224 MENTONE
of the mountains. This man, however, had passed his life
among his flock, had lived many happy years with them,
and was very kindly disposed towards all comers. After
having congratulated him on the perfect success of this
year's festival, and the astonishing and even unparalleled
liberality of his parishioners on such an occasion, he asked
me what I meant by ' this unwonted liberality.'
' Well,' I said, ' I mean to say that the days on which you
receive an apple studded with gold are few and far between,
are they not ? '
' Most certainly they are,' he replied, ' in fact they have
never come, and I fear they never will.'
' That 's impossible,' I objected, ' for I saw the apple, and
I saw you take it and pocket it. Isn't that so ? '
' Quite so, I took the apple and I pocketed it. That 's
a fact. But it is all sham nevertheless.'
' Sham ? Impossible ! Stern reality can never be sham ! '
* Well, sir, this sham reality, as you call it, is real sham
after all.'
' Pray explain, how so ? '
' Just listen. You will soon be undeceived. There is a
good deal of vanity in this wide world of ours you know
there is, and you know it better than I do, as I have never
gone beyond the Var nor the Roya. My movements are
therefore confined as well as my knowledge of the world at
large. And this vanity has crept up here and given a touch
of reality to this sham. On the annual festival, the parish
has to offer twenty sous and eight live cocks to the cure.
The cocks were real. There is no doubt about that. They
could not offer me sham cocks, could they ? This showy
offering is a feudal relic, a kind of tithe. No one knows its
origin, nothing about its institution, cause, or reason. And
yet it must rest on a deed or event of local importance. It
has been done for hundreds of years in its primitive way,
so it is reported, but how and when and why it turned into a
show deprived of its real religious character, no one can tell.
Sham and show seem to have crept in gradually. They all
say it has been done since time immemorial. But these
dear old people up here repeat the story so often, and un-
GORBIO 225
willingly, perhaps, improve on it, that it becomes a mere
legend. It is intimately connected now with innocent
merry-making. They therefore select the prettiest apple
out of many a competition, that gives sometimes
rise to angry discussions, and spike it with twenty bran-
new gold pieces, which some one gets from the national
bank in Nice, and present me this gift with the cocks in the
imposing public ceremony you have witnessed, on the clear
understanding that I am to return these glittering napoleons,
to be exchanged for twenty shining sous quite as new. And
here they are, sir,' taking the coppers out of his pocket
and tossing them in his hand.
I could not help feeling disappointed and even sorry for
the prosaic solution of such a strange custom, having ex-
pected a more poetical and generous or even more mystical
explanation.
The day following this village festival presents a still
livelier scene. The amusement is altogether worldly. Half
a dozen cocks are suspended from the branches of the elm-
tree, beneath which the weal and woe of the community are
discussed on ordinary days ; family affairs settled with
disinterested friends and without lawyers, and social gather-
ings and games and dances enjoyed. Young men blind-
folded, and each provided with a stick, along with three
umpires, enter the arena. The word for action being given,
the tournament begins forthwith. They strike at the cocks
dangling over their heads, but striking too heavily and too
eagerly, they often miss their aim and bring their massive
weapon down on a competitor's head. Yon brawny fellow,
a frame as solid as the rocks, too anxious to bag the first
bird, overhits his mark, loses his balance, and rolls on the
ground. Shouts of laughter make the hills ring, immediately
followed by louder and more prolonged shouts in favour of
the hero of this athletic sport, who has succeeded in killing
and felling a cock, the remaining birds being handed over to
a culinary artist to prepare them fos a more peaceful contest
in the evening.
After having been duly declared the champion of the year
and received the unanimous felicitations of the excited
226 MENTONE
audience, the band brought to an end the clapping of
hands by striking up a lively polka. Baptistin Neri, the
hero, and consequently the acknowledged leader, selected
his partner, having by his very victory the first choice, and
in quite an unassuming and graceful way led a really
handsome girl to the levelled spot set apart for the wor-
shippers of Terpsichore, who may have more polished and
more accomplished devotees, but surely none that brought
such an amount of good-will and physical power into
action. How long they may have kept up their merry-
makings I cannot tell, for we had soon to leave. To our
great regret we could neither follow the slope where the holly
grows, nor a path leading over a crest, near a cross an
ancient battlefield to Roccabruna. It was too late for
us, and we had to return by the shortest way. The curfew of
St. Joseph, as a time-honoured but obligatory custom, told
us in silvery notes that it was eight o'clock, and bid us
Godspeed on reaching Mentone territory, reminding us of
Dante's
' E che lo novo peregin d'amore
Punge, se ode squilla di lontano,
Che paja il giorno pianger che si more.
Quand' io incominciai a render vano
L'udire, ed a mirare una dell' alme
Surta, che 1'ascoltar chiedea con mano.' 1
1 Del Purgatorio, canto ottavo, ligna 4.
CHAPTER XIII
ROCCABRUNA, OR ROQT7EBRUNE
FSte, St. Marguerite, . . . 20th July.
Height, 800 feet.
Distance, through the Olive Grove, 3 miles.
,, along the Cornice Road, . 4 ,,
Time, 1 hr. or 1 hr. 15 m.
OUR way leads through an extensive olive grove. For-
tunately very few people find the olives monotonous, dull,
or melancholy. Many get so fascinated by their quiet
charm, their venerable age, their rugged boles, their
interlacing boughs, their silvery leaves, that they pay
them almost daily visits and quit them finally with regret.
The graceful freshness of the latest sprouts of those old trees
commands our attention, and we cannot help admiring
and paying reverence to the centenarians of the tribe.
They are real patriarchs. Moreover they are acquaintances
of our early childhood, household words in fact, from Noah's
dove that brought an olive leaf, down to the mount of Olives,
where Christ was wont to retire and to pray.
The path we follow is also pleasant in a sanitary point
of view, for there is no dust, a great consideration on a
windy day ; and however powerful the sun may be, those
small-leaved giants, more particularly those on our left,
with all their younger tribe, play so many tricks with
the sunbeams and keep so many back for home use,
that we do not feel the heat at all too great. Just as we
turn we notice on our right a square of young olive-trees that
look mere babies among their great, grand ancestors. Once
there stood a kind of fort, and judging from the age of the
plants it was rased not two hundred years ago. The two
wells are filling up. There is no mention of it anywhere,
tradition only tells of it.
A short rest at the ' Chapelle de la Pause ' is not out of
227
228 MENTONE
place. If I am not mistaken, this little sanctuary is dedi-
cated to ' Notre Dame de la Neige ' ; but what this warm-
hearted saint has to do with snow in these sunny regions
appears to me a riddle. It is true her broad-shouldered
and broad-backed neighbour, Mount Aggel, sometimes
wears his winter garment, if not for weeks at least for days.
Even in the olden times, when the surrounding chains
of mountains were covered with oaks and pines and firs,
when snow was less unusual than nowadays, Notre Dame de
la Neige l cannot have needed many prayers against frost,
snow, and ice.
Here, too, is the culminating point of a procession formed
within the parish church of Roccabruna, and which exhibits
one of the strangest religious ceremonies still kept up. The
prayers offered up before starting may be very edifying for
aught I know, but no one listens, and the scene outside is
noisy, ridiculous, profane. There is no piety, no devotion,
and even common reverence is wanting.
They act the passion week ! And in what a way ? In the
strange costumes of mummers ! There is Christ wearing
his crown of thorns, bearing His chain and cross ; the cup
with water and vinegar ; Herod on a mule ; Pilate washing
his hands ; Judas with the money-bag ; the ladder to the
cross ; the soldiers dividing Christ's garments, and many
more incidents acted with evident earnestness by the prin-
cipal actors immediately concerned. It is shocking to see
so solemn a subject treated as a public amusement. The
following enumeration of the whole procession will convey
an idea of the serio-comical ceremony :
1. Little girls in white carrying a red flag with the letter M.
2. Taller girls with a banner, keys, rosaries, and crowns.
3. A banner with keys, a girl with the cup.
4. Christ bound and chained in his scarlet robe.
5. Two sword-bearers with red caps.
6. Twenty lancers.
7. Two sword-bearers.
8. A man carrying a large book.
1 This chapel, under the name of ' Capella Nostri Domini de Pausa posita
in territorio Rochebrune flor. v., according to Prince Catalan's will, Jan. 4,
1457.
ROCCABRUNA 229
9. Two sword-bearers.
10. Another man with a book.
11. Herod on a mule.
12. A black flag.
13. Four lance-bearers.
14. Judas and his money bag.
15. Ten more lancers.
16. A man walking beneath a canopy bearing a crown.
1 7. Two lance-bearers.
18. Pontius Pilate.
19. Four lance-bearers.
20. Two men with whips and scourges.
21. Christ with his crown of thorns.
22. Four lancers.
23. Men with hooks and a ladder.
24. Several lancers and a man with a dagger.
25. Christ with his cross.
26. Veronica carrying a little crown of thorns.
27. Five lancers.
28. A man with a sponge.
29. Four women in black.
30. A huge crucifix.
31. Two more women in black.
32. Two children.
33. A money box.
34. Coat of Christ ; men with boxing-gloves.
35. Two girls with tapers.
36. Sisters of charity.
37. Women and girls chanting.
38. Two girls with tapers.
39. A very large crucifix.
40. White friars.
41. Banner with the Holy Virgin on one side and St. Jacques
on the other.
42. More white friars.
43. Two staff-bearers chanting.
44. Two very pretty girls very elegantly dressed.
45. Four men carrying the statue of the Holy Virgin.
46. Two more girls.
47. Six priests.
48. The municipality.
A large and motley crowd follows along the road, others
skip from terrace to terrace, right and left, many forget that
religion is a sacred thing, in whatever form and garb it may
appear, and act and speak profanely ; a few loudly express
their disapproval of the whole proceedings. There is more
230 MENTONE
merry-making than piety, more frivolity than faith, too
much licence in the evening amusement, lasting far beyond
the mysteries of midnight.
From this chapel the road becomes easier and wider, and
soon opens on a beautiful view of Roccabruna, Mount Aggel,
Turbia, Monaco, and all the dimmer outlines far beyond.
An immense olive-tree, on our right, yields in size to none,
and though it has been neglected, ill-treated, nay, deprived
of many limbs, it still occupies with all its feelers and feeders
quite a small domain and prospers notwithstanding. It has
been sketched and painted by several artists, but I have
never seen a photo of this venerable tree.
On arriving near the gateway, we notice a sharp turn on
our right. This steep ascent leads up to the cemetery, and
after having passed that sacred resting-place, bifurcates,
the lower leading to the Holly Grove and Gorbio, and the
other winding steep up on the left to an old aqueduct, and
to Gorbio as weU. But our object being the village and
its castle, we pass through the gate, cross the square to-
wards the fountain ; but one donkey, seeing a door open,
walked straight into a weaver's shop, where there was hardly
room to turn. The proprietor, a good-natured fellow,
smiled and said that he had never seen a more handsome
visitor than the lady, and he was quite grateful to the ass
that led her into his workshop. Out and on we went to
the fountain, and on the corner of a house just opposite
we notice the following crude inscription :
1684
12 Di
Marso
L B
which needs hardly be interpreted.
Then we look about the village, which is very much like
its neighbours in this part of the Ligurian coast. It is
perched on a steep flank that gives it an airy look, or rather
the appearance of a huge eyrie ! It looks clean and tidy,
much more so than many other places more plentifully
supplied with water than Roccabruna. The water comes
down from a spring supplied by the northern slope of Aggel.
A STREET IN ROCCABRUNA
Page 230.
THE FOUNTAIN, ROCCABRUNA
Page 230.
ROCCABRUNA 231
There are, half the distance at least, two aqueducts ; the
older one, of Roman construction, supplies the village,
the new one the fields. The streets are rather narrow but
well paved. Some of the houses are actually hewn in the
rock or conglomerate, which forms a far more solid wall than
builders run up in many places. If mother earth takes it into
her head to indulge some day in a good shake, 1 the Rocca-
bruners will be badly off, for then, neighbour will tumble on
neighbour, and friend on friend, since they have built house
upon house, so linked together that the back of the lower
dwelling is the foundation of the front wall of the higher one,
and the roof a balcony, terrace-shaped in fact. On these
balconies and terraces they dry their figs and linen, and
winnow their corn ; there they spend their few leisure hours
and talk or quarrel over their family affairs ; and there they
listen at the chimneys to the secrets interchanged in the rooms
below. Whatever their station in life may be, the occupants
of the upper stories look down on their brethren below.
We move on and pay our visit to the castle. The view
from this old stronghold is twofold ; one over nature's
beautiful display ; the other a short review of a thousand
years as they left their imprints here and there in their
long, heavy strides. The former a lovely panorama ; the
eye is charmed ; the mind is captivated, and we receive
an instantaneous impression stamped on our memory for
ever. This view we indulge in first. Let us just hear
what different people feel and think and say about it.
' A beautiful panorama ! ' said a little girl. ' Quite a little
gem ! ' exclaimed a young lady well up in the value of
precious stones. ' A glorious view,' rejoined quite placidly
an old experienced stager. ' A splendid landscape,' mur-
mured an artist, who at once began to cover a sketch-book
with hierographical dots and lines, crosses, angles, and
squares, which to us meant nothing, but to him the outlines
of an engraving for a London paper. ' Nature's pet dropped
on this spur between an Alpine chain and such a lovely sea ! '
rather smiled than whispered Miss Rosa, fond of comparing
scenes with those she read in Jules Verne and authors of
1 The earthquake of February 1887 did little damage in Roccabruna. ED.
232 MENTONE
that school. ' A real stronghold in bygone times, but which
a shot or two from any of our ironclads would shatter and
scatter,' maintained a handsome young fellow, who had just
been gazetted a lieutenant in the navy. Such and many
others were the exclamations of the small party that stood
this day on the top of the old ruins. They did not say more
than what hundreds have said before nor appreciate nature
a whit more than she deserves. Look at the tottering
dwellings below, piled one upon another, and full of
happy human creatures using their neighbours' roofs as a
balcony, and seeming not to have the slightest idea or
fear that one piece of these shaky walls thrown down
would almost be sufficient to make the whole pile roll
headlong into the sea, where parts of it were buried some
hundred years ago !
The only building hi the old place that apparently stands
on a firm footing is the church with its spire pointing hope-
fully to heaven. The whole collection of houses follow their
leader's good example, and never dream of danger. Yet
once upon a time there must have been great peril. All
these uncouth masses lying close to the foot of the castle
and around it, beyond the road, and in and down the
gorge, as far in as the sea, big boulders towards the north
among the terraces and bulkier ones a little lower down, on
which some cottages stand ; they all are proofs of a former
serious landslip, which no argument can reason away.
The central movement that carried down the castle was
evidently moderate and slow ; but the masses right and
left were seemingly loosened fast and sudden, and tossed
and lodged hi places we have pointed out. There is, of
course, a great deal of exaggeration in the popular tradition
that the entire village glided rapidly down from its primitive
site higher up, and that the inhabitants, being sound sleepers,
awoke unhurt in their new quarter. But there is truth in
the legend. A landslip did take place, but whether gradual
or partial, how and when, no one can tell, and we leave it
to the decision of others until historical proofs will substanti-
ally support our views and deductions.
Geology undoubtedly favours our view ; all the frag-
ROCCABRUNA 233
ments large and small come from the quarter up yonder
ridge. No one would dream of building a castle on such a
narrow foundation, ' split and rent ' as it now is. But
geology is a stumbling-stone to many, and only a safe guide
to the few select and learned. Those who take even but a
small interest in the matter can easily convince themselves
that my theory is not exactly a hobby or a child of stubborn
fancy. If they will kindly walk up with me to the corner just
indicated as the original place of Roccabruna castle, first a
very primitive construction, but used and improved by the
Romans as a watch tower, and if they will examine both the
situation, the shape of the slip, the material that was carried
down and separated from this slope, which separation may
have been caused by an unusually dry summer and unusually
heavy autumn rains, or by internal convulsions, detaching,
as I hinted above, the sides first, and causing the castle to
move very slowly and very gradually down till it was finally
brought to a standstill by huge boulders already deeply
embedded in the soil and forming a solid resistance to any
further movement, if they will examine and consider
these points they will, I think, come to the conclusion that
my theory is sound.
Those who wish to return by the Holly Grove into the
Gorbio valley must climb up the giddy little path, cross the
aqueducts, and walk down into a track quite distinctly seen
from the ridge. Those who return by Gorbio, a delight-
ful walk in the evening when the afternoon sun sends his
beams on all the villages and slopes, producing an endless
variety of hues, must walk higher up, leave the aqueducts,
follow a zigzag path, pass on to a boundary stone marked
M and S Monaco and Savoy the former boundary between
Italy and the principality, and still the limit of the adjoin-
ing parishes, and so easily reach the top. This is without
exaggeration the most sheltered, convenient, and lovely spot
for picnics, and the water is near ; the air is calm ; sh
