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If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: A Book of The Riviera - -Author: S. Baring-Gould - -Release Date: April 25, 2016 [EBook #51860] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A BOOK OF THE RIVIERA *** - - - - -Produced by Giovanni Fini, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: - -—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected. - - - - - A BOOK OF - THE RIVIERA - - - - -BY THE SAME AUTHOR - - - A BOOK OF CORNWALL - A BOOK OF DARTMOOR - A BOOK OF DEVON - A BOOK OF NORTH WALES - A BOOK OF SOUTH WALES - A BOOK OF THE RHINE - A BOOK OF THE PYRENEES - - THE LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE - THE TRAGEDY OF THE CÆSARS - A BOOK OF FAIRY TALES - THE VICAR OF MORWENSTOW - OLD COUNTRY LIFE - A GARLAND OF COUNTRY SONG - SONGS OF THE WEST - A BOOK OF NURSERY SONGS AND RHYMES - STRANGE SURVIVALS - YORKSHIRE ODDITIES - DEVON - BRITTANY - A BARING-GOULD SELECTION READER - A BARING-GOULD CONTINUOUS READER - -[Illustration: CAP ROUX, ESTÉREL] - - - - - A BOOK OF - THE RIVIERA - - BY S. BARING-GOULD - - - “ON OLD HYEMS’ CHIN, AND ICY CROWN, - AN ODOROUS CHAPLET OF SWEET SUMMER BUDS - IS SET.” - - _Midsummer Night’s Dream_, ii. 2. - - - WITH FORTY ILLUSTRATIONS - - - SECOND EDITION - - - METHUEN & CO. - 36 ESSEX STREET W.C. - LONDON - - - - - _First Published_ _November 1905_ - _Second Edition_ _December 1909_ - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. PROVENCE 1 - - II. LE GAI SABER 24 - - III. MARSEILLES 39 - - IV. AIX 55 - - V. TOULON 72 - - VI. HYÈRES 84 - - VII. LES MONTAGNES DES MAURES 97 - - VIII. S. RAPHAEL AND FRÉJUS 113 - - IX. DRAGUIGNAN 130 - - X. L’ESTÉREL 147 - - XI. GRASSE 157 - - XII. CANNES 180 - - XIII. NICE 205 - - XIV. MONACO 227 - - XV. MENTONE 255 - - XVI. BORDIGHERA 264 - - XVII. SAN REMO 276 - - XVIII. ALASSIO 288 - - XIX. SAVONA 296 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - CAP ROUX, L’ESTÉREL _Frontispiece_ - From a photograph by G. Richard. - - GOD’S CANDELABRA _To face page_ 1 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - A PASSAGE IN THE GORGE DU LOUP ” 4 - From a photograph by Neurdein frères. - - PALMS AT CANNES ” 7 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - LA RADE, MARSEILLES ” 39 - From a photograph by Neurdein frères. - - KING RÉNÉ ” 63 - From the triptych of the Burning Bush, at Aix. - - OLIVE TREES ” 85 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - PINES NEAR HYÈRES ” 89 - From a photograph by Neurdein frères. - - A CAROB TREE ” 97 - From a photograph by Neurdein frères. - - GRIMAUD ” 109 - From a photograph by Neurdein frères. - - AN UMBRELLA PINE, S. RAPHAEL ” 113 - From a photograph by Neurdein frères. - - LE LION DE TERRE, S. RAPHAEL ” 115 - From a photograph by A. Bandieri. - - THÉOULE ” 147 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - L’ESTÉREL FROM CANNES ” 153 - From a photograph by G. Richard. - - GRASSE, LES BLANCHISEUSES ” 157 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - CARROS ” 167 - From a photograph by Neurdein frères. - - THE CASCADE OF THE LOUP ” 172 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - FALL IN THE GORGE OF THE LOUP ” 173 - From a photograph by Neurdein frères. - - INTERIOR OF THE CHÂTEAU SAINT HONORAT ” 180 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - THE PRISON OF THE MAN WITH THE IRON MASK ” 190 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - THE CASTLE OF S. HONORAT ” 195 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - LA NAPOULE ” 203 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - THE CASCADE OF THE CHÂTEAU, NICE ” 205 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - VILLEFRANCHE ” 225 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - THE THEATRE, MONTE CARLO ” 237 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - POSTCARDS PROHIBITED AT MONACO ” 244 - - THE GAMING SALOON, MONTE CARLO ” 248 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - THE CONCERT HALL, MONTE CARLO ” 252 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - DOLCE ACQUA ” 273 - From a photograph by Alinari. - - SAN AMPELIO, BORDIGHERA ” 274 - From a photograph by Alinari. - - ARCHES IN STREET, BORDIGHERA ” 276 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - CERIANA ” 279 - From a photograph by G. Brogi. - - BUSSANA ” 280 - From a photograph by J. Giletta. - - ALBENGA ” 293 - From a photograph by Alinari. - - SAVONA ” 301 - From a photograph by Alinari. - - POPE SIXTUS IV ” 304 - From an old engraving. - - - - -PREFACE - - -THIS little book has for its object to interest the many winter -visitors to the Ligurian coast in the places that they see. - -A consecutive history of Provence and Genoese Liguria was out of the -question; it would be long and tedious. I have taken a few of the -most prominent incidents in the history of the coast, and have given -short biographies of interesting personages connected with it. The -English visitor calls the entire coast—from Marseilles to Genoa—the -Riviera; but the French distinguish their portion as the Côte d’Azur, -and the Italians distinguish theirs as the Riviera di Ponente. I have -not included the whole of this latter, so as not to make the book too -bulky, but have stayed my pen at Savona. - -[Illustration: GOD’S CANDELABRA] - - - - -THE RIVIERA - - - - -CHAPTER I - -PROVENCE - - Montpellier and the Riviera compared—The discovery of the Riviera - as a winter resort—A district full of historic interest—Geology of - the coast—The flora—Exotics—The original limit of the sea—The - formation of the _craus_—The Mistral—The olive and cypress—Les - Alpines—The chalk formation—The Jura limestone—Eruptive - rocks—The colouring of Provence—The towns and their narrow - streets—Early history—The Phœnicians—Arrival of the Phocœans—The - Roman province—Roman remains—Destruction of the theatre at - Arles—Visigoths and Burgundians—The Saracens—When Provence was - joined to France—Pagan customs linger on—Floral games—Carnival—The - origin of the Fauxbourdon—How part-singing came into the service of - the church—Reform in church music—Little Gothic architecture in - Provence—Choirs at the west end at Grasse and Vence. - - -WHEN a gambler has become bankrupt at the tables of Monte Carlo, the -Company that owns these tables furnish him with a railway ticket that -will take him home, or to any distance he likes, the further the -better, that he may hang or shoot himself anywhere else save in the -gardens of the Casino. On much the same principle, at the beginning of -last century, the physicians of England recommended their consumptive -patients to go to Montpellier, where they might die out of sight, and -not bring discredit on their doctors. As Murray well puts it:— - - “It is difficult to understand how it came to be chosen by the - physicians of the North as a retreat for consumptive patients, since - nothing can be more trying to weak lungs than its variable climate, - its blazing sunshine alternating with the piercingly cold blasts of - the _mistral_. Though its sky be clear, its atmosphere is filled with - dust, which must be hurtful to the lungs.” - -The discovery of a better place, with equable temperature, and -protection from the winds, was due to an accident. - -In 1831, Lord Brougham, flying from the fogs and cold of England in -winter, was on his way to Italy, the classic land of sunshine, when he -was delayed on the French coast of the Mediterranean by the fussiness -of the Sardinian police, which would not suffer him to pass the -frontier without undergoing quarantine, lest he should be the means -of introducing cholera into Piedmont. As he was obliged to remain for -a considerable time on the coast, he spent it in rambling along the -Gulf of Napoule. This was to him a veritable revelation. He found the -sunshine, the climate, the flowers he was seeking at Naples where -he then was, at Napoule. He went no farther; he bought an estate at -Cannes, and there built for himself a winter residence. He talked about -his discovery. It was written about in the papers. Eventually it was -heard of by the physicians, and they ceased to recommend their patients -to go to Montpellier, but rather to try Cannes. When Lord Brougham -settled there, it was but a fishing village; in thirty years it was -transformed; and from Cannes stretches a veritable rosary of winter -resorts to Hyères on one side to Alassio on the other; as white grains -threaded on the line from Marseilles to Genoa. As this chain of villas, -hotels, casinos, and shops has sprung up so recently, the whole looks -extremely modern, and devoid of historic interest. That it is not so, I -hope to show. This modern fringe is but a fringe on an ancient garment; -but a superficial sprinkling over beds of remote antiquity rich in -story. - -Sometimes it is but a glimpse we get—as at Antibes, where a monument -was dug up dedicated to the manes of a little “boy from the North, aged -twelve years, who danced and pleased” in the theatre. The name of the -poor lad is not given; but what a picture does it present! Possibly, -of a British child-slave sent to caper, with sore heart, before the -Roman nobles and ladies—and who pined and died. But often we have more -than a hint. The altar piece of the Burning Bush at Aix gives up an -authentic portrait of easy-going King Réné, the luckless wearer of many -crowns, and the possessor of not a single kingdom—Réné, the father of -the still more luckless Margaret, wife of our Henry VI. - -Among the Montagnes des Maures, on a height are the cisterns and -foundations of the stronghold of the Saracens, their last stronghold on -this side of the Pyrenees, whence they swept the country, burning and -slaying, till dislodged in 972 by William, Count of Provence. Again, -the house at Draguignan of Queen Joanna, recalls her tragic story; -the wife of four husbands, the murderess of the first, she for whose -delectation Boccaccio collected his merry, immoral tales; she, who -sold Avignon to the Popes, and so brought about their migration from -Rome, the Babylonish captivity of near a hundred years; she—strangled -finally whilst at her prayers. - -The Estérel, now clothed in forest, reminds us of how Charles V. -advancing through Provence to claim it as his own, hampered by peasants -in this group of mountains, set the forests on fire, and for weeks -converted the district into one great sea of flame around the blood-red -rocks. - -Marseilles recalls the horrors of the Revolution, and the roar of that -song, smelling of blood, to which it gave its name. At Toulon, Napoleon -first drew attention to his military abilities; at S. Raphael he landed -on his return from Egypt, on his way to Paris, to the 18th Brumaire, to -the Consulate, to the Empire; and here also he embarked for Elba after -the battle of Leipzig. - -But leaving history, let us look at what Nature affords of interest. -Geologically that coast is a great picture book of successions -of deposits and of convulsions. There are to be found recent -conglomerates, chalk, limestone, porphyry, new red sandstone, mica -schist, granite. The Estérel porphyry is red as if on fire, seen in -the evening sun. The mica schist of the Montagnes des Maures strews -about its dust, so shining, so golden, that in 1792 a representative -of the Department went up to Paris with a handful, to exhibit to the -Convention as a token of the ineptitude of the Administration of Var, -that trampled under foot treasures sufficient to defray the cost of a -war against all the kings of the earth. - -The masses of limestone are cleft with _clus_, gorges through which the -rivers thunder, and _foux_ springs of living water bursting out of the -bowels of the mountains. - -[Illustration: THE GORGE OF THE LOUP] - -Consider what the variety of geologic formation implies: an almost -infinite variety of plants; moreover, owing to the difference of -altitudes, the flora reaches in a chromatic scale from the fringe -of the Alpine snows to the burning sands by the seas. In one little -commune, it is estimated that there are more varieties to be found than -in the whole of Ireland. - -But the visitor to the seaboard—the French Côte d’azur and the Italian -Riviera—returns home after a winter sojourn there with his mind stored -with pictures of palms, lemons, oranges, agaves, aloes, umbrella pines, -eucalyptus, mimosa, carob-trees, and olives. This is the vegetation -that characterises the Riviera, that distinguishes it from vegetation -elsewhere; but, although these trees and shrubs abound, and do form a -dominant feature in the scenery, yet every one of them is a foreign -importation, and the indigenous plants must be sought in mountain -districts, away from towns, and high-roads, and railways. - -These strangers from Africa, Asia, Australia and South America have -occupied the best land and the warmest corners, just as of old the -Greek and Roman colonists shouldered out the native tribes, and forced -them to withdraw amidst the mountains. - -The traveller approaching the Riviera by the line from Lyons, after -passing Valence, enters a valley that narrows, through which rolls the -turbid flood of the Rhone. Presently the sides become steeper, higher, -more rocky, and draw closer; on the right appears Viviers, dominated -by its cathedral and tower, square below, octagonal above, and here -the Rhone becomes more rapid as it enters the _Robinet de Donzère_, -between calcareous rocks full of caves and rifts. Then, all at once, -the line passes out of the rocky portal, and the traveller enters on -another scene altogether, the vast triangular plain limited by the Alps -on one side and the Cevennes on the other, and has the Mediterranean -as its base. To this point at one time extended a mighty gulf, seventy -miles from the present coast-line at the mouth of the Rhone. Against -the friable limestone cliffs, the waves lapped and leaped. But at some -unknown time a cataclysm occurred. The Alps were shaken, as we shake a -tree to bring down its fruit, and the Rhone and the Durance, swollen -to an enormous volume, rolled down masses of débris into this gulf and -choked it. The Durance formed its own little _crau_ along the north -of the chain of the Alpines, and the Rhone the far larger _crau_ of -Arles, the pebbles of which all come from the Alps, in which the river -takes it rise. But, in fact, the present _craus_ represent but a small -portion of the vast mass of rubbish brought down. They are just that -part which in historic times was not overlaid with soil. - -[Illustration: PALMS, CANNES] - -When this period was passed, the rivers relaxed their force, and -repented of the waste they had made, and proceeded to chew into mud -the pebbles they rolled along, and, rambling over the level stretches -of rubble, to deposit upon it a fertilising epidermis. Then, in modern -times, the engineers came and banked in the Rhone, to restrain its -vagaries, so that now it pours its precious mud into the sea, and -yearly projects its ugly muzzle further forwards. When we passed the -rocky portal, we passed also from the climate of the North into that -of the South, but not to that climate without hesitations. For the sun -beating on the level land heats the pebble bed, so that the air above -it quivers as over a lime-kiln, and, rising, is replaced by a rush of -icy winds from the Alps. This downrush is the dreaded Mistral. It was a -saying of old:— - - “Parlement, Mistral, et Durance - Sont les trois fléaux de Provence.” - -The Parliament is gone, but the Mistral still rages, and the Durance -still overflows and devastates. - -The plain, where cultivated, is lined and cross-lined as with Indian -ink. These lines, and cross-lines, are formed of cypress, veritable -walls of defence, thrown up against the wind. When the Mistral rages, -they bow as whips, and the water of the lagoons is licked up and spat -at the walls of the sparsely scattered villages. Here and there rises -the olive, like smoke from a lowly cottage. It shrinks from the bite of -the frost and the lash of the wind, and attains its proper height and -vigour only as we near the sea; and is in the utmost luxuriance between -Solliès Pont and Le Luc, growing on the rich new red sandstone, that -skirts the Montagnes des Maures. - -Presently we come on the lemon, the orange, glowing golden, oleanders -in every gully, aloes (“God’s candelabra”), figs, mulberries, pines -with outspread heads, like extended umbrellas, as the cypress -represents one folded; cork trees, palms with tufted heads; all seen -through an atmosphere of marvellous clearness, over-arched by a sky as -blue as that of Italy, and with—as horizon—the deeper, the indigo -blue, of the sea. - -On leaving Arles, the train takes the bit between its teeth and races -over the _crau_, straight as an arrow, between lines of cypresses. It -is just possible to catch glimpses to the north, between the cypresses, -of a chain of hills of opalescent hue. That chain, Les Alpines, gives -its direction to the Durance. This river lent its aid to Brother Rhone -to form this rubble plain, the _Campus lapideus_ of the Romans, the -modern _crau_. This was a desert over which the mirage alternated with -the Mistral, till Adam de Craponne, in the sixteenth century, brought a -canal from the Durance to water the stony land, and since then, little -by little, the desert is being reclaimed. This vast stony plain was a -puzzle to the ancients, and Æschylus, who flourished B.C. 472, tells -us that Heracles, arriving at this plain to fight the Ligurians, and -being without weapons, Heaven came to his aid and poured down great -stones out of the sky against his foes. This is much like the account -in Joshua of the battle against the Kings in the plain of Esdraelon. - -At length, at Miramas, we escape from between the espalier cypresses -and see that the distant chain has drawn nearer, that it has lost its -mother-of-pearl tints, and has assumed a ghastly whiteness. Then we -dash among these cretaceous rocks, desolate, forbidding and dead. They -will attend us from Marseilles to Toulon. - -The cretaceous sea bed, that once occupied so vast an area, has -been lifted into downs and mountains, and stretched from Dorset and -Wiltshire to Dover. We catch a glimpse of it at Amiens. A nodule -that has defied erosion sustains the town and cathedral of Laon. -It underlies the Champagne country. It asserts itself sullenly and -resolutely in Provence, where it overlies the Jura limestone, and is -almost indistinguishable from it at the junction, for it has the same -inclination, the same fossils, and the same mineralogical constituents. - -In England we are accustomed to the soft skin of thymy turf that covers -the chalk on our downs. Of this there is none in Provence. The fierce -sun forbids it. Consequently the rock is naked and cadaverously white, -but scantily sprinkled over with stunted pines. - -The Jura limestone is the great _pièce de resistance_ in Provence: -it is sweeter in colour than the chalk, ranging from cream white to -buff and salmon; it has not the dead pallor of the chalk. Any one who -has gone down the Cañon of the Tarn knows what exquisite gradations -and harmonies of tone are to be found in Jura limestone. Here this -formation stands up as a wall to the North, a mighty screen, sheltering -the Riviera from the boreal winds. It rises precipitously to a plateau -that is bald and desolate, but which is rent by ravines of great -majesty and beauty, through which rush the waters from the snowy Alps. -The chalk and the limestone are fissured, and allow the water flowing -over their surface to filter down and issue forth in the valleys, -rendering these fertile and green, whereas the plateaux are bare. The -plateaux rise to the height of 3,000 or 4,500 feet. - -The tract between the mountain wall of limestone and the sea is made -up of a molass of rolled fragments of the rock in a paste of mud. This -forms hills of considerable height, and this also is sawn through here -and there by rills, or washed out by rivers. - -Altogether different in character is the mass of the Montagnes des -Maures, which is an uplifted body of granite and schist. - -Altogether different again is the Estérel, a protruded region of red -porphyry. - -About these protruded masses may be seen the new red sandstone. - -When we have mastered this—and it is simple enough to remember—we -know the character of the geology from the mouths of the Rhone to -Albenga. - - “The colouring of Provence,” says Mr. Hammerton, “is pretty in spring, - when the fields are still green and the mulberry trees are in leaf, - and the dark cypress and grey olive are only graver notes in the - brightness, while the desolation of the stony hills is prevented from - becoming oppressive by the freshness of the foreground; but when the - hot sun and the dry wind have scorched every remnant of verdure, when - any grass that remains is merely ungathered hay, and you have nothing - but flying dust and blinding light, then the great truth is borne in - upon you that it is Rain which is the true colour magician, though he - may veil himself in a vesture of grey cloud.” - -In winter and early spring it is that the coast is enjoyable. In -winter there is the evergreen of the palms, the olive, the ilex, the -cork tree, the carob, the orange and lemon and myrtle. Indeed, in the -Montagnes des Maures and in the Estérel, it is always spring. - -The resident in winter can hardly understand the structure of the -towns, with streets at widest nine feet, and the houses running up -to five and six storeys; but this is due to necessity. The object is -double: by making the streets so narrow, the sun is excluded, and the -sun in Provence is not sought as with us in England; and secondly, -these narrow thoroughfares induce a draught down them. In almost -every town the contrast between the new and the old is most marked, -for the occupants of the new town reside there for the winter only, -and therefore court the sun; whereas the inhabitants of the old town -dwell in it all the year round, and consequently endeavour to obtain -all protection possible from the sun. But this shyness of basking in -the sun was not the sole reason why the streets were made so narrow. -The old towns and even villages were crowded within walls; a girdle of -bulwark surrounded them, they had no space for expansion except upwards. - -What Mr. Hammerton says of French towns applies especially to those of -Provence:— - - “France has an immense advantage over England in the better harmony - between her cities and towns, and the country where they are placed. - In England it rarely happens that a town adds to the beauty of a - landscape; in France it often does so. In England there are many towns - that are quite absolutely and hideously destructive of landscape - beauty; in France there are very few. The consequence is that in - France a lover of landscape does not feel that dislike to human - interference which he so easily acquires in England, and which in some - of our best writers, who feel most intensely and acutely, has become - positive hatred and exasperation.” - -It was fear of the Moors and the pirates of the Mediterranean which -drove the inhabitants of the sea-coast to build their towns on the -rocks, high uplifted, walled about and dominated by towers. - -I will now give a hasty sketch of the early history of Provence—so far -as goes to explain the nature of its population. - -The earliest occupants of the seaboard named in history are the -Ligurians. The Gulf of Lyons takes its name from them, in a contracted -form. Who these Ligurians were, to what stock they belonged, is not -known; but as there are megalithic monuments in the country, covered -avenues at Castelet, near Arles, dolmens at Draguignan and Saint -Vallier, a menhir at Cabasse, we may perhaps conclude with some -probability that they were a branch of that great Ivernian race which -has covered all Western Europe with these mysterious remains. At an -early period, the Phœnicians established trading depôts at Marseilles, -Nice, and elsewhere along the coast. Monaco was dedicated to their god, -Melkarth, whose equivalent was the Greek Heracles, the Roman Hercules. -The story of Heracles fighting the gigantic Ligurians on the _crau_, -assisted by Zeus pouring down a hail of pebbles from heaven, is merely -a fabulous rendering of the historic fact that the Phœnician settlers -had to fight the Ligurians, represented as giants, not because they -were of monstrous size, but because of their huge stone monuments. - -The Phœnicians drew a belt of colonies and trading stations along the -Mediterranean, and were masters of the commerce. The tin of Britain, -the amber of the Baltic, passed through their hands, and their great -emporium was Marseilles. It was they who constructed the Heraclean -Road, afterwards restored and regulated by the Romans, that connected -all their settlements from the Italian frontier to the Straits of -Gibraltar. They have left traces of their sojourn in place names; in -their time, Saint Gilles, then Heraclea, was a port at the mouth of the -Rhone; now it is thirty miles inland. Herculea Caccabaria, now Saint -Tropez, recalls Kaccabe, the earliest name of Carthage. One of the -islets outside the harbour of Marseilles bore the name of Phœnice. - -This energetic people conveyed the ivory of Africa to Europe, worked -the lead mines of the Eastern Pyrenees, and sent the coral and purple -of the Mediterranean and the bronze of the Po basin over Northern -Europe. The prosperity of Tyre depended on its trade. - - “Inventors of alphabetical writing, of calculation, and of astronomy, - essential to them in their distant navigations, skilful architects, - gold-workers, jewellers, engravers, weavers, dyers, miners, founders, - glass-workers, coiners, past-masters of all industries, wonderful - sailors, intrepid tradesmen, the Phœnicians, by their incomparable - activity, held the old world in their grip; and from the Persian Gulf - to the Isles of Britain, either by their caravans or by their ships, - were everywhere present as buyers or sellers.”[1] - -Archæological discoveries come to substantiate the conclusions -arrived at from scanty allusions by the ancients. The Carthaginians -had succeeded to the trade of Tyre; but Carthage was a daughter of -Tyre. At Marseilles have been found forty-seven little stone chapels -or shrines of Melkarth, seated under an arch, either with his hands -raised, sustaining the arch, or with them resting on his knees; and -these are identical in character with others found at Tyre, Sidon, and -Carthage. Nor is this all. An inscription has been unearthed, also at -Marseilles, containing a veritable Levitical code for the worship of -Baal, regulating the emoluments of his priests. - -In the year B.C. 542 a fleet of Phocœans came from Asia Minor, flying -from the Medes; and the citizens of Phocœa, abandoning their ancient -homes, settled along the coast of the Riviera. Arles, Marseilles, -Nice—all the towns became Greek. It was they who introduced into the -land of their adoption the vine and the olive. They acquired the trade -of the Mediterranean after the fall of Carthage, B.C. 146. - -The Greeks of the coast kept on good terms with Rome. They it was who -warned Rome of the approach of Hannibal; and when the Ambrons and -Teutons poured down a mighty host with purpose to devastate Italy, the -Phocœan city of Marseilles furnished Marius with a contingent, and -provisioned his camp at the junction of the Durance with the Rhone. - -The Romans were desirous of maintaining good relations with the Greek -colonies, and when the native Ligurians menaced Nice and Antibes, they -sent an army to their aid, and having defeated the barbarians, gave up -the conquered territory to the Greeks. - -In B.C. 125, Lucius Sextius Calvinus attacked the native tribes in -their fastness, defeated them, and founded the town of Aquæ Sextiæ, -about the hot springs that rise there—now Aix. The Ligurians were -driven to the mountains and not suffered to approach the sea coast, -which was handed over entirely to the Greeks of Marseilles. - -So highly stood the credit of Marseilles, that when, after the -conclusion of the Asiatic War, the Senate of Rome had decreed the -destruction of Phocœa, they listened to a deputation from Marseilles, -pleading for the mother city, and revoked the sentence. Meanwhile, the -Gauls had been pressing south, and the unfortunate Ligurians, limited -to the stony plateaux and the slopes of the Alps, were nipped between -them and the Greeks and Romans along the coast. They made terms with -the Gauls and formed a Celto-Ligurian league. They were defeated, and -the Senate of Rome decreed the annexation of all the territory from the -Rhone to the Alps, to constitute thereof a province. Thenceforth the -cities and slopes of the coast became places of residence for wealthy -Romans, who had there villas and gardens. The towns were supplied -with amphitheatres and baths. Theatres they possessed before, under -the Greeks; but the brutal pleasures of the slaughter of men was an -introduction by the Romans. The remains of these structures at Nîmes, -Arles, Fréjus, Cimiez, testify to the crowds that must have delighted -in these horrible spectacles. That of Nîmes would contain from 17,000 -to 23,000 spectators; that of Arles 25,000; that of Fréjus an equal -number. - -Wherever the Roman empire extended, there may be seen the same huge -structures, almost invariable in plan, and all devoted to pleasure and -luxury. The forum, the temples, sink into insignificance beside the -amphitheatre, the baths, and the circus. Citizens of the empire lived -for their ease and amusements, and concerned themselves little about -public business. In the old days of the Republic, the interests, the -contests, of the people were forensic. The forum was their place of -assembly. But with the empire all was changed. Public transaction of -business ceased, the despotic Cæsar provided for, directed, governed -all, Roman citizens and subject peoples alike. They were left with -nothing to occupy them, and they rushed to orgies of blood. Thus these -vast erections tell us, more than the words of any historian, how great -was the depravity of the Roman character. - -But with the fifth century this condition of affairs came to an end. -The last time that the circus of Arles was used for races was in 462. -The theatre there was wrecked by a deacon called Cyril in 446. At the -head of a mob he burst into it, and smashed the loveliest statues of -the Greek chisel, and mutilated every article of decoration therein. -The stage was garnished with elegant colonnets; all were thrown down -and broken, except a few that were carried off to decorate churches. -All the marble casing was ripped away, the bas-reliefs were broken -up, and the fragments heaped in the pit. There was some excuse for -this iconoclasm. The stage had become licentious to the last degree, -and there was no drawing the people from the spectacles. “If,” says -Salvian, “as often happens, the public games coincide with a festival -of the Church, where will the crowd be? In the house of God, or in the -amphitheatre?” - -During that fifth century the Visigoths and the Burgundians threatened -Provence. When these entered Gaul they were the most humanised of the -barbarians; they had acquired some aptitude for order, some love of -the discipline of civil life. They did not devastate the cities, they -suffered them to retain their old laws, their religion, and their -customs. With the sixth century the domination of the Visigoths was -transferred beyond the Pyrenees, and the Burgundians had ceased to be -an independent nation; the Franks remained masters over almost the -whole of Gaul. - -In 711 the Saracens, or Moors, crossed over at Gibraltar and invaded -Spain. They possessed themselves as well of Sicily, Sardinia, and the -Balearic Isles. Not content with this, they cast covetous eyes on Gaul. -They poured through the defiles of the Pyrenees and spread over the -rich plains of Aquitaine and of Narbonne. Into this latter city the -Calif Omar II. broke in 720, massacred every male, and reduced the -women to slavery. Béziers, Saint Gilles, Arles, were devastated; Nîmes -opened to them her gates. The horde mounted the valley of the Rhone -and penetrated to the heart of France. Autun was taken and burnt in -725. All Provence to the Alps was theirs. Then in 732 came the most -terrible of their invasions. More than 500,000 men, according to the -chroniclers, led by Abdel-Raman, crossed the Pyrenees, took the road to -Bordeaux, which they destroyed, and ascended the coast till they were -met and annihilated by Charles Martel on the field of Poitiers. - -From this moment the struggle changed its character. The Christians -assumed the offensive. Charles Martel pursued the retreating host, and -took from them the port of Maguelonne; and when a crowd of refugees -sought shelter in the amphitheatre of Arles, he set fire to it and -hurled them back into the flames as they attempted to escape. Their -last stronghold was Narbonne, where they held out for seven years, and -then in 759 that also fell, and the Moorish power for evil in France -was at an end; but all the south, from the Alps to the ocean, was -strewn with ruins. - -They were not, however, wholly discouraged. Not again, indeed, did -they venture across the Pyrenees in a great host; but they harassed -the towns on the coast, and intercepted the trade. When the empire of -Charlemagne was dismembered, Provence was separated from France and -constituted a kingdom, under the administration of one Boso, who was -crowned at Arles in 879. This was the point of departure of successive -changes, which shall be touched on in the sequel. The German kings -and emperors laid claim to Provence as a vassal state, and it was not -till 1481 that it was annexed to the Crown of France. Avignon and the -Venaissin were not united to France till 1791. - -In no part of Europe probably did pagan customs linger on with such -persistence as in this favoured land of Provence, among a people of -mixed blood—Ligurian, Phœnician, Greek, Roman, Saracen. Each current -of uniting blood brought with it some superstition, some vicious -propensity, or some strain of fancy. In the very first mention we -have of the Greek settlers, allusion is made to the Floral Games. The -Battle of Flowers, that draws so many visitors to Nice, Mentone, and -Cannes, is a direct descendant from them; but it has acquired a decent -character comparatively recently. - -At Arles, the Feast of Pentecost was celebrated throughout the Middle -Ages by games ending with races of girls, stark naked, and the city -magistrates presided over them, and distributed the prizes, which were -defrayed out of the town chest. It was not till the sixteenth century, -owing to the remonstrances of a Capuchin friar, that the exhibition was -discontinued. Precisely the same took place at Beaucaire. At Grasse, -every Thursday in Lent saw the performance in the public _place_ of -dances and obscene games, and these were not abolished till 1706 by -the energy of the bishop, who threatened to excommunicate every person -convicted of taking part in the disgusting exhibition of “Les Jouvines.” - -A native of Tours visited Provence in the seventeenth century, and -was so scandalised at what he saw there, that he wrote, in 1645, a -letter of remonstrance to his friend Gassendi. Here is what he says -of the manner in which the festival of S. Lazarus was celebrated at -Marseilles:— - - “The town celebrates this feast by dances that have the appearance - of theatrical representations, through the multitude and variety of - the figures performed. All the inhabitants assemble, men and women - alike, wear grotesque masks, and go through extravagant capers. One - would think they were satyrs fooling with nymphs. They hold hands, - and race through the town, preceded by flutes and violins. They form - an unbroken chain, which winds and wriggles in and out among the - streets, and this they call _le Grand Branle_. But why this should be - done in honour of S. Lazarus is a mystery to me, as indeed are a host - of other extravagances of which Provence is full, and to which the - people are so attached, that if any one refuses to take part in them, - they will devastate his crops and his belongings.” - -The carnival and micarême have taken the place of this exhibition; and -no one who has seen the revelries at these by night can say that this -sort of fooling is nearing its end. Now these exhibitions have become -a source of profit to the towns, as drawing foreigners to them, and -enormous sums are lavished by the municipalities upon them annually. -The people of the place enter into them with as much zest as in the -centuries that have gone by. - -Dancing in churches and churchyards lasted throughout the Middle Ages. -The clergy in vain attempted to put it down, and, unable to effect -this, preceded these choric performances by a sermon, to deter the -people from falling into excesses of extravagance and vice. At Limoges, -not indeed in Provence, the congregation was wont to intervene in the -celebration of the feast of their apostle, S. Martial, by breaking out -into song in the psalms, “Saint Martial pray for us, and we will dance -for you!” Whereupon they joined hands and spun round in the church.[2] - -This leads to the mention of what is of no small interest in the -history of the origin of part-singing. Anyone familiar with vespers, -as performed in French churches, is aware that psalms and canticles -are sung in one or other fashion: either alternate verses alone are -chanted, and the gap is filled in by the organ going through astounding -musical frolics; or else one verse is chanted in plain-song, and the -next in _fauxbourdon_—that is to say, the tenor holds on to the -plain-song, whilst treble and alto gambol at a higher strain a melody -different, but harmonious with the plain-song. In Provence at high mass -the Gloria and Credo are divided into paragraphs, and in like manner -are sung alternately in plain-song and _fauxbourdon_. The origin of -this part-singing is very curious. The congregation, loving to hear -their own voices, and not particularly interested in, or knowing the -Latin words, broke out into folk-song at intervals, in the same “mode” -as that of the tone sung by the clergy. They chirped out some love -ballad or dance tune, whilst the officiants in the choir droned the -Latin of the liturgy. Even so late as 1645, the Provençals at Christmas -were wont to sing in the _Magnificat_ a vulgar song— - - “Que ne vous requinquez-vous, Vielle, - Que ne vous requinquez, donc?” - -which may be rendered— - - “Why do you trick yourself out, old woman? - O why do you trick yourself so?” - -In order to stop this sort of thing the clergy had recourse to -“farcing” the canticles, _i.e._ translating each verse into the -vernacular, and interlarding the Latin with the translation, in hopes -that the people, if sing they would, would adopt these words; but the -farced canticles were not to the popular taste, and they continued to -roar out lustily their folk-songs, often indelicate, always unsuitable. -This came to such a pass that either the organ was introduced to -bellow the people down, or else the system was accepted and regulated; -and to this is due the _fauxbourdon_. But in Italy and in the South of -France it passed for a while beyond regulation. The musicians accepted -it, and actually composed masses, in which the tenor alone sang the -sacred words and the other parts performed folk-songs. - -As Mr. Addington Symonds says:— - - “The singers were allowed innumerable licences. Whilst the tenor - sustained the Gregorian melody, the other voices indulged in - extempore descant, regardless of the style of the main composition, - violating time, and setting even the fundamental tone at defiance. - The composers, to advance another step in the analysis of this - strange medley, took particular delight in combining different - sets of words, melodies of widely diverse character, antagonistic - rhythms, and divergent systems of accentuation, in a single piece. - They assigned these several ingredients to several parts, and for the - further exhibition of their perverse skill, went even to the length - of coupling themes in the major and the minor. The most obvious - result of such practice was that it became impossible to understand - what was being sung, and that instead of concord and order in the - choir, a confused discord and anarchy of dinning sounds prevailed. - What made the matter, from an ecclesiastical point of view, still - worse, was that these scholastically artificial compositions were - frequently based on trivial and vulgar tunes, suggesting the tavern, - the dancing-room, or even worse places, to worshippers assembled - for the celebration of a Sacrament. Masses bore titles adopted from - the popular airs on which they were founded; such, for example, as - _Adieu, mes amours_, _À l’ombre d’un buissonnet_, _Baise moi_, _Le - vilain jaloux_. Even the words of love ditties and obscene ballads - were being squalled out by the tenor (treble?) while the bass - (tenor?) gave utterance to an _Agnus Dei_ or a _Benedictus_, and the - soprano (alto?) was engaged upon the verses of a Latin hymn. Baini, - who examined hundreds of the masses and motetts in MS., says that the - words imported into them from vulgar sources ‘make one’s flesh creep, - and one’s hair stand on end.’ He does not venture to do more than - indicate a few of the more decent of these interloping verses. As an - augmentation of this indecency, numbers from a mass which started with - the grave rhythm of a Gregorian tone were brought to their conclusion - on the dance measure of a popular _ballata_, so that _Incarnatus est_ - or _Kyrie eleison_ went jigging off into suggestions of Masetto and - Zerlina at a village ball.”[3] - -The musicians who composed these masses simply accepted what was -customary, and all they did was to endeavour to reduce the hideous -discords to harmony. But it was this superposing of folk-songs on -Gregorian tones that gave the start to polyphonic singing. The state -of confusion into which ecclesiastical music had fallen by this means -rendered it necessary that a reformation should be undertaken, and -the Council of Trent (Sept. 17, 1562) enjoined on the Ordinaries to -“exclude from churches all such music as, whether through the organ or -the singing, introduces anything impure or lascivious, in order that -the house of God may truly be seen to answer to its name, A House of -Prayer.” Indeed, all concerted and part music was like to have been -wholly banished from the service of the church, had not Palestrina -saved it by the composition of the “Mass of Pope Marcellus.” - -A visitor to Provence will look almost in vain for churches in the -Gothic style. A good many were built after Lombard models. There -remained too many relics of Roman structures for the Provençals to -take kindly to the pointed arch. The sun had not to be invited to pour -into the naves, but was excluded as much as might be, consequently the -richly traceried windows of northern France find no place here. The -only purely Gothic church of any size is that of S. Maximin in Var. -That having been a conventual church, imported its architects from the -north. - -One curious and indeed unique feature is found in the Provençal -cathedral churches: the choir for the bishop and chapter is at the west -end, in the gallery, over the narthex or porch. This was so at Grasse; -it remains intact at Vence. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -LE GAI SABER - - The formation of the Provençal tongue—Vernacular ballads and songs: - brought into church—Recitative and formal music—Rhythmic music of - the people: traces of it in ancient times: S. Ambrose writes hymns to - it—People sing folk-songs in church—Hymns composed to folk-airs—The - language made literary by the Troubadours—Position of women—The - ideal love—Ideal love and marriage could not co-exist—William de - Balaun—Geofrey Rudel—Poem of Pierre de Barjac—Boccaccio scouts the - Chivalric and Troubadour ideals. - - -WHAT the language of the Ligurians was we do not know. Among them came -the Phœnicians, then the Greeks, next the Romans. The Roman soldiery -and slaves and commercials did not talk the stilted Latin of Cicero, -but a simple vernacular. Next came the Visigoths and the Saracens. -What a jumble of peoples and tongues! And out of these tongues fused -together the Langue d’oc was evolved. - -It is remarkable how readily some subjugated peoples acquire the -language of their conquerors. The Gauls came to speak Latin. The -Welsh—the bulk of the population was not British at all; dark-haired -and dark-eyed, they were conquered by the Cymri and adopted their -tongue. So in Provence, although there is a strong strain of Ligurian -blood, the Ligurian tongue is gone past recall. The prevailing -language is Romance; that is to say, the vernacular Latin. _Verna_ -means a slave; it was the gabble of the lower classes, mainly a bastard -Latin, but holding in suspense drift words from Greek and Gaulish and -Saracen. In substance it was the vulgar talk of the Latins. Of this -we have curious evidence in 813. In his old age Charlemagne concerned -himself much with Church matters, and he convoked five Councils in five -quarters of his empire to regulate Church matters. These Councils met -in Mainz, Rheims, Châlons, Tours, and Arles. It was expressly laid down -in all of these, save only in that of Arles, that the clergy should -catechise and preach in the vulgar tongue; where there were Franks, -in German; where there were Gauls, in the Romance. But no such rule -was laid down in the Council of Arles, for the very reason that Latin -was still the common language of the people, the simple Latin of the -gospels, such as was perfectly understood by the people when addressed -in it. - -The liturgy was not fixed and uniform. In many secondary points each -Church had its own use. Where most liberty and variety existed was in -the hymns. The singing of hymns was not formally introduced into the -offices of the Church till the tenth century; but every church had its -collection of hymns, sung by the people at vigils, in processions, -intercalated in the offices. In Normandy it was a matter of complaint -that whilst the choir took breath the women broke in with unsuitable -songs, _nugacis cantalenis_. At funerals such coarse ballads were sung -that Charlemagne had to issue orders that where the mourners did not -know any psalm they were to shout _Kyrie eleison_, and nothing else. -Agobard, Bishop of Lyons, A.D. 814-840, says that when he entered on -his functions he found in use in the church an antiphonary compiled by -the choir bishop, Amalric, consisting of songs so secular, and many of -them so indecent, that, to use the expression of the pious bishop, they -could not be read without mantling the brow with shame. - -One of these early antiphonaries exists, a MS. of the eleventh -century belonging to the church of S. Martial. Among many wholly -unobjectionable hymns occurs a ballad of the tale of Judith; another is -frankly an invocation to the nightingale, a springtide song; a third is -a dialogue between a lover and his lass. - -It is in the ecclesiastical hymns, religious lessons, and legends -couched in the form of ballads, coming into use in the eighth and ninth -centuries, that we have the germs, the rudiments, of a new literature; -not only so, but also the introduction of formal music gradually -displacing music that is recitative. - -Of melodies there are two kinds, the first used as a handmaid to -poetry; in it there is nothing formal. A musical phrase may be repeated -or may not, as required to give force to the words employed. This was -the music of the Greek and Roman theatre. The lyrics of Horace and -Tibullus could be sung to no other. This, and this alone, was the music -adopted by the Church, and which we have still in the Nicene Creed, -Gloria, Sanctus, and Pater Noster. But this never could have been the -music of the people—it could not be used by soldiers to march to, nor -by the peasants as dance tunes. - -Did rhythmic music exist among the ancients side by side with -recitative? Almost certainly it did, utterly despised by the cultured. - -When Julius Cæsar was celebrating his triumph at Rome after his Gaulish -victories, we are informed that the soldiery marched singing out:— - - “Gallias Cæsar subegit - Mithridates Cæsarem. - Ecce Cæsar nunc triumphat, - Qui subegit Gallias, - Nicomedes non triumphat, - Qui subegit Cæsarem.” - -This must have been sung to a formal melody, to which the soldiers -tramped in time. - -So also Cæsar, in B.C. 49, like a liberal-minded man, desired to admit -the principal men of Cisalpine Gaul into the Senate. This roused Roman -prejudice and mockery. Prejudice, because the Gauls were esteemed -barbarians; mockery, because of their peculiar costume—their baggy -trousers. So the Roman rabble composed and sang verses, “_illa vulgo -canebantur_.” These may be rendered in the same metre:— - - “Cæsar led the Gauls in triumph, - Then to Senate-house admits. - First must they pull off their trousers, - Ere the laticlavus fits.” - -Now, it may be noted that in both instances the rhythm is not at -all that of the scientifically constructed metric lines of Horace, -Tibullus, and Catullus, but is neither more nor less than our familiar -8.7. time. The first piece of six lines in 8.7. is precisely that of -“Lo! He comes in clouds descending.” The second of four lines is that -of the familiar Latin hymn, _Tantum ergo_, and is indeed that also of -our hymn, “Hark! the sound of holy voices.”[4] - -Nor is this all. Under Cæsar’s statue were scribbled the lines of a -lampoon; that also was in 8.7. Suetonius gives us another snatch of a -popular song relative to Cæsar, in the same measure. Surely this goes -to establish the fact that the Roman populace had their own folk-music, -which was rhythmic, with tonal accent, distinct from the fashionable -music of the theatre. - -Now, it is quite true that in Latin plays there was singing, and, what -is more, songs introduced. For instance, in the _Captivi_ of Plautus, -in the third act, Hegio comes on the stage singing— - - “Quid est suavius quam - Bene rem gerere bono publico, sicut feci - Ego heri, quum eius hosce homines, ubi quisque - Vident me hodie,” etc. - -But I defy any musician to set his song to anything else but -recitative; the metre is intricate and varied. - -Now of rhythmic melody we have nothing more till the year A.D. 386, -when, at Milan, the Empress Justina ordered that a church should be -taken from the Catholics and be delivered over to the Arians. - -Thereupon S. Ambrose, the bishop, took up his abode within the sacred -building, that was also crowded by the faithful, who held it as a -garrison for some days. To occupy the people Ambrose hastily scribbled -down some hymns—not at all in the old classic metres, but in rhythmic -measure—and set them to sing these, no doubt whatever, to familiar -folk-airs. Thirteen of the hymns of S. Ambrose remain. His favourite -metre is— - - “Te lucis ante terminum,” - -our English Long Measure. And what is more, the traditional tunes to -which he set these hymns have been handed down, so that in these we -probably possess the only ascertainable relics of Roman folk-airs of -the fourth century, and who can tell of how much earlier? - -Now, in ancient days the people were wont to crowd to church on the -vigils of festivals and spend the night in or outside the churches in -singing and dancing. To drive out the profane and indelicate songs, -the clergy composed hymns and set them to the folk-airs then in vogue. -These hymns came into use more and more, and at length simply forced -their way into the services of the Church—but were not recognised as -forming a legitimate part of it till the tenth century. - -The ecclesiastical hymns for the people, after having been composed -in barbarous Latin, led by a second step to the vernacular Romance. -The transition was easy, and was, indeed, inevitable. And in music, -recitative fell into disfavour, and formal music, to which poetry is -the handmaid, came into popular usage exclusively; recitative lingering -on only in the liturgy of the Church. The Provençal language was now on -its way to becoming fixed and homogeneous; the many local variations -found in the several districts tending to effacement. - -Then came the golden age of the Troubadours, who did more than any -before to fix the tongue. In the twelfth century the little courts of -the Provençal nobles were renowned for gallantry. In fact, the knights -and barons and counts of the South plumed themselves on setting the -fashion to Christendom. In the South there was none of that rivalry -existing elsewhere between the knights in their castles and the -citizens in the towns. In every other part of Western Europe the line -of demarcation was sharp between the chivalry and the bourgeoisie. -Knighthood could only be conferred on one who was noble and who owned -land. It was otherwise in the South; the nobility and the commercial -class were on the best of terms, and one great factor in this fusion -was the Troubadour, who might spring from behind a counter as well as -from a knightly castle. - -The chivalry of the South, and the Troubadour, evolved the strange -and, to our ideas, repulsive theory of love, which was, for a time, -universally accepted. What originated it was this: - -In the south of France women could possess fiefs and all the authority -and power attaching to them. From this political capacity of women it -followed that marriages were contracted most ordinarily by nobles with -an eye to the increase of their domains. Ambition was the dominant -passion, and to that morality, sentiment, inclination, had to give -way and pass outside their matrimonial plans. Consequently, in the -feudal caste, marriages founded on such considerations were regarded as -commercial contracts only, and led to a most curious moral and social -phenomenon. - -The idea was formed of love as a sentiment, from which every sensual -idea was excluded, in which, on the woman’s side, all was condescension -and compassion, on the man’s all submission and homage. Every lady -must have her devoted knight or minstrel—her lover, in fact, who -could not and must not be her husband; and every man who aspired to be -courteous must have his mistress. - - “There are,” says a Troubadour, “four degrees in Love: the first is - hesitancy, the second is suppliancy, the third is acceptance, and the - fourth is friendship. He who would love a lady and goes to court her, - but does not venture on addressing her, is in the stage of Hesitancy. - But if the lady gives him any encouragement, and he ventures to tell - her of his pains, then he has advanced to the stage of Suppliant. And - if, after speaking to his lady and praying her, she retains him as - her knight, by the gift of ribbons, gloves, or girdle, then he enters - on the grade of Acceptance. And if, finally, it pleases the lady to - accord to her loyal accepted lover so much as a kiss, then she has - elevated him to Friendship.” - -In the life of a knight the contracting of such an union was a most -solemn moment. The ceremony by which it was sealed was formulated on -that in which a vassal takes oath of fealty to a sovereign. Kneeling -before the lady, with his hands joined between hers, the knight devoted -himself and all his powers to her, swore to serve her faithfully to -death, and to defend her to the utmost of his power from harm and -insult. The lady, on her side, accepted these services, promised in -return the tenderest affections of her heart, put a gold ring on his -finger as pledge of union, and then raising him gave him a kiss, -always the first, and often the only one he was to receive from her. -An incident in the Provençal romance of Gerard de Roussillon shows us -just what were the ideas prevalent as to marriage and love at this -time. Gerard was desperately in love with a lady, but she was moved by -ambition to accept in his place Charles Martel, whom the author makes -into an Emperor. Accordingly Gerard marries the sister of the Empress -on the same day. No sooner is the double ceremonial complete than,— - - “Gerard led the queen aside under a tree, and with her came two counts - and her sister (Gerard’s just-acquired wife). Gerard spoke and said, - ‘What will you say to me now, O wife of an Emperor, as to the exchange - I have made of you for a very inferior article?’ ‘Do not say that,’ - answered the Queen; ‘say a worthy object, of high value, Sir. But - it is true that through you I am become Queen, and that out of love - for me you have taken my sister to wife. Be you my witnesses, Counts - Gervais and Bertelais, and you also, my sister, and confidante of all - my thoughts, and you, above all, Jesus, my Redeemer; know all that - I have given my love to duke Gerard along with this ring and this - flower. I love him more than father and husband!’ Then they separated; - but their love always endured, without there ever being any harm come - of it, but only a tender longing and secret thoughts.” - -The coolness of Gerard, before his just-received wife, disparaging her, -and swearing everlasting love to the new-made Queen, the moment after -they have left church, is sufficiently astounding. - -So completely was it an accepted theory that love could not exist -along with marriage, that it was held that even if those who had been -lovers married, union _ipso facto_ dissolved love. A certain knight -loved a lady, who, however, had set her affections on another. All -she could promise the former was that should she lose her own true -love, she would look to him. Soon after this she married the lord of -her heart, and at once the discarded lover applied to be taken on as -her servitor. The lady refused, saying that she had her lover—her -husband; and the controversy was brought before the Court of Love. -Eleanor of Poitiers presided, and pronounced against the lady. She -condemned her to take on the knight as her lover, because she actually -had lost her own lover, by marrying him. - -We probably form an erroneous idea as to the immorality of these -contracts, because we attach to the idea of love a conception foreign -to that accorded it by the chivalry of Provence in the twelfth century. -With them it was a mystic exaltation, an idealising of a lady into a -being of superior virtue, beauty, spirituality. And because it was -a purely ideal relation it could not subsist along with a material -relation such as marriage. It was because this connexion was ideal -only that the counts and viscounts and barons looked with so much -indifference, or even indulgence, on their wives contracting it. There -were exceptions, where the lady carried her condescension too far. But -the very extravagance of terms employed towards the ladies is the best -possible evidence that the Troubadours knew them very little, and by no -means intimately. Bertram, to Helena, was “a bright particular star,” -but only so because he was much away from Roussillon, and— - - “So high above me - In his bright radiance and collateral light - Must I be computed, not in his sphere.” - -When she became his wife she discovered that he was a mere cub. Cœlia -was no goddess to Strephon. So the privileged “servant,” worshipped, -and only could frame his mind to worship, because held at a great -distance, too far to note the imperfections in temper, in person, in -mind, of the much-belauded lady. - -A friend told me that he was staggered out of his posture of worship -to his newly acquired wife by seeing her clean her teeth. It had not -occurred to him that her lovely pearls could need a toothbrush. - -William de Balaun, a good knight and Troubadour, loved and served -Guillelmine de Taviac, wife of a seigneur of that name. He debated -in his mind which was the highest felicity, winning the favour of a -lady, or, after losing it, winning it back again. He resolved to put -this question to the proof, so he affected the sulks, and behaved to -the lady with rudeness—would not speak, turned his back on her. At -first she endeavoured to soothe him, but when that failed withdrew, and -would have no more to say to him. De Balaun now changed his mood, and -endeavoured to make her understand that he was experimentalising in the -Gai Saber, that was all. She remained obdurate till a mutual friend -intervened. Then she consented to receive William de Balaun again into -her favour, if he would tear out one of his nails and serve it up to -her on a salver along with a poem in praise of her beauty. And on these -terms he recovered his former place. - -Geofrey Rudel had neither seen the Countess of Tripoli nor cast his -eyes on her portrait, but chose to fall in love with her at the simple -recital of her beauty and virtue. For long he poured forth verses in -her honour; but at last, drawn to Syria by desire of seeing her, he -embarked, fell mortally ill on the voyage, and arrived at Tripoli to -expire; satisfied that he had bought at this price the pleasure of -casting his eyes on the princess, and hearing her express sorrow that -he was to be snatched away. - -In a great many cases, probably in the majority of cases, there was no -amorous passion excited. It was simply a case of bread and butter. The -swarm of knights and Troubadours that hovered about an exalted lady, -was drawn to her, not at all by her charms, but by her table, kitchen, -and cellar—in a word, by cupboard love. - -In their own little bastides they led a dull life, and were very -impecunious. If they could get some lady of rank to accept their -services, they obtained free quarters in her castle, ate and drank of -her best, and received gratuities for every outrageously flattering -sonnet. If she were elderly and plain—that mattered not, it rather -favoured the acceptance, for she would then not be nice in selecting -her _cher ami_. All that was asked in return was, that he should -fetch her gloves, hold her stirrup, fight against any one who spoke a -disparaging word, and turn heels over head to amuse her on a rainy day. - -A little poem by Pierre de Barjac is extant. He loved and served a -noble lady De Javac. One day she gave him to understand that he was -dismissed. He retired, not a little surprised and mortified, but -returned a few days later with a poem, of which these are some of the -strophes:— - - “Lady, I come before you, frankly to say good-bye for ever. Thanks for - your favour in giving me your love and a merry life, as long as it - suited you. Now, as it no longer suits you, it is quite right that you - should pick up another friend who will please you better than myself. - I have naught against that. We part on good terms, as though nothing - had been between us. - - “Perhaps, because I seem sad, you may fancy that I am speaking more - seriously than usual; but that you are mistaken in this, I will - convince you. I know well enough that you have some one else in your - eye. Well, so have I in mine—some one to love after being quit of - you. She will maintain me; she is young, you are waxing old. If she be - not quite as noble as yourself, she is, at all events, far prettier - and better tempered. - - “If our mutual oath of engagement is at all irksome to your - conscience, let us go before a priest—you discharge me, and I will - discharge you. Then each of us can loyally enter on a new love affair. - If I have ever done anything to annoy you, forgive me; I, on my part, - forgive you with all my heart; and a forgiveness without heart is not - worth much.” - -During the winter these professional lovers resided at the castles -of the counts and viscounts. In the spring they mounted their horses -and wandered away, some in quest of a little fighting, some to loiter -in distant courts, some to attend to their own farms and little -properties. Each as he left doubtless received a purse from the lady he -had served and sung, together with a fresh pair of stockings, and with -his linen put in order. - - “Love,” says Mr. Green, in his _History of the English People_, - “was the one theme of troubadour and trouveur; but it was a love - of refinement, of romantic follies, of scholastic discussions, of - sensuous enjoyment—a plaything rather than a passion. Nature had to - reflect the pleasant indolence of man; the song of the minstrel moved - through a perpetual May-time; the grass was ever green; the music of - the lark and the nightingale rang out from field and thicket. There - was a gay avoidance of all that is serious, moral, or reflective in - man’s life. Life was too amusing to be serious, too piquant, too - sentimental, too full of interest and gaiety and chat.” - -That this professional, sentimental love-making went beyond bounds -occasionally is more than probable, for human nature cannot be -controlled by such a spider-web system. It will break through. Every -one knows the story of William de Cabestaing, who loved and served -among others—for he was to one thing constant never—Sermonde, wife -of Raymond de Roussillon, whereupon the husband had him murdered, and -his heart roasted and dished up at table. When Sermonde was told what -she had eaten, she threw herself out of a window. But is the story -true? Much the same tale occurs thrice in Boccaccio; once of Sermonde, -something of the same in the Cup, and again in the Pot of Basil; -moreover, the same tale is told of others. - -This artificial theory of love was carried to the Court of Naples, and -to that of Frederick II. at Palermo. It brought after it an inevitable -reaction, and this found its fullest expression in Boccaccio. - - “All the mediæval enthusiasms,” says Mr. Addington Symonds, “are - reviewed and criticised from the standpoint of the Florentine bottega - and piazza. It is as though the bourgeois, not content with having - made nobility a crime, were bent upon extinguishing its spirit. The - tale of Agilult vulgarises the chivalrous conception of love ennobling - men of low estate, by showing how a groom, whose heart is set upon a - queen, avails himself of opportunity. Tancred burlesques the knightly - reverence for a stainless scutcheon, by the extravagance of his - revenge. The sanctity of the Thebaid, that ascetic dream of purity and - self-renunciation for God’s service, is made ridiculous by Ailbech. - Sen Ciappelletto brings contempt upon the canonisation of saints. The - confessional, the worship of relics, the priesthood, and the monastic - orders, are derided with the deadliest persiflage. Christ Himself is - scoffed at in a jest which points the most indecent of these tales. - Marriage offers a never-failing theme for scorn; and when, by way - of contrast, the novelist paints an ideal wife, he runs into such - hyperboles that the very patience of Griselda is a satire on its - dignity.”[5] - -[Illustration: LA RADE, MARSEILLES] - - - - -CHAPTER III - -MARSEILLES - - The arrival of the Phocœans—The story of Protis and Gyptis—Siege - of Marseilles by Cæsar—Pythias the first to describe Britain—The - old city—Encroachment of the sea—S. Victor—Christianity: when - introduced—S. Lazarus—Cannebière—The old galley—Siege by the - Constable de Bourbon—Plague—The Canal de Marseilles—The plague of - 1720—Bishop Belzunce—The Revolution—The Marseillaise—The Reign of - Terror at Marseilles—The Clary girls. - - -AS has been already stated, Massilia, or Marseilles, was originally a -Phœnician trading station. Then it was occupied by the Phocœans from -Asia Minor. It came about in this fashion. - -In the year B.C. 599 a few Phocœean vessels, under the guidance of an -adventurer called Eumenes, arrived in the bay of Marseilles. The first -care of the new arrivals was to place themselves under the protection -of the Ligurians, and they sent an ambassador, a young Greek named -Protis, with presents to the native chief, Nann, at Arles. By a happy -coincidence Protis arrived on the day upon which Nann had assembled -the warriors of his tribe, and had brought forth his daughter, Gyptis, -to choose a husband among them. The arrival of the young Greek was a -veritable _coup de théâtre_. He took his place at the banquet. His -Greek beauty, his graceful form and polished manners, so different -from the ruggedness and uncouthness of the Ligurians, impressed the -damsel, and going up to him, she presented him with the goblet of -wine, which was the symbol of betrothal. Protis put it to his lips, and -the alliance was concluded. - -The legend is doubtless mythical, but it shows us, disguised under the -form of a tale, what actually took place, that the Ionian settlers did -contract marriages with the natives. But the real great migration took -place in B.C. 542, fifty-seven years later. - -Harpagus, the general of Cyrus, was ravaging Asia Minor, and he -invested Phocœa. As the Ionians in the town found that they could hold -out no longer, their general, Dionysos, thus addressed them: - - “Our affairs are in a critical state, and we have to decide at once - whether we are to remain free, or to bow our necks in servitude, and - be treated as runaway slaves. Now, if you be willing to undergo some - hardships, you will be able to secure your freedom.” - -Then he advised that they should lade their vessels with all their -movable goods, put on them their wives and children, and leave their -native land. - -Soon after this Harpagus saw a long line of vessels, their sails -swelled with the wind, and the water glancing from their oars, issue -from the port and pass away over the blue sea towards the western sun. -All the inhabitants had abandoned the town. Dionysos had heard a good -report of the Ligurian coast, and thither he steered, and was welcomed -by his countrymen who had settled there half a century before. - -But the Ligurians did not relish this great migration, and they -resolved on massacring the new arrivals, and of taking advantage -of the celebration of the Floral Games for carrying out their -plan. Accordingly they sent in their weapons through the gates of -Marseilles, heaped over with flowers and boughs, and a party of -Ligurians presented themselves unarmed, as flocking in to witness the -festival. But other Ligurian girls beside Gyptis had fallen in love -with and had contracted marriages with the Greeks, and one of these -betrayed the plot. Accordingly the Phocœans closed their gates, and -drawing the weapons from under the wreaths of flowers, slaughtered the -Ligurians with their own arms. - -From Marseilles the Greeks spread along the coast and founded numerous -other towns, and, penetrating inland, made of Arles a Greek city. - -In the civil war that broke out between Cæsar and Pompey, Marseilles, -unhappily for her, threw in her lot with the latter. Cæsar, at the -head of his legions, appeared before the gates, and found them closed -against him. It was essential for Cæsar to obtain possession of the -town and port, and he invested it. Beyond the walls was a sacred wood -in which mysterious rites were performed, and which was held in the -highest veneration by the Massiliots. Cæsar ordered that it should be -hewn down; but his soldiers shrank from profaning it. Then snatching -up an axe, he exclaimed, “Fear not, I take the crime upon myself!” and -smote at an oak. Emboldened by his words and action, the soldiers now -felled the trees, and out of them Cæsar fashioned twelve galleys and -various machines for the siege. - -Obliged to hurry into Spain, he left some of his best troops under his -lieutenants C. Trebonius and D. Brutus to continue operations against -Marseilles; the former was in command of the land forces, and Brutus -was admiral of the improvised fleet. The people of Marseilles were now -reinforced by Domitius, one of Pompey’s most trusted generals, and -they managed to scrape together a fleet of seventeen galleys. - -This fleet received orders to attack that of Brutus, and it shot out -of the harbour. Brutus awaited it, drawn up in crescent form. His -ships were cumbrous, and not manned by such dextrous navigators as the -Greeks. But he had furnished himself with grappling irons, and when -the Greek vessels came on, he flung out his harpoons, caught them, and -brought the enemy to the side of his vessels, so that the fight became -one of hand to hand as on platforms, and the advantage of the nautical -skill of the Massiliots was neutralised. They lost nine galleys, and -the remnant with difficulty escaped back into port. - -The besieged, though defeated, were not disheartened. They sent -to friendly cities for aid, they seized on merchant vessels and -converted them into men of war, and Pompey, who knew the importance -of Marseilles, sent Nasidius with sixteen triremes to the aid of the -invested town. - -Again their fleet sallied forth. This time they were more wary, and -backed when they saw the harpoons shot forth, so that the grappling -irons fell innocuously into the sea. Finding all his efforts to come -to close quarters with the enemy unavailing, Brutus signalled to his -vessels to draw up in hollow square, prows outward. - -Nasidius, who was in command of the Massiliot fleet, had he used his -judgment, should have waited till a rough sea had opened the joints of -the opposed ranks, and broken the formation. Instead of doing this, he -endeavoured by ramming the sides to break the square, with the result -that he damaged his own vessels, which were the lightest and least well -protected at the bows, far more than he did the enemy. Seeing that -his plan was unsuccessful, he was the first to turn his galley about -and fly. Five of the Massiliot vessels were sunk, four were taken, and -those that returned to the port were seriously damaged. - -On land the besieged had been more successful; they had repelled -all attempts of Trebonius to storm the place. When he mined, they -countermined, or let water into his galleries, and drowned those -working in them. When he rolled up his huge wooden towers against the -walls, the besieged rushed forth and set them on fire. - -But now a worse enemy than Cæsar’s army appeared against them—the -plague. Reduced to the utmost extremity, the Massiliots saw that their -only hope was in the clemency of the conqueror. Nasidius had fled. Now -Domitius departed; but not till he saw that surrender was inevitable. -Cæsar had arrived in the camp of the besiegers. Marseilles opened her -gates, and Cæsar treated the city with great magnanimity. But, ruined -by the expenses of the long siege, without a fleet, its commerce gone, -depopulated by war and disease, long years were required for the -effacement of the traces of so many misfortunes. - -Now I must go back through many centuries to speak of a most remarkable -man, “the Humboldt of Antiquity,” who was a native of Marseilles, and -who was the first to reveal to the world the existence of the Isle of -Britain. His name was Pythias, and he lived four centuries before the -birth of Christ. The Greeks had vague and doubtful traditions of the -existence, far away in the North, of a land where the swans sang, and -where lived a people “at the back of the north wind,” in perpetual -sunshine, and worshipped the sun, offering to it hecatombs of wild -asses, and whence came the most precious of metals—tin, without which -no bronze could be fabricated. The way to this mysterious land was -known only to the Carthaginians, and was kept as a profound secret from -the Phocœan Greeks, who had occupied their colony at Marseilles, and -were engrossing their commerce. The Phœnicians of Tyre and Sidon, and -of Carthage, had secured a monopoly of the mineral trade. Spain was the -Mexico of the antique world. It was fabled that the Tagus rolled over -sands of gold, and the Guadiana over a floor of silver. The Phœnician -sailors, it was reported, replaced their anchors of iron with masses of -silver; and that the Iberians employed gold for mangers, and silver for -their vats of beer; that the pebbles of their moors were pure tin, and -that the Iberian girls “streamed” the rivers in wicker cradles, washing -out tin and gold, lead and silver. But as more was known of Spain, -it was ascertained that these legends were true only in a limited -degree; tin and silver and lead were there, but not to the amount -fabled. Therefore it was concluded that the treasure land was farther -to the north. Not by any means, by no bribery, by no persuasion, not -by torture, could the secret be wrung from the Phœnicians whence they -procured the inestimable treasure of tin. Only it was known that much -of it came from the North, and by a trade route through Gaul to the -Rhone; but also, and mainly, by means of vessels of the Phœnicians -passing through the Straits into the unknown ocean beyond. - -Accordingly, the merchants of Marseilles resolved on sending an -expedition in quest of this mysterious Hyperborean land, and they -engaged the services of Pythias, an eminent mathematician of the -city, who had already made himself famous by his measurement of the -declination of the ecliptic, and by the calculation of the latitude -of Marseilles. At the same time the merchants despatched another -expedition to explore the African coast, under the direction of one -Euthymes, another scientist of their city. Unhappily, the record of the -voyage of this latter is lost; but the diary of Pythias, very carefully -kept, has been preserved in part, quoted by early geographers who -trusted him, and by Strabo, who poured scorn on his discoveries because -they controverted his preconceived theories. - -Pythias published his diary in two books, entitled _The Circuit of the -World_ and _Commentaries concerning the Ocean_. From the fragments that -remain we can trace his course. Leaving Marseilles, he coasted round -Spain to Brittany; from Brittany he struck Kent, and visited other -parts of Britain; then from the Thames he travelled to the mouths of -the Rhine, passed round Jutland, entered the Baltic, and went to the -mouth of the Vistula; thence out of the Baltic and up the coast of -Norway to the Arctic Circle; thence he struck west, and reached the -Shetlands and the North of Scotland, and coasted round the British -Isles till again he reached Armorica; and so to the estuary of the -Garonne, whence he journeyed by land to Marseilles. - -Pythias remained for some time in Britain, the country to which, as -he said, he paid more attention than to any other which he visited in -the course of his travels; and he claimed to have investigated all -the accessible parts of the Island, and to have traced the eastern -side throughout. He arrived in Kent early in the summer, and remained -there until harvest time, and he again returned after his voyage to -the Arctic Circle. He says that there was plenty of wheat grown in -the fields of Britain, but that it was thrashed out in barns, and not -on unroofed floors as in the sunny climate of Marseilles. He says that -a drink to which the Britons were partial was composed of wheat and -honey—in a word, metheglin. It is greatly to be regretted that of this -interesting and honestly written diary only scraps remain.[6] - -The old city of Phœnicians and Phocœans occupied that portion of the -present town lying between the sea and the ancient port, and the walls -cut across from the Anse de la Joliette, mounted the Butte des Carmes -and descended to the head of the Vieux-port. The Butte des Moulins was -the Acropolis, and on it stood temples of the gods of Carthage and -Greece. The sea-face was formerly very different from what it is now. -Cæsar speaks of Marseilles being washed by the sea on three sides. -The sea has eaten away a very large portion of the peninsula. The -cathedral, La Major, was not formerly on the quay; till the end of the -eighteenth century its principal portal faced the sea. At the close -of that century, so much of the town having been washed away, and so -sapped was the rock on that side, that a doorway had to be opened on -the landside. An old chapel existing in 1202 stood at a point now 250 -feet from the land. Recent works, the formation of a succession of -basins, have arrested this degradation of the coast, and have regained -some of the lost land. - -Marseilles lies in an amphitheatre, but this is only realised when the -city is approached from the sea. To those arriving by rail it appears -to be a town scattered over a series of hills, very irregular and of -a very confused plan. All that portion of the town that lies south -of the Vieux-port, about the Palais de Justice to where the hill -rises, was formerly morass; the houses here have no cellars, and are -built, like Amsterdam, on piles. Above the Bassin de Carinage rises -the Church of S. Victor, built in the eleventh and extended in the -thirteenth century. The towers and ramparts were erected by William -de Grimoard in 1350. He had been prior of the monastery of S. Victor, -and afterwards became pope under the name of Urban V. All this portion -of rising ground to the south of the old harbour seems to have been -the refuge of the first Christians. Excavations made in extending the -basin laid bare vestiges of catacombs of a very early period, earlier, -in fact, in some cases than the Christian era. In the fourth century -the monk Cassian founded a monastery above these catacombs. It was -destroyed by the Saracens and rebuilt, and became a vastly wealthy -foundation. The monastery on one side of the port, and the cathedral -with its appurtenances on the other, were not under the jurisdiction of -the municipal authorities of Marseilles; but each had its own town of -dependencies under separate government. - -What remains of this famous abbey bears an aspect of a citadel rather -than of a church. It is an extraordinary jumble of parts, and from -without looks as if it were wholly planless. - -When, and through whom, Christianity was planted in Marseilles, is -unknown; for the tradition of the apostleship there of Lazarus, whom -Christ raised from the dead, must be dismissed as idle fable. The -traditional tale is as follows, but there is no earlier authority for -it than a legend of the twelfth century, and this is mere religious -romance. - -When persecution broke out in Jerusalem, Martha, Mary Magdalen, a -Bishop Maximin, and a Deacon Parmenas, and Lazarus, took a boat and -sailed merrily over the sea till they came to Provence. Maximin settled -at Aix. Mary Magdalen retired to the cave La Sainte Beaume, and Martha -killed a dragon at Tarascon, and established herself in its lair. -Lazarus remained at Marseilles, and became its first bishop. - -The first bishop of Marseilles known to history is Orestius, A.D. 314; -and not a particle of evidence worth a rush exists to substantiate the -story of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, having ever come to Provence. - -The street called Cannebière leads to the Vieux-port. Cannebière means -a rope-walk, and here were situated the workshops of those who supplied -the vessels with cordage and sails. When the old port was being cleaned -out, an ancient galley was found at a depth of fifteen feet, built of -cedar wood, with coins earlier, contemporary with, and slightly later -than Julius Cæsar. - -It is perhaps not to be wondered at that not a scrap of ancient -Massilia should remain above ground, not a fragment of city wall, of -temple, or of amphitheatre, for the valleys have been choked up to -the depth of eighteen to twenty feet, and the summits of the rounded -hills have been shorn off. But to obtain some idea of the past, the -Archæological Museum at the extremity of the Prado should be visited. -One room is devoted to the remains of pagan Massilia, another to the -Christian sarcophagi discovered in the catacombs of S. Victor. - -The siege of Marseilles by the army of Cæsar was by no means the -only trial of that description the city had to undergo. The next -most serious investment was that by the Constable de Bourbon, who -had transferred his services to Charles V. and fought against his -sovereign, Francis I. Pope Leo X. had stirred up the emperor and had -effected a coalition of England, Austria, Milan, Venice, Florence, and -Genoa, against France. Charles despatched the Constable de Bourbon -against Marseilles, and he appeared before it on August 19th, 1524, but -met with a stubborn resistance. - -Furious at not being able to obtain a surrender, he ordered a general -assault, and promised his soldiers to suffer them to pillage the town -at their own sweet will. On September 25th the besiegers attacked -the walls, managed to beat down a portion and form a breach, through -which they poured exultant. But bitter was their disappointment when -they discovered that the besieged had raised a second wall within, -in crescent form, on the top of which was the garrison, armed with -culverins, and that at the points of junction of the new wall with -the old were planted cannon which, with their cross fire, could mow -down all who rushed into the semilunar area. The Spanish battalions -hesitated, but were urged forward by their captains, and a frightful -carnage ensued. The space was heaped with dead, and the baffled -Constable, with rage in his heart, running short of ammunition and -provisions, was forced to raise the siege and retire, on the night of -September 25th. - -But that which has proved to Marseilles more fatal than sieges has -been the plague, which has reappeared time after time, becoming almost -endemic. The unsanitary condition of the town, the absence of wholesome -water, invited its presence. The magnificent works of the canal of -Marseilles now conduct to the town the waters of the Durance. This -canal was constructed between 1837 and 1848, extends a length of -ninety-five miles, and is carried through tunnels and over aqueducts. -The body of water thus conducted to Marseilles not only supplies the -precious liquid for drinking and bathing, but also sends rills to water -the gardens which would otherwise be barren. How necessary this great -work was may be judged from the number of deaths at Marseilles at the -outbreak of the plague in 1720, when from 40,000 to 50,000 persons -succumbed. - -Amidst the general despair, selfishness, and depravity that then -manifested itself, the Bishop Belzunce, some of his clergy, and the -governor of the town, showed noble self-possession and devotion. - - “The physicians sent to Marseilles by the Government,” says Méry, “on - arriving found in the place over 20,000 dead and nine to ten thousand - sick or dying. The frightful spectacle so affected them that they - could hardly eat. In traversing the town, in places they could hardly - step without encountering heaps of corpses. The plague-stricken felt - a flicker of hope on seeing doctors approach, but this soon died out. - Fathers and mothers dragged their children into the streets, and - abandoned them after placing a jug of water at their side. Children - exhibited a revolting lack of feeling. All generous sentiments had - been paralysed by the hand of death. The mortality was so great and - rapid in its march that the corpses piled up before the houses, and - in the church porches, indeed everywhere, empested the air. In the - heat, the bodies rapidly putrified and dissolved, falling apart in - strips. All were naked; the sick were covered by a few rags. Women - half-clothed appealed for a drop of water, pointing to the fetid rill - that trickled down the gutter; and as no one attended to them, they - used their failing powers to crawl to it, often with their babes - at their breasts, to dip their lips in the foul stream. Death was - preceded by frightful spasms. The number of deaths increased to such - an extent that it was not possible to bury the dead. Bewilderment took - possession of men. Those of the inhabitants who had not been infected - wandered about, not knowing whither to go, but avoiding one another. - Others converted their houses into fortresses, as though disposed to - maintain a siege; others fled to their country villas; others went on - board ship; but the plague pursued them everywhere. - - “In these days of calamity, the heart of man was shown in all its - nakedness, and revealed all its baseness, ignoble inclinations, as - well as its virtues and devotion. Those especially belonging to the - lowest social beds, who live in fear of the laws, gave themselves - up to frightful excesses. The galley slaves, to whom was entrusted - the burial of the dead, drew the tumbrils heaped with corpses with a - mocking callousness; murdering the sick so as to rob them; flinging - those ill along with those dead together, indifferently, into the pits - dug to receive the bodies. The civic functionaries, the employés, even - priests, deserted their posts, and the monks of S. Victor enclosed - themselves within their fortress. But there were others, who presented - a striking contrast to these men. Priests came hurrying to the - empested town from all parts to shut themselves in within this circle - of death. Their zeal was stimulated by the sublime self-devotion of - Belzunce, bishop of Marseilles. The fear of death never chilled his - charity. He hurried through the street, seated himself by the dying, - bowed over them to hear their confessions, and the plague spared him - as he executed these acts of humanity.” - -Pope referred to this bishop in the lines: - - “Why drew Marseilles’ good bishop purer breath, - When nature sicken’d and each gale was death?” - -The pestilence, which had broken out in the spring, continued to rage -till September, but abated after a violent storm, and disappeared in -November. At the Revolution the merchant aristocracy did not relish the -movement, fearing an attack on property; but the lower classes were -maddened with enthusiasm for the “rights of man,” which meant the right -to chop off the head of every one of whom they were envious, and of -appropriating to themselves the savings of the industrious. Marseilles -furnished, from the dregs of its population, the bands of assassins -which marched to Paris, screaming forth Rouget de l’Isle’s hymn, which -thenceforth took the name of the Marseillaise; and these bands were -foremost in the September massacres in Paris. - -The Reign of Terror at Marseilles itself, under the infamous Fréron and -Barras, saw four hundred heads fall upon the scaffold, to the shouts of -the mob, “Ça ira! Plus la République coupe de têtes, plus la République -s’affermit.” - -At Marseilles, Joseph Bonaparte, when acting there as War Commissioner, -met the sisters Clary. At his very first visit he had been billeted on -the soap-boiler, and now, when again in the place, he lost his heart -to one of the girls. Both were destined to be queens. Julie (Marie) -was born in 1777, and married Joseph in 1794. In 1797 Joseph was sent -as ambassador to Rome, and he took with him his wife and her sister -Eugenie Désirée; she was engaged to be married to General Duphot, who -was with Joseph in Rome. On the eve of their wedding a disturbance -took place in the streets of the Eternal City, caused by a rising of -the revolutionary party. Duphot ran among them, whether to encourage -them or dissuade them from violence is uncertain; but he was shot by -the Papal soldiery in the tumult. Six months later Eugenie Désirée -dried her tears in her bridal veil, when she married the saddler’s son -Bernadotte, who was destined to wear the crown of Sweden. - -Joseph became King of Naples and then of Spain. Madame de Genlis, who -knew both the young women, has a good word to say for them. Of Julie, -the wife of Joseph, she says:— - - “She always reminded me of the princesses of the Old Court, and she - had all the bearing and carriage of the last princess of Conti. If - Heaven had chosen to cause her to be born on a throne it could not - have rendered her more suitable, with her graciousness, a great - quality, which should characterise all princes, and which with her was - perfected by being united to the most sincere piety, and hatred of all - ostentation.” - -Of Eugenie, who became Queen of Norway and Sweden, she says:— - - “I had the honour to make the acquaintance of Madame Bernadotte, - sister of the Queen of Spain, who then had all the charms of a - graceful figure, and the most agreeable manners. I was struck with the - harmony that existed between her amiable face, her conversation, and - her mind.” - -Addison, who sailed from Marseilles on December 12th, 1699 (Macaulay -says the date should be 1700), and skirted the Ligurian coast to Genoa, -was surprised and delighted to see - - “the mountains cover’d with green Olive-trees, or laid out in - beautiful gardens, which gave us a great Variety of pleasing - Prospects, even in the Depth of Winter. The most uncultivated of them - produce abundance of sweet Plants, as Wild-Thyme, Lavender, Rosemary, - Balm and Myrtle.” - -In his “Letter from Italy” he writes:— - - “See how the golden groves around me smile, - That shun the coast of Britain’s stormy isle, - Or when transplanted and preserv’d with care, - Curse the cold clime, and starve in Northern air. - Here kindly warmth their mounting juice ferments, - To nobler tastes, and more exalted scents: - Ev’n the rough rocks with tender myrtle bloom, - And trodden weeds send out a rich perfume.” - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -AIX - - A city left solitary—Foundation of Aquæ Sextiæ—The Invasion - of Cimbri and Teutons—Defeat of the Romans—Blunders of the - barbarians—Defeat of Cœpio and Manlius—Marius sent against the - barbarians—Defeat of the Ambrons—Destruction of the Teutons—Ste. - Victoire—The Garagoul—King Réné: Sir Walter Scott’s character of - him: his imprisonment: his failure in Naples: retires to Provence: - character of his daughter, Queen Margaret—The procession at Aix—The - Feast of Fools—Death of Réné: carrying off of his corpse—Destruction - of the tombs at Angers—Cathedral—Museum. - - -AIX is perhaps the most dejected of cities. At one time the life blood -of the empire poured through it. The great road that left the Flaminian -gate of Rome, passed along the coast of the Ligurian Gulf, crossed the -shoulder of the Alps at La Turbie, and then, going through Nice and by -Cannes, reached Fréjus. At that point it turned inland, left the sea -behind, and made direct for Aix. Thence it stretched away to Arles, and -from that city radiated the routes to Spain, throughout Gaul, and to -the Rhine. Through the market passed all the trade of the West; through -it tramped the legions for the conquest of Britain, and the defence of -the Rhenish frontier; through it travelled the treasure for the pay of -the soldiery; through it streamed the lines of captives for the slave -market at Rome. - -But now, Aix is on no artery of communication. To reach it, one most go -in a loitering and roundabout fashion by branch lines, on which run no -express trains, in company with oxen in pens and trucks of coal. - -Marseilles has drained away the traffic that formerly ebbed and flowed -through Aix, leaving it listless and lifeless. But if we desire relics -and reminiscences of the past we must not omit a visit to Aix. - -Aquæ Sextiæ owes its foundation to Sextius Calvinus, in B.C. 124. The -town has thrice shifted its site. The old Ligurian fortified town was -on the heights of Entremont, three kilometres to the north—and traces -of it remain, but what its name was we do not know. After the defeat -of the Ligurians, Sextius Calvinus planted the Roman town about the -hot springs; but the modern town lies to the east. After his victory -over the Ambrons and Teutons Marius rested here and adorned the town -with monuments, and led water to it by the aqueduct, of which fragments -remain. Cæsar planted a colony here, and the place enjoyed great -prosperity. It was sacked and destroyed by the Saracens in 731, and but -slowly recovered from its ashes. From the thirteenth century the counts -of Provence held their court at Aix, and here lived and painted and -sang good King Réné, of whom more presently. - -Aix first rises to notice conspicuously through the defeat of the -Ambro-Teutons by Marius B.C. 102. I have described the campaign at some -length in my book _In Troubadour Land_, as I went over the whole of the -ground carefully. Here I will but sum up the story briefly. - -The Cimbri from what is now Jutland, the Teutons, and the Ambrons, -driven from their northern lands by an inundation of the sea, so it was -reported, more probably drawn south by desire of reaching fertile and -warmer seats than the bleak wastes of Northern Germany, crossed the -Rhine to the number of 300,000 fighting men, accompanied by their wives -and children, and moved south. All Gaul, and even Rome, trembled before -them, and the Senate despatched the Consul Papirius Carbo against them. -Having occupied the defiles of the Alps, the Consul opened negotiations -with the barbarians, who pleaded to have lands allotted to them. True -to the unscrupulous principles of Rome, in dealing with an enemy, he -proposed an armistice, which was accepted, and, profiting by this, -he fell treacherously on the enemy by night, when least expected by -the barbarians, who relied on his pacific assurances. But the Cimbri, -though taken at a disadvantage, rallied and drove the legions back in -disorder. On his return to Rome, Carbo was subjected to accusations -by M. Antonius, and put an end to his life by drinking a solution of -vitriol. Instead of profiting by this great victory to enter Italy, the -horde retraced its steps and turned towards Illyria and Thrace; after -devastating these, they again reappeared in Gaul on the right bank of -the Rhone, laden with spoils. Julius Silanus, governor of the province, -hastened to block their course, and the barbarians again asked to be -granted lands on which to settle, offering in return to place their -arms at the service of Rome. Silanus referred the proposal to the -Senate. The reply was one of insolent refusal and defiance. This so -exasperated the Cimbri and Teutons that they resolved on crossing the -Rhone and exacting at the point of the sword what had been refused as -a voluntary concession. In vain did a Roman army endeavour to dispute -with them the passage of the river. They crossed, fell on the Romans, -and slaughtered them. - -After this great success, the barbarians, instead of pursuing their -advantage, spread through the province and formed an alliance with the -Volci Tectosages, who had their capital at Toulouse. Then they hurried -towards Northern Gaul. The consul Cœpio was sent to chastise the Volci -for their defection, and he took and pillaged Toulouse. The Cimbri and -Teutons, on hearing of this, retraced their steps and confronted Cœpio. -But a year was allowed to pass without any decisive action being fought. - -In the meantime a fresh army had been raised in Rome, and despatched to -the aid of Cœpio, under the command of Manlius. In a fit of jealousy -Cœpio retired to the left bank, encamped apart, and refused to hold any -communication with Manlius; and, that he might have an opportunity of -finishing the war himself, he pitched his quarters between Manlius and -the enemy. At this juncture, with such a formidable host threatening, -the utmost prudence and unanimity were needed by the two commanders; -this the soldiers perceived, and they compelled Cœpio, against his -will, to unite his forces with those of Manlius. But this did not mend -matters. They quarrelled again, and again separated. The barbarians, -who were informed as to the condition of affairs, now fell on one -army and then on the other, and utterly routed both. Eighty thousand -Roman soldiers and forty thousand camp followers perished; only ten -men are said to have escaped the slaughter. It was one of the most -crushing defeats the Romans had ever sustained, and the day on which -it happened, October 6th, became one of the black days in the Roman -calendar. - -This overwhelming victory opened to the barbarians the gates of Italy. -It was, however, decided by them to ravage Spain before invading Italy. -The whole course of proceedings on their part was marked by a series -of fatal blunders. Accordingly they crossed the Pyrenees, but met with -such stubborn resistance from the Iberians that they withdrew. - -Meanwhile, Rome had recalled Marius from Africa, where he had triumphed -over Jugurtha, King of Numidia, along with some of his victorious -legions; and to him was entrusted the defence of Italy. He hastily -raised a new army, hurried into the province, crossed the _crau_, and -planted himself at the extreme western end of the chain of Les Alpines -at Ernaginum, now S. Gabriel, whence he could watch the enemy; and -whilst there he employed the soldiery in digging a canal from the sea -to the Durance, by means of which his camp could be supplied from -Marseilles with munitions of war and provisions. - -The Cimbri and Teutons, on leaving Spain, divided their forces. They -decided that the Cimbri should cross into the plains of Italy by the -passes of the Noric Alps, whereas the Ambrons and Teutons should -advance across the Maritime Alps by the Col de Tende. - -Marius remained inert, and observed the enemy cross the Rhone -without making an effort to prevent the passage, to the surprise and -indignation of his troops. The barbarians in vain attempted to draw him -into an engagement. Then they defiled along the Roman road to the north -of Les Alpines, passing under the palisades of the camp, shouting -derisively, “We are on our way to Rome! Have you any messages for your -wives and children?” Six days were spent in the march past. - -With difficulty Marius restrained his men. Only when the last of the -Ambrons, who brought up the rear, had gone by did Marius break up his -camp. He had along with him his wife, Julia, and a Syrian sorceress -named Martha. This woman, gorgeously attired, wearing a mitre, covered -with chains of gold, and holding a javelin hung with ribbons, was -now produced before the soldiery, and, falling into an ecstasy, she -prophesied victory to the Roman arms. Marius now moved east, following -the horde, keeping, however, to the high ground, the summit of the -limestone cliffs, and he came suddenly upon the Ambrons at Les Milles, -four miles to the south of Aix. At this point red sandstone heights -stand above the little river Are, and from under the rocks ooze -innumerable streams. Here the Ambrons were bathing, when the Roman -legionaries appeared above. - -Marius saw that the Ambrons had become detached from the Teutons, -who were pushing on to Aix. He had now no occasion to restrain his -soldiers, who poured down the hill and cut the enemy to pieces. - -Then he thrust on in pursuit of the Teutons. He knew the ground -thoroughly. The road beyond Aix ran through a basin—a plain bordered -by mountain heights, those on the north sheer precipices of yellow and -pink limestone, those on the south not abrupt, and clothed with coppice -and box shrubs. He detached Claudius Marcellus to make a circuit to -the north of the limestone range, with the cavalry, and to take up a -position where the road emerges from the basin, at its eastern limit. -He, with the main body of his army, by forced marches outstripped the -Teutons, be moving to the south, out of sight in the brushwood, and -came out where stands now the town of Trets. Thence he advanced down -the slope towards the plain, which is red as blood with sandstone and -clay, and where were tile works, Ad Tegulata. The Teutons had already -encamped, when they saw the Romans. An engagement at once began. Whilst -it was in progress, Marcellus came down in their rear with his cavalry. -The result was a rout and a slaughter. Few were spared among the -fighting men. Over 100,000 were slaughtered or made prisoners. Their -wives and children, their camp, and all their plunder, fell to the -victors. So great was the carnage, that the putrefying remains of the -Germans gave to the spot the name of Campi Putridi, now corrupted into -Pourrières. - -A monument was afterwards erected where the fiercest of the battle -raged, the foundations of which remain; and here was found the statue -of Venus Victrix, now in the Museum of Avignon; and at Pourrières a -triumphal arch was raised that still stands to commemorate the victory. -On the crag to the north, commanding the field, a temple of Victory -was erected that in Christian times became a chapel of Ste. Victoire, -and the great deliverance in B.C. 120 is still commemorated by the -lighting of bonfires on the heights, and by a pilgrimage and mass said -in the chapel on March 23rd. A little convent was erected near the -chapel, that is now in ruins; the existing chapel dates from only 1661. -At the Revolution it was allowed to fall to decay, but has since been -restored. The height of Ste. Victoire is noted as the resort of a -special kind of eagle, resembling the golden eagle, but more thickset, -and with “white scapulars.” - -It may be remembered that Sir Walter Scott has placed one of the scenes -of _Anne of Geierstein_ at the Monastery of Ste. Victoire. - -Near the chapel is the cavern of Lou Garagoul: - - “In the midst of this cavernous thoroughfare,” says Sir Walter, “is - a natural pit or perforation of great, but unknown, depth. A stone - dropped into it is heard to dash from side to side, until the noise - of its descent, thundering from cliff to cliff, dies away in distant - and faint tinkling, less loud than that of a sheep’s bell at a mile’s - distance. The traditions of the monastery annex wild and fearful - recollections to a place in itself sufficiently terrible. Oracles, - it is said, spoke from thence in pagan days by subterranean voices, - arising from the abyss.” - -The pit is, in fact, one of these _avens_ so commonly found on the -limestone _causses_. The description is somewhat overdrawn, but Sir -Walter had never seen the place, and all he knew of it was second hand. - -With Aix, King Réné is inseparably associated, that most unfortunate -Mark Tapley of monarchs claiming to be King of Jerusalem, Aragon, -of Naples and of Sicily, of Valencia, Majorca, Minorca, of Corsica -and Sardinia—to wear nine crowns, and yet not possessing a rood of -territory in one of them; Duke of Anjou and Bar, but despoiled of his -dukedoms, and reduced to only his county of Provence. - -[Illustration: KING RÉNÉ - -_From the Triptych in Aix Cathedral_] - -Sir Walter Scott pretty accurately describes him:— - - “Réné was a prince of very moderate parts, endowed with a love of - the fine arts, which he carried to extremity, and a degree of good - humour, which never permitted him to repine at fortune, but rendered - its possessor happy, when a prince of keener feelings would have died - of despair. This insouciant, light-tempered, gay, and thoughtless - disposition, conducted Réné, free from all the passions which embitter - life, and often shorten it, to a hale and mirthful old age. Even - domestic losses, which often affect those who are proof against - mere reverses of fortune, made no deep impression on the feelings - of this cheerful old monarch. Most of his children had died young; - Réné took it not to heart. His daughter Margaret’s marriage with the - powerful Henry of England was considered a connexion much above the - fortunes of the King of the Troubadours. But in the issue, instead of - Réné deriving any splendour from the match, he was involved in the - misfortunes of his daughter, and repeatedly obliged to impoverish - himself to supply her ransom.” - -In the Cours Mirabeau at Aix may be seen a statue of him by David -of Angers, but it is worthless as a bit of portraiture; which is -indefensible, as several genuine portraits of the king exist; one is -in the cathedral along with his second wife, in the triptych of the -Burning Bush; another in the MS. of Guarini’s translation of Strabo, in -the library at Albi; a third, in private hands, has been engraved in -the Count de Quatrebarbe’s edition of King Réné’s works. - -Réné has got into such a backwater of history that probably not -many English folk know more about him than that he was the father -of the unfortunate Margaret, Queen of Henry VI., sketched for us by -Shakespeare in an unfavourable light, and more of him than what Scott -is pleased to say in _Anne of Geierstein_. But no man has so taken hold -of Provençal affection as has Réné. - - “If to the present day,” says a local historian, “the thought of this - King makes a Provençal heart beat with tender love, it is due to this: - that never was there a sovereign who showed greater consideration for - his people, was more sparing of their blood and money, more desirous - of promoting their happiness. Simple and modest in all his tastes, - enjoying less revenue than most of the Seigneurs who were his vassals, - he was to be seen every winter sunning himself in the midst of his - subjects, who idolised him.” - -Réné, Duke of Anjou and Maine, was prisoner to the Duke of Burgundy, -when news reached him that the inheritances of his brother and of Queen -Joanna II. of the Two Sicilies, had fallen to him. Married to Isabella, -daughter of Charles of Lorraine, he had claimed that duchy on the death -of his father-in-law, and in opposition to Anthony, Count of Vaudemont, -nephew of Charles. The Count of Vaudemont was supported by Philip, -Duke of Burgundy. Réné was defeated and taken prisoner, along with -his son and all his great nobles. Conducted to the castle of Blacon, -near Salines, he was there retained in captivity till he could pay an -enormous ransom. It was, accordingly, whilst a prisoner that he heard -the news of the death of his brother, Louis III., and of his adoption -by the queen, and then of the death of Joanna, in 1435. - -As he was unable to take possession of his kingdom of the Two Sicilies, -he was obliged to transfer his authority to his wife, the Duchess -Isabella, a woman of rare prudence and of masculine courage. The -absence of Réné from his kingdom of Naples gave rise to the formation -of factions: one favoured Alphonso of Aragon, a claimant; another took -the side of Pope Eugenius IV., who wanted to annex the Sicilies to -the papal states; a third party favoured Réné, and this latter was -the most numerous. But the King of Aragon was prompt and determined. -Alphonso hastened to Naples, took Capua, and laid siege to Gaeta. -Happily for Réné’s party, the Genoese, who were jealous of Alphonso, -forced him to raise the siege, and took him prisoner. Later, however, -Gaeta fell before Peter, the brother of Alphonso. - -At this time Isabella was making preparations at Aix and in the port of -Marseilles for a descent on Naples. The Pope was induced to withdraw -his claim, to lend her 4,000 horsemen, and to help her by hurling -excommunications against the Aragonese. Meanwhile, King Réné, by -promises, had succeeded in effecting his release, but on very harsh -terms. He bound himself to pay 200,000 gold florins, and to cede -several fortified places till his ransom was paid. His son, the Duke -of Calabria, had been set at liberty the year before for a ransom of -25,000 florins. Réné had spent six years in prison. - -Delivered from his long captivity, Réné hastened to Provence, where the -estates found him 100,000 gold florins for the prosecution of the war. -In April, 1438, Réné sailed from Marseilles for Naples. Unfortunately -for him, at this time his trusted constable, Jacopo Caldora, died, and -the king gave his place to the son of Caldora, a man of very different -stamp, who sold himself to the King of Aragon and threw every possible -hindrance in the way of Réné, who was besieged in Naples, and sorely -hampered by lack of money wherewith to content his soldiery. One day, -as he was passing through the streets, a widow cried to him to give her -bread for her starving children. Réné passed without a word. “If he -will not feed them, I know who will,” said the woman, and she hastened -to betray to a partisan of Alphonso the secret of a subterranean -passage into the town; in fact, the old aqueduct through which, nine -centuries before, Belisarius had penetrated into Naples. The Spaniards -poured into the town, and Réné had but just time to escape to a vessel -in the bay. He retired to Provence, and there his wife, Isabella, died -in 1453. He had her body moved to Angers, and erected over her a noble -tomb, near one he had set up some years before to his old nurse. Réné -fought against the English beside the French King, and was in the -battle of Crecy. In 1448 his daughter Margaret had been married to -Henry VI. - -Shakespeare and the chroniclers have combined to blacken the character -of this unfortunate woman. She is represented in repulsive colours, -as unfeminine, revengeful, loose in her morals; and even her energy -and fortitude are distorted into unnatural ferocity and obduracy. -But we cannot trust the picture painted of her. The English people -resented the marriage with an impecunious woman, and the cession of -the duchy of Maine to the French as the price for her hand. They were -galled and writhing at the humiliation of the English arms, in a -series of victories won by the aid of the Maid of Orleans. She was, -moreover, placed in the unnatural position of having to supply, by her -force of character, the feebleness of her husband’s rule. The soft, -feminine nature of Henry’s disposition threw hers by contrast into -undue prominence. She had penetration to discover, what was hidden -from Henry’s eyes, that the throne was surrounded by false friends and -secret enemies. Considering the incapacity of the King, it is unjust to -judge her harshly, if she strove with all her powers to save the crown -imperilled by his feebleness. The situation in which she was placed -compelled her to do that which is the worst thing a woman can do, to -unsex herself, and that, not like the Maid of Orleans, in consequence -of a Divine impulse, but from motives of policy. Inevitably much has -been attributed to her for which she was not rightfully responsible. -It could hardly be otherwise than that much in her way of life was -inconsistent with her female character; a woman cannot play a man’s -part in the work of the world without detriment to her own nature; but -this was forced on her by the helpless imbecility of her husband, and -she was compelled by the stress of circumstances to take the first part -in a struggle to save the crown, and to hand it on to her son. - -After the death of Isabella, Réné married Jeanne de Laval, with whom he -lived happily. He loved to walk about the country in a broad-brimmed -straw hat, and to chat with the peasants; or else to amuse himself with -illuminating MSS. and composing poems. - -Louis XI. was his nephew, a crafty and cold-blooded king, and he took -advantage of the inability of Réné to offer effective resistance to -dispossess him of his duchy of Anjou. Thenceforth Réné, who had spent -his time between Anjou and Provence, was constrained to reside only in -the latter. - -One great source of delight to him consisted in scheming showy public -processions and tournaments, and in hunting up relics of saints. He -instituted a festival at Aix to represent the triumph of Christianity -over Paganism, that was to be repeated annually. At the head of the -procession appeared the gods, with their proper attributes—Jove with -his eagle and thunderbolts, Pluto surrounded by devils, Diana with -her crescent, Venus in the scantiest of garments. Around their chariot -trotted an assembly of lepers covered with sores and vested in rags. -Then came a body of pipers, dancers, and soldiers. Next appeared the -Queen of Sheba on a visit to Solomon; Moses with the Tables of the Law, -and with gilt horns; round him a rabble of Jews hooting and cutting -derisive antics, and dancing about a golden calf. Next came apostles -and evangelists, all with their appropriate symbols, and Judas, against -whose head the apostles delivered whacks, Peter with his keys, Andrew -with his cross, James with his staff. - -Then came a gigantic figure to represent S. Christopher, followed by -military engaged in sham fight. Next the Abbot of Youth, the Lord -of Misrule, the Twelfth Night King, and other allegorical figures -preceding the Blessed Sacrament, carried under a daïs. Finally the -procession closed with a figure of Death mowing to right and left with -his scythe. Each group of this interminable procession executed a sort -of dramatic game designed by King Réné—the game of the stars, of the -devils, and so on; and the whole procession moved, not only to the -braying of horns, the beating of drums, and the shrill notes of the -wry-necked fife, but also to the discordant clashing of all the church -bells of Aix. - -It was a matter of keen competition annually to get a part to play in -the show. One man on a certain occasion was highly wrath and offended -because he was not set down to the part of Devil. “My father was a -devil before me, my grandfather was a devil, why should not I be one -as well?” Possibly King Réné devised the entertainment to draw people -away from their celebration of the Feast of Fools, a feast that existed -in full vigour until it was finally put down by the provincial council -of Aix in 1585, after Réné had vainly endeavoured to get rid of it. -This astounding piece of ribaldry and profanity was everywhere, and -every effort made by the Church to be rid of it had met with stubborn -resistance from the people. In Dijon it was abolished by the Parliament -in 1552, as the ecclesiastical authorities were powerless to end it. - -The Feast of Fools was the carrying on of the old pagan Saturnalia, -when on December 17th for a week all conditions were turned -topsy-turvey. The slaves took places at table and the masters served; -and the streets were full of riot and revelry. It was customary at -Aix and Arles, and in almost every great church in France, from the -New Year to the Epiphany, for the people to proceed to the election -of a Bishop of Fools. The election took place amidst buffoonery and -the most indecent farces. The newly-elected was then made to officiate -pontifically at the high altar, whilst clerks carried mitre and -crozier, their faces daubed over with paint or soot. Some men dressed -as women, women were disguised as men, and danced in the choir. Songs -of the grossest nature were sung; and in place of incense old leather -and all kinds of filth were burnt; sausages and black puddings were -eaten on the altar. The last traces of these horrible profanities did -not disappear till the middle of the eighteenth century. - -But to return to King Réné. He died at the age of seventy-two in July, -1480, and according to his will, his nephew, Charles of Maine, took -possession of the county of Provence under the title of Charles IV. But -he soon died, and then Louis XI. annexed Provence, as he had Anjou, to -the French crown. - -Réné had desired to be buried at Angers beside his first wife, and -Jeanne, his second, tried to carry out his wishes; but the people of -Aix would not hear of the body being removed from their midst. The -estates met, and sent a petition to Jeanne to renounce the idea of -conveying the remains away from Provence. However, she gained the -consent of the archbishop to the removal; but she was obliged to wait -a whole year before the suspicions and watchfulness of the people of -Aix would allow her to execute her purpose. Then she sent a covered -waggon, with intent, as she gave out, to remove some of her goods from -the castle at Aix; and during the night the body of the old king was -whisked away; the horses started at a gallop, and the corpse conveyed -beyond the frontiers of the county before the people were aware of the -theft. A noble monument was erected at Angers to contain the mortal -remains of Réné. Unhappily at the French Revolution this, as well as -the monument and statue of Isabella, his first wife, and even that of -his dear old nurse, were smashed to fragments by the rabble. - -The cathedral is an interesting church: the south aisle constituted -the Early Romanesque church. To this was added the present nave in -1285, with apse. On the south side of the church is a charming Early -Romanesque cloister, and on the north is a baptistry of the sixth -century, but somewhat altered in 1577, containing eight columns of -polished granite and marble proceeding from some demolished temple. -There are two objects in the church likely more specially to attract -attention; the triptych of the Burning Bush, where King Réné and -Jeanne de Laval are represented kneeling before the Bush that burns -with fire and is not consumed, and in which, by a curious anachronism, -is represented the Virgin and Child. This triptych was painted, it is -thought, by Van der Meire, a disciple of Van Eyck. The other object -is the magnificent series of tapestries in the choir, representing -the Life of Our Lord, which came from S. Paul’s Cathedral, London, -whence they were ejected at the time of the Commonwealth. The date of -these tapestries is 1511, and they are attributed to Quentin Matsys of -Antwerp. - -The museum of Aix richly deserves a visit. It contains bas-reliefs -dug up at Entremont, where was the old Ligurian stronghold, taken by -Sextius Calvinus; and these are the very earliest bits of Gaulish -sculpture that have been found anywhere. There are also numerous relics -of the classic Aix that have been unearthed in the town, and Christian -sarcophagi sculptured with Biblical scenes. - -In the town library is King Réné’s _Book of Hours_, illuminated by his -own hand. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -TOULON - - Coudon and Faron—Telo Martius—Dye works—Toulon made an arsenal - and dockyard—Galley slaves—The Bagne—The Red Caps—Travaux - forcés—Story of Cognard—Siege of 1793—Carteaux and - Napoleon—Massacre—Expedition to Egypt. - - -THE precipices of limestone, Coudon, 1,205 feet high, and Faron, 1,790 -feet, standing as guardians over Toulon, crowned with gleaming circles -of white fortifications, effectually protect the great arsenal and -dockyards of this place of first importance to France. Coudon looks -out over the _crau_ towards the Gulf of Hyères, and would effectually -prevent attack thence; and Faron, standing immediately above the -harbour of Toulon, could sink any fleet that ventured within range. -Indeed, till these two fortresses should be silenced, Toulon would be -impregnable. - -Faron (_Pharus_), as its name implies, was formerly the beacon height -to the _Rade_. During the night a fire was flaming on its summit, -during the day moistened straw was burnt to send up a column of smoke. -This language of signals communicated to the population of the coast -the appearance on the horizon of vessels suspected of piratical intent. -The beacon of Faron communicated with other beacons on heights within -sight of one another. The keeping up of these signals on points of -observation was essential to the protection of the coast, and the -archives of Toulon contain a series of agreements concluded between -the town and the neighbouring places, for the maintenance of the -watch-tower of Faron, as also that of Six Fours, one of the most -ancient lighthouses of France. - -Toulon, the Latin Telo Martius, was originally a Phœnician settlement -for the preparation of the famous Tyrian dye, made out of the shell of -the _murex_. The Latins called it the Telo of Mars, the God of War, -because, as lover of blood, he was patron as well of the dye, which -ranged through all the gamut of tints from crimson to blue-purple. - -The town was ravaged successively by Franks and Saracens, and sank to -insignificance; it did not become a place of maritime and military -importance till the sixteenth century, when Henry IV. built the forts -of Ste. Catherine and S. Antoine, and the two great moles that flank -the port; he was the first to discern that the pivot of defence of -Provence lay here. Louis XIV. confided to Colbert the reorganisation -of the fleet; and for the purpose dockyards, workshops of all -descriptions, were needed. The basins were enlarged and deepened, -and Vauban received instructions to extend the quays, construct -fortifications, surround the city with a series of star forts, -according to the system that has immortalised his name, and, in a word, -make of Toulon the first arsenal of France. It was due to this that -the place was able to withstand the sieges of 1707 and 1793. Toulon -was, moreover, made the largest convict establishment of France; and -the convicts were employed on the work of its defences, in excavating -basins, and building quays and warehouses. - -In ancient times—indeed, from the classic period—the arduous and -exhausting work of rowing vessels was given to slaves and prisoners. -No free man would endure the toil and hardship of the galleys. War -vessels, merchantmen, and pleasure yachts were alike propelled by this -unfortunate class of men. Jacques Cœur, the banker, had four coquettish -galleys with gilded prows and oars, propelled by prisoners hired for -his service. Each of these vessels had at the bows a sacred image, -wreathed with flowers, of the saint whose name it bore. There was La -Madeleine, S. Jacques, S. Michel, and S. Denis. Charles VII. seized -them all; he did not leave a single boat to the fugitive merchant, -whose only fault was that he had made the King of France his debtor to -the amount of a hundred thousand crowns. - -In a large galley as many as six men were required for each oar. -Sweating close together, for hour after hour, not sitting, but leaping -on the bench, in order to throw their whole weight on the oar, they -were kept to their task with little relaxation. - - “Think of six men, chained to a bench, naked as when they were born; - one foot on the stretcher, and the other on the bench in front, - holding an immensely heavy oar (15 feet long), bending forward to the - stern with arms at full reach to clear the backs of the rowers in - front, who bend likewise; and then, having got forward, shoving up - the oar’s end, to let the blade catch the water, then throwing their - bodies back on to the groaning bench. A galley was thus propelled - sometimes for ten, twelve, or even twenty hours, without a moment’s - rest. The boatswain in such a stress puts a piece of bread steeped - in wine into the wretched rower’s mouth to stop fainting, and then - the captain shouts the order to redouble the lash. If a slave falls - exhausted upon his oar (which often happens), he is flogged till he is - taken for dead, and then pitched unceremoniously into the sea.”[7] - -Jean Marteille, of Bergerac, who was himself on the galleys about the -year 1701, thus described the life:— - - “Those who have not seen a galley at sea, especially in chasing or - being chased, cannot well conceive the shock such a spectacle must - give to a heart capable of the least tincture of compassion. To behold - ranks and files of half naked, half starved, half tanned, meagre - wretches, chained to a plank, from which they do not remove for months - together (commonly half a year), urged on even beyond human endurance, - with cruel and repeated blows on their bare flesh, to the incessant - toil at the most laborious of all exercises, which often happens in a - furious chase,—was indeed a horrifying spectacle.” - -To be condemned to the galleys was not necessarily a life sentence. At -first all such as were sent thither were branded on the shoulder with -GAL, but afterwards this was changed to T.F. for Travaux forcés, or -T.P. if for life; and each class wore a special coloured cap. Great was -the indignation felt at the Revolution, on ascertaining that the red -cap of Liberty was what was worn by one class of gaol-birds. A member -of the Convention rose and demanded that this honourable badge should -be removed from their heads; and amidst thunders of applause, the -motion was carried. A special commissioner was despatched to Toulon to -order the abolition of the red cap from the Bagne. Accordingly all the -caps were confiscated and burnt. But the National Convention had made -no provision for replacing the red cap with one of another colour, -consequently the prisoners had for some time to go bare-headed. In -1544 the Archbishop of Bourges sent a couple of priests and two other -clerks to the captain of the galleys at Toulon, and required him to -put them to hard labour. But this was regarded by the Parliament as an -infringement of its rights, and the captain was ordered to send the -clerics back to the archbishop. - -Men were condemned to the galleys for every sort of crime and fault. -Many a wretched Huguenot toiled at the oar. Often enough a nobleman -laboured beside a man belonging to the dregs of the people. Haudriquer -de Blancourt, in love with a lady of good rank, to flatter her made -a false entry in her pedigree, so as to enhance her nobility. There -ensued an outcry among heralds, and for this De Blancourt was sent to -the galleys. - -As naval construction and science improved, oars were no longer -employed, and sails took their places; the galleys were moored at -Toulon, Brest and Roquefort, and acquired the name of Bagnes. The -derivation is uncertain. By some it is supposed to be derived from -the Provençal _bagna_, which signifies “moored,” by others from the -prisons of the slaves near the Bagno, or baths of the seraglio at -Constantinople. - -Louis XVI. abolished torture, which had filled the Bagne with cripples. -Thenceforth the Bagne ceased to be an infirmary of martyrs, and became -a workshop of vigorous labourers. The Revolution of 1789 tore up all -the old codes, but it maintained the galleys, only it changed the name -of Galerien to Travaux forcés à temps, ou à perpetuité. No one formerly -seemed to be sensible to the horrible brutality of the galleys. When -Madame de Grignan wrote an account of a visit to one of them to her -friend Mme de Sévigné, that lady replied “she would much like to see -this sort of Hell,” with “the men groaning day and night under the -weight of their chains.” - -Furthenbach, in his _Architectura navalis_ (Ulm, 1629), says that the -convict in a galley received 28 ounces of biscuit per week, and a -spoonful of a mess of rice and vegetables. The full complement of a -large galley consisted of 270 rowers, with captain, chaplain, doctor, -boatswain, master, and ten to fifteen gentlemen adventurers, friends -of the captain, sharing his mess, and berthed in the poop; also about -eighteen marines and ten warders, a carpenter, cook, cooper, and smith, -&c., and from fifty to sixty soldiers; so that the whole equipage of a -galley must have reached a total of four hundred men. - -The Bagne has seen strange inmates. Perhaps no story of a _forçat_ is -more extraordinary than that of Cognard, better known as the Count of -Pontis de Sainte-Hélène. This man, who seemed to have been born to -command, was well built, tall, and singularly handsome, with a keen eye -and a lofty carriage. This fellow managed to escape from the Bagne, -and made his way into Spain, where he formed an acquaintance with the -noble family of Pontis de Sainte-Hélène, and by some means, never -fully cleared up, blotted the whole family out of life and secured all -their papers, and thenceforth passed himself off as a Pontis. Under -this name he became a sub-lieutenant in the Spanish army, then rose to -be captain of a squadron, and after the attack on Montevideo, gained -the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Later he formed a foreign legion, and -took part in the political struggles in the Peninsula. He affected the -most rigid probity in all matters of military accounts, and denounced -two of the officers who had been guilty of embezzlement. But these -men, in their own defence, accused Pontis of malversion, and General -Wimpfen had him arrested. He escaped, but was caught, and transferred -to Palma, among the French prisoners. In the bay was lying a Spanish -brig. Cognard proposed to his fellow prisoners to attempt to capture -it. The _coup de main_ succeeded, and after having taken the brig, they -sailed for Algiers, where they sold the vessel, and went to Malaga, -then in French occupation. Count Pontis was given a squadron under the -Duke of Dalmatia; and when the French army retreated he was accorded a -battalion in the 100th regiment of the line. - -At the siege of Toulouse, the Count of Pontis, at the head of a flying -column, took an English battery. At Waterloo he was wounded. - -In 1815 the Count was made Knight of Saint Louis, and given a battalion -in the legion of the Seine, and in six months was promoted to be -lieutenant-colonel. One day the Duc de Berri asked him if he were one -of the noble Spanish House of Ste. Hélène. “Pardieu, mon prince,” -answered Cognard, “je suis noble, et de la vieille roche encore.” - -Cognard, covered with decorations, in his rich uniform, at the head of -his regiment, at reviews—might well have pushed his fortune further, -but for an unfortunate meeting. One day, as commander of his corps, -he presided, near the column of the Place Vendôme, at a military -degradation; when an old Toulon convict, who had been released, -observed him, eyed him attentively, and, convinced that he recognised -an old comrade of the Bagne, in a fit of spleen and envy, denounced him -as such. - -The general Despinois sent for Pontis, and finding that there was much -that was equivocal on his part, despatched him, under the charge of -four gens d’armes, to the Abbaye. There he obtained from the officer -permission to change his linen, was allowed to return to his quarters, -possessed himself of a pair of pistols, and escaped. Six months after, -the Count Pontis de Sainte Hélène, lieutenant-colonel of the legion -of the Seine, Knight of S. Louis and of the legion of honour, was -recaptured, convicted of appearing under a false name, suspected of the -murder of the Pontis family, recognised as an evaded convict, and was -sent to end his days in the Bagne at Brest. - -In October, 1793, a disorderly mob of soldiers and revolutionary -cut-throats, under the command of the painter Carteaux, after having -dyed their hands in the blood of six thousand of their countrymen, whom -they had massacred at Lyons, invested Toulon, which had shut its gates -against the revolutionary army, and had thrown open its port to the -English. The town was crowded with refugees from Marseilles, and its -bastions were occupied by a mixed multitude of defenders, Sardinians, -Spaniards, French, and English, united in nothing save in common hatred -of the monsters who were embrued in blood. - -The investing army was divided into two corps, separated by the -Faron. On the west was Ollioules, where Carteaux had established his -headquarters. The commander-in-chief, ignorant of the first principles -of military science, and allowing his wife to draw out the orders for -the day, and sign them as Femme Carteaux, had planted his batteries -where they could do no injury to the English fleet. The siege had begun -in September; it dragged on through October. There was organisation -neither in the host nor in the commissariat. The army was composed -partly of troops detached from that of Italy, mainly of volunteers set -at liberty by the taking of Lyons, and a horde of Marseillais ruffians, -animated by hopes of murder and plunder. - -In the midst of this confusion Bonaparte arrived before Toulon, -and appearing before Carteaux had the audacity to point out to him -the rudimentary errors he had committed. Carteaux was furious, but -his claws were clipped by the Commissioners, who, satisfied of his -incompetence, dismissed him, and Dugommier, an old officer, was -placed in command. On November 25th a council of war was held, and -the Commissioners placed the command of the artillery in the hands of -Bonaparte. - -In compliance with his instructions, the whole force of the besiegers -was directed against the English redoubt Mulgrave, now fort Caire, on -the Aiguillette. An attempt to carry it by assault was made on the -morning of December 17th. The troops of the Convention were driven -back, and Dugommier, who headed the attempt, gave up all for lost. But -fresh troops were rapidly brought up in support, another onslaught was -attempted, and succeeded in overpowering the Spanish soldiers, to whom -a portion of the line was entrusted; whereupon the assailants broke in, -turned the flank of the English detachment, and cut down three hundred -of them. - -The possession of this fort rendered the further maintenance of the -exterior defences of Toulon impracticable. Its effect was at once -recognised by the English commander, and during the night the whole of -the allied troops were withdrawn from the promontory into the city. - -Meanwhile, another attack had been made, under the direction of -Napoleon, on the rocky heights of Faron, which were carried, and the -mountain was occupied by the Republicans, who hoisted the tricolor flag. - -The garrison of Toulon consisted of above ten thousand men, and -the fortifications of the town itself were as yet uninjured; but -the harbour was commanded and swept by the guns of the enemy from -l’Aiguillette and Faron. Sir Samuel Hood, in command of the English -squadron, strongly urged the necessity of recovering the points that -had been lost; but he was overruled, and it was resolved to evacuate -the place. - -When the citizens of Toulon became aware of this decision, they were -filled with dismay. They knew but too well what fate was in store for -them if left to the hands of their remorseless fellow-countrymen. -Accordingly the quays were crowded with terror-stricken men and women -imploring to be taken on board, whilst already the shot from Napoleon’s -batteries tore lanes among them, or his shells exploded in their midst. -With difficulty, as many as could be accommodated were placed in boats -and conveyed to the ships. Fourteen thousand were thus rescued; but -Napoleon directed shot and shell among the boats, sinking some, and -drowning the unhappy and innocent persons who were flying from their -homes. - -The prisoners now broke their chains and added to the horror, as they -burst into the deserted houses, robbing and firing and murdering where -resistance was offered. Next day the troops of the Convention entered -the town. During the ensuing days, some hundreds of the inhabitants who -had not escaped were swept together into an open place, and without any -form of trial were shot. - -Barras and Fréron issued a proclamation that all who considered -themselves to be good citizens were required to assemble in the -Champ-de-Mars under pain of death. Three thousand responded to the -order. Fréron was on horseback, surrounded by the troops, cannon, and -Jacobins. Turning to these latter, he said, “Go into the crowd and pick -out whom you will, and range them along that wall.” - -The Jacobins went in and did as desired, according to their caprice. -Then, at a signal from Fréron, the guns were discharged, and the -unhappy crowd swayed; some fell, others, against the wall, dropped. -Fréron shouted, “Let those who are not dead stand up.” Such as had been -wounded only rose, when another volley sent them out of life. - -Salicetti wrote exultingly: “The town is on fire, and offers a hideous -spectacle; most of the inhabitants have escaped. Those who remain will -serve to appease the manes of our brave brothers who fought with such -valor.” Fouché, Napoleon’s future Head of Police, wrote: “Tears of -joy stream over my cheeks and flood my soul. We have but one way in -which to celebrate our victory. We have this evening sent 213 rebels -under the fire of our lightning.” “We must guillotine others,” said -Barras, “to save ourselves from being guillotined.” Executions went -on for several days, and numbers of the hapless remnant perished. But -even this did not satisfy the Convention. On the motion of Barrère, -it was decreed that the name of Toulon should be blotted out, and a -commission, consisting of Barras, Fréron, and the younger Robespierre, -was ordered to continue the slaughter. Such as were able bought their -lives. One old merchant of eighty-four offered all his wealth save -eight hundred livres; but the revolutionary judge, coveting the whole, -sent him under the guillotine, and confiscated his entire property. - -Whilst the butchery was in progress, a grand dinner was given in -celebration of the taking of the town. Generals, representatives -of the people, sans-culottes, galley-slaves, “the only respectable -persons in the town,” as the commissioners said, sat down together, the -commissioners occupying a separate table. - -Toulon again gradually refilled with people, and under the Directory -it was constituted the first military port of France. From Toulon -Bonaparte organised his expedition to Egypt. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -HYÈRES - - The olive—The orange—The sumac—The _crau_ of the Gapeau—Contrast - between the old town and the new—Shelter or no shelter—The - family of Fos—The peninsula of Giens—Saltings—Ancient - value of salt—Pomponiana—S. Pierre a’ Al-Manar—A false - alarm—The League—Razats and Carcists—Castle held by the - Carcists—Surrender—Churches of S. Paul and S. Louis—The Iles - de Hyères—The reformatory in Ile du Levant—Mutiny—Horrible - scenes—Sentences. - - -IT will be at Hyères, probably, that the visitor to the Riviera first -realises that he has come amidst tropical vegetation, for here he will -first see palms, agaves, and aloes in full luxuriance. Moreover, the -olive, which has been seen, but not in its full luxuriance, reaches its -finest development on the red soil north of the branch line, where it -parts from the main line at La Pauline. - -[Illustration: OLIVE TREES] - -The olive is without question the most important tree on this coast; -it prevails, and gives its colour to the country everywhere, except in -the Montagnes des Maures and the Estérel. This is a most difficult tree -for an artist to deal with, as it forms no masses of foliage; the small -pointed leaves, dull green above, pale below, are so disposed that the -foliage can be represented only by a series of pencil scratches. The -trunk has a tendency to split into three or four parts in the ground. -The vitality of the olive is remarkable. After a century, it may be -after more, the core of the trunk decays, and the tree parts into -sections, and lives on through the ever-vital bark. The bark curls -about the decayed sections, and forms a fresh tree. Consequently, in -place of one huge ancient olive, one finds three or four younger trees, -but all with a look on them as if they were the children of old age, -growing out of the same root. And when this second generation dies, -the vitality of the root remains unimpaired; it throws up new shoots, -and thus the life of the tree, like that of an ancient family, is -indefinitely prolonged. The healthy olive tree, well fed on old rags -and filth of every description, to which it is exceedingly partial, is -very beautiful; but the beauty of the olive tree comes out in winter -and early spring; when the deciduous trees are in leaf and brilliant -green, it looks dull and dowdy. The olive flowers from April to -June, and the fruit requires about six months to reach maturity. The -harvest, accordingly, is in winter. The berry becomes black finally, -and falls from the tree in December and January. The oil from the fully -matured olives is more abundant, but is not so good in quality as that -expressed from the berry whilst still green. The olives, when gathered, -are taken to the mills, which are rude, picturesque buildings, planted -in the ravines to command water power; but occasionally the crushing -is done by horses turning the mills. The olives are crushed by stone -rollers; the pulp is put into baskets and saturated with hot water, and -subjected to great pressure. The juice then squeezed out is carried -into vats, where the oil floats on the surface and is skimmed off. - -The wood of the olive is used for fuel, and for boxes and other -ornaments that are hand-painted. - -The tree requires good nourishment if it is to be well cropped, and it -is most partial to a dressing of old rotten rags. All the filthy and -decayed scraps of clothing cast by the Neapolitan peasantry are carried -in boats to the coast and are eagerly bought as manure. - -At Hyères, moreover, we come on the orange and the lemon. The orange -was originally imported from China into Spain, and thence passed to -Italy and the Riviera. Oranges are said to live four or five hundred -years. S. Dominic planted one in the garden at Sta. Sabina, at Rome, -in 1200, that still flourishes. Hale and fruit-bearing also is that at -Fondi, planted by Thomas Aquinas in 1278. Nevertheless, it is certain -that old orange-trees have disappeared from Hyères. Whether they -were killed by the severe winter of 1864, or whether by a disease, -is doubtful. The trees one sees now are none of them ancient, and do -not attain a height above nine feet. The name orange comes from the -Sanskrit, and the Portuguese, who introduced the orange to Europe, -borrowed the name from the Hindus. In 1516 Francis I. was present -during a naval sham fight at Marseilles, where oranges were used as -projectiles. Oranges had been grown sufficiently long at Hyères to -have attained a great size in the sixteenth century, for when there, -Charles IX., his brother the Duke of Anjou, and the King of Navarre, -by stretching their hands, together hooped round the trunk of one tree -that bore 14,000 oranges. Thereupon was cut in the bark, “_Caroli regis -amplexu glorior_.” But there are no such orange-trees as that now -at Hyères. Probably that was of a more hardy nature and of inferior -quality to the orange-tree now grown. In fact, the present strain of -oranges cultivated is a late importation, not earlier than about 1848. -When a horticulturist of Marseilles imported it, it was next brought -to Bordighera; from thence it passed to San Remo, to Ventimiglia, and -thence to Nice. The orange, and above all the lemon, is very sensitive -to cold, and the frost of February, 1905, blighted nearly every tree -along the coast, turning the leaves a pale straw colour. Only in very -sheltered spots did they retain their green and gloss. - -About Solliés-Pont the sumac is grown for the sake of its tannin. The -leaves only are used, but for them the branches are cut off. When these -are dry they are stripped of their foliage by women and children. The -leaves are then pounded to powder, and are packed in sacks and sent -away. Thirty per cent. of the matter in the dried sumac leaves is -tannin. - -At Hyères we have passed abruptly from the limestone to the schist -that has been heaved up by the granite of the Montagnes des Maures. -The Gapeau, which at present flows into the sea to the east of Hyères, -originally discharged past La Garde into the Rade de Toulon. But it -brought down such a quantity of rubble from the limestone range—of -which the Pilon de la Sainte Beaume is the highest point—that it has -formed a _crau_ of its own, and choked up its mouth to such an extent -as to force its current to turn to the farther side of the Maurettes so -as to find a passage to the sea. - -Hyères is a notable place for the abrupt contrast it exhibits between -what is ancient and what is modern. Down the slope of the height, that -is crowned by the castle, slides the old town, with narrow streets, -mere lanes, to its old walls, in which are gateways, and through these -arches we emerge at once into everything that is most up-to-date. At a -stride we pass out of the Middle Ages into modern times. There is no -intervening zone of transition. - -At Hyères the Maurette rises as a natural screen, facing the sun, -banking out the north wind, with the _crau_ of the Gapeau on one side, -and the bed of the Gapeau on the other; and of course, those who go -to the South for shelter would naturally, one would suppose, keep the -screen between themselves and the Mistral. But not so. Settlers have -thought they had done all that was required when they came to Hyères, -and have built their villas, and extended the town to the north-west, -precisely where there is no shelter at all, and there is full exposure -to the blasts from the north. One great disadvantage to Hyères is the -distance at which it stands from the sea. - -Hyères belonged originally to the family de Fos, which had the -marquisate of Marseilles, an immense fief containing fifty towns, -Marseilles, Solliés, Toulon, Hyères, Le Ciotat, Cassis, Aubagne, etc. -But in 1257 it was ceded to Charles of Anjou, Count of Provence. - -The importance of Hyères was due to its salt pans. The peninsula of -Giens was undoubtedly at one time an island, one of the group that -forms a chain, of which Porquerolles and l’Ile du Levant are the -principal. But the currents round the coast threw up shingle beds and -sealed it to the coast, forming an extensive natural lake of salt -water between the two barriers, but with a gap in that to the east -through which the sea water could flow. In this shallow lagoon salt -was produced. The entrance could be closed, and the sun dried up the -water in the basin, leaving the salt behind. At present, with our ready -communication by rail, the importance and value of salt in ancient -times can hardly be realised. In the centre of Gaul and of France in -olden days men ravened for salt. It was to them what sweetstuff is -now to children. They would sell anything to provide themselves with -this condiment. Conceive for a moment what our tables would be without -the salt-cellar; how flat, how insipid would be our meals. - -[Illustration: PINES NEAR HYÈRES] - -Dr. Schweinfurt, in his _Travels in the Heart of Africa_, describes -the loathsome parasitic growths in the intestines of the cattle due to -the absence of salt. It is a necessity for man and beast. Our storms -carry some and deposit it on the grass; but we live in an island. What -intestinal troubles must those men have endured who were deprived of -it! Well, the lagoon of Giens furnished a large amount, and there were -other salt-pans—as there are still, on the eastern side of Hyères. -These made the town to flourish. Salt was the main production and -source of wealth. - -Near the Château de Carqueyranne, in the lap of the Bay of Giens, are -the ruins of a Greco-Roman town, Pomponiana. It stretched from the -beach up the hill crowned by the remnants of the Convent of S. Pierre -a’ Al-Manar. The old town was explored in 1843 by Prince Frederick, -afterwards King Frederick VII. of Denmark. He laid bare the Acropolis, -baths, cisterns, store-houses, and a mole for the protection of the -galleys that entered the harbour. Most of what was then laid open has -since been covered over, but the whole ground is so strewn with pottery -that the peasants have to clear their fields of it as an incumbrance. - -The ruined convent above was occupied by Sisters of the Benedictine -Order. It was fortified, and exercised feudal authority over the land -around. In the event of danger, the convent bell summoned the tenants -to its aid. But one winter night a frolicsome nun rang the bell for -the fun of the thing, and when the vassals arrived, laughed at them for -allowing themselves to be fooled from their beds. This prank cost the -convent dear, for shortly after a Moorish corsair put into the bay, and -the convent was attacked. The alarm bell was sounded in vain; no one -answered the summons, and before morning the house was sacked, and the -nuns had been carried away, to be sold as slaves in Africa. - -A curious condition of affairs existed at Hyères during the troubles of -the League. - -The Count de Retz, Grand Marshal of France, was Governor of Provence, -and the Count de Carces was its Grand Sénéchal. The jealousy of these -two men gave birth to a deplorable rivalry, which placed each at the -head of a different party. De Retz supported the Huguenots, and the -Catholic party took Carces as its headpiece; and the factions called -themselves, or were called, Razats and Carcists long after the men -whose names they had adopted had disappeared from the scene. - -The rancour of each party did not abate, even when plague devastated -the province. Then confusion grew worse confounded when the League -was formed, due to the death of the Duke of Anjou, brother of Henry -III., which made Henry of Navarre, a Calvinist, heir to the throne. -The most extreme Carcists, alarmed at the prospect of the succession -falling to a Huguenot, formed the plan of inviting the Duke of Savoy -to take Provence. The anarchy in the country became intolerable, and -large bodies of peasants and mechanics armed and fell on the forces of -Carcists and Razats indifferently, routed and butchered them. - -In 1586 the town of Hyères was staunch in its adherence to the king, -but the castle that commanded it was occupied by the forces of the -Baron de Méolhon, who was also Governor of the Port of Marseilles, -and he was a Carcist, and inclined to favour the claims of the Duke -of Savoy. He had placed a Captain Merle in the castle, with secret -instructions to hold it for the duke. - -M. de la Valette was Governor of Provence, and he saw himself obliged -to make an attempt to take the castle. A messenger between De Méolhon -and the Duke of Savoy had been taken with in his possession treasonable -correspondence, betraying the plans of the Leaguers. - -Hyères readily opened its gates to De la Valette, in November, 1588, -and he summoned Merle to surrender the castle, but met with a prompt -refusal. Then he attempted to take it by escalading, but in vain. -It stood too high; its garrison were too alert. He could not even -prevent well-wishers of the Carcists from smuggling provisions into the -fortress. - -At last, despairing of success, the Governor of Provence withdrew; and -having failed to take the castle by force, had recourse to other means. -He bought the aid of a M. de Callas, a Leaguer, related to two of the -officers of the garrison, and induced him to enter the fortress and -bribe and cajole its defenders into surrendering. Merle, however, was -not to be seduced. He must be got rid of by other means. A cannon was -dragged upstairs to an upper window of a house that commanded Merle’s -dining apartment. It was known at what hour he supped, and in what part -of the room he sat. A signal was to be given by a traitor when Merle -took his place at the table, with his covers before him. The appointed -signal was made: the cannon thundered, and a ball crashed in through -the window and knocked supper and wine bottles and everything about in -wreckage. But happily something had occurred to the captain as he took -his seat, and he had left the room. When he returned, there was no more -a dumpling on the table, but an exploded shell. - -De Callas was sent again into the castle to propose terms of surrender. -Merle would still have held out, but the garrison had been bought, -and they refused to continue the defence. Terms of capitulation were -agreed on, whereby Merle, for surrendering, was to be indemnified with -ten thousand crowns. This extraordinary agreement was signed on August -31st, 1589, after the castle had held out against the king for ten -months. - -The churches of Hyères are not without interest. That of S. Paul, on -the height, has immense substructures. It is a curious jumble of parts -and styles. It dates back to the eleventh or twelfth century, but the -vaulting is later, and later windows were added. The great square tower -is Romanesque. - -The other church, outside the walls, that of S. Louis, is in much -better preservation. It was the chapel of the Knights of the Temple, -and is of the twelfth century, very severe, without sculptured capitals -to the pillars, and without clerestory. It is a somewhat gloomy church, -deriving nearly all its light from the west window. The preceptory of -the Templars is within the old town, and is now the Hôtel de Ville. - -The Iles de Hyères are a detached portion of the crystalline rocks of -the Montagnes des Maures. Their climatic condition is very different -from that of Hyères, as they are exposed to the sweep of every wind. -They are bleak and uninviting. The only inhabitants are fishermen, -Customs-officers, and the lighthouse men. - -On L’Ile du Levant was a reformatory for young criminals, started by M. -de Pourtalès, but it came to a disastrous end. - -According to a law of 1850, such reformatories might be founded -and conducted by private individuals, and in 1860 the Count de -Pourtalès, as an act of humanity, established an agricultural colony -on this island for young criminals, and placed over it an amiable, -well-intentioned man named Fauvau. - -In Corsica was another, but that was a State establishment. It had -become a nest of such disorder and misconduct that it was broken up in -1866, and some of the young criminals from this Corsican reformatory -were drafted into that on the Ile du Levant, to the number of -sixty-five. These young fellows began at once to give trouble; they -complained of their food, of their work, and they demanded meat at -every meal, tobacco, coffee, and daily six hours in which to amuse -themselves. On Tuesday, October 2nd, they broke out in mutiny, smashed -the windows and the lamps, destroyed some of the cells, and drove away -the warders. The leader in the movement was one Coudurier, a boy of -sixteen. By his command the whole body now rushed to the lock-up, where -were confined some of those who had misconducted themselves, broke it -open, and led them forth. Then they descended to the cellar, and with -axes and crowbars burst open the door, tapped the barrels of wine, and -drank as much as they liked. - -Coudurier now ordered the breaking into of the store-house. This was a -building standing by itself; it had a strong door, and windows firmly -barred with iron. The young ruffians succeeded in beating in the upper -panels, but those below resisted all their efforts. They climbed over -the solid portion and carried forth bacon, sausages, sugar, brandy, -and what they could lay their hands on, and when well laden returned -over the door to make way for others. Meantime Coudurier had chosen -two lieutenants, Ferrendon and Allard, and, in council with them and -some others of the worst miscreants, had resolved on putting to death -several of their comrades whom they regarded as milksops and spies. By -Coudurier’s orders only those were allowed to enter the store-house -whose names he called forth, and thus he sent fourteen of the lads -he regarded as sneaks into the magazine. Then he emptied a bottle -of petroleum over some paper by the door, and stationed Ferrendon -and Allard to prevent the egress of the lads who had been sent in. -Ferrendon by his orders set the petroleum on fire, and he provided -Allard with a long knife with which to drive back the victims into the -fire when endeavouring to escape, and to prevent any attempt at rescue. -“Ferrendon,” said he to a comrade, Lecocq, “is game for any mischief; -and Allard is half-drunk.” In a few minutes the sole entrance to the -store-house was a sheet of flame. One boy, Garibaldi, who was within, -at once dashed through the fire and began to scramble over the broken -door. - -Allard stabbed him in the shoulder and breast, and then flung him down -into the sheet of flaming petroleum. The scene now became inexpressibly -horrible. The boys, seeing the fire rapidly spreading, got to the -windows, put their arms between the bars, and screamed for help. They -pulled at the gratings with desperation, but were unable to dislodge -it. Two boys who ran forward to attempt to extinguish the fire were -driven back by the knife of Ferrendon. Some of the young criminals did -feel qualms, and a desire to free their comrades, but were overawed -by Coudurier. The lighthouse man, who had come to the spot, got a -blanket, dipped it in water and ran to the door, but was seized by the -boys, taken off his legs, and flung into a pit twenty feet deep, and -broke his ankle in the fall, so that he was unable to stir. A boy who -snatched at the blanket and tried to extend it to some of those in a -window, was also flung into the pit; but he happily came off better, -and ran away. The poor wretches within, black against a background of -fire, shrieked and wept; their clothes, their hair, caught fire, and -one by one they fell back into the flames behind. The frightful end -of their comrades sobered the drunken, mutinous crew; and some strove -to drown their fears for the consequences by drinking themselves into -total unconsciousness. - -Next day the mutineers scattered over the island, doing what mischief -they pleased. Not till October 4th did help arrive, when the fire was -extinguished, the island was occupied by soldiery, and the youths were -taken to prison on the mainland, and the ringleaders brought to trial. - -It may be wondered where was Fauvau, the Director, all this while. -He and the chaplain had got into a boat and escaped to shore. What -had become of the warders we are not told, but they seem also to have -effected their escape. - -On January 3rd, 1867, sixteen of the young criminals were tried at -Draguignan. Ferrendon was a boy little over thirteen, a lad with a soft -expressive face. Allard was aged thirteen, with a hangdog, evil look. -One of the accused was a lad from Paris, refined in appearance and -with large, beautiful eyes. One was aged twenty. Coudurier, Fouché, -Laurent, and Bérond were found guilty by the jury, not of murder, but -of homicide, with extenuating circumstances, and were sentenced to -life-long hard labour. Allard was condemned to be sent to a reformatory -for ten years. Ferrendon was discharged as innocent! Guenau was also -declared innocent. “Where, then, am I to sleep to-night?” he asked; -whereupon the audience made up a handsome sum for him. - -This was not the end of the matter. In prison one of these culprits -murdered another of his fellow boy-convicts because he thought the -latter had given evidence against him. It is hard to say which came out -worst in this affair, the Director, Chaplain, and warders, or the jury -at Draguignan. - -Although M. de Pourtalès was willing to renew the experiment, the -establishment was not restored, and of the reformatory only the ruins -remain. - -[Illustration: A CAROB TREE] - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -LES MONTAGNES DES MAURES - - Exceptional character of the Maures—Warm quarters in the Southern - nooks of the chain—A future for them—The cork tree—The carob—The - mulberry—The Saracens take possession of the chain—King Hugh - makes terms with them: his history—Marozia—S. Majolus—William of - Provence—Le Grand Fraxinet—Grimaud—S. Tropez—The Bravade. - - -A HUNCH of granite heaved up, and carrying on its back the beds of -schist and gneiss that had overlain it, stands up between the Gapeau -and the Argens. Its nearest geological relations, not connexions, -are the Cevennes and Corsica, all pertaining to the same period of -upheaval. Only to the east does the granite assert itself above the -overlying formations. This mass of mountain is of no great elevation, -never rising above 1,200 feet, and extending over a superficies of -200,000 acres. - - “It forms by itself,” says Elisée Reclus, “an orographic system - sharply limited. Its mass of granite, gneiss, and schist is separated - from the surrounding limestone mountains by profound and wide - valleys, those of the Aille, the Argens, and the Gapeau. In fact, it - constitutes an _ensemble_ as distinct from the rest of Provence as if - it were an island separated from the continent.” - -The forms of the mountains are rounded, and there are no bold crags; -but it is scooped out into valleys that descend rapidly to the sea and -to little bays; and these scoopings afford shelter from winter winds -and cold, facing the sun, and walled in from every blast. - -I know a farm kitchen where a pair of curved settees are drawn about -the fire, and the gap between the settees is closed in the evening -by a green baize curtain. The family sits on a winter night in this -cosy enclosure, the men with their pipes and jugs of cider, the women -knitting and sewing; all chattering, singing, laughing. - -Now the southern face of the Maures is precisely such a snuggery formed -by Nature. The mountains curve about to focus the sun’s rays; and the -cork woods, evergreen, kill all glare. Here the date trees ripen their -fruit; here the icy blasts do not shrivel up the eucalyptus, and smite -down the oranges. - -The pity is, there are as yet no well-established winter resorts at -Lavandou, Cavalière, and, above all, Cavalaire—places more adapted to -delicate lungs than Hyères, exposed to the currents of wind over the -Crau; than that blow-hole S. Raphael, planted between the cheeks of the -Maures and l’Estérel; than Cannes, where the winds come down from the -snows over the plains of the Siagne; than Nice, with the Paillon on one -side and the Var on the other. - -But for the English visitor in these suntraps three things are -lacking—a lawn-tennis ground, a lending library, and an English -chapel. Inevitably the Bay of Cavalaire will, in the future, become a -great refuge for invalids. But that this may become so, above all, what -is needed is a bunch of thorns applied to the tail of the engine that -runs the train along the line from Hyères to S. Raphael by the coast. -From Hyères to that place is just fifty miles, and the quick trains do -it in four, the slow in five hours. - -The mountains are mantled in cork wood, save the bald heads of some, -and the making of corks is the main industry of the scattered villages. - -The cork tree (_Quercus suber_) retains its leaves for two years. It -has two envelopes of bark, which are quite distinct. The inner cannot -be removed without destroying the life of the tree. - -Virgin cork is not of much value; it is employed only for nets, and has -no elasticity. - -Only after the third harvest is the cork in perfect condition. The tree -is then about forty years old. It is first skinned (_démasclée_) when -the tree is aged twenty or five-and-twenty. The second peeling takes -place when it is aged thirty or five-and-thirty. The third and best is -collected when the tree is between forty and forty-five years old. The -cork is taken off the trunk from above the ground to a height of about -six feet, leaving the under surface of a coffee colour. - -The cork bark is plunged into a cauldron of boiling water, and is left -in it for half an hour. Then it is cut into strips, next into squares. -It is again boiled for a quarter of an hour, and then allowed slowly -to dry, and is not touched again for six months, after which it is cut -into shape. The best corks are made out of strips that have been kept -for three years. To whiten the corks they are subjected to sulphur -fumes. - -The great enemy to the cork tree is the _Coroebus bifascatus_, an -insect that bores a gallery, not in the bark, but in the wood of the -tree. It attacks the branches, and its presence can be detected by -the sickly look of the leaves. When this indication shows that it is -burrowing, the branches affected are cut off above the point to which -it has bored, and are burnt. - -At one time it was supposed that the cork tree required no culture. -But of late years great pains have been taken with it, and it readily -responds to them. A self-sown tree growing up in the midst of heather -and cistus is not likely to attain to a great size. It is cut down to -the root; then, when it sends up fresh shoots, one is kept, the rest -removed. This operation has to be repeated, and the ground about the -root to be well dressed. After six years the tree will take care of -itself. - -The great danger, above all, to which the cork woods are exposed, -is fire; whole tracts have been devastated in this way, and the -proprietors ruined. Consequently, precautions are insisted on. Smokers -are specially warned not to throw about their unextinguished matches. - -The carob tree (_Ceratonia siliqua_) is another that is met with, and -which attracts the attention of the visitor from the north. The pods, -called locust beans, are supposed to have been those on which S. John -the Baptist fed when in the wilderness. These beans grow in shape like -a horn, which has given its name to the tree. They contain a sweet -nutritious pulp, enclosing yellow seeds. The fruit is used extensively -for feeding animals, and is eaten by children, who, indeed, will eat -anything. When the phylloxera was ravaging the vineyards of France, a -company started a distillery at Cette to manufacture cognac out of the -fruit of the carob. But it failed, as the brandy so made retained a -peculiar and disagreeable flavour that could not be got out of it. - -The carob is an evergreen, vigorous and beautiful. It grows in most -stony, arid spots, where is hardly a particle of soil. Such a tree -cannot live only on what it derives from its roots; it must live in -a great measure by its leaves, as, indeed, to a large extent, do all -evergreens. The scanty soil will in many places not feed trees that -drop their leaves in autumn, and supply them afresh every spring. -Such renewal exacts from the poor soil more than it can furnish. -Consequently, Nature spreads evergreens over the rocky surfaces that -contain but slight nutritive elements. Thus it is that in Provence the -vegetation is nearly all of an evergreen character. - -Beside the manufacture of corks, the inhabitants of the Maures breed -silkworms, and so grow mulberry trees for their sustenance. - -King Réné is credited with having introduced the mulberry into Provence -from Sicily; but it is more probable that it is indigenous. What Réné -did was to suggest its utilisation for the feeding of the silkworm. -This branch of production was greatly encouraged by Henry IV., but -wars and intestine troubles, the ravaging of the country by rival -factions, by the Savoyards and by the French, caused the cultivation -of the silkworm to decline. Of late years, however, it has been on the -increase, and the number of mulberry trees planted has accordingly -also, greatly increased. The Chain des Maures takes its name from the -Saracens, who occupied it, and made it their stronghold, whence they -descended to burn and destroy. - -By the infusion of new elements, forms of government, new religious -ideas, conceptions of individual and political rights, the old world -of Gaul was in process of transformation; it was gradually organising -itself on a broad basis, when in the midst of this society in -reconstruction appeared a new element, quite unknown, and on whose -advent no reckoning had been made. It came from the coasts of Africa, -and was Mohammedan. Some called these people Hagarenes, as descendants -of Hagar, but they themselves regarded their descent as from Sarah, and -so called themselves Saracens. - -Their first appearance on the Provençal coast was in 730, when they -sacked Nice and other towns, and the inhabitants fled to the mountains -to save their lives. - -They harassed the littoral incessantly, not in large forces at a time, -attempting a conquest, but arriving in a few vessels, unexpectedly, to -pillage, murder, and carry away captives. As soon as ever the forces of -the Counts arrived, they escaped to their ships and fled, to recommence -their devastations at another point. - -In 846 the Saracens carried ruin and desolation over the whole plain of -Aix, and made themselves masters of all vantage points along the coast. -The population sunk in despair, no longer offered effective resistance, -and the nobles, quarrelling among themselves, invoked the aid of the -infidels against their neighbours of whom they were jealous. About -this time it happened that a Moorish pirate was wrecked in the bay of -S. Tropez. He soon saw the strategic value of the chain of granite -and schist mountains, and returning to Africa collected a large band, -crossed the sea, and took possession of the whole mountainous block. -At this time, moreover, Mussulman Spain was a prey to a bloody schism. -The dynasty of the Abassides was succeeded by that of the Ommiades, and -the vicissitudes of parties continually augmented the number of those -who were conquered and proscribed. These, flying from Spain, sought -refuge in this corner of Provence, which by such means was converted -into a little Mussulman realm. On every height was built a _rebath_, a -fort that the Christians called a _fraxinet_, whence a sharp watch was -kept over the sea, and should a merchant vessel be descried, at once a -flotilla of pirate boats started out of the harbour of S. Tropez, and -fell on the unfortunate merchantmen. - -Thus established here, masters also of the Balearic Isles, of Sardinia -and Sicily, as well as of the African coast, they completely paralysed -the trade of the Mediterranean, and exposed the inhabitants of the -seaboard, that was Christian, to daily peril of being carried off to be -sold in the slave markets of Tunis and Morocco. - -In Spain, the Mussulman conquerors had developed a high state of -civilization. They had become architects of great skill. They -cultivated science and literature. - -In Provence they were not constructive. They did nothing for -civilization, everything to waste, set back, and to destroy. They have -left behind them in the country not a trace, save a few names, of their -strongholds. The condition of affairs had became intolerable. The Moors -of the Grand Fraxinet, their principal fortress in the Montagnes des -Maures, started on a pillaging expedition, crossed Lower Provence, and -entered the Alps. As they turned north they met with great resistance. -They ascended the river Roja, they pushed over the Col de Tende, and -descended into the plains of Lombardy. They took the monastery of S. -Dalmas de Pedene, and although most of the monks had fled, they caught -and killed forty of them, and either massacred or took prisoners all -the peasants about. - -Another pillaging excursion crossed the great S. Bernard to attack the -monastery of S. Maurice, where the Archbishop of Embrun, and some of -the Provençal prelates had stored the treasures of their churches. A -third party from the Fraxinet, aided by a fleet from Africa, had taken -Genoa, and put all the inhabitants to the edge of the sword. - -Hugh, Count of Provence and King of Italy, was appealed to for aid. -Having no naval force to oppose to that of the Moors, he solicited help -from the Emperor of the East, and a fleet from Constantinople entered -the Gulf of S. Tropez, and burnt that of the Saracens. Hugh, in the -meantime, invaded the mountains and reached the Fraxinet. - -But whilst thus engaged, he heard that Berengarius, Marquess of Ivrea, -had taken advantage of his absence to fall on his possessions in Italy. -Hugh thereupon dismissed the Greek fleet, and made an alliance with the -Saracens, to whom he committed the passages of the Alps. - -About this same Hugh of Provence, one of the biggest scoundrels who -ever breathed, it will be as well to say something. - -Hugh was the son of Theobald, Count of Provence, and of Bertha, -daughter of Lothair, King of Burgundy. The House of Provence had -acquired great possessions during the reign of Louis III., King of -Arles and Emperor (d. 915), the uncle of Hugh. But Hugh was not -content. He raised pretensions to the kingdom of Italy, then held -by Rudolf, King of Transjuran Burgundy. Hugh was seconded by his -half-brothers Guido and Lambert, Dukes of Tuscany and Spoleto, and by -his sister, Ermengarde, widow of the Marquess of Ivrea. Pope John -X., Lambert, Archbishop of Milan, and nearly all the Lombard nobles, -supported his claim, and he disembarked at Pisa in 926, and was crowned -at Pavia. The crafty Hugh, fully estimating the influence of the clergy -in the politics of Italy, affected the most profound zeal for religion, -and flattered the clergy. John X., in Rome, was in a difficult -position. Rome at the time was ruled by the infamous Marozia. John had -been the favourite of Marozia’s equally infamous mother Theodora. He -had, in fact, been her paramour, and it was she who had advanced him -from one bishopric to another, and had finally placed the tiara on -his head. On the death of his mistress, John found himself engaged in -a fierce contest for the mastery of Rome with Marozia and her lover, -or husband, the Marquess Alberic, by whom she had a son of the same -name, and another, by Pope Sergius it was rumoured, whom she afterwards -elevated to the Papacy. - -John managed to drive the Marquess out of Rome, and he was assassinated -in 925; whereupon Marozia married Guido, Duke of Tuscany, half-brother -of Hugh of Provence. The Pope hoped, notwithstanding this connexion, by -offering the prize of the Imperial crown, to secure Hugh’s protection -against his domestic tyrants. But he was disappointed. Marozia seized -on the Pope, the former lover of her mother. His brother Peter was -killed before his face, and John was thrown into prison, where, some -months after, he died, either of anguish or, as was rumoured, smothered -with a pillow. - -Marozia did not venture at once to place her son on the Papal throne. A -Leo VI. was Pope for some months, and a Stephen VII. for two years and -one month. The son was still a mere boy, too young for the shameless -woman to advance him to the Chair of S. Peter. But on the death of -Stephen, Marozia again ruled alone in Rome; Guido, her husband, was -dead, and she made her son Pope under the title of John XI. - -But Marozia was not satisfied with having been the wife, first of a -Marquess, then of a Duke; the mistress of Pope Sergius, the mother of -Pope John XI. She sent to offer her hand to Hugh of Provence, the new -King of Italy. Hugh was not scrupulous in his amours, but there was -an impediment in the way. She had been the wife of his half-brother. -But the youthful Pope, the son of the wretched woman, was ready with a -dispensation, and the marriage was celebrated in Rome. - -Hugh set to work now to strike down, one after another, the nobles who -had supported him, and had shaken down the throne of Rudolf, acting -with unexampled perfidy and ingratitude. He did not even spare his -half-brother, Lambert, who had succeeded Guido in the Duchy of Tuscany, -for he plucked out his eyes. - -His high-handed and merciless conduct alarmed those who had not yet -suffered. One day, Alberic, the son of Marozia, was commanded by King -Hugh to serve him with water, at supper, so as to wash his hands. -Performing his office awkwardly or reluctantly, the youth spilled the -water, whereupon the King struck him in the face. Alberic was furious; -he went forth and placed himself at the head of a conspiracy against -his stepfather. The bells of Rome rang out, the people rushed into the -streets, besieged the Castle of S. Angelo, and took it. Hugh had to fly -and form a court at Pavia. - -It was in 936 that King Hugh marched into Provence to dislodge the -Moors from the Grand Fraxinet, when a general conspiracy broke out -in Northern Italy, headed by Berengar, Marquess of Ivrea. Hugh had -despoiled his half-brother, Lambert, of the Duchy of Tuscany, and had -given it to his own full brother Boso; but after awhile, becoming -jealous of his power, he had dispossessed Boso. Berengar, Marquess of -Ivrea, had married Willa, the daughter of Boso. Berengar had been at -the court of Hugh, when that King had made a plan to seize and blind -him. But he received timely warning from Lothair, King Hugh’s son, and -had fled. Finding discontent rife, he placed himself at the head of the -Italian princes and nobles. - -After his abandonment of the Mountains of the Moors, and having come to -terms with the Saracens, Hugh hastened into Italy, only to find that -his cause was lost. Amidst general execration, he was forced to retire -into Provence in 946, and there he died three years later, in the odour -of sanctity. - -Thenceforth for awhile the Moors were left undisturbed, to continue -their ravages. Berengar and his son even contracted alliance with them. -But at last an effort was made to be rid of the incubus. And the person -who was the motive force to set the Count of Provence in action was S. -Majolus. - -Majolus was born of wealthy parents about the year 908, near Riez, in -Provence. But owing to an incursion of the Saracens the family estate -was ruined, houses were burnt, crops destroyed, and the peasants -killed or carried off as captives. Majolus took refuge in Macon with -his uncle, who was bishop. Then he became a monk at Cluny. In 948 the -abbot Aymard resigned, and appointed Majolus to succeed him. But the -ex-abbot one day, whilst in the infirmary, fancied a bit of cheese, -and screamed for it to be brought to him. No one paid attention to his -angry and repeated yells, as the monks at the time were themselves -dining. Aymard was so offended at this neglect that he deposed Majolus -and resumed the headship of the establishment. But on his death Majolus -was elected in his room. After a visit to Rome, Majolus was on his way -back when a band of Saracen marauders took him. Seeing one of the Moors -about to cleave the head of one of his companions whom they considered -not likely to fetch a ransom, Majolus sprang forward and interposed -his arm. He saved the life of his comrade, but long suffered from the -wound. The Saracens forced the monks of Cluny to pay the heavy ransom -of a thousand pounds of silver for their abbot. - -Majolus had now suffered twice from these scourges of the South, and he -preached a crusade against them in 972. - -It took him ten years, however, to rouse the Provençals to undertake -the expulsion of the Moors, so cowed and despairing had they become. He -was ably assisted by one Bavo, son of Adelfried, a noble of Nuglerium -(Noyers, near Sistèron?), who had taken a vow to avenge the honour -of his wife, who had been outraged by a Saracen. This man swore to -exterminate every Moor who came within reach of his arm. Eventually he -died at Voghera, on a pilgrimage to Rome to give thanks for victory -over the Moors. - -[Illustration: GRIMAUD] - -William, Count of Provence, at the instigation of Majolus, took up arms -against the Moors, and hemmed them into the chain of mountains that -still bears their name. The campaign lasted through several years, -till finally the main stronghold, Le Grand Fraxinet, was taken. After -this, one fort and then another fell, and the boats were captured and -burnt. William did not massacre the infidels, but reduced them to -servitude, and their descendants continued to live on in Provence in -this condition. Romeo de Villeneuve, in his will, dated 1250, ordered -his male and female Saracen slaves to be sold. - -William of Provence had been aided by a Grimaldi from Genoa; he made -his prisoners build the walls of Nice and cultivate the soil. To this -day a quarter of Nice bears the name of _lou canton dei sarraïs_, -for it was here that these people were interned. Grimaldi, for his -services, was granted lands in the Chaine des Maures, and the Golf de -Grimaud and the town of Grimaud take their name from him. The Grimaldi -family comes first into notice covered with honour, as liberators of -the Christian from plunderers and pirates. The Grimaldi of to-day at -Monaco are known as living on the proceeds of the gaming tables of -Monte Carlo, the plunderers of Christendom. - -Le Grand Fraxinet itself may be visited, but there remain few traces of -the Saracen stronghold; some substructures and a cistern are all. It -has been supposed and asserted that the natives of the town, in their -cast of feature, in their dark eyes and hair, in the pose of their -bodies, still proclaim their Moorish descent. No one who has been in -Tunis or Algiers will corroborate this. In fact, the inhabitants are -indistinguishable from other Provençals. - -Cogolin and Grimaud are two little towns living upon, and smelling of, -cork, at a very little distance apart. The Castle of Cogolin has been -wholly destroyed, save for a bell tower. That of Grimaud is in better -condition, but is a ruin. The place was taken from the Grimaldis in -1378 by Louis I. of Anjou and Provence, as the Grimaldi of that time -had sided in the war of succession with Charles of Durazzo, and he gave -it to Christopher Adorno. It passed from one to another, and was raised -into a marquisate in 1627; but the castle was dismantled in virtue of a -decree in 1655. - -The town is curious, built on a conical hill dominated by the castle. -The streets are narrow. The church is rude, Early Romanesque, and very -curious. - -Undoubtedly the sea originally ran up to Cogolin and Grimaud. Now all -the basin out of which they rise is a flat alluvial plain intersected -by dykes, and growing, near La Foux, splendid umbrella pines. - -S. Tropez, charming little town as it is, the best centre for -excursions in the Chain of the Maures, is nevertheless not a place -that can ever become a winter residence, as it looks to the north and -is lashed by the terrible Mistral. But it has this advantage denied to -the other towns on the coast, that, having the sun at the back, one -looks from it upon the sea in all its intensity of colour without being -dazzled. - -S. Tropez has been supposed to occupy the site of a Phœnician-Greek -town, Heraclea Caccabaria, but this is improbable. This place was -almost certainly in the sweet sun-bathed Bay of Cavalaire. There were, -indeed, two ancient towns on the Gulf, Alcone and Athenopolis; and -certainly Grimaud was a town in Roman times, for there are remains of -the aqueduct that supplied it with water. - -The Gulf was called Sinus Sambracitanus, and, as already stated, at one -time reached inland to the feet of Grimaud. And at Cogolin a Greek -funerary monument has been found. - -S. Tropez was completely ruined by the Saracens when they occupied -the Maures. After they were driven out it was rebuilt, but was again -destroyed in the War of Succession between the Duke of Anjou and -Charles of Durazzo. It was rebuilt under King Réné and colonised by -some Genoese families, who fortified it and undertook to defend it. In -1592 it gallantly resisted the Duke of Savoy, and forced him to retire. -In 1652 S. Tropez was a prey to civil war between the _Sabreurs_ and -the _Canifets_, who had succeeded to the feud of the Carcists and -Razats. The Sabreurs were those representing military force, the -Canifets represented the _échevins_, and were nicknamed after the -_canif_ used by the latter to mend their pens. I shall have more to -say about this when we come to Draguignan. The Sabreurs got possession -of the castle, but the Duc de Mercœur sent a regiment to assist the -citizens, and the Sabreurs were dislodged. - -The town is divided into two parts—the old town and the new—and the -former teems with picturesque features that attract the artist. The -women of S. Tropez are noted for their good looks, due to the infusion -of Italian blood. S. Tropez is the scene of a peculiar festival, _La -Bravade_, taking place on the 16th, 17th, and 18th May every year, in -commemoration of the defence of the town against the Duke of Savoy in -1637; combined with the patronal feast of S. Tropez on May 17th. Every -Monday in Easter week a Captain of the Town is elected for the ensuing -year, and he has the regulation of the festival. This is initiated -on May Day, or the next Sunday and Thursday, by the “Promenade des -Joies,” when members of a company carrying hoops adorned with -many-coloured fluttering ribbons, promenade the town, led by drummers. -On May 16th, at 3 p.m., the Captain, with his attendant officers, -marches to the Mairie, where he is presented with pike and banner -by the Mayor, to a discharge of firearms, which thenceforth go on -banging day and night till the evening of the ensuing day. The guns are -discharged at any passer-by, but only at the legs—and are, of course, -charged with powder alone. The clergy, led by the cross, escorted -by the beadles, arrive from the church and bless the guns and other -weapons. Then the Bravadeurs follow to the church, where they receive -the bust of S. Tropez, and the procession starts capering, dancing, -swaying in and out of the streets, through the town, fifes screaming, -drums rolling, guns exploding. The procession moves to the Port, where -the Captain and all his company salute the sea. Whereupon any gunboats, -torpedo boats, etc., that happen to be anchored in the harbour, return -the salute by a general thunder of guns. - -But the 17th—the day of S. Tropez—is that of greatest festivity. -It opens with a Mass of the _Mousquetaires_ at 8 a.m., after which -follows a general procession. In the afternoon the Bravade marches to -the Mairie and the pikes and banner are surrendered. On May 18th, at 8 -a.m., is a Mass at the chapel of S. Anne; around the chapel are ranged -stalls of sellers of black nougat and a sort of cake known by the name -of _fougasette_. Then ensues a _déjeuner_ given by the Captain to his -assistants and to the town authorities; and in the evening the festival -concludes with a general farandol on the _Lices_. - -[Illustration: UMBRELLA PINE, S. RAPHAEL] - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -S. RAPHAEL AND FRÉJUS - - Rapid Rise—An exposed spot, unsuitable as a winter resort—Napoleon - here embarks for Elba: his journey from Fontainebleau—The via - Aurelia—Fréjus—Choking up of the harbour—Roman remains—The - Cathedral—Agricola—Monuments—S. Hilary—Sieyès; sans - phrases—Désauguier—The Caveau—His Carnival Lay—Some of his jokes. - - -A FEW years ago S. Raphael was a fishing village about an old Templar -church. There were in it but a couple of hundred poor folk. Then -some speculators cast their eyes on the place, and calculating, not -unreasonably, on the lack of intelligence of visitors from the North, -resolved on making it into a winter sanatorium. They bought out the -fisher families, and set to work to build hotels and lay out esplanades -and gardens. - -Now any person with a grain of sense in his head has but to look at -the map to see that S. Raphael is the very last place on the coast -suitable as a winter resort. It lies between two great humps of -mountains, the Chaine des Maures and the Estérel. It has before it -the ever-shallowing Gulf of Fréjus, that stretches back into alluvial -deposit and pestiferous morasses—open to the north; and down this -bare, unwholesome plain roars and rages the Mistral. It has blown the -sea out of the Bay to the distance of two miles. It is enough, entering -the ears, to drive the frail lungs out of the breast betwixt the teeth. - -The Argens, which has flowed from west to east, receiving the drainage -of the Montagnes des Maures, receives also the Parturby and the Endre -from the limestone, and then turns about and runs almost due south, -but with an incline to the east. It forms a wide basin, once a long -arm of sea, but now filled up with deposit, and with festering lagoons -sprinkled over its surface; the two great mountain chains from east and -west contract, and force the winds that come down from the north, and -the snows of the Alps, to concentrate their malice on S. Raphael. If -you love a draught, then sit before a roaring fire, with an open window -behind you. If you desire a draught on a still larger scale, go to S. -Raphael. - -Perhaps the speculators who invented this _Station Hivernale_ thought -that it was necessary to add something more, in order to attract -patients to the place, and Valescure was established among pine woods. -The aromatic scent of the terebinth, its sanatory properties, so highly -estimated, so experimentally efficacious in pulmonary disorders, etc., -etc. Valescure is just as certainly exposed to winds as is S. Raphael. -As to pines and eucalyptus, they can be had elsewhere, in combination -with shelter. - -However, let me quote M. Leuthéric, who has a good word to say for S. -Raphael:— - - “Few regions of Provence present conditions of landscape and climate - (!!) more seductive. The little town of Saint Raphael is placed - beyond the zone of infection from the marshes of Fréjus. It stretches - gracefully along the shore at the foot of the savage chain of the - Estérel. On all sides pointed rocks of red porphyry pierce the sombre - foliage of cork trees and pines. The coast is fringed by sandbanks, - extending along under cliffs covered with ilexes. A little way out - to sea, two tawny-coloured rocks, like fantastic beasts at rest, - close the harbour, and receive over their long backs the foam of the - breakers; the first is couched some cable lengths from the shore, the - second five hundred metres beyond it. They bear the names of the Land - and the Sea Lions.”[8] - -[Illustration: S. RAPHAEL, LE LION DE TERRE] - -It was here that Napoleon entered the vessel deporting him to Elba, -attended by the Commissioners of the Allied Powers. He had left -Fontainebleau upon April 20th, 1814. As he got south he was made to -perceive that his popularity, if he ever had any in Provence, was -gone. Near Valence he encountered Augereau, whom he had created Duke -of Castiglione, and who was an underbred, coarse fellow. Napoleon and -his Marshal met on the 24th. Napoleon took off his hat, but Augereau, -with vulgar insolence, kept his on. “Where are you going?” asked the -fallen Emperor, “to Court?”—“I care for the Bourbons as little as I do -for you,” answered Augereau: “all I care for is my country.” Upon this, -Napoleon turned his back on him, and re-entered the carriage. Augereau -would not even then remove his hat and bow, but saluted his former -master with a contemptuous wave of the hand. - -At Valence, Napoleon saw, for the first time, French soldiers wearing -the white cockade. At Orange the air rang with cries of “_Vive le Roy!_” - -On arrival at Orgon the populace yelled, “Down with the Corsican! -Death to the tyrant! _Vive le Roy!_” Portraits of Bonaparte were burnt -before his eyes; an effigy of himself was fluttered before the carriage -window, with the breast pierced, and dripping with blood. A crowd -of furious women screamed, “What have you done with our children?” -The Commissioners were obliged to stand about the carriage to protect -him; and it was with difficulty that a way could be made through the -mob for the carriages to proceed. At Saint Cannat the crowd broke the -windows of his coach. Then, for his protection, he assumed a cap and a -greatcoat of Austrian uniform, and instead of pursuing his way in the -coach, entered a cabriolet. The carriages did not overtake the Emperor -till they reached La Calade. The escort found him standing by the fire -in the kitchen of the inn, talking with the hostess. She had asked him -whether the tyrant was soon to pass that way. “Ah, sir,” she said, “it -is all nonsense to assert that we are rid of him. I have always said -that we never shall be sure of being quit of him till he is thrown to -the bottom of a well and it is then filled in with stones. I only wish -that well were mine in the yard. Why, the Directory sent him to Egypt -to get rid of him, and he returned.” Here the woman, having finished -skimming her pot, looked up, and perceived that all the party was -standing uncovered, except the person whom she was addressing. She was -confounded, and her embarrassment amused the ex-Emperor and dispelled -his annoyance. - -The _sous-préfet_ of Aix closed the gates of the town to prevent the -people from issuing forth. At a château near Napoleon met his sister -Pauline, who was ill, or pretended to be ill, and was staying there. -When he entered to embrace her, she started back. “Oh, Napoleon, why -this uniform?” - -“Pauline,” replied he, “do you wish that I were dead?” - -The princess, looking at him steadfastly, replied, “I cannot kiss you -in that Austrian dress. Oh, Napoleon, what have you done?” - -The ex-Emperor at once retired, and having substituted a greatcoat of -his Old Guard for the Austrian suit, entered the chamber of his sister, -who ran to him and embraced him tenderly. Then, going to the window, he -saw a crowd in the court in a very uncertain temper. He descended at -once, and noticing among them an old man with a gash across his nose -and a red ribbon in his button-hole, he went up to him at once, and -asked, “Are you not Jacques Dumont?” - -“Yes, yes, Sire!” And the old soldier drew himself up and saluted. - -“You were wounded, but it seems to me that it was long ago.” - -“Sire, at the battle of Tebia, with General Suchet. I was unable to -serve longer. But even now, whenever the drum beats, I feel like a -deserter. Under your ensign, Sire, I could still serve whenever your -Majesty would command.” The old man shed tears as he said, “My name! -To recollect that after fifteen years!” All hesitation among the crowd -as to how they would receive Napoleon was at an end. He had won every -heart. - -Napoleon, as it happens, had a very bad memory for names. What is -probable is, that Pauline pointed the old soldier out to her brother -from the window, and named him, before Napoleon descended. - -The English frigate, the _Undaunted_, was lying in the Gulf of Fréjus. -The fallen Emperor manifested considerable reluctance to go on board. -However, on April 28th he sailed from S. Raphael, and after a rough -passage disembarked at Porto Ferrajo, the capital of Elba, on the 4th -of May. - -The great Roman road, the Via Aurelia, left the capital of the world by -the Janiculan Gate, made for Pisa, Lucca, followed the coast the whole -way, passed above where is now Monaco, over a spur of the Maritime Alps -by Nice, Antibes, Cannes, came to a little town in the lap of the Gulf -of Fréjus, and thence turned abruptly away from the coast and made -direct for Aix and Arles. Thence roads radiated: one, leading up the -left bank of the Rhone, took troops and commerce to the Rhine. Thence -also the Domitian Way conveyed both by Narbonne into Spain. - -This bay was the last harbour on the Mediterranean for troops that -were to march into the heart of Gaul, to Britain, or to the Rhine. -Hitherto the road, hugging the coast, offered innumerable facilities -for provisioning soldiery and supplying them with munitions of war. -But from the Bay of Fréjus this advantage ceased. Julius Cæsar saw -the great strategical importance of the harbour, and he resolved to -make of it an important haven, a naval station, and an emporium for -stores. Marseilles he did not choose. It was a commercial town, a Greek -town, and he was out of temper with it for having sided with Pompey -against him. Accordingly he settled here some veterans of his favourite -Tenth Legion, to become the nucleus of a colony. But Cæsar overlooked -what was a most important point—his port Forum Julii was planted at -the mouth of the Argens, and the river brought down a vast amount of -fluviatile deposit, mud and sand, and inevitably in a few years would -silt up his port. It had a further disadvantage—it was a fever trap. -To the south the town had a wide tract of fetid marsh, breeding -malaria and mosquitoes. He would have done well to have swallowed his -resentment against Marseilles and to have taken the opinion of so -observant a man as Vitruvius, or even to have studied the conditions -himself more closely. Now all the harbour is buried in silt, and grass -grows where galleys floated. The lap of the bay, which was once at -Fréjus, begins now at S. Raphael and extends to Cap S. Aigous. In time -S. Raphael also will be inland, and the Lion de Mer will become, like -its fellow, a Lion de Terre. - -Michel de l’Hôpital, who lived in the sixteenth century, in one of his -letters wrote:— - - “We arrived at Fréjus, which is nothing more now but a poor little - town. Here are grand ruins of an ancient theatre, foundered arcades, - baths, aqueduct, and scattered remains of quays and basins. The port - has disappeared under sand, and is now nothing but a field and a - beach.” - -If S. Raphael be devoid of antiquities and of history, at a little -distance is Fréjus, that has both in abundance. - -The ruins are many, but not beautiful; everything was built in a hurry, -and badly built. The aqueduct was no sooner completed than it gave way -and had to be patched up. The triumphal arch on the old quays is a -shabby affair. The amphitheatre is half cut out of the natural rock. -There was plenty of granite and porphyry accessible, but the builders -did not trouble themselves to obtain large and solid blocks; they built -of brick and small stones, without skill and impatiently. The work was -probably executed by corvées of labourers impressed from the country -round. There were two enormous citadels; one to the north, the other to -the south of the port. The latter, the Butte S. Antoine, was, however, -mainly a huge accumulation of store chambers, magazines for whatever -was needed for the soldiers, and attached to it was the lighthouse. -Beyond, some way on the ancient mole, is the most perfect monument of -Roman times extant in Fréjus. It goes by the name of La Lantern; but -it was not a lighthouse at all, but the lodge of a harbour-master, who -gave directions with a flag to vessels how to enter the harbour and -avoid the shoals. - -The railway now runs close to it across the ancient basin, the port -made by Agrippa. To the north of this, where stands now the chapel of -S. Roch, was the Port of Cæsar. Poplars now stand where was formerly a -forest of masts. - -The amphitheatre is cut through its entire length by a road. The old -wall of the town reached to it, included it, and then drew back to -where is now the railway station. The remains of the theatre are to the -north of the modern town, and those of the baths to the south-west; -they may be reached by taking a road in that direction from the Butte -S. Antoine. - -Although Julius Cæsar has the credit of having made the place and -called it after his own name, it is certainly more than a guess that -there was a Græco-Phœnician settlement here before that time, occupying -the bunch of high ground rising above the marshes of the Argens. -Indeed, monuments have been found that imply as much, though later in -date than the making of the place into a naval station by Cæsar. One of -these is bi-lingual—Latin and Greek. It begins in Latin:— - - “To Caius Vilius Ligur, this is dedicated by his mother Maxima.” - -Then comes Greek:— - - “This tomb had been constructed for those much older; but Destiny, - under the influence of the country and climate, has smitten a child of - seven years. His parents, his father and mother, have buried him whom - they brought up. Vain are the hopes of men here below.” - -It is noticeable that this child bore the name of Ligur, living and -dying among the Ligurians of the coast. Possibly the family had this -native blood in their veins and were not ashamed of it. Another tomb is -all in Latin:— - - “Agrippina Pia to the Memory of her Friend Baricbal. He lived forty - years. She who was his heiress has constructed this monument for him - and herself.” - -And underneath are a pair of clasped hands. - -What was the story? The name Baricbal is Barac Baal, the Blessed of -Baal, the name of a Phœnician. The young heiress undertakes to be -buried in the same tomb with him later. But she was an heiress, and she -was young. I doubt if her resolution held out, and she did not clasp -hands after a year or two with some one else. - -The cathedral is not particularly interesting; it is of the eleventh -and twelfth centuries. The baptistery is earlier, and sustained by -eight Corinthian columns of granite taken from a Roman building. The -cloisters are good, the arches resting on pairs of columns. Fréjus -has produced some remarkable men. First of all comes Agricola, the -father-in-law of Tacitus, who wrote his life. From that biography we -see what an honourable, true, and in every way upright man an old Roman -could be. Agricola was born in A.D. 37 and died in 93. His life is of -special interest to us, as he spent so much of his time in Britain, -carried the Roman arms into Scotland, and sent an expedition round -the coast and established the fact that Britain was an island. He was -moved to this by the following circumstance. A body of Germans had -been levied on the Rhine and were sent over to serve under Agricola. -But after having murdered a centurion and some soldiers who were -drilling them, they seized on three light vessels and compelled the -captains to go on board with them. One of these, however, escaped to -shore, whereupon these Germans murdered the other two, put to sea, -and sailed away without one of them having any acquaintance with the -sea and the management of ships. They were carried north by winds and -waves, and landed occasionally to obtain water and food and to plunder -the natives. They circumnavigated the north of Scotland, and then -were carried out to sea and suffered terrible privations. They were -driven by starvation to kill and eat the weakest of their number and -to drink their blood. At length they were wrecked on the North German -coast, where they were seized on as pirates, and sold as slaves to the -Romans on the left bank of the Rhine. Here they talked and yarned of -their adventures, and the news reached Agricola; so he fitted out his -expedition and proved the fact that Britain actually was an island. -Finally, owing to his success, he fell under suspicion to the jealous -tyrant Domitian and was recalled to Rome, where he died; whether -poisoned by the Emperor or died a natural death is uncertain. Tacitus -himself does not venture to pass an opinion. - -Another great native of Fréjus was S. Hilary of Arles. He was born of -noble parents in the year 401, and was a relative of Honoratus, abbot -of Lerins. Honoratus left his retirement to seek his kinsman Hilary -and draw him to embrace the monastic life; but all his persuasion was -at first in vain. “What floods of tears,” says Hilary, “did this true -friend shed to soften my hard heart! How often did he embrace me with -the most tender and compassionate affection, to wring from me a resolve -that I would consider the salvation of my soul. Yet I resisted.” - -“Well, then,” said Honoratus, “I will obtain from God what you refuse.” -And he left him. Three days later Hilary had changed his mind, and -went to Lerins to place himself under the discipline of Honoratus. In -428 S. Hilary was elected Archbishop of Arles. He was a man of a very -impetuous and wilful character, and got sadly embroiled with Pope Leo -the Great, whom he defied on behalf of the liberties of the Gallican -Church, speaking out to him, as his contemporary biographer asserts, -“words that no layman would dare to utter, no ecclesiastic would endure -to hear.” He had after this to escape from Rome, where assassination -was to be feared—by knife or poison—and hurried back to Arles. Leo -retorted by writing a letter to the bishops of the province of Vienne -denouncing the audacity of Hilary in daring to set himself up against -his authority, and releasing them from all allegiance to the see of -Arles. - -Soon after this a fresh quarrel broke out. A bishop Projectus -complained that when he was ill, Hilary had rushed into his diocese -without inquiring whether he were yet dead, and without calling on -the clergy and people to elect a successor, had consecrated another -bishop in his room. This was the best possible medicine for Projectus. -He tumbled out of bed, pulled on his clothes, and in a screaming rage -wrote a letter to the Pope. Thereupon Leo wrote sharply to Hilary to -bid him mind his own business in future, and not meddle out of his -diocese. And then the Pope wrung from the feeble Emperor Valentinian -an edict denouncing the contumacy of Hilary against the apostolic -throne, and requiring him and all the bishops of Gaul to submit as -docile children to the bishop of the Eternal City. Hilary died in 449, -comparatively young. - -Sieyès was born at Fréjus in 1748, and was trained for orders at S. -Sulpice. In 1788 he was sent as member for the clerical order to the -Provincial Assembly at Orléans. He saw what was the trend of opinion -and what must inevitably happen, and he wrote his trenchant pamphlets, -_Essai sur les Privilèges and Qu’est-ce que le tiers-état_, 1789, -that acted as firebrands through France. He was elected by Paris as -representative at the General Assembly that met at Versailles. There, -looking at the nobles in their sumptuous attire, the curés in their -_soutannes_, and the representatives of the Third Estate in their -humble cloth, he said, “One people!—We are three nations,” and he it -was who, on July 20th, on entering the Assembly, exclaimed, “It is time -now to cut the cords,” and sent an imperious message to the other two -Houses to enter and sit along with the Tiers État. - -He strove hard against the abolition of tithe without some compensation -to the clergy, but was overborne. The general feeling was against this. -As he saw that anarchy was resulting from the conduct of the Assembly -he withdrew from taking any further active part; but he was elected by -the Department of Sarthe to sit as deputy in the Convention. - -At the trial of Louis XIV. he voted for his death—“La mort—sans -phrases.” When in 1798 he was commissioned by the Directory as -Ambassador to Berlin, he sent an invitation to a German prince to -dine with him. The prince wrote across it, “Non—sans phrases.” He -was elected into the Council of the Five Hundred. At this time it -was that the half-crazy fanatical Cordelier Poule attempted to shoot -him. Sieyès struck the pistol aside, but was wounded in the hand and -shoulder. Poule was sentenced for this for twenty years to the galleys, -and died on them. Sieyès was a member of the Directory. He was a -great man for drawing up schemes for a Constitution. The Directory -had lost all credit; France was sick of its constituent Assemblies, -Legislative Assemblies, Conventions, and Directory. This latter, at -one moment feeble, at the next violent, seemed to be able to govern -only by successive _coups d’état_, always a token of weakness. It -had brought France to the verge of bankruptcy. In its foreign policy -it had committed gross imprudences, and now a new coalition had been -formed against France, and the armies had met with reverses in Italy -and Germany. At this juncture Napoleon landed at S. Raphael. As he -travelled to Paris he was everywhere greeted with enthusiasm as the -expected saviour of the country. But on reaching Paris he behaved with -caution; he seemed only to live for his sister, and for his wife, -Josephine, and for his colleagues of the Institut. But he was watching -events. Everyone was then conspiring; Sieyès in the Directory, Fouché -and Talleyrand in the ministry, a hundred others in the Conseils, -Sieyès said, “What is wanting for France is a head,” tapping his own -brow, “and a sword,” looking significantly at Napoleon. He was to learn -very soon that head and sword would go together. - -The 18th Brumaire was contrived by Sieyès; but he was in his coach, -outside S. Cloud, when Napoleon entered to dissolve the Council of -the Five Hundred. In face of the tumult within Bonaparte lost his -confidence and was thrust forth by the Deputies. He found Sieyès in -his carriage, to which were harnessed six horses, ready to start at -full gallop should the _coup_ fail. “Do they seek to outlaw you?” asked -Sieyès. “Man, outlaw them yourself.” Napoleon recovered himself and -re-entered the hall at the head of his soldiery. The situation was -saved. - -Bonaparte, Sieyès, and Roger-Ducros were nominated Consuls. The -Revolution had abdicated into the hands of the military. That same -evening Sieyès said to his intimates, “We have given ourselves a -master.” - -Afterwards, Bonaparte, as first Consul, took him into the Senate, and -granted to him the domains of Crosne. Later, it was said— - - “Bonaparte à Sieyès a fait présent de Crosne, - Sieyès à Bonaparte a fait présent de trône.” - -Under the empire Sieyès was created a count. - -During the Hundred Days, Sieyès took his place in the Chamber of Peers, -but at the second restoration he was banished as one of the regicides. -He went to Brussels, but after the Revolution of 1830 returned to -Paris, where he died in 1836. - -To finish with one more worthy, of a character very different from the -rest: Marc Antoine Désaugiers. Born at Féjus in 1772, he died in 1827. -He was the soul of the _Caveau Moderne_. - -The old Caveau had been founded by Piron, Collé, and others. They met -twice a month at the wine-shop of Landelle, where they produced songs, -stories, and epigrams they had composed, dined and drank together. This -réunion began in 1737, and lasted over ten years. - -After the 9th Thermidor, and the fall of Robespierre, the Terror was -at an end. Men began to breathe freely, lift up their heads, and -look about for amusements to indemnify themselves for the reign of -horrors they had passed through. Then some choice spirits renewed -the reminiscences of the old Caveau, and met near the Theatre of the -Vaudeville, opened in 1792. The songs that were sung, the stories there -told, flew about. The public desired to share in the merriment, and in -Vendémiaire of the year V. (September, 1796) appeared the first number -of the _Caveau Moderne_. The tavern at which the company met was “Le -Rocher de Cancalle.” A complete edition of the songs was published in -1807. The tunes to which the songs were set were either well-known -folk-melodies, or opera-house airs. - -Désaugiers was a large contributor. - -As a specimen of his style I give some stanzas of his “Carnaval.” - - “Momus agite ses grelots, - Comus allume ses fourneaux, - Bacchus s’enivre sur sa tonne, - Palas déraisonne, Apollon détonne, - Trouble divin, bruit infernal— - V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval. - - “Un char pompeusement orné - Présente à notre œil étonné - Quinze poissardes qu’avec peine - Une rosse traine: Jupiter les mène; - Un Cul-de-jatte est à cheval; - V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval. - - “Arlequin courtise Junon, - Columbine poursuit Pluton, - Mars Madame Angot qu’il embrasse, - Crispin une Grace, Venus un Paillasse; - Ciel, terre, enfers, tout est égal; - V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval. - - “Mercure veut rosser Jeannot, - On crie à la garde aussitôt; - Et chacun voit de l’aventure - Le pauvre Mercure à la préfecture, - Couché,—sur un procès verbal; - V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval. - - “Profitant aussi des jours gras, - Le traiteur déguise ses plats, - Nous offre vinaigre en bouteille, - Ragoût de la vieille, Daube encore plus vieille: - Nous payons bien, nous soupons mal; - V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval. - - “Carosses pleins sont par milliers - Regorgeant dans tous les quartiers; - Dedans, dessus, devout, dernière, - Jusqu’à la portière, quelle fourmilière! - Des fous on croit voire l’hôpital; - V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval. - - “Quand on a bien ri, bien couru, - Bien chanté, bien mangé et bu, - Mars d’un frippier reprend l’enseigne, - Pluton son empeigne, Jupiter son peigne: - Tout rentre en place; et, bien ou mal, - V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval.” - -Désaugiers was one day invited to preside at the annual dinner of the -pork butchers. After the table was cleared he rose, and all expected -the oration or song of the evening. Looking round with a twinkle in his -eye, he began— - - “Des Cochons, des Cochons.” - -The pork butchers bridled up, grew red with wrath, thinking that this -was intended as an insult, when Désaugiers proceeded with his song— - - “Décochons les traits de la satire.” - -A French author has said of him:— - - “Désaugiers is song personified;—all gaiety, fun, laughter. He has in - him something of the spirit of Rabelais. His inherent wit breaks out - like the effervescence of champagne. Thought and rhyme are born in him - along with song. Every refrain in his compositions is full of joyous - sparkle.” - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -DRAGUIGNAN - - The Department of Var—A lifeless town—Dolmen—S. Armentarius kills - a dragon—The old walled town—The Fronde—The Sabreurs and the - Canifets—Les Tourettes—Joanna I. of Naples; her story—The Crown of - Jerusalem—Charles I. of Anjou—Death of Conradin—Murder of Andrew of - Hungary—Philippine Cabane—Louis of Hungary invades Naples—Joanna - buys a sentence clearing her of guilt by the sale of Avignon—Joanna’s - many sales—Again declared innocent—Charles of Durazzo—Urban VI. and - Clement VII.—Urban incites Charles against Joanna; her assassination; - her character—Butello—Death of Charles—Joanna II. makes Réné her - heir—Pedigree—Joanna and Caracciolo. - - -DRAGUIGNAN is the capital of the Department of Var. The name of the -department is a misnomer. It received the name when the department -extended to that river, formerly the boundary of France. But when, -in 1860, Nice was ceded to France and the department of the Maritime -Alps was formed, then a slice of territory, through which flowed the -River Var, was detached and united to the newly constituted department. -The consequence is that the River Var at no point runs through the -department to which it gave its name. - -Draguignan is not an interesting town. It lives on its character as -departmental capital. It has no manufactures, no trade, no life save -that which is infused into it when the young folk come up there for -examination for professions, and from the military who are quartered -there, and from the prisons which accommodate the criminals of the -department. Draguignan is supposed to have been a Greek town called -Antea. But there must have been people living here in prehistoric -times, for near the town is a dolmen as fine as any in Brittany or -Wales. It is composed of four upright stones supporting a quoit -eighteen feet long and fifteen wide, and the height above the ground is -seven feet. - -In the Middle Ages the place was called Drachœnum, and it was fabled -that the old town stood on the heights above, as the plain was ravaged -by a dragon. St. Armentarius, Bishop of Antibes (A.D. 451) slew the -monster, whereupon the people came down from the heights and settled -where is the present town. The town really began to flourish in the -thirteenth century, when, owing to the silting up of the port of -Fréjus, that city declined in prosperity. Then it was surrounded by a -wall pierced by three gates, of which two remain. Within the old walls -the streets are scarce six feet wide, and the houses run up to a great -height. The sun never penetrates to their pavement. The town was also -defended by a castle on rising ground. In 1535 Draguignan was one of -the principal Sénéchaussées of Provence. She rapidly spread beyond the -walls, and then a second circuit of walls was erected where is now the -boulevard; but portions of the ramparts to the east and north-east -still remain. - -In 1650 Draguignan was the scene of bloody fights on account of the -troubles of the Fronde. During the minority of Louis XIV., the Regent, -Anne of Austria, committed all authority to Cardinal Mazarin. He -loaded the country with taxes, took away the privileges from the -towns, and from the nobles, and strove to centralise the Government -and establish the despotism of the Crown. This roused the fiercest -opposition, and the country was divided into factions; one for the -Court and centralization, the other for the maintenance of local -self-government. This latter party was the Fronde. In Draguignan some -Frondists attempted to get hold of the castle; the people rose, armed -with spits and clubs, and drove them away. The parties distinguished -themselves by wearing ribbons, white or blue. - -Two years later civil war broke out again between the Sabreurs, the -Fronde party, and the Canifets, the favourers of Royal prerogative; -each was headed by a young peasantess armed with a scythe. Frightful -violence ensued. The mayor and many officers of the town were killed. -Men, women, and children were massacred indiscriminately as this or -that faction got the upper hand. - -The king sent troops to Draguignan, and ordered the demolition of the -castle, which was the bone of contention between the parties, and most -of the Sabreurs fled into Piedmont. The story goes that a cavalry -regiment called La Cornette blanche was quartered in the town, and -having behaved with great insolence, the people rose in the night and -massacred every man in the regiment, But in the municipal records there -is nothing to be found to confirm the tradition. - -Les Tourettes by Fayence, easily accessible from Draguignan, is a most -extraordinary pile, like no other castle known. In the time of the -religious wars it was held by the Carcists, and they, being short of -provisions, at night raided the neighbourhood. The people of Fayence -complained to the Governor of Provence, and he authorised them to take -what measures they liked to free themselves of the inconvenience. -Accordingly they sent for a cannon from Antibes and proceeded to -batter the castle down; and by keeping up an incessant fire they made -the castle too hot for the Carcists, who fled, and then the good folk -of Fayence proceeded to gut and unroof the castle, so as to save -themselves from further annoyance from that quarter. - -Draguignan was supplied with water by a canal cut, so it is asserted, -by Queen Jeanne I. of Sicily, and she is also credited with having -built the church at Salernes at the confluence of the Bresgne and the -Brague, and to have resided at Draguignan. - -It is remarkable that only two names of their former rulers have any -hold on the imagination and hearts of the Provençals of to-day, and -these the names of two totally different characters—_la reino Jeanno_ -and good King Réné. It was through Queen Joanna or Jeanne of Sicily -that King Réné acquired his empty royal titles. At Grasse a flight -of stone steps built into a vaulted passage is all that remains of -her palace. Houses said to have been occupied by her are pointed -out in many places, but in some instances, as in that of the pretty -Renaissance palace of Queen Jeanne at Les Baux, there is confusion made -between her and Jeanne de Laval, the wife of King Réné. - -It may be asked, How in the name of Wonder did Joanna obtain the title -of Queen of Jerusalem, so as to transmit the Crown of the Holy City to -Réné through her grandniece, Joanna II.? - -The bitter and implacable hostility borne by the Popes to the German -Imperial House of Hohenstauffen led Urban IV. to invite S. Louis, King -of France, to assume the title of King of Sicily and Naples. But the -delicate conscience of Louis revolted from such an usurpation. If the -Crown were hereditary, it belonged to Conradin, grandson of Frederick -II., the Great Redbeard, Emperor, King of Germany and of Sicily. But -Charles of Anjou, the brother of S. Louis, was less scrupulous. He -accepted the invitation. On the death of Urban, Clement IV. pursued the -same policy. Manfred, the uncle of Conradin, then wore the Crown of the -Sicilies. He was defeated by Charles and fell in battle, 1266, before -the army of the Pope and of Charles of Anjou, marching as crusaders. -Manfred left an only child, Constance, married to Peter III., King of -Aragon. Conradin, at the head of an army, advanced to claim the Crown -that was now his by right, regardless of the excommunication and curses -hurled at him by the Pope. He was defeated and taken prisoner. Clement, -fearful lest Charles should deal leniently towards the last of the -Hohenstaufens, wrote to urge him to smother all feelings of pity. - -“The life of Conradin,” he wrote, “is the death of Charles; the death -of Conradin is the life of Charles”; and the Anjou prince had the -last male of this noble race executed publicly. As Conradin stood on -the scaffold, he flung his glove among the people, crying out that he -constituted the King of Aragon his heir. - -Charles was now King of the Two Sicilies. But he was ambitious of a -more splendid title, and he bought that of Jerusalem from Mary of -Antioch, daughter of Bohimund V., who inherited the title of King of -Jerusalem from his mother, Melusina, daughter of Amaury de Lusignan, -twelfth sovereign of the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem -itself had fallen into the hands of the Saracens in 1244. - -To return now to Jeanne de Naples. - -Joanna I. of Naples was born in 1327, and was the daughter of Charles, -Duke of Calabria, and of Marie de Valois, his second wife. Charles was -the only son of Robert the Good, King of Naples, who was the grandson -of Charles of Anjou, brother of S. Louis, to whom had been given the -Crown of Naples by Pope Urban IV., determined at any cost to destroy -the Hohenstauffen dynasty. - -Charles, Duke of Calabria, died before his father, and Joanna succeeded -to the throne at the age of sixteen. - -She had been badly brought up. Philippine Cabane, a washerwoman, -wife of a fisherman, had been nurse to Charles, and she became later -the nurse and confidante of Joanna. She was a very beautiful and -a thoroughly unprincipled woman. On the death of her husband she -married a young Saracen slave in the service of Raymond de Cabane, -_maître d’hôtel_ to the King. Raymond fell under the influence of this -Saracen, and he introduced him to King Robert, who created him Grand -Seneschal, to the indignation of the Sicilian nobility, and himself -armed the Saracen knight.[9] Soon after marrying this man, we find “la -Cabanaise,” as she was called, installed as lady of honour to Catherine -of Austria, first wife of Charles of Calabria. Soon she induced Raymond -to adopt her husband, and to give him his title and bequeath his -fortune to him. Catherine of Austria died, and then Charles married -Marie de Valois; and when Jeanne or Joanna was born, Charles entrusted -his child to this infamous woman. - -King Robert had been younger brother of Charles Martel, King of -Hungary, and the Crown of Naples was liable to be disputed between the -branches. It was therefore deemed advisable to marry Joanna to Andrew, -son of Caroly I., and grandson of Charles Martel, King of Hungary. - -Joanna and Andrew were married when mere children—she, in fact, -was only seven when affianced to him. She and Andrew never liked -each other, and when they occupied one throne, dislike ripened into -aversion; two factions rent the Court with their rivalries, one -favoured by the King, the other by the Queen. At last Philippine Cabane -induced Joanna to acquiesce in a plot to murder Andrew. One evening in -September, 1345, when the Court was at Averso, the chamberlain of the -King entered the bedroom, where were Andrew and Joanna, and announced -to him that he had despatches of importance to communicate. Andrew rose -from bed and went into the adjoining apartment, where he was set upon, -and hung from the bars of the window with a rope into which gold thread -had been twisted by the hands of Joanna, for as Andrew was a king, “Let -him be strangled royally,” she had said. - -The body of Andrew was left hanging from the window for two days. -Joanna at the time was aged eighteen, but she was utterly corrupt in -mind. At quite an early age she had had a _liaison_ with the son of _la -Cabanaise_. Pope Clement VI. deemed it incumbent on him as suzerain -to order the murderers to be punished; but only accessories suffered. -Philippine was tortured and died under torture. Her son, Robert de -Cabane, was also made to suffer in like manner; but a wad was put in -his mouth to prevent him from betraying the part the Queen had in the -murder, and those publicly executed were also so gagged that they might -not reveal her complicity in the crime. - -In less than two years after, on August 20th, 1347, Joanna married -Louis of Tarentum, her cousin, who had been one of the prime -investigators of the murder. But Louis, King of Hungary, was determined -to avenge the death of his brother, and he marched an army against -Naples, under a black flag, on which was embroidered a representation -of the murder of Andrew. - -Louis of Tarentum headed an army of Neapolitans against the invader, -but it dispersed of itself, and Joanna fled with him to Provence in -January, 1348, leaving behind her, in heartless indifference, her son, -the child of the murdered Andrew. - -On reaching Provence she found the barons there by no means disposed to -receive her with cordiality. The atrocity of the crime revolted them, -and for a whole year they held her in prison. She was arraigned before -the world as an adulteress and a murderess. - -At length, thanks to the intervention of Pope Clement VI., she was -allowed to take refuge in Avignon, where she arranged terms with -Clement, that he should declare her innocent and sanction her marriage -with her cousin, in exchange for which favour she was to make over -to him, for a nominal sum, the city of Avignon without the Venaissin -previously acquired. The stipulated sum was 80,000 gold florins, -amounting to about £128,000 in modern money. The sale was in direct -contravention to the terms of the will of King Robert, who constituted -her heiress with the proviso that she was not to dissipate the Crown -lands and rights in the Two Sicilies and in Provence. It was further -a breach of a solemn oath she had taken to the barons “that she would -never alienate or wrong her royal and loyal estates of Provence.” But -Joanna was in need of money to prosecute the war against Louis of -Hungary. For this purpose she sold rights and domains wherever she -could find a purchaser. She disposed of the forests of the Montagnes -des Maures to the town of Hyères, and the fishing in the lake of -Hyères as well. The rights of the Crown to the harvest of the kermes -or cochineal insect that lived on the oaks, were also sold. Parts of -the Estérel were alienated. Marseilles and other towns bought of her -valuable privileges. - -Meanwhile, Louis of Hungary had lost much of his army about Naples, -swept off by plague. He himself returned to Hungary, carrying with -him the son of Joanna, born two months after the death of Andrew, -deserted by her at Naples; the child, however, died soon after. Joanna, -whitewashed by the Pope, returned to Naples in 1348, in August, -whereupon Louis again appeared in Italy at the head of an army, but met -with small success, and a truce was arranged; whereupon Joanna returned -to Avignon, there to have her guilt or innocence formally tried before -three cardinals nominated by the Pope. - -Louis accused Joanna of being more than accessory to the murder of her -husband, and Louis of Tarentum of being an instigator of the crime, and -Cardinal Talleyrand Perigord as having also been in the plot. - -Joanna appeared before the Papal Commission. She pleaded guilty only -to having disliked her husband, and claimed that this was due to -witchcraft. She was acquitted as innocent of all charges brought -against her; and as the Pope was regarded as infallible judge, in -morals as in matters of faith, the world was constrained to acquiesce -in the judgment. - -Joanna returned to Naples, where she held a gay, voluptuous court, -frequented by the wits and artists of Italy. Boccaccio wrote for -her his filthy tales, which he afterwards grouped together in the -_Decameron_. Petrarch corresponded with her. Leonardo da Vinci painted -her portrait; pupils of Giotto painted for her; Troubadours sang before -her, and were fulsome in their praise. - -But her rule was no rule at all. The country suffered from -misgovernment. Companies of adventurers ravaged the kingdom, and -carried their depredations to the very gates of Naples. Joanna cared -for none of these things; did not give over her revelries and carnival -entertainments. Her husband Louis was offended at her shameless -gallantries, and beat her with his fists. He died in May, 1362; and -she at once offered her hand to James of the House of Aragon, claimant -to the throne of Majorca, a young and chivalrous prince. He accepted, -and they were married in 1363; but she would not allow him any further -title than that of Duke of Calabria. - -He was disgusted with the frivolity of her Court, and with her conduct, -and fearing lest the same fate should befall him that had come on her -first husband Andrew, he quitted Naples and fled to Spain. James of -Aragon died, and in 1376 Joanna married Otto of Brunswick. This fourth -marriage offended Charles of Durazzo, grandson of John de Gravia, -younger brother of Robert, King of the Two Sicilies, who calculated -on succeeding to the throne and the county of Provence should Joanna -die childless. His father Louis had been poisoned by Queen Joanna. Now -ensued the great schism. - -For seventy years the papal court had been at Avignon, and the Romans -were sore that the money accruing from the influx of pilgrims, -litigants, and suitors to the Pope should flow into the pockets of -the Avignonese instead of their own. Gregory IX. had come to Rome, -urged thereto by S. Catherine of Siena; and there he died in 1378. -Thereupon the Romans, armed and furious, surrounded the conclave of the -Cardinals, shouting for a Roman Pope. At the time there were in Rome -sixteen Cardinals; eleven were French, four Italian, and one Spanish. -Intimidated by the menaces of the populace, quaking for their lives, -the Cardinals elected the Archbishop of Bari, a narrow-minded man, -of low birth, coarse manners, no tact, and, as proved eventually, of -remorseless cruelty. He showed at once of what stuff he was made by -insulting the Cardinals, and by threats of swamping the college with -Italian creations. The Cardinals fled to Anagni, where they issued -a declaration that the election was void, as it had been made under -compulsion, and that their lives had been threatened. However, the -newly-elected Pope assumed the name of Urban VI. As Archbishop of -Bari he had been the subject of Joanna, and she hailed his elevation, -and sent him shiploads of fruit and wines, and the more solid gift of -20,000 florins. Her husband, Otho of Brunswick, went to Rome to pay -his personal homage. But his reception was cold and repellent, and he -retired in disgust. - -Only four Cardinals adhered to Pope Urban. The Cardinals at Anagni -proceeded to elect Robert, Bishop of Geneva, to the papal throne, and -he assumed the title of Clement VII. - -Joanna had sent a deputation to Urban, headed by her grand chancellor, -Spinelli. In public, Urban treated the deputation with a torrent of -abuse, saying that he would eject the queen from her throne, and shut -her up in a cloister; aye, and would put in her place a man capable -of governing well. Spinelli replied that the people were content with -their legitimate sovereign; that she was not fit for a cloister; and -that if force were used she would find arms ready to defend her. - -Urban had thrown down the gauntlet. Joanna, furious at the insult, at -once acknowledged Clement as Pope. - -At first the rival Popes hurled ecclesiastical thunders at each other; -each denounced his rival as Antichrist, and each excommunicated -his rival’s adherents. France, Spain, Scotland, the Two Sicilies, -acknowledged Clement; Germany, Hungary, and England, and the major part -of Italy, recognised Urban. - -All the fury of this latter was now turned against Joanna, and he sent -a deputation to Hungary to incite Charles of Durazzo to take up arms -against her. Charles was not willing to do so. He knew that now Joanna -was an old woman, and most unlikely to have children, and that in a few -years inevitably the crown would fall to him. - -But at this juncture, Joanna made a fatal mistake. Hearing of what the -Pope had done, and supposing that Charles would at once comply with his -urgency, she declared that she disinherited Charles, and bequeathed -all her rights to the Two Sicilies and to Provence to Louis of Anjou, -second son of King John of France. - -Thereupon Charles hesitated no longer. He raised an army in Hungary, -and prepared to invade Neapolitan territories. Pope Urban hired the -services of a ruffian captain of a Free Company, Alberic Barbiano, to -assist. Urban was not, however, prepared to support Charles without -getting some advantage out of him, and he bargained with him that the -Principality of Capua should be given to his nephew, Butillo Prignano. -When Charles arrived in Rome, Urban decreed the deposition of Joanna, -and invested Charles with the sovereignty, and himself crowned him. In -the meantime Urban was busy in forming a party in Naples against the -Queen, to whom Clement had fled. Among the twenty-six Cardinals whom -he created in one day were several Neapolitans of the highest families -and dignities in the kingdom. He degraded the Archbishop of Naples, -and appointed in his room Bozzato, a man of influence and of powerful -connexions in the city. By this means he secured a faction in Naples, -opposed to Joanna and to her Pope. The new Archbishop set himself at -the head of the opposition. Clement was so alarmed for his safety that -he embarked, escaped to Provence, and retreated to Avignon. - -The Hungarian and Papal forces marched into the kingdom of Naples, and -met with no organised resistance. Joanna was besieged in the Castel -Nuovo, and Otho of Brunswick was captured in a sortie. Joanna in vain -awaited help from the Duke of Anjou, and was forced by famine to -surrender. She was confined in Muro, and at first was well treated, as -Charles hoped that she would revoke her will in his favour. But when -he saw that she was resolved not to do this, he sent to ask the King -of Hungary what was to be done with her. The answer was that the same -measure was to be meted out to her that had been measured to Andrew; -and she was either strangled whilst at her prayers, or smothered under -a feather bed, on May 12th, 1382. - -She was buried first at Muro, and then her body was transferred to -Naples. - -Opinions were divided as to her character. Angelo de Perugia qualified -her as “santissima,” and spoke of her as “l’onore del mundo, la -luce dell’Italia”; Petrarch greatly admired her; and recently, -Mistral has composed a poem in which she is painted as a blameless -and misrepresented personage. Her sister Maria was almost as bad as -herself. She also had her husband, Robert des Baux, murdered. It is -true that she had been married to him against her will. When she got -the power in her hands she flung him into prison, and, entering the -dungeon, along with four armed men, had him assassinated before her -eyes, and the body cast out of a window and left without burial, till -Joanna heard of her sister’s action, when she sent and had the body -decently interred.[10] - -After that Joanna had been put to death, Marie, natural daughter of -Robert of Naples, and aunt of Joanna, was tried and executed as having -been privy to the plot to murder Andrew. This Marie had carried on an -intrigue with Boccaccio, and is believed to be the Fiammetta of the -_Decameron_; but according to others, Fiammetta was intended for Joanna -herself. - -The Pope’s nephew, who was to be invested with the Principality of -Capua as the price of Urban’s assistance, soon after this broke into a -convent and ravished a nun of high birth and great beauty. Complaints -were made to the Pope. He laughed it off as a venial outburst of youth; -but Butillo was forty years old. The new king’s justice would not, -however, endure the crime. A capital sentence was passed on Butillo. -Pope Urban annulled the sentence, and Butillo was, if not rewarded, -bought off by being given a wife, the daughter of the justiciary, and -of the king’s kindred, with a dowry of 70,000 florins a year, and a -noble castle at Nocera. Thus satisfied, Urban excommunicated Louis -of Anjou, declared him accursed, preached a crusade against him, and -offered plenary indulgence to all who should take up arms against him. - -The War of Inheritance ensued after the death of Joanna, devastating -alike Naples and Provence. - -Charles of Durazzo, whom Urban had crowned, had married his cousin -Margaret, daughter of his uncle Charles, who had been executed in 1348 -by Louis of Hungary, for having counselled the murder of his cousin -Andrew. The father of Charles had been, as already intimated, poisoned -by Joanna. Louis, King of Hungary, died in 1382; whereupon Charles -claimed that kingdom, but was taken by Elizabeth, widow of Louis, -thrown into prison, and murdered there by her orders. Charles left a -son, Ladislas, and a daughter, Joanna. Ladislas was poisoned in 1414, -as was supposed, and then Joanna II. became Queen of the Two Sicilies. -Although twice married, she had no family, and she adopted Réné of -Anjou and Provence as her heir, and died in 1435. - -The whole pedigree is such a tangle, and the place of each actor in -the historic drama so difficult to fix without having a genealogical -table before the eye, that I have appended one, omitting all such -entries as do not specially concern the story. I may merely add that -Joanna’s second husband was her cousin, descended from Philip of -Tarentum, brother of her grandfather, Robert of the Sicilies. Also, -that the county of Provence descended to Joanna I. and Joanna II., -through their common ancestor, Charles II. of Anjou, son of Charles -I. and Beatrix, the heiress of that county. About her I shall have -something to say later on. - -Joanna II. was not much better as a woman than Joanna I. She was -enamoured of her handsome seneschal, Gian Caracciolo, who did not -respond to her advances. One day she inquired of her courtiers what -animal each mainly disliked. One said a toad, another a spider: -Caracciolo declared his utter loathing for a rat. - -Next day, when he was on his way to his room, he met a servant of the -Queen with a cage full of rats. As he was attempting to pass by, the -domestic opened the cage door, and out rushed the rats. Caracciolo -fled, and, trying every door in the passage, found all locked save one, -that into the Queen’s apartment. She created him Duke of Avellino and -Lord of Capua. One day, in 1432, relying on the favour he enjoyed, he -asked to be created Prince of Capua. When she refused, he boxed her -ears. This was an outrage she could not forgive, and by her orders he -was assassinated in his room.[11] The Queen died two years later. - -“Jeanne II.,” says Alexis de Saint Priest, “fit assoir tous les vices -sur le trône des Angevins sans la compensation d’aucun talent, ni -d’aucune vertu.” Joanna I. had some cleverness, and in that, and in -that alone, was superior to the second Joanna. - - Charles I.═╤═Beatrice, heiress of Provence. - Duke of Anjou, │ - son of Louis VIII. │ - of France, K. of │ - Naples 1266, K. │ - of Jerusalem 1277, │ - _d._ 1285. │ - ┌——————————┘ - │ - Charles II. (the Lame)═══╤═══Mary, heiress of Hungary. - K. of Naples and │ - Jerusalem, │ - crowned 1289, _d._ 1309. │ - │ - ┌———————————————┬—————┴————————————┬———————————————┐ - │ │ │ │ - Charles Martel, Robert, Philip, John of Gravina, - K. of Hungary, K. of Sicilies, Prince of Duke of Durazzo. - _d._ 1301. _d._ 1343. Tarentum. │ - │ │ ↓ │ - Charles II., Charles, │ - K. of Hungary, Duke of Calabria, │ - _d._ 1342. _d._ 1328. │ - │ │ │ - ┌—┴——————————┐ ├——————————————┐ ┌———————————┴———┐ - │ │ │ │ │ │ - Louis, Andrew = Joanna I., Mary══╤═══Charles, Louis, - K. of murdered _d._ 1382. _d._ │ beheaded poisoned - Hungary, 1348. 1366. │ 1348. 1362. - _d._ 1382. │ ┌—————┘ - │ │ - Margaret═══╤═══Charles III., - _d._ 1412. │ Duke of Durazzo, - │ murdered - ┌——————————————————————————————————————┤ 1386. - │ │ - Joanna II., Ladislas, - Q. of Sicilies and Jerusalem, King of Hungary, the - and Countess of Provence, Sicilies, and Jerusalem, - _d._ 1435. Constituted Réné _d._ 1414. - of Anjou her heir. - -[Illustration: THÉOULE] - - - - -CHAPTER X - -L’ESTÉREL - - The porphyry mountains—Geology and botany—The Suelteri—Charles - V. sets fire to the forests—Revenge—The tower of Muy—The seven - gentlemen—Attempt to shoot Charles—Failure—The Estérel formerly a - haunt of brigands—Gaspard de Besse—Saussure and Millin—Agay—The - Roman quarries—Cap Roux—La Sainte Baume—S. Honoratus—Various - places of winter resort in the Estérel. - - -A TRAVELLER must be very _blasé_ or very obtuse who is not spellbound -by the exceptional beauty of the Estérel. This mountain mass, like -the Chaine des Maures, is an interruption of the continuity of the -limestone of the coast. It consists of a tremendous upheaval of red -porphyry. Unlike the Maures, with its schists and granite, the porphyry -assumes the boldest and most fantastic shapes, and the gorgeousness -of its colouring defies description. These flame-red crags shooting -out of a sea the colour of a peacock’s neck, or out of dense woods of -pine, afford pictures where form and colouring are alike of sovereign -beauty. It is a region unique in Europe, extending something like -twelve English miles from east to west, and as much from north to -south. The medium height of its summits is 1,500 to 1,800 feet, so that -the elevation is not great, but it is cleft by valleys that abound -in scenes of the finest order of picturesqueness. Here and there the -granite and gneiss appear; elsewhere serpentine, trap, basalt, and -blue quartzite porphyry. Beside this is the new red sandstone and -the Bunter sandstone. Variety of soil gives variety of vegetation; -plantations of mimosa, not over a quarter of a century old, thrive on -the primitive rocks, and are mixed with cork trees, umbrella pines, -oaks, bushes of cistus, laurestinas, myrtle, rosemary, heath, broom, -and in the spring gleam the white spears of the asphodel. It is a -district in which geologist, botanist, and artist will revel alike. - - “The group of the Estérel,” says Lenthéric, “differs in form, in - colour, in origin, from all the littoral mountains of the Provençal - coast. It is entirely composed of primitive eruptive rocks; its - highest summits may not reach above 1,800 feet; but all its ridges - are pointed, and of a redness of fire. The crests of the mountains - are bald and savage. The cliffs are abrupt, torn into projecting - and retreating angles, and form on the sea-face an inaccessible - fortification, defended by an archipelago of islets and reefs of - almost polished porphyry, over which the waves have broken during - many centuries without having been able to produce upon them - any appreciable marks of geological erosion. The outline, the - denticulation, the anfractuosities of the shore, the fiords and the - rocky caverns into which the sea plunges, are little different to-day - from what they were at the opening of historic times, even, one may - say, at the beginning of our own geologic period.”[12] - -This wild and wondrous region was occupied by a Ligurian tribe of -Suelteri, who have left their name, much corrupted, to the district. -The Romans found it difficult to conquer them, but they carried the -Aurelian Road along the coast, where runs now the New Corniche Way. - -When Charles V. penetrated into Provence, with intention to annex it, -and Francis I. retreated before him, he was so harassed by the natives -of the Estérel swooping down on his convoys and capturing them, or -cutting to pieces detached regiments, that he set the forests on fire, -and for a week or ten days flames raged about the ruddy cliffs, making -them look as if they had been heated red hot, and either burning the -gallant defenders or driving them in desperation to break forth from -this vast raging kiln to fall on the pikes of his men-at-arms. - -Men, women, children, cattle, all perished in this horrible pyre; and -when the conflagration died out for lack of fuel, nothing was left -but the ashes of the burnt forest, mixed with the calcined bones of -those who had perished in it, above which stood the gaunt red spires -of rock, like petrified flames. Such conduct provoked reprisals, and -not a soldier of the invaders was spared who fell into the hands of the -exasperated Provençals. - -At the little village of Le Muy stood, and stands still, a solitary -tower by the side of the road, along which the Emperor was marching. It -was old and in decay, a ruin in the midst of ruins; and so little did -it excite suspicion that the Imperialists did not trouble to examine it. - -But five gentlemen, witnesses of the atrocities committed by Charles -V., bound themselves to revenge them. Accompanied by fifteen soldiers -and about thirty peasants well armed, all as devoted and intrepid as -themselves, they shut themselves into the old tower. There each planted -his arquebus in a loophole or a crack in the walls, resolved to shoot -down the Emperor as he passed. Clouds of dust announced the approach -of the hostile army. None of the devoted men knew Charles by sight, but -they hoped to recognize him by the superior splendour of his armour, -and the state that surrounded him. But one of the first to go by, in -gorgeous panoply, was the Spaniard Garcia Luzzio, mounted on a noble -courser, and accompanied by picked soldiers. Thinking that this must be -the Emperor, the Provençal gentlemen poured upon the Spaniard a hail of -bullets, and he fell from his horse, dead. - -Such an unexpected assault staggered the soldiers of Luzzio for a -moment. But they speedily rallied and rushed to the tower bravely to -revenge the death of their leader. The Provençals replied by a fresh -discharge, which overthrew several of the soldiers. Knowing that they -must expect death, they were resolved to sell their lives dearly; and -they were able to kill a number of their assailants when they came on, -without order and discipline. - -To sacrifice as few as possible, the officers ordered the soldiers to -withdraw and await the commands of the Emperor. Charles V. came up and -had cannon levelled at the tower, and the gallant defenders either -perished in its ruins, or fell into the hands of the Imperialists, who -hung them from the trees round about. - -In time the Estérel was again clothed in forest, and then became the -haunt of all the outlaws and gaol-birds who had broken loose. These -were organised into a body by one Gaspard de Besse, the Robin Hood of -the district. He with his band became the terror of Provence, waylaying -merchants on the high roads, and retreating to various caves still -shown in several places, after having plundered unfortunate travellers. -When pursuit was hottest, he escaped to the Estérel. Several murders -that he had committed were the occasion of a price being put on his -head, and he was eventually captured and broken on the wheel at Aix -in 1776. He is the hero of a charming story by Mme. Charles Reybaud, -published in 1859, but now out of print and very scarce. A drama called -_L’Auberge des Adrets_ had its scene laid in the Estérel, in 1823. - -In 1787 the celebrated Saussure visited the Estérel as geologist and -botanist; but his enthusiasm for the semi-tropical flora he met with in -his excursions was somewhat tempered by uneasiness about his safety. He -says:— - - “The main road is entirely exposed, and is dominated by salient rocks, - on which the brigands plant their sentinels. They suffer travellers - to advance to some open space between these points of vantage. Then, - from their ambushes in the woods, they swoop down on them and plunder - them, whilst the sentinels keep a good look-out, lest the guards - should come and surprise them. In the event of any of these appearing, - a whistle suffices to warn the robbers, and they dive out of sight - into the forest. It is absolutely impossible to reach them. Not only - is the undergrowth very dense, but it is encumbered with huge blocks - of stone. There are neither by-roads nor paths; and unless one knows - the intricacies of the woods as well as do the brigands themselves, no - one can penetrate into them, except very slowly. The forest extends to - the sea, and the whole district, entirely uncultivated, is a place of - refuge for the convicts who have escaped from the galleys of Toulon, - the nursery of all the robbers of the country.” - -Millin, who wrote in 1807, says:— - - “In general it is not possible to rely on the peasants in this region. - If you ask of them your way, they will either not answer you at all - or will misdirect you. Be careful that nothing is wrong with your - equipages, and your harness; for no assistance is to be met with - there. If they see that you are in difficulties, they laugh; if that - you are in danger, they pass by on the other side of the way. Should - a parched traveller venture to pluck a bunch of grapes, it is well - for him if this slight indiscretion does not bring on him blows of a - cudgel, a stone, or a shot from the gun of the owner. The cries of the - peasants are those of the tiger, and like the tiger is their vivacity - and their fury. Quarrels lead to insults, and insults are met with a - blow of a stick, a stone, or the stab of a knife, often enough mortal - in its effects. He who has committed such a crime thinks nothing of - its consequences, save how they may affect himself. He abandons his - victim, or else puts him out of the way of deposing against him. He - runs away. Watching for his prey either in the ravines of Ollioules or - in the depths of the forests of the Estérel, he waylays the traveller. - He begins as a robber, and speedily becomes an assassin by trade. This - is how the brigands are recruited who infest the roads of Provence.” - -Now all that is of the past. The French Tourists’ Club has made paths -and roads in all directions, and the Estérel may be traversed even more -safely than Regent Street. - -[Illustration: THE ESTÉREL, FROM CANNES] - -The Estérel can be visited from Cannes or S. Raphael, but the real -centre for excursions is Agay, an ideal nook for a winter resort. The -Mornes Rougés, a hemicycle of heights, curves about the harbour, and -cuts off every huffle of the Mistral. The Cap Dramont intercepts the -winds from the west. It possesses good hotels, and if a visitor for -the winter could tear himself away from the gaieties of Cannes, he -would spend a month here with perfect comfort, in a warmer climate, -and with any number of delightful excursions to be made from it. Agay -and Anthéor are two settlements of artists, and any one who enjoys -sketching can follow that pursuit in the open air in the Estérel -throughout the winter. Among the many points of interest near Agay -may be mentioned the Roman quarries of blue porphyry, les Caous. Of -these there are three. It was for a long time supposed that the Romans -transported the greyish-blue porphyry spotted with white, found in -their structures at Fréjus and Orange from Egypt, till these quarries -were discovered. In them remain some shafts of columns twenty-two feet -long, roughed out, but never completed. Grooves cut in the rock, and -blocks dropped on the way down to the sea, point out the fact that the -working of these quarries must have been abandoned abruptly. There were -workshops hard by, and numerous remains of pottery and tools have been -picked up. One of the quarries was utilised for columns, another for -blocks and facing-slabs. - -The Cap Roux, which stands forth as an advanced sentinel, with feet in -the sea, and starts up 1,360 feet, with its red needles shooting aloft -from the water, and pierced below with caverns, is consecrated to the -memory of S. Honoratus, whose cave, La Sainte Baume, is in the lurid -cliff. Numerous pilgrims were wont to visit it at one time, but now it -is hardly frequented at all, save by tourists. There is a fashion in -saints; and poor old Honoratus is now shouldered into the background, -and thrust into the shade. But he is not a man who should be forgotten. -His is one of the most lovable characters in the calendar. His life -was written by his kinsman and disciple, the great Hilary of Arles, -and it may be thoroughly relied on. He is also spoken of with much -love by another pupil, S. Eucherius of Lyons. But there exists another -Life, which is a tissue of fables, and a late composition, utterly -worthless, one “which,” says Baronius, the Church historian, “cannot be -read without disgust, except by those possessed of iron stomachs, and -wits cankered with the rust of ignorance.” - -Honoratus was son of a Romano-Gaulish nobleman, living it is not -certain where. When quite a young man he longed to embrace a solitary -life, away from the distractions and pleasures of the corrupt society -and the degenerate civilization of the time. His father, noticing -the direction of the lad’s mind, charged his eldest son, Venantius, -a gay and impetuous youth, to turn him from this purpose; but on the -contrary, it was he who gained his brother; and the two young men left -their home and wandered to the East. There, overcome by the hardships -of the journey, Venantius, who was delicate, succumbed, and Honoratus -buried him. Then he set his face westward, and on reaching Provence -made the acquaintance of Leontius, Bishop of Fréjus, and opened to him -his heart. Leontius advised him to test the sincerity of his purpose, -and recommended him to find some solitary nook in the Estérel where he -might spend time in preparation and prayer. Then Honoratus, wandering -among the forests and the flaming red rocks, lighted on a cave on Cap -Roux and made that his place of retreat. Later, being resolute in -purpose, he departed, and, accompanied by a few others of like mind, -crossed over to the Isle of Lerins and made that his abode. By degrees -a little community formed there about him. Honoratus, whose fine face, -as Eucherius says, was radiant with a sweet and attractive majesty, -received a multitude of disciples of all nations, who flocked to him; -and the island became the great centre of learning and holiness for -Gaul. He showed the utmost tenderness in the management of those who -committed themselves to his guidance. He sought to penetrate to the -depths of their hearts, to understand their troubles and difficulties. -He neglected no effort to dispel every sadness, all painful -recollection of the world. He watched their sleep, their health, -their labours, that he might draw each to serve God according to the -measure of his strength. Thus he inspired them with a love more than -filial. “In him,” they said, “we find not only a father, but an entire -family, a country, the whole world.” When he wrote to any of those who -were absent, they were wont to say, on receiving a letter, written, -according to the usage of the time, upon tablets of wax, “He has poured -back honey into the wax, honey drawn from the inexhaustible sweetness -of his heart.” - -The monks, who had sought happiness by renouncing secular life, -protested that they had found it on the Isle of Lerins, under the -guidance of Honoratus. - -But every now and then, overburdened with the care of a great -community, Honoratus longed to be alone, to rest from these engrossing -cares, and to spend his time in searching his own heart and communing -with God. - -He had a young kinsman, Hilary by name, of whom I have already spoken, -living in the world. Honoratus sought him out in his old home and -earnestly endeavoured to draw him to embrace the monastic life. But his -persuasion failed. Hilary stubbornly refused. Before he left, Honoratus -said, “Well, then, I will obtain from God what you now refuse me.” -And he retreated, either to his cave in the Estérel or to his island -of Lerins, to pray for his relative. Three days after he was gone -Hilary changed his mind. “On the one hand,” he says, I thought I saw -God calling me; on the other the world seducing me. How often did I -embrace, and then reject, will and then not will, the same thing. But -in the end, Jesus Christ triumphed in me.” And going to the sea-coast -he boated over to Lerins. - -Honoratus was elected Bishop of Arles in 426, and died in the arms of -Hilary, who succeeded him, in 429. - -Who thinks of this saintly old man when in the bustling rue S. Honoré, -in Paris, that is called after him? - -There is no need for me to describe the marvels of rock scenery in Mal -Infernet, the Ravin d’Uzel, the Rochers du Pigeonnier, or the many -other sights of the Estérel, for there are two or three excellent -little guide-books to this most fascinating region, easily obtainable -at Cannes. - -In addition to Agay, there are other comfortable places well furnished -with hotels, where one may spend many pleasant days, as Théoule and -Le Trayas. And as there is not only the New Corniche Road, but also -the main line skirting the Estérel, it is easily accessible and easily -abandoned should books run short and rain fall. - -[Illustration: WASHERWOMEN, GRASSE] - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -GRASSE - - Advantages of situation—Fine scenery in neighbourhood—The - _foux_—Manufactures—Romeo de Villeneuve—Charles of - Anjou—In Sicily—The Sicilian Vespers—Death of Charles—The - transfer of Episcopal Chair to Grasse from Antibes—Antoine - Godeau—Cathedral—Cathedral of Vence—Western Choirs—Attempt - to blow up the Bishop—The Hôtel Cabris—Louise de Cabris—The - Mirabeaus—Cabris—Gabriel Honoré—André Boniface—The - Gorges of the Loup—Gourdon—Mouans Sartoux—The Calvinist - Seigneur—Pompée de Grasse—Susanne de Villeneuve—François de Théas - Thorenc—Fragonard—Petty quarrels—The Flowers of Grasse. - - -GRASSE, once a great resort, during the winter, for visitors, has -ceased to be that, unless it be out of curiosity. They run up by train -from Cannes for a couple of hours and return by the next. The only -foreign residents there for the winter season are such as have bought -villas which they cannot dispose of. But Grasse possesses advantages -not shared by Cannes. It is far better protected against cold winds, as -it lies under the great limestone wall that supports the bare terrace -before the Alps. But, built as it is on a steep slope, it is not a -place where any one with a weak heart can live, unless content to live -at his window. There is scarce a bit of level street in the place. The -shops are naught and entertainments indifferent. But then—it is an -admirable centre for a stay of a few weeks, for one who desires to -explore the magnificent scenery of the Loup, the curious country in the -great loop made by the River Var, S. Vallier, and the upper waters of -the Siagne; Vence also and S. Jeannet under its marvellous crag, full -of crevasses and caves. - -Grasse must always have been a place where men settled, from the -earliest days, as there is a _foux_, a great outburst of purest water -from the rock. The cave from which it rushes is now closed up, and the -water is led to the place where the women wash clothes, and by pipes is -conveyed about the town. There is, however, no evidence that the town -was one in Greek or Roman times, and it first appears in history in -1154; but then it was a place of some consequence, and shortly after -that it contracted alliances on an equal footing with the Pisans and -the Genoese. Throughout the Middle Ages it throve on its manufactures -of soap, its leather, its gloves, its refined oil and scents. It -was a free and independent town, governing itself like the Italian -communities, as a Republic, with its annually elected consuls; and when -it submitted in 1227 to Raymond Berenger, Count of Provence, it made -its own terms with him. Grasse attained to great prosperity under the -celebrated seneschal Romeo de Villeneuve, a remarkable man, whose story -may here be told. - -Douce, the heiress of the Counts of Provence, married Raymond Berenger -I., Count of Barcelona, who died in 1131. From him in direct line -descended Raymond Berenger IV., whose most trusty servant was Romeo de -Villeneuve. This man arrived at the court of the Count as a pilgrim, -staff in hand and cockleshell in hat, coming from a visit to S. James -of Compostello. Something attractive about the man drew the attention -of the Count, and he made of him his chief minister, High Constable -of Provence, and treasurer. His strict integrity, his great prudence, -and his justice, endeared him to the people as they did to his master. -Through his instrumentality, Eleanor, the daughter of the Count, -was married to Henry III. of England, and the niece of the Count to -Richard, Duke of Cornwall. Nice had revolted against the Count, and -Romeo reduced it to submission, and was appointed Governor of the -town. Raymond Berenger had succeeded to his Countyship when the barons -of Provence had asserted their independence and were warring against -each other and harassing the towns. Romeo clipped their wings, and did -all in his power to favour commerce and give prosperity to the towns. -Without curtailing the splendour of his master’s court, he took care -that there should be no extravagance there; and he gathered about it -the ablest men of the time, poets and the learned. - -This was the period when mortal war was being waged between Pope -Gregory IX. and the Emperor Frederick II. The Emperor had been cursed -and excommunicated, a holy war proclaimed against him. Gregory issued a -summons to all the prelates of Europe for a General Council to be held -in the Lateran palace, at Easter, in which he would pour out all his -grievances against Frederick, and unite the whole church in pronouncing -Anathema Maranatha against him. But the Emperor himself had appealed -to a General Council against the Pope; one sitting in Rome, presided -over by Gregory, was not the tribunal to which he would submit. The -Count of Provence commissioned Romeo to go to Rome with a fleet -conveying bishops and cardinals to attend the Council. But Frederick -had prepared a powerful fleet in Sicily and Apulia, under the command -of his son, Enzio. Pisa joined him with all her galleys. The Genoese -and Provençal fleet met that of the Emperor off the island of Meloria; -the heavily laden Genoese and Provençal vessels were worsted after a -sharp conflict; three galleys were sunk, twenty-two were taken. Some of -the prelates went down in the sunken galleys; among the prisoners were -three cardinals, four archbishops, and six bishops. - -Cardinal Otho was in the fleet, returning to Rome with English plunder. -He had been collecting enormous sums by exactions on the clergy and -freewill offerings for the replenishing of the Papal treasury, and the -prosecution of the holy war against Frederick. All this now fell into -the hands of the Imperialists. Romeo was not taken prisoner; he fought -with determined courage, and even captured one of the hostile vessels, -and brought it back to Marseilles. - -Raymond Berenger died in 1245; by his will he had confided the regency -to Romeo, along with the guardianship of his daughters. - -Romeo assembled the Provençal nobles and the representatives of the -chief towns, and made them swear allegiance to Beatrix, the daughter of -his old master, who had been constituted heiress of Provence. - -Romeo succeeded in getting her married to Charles of Anjou, brother of -Louis IX. This was done with wise purpose, but events proved—events -over which Romeo had no control—that it was a disastrous mistake. - -In his determination to root out the Hohenstauffen from Italy, Pope -Clement IV. offered the crown of Naples and Sicily to this Charles. -This was, as Mr. Addington Symons well says, “the most pernicious of -all the evils inflicted by the papal power on Italy and on Provence.” -Then followed the French tyranny, under which Boniface VIII. expired at -Anagni; Benedict XI. was poisoned at the instigation of Philip le Bel, -and the Papal see was transferred to Avignon. - -Provence was henceforth involved in the bloody wars of Italy; its -wealth, its manhood, were drained away, its Count passed to Naples to -keep there his Court as a King, to the neglect of good government at -home. - -Romeo underwent the fate of all honest and strong men. He had made -himself enemies, who accused him to the prince of having enriched -himself at the expense of the province. - -Romeo produced his accounts before the prince, showing that he had not -betrayed his trust to the value of a denier; and then, resuming his -pilgrim’s habit, resumed also his wanderings. Finally he retired to the -castle of Vence, where he died. His will was dated December 18th, 1250. -Dante places him in Paradise:— - - “Within the pearl, that now encloseth us - Shines Romeo’s light, whose goodly deeds and fair - Met ill receptance. But the Provençals, - That were his foes, have little cause for mirth. - Ill shapes that man his course, who makes his wrong - Of other’s worth. Four daughters were there born - To Raymond Berenger; and every one - Became a queen; and this for him did Romeo, - Though of mean state, and from a foreign land, - Yet envious tongues incited him to ask - A reckoning of that just one, who return’d - Twelve-fold to him for ten. Aged and poor - He parted thence; and if the world did know - The heart he had, begging his life by morsels, - ’Twould deem the praise it yields him, scantly dealt.” - - (Par. vi. 131-44). - -Charles of Anjou was at all points opposite to his brother Louis -IX.—the Saint. The latter was true to his word, just, merciful, and -devoid of personal ambition. But Charles was rapacious, cruel, and of -a vehement character. His young wife, moreover, the sister of three -queens, excited him to aspire after a crown; and he saw in the county -of Provence only a stepping-stone towards a throne. He hoped to acquire -that of Constantinople, and he supposed that he was on his way thereto -when he listened to the summons of the Pope to dispossess Manfred of -the Sicilies. This disastrous resolve decided the fate of Provence, and -was the prime cause of its ruin. If in the Count of Anjou there had -been a glimmer of political sense, he would have seen how precarious a -matter it was to accept a sovereignty as a feudatory of the Holy See, -and to become the sport of circumstances ever shifting. He would have -perceived how fatal it would be to his fortunes to oscillate between -two centres; to exhaust the sources of his real strength in Provence -to maintain himself in Naples. The nobility of Provence shared in his -infatuation and eagerly joined in the undertaking. At the accession -of Charles under the wise government of Raymond Berenger, and the -judicious husbanding of its resources by Romeo de Villeneuve, Provence -was at its acme of prosperity. Charles brought it to ruin. After the -execution of Conradin, he rode roughshod over the people of Naples -and Sicily. To his exactions there was no end. The great fiefs were -seized and granted to Provençal or Angevin favourites; the foreign -soldiers lived at free quarters, and treated the people with the utmost -barbarity. There ensued an iron reign of force without justice, without -law, without humanity, without mercy. - -Conradin, from the scaffold, had cast his glove among the crowd, and -called on Peter of Aragon, husband of Constance, daughter of the noble -Manfred, to avenge him, and assume his inheritance. In Sicily, where -the exactions, the tyranny of the French were most intolerable, a -secret correspondence was kept up with Peter of Aragon, and he was -entreated to deliver the island from its French masters. But before he -was ready, an outbreak of the populace precipitated matters. On Easter -Tuesday the inhabitants of Palermo had gone forth in pilgrimage to a -church outside the town to vespers. French soldiers, mingling with the -people, began to assault the young women. The Sicilians, the fathers, -brothers, lovers, remonstrated, and bade the French keep away from -the festival. The French gathered together and laid their hands on -their swords. At this juncture a beautiful girl, with her betrothed, -approached the church. A Frenchman, named Drouet, in wantonness of -insult, went up to her and thrust his hand into her bosom. The girl -fainted in her bridegroom’s arms. A cry was raised of “Death to the -Frenchmen!” and a youth started forward and stabbed Drouet to the heart. - -This was the signal for a general insurrection. The cry spread to -the city: every house was searched, and every person whose dress, -speech, appearance, proclaimed him a Frenchman was massacred without -mercy. Neither old age, nor sex, nor infancy, was spared. And in those -Sicilian vespers, over two thousand of the Provençal and Angevin nobles -and their wives perished under the knives of the justly incensed -Sicilians. - -When Charles heard of the massacre he burst into paroxysms of wrath. -He is described as next having sat silent, gnawing the top of his -sceptre, and then breaking forth into the most horrible vows of revenge. - -Nor was the Pope behindhand in threats. It was to the Pope that Naples -and Sicily owed the incubus of Charles and his Provençals. Clement IV. -indeed was dead; Martin IV. now sat in his chair; but though there was -a change in the person of the Chief Pontiff, there was no change of -mind and policy. - -The Palermitans sent an embassy to the Pope to deprecate his wrath, -addressing him: “O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, -have mercy on us!” But even this adulation could not abate his rage. -He proclaimed a crusade against the Sicilians. Heaven was promised to -those who should draw the sword against them. Anathema was proclaimed -against all who took their side. - -But Peter of Aragon was indifferent to this ecclesiastical bluster, and -the Sicilians were desperate. In spite of the blessings and promises of -the Pope, Charles encountered only disaster. His fleet was destroyed, -his son, Charles of Salerno, was captured; his treasury was exhausted, -and the principal nobility of Anjou and Provence had been decimated in -the Sicilian vespers. He sank into despondency and died, 1285. - -Eventually, at the intercession of King Edward I. of England, the young -prince, Charles the Lame, was released. He swore to pay 20,000 marks, -and surrender his two sons as hostages till the sum was paid, and allow -the claim to the Two Sicilies to drop. But no sooner was he freed than -Pope Nicolas IV. annulled the treaty, released Charles of his oaths, -and crowned him with his own hands. Charles did not surrender his sons, -nor pay his ransom. - -“This decree of Nicolas,” says Dean Milman, “was the most monstrous -exercise of the absolving power which had ever been advanced in the -face of Christendom: it struck at the root of all chivalrous honour, at -the faith of all treaties.” - -But Charles was fain to content himself with his counties of Provence -and Anjou, and not allow himself to be drawn or impelled into wars by -the Pope. In Provence he found wounds to staunch, ruins to repair. - -It is highly to his credit that he frankly accepted this difficult -and not very brilliant part. He avoided war, paid his father’s debts, -re-established his finances, and acquired in return the nickname of -Charles the Miserly. After a reign of twenty-four years he died in 1309. - -Grasse had been in the diocese of Antibes, but in 1243 Pope Innocent -IV. transferred the seat of the bishop from Antibes to Grasse, on -account of the unhealthiness of the former, and its liability to be -plundered by the Moorish corsairs. - -The bishops of Grasse were not in general men of great mark. Perhaps -the least insignificant of them was Godeau. - -Antoine Godeau, born at Dreux in 1605, lived in Paris with a kinsman -named Couart; and as he thought he had the poetic _afflatus_, he -composed verses and read them to his kinsman. Couart took the lyrics -to some literary friends, and they were appreciated. Godeau went -on writing, and a little coterie was formed for listening to his -compositions; and this was the nucleus out of which grew the Academie -Française. Couart introduced Godeau to Mlle. de Rambouillet, and he -became her devoted admirer, and a frequenter of her social gatherings. -The lady says, in one of her letters to Voiture: “There is here a man -smaller than yourself by a cubit, and, I protest, a thousand times more -gallant.” Godeau, who entered holy orders and became an abbé, through -his devotion to Mlle. de Rambouillet, obtained the nickname of “Julie’s -Dwarf.” Voiture was jealous of him, begrudged the favour of the lady -who dispensed the literary reputations of the day, and he addressed a -rondeau to Godeau:— - - “Quittez l’amour, ce n’est votre métier, - Faites des vers, traduisez le psautier; - Votre façon d’écrire est fort jolie; - Mais gardez-vous de faire folie, - Ou je saurais, ma foi, vous châtier - Comme un galant.” - -Godeau lived at a time when dancers about the saloons of the toasts -and blue stockings of Paris were rewarded with spoils from the Church; -and Godeau, when aged only thirty, was offered and accepted the united -dioceses of Grasse and Vence. He was consecrated, and went to Grasse. -Thence he wrote to Julie:— - - “Dans ce désert où je suis retourné, - Mon cœur languit, à souffrir destiné, - Et mon esprit plein de mélancolie - Ne pense plus qu’à la belle Julie. - - * * * * * - - J’aimerai mieux être aux fers condamné - Dans le dur froid de l’âpre Corilie. - O Rambouillet! O nymphe si jolie, - Souffrirez vous que je sois confiné - Dans ce désert?” - -However, Godeau did his duty at Grasse. Indeed, eventually, wearied -with squabbles with his chapter there, he threw up Grasse and -retained only Vence, the poorest of all the sees in France. - -[Illustration: CARROS] - -Godeau was a voluminous writer, theological, historical, and poetic; -and excelled in none of these lines. In fact, all his works have been -consigned to the literary dust heap. His appointment to Grasse had -followed on his presentation of a paraphrase of the Benedicite to -Richelieu. The Cardinal said, “Sir, you have given me Benedicite. I in -return render you Grasse (Grâce).” - -The Cathedral of Grasse is of singularly uncouth Gothic, of the twelfth -century, with huge drums of pillars, and the crudest of vaulting -without any moulding being afforded to the ribs. Grasse possessed -formerly a very curious feature, shared with Vence, of having the choir -for bishop and chapter in the west gallery, over the porch. As this -was so exceptional, and as the early apse would not admit of seats -for the chapter, a late bishop built out a hideous structure behind -the high altar to accommodate himself and the clergy. But at Vence -the arrangement remains intact. That church of Vence is of very early -architecture, I am afraid of stating how early. It consists of a nave -with double aisles on each side, and the double aisles are carried -round at the west end. Each of the aisles on both sides of the nave is -stone-floored and vaulted underneath, forming a gallery. At the west -end, both aisles are so floored, and here, above the narthex or porch, -is the choir, with most beautifully carved stalls, bishop’s throne at -the extreme west end; and in the middle of this odd little upstairs -choir is the lectern with its vellum MS. book of antiphons left as -last used. The date of the stalls is 1455-1460, and the lectern is but -little later. - -According to tradition the church was built in the sixth century, -on the site of a Pagan temple, and an image of an idol was buried -under the foundations of each of the pillars. What is certain is that -into two of the piers are inserted figures in alabaster from a Roman -monument, and that numerous votive tablets and inscriptions are walled -into the church. The beautiful woodwork of the western choir escaped -being blown to splinters by a happy accident in 1596. - -On Sunday, the Feast of S. Michael, the bishop occupied his throne at -mass. When he stood up for the Gospel, his foot broke through the floor -of his stall. He drew his foot out, and after the conclusion of the -Creed proceeded to the pulpit to preach. Whilst he was away a choir boy -looked into the hole made by the bishop’s foot, thrust in an arm and -drew out his hand full of a black powder, which he showed to an officer -standing by, who at once recognised that this was gunpowder. A search -was made, and it was found that enough gunpowder had been rammed in -under the throne to blow bishop and chapter up, and wreck the church. A -fuse had been inserted through a hole bored in the woodwork, and it was -supposed that the purpose was to light this when the bishop returned -from the pulpit. A messenger was at once sent to him, but he refused to -desist from his sermon, calmly proceeding with it to the conclusion, -although the congregation, who had received wind of the attempt, -had begun to clear out of the church. He returned to his throne and -remained there to the end of the service. It was never ascertained by -whom the plot was arranged, whether by Huguenots, or whether it was due -to private malice. - -A corner house looking out on the Cours at Grasse, between the rue du -Cours and the Passage Mirabeau, is the old town residence of the family -of Cabris. The noblesse of the neighbourhood had their town residence -at Grasse, and there spent the winter in such gaieties as could be got -up between them. - -In this house, No. 2 and 4 of the street, lived Louise, Marchioness de -Grasse-Cabris, the youngest and most beautiful of the sisters of the -famous Mirabeau. She had been married when quite young to the Marquis, -who was a prey to ungovernable fits of temper, and was considerably -her senior. But there was an excuse for his violence in the dissipated -conduct of his wife. - -The Mirabeaus were an old Provençal family which had migrated from -Florence through some of the civic broils in the twelfth century. -The patronymic was Arrigheti, which got by degrees Frenchified into -Riquetti. The estate and title of Mirabeau were only acquired in 1568, -by Jean Riquetti, who was first consul of Marseilles. - -The Mirabeaus were a race of men singularly energetic, independent, -and audacious. They boasted that they were all hewn out of one block, -without joints. They were proud, rude, with original and strongly -marked features, free-and-easy morals, and violent tempers. Jean -Antoine de Riquetti, Marquis de Mirabeau, brigadier of infantry, was -wounded in defending a bridge in the battle of Cassans. He fell, and -all the hostile army passed over him. His old sergeant, seeing him -down, put an iron pot over his master’s head, and fled. This pot saved -Mirabeau’s life, but his right arm was broken, and he was so damaged -that he was obliged to wear a silver collar to keep his head upright. -He was presented by the Duke de Vendôme, under whom he had fought, to -Louis XIV., who received him with some commonplace remark; to which the -old crippled soldier replied rudely, “If in quitting the Colours he had -come to Court _payer quelque catin_ he would have received more honour -and less words.” Vendôme was so scared at his audacity, that he said, -“Henceforth, Riquetti, I will present you to the enemy, and never again -to the king.” - -The son of this man was Victor de Riquetti, who called himself “l’Ami -des Hommes,” a fantastic hodge-podge of contradictions. He was a -philanthropist and a despot, a feudalist, but also a reformer, a -professed friend of mankind, but a tyrant in his own family. He hated -superstition, but scoffed at “la canaille philosophique.” Separated -from his wife, he was engaged in lawsuits with her for years, which -published to all Provence the scandals of the domestic hearth of the -House of Mirabeau. The eldest son of this man was Gabriel Honoré, -the great orator, and the youngest daughter was Louise, Marchioness -de Grasse-Cabris. The feudal castle of the Cabris is on the way to -Draguignan. Cabris occupies a conical hill in a dreary limestone -district, where the soil is so sparse that even the olive cannot -flourish there—it exists, that is all. The place is supplied with -water from cisterns that receive the rain from the roofs. Honoré was -disfigured by smallpox at the age of three, and he retained thenceforth -an extraordinary hideousness of aspect which struck his contemporaries, -but which does not seem in the slightest to have impeded his success -with women. His father declared that physically and morally he was a -monster. The romance of his life begins when he was aged seventeen, -when, owing to a love intrigue, and to debts, his father obtained a -_lettre de cachet_ and had him imprisoned in the isle of Ré. From -that time ensued a pitiless struggle, a veritable duel, between the -imperious father and the ungovernable son. In 1772 Honoré married -Emilie de Marignane at Aix; she was a wealthy heiress, but he speedily -dissipated her fortune. His father obtained an order that he should be -interned at Manosque. But he broke bounds and came to Grasse to visit -his sister. Two days later an indecent pasquinade appeared placarded -over the walls of Grasse, containing aspersions on the characters of -the principal ladies of rank who spent the winter there. - -It was at once bruited abroad that Mirabeau and his sister, Mme. de -Cabris, had concocted the lampoon between them. Mirabeau was incensed. -He was too much of a gentleman thus to defame ladies; and he hunted out -M. de Villeneuve-Mouans as the author of this report. He went after him -one day, when this old gentleman was walking on the road bare-headed, -with an umbrella spread, horsewhipped him, and broke the umbrella over -his shoulders. - -The consequence was that a _lettre de cachet_ was taken out against -Louise; but on investigation it turned out that it was the Marquis -de Grasse-Cabris, the husband of Louise, who was the author of the -scurrilous lampoon, and that Honoré had known nothing about it. - -When the Revolution broke out, the Marquis fled. The Castle of Cabris -was sacked by the mob, and Louise and her husband lived for ten years -in great poverty as _emigrés_. - -When, finally, she returned to Provence it was to ruined Mirabeau. The -castle had been wrecked, but she contrived to have a cottage built out -of the ruins for herself and for her husband, who had sunk into dotage. - -The brother of the great orator and of Louise de Cabris was André -Boniface, Deputy to the Estates-General for the nobility of Limoges. -His excesses at table, and his corpulence, procured for him the -nickname of Mirabeau Tonneau. Gabriel Honoré reprimanded him for -ascending the tribune when he was drunk. “Why,” he replied, “you have -monopolised all the vices of the family, and have left but this one -to me.” “In any other family but ours,” he said, “I would pass as a -disgrace. In mine, I am its most respectable member.” He emigrated to -Germany. An epigram was composed on him:— - - “L’horreur de l’eau, l’amour du vin - Le retiendront au bord du Rhin.” - -Grasse, as already said, is an admirable centre for excursions, and no -excursion is finer than that up the Gorge of the Loup. It is not often -that commercial enterprise adds to picturesqueness of scene; but this -it has at the entrance to the Gorge. There the railway makes a bold -sweep over a really beautiful viaduct, this itself an addition to the -scene. But further, in order to supply electric force to Nice for its -trams and lighting, a canal has been bored in the precipice on the -right bank of the Loup, at a great elevation, to bring the water from -an upper fall, so as, by means of a turbine, to accumulate the required -power; and the falls of this stream at the opening of the ravine are of -great beauty. - -It is hard to decide which is most beautiful, the view of the mouth of -the ravine, with the waterfall foaming down the cliff beside it, as -seen from the hill-side as the train swings down from the direction of -Nice, or whether from the side approached from Grasse, whence up the -Gorge is obtained a glimpse of snowy peaks. - -[Illustration: CASCADE, GORGE OF LOUP] - -[Illustration: FALL IN THE GORGE OF THE LOUP] - -There are views one sees that never leave one, that fix themselves in -the mind indelibly; and the view of the mouth of the Loup Gorge is -certainly one such scene. - -The ravines of the Tarn are visited by increasing numbers of tourists -every year, and I know them well; but I do not think them superior to -those of the Loup, the Cians, and the Var. Visitors to the Riviera -are for the most part content to hug the coast and cling to the great -centres of civilization, where there are shops, casinos, and theatres, -and do not branch off afield. Only the day before writing this page, -I heard a gentleman who had spent several winters on the Côte d’Azur -remark that “After a while one gets very sick of the Riviera.” I -promptly inquired whether he had penetrated any of the ravines sawn -in the limestone; whether he had visited the mountain villages, such -as Thouet de Bëuil; whether he had explored the Estérel. No—he knew -nothing of them. In fact, through a dozen winters he had seen naught -save the vulgar side of Provence. - -It does not suffice to look at the mouth of the Gorge of the Loup. -The ravine must be ascended, and that not by the new track, cut to -accommodate the lazy, high up in the cliff, but by the footpath at -the bottom. This will lead in the first place to an exquisite subject -for the artist. On the farther bank is planted a little chapel with a -cell once tenanted by a hermit. In mid torrent is a pile of rocks, and -a light bridge of rudest construction traverses the river; above the -piles of stone in the centre, against the purple gloom of the gorge, -rises a crucifix, bathed in golden sunlight. Below, where it can root -itself, is flowering laurestinus. - -Farther up, after a succession of magnificent scenes, one drops upon -a little house, where trout can be eaten, lying behind a waterfall; -and to assist the visitor in reaching it, the proprietor runs out with -a big umbrella to protect him from the torrent dissolved into rain. -Further up the ravine come other and finer leaps of water, the main -stream of the Loup, in maddest gambol of youth; and over all flash out -gleams of the eternal snows. - -Le Bar has a painting in the church, representing a Dance Macabre; it -is, like all other such dances, of the fifteenth century. It represents -Death armed with his bow among a party of dancers. Some are dying, and -their souls are leaving their bodies. The picture is accompanied by a -long Provençal inscription. - -High above the entrance to the Gorge of the Loup stands the village of -Gourdon, on the limestone terrace. The only spring water the place was -supplied with came from a fountain in a cave in the face of a sheer -precipice, reached by a thread of path, a foot to eighteen inches wide, -along the cliff, and this, moreover, interrupted by a rift, usually -crossed by a plank. But not infrequently this plank fell, or was -carried away. Then those in quest of water leaped the gap, went on to -the cave, filled their pitchers, and returned the same way, springing -over the interval, where a false step would entail certain death. - -At Mouans Sartoux, between Grasse and Cannes, stood the castle of a -grim Huguenot Seigneur. The church was under the patronage of the -Chapter of Grasse. The Sieur Reinaud invited two Calvinist ministers -to his castle. In 1572, when the curé of Mouans had summoned a friar -to help him for Christmas Day, and to preach, as he himself was a -poor speaker,—just after midnight the Sieur sent armed men into the -parsonage to threaten to kill the friar if he preached next day. On -Christmas morning, accordingly, the frightened man abstained, and -the congregation had to go without instruction on the lessons of the -day. Then the Sieur broke into the church when the parishioners were -communicating, along with his men-at-arms and his ministers, and made -one of these latter ascend the pulpit and harangue the congregation, -pour contumely on the Catholic Church, and denounce all respect for -holy seasons. The fellow further told the people that their fathers -and mothers were burning in hell-fire for not having revolted from the -Church. Next, the Sieur renewed his threats that, should “the _Cagot_ -of a friar” venture to address the parishioners in the afternoon, he -would do him to death. At vespers he again invaded the church, and set -up one of his preachers to speak to the people. He did the same on -the two following days. The Consuls of Mouans appealed to the Chapter -of Grasse for protection, but they were incapable of affording them -effectual aid. - -The son of this Sieur, Pompée de Grasse, was more zealous even than his -father, and did not confine himself to threats. He placed sword-edge -and firebrand at the disposal of the Huguenot cause. He was a terror to -the whole countryside. At last, one night, when he was at Bormes, in -the Maures, a party of Catholics, disguised in long cloaks, managed to -get into his castle, and killed him and his brother, and set fire to -the place. His widow, Susanne de Villeneuve, and her two daughters, -were allowed to escape by boat to Hyères. - -We are vastly mistaken if we regard the parties in the Wars of Religion -as all Lamb on one side, and all Wolf on the other. As a matter of -fact, except in the Cevennes, the Reform was favoured only by the -lesser nobility, not out of religious conviction, but out of a spirit -of turbulence bred by the long disorders of the English occupation of -Aquitaine, and the riots of the Free Companies. They resented the firm -hand imposed on them by the Crown, and they hoped to get pickings out -of Church estates. - -The people generally were not touched by the negatives of Calvinism. -After that Henry IV. joined the Church, most of the nobility and -country gentry followed his example—again, not from conviction, but -because they saw that the game of resistance was up. - -At present, in the department of Var there are 1,500 Protestants out of -a population of 310,000. In Alpes Maritimes they number 1,000 out of -nearly 294,000, and most of these sectaries are foreign importations. -If there had been deep-rooted convictions, these would not have -been dissipated so certainly. In the Cevennes, Calvinism holds on -notwithstanding persecution in the past, and in Ireland is a reverse -instance. - -But to return to Susanne de Villeneuve. - -In 1592 the Duke of Savoy was at Grasse, and resolved on chastising -this Susanne as a capital influence among the Razats. Actually two -women at this period fomented the fury and bloodshed of internecine -strife. The Baron de Vins, head of the Leaguers, had been killed -in 1589 outside Grasse. The Countess Christine de Sault, his -sister-in-law, had been the headpiece, as he the arm, of the party, -and it was she who, in desperate resolve to save the Catholic cause, -invited Charles Emmanuel of Savoy to give his help against the king. -What she was on one side, that was Susanne de Villeneuve on the -other—implacable, fanatical, remorseless in hate, and with an iron -will. - -The Duke of Savoy besieged Susanne in her castle of Mouans, and she -defended herself gallantly; but, forced to surrender through lack of -food, she imposed as condition that the castle should be spared. The -duke broke his word, and levelled it. She was furious, reproached him, -and demanded 40,000 crowns indemnity, or she would brand him as a liar -and perjurer. He promised the money, but departed without paying. She -hasted after him, caught him up in the plain of Cagnes, and poured -forth afresh a torrent of abuse. He spurred his horse, so as to escape -it; she flung herself in the way, held the bridle, and used her woman’s -tongue with such effect that Charles Emmanuel was glad to disburse the -money on the spot so as to effect his escape. - -The castle has disappeared to its foundations. The church stands -intact, unrestored. - -I have spoken of the Hotel of the Cabris family in the Cours. No. 1 is -the ancient mansion of the family of Théas-Thorenc, and was built by -Count François, who was engaged in the wars of Louis XV., and whose -praises have been sung by Goethe. He was at the taking of Frankfort, -when his commander-in-chief, the Prince of Soubise, acquired the -celebrity of the epigram:— - - “Soubise dit, la lanterne à la main: - ‘J’ai beau chercher! où diable est mon armée? - Elle était là pourtant, hier matin?’” - -He died there August 15th, 1793. - -Another Grasse worthy is Fragonard, the painter, a mercer’s son, born -at Grasse in 1732. He was put as clerk to a notary in early youth, but -wearied mortally of the office, and in 1748 was given to the painter -Bucher to be trained as an artist. - -He was in full swing of favour and success in Paris when the Revolution -broke out. - - “Soon events became tragic, and then began the dusk of that bright and - gentle life which had to him hitherto been one long smile. Frago had - no thought of flying from the storm, and republicanism always remained - idealised in his mind. But sadness oppressed his heart, and his - friends shared it with him. These old pensioners of the king, enriched - by the aristocracy, could not see without regret the demolition of - the _ancien régime_, and the ruin of their protectors, emigrated, - imprisoned, hunted down. Without hating either royalty or Jacobinism, - the little group of artists of plebeian birth and bourgeois manners - suffered in silence the great revolution in which all their past went - down, as the shadows of old age deepened on them. Their art was out of - fashion. Their piquant scenes, their dainty subjects, were no longer - possible in the midst of political and social convulsions, and a few - years sufficed to convert the respect of yesterday into the contempt - of to-day. Eighty years must pass before taste and justice could bring - men back to love the charming French school of 1770, to understand its - importance in the history of the national genius, so as to induce the - digging of its relics forth from under the cinders of the Revolution, - the empire, and the bourgeois royalty.”[13] - -A curiously small life must have been that of these little towns under -the _ancien régime_, when the time of warfare was over. It was made -up of petty quarrels, of scandals and gossip. Even in the cathedral, -the bishop and the dean and the chapter were at loggerheads over the -merest trifles—whether two or three _coups_ of the censer should be -given to the bishop, whether a bow to him should extend to the hams of -the canons. Perhaps the funniest quarrel was about the patronage of the -diocese. The bishop issued a pastoral, in which he announced that he -had constituted S. Honoratus the patron of the clergy of Grasse, and -did not say “with the assent of the chapter.” Whereupon the incensed -chapter cut the name of Honoratus out of their calendar, and refused to -celebrate his festival. Some of the bishops were engaged in incessant -strife. When one died, to him might be applied the epigram written on -Clement XI.:— - - “A vermibus terræ consumendus in tumulo, - A vermibus ecclesiæ jam consumptus in throno.” - - “The happy little town of Grasse,” says Lenthéric, “seems to be the - very home of flowers and perfumes. Its forests or olives furnish the - finest and sweetest oil of Provence; its groves of oranges and lemons - yield at the same time flowers in abundance and fruit in maturity. - About it are roses, jessamine, mint, heliotrope, Parma violets, - mignonette, cultivated over wide tracts, as are also everywhere - the common pot-herbs. The transformation of these natural products - into perfumery has become the predominant industry of the district; - and the neighbourhood of the Alps allows of the addition to this - domestic flora of a thousand wild flowers and herbs—thyme, lavender, - rosemary—all to be gathered close at hand.” - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -CANNES - - History—Ægitna—Quintus Opimus—Admiral Matthews takes Ile Ste. - Marguerite—La Californie—Climate—S. Cassien—Arluc—Legend—La - Napoule—Antibes—The Terpon stone—Cult of rude - stones—Utriculares—Lerins—Ste. Marguerite—The Man in the Iron - Mask—Mattioli—Fabricated pedigree for Napoleon—Marshal Bazaine: - his escape—S. Honorat—The stand made against Predestinarianism—S. - Augustine—Lerins a home of culture—Decay—Suppressed—Springs of - fresh water in the sea. - - -CANNES does not possess much of a history. It was but a fishing village -occupying a rock above a little port, built about a ruined castle and a -church, when “invented” by Lord Brougham, as already related. - -Its history may be summed up shortly. Old Cannes possibly occupies the -site of the Ligurian town of Ægitna, destroyed B.C. 154 by the Consul -Quintus Opimus. The Ligurian natives had annoyed the Greek settlers -and traders on the coast, who were monopolising their delectable -seats, and the Greeks complained to Rome of their ill-humour and rough -deeds. Opimus was sent to their aid; he subdued the natives without -much trouble, and was accorded a triumph, which meant the leading of a -train of captives in chains behind his chariot through Rome, followed -by the butchery of the prisoners, whose carcases were thrown down the -Gemonian stairs, and drawn by hooks to the Tiber. Opimus was notorious -for his riotous living, and for his brutality. He was as handsome as -he was infamous—“_formosus homo et famosus_.” Cicero speaks of his -disreputable life, and records a jest he made. The Romans gave Ægitna -to the citizens of Marseilles. In the tenth century it pertained to the -abbey of Lerins, and in the Middle Ages maintained incessant contest -with the tyrannical abbots, in efforts to obtain municipal freedom. Not -till 1788—the year before the Revolution—did the town become free -from its ecclesiastical masters. - -[Illustration: INTERIOR, CHATEAU ST. HONORAT] - -From Cannes in 1580 the plague spread which ravaged Provence. It was -brought there by a ship from the Levant. To plague succeeded war. In -1746 Cannes succumbed to the Piedmontese and German forces that had -crossed the Var. After taking and sacking Cannes, where they got little -beyond fishing-nets, they plundered Grasse. - -A little before this Admiral Matthews, who had taken Ventimiglia, -captured the Ile Ste. Marguerite. The war which led to the blockading -of the Ligurian coast by the English was occasioned by a trifle. - -In 1738 the English were thrown into a paroxysm of indignation by -a tale that circulated, which was characterised by Burke as “The -Fable of Jenkins’s Ear.” Jenkins was master of a small trading sloop -in Jamaica, which seven years previously had been overhauled by a -Spanish coastguard boat. The captain, disappointed at finding nothing -contraband in the vessel, tore off one of Jenkins’s ears, and bade him -carry it to King George, and inform his Britannic Majesty that if he -should come that way he would serve him in the same manner. This ear -Jenkins carried about with him wrapped up in cotton wool. For seven -years Jenkins kept his ear, and produced it in taverns and to all he -met, as an instance of the indignities to which freeborn Britons were -exposed at the hands of Spain. Of course much correspondence took place -between the two governments relative to this bit of dried ear, but not -till 1737 was he called before a committee of the House of Commons, -when he appeared at the bar, exhibited his ear, that looked like a -dried mushroom or a truffle. War was proclaimed amidst great rejoicing -among the English. Church bells were rung. Walpole said bitterly, “You -are ringing your bells now; before long you will be wringing your -hands.” - -The English fleet in the Mediterranean blockaded the ports of Spain. -But the death of Charles of Austria in the following year led to a -general scramble to get hold of portions of his vast possessions, and -the war assumed a more complicated character. The Spaniards, assisted -by the French, landed on the Italian coasts, and Admiral Matthews was -sent to drive them thence. - -The story of Jenkins and his ear had roused all England. Pulteney -declared that England needed no allies—that Jenkins’s story alone -would raise volunteers anywhere. It was, however, more than hinted at -the time, that Jenkins had lost his ear in the pillory, and not through -the violence of a Spanish custom-house officer. - -The war fizzled out. Matthews was badly served with men and ships from -England, and the Ile of Ste. Marguerite was speedily abandoned. - -Compared with Nice, Cannes enjoys certain advantages. It is less towny -and commercial. It does not savour of Monte Carlo. It possesses on -the east the wooded height of La Californie, studded with hotels and -villas, commanding one of the most beautiful evening views in Europe. -When the sun goes down beyond the Estérel range, standing up in royal -purple against an amber sky, it may well be thought that this is a -scene of unsurpassable beauty. - -Nice has to the East Mont Boron and Mont Alban, but they do not serve -for a residential suburb, as does La Californie. They are cut off from -Nice by the port, and they do not command so incomparable a view. - -For the depth of winter, in gloom and cold, then no place for shelter -can be compared with Beaulieu, or Mentone, or Alassio. But when the -months of December and January are passed, then Cannes. Lastly, to cool -off before encountering the chills of spring in England, S. Raphael. -Cannes further has at its door, for a run of a day, Estérel, easily -reached, and never to be exhausted or forgotten. Then, again, from -Cannes, also accessible, the isles of Lerins, where the fresh breezes -blow. - - “Verily,” says Leuthéric, “no country in the world possesses a climate - comparable to that of Cannes. There no extremes of temperature are - known, as in other parts of Provence. The belt of hills which enclose - the gulf form a screen intervening between the bay and the towering - mountains; and when the cold winds blow down from the Alps, they - sweep over the littoral, which lies always sheltered. Thanks to this - natural protection, they fall at some distance out to sea, and one can - mark the ruffle of the surface on the horizon, whilst that near the - beach gently undulates like the face of a tranquil lake. The nightly - loss of heat, favoured by the limpidity of a sky always cloudless, - is compensated for by the proximity of the sea, always slow to - give up its heat, and which bathes this coast with an atmosphere - ever temperate. The mean temperature is superior to those of Nice, - Genoa, Florence, Pisa, Rome, and even of Naples; it never falls below - freezing point, and never rises as high as in most of the towns of - Europe. - - “This equilibrium of temperature is manifest in the simultaneous - development of vegetations apparently contradictory. At Cannes, above - every spot on the coast of Provence, the vegetations of opposite - climes melt into one another in an admirable promiscuity. The - landscape is veritably unique, and one feels there as if one were - transported into a vast conservatory, in which artificially are united - growths, the most different in character. The plain is covered with - oranges and lemons, from among which shoot up at intervals the fans - of palms trees and the spikes of aloes. The hills are crowned with - umbrella pines, whose majestic heads recall classic sites in the - Roman campagna. In the background of the picture are dark and dense - forests of pines, like a gloomy drapery above which rise the pure and - gleaming heights of the Alps in their eternal snows. Thus, as in a - single framework, one can see grouped together the great conifers of - the north, the olives of Provence, the golden fruits of the Balearic - Isles, the oleanders of Asia Minor, and the thorny vegetation of the - Algerian Tell.” - -I must, however, in all fairness, add, as a qualification to this -picture, that in the early months of 1905, frost and hail did so smite -and blast the oranges, the lemons, the eucalyptus of the plain of the -Siagne, that the glory of the glossy leaves was gone, the country had -assumed the aspect of a withered orchard. The golden fruit were shed, -and the leaves were bleached and pendant. - -If Cannes has gone up in the world, her neighbours have gone down. -About four miles from Cannes, in the Plain of the Siagne, is an outcrop -of the Estérel red sandstone, crowned by magnificent pines, cypresses, -cork trees and ilexes, that embower a chapel of S. Cassien and a farm. -Here, till recently, lived a hermit. These gentry are becoming scarce. -Possibly the prognostication of M. Anselme Benoît, in Jules Fabre’s -novel _Mon Oncle Celestin_, is accomplishing itself: - - “Va au diable avec tes médailles et tes chapelets. Je te le prédis - depuis longtemps: à force d’embrasser les filles, tu finiras par - embrasser les gendarmes au detour de quelque chemin.” - -In 1661 Bishop Godeau found a vagabond hermit at S. Jeanette, and tried -in vain to dislodge him; but the man hung on, and Godeau found him -still there in 1667. - -These men pick up a subsistence by the sale of sacred medals, pictures, -scapulars, rosaries; sometimes manufacturing the latter themselves. -Very often they are simply lazy loons who can subsist on such sales and -occasional alms; but some have been as great scamps as Jacopo Rusca in -Fabre’s delightful story—which is a graphic picture of country life -and country people in the South, full of delicious word painting. - -Formerly S. Cassien was the fortress to the town of Arluc. Castle and -town have disappeared wholly. Arluc, _Ara lucis_[14] as the place is -called in old deeds, was a shrine in a sacred wood. The Provençal -Troubadour Raymond Ferand tells a story of it. - -Here lived once on a time a sorcerer named Cloaster; he had an altar -in the wood, at which he practised all kinds of _diableries_. There -was a bridge over the Siagne crossed by the people who came there to -worship. Now S. Nazarius was abbot of Lerins. One day, a youth named -Ambrose was sacrificing to idols at Arluc, when the devils laid hold -of him, raised him in the air, and flew away with him, in spite of all -his protests and kicks, to convey him to hell. But as they were thus -transporting him over the island of Lerins, Ambrose heard the chanting -of the monks, and he cried out to S. Honorat to help him. Then the -devils let go, and he came fluttering down like a feather into the -midst of the cloister of Lerins, where S. Nazarius received him; and -thenceforth Ambrose lived with the monks as a good Christian. - -The Lerins Chronicle tells us that the Abbot Nazarius destroyed a -temple of Venus that was at Arluc, and built a church on its site, -which he dedicated to S. Stephen in A.D. 616, and attached to it a -convent of women. But in 730 the Saracens destroyed church and convent -and town, and sacked Lerins, where they massacred the abbot and five -hundred of his monks. - -The town of Arluc was rebuilt by Pepin le Bref, but in 890 the Saracens -again destroyed it. It again struggled into existence, but was finally -utterly ruined and effaced by the Tard-Venus in 1361, under their -chief, who called himself “The Enemy of Man.” These Tard-Venus were one -of the Free Companies that ravaged the country, gleaning after others -had reaped. - -The chapel was rebuilt, and when given to the abbey of S. Victor at -Marseilles, was dedicated to S. Cassien. The fête is on July 23rd; -religious services take place in the morning and a pleasure fair and -merrymaking in the afternoon. - -A pretty watering place is La Napoule, that once enjoyed a prosperity -of which Cannes had no thought. It was the Roman station Ad Horea, -where vast stores of provisions were collected in magazines, for -transmission to the troops. The name Napoule has been supposed to be -the same as Naples, Neapolis, signifying the New Town, but no text -gives colour to this derivation, and it is more probable that La -Napoule comes from Epulia, _Provisions_, as it was a store place; -excavations made there when the railway was in construction laid bare -immense underground magazines and granaries, divided systematically -into compartments by pillars, and vaulted. These were originally well -ventilated. Remains of Roman constructions may still be seen by the -shore, and although no mention is made in the Itinerary of Antoninus -of a port there, it cannot be doubted that there was one for the -disembarkation or embarkation of stores. - -The little feudal castle built on Roman substructures was wrecked by -the Saracen corsairs in the thirteenth century. The present village of -Napoule is tenanted by poor fishermen, but it is likely to look up as -a bathing place, and as a centre for excursions into the Estérel. The -tower is all that remains of a castle of the Counts of Villeneuve. The -rocks in the bay, beaten by the sea, have assumed fantastic shapes; -being of sandstone, they are not like porphyry, too hard to resist the -erosion of the sea. - -And La Napoule, facing east, sees how that,— - - “The eastern gate, all fiery red, - Opening on Neptune with fair blessed beams, - Turns into yellow gold his salt-green streams.” - - _Midsummer Night’s Dream_, III. 2. - -Another old place that fell into decay, but which has in it now hopes -of renovation, is Antibes. This was the Greek Antipolis, the town -_over against_ Nicæa, at the farther side of the bay. - -Almost all of the monuments bearing Greek inscriptions that have -been found in such numbers in Provence belong to a date after the -Roman annexation. But this is not the case with regard to a curious -inscription discovered at Antibes on a black boulder, egg-shaped, -of diorite, a kind of basalt. This stone had no shaping given to it -by the hand of man, but on it was cut in archaic characters, this -inscription:— - - “I am Terpon, servant of the august goddess Aphrodite; may Cypris - reward with her favours those who erected me here.” - -What does this mean? How could the stone be Terpon, a servant of the -Goddess of Love? - -It would seem to have been one of those mysterious sacred stones which -received worship from the most remote ages, a form of worship belonging -to the earliest people of whom anything is known. This _cult_ of rude -unshapen stones, very generally black, prevailed among the Phœnicians; -it forced its way into the worship of the Israelites. Such stones were -set up even in the temple of Jehovah by some of the kings, who inclined -to the superstitions of the Canaanites. The worship had so strong a -hold on the Arabs that Mohammed could not extirpate it, and the Black -Stone of Mecca still receives the veneration of the faithful. It forced -its way into the religion of the ancient Greeks, and though quite -incongruous with their mythology, held its own to the last. - -Prudentius, the Christian poet (died about 410) shows us how strong was -the devotion, even in his day. - - “His first food was the sacred meal, his earliest sight the sacred - candles, and the family gods growing black with holy oil. He saw his - mother pale at her prayers before the holy stone, and he, too, would - be lifted by his nurse to kiss it in his turn.” (_Cont. Symmachum._) - -It has been so tough that it is not extirpated yet. - -In 1877 a correspondent of the Society of Anthropology at Paris wrote -about the worship as still prevailing in the valleys of the Pyrenees. - - “One comes across these sacred stones most usually near fountains. - They are rough blocks of porphyroid, or amphibolite granite, left - on the mountain side by glacial action. They are almost invariably - shapeless, and rarely present any features that can distinguish - them from other great stones strewn about. One might pass them by - unnoticed but for the local traditions that attach to them and the - veneration with which they are regarded by the natives. In vain do the - priests preach against them. They have utterly failed to drive the - superstition from the hearts of their people. In vain do they get them - smashed up secretly, in hopes of thereby destroying these vestiges - of paganism; especially do they use their efforts against such as - serve as meeting-places to young men and girls. The natives, when - they come on the workmen engaged in the destruction, break out into - riot, and stop the work. When they cannot do this, then they collect - the fragments, replace them, and continue to surround them with - veneration. It is necessary to disperse the _débris_ of the Holy Stone - to put an end to the cult; but even then, the place where it stood is - regarded as sacred, and sometimes the clergy plant a cross there, as - the only means of turning the traditional reverence of the spot into a - new direction.” - -Whether this religion of the black stone of Antibes goes back to -Phœnician or to Ligurian religion one cannot say—probably both -Phœnician colonist and Ligurian native shared the same devotion to rude -blocks of stone. - -In Scotland, in Ireland, in Cornwall, in Brittany, among the graves of -the dead of the Bronze Age, almost invariably a piece of white quartz -or a jade weapon is found. Indeed, the bit of quartz is so constant -that a workman engaged in opening one of the barrows will cry out, “Now -we are coming on the bones,” when he sees it gleam. The bit of quartz -or jade pertained to the same category of ideas. It was the rude stone -protecting the dead, as the rude stone was the safeguard of the living, -the object of worship in life, of hope, of confidence in death. - -At Antibes, in the wall of the Hôtel de Ville, is the stone with the -inscription, already spoken of, to the poor little dancing boy of -twelve, from the North. In the museum is an inscription to the memory -of a horse, by his sorrowing master. Another shows that at Antibes -there was a corporation of Utriculares, that is to say, of boatmen who -navigated the sea in vessels sustained by bladders. These were common -enough on the lagoons and the rivers, but exceptional on the coast. - -Perhaps the most interesting excursion that can be made from Cannes -is to the isles of Lerins. Of these there are two—Ste. Marguerite -and S. Honorat—the latter formerly the seat of the great school and -monastery of Lerins. The islands take their name from some mythic Lero, -of whose story nothing is known; but Pliny informs us that there had -once been a town named Vergoanum situated on one of them which had -disappeared before the Christian era, and of which no traces remained. -That Ste. Marguerite was occupied by Greeks and Romans is testified -by the finding there of a bi-lingual inscription. But whatever relics -of structures may have been left by its old masters have been used up -again and again from mediæval times down to the present. The fortress -now standing is a barrack. It was built by Richelieu, considerably -enlarged by the Spaniards when they had possession of the island, and -then transformed after the plans of Vauban. The fortress was employed -mainly as a military or State prison. - -[Illustration: THE PRISON OF THE MAN WITH THE IRON MASK] - -The most celebrated of its prisoners, or at least him about whom most -has been written, was the Man of the Iron Mask. It was due to Voltaire -that the story obtained such currency and excited so keen an interest. -In his _Age of Louis XIV._, published in 1751, he wrote:— - - “Some months after the death of Mazarin an event happened which - is without a parallel in history. Moreover, and this is not less - remarkable, the event has been passed over in silence by every - historian. There was sent with the utmost secrecy to the castle of - the Isles of Ste. Marguerite, in the Sea of Provence, a prisoner - unknown, of a stature above the average, young, and with features of - rare nobility and beauty. On the way the prisoner wore a mask, the - chin-piece of which was furnished with springs of steel, so that he - could eat without removing it. Order had been given to kill him if he - ventured to uncover. He remained at the Isles until a trusted officer, - Saint Mars by name, Governor of Pignerol, having been appointed in - 1690 to the command of the Bastille, came to Ste. Marguerite to fetch - him, and bore him thence—always in his mask—to the Bastille. Before - his removal he was seen in the isle by the Marquis de Louvois, who - remained standing while he spoke to him with a consideration savouring - of respect. In the Bastille the unknown was as well bestowed as was - possible in that place, and nothing that he asked for was refused - him. He had a passion for lace and fine linen; he amused himself with - a guitar; and his table was furnished with the best. The governor - rarely sat down in his presence. An old doctor of the Bastille, who - had often attended this interesting prisoner, said that, although he - had examined his tongue and the rest of his body, he had never seen - his face. He was admirably made, said the doctor, and his skin was - of a brownish tint. He spoke charmingly, with a voice of a deeply - impressive quality, never complaining of his lot, and never letting - it be guessed who he was. This unknown captive died in 1703, and was - buried by night in the parish of S. Paul. What is doubly astonishing - is this: that when he was sent to Ste. Marguerite there did not - disappear from Europe any personage of note. But observe what happened - within a few days of his arrival at the isle. The governor himself - laid the prisoner’s table and then withdrew and locked the door. One - day the prisoner wrote something with a knife on a silver plate and - threw the plate out of the window towards a boat on the shore, almost - at the foot of the tower. A fisherman to whom the boat belonged picked - up the plate and carried it to the governor, who, surprised beyond - measure, asked the man: ‘Have you read what is written on this plate, - and has any one seen it in your hands?’ ‘I cannot read,’ answered the - fisherman; ‘I have only just found it, and no one else has seen it.’ - He was detained until the governor had made sure that he could not - read, and that no other person had seen the plate. ‘Go,’ he then said. - ‘It is well for you that you cannot read.’” - -How Voltaire could describe the prisoner as “with features of rare -nobility and beauty,” when he was invariably masked, so that no one -could see his face, is certainly remarkable. - -When Voltaire found that this story had created a sensation, he -vouchsafed a solution to it. “The Iron Mask was without doubt a -brother, and an elder brother, of Louis XIV.” - -But the mystery has been solved. We know with certainty who the -prisoner was—no one of great importance after all, but one against -whom Louis XIV. entertained a bitter and implacable resentment—Ercole -Antonio Mattioli. - -Louis XIV. had a strong desire to obtain the Marquisate of Montferrat, -with its capital Cassale; but the marquisate belonged to Charles, Duke -of Mantua, a feeble, dissipated, extravagant fool. On the other hand, -the Empress and the Spanish party were bitterly hostile to French -schemes of aggrandisement. Mattioli acted as a paid agent of the -French Government to negotiate in secrecy a sale of Cassale to Louis; -and after he had received a good deal of payment for his services, -betrayed the whole intrigue to the Austro-Spanish Government. Louis was -furious, not only at having failed in this _coup d’état_, but also at -being so fooled. Mattioli was lured near to the frontier, and fallen -on upon Piedmontese soil, carried off and thrown into the fortress of -Pignerol, which was then in the hands of the French. From Pignerol he -was afterwards moved to Lerins, and then finally to the Bastille, where -he died. The whole story has been thoroughly thrashed out, and that the -Man in the Iron Mask was Mattioli and no one else has been conclusively -established.[15] - -It would seem that an attempt was made to fabricate for Napoleon a -descent from the Iron Mask, who was assumed to be an elder brother to -Louis XIV., and by this means to establish for Napoleon a legitimate -right to the throne of the Capets. But the attempt was too absurd to -obtain credence, if ever proposed to Bonaparte. In the _Mémorial de -Sainte Hélène_ allusion is made to this. - - “Conversation turned on the Mask of Iron, and all that had been said - on the subject by Voltaire, Dutens, etc., and what was found in the - _Mémoires_ of Richelieu was passed in review. These made him, as is - well known, to be the twin brother of Louis XIV., and his elder. - Then some one (probably Count de Las Casas) added that on studying - genealogical trees, it had been seriously shown that he, Napoleon, - was the lineal descendant of the Man in the Iron Mask, consequently - legitimate heir to Louis XIII. and to Henry IV. in preference to Louis - XIV. and his posterity. The Emperor replied that he had, in fact, - heard this, and added that human credulity and love of the marvellous - was capable of believing anything; that it would have been quite - possible to establish this to the satisfaction of the multitude, - and that there would not have lacked men in the senate capable of - producing the requisite demonstrations, and these the men who later - turned against him when they saw that he was unfortunate. - - “Then we went on to discuss the particulars of the fable. The governor - of the isle of Ste. Marguerite at the time, so it was said, the man - to whose care the Iron Mask was confided, was called M. de Bonpart, a - very remarkable fact. This man had a daughter. The young people saw - each other and loved. The Governor thereupon communicated with the - Court; and it was there decided that no great inconvenience could - arise if the unfortunate man were suffered to find in love some - alleviation of his misfortunes. Accordingly M. de Bonpart had them - married. - - “He who related this turned red when the facts were disputed. He said - that the marriage could be verified by inspection of the register - of a certain parish in Marseilles, which he named. He added that - the children born of this marriage were clandestinely removed to - Corsica, where the difference of language, or deliberate purpose, - caused the name Bonpart to be rendered Bonaparte, or Buonaparte.” - -[Illustration: THE CASTLE OF S. HONORAT] - -Whether it was proposed to Napoleon at one time to circulate this -fable is uncertain. What is certain is, that, when he was emperor, he -took pains to have the registers of Ajaccio falsified or destroyed, -either in preparation for the publication of this fiction, or because -they revealed some unpleasant truths, which he was interested in -suppressing. The crucial difficulty in the way of formulating this -fable was that Saint Mars, and not any M. Bonpart, had been governor of -Ste. Marguerite whilst the Iron Mask was there. - -The last celebrated prisoner at Ste. Marguerite was Marshal Bazaine, -who escaped with the assistance of his wife, it can hardly be doubted -with the connivance of the governor. Marshal François Achille Bazaine -was born at Versailles in 1811, and was destined to be a tradesman -by his very bourgeois parents. But as he did not relish the shop, -he entered the army as a private soldier in 1831, and served in -Algiers, where he sufficiently distinguished himself to be promoted -to a lieutenancy, and then become captain of the Foreign Legion in -the service of Queen Christina against the Carlists. In 1841 he again -served in Algiers, became colonel, and next general of brigade. He -was in the Crimean War, and returned from it as general of division. -Later he attended the unfortunate Emperor Maximilian to Mexico, when -he was raised to the rank of marshal. There he married a rich Creole. -His conduct in Mexico was not glorious. He left the emperor in the -most menaced position; but whether this desertion was due to himself -or to orders received from Napoleon is not known. After that, for some -time nothing was heard of him, but on the breaking out of the war with -Prussia and Germany he was appointed to the command of the Third Army -Corps. How he surrendered Metz, with 150,000 men, on October 23rd, -1870, is well known. - -The questions asked of the jury at his trial were these:— - - 1. Is Marshal Bazaine guilty, on October 28th, 1870, of having signed - a capitulation in the open field, at the head of his army? - - 2. Was the consequence of this capitulation, that the army laid down - its arms? - - 3. Did Marshal Bazaine, both verbally and by writing, correspond with - the enemy, without having previously done all that was his duty? - - 4. Is Marshal Bazaine guilty, on October 28th, 1870, of having - capitulated to the enemy, and delivered over the fortress of Metz, - over which he had command, without having previously used every effort - in his power to defend it, and exhausted every means of holding out - that lay open to him in duty and honour? - -The jury answered Yes, unanimously, to all these questions, and he -was sentenced to degradation and death; but the sentence of death was -commuted to imprisonment for twenty years. On December 25th—Christmas -Day—1873, he was taken from the Trianon, Versailles, in a close -carriage, to Villeneuve l’Etang, and thence conveyed to Antibes, where -he was placed on a steamboat and transferred to the fortress of Ste. -Marguerite. On August 10th, 1874, the director of the prison, named -Marchi, found Bazaine’s prison empty. The first thought in France, when -this news was spread by the telegraph, was that he had been allowed to -escape by the connivance of MacMahon. Then details were published which -put a romantic gloss on the evasion. - -In the fortress of Ste. Marguerite three rooms had been placed at the -disposal of the prisoner, as well as a little terrace, which latter -was reached by a stone bridge with a wall on each side, and here stood -a sentinel, on the wall; but he could not see those who passed over -the bridge nor what went on upon the terrace, as the latter was partly -covered with an awning against the sun. On the terrace, to which led -several steps from the bridge, the Marshal had formed for himself a -little garden; and whilst working therein one day he found a choked -gutter intended for carrying off rain-water from the castle shoots; it -was bored through the rock; and he set to work to clear it. By means of -sympathetic ink he was able to maintain a correspondence with his wife; -and all was planned for his escape. - -On the evening determined on he asked his gaoler, who usually -accompanied him for a stroll on the terrace after dinner, to allow him -to walk it alone, and this was readily permitted. - -After a while Bazaine opened and slammed the gate, and the sentinel -supposed that he had passed out of the terrace garden, on his way back -to the prison. But that the Marshal, instead, had cleared the drain -hole and slipped through, he could not see, because the awning hid from -him all view of the terrace. In the drain was a rope, and this Bazaine -let down the face of the rock, making it fast to an iron bar crossing -the conduit. The descent was for eighty feet. Below burnt a light, -giving him notice that his wife was there awaiting him in a boat. - -The descent was not a little arduous, and he scratched and bruised his -knuckles and knees against the rock, as a high wind was blowing at the -time. When he reached the bottom a voice across the water asked who was -there, and he struck a match and showed his face. The boat could not -come up under the cliff, and he was obliged to plunge into the water to -reach it. In the boat were his Creole wife and his nephew, a Mexican, -Don Alvarez de Rull. Mme. Bazaine had been in Genoa from August 3rd, -and had there hired a pleasure steam-yacht, the _Baron Ricasoli_, and -in this she had either remained in the harbour of Genoa or had gone -cruises in it, and had penetrated more than once to the Gulf of Saint -Juan. At La Croisette she and her nephew had been set ashore, nominally -that she might look at a villa, that she pretended she had an idea of -renting. There they hired a boat, and in this they rowed to the foot -of the cliff under the foot of the fortress, and awaited the arrival -of the Marshal. No sooner was he in the boat than they rowed to the -vessel, which had all steam up, and started at full speed for Genoa. - -In a letter written by Mme. Bazaine to the French Minister of the -Interior, General Chabaud-Latour, dated August 16th, she stated that -she had had no confederates. Bazaine also made the same assertion in a -letter from Cologne. But no one believed this except the Ultramontane -editor of the _Univers_, who attributed the happy escape to the -merits of a consecrated scapular and a thread of the Blessed Virgin’s -smock, which Bazaine wore about his neck. Colonel Villette, who had -voluntarily shared the Marshal’s imprisonment, and who quitted Ste. -Marguerite the day after his escape, was arrested at Marseilles and -brought before the magistrates. During the investigation it became -clear enough that Bazaine had not been without confederates. - -The rope by which Bazaine had let himself down had been woven partly -out of the cord that had tied up his boxes, partly out of a swing that -his children had used, when allowed to share his imprisonment for -awhile. Bazaine himself was not skilful enough to have made this rope; -it was woven by Villette. The iron bar to which it was asserted that -the rope had been fastened was not to be found in the drain; and it was -evident that some one must have held the end when the Marshal was let -down. - -Marchi, the gaoler, protested that he had only allowed Bazaine the -liberty he enjoyed, because the latter had given his word of honour -not to attempt an escape. Bazaine’s valet, Barreau, was certainly -implicated in the matter; so was a Colonel Doineau, who, as head of the -_Bureaux Arabes_ in Algeria, had been sentenced to death for murder -and robbery, but had been pardoned by Napoleon II. He had managed the -correspondence between Bazaine and his wife. Several of the warders -were guilty at least of negligence, but were let off very easily with -one, two, or six months’ imprisonment. - -The island of S. Honorat is smaller than Ste. Marguerite. It is a poor -little stony patch in the sea, a miniature of the larger isle, a bank -of rocks covered with a thin bed of soil, and rising not above four -feet over the sea level. And yet this isle, whose meagre clumps of -pines and whose battered tower hardly attract the attention of the -tourists, played a considerable part, through long centuries, in the -history of intellectual and religious growth in Europe. In 375 S. -Honoratus founded there his religious community, and grouped about him -a little family of earnest and intellectual men. In a few years it grew -in power, not the power of the sword, but of brain and earnestness -of purpose; and this island saved Western Christendom from a grave -disaster. - -The Mussulman has a legend of Creation. According to that, when God -was creating man, He took a pellet of clay in His left hand, moulded -it into human shape, cast it aside to the left, and said, “This goes -to hell, and what care I?” In like manner He worked another ball of -clay with His right hand, flung that aside, and said, “And this goes to -heaven, and what care I?” - -Now the master mind of Western Christendom, Augustine of Hippo, had -devised the same theory of caprice in the Most High, predestinating -to good or ill without reason, and that before Mohammed was born. -Divine Grace, he held, was paramount and irresistible, carrying man -to happiness or damnation without man being able to determine his -course one way or the other. Man, according to Augustine, was a mere -“Lump” of sin, damnable, utterly damnable. But God, in His inscrutable -providence, indistinguishable from wantonness, chose to elect some -to weal, and leave the rest to woe. This was a doctrine that did -away with the necessity of man making the smallest endeavour after -righteousness, from exercising the least self-control; of man feeling -the slightest compunction after committing the grossest sins. Augustine -sent his treatise to Abbot Valentine of Adrumetium. Valentine, in -calm self-complacency, sitting among the ashes of dead lusts, highly -approved of this scheme of Predestination. But a monk, Felix, when he -heard it read, sprang to his feet and uttered his protest. This protest -was reported to Augustine, who boiled over with bad temper at any -opposition; and he wrote a violent rejoinder “On Grace and Freewill,” -in which he insisted again on his doctrine of Fatalism. - -The theses of Augustine reached Lerins, the nursery of the Bishops -of Gaul, and were read there with indignation and disgust. The monks -drew up a reply to Augustine that was temperate in tone and sound in -argument. Grace, they said, was mighty, but man had freewill, and could -respond to it or rebel against it. - -Augustine answered. He attempted to browbeat these insignificant monks -and clergy on a petty islet in the sea. But they were not men to be -intimidated by his great name and intellectual powers, not even by his -sincere piety. - -They argued that if his doctrine were true, then farewell for ever and -a day to all teaching of Christian morality. Man was but a cloud, blown -about by the wind, where the wind listed to carry it. - -But for these stubborn monks of Lerins it is possible enough that -Western Christendom would have accepted a _kismet_ as fatal as that of -Mohammedanism, and that, indeed, it would have differed in name and -certain outside trimmings only from the Moslem religion. Rome was much -inclined to accept Augustine’s view, and give it definite sanction. But -the Gaulish bishops, bred in the nursery of Lerins, would not hear of -this. Finally, in the Council of Orange, in 529, they laid down the -main principle: “We do not believe,” they boldly said, “that God has -predestined any men to be evil.” - -S. Patrick, the apostle of Ireland, was at one time a pupil at Lerins. -The “Confessions of Augustine” are indeed a beautiful picture of the -workings of a human soul; but not more tender and beautiful than that -revelation of a noble heart given to us in the “Confession of Patrick.” - -Lerins—that is, especially Saint Honorat—was the refuge of the -intellect, the science, the literature, of a civilised world going to -pieces into utter wreckage. - -As Guizot well said:— - - “For culture of mind, one thing is requisite, and that is quiet. When - the social condition of the world is in convulsion, and all about is - barbarity and misery, then study suffers, is neglected and declines. - Taste for truth, the sentiment for what is beautiful, are plants as - delicate as they are noble. For their cultivation a sweet atmosphere - is necessary; they bow their heads and are blighted by storm. Study, - literature, intellectual activity, could not battle against general - discouragement, universal disaster; they must have a holdfast - somewhere, attach themselves to popular convictions, or perish. The - Christian religion furnished them with the means of living. By allying - themselves to that, philosophy and literature were saved from the - ruin that menaced them. One may say, without exaggeration, that the - human mind, proscribed, storm-tossed, found its only possible refuge - in churches and monasteries. It clung as a suppliant to the altars, - and pleaded to be allowed to live under their shelter, and at their - service, till better times should arrive, when they would expand in - the open air.” - -Lerins suffered repeatedly and frightfully from the Saracens. Again and -again was it ravaged. In 725, Porcarius, the abbot, and five hundred -monks, were butchered by the Moors. - -[Illustration: LA NAPOULE] - -The interesting fortress, with its cloister and quadrangle in the -centre, was erected by the monks as a place of refuge from the Moors -and Algerine pirates. - -But worse times were in store, when the Crown came to look on the great -abbeys as fiefs, to be given _in commendam_ to laymen, to bastards, -to favourites, to harlots, who might enjoy the revenues and ignore -the duties. Naturally enough, in such a condition of affairs, Lerins -declined. It became a place to which younger sons were relegated, -vicious monks were banished; it was resolved into a bastille for -evildoers, and sank to so low an ebb that, as a scandal, the abbey was -suppressed the year before the Revolution came, and swept all monastic -institutions away. - -To the west of the Île Ste. Marguerite, in the sea pours up a copious -spring of fresh water. When the surface of the sea is calm, the upflow -can be easily distinguished by the undulations. There are other such -springs in the Gulf of Jouan, near Antibes, also at the mouth of the -Var; near the shore at Portissol, west of S. Nazaire; another again -near Bandol. In 1838, a M. Bazin tapped this latter when sinking a well -at Cadière, and such an abundance of water poured forth that the well -had to be abandoned. Off Cassis is a very considerable spring in the -sea, so strong that it carries floating bodies for a couple of miles -from its source. But the largest of all is in the Gulf of Spezzia, and -is called La Polla. This has been enclosed by the Italian government, -and vessels supply themselves with fresh water from it. - -The rain which falls on the limestone causses, that form the terrace -to the Maritime Alps, is at once absorbed, and descends through -fissures to deep channels, where the accumulated water flows and breaks -forth in what are locally called _foux_, often in large volume, and -feed the rivers. Sometimes the streams drop into pot-holes; these are -called _embues_. The Siagne has its source in the Place de la Caille, -an ancient lake bed, but sinks, and comes forth 1,500 feet below in the -_foux_ of the Siagne. This river receives the Siagnole, which derives -its water from a number of these springs that spout out of the rock. -But in some cases the rain-water sinks to a level still lower, and then -breaks forth in the sea itself. - -[Illustration: THE CASCADE DU CHATEAU, NICE] - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -NICE - - A shifted site—Ancient Nike—Cemenelium—History of Nice—Saracens - at Cap Ferrat—Bertrand de Balb—The barony of Beuil—The - Castle—Internecine strife—Truce—The marble cross—Catherine - Ségurane—Destruction of the Castle—Annexation of Nice to - France—Cathedral—Church of the Port—Masséna—Garibaldi—General - Marceau—Rancher—Story of Collet—Cagnes—Painting by - Carlone—Eze—David’s painting—Puget Teniers—Touët-de-Beuil. - - -NICE is a town that has uneasily shifted its seat some three or four -times. Whether it were directly settled from Phocœa or mediately from -Marseilles, we do not know. But a Greek city it was, as its name -implies, Nike, _Victory_, speaking of a fight there, engaged either -against the Phœnicians, who resisted their settling into quarters -already appropriated, or else against the native Ligurians. - -Anciently, the river Paillon flowed into the tiny bay of Lympia, but -it brought down so much rubble as to threaten to choke it, and huge -embankments of stone were built to divert the course of the river to -the farther side of the calcareous rock of the Château. These have been -discovered in the process of excavations in the Riquier quarter. When -the Greeks settled here, they found the conditions perfect for their -requirements. The Port of Lympia then extended inland to where is now -the rue du Paillon. It was flanked on the east by the steep heights of -Mont Boron, on the west by the crag of the Château, which latter served -as acropolis and was crowned by a temple dedicated probably to Artemis. -The site is thought to be where now stands the chapel of the Ste. -Suaire, which is square and on old foundations. The Phocœan town lay in -the lap of the port of Lympia. - -But when the province became Roman, then the town occupied by the great -families of consular origin, the officials of government, and all the -hangers-on, was at Cemenelium, now Cimiez, on the high ground above -modern Nice, and dominating the ancient port. Here had been an older -Ligurian fortified town, of which some remains exist in the huge blocks -laid on one another without cement that formed the defending wall, and -on top of which the Romans built their ramparts. The citadel was at -the extreme south point of the plateau. In Cemenelium the principal -monuments were the palace of the governor of the province, a temple -of Diana, another of Apollo, an amphitheatre and baths. All have been -destroyed and have disappeared save the wreckage of the amphitheatre, -traversed by a road. Roman sepulchral monuments, urns, mosaics, -fragments of marble columns, statuettes, have been unearthed in -considerable numbers. The Phocœan colonies established on the littoral -of the Maritime Alps fell into complete decay when the Romans occupied -the country, and towards the end of the third century Nice dwindled to -almost nothing. - -In 578 the Lombards, under the ferocious Alboin, swept over the country -and destroyed Cimiez and Nice. The Franks drove back the Lombards into -Italy. Cimiez remained a heap of ruins, but Nice was repeopled and -rebuilt, not, however, near the port, but on the height of Le Château. -The population of this part of the old province revolted against the -Franks; and Nice entered into a league with Genoa and other important -towns on the Italian Riviera. In 741, however, the province again -returned under the domination of the Franks, and it was governed by -counts appointed by the sovereign, who resided at Nice in the castle. -Here, hard by on the rock, was the cathedral, and down the north-west -slope, that was least precipitous, were lodged the private houses. In -775 the abbey of S. Pontius was founded by Siagrius, Bishop of Nice, -and Charlemagne, who is supposed to have been his uncle, gave the funds -for the building and endowment. This abbey was erected on the rock on -which, according to tradition, S. Pontius had suffered martyrdom by -decapitation. - -Profiting by the break-up of the Carolingian dynasty, in 880, Boso, -whose sister was married to Charles the Bald, seized on that part -of Burgundy which is on this side the Jura, and along with Provence -constituted a kingdom, with himself at its head. - -In 889 the devastations committed by the Saracens extended along the -coast, and one town after another was sacked and burnt by them. These -ravages continued till 973, when William, Count of Provence, and -Gibelin Grimaldi freed the land from this plague. The Saracens had a -fortress at Saint Hospice, a curious spur which strikes out from the -peninsula of Cap Ferrat, whence they had harassed the neighbourhood of -Nice, but had been unable to storm the fortified town on the rock. - -Grimaldi destroyed the Saracen citadel, and left of it nothing standing -save the tower that remains to this day. The captured Saracens were -quartered in a portion of Nice still called _lou canton dei Sarraïns_, -and were employed by him in strengthening or rebuilding the walls of -the town. - -To the Saracens are attributed the subterranean magazines, or silos, -that are found at S. Hospice, S. Jean, Trinité-Victor, and elsewhere, -to contain the plunder they acquired in their marauding expeditions. -These are vaulted over, and are still in some instances used as -cisterns or store places; but the evidence that they were the work of -the Moors is inconclusive. - -Among those who assisted the Count of Provence against the Saracens -was one Bertrand de Balbs, and in reward for his services he was given -in fief the barony of Beuil, a vast territory stretching from the -Estéron to the Alps, and comprising twenty-two towns and townlets. -His descendants kept the barony till 1315, when William de Balbs made -himself so odious to his vassals by his tyranny that they murdered him. -A brother of the Grimaldi of Monaco had married the only daughter of -William de Balbs, and as there was no son the fief passed to him, and -he became the founder of the family of Grimaldi of Beuil. The barony -remained in the Grimaldi family till 1621, when it was united to the -county of Nice. - -They ran, however, a chance of losing it in 1508. - -Towards the close of 1507, George Grimaldi, Baron of Beuil, his son -John, Augustine Grimaldi, Bishop of Grasse, and Nicolas Grimaldi, -seigneur of Antibes, formed a plot to deliver over the county of Nice -to Louis XII. The Duke of Savoy was warned, and he summoned George and -his son to appear before him. They replied with insolence and defied -him, relying on French support. But at that moment Louis XII. and the -Duke of Savoy had arranged their little quarrel, and when John Grimaldi -asked for aid from the Governor of Provence, he was refused. Meantime -the garrison of Nice marched against Beuil. The castle, built on a -height and surrounded by strong walls, could have stood a long siege, -when a tragic event put an end to the struggle. The Baron de Beuil was -murdered by his valet, who cut his throat whilst shaving him. - -The Duke of Savoy outlawed John, the son, and gave the barony to Honoré -Grimaldi, brother of George, who had steadily refused to be drawn into -the conspiracy. - -But to return to Nice. - -In 1229 a party in the town revolted against the Count of Provence, and -expelled those who were loyal to him. Thereupon Romeo de Villeneuve -marched on Nice, took the town, and set to work to strengthen the -fortifications of the castle, which in future would control it. At that -time the castle consisted of a donjon, with an enclosure that had four -turrets at the angles. Outside this Romeo built a strong wall that -enclosed within the area the cathedral and the houses of the nobility; -he cut deep fosses through the rock, and furnished the gates with -drawbridges. Later, after the invention of powder, the fortress was -further transformed in 1338. - -After the death of Joanna I. of Naples, Nice took the side of Charles -of Durazzo, and in 1388 was besieged by Louis II. of Anjou. The Niçois, -unable without help to hold out against him, offered the town to -Amadeus, Duke of Savoy, and he entered and took possession. - -The desolating wars of Charles V. and Francis I. made a desert of -Provence. Nice, as a town of the Duke of Savoy, met with only the -temporary annoyance of the Spanish and German and Italian troops -passing through it to cross the Var. In 1538 Pope Paul III. proposed a -meeting between the two sovereigns at Nice, and he met them there on -June 18th, 1535; a truce was concluded, to last for ten years. A cross -of marble marks the spot where the conference took place. It was thrown -down in 1793, in the Revolutionary period, but was again set up some -twenty years later. - -Paul III., in proposing the meeting of the two rival monarchs, had -not only an eye to the welfare of the people of Italy, harassed -by incessant and desolating war, but also to the interest of his -own family. He had been elected Pope in 1534, and at once created -Alexander, child of one of his illegitimate sons, Cardinal at the age -of fourteen, Archbishop of Anagni when the boy was only fifteen, and -Archbishop of Mont Real and Patriarch of Jerusalem when aged sixteen. -Another grandson, Ranncio, he created Archbishop of Naples when aged -fourteen, and Archbishop of Ravenna at the age of nineteen. Now, when -meeting the two sovereigns, he negotiated with Francis to have his -granddaughter united to a prince of the house of Valois; but Francis -procrastinated, and the marriage did not take place. He was more -successful in marrying his grandson Octavio to Margaret of Austria, -natural daughter of Charles V. - -But that Paul did use his utmost endeavours to obtain a truce of ten -years is shown by the testimony of the Venetian ambassador who was -present at Nice on the occasion of the meeting. He could find no -words sufficiently strong in which to eulogise the zeal and patience -displayed by the Pope on this occasion. - -Paul, however, never lost sight of the advantage of his family. At the -time of the Conference he succeeded in getting Novara from the Emperor, -for his illegitimate son, Pier Luigi, for whom he had already alienated -Parma, and raised it into a Duchy, at the expense of the States of the -Church. - -The implacable jealousy entertained against one another by the two -monarchs led to the war breaking out again; Francis I. entered into -alliance with the Turks under Barbarossa, and a combined army laid -siege to Nice in August, 1543. The Turkish cannons completely destroyed -the Convent of Ste. Croix, in which Pope Paul had lodged in 1538, -and broke down large portions of the city ramparts. It was then that -occurred an incident that has never been forgotten in Nice. Catherine -Ségurane, commonly called Malfacia (the misshapen), a washerwoman, was -carrying provisions on the wall to some of the defenders, when she -saw that the Turks had put up a scaling ladder, and that a captain -was leading the party, and had reached the parapet. She rushed at -him, beat him on the head with her washing-bat, and thrust down the -ladder, which fell with all those on it. Then, hastening to the nearest -group of Niçois soldiery, she told them what she had done, and they, -electrified by her example, threw open a postern, made a sortie, and -drove the Turks back to the shore. According to one version of the -story, Catherine gripped the standard in the hand of the Turk, wrenched -it from him, and with the butt end thrust him back. - -The story first appears in a “Discours sur l’ancien monastère des -religieuses de Nice,” 1608. Honoré Pastorelli, the author, merely says -that a standard of the Turks was taken from the ensign by a citizeness -named Donna Maufaccia, who fought at the Tour des Caïres, where were -the Turkish batteries. A second authority, in 1654, Antonio Fighier, -says that the event took place on the Feast of Our Lady in August; that -the woman seized the staff of the standard and flung it into the moat. - -Some weeks later the Turks penetrated into the town and carried off -2,500 prisoners to their galleys; but these were retaken by the -Sicilian fleet. - -The war between Charles V. and Francis I. was terminated by the Treaty -of Crépy in 1544. By it the House of Savoy recovered all the places in -the Duchy taken by the French. Duke Charles III. ordered the complete -restoration and remodelling of the defences of the town and castle. In -the wars of Louis XIV., Nice was attacked again and again, and in 1706 -was taken by the Duke of Berwick. By order of Louis, the castle was -then completely destroyed by gunpowder. Thus disappeared this noble -fortress after twenty centuries of existence; and now of it almost -nothing remains. By the peace of Utrecht in 1713, Nice was restored to -Savoy. In 1748 Charles Emanuel of Savoy had the port of Lympia cleared -out and made serviceable. It had been choked up for some centuries. -It was not till 1860 that the county of Nice was definitely annexed -to France. Hitherto the Var had been the boundary between Italy and -France, now the delimitation is the Torrent of S. Louis. The natural -demarcation is unquestionably the _col_ of La Turbie and the Tête -du Chien, and Monaco, about which more presently. I have given but -a meagre sketch of the history of Nice; but the reader would have -no patience with all the petty troubles—great to those who endured -them—which afflicted Nice and its vicinity through many centuries. -Now it enjoys peace, and thrives, not only as a city, doing a large -business, but also as a vestibule to Monte Carlo. The cathedral, that -once stood near the castle on the rock, was demolished in 1656, and -the present building—a rococo construction in the barbaric taste of -that period—was erected below the rocky height. On December 16th, -the Bishop Désiré de Palletier was contemplating the dome that was in -process of construction, when some of the material fell on his head -and killed him. In 1705, on March 16th, a bomb fell in the cathedral -and exploded, killing many people. If it had blown the whole church to -atoms it would have caused no loss to art. - -Curiously enough an accident happened of a somewhat similar character -to the church of the Port. The design for this monstrosity was sent by -a Turin architect. The cupola was to be of wood, covered with lead. -But the clerk of the works, in carrying out the design, substituted -stone for wood. The result was that, one Sunday morning, just after the -consecration of the church, the cupola fell in. Happily it was during -the first mass. The priest at the altar, hearing a cracking above him, -bolted into the vestry. An old woman, who was the sole assistant, -fled into the porch, and no lives were lost when the whole structure -collapsed. - -Nice has produced some men of note—as Masséna, “L’enfant chéri de la -victoire”—whose real name was Menasseh; he was the son of a petty -Jewish taverner, and was born in 1756. What a simmering cauldron that -was in Europe, which brought to the surface Bernadotte, the saddler’s -son! Murat issued from a little public house. Augereau, the child of -a domestic servant; Masséna, the Hebrew waif and stray. Masséna was -gifted by nature with a powerful frame of body, and with indomitable -resolution. He was considered the most skilful tactician among -Napoleon’s generals, and on the field of battle he was remarkable for -coolness. He had, moreover, the invaluable quality in a commander of -not being dispirited through defeat. His faults were primarily rapacity -and avarice. In Italy, when commanding the French army of occupation, -he “behaved in such a way,” as Miot de Melito informs us, “that the -French troops, left without pay in the midst of the immense riches -which he appropriated to himself, revolted, and refused to recognise -his authority. His pilferings, his shameless avidity, tarnished the -laurels with which he had covered himself.” He brought down on himself -repeatedly the censure of Napoleon. But the greed was born in the bone. -He could not keep his fingers off what was of money value, and might be -turned into coin. - -When Bonaparte assumed the command in Italy, he employed Masséna -actively on all occasions of importance, and so justly appreciated the -brilliancy and military talents he possessed, that he surnamed him “the -favoured child of victory.” In 1798 he was appointed to the command -of the army, which under General Berthier was to occupy Rome and the -Papal States. His appointment was as distasteful to the soldiers as to -the inhabitants of the subjected country, for they both became victims -of his insatiable avarice, and the multiplied complaints made of his -peculations at last forced him to resign the command and to return to -Paris. Whilst Masséna was in Rome stuffing his pockets, a paper was -affixed to the statue of Pasquin, with this dialogue inscribed on it:— - - “What is the time of day, Pasquin?” - - _Pasquin_: “The time of thieves.” - -Although Masséna had exposed his person in so many battles without -receiving a wound, he had the misfortune to lose an eye whilst in a -sporting party, some shot having accidentally struck it. - -That which redounded most to the fame of Masséna was his gallant -defence of Genoa, in 1800, after the garrison had been reduced to eat -their boots. The defence had made the Austrian army lose valuable -time, and afforded Bonaparte the requisite time to collect sufficient -forces to cross the Alps and crush the Austrians at Marengo. After -that decisive day, the first Consul who desired to return to France, -remitted the command of the troops to Masséna; but only for a while. A -certain feeling of hostility reigned between the Republican General and -the future Emperor. Masséna was envious of the fame of Napoleon, and -resented the distance that separated him from an old comrade in arms. -After the _coup d’état_ of the 18th Brumaire, he was admitted to the -legislative corps, and voted against granting the consulate for life -to Napoleon, and persistently sided with the opposition;—not out of -principle, for of that Masséna did not possess a particle, but because -he was jealous of Napoleon’s greatness and increasing power. - -However, Napoleon could not afford to overlook him when conferring -honours, and Masséna was content to accept these, along with the money -granted him to maintain his honours. He was created Duke of Rivoli and -Prince of Esslingen. But he was not grateful, and of all the marshals -of France he showed himself most eager to rally to the Restoration -and to recognise Louis XVIII. He had sufficient keenness to see that -Napoleon’s star was in decline, and all that he really was solicitous -for was to keep hold of his hoarded treasures. He died at Ruel, his -country seat near Paris, in 1817. - -This upstart family still flourishes on the accumulated plunder, and -still retains the titles of Duke of Rivoli and Prince of Esslingen, but -is no longer of the Jewish persuasion. - -The great square at Nice is called after Masséna, but another square -bears a far more reputable name—that of Garibaldi, who was also a -native of Nice, born there on July 4th, 1807. - -General Marceau’s ashes rested for some years at Nice. He fell near -Coblenz in 1796, and his body was burnt and transported, as he had -desired, to Nice, to lie beside the body of his sister Emma, when -it should be her time to depart this life. She died at the age of -eighty-one in 1834, and was laid beside the ashes of her brother. -Marceau had never been shown the smallest token of love by his mother, -and he had been brought up by his sister, to whom he was devotedly -attached. His last words were: “Je ne regrette qu’elle. Je lui dois ce -que je puis valoir.” - -It is a pity that his wishes were so far disregarded that in 1889 his -remains were disinterred and transferred to the Panthéon, at Paris. - -Nice has produced a poet, the Jasmin of this part of Provence; his -name is Rancher, and he was born in 1785, on July 20th, two months -before due; he was so small that a bon-bon box was extemporised as his -cradle. Indeed, it was supposed that he was dead, and he was to have -been carried to burial in his bon-bon box, when his father, who was a -surgeon, stooping over him, heard a faint sigh, and preparations for -the funeral were stopped. He became secretary to the Count de Cessola, -president of the Senate of Nice, and then under-secretary of the -Tribunal of Commerce, an office he retained till his death in 1843. -He wrote songs and composed music to them, also a little vaudeville, -and a poem “La Nemaïda,” which was serio-comic, and turned on a local -incident, a dispute between the beadles and sacristans of the church of -Ste. Françoise de Paule. His little vaudeville led to his imprisonment. -It had been composed for performance before King Charles Felix and his -queen, Marie Christine, when they were at Nice at Christmas, 1829. He -ventured without authorisation to introduce on the stage his nephew, -aged nine, dressed as a peasant, and to set him to play a little piece -on the violin. This had not been submitted to the proper authority and -allowed; accordingly the Count de Faverger, Governor of Nice, ordered -the incarceration of the audacious poet. But this bit of red-tapism was -too much, and Rancher was released in a couple of hours. He revenged -himself on the governor by a satirical and burlesque song, that ran -like wildfire through the town. A street in Nice bears Rancher’s name. - -Nice was the scene of the sacrilegious rascalities of a rogue, Collet, -whose story, as he operated at Fréjus and at Draguignan as well as at -Nice, may be told. - -Collet was born at Belley, in the department of Aine, of worthy and -pious parents. He entered the army after having gone through a course -of studies, and became sub-lieutenant in 1796, and was at the siege of -Brescia. But, disgusted with military service, he deserted and went -to Rome. Whilst there he heard of the wreck of a merchant vessel off -Civita Vecchia under a young captain named Tolosant, of Lyons, with -the loss of all hands. At once he saw his chance. He forged papers, -got a ring cut with the Tolosant arms, and passed himself off as the -captain, who had escaped. By this means he deceived a worthy priest, -who was steward to Cardinal Fesch; and as the Cardinal was acquainted -with the family of Tolosant, he introduced the _soi-disant_ captain -to him. The Cardinal at once insisted on Collet taking up his abode -with him, and he even presented him to the Pope, who gave the rascal -his apostolic benediction. As a friend of Cardinal Fesch, Napoleon’s -kinsman, and an inmate of his house, Collet made the round of the -bankers of Rome, discussed with them schemes for making money, and -drew loans from them to the amount of 60,000 francs. Then Collet was -invested with a charge to perform some ecclesiastical commissions -in Lombardy. He left—disappeared—just as suspicions began to be -entertained that he was not what he pretended to be, and turned up at -Mondovi. There he gave himself out to be a gentleman of means, and -he speedily ingratiated himself into the society of the young bloods -there. As Mondovi was a dull town, he proposed to brisk it up by the -institution of a theatre and by amateur performances. This proposition -was cordially accepted, a committee was appointed, and Collet was named -costumier; he was to purchase a complete theatrical wardrobe. All who -were to act were required to pay for their own costumes, and the money -was put into Collet’s hands to furnish these. - -All at once the costumier vanished, carrying off with him all the -dresses, those of clergy, bishops, generals, civic authorities, with -ribbons and crosses of various orders. - -He next turned up at Sion, in the Vallais, now in the cassock of a -priest, and furnished with fictitious letters of Orders. There he -presented himself to the bishop, and so ingratiated himself into -his favour that the bishop nominated him to one of his best cures, -which happened to fall vacant. He was instituted, and for five months -said mass, preached, married, baptized, catechised the children, and -consoled the dying. - -Now the church was in a dilapidated condition, and the late rector -had begun a collection for its rebuilding. Collet called together the -committee of the building project, and learned that the sum already -collected was 30,000 francs. He at once volunteered to contribute -50,000 francs to the fund, if he were made treasurer, and suffered to -build on to the new church a chapel in which his own mortal remains -might repose after his death; for never, never, oh never, would he -leave his dear parishioners! A ready consent was given, and the sum -collected was put into his hands. An architect was engaged, designs for -the new church were procured, the old building was pulled down, the -material sold, and the sum produced by the sale was lodged in the hands -of Collet. Then he suggested that the mayor and the architect should -accompany him to Sion to buy the ornaments and paintings requisite -for the new church. Accordingly they departed in a carriage. Chalice, -tabernacle, three marble altars, candelabra, were bought, but not -paid for. At the recommendation of Collet, the mayor returned to the -village, carrying with him the purchases; and the architect departed to -engage masons and carpenters. - -No sooner was Collet left than he took post-horses and departed for -Strasburg. There he vanished. His next appearance was in Italy, -shifting his quarters and changing his costume repeatedly. At Savona, -on the Riviera, he persuaded a banker to let him have 10,000 francs. -Next he appeared at Nice, in a shovel hat, a purple cassock, and -wearing a gold pectoral cross, as Dominic Pasqualini, Bishop of -Manfredonia. He called on the Bishop of Nice, showed him the bull -of his institution, forged by himself, and so completely deceived -him, that the bishop offered him the most cordial welcome, showed -him hospitality, took him into the seminary and asked him to examine -the seminarists. Collet saw the risk he ran, and evaded it shrewdly. -“Monseignore,” said he, “I can see by the look of their faces that they -are a set of asses. I do not wish to hurt their feelings by exposing -their ignorance—I being a stranger.” - -“Well, then,” said the Bishop of Nice, “if you will not examine them, -you shall ordain them; there are thirty-three to receive deacon’s and -sub-deacon’s orders next Sunday.” - -Collet could not refuse. Accordingly, vested in full pontificals, in -the Cathedral of Nice, he committed this sacrilegious act. - -After this, not seeing his way to making much money at Nice, -he departed, changed his costume, and appeared at Fréjus as -plenipotentiary of the Emperor, an inspector-general, charged with -seeing to the equipment of the army of Catalonia. He presented his -credentials, which seemed to be in order; he took a high hand, and -required the head of the Gensdarmerie to furnish him with a mounted -escort to Draguignan, and he sent on an orderly before him to announce -his purpose in visiting the town, requiring proper lodgings and -provisions to be furnished for him. Then he appeared at Draguignan, -with breast covered with Orders, and there he formed his staff. A -retired captain became his aide-de-camp; the son of the Sub-Prefect of -Toulon he graciously received as his secretary; he named two officers -of artillery, one as paymaster, the other as his steward; and finally, -with a staff of twenty persons, he went to Marseilles, where he so -imposed upon the authorities that he was allowed to draw 130,000 -francs from the government treasury. Thence he went to Montpellier, -and there his star began to pale. One day, after having reviewed the -troops, he dined with the Préfet, to whom he had promised the cordon -of Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour, when, during the meal, the -hôtel of the préfeture was surrounded by gensdarmes, a party of police -entered the dining-room, and the Organiser of the Army of Catalonia -was arrested and led to gaol. All his staff shared his fate, but were -released after an imprisonment of twenty days. - -One day the Préfet was giving a dinner party, and, to amuse his guests, -offered to produce the prisoner who had so befooled him and the rest -of the good people of Montpellier. Accordingly he sent to the gaol for -Collet, who expected every moment to be brought forth and shot. Three -gensdarmes conducted Collet from prison to the préfeture, and till the -guests were ready to see him he was thrust into an ante-room, and two -gensdarmes were posted at the door. - -Collet’s quick eye detected, lying in a corner, the white cap and apron -of a cook, and a dish of caramel on the table. In the twinkling of an -eye he had dressed himself as a cook, taken up the dish, kicked at the -door, till the gensdarmes opened and allowed him to pass forth between -them; they supposing him to be the cook. - -Collet slipped out of the house and concealed himself next door. A hue -and cry ensued, and the alarm bell rang; the gensdarmes galloped along -the roads about Montpellier, and Collet looked on complacently from the -window, till, after fifteen days, the search for him was relaxed, and -then he left the town. - -After having rambled about for a while without leaving traces of his -presence, he reappeared in the department of Tarn, where he presented -himself before the superior of the Schools of Christian Brothers, and -informed him that he was a gentleman of private means and of a devout -turn of soul, and that it was his desire to found a novitiate for the -Brothers, and that he had a sum of 40,000 francs at his disposal for -that purpose. Then he visited a M. Lajus, a Toulouse merchant, and -entered into negotiation with him for the sale of a house he had, and -he informed him that he was ex-sub-prefect of the department of Aine. -M. Lajus accompanied him to the house, and allowed Collet to order and -see to the carrying out of alterations, the pulling down of walls, -etc., under his eye—before a sou had been paid of the stipulated -price. Then Collet returned to the mother house of the Christian -Brothers and urged the director to visit the new novitiate. The worthy -man was so delighted that he gave a holiday to all the inmates of -the establishment, that they might go together to inspect the fresh -acquisition. - -“But,” said the reverend superior, “who is to look after the house -whilst we are away?” - -“Have no concern about that,” said Collet. “I will keep guard.” - -So all these green goslings trotted off on a visit of inspection, to -decide which room was to be fitted up as a chapel, which was to be -library, which were to be devoted to studies, and which to serve as -dormitories. - -Meanwhile Collet had free range over the college. He broke open the -treasury of the society and filled his pockets with the money found -there. He visited the chapel, and carried off all the sacred vessels; -he cleared out all the desks and lockers, and left behind, as the -superior afterwards said, “nothing but my spectacles, to enable me -another time to look sharper after rogues.” - -Collet departed, with all his spoil, and took the road to Anjou; he -next turned up at Bessac in a hotel, where, through vague hints thrown -out, he allowed it to be supposed that he was the Emperor Napoleon, -escaped from Ste. Helena, and in hiding—awaiting his opportunity to -reascend the imperial throne. The loyal Bonapartists called on him and -were graciously received, and they offered him money which he also -graciously accepted and promised to repay with usury and with honours -when he came to his own again. At last the mayor became alarmed, called -on him, and respectfully intimated that he himself was in danger of -being called to account for harbouring in the place the illustrious -fugitive; that personally he was devoted to his imperial master, -and that for this very reason he was solicitous for his welfare. He -feared that the secret of his presence at Bessac was divulged, and it -was quite possible that an attempt would be made to assassinate the -fugitive. He accordingly strongly urged Collet to remove to a place -where he was not in such danger. - -Collet accordingly departed; went to Rochebeaucourt, where he took up -his lodging with the commissary of the police. - -In the meantime accurate descriptions of Collet had been sent -throughout France to the police, and this commissary had received -them. Yet never for a moment did it occur to him that the gentleman -of aristocratic appearance and with a purse well lined, who paid so -promptly and liberally for his _pension_, could be the man so much -sought for. - -From Rochebeaucourt Collet went to Le Mans, where he figured as -a well-to-do bourgeois, devoted to charitable actions; a man of -irreproachable life. But there, finally, he was arrested, tried, and -sentenced to twenty years’ hard labour, and to be branded as a felon. -In prison he remained for twenty years, and died on the eve of the day -when his chains were to be struck off, in November, 1840. - -This extraordinary story does not so much prove how gullible men are, -as how good and trustworthy most men are, so that when we do come -across a rogue who takes advantage of us, it is like an earthquake that -shakes us out of our moral equilibrium. - -Some very interesting excursions may be made from Nice to places -accessible by electric tram or by train. - -[Illustration: VILLEFRANCHE] - -Cagnes was a castle of the Grimaldi. The little town occupies a -hog’sback, the summit of the hill is crowned by the château, and the -one street leading to it runs up the spine of hill, with houses on each -side clinging to the steep sides. The castle is not very picturesque, -but it has in the midst a quaint court, surrounded by galleries and -stairs. The great _salle_ had its ceiling painted by Carlone in the -seventeenth century. It represents the fall of Phaeton, and is one -of those subjects in the debased style of the period that are _tours -de force_ in perspective. It represents an arcade of Corinthian -pillars with windows between them painted on the flat surface, seen -in perspective from a single point only. The castle was occupied by -the Allies in 1815; a Piedmontese garrison was placed in it, and the -soldiers amused themselves with firing at the head of Phaeton. - -The painter spent three years over this absurd work, and when leaving -it complete he wept and said, “Bella mea cascata di Phaëton, io non piu -te vedere, mai, mai, mai!” It is really not worth looking at, save as -an example of the degradation of art. The castle no longer appertains -to the Grimaldi; it has been sold. - -Eze is reached by tram, passing the beautiful bay of Villefranche, -to the foot of the precipice on which it stands, and from whence it -is reached by a scramble up a zig-zag path in about an hour. It is -a curious example of a town, built on the summit of a rock, walled -about, once with its castle planted in its midst, where it might, it -was hoped, be safe from Moorish and Algerine pirates. Once an important -place, with its consuls, it has sunk to ruin, and is now occupied -by only ninety people. The church was built in 1772. The castle is -levelled to the foundations, but the town walls remain. - -In 1770 the Corniche Road did not exist. David the Painter was on -his way to Italy to study at Rome. He arrived at Eze at night, and -the curé very kindly took in the poor and footsore young artist. He -was interested in David, and gave him a letter of introduction to a -kinsman, the Prior Fighera, in Rome. This opened to David many doors -in the capital of Western Christendom, and David received orders for -pictures. In gratitude he sent a painting of S. John the Baptist to -his friend, the curé of Eze, for his new church. About the year 1880 -this picture vanished. The Administration des Beaux Arts instituted an -inquiry, and ascertained that the Consuls of Eze had sold the painting -to an Englishman for 500 francs, whereas it was worth 100,000 francs. -That picture is now in the National Gallery. - -In the little cemetery of Eze is laid a Swiss woman, assassinated -in 1902 by Vidal, a woman-murderer. From Nice a line takes to Puget -Théniers, on the Var. The line is full of interest, passing places -rich in striking objects, and allowing of branch excursions up the -Vesubie, the Timée, the Cians, with scenery of the grandest character. -It, moreover, enables the visitor to explore strange villages, such as -Touët-de-Beuil, plastered against the limestone rocks. The _Clus_ of -the Cians at Touët, where the river cleaves through the Jura limestone -stained various colours, is as fine as anything of the kind. There -is hardly a village or town accessible from this line that does not -repay a visit, and which will not fill a sketch-book or furnish a -photographer with subjects. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -MONACO - - Beauty of site—Phœnician shrine of Melkarth—Meanness of - modern buildings—The Cathedral and Palace—Extent of the - principality—The Grimaldi—Rainier II.—Charles II. at Crecy—Antonio - Grimaldi—Lucien’s murder—Murder of Hercules I.—Louis I.: his - gibbets—Roquebrune and Mentone revolt—The gambling establishment of - Charles III.—M. Blanc.—Les Spélunges—Marriage of Prince of Monaco - annulled—La Turbie—Trophy of Augustus—Monte Carlo—S. Devota—The - Casino: importance to the principality—Roulette—Systems—Charges - of Captain Weihe: improbable because unnecessary—Cave of La - Veille—Death of the Duke of York. - - -MONACO is assuredly the loveliest spot on the entire Ligurian -coast. More the pity that it should be delivered over to such evil -associations as cling to it. - -Monaco itself is a limestone crag rising out of the sea, linked to -the mainland by a neck, the rocks on all sides precipitous, but cut -into, to form an approach to the town. Above it towers the ridge that -extends from the Mont Agel, with its fortress gleaming white against a -gentian-blue sky, by La Turbie, “hunc usque Italia, abhinc Gallia,” and -the Tête-de-Chien, formerly Testa-de-Camp. - -The rock of Monaco takes its name from Monoikos. It was dedicated to -the Phœnician Melkarth, the One god in a house, who would suffer no -other idols in his temple, and that temple anciently crowned the rock. -The adoption by the Grimaldi of a monk as supporter to the arms is due -to a misapprehension that Monaco is derived from Monacus. Unhappily, -matchlessly beautiful as is the situation, the buildings of Monaco do -not conduce to picturesqueness. The palace is mean and ugly to the last -degree. It has four towers, erected in 1215 by the Genoese architect -Fulco del Castello, but the domestic buildings connecting these towers -are of various dates, and all bad. The palace has not a single bold and -characteristic feature to give it dignity. - -A vast sum—from the gambling tables—has been spent upon a cathedral, -designed by Charles Lenormand. Internally, and indeed externally, from -near at hand it is fine and dignified. But from a distance it produces -an unpleasing effect. It has no tall towers, no stately dome; but at -the rear, a monstrous hump, designed to make a display of the West -front, otherwise meaningless. The distant effect of this church is that -of an infant peacock, spreading its tail before it has any feathers to -display. - -There is not a single commanding feature in the bunch of buildings -huddled together on the summit of the rock, and old Mentone, with its -commonplace church tower, presents a nobler aspect than does Monaco. -No finer site in the world could be found, and none has been so wasted -through incapacity to utilise it. - -Monaco is an independent principality, under an autocratic government. -It, its prince, its gambling hell, are under the protection of France. -The principality comprises 5,436 acres, which would be the estate of -a petty English squire. But the Sovereign has his Council of State, -his nobles, and his bishop at command. Also an army, consisting of -five officers and seventy men. Formerly there was a guard of honour in -addition, whose function it was to blow trumpets and present arms when -the Prince entered or left the main gate of the palace. But this guard -of honour was dissolved, February 1st, 1904, and the soldiers of the -standing army now perform the duties formerly devolving on the guard. -The dissolution of the corps must have resembled the famous dismissal -by Bombastes Furioso: “Begone, brave army, and don’t kick up a row!” - -The six bronze cannon in front of the palace were given by Louis XV. -Each has its name, and they bear the inscription: “Ultima ratio regum.” - -The Grimaldi were a Genoese family, and they first appear in history -as assisting William, Count of Provence, and the Emperor Otho I., in -expelling the Saracens. For their services, the Emperor conferred -Monaco on one of them, others were rewarded with fiefs, near Nice, and -in the Maures, as already told. - -A claim is made to descent from Grimoald Mayor of the palace, who -died 656, but it is baseless, and rests on no better foundation than -identity of name; for patronymics were not then in use. - -The descendants of Gibelin Grimaldi, possessors of the fief of Monaco, -were at first only seigneurs, but eventually became sovereigns, and -the family obtained large tracts of land, and acquired great power in -Provence and Liguria. Till the seventeenth century they had a flotilla -of galleys destined to stop all coasters and exact a toll. This fleet -also served in the wars in which the neighbouring states were involved. - -Rainier II., Prince of Monaco, in 1302, entered the service of Philip -the Fair, and was the first to lead a Genoese fleet in 1304 through -the Straits of Gibraltar into the ocean. He conducted sixteen galleys -to the coast of Flanders, and encountered the Flemish fleet before -Ziricksee. He concerned himself little about the French vessels that -had joined him, and allowed all of them to be taken; but as the -Flemings were felicitating themselves on their victory, he returned -with the rising tide, pierced their line, destroyed a number of their -ships, and took prisoner Guy de Namur, son of the Count of Flanders. - -Charles II. of Monaco was made governor of Provence and admiral of -the fleet of Genoa. In 1338 he directed twenty galleys against the -Flemings; in 1346, along with Antonio Doria, he led thirty against the -English. The troops were disembarked, and joined the French army which -encountered the English at Creçy. The Genoese were esteemed the best -archers in the world. Grimaldi and Doria disposed them to the best -advantage, and they would have done great execution in the English -ranks, but that the rain had relaxed the strings of their bows, and, -says Froissart:— - - “They hooted, advancing with their crossbows presented, and began to - shoot. The English archers then advanced one step, and shot their - arrows with such force and speed that it was like a fall of snow. - When the Genoese felt the arrows that pierced their arms, heads, and - though their armour, some of them cut the strings of their crossbows, - others flung them on the ground, and all turned and retreated in - discomfiture. The French had a large body of men-at-arms on horseback, - richly dressed, to support the Genoese. The King of France, seeing - them fall back, cried out: ‘Kill me those scoundrels, for they block - our way unreasonably!’ Then you would have seen the French men-at-arms - lay about them, killing all they could of those runaways.” - -Grimaldi fell there, mortally wounded. - -Antonio Grimaldi, Genoese Admiral in 1332, was charged to revenge the -ravages of the Aragonese on the coasts of Liguria, at a time when -civil war prevented the Genoese from defending themselves and their -possessions. Grimaldi, with a fleet of fifty-five vessels, harried the -coasts of Catalonia, leaving behind him only ruins, and loading his -vessels with plunder and captives. He carried off the galleys of the -enemy from the harbour of Majorca. The Aragonese sent against him a -fleet of twenty-four vessels, but he defeated it. In 1353 he was again -placed at the head of the Genoese naval forces, and again sent against -the Aragonese, who were now in league with the Venetians. Grimaldi had -a fleet of fifty-two sail, and he hoped to fight and defeat the enemy -before they could effect a junction. In this he was disappointed. He -met the combined fleets near an islet off the north coast of Sardinia, -August 29th, 1353. Pisani, the admiral of the Venetians, concealed a -portion of his fleet, and Grimaldi, deceived, attacked the rest. Whilst -thus engaged, he saw the detached portion of the Venetian flotilla -approach, and he found that he had to deal with seventy-three sail. -To present a strong front to the enemy, he bound his galleys together -by the sides and masts, reserving only four on each wing to act as -reserve. The Venetians and Catalans seeing this arrangement, also -united their vessels to the number of fifty-four, but kept sixteen free -at their flanks. This singular disposition shows how little, if at all, -naval manœuvres had altered since the time of the civil war between -Cæsar and Pompey. - -The Catalans brought up three round tubs of vessels called _coques_ -against the right wing of Grimaldi, and sank as many of his galleys. -Alarmed at this, he unlinked eleven of his vessels and rallied them to -the eight of the reserve, and, without striking another blow, fled, and -left the rest of the fleet a prey to the enemy. All the thirty vessels -thus abandoned by the cowardly admiral were obliged to surrender. - -In that day the Genoese lost 3,000 men killed, and 3,500 taken -prisoners. The Republic had never before suffered such a disaster. -Despair took possession of government and people, and they abdicated -their independence and proclaimed John Visconti, Duke of Milan, as Lord -of Genoa. Lucien (1506-14) murdered his brother John, so as to obtain -the principality for himself—at least, so it was surmised, and Lucien -was obliged to fly from Monaco on that account, and conceal himself, -till Duke Charles of Savoy gave him an indult, forbidding all inquiry -to be made into the matter of the crime, and search after the murderer. -Then Lucien stole back to Monaco and assumed the sovereignty. His -sister Francesca had married Lucas Doria, and when left a widow, by her -will constituted her brothers Lucien and Augustine, who was bishop of -Grasse, guardians of her children. After her death her son Bartholomew -Doria complained bitterly that his uncle Lucien Grimaldi kept hold of -the inheritance and would not surrender it. At last, resentment induced -him to resolve on revenging himself on Lucien, for the wrong done to -himself, and for the murder of his uncle John. He secured the promise -of co-operation, if required, of the famous admiral, Andrew Doria, and -he sent to Monaco some confederates, with a request to Lucien to let -them be lodged there in safety, as they had got into a broil at Genoa. -He also intimated his intention to follow shortly and halt at Monaco -on his way to Lyons, where he hoped to have an interview with the King -of France, and to obtain from him a charge in his army. - -When Bartholomew arrived at Monaco, Lucien invited him to breakfast and -gave to his nephew the place of honour at the table. Bartholomew could -not eat, and when pressed to do so by his uncle complained that he had -lost his appetite. Lucien then placed one of his children on Doria’s -knee; but the young man trembled so that the child had to be taken from -him. On rising from table Bartholomew asked the prince to give him some -instructions as to his course. - -At this time Andrew Doria’s fleet put into the harbour of Monaco, and -the admiral sent to Bartholomew a laconic epistle, “What thou hast to -do, do quickly.” Lucien bade his nephew accompany him into a cabinet at -the end of the gallery. As the prince entered, the major-domo came up -and informed him that Andrew Doria’s galleys had arrived in the port, -and handed to Bartholomew the sealed letter bidding him be speedy in -executing what he had undertaken. - -When the major-domo withdrew, none were in the cabinet save the prince, -who seated himself, a black slave, and Bartholomew, who stood by the -window. All at once the tramp of feet sounded in the gallery, and an -assassin rushed in, followed by others holding daggers and shouting, -“Ammaza! kill! kill!” In a few minutes Lucien was despatched, and then -the murderers, surrounding Bartholomew, marched forth, descended to the -port, and were received on board the galley of Andrew Doria. - -Hercules I. (1589-1604) met with a violent death from some of his own -subjects. He used his sovereign power to get possession of and outrage -the wives and daughters of his subjects. At last some, whose wives had -been dishonoured by him, conspired, took him and flung him over the -rocks into the sea. - -Louis (1662-1701), Prince of Monaco, became enamoured of the celebrated -Hortense Mancini, Duchess of Mazarin, exiled from France for her -intrigues. He followed her to Rome, and thence to London, where he -and Charles II. were rivals for her favour. Saint Evremond did all in -his power to separate her from the prince and constitute her a prime -favourite of the King, in place of the Duchess of Portsmouth. A rivalry -in prodigality ensued between little Monaco and the King of Great -Britain. It was the fable of the frog and the ox enacted. In an access -of jealousy Charles withdrew a pension of £4,000 he had accorded to -the duchess, whereupon Louis sent her an order for that same amount, -payable for life out of his treasury, accompanying it with a copy of -verses. That the money was paid regularly is more than doubtful. - -This Louis was married to Charlotte de Gramont, who was one of “_les -grandes amoureuses_” of the reign of Louis XIV. She intrigued with the -king. She entertained a passion for her ambitious cousin de Lauzun. -Her many love adventures furnished Saint Simon with a good deal of not -very edifying matter for his Mémoires. Whilst Charlotte revelled in -Paris, Louis sulked at Monaco. As news reached him of Charlotte having -made a fresh conquest, he had a gibbet erected on the confines of -his tiny principality, and the happy man in effigy hung from it; and -as Charlotte’s caprices and conquests were numerous, the frontier of -Monaco was soon marked out at intervals by a score of gallows, from -which dangled dummy men, all dressed in Court costume. - - “Not merely,” says Mme. de Sévigné, “is this measure retrospective, - but folk amuse themselves by informing the prince of what is now - going on. The consequence is that the gibbets have to be put closer - together, and more than half of the courtiers are now dangling in - effigy along the frontiers of Monaco. I can assure you that I have had - many a laugh over this, and others as well. The king himself laughs at - it. This frenzy of hangings passes all belief.” - -At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Spaniards had profited -by the minority of Honoré II. to put a garrison into Monaco, under the -pretext of alliance. Speedily they took advantage of this to behave as -masters of the place. Prince Honoré, to escape from their domination, -signed a secret treaty with Louis XIII. in 1641, by virtue of which -his sovereign independence was guaranteed and a garrison of 500 French -soldiers was assured him after the expulsion of the Spaniards. But -it was precisely this last thing that was most difficult to achieve. -Honoré succeeded by subtlety. He ordered the arrest of thirty of the -inhabitants of Monaco, lusty men, and cast them into prison; then -invited the Spanish garrison to a grand banquet at the palace, and -made them as drunk as fiddlers. When they were almost incapable of -defence, he opened the prison, told the men he had locked up that they -were to massacre the Spanish garrison, and put daggers into their -hands. The Spaniards, however, were not so drunk that they could not -defend their lives; they were, however, nearly all slaughtered; and the -gates were thrown open to some French soldiers who had been waiting -at Antibes to replace the Spaniards. This took place in November, -1641. In consequence of this, all the estates of Honoré in Italy were -confiscated, but Louis XIII. indemnified Honoré for this by granting to -him the Seigneurie of Les Baux in Provence and the Duchy of Valentinois. - -Antoine, who died in 1731, was the last direct male of the house. He -left a daughter, Louise Hippolyte, who married Jacques François de -Matignon, Comte de Torrigny. She survived her father but eleven months. -Her son Honoré III. (1731-1795) lived at the time of the outbreak of -the French Revolution. The new ideas excited effervescence in little -Monaco, Roquebrune, and Mentone, which belonged at the time to the -principality, and they demanded elective councils. Honoré was compelled -to yield, whereupon the Councils suppressed all feudal rights. Then, -when he was frightened and ran away, the three towns declared the -House of Grimaldi deposed. Nice had been united to France, and Monaco -demanded the same favour, which was granted February 14th, 1793. Honoré -was arrested on September 28th, in the same year, and detained till -Thermidor 9th. He died in 1795. By the treaty of Paris, 1814, Monaco -was restored to Honoré IV., his son, but on the return of Napoleon from -Elba, the principality was occupied by an English force. By the treaty -of November 20th, 1815, it was transferred to Sardinia; but this lasted -only till 1816, when Honoré V. regained his principality. His son -Florestan I. (1841-56) abolished monopoly in bread, allowed free trade, -and founded a college at Mentone. The revolution of 1848 was disastrous -to the Prince. Mentone and Roquebrune severed their connexion with -Monaco and were annexed to Sardinia. Charles III. (1856-89) succeeded -his father, Florestan. He it was who conceived the idea of repairing -his losses by the establishment of gaming tables at Monaco. - -[Illustration: THE THEATRE AND GAMING-HALL, MONTE CARLO] - -The princes had coined gold, silver, and copper money from 1505, with -the legend, “Christus regnat, Christus imperat, Christus vincit.” This -legend became inappropriate thenceforth, in Monaco. - -In 1856 Charles III. started the gambling tables in a building -adjoining the palace, afterwards occupied by the guard of honour. -But the venture was not a success. Monaco was out of the way, hardly -accessible from the land, where the Corniche Road ran high above, on -the summit of the cliffs by La Turbie, so that it could be reached -conveniently only by sea. - -The gambling concession passed through various hands, till, owing to -the closing of the Casino at Homburg, M. Blanc thought of Monaco. In -1863 he went there, on March 31st, entered the bureau of the then -concessioners, Lefebre and Co., and said, “You want to sell this -affair; I am disposed to take it. Reflect. I shall return here at 3.30 -p.m. I leave at 4 p.m. by the steamboat, and I want to have this matter -settled before I go back to Nice.” The company sold it to Blanc for -1,700,000 francs. - -On April 1st, All Fools’ Day, 1863, Blanc formed La Société anonyme -des Bains de Mer et Cercle des Étrangers à Monaco, for fifty years, -with a capital of fifteen millions, represented by 30,000 shares of 500 -francs each. One of the first to take shares in this gambling society -was Pope Leo XIII., at the time only cardinal. Blanc was a little man, -with moustache already white, aged fifty-seven, when he came to feather -his nest, and that of the Prince of Monaco, at Monte Carlo. He married -his daughter to Prince Roland Bonaparte, grandson of Lucien, Prince of -Caninio, the brother of the Emperor Napoleon I. - -Blanc died in 1881. In 1882 it was resolved to double the capital of -this “bathing establishment.” The fifteen million was raised to thirty -million, divided up into 60,000 shares of 500 francs each, Blanc’s -heirs retaining about 52,000 shares in their own hands. As the original -concession was for fifty years, and would expire in 1913, it was deemed -advisable to approach the Prince of Monaco for an extension, and this -was granted, as the shareholders complained, “on very hard terms.” It -was signed on January 16th, 1898, and by this agreement the company -received a fresh concession for fifty years. - -So profitable an affair is this Circle des Étrangers and Société des -Bains de Mer, that the ordinary 500-franc shares rose at once to 4,770 -francs. - -An old Italian proverb was to this effect: - - Monaco io sono - Un scoglio. - Del mio non ho - Quello d’altrui non taglio - Pur viver voglio. - -That may be rendered, “I am Monaco, a mere rock; I have naught of my -own, I take no goods of others; yet I must live.” - -This proverb is now as inappropriate as the legend on the coins; for -Monaco lives and thrives on the plunder of those who go there to empty -their money on the tables. - -Les Spélunges, a rocky promontory, full of holes and cracks, like a -petrified sponge, on which formerly shepherds pastured their goats, -has become the world-famed Monte Carlo; and La Condamine, once the -flower-garden that supplied the House of Rimmel with perfumes, is now -occupied by houses of those who live more or less directly on the -tables. Charles III., who made the concession, has not left a very -savoury recollection behind him. Whilst his father was reigning prince, -he tired of being only heir apparent, and stirred up a revolt against -his father; but the National Guard arrested him, and he was conducted -to Genoa, where he was set at liberty. - -His son, Albert Honoré Charles, the present Prince, married Lady Mary -Victoria, daughter of the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, on September -21st, 1869, and by her had a son, born in 1870. - -But they apparently got tired of each other, for the Pope was -approached by Lady Mary, with the full consent of the Prince, to get -the marriage annulled. - -Now the Church of Rome holds very strict views as to the indissoluble -nature of marriage. Even the successor of S. Peter protests his -inability to pronounce a divorce. _But_, he can annul a marriage on -various grounds; and to help this out, all sorts of bars to legitimate -marriage have been devised, as consanguinity within seven degrees of -relationship, affinity, spiritual relationship through sponsorship -at the font, or legal relationship through guardianship, beside many -others, by means of some of which, with a little greasing of palms, -hardly a legitimate union cannot be annulled. Accordingly, on January -3rd, 1880, after eleven years of married life, the Pope declared the -marriage to have been void, on the plea put forward by Lady Mary that -she had been over-persuaded to marry the Prince, by her mother. But -the Papal Court laid down that although the connexion had been one -of mere concubinage, yet, nevertheless, the son was to be regarded as -legitimate. “Which is the humour of it,” as Corporal Nym would say. -It further ordered that the re-marriage of either party must take -place where the State did not require civil marriage, as civil courts -considered the first marriage as valid. “Which,” again as Nym would -say, “is the humour of it.” - -Eleven months after this decree Lady Mary Hamilton married Count -Tassilo Festitics, at Pesth; and the Prince married, October 30th, -1889, Alice, dowager duchess of Richelieu, a Heine of New Orleans. The -name is Jewish. - -The Pope seems to have felt that his proceeding in this matter had -made the sensitive consciences of Roman Catholics wince, for he -shortly after issued an Encyclical on Marriage, and pointed out what -were the pleas on which the Papal Court was justified in dissolving -existing marriages. The _Tablet_ also, on March 31st, 1894, published -an apologetic article, in which it assured the world that the official -fees paid to the Propaganda for annulling a marriage were trifling, -that, in a word, a marriage could be dissolved at Rome, dirt-cheap, for -£120. More shame to it, if true. But “Credat Judæus Apelles non ego.” - -This Court, as we know, will allow, for a handsome consideration, an -uncle to marry his niece, whereas formally it forbids an union within -the seven degrees. - -High aloft, towering above Monaco, 1,270 feet from the sea-level, -accessible by a cog-railway, is La Turbie, the point where the old -Roman Via Aurelia and the modern Corniche Road cross a neck that is the -natural division between France and Italy; the point where, in Roman -times before the Empire, Gaul ended, and Italy began. - -La Turbie is a corruption of Tropaïa—the Trophy, for here stood the -monument erected by Augustus about the year B.C. 13, commemorative -of his victories over the Ligurian natives of the coast. For some -seventeen years the empire had existed. All exterior marks of flattery -and submission had been accorded to him. To him had already been given -an official worship, as if he were a god. Even that “white soul” Virgil -thus speaks of the living emperor:—“A god has vouchsafed us this -tranquillity; for to me he (Augustus) shall always be a god. A tender -lamb from our folds shall often dye his altar with its blood.” - -Ancient writers have left us no description of the monument. Pliny -records the inscription it bore in seventy-eight words, of which -thirty-three were devoted to the official dedication to the divine -Augustus and to record his dignities, and forty-five to the enumeration -of the conquered peoples. - -The monument has gone through a period of sad wreckage. The Genoese -pillaged it of marbles wherewith to decorate the palaces of the citizen -nobles; and in the period of the furious struggles between Guelfs -and Ghibellines it was converted into a fortress. It now presents a -substructure of the period of Augustus, above which rises the shattered -fragment of a mediæval tower. - -Before the year 1869 only fourteen letters of the inscription had been -recovered. Since then five more have been found, which had been built -into a wall surrounding the village. From a description of the monument -as it existed in the sixteenth century, before it was such a complete -wreck as it is at present, written by a Franciscan, Antonio Boyer, of -Nice, it had a square basement about twenty-four feet high, above which -rose a circular structure sixty feet high, divided into two stages, -with marble columns ranging one above another. Between these columns -were niches once adorned with statues, and the whole was capped by a -cupola surmounted, probably by a statue of Victory, or of Augustus. In -the basement were two doors, and above the north door was the tablet -inscribed with the dedication to Augustus. The upper portion, converted -into a tower in the Middle Ages, was destroyed in 1705 by order of -Louis XIV. Mines of gunpowder were exploded under it. - -The church, erected in 1777, and the houses of La Turbie are built -out of the stones pillaged from this monument. In the church is a -copy of the S. Michael of Raphael, given by the Musée S. Germain in -exchange for a statue and the fragments of the inscription, from the -Trophy of Augustus.[16] It is worth while to sit on the rock and -look at this ruin—the ruin of an immense monument set up to honour -a mortal deified, and to whom sacrifices were offered, who gathered -into his own hands all the authority and power of the known world for -his own selfish glorification—and think, that at the same time He was -born who made Himself of no reputation and took on Him the form of a -servant, and was made in the likeness of man—who humbled Himself and -became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. The Trophy of -Augustus is a heap of ruins, but the Catholic Church, the trophy of Him -who was born under Cæsar Augustus, is everywhere, and imperishable. - -Sitting on the honeycombed limestone rock, looking on that wreckage, -and hearing the bells of all the church towers for miles around break -out in musical call to the Angelus, this thought rises and fills the -mind: Selfishness has but its day; self-sacrifice establishes an -everlasting reign. - -Monte Carlo occupies, as already said, a limestone headland, forming -the horn of the bay opposite Monaco, but not projecting to anything -like its extent into the sea. Between the two is the ravine through -which a little stream decants into the harbour. Here is the Church of -Ste. Devota. - -Devota was a girl brought up from childhood in the Christian faith. -When she was quite young she was taken into the house of Eutyches, a -senator, and probably a relation. Eutyches was not a Christian, but -he was a kindly disposed man, and loathed the idea of persecution. On -the publication of the edict of Diocletian in 303 against Christians, -he sacrificed along with other senators; but the governor of Corsica, -where he lived, hearing that he harboured in his house a little -Christian maiden, had her brought forth and ordered that she should be -executed. Her feet were tied together, and she was dragged over rough -ground till she was cut and bruised through her entire body. Then she -was stretched on the rack, and expired. According to the legend, as -she died a white dove was seen fluttering over her; it expanded its -pure wings, and, soaring, was lost in the deep blue of the sky. The -following night a priest rescued the body, placed spices about it, laid -it in a boat, and bade a boatman named Gratian carry it away. Then the -white dove appeared again, skimming over the water; and so Gratian, -following the bird, rowed till he reached Monaco, and there the body -was laid. Her festival is on January 27th, and on that day a procession -leaves the cathedral at Monaco and descends to the Church of Ste. -Devota in the gulley. - -The great charm of Monte Carlo consists in the gardens with tropical -plants. As to the buildings of Casino and Theatre, they are by Charles -Garnier, who was also the architect of the Grand Opera House at -Paris,—enough to say that they are vulgar and display no token of -genius and sense of beauty. They are appropriate to a gambling hell. -That is all that can be said of them. - - “The Casino,” says Miss Dempster, the authoress of _Vera_, “is the - thing that all Europe, Asia, and America talk of, that all moralists - decry, and that all pleasure-seekers declare to be a paradise. It - is the Casino that gives wealth and fashion to this section of the - coast. It is the Casino that causes a dozen trains to stop daily - at Monte Carlo; that keeps up the palace, the army, the roads, the - opera-house, and the Hôtel de Paris. It is the green table that keeps - the gardens green and the violins in tune; that has brought 3,000 - residents and so many hundred prostitutes to the town; that gives - work to 1,000 servants, and causes the annual issue of about 335,000 - tickets. When we consider these facts, the fabulous beauty of the - site, the mildness of the climate, the good dinners, the better music, - the pigeon-shooting, and the many exciting chances, can we wonder that - Monte Carlo is in every mouth?” - -[Illustration: LA VACHERIE DE MONTE CARLO - -POST CARDS NOT ADMITTED INTO MONACO] - -It is just the fact that the site is so exquisitely beautiful that -is the pity of it all. Why should the moral cesspool of Europe be -precisely there? How much better were it in the Maremma or the -Campagna, where the risk to health and life would add zest to the -speculation with gold. As long as men people the globe there will be -gambling, and it is in vain to think of stopping it. All the lowest -types of humanity, the Lazaroni, the North American Indians, the -half-caste Peruvians and Mexicans, resort to it with passion, and the -unintellectual and those without mental culture throughout Europe will -naturally pursue it as a form of excitement. It is therefore just as -well that there should be places provided for these individuals of low -mental and moral calibre to enjoy themselves in the only way that suits -them, but again, the pity is that one of the fairest spots of Europe, -this earthly paradise, should be given over to harlots and thieves, and -Jew moneylenders, to rogues and fools of every description. The entire -principality lives on the tables, the prince, the bishop, the canons, -the soldiery, the police, the hotel-keepers, those who have villas, -the cabdrivers, the waiters, the boatmen, all are bound together by a -common interest—the plunder of such as come to Monte Carlo to lose -their money. The institution must be kept going, every scandal must -be hushed up. If a case of suicide occur, in ten minutes every trace -disappears, and no public notice is given of what has occurred. It is -against the interest of every one connected with the place, with Nice -also and Mentone, to allow such an event to transpire. - -If any trust may be reposed in the assertions of Captain Weihe, a -German naval artillery officer who has resided at Monte Carlo for three -seasons, the cases are far more numerous than is supposed. According -to him, directly a man has shot or hung himself, he is whisked away by -the police and the body concealed till it is ascertained that no one is -particularly interested in his fate. Then, at the end of the season, -the bodies of the suicides are packed in cases that are weighted, and -the boatmen sink them far out at sea between Monte Carlo and Corsica. - -According to the same authority, the bodies were formerly thrust -into the holes and cracks in the limestone on which the Casino and -the tributary buildings of Monte Carlo stand, but the condition in -consequence became so insanitary that the place had to be cleared of -them, and a large body of workmen was imported from Italy and employed -on this work, and the corpses removed were disposed of at sea. Captain -Weihe asserts as a matter of his own knowledge or observation that from -the upper part of the rift of Pont Larousse, in 1898, sixty corpses, -from the lower by Villa Eden ten or twelve were removed. - -The game of roulette is composed of two distinct divisions, that of -numbers and that of _cadres_. Upon the former it is possible for the -player to win thirty-five times the value of his stake; but then, the -bank has thirty-six chances against him. Upon the _cadres_ there is not -so great a risk; for _rouge_ or _noir_, _pair_ or _impair_, _passe_ or -_manque_, there are nearly the same chances for the players as there -are for the bank; but then, on the other hand, the player can win no -more than the value of his stake. - -The bank, with the odds on zero, normally absorbs one-seventieth of -all the money staked on each table during the course of the year; that -would be against constant players with capital behind them equal to the -bank; but the majority of players take a comparatively limited sum with -them and play without a system, until it is lost, and then perforce -stop; whereas if they had the bank’s unlimited time and capital, they -would play, losing only one-seventieth of their stake on each coup, -and prolong the time required to lose a given capital. This constant -game of what would in America be called “freeze out,” enormously -increases the bank’s chances over the calculable one-seventieths of -the staker, and is doubtless the main cause of its large winnings. The -_profits_ of the company were, in 1904, something like £1,250,000. -This, at the calculable odds, would mean the staking during the year -of the enormous sum of £87,500,000. But owing to the way the usual -player stakes, as above described, probably a small fractional part of -that sum would be sufficient to provide that amount of revenue. As M. -Blanc was wont to say: “Rouge gagne quelque fois; noir aussi quelque -fois—mais _Blanc_ toujours.” - -If players had unlimited capital, and were allowed without check to -adopt the martingale or pyramid system, they would run small chance -of losing. This consists in choosing a _cadre_ and playing resolutely -upon it, each time doubling the stake, until that which is backed wins, -which it is certain to do if continued long enough. When it wins, the -player has recovered the total of his stakes plus one, except the toll -on zero, whereupon he would revert to the minimum stake. But the bank -knows this as well as any one, and draws a line beyond which there is -no doubling allowed. - -At roulette, the minimum stake is five francs; but at -trente-et-quarante, a game at cards, the lowest stake is twenty -francs. The amount of systems proposed, published, and advertised, is -prodigious: every one has his system, who is an enthusiastic gambler, -and every one has led to confusion and loss. One hears at intervals -of lucky players who have broken the bank. But what guarantee have we -that these are not decoy ducks, or at all events persons allowed to -do so, as an advertisement, and a means of luring other persons to try -their chance to do the same? The last of those who has written is one -Josephine Lorenz, _Schaff dir Gold in Monte Carlo_, published at Munich -in 1905. Sir Hiram Maxim in his _Monte Carlo_, London, 1904, tells a -significant story about the breaking of the bank by Lord Rosslyn and -the late Mr. Sam Lewis. After about seven consecutive wins, it was said -that the bank had been broken; a bell was rung, and a factor of the -bank was summoned and required to bring a fresh supply of money. It was -delivered, the play proceeded, and a second time the bank was broken. -This led to immense excitement: hundreds of people crowded about the -table and followed the lead of the two lucky stakers, with their -smaller ventures. The next time they won on seventeen coups; after -that, however, each lost 12,000 francs, and those who had docilely -followed them lost also. The bank was not really broken the third time, -but pretended and proclaimed that it had been. - - “However,” says Sir Hiram, “my suspicions were excited; I did not - believe for a moment that the bank had actually been broken. I knew - that there had been a great deal of play during the day, and that the - winnings at this particular table must have been very heavy indeed. I - therefore remained to see the money taken from the table, when I found - it was exactly as I had expected; there was at least a peck of large - bank notes. It had not been necessary for the bank to send for money - at all; this had been done for effect. It was telegraphed all over the - world that Lord Rosslyn and Mr. Sam Lewis had broken the bank three - consecutive times in a single evening. True, the bank had lost money, - but they turned it into a valuable advertisement.” - -[Illustration: GAMBLING SALOON, MONTE CARLO] - -That is not all. Next day Lord Rosslyn and Mr. Lewis again tried -their luck, and lost at whatever they tried, whether at roulette or -at trente-et-quarante. Lord Rosslyn staked fifteen times in as many -minutes, and never won a single “coup.” - -Sir Hiram drily observes:— - - “Considered from a purely mathematical standpoint, it would appear - very remarkable that he should win seventeen consecutive times in the - evening, and lose fifteen consecutive times the following morning.” - -Captain Weihe of Hamburg, of the German Marine Artillery, has published -in German and Italian a _brochure_, entitled, in the former language, -_Das Falschspiel in Monte Carlo_, in which he brings a charge of fraud -against the company, based on his observation during three seasons of -steady watching the play. Now the chances of the ball entering a given -pocket are calculable. According to him, the number of times, say in a -thousand, in which, by the law of chances, the ball ought to enter a -given number is calculable, here, however, it does not obey the law of -chances. - -Further, he says that he noticed that wealthy players were encouraged -to proceed, by winning stake after stake, and then, all at once, luck -would declare against them. Why, he wonders, should such men be lucky -at first and only unlucky afterwards? - -Then, he asserts that the agents of the company occasionally encourage -a timorous player by advice, given with all secrecy, to stake on a -certain number, and that then, by some remarkable coincidence, this -number will win. These observations, he says, led him to the conclusion -that there existed some method whereby the ball could be directed to -go where the croupiers desired that it should go. Then he asserts that -he assured himself that a piece of steel was inserted in a certain -number of the balls, and that these loaded balls could be drawn into -any pocket desired, by the _chef de partie_, by means of an electro -magnet manipulated by himself. He further asserts that by close -observation during three seasons, he was able, by watching the fingers -of the _chef_, to predicate with something approaching to certainty -into which number the ball would run. - -The pamphlet in question is not sold at Nice or Mentone, and it -need not be said is not allowed to pass over the frontier of the -principality of Monaco, but it can be procured at Bordighera. - -However, it appears very improbable that the bank would run such a -risk. It is true that detection of roguery is not easy, where the -tables are in a principality under an absolute monarch, and where -police and every authority are interested in the continuance of -the gambling. There is, however, the risk of some croupier “giving -away the show”; and there is also the risk of detection. But—is -cheating necessary? Is it worth its salt? Let us look closer into the -acknowledged system. While playing on the even chances gives 1·35 per -cent. in favour of the bank, playing on any other gives the bank 2·70; -and as many fools play on those chances that favour the bank most -highly, it is probably safe to assume that the odds in favour of the -bank will average 1·66 on all the tables, both trente-et-quarante and -roulette. If individuals playing would take in _all_ the money they -could afford to lose, divide this into so many maximums (if one did not -suffice) and stake the full maximum on each chance, and then retire, -whether winners or losers, they would then have given the bank the -least possible advantage, as they would have subjected themselves to -the chances of the zero appearing the least possible number of times. -As, however, almost every player wishes to have as long a run for his -money as possible, almost all players, whether playing by a so-called -system or not, divide their stakes, whether made on an increasing or on -a decreasing scale, or haphazard, into a number of comparatively small -stakes, so as to stay in the game as long as possible, with the result -that the bank’s percentage is constantly working against them. The -thinner they spread out their money, and the longer they stay in the -game, the greater are the chances of their losing their money. - -If you go into the stock-market and buy the first stock your eye -happens to catch on the list, you at least stand an even chance of -its going up or down, while your brokerage and stamp charges will -not amount to the 1·66 per cent. charged as brokerage by the Casino; -whereas in the stock market the action will be comparatively slow, at -Monte Carlo the brokerage charge is approximately 1·66 per minute. If -fifty _coups_ are played per hour, it means that as brokerage the bank -each hour absorbs 83 per cent. of all the money staked for one _coup_, -while each day the bank takes for its commission for permitting you -to play there, about ten times the average amount staked on the table -at any one time. As Sir Hiram Maxim says, the martingale is the least -defective of all the systems. Were there no limit and no zero, this -system of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc. must infallibly win, as, whenever -a gain is made, no matter how many previous losses there have been, -it lands the player a winner of one unit. The defect, however, is -that, starting with the minimum stake, the maximum is reached at the -eleventh doubling, and a run of eleven is of by no means an infrequent -occurrence. Against this the bank protects itself in its most -vulnerable place; even then, were its limits removed, yet it would be -steadily levying its 1·66 commission. - -It is accordingly not necessary for the company to have recourse to -underhand work as charged by Captain Weihe; the income of £1,245,008 -realised without trickery, on an average stake per table would be -611·55 fr. Any one who has been at Monte Carlo will admit that this -is probably very much below the average amount of money on the table -at each spin of the wheel; and with such an income, where arises the -occasion for illicitly supplementing it? The following is a table of -stakes needed to realise the known _profits_ of the company: - - 611·55 fr., average stake each Bank percentage, 10.15 fr. - of 14 tables - 8,561·70 fr. total stakes at 14 ” ” 142·69 fr. - tables, 50 _coups_ per hour - 428,085·00 fr., average stakes ” ” 7,134·75 fr. - each 12 hours the Casino - is open - 5,137,020·00 fr., total daily ” ” 85,617·00 fr. - stakes, 365 days a year - Casino is open - 1,875,012,300·00 fr., total ” ” 31,250,205·00 fr. - yearly stakes - £75,000,492 sterling equivalent ” ” £1,245,008 - -Thus enabling the bank on average stakes of 611·55 francs to realise -£1,245,008. But it must be remembered that it is only during the -winter season that considerable play takes place at Monte Carlo. -Also that before profits are declared the prince has to pocket his -share, all the officials have to be paid, the police, the lighting, -the gardens have to be kept going, and the scores of unacknowledged -dependents on the Casino have to receive enough to maintain them. Every -season a little book appears, advocating an infallible system, and some -of these cost twenty-five francs. Of course, every system is based on -the assumption that there is no trickery. But if there be trickery, not -one of these systems is worth the cost of the book that advocates it. - -[Illustration: THE CONCERT HALL, MONTE CARLO] - -“Le rouge gagne quelque fois, le noir gagne quelque fois, le _blanc_ -toujours.” - -A very good story is told by “V. B.” in _Monte Carlo Anecdotes_, -London, 1901. A few years ago a nobleman attended the English chapel -and slipped out as the hymn was being sung before the sermon, as he -went for worship and not be bored with the discourse. Now the hymn was -No. 32, Ancient and Modern. He sauntered up to the Casino whistling -the tune, and as he entered the rooms he heard, “Trente-deux, rouge, -pair et passe!” sung out from the table on his right; and then from -that on his left, “Trente-deux, rouge, pair et passe.” “Bless my soul!” -said he, “that is the number of the hymn; be hanged if I won’t stake -on it.” He hurriedly felt in his pocket, and going to the third table -he announced, “Trente-deux en plein, les quatres chevaux, et quatres -carrés par cinq francs”; and up rolled the number. To make a long story -short, by passing from table to table, and by constantly clinging to 32 -with gradually increasing stakes, he left the rooms with over £500 in -his pocket. But this got wind, and, to the perplexity of the chaplain, -next Sunday half his congregation left the chapel during the hymn -before the sermon and rushed off to the Casino to back the number of -the hymn. - -After this it became the rule at the Monte Carlo English chapel never -thenceforth to give out a number under thirty-seven before the sermon. - -On the promontory of La Veille at the water’s edge is a grotto. When -Edward Augustus, Duke of York, brother to George III., was on his way -to Italy on a man-of-war, feeling too ill to proceed he was landed at -Monaco and received into the palace, where he died in 1767. The body -was embalmed and taken to London. - -Fishermen always make the sign of the cross when passing the entrance -of the Grotte de la Veille, for they say that when the vessel on -which was the Duke of York arrived in the bay, a white form was seen, -as that of a woman, at the entrance, watching the evolutions of the -ship. After the Duke was removed she still remained visible, with her -face turned towards the palace. She was again seen when the cannon -announced his death, and again when his body was removed. The sailors -hurry by the cave, and will on no account enter it. It might be as well -if travellers crossed themselves and hurried by, instead of allowing -themselves to be drawn into the halls of the Circe of Gambling on the -top of the cliff. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -MENTONE - - Configuration of the land—Favoured situation of Mentone: suitable - for mid-winter—Old and new Mentone—Oranges and lemons—History of - Mentone—Roquebrune—Passion Mystery—Castellan—Depredations of - corsairs—Open-air ball—Dr. Bennet—The torrent of S. Louis—The - Barma Grande—Prehistoric men. - - -THE traveller by rail from Nice to Mentone is hardly able to appreciate -the configuration of the land, and to understand what are the special -advantages enjoyed by Mentone over Nice and Cannes. - -Let us take a sickle to represent the mountain system from the Swiss -Alps to the Abruzzi. If the sickle be held with the point upward and -the cutting edge turned away from one, then the great curve of the -inner edge represents the vast basin of the Po and its tributaries. At -Mont Blanc the Alpine sweep turns south and runs to Monte Viso, forming -the Dauphiné Alps. From Monte Viso the ridge curves to the east till it -meets the shank above Genoa, and the handle of the sickle is the range -of the Apennines. - -From Nice one can see the snowy peaks. Les Cimes du Diable are visible, -but away to the north-east, for the chain is on the curve there. Above -the Riviera di Ponente the chain draws very near to the sea, but throws -out spurs and allows of a ledge resting against it, intervening -between it and the Mediterranean. Now in leaving Nice by the Corniche -Road we can see this formation, we learn how the Alps describe a great -arc; but this is lost to us in the train, hugging the sea-shore and -diving in and out of tunnels. - -It is only by the Corniche Road, when we have reached La Turbie, -that we discern how specially privileged are Mentone and the Italian -Riviera. We see before us an amphitheatre, with mountain stages, and -the blue sea for arena. The mountains run up to 3,000 and 4,000 feet, -and wall about the fertile bottom, the seats about the sea, sheltering -them from every blast. The higher mountains of grey limestone are bare, -but below all is rich with luxuriant vegetation. - - “The entire bay and the town of Mentone, with its background of - swelling, olive-clad hills closed in by the amphitheatre of mountains, - are thus thoroughly protected from the north-west, north, and - north-east winds. To thoroughly understand and appreciate the district - and its singularly protected character, a boat should be taken, - and the panorama viewed a mile or two from the shore. The extreme - beauty of the coast will amply repay the trouble. Thus seen, all the - details are blended into one harmonious whole; the two bays becoming - one, and the little town scarcely dividing them. The grandeur of - the semicircular range of mountains, generally steeped in glorious - sunshine, also comes out in broad outline. These mountains positively - appear to all but encircle the Mentonian amphitheatre in their arms, - to thus separate it and its inhabitants from the world at large, and - to present it to the blue Mediterranean waves and to the warm southern - sunshine. - - “Behind the mountains which thus form the background of the Mentonian - valleys, are still higher mountains, rising in successive ranges to an - altitude of from 5,000 to 9,000 feet. The higher ranges constitute - the high Alps of Savoy and Dauphiné. The presence of this second and - higher mountain range greatly increases the protection afforded to the - coast-line by the lower one, and partly explains its immunity from the - winter cold of continental Europe. - - “Thus the Mentone amphitheatre, being only open to the south, - south-east, and south-west, the Mistral, as a north-west wind, is not - at all felt, and but slightly as a deflected south-west wind. All the - northerly winds pass over the higher mountains and fall into the sea - at some distance—several miles from the shore. When they reign there - is a calm, not only in the bay at Mentone, but for some distance out - at sea; whilst at a few miles from the shore it may be crested and - furious.”[17] - -But this protected and warm nook can be enjoyed only during the months -in the depth of winter. When the sun begins to gather warmth, the heat -becomes oppressive, the lungs gasp for air, and one feels desirous to -be invested with sufficient faith to be able to move the mountains -some miles back. There are two Mentones, the very dashing, frivolous, -up-to-date modern town, with expensive tastes; bound for life to -the elderly Mentone, grave, a little dilapidated, and intent only -on business. But young and gay Mentone is stealing an arm round the -old partner and laying hold of the even more sheltered and balmy bay -beyond, now dotted with villas, and punctuated with hotels. - -Mentone is pre-eminently the district of lemons and oranges, grown here -for the fruit, and not, as at Grasse, for the flower. Lemons at Mentone -are more numerous than oranges. They are not so beautiful, as the fruit -has not the golden hue of the orange—it is green or pale sulphur -yellow. The fruit of the orange tree will bear 7° Fahr. below freezing -point without being seriously affected, but the lemon tree is much -more sensitive, and is killed by 8°; it may also perish by over-much -moisture in the atmosphere. When a sharp frost sets in, the owners of a -plantation of oranges or lemons are in dire alarm, and light fires in -the groves, strewing green leaves and grass over the flames to produce -smoke, which to a considerable extent prevents radiation, and the -temperature falling too low. - -The lemon tree flowers throughout the year, never resting, flower and -fruit being on the tree at the same time. On no other part of the coast -do these trees grow as freely as they do at Mentone and Bordighera. But -there are no ancient lemon trees, as about once in thirty-five years a -bitter winter sets in, and the poor trees perish. - -The orange tree flowers once only in the year, and bears but a single -crop. The fruit ripens in autumn and winter. We, in England, never have -the orange in its perfection, as it is picked when green or turning -golden and ripens in the cases in which it is packed. But for the -orange to be in perfection, luscious and sweet, it should be left on -the tree till the end of April, or even into May. It is a beautiful -sight, during the winter, to see the orange groves laden with their -glorious fruit. The most delicious oranges are those with thin skins, -the Mandarin or Tangerine, which ripen earlier than do the Portuguese -thick-skinned species. - -The history of Mentone is not of great interest, and it may be -dismissed in a few words. Mentone and rock-perched Roquebrune belonged -to the Prince of Monaco. The Grimaldi, John II., having quarrelled -with Genoa, appealed for help to the Duke of Savoy, and to buy this -help, in 1448 ceded these two places to him for an annual rent of 200 -gold florins. However, the Grimaldi got this territory back again, -but lost it in 1848, when Mentone and Roquebrune revolted against the -fiscal burdens imposed on them by the Prince, and declared themselves -independent republics. The President of the Republic of Mentone was -Charles Trenca, who died in 1853. Finally, in 1860, both places were -united to France, and the claims of the Prince of Monaco were bought -off for the sum of four million francs. - -There is little of architectural interest in Mentone. The church, built -in 1619, and added to in 1675, is in the tasteless style of the period, -but tower and spire are effective from a distance. In the church is -preserved a processional cross, the staff of which is formed out of a -Turkish lance taken by Prince Honoré I. of Monaco, in the battle of -Lepanto, 1571. But if Mentone be somewhat deficient in picturesque -features, the same cannot be said of Roquebrune, which for so many -centuries shared its fortunes. It is dominated by the castle of the -Lascaris. At Roquebrune, every year, on the first Sunday in August, the -Mystery of the Passion is represented in a procession that illustrates -the various scenes of the portentous tragedy. It starts from the chapel -of N.D. de la Pansa, on the east side of the little town, a chapel -decorated with frescoes of the fifteenth century. The narrow streets, -passing under vaults, the quaintness of the houses, above all the -superb panorama commanded by Roquebrune, make it a place meriting a -visit. - -Still more quaint and picturesque is Castellar, forming a quadrilateral -fortress, planted on a plateau commanding two valleys. It is composed -of three long parallel streets. The exterior of the village or town is -the wall that encloses the place, and the houses thus form the wall, -and look outward only through eyelet holes. Turrets flank the angles. -The chapel of S. Sebastian is romanesque. Here also the Lascaris had -a palace. Castellar stands 1,200 feet above the sea. We can hardly -realise till how late a period the pirates of the Mediterranean were a -scourge to this coast, and forced the natives to build every village -and town in a place not easily accessible, and form of it a fortress. - -For many centuries first the Saracens, then the Turks and Moors of -Tunis and Algiers, ravaged this coast. Not so much for gold and -silver—for of this the poor fishermen, shepherds, and tillers of the -soil had none, but to capture slaves. The women were handsome and the -men able-bodied. - -“There are still men living at Mentone,” says Dr. Bennet, “who in the -early part of this century (_i.e._ 19th) were seized on the coast -by Moors, and subsequently lived for years as slaves at Algiers and -Tunis.” Indeed, piracy reigned supreme on the Mediterranean until the -year 1816, when Lord Exmouth bombarded Algiers; but it was not finally -stamped out till the conquest of Algiers by the French in 1830. When -Lord Exmouth bombarded Algiers, there were thousands of Christian -slaves, mostly captured on the Riviera, serving in the Algerine -galleys. It was against the sudden descent of these pirates that -the watch towers were erected along the coast, which may be seen at -intervals as far as Genoa. - -At Castellar, on the Place de la Mairie, is given on January 20th, -every year, an open-air ball which winds up the series of festivities, -religious and secular, accorded in honour of the patronal saint, S. -Sebastian. - -Mentone was “invented” by Dr. J. Henry Bennet, whose delightful book on -_Winter and Spring on the Shores of the Mediterranean_, 1861, has gone -through several editions, and is still the best guide to such as are in -quest of a winter resort. He settled at Mentone in 1859, and speedily -appreciated its climatic advantages. These advantages are inestimable -for the worst winter months. But when the sun gathers strength, it is -advisable for the traveller to break his return journey to the cold and -fogs of England by a cool bath in S. Raphael “ventosa.” - -Sir Thomas Hanbury has also done much for the place. His gardens are -well worth seeing. An electric tram will take a visitor along the bay -to a fountain erected by Sir Thomas Hanbury, near the frontier of -Italy. That frontier runs down the torrent of S. Louis, where may be -seen, on a fine day, sketchers and painters engaged in transferring -to their books or canvases the impression produced by this ravine, -with arches one above the other, for the railway and for the Corniche -Road, whilst below are women washing garments in the little stream. -The magnificent cliffs rise here in sheer precipices, and are composed -of nummulitic limestone. Formerly the headland stretched to the sea, -leaving only a strip between the rocks and the waves, along which -strip ran the Via Aurelia. The rock was perforated with caves, nine in -number. But it has been cut back for building stone, and the grottoes -have been much reduced in depth. The caves served as a habitation for -man from a remote period, and not solely as a habitation, but also as -a sepulchre. The Barma Grande was filled to a depth of thirty feet of -deposit, that deposit consisting of fallen stones, bones of beasts, -flint weapons and tools, remains of hearths and charcoal, and human -skeletons. - -It has been dug into by many and various explorers, and not always -with judgment, and with precise record of the depths at which various -discoveries have been made. - -The present proprietor used the soil for the purpose of making a -garden, and it was only when he came upon human remains that it -occurred to him that he could turn the cavern into a show place, and -get more out of it in that way than he could by growing cabbages in the -soil removed from it. In these caves a considerable number of skeletons -have been found; in the first, the Grotte des Enfants, two bodies were -discovered of children of six and four years old, lying at a depth of -eight feet, side by side. They had evidently been clothed in little -loin-cloths embroidered with pierced shells. - -In the fourth cave, the Grotte du Cavillon, was found the skeleton of -an adult twenty feet below the surface, lying on his left side, the -cheek resting on the left hand, and the head and body had been dusted -over with red ochre, which had stained the bones. The head had been -covered with a sort of cap made of, or adorned with, perforated shells -and dogs’ teeth, and similar ornaments must have been stitched on to -garters about his legs. - -The sixth cave, Bausso da Torre, furnished two bodies of adults and one -of a child, and with these were flint weapons, bracelets, and necklets -of shells. - -In 1884 M. Louis Julien found a human skeleton lying at a depth of -twenty-five feet, the head bedded in red ochre, and near it numerous -flakes of flint. Since then others have been found, and the present -proprietor has preserved them _in situ_, under glass, in the cave, at -the precise levels at which discovered. In 1892, three were found, all -lying on their left sides. One of these had pertained to a young woman. -All three had been buried along with their personal ornaments, and all -with the ferruginous powder over them. - -Finally, in 1894, another human skeleton was unearthed at a higher -level; and soon after again another. - -All these interments belong to man at a period before the use of metals -was known, and when the only tools employed were of bone and flint. The -purpose of covering them with red oxide was to give to the bodies a -fictitious appearance of life. The men were of a great size, tall and -well built, taller indeed than are the natives of the Riviera at the -present day; and the heads are well developed—the skulls contained -plenty of brains, and there is nothing simian about the faces. - -A little prehistoric museum has been built on a platform near the -caves, where most of the relics found in them are preserved; but some -are in the museum at Mentone itself. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -BORDIGHERA - - Ventimiglia—Internecine conflicts—Republics—Genoa obtains the - Ligurian coast—Siege of Ventimiglia—Guelf and Ghibellines—The - Lascaris family: Paul Louis Lascaris—The Cathedral and - Baptistery—S. Michaele—Camporosso—Dolceacqua—Bordighera—San - Ampelio—Relics—Retreat of the sea. - - -VENTIMIGLIA, crowning a rocky ridge above the Roya, was formerly the -capital of a county comprising of all the coast to Porto Maurizio. What -Mr. Adington Symonds says of Italian towns generally in the Middle Ages -applies equally to those on the Riviera:— - - “It would seem as though the most ancient furies of antagonistic - races, enchained and suspended for centuries by the magic of Rome, had - been unloosed; as though the indigenous populations, tamed by antique - culture, were reverting to their primeval instincts. Nor is this the - end of the perplexity. Not only are the cities at war with each other, - but they are plunged in ceaseless strife within the circuit of their - ramparts. The people with the nobles, the burghs with the castles, - the plebeians with the burgher aristocracy, the men of commerce with - the men of arms and ancient lineage, Guelfs and Ghibellines, clash - together in persistent fury. One half the city expels the other half. - The exiles roam abroad, cement alliances, and return to extirpate - their conquerors. Fresh proscriptions and new expulsions follow. - Again alliances are made and revolutions are accomplished. All the - ancient feuds of the towns are crossed, recrossed, and tangled in a - web of madness that defies analysis.”[18] - -Certain prominent and prevailing features pertain to this portion of -the Ligurian seaboard. The towns, even the villages, are planted in -spots as inaccessible as could be obtained; they were all walled about -in the rocks whereon they stood, and were so crowded within their walls -that the “high street” does not attain to a width beyond nine feet, and -every lateral street is six feet and even less in width. The houses -run to a great height, and hold themselves up mutually by throwing out -buttresses, arched beneath, for their stay one against another. The -inhabitants of the seaboard were driven to this by fear of the Moorish -pirates. - -These little communities organised themselves as republics, with their -consuls, freely elected. But the nobles, living in their castles, -looked upon them with jealous eyes. They had their serfs under them, -and they saw that these villages and towns were growing in consequence -and in wealth. Unhappily every town was at enmity with every other -town—each was jealous of the other; and the nobles offered their -services, generally to a distant town against that nearest at hand. -When they had served against the rival place, they asked for, and -were allowed, a town residence. Then the palace of the noble in the -walled city, or even village, became a centre of intrigue. Parties were -formed in every town, and the nobles and wealthy burghers arrogated to -themselves supreme control over the affairs of the place. This led -to revolts and fighting in the streets. On the Ligurian coast, the -Republic of Genoa stepped in, took advantage of these civic broils, -and, by plausible assurances of good government under her strong hand, -managed to get nearly the whole seaboard, with its towns, under her -protection. The protection Genoa afforded soon turned to exaction and -interference with the liberties of the towns she protected. Thenceforth -ensued a series of revolts. - -Ventimiglia, which was a place under the rule of its count, was -taken and sacked by the Genoese in 1140, and its count constrained -to make submission. The mouth of the Roya, with its harbour, excited -the jealousy and ambition of Genoa, as did in like manner Nice and -Villefranche; for Genoa desired to monopolise the whole of the trade -of the Mediterranean along the Ligurian coast and Corsica. Allies -and friendly towns could traffic freely with Genoa; but the ships of -independent states were taxed, and their freights almost crushed by -onerous duties, before they could enter the port. The sea-coast towns -like Ventimiglia and Villefranche, not under Genoese control, were -a hindrance to the control and monopoly of the entire trade by the -grasping Republic, consequently the Genoese were persistent in their -attempts to force them to submission. - -In 1196 the count and the Genoese combined against the city of -Ventimiglia, and failing, in spite of a siege of two months, to capture -the town, they organised a league of the whole of Liguria against -the gallant and resolute place. The allies established their camp on -the Cape of S. Ampelio and ravaged the country, but could not reduce -Ventimiglia. Then the Genoese spread a report that a large Ventimiglian -galley which had been cruising off the Spanish coast had been captured, -and that all the crew would be hung unless the town surrendered. The -Ventimiglians, in great alarm for their kinsmen, submitted, and the -Genoese entered and took possession of the town. - -In the year 1238 ensued a general rising in places of importance -along the coast occasioned by the intolerable exactions of Genoa, and -its interference with the liberties of the towns. The governor of -Ventimiglia took refuge in the castle and sent a messenger to Genoa for -help. - -Fourteen Genoese galleys were despatched to his aid, and hovered about -the mouth of the Roya. After a severe conflict, the Genoese succeeded -in landing and taking the city. At this time a number of the citizens -migrated and founded a colony at Bordighera, but of this the Genoese -disapproved, and they sent a fleet in 1239 and destroyed the little -settlement. The contests of Guelfs and Ghibellines broke out, to -aggravate the disorder and misery of the country. - -Some clear-headed men saw that Italy was, like ancient Greece, a -congeries of conflicting atoms with no bond, no consistence, and -no chance of becoming a nation, a power, that no chance existed of -domestic strife being stayed unless there were some strong central -government to hold all the jarring elements in compulsory quietude. -They looked back to the grand days of Rome, and hoped, under an -emperor, to make of Italy once again what she had been, a dominant -power in the world, and one in which, within her Italian borders, peace -would be maintained. This was the Ghibelline dream and policy. But the -opposed faction was for the maintenance of the present disintegration, -the continuance of the independence of every little town, or rather -of its own party in the town. The Pope naturally was zealous on this -side. He dreaded an united and strong Italy, which would control him. -His only chance of occupying the most prominent place and exerting -the greatest power in the Peninsula lay in fomenting disorder, in -setting every princeling and every town by the ears. Accordingly, -whilst posturing as champion of the liberties of the republics, he was -actuated solely by self-interest, which lay in keeping all powers in -Italy weak by periodical blood-letting. The Papacy was the great and -persistent enemy to national unity. The party of independence was that -of the Guelfs. - -Frederick II. united the empire and the kingdom of the Two Sicilies -under one sceptre. Master of the South, he sought to recover the -lost prerogatives of the empire in Lombardy and Tuscany, and it is -probable that he would have succeeded and consolidated Italy into one -kingdom but for the bitter hostility of the Papacy, which carried on -an implacable war of extermination against the house of Hohenstaufen. -The struggle was for an united Italy, a strong Italy, a peaceful -Italy, and this was precisely what the Popes would not endure to have. -They dreaded the formation of a single kingdom in Italy, with, as a -consequence, the presence there of a rival and predominant power. But -this purpose of the Popes was not seen clearly at the time. Dante saw -it; he knew that the future of Italy was involved in the contest, and -he could not understand aloofness in the strife. He terms those who did -not feel the pangs and ecstasies of partisanship in this mortal strife, -“wretches who never lived,” and he consigned them to wander homeless on -the skirts of limbo, among the off-scourings of creation. - -Banners, ensigns, heraldic colours, followed the divisions of faction. -Ghibellines wore the feathers in their caps on one side, Guelfs on -the other. Ghibellines cut up their fruit at table crosswise, Guelfs -straight down; Ghibellines sported white roses, Guelfs affected those -that were red. Yawning, throwing of dice, gestures in speaking, and -swearing, served as pretexts for distinguishing the one half of Italy -from the other. So late as the middle of the fifteenth century, the -Ghibellines of Milan pulled down the figure of Christ from the high -altar of Crema, and burnt it, because the face was turned towards the -Guelf shoulder.[19] The Grimaldi were strong Guelfs; the county of Nice -was so as well, but the town was Ghibelline. The Lascaris of Tende and -Ventimiglia, the Dorias of Dolceacqua and Oneglia were Ghibelline. - -The county of Ventimiglia had been formed in 778 by Charlemagne, and -given by him to a Genoese noble, Guido Guerra, with the title of -Marquess of the Maritime Alps, on condition that he should maintain at -his own cost a company of soldiers to defend the littoral within his -Marquisate. The county passed in the thirteenth century to William, son -of the Greek Emperor Lascaris II., of Nicæa, who married the heiress -and descendant of the Guido Guerra family. But William Lascaris soon -after ceded the county to Charles of Anjou, in exchange for diverse -other fiefs in the interior of Provence, amongst others that of -Tourvès, between Brignoles and S. Maximin, where may be seen the ruins -of the noble castle of the Lascaris. In 1266, Charles of Anjou, in his -turn, ceded the county of Ventimiglia to the Grimaldi and Fieschi, -consuls of the Republic of Genoa, on the condition that they should -furnish provisions and munitions to the Provençal troops occupying the -kingdom of Naples. - -The county of Tende was founded by Charles of Anjou for the Princess -Irene, daughter of Theodore Lascaris, and sister of the above-mentioned -William, when she married Robert Guerra of the family of the Counts of -Ventimiglia, and Robert then abandoned his patronymic of Guerra and -assumed that of Lascaris. The county of Tende subsisted till 1579, and -was then ceded by Henrietta, Duchess of Maine, last descendant of the -Lascaris-Guerra to Emmanuel-Philibert, Duke of Savoy. - -Theodore Lascaris I. had married Anna, daughter of Alexis III., and he -was chosen Emperor of Constantinople at the time when the Crusaders -occupied Byzantium and founded there a Latin empire, under Baldwin -of Flanders, 1204. Theodore was constrained to fly into Anatolia and -make of Nicæa the capital of the Greek empire; so it remained till -the expulsion of the Latins in 1261. The only daughter of Theodore -Lascaris I. married John Ducas, who succeeded to the Empire of Nicæa. -Ducas died in 1255, leaving a son, Theodore Lascaris II., who died in -1259, and his eight-year-old son John remained to be the victim of the -unscrupulous Michael Palæologus, who had his eyes torn out. This John -had, however, five sisters, and one of these, Eudoxia, in 1263 married -William, Count of Ventimiglia; and another, Irene, became, as already -said, the mother and ancestress of the Lascaris Counts of Tende. The -Lascaris arms are: gules, a two-headed eagle displayed, or. - -Paul Louis Lascaris, who entered the Order of Malta, belonged to the -Ventimiglian branch of the family. He was born in Provence in 1774. He -was on the isle when Napoleon appeared before Malta in 1798. Hompesch -was Grand Master, a weak old man; the knights of the Order might easily -have defended the island till the English fleet under Nelson came to -its aid, but French gold and promises had created a party of traitors -within; of these Lascaris was chief, and on June 11th La Valetta -capitulated. “On my word,” said General Caffarelli, “it is well that -there was someone inside to unlock the gates to us, for otherwise we -should never have got in.” - -After his treason Lascaris did not venture to remain in Malta, but -attended Bonaparte to Egypt. Upon the rupture of the Treaty of Amiens -in 1803, Napoleon, having resolved on attacking the English in India, -commissioned Lascaris to go to the East, there make the necessary -studies for the execution of his plan, and explore the frontiers, map -down roads, wells, etc. Whilst Lascaris was in the East he married -a beautiful Georgian akin to Soliman Pacha. In 1810 he visited in -succession the Arab tribes in Mesopotamia, and turned his face -homewards in 1814. On reaching Constantinople he heard of the fall of -Bonaparte, and departed for Cairo, where he died shortly after, and all -his notes and maps fell into the hands of the British consul there. All -known of his adventures in the East comes from a narrative given to the -world by his dragoman Fatalba. - -Ventimiglia is not only in itself a marvel of picturesqueness, -occupying a ridge above the Roya, but its situation, with the sea -before and the snow-clad Alps behind, is exquisitely beautiful. - -The streets are narrow, as space was precious, but the Strada Grande -is lined with quaint old houses of the city nobility and well-to-do -citizens, and have marble balconies, their sculptured entrances, and -heraldic decorations. The cathedral occupies a terrace, with the palace -of the Lascaris having an open loggia and staircase on one side of -the piazza. The cathedral, dedicated to S. Barnabas, fondly deemed to -have founded it, is a fine church of the thirteenth century, vaulted -without groining ribs. Beneath it, at the east end, is the very early -baptistery, unhappily remodelled in the seventeenth century. This -contains a huge stone baptismal basin, with stage inside on which -children could stand, whereas it is deep in the middle for adults. Two -recesses are at the sides; one of these is for the priest performing -the ceremony. In the vestries are portraits of the bishops, several in -surplice and rochet, looking very much like English prelates. - -But more interesting even than the cathedral is S. Michaele, at the -farther end of the town, a church of the twelfth century, with a rich -west doorway, having on the capitals a range of quaint carving of human -beings. The church is vaulted in the same manner as the cathedral. -Beneath the choir is a crypt, one pillar of which is a milestone from -the Via Aurelia, of the time of the Emperor Antoninus. A slab in the -floor bears rich early interlaced work. - -The side aisles of this church had fallen into ruin, but have been -judiciously restored, along with the body of the church. - -Outside the walls of the town, towering above it, are the remains of a -castle, which is held to date from Roman times, but which was enlarged, -altered, and mainly rebuilt in mediæval days. - -[Illustration: DOLCEACQUA] - -At Camporosso, up the Nervia, is a little church of the early part of -the twelfth century, now serving as chapel to the cemetery. It has apse -and tower of this period; the rest has been rebuilt. It is constructed -of rolled stones from the river-bed. The roof consists of slabs of -nummulite limestone. - -Above Camporosso on the Nervia is Dolceacqua. - - “After winding through woods of olives, carpeted in spring by young - corn and bright green flax, Dolceacqua suddenly bursts upon the view, - stretching across a valley, whose sides are covered with forests of - olives and chestnuts, and which is backed by fine snow mountains. - Through the town winds the deep blue stream of the Nervia, flowing - under a tall bridge of one wide arch, and above frowns the huge - palatial castle, perched upon a perpendicular cliff, with sunlight - streaming through its long lines of glassless windows. The streets are - almost closed in with archways, which give them the look of gloomy - crypts, only opening here and there to let in a ray of sunlight and a - strip of blue sky. They lead up the steep ascent to the castle where - the Doria once reigned as sovereign princes.”[20] - -An electric tram connects Ventimiglia with Bordighera. This latter -place is unceremoniously dismissed by Hare in these words: “The town -contains nothing worth seeing.” The statement is certainly incorrect. -Old Bordighera contains a good deal that is worth seeing—the quaint -town gates, the steep and picturesque streets, and the glorious view -from the little piazza before the church. There also by the seaside is -the chapel of S. Ampelio with its cave, in which the apostle of the -district lived and died. - -Little authentic is known of S. Ampelio, for there is no early life of -him extant. Tradition says that he was a blacksmith from the Thebaid, -who left Egypt and settled here. His bones were carried off in the -twelfth century to San Remo, and thence later to Genoa. The fête of S. -Ampelio is on May 14th. The chapel was enlarged and restored in 1852. - -The transfer of the relics of S. Ampelio to San Remo exhibits a curious -feature of mediæval enthusiasm. In 1140 the citizens of San Remo, at -war with Ventimiglia, took a number of the townsmen prisoners. They -would release them on one condition only, that they should reveal where -were secreted the bones of S. Ampelio. The Ventimiglians, to obtain -their liberty, betrayed the secret; the old hermit had been laid in the -grotto he had inhabited during his life. Thereupon the people of San -Remo carried off his body. - -What is the peculiar fancy for possessing a few pounds of phosphate of -lime? Whence comes the devotion to relics? - -S. Chrysostom tells us of pilgrims travelling from the ends of the -earth to Arabia to see Job’s dunghill, and he says that they drew “much -profit and philosophy” from the sight. - -One can understand how that certain churches should be greedy to -possess relics, and steal, or even invent them, because the possession -brought money into their coffers; but the money would not have come had -there not been, deep-seated in the hearts of the people, a conviction -that there was something supernatural, a divine power surrounding and -emanating from these relics. - -[Illustration: S. AMPELIO] - -For my own part I think it is a survival of the worship of ancestors -that existed among the prehistoric races of Europe. We know that to -them the sepulchre, the dolmen, the kistvaen, the cairn, were the most -holy spots in the world, the centres of their common life, the tie that -bound a clan together. When these primeval people became absorbed in -conquering races, and adopted other religions, they carried along with -them the cult of old bones and ashes. The ancestor was forgotten, and -the spiritual father, the saint, took his place, and the worship of the -dead was transferred from the ancestor of the tribe to the apostle of -the new religion in the district. - -Bordighera was founded in 1470 by thirty-two families, who migrated to -it from Ventimiglia. There was, however, at the time some portion of -walls standing, and these new settlers completed the enclosure, and -squatted within. - -At one time, perhaps even then, the sea came up to the foot of the -rock, where are now orange and lemon orchards, but the current that -sets from west to east along this coast filled it up. On digging, the -old sea-shore is found, and the name Bordighera signifies a creek -provided with stakes and nets for catching fish. - -Bordighera is happy in having had an exhaustive historian, Mr. F. F. -Hamilton (_Bordighera and the Western Riviera_, London, 1883), and this -work is supplemented by Mr. W. Scott’s _Rock Villages of the Riviera_, -London, 1898, by which he means the villages built upon rocky heights. -He describes only such, however, as are near Bordighera. This book will -be a help to such as desire to make excursions from that winter resort, -and these two works together render it unnecessary for me to enter more -fully into the history of Ventimiglia and its offspring Bordighera, and -into minute description of them and their neighbourhood. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -SAN REMO - - Two San Remos—The Pinecone—Earthquakes—Matuta—Sold to the - Genoese—Church of S. Syro—Domestic architecture unchanging—Narrow - streets—Leprosy—San Romolo—Lampedusa—River names—Taggia—Doctor - Antonio—Home of Ruffini—The Bresca family—Raising of the obelisk in - the piazza of S. Peter—Palms—How bleached—The date-palm. - - -THERE are two San Remos, that of to-day, with its pretentious villas -rivalling each other in ugliness, and the old San Remo. The former -is clean with open spaces, a broad main street, and is dotted about -with palms and agaves in sub-tropical gardens. The old San Remo is a -network, a labyrinth of narrow, tortuous lanes. This old portion goes -by the name of _la Pigna_, the Pinecone, because of the manner in which -the ancient houses are grouped, pressed together one on another, rising -towards a culminating conical point. - -[Illustration: A STREET IN BORDIGHERA] - -The old town is built upon a hill that descends gently to the sea, -and whose summit is crowned by a sanctuary. The streets twist about, -are steep, with steps, and paved with bricks or rolled stones. The -old houses elbow one another away to get a little breath, or sustain -themselves from falling by stretching out a flying buttress, each -against its _vis-à-vis_, like tipsy men with linked arms hoping to keep -their feet by mutual support. For all this coast is liable to be shaken -by earthquakes. Diano Marina was the central point of one in February, -1887, that shook down half the village. Baiardo was completely ruined, -and church and houses have all been rebuilt. Numerous lives were lost -on this occasion. This portion of the Riviera, though more sheltered -than the French Côte d’Azur, cannot boast the beauty of mountain -outline. It is only when a river comes down from the Alps that a view -of the snowy peaks is obtained up its course. The rock is all limestone -and conglomerate, and the slopes are terraced and studded with olives. -The general tints have a sameness and dulness that is not found on the -French Riviera. The hills seem to have been enveloped in sail-cloth and -rolled in powdered sage-leaves. San Remo lies in the lap of a crescent -bay, of which Cap Verde on the West and Cap Nera on the East are the -two horns. It faces the South, and a double reef of mountains to the -North arrests the winds from that cold quarter of the heavens. The -shelter thus afforded, the focussing of the sun’s rays on this spot, -and the fertility of the soil, unite to make the vegetation luxuriant -and varied. - -By the shore we have orange and lemon groves, the delicious mandarin -orange, and the pomegranate, tropic palms, agaves, and cactus mingled -with cedars. Higher up are olive gardens, chestnuts. “_Tenens media -omnia silvæ_,” the pine woods stretch to the top of the hills that -engirdle San Remo. - -M. Reclus observes:— - - “Strange to say, trees do not ascend to the same height on these - slopes of the Apennines as on the Alps, though the mean temperature is - far higher; and at an altitude at which the beech still attains noble - proportions in Switzerland we find it here stunted in growth. Larches - are hardly ever seen. The sea is as sterile as the land. There are - neither shallows, islands, nor seaweed, affording shelter for fish. - The cliffs descend precipitously to the sea, and the narrow strips of - beach, extending from promontory to promontory, consist of sand only, - without the admixture of a single shell.” - -The ancient name of the place was Matuta, but it had been destroyed -again and again by the Saracens till the year 1038, when the Count of -Ventimiglia made the place over to the Archbishop of Genoa; he disposed -of it to two nobles, Doria and Mari. But the Dorias were Ghibelline and -the Maris belonged to the opposed faction, leading to terrible broils. -Finally, in 1361 the Genoese Republic became sole possessors. The town -took the name of S. Romulus, as possessing the bones of that saint, -and the old name of Matuta fell into desuetude. Saint Romulus has been -altered and corrupted into San Remo. Doubtless whilst under the rule of -the Archbishop of Genoa the interesting church of S. Syro was built. -The style is Lombardic Romanesque. It was frightfully mutilated in or -about 1620, when the apse was altered and lengthened, and a hideous -baroque façade was erected, like the canvas-painted frontage to a show -in a fair. At the same time the interior features were disguised under -plaster and paint. In 1745 an English fleet bombarded San Remo, and the -spire was knocked to pieces and replaced by a hideous structure. But -recently a complete restoration has been effected; the façade has been -pulled down, revealing the original features, and the whole, externally -and internally, treated with such scrupulous fidelity to what was the -original style, that the result is that the church of S. Syro is now -one of the finest monuments of Christian art on the Riviera. - -[Illustration: CERIANA] - -The visitor from the north of Europe is perplexed how to determine -approximately the dates of the domestic buildings in every one of -these Ligurian towns and villages. The architecture has a modern look, -and yet the houses are decrepit, ruinous, and shabby. The windows -and doors are square-headed, with scarce a moulding to differentiate -them, and the pointed arch is only seen in the bridges that tie the -houses together. Rarely, only in some palace or town hall, does the -swallow-tail crenelation, or a feeble imitation of Gothic cornice, -speak of the Middle Ages. The fact is that the streets are so narrow -that there is no room for display of street architecture in these -lanes, _culs de sac_, and thoroughfares, that allow no wheeled -conveyance to pass up and down. The houses set their noses against each -other and stare into each other’s eyes. There is no privacy there, not -even in smells. If a man eats garlic, every one sniffs it in the house -opposite. If a woman administers a curtain lecture, all the occupants -of the houses _vis-à-vis_ prick up their ears, listen to every word, -and mark every intonation of voice. Into no single room has the sun -looked for a thousand years, and air has been but grudgingly admitted, -and never allowed to circulate. The houses run up five, six, even seven -storeys, and are tenanted by many families. Those nearest the pavement -partake of the first whiff of the garbage of the street, the dejections -of the tenants in the tenements above; and those in the topmost storey -inhale the flavour of stale humanity ascending from all the flats below. - -But to revert to the architecture. I do not suppose that it has altered -since classic times. We know how it was in Rome among the _insulæ_, -blocks of dwellings crowding the densely occupied lower parts of the -town, running up to great heights, and swarming with people living -on the several stages. The palaces of the nobility, where facing the -street, looked like the fronts of modern factories. Happily, in Rome -one such remains, in the wall of the church of SS. John and Paul, on -the Monte Clivo. It is a lofty red-brick front, without an ornament, -pierced formerly with square-headed windows or windows very slightly -arched with bricks, precisely such a face as may be seen to a factory -in a side lane of Manchester, Birmingham, or Leeds. - -The Roman noble kept all his decoration for the inside of his house; -his colonnade was towards his enclosed garden, his marbles about his -atrium; externally his mansion was a barrack. Pointed architecture -never was assimilated by the Italian. He endured it; he used it for -churches, always with a difference. But for his home he would have -none of it. He was surrounded by remains of the period of Roman -domination over the world, vast structures, solid and enduring. Temples -fell and were despoiled to decorate churches, but private dwellings, -though they might be gutted, could not be defaced, when they had no -face to be mutilated. Vandal, Lombard, Saracen, swept over the land, -burnt and pillaged, but left the solid walls standing to be re-roofed -and re-occupied after they were gone. Nothing but the recurrent -earthquake affected these structures. And when a house was shaken down -it was rebuilt on the same lines. If a bit of ornament were desired -it was copied, and badly copied, from some relic of classic times. -Consequently there has been incessant reproduction of one type. Thus -all these old Ligurian towns and villages appear as if built at one -and the same time, in one and the same style, and all to have fallen -simultaneously into the same disorder, dirt, and raggedness. - -[Illustration: BUSSANA] - -Near to S. Syro is a hospital for leprosy, a disease which long -lingered on in San Remo. Happily it has disappeared—at all events from -this town—and in 1883 the building became the Civic Hospital. But -leprosy is by no means extinct on the Ligurian coast; - - “it is hopelessly incurable, the limbs and the faces of the lepers - being gradually eaten away, so that with several, while you look upon - one side of the face, and see it apparently in the bloom of health - and youth, the other has already fallen away and ceased to exist. The - disease is hereditary, having remained in certain families of this - district almost from time immemorial. The members of these families - are prohibited from intermarrying with those of others, or indeed - from marrying at all, unless it is believed that they are free from - any seeds of the fatal inheritance. Sometimes the marriages, when - sanctioned by magistrates and clergy, are contracted in safety, but - often, after a year or two of wedded life, the terrible enemy appears - again, and existence becomes a curse; thus the fearful legacy is - handed on.”—HARE. - -The marvel is that plague, leprosy, and typhoid fever are not endemic -in these Ligurian towns. But the winter visitor to San Remo may be at -ease, he will see no lepers in the place now. Should a case occur, it -would at once be removed out of sight. - -As already said, San Remo takes its name from S. Romulus, a bishop, -whose festival is on October 13th. Almost nothing is certainly known -of this Bishop of Genoa, who is thought to have died in the year 350. -The story goes that in old age he retired from his charge to a cave or -Barma in the mountains, about five miles from San Remo. Here formerly -was a Benedictine convent, now the very modern building is occupied -by sisters, and the cave of S. Romolo has been converted into a church -with an ugly façade. On the fête day plenty of Sanremois visit the -shrine, some out of devotion, some for the sake of a picnic, and many -from mixed motives. - -But the most delightful excursion that may be made from San Remo is to -Lampedusa, above the Taggia. For that no better guide can be had than -Ruffini’s delightful novel, _Dr. Antonio_:— - - “A broad, smooth road, opening from Castellaro northwards, and - stretching over the side of the steep mountains in capricious - zig-zags, now conceals, now gives to view, the front of the sanctuary, - shaded by two oaks of enormous dimensions. The Castellini, who made - this road in the sweat of their brows, point it out with pride, and - well they may. They tell you with infinite complacency how every one - of the pebbles with which it is paved was brought from the sea-shore, - those who had mules using them for that purpose, those who had none - bringing up loads on their own backs; how every one, gentleman and - peasant, young and old, women and boys, worked day and night with - no other inducement than the love of the Madonna. The Madonna of - Lampedusa is their creed, their occupation, their pride, their - _carroccio_, their fixed idea. - - “All that relates to the miraculous image, and the date and mode - of its translation to Castellaro, is given at full length in two - inscriptions, one in Latin, the other in bad Italian verses, which - are to be seen in the interior of the little chapel of the sanctuary. - Andrea Anfosso, a native of Castellaro, being the captain of a - privateer, was one day attacked and defeated by the Turks, and carried - to the Isle of Lampedusa. Here he succeeded in making his escape, - and hiding himself until the Turkish vessel which had captured him - left the island. Anfosso, being a man of expedients, set about - building a boat, and finding himself in a great dilemma what to do - for a sail, ventured on the bold and original step of taking from - the altar of some church or chapel of the island a picture of the - Madonna to serve as one; and so well did it answer his purpose, that - he made a most prosperous voyage back to his native shores, and, in - a fit of generosity, offered his holy sail to the worship of his - fellow townsmen. The wonder of the affair does not stop here. A place - was chosen by universal acclamation, two gun-shots in advance of - the present sanctuary, and a chapel erected, in which the gift was - deposited with all due honour. But the Madonna, as it would seem, had - an insurmountable objection to the spot selected, for, every morning - that God made, the picture was found in the exact spot where the - actual church now stands. At length the Castellini came to understand - that it was the Madonna’s express wish that her headquarters should - be shifted to where her resemblance betook itself every night; and - though it had pleased her to make choice of the most abrupt and the - steepest spot on the whole mountain, just where it was requisite to - raise arches in order to lay a sure foundation for her sanctuary, the - Castellini set themselves _con amore_ to the task so clearly revealed - to them, and this widely-renowned chapel was completed. This took - place in 1619. In the course of time some wings were annexed for the - accommodation of visitors and pilgrims, and a terrace built; for - though the Castellini have but a small purse, theirs is the great - lever which can remove all impediments—the faith that brought about - the Crusades. - - “To the north a long, long vista of deep, dark, frowning gorges, - closed in the distance by a gigantic screen of snow-clad Alps—the - glorious expanse of the Mediterranean to the south-east and west, - range upon range of gently undulating hills, softly inclining towards - the sea—in the plain below the fresh, cozy valley of Taggia, with - its sparkling track of waters, and rich belt of gardens, looking like - a perfect mosaic of every gradation of green, chequered with winding - silver arabesques. Ever and anon a tardy pomegranate in full blossom - spreads out its oriflamme of tulip-shaped dazzling red flowers. From - the rising ground opposite frowns mediæval Taggia, like a discontented - guest at a splendid banquet. A little farther off westward, the eye - takes in the campanile of the Dominican church, emerging from a group - of cypresses, and farther still, on the extreme verge of the western - cliff, the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Guardia shows its white - silhouette against the dark blue sky.” - -The name of the river Taggia is synonymous with Tay, Taw, Tavy; as the -Roya is akin to the Irish Rye, the Spanish Riga. The Neva that mingles -its waters with the Arrosetta, has a cognate Neva in Russia, a Nahe -in Germany, a Never in Wales, and a diminutive Nivelle in France. The -brawling Loup does not take its name from a wolf. It is misspelled -through a false etymology. It should be Lou, like the river that enters -the Dordogne, and the Devon Lew, the Lee, and Lech by Ulm. Whence come -the many similar river names of Europe? They are doubtless the most -ancient designations we have, those that have least changed; they were -given by the earliest inhabitants of Europe, and have adhered to these -ever-flowing streams, modified here and there, but always showing how -ancient and primeval they are. Adam named the beasts, but who—what -race—named the rivers? It must have been a race that occupied almost -the whole of Europe. Was it those mighty men of old, who lie smothered -in red ochre in Barma Grande by Mentone, or was it the mysterious -people who reared the rude stone monuments, and who have left scanty -traces of their lost language embedded in Welsh and Irish? - -Taggia itself surely deserves a visit from every one who has read -and loved _Dr. Antonio_; for there lived the gifted author Giovanni -Ruffini from 1875 to 1881, the year in which he died. The remains of -his house are shown. The church also deserves a visit, on account -of the paintings on wood by Brea and other artists of the fifteenth -century. One painting on a gold ground by Brea, or a disciple, in the -chapel of the tombs of the Curlo family, is specially noticeable for -its beauty. On the Piazza Umberto I. stands a monument erected in -1896 to the memory of the three Ruffini brothers, who strove for the -unification of Italy. - -The story of the Bresca family of San Remo acquiring the privilege of -furnishing palms to Rome, granted by Sixtus V. in 1586, is well known, -but must not be left unnoticed here. - -An obelisk was being elevated in the piazza before S. Peter’s. This -obelisk had been brought to Rome from Heliopolis by Caligula, in a -ship which Pliny describes as being “nearly as long as the left side -of the port of Ostia.” Sixtus V. was resolved on Christianising or -demolishing the relics of pagan Rome. The obelisk, if set up before S. -Peter’s, might serve to support a cross. It was removed from its place -in the Circus of Nero by 800 men and 150 horses, under the supervision -of Domenico Fontana, who was threatened with death if he failed. When -it was about to be reared, Sixtus threatened death to man, woman, or -child who should speak whilst the huge mass was being elevated by means -of forty-six cranes. The great stone was slowly rising to its base, -when suddenly it ceased to move, and it was evident that the ropes were -yielding. An awful moment of suspense ensued, when the dead silence was -broken by a shout: “_Acqua alle funi!_” (Throw water on the ropes!) The -workmen at once cast bucketfuls of the liquid over the cordage, that -at once began to shrink, and raised the monstrous mass, and settled it -upon its base. - -The man who saved the obelisk was Bresca, a sea captain of a fishing -smack at San Remo. Sixtus V. inquired after him, and promised him, what -cost himself nothing, as a reward, that ever thenceforth his family and -his native village should have the privilege of furnishing the palms -for S. Peter’s on Palm Sunday. - -In order to bleach the leaves for this purpose they are tied up in a -way very similar to that employed by market gardeners to obtain white -centres to lettuces. It cannot be said that the leaves are made more -beautiful by the process; on the contrary, they lose what little beauty -they had. The branches are bound up so as to form a vertical roll, in -the centre of which are the young leaves, that have to struggle up, -shut off from light and air, with the result that sickly, ugly strips -are produced, which are sent throughout the Catholic world for use on -the Sunday before Easter. Ten thousand times preferable are our pretty -“palms,” the catkin-bearing willow twigs. - -The date palm is not indigenous. It was probably introduced by the -Crusaders. In an illustration to a MS. of the Geography of Strabo, -presented by Guarini to King Réné, the king is shown seated with a -full-grown palm tree in the background. Indeed, in the tympanum of the -north doorway of S. Syro, at San Remo, is a representation of a male -and a female palm tree with an Agnus Dei between them. - -The date palm is multiplied by seed and by suckers. This last mode of -propagation is the most advantageous, as all the plants so produced are -females and fruit bearers; and they will bear at the age of five or -six years, whereas those raised from seed produce dates only after they -have attained an age of fifteen or twenty years. - -But it is in a few nooks only of the Riviera that the date palm ripens -its fruit, and that but occasionally, for the winter comes on before it -has reached maturity, and it fails to acquire the flavour and sweetness -which is attained in Africa. It cannot be said that the huge bunches -of dates in their husks hanging on the trees, of a sickly yellow, are -beautiful. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -ALASSIO - - Admirable site—Old Alassio—Church of San Ambrogio—Palace - of the Ferreri—Arco Romano—Gallinaria—Saint - Martin—Andora—Oneglia—Andrew Doria, the Admiral—Albenga—Retreat - of the Sea—Proculus—Cathedral—Baptistery—Piazza dei Leoni—The - Towers—S. Maria in Fontibus—Garlenda—Beauty of Drive. - - -ALASSIO falls short of other winter resorts in no degree, in sweetness -of situation, shelter from blustering cold winds, and in abundance of -objects of interest in the neighbourhood. In climate, in everything -but one, it equals San Remo, Bordighera, and Mentone. The one thing it -lacks is good shops. - -Alassio consists of one narrow street a mile and a half in length, -out of which radiate towards the sea passages under arches. It does -not contain, in itself, much of interest. The church and the palace -of the Ferreri exhaust the place. The church of San Ambrogio has a -tower of the thirteenth century, and the old church, altered, remains, -with a later church built on to it in the south in late renaissance -times, that is distinctly pleasing, with its white and black marble and -blue-grey stucco, between the marble pilasters. - -The palace of the Ferreri family, with its rich and cumbrous gateways -sculptured with the family arms, contains fine tapestries, family -portraits, and rich furniture. - -The arms of the town are curious: argent, a tower out of which rises a -king crowned and wearing garments red and green. - -A favourite excursion from Alassio is to the Arco Romano, a Roman arch, -through which a lovely peep of the sea is obtained. To the east appears -the curious isle of Gallinaria, shaped like a snail, with the ruins of -a Benedictine monastery on it. In 358, in the midst of the war against -the Allemanni, when the Emperor Julian was at Worms, Martin, who was -in the army, and a tribune, asked to be released from military duty. -Julian was indignant. A battle was imminent, and he scornfully refused -the petition, and charged Martin with cowardice. The young tribune -replied, “Put me in the forefront of the army, without weapons or -armour, and prove if I be what you say.” - -However, the Allemanni asked for peace, it was granted, thereupon -Martin obtained his dismissal. He then went to Poitiers and placed -himself under the teaching of S. Hilary. Then he departed to visit -his parents in Pannonia. As he crossed the Alps he was attacked by -robbers and plundered of all he had. On reaching his native city of -Sabaria, Martin succeeded in converting his mother to Christ, but his -father persisted in his paganism. Then he returned to Italy, and after -tarrying awhile at Milan, where he was vexed by the Arians, he took -refuge on this islet of Gallinaria. There he lived on roots, and nearly -poisoned himself by accidentally eating the hellebore, attracted by its -dark green leaves and pale flowers. Providentially the spasms caused by -the poison came on so rapidly as to check him from eating enough to -kill him; but he suffered great pain, and lay at death’s door. A cave -is shown in the island which S. Martin is traditionally held to have -inhabited. After some sojourn on Gallinaria, Martin left it and went -back to Poitiers. - -To visit the curious old mountain village of Andora, one must leave the -train at Laigueglia, before it rushes into the tunnel pierced through -the spur of rock on which Andora stands. The church dedicated to SS. -Philip and James is in Lombardic Gothic of the fourteenth century, and -is one of the most interesting monuments of the style in Liguria. Above -the high altar is a crucifix of carved wood, the figure of natural -size, believed to be still earlier than the church, which dates from -1341. - -Adjoining the church is a tower with swallow-tail battlements, that -belonged to the old castle, but has now been united to the church. -There are also at Andora the ruins of a feudal castle, the Parasio, the -residence of the Podesta till 1797. There are also remains of a Roman -aqueduct and a Roman bridge over the river, still in good condition. - -Oneglia was the birthplace of Andrew Doria, the great admiral. It is an -ugly town; the prison is in the shape of a cross, with a huge lantern -at the junction of the arms lighted through cockney Gothic windows. - -The Dorias, Fieschi, Grimaldi, and Spinolas were the four principal -families of Genoa. Simone Doria, who lived in 1270, was a Troubadour, -and he once had a dispute with Lanfranc Cigala as to which was -preferable, to deserve the favour of a lady or to possess it. Doria -maintained the latter proposition. “I did once suppose,” said Lanfranc, -“that merit carried a lady’s favour, I now know that impudence gains -it. Doria has taught me that.” - -Andrew Doria was born at Oneglia in 1468. He was son of Andrew Coeva, -of the Dorias, that were Princes of Oneglia, but as this Andrew -represented a junior branch, he came into but a small slice of the -inheritance, and, dying early, his widow, mother of the great Andrew, -thought it well to get as the protector of her boy Dominico Doria, -belonging to the elder branch, and this she obtained by ceding to him -the rights in Oneglia that had belonged to her husband. Dominico was -then captain of the guards to Pope Innocent VIII., and he put the young -Andrew in his company. Andrew forged ahead, and became a naval captain -of great importance. He had no scruples, and he passed from side to -side, as best conduced to his interests. At one time he fought for -Francis I., and then he went over to the service of Charles V. When -these rivals met at Aigues Mortes, Francis I. mounted the galley of -the great admiral, and noticed a bronze cannon with on it the Arms of -France. He looked hard at Doria, who said, “This gun is of excellent -metal.” “I cast better cannons now,” remarked the King, meaning that he -offered better pay than formerly. - -“The Emperor’s metal is good enough for me,” retorted Doria. Francis -turned to the Emperor and said, “You made a good catch when you netted -Doria. Mind you keep him.” - -Against the judgment of Doria Charles V. undertook his disastrous -expedition against Algiers in 1541. In 1539 Doria, with the Imperial -fleet, that of Venice, and that of the Pope, lighted on the very -inferior Turkish fleet under Kheyr-ed-din Barbarossa, off Previsa. -The Christian strength was really overwhelming. Eighty Venetians, -thirty-six Papal and thirty Spanish galleys, together with fifty -sailing galleons, made up the formidable total of nearly two hundred -ships of war, and they carried scarcely less than 60,000 men and 2,500 -guns. Doria was in chief command, Capello and Grimano led the Venetian -and Roman contingents. On September 25th the allied fleets appeared off -the Gulf. Barbarossa had 122 ships of war. - -On the morning of the 27th the corsairs were amazed to see Doria sail -away. Germano and Capello went on board the flagship and urged Doria to -engage the enemy; they even implored him to depart himself, and allow -them to fight the battle with their own ships, but in vain. - - “The result was practically a victory, and a signal victory, for the - Turks. Two hundred splendid vessels of three great Christian States - had fled before an inferior force of Ottomans; and it is no wonder - that Sultan Suleyman, when he learnt the news at Yamboli, illuminated - the town, and added 100,000 piasters a year to the revenues of - Barbarossa.”[21] - - “It was,” says Brantôme, “a common opinion at the time that there - existed a secret engagement between Barbarossa and Doria to avoid - fighting each other on decisive occasions, so as to prolong the war, - which gave both of them employment, and furnished them with means of - acquiring wealth.” - -What seems to confirm this was the setting at liberty by Doria of the -renegade corsair Dragut, who had been made prisoner, and who was a -favourite of Barbarossa, and a scourge to the Christians. - -In 1547 a conspiracy of the Fieschi almost cost Andrew Doria his life. -His nephew was murdered by them, but at the same time Giovanni Luigi -Fieschi was drowned. Grief and resentment provoked Andrew Doria to -commit acts of atrocious cruelty. - -[Illustration: ALBENGA] - -Scarcely was this conspiracy crushed, before Giulio Cibo, -brother-in-law of Giovanni Luigi Fieschi, formed another out of the -remnant of the faction. This was discovered; Cibo had his head struck -off, and all the rest of the Fieschi and those who held by them were -banished. The brother of Giovanni Luigi fell into Doria’s hands, and -was by his orders sewn up in a sack and thrown into the sea. - -Andrew had been much worried by a pilot asking him for this and for -that. Doria said, “If you speak again to me more than three words, I -will have you hung.” “Pay or discharge,” said the pilot. Doria laughed, -gave him his pay, and retained his services. - -Andrew Doria met with a great reverse at the hands of that same Dragut -whom he had released to please Barbarossa. In 1552 Dragut came on him -when he was least awares, and put him to flight. Dragut pursued him, -sank two of his vessels, captured seven of his fleet with seven hundred -German soldiers, and their captain, Nicolas Madrucci. - -Andrew died in his splendid palace near Genoa in 1560, at the age of -93, without leaving issue by his wife who was niece of Pope Innocent -VIII. - -Albenga, easily reached from Alassio, either by road or rail, is a -most interesting but unhealthy town. It lies low where three rivers, -uniting, empty into the sea, and the plain is made up of deposits -brought down by them. Anciently the sea reached to its walls, and only -withdrew in the tenth century. Albenga was the capital of the Ligurian -Ingauni, and a great naval station. Thence sailed a fleet of thirty-two -ships which fought the Romans in B.C. 20. It helped Hannibal with -ships and men, and when Magone, brother of Hannibal, was wounded, he -retired to Albenga to be cured. - -Afterwards it became, but reluctantly, allied to Rome. In the times -of Probus, A.D. 276-282, a native of Albenga, named Proculus, a man -of extraordinary strength, set up to be emperor, but was speedily -killed. Constantine, a grandee of the Court of Honorius, A.D. 395-423, -fortified the town, and he it was who built the Ponte Longo, a Roman -bridge now sunk to the spring of the arches, and deserted by the river, -which has completely altered its course. - -Albenga has a most interesting cathedral of the twelfth century that -has been mutilated and altered internally into a rococo temple. The -west front was partly removed in renaissance times and rebuilt, -clumsily; but externally, the east end with its apses tells of the true -antiquity of the church. Hard by is what is still more venerable: a -baptistery, half buried in the soil, of the fifth (?) century. It is -descended into by fourteen steps, so greatly has the soil risen since -it was built. The building is octagonal, and had its windows filled -with pierced slabs of stone; of these fillings in only two remain, one -very rich, with carved interlaced work as well as with perforations. -Within is a large font for immersion, as at Ventimiglia, and the vault -is sustained by eight granite columns, probably taken from a Pagan -temple. The altar is ancient, enriched with mosaic work representing -the Agnus Dei surrounded by twelve doves. - -At the east end of the cathedral is the Piazza dei Leoni, where are -three rude stone lions, remains of a monument raised in 1288, but taken -from an earlier Roman structure. - -That which strikes the visitor especially, coming from France, are -the towers of the nobles. “Its thirteen mediæval towers,” says Hare, -“remind the Italian traveller of S. Gimignano, rising out of the plain -like a number of tall ninepins set close together.” I do not think -there are thirteen; certainly not that number of lofty towers; but the -earthquake of 1887 damaged, or threw down, several. - -The finest are the Torre Balestrino, the cathedral tower, and the Torre -del Comune. Five of the old gates remain. The church of S. Maria in -Fontibus, in Genoese Gothic, striped black and white marble, takes its -name from a spring that rises under the altar, and was supposed to -possess miraculous powers for the healing of lepers. - -A beautiful drive from Albenga up the valley leads to Garlenda, where -are paintings by Domenichino, a S. Maurus, a Martyrdom of S. Erasmus, -by Poussin; and a Nativity of Our Lady by Guercino. At the time of the -French Revolution, when the troops were pouring over the frontier into -Italy, the parishioners of Garlenda, fearful of being robbed of these -artistic treasures, removed and hid them. - -The road to Garlenda passes through orchards of peaches and fields of -narcissus. - - “The valley is radiantly beautiful in spring. Overhead are tall peach - trees with their luxuriance of pink blossom. Beneath these the vines - cling in Bacchanalian festoons, leaping from tree to tree, and below - all large melons, young corn, and bright green flax, waving here and - there into sheets of blue flower, form the carpet of Nature. Sometimes - gaily-painted towers and ancient _palazzi_, with carved armorial - gateways and arched porticoes, break in upon the solitude of the - valley.”—HARE. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -SAVONA - - The city and port—Pope Sixtus IV.—The Della Rovere - family—Nepotism—Assassination of Giuliano di Medici—Methods of - filling the treasury—Sixtus and the Spirituals—Julius II.—A - fighting pope: his portrait by Raphael—Pius VII. at Savona: his - removal from Rome—Death of Princess Borgia—Bishop Grossulano—The - Margravate of Savona—The Sanctuario—Crowned images—Jacques de - Voragine—The Albizzola Palace: and Gardens—Mme. de Genlis and - travelling on Corniche Road—Ruined palaces of Liguria. - - -SAVONA, with its port, its towers, its engirdling mountains, and its -wide-stretching orange and lemon orchards, is a very charming town. - -The port, with its picturesque tower, engages the eye at once. The -cathedral, built in 1604, is in the uninteresting style of that period. -It contains some good pictures by Brea, 1495, and Aurelio Robertelli, -1449; and the tomb of the parents of Pope Sixtus IV. who was a native -of Celle, near Savona. His father was a poor boat or fisherman called -della Rovere; but it was the whim of Francesco della Rovere, when he -became Pope under the title of Sixtus IV., to be thought a scion of the -ancient house of the same name at Turin. A false pedigree was forged, -and he purchased the complaisance of the Turin family, and silenced -their jibes, by giving them two cardinal’s hats. He assumed their -arms—a golden oak tree on an azure ground—which figures on the tomb -at Savona, and which Michael Angelo painted on the roof of the Sistine -Chapel, in compliment to Pope Sixtus and to his nephew Julius. - -Francis de la Rovere was born in 1414, and entered the Franciscan -order, became provincial of Liguria, and finally general of the order. -He was elevated to be Cardinal by the advice of Bessarion, who had -conceived a high notion of his learning and abilities. He became Pope -in 1471 and occupied the papal chair till 1484, and was perhaps the -second wickedest pontiff seated on that throne, coming only a short way -after Alexander VI. - - “He began his career with a lie,” says Mr. Addington Symonds, “for - though he succeeded to the avaricious Paul, who had spent his time - in amassing money which he did not use, he declared that he had only - found 5,000 florins in the Papal treasury. This assertion was proved - false by the prodigality with which he lavished wealth immediately - upon his nephews. It is difficult even to hint at the horrible - suspicions which were cast upon the birth of two of the Pope’s - nephews. Yet the private life of Sixtus rendered the most monstrous - stories plausible. We may, however, dwell on the principal features - of his nepotism; for Sixtus was the first pontiff who deliberately - organised a system for pillaging the Church in order to exalt his - own family to principalities. The names of the Pope’s nephews were - Leonardo, Giuliano, and Giovanni della Rovere, the three sons of his - brother Raffiello; Pietro and Girolamo Riario, the two sons of his - sister Jolanda; and Girolamo, the son of another sister, married to - Giovanno Basso. With the notable exception of Giuliano della Rovere, - these young men had no claim to distinction beyond good looks and - a certain martial spirit which ill suited with the ecclesiastical - dignities thrust upon some of them. Leonardo was made Prefect of - Rome and married to a natural daughter of King Ferdinand of Naples. - Giuliano received a cardinal’s hat, and after a tempestuous warfare - with the intervening Popes, ascended the holy chair as Julius II. - Girolamo Basso was created Cardinal of San Cristogono.” - -But the favourite nephew of all was Pedro Riario, whom his uncle loaded -with ecclesiastical benefices, though aged only five-and-twenty. -Scandal asserted, and Muratori believed it, that this Pietro was really -the son of the Pope. When scarce out of the hobbledehoy age, he was -made Cardinal Patriarch of Constantinople and Archbishop of Florence. -His annual income was 60,000 gold florins, in our money about £100,000; -and yet when he died, broken down by his debaucheries, in 1474, three -years after he had been made Cardinal Archbishop, he was deep in debt. - - “He had no virtues, no abilities, nothing but his beauty, the - scandalous affection of the Pope, and the extravagant profligacy of - his own life, to recommend him to the notice of posterity. All Italy - during two years rang with the noise of his debaucheries. When Leonora - of Aragon passed through Rome, on her way to wed the Marquess of - Ferrara, this fop of a Patriarch erected a pavilion in the Piazza di’ - Sante Apostole for her entertainment. The air of the banquet hall was - cooled with pure water; on a column in the centre stood a naked gilded - boy, who poured forth water from an urn. The servants were arrayed in - silk, and the seneschal changed his dress of richest stuffs and jewels - four times in the course of the banquet. Nymphs and centaurs, singers - and buffoons, drank choice wines from golden goblets.... Happily for - the Church and for Italy, he expired at Rome in January, 1474, after - parading his impudent debaucheries through Milan and Venice, as the - Pope’s Legate.” - -Another nephew was Girolamo Riario, who married a natural daughter -of Galeazzo Sforza. For him the Pope bought the town of Imola with -Church money. He had created him Count of Bosco in 1472. As Imola did -not content his ambition, his uncle gave him Forli, and elevated -this boatboy to a dukedom. The young ruffian found that the Medici -family stood in the way of extending his power over Florence, and he -formed a plot for their destruction. In the conspiracy were involved -Francis di Pazzi, head of the bank of that name in Rome, and Salviati, -a Florentine, Archbishop of Pisa, whose elevation had been opposed by -the Medici. The plot was atrocious; it was no less than to assassinate -Giuliano and Lorenzo di Medici in the duomo at Florence on Easter -Day at high mass. It had the hearty concurrence of him who held the -keys of heaven and hell. Into the wicked confederacy was taken a -Captain Montesecco, an intimate friend of Girolamo Riario, the Pope’s -nephew, and Bandini, a hired murderer. It was arranged among them that -Montesecco was to poignard Giuliano, and Bandini was to stab Lorenzo; -and the signal for the deed was to be the Elevation of the Host. On -the Sunday appointed, 1478, the assassin Montesecco embraced the two -Medici as they entered the church and assured himself by his touch that -they were unprotected with coats of chain-mail, such as they usually -wore under their silken habits. But at the last moment this captain, -cut-throat though he was, felt hesitation at committing the deed in -the sacred building and at such a solemn moment, and communicated his -scruples to Girolamo Riario; and the latter had hastily to open his -scheme to a couple of priests and induce them to undertake the murder. -As a chronicler of the time says: “Another man was found, who, being a -priest, was more accustomed to the place and therefore less scrupulous -about its sanctity.” The second priest was to take the place of Bandini -should he entertain qualms. - -But this change of persons spoiled all. The priest, though more -irreligious, was less expert. Giuliano was indeed stabbed to death -by Bandini di Pazzi, at the moment of the Elevation of the Host, but -Lorenzo escaped with a flesh wound from the inexperienced hand of -the priest, and fled into the sacristy. The congregation, the whole -populace of Florence, rose as a man, and pursued the murderers. The -Archbishop Salviati di Pazzi, and some of the others, were seized and -hung from the windows of the Palazzo Pubblico, the same day; and the -eighteen-year-old Cardinal Raphael Riario was flung into prison. - -Sixtus was furious at the failure of the plot, and demanded the -liberation of his great nephew, the boy-Cardinal, and at the same time -the expulsion of the Medici from Florence. As the citizens refused to -do this, he excommunicated Lorenzo di Medici, and all the heads of the -Republic, and placed Florence under an interdict. After a few days -the boy was released; but that was as far as the Florentines would -go. Accordingly the Pope, his nephew Riario, and the King of Naples, -who had entered into league with the Pope, raised armies to attack -Florence, and a savage war of revenge raged for years. It was not till -1481 that a descent of the Turks on Otranto made Sixtus tremble for his -own safety, and forced him to make peace with Florence. - -After the death of Pietro, Sixtus took his nephew, Giovanni della -Rovere, into the favour that Pietro had enjoyed. He married him to -Giovanna, daughter of the Duke of Urbino, and created him Duke of -Sinigaglia. This fellow founded the second dynasty of the Dukes of -Urbino. - -[Illustration: SAVONA] - - “The plebeian violence of the Della Rovere temper,” says Mr. Addington - Symonds, “reached a climax in Giovanni’s son, the Duke Francesco - Maria, who murdered his sister’s lover with his own hands, when a - youth of sixteen, and stabbed the Papal Legate to death in the streets - of Bologna, when at the age of twenty, and knocked Guicciardini, the - historian, down with a blow of his fist during a council of war in - 1526. - - “Christendom beheld in Sixtus the spectacle of a Pope who trafficked - in the bodies of his subjects, and the holy things of God, to squander - basely-gotten gold upon abandoned minions. The peace of Italy was - destroyed by desolating wars in the advancement of the same worthless - favourites. Sixtus destroyed to annex Ferrara to the dominions of - Girolamo Riario. Nothing stood in his way but the House of Este, - firmly planted for centuries and connected by marriage or alliance - with the chief families of Italy. The Pope, whose lust for blood and - broils were equalled only by his avarice and his libertinism, rushed - with wild delight into a project which involved the discord of the - whole peninsula. He made treaties with Venice and unmade them, stirred - up all the passions of the despots and set them together by the ears, - called the Swiss mercenaries into Lombardy, and when, finally, tired - of fighting for his nephew, the Italian powers concluded the peace - of Bagnolo, he died of rage in 1484. The Pope did actually die of - disappointed fury, because peace had been restored to the country he - had mangled for the sake of a favourite nephew.” - -This Pope seemed unable to exist without some cringing favourite about -his person. In 1463 he made his valet, a lad of no character and parts, -of base birth, with nothing but his good looks and obsequiousness to -speak for him—Cardinal and Bishop of Parma, when his age was only -twenty. - -Sixtus was always impecunious. To replenish his treasury he had two -resources. One was the public sale of places about the Court, and of -benefices and of ecclesiastical privileges. “Our churches, priests, -altars, sacred rites, our prayers, even heaven and our God, are all -purchasable,” is the exclamation of Baptista Mantuanus, a scholar of -the period. His second expedient was the monopoly of corn throughout -the Papal States. Fictitious dearths were created; the value of wheat -was raised to famine prices, and good grain was sold out of the States -of the Church and bad grain was imported, that the Pope might pocket -the profits of the transaction. Sixtus forced his subjects to buy at -his stores, and regarded their sufferings, and the disease bred of -famine, with indifferent eye. - -But, bad as he was, Sixtus did some good things. He laid the basis of -the great Vatican library, built a bridge over the Tiber, and widened -some of the streets. - -To him is due the introduction into the calendar of the Feasts of the -Conception of the Blessed Virgin, also of the Presentation in the -Temple, and of Ste. Anne, all three of which find their place in the -Anglican calendar; also of S. Joseph. - -Sixtus happily put an end to the cruel persecution of the “Spirituals,” -a branch of the Franciscan Order which advocated absolute poverty, -and adherence to the original mandates of the founder. Their prophet -and theologian had been d’Oliva. Pope John XXII. had pronounced the -writings of d’Oliva heretical, and had handed over the “Spirituals” -to the Inquisition, to be dealt with as heretics. Between 1316 and -1352 as many as 114 of them were burnt at the stake; but Sixtus IV. -reversed the judgment of John XXII. and declared this teaching of Oliva -to be orthodox; so that those who had been burnt in accordance with -the judgment of one Pope, were martyrs for the truth according to the -decision of another. - -Sixtus died in 1484. - -Stephanus Infessura, a contemporary diarist, writes on his death:— - - “Sixtus died, on which most happy day God showed His power on earth, - in that He liberated His Christian people from the hand of such an - impious and iniquitous ruler, in whom was no fear of God, no love for - the rule of Christian people, no charity, no tenderness, nothing but - vile lusts, avarice, pride, and vain glory.” - -He goes on with a catalogue of his crimes too horrible to be quoted. - -So impressed was the College of Cardinals, on the death of Sixtus IV., -with the injury done to the Church by the nepotism of the deceased -Pope, by his alienation of Church fiefs to his kinsmen and favourites, -that on the election of his successor, Innocent VIII., they made him -swear on every relic and by everything that is held most sacred in -Christendom, that he would not continue the same abuses. He took the -required oath, and no sooner was he enthroned than he absolved himself -from the oaths he had taken. - -The same farce was enacted with Julius II. in 1503. It really seemed -like a Nemesis, that the Popes, who, since the time of Gregory VII., -had shown a rare ingenuity in inventing oaths by means of which to -entangle men’s consciences and bring everything under their power, -now themselves took oaths, which they as regularly broke. Indeed, it -became obvious that no solemn oath taken by a Pope was worth the breath -that uttered it, as he could at once absolve himself from observing -it; and it is a riddle how the cardinals should have persisted in -exacting capitulations from the Popes, when they must have known that -they would break their plighted word as soon as ever they assumed the -tiara. Julius II. pushed on the fortunes of his family, which had been -already aggrandised by Sixtus IV. This done, he could devote himself, -undisturbed by the importunities of his kindred, to the gratification -of that innate love for war and broil which was the ruling passion of -his life. - -He was the fighting Pope, stern, resolute, indomitable. The whippings -he had received from his father had steeled his spirit instead of -breaking it. His portrait by Raphael admirably expresses the character -of this second Della Rovere Pope. The hard, cold eye, the set frown, -the determined mouth, about which a smile never quivered, and the -flowing white beard, are eminently characteristic of the man. There is -not in the face a trace of the ecclesiastic, not an indication of his -having led a spiritual life. But for the habit, he might have been a -doge or a military leader. - -Ranke thus describes him:— - - “Old as Julius was, worn by the vicissitudes of good and evil fortune - experienced through a long life, by the fatigues of war and exile, - and, above all, by the consequences of intemperance and profligacy, - he yet did not know what fear or irresolution meant. In the extremity - of age, he still retained that great characteristic of manhood, an - indomitable spirit. He felt little respect for princes, and believed - himself capable of mastering them all. He took the field in person, - and having stormed Mirandola, he pressed into the city across the - frozen ditches and through the breach; the most disastrous reverses - could not shake his purpose, but seemed rather to waken new resources - in him. He was accordingly successful; not only were his own baronies - rescued from the Venetians, but in the fierce contest that ensued he - finally made himself master of Parma, Placentia, and even Reggio, thus - laying the foundation of a power such as no Pope ever possessed before - him.” - -[Illustration: POPE SIXTUS IV] - -A shrewd, dissolute, wicked man, he was superior to Sixtus in ability. - -He had his mistresses, his luxury, his simony, and his cruelty, as -Macchiavelli wrote of him.[22] Savona has no cause to glory in those -whom she sent to occupy the chair of S. Peter. - -But the place is associated with another Pope, and that one of a -different stamp altogether, the unfortunate Pius VII., relegated -there in 1809, and obliged to remain there till 1814. Pius was a -good, quiet man, without force of character. When Napoleon let him -understand that the States of the Church were to be taken from him, -Pius was in dire distress and perplexity. Acting on the advice of his -confidential attendant, Cardinal Pacca, he launched an excommunication -at Bonaparte, Miollis, governor of Rome, all the French, and all such -Romans as participated in the annexation of the States to the kingdom. -The document was nailed up to the doors of several of the Churches of -Rome,— - - “But nobody seemed a penny the worse.” - -till an event occurred which startled the good people of the Eternal -City. - -There was a grand reception at the Chigi Palace, to which persons -of all shades of politics were invited. A large company had already -assembled, when the major-domo announced, “The Princess Borghese!” Now -Prince Borghese had been an active partisan of Bonaparte and of the New -Order. It was felt that the Prince and the Princess were both involved -in the sentence of excommunication, and in former days no one would -have dared to receive into his house those who had fallen under the ban -of the Church. Presently the guests sat down to cards, and all went -merrily until one o’clock struck, when the Princess fell back in her -chair, and though she tried to speak, no intelligible sound issued from -her lips. Helpless and speechless, she was conveyed to her own house, -where she died three days later. - -Then, as may be imagined, tongues wagged. It was confidently asserted -that the Princess had been struck down by Providence. Her sudden death -was represented as a just punishment for her sin in espousing the cause -of the Pope’s enemies; and fanatics held her up as an awful example and -a warning. - -It was useless to hint that Providence had struck at very poor -game—an already half-paralysed old woman—instead of smiting the real -offenders. The Princess was in indifferent health at the time, had lost -the use of her right arm through one stroke, and the recurrence was -what might have been anticipated. No one would hear a word. She had -reaped what others had sown. - -Count Miollis now resolved on removing the Pope from the city. Although -his excommunications and interdicts might safely be laughed at, yet -his presence in Rome was a hindrance to general reform of abuses, -and his person was a centre for every sort of cabal. The Pope was in -the Quirinale, which was close barred. In the evening of June 5th -the palace was surrounded by French soldiers, and pickets of cavalry -patrolled the adjacent streets. Miollis authorised General Radet to -use force if necessary, to enter the Quirinale and get possession of -the Pope. Count Miollis stationed himself in a summer-house in the -Colonna gardens, whence he could issue directions. Large numbers of -the Italian and Roman nobles and people of the middle-class assembled -to see what would take place. - -The clock at the Quirinale was striking three-quarters after two when -Miollis made a sign to commence operations. The gates remained fast -shut. The French soldiers tried to scale the garden walls, but failed; -and men were sent in hot haste to borrow ladders for the purpose. -These were obtained; but the first who surmounted the wall, lost his -footing in attempting to descend on the farther side, and broke his -leg. Another judgment! and again levelled at very poor game. He was a -mulatto. General Radet, with a small following, made good his entrance -into the palace through a window, and reached the grand staircase, -which was crowded with papal servants, who offered but a feeble and -half-hearted resistance, and were at once overpowered. - -In the meantime the other party had effected an entrance over the -garden wall. - -Radet lost no time in gaining the Pope’s apartments. One or two doors -had to be broken open, and then he reached the ante-chamber, where were -drawn up the Papal Swiss guards. They at once laid down their arms, -without a show of fight. When a couple more doors had been forced Radet -reached the Pope’s audience chamber. Pius had rigged himself up so as -to produce an impression. He wore a white silk cassock, a _mozetta_ on -his head of crimson silk, and a gold stole. He was seated at a table -with Cardinals Pacca and Despuig. But Radet was not overawed, as were -the Gauls by the sight of the white-bearded senators. Advancing, he -said, with courtesy,— - -“I have a most painful and trying commission to execute, but I have -sworn fidelity and obedience to the Emperor, and I must obey his -orders. On the part, therefore, of his Majesty, I have to intimate to -your Holiness that you must renounce all temporal sovereignty over Rome -and the Roman States.” - -The Pope replied calmly: “I believed that I had complied with the -Emperor’s orders, when I took the oath of fealty and obedience to him. -We cannot cede or renounce what is not our own. The temporal power -belongs to the Roman Church, and we are only the administrators. Must -we go alone?” - -“No; your Holiness can take Cardinal Pacca with you.” - -A quarter of an hour afterwards the Pope, wearing his red hat and -mantle, left the Quirinale, and, along with Cardinal Pacca, entered a -carriage. General Radet and an officer took seats opposite, and the -blinds were drawn down on the side on which sat the Pope. - -When the carriage was on its way Pius suddenly exclaimed: “I have -forgotten to bring my money; all I have in my pocket is twenty -bajocchi.” - -“And I,” said the Cardinal, “have only five.” - -“Then,” said the Pope, “this may be regarded as a truly apostolic -journey, with one franc seventy-five centimes between us.” - -The Pope was conveyed somewhat hastily to Savona, where he was well -received, but kept under surveillance for nearly six years. - -Savona was made the capital of the department of Montenotte by -Napoleon. The see was founded in 680. From 1499 to 1528 it was -entirely in the hands of the Della Rovere and Riario families for five -successions. In 1098 it was the see of the bishop Peter Grossulano, -whose story is strange enough. Anselm, Archbishop of Milan, died at -Constantinople on his return from a crusade early in October, 1100. -During his absence Grossulano had been constituted by him administrator -of the archdiocese, of which Savona was a suffragan. When Grossulano -heard of the death of Anselm, he proceeded to an election of a -successor, and was himself chosen by the majority of the clergy and -people. He at once mounted the archiepiscopal throne. - -Milan had not long before passed through the furious and savage -troubles of Ariald and Herlembald over the marriage of the clergy. -There still remained in Milan the turbulent Liprand, dissatisfied -that peace had settled down on the place. Possibly Grossulano was not -sufficiently rigorous against married clergy, perhaps he had in some -unknown way offended Liprand’s vanity, for the latter at once ranged -himself in opposition and sent to the Pope to entreat him to withhold -the pall from the newly elected bishop. But Paschal would not listen to -his remonstrances, and, acting on the advice of S. Bernard, abbot of -Valumbrosa, he confirmed the election and sent the pall. - -Angry at this, Liprand did his utmost to rouse the people against their -archbishop, and became such a nuisance that Grossulano summoned a -provincial council, and, addressing the people, said: “If any one has -aught against me, let him proclaim it openly, otherwise he shall not be -heard.” - -Thereupon Liprand gathered a crowd of the disaffected in his church -of S. Paul, and in it denounced the archbishop as simonacal, and he -appealed to the judgment of God against him. He would have a fire -lighted and pass through it to establish his assertion. But the bishops -assembled in council forbade the ordeal. - -However, as he continued to be a source of evil in Milan, Grossulano -told him that he must either pass through the flames or quit Milan. -Liprand chose the first alternative, but arranged the matter so that -there were two fires made at a convenient distance apart, and he -marched between them unhurt. Two years later Liprand was summoned to -Rome and sharply reprimanded; nevertheless, Milan continued to be -torn by factions, Liprand and his followers refusing to receive the -ministrations of Grossulano and his clergy. - -At last the Archbishop departed for Jerusalem. During his absence -Liprand became more abusive and uproarious, and managed to gather -together a sufficient party to elect in the room of Grossulano an -ignorant, uneducated man called Giordano, to be archbishop; and the -three suffragans of Asti, Genoa, and Turin consecrated him. The bishop -of Turin hurried to Rome to obtain the pall for Giordano. Paschal was -in the midst of his strife with Henry V., and it was essential that he -should have the support of the Archbishop of Milan. He could not be -certain of Grossulano, whether he were anti-imperial or not; besides, -he was absent. Giordano he hoped to use as a tool. Accordingly he -sent the pall to him, but stipulated that he was not to be arrayed in -it till he had sworn absolute submission to the Pope, and to refuse -investiture from the Emperor. - -For six months Giordano steadfastly refused to receive the pall on -these terms, but his scruples vanished on the return of Grossulano, -and he submitted unreservedly to the Pope, who summoned a council in -the Lateran Palace, 1116, when a mock hearing of the case took place; -Grossulano was dismissed to Savona, and Giordano was confirmed in his -usurpation. - -Savona was a margravate held by a junior branch of the great house of -Monferrat. The Emperor Otto I. raised Aleram, Count of Monferrat, to -the dignity of margrave. Boniface, descended from a junior son, became -Margrave of Saluzzo. He died in 1130, and his second son Enrico became -Margrave of Savona. These margravates were much like sea-anemones; when -divided up, each several parcel became an entire margravate complete -in itself. In 1215 Savona was gripped by rapacious Genoa, and the last -margravate died in 1233. - -A pretty drive of an hour takes one up the valley to Santuario, a -pilgrimage church with hospice, founded in 1536. The church, which is -rich in marbles, contains a miraculous image of the Virgin, tricked -out with velvet and jewels. She wears a diamond collar given by King -Charles Albert, and a jewelled crown presented by Pope Pius VII. The -chapter of S. Peter’s claims the right to decide what miraculous images -are to be honoured with crowns, but the crowns themselves are conferred -by the popes. In 1632 a certain Count Alessandro Sforza, a fanatic from -Piacenza, by his will left rents of a large estate to furnish gold -and jewels for this purpose; as time went on, the property grew in -value, and the crowns at the same time became more splendid. The honour -is usually reserved for the Virgin, but occasionally the Bambino is -remembered as well. Figures of Christ are, however, never deemed worthy -of being crowned, except He be represented as a babe. - -The story of this image is not particularly novel and interesting. It -was found by a peasant where now stands a little circular chapel on the -hill above the present sanctuary. He saw the Virgin in a vision, who -bade him go to Savona and bid the people erect a church to enshrine -her. He did as bidden, but the good folk in Savona would not believe -him, thought him crazed, and locked him up. In the night the Virgin -released him. After some further trouble, and some further miracles, -the story was believed and the sanctuary was erected. - -Beside the image is a little marble figure representing the countryman -who started the cult. Beneath the feet of the Virgin issues a spring of -water that is supposed to cure all diseases, but is so intensely cold -as to be more likely to do harm than good. - -At Varazzi, near Savona, was born the famous Jacques de Voragine, about -the year 1230. Nothing is known of the social position of his parents. -In one of his writings he speaks of the eclipse of 1239, and says that -he was still a child when it occurred. He became a dominican in 1244, -and in 1292 was elected to the bishopric of Genoa. He laboured hard to -effect a truce between the Ghibelline and Guelf factions, which for -two whole months converted the streets of the capital of Liguria into -a field of battle. He succeeded. But the peace was soon broken again. -The story goes of him that, being present in S. Peter’s along with -Boniface VIII. on Ash Wednesday, during the ceremonies, the pontiff, -supposing him to belong to the imperial party, dashed the ashes in -his face, shouting, “Remember, thou Ghibelline, that thou and thy -Ghibellines will be reduced to dust.” Jacques is chiefly known through -his _Legenda Aurea_, a collection of the most outrageous, but also the -most romantic fables of the saints; a work that had an enormous sale in -the Middle Ages, and was copied again and again, and read everywhere, -and, incredible as it may seem, was believed as gospel. He died 1298. - -At Albizzola Superiore is the palace of the Della Rovere family. -Giuliano, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV., as a boy was wont to carry the -farm produce from his father’s farm to Savona, either by boat or -mule, however rough the season might be, and, if he did not sell in -the market, was unmercifully thrashed by his father on his return. -But when his uncle became Pope, all this was altered. He entered the -ecclesiastical profession, became a cardinal, and finally Pope, as -already told. The palace was built out of the plunder of the Church. - -Mme. de Genlis visited the Della Rovere palace at Albizzola. She says:— - - “The gardens are vast, but tasteless. I remarked there one thing very - singular—there were none of the charming flowers one sees growing - naturally in the fields; only oranges were there, and box; this - latter cultivated with the utmost care, in the most superb vases that - decorate the terraces. This villainous box, planted in splendid vases, - occupies its position solely because it is more rare and costly a - plant than myrtles, jessamines, and oleanders.” - -She has given us an account of her journey to Albenga, over rocks, the -mountain road being so steep and so dangerous that descents had to be -made on foot. “I may almost say that we arrived barefooted, for the -stones during three days had so worn and pierced our shoes, that the -soles were nearly gone.” And beyond Savona she says - - “the journey is most dangerous, but at the same time most interesting. - The horror of the precipices made me walk three-quarters of the way, - over stones and cutting rocks. I arrived at Genoa with my feet swollen - and full of blisters, but otherwise in rude health.” - -How the journey from Marseilles to Genoa has changed since Mme. de -Genlis took that road with the Duchesse de Chartres a few years before -the outbreak of the Revolution, may be judged by some further instances. - -When the party left Antibes for Nice, they went by sea, because of the -badness of the road; and were obliged to be accompanied by a felucca -with a whole regiment on board, to protect them against corsairs. - -At Ospidaletta - - “we were forced to halt and spend the night, one of the most frightful - places that hospitality ever provided. We slept three in one room, and - we made up a sort of bed for Mme. the Duchess of Chartres with mule - cloths and leaves. In one room were two great heaps of corn, and the - master of the house assured us that we should sleep well if we buried - ourselves in the grain. The gentlemen gave us their cloaks to cover - the corn. One had to go to bed in the most extraordinary attitude—in - fact, almost upright. We passed the night in continual interruptions, - caused by slidings down and by the upset of masses of corn. With joy - we saw the day dawn; and as we had slept in our clothes, our toilettes - did not occupy us long.” - -The whole of the Riviera from Nice to Genoa—indeed, the whole of -Provence—is studded with ruined castles and palaces: of these, only -the most mean, that house of cards, Monaco, remains intact. They tell -us of a time when the great families lived in lordly state, under -the absolutism of the French crown or the despotism of the Genoese -Republic. In Genoa itself the families inscribed on the Golden Book, -and alone having the right to sit in council and direct the affairs of -state, and mismanage and oppress the Ligurian coast and Corsica, did -not exceed one hundred and seventy. But in Liguria there were at least -four hundred and fifty noble families decorated with titles, possessing -vast estates, commanderies, and hereditary wealth, who were excluded -from all share in the government. - -All have gone under, not in the wars for the Milanese, but in the -Revolution; and these ruined castles and palaces are their tombstones. -Who can doubt that it is well that so it should have been. In the words -of Macaulay:— - - “The volcano has spent its rage. The wide waste produced by its - outbreak is forgotten. The landmarks which were swept away have been - replaced. The ruined edifices have been repaired. The lava has covered - with a rich incrustation the fields which it once devastated, and, - after having turned a beautiful and fruitful garden into a desert, - has again turned the desert into a still more beautiful and fruitful - garden. The marks of its ravages are still all around us. The ashes - are beneath our feet. In some directions the deluge of fire still - continues to spread. Yet experience surely entitles us to believe - that this explosion will fertilise the soil which it has devastated. - Already, in those parts which have suffered most severely, rich - cultivation and secure dwellings have begun to appear amidst the - waste.” - -The palaces of the Lascaris, the Grimaldis, the Durazzos, the Della -Roveres, the Dorias, are in ruins, but in their places rise hotels de -Paris, de l’Univers, the Metropole; and the bands of bravos entertained -by the nobles are replaced by Italian and Swiss waiters. - - “The more we read the history of past ages, the more we observe the - signs of our own times, the more do we feel our hearts filled and - swelled up by a good hope for the future destinies of the human race.” - - - - - INDEX - - - Absolution from vows, 164-5, 303 - - Adam de Craponne, 8 - - Addison, 53-4 - - Ægitna, 180 - - Æschylus, 8 - - Agay, 152 - - Agricola, 121-2 - - Aix, 14, 55-71 - - Alassio, 288-90 - - Albenga, 293-5 - - Albizzola, 312-3 - - Algerine pirates, 225 - - Aloes, 7 - - Amadeus, Duke of Savoy, 209 - - Ambrons and Teutons, 56-9 - - Ambrose, S., 28-9 - - Andora, 290 - - Ampelio, S., 273-4 - - Amphitheatres, 14, 15, 119, 120, 206 - - Andrew, King, 136 - - Angers, 70 - - Annulling of marriage, 239-40 - - Antibes, 3, 14, 165, 187-8, 190 - - Architecture, domestic, 279-80; - Gothic, 22-3 - - Arco Romans, 289 - - Argens River, 97, 114 - - Arles, 6, 13, 15, 16, 18, 25, 39 - - Arluc, 185-6 - - Armentarius, S., 131 - - Augustine predestination, 100-1 - - Augustus, Emperor, 241-2 - - Aurelian Way, 55, 118, 148, 261, 272 - - Avignon, sale of, 3, 137; - union with France, 17 - - - Baal, 13, 121 - - Bagne, 76-7 - - Balaun, Pierre de, 35 - - Balbs, Bertrand de, 208 - - Baptistery, 272, 294 - - Bar, le, 174 - - Barbarossa, 211, 292 - - Barjac, Pierre de, 35 - - Barma Grande, 261 - - Barras, 82 - - Baux, les, 236 - - Bazaine, Marshal, 195-9 - - Belzunce, Bishop, 51 - - Berengarius, Marquess, 107 - - Bishop and chapter, 179 - - Blanc, M., 237-8 - - Boccaccio, 37-8, 139, 143 - - Bonaparte, Joseph, 52-3 - - — Napoleon. _See_ Napoleon - - Bordighera, 264, 267, 273-5 - - Bormes, 175 - - Bourbon, Constable de, 48-9 - - Bozo, King of Arles, 17, 207 - - Bravade, 111-12 - - Bresca family, 285-6 - - Brougham, Lord, 2 - - Brumaire, the 18th, 126 - - Burning Bush, triptych, 70-1 - - Butillo Prignano, 142, 144 - - - Cabane, Philippine, 135-7 - - — Raymond, 135-6 - - Cabasse, 11 - - Cabastaing, William de, 37 - - Cabris, Louise de, 169-72 - - Cæsar, Julius, 27, 41-3, 118 - - Cagnes, 224-5 - - Californie, la, 183 - - Calvinus, 14, 56 - - Camporosso, 273 - - Cannes, 2, 180-204 - - Cap Roux, 153 - - Carbo, 57 - - Carcists and Razats, 90, 111, 132, 176-7 - - Carlone, 225 - - Carnival, 19, 127-8 - - Carob tree, 100-1 - - Carteaux, 79, 80 - - Cassien, S. 185-6 - - Castellar, 259-60 - - Castellaro, 282 - - Cavalaire, 98 - - _Caveau Moderne_, 127 - - Cemenelium, 206 - - Chalk, 8-9 - - Charles of Anjou, 134-51 160-4, 269 - - — of Durazzo, 135-42, 144, 209 - - — the Lame, 163-5 - - — V., Emperor, 149, 150, 210-12 - - Choirs at West End, 23, 167 - - Cians, Gorge of, 226 - - Cimbri, 56-9 - - Cimiez, 206-7 - - Clary damsels, 52-3 - - Clement IV., 160 - - — VI., 136-7 - - — VII., 141-2 - - Clus, 4, 222 - - Cœpio, 58 - - Cognard, 77-9 - - Cogolin, 109, 110 - - Colouring of Provence, 10 - - Collet, 217-24 - - Conradin, 134, 163 - - Cork trees, 99, 100 - - Corniche Road, 148, 156, 225, 241, 256, 261 - - Court of Love, 33 - - Crowned images, 311 - - - Dance of Death, 174 - - Dancing in churches, 19 - - David, the artist, 225-6 - - Desangiers, 126-9 - - Devota, Ste., 243-4 - - Dolceacqua, 273 - - Dolmen, 131 - - Dome falls in, 213 - - Doria, Andrew, 232-3, 290-2 - - — Bartholomew, 231-2 - - — family, 269, 273, 278 - - Durance, River, 6, 7, 49 - - - Embues, 204 - - Estérel, 4, 9, 147-56, 183 - - Eze, 225-6 - - - Farcing canticles, 21 - - Faron, 72, 81 - - Fauxbourdons, 20-1 - - Fayence, 132-3 - - Feast of Fools, 69 - - Fieschi family, 293 - - Flowers at Grasse, 179 - - Folk song, 18-22 - - Font, large, 272, 294 - - Fos family, 88 - - Foux, 4, 158, 204 - - Fragonard, 178 - - Francis I., 210, 212, 291 - - Franks, 206 - - Fraxinet, 113, 114, 126 - - Frederick II., 268 - - Fréjus, 113, 114-26 - - Fréron, 82 - - Fronde, 131-2 - - - Gallinaria, 289-90 - - Galley slaves, 74-5 - - Gambling, 244-54 - - Garlenda, 295-6 - - Gapeau, River, 87, 88, 97 - - Garagoul, le, 62 - - Gaspard de Besse, 150-1 - - Genlis, Mme. de, 52-3, 313-4 - - Genoa, 266-7, 278, 314 - - Geology, 4-6, 8 - - Gerard de Roussillon, 31-2 - - Gibbets, 234-5 - - Godeau, Bishop, 165-7 - - Gold dust, 4 - - Gorge of the Loup, 172-4 - - Granite, 97 - - Grasse, 18, 23, 157-9 - - Gregory IX., 159 - - Grimaud, 109, 110 - - Grimaldi family, 109, 208-9, 224-5, 229-37, 258-9, 269 - - Grossulano, Bishop, 308-10 - - Guelfs and Ghibellines, 267, 278, 317 - - - Hamilton, Lady Mary, 239-40 - - Hanbury, Sir Thomas, 261 - - Hannibal, 14, 294 - - Henry IV., 73 - - Heraclea, 12 - - — cacabarea, 110 - - Heracles, 8, 12 - - Hermits, 185 - - Hilary, S., 122-4, 153 - - Honoratus, S., 123, 153-6, 200 - - Hospice, S., 207 - - Hugh of Provence, 104-7 - - Huguenots, 174-6 - - Hyères, 84-96, 138 - - Hymn, lucky number of, 233-4 - - Hymns, 25-9 - - - Iron Mask, 191-5 - - - James, of Aragon, 139 - - Jeannette, Ste., 158 - - Jenkins’s Ear, 181-2 - - Jerusalem, Crown of, 133, 134 - - Joanna I. of Naples, 3, 133-143 - - ” II. ” 133, 145-6 - - John XI., 106 - - Jouvines, les, 18 - - Julius II., 304-5, 313 - - - Lampedusa, 282-3 - - Langue d’Oc, 24, 29 - - Lascaris family, 269-71 - - Lazarus, S., 47-8 - - Lemons, 275-6 - - Leprosy, 281 - - Lerins, Iles of, 181, 183, 186, 190-203 - - Levant, Ile of, 93-5 - - Ligurians, 8, 11, 12, 14, 39-41, 121, 148, 180-1, 206 - - Limestone, 9 - - Lombards, 206 - - Louis of Tarentum, 137-9 - - ” XI., 67; - annexes Provence, 70 - - Louis XIV., 191-3, 242 - - Loup, Gorges of the, 158, 172-4, 284 - - Love, Troubadour, 31-7 - - Lympia, 205 - - - Majolus, S., 107-8 - - Marceau, General, 216 - - Margaret, Queen, 66-7 - - Marius, 14, 56, 59-61 - - Marozia, 105-6 - - Marseilles, 4, 12, 13, 18, 39-54, 118, 138; - Marquesate, 88 - - Marie, sister of Joanna I., 143 - - Marquisates, 311-2 - - Martha, Ste., 48; - sorceress, 60 - - Marriage, Troubadour idea of, 31-7 - - Martin, S., 289-90 - - ” IV., 164 - - Mary Magdalen, Ste., 48 - - Masséna, 213-6 - - Massacre at Toulon, 82-3 - - Matthews, Admiral, 181-2 - - Mattioli, 193 - - Maures, Montagnes des, 3, 4, 9, 87, 97-112, 114, 138 - - Maxim, Sir Hiram, 248 - - Maximin, S., 23 - - Megalithic monuments, 11, 131 - - Melkarth, 12, 13, 227 - - Mentone, 228, 231, 255-63 - - Merle, Captain, 91-2 - - Mellin, 151-2 - - Mirabeau family, 169-172 - - Miramas, 8 - - Mistral, 7, 88, 113, 257 - - Monaco, 12, 226-54, 259 - - Monte Carlo, 1, 239-54 - - Montpellier, 1 - - Monans Sartoux, 174-6 - - Mulberry trees, 101 - - Music, 26-29 - - Muy, le, 149, 150 - - - Napoleon I., 4, 80-3, 115-8, 126, 193-5, 305 - - Napoule, La, 186-7 - - Narbonne, 16 - - Nervia, River, 273 - - Nice, 12, 13, 205-226, 255 - - Nicolas IV., 164 - - Nîmes, 16 - - - Obelisk at Rome, 285-6 - - Olives, 7, 84-6 - - Ollioules, 79 - - Oneglia, 290-1 - - Opimus, Quintus, 180-1 - - Oranges, 86-7, 275-6 - - Ospidaletta, 314 - - - Pagan customs, 17-18 - - Paillon, River, 205-6 - - Palaces, Italian, 314-5 - - Palermo, 163-4 - - Palestrina, 22 - - Palms, 285-7 - - Patrick, S., 202 - - Paul III., 210-1 - - Peter of Aragon, 163-4 - - Phaeton, fall of, 225 - - Phocœans, 13, 14, 39, 206 - - Phœnicians, 12, 13, 39 - - Pius VII., 305 - - Plague at Marseilles, 49-51 - - Pompée de Grasse, 175 - - Pompey, 41 - - Pomponiana, 89 - - Pons, S., 207 - - Porcarius, 203 - - Pourrières, 61 - - Predestination, 200-2 - - Prehistoric man, 261-3 - - Procession at Aix, 67-9 - - Provence, Roman colony, 14, 206; - union with France, 70 - - Puget Théniers, 226 - - Pytheas, 43-6 - - - Quarries, Roman, 153 - - - Rancher, 216-17 - - Raphael, S., 113-19 - - Raymond Berenger, 158-60 - - Red caps, 75 - - — ochre, 262 - - Reformatory, insurrection in, 93-6 - - Reign of Terror, 52, 81-2 - - Relics, 274-5 - - Remo, San, 274, 276-86 - - Réné, King, 3, 62-71, 101, 286 - - Rhone, River, 5-6 - - _Robinet de Donzère_, 5 - - Roman settlements, 14, 206 - - Romeo de Villeneuve, 158-61 - - Romulus, S., 278, 281 - - Roquebrune, 236, 259 - - Roslyn, Lord, 248-9 - - Roulette, 246-9 - - Roya, River, 271 - - Rudel, Geoffrey, 34 - - Ruffini, 282, 285 - - - Sabreurs and Canifets, 111, 132 - - Salt, 88, 89 - - Sans phrases, 125 - - Santuario, 311 - - Saracens, 3, 16, 47, 73, 90, 101-9, 202-3, 207-8, 260 - - Saussure, 151 - - Savona, 296-315 - - Sea-fight, 42-3, 290-2 - - Ségurane, 211-12 - - Sicilian vespers, 163 - - Sieyès, 124-6 - - Silkworms, 201 - - Sixtus IV., 296-303 - - — V., 285-6 - - Spélunges, les, 238 - - Springs in the sea, 203 - - Stones, cult of, 188-90 - - Suicides, 245-6 - - Sumac, 87 - - Susanne de Villeneuve, 175-7 - - - Taggia, River, 284 - - Taia River, 186 - - Templars, 92 - - Tende, county of, 269-70 - - Terpon, 188 - - Teutons, 56-61 - - Théas-Thorenc, 177 - - Theatre, Greek, 15, 16 - - Théoule, 156 - - Thouet-de-Beuil, 226 - - Toulon, 4, 72-83 - - Towns, structure of, 10, 11 - - Tropez, S., 110-12 - - Troubadours, 29-37 - - Turbie, la, 227, 240-1, 256 - - Tyrian dye 73 - - - Umbrella pines, 110 - - Urban IV., 134 - - — VI., 140-4 - - Utriculares, 190 - - - Valence, 5 - - Valescure, 114 - - Var River, 130, 158, 212, 226 - - Varazzi, 312 - - Vauban, 73 - - Vegetation, tropical, 5, 184, 277 - - Veille, la, 254 - - Venaisin, bought, 3, 137; - annexed to France, 17 - - Vence, 23, 167-8 - - Venus Victrix, 62 - - Ventimiglia, 264, 266-72, 275, 278 - - Vesubie, River, 226 - - Via Aurelia. _See_ Aurelian Way - - Victoire, Ste., 61-2 - - Victor, S. Abbey, 47-8 - - Voragine, Jacques de, 312 - - - Weihe, Captain, 245-6, 249-50 - - William, Count of Provence, 108, 207 - - - York, Duke of, 254 - - - PLYMOUTH: - WILLIAM BRENDON AND SON, LTD., PRINTERS - - - - - FOOTNOTES: - -[1] VINET, _L’Art et l’Archæologie_, Mission de Phénicée, Paris, 1862. - -[2] FAURIEL, _Hist. de la Poésie Provençale_, 1846, i., pp. 169-171. - -[3] _Renaissance in Italy_: “The Catholic Revival,” ii. c. 12. - -[4] So Virgil speaks of the soldiers singing as they marched, according -to rhythmic music— - -“With measured pace they march along, And make their monarch’s deeds -their song.” - -_Æneid_, viii., 698-9. - -[5] _Renaissance in Italy._ “Italian Literature,” i., c. 2. - -[6] See ELTON’S _Origins of English History_. London: 1890, pp. 6-32. - -[7] STANLEY POOLE, _The Barbary Pirates_. - -[8] _La Provence Maritime_, 1897, p. 356. - -[9] The tomb of Raimond de Cabane, the maître d’hôtel, is in the Church -of S. Chiara, Naples. - -[10] The portraits of Joanna and of Louis of Tarentum may be seen in -the Church of Sta. Maria l’Incarnata, which she built in Naples. Her -marriage is there represented in a fresco by one of the pupils of -Giotto; again, another picture is of her in Confession. She is also -represented on the tomb of King Robert, her grandfather, in the Church -of S. Chiara, Naples. - -[11] His tomb and statue, a life-like portrait, by Ciaccione, is in the -church of S. Giovanni a Carbonara, Naples. - -[12] _La Provence Maritime_, Paris, 1897. - -[13] _Les Grands Artistes_, Fragonard, par C. MAUCLAIR, Paris (_n.d._) - -[14] A fantastic derivation. Actually, Arluc is By the Mere. - -[15] HOPKINS (TIGHE) _The Man in the Iron Mask_, Lond. 1901. - -[16] A fine head, dug out from the ruins, and supposed to be that of -Drusus, is now in the Copenhagen museum. - -[17] BENNET, _Winter and Spring on the Mediterranean_. London, 1870. - -[18] _Age of the Despots_, ch. ii. - -[19] J. A. SYMONDS, _Age of the Despots_. - -[20] HARE, _Cities of Northern Italy_, i. p. 34. - -[21] LANE POOLE, _The Barbary Corsairs_, p. 104. - -[22] “Tre sue famigliari e care anzelle, lussuria, simonia, e -crudeltade” (_Opere_, Flor., 1843, p. 882). - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's A Book of The Riviera, by S. 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margin: 0; font-size: 100%;} -} - -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; color: black; font-size:smaller; padding:0.5em; margin-bottom:5em; font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - </style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Book of The Riviera, by S. Baring-Gould - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: A Book of The Riviera - -Author: S. Baring-Gould - -Release Date: April 25, 2016 [EBook #51860] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A BOOK OF THE RIVIERA *** - - - - -Produced by Giovanni Fini, David Edwards and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<div class="limit"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="transnote p4"> -<p class="pc large">TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:</p> -<p class="ptn">—Obvious print and punctuation errors were corrected.</p> -<p class="ptn">—The transcriber of this project created the book cover -image using the title page of the original book. The image -is placed in the public domain.</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_i" id="Page_i">[i]</a></span></p> -<p> </p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ii" id="Page_ii">[ii]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="pc4 large">A BOOK OF<br /> -<span class="large">THE RIVIERA</span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p class="pc4 mid">BY THE SAME AUTHOR</p> - -<p class="pi8 p1">A BOOK OF CORNWALL<br /> -A BOOK OF DARTMOOR<br /> -A BOOK OF DEVON<br /> -A BOOK OF NORTH WALES<br /> -A BOOK OF SOUTH WALES<br /> -A BOOK OF THE RHINE<br /> -A BOOK OF THE PYRENEES</p> - -<p class="pi8 p1">THE LIFE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE<br /> -THE TRAGEDY OF THE CÆSARS<br /> -A BOOK OF FAIRY TALES<br /> -THE VICAR OF MORWENSTOW<br /> -OLD COUNTRY LIFE<br /> -A GARLAND OF COUNTRY SONG<br /> -SONGS OF THE WEST<br /> -A BOOK OF NURSERY SONGS AND RHYMES<br /> -STRANGE SURVIVALS<br /> -YORKSHIRE ODDITIES<br /> -DEVON<br /> -BRITTANY<br /> -A BARING-GOULD SELECTION READER<br /> -A BARING-GOULD CONTINUOUS READER</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/fr.jpg" width="400" height="289" id="fr" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">CAP ROUX, ESTÉREL</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iii" id="Page_iii">[iii]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h1 class="p4">A BOOK OF<br /> -<span class="mid">THE RIVIERA</span><br /></h1> - -<p class="pc4 mid">BY S. BARING-GOULD</p> - - -<div class="limit2 reduct"> -<p class="pi05 p4">“ON OLD HYEMS’ CHIN, AND ICY CROWN,<br /> -AN ODOROUS CHAPLET OF SWEET SUMMER BUDS<br /> -IS SET.”</p> -<p class="pr2"><i>Midsummer Night’s Dream</i>, ii. 2.</p> -</div> - -<p class="pc4 reduct">WITH FORTY ILLUSTRATIONS</p> - -<p class="pc4 reduct">SECOND EDITION</p> - -<p class="pc4">METHUEN & CO.<br /> -36 ESSEX STREET W.C.<br /> -LONDON</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_iv" id="Page_iv">[iv]</a></span></p> - - -<p class="pc4 reduct"><i>First Published</i> <i>November 1905</i><br /> -<i>Second Edition</i> <i>December 1909</i></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[v]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CONTENTS</h2> - -<table id="toc" summary="cont"> - - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="tdl1"><span class="small">CHAPTER</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><span class="small">PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">I.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Provence</span> </td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">II.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Le Gai Saber</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_24">24</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">III.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Marseilles</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">IV.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Aix</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_55">55</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">V.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Toulon</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_72">72</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">VI.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Hyères</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_84">84</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">VII.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Les Montagnes des Maures</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_97">97</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">VIII.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">S. Raphael and Fréjus</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_113">113</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">IX.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Draguignan</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_130">130</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">X.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">L’Estérel</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_147">147</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">XI.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Grasse</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_157">157</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">XII.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Cannes</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_180">180</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">XIII.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Nice</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_205">205</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">XIV.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Monaco</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_227">227</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">XV.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Mentone</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_255">255</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">XVI.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Bordighera</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_264">264</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">XVII.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">San Remo</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_276">276</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">XVIII.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Alassio</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_288">288</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdr1">XIX.</td> - <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Savona</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#Page_296">296</a></td> - </tr> - -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[vi]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - -<table id="toi" summary="ill1"> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Cap Roux, L’Estérel</span></td> - <td colspan="2" class="tdr2 reduct"><a href="#fr"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by G. Richard.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">God’s Candelabra</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct"><i>To face page</i></span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i1">1</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">A Passage in the Gorge du Loup</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i4">4</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by Neurdein frères.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Palms at Cannes</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i7">7</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">La Rade, Marseilles</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i39">39</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by Neurdein frères.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">King Réné</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i63">63</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From the triptych of the Burning Bush, at Aix.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Olive Trees</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i85">85</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Pines near Hyères</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i89">89</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by Neurdein frères.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">A Carob Tree</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i97">97</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by Neurdein frères.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Grimaud</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i109">109</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by Neurdein frères.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">An Umbrella Pine, S. Raphael</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i113">113</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by Neurdein frères.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Le Lion de Terre, S. Raphael</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i115">115</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by A. Bandieri.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Théoule</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i147">147</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">L’Estérel from Cannes</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i153">153</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by G. Richard.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Grasse, Les Blanchiseuses</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i157">157</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Carros</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i167">167</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by Neurdein frères.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">The Cascade of the Loup</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i172">172</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Fall in the Gorge of the Loup</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i173">173</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by Neurdein frères.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Interior of the Château Saint Honorat</span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[vii]</a></span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i180">180</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">The Prison of the Man with the Iron Mask</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i190">190</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">The Castle of S. Honorat</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i195">195</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">La Napoule</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i203">203</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">The Cascade of the Château, Nice</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i205">205</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Villefranche</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i225">225</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">The Theatre, Monte Carlo</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i237">237</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Postcards Prohibited at Monaco</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i244">244</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">The Gaming Saloon, Monte Carlo</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i248">248</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">The Concert Hall, Monte Carlo</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i252">252</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Dolce acqua</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i273">273</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by Alinari.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">San Ampelio, Bordighera</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i274">274</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by Alinari.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Arches in Street, Bordighera</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i276">276</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Ceriana</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i279">279</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by G. Brogi.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Bussana</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i280">280</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by J. Giletta.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Albenga</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i293">293</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by Alinari.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Savona</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i301">301</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From a photograph by Alinari.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl3"><span class="smcap">Pope Sixtus IV</span></td> - <td class="tdc1"><span class="reduct">”</span></td> - <td class="tdr2"><a href="#i304">304</a></td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl4">From an old engraving.</td> - </tr> - -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[viii]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">PREFACE</h2> - -<p class="drop-cap04">THIS little book has for its object to interest the -many winter visitors to the Ligurian coast in -the places that they see.</p> - -<p>A consecutive history of Provence and Genoese -Liguria was out of the question; it would be long -and tedious. I have taken a few of the most prominent -incidents in the history of the coast, and have given -short biographies of interesting personages connected -with it. The English visitor calls the entire coast—from -Marseilles to Genoa—the Riviera; but the French -distinguish their portion as the Côte d’Azur, and the -Italians distinguish theirs as the Riviera di Ponente. -I have not included the whole of this latter, so as not -to make the book too bulky, but have stayed my pen -at Savona.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[ix]</a><br /><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[x]</a></span></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-001.jpg" width="400" height="526" id="i1" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">GOD’S CANDELABRA</p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p class="pc4 giant">THE RIVIERA</p> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER I<br /> -<span class="mid">PROVENCE</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">Montpellier and the Riviera compared—The discovery of the Riviera as -a winter resort—A district full of historic interest—Geology of the -coast—The flora—Exotics—The original limit of the sea—The formation -of the <i>craus</i>—The Mistral—The olive and cypress—Les Alpines—The -chalk formation—The Jura limestone—Eruptive rocks—The -colouring of Provence—The towns and their narrow streets—Early -history—The Phœnicians—Arrival of the Phocœans—The Roman -province—Roman remains—Destruction of the theatre at Arles—Visigoths -and Burgundians—The Saracens—When Provence was -joined to France—Pagan customs linger on—Floral games—Carnival—The -origin of the Fauxbourdon—How part-singing came into the -service of the church—Reform in church music—Little Gothic architecture -in Provence—Choirs at the west end at Grasse and Vence.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap04">WHEN a gambler has become bankrupt at the -tables of Monte Carlo, the Company that owns -these tables furnish him with a railway ticket that will -take him home, or to any distance he likes, the further -the better, that he may hang or shoot himself anywhere -else save in the gardens of the Casino. On much the same -principle, at the beginning of last century, the physicians -of England recommended their consumptive patients to -go to Montpellier, where they might die out of sight,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span> -and not bring discredit on their doctors. As Murray -well puts it:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“It is difficult to understand how it came to be chosen by -the physicians of the North as a retreat for consumptive -patients, since nothing can be more trying to weak lungs -than its variable climate, its blazing sunshine alternating with -the piercingly cold blasts of the <i>mistral</i>. Though its sky be -clear, its atmosphere is filled with dust, which must be hurtful -to the lungs.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The discovery of a better place, with equable temperature, -and protection from the winds, was due to an -accident.</p> - -<p>In 1831, Lord Brougham, flying from the fogs and -cold of England in winter, was on his way to Italy, the -classic land of sunshine, when he was delayed on the -French coast of the Mediterranean by the fussiness of -the Sardinian police, which would not suffer him to pass -the frontier without undergoing quarantine, lest he -should be the means of introducing cholera into Piedmont. -As he was obliged to remain for a considerable -time on the coast, he spent it in rambling along the Gulf -of Napoule. This was to him a veritable revelation. -He found the sunshine, the climate, the flowers he was -seeking at Naples where he then was, at Napoule. He -went no farther; he bought an estate at Cannes, and -there built for himself a winter residence. He talked -about his discovery. It was written about in the papers. -Eventually it was heard of by the physicians, and they -ceased to recommend their patients to go to Montpellier, -but rather to try Cannes. When Lord Brougham settled -there, it was but a fishing village; in thirty years it was -transformed; and from Cannes stretches a veritable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span> -rosary of winter resorts to Hyères on one side to -Alassio on the other; as white grains threaded on the -line from Marseilles to Genoa. As this chain of villas, -hotels, casinos, and shops has sprung up so recently, -the whole looks extremely modern, and devoid of historic -interest. That it is not so, I hope to show. This -modern fringe is but a fringe on an ancient garment; -but a superficial sprinkling over beds of remote antiquity -rich in story.</p> - -<p>Sometimes it is but a glimpse we get—as at Antibes, -where a monument was dug up dedicated to the manes -of a little “boy from the North, aged twelve years, who -danced and pleased” in the theatre. The name of the -poor lad is not given; but what a picture does it present! -Possibly, of a British child-slave sent to caper, with -sore heart, before the Roman nobles and ladies—and -who pined and died. But often we have more than a -hint. The altar piece of the Burning Bush at Aix -gives up an authentic portrait of easy-going King -Réné, the luckless wearer of many crowns, and the -possessor of not a single kingdom—Réné, the father -of the still more luckless Margaret, wife of our -Henry VI.</p> - -<p>Among the Montagnes des Maures, on a height are the -cisterns and foundations of the stronghold of the Saracens, -their last stronghold on this side of the Pyrenees, -whence they swept the country, burning and slaying, till -dislodged in 972 by William, Count of Provence. Again, -the house at Draguignan of Queen Joanna, recalls her -tragic story; the wife of four husbands, the murderess of -the first, she for whose delectation Boccaccio collected his -merry, immoral tales; she, who sold Avignon to the -Popes, and so brought about their migration from Rome,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span> -the Babylonish captivity of near a hundred years; she—strangled -finally whilst at her prayers.</p> - -<p>The Estérel, now clothed in forest, reminds us of how -Charles V. advancing through Provence to claim it as -his own, hampered by peasants in this group of mountains, -set the forests on fire, and for weeks converted the -district into one great sea of flame around the blood-red -rocks.</p> - -<p>Marseilles recalls the horrors of the Revolution, and -the roar of that song, smelling of blood, to which it gave -its name. At Toulon, Napoleon first drew attention to -his military abilities; at S. Raphael he landed on his -return from Egypt, on his way to Paris, to the 18th -Brumaire, to the Consulate, to the Empire; and here -also he embarked for Elba after the battle of Leipzig.</p> - -<p>But leaving history, let us look at what Nature affords -of interest. Geologically that coast is a great picture -book of successions of deposits and of convulsions. -There are to be found recent conglomerates, chalk, -limestone, porphyry, new red sandstone, mica schist, -granite. The Estérel porphyry is red as if on fire, seen -in the evening sun. The mica schist of the Montagnes -des Maures strews about its dust, so shining, so golden, -that in 1792 a representative of the Department went -up to Paris with a handful, to exhibit to the Convention -as a token of the ineptitude of the Administration of -Var, that trampled under foot treasures sufficient to -defray the cost of a war against all the kings of the -earth.</p> - -<p>The masses of limestone are cleft with <i>clus</i>, gorges -through which the rivers thunder, and <i>foux</i> springs of -living water bursting out of the bowels of the mountains.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-004.jpg" width="400" height="505" id="i4" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">THE GORGE OF THE LOUP</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p> - -<p>Consider what the variety of geologic formation implies: -an almost infinite variety of plants; moreover, -owing to the difference of altitudes, the flora reaches in -a chromatic scale from the fringe of the Alpine snows to -the burning sands by the seas. In one little commune, -it is estimated that there are more varieties to be found -than in the whole of Ireland.</p> - -<p>But the visitor to the seaboard—the French Côte -d’azur and the Italian Riviera—returns home after a winter -sojourn there with his mind stored with pictures of -palms, lemons, oranges, agaves, aloes, umbrella pines, -eucalyptus, mimosa, carob-trees, and olives. This is the -vegetation that characterises the Riviera, that distinguishes -it from vegetation elsewhere; but, although -these trees and shrubs abound, and do form a dominant -feature in the scenery, yet every one of them is a foreign -importation, and the indigenous plants must be sought -in mountain districts, away from towns, and high-roads, -and railways.</p> - -<p>These strangers from Africa, Asia, Australia and -South America have occupied the best land and the -warmest corners, just as of old the Greek and Roman -colonists shouldered out the native tribes, and forced -them to withdraw amidst the mountains.</p> - -<p>The traveller approaching the Riviera by the line -from Lyons, after passing Valence, enters a valley that -narrows, through which rolls the turbid flood of the -Rhone. Presently the sides become steeper, higher, -more rocky, and draw closer; on the right appears -Viviers, dominated by its cathedral and tower, square -below, octagonal above, and here the Rhone becomes -more rapid as it enters the <i>Robinet de Donzère</i>, between -calcareous rocks full of caves and rifts. Then, all at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span> -once, the line passes out of the rocky portal, and the -traveller enters on another scene altogether, the vast -triangular plain limited by the Alps on one side and the -Cevennes on the other, and has the Mediterranean as -its base. To this point at one time extended a mighty -gulf, seventy miles from the present coast-line at the -mouth of the Rhone. Against the friable limestone -cliffs, the waves lapped and leaped. But at some unknown -time a cataclysm occurred. The Alps were -shaken, as we shake a tree to bring down its fruit, and -the Rhone and the Durance, swollen to an enormous -volume, rolled down masses of débris into this gulf and -choked it. The Durance formed its own little <i>crau</i> -along the north of the chain of the Alpines, and the Rhone -the far larger <i>crau</i> of Arles, the pebbles of which all -come from the Alps, in which the river takes it rise. But, -in fact, the present <i>craus</i> represent but a small portion of -the vast mass of rubbish brought down. They are just -that part which in historic times was not overlaid with -soil.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-007.jpg" width="400" height="291" id="i7" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">PALMS, CANNES</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span></p> - -<p>When this period was passed, the rivers relaxed their -force, and repented of the waste they had made, and -proceeded to chew into mud the pebbles they rolled -along, and, rambling over the level stretches of rubble, to -deposit upon it a fertilising epidermis. Then, in modern -times, the engineers came and banked in the Rhone, to -restrain its vagaries, so that now it pours its precious -mud into the sea, and yearly projects its ugly muzzle -further forwards. When we passed the rocky portal, we -passed also from the climate of the North into that of -the South, but not to that climate without hesitations. -For the sun beating on the level land heats the pebble -bed, so that the air above it quivers as over a lime-kiln, -and, rising, is replaced by a rush of icy winds from the -Alps. This downrush is the dreaded Mistral. It was a -saying of old:—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Parlement, Mistral, et Durance<br /> -Sont les trois fléaux de Provence.”</p> - -<p class="pn1">The Parliament is gone, but the Mistral still rages, and -the Durance still overflows and devastates.</p> - -<p>The plain, where cultivated, is lined and cross-lined as -with Indian ink. These lines, and cross-lines, are formed -of cypress, veritable walls of defence, thrown up against -the wind. When the Mistral rages, they bow as whips, -and the water of the lagoons is licked up and spat at the -walls of the sparsely scattered villages. Here and there -rises the olive, like smoke from a lowly cottage. It -shrinks from the bite of the frost and the lash of the -wind, and attains its proper height and vigour only as -we near the sea; and is in the utmost luxuriance -between Solliès Pont and Le Luc, growing on the rich -new red sandstone, that skirts the Montagnes des -Maures.</p> - -<p>Presently we come on the lemon, the orange, glowing -golden, oleanders in every gully, aloes (“God’s candelabra”), -figs, mulberries, pines with outspread heads, like -extended umbrellas, as the cypress represents one folded; -cork trees, palms with tufted heads; all seen through an -atmosphere of marvellous clearness, over-arched by a sky -as blue as that of Italy, and with—as horizon—the -deeper, the indigo blue, of the sea.</p> - -<p>On leaving Arles, the train takes the bit between its -teeth and races over the <i>crau</i>, straight as an arrow, -between lines of cypresses. It is just possible to catch -glimpses to the north, between the cypresses, of a chain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span> -of hills of opalescent hue. That chain, Les Alpines, -gives its direction to the Durance. This river lent its -aid to Brother Rhone to form this rubble plain, the -<i>Campus lapideus</i> of the Romans, the modern <i>crau</i>. This -was a desert over which the mirage alternated with the -Mistral, till Adam de Craponne, in the sixteenth century, -brought a canal from the Durance to water the stony -land, and since then, little by little, the desert is being -reclaimed. This vast stony plain was a puzzle to the -ancients, and Æschylus, who flourished <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 472, tells us -that Heracles, arriving at this plain to fight the Ligurians, -and being without weapons, Heaven came to his aid and -poured down great stones out of the sky against his foes. -This is much like the account in Joshua of the battle -against the Kings in the plain of Esdraelon.</p> - -<p>At length, at Miramas, we escape from between the -espalier cypresses and see that the distant chain has -drawn nearer, that it has lost its mother-of-pearl tints, -and has assumed a ghastly whiteness. Then we dash -among these cretaceous rocks, desolate, forbidding and -dead. They will attend us from Marseilles to Toulon.</p> - -<p>The cretaceous sea bed, that once occupied so vast an -area, has been lifted into downs and mountains, and -stretched from Dorset and Wiltshire to Dover. We -catch a glimpse of it at Amiens. A nodule that has -defied erosion sustains the town and cathedral of Laon. -It underlies the Champagne country. It asserts itself -sullenly and resolutely in Provence, where it overlies -the Jura limestone, and is almost indistinguishable from -it at the junction, for it has the same inclination, the -same fossils, and the same mineralogical constituents.</p> - -<p>In England we are accustomed to the soft skin of -thymy turf that covers the chalk on our downs. Of this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span> -there is none in Provence. The fierce sun forbids it. -Consequently the rock is naked and cadaverously white, -but scantily sprinkled over with stunted pines.</p> - -<p>The Jura limestone is the great <i>pièce de resistance</i> in -Provence: it is sweeter in colour than the chalk, ranging -from cream white to buff and salmon; it has not the -dead pallor of the chalk. Any one who has gone down -the Cañon of the Tarn knows what exquisite gradations -and harmonies of tone are to be found in Jura limestone. -Here this formation stands up as a wall to the -North, a mighty screen, sheltering the Riviera from the -boreal winds. It rises precipitously to a plateau that is -bald and desolate, but which is rent by ravines of great -majesty and beauty, through which rush the waters from -the snowy Alps. The chalk and the limestone are -fissured, and allow the water flowing over their surface -to filter down and issue forth in the valleys, rendering -these fertile and green, whereas the plateaux are -bare. The plateaux rise to the height of 3,000 or 4,500 -feet.</p> - -<p>The tract between the mountain wall of limestone -and the sea is made up of a molass of rolled fragments -of the rock in a paste of mud. This forms hills of -considerable height, and this also is sawn through here -and there by rills, or washed out by rivers.</p> - -<p>Altogether different in character is the mass of the -Montagnes des Maures, which is an uplifted body of -granite and schist.</p> - -<p>Altogether different again is the Estérel, a protruded -region of red porphyry.</p> - -<p>About these protruded masses may be seen the new -red sandstone.</p> - -<p>When we have mastered this—and it is simple enough<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> -to remember—we know the character of the geology -from the mouths of the Rhone to Albenga.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The colouring of Provence,” says Mr. Hammerton, “is -pretty in spring, when the fields are still green and the mulberry -trees are in leaf, and the dark cypress and grey olive are -only graver notes in the brightness, while the desolation of the -stony hills is prevented from becoming oppressive by the -freshness of the foreground; but when the hot sun and the dry -wind have scorched every remnant of verdure, when any grass -that remains is merely ungathered hay, and you have nothing -but flying dust and blinding light, then the great truth is borne -in upon you that it is Rain which is the true colour magician, -though he may veil himself in a vesture of grey cloud.”</p> - -<p class="p1">In winter and early spring it is that the coast is enjoyable. -In winter there is the evergreen of the palms, the -olive, the ilex, the cork tree, the carob, the orange and -lemon and myrtle. Indeed, in the Montagnes des -Maures and in the Estérel, it is always spring.</p> - -<p>The resident in winter can hardly understand the -structure of the towns, with streets at widest nine feet, -and the houses running up to five and six storeys; but -this is due to necessity. The object is double: by making -the streets so narrow, the sun is excluded, and the sun -in Provence is not sought as with us in England; and -secondly, these narrow thoroughfares induce a draught -down them. In almost every town the contrast between -the new and the old is most marked, for the occupants -of the new town reside there for the winter only, and -therefore court the sun; whereas the inhabitants of the -old town dwell in it all the year round, and consequently -endeavour to obtain all protection possible from the -sun. But this shyness of basking in the sun was not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span> -the sole reason why the streets were made so narrow. -The old towns and even villages were crowded within -walls; a girdle of bulwark surrounded them, they had no -space for expansion except upwards.</p> - -<p>What Mr. Hammerton says of French towns applies -especially to those of Provence:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“France has an immense advantage over England in the -better harmony between her cities and towns, and the country -where they are placed. In England it rarely happens that -a town adds to the beauty of a landscape; in France it often -does so. In England there are many towns that are quite -absolutely and hideously destructive of landscape beauty; in -France there are very few. The consequence is that in France -a lover of landscape does not feel that dislike to human interference -which he so easily acquires in England, and which in -some of our best writers, who feel most intensely and acutely, -has become positive hatred and exasperation.”</p> - -<p class="p1">It was fear of the Moors and the pirates of the -Mediterranean which drove the inhabitants of the sea-coast -to build their towns on the rocks, high uplifted, -walled about and dominated by towers.</p> - -<p>I will now give a hasty sketch of the early history of -Provence—so far as goes to explain the nature of its -population.</p> - -<p>The earliest occupants of the seaboard named in -history are the Ligurians. The Gulf of Lyons takes its -name from them, in a contracted form. Who these -Ligurians were, to what stock they belonged, is not -known; but as there are megalithic monuments in the -country, covered avenues at Castelet, near Arles, -dolmens at Draguignan and Saint Vallier, a menhir at -Cabasse, we may perhaps conclude with some probability<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> -that they were a branch of that great Ivernian race -which has covered all Western Europe with these -mysterious remains. At an early period, the Phœnicians -established trading depôts at Marseilles, Nice, and elsewhere -along the coast. Monaco was dedicated to their -god, Melkarth, whose equivalent was the Greek Heracles, -the Roman Hercules. The story of Heracles fighting -the gigantic Ligurians on the <i>crau</i>, assisted by Zeus -pouring down a hail of pebbles from heaven, is merely -a fabulous rendering of the historic fact that the Phœnician -settlers had to fight the Ligurians, represented as -giants, not because they were of monstrous size, but because -of their huge stone monuments.</p> - -<p>The Phœnicians drew a belt of colonies and trading -stations along the Mediterranean, and were masters of -the commerce. The tin of Britain, the amber of the -Baltic, passed through their hands, and their great -emporium was Marseilles. It was they who constructed -the Heraclean Road, afterwards restored and regulated -by the Romans, that connected all their settlements -from the Italian frontier to the Straits of Gibraltar. -They have left traces of their sojourn in place names; -in their time, Saint Gilles, then Heraclea, was a port at -the mouth of the Rhone; now it is thirty miles inland. -Herculea Caccabaria, now Saint Tropez, recalls Kaccabe, -the earliest name of Carthage. One of the islets outside -the harbour of Marseilles bore the name of -Phœnice.</p> - -<p>This energetic people conveyed the ivory of Africa to -Europe, worked the lead mines of the Eastern Pyrenees, -and sent the coral and purple of the Mediterranean -and the bronze of the Po basin over Northern Europe. -The prosperity of Tyre depended on its trade.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Inventors of alphabetical writing, of calculation, and of -astronomy, essential to them in their distant navigations, skilful -architects, gold-workers, jewellers, engravers, weavers, -dyers, miners, founders, glass-workers, coiners, past-masters of -all industries, wonderful sailors, intrepid tradesmen, the -Phœnicians, by their incomparable activity, held the old -world in their grip; and from the Persian Gulf to the Isles of -Britain, either by their caravans or by their ships, were everywhere -present as buyers or sellers.”<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p class="p1">Archæological discoveries come to substantiate the -conclusions arrived at from scanty allusions by the -ancients. The Carthaginians had succeeded to the trade -of Tyre; but Carthage was a daughter of Tyre. At -Marseilles have been found forty-seven little stone -chapels or shrines of Melkarth, seated under an arch, -either with his hands raised, sustaining the arch, or with -them resting on his knees; and these are identical in -character with others found at Tyre, Sidon, and Carthage. -Nor is this all. An inscription has been unearthed, -also at Marseilles, containing a veritable Levitical code -for the worship of Baal, regulating the emoluments of -his priests.</p> - -<p>In the year <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 542 a fleet of Phocœans came from -Asia Minor, flying from the Medes; and the citizens of -Phocœa, abandoning their ancient homes, settled along -the coast of the Riviera. Arles, Marseilles, Nice—all the -towns became Greek. It was they who introduced into -the land of their adoption the vine and the olive. They -acquired the trade of the Mediterranean after the fall of -Carthage, <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 146.</p> - -<p>The Greeks of the coast kept on good terms with -Rome. They it was who warned Rome of the approach<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span> -of Hannibal; and when the Ambrons and Teutons -poured down a mighty host with purpose to devastate -Italy, the Phocœan city of Marseilles furnished Marius -with a contingent, and provisioned his camp at the -junction of the Durance with the Rhone.</p> - -<p>The Romans were desirous of maintaining good relations -with the Greek colonies, and when the native -Ligurians menaced Nice and Antibes, they sent an -army to their aid, and having defeated the barbarians, -gave up the conquered territory to the Greeks.</p> - -<p>In <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 125, Lucius Sextius Calvinus attacked the -native tribes in their fastness, defeated them, and -founded the town of Aquæ Sextiæ, about the hot -springs that rise there—now Aix. The Ligurians were -driven to the mountains and not suffered to approach -the sea coast, which was handed over entirely to the -Greeks of Marseilles.</p> - -<p>So highly stood the credit of Marseilles, that when, -after the conclusion of the Asiatic War, the Senate of -Rome had decreed the destruction of Phocœa, they -listened to a deputation from Marseilles, pleading for the -mother city, and revoked the sentence. Meanwhile, the -Gauls had been pressing south, and the unfortunate -Ligurians, limited to the stony plateaux and the slopes of -the Alps, were nipped between them and the Greeks and -Romans along the coast. They made terms with the -Gauls and formed a Celto-Ligurian league. They were -defeated, and the Senate of Rome decreed the annexation -of all the territory from the Rhone to the Alps, to -constitute thereof a province. Thenceforth the cities -and slopes of the coast became places of residence for -wealthy Romans, who had there villas and gardens. The -towns were supplied with amphitheatres and baths.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> -Theatres they possessed before, under the Greeks; but -the brutal pleasures of the slaughter of men was an -introduction by the Romans. The remains of these -structures at Nîmes, Arles, Fréjus, Cimiez, testify to the -crowds that must have delighted in these horrible -spectacles. That of Nîmes would contain from 17,000 -to 23,000 spectators; that of Arles 25,000; that of -Fréjus an equal number.</p> - -<p>Wherever the Roman empire extended, there may be -seen the same huge structures, almost invariable in plan, -and all devoted to pleasure and luxury. The forum, -the temples, sink into insignificance beside the amphitheatre, -the baths, and the circus. Citizens of the empire -lived for their ease and amusements, and concerned -themselves little about public business. In the old days -of the Republic, the interests, the contests, of the people -were forensic. The forum was their place of assembly. -But with the empire all was changed. Public transaction -of business ceased, the despotic Cæsar provided for, -directed, governed all, Roman citizens and subject -peoples alike. They were left with nothing to occupy -them, and they rushed to orgies of blood. Thus these -vast erections tell us, more than the words of any historian, -how great was the depravity of the Roman character.</p> - -<p>But with the fifth century this condition of affairs -came to an end. The last time that the circus of Arles -was used for races was in 462. The theatre there was -wrecked by a deacon called Cyril in 446. At the head -of a mob he burst into it, and smashed the loveliest -statues of the Greek chisel, and mutilated every article -of decoration therein. The stage was garnished with -elegant colonnets; all were thrown down and broken, -except a few that were carried off to decorate churches.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span> -All the marble casing was ripped away, the bas-reliefs -were broken up, and the fragments heaped in the pit. -There was some excuse for this iconoclasm. The stage -had become licentious to the last degree, and there was -no drawing the people from the spectacles. “If,” says -Salvian, “as often happens, the public games coincide -with a festival of the Church, where will the crowd be? -In the house of God, or in the amphitheatre?”</p> - -<p>During that fifth century the Visigoths and the Burgundians -threatened Provence. When these entered -Gaul they were the most humanised of the barbarians; -they had acquired some aptitude for order, some love -of the discipline of civil life. They did not devastate -the cities, they suffered them to retain their old laws, -their religion, and their customs. With the sixth century -the domination of the Visigoths was transferred beyond -the Pyrenees, and the Burgundians had ceased to be an -independent nation; the Franks remained masters over -almost the whole of Gaul.</p> - -<p>In 711 the Saracens, or Moors, crossed over at Gibraltar -and invaded Spain. They possessed themselves as well -of Sicily, Sardinia, and the Balearic Isles. Not content -with this, they cast covetous eyes on Gaul. They poured -through the defiles of the Pyrenees and spread over the -rich plains of Aquitaine and of Narbonne. Into this -latter city the Calif Omar II. broke in 720, massacred -every male, and reduced the women to slavery. Béziers, -Saint Gilles, Arles, were devastated; Nîmes opened to -them her gates. The horde mounted the valley of the -Rhone and penetrated to the heart of France. Autun -was taken and burnt in 725. All Provence to the Alps -was theirs. Then in 732 came the most terrible of their -invasions. More than 500,000 men, according to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> -chroniclers, led by Abdel-Raman, crossed the Pyrenees, -took the road to Bordeaux, which they destroyed, and -ascended the coast till they were met and annihilated -by Charles Martel on the field of Poitiers.</p> - -<p>From this moment the struggle changed its character. -The Christians assumed the offensive. Charles Martel -pursued the retreating host, and took from them the -port of Maguelonne; and when a crowd of refugees -sought shelter in the amphitheatre of Arles, he set fire to -it and hurled them back into the flames as they attempted -to escape. Their last stronghold was Narbonne, where -they held out for seven years, and then in 759 that also -fell, and the Moorish power for evil in France was at an -end; but all the south, from the Alps to the ocean, was -strewn with ruins.</p> - -<p>They were not, however, wholly discouraged. Not -again, indeed, did they venture across the Pyrenees in -a great host; but they harassed the towns on the coast, -and intercepted the trade. When the empire of Charlemagne -was dismembered, Provence was separated from -France and constituted a kingdom, under the administration -of one Boso, who was crowned at Arles in 879. -This was the point of departure of successive changes, -which shall be touched on in the sequel. The German -kings and emperors laid claim to Provence as a vassal -state, and it was not till 1481 that it was annexed to the -Crown of France. Avignon and the Venaissin were not -united to France till 1791.</p> - -<p>In no part of Europe probably did pagan customs -linger on with such persistence as in this favoured land -of Provence, among a people of mixed blood—Ligurian, -Phœnician, Greek, Roman, Saracen. Each current of -uniting blood brought with it some superstition, some<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span> -vicious propensity, or some strain of fancy. In the -very first mention we have of the Greek settlers, allusion -is made to the Floral Games. The Battle of Flowers, -that draws so many visitors to Nice, Mentone, and -Cannes, is a direct descendant from them; but it has -acquired a decent character comparatively recently.</p> - -<p>At Arles, the Feast of Pentecost was celebrated -throughout the Middle Ages by games ending with races -of girls, stark naked, and the city magistrates presided -over them, and distributed the prizes, which were defrayed -out of the town chest. It was not till the sixteenth -century, owing to the remonstrances of a Capuchin friar, -that the exhibition was discontinued. Precisely the -same took place at Beaucaire. At Grasse, every Thursday -in Lent saw the performance in the public <i>place</i> of -dances and obscene games, and these were not abolished -till 1706 by the energy of the bishop, who threatened to -excommunicate every person convicted of taking part in -the disgusting exhibition of “Les Jouvines.”</p> - -<p>A native of Tours visited Provence in the seventeenth -century, and was so scandalised at what he saw there, -that he wrote, in 1645, a letter of remonstrance to his -friend Gassendi. Here is what he says of the manner -in which the festival of S. Lazarus was celebrated at -Marseilles:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The town celebrates this feast by dances that have the -appearance of theatrical representations, through the multitude -and variety of the figures performed. All the inhabitants -assemble, men and women alike, wear grotesque masks, and -go through extravagant capers. One would think they were -satyrs fooling with nymphs. They hold hands, and race -through the town, preceded by flutes and violins. They form -an unbroken chain, which winds and wriggles in and out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -among the streets, and this they call <i>le Grand Branle</i>. But -why this should be done in honour of S. Lazarus is a mystery -to me, as indeed are a host of other extravagances of which -Provence is full, and to which the people are so attached, that -if any one refuses to take part in them, they will devastate his -crops and his belongings.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The carnival and micarême have taken the place of -this exhibition; and no one who has seen the revelries -at these by night can say that this sort of fooling is -nearing its end. Now these exhibitions have become a -source of profit to the towns, as drawing foreigners to -them, and enormous sums are lavished by the municipalities -upon them annually. The people of the place -enter into them with as much zest as in the centuries -that have gone by.</p> - -<p>Dancing in churches and churchyards lasted throughout -the Middle Ages. The clergy in vain attempted to -put it down, and, unable to effect this, preceded these -choric performances by a sermon, to deter the people -from falling into excesses of extravagance and vice. At -Limoges, not indeed in Provence, the congregation was -wont to intervene in the celebration of the feast of their -apostle, S. Martial, by breaking out into song in the -psalms, “Saint Martial pray for us, and we will dance -for you!” Whereupon they joined hands and spun -round in the church.<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p> - -<p>This leads to the mention of what is of no small -interest in the history of the origin of part-singing. -Anyone familiar with vespers, as performed in French -churches, is aware that psalms and canticles are sung in -one or other fashion: either alternate verses alone are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> -chanted, and the gap is filled in by the organ going -through astounding musical frolics; or else one verse is -chanted in plain-song, and the next in <i>fauxbourdon</i>—that -is to say, the tenor holds on to the plain-song, -whilst treble and alto gambol at a higher strain a melody -different, but harmonious with the plain-song. In -Provence at high mass the Gloria and Credo are divided -into paragraphs, and in like manner are sung alternately -in plain-song and <i>fauxbourdon</i>. The origin of this part-singing -is very curious. The congregation, loving to -hear their own voices, and not particularly interested in, -or knowing the Latin words, broke out into folk-song -at intervals, in the same “mode” as that of the tone -sung by the clergy. They chirped out some love ballad -or dance tune, whilst the officiants in the choir droned -the Latin of the liturgy. Even so late as 1645, the -Provençals at Christmas were wont to sing in the -<i>Magnificat</i> a vulgar song—</p> - -<p class="pp8q p1"> -“Que ne vous requinquez-vous, Vielle,<br /> -Que ne vous requinquez, donc?”</p> - -<p class="pn1">which may be rendered—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1"> -“Why do you trick yourself out, old woman?<br /> -O why do you trick yourself so?”</p> - -<p class="p1">In order to stop this sort of thing the clergy had -recourse to “farcing” the canticles, <i>i.e.</i> translating -each verse into the vernacular, and interlarding the -Latin with the translation, in hopes that the people, if -sing they would, would adopt these words; but the -farced canticles were not to the popular taste, and they -continued to roar out lustily their folk-songs, often indelicate, -always unsuitable. This came to such a pass<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> -that either the organ was introduced to bellow the -people down, or else the system was accepted and regulated; -and to this is due the <i>fauxbourdon</i>. But in Italy -and in the South of France it passed for a while beyond -regulation. The musicians accepted it, and actually -composed masses, in which the tenor alone sang the -sacred words and the other parts performed folk-songs.</p> - -<p class="p2">As Mr. Addington Symonds says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The singers were allowed innumerable licences. Whilst -the tenor sustained the Gregorian melody, the other voices -indulged in extempore descant, regardless of the style of the -main composition, violating time, and setting even the fundamental -tone at defiance. The composers, to advance another -step in the analysis of this strange medley, took particular -delight in combining different sets of words, melodies of -widely diverse character, antagonistic rhythms, and divergent -systems of accentuation, in a single piece. They assigned -these several ingredients to several parts, and for the further -exhibition of their perverse skill, went even to the length of -coupling themes in the major and the minor. The most -obvious result of such practice was that it became impossible -to understand what was being sung, and that instead of -concord and order in the choir, a confused discord and -anarchy of dinning sounds prevailed. What made the matter, -from an ecclesiastical point of view, still worse, was that these -scholastically artificial compositions were frequently based on -trivial and vulgar tunes, suggesting the tavern, the dancing-room, -or even worse places, to worshippers assembled for the -celebration of a Sacrament. Masses bore titles adopted from -the popular airs on which they were founded; such, for example, -as <i>Adieu, mes amours</i>, <i>À l’ombre d’un buissonnet</i>, <i>Baise moi</i>, -<i>Le vilain jaloux</i>. Even the words of love ditties and obscene -ballads were being squalled out by the tenor (treble?) while<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> -the bass (tenor?) gave utterance to an <i>Agnus Dei</i> or a -<i>Benedictus</i>, and the soprano (alto?) was engaged upon the verses -of a Latin hymn. Baini, who examined hundreds of the masses -and motetts in MS., says that the words imported into them -from vulgar sources ‘make one’s flesh creep, and one’s hair -stand on end.’ He does not venture to do more than indicate -a few of the more decent of these interloping verses. As an -augmentation of this indecency, numbers from a mass which -started with the grave rhythm of a Gregorian tone were brought -to their conclusion on the dance measure of a popular <i>ballata</i>, -so that <i>Incarnatus est</i> or <i>Kyrie eleison</i> went jigging off into -suggestions of Masetto and Zerlina at a village ball.”<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a></p> - -<p class="p1">The musicians who composed these masses simply -accepted what was customary, and all they did was to -endeavour to reduce the hideous discords to harmony. -But it was this superposing of folk-songs on Gregorian -tones that gave the start to polyphonic singing. The -state of confusion into which ecclesiastical music had -fallen by this means rendered it necessary that a reformation -should be undertaken, and the Council of Trent -(Sept. 17, 1562) enjoined on the Ordinaries to “exclude -from churches all such music as, whether through the -organ or the singing, introduces anything impure or -lascivious, in order that the house of God may truly be -seen to answer to its name, A House of Prayer.” -Indeed, all concerted and part music was like to have -been wholly banished from the service of the church, -had not Palestrina saved it by the composition of the -“Mass of Pope Marcellus.”</p> - -<p>A visitor to Provence will look almost in vain for -churches in the Gothic style. A good many were built -after Lombard models. There remained too many<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> -relics of Roman structures for the Provençals to take -kindly to the pointed arch. The sun had not to be -invited to pour into the naves, but was excluded as -much as might be, consequently the richly traceried -windows of northern France find no place here. The -only purely Gothic church of any size is that of -S. Maximin in Var. That having been a conventual -church, imported its architects from the north.</p> - -<p>One curious and indeed unique feature is found in -the Provençal cathedral churches: the choir for the -bishop and chapter is at the west end, in the gallery, -over the narthex or porch. This was so at Grasse; it -remains intact at Vence.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2>CHAPTER II<br /> -<span class="mid">LE GAI SABER</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">The formation of the Provençal tongue—Vernacular ballads and songs: -brought into church—Recitative and formal music—Rhythmic music -of the people: traces of it in ancient times: S. Ambrose writes -hymns to it—People sing folk-songs in church—Hymns composed to -folk-airs—The language made literary by the Troubadours—Position of -women—The ideal love—Ideal love and marriage could not co-exist—William -de Balaun—Geofrey Rudel—Poem of Pierre de Barjac—Boccaccio -scouts the Chivalric and Troubadour ideals.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap04">WHAT the language of the Ligurians was we do -not know. Among them came the Phœnicians, -then the Greeks, next the Romans. The Roman -soldiery and slaves and commercials did not talk the -stilted Latin of Cicero, but a simple vernacular. Next -came the Visigoths and the Saracens. What a jumble -of peoples and tongues! And out of these tongues -fused together the Langue d’oc was evolved.</p> - -<p>It is remarkable how readily some subjugated peoples -acquire the language of their conquerors. The Gauls -came to speak Latin. The Welsh—the bulk of the -population was not British at all; dark-haired and dark-eyed, -they were conquered by the Cymri and adopted -their tongue. So in Provence, although there is a strong -strain of Ligurian blood, the Ligurian tongue is gone<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span> -past recall. The prevailing language is Romance; that -is to say, the vernacular Latin. <i>Verna</i> means a slave; -it was the gabble of the lower classes, mainly a bastard -Latin, but holding in suspense drift words from Greek -and Gaulish and Saracen. In substance it was the -vulgar talk of the Latins. Of this we have curious -evidence in 813. In his old age Charlemagne concerned -himself much with Church matters, and he convoked -five Councils in five quarters of his empire to regulate -Church matters. These Councils met in Mainz, Rheims, -Châlons, Tours, and Arles. It was expressly laid down -in all of these, save only in that of Arles, that the clergy -should catechise and preach in the vulgar tongue; where -there were Franks, in German; where there were Gauls, -in the Romance. But no such rule was laid down in -the Council of Arles, for the very reason that Latin was -still the common language of the people, the simple -Latin of the gospels, such as was perfectly understood -by the people when addressed in it.</p> - -<p>The liturgy was not fixed and uniform. In many -secondary points each Church had its own use. Where -most liberty and variety existed was in the hymns. The -singing of hymns was not formally introduced into the -offices of the Church till the tenth century; but every -church had its collection of hymns, sung by the people -at vigils, in processions, intercalated in the offices. In -Normandy it was a matter of complaint that whilst the -choir took breath the women broke in with unsuitable -songs, <i>nugacis cantalenis</i>. At funerals such coarse ballads -were sung that Charlemagne had to issue orders that -where the mourners did not know any psalm they were -to shout <i>Kyrie eleison</i>, and nothing else. Agobard, Bishop -of Lyons, <span class="smcap">A.D.</span> 814-840, says that when he entered on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> -his functions he found in use in the church an antiphonary -compiled by the choir bishop, Amalric, consisting -of songs so secular, and many of them so indecent, -that, to use the expression of the pious bishop, they -could not be read without mantling the brow with -shame.</p> - -<p>One of these early antiphonaries exists, a MS. of the -eleventh century belonging to the church of S. Martial. -Among many wholly unobjectionable hymns occurs a -ballad of the tale of Judith; another is frankly an -invocation to the nightingale, a springtide song; a third -is a dialogue between a lover and his lass.</p> - -<p>It is in the ecclesiastical hymns, religious lessons, and -legends couched in the form of ballads, coming into use -in the eighth and ninth centuries, that we have the germs, -the rudiments, of a new literature; not only so, but also -the introduction of formal music gradually displacing -music that is recitative.</p> - -<p>Of melodies there are two kinds, the first used as -a handmaid to poetry; in it there is nothing formal. -A musical phrase may be repeated or may not, as -required to give force to the words employed. This -was the music of the Greek and Roman theatre. The -lyrics of Horace and Tibullus could be sung to no -other. This, and this alone, was the music adopted by -the Church, and which we have still in the Nicene -Creed, Gloria, Sanctus, and Pater Noster. But this -never could have been the music of the people—it could -not be used by soldiers to march to, nor by the peasants -as dance tunes.</p> - -<p>Did rhythmic music exist among the ancients side by -side with recitative? Almost certainly it did, utterly -despised by the cultured.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span></p> - -<p>When Julius Cæsar was celebrating his triumph at -Rome after his Gaulish victories, we are informed that -the soldiery marched singing out:—</p> - -<p class="pp8q p1">“Gallias Cæsar subegit<br /> -Mithridates Cæsarem.<br /> -Ecce Cæsar nunc triumphat,<br /> -Qui subegit Gallias,<br /> -Nicomedes non triumphat,<br /> -Qui subegit Cæsarem.”</p> - -<p class="pn1">This must have been sung to a formal melody, to which -the soldiers tramped in time.</p> - -<p>So also Cæsar, in <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 49, like a liberal-minded man, -desired to admit the principal men of Cisalpine Gaul -into the Senate. This roused Roman prejudice and -mockery. Prejudice, because the Gauls were esteemed -barbarians; mockery, because of their peculiar costume—their -baggy trousers. So the Roman rabble composed -and sang verses, “<i>illa vulgo canebantur</i>.” These may be -rendered in the same metre:—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Cæsar led the Gauls in triumph,</p> -<p class="pp7">Then to Senate-house admits.</p> -<p class="pp6">First must they pull off their trousers,</p> -<p class="pp7">Ere the laticlavus fits.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Now, it may be noted that in both instances the -rhythm is not at all that of the scientifically constructed -metric lines of Horace, Tibullus, and Catullus, but is -neither more nor less than our familiar 8.7. time. The -first piece of six lines in 8.7. is precisely that of “Lo! -He comes in clouds descending.” The second of four -lines is that of the familiar Latin hymn, <i>Tantum ergo</i>,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -and is indeed that also of our hymn, “Hark! the sound -of holy voices.”<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a></p> - -<p>Nor is this all. Under Cæsar’s statue were scribbled -the lines of a lampoon; that also was in 8.7. Suetonius -gives us another snatch of a popular song relative to -Cæsar, in the same measure. Surely this goes to establish -the fact that the Roman populace had their own -folk-music, which was rhythmic, with tonal accent, -distinct from the fashionable music of the theatre.</p> - -<p>Now, it is quite true that in Latin plays there was -singing, and, what is more, songs introduced. For -instance, in the <i>Captivi</i> of Plautus, in the third act, -Hegio comes on the stage singing—</p> - -<p class="pp10q p1">“Quid est suavius quam</p> -<p class="pp6">Bene rem gerere bono publico, sicut feci<br /> -Ego heri, quum eius hosce homines, ubi quisque</p> -<p class="pp10">Vident me hodie,” etc.</p> - -<p class="pn1">But I defy any musician to set his song to anything -else but recitative; the metre is intricate and varied.</p> - -<p>Now of rhythmic melody we have nothing more till -the year <span class="smcap">A.D.</span> 386, when, at Milan, the Empress Justina -ordered that a church should be taken from the Catholics -and be delivered over to the Arians.</p> - -<p>Thereupon S. Ambrose, the bishop, took up his abode -within the sacred building, that was also crowded by the -faithful, who held it as a garrison for some days. To -occupy the people Ambrose hastily scribbled down -some hymns—not at all in the old classic metres, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> -in rhythmic measure—and set them to sing these, no -doubt whatever, to familiar folk-airs. Thirteen of the -hymns of S. Ambrose remain. His favourite metre is—</p> - -<p class="pp10q p1">“Te lucis ante terminum,”</p> - -<p class="pn1">our English Long Measure. And what is more, the -traditional tunes to which he set these hymns have -been handed down, so that in these we probably possess -the only ascertainable relics of Roman folk-airs of the -fourth century, and who can tell of how much earlier?</p> - -<p>Now, in ancient days the people were wont to crowd -to church on the vigils of festivals and spend the night -in or outside the churches in singing and dancing. To -drive out the profane and indelicate songs, the clergy -composed hymns and set them to the folk-airs then in -vogue. These hymns came into use more and more, -and at length simply forced their way into the services -of the Church—but were not recognised as forming a -legitimate part of it till the tenth century.</p> - -<p>The ecclesiastical hymns for the people, after having -been composed in barbarous Latin, led by a second step -to the vernacular Romance. The transition was easy, -and was, indeed, inevitable. And in music, recitative -fell into disfavour, and formal music, to which poetry is -the handmaid, came into popular usage exclusively; -recitative lingering on only in the liturgy of the Church. -The Provençal language was now on its way to -becoming fixed and homogeneous; the many local -variations found in the several districts tending to -effacement.</p> - -<p>Then came the golden age of the Troubadours, who -did more than any before to fix the tongue. In -the twelfth century the little courts of the Provençal<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> -nobles were renowned for gallantry. In fact, the knights -and barons and counts of the South plumed themselves -on setting the fashion to Christendom. In the South -there was none of that rivalry existing elsewhere -between the knights in their castles and the citizens in -the towns. In every other part of Western Europe the -line of demarcation was sharp between the chivalry -and the bourgeoisie. Knighthood could only be conferred -on one who was noble and who owned land. It -was otherwise in the South; the nobility and the commercial -class were on the best of terms, and one great -factor in this fusion was the Troubadour, who might -spring from behind a counter as well as from a knightly -castle.</p> - -<p>The chivalry of the South, and the Troubadour, evolved -the strange and, to our ideas, repulsive theory of love, -which was, for a time, universally accepted. What -originated it was this:</p> - -<p>In the south of France women could possess fiefs -and all the authority and power attaching to them. -From this political capacity of women it followed that -marriages were contracted most ordinarily by nobles -with an eye to the increase of their domains. Ambition -was the dominant passion, and to that morality, sentiment, -inclination, had to give way and pass outside their -matrimonial plans. Consequently, in the feudal caste, -marriages founded on such considerations were regarded -as commercial contracts only, and led to a most -curious moral and social phenomenon.</p> - -<p>The idea was formed of love as a sentiment, from -which every sensual idea was excluded, in which, on the -woman’s side, all was condescension and compassion, -on the man’s all submission and homage. Every<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -lady must have her devoted knight or minstrel—her -lover, in fact, who could not and must not be her -husband; and every man who aspired to be courteous -must have his mistress.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“There are,” says a Troubadour, “four degrees in Love: -the first is hesitancy, the second is suppliancy, the third is -acceptance, and the fourth is friendship. He who would love -a lady and goes to court her, but does not venture on addressing -her, is in the stage of Hesitancy. But if the lady gives -him any encouragement, and he ventures to tell her of his -pains, then he has advanced to the stage of Suppliant. And -if, after speaking to his lady and praying her, she retains him -as her knight, by the gift of ribbons, gloves, or girdle, then he -enters on the grade of Acceptance. And if, finally, it pleases -the lady to accord to her loyal accepted lover so much as a -kiss, then she has elevated him to Friendship.”</p> - -<p class="p1">In the life of a knight the contracting of such -an union was a most solemn moment. The ceremony -by which it was sealed was formulated on that -in which a vassal takes oath of fealty to a sovereign. -Kneeling before the lady, with his hands joined -between hers, the knight devoted himself and all his -powers to her, swore to serve her faithfully to death, -and to defend her to the utmost of his power from -harm and insult. The lady, on her side, accepted these -services, promised in return the tenderest affections of -her heart, put a gold ring on his finger as pledge of -union, and then raising him gave him a kiss, always the -first, and often the only one he was to receive from her. -An incident in the Provençal romance of Gerard de -Roussillon shows us just what were the ideas prevalent -as to marriage and love at this time. Gerard was -desperately in love with a lady, but she was moved by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -ambition to accept in his place Charles Martel, whom -the author makes into an Emperor. Accordingly -Gerard marries the sister of the Empress on the same -day. No sooner is the double ceremonial complete -than,—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Gerard led the queen aside under a tree, and with her came -two counts and her sister (Gerard’s just-acquired wife). -Gerard spoke and said, ‘What will you say to me now, O wife -of an Emperor, as to the exchange I have made of you for a -very inferior article?’ ‘Do not say that,’ answered the -Queen; ‘say a worthy object, of high value, Sir. But it is -true that through you I am become Queen, and that out of -love for me you have taken my sister to wife. Be you my -witnesses, Counts Gervais and Bertelais, and you also, my -sister, and confidante of all my thoughts, and you, above all, -Jesus, my Redeemer; know all that I have given my love to -duke Gerard along with this ring and this flower. I love him -more than father and husband!’ Then they separated; but -their love always endured, without there ever being any harm -come of it, but only a tender longing and secret thoughts.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The coolness of Gerard, before his just-received wife, -disparaging her, and swearing everlasting love to the -new-made Queen, the moment after they have left -church, is sufficiently astounding.</p> - -<p>So completely was it an accepted theory that love -could not exist along with marriage, that it was held -that even if those who had been lovers married, union -<i>ipso facto</i> dissolved love. A certain knight loved a lady, -who, however, had set her affections on another. All -she could promise the former was that should she lose -her own true love, she would look to him. Soon after -this she married the lord of her heart, and at once the -discarded lover applied to be taken on as her servitor.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> -The lady refused, saying that she had her lover—her -husband; and the controversy was brought before the -Court of Love. Eleanor of Poitiers presided, and pronounced -against the lady. She condemned her to take -on the knight as her lover, because she actually had -lost her own lover, by marrying him.</p> - -<p>We probably form an erroneous idea as to the immorality -of these contracts, because we attach to the -idea of love a conception foreign to that accorded it by -the chivalry of Provence in the twelfth century. With -them it was a mystic exaltation, an idealising of a lady -into a being of superior virtue, beauty, spirituality. -And because it was a purely ideal relation it could not -subsist along with a material relation such as marriage. -It was because this connexion was ideal only that the -counts and viscounts and barons looked with so much -indifference, or even indulgence, on their wives contracting -it. There were exceptions, where the lady -carried her condescension too far. But the very extravagance -of terms employed towards the ladies is the -best possible evidence that the Troubadours knew them -very little, and by no means intimately. Bertram, to -Helena, was “a bright particular star,” but only so -because he was much away from Roussillon, and—</p> - -<p class="pp10q p1">“So high above me</p> -<p class="pp6">In his bright radiance and collateral light<br /> -Must I be computed, not in his sphere.”</p> - -<p class="p1">When she became his wife she discovered that he was -a mere cub. Cœlia was no goddess to Strephon. So -the privileged “servant,” worshipped, and only could -frame his mind to worship, because held at a great -distance, too far to note the imperfections in temper, -in person, in mind, of the much-belauded lady.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span></p> - -<p>A friend told me that he was staggered out of his -posture of worship to his newly acquired wife by seeing -her clean her teeth. It had not occurred to him that -her lovely pearls could need a toothbrush.</p> - -<p>William de Balaun, a good knight and Troubadour, -loved and served Guillelmine de Taviac, wife of a -seigneur of that name. He debated in his mind which -was the highest felicity, winning the favour of a lady, -or, after losing it, winning it back again. He resolved -to put this question to the proof, so he affected the -sulks, and behaved to the lady with rudeness—would -not speak, turned his back on her. At first she endeavoured -to soothe him, but when that failed withdrew, -and would have no more to say to him. De Balaun -now changed his mood, and endeavoured to make her -understand that he was experimentalising in the Gai -Saber, that was all. She remained obdurate till a -mutual friend intervened. Then she consented to -receive William de Balaun again into her favour, if he -would tear out one of his nails and serve it up to her -on a salver along with a poem in praise of her beauty. -And on these terms he recovered his former place.</p> - -<p>Geofrey Rudel had neither seen the Countess of -Tripoli nor cast his eyes on her portrait, but chose to -fall in love with her at the simple recital of her beauty -and virtue. For long he poured forth verses in her -honour; but at last, drawn to Syria by desire of seeing -her, he embarked, fell mortally ill on the voyage, and -arrived at Tripoli to expire; satisfied that he had -bought at this price the pleasure of casting his eyes -on the princess, and hearing her express sorrow that -he was to be snatched away.</p> - -<p>In a great many cases, probably in the majority of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> -cases, there was no amorous passion excited. It was -simply a case of bread and butter. The swarm of -knights and Troubadours that hovered about an exalted -lady, was drawn to her, not at all by her charms, but -by her table, kitchen, and cellar—in a word, by cupboard -love.</p> - -<p>In their own little bastides they led a dull life, and -were very impecunious. If they could get some lady -of rank to accept their services, they obtained free -quarters in her castle, ate and drank of her best, and -received gratuities for every outrageously flattering -sonnet. If she were elderly and plain—that mattered -not, it rather favoured the acceptance, for she would -then not be nice in selecting her <i>cher ami</i>. All that -was asked in return was, that he should fetch her gloves, -hold her stirrup, fight against any one who spoke a -disparaging word, and turn heels over head to amuse -her on a rainy day.</p> - -<p>A little poem by Pierre de Barjac is extant. He -loved and served a noble lady De Javac. One day she -gave him to understand that he was dismissed. He -retired, not a little surprised and mortified, but returned -a few days later with a poem, of which these are some -of the strophes:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“Lady, I come before you, frankly to say good-bye for ever. -Thanks for your favour in giving me your love and a merry -life, as long as it suited you. Now, as it no longer suits you, -it is quite right that you should pick up another friend who -will please you better than myself. I have naught against that. -We part on good terms, as though nothing had been between -us.</p> - -<p>“Perhaps, because I seem sad, you may fancy that I am -speaking more seriously than usual; but that you are mistaken<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -in this, I will convince you. I know well enough that you -have some one else in your eye. Well, so have I in mine—some -one to love after being quit of you. She will maintain -me; she is young, you are waxing old. If she be not quite -as noble as yourself, she is, at all events, far prettier and better -tempered.</p> - -<p>“If our mutual oath of engagement is at all irksome to -your conscience, let us go before a priest—you discharge me, -and I will discharge you. Then each of us can loyally enter -on a new love affair. If I have ever done anything to annoy -you, forgive me; I, on my part, forgive you with all my heart; -and a forgiveness without heart is not worth much.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">During the winter these professional lovers resided at -the castles of the counts and viscounts. In the spring -they mounted their horses and wandered away, some -in quest of a little fighting, some to loiter in distant -courts, some to attend to their own farms and little -properties. Each as he left doubtless received a purse -from the lady he had served and sung, together with a -fresh pair of stockings, and with his linen put in order.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Love,” says Mr. Green, in his <i>History of the English -People</i>, “was the one theme of troubadour and trouveur; -but it was a love of refinement, of romantic follies, of scholastic -discussions, of sensuous enjoyment—a plaything rather than -a passion. Nature had to reflect the pleasant indolence of -man; the song of the minstrel moved through a perpetual -May-time; the grass was ever green; the music of the lark -and the nightingale rang out from field and thicket. There -was a gay avoidance of all that is serious, moral, or reflective -in man’s life. Life was too amusing to be serious, too piquant, -too sentimental, too full of interest and gaiety and chat.”</p> - -<p class="p1">That this professional, sentimental love-making went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -beyond bounds occasionally is more than probable, for -human nature cannot be controlled by such a spider-web -system. It will break through. Every one knows the -story of William de Cabestaing, who loved and served -among others—for he was to one thing constant never—Sermonde, -wife of Raymond de Roussillon, whereupon -the husband had him murdered, and his heart -roasted and dished up at table. When Sermonde was -told what she had eaten, she threw herself out of a -window. But is the story true? Much the same tale -occurs thrice in Boccaccio; once of Sermonde, something -of the same in the Cup, and again in the Pot of -Basil; moreover, the same tale is told of others.</p> - -<p>This artificial theory of love was carried to the Court -of Naples, and to that of Frederick II. at Palermo. It -brought after it an inevitable reaction, and this found -its fullest expression in Boccaccio.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“All the mediæval enthusiasms,” says Mr. Addington -Symonds, “are reviewed and criticised from the standpoint -of the Florentine bottega and piazza. It is as though the -bourgeois, not content with having made nobility a crime, -were bent upon extinguishing its spirit. The tale of Agilult -vulgarises the chivalrous conception of love ennobling men -of low estate, by showing how a groom, whose heart is set -upon a queen, avails himself of opportunity. Tancred -burlesques the knightly reverence for a stainless scutcheon, -by the extravagance of his revenge. The sanctity of the -Thebaid, that ascetic dream of purity and self-renunciation -for God’s service, is made ridiculous by Ailbech. Sen -Ciappelletto brings contempt upon the canonisation of saints. -The confessional, the worship of relics, the priesthood, and -the monastic orders, are derided with the deadliest persiflage. -Christ Himself is scoffed at in a jest which points the most<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span> -indecent of these tales. Marriage offers a never-failing theme -for scorn; and when, by way of contrast, the novelist paints -an ideal wife, he runs into such hyperboles that the very -patience of Griselda is a satire on its dignity.”<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-039.jpg" width="400" height="290" id="i39" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">LA RADE, MARSEILLES</p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER III<br /> -<span class="mid">MARSEILLES</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">The arrival of the Phocœans—The story of Protis and Gyptis—Siege of -Marseilles by Cæsar—Pythias the first to describe Britain—The old -city—Encroachment of the sea—S. Victor—Christianity: when introduced—S. -Lazarus—Cannebière—The old galley—Siege by the Constable -de Bourbon—Plague—The Canal de Marseilles—The plague of -1720—Bishop Belzunce—The Revolution—The Marseillaise—The -Reign of Terror at Marseilles—The Clary girls.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap16">AS has been already stated, Massilia, or Marseilles, -was originally a Phœnician trading station. Then -it was occupied by the Phocœans from Asia Minor. It -came about in this fashion.</p> - -<p>In the year <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 599 a few Phocœean vessels, under the -guidance of an adventurer called Eumenes, arrived in the -bay of Marseilles. The first care of the new arrivals was -to place themselves under the protection of the Ligurians, -and they sent an ambassador, a young Greek named -Protis, with presents to the native chief, Nann, at Arles. -By a happy coincidence Protis arrived on the day upon -which Nann had assembled the warriors of his tribe, -and had brought forth his daughter, Gyptis, to choose a -husband among them. The arrival of the young Greek -was a veritable <i>coup de théâtre</i>. He took his place at -the banquet. His Greek beauty, his graceful form and -polished manners, so different from the ruggedness and -uncouthness of the Ligurians, impressed the damsel,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> -and going up to him, she presented him with the goblet -of wine, which was the symbol of betrothal. Protis put -it to his lips, and the alliance was concluded.</p> - -<p>The legend is doubtless mythical, but it shows us, disguised -under the form of a tale, what actually took -place, that the Ionian settlers did contract marriages -with the natives. But the real great migration took -place in <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 542, fifty-seven years later.</p> - -<p>Harpagus, the general of Cyrus, was ravaging Asia -Minor, and he invested Phocœa. As the Ionians in the -town found that they could hold out no longer, their -general, Dionysos, thus addressed them:</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Our affairs are in a critical state, and we have to decide at -once whether we are to remain free, or to bow our necks in -servitude, and be treated as runaway slaves. Now, if you be -willing to undergo some hardships, you will be able to secure -your freedom.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Then he advised that they should lade their vessels -with all their movable goods, put on them their wives -and children, and leave their native land.</p> - -<p>Soon after this Harpagus saw a long line of vessels, -their sails swelled with the wind, and the water glancing -from their oars, issue from the port and pass away over -the blue sea towards the western sun. All the inhabitants -had abandoned the town. Dionysos had heard a good -report of the Ligurian coast, and thither he steered, and -was welcomed by his countrymen who had settled there -half a century before.</p> - -<p>But the Ligurians did not relish this great migration, -and they resolved on massacring the new arrivals, and -of taking advantage of the celebration of the Floral -Games for carrying out their plan. Accordingly they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span> -sent in their weapons through the gates of Marseilles, -heaped over with flowers and boughs, and a party of -Ligurians presented themselves unarmed, as flocking in -to witness the festival. But other Ligurian girls beside -Gyptis had fallen in love with and had contracted -marriages with the Greeks, and one of these betrayed -the plot. Accordingly the Phocœans closed their gates, -and drawing the weapons from under the wreaths of -flowers, slaughtered the Ligurians with their own arms.</p> - -<p>From Marseilles the Greeks spread along the coast -and founded numerous other towns, and, penetrating -inland, made of Arles a Greek city.</p> - -<p>In the civil war that broke out between Cæsar and -Pompey, Marseilles, unhappily for her, threw in her lot -with the latter. Cæsar, at the head of his legions, appeared -before the gates, and found them closed against -him. It was essential for Cæsar to obtain possession of -the town and port, and he invested it. Beyond the -walls was a sacred wood in which mysterious rites were -performed, and which was held in the highest veneration -by the Massiliots. Cæsar ordered that it should be -hewn down; but his soldiers shrank from profaning it. -Then snatching up an axe, he exclaimed, “Fear not, I -take the crime upon myself!” and smote at an oak. -Emboldened by his words and action, the soldiers now -felled the trees, and out of them Cæsar fashioned twelve -galleys and various machines for the siege.</p> - -<p>Obliged to hurry into Spain, he left some of his best -troops under his lieutenants C. Trebonius and D. -Brutus to continue operations against Marseilles; the -former was in command of the land forces, and Brutus -was admiral of the improvised fleet. The people of -Marseilles were now reinforced by Domitius, one of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> -Pompey’s most trusted generals, and they managed to -scrape together a fleet of seventeen galleys.</p> - -<p>This fleet received orders to attack that of Brutus, -and it shot out of the harbour. Brutus awaited it, -drawn up in crescent form. His ships were cumbrous, -and not manned by such dextrous navigators as the -Greeks. But he had furnished himself with grappling -irons, and when the Greek vessels came on, he flung out -his harpoons, caught them, and brought the enemy to -the side of his vessels, so that the fight became one of -hand to hand as on platforms, and the advantage of -the nautical skill of the Massiliots was neutralised. -They lost nine galleys, and the remnant with difficulty -escaped back into port.</p> - -<p>The besieged, though defeated, were not disheartened. -They sent to friendly cities for aid, they seized on -merchant vessels and converted them into men of war, -and Pompey, who knew the importance of Marseilles, -sent Nasidius with sixteen triremes to the aid of the -invested town.</p> - -<p>Again their fleet sallied forth. This time they were -more wary, and backed when they saw the harpoons -shot forth, so that the grappling irons fell innocuously -into the sea. Finding all his efforts to come to close -quarters with the enemy unavailing, Brutus signalled to -his vessels to draw up in hollow square, prows outward.</p> - -<p>Nasidius, who was in command of the Massiliot fleet, -had he used his judgment, should have waited till a -rough sea had opened the joints of the opposed ranks, -and broken the formation. Instead of doing this, he -endeavoured by ramming the sides to break the square, -with the result that he damaged his own vessels, which -were the lightest and least well protected at the bows,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> -far more than he did the enemy. Seeing that his plan -was unsuccessful, he was the first to turn his galley -about and fly. Five of the Massiliot vessels were sunk, -four were taken, and those that returned to the port -were seriously damaged.</p> - -<p>On land the besieged had been more successful; they -had repelled all attempts of Trebonius to storm the -place. When he mined, they countermined, or let water -into his galleries, and drowned those working in them. -When he rolled up his huge wooden towers against the -walls, the besieged rushed forth and set them on fire.</p> - -<p>But now a worse enemy than Cæsar’s army appeared -against them—the plague. Reduced to the utmost extremity, -the Massiliots saw that their only hope was in -the clemency of the conqueror. Nasidius had fled. -Now Domitius departed; but not till he saw that surrender -was inevitable. Cæsar had arrived in the camp -of the besiegers. Marseilles opened her gates, and Cæsar -treated the city with great magnanimity. But, ruined -by the expenses of the long siege, without a fleet, its -commerce gone, depopulated by war and disease, long -years were required for the effacement of the traces of -so many misfortunes.</p> - -<p>Now I must go back through many centuries to -speak of a most remarkable man, “the Humboldt -of Antiquity,” who was a native of Marseilles, and -who was the first to reveal to the world the existence -of the Isle of Britain. His name was Pythias, and he -lived four centuries before the birth of Christ. The -Greeks had vague and doubtful traditions of the existence, -far away in the North, of a land where the -swans sang, and where lived a people “at the back of -the north wind,” in perpetual sunshine, and worshipped<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -the sun, offering to it hecatombs of wild asses, and -whence came the most precious of metals—tin, without -which no bronze could be fabricated. The way to this -mysterious land was known only to the Carthaginians, -and was kept as a profound secret from the Phocœan -Greeks, who had occupied their colony at Marseilles, and -were engrossing their commerce. The Phœnicians of -Tyre and Sidon, and of Carthage, had secured a monopoly -of the mineral trade. Spain was the Mexico of -the antique world. It was fabled that the Tagus rolled -over sands of gold, and the Guadiana over a floor of -silver. The Phœnician sailors, it was reported, replaced -their anchors of iron with masses of silver; and that the -Iberians employed gold for mangers, and silver for their -vats of beer; that the pebbles of their moors were pure -tin, and that the Iberian girls “streamed” the rivers in -wicker cradles, washing out tin and gold, lead and silver. -But as more was known of Spain, it was ascertained -that these legends were true only in a limited degree; -tin and silver and lead were there, but not to the amount -fabled. Therefore it was concluded that the treasure -land was farther to the north. Not by any means, by -no bribery, by no persuasion, not by torture, could the -secret be wrung from the Phœnicians whence they procured -the inestimable treasure of tin. Only it was known -that much of it came from the North, and by a trade -route through Gaul to the Rhone; but also, and mainly, -by means of vessels of the Phœnicians passing through -the Straits into the unknown ocean beyond.</p> - -<p>Accordingly, the merchants of Marseilles resolved on -sending an expedition in quest of this mysterious Hyperborean -land, and they engaged the services of Pythias, -an eminent mathematician of the city, who had already<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> -made himself famous by his measurement of the declination -of the ecliptic, and by the calculation of the latitude -of Marseilles. At the same time the merchants despatched -another expedition to explore the African -coast, under the direction of one Euthymes, another -scientist of their city. Unhappily, the record of the -voyage of this latter is lost; but the diary of Pythias, -very carefully kept, has been preserved in part, quoted -by early geographers who trusted him, and by Strabo, -who poured scorn on his discoveries because they controverted -his preconceived theories.</p> - -<p>Pythias published his diary in two books, entitled -<i>The Circuit of the World</i> and <i>Commentaries concerning -the Ocean</i>. From the fragments that remain we can -trace his course. Leaving Marseilles, he coasted round -Spain to Brittany; from Brittany he struck Kent, and -visited other parts of Britain; then from the Thames he -travelled to the mouths of the Rhine, passed round Jutland, -entered the Baltic, and went to the mouth of the -Vistula; thence out of the Baltic and up the coast of -Norway to the Arctic Circle; thence he struck west, and -reached the Shetlands and the North of Scotland, and -coasted round the British Isles till again he reached -Armorica; and so to the estuary of the Garonne, whence -he journeyed by land to Marseilles.</p> - -<p>Pythias remained for some time in Britain, the country -to which, as he said, he paid more attention than to any -other which he visited in the course of his travels; and -he claimed to have investigated all the accessible parts -of the Island, and to have traced the eastern side -throughout. He arrived in Kent early in the summer, -and remained there until harvest time, and he again -returned after his voyage to the Arctic Circle. He says<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span> -that there was plenty of wheat grown in the fields of -Britain, but that it was thrashed out in barns, and not -on unroofed floors as in the sunny climate of Marseilles. -He says that a drink to which the Britons were partial -was composed of wheat and honey—in a word, metheglin. -It is greatly to be regretted that of this interesting and -honestly written diary only scraps remain.<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a></p> - -<p>The old city of Phœnicians and Phocœans occupied -that portion of the present town lying between the sea -and the ancient port, and the walls cut across from the -Anse de la Joliette, mounted the Butte des Carmes and -descended to the head of the Vieux-port. The Butte -des Moulins was the Acropolis, and on it stood temples -of the gods of Carthage and Greece. The sea-face was -formerly very different from what it is now. Cæsar -speaks of Marseilles being washed by the sea on three -sides. The sea has eaten away a very large portion of -the peninsula. The cathedral, La Major, was not -formerly on the quay; till the end of the eighteenth -century its principal portal faced the sea. At the close -of that century, so much of the town having been washed -away, and so sapped was the rock on that side, that -a doorway had to be opened on the landside. An old -chapel existing in 1202 stood at a point now 250 feet -from the land. Recent works, the formation of a succession -of basins, have arrested this degradation of the -coast, and have regained some of the lost land.</p> - -<p>Marseilles lies in an amphitheatre, but this is only -realised when the city is approached from the sea. To -those arriving by rail it appears to be a town scattered -over a series of hills, very irregular and of a very confused -plan. All that portion of the town that lies south<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -of the Vieux-port, about the Palais de Justice to where -the hill rises, was formerly morass; the houses here have -no cellars, and are built, like Amsterdam, on piles. Above -the Bassin de Carinage rises the Church of S. Victor, -built in the eleventh and extended in the thirteenth -century. The towers and ramparts were erected by -William de Grimoard in 1350. He had been prior of -the monastery of S. Victor, and afterwards became pope -under the name of Urban V. All this portion of rising -ground to the south of the old harbour seems to have -been the refuge of the first Christians. Excavations -made in extending the basin laid bare vestiges of catacombs -of a very early period, earlier, in fact, in some -cases than the Christian era. In the fourth century the -monk Cassian founded a monastery above these catacombs. -It was destroyed by the Saracens and rebuilt, -and became a vastly wealthy foundation. The monastery -on one side of the port, and the cathedral with its appurtenances -on the other, were not under the jurisdiction -of the municipal authorities of Marseilles; but each had -its own town of dependencies under separate government.</p> - -<p>What remains of this famous abbey bears an aspect -of a citadel rather than of a church. It is an extraordinary -jumble of parts, and from without looks as if it -were wholly planless.</p> - -<p>When, and through whom, Christianity was planted in -Marseilles, is unknown; for the tradition of the apostleship -there of Lazarus, whom Christ raised from the -dead, must be dismissed as idle fable. The traditional -tale is as follows, but there is no earlier authority for it -than a legend of the twelfth century, and this is mere -religious romance.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span></p> - -<p>When persecution broke out in Jerusalem, Martha, -Mary Magdalen, a Bishop Maximin, and a Deacon -Parmenas, and Lazarus, took a boat and sailed merrily -over the sea till they came to Provence. Maximin -settled at Aix. Mary Magdalen retired to the cave -La Sainte Beaume, and Martha killed a dragon at -Tarascon, and established herself in its lair. Lazarus -remained at Marseilles, and became its first bishop.</p> - -<p>The first bishop of Marseilles known to history is -Orestius, <span class="smcap">A.D.</span> 314; and not a particle of evidence worth -a rush exists to substantiate the story of Lazarus, -Martha, and Mary, having ever come to Provence.</p> - -<p>The street called Cannebière leads to the Vieux-port. -Cannebière means a rope-walk, and here were situated -the workshops of those who supplied the vessels with -cordage and sails. When the old port was being cleaned -out, an ancient galley was found at a depth of fifteen -feet, built of cedar wood, with coins earlier, contemporary -with, and slightly later than Julius Cæsar.</p> - -<p>It is perhaps not to be wondered at that not a scrap -of ancient Massilia should remain above ground, not a -fragment of city wall, of temple, or of amphitheatre, for -the valleys have been choked up to the depth of eighteen -to twenty feet, and the summits of the rounded hills -have been shorn off. But to obtain some idea of the -past, the Archæological Museum at the extremity of -the Prado should be visited. One room is devoted to -the remains of pagan Massilia, another to the Christian -sarcophagi discovered in the catacombs of S. Victor.</p> - -<p>The siege of Marseilles by the army of Cæsar was by -no means the only trial of that description the city had -to undergo. The next most serious investment was -that by the Constable de Bourbon, who had transferred<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> -his services to Charles V. and fought against his -sovereign, Francis I. Pope Leo X. had stirred up the -emperor and had effected a coalition of England, -Austria, Milan, Venice, Florence, and Genoa, against -France. Charles despatched the Constable de Bourbon -against Marseilles, and he appeared before it on -August 19th, 1524, but met with a stubborn resistance.</p> - -<p>Furious at not being able to obtain a surrender, he -ordered a general assault, and promised his soldiers to -suffer them to pillage the town at their own sweet will. -On September 25th the besiegers attacked the walls, -managed to beat down a portion and form a breach, -through which they poured exultant. But bitter was -their disappointment when they discovered that the -besieged had raised a second wall within, in crescent -form, on the top of which was the garrison, armed with -culverins, and that at the points of junction of the new -wall with the old were planted cannon which, with -their cross fire, could mow down all who rushed into -the semilunar area. The Spanish battalions hesitated, -but were urged forward by their captains, and a frightful -carnage ensued. The space was heaped with dead, -and the baffled Constable, with rage in his heart, -running short of ammunition and provisions, was forced -to raise the siege and retire, on the night of September -25th.</p> - -<p>But that which has proved to Marseilles more fatal -than sieges has been the plague, which has reappeared -time after time, becoming almost endemic. The unsanitary -condition of the town, the absence of wholesome -water, invited its presence. The magnificent -works of the canal of Marseilles now conduct to the -town the waters of the Durance. This canal was constructed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span> -between 1837 and 1848, extends a length of -ninety-five miles, and is carried through tunnels and -over aqueducts. The body of water thus conducted to -Marseilles not only supplies the precious liquid for -drinking and bathing, but also sends rills to water the -gardens which would otherwise be barren. How -necessary this great work was may be judged from -the number of deaths at Marseilles at the outbreak of -the plague in 1720, when from 40,000 to 50,000 persons -succumbed.</p> - -<p>Amidst the general despair, selfishness, and depravity -that then manifested itself, the Bishop Belzunce, some -of his clergy, and the governor of the town, showed -noble self-possession and devotion.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“The physicians sent to Marseilles by the Government,” -says Méry, “on arriving found in the place over 20,000 dead -and nine to ten thousand sick or dying. The frightful -spectacle so affected them that they could hardly eat. In -traversing the town, in places they could hardly step without -encountering heaps of corpses. The plague-stricken felt a -flicker of hope on seeing doctors approach, but this soon died -out. Fathers and mothers dragged their children into the -streets, and abandoned them after placing a jug of water at -their side. Children exhibited a revolting lack of feeling. -All generous sentiments had been paralysed by the hand of -death. The mortality was so great and rapid in its march -that the corpses piled up before the houses, and in the church -porches, indeed everywhere, empested the air. In the heat, -the bodies rapidly putrified and dissolved, falling apart in -strips. All were naked; the sick were covered by a few rags. -Women half-clothed appealed for a drop of water, pointing to -the fetid rill that trickled down the gutter; and as no one -attended to them, they used their failing powers to crawl to it, -often with their babes at their breasts, to dip their lips in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> -foul stream. Death was preceded by frightful spasms. The -number of deaths increased to such an extent that it was not -possible to bury the dead. Bewilderment took possession of -men. Those of the inhabitants who had not been infected -wandered about, not knowing whither to go, but avoiding one -another. Others converted their houses into fortresses, as -though disposed to maintain a siege; others fled to their -country villas; others went on board ship; but the plague -pursued them everywhere.</p> - -<p>“In these days of calamity, the heart of man was shown in -all its nakedness, and revealed all its baseness, ignoble inclinations, -as well as its virtues and devotion. Those especially -belonging to the lowest social beds, who live in fear of the -laws, gave themselves up to frightful excesses. The galley -slaves, to whom was entrusted the burial of the dead, drew the -tumbrils heaped with corpses with a mocking callousness; -murdering the sick so as to rob them; flinging those ill along -with those dead together, indifferently, into the pits dug to -receive the bodies. The civic functionaries, the employés, -even priests, deserted their posts, and the monks of S. Victor -enclosed themselves within their fortress. But there were -others, who presented a striking contrast to these men. -Priests came hurrying to the empested town from all parts to -shut themselves in within this circle of death. Their zeal was -stimulated by the sublime self-devotion of Belzunce, bishop of -Marseilles. The fear of death never chilled his charity. He -hurried through the street, seated himself by the dying, bowed -over them to hear their confessions, and the plague spared -him as he executed these acts of humanity.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">Pope referred to this bishop in the lines:</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Why drew Marseilles’ good bishop purer breath,<br /> -When nature sicken’d and each gale was death?”</p> - -<p class="p1">The pestilence, which had broken out in the spring,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span> -continued to rage till September, but abated after a -violent storm, and disappeared in November. At the -Revolution the merchant aristocracy did not relish the -movement, fearing an attack on property; but the lower -classes were maddened with enthusiasm for the “rights -of man,” which meant the right to chop off the head of -every one of whom they were envious, and of appropriating -to themselves the savings of the industrious. -Marseilles furnished, from the dregs of its population, -the bands of assassins which marched to Paris, screaming -forth Rouget de l’Isle’s hymn, which thenceforth -took the name of the Marseillaise; and these bands -were foremost in the September massacres in Paris.</p> - -<p>The Reign of Terror at Marseilles itself, under the -infamous Fréron and Barras, saw four hundred heads -fall upon the scaffold, to the shouts of the mob, “Ça ira! -Plus la République coupe de têtes, plus la République -s’affermit.”</p> - -<p>At Marseilles, Joseph Bonaparte, when acting there as -War Commissioner, met the sisters Clary. At his very -first visit he had been billeted on the soap-boiler, and -now, when again in the place, he lost his heart to one -of the girls. Both were destined to be queens. Julie -(Marie) was born in 1777, and married Joseph in 1794. -In 1797 Joseph was sent as ambassador to Rome, and -he took with him his wife and her sister Eugenie Désirée; -she was engaged to be married to General Duphot, who -was with Joseph in Rome. On the eve of their wedding -a disturbance took place in the streets of the Eternal -City, caused by a rising of the revolutionary party. -Duphot ran among them, whether to encourage them -or dissuade them from violence is uncertain; but he -was shot by the Papal soldiery in the tumult. Six<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> -months later Eugenie Désirée dried her tears in -her bridal veil, when she married the saddler’s son -Bernadotte, who was destined to wear the crown of -Sweden.</p> - -<p>Joseph became King of Naples and then of Spain. -Madame de Genlis, who knew both the young women, -has a good word to say for them. Of Julie, the wife of -Joseph, she says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“She always reminded me of the princesses of the Old -Court, and she had all the bearing and carriage of the last -princess of Conti. If Heaven had chosen to cause her to be -born on a throne it could not have rendered her more suitable, -with her graciousness, a great quality, which should characterise -all princes, and which with her was perfected by being united -to the most sincere piety, and hatred of all ostentation.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Of Eugenie, who became Queen of Norway and -Sweden, she says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“I had the honour to make the acquaintance of Madame -Bernadotte, sister of the Queen of Spain, who then had all -the charms of a graceful figure, and the most agreeable -manners. I was struck with the harmony that existed between -her amiable face, her conversation, and her mind.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Addison, who sailed from Marseilles on December 12th, -1699 (Macaulay says the date should be 1700), and -skirted the Ligurian coast to Genoa, was surprised and -delighted to see</p> - -<p class="pbqn p1">“the mountains cover’d with green Olive-trees, or laid out in -beautiful gardens, which gave us a great Variety of pleasing -Prospects, even in the Depth of Winter. The most uncultivated -of them produce abundance of sweet Plants, as Wild-Thyme, -Lavender, Rosemary, Balm and Myrtle.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">In his “Letter from Italy” he writes:—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“See how the golden groves around me smile,<br /> -That shun the coast of Britain’s stormy isle,<br /> -Or when transplanted and preserv’d with care,<br /> -Curse the cold clime, and starve in Northern air.<br /> -Here kindly warmth their mounting juice ferments,<br /> -To nobler tastes, and more exalted scents:<br /> -Ev’n the rough rocks with tender myrtle bloom,<br /> -And trodden weeds send out a rich perfume.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER IV<br /> -<span class="mid">AIX</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">A city left solitary—Foundation of Aquæ Sextiæ—The Invasion of -Cimbri and Teutons—Defeat of the Romans—Blunders of the -barbarians—Defeat of Cœpio and Manlius—Marius sent against the -barbarians—Defeat of the Ambrons—Destruction of the Teutons—Ste. -Victoire—The Garagoul—King Réné: Sir Walter Scott’s character -of him: his imprisonment: his failure in Naples: retires to Provence: -character of his daughter, Queen Margaret—The procession -at Aix—The Feast of Fools—Death of Réné: carrying off of his -corpse—Destruction of the tombs at Angers—Cathedral—Museum.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap16">AIX is perhaps the most dejected of cities. At one -time the life blood of the empire poured through -it. The great road that left the Flaminian gate of -Rome, passed along the coast of the Ligurian Gulf, -crossed the shoulder of the Alps at La Turbie, and -then, going through Nice and by Cannes, reached -Fréjus. At that point it turned inland, left the sea -behind, and made direct for Aix. Thence it stretched -away to Arles, and from that city radiated the routes to -Spain, throughout Gaul, and to the Rhine. Through -the market passed all the trade of the West; through -it tramped the legions for the conquest of Britain, and -the defence of the Rhenish frontier; through it travelled -the treasure for the pay of the soldiery; through it -streamed the lines of captives for the slave market at -Rome.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span></p> - -<p>But now, Aix is on no artery of communication. To -reach it, one most go in a loitering and roundabout -fashion by branch lines, on which run no express trains, -in company with oxen in pens and trucks of coal.</p> - -<p>Marseilles has drained away the traffic that formerly -ebbed and flowed through Aix, leaving it listless and -lifeless. But if we desire relics and reminiscences of -the past we must not omit a visit to Aix.</p> - -<p>Aquæ Sextiæ owes its foundation to Sextius Calvinus, -in <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 124. The town has thrice shifted its site. The -old Ligurian fortified town was on the heights of -Entremont, three kilometres to the north—and traces -of it remain, but what its name was we do not know. -After the defeat of the Ligurians, Sextius Calvinus -planted the Roman town about the hot springs; but -the modern town lies to the east. After his victory -over the Ambrons and Teutons Marius rested here -and adorned the town with monuments, and led water -to it by the aqueduct, of which fragments remain. -Cæsar planted a colony here, and the place enjoyed -great prosperity. It was sacked and destroyed by the -Saracens in 731, and but slowly recovered from its -ashes. From the thirteenth century the counts of Provence -held their court at Aix, and here lived and -painted and sang good King Réné, of whom more -presently.</p> - -<p>Aix first rises to notice conspicuously through the -defeat of the Ambro-Teutons by Marius <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 102. I -have described the campaign at some length in my book -<i>In Troubadour Land</i>, as I went over the whole of the -ground carefully. Here I will but sum up the story -briefly.</p> - -<p>The Cimbri from what is now Jutland, the Teutons,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span> -and the Ambrons, driven from their northern lands by -an inundation of the sea, so it was reported, more probably -drawn south by desire of reaching fertile and -warmer seats than the bleak wastes of Northern Germany, -crossed the Rhine to the number of 300,000 -fighting men, accompanied by their wives and children, -and moved south. All Gaul, and even Rome, trembled -before them, and the Senate despatched the Consul -Papirius Carbo against them. Having occupied the -defiles of the Alps, the Consul opened negotiations with -the barbarians, who pleaded to have lands allotted to -them. True to the unscrupulous principles of Rome, -in dealing with an enemy, he proposed an armistice, -which was accepted, and, profiting by this, he fell -treacherously on the enemy by night, when least -expected by the barbarians, who relied on his pacific -assurances. But the Cimbri, though taken at a disadvantage, -rallied and drove the legions back in disorder. -On his return to Rome, Carbo was subjected to -accusations by M. Antonius, and put an end to his life -by drinking a solution of vitriol. Instead of profiting by -this great victory to enter Italy, the horde retraced its -steps and turned towards Illyria and Thrace; after -devastating these, they again reappeared in Gaul on the -right bank of the Rhone, laden with spoils. Julius -Silanus, governor of the province, hastened to block -their course, and the barbarians again asked to be -granted lands on which to settle, offering in return to -place their arms at the service of Rome. Silanus -referred the proposal to the Senate. The reply was -one of insolent refusal and defiance. This so exasperated -the Cimbri and Teutons that they resolved on -crossing the Rhone and exacting at the point of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> -sword what had been refused as a voluntary concession. -In vain did a Roman army endeavour to dispute with -them the passage of the river. They crossed, fell on -the Romans, and slaughtered them.</p> - -<p>After this great success, the barbarians, instead of -pursuing their advantage, spread through the province -and formed an alliance with the Volci Tectosages, who -had their capital at Toulouse. Then they hurried towards -Northern Gaul. The consul Cœpio was sent -to chastise the Volci for their defection, and he took and -pillaged Toulouse. The Cimbri and Teutons, on hearing -of this, retraced their steps and confronted Cœpio. But a -year was allowed to pass without any decisive action -being fought.</p> - -<p>In the meantime a fresh army had been raised in -Rome, and despatched to the aid of Cœpio, under -the command of Manlius. In a fit of jealousy Cœpio -retired to the left bank, encamped apart, and refused -to hold any communication with Manlius; and, that he -might have an opportunity of finishing the war himself, -he pitched his quarters between Manlius and the enemy. -At this juncture, with such a formidable host threatening, -the utmost prudence and unanimity were needed -by the two commanders; this the soldiers perceived, -and they compelled Cœpio, against his will, to unite his -forces with those of Manlius. But this did not mend -matters. They quarrelled again, and again separated. -The barbarians, who were informed as to the condition -of affairs, now fell on one army and then on the other, -and utterly routed both. Eighty thousand Roman -soldiers and forty thousand camp followers perished; -only ten men are said to have escaped the slaughter. -It was one of the most crushing defeats the Romans had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> -ever sustained, and the day on which it happened, -October 6th, became one of the black days in the -Roman calendar.</p> - -<p>This overwhelming victory opened to the barbarians -the gates of Italy. It was, however, decided by them -to ravage Spain before invading Italy. The whole -course of proceedings on their part was marked by -a series of fatal blunders. Accordingly they crossed the -Pyrenees, but met with such stubborn resistance from -the Iberians that they withdrew.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Rome had recalled Marius from Africa, -where he had triumphed over Jugurtha, King of -Numidia, along with some of his victorious legions; and -to him was entrusted the defence of Italy. He hastily -raised a new army, hurried into the province, crossed -the <i>crau</i>, and planted himself at the extreme western -end of the chain of Les Alpines at Ernaginum, now -S. Gabriel, whence he could watch the enemy; and -whilst there he employed the soldiery in digging a -canal from the sea to the Durance, by means of which -his camp could be supplied from Marseilles with munitions -of war and provisions.</p> - -<p>The Cimbri and Teutons, on leaving Spain, divided -their forces. They decided that the Cimbri should cross -into the plains of Italy by the passes of the Noric Alps, -whereas the Ambrons and Teutons should advance -across the Maritime Alps by the Col de Tende.</p> - -<p>Marius remained inert, and observed the enemy cross -the Rhone without making an effort to prevent the -passage, to the surprise and indignation of his troops. -The barbarians in vain attempted to draw him into -an engagement. Then they defiled along the Roman -road to the north of Les Alpines, passing under the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> -palisades of the camp, shouting derisively, “We are on -our way to Rome! Have you any messages for your -wives and children?” Six days were spent in the -march past.</p> - -<p>With difficulty Marius restrained his men. Only -when the last of the Ambrons, who brought up the -rear, had gone by did Marius break up his camp. He -had along with him his wife, Julia, and a Syrian -sorceress named Martha. This woman, gorgeously -attired, wearing a mitre, covered with chains of gold, -and holding a javelin hung with ribbons, was now produced -before the soldiery, and, falling into an ecstasy, -she prophesied victory to the Roman arms. Marius -now moved east, following the horde, keeping, however, -to the high ground, the summit of the limestone cliffs, -and he came suddenly upon the Ambrons at Les Milles, -four miles to the south of Aix. At this point red sandstone -heights stand above the little river Are, and from -under the rocks ooze innumerable streams. Here the -Ambrons were bathing, when the Roman legionaries -appeared above.</p> - -<p>Marius saw that the Ambrons had become detached -from the Teutons, who were pushing on to Aix. He -had now no occasion to restrain his soldiers, who poured -down the hill and cut the enemy to pieces.</p> - -<p>Then he thrust on in pursuit of the Teutons. He -knew the ground thoroughly. The road beyond Aix -ran through a basin—a plain bordered by mountain -heights, those on the north sheer precipices of yellow -and pink limestone, those on the south not abrupt, and -clothed with coppice and box shrubs. He detached -Claudius Marcellus to make a circuit to the north of -the limestone range, with the cavalry, and to take<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> -up a position where the road emerges from the -basin, at its eastern limit. He, with the main body of -his army, by forced marches outstripped the Teutons, -be moving to the south, out of sight in the brushwood, -and came out where stands now the town of Trets. -Thence he advanced down the slope towards the plain, -which is red as blood with sandstone and clay, and -where were tile works, Ad Tegulata. The Teutons had -already encamped, when they saw the Romans. An -engagement at once began. Whilst it was in progress, -Marcellus came down in their rear with his cavalry. The -result was a rout and a slaughter. Few were spared -among the fighting men. Over 100,000 were slaughtered -or made prisoners. Their wives and children, their -camp, and all their plunder, fell to the victors. So great -was the carnage, that the putrefying remains of the -Germans gave to the spot the name of Campi Putridi, -now corrupted into Pourrières.</p> - -<p>A monument was afterwards erected where the -fiercest of the battle raged, the foundations of which -remain; and here was found the statue of Venus Victrix, -now in the Museum of Avignon; and at Pourrières -a triumphal arch was raised that still stands to commemorate -the victory. On the crag to the north, -commanding the field, a temple of Victory was erected -that in Christian times became a chapel of Ste. Victoire, -and the great deliverance in <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 120 is still commemorated -by the lighting of bonfires on the heights, -and by a pilgrimage and mass said in the chapel on -March 23rd. A little convent was erected near the -chapel, that is now in ruins; the existing chapel dates -from only 1661. At the Revolution it was allowed -to fall to decay, but has since been restored. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> -height of Ste. Victoire is noted as the resort of a -special kind of eagle, resembling the golden eagle, but -more thickset, and with “white scapulars.”</p> - -<p>It may be remembered that Sir Walter Scott has -placed one of the scenes of <i>Anne of Geierstein</i> at the -Monastery of Ste. Victoire.</p> - -<p>Near the chapel is the cavern of Lou Garagoul:</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“In the midst of this cavernous thoroughfare,” says Sir -Walter, “is a natural pit or perforation of great, but unknown, -depth. A stone dropped into it is heard to dash from side -to side, until the noise of its descent, thundering from cliff to -cliff, dies away in distant and faint tinkling, less loud than that -of a sheep’s bell at a mile’s distance. The traditions of the -monastery annex wild and fearful recollections to a place in -itself sufficiently terrible. Oracles, it is said, spoke from -thence in pagan days by subterranean voices, arising from the -abyss.”</p> - -<p class="pn1">The pit is, in fact, one of these <i>avens</i> so commonly -found on the limestone <i>causses</i>. The description is -somewhat overdrawn, but Sir Walter had never seen -the place, and all he knew of it was second hand.</p> - -<p>With Aix, King Réné is inseparably associated, that -most unfortunate Mark Tapley of monarchs claiming -to be King of Jerusalem, Aragon, of Naples and of -Sicily, of Valencia, Majorca, Minorca, of Corsica and -Sardinia—to wear nine crowns, and yet not possessing a -rood of territory in one of them; Duke of Anjou and -Bar, but despoiled of his dukedoms, and reduced to only -his county of Provence.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-063.jpg" width="400" height="485" id="i63" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">KING RÉNÉ</p> - <p class="pc wn"><i>From the Triptych in Aix Cathedral</i></p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p> - -<p>Sir Walter Scott pretty accurately describes him:—</p> - -<p class="pbq">“Réné was a prince of very moderate parts, endowed with -a love of the fine arts, which he carried to extremity, and a -degree of good humour, which never permitted him to repine -at fortune, but rendered its possessor happy, when a prince of -keener feelings would have died of despair. This insouciant, -light-tempered, gay, and thoughtless disposition, conducted -Réné, free from all the passions which embitter life, and often -shorten it, to a hale and mirthful old age. Even domestic losses, -which often affect those who are proof against mere reverses of -fortune, made no deep impression on the feelings of this cheerful -old monarch. Most of his children had died young; Réné -took it not to heart. His daughter Margaret’s marriage with -the powerful Henry of England was considered a connexion -much above the fortunes of the King of the Troubadours. -But in the issue, instead of Réné deriving any splendour from -the match, he was involved in the misfortunes of his -daughter, and repeatedly obliged to impoverish himself to -supply her ransom.”</p> - -<p class="p1">In the Cours Mirabeau at Aix may be seen a -statue of him by David of Angers, but it is worthless as -a bit of portraiture; which is indefensible, as several -genuine portraits of the king exist; one is in the -cathedral along with his second wife, in the triptych -of the Burning Bush; another in the MS. of Guarini’s -translation of Strabo, in the library at Albi; a third, -in private hands, has been engraved in the Count de -Quatrebarbe’s edition of King Réné’s works.</p> - -<p>Réné has got into such a backwater of history that -probably not many English folk know more about him -than that he was the father of the unfortunate Margaret, -Queen of Henry VI., sketched for us by Shakespeare -in an unfavourable light, and more of him than what -Scott is pleased to say in <i>Anne of Geierstein</i>. But -no man has so taken hold of Provençal affection as has -Réné.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“If to the present day,” says a local historian, “the thought -of this King makes a Provençal heart beat with tender love, -it is due to this: that never was there a sovereign who showed -greater consideration for his people, was more sparing of their -blood and money, more desirous of promoting their happiness. -Simple and modest in all his tastes, enjoying less revenue than -most of the Seigneurs who were his vassals, he was to be seen -every winter sunning himself in the midst of his subjects, who -idolised him.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Réné, Duke of Anjou and Maine, was prisoner to the -Duke of Burgundy, when news reached him that the inheritances -of his brother and of Queen Joanna II. of the -Two Sicilies, had fallen to him. Married to Isabella, -daughter of Charles of Lorraine, he had claimed that -duchy on the death of his father-in-law, and in opposition -to Anthony, Count of Vaudemont, nephew of -Charles. The Count of Vaudemont was supported by -Philip, Duke of Burgundy. Réné was defeated and -taken prisoner, along with his son and all his great -nobles. Conducted to the castle of Blacon, near Salines, -he was there retained in captivity till he could pay an -enormous ransom. It was, accordingly, whilst a prisoner -that he heard the news of the death of his brother, -Louis III., and of his adoption by the queen, and then -of the death of Joanna, in 1435.</p> - -<p>As he was unable to take possession of his kingdom -of the Two Sicilies, he was obliged to transfer his authority -to his wife, the Duchess Isabella, a woman of rare -prudence and of masculine courage. The absence of -Réné from his kingdom of Naples gave rise to the formation -of factions: one favoured Alphonso of Aragon, a -claimant; another took the side of Pope Eugenius IV., -who wanted to annex the Sicilies to the papal states;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span> -a third party favoured Réné, and this latter was the most -numerous. But the King of Aragon was prompt and -determined. Alphonso hastened to Naples, took Capua, -and laid siege to Gaeta. Happily for Réné’s party, -the Genoese, who were jealous of Alphonso, forced him -to raise the siege, and took him prisoner. Later, however, -Gaeta fell before Peter, the brother of Alphonso.</p> - -<p>At this time Isabella was making preparations at Aix -and in the port of Marseilles for a descent on Naples. -The Pope was induced to withdraw his claim, to lend -her 4,000 horsemen, and to help her by hurling excommunications -against the Aragonese. Meanwhile, King -Réné, by promises, had succeeded in effecting his release, -but on very harsh terms. He bound himself to -pay 200,000 gold florins, and to cede several fortified -places till his ransom was paid. His son, the Duke of -Calabria, had been set at liberty the year before for a -ransom of 25,000 florins. Réné had spent six years in -prison.</p> - -<p>Delivered from his long captivity, Réné hastened to -Provence, where the estates found him 100,000 gold -florins for the prosecution of the war. In April, 1438, -Réné sailed from Marseilles for Naples. Unfortunately -for him, at this time his trusted constable, Jacopo -Caldora, died, and the king gave his place to the son -of Caldora, a man of very different stamp, who sold -himself to the King of Aragon and threw every possible -hindrance in the way of Réné, who was besieged -in Naples, and sorely hampered by lack of money -wherewith to content his soldiery. One day, as he was -passing through the streets, a widow cried to him to give -her bread for her starving children. Réné passed without -a word. “If he will not feed them, I know who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> -will,” said the woman, and she hastened to betray to a -partisan of Alphonso the secret of a subterranean passage -into the town; in fact, the old aqueduct through -which, nine centuries before, Belisarius had penetrated -into Naples. The Spaniards poured into the town, and -Réné had but just time to escape to a vessel in the bay. -He retired to Provence, and there his wife, Isabella, -died in 1453. He had her body moved to Angers, and -erected over her a noble tomb, near one he had set up -some years before to his old nurse. Réné fought against -the English beside the French King, and was in the -battle of Crecy. In 1448 his daughter Margaret had -been married to Henry VI.</p> - -<p>Shakespeare and the chroniclers have combined to -blacken the character of this unfortunate woman. She -is represented in repulsive colours, as unfeminine, revengeful, -loose in her morals; and even her energy -and fortitude are distorted into unnatural ferocity and -obduracy. But we cannot trust the picture painted of -her. The English people resented the marriage with an -impecunious woman, and the cession of the duchy of -Maine to the French as the price for her hand. They -were galled and writhing at the humiliation of the -English arms, in a series of victories won by the aid of -the Maid of Orleans. She was, moreover, placed in the -unnatural position of having to supply, by her force of -character, the feebleness of her husband’s rule. The -soft, feminine nature of Henry’s disposition threw hers by -contrast into undue prominence. She had penetration -to discover, what was hidden from Henry’s eyes, that -the throne was surrounded by false friends and secret -enemies. Considering the incapacity of the King, it is -unjust to judge her harshly, if she strove with all her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> -powers to save the crown imperilled by his feebleness. -The situation in which she was placed compelled her to -do that which is the worst thing a woman can do, to -unsex herself, and that, not like the Maid of Orleans, in -consequence of a Divine impulse, but from motives of -policy. Inevitably much has been attributed to her for -which she was not rightfully responsible. It could -hardly be otherwise than that much in her way of life -was inconsistent with her female character; a woman -cannot play a man’s part in the work of the world -without detriment to her own nature; but this was -forced on her by the helpless imbecility of her husband, -and she was compelled by the stress of circumstances -to take the first part in a struggle to save the crown, and -to hand it on to her son.</p> - -<p>After the death of Isabella, Réné married Jeanne de -Laval, with whom he lived happily. He loved to walk -about the country in a broad-brimmed straw hat, and -to chat with the peasants; or else to amuse himself with -illuminating MSS. and composing poems.</p> - -<p>Louis XI. was his nephew, a crafty and cold-blooded -king, and he took advantage of the inability of Réné to -offer effective resistance to dispossess him of his duchy -of Anjou. Thenceforth Réné, who had spent his time -between Anjou and Provence, was constrained to reside -only in the latter.</p> - -<p>One great source of delight to him consisted in -scheming showy public processions and tournaments, -and in hunting up relics of saints. He instituted a -festival at Aix to represent the triumph of Christianity -over Paganism, that was to be repeated annually. At -the head of the procession appeared the gods, with their -proper attributes—Jove with his eagle and thunderbolts,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> -Pluto surrounded by devils, Diana with her crescent, -Venus in the scantiest of garments. Around their -chariot trotted an assembly of lepers covered with sores -and vested in rags. Then came a body of pipers, -dancers, and soldiers. Next appeared the Queen of -Sheba on a visit to Solomon; Moses with the Tables -of the Law, and with gilt horns; round him a rabble -of Jews hooting and cutting derisive antics, and -dancing about a golden calf. Next came apostles and -evangelists, all with their appropriate symbols, and -Judas, against whose head the apostles delivered -whacks, Peter with his keys, Andrew with his cross, -James with his staff.</p> - -<p>Then came a gigantic figure to represent S. Christopher, -followed by military engaged in sham fight. Next the -Abbot of Youth, the Lord of Misrule, the Twelfth -Night King, and other allegorical figures preceding the -Blessed Sacrament, carried under a daïs. Finally the -procession closed with a figure of Death mowing to -right and left with his scythe. Each group of this -interminable procession executed a sort of dramatic -game designed by King Réné—the game of the stars, -of the devils, and so on; and the whole procession -moved, not only to the braying of horns, the beating of -drums, and the shrill notes of the wry-necked fife, but -also to the discordant clashing of all the church bells of -Aix.</p> - -<p>It was a matter of keen competition annually to get -a part to play in the show. One man on a certain -occasion was highly wrath and offended because he was -not set down to the part of Devil. “My father was a -devil before me, my grandfather was a devil, why should -not I be one as well?” Possibly King Réné devised the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> -entertainment to draw people away from their celebration -of the Feast of Fools, a feast that existed in full -vigour until it was finally put down by the provincial -council of Aix in 1585, after Réné had vainly -endeavoured to get rid of it. This astounding piece -of ribaldry and profanity was everywhere, and every -effort made by the Church to be rid of it had met with -stubborn resistance from the people. In Dijon it was -abolished by the Parliament in 1552, as the ecclesiastical -authorities were powerless to end it.</p> - -<p>The Feast of Fools was the carrying on of the old -pagan Saturnalia, when on December 17th for a week all -conditions were turned topsy-turvey. The slaves took -places at table and the masters served; and the streets -were full of riot and revelry. It was customary at Aix -and Arles, and in almost every great church in France, -from the New Year to the Epiphany, for the people to -proceed to the election of a Bishop of Fools. The -election took place amidst buffoonery and the most -indecent farces. The newly-elected was then made to -officiate pontifically at the high altar, whilst clerks -carried mitre and crozier, their faces daubed over with -paint or soot. Some men dressed as women, women were -disguised as men, and danced in the choir. Songs of -the grossest nature were sung; and in place of incense -old leather and all kinds of filth were burnt; sausages -and black puddings were eaten on the altar. The last -traces of these horrible profanities did not disappear till -the middle of the eighteenth century.</p> - -<p>But to return to King Réné. He died at the age of -seventy-two in July, 1480, and according to his will, his -nephew, Charles of Maine, took possession of the county -of Provence under the title of Charles IV. But he soon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> -died, and then Louis XI. annexed Provence, as he had -Anjou, to the French crown.</p> - -<p>Réné had desired to be buried at Angers beside his -first wife, and Jeanne, his second, tried to carry out his -wishes; but the people of Aix would not hear of the -body being removed from their midst. The estates met, -and sent a petition to Jeanne to renounce the idea of -conveying the remains away from Provence. However, -she gained the consent of the archbishop to the -removal; but she was obliged to wait a whole year -before the suspicions and watchfulness of the people of -Aix would allow her to execute her purpose. Then she -sent a covered waggon, with intent, as she gave out, to -remove some of her goods from the castle at Aix; and -during the night the body of the old king was whisked -away; the horses started at a gallop, and the corpse -conveyed beyond the frontiers of the county before the -people were aware of the theft. A noble monument -was erected at Angers to contain the mortal remains of -Réné. Unhappily at the French Revolution this, as well -as the monument and statue of Isabella, his first wife, -and even that of his dear old nurse, were smashed to -fragments by the rabble.</p> - -<p>The cathedral is an interesting church: the south aisle -constituted the Early Romanesque church. To this was -added the present nave in 1285, with apse. On the -south side of the church is a charming Early Romanesque -cloister, and on the north is a baptistry of the -sixth century, but somewhat altered in 1577, containing -eight columns of polished granite and marble proceeding -from some demolished temple. There are two -objects in the church likely more specially to attract -attention; the triptych of the Burning Bush, where<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> -King Réné and Jeanne de Laval are represented kneeling -before the Bush that burns with fire and is not -consumed, and in which, by a curious anachronism, is -represented the Virgin and Child. This triptych was -painted, it is thought, by Van der Meire, a disciple of -Van Eyck. The other object is the magnificent series -of tapestries in the choir, representing the Life of Our -Lord, which came from S. Paul’s Cathedral, London, -whence they were ejected at the time of the Commonwealth. -The date of these tapestries is 1511, and they -are attributed to Quentin Matsys of Antwerp.</p> - -<p>The museum of Aix richly deserves a visit. It contains -bas-reliefs dug up at Entremont, where was the old -Ligurian stronghold, taken by Sextius Calvinus; and -these are the very earliest bits of Gaulish sculpture that -have been found anywhere. There are also numerous -relics of the classic Aix that have been unearthed in the -town, and Christian sarcophagi sculptured with Biblical -scenes.</p> - -<p>In the town library is King Réné’s <i>Book of Hours</i>, -illuminated by his own hand.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER V<br /> -<span class="mid">TOULON</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">Coudon and Faron—Telo Martius—Dye works—Toulon made an arsenal -and dockyard—Galley slaves—The Bagne—The Red Caps—Travaux -forcés—Story of Cognard—Siege of 1793—Carteaux and Napoleon—Massacre—Expedition -to Egypt.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap04">THE precipices of limestone, Coudon, 1,205 feet high, -and Faron, 1,790 feet, standing as guardians over -Toulon, crowned with gleaming circles of white fortifications, -effectually protect the great arsenal and dockyards -of this place of first importance to France. Coudon -looks out over the <i>crau</i> towards the Gulf of Hyères, -and would effectually prevent attack thence; and Faron, -standing immediately above the harbour of Toulon, -could sink any fleet that ventured within range. Indeed, -till these two fortresses should be silenced, Toulon -would be impregnable.</p> - -<p>Faron (<i>Pharus</i>), as its name implies, was formerly the -beacon height to the <i>Rade</i>. During the night a fire -was flaming on its summit, during the day moistened -straw was burnt to send up a column of smoke. This -language of signals communicated to the population of -the coast the appearance on the horizon of vessels suspected -of piratical intent. The beacon of Faron communicated -with other beacons on heights within sight of -one another. The keeping up of these signals on points<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span> -of observation was essential to the protection of the -coast, and the archives of Toulon contain a series of -agreements concluded between the town and the neighbouring -places, for the maintenance of the watch-tower -of Faron, as also that of Six Fours, one of the most -ancient lighthouses of France.</p> - -<p>Toulon, the Latin Telo Martius, was originally a -Phœnician settlement for the preparation of the famous -Tyrian dye, made out of the shell of the <i>murex</i>. The -Latins called it the Telo of Mars, the God of War, -because, as lover of blood, he was patron as well of the -dye, which ranged through all the gamut of tints from -crimson to blue-purple.</p> - -<p>The town was ravaged successively by Franks and -Saracens, and sank to insignificance; it did not become -a place of maritime and military importance till the -sixteenth century, when Henry IV. built the forts of -Ste. Catherine and S. Antoine, and the two great moles -that flank the port; he was the first to discern that the -pivot of defence of Provence lay here. Louis XIV. -confided to Colbert the reorganisation of the fleet; and -for the purpose dockyards, workshops of all descriptions, -were needed. The basins were enlarged and deepened, -and Vauban received instructions to extend the quays, -construct fortifications, surround the city with a series -of star forts, according to the system that has immortalised -his name, and, in a word, make of Toulon the first -arsenal of France. It was due to this that the place was -able to withstand the sieges of 1707 and 1793. Toulon -was, moreover, made the largest convict establishment of -France; and the convicts were employed on the work -of its defences, in excavating basins, and building quays -and warehouses.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span></p> - -<p>In ancient times—indeed, from the classic period—the -arduous and exhausting work of rowing vessels was -given to slaves and prisoners. No free man would -endure the toil and hardship of the galleys. War -vessels, merchantmen, and pleasure yachts were alike -propelled by this unfortunate class of men. Jacques -Cœur, the banker, had four coquettish galleys with -gilded prows and oars, propelled by prisoners hired for -his service. Each of these vessels had at the bows a -sacred image, wreathed with flowers, of the saint whose -name it bore. There was La Madeleine, S. Jacques, -S. Michel, and S. Denis. Charles VII. seized them all; -he did not leave a single boat to the fugitive merchant, -whose only fault was that he had made the King of -France his debtor to the amount of a hundred thousand -crowns.</p> - -<p>In a large galley as many as six men were required -for each oar. Sweating close together, for hour after -hour, not sitting, but leaping on the bench, in order to -throw their whole weight on the oar, they were kept to -their task with little relaxation.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Think of six men, chained to a bench, naked as when they -were born; one foot on the stretcher, and the other on the -bench in front, holding an immensely heavy oar (15 feet long), -bending forward to the stern with arms at full reach to clear -the backs of the rowers in front, who bend likewise; and then, -having got forward, shoving up the oar’s end, to let the blade -catch the water, then throwing their bodies back on to the -groaning bench. A galley was thus propelled sometimes for -ten, twelve, or even twenty hours, without a moment’s rest. -The boatswain in such a stress puts a piece of bread steeped -in wine into the wretched rower’s mouth to stop fainting, and -then the captain shouts the order to redouble the lash. If<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> -a slave falls exhausted upon his oar (which often happens), -he is flogged till he is taken for dead, and then pitched unceremoniously -into the sea.”<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p> - -<p class="p1">Jean Marteille, of Bergerac, who was himself on the -galleys about the year 1701, thus described the life:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Those who have not seen a galley at sea, especially in -chasing or being chased, cannot well conceive the shock such -a spectacle must give to a heart capable of the least tincture -of compassion. To behold ranks and files of half naked, half -starved, half tanned, meagre wretches, chained to a plank, -from which they do not remove for months together (commonly -half a year), urged on even beyond human endurance, with -cruel and repeated blows on their bare flesh, to the incessant -toil at the most laborious of all exercises, which often happens -in a furious chase,—was indeed a horrifying spectacle.”</p> - -<p class="p1">To be condemned to the galleys was not necessarily a -life sentence. At first all such as were sent thither -were branded on the shoulder with GAL, but afterwards -this was changed to T.F. for Travaux forcés, -or T.P. if for life; and each class wore a special -coloured cap. Great was the indignation felt at the -Revolution, on ascertaining that the red cap of Liberty -was what was worn by one class of gaol-birds. A -member of the Convention rose and demanded that this -honourable badge should be removed from their heads; -and amidst thunders of applause, the motion was carried. -A special commissioner was despatched to Toulon to -order the abolition of the red cap from the Bagne. -Accordingly all the caps were confiscated and burnt. -But the National Convention had made no provision -for replacing the red cap with one of another colour,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span> -consequently the prisoners had for some time to go -bare-headed. In 1544 the Archbishop of Bourges -sent a couple of priests and two other clerks to the -captain of the galleys at Toulon, and required him to -put them to hard labour. But this was regarded by the -Parliament as an infringement of its rights, and the -captain was ordered to send the clerics back to -the archbishop.</p> - -<p>Men were condemned to the galleys for every sort -of crime and fault. Many a wretched Huguenot toiled -at the oar. Often enough a nobleman laboured beside a -man belonging to the dregs of the people. Haudriquer -de Blancourt, in love with a lady of good rank, to flatter -her made a false entry in her pedigree, so as to -enhance her nobility. There ensued an outcry among -heralds, and for this De Blancourt was sent to the -galleys.</p> - -<p>As naval construction and science improved, oars -were no longer employed, and sails took their places; -the galleys were moored at Toulon, Brest and Roquefort, -and acquired the name of Bagnes. The derivation -is uncertain. By some it is supposed to be derived -from the Provençal <i>bagna</i>, which signifies “moored,” -by others from the prisons of the slaves near the Bagno, -or baths of the seraglio at Constantinople.</p> - -<p>Louis XVI. abolished torture, which had filled the -Bagne with cripples. Thenceforth the Bagne ceased -to be an infirmary of martyrs, and became a workshop -of vigorous labourers. The Revolution of 1789 -tore up all the old codes, but it maintained the galleys, -only it changed the name of Galerien to Travaux -forcés à temps, ou à perpetuité. No one formerly -seemed to be sensible to the horrible brutality of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> -galleys. When Madame de Grignan wrote an account -of a visit to one of them to her friend Mme de Sévigné, -that lady replied “she would much like to see this sort -of Hell,” with “the men groaning day and night under -the weight of their chains.”</p> - -<p>Furthenbach, in his <i>Architectura navalis</i> (Ulm, 1629), -says that the convict in a galley received 28 ounces of -biscuit per week, and a spoonful of a mess of rice and -vegetables. The full complement of a large galley -consisted of 270 rowers, with captain, chaplain, doctor, -boatswain, master, and ten to fifteen gentlemen -adventurers, friends of the captain, sharing his mess, -and berthed in the poop; also about eighteen marines -and ten warders, a carpenter, cook, cooper, and smith, -&c., and from fifty to sixty soldiers; so that the whole -equipage of a galley must have reached a total of four -hundred men.</p> - -<p>The Bagne has seen strange inmates. Perhaps no -story of a <i>forçat</i> is more extraordinary than that of -Cognard, better known as the Count of Pontis de -Sainte-Hélène. This man, who seemed to have been -born to command, was well built, tall, and singularly -handsome, with a keen eye and a lofty carriage. This -fellow managed to escape from the Bagne, and made -his way into Spain, where he formed an acquaintance -with the noble family of Pontis de Sainte-Hélène, and -by some means, never fully cleared up, blotted the -whole family out of life and secured all their papers, -and thenceforth passed himself off as a Pontis. Under -this name he became a sub-lieutenant in the Spanish -army, then rose to be captain of a squadron, and after -the attack on Montevideo, gained the rank of lieutenant-colonel. -Later he formed a foreign legion, and took<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> -part in the political struggles in the Peninsula. He -affected the most rigid probity in all matters of military -accounts, and denounced two of the officers who had -been guilty of embezzlement. But these men, in their -own defence, accused Pontis of malversion, and General -Wimpfen had him arrested. He escaped, but was -caught, and transferred to Palma, among the French -prisoners. In the bay was lying a Spanish brig. -Cognard proposed to his fellow prisoners to attempt -to capture it. The <i>coup de main</i> succeeded, and after -having taken the brig, they sailed for Algiers, where -they sold the vessel, and went to Malaga, then in -French occupation. Count Pontis was given a squadron -under the Duke of Dalmatia; and when the French -army retreated he was accorded a battalion in the -100th regiment of the line.</p> - -<p>At the siege of Toulouse, the Count of Pontis, at the -head of a flying column, took an English battery. At -Waterloo he was wounded.</p> - -<p>In 1815 the Count was made Knight of Saint Louis, -and given a battalion in the legion of the Seine, and -in six months was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel. -One day the Duc de Berri asked him if he were one of -the noble Spanish House of Ste. Hélène. “Pardieu, mon -prince,” answered Cognard, “je suis noble, et de la vieille -roche encore.”</p> - -<p>Cognard, covered with decorations, in his rich -uniform, at the head of his regiment, at reviews—might -well have pushed his fortune further, but for -an unfortunate meeting. One day, as commander of -his corps, he presided, near the column of the Place -Vendôme, at a military degradation; when an old Toulon -convict, who had been released, observed him, eyed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> -him attentively, and, convinced that he recognised an -old comrade of the Bagne, in a fit of spleen and envy, -denounced him as such.</p> - -<p>The general Despinois sent for Pontis, and finding -that there was much that was equivocal on his part, despatched -him, under the charge of four gens d’armes, -to the Abbaye. There he obtained from the officer permission -to change his linen, was allowed to return to his -quarters, possessed himself of a pair of pistols, and -escaped. Six months after, the Count Pontis de Sainte -Hélène, lieutenant-colonel of the legion of the Seine, -Knight of S. Louis and of the legion of honour, was -recaptured, convicted of appearing under a false name, -suspected of the murder of the Pontis family, recognised -as an evaded convict, and was sent to end his days in -the Bagne at Brest.</p> - -<p>In October, 1793, a disorderly mob of soldiers and -revolutionary cut-throats, under the command of the -painter Carteaux, after having dyed their hands in the -blood of six thousand of their countrymen, whom they -had massacred at Lyons, invested Toulon, which had -shut its gates against the revolutionary army, and had -thrown open its port to the English. The town was -crowded with refugees from Marseilles, and its bastions -were occupied by a mixed multitude of defenders, -Sardinians, Spaniards, French, and English, united in -nothing save in common hatred of the monsters who -were embrued in blood.</p> - -<p>The investing army was divided into two corps, -separated by the Faron. On the west was Ollioules, -where Carteaux had established his headquarters. The -commander-in-chief, ignorant of the first principles of -military science, and allowing his wife to draw out the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -orders for the day, and sign them as Femme Carteaux, -had planted his batteries where they could do no injury -to the English fleet. The siege had begun in September; -it dragged on through October. There was organisation -neither in the host nor in the commissariat. The army -was composed partly of troops detached from that of -Italy, mainly of volunteers set at liberty by the taking -of Lyons, and a horde of Marseillais ruffians, animated -by hopes of murder and plunder.</p> - -<p>In the midst of this confusion Bonaparte arrived -before Toulon, and appearing before Carteaux had the -audacity to point out to him the rudimentary errors he -had committed. Carteaux was furious, but his claws -were clipped by the Commissioners, who, satisfied of -his incompetence, dismissed him, and Dugommier, an -old officer, was placed in command. On November 25th -a council of war was held, and the Commissioners placed -the command of the artillery in the hands of Bonaparte.</p> - -<p>In compliance with his instructions, the whole force -of the besiegers was directed against the English redoubt -Mulgrave, now fort Caire, on the Aiguillette. -An attempt to carry it by assault was made on the -morning of December 17th. The troops of the Convention -were driven back, and Dugommier, who headed the -attempt, gave up all for lost. But fresh troops were -rapidly brought up in support, another onslaught was -attempted, and succeeded in overpowering the Spanish -soldiers, to whom a portion of the line was entrusted; -whereupon the assailants broke in, turned the flank of -the English detachment, and cut down three hundred -of them.</p> - -<p>The possession of this fort rendered the further maintenance -of the exterior defences of Toulon impracticable.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> -Its effect was at once recognised by the English -commander, and during the night the whole of the allied -troops were withdrawn from the promontory into the -city.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, another attack had been made, under the -direction of Napoleon, on the rocky heights of Faron, -which were carried, and the mountain was occupied by -the Republicans, who hoisted the tricolor flag.</p> - -<p>The garrison of Toulon consisted of above ten thousand -men, and the fortifications of the town itself were as yet -uninjured; but the harbour was commanded and swept -by the guns of the enemy from l’Aiguillette and Faron. -Sir Samuel Hood, in command of the English squadron, -strongly urged the necessity of recovering the points -that had been lost; but he was overruled, and it was resolved -to evacuate the place.</p> - -<p>When the citizens of Toulon became aware of this -decision, they were filled with dismay. They knew but -too well what fate was in store for them if left to the -hands of their remorseless fellow-countrymen. Accordingly -the quays were crowded with terror-stricken men -and women imploring to be taken on board, whilst -already the shot from Napoleon’s batteries tore lanes -among them, or his shells exploded in their midst. -With difficulty, as many as could be accommodated -were placed in boats and conveyed to the ships. Fourteen -thousand were thus rescued; but Napoleon directed -shot and shell among the boats, sinking some, and -drowning the unhappy and innocent persons who were -flying from their homes.</p> - -<p>The prisoners now broke their chains and added to -the horror, as they burst into the deserted houses, robbing -and firing and murdering where resistance was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> -offered. Next day the troops of the Convention entered -the town. During the ensuing days, some hundreds of -the inhabitants who had not escaped were swept together -into an open place, and without any form of trial were -shot.</p> - -<p>Barras and Fréron issued a proclamation that all who -considered themselves to be good citizens were required -to assemble in the Champ-de-Mars under pain of death. -Three thousand responded to the order. Fréron was -on horseback, surrounded by the troops, cannon, and -Jacobins. Turning to these latter, he said, “Go into -the crowd and pick out whom you will, and range them -along that wall.”</p> - -<p>The Jacobins went in and did as desired, according -to their caprice. Then, at a signal from Fréron, the -guns were discharged, and the unhappy crowd swayed; -some fell, others, against the wall, dropped. Fréron -shouted, “Let those who are not dead stand up.” Such -as had been wounded only rose, when another volley -sent them out of life.</p> - -<p>Salicetti wrote exultingly: “The town is on fire, and -offers a hideous spectacle; most of the inhabitants have -escaped. Those who remain will serve to appease the -manes of our brave brothers who fought with such -valor.” Fouché, Napoleon’s future Head of Police, -wrote: “Tears of joy stream over my cheeks and flood -my soul. We have but one way in which to celebrate -our victory. We have this evening sent 213 rebels -under the fire of our lightning.” “We must guillotine -others,” said Barras, “to save ourselves from being -guillotined.” Executions went on for several days, and -numbers of the hapless remnant perished. But even -this did not satisfy the Convention. On the motion of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span> -Barrère, it was decreed that the name of Toulon should -be blotted out, and a commission, consisting of Barras, -Fréron, and the younger Robespierre, was ordered to -continue the slaughter. Such as were able bought their -lives. One old merchant of eighty-four offered all his -wealth save eight hundred livres; but the revolutionary -judge, coveting the whole, sent him under the guillotine, -and confiscated his entire property.</p> - -<p>Whilst the butchery was in progress, a grand dinner -was given in celebration of the taking of the town. -Generals, representatives of the people, sans-culottes, -galley-slaves, “the only respectable persons in the -town,” as the commissioners said, sat down together, -the commissioners occupying a separate table.</p> - -<p>Toulon again gradually refilled with people, and under -the Directory it was constituted the first military port -of France. From Toulon Bonaparte organised his expedition -to Egypt.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER VI<br /> -<span class="mid">HYÈRES</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">The olive—The orange—The sumac—The <i>crau</i> of the Gapeau—Contrast -between the old town and the new—Shelter or no shelter—The family -of Fos—The peninsula of Giens—Saltings—Ancient value of salt—Pomponiana—S. -Pierre a’ Al-Manar—A false alarm—The League—Razats -and Carcists—Castle held by the Carcists—Surrender—Churches -of S. Paul and S. Louis—The Iles de Hyères—The reformatory in -Ile du Levant—Mutiny—Horrible scenes—Sentences.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap04">IT will be at Hyères, probably, that the visitor to the -Riviera first realises that he has come amidst tropical -vegetation, for here he will first see palms, agaves, -and aloes in full luxuriance. Moreover, the olive, which -has been seen, but not in its full luxuriance, reaches its -finest development on the red soil north of the branch -line, where it parts from the main line at La Pauline.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-085.jpg" width="400" height="525" id="i85" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">OLIVE TREES</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span></p> - -<p>The olive is without question the most important tree -on this coast; it prevails, and gives its colour to the -country everywhere, except in the Montagnes des Maures -and the Estérel. This is a most difficult tree for an artist -to deal with, as it forms no masses of foliage; the small -pointed leaves, dull green above, pale below, are so disposed -that the foliage can be represented only by a -series of pencil scratches. The trunk has a tendency to -split into three or four parts in the ground. The vitality -of the olive is remarkable. After a century, it may be -after more, the core of the trunk decays, and the tree -parts into sections, and lives on through the ever-vital -bark. The bark curls about the decayed sections, and -forms a fresh tree. Consequently, in place of one huge -ancient olive, one finds three or four younger trees, but all -with a look on them as if they were the children of old -age, growing out of the same root. And when this -second generation dies, the vitality of the root remains -unimpaired; it throws up new shoots, and thus the life -of the tree, like that of an ancient family, is indefinitely -prolonged. The healthy olive tree, well fed on old rags -and filth of every description, to which it is exceedingly -partial, is very beautiful; but the beauty of the olive -tree comes out in winter and early spring; when the -deciduous trees are in leaf and brilliant green, it looks -dull and dowdy. The olive flowers from April to June, -and the fruit requires about six months to reach maturity. -The harvest, accordingly, is in winter. The berry -becomes black finally, and falls from the tree in December -and January. The oil from the fully matured olives -is more abundant, but is not so good in quality as that -expressed from the berry whilst still green. The olives, -when gathered, are taken to the mills, which are rude, -picturesque buildings, planted in the ravines to command -water power; but occasionally the crushing is done by -horses turning the mills. The olives are crushed by -stone rollers; the pulp is put into baskets and saturated -with hot water, and subjected to great pressure. The -juice then squeezed out is carried into vats, where the -oil floats on the surface and is skimmed off.</p> - -<p>The wood of the olive is used for fuel, and for boxes -and other ornaments that are hand-painted.</p> - -<p>The tree requires good nourishment if it is to be well -cropped, and it is most partial to a dressing of old<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> -rotten rags. All the filthy and decayed scraps of -clothing cast by the Neapolitan peasantry are carried -in boats to the coast and are eagerly bought as manure.</p> - -<p>At Hyères, moreover, we come on the orange and the -lemon. The orange was originally imported from China -into Spain, and thence passed to Italy and the Riviera. -Oranges are said to live four or five hundred years. -S. Dominic planted one in the garden at Sta. Sabina, at -Rome, in 1200, that still flourishes. Hale and fruit-bearing -also is that at Fondi, planted by Thomas -Aquinas in 1278. Nevertheless, it is certain that old -orange-trees have disappeared from Hyères. Whether -they were killed by the severe winter of 1864, or whether -by a disease, is doubtful. The trees one sees now are -none of them ancient, and do not attain a height above -nine feet. The name orange comes from the Sanskrit, -and the Portuguese, who introduced the orange to -Europe, borrowed the name from the Hindus. In 1516 -Francis I. was present during a naval sham fight at Marseilles, -where oranges were used as projectiles. Oranges -had been grown sufficiently long at Hyères to have -attained a great size in the sixteenth century, for when -there, Charles IX., his brother the Duke of Anjou, and -the King of Navarre, by stretching their hands, together -hooped round the trunk of one tree that bore 14,000 -oranges. Thereupon was cut in the bark, “<i>Caroli regis -amplexu glorior</i>.” But there are no such orange-trees as -that now at Hyères. Probably that was of a more hardy -nature and of inferior quality to the orange-tree now -grown. In fact, the present strain of oranges cultivated -is a late importation, not earlier than about 1848. When -a horticulturist of Marseilles imported it, it was next -brought to Bordighera; from thence it passed to San<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> -Remo, to Ventimiglia, and thence to Nice. The orange, -and above all the lemon, is very sensitive to cold, and -the frost of February, 1905, blighted nearly every tree -along the coast, turning the leaves a pale straw colour. -Only in very sheltered spots did they retain their green -and gloss.</p> - -<p>About Solliés-Pont the sumac is grown for the sake -of its tannin. The leaves only are used, but for them -the branches are cut off. When these are dry they are -stripped of their foliage by women and children. The -leaves are then pounded to powder, and are packed in -sacks and sent away. Thirty per cent. of the matter in -the dried sumac leaves is tannin.</p> - -<p>At Hyères we have passed abruptly from the limestone -to the schist that has been heaved up by the -granite of the Montagnes des Maures. The Gapeau, -which at present flows into the sea to the east of Hyères, -originally discharged past La Garde into the Rade de -Toulon. But it brought down such a quantity of rubble -from the limestone range—of which the Pilon de la -Sainte Beaume is the highest point—that it has formed -a <i>crau</i> of its own, and choked up its mouth to such -an extent as to force its current to turn to the farther -side of the Maurettes so as to find a passage to the sea.</p> - -<p>Hyères is a notable place for the abrupt contrast it -exhibits between what is ancient and what is modern. -Down the slope of the height, that is crowned by the -castle, slides the old town, with narrow streets, mere -lanes, to its old walls, in which are gateways, and through -these arches we emerge at once into everything that is -most up-to-date. At a stride we pass out of the Middle -Ages into modern times. There is no intervening zone -of transition.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span></p> - -<p>At Hyères the Maurette rises as a natural screen, facing -the sun, banking out the north wind, with the <i>crau</i> of the -Gapeau on one side, and the bed of the Gapeau on the -other; and of course, those who go to the South for -shelter would naturally, one would suppose, keep -the screen between themselves and the Mistral. But -not so. Settlers have thought they had done all that was -required when they came to Hyères, and have built -their villas, and extended the town to the north-west, -precisely where there is no shelter at all, and there is full -exposure to the blasts from the north. One great disadvantage -to Hyères is the distance at which it stands -from the sea.</p> - -<p>Hyères belonged originally to the family de Fos, -which had the marquisate of Marseilles, an immense -fief containing fifty towns, Marseilles, Solliés, Toulon, -Hyères, Le Ciotat, Cassis, Aubagne, etc. But in 1257 it -was ceded to Charles of Anjou, Count of Provence.</p> - -<p>The importance of Hyères was due to its salt pans. -The peninsula of Giens was undoubtedly at one time an -island, one of the group that forms a chain, of which -Porquerolles and l’Ile du Levant are the principal. But -the currents round the coast threw up shingle beds and -sealed it to the coast, forming an extensive natural lake -of salt water between the two barriers, but with a gap in -that to the east through which the sea water could flow. -In this shallow lagoon salt was produced. The entrance -could be closed, and the sun dried up the water in the -basin, leaving the salt behind. At present, with our -ready communication by rail, the importance and value -of salt in ancient times can hardly be realised. In the -centre of Gaul and of France in olden days men -ravened for salt. It was to them what sweetstuff is -now to children. They would sell anything to provide -themselves with this condiment. Conceive for a moment -what our tables would be without the salt-cellar; how -flat, how insipid would be our meals.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-089.jpg" width="400" height="248" id="i89" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">PINES NEAR HYÈRES</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p> - -<p>Dr. Schweinfurt, in his <i>Travels in the Heart of -Africa</i>, describes the loathsome parasitic growths in the -intestines of the cattle due to the absence of salt. It is -a necessity for man and beast. Our storms carry some -and deposit it on the grass; but we live in an island. -What intestinal troubles must those men have endured -who were deprived of it! Well, the lagoon of Giens -furnished a large amount, and there were other salt-pans—as -there are still, on the eastern side of Hyères. -These made the town to flourish. Salt was the main -production and source of wealth.</p> - -<p>Near the Château de Carqueyranne, in the lap of the -Bay of Giens, are the ruins of a Greco-Roman town, -Pomponiana. It stretched from the beach up the hill -crowned by the remnants of the Convent of S. Pierre a’ -Al-Manar. The old town was explored in 1843 by -Prince Frederick, afterwards King Frederick VII. of -Denmark. He laid bare the Acropolis, baths, cisterns, -store-houses, and a mole for the protection of the -galleys that entered the harbour. Most of what was -then laid open has since been covered over, but the -whole ground is so strewn with pottery that the -peasants have to clear their fields of it as an incumbrance.</p> - -<p>The ruined convent above was occupied by Sisters of -the Benedictine Order. It was fortified, and exercised -feudal authority over the land around. In the event of -danger, the convent bell summoned the tenants to its -aid. But one winter night a frolicsome nun rang the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -bell for the fun of the thing, and when the vassals -arrived, laughed at them for allowing themselves to be -fooled from their beds. This prank cost the convent -dear, for shortly after a Moorish corsair put into the -bay, and the convent was attacked. The alarm bell -was sounded in vain; no one answered the summons, -and before morning the house was sacked, and the nuns -had been carried away, to be sold as slaves in Africa.</p> - -<p>A curious condition of affairs existed at Hyères -during the troubles of the League.</p> - -<p>The Count de Retz, Grand Marshal of France, was -Governor of Provence, and the Count de Carces was its -Grand Sénéchal. The jealousy of these two men gave -birth to a deplorable rivalry, which placed each at the -head of a different party. De Retz supported the -Huguenots, and the Catholic party took Carces as its -headpiece; and the factions called themselves, or were -called, Razats and Carcists long after the men whose -names they had adopted had disappeared from the -scene.</p> - -<p>The rancour of each party did not abate, even when -plague devastated the province. Then confusion grew -worse confounded when the League was formed, due to -the death of the Duke of Anjou, brother of Henry III., -which made Henry of Navarre, a Calvinist, heir to the -throne. The most extreme Carcists, alarmed at the -prospect of the succession falling to a Huguenot, -formed the plan of inviting the Duke of Savoy to take -Provence. The anarchy in the country became intolerable, -and large bodies of peasants and mechanics -armed and fell on the forces of Carcists and Razats -indifferently, routed and butchered them.</p> - -<p>In 1586 the town of Hyères was staunch in its<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span> -adherence to the king, but the castle that commanded -it was occupied by the forces of the Baron de Méolhon, -who was also Governor of the Port of Marseilles, and -he was a Carcist, and inclined to favour the claims of -the Duke of Savoy. He had placed a Captain Merle -in the castle, with secret instructions to hold it for the -duke.</p> - -<p>M. de la Valette was Governor of Provence, and he -saw himself obliged to make an attempt to take the -castle. A messenger between De Méolhon and the -Duke of Savoy had been taken with in his possession -treasonable correspondence, betraying the plans of the -Leaguers.</p> - -<p>Hyères readily opened its gates to De la Valette, in -November, 1588, and he summoned Merle to surrender -the castle, but met with a prompt refusal. Then he -attempted to take it by escalading, but in vain. It -stood too high; its garrison were too alert. He could -not even prevent well-wishers of the Carcists from -smuggling provisions into the fortress.</p> - -<p>At last, despairing of success, the Governor of Provence -withdrew; and having failed to take the castle by -force, had recourse to other means. He bought the aid -of a M. de Callas, a Leaguer, related to two of the -officers of the garrison, and induced him to enter the -fortress and bribe and cajole its defenders into surrendering. -Merle, however, was not to be seduced. -He must be got rid of by other means. A cannon was -dragged upstairs to an upper window of a house that -commanded Merle’s dining apartment. It was known -at what hour he supped, and in what part of the room -he sat. A signal was to be given by a traitor when -Merle took his place at the table, with his covers before<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> -him. The appointed signal was made: the cannon -thundered, and a ball crashed in through the window -and knocked supper and wine bottles and everything -about in wreckage. But happily something had occurred -to the captain as he took his seat, and he had -left the room. When he returned, there was no more a -dumpling on the table, but an exploded shell.</p> - -<p>De Callas was sent again into the castle to propose -terms of surrender. Merle would still have held out, -but the garrison had been bought, and they refused to -continue the defence. Terms of capitulation were agreed -on, whereby Merle, for surrendering, was to be indemnified -with ten thousand crowns. This extraordinary -agreement was signed on August 31st, 1589, after the -castle had held out against the king for ten months.</p> - -<p>The churches of Hyères are not without interest. -That of S. Paul, on the height, has immense substructures. -It is a curious jumble of parts and styles. It -dates back to the eleventh or twelfth century, but the -vaulting is later, and later windows were added. The -great square tower is Romanesque.</p> - -<p>The other church, outside the walls, that of S. Louis, -is in much better preservation. It was the chapel of the -Knights of the Temple, and is of the twelfth century, -very severe, without sculptured capitals to the pillars, -and without clerestory. It is a somewhat gloomy -church, deriving nearly all its light from the west -window. The preceptory of the Templars is within -the old town, and is now the Hôtel de Ville.</p> - -<p>The Iles de Hyères are a detached portion of the -crystalline rocks of the Montagnes des Maures. Their -climatic condition is very different from that of Hyères, -as they are exposed to the sweep of every wind. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> -are bleak and uninviting. The only inhabitants are -fishermen, Customs-officers, and the lighthouse men.</p> - -<p>On L’Ile du Levant was a reformatory for young -criminals, started by M. de Pourtalès, but it came to -a disastrous end.</p> - -<p>According to a law of 1850, such reformatories might -be founded and conducted by private individuals, and -in 1860 the Count de Pourtalès, as an act of humanity, -established an agricultural colony on this island for -young criminals, and placed over it an amiable, well-intentioned -man named Fauvau.</p> - -<p>In Corsica was another, but that was a State establishment. -It had become a nest of such disorder and misconduct -that it was broken up in 1866, and some of the -young criminals from this Corsican reformatory were -drafted into that on the Ile du Levant, to the number -of sixty-five. These young fellows began at once to -give trouble; they complained of their food, of their -work, and they demanded meat at every meal, tobacco, -coffee, and daily six hours in which to amuse themselves. -On Tuesday, October 2nd, they broke out in -mutiny, smashed the windows and the lamps, destroyed -some of the cells, and drove away the warders. The -leader in the movement was one Coudurier, a boy of -sixteen. By his command the whole body now rushed -to the lock-up, where were confined some of those who -had misconducted themselves, broke it open, and led -them forth. Then they descended to the cellar, and -with axes and crowbars burst open the door, tapped the -barrels of wine, and drank as much as they liked.</p> - -<p>Coudurier now ordered the breaking into of the store-house. -This was a building standing by itself; it had -a strong door, and windows firmly barred with iron.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span> -The young ruffians succeeded in beating in the upper -panels, but those below resisted all their efforts. They -climbed over the solid portion and carried forth bacon, -sausages, sugar, brandy, and what they could lay their -hands on, and when well laden returned over the door to -make way for others. Meantime Coudurier had chosen -two lieutenants, Ferrendon and Allard, and, in council -with them and some others of the worst miscreants, had -resolved on putting to death several of their comrades -whom they regarded as milksops and spies. By -Coudurier’s orders only those were allowed to enter the -store-house whose names he called forth, and thus he -sent fourteen of the lads he regarded as sneaks into the -magazine. Then he emptied a bottle of petroleum over -some paper by the door, and stationed Ferrendon and -Allard to prevent the egress of the lads who had been -sent in. Ferrendon by his orders set the petroleum -on fire, and he provided Allard with a long knife -with which to drive back the victims into the fire -when endeavouring to escape, and to prevent any attempt -at rescue. “Ferrendon,” said he to a comrade, -Lecocq, “is game for any mischief; and Allard is half-drunk.” -In a few minutes the sole entrance to the store-house -was a sheet of flame. One boy, Garibaldi, who -was within, at once dashed through the fire and began to -scramble over the broken door.</p> - -<p>Allard stabbed him in the shoulder and breast, and -then flung him down into the sheet of flaming petroleum. -The scene now became inexpressibly horrible. The -boys, seeing the fire rapidly spreading, got to the -windows, put their arms between the bars, and screamed -for help. They pulled at the gratings with desperation, -but were unable to dislodge it. Two boys who ran forward<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> -to attempt to extinguish the fire were driven back by -the knife of Ferrendon. Some of the young criminals did -feel qualms, and a desire to free their comrades, but -were overawed by Coudurier. The lighthouse man, who -had come to the spot, got a blanket, dipped it in water -and ran to the door, but was seized by the boys, taken -off his legs, and flung into a pit twenty feet deep, and -broke his ankle in the fall, so that he was unable to stir. -A boy who snatched at the blanket and tried to extend -it to some of those in a window, was also flung into the -pit; but he happily came off better, and ran away. The -poor wretches within, black against a background of -fire, shrieked and wept; their clothes, their hair, caught -fire, and one by one they fell back into the flames behind. -The frightful end of their comrades sobered the drunken, -mutinous crew; and some strove to drown their fears -for the consequences by drinking themselves into total -unconsciousness.</p> - -<p>Next day the mutineers scattered over the island, -doing what mischief they pleased. Not till October 4th -did help arrive, when the fire was extinguished, the -island was occupied by soldiery, and the youths were -taken to prison on the mainland, and the ringleaders -brought to trial.</p> - -<p>It may be wondered where was Fauvau, the Director, -all this while. He and the chaplain had got into a boat -and escaped to shore. What had become of the warders -we are not told, but they seem also to have effected -their escape.</p> - -<p>On January 3rd, 1867, sixteen of the young criminals -were tried at Draguignan. Ferrendon was a boy little -over thirteen, a lad with a soft expressive face. Allard -was aged thirteen, with a hangdog, evil look. One of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span> -accused was a lad from Paris, refined in appearance and -with large, beautiful eyes. One was aged twenty. -Coudurier, Fouché, Laurent, and Bérond were found -guilty by the jury, not of murder, but of homicide, with -extenuating circumstances, and were sentenced to life-long -hard labour. Allard was condemned to be sent to -a reformatory for ten years. Ferrendon was discharged -as innocent! Guenau was also declared innocent. -“Where, then, am I to sleep to-night?” he asked; whereupon -the audience made up a handsome sum for him.</p> - -<p>This was not the end of the matter. In prison one -of these culprits murdered another of his fellow boy-convicts -because he thought the latter had given evidence -against him. It is hard to say which came out -worst in this affair, the Director, Chaplain, and warders, -or the jury at Draguignan.</p> - -<p>Although M. de Pourtalès was willing to renew the -experiment, the establishment was not restored, and of -the reformatory only the ruins remain.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-097.jpg" width="400" height="304" id="i97" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">A CAROB TREE</p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER VII<br /> -<span class="mid">LES MONTAGNES DES MAURES</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">Exceptional character of the Maures—Warm quarters in the Southern -nooks of the chain—A future for them—The cork tree—The carob—The -mulberry—The Saracens take possession of the chain—King -Hugh makes terms with them: his history—Marozia—S. Majolus—William -of Provence—Le Grand Fraxinet—Grimaud—S. Tropez—The -Bravade.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap08">A HUNCH of granite heaved up, and carrying on -its back the beds of schist and gneiss that had -overlain it, stands up between the Gapeau and the -Argens. Its nearest geological relations, not connexions, -are the Cevennes and Corsica, all pertaining to the -same period of upheaval. Only to the east does the -granite assert itself above the overlying formations. -This mass of mountain is of no great elevation, never -rising above 1,200 feet, and extending over a superficies -of 200,000 acres.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“It forms by itself,” says Elisée Reclus, “an orographic system -sharply limited. Its mass of granite, gneiss, and schist is -separated from the surrounding limestone mountains by profound -and wide valleys, those of the Aille, the Argens, and the -Gapeau. In fact, it constitutes an <i>ensemble</i> as distinct from -the rest of Provence as if it were an island separated from the -continent.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">The forms of the mountains are rounded, and there -are no bold crags; but it is scooped out into valleys that -descend rapidly to the sea and to little bays; and these -scoopings afford shelter from winter winds and cold, -facing the sun, and walled in from every blast.</p> - -<p>I know a farm kitchen where a pair of curved settees -are drawn about the fire, and the gap between the -settees is closed in the evening by a green baize curtain. -The family sits on a winter night in this cosy enclosure, -the men with their pipes and jugs of cider, the women -knitting and sewing; all chattering, singing, laughing.</p> - -<p>Now the southern face of the Maures is precisely -such a snuggery formed by Nature. The mountains -curve about to focus the sun’s rays; and the cork woods, -evergreen, kill all glare. Here the date trees ripen their -fruit; here the icy blasts do not shrivel up the eucalyptus, -and smite down the oranges.</p> - -<p>The pity is, there are as yet no well-established winter -resorts at Lavandou, Cavalière, and, above all, Cavalaire—places -more adapted to delicate lungs than Hyères, -exposed to the currents of wind over the Crau; than -that blow-hole S. Raphael, planted between the cheeks -of the Maures and l’Estérel; than Cannes, where the -winds come down from the snows over the plains of the -Siagne; than Nice, with the Paillon on one side and the -Var on the other.</p> - -<p>But for the English visitor in these suntraps three -things are lacking—a lawn-tennis ground, a lending -library, and an English chapel. Inevitably the Bay of -Cavalaire will, in the future, become a great refuge for -invalids. But that this may become so, above all, what -is needed is a bunch of thorns applied to the tail of the -engine that runs the train along the line from Hyères<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -to S. Raphael by the coast. From Hyères to that place -is just fifty miles, and the quick trains do it in four, the -slow in five hours.</p> - -<p>The mountains are mantled in cork wood, save the -bald heads of some, and the making of corks is the -main industry of the scattered villages.</p> - -<p>The cork tree (<i>Quercus suber</i>) retains its leaves for -two years. It has two envelopes of bark, which are -quite distinct. The inner cannot be removed without -destroying the life of the tree.</p> - -<p>Virgin cork is not of much value; it is employed only -for nets, and has no elasticity.</p> - -<p>Only after the third harvest is the cork in perfect -condition. The tree is then about forty years old. It -is first skinned (<i>démasclée</i>) when the tree is aged twenty -or five-and-twenty. The second peeling takes place -when it is aged thirty or five-and-thirty. The third -and best is collected when the tree is between forty and -forty-five years old. The cork is taken off the trunk -from above the ground to a height of about six feet, -leaving the under surface of a coffee colour.</p> - -<p>The cork bark is plunged into a cauldron of boiling -water, and is left in it for half an hour. Then it is cut -into strips, next into squares. It is again boiled for -a quarter of an hour, and then allowed slowly to dry, -and is not touched again for six months, after which it -is cut into shape. The best corks are made out of -strips that have been kept for three years. To whiten -the corks they are subjected to sulphur fumes.</p> - -<p>The great enemy to the cork tree is the <i>Coroebus -bifascatus</i>, an insect that bores a gallery, not in the -bark, but in the wood of the tree. It attacks the -branches, and its presence can be detected by the sickly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -look of the leaves. When this indication shows that it -is burrowing, the branches affected are cut off above -the point to which it has bored, and are burnt.</p> - -<p>At one time it was supposed that the cork tree required -no culture. But of late years great pains have been -taken with it, and it readily responds to them. A self-sown -tree growing up in the midst of heather and -cistus is not likely to attain to a great size. It is cut -down to the root; then, when it sends up fresh shoots, -one is kept, the rest removed. This operation has to -be repeated, and the ground about the root to be well -dressed. After six years the tree will take care of -itself.</p> - -<p>The great danger, above all, to which the cork woods -are exposed, is fire; whole tracts have been devastated -in this way, and the proprietors ruined. Consequently, -precautions are insisted on. Smokers are specially -warned not to throw about their unextinguished matches.</p> - -<p>The carob tree (<i>Ceratonia siliqua</i>) is another that is -met with, and which attracts the attention of the visitor -from the north. The pods, called locust beans, are -supposed to have been those on which S. John the -Baptist fed when in the wilderness. These beans grow -in shape like a horn, which has given its name to the -tree. They contain a sweet nutritious pulp, enclosing -yellow seeds. The fruit is used extensively for feeding -animals, and is eaten by children, who, indeed, will eat -anything. When the phylloxera was ravaging the vineyards -of France, a company started a distillery at Cette -to manufacture cognac out of the fruit of the carob. -But it failed, as the brandy so made retained a peculiar -and disagreeable flavour that could not be got out of it.</p> - -<p>The carob is an evergreen, vigorous and beautiful.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -It grows in most stony, arid spots, where is hardly a -particle of soil. Such a tree cannot live only on what -it derives from its roots; it must live in a great measure -by its leaves, as, indeed, to a large extent, do all evergreens. -The scanty soil will in many places not feed -trees that drop their leaves in autumn, and supply them -afresh every spring. Such renewal exacts from the -poor soil more than it can furnish. Consequently, -Nature spreads evergreens over the rocky surfaces that -contain but slight nutritive elements. Thus it is that -in Provence the vegetation is nearly all of an evergreen -character.</p> - -<p>Beside the manufacture of corks, the inhabitants of -the Maures breed silkworms, and so grow mulberry -trees for their sustenance.</p> - -<p>King Réné is credited with having introduced the -mulberry into Provence from Sicily; but it is more -probable that it is indigenous. What Réné did was to -suggest its utilisation for the feeding of the silkworm. -This branch of production was greatly encouraged by -Henry IV., but wars and intestine troubles, the ravaging -of the country by rival factions, by the Savoyards and -by the French, caused the cultivation of the silkworm to -decline. Of late years, however, it has been on the -increase, and the number of mulberry trees planted has -accordingly also, greatly increased. The Chain des -Maures takes its name from the Saracens, who occupied -it, and made it their stronghold, whence they descended -to burn and destroy.</p> - -<p>By the infusion of new elements, forms of government, -new religious ideas, conceptions of individual and -political rights, the old world of Gaul was in process of -transformation; it was gradually organising itself on a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> -broad basis, when in the midst of this society in reconstruction -appeared a new element, quite unknown, -and on whose advent no reckoning had been made. -It came from the coasts of Africa, and was Mohammedan. -Some called these people Hagarenes, as descendants of -Hagar, but they themselves regarded their descent as -from Sarah, and so called themselves Saracens.</p> - -<p>Their first appearance on the Provençal coast was in -730, when they sacked Nice and other towns, and the -inhabitants fled to the mountains to save their lives.</p> - -<p>They harassed the littoral incessantly, not in large -forces at a time, attempting a conquest, but arriving in -a few vessels, unexpectedly, to pillage, murder, and carry -away captives. As soon as ever the forces of the Counts -arrived, they escaped to their ships and fled, to recommence -their devastations at another point.</p> - -<p>In 846 the Saracens carried ruin and desolation over -the whole plain of Aix, and made themselves masters -of all vantage points along the coast. The population -sunk in despair, no longer offered effective resistance, -and the nobles, quarrelling among themselves, invoked -the aid of the infidels against their neighbours of whom -they were jealous. About this time it happened that -a Moorish pirate was wrecked in the bay of S. Tropez. -He soon saw the strategic value of the chain of granite -and schist mountains, and returning to Africa collected -a large band, crossed the sea, and took possession of -the whole mountainous block. At this time, moreover, -Mussulman Spain was a prey to a bloody schism. The -dynasty of the Abassides was succeeded by that of the -Ommiades, and the vicissitudes of parties continually -augmented the number of those who were conquered -and proscribed. These, flying from Spain, sought refuge<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span> -in this corner of Provence, which by such means was -converted into a little Mussulman realm. On every -height was built a <i>rebath</i>, a fort that the Christians -called a <i>fraxinet</i>, whence a sharp watch was kept over -the sea, and should a merchant vessel be descried, at -once a flotilla of pirate boats started out of the harbour -of S. Tropez, and fell on the unfortunate merchantmen.</p> - -<p>Thus established here, masters also of the Balearic -Isles, of Sardinia and Sicily, as well as of the African -coast, they completely paralysed the trade of the -Mediterranean, and exposed the inhabitants of the seaboard, -that was Christian, to daily peril of being carried -off to be sold in the slave markets of Tunis and -Morocco.</p> - -<p>In Spain, the Mussulman conquerors had developed -a high state of civilization. They had become architects -of great skill. They cultivated science and literature.</p> - -<p>In Provence they were not constructive. They did -nothing for civilization, everything to waste, set back, -and to destroy. They have left behind them in the -country not a trace, save a few names, of their strongholds. -The condition of affairs had became intolerable. -The Moors of the Grand Fraxinet, their principal -fortress in the Montagnes des Maures, started on a -pillaging expedition, crossed Lower Provence, and -entered the Alps. As they turned north they met with -great resistance. They ascended the river Roja, they -pushed over the Col de Tende, and descended into the -plains of Lombardy. They took the monastery of -S. Dalmas de Pedene, and although most of the monks -had fled, they caught and killed forty of them, and -either massacred or took prisoners all the peasants -about.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span></p> - -<p>Another pillaging excursion crossed the great -S. Bernard to attack the monastery of S. Maurice, -where the Archbishop of Embrun, and some of the -Provençal prelates had stored the treasures of their -churches. A third party from the Fraxinet, aided by -a fleet from Africa, had taken Genoa, and put all the inhabitants -to the edge of the sword.</p> - -<p>Hugh, Count of Provence and King of Italy, was -appealed to for aid. Having no naval force to oppose -to that of the Moors, he solicited help from the Emperor -of the East, and a fleet from Constantinople entered the -Gulf of S. Tropez, and burnt that of the Saracens. -Hugh, in the meantime, invaded the mountains and -reached the Fraxinet.</p> - -<p>But whilst thus engaged, he heard that Berengarius, -Marquess of Ivrea, had taken advantage of his absence -to fall on his possessions in Italy. Hugh thereupon dismissed -the Greek fleet, and made an alliance with the -Saracens, to whom he committed the passages of the -Alps.</p> - -<p>About this same Hugh of Provence, one of the -biggest scoundrels who ever breathed, it will be as well -to say something.</p> - -<p>Hugh was the son of Theobald, Count of Provence, -and of Bertha, daughter of Lothair, King of Burgundy. -The House of Provence had acquired great possessions -during the reign of Louis III., King of Arles and -Emperor (d. 915), the uncle of Hugh. But Hugh was -not content. He raised pretensions to the kingdom of -Italy, then held by Rudolf, King of Transjuran Burgundy. -Hugh was seconded by his half-brothers Guido -and Lambert, Dukes of Tuscany and Spoleto, and by -his sister, Ermengarde, widow of the Marquess of Ivrea.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span> -Pope John X., Lambert, Archbishop of Milan, and -nearly all the Lombard nobles, supported his claim, and -he disembarked at Pisa in 926, and was crowned at -Pavia. The crafty Hugh, fully estimating the influence -of the clergy in the politics of Italy, affected the most -profound zeal for religion, and flattered the clergy. -John X., in Rome, was in a difficult position. Rome at -the time was ruled by the infamous Marozia. John had -been the favourite of Marozia’s equally infamous mother -Theodora. He had, in fact, been her paramour, and it -was she who had advanced him from one bishopric to -another, and had finally placed the tiara on his head. -On the death of his mistress, John found himself engaged -in a fierce contest for the mastery of Rome with -Marozia and her lover, or husband, the Marquess -Alberic, by whom she had a son of the same name, and -another, by Pope Sergius it was rumoured, whom she -afterwards elevated to the Papacy.</p> - -<p>John managed to drive the Marquess out of Rome, -and he was assassinated in 925; whereupon Marozia -married Guido, Duke of Tuscany, half-brother of Hugh -of Provence. The Pope hoped, notwithstanding this -connexion, by offering the prize of the Imperial crown, -to secure Hugh’s protection against his domestic tyrants. -But he was disappointed. Marozia seized on the Pope, -the former lover of her mother. His brother Peter -was killed before his face, and John was thrown into -prison, where, some months after, he died, either of -anguish or, as was rumoured, smothered with a pillow.</p> - -<p>Marozia did not venture at once to place her son on -the Papal throne. A Leo VI. was Pope for some -months, and a Stephen VII. for two years and one -month. The son was still a mere boy, too young for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span> -the shameless woman to advance him to the Chair of -S. Peter. But on the death of Stephen, Marozia -again ruled alone in Rome; Guido, her husband, was -dead, and she made her son Pope under the title of -John XI.</p> - -<p>But Marozia was not satisfied with having been the -wife, first of a Marquess, then of a Duke; the mistress -of Pope Sergius, the mother of Pope John XI. She -sent to offer her hand to Hugh of Provence, the new -King of Italy. Hugh was not scrupulous in his amours, -but there was an impediment in the way. She had -been the wife of his half-brother. But the youthful -Pope, the son of the wretched woman, was ready with -a dispensation, and the marriage was celebrated in -Rome.</p> - -<p>Hugh set to work now to strike down, one after -another, the nobles who had supported him, and had -shaken down the throne of Rudolf, acting with unexampled -perfidy and ingratitude. He did not even -spare his half-brother, Lambert, who had succeeded -Guido in the Duchy of Tuscany, for he plucked out his -eyes.</p> - -<p>His high-handed and merciless conduct alarmed those -who had not yet suffered. One day, Alberic, the son of -Marozia, was commanded by King Hugh to serve him -with water, at supper, so as to wash his hands. Performing -his office awkwardly or reluctantly, the youth -spilled the water, whereupon the King struck him in the -face. Alberic was furious; he went forth and placed -himself at the head of a conspiracy against his stepfather. -The bells of Rome rang out, the people rushed -into the streets, besieged the Castle of S. Angelo, and -took it. Hugh had to fly and form a court at Pavia.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was in 936 that King Hugh marched into Provence -to dislodge the Moors from the Grand Fraxinet, when -a general conspiracy broke out in Northern Italy, headed -by Berengar, Marquess of Ivrea. Hugh had despoiled -his half-brother, Lambert, of the Duchy of Tuscany, -and had given it to his own full brother Boso; but -after awhile, becoming jealous of his power, he had dispossessed -Boso. Berengar, Marquess of Ivrea, had -married Willa, the daughter of Boso. Berengar had -been at the court of Hugh, when that King had made -a plan to seize and blind him. But he received timely -warning from Lothair, King Hugh’s son, and had fled. -Finding discontent rife, he placed himself at the head -of the Italian princes and nobles.</p> - -<p>After his abandonment of the Mountains of the -Moors, and having come to terms with the Saracens, -Hugh hastened into Italy, only to find that his cause -was lost. Amidst general execration, he was forced to -retire into Provence in 946, and there he died three -years later, in the odour of sanctity.</p> - -<p>Thenceforth for awhile the Moors were left undisturbed, -to continue their ravages. Berengar and his son -even contracted alliance with them. But at last an -effort was made to be rid of the incubus. And the -person who was the motive force to set the Count of -Provence in action was S. Majolus.</p> - -<p>Majolus was born of wealthy parents about the year -908, near Riez, in Provence. But owing to an incursion -of the Saracens the family estate was ruined, houses -were burnt, crops destroyed, and the peasants killed or -carried off as captives. Majolus took refuge in Macon -with his uncle, who was bishop. Then he became a -monk at Cluny. In 948 the abbot Aymard resigned,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> -and appointed Majolus to succeed him. But the ex-abbot -one day, whilst in the infirmary, fancied a bit of -cheese, and screamed for it to be brought to him. No -one paid attention to his angry and repeated yells, as the -monks at the time were themselves dining. Aymard was -so offended at this neglect that he deposed Majolus and -resumed the headship of the establishment. But on his -death Majolus was elected in his room. After a visit to -Rome, Majolus was on his way back when a band of -Saracen marauders took him. Seeing one of the Moors -about to cleave the head of one of his companions whom -they considered not likely to fetch a ransom, Majolus -sprang forward and interposed his arm. He saved the -life of his comrade, but long suffered from the wound. -The Saracens forced the monks of Cluny to pay the -heavy ransom of a thousand pounds of silver for their -abbot.</p> - -<p>Majolus had now suffered twice from these scourges of -the South, and he preached a crusade against them in 972.</p> - -<p>It took him ten years, however, to rouse the Provençals -to undertake the expulsion of the Moors, so -cowed and despairing had they become. He was ably -assisted by one Bavo, son of Adelfried, a noble of -Nuglerium (Noyers, near Sistèron?), who had taken a -vow to avenge the honour of his wife, who had been -outraged by a Saracen. This man swore to exterminate -every Moor who came within reach of his arm. -Eventually he died at Voghera, on a pilgrimage to -Rome to give thanks for victory over the Moors.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-109.jpg" width="400" height="234" id="i109" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">GRIMAUD</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span></p> - -<p>William, Count of Provence, at the instigation of -Majolus, took up arms against the Moors, and hemmed -them into the chain of mountains that still bears their -name. The campaign lasted through several years, till -finally the main stronghold, Le Grand Fraxinet, was -taken. After this, one fort and then another fell, and -the boats were captured and burnt. William did not -massacre the infidels, but reduced them to servitude, -and their descendants continued to live on in Provence -in this condition. Romeo de Villeneuve, in his will, -dated 1250, ordered his male and female Saracen slaves -to be sold.</p> - -<p>William of Provence had been aided by a Grimaldi -from Genoa; he made his prisoners build the walls of -Nice and cultivate the soil. To this day a quarter of -Nice bears the name of <i>lou canton dei sarraïs</i>, for it was -here that these people were interned. Grimaldi, for his -services, was granted lands in the Chaine des Maures, -and the Golf de Grimaud and the town of Grimaud -take their name from him. The Grimaldi family comes -first into notice covered with honour, as liberators of the -Christian from plunderers and pirates. The Grimaldi of -to-day at Monaco are known as living on the proceeds -of the gaming tables of Monte Carlo, the plunderers of -Christendom.</p> - -<p>Le Grand Fraxinet itself may be visited, but there -remain few traces of the Saracen stronghold; some -substructures and a cistern are all. It has been supposed -and asserted that the natives of the town, in their -cast of feature, in their dark eyes and hair, in the pose of -their bodies, still proclaim their Moorish descent. No -one who has been in Tunis or Algiers will corroborate -this. In fact, the inhabitants are indistinguishable from -other Provençals.</p> - -<p>Cogolin and Grimaud are two little towns living upon, -and smelling of, cork, at a very little distance apart. -The Castle of Cogolin has been wholly destroyed, save<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span> -for a bell tower. That of Grimaud is in better condition, -but is a ruin. The place was taken from the -Grimaldis in 1378 by Louis I. of Anjou and Provence, -as the Grimaldi of that time had sided in the war of -succession with Charles of Durazzo, and he gave it to -Christopher Adorno. It passed from one to another, -and was raised into a marquisate in 1627; but the castle -was dismantled in virtue of a decree in 1655.</p> - -<p>The town is curious, built on a conical hill dominated -by the castle. The streets are narrow. The church is -rude, Early Romanesque, and very curious.</p> - -<p>Undoubtedly the sea originally ran up to Cogolin and -Grimaud. Now all the basin out of which they rise is a -flat alluvial plain intersected by dykes, and growing, -near La Foux, splendid umbrella pines.</p> - -<p>S. Tropez, charming little town as it is, the best centre -for excursions in the Chain of the Maures, is nevertheless -not a place that can ever become a winter residence, as it -looks to the north and is lashed by the terrible Mistral. -But it has this advantage denied to the other towns on -the coast, that, having the sun at the back, one looks -from it upon the sea in all its intensity of colour without -being dazzled.</p> - -<p>S. Tropez has been supposed to occupy the site of a -Phœnician-Greek town, Heraclea Caccabaria, but this is -improbable. This place was almost certainly in the -sweet sun-bathed Bay of Cavalaire. There were, indeed, -two ancient towns on the Gulf, Alcone and Athenopolis; -and certainly Grimaud was a town in Roman times, for -there are remains of the aqueduct that supplied it with -water.</p> - -<p>The Gulf was called Sinus Sambracitanus, and, as -already stated, at one time reached inland to the feet of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> -Grimaud. And at Cogolin a Greek funerary monument -has been found.</p> - -<p>S. Tropez was completely ruined by the Saracens -when they occupied the Maures. After they were -driven out it was rebuilt, but was again destroyed in -the War of Succession between the Duke of Anjou -and Charles of Durazzo. It was rebuilt under King -Réné and colonised by some Genoese families, who -fortified it and undertook to defend it. In 1592 it -gallantly resisted the Duke of Savoy, and forced him -to retire. In 1652 S. Tropez was a prey to civil -war between the <i>Sabreurs</i> and the <i>Canifets</i>, who had -succeeded to the feud of the Carcists and Razats. The -Sabreurs were those representing military force, the -Canifets represented the <i>échevins</i>, and were nicknamed -after the <i>canif</i> used by the latter to mend their pens. I -shall have more to say about this when we come to -Draguignan. The Sabreurs got possession of the castle, -but the Duc de Mercœur sent a regiment to assist the -citizens, and the Sabreurs were dislodged.</p> - -<p>The town is divided into two parts—the old town and -the new—and the former teems with picturesque features -that attract the artist. The women of S. Tropez are -noted for their good looks, due to the infusion of Italian -blood. S. Tropez is the scene of a peculiar festival, <i>La -Bravade</i>, taking place on the 16th, 17th, and 18th May -every year, in commemoration of the defence of the town -against the Duke of Savoy in 1637; combined with the -patronal feast of S. Tropez on May 17th. Every Monday -in Easter week a Captain of the Town is elected -for the ensuing year, and he has the regulation of the -festival. This is initiated on May Day, or the next -Sunday and Thursday, by the “Promenade des Joies,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>” -when members of a company carrying hoops adorned -with many-coloured fluttering ribbons, promenade the -town, led by drummers. On May 16th, at 3 p.m., the -Captain, with his attendant officers, marches to the -Mairie, where he is presented with pike and banner -by the Mayor, to a discharge of firearms, which thenceforth -go on banging day and night till the evening of -the ensuing day. The guns are discharged at any -passer-by, but only at the legs—and are, of course, -charged with powder alone. The clergy, led by the -cross, escorted by the beadles, arrive from the church -and bless the guns and other weapons. Then the -Bravadeurs follow to the church, where they receive -the bust of S. Tropez, and the procession starts -capering, dancing, swaying in and out of the streets, -through the town, fifes screaming, drums rolling, guns -exploding. The procession moves to the Port, where -the Captain and all his company salute the sea. Whereupon -any gunboats, torpedo boats, etc., that happen to -be anchored in the harbour, return the salute by a general -thunder of guns.</p> - -<p>But the 17th—the day of S. Tropez—is that of greatest -festivity. It opens with a Mass of the <i>Mousquetaires</i> at -8 a.m., after which follows a general procession. In the -afternoon the Bravade marches to the Mairie and the -pikes and banner are surrendered. On May 18th, at -8 a.m., is a Mass at the chapel of S. Anne; around the -chapel are ranged stalls of sellers of black nougat and a -sort of cake known by the name of <i>fougasette</i>. Then -ensues a <i>déjeuner</i> given by the Captain to his assistants -and to the town authorities; and in the evening the -festival concludes with a general farandol on the <i>Lices</i>.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-113.jpg" width="400" height="244" id="i113" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">UMBRELLA PINE, S. RAPHAEL</p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER VIII<br /> -<span class="mid">S. RAPHAEL AND FRÉJUS</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">Rapid Rise—An exposed spot, unsuitable as a winter resort—Napoleon -here embarks for Elba: his journey from Fontainebleau—The via -Aurelia—Fréjus—Choking up of the harbour—Roman remains—The -Cathedral—Agricola—Monuments—S. Hilary—Sieyès; sans phrases—Désauguier—The -Caveau—His Carnival Lay—Some of his jokes.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap08">A FEW years ago S. Raphael was a fishing village -about an old Templar church. There were in it -but a couple of hundred poor folk. Then some speculators -cast their eyes on the place, and calculating, not -unreasonably, on the lack of intelligence of visitors from -the North, resolved on making it into a winter sanatorium. -They bought out the fisher families, and set to work to -build hotels and lay out esplanades and gardens.</p> - -<p>Now any person with a grain of sense in his head has -but to look at the map to see that S. Raphael is the very -last place on the coast suitable as a winter resort. It -lies between two great humps of mountains, the Chaine -des Maures and the Estérel. It has before it the ever-shallowing -Gulf of Fréjus, that stretches back into -alluvial deposit and pestiferous morasses—open to the -north; and down this bare, unwholesome plain roars and -rages the Mistral. It has blown the sea out of the Bay -to the distance of two miles. It is enough, entering the -ears, to drive the frail lungs out of the breast betwixt -the teeth.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span></p> - -<p>The Argens, which has flowed from west to east, receiving -the drainage of the Montagnes des Maures, -receives also the Parturby and the Endre from the limestone, -and then turns about and runs almost due south, -but with an incline to the east. It forms a wide basin, -once a long arm of sea, but now filled up with deposit, -and with festering lagoons sprinkled over its surface; -the two great mountain chains from east and west -contract, and force the winds that come down from the -north, and the snows of the Alps, to concentrate their -malice on S. Raphael. If you love a draught, then sit -before a roaring fire, with an open window behind you. -If you desire a draught on a still larger scale, go to -S. Raphael.</p> - -<p>Perhaps the speculators who invented this <i>Station -Hivernale</i> thought that it was necessary to add something -more, in order to attract patients to the place, and Valescure -was established among pine woods. The aromatic -scent of the terebinth, its sanatory properties, so highly -estimated, so experimentally efficacious in pulmonary -disorders, etc., etc. Valescure is just as certainly exposed -to winds as is S. Raphael. As to pines and -eucalyptus, they can be had elsewhere, in combination -with shelter.</p> - -<p>However, let me quote M. Leuthéric, who has a good -word to say for S. Raphael:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Few regions of Provence present conditions of landscape -and climate (!!) more seductive. The little town of Saint -Raphael is placed beyond the zone of infection from the -marshes of Fréjus. It stretches gracefully along the shore at -the foot of the savage chain of the Estérel. On all sides -pointed rocks of red porphyry pierce the sombre foliage of -cork trees and pines. The coast is fringed by sandbanks, -extending along under cliffs covered with ilexes. A little way -out to sea, two tawny-coloured rocks, like fantastic beasts at -rest, close the harbour, and receive over their long backs the -foam of the breakers; the first is couched some cable lengths -from the shore, the second five hundred metres beyond it. -They bear the names of the Land and the Sea Lions.”<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-115.jpg" width="400" height="265" id="i115" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">S. RAPHAEL, LE LION DE TERRE</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span></p> - -<p>It was here that Napoleon entered the vessel deporting -him to Elba, attended by the Commissioners of the -Allied Powers. He had left Fontainebleau upon April -20th, 1814. As he got south he was made to perceive -that his popularity, if he ever had any in Provence, was -gone. Near Valence he encountered Augereau, whom -he had created Duke of Castiglione, and who was an -underbred, coarse fellow. Napoleon and his Marshal -met on the 24th. Napoleon took off his hat, but -Augereau, with vulgar insolence, kept his on. “Where -are you going?” asked the fallen Emperor, “to Court?”—“I -care for the Bourbons as little as I do for you,” -answered Augereau: “all I care for is my country.” -Upon this, Napoleon turned his back on him, and re-entered -the carriage. Augereau would not even then -remove his hat and bow, but saluted his former master -with a contemptuous wave of the hand.</p> - -<p>At Valence, Napoleon saw, for the first time, French -soldiers wearing the white cockade. At Orange the air -rang with cries of “<i>Vive le Roy!</i>”</p> - -<p>On arrival at Orgon the populace yelled, “Down with -the Corsican! Death to the tyrant! <i>Vive le Roy!</i>” -Portraits of Bonaparte were burnt before his eyes; an -effigy of himself was fluttered before the carriage -window, with the breast pierced, and dripping with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> -blood. A crowd of furious women screamed, “What -have you done with our children?” The Commissioners -were obliged to stand about the carriage to protect -him; and it was with difficulty that a way could be -made through the mob for the carriages to proceed. -At Saint Cannat the crowd broke the windows of his -coach. Then, for his protection, he assumed a cap and -a greatcoat of Austrian uniform, and instead of pursuing -his way in the coach, entered a cabriolet. The carriages -did not overtake the Emperor till they reached La -Calade. The escort found him standing by the fire in -the kitchen of the inn, talking with the hostess. She -had asked him whether the tyrant was soon to pass -that way. “Ah, sir,” she said, “it is all nonsense to -assert that we are rid of him. I have always said that -we never shall be sure of being quit of him till he is -thrown to the bottom of a well and it is then filled in -with stones. I only wish that well were mine in the -yard. Why, the Directory sent him to Egypt to get rid -of him, and he returned.” Here the woman, having -finished skimming her pot, looked up, and perceived -that all the party was standing uncovered, except the -person whom she was addressing. She was confounded, -and her embarrassment amused the ex-Emperor and -dispelled his annoyance.</p> - -<p>The <i>sous-préfet</i> of Aix closed the gates of the town to -prevent the people from issuing forth. At a château -near Napoleon met his sister Pauline, who was ill, or -pretended to be ill, and was staying there. When he -entered to embrace her, she started back. “Oh, -Napoleon, why this uniform?”</p> - -<p>“Pauline,” replied he, “do you wish that I were -dead?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span></p> - -<p>The princess, looking at him steadfastly, replied, “I -cannot kiss you in that Austrian dress. Oh, Napoleon, -what have you done?”</p> - -<p>The ex-Emperor at once retired, and having substituted -a greatcoat of his Old Guard for the Austrian -suit, entered the chamber of his sister, who ran to him -and embraced him tenderly. Then, going to the -window, he saw a crowd in the court in a very uncertain -temper. He descended at once, and noticing among -them an old man with a gash across his nose and a red -ribbon in his button-hole, he went up to him at once, -and asked, “Are you not Jacques Dumont?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes, Sire!” And the old soldier drew himself -up and saluted.</p> - -<p>“You were wounded, but it seems to me that it was -long ago.”</p> - -<p>“Sire, at the battle of Tebia, with General Suchet. -I was unable to serve longer. But even now, whenever -the drum beats, I feel like a deserter. Under your -ensign, Sire, I could still serve whenever your Majesty -would command.” The old man shed tears as he said, -“My name! To recollect that after fifteen years!” All -hesitation among the crowd as to how they would -receive Napoleon was at an end. He had won every -heart.</p> - -<p>Napoleon, as it happens, had a very bad memory for -names. What is probable is, that Pauline pointed the -old soldier out to her brother from the window, and -named him, before Napoleon descended.</p> - -<p>The English frigate, the <i>Undaunted</i>, was lying in the -Gulf of Fréjus. The fallen Emperor manifested considerable -reluctance to go on board. However, on -April 28th he sailed from S. Raphael, and after a rough<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> -passage disembarked at Porto Ferrajo, the capital of -Elba, on the 4th of May.</p> - -<p>The great Roman road, the Via Aurelia, left the -capital of the world by the Janiculan Gate, made for -Pisa, Lucca, followed the coast the whole way, passed -above where is now Monaco, over a spur of the Maritime -Alps by Nice, Antibes, Cannes, came to a little -town in the lap of the Gulf of Fréjus, and thence -turned abruptly away from the coast and made direct -for Aix and Arles. Thence roads radiated: one, leading -up the left bank of the Rhone, took troops and commerce -to the Rhine. Thence also the Domitian Way -conveyed both by Narbonne into Spain.</p> - -<p>This bay was the last harbour on the Mediterranean -for troops that were to march into the heart of Gaul, to -Britain, or to the Rhine. Hitherto the road, hugging -the coast, offered innumerable facilities for provisioning -soldiery and supplying them with munitions of war. -But from the Bay of Fréjus this advantage ceased. -Julius Cæsar saw the great strategical importance of the -harbour, and he resolved to make of it an important -haven, a naval station, and an emporium for stores. -Marseilles he did not choose. It was a commercial -town, a Greek town, and he was out of temper with it -for having sided with Pompey against him. Accordingly -he settled here some veterans of his favourite Tenth -Legion, to become the nucleus of a colony. But Cæsar -overlooked what was a most important point—his port -Forum Julii was planted at the mouth of the Argens, -and the river brought down a vast amount of fluviatile -deposit, mud and sand, and inevitably in a few years -would silt up his port. It had a further disadvantage—it -was a fever trap. To the south the town had a wide<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> -tract of fetid marsh, breeding malaria and mosquitoes. -He would have done well to have swallowed his resentment -against Marseilles and to have taken the opinion -of so observant a man as Vitruvius, or even to have -studied the conditions himself more closely. Now all -the harbour is buried in silt, and grass grows where -galleys floated. The lap of the bay, which was once at -Fréjus, begins now at S. Raphael and extends to Cap -S. Aigous. In time S. Raphael also will be inland, and -the Lion de Mer will become, like its fellow, a Lion -de Terre.</p> - -<p>Michel de l’Hôpital, who lived in the sixteenth -century, in one of his letters wrote:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“We arrived at Fréjus, which is nothing more now but a -poor little town. Here are grand ruins of an ancient theatre, -foundered arcades, baths, aqueduct, and scattered remains of -quays and basins. The port has disappeared under sand, and -is now nothing but a field and a beach.”</p> - -<p class="p1">If S. Raphael be devoid of antiquities and of history, -at a little distance is Fréjus, that has both in abundance.</p> - -<p>The ruins are many, but not beautiful; everything -was built in a hurry, and badly built. The aqueduct -was no sooner completed than it gave way and had to -be patched up. The triumphal arch on the old quays -is a shabby affair. The amphitheatre is half cut out -of the natural rock. There was plenty of granite and -porphyry accessible, but the builders did not trouble -themselves to obtain large and solid blocks; they built -of brick and small stones, without skill and impatiently. -The work was probably executed by corvées of labourers -impressed from the country round. There were two -enormous citadels; one to the north, the other to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> -south of the port. The latter, the Butte S. Antoine, -was, however, mainly a huge accumulation of store -chambers, magazines for whatever was needed for the -soldiers, and attached to it was the lighthouse. Beyond, -some way on the ancient mole, is the most perfect monument -of Roman times extant in Fréjus. It goes by the -name of La Lantern; but it was not a lighthouse at all, -but the lodge of a harbour-master, who gave directions -with a flag to vessels how to enter the harbour and -avoid the shoals.</p> - -<p>The railway now runs close to it across the ancient -basin, the port made by Agrippa. To the north of this, -where stands now the chapel of S. Roch, was the Port -of Cæsar. Poplars now stand where was formerly a -forest of masts.</p> - -<p>The amphitheatre is cut through its entire length by -a road. The old wall of the town reached to it, included -it, and then drew back to where is now the railway -station. The remains of the theatre are to the north -of the modern town, and those of the baths to the south-west; -they may be reached by taking a road in that -direction from the Butte S. Antoine.</p> - -<p>Although Julius Cæsar has the credit of having made -the place and called it after his own name, it is certainly -more than a guess that there was a Græco-Phœnician -settlement here before that time, occupying the bunch -of high ground rising above the marshes of the Argens. -Indeed, monuments have been found that imply as -much, though later in date than the making of the -place into a naval station by Cæsar. One of these is -bi-lingual—Latin and Greek. It begins in Latin:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“To Caius Vilius Ligur, this is dedicated by his mother -Maxima.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pn1">Then comes Greek:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“This tomb had been constructed for those much older; -but Destiny, under the influence of the country and climate, -has smitten a child of seven years. His parents, his father -and mother, have buried him whom they brought up. Vain -are the hopes of men here below.”</p> - -<p class="pn1">It is noticeable that this child bore the name of Ligur, -living and dying among the Ligurians of the coast. -Possibly the family had this native blood in their veins -and were not ashamed of it. Another tomb is all in -Latin:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Agrippina Pia to the Memory of her Friend Baricbal. He -lived forty years. She who was his heiress has constructed -this monument for him and herself.”</p> - -<p class="pn1">And underneath are a pair of clasped hands.</p> - -<p>What was the story? The name Baricbal is Barac -Baal, the Blessed of Baal, the name of a Phœnician. -The young heiress undertakes to be buried in the same -tomb with him later. But she was an heiress, and she -was young. I doubt if her resolution held out, and -she did not clasp hands after a year or two with some -one else.</p> - -<p>The cathedral is not particularly interesting; it is of -the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The baptistery is -earlier, and sustained by eight Corinthian columns of -granite taken from a Roman building. The cloisters -are good, the arches resting on pairs of columns. Fréjus -has produced some remarkable men. First of all comes -Agricola, the father-in-law of Tacitus, who wrote his -life. From that biography we see what an honourable, -true, and in every way upright man an old Roman could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> -be. Agricola was born in <span class="smcap">A.D.</span> 37 and died in 93. His life -is of special interest to us, as he spent so much of his -time in Britain, carried the Roman arms into Scotland, -and sent an expedition round the coast and established -the fact that Britain was an island. He was moved -to this by the following circumstance. A body of -Germans had been levied on the Rhine and were sent -over to serve under Agricola. But after having murdered -a centurion and some soldiers who were drilling them, -they seized on three light vessels and compelled the -captains to go on board with them. One of these, -however, escaped to shore, whereupon these Germans -murdered the other two, put to sea, and sailed away -without one of them having any acquaintance with the -sea and the management of ships. They were carried -north by winds and waves, and landed occasionally to -obtain water and food and to plunder the natives. They -circumnavigated the north of Scotland, and then were -carried out to sea and suffered terrible privations. They -were driven by starvation to kill and eat the weakest -of their number and to drink their blood. At length -they were wrecked on the North German coast, where -they were seized on as pirates, and sold as slaves to the -Romans on the left bank of the Rhine. Here they -talked and yarned of their adventures, and the news -reached Agricola; so he fitted out his expedition and -proved the fact that Britain actually was an island. -Finally, owing to his success, he fell under suspicion to -the jealous tyrant Domitian and was recalled to Rome, -where he died; whether poisoned by the Emperor or -died a natural death is uncertain. Tacitus himself does -not venture to pass an opinion.</p> - -<p>Another great native of Fréjus was S. Hilary of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span> -Arles. He was born of noble parents in the year 401, -and was a relative of Honoratus, abbot of Lerins. -Honoratus left his retirement to seek his kinsman -Hilary and draw him to embrace the monastic life; but -all his persuasion was at first in vain. “What floods -of tears,” says Hilary, “did this true friend shed to -soften my hard heart! How often did he embrace me -with the most tender and compassionate affection, to -wring from me a resolve that I would consider the -salvation of my soul. Yet I resisted.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then,” said Honoratus, “I will obtain from God -what you refuse.” And he left him. Three days later -Hilary had changed his mind, and went to Lerins to -place himself under the discipline of Honoratus. In -428 S. Hilary was elected Archbishop of Arles. He -was a man of a very impetuous and wilful character, and -got sadly embroiled with Pope Leo the Great, whom -he defied on behalf of the liberties of the Gallican -Church, speaking out to him, as his contemporary -biographer asserts, “words that no layman would dare -to utter, no ecclesiastic would endure to hear.” He had -after this to escape from Rome, where assassination was -to be feared—by knife or poison—and hurried back to -Arles. Leo retorted by writing a letter to the bishops -of the province of Vienne denouncing the audacity of -Hilary in daring to set himself up against his authority, -and releasing them from all allegiance to the see of -Arles.</p> - -<p>Soon after this a fresh quarrel broke out. A bishop -Projectus complained that when he was ill, Hilary had -rushed into his diocese without inquiring whether he -were yet dead, and without calling on the clergy and -people to elect a successor, had consecrated another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> -bishop in his room. This was the best possible medicine -for Projectus. He tumbled out of bed, pulled on his -clothes, and in a screaming rage wrote a letter to the -Pope. Thereupon Leo wrote sharply to Hilary to bid -him mind his own business in future, and not meddle -out of his diocese. And then the Pope wrung from the -feeble Emperor Valentinian an edict denouncing the -contumacy of Hilary against the apostolic throne, and -requiring him and all the bishops of Gaul to submit as -docile children to the bishop of the Eternal City. Hilary -died in 449, comparatively young.</p> - -<p>Sieyès was born at Fréjus in 1748, and was trained for -orders at S. Sulpice. In 1788 he was sent as member -for the clerical order to the Provincial Assembly at -Orléans. He saw what was the trend of opinion and -what must inevitably happen, and he wrote his trenchant -pamphlets, <i>Essai sur les Privilèges and Qu’est-ce que le -tiers-état</i>, 1789, that acted as firebrands through France. -He was elected by Paris as representative at the General -Assembly that met at Versailles. There, looking at the -nobles in their sumptuous attire, the curés in their -<i>soutannes</i>, and the representatives of the Third Estate -in their humble cloth, he said, “One people!—We are -three nations,” and he it was who, on July 20th, on -entering the Assembly, exclaimed, “It is time now to -cut the cords,” and sent an imperious message to the -other two Houses to enter and sit along with the -Tiers État.</p> - -<p>He strove hard against the abolition of tithe without -some compensation to the clergy, but was overborne. -The general feeling was against this. As he saw that -anarchy was resulting from the conduct of the Assembly -he withdrew from taking any further active part; but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span> -he was elected by the Department of Sarthe to sit as -deputy in the Convention.</p> - -<p>At the trial of Louis XIV. he voted for his death—“La -mort—sans phrases.” When in 1798 he was commissioned -by the Directory as Ambassador to Berlin, he -sent an invitation to a German prince to dine with him. -The prince wrote across it, “Non—sans phrases.” He -was elected into the Council of the Five Hundred. At -this time it was that the half-crazy fanatical Cordelier -Poule attempted to shoot him. Sieyès struck the pistol -aside, but was wounded in the hand and shoulder. -Poule was sentenced for this for twenty years to the -galleys, and died on them. Sieyès was a member -of the Directory. He was a great man for drawing -up schemes for a Constitution. The Directory had -lost all credit; France was sick of its constituent -Assemblies, Legislative Assemblies, Conventions, and -Directory. This latter, at one moment feeble, at the -next violent, seemed to be able to govern only by -successive <i>coups d’état</i>, always a token of weakness. It -had brought France to the verge of bankruptcy. In its -foreign policy it had committed gross imprudences, and -now a new coalition had been formed against France, -and the armies had met with reverses in Italy and -Germany. At this juncture Napoleon landed at S. -Raphael. As he travelled to Paris he was everywhere -greeted with enthusiasm as the expected saviour of the -country. But on reaching Paris he behaved with -caution; he seemed only to live for his sister, and for -his wife, Josephine, and for his colleagues of the Institut. -But he was watching events. Everyone was then -conspiring; Sieyès in the Directory, Fouché and Talleyrand -in the ministry, a hundred others in the Conseils,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span> -Sieyès said, “What is wanting for France is a head,” -tapping his own brow, “and a sword,” looking significantly -at Napoleon. He was to learn very soon that -head and sword would go together.</p> - -<p>The 18th Brumaire was contrived by Sieyès; but -he was in his coach, outside S. Cloud, when Napoleon -entered to dissolve the Council of the Five Hundred. -In face of the tumult within Bonaparte lost his confidence -and was thrust forth by the Deputies. He found -Sieyès in his carriage, to which were harnessed six horses, -ready to start at full gallop should the <i>coup</i> fail. “Do -they seek to outlaw you?” asked Sieyès. “Man, outlaw -them yourself.” Napoleon recovered himself and -re-entered the hall at the head of his soldiery. The -situation was saved.</p> - -<p>Bonaparte, Sieyès, and Roger-Ducros were nominated -Consuls. The Revolution had abdicated into the hands -of the military. That same evening Sieyès said to his -intimates, “We have given ourselves a master.”</p> - -<p>Afterwards, Bonaparte, as first Consul, took him into -the Senate, and granted to him the domains of Crosne. -Later, it was said—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Bonaparte à Sieyès a fait présent de Crosne,<br /> -Sieyès à Bonaparte a fait présent de trône.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Under the empire Sieyès was created a count.</p> - -<p>During the Hundred Days, Sieyès took his place in the -Chamber of Peers, but at the second restoration he was -banished as one of the regicides. He went to Brussels, -but after the Revolution of 1830 returned to Paris, where -he died in 1836.</p> - -<p>To finish with one more worthy, of a character very -different from the rest: Marc Antoine Désaugiers. Born<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> -at Féjus in 1772, he died in 1827. He was the soul -of the <i>Caveau Moderne</i>.</p> - -<p>The old Caveau had been founded by Piron, Collé, -and others. They met twice a month at the wine-shop -of Landelle, where they produced songs, stories, and -epigrams they had composed, dined and drank together. -This réunion began in 1737, and lasted over -ten years.</p> - -<p>After the 9th Thermidor, and the fall of Robespierre, -the Terror was at an end. Men began to breathe -freely, lift up their heads, and look about for amusements -to indemnify themselves for the reign of horrors -they had passed through. Then some choice spirits -renewed the reminiscences of the old Caveau, and met -near the Theatre of the Vaudeville, opened in 1792. -The songs that were sung, the stories there told, flew -about. The public desired to share in the merriment, -and in Vendémiaire of the year V. (September, 1796) -appeared the first number of the <i>Caveau Moderne</i>. The -tavern at which the company met was “Le Rocher de -Cancalle.” A complete edition of the songs was published -in 1807. The tunes to which the songs were set -were either well-known folk-melodies, or opera-house -airs.</p> - -<p>Désaugiers was a large contributor.</p> - -<p>As a specimen of his style I give some stanzas of -his “Carnaval.”</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Momus agite ses grelots,<br /> -Comus allume ses fourneaux,<br /> -Bacchus s’enivre sur sa tonne,</p> -<p class="pp7">Palas déraisonne, Apollon détonne,</p> -<p class="pp6">Trouble divin, bruit infernal—<br /> -V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Un char pompeusement orné<br /> -Présente à notre œil étonné<br /> -Quinze poissardes qu’avec peine</p> -<p class="pp7">Une rosse traine: Jupiter les mène;</p> -<p class="pp6">Un Cul-de-jatte est à cheval;<br /> -V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval.</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Arlequin courtise Junon,<br /> -Columbine poursuit Pluton,<br /> -Mars Madame Angot qu’il embrasse,</p> -<p class="pp7">Crispin une Grace, Venus un Paillasse;</p> -<p class="pp6">Ciel, terre, enfers, tout est égal;<br /> -V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval.</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Mercure veut rosser Jeannot,<br /> -On crie à la garde aussitôt;<br /> -Et chacun voit de l’aventure</p> -<p class="pp7">Le pauvre Mercure à la préfecture,</p> -<p class="pp6">Couché,—sur un procès verbal;<br /> -V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval.</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Profitant aussi des jours gras,<br /> -Le traiteur déguise ses plats,<br /> -Nous offre vinaigre en bouteille,</p> -<p class="pp7">Ragoût de la vieille, Daube encore plus vieille:</p> -<p class="pp6">Nous payons bien, nous soupons mal;<br /> -V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval.</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Carosses pleins sont par milliers<br /> -Regorgeant dans tous les quartiers;<br /> -Dedans, dessus, devout, dernière,</p> -<p class="pp7">Jusqu’à la portière, quelle fourmilière!</p> -<p class="pp6">Des fous on croit voire l’hôpital;<br /> -V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval.</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Quand on a bien ri, bien couru,<br /> -Bien chanté, bien mangé et bu,<br /> -Mars d’un frippier reprend l’enseigne,</p> -<p class="pp7">Pluton son empeigne, Jupiter son peigne:</p> -<p class="pp6">Tout rentre en place; et, bien ou mal,<br /> -V’là c’que c’est que l’Carnaval.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">Désaugiers was one day invited to preside at the -annual dinner of the pork butchers. After the table -was cleared he rose, and all expected the oration or -song of the evening. Looking round with a twinkle in -his eye, he began—</p> - -<p class="pp8q p1">“Des Cochons, des Cochons.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The pork butchers bridled up, grew red with wrath, -thinking that this was intended as an insult, when -Désaugiers proceeded with his song—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Décochons les traits de la satire.”</p> - -<p class="p1">A French author has said of him:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Désaugiers is song personified;—all gaiety, fun, laughter. -He has in him something of the spirit of Rabelais. His -inherent wit breaks out like the effervescence of champagne. -Thought and rhyme are born in him along with song. Every -refrain in his compositions is full of joyous sparkle.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER IX<br /> -<span class="mid">DRAGUIGNAN</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">The Department of Var—A lifeless town—Dolmen—S. Armentarius -kills a dragon—The old walled town—The Fronde—The Sabreurs and -the Canifets—Les Tourettes—Joanna I. of Naples; her story—The -Crown of Jerusalem—Charles I. of Anjou—Death of Conradin—Murder -of Andrew of Hungary—Philippine Cabane—Louis of Hungary -invades Naples—Joanna buys a sentence clearing her of guilt by the -sale of Avignon—Joanna’s many sales—Again declared innocent—Charles -of Durazzo—Urban VI. and Clement VII.—Urban incites -Charles against Joanna; her assassination; her character—Butello—Death -of Charles—Joanna II. makes Réné her heir—Pedigree—Joanna -and Caracciolo.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap06">DRAGUIGNAN is the capital of the Department of -Var. The name of the department is a misnomer. -It received the name when the department extended to -that river, formerly the boundary of France. But when, -in 1860, Nice was ceded to France and the department of -the Maritime Alps was formed, then a slice of territory, -through which flowed the River Var, was detached and -united to the newly constituted department. The consequence -is that the River Var at no point runs through -the department to which it gave its name.</p> - -<p>Draguignan is not an interesting town. It lives on its -character as departmental capital. It has no manufactures, -no trade, no life save that which is infused into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span> -it when the young folk come up there for examination -for professions, and from the military who are quartered -there, and from the prisons which accommodate the -criminals of the department. Draguignan is supposed -to have been a Greek town called Antea. But there -must have been people living here in prehistoric times, -for near the town is a dolmen as fine as any in Brittany -or Wales. It is composed of four upright stones supporting -a quoit eighteen feet long and fifteen wide, and -the height above the ground is seven feet.</p> - -<p>In the Middle Ages the place was called Drachœnum, -and it was fabled that the old town stood on the -heights above, as the plain was ravaged by a dragon. -St. Armentarius, Bishop of Antibes (<span class="smcap">A.D.</span> 451) slew the -monster, whereupon the people came down from the -heights and settled where is the present town. The -town really began to flourish in the thirteenth century, -when, owing to the silting up of the port of Fréjus, that -city declined in prosperity. Then it was surrounded by -a wall pierced by three gates, of which two remain. -Within the old walls the streets are scarce six feet -wide, and the houses run up to a great height. The sun -never penetrates to their pavement. The town was -also defended by a castle on rising ground. In 1535 -Draguignan was one of the principal Sénéchaussées of -Provence. She rapidly spread beyond the walls, and -then a second circuit of walls was erected where is now -the boulevard; but portions of the ramparts to the east -and north-east still remain.</p> - -<p>In 1650 Draguignan was the scene of bloody fights -on account of the troubles of the Fronde. During the -minority of Louis XIV., the Regent, Anne of Austria, -committed all authority to Cardinal Mazarin. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> -loaded the country with taxes, took away the privileges -from the towns, and from the nobles, and strove to -centralise the Government and establish the despotism -of the Crown. This roused the fiercest opposition, and -the country was divided into factions; one for the Court -and centralization, the other for the maintenance of -local self-government. This latter party was the Fronde. -In Draguignan some Frondists attempted to get hold of -the castle; the people rose, armed with spits and clubs, -and drove them away. The parties distinguished themselves -by wearing ribbons, white or blue.</p> - -<p>Two years later civil war broke out again between the -Sabreurs, the Fronde party, and the Canifets, the -favourers of Royal prerogative; each was headed by -a young peasantess armed with a scythe. Frightful -violence ensued. The mayor and many officers of the -town were killed. Men, women, and children were massacred -indiscriminately as this or that faction got the -upper hand.</p> - -<p>The king sent troops to Draguignan, and ordered the -demolition of the castle, which was the bone of contention -between the parties, and most of the Sabreurs fled -into Piedmont. The story goes that a cavalry regiment -called La Cornette blanche was quartered in the town, -and having behaved with great insolence, the people -rose in the night and massacred every man in the -regiment, But in the municipal records there is nothing -to be found to confirm the tradition.</p> - -<p>Les Tourettes by Fayence, easily accessible from -Draguignan, is a most extraordinary pile, like no other -castle known. In the time of the religious wars it was -held by the Carcists, and they, being short of provisions, -at night raided the neighbourhood. The people of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> -Fayence complained to the Governor of Provence, and -he authorised them to take what measures they liked to -free themselves of the inconvenience. Accordingly -they sent for a cannon from Antibes and proceeded to -batter the castle down; and by keeping up an incessant -fire they made the castle too hot for the Carcists, who -fled, and then the good folk of Fayence proceeded to -gut and unroof the castle, so as to save themselves from -further annoyance from that quarter.</p> - -<p>Draguignan was supplied with water by a canal cut, -so it is asserted, by Queen Jeanne I. of Sicily, and she -is also credited with having built the church at Salernes -at the confluence of the Bresgne and the Brague, and to -have resided at Draguignan.</p> - -<p>It is remarkable that only two names of their former -rulers have any hold on the imagination and hearts of -the Provençals of to-day, and these the names of two -totally different characters—<i>la reino Jeanno</i> and good -King Réné. It was through Queen Joanna or Jeanne -of Sicily that King Réné acquired his empty royal titles. -At Grasse a flight of stone steps built into a vaulted -passage is all that remains of her palace. Houses said -to have been occupied by her are pointed out in many -places, but in some instances, as in that of the pretty -Renaissance palace of Queen Jeanne at Les Baux, -there is confusion made between her and Jeanne de -Laval, the wife of King Réné.</p> - -<p>It may be asked, How in the name of Wonder did -Joanna obtain the title of Queen of Jerusalem, so as to -transmit the Crown of the Holy City to Réné through -her grandniece, Joanna II.?</p> - -<p>The bitter and implacable hostility borne by the -Popes to the German Imperial House of Hohenstauffen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> -led Urban IV. to invite S. Louis, King of France, to -assume the title of King of Sicily and Naples. But the -delicate conscience of Louis revolted from such an -usurpation. If the Crown were hereditary, it belonged -to Conradin, grandson of Frederick II., the Great -Redbeard, Emperor, King of Germany and of Sicily. -But Charles of Anjou, the brother of S. Louis, was less -scrupulous. He accepted the invitation. On the death -of Urban, Clement IV. pursued the same policy. Manfred, -the uncle of Conradin, then wore the Crown of -the Sicilies. He was defeated by Charles and fell in -battle, 1266, before the army of the Pope and of Charles -of Anjou, marching as crusaders. Manfred left an only -child, Constance, married to Peter III., King of Aragon. -Conradin, at the head of an army, advanced to claim -the Crown that was now his by right, regardless of -the excommunication and curses hurled at him by -the Pope. He was defeated and taken prisoner. -Clement, fearful lest Charles should deal leniently towards -the last of the Hohenstaufens, wrote to urge him -to smother all feelings of pity.</p> - -<p>“The life of Conradin,” he wrote, “is the death of -Charles; the death of Conradin is the life of Charles”; -and the Anjou prince had the last male of this noble -race executed publicly. As Conradin stood on the -scaffold, he flung his glove among the people, crying out -that he constituted the King of Aragon his heir.</p> - -<p>Charles was now King of the Two Sicilies. But he -was ambitious of a more splendid title, and he bought -that of Jerusalem from Mary of Antioch, daughter -of Bohimund V., who inherited the title of King of -Jerusalem from his mother, Melusina, daughter of -Amaury de Lusignan, twelfth sovereign of the Christian<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span> -kingdom of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem itself had fallen -into the hands of the Saracens in 1244.</p> - -<p>To return now to Jeanne de Naples.</p> - -<p>Joanna I. of Naples was born in 1327, and was the -daughter of Charles, Duke of Calabria, and of Marie de -Valois, his second wife. Charles was the only son of -Robert the Good, King of Naples, who was the grandson -of Charles of Anjou, brother of S. Louis, to whom -had been given the Crown of Naples by Pope Urban IV., -determined at any cost to destroy the Hohenstauffen -dynasty.</p> - -<p>Charles, Duke of Calabria, died before his father, -and Joanna succeeded to the throne at the age of -sixteen.</p> - -<p>She had been badly brought up. Philippine Cabane, -a washerwoman, wife of a fisherman, had been nurse to -Charles, and she became later the nurse and confidante -of Joanna. She was a very beautiful and a thoroughly -unprincipled woman. On the death of her husband she -married a young Saracen slave in the service of Raymond -de Cabane, <i>maître d’hôtel</i> to the King. Raymond -fell under the influence of this Saracen, and he introduced -him to King Robert, who created him Grand -Seneschal, to the indignation of the Sicilian nobility, and -himself armed the Saracen knight.<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> Soon after marrying -this man, we find “la Cabanaise,” as she was called, -installed as lady of honour to Catherine of Austria, first -wife of Charles of Calabria. Soon she induced Raymond -to adopt her husband, and to give him his title and -bequeath his fortune to him. Catherine of Austria died, -and then Charles married Marie de Valois; and when<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> -Jeanne or Joanna was born, Charles entrusted his child -to this infamous woman.</p> - -<p>King Robert had been younger brother of Charles -Martel, King of Hungary, and the Crown of Naples was -liable to be disputed between the branches. It was -therefore deemed advisable to marry Joanna to Andrew, -son of Caroly I., and grandson of Charles Martel, King -of Hungary.</p> - -<p>Joanna and Andrew were married when mere children—she, -in fact, was only seven when affianced to him. -She and Andrew never liked each other, and when they -occupied one throne, dislike ripened into aversion; two -factions rent the Court with their rivalries, one favoured -by the King, the other by the Queen. At last Philippine -Cabane induced Joanna to acquiesce in a plot to murder -Andrew. One evening in September, 1345, when the -Court was at Averso, the chamberlain of the King -entered the bedroom, where were Andrew and Joanna, -and announced to him that he had despatches of importance -to communicate. Andrew rose from bed and -went into the adjoining apartment, where he was set -upon, and hung from the bars of the window with a -rope into which gold thread had been twisted by the -hands of Joanna, for as Andrew was a king, “Let him -be strangled royally,” she had said.</p> - -<p>The body of Andrew was left hanging from the -window for two days. Joanna at the time was aged -eighteen, but she was utterly corrupt in mind. At -quite an early age she had had a <i>liaison</i> with the son of -<i>la Cabanaise</i>. Pope Clement VI. deemed it incumbent -on him as suzerain to order the murderers to be -punished; but only accessories suffered. Philippine was -tortured and died under torture. Her son, Robert de<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span> -Cabane, was also made to suffer in like manner; but -a wad was put in his mouth to prevent him from betraying -the part the Queen had in the murder, and -those publicly executed were also so gagged that they -might not reveal her complicity in the crime.</p> - -<p>In less than two years after, on August 20th, 1347, -Joanna married Louis of Tarentum, her cousin, who had -been one of the prime investigators of the murder. But -Louis, King of Hungary, was determined to avenge the -death of his brother, and he marched an army against -Naples, under a black flag, on which was embroidered -a representation of the murder of Andrew.</p> - -<p>Louis of Tarentum headed an army of Neapolitans -against the invader, but it dispersed of itself, and -Joanna fled with him to Provence in January, 1348, -leaving behind her, in heartless indifference, her son, the -child of the murdered Andrew.</p> - -<p>On reaching Provence she found the barons there by -no means disposed to receive her with cordiality. The -atrocity of the crime revolted them, and for a whole -year they held her in prison. She was arraigned before -the world as an adulteress and a murderess.</p> - -<p>At length, thanks to the intervention of Pope -Clement VI., she was allowed to take refuge in Avignon, -where she arranged terms with Clement, that he should -declare her innocent and sanction her marriage with her -cousin, in exchange for which favour she was to make -over to him, for a nominal sum, the city of Avignon without -the Venaissin previously acquired. The stipulated -sum was 80,000 gold florins, amounting to about £128,000 -in modern money. The sale was in direct contravention -to the terms of the will of King Robert, who constituted -her heiress with the proviso that she was not to dissipate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> -the Crown lands and rights in the Two Sicilies and in -Provence. It was further a breach of a solemn oath she -had taken to the barons “that she would never alienate -or wrong her royal and loyal estates of Provence.” But -Joanna was in need of money to prosecute the war -against Louis of Hungary. For this purpose she sold -rights and domains wherever she could find a purchaser. -She disposed of the forests of the Montagnes des -Maures to the town of Hyères, and the fishing in the -lake of Hyères as well. The rights of the Crown to the -harvest of the kermes or cochineal insect that lived on -the oaks, were also sold. Parts of the Estérel were -alienated. Marseilles and other towns bought of her -valuable privileges.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile, Louis of Hungary had lost much of his -army about Naples, swept off by plague. He himself -returned to Hungary, carrying with him the son of -Joanna, born two months after the death of Andrew, -deserted by her at Naples; the child, however, died -soon after. Joanna, whitewashed by the Pope, returned -to Naples in 1348, in August, whereupon Louis again -appeared in Italy at the head of an army, but met with -small success, and a truce was arranged; whereupon -Joanna returned to Avignon, there to have her guilt -or innocence formally tried before three cardinals nominated -by the Pope.</p> - -<p>Louis accused Joanna of being more than accessory -to the murder of her husband, and Louis of Tarentum -of being an instigator of the crime, and Cardinal Talleyrand -Perigord as having also been in the plot.</p> - -<p>Joanna appeared before the Papal Commission. She -pleaded guilty only to having disliked her husband, -and claimed that this was due to witchcraft. She was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -acquitted as innocent of all charges brought against her; -and as the Pope was regarded as infallible judge, in -morals as in matters of faith, the world was constrained -to acquiesce in the judgment.</p> - -<p>Joanna returned to Naples, where she held a gay, -voluptuous court, frequented by the wits and artists of -Italy. Boccaccio wrote for her his filthy tales, which -he afterwards grouped together in the <i>Decameron</i>. -Petrarch corresponded with her. Leonardo da Vinci -painted her portrait; pupils of Giotto painted for her; -Troubadours sang before her, and were fulsome in their -praise.</p> - -<p>But her rule was no rule at all. The country suffered -from misgovernment. Companies of adventurers ravaged -the kingdom, and carried their depredations to the very -gates of Naples. Joanna cared for none of these things; -did not give over her revelries and carnival entertainments. -Her husband Louis was offended at her shameless -gallantries, and beat her with his fists. He died in -May, 1362; and she at once offered her hand to James -of the House of Aragon, claimant to the throne of -Majorca, a young and chivalrous prince. He accepted, -and they were married in 1363; but she would not -allow him any further title than that of Duke of -Calabria.</p> - -<p>He was disgusted with the frivolity of her Court, and -with her conduct, and fearing lest the same fate should -befall him that had come on her first husband Andrew, -he quitted Naples and fled to Spain. James of Aragon -died, and in 1376 Joanna married Otto of Brunswick. -This fourth marriage offended Charles of Durazzo, grandson -of John de Gravia, younger brother of Robert, King -of the Two Sicilies, who calculated on succeeding to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span> -throne and the county of Provence should Joanna die -childless. His father Louis had been poisoned by Queen -Joanna. Now ensued the great schism.</p> - -<p>For seventy years the papal court had been at Avignon, -and the Romans were sore that the money accruing from -the influx of pilgrims, litigants, and suitors to the Pope -should flow into the pockets of the Avignonese instead -of their own. Gregory IX. had come to Rome, urged -thereto by S. Catherine of Siena; and there he died in -1378. Thereupon the Romans, armed and furious, surrounded -the conclave of the Cardinals, shouting for a -Roman Pope. At the time there were in Rome sixteen -Cardinals; eleven were French, four Italian, and one -Spanish. Intimidated by the menaces of the populace, -quaking for their lives, the Cardinals elected the Archbishop -of Bari, a narrow-minded man, of low birth, coarse -manners, no tact, and, as proved eventually, of remorseless -cruelty. He showed at once of what stuff he was -made by insulting the Cardinals, and by threats of -swamping the college with Italian creations. The Cardinals -fled to Anagni, where they issued a declaration -that the election was void, as it had been made under -compulsion, and that their lives had been threatened. -However, the newly-elected Pope assumed the name of -Urban VI. As Archbishop of Bari he had been the -subject of Joanna, and she hailed his elevation, and sent -him shiploads of fruit and wines, and the more solid gift -of 20,000 florins. Her husband, Otho of Brunswick, -went to Rome to pay his personal homage. But his -reception was cold and repellent, and he retired in disgust.</p> - -<p>Only four Cardinals adhered to Pope Urban. The -Cardinals at Anagni proceeded to elect Robert, Bishop<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> -of Geneva, to the papal throne, and he assumed the -title of Clement VII.</p> - -<p>Joanna had sent a deputation to Urban, headed by -her grand chancellor, Spinelli. In public, Urban treated -the deputation with a torrent of abuse, saying that he -would eject the queen from her throne, and shut her up -in a cloister; aye, and would put in her place a man -capable of governing well. Spinelli replied that the -people were content with their legitimate sovereign; -that she was not fit for a cloister; and that if force were -used she would find arms ready to defend her.</p> - -<p>Urban had thrown down the gauntlet. Joanna, furious -at the insult, at once acknowledged Clement as Pope.</p> - -<p>At first the rival Popes hurled ecclesiastical thunders -at each other; each denounced his rival as Antichrist, -and each excommunicated his rival’s adherents. France, -Spain, Scotland, the Two Sicilies, acknowledged Clement; -Germany, Hungary, and England, and the major part -of Italy, recognised Urban.</p> - -<p>All the fury of this latter was now turned against -Joanna, and he sent a deputation to Hungary to incite -Charles of Durazzo to take up arms against her. Charles -was not willing to do so. He knew that now Joanna -was an old woman, and most unlikely to have children, -and that in a few years inevitably the crown would fall -to him.</p> - -<p>But at this juncture, Joanna made a fatal mistake. -Hearing of what the Pope had done, and supposing that -Charles would at once comply with his urgency, she -declared that she disinherited Charles, and bequeathed -all her rights to the Two Sicilies and to Provence to -Louis of Anjou, second son of King John of France.</p> - -<p>Thereupon Charles hesitated no longer. He raised<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> -an army in Hungary, and prepared to invade Neapolitan -territories. Pope Urban hired the services of a ruffian -captain of a Free Company, Alberic Barbiano, to assist. -Urban was not, however, prepared to support Charles -without getting some advantage out of him, and he -bargained with him that the Principality of Capua should -be given to his nephew, Butillo Prignano. When Charles -arrived in Rome, Urban decreed the deposition of Joanna, -and invested Charles with the sovereignty, and himself -crowned him. In the meantime Urban was busy in -forming a party in Naples against the Queen, to whom -Clement had fled. Among the twenty-six Cardinals -whom he created in one day were several Neapolitans -of the highest families and dignities in the kingdom. -He degraded the Archbishop of Naples, and appointed -in his room Bozzato, a man of influence and of powerful -connexions in the city. By this means he secured a -faction in Naples, opposed to Joanna and to her Pope. -The new Archbishop set himself at the head of the -opposition. Clement was so alarmed for his safety that -he embarked, escaped to Provence, and retreated to -Avignon.</p> - -<p>The Hungarian and Papal forces marched into the -kingdom of Naples, and met with no organised resistance. -Joanna was besieged in the Castel Nuovo, and -Otho of Brunswick was captured in a sortie. Joanna in -vain awaited help from the Duke of Anjou, and was -forced by famine to surrender. She was confined in -Muro, and at first was well treated, as Charles hoped -that she would revoke her will in his favour. But when -he saw that she was resolved not to do this, he sent to -ask the King of Hungary what was to be done with her. -The answer was that the same measure was to be meted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span> -out to her that had been measured to Andrew; and she -was either strangled whilst at her prayers, or smothered -under a feather bed, on May 12th, 1382.</p> - -<p>She was buried first at Muro, and then her body was -transferred to Naples.</p> - -<p>Opinions were divided as to her character. Angelo de -Perugia qualified her as “santissima,” and spoke of her -as “l’onore del mundo, la luce dell’Italia”; Petrarch -greatly admired her; and recently, Mistral has composed -a poem in which she is painted as a blameless -and misrepresented personage. Her sister Maria was -almost as bad as herself. She also had her husband, -Robert des Baux, murdered. It is true that she had -been married to him against her will. When she got -the power in her hands she flung him into prison, and, -entering the dungeon, along with four armed men, had -him assassinated before her eyes, and the body cast out of -a window and left without burial, till Joanna heard of her -sister’s action, when she sent and had the body decently -interred.<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></p> - -<p>After that Joanna had been put to death, Marie, -natural daughter of Robert of Naples, and aunt of -Joanna, was tried and executed as having been privy -to the plot to murder Andrew. This Marie had carried -on an intrigue with Boccaccio, and is believed to be -the Fiammetta of the <i>Decameron</i>; but according to -others, Fiammetta was intended for Joanna herself.</p> - -<p>The Pope’s nephew, who was to be invested with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> -Principality of Capua as the price of Urban’s assistance, -soon after this broke into a convent and ravished a nun -of high birth and great beauty. Complaints were made -to the Pope. He laughed it off as a venial outburst of -youth; but Butillo was forty years old. The new king’s -justice would not, however, endure the crime. A capital -sentence was passed on Butillo. Pope Urban annulled -the sentence, and Butillo was, if not rewarded, bought -off by being given a wife, the daughter of the justiciary, -and of the king’s kindred, with a dowry of 70,000 florins -a year, and a noble castle at Nocera. Thus satisfied, -Urban excommunicated Louis of Anjou, declared him -accursed, preached a crusade against him, and offered -plenary indulgence to all who should take up arms -against him.</p> - -<p>The War of Inheritance ensued after the death of -Joanna, devastating alike Naples and Provence.</p> - -<p>Charles of Durazzo, whom Urban had crowned, had -married his cousin Margaret, daughter of his uncle -Charles, who had been executed in 1348 by Louis of -Hungary, for having counselled the murder of his cousin -Andrew. The father of Charles had been, as already -intimated, poisoned by Joanna. Louis, King of Hungary, -died in 1382; whereupon Charles claimed that kingdom, -but was taken by Elizabeth, widow of Louis, thrown -into prison, and murdered there by her orders. Charles -left a son, Ladislas, and a daughter, Joanna. Ladislas -was poisoned in 1414, as was supposed, and then -Joanna II. became Queen of the Two Sicilies. Although -twice married, she had no family, and she adopted -Réné of Anjou and Provence as her heir, and died in -1435.</p> - -<p>The whole pedigree is such a tangle, and the place of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> -each actor in the historic drama so difficult to fix without -having a genealogical table before the eye, that I -have appended one, omitting all such entries as do not -specially concern the story. I may merely add that -Joanna’s second husband was her cousin, descended -from Philip of Tarentum, brother of her grandfather, -Robert of the Sicilies. Also, that the county of -Provence descended to Joanna I. and Joanna II., -through their common ancestor, Charles II. of Anjou, -son of Charles I. and Beatrix, the heiress of that -county. About her I shall have something to say -later on.</p> - -<p>Joanna II. was not much better as a woman than -Joanna I. She was enamoured of her handsome -seneschal, Gian Caracciolo, who did not respond to -her advances. One day she inquired of her courtiers -what animal each mainly disliked. One said a toad, -another a spider: Caracciolo declared his utter loathing -for a rat.</p> - -<p>Next day, when he was on his way to his room, he -met a servant of the Queen with a cage full of rats. -As he was attempting to pass by, the domestic opened -the cage door, and out rushed the rats. Caracciolo -fled, and, trying every door in the passage, found all -locked save one, that into the Queen’s apartment. She -created him Duke of Avellino and Lord of Capua. -One day, in 1432, relying on the favour he enjoyed, he -asked to be created Prince of Capua. When she refused, -he boxed her ears. This was an outrage she -could not forgive, and by her orders he was assassinated -in his room.<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> The Queen died two years later.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Jeanne II.,” says Alexis de Saint Priest, “fit assoir -tous les vices sur le trône des Angevins sans la compensation -d’aucun talent, ni d’aucune vertu.” Joanna I. -had some cleverness, and in that, and in that alone, was -superior to the second Joanna.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-146.jpg" width="400" height="475" - alt="" - title="" /> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-147.jpg" width="400" height="296" id="i147" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">THÉOULE</p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER X<br /> -<span class="mid">L’ESTÉREL</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">The porphyry mountains—Geology and botany—The Suelteri—Charles V. -sets fire to the forests—Revenge—The tower of Muy—The seven gentlemen—Attempt -to shoot Charles—Failure—The Estérel formerly a -haunt of brigands—Gaspard de Besse—Saussure and Millin—Agay—The -Roman quarries—Cap Roux—La Sainte Baume—S. Honoratus—Various -places of winter resort in the Estérel.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap08">A TRAVELLER must be very <i>blasé</i> or very obtuse -who is not spellbound by the exceptional beauty -of the Estérel. This mountain mass, like the Chaine -des Maures, is an interruption of the continuity of the -limestone of the coast. It consists of a tremendous -upheaval of red porphyry. Unlike the Maures, with its -schists and granite, the porphyry assumes the boldest -and most fantastic shapes, and the gorgeousness of its -colouring defies description. These flame-red crags -shooting out of a sea the colour of a peacock’s neck, -or out of dense woods of pine, afford pictures where -form and colouring are alike of sovereign beauty. It is -a region unique in Europe, extending something like -twelve English miles from east to west, and as much -from north to south. The medium height of its -summits is 1,500 to 1,800 feet, so that the elevation is -not great, but it is cleft by valleys that abound in scenes -of the finest order of picturesqueness. Here and there -the granite and gneiss appear; elsewhere serpentine,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span> -trap, basalt, and blue quartzite porphyry. Beside this -is the new red sandstone and the Bunter sandstone. -Variety of soil gives variety of vegetation; plantations -of mimosa, not over a quarter of a century old, thrive -on the primitive rocks, and are mixed with cork trees, -umbrella pines, oaks, bushes of cistus, laurestinas, -myrtle, rosemary, heath, broom, and in the spring gleam -the white spears of the asphodel. It is a district in -which geologist, botanist, and artist will revel alike.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The group of the Estérel,” says Lenthéric, “differs in -form, in colour, in origin, from all the littoral mountains of -the Provençal coast. It is entirely composed of primitive -eruptive rocks; its highest summits may not reach above -1,800 feet; but all its ridges are pointed, and of a redness of -fire. The crests of the mountains are bald and savage. The -cliffs are abrupt, torn into projecting and retreating angles, -and form on the sea-face an inaccessible fortification, defended -by an archipelago of islets and reefs of almost polished -porphyry, over which the waves have broken during many -centuries without having been able to produce upon them -any appreciable marks of geological erosion. The outline, -the denticulation, the anfractuosities of the shore, the fiords -and the rocky caverns into which the sea plunges, are little -different to-day from what they were at the opening of historic -times, even, one may say, at the beginning of our own -geologic period.”<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a></p> - -<p class="p1">This wild and wondrous region was occupied by a -Ligurian tribe of Suelteri, who have left their name, -much corrupted, to the district. The Romans found it -difficult to conquer them, but they carried the Aurelian -Road along the coast, where runs now the New -Corniche Way.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span></p> - -<p>When Charles V. penetrated into Provence, with -intention to annex it, and Francis I. retreated before -him, he was so harassed by the natives of the -Estérel swooping down on his convoys and capturing -them, or cutting to pieces detached regiments, that he -set the forests on fire, and for a week or ten days flames -raged about the ruddy cliffs, making them look as -if they had been heated red hot, and either burning -the gallant defenders or driving them in desperation to -break forth from this vast raging kiln to fall on the -pikes of his men-at-arms.</p> - -<p>Men, women, children, cattle, all perished in this -horrible pyre; and when the conflagration died out for -lack of fuel, nothing was left but the ashes of the burnt -forest, mixed with the calcined bones of those who had -perished in it, above which stood the gaunt red spires -of rock, like petrified flames. Such conduct provoked -reprisals, and not a soldier of the invaders was spared -who fell into the hands of the exasperated Provençals.</p> - -<p>At the little village of Le Muy stood, and stands still, -a solitary tower by the side of the road, along which -the Emperor was marching. It was old and in decay, -a ruin in the midst of ruins; and so little did it excite -suspicion that the Imperialists did not trouble to -examine it.</p> - -<p>But five gentlemen, witnesses of the atrocities committed -by Charles V., bound themselves to revenge -them. Accompanied by fifteen soldiers and about thirty -peasants well armed, all as devoted and intrepid as -themselves, they shut themselves into the old tower. -There each planted his arquebus in a loophole or a -crack in the walls, resolved to shoot down the Emperor -as he passed. Clouds of dust announced the approach<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> -of the hostile army. None of the devoted men knew -Charles by sight, but they hoped to recognize him by -the superior splendour of his armour, and the state that -surrounded him. But one of the first to go by, in -gorgeous panoply, was the Spaniard Garcia Luzzio, -mounted on a noble courser, and accompanied by picked -soldiers. Thinking that this must be the Emperor, the -Provençal gentlemen poured upon the Spaniard a hail -of bullets, and he fell from his horse, dead.</p> - -<p>Such an unexpected assault staggered the soldiers of -Luzzio for a moment. But they speedily rallied and -rushed to the tower bravely to revenge the death of -their leader. The Provençals replied by a fresh discharge, -which overthrew several of the soldiers. Knowing -that they must expect death, they were resolved to -sell their lives dearly; and they were able to kill a -number of their assailants when they came on, without -order and discipline.</p> - -<p>To sacrifice as few as possible, the officers ordered the -soldiers to withdraw and await the commands of the -Emperor. Charles V. came up and had cannon levelled -at the tower, and the gallant defenders either perished -in its ruins, or fell into the hands of the Imperialists, -who hung them from the trees round about.</p> - -<p>In time the Estérel was again clothed in forest, and -then became the haunt of all the outlaws and gaol-birds -who had broken loose. These were organised -into a body by one Gaspard de Besse, the Robin Hood -of the district. He with his band became the terror -of Provence, waylaying merchants on the high roads, -and retreating to various caves still shown in several -places, after having plundered unfortunate travellers. -When pursuit was hottest, he escaped to the Estérel.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span> -Several murders that he had committed were the -occasion of a price being put on his head, and he was -eventually captured and broken on the wheel at Aix -in 1776. He is the hero of a charming story by -Mme. Charles Reybaud, published in 1859, but now out -of print and very scarce. A drama called <i>L’Auberge des -Adrets</i> had its scene laid in the Estérel, in 1823.</p> - -<p>In 1787 the celebrated Saussure visited the Estérel -as geologist and botanist; but his enthusiasm for the -semi-tropical flora he met with in his excursions was -somewhat tempered by uneasiness about his safety. He -says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The main road is entirely exposed, and is dominated by -salient rocks, on which the brigands plant their sentinels. -They suffer travellers to advance to some open space between -these points of vantage. Then, from their ambushes in the -woods, they swoop down on them and plunder them, whilst -the sentinels keep a good look-out, lest the guards should -come and surprise them. In the event of any of these appearing, -a whistle suffices to warn the robbers, and they dive -out of sight into the forest. It is absolutely impossible to -reach them. Not only is the undergrowth very dense, but it -is encumbered with huge blocks of stone. There are neither -by-roads nor paths; and unless one knows the intricacies of -the woods as well as do the brigands themselves, no one can -penetrate into them, except very slowly. The forest extends to -the sea, and the whole district, entirely uncultivated, is a place -of refuge for the convicts who have escaped from the galleys -of Toulon, the nursery of all the robbers of the country.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Millin, who wrote in 1807, says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“In general it is not possible to rely on the peasants in this -region. If you ask of them your way, they will either not -answer you at all or will misdirect you. Be careful that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> -nothing is wrong with your equipages, and your harness; for -no assistance is to be met with there. If they see that you -are in difficulties, they laugh; if that you are in danger, they -pass by on the other side of the way. Should a parched -traveller venture to pluck a bunch of grapes, it is well for him -if this slight indiscretion does not bring on him blows of a -cudgel, a stone, or a shot from the gun of the owner. The -cries of the peasants are those of the tiger, and like the tiger -is their vivacity and their fury. Quarrels lead to insults, and -insults are met with a blow of a stick, a stone, or the stab -of a knife, often enough mortal in its effects. He who has -committed such a crime thinks nothing of its consequences, -save how they may affect himself. He abandons his victim, -or else puts him out of the way of deposing against him. He -runs away. Watching for his prey either in the ravines of -Ollioules or in the depths of the forests of the Estérel, he waylays -the traveller. He begins as a robber, and speedily becomes -an assassin by trade. This is how the brigands are -recruited who infest the roads of Provence.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Now all that is of the past. The French Tourists’ -Club has made paths and roads in all directions, and -the Estérel may be traversed even more safely than -Regent Street.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-153.jpg" width="400" height="293" id="i153" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">THE ESTÉREL, FROM CANNES</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span></p> - -<p>The Estérel can be visited from Cannes or S. -Raphael, but the real centre for excursions is Agay, -an ideal nook for a winter resort. The Mornes Rougés, -a hemicycle of heights, curves about the harbour, and -cuts off every huffle of the Mistral. The Cap Dramont -intercepts the winds from the west. It possesses good -hotels, and if a visitor for the winter could tear himself -away from the gaieties of Cannes, he would spend a -month here with perfect comfort, in a warmer climate, -and with any number of delightful excursions to be -made from it. Agay and Anthéor are two settlements -of artists, and any one who enjoys sketching can follow -that pursuit in the open air in the Estérel throughout -the winter. Among the many points of interest near -Agay may be mentioned the Roman quarries of blue -porphyry, les Caous. Of these there are three. It was -for a long time supposed that the Romans transported -the greyish-blue porphyry spotted with white, found in -their structures at Fréjus and Orange from Egypt, till -these quarries were discovered. In them remain some -shafts of columns twenty-two feet long, roughed out, but -never completed. Grooves cut in the rock, and blocks -dropped on the way down to the sea, point out the fact -that the working of these quarries must have been -abandoned abruptly. There were workshops hard by, -and numerous remains of pottery and tools have been -picked up. One of the quarries was utilised for columns, -another for blocks and facing-slabs.</p> - -<p>The Cap Roux, which stands forth as an advanced -sentinel, with feet in the sea, and starts up 1,360 feet, -with its red needles shooting aloft from the water, and -pierced below with caverns, is consecrated to the memory -of S. Honoratus, whose cave, La Sainte Baume, is in -the lurid cliff. Numerous pilgrims were wont to visit it -at one time, but now it is hardly frequented at all, save -by tourists. There is a fashion in saints; and poor old -Honoratus is now shouldered into the background, and -thrust into the shade. But he is not a man who should -be forgotten. His is one of the most lovable characters -in the calendar. His life was written by his kinsman -and disciple, the great Hilary of Arles, and it may -be thoroughly relied on. He is also spoken of with -much love by another pupil, S. Eucherius of Lyons. -But there exists another Life, which is a tissue of fables,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -and a late composition, utterly worthless, one “which,” -says Baronius, the Church historian, “cannot be read -without disgust, except by those possessed of iron -stomachs, and wits cankered with the rust of ignorance.”</p> - -<p>Honoratus was son of a Romano-Gaulish nobleman, -living it is not certain where. When quite a young man -he longed to embrace a solitary life, away from the distractions -and pleasures of the corrupt society and the -degenerate civilization of the time. His father, noticing -the direction of the lad’s mind, charged his eldest son, -Venantius, a gay and impetuous youth, to turn him -from this purpose; but on the contrary, it was he who -gained his brother; and the two young men left their -home and wandered to the East. There, overcome by -the hardships of the journey, Venantius, who was -delicate, succumbed, and Honoratus buried him. Then -he set his face westward, and on reaching Provence -made the acquaintance of Leontius, Bishop of Fréjus, -and opened to him his heart. Leontius advised him to -test the sincerity of his purpose, and recommended him to -find some solitary nook in the Estérel where he might -spend time in preparation and prayer. Then Honoratus, -wandering among the forests and the flaming red rocks, -lighted on a cave on Cap Roux and made that his -place of retreat. Later, being resolute in purpose, he -departed, and, accompanied by a few others of like -mind, crossed over to the Isle of Lerins and made that -his abode. By degrees a little community formed there -about him. Honoratus, whose fine face, as Eucherius -says, was radiant with a sweet and attractive majesty, -received a multitude of disciples of all nations, who -flocked to him; and the island became the great centre<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span> -of learning and holiness for Gaul. He showed the -utmost tenderness in the management of those who -committed themselves to his guidance. He sought to -penetrate to the depths of their hearts, to understand -their troubles and difficulties. He neglected no effort -to dispel every sadness, all painful recollection of the -world. He watched their sleep, their health, their -labours, that he might draw each to serve God according -to the measure of his strength. Thus he inspired -them with a love more than filial. “In him,” they said, -“we find not only a father, but an entire family, a -country, the whole world.” When he wrote to any of -those who were absent, they were wont to say, on -receiving a letter, written, according to the usage of the -time, upon tablets of wax, “He has poured back honey -into the wax, honey drawn from the inexhaustible -sweetness of his heart.”</p> - -<p>The monks, who had sought happiness by renouncing -secular life, protested that they had found it on the Isle -of Lerins, under the guidance of Honoratus.</p> - -<p>But every now and then, overburdened with the care -of a great community, Honoratus longed to be alone, -to rest from these engrossing cares, and to spend his -time in searching his own heart and communing with -God.</p> - -<p>He had a young kinsman, Hilary by name, of whom -I have already spoken, living in the world. Honoratus -sought him out in his old home and earnestly endeavoured -to draw him to embrace the monastic life. But his persuasion -failed. Hilary stubbornly refused. Before he -left, Honoratus said, “Well, then, I will obtain from -God what you now refuse me.” And he retreated, either -to his cave in the Estérel or to his island of Lerins, to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span> -pray for his relative. Three days after he was gone -Hilary changed his mind. “On the one hand,” he says, -I thought I saw God calling me; on the other the world -seducing me. How often did I embrace, and then -reject, will and then not will, the same thing. But in the -end, Jesus Christ triumphed in me.” And going to the -sea-coast he boated over to Lerins.</p> - -<p>Honoratus was elected Bishop of Arles in 426, and -died in the arms of Hilary, who succeeded him, in 429.</p> - -<p>Who thinks of this saintly old man when in the -bustling rue S. Honoré, in Paris, that is called after -him?</p> - -<p>There is no need for me to describe the marvels of -rock scenery in Mal Infernet, the Ravin d’Uzel, the -Rochers du Pigeonnier, or the many other sights of the -Estérel, for there are two or three excellent little -guide-books to this most fascinating region, easily -obtainable at Cannes.</p> - -<p>In addition to Agay, there are other comfortable -places well furnished with hotels, where one may spend -many pleasant days, as Théoule and Le Trayas. And -as there is not only the New Corniche Road, but also the -main line skirting the Estérel, it is easily accessible and -easily abandoned should books run short and rain fall.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-157.jpg" width="400" height="289" id="i157" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">WASHERWOMEN, GRASSE</p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XI<br /> -<span class="mid">GRASSE</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">Advantages of situation—Fine scenery in neighbourhood—The <i>foux</i>—Manufactures—Romeo -de Villeneuve—Charles of Anjou—In Sicily—The -Sicilian Vespers—Death of Charles—The transfer of Episcopal -Chair to Grasse from Antibes—Antoine Godeau—Cathedral—Cathedral -of Vence—Western Choirs—Attempt to blow up the Bishop—The -Hôtel Cabris—Louise de Cabris—The Mirabeaus—Cabris—Gabriel -Honoré—André Boniface—The Gorges of the Loup—Gourdon—Mouans -Sartoux—The Calvinist Seigneur—Pompée de Grasse—Susanne -de Villeneuve—François de Théas Thorenc—Fragonard—Petty -quarrels—The Flowers of Grasse.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap08">GRASSE, once a great resort, during the winter, for -visitors, has ceased to be that, unless it be out -of curiosity. They run up by train from Cannes for a -couple of hours and return by the next. The only -foreign residents there for the winter season are such as -have bought villas which they cannot dispose of. But -Grasse possesses advantages not shared by Cannes. It -is far better protected against cold winds, as it lies -under the great limestone wall that supports the bare -terrace before the Alps. But, built as it is on a steep -slope, it is not a place where any one with a weak heart -can live, unless content to live at his window. There is -scarce a bit of level street in the place. The shops are -naught and entertainments indifferent. But then—it is -an admirable centre for a stay of a few weeks, for one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> -who desires to explore the magnificent scenery of the -Loup, the curious country in the great loop made by -the River Var, S. Vallier, and the upper waters of the -Siagne; Vence also and S. Jeannet under its marvellous -crag, full of crevasses and caves.</p> - -<p>Grasse must always have been a place where men -settled, from the earliest days, as there is a <i>foux</i>, a great -outburst of purest water from the rock. The cave from -which it rushes is now closed up, and the water is led -to the place where the women wash clothes, and by -pipes is conveyed about the town. There is, however, -no evidence that the town was one in Greek or -Roman times, and it first appears in history in 1154; -but then it was a place of some consequence, and shortly -after that it contracted alliances on an equal footing with -the Pisans and the Genoese. Throughout the Middle -Ages it throve on its manufactures of soap, its leather, its -gloves, its refined oil and scents. It was a free and -independent town, governing itself like the Italian -communities, as a Republic, with its annually elected -consuls; and when it submitted in 1227 to Raymond -Berenger, Count of Provence, it made its own terms -with him. Grasse attained to great prosperity under the -celebrated seneschal Romeo de Villeneuve, a remarkable -man, whose story may here be told.</p> - -<p>Douce, the heiress of the Counts of Provence, married -Raymond Berenger I., Count of Barcelona, who died in -1131. From him in direct line descended Raymond -Berenger IV., whose most trusty servant was Romeo de -Villeneuve. This man arrived at the court of the Count -as a pilgrim, staff in hand and cockleshell in hat, -coming from a visit to S. James of Compostello. -Something attractive about the man drew the attention<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> -of the Count, and he made of him his chief minister, -High Constable of Provence, and treasurer. His strict -integrity, his great prudence, and his justice, endeared -him to the people as they did to his master. Through -his instrumentality, Eleanor, the daughter of the Count, -was married to Henry III. of England, and the niece of -the Count to Richard, Duke of Cornwall. Nice had -revolted against the Count, and Romeo reduced it to -submission, and was appointed Governor of the town. -Raymond Berenger had succeeded to his Countyship -when the barons of Provence had asserted their independence -and were warring against each other and -harassing the towns. Romeo clipped their wings, and -did all in his power to favour commerce and give -prosperity to the towns. Without curtailing the -splendour of his master’s court, he took care that there -should be no extravagance there; and he gathered -about it the ablest men of the time, poets and the -learned.</p> - -<p>This was the period when mortal war was being -waged between Pope Gregory IX. and the Emperor -Frederick II. The Emperor had been cursed and excommunicated, -a holy war proclaimed against him. -Gregory issued a summons to all the prelates of Europe -for a General Council to be held in the Lateran palace, -at Easter, in which he would pour out all his grievances -against Frederick, and unite the whole church in pronouncing -Anathema Maranatha against him. But the -Emperor himself had appealed to a General Council -against the Pope; one sitting in Rome, presided over -by Gregory, was not the tribunal to which he would -submit. The Count of Provence commissioned Romeo -to go to Rome with a fleet conveying bishops and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span> -cardinals to attend the Council. But Frederick had -prepared a powerful fleet in Sicily and Apulia, under -the command of his son, Enzio. Pisa joined him with -all her galleys. The Genoese and Provençal fleet met -that of the Emperor off the island of Meloria; the -heavily laden Genoese and Provençal vessels were -worsted after a sharp conflict; three galleys were sunk, -twenty-two were taken. Some of the prelates went -down in the sunken galleys; among the prisoners were -three cardinals, four archbishops, and six bishops.</p> - -<p>Cardinal Otho was in the fleet, returning to Rome -with English plunder. He had been collecting enormous -sums by exactions on the clergy and freewill -offerings for the replenishing of the Papal treasury, and -the prosecution of the holy war against Frederick. All -this now fell into the hands of the Imperialists. Romeo -was not taken prisoner; he fought with determined -courage, and even captured one of the hostile vessels, -and brought it back to Marseilles.</p> - -<p>Raymond Berenger died in 1245; by his will he had -confided the regency to Romeo, along with the guardianship -of his daughters.</p> - -<p>Romeo assembled the Provençal nobles and the -representatives of the chief towns, and made them swear -allegiance to Beatrix, the daughter of his old master, -who had been constituted heiress of Provence.</p> - -<p>Romeo succeeded in getting her married to Charles of -Anjou, brother of Louis IX. This was done with wise -purpose, but events proved—events over which Romeo -had no control—that it was a disastrous mistake.</p> - -<p>In his determination to root out the Hohenstauffen -from Italy, Pope Clement IV. offered the crown of -Naples and Sicily to this Charles. This was, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> -Mr. Addington Symons well says, “the most pernicious -of all the evils inflicted by the papal power on Italy -and on Provence.” Then followed the French tyranny, -under which Boniface VIII. expired at Anagni; -Benedict XI. was poisoned at the instigation of Philip -le Bel, and the Papal see was transferred to Avignon.</p> - -<p>Provence was henceforth involved in the bloody wars -of Italy; its wealth, its manhood, were drained away, -its Count passed to Naples to keep there his Court as a -King, to the neglect of good government at home.</p> - -<p>Romeo underwent the fate of all honest and strong -men. He had made himself enemies, who accused him -to the prince of having enriched himself at the expense -of the province.</p> - -<p>Romeo produced his accounts before the prince, -showing that he had not betrayed his trust to the value -of a denier; and then, resuming his pilgrim’s habit, -resumed also his wanderings. Finally he retired to the -castle of Vence, where he died. His will was dated -December 18th, 1250. Dante places him in Paradise:—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Within the pearl, that now encloseth us<br /> -Shines Romeo’s light, whose goodly deeds and fair<br /> -Met ill receptance. But the Provençals,<br /> -That were his foes, have little cause for mirth.<br /> -Ill shapes that man his course, who makes his wrong<br /> -Of other’s worth. Four daughters were there born<br /> -To Raymond Berenger; and every one<br /> -Became a queen; and this for him did Romeo,<br /> -Though of mean state, and from a foreign land,<br /> -Yet envious tongues incited him to ask<br /> -A reckoning of that just one, who return’d<br /> -Twelve-fold to him for ten. Aged and poor<br /> -He parted thence; and if the world did know<br /> -The heart he had, begging his life by morsels,<br /> -’Twould deem the praise it yields him, scantly dealt.”</p> -<p class="pr8 reduct">(Par. vi. 131-44).</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">Charles of Anjou was at all points opposite to his -brother Louis IX.—the Saint. The latter was true to -his word, just, merciful, and devoid of personal ambition. -But Charles was rapacious, cruel, and of a vehement -character. His young wife, moreover, the sister of three -queens, excited him to aspire after a crown; and he saw -in the county of Provence only a stepping-stone towards -a throne. He hoped to acquire that of Constantinople, -and he supposed that he was on his way thereto when he -listened to the summons of the Pope to dispossess -Manfred of the Sicilies. This disastrous resolve decided -the fate of Provence, and was the prime cause -of its ruin. If in the Count of Anjou there had been a -glimmer of political sense, he would have seen how -precarious a matter it was to accept a sovereignty as a -feudatory of the Holy See, and to become the sport of -circumstances ever shifting. He would have perceived -how fatal it would be to his fortunes to oscillate between -two centres; to exhaust the sources of his real strength -in Provence to maintain himself in Naples. The nobility -of Provence shared in his infatuation and eagerly joined -in the undertaking. At the accession of Charles under -the wise government of Raymond Berenger, and the -judicious husbanding of its resources by Romeo de -Villeneuve, Provence was at its acme of prosperity. -Charles brought it to ruin. After the execution of -Conradin, he rode roughshod over the people of Naples -and Sicily. To his exactions there was no end. The -great fiefs were seized and granted to Provençal or -Angevin favourites; the foreign soldiers lived at free -quarters, and treated the people with the utmost barbarity. -There ensued an iron reign of force without -justice, without law, without humanity, without mercy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span></p> - -<p>Conradin, from the scaffold, had cast his glove among -the crowd, and called on Peter of Aragon, husband of -Constance, daughter of the noble Manfred, to avenge -him, and assume his inheritance. In Sicily, where the -exactions, the tyranny of the French were most intolerable, -a secret correspondence was kept up with Peter of -Aragon, and he was entreated to deliver the island from -its French masters. But before he was ready, an outbreak -of the populace precipitated matters. On Easter -Tuesday the inhabitants of Palermo had gone forth in -pilgrimage to a church outside the town to vespers. -French soldiers, mingling with the people, began to -assault the young women. The Sicilians, the fathers, -brothers, lovers, remonstrated, and bade the French -keep away from the festival. The French gathered -together and laid their hands on their swords. At this -juncture a beautiful girl, with her betrothed, approached -the church. A Frenchman, named Drouet, in wantonness -of insult, went up to her and thrust his hand into -her bosom. The girl fainted in her bridegroom’s arms. -A cry was raised of “Death to the Frenchmen!” and a -youth started forward and stabbed Drouet to the heart.</p> - -<p>This was the signal for a general insurrection. The -cry spread to the city: every house was searched, and -every person whose dress, speech, appearance, proclaimed -him a Frenchman was massacred without -mercy. Neither old age, nor sex, nor infancy, was -spared. And in those Sicilian vespers, over two -thousand of the Provençal and Angevin nobles and -their wives perished under the knives of the justly -incensed Sicilians.</p> - -<p>When Charles heard of the massacre he burst into -paroxysms of wrath. He is described as next having<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> -sat silent, gnawing the top of his sceptre, and then -breaking forth into the most horrible vows of revenge.</p> - -<p>Nor was the Pope behindhand in threats. It was -to the Pope that Naples and Sicily owed the incubus of -Charles and his Provençals. Clement IV. indeed was -dead; Martin IV. now sat in his chair; but though -there was a change in the person of the Chief Pontiff, -there was no change of mind and policy.</p> - -<p>The Palermitans sent an embassy to the Pope to -deprecate his wrath, addressing him: “O Lamb of -God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy -on us!” But even this adulation could not abate his -rage. He proclaimed a crusade against the Sicilians. -Heaven was promised to those who should draw the -sword against them. Anathema was proclaimed against -all who took their side.</p> - -<p>But Peter of Aragon was indifferent to this ecclesiastical -bluster, and the Sicilians were desperate. In spite -of the blessings and promises of the Pope, Charles -encountered only disaster. His fleet was destroyed, his -son, Charles of Salerno, was captured; his treasury was -exhausted, and the principal nobility of Anjou and -Provence had been decimated in the Sicilian vespers. -He sank into despondency and died, 1285.</p> - -<p>Eventually, at the intercession of King Edward I. of -England, the young prince, Charles the Lame, was released. -He swore to pay 20,000 marks, and surrender -his two sons as hostages till the sum was paid, and allow -the claim to the Two Sicilies to drop. But no sooner -was he freed than Pope Nicolas IV. annulled the -treaty, released Charles of his oaths, and crowned him -with his own hands. Charles did not surrender his sons, -nor pay his ransom.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span></p> - -<p>“This decree of Nicolas,” says Dean Milman, “was -the most monstrous exercise of the absolving power -which had ever been advanced in the face of Christendom: -it struck at the root of all chivalrous honour, at -the faith of all treaties.”</p> - -<p>But Charles was fain to content himself with his -counties of Provence and Anjou, and not allow himself -to be drawn or impelled into wars by the Pope. In -Provence he found wounds to staunch, ruins to repair.</p> - -<p>It is highly to his credit that he frankly accepted this -difficult and not very brilliant part. He avoided war, -paid his father’s debts, re-established his finances, and -acquired in return the nickname of Charles the Miserly. -After a reign of twenty-four years he died in 1309.</p> - -<p>Grasse had been in the diocese of Antibes, but in -1243 Pope Innocent IV. transferred the seat of the -bishop from Antibes to Grasse, on account of the unhealthiness -of the former, and its liability to be plundered -by the Moorish corsairs.</p> - -<p>The bishops of Grasse were not in general men of -great mark. Perhaps the least insignificant of them -was Godeau.</p> - -<p>Antoine Godeau, born at Dreux in 1605, lived in -Paris with a kinsman named Couart; and as he -thought he had the poetic <i>afflatus</i>, he composed verses -and read them to his kinsman. Couart took the lyrics -to some literary friends, and they were appreciated. -Godeau went on writing, and a little coterie was formed -for listening to his compositions; and this was the -nucleus out of which grew the Academie Française. -Couart introduced Godeau to Mlle. de Rambouillet, -and he became her devoted admirer, and a frequenter of -her social gatherings. The lady says, in one of her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span> -letters to Voiture: “There is here a man smaller than -yourself by a cubit, and, I protest, a thousand times -more gallant.” Godeau, who entered holy orders and -became an abbé, through his devotion to Mlle. de Rambouillet, -obtained the nickname of “Julie’s Dwarf.” -Voiture was jealous of him, begrudged the favour of -the lady who dispensed the literary reputations of the -day, and he addressed a rondeau to Godeau:—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Quittez l’amour, ce n’est votre métier,<br /> -Faites des vers, traduisez le psautier;<br /> -Votre façon d’écrire est fort jolie;<br /> -Mais gardez-vous de faire folie,<br /> -Ou je saurais, ma foi, vous châtier</p> -<p class="pp10">Comme un galant.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Godeau lived at a time when dancers about the -saloons of the toasts and blue stockings of Paris were -rewarded with spoils from the Church; and Godeau, -when aged only thirty, was offered and accepted the -united dioceses of Grasse and Vence. He was consecrated, -and went to Grasse. Thence he wrote to -Julie:—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Dans ce désert où je suis retourné,<br /> -Mon cœur languit, à souffrir destiné,<br /> -Et mon esprit plein de mélancolie<br /> -Ne pense plus qu’à la belle Julie.</p> - -<p class="pp6q ls1">****</p> - -<p class="pp6">J’aimerai mieux être aux fers condamné<br /> -Dans le dur froid de l’âpre Corilie.<br /> -O Rambouillet! O nymphe si jolie,<br /> -Souffrirez vous que je sois confiné</p> -<p class="pp10">Dans ce désert?”</p> - -<p class="p1">However, Godeau did his duty at Grasse. Indeed, -eventually, wearied with squabbles with his chapter -there, he threw up Grasse and retained only Vence, the -poorest of all the sees in France.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-167.jpg" width="400" height="288" id="i167" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">CARROS</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span></p> - -<p>Godeau was a voluminous writer, theological, historical, -and poetic; and excelled in none of these lines. -In fact, all his works have been consigned to the literary -dust heap. His appointment to Grasse had followed -on his presentation of a paraphrase of the Benedicite to -Richelieu. The Cardinal said, “Sir, you have given me -Benedicite. I in return render you Grasse (Grâce).”</p> - -<p>The Cathedral of Grasse is of singularly uncouth -Gothic, of the twelfth century, with huge drums of -pillars, and the crudest of vaulting without any moulding -being afforded to the ribs. Grasse possessed -formerly a very curious feature, shared with Vence, of -having the choir for bishop and chapter in the west -gallery, over the porch. As this was so exceptional, -and as the early apse would not admit of seats for the -chapter, a late bishop built out a hideous structure -behind the high altar to accommodate himself and the -clergy. But at Vence the arrangement remains intact. -That church of Vence is of very early architecture, I -am afraid of stating how early. It consists of a nave -with double aisles on each side, and the double aisles -are carried round at the west end. Each of the aisles -on both sides of the nave is stone-floored and vaulted -underneath, forming a gallery. At the west end, both -aisles are so floored, and here, above the narthex or -porch, is the choir, with most beautifully carved stalls, -bishop’s throne at the extreme west end; and in the -middle of this odd little upstairs choir is the lectern -with its vellum MS. book of antiphons left as last used. -The date of the stalls is 1455-1460, and the lectern is -but little later.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span></p> - -<p>According to tradition the church was built in the -sixth century, on the site of a Pagan temple, and an -image of an idol was buried under the foundations of -each of the pillars. What is certain is that into two of -the piers are inserted figures in alabaster from a Roman -monument, and that numerous votive tablets and -inscriptions are walled into the church. The beautiful -woodwork of the western choir escaped being blown to -splinters by a happy accident in 1596.</p> - -<p>On Sunday, the Feast of S. Michael, the bishop -occupied his throne at mass. When he stood up for -the Gospel, his foot broke through the floor of his stall. -He drew his foot out, and after the conclusion of the -Creed proceeded to the pulpit to preach. Whilst he -was away a choir boy looked into the hole made by -the bishop’s foot, thrust in an arm and drew out his -hand full of a black powder, which he showed to an -officer standing by, who at once recognised that this -was gunpowder. A search was made, and it was found -that enough gunpowder had been rammed in under -the throne to blow bishop and chapter up, and wreck -the church. A fuse had been inserted through a hole -bored in the woodwork, and it was supposed that the -purpose was to light this when the bishop returned -from the pulpit. A messenger was at once sent to him, -but he refused to desist from his sermon, calmly proceeding -with it to the conclusion, although the congregation, -who had received wind of the attempt, had -begun to clear out of the church. He returned to his -throne and remained there to the end of the service. It -was never ascertained by whom the plot was arranged, -whether by Huguenots, or whether it was due to private -malice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p> - -<p>A corner house looking out on the Cours at Grasse, -between the rue du Cours and the Passage Mirabeau, -is the old town residence of the family of Cabris. The -noblesse of the neighbourhood had their town residence -at Grasse, and there spent the winter in such gaieties as -could be got up between them.</p> - -<p>In this house, No. 2 and 4 of the street, lived Louise, -Marchioness de Grasse-Cabris, the youngest and most -beautiful of the sisters of the famous Mirabeau. She -had been married when quite young to the Marquis, -who was a prey to ungovernable fits of temper, and was -considerably her senior. But there was an excuse for -his violence in the dissipated conduct of his wife.</p> - -<p>The Mirabeaus were an old Provençal family which -had migrated from Florence through some of the civic -broils in the twelfth century. The patronymic was -Arrigheti, which got by degrees Frenchified into -Riquetti. The estate and title of Mirabeau were only -acquired in 1568, by Jean Riquetti, who was first consul -of Marseilles.</p> - -<p>The Mirabeaus were a race of men singularly -energetic, independent, and audacious. They boasted -that they were all hewn out of one block, without joints. -They were proud, rude, with original and strongly -marked features, free-and-easy morals, and violent -tempers. Jean Antoine de Riquetti, Marquis de Mirabeau, -brigadier of infantry, was wounded in defending a -bridge in the battle of Cassans. He fell, and all the -hostile army passed over him. His old sergeant, seeing -him down, put an iron pot over his master’s head, and -fled. This pot saved Mirabeau’s life, but his right arm -was broken, and he was so damaged that he was obliged -to wear a silver collar to keep his head upright. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span> -was presented by the Duke de Vendôme, under whom -he had fought, to Louis XIV., who received him with -some commonplace remark; to which the old crippled -soldier replied rudely, “If in quitting the Colours he -had come to Court <i>payer quelque catin</i> he would have -received more honour and less words.” Vendôme was -so scared at his audacity, that he said, “Henceforth, -Riquetti, I will present you to the enemy, and never -again to the king.”</p> - -<p>The son of this man was Victor de Riquetti, who -called himself “l’Ami des Hommes,” a fantastic hodge-podge -of contradictions. He was a philanthropist and -a despot, a feudalist, but also a reformer, a professed -friend of mankind, but a tyrant in his own family. He -hated superstition, but scoffed at “la canaille philosophique.” -Separated from his wife, he was engaged in -lawsuits with her for years, which published to all -Provence the scandals of the domestic hearth of the -House of Mirabeau. The eldest son of this man was -Gabriel Honoré, the great orator, and the youngest -daughter was Louise, Marchioness de Grasse-Cabris. -The feudal castle of the Cabris is on the way to -Draguignan. Cabris occupies a conical hill in a dreary -limestone district, where the soil is so sparse that even -the olive cannot flourish there—it exists, that is all. The -place is supplied with water from cisterns that receive -the rain from the roofs. Honoré was disfigured by -smallpox at the age of three, and he retained thenceforth -an extraordinary hideousness of aspect which -struck his contemporaries, but which does not seem in -the slightest to have impeded his success with women. -His father declared that physically and morally he was -a monster. The romance of his life begins when he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> -was aged seventeen, when, owing to a love intrigue, and -to debts, his father obtained a <i>lettre de cachet</i> and had -him imprisoned in the isle of Ré. From that time -ensued a pitiless struggle, a veritable duel, between the -imperious father and the ungovernable son. In 1772 -Honoré married Emilie de Marignane at Aix; she was -a wealthy heiress, but he speedily dissipated her fortune. -His father obtained an order that he should be interned -at Manosque. But he broke bounds and came to -Grasse to visit his sister. Two days later an indecent -pasquinade appeared placarded over the walls of Grasse, -containing aspersions on the characters of the principal -ladies of rank who spent the winter there.</p> - -<p>It was at once bruited abroad that Mirabeau and his -sister, Mme. de Cabris, had concocted the lampoon -between them. Mirabeau was incensed. He was too -much of a gentleman thus to defame ladies; and he -hunted out M. de Villeneuve-Mouans as the author of -this report. He went after him one day, when this old -gentleman was walking on the road bare-headed, with -an umbrella spread, horsewhipped him, and broke -the umbrella over his shoulders.</p> - -<p>The consequence was that a <i>lettre de cachet</i> was taken -out against Louise; but on investigation it turned out -that it was the Marquis de Grasse-Cabris, the husband -of Louise, who was the author of the scurrilous lampoon, -and that Honoré had known nothing about it.</p> - -<p>When the Revolution broke out, the Marquis fled. -The Castle of Cabris was sacked by the mob, and -Louise and her husband lived for ten years in great -poverty as <i>emigrés</i>.</p> - -<p>When, finally, she returned to Provence it was to -ruined Mirabeau. The castle had been wrecked, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -she contrived to have a cottage built out of the ruins for -herself and for her husband, who had sunk into dotage.</p> - -<p>The brother of the great orator and of Louise de -Cabris was André Boniface, Deputy to the Estates-General -for the nobility of Limoges. His excesses at -table, and his corpulence, procured for him the nickname -of Mirabeau Tonneau. Gabriel Honoré reprimanded -him for ascending the tribune when he was -drunk. “Why,” he replied, “you have monopolised all -the vices of the family, and have left but this one to -me.” “In any other family but ours,” he said, “I would -pass as a disgrace. In mine, I am its most respectable -member.” He emigrated to Germany. An epigram -was composed on him:—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“L’horreur de l’eau, l’amour du vin<br /> -Le retiendront au bord du Rhin.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Grasse, as already said, is an admirable centre for excursions, -and no excursion is finer than that up the Gorge -of the Loup. It is not often that commercial enterprise -adds to picturesqueness of scene; but this it has at the -entrance to the Gorge. There the railway makes a bold -sweep over a really beautiful viaduct, this itself an -addition to the scene. But further, in order to supply -electric force to Nice for its trams and lighting, a canal -has been bored in the precipice on the right bank of the -Loup, at a great elevation, to bring the water from an -upper fall, so as, by means of a turbine, to accumulate -the required power; and the falls of this stream at the -opening of the ravine are of great beauty.</p> - -<p>It is hard to decide which is most beautiful, the view -of the mouth of the ravine, with the waterfall foaming -down the cliff beside it, as seen from the hill-side as the -train swings down from the direction of Nice, or whether -from the side approached from Grasse, whence up the -Gorge is obtained a glimpse of snowy peaks.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-172.jpg" width="400" height="514" id="i172" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">CASCADE, GORGE OF LOUP</p> -</div></div> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-173.jpg" width="400" height="510" id="i173" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">FALL IN THE GORGE OF THE LOUP</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span></p> - -<p>There are views one sees that never leave one, that -fix themselves in the mind indelibly; and the view of -the mouth of the Loup Gorge is certainly one such -scene.</p> - -<p>The ravines of the Tarn are visited by increasing -numbers of tourists every year, and I know them well; -but I do not think them superior to those of the Loup, -the Cians, and the Var. Visitors to the Riviera are for -the most part content to hug the coast and cling to the -great centres of civilization, where there are shops, -casinos, and theatres, and do not branch off afield. -Only the day before writing this page, I heard a gentleman -who had spent several winters on the Côte d’Azur -remark that “After a while one gets very sick of the -Riviera.” I promptly inquired whether he had penetrated -any of the ravines sawn in the limestone; whether -he had visited the mountain villages, such as Thouet de -Bëuil; whether he had explored the Estérel. No—he -knew nothing of them. In fact, through a dozen winters -he had seen naught save the vulgar side of Provence.</p> - -<p>It does not suffice to look at the mouth of the Gorge -of the Loup. The ravine must be ascended, and that -not by the new track, cut to accommodate the lazy, high -up in the cliff, but by the footpath at the bottom. This -will lead in the first place to an exquisite subject for the -artist. On the farther bank is planted a little chapel -with a cell once tenanted by a hermit. In mid torrent -is a pile of rocks, and a light bridge of rudest construction -traverses the river; above the piles of stone in -the centre, against the purple gloom of the gorge, rises<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> -a crucifix, bathed in golden sunlight. Below, where it -can root itself, is flowering laurestinus.</p> - -<p>Farther up, after a succession of magnificent scenes, -one drops upon a little house, where trout can be eaten, -lying behind a waterfall; and to assist the visitor in -reaching it, the proprietor runs out with a big umbrella -to protect him from the torrent dissolved into rain. -Further up the ravine come other and finer leaps of -water, the main stream of the Loup, in maddest gambol -of youth; and over all flash out gleams of the eternal -snows.</p> - -<p>Le Bar has a painting in the church, representing a -Dance Macabre; it is, like all other such dances, of the -fifteenth century. It represents Death armed with his -bow among a party of dancers. Some are dying, and -their souls are leaving their bodies. The picture is -accompanied by a long Provençal inscription.</p> - -<p>High above the entrance to the Gorge of the Loup -stands the village of Gourdon, on the limestone terrace. -The only spring water the place was supplied with -came from a fountain in a cave in the face of a sheer -precipice, reached by a thread of path, a foot to eighteen -inches wide, along the cliff, and this, moreover, interrupted -by a rift, usually crossed by a plank. But not -infrequently this plank fell, or was carried away. Then -those in quest of water leaped the gap, went on to the -cave, filled their pitchers, and returned the same way, -springing over the interval, where a false step would -entail certain death.</p> - -<p>At Mouans Sartoux, between Grasse and Cannes, -stood the castle of a grim Huguenot Seigneur. The -church was under the patronage of the Chapter -of Grasse. The Sieur Reinaud invited two Calvinist<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> -ministers to his castle. In 1572, when the curé of -Mouans had summoned a friar to help him for Christmas -Day, and to preach, as he himself was a poor -speaker,—just after midnight the Sieur sent armed men -into the parsonage to threaten to kill the friar if he -preached next day. On Christmas morning, accordingly, -the frightened man abstained, and the congregation -had to go without instruction on the lessons of the -day. Then the Sieur broke into the church when the -parishioners were communicating, along with his men-at-arms -and his ministers, and made one of these -latter ascend the pulpit and harangue the congregation, -pour contumely on the Catholic Church, and denounce -all respect for holy seasons. The fellow further told the -people that their fathers and mothers were burning in -hell-fire for not having revolted from the Church. -Next, the Sieur renewed his threats that, should “the -<i>Cagot</i> of a friar” venture to address the parishioners in -the afternoon, he would do him to death. At vespers -he again invaded the church, and set up one of his -preachers to speak to the people. He did the same on -the two following days. The Consuls of Mouans -appealed to the Chapter of Grasse for protection, but -they were incapable of affording them effectual aid.</p> - -<p>The son of this Sieur, Pompée de Grasse, was more -zealous even than his father, and did not confine himself -to threats. He placed sword-edge and firebrand at the -disposal of the Huguenot cause. He was a terror to -the whole countryside. At last, one night, when he -was at Bormes, in the Maures, a party of Catholics, -disguised in long cloaks, managed to get into his -castle, and killed him and his brother, and set fire to -the place. His widow, Susanne de Villeneuve, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> -her two daughters, were allowed to escape by boat to -Hyères.</p> - -<p>We are vastly mistaken if we regard the parties in -the Wars of Religion as all Lamb on one side, and all -Wolf on the other. As a matter of fact, except in the -Cevennes, the Reform was favoured only by the lesser -nobility, not out of religious conviction, but out of a -spirit of turbulence bred by the long disorders of the -English occupation of Aquitaine, and the riots of the -Free Companies. They resented the firm hand imposed -on them by the Crown, and they hoped to get -pickings out of Church estates.</p> - -<p>The people generally were not touched by the negatives -of Calvinism. After that Henry IV. joined the -Church, most of the nobility and country gentry -followed his example—again, not from conviction, but -because they saw that the game of resistance was up.</p> - -<p>At present, in the department of Var there are 1,500 -Protestants out of a population of 310,000. In Alpes -Maritimes they number 1,000 out of nearly 294,000, and -most of these sectaries are foreign importations. If -there had been deep-rooted convictions, these would not -have been dissipated so certainly. In the Cevennes, -Calvinism holds on notwithstanding persecution in the -past, and in Ireland is a reverse instance.</p> - -<p>But to return to Susanne de Villeneuve.</p> - -<p>In 1592 the Duke of Savoy was at Grasse, and resolved -on chastising this Susanne as a capital influence -among the Razats. Actually two women at this period -fomented the fury and bloodshed of internecine strife. -The Baron de Vins, head of the Leaguers, had been -killed in 1589 outside Grasse. The Countess Christine -de Sault, his sister-in-law, had been the headpiece, as he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span> -the arm, of the party, and it was she who, in desperate -resolve to save the Catholic cause, invited Charles -Emmanuel of Savoy to give his help against the king. -What she was on one side, that was Susanne de Villeneuve -on the other—implacable, fanatical, remorseless -in hate, and with an iron will.</p> - -<p>The Duke of Savoy besieged Susanne in her castle -of Mouans, and she defended herself gallantly; but, -forced to surrender through lack of food, she imposed -as condition that the castle should be spared. The -duke broke his word, and levelled it. She was furious, -reproached him, and demanded 40,000 crowns indemnity, -or she would brand him as a liar and perjurer. He -promised the money, but departed without paying. -She hasted after him, caught him up in the plain of -Cagnes, and poured forth afresh a torrent of abuse. He -spurred his horse, so as to escape it; she flung herself -in the way, held the bridle, and used her woman’s tongue -with such effect that Charles Emmanuel was glad to disburse -the money on the spot so as to effect his escape.</p> - -<p>The castle has disappeared to its foundations. The -church stands intact, unrestored.</p> - -<p>I have spoken of the Hotel of the Cabris family -in the Cours. No. 1 is the ancient mansion of the -family of Théas-Thorenc, and was built by Count -François, who was engaged in the wars of Louis XV., -and whose praises have been sung by Goethe. He was -at the taking of Frankfort, when his commander-in-chief, -the Prince of Soubise, acquired the celebrity of -the epigram:—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“Soubise dit, la lanterne à la main:<br /> -‘J’ai beau chercher! où diable est mon armée?<br /> -Elle était là pourtant, hier matin?’”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">He died there August 15th, 1793.</p> - -<p>Another Grasse worthy is Fragonard, the painter, -a mercer’s son, born at Grasse in 1732. He was put -as clerk to a notary in early youth, but wearied mortally -of the office, and in 1748 was given to the painter -Bucher to be trained as an artist.</p> - -<p>He was in full swing of favour and success in Paris -when the Revolution broke out.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Soon events became tragic, and then began the dusk of -that bright and gentle life which had to him hitherto been one -long smile. Frago had no thought of flying from the storm, -and republicanism always remained idealised in his mind. -But sadness oppressed his heart, and his friends shared it with -him. These old pensioners of the king, enriched by the -aristocracy, could not see without regret the demolition of the -<i>ancien régime</i>, and the ruin of their protectors, emigrated, -imprisoned, hunted down. Without hating either royalty or -Jacobinism, the little group of artists of plebeian birth and -bourgeois manners suffered in silence the great revolution in -which all their past went down, as the shadows of old age -deepened on them. Their art was out of fashion. Their -piquant scenes, their dainty subjects, were no longer possible -in the midst of political and social convulsions, and a few -years sufficed to convert the respect of yesterday into the contempt -of to-day. Eighty years must pass before taste and -justice could bring men back to love the charming French -school of 1770, to understand its importance in the history of -the national genius, so as to induce the digging of its relics -forth from under the cinders of the Revolution, the empire, -and the bourgeois royalty.”<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a></p> - -<p class="p1">A curiously small life must have been that of -these little towns under the <i>ancien régime</i>, when the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span> -time of warfare was over. It was made up of petty -quarrels, of scandals and gossip. Even in the cathedral, -the bishop and the dean and the chapter were at loggerheads -over the merest trifles—whether two or three <i>coups</i> -of the censer should be given to the bishop, whether -a bow to him should extend to the hams of the -canons. Perhaps the funniest quarrel was about the -patronage of the diocese. The bishop issued a pastoral, -in which he announced that he had constituted -S. Honoratus the patron of the clergy of Grasse, and -did not say “with the assent of the chapter.” Whereupon -the incensed chapter cut the name of Honoratus -out of their calendar, and refused to celebrate his -festival. Some of the bishops were engaged in incessant -strife. When one died, to him might be applied -the epigram written on Clement XI.:—</p> - -<p class="pp8q p1">“A vermibus terræ consumendus in tumulo,<br /> -A vermibus ecclesiæ jam consumptus in throno.”</p> - - -<p class="pbq p1">“The happy little town of Grasse,” says Lenthéric, “seems -to be the very home of flowers and perfumes. Its forests or -olives furnish the finest and sweetest oil of Provence; its -groves of oranges and lemons yield at the same time flowers -in abundance and fruit in maturity. About it are roses, jessamine, -mint, heliotrope, Parma violets, mignonette, cultivated -over wide tracts, as are also everywhere the common pot-herbs. -The transformation of these natural products into -perfumery has become the predominant industry of the district; -and the neighbourhood of the Alps allows of the -addition to this domestic flora of a thousand wild flowers and -herbs—thyme, lavender, rosemary—all to be gathered close -at hand.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XII<br /> -<span class="mid">CANNES</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">History—Ægitna—Quintus Opimus—Admiral Matthews takes Ile Ste. -Marguerite—La Californie—Climate—S. Cassien—Arluc—Legend—La -Napoule—Antibes—The Terpon stone—Cult of rude stones—Utriculares—Lerins—Ste. -Marguerite—The Man in the Iron Mask—Mattioli—Fabricated -pedigree for Napoleon—Marshal Bazaine: his -escape—S. Honorat—The stand made against Predestinarianism—S. -Augustine—Lerins a home of culture—Decay—Suppressed—Springs -of fresh water in the sea.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap06">CANNES does not possess much of a history. It -was but a fishing village occupying a rock above -a little port, built about a ruined castle and a church, -when “invented” by Lord Brougham, as already related.</p> - -<p>Its history may be summed up shortly. Old Cannes -possibly occupies the site of the Ligurian town of -Ægitna, destroyed <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 154 by the Consul Quintus -Opimus. The Ligurian natives had annoyed the Greek -settlers and traders on the coast, who were monopolising -their delectable seats, and the Greeks complained to -Rome of their ill-humour and rough deeds. Opimus -was sent to their aid; he subdued the natives without -much trouble, and was accorded a triumph, which meant -the leading of a train of captives in chains behind his -chariot through Rome, followed by the butchery of the -prisoners, whose carcases were thrown down the Gemonian -stairs, and drawn by hooks to the Tiber. Opimus -was notorious for his riotous living, and for his brutality. -He was as handsome as he was infamous—“<i>formosus -homo et famosus</i>.” Cicero speaks of his disreputable -life, and records a jest he made. The Romans gave -Ægitna to the citizens of Marseilles. In the tenth -century it pertained to the abbey of Lerins, and in -the Middle Ages maintained incessant contest with the -tyrannical abbots, in efforts to obtain municipal freedom. -Not till 1788—the year before the Revolution—did -the town become free from its ecclesiastical masters.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-180.jpg" width="400" height="286" id="i180" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">INTERIOR, CHATEAU ST. HONORAT</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span></p> - -<p>From Cannes in 1580 the plague spread which -ravaged Provence. It was brought there by a ship from -the Levant. To plague succeeded war. In 1746 Cannes -succumbed to the Piedmontese and German forces that -had crossed the Var. After taking and sacking Cannes, -where they got little beyond fishing-nets, they plundered -Grasse.</p> - -<p>A little before this Admiral Matthews, who had taken -Ventimiglia, captured the Ile Ste. Marguerite. The war -which led to the blockading of the Ligurian coast by -the English was occasioned by a trifle.</p> - -<p>In 1738 the English were thrown into a paroxysm of -indignation by a tale that circulated, which was characterised -by Burke as “The Fable of Jenkins’s Ear.” -Jenkins was master of a small trading sloop in Jamaica, -which seven years previously had been overhauled by a -Spanish coastguard boat. The captain, disappointed at -finding nothing contraband in the vessel, tore off one of -Jenkins’s ears, and bade him carry it to King George, -and inform his Britannic Majesty that if he should -come that way he would serve him in the same manner.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span> -This ear Jenkins carried about with him wrapped up in -cotton wool. For seven years Jenkins kept his ear, and -produced it in taverns and to all he met, as an instance -of the indignities to which freeborn Britons were exposed -at the hands of Spain. Of course much correspondence -took place between the two governments relative to this -bit of dried ear, but not till 1737 was he called before a -committee of the House of Commons, when he appeared -at the bar, exhibited his ear, that looked like a dried -mushroom or a truffle. War was proclaimed amidst -great rejoicing among the English. Church bells were -rung. Walpole said bitterly, “You are ringing your -bells now; before long you will be wringing your -hands.”</p> - -<p>The English fleet in the Mediterranean blockaded the -ports of Spain. But the death of Charles of Austria -in the following year led to a general scramble to get -hold of portions of his vast possessions, and the war -assumed a more complicated character. The Spaniards, -assisted by the French, landed on the Italian coasts, -and Admiral Matthews was sent to drive them thence.</p> - -<p>The story of Jenkins and his ear had roused all -England. Pulteney declared that England needed no -allies—that Jenkins’s story alone would raise volunteers -anywhere. It was, however, more than hinted at the -time, that Jenkins had lost his ear in the pillory, and -not through the violence of a Spanish custom-house -officer.</p> - -<p>The war fizzled out. Matthews was badly served -with men and ships from England, and the Ile of Ste. -Marguerite was speedily abandoned.</p> - -<p>Compared with Nice, Cannes enjoys certain advantages. -It is less towny and commercial. It does not<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> -savour of Monte Carlo. It possesses on the east the -wooded height of La Californie, studded with hotels -and villas, commanding one of the most beautiful -evening views in Europe. When the sun goes down -beyond the Estérel range, standing up in royal purple -against an amber sky, it may well be thought that this -is a scene of unsurpassable beauty.</p> - -<p>Nice has to the East Mont Boron and Mont Alban, -but they do not serve for a residential suburb, as does -La Californie. They are cut off from Nice by the port, -and they do not command so incomparable a view.</p> - -<p>For the depth of winter, in gloom and cold, then -no place for shelter can be compared with Beaulieu, or -Mentone, or Alassio. But when the months of December -and January are passed, then Cannes. Lastly, to -cool off before encountering the chills of spring in -England, S. Raphael. Cannes further has at its door, -for a run of a day, Estérel, easily reached, and never to -be exhausted or forgotten. Then, again, from Cannes, -also accessible, the isles of Lerins, where the fresh -breezes blow.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“Verily,” says Leuthéric, “no country in the world possesses -a climate comparable to that of Cannes. There no extremes -of temperature are known, as in other parts of Provence. The -belt of hills which enclose the gulf form a screen intervening -between the bay and the towering mountains; and when the -cold winds blow down from the Alps, they sweep over the -littoral, which lies always sheltered. Thanks to this natural -protection, they fall at some distance out to sea, and one can -mark the ruffle of the surface on the horizon, whilst that near -the beach gently undulates like the face of a tranquil lake. The -nightly loss of heat, favoured by the limpidity of a sky always -cloudless, is compensated for by the proximity of the sea, always<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span> -slow to give up its heat, and which bathes this coast with an atmosphere -ever temperate. The mean temperature is superior -to those of Nice, Genoa, Florence, Pisa, Rome, and even -of Naples; it never falls below freezing point, and never rises -as high as in most of the towns of Europe.</p> - -<p>“This equilibrium of temperature is manifest in the simultaneous -development of vegetations apparently contradictory. -At Cannes, above every spot on the coast of Provence, the -vegetations of opposite climes melt into one another in an -admirable promiscuity. The landscape is veritably unique, -and one feels there as if one were transported into a vast -conservatory, in which artificially are united growths, the most -different in character. The plain is covered with oranges and -lemons, from among which shoot up at intervals the fans of -palms trees and the spikes of aloes. The hills are crowned -with umbrella pines, whose majestic heads recall classic sites -in the Roman campagna. In the background of the picture -are dark and dense forests of pines, like a gloomy drapery -above which rise the pure and gleaming heights of the Alps -in their eternal snows. Thus, as in a single framework, one -can see grouped together the great conifers of the north, the -olives of Provence, the golden fruits of the Balearic Isles, the -oleanders of Asia Minor, and the thorny vegetation of the -Algerian Tell.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">I must, however, in all fairness, add, as a qualification -to this picture, that in the early months of 1905, frost -and hail did so smite and blast the oranges, the lemons, -the eucalyptus of the plain of the Siagne, that the glory -of the glossy leaves was gone, the country had assumed -the aspect of a withered orchard. The golden fruit were -shed, and the leaves were bleached and pendant.</p> - -<p>If Cannes has gone up in the world, her neighbours -have gone down. About four miles from Cannes, in the -Plain of the Siagne, is an outcrop of the Estérel red<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> -sandstone, crowned by magnificent pines, cypresses, cork -trees and ilexes, that embower a chapel of S. Cassien -and a farm. Here, till recently, lived a hermit. These -gentry are becoming scarce. Possibly the prognostication -of M. Anselme Benoît, in Jules Fabre’s novel -<i>Mon Oncle Celestin</i>, is accomplishing itself:</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Va au diable avec tes médailles et tes chapelets. Je te le -prédis depuis longtemps: à force d’embrasser les filles, tu -finiras par embrasser les gendarmes au detour de quelque -chemin.”</p> - -<p class="p1">In 1661 Bishop Godeau found a vagabond hermit at -S. Jeanette, and tried in vain to dislodge him; but the -man hung on, and Godeau found him still there in 1667.</p> - -<p>These men pick up a subsistence by the sale of sacred -medals, pictures, scapulars, rosaries; sometimes manufacturing -the latter themselves. Very often they are -simply lazy loons who can subsist on such sales and -occasional alms; but some have been as great scamps -as Jacopo Rusca in Fabre’s delightful story—which is -a graphic picture of country life and country people in -the South, full of delicious word painting.</p> - -<p>Formerly S. Cassien was the fortress to the town of -Arluc. Castle and town have disappeared wholly. -Arluc, <i>Ara lucis</i><a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> as the place is called in old deeds, -was a shrine in a sacred wood. The Provençal Troubadour -Raymond Ferand tells a story of it.</p> - -<p>Here lived once on a time a sorcerer named Cloaster; -he had an altar in the wood, at which he practised all -kinds of <i>diableries</i>. There was a bridge over the Siagne -crossed by the people who came there to worship. -Now S. Nazarius was abbot of Lerins. One day, a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> -youth named Ambrose was sacrificing to idols at Arluc, -when the devils laid hold of him, raised him in the air, -and flew away with him, in spite of all his protests and -kicks, to convey him to hell. But as they were thus -transporting him over the island of Lerins, Ambrose -heard the chanting of the monks, and he cried out to -S. Honorat to help him. Then the devils let go, and -he came fluttering down like a feather into the midst of -the cloister of Lerins, where S. Nazarius received him; -and thenceforth Ambrose lived with the monks as a -good Christian.</p> - -<p>The Lerins Chronicle tells us that the Abbot Nazarius -destroyed a temple of Venus that was at Arluc, and -built a church on its site, which he dedicated to -S. Stephen in <span class="smcap">A.D.</span> 616, and attached to it a convent -of women. But in 730 the Saracens destroyed church -and convent and town, and sacked Lerins, where they -massacred the abbot and five hundred of his monks.</p> - -<p>The town of Arluc was rebuilt by Pepin le Bref, but -in 890 the Saracens again destroyed it. It again -struggled into existence, but was finally utterly ruined -and effaced by the Tard-Venus in 1361, under their -chief, who called himself “The Enemy of Man.” These -Tard-Venus were one of the Free Companies that -ravaged the country, gleaning after others had reaped.</p> - -<p>The chapel was rebuilt, and when given to the abbey -of S. Victor at Marseilles, was dedicated to S. Cassien. -The fête is on July 23rd; religious services take place -in the morning and a pleasure fair and merrymaking -in the afternoon.</p> - -<p>A pretty watering place is La Napoule, that once -enjoyed a prosperity of which Cannes had no thought. -It was the Roman station Ad Horea, where vast stores<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span> -of provisions were collected in magazines, for transmission -to the troops. The name Napoule has been -supposed to be the same as Naples, Neapolis, signifying -the New Town, but no text gives colour to this derivation, -and it is more probable that La Napoule comes -from Epulia, <i>Provisions</i>, as it was a store place; excavations -made there when the railway was in construction -laid bare immense underground magazines -and granaries, divided systematically into compartments -by pillars, and vaulted. These were originally well -ventilated. Remains of Roman constructions may still -be seen by the shore, and although no mention is made -in the Itinerary of Antoninus of a port there, it cannot -be doubted that there was one for the disembarkation -or embarkation of stores.</p> - -<p>The little feudal castle built on Roman substructures -was wrecked by the Saracen corsairs in the thirteenth -century. The present village of Napoule is tenanted -by poor fishermen, but it is likely to look up as a -bathing place, and as a centre for excursions into the -Estérel. The tower is all that remains of a castle of the -Counts of Villeneuve. The rocks in the bay, beaten -by the sea, have assumed fantastic shapes; being of -sandstone, they are not like porphyry, too hard to resist -the erosion of the sea.</p> - -<p>And La Napoule, facing east, sees how that,—</p> - -<p class="pp10q p1">“The eastern gate, all fiery red,</p> -<p class="pp6">Opening on Neptune with fair blessed beams,<br /> -Turns into yellow gold his salt-green streams.”</p> -<p class="pr8"><i>Midsummer Night’s Dream</i>, III. 2.</p> - -<p class="p1">Another old place that fell into decay, but which has -in it now hopes of renovation, is Antibes. This was the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> -Greek Antipolis, the town <i>over against</i> Nicæa, at the -farther side of the bay.</p> - -<p>Almost all of the monuments bearing Greek inscriptions -that have been found in such numbers in -Provence belong to a date after the Roman annexation. -But this is not the case with regard to a curious inscription -discovered at Antibes on a black boulder, -egg-shaped, of diorite, a kind of basalt. This stone -had no shaping given to it by the hand of man, but -on it was cut in archaic characters, this inscription:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“I am Terpon, servant of the august goddess Aphrodite; -may Cypris reward with her favours those who erected me -here.”</p> - -<p class="p1">What does this mean? How could the stone be -Terpon, a servant of the Goddess of Love?</p> - -<p>It would seem to have been one of those mysterious -sacred stones which received worship from the most -remote ages, a form of worship belonging to the earliest -people of whom anything is known. This <i>cult</i> of rude -unshapen stones, very generally black, prevailed among -the Phœnicians; it forced its way into the worship of -the Israelites. Such stones were set up even in the -temple of Jehovah by some of the kings, who inclined -to the superstitions of the Canaanites. The worship had -so strong a hold on the Arabs that Mohammed could not -extirpate it, and the Black Stone of Mecca still receives -the veneration of the faithful. It forced its way into -the religion of the ancient Greeks, and though quite -incongruous with their mythology, held its own to the -last.</p> - -<p>Prudentius, the Christian poet (died about 410) shows -us how strong was the devotion, even in his day.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“His first food was the sacred meal, his earliest sight the -sacred candles, and the family gods growing black with holy -oil. He saw his mother pale at her prayers before the holy -stone, and he, too, would be lifted by his nurse to kiss it in his -turn.” (<i>Cont. Symmachum.</i>)</p> - -<p class="p1">It has been so tough that it is not extirpated yet.</p> - -<p>In 1877 a correspondent of the Society of Anthropology -at Paris wrote about the worship as still prevailing -in the valleys of the Pyrenees.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“One comes across these sacred stones most usually near -fountains. They are rough blocks of porphyroid, or amphibolite -granite, left on the mountain side by glacial action. -They are almost invariably shapeless, and rarely present any -features that can distinguish them from other great stones -strewn about. One might pass them by unnoticed but for the -local traditions that attach to them and the veneration with -which they are regarded by the natives. In vain do the -priests preach against them. They have utterly failed to drive -the superstition from the hearts of their people. In vain do -they get them smashed up secretly, in hopes of thereby destroying -these vestiges of paganism; especially do they use -their efforts against such as serve as meeting-places to young -men and girls. The natives, when they come on the workmen -engaged in the destruction, break out into riot, and stop the -work. When they cannot do this, then they collect the fragments, -replace them, and continue to surround them with -veneration. It is necessary to disperse the <i>débris</i> of the Holy -Stone to put an end to the cult; but even then, the place -where it stood is regarded as sacred, and sometimes the clergy -plant a cross there, as the only means of turning the traditional -reverence of the spot into a new direction.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Whether this religion of the black stone of Antibes -goes back to Phœnician or to Ligurian religion one cannot<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> -say—probably both Phœnician colonist and Ligurian -native shared the same devotion to rude blocks of -stone.</p> - -<p>In Scotland, in Ireland, in Cornwall, in Brittany, -among the graves of the dead of the Bronze Age, almost -invariably a piece of white quartz or a jade weapon is -found. Indeed, the bit of quartz is so constant that a -workman engaged in opening one of the barrows will -cry out, “Now we are coming on the bones,” when he -sees it gleam. The bit of quartz or jade pertained to the -same category of ideas. It was the rude stone protecting -the dead, as the rude stone was the safeguard of -the living, the object of worship in life, of hope, of -confidence in death.</p> - -<p>At Antibes, in the wall of the Hôtel de Ville, is the -stone with the inscription, already spoken of, to the poor -little dancing boy of twelve, from the North. In the -museum is an inscription to the memory of a horse, by -his sorrowing master. Another shows that at Antibes -there was a corporation of Utriculares, that is to say, of -boatmen who navigated the sea in vessels sustained by -bladders. These were common enough on the lagoons -and the rivers, but exceptional on the coast.</p> - -<p>Perhaps the most interesting excursion that can be -made from Cannes is to the isles of Lerins. Of these there -are two—Ste. Marguerite and S. Honorat—the latter -formerly the seat of the great school and monastery of -Lerins. The islands take their name from some mythic -Lero, of whose story nothing is known; but Pliny informs -us that there had once been a town named Vergoanum -situated on one of them which had disappeared before -the Christian era, and of which no traces remained. -That Ste. Marguerite was occupied by Greeks and -Romans is testified by the finding there of a bi-lingual -inscription. But whatever relics of structures may have -been left by its old masters have been used up again and -again from mediæval times down to the present. The -fortress now standing is a barrack. It was built by -Richelieu, considerably enlarged by the Spaniards when -they had possession of the island, and then transformed -after the plans of Vauban. The fortress was employed -mainly as a military or State prison.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-190.jpg" width="400" height="297" id="i190" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">THE PRISON OF THE MAN WITH THE IRON MASK</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span></p> - -<p>The most celebrated of its prisoners, or at least him -about whom most has been written, was the Man of the -Iron Mask. It was due to Voltaire that the story -obtained such currency and excited so keen an interest. -In his <i>Age of Louis XIV.</i>, published in 1751, he -wrote:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Some months after the death of Mazarin an event happened -which is without a parallel in history. Moreover, and -this is not less remarkable, the event has been passed over in -silence by every historian. There was sent with the utmost -secrecy to the castle of the Isles of Ste. Marguerite, in the Sea -of Provence, a prisoner unknown, of a stature above the -average, young, and with features of rare nobility and beauty. -On the way the prisoner wore a mask, the chin-piece of which -was furnished with springs of steel, so that he could eat without -removing it. Order had been given to kill him if he ventured -to uncover. He remained at the Isles until a trusted officer, -Saint Mars by name, Governor of Pignerol, having been appointed -in 1690 to the command of the Bastille, came to -Ste. Marguerite to fetch him, and bore him thence—always in -his mask—to the Bastille. Before his removal he was seen in -the isle by the Marquis de Louvois, who remained standing -while he spoke to him with a consideration savouring of -respect. In the Bastille the unknown was as well bestowed as -was possible in that place, and nothing that he asked for was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -refused him. He had a passion for lace and fine linen; he -amused himself with a guitar; and his table was furnished -with the best. The governor rarely sat down in his presence. -An old doctor of the Bastille, who had often attended this -interesting prisoner, said that, although he had examined his -tongue and the rest of his body, he had never seen his face. -He was admirably made, said the doctor, and his skin was of a -brownish tint. He spoke charmingly, with a voice of a deeply -impressive quality, never complaining of his lot, and never -letting it be guessed who he was. This unknown captive died -in 1703, and was buried by night in the parish of S. Paul. -What is doubly astonishing is this: that when he was sent to -Ste. Marguerite there did not disappear from Europe any personage -of note. But observe what happened within a few days -of his arrival at the isle. The governor himself laid the -prisoner’s table and then withdrew and locked the door. One -day the prisoner wrote something with a knife on a silver plate -and threw the plate out of the window towards a boat on the -shore, almost at the foot of the tower. A fisherman to whom -the boat belonged picked up the plate and carried it to the -governor, who, surprised beyond measure, asked the man: -‘Have you read what is written on this plate, and has any one -seen it in your hands?’ ‘I cannot read,’ answered the fisherman; -‘I have only just found it, and no one else has seen it.’ -He was detained until the governor had made sure that he -could not read, and that no other person had seen the plate. -‘Go,’ he then said. ‘It is well for you that you cannot -read.’”</p> - -<p class="p1">How Voltaire could describe the prisoner as “with -features of rare nobility and beauty,” when he was invariably -masked, so that no one could see his face, is certainly -remarkable.</p> - -<p>When Voltaire found that this story had created a -sensation, he vouchsafed a solution to it. “The Iron<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> -Mask was without doubt a brother, and an elder brother, -of Louis XIV.”</p> - -<p>But the mystery has been solved. We know with -certainty who the prisoner was—no one of great importance -after all, but one against whom Louis XIV. entertained -a bitter and implacable resentment—Ercole -Antonio Mattioli.</p> - -<p>Louis XIV. had a strong desire to obtain the Marquisate -of Montferrat, with its capital Cassale; but the -marquisate belonged to Charles, Duke of Mantua, a -feeble, dissipated, extravagant fool. On the other hand, -the Empress and the Spanish party were bitterly hostile -to French schemes of aggrandisement. Mattioli acted -as a paid agent of the French Government to negotiate -in secrecy a sale of Cassale to Louis; and after he had -received a good deal of payment for his services, betrayed -the whole intrigue to the Austro-Spanish -Government. Louis was furious, not only at having -failed in this <i>coup d’état</i>, but also at being so fooled. -Mattioli was lured near to the frontier, and fallen on -upon Piedmontese soil, carried off and thrown into the -fortress of Pignerol, which was then in the hands of -the French. From Pignerol he was afterwards moved -to Lerins, and then finally to the Bastille, where he -died. The whole story has been thoroughly thrashed -out, and that the Man in the Iron Mask was Mattioli -and no one else has been conclusively established.<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a></p> - -<p>It would seem that an attempt was made to fabricate -for Napoleon a descent from the Iron Mask, who was -assumed to be an elder brother to Louis XIV., and by -this means to establish for Napoleon a legitimate right -to the throne of the Capets. But the attempt was too<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> -absurd to obtain credence, if ever proposed to Bonaparte. -In the <i>Mémorial de Sainte Hélène</i> allusion is -made to this.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Conversation turned on the Mask of Iron, and all that -had been said on the subject by Voltaire, Dutens, etc., and -what was found in the <i>Mémoires</i> of Richelieu was passed in -review. These made him, as is well known, to be the twin -brother of Louis XIV., and his elder. Then some one (probably -Count de Las Casas) added that on studying genealogical -trees, it had been seriously shown that he, Napoleon, was the -lineal descendant of the Man in the Iron Mask, consequently -legitimate heir to Louis XIII. and to Henry IV. in preference -to Louis XIV. and his posterity. The Emperor replied that -he had, in fact, heard this, and added that human credulity -and love of the marvellous was capable of believing anything; -that it would have been quite possible to establish this to the -satisfaction of the multitude, and that there would not have -lacked men in the senate capable of producing the requisite -demonstrations, and these the men who later turned against -him when they saw that he was unfortunate.</p> - -<p class="pbq">“Then we went on to discuss the particulars of the fable. -The governor of the isle of Ste. Marguerite at the time, so it -was said, the man to whose care the Iron Mask was confided, -was called M. de Bonpart, a very remarkable fact. This man -had a daughter. The young people saw each other and loved. -The Governor thereupon communicated with the Court; and -it was there decided that no great inconvenience could arise if -the unfortunate man were suffered to find in love some alleviation -of his misfortunes. Accordingly M. de Bonpart had them -married.</p> - -<p class="pbq">“He who related this turned red when the facts were disputed. -He said that the marriage could be verified by inspection -of the register of a certain parish in Marseilles, which he -named. He added that the children born of this marriage -were clandestinely removed to Corsica, where the difference -of language, or deliberate purpose, caused the name Bonpart to -be rendered Bonaparte, or Buonaparte.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-195.jpg" width="400" height="297" id="i195" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">THE CASTLE OF S. HONORAT</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span></p> - -<p>Whether it was proposed to Napoleon at one time to -circulate this fable is uncertain. What is certain is, that, -when he was emperor, he took pains to have the registers -of Ajaccio falsified or destroyed, either in preparation -for the publication of this fiction, or because they -revealed some unpleasant truths, which he was interested -in suppressing. The crucial difficulty in the way of -formulating this fable was that Saint Mars, and not any -M. Bonpart, had been governor of Ste. Marguerite whilst -the Iron Mask was there.</p> - -<p>The last celebrated prisoner at Ste. Marguerite was -Marshal Bazaine, who escaped with the assistance -of his wife, it can hardly be doubted with the connivance -of the governor. Marshal François Achille -Bazaine was born at Versailles in 1811, and was destined -to be a tradesman by his very bourgeois parents. But -as he did not relish the shop, he entered the army as a -private soldier in 1831, and served in Algiers, where he -sufficiently distinguished himself to be promoted to a -lieutenancy, and then become captain of the Foreign -Legion in the service of Queen Christina against the -Carlists. In 1841 he again served in Algiers, became -colonel, and next general of brigade. He was in the -Crimean War, and returned from it as general of division. -Later he attended the unfortunate Emperor -Maximilian to Mexico, when he was raised to the rank -of marshal. There he married a rich Creole. His -conduct in Mexico was not glorious. He left the -emperor in the most menaced position; but whether<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> -this desertion was due to himself or to orders received -from Napoleon is not known. After that, for some time -nothing was heard of him, but on the breaking out of -the war with Prussia and Germany he was appointed to -the command of the Third Army Corps. How he surrendered -Metz, with 150,000 men, on October 23rd, -1870, is well known.</p> - -<p>The questions asked of the jury at his trial were -these:—</p> - -<p class="pind p1">1. Is Marshal Bazaine guilty, on October 28th, 1870, -of having signed a capitulation in the open field, -at the head of his army?</p> - -<p class="pind">2. Was the consequence of this capitulation, that the -army laid down its arms?</p> - -<p class="pind">3. Did Marshal Bazaine, both verbally and by writing, -correspond with the enemy, without having previously -done all that was his duty?</p> - -<p class="pind">4. Is Marshal Bazaine guilty, on October 28th, 1870, -of having capitulated to the enemy, and delivered -over the fortress of Metz, over which he -had command, without having previously used -every effort in his power to defend it, and exhausted -every means of holding out that lay -open to him in duty and honour?</p> - -<p class="p1">The jury answered Yes, unanimously, to all these -questions, and he was sentenced to degradation and -death; but the sentence of death was commuted to -imprisonment for twenty years. On December 25th—Christmas -Day—1873, he was taken from the Trianon, -Versailles, in a close carriage, to Villeneuve l’Etang, -and thence conveyed to Antibes, where he was placed -on a steamboat and transferred to the fortress of Ste.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span> -Marguerite. On August 10th, 1874, the director of the -prison, named Marchi, found Bazaine’s prison empty. -The first thought in France, when this news was spread -by the telegraph, was that he had been allowed to -escape by the connivance of MacMahon. Then details -were published which put a romantic gloss on the -evasion.</p> - -<p>In the fortress of Ste. Marguerite three rooms had been -placed at the disposal of the prisoner, as well as a little -terrace, which latter was reached by a stone bridge with -a wall on each side, and here stood a sentinel, on the -wall; but he could not see those who passed over the -bridge nor what went on upon the terrace, as the latter -was partly covered with an awning against the sun. -On the terrace, to which led several steps from the bridge, -the Marshal had formed for himself a little garden; -and whilst working therein one day he found a choked -gutter intended for carrying off rain-water from the -castle shoots; it was bored through the rock; and he -set to work to clear it. By means of sympathetic ink -he was able to maintain a correspondence with his wife; -and all was planned for his escape.</p> - -<p>On the evening determined on he asked his gaoler, -who usually accompanied him for a stroll on the terrace -after dinner, to allow him to walk it alone, and this was -readily permitted.</p> - -<p>After a while Bazaine opened and slammed the gate, -and the sentinel supposed that he had passed out of the -terrace garden, on his way back to the prison. But that -the Marshal, instead, had cleared the drain hole and -slipped through, he could not see, because the awning -hid from him all view of the terrace. In the drain was -a rope, and this Bazaine let down the face of the rock,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -making it fast to an iron bar crossing the conduit. The -descent was for eighty feet. Below burnt a light, giving -him notice that his wife was there awaiting him in a boat.</p> - -<p>The descent was not a little arduous, and he scratched -and bruised his knuckles and knees against the rock, as -a high wind was blowing at the time. When he reached -the bottom a voice across the water asked who was -there, and he struck a match and showed his face. The -boat could not come up under the cliff, and he was -obliged to plunge into the water to reach it. In the -boat were his Creole wife and his nephew, a Mexican, -Don Alvarez de Rull. Mme. Bazaine had been in -Genoa from August 3rd, and had there hired a pleasure -steam-yacht, the <i>Baron Ricasoli</i>, and in this she had -either remained in the harbour of Genoa or had gone -cruises in it, and had penetrated more than once to the -Gulf of Saint Juan. At La Croisette she and her -nephew had been set ashore, nominally that she might -look at a villa, that she pretended she had an idea of -renting. There they hired a boat, and in this they -rowed to the foot of the cliff under the foot of the -fortress, and awaited the arrival of the Marshal. No -sooner was he in the boat than they rowed to the vessel, -which had all steam up, and started at full speed for -Genoa.</p> - -<p>In a letter written by Mme. Bazaine to the French -Minister of the Interior, General Chabaud-Latour, dated -August 16th, she stated that she had had no confederates. -Bazaine also made the same assertion in a letter -from Cologne. But no one believed this except the -Ultramontane editor of the <i>Univers</i>, who attributed the -happy escape to the merits of a consecrated scapular -and a thread of the Blessed Virgin’s smock, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> -Bazaine wore about his neck. Colonel Villette, who -had voluntarily shared the Marshal’s imprisonment, -and who quitted Ste. Marguerite the day after his escape, -was arrested at Marseilles and brought before the -magistrates. During the investigation it became clear -enough that Bazaine had not been without confederates.</p> - -<p>The rope by which Bazaine had let himself down had -been woven partly out of the cord that had tied up his -boxes, partly out of a swing that his children had used, -when allowed to share his imprisonment for awhile. -Bazaine himself was not skilful enough to have made -this rope; it was woven by Villette. The iron bar to -which it was asserted that the rope had been fastened -was not to be found in the drain; and it was evident -that some one must have held the end when the -Marshal was let down.</p> - -<p>Marchi, the gaoler, protested that he had only allowed -Bazaine the liberty he enjoyed, because the latter had -given his word of honour not to attempt an escape. -Bazaine’s valet, Barreau, was certainly implicated in the -matter; so was a Colonel Doineau, who, as head of the -<i>Bureaux Arabes</i> in Algeria, had been sentenced to death -for murder and robbery, but had been pardoned by -Napoleon II. He had managed the correspondence -between Bazaine and his wife. Several of the warders -were guilty at least of negligence, but were let off very -easily with one, two, or six months’ imprisonment.</p> - -<p>The island of S. Honorat is smaller than Ste. Marguerite. -It is a poor little stony patch in the sea, a -miniature of the larger isle, a bank of rocks covered -with a thin bed of soil, and rising not above four feet -over the sea level. And yet this isle, whose meagre<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span> -clumps of pines and whose battered tower hardly -attract the attention of the tourists, played a considerable -part, through long centuries, in the history of -intellectual and religious growth in Europe. In 375 -S. Honoratus founded there his religious community, -and grouped about him a little family of earnest and -intellectual men. In a few years it grew in power, not -the power of the sword, but of brain and earnestness of -purpose; and this island saved Western Christendom -from a grave disaster.</p> - -<p>The Mussulman has a legend of Creation. According -to that, when God was creating man, He took a pellet -of clay in His left hand, moulded it into human shape, -cast it aside to the left, and said, “This goes to hell, and -what care I?” In like manner He worked another ball -of clay with His right hand, flung that aside, and said, -“And this goes to heaven, and what care I?”</p> - -<p>Now the master mind of Western Christendom, -Augustine of Hippo, had devised the same theory of -caprice in the Most High, predestinating to good or ill -without reason, and that before Mohammed was born. -Divine Grace, he held, was paramount and irresistible, -carrying man to happiness or damnation without man -being able to determine his course one way or the other. -Man, according to Augustine, was a mere “Lump” of -sin, damnable, utterly damnable. But God, in His inscrutable -providence, indistinguishable from wantonness, -chose to elect some to weal, and leave the rest to woe. -This was a doctrine that did away with the necessity -of man making the smallest endeavour after righteousness, -from exercising the least self-control; of man -feeling the slightest compunction after committing the -grossest sins. Augustine sent his treatise to Abbot<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span> -Valentine of Adrumetium. Valentine, in calm self-complacency, -sitting among the ashes of dead lusts, -highly approved of this scheme of Predestination. But -a monk, Felix, when he heard it read, sprang to his -feet and uttered his protest. This protest was reported -to Augustine, who boiled over with bad temper at any -opposition; and he wrote a violent rejoinder “On Grace -and Freewill,” in which he insisted again on his -doctrine of Fatalism.</p> - -<p>The theses of Augustine reached Lerins, the nursery -of the Bishops of Gaul, and were read there with -indignation and disgust. The monks drew up a reply -to Augustine that was temperate in tone and sound in -argument. Grace, they said, was mighty, but man had -freewill, and could respond to it or rebel against it.</p> - -<p>Augustine answered. He attempted to browbeat -these insignificant monks and clergy on a petty islet -in the sea. But they were not men to be intimidated -by his great name and intellectual powers, not even by -his sincere piety.</p> - -<p>They argued that if his doctrine were true, then farewell -for ever and a day to all teaching of Christian -morality. Man was but a cloud, blown about by the -wind, where the wind listed to carry it.</p> - -<p>But for these stubborn monks of Lerins it is possible -enough that Western Christendom would have accepted -a <i>kismet</i> as fatal as that of Mohammedanism, and that, -indeed, it would have differed in name and certain outside -trimmings only from the Moslem religion. Rome -was much inclined to accept Augustine’s view, and give -it definite sanction. But the Gaulish bishops, bred in -the nursery of Lerins, would not hear of this. Finally, -in the Council of Orange, in 529, they laid down the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -main principle: “We do not believe,” they boldly said, -“that God has predestined any men to be evil.”</p> - -<p>S. Patrick, the apostle of Ireland, was at one time a -pupil at Lerins. The “Confessions of Augustine” are -indeed a beautiful picture of the workings of a human -soul; but not more tender and beautiful than that -revelation of a noble heart given to us in the “Confession -of Patrick.”</p> - -<p>Lerins—that is, especially Saint Honorat—was the -refuge of the intellect, the science, the literature, of a -civilised world going to pieces into utter wreckage.</p> - -<p>As Guizot well said:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“For culture of mind, one thing is requisite, and that is -quiet. When the social condition of the world is in convulsion, -and all about is barbarity and misery, then study -suffers, is neglected and declines. Taste for truth, the sentiment -for what is beautiful, are plants as delicate as they are -noble. For their cultivation a sweet atmosphere is necessary; -they bow their heads and are blighted by storm. Study, -literature, intellectual activity, could not battle against -general discouragement, universal disaster; they must have a -holdfast somewhere, attach themselves to popular convictions, -or perish. The Christian religion furnished them with the -means of living. By allying themselves to that, philosophy -and literature were saved from the ruin that menaced them. -One may say, without exaggeration, that the human mind, -proscribed, storm-tossed, found its only possible refuge in -churches and monasteries. It clung as a suppliant to the -altars, and pleaded to be allowed to live under their shelter, -and at their service, till better times should arrive, when they -would expand in the open air.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Lerins suffered repeatedly and frightfully from the -Saracens. Again and again was it ravaged. In 725, -Porcarius, the abbot, and five hundred monks, were -butchered by the Moors.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-203.jpg" width="400" height="276" id="i203" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">LA NAPOULE</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span></p> - -<p>The interesting fortress, with its cloister and quadrangle -in the centre, was erected by the monks as a -place of refuge from the Moors and Algerine pirates.</p> - -<p>But worse times were in store, when the Crown came -to look on the great abbeys as fiefs, to be given <i>in commendam</i> -to laymen, to bastards, to favourites, to harlots, -who might enjoy the revenues and ignore the duties. -Naturally enough, in such a condition of affairs, Lerins -declined. It became a place to which younger sons -were relegated, vicious monks were banished; it was -resolved into a bastille for evildoers, and sank to so low -an ebb that, as a scandal, the abbey was suppressed the -year before the Revolution came, and swept all monastic -institutions away.</p> - -<p>To the west of the Île Ste. Marguerite, in the sea -pours up a copious spring of fresh water. When the -surface of the sea is calm, the upflow can be easily -distinguished by the undulations. There are other such -springs in the Gulf of Jouan, near Antibes, also at the -mouth of the Var; near the shore at Portissol, west of -S. Nazaire; another again near Bandol. In 1838, a -M. Bazin tapped this latter when sinking a well at -Cadière, and such an abundance of water poured forth -that the well had to be abandoned. Off Cassis is a -very considerable spring in the sea, so strong that it -carries floating bodies for a couple of miles from its -source. But the largest of all is in the Gulf of Spezzia, -and is called La Polla. This has been enclosed by the -Italian government, and vessels supply themselves with -fresh water from it.</p> - -<p>The rain which falls on the limestone causses, that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> -form the terrace to the Maritime Alps, is at once -absorbed, and descends through fissures to deep -channels, where the accumulated water flows and breaks -forth in what are locally called <i>foux</i>, often in large -volume, and feed the rivers. Sometimes the streams -drop into pot-holes; these are called <i>embues</i>. The -Siagne has its source in the Place de la Caille, an -ancient lake bed, but sinks, and comes forth 1,500 feet -below in the <i>foux</i> of the Siagne. This river receives -the Siagnole, which derives its water from a number -of these springs that spout out of the rock. But in -some cases the rain-water sinks to a level still lower, and -then breaks forth in the sea itself.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-205.jpg" width="400" height="284" id="i205" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">THE CASCADE DU CHATEAU, NICE</p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XIII<br /> -<span class="mid">NICE</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">A shifted site—Ancient Nike—Cemenelium—History of Nice—Saracens -at Cap Ferrat—Bertrand de Balb—The barony of Beuil—The Castle—Internecine -strife—Truce—The marble cross—Catherine Ségurane—Destruction -of the Castle—Annexation of Nice to France—Cathedral—Church -of the Port—Masséna—Garibaldi—General Marceau—Rancher—Story -of Collet—Cagnes—Painting by Carlone—Eze—David’s -painting—Puget Teniers—Touët-de-Beuil.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap04">NICE is a town that has uneasily shifted its seat -some three or four times. Whether it were -directly settled from Phocœa or mediately from Marseilles, -we do not know. But a Greek city it was, as its -name implies, Nike, <i>Victory</i>, speaking of a fight there, -engaged either against the Phœnicians, who resisted -their settling into quarters already appropriated, or else -against the native Ligurians.</p> - -<p>Anciently, the river Paillon flowed into the tiny bay -of Lympia, but it brought down so much rubble as to -threaten to choke it, and huge embankments of stone -were built to divert the course of the river to the farther -side of the calcareous rock of the Château. These have -been discovered in the process of excavations in the -Riquier quarter. When the Greeks settled here, they -found the conditions perfect for their requirements. -The Port of Lympia then extended inland to where<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> -is now the rue du Paillon. It was flanked on the east -by the steep heights of Mont Boron, on the west by the -crag of the Château, which latter served as acropolis -and was crowned by a temple dedicated probably to -Artemis. The site is thought to be where now stands -the chapel of the Ste. Suaire, which is square and on old -foundations. The Phocœan town lay in the lap of the -port of Lympia.</p> - -<p>But when the province became Roman, then the town -occupied by the great families of consular origin, the -officials of government, and all the hangers-on, was at -Cemenelium, now Cimiez, on the high ground above -modern Nice, and dominating the ancient port. Here -had been an older Ligurian fortified town, of which -some remains exist in the huge blocks laid on one -another without cement that formed the defending wall, -and on top of which the Romans built their ramparts. -The citadel was at the extreme south point of the -plateau. In Cemenelium the principal monuments were -the palace of the governor of the province, a temple -of Diana, another of Apollo, an amphitheatre and baths. -All have been destroyed and have disappeared save the -wreckage of the amphitheatre, traversed by a road. -Roman sepulchral monuments, urns, mosaics, fragments -of marble columns, statuettes, have been unearthed in -considerable numbers. The Phocœan colonies established -on the littoral of the Maritime Alps fell into -complete decay when the Romans occupied the country, -and towards the end of the third century Nice dwindled -to almost nothing.</p> - -<p>In 578 the Lombards, under the ferocious Alboin, -swept over the country and destroyed Cimiez and Nice. -The Franks drove back the Lombards into Italy.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> -Cimiez remained a heap of ruins, but Nice was repeopled -and rebuilt, not, however, near the port, but on -the height of Le Château. The population of this part -of the old province revolted against the Franks; and -Nice entered into a league with Genoa and other -important towns on the Italian Riviera. In 741, however, -the province again returned under the domination -of the Franks, and it was governed by counts appointed -by the sovereign, who resided at Nice in the castle. -Here, hard by on the rock, was the cathedral, and down -the north-west slope, that was least precipitous, were -lodged the private houses. In 775 the abbey of S. -Pontius was founded by Siagrius, Bishop of Nice, and -Charlemagne, who is supposed to have been his uncle, -gave the funds for the building and endowment. This -abbey was erected on the rock on which, according to -tradition, S. Pontius had suffered martyrdom by decapitation.</p> - -<p>Profiting by the break-up of the Carolingian dynasty, -in 880, Boso, whose sister was married to Charles the -Bald, seized on that part of Burgundy which is on this -side the Jura, and along with Provence constituted a -kingdom, with himself at its head.</p> - -<p>In 889 the devastations committed by the Saracens -extended along the coast, and one town after another -was sacked and burnt by them. These ravages continued -till 973, when William, Count of Provence, and -Gibelin Grimaldi freed the land from this plague. The -Saracens had a fortress at Saint Hospice, a curious spur -which strikes out from the peninsula of Cap Ferrat, -whence they had harassed the neighbourhood of Nice, -but had been unable to storm the fortified town on the -rock.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span></p> - -<p>Grimaldi destroyed the Saracen citadel, and left of -it nothing standing save the tower that remains to this -day. The captured Saracens were quartered in a -portion of Nice still called <i>lou canton dei Sarraïns</i>, and -were employed by him in strengthening or rebuilding -the walls of the town.</p> - -<p>To the Saracens are attributed the subterranean -magazines, or silos, that are found at S. Hospice, S. Jean, -Trinité-Victor, and elsewhere, to contain the plunder -they acquired in their marauding expeditions. These -are vaulted over, and are still in some instances used -as cisterns or store places; but the evidence that they -were the work of the Moors is inconclusive.</p> - -<p>Among those who assisted the Count of Provence -against the Saracens was one Bertrand de Balbs, and -in reward for his services he was given in fief the -barony of Beuil, a vast territory stretching from the -Estéron to the Alps, and comprising twenty-two towns -and townlets. His descendants kept the barony till -1315, when William de Balbs made himself so odious -to his vassals by his tyranny that they murdered him. -A brother of the Grimaldi of Monaco had married the -only daughter of William de Balbs, and as there was -no son the fief passed to him, and he became the -founder of the family of Grimaldi of Beuil. The barony -remained in the Grimaldi family till 1621, when it was -united to the county of Nice.</p> - -<p>They ran, however, a chance of losing it in 1508.</p> - -<p>Towards the close of 1507, George Grimaldi, Baron -of Beuil, his son John, Augustine Grimaldi, Bishop of -Grasse, and Nicolas Grimaldi, seigneur of Antibes, -formed a plot to deliver over the county of Nice to -Louis XII. The Duke of Savoy was warned, and he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> -summoned George and his son to appear before him. -They replied with insolence and defied him, relying on -French support. But at that moment Louis XII. and -the Duke of Savoy had arranged their little quarrel, -and when John Grimaldi asked for aid from the -Governor of Provence, he was refused. Meantime the -garrison of Nice marched against Beuil. The castle, -built on a height and surrounded by strong walls, could -have stood a long siege, when a tragic event put an end -to the struggle. The Baron de Beuil was murdered by -his valet, who cut his throat whilst shaving him.</p> - -<p>The Duke of Savoy outlawed John, the son, and -gave the barony to Honoré Grimaldi, brother of George, -who had steadily refused to be drawn into the conspiracy.</p> - -<p>But to return to Nice.</p> - -<p>In 1229 a party in the town revolted against the -Count of Provence, and expelled those who were loyal -to him. Thereupon Romeo de Villeneuve marched on -Nice, took the town, and set to work to strengthen the -fortifications of the castle, which in future would control -it. At that time the castle consisted of a donjon, with -an enclosure that had four turrets at the angles. Outside -this Romeo built a strong wall that enclosed within -the area the cathedral and the houses of the nobility; -he cut deep fosses through the rock, and furnished the -gates with drawbridges. Later, after the invention of -powder, the fortress was further transformed in 1338.</p> - -<p>After the death of Joanna I. of Naples, Nice took the -side of Charles of Durazzo, and in 1388 was besieged -by Louis II. of Anjou. The Niçois, unable without -help to hold out against him, offered the town to -Amadeus, Duke of Savoy, and he entered and took -possession.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span></p> - -<p>The desolating wars of Charles V. and Francis I. -made a desert of Provence. Nice, as a town of the -Duke of Savoy, met with only the temporary annoyance -of the Spanish and German and Italian troops -passing through it to cross the Var. In 1538 Pope -Paul III. proposed a meeting between the two sovereigns -at Nice, and he met them there on June 18th, 1535; -a truce was concluded, to last for ten years. A cross of -marble marks the spot where the conference took place. -It was thrown down in 1793, in the Revolutionary -period, but was again set up some twenty years later.</p> - -<p>Paul III., in proposing the meeting of the two rival -monarchs, had not only an eye to the welfare of the -people of Italy, harassed by incessant and desolating -war, but also to the interest of his own family. He -had been elected Pope in 1534, and at once created -Alexander, child of one of his illegitimate sons, Cardinal -at the age of fourteen, Archbishop of Anagni when -the boy was only fifteen, and Archbishop of Mont Real -and Patriarch of Jerusalem when aged sixteen. Another -grandson, Ranncio, he created Archbishop of Naples -when aged fourteen, and Archbishop of Ravenna at -the age of nineteen. Now, when meeting the two -sovereigns, he negotiated with Francis to have his -granddaughter united to a prince of the house of -Valois; but Francis procrastinated, and the marriage -did not take place. He was more successful in marrying -his grandson Octavio to Margaret of Austria, -natural daughter of Charles V.</p> - -<p>But that Paul did use his utmost endeavours to -obtain a truce of ten years is shown by the testimony -of the Venetian ambassador who was present at Nice -on the occasion of the meeting. He could find no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> -words sufficiently strong in which to eulogise the zeal -and patience displayed by the Pope on this occasion.</p> - -<p>Paul, however, never lost sight of the advantage -of his family. At the time of the Conference he -succeeded in getting Novara from the Emperor, for his -illegitimate son, Pier Luigi, for whom he had already -alienated Parma, and raised it into a Duchy, at the -expense of the States of the Church.</p> - -<p>The implacable jealousy entertained against one -another by the two monarchs led to the war breaking -out again; Francis I. entered into alliance with the -Turks under Barbarossa, and a combined army laid -siege to Nice in August, 1543. The Turkish cannons -completely destroyed the Convent of Ste. Croix, in -which Pope Paul had lodged in 1538, and broke down -large portions of the city ramparts. It was then that -occurred an incident that has never been forgotten in -Nice. Catherine Ségurane, commonly called Malfacia -(the misshapen), a washerwoman, was carrying provisions -on the wall to some of the defenders, when she -saw that the Turks had put up a scaling ladder, and -that a captain was leading the party, and had reached -the parapet. She rushed at him, beat him on the head -with her washing-bat, and thrust down the ladder, which -fell with all those on it. Then, hastening to the nearest -group of Niçois soldiery, she told them what she had -done, and they, electrified by her example, threw open a -postern, made a sortie, and drove the Turks back to the -shore. According to one version of the story, Catherine -gripped the standard in the hand of the Turk, wrenched -it from him, and with the butt end thrust him back.</p> - -<p>The story first appears in a “Discours sur l’ancien -monastère des religieuses de Nice,” 1608. Honoré<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> -Pastorelli, the author, merely says that a standard of -the Turks was taken from the ensign by a citizeness -named Donna Maufaccia, who fought at the Tour des -Caïres, where were the Turkish batteries. A second -authority, in 1654, Antonio Fighier, says that the event -took place on the Feast of Our Lady in August; that -the woman seized the staff of the standard and flung it -into the moat.</p> - -<p>Some weeks later the Turks penetrated into the -town and carried off 2,500 prisoners to their galleys; -but these were retaken by the Sicilian fleet.</p> - -<p>The war between Charles V. and Francis I. was -terminated by the Treaty of Crépy in 1544. By it the -House of Savoy recovered all the places in the Duchy -taken by the French. Duke Charles III. ordered the -complete restoration and remodelling of the defences of -the town and castle. In the wars of Louis XIV., Nice -was attacked again and again, and in 1706 was taken by -the Duke of Berwick. By order of Louis, the castle -was then completely destroyed by gunpowder. Thus -disappeared this noble fortress after twenty centuries of -existence; and now of it almost nothing remains. By -the peace of Utrecht in 1713, Nice was restored to -Savoy. In 1748 Charles Emanuel of Savoy had the -port of Lympia cleared out and made serviceable. It -had been choked up for some centuries. It was not till -1860 that the county of Nice was definitely annexed to -France. Hitherto the Var had been the boundary between -Italy and France, now the delimitation is the -Torrent of S. Louis. The natural demarcation is unquestionably -the <i>col</i> of La Turbie and the Tête du -Chien, and Monaco, about which more presently. -I have given but a meagre sketch of the history of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> -Nice; but the reader would have no patience with all -the petty troubles—great to those who endured them—which -afflicted Nice and its vicinity through many -centuries. Now it enjoys peace, and thrives, not only as -a city, doing a large business, but also as a vestibule to -Monte Carlo. The cathedral, that once stood near the -castle on the rock, was demolished in 1656, and the present -building—a rococo construction in the barbaric -taste of that period—was erected below the rocky height. -On December 16th, the Bishop Désiré de Palletier was -contemplating the dome that was in process of construction, -when some of the material fell on his head and -killed him. In 1705, on March 16th, a bomb fell in the -cathedral and exploded, killing many people. If it had -blown the whole church to atoms it would have caused -no loss to art.</p> - -<p>Curiously enough an accident happened of a somewhat -similar character to the church of the Port. The -design for this monstrosity was sent by a Turin architect. -The cupola was to be of wood, covered with lead. -But the clerk of the works, in carrying out the design, -substituted stone for wood. The result was that, one -Sunday morning, just after the consecration of the -church, the cupola fell in. Happily it was during the -first mass. The priest at the altar, hearing a cracking -above him, bolted into the vestry. An old woman, who -was the sole assistant, fled into the porch, and no lives -were lost when the whole structure collapsed.</p> - -<p>Nice has produced some men of note—as Masséna, -“L’enfant chéri de la victoire”—whose real name was -Menasseh; he was the son of a petty Jewish taverner, and -was born in 1756. What a simmering cauldron that was -in Europe, which brought to the surface Bernadotte, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -saddler’s son! Murat issued from a little public house. -Augereau, the child of a domestic servant; Masséna, the -Hebrew waif and stray. Masséna was gifted by nature -with a powerful frame of body, and with indomitable resolution. -He was considered the most skilful tactician -among Napoleon’s generals, and on the field of battle -he was remarkable for coolness. He had, moreover, the -invaluable quality in a commander of not being dispirited -through defeat. His faults were primarily -rapacity and avarice. In Italy, when commanding the -French army of occupation, he “behaved in such a -way,” as Miot de Melito informs us, “that the French -troops, left without pay in the midst of the immense -riches which he appropriated to himself, revolted, and -refused to recognise his authority. His pilferings, his -shameless avidity, tarnished the laurels with which he -had covered himself.” He brought down on himself -repeatedly the censure of Napoleon. But the greed was -born in the bone. He could not keep his fingers off -what was of money value, and might be turned into -coin.</p> - -<p>When Bonaparte assumed the command in Italy, he -employed Masséna actively on all occasions of importance, -and so justly appreciated the brilliancy and military -talents he possessed, that he surnamed him “the -favoured child of victory.” In 1798 he was appointed -to the command of the army, which under General -Berthier was to occupy Rome and the Papal States. -His appointment was as distasteful to the soldiers as to -the inhabitants of the subjected country, for they both -became victims of his insatiable avarice, and the multiplied -complaints made of his peculations at last forced -him to resign the command and to return to Paris.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> -Whilst Masséna was in Rome stuffing his pockets, -a paper was affixed to the statue of Pasquin, with this -dialogue inscribed on it:—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“What is the time of day, Pasquin?”<br /> -<i>Pasquin</i>: “The time of thieves.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Although Masséna had exposed his person in so -many battles without receiving a wound, he had the -misfortune to lose an eye whilst in a sporting party, -some shot having accidentally struck it.</p> - -<p>That which redounded most to the fame of Masséna -was his gallant defence of Genoa, in 1800, after the -garrison had been reduced to eat their boots. The defence -had made the Austrian army lose valuable time, -and afforded Bonaparte the requisite time to collect -sufficient forces to cross the Alps and crush the -Austrians at Marengo. After that decisive day, the -first Consul who desired to return to France, remitted -the command of the troops to Masséna; but only for -a while. A certain feeling of hostility reigned between -the Republican General and the future Emperor. -Masséna was envious of the fame of Napoleon, and resented -the distance that separated him from an old -comrade in arms. After the <i>coup d’état</i> of the -18th Brumaire, he was admitted to the legislative corps, -and voted against granting the consulate for life to -Napoleon, and persistently sided with the opposition;—not -out of principle, for of that Masséna did not possess -a particle, but because he was jealous of Napoleon’s -greatness and increasing power.</p> - -<p>However, Napoleon could not afford to overlook him -when conferring honours, and Masséna was content to -accept these, along with the money granted him to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> -maintain his honours. He was created Duke of Rivoli -and Prince of Esslingen. But he was not grateful, and -of all the marshals of France he showed himself most -eager to rally to the Restoration and to recognise -Louis XVIII. He had sufficient keenness to see that -Napoleon’s star was in decline, and all that he really -was solicitous for was to keep hold of his hoarded -treasures. He died at Ruel, his country seat near Paris, -in 1817.</p> - -<p>This upstart family still flourishes on the accumulated -plunder, and still retains the titles of Duke of Rivoli -and Prince of Esslingen, but is no longer of the -Jewish persuasion.</p> - -<p>The great square at Nice is called after Masséna, but -another square bears a far more reputable name—that -of Garibaldi, who was also a native of Nice, born there -on July 4th, 1807.</p> - -<p>General Marceau’s ashes rested for some years at -Nice. He fell near Coblenz in 1796, and his body was -burnt and transported, as he had desired, to Nice, to lie -beside the body of his sister Emma, when it should -be her time to depart this life. She died at the age -of eighty-one in 1834, and was laid beside the ashes -of her brother. Marceau had never been shown the -smallest token of love by his mother, and he had been -brought up by his sister, to whom he was devotedly -attached. His last words were: “Je ne regrette qu’elle. -Je lui dois ce que je puis valoir.”</p> - -<p>It is a pity that his wishes were so far disregarded -that in 1889 his remains were disinterred and transferred -to the Panthéon, at Paris.</p> - -<p>Nice has produced a poet, the Jasmin of this part of -Provence; his name is Rancher, and he was born in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span> -1785, on July 20th, two months before due; he was so -small that a bon-bon box was extemporised as his -cradle. Indeed, it was supposed that he was dead, and -he was to have been carried to burial in his bon-bon -box, when his father, who was a surgeon, stooping over -him, heard a faint sigh, and preparations for the funeral -were stopped. He became secretary to the Count de -Cessola, president of the Senate of Nice, and then -under-secretary of the Tribunal of Commerce, an office -he retained till his death in 1843. He wrote songs and -composed music to them, also a little vaudeville, and a -poem “La Nemaïda,” which was serio-comic, and turned -on a local incident, a dispute between the beadles and -sacristans of the church of Ste. Françoise de Paule. -His little vaudeville led to his imprisonment. It had -been composed for performance before King Charles -Felix and his queen, Marie Christine, when they were -at Nice at Christmas, 1829. He ventured without -authorisation to introduce on the stage his nephew, -aged nine, dressed as a peasant, and to set him to play -a little piece on the violin. This had not been submitted -to the proper authority and allowed; accordingly the -Count de Faverger, Governor of Nice, ordered the -incarceration of the audacious poet. But this bit of -red-tapism was too much, and Rancher was released -in a couple of hours. He revenged himself on the -governor by a satirical and burlesque song, that ran -like wildfire through the town. A street in Nice bears -Rancher’s name.</p> - -<p>Nice was the scene of the sacrilegious rascalities of a -rogue, Collet, whose story, as he operated at Fréjus and -at Draguignan as well as at Nice, may be told.</p> - -<p>Collet was born at Belley, in the department of Aine,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> -of worthy and pious parents. He entered the army -after having gone through a course of studies, and -became sub-lieutenant in 1796, and was at the siege -of Brescia. But, disgusted with military service, he -deserted and went to Rome. Whilst there he heard -of the wreck of a merchant vessel off Civita Vecchia -under a young captain named Tolosant, of Lyons, with -the loss of all hands. At once he saw his chance. He -forged papers, got a ring cut with the Tolosant arms, -and passed himself off as the captain, who had escaped. -By this means he deceived a worthy priest, who was -steward to Cardinal Fesch; and as the Cardinal was -acquainted with the family of Tolosant, he introduced -the <i>soi-disant</i> captain to him. The Cardinal at once -insisted on Collet taking up his abode with him, and he -even presented him to the Pope, who gave the rascal his -apostolic benediction. As a friend of Cardinal Fesch, -Napoleon’s kinsman, and an inmate of his house, Collet -made the round of the bankers of Rome, discussed -with them schemes for making money, and drew loans -from them to the amount of 60,000 francs. Then Collet -was invested with a charge to perform some ecclesiastical -commissions in Lombardy. He left—disappeared—just -as suspicions began to be entertained that he was not -what he pretended to be, and turned up at Mondovi. -There he gave himself out to be a gentleman of means, -and he speedily ingratiated himself into the society of -the young bloods there. As Mondovi was a dull town, -he proposed to brisk it up by the institution of a theatre -and by amateur performances. This proposition was -cordially accepted, a committee was appointed, and -Collet was named costumier; he was to purchase a -complete theatrical wardrobe. All who were to act<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> -were required to pay for their own costumes, and the -money was put into Collet’s hands to furnish these.</p> - -<p>All at once the costumier vanished, carrying off with -him all the dresses, those of clergy, bishops, generals, civic -authorities, with ribbons and crosses of various orders.</p> - -<p>He next turned up at Sion, in the Vallais, now in the -cassock of a priest, and furnished with fictitious letters -of Orders. There he presented himself to the bishop, -and so ingratiated himself into his favour that the bishop -nominated him to one of his best cures, which happened -to fall vacant. He was instituted, and for five months -said mass, preached, married, baptized, catechised the -children, and consoled the dying.</p> - -<p>Now the church was in a dilapidated condition, and -the late rector had begun a collection for its rebuilding. -Collet called together the committee of the building -project, and learned that the sum already collected was -30,000 francs. He at once volunteered to contribute -50,000 francs to the fund, if he were made treasurer, -and suffered to build on to the new church a chapel in -which his own mortal remains might repose after his -death; for never, never, oh never, would he leave his dear -parishioners! A ready consent was given, and the -sum collected was put into his hands. An architect was -engaged, designs for the new church were procured, the -old building was pulled down, the material sold, and the -sum produced by the sale was lodged in the hands of -Collet. Then he suggested that the mayor and the -architect should accompany him to Sion to buy the -ornaments and paintings requisite for the new church. -Accordingly they departed in a carriage. Chalice, -tabernacle, three marble altars, candelabra, were bought, -but not paid for. At the recommendation of Collet, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span> -mayor returned to the village, carrying with him the -purchases; and the architect departed to engage masons -and carpenters.</p> - -<p>No sooner was Collet left than he took post-horses -and departed for Strasburg. There he vanished. His -next appearance was in Italy, shifting his quarters and -changing his costume repeatedly. At Savona, on the -Riviera, he persuaded a banker to let him have 10,000 -francs. Next he appeared at Nice, in a shovel hat, a -purple cassock, and wearing a gold pectoral cross, as -Dominic Pasqualini, Bishop of Manfredonia. He called -on the Bishop of Nice, showed him the bull of his -institution, forged by himself, and so completely deceived -him, that the bishop offered him the most cordial -welcome, showed him hospitality, took him into the -seminary and asked him to examine the seminarists. -Collet saw the risk he ran, and evaded it shrewdly. -“Monseignore,” said he, “I can see by the look of their -faces that they are a set of asses. I do not wish to -hurt their feelings by exposing their ignorance—I being -a stranger.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then,” said the Bishop of Nice, “if you will -not examine them, you shall ordain them; there are -thirty-three to receive deacon’s and sub-deacon’s orders -next Sunday.”</p> - -<p>Collet could not refuse. Accordingly, vested in full -pontificals, in the Cathedral of Nice, he committed this -sacrilegious act.</p> - -<p>After this, not seeing his way to making much money -at Nice, he departed, changed his costume, and appeared -at Fréjus as plenipotentiary of the Emperor, an inspector-general, -charged with seeing to the equipment -of the army of Catalonia. He presented his credentials,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span> -which seemed to be in order; he took a high hand, and -required the head of the Gensdarmerie to furnish him -with a mounted escort to Draguignan, and he sent on an -orderly before him to announce his purpose in visiting -the town, requiring proper lodgings and provisions to be -furnished for him. Then he appeared at Draguignan, -with breast covered with Orders, and there he formed -his staff. A retired captain became his aide-de-camp; -the son of the Sub-Prefect of Toulon he graciously -received as his secretary; he named two officers of -artillery, one as paymaster, the other as his steward; -and finally, with a staff of twenty persons, he went to -Marseilles, where he so imposed upon the authorities -that he was allowed to draw 130,000 francs from the -government treasury. Thence he went to Montpellier, -and there his star began to pale. One day, after having -reviewed the troops, he dined with the Préfet, to whom -he had promised the cordon of Grand Officer of the -Legion of Honour, when, during the meal, the hôtel of -the préfeture was surrounded by gensdarmes, a party of -police entered the dining-room, and the Organiser of the -Army of Catalonia was arrested and led to gaol. All -his staff shared his fate, but were released after an imprisonment -of twenty days.</p> - -<p>One day the Préfet was giving a dinner party, and, to -amuse his guests, offered to produce the prisoner who -had so befooled him and the rest of the good people of -Montpellier. Accordingly he sent to the gaol for Collet, -who expected every moment to be brought forth and -shot. Three gensdarmes conducted Collet from prison -to the préfeture, and till the guests were ready to see -him he was thrust into an ante-room, and two gensdarmes -were posted at the door.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span></p> - -<p>Collet’s quick eye detected, lying in a corner, the -white cap and apron of a cook, and a dish of caramel on -the table. In the twinkling of an eye he had dressed -himself as a cook, taken up the dish, kicked at the door, -till the gensdarmes opened and allowed him to pass -forth between them; they supposing him to be the cook.</p> - -<p>Collet slipped out of the house and concealed himself -next door. A hue and cry ensued, and the alarm bell -rang; the gensdarmes galloped along the roads about -Montpellier, and Collet looked on complacently from -the window, till, after fifteen days, the search for him -was relaxed, and then he left the town.</p> - -<p>After having rambled about for a while without leaving -traces of his presence, he reappeared in the department -of Tarn, where he presented himself before the superior -of the Schools of Christian Brothers, and informed him -that he was a gentleman of private means and of a -devout turn of soul, and that it was his desire to found -a novitiate for the Brothers, and that he had a sum of -40,000 francs at his disposal for that purpose. Then he -visited a M. Lajus, a Toulouse merchant, and entered -into negotiation with him for the sale of a house he had, -and he informed him that he was ex-sub-prefect of the -department of Aine. M. Lajus accompanied him to -the house, and allowed Collet to order and see to the -carrying out of alterations, the pulling down of walls, -etc., under his eye—before a sou had been paid of the -stipulated price. Then Collet returned to the mother -house of the Christian Brothers and urged the director -to visit the new novitiate. The worthy man was so -delighted that he gave a holiday to all the inmates of -the establishment, that they might go together to inspect -the fresh acquisition.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span></p> - -<p>“But,” said the reverend superior, “who is to look -after the house whilst we are away?”</p> - -<p>“Have no concern about that,” said Collet. “I will -keep guard.”</p> - -<p>So all these green goslings trotted off on a visit of -inspection, to decide which room was to be fitted up as -a chapel, which was to be library, which were to be -devoted to studies, and which to serve as dormitories.</p> - -<p>Meanwhile Collet had free range over the college. -He broke open the treasury of the society and filled -his pockets with the money found there. He visited -the chapel, and carried off all the sacred vessels; he -cleared out all the desks and lockers, and left behind, -as the superior afterwards said, “nothing but my spectacles, -to enable me another time to look sharper after -rogues.”</p> - -<p>Collet departed, with all his spoil, and took the road -to Anjou; he next turned up at Bessac in a hotel, where, -through vague hints thrown out, he allowed it to be supposed -that he was the Emperor Napoleon, escaped from -Ste. Helena, and in hiding—awaiting his opportunity to -reascend the imperial throne. The loyal Bonapartists -called on him and were graciously received, and they -offered him money which he also graciously accepted -and promised to repay with usury and with honours -when he came to his own again. At last the mayor -became alarmed, called on him, and respectfully intimated -that he himself was in danger of being called to -account for harbouring in the place the illustrious fugitive; -that personally he was devoted to his imperial master, -and that for this very reason he was solicitous for his -welfare. He feared that the secret of his presence at -Bessac was divulged, and it was quite possible that an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span> -attempt would be made to assassinate the fugitive. He -accordingly strongly urged Collet to remove to a place -where he was not in such danger.</p> - -<p>Collet accordingly departed; went to Rochebeaucourt, -where he took up his lodging with the commissary of -the police.</p> - -<p>In the meantime accurate descriptions of Collet had -been sent throughout France to the police, and this -commissary had received them. Yet never for a moment -did it occur to him that the gentleman of aristocratic -appearance and with a purse well lined, who paid so -promptly and liberally for his <i>pension</i>, could be the man -so much sought for.</p> - -<p>From Rochebeaucourt Collet went to Le Mans, where -he figured as a well-to-do bourgeois, devoted to charitable -actions; a man of irreproachable life. But there, finally, -he was arrested, tried, and sentenced to twenty years’ -hard labour, and to be branded as a felon. In prison he -remained for twenty years, and died on the eve of the -day when his chains were to be struck off, in November, -1840.</p> - -<p>This extraordinary story does not so much prove how -gullible men are, as how good and trustworthy most -men are, so that when we do come across a rogue who -takes advantage of us, it is like an earthquake that shakes -us out of our moral equilibrium.</p> - -<p>Some very interesting excursions may be made from -Nice to places accessible by electric tram or by train.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-225.jpg" width="400" height="293" id="i225" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">VILLEFRANCHE</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span></p> - -<p>Cagnes was a castle of the Grimaldi. The little town -occupies a hog’sback, the summit of the hill is crowned -by the château, and the one street leading to it runs up -the spine of hill, with houses on each side clinging to -the steep sides. The castle is not very picturesque, but -it has in the midst a quaint court, surrounded by galleries -and stairs. The great <i>salle</i> had its ceiling painted by -Carlone in the seventeenth century. It represents the -fall of Phaeton, and is one of those subjects in the -debased style of the period that are <i>tours de force</i> in -perspective. It represents an arcade of Corinthian pillars -with windows between them painted on the flat surface, -seen in perspective from a single point only. The castle -was occupied by the Allies in 1815; a Piedmontese -garrison was placed in it, and the soldiers amused themselves -with firing at the head of Phaeton.</p> - -<p>The painter spent three years over this absurd work, -and when leaving it complete he wept and said, “Bella -mea cascata di Phaëton, io non piu te vedere, mai, mai, -mai!” It is really not worth looking at, save as an -example of the degradation of art. The castle no -longer appertains to the Grimaldi; it has been sold.</p> - -<p>Eze is reached by tram, passing the beautiful bay of -Villefranche, to the foot of the precipice on which it -stands, and from whence it is reached by a scramble -up a zig-zag path in about an hour. It is a curious -example of a town, built on the summit of a rock, -walled about, once with its castle planted in its midst, -where it might, it was hoped, be safe from Moorish and -Algerine pirates. Once an important place, with its -consuls, it has sunk to ruin, and is now occupied by only -ninety people. The church was built in 1772. The castle -is levelled to the foundations, but the town walls remain.</p> - -<p>In 1770 the Corniche Road did not exist. David the -Painter was on his way to Italy to study at Rome. He -arrived at Eze at night, and the curé very kindly took in -the poor and footsore young artist. He was interested -in David, and gave him a letter of introduction to a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -kinsman, the Prior Fighera, in Rome. This opened to -David many doors in the capital of Western Christendom, -and David received orders for pictures. In gratitude -he sent a painting of S. John the Baptist to his -friend, the curé of Eze, for his new church. About the -year 1880 this picture vanished. The Administration -des Beaux Arts instituted an inquiry, and ascertained -that the Consuls of Eze had sold the painting to an -Englishman for 500 francs, whereas it was worth -100,000 francs. That picture is now in the National -Gallery.</p> - -<p>In the little cemetery of Eze is laid a Swiss woman, -assassinated in 1902 by Vidal, a woman-murderer. -From Nice a line takes to Puget Théniers, on the Var. -The line is full of interest, passing places rich in striking -objects, and allowing of branch excursions up the -Vesubie, the Timée, the Cians, with scenery of the -grandest character. It, moreover, enables the visitor -to explore strange villages, such as Touët-de-Beuil, -plastered against the limestone rocks. The <i>Clus</i> of the -Cians at Touët, where the river cleaves through the Jura -limestone stained various colours, is as fine as anything -of the kind. There is hardly a village or town accessible -from this line that does not repay a visit, and which -will not fill a sketch-book or furnish a photographer -with subjects.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XIV<br /> -<span class="mid">MONACO</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">Beauty of site—Phœnician shrine of Melkarth—Meanness of modern -buildings—The Cathedral and Palace—Extent of the principality—The -Grimaldi—Rainier II.—Charles II. at Crecy—Antonio Grimaldi—Lucien’s -murder—Murder of Hercules I.—Louis I.: his gibbets—Roquebrune -and Mentone revolt—The gambling establishment of -Charles III.—M. Blanc.—Les Spélunges—Marriage of Prince of -Monaco annulled—La Turbie—Trophy of Augustus—Monte Carlo—S. -Devota—The Casino: importance to the principality—Roulette—Systems—Charges -of Captain Weihe: improbable because unnecessary—Cave -of La Veille—Death of the Duke of York.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap04">MONACO is assuredly the loveliest spot on the -entire Ligurian coast. More the pity that it -should be delivered over to such evil associations as -cling to it.</p> - -<p>Monaco itself is a limestone crag rising out of the -sea, linked to the mainland by a neck, the rocks on all -sides precipitous, but cut into, to form an approach to -the town. Above it towers the ridge that extends from -the Mont Agel, with its fortress gleaming white against -a gentian-blue sky, by La Turbie, “hunc usque Italia, -abhinc Gallia,” and the Tête-de-Chien, formerly Testa-de-Camp.</p> - -<p>The rock of Monaco takes its name from Monoikos. -It was dedicated to the Phœnician Melkarth, the One -god in a house, who would suffer no other idols in his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span> -temple, and that temple anciently crowned the rock. -The adoption by the Grimaldi of a monk as supporter -to the arms is due to a misapprehension that Monaco is -derived from Monacus. Unhappily, matchlessly beautiful -as is the situation, the buildings of Monaco do not -conduce to picturesqueness. The palace is mean and -ugly to the last degree. It has four towers, erected in -1215 by the Genoese architect Fulco del Castello, but -the domestic buildings connecting these towers are of -various dates, and all bad. The palace has not a single -bold and characteristic feature to give it dignity.</p> - -<p>A vast sum—from the gambling tables—has been -spent upon a cathedral, designed by Charles Lenormand. -Internally, and indeed externally, from near at hand it -is fine and dignified. But from a distance it produces -an unpleasing effect. It has no tall towers, no stately -dome; but at the rear, a monstrous hump, designed to -make a display of the West front, otherwise meaningless. -The distant effect of this church is that of an infant -peacock, spreading its tail before it has any feathers -to display.</p> - -<p>There is not a single commanding feature in the -bunch of buildings huddled together on the summit of -the rock, and old Mentone, with its commonplace -church tower, presents a nobler aspect than does Monaco. -No finer site in the world could be found, and none has -been so wasted through incapacity to utilise it.</p> - -<p>Monaco is an independent principality, under an -autocratic government. It, its prince, its gambling hell, -are under the protection of France. The principality -comprises 5,436 acres, which would be the estate of -a petty English squire. But the Sovereign has his -Council of State, his nobles, and his bishop at command.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span> -Also an army, consisting of five officers and seventy -men. Formerly there was a guard of honour in addition, -whose function it was to blow trumpets and present -arms when the Prince entered or left the main gate -of the palace. But this guard of honour was dissolved, -February 1st, 1904, and the soldiers of the standing -army now perform the duties formerly devolving on the -guard. The dissolution of the corps must have resembled -the famous dismissal by Bombastes Furioso: -“Begone, brave army, and don’t kick up a row!”</p> - -<p>The six bronze cannon in front of the palace were -given by Louis XV. Each has its name, and they bear -the inscription: “Ultima ratio regum.”</p> - -<p>The Grimaldi were a Genoese family, and they first -appear in history as assisting William, Count of Provence, -and the Emperor Otho I., in expelling the Saracens. -For their services, the Emperor conferred Monaco -on one of them, others were rewarded with fiefs, near -Nice, and in the Maures, as already told.</p> - -<p>A claim is made to descent from Grimoald Mayor of -the palace, who died 656, but it is baseless, and rests on -no better foundation than identity of name; for patronymics -were not then in use.</p> - -<p>The descendants of Gibelin Grimaldi, possessors of -the fief of Monaco, were at first only seigneurs, but -eventually became sovereigns, and the family obtained -large tracts of land, and acquired great power in Provence -and Liguria. Till the seventeenth century they -had a flotilla of galleys destined to stop all coasters and -exact a toll. This fleet also served in the wars in which -the neighbouring states were involved.</p> - -<p>Rainier II., Prince of Monaco, in 1302, entered the -service of Philip the Fair, and was the first to lead<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span> -a Genoese fleet in 1304 through the Straits of Gibraltar -into the ocean. He conducted sixteen galleys to the -coast of Flanders, and encountered the Flemish fleet -before Ziricksee. He concerned himself little about the -French vessels that had joined him, and allowed all of -them to be taken; but as the Flemings were felicitating -themselves on their victory, he returned with the rising -tide, pierced their line, destroyed a number of their -ships, and took prisoner Guy de Namur, son of the -Count of Flanders.</p> - -<p>Charles II. of Monaco was made governor of Provence -and admiral of the fleet of Genoa. In 1338 he directed -twenty galleys against the Flemings; in 1346, along -with Antonio Doria, he led thirty against the English. -The troops were disembarked, and joined the French -army which encountered the English at Creçy. The -Genoese were esteemed the best archers in the world. -Grimaldi and Doria disposed them to the best advantage, -and they would have done great execution in the -English ranks, but that the rain had relaxed the strings -of their bows, and, says Froissart:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“They hooted, advancing with their crossbows presented, -and began to shoot. The English archers then advanced one -step, and shot their arrows with such force and speed that it -was like a fall of snow. When the Genoese felt the arrows -that pierced their arms, heads, and though their armour, some -of them cut the strings of their crossbows, others flung them -on the ground, and all turned and retreated in discomfiture. -The French had a large body of men-at-arms on horseback, -richly dressed, to support the Genoese. The King of France, -seeing them fall back, cried out: ‘Kill me those scoundrels, for -they block our way unreasonably!’ Then you would have -seen the French men-at-arms lay about them, killing all they -could of those runaways.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">Grimaldi fell there, mortally wounded.</p> - -<p>Antonio Grimaldi, Genoese Admiral in 1332, was -charged to revenge the ravages of the Aragonese on the -coasts of Liguria, at a time when civil war prevented -the Genoese from defending themselves and their possessions. -Grimaldi, with a fleet of fifty-five vessels, harried -the coasts of Catalonia, leaving behind him only ruins, -and loading his vessels with plunder and captives. He -carried off the galleys of the enemy from the harbour of -Majorca. The Aragonese sent against him a fleet of -twenty-four vessels, but he defeated it. In 1353 he was -again placed at the head of the Genoese naval forces, -and again sent against the Aragonese, who were now in -league with the Venetians. Grimaldi had a fleet of -fifty-two sail, and he hoped to fight and defeat the -enemy before they could effect a junction. In this he -was disappointed. He met the combined fleets near an -islet off the north coast of Sardinia, August 29th, 1353. -Pisani, the admiral of the Venetians, concealed a portion -of his fleet, and Grimaldi, deceived, attacked the rest. -Whilst thus engaged, he saw the detached portion of the -Venetian flotilla approach, and he found that he had to -deal with seventy-three sail. To present a strong front to -the enemy, he bound his galleys together by the sides and -masts, reserving only four on each wing to act as reserve. -The Venetians and Catalans seeing this arrangement, -also united their vessels to the number of fifty-four, but -kept sixteen free at their flanks. This singular disposition -shows how little, if at all, naval manœuvres had -altered since the time of the civil war between Cæsar -and Pompey.</p> - -<p>The Catalans brought up three round tubs of vessels -called <i>coques</i> against the right wing of Grimaldi, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> -sank as many of his galleys. Alarmed at this, he -unlinked eleven of his vessels and rallied them to the -eight of the reserve, and, without striking another blow, -fled, and left the rest of the fleet a prey to the enemy. -All the thirty vessels thus abandoned by the cowardly -admiral were obliged to surrender.</p> - -<p>In that day the Genoese lost 3,000 men killed, and -3,500 taken prisoners. The Republic had never before -suffered such a disaster. Despair took possession of -government and people, and they abdicated their independence -and proclaimed John Visconti, Duke of Milan, -as Lord of Genoa. Lucien (1506-14) murdered his -brother John, so as to obtain the principality for himself—at -least, so it was surmised, and Lucien was obliged to -fly from Monaco on that account, and conceal himself, -till Duke Charles of Savoy gave him an indult, forbidding -all inquiry to be made into the matter of the crime, -and search after the murderer. Then Lucien stole back -to Monaco and assumed the sovereignty. His sister -Francesca had married Lucas Doria, and when left a -widow, by her will constituted her brothers Lucien and -Augustine, who was bishop of Grasse, guardians of -her children. After her death her son Bartholomew -Doria complained bitterly that his uncle Lucien Grimaldi -kept hold of the inheritance and would not surrender -it. At last, resentment induced him to resolve on revenging -himself on Lucien, for the wrong done to himself, -and for the murder of his uncle John. He secured -the promise of co-operation, if required, of the famous -admiral, Andrew Doria, and he sent to Monaco some -confederates, with a request to Lucien to let them be -lodged there in safety, as they had got into a broil at -Genoa. He also intimated his intention to follow shortly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> -and halt at Monaco on his way to Lyons, where he -hoped to have an interview with the King of France, -and to obtain from him a charge in his army.</p> - -<p>When Bartholomew arrived at Monaco, Lucien invited -him to breakfast and gave to his nephew the -place of honour at the table. Bartholomew could not -eat, and when pressed to do so by his uncle complained -that he had lost his appetite. Lucien then -placed one of his children on Doria’s knee; but the -young man trembled so that the child had to be taken -from him. On rising from table Bartholomew asked the -prince to give him some instructions as to his course.</p> - -<p>At this time Andrew Doria’s fleet put into the harbour -of Monaco, and the admiral sent to Bartholomew -a laconic epistle, “What thou hast to do, do quickly.” -Lucien bade his nephew accompany him into a cabinet at -the end of the gallery. As the prince entered, the major-domo -came up and informed him that Andrew Doria’s -galleys had arrived in the port, and handed to Bartholomew -the sealed letter bidding him be speedy in executing -what he had undertaken.</p> - -<p>When the major-domo withdrew, none were in the -cabinet save the prince, who seated himself, a black -slave, and Bartholomew, who stood by the window. All -at once the tramp of feet sounded in the gallery, and an -assassin rushed in, followed by others holding daggers -and shouting, “Ammaza! kill! kill!” In a few minutes -Lucien was despatched, and then the murderers, -surrounding Bartholomew, marched forth, descended to -the port, and were received on board the galley of -Andrew Doria.</p> - -<p>Hercules I. (1589-1604) met with a violent death from -some of his own subjects. He used his sovereign power<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -to get possession of and outrage the wives and daughters -of his subjects. At last some, whose wives had been -dishonoured by him, conspired, took him and flung him -over the rocks into the sea.</p> - -<p>Louis (1662-1701), Prince of Monaco, became enamoured -of the celebrated Hortense Mancini, Duchess -of Mazarin, exiled from France for her intrigues. He -followed her to Rome, and thence to London, where he -and Charles II. were rivals for her favour. Saint -Evremond did all in his power to separate her from the -prince and constitute her a prime favourite of the King, -in place of the Duchess of Portsmouth. A rivalry in -prodigality ensued between little Monaco and the King -of Great Britain. It was the fable of the frog and the -ox enacted. In an access of jealousy Charles withdrew -a pension of £4,000 he had accorded to the duchess, -whereupon Louis sent her an order for that same -amount, payable for life out of his treasury, accompanying -it with a copy of verses. That the money was -paid regularly is more than doubtful.</p> - -<p>This Louis was married to Charlotte de Gramont, -who was one of “<i>les grandes amoureuses</i>” of the reign of -Louis XIV. She intrigued with the king. She entertained -a passion for her ambitious cousin de Lauzun. -Her many love adventures furnished Saint Simon with -a good deal of not very edifying matter for his -Mémoires. Whilst Charlotte revelled in Paris, Louis -sulked at Monaco. As news reached him of Charlotte -having made a fresh conquest, he had a gibbet erected -on the confines of his tiny principality, and the happy -man in effigy hung from it; and as Charlotte’s caprices -and conquests were numerous, the frontier of Monaco -was soon marked out at intervals by a score of gallows,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span> -from which dangled dummy men, all dressed in Court -costume.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Not merely,” says Mme. de Sévigné, “is this measure -retrospective, but folk amuse themselves by informing the -prince of what is now going on. The consequence is that the -gibbets have to be put closer together, and more than half -of the courtiers are now dangling in effigy along the frontiers -of Monaco. I can assure you that I have had many a laugh -over this, and others as well. The king himself laughs at it. -This frenzy of hangings passes all belief.”</p> - -<p class="p1">At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the -Spaniards had profited by the minority of Honoré II. to -put a garrison into Monaco, under the pretext of alliance. -Speedily they took advantage of this to behave as -masters of the place. Prince Honoré, to escape from their -domination, signed a secret treaty with Louis XIII. in -1641, by virtue of which his sovereign independence was -guaranteed and a garrison of 500 French soldiers was -assured him after the expulsion of the Spaniards. But it -was precisely this last thing that was most difficult to -achieve. Honoré succeeded by subtlety. He ordered -the arrest of thirty of the inhabitants of Monaco, lusty -men, and cast them into prison; then invited the -Spanish garrison to a grand banquet at the palace, -and made them as drunk as fiddlers. When they were -almost incapable of defence, he opened the prison, told -the men he had locked up that they were to massacre -the Spanish garrison, and put daggers into their hands. -The Spaniards, however, were not so drunk that they -could not defend their lives; they were, however, nearly -all slaughtered; and the gates were thrown open to -some French soldiers who had been waiting at Antibes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span> -to replace the Spaniards. This took place in November, -1641. In consequence of this, all the estates of Honoré -in Italy were confiscated, but Louis XIII. indemnified -Honoré for this by granting to him the Seigneurie of -Les Baux in Provence and the Duchy of Valentinois.</p> - -<p>Antoine, who died in 1731, was the last direct male of -the house. He left a daughter, Louise Hippolyte, who -married Jacques François de Matignon, Comte de -Torrigny. She survived her father but eleven months. -Her son Honoré III. (1731-1795) lived at the time of -the outbreak of the French Revolution. The new ideas -excited effervescence in little Monaco, Roquebrune, and -Mentone, which belonged at the time to the principality, -and they demanded elective councils. Honoré was compelled -to yield, whereupon the Councils suppressed all -feudal rights. Then, when he was frightened and ran -away, the three towns declared the House of Grimaldi -deposed. Nice had been united to France, and Monaco -demanded the same favour, which was granted February -14th, 1793. Honoré was arrested on September 28th, -in the same year, and detained till Thermidor 9th. -He died in 1795. By the treaty of Paris, 1814, Monaco -was restored to Honoré IV., his son, but on the return -of Napoleon from Elba, the principality was occupied by -an English force. By the treaty of November 20th, -1815, it was transferred to Sardinia; but this lasted only -till 1816, when Honoré V. regained his principality. -His son Florestan I. (1841-56) abolished monopoly in -bread, allowed free trade, and founded a college at -Mentone. The revolution of 1848 was disastrous to the -Prince. Mentone and Roquebrune severed their connexion -with Monaco and were annexed to Sardinia. -Charles III. (1856-89) succeeded his father, Florestan. -He it was who conceived the idea of repairing his losses -by the establishment of gaming tables at Monaco.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-237.jpg" width="400" height="292" id="i237" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">THE THEATRE AND GAMING-HALL, MONTE CARLO</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span></p> - -<p>The princes had coined gold, silver, and copper money -from 1505, with the legend, “Christus regnat, Christus -imperat, Christus vincit.” This legend became inappropriate -thenceforth, in Monaco.</p> - -<p>In 1856 Charles III. started the gambling tables in a -building adjoining the palace, afterwards occupied by -the guard of honour. But the venture was not a -success. Monaco was out of the way, hardly accessible -from the land, where the Corniche Road ran high above, -on the summit of the cliffs by La Turbie, so that it -could be reached conveniently only by sea.</p> - -<p>The gambling concession passed through various -hands, till, owing to the closing of the Casino at -Homburg, M. Blanc thought of Monaco. In 1863 he -went there, on March 31st, entered the bureau of the then -concessioners, Lefebre and Co., and said, “You want to -sell this affair; I am disposed to take it. Reflect. I shall -return here at 3.30 p.m. I leave at 4 p.m. by the steamboat, -and I want to have this matter settled before I go -back to Nice.” The company sold it to Blanc for -1,700,000 francs.</p> - -<p>On April 1st, All Fools’ Day, 1863, Blanc formed La -Société anonyme des Bains de Mer et Cercle des -Étrangers à Monaco, for fifty years, with a capital of -fifteen millions, represented by 30,000 shares of 500 -francs each. One of the first to take shares in this -gambling society was Pope Leo XIII., at the time only -cardinal. Blanc was a little man, with moustache -already white, aged fifty-seven, when he came to feather -his nest, and that of the Prince of Monaco, at Monte -Carlo. He married his daughter to Prince Roland<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span> -Bonaparte, grandson of Lucien, Prince of Caninio, the -brother of the Emperor Napoleon I.</p> - -<p>Blanc died in 1881. In 1882 it was resolved to -double the capital of this “bathing establishment.” The -fifteen million was raised to thirty million, divided up -into 60,000 shares of 500 francs each, Blanc’s heirs -retaining about 52,000 shares in their own hands. As -the original concession was for fifty years, and would -expire in 1913, it was deemed advisable to approach the -Prince of Monaco for an extension, and this was -granted, as the shareholders complained, “on very hard -terms.” It was signed on January 16th, 1898, and by -this agreement the company received a fresh concession -for fifty years.</p> - -<p>So profitable an affair is this Circle des Étrangers and -Société des Bains de Mer, that the ordinary 500-franc -shares rose at once to 4,770 francs.</p> - -<p>An old Italian proverb was to this effect:</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">Monaco io sono</p> -<p class="pp7">Un scoglio.</p> -<p class="pp6">Del mio non ho<br /> -Quello d’altrui non taglio</p> -<p class="pp7">Pur viver voglio.</p> - -<p class="pn1">That may be rendered, “I am Monaco, a mere rock; -I have naught of my own, I take no goods of others; -yet I must live.”</p> - -<p>This proverb is now as inappropriate as the legend -on the coins; for Monaco lives and thrives on the -plunder of those who go there to empty their money on -the tables.</p> - -<p>Les Spélunges, a rocky promontory, full of holes and -cracks, like a petrified sponge, on which formerly -shepherds pastured their goats, has become the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> -world-famed Monte Carlo; and La Condamine, once -the flower-garden that supplied the House of Rimmel -with perfumes, is now occupied by houses of those who -live more or less directly on the tables. Charles III., -who made the concession, has not left a very savoury -recollection behind him. Whilst his father was reigning -prince, he tired of being only heir apparent, and stirred -up a revolt against his father; but the National Guard -arrested him, and he was conducted to Genoa, where he -was set at liberty.</p> - -<p>His son, Albert Honoré Charles, the present Prince, -married Lady Mary Victoria, daughter of the Duke of -Hamilton and Brandon, on September 21st, 1869, and -by her had a son, born in 1870.</p> - -<p>But they apparently got tired of each other, for the -Pope was approached by Lady Mary, with the full consent -of the Prince, to get the marriage annulled.</p> - -<p>Now the Church of Rome holds very strict views -as to the indissoluble nature of marriage. Even the -successor of S. Peter protests his inability to pronounce -a divorce. <i>But</i>, he can annul a marriage on various -grounds; and to help this out, all sorts of bars to legitimate -marriage have been devised, as consanguinity -within seven degrees of relationship, affinity, spiritual -relationship through sponsorship at the font, or legal -relationship through guardianship, beside many others, -by means of some of which, with a little greasing of -palms, hardly a legitimate union cannot be annulled. -Accordingly, on January 3rd, 1880, after eleven years -of married life, the Pope declared the marriage to have -been void, on the plea put forward by Lady Mary that -she had been over-persuaded to marry the Prince, by her -mother. But the Papal Court laid down that although<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span> -the connexion had been one of mere concubinage, yet, -nevertheless, the son was to be regarded as legitimate. -“Which is the humour of it,” as Corporal Nym would -say. It further ordered that the re-marriage of either -party must take place where the State did not require -civil marriage, as civil courts considered the first marriage -as valid. “Which,” again as Nym would say, “is -the humour of it.”</p> - -<p>Eleven months after this decree Lady Mary Hamilton -married Count Tassilo Festitics, at Pesth; and the Prince -married, October 30th, 1889, Alice, dowager duchess of -Richelieu, a Heine of New Orleans. The name is -Jewish.</p> - -<p>The Pope seems to have felt that his proceeding in -this matter had made the sensitive consciences of Roman -Catholics wince, for he shortly after issued an Encyclical -on Marriage, and pointed out what were the pleas -on which the Papal Court was justified in dissolving -existing marriages. The <i>Tablet</i> also, on March 31st, -1894, published an apologetic article, in which it assured -the world that the official fees paid to the Propaganda -for annulling a marriage were trifling, that, in a word, -a marriage could be dissolved at Rome, dirt-cheap, for -£120. More shame to it, if true. But “Credat Judæus -Apelles non ego.”</p> - -<p>This Court, as we know, will allow, for a handsome -consideration, an uncle to marry his niece, whereas -formally it forbids an union within the seven degrees.</p> - -<p>High aloft, towering above Monaco, 1,270 feet from -the sea-level, accessible by a cog-railway, is La Turbie, -the point where the old Roman Via Aurelia and the -modern Corniche Road cross a neck that is the natural -division between France and Italy; the point where, in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -Roman times before the Empire, Gaul ended, and Italy -began.</p> - -<p>La Turbie is a corruption of Tropaïa—the Trophy, -for here stood the monument erected by Augustus about -the year <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 13, commemorative of his victories over -the Ligurian natives of the coast. For some seventeen -years the empire had existed. All exterior marks of -flattery and submission had been accorded to him. To -him had already been given an official worship, as if he -were a god. Even that “white soul” Virgil thus speaks -of the living emperor:—“A god has vouchsafed us this -tranquillity; for to me he (Augustus) shall always be -a god. A tender lamb from our folds shall often dye -his altar with its blood.”</p> - -<p>Ancient writers have left us no description of the -monument. Pliny records the inscription it bore in -seventy-eight words, of which thirty-three were devoted -to the official dedication to the divine Augustus and to -record his dignities, and forty-five to the enumeration of -the conquered peoples.</p> - -<p>The monument has gone through a period of sad -wreckage. The Genoese pillaged it of marbles wherewith -to decorate the palaces of the citizen nobles; and -in the period of the furious struggles between Guelfs -and Ghibellines it was converted into a fortress. It now -presents a substructure of the period of Augustus, above -which rises the shattered fragment of a mediæval tower.</p> - -<p>Before the year 1869 only fourteen letters of the -inscription had been recovered. Since then five more -have been found, which had been built into a wall surrounding -the village. From a description of the monument -as it existed in the sixteenth century, before it was -such a complete wreck as it is at present, written by a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span> -Franciscan, Antonio Boyer, of Nice, it had a square -basement about twenty-four feet high, above which rose -a circular structure sixty feet high, divided into two -stages, with marble columns ranging one above another. -Between these columns were niches once adorned with -statues, and the whole was capped by a cupola surmounted, -probably by a statue of Victory, or of Augustus. -In the basement were two doors, and above the -north door was the tablet inscribed with the dedication -to Augustus. The upper portion, converted into a -tower in the Middle Ages, was destroyed in 1705 by -order of Louis XIV. Mines of gunpowder were exploded -under it.</p> - -<p>The church, erected in 1777, and the houses of La -Turbie are built out of the stones pillaged from this -monument. In the church is a copy of the S. Michael -of Raphael, given by the Musée S. Germain in exchange -for a statue and the fragments of the inscription, from -the Trophy of Augustus.<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> It is worth while to sit on the -rock and look at this ruin—the ruin of an immense -monument set up to honour a mortal deified, and to -whom sacrifices were offered, who gathered into his own -hands all the authority and power of the known world -for his own selfish glorification—and think, that at the -same time He was born who made Himself of no reputation -and took on Him the form of a servant, and was -made in the likeness of man—who humbled Himself -and became obedient unto death, even the death of the -cross. The Trophy of Augustus is a heap of ruins, but -the Catholic Church, the trophy of Him who was born -under Cæsar Augustus, is everywhere, and imperishable.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span></p> - -<p>Sitting on the honeycombed limestone rock, looking -on that wreckage, and hearing the bells of all the church -towers for miles around break out in musical call to the -Angelus, this thought rises and fills the mind: Selfishness -has but its day; self-sacrifice establishes an everlasting -reign.</p> - -<p>Monte Carlo occupies, as already said, a limestone -headland, forming the horn of the bay opposite Monaco, -but not projecting to anything like its extent into the -sea. Between the two is the ravine through which a little -stream decants into the harbour. Here is the Church of -Ste. Devota.</p> - -<p>Devota was a girl brought up from childhood in the -Christian faith. When she was quite young she was -taken into the house of Eutyches, a senator, and probably -a relation. Eutyches was not a Christian, but he -was a kindly disposed man, and loathed the idea of persecution. -On the publication of the edict of Diocletian -in 303 against Christians, he sacrificed along with other -senators; but the governor of Corsica, where he lived, -hearing that he harboured in his house a little Christian -maiden, had her brought forth and ordered that she should -be executed. Her feet were tied together, and she was -dragged over rough ground till she was cut and bruised -through her entire body. Then she was stretched on the -rack, and expired. According to the legend, as she died -a white dove was seen fluttering over her; it expanded -its pure wings, and, soaring, was lost in the deep blue of -the sky. The following night a priest rescued the body, -placed spices about it, laid it in a boat, and bade a boatman -named Gratian carry it away. Then the white dove -appeared again, skimming over the water; and so Gratian, -following the bird, rowed till he reached Monaco, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span> -there the body was laid. Her festival is on January 27th, -and on that day a procession leaves the cathedral at -Monaco and descends to the Church of Ste. Devota in -the gulley.</p> - -<p>The great charm of Monte Carlo consists in the -gardens with tropical plants. As to the buildings of -Casino and Theatre, they are by Charles Garnier, who -was also the architect of the Grand Opera House at Paris,—enough -to say that they are vulgar and display no -token of genius and sense of beauty. They are appropriate -to a gambling hell. That is all that can be -said of them.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The Casino,” says Miss Dempster, the authoress of <i>Vera</i>, -“is the thing that all Europe, Asia, and America talk of, that -all moralists decry, and that all pleasure-seekers declare to be -a paradise. It is the Casino that gives wealth and fashion to -this section of the coast. It is the Casino that causes a dozen -trains to stop daily at Monte Carlo; that keeps up the palace, -the army, the roads, the opera-house, and the Hôtel de Paris. -It is the green table that keeps the gardens green and the -violins in tune; that has brought 3,000 residents and so many -hundred prostitutes to the town; that gives work to 1,000 -servants, and causes the annual issue of about 335,000 tickets. -When we consider these facts, the fabulous beauty of the site, -the mildness of the climate, the good dinners, the better music, -the pigeon-shooting, and the many exciting chances, can we -wonder that Monte Carlo is in every mouth?”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-244a.jpg" width="400" height="268" id="i244" - alt="" - title="" /> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-244b.jpg" width="400" height="284" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">POST CARDS NOT ADMITTED INTO MONACO</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span></p> - -<p>It is just the fact that the site is so exquisitely beautiful -that is the pity of it all. Why should the moral -cesspool of Europe be precisely there? How much -better were it in the Maremma or the Campagna, where -the risk to health and life would add zest to the speculation -with gold. As long as men people the globe there -will be gambling, and it is in vain to think of stopping -it. All the lowest types of humanity, the Lazaroni, the -North American Indians, the half-caste Peruvians and -Mexicans, resort to it with passion, and the unintellectual -and those without mental culture throughout Europe -will naturally pursue it as a form of excitement. It is -therefore just as well that there should be places provided -for these individuals of low mental and moral calibre to -enjoy themselves in the only way that suits them, but -again, the pity is that one of the fairest spots of Europe, -this earthly paradise, should be given over to harlots -and thieves, and Jew moneylenders, to rogues and fools -of every description. The entire principality lives on the -tables, the prince, the bishop, the canons, the soldiery, -the police, the hotel-keepers, those who have villas, -the cabdrivers, the waiters, the boatmen, all are bound -together by a common interest—the plunder of such -as come to Monte Carlo to lose their money. The -institution must be kept going, every scandal must be -hushed up. If a case of suicide occur, in ten minutes -every trace disappears, and no public notice is given -of what has occurred. It is against the interest of every -one connected with the place, with Nice also and -Mentone, to allow such an event to transpire.</p> - -<p>If any trust may be reposed in the assertions of -Captain Weihe, a German naval artillery officer who -has resided at Monte Carlo for three seasons, the cases -are far more numerous than is supposed. According to -him, directly a man has shot or hung himself, he is -whisked away by the police and the body concealed till -it is ascertained that no one is particularly interested in -his fate. Then, at the end of the season, the bodies of -the suicides are packed in cases that are weighted, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span> -the boatmen sink them far out at sea between Monte -Carlo and Corsica.</p> - -<p>According to the same authority, the bodies were -formerly thrust into the holes and cracks in the limestone -on which the Casino and the tributary buildings -of Monte Carlo stand, but the condition in consequence -became so insanitary that the place had to be cleared of -them, and a large body of workmen was imported from -Italy and employed on this work, and the corpses removed -were disposed of at sea. Captain Weihe asserts -as a matter of his own knowledge or observation that -from the upper part of the rift of Pont Larousse, in -1898, sixty corpses, from the lower by Villa Eden ten -or twelve were removed.</p> - -<p>The game of roulette is composed of two distinct -divisions, that of numbers and that of <i>cadres</i>. Upon the -former it is possible for the player to win thirty-five -times the value of his stake; but then, the bank has -thirty-six chances against him. Upon the <i>cadres</i> there -is not so great a risk; for <i>rouge</i> or <i>noir</i>, <i>pair</i> or <i>impair</i>, -<i>passe</i> or <i>manque</i>, there are nearly the same chances for -the players as there are for the bank; but then, on the -other hand, the player can win no more than the value -of his stake.</p> - -<p>The bank, with the odds on zero, normally absorbs -one-seventieth of all the money staked on each table -during the course of the year; that would be against -constant players with capital behind them equal to the -bank; but the majority of players take a comparatively -limited sum with them and play without a system, until -it is lost, and then perforce stop; whereas if they had -the bank’s unlimited time and capital, they would play, -losing only one-seventieth of their stake on each coup,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span> -and prolong the time required to lose a given capital. -This constant game of what would in America be called -“freeze out,” enormously increases the bank’s chances -over the calculable one-seventieths of the staker, and is -doubtless the main cause of its large winnings. The -<i>profits</i> of the company were, in 1904, something like -£1,250,000. This, at the calculable odds, would mean -the staking during the year of the enormous sum of -£87,500,000. But owing to the way the usual player -stakes, as above described, probably a small fractional -part of that sum would be sufficient to provide that -amount of revenue. As M. Blanc was wont to say: -“Rouge gagne quelque fois; noir aussi quelque fois—mais -<i>Blanc</i> toujours.”</p> - -<p>If players had unlimited capital, and were allowed -without check to adopt the martingale or pyramid -system, they would run small chance of losing. This -consists in choosing a <i>cadre</i> and playing resolutely upon -it, each time doubling the stake, until that which is -backed wins, which it is certain to do if continued long -enough. When it wins, the player has recovered the -total of his stakes plus one, except the toll on zero, -whereupon he would revert to the minimum stake. But -the bank knows this as well as any one, and draws a line -beyond which there is no doubling allowed.</p> - -<p>At roulette, the minimum stake is five francs; but at -trente-et-quarante, a game at cards, the lowest stake is -twenty francs. The amount of systems proposed, published, -and advertised, is prodigious: every one has his -system, who is an enthusiastic gambler, and every one -has led to confusion and loss. One hears at intervals -of lucky players who have broken the bank. But -what guarantee have we that these are not decoy<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> -ducks, or at all events persons allowed to do so, as -an advertisement, and a means of luring other persons -to try their chance to do the same? The last of -those who has written is one Josephine Lorenz, <i>Schaff -dir Gold in Monte Carlo</i>, published at Munich in 1905. -Sir Hiram Maxim in his <i>Monte Carlo</i>, London, 1904, -tells a significant story about the breaking of the -bank by Lord Rosslyn and the late Mr. Sam Lewis. -After about seven consecutive wins, it was said that -the bank had been broken; a bell was rung, and a -factor of the bank was summoned and required to -bring a fresh supply of money. It was delivered, the -play proceeded, and a second time the bank was broken. -This led to immense excitement: hundreds of people -crowded about the table and followed the lead of the -two lucky stakers, with their smaller ventures. The next -time they won on seventeen coups; after that, however, -each lost 12,000 francs, and those who had docilely -followed them lost also. The bank was not really broken -the third time, but pretended and proclaimed that it had -been.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“However,” says Sir Hiram, “my suspicions were excited; -I did not believe for a moment that the bank had actually been -broken. I knew that there had been a great deal of play -during the day, and that the winnings at this particular table -must have been very heavy indeed. I therefore remained to -see the money taken from the table, when I found it was -exactly as I had expected; there was at least a peck of large -bank notes. It had not been necessary for the bank to send -for money at all; this had been done for effect. It was telegraphed -all over the world that Lord Rosslyn and Mr. Sam -Lewis had broken the bank three consecutive times in a single -evening. True, the bank had lost money, but they turned -it into a valuable advertisement.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-248.jpg" width="400" height="285" id="i248" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">GAMBLING SALOON, MONTE CARLO</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span></p> - -<p>That is not all. Next day Lord Rosslyn and Mr. Lewis -again tried their luck, and lost at whatever they tried, -whether at roulette or at trente-et-quarante. Lord -Rosslyn staked fifteen times in as many minutes, and -never won a single “coup.”</p> - -<p>Sir Hiram drily observes:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Considered from a purely mathematical standpoint, it -would appear very remarkable that he should win seventeen -consecutive times in the evening, and lose fifteen consecutive -times the following morning.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Captain Weihe of Hamburg, of the German Marine -Artillery, has published in German and Italian a -<i>brochure</i>, entitled, in the former language, <i>Das Falschspiel -in Monte Carlo</i>, in which he brings a charge of -fraud against the company, based on his observation -during three seasons of steady watching the play. Now -the chances of the ball entering a given pocket are -calculable. According to him, the number of times, say -in a thousand, in which, by the law of chances, the ball -ought to enter a given number is calculable, here, however, -it does not obey the law of chances.</p> - -<p>Further, he says that he noticed that wealthy players -were encouraged to proceed, by winning stake after -stake, and then, all at once, luck would declare against -them. Why, he wonders, should such men be lucky at -first and only unlucky afterwards?</p> - -<p>Then, he asserts that the agents of the company -occasionally encourage a timorous player by advice, -given with all secrecy, to stake on a certain number, -and that then, by some remarkable coincidence, this -number will win. These observations, he says, led him -to the conclusion that there existed some method<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span> -whereby the ball could be directed to go where the -croupiers desired that it should go. Then he asserts -that he assured himself that a piece of steel was inserted -in a certain number of the balls, and that these loaded -balls could be drawn into any pocket desired, by the -<i>chef de partie</i>, by means of an electro magnet manipulated -by himself. He further asserts that by close -observation during three seasons, he was able, by -watching the fingers of the <i>chef</i>, to predicate with something -approaching to certainty into which number the -ball would run.</p> - -<p>The pamphlet in question is not sold at Nice or -Mentone, and it need not be said is not allowed to pass -over the frontier of the principality of Monaco, but it -can be procured at Bordighera.</p> - -<p>However, it appears very improbable that the bank -would run such a risk. It is true that detection of -roguery is not easy, where the tables are in a principality -under an absolute monarch, and where police and -every authority are interested in the continuance of the -gambling. There is, however, the risk of some croupier -“giving away the show”; and there is also the risk of -detection. But—is cheating necessary? Is it worth its -salt? Let us look closer into the acknowledged system. -While playing on the even chances gives 1·35 per cent. -in favour of the bank, playing on any other gives the -bank 2·70; and as many fools play on those chances -that favour the bank most highly, it is probably safe to -assume that the odds in favour of the bank will average -1·66 on all the tables, both trente-et-quarante and -roulette. If individuals playing would take in <i>all</i> the -money they could afford to lose, divide this into so -many maximums (if one did not suffice) and stake the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span> -full maximum on each chance, and then retire, whether -winners or losers, they would then have given the bank -the least possible advantage, as they would have subjected -themselves to the chances of the zero appearing -the least possible number of times. As, however, almost -every player wishes to have as long a run for his -money as possible, almost all players, whether playing -by a so-called system or not, divide their stakes, whether -made on an increasing or on a decreasing scale, or haphazard, -into a number of comparatively small stakes, so -as to stay in the game as long as possible, with the -result that the bank’s percentage is constantly working -against them. The thinner they spread out their money, -and the longer they stay in the game, the greater are the -chances of their losing their money.</p> - -<p>If you go into the stock-market and buy the first -stock your eye happens to catch on the list, you at least -stand an even chance of its going up or down, while -your brokerage and stamp charges will not amount to -the 1·66 per cent. charged as brokerage by the Casino; -whereas in the stock market the action will be comparatively -slow, at Monte Carlo the brokerage charge is -approximately 1·66 per minute. If fifty <i>coups</i> are -played per hour, it means that as brokerage the bank -each hour absorbs 83 per cent. of all the money staked -for one <i>coup</i>, while each day the bank takes for its commission -for permitting you to play there, about ten -times the average amount staked on the table at any -one time. As Sir Hiram Maxim says, the martingale -is the least defective of all the systems. Were there no -limit and no zero, this system of 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc. -must infallibly win, as, whenever a gain is made, no -matter how many previous losses there have been, it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> -lands the player a winner of one unit. The defect, -however, is that, starting with the minimum stake, the -maximum is reached at the eleventh doubling, and -a run of eleven is of by no means an infrequent occurrence. -Against this the bank protects itself in its most -vulnerable place; even then, were its limits removed, -yet it would be steadily levying its 1·66 commission.</p> - -<p>It is accordingly not necessary for the company to -have recourse to underhand work as charged by Captain -Weihe; the income of £1,245,008 realised without -trickery, on an average stake per table would be 611·55 fr. -Any one who has been at Monte Carlo will admit that -this is probably very much below the average amount of -money on the table at each spin of the wheel; and with -such an income, where arises the occasion for illicitly -supplementing it? The following is a table of stakes -needed to realise the known <i>profits</i> of the company:</p> - -<table id="t01" summary="t01"> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1">611·55 fr., average stake each -of 14 tables</td> - <td class="tdc2">Bank percentage,</td> - <td class="tdr3">10.15 fr.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1">8,561·70 fr. total stakes at 14 -tables, 50 <i>coups</i> per hour</td> - <td class="tdc2">”<span class="vh">———</span>”</td> - <td class="tdr3">142·69 fr.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1">428,085·00 fr., average stakes -each 12 hours the Casino is open</td> - <td class="tdc2">”<span class="vh">———</span>”</td> - <td class="tdr3">7,134·75 fr.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1">5,137,020·00 fr., total daily -stakes, 365 days a year Casino is open</td> - <td class="tdc2">”<span class="vh">———</span>”</td> - <td class="tdr3">85,617·00 fr.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1">1,875,012,300·00 fr., total -yearly stakes</td> - <td class="tdc2">”<span class="vh">———</span>”</td> - <td class="tdr3">31,250,205·00 fr.</td> - </tr> - - <tr> - <td class="tdl1">£75,000,492 sterling equivalent</td> - <td class="tdc2">”<span class="vh">———</span>”</td> - <td class="tdr3">£1,245,008</td> - </tr> - -</table> - -<p class="p1">Thus enabling the bank on average stakes of 611·55 -francs to realise £1,245,008. But it must be remembered -that it is only during the winter season that considerable -play takes place at Monte Carlo. Also that before -profits are declared the prince has to pocket his share, -all the officials have to be paid, the police, the lighting, -the gardens have to be kept going, and the scores of -unacknowledged dependents on the Casino have to -receive enough to maintain them. Every season a little -book appears, advocating an infallible system, and some -of these cost twenty-five francs. Of course, every system -is based on the assumption that there is no trickery. -But if there be trickery, not one of these systems is -worth the cost of the book that advocates it.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-252.jpg" width="400" height="286" id="i252" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">THE CONCERT HALL, MONTE CARLO</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span></p> - -<p>“Le rouge gagne quelque fois, le noir gagne quelque -fois, le <i>blanc</i> toujours.”</p> - -<p>A very good story is told by “V. B.” in <i>Monte Carlo -Anecdotes</i>, London, 1901. A few years ago a nobleman -attended the English chapel and slipped out as the -hymn was being sung before the sermon, as he went for -worship and not be bored with the discourse. Now -the hymn was No. 32, Ancient and Modern. He -sauntered up to the Casino whistling the tune, and as -he entered the rooms he heard, “Trente-deux, rouge, -pair et passe!” sung out from the table on his right; -and then from that on his left, “Trente-deux, rouge, -pair et passe.” “Bless my soul!” said he, “that is the -number of the hymn; be hanged if I won’t stake on it.” -He hurriedly felt in his pocket, and going to the third -table he announced, “Trente-deux en plein, les quatres -chevaux, et quatres carrés par cinq francs”; and up -rolled the number. To make a long story short, by -passing from table to table, and by constantly clinging -to 32 with gradually increasing stakes, he left the -rooms with over £500 in his pocket. But this got wind,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span> -and, to the perplexity of the chaplain, next Sunday half -his congregation left the chapel during the hymn before -the sermon and rushed off to the Casino to back the -number of the hymn.</p> - -<p>After this it became the rule at the Monte Carlo -English chapel never thenceforth to give out a number -under thirty-seven before the sermon.</p> - -<p>On the promontory of La Veille at the water’s edge -is a grotto. When Edward Augustus, Duke of York, -brother to George III., was on his way to Italy on a -man-of-war, feeling too ill to proceed he was landed -at Monaco and received into the palace, where he -died in 1767. The body was embalmed and taken to -London.</p> - -<p>Fishermen always make the sign of the cross when -passing the entrance of the Grotte de la Veille, for they -say that when the vessel on which was the Duke of -York arrived in the bay, a white form was seen, as that -of a woman, at the entrance, watching the evolutions -of the ship. After the Duke was removed she still -remained visible, with her face turned towards the -palace. She was again seen when the cannon announced -his death, and again when his body was removed. -The sailors hurry by the cave, and will on no account -enter it. It might be as well if travellers crossed themselves -and hurried by, instead of allowing themselves to -be drawn into the halls of the Circe of Gambling on the -top of the cliff.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XV<br /> -<span class="mid">MENTONE</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">Configuration of the land—Favoured situation of Mentone: suitable for -mid-winter—Old and new Mentone—Oranges and lemons—History -of Mentone—Roquebrune—Passion Mystery—Castellan—Depredations -of corsairs—Open-air ball—Dr. Bennet—The torrent of S. Louis—The -Barma Grande—Prehistoric men.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap04">THE traveller by rail from Nice to Mentone is hardly -able to appreciate the configuration of the land, -and to understand what are the special advantages -enjoyed by Mentone over Nice and Cannes.</p> - -<p>Let us take a sickle to represent the mountain system -from the Swiss Alps to the Abruzzi. If the sickle be -held with the point upward and the cutting edge turned -away from one, then the great curve of the inner edge -represents the vast basin of the Po and its tributaries. -At Mont Blanc the Alpine sweep turns south and runs -to Monte Viso, forming the Dauphiné Alps. From -Monte Viso the ridge curves to the east till it meets the -shank above Genoa, and the handle of the sickle is the -range of the Apennines.</p> - -<p>From Nice one can see the snowy peaks. Les Cimes -du Diable are visible, but away to the north-east, for the -chain is on the curve there. Above the Riviera di -Ponente the chain draws very near to the sea, but -throws out spurs and allows of a ledge resting against<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span> -it, intervening between it and the Mediterranean. Now -in leaving Nice by the Corniche Road we can see this -formation, we learn how the Alps describe a great -arc; but this is lost to us in the train, hugging the sea-shore -and diving in and out of tunnels.</p> - -<p>It is only by the Corniche Road, when we have -reached La Turbie, that we discern how specially -privileged are Mentone and the Italian Riviera. We -see before us an amphitheatre, with mountain stages, -and the blue sea for arena. The mountains run up to -3,000 and 4,000 feet, and wall about the fertile bottom, -the seats about the sea, sheltering them from every -blast. The higher mountains of grey limestone are -bare, but below all is rich with luxuriant vegetation.</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“The entire bay and the town of Mentone, with its background -of swelling, olive-clad hills closed in by the amphitheatre -of mountains, are thus thoroughly protected from the north-west, -north, and north-east winds. To thoroughly understand and -appreciate the district and its singularly protected character, a -boat should be taken, and the panorama viewed a mile or two -from the shore. The extreme beauty of the coast will amply -repay the trouble. Thus seen, all the details are blended into -one harmonious whole; the two bays becoming one, and the -little town scarcely dividing them. The grandeur of the semicircular -range of mountains, generally steeped in glorious sunshine, -also comes out in broad outline. These mountains -positively appear to all but encircle the Mentonian amphitheatre -in their arms, to thus separate it and its inhabitants from the -world at large, and to present it to the blue Mediterranean -waves and to the warm southern sunshine.</p> - -<p>“Behind the mountains which thus form the background of -the Mentonian valleys, are still higher mountains, rising in -successive ranges to an altitude of from 5,000 to 9,000 feet.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span> -The higher ranges constitute the high Alps of Savoy and -Dauphiné. The presence of this second and higher mountain -range greatly increases the protection afforded to the coast-line -by the lower one, and partly explains its immunity from the -winter cold of continental Europe.</p> - -<p>“Thus the Mentone amphitheatre, being only open to the -south, south-east, and south-west, the Mistral, as a north-west -wind, is not at all felt, and but slightly as a deflected south-west -wind. All the northerly winds pass over the higher -mountains and fall into the sea at some distance—several miles -from the shore. When they reign there is a calm, not only in -the bay at Mentone, but for some distance out at sea; whilst -at a few miles from the shore it may be crested and furious.”<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a></p></div> - -<p class="p1">But this protected and warm nook can be enjoyed -only during the months in the depth of winter. When -the sun begins to gather warmth, the heat becomes -oppressive, the lungs gasp for air, and one feels desirous -to be invested with sufficient faith to be able to move -the mountains some miles back. There are two -Mentones, the very dashing, frivolous, up-to-date -modern town, with expensive tastes; bound for life to -the elderly Mentone, grave, a little dilapidated, and -intent only on business. But young and gay Mentone -is stealing an arm round the old partner and laying -hold of the even more sheltered and balmy bay beyond, -now dotted with villas, and punctuated with hotels.</p> - -<p>Mentone is pre-eminently the district of lemons and -oranges, grown here for the fruit, and not, as at Grasse, -for the flower. Lemons at Mentone are more numerous -than oranges. They are not so beautiful, as the fruit -has not the golden hue of the orange—it is green or pale -sulphur yellow. The fruit of the orange tree will bear<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span> -7° Fahr. below freezing point without being seriously -affected, but the lemon tree is much more sensitive, and -is killed by 8°; it may also perish by over-much moisture -in the atmosphere. When a sharp frost sets in, the -owners of a plantation of oranges or lemons are in dire -alarm, and light fires in the groves, strewing green leaves -and grass over the flames to produce smoke, which -to a considerable extent prevents radiation, and the -temperature falling too low.</p> - -<p>The lemon tree flowers throughout the year, never -resting, flower and fruit being on the tree at the same -time. On no other part of the coast do these trees grow -as freely as they do at Mentone and Bordighera. But -there are no ancient lemon trees, as about once in thirty-five -years a bitter winter sets in, and the poor trees -perish.</p> - -<p>The orange tree flowers once only in the year, and -bears but a single crop. The fruit ripens in autumn and -winter. We, in England, never have the orange in its -perfection, as it is picked when green or turning golden -and ripens in the cases in which it is packed. But for -the orange to be in perfection, luscious and sweet, it -should be left on the tree till the end of April, or even -into May. It is a beautiful sight, during the winter, to -see the orange groves laden with their glorious fruit. -The most delicious oranges are those with thin skins, -the Mandarin or Tangerine, which ripen earlier than do -the Portuguese thick-skinned species.</p> - -<p>The history of Mentone is not of great interest, and -it may be dismissed in a few words. Mentone and rock-perched -Roquebrune belonged to the Prince of Monaco. -The Grimaldi, John II., having quarrelled with Genoa, -appealed for help to the Duke of Savoy, and to buy this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span> -help, in 1448 ceded these two places to him for an annual -rent of 200 gold florins. However, the Grimaldi got -this territory back again, but lost it in 1848, when -Mentone and Roquebrune revolted against the fiscal -burdens imposed on them by the Prince, and declared -themselves independent republics. The President of -the Republic of Mentone was Charles Trenca, who died -in 1853. Finally, in 1860, both places were united to -France, and the claims of the Prince of Monaco were -bought off for the sum of four million francs.</p> - -<p>There is little of architectural interest in Mentone. -The church, built in 1619, and added to in 1675, is in the -tasteless style of the period, but tower and spire are -effective from a distance. In the church is preserved a -processional cross, the staff of which is formed out of a -Turkish lance taken by Prince Honoré I. of Monaco, in -the battle of Lepanto, 1571. But if Mentone be somewhat -deficient in picturesque features, the same cannot -be said of Roquebrune, which for so many centuries -shared its fortunes. It is dominated by the castle of -the Lascaris. At Roquebrune, every year, on the first -Sunday in August, the Mystery of the Passion is -represented in a procession that illustrates the various -scenes of the portentous tragedy. It starts from the -chapel of N.D. de la Pansa, on the east side of the little -town, a chapel decorated with frescoes of the fifteenth -century. The narrow streets, passing under vaults, the -quaintness of the houses, above all the superb panorama -commanded by Roquebrune, make it a place meriting -a visit.</p> - -<p>Still more quaint and picturesque is Castellar, forming -a quadrilateral fortress, planted on a plateau commanding -two valleys. It is composed of three long parallel<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span> -streets. The exterior of the village or town is the wall -that encloses the place, and the houses thus form the -wall, and look outward only through eyelet holes. -Turrets flank the angles. The chapel of S. Sebastian -is romanesque. Here also the Lascaris had a palace. -Castellar stands 1,200 feet above the sea. We can -hardly realise till how late a period the pirates of the -Mediterranean were a scourge to this coast, and forced -the natives to build every village and town in a place -not easily accessible, and form of it a fortress.</p> - -<p>For many centuries first the Saracens, then the Turks -and Moors of Tunis and Algiers, ravaged this coast. Not -so much for gold and silver—for of this the poor fishermen, -shepherds, and tillers of the soil had none, but to -capture slaves. The women were handsome and the -men able-bodied.</p> - -<p>“There are still men living at Mentone,” says Dr. -Bennet, “who in the early part of this century (<i>i.e.</i> 19th) -were seized on the coast by Moors, and subsequently -lived for years as slaves at Algiers and Tunis.” Indeed, -piracy reigned supreme on the Mediterranean until the -year 1816, when Lord Exmouth bombarded Algiers; -but it was not finally stamped out till the conquest of -Algiers by the French in 1830. When Lord Exmouth -bombarded Algiers, there were thousands of Christian -slaves, mostly captured on the Riviera, serving in the -Algerine galleys. It was against the sudden descent of -these pirates that the watch towers were erected along the -coast, which may be seen at intervals as far as Genoa.</p> - -<p>At Castellar, on the Place de la Mairie, is given on -January 20th, every year, an open-air ball which winds -up the series of festivities, religious and secular, accorded -in honour of the patronal saint, S. Sebastian.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span></p> - -<p>Mentone was “invented” by Dr. J. Henry Bennet, -whose delightful book on <i>Winter and Spring on the -Shores of the Mediterranean</i>, 1861, has gone through -several editions, and is still the best guide to such as -are in quest of a winter resort. He settled at Mentone -in 1859, and speedily appreciated its climatic advantages. -These advantages are inestimable for the worst -winter months. But when the sun gathers strength, it -is advisable for the traveller to break his return journey -to the cold and fogs of England by a cool bath in -S. Raphael “ventosa.”</p> - -<p>Sir Thomas Hanbury has also done much for the -place. His gardens are well worth seeing. An electric -tram will take a visitor along the bay to a fountain -erected by Sir Thomas Hanbury, near the frontier of -Italy. That frontier runs down the torrent of S. Louis, -where may be seen, on a fine day, sketchers and painters -engaged in transferring to their books or canvases the -impression produced by this ravine, with arches one above -the other, for the railway and for the Corniche Road, -whilst below are women washing garments in the little -stream. The magnificent cliffs rise here in sheer precipices, -and are composed of nummulitic limestone. -Formerly the headland stretched to the sea, leaving only -a strip between the rocks and the waves, along which -strip ran the Via Aurelia. The rock was perforated -with caves, nine in number. But it has been cut back -for building stone, and the grottoes have been much -reduced in depth. The caves served as a habitation for -man from a remote period, and not solely as a habitation, -but also as a sepulchre. The Barma Grande was filled -to a depth of thirty feet of deposit, that deposit consisting -of fallen stones, bones of beasts, flint weapons<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span> -and tools, remains of hearths and charcoal, and human -skeletons.</p> - -<p>It has been dug into by many and various explorers, -and not always with judgment, and with precise record -of the depths at which various discoveries have been -made.</p> - -<p>The present proprietor used the soil for the purpose -of making a garden, and it was only when he came -upon human remains that it occurred to him that he -could turn the cavern into a show place, and get more -out of it in that way than he could by growing cabbages -in the soil removed from it. In these caves a considerable -number of skeletons have been found; in the first, -the Grotte des Enfants, two bodies were discovered of -children of six and four years old, lying at a depth of -eight feet, side by side. They had evidently been -clothed in little loin-cloths embroidered with pierced -shells.</p> - -<p>In the fourth cave, the Grotte du Cavillon, was found -the skeleton of an adult twenty feet below the surface, -lying on his left side, the cheek resting on the left hand, -and the head and body had been dusted over with red -ochre, which had stained the bones. The head had -been covered with a sort of cap made of, or adorned -with, perforated shells and dogs’ teeth, and similar -ornaments must have been stitched on to garters about -his legs.</p> - -<p>The sixth cave, Bausso da Torre, furnished two -bodies of adults and one of a child, and with these -were flint weapons, bracelets, and necklets of shells.</p> - -<p>In 1884 M. Louis Julien found a human skeleton -lying at a depth of twenty-five feet, the head bedded in -red ochre, and near it numerous flakes of flint. Since<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span> -then others have been found, and the present proprietor -has preserved them <i>in situ</i>, under glass, in the cave, at -the precise levels at which discovered. In 1892, three -were found, all lying on their left sides. One of these had -pertained to a young woman. All three had been -buried along with their personal ornaments, and all with -the ferruginous powder over them.</p> - -<p>Finally, in 1894, another human skeleton was unearthed -at a higher level; and soon after again another.</p> - -<p>All these interments belong to man at a period before -the use of metals was known, and when the only tools -employed were of bone and flint. The purpose of -covering them with red oxide was to give to the bodies -a fictitious appearance of life. The men were of a -great size, tall and well built, taller indeed than are the -natives of the Riviera at the present day; and the heads -are well developed—the skulls contained plenty of -brains, and there is nothing simian about the faces.</p> - -<p>A little prehistoric museum has been built on a -platform near the caves, where most of the relics found -in them are preserved; but some are in the museum at -Mentone itself.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XVI<br /> -<span class="mid">BORDIGHERA</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">Ventimiglia—Internecine conflicts—Republics—Genoa obtains the -Ligurian coast—Siege of Ventimiglia—Guelf and Ghibellines—The -Lascaris family: Paul Louis Lascaris—The Cathedral and Baptistery—S. -Michaele—Camporosso—Dolceacqua—Bordighera—San Ampelio—Relics—Retreat of the sea.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap04">VENTIMIGLIA, crowning a rocky ridge above the -Roya, was formerly the capital of a county comprising -of all the coast to Porto Maurizio. What -Mr. Adington Symonds says of Italian towns generally -in the Middle Ages applies equally to those on the -Riviera:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“It would seem as though the most ancient furies of -antagonistic races, enchained and suspended for centuries -by the magic of Rome, had been unloosed; as though the -indigenous populations, tamed by antique culture, were reverting -to their primeval instincts. Nor is this the end of -the perplexity. Not only are the cities at war with each other, -but they are plunged in ceaseless strife within the circuit of -their ramparts. The people with the nobles, the burghs with -the castles, the plebeians with the burgher aristocracy, the -men of commerce with the men of arms and ancient lineage, -Guelfs and Ghibellines, clash together in persistent fury. -One half the city expels the other half. The exiles roam -abroad, cement alliances, and return to extirpate their conquerors.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span> -Fresh proscriptions and new expulsions follow. -Again alliances are made and revolutions are accomplished. -All the ancient feuds of the towns are crossed, recrossed, and -tangled in a web of madness that defies analysis.”<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a></p> - -<p class="p1">Certain prominent and prevailing features pertain to -this portion of the Ligurian seaboard. The towns, -even the villages, are planted in spots as inaccessible -as could be obtained; they were all walled about in the -rocks whereon they stood, and were so crowded within -their walls that the “high street” does not attain to a -width beyond nine feet, and every lateral street is six -feet and even less in width. The houses run to a great -height, and hold themselves up mutually by throwing -out buttresses, arched beneath, for their stay one against -another. The inhabitants of the seaboard were driven -to this by fear of the Moorish pirates.</p> - -<p>These little communities organised themselves as -republics, with their consuls, freely elected. But the -nobles, living in their castles, looked upon them with -jealous eyes. They had their serfs under them, and -they saw that these villages and towns were growing in -consequence and in wealth. Unhappily every town was -at enmity with every other town—each was jealous of the -other; and the nobles offered their services, generally to -a distant town against that nearest at hand. When they -had served against the rival place, they asked for, and -were allowed, a town residence. Then the palace of the -noble in the walled city, or even village, became a centre -of intrigue. Parties were formed in every town, and -the nobles and wealthy burghers arrogated to themselves -supreme control over the affairs of the place. This led<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span> -to revolts and fighting in the streets. On the Ligurian -coast, the Republic of Genoa stepped in, took advantage -of these civic broils, and, by plausible assurances of good -government under her strong hand, managed to get -nearly the whole seaboard, with its towns, under her protection. -The protection Genoa afforded soon turned to -exaction and interference with the liberties of the towns -she protected. Thenceforth ensued a series of revolts.</p> - -<p>Ventimiglia, which was a place under the rule of its -count, was taken and sacked by the Genoese in 1140, -and its count constrained to make submission. The -mouth of the Roya, with its harbour, excited the jealousy -and ambition of Genoa, as did in like manner Nice and -Villefranche; for Genoa desired to monopolise the whole -of the trade of the Mediterranean along the Ligurian -coast and Corsica. Allies and friendly towns could -traffic freely with Genoa; but the ships of independent -states were taxed, and their freights almost crushed by -onerous duties, before they could enter the port. The -sea-coast towns like Ventimiglia and Villefranche, not -under Genoese control, were a hindrance to the control -and monopoly of the entire trade by the grasping -Republic, consequently the Genoese were persistent in -their attempts to force them to submission.</p> - -<p>In 1196 the count and the Genoese combined against -the city of Ventimiglia, and failing, in spite of a siege -of two months, to capture the town, they organised a -league of the whole of Liguria against the gallant and -resolute place. The allies established their camp on the -Cape of S. Ampelio and ravaged the country, but could -not reduce Ventimiglia. Then the Genoese spread a -report that a large Ventimiglian galley which had been -cruising off the Spanish coast had been captured, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span> -that all the crew would be hung unless the town surrendered. -The Ventimiglians, in great alarm for their -kinsmen, submitted, and the Genoese entered and took -possession of the town.</p> - -<p>In the year 1238 ensued a general rising in places -of importance along the coast occasioned by the intolerable -exactions of Genoa, and its interference with the -liberties of the towns. The governor of Ventimiglia -took refuge in the castle and sent a messenger to Genoa -for help.</p> - -<p>Fourteen Genoese galleys were despatched to his aid, -and hovered about the mouth of the Roya. After a -severe conflict, the Genoese succeeded in landing and -taking the city. At this time a number of the citizens -migrated and founded a colony at Bordighera, but of -this the Genoese disapproved, and they sent a fleet in -1239 and destroyed the little settlement. The contests -of Guelfs and Ghibellines broke out, to aggravate the -disorder and misery of the country.</p> - -<p>Some clear-headed men saw that Italy was, like ancient -Greece, a congeries of conflicting atoms with no bond, no -consistence, and no chance of becoming a nation, a power, -that no chance existed of domestic strife being stayed -unless there were some strong central government to -hold all the jarring elements in compulsory quietude. -They looked back to the grand days of Rome, and -hoped, under an emperor, to make of Italy once again -what she had been, a dominant power in the world, and -one in which, within her Italian borders, peace would be -maintained. This was the Ghibelline dream and policy. -But the opposed faction was for the maintenance of the -present disintegration, the continuance of the independence -of every little town, or rather of its own party<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span> -in the town. The Pope naturally was zealous on this -side. He dreaded an united and strong Italy, which -would control him. His only chance of occupying the -most prominent place and exerting the greatest power -in the Peninsula lay in fomenting disorder, in setting -every princeling and every town by the ears. Accordingly, -whilst posturing as champion of the liberties -of the republics, he was actuated solely by self-interest, -which lay in keeping all powers in Italy weak by -periodical blood-letting. The Papacy was the great and -persistent enemy to national unity. The party of -independence was that of the Guelfs.</p> - -<p>Frederick II. united the empire and the kingdom of -the Two Sicilies under one sceptre. Master of the South, -he sought to recover the lost prerogatives of the empire -in Lombardy and Tuscany, and it is probable that he -would have succeeded and consolidated Italy into one -kingdom but for the bitter hostility of the Papacy, which -carried on an implacable war of extermination against -the house of Hohenstaufen. The struggle was for an -united Italy, a strong Italy, a peaceful Italy, and this -was precisely what the Popes would not endure to have. -They dreaded the formation of a single kingdom in -Italy, with, as a consequence, the presence there of a -rival and predominant power. But this purpose of the -Popes was not seen clearly at the time. Dante saw it; -he knew that the future of Italy was involved in the -contest, and he could not understand aloofness in the -strife. He terms those who did not feel the pangs and -ecstasies of partisanship in this mortal strife, “wretches -who never lived,” and he consigned them to wander -homeless on the skirts of limbo, among the off-scourings -of creation.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span></p> - -<p>Banners, ensigns, heraldic colours, followed the divisions -of faction. Ghibellines wore the feathers in their caps -on one side, Guelfs on the other. Ghibellines cut up -their fruit at table crosswise, Guelfs straight down; -Ghibellines sported white roses, Guelfs affected those -that were red. Yawning, throwing of dice, gestures in -speaking, and swearing, served as pretexts for distinguishing -the one half of Italy from the other. So late as the -middle of the fifteenth century, the Ghibellines of Milan -pulled down the figure of Christ from the high altar of -Crema, and burnt it, because the face was turned towards -the Guelf shoulder.<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a> The Grimaldi were strong Guelfs; -the county of Nice was so as well, but the town was -Ghibelline. The Lascaris of Tende and Ventimiglia, the -Dorias of Dolceacqua and Oneglia were Ghibelline.</p> - -<p>The county of Ventimiglia had been formed in 778 -by Charlemagne, and given by him to a Genoese noble, -Guido Guerra, with the title of Marquess of the Maritime -Alps, on condition that he should maintain at his own -cost a company of soldiers to defend the littoral within -his Marquisate. The county passed in the thirteenth -century to William, son of the Greek Emperor Lascaris -II., of Nicæa, who married the heiress and descendant of -the Guido Guerra family. But William Lascaris soon -after ceded the county to Charles of Anjou, in exchange -for diverse other fiefs in the interior of Provence, amongst -others that of Tourvès, between Brignoles and S. -Maximin, where may be seen the ruins of the noble -castle of the Lascaris. In 1266, Charles of Anjou, in his -turn, ceded the county of Ventimiglia to the Grimaldi -and Fieschi, consuls of the Republic of Genoa, on -the condition that they should furnish provisions and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span> -munitions to the Provençal troops occupying the kingdom -of Naples.</p> - -<p>The county of Tende was founded by Charles of -Anjou for the Princess Irene, daughter of Theodore -Lascaris, and sister of the above-mentioned William, -when she married Robert Guerra of the family of the -Counts of Ventimiglia, and Robert then abandoned his -patronymic of Guerra and assumed that of Lascaris. -The county of Tende subsisted till 1579, and was then -ceded by Henrietta, Duchess of Maine, last descendant -of the Lascaris-Guerra to Emmanuel-Philibert, Duke of -Savoy.</p> - -<p>Theodore Lascaris I. had married Anna, daughter of -Alexis III., and he was chosen Emperor of Constantinople -at the time when the Crusaders occupied Byzantium -and founded there a Latin empire, under Baldwin of -Flanders, 1204. Theodore was constrained to fly into -Anatolia and make of Nicæa the capital of the Greek -empire; so it remained till the expulsion of the Latins -in 1261. The only daughter of Theodore Lascaris I. -married John Ducas, who succeeded to the Empire of -Nicæa. Ducas died in 1255, leaving a son, Theodore -Lascaris II., who died in 1259, and his eight-year-old son -John remained to be the victim of the unscrupulous -Michael Palæologus, who had his eyes torn out. This -John had, however, five sisters, and one of these, -Eudoxia, in 1263 married William, Count of Ventimiglia; -and another, Irene, became, as already said, the -mother and ancestress of the Lascaris Counts of Tende. -The Lascaris arms are: gules, a two-headed eagle displayed, -or.</p> - -<p>Paul Louis Lascaris, who entered the Order of Malta, -belonged to the Ventimiglian branch of the family.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span> -He was born in Provence in 1774. He was on the isle -when Napoleon appeared before Malta in 1798. Hompesch -was Grand Master, a weak old man; the -knights of the Order might easily have defended the -island till the English fleet under Nelson came to its -aid, but French gold and promises had created a party -of traitors within; of these Lascaris was chief, and on -June 11th La Valetta capitulated. “On my word,” -said General Caffarelli, “it is well that there was someone -inside to unlock the gates to us, for otherwise we -should never have got in.”</p> - -<p>After his treason Lascaris did not venture to remain -in Malta, but attended Bonaparte to Egypt. Upon the -rupture of the Treaty of Amiens in 1803, Napoleon, -having resolved on attacking the English in India, commissioned -Lascaris to go to the East, there make the -necessary studies for the execution of his plan, and -explore the frontiers, map down roads, wells, etc. -Whilst Lascaris was in the East he married a beautiful -Georgian akin to Soliman Pacha. In 1810 he visited -in succession the Arab tribes in Mesopotamia, and -turned his face homewards in 1814. On reaching Constantinople -he heard of the fall of Bonaparte, and departed -for Cairo, where he died shortly after, and all -his notes and maps fell into the hands of the British -consul there. All known of his adventures in the East -comes from a narrative given to the world by his -dragoman Fatalba.</p> - -<p>Ventimiglia is not only in itself a marvel of picturesqueness, -occupying a ridge above the Roya, but its -situation, with the sea before and the snow-clad Alps -behind, is exquisitely beautiful.</p> - -<p>The streets are narrow, as space was precious, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span> -the Strada Grande is lined with quaint old houses of -the city nobility and well-to-do citizens, and have -marble balconies, their sculptured entrances, and heraldic -decorations. The cathedral occupies a terrace, with the -palace of the Lascaris having an open loggia and staircase -on one side of the piazza. The cathedral, dedicated -to S. Barnabas, fondly deemed to have founded it, is a -fine church of the thirteenth century, vaulted without -groining ribs. Beneath it, at the east end, is the very -early baptistery, unhappily remodelled in the seventeenth -century. This contains a huge stone baptismal basin, -with stage inside on which children could stand, whereas -it is deep in the middle for adults. Two recesses are -at the sides; one of these is for the priest performing -the ceremony. In the vestries are portraits of the -bishops, several in surplice and rochet, looking very -much like English prelates.</p> - -<p>But more interesting even than the cathedral is -S. Michaele, at the farther end of the town, a church -of the twelfth century, with a rich west doorway, having -on the capitals a range of quaint carving of human -beings. The church is vaulted in the same manner as -the cathedral. Beneath the choir is a crypt, one pillar -of which is a milestone from the Via Aurelia, of the -time of the Emperor Antoninus. A slab in the floor -bears rich early interlaced work.</p> - -<p>The side aisles of this church had fallen into ruin, -but have been judiciously restored, along with the body -of the church.</p> - -<p>Outside the walls of the town, towering above it, are -the remains of a castle, which is held to date from -Roman times, but which was enlarged, altered, and -mainly rebuilt in mediæval days.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-273.jpg" width="400" height="515" id="i273" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">DOLCEACQUA</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span></p> - -<p>At Camporosso, up the Nervia, is a little church of the -early part of the twelfth century, now serving as chapel to -the cemetery. It has apse and tower of this period; the -rest has been rebuilt. It is constructed of rolled stones -from the river-bed. The roof consists of slabs of -nummulite limestone.</p> - -<p>Above Camporosso on the Nervia is Dolceacqua.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“After winding through woods of olives, carpeted in spring -by young corn and bright green flax, Dolceacqua suddenly -bursts upon the view, stretching across a valley, whose sides -are covered with forests of olives and chestnuts, and which is -backed by fine snow mountains. Through the town winds -the deep blue stream of the Nervia, flowing under a tall -bridge of one wide arch, and above frowns the huge palatial -castle, perched upon a perpendicular cliff, with sunlight -streaming through its long lines of glassless windows. The -streets are almost closed in with archways, which give them -the look of gloomy crypts, only opening here and there to let -in a ray of sunlight and a strip of blue sky. They lead up -the steep ascent to the castle where the Doria once reigned -as sovereign princes.”<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a></p> - -<p class="p1">An electric tram connects Ventimiglia with Bordighera. -This latter place is unceremoniously dismissed -by Hare in these words: “The town contains nothing -worth seeing.” The statement is certainly incorrect. Old -Bordighera contains a good deal that is worth seeing—the -quaint town gates, the steep and picturesque streets, -and the glorious view from the little piazza before the -church. There also by the seaside is the chapel of -S. Ampelio with its cave, in which the apostle of the -district lived and died.</p> - -<p>Little authentic is known of S. Ampelio, for there -is no early life of him extant. Tradition says that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span> -was a blacksmith from the Thebaid, who left Egypt and -settled here. His bones were carried off in the twelfth -century to San Remo, and thence later to Genoa. The -fête of S. Ampelio is on May 14th. The chapel was -enlarged and restored in 1852.</p> - -<p>The transfer of the relics of S. Ampelio to San Remo -exhibits a curious feature of mediæval enthusiasm. In -1140 the citizens of San Remo, at war with Ventimiglia, -took a number of the townsmen prisoners. They would -release them on one condition only, that they should reveal -where were secreted the bones of S. Ampelio. The -Ventimiglians, to obtain their liberty, betrayed the -secret; the old hermit had been laid in the grotto he -had inhabited during his life. Thereupon the people of -San Remo carried off his body.</p> - -<p>What is the peculiar fancy for possessing a few -pounds of phosphate of lime? Whence comes the -devotion to relics?</p> - -<p>S. Chrysostom tells us of pilgrims travelling from the -ends of the earth to Arabia to see Job’s dunghill, and -he says that they drew “much profit and philosophy” -from the sight.</p> - -<p>One can understand how that certain churches should -be greedy to possess relics, and steal, or even invent -them, because the possession brought money into their -coffers; but the money would not have come had there -not been, deep-seated in the hearts of the people, a -conviction that there was something supernatural, a -divine power surrounding and emanating from these -relics.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-274.jpg" width="400" height="295" id="i274" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">S. AMPELIO</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span></p> - -<p>For my own part I think it is a survival of the -worship of ancestors that existed among the prehistoric -races of Europe. We know that to them the sepulchre, -the dolmen, the kistvaen, the cairn, were the most holy -spots in the world, the centres of their common life, the -tie that bound a clan together. When these primeval -people became absorbed in conquering races, and adopted -other religions, they carried along with them the cult of -old bones and ashes. The ancestor was forgotten, and -the spiritual father, the saint, took his place, and the -worship of the dead was transferred from the ancestor -of the tribe to the apostle of the new religion in the -district.</p> - -<p>Bordighera was founded in 1470 by thirty-two families, -who migrated to it from Ventimiglia. There was, however, -at the time some portion of walls standing, and -these new settlers completed the enclosure, and squatted -within.</p> - -<p>At one time, perhaps even then, the sea came up -to the foot of the rock, where are now orange and lemon -orchards, but the current that sets from west to east -along this coast filled it up. On digging, the old sea-shore -is found, and the name Bordighera signifies a -creek provided with stakes and nets for catching fish.</p> - -<p>Bordighera is happy in having had an exhaustive -historian, Mr. F. F. Hamilton (<i>Bordighera and the -Western Riviera</i>, London, 1883), and this work is supplemented -by Mr. W. Scott’s <i>Rock Villages of the Riviera</i>, -London, 1898, by which he means the villages built -upon rocky heights. He describes only such, however, -as are near Bordighera. This book will be a help to -such as desire to make excursions from that winter -resort, and these two works together render it unnecessary -for me to enter more fully into the history of Ventimiglia -and its offspring Bordighera, and into minute -description of them and their neighbourhood.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2>CHAPTER XVII<br /> -<span class="mid">SAN REMO</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">Two San Remos—The Pinecone—Earthquakes—Matuta—Sold to the -Genoese—Church of S. Syro—Domestic architecture unchanging—Narrow -streets—Leprosy—San Romolo—Lampedusa—River names—Taggia—Doctor -Antonio—Home of Ruffini—The Bresca family—Raising -of the obelisk in the piazza of S. Peter—Palms—How bleached—The -date-palm.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap04">THERE are two San Remos, that of to-day, with -its pretentious villas rivalling each other in ugliness, -and the old San Remo. The former is clean with -open spaces, a broad main street, and is dotted about -with palms and agaves in sub-tropical gardens. The -old San Remo is a network, a labyrinth of narrow, -tortuous lanes. This old portion goes by the name of -<i>la Pigna</i>, the Pinecone, because of the manner in which -the ancient houses are grouped, pressed together one on -another, rising towards a culminating conical point.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-276.jpg" width="400" height="517" id="i276" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">A STREET IN BORDIGHERA</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span></p> - -<p>The old town is built upon a hill that descends gently -to the sea, and whose summit is crowned by a sanctuary. -The streets twist about, are steep, with steps, and paved -with bricks or rolled stones. The old houses elbow one -another away to get a little breath, or sustain themselves -from falling by stretching out a flying buttress, each -against its <i>vis-à-vis</i>, like tipsy men with linked arms -hoping to keep their feet by mutual support. For all -this coast is liable to be shaken by earthquakes. Diano -Marina was the central point of one in February, 1887, -that shook down half the village. Baiardo was completely -ruined, and church and houses have all been rebuilt. -Numerous lives were lost on this occasion. This portion -of the Riviera, though more sheltered than the French -Côte d’Azur, cannot boast the beauty of mountain outline. -It is only when a river comes down from the Alps that -a view of the snowy peaks is obtained up its course. -The rock is all limestone and conglomerate, and the -slopes are terraced and studded with olives. The -general tints have a sameness and dulness that is not -found on the French Riviera. The hills seem to have -been enveloped in sail-cloth and rolled in powdered -sage-leaves. San Remo lies in the lap of a crescent -bay, of which Cap Verde on the West and Cap Nera on -the East are the two horns. It faces the South, and -a double reef of mountains to the North arrests the -winds from that cold quarter of the heavens. The -shelter thus afforded, the focussing of the sun’s rays on -this spot, and the fertility of the soil, unite to make the -vegetation luxuriant and varied.</p> - -<p>By the shore we have orange and lemon groves, the -delicious mandarin orange, and the pomegranate, tropic -palms, agaves, and cactus mingled with cedars. Higher -up are olive gardens, chestnuts. “<i>Tenens media omnia -silvæ</i>,” the pine woods stretch to the top of the hills that -engirdle San Remo.</p> - -<p>M. Reclus observes:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Strange to say, trees do not ascend to the same height on -these slopes of the Apennines as on the Alps, though the mean -temperature is far higher; and at an altitude at which the -beech still attains noble proportions in Switzerland we find it -here stunted in growth. Larches are hardly ever seen. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span> -sea is as sterile as the land. There are neither shallows, -islands, nor seaweed, affording shelter for fish. The cliffs -descend precipitously to the sea, and the narrow strips of -beach, extending from promontory to promontory, consist of -sand only, without the admixture of a single shell.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The ancient name of the place was Matuta, but it had -been destroyed again and again by the Saracens till -the year 1038, when the Count of Ventimiglia made -the place over to the Archbishop of Genoa; he disposed -of it to two nobles, Doria and Mari. But the Dorias -were Ghibelline and the Maris belonged to the opposed -faction, leading to terrible broils. Finally, in 1361 the -Genoese Republic became sole possessors. The town -took the name of S. Romulus, as possessing the bones -of that saint, and the old name of Matuta fell into -desuetude. Saint Romulus has been altered and corrupted -into San Remo. Doubtless whilst under the -rule of the Archbishop of Genoa the interesting church -of S. Syro was built. The style is Lombardic Romanesque. -It was frightfully mutilated in or about 1620, -when the apse was altered and lengthened, and a hideous -baroque façade was erected, like the canvas-painted -frontage to a show in a fair. At the same time the -interior features were disguised under plaster and paint. -In 1745 an English fleet bombarded San Remo, and the -spire was knocked to pieces and replaced by a hideous -structure. But recently a complete restoration has been -effected; the façade has been pulled down, revealing the -original features, and the whole, externally and internally, -treated with such scrupulous fidelity to what was the -original style, that the result is that the church of S. Syro -is now one of the finest monuments of Christian art on -the Riviera.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-279.jpg" width="400" height="271" id="i279" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">CERIANA</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span></p> - -<p>The visitor from the north of Europe is perplexed -how to determine approximately the dates of the domestic -buildings in every one of these Ligurian towns -and villages. The architecture has a modern look, and -yet the houses are decrepit, ruinous, and shabby. The -windows and doors are square-headed, with scarce a -moulding to differentiate them, and the pointed arch -is only seen in the bridges that tie the houses together. -Rarely, only in some palace or town hall, does the -swallow-tail crenelation, or a feeble imitation of Gothic -cornice, speak of the Middle Ages. The fact is that the -streets are so narrow that there is no room for display -of street architecture in these lanes, <i>culs de sac</i>, and -thoroughfares, that allow no wheeled conveyance to pass -up and down. The houses set their noses against each -other and stare into each other’s eyes. There is no -privacy there, not even in smells. If a man eats garlic, -every one sniffs it in the house opposite. If a woman -administers a curtain lecture, all the occupants of the -houses <i>vis-à-vis</i> prick up their ears, listen to every word, -and mark every intonation of voice. Into no single -room has the sun looked for a thousand years, and air -has been but grudgingly admitted, and never allowed to -circulate. The houses run up five, six, even seven -storeys, and are tenanted by many families. Those -nearest the pavement partake of the first whiff of the -garbage of the street, the dejections of the tenants in -the tenements above; and those in the topmost storey -inhale the flavour of stale humanity ascending from all -the flats below.</p> - -<p>But to revert to the architecture. I do not suppose -that it has altered since classic times. We know how -it was in Rome among the <i>insulæ</i>, blocks of dwellings<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span> -crowding the densely occupied lower parts of the town, -running up to great heights, and swarming with people -living on the several stages. The palaces of the nobility, -where facing the street, looked like the fronts of modern -factories. Happily, in Rome one such remains, in the -wall of the church of SS. John and Paul, on the Monte -Clivo. It is a lofty red-brick front, without an ornament, -pierced formerly with square-headed windows or -windows very slightly arched with bricks, precisely such -a face as may be seen to a factory in a side lane of -Manchester, Birmingham, or Leeds.</p> - -<p>The Roman noble kept all his decoration for the -inside of his house; his colonnade was towards his -enclosed garden, his marbles about his atrium; externally -his mansion was a barrack. Pointed architecture never -was assimilated by the Italian. He endured it; he used -it for churches, always with a difference. But for his -home he would have none of it. He was surrounded by -remains of the period of Roman domination over the -world, vast structures, solid and enduring. Temples -fell and were despoiled to decorate churches, but private -dwellings, though they might be gutted, could not be -defaced, when they had no face to be mutilated. Vandal, -Lombard, Saracen, swept over the land, burnt and -pillaged, but left the solid walls standing to be re-roofed -and re-occupied after they were gone. Nothing but the -recurrent earthquake affected these structures. And -when a house was shaken down it was rebuilt on the -same lines. If a bit of ornament were desired it was -copied, and badly copied, from some relic of classic times. -Consequently there has been incessant reproduction of -one type. Thus all these old Ligurian towns and villages -appear as if built at one and the same time, in one and -the same style, and all to have fallen simultaneously into -the same disorder, dirt, and raggedness.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-280.jpg" width="400" height="292" id="i280" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">BUSSANA</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span></p> - -<p>Near to S. Syro is a hospital for leprosy, a disease -which long lingered on in San Remo. Happily it has -disappeared—at all events from this town—and in 1883 -the building became the Civic Hospital. But leprosy is -by no means extinct on the Ligurian coast;</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“it is hopelessly incurable, the limbs and the faces of the -lepers being gradually eaten away, so that with several, while -you look upon one side of the face, and see it apparently in -the bloom of health and youth, the other has already fallen -away and ceased to exist. The disease is hereditary, having -remained in certain families of this district almost from time -immemorial. The members of these families are prohibited -from intermarrying with those of others, or indeed from -marrying at all, unless it is believed that they are free from -any seeds of the fatal inheritance. Sometimes the marriages, -when sanctioned by magistrates and clergy, are contracted in -safety, but often, after a year or two of wedded life, the -terrible enemy appears again, and existence becomes a curse; -thus the fearful legacy is handed on.”—<span class="smcap">Hare.</span></p> - -<p class="p1">The marvel is that plague, leprosy, and typhoid fever -are not endemic in these Ligurian towns. But the -winter visitor to San Remo may be at ease, he will see -no lepers in the place now. Should a case occur, it -would at once be removed out of sight.</p> - -<p>As already said, San Remo takes its name from -S. Romulus, a bishop, whose festival is on October 13th. -Almost nothing is certainly known of this Bishop of -Genoa, who is thought to have died in the year 350. -The story goes that in old age he retired from his -charge to a cave or Barma in the mountains, about -five miles from San Remo. Here formerly was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span> -Benedictine convent, now the very modern building is -occupied by sisters, and the cave of S. Romolo has been -converted into a church with an ugly façade. On the -fête day plenty of Sanremois visit the shrine, some out -of devotion, some for the sake of a picnic, and many -from mixed motives.</p> - -<p>But the most delightful excursion that may be made -from San Remo is to Lampedusa, above the Taggia. -For that no better guide can be had than Ruffini’s -delightful novel, <i>Dr. Antonio</i>:—</p> - -<div class="pbq"> - -<p class="p1">“A broad, smooth road, opening from Castellaro northwards, -and stretching over the side of the steep mountains in -capricious zig-zags, now conceals, now gives to view, the front -of the sanctuary, shaded by two oaks of enormous dimensions. -The Castellini, who made this road in the sweat of their brows, -point it out with pride, and well they may. They tell you with -infinite complacency how every one of the pebbles with which -it is paved was brought from the sea-shore, those who had mules -using them for that purpose, those who had none bringing up -loads on their own backs; how every one, gentleman and -peasant, young and old, women and boys, worked day and -night with no other inducement than the love of the Madonna. -The Madonna of Lampedusa is their creed, their occupation, -their pride, their <i>carroccio</i>, their fixed idea.</p> - -<p>“All that relates to the miraculous image, and the date and -mode of its translation to Castellaro, is given at full length in -two inscriptions, one in Latin, the other in bad Italian verses, -which are to be seen in the interior of the little chapel of the -sanctuary. Andrea Anfosso, a native of Castellaro, being -the captain of a privateer, was one day attacked and defeated -by the Turks, and carried to the Isle of Lampedusa. Here he -succeeded in making his escape, and hiding himself until the -Turkish vessel which had captured him left the island. Anfosso, -being a man of expedients, set about building a boat, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span> -finding himself in a great dilemma what to do for a sail, -ventured on the bold and original step of taking from the -altar of some church or chapel of the island a picture of the -Madonna to serve as one; and so well did it answer his -purpose, that he made a most prosperous voyage back to his -native shores, and, in a fit of generosity, offered his holy sail -to the worship of his fellow townsmen. The wonder of the -affair does not stop here. A place was chosen by universal -acclamation, two gun-shots in advance of the present sanctuary, -and a chapel erected, in which the gift was deposited with all -due honour. But the Madonna, as it would seem, had an insurmountable -objection to the spot selected, for, every morning -that God made, the picture was found in the exact spot where -the actual church now stands. At length the Castellini came -to understand that it was the Madonna’s express wish that her -headquarters should be shifted to where her resemblance -betook itself every night; and though it had pleased her to -make choice of the most abrupt and the steepest spot on the -whole mountain, just where it was requisite to raise arches in -order to lay a sure foundation for her sanctuary, the Castellini -set themselves <i>con amore</i> to the task so clearly revealed to -them, and this widely-renowned chapel was completed. This -took place in 1619. In the course of time some wings were -annexed for the accommodation of visitors and pilgrims, and -a terrace built; for though the Castellini have but a small -purse, theirs is the great lever which can remove all impediments—the -faith that brought about the Crusades.</p> - -<p>“To the north a long, long vista of deep, dark, frowning -gorges, closed in the distance by a gigantic screen of snow-clad -Alps—the glorious expanse of the Mediterranean to the -south-east and west, range upon range of gently undulating -hills, softly inclining towards the sea—in the plain below the -fresh, cozy valley of Taggia, with its sparkling track of waters, -and rich belt of gardens, looking like a perfect mosaic of every -gradation of green, chequered with winding silver arabesques.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span> -Ever and anon a tardy pomegranate in full blossom spreads out -its oriflamme of tulip-shaped dazzling red flowers. From the -rising ground opposite frowns mediæval Taggia, like a discontented -guest at a splendid banquet. A little farther off -westward, the eye takes in the campanile of the Dominican -church, emerging from a group of cypresses, and farther still, -on the extreme verge of the western cliff, the sanctuary of Our -Lady of the Guardia shows its white silhouette against the -dark blue sky.”</p></div> - -<p class="p1">The name of the river Taggia is synonymous with Tay, -Taw, Tavy; as the Roya is akin to the Irish Rye, the -Spanish Riga. The Neva that mingles its waters with -the Arrosetta, has a cognate Neva in Russia, a Nahe in -Germany, a Never in Wales, and a diminutive Nivelle -in France. The brawling Loup does not take its name -from a wolf. It is misspelled through a false etymology. -It should be Lou, like the river that enters the Dordogne, -and the Devon Lew, the Lee, and Lech by Ulm. -Whence come the many similar river names of Europe? -They are doubtless the most ancient designations we -have, those that have least changed; they were given by -the earliest inhabitants of Europe, and have adhered to -these ever-flowing streams, modified here and there, but -always showing how ancient and primeval they are. -Adam named the beasts, but who—what race—named -the rivers? It must have been a race that occupied almost -the whole of Europe. Was it those mighty men of old, -who lie smothered in red ochre in Barma Grande by -Mentone, or was it the mysterious people who reared the -rude stone monuments, and who have left scanty traces -of their lost language embedded in Welsh and Irish?</p> - -<p>Taggia itself surely deserves a visit from every one -who has read and loved <i>Dr. Antonio</i>; for there lived<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span> -the gifted author Giovanni Ruffini from 1875 to 1881, -the year in which he died. The remains of his house -are shown. The church also deserves a visit, on account -of the paintings on wood by Brea and other artists of -the fifteenth century. One painting on a gold ground -by Brea, or a disciple, in the chapel of the tombs of the -Curlo family, is specially noticeable for its beauty. On -the Piazza Umberto I. stands a monument erected in -1896 to the memory of the three Ruffini brothers, who -strove for the unification of Italy.</p> - -<p>The story of the Bresca family of San Remo acquiring -the privilege of furnishing palms to Rome, granted -by Sixtus V. in 1586, is well known, but must not be -left unnoticed here.</p> - -<p>An obelisk was being elevated in the piazza before -S. Peter’s. This obelisk had been brought to Rome from -Heliopolis by Caligula, in a ship which Pliny describes -as being “nearly as long as the left side of the port of -Ostia.” Sixtus V. was resolved on Christianising or -demolishing the relics of pagan Rome. The obelisk, -if set up before S. Peter’s, might serve to support a -cross. It was removed from its place in the Circus of -Nero by 800 men and 150 horses, under the supervision -of Domenico Fontana, who was threatened with death -if he failed. When it was about to be reared, Sixtus -threatened death to man, woman, or child who should -speak whilst the huge mass was being elevated by means -of forty-six cranes. The great stone was slowly rising -to its base, when suddenly it ceased to move, and it was -evident that the ropes were yielding. An awful moment -of suspense ensued, when the dead silence was broken -by a shout: “<i>Acqua alle funi!</i>” (Throw water on the -ropes!) The workmen at once cast bucketfuls of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[286]</a></span> -liquid over the cordage, that at once began to shrink, -and raised the monstrous mass, and settled it upon its -base.</p> - -<p>The man who saved the obelisk was Bresca, a sea -captain of a fishing smack at San Remo. Sixtus V. -inquired after him, and promised him, what cost himself -nothing, as a reward, that ever thenceforth his family -and his native village should have the privilege of -furnishing the palms for S. Peter’s on Palm Sunday.</p> - -<p>In order to bleach the leaves for this purpose they are -tied up in a way very similar to that employed by -market gardeners to obtain white centres to lettuces. It -cannot be said that the leaves are made more beautiful -by the process; on the contrary, they lose what little -beauty they had. The branches are bound up so as to -form a vertical roll, in the centre of which are the young -leaves, that have to struggle up, shut off from light -and air, with the result that sickly, ugly strips are -produced, which are sent throughout the Catholic world -for use on the Sunday before Easter. Ten thousand -times preferable are our pretty “palms,” the catkin-bearing -willow twigs.</p> - -<p>The date palm is not indigenous. It was probably -introduced by the Crusaders. In an illustration to a MS. -of the Geography of Strabo, presented by Guarini to -King Réné, the king is shown seated with a full-grown -palm tree in the background. Indeed, in the tympanum -of the north doorway of S. Syro, at San Remo, is a -representation of a male and a female palm tree with an -Agnus Dei between them.</p> - -<p>The date palm is multiplied by seed and by suckers. -This last mode of propagation is the most advantageous, -as all the plants so produced are females and fruit<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span> -bearers; and they will bear at the age of five or six -years, whereas those raised from seed produce dates -only after they have attained an age of fifteen or twenty -years.</p> - -<p>But it is in a few nooks only of the Riviera that the -date palm ripens its fruit, and that but occasionally, for -the winter comes on before it has reached maturity, and -it fails to acquire the flavour and sweetness which is -attained in Africa. It cannot be said that the huge -bunches of dates in their husks hanging on the trees, of -a sickly yellow, are beautiful.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XVIII<br /> -<span class="mid">ALASSIO</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">Admirable site—Old Alassio—Church of San Ambrogio—Palace of the -Ferreri—Arco Romano—Gallinaria—Saint Martin—Andora—Oneglia—Andrew -Doria, the Admiral—Albenga—Retreat of the Sea—Proculus—Cathedral—Baptistery—Piazza -dei Leoni—The Towers—S. Maria -in Fontibus—Garlenda—Beauty of Drive.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap16">ALASSIO falls short of other winter resorts in no -degree, in sweetness of situation, shelter from -blustering cold winds, and in abundance of objects of -interest in the neighbourhood. In climate, in everything -but one, it equals San Remo, Bordighera, and -Mentone. The one thing it lacks is good shops.</p> - -<p>Alassio consists of one narrow street a mile and a -half in length, out of which radiate towards the sea -passages under arches. It does not contain, in itself, -much of interest. The church and the palace of the -Ferreri exhaust the place. The church of San Ambrogio -has a tower of the thirteenth century, and the old church, -altered, remains, with a later church built on to it in the -south in late renaissance times, that is distinctly -pleasing, with its white and black marble and blue-grey -stucco, between the marble pilasters.</p> - -<p>The palace of the Ferreri family, with its rich and -cumbrous gateways sculptured with the family arms,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a></span> -contains fine tapestries, family portraits, and rich -furniture.</p> - -<p>The arms of the town are curious: argent, a tower out -of which rises a king crowned and wearing garments red -and green.</p> - -<p>A favourite excursion from Alassio is to the Arco -Romano, a Roman arch, through which a lovely peep of -the sea is obtained. To the east appears the curious -isle of Gallinaria, shaped like a snail, with the ruins of a -Benedictine monastery on it. In 358, in the midst of -the war against the Allemanni, when the Emperor -Julian was at Worms, Martin, who was in the army, and -a tribune, asked to be released from military duty. -Julian was indignant. A battle was imminent, and he -scornfully refused the petition, and charged Martin with -cowardice. The young tribune replied, “Put me in -the forefront of the army, without weapons or armour, -and prove if I be what you say.”</p> - -<p>However, the Allemanni asked for peace, it was -granted, thereupon Martin obtained his dismissal. He -then went to Poitiers and placed himself under the -teaching of S. Hilary. Then he departed to visit his -parents in Pannonia. As he crossed the Alps he was -attacked by robbers and plundered of all he had. On -reaching his native city of Sabaria, Martin succeeded in -converting his mother to Christ, but his father persisted -in his paganism. Then he returned to Italy, and after -tarrying awhile at Milan, where he was vexed by the -Arians, he took refuge on this islet of Gallinaria. There -he lived on roots, and nearly poisoned himself by -accidentally eating the hellebore, attracted by its dark -green leaves and pale flowers. Providentially the -spasms caused by the poison came on so rapidly as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290]</a></span> -to check him from eating enough to kill him; but he -suffered great pain, and lay at death’s door. A cave is -shown in the island which S. Martin is traditionally held -to have inhabited. After some sojourn on Gallinaria, -Martin left it and went back to Poitiers.</p> - -<p>To visit the curious old mountain village of Andora, -one must leave the train at Laigueglia, before it rushes -into the tunnel pierced through the spur of rock on -which Andora stands. The church dedicated to SS. -Philip and James is in Lombardic Gothic of the fourteenth -century, and is one of the most interesting monuments -of the style in Liguria. Above the high altar is -a crucifix of carved wood, the figure of natural size, -believed to be still earlier than the church, which dates -from 1341.</p> - -<p>Adjoining the church is a tower with swallow-tail -battlements, that belonged to the old castle, but has -now been united to the church. There are also at -Andora the ruins of a feudal castle, the Parasio, the -residence of the Podesta till 1797. There are also -remains of a Roman aqueduct and a Roman bridge over -the river, still in good condition.</p> - -<p>Oneglia was the birthplace of Andrew Doria, the -great admiral. It is an ugly town; the prison is in the -shape of a cross, with a huge lantern at the junction of -the arms lighted through cockney Gothic windows.</p> - -<p>The Dorias, Fieschi, Grimaldi, and Spinolas were the -four principal families of Genoa. Simone Doria, who -lived in 1270, was a Troubadour, and he once had a dispute -with Lanfranc Cigala as to which was preferable, -to deserve the favour of a lady or to possess it. Doria -maintained the latter proposition. “I did once suppose,” -said Lanfranc, “that merit carried a lady’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[291]</a></span> -favour, I now know that impudence gains it. Doria -has taught me that.”</p> - -<p>Andrew Doria was born at Oneglia in 1468. He -was son of Andrew Coeva, of the Dorias, that were -Princes of Oneglia, but as this Andrew represented a -junior branch, he came into but a small slice of the -inheritance, and, dying early, his widow, mother of the -great Andrew, thought it well to get as the protector of -her boy Dominico Doria, belonging to the elder branch, -and this she obtained by ceding to him the rights in -Oneglia that had belonged to her husband. Dominico -was then captain of the guards to Pope Innocent VIII., -and he put the young Andrew in his company. Andrew -forged ahead, and became a naval captain of great -importance. He had no scruples, and he passed from -side to side, as best conduced to his interests. At one -time he fought for Francis I., and then he went over to -the service of Charles V. When these rivals met at -Aigues Mortes, Francis I. mounted the galley of the -great admiral, and noticed a bronze cannon with on it -the Arms of France. He looked hard at Doria, who -said, “This gun is of excellent metal.” “I cast better -cannons now,” remarked the King, meaning that he -offered better pay than formerly.</p> - -<p>“The Emperor’s metal is good enough for me,” -retorted Doria. Francis turned to the Emperor and -said, “You made a good catch when you netted Doria. -Mind you keep him.”</p> - -<p>Against the judgment of Doria Charles V. undertook -his disastrous expedition against Algiers in 1541. -In 1539 Doria, with the Imperial fleet, that of Venice, -and that of the Pope, lighted on the very inferior -Turkish fleet under Kheyr-ed-din Barbarossa, off Previsa.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[292]</a></span> -The Christian strength was really overwhelming. -Eighty Venetians, thirty-six Papal and thirty Spanish -galleys, together with fifty sailing galleons, made up the -formidable total of nearly two hundred ships of war, and -they carried scarcely less than 60,000 men and 2,500 -guns. Doria was in chief command, Capello and -Grimano led the Venetian and Roman contingents. -On September 25th the allied fleets appeared off the -Gulf. Barbarossa had 122 ships of war.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the 27th the corsairs were amazed -to see Doria sail away. Germano and Capello went on -board the flagship and urged Doria to engage the enemy; -they even implored him to depart himself, and allow -them to fight the battle with their own ships, but in vain.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The result was practically a victory, and a signal victory, -for the Turks. Two hundred splendid vessels of three great -Christian States had fled before an inferior force of Ottomans; -and it is no wonder that Sultan Suleyman, when he learnt the -news at Yamboli, illuminated the town, and added 100,000 -piasters a year to the revenues of Barbarossa.”<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a></p> - -<p class="pbq">“It was,” says Brantôme, “a common opinion at the time -that there existed a secret engagement between Barbarossa -and Doria to avoid fighting each other on decisive occasions, -so as to prolong the war, which gave both of them employment, -and furnished them with means of acquiring wealth.”</p> - -<p class="p1">What seems to confirm this was the setting at liberty -by Doria of the renegade corsair Dragut, who had been -made prisoner, and who was a favourite of Barbarossa, -and a scourge to the Christians.</p> - -<p>In 1547 a conspiracy of the Fieschi almost cost -Andrew Doria his life. His nephew was murdered by -them, but at the same time Giovanni Luigi Fieschi was -drowned. Grief and resentment provoked Andrew Doria -to commit acts of atrocious cruelty.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-293.jpg" width="400" height="274" id="i293" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">ALBENGA</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[293]</a></span></p> - -<p>Scarcely was this conspiracy crushed, before Giulio -Cibo, brother-in-law of Giovanni Luigi Fieschi, formed -another out of the remnant of the faction. This was -discovered; Cibo had his head struck off, and all the -rest of the Fieschi and those who held by them were -banished. The brother of Giovanni Luigi fell into -Doria’s hands, and was by his orders sewn up in a sack -and thrown into the sea.</p> - -<p>Andrew had been much worried by a pilot asking him -for this and for that. Doria said, “If you speak again -to me more than three words, I will have you hung.” -“Pay or discharge,” said the pilot. Doria laughed, -gave him his pay, and retained his services.</p> - -<p>Andrew Doria met with a great reverse at the hands -of that same Dragut whom he had released to please -Barbarossa. In 1552 Dragut came on him when he -was least awares, and put him to flight. Dragut pursued -him, sank two of his vessels, captured seven of -his fleet with seven hundred German soldiers, and their -captain, Nicolas Madrucci.</p> - -<p>Andrew died in his splendid palace near Genoa in -1560, at the age of 93, without leaving issue by his wife -who was niece of Pope Innocent VIII.</p> - -<p>Albenga, easily reached from Alassio, either by road -or rail, is a most interesting but unhealthy town. It -lies low where three rivers, uniting, empty into the sea, -and the plain is made up of deposits brought down by -them. Anciently the sea reached to its walls, and -only withdrew in the tenth century. Albenga was the -capital of the Ligurian Ingauni, and a great naval -station. Thence sailed a fleet of thirty-two ships which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[294]</a></span> -fought the Romans in <span class="smcap">B.C.</span> 20. It helped Hannibal with -ships and men, and when Magone, brother of Hannibal, -was wounded, he retired to Albenga to be cured.</p> - -<p>Afterwards it became, but reluctantly, allied to Rome. -In the times of Probus, <span class="smcap">A.D.</span> 276-282, a native of -Albenga, named Proculus, a man of extraordinary -strength, set up to be emperor, but was speedily killed. -Constantine, a grandee of the Court of Honorius, <span class="smcap">A.D.</span> -395-423, fortified the town, and he it was who built the -Ponte Longo, a Roman bridge now sunk to the spring -of the arches, and deserted by the river, which has completely -altered its course.</p> - -<p>Albenga has a most interesting cathedral of the twelfth -century that has been mutilated and altered internally -into a rococo temple. The west front was partly removed -in renaissance times and rebuilt, clumsily; but -externally, the east end with its apses tells of the true -antiquity of the church. Hard by is what is still more -venerable: a baptistery, half buried in the soil, of the -fifth (?) century. It is descended into by fourteen steps, so -greatly has the soil risen since it was built. The building -is octagonal, and had its windows filled with pierced -slabs of stone; of these fillings in only two remain, one -very rich, with carved interlaced work as well as with -perforations. Within is a large font for immersion, as -at Ventimiglia, and the vault is sustained by eight -granite columns, probably taken from a Pagan temple. -The altar is ancient, enriched with mosaic work representing -the Agnus Dei surrounded by twelve doves.</p> - -<p>At the east end of the cathedral is the Piazza dei -Leoni, where are three rude stone lions, remains of a -monument raised in 1288, but taken from an earlier -Roman structure.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[295]</a></span></p> - -<p>That which strikes the visitor especially, coming from -France, are the towers of the nobles. “Its thirteen -mediæval towers,” says Hare, “remind the Italian -traveller of S. Gimignano, rising out of the plain like a -number of tall ninepins set close together.” I do not -think there are thirteen; certainly not that number of -lofty towers; but the earthquake of 1887 damaged, or -threw down, several.</p> - -<p>The finest are the Torre Balestrino, the cathedral -tower, and the Torre del Comune. Five of the old gates -remain. The church of S. Maria in Fontibus, in Genoese -Gothic, striped black and white marble, takes its name -from a spring that rises under the altar, and was supposed -to possess miraculous powers for the healing of -lepers.</p> - -<p>A beautiful drive from Albenga up the valley leads -to Garlenda, where are paintings by Domenichino, a -S. Maurus, a Martyrdom of S. Erasmus, by Poussin; and -a Nativity of Our Lady by Guercino. At the time of the -French Revolution, when the troops were pouring over -the frontier into Italy, the parishioners of Garlenda, -fearful of being robbed of these artistic treasures, removed -and hid them.</p> - -<p>The road to Garlenda passes through orchards of -peaches and fields of narcissus.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The valley is radiantly beautiful in spring. Overhead are -tall peach trees with their luxuriance of pink blossom. Beneath -these the vines cling in Bacchanalian festoons, leaping from -tree to tree, and below all large melons, young corn, and bright -green flax, waving here and there into sheets of blue flower, -form the carpet of Nature. Sometimes gaily-painted towers -and ancient <i>palazzi</i>, with carved armorial gateways and arched -porticoes, break in upon the solitude of the valley.”—<span class="smcap">Hare.</span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[296]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XIX<br /> -<span class="mid">SAVONA</span></h2> - -<p class="pch">The city and port—Pope Sixtus IV.—The Della Rovere family—Nepotism—Assassination -of Giuliano di Medici—Methods of filling the treasury—Sixtus -and the Spirituals—Julius II.—A fighting pope: his portrait -by Raphael—Pius VII. at Savona: his removal from Rome—Death -of Princess Borgia—Bishop Grossulano—The Margravate of Savona—The -Sanctuario—Crowned images—Jacques de Voragine—The -Albizzola Palace: and Gardens—Mme. de Genlis and travelling on -Corniche Road—Ruined palaces of Liguria.</p> - -<p class="drop-cap08">SAVONA, with its port, its towers, its engirdling -mountains, and its wide-stretching orange and -lemon orchards, is a very charming town.</p> - -<p>The port, with its picturesque tower, engages the eye -at once. The cathedral, built in 1604, is in the uninteresting -style of that period. It contains some good -pictures by Brea, 1495, and Aurelio Robertelli, 1449; -and the tomb of the parents of Pope Sixtus IV. who -was a native of Celle, near Savona. His father was a -poor boat or fisherman called della Rovere; but it was -the whim of Francesco della Rovere, when he became -Pope under the title of Sixtus IV., to be thought a -scion of the ancient house of the same name at Turin. -A false pedigree was forged, and he purchased the -complaisance of the Turin family, and silenced their jibes, -by giving them two cardinal’s hats. He assumed their -arms—a golden oak tree on an azure ground—which -figures on the tomb at Savona, and which Michael -Angelo painted on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, in -compliment to Pope Sixtus and to his nephew Julius.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[297]</a></span></p> - -<p>Francis de la Rovere was born in 1414, and entered -the Franciscan order, became provincial of Liguria, and -finally general of the order. He was elevated to be -Cardinal by the advice of Bessarion, who had conceived -a high notion of his learning and abilities. He became -Pope in 1471 and occupied the papal chair till 1484, and -was perhaps the second wickedest pontiff seated on that -throne, coming only a short way after Alexander VI.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“He began his career with a lie,” says Mr. Addington -Symonds, “for though he succeeded to the avaricious Paul, -who had spent his time in amassing money which he did not -use, he declared that he had only found 5,000 florins in -the Papal treasury. This assertion was proved false by the -prodigality with which he lavished wealth immediately upon -his nephews. It is difficult even to hint at the horrible -suspicions which were cast upon the birth of two of the -Pope’s nephews. Yet the private life of Sixtus rendered the -most monstrous stories plausible. We may, however, dwell -on the principal features of his nepotism; for Sixtus was the -first pontiff who deliberately organised a system for pillaging -the Church in order to exalt his own family to principalities. -The names of the Pope’s nephews were Leonardo, Giuliano, -and Giovanni della Rovere, the three sons of his brother -Raffiello; Pietro and Girolamo Riario, the two sons of his -sister Jolanda; and Girolamo, the son of another sister, -married to Giovanno Basso. With the notable exception of -Giuliano della Rovere, these young men had no claim to -distinction beyond good looks and a certain martial spirit -which ill suited with the ecclesiastical dignities thrust upon -some of them. Leonardo was made Prefect of Rome and -married to a natural daughter of King Ferdinand of Naples. -Giuliano received a cardinal’s hat, and after a tempestuous -warfare with the intervening Popes, ascended the holy chair -as Julius II. Girolamo Basso was created Cardinal of San -Cristogono.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[298]</a></span></p> - -<p class="p1">But the favourite nephew of all was Pedro Riario, -whom his uncle loaded with ecclesiastical benefices, -though aged only five-and-twenty. Scandal asserted, -and Muratori believed it, that this Pietro was really the -son of the Pope. When scarce out of the hobbledehoy -age, he was made Cardinal Patriarch of Constantinople -and Archbishop of Florence. His annual income was -60,000 gold florins, in our money about £100,000; and -yet when he died, broken down by his debaucheries, in -1474, three years after he had been made Cardinal -Archbishop, he was deep in debt.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“He had no virtues, no abilities, nothing but his beauty, -the scandalous affection of the Pope, and the extravagant -profligacy of his own life, to recommend him to the notice of -posterity. All Italy during two years rang with the noise of -his debaucheries. When Leonora of Aragon passed through -Rome, on her way to wed the Marquess of Ferrara, this fop -of a Patriarch erected a pavilion in the Piazza di’ Sante -Apostole for her entertainment. The air of the banquet hall -was cooled with pure water; on a column in the centre stood -a naked gilded boy, who poured forth water from an urn. The -servants were arrayed in silk, and the seneschal changed his -dress of richest stuffs and jewels four times in the course of -the banquet. Nymphs and centaurs, singers and buffoons, -drank choice wines from golden goblets.... Happily for the -Church and for Italy, he expired at Rome in January, 1474, -after parading his impudent debaucheries through Milan and -Venice, as the Pope’s Legate.”</p> - -<p class="p1">Another nephew was Girolamo Riario, who married -a natural daughter of Galeazzo Sforza. For him the -Pope bought the town of Imola with Church money. -He had created him Count of Bosco in 1472. As Imola -did not content his ambition, his uncle gave him Forli,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[299]</a></span> -and elevated this boatboy to a dukedom. The young -ruffian found that the Medici family stood in the way -of extending his power over Florence, and he formed -a plot for their destruction. In the conspiracy were -involved Francis di Pazzi, head of the bank of that -name in Rome, and Salviati, a Florentine, Archbishop -of Pisa, whose elevation had been opposed by the -Medici. The plot was atrocious; it was no less than to -assassinate Giuliano and Lorenzo di Medici in the -duomo at Florence on Easter Day at high mass. It had -the hearty concurrence of him who held the keys of -heaven and hell. Into the wicked confederacy was -taken a Captain Montesecco, an intimate friend of -Girolamo Riario, the Pope’s nephew, and Bandini, a -hired murderer. It was arranged among them that -Montesecco was to poignard Giuliano, and Bandini -was to stab Lorenzo; and the signal for the deed was -to be the Elevation of the Host. On the Sunday appointed, -1478, the assassin Montesecco embraced the two -Medici as they entered the church and assured himself -by his touch that they were unprotected with coats of -chain-mail, such as they usually wore under their silken -habits. But at the last moment this captain, cut-throat -though he was, felt hesitation at committing the deed -in the sacred building and at such a solemn moment, -and communicated his scruples to Girolamo Riario; -and the latter had hastily to open his scheme to a -couple of priests and induce them to undertake the -murder. As a chronicler of the time says: “Another -man was found, who, being a priest, was more accustomed -to the place and therefore less scrupulous -about its sanctity.” The second priest was to take the -place of Bandini should he entertain qualms.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[300]</a></span></p> - -<p>But this change of persons spoiled all. The priest, -though more irreligious, was less expert. Giuliano was -indeed stabbed to death by Bandini di Pazzi, at the -moment of the Elevation of the Host, but Lorenzo -escaped with a flesh wound from the inexperienced -hand of the priest, and fled into the sacristy. The -congregation, the whole populace of Florence, rose as -a man, and pursued the murderers. The Archbishop -Salviati di Pazzi, and some of the others, were seized -and hung from the windows of the Palazzo Pubblico, the -same day; and the eighteen-year-old Cardinal Raphael -Riario was flung into prison.</p> - -<p>Sixtus was furious at the failure of the plot, and -demanded the liberation of his great nephew, the boy-Cardinal, -and at the same time the expulsion of the -Medici from Florence. As the citizens refused to do -this, he excommunicated Lorenzo di Medici, and all the -heads of the Republic, and placed Florence under an -interdict. After a few days the boy was released; but -that was as far as the Florentines would go. Accordingly -the Pope, his nephew Riario, and the King of Naples, -who had entered into league with the Pope, raised armies -to attack Florence, and a savage war of revenge raged -for years. It was not till 1481 that a descent of the -Turks on Otranto made Sixtus tremble for his own -safety, and forced him to make peace with Florence.</p> - -<p>After the death of Pietro, Sixtus took his nephew, -Giovanni della Rovere, into the favour that Pietro had -enjoyed. He married him to Giovanna, daughter of the -Duke of Urbino, and created him Duke of Sinigaglia. -This fellow founded the second dynasty of the Dukes of -Urbino.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-301.jpg" width="400" height="299" id="i301" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">SAVONA</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[301]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The plebeian violence of the Della Rovere temper,” says -Mr. Addington Symonds, “reached a climax in Giovanni’s son, -the Duke Francesco Maria, who murdered his sister’s lover -with his own hands, when a youth of sixteen, and stabbed -the Papal Legate to death in the streets of Bologna, when at -the age of twenty, and knocked Guicciardini, the historian, -down with a blow of his fist during a council of war in 1526.</p> - -<p class="pbq">“Christendom beheld in Sixtus the spectacle of a Pope who -trafficked in the bodies of his subjects, and the holy things of -God, to squander basely-gotten gold upon abandoned minions. -The peace of Italy was destroyed by desolating wars in the -advancement of the same worthless favourites. Sixtus destroyed -to annex Ferrara to the dominions of Girolamo Riario. -Nothing stood in his way but the House of Este, firmly planted -for centuries and connected by marriage or alliance with the -chief families of Italy. The Pope, whose lust for blood and -broils were equalled only by his avarice and his libertinism, -rushed with wild delight into a project which involved the -discord of the whole peninsula. He made treaties with -Venice and unmade them, stirred up all the passions of the -despots and set them together by the ears, called the Swiss -mercenaries into Lombardy, and when, finally, tired of fighting -for his nephew, the Italian powers concluded the peace of -Bagnolo, he died of rage in 1484. The Pope did actually die -of disappointed fury, because peace had been restored to the -country he had mangled for the sake of a favourite nephew.”</p> - -<p class="p1">This Pope seemed unable to exist without some cringing -favourite about his person. In 1463 he made his -valet, a lad of no character and parts, of base birth, with -nothing but his good looks and obsequiousness to speak -for him—Cardinal and Bishop of Parma, when his age -was only twenty.</p> - -<p>Sixtus was always impecunious. To replenish his -treasury he had two resources. One was the public sale -of places about the Court, and of benefices and of -ecclesiastical privileges. “Our churches, priests, altars, -sacred rites, our prayers, even heaven and our God, are<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[302]</a></span> -all purchasable,” is the exclamation of Baptista Mantuanus, -a scholar of the period. His second expedient -was the monopoly of corn throughout the Papal States. -Fictitious dearths were created; the value of wheat was -raised to famine prices, and good grain was sold out of -the States of the Church and bad grain was imported, -that the Pope might pocket the profits of the transaction. -Sixtus forced his subjects to buy at his stores, and -regarded their sufferings, and the disease bred of famine, -with indifferent eye.</p> - -<p>But, bad as he was, Sixtus did some good things. He -laid the basis of the great Vatican library, built a bridge -over the Tiber, and widened some of the streets.</p> - -<p>To him is due the introduction into the calendar of -the Feasts of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin, also -of the Presentation in the Temple, and of Ste. Anne, all -three of which find their place in the Anglican calendar; -also of S. Joseph.</p> - -<p>Sixtus happily put an end to the cruel persecution of -the “Spirituals,” a branch of the Franciscan Order -which advocated absolute poverty, and adherence to the -original mandates of the founder. Their prophet and -theologian had been d’Oliva. Pope John XXII. had -pronounced the writings of d’Oliva heretical, and had -handed over the “Spirituals” to the Inquisition, to be -dealt with as heretics. Between 1316 and 1352 as many -as 114 of them were burnt at the stake; but Sixtus IV. -reversed the judgment of John XXII. and declared -this teaching of Oliva to be orthodox; so that those who -had been burnt in accordance with the judgment of one -Pope, were martyrs for the truth according to the -decision of another.</p> - -<p>Sixtus died in 1484.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[303]</a></span></p> - -<p>Stephanus Infessura, a contemporary diarist, writes on -his death:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Sixtus died, on which most happy day God showed His -power on earth, in that He liberated His Christian people from -the hand of such an impious and iniquitous ruler, in whom was -no fear of God, no love for the rule of Christian people, no -charity, no tenderness, nothing but vile lusts, avarice, pride, -and vain glory.”</p> - -<p class="p1">He goes on with a catalogue of his crimes too horrible -to be quoted.</p> - -<p>So impressed was the College of Cardinals, on the -death of Sixtus IV., with the injury done to the Church -by the nepotism of the deceased Pope, by his alienation -of Church fiefs to his kinsmen and favourites, that on the -election of his successor, Innocent VIII., they made him -swear on every relic and by everything that is held most -sacred in Christendom, that he would not continue the -same abuses. He took the required oath, and no sooner -was he enthroned than he absolved himself from the -oaths he had taken.</p> - -<p>The same farce was enacted with Julius II. in 1503. -It really seemed like a Nemesis, that the Popes, who, -since the time of Gregory VII., had shown a rare -ingenuity in inventing oaths by means of which to -entangle men’s consciences and bring everything under -their power, now themselves took oaths, which they as -regularly broke. Indeed, it became obvious that no -solemn oath taken by a Pope was worth the breath that -uttered it, as he could at once absolve himself from -observing it; and it is a riddle how the cardinals should -have persisted in exacting capitulations from the Popes, -when they must have known that they would break -their plighted word as soon as ever they assumed the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[304]</a></span> -tiara. Julius II. pushed on the fortunes of his family, -which had been already aggrandised by Sixtus IV. -This done, he could devote himself, undisturbed by the -importunities of his kindred, to the gratification of that -innate love for war and broil which was the ruling -passion of his life.</p> - -<p>He was the fighting Pope, stern, resolute, indomitable. -The whippings he had received from his father had -steeled his spirit instead of breaking it. His portrait -by Raphael admirably expresses the character of this -second Della Rovere Pope. The hard, cold eye, the set -frown, the determined mouth, about which a smile never -quivered, and the flowing white beard, are eminently -characteristic of the man. There is not in the face a -trace of the ecclesiastic, not an indication of his having -led a spiritual life. But for the habit, he might have -been a doge or a military leader.</p> - -<p>Ranke thus describes him:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“Old as Julius was, worn by the vicissitudes of good and -evil fortune experienced through a long life, by the fatigues of -war and exile, and, above all, by the consequences of intemperance -and profligacy, he yet did not know what fear or -irresolution meant. In the extremity of age, he still retained -that great characteristic of manhood, an indomitable spirit. -He felt little respect for princes, and believed himself capable -of mastering them all. He took the field in person, and -having stormed Mirandola, he pressed into the city across the -frozen ditches and through the breach; the most disastrous -reverses could not shake his purpose, but seemed rather to -waken new resources in him. He was accordingly successful; -not only were his own baronies rescued from the Venetians, -but in the fierce contest that ensued he finally made himself -master of Parma, Placentia, and even Reggio, thus laying the -foundation of a power such as no Pope ever possessed before -him.”</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> - <img src="images/ill-304.jpg" width="400" height="551" id="i304" - alt="" - title="" /> - <div class="caption"><p class="pc">POPE SIXTUS IV</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[305]</a></span></p> - -<p>A shrewd, dissolute, wicked man, he was superior to -Sixtus in ability.</p> - -<p>He had his mistresses, his luxury, his simony, and his -cruelty, as Macchiavelli wrote of him.<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> Savona has no -cause to glory in those whom she sent to occupy the -chair of S. Peter.</p> - -<p>But the place is associated with another Pope, and -that one of a different stamp altogether, the unfortunate -Pius VII., relegated there in 1809, and obliged to remain -there till 1814. Pius was a good, quiet man, without -force of character. When Napoleon let him understand -that the States of the Church were to be taken from -him, Pius was in dire distress and perplexity. Acting -on the advice of his confidential attendant, Cardinal -Pacca, he launched an excommunication at Bonaparte, -Miollis, governor of Rome, all the French, and all such -Romans as participated in the annexation of the States -to the kingdom. The document was nailed up to the -doors of several of the Churches of Rome,—</p> - -<p class="pp6q p1">“But nobody seemed a penny the worse.”</p> - -<p class="pn1">till an event occurred which startled the good people of -the Eternal City.</p> - -<p>There was a grand reception at the Chigi Palace, to -which persons of all shades of politics were invited. A -large company had already assembled, when the major-domo -announced, “The Princess Borghese!” Now -Prince Borghese had been an active partisan of Bonaparte -and of the New Order. It was felt that the Prince -and the Princess were both involved in the sentence of -excommunication, and in former days no one would -have dared to receive into his house those who had -fallen under the ban of the Church. Presently the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[306]</a></span> -guests sat down to cards, and all went merrily until -one o’clock struck, when the Princess fell back in her -chair, and though she tried to speak, no intelligible -sound issued from her lips. Helpless and speechless, -she was conveyed to her own house, where she died -three days later.</p> - -<p>Then, as may be imagined, tongues wagged. It was -confidently asserted that the Princess had been struck -down by Providence. Her sudden death was represented -as a just punishment for her sin in espousing -the cause of the Pope’s enemies; and fanatics held her -up as an awful example and a warning.</p> - -<p>It was useless to hint that Providence had struck -at very poor game—an already half-paralysed old -woman—instead of smiting the real offenders. The -Princess was in indifferent health at the time, had lost -the use of her right arm through one stroke, and the -recurrence was what might have been anticipated. No -one would hear a word. She had reaped what others -had sown.</p> - -<p>Count Miollis now resolved on removing the Pope -from the city. Although his excommunications and -interdicts might safely be laughed at, yet his presence -in Rome was a hindrance to general reform of abuses, -and his person was a centre for every sort of cabal. -The Pope was in the Quirinale, which was close barred. -In the evening of June 5th the palace was surrounded -by French soldiers, and pickets of cavalry patrolled -the adjacent streets. Miollis authorised General Radet -to use force if necessary, to enter the Quirinale and -get possession of the Pope. Count Miollis stationed -himself in a summer-house in the Colonna gardens, -whence he could issue directions. Large numbers of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[307]</a></span> -the Italian and Roman nobles and people of the middle-class -assembled to see what would take place.</p> - -<p>The clock at the Quirinale was striking three-quarters -after two when Miollis made a sign to commence -operations. The gates remained fast shut. The French -soldiers tried to scale the garden walls, but failed; and -men were sent in hot haste to borrow ladders for the -purpose. These were obtained; but the first who surmounted -the wall, lost his footing in attempting to -descend on the farther side, and broke his leg. Another -judgment! and again levelled at very poor game. He -was a mulatto. General Radet, with a small following, -made good his entrance into the palace through a -window, and reached the grand staircase, which was -crowded with papal servants, who offered but a feeble and -half-hearted resistance, and were at once overpowered.</p> - -<p>In the meantime the other party had effected an -entrance over the garden wall.</p> - -<p>Radet lost no time in gaining the Pope’s apartments. -One or two doors had to be broken open, and then he -reached the ante-chamber, where were drawn up the -Papal Swiss guards. They at once laid down their -arms, without a show of fight. When a couple more -doors had been forced Radet reached the Pope’s audience -chamber. Pius had rigged himself up so as to produce -an impression. He wore a white silk cassock, a <i>mozetta</i> -on his head of crimson silk, and a gold stole. He was -seated at a table with Cardinals Pacca and Despuig. -But Radet was not overawed, as were the Gauls by the -sight of the white-bearded senators. Advancing, he -said, with courtesy,—</p> - -<p>“I have a most painful and trying commission to -execute, but I have sworn fidelity and obedience to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[308]</a></span> -Emperor, and I must obey his orders. On the part, -therefore, of his Majesty, I have to intimate to your -Holiness that you must renounce all temporal sovereignty -over Rome and the Roman States.”</p> - -<p>The Pope replied calmly: “I believed that I had -complied with the Emperor’s orders, when I took the -oath of fealty and obedience to him. We cannot cede -or renounce what is not our own. The temporal power -belongs to the Roman Church, and we are only the -administrators. Must we go alone?”</p> - -<p>“No; your Holiness can take Cardinal Pacca with -you.”</p> - -<p>A quarter of an hour afterwards the Pope, wearing -his red hat and mantle, left the Quirinale, and, along -with Cardinal Pacca, entered a carriage. General Radet -and an officer took seats opposite, and the blinds were -drawn down on the side on which sat the Pope.</p> - -<p>When the carriage was on its way Pius suddenly -exclaimed: “I have forgotten to bring my money; all -I have in my pocket is twenty bajocchi.”</p> - -<p>“And I,” said the Cardinal, “have only five.”</p> - -<p>“Then,” said the Pope, “this may be regarded as a -truly apostolic journey, with one franc seventy-five -centimes between us.”</p> - -<p>The Pope was conveyed somewhat hastily to Savona, -where he was well received, but kept under surveillance -for nearly six years.</p> - -<p>Savona was made the capital of the department of -Montenotte by Napoleon. The see was founded in 680. -From 1499 to 1528 it was entirely in the hands of the -Della Rovere and Riario families for five successions. -In 1098 it was the see of the bishop Peter Grossulano, -whose story is strange enough. Anselm, Archbishop<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[309]</a></span> -of Milan, died at Constantinople on his return from a -crusade early in October, 1100. During his absence -Grossulano had been constituted by him administrator -of the archdiocese, of which Savona was a suffragan. -When Grossulano heard of the death of Anselm, he -proceeded to an election of a successor, and was himself -chosen by the majority of the clergy and people. He -at once mounted the archiepiscopal throne.</p> - -<p>Milan had not long before passed through the furious -and savage troubles of Ariald and Herlembald over -the marriage of the clergy. There still remained in -Milan the turbulent Liprand, dissatisfied that peace had -settled down on the place. Possibly Grossulano was -not sufficiently rigorous against married clergy, perhaps -he had in some unknown way offended Liprand’s vanity, -for the latter at once ranged himself in opposition and -sent to the Pope to entreat him to withhold the pall -from the newly elected bishop. But Paschal would not -listen to his remonstrances, and, acting on the advice -of S. Bernard, abbot of Valumbrosa, he confirmed the -election and sent the pall.</p> - -<p>Angry at this, Liprand did his utmost to rouse the -people against their archbishop, and became such a -nuisance that Grossulano summoned a provincial council, -and, addressing the people, said: “If any one has aught -against me, let him proclaim it openly, otherwise he -shall not be heard.”</p> - -<p>Thereupon Liprand gathered a crowd of the disaffected -in his church of S. Paul, and in it denounced -the archbishop as simonacal, and he appealed to the -judgment of God against him. He would have a fire -lighted and pass through it to establish his assertion. -But the bishops assembled in council forbade the ordeal.</p> - -<p>However, as he continued to be a source of evil in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[310]</a></span> -Milan, Grossulano told him that he must either pass -through the flames or quit Milan. Liprand chose the -first alternative, but arranged the matter so that there -were two fires made at a convenient distance apart, and -he marched between them unhurt. Two years later -Liprand was summoned to Rome and sharply reprimanded; -nevertheless, Milan continued to be torn by -factions, Liprand and his followers refusing to receive -the ministrations of Grossulano and his clergy.</p> - -<p>At last the Archbishop departed for Jerusalem. -During his absence Liprand became more abusive and -uproarious, and managed to gather together a sufficient -party to elect in the room of Grossulano an ignorant, -uneducated man called Giordano, to be archbishop; and -the three suffragans of Asti, Genoa, and Turin consecrated -him. The bishop of Turin hurried to Rome -to obtain the pall for Giordano. Paschal was in the -midst of his strife with Henry V., and it was essential -that he should have the support of the Archbishop of -Milan. He could not be certain of Grossulano, whether -he were anti-imperial or not; besides, he was absent. -Giordano he hoped to use as a tool. Accordingly he -sent the pall to him, but stipulated that he was not to be -arrayed in it till he had sworn absolute submission to -the Pope, and to refuse investiture from the Emperor.</p> - -<p>For six months Giordano steadfastly refused to receive -the pall on these terms, but his scruples vanished -on the return of Grossulano, and he submitted unreservedly -to the Pope, who summoned a council in -the Lateran Palace, 1116, when a mock hearing of the -case took place; Grossulano was dismissed to Savona, -and Giordano was confirmed in his usurpation.</p> - -<p>Savona was a margravate held by a junior branch of -the great house of Monferrat. The Emperor Otto I.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[311]</a></span> -raised Aleram, Count of Monferrat, to the dignity of -margrave. Boniface, descended from a junior son, became -Margrave of Saluzzo. He died in 1130, and his -second son Enrico became Margrave of Savona. These -margravates were much like sea-anemones; when divided -up, each several parcel became an entire margravate -complete in itself. In 1215 Savona was gripped by -rapacious Genoa, and the last margravate died in 1233.</p> - -<p>A pretty drive of an hour takes one up the valley to -Santuario, a pilgrimage church with hospice, founded in -1536. The church, which is rich in marbles, contains -a miraculous image of the Virgin, tricked out with -velvet and jewels. She wears a diamond collar given -by King Charles Albert, and a jewelled crown presented -by Pope Pius VII. The chapter of S. Peter’s -claims the right to decide what miraculous images are -to be honoured with crowns, but the crowns themselves -are conferred by the popes. In 1632 a certain Count -Alessandro Sforza, a fanatic from Piacenza, by his will -left rents of a large estate to furnish gold and jewels -for this purpose; as time went on, the property grew in -value, and the crowns at the same time became more -splendid. The honour is usually reserved for the Virgin, -but occasionally the Bambino is remembered as well. -Figures of Christ are, however, never deemed worthy -of being crowned, except He be represented as a babe.</p> - -<p>The story of this image is not particularly novel and -interesting. It was found by a peasant where now -stands a little circular chapel on the hill above the -present sanctuary. He saw the Virgin in a vision, who -bade him go to Savona and bid the people erect a -church to enshrine her. He did as bidden, but the good -folk in Savona would not believe him, thought him<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[312]</a></span> -crazed, and locked him up. In the night the Virgin -released him. After some further trouble, and some -further miracles, the story was believed and the sanctuary -was erected.</p> - -<p>Beside the image is a little marble figure representing -the countryman who started the cult. Beneath the -feet of the Virgin issues a spring of water that is -supposed to cure all diseases, but is so intensely cold -as to be more likely to do harm than good.</p> - -<p>At Varazzi, near Savona, was born the famous -Jacques de Voragine, about the year 1230. Nothing is -known of the social position of his parents. In one of -his writings he speaks of the eclipse of 1239, and says -that he was still a child when it occurred. He became -a dominican in 1244, and in 1292 was elected to the -bishopric of Genoa. He laboured hard to effect a truce -between the Ghibelline and Guelf factions, which for -two whole months converted the streets of the capital -of Liguria into a field of battle. He succeeded. But the -peace was soon broken again. The story goes of him -that, being present in S. Peter’s along with Boniface VIII. -on Ash Wednesday, during the ceremonies, the pontiff, -supposing him to belong to the imperial party, dashed -the ashes in his face, shouting, “Remember, thou -Ghibelline, that thou and thy Ghibellines will be reduced -to dust.” Jacques is chiefly known through his <i>Legenda -Aurea</i>, a collection of the most outrageous, but also -the most romantic fables of the saints; a work that -had an enormous sale in the Middle Ages, and was -copied again and again, and read everywhere, and, incredible -as it may seem, was believed as gospel. He -died 1298.</p> - -<p>At Albizzola Superiore is the palace of the Della<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[313]</a></span> -Rovere family. Giuliano, nephew of Pope Sixtus IV., -as a boy was wont to carry the farm produce from his -father’s farm to Savona, either by boat or mule, however -rough the season might be, and, if he did not sell in the -market, was unmercifully thrashed by his father on his -return. But when his uncle became Pope, all this was -altered. He entered the ecclesiastical profession, became -a cardinal, and finally Pope, as already told. The palace -was built out of the plunder of the Church.</p> - -<p>Mme. de Genlis visited the Della Rovere palace at -Albizzola. She says:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The gardens are vast, but tasteless. I remarked there one -thing very singular—there were none of the charming flowers -one sees growing naturally in the fields; only oranges were there, -and box; this latter cultivated with the utmost care, in the -most superb vases that decorate the terraces. This villainous -box, planted in splendid vases, occupies its position solely -because it is more rare and costly a plant than myrtles, jessamines, -and oleanders.”</p> - -<p class="p1">She has given us an account of her journey to -Albenga, over rocks, the mountain road being so steep -and so dangerous that descents had to be made on foot. -“I may almost say that we arrived barefooted, for the -stones during three days had so worn and pierced our -shoes, that the soles were nearly gone.” And beyond -Savona she says</p> - -<p class="pbqn p1">“the journey is most dangerous, but at the same time -most interesting. The horror of the precipices made me -walk three-quarters of the way, over stones and cutting rocks. -I arrived at Genoa with my feet swollen and full of blisters, -but otherwise in rude health.”</p> - -<p class="p1">How the journey from Marseilles to Genoa has -changed since Mme. de Genlis took that road with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[314]</a></span> -Duchesse de Chartres a few years before the outbreak -of the Revolution, may be judged by some further -instances.</p> - -<p>When the party left Antibes for Nice, they went by -sea, because of the badness of the road; and were -obliged to be accompanied by a felucca with a whole -regiment on board, to protect them against corsairs.</p> - -<p>At Ospidaletta</p> - -<p class="pbqn p1">“we were forced to halt and spend the night, one of the most -frightful places that hospitality ever provided. We slept three -in one room, and we made up a sort of bed for Mme. the -Duchess of Chartres with mule cloths and leaves. In one -room were two great heaps of corn, and the master of the house -assured us that we should sleep well if we buried ourselves in the -grain. The gentlemen gave us their cloaks to cover the corn. -One had to go to bed in the most extraordinary attitude—in -fact, almost upright. We passed the night in continual interruptions, -caused by slidings down and by the upset of masses -of corn. With joy we saw the day dawn; and as we had slept -in our clothes, our toilettes did not occupy us long.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The whole of the Riviera from Nice to Genoa—indeed, -the whole of Provence—is studded with ruined castles -and palaces: of these, only the most mean, that house of -cards, Monaco, remains intact. They tell us of a time -when the great families lived in lordly state, under the -absolutism of the French crown or the despotism of the -Genoese Republic. In Genoa itself the families inscribed -on the Golden Book, and alone having the right -to sit in council and direct the affairs of state, and mismanage -and oppress the Ligurian coast and Corsica, did -not exceed one hundred and seventy. But in Liguria -there were at least four hundred and fifty noble families -decorated with titles, possessing vast estates, commanderies,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[315]</a></span> -and hereditary wealth, who were excluded -from all share in the government.</p> - -<p>All have gone under, not in the wars for the Milanese, -but in the Revolution; and these ruined castles and -palaces are their tombstones. Who can doubt that -it is well that so it should have been. In the words of -Macaulay:—</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The volcano has spent its rage. The wide waste produced -by its outbreak is forgotten. The landmarks which were swept -away have been replaced. The ruined edifices have been -repaired. The lava has covered with a rich incrustation the -fields which it once devastated, and, after having turned a -beautiful and fruitful garden into a desert, has again turned the -desert into a still more beautiful and fruitful garden. The -marks of its ravages are still all around us. The ashes are -beneath our feet. In some directions the deluge of fire still -continues to spread. Yet experience surely entitles us to -believe that this explosion will fertilise the soil which it has -devastated. Already, in those parts which have suffered most -severely, rich cultivation and secure dwellings have begun to -appear amidst the waste.”</p> - -<p class="p1">The palaces of the Lascaris, the Grimaldis, the -Durazzos, the Della Roveres, the Dorias, are in ruins, -but in their places rise hotels de Paris, de l’Univers, the -Metropole; and the bands of bravos entertained by the -nobles are replaced by Italian and Swiss waiters.</p> - -<p class="pbq p1">“The more we read the history of past ages, the more we -observe the signs of our own times, the more do we feel our -hearts filled and swelled up by a good hope for the future -destinies of the human race.”</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[316]</a></span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">INDEX</h2> - - -<p class="pni p2">Absolution from vows, <a href="#Page_164">164-5</a>, <a href="#Page_303">303</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Adam de Craponne, <a href="#Page_8">8</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Addison, <a href="#Page_53">53-4</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Ægitna, <a href="#Page_180">180</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Æschylus, <a href="#Page_8">8</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Agay, <a href="#Page_152">152</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Agricola, <a href="#Page_121">121-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Aix, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_55">55-71</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Alassio, <a href="#Page_288">288-90</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Albenga, <a href="#Page_293">293-5</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Albizzola, <a href="#Page_312">312-3</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Algerine pirates, <a href="#Page_225">225</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Aloes, <a href="#Page_7">7</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Amadeus, Duke of Savoy, <a href="#Page_209">209</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Ambrons and Teutons, <a href="#Page_56">56-9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Ambrose, S., <a href="#Page_28">28-9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Andora, <a href="#Page_290">290</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Ampelio, S., <a href="#Page_273">273-4</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Amphitheatres, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>, <a href="#Page_206">206</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Andrew, King, <a href="#Page_136">136</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Angers, <a href="#Page_70">70</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Annulling of marriage, <a href="#Page_239">239-40</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Antibes, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>, <a href="#Page_187">187-8</a>, <a href="#Page_190">190</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Architecture, domestic, <a href="#Page_279">279-80</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Gothic, <a href="#Page_22">22-3</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Arco Romans, <a href="#Page_289">289</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Argens River, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Arles, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>, <a href="#Page_18">18</a>, <a href="#Page_25">25</a>, <a href="#Page_39">39</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Arluc, <a href="#Page_185">185-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Armentarius, S., <a href="#Page_131">131</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Augustine predestination, <a href="#Page_100">100-1</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Augustus, Emperor, <a href="#Page_241">241-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni"><a name="Aurelian_Way" id="Aurelian_Way">Aurelian Way</a>, <a href="#Page_55">55</a>, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>, <a href="#Page_148">148</a>, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>, <a href="#Page_272">272</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Avignon, sale of, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">union with France, <a href="#Page_17">17</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Baal, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_121">121</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Bagne, <a href="#Page_76">76-7</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Balaun, Pierre de, <a href="#Page_35">35</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Balbs, Bertrand de, <a href="#Page_208">208</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Baptistery, <a href="#Page_272">272</a>, <a href="#Page_294">294</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Bar, le, <a href="#Page_174">174</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Barbarossa, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>, <a href="#Page_292">292</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Barjac, Pierre de, <a href="#Page_35">35</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Barma Grande, <a href="#Page_261">261</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Barras, <a href="#Page_82">82</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Baux, les, <a href="#Page_236">236</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Bazaine, Marshal, <a href="#Page_195">195-9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Belzunce, Bishop, <a href="#Page_51">51</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Berengarius, Marquess, <a href="#Page_107">107</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Bishop and chapter, <a href="#Page_179">179</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Blanc, M., <a href="#Page_237">237-8</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Boccaccio, <a href="#Page_37">37-8</a>, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>, <a href="#Page_143">143</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Bonaparte, Joseph, <a href="#Page_52">52-3</a></p> - -<p class="pni">— Napoleon. <i>See</i> <a href="#Napoleon">Napoleon</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Bordighera, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>, <a href="#Page_267">267</a>, <a href="#Page_273">273-5</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Bormes, <a href="#Page_175">175</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Bourbon, Constable de, <a href="#Page_48">48-9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Bozo, King of Arles, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Bravade, <a href="#Page_111">111-12</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Bresca family, <a href="#Page_285">285-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Brougham, Lord, <a href="#Page_2">2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Brumaire, the 18th, <a href="#Page_126">126</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Burning Bush, triptych, <a href="#Page_70">70-1</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Butillo Prignano, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_144">144</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Cabane, Philippine, <a href="#Page_135">135-7</a></p> - -<p class="pni">— Raymond, <a href="#Page_135">135-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cabasse, <a href="#Page_11">11</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cabastaing, William de, <a href="#Page_37">37</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cabris, Louise de, <a href="#Page_169">169-72</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cæsar, Julius, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>, <a href="#Page_41">41-3</a>, <a href="#Page_118">118</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[317]</a></span></p><p class="pni">Cagnes, <a href="#Page_224">224-5</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Californie, la, <a href="#Page_183">183</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Calvinus, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Camporosso, <a href="#Page_273">273</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cannes, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>, <a href="#Page_180">180-204</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cap Roux, <a href="#Page_153">153</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Carbo, <a href="#Page_57">57</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Carcists and Razats, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>, <a href="#Page_176">176-7</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Carlone, <a href="#Page_225">225</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Carnival, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>, <a href="#Page_127">127-8</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Carob tree, <a href="#Page_100">100-1</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Carteaux, <a href="#Page_79">79</a>, <a href="#Page_80">80</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cassien, S. <a href="#Page_185">185-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Castellar, <a href="#Page_259">259-60</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Castellaro, <a href="#Page_282">282</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cavalaire, <a href="#Page_98">98</a></p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Caveau Moderne</i>, <a href="#Page_127">127</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cemenelium, <a href="#Page_206">206</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Chalk, <a href="#Page_8">8-9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Charles of Anjou, <a href="#Page_134">134-51</a> <a href="#Page_160">160-4</a>, <a href="#Page_269">269</a></p> - -<p class="pni">— of Durazzo, <a href="#Page_135">135-42</a>, <a href="#Page_144">144</a>, <a href="#Page_209">209</a></p> - -<p class="pni">— the Lame, <a href="#Page_163">163-5</a></p> - -<p class="pni">— V., Emperor, <a href="#Page_149">149</a>, <a href="#Page_150">150</a>, <a href="#Page_210">210-12</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Choirs at West End, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>, <a href="#Page_167">167</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cians, Gorge of, <a href="#Page_226">226</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cimbri, <a href="#Page_56">56-9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cimiez, <a href="#Page_206">206-7</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Clary damsels, <a href="#Page_52">52-3</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Clement IV., <a href="#Page_160">160</a></p> - -<p class="pni">— VI., <a href="#Page_136">136-7</a></p> - -<p class="pni">— VII., <a href="#Page_141">141-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Clus, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_222">222</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cœpio, <a href="#Page_58">58</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cognard, <a href="#Page_77">77-9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cogolin, <a href="#Page_109">109</a>, <a href="#Page_110">110</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Colouring of Provence, <a href="#Page_10">10</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Collet, <a href="#Page_217">217-24</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Conradin, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>, <a href="#Page_163">163</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Cork trees, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>, <a href="#Page_100">100</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Corniche Road, <a href="#Page_148">148</a>, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>, <a href="#Page_241">241</a>, <a href="#Page_256">256</a>, <a href="#Page_261">261</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Court of Love, <a href="#Page_33">33</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Crowned images, <a href="#Page_311">311</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Dance of Death, <a href="#Page_174">174</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Dancing in churches, <a href="#Page_19">19</a></p> - -<p class="pni">David, the artist, <a href="#Page_225">225-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Desangiers, <a href="#Page_126">126-9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Devota, Ste., <a href="#Page_243">243-4</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Dolceacqua, <a href="#Page_273">273</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Dolmen, <a href="#Page_131">131</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Dome falls in, <a href="#Page_213">213</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Doria, Andrew, <a href="#Page_232">232-3</a>, <a href="#Page_290">290-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">— Bartholomew, <a href="#Page_231">231-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">— family, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>, <a href="#Page_273">273</a>, <a href="#Page_278">278</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Durance, River, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>, <a href="#Page_49">49</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Embues, <a href="#Page_204">204</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Estérel, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>, <a href="#Page_147">147-56</a>, <a href="#Page_183">183</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Eze, <a href="#Page_225">225-6</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Farcing canticles, <a href="#Page_21">21</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Faron, <a href="#Page_72">72</a>, <a href="#Page_81">81</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Fauxbourdons, <a href="#Page_20">20-1</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Fayence, <a href="#Page_132">132-3</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Feast of Fools, <a href="#Page_69">69</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Fieschi family, <a href="#Page_293">293</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Flowers at Grasse, <a href="#Page_179">179</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Folk song, <a href="#Page_18">18-22</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Font, large, <a href="#Page_272">272</a>, <a href="#Page_294">294</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Fos family, <a href="#Page_88">88</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Foux, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>, <a href="#Page_204">204</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Fragonard, <a href="#Page_178">178</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Francis I., <a href="#Page_210">210</a>, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>, <a href="#Page_291">291</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Franks, <a href="#Page_206">206</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Fraxinet, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>, <a href="#Page_126">126</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Frederick II., <a href="#Page_268">268</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Fréjus, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114-26</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Fréron, <a href="#Page_82">82</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Fronde, <a href="#Page_131">131-2</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Gallinaria, <a href="#Page_289">289-90</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Galley slaves, <a href="#Page_74">74-5</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Gambling, <a href="#Page_244">244-54</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Garlenda, <a href="#Page_295">295-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Gapeau, River, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_97">97</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Garagoul, le, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Gaspard de Besse, <a href="#Page_150">150-1</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Genlis, Mme. de, <a href="#Page_52">52-3</a>, <a href="#Page_313">313-4</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Genoa, <a href="#Page_266">266-7</a>, <a href="#Page_278">278</a>, <a href="#Page_314">314</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Geology, <a href="#Page_4">4-6</a>, <a href="#Page_8">8</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Gerard de Roussillon, <a href="#Page_31">31-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Gibbets, <a href="#Page_234">234-5</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Godeau, Bishop, <a href="#Page_165">165-7</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Gold dust, <a href="#Page_4">4</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Gorge of the Loup, <a href="#Page_172">172-4</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Granite, <a href="#Page_97">97</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Grasse, <a href="#Page_18">18</a>, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>, <a href="#Page_157">157-9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Gregory IX., <a href="#Page_159">159</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[318]</a></span></p><p class="pni">Grimaud, <a href="#Page_109">109</a>, <a href="#Page_110">110</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Grimaldi family, <a href="#Page_109">109</a>, <a href="#Page_208">208-9</a>, <a href="#Page_224">224-5</a>, <a href="#Page_229">229-37</a>, <a href="#Page_258">258-9</a>, <a href="#Page_269">269</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Grossulano, Bishop, <a href="#Page_308">308-10</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Guelfs and Ghibellines, <a href="#Page_267">267</a>, <a href="#Page_278">278</a>, <a href="#Page_317">317</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Hamilton, Lady Mary, <a href="#Page_239">239-40</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Hanbury, Sir Thomas, <a href="#Page_261">261</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Hannibal, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_294">294</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Henry IV., <a href="#Page_73">73</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Heraclea, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></p> - -<p class="pni">— cacabarea, <a href="#Page_110">110</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Heracles, <a href="#Page_8">8</a>, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Hermits, <a href="#Page_185">185</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Hilary, S., <a href="#Page_122">122-4</a>, <a href="#Page_153">153</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Honoratus, S., <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_153">153-6</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Hospice, S., <a href="#Page_207">207</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Hugh of Provence, <a href="#Page_104">104-7</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Huguenots, <a href="#Page_174">174-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Hyères, <a href="#Page_84">84-96</a>, <a href="#Page_138">138</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Hymn, lucky number of, <a href="#Page_233">233-4</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Hymns, <a href="#Page_25">25-9</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Iron Mask, <a href="#Page_191">191-5</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">James, of Aragon, <a href="#Page_139">139</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Jeannette, Ste., <a href="#Page_158">158</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Jenkins’s Ear, <a href="#Page_181">181-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Jerusalem, Crown of, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>, <a href="#Page_134">134</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Joanna I. of Naples, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_133">133-143</a></p> - -<p class="pni">” II. ” 133, <a href="#Page_145">145-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">John XI., <a href="#Page_106">106</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Jouvines, les, <a href="#Page_18">18</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Julius II., <a href="#Page_304">304-5</a>, <a href="#Page_313">313</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Lampedusa, <a href="#Page_282">282-3</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Langue d’Oc, <a href="#Page_24">24</a>, <a href="#Page_29">29</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Lascaris family, <a href="#Page_269">269-71</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Lazarus, S., <a href="#Page_47">47-8</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Lemons, <a href="#Page_275">275-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Leprosy, <a href="#Page_281">281</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Lerins, Iles of, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>, <a href="#Page_190">190-203</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Levant, Ile of, <a href="#Page_93">93-5</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Ligurians, <a href="#Page_8">8</a>, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_39">39-41</a>, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>, <a href="#Page_148">148</a>, <a href="#Page_180">180-1</a>, <a href="#Page_206">206</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Limestone, <a href="#Page_9">9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Lombards, <a href="#Page_206">206</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Louis of Tarentum, <a href="#Page_137">137-9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">” XI., <a href="#Page_67">67</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">annexes Provence, <a href="#Page_70">70</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Louis XIV., <a href="#Page_191">191-3</a>, <a href="#Page_242">242</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Loup, Gorges of the, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>, <a href="#Page_172">172-4</a>, <a href="#Page_284">284</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Love, Troubadour, <a href="#Page_31">31-7</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Lympia, <a href="#Page_205">205</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Majolus, S., <a href="#Page_107">107-8</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Marceau, General, <a href="#Page_216">216</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Margaret, Queen, <a href="#Page_66">66-7</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Marius, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_59">59-61</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Marozia, <a href="#Page_105">105-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Marseilles, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_18">18</a>, <a href="#Page_39">39-54</a>, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">Marquesate, <a href="#Page_88">88</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Marie, sister of Joanna I., <a href="#Page_143">143</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Marquisates, <a href="#Page_311">311-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Martha, Ste., <a href="#Page_48">48</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">sorceress, <a href="#Page_60">60</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Marriage, Troubadour idea of, <a href="#Page_31">31-7</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Martin, S., <a href="#Page_289">289-90</a></p> - -<p class="pni">” IV., <a href="#Page_164">164</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Mary Magdalen, Ste., <a href="#Page_48">48</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Masséna, <a href="#Page_213">213-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Massacre at Toulon, <a href="#Page_82">82-3</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Matthews, Admiral, <a href="#Page_181">181-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Mattioli, <a href="#Page_193">193</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Maures, Montagnes des, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_97">97-112</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>, <a href="#Page_138">138</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Maxim, Sir Hiram, <a href="#Page_248">248</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Maximin, S., <a href="#Page_23">23</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Megalithic monuments, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Melkarth, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_227">227</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Mentone, <a href="#Page_228">228</a>, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>, <a href="#Page_255">255-63</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Merle, Captain, <a href="#Page_91">91-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Mellin, <a href="#Page_151">151-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Mirabeau family, <a href="#Page_169">169-172</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Miramas, <a href="#Page_8">8</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Mistral, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>, <a href="#Page_257">257</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Monaco, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_226">226-54</a>, <a href="#Page_259">259</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Monte Carlo, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>, <a href="#Page_239">239-54</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Montpellier, <a href="#Page_1">1</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Monans Sartoux, <a href="#Page_174">174-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Mulberry trees, <a href="#Page_101">101</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Music, <a href="#Page_26">26-29</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Muy, le, <a href="#Page_149">149</a>, <a href="#Page_150">150</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2"><a name="Napoleon" id="Napoleon">Napoleon</a> I., <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_80">80-3</a>, <a href="#Page_115">115-8</a>, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>, <a href="#Page_193">193-5</a>, <a href="#Page_305">305</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Napoule, La, <a href="#Page_186">186-7</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Narbonne, <a href="#Page_16">16</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Nervia, River, <a href="#Page_273">273</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Nice, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_205">205-226</a>, <a href="#Page_255">255</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Nicolas IV., <a href="#Page_164">164</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[319]</a></span></p><p class="pni">Nîmes, <a href="#Page_16">16</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Obelisk at Rome, <a href="#Page_285">285-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Olives, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>, <a href="#Page_84">84-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Ollioules, <a href="#Page_79">79</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Oneglia, <a href="#Page_290">290-1</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Opimus, Quintus, <a href="#Page_180">180-1</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Oranges, <a href="#Page_86">86-7</a>, <a href="#Page_275">275-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Ospidaletta, <a href="#Page_314">314</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Pagan customs, <a href="#Page_17">17-18</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Paillon, River, <a href="#Page_205">205-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Palaces, Italian, <a href="#Page_314">314-5</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Palermo, <a href="#Page_163">163-4</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Palestrina, <a href="#Page_22">22</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Palms, <a href="#Page_285">285-7</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Patrick, S., <a href="#Page_202">202</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Paul III., <a href="#Page_210">210-1</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Peter of Aragon, <a href="#Page_163">163-4</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Phaeton, fall of, <a href="#Page_225">225</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Phocœans, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_206">206</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Phœnicians, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_39">39</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Pius VII., <a href="#Page_305">305</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Plague at Marseilles, <a href="#Page_49">49-51</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Pompée de Grasse, <a href="#Page_175">175</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Pompey, <a href="#Page_41">41</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Pomponiana, <a href="#Page_89">89</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Pons, S., <a href="#Page_207">207</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Porcarius, <a href="#Page_203">203</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Pourrières, <a href="#Page_61">61</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Predestination, <a href="#Page_200">200-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Prehistoric man, <a href="#Page_261">261-3</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Procession at Aix, <a href="#Page_67">67-9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Provence, Roman colony, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_206">206</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">union with France, <a href="#Page_70">70</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Puget Théniers, <a href="#Page_226">226</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Pytheas, <a href="#Page_43">43-6</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Quarries, Roman, <a href="#Page_153">153</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Rancher, <a href="#Page_216">216-17</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Raphael, S., <a href="#Page_113">113-19</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Raymond Berenger, <a href="#Page_158">158-60</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Red caps, <a href="#Page_75">75</a></p> - -<p class="pni">— ochre, <a href="#Page_262">262</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Reformatory, insurrection in, <a href="#Page_93">93-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Reign of Terror, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>, <a href="#Page_81">81-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Relics, <a href="#Page_274">274-5</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Remo, San, <a href="#Page_274">274</a>, <a href="#Page_276">276-86</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Réné, King, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_62">62-71</a>, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>, <a href="#Page_286">286</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Rhone, River, <a href="#Page_5">5-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni"><i>Robinet de Donzère</i>, <a href="#Page_5">5</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Roman settlements, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>, <a href="#Page_206">206</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Romeo de Villeneuve, <a href="#Page_158">158-61</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Romulus, S., <a href="#Page_278">278</a>, <a href="#Page_281">281</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Roquebrune, <a href="#Page_236">236</a>, <a href="#Page_259">259</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Roslyn, Lord, <a href="#Page_248">248-9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Roulette, <a href="#Page_246">246-9</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Roya, River, <a href="#Page_271">271</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Rudel, Geoffrey, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Ruffini, <a href="#Page_282">282</a>, <a href="#Page_285">285</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Sabreurs and Canifets, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>, <a href="#Page_132">132</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Salt, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_89">89</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Sans phrases, <a href="#Page_125">125</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Santuario, <a href="#Page_311">311</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Saracens, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_101">101-9</a>, <a href="#Page_202">202-3</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207-8</a>, <a href="#Page_260">260</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Saussure, <a href="#Page_151">151</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Savona, <a href="#Page_296">296-315</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Sea-fight, <a href="#Page_42">42-3</a>, <a href="#Page_290">290-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Ségurane, <a href="#Page_211">211-12</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Sicilian vespers, <a href="#Page_163">163</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Sieyès, <a href="#Page_124">124-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Silkworms, <a href="#Page_201">201</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Sixtus IV., <a href="#Page_296">296-303</a></p> - -<p class="pni">— V., <a href="#Page_285">285-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Spélunges, les, <a href="#Page_238">238</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Springs in the sea, <a href="#Page_203">203</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Stones, cult of, <a href="#Page_188">188-90</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Suicides, <a href="#Page_245">245-6</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Sumac, <a href="#Page_87">87</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Susanne de Villeneuve, <a href="#Page_175">175-7</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Taggia, River, <a href="#Page_284">284</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Taia River, <a href="#Page_186">186</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Templars, <a href="#Page_92">92</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Tende, county of, <a href="#Page_269">269-70</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Terpon, <a href="#Page_188">188</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Teutons, <a href="#Page_56">56-61</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Théas-Thorenc, <a href="#Page_177">177</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Theatre, Greek, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>, <a href="#Page_16">16</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Théoule, <a href="#Page_156">156</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Thouet-de-Beuil, <a href="#Page_226">226</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Toulon, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_72">72-83</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Towns, structure of, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_11">11</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Tropez, S., <a href="#Page_110">110-12</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Troubadours, <a href="#Page_29">29-37</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Turbie, la, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>, <a href="#Page_240">240-1</a>, <a href="#Page_256">256</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Tyrian dye 73</p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Umbrella pines, <a href="#Page_110">110</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Urban IV., <a href="#Page_134">134</a></p> - -<p class="pni">— VI., <a href="#Page_140">140-4</a></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[320]</a></span></p> - -<p class="pnii">Utriculares, <a href="#Page_190">190</a></p> - -<p class="pni p2">Valence, <a href="#Page_5">5</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Valescure, <a href="#Page_114">114</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Var River, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>, <a href="#Page_226">226</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Varazzi, <a href="#Page_312">312</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Vauban, <a href="#Page_73">73</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Vegetation, tropical, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>, <a href="#Page_277">277</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Veille, la, <a href="#Page_254">254</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Venaisin, bought, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>;</p> -<p class="pnii">annexed to France, <a href="#Page_17">17</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Vence, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>, <a href="#Page_167">167-8</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Venus Victrix, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Ventimiglia, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>, <a href="#Page_266">266-72</a>, <a href="#Page_275">275</a>, <a href="#Page_278">278</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Vesubie, River, <a href="#Page_226">226</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Via Aurelia. <i>See</i> <a href="#Aurelian_Way">Aurelian Way</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Victoire, Ste., <a href="#Page_61">61-2</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Victor, S. Abbey, <a href="#Page_47">47-8</a></p> - -<p class="pni">Voragine, Jacques de, <a href="#Page_312">312</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">Weihe, Captain, <a href="#Page_245">245-6</a>, <a href="#Page_249">249-50</a></p> - -<p class="pni">William, Count of Provence, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a></p> - - -<p class="pni p2">York, Duke of, <a href="#Page_254">254</a></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p class="pc4 reduct">PLYMOUTH:<br /> -WILLIAM BRENDON AND SON, LTD., PRINTERS</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -</div> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="p4">FOOTNOTES:</h2> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a></span> -<span class="smcap">Vinet</span>, <i>L’Art et l’Archæologie</i>, Mission de Phénicée, Paris, 1862.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a></span> -<span class="smcap">Fauriel</span>, <i>Hist. de la Poésie Provençale</i>, 1846, i., pp. 169-171.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a></span> -<i>Renaissance in Italy</i>: “The Catholic Revival,” ii. c. 12.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a></span> -So Virgil speaks of the soldiers singing as they marched, according to -rhythmic music—</p> -<p class="pfn8">“With measured pace they march along,<br /> -And make their monarch’s deeds their song.”</p> -<p class="pfr4"><i>Æneid</i>, viii., 698-9.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a></span> -<i>Renaissance in Italy.</i> “Italian Literature,” i., c. 2.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a></span> -See <span class="smcap">Elton’s</span> <i>Origins of English History</i>. London: 1890, pp. 6-32.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a></span> -<span class="smcap">Stanley Poole</span>, <i>The Barbary Pirates</i>.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a></span> -<i>La Provence Maritime</i>, 1897, p. 356.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a></span> -The tomb of Raimond de Cabane, the maître d’hôtel, is in the -Church of S. Chiara, Naples.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a></span> -The portraits of Joanna and of Louis of Tarentum may be seen in -the Church of Sta. Maria l’Incarnata, which she built in Naples. Her -marriage is there represented in a fresco by one of the pupils of Giotto; -again, another picture is of her in Confession. She is also represented on -the tomb of King Robert, her grandfather, in the Church of S. Chiara, -Naples.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a></span> -His tomb and statue, a life-like portrait, by Ciaccione, is in the -church of S. Giovanni a Carbonara, Naples.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a></span> -<i>La Provence Maritime</i>, Paris, 1897.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a></span> -<i>Les Grands Artistes</i>, Fragonard, par <span class="smcap">C. Mauclair</span>, Paris (<i>n.d.</i>)</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a></span> -A fantastic derivation. Actually, Arluc is By the Mere.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a></span> -<span class="smcap">Hopkins</span> (<span class="smcap">Tighe</span>) <i>The Man in the Iron Mask</i>, Lond. 1901.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a></span> -A fine head, dug out from the ruins, and supposed to be that of -Drusus, is now in the Copenhagen museum.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a></span> -<span class="smcap">Bennet</span>, <i>Winter and Spring on the Mediterranean</i>. London, 1870.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a></span> -<i>Age of the Despots</i>, ch. ii.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a></span> -<span class="smcap">J. A. Symonds</span>, <i>Age of the Despots</i>.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a></span> -<span class="smcap">Hare</span>, <i>Cities of Northern Italy</i>, i. p. 34.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a></span> -<span class="smcap">Lane Poole</span>, <i>The Barbary Corsairs</i>, p. 104.</p> - -<p class="pfn4"><span class="ln1"><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a></span> -“Tre sue famigliari e care anzelle, lussuria, simonia, e crudeltade” -(<i>Opere</i>, Flor., 1843, p. 882).</p></div> -</div> - -</div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's A Book of The Riviera, by S. 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