A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany Volume I Part 20

_Sevre_ is a long, rambling, and chiefly single-street town; but picturesquely situated, on a slope, and ornamented to the left by the windings of the Seine. We were downright glad to renew our acquaintance with our old, and long-lost friend, the river Seine; although it appeared to be sadly shorn of its majestic breadth since we had parted with it before the walls of Montmorenci castle, in our route to Havre. The new nine-arch bridge at Sevre is a sort of Waterloo bridge in miniature. Upon the heights, above it, I learnt that there was a beautiful view of the river in the foreground with Paris in the distance. We pa.s.sed over the old bridge, and saw _St. Cloud_ to the left: which of course interested us as the late residence of Bonaparte, but which, in truth, has nothing beyond the air of a large respectable country-gentleman's mansion in England. We pushed on, and began to have distinct perceptions of the great city. Of all the desirable places of retreat, whether for its elevated situation, or respectable appearance, or commodious neighbourhood, nothing struck me more forcibly than the village of Pa.s.sY, upon a commanding terrace, to the left; some three or four English miles from Paris--and having a n.o.ble view both of the river and of the city. It is also considered to be remarkably healthy; and carriages of every description, are constantly pa.s.sing thither to and from Paris.

The dome of the _Pantheon_, and the gilded one of the _Hotel des Invalides_, together with the stunted towers of _Notre Dame_, were among the chief objects to the right: while the accompaniment of the Seine, afforded a pleasing foreground to this architectural picture in the distance. But, my friend, I will frankly own to you, that I was disappointed ... upon this first glimpse of the GREAT city. In the first place, the surrounding country is flat; with the exception of _Mount Calvary,_ to the left, which has nothing to do with the metropolitan view from this situation. In the second place, what are the _Pantheon_ and _Notre Dame_ compared with _St. Paul's_ and _Westminster Abbey_?--to say nothing of the vicinity of London, as is connected with the beautifully undulating ground about Camberwell, Sydenham, Norwood, and. Shooter's Hill--and, on the other side of the water, Hampstead, Highgate and Harrow: again, Wimbledon and Richmond!... What lovely vicinities are these compared with that of _Mont Martre_? And if you take river scenery into the account, what is the _Seine_, in the neighbourhood of Paris, compared with the _Thames_ in that of London? If the almost impenetrable smoke and filth from coal-fires were charmed away--shew me, I beseech you, any view of Paris, from this, or from any point of approach, which shall presume to bear the semblance of comparison with that of London, from the descent from _Shooter's Hill_! The most bewitched Frenchified-Englishman, in the perfect possession of his eye sight, will not have the temerity to inst.i.tute such a comparison. But as you near the barriers, your admiration increases. Having got rid of all background of country--as you approach the capital--the foregoing objections vanish. Here the officers of police affected to search our luggage. They were heartily welcome, and so I told them. This disarmed all suspicion. Accordingly we entered Paris by one of the n.o.blest and one of the most celebrated of its Boulevards--the _Champs Elysees_. As we gained the _Place Louis Quinze_, with the _Thuileries_ in front, with the _Hotel des Invalides_ (the gilded dome of which latter reflected the strong rays of a setting sun) to the right--we were much struck with this combination of architectural splendour: indisputably much superior to any similar display on the entrance into our own capital.[174]

Turning to the left, the _Place Vendome_ and the _Rue de la Paix_, with the extreme height of the houses, and the stone materials of their construction, completed our admiration. But the _Boulevards Italiens_--after pa.s.sing the pillars of the proposed church of _Ste.

Madelaine_, and turning to the right--helped to prolong our extreme gratification, till we reached the spot whence I am addressing you.

Doubtless, at first glance, this is a most splendid and enchanting city.

A particular detail must be necessarily reserved, for the next despatch.

I shall take all possible pains to make you acquainted with the treasures of PAST TIMES--in the shape of Ma.n.u.scripts and printed Books.

THE ROYAL LIBRARY has as much astonished me, as the CURATORS of it have charmed me by their extreme kindness and civility.[175]

[174] [The above was written in 1818-19. Now, what would be said by a foreigner, of his first drive from Westminster Bridge, through Regent Street to the stupendous Pantheon facing the termination of Portland Place?]

[175] At this point, the labours of Mons. LICQUET, as my translator, cease; and I will let him take leave of his task of translation in his own words. "Ici se termine la tache qui m'a ete confiee. Apres avoir refute franchement tout ce qui m'a semble digne de letre, je crois devoir declarer, en finissant, que mes observations n'ont jamais eu _la personne_ pour objet. Je reste persuade, d'ailleurs, que le coeur de M.D. est tout-a-fait innocent des ecarts de son esprit. Si l'on peut le cond.a.m.ner pour le fait, il faudra toujours l'absoudre pour l'intention...." The _concluding_-sentence need not be copied: it is bad taste to re-echo the notices of one's own good qualities.

My Norman translator at least takes leave of me with the grace of a gentleman: although his thrusts have been occasionally direct and severely intended. The foil which he has used has not always had the b.u.t.ton covered. The candid reader will, however, judge how these thrusts have been parried; and if the "hits" on the part of my adversary, have been sometimes "palpable," those of the original author will not (it is presumed) be deemed feeble or unimpressive.

After all, the sum total of "Errata" scarcely includes THREE of _substantial moment_: and wishing Mons Licquet "a very good day," I desire nothing better than to renew our critical coqueting on the floor of that Library of which he is the "Bibliothecaire en Chef."

END OF VOL. I.

London: Printed by W. Nicol, Cleveland-row, St. James's.

SUPPLEMENT TO VOL. I.

OLD POEM ON THE SIEGE OF ROUEN.

The city of Rouen makes too considerable a figure in the foregoing pages, and its history, as connected with our own country in the earlier part of the fifteenth century, is too interesting, to require any thing in the shape of apology for the matter which the Reader is about to peruse. This "matter" is necessarily incidental to the _present_ edition of the "Tour;"

as it is only recently made public. An "_Old English Poem_" on our Henry the Fifth's "_Siege of Rouen_" is a theme likely to excite the attention of the literary Antiquary on _either_ side of the Channel.

The late erudite, and ever to be lamented Rev. J.J. Conybeare, successively Professor of the Saxon language, and of English Poetry in the University of Oxford, discovered, in the exhaustless treasures of the Bodleian Library, a portion of the Old English Poem in question: but it was a portion only. In the 21st. vol. of the Archaeologia, Mr. Conybeare gave an account of this fortunate discovery, and subjoined the poetical fragment. Mr. Frederick Madden, one of the Librarians attached to the MS. department in the British Museum, was perhaps yet more fortunate in the discovery of the portion which was lost: and in the 22d. vol. of the _Archaeologia_, just published, (pp. 350-398), he has annexed an abstract of the remaining fragment, with copious and learned notes. This fragment had found its way, in a prose attire, into the well-known English MS. Chronicle, called the BRUTE:--usually (but most absurdly) attributed to Caxton. It is not however to be found in _all_ the copies of this Chronicle. On the contrary, Mr.

Madden, after an examination of several copies of this MS. has found the poem only in four of them: namely, in two among the Harleian MSS. (Nos.

753; 2256--from which _his_ transcript and collation have been made) in one belonging to Mr. c.o.ke of Holkham, and in a fourth belonging to the _Cotton_ Collection:--Galba E. viii. This latter MS. has a very close correspondence with the _second_ Harl. MS. but is often faulty from errors of the Scribe, See _Gentleman's Magazine, May_, 1829.

So much for the history of the discovery of this precious old English Poem--which is allowed to be a contemporaneous production of the time of the Siege--namely, A.D. 1418. A word as to its intrinsic worth--from the testimony of the Critic most competent to appreciate it. "It will be admitted, I believe, (says Mr. Madden) by all who will take the trouble to compare the various contemporary narratives of the Siege of Rouen, that in point of simplicity, clearness, and minuteness of detail, there is NO existing doc.u.ment which can COMPARE with the Poem before us. Its authenticity is sufficiently established, from the fact of the Author's having been an EYEWITNESS of the whole. If we review the names of those Historians who lived at the same period, we shall have abundant reason to rejoice at so valuable an accession to our present stock of information on the subject." _Archaeologia_, vol. xxii. p. 353. The reader shall be no longer detained from a specimen or two of the poem itself, which should seem fully to justify the eulogy of the Critic.

"On the day after the return of the twelve delegates sent by the City of Rouen to treat with Henry, the Poet proceeds to inform us, that the King caused two tents to be pitched, one for the English Commissioners, and the other for the French. On the English side were appointed the Earl of Warwick, the Earl of Salisbury, the Lord Fitzhugh, and Sir Walter Hungerford, and on the French side, twelve discreet persons were chosen to meet them. Then says the writer,

'It was a sight of solempnity, For to behold both party; To see the rich in their array, And on the walls the people that lay, And on our people that were without, How thick that they walked about; And the heraudis seemly to seene, How that they went ay between; The king's heraudis and pursuivants, In coats of arms _amyantis_.

The English a beast, the French a flower, Of Portyngale both castle and tower, And other coats of diversity, As lords bearen in their degree.'

"As a striking contrast to this display of pomp and splendour is described the deplorable condition of those unfortunate inhabitants who lay starving in the ditches without the walls of the City, deprived both of food and clothing. The affecting and simple relation of our Poet, who was an eye-witness, is written with that display of feeling such a scene must naturally have excited, and affords perhaps one of the most favourable pa.s.sages in the Poem to compare with the studied narratives of Elmham or Livius. In the first instance we behold misery literally in rags, and hiding herself in silence and obscurity, whilst in the other she is ostentatiously paraded before our eyes:

'There men might see a great pity, A child of two year or three Go about, and bid his bread, For Father and mother both lay dead, And under them the water stood, And yet they lay crying after food.

Some _storven_ to the death, And some stopped both eyen and breath, And some crooked in the knees, And as lean as any trees, And women holding in their arm A dead child, and nothing warm, And children sucking on the pap Within a dead woman's lap.'

On Friday the 20th of January, King Henry V. made his public entry into Rouen. His personal appearance is thus described:

'He rode upon a brown steed, Of black damask was his weed, A _Peytrelle_ of gold full bright About his neck hung down right, And a pendant behind him did honge Unto the earth, it was so long.

And they that never before him did see, They knew by the cheer which was he.'

"With the accustomed, but mistaken, piety for which Henry was ever distinguished, he first proceeded to the monastery, where he alighted from his charger, and was met by the chaplains of his household, who walked before him, chanting _Quis est magnus Dominus?_ After the celebration of ma.s.s, the king repaired to the Castle, where he took up his abode. By this termination of a siege, which, for its duration and the horrors it produced, is perhaps without a parallel in ancient or modern times, the city was again plentifully supplied with provisions, and recovered the shock so tedious and afflicting a contest had occasioned:

'And thus our gracious liege Made an end of his siege; And all that have heard this reading, To his bliss Christ you bring, That for us died upon a tree, Amen say we all, _pur charite!_'

The Duke of Exeter is appointed Governor of the City, and ordered by Henry to take possession of it the same night. The Duke mounts his horse, and rides strait to the Port de Bevesyne or Beauvais, attended by a retinue, to carry the commands of his sovereign into execution. His Entre, and the truly miserable condition of the besieged, together with the imposing appearance of Henry, shall now be described in the language of the poet.

Thanne the duke of Excestre withoute bode Toke his hors and forth he rode, To bevesyne[E] that porte so stronge, That he hadde ley bifore so longe, To that gate sone he kam,[F]

And with hym many a worthy[G] manne.

There was neying of many a stede, And schynyng of many a gay wede, There was many a getoun[H] gay, With mychille[I] and grete aray.

And whanne the gate was openyd there, And thay weren[J] redy into fare, Trumpis[K] blewgh her bemys[L] of bras, Pipis and clarionys forsothe ther was, And as thay entrid thay gaf a schowte With her[M] voyce that was fulle stowte, 'Seint George! seint George!' thay criden[N] on height, And seide, 'welcome oure kynges righte.'

The Frensshe pepulle of that Cite Were gederid by thousandes, hem to see.

Thay criden[N] alle welcome in fere, 'In siche tyme mote ye entre here, Plesyng to G.o.d that it may be, And to vs pees and vnyte.'

And of that pepulle, to telle the trewthe, It was a sighte of fulle grete ruthe.

Mykelle of that folke therynne Thay weren[O] but verrey bonys and skynne.

With eyen holowgh and[P] nose scharpe, Vnnethe thay myght brethe or carpe, For her colowris was[Q] wan as lede, Not like to lyue but sone ben dede.

Disfigurid pateronys[R] and quaynte, And as[S] a dede kyng thay weren paynte.

There men myght see an[T] exampleyre, How fode makith the pepulle faire.[U]

In euery strete summe lay dede, And hundriddis krying aftir brede.

And aftir long many a day, Thay deyde as[V] faste as[W] they myght be lad away.

Into[X] that way G.o.d hem wisse, That thay may come to his blisse! amen.

Now[Y] wille y more spelle, And of the duke of exestre to[Z] telle.

To that Castelle firste he rode, And sythen[AA] the Cite alle abrode; Lengthe and brede he it mette, And rich baneris he[AB] vp sette.

Vpon the porte seint Hillare A Baner of the Trynyte.

And at[AC] the port Kaux he sette evene A baner of the quene of heven.

And at[AD] port martvile he vppyght Of seint George a baner bryght.

He sette vpon the Castelle to[AE] stonde The armys of Fr[a]unce and Englond.

And on the Friday in the mornynge Into that Cite come oure kynge.

And alle the Bisshoppis in her aray, And vij. abbottis with Crucchis[AF] gay; xlij.[AG] crossis ther were of Religioune[AH], And seculere, and alle thay went a precessioun, Agens that prince withoute the toune, And euery Cros as thay stode He blessid hem with milde mode, And holy water with her hande Thay gaf the prince of oure lande.

And at[AI] the porte Kaux so wide He in pa.s.sid withoute[AJ] pride; Withoute pipe or bemys blaste, Our kyng worthyly he in paste.

And as a conquerour in his righte Thankyng[AK] euer G.o.d almyghte; And alle the pepulle in that Citie 'Wilcome our[AL] lorde,' thay seide, 'so fre!

Wilcome into[AM] thyne owne righte, As it is the[AN] wille of[AO] G.o.d almyght.'

With that thay kryde alle _'nowelle!_'

Os[AP] heighe as thay myght yelle.

He rode vpon a browne stede, Of blak damaske was his wede.

A peytrelle[AQ] of golde fulle bryght Aboute his necke hynge[AR] doun right, And a pendaunte behynd him dide[AS] honge Vnto the erthe, it was so longe, And thay that neuer before hym dide[AT] see, Thay knew by chere[u] wiche was he.

To the mynster dide he fare, And of his horse he lighte there.

His chapelle[AU] mette hym at[AV] the dore there, And wente bifore[AW] hym alle in fere, And songe a response[AX] fulle glorivs, _Quis est magnus dominus_.

Messe he hirde and offrid thoo, And thanne to the Castelle dide he goo.

That is a place of rialte, And a paleis of grete beaute.

There he hym[AY] loggid in the Toune, With rialle and grete renoune.