In Troubador-Land | Page 2

Greek and Gaulish--The colonisation by
the Romans--The type of beauty in Arles--The amphitheatre--A
bull-baiting--Provençal bull-baits different from Spanish
bull-fights--The theatre--The ancient Greek stage--The destruction of
the Arles theatre--Excavation of the orchestra--Discovery of the Venus
of Arles--A sick girl--Palace of Constantine

CHAPTER VIII.
CHRISTIAN ARLES.
Sunday in France--Improved observance--The cathedral of Arles--West
front--Interior-Tool-marks--A sermon on peace--The cloisters--Old
Sacristan and his garden--Number of desecrated churches in
Arles--Notre Dame de la Majeur--S. Cæsaire--The isles near

Arles--Cordes--Montmajeur--A gipsy camp--The ruins--Tower--The
chapel of S. Croix

CHAPTER IX.
LES BAUX.
The chain of the Alpines--The promontory of Les Baux--The railway
from Arles to Salon--First sight of Les Baux--The churches of S. Victor,
S. Claude, and S. Andrew--The lords of Les Baux claimed descent
from one of the Magi--The fair maid with golden locks--The chapel of
the White Penitents--The _deïmo_--History of the House of Les
Baux--The barony passes to the Grimaldi--The ladies of Les Baux and
the troubadours--Fouquet--William de Cabestaing--The morality of the
loves of the troubadours--The Porcelets--Story of a siege--Les Baux a
place of refuge for the citizens of Arles--_Glanum Liviæ_--Its Roman
remains--In the train--Jäger garments

CHAPTER X.
THE CAMPAIGN OF MARIUS.
The Trémaïé--Representation of C. Marius, Martha, and Julia--The
Gaïé--The Teutons and Ambrons and Cimbri threaten Italy--C. Marius
sent against them--His camp at S. Gabriel--The canal he cut--The
barbarians cross the Rhone--First brush with them--They defile before
him at Orgon--The rout of the Ambrons at Les Milles--He follows the
Teutons--The plain of Pourrières--Position of Marius--The
battle--Slaughter of the Teutons--Position of their camp--Monument of
Marius--Venus Victrix--Annual commemoration

CHAPTER XI.

TRETS AND GARDANNE.
The fortifications of Trets--The streets--The church--Roman
sarcophagus--Château of Trets--Visit to a self-educated
archæologist--His collection made on the battle-field--Dispute over a
pot of burnt bones--One magpie--Gardanne--The church--A
vielle--Trouble with it--Story of an executioner's sword

CHAPTER XII.
AIX.
Dooll, but the mutton good--Les Bains de Sextius--Ironwork caps to
towers--S. Jean de Malthe--Museum--Cathedral--Tapestries and
tombs--The cloisters--View from S. Eutrope--King René of Anjou--His
misfortunes--His cheeriness--His statue at Aix--Introduces the Muscat
grape

CHAPTER XIII.
THE CAMARGUE.
Formation of the delta of the Rhone--The diluvial wash--The alluvium
spread over this--The three stages the river pursues--The zone of
erosion--The zone of compensation--The zone of deposit--River
mouths--Estuaries and deltas--The formation of bars--Of lagoons--The
lagoons of the Gulf of Lyons--The ancient position of Arles between
the river and the lagoons--Neglect of the lagoons in the Middle
Ages--They become morasses--Attempt at remedy--Embankments and
drains--A mistake made--The Camargue now a desert--Les Saintes
Maries--No evidence to support the legend--Based on a
misapprehension

CHAPTER XIV.
TARASCON.
Position of Tarascon and Beaucaire opposite each other--Church of S.
Martha--Crypt--Ancient paintings--Catechising--Ancient altar--The
festival of the Tarasque--The Phoenician goddess Martha--Story of S.
Fronto--Discussion at _déjeûner_ over the entry of M. Carnot into
Marseilles--The change in the French
character--Pessimism--Beaucaire--Font--Castle--Siege by Raymond
VII.--Story of Aucassin and Nicolette

CHAPTER XV.
NIMES.
The right spelling of Nimes--Derivation of name--The
fountain--Throwing coins into springs--Collecting coins--Symbol of
Agrippa--Character of Agrippa--What he did for Nimes--The Maison
Carrée--Different idea of worship in the Heathen world from what
prevails in Christendom--S. Baudille--Vespers--Activity of the Church
in France--Behaviour of the clergy in Italy to the King and Queen--The
Revolution a blessing to the Church in France--Church services in Italy
and in France--The Tourmagne--Uncertainty as to its use--Cathedral of
Nimes--Other churches--A canary lottery--Altars to the Sun--The
sun-wheel--The cross of Constantine--Anecdote of Fléchier

CHAPTER XVI.
AIGUES MORTES AND MAGUELONNE.
A dead town--The Rhônes-morts--Bars--S. Louis and the
Crusades--How S. Louis acquired Aigues Mortes--His canal--The four
littoral chains and lagoons--The fortifications--Unique for their

date--Original use of battlements--Deserted state of the
town--Maguelonne--How reached--History of
Maguelonne--Cathedral--The Bishops forge Saracen coins--Second
destruction of the place--Inscription on door--Bernard de Treviis--His
romance of Pierre de Provence--Provençal poetry not always
immoral--Present state of Maguelonne

CHAPTER XVII.
BÉZIERS AND NARBONNE.
Position of Béziers--S. Nazaire--The Albigenses--Their
tenets--Albigensian "consolation"--Crusade against them--The
storming of Béziers--Massacre--Cathedral of Béziers--Girls' faces in
the train--Similar faces at Narbonne, in cathedral and
museum--Narbonne a Roman colony--All the Roman buildings
destroyed--Caps of liberty--Christian sarcophagi--Children's toys of
baked clay--Cathedral unfinished--Archiepiscopal
palace--Unsatisfactory work of M. Viollet-le-Duc--In trouble with the
police--Taken for a German spy--My sketch-book gets me off

CHAPTER XVIII.
CARCASSONNE.
Siege of Carcassonne by the Crusaders--Capture--Perfidy of
legate--Death of the Viscount--Continuation of the war--Churches of
New Carcassonne--_La Cité_--A perfect Mediæval fortified
town--Disappointing--Visigoth fortifications--Later additions--The
cathedral--Tomb of Simon de Montfort

CHAPTER XIX.

AVIGNON.
How Avignon passed to the Popes--The court of Clement VI.--John
XXII.--Benedict XII.--Their tombs--Petrarch and Laura--The Palace of
the Popes--The Salle Brûlée--Cathedral--Porch--S. Agricole--Church of
S. Pierre--The museum--View from the Rocher des doms--The
Rhone--The bridge--Story of S. Benezet--Dancing on
bridges--Villeneuve--Tomb of Innocent VI.--The castle at
Villeneuve--Defences--Tête-du-pont of the bridge

CHAPTER XX.
VALENCE.
A dull town--Cathedral--Jacques Cujas--His daughter--Pius VI.--His
death--Maison des Têtes--Le Pendentif--The castle of Crussol--The
dukes of Uzes--A dramatic company of the thirteenth century

CHAPTER XXI.
VIENNE.
Historic associations--Salvation Army bonnets--The fair--A quack--A
vampire--The amphitrite--A _carousel_--Temple of Augustus and
Livia--The Aiguille--Cathedral--Angels and musical instruments--S.