LIVRE VERT.

45

he addressing himself to the gentleman who accompanied me, "c'est un plaisir. Madame," he added, turning to me, "c'est un devoir." The distinction was nicely drawn.

We found the librarian a very obliging agreeable man; he regretted that he had nothing to show us worthy our attention, and explained that when Napoleon restored order to the churches and public edifices after the Revolution, he centralized all the manuscripts and choicest books in the public library at Avranches. To us this was no disappointment, for thither we were bound.

We inquired respecting a cartulary called the "Livre Vert," of which we had formerly heard, and found that it had answered at least one good purpose. A certain abbé of the diocese was, a few years since, at variance with his suffragan and brother canons, and nothing could heal the difference they even threatened him with expulsion from their community. When things were at the worst, the abbé luckily stumbled upon the Livre Vert, and finding it to contain much which threw disrepute upon many of the acts of the former clergy of the diocese, and unfolded many secrets which it was desirable should not be made known, he threatened to publish the volume. This brought the chapter to reason,

46

COUTANCES.-CATHEDRAL.

his demands, previously withstood, were acceded to, friendship restored, and the Livre Vert continues a sealed book to this hour.

We took leave of the very polite librarian, M. Chuquet, with much gratitude for his urbanity; and when we had sufficiently perambulated the picturesquely situated town of St. Lo, which is so built on a hill that those who live on the highest part can throw a biscuit into their inferior neighbour's pot au feu down the chimney, we set out for Coutances, which we reached about five o'clock in the evening, and remained only long enough to see the cathedral and carry away the impression that it is one of the most beautiful in Normandy.

The lightness and grace of the clusters of slender columns which support the roof, the delicacy of the sculpture, and the beauty of the stained glass, produce an effect that is not exceeded, and scarcely equalled in any cathedral in France. As to the town of Coutances, we quitted it without regret; it is close, dirty, and irregular; and when we reached the hill from whence the view of the cathedral is so fine, the freshness of the sea air, now sensibly perceptible, was a welcome exchange for the odours of the ancient town.

CHAPTER IV.

Granville.. Church Costume..

Avranches.-Mont St. Mi

chel. - Breton Legend of Mont St. Michel.

- The Avranchin.- Place Huet.- King Arthur's Niece.-The Mounts. -The Captive. - The Monk. - The Sands. - The Iron Cage.-Oubliettes.-La jeune France.

N the appearance of Granville, approaching from Coutances, there is something extremely picturesque. At a distance the upper town only is seen, standing on a fine bold pro

montory, with its high walls crowning the precipitous rock on which the town is built, its pyramidal groups of houses, and the old church and lighthouse rising above the whole. On either hand, as far as the eye can reach, stretches the sea, the coast of La Manche forming the boundary on one side, and the distant shores of Brittany first discernible across the Bay of Granville, marking their faint outline on the other. On a nearer approach a wide valley sud

48

GRANVILLE.

denly presents itself, the road winds abruptly down a very steep hill, the lower town spreads itself at our feet, and the harbour lies before us.

While we were yet distant from the town all this seemed very beautiful, but there is a wide difference between the semblance and the reality. Granville is a place forte, and on this account the faubourg, where the greater part of its large population must live, exists merely on sufferance, and no embellishment in the shape of lofty buildings, wide streets, or commodious edifices, is permitted, lest the exigencies of war should call for their destruction, and interfere with the defences of the place. There might have been some reason for this in former days, but in the present mode of warfare, the possession of the faubourg of Granville would be of little service to the besiegers.

All the inns are equally detestable.

The view from the upper town is exceedingly fine, but there is nothing in it worth notice save the church.

This is a fine old grey building, of the early Norman period, low and massive in its architecture, sombre and imposing in its effect. It is little decorated, either internally or externally, but a grave simplicity harmonizes better with the scene. The lateness of the hour as we entered

COSTUME OF THE DEVOTEES.

49

its dark aisles added much to the effect. The vesper service was nearly over, two tapers on the high altar cast a feeble ray through the gloom, the waning light of day struggled faintly through the narrow windows, and the kneeling congregation were hushed in silence and prayer.

We would gladly have lingered, but the service shortly concluded, and we went out with the crowd, admiring not only the costume but the personal appearance of the fair devotees. The women of Granville are extremely pretty, more so, I think, than in those parts of Lower Normandy where their beauty is so much vaunted; they possess greater delicacy of complexion and more regularity of feature. Their costume, which is quite peculiar to Granville, and resembles no other in Normandy, tends much to set them off. Their head-dress, which is so distinguishing a part, is not of the extravagant height or fantastic shape retained since the fifteenth century throughout the province, but more resembles that of a far earlier period, and assimilates very much to the oriental form, consisting of folds of fine linen, piled like a turban, with a broad flounce or frill, surrounding features of remarkable beauty. Above their ordinary dress they all wear, when they go out, what they term a "capot" of black serge or stuff, or perhaps of silk; it is like a man

VOL. I.

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