the hunchback of notre dame-第25节

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　arch；　mistress　since　that　time；　constructed　the　rest　of　the　church。　　Nevertheless；　timid　and　inexperienced　at　the　start；　it　sweeps　out；　grows　larger；　restrains　itself；　and　dares　no　longer　dart　upwards　in　spires　and　lancet　windows；　as　it　did　later　on；　in　so　many　marvellous　cathedrals。　　One　would　say　that　it　were　conscious　of　the　vicinity　of　the　heavy　Romanesque　pillars。

However；　these　edifices　of　the　transition　from　the　Romanesque　to　the　Gothic；　are　no　less　precious　for　study　than　the　pure　types。　　They　express　a　shade　of　the　art　which　would　be　lost　without　them。　　It　is　the　graft　of　the　pointed　upon　the　round　arch。

Notre…Dame　de　Paris　is；　in　particular；　a　curious　specimen　of　this　variety。　　Each　face；　each　stone　of　the　venerable　monument；　is　a　page　not　only　of　the　history　of　the　country；　but　of　the　history　of　science　and　art　as　well。　　Thus；　in　order　to　indicate　here　only　the　principal　details；　while　the　little　Red　Door　almost　attains　to　the　limits　of　the　Gothic　delicacy　of　the　fifteenth　century；　the　pillars　of　the　nave；　by　their　size　and　weight；　go　back　to　the　Carlovingian　Abbey　of　Saint…Germain　des　Prés。　　One　would　suppose　that　six　centuries　separated　these　pillars　from　that　door。　　There　is　no　one；　not　even　the　hermetics；　who　does　not　find　in　the　symbols　of　the　grand　portal　a　satisfactory　compendium　of　their　science；　of　which　the　Church　of　Saint…Jacques　de　la　Boucherie　was　so　complete　a　hieroglyph。　　Thus；　the　Roman　abbey；　the　philosophers'　church；　the　Gothic　art；　Saxon　art；　the　heavy；　round　pillar；　which　recalls　Gregory　VII。；　the　hermetic　symbolism；　with　which　Nicolas　Flamel　played　the　prelude　to　Luther；　papal　unity；　schism；　Saint…Germain　des　Prés；　Saint…Jacques　de　la　Boucherie；all　are　mingled；　combined；　amalgamated　in　Notre…Dame。　　This　central　mother　church　is；　among　the　ancient　churches　of　Paris；　a　sort　of　chimera；　it　has　the　head　of　one；　the　limbs　of　another；　the　haunches　of　another；　something　of　all。

We　repeat　it；　these　hybrid　constructions　are　not　the　least　interesting　for　the　artist；　for　the　antiquarian；　for　the　historian。　They　make　one　feel　to　what　a　degree　architecture　is　a　primitive　thing；　by　demonstrating　（what　is　also　demonstrated　by　the　cyclopean　vestiges；　the　pyramids　of　Egypt；　the　gigantic　Hindoo　pagodas）　that　the　greatest　products　of　architecture　are　less　the　works　of　individuals　than　of　society；　rather　the　offspring　of　a　nation's　effort；　than　the　inspired　flash　of　a　man　of　genius；　the　deposit　left　by　a　whole　people；　the　heaps　accumulated　by　centuries；　the　residue　of　successive　evaporations　of　human　society；in　a　word；　species　of　formations。　Each　wave　of　time　contributes　its　alluvium；　each　race　deposits　its　layer　on　the　monument；　each　individual　brings　his　stone。　　Thus　do　the　beavers；　thus　do　the　bees；　thus　do　men。　　The　great　symbol　of　architecture；　Babel；　is　a　hive。

Great　edifices；　like　great　mountains；　are　the　work　of　centuries。　Art　often　undergoes　a　transformation　while　they　are　pending；　~pendent　opera　interrupta~；　they　proceed　quietly　in　accordance　with　the　transformed　art。　　The　new　art　takes　the　monument　where　it　finds　it；　incrusts　itself　there；　assimilates　it　to　itself；　develops　it　according　to　its　fancy；　and　finishes　it　if　it　can。　The　thing　is　accomplished　without　trouble；　without　effort；　without　reaction；following　a　natural　and　tranquil　law。　　It　is　a　graft　which　shoots　up；　a　sap　which　circulates；　a　vegetation　which　starts　forth　anew。　　Certainly　there　is　matter　here　for　many　large　volumes；　and　often　the　universal　history　of　humanity　in　the　successive　engrafting　of　many　arts　at　many　levels；　upon　the　same　monument。　　The　man；　the　artist；　the　individual；　is　effaced　in　these　great　masses；　which　lack　the　name　of　their　author；　human　intelligence　is　there　summed　up　and　totalized。　　Time　is　the　architect；　the　nation　is　the　builder。

Not　to　consider　here　anything　except　the　Christian　architecture　of　Europe；　that　younger　sister　of　the　great　masonries　of　the　Orient；　it　appears　to　the　eyes　as　an　immense　formation　divided　into　three　well…defined　zones；　which　are　superposed；　the　one　upon　the　other：　the　Romanesque　zone*；　the　Gothic　zone；　the　zone　of　the　Renaissance；　which　we　would　gladly　call　the　Greco…Roman　zone。　　The　Roman　layer；　which　is　the　most　ancient　and　deepest；　is　occupied　by　the　round　arch；　which　reappears；　supported　by　the　Greek　column；　in　the　modern　and　upper　layer　of　the　Renaissance。　　The　pointed　arch　is　found　between　the　two。　　The　edifices　which　belong　exclusively　to　any　one　of　these　three　layers　are　perfectly　distinct；　uniform；　and　complete。　　There　is　the　Abbey　of　Jumiéges；　there　is　the　Cathedral　of　Reims；　there　is　the　Sainte…Croix　of　Orleans。　　But　the　three　zones　mingle　and　amalgamate　along　the　edges；　like　the　colors　in　the　solar　spectrum。　　Hence；　complex　monuments；　edifices　of　gradation　and　transition。　　One　is　Roman　at　the　base；　Gothic　in　the　middle；　Greco…Roman　at　the　top。　　It　is　because　it　was　six　hundred　years　in　building。　　This　variety　is　rare。　　The　donjon　keep　of　d'Etampes　is　a　specimen　of　it。　　But　monuments　of　two　formations　are　more　frequent。　　There　is　Notre…Dame　de　Paris；　a　pointed…arch　edifice；　which　is　imbedded　by　its　pillars　in　that　Roman　zone；　in　which　are　plunged　the　portal　of　Saint…Denis；　and　the　nave　of　Saint…Germain　des　Prés。　　There　is　the　charming；　half…Gothic　chapter…house　of　Bocherville；　where　the　Roman　layer　extends　half　way　up。　　There　is　the　cathedral　of　Rouen；　which　would　be　entirely　Gothic　if　it　did　not　bathe　the　tip　of　its　central　spire　in　the　zone　of　the　Renaissance。**


*　　This　is　the　same　which　is　called；　according　to　locality；　climate；　and　races；　Lombard；　Saxon；　or　Byzantine。　　There　are　four　sister　and　parallel　architectures；　each　having　its　special　character；　but　derived　from　the　same　origin；　the　round　arch。

　　~Facies　non　omnibus　una；　　　No　diversa　tamen；　qualem~；　etc。

Their　faces　not　all　alike；　nor　yet　different；　but　such　as　the　faces　of　sisters　ought　to　be。

**　　This　portion　of　the　spire；　which　was　of　woodwork；　is　precisely　that　which　was　consumed　by　lightning；　in　1823。


However；　all　these　shades；　all　these　differences；　do　not　affect　the　surfaces　of　edifices　only。　　It　is　art　which　has　changed　its　skin。　　The　very　constitution　of　the　Christian　church　is　not　attacked　by　it。　　There　is　always　the　same　internal　woodwork；　the　same　logical　arrangement　of　parts。　Whatever　may　be　the　carved　and　embroidered　envelope　of　a　cathedral；　one　always　finds　beneath　itin　the　state　of　a　germ；　and　of　a　rudiment　at　the　leastthe　Roman　basilica。　It　is　eternally　developed　upon　the　soil　according　to　the　same　law。　　There　are；　invariably；　two　naves；　which　intersect　in　a　cross；　and　whose　upper　portion；　rounded　into　an　apse；　forms　the　choir；　there　are　always　the　side　aisles；　for　interior

processions；　for　chapels；a　sort　of　lateral　walks　or　promenades　where　the　principal　nave　discharges　itself　through　the　spaces　between　the　pillars。　　That　settled；　the　number　of　chapels；　doors；　bell　towers；　and　pinnacles　are　modified　to　infinity；　according　to　the　fancy　of　the　century；　the　people；　and　art。　The　service　of　religion　once　assured　and　provided　for；　architecture　does　what　she　pleases。　　Statues；　stained　glass；　rose　windows；　arabesques；　denticulations；　capitals；　bas…reliefs；she　combines　all　these　imaginings　according　to　the　arrangement　which　best　suits　her。　　Hence；　the　prodigious　exterior　variety　of　these　edifices；　at　whose　foundation　dwells　so　much　order　and　unity。　　The　trunk　of　a　tree　is　immovable；　the　foliage　is　capricious。




CHAPTER　II。

A　BIRD'S…EYE　VIEW　OF　PARIS。



We　have　just　attempted　to　restore；　for　the　reader's　benefit；　that　admirable　church　of　Notre…Dame　de　Paris。　　We　have　briefly　pointed　out　the　greater　part　of　the　beauties　which　it　possessed　in　the　fifteenth　century；　and　which　it　lacks　to…day；　but　we　have　omitted　the　principal　thing；the　view　of　Paris　which　was　then　to　be　obtained　from　the　summits　of　its　towers。

That　was；　in　fact；when；　after　having　long　groped　one's　way　up　the　dark　spiral　which　perpendicularly　pierces　the　thick　wall　of　the　belfries；　one　emerged；　at　last　abruptly；　upon　one　of　the　lofty　platforms　inundated　with　light　and　air；that　was；　in　fact；　a　fine　picture　which　spread　out；　on　all　sides　at　once；　before　the　eye；　a　spectacle　~sui　generis~；　of　which　those　of　our　readers　who　have　had　the　good　fortune　to　see　a　Gothic　city　entire；　complete；　homogeneous；a　few　of　which　still　remain；　Nuremberg　in　Bavaria　and　Vittoria　in　Spain；can　readily　form　an　idea；　or　even　smaller　specimens；　provided　that　they　are　well　preserved；Vitré　in　Brittany；　Nordhausen　in　Prussia。

The　Paris　of　three　hundred　and　fifty　years　agothe　Paris　of　the　fifteenth　centurywas　already　a　gigantic　city。　　We　Parisians　generally　make　a　mistake　as　to　the　ground　which　we　think　that　we　have　gained；　since　Paris　has　not　increased　much　over　one…third　since　the　time　of　Louis　XI。　　It　has　certainly　lost　more　in　beauty　than　it　has　gained　in　size。

Paris　had　its　birth；　as　the　reader　knows；　in　that　old　island　of　the　City　which　has　the　form　of　a　cradle。　　The　strand　of　that　island　was　its　first　boundary　wall；　the　Seine　its　first　moat。　　Paris　remained　for　many　centuries　in　its　island　state；　with　two　bridges；　one　on　the　north；　the　other　on　the　south；　and　two　bridge　heads；　which　were　at　the　same　time　its　gates　and