a little tour in france-第18节

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ne　the　way　of　all　incomplete　sensations。　After　you　have　stood　awhile　in　the　choir　of　the　cathedral；　there　is　no　sensation　at　Le　Mans　that　goes　very　far。　　For　some　reason　not　now　to　be　traced；　I　had　looked　for　more　than　this。　　I　think　the　reason　was　to　some　extent　simply　in　the　name　of　the　place；　for　names；　on　the　whole；　whether　they　be　good　reasons　or　not；　are　very　active　ones。　　Le　Mans；　if　I　am　not　mistaken；　has　a　sturdy；　feudal　sound；　suggests　some…　thing　dark　and　square；　a　vision　of　old　ramparts　and　gates。　　Perhaps　I　had　been　unduly　impressed　by　the　fact；　accidentally　revealed　to　me；　that　Henry　II。；　first　of　the　English　Plantagenets；　was　born　there。　　Of　course　it　is　easy　to　assure　one's　self　in　advance；　but　does　it　not　often　happen　that　one　had　rather　not　be　assured？　There　is　a　pleasure　sometimes　in　running　the　risk　of　disappointment。　　I　took　mine；　such　as　it　was；　quietly　enough；　while　I　sat　before　dinner　at　the　door　of　one　of　the　cafes　in　the　market…place　with　a　_bitter…et…curacao_　（invaluable　pretext　at　such　an　hour！）　to　keep　me　com…　pany。　　I　remember　that　in　this　situation　there　came　over　me　an　impression　which　both　included　and　ex…　cluded　all　possible　disappointments。　　The　afternoon　was　warm　and　still；　the　air　was　admirably　soft。　　The　good　Manceaux；　in　little　groups　and　pairs；　were　seated　near　me；　my　ear　was　soothed　by　the　fine　shades　of　French　enunciation；　by　the　detached　syllables　of　that　perfect　tongue。　　There　was　nothing　in　particular　in　the　prospect　to　charm；　it　was　an　average　French　view。　Yet　I　felt　a　charm；　a　kind　of　sympathy；　a　sense　of　the　completeness　of　French　life　and　of　the　lightness　and　brightness　of　the　social　air；　together　with　a　desire　to　arrive　at　friendly　judgments；　to　express　a　positive　interest。　　I　know　not　why　this　transcendental　mood　should　have　descended　upon　me　then　and　there；　but　that　idle　half…hour　in　front　of　the　cafe；　in　the　mild　October　afternoon；　suffused　with　human　sounds；　is　perhaps　the　most　definite　thing　I　brought　away　from　Le　Mans。



XIV。

I　am　shocked　at　finding；　just　after　this　noble　de…　claration　of　principles　that　in　a　little　note…book　which　at　that　time　I　carried　about　with　me；　the　celebrated　city　of　Angers　is　denominated　a　〃sell。〃　　I　reproduce　this　vulgar　term　with　the　greatest　hesitation；　and　only　because　it　brings　me　more　quickly　to　my　point。　　This　point　is　that　Angers　belongs　to　the　disagreeable　class　of　old　towns　that　have　been；　as　the　English　say；　〃done　up。〃　　Not　the　oldness；　but　the　newness；　of　the　place　is　what　strikes　the　sentimental　tourist　to…day；　as　he　wanders　with　irritation　along　second…rate　boulevards；　looking　vaguely　about　him　for　absent　gables。　　〃Black　Angers；〃　in　short；　is　a　victim　of　modern　improvements；　and　quite　unworthy　of　its　admirable　name；　…　a　name　which；　like　that　of　Le　Mans；　had　always　had；　to　my　eyes；　a　highly　picturesque　value。　　It　looks　particularly　well　on　the　Shakspearean　page　（in　〃King　John〃）；　where　we　imagine　it　uttered　（though　such　would　not　have　been　the　utterance　of　the　period）　with　a　fine　old　in…　sular　accent。　　Angers　figures　with　importance　in　early　English　history：　it　was　the　capital　city　of　the　Plantagenet　race；　home　of　that　Geoffrey　of　Anjou　who　married；　as　second　husband；　the　Empress　Maud；　daughter　of　Henry　I。　and　competitor　of　Stephen；　and　became　father　of　Henry　II。；　first　of　the　Plantagenet　kings；　born；　as　we　have　seen；　at　Le　Mans。　　The　facts　create　a　natural　presumption　that　Angers　will　look　historic；　I　turned　them　over　in　my　mind　as　I　travelled　in　the　train　from　Le　Mans；　through　a　country　that　was　really　pretty；　and　looked　more　like　the　usual　English　than　like　the　usual　French　scenery；　with　its　fields　cut　up　by　hedges　and　a　considerable　rotundity　in　its　trees。　　On　my　way　from　the　station　to　the　hotel；　however；　it　became　plain　that　I　should　lack　a　good　pretext　for　passing　that　night　at　the　Cheval　Blanc；　I　foresaw　that　I　should　have　con…　tented　myself　before　th　e　end　of　the　day。　　I　remained　at　the　White　Horse　only　long　enough　to　discover　that　it　was　an　exceptionally　good　provincial　inn；　one　of　the　best　that　I　encountered　during　six　weeks　spent　in　these　establishments。

〃Stupidly　and　vulgarly　rnodernized；〃　…　that　is　an…　other　phrase　from　my　note…book；　and　note…books　are　not　obliged　to　be　reasonable。　　〃There　are　some　narrow　and　tortuous…streets；　with　a　few　curious　old　houses；〃　…　I　continue　to　quote；　〃there　is　a　castle；　of　which　the　ex…　terior　is　most　extraordinary；　and　there　is　a　cathedral　of　moderate　interest。　　It　is　fair　to　say　that　the　Chateau　d'Angers　is　by　itself　worth　a　pilgrimage；　the　only　drawback　is　that　you　have　seen　it　in　a　quarter　of　an　hour。　　You　cannot　do　more　than　look　at　it；　and　one　good　look　does　your　business。　　It　has　no　beauty；　no　grace；　no　detail；　nothing　that　charms　or　detains　you；　it　is　simply　very　old　and　very　big；　…　so　big　and　so　old　that　this　simple　impression　is　enough；　and　it　takes　its　place　in　your　recollections　as　a　perfect　specimen　of　a　superannuated　stronghold。　　It　stands　at　one　end　of　the　town；　surrounded　by　a　huge；　deep　moat；　which　originally　contained　the　waters　of　the　Maine；　now　divided　from　it　by　a　quay。　　The　water…front　of　Angers　is　poor；　…　wanting　in　color　and　in　movement；　and　there　is　always　an　effect　of　perversity　in　a　town　lying　near　a　great　river　and；　yet　not　upon　it。　　The　Loire　is　a　few　miles　off；　but　Angers　contents　itself　with　a　meagre　affluent　of　that　stream。　　The　effect　was　naturally　much　better　when　the　huge；　dark　mass　of　the　castle；　with　its　seventeen　prodigious　towers；　rose　out　of　the　protecting　flood。　　These　towers　are　of　tremendous　girth　and　soli…　dity；　they　are　encircled　with　great　bands；　or　hoops；　of　white　stone；　and　are　much　enlarged　at　the　base。　Between　them　hang　vast　curtains　of　infinitely　old…look…　ing　masonry；　apparently　a　dense　conglomeration　of　slate；　the　material　of　which　the　town　was　originally　built　（thanks　to　rich　quarries　in　the　neighborhood）；　and　to　which　it　owed　its　appellation　of　the　Black。　There　are　no　windows；　no　apertures；　and　to…day　no　battlements　nor　roofs。　　These　accessories　were　removed　by　Henry　III。；　so　that；　in　spite　of　its　grimness　and　blackness；　the　place　has　not　even　the　interest　of　look…　ing　like　a　prison；　it　being；　as　I　supposed；　the　essence　of　a　prison　not　to　be　open　to　the　sky。　　The　only　features　of　the　enormous　structure　are　the　black；　sombre　stretches　and　protrusions　of　wall；　the　effect　of　which；　on　so　large　a　scale；　is　strange　and　striking。　　Begun　by　Philip　Augustus；　and　terminated　by　St。　Louis；　the　Chateau　d'Angers　has　of　course　a　great　deal　of　history。　The　luckless　Fouquet；　the　extravagant　minister　of　finance　of　Louis　XIV。；　whose　fall　from　the　heights　of　grandeur　was　so　sudden　and　complete；　was　confined　here　in　1661；　just　after　his　arrest；　which　had　taken　place　at　Nantes。　　Here；　also；　Huguenots　and　Vendeans　have　suffered　effective　captivity。

I　walked　round　the　parapet　which　protects　the　outer　edge　of　the　moat　（it　is　all　up　hill；　and　the　moat　deepens　and　deepens）；　till　I　came　to　the　entrance　which　faces　the　town；　and　which　is　as　bare　and　strong　as　the　rest。　　The　concierge　took　me　into　the　court；　but　there　was　nothing　to　see。　　The　place　is　used　as　a　magazine　of　ammunition；　and　the　yard　con…　tains　a　multitude　of　ugly　buildings。　　The　only　thing　to　do　is　to　walk　round　the　bastions　for　the　view；　but　at　the　moment　of　my　visit　the　weather　was　thick；　and　the　bastions　began　and　ended　with　themselves。　　So　I　came　out　and　took　another　look　at　the　big；　black　ex…　terior；　buttressed　with　white…ribbed　towers；　and　per…　ceived　that　a　desperate　sketcher　might　extract　a　picture　from　it；　especially　if　he　were　to　bring　in；　as　they　say；　the　little　black　bronze　statue　of　the　good　King　Rene　（a　weak　production　of　David　d'Angers）；　which；　standing　within　sight；　ornaments　the　melancholy　faubourg。　　He　would　do　much　better；　however；　with　the　very　striking　old　timbered　house　（I　suppose　of　the　fifteenth　century）　which　is　called　the　Maison　d'Adam；　and　is　easily　the　first　specimen　at　Angers　of　the　domestic　architecture　of　the　past。　　This　admirable　house；　in　the　centre　of　the　town；　gabled；　elaborately　timbered；　and　much　restored；　is　a　really　imposing　monument。　　The　basement　is　occupied　by　a　linen…　draper；　who　flourishes　under　the　auspicious　sign　of　the　Mere　de　Famille；　and　above　his　shop　the　tall　front　rises　in　five　overhanging　stories。　　As　the　house　occupies　the　angle　of　a　little　_place_；　this　front　is　double；　and　the　black　beams　and　wooden　supports；　displayed　over　a　large　surface　and　carved　and　interlaced；　have　a　high　picturesqueness。　　The　Maison　d'Adam　is　quite　in　the　grand　style；　and　I　am　sorry　to　say　I　failed　to　learn　what　history　attaches　to　its　name。　　If　I　spoke　just　above　of　the　cathedral　as　〃moderate；〃　I　suppose　I　should　beg　its　pardon；　for　this　serious　charge　was　probably　prompted　by　the　fact　that　it　consists　only　of　a　nave；　without　side　aisles。　　A　little　reflection　now　convinces　me　that　such　a　form　is　a　distinction；　and；　indeed；　I　find　it　mentioned；　rather　inconsistently；　in　my　note…book；　a　little　further　on；　as　〃extremely　simple　and　grand。〃　　The　nave　is　spoken　of　in　the　same　volume　as　〃big；　serious；　and　Gothic；〃　though　the　choir　and　transepts　are　noted　as　very　shallow。　　But　it　is　not　denied　that　the　air　of　the　whole　thing　is　original　and　striking；　and　it　would　therefore　app