Part 10

"_After a fresh search, I returned to the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, to be again insulted by the same officer, with whom was another, tall, pale, and bareheaded, with a monocle in his right eye, who said mockingly: 'You are responsible for this; it is all your fault.'_

"_The first officer then complained that the gas gave a bad light, and it was in vain that I explained to him that all the men from the gasworks had left us. He continued: 'We know that the town is rich, we could ask for one million or even two million francs here, but if at eight o'clock to-morrow morning you have not found 100,000 francs, you will be shot, and the town bombarded and set on fire' I replied: 'You can do what you like with me, but I cannot possibly find you this sum, all the inhabitants having left and taken their money with them.' I was then arrested, hungry and dinnerless._

"_Shortly after, the mayor, M. Delsol, and the town-clerk, M. Bard, came to join me. Armed soldiers then conducted the three of us to the Rue de la Pêcherie, to the house (No. 7) of a druggist named Couesnon. This house had been broken into by the Germans, and served them as a lock-up. We were led into the dressing room._

"_During the night I overheard the following conversation which took place in German between the soldiers guarding us. I repeat it word for word: 'The Procureur de la République will be shot; the "gay brothers" of the Company have been fetched to kill him; and the street has been swept to look nice.' Another soldier replied: 'Be careful, he understands German and is listening to all you say, for he is awake.'_

* * * * *

"_About 2 a.m. the platoon came to fetch us, and we descended the stairs. Below, in the dining-room, a German soldier played Chopin's 'Funeral March,' and other pieces of music for our benefit. We were ordered out into the street, and made to stand on the pavement, all three of us on the same side, whilst the platoon, with arms ready, stood on the opposite pavement facing us. We waited, thus for fully twenty minutes, after which we were ordered to join the main body of the army. At about 300 yards beyond Montanglaust_ (the hill overlooking the town to the north) _a superior officer of the Death's Head Hussars said to us: 'You are free.'_"

* * * * *

The preceding minute account shows how heavy and painful was the task of the civil authorities in the occupied towns.

* * * * *

(_Leave M. Couesnon's house, and on coming to the Rue le Valentin, turn to the right and continue for a few steps towards the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, in order to have a view of an arm of the Morin bordered by picturesque old houses. Return to the Rue de la Pêcherie.) We arrive at the Place Saint-Denis_, where is the old thirteenth and seventeenth century church of that name, transformed into barracks during the war (_view opposite_).

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_Turn to the right in front of the church and take the Rue du Palais-de-Justice which leads to the Place Beaurepaire_, on which is the statue to the hero of Verdun of 1792. (Major de Beaurepaire killed himself rather than sign the capitulation of the town decided upon by the communal council.)

=FROM COULOMMIERS TO PROVINS= (44 km.)

_Leave Coulommiers by the Avenue de Rebais skirting the new church, and passing it on the right. Cross a little bridge after about 2 km., and 1,500 yards further on take the road on the right (G. C. 66), which follows the Morin in the direction of La Ferté-Gaucher._

This part of the river was crossed by the Franco-British forces only on September 7, the British crossing at Coulommiers and in the neighbourhood, the 2nd French Cavalry Corps at La Ferté-Gaucher.

_Pass through =Chauffry= (8 km.) then =Jouy-sur-Morin= (17 km.). Turn to the right in the latter village, and leaving the church on the left, cross the Morin before turning to the left. Here the road passes over the railway, then skirts it to rejoin N. 34, in which turn to the left (19 km.) in order to descend towards =La Ferté-Gaucher=. At 400 yards from this crossing, turn to the right into D. 4 in the direction of Courtacon and Provins (a line of telegraph-poles breaks off from N. 34 to follow D. 4). The road ascends and gives a pretty view of La Ferté-Gaucher shown in the photograph below._

An anecdote relating to the passage of the Grand Morin has been recalled by Professor Delbet, whose mother's estate contains a bridge over that river. A German general obliged Mme. Delbet, aged 77 years, to be present at the passage of the troops over the bridge, a spectacle which lasted seven hours. "Madame," said he, "when you become German, for German you are going to be, you will feel very proud to have seen my army pass through your gates. I have, besides, the intention to order a handsome memorial tablet to be fixed here mentioning this fact." As Mme. Delbet protested at the idea of becoming German, he continued: "The French race is degenerate and worn out. As you belong to a family of doctors, you must know that this is a fact. The French are done for. I may as well tell you what we mean to do. We shall keep the finest men and marry them to solid German girls; in this way, they may be able to have healthy children. As for the other survivors, we shall ship them off to America."

A few days after, Mme. Delbet had the pleasure of seeing the German troops re-crossing the river in haste, pursued by French cavalry.

At the "Château de la Masure," at 3½ km. south of La Ferté-Gaucher, much more tragic events took place, as the Enquiry Commission has established. The occupants were M. Quenescourt, late mayor of Sézanne, aged 77 years, with an old servant, and a lady from a neighbouring hamlet who had come to seek refuge.

On September 5 several German soldiers and a non-commissioned officer took possession of the estate. In order to protect one of the women from the brutal attentions of the latter, M. Quenescourt sent her to hide in the farm near by. The German hastened to look for her, found her, brought her back to the castle and took her to an attic. The old gentleman, wishing to save her, fired his revolver up the stairs. He was killed point blank by the German officer who then ordered the woman out of the attic, and handed her over to two soldiers who outraged her in the room where lay the dead man; during this time the first brute fell upon the old servant.

_At the cross roads, about 1 km. beyond the spot where the view was taken, turn to the left, abandoning the line of telegraph poles._

_On arriving at_ +Courtacon+, we cross D. 8 (27½ km.) at the spot where the view above was taken (the photographer standing before the police station which was burned in September, 1914, but has since been rebuilt).

_Continue straight on along D. 4, towards Provins_; on the left is the group of burnt houses shown in the view below.

The Germans occupied Courtacon on September 6, and immediately set fire to it, after having drenched the houses with paraffin oil. The inhabitants were obliged to furnish the faggots of wood and the matches. The mayor and five other hostages were led away, and guarded in the midst of the troops during the combats which took place around the village. After having pretended to shoot them, the Germans sent them home again.

A young man named Rousseau, a conscript of the 1914 class, was torn from his house with blows from the butt-end of rifles, and led with his hands tied behind his back after the other hostages. Although the mayor declared that the youth's "class" had not yet been called up, he was shot at 50 yards from the village as a spy.

On leaving we may see, if we look behind us, the line of heights running eastwards from Courtacon to Esternay, and on which were established the German positions when Franchet d'Esperey's army began its offensive.

_We arrive without_ difficulty at Provins _(44 km.) after a zigzagging descent, which_ gives us a charming view of the town (_see pp. 128-129_).

PROVINS

The Upper Town of Provins dates from the Gallo-Roman period. In the third century a "castrum" was established there on the hill. The Roman general Probus, afterwards emperor, halted there about the year 271, and caused the walls of the fortress to be repaired. Domitien had forbidden the cultivation of the vine in Gaul, but Probus, during his sojourn at Provins, abolished this prohibition, and thus won the gratitude of the inhabitants. This fact has given rise to one of the versions of the origin of the word "Provins," which is supposed to mean "the vine of Probus."

ORIGIN AND PRINCIPAL HISTORICAL FACTS

The lower town is of monastic origin. In the seventh century some monks, flying before the Norman invasion, took refuge in the forest which stretched at the foot of the fortress, and there buried the remains of the martyr St. Ayoul. The body was discovered in 996, and a church was erected on the spot. The church was followed by a large monastery of the Cistercian Order, around which grew up the lower town.

In the tenth century Provins passed from the royal domain into the hands of the Counts of Champagne, under whose rule it flourished exceedingly. Many buildings were erected--abbeys, churches, palaces, and a hospital; also a new wall enclosed the town. Commerce and industry flourished. Dye-works, tanneries, weaving, and the manufacture of cutlery occupied thousands of workmen, and the town counted, we are told, 80,000 inhabitants (there are now only 9,000). Its fairs were famous and were visited by strangers from all parts of Europe; even the silks and carpets of the East were to be found there. Business was carried on by means of money struck at Provins. The "sou provinois" was accepted far beyond the borders of France.

This brilliant period did not outlast the thirteenth century. In 1270 Count Henri-le-Gros established heavy taxes on commerce and industries which the principal citizens refused to pay. The mayor, Guillaume Pentecôte, to calm them, lengthened the hours of the workmen, who revolted and put him to death. The English Prince, Edmund of Lancaster, who had married the widow of Henri-le-Gros, cruelly repressed these troubles. Provins finally lost its independence by the marriage of the daughter of Henri-le-Gros with the King of France. Philippe-le-Bel (1284).

In 1870 Provins was occupied by the Prussians and suffered many requisitions, but in 1914 the German wave stopped at its gates.

Provins is also known under the poetical name of the "City of Roses," because of the profusion of these flowers, which formerly constituted its beauty and its wealth. According to tradition, the red rose of Provins was brought back from the Crusades by Thibaut IV. The Earl of Lancaster introduced it into his coat-of-arms, and thus it became the rival of the white rose of York during the War of the Roses which, in the fifteenth century, drenched England with blood.

VISIT TO THE TOWN

(See plan inserted between pp. 128-129)

_Enter Provins by the Courloison Gate and Bridge, and, take the Rue Courloison which follows. At the end of the street, turn to the right into the Rue Abailard in order to arrive at the Place St-Ayoul, on to which fronts the façade of the church of that name. If it is considered desirable to take lunch before visiting the town, go directly to one of the hotels indicated, returning later to the Place St.-Ayoul._

=CHURCH OF SAINT AYOUL= (classed as historical monument)

We have seen on p. 129 that a monastery was erected on the spot where the body of the Martyr Saint Ayoul was found.

About 1122, the great theologian Abailard, cruelly mutilated by the vengeance of Canon Fulbert, uncle of Heloïse, and persecuted on account of the boldness of his views, took refuge in the monastery adjoining the church of Saint-Ayoul. He continued to teach there, and gathered round him as many as 2,000 students.

Saint-Ayoul was burned, then rebuilt in the twelfth century, and restored in the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries.

The façade is reproduced in the photograph on p. 130. In spite of mutilations suffered during the Revolution, and the inclemencies of the weather, the great doorway is still worthy of interest.

A Renaissance gallery, terminated by a lantern, flanks on the left the great bare gable pierced by three windows which surmount the gate. The whole has thus a very original appearance.

In order to see the choir (thirteenth and fourteenth centuries), the chapel (fourteenth century) which adjoins it, and the transept (twelfth century), _go round the church to the left of the façade_. This part of the building, which appears in the view at the foot of the preceding page, is now used by the military authorities as a fodder store.

The Roman tower, which rises at the intersection of the transept, no longer possesses its belfry, which was destroyed by fire, The bells now used are those of the Tower of Notre-Dame-du-Val (visible on the right of the photograph on p. 130).

In the interior, in the part reserved for worship, the central nave and the side aisles of the thirteenth century may be visited. The north aisle was doubled in the sixteenth century by a second nave.

The most interesting objects are the seventeenth century pulpit, and a fine reredos, also of the seventeenth century, in carved wood, above the high altar. It contains a picture, _Jesus in the Temple_, painted in 1654 by the artist Stella, of Lyons, who, falling ill whilst passing through Provins, had been cared for in one of the convents in the town.

In the lady chapel, on the right of the high altar, is some beautiful wood-panelling, dating also from the seventeenth century. It is by the same hand as the carved reredos, and is the work of Pierre Blasser of Amiens. Standing against the panelling is a delicate Virgin in ivory, of the sixteenth century, reproduced on p. 131.

To the left of the high altar is a group representing the Virgin and Christ crucified, between Mary Magdalene and St. John. These statues belong to the sixteenth century; as do also the smaller ones in white marble, representing angel-musicians, which ornament the altar placed in the angle of the church, to be found on the left on entering (_see photo, p. 131_).

_On leaving Saint-Ayoul take a few steps along the first street on the right_ in order to glance at the tower of Notre-Dame-du-Val (classed as historical monument). The tower may be seen in the view at the foot of p. 130. It was built in the sixteenth century on the site of an ancient gate. Its construction occupied four years and cost only 1,400 "livres" (about £56), the workmen at this period receiving 2 sous (one penny) a day. The church and the cloister belonging to the tower disappeared during the Revolution.

_Returning to the Place Saint-Ayoul, cross it on the right side, and at the far end take the Rue de la Cordonnerie, which is a continuation._

It was at No. 17 that the poet Hégésippe Moreau was brought up, and where he worked as a typographer. He has sung of Provins and the Voulzie in verses which are well-known:--

La Voulzie, est-ce un fleuve aux grandes iles? Non, Mais, avec un murmure aussi doux que son nom, Un tout petit ruisseau coulant, visible à peine: Un géant altéré le boirait d'une haleine, Le naiu vert Obéron, jouant au bord des flots, Sauterait par-dessus sads mouiller ses grelots.

_Cross the Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, and following the Rue du Val, stop at the corner of the Rue Sainte-Croix in order to visit the church of this name a few steps further on._

_Whilst the tourist continues his walk towards the Hospital-General and the ramparts, which are not accessible to motor-cars, the latter may go and wait at the Porte de Jouy. This is reached by following the Rue du Val and its continuation the Rue St.-Thibaut, which brings one to the upper town. Here cross diagonally the Place du Châtel, follow the Rue Couverte and the Rue de Jouy till the porte is reached._

Church of Sainte-Croix

This Church was originally the Chapel of Saint-Laurent-des-Ponts (it was impossible to enter it save by bridges thrown across the ditches, which are now covered in).

It was enlarged in the thirteenth century, and took its present name on the return from the crusades of Count Thibaut IV. of Champagne, who presented it with a fragment of the Cross, which he had brought from Jerusalem.

The church was destroyed by fire in the fourteenth century, and rebuilt during the sixteenth. During the Revolution it became a saltpetre factory.

The most interesting part of the façade is the doorway of the side aisle (_see p. 132_) which is a beautiful specimen of sixteenth century art.

Above the transept rises a twelfth century tower, whose semi-circular belfry windows on the lower stage have been blocked up. The upper part is surmounted by a modern spire.

In the interior, the nave and side aisles date from the thirteenth century, but the vaulting has been restored in recent times. It is noticeable that the pillars have not their normal height. The reason is that the level of the ground had to be very much raised, in order to protect the church from the floods, which were so frequent before the construction of the "Fausse Rivière" which now drains the town.

As at Saint-Ayoul, the north aisle was doubled in the sixteenth century. This part of the church is interesting on account of its moulded pillars whose carved capitals represent fantastic animals, as may be seen in the opposite photograph.

The choir, which was rebuilt towards the middle of the sixteenth century, is surrounded by a double ambulatory, and the screen which shuts it off is a beautiful piece of wrought-iron work.

A chapel terminates the apse, where are to be seen three windows of gray-toned stained glass, also dating from the sixteenth century. In the photograph above is the one on the left of the chapel; it represents the Annunciation.

The baptistery (_in the left angle of the church on entering_) is closed off by a railing which may be perceived in the above view. It contains an interesting thirteenth century font, on which are carved a series of figures taking part in a baptismal procession (_see p. 134_).

Beside the railing of the baptistery is a fine wrought iron lectern, dating from the seventeenth century and reproduced in the opposite photograph.

Worthy of notice also is a small stone stoup, dating from the twelfth century, which stands at the entrance to the south aisle (photograph opposite).

_On leaving Sainte-Croix, turn to the right into the Rue Sainte-Croix; then take the first street on the left. At the end of this is the Rue de la Bibliothèque, on the right of which is the_ entrance to a public garden left to the town by M. Garnier. _Before entering it, take a few steps to the left_ as far as the little river, le Durteint, which, flowing between houses, forms a picturesque sight.

_Cross the garden_, in the middle of which is the former residence of the donor, now transformed into a public library and museum. Passing alongside a monument to the memory of the sons of Provins killed in action, _we leave the garden by the little entrance opening on to the Boulevard d'Aligre_. This boulevard, constructed on the site of the ramparts, forms a pretty walk. On the other side of it, opposite the "Jardin Garnier," is the mineral water establishment. The ferruginous waters of Provins were discovered in 1646; they may be drunk or bathed in.

_On taking the Boulevard d'Aligre to the left_, we perceive, standing out on the right, the "Hôpital-Général." _In order to reach it, cross the canal by the foot-bridge, and follow the path which leads to the foot of this building and to a gate giving access to the terraced gardens. Turn to the right in front of the gate, keeping to the wall; then take a steep path, half-way up which is the entrance door._ Ring and ask permission to view the "hospital."

=Hôpital-Général= (classed as historical monument)

We must climb a double staircase to reach the upper terrace where is the hospital proper.

The beautiful view of the whole town thus obtained is alone well worth this visit.

The hospital was originally a convent of the "Cordelières," founded in 1237 by Thibaut-le-Chansonnier, Count of Champagne. Tradition relates that he decided to build a convent because of a vision which came to him one night in his palace in the upper town: he saw St. Catherine on the hill opposite tracing the outlines of a building with her sword.

The convent was several times destroyed by fire.

Henry IV. made it his headquarters when he besieged Provins in 1592, and he narrowly escaped death by a cannon-ball, which killed several of his officers.

In 1748 Louis XV. turned the convent into a "Hôpital-Général." To-day it is a home for old people and orphan children, managed by nuns, who act as guides to tourists desirous of visiting the establishment.

The galleries of the cloisters, dating from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, are interesting as showing specimens of very fine timber-work. The foliage of the capitals of the pillars is also to be remarked (see opposite photograph).

In the old chapter-room some handsome vaulting is still to be seen.

In the centre of the chapel is a little stone monument, of the thirteenth century (view opposite), which contains the heart of Thibaut, the founder of the monastery; that of his wife, Isabel of France, daughter of St. Louis; and that of her son. It consists of a carved and gilded metal cover surmounting six panels, each one containing, under a canopy, a monk reading a book.

The visit ended, _we retrace our steps to the Boulevard d'Aligre and follow it to the right, crossing the Durteint_. The city wall begins at this point.

=The Ramparts= (historical monument)

The line of the ramparts climbs upwards. At the summit is a doorway pierced in a part of the wall which juts off from the principal line of ramparts. It is the "Porte Faneron" and formed part of the original wall which surrounded the upper town.

Under the Counts of Champagne the ramparts were considerably developed, and in the thirteenth century were made to include the lower town. The opening in the wall on the right of the above view leads to a thirteenth century tower. The exit is by the "Trou-au-chat," so called because it was formed during a siege by a "cat" (a form of catapult for throwing heavy stones). The photograph below shows the picturesque view obtained from the interior of the turret.