a little tour in france-第36章

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aithful　to　my　habit　（so　insufferable　to　some　of　my　friends）　of　ever　and　again　readjusting　the　balance　after　I　have　given　it　an　honest　tip；　that　the　bouillon　at　Lyons；　which　I　spoke　of　above；　was；　though　by　no　means　an　ideal　bouillon；　much　better　than　any　I　could　have　obtained　at　an　English　railway　station。　　After　I　had　imbibed　it；　I　sat　in　the　train　（which　waited　a　long　time　at　Lyons）　and；　by　the　light　of　one　of　the　big　lamps　on　the　platform；　read　all　sorts　of　disagreeable　things　in　certain　radical　newspapers　which　I　had　bought　at　the　book…stall。　　I　gathered　from　these　sheets　that　Lyons　was　in　extreme　commotion。　　The　Rhone　and　the　Saone；　which　form　a　girdle　for　the　splendid　town；　were　almost　in　the　streets；　as　I　could　easily　be…　lieve　from　what　I　had　seen　of　the　country　after　leav…　ing　Orange。　　The　Rhone；　all　the　way　to　Lyons；　had　been　in　all　sorts　of　places　where　it　had　no　business　to　be；　and　matters　were　naturally　not　improved　by　its　confluence　with　the　charming　and　copious　stream　which；　at　Macon；　is　said　once　to　have　given　such　a　happy　opportunity　to　the　egotism　of　the　capital。　　A　visitor　from　Paris　（the　anecdote　is　very　old）；　being　asked　on　the　quay　of　that　city　whether　he　didn't　ad…　mire　the　Saone；　replied　good…naturedly　that　it　was　very　pretty；　but　that　in　Paris　they　spelled　it　with　the　_ei_。　　This　moment　of　general　alarm　at　Lyons　had　been　chosen　by　certain　ingenious　persons　（I　credit　them；　perhaps；　with　too　sure　a　prevision　of　the　rise　of　the　rivers）　for　practising　further　upon　the　appre…　hensions　of　the　public。　　A　bombshell　filled　with　dynamite　had　been　thrown　into　a　cafe；　and　various　votaries　of　the　comparatively　innocuous　_petit　verre_　had　been　wounded　（I　am　not　sure　whether　any　one　had　been　killed）　by　the　irruption。　　Of　course　there　had　been　arrests　and　incarcerations；　and　the　〃Intransi…　geant〃　and　the　〃Rappel〃　were　filled　with　the　echoes　of　the　explosion。　　The　tone　of　these　organs　is　rarely　edifying；　and　it　had　never　been　less　so　than　on　this　occasion。　　I　wondered；　as　I　looked　through　them；　whether　I　was　losing　all　my　radicalism；　and　then　I　wondered　whether；　after　all；　I　had　any　to　lose。　　Even　in　so　long　await　as　that　tiresome　delay　at　Lyons　I　failed　to　settle　the　question；　any　more　than　I　made　up　my　mind　as　to　the　probable　future　of　the　militant　democracy；　or　the　ultimate　form　of　a　civilization　which　should　have　blown　up　everything　else。　　A　few　days　later；　the　waters　went　down　it　Lyons；　but　the　de…　mocracy　has　not　gone　down。

I　remember　vividly　the　remainder　of　that　evening　which　I　spent　at　Macon；　…　remember　it　with　a　chatter…　ing　of　the　teeth。　　I　know　not　what　had　got　into　the　place；　the　temperature；　for　the　last　day　of　October；　was　eccentric　and　incredible。　　These　epithets　may　also　be　applied　to　the　hotel　itself；　…　an　extraordinary　structure；　all　facade；　which　exposes　an　uncovered　rear　to　the　gaze　of　nature。　　There　is　a　demonstrative；　voluble　landlady；　who　is　of　course　part　of　the　facade；　but　everything　behind　her　is　a　trap　for　the　winds；　with　chambers；　corridors；　staircases；　all　exhibited　to　the　sky；　as　if　the　outer　wall　of　the　house　had　been　lifted　off。　　It　would　have　been　delightful　for　Florida；　but　it　didn't　do　for　Burgundy；　even　on　the　eve　of　November　1st；　so　that　I　suffered　absurdly　from　the　rigor　of　a　season　that　had　not　yet　begun。　　There　was　something　in　the　air；　I　felt　it　the　next　day；　even　on　the　sunny　quay　of　the　Saone；　where　in　spite　of　a　fine　southerly　exposure　I　extracted　little　warmth　from　the　reflection　that　Alphonse　de　Lamartine　had　often　trod…　den　the　flags。　　Macon　struck　me；　somehow；　as　suffer…　ing　from　a　chronic　numbness；　and　there　was　nothing　exceptionally　cheerful　in　the　remarkable　extension　of　the　river。　　It　was　no　longer　a　river；　…　it　had　become　a　lake；　and　from　my　window；　in　the　painted　face　of　the　inn；　I　saw　that　the　opposite　bank　had　been　moved　back；　as　it　were；　indefinitely。　　Unfortunately；　the　various　objects　with　which　it　was　furnished　had　not　been　moved　as　well；　the　consequence　of　which　was　an　extraordinary　confusion　in　the　relations　of　thing。　There　were　always　poplars　to　be　seen；　but　the　poplar　had　become　an　aquatic　plant。　　Such　phenomena；　however；　at　Macon　attract　but　little　attention；　as　the　Saone；　at　certain　seasons　of　the　year；　is　nothing　if　not　expansive。　　The　people　are　as　used　to　it　as　they　ap…　peared　to　be　to　the　bronze　statue　of　Lamartine；　which　is　the　principal　monument　of　the　_place_；　and　which；　re…　presenting　the　poet　in　a　frogged　overcoat　and　top…　boots；　improvising　in　a　high　wind；　struck　me　as　even　less　casual　in　its　attitude　than　monumental　sculpture　usually　succeeds　in　being。　　It　is　true　that　in　its　pre…　sent　position　I　thought　better　of　this　work　of　art；　which　is　from　the　hand　of　M。　Falquiere；　than　when　I　had　seen　it　through　the　factitious　medium　of　the　Salon　of　1876。　　I　walked　up　the　hill　where　the　older　part　of　Macon　lies；　in　search　of　the　natal　house　of　the　_amant　d'Elvire_；　the　Petrarch　whose　Vaucluse　was　the　bosom　of　the　public。　　The　Guide…Joanne　quotes　from　〃Les　Confidences〃　a　description　of　the　birthplace　of　the　poet；　whose　treatment　of　the　locality　is　indeed　poetical。　It　tallies　strangely　little　with　the　reality；　either　as　re…　gards　position　or　other　features；　and　it　may　be　said　to　be；　not　an　aid；　but　a　direct　obstacle；　to　a　discovery　of　the　house。　　A　very　humble　edifice；　in　a　small　back　street；　is　designated　by　a　municipal　tablet；　set　into　its　face；　as　the　scene　of　Lamartine's　advent　into　the　world。　He　himself　speaks　of　a　vast　and　lofty　structure；　at　the　angle　of　a　_place_；　adorned　with　iron　clamps；　with　a　_porte　haute　et　large_　and　many　other　peculiarities。　　The　house　with　the　tablet　has　two　meagre　stories　above　the　basement；　and　（at　present；　at　least）　an　air　of　ex…　treme　shabbiness；　the　_place_；　moreover；　never　can　have　been　vast。　　Lamartine　was　accused　of　writing　history　incorrectly；　and　apparently　he　started　wrong　at　first：　it　had　never　become　clear　to　him　where　he　was　born。　Or　is　the　tablet　wrong？　　If　the　house　is　small；　the　tablet　is　very　big。



XXXVIII。

The　foregoing　reflections　occur；　in　a　cruder　form；　as　it　were；　in　my　note…book；　where　I　find　this　remark　appended　to　them：　〃Don't　take　leave　of　Lamartine　on　that　contemptuous　note；　it　will　be　easy　to　think　of　something　more　sympathetic！〃　　Those　friends　of　mine；　mentioned　a　little　while　since；　who　accuse　me　of　always　tipping　back　the　balance；　could　not　desire　a　paragraph　more　characteristic；　but　I　wish　to　give　no　further　evi…　dence　of　such　infirmities；　and　will　therefore　hurry　away　from　the　subject；　…　hurry　away　in　the　train　which；　very　early　on　a　crisp；　bright　morning；　conveyed。　me；　by　way　of　an　excursion；　to　the　ancient　city　of　Bourg…en…Bresse。　Shining　in　early　light；　the　Saone　was　spread；　like　a　smooth；　white　tablecloth；　over　a　considerable　part　of　the　flat　country　that　I　traversed。　　There　is　no　provision　made　in　this　image　for　the　long；　transparent　screens　of　thin…twigged　trees　which　rose　at　intervals　out　of　the　watery　plain；　but　as；　under　the　circumstances；　there　seemed　to　be　no　provision　for　them　in　fact；　I　will　let　my　metaphor　go　for　what　it　is　worth。　　My　journey　was　（as　I　remember　it）　of　about　an　hour　and　a　half；　but　I　passed　no　object　of　interest；　as　the　phrase　is；　whatever。　　The　phrase　hardly　applies　even　to　Bourg　itself；　which　is　simply　a　town　_quelconque_；　as　M。　Zola　would　say。　　Small；　peaceful；　rustic；　it　stands　in　the　midst　of　the　great　dairy…feeding　plains　of　Bresse；　of　which　fat　county；　sometime　property　of　the　house　of　Savoy；　it　was　the　modest　capital。　　The　blue　masses　of　the　Jura　give　it　a　creditable　horizon；　but　the　only　nearer　feature　it　can　point　to　is　its　famous　sepulchral　church。　　This　edifice　lies　at　a　fortunate　distance　from　the　town；　which；　though　inoffensive；　is　of　too　common　a　stamp　to　consort　with　such　a　treasure。　　All　I　ever　knew　of　the　church　of　Brou　I　had　gathered；　years　ago；　from　Matthew　Arnold's　beautiful　poem；　which　bears　its　name。　　I　remember　thinking；　in　those　years；　that　it　was　impossible　verses　could　be　more　touching　than　these；　and　as　I　stood　before　the　object　of　my　pilgrimage；　in　the　gay　French　light　（though　the　place　was　so　dull）；　I　recalled　the　spot　where　I　had　first　read　them；　and　where　I　read　them　again　and　yet　again；　wondering　whether　it　would　ever　be　my　fortune　to　visit　the　church　of　Brou。　　The　spot　in　question　was　an　armchair　in　a　window　which　looked　out　on　some　cows　in　a　field；　and　whenever　I　glanced　at　the　cows　it　came　over　me　…　I　scarcely　know　why　…　that　I　should　probably　never　behold　the　structure　reared　by　the　Duchess　Margaret。　　Some　of　our　visions　never　come　to　pass；　but　we　must　be　just；　…　others　do。　　〃So　sleep；　forever　sleep；　O　princely　pair！〃　　I　remembered　that　line　of　Matthew　Arnold's；　and　the　stanza　about　the　Duchess　Margaret　coming　to　watch　the　builders　on　her　palfry　white。　　Then　there　came　to　me　something　in　regard　to　the　moon　shining　on　winter　nights　through　the　cold　clere…story。　　The　tone　of　the　place　at　that　hour　was　not　at　all　lunar；　it　was　cold　and　bright；　but　with　the　chill　of　an　autumn　morning；　yet　this；　even　with　the　fact　of　the　unexpected　remoteness　of　the　church　from　the　Jura　added　to　it；　did　not　prevent　me　from　feeling　that　I　looked　at　a　monument　in　the　pro…　duction　of　which　…　or　at　least　in　the　effect　of　which　on　the　tourist　mind　of　to…day　…　Matthew　Arnold　had　been　much　concerned。　　By　a　pardonable　license　he　has　placed　it　a　few　miles　nearer　to　the　forests　of　the　Jura　than　it　stands　at　present。　　It　is　very　true　that；　though　the　mountains　in　the　sixteenth　century　can　hardly　have　been　in　a　different　position；　the　plain　which　separates　the　church　from　them　may　have　been　bedecked　with　woods。　　The　visitor　to…day　cannot　help　wondering　why　the　beautiful　building；　with　its　splendid　works　of　art；　is　dropped　down　in　that　particular　spot；　which　looks　so　accidental　and　arbitrary。　　But　there　are　reasons　for　most　things；　and　there　were　reasons　why　the　church　of　Brou　should　be　at　Brou；　which　is　a　vague　little　suburb　of　a　vague　little　town。

The　responsibility　rests；　at　any　rate；　upon　the　Duchess　Margaret；　…　Margaret　of　Austria；　daughter　of　the　Emperor　Maximilian　and　his　wife　Mary　of　Bur…　gundy；　daughter　of　Charles　the　Bold。　　This　lady　has　a　high　name　in　history；　having　been　regent　of　the　Netherlands　in　behalf　of　her　nephew；　the　Emperor　Charles　V。；　of　whose　early　education　she　had　had　the　care。　　She　married　in　1501　Philibert　the　Handsome；　Duke　of　Savoy；　to　whom　the　province　of　Bresse　be…　longed；　and　who　died　two　years　later。　　She　had　been　betrothed；　is　a　child；　to　Charles　VIII。　of　France；　and　was　kept　for　some　time　at　the　French　court；　…　that　of　her　prospective　father…in…law；　Louis　XI。；　but　she　was　eventually　repudiated；　in　order　that　her　_fiance_　might　marry　Anne　of　Brittany；　…　an　alliance　so　magnificently　political　that　we　almost　condone　the　offence　to　a　sensitive　princess。　　Margaret　did　not　want　for　hus…　bands；　however；　inasmuch　as　before　her　marriage　to　Philibert　she　had　been　united　to　John　of　Castile；　son　of　Ferdinand　V。；　King　of　Aragon；　…　an　episode　ter…　minated；　by　the　death　of　the　Spanish　prince；　within　a　year。　　She　was　twenty…two　years　regent　of　the　Nether…　lands；　and　died　at　fifty…one；　in　1530。　　She　might　have　been；　had　she　chosen；　the　wife；　of　Henry　VII。　of　Eng…　land。　　She　was　one　of　the　signers　of　the　League　of　Cambray；　against　the　Venetian　r