the hunchback of notre dame-第20章

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ween　the　columns　of　the　nave　and　the　choir；　kneeling；　standing；　equestrian；　men；　women；　children；　kings；　bishops；　gendarmes；　in　stone；　in　marble；　in　gold；　in　silver；　in　copper；　in　wax　even；who　has　brutally　swept　them　away？　It　is　not　time。

And　who　substituted　for　the　ancient　gothic　altar；　splendidly　encumbered　with　shrines　and　reliquaries；　that　heavy　marble　sarcophagus；　with　angels'　heads　and　clouds；　which　seems　a　specimen　pillaged　from　the　Val…de…Grace　or　the　Invalides？　Who　stupidly　sealed　that　heavy　anachronism　of　stone　in　the　Carlovingian　pavement　of　Hercandus？　　Was　it　not　Louis　XIV。；　fulfilling　the　request　of　Louis　XIII。？

And　who　put　the　cold；　white　panes　in　the　place　of　those　windows；〃　high　in　color；　〃which　caused　the　astonished　eyes　of　our　fathers　to　hesitate　between　the　rose　of　the　grand　portal　and　the　arches　of　the　apse？　　And　what　would　a　sub…chanter　of　the　sixteenth　century　say；　on　beholding　the　beautiful　yellow　wash；　with　which　our　archiepiscopal　vandals　have　desmeared　their　cathedral？　　He　would　remember　that　it　was　the　color　with　which　the　hangman　smeared　〃accursed〃　edifices；　he　would　recall　the　H？tel　du　Petit…Bourbon；　all　smeared　thus；　on　account　of　the　constable's　treason。　　〃Yellow；　after　all；　of　so　good　a　quality；〃　said　Sauval；　〃and　so　well　recommended；　that　more　than　a　century　has　not　yet　caused　it　to　lose　its　color。〃　He　would　think　that　the　sacred　place　had　become　infamous；　and　would　flee。

And　if　we　ascend　the　cathedral；　without　mentioning　a　thousand　barbarisms　of　every　sort；what　has　become　of　that　charming　little　bell　tower；　which　rested　upon　the　point　of　intersection　of　the　cross…roofs；　and　which；　no　less　frail　and　no　less　bold　than　its　neighbor　（also　destroyed）；　the　spire　of　the　Sainte…Chapelle；　buried　itself　in　the　sky；　farther　forward　than　the　towers；　slender；　pointed；　sonorous；　carved　in　open　work。　An　architect　of　good　taste　amputated　it　（1787）；　and　considered　it　sufficient　to　mask　the　wound　with　that　large；　leaden　plaster；　which　resembles　a　pot　cover。

'Tis　thus　that　the　marvellous　art　of　the　Middle　Ages　has　been　treated　in　nearly　every　country；　especially　in　France。　One　can　distinguish　on　its　ruins　three　sorts　of　lesions；　all　three　of　which　cut　into　it　at　different　depths；　first；　time；　which　has　insensibly　notched　its　surface　here　and　there；　and　gnawed　it　everywhere；　next；　political　and　religious　revolution；　which；　blind　and　wrathful　by　nature；　have　flung　themselves　tumultuously　upon　it；　torn　its　rich　garment　of　carving　and　sculpture；　burst　its　rose　windows；　broken　its　necklace　of　arabesques　and　tiny　figures；　torn　out　its　statues；　sometimes　because　of　their　mitres；　sometimes　because　of　their　crowns；　lastly；　fashions；　even　more　grotesque　and　foolish；　which；　since　the　anarchical　and　splendid　deviations　of　the　Renaissance；　have　followed　each　other　in　the　necessary　decadence　of　architecture。　　Fashions　have　wrought　more　harm　than　revolutions。　They　have　cut　to　the　quick；　they　have　attacked　the　very　bone　and　framework　of　art；　they　have　cut；　slashed；　disorganized；　killed　the　edifice；　in　form　as　in　the　symbol；　in　its　consistency　as　well　as　in　its　beauty。　　And　then　they　have　made　it　over；　a　presumption　of　which　neither　time　nor　revolutions　at　least　have　been　guilty。　　They　have　audaciously　adjusted；　in　the　name　of　〃good　taste；〃　upon　the　wounds　of　gothic　architecture；　their　miserable　gewgaws　of　a　day；　their　ribbons　of　marble；　their　pompons　of　metal；　a　veritable　leprosy　of　egg…shaped　ornaments；　volutes；　whorls；　draperies；　garlands；　fringes；　stone　flames；　bronze　clouds；　pudgy　cupids；　chubby…　cheeked　cherubim；　which　begin　to　devour　the　face　of　art　in　the　oratory　of　Catherine　de　Medicis；　and　cause　it　to　expire；　two　centuries　later；　tortured　and　grimacing；　in　the　boudoir　of　the　Dubarry。

Thus；　to　sum　up　the　points　which　we　have　just　indicated；　three　sorts　of　ravages　to…day　disfigure　Gothic　architecture。　Wrinkles　and　warts　on　the　epidermis；　this　is　the　work　of　time。　　Deeds　of　violence；　brutalities；　contusions；　fractures；　this　is　the　work　of　the　revolutions　from　Luther　to　Mirabeau。　Mutilations；　amputations；　dislocation　of　the　joints；　〃restorations〃；　this　is　the　Greek；　Roman；　and　barbarian　work　of　professors　according　to　Vitruvius　and　Vignole。　　This　magnificent　art　produced　by　the　Vandals　has　been　slain　by　the　academies。　　The　centuries；　the　revolutions；　which　at　least　devastate　with　impartiality　and　grandeur；　have　been　joined　by　a　cloud　of　school　architects；　licensed；　sworn；　and　bound　by　oath；　defacing　with　the　discernment　and　choice　of　bad　taste；　substituting　the　~chicorées~　of　Louis　XV。　for　the　Gothic　lace；　for　the　greater　glory　of　the　Parthenon。　　It　is　the　kick　of　the　ass　at　the　dying　lion。　　It　is　the　old　oak　crowning　itself；　and　which；　to　heap　the　measure　full；　is　stung；　bitten；　and　gnawed　by　caterpillars。

How　far　it　is　from　the　epoch　when　Robert　Cenalis；　comparing　Notre…Dame　de　Paris　to　the　famous　temple　of　Diana　at　Ephesus；　*so　much　lauded　by　the　ancient　pagans*；　which　Erostatus　*has*　immortalized；　found　the　Gallic　temple　〃more　excellent　in　length；　breadth；　height；　and　structure。〃*


*　　_Histoire　Gallicane_；　liv。　II。　Periode　III。　fo。　130；　p。　1。


Notre…Dame　is　not；　moreover；　what　can　be　called　a　complete；　definite；　classified　monument。　　It　is　no　longer　a　Romanesque　church；　nor　is　it　a　Gothic　church。　　This　edifice　is　not　a　type。　　Notre…Dame　de　Paris　has　not；　like　the　Abbey　of　Tournus；　the　grave　and　massive　frame；　the　large　and　round　vault；　the　glacial　bareness；　the　majestic　simplicity　of　the　edifices　which　have　the　rounded　arch　for　their　progenitor。　　It　is　not；　like　the　Cathedral　of　Bourges；　the　magnificent；　light；　multiform；　tufted；　bristling　efflorescent　product　of　the　pointed　arch。　　Impossible　to　class　it　in　that　ancient　family　of　sombre；　mysterious　churches；　low　and　crushed　as　it　were　by　the　round　arch；　almost　Egyptian；　with　the　exception　of　the　ceiling；　all　hieroglyphics；　all　sacerdotal；　all　symbolical；　more　loaded　in　their　ornaments；　with　lozenges　and　zigzags；　than　with　flowers；　with　flowers　than　with　animals；　with　animals　than　with　men；　the　work　of　the　architect　less　than　of　the　bishop；　first　transformation　of　art；　all　impressed　with　theocratic　and　military　discipline；　taking　root　in　the　Lower　Empire；　and　stopping　with　the　time　of　William　the　Conqueror。　　Impossible　to　place　our　Cathedral　in　that　other　family　of　lofty；　aerial　churches；　rich　in　painted　windows　and　sculpture；　pointed　in　form；　bold　in　attitude；　communal　and　bourgeois　as　political　symbols；　free；　capricious；　lawless；　as　a　work　of　art；　second　transformation　of　architecture；　no　longer　hieroglyphic；　immovable　and　sacerdotal；　but　artistic；　progressive；　and　popular；　which　begins　at　the　return　from　the　crusades；　and　ends　with　Louis　IX。　　Notre…Dame　de　Paris　is　not　of　pure　Romanesque；　like　the　first；　nor　of　pure　Arabian　race；　like　the　second。

It　is　an　edifice　of　the　transition　period。　　The　Saxon　architect　completed　the　erection　of　the　first　pillars　of　the　nave；　when　the　pointed　arch；　which　dates　from　the　Crusade；　arrived　and　placed　itself　as　a　conqueror　upon　the　large　Romanesque　capitals　which　should　support　only　round　arches。　　The　pointed　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　Gre