a little tour in france-第31章

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　and　Franks　ousted　each　other　from　such　a　point　of　vantage。　In　the　year　436；　Theodoric；　King　of　the　Visigoths；　superseded　both　these　parties；　and　it　is　during　his　oc…　cupation　that　the　inner　enceinte　was　raised　upon　the　ruins　of　the　Roman　fortifications。　　Most　of　the　Visigoth　towers　that　are　still　erect　are　seated　upon　Roman　sub…　structions　which　appear　to　have　been　formed　hastily；　probably　at　the　moment　of　the　Frankish　invasion。　The　authors　of　these　solid　defences；　though　occasionally　disturbed；　held　Carcassonne　and　the　neighboring　coun…　try；　in　which　they　had　established　their　kingdom　of　Septimania；　till　the　year　713；　when　they　were　expelled　by　the　Moors　of　Spain；　who　ushered　in　an　unillumined　period　of　four　centuries；　of　which　no　traces　remain。　These　facts　I　derived　from　a　source　no　more　recondite　than　a　pamphlet　by　M。　Viollet…le…Duc；　…　a　very　luminous　description　of　the　fortifications；　which　you　may　buy　from　the　accomplished　custodian。　　The　writer　makes　a　jump　to　the　year　1209；　when　Carcassonne；　then　forming　part　of　the　realm　of　the　viscounts　of　Beziers　and　infected　by　the　Albigensian　heresy；　was　besieged；　in　the　name　of　the　Pope；　by　the　terrible　Simon　de　Montfort　and　his　army　of　crusaders。　　Simon　was　ac…　customed　to　success；　and　the　town　succumbed　in　the　course　of　a　fortnight。　　Thirty…one　years　later；　having　passed　into　the　hands　of　the　King　of　France；　it　was　again　besieged　by　the　young　Raymond　de　Trincavel；　the　last　of　the　viscounts　of　Beziers；　and　of　this　siege　M。　Viollet…le…Duc　gives　a　long　and　minute　account；　which　the　visitor　who　has　a　head　for　such　things　may　follow；　with　the　brochure　in　hand；　on　the　fortifications　themselves。　　The　young　Raymond　de　Trincavel；　baffled　and　repulsed；　retired　at　the　end　of　twenty…four　days。　Saint　Louis　and　Philip　the　Bold；　in　the　thirteenth　cen…　tury；　multiplied　the　defences　of　Carcassonne；　which　was　one　of　the　bulwarks　of　their　kingdom　on　the　Spanish　quarter；　and　from　this　time　forth；　being　re…　garded　as　impregnable；　the　place　had　nothing　to　fear。　It　was　not　even　attacked；　and　when；　in　1355；　Edward　the　Black　Prince　marched　into　it；　the　inhabitants　had　opened　the　gates　to　the　conqueror　before　whom　all　Languedoc　was　prostrate。　　I　am　not　one　of　those　who；　as　I　said　just　now；　have　a　head　for　such　things；　and　having　extracted　these　few　facts　had　made　all　the　use　of　M。　Viollet…le…Duc's；　pamphlet　of　which　I　was　cap…　able。

I　have　mentioned　that　my　obliging　friend　the　_amoureux…fou_　handed　me　over　to　the　door…keeper　of　the　citadel。　　I　should　add　that　I　was　at　first　committed　to　the　wife　of　this　functionary；　a　stout　peasant…woman；　who　took　a　key　down　from　a　nail；　conducted　me　to　a　postern　door；　and　ushered　me　into　the　presence　of　her　husband。　　Having　just　begun　his　rounds　with　a　party　of　four　persons；　he　was　not　many　steps　in　advance。　　I　added　myself　perforce　to　this　party；　which　was　not　brilliantly　composed；　except　that　two　of　its　members　were　gendarmes　in　full　toggery；　who　announced　in　the　course　of　our　tour　that　they　had　been　stationed　for　a　year　at　Carcassonne；　and　had　never　before　had　the　curiosity　to　come　up　to　the　Cite。　　There　was　something　brilliant；　certainly；　in　that。　　The　_gardien_　was　an　extra…　ordinarily　typical　little　Frenchman；　who　struck　me　even　more　forcibly　than　the　wonders　of　the　inner　enceinte；　and　as　I　am　bound　to　assume；　at　whatever　cost　to　my　literary　vanity；　that　there　is　not　the　slightest　danger　of　his　reading　these　remarks；　I　may　treat　him　as　public　property。　　With　his　diminutive　stature　and　his　per…　pendicular　spirit；　his　flushed　face；　expressive　protuber…　ant　eyes；　high　peremptory　voice；　extreme　volubility；　lucidity；　and　neatness　of　utterance；　he　reminded　me　of　the　gentry　who　figure　in　the　revolutions　of　his　native　land。　　If　he　was　not　a　fierce　little　Jacobin；　he　ought　to　have　been；　for　I　am　sure　there　were　many　men　of　his　pattern　on　the　Committee　of　Public　Safety。　　He　knew　absolutely　what　he　was　about；　understood　the　place　thoroughly；　and　constantly　reminded　his　audience　of　what　he　himself　had　done　in　the　way　of　excavations　and　reparations。　　He　described　himself　as　the　brother　of　the　architect　of　the　work　actually　going　forward　（that　which　has　been　done　since　the　death　of　M。　Viol…　let…le…Duc；　I　suppose　he　meant）；　and　this　fact　was　more　illustrative　than　all　the　others。　　It　reminded　me；　as　one　is　reminded　at　every　turn；　of　the　democratic　con…　ditions　of　French　life：　a　man　of　the　people；　with　a　wife　_en　bonnet_；　extremely　intelligent；　full　of　special　knowledge；　and　yet　remaining　essentially　of　the　people；　and　showing　his　intelligence　with　a　kind　of　ferocity；　of　defiance。　　Such　a　personage　helps　one　to　under…　stand　the　red　radicalism　of　France；　the　revolutions；　the　barricades；　the　sinister　passion　for　theories。　　（I　do　not；　of　course；　take　upon　myself　to　say　that　the　indi…　vidual　I　describe　…　who　can　know　nothing　of　the　liberties　I　am　taking　with　him　…　is　actually　devoted　to　these　ideals；　I　only　mean　that　many　such　devotees　must　have　his　qualities。）　　In　just　the　_nuance_　that　I　have　tried　to　indicate　here；　it　is　a　terrible　pattern　of　man。　　Permeated　in　a　high　degree　by　civilization；　it　is　yet　untouched　by　the　desire　which　one　finds　in　the　Englishman；　in　proportion　as　he　rises　in　the　world；　to　approximate　to　the　figure　of　the　gentleman。　　On　the　other　hand；　a　_nettete_；　a　faculty　of　exposition；　such　as　the　English　gentleman　is　rarely　either　blessed　or　cursed　with。

This　brilliant；　this　suggestive　warden　of　Carcas…　sonne　marched　us　about　for　an　hour；　haranguing；　ex…　plaining；　illustrating；　as　he　went；　it　was　a　complete　little　lecture；　such　as　might　have　been　delivered　at　the　Lowell　Institute；　on　the　manger　in　which　a　first…　rate　_place　forte_　used　to　be　attacked　and　defended　Our　peregrinations　made　it　very　clear　that　Carcassone　was　impregnable；　it　is　impossible　to　imagine；　without　having　seen　them；　such　refinements　of　immurement；　such　ingenuities　of　resistance。　　We　passed　along　the　battlements　and　_chemins　de　ronde_；　ascended　and　de…　scended　towers；　crawled　under　arches；　peered　out　of　loop…holes；　lowered　ourselves　into　dungeons；　halted　in　all　sorts　of　tight　places；　while　the　purpose　of　some…　thing　or　other　was　described　to　us。　　It　was　very　curious；　very　interesting；　above　all；　it　was　very　pic…　torial；　and　involved　perpetual　peeps　into　the　little　crooked；　crumbling；　sunny；　grassy；　empty　Cite。　　In　places；　as　you　stand　upon　it；　the　great　towered　and　embattled　enceinte　produces　an　illusion；　it　looks　as　if　it　were　still　equipped　and　defended。　　One　vivid　challenge；　at　any　rate；　it　flings　down　before　you；　it　calls　upon　you　to　make　up　your　mind　on　the　matter　of　restoration。　　For　myself；　I　have　no　hesitation；　I　prefer　in　every　case　the　ruined；　however　ruined；　to　the　reconstructed；　however　splendid。　　What　is　left　is　more　precious　than　what　is　added：　the　one　is　history；　the　other　is　fiction；　and　I　like　the　former　the　better　of　the　two；　…　it　is　so　much　more　romantic。　　One　is　posi…　tive；　so　far　as　it　goes；　the　other　fills　up　the　void　with　things　more　dead　than　the　void　itself；　inasmuch　as　they　have　never　had　life。　　After　that　I　am　free　to　say　that　the　restoration　of　Carcassonne　is　a　splendid　achievement。　　The　little　custodian　dismissed　us　at　last；　after　having；　as　usual；　inducted　us　into　the　inevi…　table　repository　of　photographs。　　These　photographs　are　a　great　nuisance；　all　over　the　Midi。　　They　are　exceedingly　bad；　for　the　most　part；　and　the　worst　…　those　in　the　form　of　the　hideous　little　_album…pano…　rama_　…　are　thrust　upon　you　at　every　turn。　　They　are　a　kind　of　tax　that　you　must　pay；　the　best　way　is　to　pay　to　be　let　off。　　It　was　not　to　be　denied　that　there　was　a　relief　in　separating　from　our　accomplished　guide；　whose　manner　of　imparting　information　re…　minded　me　of　the　energetic　process　by　which　I　have　seen　mineral　waters　bottled。　　All　this　while　the　after…　noon　had　grown　more　lovely；　the　sunset　had　deepened；　the　horizon　of　hills　grown　purple；　the　mass　of　the　Canigou　became　more　delicate；　yet　more　distinct。　　The　day　had　so　far　faded　that　the　interior　of　the　little　cathedral　was　wrapped　in　twilight；　into　which　the　glowing　windows　projected　something　of　their　color。　This　church　has　high　beauty　and　value；　but　I　will　spare　the　reader　a　presentation　of　details　which　I　my…　self　had　no　opportu