file which includes the original illustrations4 ,see #cdggb-;h4htm or #cdggb-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/cache_/epu b_/#cdggb_/pg#cdggb-;images4html7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/files_/#cd ggb_/cdggb-;h4zip7 ,,stained ,,glass ,,tours ,,in ,,france by ,,charles ,,hitchcock ,,sherrill ,new ,york3 ,john ,lane ,company1 ,,mcmviii ,london3 ,john ,lane1 ,the ,bodley ,head ,copyright1 #aijh1 by ,john ,lane ,company ,illustration3 ,,interior ,,of ,,sainte ,,chapelle1 ,,paris4 ,built by ,st4 ,louis 7,louis ,,ix7 #abdh4 ,window surfaces pleasantly broken up into medallion designs4 ,walls constructed almost entirely of sheets of richly toned glass 7see ,page #bf74 ,,to ,,that ,,remorseless ,,critic ,,my ,,wife ,,this ,,book ,,is ,,gratefully ,,dedicated ,,contents ,,page ,,introduction #ac ,,thirteenth ,,century ,,and ,,earlier #be ,,thirteenth ,,century ,,tours #cg ,,fourteenth ,,and ,,fifteenth ,,centuries #aag ,,fourteenth ,,and ,,fifteenth ,,century ,,tours #acd ,,sixteenth ,,century #aig ,,sixteenth ,,century ,,tours #bab ,,itineraries #bie ,,index #big ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,,sainte ,,chapelle1 ,,paris ,frontispiece ,,page ,,medallion ,,panel1 ,,louvre #bh ,,map1 ,,thirteenth ,,century ,,tours #dj ,,medallion ,,lancet1 ,,tours #ed ,,chartres ,,transepts #gb ,,thirteenth ,,century ,,rose1 ,,laon #ajd ,,fifteenth ,,century ,,canopy1 ,,st4 ,,lo #abj ,,map1 ,,fourteenth ,,and ,,fifteenth ,,centuries ,,tours #acf ,,fifteenth ,,century ,,canopy1 ,,riom #aeh ,,renaissance ,,picture1 ,,montfort ,l',,amaury #bjj ,,map1 ,,sixteenth ,,century ,,tours #bad ,,renaissance ,,rose1 ,,sens #bbj ,,creation ,,window1 ,,troyes #bbh ,,constable ,,of ,,montmorency ,,and ,,his ,,sons #bgj ,,tree ,,of ,,jesse1 ,,beauvais #bhb ,,dedication ,,of ,,the ,,ste4 ,,chapelle #bib ,,foreword ,the purpose of this book is a very simple one4 ,it is to provide an answer to the question1 ,where does one find good stained glass in ,france1 and how can it most conveniently be seen8 ,all the books upon this subject are more or less technical and are intended rather for the student than the sightseer4 ,during the six years that the writer has been studying glass1 he has so often been asked the above question1 as to finally conclude that an answer in the form of a simple touring handbook might be of service4 ,to that end he has put together notes taken on sundry vacation trips4 ,the reader should be indulgent1 for the writer is not an authority on glass--just a lawyer on a holiday4 ,in addition to the purpose already described1 it is hoped that this little book may also serve to lure forth into the charming ,french country some who have hitherto neither heard nor cared much about glass1 so that they may see the wonderful beauty that the stained-glass window can alone reveal4 ,,charles ,,hitchcock ,,sherrill4 #bj1 ,east #feth ,street1 ,new ,york1 ,christmas1 #aijg4 ,,introduction ,the reason for the existence of a window is obvious4 ,when the dwelling ceased to be a cave and became a house1 the need for a light aperture at once arose4 ,neither the house nor the window concern us until long after the house had been made thoroughly habitable1 and its windows after much evolution are finally filled with a sheet of translucent substance1 which1 while excluding the weather1 would admit the light4 ,our interest does not begin until the wish to decorate the house naturally brought about a desire to decorate the window4 ,we will pass over the story of the discovery of glass and its gradual improvement2 nor will we pause to consider the very earliest examples now extant1 nor examine the steps through which it must have passed to reach so advanced a stage as we find in the twelfth century4 ,this is a book to tell where to see windows1 and therefore it must not take up stained glass until a period is reached when examples are sufficiently numerous and beautiful to repay a visit to them4 ,at what date then1 shall we make our beginning8 ,there is practically nothing until we come to the charming remains of the twelfth century2 but because these latter are very few and those few in churches which also contain glass of the next century1 we shall commence with the heading of ,thirteenth ,century and ,earlier4 ,that explains why we have selected this particular epoch as the starting point of our investigations4 ,our windows will themselves disclose to us that the ,golden ,age of ,french stained glass falls of itself into three subdivisions--the first comprising the twelfth and thirteenth centuries1 the second the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries1 and the third the sixteenth century4 ,of the second subdivision we shall find but few examples1 of the first more1 and of the third most4 ,no matter how far back we push our researches1 we are sure to be surprised at the advanced state of the art represented by any window which attempts a picture4 ,in fact1 we shall happen upon no satisfactory traces of the evolution which must have led up to even the crudest and oldest story-window4 ,we are forced1 therefore1 to conclude that this evolution must have occurred in another art1 and the result there evolved transferred into this one4 ,this conclusion is much strengthened when we read that ,st4 ,sophia1 built by ,justinian during the sixth century in ,constantinople1 contained not only glass mosaics on the walls1 but also in its windows4 ,here we have the key to the puzzle4 ,the many artists who were then occupied in designing mosaics1 worked out their pictures in little pieces of glass on the wall until they had developed along that line as far as possible4 ,then they doubtless bethought themselves that these glass mosaics would be even more effective if they could devise a means of illuminating their picture by letting the light shine through the colour4 ,to accomplish this they contrived to hold the morsels of glass securely in place1 first by wooden or stucco frames1 and later by long ribbons of lead having channels on each side to retain the edges of the glass4 ,this form of mosaic so held up to the light became a stained-glass window4 ,thus we easily understand that when the idea arrived of taking the mosaic picture off the wall and putting it into the embrasure of the window1 the art of making that picture out of bits of glass had already been fully developed4 ,we shall avoid the technicalities of glass making1 as they do not suit our holiday mood4 ,nor is there good reason why we should discuss any use of glass save that which is required in the construction of our windows4 ,let us1 however1 in passing1 refer to the very curious fact that a severe blow was dealt to all other sorts of glassware when the artists turned their attention to the making of windows4 ,glassware had constantly improved in design and colour up to the time 7early in the twelfth century7 when the great interest in windows sprang up4 ,this new taste seemed to at once throw all other developments of this material into a comatose condition which lasted on through the five centuries composing the ,golden ,age of the window4 ,this observation receives a peculiar confirmation when we notice that1 at the end of the sixteenth century1 stained glass suddenly lost its vogue at the same time that glassware sprang into renewed favour through the artistic skill and inventive genius of the ,venetians4 ,indeed1 the decadence of stained glass seemed to be the signal for the revival of hollow glassware4 ,to revert for a moment to the time when window making caused a halt in the improvement of hollowware1 it is interesting to note that glass making then left its former haunts and betook itself to the forests1 where it lurked until the stained-glass window having shot its bolt1 hollowware again engaged the attention of the artists and was once more manufactured nearer to the homes of its purchasers4 ,during this period of partial seclusion the glass produced was of a peculiar quality called in ,english forest glass and in ,french verre de fougere 7referring to the wild fern or bracken which was burnt to provide the necessary alkali74 ,the two names combine to explain to us that wood and not coal was used by the glass-blower and also that his alkali had to be gotten in an unusual way4 ,the toughness of this forest glass was admirably suited to the requirements of the window-maker4 ,as this book will be confined to an examination of ,french stained glass1 it is appropriate to cite ,theophilus1 who when in the twelfth century he wrote his celebrated ,latin treatise on this general subject1 stated that the art was a ,french one4 ,this makes it all the more important that we trace its beginnings in ,france1 as well as inquire whence came the influence which so strongly marked them4 ,this inquiry will reveal that it was to ,byzantium that the early glaziers were indebted for their quaint style of drawing4 ,in early glass we will observe the constrained1 ungainly poses of the bodies1 arms and legs1 as well as the staring-eyed1 ill-proportioned heads1 not only in the medallion type of windows1 but also in the larger figures glaring down from the clerestories4 ,very interesting conclusions may be reached if we place side by side three figures1 one taken from thirteenth century glass1 another from a ,limoges enamel made any time from the tenth to the thirteenth century1 and the third from the famous mosaics of ,st4 ,mark's in ,venice4 ,we have selected an enamel from ,limoges because that was the only locality in which a continued as well as a renowned cult of enamelling existed in ,france during the centuries named1 while the reason for choosing ,st4 ,mark's is that it is one of the finest extant examples of ,byzantine art4 ,notice the same constraint in the drawing of all these three figures1 the same awkward pulling of garment folds to delineate the form1 and the same quaint morsel of conventional architecture about the top 7which last1 by the way1 indicated that the personage below was a high dignitary of either church or state74 ,the resemblance is too striking to be merely a coincidence1 especially as each of these figures used in the comparison is typical of hundreds of others4 ,this very resemblance hints at its own explanation4 ,the dates of the figures show the order in which these peculiarities of style must have been transmitted4 ,the ,byzantine mosaics of ,st4 ,mark's are much the oldest2 then came the ,limoges enamels1 and lastly the stained glass windows4 ,thus we learn not only where our windows originated in ,france1 but also whence came the designs that the ,limoges enamellers taught the glazier4 ,abbe ,texier1 in his ,essai ,historique et ,descriptif sur les ,argentiers et les ,emailleurs de ,limoges 7#ahda71 says that ,french stained glass began in the neighbourhood of ,limoges1 whose highly vaunted school of enamellers were strongly influenced by the ,byzantine types of the ,venetian school and that therefore it was but natural that the glass artist should also have yielded to the ,byzantine influence4 ,as showing how this influence reached ,limoges1 he states that in #igi a ,venetian colony settled there for the purpose of trading in spices and other commodities of the ,east1 conveyed from ,egypt by way of ,marseilles4 ,winston says that the ,venetian ,doge ,orseolo ,i came to sojourn in ,france in #igh and that the erection of the ,church of ,st4 ,front1 ,perigueux 7near ,limoges71 is ascribed to him4 ,james ,ferguson1 in his ,illustrated ,handbook of ,architecture1 tells us that the ,venetians 7as the great carriers and merchants of the ,levant7 were in constant communication with ,byzantium4 ,these facts provide a ready explanation of why these same pronounced ,byzantine types can be remarked first in the mosaics of ,st4 ,mark's1 next in the enamels of ,limoges and lastly on the stained glass windows of the thirteenth century4 ,the older the glass1 the more closely does the drawing follow these models2 the attitudes are more constrained and awkward1 and the folds of the garment are more tightly drawn around the figures1 nor does the artist allow himself any freedom from the traditions of that school4 ,later on the drawing becomes more graceful and the lines are freer4 ,anyone who desires to go thoroughly into the technical side of this art will find a most exhaustive and scholarly book in ,lewis ,f4 ,day's ,windows of ,stained ,glass 7#ahig74 ,the best book in ,french is ,oliver ,merson's excellent ,vitraux 7#ahie74 ,let us now postpone any further consideration of the general subject until after we1 with our own eyes1 have seen enough windows to have collected material for discussion4 ,this brings us to the selection of towns1 and the consideration of routes4 ,we have referred to how naturally stained glass divides itself into three epochs1 viz43 #a4 ,thirteenth century and earlier4 #b4 ,fourteenth and fifteenth centuries4 #c4 ,sixteenth century4 ,visits to the glass of these epochs will be1 for convenience1 subdivided into the following tours3 ,,epoch ,i 7a7 ,bourges1 ,poitiers1 ,tours1 ,angers1 ,le ,mans1 ,chartres4 7b7 ,auxerre1 ,sens1 ,troyes1 ,chalons1 ,rheims4 7c7 ,soissons1 ,laon1 ,st4 ,quentin1 ,amiens4 ,,epoch ,,ii 7a7 ,evreux1 ,rouen4 7b7 ,bourges1 ,moulins1 ,riom1 ,clermont-,ferrand1 ,eymoutiers1 ,limoges1 ,poitiers1 ,angers1 ,le ,mans 7,alencon71 ,sees1 ,verneuil1 ,chartres4 ,also separate visit to ,quimper4 ,,epoch ,,iii 7a7 ,vincennes1 ,sens1 ,troyes1 ,chalons4 7b7 ,montfort l',amaury1 ,conches1 ,pont-,audemer1 ,caudebec1 ,rouen 7,grand-,andely1 ,elbeuf1 ,pont de l',arche74 7c7 ,ecouen1 ,montmorency1 ,chantilly 7,st4 ,quentin71 ,beauvais4 ,also separate visits to ,bourg1 ,auch and ,champigny-sur-,veude4 ,at the back of the book will be found a table showing distances by road1 and also the usual index4 ,it must be admitted that even in so delightful a country as ,france1 one's wanderings gain an added zest if guided by a more definite purpose than is the slave of the red-backed ,baedeker1 intent upon exhausting the sights of every place visited4 ,this admitted1 we have then to consider not only the stranger on his first visit to ,france1 but also the experienced traveller who already knows the beauties of its roads and the lazy charm of its historic towns4 ,if our reader is of the latter sort he will especially hail some new quest as a reason for revisiting old scenes in search of charms heretofore unseen or unappreciated4 ,it was especially him that the writer had in mind when putting together the rambling notes covering six years of glass study4 ,he knows what varied forms of beauty await those who are sufficiently energetic to escape from the ultra-modern charms of ,paris1 that fascinator of foreigners4 ,he knows the quaint villages1 the perfect roads1 the ancient castles1 the magnificent cathedrals that are waiting to be explored4 ,to him we will tell the story of a wonderful beauty where light lies imprisoned in colour--a beauty which can be seen nowhere so well as in ,france4 ,what if you have already visited every nook and corner of this picturesque land8 ,come out again with us and add another to the many reasons for your love of ,france4 ,take up the modern equivalent of the pilgrim's staff and shell and fare forth1 being well assured that your eyes will be opened to the appreciation of something which1 to be loved1 has only to be wisely seen--the window of stained glass4 ,,thirteenth ,,century ,,and ,,earlier ,before spending any time in studying the subject of stained glass windows1 let us go and see some good ones4 ,one of the safest ways to learn how to appreciate any art is to look at fine examples of it4 ,of stained glass this is particularly true1 because no method of reproduction1 even colour photography1 can give any idea of the unique result there obtained by combining light with colour4 ,no flat tints can ever produce the effect of warmth and translucence that is yielded by colour illuminated through and through by the rays of the sun4 ,we will assume that we are in ,paris4 ,fortunately for our purpose there are easily accessible two splendid specimens of early glass1 one the glazing of the ,ste4 ,chapelle and the other the rose windows high up in the western facade and in the transept ends of the ,cathedral of ,notre ,dame4 ,the former is the most perfect instance of a thirteenth century chapel preserving intact its original glazing1 while the rose in the northern transept of ,notre ,dame is probably the finest one of its period in the world4 ,thus we make an excellent beginning and our interest is at once stimulated to see more4 ,observe the difference in the placing of these windows1 as well as in the points from which we view them1 as it will prove peculiarly useful in disclosing how they should be set in order to best reveal their beauties4 ,every tourist that visits ,paris goes1 as a matter of course1 to the ,ste4 ,chapelle1 that net of ,gothic in which lies enmeshed such treasures of colour and light4 ,this sparkling marvel lies modestly nestled among the law courts1 whose plainer modern buildings serve but to accentuate its wonderful beauty4 ,we shall not be long in learning who was its founder1 for the golden fleur de lis of ,france and castles of ,castile strewed over its walls of glass mutely remind us that it was built by the good ,louis ,,ix and that with him was associated his mother1 ,queen ,blanche of ,castile4 ,no king of ,france so loved and befriended our gentle art as ,st4 ,louis4 ,in many another ,french window this same combination of heraldic emblems will demonstrate how diligently these two royalties 7or others in their honour7 strove to introduce and spread the luminous beauty of this craft4 ,this fragile chef d'oeuvre was constructed by order of its royal patron to provide a sanctuary worthy to contain the sacred relics acquired by him in the ,holy ,land4 ,no effort or expense was spared to fit it for its high purpose4 ,by reason of its royal founder as well as of its object1 we can be sure that in the ,ste4 ,chapelle we have an example of the best taste of the thirteenth century4 ,st4 ,louis laid the first stone in #abde1 and so expeditiously was the work carried on that it was finished and consecrated ,april #be1 #abdh1 and we read that all its wealth of glass was installed before the consecration4 ,although we shall refrain from technical words as much as possible1 we can see at a glance why these were called medallion windows4 ,each subject treated is enclosed in a narrow round framing of colour1 thus breaking up the entire surface into medallions4 ,it prevented confusion of subjects and at the same time gave a balance to their treatment4 ,it is a good omen for the future of our combined sightseeing and study that we can begin with something so complete and charming as the perfect ,ste4 ,chapelle4 ,and yet1 although it is glowingly1 mystically lovely with a beauty attributable chiefly to its glass1 other thirteenth century churches will teach us to notice that here it is the interior that is benefited and not the windows4 ,so small is the edifice that we cannot stand far enough away from the glass to let it develop the glittering glow that refraction of the rays of light lends to the glazing of the thirteenth century1 but which no other period can show us4 ,in order to fully realise what we have lost by being too near the windows1 take the short stroll that brings you to the ,cathedral of ,notre ,dame4 ,enter its great gloom1 go forward until you are opposite the rose window in the north transept1 and look up4 ,if you have in you any poetry1 any sensuous sympathy with colour and light1 you will receive an artistic thrill so strong as to at once elevate you to membership in our ,brotherhood of ,glass ,lovers4 ,our pilgrim staring up at the great rose window will note the splendid purplish glow that comes from it4 ,now he will realise that he missed this gorgeous jewelled gleam at the ,ste4 ,chapelle1 and for the reason that he was too close to the glass4 ,after he has grown accustomed to this new feature1 he will begin to notice some of the causes for it4 ,the effect is undoubtedly glowing purple1 and yet it is not produced by purple glass4 ,it results from the merging of the reds and blues1 rendered possible1 nay1 assisted by the smallness of the pieces of the glass1 and this observation also explains why this same effect was not obtained in later periods when the glass fragments become so large that the colours remain distinct and do not run into each other4 ,because we are too near the ,ste4 ,chapelle glass we remember it as red and blue1 but the memory of the ,notre ,dame windows1 which can be viewed from a proper distance1 is a splendid purple4 ,illustration3 #ac,,th ,,century ,,medallion1 ,,musee ,,du ,,louvre4 ,window surface broken up into medallions1 each enclosing a little scene4 ,the black outlines of the picture are provided by the leaden strips which hold together the pieces of glass4 ,paint is used only to mark the features1 folds in the garments1 etc4 ,here the lead lines assist the picture--later they mar it4 ,it is to be hoped that you have had the good fortune to first visit these two buildings on a rainy or grey day4 ,that is the sort of weather for a glass pilgrim to be abroad and stirring1 for his windows will be lighted to the same extent all around the church4 ,if it is a sunny day1 the windows towards the sun will seem thin in colour1 whilst those on the shady side will be thick and flatly toned4 ,he may assure himself that he is mistaken1 and that the difference in effect is caused by the strong glare of the sun on the one side1 and on the other side the lack of it--we repeat that he may assure himself of this1 but he will get the wrong effect1 notwithstanding4 ,make a mental note of this point and when you go glass hunting1 join the farmers in praying for rain6 ,we must seek elsewhere than in ,paris to find what this mosaic of tiny morsels of different hued glass can accomplish in the small chapels surrounding the choir of a great cathedral4 ,we shall learn what a glorifying curtain of subdued colour it will provide and how when viewed from the nave of the church these chapels become gleaming caverns1 forming a semi-circular background for the well-lighted choir in their midst4 ,even whilst we are drinking in the great beauty of this splendidly impressive half-circle of chapels1 we must realise that delightful as is this method of subduing and beautifying the light1 it would be most unwise to use this same style of glass in the clerestory above4 ,not only would the choir be too dark1 but1 besides1 we would lose the contrast of light against gloom that renders it so impressive in its dignity4 ,this observation introduces another type of glazing for which we shall seek in vain after this century4 ,if we demand more light from our clerestory and at the same time insist on coloured glass1 then we must use fewer strips of light-obscuring lead1 which means fewer and larger pieces of glass4 ,thus we will obtain more illumination than is yielded by the heavily-leaded windows below4 ,now we begin to understand that the light of the medallion window is sombre because so much of its surface is occupied by the great quantity of lead required to bind together its small pieces of glass4 ,these numerous lead lines serve a very artistic purpose1 for1 by breaking the refraction of the rays of light passing through the small bits of glass and diffusing them1 they have much to do with blending the colours and producing the delightful jewelled effect that we at once noticed in ,notre ,dame4 ,we have purposely used the phrase much to do1 because it is only one of several causes4 ,the quality of the glass itself had a great share in that result4 ,it is quite different from that found later on1 for it was1 as yet1 quite imperfect1 and no two pieces had the same thickness or were surfaced alike4 ,this very unevenness assisted in breaking up the light rays4 ,another cause for its brilliancy was that its translucence was not obscured by paint4 ,a piece of glass was yellow or blue because its colour was introduced while it was being made in the pot and therefore was diffused throughout the mass4 ,for this reason it was called pot metal glass4 ,we shall find that later on they discovered how to tint the surface of glass by the invention first of staining and later by enamelling1 both of which had a marked effect and will be spoken of at the proper time4 ,one of the results of colouring glass in the pot was that generally the tone would not be equal throughout2 for instance1 a piece of blue glass would not be evenly blue in all its parts4 ,this difference in the shading of each piece1 as well as the unevenness of its surface1 produced a brilliancy which the more perfect methods that came later could never hope to achieve4 ,the freedom from surface paint made possible a limpidity of colour which by contrast makes later painted or enamelled windows seem almost dull4 ,during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the only paint used was a brown pigment1 which served to delineate features and sometimes to accentuate the folds of garments1 etc4 ,we must also remember that as the artist worked with small pieces of glass and therefore used a great many lead lines1 all the outlines needed by his picture could be put in with leads1 and hence it was only natural that he became very expert in drawing with them4 ,the result of his skill in this particular is surprisingly attractive and we shall sorely miss it later1 when less and less attention was paid to the drawing and decorative value of the leads because of the increased desire for large pieces of glass with pictures painted upon them4 ,in fact1 so far from early traditions did they of the sixteenth century stray1 that we shall see strips of lead running right across an arm or a face6 ,their value from an artistic standpoint seemed at that time nearly forgotten1 and instead of being used to beautify the drawing1 they were only tolerated as a part of the machinery necessary to support the glass in its framework4 ,before leaving the subject of paint upon glass1 it is well to remark that although we may admire the brilliancy of these early windows and may rejoice that the artist had not yet learned to obscure his colour1 nevertheless1 if we were examining windows in ,italy1 that land of everlasting sunshine1 we might find a little painting upon the surface a genuine relief to the eye4 ,there is such a thing as too much sunshine4 ,geography must be considered in criticising glass4 ,we promised to avoid as much as possible the study of the technical1 but it must be admitted that we have drifted into it1 and that our attempt to learn why clerestory windows differ from the lower ones1 has brought with it an exposition of the technique of the thirteenth century4 ,to briefly recapitulate1 it consists of-- 7a7 ,small pieces of glass4 7b7 ,obviously requiring a great many lead lines to bind them together4 7c7 ,glass that is uneven in surface and in the distribution of its colour4 7d7 ,glass coloured throughout the mass 7pot metal glass74 7e7 ,glass that is practically unobscured by paint4 ,but let us get up to our clerestory windows4 ,it has been instructive arriving there1 but now let us see what had to be done to admit more light through these upper embrasures4 ,in the first place it was clear that there had to be less leading1 which meant larger pieces of glass4 ,for this purpose there was devised a conventional style of decoration giving a most pleasing result4 ,this consisted of a series of large figures of saints1 kings1 or other great personages4 ,unfortunately we cannot see this sort of clerestory window in ,paris1 but a visit to ,bourges or ,rheims or ,chartres will soon convince you how splendidly they serve their purpose4 ,at ,notre ,dame1 in the choir clerestory1 one sees only a poor imitation of the destroyed old windows2 owing to the paint upon the glass1 the yellows are dull and the reds are thick and muddy4 ,when you have seen one of these rows of huge figures1 the reason for the device becomes clear4 ,the folds of garments of such size permitted the use of large sheets of glass1 and as little lead and no paint were needed1 the light was not obscured4 ,the drawing of the folds1 etc41 was executed by the leads which1 in any event1 were required for structural reasons4 ,so large are some of these figures that often we shall find that their eyes were not drawn with pigment1 but were separately leaded in4 ,this would not have been agreeable in the lower range of windows1 but high up in the air1 far above the observer's head1 it produced the effect desired4 ,nor was this the only trick indulged in by the artist4 ,sometimes he permitted himself very odd uses of colour4 ,you will notice that during this century he generally employed brown glass instead of white for flesh tints4 ,of course he did not have what we call white glass--that was a perfection not yet reached1 but he might have used pink4 ,no1 he preferred brown2 and when you have seen the glorious rows of clerestory figures looking down upon you at ,rheims or ,chartres1 you will know that he was right4 ,his colours were so rich and strong that white glass in the faces would have been too sharp a contrast and would have spoilt the harmony of tones4 ,nor was this the only strange choice of tints4 ,you will be startled to read that blue is used for the hair of the ,christ in a ,crucifixion scene1 and yet so cleverly was it worked in that many an observer of the splendid east window of ,poitiers ,cathedral has gone away without noticing that the hair is blue or that the cross is bright red6 ,the effect of the picture was achieved1 proof that the artist knew and developed the possibilities existing in his materials4 ,that certainly always has been and always will be one of the great tests of artistic ability4 ,while in ,notre ,dame notice another method of glazing prevalent in that century and which also had for its raison d'etre the need for light in the upper windows4 ,this is what is called grisaille1 a panel of greenish-grey glass1 sometimes surrounded by a border of the same tone1 sometimes by one of gayer tints1 but always1 during this period1 a broad border4 ,back in the twelfth century1 where we first find these windows1 the borders are wider still4 ,their small pieces of glass are held together by leads arranged in conventional designs1 often in what is called strap work1 i4e41 the seeming interlacing of straps in a sort of basket pattern1 very simple and agreeable4 ,the light comes through in a cool1 silvery tone which blends well with the stone structure about it4 ,in ,notre ,dame we see examples of these windows1 some with grisaille borders1 and also a few with coloured ones1 but on our travels we shall find much better types at ,bourges1 at ,chalons-sur-,marne1 and elsewhere4 ,as a result of our sightseeing we will learn that the best of the early glaziers realised that to compensate for the dim light yielded by the medallion windows below1 it was necessary to have better illumination from above4 ,of course this combination in perfection was not often accomplished1 but we generally find that if the artist did not himself take care to admit sufficient light1 somebody that came later corrected the error4 ,often we find that the monks1 to obtain more light in the choir1 removed the coloured panels and substituted plain glass4 ,in several instances1 notably at ,amiens1 they attempted to sanctify their vandalism by destroying only so much stained glass in a window as to leave a large white cross upon it4 ,when we come to the next century we shall see what this vandalism in favour of better-lighted church interiors is going to produce4 ,for the sake of clearness let us review the steps by which we have reached our conclusions4 ,first we saw that the thirteenth century window has far more charm in its colour than in its drawing1 which1 although generally true of all glass1 is never so emphatically true as during this period4 ,while examining the colour composition1 we have learnt how a window is constructed1 and that in turn has taught us why it is best to view it from a little distance4 ,the next step was to conclude that therefore this style of glass was not well adapted to domestic architecture or for small buildings4 ,further1 we have remarked the odd style of drawing then in vogue which1 traced back1 proves but one of the many imprints which ,byzantine art left upon those times4 ,more time might at this point be profitably devoted to study1 but this little volume is not intended for a text-book4 ,its chief object is to persuade you to go about ,france and see for yourself its wonderful windows4 ,it is to be hoped that even this small amount of research will prove useful in increasing your enjoyment of the glass4 ,let us now consider how many and which towns we will visit1 and also how we can most satisfactorily group them together so as to provide convenient trips4 ,,thirteenth ,,century ,,pilgrimages ,the glass we have seen in ,paris gives but a hint of the richness of this period exemplified elsewhere in ,france4 ,how much or how little we shall see depends upon the reader4 ,if he has time or inclination for but one example1 he should visit ,chartres4 ,in giving this advice we solemnly warn him that if he has even a faint idea of seeing more than one1 then he should defer ,chartres until the last4 ,it so far surpasses the others that they must be seen before it or they will suffer by comparison4 ,if the reader can only visit a few towns1 then he will doubtless wish to consider what else they contain besides glass1 as these other features may influence him in making his selection4 ,for example1 if he is interested in tapestry it is clear that he will prefer ,rheims and ,angers to other churches equally important in their glass1 but lacking such additional attractions4 ,then1 too1 nearness to ,paris may decide him in favour of one cathedral instead of another requiring a longer journey4 ,with each of our towns we will mention any such extra inducement as tapestry1 paintings1 etc4 ,at the back will be found a table of distances1 not only from ,paris1 but also from each town to the next4 ,if the reader has plenty of time1 we suggest three pilgrimages4 ,if his time is in any way limited1 he can either take one or more of them1 or else make such adjustment of them as best suits his convenience4 ,it must1 of course1 be understood that there is some thirteenth century glass which will not be visited by us1 but any one who has followed these itineraries will have seen all of the best4 ,when we reflect how fragile is a glass window1 it is really marvellous that we shall find so much of this easily destroyed beauty after the stress of centuries4 ,only a few churches can show anything like a complete series of windows1 and fewer still a series all glazed during the same period4 ,chartres1 that treasure-house of glass1 is the nearest approach to a perfectly complete example4 ,le ,mans1 perhaps1 is next4 ,bourges is splendid in its thirteenth century glory1 but there the hypercritical may find that the fifteenth century glazing of the nave chapels interferes with the earlier effect4 ,the clerestory of ,rheims ,cathedral boasts row on row of gorgeous kings and bishops1 but there we look in vain for the medallion windows to give us the usual glowing chapels below4 ,these differences are not mentioned to criticise1 but to point out that we shall find a variety and not a monotony of beauty4 ,now for the three itineraries3 7a7 ,our first tour is the longest1 starts at the point most distant from ,paris1 and then works back to that city4 ,we begin at ,bourges1 #d-a_/d hours by railway1 #bbg kilometres by road4 ,from ,bourges we go to ,poitiers1 then to ,tours1 to ,angers1 to ,le ,mans1 and end at ,chartres4 ,chartres is only #a-a_/d hours from ,paris1 #hh kilometres by road4 7b7 ,before starting on the second tour we must consult time-tables in order to make connections for ,auxerre1 which is #ce minutes beyond ,la ,roche1 a station on the main line to ,lyons and the south4 ,if we could take a through train from ,paris1 the journey would be under three hours4 ,by automobile it is #afh kilometres1 leaving ,paris by the road to ,fontainebleau4 ,from ,auxerre we come back to ,sens1 then to ,troyes1 to ,chalons-sur-,marne1 and lastly to ,rheims1 two hours from ,paris 7#ade kilometres74 ,if the time or inclination of the pilgrim makes it expedient that this trip be shortened1 then1 if he is a railway traveller1 let him begin by ,troyes and come around by ,chalons and ,rheims4 ,if1 on the other hand1 he is travelling by automobile1 he might as well see ,sens just before ,troyes1 because by road ,sens is not much off the line from ,paris to ,troyes and is well worth that small detour4 ,the railway journey1 however1 between ,sens and ,troyes is a tedious one of more than two hours1 because it is a branch line where there are no expresses4 7c7 ,the last tour is most convenient to ,paris1 and although clearly secondary in importance as a glass pilgrimage1 the scenery is so very attractive that it will particularly appeal to the automobilist and bicyclist4 ,we begin by visiting ,soissons1 an hour and a quarter by train 7#ie kilometres by road71 then ,laon1 next ,st4 ,quentin and last ,amiens1 an hour and a quarter by train 7#aca kilometres7 from ,paris4 ,if he is en automobile1 the pilgrim may return to ,paris by way of ,beauvais1 for it is not much out of his way4 ,if1 however1 he is travelling by railway1 then he should omit ,beauvais1 for he will find only exasperatingly slow trains from ,amiens to ,beauvais4 ,the thirteenth century glass there is unimportant1 and1 besides1 we shall later visit it for that of the sixteenth century4 ,if the reader intends to take all of these three tours he should begin with 7c71 then take 7b71 and lastly 7a74 ,if he can take but two1 then begin with 7b7 and end with 7a74 ,if there is time but for one1 7a7 is the best4 ,the automobilist may unfold his maps and prepare a combination trip if he likes1 for that is one of the licensed joys of automobiling4 ,the old-fashioned traveller by railway will1 however1 find the order here set out the most convenient one4 ,there is a splendid series of medallion windows around the choir chapels of the ,cathedral of ,clermont-,ferrand1 but it is too far out of our way to be properly included in any of the above tours4 ,rouen1 too1 has fine medallion work of this period in its cathedral1 but the later glass there is so much more interesting that we will not include it in these groups4 ,both these towns will be visited later in their appropriate order1 and we shall then have an opportunity to enjoy their delightful thirteenth century windows4 ,illustration3 #ac,,th ,,century ,,tours4 7a7 ,bourges1 ,poitiers1 ,tours1 ,angers1 ,le ,mans1 ,chartres4 7b7 ,auxerre1 ,sens1 ,troyes1 ,chalons1 ,rheims4 7c7 ,soissons1 ,laon1 ,st4 ,quentin1 ,amiens4 7,for table of distances1 see ,page #bie47 ,,bourges ,the writer will never forget his first impression of ,bourges ,cathedral1 as1 mounted on a bicycle1 he approached it over the rolling country that lies to the east towards ,nevers4 ,for a long time it seemed a great rock rising from the plain1 which steadily grew larger and larger until1 all at once1 it took on the outlines of a huge cathedral4 ,fantastic as it may seem in the telling1 this vast bulk looming up against the sky exactly symbolised for him the word ,bourges4 ,to fully appreciate this great church one should approach it this way and let it grow before one's eyes4 ,this is true of but few cathedrals1 among which there is an easily recalled instance in ,england4 ,no one ever realises all the soft grey beauty of ,ely unless1 thanks to his slow progress down the river ,ouse1 he has seen it gradually arise from the green setting of fen lands4 ,perhaps one reason why ,bourges1 when viewed from a distance1 does not immediately disclose itself to be a cathedral is because one sees no perpendicular lines4 ,on one side the great tower so tapers as to seem to slant inward1 while on the other side the flying buttresses present an even greater divergence from the perpendicular4 ,all this increases the rock-like appearance and defers the realisation that it is architecture and not nature until one is so near as to perceive some of the details4 ,in one respect ,bourges is like the town of ,amiens1 in that nearly all its architectural beauty is centred in the cathedral and seems to have been content to bourgeon and blossom there4 ,bourges has1 however1 one advantage in possessing a wonderful house that ,jack built1 the fifteenth century palace of ,jacques ,coeur1 a rich merchant and banker whose wealth was the cause of his final overthrow and banishment on a trumped-up charge of debasing the coinage4 ,even the fact that he had lent money freely to ,charles ,,vii did not save him4 ,later on 7page #aea7 we shall consider the cathedral's fifteenth century glass1 and we shall then examine the splendid window given by ,jacques ,coeur1 perhaps the finest that period can show4 ,chief among the charms of the cathedral's exterior are the splendid five-portalled west front1 and the lace-like garment of flying buttresses that gracefully hangs about its sides and east end4 ,the great apse is built upon the remains of the old ,roman walls1 which so elevates it above the neighbouring houses as to provide a clear view of the flying buttresses4 ,unfortunately1 the west front does not fare so well4 ,there is hardly a cathedral in ,europe so shut in on the west by adjoining buildings4 ,they huddle so closely about it that one has no opportunity to stand off and properly observe the elaborate carvings and other architectural features that unite to make the beauty of this famous facade4 ,from the way in which each succeeding story decreases in size1 it is easy to see why the big northern tower appeared to slant inward when viewed from a distance4 ,like one of the cathedral towers at ,rouen1 it is named the ,tour du ,beurre because it was built with money received from the sale of indulgences to eat butter during ,lent4 ,most ,americans have1 during the day-dreams of their childhood1 conjured up a mental picture of the vast interior of an ancient cathedral1 and of the mysteriously impressive gloom that would some day there meet their eyes4 ,it is doubtful if any other church more completely realises this fancy of our childhood4 ,as one enters the great building he receives an impression never to be forgotten4 ,a feeling of vastness lays hold upon one even more strongly than at ,beauvais and ,amiens1 both of which are actually loftier4 ,here the seeming height is increased by the five rows of windows1 one above the other4 ,this addition to the usual allotment of three tiers 7lower arches1 triforium and clerestory7 gives an unusual number of light apertures4 ,while there are no transepts1 their absence leaves unbroken the lines of the side walls and thus increases the apparent size of the interior4 ,and what a wealth of thirteenth century glass6 ,it gleams and glows and glistens on every side1 near at hand and far off in the soft richness of the choir chapels4 ,we find it everywhere except in the nave chapels1 which were glazed in the fifteenth century4 ,perhaps if it were not for the increased light which these later panels admit1 we might find the church too much darkened by its sombre earlier glass4 ,it is clear1 however1 that care was taken even from the first to sufficiently illumine the nave1 because it possesses a fine series of thirteenth century grisaille windows1 enriched and enlivened by broad borders of colour4 ,the noble chapels that encircle the choir show us the effect of mosaic medallions at their best4 ,above in the clerestory1 like watchmen on a leaguered wall1 are stationed a glorious row of large figures which are not to be surpassed anywhere4 ,the richness of their costumes1 of the backgrounds1 even of the borders1 is most sumptuous4 ,we have already noted the absence of the transepts4 ,on our travels we shall notice that the north and south ends of transepts generally contain great rose windows4 ,to compensate the glass artist for their absence here1 the architect gave him an opportunity to glaze an elaborate series of forty-five small ones4 ,they extend all around the interior1 no two alike1 and must be seen for one to appreciate how greatly they add to the interest and charm of the cathedral4 ,it is contended by some that ,bourges provides the finest field for the study of thirteenth century glass1 but in this opinion we cannot agree1 although gladly admitting everything else claimed for it by its staunchest adherents4 ,our reason for preferring ,chartres is that it has more windows1 and that they are practically all of the same period1 so that the eye does not there find the distraction caused here by the fifteenth century glazing of the nave chapels4 ,we prefer to rank the first four in the following order of excellence3 ,chartres1 ,bourges1 ,rheims1 and ,le ,mans4 ,it will be interesting to learn whether or not the reader agrees with us4 ,at any rate he should see them1 and now that we have enticed him so far away from ,paris1 he will find it as easy to return by the route that includes them as by any other4 ,,poitiers ,among the many beauties of ,france must certainly be accounted its cities built upon a hill4 ,there are a goodly number of them and their lofty position has tended to preserve them from change more than cities so placed that their expansion into suburbs was easier4 ,without doubt there is something fascinating1 something irresistibly dominating about a town that looks down upon us4 ,fortunate it is for us lovers of the picturesque1 whom1 alas1 the uses of modern convenience have made dwellers in the plain1 that during mediaeval times the vital need of safety forced its citizens to seek the refuge of heights6 ,no one can question the right of quaint old ,poitiers to be as haughty as hill towns have always been--nay1 haughtier4 ,think of the days when through the ,house of ,plantagenet she gave rulers to ,england--when these same kings governed not only ,england but also the whole western half of ,france6 ,we do not always remember what a long strip of territory was ruled by the ,angevin dynasty1 stretching all the way from the ,pyrenees across the ,channel and up to ,scotland4 ,one of the greatest encounters that marked the long and bitter struggle between the ,english and ,french was the ,battle of ,poitiers1 when in #acef the ,english under the ,black ,prince defeated and took prisoner ,john the ,good of ,france and slew #aa1jjj ,frenchmen4 ,it was1 indeed1 a bloody baptism when our hill town stood sponsor to such a conflict of warring nations4 ,there are few cities in ,france which more richly repay a visit than this rather out-of-the-way place1 and fewer still which have so many varied inducements to offer4 ,the architectural remains are not only interesting but differ materially in character and epoch4 ,the situation of the city is most striking4 ,it is perched on the top of a flat-iron shaped hill upon the point of which the picturesque ,jardin de ,blossac smiles down upon the winding river ,clain4 ,it is not in this book that you should look for a description of the wonderful triple interpenetrated chimney of the ,palais de ,justice1 nor the fourth century church of ,st4 ,jean1 nor the ivory-like carvings on the facade of ,notre ,dame de la ,garde4 ,hie thee to a guide-book for these1 and the like of them1 and let us to our quest6 ,in all glass of this period1 nay1 of any period or any century1 we shall never find a more splendid window than the ,crucifixion at the east end of the cathedral4 ,in our introduction we said that glass should not be studied from written description1 but that it must be seen4 ,of this window this observation is even more true than of any other4 ,its breadth and size indicate that it dates from early in the century4 ,the harmony and the beauty of its colours are beyond words to describe4 ,indeed1 so ingeniously are they combined to produce their effect1 that the detail is apt to escape the observer4 ,even after spending some time before it he may be surprised to learn that the cross is ruby-red and that the hair of the ,saviour is blue4 ,if he had read this in a book it would have been impossible to convince him that the result could be one of such great beauty4 ,unfortunately for the many excellent medallion windows in this cathedral1 there are also a great number of uncoloured ones4 ,it does not take us long to decide that a medallion window should never be lighted from within1 because that enables one to see the cumbersome machinery used to produce its effect4 ,one should never become aware of the numerous small pieces of unevenly surfaced glass and the vast complexity of leads which in combination produce such glorious results1 but only when the light comes from without4 ,not only do these white panes reveal these ugly details1 but by their glare they effectually extinguish the warm glow which we are accustomed to expect from the richly-coloured mosaics of the medallions4 ,near the west end there is a good deal of fine strapwork grisaille evidently put there to light that end of the church in contrast to the dimmer light which must have prevailed at the east end when all the medallions were still in place4 ,even if there were not many fine thirteenth century panels in this cathedral1 and even if the town itself were not full of many interesting sights1 still we would have been amply repaid for our visit by the ,crucifixion window1 the chef d'oeuvre of its time4 ,near the cathedral is the church of ,st4 ,radegonde4 ,this long narrow edifice has no transepts1 nor1 indeed1 the usual division into choir and nave1 and yet it boasts of a rose window1 and a fine one1 too1 over its northern portal4 ,the colour is really delightful and contains much of the brilliant blue for which ,poitiers is famous4 ,its chief interest is that instead of having its figures broken up so as to monotonously radiate from the centre 7which is generally true of rose windows7 they are1 so to speak1 right side up1 and all participate in forming the picture of the ,last ,judgment4 ,there is some thirteenth century glass on the southern side of this church1 but not so well preserved or so good4 ,the windows on the northern side between the north portal and the east end are of the next century and will be considered later 7page #agb74 ,we may say1 however1 in passing1 that they are unique in that they have bright figures distributed upon a grisaille background which is surrounded by a border of rich colour4 ,,tours ,of all the great battles which have marked the world's history there are few1 if any1 which so distinctly stand out from the centuries as the ,battle of ,tours4 ,it was this bloody victory which in #gcb rolled back the world-conquering ,saracens and determined that ,europe should be ,christian and not ,moslem4 ,on that epoch-making day1 the bloody axe of ,charles ,martel graved deep his name on the annals of ,france4 ,but ,tours has many another claim to historic renown4 ,touraine1 the province of which it is the capital1 is strewed with magnificent chateaux1 whose very elaboration and beauty testify to how greatly ,french royalty and nobility loved its temperate climate4 ,on our way from ,poitiers to ,tours1 we shall pass through several charming little valleys and find attractive1 though quiet1 scenery1 during most of the journey4 ,the immediate surroundings of ,tours are not pleasing4 ,it impresses one as a dull1 grey city seated demurely beside the sands that so ungracefully border most of the lower part of the river ,loire4 ,there is little to recall the echoes of the great battle and less still to remind one of the delightful mediaeval residences which are such an attractive feature throughout the rest of ,touraine4 ,although the cathedral was under construction all the way from the twelfth century to the sixteenth1 its various styles are so combined as to make it an interesting building4 ,it does not1 however1 seem to merit the enthusiastic praise lavished upon it by ,henry ,,iv and many another of its admirers4 ,the chief objection to the interior is that it appears oppressively narrow4 ,the explanation of this cramped effect is that the architect did not avail himself of the usual device of slightly increasing its width as the walls rose4 ,this was generally done elsewhere and served to correct the contracted appearance which perspective tends to give as one looks up from the floor4 ,this architectural trick is an old one1 for we know that the ,greeks used it not only in shaping the sides of their columns1 but also to preserve the appearance of straightness in the chief horizontal lines of their buildings4 ,in the absence of this device the walls seem to crowd together above us1 thus accentuating the unpleasant narrowness of the nave4 ,the fine rosaces in the ends of the transepts contain fourteenth century glass1 and the western rose with its gallery of eight lancets below1 excellent ,renaissance glazing4 ,the chief glory of the interior1 however1 is the fine medallion panels all through the choir1 not only in the chapels1 but also1 and most unusually1 in the fifteen large lights of the clerestory4 ,these clerestory medallions date from the latter part of the century1 and their lateness is evidenced in a number of ways1 among others1 by the fact that the medallions are oval instead of round and also that they extend to the edge of the embrasure1 leaving little or no room for the border4 ,this can also be observed in the easternmost choir windows of ,coutances ,cathedral4 ,we have noted before that the choir clerestory at this time was generally given over to large figures of kings1 bishops1 etc41 in order to secure more light than medallions would admit4 ,in the ,tours clerestory the fifth window on the right and the fifth on the left 7just above the great altar7 show an attempt to correct the darkening effect of the medallions by alternating with them horizontal stripes of grisaille4 ,notice that in the easternmost embrasure the three medallions of the second tier1 when considered together1 form a picture of ,the ,last ,supper4 ,this is a more elaborate exposition of the same idea exemplified by the ,annunciation at the east end of the ,clermont-,ferrand clerestory4 ,a quaint touch is observable in the two medallions which show little figures of donors1 each holding up in his two hands a model of his gift window4 ,one of these is in the left-hand lower corner of the window just left of the eastern one1 and the other in the right-hand corner of the sixth on the right4 ,some of the ,tours choir chapels are glazed in white1 which combined with the pierced triforium1 serves to correct the lack of light caused by the unusual treatment of the clerestory4 ,illustration3 #ac,,th ,,century ,,medallion ,,lancet1 ,,tours4 ,the shapes of the medallions vary widely4 ,difficult to distinguish the little pictures1 although we are near the windows2 the early glazier valued the colour effect of his window more than the legends4 ,later his picture becomes larger1 and of great importance4 ,,angers ,a bad name dies hard and often lingers years after it is no longer deserved4 ,a striking example of this is found in the now unjust appellation1 ,black ,angers4 ,black it may have been in the days when its streets were dirty and narrow1 but black it is no longer4 ,black it may have seemed to the townspeople when their humble dwellings were frowned down upon by the seventeen gloomy towers of its haughty thirteenth century castle4 ,now the towers of the castle are razed1 the walls that girdled the city are tumbled into the great moat to form broad boulevards1 and altogether it is as agreeable a place as was ever vilified by an outgrown name4 ,its most important edifice1 ,st4 ,maurice ,cathedral1 is not only a perfect treasure-house of glass1 but is also the depository of a profusion of admirable tapestries4 ,those interested in the latter will find here 7even more than at ,rheims7 what an added inducement they provide for the sightseer4 ,all around the nave are suspended the series of the ,apocalypse 7as they are called71 while on the walls of the transepts are yet others dating from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries4 ,nor are these all1 for packed away in chests are many more1 which upon the occasion of certain church festivals are brought out to hang in a row around the outside of the cathedral4 ,in fact1 it is only on these festival days that one learns that the interior wall space is insufficient to display half of the church's possessions4 ,having set out this additional reason for visiting ,st4 ,maurice ,cathedral1 let us now turn to its chief charm1 the splendid twelfth and thirteenth century glazing4 ,we shall find the nave windows filled with the largest and best preserved collection of twelfth century glass that exists4 ,they are very wide and high1 characteristic of that early period4 ,in the choir there are fourteen excellent examples of the thirteenth century medallion type1 and there are others in the transepts4 ,we shall not now speak of the two great fifteenth century rose windows1 nor of the very large canopy ones which adorn the transepts1 nor of the few sixteenth century panels4 ,it is proper to say here1 however1 that they are excellent examples of those later periods1 thus rendering this cathedral one of the best in which to compare glass styles all the way from the twelfth century to the sixteenth4 ,the chief glory of the edifice1 however1 consists of those which date from the early mosaic period4 ,so few and so unsatisfactory are the remains elsewhere found of twelfth century glass1 and so excellent are they here1 that it is to this church that one should come to study it4 ,it is a most fortunate coincidence for the student that the same interior also contains many of the best types of the thirteenth century1 because this very contiguity enables him to conveniently contrast them with those of the twelfth4 ,the finer distinctions between their traits are much more noticeable to him where the examples are side by side than they would be if he had to carry the picture in his mind from one place to another4 ,he will at once notice that the earlier borders are much wider than the later ones2 some of those in the nave occupy nearly one-fourth of the window space on each side1 or in other words1 if brought together1 the borders would fill nearly half of the entire width of the embrasure4 ,he will also observe that the figures in the earlier ones are made of larger pieces of glass and have the draperies more tightly drawn about them4 ,it is very significant that the pieces of glass are larger in the earlier windows3 note this carefully1 because in many books we are told that the later artist of the thirteenth century had no choice but to content himself with the small morsels of glass1 as he had no others4 ,thus they would have us believe that his wonderful jewelled glow was merely the lucky result of having nothing but small fragments at his disposal4 ,even so brief a study of twelfth century glass as to show that the pieces then used were uniformly larger than those of the thirteenth or jewel period1 is enough to demonstrate that the later artist deliberately used the smaller bits even with the added trouble of more leading4 ,he did so for the very purpose of obtaining the sparkle and sheen that was never achieved before nor since1 and therefore he should receive due credit for his results4 ,a close examination of both the choir and nave windows will yield us many quaint and interesting details4 ,the first on the left contains a large ,virgin placed upon a panel occupying all of the window that is not given over to a wide grisaille border4 ,six small medallions are arranged about this panel1 half of each on the panel and half protruding over the border4 ,one of these small medallions is placed at each corner and one in the middle of the two long sides1 like the pockets on a pool table4 ,the charming elaboration and colour work of the twelfth century borders throughout the nave cannot fail to be noticed4 ,the set of thirteenth century windows placed about the choir have some gorgeous blues and brilliant rubies4 ,the fifth1 counting from the left side1 proves to be a ,tree of ,jesse window1 a sort of pictorially genealogical tree which we will frequently encounter on our travels4 ,in this case the treatment is unusual1 as the vine1 winding up throughout the window from the loins of ,jesse in the lowest medallion1 not only distributes its historical personages over the central panes1 but also up and down the borders as well4 ,the very wide embrasures of this church give us an excellent opportunity of studying the colours of this period4 ,while we are in ,angers we must visit the church of ,st4 ,serge4 ,as we are now seeking early glass the chief interest of this small interior consists of the five grisaille windows of the twelfth century which1 with their graceful design of pale brownish strapwork picked out and accentuated by points of colour1 leave little to be desired in their soft beauty4 ,they are to be found in the choir1 and are considered by most authorities to be the best type of twelfth century grisaille work that exists4 ,during a later pilgrimage we shall come again to this church to inspect the attractive fifteenth century canopy windows which decorate the nave clerestory 7see page #age74 ,,le ,,mans ,the great personages in the windows of ,st4 ,julien ,cathedral looked down upon a portentous spectacle on that day in the year #aacc1 when ,henry ,i of ,england stood holding in his arms his little grandson1 ,henry ,plantagenet1 to be baptised by the ,bishop of ,le ,mans4 ,the vast throng that gathered for this ceremony1 both within and without the newly completed cathedral1 little thought that the helpless babe would one day become not only ,henry ,,ii1 ,king of ,england1 but also the ruler of the mighty ,angevin empire1 which included all of ,england and the western half of ,france4 ,they could not have foreseen that this little one would cause the ,house of ,plantagenet to take its place in history as one of the greatest of royal houses4 ,strange sights have these splendid old windows gazed down upon1 but never have they tempered the glare of the sun for the christening of a babe who so widely outgrew the place of his birth4 ,in one way or another this cathedral has been connected with many a royal family4 ,in its archives we read that when in ,november1 #abag1 it was decided to extend the choir over the ,gallo-,roman wall1 not only was the consent of ,king ,philip ,augustus necessary1 but also that of ,queen ,berengaria1 the widow of ,richard ,coeur de ,lion4 ,this double approval was needed1 since ,philip ,augustus1 although overlord1 had given ,le ,mans to ,queen ,berengaria in settlement of her claims upon certain ,norman towns which he had captured4 ,perched upon a hill rising from the river ,sarthe the cathedral soars into the air from its lofty site as boldly as befits the chief sanctuary of an embattled city boasting of more than twenty sieges4 ,impressive as it is from the river1 it is still more so from the little plain which lies just below it inside the town4 ,there is hardly a cathedral whose east end is so beautifully revealed as is ,st4 ,julien's from this viewpoint4 ,we cannot help but be deeply impressed as it swings out clear against the sky1 girdled by its thirteen chapels1 hung about by its innumerable flying buttresses and to us rendered specially alluring by the great area of window space filled with the many lead lines and heavy iron saddle-bars which we have learnt to know mean glazing of the thirteenth century4 ,the view of the east end of an elaborate ,gothic church is always fascinating1 but in this instance its height above us1 the great number of chapels and the unobstructed view make it unique4 ,the nave was constructed too early to be greatly elaborated1 but if compensation is needed1 it is fully provided by the thoroughly mediaeval feeling which awaits one on entering the little square just before its west entrance4 ,the opposite side of the square is occupied by ,le ,grabatoire1 an ancient dwelling built in the first half of the sixteenth century and in an admirable state of preservation4 ,the traveller in ,france generally finds that buildings which surround an old cathedral are so much more recent in construction that they provide a jarring contrast4 ,here at ,le ,mans1 on the contrary1 its immediate surroundings thoroughly imbue us with the spirit of the middle ages and we are in a proper frame of mind to enter the portal and appreciate the ,old ,world beauty inside4 ,the interior amply fulfills the promises of the exterior4 ,the luminous glory of the broad surfaces of the glass that seem suspended about the lofty choir is something long to be remembered4 ,this is not the place to speak of the transepts because they were glazed in the fifteenth century2 they are very fine1 especially the one to the north4 ,oddly enough1 the south end of the south transept has no window at all2 its large wall space serves as a back for the organ 7see page #agh74 ,let us begin our investigations with the nave4 ,its triforium is a graceful gallery1 but is not pierced1 while the clerestory above it contains only modern glass1 and therefore they will not long detain us4 ,in the west front is one broad window of the round arched ,norman type1 obviously of the period which we are now considering4 ,within a wide border are square panels representing scenes from the life of ,st4 ,julien1 after whom the edifice is named4 ,although this window is very broad1 even for its early type1 it is nevertheless not large enough to appear alone in the great west wall1 and as a result1 it narrows the appearance of the nave4 ,when we move up into the choir and look back1 this effect becomes all the more noticeable1 while the nave is even further dwarfed by the fact that the architect1 taking advantage of the greater height of the transepts1 placed a clerestory window just above the point where the ridge pole of the nave joins the crossing4 ,thus the lone west window and the clerestory opening just above the nave roof combine to lower and contract that oldest part of the church4 ,but to return to the nave windows2 all the lower range are small and all modern except eight1 the three western ones on each side and those over the two smaller west entrances4 ,of these eight all but two are medallions4 ,one of them 7the third from the west on the north side7 is of interest because it has a border consisting of four little panels on each side enclosing figures4 ,this sort of border is extremely rare1 except in ,tree of ,jesse windows1 where the personages are sometimes used in this way to help make up the border4 ,an instance of this may be seen in the central panel of the second triforium window on the south side of the choir and it may also be noticed in the fifth window on the left in the east end of ,angers ,cathedral4 ,we have just said that all but two of these lower nave lights are filled with medallions--of these two 7the second and third on the south side71 one might write a book4 ,the writer prefers the second window to any other in ,france4 ,it was made some time between #ajic and #aabj and represents the ,ascension4 ,as this book is not written to describe glass1 but only to persuade the reader to view it1 we will content ourselves by saying go and see4 ,the blue and the ruby backgrounds have a limpidity of colour that cannot be rivaled4 ,of the third window it is fair to say that some of the panes were brought from other embrasures of this church4 ,the upper panel1 enclosing a bust of ,christ1 with the drapery of blue and a blue halo upon a background of ruby sprinkled with blue stars1 is most delightful4 ,these two are indeed treasures and are all that were left by the ravages of the great fire which in #aabj destroyed the earlier church4 ,passing from the nave to the choir we are at once struck by the grandiose effect there caused by the loftier sweep of its lines4 ,the choir chapels have lost nearly all their original glazing1 but fortunately that little gem1 the ,lady ,chapel1 still has all its eleven windows filled with medallions4 ,these encircling chapels not only give great width to the choir1 but still further width is added by the fact that the ambulatory is double4 ,the first triforium that goes around above us is not pierced1 but just above it we find the spacious embrasures of the second triforium4 ,these latter are the largest of their kind the writer has ever seen2 in fact1 they are large enough to be placed in the clerestory of most cathedrals4 ,not satisfied with these1 the architect has still further increased the lighting of the choir and given greater scope for the glazier by placing above this second triforium the lofty windows of the true clerestory1 those toward the west of six lancets each1 and those toward the east of two4 ,all the panels of this great curtain of light are glazed in the mosaic style1 but the pieces of glass used are noticeably larger than we have been accustomed to find in the medallion treatment4 ,as a result1 the amount of leading is reduced and a great deal more colour meets our eye1 colour whose individual tones we can recognise1 and not the sort1 which1 conflicting with other colour1 produces a confused purple4 ,at ,st4 ,julien ,cathedral we get a richer tone from the medallions than we find anywhere else1 but this gain in richness is partially offset by losing some of the sparkling gleam which would have resulted from smaller bits of glass set in more leads4 ,perhaps some of our readers will agree with ,viollet-le-,duc and other great architects and writers1 in regarding this choir a finer monument of the thirteenth century than that of ,bourges or ,chartres4 ,if the nave of ,le ,mans ,cathedral were as splendidly glazed as the other parts of that edifice1 we might have to reconsider our opinion that ,chartres affords the best chance for the student of that early period to pursue his researches4 ,,chartres ,across the rolling grain-covered plain of ,la ,beauce winds a long depression worn by the river ,eure4 ,along the side of this depression we find ,chartres1 sloping gently up from the little river that bathes its feet and proudly lifting into the air the grey and green bulk of its cathedral1 culminating in the two finest spires in ,france4 ,its light stone and the softly-shaded tiles of the roof combine to give us a delicious impression of delicate greenish grey4 ,this softness of tone outside gives no hint of the minster gloom within1 athwart which shimmer the rich dark rays slanting through the jewelled windows4 ,nowhere can there be found such a contrast between the exterior and interior of a cathedral4 ,this marked difference serves but to distinguish and accentuate the special charms of each1 and together they make our memory of the cathedral a most precious possession of our mental picture gallery4 ,as the pilgrim enters ,chartres ,cathedral1 there is an impressive moment at hand for him1 for he is penetrating the ,holy of ,holies of stained glass4 ,not only is it the most delightful expression of the thirteenth century1 but also of any century1 and we speak not only of ,france1 but of all ,europe4 ,one is almost staggered by the wealth and profusion of windows--#agd--;and nearly all of the thirteenth century4 ,in the west front the use of slightly larger pieces and the wonderful limpidity confirms the fact that the lovely rose showing the ,last ,judgment1 as well as its three attendant lancets below1 are of the twelfth century2 the rest of the interior was glazed in the next century4 ,notwithstanding all that has been written of this wonderful glass1 more still remains hidden away in its pregnant mystery1 that mystery that lays hold upon all who view it1 be he poet1 or unromantic follower of one of the homely trades whose guilds have added so generously to the tale of windows4 ,nor have revelations of this mystery been made alike to all4 ,what one man has spelt out from it may remain incomprehensible to another4 ,the obvious fact to one mind seems to another but a quaint conceit4 ,lasteyrie1 when he told his story in #ahda1 felt that there was a marvellous symbolism about the change in the strength of the light1 brighter as it approached the cross formed by the transepts and then growing darker as one withdrew further from that ,christian emblem of spiritual illumination4 ,to him this thought was full of great charm and some of us may agree in his poetic conception4 ,others may feel that the brilliancy of the remote west windows seems to refute rather than support his theory4 ,it is certain1 however1 that the revelation of harmony comes to us all alike4 ,it is related that a certain lad thought himself listening to music from the glass itself when the organ commenced playing during the time he was gazing raptly up at one of the great rose windows4 ,this harmony of colours1 this melodious flowing of tone into tone1 is a glimpse vouchsafed to us all into the solemn mystery that dwells within this enchanted bower of light4 ,james ,russell ,lowell says3 ,i gaze round on the windows1 pride of ,france6 ,each the bright gift of some mechanic guild1 ,who loved their city and thought gold well spent ,to make her beautiful with piety4 ,if ,rheims is to be known as the cathedral of kings1 or ,amiens characterised as the ,bible in stone1 then ,chartres must be styled the chief sanctuary of the mediaeval guilds4 ,we have spoken of the splendid array of royalties around the clerestory of ,rheims1 and how they and the many coronations of which they are reminiscent fully justify the proud title of ,royal ,rheims4 ,against this wealth of royal reminiscence ,chartres can show but one coronation1 that of ,henry ,,iv4 ,so far was he from being disgruntled by the long siege necessitated by the stubborn defence of its burghers1 that he elected to be crowned in their cathedral1 partly1 we feel sure1 to show the approval of a warrior king for their fighting qualities4 ,no1 it is not a long array of kings that are set about to guard its windows and bear witness to their power and beneficence4 ,at ,chartres1 more than anywhere in ,france1 the ,middle ,ages seem to have bequeathed to us the great heartbeat of their middle classes4 ,here we see about us the sturdy workers of the city1 the guilds of its industrious burghers4 ,true1 the great rose windows of the transepts show us the royalty and chivalry of the kingdom1 but somehow they seem decorative and not dominating as they do at ,rheims4 ,nor are our friends of the guilds here present by any man's let or by virtue of kingly condescension4 ,at ,laon there are statues of oxen in the cathedral towers1 put there in kindly remembrance of their services in dragging up the great stones from the plain far below2 but at ,chartres it is no kindly remembrance that has disposed about the nave and elsewhere the glass histories of guild upon guild4 ,they are in the place because they are of the place1 nor is there any attempt to disguise the homely occupations of the donors4 ,in other towns we occasionally find a panel bearing a statement that it was presented by some company of craftsmen1 but the subject is almost always a scriptural one and throws no light upon the work-a-day existence of the members4 ,here it is very different1 for so proud were the honest workmen of the crafts which they plied1 that they took infinite pains to have their windows set out scenes descriptive of the work and life of the association which gave it4 ,the history of the ,chartres guilds is well worth delving into1 and one finds a luminous index provided by the long series of panels around the lower part of the nave4 ,the glass speaks eloquently of how well organised and how rich were the middle classes of ,chartres1 and nowhere else can anything like so complete or interesting a set be seen4 ,goldsmiths1 cobblers1 vintners1 tanners1 moneychangers--so the list goes on until it swells into a total of nearly forty1 and of each there is provided some little group depicting the service performed for the community by that particular trade4 ,several of the guilds gave more than one window1 nor are they confined to the nave aisles1 some having strayed so far as the choir clerestory4 ,but for all that the windows here speak more eloquently than elsewhere of the sturdy craftsmen--the bourgeoisie that formed the backbone of old ,france--we must not forget that they also bear witness to the gallantry and generosity of the knightly and titled classes4 ,to glass lovers this cathedral has a peculiar interest in the fact that ,st4 ,louis was baptised within its walls4 ,may we not be permitted the delusion that to the undeveloped faculties of the royal babe the wonderful harmony of these windows came as a lullaby1 and that the echo of this lullaby finally grew into the great love for stained glass which he later developed8 ,of this love we have found many traces1 all leading up to its ultimate expression in the ,ste4 ,chapelle of ,paris4 ,and where more appropriately could a ,french king1 who loved glass1 have been christened8 ,where else would he have had about him on his beloved windows such an array of his subjects1 representing not only the highest1 but also those of humbler rank1 a bodyguard of four thousand figures of nobles1 gentry1 burghers and craftsmen8 ,nor are these figures content but to decorate1 for some of them by their grouping serve to narrate for us nearly forty legends4 ,a splendid proof of how much he loved this cathedral1 so often revisited by him1 is afforded by his splendid gift1 the ,rose of ,france1 as they call the great window in the north transept4 ,here are the familiar combination of the ,french fleur de lis and the castles of ,castile showing that ,louis and his mother1 ,blanche of ,castile1 joined in this royal gift4 ,in splendid reds1 lemon-yellows and browns it tells the story of the glorification of the ,virgin1 thus repeating what we see in the carvings of the northern porch4 ,the gorgeous five tall pointed windows below aid it to produce a glorious ensemble4 ,nor is it only in this quarter that we see traces of the nobler classes1 for was not the south transept end decorated in similar wise with scenes showing the glorification of ,christ1 the gift of ,dreux and ,bretagne8 ,again we find the windows inside repeating what is shown by the carvings in the porch outside4 ,the five tall pointed lancets under this rose are especially noteworthy1 for the two which1 on either side1 flank the middle one containing ,christ are each filled with an ,evangelist carried on the shoulders of a ,prophet1 a very physical way of depicting the power of prophecy4 ,illustration3 ,,crossing ,,and ,,south ,,transept1 ,,chartres4 7#ac,,th ,,century47 ,no photograph can even hint at the wealth of deep1 warm colour that fills these windows4 ,the early date of those in the right foreground indicated by their broad borders4 ,below the ,rose1 four of the lancets show ,evangelists borne on the shoulders of ,prophets4 ,this is not the place to tell of the wonderful carvings that abound within and without this great temple1 and are especially delightful around the stone screen that separates the choir from the ambulatory2 nor shall we take upon us to speak in detail of the subterranean chapel to the ,virgin who bore a ,child1 the pagan legends concerning whom the memory of man runneth not to the contrary4 ,for us they are but accessories to the wonderful whole which provides so magnificent a casket for the preservation and exposition of the most splendid heritage of windows that has come down to us4 ,although completely outclassed by the cathedral's greater glory1 the glazing of the church of ,st4 ,pierre is not only pleasing to the eye1 but also provides a very complete and well-preserved demonstration of how the transition was effected from the light-obstructing mosaic medallions to the overlighted interiors of the fourteenth century 7see page #ahh74 ,,auxerre ,our memories of architecture are generally those of form and not of colour4 ,to this rule there are1 however1 a few exceptions1 and of these the cathedral of ,st4 ,etienne at ,auxerre is one of the most noteworthy4 ,one remembers it chiefly for its rich brown colour1 partly due to the tint of the stone and partly to the terra-cotta tiles which cover its roof4 ,the deeper hue of the tiles calls out all the warmth in the shading of the stone and they together make a mellow brown picture1 especially attractive if seen for the first time in the tones which it takes on towards twilight1 when the low rays of the sun perform for it the same service that they do for the interior of the ,corpus ,christi quadrangle at ,oxford4 ,another cathedral whose colour lingers in our memory is ,chartres1 where the dull green tiles of the roof tone into the greyish stone of the building1 accentuating and enriching it1 and leaving with us a distinct impression of a soft-hued grey church4 ,a very picturesque city is ,auxerre1 sloping up from the river1 with its three chief churches rising watchfully above the monotonous level of the house-tops like huge rocks anchoring the city more firmly to its foundations4 ,not so bulkily impressive but equally noticeable is the quaint old bell tower1 which1 from its great height1 rings out every now and again reminders of the flight of time4 ,the proportions of the cathedral interior are very harmoniously adjusted4 ,the noticeable features are that the ambulatory is lower than the nave1 and that the ,lady ,chapel at the east end is square instead of being rounded4 ,in view of the geographical location of ,auxerre one would expect to find glass of the more florid ,burgundian type2 but instead it is clearly of the ,champagne school4 ,there is a quantity of good sixteenth century glazing and we would especially call the visitor's attention to the fine blues1 which he should not fail to notice4 ,the windows we have come to see1 however1 are to be found in the chapels and the upper lights of the choir4 ,henri ,villeneuve in #abbj caused to be placed in the choir clerestory the great row of fifteen1 each consisting of two bays surmounted by a small rose4 ,this arrangement is very graceful and gives an agreeable grouping4 ,the colouring and drawing of the large figures with which they are filled testify to the good taste of their donor4 ,nor are the windows in the clerestory any more worthy of notice than the twenty-nine which we shall find below surrounding the choir and filling the choir chapels--almost all complete and containing fine types of the medallion style4 ,the three nearest the transepts on each side and one or two others are glazed in white1 the result of well-meaning sacrilege on the part of the monks seeking to secure more light4 ,fortunately their hands were stayed1 so that enough of the old panels are left to give us the jewelled gleam which we are seeking4 ,there is an unique arrangement in some of the embrasures of ,auxerre which we must not fail to note4 ,it provides an early example of the use of grisaille to increase the illumination of the interior4 ,in several instances the coloured figure or panel has two borders1 the one next it being of grisaille and the outside one of rich colour4 ,possibly the contrast will strike us as being too marked4 ,we shall find that in the next century this combination is carried to such an extreme as to become positively disagreeable1 but here at ,auxerre it is so skillfully employed that it is not at all unpleasant4 ,in any event1 it is far better than white panes used for the same purpose4 ,,sens ,in these days of telephones1 telegrams1 express trains1 automobiles1 newspapers and printed books1 it is difficult for us to realize that in mediaeval times thought traveled but slowly1 and that two cities a few leagues apart were much more widely separated than they would now be if divided by the ocean4 ,to-day a piece of news1 an invention1 some new artistic method1 is flashed around the world and at once meets the eye of millions of readers4 ,all this excites no comment4 ,when1 however1 we notice that in some mediaeval period a novelty in one country very shortly thereafter appeared and was used in a neighbouring one1 we are forced to conclude that there must have been some very unusual occurrence to have so far set at naught the difficulty of news transmission to which we have just referred4 ,the history of the middle ages does not contain a stranger example of such a rapid spread of something novel than that presented by the story of how and of why ,william of ,sens 7who1 in building the ,cathedral of ,sens1 constructed the first thoroughly ,gothic church7 came to have the honour of introducing ,gothic architecture into ,england by a call to rebuild ,canterbury ,cathedral4 ,it so happened that just as he was completing his great work and disclosing to the world the new beauty of ,gothic architecture1 ,pope ,alexander ,,iii1 exiled from ,rome1 took up his residence at ,sens 7,september #cj1 #aafc1 till ,april #aa1 #aafe74 ,it is recorded that on the #aith of ,april1 #aafd1 surrounded by a gorgeous array of cardinals and bishops gathered there in attendance upon the papal residence1 he consecrated the altar of the ,holy ,virgin in the cathedral then rapidly approaching completion4 ,where the ,pope was1 there also was the centre of the ,christian world1 and thither of course repaired the clergy from all parts of ,europe4 ,these distinguished pilgrims were witnesses of ,william's first bold attempt at the pointed arch1 the chief characteristic of his great cathedral4 ,to see was to admire4 ,its beauty was so striking that they could not fail to remember and recount it when they returned to their home towns1 thus stimulating other architects to copy this new architecture4 ,never before nor since had a builder so well timed a gathering of admiring ecclesiastics4 ,among those who came1 and saw1 and remembered1 was ,thomas a ,becket1 ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 himself an exile from his see4 ,he dwelt four years at ,sens 7#aaff-gj7 and what he saw there impelled him to invite ,william of ,sens in preference to all the ,english architects to rebuild the ,cathedral of ,canterbury4 ,it would seem strange even now1 and a thing worthy of comment1 if a ,french architect were chosen to construct an important ,english church1 but how much more extraordinary was it that ,thomas a ,becket should have taken this step in #aagd1 after the disastrous fire which destroyed the earlier church on the site of the present ,cathedral of ,canterbury4 ,william succeeded in completing the choir as it stands to-day1 but it cost him his life1 for as he was superintending the finishing touches of his great work1 he fell from a high scaffold and received injuries from which he died4 ,through this introduction of the young ,french ,gothic into ,england he exercised a noteworthy influence upon the beginnings of ecclesiastical ,gothic in that country4 ,we have told this story here because we know the architect and the glazier worked hand in hand4 ,this association grows more interdependent as the ,gothic blossoms into decoration and as more wall space is devoted to windows4 ,it is fair to assume that the stained glass style then prevailing in ,france must have accompanied its sister1 ,gothic architecture1 upon the latter's invasion of ,england1 and an examination of the early medallions at ,canterbury tends to confirm this theory4 ,since a ,becket was having the new ,gothic of ,sens copied1 why not also its admirable glazing8 ,in any event we know that ,french glass was well known and much admired by the ,english1 and later we shall recount several instances of its being brought to glaze ,english churches1 and even requirements made in ,english contracts that ,french and not domestic glass should be provided4 ,while it is true that the early glass of ,sens ,cathedral is not so abundant as that of the sixteenth century1 we have come here at this time because nothing finer is known than the few medallion windows which remain to us along the north wall of the choir4 ,they date from the end of the twelfth century and are large1 strong in tone1 and in excellent preservation4 ,the clerestory lights of the choir are filled with attractive examples of grisaille enlivened by large geometric figures in points of red1 blue1 etc4 ,these designs are constructed with slender lines and without too much colour1 so that plenty of soft silvery light is admitted to illuminate the choir below4 ,so well lighted is it from the clerestory above that we are forced to conclude that all the chapel embrasures below must at one time have been filled with the gloom-producing medallions4 ,it is unfortunate that the original set of medallions below is not complete1 because if it were1 we would now be able to see1 thanks to the charming grisaille in the clerestory1 a perfect combination of the well-lighted choir surrounded by the sombre gleam of its protecting chapels4 ,such a combination is rare4 ,at ,tours1 at ,troyes1 even at ,bourges1 we find ourselves wishing that we had a little more light from above to set off by contrast the dark splendour of the jewelled caverns below4 ,the clerestory at ,sens shows us just the luminous effect which we have sought elsewhere1 but1 alas6 our coloured dusk below1 which should go hand in hand with it1 has been almost entirely dissipated4 ,as a result we are left with an impression of too bright an interior4 ,the minster gloom with all its dignity is gone6 ,we shall return later to ,sens to see its splendid glass of the sixteenth century 7see page #bah74 ,,troyes ,of all the ,french schools of glass which at one time or another gained renown1 none ever surpassed that of ,champagne4 ,not only do we know this from the pages of history1 but it is easily proved by the innumerable examples found in the many churches of ,troyes1 the ancient capital of that province4 ,the fame of the glass artists of ,champagne not only began early but lasted long4 ,in fact1 in its capital1 the perfected methods of the sixteenth century became so firmly established that their style and vigour lasted far over into the seventeenth century1 which was not generally true elsewhere4 ,troyes has always enjoyed prominence and that1 too1 along different lines2 ,troy weight testifies to the wide fame of its jewellers4 ,in our travels we shall observe that most towns have but one or two churches whose windows repay a visit4 ,troyes and ,rouen are the marked exceptions to this rule1 for in each we shall find many well worth examining and a great wealth of glass4 ,then1 too1 both these cities provide facilities for studying the art from the earliest to the latest period of its golden age4 ,we will postpone consideration of ,rouen until we take up the sixteenth century because its thirteenth century glass is unimportant4 ,this is not true of ,troyes1 for if by some sudden calamity all its splendid ,renaissance windows were destroyed1 we would still most heartily recommend that our pilgrim visit the city to see the early glass in the cathedral and in the fairy-like church of ,st4 ,urbain4 ,these two buildings alone provide the best of reasons for including ,troyes in this tour4 ,the story of the foundation of that architectural eggshell1 ,st4 ,urbain1 is very interesting4 ,in #abfa there became ,pope a certain ,jacques ,pantaleon1 a native of ,troyes4 ,after his elevation to the pontificate he remembered his humble beginnings1 and so far from being ashamed that his father had been a small shopkeeper1 he bought the ground whereon his father's shop had stood1 as well as some of the neighbouring buildings1 and erected1 about #abfc1 one of the most delightful and airy examples of fragile grace in all ,gothic architecture4 ,the walls seem literally to be constructed of glass1 so slender are the stone uprights between the windows1 and so wholly is this little church uplifted and upheld by the innumerable flying buttresses that stretch away from its roof and delicate sides like the supporting guy ropes of a tent4 ,at the ,ste4 ,chapelle in ,paris we noticed that although medallion panels give a splendid dark warmth1 they do not admit light enough for a small structure4 ,perhaps in ,st4 ,urbain we shall feel there is too much light4 ,the medallions of the period are there1 but only in small numbers and imbedded in large fields of silvery grisaille4 ,the lower half of the clerestory windows is in grisaille and it is only in the upper half that we find coloured figures4 ,while it is true that we lose the silvery hue that simple grisaille generally yields1 still1 in exchange1 we receive a low-toned glow that is delightful4 ,the proportion of glass surface to wall space is here so great that if the grisaille had not been warmed by touches of colour1 there would really have been a glare1 though the embrasures contain no white glass4 ,the more we study the subject the clearer it becomes that the glazier thoroughly understood and appreciated the possibilities of the medium in which he worked4 ,as we pass from ,st4 ,urbain to the larger and more impressive ,cathedral of ,st4 ,pierre1 we shall notice that although the artist felt the necessity for the lighter treatment in the dainty chapel-like church1 he found it more appropriate in the larger edifice to so glaze his windows as to fill the place with the more solemn and dignified light suited to its greater size4 ,the choir of the cathedral provides an unusually complete and satisfying example of this period1 not only in its girdle of chapels1 but also above in the gorgeous row of thirteen clerestory windows from which ferocious-looking figures stare down upon us from glittering eyes leaded into ,byzantine faces4 ,splendid as they are1 we feel that a little more light should have been admitted1 and this thought must also have struck the glazier1 because he resorted to a trick in the choir chapels to better illumine the eastern part of the structure4 ,if you will step into one of these chapels you will find that in most of them he has substituted grisaille for the medallions in the lancet on either hand nearest the choir4 ,when you stood in the choir ambulatory1 this device escaped you because the arch which provides the entrance to the chapel conceals these two nearest lancets4 ,the result of the trick is that two side-lights1 properly softened by the grisaille1 are thrown into the chapel4 ,if white panes had been used1 they would have illuminated the inner side of the medallion panels1 thus revealing their ugly machinery of leads1 and1 worse still1 effectually destroying their power to transmit a combination of colour and glow4 ,ample illumination has been furnished this cathedral by its pierced triforium and the great expanse of its clerestory1 but1 thanks to the remarkably warm tone of the glass1 we do not find it anywhere overlighted4 ,even the later glass which adorns the nave and transepts and which we will discuss farther on1 is so unusually strong in colour that we avoid that sharpness of contrast between thirteenth and fifteenth century work to be seen at ,bourges4 ,decidedly1 ,st4 ,pierre is one of the most beautiful interiors in ,france for the glass lover1 and he should not fail to see what the best examples of the ,champagne school has done for this church1 the charm of which lays hold upon him directly he enters it 7see page #bbb74 ,,chalons-,,sur-,,marne ,certain travellers and most tourists think they can1 from studying maps and reading books1 obtain a very fair impression of a town before they visit it1 and that the chief result of their visit will be to fill in sundry local details4 ,if people of that ilk desire to remain high in their own estimation1 they had best omit ,chalons from their travels4 ,let us assume that one of these aforesaid folk plans a visit to ,chalons4 ,he will probably begin by studying the map1 which shows a city seemingly drawn out along both sides of a long1 straight street4 ,his practised mind will conclude this the proper method to enter the town and that he can easily find his way about4 ,step number two will be the consultation of histories4 ,here he will fall upon the account of the great ,battle of ,chalons1 in which ,attila1 the ,scourge of ,god1 met in #dea his final check1 the combined army of ,romans1 ,franks and ,visigoths there putting a bloody end to his dream of an anti-,christian empire erected upon the crumbling remains of the power that once was ,rome's4 ,anyone who has noticed how surprisingly few decisive victories have been followed by widespread or lasting results must have remarked that the ,battle of ,chalons stands out prominently as an exception to this rule4 ,so much for what the maps and the histories have disclosed to our experienced tourist4 ,he is doomed to a bitter disappointment4 ,to-day in this quiet little city of yellowish-grey houses he will find nothing reminiscent of that old-time victory4 ,not only will his dip into history thus prove to have been in vain1 but what is more1 the street plan has given him a very wrong idea of a really very pretty place4 ,the writer himself well remembers how the map misled him4 ,he remarked thereon the long straight street2 therefore1 on emerging from the railway station1 he proceeded up this tiresome thoroughfare1 which he found equipped with the usual provincial tram-line1 both trying to tie the older part of the town to the distant railway station that bears its name4 ,as a disappointment this first impression of ,chalons was a pronounced success6 ,don't fall into the same error4 ,this was the wrong way to enter the town1 but there is also a right way1 especially for one who believes in first impressions4 ,if you want to be in a mood to enjoy the glass1 branch off to the right when you reach the canal 7which is not far from the station71 and you will come into a park called the ,jard1 one of the prettiest combinations of green trees and water to be found in any provincial ,french city4 ,on a later visit the writer stumbled upon this park1 with the result that instead of a mental picture of an ugly town built on both sides of an ugly street1 he carried away pleasantly revised memories not only of the charming ,jard1 but also of several little water-courses meandering through the town1 affording lovely vistas every now and again in most unexpected ways4 ,it seems certain that these streams feel equally bitterly about the ugly street1 because as soon as they come near it1 they promptly hide their heads and pass under it1 carefully keeping out of sight in small tunnels4 ,wait until you see the street1 and you won't blame the streams4 ,now that you have by means of the woody refreshment of the green ,jard purified your perceptions from the taint of railway dirt1 let us enter the cathedral4 ,we shall find the glass more interesting and instructive than impressive1 but to this general observation we must make an exception on behalf of the thirteenth century windows in the clerestory behind and above the altar2 they undeniably leave little to be desired4 ,the blue of their backgrounds combines excellently with the tones of the figures4 ,in one of the panels which shows the ,crucifixion1 we can readily discern that the bars supporting it at the back 7called saddle bars7 have been moved to one side so as not to interfere with the two figures on either side of the cross4 ,this displacement of the saddle bars to leave undisturbed the drawing of an important personage was quite usual at that time4 ,later on the glazier seemed to have no objection to the intrusion of the iron bars1 just as he grew to disregard the running of his leads across faces1 arms1 etc4 ,this church also boasts of a fine rose window in the north transept1 which is rendered even more effective by the gallery of lancets beneath it4 ,the especial interest of the cathedral to a student of glass is undoubtedly its grisaille windows1 some plain and some banded across by highly-coloured panels of the medallion type4 ,this latter arrangement we find along the north wall of the nave1 while those containing grisaille alone are in the triforium and clerestory4 ,in the case of the banded ones we shall notice that it is only the middle third of each which has the highly-coloured panels1 all the rest being grisaille1 doubtless for the purpose of giving plenty of light to the nave4 ,although a most interesting arrangement1 the effect is not that of great beauty4 ,some of the narrow triforium panels have a border of plain grisaille surrounding the central panel of colour work in which there are no figures2 this is quite unusual4 ,a study of the use of colour with grisaille in that century is not complete without a visit to ,chalons1 but this having been said we must admit that notwithstanding the splendid panels in the choir clerestory and the fine rose window in the north transept1 there are several more inspiring places for one wishing to learn how greatly thirteenth century glass can beautify a religious interior4 ,some of the finest and most valuable twelfth and thirteenth century panels have been removed from the cathedral1 and are now the property of the ,musee des ,arts ,decoratifs1 in ,paris4 ,unfortunately they are not always on exhibition4 ,on the south side of the nave is a fine series of ,renaissance windows1 but these1 together with the grey and gold figure panels of ,st4 ,alpin1 and the excellent coloured ones of the fine church of ,notre ,dame1 will be discussed in our sixteenth century pilgrimages 7see page #bcc74 ,,rheims ,royal ,rheims6 ,in this title1 apt alliteration's artful aid not only appeals to our ear1 but is also fully justified by history4 ,in its splendid cathedral were crowned almost all the kings of ,france1 the sacred oil used in the ceremony having been1 saith the old legend1 brought from heaven by a dove for the baptism in #dif of ,clovis1 ,king of the ,franks1 and thereafter preserved in a sacred vessel locked away in the tomb of ,st4 ,remi4 ,because of this having been for so many years1 nay centuries1 the place of royal consecration1 what more appropriate decoration could have been devised for the great clerestory embrasures than the series of the first thirty-six kings of ,france1 each window containing in its lower half the archbishop that consecrated the king above him6 ,all these seventy-two figures are seated1 because convention demanded this if the personage represented was dead4 ,down upon us from their lofty station about the nave clerestory gleam these long rows of the royalties and ecclesiastical dignitaries of ,france1 a marvellous exemplification of what colour in glass can accomplish4 ,an echoing gleam comes to us from the clerestory of the choir2 but there the figures are those of great bishops1 not only of ,rheims1 but also of other cities in its diocese1 like ,laon1 ,soissons1 etc4 ,at first thought it may seem bad ,english to speak of a gleam of light as an echo of another gleam1 but before you criticise the expression1 stand patiently for awhile in this great house of ,god1 looking up at these splendid windows2 perhaps there will at last come over you a feeling that in all this noble harmony of colour1 this blending of soft tones1 there is--there must be--some dim harmony of music4 ,one never receives this peculiar impression except from glass of the thirteenth century2 later glass lacks the depth and vibration of tone1 even though it gains added brilliancy4 ,especially splendid is the effect of the kings dominating the nave below4 ,those near the transepts have a deep blue background1 whilst a few close to the west end have behind and around them a soft1 rich red4 ,there is no other place where such sombre depth of hue can be seen in a clerestory glazed during the thirteenth century4 ,at ,bourges they are magnificent1 but their beauty is of a different and brighter sort4 ,here at ,rheims1 although raised high in the air1 they yield the same dusky glow that elsewhere we usually find in the medallion panels of the choir chapels below4 ,so wonderful are the windows above you that there is a fair chance that you would have left the cathedral without noticing that below there are no medallion windows at all2 in fact1 that practically none of its lower panes are glazed in colour4 ,this is owing to the almost incredible folly of the monks of ,rheims who1 in the years #agci-fh1 removed the coloured glass from the lower embrasures to admit more light4 ,during the two years following ,october1 #agee1 they committed the same act of vandalism in the church of ,st4 ,remi4 ,the cathedral has three fine rose windows1 of which the western one with its bright-hued gallery of kings below it is far the best4 ,the north rose window is good1 although we miss the qualities which the north rose of ,notre ,dame at ,paris has taught us to expect4 ,the south rose contains glass of the sixteenth century and therefore seems pale and out of place amidst the older glories4 ,the west rosace should be seen toward sunset so as to get the rays of the sun passing directly through it4 ,earlier in the day it is almost gloomy in tone4 ,there has been much discussion as to the interpretation of the figures in the gallery of kings below1 but now it seems settled that it represents the coronation of the converted pagan ,clovis1 ,king of the ,franks4 ,the windows of the transepts are glazed with grisaille of a very greenish tone and somewhat darker than that generally found at this time4 ,among them we observe one of the series of bishops which has apparently crept away from its fellows in the choir and come around the corner into the south transept4 ,although the bishop series lacks1 to some extent1 the crude1 almost savage glory of the nave's stern array of kings1 they are more carefully made4 ,as in the king windows1 here also we find an upper and a lower row of personages1 but in addition1 a feature very much out of the ordinary and which should be remarked4 ,instead of placing two bishops below to balance the two above1 there is but one bishop below in each window1 while the space adjoining him is occupied by a fanciful representation of his cathedral4 ,there is no attempt to accurately portray the building1 although the glass artist might as well have done so1 for he has gone to the pains of making no two of these little cathedral pictures alike4 ,so minutely has he gone into detail that each has a tiny rose window and each rose is markedly different from the others4 ,the idea is a quaint one and shows the artist to have been fertile in ideas4 ,so dark are the faces of the bishops as to make them look in one or two cases as though they were wearing masks4 ,this effect is heightened by the fact that the eyes are glazed in lighter hues4 ,in the midst of all this gorgeous and sparkling colour1 what a splendid picture may we not conjure up of the scene on the #agth day of ,july1 #adbi1 when ,charles ,,vii1 led in by ,joan of ,arc1 had here the kingly crown placed upon his brow4 ,with what vast satisfaction must the grand old kings have gleamed and glowed in sombre delight that their glorious cathedral was once more ,french1 once more fulfilling its centuries-old duty of consecrating a ,french king1 and especially that all this had been effected by a staunch ,french maid1 than whom patriotism has never had a more worthy exemplar4 ,it was but common justice that during the act of coronation of the king to whom she had restored not only a throne1 but also a united people1 she stood at the foot of the altar holding aloft her victorious standard4 ,a chronicler of the time truly said that having shared in all the hardships she richly deserved to share in the honours4 ,not only in the cathedral do we glass hunters find justification for the title ,royal ,rheims4 ,once more we shall see a row of ,french kings1 this time in the small nave clerestory lights of the old church of ,st4 ,remi4 ,in manner similar to that employed at the cathedral we also find bishops adorning the choir clerestory4 ,fine as these two series are1 and valuable1 too 7because they are earlier71 we must confess that they do not produce the effect which the wonderful depth of colour gave us at the cathedral4 ,the choir clerestory embrasures are really too small to afford room for the two rows of bishops one above the other4 ,the choir chapel windows are partly modern1 and partly old with too much restoration1 so that the effect is not coherent4 ,we must1 however1 remark a fine ,crucifixion in the middle of the east end4 ,it is undoubtedly twelfth century and1 although technically well worthy of observation1 lacks the beauty which we have a right to expect from that period4 ,the glass in the large1 round ,romanesque embrasures at the west end1 although copied on old models1 is modern and very thin in colour4 ,a careful look at the nave clerestory will reveal that in order to complete the set of seated kings a novel method was adopted4 ,many of the original panels were divided in two at the middle1 the upper half being used in one embrasure and the lower half in another1 the missing half in each case being supplied by modern glass made to imitate the old4 ,this reads as though the effect would be bad1 but on the contrary1 it is fairly good and1 at all events1 the designs are in accordance with the original drawings4 ,besides its glass1 ,rheims has another great attraction for the traveller in its wealth of tapestry4 ,a magnificent series of ten presented in #aecj by ,robert de ,lenoncourt hangs in the transepts of ,st4 ,remi1 whilst in the cathedral we shall find around the nave walls another series of fourteen given in the same year by the same donor4 ,the cathedral is also adorned with other tapestries which1 although perhaps not of such engrossing interest as the ,lenoncourt series1 are nevertheless treasures4 ,as glass viewers it is well to observe that the rich decoration provided by these splendid hangings prevents us from noticing the otherwise obnoxious glare from the uncoloured windows just over them4 ,we mention this here because as between two interesting glass towns some of our readers might incline to one where tapestries can be seen in addition to the glass4 ,the ,cathedral of ,angers provides also the same double inducement4 ,,soissons ,during the two tours just concluded we have visited all the most important treasure-houses of thirteenth century glass4 ,there is1 however1 a very agreeable secondary tour4 ,regarded as a glass pilgrimage1 it is not to be compared with the two which we have finished1 but this must not be taken to mean that the glass will not be worth inspection4 ,besides1 most of the windows to be seen are of the period1 thus making it an essentially thirteenth century pilgrimage4 ,to one in whom the love of glass and devotion to the gentle sport of automobiling is about equal1 this trip will be much more attractive than the last two4 ,the scenery through which he will pass and the history that will be recalled will add very much to the charm of this itinerary and it is therefore particularly recommended to the automobilist and especially to the exercise-loving bicyclist4 ,the distances between the towns are not great and the landscape is varied and delightful4 ,beginning with ,soissons1 our road lies through the picturesque mediaeval stronghold of ,coucy-le-,chateau to the high-perched hill city of ,laon1 then over the plain at its foot to battleworn ,st4 ,quentin1 and lastly across the rolling country to the splendid ,cathedral of ,amiens4 ,amiens is on the line of the ,paris-,london expresses1 so we have excellent train service back to ,paris4 ,we will let the traveller find his way as best he may from ,paris to ,soissons and will join him there4 ,he will soon observe that there has departed from ,soissons the ancient glory which was hers when under ,clovis1 the great king of the ,franks1 she became the capital of his strong province of ,neustria4 ,to-day we find a quiet provincial city of only about #ac1jjj inhabitants1 where the chief movement and life seems to centre in the barracks4 ,one noticeable feature of the town is the really fine west front1 all that remains of the ,abbey of ,st4 ,jean-des-,vignes1 for nine years the home of the exiled ,thomas a ,becket4 ,even from its present denuded state of desolate loneliness one realises how splendid the complete building must have been1 and the now empty and staring rose window above the central portal makes us sigh for the stained glass that must once have adorned that huge opening4 ,soissons is one of the towns which benefited by the great love felt by ,st4 ,louis and his mother1 ,blanche of ,castile1 for stained glass4 ,the northern rose of the cathedral is a proof of their beneficence1 and is an excellent example of its type4 ,the central pane is occupied by a figure of the ,virgin ,mary1 and circling round her are the medallion panels which are so much more satisfactory than the spokes-of-a-wheel treatment so popular in the next century4 ,around the outside of the medallions is a double border of panels containing the arms of the royal benefactress1 a field of red bearing the golden castles of ,castile4 ,as for the rest of the interior1 so much of its original glazing has been destroyed that the effect of glow is entirely dissipated4 ,the nave has lost its coloured panels1 and only fragments remain in the western rose4 ,the large lancets about the east end of the choir clerestory are most decorative1 and further1 they provide an opportunity of testing our ability to judge glass4 ,at first sight we are convinced that they are of true thirteenth century mosaic work1 and might continue to think so1 if they were not betrayed by the comparison afforded by the two genuine medallion lancets just below them in the ,lady ,chapel4 ,even then we may remain undecided1 which indecision is justified when we learn their history4 ,they were repaired and restored in #ahaf1 much of the old glass being retained and the old designs carefully followed4 ,this explains not only why they lack the depth of tone seen in the complete medallions below them1 but also why they were so deceptive until this touchstone of comparison was applied4 ,notice the ,adam and ,eve window to the right1 as the design is very unusual4 ,in the six scenes there depicted1 one above the other1 ,adam and ,eve are of course nude1 and appear always she on the left side and he on the right of each little scene1 with some other personage or object between them in the middle4 ,as a result we have a perpendicular column of ,eves on one side and of ,adams on the other1 the light glass used to make the flesh colour forming a secondary border for the window4 ,the southern transept is an architectural freak1 because instead of a rose window it has a rounded end like the apse chapel generally found at the eastern extremity of a church4 ,as a novelty it is agreeable1 but it deprives the glazier of one of his rose windows4 ,,laon ,those proceeding upon this pilgrimage by automobile or bicycle1 will find a treat awaiting them between ,soissons and ,laon4 ,the road lies through ,coucy-le-,chateau1 the impressive and well-preserved ruin of a massive mediaeval fortress4 ,the huge round towers at its corners1 connected by walls thirty-five feet thick1 frown down from their rocky perch upon a pleasant valley below4 ,snuggled up against these protecting walls is the little town1 which we enter by a narrow gateway crowded in between two great solemn towers4 ,on we go through the narrow old streets and out another well-defended portal and off on our journey4 ,when first we espy ,laon we are far off on the rolling plain which surrounds its base4 ,it looms high in the air1 the four towers of its cathedral peering out above the encircling houses1 all seeming to keep watch over the tiring zigzags by means of which the road lazily climbs the height4 ,a city built upon a hill always possesses a fascination1 more especially when it has a history as long and interesting as this one4 ,the lofty situation makes the town seem to hold itself aloof and lends it a certain proud mystery which impels us to seek to know more of it--to penetrate its reserve4 ,laon is even more picturesque and striking than most ,french hill towns1 because the height upon which it stands rises abruptly from a great plain4 ,none of the height is lost and thus all the beauty is saved4 ,after observing how remote it is upon its long1 narrow hilltop1 one can well understand why the later ,carlovingian kings selected this stronghold for their capital4 ,in those early times there was no artillery to endanger their loftily secure repose4 ,the cathedral1 which is a really fine one1 presents us with some of those familiarly quaint touches that prove ,gothic architecture to have been so close to the heart of its times4 ,perched aloft among the open spaces that interpenetrate its light towers1 are life-size statues of oxen1 in kindly memory of the beasts of burden that hauled up from the plain below the great stones used in the building4 ,within the cathedral1 although there is but little glass1 it is all of this period and1 besides1 is so grouped as to do itself the greatest credit possible4 ,all we shall find is a rose filled with medallions in the north transept and another and far finer one in the square eastern end1 below which are ranged three gorgeous lancets of imposing dimensions4 ,the northern rose contains scenes representing the sciences as understood and practised in the thirteenth century4 ,one's memory of this rose is blue with hints of green1 while of the eastern series it is reddish purple4 ,the centre of the splendid eastern rose is occupied by a figure of the ,virgin ,mary between ,john the ,baptist and ,isaiah1 and around this group are two circles of medallions1 the inner one of twelve containing the ,apostles1 and the outer1 of twenty-four1 the ,elders of the ,apocalypse4 ,this concentration of all the old glass in these two quarters has the satisfactory result that anyone standing at the crossing and looking either into the north transept or into the choir1 sees nothing but the splendid richness of mosaic medallions1 and is not distracted by the sight of any other style of glazing4 ,the placing of this fine glass more than compensates for its limited amount4 ,after this sweeping praise1 we may indulge ourselves in one mild criticism3 the glass in the east end would seem richer still if it were not so much illuminated from within by the white glazed windows along the sides of the choir4 ,if this were toned down1 even by modern glass1 it would cause a decided improvement4 ,at ,st4 ,quentin1 we are more than reconciled to the presence of modern glass in the chapels around the choir1 because it so modifies the light as to permit the thirteenth century panels in the choir clerestory to sparkle and gleam as they should4 ,the north rose at ,laon is of rare construction2 the stone framework is so cumbersome1 and the amount of glazed surface so modest1 as to almost destroy the appearance of a rosace1 and to substitute therefor that of a series of holes let into a wall4 ,also notice that the east rose is glazed flush with the stonework1 thus presenting a level surface on the inside1 while just below1 in marked contrast1 the three lancets are deeply recessed within4 ,this method of constructing a rose is unusual2 another example is the west rose at ,mantes4 ,the square eastern end1 instead of the usual rounded apse1 is believed to be one of the many results seen throughout this diocese of the influence exerted by a twelfth century ,english bishop4 ,whatever the reason for this square apse1 it admirably suits the rest of the edifice4 ,illustration3 #ac,,th ,,century ,,rose ,,and ,,lancets1 ,,laon4 ,medallions are admirably suited to rounded apertures in ,rose1 and assist in producing effect of huge blossom2 later the lines radiated more from the centre and tended toward a wheel effect4 ,before leaving this delightful hilltop1 we must not fail to take a stroll around the boulevards which have been constructed upon the overturned walls4 ,the views from this promenade out over the great plain below linger long in one's memory4 ,,st4 ,,quentin ,a few miles from ,madrid lies the famous palace of the ,escorial1 built upon a ground plan following as closely as possible the shape of a gridiron4 ,it was erected by ,king ,philip ,,ii in pious memory of his famous victory at ,st4 ,quentin on ,st4 ,lawrence's ,day1 #aeeg4 ,st4 ,lawrence achieved martyrdom by being roasted alive on a gridiron1 hence the selection of that humble utensil as a design for the royal thank-offering4 ,there are few more interesting monuments to commemorate a victory1 and one would hardly expect to hear that a battle won in northern ,france is commemorated by a palace far to the south across the ,pyrenees4 ,many a time in history did ,st4 ,quentin make herself famous by her stout defences1 but none ever won her so much fame as this defeat which1 by delaying the ,spanish forces1 enabled the ,french armies to assemble behind her and save ,paris4 ,it was a great victory for ,philip1 but it cost him the possession of the ,french capital4 ,as we stood upon the lofty heights at ,laon1 we looked far out over a wide plain1 across which1 forty-five kilometres to the northwest1 lies ,st4 ,quentin4 ,the quiet streets of this well-to-do city afford little to remind us of the mediaeval strife that so often raged through them4 ,we hear no sounds that recall to us the angry noises of besiegers without1 which so often carried dismay to the stout hearts of its burghers4 ,unlike ,laon1 its situation and its buildings now present little to recall the picture of the past4 ,the huge barn-like exterior of its great church is quite different from those we have been seeing4 ,even its triple-tiered flying buttresses have so short a span as to entirely miss the decorating possibilities which we have a right to expect4 ,it lacks the lightness and grace of the true ,gothic2 in fact1 to tell the truth1 it looms up big and bulky1 more like an ,italian church than the beautiful ,french ones4 ,but when we have once passed inside1 we are provided with a most agreeable surprise1 for it is much more attractive than many whose external promise has been greater4 ,there are two sets of transepts1 one beyond the other1 which unusual feature not only enhances the charm of the interior1 but also causes its beauty to reveal itself in a more leisurely fashion4 ,but to the glass6 ,in the choir clerestory are seven double windows1 of which the lancets each hold two great dignitaries1 one above the other4 ,the small rosaces above1 which serve to tie together these pairs of lancets1 are very pleasing1 nor should we fail to note the handsome wide borders of the lancets themselves1 plentifully besprinkled with fleur de lis4 ,we must particularly appreciate the service performed by the modern glass around the choir chapels in so subduing the light as to permit these splendid lancets to receive all their illumination from without and therefore to disclose1 undiminished in any way1 that warm glow that makes them so delightful4 ,the hideous polychrome painting of the interior also assists in this fruitful modification of the light1 but this is the only possible apology for its presence6 ,the oldest glass here is that which fills the two side windows of the ,lady ,chapel4 ,each has twenty medallions1 those on the left showing ,old ,testament scenes1 and those on the right1 episodes from the life of the ,virgin4 ,one of the large transepts has a moderately-sized rose window which does not as usual contain figures1 but1 instead1 is filled with designs in colour4 ,the absence of the figures does not spoil the effect2 in fact1 the story depicted in glass of this period is nothing like so important as the colour scheme4 ,the details of the legend are generally elaborately worked out1 often in quaint episodes1 but upon this the beauty of the window does not depend4 ,indeed1 it is not until we are at such a distance that we can no longer distinguish the little figures that the charm of the glass begins to lay hold upon us4 ,the reason we do not find more thirteenth century panels here is because the older part of the church was reconstructed during the reign of ,louis ,,xi4 ,furthermore1 when we consider the many sieges to which the town has been subjected1 as well as the great fire of ,october #ad1 #affi1 it seems strange that even this much of so fragile a treasure has survived4 ,in this connection it is interesting to learn that in #aeeg1 ,philip ,,ii instructed his artillery to avoid hitting the great church4 ,this very appreciation of art and respect for religion perhaps explains why1 as soon as he had captured the city1 he so promptly confiscated the church's gorgeous tapestries to be used later in decorating the ,escorial6 ,in #agff an attempt was made to negotiate for them so that they could be restored to their original home1 but the ,spaniards replied that they could not part with so glorious a trophy4 ,nor was the ravaging hand of the warrior the only hostile force to which the unfortunate edifice was subjected4 ,january #be1 #aegb1 during a tempest1 one of the great choir windows was blown in1 and on ,easter ,day1 #aehb1 the same fate befell the great window of the first northern transept1 this time with fatal results1 for in falling it killed four priests4 ,the old glass in the nave clerestory was removed by the monks in #agdg to secure more light1 which form of vandalism was1 unfortunately1 only too common4 ,we must not leave without commenting upon what a delightful monument of fifteenth century ,gothic is afforded by the south end of the easterly transepts4 ,below is a chapel shut in by a light stone screen of admirable design2 above it the stretch of wall is relieved with gracefully carved patterns1 while higher still appear four large lancets surmounted by a rosace1 all excellently glazed4 ,the lancets have richly coloured single figures below canopies of such size that their pinnacles occupy more than half the height of the embrasures4 ,the only criticism possible of the otherwise satisfactory adjustment of the various portions of this south wall is that the rose is too high up and too small to balance the splendid lancets below it4 ,of sixteenth century glass there are two fine examples in the north end of this same pair of transepts1 but we will postpone further reference to them until later on 7see page #bfi74 ,before leaving the town1 one should visit the ,salle ,syndicale in the ,hotel de ,ville in order to see the fine ,francois ,premier fireplace1 and the double arched ceiling with its quaint corbels4 ,the windows of this room formerly contained a long series of sixteenth century scenes from the life and labours of ,hercules1 but a ,prussian shell destroyed all but five of them4 ,when he leaves ,st4 ,quentin1 bound for ,amiens1 the traveller by railway is quite as well off as the automobilist or the bicyclist4 ,up to this stage of our journey the two latter have had a decided advantage1 but now the country has less attractions to offer and the road is one of those straight ,routes ,nationales whose only apology for their monotony is that they save distance4 ,,amiens ,at ,amiens there is not much glass1 and yet the student will not have wasted his time1 for he will there see one of the finest cathedrals in ,europe1 and will furthermore be able to note what the lack of coloured glass means1 in this way learning to value it even more highly than before4 ,if a visit to this great church renders us no other service than this1 we shall all agree that it is no small one4 ,we shall never again question that a magnificent ecclesiastical interior is not only vastly improved1 but actually needs its light tempered by stained glass4 ,our pilgrim has long ere this learnt that he cannot always rely on guide-books to tell him whether or not fine windows are to be found in certain towns1 and therefore we may serve a useful purpose and save some reader a disappointing trip by setting out the facts4 ,the cathedral owes its chief beauty to the extraordinary detail and amount of sculpture to be found without and within4 ,so complete are the scriptural events chronicled upon its west front that ,ruskin has given it the title of the ,bible in ,stone4 ,nor are the carvings which are to be found inside in any way inferior to those which fascinate us without4 ,the stone screen which runs around the ambulatory would alone repay much study1 but the most notable display of the carver's art is the little army of nearly four thousand figures upon the choir stalls4 ,notwithstanding this wealth of sculpture1 we are struck by the bareness of the lofty interior4 ,we long for a touch of mystery and cannot but feel that in the glare of light streaming through the immensely tall uncoloured windows everything is too clearly revealed and there is lacking the softness which would add so much to the beauty of the carvings4 ,what a change there would be for the better if we could wave a wand and by some fairy power will back into the windows their ancient glories4 ,everything is too stately and cold1 too sharply outlined2 in fact1 far too much denuded of the mysterious charm1 the awe-inspiring gloom which lays hold upon us at ,chartres or ,bourges4 ,although but little of its glass has survived1 it is almost all of the thirteenth century1 and some is very good4 ,in one of the choir chapels to the left is an interesting ,tree of ,jesse in the medallion style4 ,the left window of the easternmost chapel has a charming blue background and a novel use of small white birds in its border4 ,above us in the easternmost window of the clerestory 7the only one in the clerestory that has survived intact7 another unique feature catches the eye--its four slender lancets contain some very decorative lettering introduced into the design4 ,this lettering is glazed in white on a blue background and its legend when deciphered sets out that those three windows were given by ,bernard d',abbeville1 ,bishop of ,amiens1 in the year #abfi4 ,in contrast to these meagre remains of glass1 there are also to be seen three fine rose windows which are completely glazed4 ,they all have quaint names1 that in the west facade being called the ,rose of the ,sea2 that in the north the ,rose of the ,winds2 that in the south the ,rose of ,heaven4 ,this poetic and quaintly familiar method of naming windows is not unknown elsewhere2 it is also found at ,chartres4 ,the huge western rose1 thirty-eight feet in diameter1 although dating from #abda1 has lost its original glass and was reglazed in the sixteenth century4 ,there are no figures in the north rose1 but instead a mosaic of colour2 we have noticed a similar arrangement at ,st4 ,quentin4 ,in the south rose1 red predominates1 but with it there is also considerable green4 ,if the reader decides to visit ,amiens1 notwithstanding the small amount of glass to be seen there1 he will surely conclude that the day has not been wasted1 for he will not leave that splendid interior without a truer appreciation of the great service which the glass artist rendered to the architect1 as well as a sigh for the fragile beauty which is no longer there4 ,,fourteenth ,,and ,,fifteenth ,,centuries ,nowhere in art can there be found so abrupt a change of style as that which marks in stained glass the arrival of the fourteenth century4 ,so noticeable is the difference between the windows of the thirteenth and those of the fourteenth centuries that it can be seen at a glance4 ,not only were the new styles very distinctive1 but they were also very enduring1 for even when the fifteenth century arrived it did little but elaborate the ideas introduced by the fourteenth1 and for that reason we should consider them together as forming one epoch4 ,the new results which we now find are not only in effect1 but also in light and in placing of figures4 ,this transformation took place within a few years and was1 therefore1 as sudden in point of time as it was in treatment1 which latter is so marked that it excites our curiosity as to its causes4 ,it is safe to assume that we have here happened upon not only one novelty but a coincidence of several1 as otherwise the change would have been much less abrupt4 ,most of the new elements which in combination so suddenly produced such a sweeping change can be studied from the glass which has survived to these modern days1 but of one we can now only read3 this was the demand for domestic glass1 and unfortunately but few examples of it are left to us4 ,the old chroniclers tell us of many private houses and buildings devoted to civil uses having their windows glazed in colour1 a form of luxury hitherto found only in religious edifices4 ,we know that it then began to be widely used1 especially in ,paris1 but it did not survive the turbulence of those times4 ,the effect of this novel use on glass styles was very marked4 ,obviously it was not practicable to employ the same sort of glass in the smaller rooms of a dwelling house that we have seen so effective in the larger interiors of religious edifices4 ,we notice that beautiful as is the thirteenth century ,ste4 ,chapelle1 its dim religious light is unsuited for any building devoted to secular uses4 ,no1 the medallion window with its deep-toned panes and profusion of leads would not serve for civil or domestic purposes1 nor1 on the other hand1 could we bring down the big personages from the clerestories of cathedrals2 they were most impressive when seen from the distance which their lofty situation necessitated1 but they were much too crude and coarse in their workmanship to be lowered to the level of the observer's eye4 ,for this new demand of domestic architecture it was obvious that something must be devised which would give more light4 ,one method of effecting it was using coloured figures on a soft grisaille background1 but this has only to be seen to be found unsatisfactory4 ,some examples of this exist in the north side of ,ste4 ,radegonde at ,poitiers4 ,they are interesting1 but the figures start out from the light background so violently as to plainly make them unsuitable in small interiors4 ,plain grisaille was not rich enough to be used in a fine private house4 ,as a compromise between these two methods they arrived at the use of a border of greyish simulated ,gothic architecture to frame the central coloured figure of a window4 ,in this way the border admitted the light and the figure gave the richness2 these ,gothic frames were called canopies4 ,but why a frame of architecture8 ,the interest in ,gothic had by this time spread throughout the fair land of ,france4 ,many beautiful examples of it had just come into being before people's eyes--it was the delight of all4 ,it was but natural that this noble style1 still young1 should be introduced by the glazier1 especially as it lent itself to the demand for more light4 ,besides1 in knowledge of ,gothic1 the glass artist was second only to the architect1 as the windows were made to suit the church1 not the church the windows4 ,this observation upon the relation of the glazier to the architect brings us to another reason for the abrupt change in stained glass1 and of this we can to-day readily find examples4 ,we have said that the artist had to make his glass to suit the window apertures4 ,about that time the architect was changing their shape4 ,instead of being broad and single windows they were now more numerous but narrower and taller1 and were brought together in groups of two or more1 separated only by stone mullions4 ,above this cluster of narrow lancets and in order to taper them off gracefully1 were placed smaller openings called tracery lights4 ,without this tapering at the top1 the group below would look unfinished and ill-proportioned4 ,the few1 though wide windows used during the thirteenth century were found to give too little light1 and1 besides1 were not as decorative as the ,gothic architect demanded for his more elaborate style4 ,this new period in architecture is called ,decorated1 which name has also properly been applied to its glass4 ,the architect not only did everything in his power to gain more light by providing many more wall apertures1 but doubtless he also insisted that the glazier assist in this endeavour4 ,we have just seen that the latter complied with this request by surrounding his coloured figures with light-admitting architectural frames of greyish-yellow4 ,nor did he stop there3 he helped the architect to bind together more harmoniously his groups of narrow lights into which the whole window was now split up1 for he realised that horizontal bands of light colour placed straight across these narrow lights would effect this purpose4 ,the slender stone mullions which divided them showed too many perpendicular lines and tended to make the windows seem spindling1 but this was corrected by the broad bands of light afforded by the grey and yellow canopy tops running along over the heads of the saints occupying the tall narrow panes4 ,perhaps the reader is already asking whence the artist obtained so much grey and yellow1 because thirteenth century glass leaves rather a strong purple memory behind it4 ,to answer this question is to bring forward another new thing and one which also had a large share in abruptly changing the styles4 ,about the beginning of the fourteenth century it was discovered that if silver were floated upon the surface of glass and then exposed to the furnace1 the result would be a bright yellow stain4 ,the word stain is used advisedly1 because by this method the surface received a durable colour not removable like paint4 ,we have already seen that pot-metal colour was introduced throughout the mass during the time of the making of the glass and was therefore part of it from the beginning4 ,this new stain was not applied until after the glass was made1 and no other tint but yellow could be produced in this way4 ,the discovery of this valuable secret has been variously recounted1 but always the credit is given to blind chance1 some silver happening to drip upon glass which1 when burnt1 disclosed to the surprised workman the new and beautiful yellow4 ,its great value in admitting light as well as in enriching the tones of a window was at once appreciated4 ,no longer was it necessary to laboriously lead in a bit of yellow pot-metal glass where that hue was demanded by the design4 ,now all that was done was to float a little silver upon a large piece of glass at the point or points required1 expose it to the fire1 and behold6 a tint that made glorious the hair of angels1 or the robes of saints and high dignitaries4 ,touches of this rich colour also made possible architectural frames which would otherwise have seemed dull1 flat and opaquely grey4 ,each little pinnacle could be brightened up1 lines of yellow would enliven columns and the canopy window in its light soft beauty was made practicable4 ,illustration3 #ae,,th ,,century ,,canopy ,,window1 ,,st4 ,,lo4 ,name given because of ,gothic canopy used to frame the coloured figures4 ,the pale grey glass in the canopy portion admitted much more light than the earlier windows richly coloured throughout4 ,note the modestly drawn donors in the lowest panels4 #adth century canopies seldom filled the whole embrasure1 appearing only in bands across a grisaille field2 besides1 their architecture was much cruder1 they lacked pedestals1 etc4 ,it is an unfortunate fact that the best glass of this period is not to be seen in ,paris1 although we can get a fair idea of its effect from the fifteenth century canopied figures in the clerestory of ,st4 ,severin4 ,a few of those at the west end of this church are at once seen to differ in their design from the others1 although all are of the true canopy type4 ,these few to the west were brought from their original place in the choir of ,st4 ,germain des ,pres4 ,at ,st4 ,severin we shall note several points which serve to distinguish the canopies of the fifteenth century from the earlier ones of the fourteenth4 ,the difference is chiefly in the use of more colours in the later figures1 as well as more careful architectural detail in their canopies4 ,further1 to make his windows lighter in tone1 the ,french glazier of the fourteenth century generally used bands of canopies only across the middle third of the surface1 filling the uppermost and lowest thirds with grisaille4 ,the fifteenth century canopies almost invariably filled the entire embrasure4 ,frequently during the fourteenth century the artist was not content with the light admitted by his canopies1 but added to it by using white for one or more of the saints' robes4 ,this practice so reduced the number of colours in the background and the garments that we seldom find more than two colours within the niches of fourteenth century canopies1 while in the fifteenth century we almost always find four4 ,then1 too1 there is an added feature of decoration in the later ones which is generally lacking earlier3 across the back of the niche a coloured curtain is carried shoulder high behind the figure1 and this curtain is almost always damasked4 ,this can be remarked at ,st4 ,severin1 where we shall also see that all the figures stand upon elaborate pedestals1 another sign that we are looking at work of the fifteenth century1 for in the fourteenth they would have lacked pedestals and be found standing upon grass or some other natural and unarchitectural base4 ,the artist was so careful to cling closely to contemporary conventions that sometimes we happen upon very amusing compromises4 ,for example1 here tradition demanded pedestals1 so there they are1 even though he had to make the rather ridiculous combination of a figure standing upon a half-circle of cloud neatly balanced upon the pedestal's tessellated pavement4 ,the conventions demanded the little pavement1 the design required the clouds1 so he gave us both6 ,in these days when we are so occupied in copying older art1 it is interesting to see traces of a time when they jealously clung to the styles and forms which were then new4 ,a brilliant yellow was the only tint obtainable by the process of staining1 but it is also true that other new colours were secured1 although by means of an entirely different discovery which1 of itself1 provided yet another new thing to combine with those already enumerated in changing glass methods4 ,this discovery took place early in the fourteenth century and made it possible to superimpose another colour upon white or coloured glass4 ,the method of producing this effect was very simple3 the end of the blowpipe was dipped first into liquid glass of one colour1 and then into another1 with the result that the bubble when blown was of one colour inside and of another outside4 ,the bubble was then opened out into the flat sheet as usual4 ,this process had always been followed to make red glass1 which was really a sheet of white coated with ruby1 but now all sorts of combinations were made4 ,thus a brilliant purple could be obtained by coating a piece of red glass with blue2 red on yellow would give a splendid orange2 blue on yellow a brilliant green4 ,although invented early in the fourteenth century1 this process did not have all its possibilities developed until during the fifteenth1 when the number of layers was gradually increased until we find some specimens showing six different coats4 ,we shall enjoy the results when we visit ,quimper or ,eymoutiers or ,bourges4 ,the ,french have a very descriptive name for glass treated in this manner3 they call it verre double1 or lined glass1 referring to the fact that there are two layers4 ,the abrupt change in glass windows which took place at the beginning of the fourteenth century becomes less extraordinary when we recapitulate the various discoveries in the art and realise what an effect must have been caused by such a combination as that of 7a7 the chance-revealed yellow stain2 7b7 domestic use which required glass fit for small1 well-lighted interiors2 7c7 the demands of the architect for his narrowed and more numerous window apertures1 and lastly 7d7 the enriching of the artist's palette due to the new process of doubling the sheets of glass4 ,the whole trend is now towards much more light1 larger pieces of glass1 brighter colours and more attention to the design at the expense of the colour effect of the window4 ,we have now not only set forth the great change that was so speedily effected in the style and appearance of stained glass1 but further1 we have enumerated the various novelties1 both in popular requirements and in technique1 which brought about the light tones of the fourteenth century4 ,the steps by which was effected this transition from the thirteenth century mosaic type with its rudimentary suggestion of a canopy1 to the fourteenth century figure ensconced in his little sentry-box1 can be seen on but few existing windows2 in fact1 so little transition glass is there that the change strikes one all the more forcibly4 ,there are1 however1 a few available for this purpose1 notably the three eastern lancets of the ,lady ,chapel in the ,abbey ,church at ,fecamp1 and a certain window in the north transept of ,amiens ,cathedral4 ,the ,fecamp lancets show us the first step1 where1 although the glass is still entirely mosaic1 the architecture at the top is brought down the sides of the figure so as to complete the sentry-box4 ,of course this admits no more light than the regular medallion lancets which conveniently assist our comparison by flanking on either side the three easterly ones4 ,we have thus arrived at the enframing canopy1 but have not yet conformed to the demand for more light which had now become so insistent4 ,how will this be done8 ,a mosaic medallion could not well be put upon a light surface1 as it would look splotchy and unfinished 7viz43 first chapel on the left of choir ambulatory in ,rouen ,cathedral71 nor would it do to station unframed1 isolated1 coloured figures on an uncoloured surface 7viz43 ,ste4 ,radegonde at ,poitiers74 ,to avoid the unfinished appearance1 they hit upon the idea of surrounding the coloured figure with a frame-like architectural border 7as just seen at ,fecamp71 and then put this framed picture in the midst of the plain panes4 ,this step is exemplified by a large double-lanceted window just west of the north transept door in ,amiens ,cathedral4 ,the entire window is surcharged with a number of these canopy-framed figures arranged in parallel perpendicular lines4 ,we have now gained more light1 and it is easy to see what is coming next4 ,instead of placing the small canopies up and down the window 7as at ,amiens71 it would obviously be more effective to assemble them in bands across it4 ,both ,sees and ,evreux serve to illustrate this manner of glazing4 ,there are many examples that mark the slow development from these fourteenth century horizontal rows of canopies across a grisaille or quarry background1 to the perfected canopy window of the fifteenth century1 where the service of admitting light is entirely transferred from the grisaille or quarry to the canopy itself4 ,this has been rendered possible by greatly increasing the space allotted to the simulated stonework1 so as to enable it to let in all the illumination required1 and at the same time perform its duty of framing the coloured part of the picture4 ,these windows at ,fecamp and ,amiens are very instructive as showing us the experimental steps which resulted in the satisfactory combination of picture and illumination1 instead of splotches of colour on a light field4 ,it must not be thought that we have dwelt too long on this particular period of transition1 for this is the only time during the ,golden ,age of glass that there took place an abrupt change in styles1 and therefore a speedy and marked transition4 ,there was certainly nothing hasty in the way that the broad borders and larger glass pieces of the twelfth century developed into the narrower borders and more minutely mosaic method of the thirteenth4 ,as to the transition from the fourteenth to the fifteenth century1 so slowly and so imperceptibly was it effected that we have decided to study those two centuries together as one epoch1 the second being but the natural elaboration of the first4 ,lastly1 nothing could be more measured and deliberate than the steps by which the fifteenth century canopy developed into the sixteenth century large picture panel1 by first changing the canopy from ,gothic to ,renaissance1 then enlarging the scene within the new canopy until it finally outgrew the need for the frame1 and emerged therefrom in its completed state1 often covering a whole window4 ,if at this point we turn to our histories1 we shall soon encounter reasons which convincingly explain why there remains so little fourteenth-fifteenth century glass for us to see4 ,this was the period of the ,english occupation of a large portion of ,france4 ,a peaceful possession of a part of the country might not have interfered with the course of art in other quarters1 but the ,english possession was far from a peaceful one4 ,fighting1 and that of the bitterest kind1 went on continually4 ,we have only to mention the ,hundred ,years ,war with ,england 7#accg-adec71 marked by the disastrous defeats of ,crecy 7#acdf7 and of ,poitiers 7#acef71 to be reminded of that4 ,it is true that ,bertrand du ,guesclin won a short-lived success against the ,english 7#acfd71 but #adae sees them again victorious at ,agincourt and their occupation of ,paris in #adba4 ,this temporary victory of ,du ,guesclin proved an evil thing for ,france1 as it prolonged the fighting and increased the frightful carnage which drenched ,french soil with blood4 ,it is clear that during times like these the nobility was not in a position to interest itself in beautifying chateaux or churches4 ,they were most earnestly concerned in the gentle art of erecting fortifications2 safety and strength were of vital importance2 beauty had to stand aside and wait4 ,the records show many instances of great architectural enterprises being halted from lack of funds or from other motives1 a case in point being ,troyes ,cathedral1 upon which no work was done for a long period of years4 ,the nobility were injured more than the lower classes by these wars1 and in the great defeats of ,crecy1 ,poitiers and ,agincourt their losses were frightful4 ,many a titled family lost its estates and many another was exterminated4 ,in battle the middle and lower classes suffered proportionately less1 because the ,french placed most of their reliance upon armoured knights and disdained to avail themselves of the bourgeoisie to the same extent as the ,english1 whose splendid bowmen and yeomanry were so potent a factor in winning those great victories4 ,the fact that the great families of ,france were so grievously crippled during these wars goes far to explain why glass painting languished for lack of the support which the luxury-loving class of society was not then able to give it4 ,almost as serious for the nobles as the losses in battle and other ravages of war1 was the reign of the subtle ,louis ,,xi 7#adfa-ha71 who devoted his entire life to destroying the strength of the nobility and to building upon its ruins the centralised power of the throne1 meanwhile guarding this increase of kingly power by encouraging the growth of the gendarmerie1 and generally the military reliability of the bourgeoisie4 ,one incident from his life provides us with a fact of great interest to a glass student4 ,upon the occasion of the repulse of the ,bretons by the inhabitants of the ,french city of ,st4 ,lo1 ,louis presented to the cathedral of that town1 as an expression of his approval of the bravery of its citizens1 a fine set of stained glass windows4 ,as an event in political statecraft it is most significant3 he did not ennoble or enrich certain leaders1 but gave the entire fighting populace a royal gift4 ,to us it has a peculiar interest1 because the incident shows that stained glass was held in such high esteem as to be considered a worthy gift from a king to a city4 ,but before turning from a review of the evil days which fell upon ,france1 we must notice that although the nobility suffered more heavily from battle and statecraft than any other class1 the times were tragic enough for all ,frenchmen1 whether noble or peasant1 rich or poor4 ,the plague raged throughout the land--not once1 but many times--during these two centuries and its fearsome grasp fell upon all alike4 ,nor was this misery enough2 to all these calamities was added that of civil war of the worst type--the war of the masses against the classes4 ,the scorn in which the nobles held the poor man was but the natural outcome of the feudal state4 ,the man in armour despised ,jacques ,bonhomme1 as he called him4 ,when in #aceh the disorders afflicting the body politic caused this contempt and ill-treatment to so increase that it could no longer be endured1 the uprising of the oppressed against the oppressor assumed in hideous satire the name of the ,jacquerie4 ,before it could be finally put down1 ,french soil was drenched again and again with blood4 ,even this short dip into contemporary history has revealed enough to make it passing strange that any glass at all was made in ,france during those trying times1 and stranger still that1 if made1 it should have survived4 ,we have just seen that during most of these two centuries the ,french kings were fully occupied at home1 first in fighting the ,english1 with ,france as the battleground1 and later in subduing their arrogant nobles and adding ,burgundy1 ,franche ,comte1 ,artois1 ,provence and ,brittany to the ,french crown4 ,at the end of this period1 with their home lands cleared of the ,english and the centralised power of the throne much strengthened1 we shall see how1 under ,louis ,,xii 7#adih7 and ,francis ,i 7#aeae71 war was carried on outside the borders of ,france4 ,under the influences of this freedom from the ravages of war1 combined with taste for art learnt during the ,italian campaigns and brought back to ,france1 there sprang up an aesthetic revival called the ,french ,renaissance4 ,this new development is going to give us a very different style of glass painting1 which we will study later under the title of the sixteenth century4 ,before starting out to visit the glass of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries1 there are several remarks to be made upon it as a whole4 ,there is not nearly so much left for us to see as there is of the thirteenth century4 ,it is not going to be so easy to reach it and we shall have to take longer trips4 ,we may journey far off to the western corner of ,brittany to see the admirable ,cathedral of ,quimper1 or else down south near ,angouleme where we find in the small village of ,eymoutiers a most charming example4 ,of sixteenth century glass we shall find much2 of thirteenth a great deal2 but of fourteenth and fifteenth centuries1 only a little4 ,at first one undoubtedly prefers the windows of the thirteenth and the sixteenth centuries1 but after one has studied glass for awhile1 he will surely come to feel that there is a certain fascination about the silvery glow of a canopy window that is not surpassed by the jewelled glitter of the thirteenth century or the more brilliant colouring and drawing of the sixteenth4 ,during the period now under discussion there was a great deal of good glass made1 and from the records we learn of many a fine window now long since destroyed4 ,a fair way to judge the ,french glass-makers is to learn what their contemporaries across the channel thought of them4 ,for this purpose it is worth citing from the contract for glazing ,beauchamp ,chapel at ,warwick1 which contract was made by the ,earl of ,warwick's executors with a certain ,john ,prudde of ,westminster1 dated #addg4 ,this contract requires that no ,english glass be used1 but that the windows be glazed only with best foreign glass procurable and to use as little white1 green and black glass as possible4 ,john ,prudde got his material from ,france4 ,we find another apposite statement in ,britton's ,history of ,exeter ,cathedral4 ,he says that #ejj square feet of glass was bought for the cathedral in #acjb-d and that when another large purchase was made in #acag they sent to ,rouen for it4 ,from these citations1 selected from many similar ones1 we may safely gather that the ,english considered ,french glass the best1 which is most significant when one reflects that just at that time ,english glass was at its highest point4 ,,fourteenth ,,and ,,fifteenth ,,century ,,pilgrimages ,from the standpoint of one who finds himself in ,paris1 it is not going to be very convenient to visit the glass we are now considering4 ,if he will content himself with a little1 he can see that without much difficulty4 ,he has but to visit the two nearby cities of ,evreux and ,rouen1 each of them only an hour and a half by train from ,paris and not far removed from each other4 ,the latter is1 admittedly1 peculiarly a place to study sixteenth century glass--its numerous churches are full of it4 ,while it is better to visit ,rouen in connection with the sixteenth century1 still we have mentioned it at this time because one of its churches1 ,st4 ,ouen1 affords such a beautifully complete exposition of fourteenth century glazing4 ,besides1 it is near ,evreux1 and therefore we advise that it be visited now so that the glass at ,st4 ,ouen can be seen directly after that in the ,cathedral of ,evreux4 ,if our reader wishes to thoroughly study the glass of this period1 we would advise him to begin with a longer trip1 which we will outline1 and then conclude with ,evreux and ,rouen1 because he will then be enabled1 after seeing the fourteenth century glass of ,rouen1 to immediately pass on to the study of the sixteenth century windows which are so splendid and abundant in the other churches of that ,mecca of the glass student4 ,now for the longer tour just mentioned4 ,it should begin at ,bourges1 four hours and a quarter from ,paris by train4 ,thence we go south to ,clermont-,ferrand 7on our way stopping to visit its little neighbour1 ,riom71 next across the mountains which overshadow these last two towns1 to ,eymoutiers1 which lies close to ,limoges1 the next city in order4 ,from ,limoges we go north to ,poitiers1 then to ,angers1 to ,le ,mans1 through ,alencon to ,sees1 to ,verneuil1 and conclude with ,chartres1 an hour and a quarter from ,paris by express4 ,although this is a long tour1 we can safely promise that it will repay the pilgrim4 ,if the pilgrim has already visited ,chartres for its thirteenth century glass1 he probably took occasion to see that of the fourteenth century in the church of ,st4 ,pierre4 ,in that event he can omit ,chartres at this time4 ,if he wishes1 he can go on from ,verneuil to ,evreux 7#dc kilometres71 and thus link this longer trip to the shorter one already described4 ,it is only in the event that he travels by automobile or bicycle that we suggest a stop at ,moulins on his way from ,bourges to ,riom1 for his way lies through it2 but if he travels by train1 then1 because of the finer and more plentiful glass he is about to see1 ,moulins may well be omitted4 ,we would not recommend visiting ,limoges if it were not directly upon his road1 no matter by what means of transportation he travels4 ,there is hardly a place in ,france where fifteenth century glass can be seen to greater advantage than in the ,cathedral of ,quimper1 but it is too far from any other glass place to be combined therewith into a tour4 ,it is tucked away in the northwestern part of ,france1 eleven hours from ,paris by express1 and is only mentioned here so that if the traveller finds himself in its neighbourhood he may not fail to avail himself of the opportunity4 ,the long tour beginning at ,bourges and ending at ,chartres1 will1 if supplemented by the short one to ,evreux and ,rouen1 show him most of the best glass of this period which has come down to our time4 ,it is easily distinguishable from that of the century preceding it as well as of the century following1 and has a beauty all its own4 ,illustration3 #ad,,th and #ae,,th ,,centuries ,,tours4 7a7 ,evreux1 ,rouen4 7b7 ,bourges1 ,moulins1 ,riom1 ,clermont-,ferrand1 ,eymoutiers1 ,limoges1 ,poitiers1 ,angers1 ,le ,mans1 7,alencon71 ,sees1 ,verneuil1 ,chartres4 ,also separate visit to ,quimper4 7,for table of distances1 see page #bie47 ,,evreux ,in one's mental picture of a town there is almost always a single feature which stands out prominently at the expense of the others4 ,for example1 winding crowded streets are apt to rise in one's mind when ,london is mentioned4 ,the broad straight thoroughfares of ,st4 ,petersburg are sure to give roominess and breadth to our memory of the ,russian capital4 ,in a similar fashion when the writer thinks of ,evreux there always promptly arises a picture of the narrowness which not only characterises the cathedral's nave1 but also the little channels into which the river ,iton subdivides itself in preparation for its leisurely meandering through the town4 ,nor must this be taken as a reproach to ,evreux4 ,the little branches of the ,iton add very materially to the quiet beauty of the place4 ,so1 too1 beauty is1 though indirectly1 lent to the cathedral's interior by the very narrowness of its nave4 ,a nave only #ba feet wide made very difficult the problem of later joining to it a roomy choir1 but the architect hit upon an ingenious device to secure greater width for the latter without having the difference unpleasant to the eye when viewed from other parts of the church4 ,just behind the columns at the edge of the transept crossing he deftly swelled out his choir walls at such an angle that from no part of the nave is the curving swelling of these walls visible4 ,the chapels that surround this graceful choir are separated from the ambulatory by light carved wooden screens1 very dainty and each one different4 ,the windows all about us reveal this to be a perfect treasure-house of fourteenth century glass1 for it has more of this period than any other church in ,france except1 perhaps1 ,st4 ,ouen1 at ,rouen4 ,in our preliminary talk about the fourteenth century we referred to the startling abruptness with which taste in glass veered around from the light-obscuring medallions of the preceding century to the light-admitting treatment of the fourteenth4 ,we there stated that the two favourite methods of getting more light were1 first1 the canopy treatment1 and second1 but to a less extent1 grisaille windows with rich borders which were sometimes1 but not always1 surcharged with coloured figures or panels4 ,at ,evreux we shall not only find many an excellent example of both these new methods1 but also interesting proof of how early in the century the new style laid hold upon public taste and that1 too1 in a very fully developed and completed form4 ,the windows given by ,guillaume d',harcourt1 dated #acaj1 show us the canopy window with a perfection of architectural elaboration that is surprising when we consider its early date4 ,not only is the canopy well advanced in its detail1 but we find that the blue background is damasked1 a feature of adornment that elsewhere took some time to develop4 ,the use of grisaille to increase the illumination of the interior is here amply illustrated1 as is also a certain variation of it1 very much in vogue at that time1 partly because it was decorative1 and partly1 perhaps mostly1 because it was so easy to glaze4 ,this is the so-called quarry window of white or grisaille glass with its surface composed of either square 7carre7 or diamond-shaped panels4 ,these quarry windows were not only easy to lead1 but their formal design broke up the surface of the glass very agreeably1 especially when here and there touches of colour were introduced4 ,nor were these quarries always used without colour decoration1 for around the choir triforium we shall see them surcharged with gay heraldic blazons1 while above1 in the clerestory1 they serve to fill out such portions of the embrasures as are not occupied by the bands of canopies4 ,it was some time before the fourteenth century glazier arrived at the point of filling the entire embrasure with his canopy1 and therefore this hesitating use of bands of canopies across a light field is often seen4 ,below in the choir chapels even less of the space is devoted to canopies and more to quarries or grisaille than in the clerestory4 ,passing to the nave1 almost all the window surface of the chapels is given over to grisaille2 indeed1 it is only across the upper third that one sees the quaint little fourteenth century canopies4 ,so1 too1 the clerestory is all grisaille except for an occasional panel in colour4 ,the finest work of the period here is around the choir clerestory--the colours are richer and every part of the decoration more carefully studied4 ,notice that in the fourth on the left1 the second lancet contains a kneeling figure holding up in his two hands a model of the window which he is offering2 his name appears in large letters below--,m4 ,raoul ,de ,ferrieres4 ,the rich red background1 surrounded by the golden canopy1 makes a very effective combination4 ,this same pleasant conceit is found again in the most westerly lancet of the fourth choir chapel on the right1 but here the figure is much smaller and the model of the gift window not so carefully drawn4 ,almost all these clerestory lights display facts concerning their donors set out in bold lettering that adds materially to the decorative effect4 ,a few of the panels were glazed in the next century2 they are readily picked out by the perfected drawing of their canopies1 the fact that they completely fill the embrasures1 the pedestals beneath them1 etc4 ,of these later ones1 the first on the left especially merits our attention3 within its elaborate canopy framing are a triple tier of niches4 ,in the middle tier1 the second niche contains the ,dauphin 7later ,louis ,,xi7 and the fourth1 ,charles ,,vii1 his father4 ,this reference to the fifteenth century brings us to the consideration of its numerous examples found here1 for the ,lady ,chapel1 all the north transept and part of the southern are glazed in that later style4 ,in the ,lady ,chapel the canopies enclose a double tier of niches which contain scenes remarkable for their strong colouring1 as well as for the unusual number of individuals in each little group4 ,under the second canopy on the lower tier of the first window on the left is depicted ,christ feeding the multitude1 and no less than twenty-five figures can be counted3 this is the greatest number the writer has ever observed in a canopy panel4 ,the transepts are most charming4 ,each is lighted by a large rose1 while the east and west walls have each not only two great six-lancet windows1 but in addition1 the triforium gallery is pierced and is carried around under the rose4 ,where the triforium passes below the rose we have in each case eight lancets filled with canopies enclosing single figures1 and in the clerestory of the north transept the same treatment--elsewhere the lancets contain grisaille or quarries surcharged with coloured bosses or shields--the whole bordered in colour4 ,throughout all this interior so much grisaille and quarry work was used that one should select a rainy or grey day for one's visit1 because on a sunny day the illumination is distinctly garish4 ,nor is it for the ,cathedral alone that we have come here--so fine is the glazing at ,st4 ,taurin that we would have included ,evreux in our tour even if there had been nothing to enjoy at the ,cathedral4 ,the east end of the choir juts out from the body of the church1 and is lighted all round by seven lofty windows1 each of two lancets except the westerly pair1 which have four4 ,the treatment of all these lancets is alike3 the enframing canopy encloses three tiers of niches1 one above the other1 in each of which is a little scene in colour4 ,one pair of these windows1 the second from the west1 are modern1 but so faithfully are they modelled after their neighbours1 that they do not mar the effect of the whole4 ,instead of one lone saint beneath each canopy 7then so common as to be almost monotonous7 we have here groups1 always agreeable and sometimes amusing4 ,for example1 the lower left-hand corner of the window just left of the centre shows us ,st4 ,taurin rescuing a lady from some very pointed flames1 while a red imp1 evidently much annoyed at being exorcised1 is darting off1 much to the pious satisfaction of five smug onlookers4 ,in accordance with the conventions1 each niche has at the back a damasked curtain1 above which a glimpse is afforded of an interior lighted by three windows1 all very delicately portrayed4 ,it seems ridiculously incongruous to find cows and other animals in the foreground of such a niche4 ,unfortunately1 this absurd combination of tradition and realism was not rare during that epoch4 ,the original glazing of the upper part of the southwesterly window has been replaced by a later ,ascension scene1 running across all four lancets4 ,at the end of the south transept is a broad window1 very interesting because of the different types of canopies in its six lancets4 ,the chief charm of the interior is undoubtedly the choir1 whose deliciously soft-toned glazing is so complete as to afford the student not only valuable material1 but also 7and this is much rarer7 an excellent impression of the general effect sought for by the fifteenth century glazier4 ,,rouen ,in this sketch we will chiefly turn our attention to the church of ,st4 ,ouen1 although we will also take a peep into the ,cathedral and into ,st4 ,maclou4 ,we will defer until our sixteenth century tours a fuller comment upon this city 7see page #bdi71 because any one who has studied the subject1 even in the most cursory way1 knows that he must go to ,rouen for ,renaissance glass4 ,although the splendid windows of its numerous churches bear witness to what that later period did for our art1 it is nevertheless entirely proper that we should come here at this time1 if only for a preliminary visit1 because the study of fourteenth century glass cannot be satisfactorily concluded without viewing the splendidly complete exhibition of it in the church of ,st4 ,ouen4 ,here we shall see for ourselves why ,rouen glass was then so highly esteemed1 not only in ,france1 but also across the ,channel4 ,we referred before to the fact that after ,exeter ,cathedral had in #acjb-d purchased glass for its windows and it became necessary in #acag to procure another large quantity1 it was to ,rouen that they sent for it1 a significant tribute to the skill and repute of the ,rouen craftsmen4 ,ample witness to the causes for the ,englishmen's admiration is afforded by the justly famous fourteenth century glazing of ,st4 ,ouen4 ,it is best to approach and enter it by the south portal1 for1 although a very graceful and symmetrical ,gothic edifice1 the west front is unfortunately of a much later period than the rest of the structure1 and is noticeably lacking in lightness and beauty4 ,notwithstanding nearly all the windows are glazed in colour1 the brilliancy of the lighting strikes us as soon as we step inside and is especially noticeable if we have but freshly come from the inspection of interiors whose light has been dimmed by thirteenth century glass4 ,it is evident that the ,st4 ,ouen windows were glazed at a moment when the reaction from the sombre beauties of the thirteenth century was at its height4 ,undoubtedly strict injunctions were laid upon the designer of the glass that he should so complete his task as to leave the church well lighted4 ,in complying with his instructions he not only has used a great deal of white glass1 but also has availed himself of the lighter tones of such colours as his pictures required4 ,nowhere else will we find so complete a series of patriarchs1 saints1 apostles1 bishops and abbots4 ,they are strung out around us on every side and provide a wealth of material for investigation4 ,perhaps one might wish that they had been depicted in stronger hues1 especially as they range about the clerestory on a white background1 with white glass in the triforium windows below them4 ,on the other hand there is a possibility that if the colours had been stronger1 the contrast between them and the background might have proved disagreeable4 ,in passing it is interesting to note that all the abbots are arrayed in blue robes1 but in accordance with the scheme of colour just mentioned1 the blue is very light in tint4 ,below1 in the choir1 and around the transepts1 we find canopy windows1 but there1 too1 their effectiveness is lessened by too many panels of white4 ,in the nave the large figures in the windows of the upper range have much more colour than those in the lower1 and the inscription below each is in such bold lettering as to permit of each letter being separately leaded in4 ,the north transept contains a fine rose window1 but1 unfortunately1 in accordance with the conventions of that epoch1 the figures radiate from the centre like slices in a pie4 ,the result is a wheel effect and not that of a great blossoming rose4 ,the glass1 not only in this rose but also in the one of the south transept1 is sixteenth century and will be described later4 ,the regularity and completeness of the architecture of this church is accentuated by the long series of personages that decorate its windows4 ,it is but natural that there results the symmetrical beauty which always follows the consistent carrying into effect of a well-thought-out plan4 ,the desire of the architect for a well-lighted interior has also been everywhere carefully observed4 ,as a whole1 the effect of the windows must undoubtedly be admired1 but on the other hand1 if we were to be denied the warmth that a little additional colour would have given1 we ought at least to have found as a compensation that soft silvery light which the best glass of this period affords1 but which is here rendered impossible by the excessive use of white panes4 ,the ,cathedral's fourteenth century glass1 while not presenting the splendid ensemble that one sees at ,st4 ,ouen1 is nevertheless not only instructive in its variety1 but is also so placed as to exhibit itself to the greatest advantage4 ,it is to be found in the ,lady ,chapel1 the choir clerestory1 the north transept1 and the north nave aisle4 ,the two large windows on each side of the ,lady ,chapel are so wide as to permit of four lancets in each4 ,the treatment is the same throughout3 a broad coloured border encloses a grisaille field1 across the middle third of which is a coloured figure under a canopy1 which of course has not yet acquired a pedestal4 ,evidence of careful attention to detail is seen in the borders1 which are not only very elaborate1 but are also enlivened in one case by a number of little green birds1 in another by brown squirrels1 and in a third by white angels playing musical instruments4 ,this feature is but rarely met4 ,the modern glass in the three easterly windows is rendered harmless by the height of the altar rising in front of them4 ,broad coloured borders are also found around the clerestory1 but there each enclosed surface of grisaille has to rely for its adornment upon five round blue bosses surcharged with golden sunbursts4 ,the three easternmost panels1 however1 bear large coloured figures1 the central one being ,christ on the ,cross4 ,the rose in the north transept is of the wheel type1 and is too pale1 because of the excessive use of colourless glass1 especially in the radiating arms4 ,at the end of each arm and also at other points are introduced medallions of mosaic pattern4 ,the light is admitted in accordance with the conventions1 but the contrast is too great between the plain and the mosaic panes4 ,this same contrast is even more unpleasant in the chapel just at the junction of this transept and the choir ambulatory where a few mosaic medallions are frankly placed on a light field1 without even the plausible excuse therefor which is afforded in the rose above by certain round apertures especially suited for medallions4 ,the artist is evidently still groping for a satisfactory adjustment of his design and colour to the demand for light4 ,this period is also exemplified1 although in a different way1 in the second1 fifth1 sixth and eighth windows in the north nave aisle4 ,there1 across the lower part of the light quarries in each of the four lancets1 is placed a coloured figure behind whom hangs a curtain of contrasting colour1 but entirely lacking canopy framing2 each lancet is surrounded by a gay border4 ,this treatment is not so pleasing as that just observed in the ,lady ,chapel1 for the nave figures lack the finished appearance there lent by the canopy framing4 ,the small curtain is better than no background at all1 but we are still evidently in transition4 ,of the fifteenth century glass in the cathedral1 but little can be said2 that in the south transept rose is good1 while the chapel leading from that transept to the choir ambulatory contains two lofty-pinnacled canopy windows that would be excellent if they were not marred by their upper panes being filled in with disjointed fragments of thirteenth century medallions4 ,at ,st4 ,maclou 7see page #bea7 ten out of the twelve windows in the semi-circle of four chapels at the east end of the choir contain a softly lovely set of fifteenth century canopies whose lofty and intricate pinnacles are delicately outlined against backgrounds of lilac1 blue1 green1 etc41 always in the lighter shades4 ,the lower parts of these windows have not fared so well as the upper portions1 but they have not been damaged enough to detract from the general effect4 ,so light are most of the tones used1 that one fears the ensemble will appear too pale when viewed from the proper distance2 but such is not the case1 thanks to the admirable harmony between the soft colours and the dainty canopies4 ,an occasional fifteenth century panel is to be met with elsewhere in ,rouen 7i4e41 the westernmost in the north wall at ,st4 ,vincent71 but they are neither sufficiently numerous nor noteworthy to be cited here4 ,we shall carry away as our chief souvenirs of this preliminary visit to ,rouen1 memories of the complete glazing of ,st4 ,ouen1 the varied exhibition of contemporary transitional types found at the ,cathedral1 and ,st4 ,maclou's delicately tinted half-circle of eastern chapels4 ,,bourges ,when we visited the ,cathedral of ,bourges to inspect the glass of the thirteenth century 7see page #db7 we referred to that of the fifteenth which fills the windows of the nave chapels4 ,it is to inspect these that we now make our second visit4 ,it is very usual for chapels to radiate from around the choir of a church1 but rarer to find them introduced into the side walls of the nave after the completion of the edifice4 ,perhaps it would not prove so eminently satisfactory at ,bourges if it were not for the fact that the cathedral lacks transepts2 but whatever the reason1 the result in this instance is admirable4 ,the window apertures of these nave chapels indicate that they were constructed at a later period than the rest of the cathedral1 for instead of the single broad windows which we find elsewhere about the interior1 the lighting of each chapel is effected by a group of lancets bound together to form one very wide window space1 the lancets being separated only by narrow stone mullions4 ,to this architectural indication of date is added that of the glass1 which is among the best that is known of the fifteenth century canopy type4 ,the glazing of these chapels varies greatly in excellence1 but is always good4 ,in almost every case the windows consist of four lancets4 ,we note here the custom of placing upon the window a small kneeling figure of the donor1 and from contemporary paintings we are able to affirm that the glass artist made these portraits as perfect as his skill permitted4 ,in the chapel given by ,pierre ,trousseau not only do we find the donor but also his sister and his two brothers4 ,this tendency to introduce various members of the family increased steadily in vogue1 so much so that in the sixteenth century we shall often find two or three generations kneeling in a row in the lower panels4 ,in the first two chapels on the left the personages hold in their hands long winding scrolls on which there is writing4 ,this form of decoration was also much elaborated in the next century1 and very successfully1 too4 ,but the greatest of all fifteenth century chapels is the most easterly one on the north1 just at the point where the choir chapels succeed to those of the nave4 ,it was given by ,jacques ,coeur1 the merchant prince of ,bourges1 who became treasurer of ,france under ,charles ,,vii4 ,it is as beautiful in detail and ensemble as a canopy window has ever been made4 ,the mullions separating its four lancets are not allowed to interfere with the one great subject that extends over them all4 ,across the top of this picture is carried the most elaborate ,gothic dome ever attempted in glass painting4 ,the ceiling beneath it is blue sprinkled with golden stars1 and the groining of the arches which support it is golden also4 ,the robes of the figures1 beautiful in combination of colour1 are elaborated to the last degree of decorative detail4 ,notice along the edge of the kneeling saint's robe a row of simulated embroidery panels gay with colour and gold4 ,it is clear that ,jacques ,coeur employed upon this window the best glass artist to be found1 just as he must have engaged the most skillful architects and builders for his palace1 to the glories of which we alluded in our thirteenth century pilgrimage4 ,this window and that dwelling stamp him as one of the most intelligently appreciative patrons of the arts which his time produced4 ,the fact that the cathedral is built upon the edge of the old ,roman walls makes possible a well-lighted crypt instead of the gloomy cavern generally found beneath the choirs of most cathedrals4 ,in the embrasures at the eastern end of this lower church or crypt have been placed a set of fifteenth century windows taken from the old ,ste4 ,chapelle of ,bourges1 each consisting of four canopies4 ,under the two central ones of each stand the coloured figures in the usual way1 but under the two outer canopies the figures are partly concealed behind simulated architectural columns4 ,this unique arrangement serves to render the glass architecture all the more convincing4 ,it would have been well if other towns had followed the example set by ,bourges in thus preserving in some store-house like a cathedral the glass of other edifices which had to be destroyed4 ,if we travel by automobile from ,bourges to ,clermont-,ferrand1 we will probably elect to pass through ,nevers and ,moulins4 ,we have already advised the railway traveller not to alight at ,moulins and he will probably not do so at ,nevers4 ,about the latter we will say but a word4 ,although the cathedral has a special interest in that it is one of the two churches in ,france having an apse at its western as well as its eastern end 7the other is at ,besancon71 it need not detain him1 because it has no old glass4 ,if he decides to stop to look at the cathedral1 he should not fail to see the old palace of the ,dukes of ,bourbon1 with the story of ,lohengrin carved by ,jean ,goujon on the outside of its graceful spiral staircase4 ,,moulins ,if our pilgrim in going south from ,bourges to ,clermont-,ferrand passed through ,nevers1 this slight detour has brought ,moulins right upon his road4 ,in this event he must avail himself of the opportunity to visit the cathedral1 because its glass1 although not of sufficient importance to demand breaking a railway journey1 is distinctly worth seeing if he is passing the door4 ,besides1 the sacristy of this church contains the splendid fifteenth century triptych1 so long attributed to ,ghirlandajo1 but now conceded to have been the work of an unknown ,moulins painter who1 for want of more particular information1 is called the ,master of ,moulins4 ,around the choir ambulatory there are a few canopy windows of the fifteenth century4 ,most of them are good1 but one on the north side is quite remarkable and should be particularly noticed4 ,the scene depicted is the ,crucifixion and the background seems to be of a deep ruby4 ,closer inspection shows it to consist of a multitude of tiny red angels so crowded together as to give the effect1 when viewed from a little distance1 of a richly damasked surface4 ,the result is as satisfactory as the method of obtaining it is original4 ,there are also some good sixteenth century windows around the choir which are easily distinguishable because the architecture of their canopies is so obviously ,renaissance and so far removed from ,gothic4 ,as the automobilist or bicyclist passes through this town1 he will be struck by the attractive local feature of large diamond-shaped patterns in black or dark bricks on the red brick walls of the houses4 ,the effect is most decorative4 ,,riom ,on our trip south from ,moulins we come upon ,riom1 a quiet little place living on its memories of mediaeval importance and treasuring within the shady circle of its wall-replacing boulevards many fine houses and other testimonials to its former wealth and importance4 ,in an old-world country like ,france it is not unusual to find striking contrasts between those parts of a city which have been absolutely modernised and other portions still preserving their ancient appearance4 ,between neighbouring towns1 however1 it is not often that we shall notice so startling a difference as is effected by the #ad kilometres separating ,riom from ,clermont-,ferrand4 ,it seems impossible1 while in the quiet streets of this town1 to realise that we are so near the busy city of ,clermont-,ferrand1 active in many modern manufacturing industries1 a railway centre1 in short1 a distinctly twentieth century community4 ,geographically those few kilometres are only a step1 but historically they will transport us four or five centuries4 ,here we are in an atmosphere not later than the sixteenth century1 although for glass lovers the interest of the place goes back still another4 ,the fifteenth century feature which attracts us most in ,riom is the ,ste4 ,chapelle1 which now serves as the chapel for the ,palais de ,justice1 through which we must pass to reach it4 ,the practical hand of the altering architect has fallen heavily upon this beautiful chapel4 ,in #ahbb he took away its lower part in order to gain room for the ,court of ,appeals which is just below4 ,he graciously allowed the upper half to remain a chapel1 but1 of course1 the introduction of a new floor at half the height of the original building caused the destruction of the lower portions of the seven fine windows4 ,each has four large lancets and is a remarkable example of the highly-developed canopy type of the middle of the fifteenth century4 ,upon these are displayed a great company of richly attired personages1 affording us a rare opportunity to observe the dress of the upper classes of that day4 ,the jewels1 furs and other decorative details are not more minutely studied than are the architectural features of the canopies4 ,each figure holds in its hands a long paper scroll upon which there is writing4 ,these scrolls form a most effective and agreeable feature1 and their use as a form of decoration was frequently seen during that century4 ,it appears at its best in the ,tree of ,life rose in the south transept at ,carcassone4 ,the four central panels at the bottom contain the donors1 always an attractive detail if only they are modest in size and placing4 ,we should try to see these windows on a rainy or grey day4 ,it must be remembered that we no longer view them from below as their artist originally intended1 because the action of the architect in #ahbb has brought us up on a level with them4 ,the chapel is so small and the windows so large that if the day is sunny we are not able to withdraw a sufficient distance to readjust the perspective1 and therefore a dull day1 by softening the light1 greatly increases their charm4 ,illustration3 #ae,,th ,,century ,,canopy ,,window1 ,,sainte ,,chapelle1 ,,riom4 ,gothic details carefully elaborated4 ,curtains suspended across backs of niches give the artist another colour1 while white winding scrolls assist canopy portions in admitting light4 ,donors are here more important but not yet intrusive1 as seen later4 ,,clermont-,,ferrand ,the situation of this city is as beautiful as it is remarkable4 ,imagine a long1 fertile plain from which rises suddenly a great range of hills4 ,the plain is monotonously flat and the hills are abruptly steep1 while higher than all their heights towers the round-topped mountain of ,puy-de-,dome1 which gives its name to this department of ,france4 ,nestling just below the hills1 upon the extreme western edge of the level country1 lies the vigorous and progressive city of ,clermont-,ferrand1 whose activities and commerce are fed by roads leading in every direction across the broad expanse of the fertile district of ,limagne4 ,from the top of the cathedral tower the view is most striking and delightful4 ,to the east1 as far as the eye can reach1 stretches out a long vista of cultivated fields1 but when we turn to the west the change is positively startling4 ,hill is piled on hill and mountain on mountain1 and all so near at hand as to make us feel that1 with the naked eye1 we can discern figures moving on the top of the ,puy-de-,dome1 whose knob-like crest towers proudly above its surrounding and supporting heights4 ,there are but few views like this in ,france1 for it is rare to find so bold a range of hills rising so sharply from so wide a plain4 ,after descending the many steps which take us back into the cathedral1 we shall soon be convinced that if most of the thirteenth century glass towns had not been so accessible to ,paris1 a visit to this cathedral must have been suggested in order to see the fine set of medallion windows that in the apse chapels form a screen of gleaming sombre colour all around the choir--a screen so complete as to produce that effect of glistening caverns which we have found so beautiful in the glass of that century4 ,clermont-,ferrand was left off the thirteenth century list partly because of its distance from ,paris1 and partly because1 if that distance had been overcome1 there are no other towns in its vicinity noteworthy for their thirteenth century glass4 ,now that we are considering the glass of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries1 distance from ,paris no longer proves an argument against this visit1 because that period cannot be seen unless one is willing to go far afield4 ,besides1 ,clermont-,ferrand fits nicely into a series of towns rich in glass of these centuries1 so we have every reason for the visit at this juncture4 ,the cathedral is a noble example of ,gothic1 the spacious nave being separated from the choir by two transepts1 each of which possesses a fine rose window of the fourteenth century with a gallery of small lancets below4 ,these rose windows seem thrust too high up against the roof2 in fact1 if it were not for the row of lancets below1 the effect would be unpleasant4 ,this method of placing them in the wall is1 however1 in accordance with the best traditions of that time4 ,the glass panels which go to make up the rose windows radiate in distinct lines from the centre4 ,the lancets below the south rose are filled with diaper in rich colour1 while across them1 as if to bind them together1 are drawn two bands of white rosettes4 ,the lancets under the north rose have circles and spots of colour on a grisaille ground4 ,of the glass that once adorned the nave1 practically nothing remains but the small roses at the tops of the windows1 but these are quite attractive4 ,it is to the choir that we must turn for the greatest charm of the interior4 ,the sober richness of the thirteenth century panels in the chapels below is admirably set off and accompanied by the well-lighted clerestory above4 ,around this clerestory appears a row of large fifteenth century figures in colour framed in canopies upon a background of grisaille quarries 7diamond-shaped panes74 ,perhaps there is a little too much contrast between the figures and the quarries1 but the effect is good and certainly the light is admitted in a more satisfactory way than at ,chartres1 where the monks1 to secure more light1 replaced the rich borders of the early choir clerestory windows by white glass4 ,as seen from the nave or from the transepts1 the choir is most pleasing1 a warm half light below and a brilliant clerestory above4 ,in the two easternmost panels of the latter the artist shows us how it was sometimes possible to make one large picture by the juxtaposition of two or more1 which at first glance seem entirely distinct4 ,on the left is the ,virgin ,mary in what appears to be a large oval frame4 ,on the right1 and facing her1 is a bust of the ,father emerging from clouds4 ,although at first these two panels seem entirely separate1 a comparison of the subject of each indicates that taken together they form a picture of the ,annunciation4 ,this method was not uncommon4 ,at ,tours1 three eastern medallions of the clerestory1 although seemingly distinct1 really combine to form the ,last ,supper4 ,we should not fail to notice at ,clermont-,ferrand how very harmoniously the styles of different centuries assist each other in producing a well-glazed interior4 ,we do not find the conflict in effect which exists at ,bourges4 ,in fact1 there are but few places where glass epochs are combined in such an attractively unobtrusive manner4 ,,eymoutiers ,when from the top of ,clermont-,ferrand ,cathedral we viewed the mountains of the ,puy-de-,dome range1 it seemed not only that anyone planning a trip across them would have a difficult climb1 but that any idea of going by train was an impossibility4 ,modern engineering skill1 however1 overcomes all obstacles1 stops at nothing1 and the railway awaits our command to take us over the mountains to ,eymoutiers and ,limoges4 ,the grades are so steep that no expresses are attempted and therefore we have before us a tedious five-hour trip on a way train4 ,the first and the last parts of this journey are very delightful for the automobilist or bicyclist1 because of the views revealed from time to time by the windings of the road4 ,more than half the trip1 however1 is quite uninteresting1 as the way lies through clefts in the hills at too great an elevation for much foliage or verdure4 ,when we descend to the village of ,eymoutiers on the other side of the mountains1 all the difficulties and tedium of our climb will be forgotten4 ,there the traveller will find a charming little inn by the river1 where he can have a delicious repast of trout from the neighbouring mountain stream4 ,he will be served on a cosy terrace1 which is sheltered from the sun by vines and cooled by a tinkling fountain shooting into the air a slender spray of icy water4 ,as a glass shrine1 ,eymoutiers is one of the most delightful that our pilgrim will meet on his travels and one to which his memory will often pleasantly revert4 ,he need not look about for a cathedral or for any great religious edifice4 ,instead1 he will find a quaint1 oddly-shaped church whose older western half is so dimly lighted by its few deeply-embrasured windows as to provide an excellent foil for the silvery light of the fourteen that illumine the eastern half4 ,we cannot properly call it the choir end1 because the church seems to have three choirs placed side by side1 opening into each other1 the central one extending a little more to the east than its two sisters4 ,at the ,ste4 ,chapelle in ,paris we have observed that the deeply-hued medallion windows of the thirteenth century were not suited to a small interior--that their materials and construction required that they be viewed from the greater distance afforded within a cathedral in order to yield to the observer a properly combined glow from their warmth of colour4 ,on the other hand1 at ,eymoutiers1 we shall learn that the canopy window is as beautiful in its soft lighting of a small interior as at ,bourges it is appropriate in the lower windows of a great nave1 or at ,quimper in its delicate illumination of a splendid clerestory4 ,before we have been long in the little ,eymoutiers church we shall begin to notice that the later windows in the central eastern bay have much more colour than the earlier ones in the right and left ones4 ,in these two side bays the figures have only one colour besides white in their costumes1 and but one also in the backgrounds2 while on the other hand1 in the central bay the figures have never less than two colours in their costumes2 and further1 that besides the one in their backgrounds1 an additional colour is there contributed by a curtain stretched across the niches1 shoulder-high1 behind the figures4 ,then1 too1 these later figures in the central bay have coloured halos1 and the little ceilings under the canopies beneath which they stand are brightly tinted4 ,the local authorities date the glazing of the central bay from the latter part of the fifteenth century and that of the two side ones from the middle4 ,the difference in the colour schemes of the two sets confirms this dating4 ,this same marked difference in the number of colours exists at ,quimper1 where the choir windows glazed in the first years of the fifteenth century have but few tints1 while1 on the other hand1 there are many in those of the nave which date from the latter part of that century4 ,as accentuating this enrichment of the artist's palette which the passage of time seemed to effect1 it is noticeable that the early tracery lightings of the two side bays are very light in tone1 being mostly white or some faint hue or yellow stain1 while the later traceries of the central bay contain deep reds and blues1 etc4 ,a close examination of these windows repays us by revealing several quaint manifestations of the strict adherence to tradition for which the mediaeval glass artists are noted4 ,contemporary conventions demanded that ,st4 ,christopher have a tessellated pavement as the floor of his canopy1 but the legend requires that he must stand in water1 so we find not only the pavement but also upon it a semi-circular pool of water in which the saint stands4 ,so1 too1 the ,virgin ,mary is poised upon a halfmoon-shaped cloud1 neatly balanced on the conventional pavement4 ,though these little touches make us moderns smile1 they were doubtless at the time approved as showing that the artist was well schooled4 ,our reader should make every effort to visit ,eymoutiers1 for there he will truly feel the delicate charm of the canopy window4 ,the church is glazed throughout in one style and as a type of perfection will linger in his memory in much the same way as ,ste4 ,foy at ,conches1 which we will visit later for its sixteenth century glass4 ,the canopy window1 when properly placed1 yields a far softer beauty than any glass can show in the century before or the century that came after1 and it is greatly to be regretted that so few of them survived the stress of those battle-troubled days4 ,before we start on our way over rolling hills to ,limoges1 we must not fail to observe in ,eymoutiers a certain quaint custom of building distinctive of that town4 ,the topmost story of almost all the dwelling-houses is not walled up on the street side4 ,this open top floor is used to store fuel4 ,under the eaves there is a pulley by which the bundles of wood are pulled up from the street by a block and tackle and swung in under the roof4 ,,limoges ,after a charming ride of fifty kilometres from ,eymoutiers1 we arrive at ,limoges1 sloping picturesquely up from the banks of the winding river ,vienne4 ,we elsewhere set out our reasons for believing that the ,byzantine influence upon the beginnings of ,french art was first and most potently exercised at ,limoges1 the cradle of ,french enamel4 ,after remaining dormant for centuries1 the enameller's art has again been quickened into life in its old home4 ,its younger sister1 stained glass1 however1 never seems to have returned to its birthplace2 in fact1 if it were not necessary to pass through ,limoges on our way north from ,eymoutiers1 we would not have included it in this trip4 ,while the cathedral contains some fourteenth century glass1 it lacks sufficient quantity or quality to repay one coming from a distance to see it4 ,from ,eymoutiers our route takes us through ,limoges1 and what it can show of glass1 we1 like conscientious pilgrims1 must not fail to inspect4 ,now for the cathedral6 ,architecturally it is very satisfactory4 ,just inside the west door of the nave there is a finely-carved stone jube or arch1 in fact so good is it that we shall not see a better except in the little church of ,la ,madeleine at ,troyes1 or in ,st4 ,etienne-du-,mont in ,paris4 ,around the clerestory of the choir are thirteen double lancet windows1 presented in the fourteenth century by ,bishop ,pierre ,rodier4 ,unfortunately1 only two of them 7those of ,ste4 ,valerie and ,st4 ,martial7 are preserved intact1 but the others have been so judiciously restored that we have a very good idea of how they originally looked4 ,they consist of large coloured figures in canopies1 surrounded1 however1 by too much grisaille4 ,the revulsion from too little light in the preceding century sometimes produced the curse of too much in the fourteenth4 ,this placing of subjects upon a light surface cannot help but cause an unpleasant contrast between its soft tone and the stronger colour of the figures4 ,in the ambulatory chapels on the north side of the choir1 there are two complete windows of this period1 both of them grisaille with gay heraldic devices and coloured borders4 ,in one the light field is arranged in quarries 7diamond-shaped spaces71 each quarry having its own little border of colour2 this is very unusual4 ,here the contrast of rich tones and grisaille is not so disagreeable as in the clerestory4 ,in the south transept is a large rose window containing conventional designs in red and blue1 but no figures4 ,we find the same objection to the placing of this window and to its construction that we did to the rose windows at ,clermont-,ferrand3 it is too high up and seems crowded against the roof1 while its lines radiate so obviously from the centre as to make it resemble a wheel1 whose spokes are too thick4 ,the century before did well to have medallions placed around the central opening of its rose windows1 for they gave the effect of a huge blossom and not the stiff look of a wheel4 ,as we leave ,limoges on our way to ,poitiers we shall find1 if we travel by automobile or bicycle1 that the road along the ,vienne1 following the picturesque windings of that charming river1 is one of the most delightful in all ,france4 ,,poitiers ,upon one of our thirteenth century pilgrimages the reader has already been taken to ,poitiers 7see page #dg74 ,not only has he visited the cathedral and seen its glorious ,crucifixion window1 but he has also entered the smaller church of ,st4 ,radegonde to view the thirteenth century glass there4 ,for the purpose of this trip he must again repair to the latter church to see a unique manifestation of the effect produced by the new demand for more light1 which is the most marked feature of the taste in glass of the fourteenth century4 ,the windows which we are now seeking are the four in the north wall between the north portal and the choir4 ,they are undoubtedly interesting1 but can hardly be called beautiful4 ,in order to admit as much light as possible1 the greater part of their surfaces is filled with light greenish-grey grisaille1 whose design is that of a number of circles1 each circle impinging on the next4 ,scattered irregularly upon the grisaille are many small-sized personages in deep colour4 ,around the whole is a brilliant border4 ,the contrast between the gay hues of the figures 7and also of the border7 and the light tone of the grisaille is not only too sharp to be pleasant1 but it also destroys the harmonious ensemble which is the great charm in the early canopy window4 ,it seems logical that the light-admitting canopy should be used as a frame for the richly-coloured figure which it encloses1 but there is no artistic excuse for spotting light grisaille with sharply-outlined1 strongly-toned figures1 and then framing the whole by the harsh lines of a coloured conventional border4 ,at ,bourges the beauties of the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries can be seen at the same time1 and each enjoyed1 although for different reasons4 ,here at ,st4 ,radegonde1 however1 the charming thirteenth century rose window above the north portal enjoys an easy victory over the glaring contrasts of its fourteenth century neighbours4 ,the latter should be inspected because they are unique in their elaborate method of admitting light1 but they point to a road which should not be followed4 ,it is interesting to note that at the time of their construction these windows were very highly considered4 ,there was no reason why they should not have been of the best1 because this church has long benefited by the generosity of pilgrims to the tomb of the saint beneath its choir4 ,among these none was more devoted than ,anne of ,austria1 the queen of ,louis ,,xiii4 ,nor is this shrine the only attraction to the pious which the church can boast1 for in the south wall there is a small recess protected by an iron grille enclosing what is represented to be a footprint of ,jesus ,christ4 ,this is still an object of much veneration4 ,these facts must be taken into consideration1 because a church to which crowds of votaries for centuries resorted would surely contain no glass inappropriate to the wealth and high standing of these pilgrims4 ,in fact1 a certain hallmark is thus given its windows1 which enables us by means of it to judge of the taste of the time4 ,,angers ,there is hardly a religious edifice in existence where so many periods of glass are represented by such uniformly good examples as in ,st4 ,maurice ,cathedral at ,angers4 ,in a former visit 7see page #ee7 we observed that its nave contains the greatest amount of twelfth century work which any ,french church can show and also that in its choir and transepts there are many fine medallion windows of the thirteenth century4 ,now we will take up the really gorgeous fifteenth century glass1 beginning with the two large west windows of the north transept4 ,so elaborated and full of architectural detail are they that their canopies alone occupy more than half the entire window space4 ,we have generally seen the canopy used only as a frame1 but here there is more frame than picture6 ,each of these two windows contains four niches enclosing brilliantly-hued figures1 two in the lower half and two in the upper half of each window4 ,the glass forming the canopy part is much deeper in tone than we have been accustomed to find1 having a strong greenish shade similar to that found in many ,english fourteenth century canopies 7as1 for example1 those in ,new ,college ,chapel1 ,oxford74 ,we have noted before that ,english glass is generally more highly coloured in the fourteenth than in the fifteenth century1 but the contrary is true in ,france1 where the fourteenth is much softer in tone than that found in the next century4 ,these windows provide a case in point4 ,it is perhaps well that they are so strongly toned1 for even as it is1 they seem rather pale in comparison with the early medallion windows all around them4 ,the embrasures which they fill were built in the thirteenth century and are therefore larger than those generally found in the fifteenth2 the extremely strong saddle bars necessary to support this great weight of glass are so noticeable to the observer that they seem to isolate the panels containing the figures and thus hurt the frame effect of the canopy4 ,perhaps the pilgrim will find this comment is hypercritical1 for the windows are undoubtedly very effective4 ,they were given by ,bishop ,jean-,michel about #addj4 ,one is naturally curious to see the work done by an artist in his home town1 for if not of his best1 it is apt to be typical and show the influence which his natural environment exercised upon him4 ,for this reason we turn with considerable interest to see what was accomplished by ,andre ,robin1 when called in #adeb to reglaze the rose windows of the transepts4 ,the stone traceries had been constructed in the thirteenth century1 and though it is difficult to adapt later glass to earlier framework1 the result here has been very successful1 much more so than1 for example1 in the case of the west rose of the ,ste4 ,chapelle in ,paris4 ,in the north rose window ,robin put the ,resurrection4 ,christ is in the centre and from ,him there radiate sixteen elongated panes bearing yellow and blue angels4 ,the resurrected dead are shown in the act of pushing up the covers of their tombs1 a conventional method of representing them4 ,above are little scenes illustrating the occupations of each month of the year4 ,upon the south rose there appear the signs of the zodiac1 and below them the ,elders of the ,apocalypse4 ,in these ,elders we may trace a reference to the splendid set of ,apocalypse tapestries which hang around the interior4 ,the most northerly window on the east side of the transept is also by ,robin4 ,the subject is the ,crucifixion1 and it was finished in #adii4 ,in ,angers there is yet another set of fifteenth century windows1 and to see them we must go to the little church of ,st4 ,serge1 in whose choir we have already studied the charming twelfth century grisaille4 ,these windows are of the canopy type and are placed in the nave clerestory4 ,there are three on each side1 the two westerly ones being of three broad lancets each and the easterly one of two lancets4 ,the colour contrasts are good and the architecture in the canopy framing very convincing1 both in size and adjustment4 ,,le ,,mans ,during the course of our former visit to ,le ,mans ,cathedral 7see page #fj7 we remarked that the transepts were glazed in the fifteenth century4 ,the glass is good and the north rose is particularly well worth seeing4 ,of the transepts themselves1 it may be said that no others in all ,france are provided with windows in such a curiously irregular way1 no two corresponding portions of wall having the same or even similar ones4 ,there is no window at all in the south transept end1 but instead there is a solid wall against which the organ is backed4 ,the west side of this transept has two very large windows with coloured borders framing grisaille1 upon which are small circles and squares4 ,on the east side the wall has even fewer openings4 ,crossing over to the north transept1 we find still more irregular arrangement1 there being a marked difference in amount of window space1 as well as in the shape and adjustment between the east and the west wall4 ,there is1 however1 a distinct improvement over the south transept in that here there are canopy windows and that1 too1 of no ordinary type4 ,but it is to the north end of this transept that we must turn to have our admiration as well as our interest thoroughly aroused4 ,the writer believes this to be the finest example of a rose window1 blossoming out at the top of a well-adjusted group of lancets1 that the fifteenth century can afford4 ,at ,clermont-,ferrand and ,limoges we have noticed that the tendency at that time was to crowd the rose up too high against the roof and then try to counteract the effect by placing beneath it a row of lancets to bring down the whole group4 ,at ,le ,mans the adjustment in the wall is perfect4 ,further1 the lower range of windows is treated with the respect it deserves1 for not only is the rose beautifully glazed1 but the lancets have also received the artist's careful attention3 they are graceful1 good-sized and filled with a triple tier of excellent canopied figures4 ,the rose is poised above and between the points of two wide lancet windows1 each of which is in turn divided perpendicularly by mullions4 ,the subject1 ,the ,crowning of the ,virgin1 is admirably treated1 and nothing could be more delightful than the numerous angels singing and playing upon various musical instruments4 ,for the honour of the fifteenth century glazier it is well that we should see this splendid effect1 because we might otherwise conclude that1 notwithstanding his brilliant success in producing canopy panels1 he never grasped the full possibilities of the rose window4 ,,sees ,en route from ,le ,mans to ,sees we must pass directly through ,alencon1 famous for its lace1 and especially for the sort known as ,point d',alencon4 ,if en automobile we should stop here long enough to see the ,renaissance glass in the church of ,notre ,dame4 ,although of a later period than that which we are now considering1 we must not be so narrow-minded as to deliberately pass by fine glass1 no matter when it was made4 ,the exterior of ,notre ,dame struck the writer as curiously emblematic of the impression which one receives of the town4 ,the church is squat and ugly1 but it is redeemed by the lace-like ,gothic of its western porch1 which1 fearful lest it be not remarked1 thrusts itself out into the street4 ,in similar fashion1 ,alencon as a town has its commonplaceness condoned by reason of the beauty of its lace1 a beauty which is constantly thrust upon your attention by its inhabitants4 ,the glass to be noticed is around the nave clerestory4 ,a most charming stone setting is provided for this sixteenth century glazing by the broad and high embrasures of six lancets each4 ,particularly note how1 at the top of each sheaf of lancets1 the delicate lines of the traceries flow upward and inward like flames aspiring from a broad-based fire1 seeking the outlet above of a narrow chimney4 ,the picture period is here at its best1 and the artist1 regardless of the upright stone mullions1 has spread his subject across all the lancets of each embrasure1 and has lavished upon them all the shades of his richly stocked palette4 ,over the west portal we have the same shape of window1 but here it is broader and permits of eight lancets4 ,the subject is the well-worn one of ,jesse and his descendants1 but the design is distinctly novel1 and an unusual amount of green foliage against a blue background lends a pleasant tone to the picture4 ,the descendants are relegated to the upper panes1 while the major portion of the great surface is divided equally between ,jesse 7on the right7 and a large panel enclosing the scene of the ,saviour's birth 7on the left74 ,of the rest of the glass in this church it is kindly comment to say that it is unsatisfactory4 ,but let us push on to ,sees1 #bj kilometres further4 ,one reads but little of the cathedral there1 and more's the pity1 because from any point of view it is not only admirable1 but picturesquely delightful4 ,placed upon a slight eminence in the midst of a wide basin1 this elevation suffices to make it visible from a long distance on every side4 ,its gracefully aspiring twin spires1 its mantle of flying buttresses1 the charming conformation of its eastern end1 all conspire to allure us and fill us with expectations of what a nearer view may reveal4 ,nor does the interior fail to realise all this distant promise4 ,what a graceful lightness of stonework is everywhere visible1 supplemented by the glazier's intelligent delicacy of touch4 ,the nave alone lacks its ancient glass4 ,nowhere in ,france or elsewhere can the fourteenth century glass artist be seen to greater advantage than at ,sees4 ,very happy is the way in which his light-admitting grisaille has been enlivened and decorated by coloured borders and bands of richly-toned1 canopy-framed figures4 ,at ,evreux we will find him more splendid1 more varied1 but here1 around the choir and the transepts1 he has worked out more consistently1 more coherently1 his new idea of combining translucence and colour decoration4 ,dainty1 almost dangerously fragile as is the stonework that supports the upper windows1 the glazier's handwork is daintier still--a film of soft grisaille held in a spider's web of lead lines1 whilst across the middle third are bands of early canopies4 ,not only in the clerestory of choir and transepts1 but also in the choir chapels below1 do we find this treatment uniformly carried out4 ,the completeness of the scheme of decoration1 as well as the satisfactory adjustment of colour to grisaille1 give an ensemble which we elsewhere seek in vain4 ,not satisfied with the illumination provided by his airy clerestory1 the architect has pierced his triforium gallery throughout4 ,in this lower tier there has been no attempt to introduce figures1 the glazier having contented himself with surrounding his grisaille by decorated borders4 ,the only exception to this rule is where the triforium gallery passes below the lovely rosaces that decorate the transept ends--there1 in each case1 the row of ten lancets is filled1 alas6 with modern glass whose thin tones betray it at once4 ,fortunately one is too much absorbed in looking at the great roses above to notice them very intently4 ,so high up are these rosaces in their respective walls that the arching of the ceiling actually passes in front of their upper corners4 ,that in the south transept is a wheel window with medallions in the ends of the spokes1 but instead of the rest of the openings being glazed in grisaille 7as at ,rouen ,cathedral71 colour is here used throughout4 ,very different is the north transept rose1 from the centre of which six broad arms diverge1 separating groups of blossom-like apertures4 ,the colour is good1 but would have been better had there been omitted the white borders that make the coloured panels seem about to start from their sockets4 ,the luminous effectiveness of the interior is utilised and accentuated by the placing of the double-faced altar on a raised platform in the middle of the crossing where the transepts can contribute to its glory equally with the choir4 ,the high altar carries off the unusual honour of this central position with great dignity and success4 ,so much are we seized and held by the charm of the general effect that we are not tempted1 as is so often the case elsewhere1 to solace ourselves with spelling out quaint details in individual windows4 ,nevertheless1 that form of research is here well worth while4 ,three times on the south side of the choir clerestory and again in the second choir chapel on the left1 do we find the donors1 ingenuously holding in their uplifted hands small models of their gift windows4 ,several times we will note two canopy panels whose stories must be read together1 as for example in the first choir chapel on the right1 where a mounted man in armour is piercing with his spear the side of the crucified ,christ in the next panel to the right4 ,interesting as are these and many other similar details1 it is the softly tinted illumination of the whole interior1 more than any particular feature1 that makes us remember ,sees ,cathedral as one of the most satisfactory ,french examples of fourteenth century glazing4 ,,verneuil ,long before one reaches ,verneuil he remarks a great tower looming high above the surrounding house-tops1 a tower so commanding as to seem to beckon us from afar1 and then later when we have reached its foot1 to make us halt awhile in its shadow to enjoy the innumerable delicate details of its architecture1 which render a near view as delightful as the distant prospect is imperious4 ,it is not often in ,france that one sees so striking a landmark1 which must have been vastly more significant still in those battleworn years of the middle ages when ,verneuil was for so long an important post on the frontier between ,france and the territory held by the ,english4 ,there may still be seen one of the massive round towers of the ancient fortifications1 its great size bearing witness to the importance attached to the possession and defence of the city4 ,nor is ,verneuil lacking in other and more homely charms1 for it preserves many of its old timbered houses1 as well as others of stone and brick decorated at one corner by a gracefully carved tourelle4 ,on making our way to the centre of the town we find that the great tower belongs to the church of ,la ,madeleine1 which occupies one end of the spacious market-place4 ,no more ill-assorted collection of incongruous elements were ever found in one edifice4 ,the lofty uplift of the choir and transepts rises so much above the low roof-tree of the nave1 that viewed from a little distance1 there seems no connecting link between the eastern portion of the church and the great tower at the western end4 ,the transepts are so short as to extend but little beyond the sides of the choir1 and furthermore there are two sets of transepts1 side by side1 and opening into each other4 ,it is to the eastern and loftier part of the edifice that we must repair4 ,here about the choir and the two parallel chapels that adjoin it are a dozen windows containing fifteenth century canopies1 mostly arranged in two tiers1 one above the other4 ,note that it is groups rather than single figures that appear within the enframing niches1 and that the stories told by these panels are more elaborate1 even if less effective than their grander contemporaries in the transepts4 ,these latter are fine tall-pinnacled examples1 each canopy enclosing a single figure1 and are found in three of the four great embrasures that light the end walls of the transepts4 ,the fourth contains ,renaissance canopies4 ,throughout all this fifteenth century glass the deepness of the tones used in the figures within the niches is most noticeable4 ,there are also several sixteenth century windows1 the most noteworthy one being a ,tree of ,jesse in the east end of the southerly chapel4 ,a large figure of the ,virgin holding the ,infant ,jesus is shown standing on the vine just at the point where the branches separate4 ,jesse's descendants1 drawn to a smaller scale1 are emerging from blossoms all about the ,virgin1 whom they are intently regarding4 ,although the fifteenth century glass in ,la ,madeleine is not so splendid as some we have seen elsewhere1 it is in such quantity and variety as to afford valuable facilities for comparison and study4 ,there is also good glass to be seen in the church of ,notre ,dame4 ,the picturesque old-world flavour of ,verneuil will perhaps make it a greater favourite with us than some towns possessing more important windows4 ,on leaving ,verneuil1 whether we decide to return to ,paris via ,chartres1 or to link this trip on to the next by passing directly to ,evreux and thence to ,rouen1 we may1 by means of a slight detour1 go through ,nonancourt4 ,if we do1 we should delay there long enough to enter the church to see the low fifteenth century windows along the nave aisles1 as well as the larger ,renaissance ones that stretch in a long row around the whole length of the clerestory4 ,it will be worth the few additional kilometres to the automobilist1 although hardly demanding the breaking of a railway journey4 ,,chartres ,besides its wondrous cathedral1 ,chartres has another though a more modest sanctuary which also possesses its original glazing almost intact4 ,this is the church of ,st4 ,pierre1 a unique example of the glazier's attempt to meet the objection of light obstruction charged against the thirteenth century mosaic method4 ,his treatment of the clerestory lights is of peculiar interest4 ,there are no transepts4 ,around the clerestory each window is divided perpendicularly in half1 one side being glazed in colour and the other in soft grisaille4 ,the only difference in the nave clerestory is that there each window is divided perpendicularly into three instead of two1 the middle division in each case containing colour work and the two outside ones1 grisaille4 ,this method of glazing1 plus the fact that the triforium is pierced1 produces the desired amount of illumination within1 but one can hardly say that it is produced in an altogether satisfactory manner4 ,it is inevitable that this sandwiching of strips of colour between others of grisaille should reduce the value of the tints and dull their glow4 ,the effect is very strange--it is as if tall shutters of dark hue had been prepared for grisaille windows1 but that these shutters had only been put up on one side of each4 ,whether one admires it or not1 the method is novel1 and worth examining4 ,the new demand for more light has been met1 but we have not yet reached the perfection of church illumination4 ,for this we must wait until the fully elaborated canopy panels of the fifteenth century1 for in those the glazier hit upon just the right proportion of colour and translucency by means of convincingly complete designs containing no jarring contrasts4 ,it is well if one defers this inspection of ,st4 ,pierre1 and does not go to it straight from the sombre glories of the cathedral4 ,such an immediate comparison will render it difficult to realise what an agreeable experience the smaller edifice affords for the student of glass 7see page #fg74 ,do not fail to go into the ,lady ,chapel to see the delightful set of twelve enamels representing the ,apostles1 by many considered the chef d'oeuvre of the master of that craft1 ,leonard ,limousin4 ,they are remarkable not only for their delicious combination of tones and shades1 but also for their unusually large size 7two feet high by one foot broad74 ,one is not surprised at the great care everywhere apparent in their workmanship when one learns that they were ordered by ,francis ,i1 who1 however1 did not live to see them finished4 ,his son1 ,henry ,,ii1 presented them to ,diane de ,poitiers for her ,chateau d',anet4 ,before leaving ,st4 ,pierre1 observe how excellently the architect adjusted the relative heights of the bays1 triforium and clerestory2 so graceful is the result that we depart with the impression of an edifice of unusually agreeable proportions4 ,,quimper ,far off in the western corner of ,france dwells that strange race1 the ,bretons4 ,leave behind you ,paris1 the standard-bearer of things modern1 and set out for distant ,quimper1 the westernmost outpost of ,french glass4 ,you will find yourself in the midst of a curious folk whose origin is unknown1 in a bleak country where over a million people speak an uncouth ,celtic tongue utterly unlike ,french2 where customs1 handed down from father to son1 persist for centuries2 where modern costume is ignored and the peasant glories in his bright blue and gold jacket adorned with glittering buttons4 ,you have even passed beyond the fabled forest of ,broceliande1 where ,vivien held the great ,merlin by her magic spell4 ,quimper must be visited for its own sake because there are no neighbouring glass towns4 ,long as is the journey1 it is safe to say that you will be repaid for its discomforts4 ,arrive1 if you can1 on a ,sunday4 ,the roomy interior of the cathedral is quite as attractive as the elaborate ,gothic detail outside has promised4 ,here during service1 perhaps more than anywhere else in ,france1 will the middle ages seem to you still to be lingering on4 ,no stiff rows of pews obtrude their modern convenience upon your notice4 ,you will find the great church filled with group upon group of ,breton men and women sitting on rude rush-bottomed chairs1 the men in their gay attire and the women wearing quaint white caps which vary slightly in each little village or commune4 ,all this serves to take us back into feudal times2 we sink into a seat and observe the intense interest with which our neighbours are following the ringing exhortations of the priest1 couched in homely phrases1 quite like the discourse which his predecessors in the fifteenth century preached from the same pulpit to a very similar audience4 ,our mood becomes so mediaeval as to almost make the ancient stained glass seem contemporary4 ,it is a pleasant thought that the series of canopy windows made for the choir clerestory in #adag by ,jamin ,sohier should have been continued and carried along the clerestory of the nave and transepts by his son1 also named ,jamin ,sohier1 towards the end of the same century4 ,one of these later ones near the west front bears the date #adif4 ,some of those in the nave were sadly injured by the stress of time1 and a few altogether destroyed2 but they have been repaired and replaced most successfully1 pious care having been taken to restore them as nearly as possible to their original condition4 ,this was done during the years #ahfg to #ahgd by ,m4 ,lucon at the expense of the ,state4 ,the nave windows of the younger ,sohier are much more brilliant1 both in richness and in variety of colours1 than the earlier choir windows of his father4 ,the gradual development of the verre double 7or double sheets of glass7 placed a greater variety of tints at the disposal of the artist1 and he eagerly took advantage of his enriched palette4 ,by comparing the choir panels with the later ones of the nave1 we have here an excellent opportunity to study the development of the canopy window4 ,we cannot help but feel that although the earlier ones lack the brilliancy and glow which characterise those constructed later1 this lack is more than balanced by the delicious softness of the light which they transmit4 ,it is interesting to observe how many of them set forth the legend of ,st4 ,christopher4 ,do not fail to notice the skillful contrast of a strong yellow with a rich green of which the east windows of the north transept provide several excellent examples4 ,there is a striking peculiarity in the ground plan of this church4 ,the choir is not upon the same axis as the nave1 but inclines at quite an angle to the north4 ,this peculiarity also exists in one or two other ,french churches1 and the local authorities always delight to tell you that it is a form of ,gothic symbolism intended to represent the drooping to one side of the ,saviour's head on the ,cross4 ,when the true explanation is discovered1 it generally proves to be of a more practical nature4 ,the same slant to the north is observable in the choir of ,saint ,jean1 at ,troyes2 there it was caused by the fact that the street line on the south side of the choir had to be pushed northward after the great fire of #aebd4 ,at ,quimper the explanation is even more interesting4 ,in #abci ,bishop ,raynaud wished to add to his cathedral the chapel of ,notre ,dame 7founded in #ajbh by the ,count of ,cornoucilles7 which stood a little to the east and was across a small street4 ,he extended his choir so as to take in the chapel2 but as it lay a little to the north of the true easterly line1 he had to slant his choir to effect his purpose4 ,this explanation may not be poetically symbolical1 but it is historically accurate4 ,,sixteenth ,,century ,we have now reached the perfected period of stained glass1 by some called the ,renaissance1 and by others the ,cinque-cento4 ,the latter affords a graceful recognition of ,italian inspiration in the revival of ,french art at the beginning of the sixteenth century4 ,by this time the reader will have appreciated the truth of the statement in our introduction that stained glass saves us the trouble of dividing it into periods1 because it falls of itself into divisions whose boundaries1 oddly enough1 coincide approximately with those of the centuries4 ,this was heretofore illustrated when the canopy window appeared upon the scene and caused the abrupt change from the sombre glittering tones of the thirteenth century to the light-admitting silvery-grey glass of the fourteenth4 ,now we are about to see how another change came at the end of the fifteenth century1 when the ,renaissance sprang full-grown1 not ,minerva-like from the brows of ,jove1 but from those of ,mars1 the ,god of ,war1 for it was the ,italian wars of ,louis ,,xii and ,francis ,i that brought about this sudden regeneration of all branches of ,french art4 ,what the ,french soldiers saw in ,italy they remembered and told at home1 and1 moreover1 many of their trophies bore witness to the wonderful development then reached by ,italian art4 ,the fact that after several centuries ,french territory was at last relieved from distress of war naturally resulted in a sudden interest in building of all sorts4 ,because of this1 architecture was among the first of the arts to be affected by the new ,italian taste4 ,we have before noticed the inter-relation of the needs and styles of the architect with those of the glass artist1 and therefore we are not surprised to find our windows testifying that the latter quickly perceived ,gothic architecture was being superseded by the classic style4 ,during the last two centuries he had grown to appreciate more and more the light-admitting advantages of the canopy window1 but now he changes the simulated architecture from ,gothic to ,renaissance4 ,in his designs we notice an even more important change1 which results from the fact that he now enjoys a good working knowledge of the laws of perspective and hastens to avail himself of it in order to lend greater depth to his picture4 ,indeed1 in some instances1 he carried the use of perspective almost to an abuse4 ,his predecessors in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries knew nothing of these rules1 which1 indeed1 were then unknown in every art4 ,on our way down through the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries1 because most of the windows are either canopy1 or grisaille surcharged with figures1 we are by their very nature denied an opportunity to observe the same gradual development of perspective which was contemporaneously taking place in painting4 ,the result is that when in the sixteenth century the glass artist decided to branch out from the conventional canopy style and indulge his taste in the more ambitious effort of the picture window1 the sudden change from no perspective to an abundance is all the more noticeable4 ,during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the only hint obtainable of an increasing interest in perspective was when we noticed that fifteenth century canopies were more elaborate than those of the fourteenth1 not only because they had much more intricate pinnacles1 but also by reason of the curtains hanging in the back of the niches1 and other details showing attempts to gain depth in the picture4 ,in his large picture windows the sixteenth century artist also has more chance to show us how greatly the discovery of enamelling on glass has enriched his palette4 ,during the two preceding centuries his development of verre double 7or glass in double layers7 has been yielding a constantly increasing variety of hues in the costumes of his personages1 backgrounds1 etc42 but now he adds his brilliant enamels and fairly riots in colour4 ,we shall often have occasion to deplore that the glazier of the ,renaissance never truly grasped the full artistic possibilities of the black outlines ready to his hand in the leads1 and that he failed to realise1 as did his predecessors1 that the more the drawing was executed by the leads the more attractive and convincing the resulting picture would be4 ,towards the end of this epoch this disregard for their usefulness in the design was often carried to such an extreme that one concludes the artist must have regarded them as of no service except to hold the glass in position4 ,some of the men who indulged most in enamel painting became so engrossed in this form of decorating glass as to consider the leads an intrusion1 and as tending to reduce the size of the sheets1 which they preferred should be of large size in order to facilitate the painting thereon of their pictures4 ,to recapitulate1 the most noticeable features of the new regime are then-- 7a7 ,renaissance architecture depicted instead of ,gothic4 7b7 ,larger scenes4 7c7 ,use of perspective4 7d7 ,greatly increased diversity of colour4 7e7 ,use of enamel painting4 7f7 ,increasing carelessness in use of leads4 ,illustration3 ,,descent ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost1 ,,montfort ,l',,amaury 7#af,,th ,,century74 ,architecture depicted now entirely ,renaissance4 ,tracery lights above1 much simplified1 lend artist more room for his picture4 ,lead lines now mar the picture1 instead of only providing the outlines4 ,drawing greatly perfected2 note the excellent grouping1 the ,golden ,tongues1 etc4 ,kneeling donors are not only too large but intrude upon the subject4 7,see page #bcg74 ,not only does ,renaissance architecture supersede the older ,gothic on our windows1 but it very naturally brings with it certain characteristics of the new architect4 ,for example1 because he generally placed the date conspicuously upon his edifice1 so in ,renaissance glass we find the glazier introducing the date upon some panel of the simulated architecture4 ,before this time1 windows were seldom dated2 now this custom soon became firmly established and various methods for it were devised4 ,in the parish church at ,les ,iffs1 in ,brittany1 the west panel of the small chapel on the south side of the choir bears its date upon a gold coin held by one of the figures4 ,the writer remembers this well1 because1 finding no date1 it struck him that it might be on the coin4 ,he piled three chairs1 one on top of the other1 climbed up1 and there it was4 ,immediately after the discovery1 the chairs fell down6 ,notwithstanding the richness which the artist's palette has attained1 we occasionally meet an indication that he has not forgotten the cool silvery-grey formerly yielded by the canopy window4 ,he now sought to obtain the same result in another fashion by occasionally restricting the colour of a picture window to various shades of grey 7or very light brown71 relieved by flesh tints where needed1 and enlivened by touches of yellow stain4 ,we sometimes find a church glazed throughout in this style1 as1 for example1 ,st4 ,pantaleon at ,troyes4 ,it was1 however1 chiefly used in smaller edifices and for domestic or civil purposes4 ,this particular manifestation of sixteenth century style outlived most of its contemporaries and is found as late as the end of the next century4 ,by this last observation we are naturally led to comment upon the almost complete collapse of the cult of stained glass that came at the end of this century4 ,people seemed to no longer care for it1 although it had for more than four hundred years been so highly esteemed4 ,we read of many instances of artists who had no orders for work and therefore had to turn their talents into other channels4 ,that master of so many arts1 ,bernard ,palissy1 writing at the end of the century1 tells us that so completely had the sale of glass fallen into disrepute that it was then hawked about from village to village by those who sold old clothes and old iron1 and that although the art was a noble one1 many of its practitioners found it difficult to get enough to live upon4 ,for this passing of interest there have been many reasons advanced1 but perhaps the most convincing is that of surfeit4 ,certain it is that an enormous quantity of stained glass was produced during the sixteenth century1 much of which has survived4 ,of course1 in some quarters the cult lasted longer than in others1 but then it is generally traceable to the existence there of a peculiarly gifted group of glass artists4 ,we shall find this true at ,troyes1 where the skill and fame of ,linard ,gonthier and his school produced such a demand for their work as to cause the art in that locality to survive far into the seventeenth century4 ,while it is true that during the sixteenth century glass reached its highest perfection1 it is but natural that on the way up it should have outgrown many of the indications of craft tradition which we have from time to time noticed4 ,the perfected picture no longer needed certain conventional signs to tell its story4 ,perspective and improved drawing obviated the need of them4 ,there are1 however1 several instances which show that even the sixteenth century artist felt the charm of quaintness1 though to a lesser degree than his predecessors4 ,for example1 a window in ,caudebec ,cathedral 7the ,passage of the ,red ,sea by the ,israelites7 takes pains to identify the sea by having the waves glazed in red6 ,though he had discarded most of the conventions1 he retained and much beautified a few of them4 ,for example1 in ,tree of ,jesse windows1 he far outstripped the older schools in grace and elaboration of treatment4 ,as an indication of the interest felt in allegory by the later men we must invite attention to the so-called ,wine ,press window4 ,here we have the same branching vine found in the ,tree of ,jesse1 but in this case it springs from the wounded ,christ1 who is being bruised in the press 7or sometimes from ,his pressed-out blood71 and spreads out over the panes1 bearing as its blossoms saints1 apostles or historical personages4 ,in a few instances it rises from the wine pressed by ,christ from the grapes4 ,windows of this type are to be seen at ,conches1 at ,troyes and many other places1 but nowhere is the idea so elaborated as at ,st4 ,etienne-du-,mont in ,paris4 ,sometimes the heads displayed on the vines indicate another tendency of this century1 which can be particularly noted in the last cited window 7by ,pinaigrier7 and in ,engrand ,le ,prince's ,tree of ,jesse at ,st4 ,etienne 7,beauvais74 ,in these two the heads prove to be accurate portraits of contemporary royalties and church dignitaries1 a fashion then much affected and highly esteemed4 ,another evidence of this same tendency to add personal touches is shown in the greatly increased use of armorial bearings1 not only serving as the sole decorations of a panel1 but also appearing upon picture subjects4 ,these coats of arms are not only agreeable in effect1 but also by their heraldry are very useful in fixing dates4 ,many of these armorial bearings were1 however1 destroyed after the edict of #agib1 forbidding their use4 ,most sixteenth century windows bear the donor's figure1 nor shall we find excessive modesty shown by the man who paid the price4 ,in this connection it is interesting to note that although stained glass has always been very expensive1 strangely enough the expense has remained practically constant throughout all its history1 providing1 of course1 one takes into consideration the varying purchasing power of money4 ,in fact1 the cost thus corrected varies so little from epoch to epoch as to be positively surprising4 ,when we consider how costly was a gift of this sort1 perhaps it is not extraordinary that1 during the sixteenth century1 we generally find upon it the givers' portraits2 the wonder is that the custom was not more widely spread before4 ,unfortunately1 the donor was now more aggressive than his predecessors1 for often the figure is not only too large1 but actually intrudes upon the subject of the window4 ,frequently not content to appear alone1 he had the portraits of several of his family added as well4 ,before we make our selection of towns to be visited1 let us look about us in ,paris1 for it has not a little glass to show us4 ,,paris ,before starting on our thirteenth century tours1 ,paris supplied us with very useful results from our comparison of the glass in the ,ste4 ,chapelle with that of the north rose at ,notre ,dame4 ,not so satisfactory was our study of the fifteenth century canopy windows at ,st4 ,severin in that city4 ,we shall1 however1 find excellent sixteenth century glass in several of the ,paris churches1 and will thus be afforded an opportunity to prepare for our excursions by obtaining in advance some idea of the style of that period1 and shall also find some examples by its best artists4 ,let us begin at ,st4 ,germain l',auxerrois1 whose charmingly light tower and graceful exterior seem to give the lie to the sinister fact that from this very belfry rang out the signal for the massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew4 ,the west wall of the north transept provides a reason for here beginning our study of sixteenth century glass1 because there1 side by side1 are two very similar windows1 harmonising agreeably one with the other1 and yet the architecture of the canopies of one is fifteenth century ,gothic1 and of the other1 ,renaissance4 ,this very conveniently illustrates for us one of the marked changes which came over our glass4 ,if the canopies were not enough to date them1 other details are not lacking to perform that service4 ,the earlier window has all the features of the distant landscape put in with the leads1 while in the later one they are delicately painted on greyish blue2 especially note this in the well scene4 ,the other windows in this transept are also attractive and the warmth of some of the reds in the bed draperies of the earlier one of the pair just mentioned should be noticed4 ,the adjusting of the figures to their panes in the transept rose windows is adroitly handled1 particularly some of the kneeling angels in the south one4 ,in the west wall of the south transept1 the problem of placing a central figure when the architect provided only four1 instead of five lancets1 is gracefully overcome4 ,at ,st4 ,gervais we have one of the few opportunities to compare two of the greatest artists produced by the new school--,robert ,pinaigrier and ,jean ,cousin--but that is about all that can be said for this ugly church1 where architecture1 white windows and modern glass combine to drive away the student4 ,the best window is by ,pinaigrier1 the ,judgment of ,solomon 7second on the right in the choir chapels72 it is dated #aeca1 and although considered by many his masterpiece1 seems to us to have too much marble pavement1 etc41 for its personages2 and further1 the little scenes in the tracery lights contrast disagreeably not only with the picture below1 but also with its minarets and their sky background which jut up into the space above4 ,we must1 however1 note how the accurate perspective contributed by the lines of the pavement and the distant architecture facilitates the correct stationing of the figures without confusing them as to position or foreshortening4 ,his1 also1 are the twelve panels in the ,lady ,chapel1 giving scenes from the life of the ,virgin ,mary3 here the composition is delightful4 ,we may remark in passing that at least one of them displays verses which by reason of their quaint expressions are less suited to our times than to the more unrestrained speech of those earlier days4 ,jean ,cousin's window1 the ,martyrdom of ,st4 ,lawrence 7#aeea71 is the first on the right in the choir1 and though good in technique1 is not attractive4 ,we should reserve judgment upon his work until after we have visited ,vincennes4 ,across the river and at the top of the hill crowned by the ,pantheon is to be found an edifice that looks more like an architectural freak than a church--,st4 ,etienne-du-,mont4 ,it seems to realise its own ugliness and tries to conceal itself behind the ,pantheon4 ,once we enter its portal we find a vast improvement over the distressing exterior of this confection of stone4 ,there are plenty of spacious windows and a general airy effect4 ,swung high in the air across the front of the choir is a graceful stone jube arch1 seemingly fastened to the columns at each end by double loops of delicate spiral stairways4 ,the choir is so lightly constructed1 and with so few obstructing columns1 that the whole of the ambulatory space becomes a part of it4 ,this arrangement enables us to enjoy the glazing of the ambulatory and the choir chapels from all parts of the building4 ,a little door marked ,sacristie leads off from the ambulatory through a corridor to the ,chapel of the ,catechism4 ,along the west wall of this chapel are ranged a series of twelve panels by ,pinaigrier1 and because they are on the level of the observer's eye1 he is afforded every facility for examining what could be accomplished by a great artist in enamelling colour on glass4 ,in fact1 there is no place in ,france where this can be more conveniently studied4 ,although all twelve are fine1 that devoted to the allegory of the wine press is easily the best4 ,oddly enough1 it was the gift of a rich wine merchant4 ,in it are to be found faithful portraits of ,pope ,paul ,,ii1 ,emperor ,charles ,v1 ,francis ,i1 and ,henry ,,viii of ,england1 as well as sundry cardinals and archbishops1 all in rich ceremonial costume4 ,needless to say1 those individuals have nothing to do with the subject of the window1 but the opportunity to display portraits of them was too good for the artist to waste4 ,this frequently appears on glass of the period and sometimes the result verges on the ludicrous4 ,after visiting these stately temples1 the quiet church of ,st4 ,merri appears even more modest and retiring than its obscure site just off the busy quarter about the ,hotel ,de ,ville really renders it4 ,in fact1 so well is it hidden that we would have missed it had we not been seeking very carefully4 ,the windows here are more interesting than beautiful and their effectiveness has been impaired in several ways4 ,we read that during the eighteenth century those in charge of the church1 after careful deliberation1 replaced a great deal of the coloured by white glass1 especially in the nave1 where they removed the two central lancets of each group of four1 leaving only the upper half of the two outer ones4 ,of course1 the result was not only disastrous to the window's general effect1 but entirely extinguishes any warmth of tone in such glass as remains4 ,we cannot but deplore the absence of the abstracted panes1 for the remains in the side lancets and tracery lights evidence such skill1 as well in combination of tones as in drawing 7more particularly in the handling of perspective71 that one can readily imagine what harm has been done4 ,even the few scenes that are left are well worth inspection1 and are as interesting as any of this epoch in ,paris4 ,notice in the third window on the right1 the way in which the landscape is carried back until it ends in a little red-topped tower1 from which peer out two heads4 ,fortunately1 these deliberate and painstaking vandals spared the glass in the three westerly windows on each side of the choir1 and also in the eastern walls of the transepts4 ,the panels on the left1 showing the history of ,joseph1 are better than their neighbours across the choir4 ,of the sixteenth century glass to be seen in ,paris1 this much can be said3 it varies markedly1 illustrates most of the types of that time1 and is therefore very useful in preparing us for the tours we are about to take4 ,,sixteenth ,,century ,,tours ,we shall have to approach the subject of viewing sixteenth century glass in a very different spirit from that in which we undertook the tours of the preceding centuries4 ,we can no longer set up any claim to thoroughness4 ,if our pilgrim visited all the places recommended in our thirteenth century excursions1 as well as those for the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries1 he can rest with the comfortable assurance that he has seen about all of the really good glass of those periods4 ,now we have a different problem4 ,there has survived a great deal more glass from the sixteenth century than from all the preceding ones combined4 ,he cannot hope to see it all1 and we will have to limit ourselves to sketching out for him three tours covering the best--supplementing these by several detached cities1 so that if the glass hunter happens in their neighbourhood he will not overlook them4 ,he will find1 however1 some compensations for the bewilderment caused by the great quantity of sixteenth century glass1 the chief of which is that either ,rouen or ,troyes provides in its many churches a complete exposition of that period's style4 ,if the pilgrim's time is limited1 he can accomplish more during a short stay in those two cities than he could upon any tour which might be outlined4 ,two other compensations provided by this abundance of material are--first1 that there is a great deal of good glass to be seen in ,paris1 and furthermore1 the automobilist especially will delight to learn that there are a half-dozen points in its immediate neighbourhood which offer an excellent excuse for a half-day's outing4 ,for the leisurely traveller who has both time and inclination1 we will arrange three tours2 but he must understand that although they will provide him with a sight of the best sixteenth century glass1 there will still be left a number of towns worth visiting4 ,each of these trips will begin in ,paris4 ,on ,tour 7a7 we first stop at ,vincennes1 just outside the fortifications1 then on to ,sens1 to ,troyes1 to ,chalons-sur-,marne and back to ,paris4 ,tour 7b7 takes us by way of ,versailles to ,montfort l',amaury2 then to that perfect shrine of ,renaissance glass1 ,conches2 next to ,pont-,audemer2 then across the ,seine by boat to ,caudebec1 and from there upstream1 by the interesting old ,abbey of ,st4 ,wandrille and the stately ,jumieges to ,rouen4 ,from ,rouen we run out to ,grand-,andely1 ,elbeuf or ,pont de l',arche before we push up the river ,seine to ,paris4 ,tour 7c7 will particularly recommend itself to the automobilist1 and most of the points are quite near ,paris4 ,we go out through ,st4 ,denis to the town of ,montmorency1 then through the wood of ,montmorency to ,ecouen1 and next a little further on to ,chantilly4 ,from there our route lies across to ,beauvais1 and back to ,paris4 ,as stated before1 several of the towns comprised in these three tours are so close to ,paris as to enable a glass lover with a half-day on his hands to pleasantly employ it in a short excursion by train or automobile4 ,of course1 if he travels by train he can hardly hope in half a day to see more than one of these4 ,if1 however1 he is an automobilist and therefore untrammelled by time-tables1 he can combine several4 ,for example1 a glance at the map will reveal that ,ecouen1 ,montmorency and ,chantilly are so close together that an automobilist can fit them into one day4 ,a word of warning is not out of place for one about to visit these nearby towns4 ,he must be careful to ascertain from his ,baedeker or from the public prints1 upon which days they are open to the public4 ,montfort l',amaury and ,ecouen can be seen any day2 ,vincennes and ,chantilly1 ,thursdays and ,sundays1 etc41 but these statistics had better be verified in the manner suggested because the regulations are changed from time to time4 ,there are three very important glass shrines which are1 however1 so located as to make it impossible to combine them into a tour4 ,these are the ,cathedral of ,auch 7down in the southwest near ,toulouse71 the chapel of the chateau of ,champigny-sur-,veude in ,touraine1 and the famous church of ,brou at ,bourg in ,savoy4 ,the pilgrim should make every effort to see them4 ,illustration3 #af,,th ,,century ,,tours4 7a7 ,vincennes1 ,sens1 ,troyes1 ,chalons4 7b7 ,montfort l',amaury1 ,conches1 ,pont-,audemer1 ,caudebec1 ,rouen1 7,grand-,andely1 ,elbeuf1 ,pont de l',arche74 7c7 ,montmorency1 ,ecouen1 ,chantilly 7,st4 ,quentin71 ,beauvais4 ,also separate visits to ,bourg1 ,auch and ,champigny-sur-,veude4 7,for table of distances1 see page #bie47 ,,vincennes ,vincennes lies so close to ,paris that it can be reached by an electric car which starts from the ,louvre4 ,its sternly forbidding fortress of the most approved feudal type1 and the delightful park1 have been the scene of many an interesting episode in ,french history4 ,in the old forest which was the predecessor of the modern park1 good ,louis ,,ix was wont to seat himself beneath an oak and measure out to all comers that even-handed justice which supplied one of the reasons for his canonisation4 ,often1 on our travels1 we have noted how enthusiastically he espoused the cause of stained glass1 and1 therefore1 we of the ,brotherhood of ,glass ,lovers should feel a sympathetic glow of interest whenever we happen upon any scene hallowed by his personality4 ,as for the castle1 perhaps the best proof of its great strength is its sinister record of having served during many reigns as a dungeon for prisoners of ,state4 ,many are the great names on its roster of prisoners1 nor shall we wonder it was chosen for that purpose after climbing to the top of its donjon tower and remarking the vast thickness of its walls surrounded by the deep1 yawning moat that isolates it from the smiling countryside4 ,it is with a feeling of relief that we turn from the contemplation of such a subject to the delight which awaits us in the graceful ,gothic chapel with its fine vaultings1 set off by the superb set of windows from the hand of that great master1 ,jean ,cousin4 ,poor windows1 they have suffered many vicissitudes since their completion in #aeeh2 it was not enough that they should be subjected to the ordinary hazards of time--they were actually taken out of their settings and moved away6 ,after an interval they turned up in #ahaf in the collection of ,lenoir4 ,later they were restored to their original embrasures1 but some of the heads and limbs having been lost1 a bungling repairer replaced them by fragments from other panels4 ,fortunately for us1 the last restoration in #ahgh has corrected this and they are now in condition to show us what their artist intended to set forth4 ,notwithstanding the glaring light from the uncoloured windows to the west1 these stained glass pictures are so delightful in tone and drawing as to give us a very high opinion of ,jean ,cousin4 ,it was but natural that he should1 in accordance with the custom of his time1 seize this opportunity to recommend himself to royal favour1 and1 therefore1 we must not criticise him for putting ,henry ,,ii attired as a ,knight of ,st4 ,michael in one of the eastern windows4 ,we may1 however1 very properly object to the presence of the royal mistress1 ,diane de ,poitiers1 among the ,holy ,martyrs6 ,henry ,,ii must have lacked a keen sense of humour1 or the artist might have run some risks in so placing the fair ,diane4 ,the subjects of these windows are taken from the stories of the ,apocalypse and allow the artist wide scope for his fancy1 of which he avails himself to the fullest extent4 ,he also indulges in several daring combinations of colour1 as for example1 in depicting the flames in the panel to the right of the central one1 where he used lilac1 yellow1 brown and red1 and each colour in several shades4 ,just below1 in his shipwreck picture1 he again represents the flames in the same bold way4 ,then1 too1 there is a distinctly bluish tone to his enframing stone canopies2 all this sounds very raw and harsh1 but the general effect is nevertheless excellent4 ,this was the official chapel of the ,order of the ,saint ,esprit1 so we are not surprised to find upon some of the windows knights of that order in full regalia4 ,vincennes is perhaps the best place to study ,jean ,cousin2 certainly far better than his birthplace1 ,sens1 which we next visit4 ,there the cathedral contains but two examples of his skill1 but they are veritable masterpieces4 ,,sens ,even the most enthusiastic admirer of ,sens could not bring himself to describe that city1 or the surrounding country1 as picturesque4 ,the latter is monotonously flat1 relieved only by occasional chalk ridges4 ,the town straggles away from the river ,yonne with little to remind us of its former glories except the cathedral and its immediate neighbourhood4 ,as we cross the bridge near the railway station we will remark a very incongruous service which practical science has exacted from a relic of the past4 ,rising from the parapet at the highest point of the bridge is a crucifix up the back of which runs a wire ending over the head of ,christ in an incandescent electric light6 ,when we passed through ,sens on our earlier trip 7see page #gg7 we took occasion to relate the fateful coincidence which took place in the twelfth century when representatives from all parts of ,christian ,europe came there to visit the exiled ,pope just in time to see ,william of ,sens completing1 in the cathedral1 the first great step in ,gothic4 ,this coincidence not only caused the rapid spread of the new style of architecture to every part of the ,christian world represented by these visiting delegates1 but also explains why ,thomas a ,becket1 then sojourning in ,sens1 selected this architect to rebuild ,canterbury ,cathedral in far-off ,england4 ,now we come to a sixteenth century tale which serves to show that the people of the ,middle ,ages were likewise keenly interested in art and that an artist's fame travelled perhaps even more widely1 all things considered1 than it does to-day4 ,the beautifully light and graceful transepts at ,sens were built by ,martin ,cambiche1 who was also the architect of ,beauvais ,cathedral and likewise drew the plans for the west front of ,st4 ,pierre at ,troyes4 ,first let us look at the cathedral's exterior4 ,when viewing the west front we are struck by the appearance of unusually great breadth1 due partly to the construction of the cathedral itself and partly to the placing of the ,officialite 7a thirteenth century building7 which has its greatest length extending to the south level with the cathedral's west front4 ,note the device of the ,officialite's architect to increase the seeming length of his front by gradually diminishing the distances between his buttresses4 ,within this fine hall ,st4 ,louis 7,louis ,,ix7 was betrothed4 ,this ponderous appearance of breadth resulting from the juxtaposition of these two buildings might have produced too massive an effect if it were not for the almost coquettish fashion in which the tower rises up at the cathedral's southwest corner1 giving a decided uplift and point to the entire facade4 ,although the cathedral has far fewer windows than we shall see at ,troyes 7because its triforium is not pierced71 the lighting here is almost garish1 owing to the fact that the clerestory embrasures are glazed only in grisaille4 ,in the charming transepts1 however1 we obtain what is perhaps the ideal lighting sought for by the glass artist of the sixteenth century4 ,the windows are very numerous and of such general excellence as to render these the best glazed transepts in ,france4 ,they have not only unusually ample window space in their sides1 but have also large low-reaching panels below the big rose windows which1 as usual1 decorate the upper portion of the end walls4 ,so generous was this architect in the number and size of wall apertures as to prove how greatly he esteemed the assistance of the glazier4 ,the records show that those in charge of the building made most intelligent use of the opportunity provided by the unusual amount of window space4 ,they sent far and wide for the best artists4 ,we read that in #aejj they summoned from ,troyes three master glass painters1 ,lyenin-,varin1 ,jean ,verrat and ,balthazar ,godon1 and turned a large part of the work over to them4 ,these men finished their task in three years1 and the result amply justifies their selection4 ,the rose windows are especially pleasing1 that to the south showing the ,last ,judgment with many repetitions of the ,angel ,gabriel1 and that to the north a most charming throng of angels playing upon various musical instruments1 the interweaving of the glass tones being as harmonious as befits this heavenly choir4 ,the best known window in this part of the church is a very brilliant ,tree of ,jesse with a red background bearing on one of its branches the celebrated ,grey ,jackass 7a familiar figure in the old ,fete des ,fous73 it is at the north end of the east wall of the south transept4 ,of the beauty of these transepts1 as well as of the way in which their architecture and glass prove mutually helpful1 too much cannot be said4 ,the most famous windows in the church are two by ,jean ,cousin1 who1 although born in this city in #aeja1 is only represented in his home cathedral by these examples4 ,his glorious ,st4 ,eutropius is in the third chapel on the right of the nave1 but even finer still is the ,tiburtine ,sibyl in the ,notre ,dame de ,lorette chapel on the right side of the choir ambulatory4 ,it is only fair to this second window to say that it was somewhat damaged during the siege of #ahad4 ,after inspecting these two products of his genius1 it is easy to understand why ,jean ,cousin enjoyed so wide a fame4 ,we have already referred to the splendid relics of the twelfth century which are found on the other side of the choir ambulatory4 ,the result of this very convenient opportunity to compare the best work of the twelfth and the sixteenth centuries is that we are sure to be startled by the difference not only in results1 but also in methods4 ,illustration3 ,,south ,,transept1 ,,sens 7#af,,th ,,century74 ,the ,rose is now greatly elaborated1 its lines more flowing1 and its position in the wall beautified by the graceful adjustment of the lancets below4 ,,troyes ,to-day the flat country of the ancient province of ,champagne1 broken only by occasional ridges of the chalk which underlie the surface to the great advantage of its famous grapes1 affords but little of interest to the traveller by automobile1 and has only its level going to recommend it to the bicyclist4 ,there is not enough traffic on its roads to enliven the monotony of the journey4 ,how different must it have been when these same highways teemed with interesting groups from every rank of society1 all crowding to the famous fair of ,troyes1 which during the ,middle ,ages was the bourne of so many traders1 knights and other seekers of adventure from all parts of ,christendom4 ,in those days no one would have had leisure to notice the monotony of the scenery1 so engrossed would he have been in those passing crowds made up of every nationality of ,europe1 all repairing to this great mart of trade4 ,during those halcyon days of commercial distinction there must have been laid broad foundations of cosmopolitan tastes1 and a reflection upon those times makes it easier to understand why so many artists should later have been born citizens of that stout burgh4 ,this also explains why so large a number of ,flemish and ,italian artists resorted hither1 leaving marked traces of their influence4 ,this prosperity was temporarily checked by the edict of ,louis ,x forbidding the ,flemish to trade at its fairs1 and the absence of these lowlanders was soon followed by that of the ,italians4 ,from this cause1 combined with others1 the fairs lost their importance1 and the ,hundred ,years ,war coming soon after1 put the finishing touches to the city's decadence4 ,the damaging and dreary years of the ,english occupation were1 however1 enlivened by the episode of the marriage of ,henry ,v of ,england to ,catherine of ,france1 attended by all the pomp and pageantry that would naturally be attracted thither by so notable an event4 ,troyes did not1 however1 recover her old commercial prestige until just before the beginning of the sixteenth century4 ,then she took such a bound forward as1 through the new wealth of her citizens1 to make possible that encouragement of art which developed the unrivalled school of glass painters soon to make her famous far and near4 ,in fact1 so widely was their fame spread and so firmly were they established1 that their school persisted far into the seventeenth century1 the vigour of their art long outliving that of most of the other ,french glass centres4 ,there is no place in ,france in which one can better see examples of the various ramifications of the sixteenth century style in glass4 ,we have here not only the cathedral1 but church after church full of the work of the best masters4 ,we shall see not only the picture window in lively colour1 but also that in the subdued style of grey and yellow stain1 to which we have alluded before4 ,furthermore1 in the ,library there is a series of historical panels which is not excelled anywhere1 the secular topics of the scenes giving an excellent opportunity to show costumes and manners of the times4 ,nor must one confine oneself within the exact limits of the sixteenth century1 because we have noted that here the style of that century extended practically unchanged far into the next4 ,we shall begin when the style begins and we shall follow it as long as its healthy life continues4 ,of the numerous churches in ,troyes1 those which chiefly interest the glass student are the ,cathedral1 ,st4 ,urbain1 ,st4 ,jean1 ,st4 ,nizier1 ,la ,madeleine1 ,st4 ,pantaleon1 ,st4 ,nicolas1 and ,st4 ,martin-es-,vignes4 ,besides these churches1 there is also the ,library to be visited for its series of windows devoted to civic subjects4 ,for a description of that ,gothic eggshell1 ,st4 ,urbain1 turn back to page #hb1 where will also be found an account of the splendid thirteenth century glass that makes the choir of the ,cathedral so glorious4 ,let us begin our stroll about the town by a visit to ,st4 ,jean4 ,it would be difficult for a church to more completely preserve its mediaeval appearance than this one4 ,besides1 the way in which it is tucked in between two crooked1 narrow old streets conforms to the most approved rules of stage setting4 ,its quaint1 irregular exterior makes it appear a picturesque medley of three or four churches of varying size1 while its ancient belfry perched on one side like a feather in a cap lends the ensemble an almost jaunty air4 ,the altar before which ,louis ,,ii was crowned and ,henry ,v of ,england married1 has been removed to the east and placed in the more modern ,lady ,chapel4 ,we get an interesting hint of the great value attached to stained glass when we learn that the original of a window on the right side of the nave clerestory 7showing the coronation of ,louis ,,ii7 was demanded as part of the ransom of ,francis ,i when he was captured at the ,battle of ,pavia4 ,this original window is said to be somewhere in ,spain4 ,the axis of the choir slants quite noticeably from that of the nave1 and the priests say that this slant is intended to symbolise the inclination of the head of ,christ on the ,cross after ,his death4 ,we notice the same difference in axis1 as well as the same tradition1 at ,quimper1 but we there learned that the true explanation was not so poetic4 ,here also we are obliged to reject the quaint legend of the priests2 the municipal improvements after the great fire which ravaged the city in #aebd1 necessitated the rectification of the street line1 and the north side of the choir had to be slanted to conform thereto4 ,the glass is in many ways of interest1 but has been a good deal mutilated4 ,that in the nave has suffered most1 but fortunately much of its beauty remains4 ,notice the admirable ,judgment of ,solomon on the south side4 ,in the choir and in its chapels we shall get a real taste of the ,troyes glass school1 some of the windows being excellent1 especially that of the brothers ,gonthier1 showing the ,marriage ,feast at ,cana1 the ,manna in the ,desert1 etc4 ,in many of the churches in this city we shall observe paintings hung upon the walls1 and two of those which decorate this sanctuary will serve to remind us that ,pierre ,mignard1 the great painter of ,louis ,,xiv1 was born here4 ,another ancient church1 and one much richer in glass1 is ,st4 ,nizier4 ,its original glazing had remained practically intact until in ,august1 #aija1 when a most unusual calamity overcame some of it4 ,an anarchist exploded a bomb in a chapel on the north of the choir4 ,we have observed what our poor friend has had to endure in many places1 but to be shattered by an anarchistic explosion seems a most incongruous fate4 ,it is1 however1 a pleasant surprise to find how little damage was done by this act of vandalism4 ,the finest window is undoubtedly that which adorns the south transept and shows ,religion overcoming ,heresy4 ,the central one in the choir 7the ,virgin ,mary and the ,apostles receiving the ,holy ,ghost7 is by the celebrated ,macadre of ,troyes1 but the writer finds its effect injured by the fact that the artist 7probably to indicate that the side panels are to be considered in conjunction with the central one7 allows the hands of certain figures at the side to extend over upon the central panel4 ,this century surely went far enough in its disregard for the delimiting duties of the leads1 but when we find an artist so careless of the properties of his materials as to put a hand over on the other side of a stone mullion1 it would seem that the limit had been exceeded4 ,the most ancient of all the ,troyes churches is ,la ,madeleine4 ,it contains a marvellous jube arch swung in air between the two western columns of the choir4 ,although of stone1 the workmanship is so delicate and lace-like that we are not surprised that the epitaph of its builder buried below used to read that he calmly awaited the ,judgment ,day with no fear of the stone arch falling upon him4 ,the glass around the choir is excellent1 but we must go to the ,lady ,chapel to see the best4 ,on the right is a ,tree of ,jesse1 remarkable for the number of figures it contains4 ,the east window is the gift of the ,jewellers' ,guild1 which fact is carefully set forth thereon4 ,to the left is a fine example of glass-making1 but in addition to that1 because of the treatment of its subject1 it is as interesting as one will often find4 ,beginning at the lower left-hand corner and reading to the right1 are a series of scenes depicting the creation of the world1 ,garden of ,eden1 etc4 ,the imagination of the artist set forth the creation of the world in a manner surprisingly close to the latest theories of modern science4 ,he starts with a round glowing ball of matter which1 by means of rotation upon its axis1 develops in the succeeding pictures1 first1 a more symmetrical shape1 and then the appearance of land1 formation of continents1 etc41 etc4 ,on the left of each of these scenes stands the figure of ,jehovah1 in a costume resembling that of a high priest4 ,there is hardly a window in ,france that tells as much or is more interesting in the telling than this one4 ,illustration3 ,,creation ,,window1 ,,la ,,madeleine1 ,,troyes 7#af,,th ,,century74 ,read from left to right1 beginning with lowest tier4 ,earth evolved from chaos1 shown by glowing yellow ball revolving on its axis2 birth of ,eve1 etc4 ,tracery ,lights above are becoming simpler in form as elaborate ,gothic gives way to ,renaissance4 ,now we come to a style that is better shown here than anywhere else--the picture window composed of grey and occasionally some flesh tints1 with touches of yellow stain to relieve it4 ,two churches are entirely glazed in this manner--,st4 ,pantaleon and ,st4 ,nicolas4 ,the latter1 it is true1 has one or two of its upper windows in colour1 but the general effect is that of a church glazed in grey and stain4 ,of course1 these two interiors1 because of this glazing1 are very brilliantly lighted1 and in the opinion of the writer1 much too brilliantly4 ,this method proved very felicitous when devoted to domestic purposes 7as found towards the end of this century and during the early part of the next71 but for a religious edifice1 although interesting1 it is doubtful if it is beautiful or suitable4 ,there are some unusual architectural features to be found in both these churches4 ,st4 ,nicolas has a very graceful stone gallery extending across the western end approached by a gradually bending staircase1 the supports of which are of admirable design4 ,st4 ,pantaleon can hardly be said to be attractive4 ,the interior is too high and too glaringly lighted1 but it affords the best opportunity to study this grey and stain style4 ,notice that freely as is the yellow stain used to enliven the monotony of the greys1 it does not succeed in producing the charming silvery tone yielded by the canopy window of the two preceding centuries4 ,here and there one observes an attempt to modify the ultra-yellowish grey tone by introducing blues into the borders4 ,the falseness of style everywhere noticeable reaches its climax in a gallery on the left near the entrance1 containing two stone figures which appear to be looking down from it4 ,do not fail to visit ,st4 ,pantaleon in order to study its unusual glazing1 but do so out of curiosity and not expecting beauty1 or you will be disappointed4 ,its lack of charm will1 however1 prove useful if you go straight on from here to the ,cathedral1 for by contrast it will intensify your appreciation of the sympathetic assistance which the wealth of colour there lends to the splendid architectural effect of the interior4 ,we have already taken our reader to inspect the thirteenth century glass around the choir1 but now we will have him stop in the nave to see the work which the sixteenth century produced4 ,one immediately notices the particularly clear fresh colouring of the glass1 and this1 combined with its great quantity 7for the pierced triforium permits an additional row of windows besides the clerestory above and the aisles below71 produces an impression which is so unique1 and so distinctive1 that it always lingers in the memory4 ,the rather unpleasant contrast noticed at ,bourges between the depth and the warmth of the thirteenth century and the lighter tones of the later glass is fortunately absent from ,troyes4 ,the reason for this is the unusually rich colour of the later windows4 ,from so many excellent ones it is difficult to select a few to mention1 but we particularly commend the fourth on the right 7a ,tree of ,jesse7 and the one in the fourth chapel on the left1 ,linard ,gonthier's famous ,wine ,press4 ,the ,tree of ,jesse is not only a beautiful example of its type1 but is rather out of the ordinary because it has a red instead of a blue background4 ,upon this window1 as well as on most of the others1 are to be seen the donors1 their coats-of-arms1 and other interesting sixteenth century features4 ,gonthier's ,wine ,press is so well known as hardly to call for a word of description4 ,christ is stretched out in the press1 ,his blood running into a chalice1 while from ,his breast springs a vine spreading over the window1 bearing as its blossoms the twelve ,apostles4 ,although this window is dated #afbe1 it is in the best style of the sixteenth century and shows no tendency towards decadence in either drawing or colouring4 ,before leaving the interior1 notice an odd architectural device in the north rose4 ,this window is of the wheel type and has a supporting column running up through it as far as its middle1 suggesting a gigantic pinwheel4 ,there is a similar supporting column in the north rose at ,tours1 but there it runs straight up through the window to the top1 and unfortunately is too heavily and solidly built4 ,nearly all mediaeval glass was adorned with religious subjects1 and therefore we have an unusual treat when we visit the large hall of the ,library and examine the thirty-two panels that fill its eight large windows4 ,they are from the hand of ,linard ,gonthier1 and the scenes are commemorative of the visit to ,troyes of ,henry ,,iv in #aeie4 ,very charming1 indeed1 are these pictures of the life and pageants of the time4 ,there are many familiar little touches1 such as a small boy being pushed off into the water by the crowd1 etc4 ,some of the panels are also rich in armorial bearings4 ,we have purposely delayed until the last any reference to ,st4 ,martin-es-,vignes because it was entirely glazed at the time when the ,troyes sixteenth century school1 although still worthy of its traditions1 was about reaching its end4 ,this glass is uniformly good and provides a most pleasing interior1 obviously relying for its effect upon the glazing4 ,the dating is that of the earlier years of the seventeenth century4 ,if we examine the windows too closely we easily find indications of a decadence of style4 ,for instance1 the second on the left gives so much importance to the kneeling donors that1 although we cannot deny the excellence of the work1 we must strongly criticise the taste which made them so prominent a feature4 ,regarded as a whole1 however1 the result in this church is so excellent that it clearly proves what we have before stated1 viz43 the virility and strength of the glassmaker's art at ,troyes outlasted that of most of the contemporary ,french schools4 ,,chalons-,,sur-,,marne ,before paying our second visit here to examine the sixteenth century windows1 let us turn back to page #hg and refresh our memory by glancing through the account of our thirteenth century trip to this city4 ,we shall thus be reminded of the modestly retiring beauty of its small parks1 as well as of its cathedral and two fine churches4 ,every style of sixteenth century glass is to be found in ,chalons1 but for all that it would hardly be selected as one of the best places in which to compare them4 ,the small church of ,st4 ,alpin has in its nave a series of excellent windows of yellow stain and grey such as we noticed in ,st4 ,pantaleon and ,st4 ,nicolas at ,troyes4 ,in those two churches the relatively great window space exposes the weakness of this style by demonstrating that in large interiors it makes the light glaring4 ,by contrast1 in ,st4 ,alpin1 where the nave ceiling is low and the window apertures small1 this method of glazing1 by admitting a great deal of light1 produces a very happy effect4 ,in this ,st4 ,alpin glass there are marked traces of ,italian taste1 more so than in that at ,troyes1 though the latter is commonly credited with being the most noticeably affected by foreign influence4 ,the first one on the right1 showing ,st4 ,alpin before ,attila1 is delightful1 every advantage having been taken of the softness of tone which is the chief merit of this particular treatment4 ,some of the others are also good1 but the one just mentioned is the best4 ,around the choir are interesting coloured panels1 but so broken up into small scenes as to be rendered ineffective4 ,the handsome church of ,notre ,dame does not1 in its windows1 fulfill the promise of its architecture4 ,a great deal of the glass is new1 and much of the old is mutilated1 but in the lower row on the left side of the nave there are several brilliant examples of what the sixteenth century ,champagne school could accomplish in the picture window4 ,especially vigorous and striking is the first on the left1 showing ,st4 ,james encouraging the ,spaniards to defeat the ,moors4 ,it is as good a battle picture in glass as one will find4 ,in the fifth on the left 7a ,crucifixion scene7 we note a trick often observed in this province1 for the little golden stars are separately leaded into the blue sky4 ,passing on to the ,cathedral1 disappointment awaits us4 ,on our former visit we found it so fruitful and interesting in thirteenth century glass that we had a right to expect more than is yielded by the inspection of the row of sixteenth century windows which extend along the lower right side of the nave4 ,the canopies in the sixth one betray that it is fifteenth century1 but all the others are later4 ,the first on the right is the most interesting of this series1 although it is the poorest in execution4 ,on eleven of its compartments are represented scenes from the ,creation1 ,garden of ,eden1 etc41 wherein certain quaint conceits are noticeable4 ,unfortunately its many nudes are very poorly drawn and the glass used is mediocre in quality4 ,we can here clearly see that1 although the artist of this period was saved a great deal of lead work by his large pieces of glass1 their use required him to select sheets of evener tone and better quality than in the days when his pieces were much smaller4 ,,montfort ,l',,amaury ,an agreeable route from ,paris to ,conches1 etc41 is by way of ,montfort l',amaury1 which lies beyond ,versailles1 just off the main road to ,dreux1 and #de kilometres distant from ,paris4 ,if the pilgrim is travelling by train or if he wishes to go straight from ,paris to ,conches1 he should then postpone until another occasion his visit to ,montfort l',amaury1 and will thus keep in store for himself a very pleasant half-day automobile excursion4 ,the object of the visit proves to be a small church which has preserved its sixteenth century glazing practically intact4 ,nothing could be more simple than its ground plan1 for there are no transepts1 no chapels1 simply one long building rounded at the east end1 whose shape suggests that of a man's thumb4 ,while we must not expect to find so splendid a glass series as at ,conches1 neither must we fail to appreciate that here is a church with thirty-three windows1 all of the sixteenth century1 and in excellent state of preservation4 ,as we enter by the small south portal the effect that meets our eye is most agreeable4 ,closer inspection of the windows unfortunately reveals that they vary markedly in quality and are evidently the work of different artists4 ,it cannot be denied that many of them are commonplace1 although none is really poor4 ,their dating helps to explain this mediocrity1 for they were constructed towards the end of the sixteenth century1 at a time when our art was hurrying into decadence4 ,the few earlier ones1 and especially that dated #aedd1 are the best4 ,the latter is the eighth on the left and depicts ,jesus being shown to the people4 ,another1 the third on the left1 tells the story of ,joseph1 and is an obvious example of the ,italian influence so prevalent during that epoch4 ,the scene in which he is escaping from ,potiphar's wife is almost an exact copy from ,raphael4 ,we must not fail to remark the third from the eastern end1 in which the ,holy ,ghost is descending upon the assembled disciples in the form of a shower of golden tongues4 ,the grouping of the figures1 the play of the colours1 and the richness lent by these touches of gold1 all combine to make a brilliant picture4 ,the second to the right of this contains the ,falling of ,manna in the ,wilderness1 but as the tones used here are much lower1 and the manna is depicted as a rain of white spots1 the window1 as a whole1 is much quieter than the one just described4 ,in the church at ,montfort l',amaury an instructive light is thrown upon the obtrusive appearance of donors so frequently found during the sixteenth century4 ,we know that the figures are often so large as to be positively obnoxious1 but it is here demonstrated beyond doubt that the artist worked very much more carefully upon these portraits than upon the rest of his window4 ,there are few places where this can be more conveniently studied1 and for this reason our visit has been a useful one1 even though the glass be of a class a little below the best4 ,,conches ,there are four modest shrines to which every glass lover should contrive to repair1 no matter what may be the difficulties in the way nor how much time it may take4 ,of these four1 one at ,fairford 7near ,oxford7 is in ,england1 while the other three are in ,france1 and are the ,ste4 ,chapelle in ,paris1 the village church at ,eymoutiers and ,ste4 ,foy at ,conches4 ,in each we find the church completely glazed in one period and1 furthermore1 with the best glass then procurable4 ,the scene that to-day meets our eye in each of these small sanctuaries is practically the same that rewarded the artist the day he completed his work4 ,we have frequently had occasion on our tours to notice how much certain glass would have been improved if contrasting windows could but be removed from the edifice1 or the edifice itself in some way changed4 ,there will be no need for any such mental correction of the picture when we visit ,conches4 ,here1 after you have closed the door on the twentieth century life outside1 you feel that you have turned back the finger of time and are living in the days of that eloquent beauty which speaks out to you from its windows4 ,perhaps nowhere else will you get the wonderful accord of tone with tone and hue with hue that makes the colour at ,conches so radiantly lovely4 ,we find ourselves in a very simple church about twice as long as broad1 the only departure from its rectangular plan being a small five-sided chapel which projects from its eastern end4 ,there is nothing to aid the glass in its service of making splendid the interior4 ,in fact1 one might add that there is nothing which dares insult it by an offer of so obviously unnecessary assistance4 ,practically all the windows are of the sixteenth century1 and they are so fine that it seems unfair to call particular attention to the elaborate set designed by ,aldegrevers1 a pupil of ,albrecht ,duerer4 ,these fill the seven tall windows of two lancets each1 which light the eastern chapel and are dated #aebj4 ,of the forty-two subjects upon these windows1 those in the upper range show scenes from the life of ,christ and those in the lower from that of ,ste4 ,sophia4 ,it is unfair to describe them2 they should be seen4 ,at this point we may comment that although it is occasionally possible to convey some idea of an individual panel by technical description1 it is useless to attempt1 by means of words1 to give a reader a just conception of such an interior as the glass produces at ,conches4 ,beside these by ,aldegrevers there are eighteen others whose dates1 running from #aedj to #aeec1 show them to be of slightly later construction4 ,in the fourth on the right the allegorical subject contains an unusual detail4 ,a group of figures represent the ,liberal ,arts1 and among them1 ,music3 upon her insignia appears a musical phrase expressed in proper notation4 ,this representation of written music upon glass is extremely rare4 ,we shall see another of the very infrequent instances when we visit ,caudebec4 ,among the finest windows is the fifth on the right1 which represents the allegory of the ,wine ,press4 ,here the subject is not treated in the usual gruesome fashion4 ,it is not the blood of ,christ which serves as the wine but1 instead1 the juice of grapes which ,he is crushing in the press4 ,throughout all these windows the distant landscapes are depicted in much more convincing colouring than is usually found at this time4 ,this seems due to the fact that the light blue glass used for that purpose is left clear of all paint except that needed for delineation4 ,elsewhere these blue backgrounds often have so much paint upon them as to be rendered partly opaque and therefore incapable of simulating the depth necessary for great distances4 ,in strength as well as in judicious combination of a surprisingly wide range of colours1 their century can show few examples to rival these4 ,not only is their value enhanced by the simplicity of the interior which they decorate1 and which1 therefore1 has nothing to distract our attention from their beauty1 but this very beauty is made all the more impressive by the sharp contrast provided by the dullness of the little town outside and the plain exterior of the church which it so glorifies4 ,,pont-,,audemer ,the church of ,st4 ,ouen at ,pont-,audemer will always have for the writer that peculiar charm of almost proprietary right which the discoverer is sure to feel in something upon which he has happened unexpectedly4 ,on his way through the town he saw the church1 and having noticed from the outside that the windows contained stained glass1 he stopped and went in1 undeterred by the positively dishevelled look of the unfinished and dismantled west front4 ,a delightful surprise awaited him4 ,around the walls of the nave1 the space usually occupied by the triforium gallery here becomes a broad frieze so exquisitely carved in ,gothic patterns as seemingly to drape the walls with lace4 ,in fact1 you hardly notice the unfinished condition of the upper part of the church1 so engrossed are you in this very unusual feature1 one of which any cathedral in ,france might be proud4 ,and in the embrasures below1 what a gallery of harmonious glass6 ,not only are the individual windows excellent1 but they harmonise so well as to make one feel that each artist must have been at the greatest pains to make his work contribute to and not interfere with the general scheme4 ,it is for the glass hunter a treasure trove to find a church which has preserved a complete glazing of one period1 but to have the windows all good1 and better still1 in such charming accord with each other1 makes the occasion of his visit to ,pont-,audemer a red-letter day4 ,the ground plan of the church is somewhat broken up1 but even that seems but to add to the charm of the interior4 ,the first window to the left in what might be called the choir ambulatory is not only the best but by far the most interesting4 ,without any definite division of its surface into panels1 the whole picture seems to gracefully resolve itself into four contrasting scenes from the ,old and the ,new ,testament1 entitled ,devant la ,loy1 ,soubz la ,loy1 ,devant la ,grace1 ,soubz la ,grace4 ,the effect of clouds in the sky is very elaborately worked out1 while here and there between them peep forth the head and wings of little cherubs--it is really very engaging4 ,possibly the over-captious visitor may consider the combination of small heads and surrounding clouds somewhat reminiscent of the buttons holding down upholstery1 but such a carping critic should be packed off about his ill-tempered business6 ,in a window on the right side of the nave the donors are ranged along a little gallery in the lowest panel4 ,this method has in its favour that it does not present them as intruders on the picture1 so often the case in this century4 ,we carry away with us a charming impression of the service rendered by the glass in toning the light for the graceful stone carvings on the nave walls4 ,the effect is unique4 ,on the outskirts of the town there is a small church1 ,st4 ,germain1 whose east window is an agreeable example of fifteenth century canopy work4 ,,caudebec-,,en-,,caux ,our way from ,pont-,audemer lies for some little distance through the large ,foret de ,brotonne1 one of those tidy symmetrical woods produced by the excellent system of ,french forestry4 ,its excellence1 however1 is largely practical1 for all the charm of the forest primeval is pruned away4 ,on reaching the banks of the ,seine we find ourselves in full view of the pretty town of ,caudebec1 its graceful cathedral spire beckoning us across the water4 ,it is just at this point in the river that there occurs the ,mascaret1 the local name given to a swift-rushing wave produced by the conflict between the incoming tide and the outgoing current of the river2 it takes place only at stated intervals and is then viewed by numerous tourists4 ,assuming that we have arrived at a time when the ,mascaret is not interfering with navigation1 we embark upon a flat1 open ferry-boat and soon reach the bank on the other side and are off to the cathedral4 ,few ,french churches have their ,gothic architecture lightened and beautified by more infinite detail of carving than this at ,caudebec1 while over all rises an airy spire encircled at three different heights by a stone crown--a form of decoration very unusual and quite lovely4 ,above the west portal is a gallery that attracts our notice because its open-work stone railing is composed of ,gothic letters4 ,once inside the church1 we realise that the windows are well worth a visit1 particularly to one seeking quaint details in glass1 for there are many such here4 ,we have already referred in our introduction to the first window on the right1 the ,israelites crossing the ,red ,sea4 ,in order to render the scene as descriptive and realistic as possible1 red glass is used to make the sea1 thus removing any possible doubt in the observer's mind as to the identity of that body of water4 ,almost opposite 7the second on the left7 is a ,tree of ,jesse1 upon which the descendants appear at full length instead of as the usual busts4 ,much golden brown is used1 not only in the intricate convolutions of the vine1 but also in the costumes and in the stone terrace supporting the pavilion below which ,jesse is seated4 ,above the small north portal is a pleasing canopy window of the fifteenth century whose unusual feature is that the bottom of it is curved to fit the arched top of the door4 ,because of this unusual base1 the customary pedestals at the foot could not be used1 but the irregularly shaped space is tastefully filled with decorations of yellow stain1 surcharged with shields whose heraldry catches the eye of the ,american traveller1 because they bear stars on a blue field1 as well as red and white stripes4 ,fifteenth century canopies also fill the first window to the east of this portal and the three to the west1 one being dated #addb1 and all containing four lancets4 ,a couple of windows across the church are also of this type1 while the whole of the side-lights of the clerestory contain contemporary light-admitting panels1 whose colour is restricted to a few round bosses bearing golden rays1 and to the broad golden borders which here are carried up into and almost fill the tracery panes above4 ,another very unusual feature 7and one which we have just noticed at ,conches7 is the presence of two pieces of music written out in the form called full chant and borne by angels4 ,if one can spare the time1 ,villequier1 four kilometres down the ,seine1 should be visited4 ,the small church there has seven excellent sixteenth century windows1 one of which1 that in the centre on the north side1 is really famous4 ,the lower half of its three lancets each contains a figure on a white background bearing an etched damasked pattern1 bordered richly in gold4 ,across the entire upper half is spread out a spirited naval battle in which four ships are engaged4 ,the armoured knights are depicted with great vigour1 while excellent use is made of the artistic possibilities provided by three great pennants1 two of red with white crosses1 and one of yellow bearing a black eagle4 ,the route from ,caudebec to ,rouen is charming1 thanks to the ever-changing views provided by the windings of the ,seine4 ,if we please1 we may stop on the way to view the ,abbey of ,st4 ,wandrille 7recently purchased by ,maeterlinck7 and also the loftily impressive ruins of the ,abbey of ,jumieges4 ,jumieges1 in the midst of its beautiful park1 is most picturesquely situated within one of those very pronounced loops so common in the lower ,seine1 which seem to signify the unwillingness of its waters to depart from this delightful corner of ,france4 ,,rouen ,upon approaching ,rouen one is sure to be struck by the insolent daring of its situation4 ,lying on a sloping plain beside the river1 it seems to disdain the well-nigh impregnable site afforded by the steep cliffs which rise just to the northeast4 ,the history of the city bears out the audacity of its location4 ,through all the centuries its inhabitants concerned themselves so continuously in conquering other peoples that little time was left in which to consider the security of their own homes4 ,the ,norman boasted that his strongest defence was a vigorous offence1 and he made good his boast4 ,the town of ,william the ,conqueror seems always to have been imbued by the spirit which gave him his name1 and the triumphs of the ,normans in ,england1 and later in ,italy1 are but natural expressions of that virility of race which endures to the present day4 ,upon the arms of the city there appears a lamb with one of its forefeet lifted4 ,upon this is based the old ,norman saying1 ,l'agneau de la ville a toujours la patte levee1 a homely comment upon the restless spirit of its citizens and their disposition to be always up and doing4 ,perhaps the most characteristic feature of ,rouen when viewed from a distance is the great number of its spires that shoot up above the house-tops1 earning for it the sobriquet of the ,city of ,churches4 ,this very attractive detail is all the more striking because so rarely seen in ,french towns1 and is particularly reminiscent to one freshly arrived from ,england1 a country whose church towers are such a charming feature of the landscape4 ,full of significant history is this ,rouen--a history branded for all time by the cowardly fire that ended the tortures of ,joan of ,arc1 that strangely potent and beautiful spirit4 ,fortunately1 no trace remains of that dastardly deed4 ,turning to a less sinister page in the city's history1 we see on one side of the market-place1 a small pagoda-like structure called the old tower of the ,fierte4 ,here1 on ,ascension ,day in every year1 was freed a prisoner selected by the people1 and that this privilege was jealously retained by them is proved by the existence of a complete list of the prisoners so freed from #abaj to #agij4 ,nor do the records stop there3 they also narrate many a fierce encounter resulting from the determination of the burghers to preserve this right4 ,most of the quaint features of the town have been modernised away--so thriving a commerce as here flourishes could not long tolerate the old narrow crooked streets4 ,where old features remain they are so obviously protected as to look almost theatrical4 ,of this the two best examples are the clockbearing archway over the street which bears its name 7,grosse ,horloge71 and the ancient carved wood housefront transported from its original site1 affixed to another dwelling and dubbed the ,house of ,diane de ,poitiers4 ,placed just at the point where ships coming in from the sea must transfer their freight to the smaller vessels that go up the ,seine1 ,rouen is so intent upon her commerce1 that all the principal hotels are strung along the quays on the riverfront1 a very unusual arrangement in a ,french town4 ,when we visited the church of ,st4 ,ouen to see its fifteenth century glass1 we mentioned the esteem in which the ,rouen glass-makers were held at that time both at home and abroad4 ,from what we are now about to see we can judge for ourselves how much truer it must have been in the sixteenth century4 ,the number of splendidly glazed churches which have been preserved for our inspection almost consoles us for the long list of others swept away by the ruthless vandalism of the ,revolution1 and1 to a less extent1 by the peaceful hand of time or the mailed fist of war4 ,the principal ones we should visit 7beside ,st4 ,ouen already described7 are ,st4 ,maclou1 ,st4 ,vincent1 ,st4 ,patrice1 ,st4 ,godard1 ,st4 ,romain and the ,cathedral of ,notre ,dame4 ,perhaps the least interesting sixteenth century glass is in that gem of ,gothic architecture1 ,st4 ,maclou1 whose florid facade has its bizarre charm accentuated by the graceful bowing outwards of the west front4 ,the glass that attracts us most is in the transept rose windows1 the lancets below them and in the very brilliant western rose4 ,all these roses are dwarfed by the excessive size of the pendent lancets3 it is all the more unfortunate1 because considered separately the roses as well as the lancets are excellent4 ,the earlier windows in the choir chapels have been described in our former visit 7see page #add74 ,in the south transept a well-composed ,crucifixion scene is carried across all the lancets4 ,the north transept contains a ,tree of ,jesse on a blue background1 and oddly enough1 the tree has white branches4 ,in leaving ,st4 ,maclou1 notice the dainty spiral staircase that winds up at the south side of the door2 it seems almost too delicate to be made of stone4 ,st4 ,vincent has its entire lower part lighted by large embrasures completely glazed with glass of this period1 producing a singularly brilliant and luminous effect all about us4 ,the columns which separate the ambulatory from the choir are so slender that they do not materially interfere with our view1 and thus the whole interior is exposed at once1 an enclosure of glorious colour4 ,in fact1 it is not too much to say of this church and1 to a less extent1 of the two which we shall next visit1 that they are bowers of iridescent glowing light4 ,there are two ,trees of ,jesse at ,st4 ,vincent1 one over the north portal1 and another at the east end of the south aisle1 but inspection of the latter reveals that the genealogical tree rises not from ,jesse but from ,st4 ,anne6 ,in the true ,jesse tree over the northern door the branches are white1 a peculiarity just noticed at ,st4 ,maclou4 ,st4 ,patrice differs from ,st4 ,vincent in that1 instead of seeming to stand in the midst of a circle of luminous colour1 our attention is rather directed towards the splendid bow-window at the east with its ,crucifixion scene1 to which all the rest of the glass seems decorously subordinated4 ,although glazed a little later than ,st4 ,vincent1 it yields the same splendidly luminous effect1 the natural result of a series of panels all of this period4 ,the chief boast of this church is the ,triumph of the ,law of ,grace by ,jean ,cousin in the ,lady ,chapel4 ,nor is his the only great name that we shall find frequently upon the glass of ,rouen4 ,one window much admired for its felicitous combination of theoretically uncongenial colours is that which sets forth the legend of ,st4 ,hubert4 ,its greens1 reds1 yellows and blues must be seen before one can believe that it is possible to agreeably unite them4 ,our next church is ,st4 ,godard1 whose ancient glories have been so restored and replaced by modern trash that we find it hard to believe that1 when it possessed its original glass1 no church in all ,normandy could vie with it4 ,to-day it is far less attractive than ,st4 ,vincent and ,st4 ,patrice1 the latter of which1 by the way1 now contains several of the original windows of ,st4 ,godard4 ,the second in the chapel named after ,st4 ,romain1 depicting scenes from his life1 is one of the few in the church which is not either restored or renewed4 ,it is so good in every way that one is surprised the other windows do not seem more out of place by contrast4 ,we sigh for the days when there was justified the phrase used by the ,norman peasant in describing good wine1 ,as red as the windows of ,st4 ,godard4 ,near the railway station is ,st4 ,romain1 which1 though less ancient than those which we have just visited1 is the fortunate possessor of glass brought from several of the churches swept away by the ,revolution4 ,particularly notice the spirited scene of ,st4 ,romain slaying the ,gargouille1 the fabled dragon of early ,rouen4 ,on the left1 in what seems to be a transept1 is a pretty window at the bottom of which appear such a sensibly modest row of small kneeling donors that we could wish that all sixteenth century glaziers might have seen them1 and had been thereby restrained from their customary exaggeration in this particular4 ,unfortunately1 the ancient panels were not large enough to fill the embrasures here provided1 so this extra space was filled by wide borders of light modern glass4 ,the result is that these borders admit such a flood of light as to drown the beauties of the older panels4 ,now we have arrived at the ,cathedral4 ,before we enter1 let us feast our eyes upon the delicate ,gothic detail which softens and decorates its sturdy west front4 ,at the southwest corner rises the ,tour du ,beurre1 built 7as was the same named tower at ,bourges7 from the moneys received out of the sale of indulgences to eat butter during ,lent4 ,the modern iron spire is so well designed as to seem hardly out of place among its older sisters4 ,we should enter by the north portal4 ,just outside it is an enclosure formerly devoted to exhibiting the wares of booksellers1 which is shut off from the street by a light ,gothic screen4 ,viewed through it the wonderful carvings on the north portal become doubly effective4 ,the interior of the cathedral is as full of interest as the best style of ,gothic can make it4 ,on the right is a very attractive zigzag stairway which leads up to the library4 ,in the ,lady ,chapel are two especially fine tombs1 one of the ,duc de ,breze1 husband of the famous ,diane de ,poitiers1 and the other of ,louis ,,xii's great ,minister1 ,cardinal d',amboise4 ,the fourteenth century glass of this chapel has already been described 7see page #add74 ,the #acj windows which light the cathedral's interior are mostly glazed in colour1 but they are the product of various centuries and are of varying excellence4 ,we find here but eight thirteenth century medallion windows1 but they are delightful4 ,two of them are in the nave1 the third and fourth on the left4 ,the others are in the choir ambulatory and are so placed as to be singularly effective4 ,if one stands in either the north or the south aisle of the nave and looks directly east1 the only glass which meets his eye is that of windows brilliant with these early medallions1 far off at the other end of the great cathedral4 ,just at this time the western rose window chiefly concerns us because it is of the sixteenth century4 ,its concentric circles of white angels1 red seraphim1 green palm branches1 etc41 provide a strong contrast between the reds and yellows 7filling the centre third of it7 and the dark greens and dark blues of the outer two-thirds4 ,in the southeasterly corner of the south transept1 the window on the east1 as well as that on the south1 are worthy of our attention4 ,the latter is by ,jean ,cousin1 and its six panels show six virtues1 each entitled in ,latin4 ,those of us who are subject to fits of depression should especially observe ,fortitudo1 for there the bishop has slain the ,blue ,devil1 and is pursuing its lilac and its green brothers6 ,although ,st4 ,ouen has already been visited for its magnificently complete fourteenth century glazing 7see page #add71 the rose windows of its transepts are such noteworthy examples of the ,renaissance that we must not omit a comment upon them at this point4 ,that in the north transept has its diverging figures arranged like herrings in a barrel1 but while those at the sides and around the lower part are light in tone1 those in the upper part are red seraphim and blue cherubim3 this is very unusual4 ,the south rose is peopled by a multitude of small personages1 each occupying a pane by itself4 ,careful examination reveals that we have here a ,tree of ,jesse4 ,he is in the middle1 but it is only with some difficulty that we distinguish the branches of the vine radiating from him4 ,before leaving ,rouen the traveller should see the interesting carvings on the ,house of ,bourgetheroulde1 depicting the ,field of the ,cloth of ,gold1 nor will he fail to admire the magnificent apartments which ,norman love of equity constructed for it in the ,palais de ,justice4 ,besides the towns already visited1 there are three others near ,rouen which contain interesting glass1 ,grand-,andely1 ,elbeuf and ,pont de l',arche1 distant1 respectively1 #cc1 #bj and #ah kilometres from ,rouen4 ,they are worth a visit if one can spare the time1 but we risk an anti-climax in recommending our traveller to see them after the glories of the ,norman capital4 ,the nearness of these towns and also of ,pont-,audemer 7#dh kilometres71 ,caudebec 7#ce kilometres71 and ,conches 7#ea kilometres71 suggests a way in which one can change the whole itinerary just outlined4 ,this can be done by using ,rouen as a centre from which to run out and back1 and thus visit all this group of six without cutting oneself off from one's base4 ,to one at all encumbered with luggage1 this suggestion will probably appeal4 ,,grand-,,andely ,of the trio just mentioned1 ,grand-,andely is much the most interesting1 in fact it deserves greater renown for its glass than it at present enjoys4 ,unfortunately only one side of the church retains its original glazing1 but we find ample compensation for this1 because the entire southern half is filled with brilliant sixteenth century subjects1 not only along the chapels below1 but also in the clerestory4 ,after a delightful hour spent here one readily credits the tale that a youth of the neighbourhood1 by constantly contemplating their glories1 so developed his love of colour that he determined to devote his life to painting4 ,this youth was ,nicolas ,poussin4 ,the great width of the embrasures1 as well as their number 7six in the nave and four in the choir1 on each side1 both above and below71 provide ample scope for the display of the glazier's skill4 ,among so many of such excellence it is difficult to select which to praise the most1 but the third on the right in the nave clerestory 7dated #aefj71 because of ,abraham's gorgeous yellow robe1 as well as the blue canopy with red draperies above the aged ,isaac1 will linger longest in the writer's memory4 ,even when viewed on a dull1 grey day1 one cannot escape from the impression that a bright sun is shining outside1 because of the brilliancy of this window's hues4 ,it is one of the few examples of this epoch to possess that peculiarity1 which1 by the way1 is so common among the mosaic type of the thirteenth century4 ,this tendency towards the ornate1 everywhere apparent throughout this series1 finds its ultimate expression in the sixth nave chapel on the right1 where the stonework of the ,renaissance canopies is heavily overlaid with golden designs4 ,the choir's four southerly clerestory windows each contains a large figure under a canopy of the time1 the treatment varying in each case4 ,below1 in the south wall of the choir1 the tracery lights of the two easternmost windows are filled with diminutive angels1 eleven praying or playing musical instruments in one of them1 and in the other1 nine1 each carrying a symbol of the ,passion4 ,the way in which each angel is adjusted to the small pane it occupies is very graceful4 ,the apse end is square1 in the ,english fashion4 ,its great east window contains good fourteenth century canopy work1 in bands across a grisaille field4 ,the subsequent addition of a ,lady ,chapel to the east has injured the effect of this glass1 not only by an entrance being cut through it below1 but also because the second tier of canopies is entirely shut off from the light by the wall of this later chapel built against it outside4 ,there is thus left only the third1 or upper tier1 for our inspection4 ,if the northern side of this church were as fortunate as the southern in the possession of its original glazing1 this would rank among the best ,french glass shrines1 which is high praise4 ,,elbeuf ,elbeuf has two churches worthy of our attention1 ,st4 ,etienne and ,st4 ,jean1 but the former is very much the better4 ,in ,st4 ,jean the first four windows on the right1 three of those opposite them1 and the first on each side in the ,lady ,chapel are all of the sixteenth century4 ,there is1 however1 so much restoration as to greatly diminish our interest1 except in the ,lady ,chapel4 ,there the one to the right displays scenes from the life of the ,virgin1 with a label below each4 ,the lower right-hand panel1 in which appear ,joseph and ,mary1 carries realism to an extraordinary point1 while its label prevents any misunderstanding of its meaning4 ,however unsatisfactory ,st4 ,jean may prove1 we shall be consoled when we enter ,st4 ,etienne4 ,there the whole effect leads up to and culminates in the splendid bay that1 with its three lofty windows1 each containing three lancets in double tiers1 forms the eastern end of the choir4 ,there are no transepts1 the nave joining directly on to the choir4 ,although the nave glass is all modern1 it does not affront the glories of its older neighbours in the choir1 which is1 unfortunately1 so often the case elsewhere4 ,one is tempted to confine one's comments to the splendid easterly screen of colour1 but that would be discriminating unjustly4 ,the famous legend of ,st4 ,hubert1 dated #aejj 7the second from the east in the southerly choir aisle71 has been too much restored1 but this is the only one that can be thus reproached4 ,in the east end of this aisle we find at the bottom of a window two panels with tapestry-makers at work1 showing that it was the gift of that guild4 ,across1 in the north aisle1 the easternmost window in the north wall is a ,tree of ,jesse1 dated #aebc4 ,jesse is seated beneath a pavilion2 from the tent pole sprouts a vine1 out of whose blossoms arise the usual half-length figures4 ,in the topmost pane of the traceries1 the ,virgin is seen emerging from a great lily4 ,,pont ,,de ,l',,arche ,pont de l',arche1 approached from ,rouen1 is most picturesque4 ,it lies snuggled down by the river1 its bridge flung invitingly towards you across the ,seine1 while behind it the forest comes down the steep slope almost to the town4 ,the church1 perched high upon a corner of the old fortifications1 seems to be keeping watch over the homes of its parishioners4 ,its elaborately carved exterior gives rise to expectations that are not realised1 for within we find but little glass to arrest our attention1 although what there is dates from the sixteenth century4 ,at the eastern end of the north wall there is a ,tree of ,jesse1 but it is clumsily imagined and coarsely drawn4 ,the flowers upon the vine are too large1 and from them protrude great half-length figures1 so much out of balance with the rest of the design as to render the ensemble lumbering and ungraceful4 ,the reason for our visit is provided by the second window east from the south portal4 ,the upper part shows ,christ walking on the sea4 ,below1 reaching across the entire window1 is a scene full of the liveliest local interest4 ,a boat is being drawn under an arch of the bridge over the ,seine1 and pulling upon the two long tow-ropes are groups of the townspeople1 fifteen of them and two teams of horses tugging at one rope1 and eighteen and one team at the other4 ,these groups are carefully painted in enamel4 ,a second vessel is being similarly assisted under another arch of the bridge1 the tow-rope in this instance being made fast to a rowboat4 ,the details of the bridge1 of the fortified island in the right foreground1 and of the enamelled figures of the citizens1 are all most engaging4 ,in the matter of correct perspective1 the artist relies heavily upon the indulgence of the spectator1 but otherwise the panel is agreeable1 full of quaint interest1 and absolutely unique4 ,,montmorency ,,glass ,the tour which we now propose will prove particularly attractive to the automobilist or bicyclist1 although we do not by that statement desire to discourage the traveller by train4 ,he will find the same glass and the same towns1 but he will miss the opportunity to enjoy1 en route1 the forests of ,montmorency and ,chantilly which during the summer are so alluring4 ,during the first part of the journey we will see glass designed for moderate sized interiors and1 therefore1 adapted for close inspection4 ,on these windows will be found many careful portraits of the donors1 some of which in their perfection of treatment have never been surpassed4 ,it would be unfortunate if this itinerary for any reason should be omitted1 because without it our study of sixteenth century glass would not be comprehensively complete4 ,we leave ,paris by the road going north through ,st4 ,denis3 our pilgrim will hardly1 upon this occasion1 stop to visit the ,abbey ,church1 because nearly all of its glass is modern and glaringly poor4 ,what there is of old glass is twelfth century and either fragmentary or much restored and repaired4 ,the celebrated window showing the devout figure of its donor1 ,abbot ,suger1 excites our reverence1 hardly our admiration4 ,its chief interest lies in the fact that there has come down to us the good abbot's own account of this among other windows which he presented4 ,the tombs of the ,french kings are1 of course1 most impressive1 and provide one of the great sights of ,france to one interested however slightly in its history1 but to-day we are in pursuit of stained glass1 so the ,abbey of ,st4 ,denis must wait until another occasion4 ,the road straight on to the north leads to ,ecouen1 but that visit must be deferred a little1 so just outside of ,st4 ,denis we turn sharply to the left and after eight kilometres arrive at ,montmorency1 delightfully perched upon a hill with orchards on every side4 ,from the little platform just outside the west front we get a fine view of the forest of the same name which1 fortunately for ,american eyes1 has not been so pruned as to no longer resemble a forest4 ,from ,montmorency we take the right hand to ,ecouen there to rejoin the straight road running north out of ,st4 ,denis4 ,we follow this road to ,chantilly1 where the ,montmorency glass ends1 then turn northwest to ,beauvais1 and after enjoying its splendid cathedral1 return to ,paris4 ,at this point let us remark that although automobiles and trains undoubtedly add to the comfort of the traveller1 it would be better for us on this particular trip if we could substitute for them a mediaeval belief in magic4 ,then our first move would certainly be to seize a fairy wand and summon as our guide that glorious warrior1 courtier and patron of the arts1 the great constable1 ,anne de ,montmorency4 ,nothing could be more incongruous than the selection for him of a woman's name1 even though borrowed from the ,queen of ,louis ,,xii4 ,the reason for summoning him is most obvious3 it was he who built the castles of ,ecouen and ,chantilly1 while the church at ,montmorency1 though founded by his father1 ,william1 was completed by the son4 ,who1 then1 could better tell us their stories or more delightfully revive by familiar anecdote the originals of their glass portraits8 ,even after our conjuring had secured for us his company1 we might find ourselves in trouble1 unless we were willing to discard our automobile or train for a stout horse4 ,the arts by which we secured his presence in the flesh might seem to him quite natural1 for magic was much more respected in his time than in these more practical days1 but it is greatly to be feared that the puffing engine would overcome that stern courage1 tested in many a stricken field1 and that it would take the utmost vigilance on our part to prevent him from bolting back into the sixteenth century4 ,after accompanying him to ,montmorency and ,ecouen1 and after wandering together through the forest1 park and chateau of ,chantilly1 we shall bid him farewell1 but we must not be surprised if he stoutly objects to our turning off towards ,beauvais1 demanding that1 having recalled him from the spirit world1 we hear his story out1 and to that end push on to ,st4 ,quentin4 ,the lusty old warrior would be quite right1 for the chronicle of his career would be incomplete if it omitted the delaying and glorious defeat he there received while commanding the ,french forces1 thereby providing time for ,henry ,,ii to rally the remaining strength of ,france and save ,paris from the victorious ,philip ,,ii of ,spain4 ,the result of that battle proved highly satisfactory to both victor and vanquished1 for while its delay saved ,paris1 on the other hand ,philip's victory so elated him that in memory thereof he erected the famous palace of the ,escorial near ,madrid4 ,though most of us will conclude to refuse the ,constable's request1 some few of our company may desert us and follow him to ,st4 ,quentin4 ,once there1 they must not fail to view the two splendid sixteenth century windows in the second northern transept of the church already visited on our thirteenth century tour4 ,they are each two and a half metres wide by nine and a quarter high4 ,one is dedicated to ,ste4 ,barbe and is dated #aecc1 and the other1 dated #aeda1 to ,ste4 ,catherine1 each displaying elaborately gruesome episodes depicting the martyrdom of the heroine4 ,the latter one shows ,god the ,father at the top receiving the saint1 who is borne upward by flying angels4 ,in the lowest panel we remark ,catherine's headless body sitting bolt upright1 while nearby on the floor lies her severed head intently regarding it 7see page #ajg74 ,,montmorency ,up a steep road that has more turns and branches than a grape-vine1 and suddenly we come out on a little platform before the west front of the diminutive church of ,st4 ,martin4 ,off to the west and around on each side there unfolds a panorama of smiling valleys and green hillocks in most enticing succession4 ,as one enters the western portal1 he first observes that the three westerly windows on each side are modern1 and of these there can be no higher praise than that they harmonise admirably with their fourteen ancient neighbours to the east of them4 ,these fourteen are chiefly interesting because of the delicacy of their composition1 which is really delicious4 ,illustration3 ,,constable ,,of ,,montmorency ,,and ,,his ,,five ,,sons1 ,,montmorency ,,church 7#af,,th ,,century74 ,here the donors are frankly the important feature4 ,so proud were the ,constable and his wife 7,madeleine de ,savoie7 of their five sons and seven daughters that we find four pairs of windows portraying them4 ,perhaps the chief interest here is the gallery of family portraits afforded by the donor's figures upon the panes4 ,among the many admirably drawn faces of distinguished scions of the ,house of ,montmorency1 the best is that of the founder of this church1 ,william1 the father of our friend the great ,constable1 which is behind the altar1 to the left4 ,it is evidently the work of a great artist4 ,the fourth on the right and the fourth on the left 7and1 therefore1 opposite each other7 are two windows containing one1 ,anne de ,montmorency1 and the other1 his wife1 ,madeleine de ,savoie1 each attended by their children4 ,these two were made about #aefc1 while those to the east of them range from #aebc to #aecc4 ,the ,constable is supported by his five sons and his wife by her seven daughters4 ,she is looking toward the altar1 but he is looking across at her4 ,each of these domestic groups occupies nearly half of the entire embrasures1 but it does so in such a frank manner as to entirely avoid the appearance of intrusion1 so generally the result of portraits like these4 ,as we walk around the church we are amazed that so fragile a medium as glass should have preserved through all the centuries these portraits in more perfect condition than many which were consigned to canvas or marble4 ,in fact1 one wonders why this was not more often done1 and at the same time wishes it had been effected as frankly as in these two just described1 and not by the intrusion of donors upon a window devoted to another subject4 ,it is impossible to repress a smile upon noticing that the ,crucifixion scene which bears the portrait of its donor1 ,guy de ,laval1 shows him kneeling in the central panel1 while the crucifix is in a side one6 ,lest these comments may have seemed severely intended1 let us point out a few of the many lovely features4 ,for instance1 the second window from the east in the north wall has in its central panel the ,virgin holding the ,infant ,jesus1 who reaches out ,his baby hand to receive a dove4 ,the greensward below is picked out with bright flowers and peopled by small animals1 quite as one sees them on the early tapestries4 ,nothing could be more charming4 ,the tracery lights are excellently treated throughout1 sometimes in a most unusual manner4 ,above the window just described1 we find on a lilac field thirteen golden coins1 each bearing a different head4 ,this comment upon the higher panes leads us to speak of a most delicate group of four panels perched up above the north portal4 ,across them extends what appears to be a long cloister having a rich damasked curtain fastened shoulder-high from column to column1 above which is afforded a distant prospect of gardens1 etc41 while in each of the panels there stands a female saint4 ,but little height is needed for this picture1 so the traceries above come down low1 and are filled by a throng of blue eaglets on a golden ground1 the heraldic insignia of the ,montmorencys4 ,before the ,battle of ,bouvines the shield of this house bore but four eaglets1 but on that day ,mathieu de ,montmorency captured twelve of the enemy's standards with his own hand4 ,in recognition of these deeds of prowess ,king ,philip ,augustus added twelve more eaglets to his arms1 one for each captured standard1 thus raising the total to sixteen4 ,these arms we shall see often repeated in the windows at ,montmorency1 ,ecouen and ,chantilly4 ,a visit to this little church is a delightful experience and fills us with eager expectation of what its founder's son1 the great ,constable1 can show us in his two castles of ,ecouen and ,chantilly4 ,we are tempted to stray off into the charming forest which stretches away more than five miles to the northwest and to revel in the natural beauty of its chestnut trees1 but the ,constable awaits us1 so off we must be to ,ecouen4 ,,ecouen ,ecouen is generally visited because of its fine chateau1 built on the crest of a hill and entirely surrounded by a delightful wood except on the side where from a flowered terrace there is disclosed a far-reaching view out over a smiling country4 ,but it is not the chateau which lures us hither1 but the parish church down in the town that nestles at the foot of the castle walls4 ,the chateau has lost its old glass1 the two panels from its chapel showing the children of ,anne de ,montmorency being now in the chapel at ,chantilly1 which place also rejoices in the possession of the famous series of forty-four scenes from the adventures of ,cupid and ,psyche1 which originally decorated the now destroyed ,salle des ,gardes at ,ecouen4 ,for us1 therefore1 the chateau has lost most of its charm2 if you wish to inspect it you must obtain a carte d'entree from the ,chancellerie de la ,legion d',honneur in ,paris1 for it is now a school for daughters of members of that order1 and is not open to the public4 ,for those of us who have come here to see the parish church there will be no bother about permits1 for none is needed4 ,this church not only contains excellent ,renaissance windows1 but upon them we shall find a fine array of ,montmorency portraits as well4 ,the upper panels of the lofty lancets that flank the high altar are filled with scriptural scenes1 but below they contain1 that to the left1 ,anne de ,montmorency with his five sons1 and that to the right1 his wife attended by five daughters4 ,although we have here the same family portraits as those seen in ,montmorency ,church1 this pair is much older 7#aedd-e71 and not only shows the children as much younger than at ,montmorency 7#aefc71 but also has but five daughters instead of the seven seen on the later glass4 ,nor are these the only similar pairs of these windows4 ,the ,constable was so proud of his children and of their number that he seemed to never tire of having them portrayed on glass4 ,we have just referred to a third pair 7dated #aedd7 made for the chapel of ,ecouen chateau1 but now at ,chantilly1 and there is still a fourth pair in the nearby church of ,mesnil-,aubry which are the latest of all1 for the ,constable is there shown with a snow-white beard4 ,at ,ecouen we observe that the parents occupy each a separate panel from the children1 but at ,chantilly the parent panels are both missing4 ,the remaining three windows on the south side of the choir bear as donors still other ,montmorencys1 but the work is later and not nearly so good4 ,the high altar concealed the lower half of the central eastern windows1 so they did the next most sensible thing to lowering the altar back--they transferred to a little northern chapel the panels it obscured4 ,the whole northerly side of the choir opens out into a chapel whose northern and eastern ends are lighted by three large embrasures filled with excellent ,renaissance glazing1 depicting scenes from the life of the ,virgin4 ,especially fine is the second from the east1 showing in the lower half1 the death of the ,virgin1 while above are clouds peopled with angels1 all leading up to the ,father in the top pane of the tracery4 ,the traceries of the three easternmost choir embrasures are filled with blue eaglets on a golden ground1 the insignia of the ,montmorencys4 ,this same treatment of the traceries may also be remarked in the chapel of the chateau2 in fact1 they are all that remains there of the original glazing4 ,we have already admired this same form of decoration over the north portal at the ,montmorency ,church4 ,it seems a pity that the ,ecouen glass now at ,chantilly could not be restored to the embrasures for which it was made2 it obviously does not belong where it is now found1 and1 besides1 it loses there the historic significance which it would enjoy in its old home at the chateau of ,ecouen4 ,,chantilly ,at one time or another during our glass pilgrimages we have happened upon examples of other mediaeval arts and crafts which all combine to make ,france so absorbingly interesting4 ,it has been reserved for our visit to ,chantilly to show us one of the formal gardens of ,old ,france in which nature has been made to yield to the whim and fancy of the landscape artist4 ,most travellers have seen the famous gardens of ,versailles and have heard that they were designed and arranged by ,le ,notre1 but those at ,chantilly were designed by this same master before he was called by the ,king to do his greatest work at ,versailles4 ,there are many who prefer his earlier effort1 and we must be grateful to our glass for having brought us to this delightful spot4 ,the forest of ,chantilly1 which covers over six thousand acres1 forms an excellent foil for the formal stateliness of the gardens4 ,one is not allowed to visit the chateau except on ,thursdays and ,sundays and not then if it happens to be a day when there is racing at the ,chantilly track4 ,this regulation is to prevent race crowds from overrunning the chateau and grounds4 ,the beautiful building with its priceless collections was the private property of the ,duc d',aumale and was by him presented to the ,institut de ,france4 ,in a long low gallery especially constructed for them1 and which receives all its light through them1 is a much travelled and widely discussed series of forty-four panels narrating episodes from the adventures of ,cupid and ,psyche4 ,they are of the yellow stain and grey type which we have noticed at ,troyes and ,chalons1 but here the workmanship is far superior4 ,note that the grey is in places almost brown1 and that the yellow is used but sparingly4 ,the high state of perfection to which the design and drawing are carried1 combined with the fact that their subjects are non-religious1 make them delightfully unique4 ,it is easy to observe the strong influence of ,italian art1 not only in their general style but also in the very liberal borrowing of designs from well-known ,italian paintings4 ,until recently they were attributed to that versatile master of many arts1 ,bernard ,palissy1 but that has been definitely disproved4 ,they are now generally acknowledged to be the work of ,cocxyen1 a ,flemish student of ,van ,orley 7who made the windows of ,ste4 ,gudule in ,brussels71 and the ,italian influence is explained by the fact that he studied in ,rome4 ,these panels are dated #aedb-d and were originally made for the windows of the ,salle des ,gardes at the ,chateau of ,ecouen upon the order of ,constable ,anne de ,montmorency4 ,the ,revolution dislodged them and they found their way into a museum arranged by ,lenoir4 ,this collection was dispersed in #ahah4 ,it is narrated that the ,prince de ,conde1 when visiting the museum1 admired this set of glass4 ,hearing someone remark that they had formerly adorned a castle belonging to his family 7meaning ,ecouen71 he had them bundled up and packed off to his chateau at ,chantilly1 where they have since remained4 ,this picturesque tale serves to show that stained glass panels were not then regarded as necessarily stationary4 ,we have seen several other instances of this lack of respect for their stout iron bars4 ,they were beautiful and valuable1 and therefore1 when the occasion arose1 they were removed6 ,excellent as is the work upon these panels and graceful as are the figures1 we cannot but notice that our art is taking rapid strides towards its decadence4 ,they are no longer windows where the full value of colour and leading are appreciated and used4 ,in this set they are careful colourless paintings on glass in which the artistic value of the leads is so disregarded that they no longer provide or even assist the drawing--they only mar it as they run across the panes wherever their supporting strength is necessary4 ,we have arrived at a time when the windows are becoming painted pictures done in the manner of paintings on canvas4 ,the artist no longer remembers that stained glass is a separate art and that he has certain advantages in technique over the oil painter1 just as the latter has over him4 ,the small ante-chapel has on each side a tall window4 ,in the middle of each is set a large panel of sixteenth century glass1 the one on the right showing five ,montmorency daughters kneeling in a row1 attended by ,ste4 ,agathe1 and the one on the left their five brothers1 also kneeling1 and similarly attended by ,st4 ,john4 ,the remainder of the embrasure is1 in each case1 filled with modern glass done in the ,renaissance manner and intended to harmonise with the older panel in its midst4 ,the artist devoted more care to the faces of the boys than to those of their sisters1 for although the latter are monotonously alike in drawing and posture1 the former differ markedly4 ,the face of the smallest boy is most diverting4 ,his hands are clasped in prayer1 but unlike his more devout brothers and sisters1 his eyes are not turned toward the altar1 but he is gazing out into the chapel with childish curiosity4 ,in these two panels the leads are not so cumbrously intrusive1 but there is a lesson which every glass artist should learn from an inspection of the carefully painted windows at ,ecouen1 ,montmorency and ,chantilly4 ,he cannot fail to notice how the misuse of the leads has been accentuated by the careful painting1 and he should carry away with him a firm conviction that the more delicate the design the less it can afford to quarrel with the leading4 ,,beauvais ,the average tourist looks forwards with keen interest to his first visit to ,beauvais4 ,he has1 of course1 heard of the ancient glories of its tapestry1 which industry is still kept up by the ,french ,government4 ,he has also read that the perfect ,french cathedral would be composed of the choir of ,beauvais1 the nave of ,amiens1 the west front of ,rheims and the towers of ,chartres3 so of the choir of ,beauvais he expects great things4 ,nor will he be disappointed1 especially if he first views it from the ,amiens road4 ,this approach reveals the town to him in the most picturesque way imaginable4 ,on reaching the brow of a short hill he becomes suddenly aware of ,beauvais1 lying below him in the valley beside a lazy river4 ,one could more properly say that he first saw not the town1 but the amazing uplift of the cathedral1 and next the town about it4 ,the great height of this edifice is accentuated by the fact that only the choir and the transepts are now standing4 ,long ago the nave succumbed to the great strain which its unnatural height put upon the materials of which it was constructed1 and collapsed4 ,the architect's vaulting ambition o'erleapt itself4 ,in fact it is only by means of constant shoring and repairing that this choir1 the loftiest in ,france1 is preserved in a safe and solid condition4 ,when the pilgrim descends into the town he comes upon many interesting timber-framed houses1 some of them with second stories projecting over the arcaded footway below and exhibiting quaintly attractive carvings on their heavy beams4 ,we find an intelligent attempt to preserve the best traditions of the older ,beauvais tapestry in the modern factory4 ,just as formerly1 it bears floral designs and very rarely personages1 being of the sort called basse lice1 and woven on a horizontal frame1 thereby differing from the haute lice of the ,gobelins factory1 where the frames are perpendicular4 ,not only in the ,cathedral1 but also in the church of ,st4 ,etienne1 do we find excellent glass of the sixteenth century4 ,the latter's fine ,gothic choir1 adorned with graceful flying buttresses1 provides a strong contrast to its sturdier ,romanesque nave4 ,the glass is only to be found around the choir1 and is well deserving of its high repute4 ,one should notice the tone of the blues1 especially in the background of the church's finest window1 a ,tree of ,jesse1 the first on the left from the ,lady ,chapel4 ,it is the work of ,engrand le ,prince1 and is one of the best known examples of the irrelevant use of portraits of high dignitaries4 ,their half-length figures appear as blossoms on the vine4 ,among the fourteen1 almost all contemporary likenesses1 the most recognisable are ,francis ,i and ,henry ,,ii4 ,at the back of the choir clerestory there is a fine window1 blue with golden rays of the sun spreading out over it4 ,the legend of ,st4 ,hubert is very agreeably set out just to the east of the small south portal1 the green used therein being seldom surpassed4 ,illustration3 ,,tree ,,of ,,jesse ,,st4 ,,etienne1 ,,beauvais 7#af,,th ,,century74 ,popular subject in stained glass2 the vine springing from the loins of ,jesse generally bears his descendants as blossoms1 and culminates above in a great lily from which emerge the ,virgin and ,child4 ,here occurs an interesting #afth century variation--among the descendants of ,jesse appear contemporary portraits1 ,francis ,i1 ,henry ,,ii1 etc4 ,it is difficult to express in words the effect of extreme loftiness which strikes one as he enters the south door of the ,cathedral4 ,it seems almost impossible to shake off this impression2 in fact1 one is constantly being surprised that he does not grow accustomed to the great sweep of the upward lines4 ,in the two great rose windows which decorate the transept ends1 and in the double row of lancets below each1 there is excellent glass of this period4 ,the northern rose shows the golden rays of the sun spreading out over a blue background1 reminding us of its prototype at ,st4 ,etienne4 ,below1 the ten figures of women are attributed to ,le ,pot4 ,the southern rose contains the history of the ,creation with such interesting detail as to well repay the trouble to decipher it caused by its great height above us4 ,below are two handsome rows of lancets dated #aeea1 the upper containing prophets1 and the lower1 saints4 ,the western wall1 rising abruptly at the point where the nave should commence1 has in its north and south corners two chapels4 ,each of these chapels has large sixteenth century windows1 the northerly one in the west wall1 the ,descent from the ,cross1 being very fine2 in fact1 it is by some considered the best in the cathedral4 ,the choir also has fine ,renaissance glass1 although in several of the choir chapels 7especially in the ,lady ,chapel7 and around the clerestory at the east end1 there are some very interesting thirteenth century windows1 one1 in particular1 a ,tree of ,jesse1 rendered attractive by the halo of flying birds about the head of the ,saviour4 ,so tall are the clerestory embrasures that generally only the middle portion of them contains personages1 the upper and lower parts being filled with grisaille4 ,most of these upper embrasures were glazed in the fourteenth century1 and show to a marked degree the revulsion from the sombre mosaic1 and the demand for greater illumination4 ,all this glass would be much more effective if nearer the eye of the observer1 the great height at which it is placed not only spoiling the perspective1 but resulting in a jumble of colours4 ,the ,city ,hall contains the flag which the gallant townswoman1 ,jeanne ,hachette1 captured with her own hands upon the occasion of the attack on the city made by ,charles the ,bold and his army4 ,although this gallant deed was performed in #adgb1 it has never been forgotten by the people of ,beauvais1 and its anniversary is reverently commemorated upon the #bith of every ,june4 ,,bourg ,in addition to the glass seen during these three trips1 there are three isolated churches whose windows are so interesting as well as important that one should not be contented to conclude his sixteenth century studies without visiting them4 ,not only is each one of them distant from other contemporary glass1 but it would seem as though the ,imp of the ,perverse had taken a hand in placing them as far away from each other as possible4 ,bourg is down south in ,savoy2 ,auch is near ,toulouse in the southwest2 and ,champigny-sur-,veude is off in the western part of ,touraine1 near the lower reaches of the river ,loire4 ,each of these three not only was completely glazed during this epoch1 but has also retained its glass in good condition4 ,in each case the special interest which causes our visit is quite peculiar and very different from that which attracts us to the others4 ,when we concluded our trips of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries we were confronted with the advisability of a separate journey to ,quimper1 and in like manner we should now decide to visit ,bourg1 ,auch and ,champigny-sur-,veude4 ,it must be confessed that it is inconvenient1 but it will prove well worth while4 ,first in importance is the church of ,brou at ,bourg4 ,although ,savoy now forms part of ,france1 we shall1 upon this excursion1 find proof that it was not always ,french1 and shall furthermore encounter much interesting history wrapped up in the tale of the building and glazing of the church of ,brou4 ,up in the north1 at ,st4 ,quentin1 we found the high-water mark 7on ,french soil7 of that splendid empire which the ,spaniard1 ,charles ,v1 agglomerated under his banner and which he resigned to his son1 ,philip ,,ii1 the victor of the ,battle of ,st4 ,quentin4 ,so vast and important was his empire that he lacked only ,france to have all the continent of ,europe beneath his sway4 ,it was the aunt of this ,emperor ,charles ,v1 ,marguerite d',autriche1 who built the exquisite church of ,brou in memory of her husband1 ,philibert le ,beau1 ,duke of ,savoy1 killed in a hunting accident4 ,after this glance at history1 it is not difficult to understand why ,marguerite sent to ,flanders for her architect and for her glass designers1 for as ,flanders was part of her nephew's empire1 none was more fully advised than she of the high reputation then enjoyed by the artists of the ,low ,countries4 ,apropos of the way in which her husband ,philibert died1 it is related that when his father had been at the point of death from a similar hunting accident1 ,philibert's mother1 ,marguerite de ,bourbon1 had vowed to erect a chapel to ,st4 ,hubert1 patron saint of huntsmen1 if he recovered4 ,her failure to comply with this vow was by many firmly believed to be the reason why her son ,philibert was killed upon the hunting field1 and that his untimely end was a solemn warning that a vow to ,st4 ,hubert must be strictly kept4 ,in any event1 ,st4 ,hubert must have been fully satisfied with the manner in which the oath was finally carried out1 for the chapel so built has remained to amaze and delight many generations4 ,the wonderful marble tombs1 the graceful rood screen1 the splendid glass1 all go to prove that there was here lavished everything that wealth1 power and intelligence could command4 ,it is bewildering to decide with which of the eighteen windows we shall begin our inspection4 ,because of our interest in the foundress and her husband1 let us commence with that in the choir1 which is at the left of the most easterly window4 ,upon this one and its neighbour to the left we shall see spread out much concerning the life1 family and habits of ,philibert4 ,the first window shows the ,duke himself attended by his patron saint1 ,st4 ,philibert1 while in the background there looms up his favourite ducal palace of ,pont d',ain1 where he lived and died4 ,as indicating the importance of his duchy there are arranged above him thirteen shields displaying the arms of provinces at one time part of ,savoy4 ,the next window to the left bears a splendid array of thirty-five shields whose heraldry serves to complete our information about ,duke ,philibert by showing the individuals composing his family tree4 ,those on the right are of the paternal line of ,savoy1 and on the left we follow his mother's line 7the ,house of ,bourbon7 as far up as ,louis ,,ix1 whose arms appear at the very top of the embrasure4 ,it is most fitting that the arms of our old friend1 the royal patron of stained glass1 should preside over the most brilliant window in this famously glazed sanctuary4 ,it is to be noticed that this church is very rich in heraldic blazons2 in fact1 upon five of its windows we find seventy-one shields4 ,the ,chapelle des ,sept ,joies contains a gorgeous work1 the ,crowning of the ,virgin1 in which every effort of the glassmaker's skill seems to have been exerted4 ,above the principal subject runs a panel-like frieze showing in allegory the ,triumph of ,christ4 ,this frieze is done in grey and yellow stain4 ,the whole window would leave nothing to be desired in either technique or colour if it were not made the victim of an exaggerated outbreak of the curse of donors' figures4 ,the foundress and her husband are not only allowed to intrude upon the drawing of the general subject1 but each of them is actually larger than the figure of the ,virgin4 ,the records show that this church 7begun in #aeaa7 had all its glass installed at the time of its completion in #aecf1 thus showing that the windows were made during the most vigorous part of the century1 a fact thoroughly borne out by internal evidence4 ,we may consider ourselves fortunate that the use of this glorious building for a store-house during the ,revolution damaged the glass so little4 ,in this connection it is surprising to read that its beauty was so much appreciated that the people voted to preserve it as a public monument1 thus staying the hand of the ever-ready vandalism which then raged through so many ,french churches4 ,a sketch of ,bourg would not be complete without a reference to the noble poem of ,matthew ,arnold4 ,the following lines are particularly appropriate to the moving cause for our visit to this lovely shrine3 ,so sleep1 forever sleep1 ,o marble ,pair6 ,or1 if ye wake1 let it be then1 when fair ,on the carved western front a flood of light ,streams from the setting sun1 and colours bright ,prophets1 transfigured ,saints1 and ,martyrs brave1 ,in the vast western window of the nave2 ,and on the pavement round the tomb there glints ,a chequer-work of glowing sapphire-tints1 ,and amethyst1 and ruby--then unclose ,your eyelids on the stone where ye repose1 ,and looking down on the warm rosy tints1 ,which chequer1 at your feet1 the illumined flints1 ,say3 ,what is this8 ,we are in bliss--forgiven-- ,behold the pavement of the courts of ,heaven6 ,,auch ,seventy-seven kilometres west of ,toulouse there lies the interesting city of ,auch1 built upon a hillside rising sharply from the river ,gers4 ,here one will happen upon many an ancient architectural bit which will take him back to the days when ,henry of ,navarre here entertained1 much against her will1 his mother-in-law1 ,catherine de ,medicis1 in this south-western corner of ,france1 far off from her beloved ,paris4 ,the very remoteness has preserved many of its old-world features1 and this ancient flavour1 combined with the picturesque position above the river1 renders it distinctly a town to be visited4 ,but something more than the general mediaeval air of ,auch is the cause for our long jaunt hither4 ,this reason we shall find in the eighteen windows that adorn the choir ambulatory of the cathedral of ,ste4 ,marie4 ,an inscription in the ,gascon dialect on the final one of the series tells us that they are by the hand of ,arnaud ,desmoles and that they were finished ,june #be1 #aeac4 ,we have here the work of a ,frenchman1 a ,gascon at that1 and there is no trace of ,italian1 ,german or any other foreign influence2 it is the true flower of the country's genius growing on its native soil4 ,perhaps the drawing and the colouring are not quite so good as we may see elsewhere1 but it is purely ,french4 ,any imperfection of detail is hardly noticed1 because we are instantly struck by the ensemble of eighteen windows made for the building which they decorate1 as well as for each other1 and all by the same artist4 ,his scheme of subjects1 showing the agreement between the teachings of the ,old and those of the ,new ,testament1 is fully carried through to its completion4 ,the colours show strength and yet are not too robust4 ,the proportions1 too1 are very satisfactory1 each window being about three times as high as it is broad4 ,their stories begin with the creation of the world and carry us on1 step by step1 until they conclude with the appearance of ,christ to ,his disciples4 ,the central part of each embrasure is filled by a large personage1 with sundry smaller figures above1 and groups below4 ,it is but natural that so complete a series as this should have always enjoyed a wide reputation4 ,although we may feel1 after examining them1 that they do not reach the standard of perfection attained by some of their contemporaries elsewhere1 still they cannot fail to please us4 ,the charm lent by their logical completeness causes us to prefer them to others where the perfection of drawing and style in the individual window is partly offset by lack of harmony with others near it4 ,,champigny-,,sur-,,veude ,any mention of ,touraine generally calls up before us the picture of a smiling country through which rolls the lazy ,loire hemmed in by its sandy banks1 with every now and again the vision of a charming chateau1 type of the best mediaeval architecture4 ,to the glass lover1 however1 the chief and almost the only attraction of the province is the cathedral at ,tours 7see page #ea74 ,we say almost1 because although not generally known and but seldom visited by the tourist1 ,touraine has another glass shrine lying within a few kilometres of the ,chateau de ,chinon4 ,the chapel in which we find this glass was formerly part of the ,chateau of ,champigny-sur-,veude1 but the chapel alone remains4 ,before we enter1 the writer wishes to deliver himself of a partial explanation or apology1 and he does so for the following reason3 he has all along inveighed bitterly against the curse of donors' figures upon windows1 but on this occasion he must frankly admit that he is guilty of taking you to see glass of which a most interesting feature is these very representations of the donors4 ,in fact the chapel has a peculiar value because it contains thirty-six portraits of the ,bourbon-,montpensier family4 ,they are to be found along the lowest panels1 each one kneeling before a prie-dieu4 ,the chapel is admirably lighted1 partly due to the destruction of the old chateau1 but chiefly to the eleven large windows1 each seven by three and a half metres4 ,the same scheme of decoration prevails throughout4 ,lowest down we find the kneeling donors2 above them and occupying far more space are historical episodes from the life of ,louis ,,ix1 of peculiar interest to us1 his humble followers in the love of stained glass4 ,among the most interesting of these glass pictures may be cited one showing a battle with the ,saracens in the ,holy ,land1 several portraying ships filled with armoured knights1 and particularly the episode of ,st4 ,louis dedicating the ,ste4 ,chapelle at ,paris4 ,above these in the roomy oval traceries are scenes from the ,passion4 ,highest of all are small panes containing either a capital ,l with a crown slipped down around it1 or a bird's wing similarly encircled by a crown1 referring respectively to ,king ,louis and the ,bourbons4 ,the only variation from the regularity of this general scheme is the east window1 which shows the creation of the world and has below it ,christ between the two thieves4 ,the fact that this chapel is to-day completely glazed in its original glass and that there is a thorough coherence of style throughout1 would alone serve to repay us for the long trip from ,paris2 but when we add the fact that this is a ,bourbon portrait gallery1 an historical interest is at once added to its other attractions4 ,these arguments in its favour will keep us from observing too keenly how much the crudeness of some of the colours accentuates the dullness of others4 ,it would be better if the greens could be softened and the greys enlivened4 ,lest we may seem by thus criticising the glass to wish to disparage it1 we make haste to urge our reader to visit ,champigny4 ,he will find ample compensation for its isolation from other glass of its century by the many chateaux which make a trip through ,touraine so enjoyable4 ,illustration3 ,,dedication ,,of ,,paris ,,ste4 ,,chapelle ,,at ,,champigny-,,sur-,,veude4 ,panel containing kneeling donors not shown4 #afth century glass picture of a #acth century event4 7,see page #bf74 ,,itineraries ,,showing ,,distances ,,in ,,kilometres ,,thirteenth ,,century ,paris--#bbg--;,bourges--#aij--,poitiers --#ajc--,tours--#ajg--;,angers--#hg--,le ,mans--#abd--;,chartres--#hh--,paris4 ,paris--#afh--;,auxerre--#ei--,sens--#fc --,troyes--#gi--;,chalons--#da--,rheims --#ade--,paris4 ,paris--#ie--,soissons--#ce--,laon--#df- -,st4 ,quentin--#ge--;,amiens--#aca--,paris4 ,,fourteenth ,,and ,,fifteenth ,,centuries ,paris--#id--;,evreux--#ea--,rouen--#acc --,paris4 ,paris--#bbg--;,bourges--#ig--,moulins-- #hb--,riom--#ad--;,clermont-,ferrand--#a dh --,eymoutiers--#ej--,limoges--#abj--,poi tiers--#abd--;,angers--#hg--,le ,mans--#di--;,alencon--#ba--,sees--#fd-- ,verneuil--#ed--;,chartres--#hh--,paris4 ,paris--#eee--,quimper4 ,,sixteenth ,,century ,paris--#e--,vincennes--#ajg--,sens--#fc --,troyes--#gi--;,chalons--#afj--,paris4 ,paris--#de--,montfort l',amaury--#gb--;,conches--#ef--,pont-,a udemer--#cb-- ,caudebec--#cd--,rouen--#acc--,paris4 7,rouen--#cc--;,grand-,andely1 ,rouen--#bj --,elbeuf1 ,rouen--#ah--,pont de l',arche47 ,paris--#ah--,montmorency--#h--;,ecouen- -#bg--;,chantilly--#ej--;,beauvais--#gh --,paris4 ,paris--#dff--;,bourg4 ,paris--#gja--;,auch4 ,paris--#bgi--;,champigny-sur-,veude4 ,,index ,,kilometres ,,from ,,paris ,,epochs ,,page #aib ,alencon #afth ,century #ahj #aca ,amiens #acth #aab #cjb ,angers #acth #ee #cjb ,angers #aeth #age #gja ,auch #afth #bij #afh ,auxerre #acth #gd #gh ,beauvais #afth #bha #dff ,bourg #afth #bhe #bbg ,bourges #acth #db #bbg ,bourges #aeth #aea #afa ,caudebec #afth #bde #afj ,chalons #acth #hg #afj ,chalons #afth #bcc #bgi ,champigny-sur-,veude #afth #bib #cf ,chantilly #afth #bgg #hh ,chartres #acth #fg #hh ,chartres #adth #ahh #chc ,clermont-,ferrand #aeth #afj #aag ,conches #afth #bci #ah ,ecouen #afth #bgd #abd ,elbeuf #afth #bfa #id ,evreux #adth #acg #daj ,eymoutiers #aeth #afd #ii ,grand-,andely #afth #beh #abi ,laon #acth #ajc #cic ,limoges #adth #afi #bad ,mans 7,le7 #acth #fj #bad ,mans 7,le7 #aeth #agh #de ,montfort l',amaury #afth #bcf #ah ,montmorency #afth #bgj #bhi ,moulins #aeth #aee #ig ,nonancourt #aeth #ahg #ccd ,poitiers #acth #dg #ccd ,poitiers #adth #agb #afg ,pont-,audemer #afth #bdb #aad ,pont de l',arche #afth #bfc #eee ,quimper #aeth #aia #ade ,rheims #acth #ib #cfh ,riom #aeth #aeg #acc ,rouen #adth #add #acc ,rouen #afth #bdi #agf ,st4 ,quentin #acth #ajg #ahj ,sees #adth #ahj #aab ,sens #acth #gg #aab ,sens #afth #bah #ie ,soissons #acth #ii #bcc ,tours #acth #ea #aef ,troyes #acth #hb #aef ,troyes #afth #bbb #aah ,verneuil #aeth #ahe #e ,vincennes #afth #bae 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's note3 ,minor changes have been made to correct typesetters' errors2 otherwise1 every effort has been made to remain true to the author's words and intent4