THE FAIRS OF PARIS.
The City of Paris had fairs in great variety, some of which I now proceed
to notice.
_St. Denis_ or _Lendit Fair_.—One of the earliest, perhaps the first,
was the mercantile fair of St. Denis, chartered early in the seventh
century by Dagobert “in honour of the Lord and to the glory of St. Denys
at his festival.” This fair, by reason of the privileges granted, became
known under the name of the _forum idictum_—whence _l’indict_, and its
corruption to _landit_ and _lendit_. To it came the iron and lead of the
Saxons, the slaves of the northern nations, the jewellery and perfumes
of the Jews, the oil, wine and fat of Provence and Spain, the honey and
madder of Neustria and Brittany, the merchandise of Egypt and the East.
The fair, which lasted ten days from the 10th of October, was opened by
a procession of monks from the Abbey of St. Denis; and in later times
it was usual for the Parliament of Paris to allow itself a holiday,
called Landi, in order that its members might take part in the great
marriage-feast of commerce and religion: just as the English Parliament
usually finds relaxation in horse-flesh and mammon on the “Derby day” at
Epsom!
English merchants frequented this fair in the ninth century, _vide_
Cunningham’s “English Industry and Commerce,” 1882, p. 82.
But St. Denis had another fair, at one time famous, to which tradition
has accorded the following origin. The Paris Cathedral received from
Constantinople, in 1109, some fragments of the cross, regarded as
authentic. The populace could not find room in the church where they
were deposited in any one day; hence the bishop carried them in great
pomp to the plain of St. Denis, where there was room enough for the vast
concourse of worshippers who assembled to contemplate and adore. This
ceremony and procession were renewed at stated periods. The schools of
the cloister of Notre Dame had early taken part in the processions; and
finally the students of the University of Paris claimed it as a patron
festival, which it certainly was not.
In process of time a mart or fair became established on the recurrence
of this Church festival. The ground was regarded as consecrated for
the purpose. On each 12th of June (the day after the festival of St.
Barnabas) the procession took place. It was at a later period called the
“Feast of the Parchment.”
Early in the morning of the day of procession, the students, attired in
their best, assembled on horseback at the top of Mount St. Geneviève,
to accompany the Rector of the University, who, arrayed in his scarlet
cloak, and wearing his doctor’s cap, proceeded on a mule or hackney,
accompanied by the deans, proctors and myrmidons, to the plain of St.
Denis, where the market for the sale of parchment was already opened. The
rector upon reaching the fair caused to be put aside as much parchment
as would be required by the University for the coming year, and received
from the sellers a donation equivalent to £100 of the present day. This I
assume was the toll paid for the right of holding the fair.
After this the students alighted from their horses, and instead of
forming part of the procession back to Paris, amused themselves at
the fair. This invariably led to riot and disorder, and not a year
passed without blood being spilt. Thus from the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries the decrees of parliament against the carrying of arms or
sticks, which were continually being renewed and always neglected,
testify to the gravity of the evil, and to the difficulties of putting an
end to it.
At last, in 1566, the fair was transferred from the plain to the town
of St. Denis, and at about the same period paper began to supersede
parchment even for public documents. The rector, therefore, ceased
getting a supply of parchment at the fair, and the students having no
further pretext for attending, it speedily fell into disuse. By the
beginning of the seventeenth century the only vestige of it left was
the general holiday which the rector granted to the students of the
University upon the first Monday after the feast of St. Barnabas, _vide_
Lecroix’s “Science and Literature in the Middle Ages,” pp. 34-36.
_St. Germain._—This fair was held in a large permanent building specially
provided, constituting something like twin market halls, elegantly
constructed of timber, and long regarded as models of construction. The
two halls embraced nine streets in line intersecting each other and
divided into twenty-four sections or aisles; the shops having little
rooms or store-houses over them, and behind some of them were open
spaces, with wells—regarded as of importance in case of fire, although
not proving of much avail when the event occurred. The streets were
distinguished by the names of the different trades conducted in them—as
Goldsmiths’ Street, Mercers’ Street, &c.
The fair was opened the day after Candlemas Day. It was greatly
frequented by traders from Amiens, Beaumont, Rheims, Orleans, and
Nugent, with various sorts of cloth and textile fabrics. The goldsmiths,
jewellers, and toymen of Paris made a fine display of their wares.
There were brought to this fair, one year with another, some 1,400 bales
of cloth and other woollen stuffs, of which the inspector of manufactures
at the Custom-house, Paris, was required to keep a particular register.
Two inspectors of the fair were required to be present at the opening
of the bales of goods. There was also a further inspection made by the
Masters and Wardens of the Guilds of Drapery and Mercery.
I find a graphic account of this fair in Lister’s “Travels in France,”
1698, which I here transcribe:
We were in Paris at the time of the fair of St. Germain. It lasts six
weeks at least; the place where it is kept, well bespeaks its antiquity;
for it is a very pit or hole, in the middle of the Faubourg, and belongs
to the great abbey of that name. You descend into it on all sides, and in
some places above twelve steps; so that the city is raised above it six
or eight foot.
The building is a very barn, or frame of wood, tiled over; consisting of
many long allies, crossing one another, the floor of the allies unpaved,
and of earth, and as uneven as may be: which makes it very uneasy to walk
in, were it not the vast croud of people which keep you up. But all this
bespeaks its antiquity, and the rudeness of the first ages of Paris,
which is a foil to its politeness in all things else now.
The fair consists of most toy-shops, and Bartholomew-fair ware; also
fiance and pictures, joiner’s work, linen and woollen manufactures; many
of the great ribband shops remove out of the Palais hither; no books;
many shops of confectioners, where the ladies are commodiously treated.
The great rendezvous is at night, after the play and opera are done; and
raffling for all things vendible is the great diversion; no shop wanting
two or three raffling boards. Monsieur, the Dauphin, and other princes
of the blood come at least once in the fair-time to grace it. Here are
also coffee-shops, where that and all sorts of strong liquors ... are
sold.
Knavery here is in perfection as with us; as dexterous cut-purses and
pick-pockets. A pick-pocket came into the fair at night, extremely
well-clad, with four lacqueys with good liveries attending him: he was
caught in the fact, and more swords were drawn in his defence than
against him; but yet he was taken, and delivered into the hands of
justice, which is here sudden and no jest.
I was surprized at the impudence of a booth, which put out the pictures
of some Indian beasts, with hard names; and of four that were painted,
I found but two, and those very ordinary ones, viz. a leopard, and a
racoun. I asked the fellow, why he deceived the people, and whether
he did not fear cudgelling in the end: he answered with a singular
confidence, that it was the painter’s fault; that he had given the racoun
to paint to two masters, but both had mistaken the beast; but however (he
said) though the pictures were not well designed, they did nevertheless
serve to grace the booth and bring him custom.
_St. Laurence_ (or _St. Laurent_).—So called from its situation near
St. Laurence’s Church. It is so ancient that no date can be even
approximately fixed for its origin. Its chief traders were goldsmiths
and mercers, picture-painters, sempstresses, lemonade-sellers, toymen,
earthenware people, gingerbread bakers, &c. &c. To it came people from
Amiens, Beauvais, Rheims, and other places of Picardy and Champagne, with
light fabrics, both plain and striped, and camlets of all sorts.
The fair seems originally to have lasted but one day; but the period
gradually became extended to two months, commencing the day after St.
James’s day and ending at Michaelmas. It was proclaimed by sound of
trumpet.
These two rival fairs had this peculiarity: they were always open as
bazaars. They were not fairs in the usual sense of the term for more
than three months in the year. The St. Germain fair was held in the
winter, and the St. Laurent in the early part of the summer. The former
never recovered its popularity after the fire which destroyed the wooden
constructions used during the fair (1763), though by the erection of
new galleries, more elegant than the old ones, there was added to the
attractions of a fair a dancing-saloon, the Winter Wauxhall, which was
well attended for a time.
The St. Laurent fair was held in the upper part of the faubourg of that
name, was larger and more elaborately decorated than the St. Germain
fair, but it had no Wauxhall, and the only amusements for the frequenters
of its Chinese Redoubt were swings and other foreign games.
_The St. Ovide Fair._—This was established in August, 1764, and was
held in the very centre of Paris, upon the Place Vendôme, then bounded
on one side by the church and convent of the Capucines. It was held
there for some years, and then transferred to the Place Louis XV., where
it did not last long, although it had originally been made fashionable
as the _Gingerbread Fair_. It was at this fair that Nicolet, previous
to establishing his theatre _des grands danseurs du Roi_, displayed
the wonderful strength and agility which gave rise to the proverb “_de
plus fort en plus fort, comme chez Nicolet_.”—Lacroix, “The Eighteenth
Century,” p. 356.
_Onion Fair of Notre Dame._—This fair is held in September, commencing
with the feast of Notre Dame, and continuing till the end of the
month. It is held on the Isle of Notre Dame, along the Quai Bourbon. A
prodigious quantity of black and red onions are brought into the city at
this period, the citizens laying in a stock for the whole year.
_Pork or Bacon Fair._—This “fair for gammons” is held on the Tuesday in
Passion Week in the street of Notre Dame, lasting but the one day only.
There is sold at it immense quantities of hams, flitches of bacon, and
other salted pork. Many amusing articles have been written concerning it.
HORSE AND CATTLE FAIRS.
The horse and cattle fairs of France were and are very numerous. I
shall give but a brief outline of the chief or more remarkable. Those
of _Chénerailles_ (a great town of Auvergne) are chiefly famous for
their fat cattle, brought for the most part to Paris. The fairs are
held the last Tuesday in every month. The fairs of _Guibray_ and _Caen_
are amongst the chief for horses. That of Fontenay, in Poictou, for the
horses bred in that province. It is held 24th June, and is one of the
most noted in France. The fair at Niort, on 1st December, is chiefly for
foals. At _Nogent-sur-Seine_, is a considerable horse fair, the 11th
August. There are three annual cattle fairs at _Braisne-le-Comte_, near
Soissons, viz. on 6th May, 14th September, and 14th December. The greater
part of the sales are for Paris. The fairs of _Nangis_ and _Crecy_ in
Brie, on 4th July and 29th September respectively, are very considerable,
and from these the graziers and butchers in the Isle of France are
supplied. _Montely_ is a fair chiefly for cows, great numbers of which
are brought by the farmers and peasants about Paris and all the Isle of
France. It is held 9th September. There are also several fairs for pigs
held in the villages around Paris, and innumerable other cattle and horse
fairs of lesser note, not calling for any particular mention.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
FAIRS OF RUSSIA.