RAMBOUILLET AND ITS FOREST
[Illustration: Chateau de Rambouillet]
Rambouillet is one of the most famous of the minor royal chateaux of
France. Built under the first of the monarchies, in the midst of the
vast forest of Yveline, it has always formed a part of the national
domain. Even now, under Republican France, it is still the scene of the
hunts organized for visiting monarchs, and, within the last half dozen
years alone, the monarchs of Spain and Belgium, Italy and England have
shot hares and stags and pheasants in company with a Republican
president.
The occasions have lacked the picturesque costumes of the disciples of
Saint Hubert in other times; but the huntsman still winds his horn to
the same traditional tune and the banquets given in the chateau on such
occasions are, in no small measure, an echo of what has gone before.
It was in the old chateau of Rambouillet that Francis I died. In the
month of March, 1547, Francis, coming from Chambord in the south,
crossed the "accursed bridge" and arrived at the foot of the ivy-grown
donjon which one sees to-day, the last remaining relic of the mediaeval
fortress. For a year the monarch had led a wandering life, revisiting
all the favourite haunts of his kingdom, and, though scarce turned
fifty, was prematurely aged and gray.
He was lifted tenderly from his royal coach, and by the winding stair,
carried slowly to his apartments on the second floor, overlooking the
three canals and the "accursed bridge" and the tangled forest beyond.
Jacques d'Angennes, to whose ancestors Rambouillet one day belonged,
acted as host to his royal master and cared for him as a brother, but
Francis was dispirited, and growing weaker every moment. He complained
bitterly of the death of his favourite son from the plague, and of that
of the gay monarch across the channel, his old friend, Henry VIII of
England.
He was restless and wished to move on to Saint Germain, but his
condition made that impossible. After a feeble attempt to rouse himself
for a hunt in the forest, he took to his bed again, with the admonition
to his friend d'Angennes, who never left him: "I am dying, send for my
son, Henri."
The prince joined the mourners around the royal bedside and heard his
father's confession thus: "My son, I have sinned greatly; I have been
led away by my passions; follow that which I have done that is
accredited good, and ignore the evil; above all, cherish France; be good
to my people."
That was all except the final counsel to "beware of the Guises; they are
traitors." After that he spoke no more. Francis I, the gallant,
art-loving monarch, the father of the Renaissance in France, was dead.
In 1562, Catherine de Medici, accompanied by her son Charles IX, here
awaited the results of the momentous battle of Dreux. In 1588, Henri
III, fleeing Paris after the "_journee des barricades_" came here to
rest, and so fatigued was he on his arrival that he went to bed "_tout
botte_."
The son of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan came into possession of
"the palace and lands" and in his honour the property was made, in spite
of its limited area, a Duche-Pairie.
Louis XIV and Madame de Maintenon, as was but natural, because of its
proximity to Maintenon and to Paris, frequently honoured Rambouillet
with their presence; and, a little later, Louis XV and the beautiful
Comtesse de Toulouse followed suit.
The Duc de Penthievre, to whom the property had by this time descended,
at the instance of Louis XVI, ceded to that monarch the domain of
Rambouillet.
Louis XVI built vast commons and outbuildings, all with some
architectural pretence, to house the appanage of the royal hunt, and
also built the Laiterie de la Reine and the model farm where, in 1786,
he established the first national sheepfold.
[Illustration: _Laiterie de la Reine, Rambouillet_]
To-day this is the famous Ecole de Bergers, where is quartered the
largest flock of _moutons a laine_ (merino sheep) in France, they
having been brought chiefly from Spain.
The Laiterie de la Reine was a tiny sandstone temple with interior
fittings chiefly of white marble, and with a great, round centre-table,
and smaller tables in each corner, equally of marble, as becomes a
hygienically fitted dairy. It was restored by Louis Napoleon during the
Second Empire, and is still to be seen in all its pristine glory.
In addition, Louis XVI had at Rambouillet a private domain of a
considerable extent which only the Constitution of 1791 united to the
Civil List. This property, except the palace, the park and the forest,
was sold later by the State. The Imperial Civil List, formed in 1805 by
Napoleon, included these dependencies specifically, and the emperor
frequently hunted in the neighbouring forest, though, compared to his
predecessors, he had little time to devote to that form of sport. Here,
too, was signed, in 1810, the decree which united Holland with the
Empire.
Rambouillet has fallen sadly since the Revolution. A decree of the
_Representants du Peuple_, of October 14, 1793, provided that "the
furnishings of this palace, heretofore royal, shall be sold." Under the
Consulate and Empire a certain citizen, Trepsat by name, received an
injury in protecting Napoleon in an attack and, as recompense, was made
the official Architect and Conservator of the Palace of Rambouillet.
Hardly had Trepsat entered upon his functions when he suggested the
demolition of the chateau. Napoleon hesitated, but finally partially
agreed, insisting, however, that enough should be left to form a
comfortable hunting-lodge. Trepsat would have torn down all and rebuilt
anew. Napoleon made an appointment with his architect to visit the
property and discuss the matter in detail the following year (1805), but
at that moment he was campaigning in Austria, so the interview was not
held. This was Trepsat's chance, and he found a pretext to overthrow the
entire east wing, but was stopped before he was able to further carry
out his ignorant act of vandalism. Trepsat was severely reprimanded by
the emperor himself, and was ordered to put things back as he found
them. "Even the most battered and sickly architect who ever lived could
hardly have had a worse inspiration," said Napoleon. Trepsat, be it
recalled, had lost a leg.
The restoration was commenced, but Trepsat, committing one fault after
another, and finally juggling with the accounts, was obliged to take on
a collaborator by the name of Famin, a young _pensionnaire_ of the
Academie des Beaux Arts, recently returned from Rome. It was he who
saved Rambouillet from utter destruction.
The apartments of Napoleon, which were those given over to public
functions in the time of the Comte de Toulouse, had been, and were, most
luxuriously appointed. That which shows most clearly the imprint of the
imperial regime is the curious Salle de Bains which was in direct
communication with the study, or Cabinet de Travail.
It might have been a room in a Pompeian house so classic were its lines
and decorations. There was a series of medallions painted on the wall
representing portraits of members of the imperial family. These were
chiefly portraits of the female sex, and Napoleon, the first time he
entered his bath, in an excess of modesty and fury cried out: "Who is
the ass that did this thing?" Immediately they were painted out, and,
for the sum of nine hundred and fifty francs, another artist was found
who filled the frames of the medallions with sights and scenes
associated less intimately with Napoleonic history.
Under the Empire the architect Famin was commissioned to furnish a
series of architectural embellishments to the gardens of Rambouillet.
Various stone statues were added and an octagon pavilion on the Ile des
Roches was restored and redecorated. Two great avenues were cut through
the _parterre_, and, as if fearing indiscretions on the part of his
entourage, the emperor caused to be planted long rows of lindens and
tulip trees, which were again masked by two rows of poplars. The
_peloux_ of the Jardin Francais were reestablished and the curves and
sweeps of the paths of the Jardin Anglais laid out anew.
This ancient government property, arisen anew from its ruins, now bore
the name of the Pavillon du Roi de Rome, after the son of Napoleon. The
Ecuries, or stables, which had been built by Louis XVI, were transformed
into kennels, and various "posts," or miniature shooting-boxes, were
distributed here and there through the park.
Under the Restoration the transformation of the chateau, which had been
projected ever since the time of Louis XVI, undertaken and then
abandoned by Napoleon, was again commenced, but on a less ambitious
scale than formerly. Chiefly this transformation consisted of opening up
windows, thus making practically a new facade. It was not wholly a happy
thought, and the spirit of economy of Louis XVIII, no less, perhaps,
than other motives, arrested this mutilation and the architect was
discharged from his functions.
[Illustration: _Chateau de Rambouillet_]
Again the hand of fate fell hard upon Rambouillet and its definite
eclipse as a royal abode came with the abdication of Charles X. The
abdication was actually signed at Rambouillet, and here, in the same
Salle du Conseil, the dauphin renounced the throne in favour of the
young Duc de Bordeaux.
It was at Rambouillet that Charles X passed those solemn last days
before the abdication. He had been unmercifully harassed at Paris and
sought a quiet retreat, "not too far from the Tuileries," where he might
repose a moment and take counsel. In view of later events this was
significant; perhaps it was significant at the time, for the king
speedily repented his abdication. It was too late, for he had classed as
rebels all the royalists who would have accepted the "infant king" as
their monarch, even though the following Revolution prevented this.
It was on the third of August that the commissioners, deputies of the
Provisionary Government, were brought before the king at Rambouillet.
They announced that twenty-five thousand armed Parisians were marching
on the chateau to compel him to quit his kingdom. It was not a matter
for debate, and at nine o'clock on the same night the monarch gave
assent to being conducted to Cherbourg, where he embarked upon his fatal
exile.
After 1830, with a business-like instinct, the authorities rented the
property for twelve years to the Baron Schickler, and, at the end of the
Revolution of 1848, its career became more plebeian still; it was rented
to a man who converted the palace into an elaborately appointed
road-house, and the lawns and groves into open-air restaurants and
dancing places.
Under the Gouvernement du Juillet the chateau, the park and the forest
were removed from the Civil List, and entered upon the inventory of the
Administration des Domaines.
Under the Second Empire Rambouillet appeared again on the monarchial
Civil List. Napoleon III came here at times to hunt, but not to live,
and of his rare appearances at the chateau but little record exists.
Since 1870 Rambouillet has belonged to the Republican Government, and,
since royalties no longer exist in France, Republican chiefs of state
now take the lead in Rambouillet's national hunts.
The property, as it stands to-day, is divided readily into four distinct
parts, the palace, the _parterre_, the _Jardin Anglais_ and the park.
The grove of lindens is remarkable in every respect, the ornamental
waters are gracious and of vast extent, and the _Laiterie_ and the
_Ferme_ are decidedly models of their kind; but the Chaumiere des
Coquillages, a rustic summer-house of rocks and shells and questionable
debris of all sorts, is hideous and unworthy.
Not the least of the charming features of the park is the great alley of
Louisiana cypresses, one of the real sights, indeed, perfecting the
charm of the great body of water to the left of the chateau.
Of the structure which existed in the fourteenth century, the chateau of
Rambouillet retains to-day only a great battlemented tower, and some
low-lying buildings attached to it. Successive enlargements,
restorations and mutilations have changed much of the original aspect of
the edifice, and modern structures flank and half envelop that which, to
all eyes, is manifestly ancient. The debris of the old fortress, which
was the foundation of all, adds its bit to the conglomerate mass of
which the chief and most imposing elements are the two tall _corps de
logis_ in the centre.
Within, a rather banal Salle de Bal is shown as the chief feature, but
it is conventionally unlovely enough to be passed without emotion, save
that its easterly portion takes in the _cabinet_, or private apartment,
where Charles X signed his abdication. Adjoining this is the bedroom
occupied by that monarch, and a dining-room which also served His
Majesty, and which is still used by the head of the government on
ceremonious occasions. Its decorative scheme is of the period of Louis
XV.
The Salle de Conseil is of the period of Charles X, and has some fairly
imposing carved wainscotings showing in places the monograms of Marie
Sophie and the Comtesse de Toulouse.
A great map, or plan, of the Forest of Rambouillet covers the end wall,
and, if not esthetically beautiful, is at least useful and very
interesting.
It was executed under Louis XVI and doubtless served its purpose well
when the hunters gathered after a day afield and recounted anecdotes of
their adventures.
There is another apartment on the ground floor which is known as the
_Salle a Manger des Rendezvous de Chasse_, whose very name explains well
its functions.
The Cabinet de Travail of Marie Antoinette and the Salle de Bain of
Napoleon have something more than a mere sentimental interest; they were
decidedly practical adjuncts to the royal palace.
Napoleon's bath took the form of a rather short, deep pool. Its fresco
decorations, as seen to-day--replacing that family portrait gallery
which Napoleon caused to be painted out--are after the pseudo-antique
manner and represent bird's-eye views of various French cities and
towns, while a series of painted armorial trophies decorates the
ceiling.
On the second floor are the apartments occupied by the Duchesse de Berry
and those of the Duchesse d'Angouleme.
In the great round tower is the circular apartment where Francis I
breathed his last. It is this great truss-vaulted room that most
interests the visitor to Rambouillet.
On the ground floor is another Salle de Bain, quite as theatrically
disposed as that of Napoleon. Its construction was due to the Comte de
Toulouse whose taste ran to Delft tiles and polychrome panels, framing
two imposing marines, also worked out in tiles.
The _parterre_, extending before the main building, is of an ampleness
scarcely conceivable until once viewed. It is purely French in design
and is of the epoch of the tenancy of the Comte de Toulouse. Before the
admirably grouped lindens was a boathouse, and off in every direction
ran alleys of acacias, while here and there tulip beds, rose gardens and
hedges of rhododendrons flanked the very considerable ornamental waters.
This body of water, in the form of a trapezoid, is divided by four
grass-grown islets and separates the Jardin Anglais from the Jardin
Francais. One of the islets is known as the Ile des Roches and contains
the Grotte de Rabelais, so named in honour of the Cure of Meudon, when
he was presented at Rambouillet by the Cardinal du Bellay. It was on
this isle that were given those famous fetes in honour of the "_beaux
esprits_" who formed the assiduous cortege of Catherine de Vivonne,
mythological, pagan and _outre_.
The Jardin Anglais at Rambouillet is the final expression of the species
in France. Designed under the Duc de Penthievre, it was restored and
considerably enlarged by Napoleon and, following the contours of an
artificial rivulet, it fulfils the description that its name implies.
More remote, and half hidden from the precincts of the chateau, are the
Chaumiere and the Ermitage and they recall the background of a Fragonard
or a Watteau. It is all very "stagy"--but, since it exists, can hardly
be called unreal.
The park proper, containing more than twelve hundred hectares, is one of
the largest and most thickly wooded in France. Between the _parterre_
and the French and English garden and the park lie the Farm and the
Laiterie de la Reine, the caprice of Louis XVI when he would content
Marie Antoinette and give her something to think about besides her
troubles. Napoleon stripped it of its furnishings to install them, for
a great part, at Malmaison, for that other unhappy woman--Josephine.
Later, to give pleasure to Marie Louise, he ordered them brought back
again to Rambouillet, but it was to Napoleon III that the restoration of
this charming conceit was due.
In the neighbourhood of Rambouillet was the famous Chateau de Chasse, or
royal shooting-box, which Louis XV was fond of making a place of
rendezvous.
On the banks of the Etang de Pourras stood this Chateau de Saint Hubert,
named for the patron saint of huntsmen, and within its walls was passed
many a happy evening by king and courtiers after a busy day with stag
and hound.
The hunt in France was perhaps at the most picturesque phase of its
existence at this time. The hunt of to-day is but a pale, though bloody,
imitation of the real sport of the days when monarchs and their
seigneurs in slashed doublet and hose and velvet cloaks pursued the deer
of the forest to his death, and knew not the _maitre d'equipage_ of
to-day.