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[Picture: . . . our artist was struck dumb with admiration]
PALISSY
THE
HUGUENOT POTTER.
A TRUE TALE.
* * * * *
BY
C. L. BRIGHTWELL
* * * * *
* * * * *
* * * * *
PHILADELPHIA:
PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION
AND SABBATH SCHOOL WORK,
No. 1334 CHESTNUT STREET.
PREFACE.
THE readers of this little book may ask, with great propriety, “What is
meant by a true tale?” and the answer to this question shall be very
explicit, as it is of great importance that there should be no
misunderstanding as to the matter of truth or fiction.
What is known of the history of Palissy is gathered from his writings,
which are written in the form of dialogues, and into which he has
incorporated short narratives of the events of his own life, and of the
occurrences which took place under his own eyes. These, and a few
incidental notices of him in contemporary writers, are the sources whence
the materials for his life have been gathered.
In the present narrative, I have attempted to give an account of the
facts which Palissy has himself recorded, weaving them into a tale. For
instance, he tells us, in one of his treatises, of his troubles, and
experiments, and sorrows, during the time he was engaged in discovering
the white enamel; and he gives, now and then, a peep at his domestic
life, showing how his poor children drooped and died; how he became
burdened with debt; that his family and friends reproached him for his
long and unprofitable toil; and that his neighbors joined in their
invectives against his folly; also, that when reduced to the greatest
straits, he obtained help from a friendly publican.
So with the religious events narrated: they are given from his work,
“Recepte Vèritable, par laquelle tous les hommes de la France,” etc. {4}
All that has been done is to arrange these details in order, and give
them a narrative form. There is not one event in this narrative which
did not actually occur, although it was not possible to give literally a
Life of Palissy.
The principal aim has been to call attention to his religious character,
which has been but slightly noticed in the accounts of those who have
recorded the achievements of this great genius, as an artist in earth.
He was, in fact, a French Huguenot: one of the glorious band of martyrs
for the faith of Jesus; and he has told us, in a touching and simple
manner, what he saw and heard in those days of persecution and trial.
The plan adopted seemed not only legitimate, but the one which could best
render the work attractive and pleasing to those for whose instruction it
is designed. They may be assured that the sentiments and doings of
Palissy are here truly recorded, and if they take his example as an
incentive to earnest, patient, and unwearying application—above all, if
they adopt his high standard and the motive which sanctified all his
work—they will not read this “True Tale” in vain.
I cannot conclude without expressing the great obligations I am under to
Mr. Morley’s “Life of Palissy,” which has been my guide throughout. Of
his admirable translations of the various passages he has given from the
original treatises, I have gladly availed myself, finding it impossible
to improve upon them.
NORWICH, _November_, 1858.
[Picture: The Town of Saintes]
CHAPTER I.
“And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another
one; to every man according to his several ability.”—MATTHEW xxv. 15
IN the south-west of France is the ancient town of Saintes, the capital
of Saintonge, charmingly situated on the river Charente, and once the
most flourishing city of all Guienne. It is a very ancient place, and
was, in the time of the Romans, one of the principal cities of Aquitaine.
There are still some slight remains of an amphitheatre, and a fine Roman
bridge spans the waters of the Charente, bearing a Latin inscription (now
illegible) upon its frieze. Placed at the foot of a mountain, the aspect
of the town from a distance is impressive, but its streets are narrow and
winding, and its houses low and ill-built. In olden times it boasted an
ancient cathedral dedicated to St. Peter, and said to have been built by
Charlemagne; but only the bell-tower now remains, and, indeed, most of
the antiquities in which the town once abounded must be named among the
things that were. A great deal of this destruction is attributed to the
religious struggles which were carried on in Saintes with especial
fierceness, and of which some record will be found interwoven in the
story of Palissy the Potter.
It was in the year 1538, one morning in May, that the people of the old
narrow-streeted town we have described, were surprised to find a strange
family had arrived among them. The new-comers were a young couple who
brought with them an infant in arms, and presently established themselves
in a small house on the outskirts of the city, the frontage of which
looked upon one of the steep crooked streets, and presented to view a
workshop, in which were displayed various objects calculated to attract
the eyes of passers-by. Above all, at the entrance of the door was
placed the figure of a dog, modelled and painted in such life-like
fashion, that many a time was this sturdy-looking guardian of the
threshold challenged to single combat by the perplexed dogs of the good
town.
It was not long before the inhabitants of Saintes learned that the head
of this small family was named Bernard Palissy, and that he desired to
obtain occupation among them as a surveyor, a painter, or a worker in
glass. In the former of these occupations they soon discovered that he
possessed considerable talent. He had good knowledge of geometry, and
manual skill in the employment of the rule and compass, and these enabled
him to measure and plan sites for houses and gardens, and to make maps of
landed property; all which might turn to account in disputes as to
questions of boundaries, a source of constant litigation formerly, in
most countries. But, unfortunately, land measuring came only now and
then, and on the arts of painting and glass-working, he must chiefly
depend for support. The neighbours learned, too, after a while, to look
with favourable eyes upon the young artist, whose spirit and vivacity
attracted them, and seemed always to shed a sunshine around his home; for
Palissy was a man full of hope at all times; and, even in the darkest
hour of evil fortune he still looked cheerfully onward. At the time when
he settled in Saintes he was about thirty years old. Of his early
history but few particulars are known; he was born in the diocese of
Agen, of parents so poor that they were unable to give him the advantages
of a liberal education. However, he learned to read and write, and from
his early youth showed a turn for drawing and designing, and speedily
attained a degree of skill which secured him employment in painting on
glass and drawing plans.
It was by the small funds he procured in this way that he supported
himself during his travels through the principal provinces of France,
which he traversed, everywhere gazing, with youthful eagerness, on the
works of God and the productions of human skill.
For nine or ten years he wandered on; sometimes pausing, and taking up
his temporary residence in places where he found employment. Thus, at
Tarbes, the capital of Bigorre, he dwelt some years, and in sundry other
towns be sojourned awhile. It is evident that those were years of
education to his young and indefatigably inquiring spirit. He was
storing up knowledge which was afterwards turned to excellent account.
He investigated the arts of life and studied the monuments of antiquity,
observing the local customs and habits of the places he visited,
acquiring dexterity of hand, while, at the same time, he enlarged his
mind. But the study in which he most delighted was that of natural
history. The great interest he took in the various qualities of the
earths, rocks, sands, and waters, on account of the relation they bore to
his calling, had made him a naturalist. Everywhere he employed his
leisure hours in wandering over the woods and meadows, and thus he
studied that wondrous book men call the Book of Nature.
It is time we visit the humble dwelling of the man of genius, who, his
wanderings now over, has quietly settled down, and is entering on the
earnest business of life, full of that spiritual sense of power which
begets hopefulness, and, at the same time, simple-hearted and loving as a
child. Bernard’s studio was no other than a small out-house, in which he
wrought at his occupation, and beyond which was a little garden, filled
with the choice plants and herbs he met with in his rambles through the
woods and pasture lands around Saintes. The evening hour has just set
in, bringing with it rest and relaxation, and the artist has laid aside
his tools and is fondling the little Nicole, his eldest born; while his
eyes glance lovingly towards his young wife, who, delicate and slightly
formed, looks but ill-fitted to endure the troubles of life—we must add,
the troubles peculiar to the wife of a genius.
For the present, however, the evil days have not come upon her, and she
replies with looks of pleasure to his fond words. He is telling her of
the glorious ramble he has had in the early morning, and of the treasures
he has seen and gathered. A large earthen pot stands on his work-bench,
filled with flowers and foliage, and his pencil has been diligently
occupied in imitating the bright colors and elegant forms of these wild
plants, with the minute accuracy of a naturalist. Lisette has opened his
portfolio, and is turning over the loose sketches it contains;
butterflies, lizards, beetles, and many other wild creatures are
there—all drawn from nature, and true to the smallest tracery-work upon
the insects’ wings. To her exclamation of delight he answers, “Truly, it
is a great recreation to those who will contemplate admiringly the
wondrous works of nature, and methinks I could find nothing better than
to employ one’s-self in the art of agriculture, and to glorify God, and
to admire him in his marvels. As I walked along the avenues, and under
the foliage of the chestnuts, I heard the murmuring waters of a brook
which passes at the foot of the hill; and on the other side the voices of
the young birds warbling among the trees; then there came to my memory
that 104th Psalm, where the prophet says, ‘He sendeth the springs into
the valleys, which run among the hills;’ also, he says, ‘By them shall
the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the
branches.’”
The mother took the infant from her husband, and began undressing him for
bed, while the father smiled and went on, half soliloquizing, “When I had
walked through the avenue, I turned toward the side, where the woods and
mountains are, and there I received a great contentment, and much joyous
pleasure, for I saw the squirrels gathering the fruits and leaping from
branch to branch, with many pretty looks and gestures; further on, I
beheld the rooks busy at their repast; and again, under the apple trees I
found certain hedgehogs, which had rolled themselves up, and having
thrust their little hairs, or needles, through the said apples, went so
burdened. I saw likewise many things narrated in that Psalm, as the
conies, playing and bounding along the mountains, near certain holes and
pits which the Sovereign Architect has made for them: and when suddenly
the animals caught sight of an enemy, they knew well how to retire into
the place which was ordained to be their dwelling. Then I exclaimed, ‘O
Lord, how manifold are thy works; in wisdom hast thou made them all.’
Such sights as these have made me so great a lover of the fields, that it
seems to me there are no treasures on earth so precious, or which ought
to be held in such great esteem, although they are the most despised.”
At that moment Lisette, who had risen from the bench on which they had
seated themselves, looking toward the palings of their garden, perceived
a tall figure leaning there. She directed the attention of her husband
to this person, and then retired into the chamber with her infant. A few
moments after, Bernard was in eager conversation with the stranger. They
spoke in low accents, as though anxious not to be overheard. “Let us go
down to the field together,” said Palissy; “I must speak with thee,
master Philibert, where our words may be freely uttered;” and presently
the two had disappeared in the twilight.
This Master Philibert Hamelin, who was so eagerly accosted by our artist,
was one of those “poor and unlearned men,” whose names were chronicled in
the list of “heretics,” as infected with the taint of disloyalty to the
Roman Catholic Church. At the time when Palissy came forth into life,
the minds of men were greatly agitated by those religious struggles which
convulsed Europe during the sixteenth century. From Germany the desire
of spiritual emancipation had spread abroad, and before long the fire
which burned with such fierceness during the terrible wars of the
Huguenots, was kindled in France. Examples of religious persecution,
cruel punishments of heretics, and expressions of much discontent on
matters of faith, must, without fail, have often attracted the notice of
Palissy during his years of travel.
As we have already intimated, Saintes became a stronghold of the new
opinions. Many “heretics,” and among them Calvin himself, the great
Reformer, had taken refuge in Saintonge—the very district in which the
home of Palissy was afterwards fixed. He dwelt there in the house of a
young man, whose friends were wealthy; and this youth persuaded Calvin,
while in his retirement there, to write Christian sermons and
remonstrances, which he then caused to be preached by curés in the
neighbourhood. These curés were “certain Reformed monks,” who, having
adopted the new tenets, visited among the people, teaching them secretly,
and gradually instructing them, so that by degrees the eyes of many were
opened to see the errors of the Romish Church.
Among those who had eagerly embraced the instructions of Calvin was
Hamelin, who, consequently, having incurred suspicion of heresy, escaped
from Saintes, and journeyed to Geneva, at that time the head quarters of
the French Reformers, where he acquired clearer knowledge of divine
truth, and increased earnestness. Zealous to communicate to others the
faith he had adopted, he wandered from place to place through the
provinces of his native land, exerting himself wherever he went to incite
men to have ministers, and to gather themselves into church communion.
So eager was he to spread the gospel, that he took up with the trade of a
printer, and printed Bibles, which he hawked about in the towns and
villages. In the course of his journeyings, he passed through one of the
towns in which Palissy had taken up his temporary abode. The spirit of
the young artist was stirred within him as he listened to the animated
exhortations of Hamelin, who, having gathered together a little flock of
some seven or eight auditors, laboured to win them to God: and exhorted
them to meet together for prayer and mutual instruction.
His teaching fell like the dew upon the heart of the young man, and he
eagerly sought out the preacher and took counsel with him. From that
time the persecuted Huguenot commanded the love and reverence of Palissy,
who never spoke of him but in terms of respect and affection.
At the period of which we are about to speak, although the persecutions
had not yet reached Saintonge, the struggle had begun in many towns by
the tumultuous rising of the people, and severe punishments were
inflicted upon all who joined in these outbreaks. Emissaries of the
ecclesiastics were keenly on the watch for suspected characters, and it
was at the risk of fine, imprisonment, and death, that the proceedings of
men like Hamelin were carried on. Nor was it without serious danger of
compromising his own safety that Palissy cultivated the friendship of a
man so attainted, and of this he was well aware. It was, however, no
part of his character to flinch from trouble or peril in such a cause.
It will be unnecessary to relate what passed between the two friends on
the evening in which we have introduced Palissy to our readers. The
visit of Hamelin was secret and hurried. He had come for the purpose of
bringing to the poor people he had formerly taught around Saintes, three
teachers, who, having been convinced of the errors of the Romish Church,
had been constrained to take flight and exile themselves. Having
recommended them to the friendly notice of Bernard, and taken counsel
with him as to certain precautionary measures, Hamelin hastened to quit
the neighbourhood of a place in which he was too well known to venture
himself openly. Some years passed away before these two met again.
Shall we follow our artist homeward, as slowly and thoughtfully he
retraced his steps thither? He was pondering, in the earnestness of his
heart, an idea which was indeed the mainspring of all his intellectual
and moral activity. Again and again in his writings does he solemnly
recur to this idea, and in all the long years of his toil and suffering
to acquire the skill which was to render him immortal in the history of
art; this was his incentive and spur. The parable of the talents—the
duty of every man to turn to account the powers and gifts he has received
from God—was the touchstone by which Bernard tried his work.
His own words, written long after, will best close this opening chapter.
“Though there be some who will at no time hear mention of the holy
Scripture, yet so it is that I have found nothing better than to pursue
the counsel of God; his edicts, statutes, and ordinances; and in
regarding what might be his will, I have found that he has commanded his
heirs that they should eat bread by the labour of their bodies, and that
they should multiply the talents which he has committed to them.
Considering which, I have not been willing to hide in the ground those
talents it has pleased him to allot me; but to cause them to yield profit
and increase to him from whom I have received them.”