|THE little town of Meaux on the banks of the Marne is only thirty miles
or so from Paris, and was remarkable for its old mills on the bridge
over the river bed, behind the Hôtel de Ville, as well as for the
beautiful cathedral of St. Etienne. The beauties of the town could best
be appreciated from the shady walk along the river side. Here were great
shade trees overhanging the roadway, through the branches of which one
got glimpses of the cream colored tower of the old cathedral, above the
red tiled roofs of the town, all against a summer sky of pale blue.
Upon reaching the town, there were the two bridges over the Marne, both
of them covered with some old mills with high wooden walls and quaint
buttresses; almost theatrical and unbelievable in these practical days.
The town had about twelve or thirteen thousand inhabitants, and was
busied with a trade in grain. Some rather handsome boulevards seemed
entirely out of key with the rest of the town, but there were the
remains of an ancient chateau of the Counts of Flanders, built during
the thirteenth, or maybe the twelfth century, accounts differ, which
seemed much more in keeping with the place, and a most delightful little
hotel called the "_Trois Rois_" from which it was hard to get away, so
ideal were its comforts, and so moderate its charges.
Meaux, says history, was the refuge of the noble ladies of France in
the Jacquerie revolts of the thirteenth century, when the horrors of
the rebel persecutions at Beauvais commenced. Once having reached the
shelter of its walls, they dared not leave, and remained prisoners until
the terror ended. Here remained the Duchesses of Orléans and Normandy
among others no less famous and prominent, so that intrepid warrior,
the Captai de Buch, accompanied by the Earl of Foix, gathered together a
force of armed men for their rescue.
All the roads leading to the town, from Paris, from Beauvoisie, from
Valois, were filled with bands of peasantry, all bound for the town,
which they had heard contained great treasure. Arriving at Meaux, de
Buch and Foix were welcomed with great joy, for the peasants had begun
to pillage wherever they could. Then ensued a great slaughter in which
the marauding peasants were rounded up and killed like rats by the armed
warriors. "They flung them in great heaps into the river. In short, they
killed upwards of seven thousand; not one would have escaped if they had
chosen to pursue them."
Meaux, too, is famous for a great siege during the wars of Henry V, when
he camped before the town walls in 1421. Monstrelet says, "The King of
England was indefatigable in the siege of Meaux, and having destroyed
many parts of the walls of the market place, he summoned the garrison
to surrender themselves to the King of France and himself, or he would
storm the place. To this summons they replied that it was not yet time
to surrender, on which the King ordered the place to be stormed. The
assault continued for seven or eight hours, in the most bloody manner;
nevertheless, the besieged made a most obstinate defense, in spite of
the great numbers that were attacking them. Their lances had been almost
all broken, but in their stead they made use of spits, and fought back
with such courage that the English were driven back from the ditches,
which encouraged them much."
Eventually, however, not receiving help from the Dauphin, upon which
they had counted, they capitulated to Henry's soldiers.
Under the treaty which followed, they agreed: "On the 11th day May, the
market place, and all Meaux was to be surrendered into the hands of the
Kings of France and England."
As a warning to the people against further insurrection the leader, one
Vauras, "the bastard," who had in his career killed many English and
Burgundians, was hanged, drawn, and quartered before the walls of the
town.
After this, King Henry, who was very proud of his victory, entered
the town in great pomp and splendor, remaining for some days with his
princes and attendants, and left after giving orders that the town walls
should be rebuilt and all other damages repaired.
The ancient building called the "Evêché" near the cathedral was the
residence of Bossuet, the famous preacher, in 1681. He was nicknamed the
"Aigle de Meaux," and renowned for his eloquence, even at a time when
France was rich in such genius. Bossuet stood head and shoulders even
above such contemporaries as Mas-silon and Bourdaloue, Arnauld, Fleury,
and Fénelon. It was really he who established the privileges and liberty
of the Gallican church.
Here in the little green garden behind the gray walls of the "Evêché,"
he sat, mused, and wrote his essays upon the encroachments of Papacy,
which destroyed the remnants of Pope Innocent's power in France.
In his later years he remained in seclusion here at Meaux, leading the
life of a simple parish priest, and here he died "full of honors and
beloved by all," and was buried in the church in 1704. A handsome statue
by Ruxtiel was erected in his honor on the south side of the choir.