ROCHEFORT--THE CURIOUS BONNE--AMERICANISMS--CONVICTS--THE
CHARENTE--"TULIPES"--TAILLEBOURG--HENRY THE THIRD--ST.
LOUIS--FALSE SECURITY--ROMEGOUX--PUYTAILLÉ.
OUR good fortune in respect to the weather, which we so much enjoyed at
La Rochelle, seemed to have taken leave of us when we quitted that
charming town and took our way southward. It rained in torrents when we
got into the diligence for Rochefort, and continued to do so throughout
our journey. The country is very flat for several leagues, and possesses
no remarkable beauties; occasionally a turn of the road brought us close
to the sea-shore; and its fine waves, dashing against the shingles, made
music to our ears, and we regretted leaving it behind us. The sea seems
always to me like a friend; it offers, besides, a means of escape; it
appears to tell one that a vessel is ready to take the tired wanderer
back to England: there is something like _home_ in its vicinity, and I
can well imagine with what sensations an exile might "come to the
beach," and sigh forth his soul towards his native land. But that I had
interests still greater awaiting me at Bordeaux, I should have been even
more sorry to have quitted this coast; and every time we caught another
glimpse of the waves, we hailed them with pleasure.
We arrived at Rochefort, as we had frequently done at other towns in
France--where the climate is supposed to be better than our own--in
pouring rain; but, this time, with a little difference, inasmuch as the
diligence stopped in the midst of a large square outside the town,
planted with trees, with hotels in different directions, and the bureau
within twenty yards: nevertheless, the conducteur's pleasure was to stop
his horses exactly midway between us and shelter: all the doors were
thrown open, the horses were taken off, and the passengers were free to
get out and paddle to the nearest inn as best they might. Calling and
exclaiming were of no use; no one attended to our remonstrances; and,
scrambling out _over the wheel_--for the coupé has not the advantage of
a step--while a deluge of rain and a hurricane were striving against us,
we managed to reach the wet ground; but, being required, peremptorily,
to show ourselves at the bureau, we were not permitted to wade to an
opposite hotel, and, therefore, took our station, with other
discontented individuals, under a shed where building was going on, and
where our wet feet stuck in the lime and mortar which covered the floor.
While we waited till our conducteur had ceased to rave at his horses
and assistants, a sudden cry warned us to remove, for the diligence,
pushed in by several men, was coming upon us to discharge its baggage.
Having escaped this danger by flying into a neighbouring passage, we
obeyed the summons of our tyrant; and having discharged his demands, a
latent pity seemed to take possession of his bosom, for he allowed us to
depart, having bestirred himself to send our baggage before us to the
nearest hotel. There we found the hour of the _table d'hôte_ dinner had
arrived, and much entreaty was necessary to induce the hostess to permit
us to dine alone, the absurdity of the wish seeming to strike her as
extraordinary:--"It would be so much more gay down stairs," she
observed. Wet and tired, we had no mind for the festivity which might
reign in her halls, and at length gained our point: having served us, a
pretty young country maid, in a large cap, who had looked at us with
wonder from the first, seemed resolved to fill up the little leisure
left her, by contemplating closer the extraordinary animals that chance
had brought to her mistress's hotel. She put her hands on her sides,
and, opening her black eyes wide, gave us a long stare, exclaiming, "Eh,
mon Dieu! est-ce donc possible!"
We asked her if many English came to Rochefort; to which she replied, as
we expected, that she had never _seen one_ before. We wished her good
night; she was some time in taking our hint, but, as she was
good-humoured, her determined delay did not annoy us, as a similar
intrusion had done at La Rochelle, when the cross _bonne_, on the
evening of our arrival, took her seat at the window, and looked out into
the street to amuse herself; and, on our intimating that she might
retire, turned round fiercely, and remarked, "You can't be going to bed
yet." These _Americanisms_ are common enough in this most polite of
nations; but are simply amusing from such unsophisticated beings as the
attendant at Rochefort.
Rochefort is a handsome, clean, open, well-built town, quite without
antiquities; but, as our next destination was Saintes--one of the oldest
towns in France--we were content with its more modern appearance, though
not with its pavement, which is particularly bad and rugged. It is
surrounded with very handsome ramparts, or boulevards, planted with fine
trees, and the principal streets have avenues, in one of which the
large market is held, which has a picturesque effect--the high poplars
and spreading acacias throwing their flickering shadows on groups of
peasants in lively-coloured costumes, giving a brilliancy and life to
the scene, which is not found in the other parts of the remarkably dull
town of Louis XIV. Rochefort is the third important port in France; but
as nothing can be so uninteresting to me, who do not understand these
details, as to look on fortifications, and the bustle of a port when
there is no sea to repay one--and Rochefort is only on the Charente,
four leagues from the sea--I did not attempt to visit the quays; the
hospitals are said to be fine; also, the school of artillery, and
several commercial establishments of great consequence; but the trade of
Rochefort does not appear very flourishing, to judge by the desolate
appearance of the streets and squares.
The only place we visited, was the Jardin des Plantes, which is
charmingly laid out in alleys and parterres; but a circumstance occurred
which entirely destroyed the pleasure of our walk, and brought thoughts
of woe and crime into the midst of beautiful nature and elegant art. As
we hung over the parapet of a wall, we observed a party of men passing
beneath, dressed in a singular costume: they were singing rather
vociferously, and it struck me that, as they moved, a clanking sound
accompanied their steps, for which I feared to account. As I turned
away from these, my eye was attracted by a group of gardeners, in an
alley near, who wore the same dress of dull yellowish red. One of them
was a tall, fine, handsome man, who seemed busy in his occupation; the
others were indolently using their spades and brooms; and as they moved,
I saw that all had irons round their legs. A shudder came over me, and a
sort of fear, which I could not shake off, as I looked round to see that
we did not share these groves alone with such companions, of whom we
were not long in taking our leave;--not that there was anything hostile
or alarming in their appearance; but, though one may every day jostle a
robber or a murderer, ignorantly, in the streets, yet to be "innocent of
the knowledge" of his character, is much more agreeable to one's nerves,
than the certainty of his being a culprit.
Although we had taken every precaution, by warning all the servants of
our intention of departing by the steam-boat for Saintes,--had paid our
bill, and been ready an hour before the time, yet the _garçon_ who was
to accompany us to the quay was nowhere to be found when we required his
aid. When a diligence is to start, it is the custom, as we well knew,
always to announce its time of departure an hour, or sometimes two,
before it goes, as the _monde_ is supposed to be never in time; but,
even in France, time must be kept when tide is in question; and we,
therefore, were very much afraid that our dilatory waiter would cause us
to lose our passage. It would seem that the French can do nothing
without being frightened into action; and that they enjoy putting
themselves into frights and fevers; for our porter, when he did appear,
had to hurry, with his great barrow, through numerous streets, calling
all the way, and begging that the boat would stop for _des dames_, till
he was almost exhausted. The captain, who must have been used to these
scenes, took compassion on him, I suppose, and we stept at length into
the steamer, amidst the congratulations of the crowd, and a whole host
of porters, who brought every article of baggage singly on board, in
order to make the most of their zeal.
Henry IV., who liked to pay compliments to his people, and gain
"Golden opinions from all sorts of men,"
was accustomed, it is said, to call the river Charente "the prettiest
stream in his kingdom;" and it certainly deserves much admiration, for
the borders are rich, varied, and graceful; and the voyage along its
verdant banks is extremely agreeable on a calm, fine day: such as we
were fortunate enough to choose. There is no want of variety; for
heights, crowned with towers and turrets and woods and meadows, succeed
each other rapidly, offering pleasing points of view, and reviving
recollections of ancient story; and though the Charente by no means
deserves to be compared to the Loire, ambitious as the natives of the
department are that it should be considered equal in beauty and interest
to that famous river; yet there is quite enough charm belonging to it to
please the traveller who seeks for new scenes.
In few parts of France do the English travel so little as in this
direction; and I believe the pretty river Charente has been rarely
visited. A summer at La Rochelle could, nevertheless, be pleasantly
spent, and the facilities of steam-boats in so many directions, is a
great advantage, as there is much worth seeing in this agreeable
country.
We were much struck with the extremely beautiful effect produced by the
fairy-like, delicate appearance of a sort of crocus--of a pale, clear,
lilac colour--which entirely covered the meadows, the light as it shone
through their fragile stems making them look aërial. All along the
banks, for leagues, these pretty flowers[9] spread themselves over the
ground, in a perfect cloud of blossoms, reaching to the very wave, and,
shaking their gossamer heads to the breeze, gleaming their golden
centres through the transparent petals, like a light in an alabaster
vase. As we admired them, a young woman near us, in the boat, shook her
head, and exclaimed that we were not, perhaps, aware that those pretty
'_tulipes_' were deadly poison, and that very lately, a man of a village
near this, had employed their bulbous roots as onions, and given the
soup made with them to his wife and a neighbour, to whom he bore a
spite: that they both died, and he was found to be the murderer, and
suffered accordingly. My thoughts recurred, as she spoke, to the
convicts in the garden of Rochefort, and with no very pleasant
sensations. I was sorry she had spoilt the pleasure I had taken in
looking at these beautiful flowers, which she seemed to regard with
horror.
[Footnote 9: The _Iris zippium_.]
There are several fine suspension-bridges over the river; this part of
the country is celebrated for them; that of Charente is considered very
remarkable of its kind, and it is a usual excursion from La Rochelle to
visit it.
At St. Savinien is a venerable church and tower, which make an imposing
appearance, on a height, and the ruins of the once redoubtable castle of
Taillebourg frown majestically from the rocky hills they cover. All this
coast was the scene of the contentions of our early kings; and Coeur de
Lion and his father were actors in several of the dramas here performed.
The great hero, but disobedient son, Richard, after being forced by
Henry II. to quit Saintes where he had entrenched himself, fled to this
very fortress of Taillebourg, and there defied attack. Henry III. of
England, more than half a century later, made this part of the river the
theatre of his contentions with St. Louis, as Joinville relates. Henry
had disembarked at Royan--now a fashionable bathing-place, at the mouth
of the Charente--and resolved, if possible, to gain back all that John
Lackland had lost, led his army from town to town, taking possession of
all in his way, till the sudden arrival of St. Louis stopped his career.
The King of France laid siege to Tonnay-Boutonne, of which strong place
scarcely anything now remains, took it, and reconquered several other
fortresses. At length Louis sat down before Taillebourg, then held by
Geoffrey de Rancon for the King of England. It was here, in these
crocus-covered meadows, opposite the blackened walls of this crumbling
ruin, that the great monarch pitched his tents and placed his camp,
intending from thence to attack his enemy at Saintes.
Henry, meantime, felt secure that the Lord of Taillebourg would stand
his friend, and that his strong castle would be a powerful protection to
the English army, and he should be able materially to molest the French;
but the grim Baron de Rancon was in his heart a foe to the English, and
had embraced their cause upon compulsion: he waited but a favourable
moment to betray them; and when, from his towers, he saw the French army
encamped in the meadows beneath them, he threw open his gates and
sallied forth, followed by a numerous band of warriors, visited King
Louis in his tent, and offered him his castle to abide in. His
invitation was accepted, and Louis and his knights returned with him to
his castle.
Henry, hearing of this arrangement, took counsel with his general,
Hugues de Lusignan, and removed his head-quarters immediately to the
neighbourhood of De Rancon's fortress, placing his troops in the meadows
immediately opposite those occupied by the soldiers of Louis; the river
only separated them, and across it was a long bridge, part of the ruins
of which, evidently of Roman construction, may still be seen far away in
the flat meadows. Henry's force was much inferior to that of his
opponent, and he declined coming at once to battle, as Louis desired: he
drew off his soldiers, leaving a strong defence on the bridge; by this
movement wishing to indicate that he did not intend engaging; but the
French could not be restrained, and Louis, giving way to their
impetuosity, charged the defenders of the bridge at the head of five
hundred knights. Immediately the river was covered with soldiers, who
leaped into boats, and, hastening across the river, fell upon the
English with great fury. The shock was well sustained; Duke Richard,
brother to Henry, Lusignan, De Montford, and others, brought up their
troops to the conflict. St. Louis ran great risks that day; for
Joinville says, that for every man with him the English had a hundred:
as he was in the thick of the fray, his life was in great peril; but he
was successful, and remained in possession of the bridge, and the left
bank of the Charente. Had he pursued his advantage, the English might
have been entirely routed; but, reflecting that the next day was Sunday,
and should be devoted to prayer, he consented to the truce proposed by
Duke Richard, and ordered his men to re-cross the bridge.
Richard cunningly took advantage of this circumstance, and hurrying back
to his brother's tent, exclaimed, "Quick, quick! not a moment is to be
lost; let us fly or we are defeated!" As rapidly as possible the tents
were struck, the baggage prepared, and every man in readiness; and, in
the darkness of night, King Henry mounted his good steed, and never
slackened rein till he reached the walls of Saintes, followed by his
soldiers, who, harassed and fatigued, were not sorry to find themselves
once more in security.
The astonishment of Louis was great, when, at break of day, he looked
from his castle windows, and saw no vestige of the great army which had
covered the country on the preceding night: he very quietly ordered his
troops to cross the bridge, and they took possession of the spot just
left by the English. The next day he prepared to march on Saintes, and
sent couriers forward to reconnoitre the country: a shepherd, who had
observed these movements, hastened to warn the Count de la Marche, who,
with his two sons, and his vassals, were in the Faubourg de St. Eutrope.
Hugues de Lusignan marched forth immediately to meet the French
_avant-garde_, without naming his intention to the King of England who
was lodged in the town.
Count Alfonse de Boulogne coming up at the moment with his party, joined
the _avant-garde_, and a furious combat took place: the first who fell
was the châtelain of Saintes, who held the banner of the Count de la
Marche. On both sides resounded the terrible war-cries of "Aux armes!
Aux armes!" and "Royaux! Royaux!" and "Mont-joie! Mont-joie!" according
to the usage of both nations.
These cries, the neighing of horses, and the clash of arms, were heard
to a great distance, and reached the ears of the King of England, who
demanded the cause: he was told that the Count de la Marche, resolved to
repair his honour, which he considered that their late retreat had
sullied, had attacked the French. At this news Henry called for his
armour, assembled his warriors, and hastened to the succour of his
father-in-law. At this juncture arrived King Louis. Mortified to be
forestalled by an enemy, who he considered had basely quitted the field,
he gave the signal, and the soldiers of France fell pell-mell on the
Anglo-Aquitainians, who received them firmly.
A general mêlée then took place beneath the walls of Saintes; and in the
midst of the vines, amongst the groves, in the fields, on the high
roads, a frightful carnage ensued.
The French fought with fury, increased by the resistance they met with;
the English ranks began to thin; overpowered by numbers, their
battalions became broken, the men turned their backs, and fled in
disorder to the gates of the town, to which the French pursued them with
fearful slaughter. In vain Henry and Hugues de Lusignan endeavoured to
rally the dispersed troops; their expostulations were drowned in the
noise and confusion, and they were themselves carried away by the stream
of fugitives. Many of the French, in the ardour of the combat, entered
the town with the enemy, and were made prisoners. Louis then sounded a
retreat, and fixed his camp a short distance from the walls.
The following days were employed in secret negotiations between the
Count de la Marche and St. Louis, which ended in their reconciliation,
and the Count's abandonment of the English monarch. Meantime Henry, with
his usual carelessness, after the first trouble was over, blindly
deceived himself into security, and resolved to spend the heats of the
month of August in quiet and enjoyment, forgetting that he was little
better than a prisoner in Saintes, and taking no heed of the treachery
of his friends without. Four days he allowed to pass as if no enemy were
at his gates; he even made parties of pleasure, and seemed resolved to
think no more of the war, when he was suddenly roused from his false
security by his brother, Richard, who had been warned of the dangers
which threatened them by a French knight, whose life he had saved in
Palestine.
By this means the self-deceiving monarch learnt that preparations were
being made by Louis to invest the town with all his forces, and that the
next day at day-break the siege was to commence. When this intelligence
reached Henry he was just about to sit down to table; at the same time
he learnt that the citizens of Saintes proposed to treat with his foes;
and he had not an instant to lose. He promptly gave orders that the
houses of the _bourgeois_ should _be set on fire_, and, mounting his
horse, set out, hungry and fatigued as he was after a day's excursion of
amusement, towards Blaye, as fast as speed could take him. His captains
were soon informed of his flight; they left their half-cooked viands, as
did all the army, who were still fasting, and the confusion of departure
exceeded belief; all hurried towards Blaye, where they sought refuge,
exhausted and worn, and but for a few berries which they gathered to
satisfy the cravings of their hunger, they had nearly all perished on
the way.
The following day the citizens and clergy of Saintes, in solemn
procession, repaired to the camp of St. Louis, bringing with them the
keys of the town, and swearing oaths of fealty. The King of France
entered in triumph, occupied all the evacuated posts, and placed a
garrison in the old citadel of the capital. His next care was to subdue
all the lords of the neighbouring castles, which, having done, he
commenced building a new line of walls to replace the dilapidated
Anglo-Roman line, which was falling in ruins. After this, says the
chronicler, St. Louis returned to his dominion of France, leaving
garrisons in all the strong places of Saintonge and Aunis.
The ruins of the castle of Taillebourg serve, like most fortresses in
France now-a-days, as promenades to the town to which they belong; all
along the top of the massive walls, which extend to some distance, is a
line of open balustrades, which has, from the river, a very ornamental
and somewhat Italian effect. Spreading trees rise above this, which
appear to form part of a plantation within, and placed, as the castle
is, on a very great elevation, at a turn of the river, which it must
have commanded, it has a peculiarly imposing and picturesque effect. The
town by no means answers to the beauty of its promenades; but that is
very frequently the case, and need not be a matter of surprise. A series
of rugged rocks, continued for some distance along the shore, add much
to the beauty of the scenery. The next castle is that of Bussac, which
retains a part of its old walls and towers, though a modern building
fills up the vacancies between. It stands well, and must have been a
fitting neighbour to Taillebourg; beyond this is a magnificent wood, Le
Bois de Sainte Marie, which covers the hills for nearly a league, and
has a very grand appearance.
During the wars of religion the river Charente, from the first fortress
we passed of Tonnay Charente, the site of which and a few stones alone
remain, to the town of Saintes, was a continued theatre of contention
and violence. One scene is curious; its hero was another of the
redoubtable barons of Taillebourg named Romegoux, whose singular
expedition is thus recounted:
The town of Saintes, having changed masters several times, was in the
hands of the Huguenot party, and the governor was the lord of Bussac
when Charles IX. sent the Duke of Anjou into that part of the country;
and, under his orders, the Sieur de la Rivière-Puytaillé made several
attempts on the town; but Bussac's vigilance foiled him continually. As
he was returning to his fortress of Tonnay-Charente, there to wait for
another occasion of molesting the enemy, in passing the castle of
Taillebourg he was attacked by the Huguenot garrison. After a brisk
skirmish the latter returned to his stronghold, growling like a
disturbed bear, and longing for an opportunity to vent his rage.
Meantime, Puytaillé was again summoned to the walls of Saintes, for the
citizens had risen; and fearing that an army would besiege them if they
held for the Protestants, they resolved to turn out those who were
within their walls, and give themselves up to the king's officer. Bussac
was obliged therefore to yield, and was allowed to march out of one
gate as Puytaillé marched in at the other.
When the Baron de Romegoux heard this he was greatly enraged, and
resolved to make an effort to regain the place; he accordingly invited
five or six hundred men, whom he thought as zealous as himself, to a
rendezvous, but only twenty-five attended his summons. This handful
showing themselves little disposed to attempt so perilous an adventure,
Romegoux was almost distracted with vexation; he wept, tore his hair,
and used every entreaty he could think of to induce them to join him,
for he was certain of success. At length he succeeded in inspiring them
with his own ardour, and they consented to accompany him wherever he
should lead them.
Armed with axes, and furnished with ladders, they set out, in the middle
of the night, for Saintes. They fixed their ladder near the Porte
Aiguières; as they were mounting, Romegoux heard a patrol passing; as
soon as it was gone he and his companions lost no time in hurrying into
the town; he divided his party into two, placing them at a small
distance from the rampart, to protect his retreat in case of surprise;
then, followed by the most determined of his band, he marched straight
to the lodging of Combaudière, who had been left by Puytaillé in his
place to command in his absence.
Romegoux broke open the door, surprised the governor in his bed, forced
him to rise, and, without giving him time to dress himself, obliged him
to march before them; but so paralysed was he with terror, that he had
scarcely the power to move. One of the Huguenots, therefore, placed him
on his shoulders, and carried him rapidly off towards the Porte
Aiguières, intending to descend by the ladders which had given them
entrance: but their companions had, in the meantime, broken the bar of
the gate, and lowered the drawbridge. Romegoux and his people made their
exit in good order through this door, to the sound of the tocsin, the
drums and the cries of alarm of the garrison and citizens, who, awaked
from their slumbers, were hurrying hither and thither in the utmost
confusion. The victorious party paused only at the end of the faubourg,
to allow the governor to dress himself, and then went off with their
prize.
Romegoux, however, though he gained great reputation by this daring
adventure, was unable to carry his design further, owing to want of
means, and he was so disappointed and annoyed at being forced to stop in
mid-career, that he was nearly dying with vexation.
In this castle of Taillebourg was afterwards established a Protestant
chapel, and _there_ were buried, after the fatal battle _des Arènes_, at
Saintes, the _four brothers_ Coligny, of whom d'Aubigné says, "They were
similar in countenance, but still more in probity, prudence, and
valour."
After a very agreeable voyage, we, at length, saw the towers and spires
of the old town of Saintes rising from the waters, and landed, for the
first time, _from a steam-boat_, without much confusion: we resigned
ourselves at once to the care of a very little boy, who bustled about
with great importance, and conducted us in triumph to the Hôtel de La
Couronne, by a long and beautiful boulevard of majestic trees, which
gave a very imposing impression of the town.