a little tour in france-第51章

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cteristics　of　a　barrack　…　an　extreme　nudity　and　a　very　queer　smell　…　prevail　throughout　its　endless　compartments。　　Nothing　could　have　been　more　cruelly　dismal　than　the　appearance　it　presented　at　the　time　of　this　third　visit　of　mine。　　A　regiment；　changing　quarters；　had　departed　the　day　before；　and　another　was　expected　to　arrive　（from　Algeria）　on　the　morrow。　The　place　had　been　left　in　the　befouled　and　belittered　condition　which　marks　the　passage　of　the　military　after　they　have　broken　carnp；　and　it　would　offer　but　a　me…　lancholy　welcome　to　the　regiment　that　was　about　to　take　possession。　　Enormous　windows　had　been　left　carelessly　open　all　over　the　building；　and　the　rain　and　wind　were　beating　into　empty　rooms　and　passages；　making　draughts　which　purified；　perhaps；　but　which　scarcely　cheered。　　For　an　arrival；　it　was　horrible。　　A　handful　of　soldiers　had　remained　behind。　　In　one　of　the　big　vaulted　rooms　several　of　them　were　lying　on　their　wretched　beds；　in　the　dim　light；　in　the　cold；　in　the　damp；　with　the　bleak；　bare　walls　before　them；　and　their　overcoats；　spread　over　them；　pulled　up　to　their　noses。　　I　pitied　them　immensely；　though　they　may　have　felt　less　wretched　than　they　looked。　　I　thought　not　of　the　old　profligacies　and　crimes；　not　of　the　funnel…shaped　torture…chamber　（which；　after　exciting　the　shudder　of　generations；　has　been　ascertained　now；　I　believe；　to　have　been　a　mediaeval　bakehouse）；　not　of　the　tower　of　the　_glaciere_　and　the　horrors　perpetrated　here　in　the　Revolution；　but　of　the　military　burden　of　young　France。　　One　wonders　how　young　France　en…　dures　it；　and　one　is　forced　to　believe　that　the　French　conscript　has；　in　addition　to　his　notorious　good…humor；　greater　toughness　than　is　commonly　supposed　by　those　who　consider　only　the　more　relaxing　influences　of　French　civilization。　　I　hope　he　finds　occasional　com…　pensation　for　such　moments　as　I　saw　those　damp　young　peasants　passing　on　the　mattresses　of　their　hideous　barrack；　without　anything　around　to　remind　them　that　they　were　in　the　most　civilized　of　countries。　The　only　traces　of　former　splendor　now　visible　in　the　Papal　pile　are　the　walls　and　vaults　of　two　small　chapels；　painted　in　fresco；　so　battered　and　effaced　as　to　be　scarcely　distinguishable；　by　Simone　Memmi。　　It　offers；　of　course；　a　peculiarly　good　field　for　restoration；　and　I　believe　the　government　intend　to　take　it　in　hand。　　I　mention　this　fact　without　a　sigh；　for　they　cannot　well　make　it　less　interesting　than　it　is　at　present。



XXXIV。

Fortunately；　it　did　not　rain　every　day　（though　I　believe　it　was　raining　everywhere　else　in　the　depart…　ment）；　otherwise　I　should　not　have　been　able　to　go　to　Villeneuve　and　to　Vaucluse。　　The　afternoon；　indeed；　was　lovely　when　I　walked　over　the　interminable　bridge　that　spans　the　two　arms　of　the　Rhone；　divided　here　by　a　considerable　island；　and　directed　my　course；　like　a　solitary　horseman　…　on　foot；　to　the　lonely　tower　which　forms　one　of　the　outworks　of　Villeneuve…les…　Avignon。　　The　picturesque；　half…deserted　little　town　lies　a　couple　of　miles　further　up　the　river。　　The　im…　mense　round　towers　of　its　old　citadel　and　the　long　stretches　of　ruined　wall　covering　the　slope　on　which　it　lies；　are　the　most　striking　features　of　the　nearer　view；　as　you　look　from　Avignon　across　the　Rhone。　　I　spent　a　couple　of　hours　in　visiting　these　objects；　and　there　was　a　kind　of　pictorial　sweetness　in　the　episode；　but　I　have　not　many　details　to　relate。　　The　isolated　tower　I　just　mentioned　has　much　in　common　with　the　detached　donjon　of　Montmajour；　which　I　had　looked　at　in　going　to　Les　Baux；　and　to　which　I　paid　my　respects　in　speaking　of　that　excursion。　　Also　the　work　of　Philippe　le　Bel　（built　in　1307）；　it　is　amazingly　big　and　stubborn；　and　formed　the　opposite　limit　of　the　broken　bridge；　whose　first　arches　（on　the　side　of　Avignon）　alone　remain　to　give　a　measure　of　the　oc…　casional　volume　of　the　Rhone。　　Half　an　hour's　walk　brought　me　to　Villeneuve；　which　lies　away　from　the　river；　looking　like　a　big　village；　half　depopulated；　and　occupied　for　the　most　part　by　dogs　and　cats；　old　women　and　small　children；　these　last；　in　general；　re…　markably　pretty；　in　the　manner　of　the　children　of　Provence。　　You　pass　through　the　place；　which　seems　in　a　singular　degree　vague　and　unconscious；　and　come　to　the　rounded　hill　on　which　the　ruined　abbey　lifts　its　yellow　walls；　…　the　Benedictine　abbey　of　Saint…　Andre；　at　once　a　church；　a　monastery；　and　a　fortress。　A　large　part　of　the　crumbling　enceinte　disposes　itself　over　the　hill；　but　for　the　rest；　all　that　has　preserved　any　traceable　cohesion　is　a　considerable　portion；　of　the　citadel。　　The　defence　of　the　place　appears　to　have　been　intrusted　largely　to　the　huge　round　towers　that　flank　the　old　gate；　one　of　which；　the　more　complete；　the　ancient　warden　（having　first　inducted　me　into　his　own　dusky　little　apartment；　and　presented　me　with　a　great　bunch　of　lavender）　enabled　me　to　examine　in　detail。　　I　would　almost　have　dispensed　with　the　privi…　lege；　for　I　think　I　have　already　mentioned　that　an　ac…　quaintance　with　many　feudal　interiors　has　wrought　a　sad　confusion　in　my　mind。　　The　image　of　the　outside　always　remains　distinct；　I　keep　it　apart　from　other　images　of　the　same　sort；　it　makes　a　picture　sufficiently　ineffaceable。　　But　the　guard…rooms；　winding　staircases；　loop…holes；　prisons；　repeat　themselves　and　intermingle；　they　have　a　wearisome　family　likeness。　　There　are　always　black　passages　and　corners；　and　walls　twenty　feet　thick；　and　there　is　always　some　high　place　to　climb　up　to　for　the　sake　of　a　〃magnificent〃　view。　The　views；　too；　are　apt　to　get　muddled。　　These　dense　gate…towers　of　Philippe　le　Bel　struck　me；　however；　as　peculiarly　wicked　and　grim。　　Their　capacity　is　of　the　largest；　and　they　contain　over　so　many　devilish　little　dungeons；　lighted　by　the　narrowest　slit　in　the　pro…　digious　wall；　where　it　comes　over　one　with　a　good　deal　of　vividness　and　still　more　horror　that　wretched　human　beings　ever　lay　there　rotting　in　the　dark。　　The　dungeons　of　Villeneuve　made　a　particular　impression　on　me；　…　greater　than　any；　except　those　of　Loches；　which　must　surely　be　the　most　grewsome　in　Europe。　I　hasten　to　add　that　every　dark　hole　at　Villeneuve　is　called　a　dungeon；　and　I　believe　it　is　well　established　that　in　this　manner；　in　almost　all　old　castles　and　towers；　the　sensibilities　of　the　modern　tourist　are　un…　scrupulously　played　upon。　　There　were　plenty　of　black　holes　in　the　Middle　Ages　that　were　not　dungeons；　but　household　receptacles　of　various　kinds；　and　many　a　tear　dropped　in　pity　for　the　groaning　captive　has　really　been　addressed　to　the　spirits　of　the　larder　and　the　faggot…nook。　　For　all　this；　there　are　some　very　bad　corners　in　the　towers　of　Villeneuve；　so　that　I　was　not　wide　of　the　mark　when　I　began　to　think　again；　as　I　had　often　thought　before；　of　the　stoutness　of　the　human　composition　in　the　Middle　Ages；　and　the　tranquillity　of　nerve　of　people　to　whom　the　groaning　captive　and　the　blackness　of　a　〃living　tomb〃　were　familiar　ideas；　which　did　not　at　all　interfere　with　their　happiness　or　their　sanity。　　Our　modern　nerves；　our　irritable　sym…　pathies；　our　easy　discomforts　and　fears；　make　one　think　（in　some　relations）　less　respectfully　of　human　nature。　Unless；　indeed；　it　be　true；　as　I　have　heard　it　main…　tained；