Italian Opera at Constantinople

The crew were lying lazily about, playing at cards and dominoes; and a young Maltese, whom I found out to be the first flute in the orchestra of the Italian Opera at Constantinople, played several popular airs from Norma and Lucrezia Borgia. He was a nice intelligent fellow, and had established himself in a boat, upon deek, where he had his mattress and baggage, with a species of “ bachelor’s kitchen,’’ in which he made coffee and soup, cooked fish, boiled eggs, and concocted all sorts of dishes. As night came on, the fourth-class passengers arranged their different bivouacs—under the bulwarks, alongside the guns, and about. One group was especially effective. A young Greek girl, her brother, and a little child in their charge—all from Tunis and on their way to Athens, took up their position under the capstan, and looked so well—the man in his

Albanian costume, and the girl in her petticoat, (for her night toilet only consisted in taking off her gown) that I did my best to make a sketch of them, which a more able hand has put on the wood. Gavarni himself could not have surprised some wearied masqueraders in a better pose. As soon as it became tolerably dusky, the fowls and ducks were assassinated by the light of a lantern, at the side of the paddlebox, for the morrow’s consumption ; and later, a sheep shared the same fate. Then, one by one, the passengers of the cabins crept below; but the heat was still so far beyond anything possible to be conceived, that I got my knapsack, as before, and laid myself down again upon the deck, where I was soon fast asleep, being followed in my example by one or two more of my gasping fellow travellers. This night I am not aware that the large rat paid us a visit; he was possibly attracted by the results of the fowl- murders on the other side of the boat. Anyhow, I slept undisturbed until after four in the morning tour bulgaria.

The progress of the next day presented little variety. We still had nothing but blue sky and sea to look upon, when we sought distraction beyond the bulwarks of the steamer. Mademoiselle Virginie was studying navigation with the Commissaire, in his cabin; she was there nearly all day. Pauline was incessantly employed upon a piece of crochet-work, which lasted all the journey, and got very dirty towards the end of it—being one of those fearfully uncomfortable things called antimacassars, which hang on the backs of chairs, to make your hair rough and tumble over your head. About four o’clock in the afternoon we caught sight of Greece—high up over the larboard bow; and at dinner-time a pretty stiff breeze came on and the boat began to ride, which had the admirable effect of keeping the foreigners rather more quiet at table; indeed, one or two left it. At dusk, we passed Cerigo, one of our English possessions —a melancholy reddish-rock island. It was difficult to conceive a more dreary time than the officer

must have had of it who was stationed there with his handful of troops. I longed to have seen some small boat by which I could have sent him a bundle of Galignanis, and a few numbers of Punch that we had on board. Then the little concert on deck began again—the opera airs bringing up thoughts of Gris, and Coveut Garden and the London season, here, out and away, at one of the gates of the Archipelago; and then, at nine o’clock we all began to think of retiring. I did not try the berths again ; but the Maltese lent me a coat, and lying down on this, with my knapsack as before, for a pillow, I was soon comfortably curled up with my own thoughts. I was, however, obliged to silence two runaway patriots, from some of the Italian States, who had been arguing loudly for an hour upon the affairs of Rome, without any chance of approaching a conclusion. When this was done, and the usual quantity of fowls had been killed, as on the preceding night, everything became quiet, and I was soon wandering in the world of dreams.

Under a rude trellis of grapes made an effective

It was very hot, and the road was very dusty— indeed the whole country about appeared parched up to the last degree of drought. We put up the windows, but the dust still got in, and before long our beards assumed a most venerable appearance. We stopped to bait at a little wine-shed half-way on the road, where there was a well, and where one or two Albanians lounging about under a rude trellis of grapes made an effective “bit.” Here we had some iced lemonade, which appeared to be all the establishment afforded, with some lumps of Turkish sweetmeat; and then we dragged on again for another half-hour, in the heat and dust, until we were deposited at the door of the Hotel d’Orient—a fine house furnished in the English fashion, and formerly a palace, as the touter had informed us. Hemetri now told us that he let horses with English saddles to travellers; and that if we wished to see all the “lions,” we must hire some, otherwise there would not be time to do so. So we had up some stumbling ponies from the town, for which we were to pay a dollar each; and then started to visit the wonders, and be back to dinner by five o’clock.

“Athens in six hours” is rather quick work to be sure; however, after I had been taken the round of the usual sights, I should have been sorry to have remained there much longer. But the exceeding beauty of the ruins can scarcely be overpraised ; albeit the degree of enthusiasm, real or conventional, with which one regards them, must depend entirely upon such early classical training as the traveller may have been fortunate enough to have undergone. Yet I doubt whether I could have gazed upon those graceful remains with greater delight than I did on this occasion, had I gone through any further preparation to visit them than had been afforded by an ordinary public school education tour bulgaria.

Lovely symmetry

Apart from their histories and their associations—their lovely symmetry, the effect of their clean sandstone colour against the bright blue sky, their admirable position, and the horizon of finely swelling purple hills almost surrounding them, broken to the south-west by the silver harbour of the Piraeus, were quite sufficient to call up the most vivid sensations of delight. Their beauty, also, was enhanced by the picturesque people who idled about them—all was so artistic, so sunny, so admirably thrown together, that whichever way the eye was turned, it appeared to rest on the reality of some exquisite drop-scene.

Guardians are stationed where there is anything to knock off and carry away more portable than the Elgin marbles The interior of the temple of Theseus is used as a museum; and the fragments are of greater interest, even to the most ordinary traveller, than such as he may elsewhere encounter. Here wre made a luncheon from some singularly fine grapes and fresh figs, with bread, spread on part of a column, and then proceeded to the Acropolis, which Demetri had properly kept for the last visit. From hence the view was most superb, but it wanted the relief of green. Everything for miles round was baked up.

The channel of the Ilyssus was without water, and the barley which covers the undulating ground had all been cut, leaving only the naked hot reddish tracts of land. The guardians had a sort of habitation below the Propylsea, and cultivated a few vegetables in small artificial gardens, the leaves of which looked quite refreshing. Amongst the masses of marble ruins which the Turks had tumbled down from the Parthenon, to make cannon balls from, or grind up for mortar, several wild plants trailed and flourished. One of these bore a green fruit which, being ripe, burst into dust the instant it was touched, however gently, by the foot; and the guides appeared more anxious to call the attention of the visitors to this fact, than to the solemn glories of the Acropolis.

ATIIENS IN SIX HOURS

On getting up at six in the morning of the 28th, we found land about us in all directions. Passing the islands of Poros and Egina—the former possessing a fine arsenal, with every capability for building large ships on English principles, if the money could but be found; and the latter, the remains of a noble temple —on our left, and Sunium on our right, we came to anchor in the Pirseus about half past nine.

Levantine fancy costumes

It was here that I found myself in the midst of the first Levantine fancy costumes, that attract the traveller’s attention—the real well-known bright Albanian dress of the masquerades and panoramic paper hangings, to say nothing of Madame Tussaud’s Byron. One after another, picturesque fellows, in clean white kilts, so to speak, and scarlet leggings, shot off from the shore in light boats, which they rowed admirably, having adopted our own fashion from the people of the Ionian Islands. As soon as they had surrounded the bottom of* the steamer’s ladder, they commenced fighting in a most furious manner to get the best position; banging each other with boat-hooks and large sticks, which they had evidently brought with them for the nonce, and climbing up the sides of the packet, like cats. In vain the crew of the Sccimanclre repulsed them—brushing them back into the swarm of boats, to get freshly beaten by their fellows on whom they tumbled—they were up again like wasps in an instant; and the passengers had enough to do to avoid being involved in the battle, which continued even on deck, amongst the hotel touters.

“ I say, sir ! here, sir ! Hotel d’Orient is the best. Here’s the card, sir—old palace—Murray says ver good,” cried one of the costumes.

“Hi!” screamed another; “don’t go with him, master—too dear ! Come with me!”

The parties were immediately engaged in single combat.

“ Hotel d’Angleterre a Athenes, tenu par Elias Polichronopulos et Yani Adamopulos,” shouted another, all in a breath ; I copy the names from the card he gave me, for they were such as no one could remember tour bulgaria.

“Yes, sir; good hotel,” said his companion. “ Look in Murray, sir—page 24—there, sir : here, sir: look, sir !”

“ Who believes Murray ?” asked a fellow in plain clothes, with a strong Irish accent.

“You would, if he put down your house in the handbook,” replied another.

They all appeared to have, more or less, a know- – ledge of English.

At length, by dint of great strength of mind, combined with physical force, a few of us got into a boat, (having been told that the packet would wait until next morning in the harbour,) and we were soon

standing on the quay of the Piraeus, the town being a collection of small newly-built houses, consisting chiefly of merchants’ stores, customs establishments, and agents’ offices, with some inferior cafes, on one of which was written “ Grogs-shop” intended, I suppose, as a translation of the more classical OtWeoXsov, on the other shutter. A nominal examination of the luggage of such of the passengers as were going to land took place on the quay, and every one was then allowed to go where he pleased. Just.then a good- looking fellow, in an Albanian dress, stepped up to our party and proffered his services as guide, for the day, to Athens. His name was Demetri Pomoni; he spoke excellent English, and told us “ that he was a subject of Queen Victoria ; that he had lived in London, and that we should find his name in the eternal Murray, page 25.” They had all got their position by heart. We engaged Demetri for the day, and hiring a shabby hack carriage, from a cluster of regular country railway flies, drawn up in cab-stand rank upon the port, we started off at a dismal pace for Athens, distant about five miles.

Good honest plunging wash

I should be very sorry to class foreigners, generally, as a dirty set of people when left to themselves, but I fear there is too much reason to suppose that (in how many cases out of ten I will refrain from saying) a disrelish for a good honest plunging wash is one of their chief attributes. It requires but very little experience, in even their best hotels, to come to this conclusion. I do not mean in those houses where an influx of English has imposed the necessity of providing large jugs, baths, and basins; but in the equally leading establishments—patronized chiefly by themselves—in these, one still perceives the little pie-dish and milk-jug, the scanty doyly-looking towel, and the absence of a soap dish ; whilst it would be perfectly futile to ask for anything further. So, on board the Scamandre, this opinion was not weakened. They dipped a corner of a little towel, not in the basin, but in the stream that trickled from the cistern as slowly as vinegar from any oyster-shop cruet, and dabbed their face about with it.

Then they messed about a little with their hands; and then, having given a long time to brushing their hair, they had a cigarette instead of a tooth brush, and their toilet was complete tour bulgaria. This description does not only apply to the Scamandre passengers, but to the majority of their race, whom I afterwards encountered about the Mediterranean.

There was such a terrible noise still upon deck— such hauling about of huge chains and dashing them down, as though theatrical goalers were constantly making their entrances or exits — such renewed squabbling, and stamping, and screaming; and useless covering up and darkening of hatchways, that I was glad to get back upon deck, along which the rising sun came right from the bowsprit, to tell us again that we were at last going towards the East. And here it would have been more to our comfort, if the sailors had transferred to themselves, some of the pains they took to wash the decks. The engine pumped up the water into a tub, and this they dashed

about in the most reckless manner; now flooding you away from the seat you had picked out upon a coil of ropes ; now almost washing the scared poultry clean out of their coops; and at last not leaving a spot so big as a foot-print to stand upon. So that when the ladies were dressed, we were not sorry to go down to breakfast, at three bells—which, (as everybody will say they knew,) is the nautical for half-past nine ;— and here a very good meal of omelets, fish, cutlets, potatoes, fruit, and wine, awaited us.

Last as long as possible

On board ship, breakfast or dinner is made to last as long as possible—there is so little to occupy the rest of the time ; so that we did not complain of being kept waiting between the courses, but clutched eagerly at any subject of general conversation that was started. There was no lack of this amongst the French, at their end of the table; but it was astonishing to analyze it, and see what trivial subjects occupied them. Those accustomed to the clatter of a table must frequently have observed the same thing, In the present case, one of the party occupied the attention of the entire table for ten minutes with an anecdote, which he prefaced by saying, “ Limes arrive quelea chose then recounted his story at length, of which, in all honest truth, the following is the essence:—that he had been going by a shop and seen a large fish exposed for sale, and that, the same morning, he called upon a friend at breakfast-time, and saw a piece of the same sort of fish on the table. This was all; but one would have thought from his energy and excitement, that a matter of the deepest

importance was connected with the occurrence, as he struck the table so violently to enforce its singularity, that the glasses jumped about. But his audienee appeared amazingly astonished at the event, and said, with the liveliest enthusiasm. Encouraged by this, he next called the attention of the company to a peach that he had cut through, stone and all, as another affair ties singuliere.” There is no telling what other matters of interest he might have touched upon, had not our phrenologist turned the conversation by observing that the bust of Lyeurgus, in the Royal Academy, at Naples, was the image of Mazzini; whereupon everybody went off at once about Rome and the Pope, Hungary, Louis Napoleon, Garibaldi, Russia, and the state of Venice, in such full cry, that it is a wonder how their mouths found opportunities to finish breakfast. It was, however, over at last, and then we all went upon deck, beneath an awning, to read, work, or smoke, until the heat was so intense that we could do nothing but lie down, completely overcome, in our berths, until dinner. This meal was a superior edition of breakfast; and when it was over we went on deck again.

ON BOARD THE SCAMANDRE

The cabin assigned to us was a small closet off the chief one, containing ten berths, with a space of floor about seven feet by five, which they surrounded. We were quite full, and when each passenger had brought in his carpet-bag or hat-box—aid one light-hearted foreigner appeared to be travelling from Marseilles to Smyrna with no more luggage than the latter contained—there was little room to turn round; indeed, that cruel feat with a cat, traditionally performed to determine habitable space, was here practically impossible.

So we were obliged to go to bed and get up one at a time; and when undressed, we had to pack our clothes up at our feet as well as we could, only to find that they had all got down into the depths of the mattresses, and underneath them even, by the morning. We were fortunate, however, in having a species of stout cucumber frame for a skylight, which could be lifted right away; and but for this, there is no telling how any one of us might have survived asphyxiator to recount our voyage. For having crept on to my shelf, which was one of the lower ones, about ten o’clock, with a very stout Armenian above me, who weighed so heavily on his sacking, that I was constantly knocking my head against it whenever I moved, I could not very readily get to sleep. The night was uncommonly sultry, even for the parallel of Malta, and I could not shake off a horrible impression that the stout Armenian would break through his sacking, and smother me at some remote period of the night.

I could not get the fearful story I once read, of a man who was in a prison that got smaller every day until it crushed him, out of my head; and this suffocating notion followed me into a troubled doze; so that when I awoke about twelve, almost stifled by the heat, and looking up, saw the skylight above-mentioned, with the stars shining through the opening, I had some hazy impression that this was the last window of the six that had disappeared, one by one, and day by day, in the story alluded to. In an agony of terror, such as I had never before experienced, I scrambled from my berth, and springing on a portmanteau, contrived to raise myself through the hatchway, and get a little breath of such air as was stirring tour bulgaria.

A small impression

On the foreigners, the close and stifling heat appeared to make but a small impression. Not only had some of them gone to bed with the greater part of their clothes on, but one or two had even drawn closely together the blue curtains that ran on rods along the top of the berths, and so almost hermetically closed themselves up, to stew and swelter, as is their wont in diligences, steamers, and even rooms of hotels, or anywhere in fact, wherever an opportunity can be found of excluding such fresh air as might otherwise intrude.

To me the sensation was so indescribably distressing, that I shuffled on some clothes, and pulling myself up through the opening, once more laid down upon the deck, amidst a dozen fourth class passengers, scarcely disturbed by the occasional visits of an enormous rat, who was scuffling about, picking up such few scraps as had fallen from the deck suppers. Here I remained until six in the morning, when I went below for my toilet. The four ladies had a cabin opposite to ours, and about the same size, but it had no hatchway. There was only a thick plate of ground glass to light it, and they had opened the door into the saloon for as much ventilation as they could get.

They appeared to care but little about privacy—air was evidently the chief consideration ; so that, as it happened, a man might have looked upon far more disagreeable objects than the dark-eyed Marseillaise, as she was lying in her berth and fanning herself, with her black hair floating about her pillow, and—if such may be mentioned—half-uncovered shoulders. She did not appear to think anything of the display, nor indeed did any body else—her Janice and her brother included, with the latter of whom she kept conversing all the time he was dressing.

Very short time at Malta

Although I had rested but a very short time at Malta, I left it with as much regret as though it had been a second home. For after a troublesome journey through Baden, Lombardy, the Homan States, and Naples, at an especially troublesome epoch, subjected besides to every annoyance and imposition that police, passports, and political quarantines could inflict on a traveller, the feeling was one of great comfort to catch the first sight of an English soldier on guard; to walk under a gateway with the familiar lion and unicorn—fighting for the crown as of old—boldly carved above it; to see well known names over the shops in every direction ; and to take halfcrowns and halfpence in change, in as matter of fact a manner as though the shops had been in Oxford Street. Above all, it was pleasant to hear “God save the Queen” played by English drums and fifes, calling up the echoes from the glowing rocks of our far off Mediterranean island.

There was enough to interest one, before the steamer started, in the coati docile of the harbour—the noble ships of the line, and steam frigates, lying lazily at anchor; the impregnable fortifications; the clean stone houses, dazzling in sharp outlines in the clear bright air; and the odd mixture of all sorts of costumes from every corner of the Mediterranean, between Gibraltar and Beyrout. Besides this, there were two or three parties of dirty urchins-—cousins Maltese of the boys who seek for halfpence in the mud of Greenwich and Blackwell—who came up in singularly fragile boats, and petitioned for pieces of money to be thrown into the harbor, that they might dive after them. One of these little fellows was sufficiently clever to attract general attention bulgaria tour. His head was shaved all but a comical tuft over his forehead, giving him the appearance, in his parti-colored Caledonia, of a small unpainted clown.

When the piece of money was thrown into the water, and had sunk for a few seconds, he leapt in feet first after it, and he was never long in reappearing at the surface, holding it up in his hand, always overtaking it before it had reached the bottom. These lads were succeeded by a floating band of music, the members of which played the Marseillaise and the Girondins’ Hymn, out of compliment to the “French steamer. But a shelling brought them round in an instant to our National Anthem, and Bouie Britannia; and as we left the port we heard the last chords, inappropriately enough, of “ Home, sweet home.” They had evidently got up the latter to excite the people on their way home from India, in the quarantine harbor, but had immature notions of its application.

For the last month the Mediterranean had been as calm as a lake—much more so, indeed, than that of Geneva under certain winds—and the fine weather promised to continue. This was fortunate for several reasons; the chief one being that the Scamandre was a very old boat, not calculated to encounter heavy seas; and in fact was said to be making her last voyage before condemnation to short coasting or river service. With great exertion she could be propelled at the rate of something under eight knots an hour; but the engineer respected the age of her machinery, and did not tax its powers. She was also very dirty, and the crew did their best to keep her in countenance; at the same time, there were few places on deck to sit down upon, except such accommodation as the coils of rope, water-barrels, and chicken coops afforded.

Scunandre

It is far from my intention, however, in thus speaking of the old Scunandre, to run down the admirable service of French mail steamers plying between Marseilles and the Levant generally. On the contrary, their extreme punctuality, their moderate fares, and their excellent arrangements, entitle them to the attention of all tourists to whom time and money are objects. There is as little distinction observable between the appointments of their first and second class passengers, as on the foreign railways; and as there is, on the other hand, a great difference in the price, and no servants, nor persons considered by the administration to be in any way unfit society for educated and well-bred people, are admitted into the cabin, this part of the boat is the most extensively patronized. We mustered about twenty passengers, and the first class cabin had not above four or five, who looked so dull and lonely, that we quite commiserated them.

Indeed, one of them—a good-tempered American— preferred now and then coming to dine with us, “ to know what was going on,” as he said. There were two other classes still. The third, who had a species of cabin, still fore, to retire to at night; and the fourth, who bivouacked upon deck. And very pleasant was even this last way of travelling. I had come down a deck- passenger from Genoa to Leghorn ; from Leghorn to Civita Yecchia; and from Naples to Malta, with a knapsack (which comprised all my luggage, and which I had carried many times across the Alps) for my pillow; and I had learned to sleep as soundly upon planks as upon feathers. In the mild, warm nights, no bed-clothes were required; and in the finest palace in the world there was no such ceiling to a sleeping chamber as the deep blue heaven afforded, spangled with its myriads of golden stars, which gleamed and twinkled with a luster unknown to us in northern England.

Mademoiselle Virginia

As we left Malta, the passengers all sat down to dinner; and for the first time we saw our companions for the next week. To begin with, there were three very pretty French girls. Two of these were cousins— Mademoiselle Virginia, and Mademoiselle Pauline, and they said they were going out to Bucharest as governesses; but we subsequently discovered that they were milliners, from a quantity of finery they got rid of at Smyrna. The thirds who was from Marseilles, had large dark eyes, and long black lashes, with a tinged cheek that suggested Andalusian blood. She was travelling with her brother, and another Frenchman, to whom she was engaged; both these

being employed in commerce at Marseilles. They had large beards, were great republicans, and kept very much to themselves and their cigarettes. There was also a French lady of a tolerably certain age, who had been in London, and somewhat astonished me at first with her intimate knowledge of all the leading town circles. She was too well educated for a lady’s maid, and yet wanted the repose of perfect good breeding; so that I was much puzzled to place her, until one evening she told me that she had been two seasons, several years ago, in the company of French actors at the St. James’ Theatre. We had an Englishman, who was on a speculating expedition to see if he could get some muskets into Hungary; he was also a great fdirenologist, and, generally, a thinking, determined man.

Line regiment

A young Irishman who had thrown up his commission in a line regiment, and was going to join the insurgents in the above named country, not having yet heard of their betrayal and dispersion: the amiable and intelligent Greek professor of the Harvard University in America, Mr. Sophocles, going home to his country after twenty years’ absence ; and several persons engaged in the Levant trade, whose race was as difficult to be detected as their exact occupation—their language being as complicated a jumble of odd dialects, as their luggage was of strange bags and boxes. So that, amongst them all, the conversation was tolerably lively; and when I went again upon deck after dinner, I found Malta fading away into a small blue hill upon the burnished horizon, and felt, for the first time, fairly off, on my journey to the Levant bulgaria tour.

The violet light lingered in the clear sky, high up above the east, long after the brilliant glow of sunset had died away behind the deep purple bars that flecked it as it disappeared. Then, one by one, the golden stars came out, and the bright crescent moon, looking like a symbol of the new land to which we were now hastening, was mirrored quivering in the sea, which scarcely rippled in the light evening breeze that swept over it. It was long, however, before the last gleam of light left the horizon, and I leant over the trembling stern of the old Scamcniclre, watching its gradual departure with a feeling of pleasure in gazing on what I fancied might be the direction of England, which those only can appreciate, who, at a distance from home, have recalled its dear faces around them.

The morrow of St. Bartholomew

After the good news had come from Rome, the king pointed a day, on the morrow of St. Bartholomew (25th August 1298), when the holy body should be raised. When he body was raised, the Archbishop of Rheims that then vas on whom God have mercy! and my Lord Henry of filers, my nephew, -who was then Archbishop of Lyons, bore t first in hand; and afterwards it was borne by many others, is well archbishops as bishops, more than I can name: they lore it to a platform that had been erected.

Then preached Brother John of Samois; and among the Other great feats that our saintly king had performed, he elated one of the worthy deeds to which I had borne testimony in my sworn declaration, and of which I had been fitness; and he spoke thus; “ So that you may see that he was the most loyal and upright man in his time, I will tell you that he was so loyal that he held a covenant he had made with the Saracens, though he had made it by simple word of mouth only, and if so be that he had not held it, he would have gained ten thousand livres and more.” He told them all the story as I have already told it above. And when he had told them all, he said: “ Do not think I am lying to you, for I see before me such a man as testified to us of this thing, and did so on oath.”

After the sermon was ended the king and his brothers bore back the holy body to the church, with the help of their lineage to whom this honor was due; for a great honor had been done them, if so be that they approve themselves worthy of it, as I have said above. Let us pray to the sainted king to ask God to give us what is needful for on souls and bodies bulgaria tour. Amen!

JOINVILLE SEES ST. LEWIS IN A DREAM, AND ERECTS AN ALTAR TO HIM

I will tell you yet again of tiling’s that are to the honor our saintly king, viz., what I saw when I was in my be asleep; and it seemed to me, in my dream, that I beheld him before my chapel at Joinville; and he was, so I though marvelously joyous and glad at heart, and I myself WE right glad to see him in my castle; and I said to him: “ Sin when you go hence, I will lodge you in a house of mine, th£ is in a city of mine called Chatillon.” “ And he answered mi laughing, and said to me: “ Lord of Joinville, by the fait I owe you, I have no wish so soon to go hence.”

When I awoke I set myself thinking; and me seemed would be pleasing both to God and to the king if I lodge him in my chapel; and so I did, for I built him an altar, 1 the honor of God, and to his honour, and there masses shall be sung in his honor for ever; and a rent has been established in perpetuity that this may be done. And the: things have I told to my Lord King Lewis, who is the ii heritor of his name; and methinks he would do what agreeable to God, and agreeable to our sainted King Lewi if he procured relics of the true holy body, and sent them 1 the said chapel of St. Lawrence at Joinville, so that those who come hereafter to the saintly king’s altar may have t! greater devotion.

When the good king had so taught his son, my Lord Philip, the infirmity that was upon him began to grow apace; and he asked for the sacraments of holy Church, and received them, being clear of thought and of sound understanding, as appeared duly, for when they anointed him with oil and said the seven Psalms, he repeated the verses in turn.

And I heard my Lord, the Count of Alenfon, his son, tell that when the king came near to death he called upon the saints to help and succor him, and especially upon my Lord St. James, saying St. James’s orison, which begins: “ Esto, Domine,” that is to say, “ 0 God, be the sanctifier and guardian of thy people.” Then he called to his aid my Lord St. Denis of France, saying St. Denis’s orison, which is to this effect: “ Lord God, grant that we may despise the pros parity of this world, and not stand in fear of any adversity bulgaria tour.”

I then heard my Lord of Alentpon on whom God have mercy! relate how his father called on my Lady St. Genevieve. After that, the saintly king caused himself to be laid on a bed covered with ashes, and put his hands across his breast, and, looking towards heaven, rendered up his spirit to our Creator; and it was at the same hour that the Son of God died upon the cross for the world’s salvation.

piteous thing, and worthy of tears, is the death of this saintly prince, who kept and guarded his realm so holily and loyally, and gave alms there so largely, and set therein so many fair foundations. And like as the scribe who, writing his book, illuminates it with gold and azure, so did the said king illuminate his realm with the fair abbeys that he built, and the great number of almshouses, and the houses for Preachers and Franciscans, and other religious orders, as named above./

On the day after the feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle did the good King Lewis pass out of this world, and in the year of the Incarnation of our Saviour, the year of grace 1270 (the 25th August). And his bones were put in a casket, and borne thence, and buried at St. Denis in France, where he had chosen his place of sepulture; and in the place where they were buried God has sit hence performed many fair miracles in his honour, and by his merit.

CANONISATION OF ST. LEWIS

After this, at the instance of the King of France, and by command of the Pope,1 came the Archbishop of Rouen, and Brother John of Samois, who has since been made bishop, they came to St. Denis in France, and there remained a long space to make inquisition into the life, the works, and the miracles of the saintly king. And I was summoned to come them, and they kept me two days.

And after they had questioned me and others, what the}’ had ascertained and et down was sent to the court of Rome; and the Pope and he cardinals looked diligently into what had been sent to hem, and according to what they saw there they did right 1} the king, and set him among the number of the confessors. Hence was there, and ought there to be, great joy in all the earn of France; and great honour to those of his lineage who are like him in doing well, and equal dishonor to those if his lineage who will not follow him in good works: great dishonor, I say, to those of his lineage who would do evil; or men will point a finger at them, and say that the saintly king, from whom they sprang, would have scorned to commit 0 foal an act.

Counsellors judge the more boldly

“ In order to do justice and right to thy subjects, be up right and firm, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left, but always to what is just; and do thou maintain the cause of the poor until such time as the truth is made clear. And if any one has an action against thee, make full inquisition until thou knows the truth; for thus shall thy counsellors judge the more boldly according to the truth, whether for thee or against.

“ If thou oldest aught that belonged to another, whether by thine own act or the act of thy predecessors, and the matter be certain, mike restoration without delay. If the matter be doubtful, cause enquiry to be made by wise men, diligently and promptly.

“ Give heed that thy servants and thy subjects live under thee in peace and uprightness. Especially maintain the good cities and commons of thy realm in the same estate and with the same franchises as they enjoyed under thy pride censors; and if there be aught to amend, amend and set it right, and keep them in thy favor and love. For because of the power and wealth of the great cities, thine own sub jects, and specially thy peers and thy barons, and foreigners also, will fear to undertake aught against thee bulgaria tour.

“ Love and honor all persons belonging to holy Church, and see that no one take away, or diminish, the gifts and alms made to them by thy predecessors. It is related of King Philip, my grandfather, that one of his counsellors once told him that those of holy Church did him much harm and damage, in that they deprived him of his rights, and diminished his jurisdiction, and that it was a great marvel that he suffered it; and the good king replied that he believed this might well be so, but he had regard to the benefits and courtesies that God had bestowed upon him, and so thought better to abandon some of his rights than to have any contention with the people of holy Church.

Bestow the benefices of holy Church

“ To thy father and mother thou shalt give honour and reverence, and thou shalt obey their commandments. Bestow the benefices of holy Church on persons who are righteous and of a clean life, and do it on the advice of men of worth and uprightness.

“ Beware of undertaking a war against any Christian prince without great deliberation; and if it has to be under taken, see that thou do no hurt to holy Church, and to those who have done thee no injury. If wars and dissensions arise among thy subjects, see that thou appease them as soon as thou art able.

“ Use diligence to have good provosts and bailiffs, and enquire often of them, and of those of thy household, how they conduct themselves, and if there be found in them any vice of inordinate covetousness, or falsehood, or trickery. Labour to free thy land from all vile iniquity, and especially strike down with all thy power evil swearing and heresy. See to it that the expense of thy household be reasonable.

“ Finally, my very dear son, cause masses to be sung for my soul, and prayers to be said throughout thy realm; and give to me a special share and full part in all the good thou does. Fair dear son, I give thee all the blessings that a good father can give to his son. And may the blessed Trinity and all the saints keep and defend thee from all evils; and God give thee grace to do His will always, so that He be honored in thee, and that thou and I may both, after this mortal life is ended, be with Him together, and praise Him everlastingly. Amen.”