DibdiiCs Bibliographical Tour in France ana Germany. ?07 



now remains but a flat black marble 

 slab, with a short inscription ol'quitp,^, 

 i-ecent date. midI*' 



r.iils, and yon are disappointed tliat 



you <io not see more objects of costliness 



nr curiosity. In the middle of the 



choir, and just before the high altar, the 



body of the Conqueror was entombed Dont comme preux i 'euz toute la.^lcferr!^^'J 



With great pomp; and a monument Non pas sans duretmoi veiUeiix assault ,^j, 



erected to his memory of the most ela- I'our bieu jouster le disloyal vibault. 



borate and costly description." Nothing J'^ "".s a mort et so.xaute et sept nulle •• 



•'__ " Neul ceuls dixnuiet et par ninsi a on saxilt 



Fuz roy d'Aiiglois tciiav.t toute leur isle 



* " lu the middle of the choir, and just 

 before the high altar, was deposited the 

 body of (he founder, William the Con- 

 queror, King- of England, and Duke of 

 Normandy, under a most stately monument, 

 erected at the expence of his son, William 

 Kufus, and richly adorned with gold, silver, 

 and precious stones, by one Odo, a gold- 

 smith of Caen. The top stone of the mo- 

 nument was of touch, supported on each 

 side by three pilasters of white marble ; 

 and thereon lay the figure of the king, as 

 large as life, dressed in his robes of state ; 

 and at the foot, was the following epitaph, 

 composed by Thomas, Archbishop of York : 



Qui Resit Rigidos Northmanos Atque Bri- 

 tanos, 

 Audacter Vicit Fort iter Obtinuit 

 Et Ccenomaneusis Virtute Coercuit Ensis 



Imperiique Sui Legibus Applicuit 

 Rex Magnus Parva jacet Hac Guliclmus 

 in Urna, 

 Sufficit et Magno Parva Domus Domino 

 Ter Septem Gradibus Se Volverat Atque 

 Duobus, 

 Virginia in Gremio Phcebus et Hie Obiit. 

 1087. 



In the year 152'2, one of the Cardinals, 

 attended by an Archbishop and several 

 dignified ecclesia'itics, visiting the town 

 of Caen, was prompted by strong curiosity 

 to see the body of the Conqueror ; and 

 having for that purpose, obtained permis- 

 sion from Peter de Martigny, bishop of 

 Castres, who was at that time Abbot of St. 

 Stepheusjthey caused the tomb to be opened. 

 Upon removing the cover slone, the body, 

 which was corpulent, and in stature greatly 

 exceeded the tallest man then known, ap- 

 peared as entire as when it was first buried. 

 Within the tomb lay a copper-plate gilt, on 

 which was engravcu the like epitaph with 

 that on the outside cf the monument, and 

 beneath it was the following iuscripliou in 

 old French : 



Lc Guillaume tres magiianime, 

 Due de ISeustrie pared a Charlcmaigne. 

 Pas^say le mer par un doux vent de sust, 

 Pour conquester toute la grand Bretaigne 

 Puis desployer fis mainte noble cnscigne 

 Et dresser tentes et pavilions de gucirc 

 Et ondrier fis comme fil d'araignc 

 !Neuf cent grand's nefz si tost <ivii cuz pied 



a terre 

 Et puis en armes de la partis granderre 

 Pour coups receuz au double roy hcrault 



Or u'est il uue taut soit fort et habile 

 Qui quant c'est fail i^pres ne se repose ' ^ 

 Most ra'a dellait que suis it cendrc vile '' 

 De toute choses ou jouit une pose. 



The Cardinal, who, as well as the rest 

 of the spectators, was greatly surprised at 

 finding the body in so perfect a state, after 

 having been buried near four hundred 

 and fifty years, in order to perpetuate the 

 memory of so remarkable an incident, pro- 

 cured a picture of the royal remains, in 

 the condition they then appeared, to be 

 painted on board, by the most eminent 

 painter of the place, and caused it to be 

 hung up, together with the before-men- 

 tioned original insci iption, on the wall of 

 the Abbey church, opposite to the monu- 

 ment. The tomb being again carefully. 

 closed, remained undisturbed until the 

 year 1562, when the calvinists, in a reli- 

 gious fury, forced it open, in expectation 

 of meeting with immense treasures, but 

 finding nothing more than the bones of the 

 Conqueror, wrapt up in red tafieta, they 

 threw them about the church in gi-eat deri- 

 sion, after Itaving broken in pieces the mo- 

 nument, together with (he royal efligies 

 wljich lay thereon. Most of the bones 

 were afterwards collected together by 

 Biousieur de Bras, and delivered into the 

 custody of Father Michael de Canelle, one 

 of the monks and bailly of the Abbey, who 

 carefully lodged them in his cell, with an 

 intent to restore them to their ancient 

 place of sepulture, as soon as the troubles 

 should be ended ; but the town being 

 some time after taken by Admiral Chas- 

 tellion, the religious were driven from the 

 Abbey, and the royal remains once more 

 dispersed. 



However, the Viscount de Falaise hav- 

 ing- at the time of these disturbances ob- 

 tained from the rioters one of the thigh 

 bones, it was by him afterwards deposited 

 in the royal grave. About the same time, 

 (he picture of the Conqueror's remains, as 

 they a|)peared lying in the tomb, in the year 

 1522, fell into the hands of Peter Hode, 

 gaoler of Caen, and one of the rioters, who 

 converted one part thereof into a table, 

 and used the other as a cupboard door ; 

 but these being four years afterwards dis- 

 covered and reclaimed by Monsieur dc 

 Bras, remained hi his possession till his 

 death, since whicli time it is unknown what 

 is becotne of them. 



ADBEY 



