fi08 Dibdin's Bihliographical To 



Al'.HKV OF TliK HOLY TRINITY. 



IJut you must now atlciul ia u visit 

 to the most iu((M-estin<? public buiUliiifj;, 

 jicriuips ill! fhiiijfs cousidcn'd. wliicli is 

 to he. »c(ui at Cacu : 1 nicaii tiic Ahl'-cy 

 of tlu^ Holy Ttiaity,or L'Abbiiye Aux 

 Dames. 



This AI)b('y was foumloil by the wife 

 of the Conqueror, about (lie same tinu; 

 that William erected t!iut of St. Ste- 

 phen. It was founded for nuns of the; 

 Bencdicline order. DucarfFs descrip- 

 tion of it, which I have just seen in a 

 copy of tlie Aiiclo-Norman Antiquities, 

 in a bookseller's shop, is suiiiciently 

 meagi'e, as are also his plates suffici- 

 ently miserable ; but things an; strange- 

 ly altered since iiis time. The nave of 

 the church is occupied by a manufac- 

 tory for making cordage or twine, and 

 upwaids of a hundred lads are now 

 busied in their flaxen occupations, 

 where formerly the nun knelt before 

 the cross, or was occupied in aurictilar 

 confession. ' 



Having ascended a stone stair-case, 

 we got into the upper part of the choir, 

 above tin; first row of pillars, and 

 walked along (he wall. This was ra- 

 ther adventurous, yo)i will say, but a 

 nu)re adventurous spirit of curiosity 

 had nearly proved fatal to me ; for on 

 ijuitfing clay-light, we pursued a wind- 

 ing stone stair-case, in our way to the 

 central tower, from henc(! (o have a 

 view of the town. I almost tremble as 

 I relate it. There had been put up a sort 

 of temporary wooden stair-case, lead- 

 ing absolutely to — nolhing: or I'athcr 

 to a dark void space. We gained the 

 top of the central tower, which is not 

 of equal altitude v.ilh those of the 

 western extremity, and from thence sur- 

 veyed the town, as well as the drizzling 

 rain would permit us. I saw enough, 

 however, to convince me that (he sci(e of 

 this Abbey is fine and commanding. In- 

 deed it stands nearly upon th(^ highest 

 ground in the town. The cryptbeneath 

 the choir, is perh.aps of yet greater 

 interest and beauty than the choir itself. 

 Within an old, very old stone cofiin, at 

 the further circular end, are the pul- 

 verised remains of one of the earliest 

 abbesses. I gazed around with mixed 

 sensations of veneratioa and p.we, and 

 threw mys(;lf back into centuries past, 

 fancying that theshroiuled figure of Ma- 

 tilda herself glided by, with a look as 

 if to api)rovc of ray antiquarian enthusi- 

 asm. Having gratified our curiosity by 

 a careful survey of this subterraneous 

 aI>ode, we revisited tlie regions of day- 

 light, and made towards the large 



nr in France and Germany. 



building, now a manufactoiy, which, 

 in Ducarel's time, had bciu a nun- 

 nery. 



The revolution has swept away e%'cry 

 human being in the character of a nun ; 

 but the director of the manufactory 

 shewed us, with great civility, some 

 relics of olde russes, rings, veils, lachry- 

 matories, &c. wiiidi Inid been taken 

 from the crypt we had recently visited, 

 on account of ercL'ting some tomb, or 

 elevating some portion of the ground, 

 to the remains of a person of distinction, 

 whether of old or modern times I can- 

 not just now recollect. 



BAYEUX TAPESTRY. 



Now then, my friend, it is high time 

 that you should be introduced iu proper 

 form to the famous BAYEU5i. Tapes- 

 TR V. Let us leave, ther<'fore, paper and 

 printing, for linen and needle-work. 

 It is unnecessary to communicate the 

 hundred little tilings which occurred 

 till Mr. Lewis had finished his laborious 

 task, after an application of six or eight 

 hours, for two successful mornings. 

 His labours are at an end, and they 

 have been thoroughly successful. I 

 hope to carry with me, throughout 

 France and (icrmany, thl:* most mar- 

 vellous fac-similc— stitch for stitch, 

 colour for colour, size for size. Not 

 that I would be understood to under- 

 rate the previous labours of Mr. Sto- 

 thard, which are in truth ecjuallyad- 

 mirable,only that they are of a different 

 nature, and upon a more extensive 

 scale. Know then, in as few words as 

 possible, that this celebrated piece of 

 tapestry represents chielly the invasion 

 of Englancl I)y William (he Conqueror, 

 and the subsequent dealii of Harold at 

 the battle of Hastings. It measures 

 about 214 English feet in length, by 

 about nineteen inches in width ; and is 

 supposed to have been worked under 

 the particular superintcndance and 

 directi(ni of Matilda, the wife of the 

 Conqueror. It was formerly exclu- 

 sively kept a!ul exliibited in the ca- 

 thedral ; but it is now justly retained 

 in the town hall, and treasured as the 

 most precious relic among the archives 

 of the city. There is, indeed, every 

 reason to consider it as one of the most 

 valuable historical monuments which 

 France possesses. 



It is right, first of all, that you 

 should have an idea how this piece of 

 tapestry is preserved, or rolled up. 



You see it here, tlierefore, precisely 

 asjt appears after the person who shews 

 it takes off the cloth with which it is 

 usually covered. 



A female 



