CANNES. 241 



that castle whose ruins still crown Mont Chevalier. The 

 old town of Cannes rests on the slope of this hill. In 

 the monaster\' of Lerin spiritual Cjualities were fostered 

 above all things, hence the mildness of its rule. This 

 influenced the manners and customs of the inhabitants 

 on the shore, for, while on the other side of the Esterel 

 the people uere governed by rough feudal lords and 

 their amusements consisted in mock fights — the so called 

 "bravades", in Cannes, N'allauris and Antibes they 

 had the "romerages", that is to sa\- dances and rural 

 sports, to enliven the "Fetes". ^Po this da^• the "bravades" 

 have survived at St. Tropez, and the "romerages" at 

 \'allauris. Watch towers were erected all along the coast 

 as a protection against the Saracens. Fire signals b\' 

 night and white flags b^• da^', on the lies de Lerins, 

 warned the dwellers on the coast of the approaching 

 enem\'. Cannes had a fairh' ])eaceful existence, shielded 

 b\' the monaster\', which bore the brunt of the enem\''s 

 attacks, and onh' during the wars of Francis T \\'ith 

 Charles \' did it first sustain se\ ere losses. In 1580 the 

 black plague \\as brought to Cannes by a ship from the 

 East, and it spread o\'er the whole of Provence. Then 

 came much trouble in the course of time, as ^vhcn, in 

 the seventeenth centur\-, the lies de Lerins fell tempor- 

 arih' into the power of Spain; and again, in the eight- 

 eenth ccntur\-, when the Austrian and Piedmontese troops 

 invaded Provence: but particularly at the time of the 

 Austrian W'ar of Succession, during the unsuccessful attacks 

 of Austria on Pro\'ence. On the other hand a serio-comic 

 element is not altogether wanting in the histor)- of Cannes. 



