Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-02-15
From the Christian Union.1
LA BELLE MAGUEL0NNE.
BY CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER.

Argues ortes = the name signifies
"stagnant water loves its Importance
to Louis TX, the saint. 1t required
saint to drop full-walled city, town
completely inclosed with high ramparts
and lofty fighting towers, in the midst
of these swamps, and approached from
the tideless Mediterranean only by shall
low channels.
From this inviting coast Saint Louis
chose to embark for Palestine, and thai
is the explanation of the existence here
of the most remarkable walled city in
France, the mostperfect and picturesque
reminder of the Middle Ages. From
afar off we see its high ramparts and
heavy round towers, ali in perfect con-
d1tion, and it would occasion no sur
prise to see the crenelated walls manned
with men III armor, and to behold cav
alcade of knights enter from one of the
narrow gates.
The city is so small and the walls are
SO solid that it seems as If it would be
possible to pick up the whole affair and
carry it away-that it would all hang to-
gether like toy city which children play
with. The embrasured wall is built in
the exact form of parallelogram, and
it is only 500 yards long, by 149 yards in
breadth. The walls are So feet high,
thanked by Is round towers. From the
interior at regular intervals steps ascend
to the top of the ramparts. The most
remarkable and the famous one of these
round towers is that of Constance. built
out by salient walls from the northeast
corner. This tower is 96 feet high and
So L.
of vaulted chambers, the walls of which
are, at the base, of enormous thickness.
This tower is surmounted by slender
column, upon which lantern used to
be kept burning at night.
Within these narrow limits, Aigues-
Mortes Is a little city of straight, narrow
streets. There are several entrance
gates, and from one you look straight
through the city out of another. It is
said that in its prosperous days the city
had population crowded into it of H.
900. 1t is credited now with about 4, 900.
but it seemed to me there we're scarcely
1000 people in its silent streets. There
are In it many vacantplots of ground and
many deserted houses. Every other
walled city have ever seen has outgrown
its bondage and spread into the sur
rounding country. Aigues- Mortes has
shrunk within its stone shell and rattles
around in it like dried nut.
X
So much for the historical interest of
Algues- Mortes, where In dirty little
inn, 1l-kept by friendly, simple people,
/ had capital breakfast. But confess
that [ was drawn to visit the city by an
interest still more romantic. For it was
at Aigues-Mortes that Pierre de Provence
landed after his oriental romantic. For
it was on an island near it that the fair
Maguelonne founded her hospital for
pilgrims and wayfarers.
Perhaps you do not remember the de-
tails of the charming story of 60 Pierre
de Provence ct de Ia Belle Maguelonne ?'
1t was favorite history in the twelfth
century. This romance was turned into
verse in ITS, by Baynard de Trivies,
canon of Maguelonne, and it is said that
it was one of the first books that Petrarch
read when he came to Avignon, and that
he attempted to perfect it.
The story is, In brief, this: Pierre was
the son of Jean de Provence and his
lovely wife, the daughter of Don AL
wares, Count of Barcelona. He had
considerable fortune, and the right to
reign sovereign of the Comtal, but he
preferred peace to glory, and did not dis
pute the title with his usurping brother,
but lived with more content at Cavaillon,
with his beautiful and virtuous wife, than
If he had possessed the empire of the
world. Pierre was their only child. He
was most carefully educated, trained to
all exercises In arms as well as letters;
modest, virtuous, handsome. No one
could excel him in the pastimes of chiv-
airy; he could turn a neater verse than
the professional troubadours, and he un-
horsed and conquered all the knights
that came, from all Europe to his
fathers tournsments. Before he was of
age he had the renown of an unconquer-
able knight. Attractive as he was in