New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-17
HISTORY and ROMANCE
Stories of the Beautiful Riuiera
Region.
BOOK OF THE RIVIERA BY s Barring
Gould. Illustrated limo. PIP. go E. p Dutton

ana SNOW OF other CHIMES, but IL Is more tnan
that 10 those who feel the charm of romance
and history. For here. along these lovely French
and Italian shores Of the Mediterranean. all
manner of picturesque. strange and tragic events
have taken place since the days of the Phoeni-
clan colonists. Before the walls OF Marseilles
Cesar himself welded the axe that feIled the
first tree of the sacred wood his soldiers feared
to profane Let it be remembered to the credit
Of the great Roman that when the plague made
its way into the stoutiy defended city and she
was forced to open her gates, Caesar treated her
with magnanimity. At Pourrieres still stands
the monument COMMUNICATING the victory of
Marius. who, stealing suddenly with his troops
upon the plain where the invading Teutons were
encamped. destroyed them with such carnage
that the heaps of slain gave TO the spot, when
some days had passed, the of Campi Pu-
tridi In later times the cruel Saracens pos
sessed themselves of all Provence and wrought
horrors unspeakable until Charles Martel
crushed them at Poitiers and burned alive in
the amphitheatre at Aries the refugees who
sought shelter there. The reign Of King Rene
in Provence has left to US picture of that
most unfortunate Mark Tapley of Monarchs"
walking about his fowery realm in broad
brimmed straw hat chatting paternally with his
peasants and composing poems he went AS
valiant courage and undaunted spirit" Mr..
Baring-Gould comes forward with a champion
ship seldom offered to this queen Of Henry VI
of England:
Shakespeare and the chroniclers have combined
blacken the character of this unfortunate woTl-
an She is represented in rePulsve colors as IN
her energy and forttude distorted into IN
natural ferocity and Obduracy. But we cannot
trust the picture painted Of her. The EngLsh peo-
pie resented the marriage with an impecunlous
woman and the cession Of the duchy OF Maine 70
the trench as the price LOT hei Lall1 ny 49,
CALLED and writing ar the humiliation or the Eng
natural nosition Of having TO supply by her force
f cbsraoter The feebIeness of her husbands rule
-hTevT hers bV contrast into undue prominence.
She had penetration discover, what was hidden
from Henry's eyes, that the throne was SURROUND
ing the incapacity Of the King. it is unjust TO
judge her harshly. if she strove with all her pow
10 save the crown lmpeTlled by MS leeolengss;
The situation in which she was placed compelled
her do that which is the worst thing a woman nan
can do, 10 unseX herself ana that hoI , NE re Ie
Maid OF Orleans in consequence or a divine I'M
has been attributed TO her for which she was not
rightfully responsible. II could hardly De othsr-
consistent with her female character: a woman
cannot play mans part in the work OF the woEle
was forced on her by the helpless tmbeciity OF her
husband and she was COZ pei a by tne sTg
to save the crown and TO hand it on TO her SON
Brought up in the sunny Court of the Trouba-
dours under the care Of a light hearted father
idolized by his subjects, the girl was certainly
I'll nrepared for the sorrows of her life in Eng
land
Only two names OF their former rulers our
author tells US, have any hold on the magma
ton and hearts Of the Provencals OF to-day-the
names of King Rene and of that Queen Joanna
of Sicily from whom he inherited the Neapoltan
kingdom which he had not strength to keep.
This was that Joanna whom Leonardo painted,
for whom Boccaccio wrote his taies-she was
Fiarmetta they say-and who, at eighteen, had
her Young husband hanged from the bars of her
window with a rope into which she had herself
twisted gold thread Let him be strangled
rovaIIv'' said this Southern wildcat. There are
not many relics of her left in the Riviera region
M her nalace at Grasse only a fight OF stone
steps, built into vaulted passage. remains.
II is asserted that she cut the canal that sup
plied Dragnignan with water. and that she built
the church at SaIernes-let US hope that this
IS true. Dragnignan, by the way, is ancient
town which is said to have been built on hi!
because the plain below ravaged by
dragon until the Bishop of Antilles slew him.
A d All Within the old walls the streets are
scarce six feet wide, and the very high houses
rravent the sun from ever reaching the pave
mont This is characteristic Of most OF the very
old towns of the Riviera. Delightful as are the
winters and springs, the summers are so burning
hot that life would be uncomfortable therein II II
were not for the narrow shaded streets which
look like mere canyons. Grasse where Wanna
bo5 her naIace, is also associated with the mem
orv of one Of the most romantic careers IN the
annals of craftsmanship, that Of Romeo de VII
1ene,Ive the seneschaI whom Dante placed III
Paradise A gem of ministers was this man
who arriving as pilgrim star IN hand az the
Court of Raymond Berenger, Count Of Provence,
ca ,ron upon the ruler that great offices were
bestowed upon him, and acquitted himself
therein by integrity prudence and justice that
the people also grew to love him. He was al
most modern in his enlightened conduct OF
affairs. but his brains and his honesty did not
save him from enmity-perhaps they nurtured
II. Count Raymonds heir listened to those who
accused Romeo of having enriched himself at
tho Princes expense. The old Minister pro-
duced his accounts, showing that he had not
BETRAYED his trust to the value of a denier'';
then. .'aged and poor, he parted thence" as
Dante says, in the pilgrims habit Of his youth.
The splendid red porphyry mountains Of the
Fsterel ought not TO be left uuvisited by the
.,I5icious traveller Mr.. Baring-Gould devotes
a very entertaining chapter TO them great
man who. in olden days. worked havoc in this
80, was the Emperor Charles V. When
pursuing Francis ] he was so exasperated by
a. sl,irrnfshing attacks of the Esterel natives
that he set the forests on fire. When that fire
died down there was nothing visible but the red
neaks Of rock; the ashes of men. women chlidren
ana cattle were mingled with those OF the van
,sbed forest This brings US 10 the OLD ROADSIDE
tower of lie Muy, which still standing IN RUNS
stood ruined then and left deserted-a lit place
g. a tragedy. Spurred to revenge by the En-
-. crneIties. five Provencal gentlemen shut
themselves. with a little band of soldiers ana
,s.sarts into the old tower, resolved to shoot