Every attempt has been made to replicate the original book as printed. Some typographical errors have been corrected. No attempt has been made to correct or normalize the printed accentuation or spelling of French names or words. The images have been moved from the middle of a paragraph to the closest paragraph break. (etext transcriber’s note) RAMBLES IN BRITTANY WORKS OF FRANCIS MILTOUN The following, each 1 vol., library 12mo, cloth, gilt top, profusely illustrated. Net, $2.00; postpaid, $2.16 Rambles in Normandy Rambles in Brittany The Cathedrals and Churches of the Rhine The following, each 1 vol., library 12mo, cloth, gilt top, profusely illustrated. Postpaid, $2.50 The Cathedrals of Northern France The Cathedrals of Southern France L. C. PAGE & COMPANY New England Building, Boston, Mass. Constable’s Tower, Vannes (See page 147) Rambles in B R I T T A N Y BY FRANCIS MILTOUN With Many Illustrations BY BLANCHE MCMANUS BOSTON L. C. PAGE & COMPANY 1906 Copyright, 1905 BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY (INCORPORATED) —— All rights reserved Published October, 1905 COLONIAL PRESS Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co. Boston, U. S. A. APOLOGIA NO promise given to the hostess of one’s inn is alleged as an excuse for writing this book, but it is true that rosy, busy Madame X of the Soleil d’Or, in the fishing village in which the work received its final collation and revision, watched its growth for many a week, daily declaring her hope of some day receiving a volume containing “your impressions.” And, indeed, her hope shall not be vain, for one of the first copies shall be most speedily despatched to her. Moreover, the author and artist hope that it may be acceptable to her critical mind, for she is not likely to be lenient, though she knows full well that to the many authors and artists who make a refuge of her modest inn for months she owes her livelihood. The book is a record of many journeys and many rambles by road and rail around the coast, and in no sense is it put forth either as a special or as a complete survey of things and matters Breton. Many lights and shadows have been thrown upon the screen from various points, but the effort has been made to blend them all into a pleasing whole, which shall supplement the guide-books of convention. It were not possible to do more than has been attempted within the limits of a volume such as this, and therefore many details of routes, and historical data of a relative sort, and a certain amount of topographical information have been scattered through the volume or placed in the appendix, in the belief that such information is greatly needed in a work attempting to purvey “travel talk” even in small measure. Some of this knowledge is so little subject to change that it may well stand for all time, and, in these days of well-nigh universal travel, may be not thought out of place in a volume intended both for the armchair traveller and also for him who journeys by road and rail. That only a very limited quantity of such information can be included is a misfortune, inasmuch as such a handbook is often used when no other aid is accessible to the traveller. Finally, the illustrative material, the large number of drawings of sights and scenes, of great architectural monuments, and of the dress of the people, is offered less as a complete pictorial survey than as a panorama of impressions received on and off the beaten track,—and more satisfying and truthful than the mere snap-shots of hurried travel. In addition, many maps, plans, and diagrams should give many of the itineraries a lucidity often lacking in the usual railway maps. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE APOLOGIA v PART I. I. INTRODUCTORY 3 II. THE PROVINCE AND THE PEOPLE 11 III. THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE PROVINCE 33 IV. TRAVEL ROUTES IN BRITTANY 45 V. THE BRETON TONGUE AND LEGEND 59 VI. MANNERS AND CUSTOMS 70 VII. THE FISHERIES 88 PART II. I. THE LOIRE IN BRITTANY 99 II. NANTES TO VANNES 116 III. THE MORBIHAN—VANNES AND THE “GOLFE” 140 IV. AURAY AND THE MEGALITHIC MONUMENTS OF MORBIHAN 159 V. MORBIHAN—LORIENT AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD 179 VI. FINISTÈRE—SOUTH 187 VII. FINISTÈRE—NORTH 221 VIII. THE CÔTES DU NORD 249 IX. THE EMERALD COAST 271 X. ON THE ROAD IN BRITTANY—MAYENNE, FOUGÈRES, LAVAL, AND VITRÉ 309 XI. RENNES AND BEYOND 329 XII. RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS AND PARDONS 341 APPENDICES 359 INDEX: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, V. 373 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE CONSTABLE’S TOWER, VANNES (See page 147) Frontispiece THE LOIRE AT NANTES facing 4 DEVICE OF ANNE OF BRITTANY 17 ANNE OF BRITTANY 18 BRETON POST-CARD 21 ST. BRIEUC facing 30 CROISIC facing 42 MAP OF BRITTANY facing 44 THE MAIN ROADS OF BRITTANY 48 TRAVEL ROUTES IN BRITTANY 55 ST. POL DE LÉON facing 60 THE BRETON TONGUE 62 GILLES DE LAVAL 66 YOUNG BRETONS 78 FROM THE ARTIST’S SKETCH BOOK 80 LA COIFFE POLKA 81 IRONING COIFS 83 BRETON TYPES 85 DOUARNENEZ facing 88 PORNIC 113 DONJON OF CLISSON facing 114 ST. NAZAIRE 123 ANCIENT FORTIFICATIONS OF GUÉRANDE (DIAGRAM) 126 CHÂTEAUBRIANT facing 128 CHILDREN OF REDON 133 TOUR D’ELVEN facing 138 MARKET-WOMAN, VANNES 142 THE COUNTRY NEAR VANNES 143 ANCIENT CITY WALLS, VANNES (DIAGRAM) 147 CHÂTEAU OF SUSCINO facing 148 GENERAL PLAN OF CHÂTEAU OF SUSCINO (DIAGRAM) 149 PLOËRMEL facing 152 SHRINE OF ST. ETIENNE, JOSSELIN 154 CHÂTEAU DE JOSSELIN facing 156 INTERIOR OF MARKET-HOUSE, AURAY facing 160 SHRINE OF ST. ROCH, AURAY 162 THE LINES OF CARNAC 168 THE LINES OF CARNAC facing 168 MAP OF CARNAC AND THE SURROUNDING COUNTRY 170 QUIBERON facing 172 HENNEBONT facing 182 QUIMPERLÉ facing 188 MARKET-HOUSE, FAOUËT facing 192 MARKET-DAY 193 ROSPORDEN 196 STONE CRUCIFIX, CONCARNEAU facing 198 CONCARNEAU 199 PONT AVEN facing 202 ENVIRONS OF PONT AVEN (MAP) 204 FROM THE MUSEUM AT QUIMPER 207 CAPE DE LA CHÈVRE facing 214 WOMAN OF CHATEAULIN 217 CAMARET facing 220 LANDERNEAU facing 224 CALVARY, PLOUGASTEL facing 228 LIGHTHOUSE OF CRÉAC’H, OUESSANT facing 236 ROSCOFF 239 MA DOUEZ 244 CARVED WOOD STAIRCASE, MORLAIX facing 246 PROCESSION OF SAILORS, ST. JEAN DU DOIGT 247 OLD HOUSE, TRÉGUIER 253 HOUSE OF ERNEST RENAN, TRÉGUIER 254 SHRINE OF ST. YVES, TRÉGUIER 256 A BINOU PLAYER 261 BINIC 267 RAMPARTS OF ST. MALO facing 272 HOUSE OF DUGUAY-TROUIN, ST. MALO 281 TOWER OF SOLIDOR, ST. SERVAN facing 284 PLANS OF THE TOWER OF SOLIDOR 285 THE VALLEY OF THE RANCE (MAP) 292 DUGUESCLIN 293 REZ-DE-CHAUSSÉE OF DONJON, DINAN (DIAGRAM) 295 COIF OF MINIAC 307 MAYENNE facing 310 PLAN OF THE ANCIENT WALLS AND TOWERS OF FOUGÈRES 314 BEUCHERESSE GATE, LAVAL 319 PLAN OF VITRÉ IN 1811, SHOWING CITY WALLS 321 CHÂTEAU DE VITRÉ facing 322 TOWER OF ST. MARTIN, VITRÉ 323 CHÂTEAU DE ROCHERS 325 ARMS OF MADAME DE SÉVIGNÉ 327 MONASTERY OF ST. MÉLAINE, RENNES 331 HUELGOAT facing 340 PARDON OF ST. JEAN DU DOIGT facing 352 THE PROVINCES OF FRANCE (MAP) 359 THE ANCIENT PROVINCES OF FRANCE (MAP) 361 COMPARATIVE METRIC SCALE (DIAGRAM) 364 SKETCH MAP OF CIRCULAR TOUR IN BRITTANY 366 ARCHITECTURAL NAMES OF THE VARIOUS PARTS OF A FEUDAL CHÂTEAU (DIAGRAM) 367 TIDE AND WEATHER SIGNALS IN THE PORTS OF BRITTANY (DIAGRAM) 368 PART I. RAMBLES IN BRITTANY CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY THE regard which every one has for the old French provinces is by no means inexplicable. Out of them grew the present solidarity of republican France, but in spite of it the old limits of demarcation are not yet expunged. One and all retain to-day their individual characteristics, manners, and customs, and also a certain subconscious atmosphere. Many are the casual travellers who know Normandy and Brittany, at least know them by name and perhaps something more, but how many of those who annually skim across France, in summer to Switzerland and in winter to the Riviera or to Italy, there to live in seven-franc-a-day pensions, and drink a particularly vile brand of tea, know where Brittany leaves off and Normandy begins, or have more than the vaguest of vague notions as to whether the charming little provincial capital of Nantes, on the Loire, is in Brittany or in Poitou. A recollection of their school-day knowledge of history will help them on the latter point, but geography will come in and puzzle them still more. There are many French writers, and painters for that matter, who have made these provinces famous. Napoleon, perhaps, set the fashion, when he wrote, in 1786, that eulogy beginning: “It is now six or seven years since I left my native country.” More familiar is the “Native Land” of Lamartine. Camille Flammarion wrote “My Cradle,” meaning Champagne; Dumas wrote of Villers-Cotterets, and Chateaubriand and Renan of Brittany; but head and shoulders above them all stand out Frederic Mistral and his fellows of the Félibres at Avignon and Arles. The Loire at Nantes All this offers a well-nigh irresistible fascination for those who love literary and historic shrines,—and who does not in these days of universal travel, personally conducted or otherwise? Not every one can follow in the footsteps of Sterne with equal facility and grace, or bask in the radiance of a Stevenson or a Gautier. Still, it is given to most of us who know the lay of the land to discover for ourselves the position of these celebrated shrines, whether the pilgrimage be historical, literary, or artistic.