Brittany Its Byways | Page 4

is, from the English,
whose defeat the same year at Formigny, by the Constable de
Richemont, expelled them for ever from Normandy.
There is much to see in the environs of Cherbourg, which makes it a
good central point for excursions. We drove by the fort of Octeville,
where a magnificent panoramic view is obtained, equalling in extent
that from the Mont du Roule. A fisherman, who was standing by, told
us the names of the numerous forts that bristle in every direction, and
related to us the legend of the monk of Saire, who, having received the
rent due to his father for some land, appropriated the money to his own
use, and, on the tenant declaring he had paid the sum, adjured the evil
one to carry him off, if he had ever received the money. The words
were no sooner uttered than there came a flash of lightning, and the
monk vanished: but he still appears in the roads of Cherbourg floating
on the sea; when he sees a sailor, he cries "Save me, save me! I am

about to sink!" but the hapless being who approaches to assist him is
immediately dragged into the water, a peal of infernal laughter is heard,
and the luckless mariner disappears for ever. We asked our guide if he
believed in the phantom monk, but he was silent.
[Illustration: 1. Querqueville Church.]
From Octeville we proceeded to Querqueville, where, in the same
churchyard as the parochial church, stands a little church, named after
St. Germain, the first apostle of the Cotentin, who, in the fifth century,
landed from England on the coast of La Hogue, and preached
Christianity in this district and the valley traversed by the river Saire,
which falls into the sea near St. Vaast-la-Hogue. This tiny church, for it
measures only 34 feet by 24, and is 11 feet high, is by some supposed
to have been a temple of the Gauls converted into a Christian place of
worship; the nave and tower having been added to the old temple,
which consists of a triple apse forming a regular trefoil, each of which
has a domed top. We drove on to Nacqueville, the château of Comte
Hippolyte de Tocqueville. The park is prettily laid out, a stream of
water runs in front of the house, and a row of blue hydrangeas blazed
forth in great beauty, with the relief of a background of dark firs. Time
prevented us from pursuing our excursion further west, to see the
famed cliffs of Jobourg.
[Illustration: 2. Plan of Querqueville Church.]
To the east of Cherbourg a high road leads to Barfleur and the
lighthouse of Gatteville, between which and the Isle of Wight is the
narrowest point of the English Channel, passing by Saint-Pierre-Eglise,
near which is the château of the late Alexis de Tocqueville, author of
'Democracy in America;' but we did not get further on the road than
Tourlaville, the ancient château of the Ravalet family, upon whom
tradition has heaped every crime imaginable. One seigneur entered the
church with his hounds and stabbed the priest at the altar, because he
refused to administer to him the consecrated element; another hanged
some of his vassals, because they did not grind their corn at the
seignorial mill, for "haute or basse justice" was then among the nobles'
rights. Marguerite, a daughter of this ancient house, expiated, with her

brother, their offences upon the scaffold at Paris. Every effort was
made to spare their lives; but the King, or rather Queen Margot, was
inexorable. The château of Tourlaville is beautifully situated; it is in the
style of the Renaissance, with an angular tower, which recalls that of
Heidelberg Castle. The ground-floor consists of two large unfurnished
rooms, and a staircase, with iron railing, leads to the story above. In
one room hangs the portrait of a lady châteleine, in the costume of the
period of Louis XIII., with the château of Tourlaville in the distance.
On her left are eight Cupids with bandages over their eyes, one in
advance of the others is not blinded. From the lady's mouth is a label,
with the inscription "Un (seul) me suffit." This is said to be the portrait
of the Lady Marguerite, but the costume is of a later date. In one of the
rooms is a chimney-piece covered with a variety of amatory devices
and mottoes:--a Cupid blinded, holding a lighted torch, motto "Ce qui
me donne la vie me cause la mort." Again, another Cupid with eyes
bandaged, pouring water out of a vase to cool a flaming heart he holds
in his hand, motto "Sa froideur me glace les veines et son ardeur brûle
mon coeur." Six winged hearts flying at the approach of Cupid, but
which are reached by his