the hunchback of notre dame-第29章

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icture　which　spread　out；　on　all　sides　at　once；　before　the　eye；　a　spectacle　~sui　generis~；　of　which　those　of　our　readers　who　have　had　the　good　fortune　to　see　a　Gothic　city　entire；　complete；　homogeneous；a　few　of　which　still　remain；　Nuremberg　in　Bavaria　and　Vittoria　in　Spain；can　readily　form　an　idea；　or　even　smaller　specimens；　provided　that　they　are　well　preserved；Vitré　in　Brittany；　Nordhausen　in　Prussia。

The　Paris　of　three　hundred　and　fifty　years　agothe　Paris　of　the　fifteenth　centurywas　already　a　gigantic　city。　　We　Parisians　generally　make　a　mistake　as　to　the　ground　which　we　think　that　we　have　gained；　since　Paris　has　not　increased　much　over　one…third　since　the　time　of　Louis　XI。　　It　has　certainly　lost　more　in　beauty　than　it　has　gained　in　size。

Paris　had　its　birth；　as　the　reader　knows；　in　that　old　island　of　the　City　which　has　the　form　of　a　cradle。　　The　strand　of　that　island　was　its　first　boundary　wall；　the　Seine　its　first　moat。　　Paris　remained　for　many　centuries　in　its　island　state；　with　two　bridges；　one　on　the　north；　the　other　on　the　south；　and　two　bridge　heads；　which　were　at　the　same　time　its　gates　and　its　fortresses；the　Grand…Chatelet　on　the　right　bank；　the　Petit…Chatelet　on　the　left。　　Then；　from　the　date　of　the　kings　of　the　first　race；　Paris；　being　too　cribbed　and　confined　in　its　island；　and　unable　to　return　thither；　crossed　the　water。　　Then；　beyond　the　Grand；　beyond　the　Petit…Chatelet；　a　first　circle　of　walls　and　towers　began　to　infringe　upon　the　country　on　the　two　sides　of　the　Seine。　　Some　vestiges　of　this　ancient　enclosure　still　remained　in　the　last　century；　to…day；　only　the　memory　of　it　is　left；　and　here　and　there　a　tradition；　the　Baudets　or　Baudoyer　gate；　〃Porte　Bagauda〃。

Little　by　little；　the　tide　of　houses；　always　thrust　from　the　heart　of　the　city　outwards；　overflows；　devours；　wears　away；　and　effaces　this　wall。　　Philip　Augustus　makes　a　new　dike　for　it。　　He　imprisons　Paris　in　a　circular　chain　of　great　towers；　both　lofty　and　solid。　　For　the　period　of　more　than　a　century；　the　houses　press　upon　each　other；　accumulate；　and　raise　their　level　in　this　basin；　like　water　in　a　reservoir。　　They　begin　to　deepen；　they　pile　story　upon　story；　they　mount　upon　each　other；　they　gush　forth　at　the　top；　like　all　laterally　compressed　growth；　and　there　is　a　rivalry　as　to　which　shall　thrust　its　head　above　its　neighbors；　for　the　sake　of　getting　a　little　air。　　The　street　glows　narrower　and　deeper；　every　space　is　overwhelmed　and　disappears。　　The　houses　finally　leap　the　wall　of　Philip　Augustus；　and　scatter　joyfully　over　the　plain；　without　order；　and　all　askew；　like　runaways。　　There　they　plant　themselves　squarely；　cut　themselves　gardens　from　the　fields；　and　take　their　ease。　　Beginning　with　1367；　the　city　spreads　to　such　an　extent　into　the　suburbs；　that　a　new　wall　becomes　necessary；　particularly　on　the　right　bank；　Charles　V。　builds　it。　　But　a　city　like　Paris　is　perpetually　growing。　　It　is　only　such　cities　that　become　capitals。　　They　are　funnels；　into　which　all　the　geographical；　political；　moral；　and　intellectual　water…sheds　of　a　country；　all　the　natural　slopes　of　a　people；　pour；　wells　of　civilization；　so　to　speak；　and　also　sewers；　where　commerce；　industry；　intelligence；　population；all　that　is　sap；　all　that　is　life；　all　that　is　the　soul　of　a　nation；　filters　and　amasses　unceasingly；　drop　by　drop；　century　by　century。


So　Charles　V。's　wall　suffered　the　fate　of　that　of　Philip　Augustus。　　At　the　end　of　the　fifteenth　century；　the　Faubourg　strides　across　it；　passes　beyond　it；　and　runs　farther。　　In　the　sixteenth；　it　seems　to　retreat　visibly；　and　to　bury　itself　deeper　and　deeper　in　the　old　city；　so　thick　had　the　new　city　already　become　outside　of　it。　　Thus；　beginning　with　the　fifteenth　century；　where　our　story　finds　us；　Paris　had　already　outgrown　the　three　concentric　circles　of　walls　which；　from　the　time　of　Julian　the　Apostate；　existed；　so　to　speak；　in　germ　in　the　Grand…Chatelet　and　the　Petit…Chatelet。　　The　mighty　city　had　cracked；　in　succession；　its　four　enclosures　of　walls；　like　a　child　grown　too　large　for　his　garments　of　last　year。　　Under　Louis　XI。；　this　sea　of　houses　was　seen　to　be　pierced　at　intervals　by　several　groups　of　ruined　towers；　from　the　ancient　wall；　like　the　summits　of　hills　in　an　inundation；like　archipelagos　of　the　old　Paris　submerged　beneath　the　new。　Since　that　time　Paris　has　undergone　yet　another　transformation；　unfortunately　for　our　eyes；　but　it　has　passed　only　one　more　wall；　that　of　Louis　XV。；　that　miserable　wall　of　mud　and　spittle；　worthy　of　the　king　who　built　it；　worthy　of　the　poet　who　sung　it；

　　~Le　mur　murant　Paris　rend　Paris　murmurant~。*


*　　The　wall　walling　Paris　makes　Paris　murmur。


In　the　fifteenth　century；　Paris　was　still　divided　into　three　wholly　distinct　and　separate　towns；　each　having　its　own　physiognomy；　its　own　specialty；　its　manners；　customs；　privileges；　and　history：　the　City；　the　University；　the　Town。　　The　City；　which　occupied　the　island；　was　the　most　ancient；　the　smallest；　and　the　mother　of　the　other　two；　crowded　in　between　them　like　（may　we　be　pardoned　the　comparison）　a　little　old　woman　between　two　large　and　handsome　maidens。　　The　University　covered　the　left　bank　of　the　Seine；　from　the　Tournelle　to　the　Tour　de　Nesle；　points　which　correspond　in　the　Paris　of　to…day；　the　one　to　the　wine　market；　the　other　to　the　mint。　　Its　wall　included　a　large　part　of　that　plain　where　Julian　had　built　his　hot　baths。　　The　hill　of　Sainte…Geneviève　was　enclosed　in　it。　The　culminating　point　of　this　sweep　of　walls　was　the　Papal　gate；　that　is　to　say；　near　the　present　site　of　the　Pantheon。　The　Town；　which　was　the　largest　of　the　three　fragments　of　Paris；　held　the　right　bank。　　Its　quay；　broken　or　interrupted　in　many　places；　ran　along　the　Seine；　from　the　Tour　de　Billy　to　the　Tour　du　Bois；　that　is　to　say；　from　the　place　where　the　granary　stands　to…day；　to　the　present　site　of　the　Tuileries。　These　four　points；　where　the　Seine　intersected　the　wall　of　the　capital；　the　Tournelle　and　the　Tour　de　Nesle　on　the　right；　the　Tour　de　Billy　and　the　Tour　du　Bois　on　the　left；　were　called　pre…eminently；　〃the　four　towers　of　Paris。〃　　The　Town　encroached　still　more　extensively　upon　the　fields　than　the　University。　The　culminating　point　of　the　Town　wall　（that　of　Charles　V。）　was　at　the　gates　of　Saint…Denis　and　Saint…Martin；　whose　situation　has　not　been　changed。

As　we　have　just　said；　each　of　these　three　great　divisions　of　Paris　was　a　town；　but　too　special　a　town　to　be　complete；　a　city　which　could　not　get　along　without　the　other　two。　　Hence　three　entirely　distinct　aspects：　churches　abounded　in　the　City；　palaces；　in　the　Town；　and　colleges；　in　the　University。　　Neglecting　here　the　originalities；　of　secondary　importance　in　old　Paris；　and　the　capricious　regulations　regarding　the　public　highways；　we　will　say；　from　a　general　point　of　view；　taking　only　masses　and　the　whole　group；　in　this　chaos　of　communal　jurisdictions；　that　the　island　belonged　to　the　bishop；　the　right　bank　to　the　provost　of　the　merchants；　the　left　bank　to　the　Rector；　over　all　ruled　the　provost　of　Paris；　a　royal　not　a　municipal　official。　　The　City　had　Notre…Dame；　the　Town；　the　Louvre　and　the　H？tel　de　Ville；　the　University；　the　Sorbonne。　The　Town　had　the　markets　（Halles）；　the　city；　the　Hospital；　the　University；　the　Pré…aux…Clercs。　　Offences　committed　by　the　scholars　on　the　left　bank　were　tried　in　the　law　courts　on　the　island；　and　were　punished　on　the　right　bank　at　Montfau？on；　unless　the　rector；　feeling　the　university　to　be　strong　and　the　king　weak；　intervened；　for　it　was　the　students'　privilege　to　be　hanged　on　their　own　grounds。

The　greater　part　of　these　privileges；　it　may　be　noted　in　passing；　and　there　were　some　even　better　than　the　above；　had　been　extorted　from　the　kings　by　revolts　and　mutinies。　　It　is　the　course　of　things　from　time　immemorial；　the　king　only　lets　go　when　the　people　tear　away。　　There　is　an　old　charter　which　puts　the　matter　naively：　apropos　of　fidelity：　~Civibus　fidelitas　in　reges；　quoe　tamen　aliquoties　seditionibus　interrypta；　multa　peperit　privileyia~。

In　the　fifteenth　century；　the　Seine　bathed　five　islands　within　the　walls　of　Paris：　Louviers　island；　where　there　were　then　trees；　and　where　there　is　no　longer　anything　but　wood；　l'ile　aux　Vaches；　and　l'ile　Notre…Dame；　both　dese