the hunchback of notre dame-第31章

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the　〃pavement　of　the　League；〃　a　deserted　back　courtyard；　with　one　of　those　diaphanous　staircase　turrets；　such　as　were　erected　in　the　fifteenth　century；　one　of　which　is　still　to　be　seen　in　the　Rue　des　Bourdonnais。　Lastly；　at　the　right　of　the　Sainte…Chapelle；　towards　the　west；　the　Palais　de　Justice　rested　its　group　of　towers　at　the　edge　of　the　water。　　The　thickets　of　the　king's　gardens；　which　covered　the　western　point　of　the　City；　masked　the　Island　du　Passeur。　　As　for　the　water；　from　the　summit　of　the　towers　of　Notre…Dame　one　hardly　saw　it；　on　either　side　of　the　City；　the　Seine　was　hidden　by　bridges；　the　bridges　by　houses。

And　when　the　glance　passed　these　bridges；　whose　roofs　were　visibly　green；　rendered　mouldy　before　their　time　by　the　vapors　from　the　water；　if　it　was　directed　to　the　left；　towards　the　University；　the　first　edifice　which　struck　it　was　a　large；　low　sheaf　of　towers；　the　Petit…Chàtelet；　whose　yawning　gate　devoured　the　end　of　the　Petit…Pont。　　Then；　if　your　view　ran　along　the　bank；　from　east　to　west；　from　the　Tournelle　to　the　Tour　de　Nesle；　there　was　a　long　cordon　of　houses；　with　carved　beams；　stained…glass　windows；　each　story　projecting　over　that　beneath　it；　an　interminable　zigzag　of　bourgeois　gables；　frequently　interrupted　by　the　mouth　of　a　street；　and　from　time　to　time　also　by　the　front　or　angle　of　a　huge　stone　mansion；　planted　at　its　ease；　with　courts　and　gardens；　wings　and　detached　buildings；　amid　this　populace　of　crowded　and　narrow　houses；　like　a　grand　gentleman　among　a　throng　of　rustics。　There　were　five　or　six　of　these　mansions　on　the　quay；　from　the　house　of　Lorraine；　which　shared　with　the　Bernardins　the　grand　enclosure　adjoining　the　Tournelle；　to　the　H？tel　de　Nesle；　whose　principal　tower　ended　Paris；　and　whose　pointed　roofs　were　in　a　position；　during　three　months　of　the　year；　to　encroach；　with　their　black　triangles；　upon　the　scarlet　disk　of　the　setting　sun。

This　side　of　the　Seine　was；　however；　the　least　mercantile　of　the　two。　　Students　furnished　more　of　a　crowd　and　more　noise　there　than　artisans；　and　there　was　not；　properly　speaking；　any　quay；　except　from　the　Pont　Saint…Michel　to　the　Tour　de　Nesle。　　The　rest　of　the　bank　of　the　Seine　was　now　a　naked　strand；　the　same　as　beyond　the　Bernardins；　again；　a　throng　of　houses；　standing　with　their　feet　in　the　water；　as　between　the　two　bridges。

There　was　a　great　uproar　of　laundresses；　they　screamed；　and　talked；　and　sang　from　morning　till　night　along　the　beach；　and　beat　a　great　deal　of　linen　there；　just　as　in　our　day。　This　is　not　the　least　of　the　gayeties　of　Paris。

The　University　presented　a　dense　mass　to　the　eye。　　From　one　end　to　the　other；　it　was　homogeneous　and　compact。　　The　thousand　roofs；　dense；　angular；　clinging　to　each　other；　composed；　nearly　all；　of　the　same　geometrical　element；　offered；　when　viewed　from　above；　the　aspect　of　a　crystallization　of　the　same　substance。

The　capricious　ravine　of　streets　did　not　cut　this　block　of　houses　into　too　disproportionate　slices。　　The　forty…two　colleges　were　scattered　about　in　a　fairly　equal　manner；　and　there　were　some　everywhere。　　The　amusingly　varied　crests　of　these　beautiful　edifices　were　the　product　of　the　same　art　as　the　simple　roofs　which　they　overshot；　and　were；　actually；　only　a　multiplication　of　the　square　or　the　cube　of　the　same　geometrical　figure。　　Hence　they　complicated　the　whole　effect；　without　disturbing　it；　completed；　without　overloading　it。　Geometry　is　harmony。　　Some　fine　mansions　here　and　there　made　magnificent　outlines　against　the　picturesque　attics　of　the　left　bank。　　The　house　of　Nevers；　the　house　of　Rome；　the　house　of　Reims；　which　have　disappeared；　the　H？tel　de　Cluny；　which　still　exists；　for　the　consolation　of　the　artist；　and　whose　tower　was　so　stupidly　deprived　of　its　crown　a　few　years　ago。　Close　to　Cluny；　that　Roman　palace；　with　fine　round　arches；　were　once　the　hot　baths　of　Julian。　　There　were　a　great　many　abbeys；　of　a　beauty　more　devout；　of　a　grandeur　more　solemn　than　the　mansions；　but　not　less　beautiful；　not　less　grand。　Those　which　first　caught　the　eye　were　the　Bernardins；　with　their　three　bell　towers；　Sainte…Geneviève；　whose　square　tower；　which　still　exists；　makes　us　regret　the　rest；　the　Sorbonne；　half　college；　half　monastery；　of　which　so　admirable　a　nave　survives；　the　fine　quadrilateral　cloister　of　the　Mathurins；　its　neighbor；　the　cloister　of　Saint…Benoit；　within　whose　walls　they　have　had　time　to　cobble　up　a　theatre；　between　the　seventh　and　eighth　editions　of　this　book；　the　Cordeliers；　with　their　three　enormous　adjacent　gables；　the　Augustins；　whose　graceful　spire　formed；　after　the　Tour　de　Nesle；　the　second　denticulation　on　this　side　of　Paris；　starting　from　the　west。　The　colleges；　which　are；　in　fact；　the　intermediate　ring　between　the　cloister　and　the　world；　hold　the　middle　position　in　the　monumental　series　between　the　H？tels　and　the　abbeys；　with　a　severity　full　of　elegance；　sculpture　less　giddy　than　the　palaces；　an　architecture　less　severe　than　the　convents。　　Unfortunately；　hardly　anything　remains　of　these　monuments；　where　Gothic　art　combined　with　so　just　a　balance；　richness　and　economy。　The　churches　（and　they　were　numerous　and　splendid　in　the　University；　and　they　were　graded　there　also　in　all　the　ages　of　architecture；　from　the　round　arches　of　Saint…Julian　to　the　pointed　arches　of　Saint…Séverin）；　the　churches　dominated　the　whole；　and；　like　one　harmony　more　in　this　mass　of　harmonies；　they　pierced　in　quick　succession　the　multiple　open　work　of　the　gables　with　slashed　spires；　with　open…work　bell　towers；　with　slender　pinnacles；　whose　line　was　also　only　a　magnificent　exaggeration　of　the　acute　angle　of　the　roofs。

The　ground　of　the　University　was　hilly；　Mount　Sainte…　Geneviève　formed　an　enormous　mound　to　the　south；　and　it　was　a　sight　to　see　from　the　summit　of　Notre…Dame　how　that　throng　of　narrow　and　tortuous　streets　（to…day　the　Latin　Quarter）；　those　bunches　of　houses　which；　spread　out　in　every　direction　from　the　top　of　this　eminence；　precipitated　themselves　in　disorder；　and　almost　perpendicularly　down　its　flanks；　nearly　to　the　water's　edge；　having　the　air；　some　of　falling；　others　of　clambering　up　again；　and　all　of　holding　to　one　another。　　A　continual　flux　of　a　thousand　black　points　which　passed　each　other　on　the　pavements　made　everything　move　before　the　eyes；　it　was　the　populace　seen　thus　from　aloft　and　afar。

Lastly；　in　the　intervals　of　these　roofs；　of　these　spires；　of　these　accidents　of　numberless　edifices；　which　bent　and　writhed；　and　jagged　in　so　eccentric　a　manner　the　extreme　line　of　the　University；　one　caught　a　glimpse；　here　and　there；　of　a　great　expanse　of　moss…grown　wall；　a　thick；　round　tower；　a　crenellated　city　gate；　shadowing　forth　the　fortress；　it　was　the　wall　of　Philip　Augustus。　　Beyond；　the　fields　gleamed　green；　beyond；　fled　the　roads；　along　which　were　scattered　a　few　more　suburban　houses；　which　became　more　infrequent　as　they　became　more　distant。　　Some　of　these　faubourgs　were　important：　there　were；　first；　starting　from　la　Tournelle；　the　Bourg　Saint…Victor；　with　its　one　arch　bridge　over　the　Bièvre；　its　abbey　where　one　could　read　the　epitaph　of　Louis　le　Gros；　~epitaphium　Ludovici　Grossi~；　and　its　church　with　an　octagonal　spire；　flanked　with　four　little　bell　towers　of　the　eleventh　century　（a　similar　one　can　be　seen　at　Etampes；　it　is　not　yet　destroyed）；　next；　the　Bourg　Saint…　Marceau；　which　already　had　three　churches　and　one　convent；　then；　leaving　the　mill　of　the　Gobelins　and　its　four　white　walls　on　the　left；　there　was　the　Faubourg　Saint…Jacques　with　the　beautiful　carved　cross　in　its　square；　the　church　of　Saint…　Jacques　du　Haut…Pas；　which　was　then　Gothic；　pointed；　charming；　Saint…Magloire；　a　fine　nave　of　the　fourteenth　century；　which　Napoleon　turned　into　a　hayloft；　Notre…Dame　des　Champs；　where　there　were　Byzantine　mosaics；　lastly；　after　having　left　behind；　full　in　the　country；　the　Monastery　des　Chartreux；　a　rich　edifice　contemporary　with　the　Palais　de　Justice；　with　its　little　garden　divided　into　compartments；　and　the　haunted　ruins　of　Vauvert；　the　eye　fell；　to　the　west；　upon　the　three　Roman　spires　of　Saint…Germain　des　Prés。　　The　Bourg　Saint…Germain；　already　a　large　community；　formed　fifteen　or　twenty　streets　in　the　rear；　the　pointed　bell　tower　of　Saint…　Sulpice　marked　one　corner　of　the　town。