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Matilda Betham-Edwards - Holidays in Eastern France
often happen not to know the law, the cure tries to circumvent his enemy at the last. Accordingly, when
the time of burial comes, a Protestant pastor may be kept waiting for hours in consequence of this wilful
obstinacy; supposing that the mayor is under clerical influence, useless to argue "La loi est avec nous;"
cure and mayor persist, and at the last moment the unfortunate pastor has to telegraph to the Prefet, who,
whether clerical or not, knows the law, and is obliged to follow it, and consequently sends an
authorization which ends the matter. This is very blind on the part of the clericals, for it naturally turns
the Protestants into martyrs. It happened in a little village, not far from Besancon, that, after a scene of
this kind, all the village population turned into the cemetery, and, by the time the Prefet's order came, the
Protestant pastor had a large audience for his discourse over the grave. "C'est si consolant chez les
Protestants, l'enterrement des morts," people were heard to say, and let us hope that the cure and the
mayor were punished for their folly by a few conversions among their flocks to Protestantism.
A mediaeval writer, Francois de Belleforest, thus describes Besancon: -
"Si par l'antiquite, continuee en grandeur, la benediction de Dieu se cognoit en une lieu, il n'y a ville ni
cite en toutes les Gaules qui ayt plus grande occasion de remarquer la faveur de Dieu, en soy que la cite
dont nous avions prise le discours. Car, en premier lieu, elle est assise en aussi bonne et riche assiette que
ville du monde; estant entoure de riches costeaux et vignobles, et de belles et hautes forets, ayant la
riviere du Doux qui passe par le millieu, et enclost pour le plupart d'icelle, estant bien, d'ailleurs fort bien
approvisionee. Les fruicts y sont aussi bons, et y a aussi bonne commodite de venaison et de gibier en
ceste ville, qu'en autre qu'on sceut choisir. Et puis ce qu'elle est a la cheultes des montagnes, on la tient
pour le grenier commun du comte de Bourgogne, comme jadis Sicile estait de l'Itaile. Et s'il etait question
d'estimer la vertu d'un peuple, qui s'est longtemps maintenu libre sans ployer la gantelet, ni rien perdu de
sa reputation, on peut, a bon droit, faire cas de ceste cite. Et certes de tout temps ceste brave cite a este
enviee des tyrans, pour en usurper la domination. Et il n'y a ni eu ni menaces, ni allechement qui ayent
sceu esbranler les nobles et libres coeurs besanconnais, pour quicter aucune chose de leurs libertez,
quelques couleurs de grandeur et de richesses qu'on leur ayt mis audevant pour se laisser annexer au
comte de Bourgogne, et avoir un parlement, et se mettre auxpieds ce qu'il ont aux mains."
CHAPTER VII. ORNANS, COURBET'S COUNTRY, AND THE VALLEY OF THE LOUE.
Let the reader now follow me to Ornans, Courbet's birth and favourite abiding place, and the lovely
Valley of the Loue. This is the excursion par excellence from Besancon, and may be made in two
ways, either on foot, occupying three or four days, decidedly the most advantageous for those who can
do it, or by carriage in a single day, starting very early in the morning, and telegraphing for relays at
Ornans the previous afternoon. This is how we managed it, starting at five, and reaching home soon after
eight at night. The children accompanied us, and I must say, better fellow-travellers I never had than
these mites of sixteen months and three and a-half years. When tired of looking at the cows, oxen, goats,
horses and poultry, we passed on the road, they would amuse themselves for an hour by quietly
munching a roll, and, when that occupation at last came to an end, they would go to sleep, waking up just
as happy as before.
Here I will mention that the great amiability of the French character is no more strongly manifested than
in this habit of always having their little children about them. As neither day nor night nurseries exist in
France, and head-nurses are equally unheard of, young children are always with their parents. Thus, if
visitors call, and papa and mamma happen to be engaged in interesting conversation with them, no
attention will be paid to the perpetual noise and interruption of little toddling things, whose place is
naturally there. I have heard an animated political discussion go on whilst a boy of two and a half was
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