rtuous　town；　which　produces　nothing　whatever　that　I　can　discover。　　Except　the　church　of　Saint…　Sernin　and　the　fine　old　court　of　the　Hotel　d'Assezat；　Toulouse　has　no　architecture；　the　houses　are　for　the　most　part　of　brick；　of　a　grayish…red　color；　and　have　no　particular　style。　　The　brick…work　of　the　place　is　in　fact　very　poor；　…　inferior　to　that　of　the　north　Italian　towns；　and　quite　wanting　in　the　richness　of　tone　which　this　homely　material　takes　on　in　the　damp　climates　of　the　north。〃　　And　then　my　note…book　goes　on　to　narrate　a　little　visit　to　the　Capitol；　which　was　soon　made；　as　the　building　was　in　course　of　repair　and　half　the　rooms　were　closed。
  XX。
  The　history　of　Toulouse　is　detestable；　saturated　with　blood　and　perfidy；　and　the　ancient　custom　of　the　Floral　Games；　grafted　upon　all　sorts　of　internecine　traditions；　seems；　with　its　false　pastoralism；　its　mock　chivalry；　its　display　of　fine　feelings；　to　set　off　rather　than　to　mitigate　these　horrors。　　The　society　was　founded　in　the　fourteenth　century；　and　it　has　held　annual　meetings　ever　since；　…　meetings　at　which　poems　in　the　fine　old　_langue　d'oc_　are　declaimed　and　a　blushing　laureate　is　chosen。　　This　business　takes　place　in　the　Capitol；　before　the　chief　magistrate　of　the　town；　who　is　known　as　the　_capitoul_；　and　of　all　the　pretty　women　as　well；　…　a　class　very　numerous　at　Toulouse。　It　was　impossible　to　have　a　finer　person　than　that　of　the　portress　who　pretended　to　show　me　the　apart…　ments　in　which　the　Floral　Games　are　held；　a　big；　brown；　expansive　woman；　still　in　the　prime　of　life；　with　a　speaking　eye；　an　extraordinary　assurance；　and　a　pair　of　magenta　stockings；　which　were　inserted　into　the　neatest　and　most　polished　little　black　sabots；　and　which；　as　she　clattered　up　the　stairs　before　me；　lavishly　displaying　them；　made　her　look　like　the　heroine　of　an　_opera…bouffe_。　　Her　talk　was　all　in　_n_'s；　_g_'s；　and　_d_'s；　and　in　mute　_e_'s　strongly　accented；　as　_autre_；　_theatre_；　_splendide_；　…　the　last　being　an　epithet　she　applied　to　everything　the　Capitol　contained；　and　especially　to　a　horrible　picture　representing　the　famous　Clemence　Isaure；　the　reputed　foundress　of　the　poetical　contest；　presiding　on　one　of　these　occasions。　　I　won…　dered　whether　Clemence　Isaure　had　been　anything　like　this　terrible　Toulousaine　of　to…day；　who　would　have　been　a　capital　figure…head　for　a　floral　game。　The　lady　in　whose　honor　the　picture　I　have　just　men…　tioned　was　painted　is　a　somewhat　mythical　personage；　and　she　is　not　to　be　found　in　the　〃Biographie　Uni…　verselle。〃　　She　is；　however；　a　very　graceful　myth；　and　if　she　never　existed；　her　statue　does；　at　least；　…　a　shapeless　effigy；　transferred　to　the　Capitol　from　the　so…called　tomb　of　Clemence　in　the　old　church　of　La　Daurade。　　The　great　hall　in　which　the　Floral　Games　are　held　was　encumbered　with　scaffoldings；　and　I　was　unable　to　admire　the　long　series　of　busts　of　the　bards　who　have　won　prizes　and　the　portraits　of　all　the　capitouls　of　Toulouse。　　As　a　compensation　I　was　introduced　to　a　big　bookcase；　filled　with　the　poems　that　have　been　crowned　since　the　days　of　the　trou…　badours　（a　portentous　collection）；　and　the　big　butcher's　knife　with　which；　according　to　the　legend；　Henry；　Duke　of　Montmorency；　who　had　conspired　against　the　great　cardinal　with　Gaston　of　Orleans　and　Mary　de　？？？？？？　Medici；　was；　in　1632；　beheaded　on　this　spot　by　the　order　of　Richelieu。　　With　these　objects　the　interest　of　the　Capitol　was　exhausted。　　The　building；　indeed；　has　not　the　grandeur　of　its　name；　which　is　a　sort　of　promise　that　the　visitor　will　find　some　sensible　embodiment　of　the　old　Roman　tradition　that　once　flourished　in　this　part　of　France。　　It　is　inferior　in　impressiveness　to　the　other　three　famous　Capitols　of　the　modern　world；　…　that　of　Rome　（if　I　may　call　the　present　structure　modern）　and　those　of　Washington　and　Albany！
  The　only　Roman　remains　at　Toulouse　are　to　be　found　in　the　museum；　…　a　very　interesting　establish…　ment；　which　I　was　condemned　to　see　as　imperfectly　as　I　had　seen　the　Capitol。　　It　was　being　rearranged；　and　the　gallery　of　paintings；　which　is　the　least　in…　teresting　feature；　was　the　only　part　that　was　not　upside…down。　　The　pictures　are　mainly　of　the　mo…　dern　French　school；　and　I　remember　nothing　but　a　powerful；　though　disagreeable　specimen　of　Henner；　who　paints　the　human　body；　and　paints　it　so　well；　with　a　brush　dipped　in　blackness；　and；　placed　among　the　paintings；　a　bronze　replica　of　the　charming　young　David　of　Mercie。　　These　things　have　been　set　out　in　the　church　of　an　old　monastery；　long　since　suppressed；　and　the　rest　of　the　collection　occupies　the　cloisters。　These　are　two　in　number；　…　a　small　one；　which　you　enter　first　from　the　street；　and　a　very　vast　and　ele…　gant　one　beyond　it；　which　with　its　light　Gothic　arches　and　slim　columns　（of　the　fourteenth　century）；　its　broad　walk　its　little　garden；　with　old　tombs　and　statues　in　the　centre；　is　by　far　the　most　picturesque；　the　most　sketchable；　spot　in　Toulouse。　　It　must　be　doubly　so　when　the　Roman　busts；　inscriptions；　slabs　and　sarco…　phagi；　are　ranged　along　the　walls；　it　must　indeed　（to　compare　small　things　with　great；　and　as　the　judicious　Murray　remarks）　bear　a　certain　resemblance　to　the　Campo　Santo　at　Pisa。　　But　these　things　are　absent　now；　the　cloister　is　a　litter　of　confusion；　and　its　trea…　sures　have　been　stowed　away；　confusedly；　in　sundry　inaccessible　rooms。　　The　custodian　attempted　to　con…　sole　me　by　telling　me　that　when　they　are　exhibited　again　it　will　be　on　a　scientific　basis；　and　with　an　order　and　regularity　of　which　they　were　formerly　innocent。　　But　I　was　not　consoled。　　I　wanted　simply　the　spectacle；　the　picture；　and　I　didn't　care　in　the　least　for　the　classification。　　Old　Roman　fragments；　ex…　posed　to　light　in　the　open　air；　under　a　southern　sky；　in　a　quadrangle　round　a　garden；　have　an　immortal　charm　simply　in　their　general　effect；　and　the　charm　is　all　the　greater　when　the　soil　of　the　very　place　has　yielded　them　up。
  XXI。
  My　real　consolation　was　an　hour　I　spent　in　Saint…　Sernin；　one　of　the　noblest　churches　in　southern　France；　and　easily　the　first　among　those　of　Toulouse。　　This　great　structure；　a　masterpiece　of　twelfth…century　ro…　manesque；　and　dedicated　to　Saint　Saturninus；　…　the　Toulousains　have　abbreviated；　…　is；　I　think；　alone　worth　a　journey　to　Toulouse。　　What　makes　it　so　is　the　extraordinary　seriousness　of　its　interior；　no　other　term　occurs　to　me　as　expressing　so　well　the　character　of　its　clear　gray　nave。　　As　a　general　thing；　I　do　not　favor　the　fashion　of　attributing　moral　qualities　to　buildings；　I　shrink　from　talking　about　tender　porticos　and　sincere　campanili；　but　I　find　I　cannot　get　on　at　all　without　imputing　some　sort　of　morality　to　Saint…　Sernin。　　As　it　stands　to…day；　the　church　has　been　completely　restored　by　Viollet…le…Duc。　　The　exterior　is　of　brick；　and　has　little　charm　save　that　of　a　tower　of　four　rows　of　arches；　narrowing　together　as　they　ascend。　The　nave　is　of　great　length　and　height；　the　barrel…roof　of　stone；　the　effect　of　the　round　arches　and　pillars　in　the　triforium　especially　fine。　　There　are　two　low　aisles　on　either　side。　　The　choir　is　very　deep　and　narrow；　it　seems　to　close　together；　and　looks　as　if　it　were　meant　for　intensely　earnest　rites。　　The　transepts　are　most　noble；　especially　the　arches　of　the　second　tier。　The　whole　church　is　narrow　for　its　length；　and　is　singularly　complete　and　homogeneous。　　As　I　say　all　this；　I　feel　that　I　quite　fail　to　give　an　impression　of　its　manly　gravity；　its　strong　proportions　or　of　the　lone…　some　look　of　its　renovated　stones　as　I　sat　there　while　the　October　twilight　gathered。　　It　is　a　real　work　of　art；　a　high　conception。　　The　crypt；　into　which　I　was　eventually　led　captive　by　an　importunate　sacristan；　is　quite　another　affair；　though　indeed　I　suppose　it　may　also　be　spoken　of　as　a　work　of　art。　　It　is　a　rich　museum　of　relics；　and　contains　the　head　of　Saint　Thomas　Aquinas；　wrapped　up　in　a　napkin　and　exhibited　in　a　glass　case。　　The　sacristan　took　a　lamp　and　guided　me　about；　presenting　me　to　one　saintly　remnant　after　an…　other。　　The　impression　was　grotesque；　but　sorne　of　the　objects　were　contained　in　curious　old　cases　of　beaten　silver　and　brass；　these　things；　at　least；　which　looked　as　if　they　had　been　transmitted　from　the　early　church；　were　venerable。　　There　was；　however；　a　kind　of　wholesale　sanctity　about　the　place　which　overshot　the　mark；　it　pretends　to　be　one　of　the　holiest　spots　in　the　world。　　The　effect　is　spoiled　by　the　way　the　sacristans　hang　about　and　offer　to　take　you　into　it　for　ten　sous；　…　I　was　accosted　by　two　and　escaped　from　another；　…　and　by　the　familiar　manner　in　which　you　pop　in　and　out。　　This　episode　rather　broke　the　charm　of　Saint…Sernin；　so　that　I　took　my　departure　and　went　in　search　of　the　cathedral。　　It　was　scarcely　worth　find…　ing；　and　struck　me　as　an　odd；　dislocated　fragment。　The　front　consists　only　of　a　portal；　beside　which　a　tall　brick　tower；　of　a　later　period；　has　been　erected。　　The　nave　was　wrapped　in　dimness；　with　a　few　scattered　lamps。　　I　could　only　distinguish　an　immense　vault；　like　a　high　cavern；　without　aisles。　　Here　and　there　in　the　gloom　was　a　kneeling　figure；　the　whole　place　was　mysterious　and　lop…sided。　　The　choir　was　curtained　off；　it　appeared　not　to　correspond　with　the　nave；　…　that　is；　not　to　have　the　same　axis。　　The　on