. Castles and chateaux of old Touraine and the Loire country. fthe protecting walls were the principal logis,and between the lines of its ramparts or fosseswas an advance-guard of buildings presumablyintended for the vassals in time of danger. This was the castle as Louis first knew it,when it was the property of the chamberlainof the Duchy of Luynes, from whom the kingbought it for five thousand and five hundredecus dor, — the value of fifty thousand francsof to-day. Its former appellation, Montilz-les-Tours,was changed (1463) to Plessis. All the chieffeatures have disappeared, and to-day it
. Castles and chateaux of old Touraine and the Loire country. fthe protecting walls were the principal logis,and between the lines of its ramparts or fosseswas an advance-guard of buildings presumablyintended for the vassals in time of danger. This was the castle as Louis first knew it,when it was the property of the chamberlainof the Duchy of Luynes, from whom the kingbought it for five thousand and five hundredecus dor, — the value of fifty thousand francsof to-day. Its former appellation, Montilz-les-Tours,was changed (1463) to Plessis. All the chieffeatures have disappeared, and to-day it is buta scrappy collection of tumble-down buildingsdevoted to all manner of purposes. A fewfragmentary low-roofed vaults are left, anda brick and stone building, flanked by an octag-onal tower, containing a stairway; but this isabout all of the former edifice, which, if not assplendid as some other royal residences, wasquite as effectively defended and as suitable toits purposes as any. It had, too, within its walls a tiny chapel Tours and About There 213. 214 Old Touraine and the Loire Country dedicated to Our Lady of Olery, before whosealtar the superstitious Louis made his incon-stant devotions. Once a great forest surrounded the chateau,and was, as Scott says, rendered dangerousand well-nigh impracticable by snares andtraps armed with scythe-blades, which shredoff the unwary travellers limbs . . and cal-throps that would pierce your foot through,and pitfalls deep enoTigh to bury you in themfor ever. To-day the forest has disappeared, lost in the night of time, as a French his-torian has it. The detailed description in Quentin Dur-ward is, however, as good as any, and, if onehas no reference works in French by him, hemay well read the dozen or more pages whichSir Walter devotes to the further descriptionof the castle. Perhaps, after all, it is fitting that a Scotshould have written so enthusiastically of it,for the castle itself was guarded by the Scot-tish archers, to the
Size: 1235px × 2023px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherbosto, bookyear1906
