tragedy. The Tower of
Coetquen, one of the ancient towers of the city wall, is practically
part of the castle, and the keep, or Queen Anne's Tower, is the most
distinctive feature remaining. This keep is of four stories, and is
over a hundred feet high, the last story being reached by a spiral
staircase. What was once the oratory of the Duchess Anne is now the
guard-room. There are still several dungeons whose original
gruesomeness has been left untouched, and whose use in bygone days can
well be imagined.

_Suscino_

The chateau of Suscino is one of the chief sights of the neighbourhood
of Vannes, because it is the ruin of what was once a marvellous
structure of the thirteenth century, and follows the finest Gothic
traditions of the time. All the roofing of the building has quite
disappeared, but its battlemented towers and walls remain to give a
good idea of the architectural perfection that must have belonged to
it. At one time it fell into the hands of Charles of Blois, only to be
retaken by his rival, Montfort, in 1364, and in 1373 it was occupied
by an English garrison. Eventually it was bestowed upon John of
Chalons, Prince of Orange, by Anne of Brittany, but in time Francis I
relieved him of it in order to present it to Francoise de Foix, the
celebrated Lady of Chateaubriant. The irregular pentagon formed by the
chateau is possibly somewhat modified from the original plan of 1320,
and of the seven towers which flanked its gates and walls in the
beginning six have weathered the storms of the times through which
they have passed. Its orchid-shaped machicolations have also survived,
and even to-day they are noticeably beautiful. The new tower is a fine
cylindrical keep, dating from the fourteenth century, and over the
entrance this legend still remains:

Ici Est Ne
Le Duc Arthur III
le 24 Aout, 1393.

We have already dealt with many of the stories connected with the
ancient castles of Brittany, and these will be found in nearly
every chapter of this book, so varied are they. But no tale, however
vivid, can hope to capture and retain all the wonder and mystery of
these grand old strongholds, which must be seen in order to leave
upon the imagination and memory the full impress of their weird and
extraordinary fascination.

FOOTNOTES:

[40] _Folk-lore as an Historical Science_, p. 129.

[41] _Western France_, vol. ii.

[42] See Le Braz, _La Legende de la Mort_, t. i, p. 39, t. ii