France, son of Louis XI, which event took
place in 1491. Anne, whose father, Duke Francis II, had but recently
died, had no option but to espouse Charles, and on his death she
married Louis XII, his successor. Francis I, who succeeded Louis XII
on the throne of France, and who married Claude, daughter of Louis XII
and Anne, annexed the duchy in 1532, providing for its privileges. But
beneath the cramping hand of French power the privileges of the
province were greatly reduced. From this time the history of Brittany
is merged in that of France, of which country it becomes one of the
component parts in a political if not a racial sense.

We shall not in this place deal with the people of modern Brittany,
their manners and customs, reserving the subject for a later chapter,
but shall ask the reader to accompany us while we traverse the
enchanted ground of Breton story.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Consult E. Ernault, _Petite Grammaire bretonne_ (Saint-Brieuc,
1897); L. Le Clerc, _Grammaire bretonne_ (Saint-Brieuc,
1908); J. P. Treasure, _An Introduction to Breton Grammar_
(Carmarthen, 1903). For the dialect of Vannes see A.
Guillevic and P. Le Goff, _Grammaire bretonne du Dialect de
Vannes_ (Vannes, 1902).

[2] Lit. 'long stone,' a megalithic monument. See Chapter II,
"Menhirs and Dolmens." Students of folk-lore will recognize the
symbolic significance of the offering. We seem to have here
some connexion with pillar-worship, as found in ancient Crete,
and the adoration of the Irminsul among the ancient Saxons.

[3] Charles the Bald.

[4] For the Breton original and the French translation from which the
above is adapted see Villemarque, _Barzaz-Breiz_, p. 112.

[5] 'Sons of the Chief.' MacTier is a fairly common name in Scotland
to-day.

CHAPTER II: MENHIRS AND DOLMENS

In the mind of the general reader Brittany is unalterably associated
with the prehistoric stone monuments which are so closely identified
with its folk-lore and national life. In other parts of the world
similar monuments are encountered, in Great Britain and Ireland,
Scandinavia, the Crimea, Algeria, and India, but nowhere are they
found in such abundance as in Brittany, nor are these rivalled in
other lands, either as regards their character or the space they
occupy.

To speculate as to the race which built the primitive stone monuments
of Brittany is a