o perform this ceremony, the fever
will return. We found quantities of these bags, made of coarse linen,
lying half-buried under the walls of the chapel. There is a pardon here
every year, on which occasion only the chapel is opened.

We took a carriage to Paimpol. On our way we stopped at the Chateau de
Boisgelin, belonging to the Marquis of the same name, but could not obtain
admittance. On to the Abbey of Beauport (Sancta Maria de Bello Porto),
founded in the thirteenth century, beautifully situated on a tongue of
land at the entrance of the Bay of Paimpol, opposite the island of
Saint-Rion. In its large garden, which extends down to the sea, are
planted myrtles, figs, mulberries, and other trees of the south of Europe.
Beauport has been called the Chartreuse of Brittany. It is a lovely
secluded spot, as, indeed, are most of the sites of the old abbeys,
varying in aspect, but always beautiful. No description can give an idea
of the magnificent panoramic views from the walls of the abbey.

[Illustration: 20. Abbey of Beauport.]

M. Merimee justly observes, "It appears strange that, in so early a stage
of civilisation, the monks should be so alive to the beauties of nature.
The contemplative habits of monastic life must at all times have imparted
to the mind a feeling of abstract beauty, independent of any idea of real
utility. Secure of an uniform, peaceful existence, limited in his
pleasures and his ambition, sheltered by his sacred office, above others,
from the reverses of fortune, the monk of the thirteenth century was in a
position to love, and did love, beauty for itself. And while the knight,
at war with all the world, thought only on building an impregnable
fortress, the abbot embellished his dwelling, and tasted the enjoyments
afforded by imagination and the arts. "The abbey of Beauport is built in
the pointed style, and is a perfect example of the monastic architecture
of the thirteenth century--the most important and most beautiful convent
ruins in Brittany. The original disposition of its buildings may yet be
clearly traced. These abbeys were all built upon the same plan. In the
centre was the square garden (preau), surrounded by the cloisters. On the
south side the church, extending from west to east; on the north, the
refectory, with the kitchen attached. On the east was the chapter-house,
and some small apartments; above these were the dormitories. Outside was
the interior court, reserved for the breth