e, and the course of the
river. At the end of the town there is a manufactory of coarse pottery;
but formerly it produced ware of a finer quality.

The beautiful cathedral is the largest of the four episcopal churches of
Lower Brittany (Vannes, St. Pol, Quimper, and Treguier), and was
principally built in the fifteenth century. On the platform over the
finely sculptured porch, rich in foliage like the Folgoet, placed between
the two towers, is the equestrian statue of King Gradlon, to whom is
attributed the introduction of the vine into Brittany. The statue was
decapitated in 1793, but restored ten years back. On St. Cecilia's day
companies of musicians used to mount on the platform. While they sang a
hymn in praise of King Gradlon, one of the choristers, provided with a
flagon of wine, a napkin, and golden hanap, mounted on the crupper of King
Gradlon's horse, poured out a cup of wine, which he offered ceremoniously
to the lips of the statue and then drank himself, carefully wiped with his
napkin the moustachios of the king, placed a branch of laurel in his hand,
and then threw down the hanap in the midst of the crowd below, in honour
of the first planter of the grape in Brittany. To whoever caught the cup
before it fell, and presented it uninjured to the Chapter, was adjudged a
prize of two hundred crowns.

The two spires of the cathedral are modern, and were built by an annual
subscription of a sou for five years, called the "sou du St. Corentin:"
more than 600_l._ was thus raised. They have only been lately finished.

[Illustration: 28. Beggar. Quimper.]

The men about Quimper all wear the national costume--enormous bragou-bras,
or breeches of a kind of white sail-cloth, a broad-brimmed felt hat, long
hair, falling over the shoulders, wooden shoes, and a broad belt with
metal buckle. Their woollen jacket and waistcoat are edged with gay
colours, and have sometimes the itinerant tailor's name and the date of
the making of the garment, embroidered in wool upon the breast. On gala
days brown or blue cloth bragous are worn, tied with coloured ribbons at
the knees, black leather gaiters with buttons, and the sabots are replaced
by leather shoes and costly silver buckles. The national costume is more
preserved in Cornouaille than in the other parts of Brittany. The pen bas
or cudgel, with a large knob, like the Irish shillelah, is always ready at
hand:--

"Comme une conque immense ouverte au bord des eaux,