g
the old fortifications. The Citadel of Vauban (1670), called ironically
"_la belle inutile_," may be classed as a worthless, if not wholly
unpicturesque, ruin, though ranking, when built, as among the most
wonderful fortifications of the times. The wave of Renaissance which
swept northward has left its ineradicable marks here. The Hotel de Ville
is a remarkable specimen of that art of overloading ornament upon a
square hulk, and making it look like a wedding-cake; though, truth to
tell, coming upon it after the chilliness of the cathedral itself, it is
a cheerful antidote. Dating from 1510, at which time was built the
curious Gothic facade of seven arches, each different as to size and
spring. The added wings in elaborate Renaissance are of the late
sixteenth century and rank among the most effective examples of the
style in France. A belfry surmounts all, 240 feet in height, the
"_joyeuse_" of which weighs nearly nine tons.

Arras may perhaps be most revered for its tapestries, its workers taking
rank with those of the famous manufactories at Paris and Beauvais.
Indeed, it would appear as though experts knew not to which of these
three centres to assign precedence, both Arras and Paris claiming the
honour of having set up the first looms. It is an ancient art, as the
work of craftsmen goes, and more than one writer who has studied deeply
the fascinating intricacies of _haute_ and _basse lisse_, of colour,
texture, design, and what not, has not hesitated to proclaim the city as
having been the grandest centre of tapestry-making which the world has
ever known; and regret can but be universal that it came to an end when
its citizens were put to the sword by Louis XI.

[Illustration: _TOUL_]

VI

ST. ETIENNE DE TOUL

Annexed to France, in company with Metz and Verdun, in 1556, Toul,
situated on the left bank of the Moselle, is to-day ranked as a fortress
of the first order. "Can be seen in two hours"--such is the description
usually given by the guide-books to the city which contains, in its
one-time Cathedral St. Etienne, an example which, with respect to the
decorative tracery of its facade savants have declared the equal even of
Reims.

One of the three former bishoprics of Lorraine, Toul is none too ample
to merit the cognomen of a large town. It once held within its walls,
beside the Cathedral, the Church of St. Gengoult, and several parish
churches and monasteries. Shorn to-day of some of these dign