lfth
century, "in this royal city, where the abundance of nature's gifts
not only retains those that dwell there but invites and attracts those
who are afar off. Even as the moon surpasses the stars in brightness,
so does this city, the seat of royalty, exalt her proud head above all
other cities. She is placed in the bosom of a delicious valley, in the
centre of a crown of hills, which Ceres and Bacchus enrich with their
gifts. The Seine, that proud river which comes from the east, flows
there through wide banks and with its two arms surrounds an island
which is the head, the heart, and the marrow of the whole city; two
suburbs extend to right and left, even the lesser of which would
rouse the envy of many another city. These suburbs communicate with
the island by two stone bridges; the Grand Pont towards the north in
the direction of the English sea, and the Petit Pont which looks
towards the Loire. The former bridge, broad, rich, commercial, is the
centre of a fervid activity, and innumerable boats surround it laden
with merchandise and riches. The Petit Pont belongs to the
dialecticians, who pace up and down disputing. In the island adjacent
to the king's palace, which dominates the whole town, the palace of
philosophy is seen where study reigns alone as sovereign, a citadel of
light and immortality."

After Louis VIII.'s brief reign of three years, there rises to the
seat of kings at Paris one of the gentlest and noblest of the sons of
men, a prince indeed, who, amid all the temptations of absolute power
maintained a spotless life, and at death laid down an earthly crown to
assume a fairer and an imperishable diadem among the saints in heaven.
All that was best in mediaevalism--its desire for peace and order and
justice; its fervent piety, its passion to effect unity among Christ's
people and to wrest the Holy Land from the pollution of the infidel;
its enthusiasm for learning and for the things of the mind; its love
of beauty--all are personified in the life of St. Louis.

The young prince was eleven years of age when his father died. During
his minority he was nurtured in learning and piety[51] by his mother,
Blanche of Castile, whose devotion to her son, and firm and wise
regency were a fitting prelude to the reign of a saintly king. Even
after he attained his majority, St. Louis always sought his mother's
counsel and was ever respectful and submissive to her will. When the
news of her death reached him in the