e watering-place; it has good sands, and houses and villas are
rapidly rising up in every direction, and covering its granite hills.

The prettiest route to Dinan is by the little steamer which ascends the
Rance, a lovely voyage, occupying about two hours. The banks one mixture
of rocks, valleys, and verdure; the river now expanding into the width of
a lake, now narrowing between its forest-clothed sides. After passing
through a lock, and, winding our way through a narrow pass of rocky crags,
we reached the bridge of Dinan; above us, the gigantic granite viaduct
stretched across the valley, the town, with its feudal walls and castle,
perched on its rocky heights over the river.

In the Grande Place is a miserable statue of Du Guesclin, who looks more
like a wandering minstrel than the hero of Brittany and Constable of
France. His life forms quite an historic romance. His future greatness was
foretold by a prophetess; his wife, the Lady Tiphaine, was herself a
fairy; his battles resemble those of the giants of old. Du Guesclin was
born at Broons, and was the eldest of ten children and of great trouble to
his parents. One day his mother dreamt she was in possession of a casket,
containing portraits of herself and her lord, and on one side were set
nine precious stones of lustrous beauty encircling one rough unpolished
pebble. In her dream she carried the casket to a lapidary, and asked him
to take out the rough stone as unworthy of such goodly company; but he
advised her to allow it to remain, and subsequently it shone forth more
brilliantly than the precious gems with which it was surrounded. The after
superiority of Bertrand over the other nine children explained the dream.

It was in this "Place," where his statue now stands, the celebrated duel
took place between Du Guesclin and an English knight, called by the Breton
chroniclers Thomas of Cantorbery. Dinan was at that time closely besieged
by the Duke of Lancaster (1359), with the young Count de Montfort, and
defended by Du Guesclin. A truce of forty days had been agreed upon,
before the expiration of which Oliver, brother of Du Guesclin, rode out
unarmed beyond the city walls, and was made prisoner by Thomas of
Cantorbery, who demanded a ransom of 1000 florins. On this news reaching
Du Guesclin, he immediately repaired to the English camp, where he found
the Duke of Lancaster playing chess with Sir John Chandos. They received
him most cordially, and agreed that the