nded by a wall, and has nine
gates, the greater part of them of stone, and of a very ancient
architecture; they are all surmounted by a figure of the Holy Virgin,
the former patroness of the city. The cathedral church, if the
traditional accounts may be believed, was formerly a temple of the
Druids, dedicated to the _Virgo Paritura_; and though this antiquity
may be fairly disputed, the structure is evidently of the most remote
ages. According to the actual records, it was burnt by lightning in the
year of our Lord 1020, and was then rebuilt upon its ancient
foundations, and according to its former form, by Fulbert, at that time
the Bishop. It is thus, in every respect, the most ancient monument in
France, and is well deserving of being visited by travellers. We were
lost in astonishment as we descended from the upper church into a
subterraneous one, extending under the whole space of the one above it,
and having corresponding walls, choir, and even stalls. The bishops,
chapter, and principal persons of the city, are here buried.

From the cathedral church, we were conducted to the other curiosities of
the city, one of which is well worthy of mention. This is a cave or
vault in the parish church of St. Andre. Upon descending it, our guide
removed successively the covers of six coffins, and desired us to
examine the bodies. They consisted of four men and two women; the faces,
arms, and breasts were naked, and had all the freshness as if dead only
the preceding day. One of the men had the mark of a wound under his left
breast; it seemed as if made by a pointed sword or pike, and was florid,
red, and fresh. "These persons," said our guide, "as you may see by the
inscriptions, have been buried from fifty to an hundred years; the
wounded man was the Mayor of the town about sixty years since, and was
wounded in an affray, of which wound he died." Upon receiving this
information, I had the curiosity to examine the vault more accurately:
it was walled all around, paved with stones closely cemented, and was
evidently more than commonly dry.

We remained at Chartres the whole of the following day; and on the
morning of the next, still accompanied by the Cure, continued our
journey to Le Mans, where we likewise remained a day, and thence
proceeded for Angers. As our projected Tour along the Loire was to
commence at Nantes, we were eager to gain that city, and indeed scarcely
made use of our eyes, however invited, till we reached