Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 11.djvu/61

Rh just been uttered, which, instead of rendering the holy youths pliant, caused them to break forth with such united energy in defying the monarch's power, that he seems to be momentarily rendered speechless, before "his countenance was changed," and that fury arose in which he condemned them to the furnace.

To fill up the vacant spaces round the edge of the pavement formed by the diagonal arrangement of its quarries, a series of triangular slabs have been provided. These are ornamented with various foliated patterns, chiefly composed of vine leaves, &c., two of which are here given.

The pavement which I have here endeavoured to describe was laid down originally in the sanctuary before the high altar in the church of St. Nicaise, an edifice commenced by Simon of Lyons, elected Abbot in 1222; Hugh Li Bergier being his architect. The latter commenced the works in 1229, but although he lived thirty-four years after this (i.e. to the year 1263), and was employed by the Abbots Simon de Dampierre, Simon de Noirmoutiers, and Gérard de Cernay, he only completed the nave and towers of the edifice; Robert de Coucy, another architect, having added the choir and the various chapels attached to it. He also left it in an incomplete state at his death in 1311, and thus it remained until the greater part of its venerable appearance was entirely destroyed by a fatally extensive renovation which it underwent under the Grand Prior Hubert during a period of seven years, commencing with 1757. No record remains of the artist's name who wrought the slabs which enriched the pavement, nor of the abbot or other benefactor who presented them to the church. Possibly they may have been the work of Li Bergier, and covered the last resting-place of one of his patrons, that of the abbot Dampierre, who died previous to him, having been marked by a leaded slab, so that this style of decoration was certainly already known, whilst his own grave was distinguished by a similar slab (happily, still preserved in the cathedral), which seems to point to his approbation of such a sepulchral memorial. In addition to this, some of the details of dress, observable on his monument, are also to be seen on these slabs, such as the limp and pointed shoes, the flowing cloaks, and the flat cap with a tuft rising from its centre; still, as the lettering on these two works of art do not perfectly agree, as the church was in such an unfinished