Kabanata Kabanata 53 · How the abbey of the Thelemi

Chapter 1.LIII.

How the abbey of the Thelemites was built and endowed.

For the fabric and furniture of the abbey Gargantua caused to be delivered

out in ready money seven-and-twenty hundred thousand, eight hundred and

one-and-thirty of those golden rams of Berry which have a sheep stamped on

the one side and a flowered cross on the other; and for every year, until

the whole work were completed, he allotted threescore nine thousand crowns

of the sun, and as many of the seven stars, to be charged all upon the

receipt of the custom. For the foundation and maintenance thereof for

ever, he settled a perpetual fee-farm-rent of three-and-twenty hundred,

three score and nine thousand, five hundred and fourteen rose nobles,

exempted from all homage, fealty, service, or burden whatsoever, and

payable every year at the gate of the abbey; and of this by letters patent

passed a very good grant. The architecture was in a figure hexagonal, and

in such a fashion that in every one of the six corners there was built a

great round tower of threescore foot in diameter, and were all of a like

form and bigness. Upon the north side ran along the river of Loire, on the

bank whereof was situated the tower called Arctic. Going towards the east,

there was another called Calaer,--the next following Anatole,--the next

Mesembrine,--the next Hesperia, and the last Criere. Every tower was

distant from other the space of three hundred and twelve paces. The whole

edifice was everywhere six storeys high, reckoning the cellars underground

for one. The second was arched after the fashion of a basket-handle; the

rest were ceiled with pure wainscot, flourished with Flanders fretwork, in

the form of the foot of a lamp, and covered above with fine slates, with an

endorsement of lead, carrying the antique figures of little puppets and

animals of all sorts, notably well suited to one another, and gilt,

together with the gutters, which, jutting without the walls from betwixt

the crossbars in a diagonal figure, painted with gold and azure, reached to

the very ground, where they ended into great conduit-pipes, which carried

all away unto the river from under the house.

This same building was a hundred times more sumptuous and magnificent than

ever was Bonnivet, Chambourg, or Chantilly; for there were in it nine

thousand, three hundred and two-and-thirty chambers, every one whereof had

a withdrawing-room, a handsome closet, a wardrobe, an oratory, and neat

passage, leading into a great and spacious hall. Between every tower in

the midst of the said body of building there was a pair of winding, such as

we now call lantern stairs, whereof the steps were part of porphyry, which

is a dark red marble spotted with white, part of Numidian stone, which is a

kind of yellowishly-streaked marble upon various colours, and part of

serpentine marble, with light spots on a dark green ground, each of those

steps being two-and-twenty foot in length and three fingers thick, and the

just number of twelve betwixt every rest, or, as we now term it,

landing-place. In every resting-place were two fair antique arches where

the light came in: and by those they went into a cabinet, made even with

and of the breadth of the said winding, and the reascending above the roofs

of the house ended conically in a pavilion. By that vise or winding they

entered on every side into a great hall, and from the halls into the

chambers. From the Arctic tower unto the Criere were the fair great

libraries in Greek, Latin, Hebrew, French, Italian, and Spanish,

respectively distributed in their several cantons, according to the

diversity of these languages. In the midst there was a wonderful scalier or

winding-stair, the entry whereof was without the house, in a vault or arch

six fathom broad. It was made in such symmetry and largeness that six

men-at-arms with their lances in their rests might together in a breast ride

all up to the very top of all the palace. From the tower Anatole to the

Mesembrine were fair spacious galleries, all coloured over and painted with

the ancient prowesses, histories, and descriptions of the world. In the

midst thereof there was likewise such another ascent and gate as we said

there was on the river-side. Upon that gate was written in great antique

letters that which followeth.