Let us hasten to the Place de la Pucelle, and examine the carving on the houses, and on the Hotel Bourgtheroude, before the great Parisian conjuror waves his wand once more.  But, hey presto! down they come, in a street hard by—­even whilst we write, a great panel totters to the ground—­heraldic shields, with a border of flowers and pomegranates, carved in oak; clusters of grapes and diaper patterns of rich design, emblems of old nobility—­all in the dust; a hatchment half defaced, a dragon with the gold still about his collar, a bit of an eagle’s wing, a halberd snapped in twain—­all piled together in a heap of ruin!

A few weeks only, and we pass the place again—­all is in order, the ‘improvement’ has taken place; there is a pleasant wide pave, and a manufactory for ‘eau gazeuse.’

The cathedral church of Notre Dame (the west front of which we have seen in the illustration), and the church of St. Ouen, the two most magnificent monuments in Rouen, are so familiar to most readers that we can say little that is new respecting them.  When we have given a short description, taken from the best authorities on the subject, and have pointed out to artistic readers that this west front with its surrounding houses, and the view of the towers of St. Ouen from the garden, at the east end, are two of the grandest architectural pictures to be found in Normandy, we shall have nearly accomplished our task.[43]

[Illustration:  CATHEDRAL OF ‘NOTRE DAME’ AT ROUEN.

“Like a piece of rockwork, rough and encrusted with images, and ornamented from top to bottom.”]

’The cathedral of Notre Dame occupies with its west front one side of a square, formerly a fruit and flower market.  The vast proportions of this grand Gothic facade, its elaborate and profuse decorations, and its stone screens of open tracery, impress one at first with wonder and admiration, diminished however but not destroyed, by a closer examination; which shows a confusion of ornament and a certain corruption of taste.

’The projecting central porch, and the whole of the upper part, is of the sixteenth century, the lateral ones being of an earlier period and chaster in style.  Above the central door is carved the genealogy of Jesse; over the north-west door is the death of John the Baptist, with the daughter of Herodias dancing before Herod; and above them, figures of Virgin and Saints.

’The north tower, called St. Romain (the one on the left in our illustration), is older in date, part of it being of the twelfth century; the right-hand tower, which is more florid, being of the sixteenth.’  The central spire in the background is really of cast iron, and stands out, it is fair to say, much more sharply and painfully against the sky, than in our illustration.[44] We must not omit to mention the beautiful north door, called the ’Portail des Libraires,’ which in Prout’s time was completely blocked up with old houses and wooden erections.