It was but a few years
ago that the priests of the cathedral, when asked by a traveller to be
permitted to see the tapestry, were unable to point it out; they knew
that the '_toile St. Jean_,' as it is called, was annually displayed in
the Cathedral on St. John's Day, but of its historical and antiquarian
interest they seemed to take little heed.
The scenes, which (as is well known) represent the principal events in
the Norman Conquest, are arranged in fifty-eight groups. The legend of
the first runs thus:--
Le roi Edouard ordonne a Harold d'aller apprendre au duc Guillaume
qu'il sera un jour roi d'Angleterre, &c.
After the interview between the 'sainted' King Edward and Harold, the
latter starts on his mission to 'Duke William,' and in the next group we
see Harold, '_en marche_,' with a hawk on his wrist--then entering a
church (the ancient abbey of Bosham, in Sussex), and the clergy praying
for his safety before embarking, and--next, '_en mer_.' We see him
captured on landing, by Guy de Ponthieu, and afterwards surrounded by
the ambassadors whom William sends for his release; the little figure
holding the horses being one Tyrold, a dependant of Odo, Bishop of
Bayeux, and the artist (it is generally supposed) who designed the
tapestry. Then we see Harold received in state at Rouen by Duke William,
and afterwards, their setting out together for Mont St.
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