Lions

Sources from old books

1635. Historia mundi: or Mercator's atlas. London. by Gerhard Mercator.

THE PROVINCE AND CITIE OF LIONS. (Book Lions)

THE Court of Lions is the last and remotest of all the Presidiall Courts which depend on the chiefe Senate of Paris. But Lions is the chiefe and principall City of Gallia Celtica, which from thence is called Lions, being a strong Fortresse of France, being the Primate Seate of all France in spirituall matters, and being the Shop for Tra•ing and commerce for the whole World. The Bressians confine o• it on the North, on the East the Sabaudians, on the South the Al∣•o••o•ians and the Narbonians along the River Rhodanus; and on the West the Avernians. It is situate in the most beautifull and conve∣nientest soyle of al Europ, for there is no place which hath two riches fruitfuller Nurses, than the Rivers Rhodanus and Arar are unto this Country, in whose bosome the horne of plenty, filled with the Gods bounty doth rest, and is largely powred forth upon it, so that it al∣wayes enjoyeth a continuall plenty. The ancients called it Lugdunum, as if you should say the happy or blessed Mountaine. Titus Livius cal∣leth it an Iland, Lib. Hist. 21. In these words the next day Amiball marching on the contrarie banke of Rodanus, went up into the Medi∣terranean parts of France: not because it was a straiter way to the Alpes, but the more he went from the Sea, the more hee should bee sure not to meete with the Romanes: with whom he did not purpose to sight before he came into Italy. Hee came with the fourth part of his Camp to the Iland, where the Rivers Arar and Rhodanus running out of divers parts of the Alpes, and having encompassed some part of the Country, doe meete together, from whence the Country in the middle is called the Iland; which words may seeme to be transla∣ted out of a credible Writer who lived about the same time, and was familiarly acquainted with Scipio, but that he addeth that this Iland being populous, and abounding with all things necessary, was 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that is, abounding with people, and well stored with food. Plutarch in the life of Ainnbal doth deliver the like, but more plainely, and calleth it Li•ns, whose words according to the Translation of Acciarolus. He remov'd his Tents, and marching by the banke of Rho∣danus up against the streame, in few dayes he came to that place which the French men call the Iland, which the Rivers Rhodanus and A•ar flowing out of diver Mountaines doe encircle, where there is the Ci∣ty of Lions the most famous City of all France, which long time after∣ward was built by Plancus Mu••atius. Some call it the City of Sequani∣ans, and Maxima Sequanorum, which appeareth by an ancient Inscrip∣tion on S. Peters Church, which is this.

JOVI OPT. MAX.Q. ADGINNIUS URBICI FIL.MARTINUS SEQ. SACERDOSROMAE ET AUG.AD ARAM AD CONFLUENTESARARIS ET RHODANIFLAMEN. II. VIR IN CIVITATESEQUANORUM.

And Seneca doth celebrate the praise of this place in his Verses concerning the death of Claudian.

I sawe a Hill that hangeth or'e two streames,Which Phaebus rising glideth wi•h his beames.Where the great River Rhodanus doth flowe,And Arar doubtfull whether he should goe.Thorow quiet Foords his course along doth guide,Washing the Bankes as he along doth glide.

But when the Romanes had subiected all France, in the raigne of Augustus. L. Mun. Plan•us, who in the yeare V. C. 765. had beene Con∣sul with C. •ilius, and after he had obtain'd the dignity of a censer had triumph'd over the Rhetians, did reedifie it, and built it almost all new, and remov'd it to a hill, and so bringing colonies from the Ci∣tie of Rome, he enlarg'd it, and then it was called Colonia Lugdunum, or the Colonie of Lions, which Pliny also sheweth Lib. 4. Cap. 18. when he saith: Segusiant liberi, in quarum agro Colonia Lugdunorum. The Segu∣tians are free, whose Country is the Colonie of Lions. In this Citie as guetonius witnesseth was Claudius the Romane Emperour borne; who as also the succeeding Romane emperours did much enlarge and beautifie this Citie, which at this day infinite monuments of an∣tiquitie doe sufficiently declare. Besides they made the Inhabitants Citizens of R•me, and did give them many honours, priviledges, and liberties. And here they established the first Money Minre in all France, and erected and built many famous Schooles, which flouri∣shed for a long time by the frequent comming of the French and Ita∣talian youth thither, and were famous for eloquent men, even to S. I•r•m•s time. This Citie first received the Christian Religion, kept it, and observ'd it, and had many Mareyrs▪ among which were •h•ti∣nus, ••eneus, and other Doctors and Bishops of Lions. so that this Church was the primate of all France. The Cathedrall Church here∣tofore consecrated to S. Stephan the first Martyr, was afterward dedi∣cated to S. Iohn Baptist, so that it is inferiour unto none, either in dignitie or antiquitie, nay it may compare with any other Church in Europe, for the fairenesse and beautie thereof, it hath also stately pre∣tious Pillars, which were brought out of S. Augustines Church, and the Walls are hanged with tapestrie wrought with curious Art. But one of the chiefest ornaments thereof, is the Clock wrought with cun∣ning workemanship, which sheweth in a wonderfull manner the houres, dayes, monethes, and severall seasons of the yeare, and also the course of the Sunne and the Moone. The Archbishop hath infi∣nite priviledges above others, which if any one desire to know in particular, he shall finde it in Paridires the French writers Booke, con∣cerning Lions. But it is worthie of observation•, that the Deane of this Colledge is a Duke, and every one of the Cannons is an Earle, and some beleeve that a certaine King of Burgundi did grant them these titles, some with more likely hood doe thinke that they obtai∣ned them themselves, by purchasing some part of the Countie of For∣•••• which is now a Countie. Many Princes have desired to be Can∣non▪ thereof, as the Kings of France, the Dukes of Sabaudia, and Bur∣gundi•, the Princes of Barrens and Vienna. There are many other Chur∣ches. Colledges, Monasteries, and Chappells in the Citie, which for br•vitie sake I omit. In this Citie both Provinciall, Nationall, and Generall counsells have beene kept, in which heretofore the holy Bishops Nicetius Priscus and others were Presidents, as also I•nocent the 4 Pope of Rome, in the time of the Emperour Frederick the clea∣venth. But that wee may not bee more prolixe and tedious in these things than the present brevitie of the matter requireth, wee will hasten to the secular government, but first by the way wee will shew, that heretofore the Rulers of Provinces and Cities did give judge∣ment in the Princes name by whome they were instituted, and did take upon them and resigne the government acording as they plea∣sed: and lastly the Posteritie of Chares the great cloathed those na∣ked dignities with the titles of Dukes and Earles, and made them he∣reditarie. Such as were the Earles of Lions, before the Citie and Pro∣vince were govern'd by Prelats, namely as they are found in ancient writings, Odo, in the time of Charles the bald; Gerard in the time of R•m•gius the Archbishop, William, under Charles the Simptean: C. 913. and a little before lived Artaldies Earle of Lions, whose house as it is supposed, remaineth yet in the Citie. After this the Countie was translated to the Church, by whome it was governed untill the yeare of C. 1292. at what time Philip surnamed the faire King of France laid hands on it, and tooke it into his protection, untill Ludovick Huttin did at length unite it to the Kingdome of France, which historie Para∣dine doth largely prosecute •ab. 2. Cap. 64. For those of Lions did con∣stantly defend their libertie, which they had enjoyed from the time of the Romans, which Pliny mentioneth, and also Paulus I. C. in his Bookes of Distributions, which the Praelates endeavored to take from them. But albeit this Citie and Province doth enjoy so many and so great commodities and priviledges as aforesaid, yet sometime it endur'd much miserie. For after it was reedified by Numatius one of the Plancian familie, in the raigne of Nero, the most part of it was burnt, and Verus being Emperour, much Christian blood was shed in the Citie. Afterward it felt the fury of Sep. Severus, who expos'd it as a booty to his Souldiers, and in King Phillips time it was burnt through a dangerous sedition which arose in the Citie, and thereup∣on i• lost that libertie which it had preserved so many ages, and ha∣ving endurd many miseries, it lay dead a while buried as it were in the ruine thereof. But at last by the liberalitie and favour of the Kings, and vigilancie and industrie of the Inhabitants, Lions grew to bee as famous in our age as it was formerly. The Magistracie of the Citie doth consist of twelve Consuls, as Campegius relateth, who doe govern• the Commonwealth, sixe of them are yearely chosen before Christmas, and sixe of those formerly chosen are in office, for the yeare following, and they are confirmed by name in S. Nicetius Church, on the 12. of the Kalends of Ianuary. And in the Towne Hall which was formerly the Archpraesident house, they meete toge∣ther to consult of publike affaires. But the Roans house is designed to bee the Court or Praesidiall seate of Iustice, on which dependeth the Court of Iustice at Lions, also the Merchants Court in the same place. The Praetors Court of Matisconia, Forest, Bellijocum. Here be∣sides the Kinges Iudges substitutes, Henry the second King of France did establish S. Senators with a Clarke or Notarie. In this Citie be∣side• the ancient Schooles which I have mentioned, there is an Uni∣versitie which hath flourished from the yeare of C. 1328. famous for the Professors of the Common Law. There are great Faires kept here, to which at certaine times of the yeare a great company of peo∣ple doe resort. It hath strong Fortresses to resist the assaults of the enimie, for S. Iohns Bulwarke is the chifest in all Europe, so that on the top thereof 3000. Souldiers may be trained & set in Battell aray. King Charles the 11. Anno 1564. built a Castle there which was thought im∣pregnable, to suppresse the assaults of enemies, & the attempts of the seditious Citizens. And this is worthy of observation, that as often as you digge there somewhat deepe into the Earth, some Reliques and Monuments of antiquity, as Stones, Marbles, Coynes, Lamps, Vines, and ruines of Aquaducts or Conduits, Bathes, Theaters, and such like Aedifices are found there, so that it is credible that many of such kinde of Reliques are found and discoverd here, than in all the rest of France.