Pictavia

Sources from old books

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

THE COVNTY OF PICTAVIA. (Book Pictavia) PICTONIUM, or Pictavia▪ which followes▪ com¦monly called Poict•u,* 1.1 looketh Southward toward th• Engolismes and Santonians, on the West it hath th• Ocean: on the North it pointeth toward the Brittaine and the Andegavians, the rest is enclosed with the Tu•o•toas▪* 1.2 Bituricians and Lemovicians. It is a very fertile Country both for Fruit, Cattell, Wooll, and Hemp•, having abundance o• Wine and Corne:* 1.3 and great plenty of Fowle and wilde ••asts so that here is much Hawking and Hunting. The Gothes did honour thi• Province with the title of a Kingdome, whom Clodovaeus King of France drove hence, and also out of all Aquitaine. The Emperour Lu• 〈◊〉 gave the Kingdome of Aquitaine to his Sonne Pipin; who• Sonne P• and Charity when Charle• the Bold their Unckle▪ had can out of Aquitaine and sh•t them up in Monasteries, he himselfe invaded the Pri•cipality, and gave it to his Cosin ••nulph, and having abro•ate of the 〈◊〉 of a Kingdome •he made it a Dukedome. After 〈◊〉 th••e succeeded in order William 〈◊〉 the first and second. William 2. & 3. 〈◊〉▪ William 4. & 5. his onely Daughter and H••re 〈◊〉 was married to Lud•vick the •. King of France who repudiating 〈◊〉 for the suspition of adultery and tread by Henry Duke of No 〈…〉 who was Successor to Step••n King of England. His Sonne 〈…〉 did 〈◊〉 after Henry as heires to the Kingdome of 〈…〉 Fathers possessions in France. But when Arthur the 〈…〉 who was elder Brother to King Iohn) did stand 〈…〉 preferring his owne Title before him, being 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 Augustus King of France to take away •t•a•ay from his Unckle 〈◊〉 and having attempted it by force 〈◊〉 his Army w• 〈…〉 and •cattered by 〈◊〉 who came suddenly upon him▪ 〈…〉 brought to Rot•mgu••••• where 〈…〉 and rashnesse. Hereupon King 〈…〉 by •enstance the Mother of Arthur before King 〈…〉 condemned: and his good and also 〈◊〉 were 〈…〉 as the Lord in •e•farme: which afterward in Succ• 〈…〉 gave to his Sonne Alphonsius the▪ who 〈◊〉 without 〈◊〉 it came to King Philip the third and co••ipued 〈…〉 Posterity untill 〈…〉 of P•i••• 〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉 •over• by •a•ard the third King of England, and wholly possed b• him with all Aqata•• 〈…〉 established between him and 〈◊〉 King of France Afterward 〈…〉 made the Dukedome of 〈◊〉 principality▪ and 〈…〉 Sonne who by imposing 〈◊〉heavie a taxe on the Aquitanians lost a great part thereof by their revolting from him to Charles the fifth King of France, whose Nephew Charles the 7. did drive the English out of Aquitaine in the yeere 1453. and left it to his Sonne King Ludovick the 11. He bestowed it on his Brother Charles▪ after whose decease, King Ludovick did passe it over unto his Sonne King Charles the 8. and from that time, Aquitaine, of of which Pictavia is a great part, did remaine in the King of Fances power. Caesar, Pliny, and Strabo do report that the ancient Inhabitants thereof were the Pictones: Ptolemy calls them the Pictones, and Anemianus Marcellinus the Pictavi. Ausonius calleth it Pictonicam Regionem, or the Country of the Picts. In the Register Booke of Provinces in in the Aquitaine, cap. 11. or Vienna, cap. 7. it is called Civitatem Pictavorum vel Pictavonum, the City of the Pictavians or Pictanonians, now it is called le Pays de Poictou. I joyne with Pliny the people Agasinates with the Pictones. It is likely that some memory doth remaine of them in the Towne Aigounois, not farre from the Temple of S. Maxentius, which is a Towne neere the River Severus. They are farre wide, who doe confound the Aginnates with the Agesinates, seeing they are 5. dayes journey distant one from another. I will write something concerning the divers Principalities which are reckoned with Pictonia,* 1.4 but first I will speake something of the Metropolis and royall City thereof. And that is Pictavia. For so the Latines enstile it, which Ptolemy called Angustoriton, and Autonius Augustoritum. Gregorius Turone•sis calleth it the City Pictavia. It is seated in a pleasant place, somewhat steepe with Hills, except in one part, which they call in their Country speech Tranchaea, which is seated on plaine ground: it is the fairest Citie of all France except Paris. The River Clauius doth encompasse and intile the most part of it. Here is an Unirersitie famous for the studdie of the Civill Lawe, and is second unto that at Paris. Charles the seaventh King of France did iustitute it in the yeare 1421. Of which Scaliger thus in his description of Cities.

If studie from the minde, strength from the body comeIn both which kindes France hath much honour wonne,Then let this Country studies onely love,While others warlike matters doe approve.So while other Countries like the bodie are,Pictavium is like to the soule most rare.

The Theaters, Galienes Pallace, and the Aquaeducts of Conduits which are now called les ducts, doe shew the antiquity thereof being certaine tokens of the Romane Empire in these parts. Some thinke it was built by the Agathirsians and Gelonians, the Successors of the Sonnes of Hercules (whom the Poets doe call Pict•) for they being expelled their Country for stirring up Domestick sedition, came into England, and from thence being encreased in number and multitude they passed over againe into France, where they were called Picts and built this City. Others write differently, when it is evident both in Pomponius, Mela, and Pliny, that there were Pictones long before they came out of England. This City is famoused by a Bishops Seate, which D. Hilarius was sometime Bishop of a Prelate of singular learning and piety, and one that was an invincible Antagonist against the Arrian faction, and did write those 12. famous Bookes of the Holy Trinity, wherein he shewed much wit and eloquence. The Court of Pictavia is governd by a President and two Substitutes, the one whereof doth judge of civill matters, the other of criminall. Many Townes of this Province have recourse to this Court:* 1.5 as besides Pictavia it selfe aforesaid, there are also Niort which hath a Castle: here the Pictones doe keepe great Faires thrice in a yeare: also F•ntenayle Conte, it hath also a Castle: the Rivulet Vendaeus (or Vendee) doth flowe by the walls of this Towne, which groweth afterward so bigge, that it doth overflowe the whole Territorie of Fonten• and the neighbouring parts thereunto: also the Towne Lusign• where there is an ancient Castle which is commonly cal'd Mulus•e. Al•o Montmorillon, Chastelleraud, la Basse Marché, Dorai, S. •ent, and others: to which is added •irray a Marshalship, and having a strong Castle. There is also in the Principalitie of Pictonia, that I may come now to that parte (besides Talm•nt, so called as it were •al•ndu Monde, Calcanus Mundi, or the heele of the world as some would have it) •upes su•er Ioa•na or Roche sur-Iohn, who was of the Royall familie of Burbon. Our Grandfathers did know Ludov•ck Burbon, the Sonne of Iohn Earle of Vendosme, when he was Prince of Roche sur-Ioh, Earle of Montpenser, and also his sonne Charles Castellum Heraldi, or •ast•lberault neere Vigenn•; is dignified with a Dukedome. The Viecountships are •ev•rs. By the River Tovius, also Brosse, Bridieres, Roche-Chonart. There are many Townes which are Baronies and Signiories, which I will deliver as they come in viewe: first Manlers, where there is good fishing for Salmones, and a little King of fish, which is an enemy to the •uny, but especially there is good fishing for Whales and Codfish, which being dryed and hardened in the winde, and cold are usually transported into other Countries: also the Townes •artena•, S. Ma•ent, Melle, Chizay, Ch•uvigny, Luss•c, Bressu••e, Charron, Ch•steneraye, S. M•sni•, S. Gillis, Chasteaumur, les Sables d' Aulonn•, S. •e mine, Montaigu• a Towne with a Castle famous for Saltpi•s: Also M•••bau, l'a Motte, S. Beraye, Vouvant, S. Hilaire, Mortemer, Luzaz, S. Savin, l' Istle ••urdun, S. Benoist du Sault, Bourg•neuff, M•loil, Merxant, Brige, Vou•e, Villefa•gnax, and others. And it is gathered o• of Antinius his Itinerary that Limonum was in Pictavia, because B•••gila is called Augu••odurum. Some thinke it to bee the same with 〈◊〉, or Poicters. Wee dare affirme nothing. In the third C••entarie of A. Hirttus there is mention of Limonum. The Rivers •ha• water this Countrie are Clanius, Vigenna, now Vienne,* 1.6 or Vendaeus and others, which are very full of fish. Heere we needes must speake of 〈◊〉 Amphitheater, in Pictavia,* 1.7 standing neere to the Towne Donaeu••▪ in the workmanship whereof Art doth strive to immitate nature: to it is made hollow and cut out in the Mountaine, having no externall 〈…〉, stone, or wood in it. In Iustus Lipsius in his Booke of the Amphitheaters which out of Rome cap. 6. there is a large description of his ••••taine and Amphitheater, according to the relation of Levinus Kesmakerus, sometime Consul of Zirickzaeus, and governour of Zeland at the first beginning of this warre, who addeth that the Village Towne Lonaeus was heretofore farre larger, as may bee seene by the workemanship thereof, not like to Village Townes, and by the ruines of the publike wayes and streetes, which lay toward the Bridge, commonly called Pont du Sey, part of which way may bee seene yet in divers places. But the greatest part is ruinated, and the stones of the aedifices are consumed and carried away. About halfe a Mile from the Citie Pictavia, in the high way to Biturigum, there is a great fouresquare stone, underproped with five other stones, and from thence called la Pierre Leuree. Of which there is this Distich.

Hic lapis ingentum superat gravitate ColossumPonderis, & grandi Sydera mole petit. This stone exceeds a great Colossus waight,And even to the starres doth penetrate.

The State Ecclesiastick hath three Bishoprickes, which are under the Archbishop of Tolouse: as the Bishoprick of Poictiers, in which there are 27, Abbies: the Bishoprick of Lucon or Lussen, in which are 10. Abbies: and the Bishop of Maillezay, in which are 4. Abbies. I come now to their manners. The Husband men have a peculiar speech of their owne: and hee is held wise that does not trust them. A kind of men who because they are prohibited to hunt wild beasts, doe persue contentions: They are litigious and cunning in stirring up debate and strife.* 1.8 The Citizens are unlike them in nature and disposition, being courteous, bountifull, liberall, candide, and hating impostures and deceits, lovers of learning, and learned men, of which there are many heere. The Nobilitie are provident, and more bold and daring then strong.