to Ett ES e there may be fomething to intereft in his own writings. Our author's reflections are just and forcible; but they contain little that is new, and less that is truly interefting. He is an enthufiaftic admirer of Rouffeau; to whom, and Ermenonville, a great portion of the book is devoted. Some of the Romish ceremonies are well described; and a rational diftinction is drawn between what is fuperftition, and what religion; between what conftitutes the deift and what the devotee. The following extracts, however, will not be found devoid of entertainment. Dieppe, Aug. 3, 1788. "Nothing can be more ridiculous to an English eye, nor, one would think, to the eye of common fenfe, than the drefs of the people of this place. Every rank, age and fex, with their hair dreffed, powdered, and toupee'd, from a child of fix to a man or woman of fixty. Sailors, friffeurs, and gentlemen, all dreffed without diftinction. The habits of the women are still more curious and difgufting than thofe of the men; they go without hats; the lappets of their ugly caps flying about their ears, and their petticoats fcarcely reaching to their knees:—indeed their ideas of delicacy must be totally different from thofe of their fex on our fide the water; it is very common to fee a woman, or half a dozen together, ftanding in the open ftreets, and without a blufh, or the leaft confcioufnels of impropriety, performing the offices of nature." Cherbourg, Aug. 6, 1788. The author's description of his paf fage from Dieppe to this place is fomewhat curious." I had to fpend two nights and a day on board a miferable floop, with only the captain, two failors, and a boy; whofe faces I had never before feen. and whofe jargon. I for my intrufion. I felt them repeatedly making the grand tour of my body, leaving many marks of their excurfions upon its different parts and promontories;-both on the peninfula of my face, the isthmus of my neck, and the more continental parts of my back and fhoulders. We had not been long out at sea, when the captain descended; I obferved him ftrike a light, which he was a long while bringing into exiftence; when, lighting a candle, he reached with it over my bed as far as he could; in order, as I concluded, to discover if the veffel leaked-he did the fame on the other fide, and immediate muttered fome oaths. I found my apprehenfions beginning to awake,-when, fuddenly, the noife of the pump from above, and the quantity of water running off the deck, fo much alarmed me, as to make me jump out of my bed, and run up ftairs. I there learned that the veffel leaked; but could not fatisfy myfelf with respect to the danger. I went down again into the cabin, and was disturbed every quarter of an hour with the working of the pump. I was heartily glad to welcome the morning light; and arofe from my bed at its earlieft peep, more tired than refreshed. "We arrived at Carentan about nine o'clock in the evening;-as the diligence did not ftop for fupper, I made the best of my way to a miferable auberge, with two fellow paffengers, who were Frenchmen. We enquired for meat, for butter, and for cheese in vain; all we could procure was dry bread. The cuifinier was bufy, frying fome pancakes in a corner, which I petitioned most strongly to partake of; his refufal the more heightened my defire; but intreaty, promifes, and every temptation was fruitlefs, as it was all they could procure for fome guests who politenefs of my fellow-travellers was fatisfied at the excufe; but on my attempting to lay hold of one of the pancakes, the cuifinier removed the dish to the farther end of the kitchen.. “There are certain occafions when a man is so much bent upon the acquifition of a trifle, as to fubject himself to the most serious confequences, rather than be disappointed. Such was the prefent; and had all the cuisiniers in France (of which, by the bye, there is a tolerable number) been prefent, I fhould have enjoyed the bustle. "I at first made propofals to my fellow-travellers to make an open attack upon the pancakes, and to carry them off in triumph, by force of arms; but they fhuddered at the incivility of the thought. I then drew backwards by degrees, and watching an opportunity, took out my fork, and stuck it through the pancakes; at once, all was confufion; the mafter, the mistress, the fille de chambre, the cuifinier-all ran to feize me: I flew round the kitchen, taking care to keep aloof till I had devoured my prey; and never did I eat any thing with greater goût. All the diables, and every oath that French ingenuity and nonfenfe could invent, were poured upon me, and I was at laft forced to make my efcape to the coach, laughing moft heartily at the situation I had left them in. I know that this adventure cannot be excused on the ground of civility or justice; but fuch confiderations are feldom operative, when we are difpofed for what an Englishman would justify by the name of fun. Caen is thirty-one leagues from Cherbourg; it is the fecond city in Normandy; the profpect of it, on entering, is very pleasant, but the country around by no means luxuriant. I was much furprized, about a mile from Caen, at meeting a lady finely dreffed, riding aftride upon an afs, with a fervant on foot following her. We reached Caën about eleven o'clock: I went to the Hotel d'Angleterre, where I found feveral English families; and having delivered a letter of recommendation, and engaged myself to dinner, I walked out to take a furvey of the town. "I vifited the celebrated Abbage, founded by William the Conqueror ; it is a very fine edifice, and kept in wonderful good order. About the middle of the altar (which, with the choir, is all of marble) is the monument of king William, who was here interred. "I dined, according to my engage ment, with the gentleman to whom I had procured a letter; and was much pleafed at meeting with an Englishman, who lived with him. He was an old gentleman of family and fortune, from Devonshire, and had formed an attachment to this Frenchman, to whom he was about to leave his fortune. I there found an inftance of one of those extraordinary propensities of hunan nature, that feemed to run counter to truth and probability. This old gentleman, who had been born in the foil of freedom, and had participated in all the advantages of civilization, elegance, and tafte, that characterise our happy ifle, had conceived a strong partiality for France. He could fay nothing that was favourable to England; and fo affiduous was he in difcovering all the errors and blemishes in the manners, laws, climate, and constitution of our country, that, at the view he gave of it, our fituation was truly deplorable :our liberty was only a chimera; our laws were unequal and abfurd; ́our manners rude and unpolished; our policy defective; and our religion heretical. So nicely had he fifted, through the grate of prejudice, every circumftance relative to England, that its beauties were all loft and overlooked, and its defects alone preferved. Thefe were prefented to the view of his French companions, who, conceiving them to be the effence of English manners, blefs'd themselves (Heavens bless them!) that' they were-Frenchmen. On leaving Caën, we foon commenced a converfation, and I found. myfelf in company with characters rather different. An old man, who had never wandered far beyond the precincts of his native town; one of a middle age, who had been great part of his time in Italy, and talked the language well; and a young puppy, who was dreffed to the utmost extreme of French frippery. On inquiring the hour, as foot foon as the morning opened, the youth drew out a watch, by the appendage of a long and brilliant chain; but appear ing not fatisfied with its decifion, he drew forth another from his other fide; of equal richness, with a long equipage of gold feals and trinkets. I lifted up my eyes, and could not help lamenting how foon conveniency and ufe are diftorted into extravagance and folly. The woman, who made the fourth pafs fenger, was old and talkative, and, making only remarks that were frivo lous and trifling, and comments that were anticipated and obvious, would frequently interrupt a converfation more agreeable. The politenefs of the men obliged them to break off a difcourfe, however interefting, when addreffed by a female, however infignificant. "We rode through continued and pleasant rows of trees, till we reached Lifieux, where we dined. "Normandy is divided into feven bifhoprics; namely, Bayeux, Coutances, Lifieux, Evreux, Seez, Auranches, and Rouën. It contains feven bailliages, four in the Upper, and three in the Lower Normandy, as follow; Rouen, Evreux, Caux, Gifori; Caën, Alen çon, and Coutance. alone for mercy. They took poffeffion of his gold watches, his money, and every thing about him, and calling for the conducteur, drew a parcel from the coach, containing, cash to the amount of two hundred pounds. This the wretch had that morning ftolen from his father, and was making off for Paris: the chaffeurs were dispatched after him, and the procefs now was pretty fummary; they fecured him, and took him away God knows whither. A little difconcerted at this adventure, we again proceeded forwards; but the variety of objects, and the revolution of ideas incident thereon, foon removed the impreffion, As for the Frenchmen, they sefumed at once their cheerfulness, and forgot all pity or deteftation towards their former companion, in expreffions of gallantry, pleafantry, and politenefs. Paris, Aug. 12, 1788. "Every fpot, as we approached the capital, became more and more inte refting; we faw a vaft number of chateaus; fome elevated high above us, fome at a diftance, by the fide of the river, and others ftanding in little inlands, encircled with groves of poplars. 3# At: length we reached St. Ger main's, which is the Windfor of Paris. In point of profpect, the comparison may poffibly hold; but the town is moft miferably, inferior. We pafled the palace and gardens, but could have no tolerable view of them. "On returning to the inn, I refumed my feat, and partook of a defert; when prefently a berlin drove into the yard; and two tallill-looking fellows inftantly leaped out, with fwords in their hands. At once, all was mute attention; (every one knew, befides myself, of what de fcription they were; the door opened, and they entered our room. In fuch as I could not but look with indigcountry as this, every one has reafon to nation upon a place that ferved as a tremble for his fafety.. Confternation fanctuary for an English monarch, feized upon the looks of the whole who, both throughout his reign and company; each trait of vivacity was his exile, was a dependent on the fled; fear, horror, and expectation, French crown. It was here that James hung upon every brow; each, though the First retreated, in the year 1690, unknowing of a caufe, fearing for him, after the glorious battle of the Boyne, felf. I instantly caught the tremor, and and ever afterwards held his fervile felt myself a good deal alarmed, when one of them fixed his haggard looks intent upon me (I fuppofed, afterwards, from feeing me to be a foreigner). Prefently they feized on the youth I before fpoke of, and commanded him to fur render every thing he had. Guilt blushed in his face, and confcioutnefs feemed to take away every power of defence, or of excufe, and he begged court. "We paffed the famous engine at Marli, invented for the purpose of fupplying the king's gardens at Versailles, and Marli with water, which is taken from the Seine, to the height of fix hundred feet, and carried to the dif tance of fix miles. "On approaching Paris, we met with a number of ill-fhapen monsters, ycleped car. carriages, driving out for an evening's ride; they are conftructed of every pofe fible uncouth and aukward fhape, and were charmingly contrafted with an English carriage or two that I had the pleasure of meeting. I was much ftruck at the environs, and the entrance of Paris; it was far fuperior to any thing I had a conception of. The fcene was truly beautiful; an immenfe length of road, with rows of trees, and houses on each fide, was terminated, at the point of a rifing hill, by two handfome bar riers, which formed a ftriking coup d'ail. After paffing them, we entered the Champs Elifées, that feemed very rightly fo named. Avenues opened on either fide of the road, and vistas of young trees were filled in every part with company. Some were regaling themselves at tables beneath the trees; others, under open tents; and farther in were parties walking: ladies were parading along in full drefs, with their fans in their hands; and gentlemen walking by their fides, with their hats beneath their arms: in fhort, every part was crouded; and the road was equally filled with a vaft diverfity of carriages, of the most fanciful and tawdry appear ances; some of which were gilt all over. So new a scene made me lofe almost every idea of reality, and I fancied it to be enchantment, or at least that I was in China, or fome such remote country; our ideas of which approach towards it, as being wholly different from any thing we have ever been accustomed to. "In the evening I went to the grand opera, and was very much entertained. The form of the building is very handfome; and, confidering the fhortnefs of the space in which it was erected, is much to be admired. It was built in fix weeks after the former opera was burnt down, which unhappily destroyed many of the finest dreffes and decora tions. "This fatal conflagration, at the time, occafioned a general horror and defpondency throughout the whole city. They tell of a circumstance, so truly defcriptive of the characteristics of the French levity and frivolity, that I cannot avoid relating it. Whilft the remains of the decorations and fcenery were carrying away in waggons from the ruins of the building, the whole city were affembled around, and followed the carriages, in a proceffion fimilar to the funeral of the moft lamented monarch, whilst dejection hung upon every countenance, and every tongue uttered lamentations. A com mon fellow, who was riding upon one of the carriages, picked out, from the heap of ruins on which he was fitting, the habiliments of an opera prince, and, decking himself with the richest ornaments he could find, rode along with the state of a Rinaldo. As foon as this humorous feat attracted the eye of the people, the look of dejection, and the cry of forrow, were changed in a moment, and fucceeded by the most exceffive peals of laughter. "The palace of the Thuilleries (fo named from having been built on a fpot formerly over-run with reeds and marfhes) adjoins to the grand gallery of the Louvre. The palace is very fu perb, and the ftatues difperfed about the gardens, exquifite. The chef d'œuvres of le Pautre, and the beautiful productions of Bouchardon, are here collected. The ftatue of Æneas carrying his fa ther from Troy, is finely executed 3and the charming piece of Arria and Petus furpaffes the power of defcription. I was fo rapt in admiration, that I wanted new powers of expreffion. The look and attitude of Petus, as he views his wife ftabbing herself, to teach him how to die, is fuch as the most im paffioned and expreffive actor would find it hard to imitate. Life, thought, paffion, and horror, are thrown into the piece; and the calmness and refignation of Arria- It is not painful, Petus !'-is beautifully contrafted. ** * * "To a perfon who has been much in the habit of being abroad, the mode of keeping the Sunday in England, must have a great appearance of reserve, and of aufterity; nor could fuch a one well reconcile himself to that to→ tal metamorphofis which is then required. The obfervance would be tedious, and the restraint intolerable. In France, the duties of the day ceafe with thofe of the church; and between the intervals of mass, the vacancy is most * See this story in Vol. I. page 74. It is embellished with a Plate. frequently Frequently filled with cards. Devotion is here of fo portable and fo accommodating a nature, that it may with equal eafe, and at any time, be laid down or refumed; and after all the ardour of religion, and the envelopement of themfelves in zeal and mystery, a tranfition may at once be made to levity, and the moft trifling amufements. The afternoons are univerfally spent in pleafure; and the opera, and the French and Italian comedies for the polite, and the petites theatres for the bourgeois, ferve to make up for the interruption and constraint of the morning. Although the calls upon the people to religious duties are frequent, in Roman-catholic countries, they are not tirefome; their frequency is rendered palatable, by their toleration of, and their coalition with, the different amufements. Fairs are generally held in celebration of fome faint on Sundays, and ftandings always placed at the church doors. Aug. 18. "I have this day taken a view of the Jardin du Roi, which is laid out to the admiration of the French; the chief beauty of it is the botanical collection, arranged according to fpecies. On the top of a circular mount in the garden, which you afcend by a winding walk, is a fmall temple, that commands an exter five view of Paris and its environs. This fpot is likewife polluted, in being dedicated to adulation, and to vanity. "From the Jardin du Roi, we croffed the Seine in a boat, and walked through the arsenal, at the end of which was the Baftille. "As I looked upon the gloomy walls, my foul fhuddered within me. I beheld that terrific engine of arbitrary power, with horror and deteftation. I feared to tread upon the ground that encircled it: all was horrible and dreary. Accurfed manfion! I exclaimed; thou haft been the dungeon and the tomb of many, whofe breafts have burned with the facred love of liberty, and whofe hearts have been warmed with the holy flame of virtue! Would that I were an enchanter! that thy ghaftly walls might tumble to the ground! "A deep foffe furrounds it, with high walls, that mock every idea of efcape: the approach to it is defended YOL. II. by draw-bridges, and fecured by gates, which fhut one within the other. They guard it with fo much watchfulness and jealoufy, that you dare not approach to look at it. The deputies from Brittany were then airing themfelves upon the ramparts: I turned with difguft from the place. Aug. 20. "The king's library was this day open; an opportunity I did not mifs of embracing. It comprises two hundred thousand printed volumes, befide fix thousand manufcripts; and is esteemed the firft in Europe. The books are contained in fix large faloons, in one of which are two immenfe globes, conftructed by Coronelli: they stand in a hall below, and, through two large apertures, reach into the room above, from whence obfervations are to be made. Their diameter is eleven feet eleven inches: the circles for the meridian and horizon were made by an Englishman, and are eighteen feet in diameter. "The amufements here are much better conducted than in England: they minate at a more early hour; fo as to are not fo long in duration, and terleave time for a continuation of fociety after fupper, without a facrifice of the health and spirits. The decorum public places, would likewife be very and good order that is preferved in the defirable, were it not for the idea that 'thofe vile guns,' and horrible Swifs the means of it. I fhould, on no acguards, ftuck up in every corner, were count, ever wish to see the soldiery prefide over, or interfere in, the amufements of Englishmen. Aug. 22. "The characteristics of all the public works in this country, are grandeur and expence; nothing is left unattempted, that is within the grasp of poffibility. Neither labour nor profufion are regarded; and oftentimes the immenfity of their defigns outsteps the means of execution; as there are many things here, remaining monuments of the greatnefs of human ambition, and the weakness of human ability. "In the afternoon, I was taken to the chapel of the Convent of Saint Sacrament, to attend a fermon from a D famous |