1775 Etat. 66. "The King fed himself with his left hand as we. Saturday, 21. In the night I got ground. We came home to Paris. I think we did not fee the chapel.-Tree broken by the wind.-The French chairs made all of boards painted. "N. Soldiers at the court of juftice.-Soldiers not amenable to the magiftrates.-Dijon woman'. Faggots in the palace.-Every thing flovenly, except in the chief rooms. Sunday, Oct. 22. To Versailles, a mean town.-Carriages of business paffing.-Mean fhops against the wall.-Our way lay through Séve, where the China manufacture.-Wooden bridge at Séve, in the way to Versailles.The palace of great extent.—The front long; I faw it not perfectly.-The Menagerie. Cygnets dark; their black feet; on the ground; tame.-Halcyons, or gulls.-Stag and hind, young.-Aviary, very large: the net, wire.-Black ftag of China, fmall.-Rhinoceros, the horn broken and pared away, which, I fuppofe, will grow; the bafis, I think, four inches crofs; the fkin folds like loose cloth doubled over his body, and cross his hips; a vast animal though young; as big, perhaps, as four oxen.-The young elephant, with his tusks juft appearing.-The brown bear put out his paws;-all very tame.—The lion. The tigers I did not well view.-The camel, or dromedary with two bunches, called the Huguin, taller than any horfe.-Two camels with one bunch.-Among the birds was a pelican, who being let out, went to a fountain, and swam about to catch fish. His feet well webbed: he dipped his head, and turned his long bill fidewife. He caught two or three fish, but did not eat them. « Trianon is a kind of retreat appendant to Verfailles. It has an open portico; the pavement, and, I think, the pillars, of marble.-There are many rooms which I do not diftinctly remember.-A table of porphyry, about five feet long, and between two and three broad, given to Lewis XIV. by the Venetian State. In the council-room almoft all that was not door or window, was, I think, looking-glass.-Little Trianon is a small palace like a gentleman's house. The upper floor paved with brick.-Little Vienne.-The court is ill paved. The rooms at the top are small, fit to footh the imagination with privacy. In the front of Verfailles are small bafons of water on the terrace, • See p. 503. 2 This epithet should be applied to this animal with one bunch and. 1775. and other basons, I think, below them.-There are little courts.-The great gallery is wainscotted with mirrors, not very large, but joined by frames. I Etat. 66. suppose the large plates were not yet made. The play-house was very large. The chapel I do not remember if we saw.-We saw one chapel, but I am not certain whether there or at Trianon.-The foreign office paved with bricks. The dinner half a Louis each, and, I think, a Louis over.-Money given at Menagerie, three livres; at palace, fix livres. "Oct. 23. Monday. Laft night I wrote to Levet. We went to see the looking-glaffes wrought. They come from Normandy in caft plates, perhaps the third of an inch thick. At Paris they are ground upon a marble table, by rubbing one plate on another with grit between them. The various fands, of which there are faid to be five, I could not learn. The handle, by which the upper glafs is moved, has the form of a wheel, which may be moved in all directions. The plates are fent The plates are fent up with their furfaces ground, but not polifhed, and fo continue till they are befpoken, left time should fpoil the furface, as we were told. Thofe that are to be polished, are laid on a table covered with several thick cloths, hard ftrained, that the resistance may be equal; they are then rubbed with a hand rubber, held down hard by a contrivance which I did not well understand. The powder which is used laft feemed to me to be iron diffolved in aqua fortis: they called it, as Baretti faid, marc de l'eau forte, which he thought was dregs. They mentioned vitriol and faltpetre. The cannon ball swam in the quickfilver. To filver them, a leaf of beaten tin is laid, and rubbed with quickfilver, to which it unites. Then more quickfilver is poured upon it, which, by its mutual [attraction] rifes very high. Then a paper is laid at the nearest end of the plate, over which the glafs is flided till it lies upon the plate, having driven much of the quickfilver before it. It is then, I think, preffed upon cloths, and then fet floping to drop the fuperfluous mercury; the flope is daily heigthened towards a perpendicular. "In the way I faw the Grêve, the mayor's house, and the Baftile. "We then went to Sans-terre, a brewer. malt as Mr. Thrale, and fells his beer at the He brews with about as much fame price, though he pays no duty for malt, and little more than half as much for beer. Beer is fold retail at 6d. a bottle. He brews 4,000 barrels a year. There are feventeen brewers in Paris, of whom none is fuppofed to brew more than he :reckoning them at 3,000 each, they make 51,000 a year.-They make their malt, for malting is here no trade. "The moat of the Baftile is dry. Ttt 2 << Oct. 1775. tat. 65, "Oct. 24. Tuesday. We vifited the King's library-I faw the Speculum humanæ Salvationis, rudely printed, with ink, fometimes pale, fometimes black; part fupposed to be with wooden types, and part with pages cut on boards.---The Bible, fuppofed to be older than that of Mentz, in 62: it has no date; it is fuppofed to have been printed with wooden types.-I am in doubt; the print is large and fair, in two folios. Another book was shown me, supposed to have been printed with wooden types;-I think, Durandi Santuarium in 58. This is inferred from the difference of form, fometimes feen in the fame letter, which might be ftruck with different puncheons.-The regular fimilitude of most letters proves better that they are metal.-I faw nothing but the Speculum which I had not feen, I think, before. "Thence to the Sorbonne.-The library very large, not in lattices like the King's. Marbone and Durandi, q. collection 14 vol. Scriptores de rebus Gallicis, many folios.-Hiftoire Genealogique of France, 9 vol.-Gallia Chriftiana, the first edition, 4to. the laft, f. 12 vol.-The Prior and Librarian dined [with us]:-I waited on them home. Their garden pretty, with covered walks, but small; yet may hold many students.-The Doctors of the Sorbonne are all equal;-choose those who fucceed to vacancies.-Profit little. "Oct. 25. Wednesday. I went with the Prior to St. Cloud, to see Dr. Hooke. We walked round the palace, and had fome talk.-I dined with our whole company at the Monaftery.-In the library, Beroald,-Cymon,Titus, from Boccace Oratio Proverbialis; to the Virgin, from Petrarch; Falkland to Sandys;-Dryden's Preface to the third vol. of Mifcellanies 3. "Oct. 26. Thursday. We faw the china at Séve, cut, glazed, painted. Bellevue, a pleasing house, not great: fine profpect.-Meudon, an old palace.→→ Alexander in porphyry: hollow between eyes and nofe, thin cheeks.-Plato and Ariftotle.-Noble terrace overlooks the town.-St. Cloud.-Gallery not very high, nor grand, but pleasing.—In the rooms, Michael Angelo, drawn by himself, Sir Thomas More, Des Cartes, Bochart, Naudæus, Mazarine.— Gilded wainscot, fo common that it is not minded.-Gough and Keene.Hooke came to us at the inn.-A meffage from Drumgould. "Oct. 27. Friday. I ftaid at home.-Gough and Keene, and Mrs. S's friend dined with us.-This day we began to have a fire.The weather is grown very cold, and I fear, has a bad effect upon my breath, which has grown much more free and eafy in this country. "Sat. Oct. 28. I vifited the Grand Chartreux built by St. Louis.It is built for forty, but contains only twenty-four, and will not maintain 3 He means, I fuppofe, that he read thefe different pieces, while he remained in the library. more -- more. The friar that spoke to us had a pretty apartment.-Mr. Baretti fays, four rooms; I remember but three.-His books feemed to be French.His garden was neat; he gave me grapes.-We saw the Place de Victoire, with the ftatues of the King, and the captive nations. "We faw the palace and gardens of Luxembourg, but the gallery was fhut. We climbed to the top stairs.—I dined with Colbrooke, who had much company-Foote, Sir George Rodney, Motteux, Udfon, Taaf.-Called on the Prior, and found him in bed. "Hotel a guinea a day.-Coach, three guineas a week.-Valet de place, three 1. a day.-Avant-coureur, a guinea a week.-Ordinary dinner, fix 1. a head.—Our ordinary feems to be about five guineas a day.-Our extraordinary expences, as diverfions, gratuities, clothes, I cannot reckon.Our travelling is ten guineas a day. "White ftockings, 18 1. Wig.-Hat. Sunday, Oct. 29. We faw the boarding-fchool.-The Enfans trouvés.-A room with about eighty-six children in cradles, as fweet as a parlour.They lofe a third; take in to perhaps more than feven [years old]; put them to trades; pin to them the papers fent with them.-Want nurses.-Saw their chapel. "Went to St. Eustatia; faw an innumerable company of girls catechifed,. in many bodies, perhaps 100 to a catechift.-Boys taught at one time, girls. at another. The fermon; the preacher wears a cap, which he takes off at the name his action uniform, not very violent.. "Oct. 30. Monday. We faw the library of St. Germain.-A very noble collection.-Codex Divinorum Officiorum, 1459-a letter, fquare like that of the Offices, perhaps the fame.-The Codex, by Fuft and Gernsheym.Meurfius, 12 v. fol.—Amadis, in French, 3 v. fol.-CATHOLICON fine colophone, but of 1460.-Two other editions *,, one by Auguftin. de Civitate Dei, without name, date, or place, but of Fuft's fquare letter as it feems. "I dined with Col. Drumgould ;-had a pleafing afternoon. "Some of the books of St. Germain's stand in preffes from the wall, like thofe at Oxford. ✦ I have looked in vain into De Bure, Meerman, Mattaire, and other typographical books, for the two editions of the Catholicon," which Dr. Johnson mentions here, with names which I cannot make out. I read " one by Latinius, one by Bodinus." I have depofited the original MS. in the British Museum, where the curious may fee it. My grateful acknowledgements are due to Mr. Planta for the trouble he was pleased to take in aiding my refearches. 1775 Ætat. 66. 1775. "Oct. 31. Tuesday. I lived at the Benedictines; meagre day; soup Etat. 66. meagre, herrings, eels, both with fauce; fryed fish; lentils, tasteless in themfelves. In the library; where I found Maffeus's de Hiftoriá Indica: Promontorium flctere, to double the Cape. I parted very tenderly from the Prior and Friar Wilkes. «Maitre es Arts, 2 y.-Bacc. Theol. 3 y-Licentiate, 2 y.-Doctor Th. 2 y. in all 9 years. For the doctorate three difputations, Major, Minor, Sorbonica. Several colleges fuppreffed, and transferred to that which was the Jefuit's College. "Nov. 1. Wednesday. We left Paris.-St. Denis, a large town; the church not very large, but the middle ifle is very lofty and aweful.-On the left are chapels built beyond the line of the wall, which destroy the fymmetry of the fides. The organ is higher above the pavement than any I have ever seen.—The gates are of brass. On the middle gate is the history of our Lord.—The painted windows are historical, and said to be eminently beautiful. We were at another church belonging to a convent, of which the portal is a dome; we could not enter further, and it was almost dark. "Nov. 2. Thursday. We came this day to Chantilly, a feat belonging to the Prince of Condé.-This place is eminently beautified by all varieties of waters starting up in fountains, falling in cafcades, running in ftreams, and fpread in lakes.-The water feems to be too near the house.-All this water is brought from a fource or river three leagues off, by an artificial canal, which for one league is carried under ground. The house is magnificent.— The cabinet seems well stocked: what I remember was, the jaws of a hippopotamus, and a young hippopotamus preferved, which, however, is fo fmall that I doubt its reality.-It seems too hairy for an abortion, and too small for a mature birth.-Nothing was in fpirits; all was dry.-The dog; the deer; the ant-bear with long fnout.-The toucan, long broad beak.-The stables were of very great length.-The kennel had no fcents.-There was a mockery of a village. The Menagerie had few animals 5.-Two fauffans, or Brafilian weafels, fpotted, very wild.-There is a foreft, and, I think, a park.-. 5 The writing is fo bad here, that the names of feveral of the animals could not be decyphered without much more acquaintance with natural history than I poffefs. Dr. Blagden, with his ufual politeness, moft obligingly examined the MS. To that gentleman, and to Dr. Gray, of the British Museum, who alfo very readily affifted me, I beg leave to exprefs my best thanks. It is thus written by Johnson, from the French pronunciation of Foffane. It should be obferved, that the perfon who fhowed this Menagerie was mistaken in fuppofing the fossane and the Brafilian weasel to be the fame, the foffane being a different animal, and a native of Madagascar. I find them, however, upon one plate in Pennant's "Synopfis of Quadrupeds." |