A GENERAL COLLECTION OF VOYAGES AND TRAVELS. TRAVELS IN FRANCE. · A JOURNEY TO PARIS IN THE YEAR 1698. BY DR. MARTIN LISTER. DEDICATION. TO His Excellency, John Lord Somers, Baron of Evesham, Lord High Chancellor of England, and one of the Lords-Juftices of England. MY LORD, W IS ISDOM is the foundation of justice and equity, and it feems not to be perfect, without it comprehends alfo philofophy and natural learning, and whatever is of good relish in arts. It is certain, my Lord, for the honour of your high station, that the greatest philofopher of this age, was one of your predeceffors; nor is your Lordship in any thing behind him; as though nothing infpired people with more equity than a true value for ufeful learning and arts. This hath given me the boldness to offer your lordship this fhort account, of the magnificent and noble city of Paris, and the court of that great king, who hath given Europe fo long and vehement difquiet, and coft England in particular fo much blood and treafure. It is poffible, my lord, you may find a leifure hour to read over these few papers for your diverfion, wherein I promise myself, you will meet with nothing offenfive, but clean matter of fact, and some fhort notes of an unprejudiced obferver. But that I may no longer importune you, perpetually bufied in fo laborious and useful an employment, I beg leave to fubfcribe myfelf, My Lord, Your Lordship's moft humble and most obedient fervant, VOL. IV. B 149135 A JOURNEY A JOURNEY TO PARIS, &c. Introduction to the Reader. memory in HIS tract was written chiefly to fatisfy my own curiofity, and to delight myself little to do, but to walk up and down; well knowing, that the character of a stranger gave me free admittance to men and things. The French nation value themselves upon civility, and build and drefs moftly for figure: this humour makes the curiofity of ftrangers very eafy and welcome to them. But why do you trouble us with a journey to Paris, a place fo well known to every body here? For very good reafon, to fpare the often telling my tale at my return. But we know already all you can fay, or can read it in the Present State of France, and Defcription of Paris; two books to be had in every shop in London. It is right, fo you may; and I advise you not to neglect them, if you have a mind to judge well of the grandeur of the court of France, and the immenfe greatnefs of the city of Paris. These were fpectacles I did indeed put on, but I found they did not fit my fight, I had a mind to fee without them; and in matters of this nature, as vaft cities and vaft palaces, I did not care much to use microscopes or magnifying glaffes. You But to content you, reader, I promise you not to trouble you with ceremonies either of itate or church, or politics; for I entered willingly into neither of them, but only, where they would make a part of the converfation, or my walk was ordered me. will eafily find by my obfervations, that I incline rather to nature than dominion; and that I took more pleasure to see Monfieur Breman in his white waistcoat digging. in the royal phyfic garden, and fowing his couches, than Monfieur de Saintot making room for an ambaffador; and I found myfelf better difpofed, and more apt to learn the names and phyfiognomy of a hundred plants, than of five or fix princes. After all, I had much rather have walked a hundred paces under the meanest hedge in Languedoc, than any the finest alley at Verfailles or St. Cloud, fo much I prefer fair nature and a warm fun, before the most exquifite performances of art in a cold and. barren climate. Another reason, that I give you little or no trouble in telling you court matters, is, that I was no more concerned in the embaffy, than in the failing of the fhip which carried me over it is enough for me, with the reft of the people of England, to feel the good effects of it, and pafs away this life in peace and quietnefs. It is a happy turn for us, when kings are made friends again. This was the end of this embaffy, and I hope it will last our days. My lord ambaffador was infinitely careffed by the king, his minifters, and all the princes. It is certain the French are the most polite nation in the world, and can praise and court with a better air than the rest of mankind. However the generality of the kingdom were through great neceflity well difpofed to receive the peace: the bigots and fome disbanded officers might be heard at our firft going to grumble, but thofe alfo gave over, and we heard no more of them when we came away. But to the business. I happily arrived at Paris after a tedious journey in very bad weather; for we fet out of London the tenth of December, and I did not reach Paris till the first of January; for I fell fick upon the road, and staid five days at Bologne, behind the company, till my fever abated; yet notwithstanding fo rude a journey, I recovered, and was perfectly cured of my cough in ten days; which was the chiefest reason of my leaving London at that time of the year, and never had the leaft return of it all the winter, though it was as fierce there as I ever felt it in England. This great benefit of the French air I had experienced three feveral times before, and had therefore longed for a paffage many years; but the continuance of the war was an infuperable obftacle to my defires. Therefore the first opportunity which offered itself I readily embraced, which was my Lord Portland's acceptance of my attendance of him in his extraordinary embaffy; who ordered me to go before with one of my good friends, who was fent to prepare matters against his arrival. Now that I might not wholly truft my memory, in what I saw at Paris, I fet down my thoughts under certain heads. I. Of Paris in General. THOUGH I had much fpare time the fix months I ftaid in that city, yet the rudenefs of the winter feafon kept me in for fome time. Again, I believe I did not fee the tithe of what deferves to be feen, and well confidered; because for many things I wanted a relish, particularly for painting and building; however I viewed the city in all its parts, and made the round of it; took feveral profpects of it at a distance, when well thought on, I must needs confefs it to be one of the most beautiful and magnificent in Europe, and in which a traveller might find novelties enough for fix months for daily entertainment, at least in and about this noble city. To give therefore a strict and general idea of it, and not to enter far into the vain difputes of the number of inhabitants, or its bignefs, compared to London; fure I am, the standing croud was fo great, when my lord ambaffad.r made his entry, that our people were startled at it, and were ready the next day to give up the question, had they not well confidered the great curiofity of the Parifians, who are much more delighted in finé fhews than the people of London, and fo were well near all got into the way of the cavalcade. One thing was an evident argument of this humour, that there were some hundreds of coaches of perfons of the best quality, even fome bishops and lords which I faw, who had placed themselves in a file to line the streets, and had had the patience to have fo remained for fome hours. It is also almost certain, that for the quantityof ground poffeffed by the common people, this city is much more populous than any part of London; here are from four to five and to ten menages, or diftinct families in many houses; but this is only to be underftood of certain places of trade. This difference betwixt the two cities alfo is true, that here the palaces and convents have eat up the people's dwellings, and crouded them exceffively together, and poffeffed themselves of far the greatest part of the ground; whereas in London the contrary may be obferved, that the people have detroyed the palaces, and placed themselves upon the foundations of them, and forced the nobility to live in fquares or streets in a fort of community: but this they have done very honestly, having fairly purchased them. The views alfo which it gives upon the river are admirable: that of the Pont-neuf downwards to the Tuilleries, or upwards from the Pont-Royal; and in fome other places, as from Pont St. Bernard, the Greeve, &c. The river Seine which paffes through the midst of the city, is all nobly banked or keyed with large free-ftone; and inclofes in the heart of the city two iflands, which caufes many fine bridges to be built to pass over them. One of these iflands called l'Ifle de Palais was all Paris for fome ages The B 2 The houfes are built of hewn ftone intirely, or whited over with plaifter: fome indeed in the beginning of this age are of brick with free-ftone, as the Place-Royal, Place-Dauphin, &c. but that is wholly left off now; and the white plaifter is in fome few places only coloured after the fafhion of brick, as part of the abbay of St. Germain. The houses every where are high and flately; the churches numerous, but not very big; the towers and fteeples are but few in proportion to the churches, yet that noble way of fteeple, the domes or cupolas, have a marvellous effect in profpect; though they are not many, as that of Val de Grace, des Invalides, College Mazarin, de l'Affumption, the Grand Jefuits, la Sorbonne, and fome few others. All the houfes of perfons of diftinction are built with porte-cocheres, that is, wide gates to drive in a coach, and confequently have courts within; and moftly remises to fet them up. There are reckoned above 700 of thefe great gates; and very many of these are after the most noble patterns of ancient architecture. The lower windows of all houfes are grated with ftrong bars of iron; which must be a vast expence. As the houses are magnificent without, fo the finishing withinfide and furniture anfwer in riches and neatnefs; as hangings of rich tapeftry, raised with gold and filver threads, crimson damask and velvet beds or of gold and filver tiffue. Cabinets and bureaus of ivory inlaid with tortoisefhell, and gold and filver plates in a 100 different manners branches and candlesticks of crystal: but above all most rare pictures. The gildings, carvings and paintings of the roofs are admirable. These things are in this city and the country about, to fuch a variety and excess, that you can come into no private house of any man of fubftance, but you fee fomething of them; and they are obferved frequently to ruin themselves in thefe expences. Every one, that has any thing to fpare, covets to have fome good picture or fculpture of the beft artift; the like in the ornaments of their Gardens, fo that it is incredi ble what pleasure that vast quantity of fine things give the curious ftranger. Here as foon as ever a man gets any thing by fortune or inheritance, he lays it out in fome fuch way as now named. Yet, after all, many utenfils and conveniencies of life are wanting here, which we in England have. This makes me remember what Monfieur Juftell, a Parifian formerly, told me here, that he had made a catalogue of near threefcore things of this nature which they wanted in Paris. The pavements of the streets is all of square ftone, of about eight or ten inches. thick; that is, as deep in the ground as they are broad at top; the gutters fhallow, and laid round without edges, which makes the coaches glide eafily over them. However, it must needs be faid, the streets are very narrow, and the paffengers a-foot no ways fecured from the hurry and danger of coaches, which always patling the streets with an air of hafte, and a full trot upon broad flat flones, betwixt high and large refounding houses, makes a fort of mufic which fhould feem very agreeable to the Parifians. The royal palaces are furprisingly ftately; as the Louvre and Tuilleries, Palais Luxembourg, Palais Royal. The convents are great, and numerous, and well built; as Val de Grace, St. Germains, St. Victor, St. Genevieve, the Grand Jesuits, &c. The fquares are few in Paris, but very beautiful; as the Place Royal, Place Victior, Flace Dauphine, none of the largeft, except the Places Vendofme, not yet finished. The gardens within the walls, open to the public, are vaftly great, and very beautiful; as the Tuilleries, Palais Royal, Luxembourg, the Royal Phyfic Garden, of the arsenal, |