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prefenting the victories of Lewis XIV-At this gate your' chaife and baggage will be ftopt, in order to be fearched by officers appointed for that purpose, who have it in their 6 power to give you a great deal of trouble; but by making them a prefent of Half a crown, and ordering your fervants to addrefs them in a complaifant manner, which they seem to regard as highly as the money, you will pass to your hotel," or inn, with very little moleftation.n $3.99

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P. 15. I cannot omit one particular, which does great honour to the Hotel Dieu; and that is, they admit all manner of patients, without paying any regard to their country, religion, or difeafe; and morcover, they require no fecurity ⚫ in case of death: whereas the practice of most of our hof pitals in England, is widely different. The reftrictions of admiffion being fuch, as frequently deprive many of receiving the benefit firft intended by the charitable founders. Add • to this, those who are so unhappy as to labour under an incurable difeafe, are never discharged; tho' with us, the reverse is conftantly practifed.-A Britifb hofpital, for the reception of Incurables, would be a lafting honour to the prefent age, already diftinguished by many charitable foundations.ulfunk P. 17. Our Author has the following account of the college of the English Benedictines; particularly of a faiall room, hung with black cloth, on which are feveral efcuts cheons of the arms of England. In the middle of the chamber, under a canopy, lies the body of the late unfortu nate King James II. who here ended his days in obfcurity and by his bigotry, and the influence of his popifh wife and counsellors, loft his kingdoms; and will remain an everlafting teftimony of the inconfiftency of a popifh head over a proteftant people. Near this Prince's coffin is that of his daughter, who is faid to have been born in France; the heart of the late Duke of Berwick, natural fon of the aforefaid Monarch, who was fhot at the fiege of Philipfburgh *, is here preferved in a leather cafe, to which is affixed a fmall lock. The perfon who fhewed the room, defired me to take it in my hands, as a great relict this perfon was an old woman, who, with a little broken English, harangued a long time on the merit of the deceafed King, in quitting his kingdoms (when he could keep them no

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When the French King received the unhappy news of his death, he faid, "The lofs of fo brave a General is of more con * fequence to me, than 50,oco of my beft men."ena

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longer) for the fake of the true religion (as the called it) for which he was, without doubt, a great faint. The zeal of the old lady made me fmile, at which the grew angry; but • on my presenting her with a gratuity for thewing me thefe • facred remains, as the often called them, we became good friends again. I then afked her the reason, why they did • not inter his Majesty, and not fuffer him to be expofed there, as an unhappy monument of his folly; or otherwife too put up a new fet of hangings, as thofe at prefent were grown old and rufty, and made but a very mean appearShe answered me with a frown, and in an angry tone, that he was to lie in that manner till his corpfe could < be conveyed to England, in order for its being interred with <his royal ancestors in Westminster-Abbey; and to have a religious proceffion from the Tower of London to the faid Abbey.

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P. I paid a vifit to the convent of the Carthufians • This order was formerly one of the stricteft in all the Romifh church.The Monks were permitted to speak to each other one day only throughout the year: but by this re• ftriction, fome funk into the deepest melancholy, and others hanged themselves. The Pope of thofe days, taking these things into his confideration, indulged them with greater liberties; and, ever fince, they have been permitted to con< verfe together on every Thursday, but at no other time. Every Monk has a fmall house, at about twenty yards dif tance from each other: these houfes form a large fquare, • with a piazza entirely round it, where they generally walk: their apartments are kept very neat; their fhirt is made of • coarse hair; their outward garment, which is made of fine white flannel, has a decent appearance; and, notwithstanding their total abftinence from flefh, they look hearty and chearful. They are permitted, however, at any time to ⚫ converse with a stranger; Ifpent an hour with one of them, • whose converfation and behaviour were thofe of a gentle man, which I did not expect to meet with in the feverity of a cloifter. They lay their own cloth, dine alone in their apartments, and receive their provifions by the help of a machine, which turns round, and is fixed in the wall. • Monafteries and Abbeys, instead of promoting religion, abuse it, and are founded neither in reafon nor Christianity. What

* For a fuller account of the Carthufians, fee, R. Hofpinianus, de Orig. Monachat, p. 309-311.

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• fervice can it be to mankind, to have so many persons of • both fexes, fecluded for ever from the rest of their fellowcreatures, and maintained like so many idle drones, by the • mistaken piety and folly of others.'"

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P. 78. From Avignon, I fet out for Aix, the road to which lies through the most beautiful country I ever faw: you pass ⚫ over feveral downs, covered with lavender, thyme, rosemary, and other sweet aromatic herbs: the vallies are filled with groves of olive, and almond-trees, &c. intermixed with vineyards. The air of Aix is esteemed the best in France, which draws abundance of quality, especially foreigners, to • refide here. It is feldom without fome English families. The fituation is another great inducement, having on one • fide a beautiful plain, abounding with vineyards, orange, live, fig, and almond-trees; and on the other fide, at a fmall distance, very high mountains. It is a parliament town, genteelly built, and the streets are large, and well laid out. The Cour, or public walk, is very beautiful, much resembling the Mall, in St. James's Park; there are four fine fountains, at proper diftances, continually playing; the trees on each fide form a bower, which agreeably fhelters you from the heat of the fun. Behind the trees are two rows of wellbuilt houses; fo that, altogether, it is one of the pleasanteft • ftreets I ever met with. Of a summer's evening, it is full ⚫ of polite company."

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P. 84. The French, in general, are lively, and full of gaiety, in a greater degree than any nation, I believe, upon earth; owing, in a great measure, to the purity of the air, and charming temperature of their climate. They are loquacious, free, and open, at their first acquaintance, when you see the whole of them, for they seldom improve afterwards. They are inconftant, and full of levity. Their nobleffe are the politeft in Europe, but their civility is at⚫tended with little fincerity. They are fond of outside fhew and grandeur, and delight in making a figure at the Capital for a few months; tho they live but meanly the rest of the year, at their country-feats. The women are very free in their behaviour, and have an air of eafe and gracefulness péculiar to themfelves: are extremely talkative, and of an infinuating difpofition. In fome parts of France they may be reckoned handfome, but, on the whole, are vaftly inferior, in point of beauty, to the English ladies. They are naturally coquettes, and given to intrigue. They deform nature by art, and paint their faces moft extravagantly; and want that bloom which is fo confpicuous in our lovely

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countrywomen. The common people are the poorest, and at the fame time the merrieft, in the world. They feem very devout in their churches, except on feftivals, when they are too much taken up in admiring the mufic and trappings of the church. They are in general complaifant, tho' too often hot and fiery. In war, greedy of glory, and brave at the firft onfet; but, if once repulfed, they feldom rally. They go on like thunder, and come off like fmoke. În politics the French facrifice all to the glory of their Monarch; this is their darling paffion, in the prosecution of which, they regard neither oaths, nor the most folemn treaties; and being flaves themselves, would gladly reduce mankind to their own miferable condition. The neighbouring nations, but especially the English, cannot be too much on their guard against the perfidy and ambitious designs of the • French?

P. 96. Their public executions at Sienna, are the ftrangest in the world: I fhall therefore give the Reader an account of the ceremonies obferved at the hanging of two Sbirries, or Baillies. As foon as a perfon is committed to prifon, (if his crime deferves it) he never comes from thence, till he goes to be executed, and is not allowed a fair public trial, as in England. Nay, when condemned, he does not know that he is to die, nor the day when, till about nine o'clock the preceding night. I was an eye-witnefs of the following ceremony. A fupper being prepared for the criminals, the goaler in the evening goes into the cell, according to his ufual cuftom, to give them water, &c. on his returning back, he leaves the door a little open, which is the fatal fign of their exit f the next morning; the prifoners perceiving the door not quite clofe fhut, and uncertain whether it is the dread fignal, or whether left open through forgetfulness and neglect, one of them trembling crept out of the dungeon in a state of fufpence, if poffible, more terrible than death itself, and comes into a lofty hall, or very large room in the prison, with hopes of finding a door open, or fome convenient place, whereby they might make their cfcape: to that end, ⚫he foftly fearches about, almost in the dark, there being no other light, than that of a small glimmering lamp, which afforded but juft fufficient light to make this gloomy, melancholy fcene appear more difmal and fhocking; after fearching fome time, he finds all barricaded too faft; his hopes then fail him, and every moment he expects the dreadful ceremony is going to be performed, of which he foon had too certain proof; for prefently a little square window opens,

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• large enough for a man to put his head through, from which he hears one call with a loud voice, Chi è là? that is, Who is there? the prifoner in his fright does not anfwer, but endeavours foftly to return to his cell, but before ⚫he can accomplish it, he hears the fame terrifying voice again, to which he anfwers; the goaler then informs him, that it is the will of God, and the Great Duke, that they muft die the next morning, and that the company of death were ready to affift them all night, in order to make their peace with God, and prepare themselves for another world this company of the dead are between thirty and forty in number, and all of them perfons of quality; their outward garment is made like our tallow-chandlers frocks, but of black • linnen, and a hood of the fame over their heads, two holes being cut for their eyes, with a large black ftraw hat on, three or four yards in circumference, which, altogether,, made them resemble fo many devils; they continue the whole night with the prifoner, or prifoners, (according as it happens) praying and exhorting them to repentance; this charitable office of the noblemen pleafed me greatly, but their charity and humanity ftops not here; for, at their own expence, they bury all who are accidentally killed, if their friends are unable, and all perfons executed, and accompany them to the grave. In the morning, about ten o'clock, the prifoners were brought out, and the black company walked two and two before them; a priest attended each prifoner, talking to them all the way, and a large crucifix ⚫ was carried before them; they walk in proceffion round the fquare or piazza, and stop at a little open chapel, where the prieft at the altar repeats feveral prayers, the prifoners kneeling all the while on the fteps of the door; when he fays the Lord's prayer, and when he comes to those words, • lead us not into temptation, they are ordered immediately to rife up; for if they were permitted to ftay till the priest had pronounced that part which follows, deliver us from evil, they could not, according to the law of the country, have been hanged: the goaler is obliged to take particular care not to let them continue to hear the above words. From this chapel they are conducted to another; and after having faid fome more prayers, a man brings a piece of black cloth, with a death's head, and bones, painted on it, and ties it over the prifoners eyes; fo that after this, they never fee any more in this world: they are then led through St. Mark's gate to the gallows, which is about half a mile diftant from the

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