France. 'beggars-At Dijon he could not find the way to Tour in 'Orleans-Cross roads of France very bad-Five 'soldiers-Woman-Soldiers escaped-The colonel 'would not lose five men for the death of one woman -The magistrate cannot seize a soldier but by the 'colonel's permission-Good inn at Nismes-Moors ' of Barbary fond of Englishmen--Gibraltar eminently healthy; it has beef from Barbary-There ' is a large garden-Soldiers sometimes fall from the 'rock.' 6 6 66 Friday, 13th October.—I staid at home all day, only went to find the prior, who was not at home— I read something in Canus1-Nec admiror, nec multum laudo. 66 Saturday, 14th October.-We went to the house of M. [D'] Argenson, which was almost wainscotted with looking-glasses, and covered with gold-The ladies' closet wainscotted with large squares of glass over painted paper-They always place mirrours to reflect their rooms. "Then we went to Julien's 2, the treasurer of the clergy—30,000l. a year-The house has no very large room, but is set with mirrours, and covered with gold-Books of wood here, and in another library. 3 "At D*********s 3 I looked into the books in the lady's closet, and in contempt showed them to Mr. T[hrale] Prince Titi'; Bibl. des Fées,' and other 1 Melchior Canus, a celebrated Spanish Dominican, who died at Toledo, in 1560. He wrote a treatise "De Locis Theologicis," in twelve books. -Boswell. [He was celebrated for the beauty of his Latinity: "Melchior Canus parlait Latin comme Ciceron."--Vigneul-Marvilliana, v. i. p. 161.-ED.] 2 [M. de St. Julien, Receveur général du clergé.-Mém. de Bachaumont, v. viii. p. 180.-ED.] 3 [D'Argenson's. ED.] 4 [The history of Prince Titi was said to be the auto-biography of Frederick Prince of Wales, but was probably written by Ralph, his secretary. See Park's Roy, and Nob. Auth. v. i. p. 171.-ED.] Tour in books-She was offended, and shut up, as we heard afterwards, her apartment. France. "Then we went to Julien le Roy, the king's watchmaker, a man of character in his business, who showed a small clock made to find the longitude---A decent man. "Afterwards we saw the Palais Marchand1 and the courts of justice, civil and criminal-Queries on the Sellette-This building has the old Gothick passages, and a great appearance of antiquity-Three hundred prisoners sometimes in the gaol. "Much disturbed; hope no ill will be 3. "In the afternoon I visited Mr. Freron the journalist-He spoke Latin very scantily, but seemed to understand me-His house not splendid, but of commodious size-His family, wife, son, and daughter, not elevated, but decent-I was pleased with my reception-He is to translate my books, which I am to send him with notes. 66 Sunday, 15th October.- At Choisi, a royal palace on the banks of the Seine, about 7m. from ParisThe terrace noble along the river-The rooms numerous and grand, but not discriminated from other palaces-The chapel beautiful, but small-China globes-Inlaid tables-Labyrinth-Sinking table*Toilet tables. 1 [Dr. Johnson is in error in applying, as he always does, the name of Palais Marchand to the whole of that vast building called generally the Palais, which from being the old palace of the kings of France had (like our own palace of Westminster) become appropriated to the sittings of the parliament and the courts of justice; and the Conciergerie of that palace (like the Gate-house of ours) became a prison. The Palais Marchand was only the stalls (like what are now called bazaars) which were placed along some of the galleries and corridors of the Palais. ED.] 2 [The selette was a stool on which the criminal sat while he was interrogated -questioned by the court. This is what Johnson means by "queries."-ED.] 3 This passage, which so many think superstitious, reminds me of "Archbishop Laud's Diary."-BoswELL. [It, perhaps, had no superstitious meaning. He felt, it would seem, his mind disturbed, and may naturally have been apprehensive of becoming worse.-ED.] 4 [A round table, the centre of which descended by machinery to a lower floor; so that supper might be served and removed without the presence of servants. It was invented by Louis XV. during the favour of Madame du Barri. -ED.] 66 France. Monday, 16th October.-The Palais Royal very Tour in grand, large, and lofty-A very great collection of pictures-Three of Raphael-Two Holy Family— One small piece of M. Angelo-One room of Rubens -I thought the pictures of Raphael fine. "The Thuilleries - Statues-Venus-En. and Anchises in his arms-Nilus-Many more-The walks not open to mean persons-Chairs at night hired for two sous a piece-Pont tournant 1. 2 "Austin Nuns - Grate-Mrs. Fermor, AbbessShe knew Pope, and thought him disagreeable— Mrs. has many books-has seen life-Their frontlet disagreeable--Their hood-Their life easyRise about five; hour and half in chapel-Dine at ten-Another hour and half in chapel; half an hour about three, and half an hour more at seven-four hours in chapel-A large garden-Thirteen pensioners Teachers complained. 3 "At the Boulevards saw nothing, yet was glad to be there-Rope-dancing and farce-Egg dance. "N. [Note.]-Near Paris, whether on week-days or Sundays, the roads empty. "Tuesday, 17th October.-At the Palais Marchand I bought [Livres] 63-2l. 12s. 6d. ster. "We heard the lawyers plead -N. As many killed 1 [Before the revolution, the passage from the garden of the Thuilleries into the Place Louis XV. was over a pont tournant, a kind of drawbridge.-ED.] [The English convent of Notre Dame de Sion, of the order of St. Augustine, situated in the Rue des Fossés St. Victor.-ED.] 2 3 [Young ladies, who paid for their education. Before the revolution, there were no boarding schools, and all young ladies were educated in the convents.— ED.] VOL. III. T France. Tour in at Paris as there are days in the year-Chambre de question 1-Tournelle at the Palais Marchand 2-An old venerable building. "The Palais Bourbon, belonging to the Prince of Condé-Only one small wing shown-lofty-splendid-gold and glass-The battles of the great Condé are painted in one of the rooms-The present prince a grandsire at thirty-nine 3. "The sight of palaces, and other great buildings, leaves no very distinct images, unless to those who talk of them--As I entered, my wife was in my mind*: she would have been pleased. Having now nobody to please, I am little pleased. "N. In France there is no middle rank 5. "So many shops open, that Sunday is little distin [This was one of the rooms of the Conciergerie, where la question—torture— was applied.-ED.] 2 [Again he mistakes, by introducing the word Marchand. The word Tournelle designated that portion of the parliament of Paris which tried criminal causes, and that part of the Palais in which they sat.-ED.] 3 [The Prince de Condé was born in 1736, and died in 1818. The grandson was the celebrated and unfortunate Duke d'Enghein, born in 1775, murdered in 1804. The father, “restes infortuneés du plus beau sang du monde,” still lives under his former title of Duc de Bourbon.-ED.] 4 His tender affection for his departed wife, of which there are many evidences in his "Prayers and Meditations," appears very feelingly in this passage.— BOSWELL. 5 [This observation, which Johnson afterwards repeats, was unfounded in the sense in which he appears to have understood it. France was in theory divided (as England is) into the clergy, the nobles, and the commons, and so it might be said that there was no middle rank; but not only did the theoretical constitution of society thus resemble that of England, but so did its practical details. There were first the peers of France, who had seats and voices in the parliament, but were of little weight as a political body, from the smallness of their numbers, and because their parliament had only continued to be, what we still call ours, a high court, and had lost its legislative functions;-next came the noblessethe gentilhommes-answering to our gentry ;-then the middle classes of society, composed of the poorer gentry, lawyers, medical men, inferior clergy, literary men, merchants, artists, manufacturers, notaries, shopkeepers, in short, all those who in every country constitute the middle classes, and they undoubtedly existed in France in their due proportion to the gentry on one hand, and the working classes on the other. Johnson's remark is the stranger, because it would seem that his intercourse while in Paris was almost exclusively with persons of this middle class; but it must be observed, that his intercourse and his consequent sources of information were not extensive. Mrs. Piozzi says to him, talking of the progress of refinement of manners in England, "I much wonder whether this refinement has spread all over the continent, or whether it is confined to our own island: when we were in France we could form little judgment, as our time was chiefly passed among the English."—Lett.-ED.] France. guished at Paris-The palaces of Louvre and Thuil- Tour in leries granted out in lodgings. "In the Palais de Bourbon, gilt globes of metal at the fireplace. "The French beds commended-Much of the marble only paste. "The colosseum1 a mere wooden building, at least much of it. 66 Wednesday, 18th October.—We went to Fontainebleau, which we found a large mean town, crowded with people—The forest thick with woods, very extensive --Manucci secured us lodgings-The appearance of the country pleasant-No hills, few streams, only one hedge-I remember no chapels nor crosses on the road-Pavement still, and rows of trees. "N. Nobody but mean people walk in Paris. 66 Thursday, 19th October.-At court we saw the apartments-The king's bed-chamber and councilchamber extremely splendid-Persons of all ranks in the external rooms through which the family passes-servants and masters-Brunet with us the second time. 3 2 "The introductor came to us-civil to me-Presenting I had scruples 3-Not necessary-We went and saw the king and queen at dinner-We saw the other ladies at dinner-Madame Elizabeth, with the Princess of Guimené-At night we went to a comedy [This building, which stood in the Faubourg St. Honoré, was a kind of Ranelagh, and was destroyed a few years after. The "Memoires de Bachaumont" call it "monument monstreux de la folie Parisienne.”—V. i. p. 311.-ED.] 2 [Perhaps M. J. L. Brunet, a celebrated advocate of the parliament of Paris, author of several distinguished professional works.-ED.] 3 [It was the custom previous to court presentations, that an officer waited on the person to be introduced, to instruct them in the forms. Johnson's scruples probably arose from this-it was an etiquette generally insisted on to present at foreign courts those only who had been presented to their own sovereign at home. Johnson had never been publicly presented to the king, though he had had that honour in private, and may, therefore, have entertained scruples whether he was entitled to be presented to the king of France; but it would seem that those scruples were not necessary, the rule perhaps extending only to formal presentations at court, and not to admission to see the king dine. ED.] |