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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Year's Journey through France and Part of
+Spain, 1777, by Philip Thicknesse
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Year's Journey through France and Part of Spain, 1777
+       Volume 1 (of 2)
+
+Author: Philip Thicknesse
+
+Release Date: August 8, 2005 [EBook #16485]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOURNEY THROUGH FRANCE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by From images generously made available by gallica
+(Bibliothèque nationale de France) at
+http://gallica.bnf.fr., Robert Connal, Chuck Greif and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+A
+
+YEAR'S JOURNEY
+
+THROUGH
+
+FRANCE,
+
+AND
+
+PART OF SPAIN.
+
+
+BY
+
+PHILIP THICKNESSE.
+
+
+VOLUME I
+
+
+DUBLIN
+Printed by J. Williams, (No. 21.) Skinner-Row.
+M,DCC,LXXVII.
+
+
+
++----------------------------------------------------------+
+|                                                          |
+| Transcriber's Note: The long-s has been modernized to s. |
+|                                                          |
++----------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+A
+
+JOURNEY, &c.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+
+LETTER I
+
+CALAIS, June 20th, 1775
+
+DEAR SIR,
+
+As you are kind enough to say, that those letters which I wrote from
+this kingdom, nine or ten years ago, were of some use to you, in the
+little tour you made through France soon after, and as they have been
+considered in some degree to be so to many other persons, (since their
+publication) who were unacquainted with the manners and customs of the
+French nation, I shall endeavour to bring together, in this second
+correspondence with you, not only some of the former hints I gave you,
+but such other remarks as a longer acquaintance with the country, and a
+more extensive tour, may furnish me with; but before I proceed any
+further, let me remind you, of one great fault I was then guilty of; for
+though your partiality to me might induce you to overlook it, the public
+did not, I mean that of writing when my temper was disturbed, either by
+cross incidents I met with upon the road, or disagreeable news which
+often followed me from my own country into this. I need not tell a man
+of your discernment, in what a different light all objects, whether
+animate, or inanimate, appear to those, whose temper is disturbed,
+either by ill health, ill treatment, or, what is perhaps more prevalent
+than either, the chagrin he may feel at not being rated in the
+estimation of others, according to that value he puts upon himself.
+Could Dr. Smollett rise from the dead, and sit down in perfect health,
+and good temper, and read his travels through France and Italy, he
+would probably find most of his anger turned upon himself. But, poor
+man! he was ill; and meeting with, what every stranger must expect to
+meet at most French inns, want of cleanliness, imposition, and
+incivility; he was so much disturbed by those incidents, that to say no
+more of the writings of an ingenious and deceased author, his travels
+into France, and Italy, are the least entertaining, in my humble
+opinion, of all his works. Indeed I have observed that most travellers
+fall into one extreme, or the other, and either are all panegyric or all
+censure; in which case, all they say cannot be just; for, as all nations
+are governed by men, and the bulk of men of all nations live by artifice
+of one kind or other, the few men who pass among them, without any
+sinister views, cannot avoid feeling, and but few from complaining of
+the ill treatment they meet with; not considering one of Swift's shrewd
+remarks; _I never_ said he, _knew a man who could not bear the
+misfortunes of another perfectly like a Christian_.
+
+Remember therefore, when I tell you how ill I have been treated either
+by _Lords_ or _Aubergists_, or how dirtily served by either, it is to
+prepare myself and you too, to be content with neighbours' fare.
+
+When a man writes remarks upon the manners and customs of other nations,
+he should endeavour to wean himself from all partiality for his own; and
+I need not tell you that I am in _full possession_ of that single
+qualification, which I hope will make you some amends for my defects in
+all the others; for it is certainly unjust, uncandid, and illiberal, to
+pronounce a custom or fashion absurd, because it does not coincide with
+our ideas of propriety. A Turk who travelled into England, would, upon
+his return to Constantinople, tell his countrymen, that at Canterbury;
+(bring out of _opium_,) his host did not know even what he demanded;
+and that it was with some difficulty he found out, that there were shops
+in the town where _opium_ was sold, and even then, it was with greater,
+he could prevail upon the vender of it to let him have above half an
+ounce: if he were questioned, why all these precautions? he would tell
+them, laughingly, that Englishmen believe _opium_ to be a deadly poison,
+and those people suspected that he either meant to kill himself, or to
+poison another man with it.
+
+A French gentleman, who travelled some years since into Spain, had
+letters of recommendation to a Spanish Bishop, who received him with
+every mark of politeness, and treated him with much hospitality: soon
+after he retired to his bedchamber, a priest entered it,[A] holding a
+vessel in his hand, which was covered with a clean napkin; he said
+something; but the Frenchman understanding but little Spanish,
+intimated by signs his thanks, and desired him to put it down,
+believing, that his friend, the Bishop, had sent him a plate of
+sweetmeats, fruit, iced cream, or some kind of refreshment to eat before
+he went to bed, or to refresh his exhausted spirits in the night; but
+his astonishment was great indeed, when he found the priest put the
+present under the side of the bed; and more so, when he perceived that
+it was only a _pot de chambre_;--for, says the Frenchman, "in Spain,
+they do not use the _chaise percee_!" The Frenchman is surprized at the
+Spaniard, for not using so convenient a vehicle; the Englishman is
+equally surprized, that the Frenchman does;--the Frenchman is always
+attentive to his own person, and scarce ever appears but clean and well
+dressed; while his house and private apartments are perhaps covered with
+litter and dirt, and in the utmost confusion;--the Englishman, on the
+other hand, often neglects his external dress; but his house is always
+exquisitely clean, and every thing in it kept in the nicest order; and
+who shall say, which of the two judge the best for their own ease and
+happiness? I am sure the Frenchman will not give up his powdered hair,
+and laced coat, for a clean house; nor do I believe those fineries would
+sit quietly upon the back of an Englishman, in a dirty one. In short, my
+dear sir, we must take the world, and the things in it, as they are; it
+is a dirty world, but like France, has a vast number of good things in
+it, and such as I meet with, in this my third tour, which shall be a
+long one, if I am not _stopped_ by the way, you shall have such an
+account of as I am able to convey to you: I will not attempt to _top the
+traveller_ upon you, nor raise monuments of wonder, where none are to be
+seen; there is real matter enough to be found upon this great continent,
+to amuse a man who travels slowly over it, to see what is to be seen,
+and who wishes not to be seen himself. My style of travelling is such,
+that I can never be disturbed in mind for want of respect, but rather be
+surprised when I meet with even common civility. And, after all, what
+does it signify, whether Monsieur _ou Tel_ travels in a laced coat _et
+très bien mis_, attended by half a dozen servants, or, as Pope says,
+
+                                   "will run
+  The Lord knows whither in a chaise and one."
+
+
+                                  I am, your's &c.
+
+[A] The Bishops in Spain are attended and waited upon by inferior
+clergy.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER II.
+
+June 25th, 1766.
+
+
+Before I leave Calais, let me remind you, that an English guinea is
+worth more than a _Louis d'or_; and observe, that the first question _my
+friend Mons. Dessein_, at the _Hotel D'Angleterre_ will put to you,
+(after he has made his bow, and given you a side look, as a cock does at
+a barley-corn) is, whether you have any guineas to change? because he
+gets by each guinea, full weight, ten _Sols_. By this hint, you will
+conclude, he will not, upon your return, ask you for your French Gold;
+but in this too you will be mistaken, for he finds an advantage in that
+also; he will, not indeed give you guineas, but, in lieu thereof, he has
+always a large quantity of _Birmingham Shillings_, to truck with you for
+your _Louis d'ors_. I am afraid, when Lord North took into
+consideration the state of the gold coin, he did not know, that the
+better state it is put into in England, is the surest means of
+transporting it into France, and other countries; and that scarce a
+single guinea which travellers carry with them to France, (and many
+hundred go every week) ever returns to England: Beside this, the
+quantity of gold carried over to the ports of _Dunkirk_, _Boulogne_, and
+_Calais_, by the Smugglers, who always pay ready money, is incredible;
+but as money, and matters of that kind, are what I have but _little
+concern in_, I will not enlarge upon a subject no way interesting to me,
+and shall only observe, that my landlord, _Mons. Dessein_, who was
+behind-hand with the world ten years ago, is now become one of the
+richest men in _Calais_, has built a little Theatre in his garden, and
+has united the profitable business of a Banker, to that of a Publican;
+and by studying the _Gout_ of the English nation, and changing their
+gold into French currency, has made, they say, a _Demi Plumb_.
+
+Notwithstanding the contiguity of _Calais_ to England, and the great
+quantity of poultry, vegetables, game, &c. which are bought up every
+market-day, and conveyed to your coast, I am inclined to believe, there
+are not many parts of France where a man, who has but little money, can
+make it go further than in this town; nor is there any town in England,
+where the fishery is conducted with so much industry.
+
+Yesterday I visited my unfortunate daughter, at the convent at
+_Ardres_;--but why do I say unfortunate? She is unfortunate only, in the
+eyes of the world, not in her own; nor indeed in mine, because she
+assured me she is happy. I left her here, you know, ten years ago, by
+way of education, and learning the language; but the small-pox, which
+seized her soon after, made such havock on a face, rather favoured by
+nature, that she desired to hide it from the world, and spend her life
+in that retirement, which I had chosen only to qualify her _for_ the
+world. I left her a child; I found her a sensible woman; full of
+affection and duty; and her mangled and seamed face, so softened by an
+easy mind, and a good conscience, that she appeared in my partial eyes,
+rather an agreeable than a plain woman; but she did not omit to signify
+to me, that what others considered her misfortune, she considered (as it
+was not her fault) a happy circumstance; "if my face is plain (said she)
+my heart is light, and I am sure it will make as good a figure in the
+earth, as the fairest, and most beautiful." My only concern is, that I
+find the _Prieure_ of this convent, either for want of more knowledge,
+or more money, or both, had received, as parlour boarders, some English
+ladies of very suspicious characters. As the conversation of such women
+might interrupt, and disturb that peace and tranquillity of mind, in
+which I found my daughter, I told the _Prieure_ my sentiments on that
+subject, not only with freedom, but with some degree of severity; and
+endeavoured to convince her, how very unwarrantably, if not
+irreligiously she acted. An abandoned, or vicious woman, may paint the
+pleasures of this world in such gaudy colours, to a poor innocent Nun,
+so as to induce her to forget, or become less attentive to the
+professions she has made to the next.
+
+It was near this town, you know, that the famous interview passed
+between Henry the Eighth, and _Francis_ the First, in the year 1520; and
+though it lasted twenty-eight days, and was an event which produced at
+that time so many amusements to all present, and so much conversation
+throughout Europe, the inhabitants of this, town, or Calais, seem to
+know little of it, but that one of the bastions at _Ardres_ is called
+the Bastion of the Two Kings.--There still remains, however, in the
+front of one of the houses in _Calais_, upon an ornamented stone, cut in
+old letter,
+
+                             =God Save the King=;
+
+And I suppose that stone was put, where it now remains, by some loyal
+subject, before the King arrived, as it is in a street which leads from
+the gate (now stopped up) which Henry passed through.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER III.
+
+
+In a very few days I shall leave this town, and having procured letters
+of recommendation from some men of fashion, now in England, to their
+friends in _Spain_, I am determined to traverse this, and make a little
+tour into that kingdom; so you may expect something more from me, than
+merely such remarks as may be useful to you on any future tour you make
+in France; I mean to conduct you at least over the _Pyrenean_ hills to
+_Barcelona_; for, though I have been two or three times before in Spain,
+it was early in life, and when my mind was more employed in observing
+the _customs_ and _manors_ of the birds, and beasts of the field, than
+of their lords and masters, and made too, on the other side of that
+kingdom. Having seen as much of Paris as I desired, some years ago, I
+intend to pass through the provinces of _Artois_, _Champaigne_,
+_Bourgogne_, and so on to _Lyons_; by which route you will perceive, I
+shall leave the capital of this kingdom many leagues on my right hand,
+and see some considerable towns, and taste now and then of the most
+delicious wines, on the spots which produce them; beside this, I have a
+great desire to see the remains of a Roman subterranean town, lately
+discovered in _Champaigne_, which perhaps may gratify my curiosity in
+some degree, and thereby lessen that desire I have: long had of visiting
+_Herculaneum_, an _under-ground_ town you know, I always said I would
+visit, if a certain person happened to be put _under-ground_ before me;
+but the CAUSE, and the event, in all human affairs, are not to be
+fathomed by men; for though the event happened, the _cause_ frustrated
+my design; and I must cross the _Pyranean_ not the _Alpian_ hills. But
+lest I forget it, let me tell you, that as my travelling must be upon
+the frugal plan, I have sold my four-wheel post-chaise, to _Mons.
+Dessein_, for twenty-two guineas, and bought a French _cabriolet_, for
+ten, and likewise a very handsome English coach-horse, (a little touched
+in the wind indeed) for seven. This equipage I have fitted up with every
+convenience I can contrive, to carry me, my wife, two daughters, and all
+my _other_ baggage; you will conclude therefore, _light_ as the latter
+may be, we are _bien charge_; but as we move slowly, not above seven
+leagues a day, I shall have the more leisure to look about me, and to
+consider what sort of remarks may prove most worthy of communicating
+from time to time to you. I shall be glad to leave this town, though it
+is in one respect, something like your's,[B] everyday producing many
+_strange faces_, and some very agreeable acquaintance. The arrival of
+the packet-boats from Dover constitutes the principal amusement of this
+town.
+
+[B] BATH.
+
+The greater part of the English _transports_ who come over, do not
+proceed much further than to see the tobacco plantations near _St.
+Omer_'s; nor is their return home less entertaining than their arrival,
+as many of them are people of such _quick parts_, that they acquire, in
+a week's tour to _Dunkirk_, _Bologne_, and _St. Omer_'s, the _language_,
+dress and manners of the country. You must not, however, expect to hear
+again from me, till I am further _a-field_. But lest I forget to mention
+it in a future letter, let me refresh your memory, as to your conduct at
+Dover, at Sea, and at _Calais_. In the first of these three disagreeable
+places, (and the first is the worst) you will soon be applied to by one
+of the Captains of the packets, or bye-boats, and if you hire the boat
+to yourself, he will demand five guineas; if you treat with another, it
+is all one, because they are all, except one, partners and equally
+interested; and therefore will abate nothing. Captain Watson is the
+only one who _swims upon his own bottom_; and as he is a good seaman,
+and has a clean, convenient, nay an elegant vessel, I would rather turn
+the scale in his favour, because I am, as you will be, an enemy to all
+associations which have a tendency to imposition upon the public, and
+oppression to such who will not join in the general confederacy; yet I
+must, in justice to the Captains of the confederate party, acknowledge,
+that their vessels are all good; _well found_; and that they are civil,
+decent-behaved men. As it is natural for them to endeavour to make the
+most of each _trip_, they will, if they can, foist a few passengers upon
+you, even after you have taken the vessel to your own use only. If you
+are alone, this intrusion is not agreeable, but if you have ladies with
+you, never submit to it; if they introduce men, who appear like
+gentlemen upon your vessel, you cannot avoid treating them as such; if
+women, you cannot avoid them treating them with more attention than may
+be convenient, because they _are_ women; but were it only in
+consideration of the sea-sickness and its _consequences_, can any thing
+be more disagreeable than to admit people to _pot_ and _porringer_ with
+you, in a small close cabin, with whom you would neither eat, drink, or
+converse, in any other place? but these are not the only reasons; every
+gentleman going to France should avoid making new acquaintance, at
+Dover, at Sea, or at _Calais_: many _adventurers_ are always passing,
+and many honest men are often led into grievous and dangerous situations
+by such inconsiderate connections; nay, the best, and wisest men, are
+the most liable to be off their guard, and therefore you will excuse my
+pointing it out to you.
+
+I could indeed relate some alarming consequences, nay, some fatal ones,
+which have befallen men of honour and character in this country, from
+such unguarded connections; and such as they would not have been drawn
+into, on the other side of the "_invidious Streight_." When an
+Englishman leaves his own country, and is got no further from it than to
+this town, he looks back upon it with an eye of partial affection; no
+wonder then, if he feels more disposed to be kind to a countryman and a
+stranger he may meet in this.--I do not think it would be difficult to
+point out, what degree of intimacy would arise between two men who knew
+but little of each other, according to the part of the world they were
+to meet in.--I remember the time, when I only knew your person, and
+coveted your acquaintance; at that time we lived in the same town, knew
+each other's general character, but passed without speaking, or even the
+compliment of the hat; yet had we met in London, we should certainly
+have taken some civil notice of each other: had the interview been at
+York, it is five to one but it would have produced a conversation: at
+Edinburgh, or Dublin, we should have dined, or gone to the play
+together: but if we had met at Barbadoes, I should have been invited to
+spend a month at your PENN, and experienced many of those marks of
+hospitality, friendship, and generosity, I have found from the Creoles
+in general. When you get upon the French coast, the packet brings to,
+and is soon boarded by a French boat, to carry the passengers on shore;
+this passage is much longer than it appears to be, is always
+disagreeable, and sometimes dangerous; and the landing, if the water be
+very low, intolerable: in this case, never mind the advice of the
+Captain; his advice is, and must be regulated by his _own_ and his
+owner's interest, more than your convenience; therefore stay on board
+till there is water enough to sail up to the town, and be landed by a
+plank laid from the packet to the shore, and do not suffer any body to
+persuade you to go into a boat, or to be put on shore, by any other
+method, tho' the _packet-men_ and the _Frenchmen_ unite to persuade you
+so to do, because they are mutually benefited by putting you to more
+expence, and the latter are entertained with seeing your cloaths
+dirted, or the ladies _frighted_. If most of the packet-boats are in
+_Calais_ harbour, your Captain will use every argument in his power to
+persuade you to go on shore, in the French boat, because he will, in
+that case, return directly to Dover, and thereby save eight-and-twenty
+shillings port duty. When we came over, I prevailed upon a large company
+to stay on board till there was water enough to sail into the harbour:
+it is not in the power of the Captain to deceive you as to that matter,
+because there is a red flag hoisted gradually higher and higher, as the
+water flows into the harbour, at a little fort which stands upon
+_stilts_ near the entrance of it. When you are got on shore, go directly
+to _Dessein_'s; and be in no trouble about your baggage, horses, or
+coach; the former will be all carried, by men appointed for that
+purpose, safely to the Custom-house, and the latter wheeled up to your
+_Hotel_, where you will sit down more quietly, and be entertained more
+decently, than at Dover.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER IV.
+
+RHEIMS, in Champagne.
+
+
+Little or nothing occurred to me worth remarking to you on my journey
+hither, but that the province of _Artois_ is a fine corn country, and
+that the French farmers seem to understand that business perfectly well.
+I was surprised to find, near _St. Omer_'s, large plantations of
+tobacco, which had all the vigour and healthy appearance of that which I
+have seen grow in _poor_ America. On my way here, (like the countryman
+in London, in gazing about) I missed my road; but a civil, and, in
+appearance, a substantial farmer, conducted us half a league over the
+fields, and marked out the course to get into it again, without
+returning directly back, a circumstance I much hate, though perhaps it
+might have been the shorter way. However, before I gained the high road,
+I stumbled upon a private one, which led us into a little village
+pleasantly situated, and inhabited by none other but the poorest
+peasants; whose tattered habits, wretched houses, and smiling
+countenances, convinced me, that chearfulness and contentment shake
+hands oftener under thatched than painted roofs. We found one of these
+villagers as ready to boil our tea-kettle, provide butter, milk, &c. as
+we were for our breakfasts; and during the preparation of it, I believe
+every man, woman, and child of the hamlet, was come down to _look at
+us_; for beside that wonderful curiosity common to this whole nation,
+the inhabitants of this village had never before seen an Englishman;
+they had heard indeed often of the country, they said, and that it was
+_un pays très riche_. There was such a general delight in the faces of
+every age, and so much civility, I was going to say politeness, shewn
+to us, that I caught a temporary chearfulness in this village, which I
+had not felt for some months before, and which I intend to carry with
+me. I therefore took out my guittar, and played till I set the whole
+assembly in motion; and some, in spite of their wooden shoes, and others
+without any, danced in a manner not to be seen among our English
+peasants. They had "shoes like a sauce-boat," but no "steeple-clock'd
+hose." While we breakfasted, one of the villagers fed my horse with some
+fresh-mowed hay, and it was with some difficulty I could prevail upon
+him to be paid for it, because the trifle I offered was much more than
+his _Court of Conscience_ informed him it was worth. I could moralize
+here a little; but I will only ask you, in which state think you man is
+best; the untaught man, in that of nature, or the man whose mind is
+enlarged by education and a knowledge of the world? The behaviour of
+the inhabitants of this little hamlet had a very forcible effect upon
+me; because it brought me back to my earlier days, and reminded me of
+the reception I met with in America by what we now call the _Savage_
+Indians; yet I have been received in the same courteous manner in a
+little hamlet, unarmed, and without any other protection but by the law
+of nature, by those _savages_;--indeed it was before the _Savages of
+Europe_ had instructed them in the art of war, or Mr. Whitfield had
+preached _methodism_ among them. Therefore, I only tell you what they
+_were_ in 1735, not what they _are at present_. When I visited them,
+they walked in the flowery paths of Nature; now, I fear, they tread the
+polluted roads of blood. Perhaps of all the uncivilized nations under
+the sun, the native Indians of America _were_ the most humane; I have
+seen an hundred instances of their humanity and integrity;--when a white
+man was under the lash of the executioner, at _Savannah in Georgia_,
+for using an Indian woman ill, I saw _Torno Chaci_, their King, run in
+between the offender and the corrector, saying, "_whip me, not
+him_;"--the King was the complainant, indeed, but the man deserved a
+much severer chastisement. This was a _Savage King_. Christian Kings too
+often care not who is whipt, so they escape the smart.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER V.
+
+RHEIMS.
+
+
+We arrived at this city before the bustle which the coronation of
+_Louis_ the 16th occasioned was quite over; I am sorry I did not see it,
+because I now find it worth seeing; but I staid at _Calais_ on purpose
+to avoid it; for having paid two guineas to see the coronation of George
+the Third, I determined never more to be put to any extraordinary
+expence on the score of _crowned heads_. However, my curiosity has been
+well gratified in hearing it talked over, and over again, and in reading
+_Marmontell_'s letter to a friend upon that subject; but I will not
+repeat what he, or others have said upon the occasion, because you have,
+no doubt, seen in the English papers a tolerably good one; only that the
+Queen was so overcome with the repeated shouts and plaudits of her new
+subjects, that she was obliged to retire. The fine Gothic cathedral, in
+which the ceremony was performed, is indeed a church worthy of such a
+solemnity; the portal is the finest I ever beheld; the windows are
+painted in the very best manner; nor is there any thing within the
+church but what should be there. I need not tell you that this is the
+province which produces the most delicious wine in the world; but I will
+assure you, that I should have drank it with more pleasure, had you been
+here to have partook of it. In the cellars of one wine-merchant, I was
+conducted through long passages more like streets than caves; on each
+side of which, bottled _Champaigne_ was piled up some feet higher than
+my head, and at least twelve deep. I bought two bottles to taste, of
+that which the merchant assured me was each of the best sort he had, and
+for which I paid him six livres: if he sells all he had in bottles at
+that time, and at the same price, I shall not exceed the bounds of truth
+if I say, I saw ten thousand pounds worth of bottled _Champaigne_ in
+his cellars. Neither of the bottles, however, contained wine so good as
+I often drank in England; but perhaps we are deceived, and find it more
+palatable by having sugar in it; for I suspect that most of the
+_Champaigne_ which is bottled for the use of English consumption, is so
+prepared. That you may know however, for the future, whether Champaigne
+or any other wine is so adulterated, I will give you an infallible
+method to prove:--fill a small long-necked bottle with the wine you
+would prove, and invert the neck of it into a tumbler of clear water; if
+the wine be genuine, it will all remain in the bottle; if adulterated,
+with sugar, honey, or any other sweet substance, the sweets will all
+pass into the tumbler of water, and leave the genuine wine behind. The
+difference between still _Champaigne_, and that which is _mousser_, is
+owing to nothing more than the time of the year in which it is bottled.
+
+I found in this town an English gentleman, from whom we received many
+civilities, and who made us acquainted with a French gentleman and lady,
+whose partiality to the English nation is so great, that their
+neighbours call their house "THE ENGLISH HOTEL." The partiality of such
+a family is a very flattering, as well as a very pleasing circumstance,
+to those who are so happy to be known to them, because they are not only
+the first people in the town, but the _best_; and in point of talents,
+inferior to none, perhaps, in the kingdom. I must not, after saying so
+much, omit to tell you, it is _Monsieur & Madame de Jardin_, of whom I
+speak; they live in the GRANDE PLACE, _vis-a-vis_ the statue of the
+King; and if ever you come to Rheims, be assured you will find it a GOOD
+PLACE. _Madame de Jardin_ is not only one of the highest-bred women in
+France, but one of the first in point of letters, and that is saying a
+great deal, for France abounds more with women of that turn than
+England. Mrs. Macaulay, Mrs. Carter, Miss Aikin, and Mrs. Montague, are
+the only four ladies I can recollect in England who are celebrated for
+their literary genius; in France, I could find you a score or two. To
+give you some idea of the regard and affection _Mons. de Jardin_ has for
+his wife,--for French husbands, now and then, love their wives as well
+as we Englishmen do,--I send you a line I found in his study, wrote
+under his lady's miniature picture:
+
+    "Chaque instant à mes yeux la rend
+    Plus estimable."
+
+This town stands in a vast plain, is of great extent, and enclosed
+within high walls, and a deep ditch. The public walks are of great
+extent, nobly planted, and the finest in the whole kingdom. It is,
+indeed, a large and opulent city, and abounds not only with the best
+wine, but every thing that is good; and every thing is plenty, and
+consequently cheap. The fruit market, in particular, is superior to
+every thing of the kind I ever beheld; but I will not tantalize you by
+saying any more upon that subject. Adieu!
+
+_P.S._ The Antiquarian will find amusement in this town. There are some
+Roman remains worthy of notice; but such as require the information of
+the inhabitant to be seen.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER VI.
+
+DIJON.
+
+
+You will laugh, perhaps, when I tell you, I could hardly refrain from
+tears when I took leave of the _De Jardin_ family at _Rheims_,--but so
+it was. Good-breeding, and attention, have so much the appearance of
+friendship, that they may, and often do, deceive the most discerning
+men;--no wonder, then, if I was unhappy in leaving a town, where I am
+sure I met with the first, and had some reason to believe I should have
+found the latter, had we staid to cultivate it. _Bourgogne_ is, however,
+a much finer province than Champaigne; and this town is delightfully
+situated; that it is a cheap province, you will not doubt, even to
+English travellers, when I tell you, that I had a good supper for four
+persons, three decent beds, good hay, and plenty of corn, for my horse,
+at an inn upon this road, and was charged only four livres ten sols!
+not quite four shillings. Nor was it owing to any mistake; for I lay the
+following night at just such another inn, and was charged just the same
+price for nearly the same entertainment. They were carriers' inns,
+indeed, but I know not whether they were not, upon the whole, better,
+and cleaner too, than some of the town _auberges_. I need not therefore
+tell you, I was straggled a little out of _le Route Anglois_, when I
+found such a _bon Marche_.
+
+Dijon is pleasantly situated, well built, and the country round about it
+is as beautiful as nature could well make it. The shady walks round the
+whole town are very pleasing, and command a view of the adjacent
+country. The excellence of the wine of this province, you are better
+acquainted with than I am; though I must confess, I have drank better
+burgundy in England than I have yet tasted here: but I am not surprized
+at that; for at Madeira I could not get wine that was even tolerable.
+
+I found here, two genteel English gentlemen, Mess. Plowden and Smyth,
+from whom we received many marks of attention and politeness.--Here, I
+imagined I should be able to bear seeing the execution of a man, whose
+crimes merited, I thought, the severest punishment. He was broke upon
+the wheel; so it is called; but the wheel is what the body is fixed upon
+to be exposed on the high road after the execution. This man's body,
+however, was burnt. The miserable wretch (a young strong man) was
+brought in the evening, by a faint torch light, to a chapel near the
+place of execution, where he might have continued in prayer till
+midnight; but after one hour spent there, he walked to, and mounted the
+scaffold, accompanied by his confessor, who with great earnestness
+continually presented to him, and bade him kiss, the crucifix he
+carried in his hand. When the prisoner came upon the scaffold, he very
+willingly laid himself upon his back, and extended his arms and legs
+over a cross, that was laid flat and fixed fast upon the scaffold for
+that purpose, and to which he was securely tied by the executioner and
+his mother, who assisted her son in this horrid business. Part of the
+cross was cut away, in eight places, so as to leave a hollow vacancy
+where the blows were to be given, which are, between the shoulder and
+elbow, elbow and wrist, thigh and knee, and knee and ancle. When the man
+was securely tied down, the end of a rope which was round his neck, with
+a running noose, was brought through a hole in and under the scaffold;
+this was to give the _Coup de Grace_, after breaking: a _Coup_ which
+relieved him, and all the agitated spectators, from an infinite degree
+of misery, except only, the executioner and his mother, for they both
+seemed to enjoy the deadly office. When the blows were given, which
+were made with a heavy piece of iron, in the form of a butcher's
+cleaver without an edge, the bones of the arms and legs were broke in
+eight places; at each blow, the sufferer called out, O God! without
+saying another word, or even uttering a groan. During all this time, the
+Confessor called upon him continually to kiss the cross, and to remember
+Christ, his Redeemer. Indeed, there was infinite address, as well as
+piety, in the conduct of the Confessor; for he would not permit this
+miserable wretch to have one moment's reflection about his bodily
+sufferings, while a matter of so much more importance was depending; but
+even those eight blows seemed nothing to two dreadful after-claps, for
+the executioner then untied the body, turned his back upwards, and gave
+him two blows on the small of the back with the same iron weapon; and
+yet even that did not put an end to the life and sufferings of the
+malefactor! for the finishing stroke was, after all this, done by the
+halter, and then the body was thrown into a great fire, and consumed to
+ashes. There were two or three executions soon after, but of a more
+moderate kind. Yet I hope I need not tell you, that I shall never attend
+another; and would feign have made my escape from this, but it was
+impossible.--Here, too, I saw upwards of fourscore criminals linked
+together, by one long chain, and so they were to continue till they
+arrived in the galleys at _Marseilles_. Now I am sure you will be, as I
+was, astonished to think, an old woman, the mother of the executioner,
+should willingly assist in a business of so horrid a nature; and I dare
+say, you will be equally astonished that the magistrates of the city
+permitted it. Decency, and regard to the sex, alone, one would think,
+should have put a stop to a practice so repugnant to both; and yet
+perhaps, not one person in the town considered it in that light. Indeed,
+no other person would have assisted, and the executioner must have done
+all the business himself, if his mother had not been one of that part
+of the _fair sex_, which Addison pleasantly mentions, "_as rakers of
+cinders_;" for the executioner could not have found a single person to
+have given him any assistance. There was a guard of the _Marechaussee_,
+to prevent the prisoners' escape; but none that would have lifted up a
+little finger towards forwarding the execution; the office is hereditary
+and infamous, and the officer is shut out of all society. His
+perquisites, however, were considerable; near ten pounds, I think, for
+this single execution; and he had a great deal more business coming on.
+I would not have given myself the pain of relating, nor you the reading,
+the particulars of this horrid affair, but to observe, that it is such
+examples as these, that render travelling in France, in general, secure.
+I say, in general; for there are, nevertheless, murders committed very
+frequently upon the high roads in France; and were those murders to be
+made known by news-papers, as ours are in England, perhaps it would
+greatly intimidate travellers of their own, as well as other nations.
+But as the murdered, and murderers, are generally foot-travellers,
+though the dead body is found, the murderer is escaped; and as nobody
+knows either party, nobody troubles themselves about it. All over
+France, you meet with an infinite number of people travelling on foot,
+much better dressed than you find, in general, the stagecoach gentry in
+England. Most of these foot-travellers are young expensive tradesmen,
+and artists, who have paid their debts by a light pair of heels; when
+their money is exhausted, the stronger falls upon the weaker, knocks out
+his brains, and furnishes himself with a little money; and these murders
+are never scarce heard of above a league from the place where they are
+committed; for which reason, you never meet a foot-traveller in France,
+without arms, of one kind or other, and carried for one _purpose_, or
+the _other_. Gentlemen, however, who travel only in the day-time, and
+who are armed, have but little danger to apprehend; yet it is necessary
+to be upon their guard when they pass through great woods, and to keep
+in the _middle_ of the road, so as not to be too suddenly surprized;
+because a _convenient_ opportunity may induce two or three _honest_
+travellers to embrace a favourable occasion of replenishing their
+purses; and as they always murder those whom they attack, if they can,
+those who are attacked should never submit, but defend themselves to the
+utmost of their power. Though the woods are dangerous, there are, in my
+opinion, plains which are much more so; a high hill which commands an
+extensive plain, from which there is a view of the road some miles, both
+ways, is a place where a robber has nothing to fear but from those whom
+he attacks; and he is morally certain of making his escape one way or
+the other: but in a wood, he may be as suddenly surprized, as he is in a
+situation to surprize others; for this reason, I have been more on my
+guard when I have seen people approach me on an extensive plain, than
+when I have passed through deep woods; nor would I ever let any of those
+people come too near my chaise; I always shewed them the _utmost
+distance_, and made them return the compliment, by bidding them, if they
+offered to come out of their line, to keep off: this said in a
+peremptory manner, and with a stern look, is never taken ill by honest
+men, and has a forcible effect upon rascals, for they immediately
+conclude you think yourself superior to them, and then they will think
+so too: whatever comes unexpected, is apt to dismay; whole armies have
+been seized with a panic from the most trifling artifice of the opposite
+general, and such as, by a minute's reflection, would have produced a
+contrary effect: the King's troops gave way at Falkirk; the reason was,
+they were dismayed at seeing the rebels (_I beg pardon_) come down
+_pell mell_ to attack them with their broad swords! it was a new way of
+fighting, and, they weakly thought, an invincible one; but had General
+Cope previously rode through the ranks, and apprised the troops with the
+manner of their fighting, and assured them how feeble the effect of such
+weapons would be upon men armed with musket and bayonet, which is
+exactly the truth, not a man would have retired; yet, _trim-tram_, they
+all ran, and the General, it is said, gave the earliest notice of his
+own defeat! But I should have observed, above, that the laws of France
+being different, in different provinces, have the contrary effect in the
+southern parts, to what they were intended. The _Seigneur_ on whose land
+a murdered body is found, is obliged to pay the expence of bringing the
+criminal to justice. Some of these lordships are very small; and the
+prosecuting a murderer to punishment, would cost the lord of the manor
+more than his whole year's income; it becomes his interest, therefore,
+to hide the dead body, rather than pursue the living villain; and, as
+whoever has property, be it ever so small, has peasants about him who
+will be glad to obtain his favour, he is sure that when any of these
+peasants see a murdered body, they will give him the earliest notice,
+and the same night the body is for ever hid, and no enquiry is made
+after the offender. I saw hang on the road side, a family of nine, a
+man, his wife, and seven children, who had lived many years by murder
+and robberies; and I am persuaded that road murders are very common in
+France; yet people of any condition may nevertheless, travel through
+France with great safety, and always obtain a guard of the
+_Marechaussee_, through woods or forests, or where they apprehend there
+is any danger.
+
+_P.S._ The following method of buying and selling the wine of this
+province, may be useful to you.
+
+To have good Burgundy, that is, wine _de la premiere tete_, as they term
+it, you must buy it from 400 to 700 livres. There are wines still
+dearer, up to 1000 or 1200 livres; but it is allowed, that beyond 700
+livres, the quality is not in proportion to the price; and that it is in
+great measure a matter of fancy.
+
+The carriage of a queue of wine from Dijon to Dunkirk, or to any
+frontier town near England, costs an hundred livres, something more than
+four sols a bottle; but if sent in the bottle, the carriage will be just
+double. The price of the bottles, hampers, package, &c. will again
+increase the expence to six sols a bottle more; so that wine which at
+first cost 600 livres, or 25 sols a bottle, will, when delivered at
+Dunkirk, be worth 29 sols a bottle, if bought in cask; if in bottles, 39
+sols.--Now add to this the freight, duties, &c. to London; and as many
+pounds sterling as all these expences amount to upon a queue of wine,
+just so many French sols must be charged to the price of every bottle.
+The reduction of French sols to English sterling money is very plain,
+and of course the price of the best burgundy delivered in London, easily
+calculated.
+
+If the wine be sent in casks, it is adviseable to choose rather a
+stronger wine, because it will mellow, and form itself in the carriage.
+It should be double casked, to prevent as much as possible, the frauds
+of the carriers. This operation will cost six or eight livres per piece;
+but the great and principal object is, whom to trust to buy the best;
+and convey it safely. I doubt, it must not pass through the hands of
+Mons. C----, if he deals in wine as he does in drapery, and bills of
+exchange.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER VII.
+
+LYONS.
+
+
+Upon our arrival at _Chalons_, I was much disappointed; as I intended to
+have embarked on the _Soane_, and have slipped down here in the _coche
+d'eau_, and thereby have saved my horse the fatigue of dragging us
+hither: but I could only spare him that of drawing my heaviest baggage.
+The _coche d'eau_ is too small to take horses and _cabriolets_ on board
+at _Chalons_; but at _Lyons_, they will take horses, and coaches, or
+houses, and churches, if they could be put on board, to descend the
+Rhone, to _Pont St. Esprit_, or _Avignon_. So after we have taken a
+fortnight's rest here, I intend rolling down with the rapid current,
+which the united force of those two mighty rivers renders, as I am
+assured, a short, easy, and delightful passage.
+
+Nothing can be more beautiful than the country we passed through from
+_Chalons_ hither. When we got within a few leagues of this great city,
+we found every mountain, hill, and dale, so covered with _chateaux_,
+country houses, farms, &c. that they appeared like towns, villages, and
+hamlets. Nothing can be a stronger proof of the great wealth of the
+citizens of _Lyons_, than that they can afford to build such houses,
+many of which are more like palaces, than the country retreat of
+_bourgeois_. The prospect from the highest part of the road, a league or
+two from Lyons, is so extensive, so picturesque, and so enchantingly
+beautiful, that, impatient as I was to enter into the town, I could not
+refrain stopping at a little shabby wine-house, and drinking coffee
+under their mulberry-trees, to enjoy the warm day, the cooling breeze,
+and the noble prospects which every way surrounded us.
+
+The town of _Lyons_, too, which stands nearly in the center of Europe,
+has every advantage for trade, which men in trade can desire. The
+_Soane_ runs through the centre of it, and is covered with barges and
+boats, loaded with hay, wood, corn, and an infinite variety of goods
+from all parts of the kingdom; while the _Rhone_, on the other side, is
+still more serviceable; for it not only supplies the town with all the
+above necessaries of life, but conveys its various manufactures down to
+the ports of the _Mediterranean_ sea expeditiously, and at little
+expence. The small boats, which ply upon the Soane as ours do upon the
+Thames, are flat bottomed, and very meanly built; they have, however, a
+tilt to shelter them from the heat, and to preserve the complexion, or
+hide the _blushes_ of your female _Patronne_:--yes, my dear Sir,
+Female!--for they are all conducted by females; many of whom are young,
+handsome, and neatly dressed. I have, more than once, been disposed to
+blush, when I saw a pretty woman sitting just opposite me, labouring in
+an action which I thought would have been more becoming myself. I asked
+one of these female _sculls_, how she got her bread in the winter? Oh,
+Sir, said she giving me a very significant look, such a one as you can
+better conceive, than I convey, _dans l'hiver J'ai un autre talent_. And
+I assure you I was glad she did not exercise _both her talents_ at the
+same time of the year; yet I could not refrain from giving her a double
+fee, for a single fare, as I thought there was something due to her
+_winter_ as well as summer abilities.
+
+But I must not let my little _Bateliere's_ talents prevent me, while I
+think of it, telling you, that I did visit, and stay some days at the
+Roman town lately discovered in Champaigne, which I mentioned to you in
+a former letter: it stood upon a mountain, now called the _Chatelet_,
+the foot of which is watered by a good river, and its sides with _good
+wine_. _Monsieur Grignon_, whose house stands very near it, and who has
+there an iron manufacture, first discovered the remains of this ancient
+town; his men, in digging for iron ore, found wrought gold, beside other
+things, which convinced _Mons. Grignon_ (who is a man of genius) that it
+was necessary to inform the King with what they had discovered; in
+consequence of which, his Majesty ordered the foundations to be laid
+open; and I had the satisfaction of seeing in _Mons. Grignon_'s cabinet
+an infinite number of Roman utensils, such as weights, measures, kitchen
+furniture, vases, busts, locks, swords, inscriptions, pottery ware,
+statues, &c. which afforded me, and would you, a great deal of pleasure,
+as well as information. _Mons. Grignon_ the elder, was gone to Paris; a
+circumstance which gave me great concern to hear before I went to his
+house, but which was soon removed by the politeness, and hospitable
+manner I was received by his son: yet, my only recommendation to either,
+was my being a stranger; and being a stranger is, in general, a good
+recommendation to a Frenchman, for, upon all such occasions, they are
+never shy, or backward in communicating what they know, or of gratifying
+the curiosity of an inquisitive traveller; their houses, cabinets, and
+gardens, are always open; and they seem rather to think they receive,
+than grant a favour, to those who visit them. How many fine gardens,
+valuable cabinets, and curiosities, have we in England, so shut up, that
+the difficulty of access renders them as unentertaining to the public,
+as they are to the sordid and selfish possessors! I am thoroughly
+satisfied that the town I am speaking of was destroyed by fire, and not,
+as has been imagined, by any convulsion of the earth, as I found, among
+a hundred other strong proofs of it, an infinite number of pieces of
+melted glass, lead, &c. But though I examined the cellars of eight
+hundred Roman citizens, the selfish rogues had not left a single bottle
+of wine.--I longed to taste the _old Falernian_ wine, of seventeen
+hundred years.
+
+I write from time to time to you; but not without often thinking it is a
+great presumption in me to suppose I can either entertain or instruct
+you; but I proceed, upon your commands, and the authority of Lord Bacon,
+who says, he is surprised to find men make diaries in sea voyages, where
+nothing is to be seen but sky and sea, and for the most part omit it in
+land travels, where so much is to be observed; as if chance were better
+to be registered than observation. When you are tired of my register,
+remember, I can _take_ as well as _give a hint_.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER VIII.
+
+PORT ST. ESPRIT.
+
+
+After a voyage of one whole, and one half day, without sail or oar, we
+arrived here from Lyons. The weather was just such as we could wish and
+such as did not drive us out of the seat of my _cabriolet_ into the
+cabbin, which was full of priests, monks, friars, milleners, &c. a
+motley crew! who were very noisy, and what they thought, I dare say,
+very good company; the deck, indeed, afforded better and purer air;
+three officers, and a priest; but it was not till late the first day
+before they took any civil notice of us; and if a Frenchman shews any
+backwardness of that sort, an Englishman, I think, had better _hold up_;
+this rule I always religiously observe. When the night came on, we
+landed in as much disorder as the troops were embarked at _St. Cas_,
+and lodged in a miserable _auberge_. It was therefore no mortification
+to be called forth for embarkation before day-light. The bad night's
+lodging was, however, amply made up to us, by the beautiful and
+picturesque objects and variety which every minute produced. For the
+banks of this mighty river are not only charged on both sides with a
+great number of towns, villages, castles, _chateaux_, and farm-houses;
+but the ragged and broken mountains above, and fertile vales between and
+beneath, altogether exhibit a mixture of delight and astonishment, which
+cannot be described, unless I had Gainsborough's elegant pencil, instead
+of my own clumsy pen. Upon comparing notes, we found that the officers,
+(and no men understand the _etiquette_ of travelling better than they
+do,) had not fared much better than we had; one of them therefore
+proposed, that we should all sup together that night at _Pont
+St.-Esprit_, where, he assured us, there was one of the best cooks in
+France, and he would undertake to regulate the supper at a reasonable
+price. This was the first time we had eat with other company, though it
+is the general practice in the southern parts of France. Upon entering
+the house, where this _Maitre Cuisinier_ and prime minister of the
+kitchen presided, I began to conceive but an indifferent opinion of the
+Major's judgment; the house, the kitchen, the cook, were, in appearance,
+all against it; yet, in spite of all, I never sat down to so good a
+supper; and should be sorry to sit often at table, where such a one was
+set before me. I will not--nay, I cannot tell you what we had; but you
+will be surprised to know what we paid,--what think you of three livres
+each? when I assure you, such a supper, if it were to be procured in
+London, could not be provided for a guinea a head! and we were only
+seven who sat down to it.
+
+I must not omit to tell you, that all the second day's voyage we heard
+much talk of the danger there would be in passing the Bridge of _Pont
+St. Esprit_; and that many horses and men landed some miles before we
+arrived there, choosing rather to walk or ride in the hot sun, than swim
+through _so much danger_. Yet the truth is, there was none; and, I
+believe, seldom is any. The _Patron_ of the barge, indeed, made a great
+noise, and affected to shew how much skill was necessary to guide it
+through the main arch, for I think the bridge consists of thirty; yet
+the current itself must carry every thing through that approaches it,
+and he must have skill, indeed, who could avoid it. There was not in the
+least degree any fall; but yet, it passed through with such violence,
+that we run half a league in a minute; and very soon after landed at the
+town of Pont. St. Esprit, which has nothing in it very remarkable, but
+this long bridge, the good cook, and the first olive tree we had seen.
+
+This is Lower _Languedoc_, you know, and the province in which ten
+thousand pounds were lately distributed by the sagacious Chancellor of
+England, among an hundred French peasants; and though I was _weak
+enough_ to think it _my property_, I am not wicked enough to envy them
+their good fortune. If the decision made one man wretched; it made the
+hearts of many glad; and I should be pleased to drink a bottle of wine
+with any of my fortunate cousins, and will if I can find them out; for
+they are my cousins; and I would shake an honest cousin by the hand tho'
+he were in wooden shoes, with more pleasure than I would the honest
+Chancellor, who put them _so unexpectedly_ upon a better footing. I
+think, by the _laws_ of England, no money is to be transported into
+other kingdoms; by the JUSTICE of it, it may, and is;--if so, law and
+justice are still at variance; which puts me in mind of what a great
+man once said upon reading the confirmation of a decree in the House of
+Lords, from an Irish appeal:--"It is (said he) so very absurd,
+inconsistent, and intricate, that, in truth, I am afraid it is really
+made according to law."
+
+
+
+
+LETTER IX.
+
+NISMES.
+
+
+On our way here we eat an humble meal; which was, nevertheless, a most
+grateful _repas_, for it was under the principal arch of the _Pont du
+Gard_. It will be needless to say more to you of this noble monument of
+antiquity, than that the modern addition to it has not only made it more
+durable, but more useful: in its original state, it conveyed only horse
+and man, over the River _Gordon_, (perhaps _Gardon_) and water, to the
+city of _Nismes_. By the modern addition, it now conveys every thing
+over it, but water; as well as an high idea of Roman magnificence; for
+beside the immense expence of erecting a bridge of a triple range of
+arches, over a river, and thereby uniting the upper arches to the
+mountains on each side, the source from whence the water was conveyed,
+is six leagues distant from _Nismes_. The bridge is twenty-four _toises_
+high, and above an hundred and thirty-three in length, and was _my sole
+property_ for near three hours; for during that time, I saw neither man
+nor beast come near it; every thing was so still and quiet, except the
+murmuring stream which runs gently under two or three of the arches,
+that I could almost have persuaded myself, from the silence, and rude
+scenes which every way presented themselves, that all the world were as
+dead as the men who erected it. That side of the bridge where none of
+the modern additions appear, is nobly fillagreed by the hand of time;
+and the other side is equally pleasing, by being a well executed support
+to a building which, without its aid, would in a few ages more have
+fallen into ruins.
+
+I was astonished to find so fine a building standing in so pleasant a
+spot, and which offers so many invitations to make it the abode of some
+hermit, quite destitute of such an inhabitant; but it did not afford
+even a beggar, to tell the strange stories which the common people
+relate; tho' it could not fail of being a very lucrative post, were it
+only from the bounty of strangers, who visit it out of curiosity; but a
+Frenchman, whether monk, or mumper, has no idea of a life of solitude:
+yet I am sure, were it in England, there are many of our, _first-rate
+beggars_, who would lay down a large sum for a money of _such a walk_.
+If a moiety of sweeping the kennel from the Mews-gate to the Irish
+coffee-house opposite to it, could fetch a good price, and I was a
+witness once that it did, to an unfortunate beggar-woman, who was
+obliged by sickness to part with half of it; what might not a beggar
+expect, who had the _sweeping_ of the _Pont du Gard_; or a monk, who
+erected a confessional box near it for the benefit of _himself_, and the
+fouls of poor travellers?
+
+After examining every part of the bridge, above and below, I could not
+find the least traces of any ancient inscription, except three initial
+letters, C, P, A; but I found cut in _demi relief_ very extraordinary
+kind of _priapus_, or rather group of them; the country people, for it
+is much effaced, imagine it to be dogs in pursuit of a hare; but if I
+may be permitted to _imagine_ too perhaps, indeed, with no better
+judgment, might not the kind of representations be emblematical of the
+populousness, of the country? though more probably the wanton fancies of
+the master mason, or his journeymen; for they are too diminutive pieces
+of work to bear any proportion to the whole, and are therefore
+blemishes, not ornaments, even allowing that in those ages such kind of
+works were not considered in the light they would be in these days of
+more delicacy and refinement.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER X.
+
+NISMES.
+
+
+I have now been here some time, and have employed most of it, in
+visiting daily the _Maison Carree_, the _Amphitheatre_, the Temple of
+_Diana_, and other Roman remains, which this town abounds with above all
+others in France, and which is all the town affords worthy of notice,
+(for it is but a very indifferent one.) The greater part of the
+inhabitants are Protestants, who meet publicly between two rocks, at a
+little distance from the city, every Sunday, sometimes not less than
+eighteen thousand, where their pastors, openly and audibly, perform
+divine service, according to the rites of the reformed church: Such is
+the difference between the mild government of _Louis_ the 16th, and that
+which was practised in the reign of his great grandfather. But reason
+and philosophy have made more rapid strides in France, within these few
+years, than the arts and sciences. It is, however, a great and mighty
+kingdom, blest with every convenience and comfort in life, as well as
+many luxuries, beside good wine; and good wine, drank in moderation (and
+_here_ nobody drinks it otherwise) is not only an excellent cordial to
+the nerves, but I am persuaded it contributes to long life, and good
+health. Here, where wine and _eau de vie_ is so plenty, and so cheap
+too, you seldom meet a drunken peasant, and never see a gentleman
+(_except he be a stranger_) in that shameful situation.
+
+Perhaps there is not, on any part of the Continent, a city or town which
+has been so frequently sacked by foreign invaders, nor so deeply stained
+with human blood, by civil and religious wars, as this: every street and
+ancient building within its walls still exhibit many strong marks of the
+excesses committed by the hands of domestic as well as foreign
+barbarians, except only the Temple now called, and so called from its
+form, the _Maison Carree_, which has stood near eighteen hundred years,
+without receiving any other injuries than the injuries of time; and time
+has given it rather the face of age, than that of ruins, for it still
+stands firm and upright; and though not quite perfect in every part, yet
+it preserves all its due proportions, and enough of its original and
+lesser beauties, to astonish and delight every beholder, and that too in
+a very particular manner. It is said, and I have felt the truth of it in
+part, that there does not exist, at this day, any building, ancient or
+modern, which conveys so secret a pleasure, not only to the
+_connoisseur_, but to the clown also, whenever, or how often soever they
+approach it. The proportions and beauties of the whole building are so
+intimately united, that they may be compared to good breeding in men; it
+is what every body perceives, and is captivated with, but what few can
+define. That it has an irresistible beauty which delights men of sense,
+and which _charms_ the eyes of the vulgar, I think must be admitted; for
+no other possible reason can be assigned why this building alone,
+standing in the very centre of a city, wherein every excess which
+religious fury could inspire, or barbarous manners could suggest, has
+stood so many ages the only uninsulted monument of antiquity, either
+within or without the walls; especially, as a very few men might, with
+very little labour, soon tumble it into a heap of rubbish.
+
+The _Amphitheatre_ has a thousand marks of violences committed upon it,
+by fire, sledges, battering rams, &c. which its great solidity and
+strength alone resisted.
+
+The _Temple of Diana_ is so nearly destroyed, that, in an age or two
+more no vestige of it will remain; but the _Maison Carree_ is still so
+perfect and beautiful, that when _Cardinal Alberoni_ first saw it, he
+said it wanted only _une boete d'or pour le defendre des injures de
+l'air_; and it certainly has received no other, than such as rain, and
+wind, and heat, and cold, have made upon it; and those are rather marks
+of dignity, than deformity. What reason else, then, can be assigned for
+its preservation to this day; but that the savage and the saint have
+been equally awed by its superlative beauty.
+
+Having said thus much of the perfections of this edifice, I must however
+confess, it is not, nor ever was, perfect, for it has some original
+blemishes, but such as escape the observation of most men, who have not
+time to examine the parts separately, and with a critical eye. There
+are, for example, thirty modillions on the cornice, on one side and
+thirty-two on the other; there are sixty-two on the west side, and only
+fifty-four on the east; with some other little faults which its aged
+beauty justifies my omitting; for they are such perhaps as, if removed,
+would not add any thing to the general proportions of the whole. No-body
+objected to the moles on Lady Coventry's face; those specks were too
+trifling, where the _tout ensemble_ was so perfect.
+
+_Cardinal Richlieu_, I am assured, had several consultations with
+builders of eminence, and architects of genius, to consider whether it
+was practicable to remove all the parts of this edifice, and re-erect it
+at _Versailles_: and, I have no doubt, but Lewis the 14th might have
+raised this monument to his fame there, for half the money he expended
+in murdering and driving out of that province sixty thousand of his
+faithful and ingenious subjects, merely on the score of Religion; an
+act, which is now equally abhorred by Catholics, as well as Protestants.
+But, Lord Chesterfield justly observes, that there is no brute so
+fierce, no criminal so guilty, as the creature called a Sovereign,
+whether King, Sultan, or Sophy; who thinks himself, either by divine or
+human right, vested with absolute power of destroying his
+fellow-creatures.
+
+_Louis_ the XIth of France caused the Duke of _Nemours_, a descendant
+of King _Clovis_, to be executed at Paris, and placed his children
+under the scaffold, that the blood of their father might run upon their
+heads; in which bloody condition they were returned to the Bastile, and
+there shut up in iron cages: and a King of SIAM, having lost his
+daughter, and fancying she was poisoned, put most of his court, young
+and old, to death, by the most exquisite torture; by this horrid act of
+cruelty, near two thousand of the principal courtiers suffered the most
+dreadful deaths; the great Mandarins, their wives, and children, being
+all scorched with fire, and mangled with knives, before they were
+admitted to his last favour,--that of being thrown to the elephants.
+
+But to have done with sad subjects.--It was not till the year 1758 that
+it was certainly known at what time, or for what purpose, the _Maison
+Carree_ was erected; but fortunately, the same town which produced the
+building so many ages ago, produced in the latter end of the last, a
+Gentleman, of whom it may be justly said, he left no stone unturned to
+come at the truth. This is _Mons. Seguier_, whose long life has been
+employed in collecting a cabinet of Roman antiquities, and natural
+curiosities, and whose penetrating genius alone could have discovered,
+by the means he did, an inscription, of which not a single letter has
+been seen for many ages; but this _habile observateur_, perceiving a
+great number of irregular holes upon the frontal and frize of this
+edifice, concluded that they were the cramp-holes which had formerly
+held an inscription, and which, according to the practice of the
+Romans, were often composed of single letters of bronze. _Mons. Seguier_
+therefore erected scaffolding, and took off on paper the distances and
+situation of the several holes, and after nicely examining the
+disposition of them, and being assisted by a few faint traces of some of
+the letters, which had been impressed on the stones, brought forth, to
+the full satisfaction of every body, the original inscription, which
+was laid before _l'Academie des Inscriptions & de Belles Lettres de
+Paris_ of which he is a member, and from whom he received their public
+thanks; having unanimously agreed that there was not a doubt remained
+but that he had produced the true reading: which is as follows:
+
+
+   +-------------------------------------------------+
+   |        TAUROBOLIO MATRIS DEUM MAGNÆ IDÆÆ        |
+   |           QUOD FACTUM EST EX IMPERIO            |
+   |                MATRIS IDÆÆ DEUM                 |
+   |         PRO SALUTE IMPERATORIS CÆSARIS          |
+   |                    TITI ÆLII                    |
+   |   ADRIANI ANTONINI AUGUSTI PII PATRIS PATRIÆ    |
+   |                LIBERORUMQUE EJUS                |
+   |          ET STATUS COLONIÆ LUGDUNENSIS          |
+   |         LUCIUS ÆMILIUS CARPUS SEXTUMVIS         |
+   |          AUGUSTALIS ITEM DENDROPHORUS           |
+   |                                                 |
+   |           VIRES EXCEPIT ET A VATICANO           |
+   |           TRANSTULIT ARAMET BUCRANIUM           |
+   |            SUO IMPENDIO CONSECRAVIT             |
+   |                    SACERDOTE                    |
+   |     QUINTO SAMMIO SECUNDO AB QUINDECEMVIRIS     |
+   |            OCCABO ET CORONA EXORNATO            |
+   |        CUI SANCTISSIMUS ORDO LUGDUNENSIS        |
+   |        PERPETUITATEM SACERDOTIS DECREVIT        |
+   |         APPIO ANNIA ATILIO BRADUA TITO          |
+   |          CLODIO VIBIO VARO CONSULIBUS           |
+   |         LOCUS DATUS DECRETO DECURIONUM.         |
+   +-------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+The _Maison Carree_ is not however, quite square, being something more
+in length than breadth; it is eighty-two feet long and thirty-seven and
+a half high, exclusive of the square socle on which it stands, and which
+is, at this time, six feet above the surface; it is divided into two
+parts, one enclosed, the other open; the facade is adorned with six
+fluted pillars of the Corinthian order, and the cornice and front are
+decorated with all the beauties of architecture. The frize is quite
+plain, and without any of those bas-reliefs or ornaments which are on
+the sides, where the foliage of the olive leaf is exquisitely finished.
+On each side over the door, which opens into the enclosed part, two
+large stones, like the but-ends of joists, project about three feet, and
+these stones are pierced through with two large mortices, six inches
+long, and three wide; they are a striking blemish, and must therefore
+have been fixed, for some very necessary purpose--for what, I will not
+risque my opinion; it is enough to have mentioned them to you. As to the
+inside, little need be said; but, that, being now consecrated to the
+service of GOD, and the use of the order of _Augustines_, it is filled
+up with altars, _ex votos_, statues, &c. but such as we may reasonably
+conclude, have not, exclusive of a religious consideration, all those
+beauties which were once placed within a Temple, the outward structure
+of which was so highly finished.
+
+Truth and concern compel me to conclude this account of the _Maison
+Carree_, in lamenting, that the inhabitants of Nismes (who are in
+general a very respectable body of people) suffer this noble edifice to
+be defiled by every species of filth that poverty and neglect can
+occasion. The approach to it is through an old ragged kind of barn door:
+it is surrounded with mean houses, and disgraced on every side with
+filth, and the _offerings_ of the nearest inhabitants. I know not any
+part of London but what would be a better situation for it, than where
+it now stands: I will not except even Rag-fair, nor Hockly in the Hole.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XI.
+
+NISMES.
+
+
+The state in which that once-superb edifice, the Temple of Diana, now
+appears; with concern, I perceived that there remains only enough to
+give the spectator an idea of its former beauty; for though the roof has
+been broken down, and every part of it so wantonly abused yet enough
+remains, within, and without, to bear testimony that it was built, not
+only by the greatest architect, but enriched also by the hands of other
+great artists: indeed, the mason's work alone is, at this day,
+wonderful; for the stones with which it is built, and which are very
+large, are so truly worked, and artfully laid, without either cement or
+mortar, that many of the joints are scarce visible; nor is it possible
+to put the point of a penknife between those which are most open. This
+Temple too is, like the _Maison Carree_, shut up by an old barn-door: a
+man, however, attends to open it; where, upon entering, you will find a
+striking picture of the folly of all human grandeur; for the area is
+covered with broken statues, busts, urns, vases, cornices, frizes,
+inscriptions, and various fragments of exquisite workmanship, lying in
+the utmost disorder, one upon another, like the stript dead in a field
+of battle. Here, the ghost of Shakespeare appeared before my eyes,
+holding in his hand a label, on which was engraven those words you have
+so often read in his works, and now see upon his monument.
+
+I have often wondered, that some man of taste and fortune in England,
+where so much attention is paid to gardening, never converted one spot
+to an _Il Penseroso_, and another to _L'Allegro_. If a thing of that
+kind was to be done, what would not a man of such a turn give for an
+_Il Penseroso_, as this Temple now is?--where sweet melancholy sits,
+with a look
+
+    "That's fastened to the ground,
+    A tongue chain'd up, without a sound."
+
+The modern fountain of _Nismes_ or rather the Roman fountain recovered,
+and re-built, falls just before this Temple; and the noble and extensive
+walks, which surround this pure and plentiful stream, are indeed very
+magnificent: what then must it have been in the days of the Romans, when
+the Temple, the fountain, the statues, vases, &c. stood perfect, and in
+their proper order? Though this building has been called the Temple of
+Diana, by a tradition immemorial, yet it may be much doubted, whether it
+was so. The Temples erected, you know, to the daughter of Jupiter, were
+all of the Ionic order, and this is a mixture of the Corinthian, and
+Composit. Is it not, therefore, more probable, from the number of niches
+in it to contain statues, that it was, in fact, a Pantheon? Directly
+opposite to the entrance door, are three great tabernacles; on that of
+the middle stood the principal altar; and on the side walls were twelve
+niches, six on the right-hand are still perfect. The building is eleven
+_toises_ five feet long, and six _toises_ wide, and was thrown into its
+present ruinous state during the civil wars of Henry the Third; and yet,
+in spite of the modern statues, and gaudy ornaments, which the
+inhabitants have bestrewed to decorate their matchless fountain, the
+Temple of Diana is still the greatest ornament it has to boast of.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XII.
+
+MONTPELLIER.
+
+
+Never was a traveller more disappointed than I was upon entering into
+this renowned city; a city, the name of which my ears have been familiar
+to, ever since I first heard of disease or medicine. I expected to find
+it filled with palaces; and to perceive the superiority of the soft air
+it is so celebrated for, above all other places; instead of which, I was
+accompanied for many miles before I entered it with thousands of
+Moschettos, which, in spite of all the hostilities we committed upon
+them, made our faces, hands and legs, as bad in appearance as persons
+just recovering from a plentiful crop of the small-pox, and infinitely
+more miserable. Bad as these flies are in the West-Indies, I suffered
+more in a few days from them at, and near Montpellier, than I did for
+some years in Jamaica.
+
+However fine and salubrious the air of this town might have been
+formerly, it is far otherwise now; and it may be naturally accounted
+for; the sea has retired from the coast, and has left three leagues of
+marshy ground between it and the town, where the hot sun, and stagnated
+waters, breed not only flies, but distempers also; beside this, there
+is, and ever was, something very peculiar in the air of the town itself:
+it is the only town in France where verdigris is made in any great
+quantity; and this, I am inclined to think, is not a very favourable
+circumstance; where the air is so disposed to cankerise, and corrode
+copper, it cannot be so pure, as where none can be produced; but here,
+every cave and wine-cellar is filled with sheets of copper, from which
+such quantities of verdigris are daily collected, that it is one of the
+principal branches of their trade. The streets are very narrow, and
+very dirty; and though there are many good houses, a fine theatre, and a
+great number of public edifices beside churches, it makes altogether but
+an indifferent figure.
+
+Without the walls of the town, indeed, there stands a noble equestrian
+statue of Louis the XIVth, surrounded with spacious walks, and adorned
+with a beautiful fountain. Their walks command a view of the
+Mediterranean Sea in front, and the Alps and Pyrenees on the right and
+left. The water too is conducted to a most beautiful _Temple d' Eau_
+over a triple range of arches, in the manner of the _Pont du Gard_, from
+a very considerable distance. The modern arches over which it runs, are
+indeed, a great and mighty piece of work; for they are so very large,
+extended so far, and are so numerous, that I could find no person to
+inform me of their exact number; however, I speak within the bounds of
+truth, I hope, when I say there are many hundred; and that it is a work
+which the Romans might have been proud of, and must therefore convey an
+high idea of the riches and mightiness of a kingdom, wherein one
+province alone could bear, and be willing too to bear, so great an
+expence, and raise so useful, as well as beautiful a monument; for
+beside the immense expence of this triple range of arches, the source
+from whence the water is conveyed is, I think, three leagues distant
+from the town, by which means every quarter of it is plentifully
+supplied with fountains which always run, and which in hot climates are
+equally pleasing, refreshing, and useful.
+
+The town abounds with apothecaries' shops, and I met a great many
+physical faces; so that if the air is not good, I conclude the physic
+is, and therefore laid out two _sols_ for a pennyworth of ointment of
+_marsh-mallows_ which alleviated a little the extreme misery we all were
+in, during our stay at this celebrated city. If, however, it still has
+a reputation for the cure of a _particular disorder_, perhaps that may
+arise from the impurity of the air,--and that the air which is so prone
+to engender verdigris, may wage war with other subtile poisons; yet, as
+I found some of my countrymen there, who had taken a longer trial of the
+air, and more of the physic, than I had occasion for, who neither
+admired one, nor found benefit from the other, I will not recommend
+_Montpellier_ as having any peculiar excellencies within its walls, but
+good wine, and some good actors. It is a dear town, even to the natives,
+and a very imposing one to strangers; and therefore I shall soon leave
+it, and proceed southward.
+
+Perhaps you will expect me to say something of the _Sweets_ which this
+town is so famed for: there are indeed some sweet shops of that sort;
+and they are _bien places_. At these shops they have ladies' silk
+pockets, sachels for their shifts, letter cases, and a multitude of
+things of that kind, quilted and _larded_ with something, which does
+indeed give them a most pleasing and lasting perfume. At these shops
+too, beside excellent lavender water, essence of bergamot, &c. they sell
+_eau de jasmin de pourri, de cedre, de girofle, sans pareille, de mille
+fleurs, de zephir, de oiellet, de sultan_ and a hundred other sorts; but
+the _essence of bergamot_ is above all, as a single drop is sufficient
+to perfume a handkerchief; and so it ought to be, for it is very dear.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XIII.
+
+CETTE.
+
+
+I was very impatient till I had drove my horse from the British to the
+Mediterranean coast, and looked upon a sea from _that land_ which I had
+often, with longing eyes, viewed _from the sea_, in the year 1745, when
+I was on board the Russel, with Admiral Medley. I have now compleatly
+crossed this mighty kingdom and great continent, and it was for that
+reason I visited _Cette_. This pretty little sea-port, though it is out
+of my way to _Barcelona_, yet it proves to be in _the way_ for my poor
+horse; as I found here a Spanish bark, upon which I put part of my
+baggage. I was obliged to have it, however, opened and examined at the
+Custom-house; and as the officer found in it a bass viol, two guittars,
+a fiddle, and some other musical instruments, he very naturally
+concluded I was a musician, and very kindly intimated to me his
+apprehensions, that I should meet with but very little _encouragement in
+Spain_: as I had not any better reason to assign for going there, but to
+fiddle, I did not undeceive this good-natured man till the next morning,
+when I owned, I was not sufficiently _cunning_ in the art of music to
+get my bread by it; and that I had unfortunately been bred to a worse
+profession, that of arms; and if I got time enough to _Barcelona_ to
+enter a volunteer in the _Walloon_ guards, and go to _Algiers_, perhaps
+I might get from his Catholic Majesty, by my services, more than I could
+acquire from his Britannic--something to live upon in my old age: but I
+had no better encouragement from this Frenchman as an adventurer in
+arms, than in music; he assured me, that Spain was a _vilain pays_, and
+that France was the only country in the world for a _voyageur_. But as I
+found that France was the only country he had _voyaged_ in, and then
+never above twenty leagues from that spot, I thanked him for his advice,
+and determined to proceed; for though it is fifteen miles from
+_Montpellier_, we are not got out of the latitude of the _Moschettos_.
+
+On the road here, we met an infinite number of carts and horses, loaded
+with ripe grapes; the gatherers generally held some large bunches (for
+they were the large red grape) in their hands, to present to travellers;
+and we had some from people, who would not even stay to receive a
+trifling acknowledgment for their generosity and politeness.
+
+Nothing could be more beautiful than the prospects which every way
+surrounded us, when we came within three or four miles of this town;
+both sides of the road were covered with thyme and lavender shrubs,
+which perfumed the air; the sea breeze, and the hot sun, made both
+agreeable; and the day was so clear and fine, that the snow upon the
+_Alps_ made them appear as if they were only ten leagues from us; and I
+could have been persuaded that we were within a few hours drive of the
+_Pyrenees_; yet the nearest of them was at least a hundred miles
+distant.
+
+The great Canal of _Languedoc_ has a communication with this town, where
+covered boats, neatly fitted up for passengers, are continually passing
+up and down that wonderful and artificial navigation. It is a convenient
+port to ship wine at; but the people have the reputation of playing
+tricks with it, before and after it is put on board; and this opinion is
+a great baulk to the trade it is so happily situated to carry on, and of
+great benefit to the free port of _Nice_.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XIV.
+
+PERPIGNAN.
+
+
+DEAR SIR,
+
+Before I leave this kingdom, and enter into that of Spain, let me
+trouble you with a letter on a subject which, though no ways
+interesting to yourself, may be very much so _to a young Gentleman of
+your acquaintance_ at Oxford, for whose happiness I, as well as you, am
+a little anxious. It is to apprize you, and to warn him, when he
+travels, to avoid the _gins and man-traps_ fixed all over this country;
+traps, which a thorough knowledge of Latin and Greek, combined even
+with father and mother's wit, will not be sufficient to preserve him
+from, unless he is first shewn the manner in which they are set. These
+traps are not made to catch the legs, but to ruin the fortunes and
+break the hearts of those who unfortunately step into them. Their baits
+are artful, designing, wicked men, and profligate, abandoned, and
+prostitute women. Paris abounds with them, as well as Lyons, and all
+the great towns between London and Rome; and are principally set to
+catch the young Englishman of fortune from the age of eighteen to five
+and twenty; and what is worse, an honest, sensible, generous young man,
+is always in most danger of setting his foot into them. You suspect
+already, that these traps are made only of paper, and ivory, and that
+cards and dice are the destructive engines I mean. Do you know that
+there are a set of men and women, in _Paris_ and _Lyons_, who live
+elegantly by lying in wait and by catching every _bird of
+passage_?--but particularly the English _gold-finch_. I have seen and
+heard of such wicked artifices of these people, and the fatal
+consequences to the unfortunate young men they have ensnared, that I
+really think I could never enjoy a single hour of contentment, if I
+had a large fortune, while a son of mine was making what is called the
+tour of Europe. The minute one of these young men arrive, either at
+_Paris_ or _Lyons_, some _laquais de place_, who is paid for it, gives
+the earliest notice to one of the confederacy, and he is instantly
+way-laid by a French _Marquis_, or an English _Chevalier d'Industrie_,
+who, with a most insinuating address, makes him believe, he is no
+sooner arrived at _Paris_ than he has found a sincere friend. The
+_Chevalier_ shews him what is most worthy of notice in _Paris_, attends
+him to _Versailles_ and _Marly_, cautions him against being acquainted
+with the honest part of the French nation, and introduces him to the
+knaves only of his own and this country; carries him to see French
+Ladies of the _first distinction_, (and such who certainly _live in
+that style_) and makes the young man giddy with joy. But alas! it is
+but a short-lived one!--he is invited; to sup with the _Countess_; and
+is entertained not only voluptuously, but they play after supper, and
+he wins too. What can be more delightful to a young man, in a strange
+country, than to be flattered by the French, courted by the English,
+entertained by _the Countess_, and cheered with success?--Nay, he
+flatters himself, from the particular _attention_ the _Countess_ shews
+him, above all other men admitted to her toilet, that she has even some
+_tendre_ for his person:--just at this _critical moment_, a _Toyman
+arrives_, to shew _Madame la Comtesse_ a new fashioned trinket; she
+likes it, but has not money enough in her pocket to pay for it:--here
+is a fine opportunity to make Madame la Comtesse a present;--and why
+should not he?--the price is not above four or five guineas more than
+his last night's winnings;--he offers it; and, with _great difficulty_
+and much persuasion, she accepts it; but is quite _ashamed_ to think of
+the trouble he has given himself:--but, says she, you Englishmen are so
+charming,--so generous,--and so--so--and looks so sweet upon him, that
+while her tongue faulters, _egad_ he ventures to cover her confusion by
+a kiss;--when, instead of giving him the two broad sides of her cheek,
+she is so _off her guard_, and so overcome, as to present him
+_unawares_, with a pretty handsome dash of red pomatum from her lovely
+pouting lips,--and insists upon it that he sups with her, _tete a
+tete_, that very evening,--when all this happiness is compleated. In a
+few nights after, he is invited to meet the _Countess_, and to sup with
+_Monsieur le Marquis_, or _Monsieur le Chevalier Anglais_; he is
+feasted with high meat, and inflamed with delicious wines;--they play
+after supper, and he is stript of all his money, and gives--drafts upon
+his Banker for all his credit. He visits the Countess the next day; she
+receives him with a civil coolness,--is very sorry, she says,--and
+wished much last night for a favourable opportunity to give him a hint,
+not to play after he had lost the first thousand, as she perceived luck
+ran hard against him:--she is extremely mortified;--but; as a friend,
+advises him to go to _Lyons_, or some provincial town, where he may
+study the language with more success, than in the hurry and noise of so
+great a city as _Paris_, and apply for further credit. His _new
+friends_ visit him no more; and he determines to take the Countess's
+advice, and go on to _Lyons_, as he has heard the South of France is
+much cheaper, and there he may see what he can do, by leaving Paris,
+and an application to his friends in England. But at _Lyons_ too, some
+artful knave, of one nation or the other, accosts him, who has had
+notice of his _Paris_ misfortunes;--he pities him;--and, rather than
+see a countryman, or a gentleman of fashion and character in distress,
+he would lend him fifty or a hundred pounds. When this is done, every
+art is used to debauch his principles; he is initiated into a gang of
+genteel sharpers, and bullied, by the fear of a gaol, to connive at, or
+to become a party in their iniquitous society. His good name gives a
+sanction for a while to their suspected reputations; and, by means of
+an hundred pounds so lent to this honest young man, some thousands are
+won from the _birds of passage_, who are continually passing thro' that
+city to the more southern parts of _France_, or to _Italy_, _Geneva_,
+or _Turin_.
+
+This is not an imaginary picture; it is a picture I have seen, nay, I
+have seen the traps set, and the game caught; nor were those who set the
+snares quite sure that they might not put a stop to my peregrination,
+for they _risqued a supper at me_, and let me win a few guineas at the
+little play which began before they sat down to table. Indeed, my dear
+Sir, were I to give you the particulars of some of those unhappy young
+men, who have been ruined in fortune and constitution too, at _Paris_
+and _Lyons_, you would be struck with pity on one side, and horror and
+detestation on the other; nor would ever risque such a _finished part_
+of your son's education. Tell my Oxonian friend, from me, when he
+travels, never to let either Lords or Ladies, even of his own country,
+nor _Marquises_, _Counts_, or _Chevaliers_, of this, ever draw him into
+play; but to remember that shrewd hint of Lord Chesterfield's to his
+son;--"When you play with men (says his Lordship) know with _whom_ you
+play; when with women, _for what_ you play."--But let me add, that the
+only SURE WAY, is never to play at all.
+
+At one of these towns I found a man, whose family I respected, and for
+whom I had a personal regard; he loaded me with civilities, nay, made me
+presents, before I had the most distant suspicions _how_ he became in a
+situation to enable him so to do. He made every profession of love and
+regard to me; and I verily believed him sincere; because I knew he had
+been obliged by a part of my family; but when I found a coach, a
+country-house, a good table, a wife, and servants, were all supported by
+the _chance_ of a gaming-table, I withdrew myself from all connections
+with him; for, I fear, he who lives to play, may _play_ to _live_.
+
+Upon the whole, I think it is next to an impossibility for a young man
+of fortune to pass a year or two in _Paris_, the southern parts of
+France, Italy, &c. without running a great risque of being beggared by
+sharpers, or seduced by artful women; unless he has with him a tutor,
+who is made wise by years, and a frequent acquaintance with the customs
+and manners of the country: an honest, learned Clergyman tutor, is of
+less use to a young man in that situation, than a trusty _Valet de
+Chambre_. A travelling tutor must know men; and, what is more difficult
+to know, he must know women also, before he is qualified to guard
+against the innumerable snares that are always making to entangle
+strangers of fortune.
+
+It is certainly true, that the nearer we approach to the sun, the more
+we become familiar with vices of every kind. In the _South of France_,
+and _Italy_, sins of the blackest dye, and many of the most unnatural
+kind, are not only committed with impunity, but boasted of with
+audacity; and, as one proof of the corruption of the people, of a
+thousand I could tell you, I must tell you, that seeing at _Lyons_ a
+shop in which a great variety of pictures were hung for sale, I walked
+in, and after examining them, and asking a few questions; but none that
+had the least tendency to want of decorum, the master of the shop turned
+to his wife, (a very pretty woman, and dressed even to a _plumed_
+head)--shew _Monsieur_ the little miniature, said he; she then opened a
+drawer and took out a book, (I think it was her mass-book) and brought
+me a picture, so indecent, that I defy the most debauched imagination
+to conceive any thing more so; yet she gave it me with a seeming decent
+face, and only observed that it was _bien fait_. After examining it with
+more attention than I should, had I received it from the hands of her
+husband, I returned it to her prayer-book, made my bow, and was
+retiring; but the husband called to me, and said, he had a magazine hard
+by, where there was a very large collection of pictures of great value,
+and that his wife would attend me. My curiosity was heightened in more
+respects than _one_: I therefore accepted the offer, and was conducted
+up two pair of stairs in a house not far off, where I found a long suite
+of rooms, in which were a large number of pictures, and some, I believe,
+of great value. But I was a little surprised on entering into the
+furthermost apartment, as that had in it an elegant _chintz_ bed, the
+curtains of which were festooned, and the foliages held up by the
+paintings of two naked women, as large as life, and as indecent as
+nakedness could be painted; they were painted, and well painted too, on
+boards, and cut out in human shape; that at first I did not know whether
+I saw the shadow or the substance; however, as this room was covered
+with pictures, I began to examine them also, with the fair attendant at
+my elbow; but in the whole collection I do not remember there was one
+picture which would not have brought a blush in the face of an English
+Lady, even of the most easy virtue. Yet, all this while, when I asked
+the price of the several parts and pieces, she answered me with a
+gravity of countenance, as if she attended me to sell her goods like
+other shopkeepers, and in the way of business; however, before I left
+the room, I could not, I thought, do less than ask her--her own price.
+She told me, she was worth nothing; and immediately invited me to take a
+peep through a convex glass at a picture which was laid under, on the
+table, for that purpose:--it was a picture of so wicked a tendency, that
+the painter ought to have been put upon a pillory, and the exhibitor in
+the stocks. The Lady observed to me again, that it was well painted;
+but, on the contrary, the only merit it had, was, being quite otherwise,
+I therefore told her, that the subject and idea only was good; the
+execution bad.
+
+Just at this time, several French Gentlemen came in to look at the
+pictures, and my surprise became infinitely greater than ever; they
+talked with her about the several pieces, without betraying the least
+degree of surprise at the subjects, or the woman who shewed them; nor
+did they seem to think it was a matter of any to me; and I verily
+believe the woman was so totally a stranger to sentiment or decency,
+that she considered herself employed in the ordinary way of shopkeepers,
+that of shewing and selling her goods: as her shop was almost opposite
+to the General Post-office, where I went every day for my letters, I
+frequently saw women of fashion at this shop; whether they visited the
+magazine, or not, I cannot say, but I think there is no doubt but they
+might borrow the _mass-book_ I mentioned above.
+
+I shall leave you to make your own comments upon this subject; and then
+I am sure you will tremble for the fatal consequences which your son, or
+any young man, may, nay must be led into, in a country where Vice is
+painted with all her bewitching colours, in the fore-ground of the
+picture; and where Virtue, if there be any, is thrown so far behind in
+the back shade, that it is ten to one but it escapes the notice of a
+youthful examiner.
+
+I cannot help adding another instance of the profligacy of this town.
+Lord P---- being invited by a French Gentleman to spend a day at his
+_Chateau_, in this country, took occasion to tell his Lordship, that in
+order to render the day as agreeable as possible to his company, he had
+provided some young people of _both sexes_ to attend, and desired to
+know his Lordship's _gout_. The young Nobleman concealed his surprise,
+and told his _generous_ host, that he was not fashionable enough to walk
+out of the paths of nature. The same question was then put to the other
+company, in the order of their rank; and the last, an _humble
+Frenchman_, replied, it was to him _egal l'un, et l'autre_, just as it
+proved most convenient. This is not a traveller's story; it is a fact;
+and I dare say the Nobleman, who was of the party, will give it the
+sanction of his name, though I cannot with any degree of propriety.
+
+
+
+LETTER IV.
+
+JONQUIRE.
+
+
+I have now crossed the _Pyrenees_, and write this from the first village
+in Spain. These mountains are of such an enormous height, as well as
+extent, that they seem as if they were formed even by nature to divide
+nations. Nor is there any other pass by land into this kingdom but over
+them; for they extend upwards of thirty leagues from the _Mediterranean_
+Sea, near _Perpignan_ in _Rousillon_ to the city of _Pompelina_ in
+_Navarre_; I should have said, extend _into_ the _Mediterranean_ Sea,
+for there the extremity projects its lofty head, like a noble fortress
+of nature, into the ocean, far beyond the low lands on either side.
+Indeed the extensive plains on both side these lofty mountains (so
+unusual in the Southern parts of Europe) would almost make one suspect,
+that nature herself had been exhausted in raising such an immense pile,
+which, as if it were the back-bone of an huge animal, was made to hold,
+and bind together, all the parts of the western world. There are, I
+think, nine passes over these hills into _Spain_, two or three of which
+are very commodious, and wonderfully _picturesque_: others are dreadful,
+and often dangerous; the two best are at the extremities; that which I
+have just passed, and the other near _Bayonne_; the former is not only
+very safe, except just after very heavy and long-continued rains, but in
+the highest degree pleasing, astonishing, and wonderfully romantic, as
+well as beautiful.
+
+At _Boulon_, the last village in France, twelve long leagues from
+_Perpignan_, and seemingly under the foot of the _Pyrenees_, we crossed
+a river, for the first time, which must be forded three or four times
+more, before you begin to ascend the hills; but if the river can be
+safely crossed at _Boulon_, there can be no difficulty afterwards, as
+there alone the stream is most rapid, and the channel deepest. At this
+town there are always a set of fellows ready to offer their service, who
+ford the river, and support the carriage; nor is it an easy matter to
+prevent them, when no such assistance is necessary; and I was obliged to
+handle my pistols, to make them _unhandle_ my wheels; as it is more than
+probable they would have overset us in shallow water, to gain an
+opportunity of shewing their _politeness_ in picking us up again. The
+stream, indeed, was very rapid; and I was rather provoked by the
+rudeness of the people, to pass through it without assistance, than
+convinced there needed none.
+
+Having crossed the river four or five times more, and passed between
+rocks, and broken land, through a very uncultivated and romantic vale,
+we began to ascend the _Pyrenees_ upon a noble road, indeed! hewn upon
+the sides of those adamantine hills, of a considerable width, and an
+easy ascent, quite up to the high _Fortress of Bellegarde_, which stands
+upon the pinnacle of the highest hill, and which commands this renowned
+pass.
+
+You will easier conceive than I can describe the many rude and various
+scenes which mountains so high, so rocky, so steep, so divided, and, I
+may add too, so fertile, exhibit to the traveler's eyes. The constant
+water-falls from the melted snow above, the gullies and breaches made by
+water-torrents during great rains, the rivulets in the vale below, the
+verdure on their banks, the herds of goats, the humble, but picturesque
+habitations of the goat-herds, the hot sun shining upon the _snow-capt_
+hills above, and the steep precipices below, all crowd together so
+strongly upon the imagination, that they intoxicate the passenger with
+delight.
+
+The French nation in no instance shew their greatness more than in the
+durable and noble manner they build and make their high-roads; here,
+the expence was not only cutting the hard mountain, and raising a fine
+road on their sides, but building arches of an immense height from
+mountain to mountain, and over breaks and water-falls, with great
+solidity, and excellent workmanship.
+
+The invalide guard at this fortress take upon themselves, very
+improperly, and I am sure very unwarrantably, to examine strangers who
+pass, with an impertinent curiosity; for they must admit all who come
+with a proper _passa-porte_ into _Spain_, and durst not admit any
+without it. On my arrival at the Guard-house, they seized my horse's
+head, and called for my _passa-porte_, in terms very unlike the usual
+politeness of French guards; and while my pass was carried into a little
+office, hard by, to be registered, those who remained on the side of my
+chaise took occasion to ask me of what country I was: I desired to
+refer them to my _passa-porte_, (where I knew no information of that
+kind was given,) as it was a question I could not very well answer; but
+upon being further urged, I at length told them, I was an
+_Hottentot_.--"_Otentot_--_Otentot_--pray what king governs that
+country?" said one of them. No king governs the _Hottentots_ replied I.
+"What then, is your country without a king?" said another, with
+astonishment! No; not absolutely so, neither; for the _Hottentots_ have
+a king; but he always keeps a number of ambitious and crafty men about
+his Court, who govern him; and those men, who are generally knaves, feed
+the people with guts, and entrails of beasts, give the king now and then
+a little bit of the main body, and divide the rest among themselves,
+their friends, their favourites, and sycophants. But I soon found, these
+were questions leading to a more important one; and that was, what
+_countryman_ my horse was;--for, suspecting him to be an _Englishman_,
+they would perhaps, if I had been weak enough to have owned it, have
+made me pay a considerable duty for his admission into _Spain_; though I
+believe it cannot legally be done or levied upon any horse, French, or
+English, (to use an act of parliament phrase) but such "as are not
+actually in harness, nor drawing in a carriage."
+
+The Spaniards too have done their duty, as to the descent of the
+_Pyrenees_ from _Bellegarde_, but no further; from thence to this
+village, is about the same distance that _Boulon_ is from the foot of
+the mountains on the other side; but though this road is quite destitute
+of art it is adorned highly by nature.
+
+But, before I left _Bellegarde_, I should have told you, that near that
+Fortress the arms of France and Spain, cut on stone pillars, are placed
+_vis-a-vis_ on each side of the road; a spot where some times an affair
+of _honour_ is decided by two men, who engage in personal combat; each
+standing in a different kingdom; and where, if one falls, the other need
+not run; for, by the Family Compact, it is agreed, not to give up
+deserters or murderers.
+
+The road is not less romantic on the Spanish, than on the French side of
+the _Pyrenees_; the face of the country is more beautiful, and the faces
+of all things, animate and inanimate, are quite different; and one would
+be apt to think, that instead of having passed a few hills, one had
+passed over a large ocean: the hogs, for instance, which are all white
+on the French side, are all black on this.
+
+We arrived here upon a Sunday, when the inhabitants had on their best
+apparel: but instead of high head-dresses, false curls, plumes of
+feathers, and a quantity of powder, the women had their black hair
+combed tight from their foreheads and temples, and tied behind, in
+either red, blue, or black nets, something like the caul of a peruke,
+from which hang large tassels down to the middle of their back; the
+men's hair was done up in nets in the same manner, but not so gaudy.
+
+Before we arrived here, I overtook a girl with a load of fresh hay upon
+her head, whom (_at the request of my horse_) I entreated to spare me a
+little, but, till she had called back her brother, who had another load
+of the same kind, would not treat with me; they soon agreed, however,
+that my request was reasonable; and so was their demand; and there,
+under the shade of a noble grove of large cork-trees, we and our horse
+eat a most luxurious meal: appetite was the sauce; and the wild scenes,
+and stupendous rocks, which every way surrounded our _salle a manger_,
+were our dessert.
+
+And that you may not be alarmed about this mighty matter, (as it is by
+many thought) of parting from _France to Spain_, by the way of
+_Perpignan_, it may not be amiss to say, that I left the last town about
+seven o'clock in the morning, in a heavy French _cabriolet_, drawn by
+one strong English horse, charged with four persons, and much baggage;
+yet we arrived here about three o'clock the same day; where at our
+supper, we had a specimen of Spanish cookery, as well as Spanish beds,
+bills, and custom-house officers: to the latter, a small donative is
+better bestowed, than the trouble of unpacking all your baggage, and
+much better relished by them: as to the host, he was neither rude, nor
+over civil; the cookery more savoury than clean; the window frames
+without glass, the rooms without chimneys. The demand for such
+entertainment is rather dearer than in France.
+
+Before I left _Perpignan_, I found it necessary to exchange some French
+gold for Spanish, and to be well informed of the two kingdoms. There
+were many people willing to change my money; though but few, indeed, who
+would give the full value. Formerly, you know, the _Pyrenees_ were
+charged with gold, from whence the Phoenicians fetched great quantities
+every year. In the time of the Romans, much of the _Pyrenean_ gold was
+sent to Rome; and a King of Portugal, so lately as the year 1512, had a
+crown and sceptre made of the gold washed from those hills into the
+_Tagus_; their treasures were known, you may remember, even to Ovid.
+
+    "Quod suo Tagus amne vehit fluit
+    Ignibus aurum."
+
+But as I did not expect to find a gold mine on my passage into Spain, I
+thought it best to carry a little with me, and leave nothing to chance;
+and I should have been content to have found, by the help of my gun, the
+bird vulgarly called the _Gelinotte des Pyrenees_; it has a curved bill
+like a hawk, and two long feathers in the tail; but though I saw a great
+number of different birds, I was not fortunate enough to find the
+_Ganga_, for that is the true name of a bird, so beautiful in feather,
+and of so delicate a flavour, that it is even mentioned by Aristotle,
+and is a native of these hills.
+
+P.S. I forgot to tell you, that the day we left _Cette_ we stopped,
+according to custom, to eat our cold dinner, in an olive grove; from
+whence we had a noble view of the Mediterranean Sea, and a most
+delightfully situated _Chateau_, standing upon the banks of a salt-water
+lake, at least twenty miles in circumference, "clear as the expanse of
+heaven;" and that while we were preparing to spread our napkin, a
+gentleman of genteel appearance came out from a neighbouring vineyard,
+and asked us if any accident had happened, and desired, if we wanted
+any thing, that we would command him, or whatever his house afforded,
+pointing to the _Chateau_, which had so attracted our notice: we told
+him, our business was to eat our little repast, with his leave, under,
+what we presumed, was his shade also, and invited him to partake with
+us. He had already captivated us by his polite attention, and by his
+agreeable conversation: we lamented that we had not better pretensions
+to have visited his lovely habitation. We found he was well acquainted
+with many English persons of fashion, who have occasionally resided at
+Montpellier; and I am sure, his being a winter inhabitant of that city,
+must be one of the most favourable circumstances the town affords. These
+little attentions to strangers, are never omitted by the well-bred part
+of the French nation. I could not refill asking the name of a gentleman,
+to whom I felt myself so much obliged, nor avoid telling him my own,
+and what had passed at the town of _Cette_, relative to the musical
+instruments, as one of the largest was still with us.--He seemed
+astonished, that I preferred the long and dangerous journey by land, as
+he thought it, to _Barcelona_, when I might, he said, have run down to
+it over a smooth sea, in the same bark I had put my baggage on board.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XVI.
+
+GIRONE.
+
+
+From _Jonquere_ to _Figuere_ (about four hours journey, so they reckon
+in Spain) the road is intolerable, and the country beautiful; over which
+the traveller may, as nature has done, repose himself upon a flowery
+bed, indeed; for nature surely could not do more for the pleasure and
+profit of man, than she has done from _Jonquere_ to _Girone_. The town
+of _Figuere_ is, properly speaking, the first town in Spain; for
+_Jonquere_ is rather a hamlet; but _Figuere_ has a decent, comfortable
+appearance, abounds with merchants and tradesmen, and at a little
+distance from it stands the strongest citadel in Spain; indeed it is the
+frontier town of the kingdom. The quietness of the people, and seeming
+tranquility of all ranks and orders of men in Spain, is very remarkable
+to a person who has just left a kingdom in every respect so different.
+Strangers as we were, and as we must be known to be, we passed
+unnoticed; and when we stopped near a cottage to eat our hedge dinner,
+neither man, woman, or child came near us, till I asked for water, and
+then they brought with it, unasked, dried grapes, and chesnuts, but
+instantly retired. I was charmed with the Arcadian inhabitants, and
+visited the inside of their cabin; but its situation upon a little
+_tump_, on the bank of a brook, shaded by ever-green oaks, and large
+spreading fig-trees, was all it had to boast of; it had nothing within
+but straw beds, Indian corn, dried grapes, figs, &c.
+
+From _Figuere_ to _Girone_, which is a good day's journey, the country
+is enclosed, and the hedgerows, corn fields, &c. had in many places the
+appearance of the finest parts of England, only warmed by a hotter sun,
+and adorned with woods and trees of other species; instead of the
+hawthorn, I found the orange and the pomegranate, the myrtle and the
+cypress; in short, all nature seemed to rejoice here, but man alone.
+
+From many parts of this road we had a view of the _Mediterranean_ Sea,
+and the Golfe _de Royas_, a fine bay, over which the heads of the
+_Pyrenees_ hang; and on the banks of which there seemed to be, not only
+villages, but large towns; the situations of which appeared so
+enchanting, that I could hardly resist the temptation of visiting
+them;--and now wonder why I did not; but at that time, I suppose I did
+not recollect I had nothing else to do.
+
+We entered this town rather too late, and were followed to our inn by an
+armed soldier, who demanded, in harsh terms, my attendance upon the
+Governor; I enquired whether it was customary for a Gentleman, just off
+a journey, to be so called upon, and was assured it was not; that my
+_passa-porte_ was sufficient. I therefore gave that to my conductor, and
+desired him to take it, and return it, which he did, in about half an
+hour; but required to be paid for his trouble--a request I declined
+understanding.
+
+This is a fortified city, well built, but every house has the appearance
+of a convent. I went into the market, where fruit, flesh, and
+vegetables, were to be sold in abundance; but instead of that noise
+which French and English markets abound with, a general silence and
+gravity reigned throughout; which, can hardly be thought possible, where
+so many buyers and sellers were collected together. I bought a basket of
+figs, but the vender of them spoke to me as softly as if we had been
+engaged in a conspiracy, but she did not attempt to impose; I dare say,
+she asked me no more than she would have demanded of a Spaniard. The
+manners of people are certainly infectious; my spirits sunk in this
+town; and I wanted nothing but the language, and a long cloak, to make
+me a compleat Spaniard. Our inn was the Golden Fountain; and,
+considering it was in Spain, not a bad one. If the town, however, was
+gloomy, the country round about it exhibited all the beauties nature can
+boast of.
+
+In climates, says some writer, where the earth seems to be the pride and
+masterpiece of nature, rags, and dirt, ghastly countenances, and misery
+under every form, are oftener met with, than in those countries less
+favoured by nature; and the forlorn and wretched condition of the people
+in general seemed to belie and disgrace their native soil. Certain it
+is, that the natives of the southern parts of Europe have neither the
+beauty, the strength, nor comeliness of men born in more northern
+climates. I have seen in the South of France, in Spain, and Portugal,
+the aged especially of both sexes, who hardly appeared human! nor do
+you see, in general, even among the youthful, much more beauty than that
+which youth alone must give; for youth itself is beauty. Whoever
+compares the natives of Switzerland, England, Ireland, and Scotland,
+with those of Spain, Portugal, or other Southern climates, will find,
+that men born among cold, bleak mountains, are infinitely superior to
+those of the finest climates under the sun. Perhaps, however, this
+difference may arise more from the want of Liberty than the power of
+climate. Oh Liberty! sweet Liberty! without thee life cannot be enjoyed!
+Thou parent of comfort, whose children bless thee, though they dwell
+among the barren rocks, or the most surly regions of the earth! Thou
+blessest, in spite of nature; and in spite of nature, tyranny brings
+curses.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER. XVII.
+
+MARTORY.
+
+
+After we left _Girone_ we passed thro' a fine country, but not equal to
+that which is between _Jonquire_ and that town; we lay the first night
+at a _veritiable_ Spanish _posada_; it was a single house, called the
+_Grenade_. We arrived there early in the afternoon; and though the
+inside of the house was but so-so, every thing without was charming, and
+our host and his two daughters gave us the best they had, treated us
+with civility enough; and gave us good advice in the prosecution of our
+journey to Barcelona; for about four leagues from this house, we found
+two roads to that city, one on the side of the Mediterranean Sea, the
+other inland. He advised us to take the former, which exactly tallied
+with my inclination, for wherever the sea-coast affords a road in hot
+climates, that must be the pleasantest; and I was very impatient till we
+got here.
+
+After we had left the high inland road, we had about three leagues to
+the sea side, and the village on its margin where we were to lie; this
+road was through a very wild, uncultivated country, over-run with
+underwood and tall firs. We saw but few houses and met with fewer
+people. When we came near the sea, the country, however, improved upon
+us; and the farms, churches, convents, and beacons, upon the high lands,
+rendered the prospects every way pleasing. We crossed a shallow river
+several times, adorned on both sides with an infinite quantity of tall
+beeches, on one of which trees (boy like) I cut my name, too high for
+_other boys_, without a ladder, to cut me _out_ again. At length we
+arrived at the village, and at a _posada_, than which nothing could be
+more dreadful, after the day-light was gone; for beside the rudest
+mistress, and the dirtiest servants that can be conceived, there lay a
+poor Frenchman dying in the next room to us; nay, I may almost say, in
+the same room with us, for it could hardly be called a door which parted
+us. This poor man, who had not a shilling in his pocket, had lain twenty
+days ill in that house; but was attended by the priests of the town with
+as much assiduity as if he had been a man of fashion: he had been often
+exhorted by them, it seems, to confess, but had refused. The night we
+came, he feared would be his last, and he determined to make his
+confession; I was in the room when he signified his desire so to do; and
+all the people were dismissed by the parish priest. I returned to my
+room, and could now and then hear what the priest said: but the sick
+man's voice was too low: his crimes however, I fear, were of an high
+nature, for we heard the priest say, with a voice of impatience and
+seeming horror, _Adonde--adonde--adonde_?--Where--where--where?
+
+You may imagine, a bad supper, lighted by stinking oil, burning in an
+iron lamp hung against the side of a wall, (for there were no candles to
+be had) and while the sick man was receiving the last sacrament, would
+have been little relished had it been good; that our dirty straw beds
+were no very comfortable retreat; and that day-light the next morning
+was what we most wanted and wished for. Indeed, I never spent a more
+miserable night; but it was amply made up to us by this day's journey to
+_Martory_, for we coasted it along the sea, which sometimes washed the
+wheels of my chaise At others, we crossed over high head-lands, which
+afforded such extensive views over both elements, as abundantly overpaid
+us for the sufferings of the preceding evening. The roads, indeed, over
+these head-lands were bad enough, in some places dangerous; but between
+walking and riding, with a steady horse, we got on very well.
+
+On this coast, we found a village at every league, inhabited by rich
+fishermen, and wealthy ship-builders, and found all these artificers
+busy enough in their professions; in some places, there were an hundred
+men dragging in, by bodily strength, the _Saine_; at others, still more
+surprising, ships of two hundred tons were building on the dry land,
+where no tide rises to launch them! These villages are built close to
+the sea; nothing intervenes between their houses and the ocean but their
+little gardens, in which, under the shade of their orange, lemon, and
+vine trees, which were loaded with fruit, sat the wives and daughters of
+the fishermen, making black silk lace. Though I call them villages, and
+though they are in reality so, yet the houses were such, in general, as
+would make a good figure even in a fine city; for they were all well
+built, and many adorned on the outside with no contemptible paintings.
+
+The town, indeed, from which I write, is situated in the same manner,
+but is a little city, and affords a _posada_, (I speak by comparison,
+remember) comfortable enough; and the sea a fish, they call the red
+fish, than which nothing can be more delicious; I may venture almost to
+call it the sea woodcock, for it is eaten altogether in the same manner.
+We fared better than my poor horse, for not a grain of oats or barley
+did this city afford; nor has he tasted, or have I seen, a morsel of hay
+since I parted from my little _Dona_, near the foot of the _Pyrenees_.
+Tomorrow we have seven hours to _Barcelona_; I can see the high cape
+under which it stands, and from under which, you shall soon hear again
+from me.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XVIII.
+
+BARCELONA.
+
+
+Upon our arrival at this town, we were obliged to wait at the outward
+gate above half an hour, no person being admitted to enter from twelve
+till one, tho' all the world may go out; that hour being allotted for
+the guards, &c. to eat their dinner. As I had no letter to any person in
+this city, but to the French Consul, I had previously wrote to a Mr.
+Ford, a merchant at Barcelona, with whom I had formerly travelled from
+London to Bath, to beg the favour of him to provide lodgings for me; I
+therefore enquired for Mr. Ford's house, and found myself conducted to
+that of a Mr. Curtoys; Mr. Ford, unfortunately for me, was dead; but the
+same house and business is carried on by Messrs. Adams and Curtoys, who
+had received and opened my letter. After this family had a little
+_reconnoitred_ mine, Mr. Curtoys came down, and with much civility, and
+an hospitable countenance, told me his dinner was upon the table, and in
+very pressing terms desired that we would partake of it. We found here a
+large family, consisting of his wife, a motherly good-looking woman;
+Mrs. Adams, her daughter by a former husband, a jolly dame; and several
+children. Mrs. Adams spoke fluently the Catalan, French, English, and
+Spanish tongues; all which were necessary at a table where there were
+people who understood but one only of each language. Mr. Curtoys pressed
+us to dine with him a few days after, a favour which I, only, accepted;
+when he told me, he was nominated, but not absolutely fixed in his
+Consulship of this city; that he had obtained it by the favour of Lord
+Rochford, who had spent some days at his house, on his way to Madrid,
+when his Lordship was Ambassador to this Court; and before I went from
+him, he desired I and my family would dine with him at his country-house
+the next day: instead of which, I waited upon him in the morning, and
+told him, that I had formerly received civilities from his friend, Lord
+Rochford, and believed him once to have been mine; but that,
+unfortunately, I found now it was much otherwise; and observed, that
+perhaps his politeness to me might injure him with his Lordship; and
+that I thought it right to say so much, that he might be guided by his
+own judgment, and not follow the bent of his inclination, if he thought
+it might be prejudicial to his interest; and by the way of a little
+return for the hospitable manner in which he had received and
+entertained me, and my family, I took out an hundred and twenty-five
+pound in Banknotes, and desired him to send them to England; adding,
+that I had about thirty pounds in my pocket, which I hoped would be
+sufficient for my expences, till he had an account of their safe
+arrival. But instead of his wonted chearful countenance, I was
+_contunded_ with an affected air of the man of business; my bank notes
+were shined against the window, turned and twisted about, as if the
+utmost use they could be of were to light the Consul's pipe after
+supper. I asked him whether he had any doubts of their authenticity; and
+shewed him a letter to confirm my being the person I said I was, written
+to me but a short time before, from his friend Lord Rochford, from whom
+he too had just received a letter: he then observed; that a burnt child
+dreads the fire; that their House had suffered; that a Moor had lately
+passed thro' France, who had put off a great number of false Bank notes,
+and that I might indiscreetly have taken some of them; but assuring him
+that I had received all mine from the hands of Messrs. Hoare, and that I
+would not call upon him for the money till he had received advice of
+their being good, I took my leave, and left my notes.
+
+But as there was a possibility, nay, a probability, that Mr. Curtoys
+might not have very early advice from England, or might not give it to
+me if he had, (for all his hospitality of countenance and civility was
+departed) I thought it was necessary to secure a retreat; for I should
+have informed you, that I found at his table a Mr. Wombwell, whose uncle
+I had lived in great intimacy with many years before at Gibraltar, and
+who left this man (now a Spanish merchant) all his fortune. Indeed, I
+should have said, that Mr. Wombwell had visited me, and even had asked
+me to dine with him; and as he appeared infinitely superior both in
+understanding, address, and knowledge of the world to good Mr. Curtoys,
+I went to him, with that confidence which a good note, and a good cause,
+gives to every man. I told him the Consul's fears, and my own, lest I
+might want money before Mr. Curtoys was ready to supply me; in which
+case, and which only, I asked Mr. Wombwell if he would change me a
+twenty pound Bank note, and shewed him one which I then took out of my
+pocket; but Mr. Wombwell too examined my notes, with all the attention
+of a cautious tradesman, and put on all that imperiousness which riches,
+and the haughty Spanish manners to an humble suitor, could suggest. I
+tell you, my dear Sir, what passed between us, more out of pity than
+resentment towards him; he said I will recollect it as nearly as I can,
+"that if you are Mr. Thicknesse, you must have lived a great deal in the
+world; it is therefore unfortunate, you are not acquainted with Sir
+Thomas Gascoyne, a gentleman of fashion, well known in England, and now
+in the same auberge with you." I confessed that I had seen, and
+conversed with Sir Thomas Gascoyne there, and that it was very true, he
+was to me, and I to him, utter strangers; but I observed, that Sir
+Thomas had been ten years upon his travels, and that I had lived
+fourteen years in retirement before he set out, and therefore that was
+but a weak circumstance of my being an impostor; I observed too, that
+impostors travelled singly, not with a wife and children; and that
+though I by no means wished to force his money out of his pocket, I
+coveted much to remove all suspicions of my being an adventurer, for
+many obvious reasons. This reply opened a glimpse of generosity, though
+sullied with arrogance and pride. "I should be sorry (said he) to see a
+countryman, who is an honest man, in want of money; and therefore, as I
+think it is probable you are Mr. Thicknesse, I will, when you want your
+note changed, change it;" adding, however, that "he thanked God! if he
+lost the money, he could afford it." I then told him, he had put it in
+my power to convince him I was Mr. Thicknesse, by declining, as I did,
+the boon he offered me; I declined it, indeed, with an honest
+indignation, because I am sure he did not doubt my being Mr. Thicknesse,
+and that _he_, not _I_, was the REAL PRETENDER. I had before told him,
+that I had some letters in my pocket written by a Spanish Gentleman of
+fashion, whose hand-writing must be well known in that town;--but to
+this he observed, that there was not a Moor in Spain who could not write
+Spanish;--he further remarked, that if I was Mr. Thicknesse, I had, in a
+publication of my travels, spoke of Sir John Lambert, a Parisian Banker,
+in very unhandsome terms, and, for aught he knew, I might take the same
+liberty with his name, in future. I acknowledged that his charge was
+very true, and that his suggestion might be so; that I should always
+speak and publish such truths as I thought proper, either for the
+information of others, or the satisfaction of myself. Mr. Wombwell,
+however, acknowledged, that Mr. Curtoys, to whom I shewed Lord
+Rochford's letter to me, ought to have been quite satisfied whether I
+was, or was not an impostor; but I still left him under real or
+pretended doubts, with a resolution to live upon bread and water, or the
+bounty of a taylor, my honest landlord; for, tho' a Spaniard, I am sure
+he had that perception, and that humanity too, which Mess. Curtoys and
+Wombwell have not, or artfully concealed from me: yet, in spite of all
+the unkind behaviour of the latter, I could not help shewing him my
+share of vanity too; I therefore sent him a letter, and enclosed therein
+others written to me by the late Lord Holland, the Duke of Richmond,
+Lord Oxford, and many other people of rank; and desired him to give me
+credit, at least, for _that_ which he could lose nothing by--that of my
+being, if I was an impostor, an ingenuous one. He sent the letters,
+handsomely sealed up, back again, without any answer; and there
+finished for ever, our correspondence, unless _he should renew it_.
+
+I am ashamed of saying so much about these men and myself, where I could
+find much better subjects, and some, perhaps, of entertainment; but it
+is necessary to shew how very proper it is for a stranger to take with
+him letters of recommendation when he travels, not only to other
+kingdoms, but to every city where he proposes to reside, even for a
+short time; for, as Mr. Wombwell justly observed, when I have a letter
+of recommendation from my friend, or correspondent, I can have no doubt
+who the bearer is; and I had rather take that recommendation than Bank
+notes.--I confess, that merchants cannot be too cautious and
+circumspect; I can, and do forgive Mr. Curtoys, for reasons he shall
+shew you under his own hand: but I have too good an opinion of Mr.
+Wombwell's perception to so readily forget his shrewd reprisals; though
+I must, I cannot refrain from telling you what a flattering thing he
+said to me: I had shewn him a printed paper, signed _Junius_; said he,
+"If you wrote this, you may be, for aught I know, really JUNIUS." I
+assured him that I was not; for being in Spain, and out of the reach of
+the inquisitorial court of Westminster-Hall, I would instantly avow it,
+for fear I should die suddenly, and carry that secret, like _Mrs.
+Faulkner_, to the grave with me.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XIX.
+
+BARCELONA.
+
+
+You will, as I am, be tired of hearing so much about Messrs. Wombwell,
+Curtoys, Adams, and Co.--but as there are some other persons here, which
+my last letter must have put you in some pain about, I must renew the
+subject. I had, you know, some letters of recommendation to the _Marquis
+of Grimaldi_, which I had reserved to deliver into his Excellency's
+hands at _Madrid_; but which I found necessary to send away by the post,
+and to request the honour of his Excellency to write to some Spaniard of
+fashion here, to shew me countenance, and to clear up my suspected
+character. I accordingly wrote to the _Marquis_, and sent him my letters
+of recommendation, but sixteen days was the soonest I could expect an
+answer. I therefore, in the mean time, wrote myself to the _Intendant_
+of _Barcelona_, a man of sense, and high birth; I told him my name, and
+that I had letters in my pocket from a Spanish Gentleman of fashion,
+whom he knew, which would convince him who I was, and desired leave to
+wait upon him. The Intendant fixed six o'clock the same evening. I was
+received, and conducted into his apartment, for he was ill, by one of
+his daughters; the only woman I had seen in Barcelona that had either
+beauty or breeding;--this young Lady had both in a high degree. After
+shewing my letters, and having conversed a little with the Intendant, a
+Lady with a red face, and a nose as big as a brandy bottle, accosted me
+in English: "Behold, Sir, (said she) your countrywoman." This was Madam
+O'Reilly, wife to the Governor of _Monjuique_ Castle, and brother to the
+Gentleman of that name, so well known, and so amply provided for, by the
+late and present King of Spain. She was very civil, and seemed
+sensible. Her husband, the Governor, soon after came in, and the whole
+family smiled upon me. I then began to think I should escape both goal
+and inquisition. Mrs. O'Reilly visited my family. Mr. O'Reilly borrowed
+a house for me, and a charming one too; I say borrowed it, for no
+Spaniard letts his house; I was only to make him some _recompense for
+his politeness and generosity_. The Intendant even sent Gov. O'Reilly to
+know why Mr. Curtoys had not presented me, on the court-day, to the
+Captain-General. Mr. Consul Curtoys was obliged to give his reasons in
+person; had they been true, they were good: the Intendant accepted them,
+and said he would present me himself. Things seemed now to take a
+favourable turn: Mr. Curtoys visited me on his way back from the
+Intendant's; assured me he had told him that I was a man of character,
+and an honest man; and that though he could not _see me_ as _Consul
+Curtoys_, he should be glad to see me as _Merchant Curtoys_. On the
+other hand, the _Marquis of Grimaldi_, with the politeness of a
+minister, and the feelings of humanity, wrote me a very flattering
+letter indeed, and sent it by a special _courier_, who came in four days
+from _Madrid_. Now, thought I, a fig for your Wombwells, Curtoys, &c.
+The first minister's favour, and the _shining countenance_ of Madam
+O'Reilly, must carry me through every thing. But alas! it was quite
+otherwise;--the _courier_ who brought my letter had directions to
+deliver it into my own hands; but either by _his blunder_, or _Madam
+O'Reilly's_, I did not get it till _nine hours_ after it arrived, and
+then _from the hands_ of _Madam O'Reilly's_ servant. The contents of
+this letter were soon known: the favour of the minister at _Madrid_ did
+not shine upon me at the _Court of Barcelona_! I visited Madam O'Reilly,
+who looked at me,--if I may use such a coarse expression,--"like God's
+revenge against murder." I could not divine what I had done, or what
+omitted to do. I could get no admittance at the Intendant's, neither. I
+proposed going to _Montserrat_, and asked my _fair_ countrywoman for a
+letter to one of the monks; but--_she knew nobody there, not she_:--Why
+then, madam, said I, perhaps I had better go back to France:--Oh! but,
+says she, perhaps the _Marquis of Grimaldi_ will not let you; adding,
+that the laws of France and Spain were very different.--But, pray,
+madam, said I, what have the laws of either kingdom to do with me, while
+I violate none of them? I am a citizen of the world, and consequently
+free in every country.--Now, Sir, to decypher all this, which I did by
+the help of some _characters_ an honest Spaniard gave me:--Why, says he,
+they say you are a _great Captain_; that you have had an attention shewn
+you by the _Marquis of Grimaldi_, which none of the O'Reilly's ever
+obtained; and they are afraid that you are come here to take the eldest
+brother's post from him, and that you are to command the troops upon the
+second expedition to _Algiers_; for every body is much dissatisfied
+with his conduct on the first; adding, that the Spaniards do not love
+him.--I told him, that might arise from his being a stranger; but I had
+been well assured, and I firmly believed it, that he is a gallant, an
+able, and a good officer; but, said I, that cannot be the reason of so
+much shyness in the _Intendant_, even if it does raise any uneasiness in
+the O'Reilly's family:--Yes, said he, it does; for the Captain-General
+O'Reilly is married lately to one of the Intendant's daughters. So you
+see here was another mine sprung under me; and I determined to set out
+in a day or two for _Montserrat_. I had but one card more to play, and
+that was to carry the open letter I had to the French Consul, and which,
+I forgot to tell you, I had shewn to the acute, discerning, and
+sagacious merchant Wombwell. It was written by _Madame de Maigny_, the
+Lady of the _Chevalier de Maigny_, of the regiment _d'Artois_, one of
+the Gentlemen with whom I had eat that voluptuous supper in company at
+_Pont St. Esprit_; but, as Mr. Wombwell shrewdly observed, my name was
+not even mentioned in that letter, it was the _bearer only_ who was
+recommended; and how could that Lady, any more than Mr. Wombwell, tell,
+but that I had murdered the first bearer, and robbed him of his
+recommendatory letter, and dressed myself in his scarlet and gold-laced
+coat, to practise the same wicked arts upon their lives and fortunes?
+
+Now, you will naturally wish to know how Sir Thomas Gascoyne, my
+_vis-a-vis_ neighbour in the same _Hotel_, conducted himself. I had,
+before all this fuss, eat, drank, and conversed with him: he is a
+sensible, genteel, well-bred man; and there was with him Mr. Swinburne,
+who was equally agreeable: no wonder, therefore, if I endeavoured to
+cultivate an acquaintance with two such men, so much superior, in all
+respects, to what the town afforded. Sir Thomas, however, became rather
+reserved; perhaps not more so than good policy made necessary for a man
+who was only just entering upon a grand tour through the whole kingdom,
+from Barcelona to Cadiz, Madrid, &c. &c. I perceived this shyness, but
+did not resent it, because I could not censure it. He had no suspicion
+of me at first; and if he had afterwards, I could not tell what
+circumstances might have been urged against me; and I considered, that
+if a man of his fortune and figure could have been suspected, there was
+much reason for him to join with others in suspecting me.
+
+The Moor, it seems, who had put off the counterfeit bank notes, had been
+advertised in all the foreign papers; his person was particularly
+described; and as application had been made to the Courts of France and
+Spain, to stop the career of such a villain, the Governor of _Barcelona_
+had, upon Sir Thomas Gascoyne's first arrival, stopped him, and sent
+for the Consul, verily believing he had got the offender. The Moor was
+described as a short, plump, black man; and as Sir Thomas has black
+eyes, and is rather _en bon point_, the plain, honest Governor had not
+discernment enough to see that ease and good breeding in Sir Thomas,
+which no Moor, however well he may imitate Bank notes, can counterfeit.
+But as Sir Thomas had letters of credit upon Mr. Curtoys, which
+ascertained his person and rank, this adventure became a laughable one
+to him. It is, indeed, from his mouth I relate it, though, perhaps, not
+with all the circumstances he told me.--Now, had my person tallied as
+well as Sir Thomas's did with that of the itinerant Moor, I should
+certainly have been in one of the round towers, which stick pretty thick
+in the walls of the fortification of this town.
+
+You will tremble--I assure you, I do--when I think of another escape I
+had; and I will tell you how:--The day after I left _Cette_, I came to
+a spot where the roads divide; here I asked two men, which was mine to
+_Narbonne_? one of them answered me in English; he was a shabby, but
+genteel-looking young man, said he came from _Italy_, and was going to
+_Barcelona_; that he had been defrauded of his money at _Venice_ by a
+parcel of sharpers, and was going to _Spain_ to get a passage to
+Holland, of which country he was a native; he was then in treaty, he
+said, with the other man to sell him a pair of breeches, to furnish him
+with money to carry him on; and as I had no servant at that time, he
+earnestly intreated me to take him into my service: I would not do that,
+you may be sure; but lest he might be an unfortunate man, like myself, I
+told him, if he could contrive to lie at the inns I did, I would pay for
+his bed and supper. He accepted an offer, I soon became very sorry I had
+made; and when we arrived at _Perpignan_, I gave him a little money to
+proceed, but absolutely forbad him either to walk near my chaise, or to
+sleep at the same inns I did; for as I knew him not, he should not enter
+into another kingdom as one in my _suite_; and I saw no more of him till
+some days after my arrival at Barcelona, where he accosted me in a
+better habit, and shewed me some real, or counterfeit gold he had got,
+he said, of a friend who knew his father at Amsterdam. He was a bold,
+daring fellow; and it was with some difficulty I could prevail upon him
+not to walk _cheek by jole_ with me along the ramparts.
+
+Soon after this I was informed, that a fine-dressed, little black-eyed
+man was arrived in a bark from Italy. This man proved to be, as Mr.
+Curtoys informed me, the very Moor whom Sir Thomas Gascoyne was
+suspected to be: he was apprehended, and committed to one of the round
+towers. But what will you say, or what would have been my lot, had I
+taken the other man into my service?--for the minute _my white man_, for
+he was a _whitish_ Moor, saw the black one arrive, he decamped; they
+were afraid of each other, and both wanted to escape; my man went off on
+foot; the black man was apprehended, while he was in treaty with the
+master of the same bark he came in, to carry him to some other sea-port.
+Now had I come in with such a servant, and with my suspected Bank notes,
+without letters of credit, or recommendation; had the Moor arrived, who
+is the real culprit, and who had been connected with my man, what would
+have become of his master, your unfortunate humble servant?--I doubt the
+_abilities_ of his Britannic Majesty's Consul would not have been able
+to have divided our degrees of _guilt_ properly; and that I should have
+experienced but little charity on my straw bed, from the humanity of Mr.
+Wombwell. However, I had still one card more to play to reinforce my
+purse; it was one, I thought could not fail, and the money was nearer
+home:--I had lent, while I was at Calais, thirty guineas to a French
+officer, for no other reason but because he wanted it: I knew the man;
+and as he promised to pay me in three months, and as that time was
+expired, I applied to Mr. Harris, a Scotch merchant, at his house at
+Barcelona, on whom the London Bankers of the same name give letters of
+credit to travellers. I begged the favour of him to send the note to his
+correspondents at Paris, and to procure the money for me, and when it
+was paid, that he would give it to me at Barcelona; but Mr. Harris too,
+begged to be excused: he started some difficulties, but at length did
+give me a receipt for the note, and promised, reluctantly enough, to
+send it. I began now to think that I should starve indeed. Every article
+of life is high in Spain, and my purse was low. I therefore wrote to Mr.
+Curtoys, to know if he had any tidings of the Bank bills; for I had
+immediately wrote to Messrs. Hoare, to beg the favour of them to send
+Mr. Curtoys the numbers of those which I received at their house; and
+they very politely informed me, they had so done. Mr. Consul Curtoys
+favoured me with the following answer:
+
+"Mr. Curtoys presents his compliments to Mr. Thicknesse; no ways doubts
+the Bank bills _to be good_, from London this post under the 24th past,
+they _accuse_ receipt thereof, &c. _Barcelona_, 12th of December, 1775."
+
+As Mr. Curtoys's correspondent had _accused receipt thereof_, I thought
+I might too, and accordingly I went and desired my money. The cashier
+was sick, they said, and I was desired to call again the next morning,
+_when he would be much better_;--I did so, and received my money; and
+shall set off immediately for _Montserrat_, singing, and saying what I
+do not exactly agree to; but, being at Rome, I would do as they do
+there: I therefore taught my children to repeat the following Spanish
+proverb:
+
+    "Barcelonaes Buéno,
+    Si la Bolsa fuéno;
+    Suéno ô no fuéno;
+    Barcelonaes Buéno."
+
+I will not translate what, I am sure, you will understand the sense of
+much better than you will think I experienced the truth. I hope,
+however, to have done with my misfortunes; for I am going to visit a
+spot inhabited by virtuous and retired men; a place, according to all
+reports, cut out by nature for such who are able to sequester themselves
+from all worldly concerns; and from such strangers as they are I am sure
+I shall meet with more charity for they deal in nothing else than I met
+with humanity or politeness at Barcelona.
+
+_P.S._ I should have told you, that before Sir Thomas Gascoyne left this
+town, he sent a polite message, to desire to take leave of me and my
+family: I therefore waited upon him; and as he proposed visiting
+Gibraltar, I troubled him with a letter to my son, then on that duty;
+and was sorry soon after to find that my son had left the garrison
+before Sir Thomas could arrive at it. If you ask me how Sir Thomas
+Gascoyne ventured to make so great a tour through a country so aukwardly
+circumstanced for travellers in general, and strangers in particular, I
+can only say, that when I saw him he had but just began his long
+journey, and that he had every advantage which _religion_ and fortune
+could give him. I had none: he travelled with two coaches, two sets of
+horses, two saddle mules, and was protected by a train of servants. I
+had religion, (but it was a bad one in that country) and only one
+footman, who strictly maintained his character, for he always walked.
+Indeed, it is the fashion of all Spanish gentlemen to be followed by
+their servant on foot. I therefore travelled like a Spaniard; Sir
+Thomas like an Englishman. The whole city of _Barcelona_ was in an
+uproar the morning Sir Thomas's two coaches set off; and I heard, with
+concern, that they both broke down before they got half way to
+_Valencia_; but, with pleasure, by a polite letter soon after from Mr.
+Swinburne, that they got so far in perfect health.
+
+I am, dear Sir, &c.
+
+_P.S._ Before I quit Barcelona, it will be but just to say, that it is a
+good city, has a fine mole, and a noble citadel, beside _Monjuique_, a
+strong fort, which stands on a high hill, and which commands the town as
+well as the harbour. The town is very large and strongly fortified,
+stands in a large plain, and is encompassed with a semi-circular range
+of high hills, rather than mountains, which form _un coup-d'oeil_,
+that is very pleasing, as not only the sides of the hills are adorned
+with a great number of country houses, but the plain also affords a
+great many, beside several little villages. The roads too near the town
+are very good. As to the city itself, it is rather well built in
+general, than abounding with any particular fine buildings. The
+Inquisition has nothing to boast of now, either within or without,
+having (fortunately for the public) lost a great part of its former
+power: it, however, still keeps an awe upon all who live within its
+verge. I never saw a town in which trade is carried on with more spirit
+and industry; the indolent disposition of the Spaniards of _Castile_,
+and other provinces, has not extended ever into this part of Spain. They
+have here a very fine theatre; but those who perform upon the stage are
+the refuse of the people, and are too bad to be called by the name of
+actors. They have neither libraries nor pictures worthy of much notice,
+though they boast of one or two paintings in their churches by natives
+of the town, François _Guirro_, and John _Arnau_. In the custom-house
+hangs a full-length of the present King, so execrable, that one would
+wonder it was not put, with the painter, into the Inquisition, as a
+libel on royalty and the arts. I am told, at _La Fete Dieu_ there are
+some processions of the most ridiculous nature. The fertility of the
+earth in and about the town is wonderful; the minute one crop is off the
+earth, another is put in; no part of the year puts a stop to vegetation.
+In the coldest weather, the market abounds with a great variety of the
+choicest flowers; yet their sweets cannot over-power the intolerable
+smell which salt fish, and stinking fish united, diffuse over all that
+part of the city; and rich as the inhabitants are, you will see the
+legs, wings, breasts, and entrails of fowls, in the market, cut up as
+joints of meat are in other countries, to be sold separately: nor could
+I find in this great city either oil, olives, or wine, that were
+tolerable. I paid a guinea a day at the _Fontain d'Or_ for my table;
+yet every thing was so dirty, that I always made my dinner from the
+dessert; nor was there any other place but the stable of this dirty inn
+to put up my horse, where I paid twelve livres a week for straw only;
+and whoever lodges at this inn, must pay five shillings a day for their
+dinner, whether they dine there or not.
+
+_Catalonia_ is undoubtedly the best cultivated, the richest, and most
+industrious province, or principality, in Spain; and the King, who has
+the SUN FOR HIS HAT, (for it always shines in some part of his
+dominions) has nothing to boast of, equal to _Catalonia_.
+
+As I have almost as much abhorrence to the Moors, as even the Spaniards
+themselves, (having visited that coast two or three times, many years
+ago) you may be sure I was grieved to meet, every time I went out, so
+many maimed and wounded officers and soldiers, who were not long
+returned from the unsuccessful expedition to _Algiers_. There are no
+troops in the world more steady than the Spaniards; it was not for want
+of bravery they miscarried, but there was some sad mismanagement; and
+had the Moors followed their blows, not a man of them would have
+returned. My servant, (a French deserter) who was upon that expedition,
+says, Gen. O'Reilly was the first who landed, and the last who
+embarked;--but it is the HEAD, not the _arm_ of a commander in chief,
+which is most wanted. The Moors at _le point du jour_, advanced upon
+the Spaniards behind a formidable _masked and moving battery_ of
+camels: the Spaniards, believing them, by a faint light, to be cavalry,
+expended a great part of their strength, spirits, and ammunition, upon
+those harmless animals; and it was not till _this curtain_ was removed
+that the dreadful carnage began, in which they lost about nine thousand
+men. There seems to have been some strange mismanagement; it seems
+probable that there was no very good understanding between the marine
+and the land officers. The fleet were many days before the town, and
+then landed just where the Moors expected they would land. There is
+nothing so difficult, so dangerous, nor so liable to miscarriage, as
+the war of _invading_: our troops experienced it at _St. Cas_; and they
+either have, or will experience it in America. The wild negroes in
+Jamaica, to whom Gov. Trelawney wisely gave, what they contended for,
+(LIBERTY) were not above fifteen hundred fit to bear arms. I was in
+several skirmishes with them, and second in command under Mr. Adair's
+brother, a valiant young man who died afterwards in the field, who made
+peace with them; yet I will venture to affirm, that though five hundred
+disciplined troops would have subdued them in an open country, the
+united force of France and England could not have extirpated them from
+their fast holds in the mountains. Did not a Baker battle and defeat
+two Marshals of France in the Cevennes? And is it probable, that all
+the fleets and armies of Great-Britain can conquer America?--England
+may as well attempt moving that Continent on this side the Atlantic.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XX.
+
+MONTSERRAT.
+
+
+I never left any place with more secret satisfaction than I did
+_Barcelona_; exclusive of the entertainment I was prepared to expect,
+by visiting this holy mountain; nor have I been disappointed; but on
+the contrary, found it, in every respect, infinitely superior to the
+various accounts I had heard of it;--to give a perfect description of
+it is impossible;--to do that it would require some of those attributes
+which the Divine Power by whose almighty handy it was raised, is
+endowed with. It is called _Montserrat_, or _Mount-Scie_,[C] by the
+_Catalonians_, words which signify a cut or _sawed mountain_; and so
+called from its singular and extraordinary form; for it is so broken,
+so divided, and so crowned with an infinite number of spiring cones,
+or PINE heads, that it has the appearance, at distant view, to be the
+work of man; but upon a nearer approach, to be evidently raised by HIM
+alone, to whom nothing is impossible. It looks, indeed, like the first
+rude sketch of GOD's work; but the design is great, and the execution
+such, that it compels all men who approach it, to lift up their hands
+and eyes to heaven, and to say,--Oh GOD!--HOW WONDERFUL ARE ALL THY
+WORKS!
+
+[C] The arms of the Abbey are--A saw in the middle of a rock.
+
+It is no wonder then, that such a place should be fixed upon for the
+residence of holy and devout men; for there is not surely upon the
+habitable globe a spot so properly adapted for retirement and
+contemplation; it has therefore, for many ages, been inhabited only by
+monks and hermits, whose first vow is, never to forsake it;--a vow,
+without being either a hermit or a monk, I could make, I think, without
+repenting.
+
+If it be true, and some great man has said so, that "_whosoever
+delighteth in solitude, is either a wild beast, or a God_;" the
+inhabitants of this spot are certainly more than men; for no wild beast
+dwells here. But it is the _place_, not the people, I mean at present to
+speak of. It stands in a vast plain, seven leagues they call it, but it
+is at least thirty miles from _Barcelona_, and nearly in the center of
+the principality of _Catalonia_. The height of it is so very
+considerable, that in one hour's slow travelling towards it, after we
+left _Barcelona_, it shewed its pointed steeples, high over the lesser
+mountains, and seemed so very near, that it would have been difficult to
+have persuaded a person, not accustomed to such deceptions, in so clear
+an atmosphere to believe, that we had much more than an hour's journey
+to arrive at it; instead of which, we were all that day in getting to
+_Martorel_, a small city, still three leagues distant from it, where we
+lay at the Three Kings, a pretty good inn, kept by an insolent imposing
+Italian. _Martorel_ stands upon the steep banks of the river
+_Lobregate_, over which there is a modern bridge, of a prodigious
+height, the piers of which rest on the opposite shore, against a Roman
+triumphal arch of great solidity, and originally of great beauty. I
+think I tell you the truth when I say, that I could perceive the
+convent, and some of the hermitages, when I first saw the mountain, at
+above twenty miles distance. From _Martorel_, however, they were as
+visible as the mountain itself, to which the eye was directed, down the
+river, the banks of which were adorned with trees, villages, houses, &c.
+and the view terminated by this the most glorious monument in nature.
+When I first saw the mountain, it had the appearance of an infinite
+number of rocks cut into _conical_ forms, and built one upon another to
+a prodigious height. Upon a nearer view, each cone appeared of itself a
+mountain; and the _tout ensemble_ compose an enormous mass of the
+_Lundus Helmonti_, or plumb-pudding stone, fourteen miles in
+circumference, and what the Spaniards _call_ two leagues in height. As
+it is like unto no other mountain, so it stands quite unconnected with
+any, though not very distant from some very lofty ones. Near the base of
+it, on the south side, are two villages, the largest of which is
+_Montrosol_; but my eyes were attracted by two ancient towers, which
+flood upon a hill near _Colbaton_, the smallest, and we drove to that,
+where we found a little _posada_, and the people ready enough to furnish
+us with mules and asses, for we were now become quite impatient to visit
+the hallowed and celebrated convent, _De Neustra Senora_; a convent, to
+which pilgrims resort from the furthest parts of Europe, some bearing,
+by way of penance, heavy bars of iron on their backs, others cutting and
+slashing their naked bodies with wire cords, or crawling to it on
+all-fours, like the beasts of the field, to obtain forgiveness of their
+sins, by the intercession of _our Lady of Montserrat_.
+
+When we had ascended a steep and rugged road, about one hour, and where
+there was width enough, and the precipices not too alarming, to give our
+eyes the utmost liberty, we had an earnest of what we were to expect
+above, as well as the extensive view below; our impatience to see more
+was encreased by what we had already seen; the majestic convent opened
+to us a view of her venerable walls; some of the hermits' cells peeped
+over the broken precipices still higher; while we, glutted with
+astonishment, and made giddy with delight and amazement, looked up at
+all with a reverential awe, towards that God who raised the
+PILES, and the holy men who dwell among them.--Yes, Sir,--we
+caught the holy flame; and I hope we came down better, if not wiser,
+than we went up. After ascending full two hours and a half more, we
+arrived on a flat part on the side, and about the middle of the
+mountain, on which the convent is built; but even that flat was made so
+by art, and at a prodigious expence. Here, however, was width enough to
+look securely about us; and, good God! what an extensive field of earth,
+air, and sea did it open! the ancient towers, which at first attracted
+my notice near _Colbaton_, were dwindled into pig-sties upon a
+_mounticule_. At length, and a great length it was, we arrived at the
+gates of the _Sanctuary_; on each side of which, on high pedestals,
+stand the enormous statues of two saints; and nearly opposite, on the
+base of a rock, which leans in a frightful manner over the buildings,
+and threatens destruction to all below, a great number of human sculls
+are fixed in the form of a cross. Within the gate is a square cloister,
+hung round with paintings of the miracles performed by the Holy Virgin,
+with votive offerings, &c. It was Advent week, when none of the monks
+quit their apartments, but one whose weekly duty it was to attend the
+call of strangers; nor did the whole community afford but a single
+member (_pere tendre_, a _Fleming_) who could speak French. It was _Pere
+Pascal_, by whom we were shewn every mark of politeness and attention,
+which a man of the world could give, but administered with all that
+humility and meekness, so becoming a man who had renounced it. He put us
+in possession of a good room, with good beds; and as it was near night,
+and very cold, he ordered a brazier of red-hot embers into our
+apartment; and having sent for the cook of the strangers' kitchen, (for
+there are four public kitchens) and ordered him to obey our commands, he
+retired to evening _vespers_; after which he made us a short visit, and
+continued to do so, two or three times every day, while we staid.
+Indeed, I began to fear we staid too long, and told him so; but he
+assured me the apartment was ours for a month or two, if we pleased.
+During our stay, he admitted me into his apartments, and filled my box
+with delicious Spanish snuff, and shewed us every attention we would
+wish, and much more than, as _unrecommended_ strangers, we could expect.
+All the poor who come here are fed gratis for three days, and all the
+sick received in the hospital. Sometimes, on particular festivals, seven
+thousand arrive in one day; but people of condition pay a reasonable
+price for what they eat. There was before our apartment a long covered
+gallery; and tho' we were in a deep recess of the rocks, which projected
+wide and high on our right and left, we had in front a most extensive
+view of the _world below_, and the more distant Mediterranean Sea. It
+was a moon-light night; and, in spite of the cold, it was impossible to
+be shut out of the enchanting lights and shades which her silver beams
+reflected on the rude rocks above, beneath, and on all sides of
+us.--Every thing was as still as death, till the sonorous convent bell
+warned the Monks to midnight prayer. At two o'clock, we heard some of
+the tinkling bells of the hermits' cells above give notice, that they
+too were going to their devotion at the appointed hour: after which I
+retired to my bed; but my mind was too much awakened to permit me to
+sleep; I was impatient for the return of day-light, that I might proceed
+still higher; for, miser like, tho' my _coffers were too full_, I
+coveted more; and accordingly, after breakfast, we eagerly set our feet
+to the first _round_ of the _hermit's ladder_; it was a stone one
+indeed, but stood in all places dreadfully steep, and in many almost
+perpendicular. After mounting up a vast chasm in the rock, yet full of
+trees and shrubs, about a thousand paces, fatigued in body, and
+impatient for a safe resting place, we arrived at a small hole in the
+rock, through which we were glad to crawl; and having got to the secure
+side of it, prepared ourselves, by a little rest, to proceed further;
+but not, I assure you, without some apprehensions, that if there was no
+better road down, we must have become _hermits_. After a second
+clamber, not quite so dreadful as the first, but much longer, we got
+into some flowery and serpentine walks, which lead to two or three of
+the nearest hermitages then visible, and not far off, one of which hung
+over so horrible a precipice, that it was terrifyingly picturesque. We
+were now, however, I thought, certainly in the garden of Eden! Certain I
+am, Eden could not be more beautifully adorned; for God alone is the
+gardener here also; and consequently, every thing prospered around us
+which could gratify the eye, the nose and, the imagination.
+
+    "Profuse the myrtle spread unfading boughs,
+    Expressive emblem of eternal vows."
+
+For the myrtle, the eglantine, the jessamin, and all the smaller kind of
+aromatic shrubs and flowers, grew on all sides thick and spontaneously
+about us; and our feet brushed forth the sweets of the lavender,
+rosemary and thyme, till we arrived at the first, and peaceful
+hermitage of _Saint Tiago_. We took possession of the holy inhabitants
+little garden, and were charmed with the neatness, and humble
+simplicity, which in every part characterised the possessor. His little
+chapel, his fountain, his vine arbor, his stately cypress, and the walls
+of his cell, embraced on all sides with ever-greens, and adorned with
+flowers, rendered it, exclusive of its situation, wonderfully pleasing.
+His door, however, was fast, and all within was silent; but upon
+knocking, it was opened by the venerable inhabitant: he was cloathed in
+a brown cloth habit, his beard was very long, his face pale, his manners
+courteous; but he seemed rather too deeply engaged in the contemplation
+of the things of the next world, to lose much of his time with _such
+things_ as _us_. We therefore, after peeping into his apartments, took
+his benediction, and he retired, leaving us all his worldly possessions,
+but his straw bed, his books, and his beads. This hermitage is confined
+between two pine heads, within very narrow bounds; but it is artfully
+fixed, and commands at noon day a most enchanting prospect to the East
+and to the North. Though it is upwards of two thousand three hundred
+paces from the convent, yet it hangs so directly over it, that the rocks
+convey not only the sound of the organ, and the voices of the monks
+singing in the choir, but you may hear men in common conversation from
+the piazza below.
+
+This is a long letter; but I know you would not willingly have left me
+in the midst of danger, or before I was safe arrived at the first stage
+towards heaven, and seen one humble host on GOD's high road.
+
+_P.S._ At two o'clock, after midnight, these people rise, say mass, and
+continue the remainder of the night in prayer and contemplation. The
+hermits tell you, it was upon high mountains that God chose to manifest
+his will:--_fundamenta ejus in montibus sanctis_, say they;--they
+consider these rocks as symbols of their penitence, and mortifications;
+and their being so beautifully covered with fine flowers, odoriferous
+and rare plants, as emblems of the virtue and innocence of the religious
+inhabitants; or how else, say they, could such rocks produce
+spontaneously flowers in a desart, which surpass all that art and nature
+combined can do, in lower and more favourable soils? They may well think
+so; for human reason cannot account for the manner by which such
+enormous quantities of trees, fruits, and flowers are nourished,
+seemingly without soil. But that which established a church and convent
+on this mountain, was the story of a hermit who resided here many years;
+this was _Juan Guerin_, who lived on this mountain alone, the austerity
+of whose life was such, that the people below believed he subsisted
+without eating or drinking. As some very extraordinary circumstances
+attended this man's life, all which are universally believed here, it
+may not be amiss to give you some account of him:--You must know, Sir,
+then, that the devil envying the happiness of this good man equipped
+himself in the habit of a hermit, and possessed himself of a cavern in
+the same mountain, which still bears the name of the _Devil's Grot_;
+after which he took occasion to throw himself in the way of poor
+_Guerin_, to whom he expressed his surprize at seeing one of his own
+order dwell in a place he thought an absolute desert; but thanked God,
+for giving him so fortunate a meeting. Here the devil, and _Guerin_
+became very intimate, and conversed much together on spiritual matters;
+and things went on well enough between them for a while, when another
+devil chum to the first, possessed the body of a certain Princess,
+daughter of a Count of _Barcelona_, who became thereby violently
+tormented with horrible convulsions. She was taken to the church by her
+afflicted father. The dæmon who possessed her, and who, spoke for her,
+said, that nothing could relieve her from her sufferings but the
+prayers of a devout and pious hermit, named _Guerin_, who dwelt on
+_Montserrat_. The father, therefore, immediately repaired to _Guerin_,
+and besought his prayers and intercession for the recovery of his
+daughter. It so happened (for so the devil would have it) that this
+business could not be perfectly effected in less than nine days; and
+that the Princess must be left that time alone with _Guerin_ in his
+cave. Poor _Guerin_, conscious of his frail nature, opposed this measure
+with all his might; but there was no resisting the argument and
+influence of the devil, and she was accordingly left. Youth, beauty, a
+cave, solitude, and virgin modesty, were too powerful not to overcome
+even the chaste vows and pious intentions of poor _Guerin_. The devil
+left the virgin, and possessed the saint. He consulted his false friend,
+and told him how powerful this impure passion was become, and his
+intentions of flying from the danger; but the devil advised him _to
+return to his cell_, and pray to God to protect him from sin. _Guerin_
+took his council, returned and fell into the fatal snare. The devil then
+persuaded him to kill the Princess, in order to conceal his guilt, and
+to tell her father she had forsaken his abode while he was intent on
+prayer. _Guerin_ did so; but became very miserable, and at length
+determined to make a pilgrimage to Rome, to obtain a remission of his
+complicated crimes. The Pope enjoined him to return to _Montserrat_, on
+all fours, and to continue in that state, without once looking up to
+heaven, for the space of seven years, or 'till a child of three months
+old told him, his sins were forgiven: all which _Guerin_ chearfully
+complied with, and accordingly crawled back to the defiled mountain.
+
+Soon after the expiration of the seven years Count _Vifroy_, the father
+of the murdered Princess, was hunting on the mountain of _Montserrat_,
+and passing near _Guerin's_ cave, the dogs entered, and the servant
+seeing a hideous figure concluded they had found the wild beast they
+were in pursuit of: they informed the Count of what they had seen, who
+gave directions to secure the beast alive, which was accordingly done;
+for he was so over-grown with hair, and so deformed in shape, that they
+had no idea of the creature being human. He was therefore kept in the
+Count's stable at _Barcelona_, and shewn to his visitors as a wonderful
+and singular wild beast. During this time, while a company were
+examining this extraordinary animal, a nurse with a young child in her
+arms looked upon it, and the child after fixing his eyes stedfastly for
+a few minutes on _Guerin_, said, "_Guerin, rise, thy sins are forgiven
+thee_!"--_Guerin_ instantly rose, threw himself at the Count's feet,
+confessed the crimes he had been guilty of, and desired to receive the
+punishment due to them, from the hands of him whom he had so highly
+injured; but the Count, perceiving that God had forgiven him, forgave
+him also.
+
+I will not trouble you with all the particulars which attended this
+miracle; it will be sufficient to say, that the Count and _Guerin_ went
+to take up the body of the murdered Princess, for burial with her
+ancestors; but, to their great astonishment found her there alive,
+possessing the same youth and beauty she had been left with, and no
+alteration of any kind, but a purple streak about her neck where the
+cord had been twisted, and wherewith _Guerin_ had strangled her. The
+father desired her to return to _Barcelona_; but she was enjoined by the
+Holy Virgin, she said, to spend her days on that miraculous spot; and
+accordingly a church and convent was built there, the latter inhabited
+by Nuns, of which the Princess (who had risen from the dead) was the
+Abbess. It was called the Abbey _des Pucelles_, of the order of _St.
+Benoit_, and was founded in the year 801. But such a vast concourse of
+people, of both sexes, resorted to it, from all parts of the world, that
+at length it was thought prudent to remove the women to a convent at
+_Barcelona_, and place a body of _Benedictine_ monks in their place.
+
+Strange as this story is, it is to be seen in the archives of this holy
+house; and in the street called _Condal_, at _Barcelona_, may be seen in
+the wall of the old palace of the Count's, an ancient figure, cut in
+stone, which represents the nurse with the child in her arms, and a
+strange figure, on his knees, at her feet, and that is Friar _Guerin_.
+
+Now, whether you will believe all this story, or not, I cannot take upon
+me to say; but I will assure you, that when you visit this spot, it will
+be necessary to _say you do_; or you would appear in their eyes a much
+greater wonder than any thing which I have related, of the Devil, the
+Friar, the Virgin, and the Count.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXI.
+
+
+The second hermitage, for I give them in the order they are usually
+visited, is that of _St. Catharine_, situated in a deep and solitary
+vale: it however commands a most extensive and pleasing prospect, at
+noon-day, to the East and West. The buildings, garden, &c. are confined
+within small limits, being fixed in a most picturesque and secure recess
+under the foot of one of the high pines. Though this hermit's habitation
+is the most retired and solitary abode of any, and far removed from the
+_din_ of men, yet the courteous, affable, and sprightly inhabitant,
+seems not to feel the loss of human society, though no man, I think, can
+be a greater ornament to human nature. If he is not much accustomed to
+hear the voice of men, he is amply recompensed by the notes of birds;
+for it is their sanctuary as well as his; for no part of the mountain
+is so well inhabited by the feathered race of beings as this delightful
+spot. Perhaps indeed, they have sagacity enough to know that there is no
+other so perfectly secure. Here the nightingale, the blackbird, the
+linnet, and an infinite variety of little songsters greater strangers to
+my eyes, than fearful of my hands, dwell in perfect security, and live
+in the most friendly intimacy with their holy protector, and obedient to
+his call; for, says the hermit,
+
+    "Haste here, ye feather'd race of various song,
+    Bring all your pleasing melody along!
+    O come, ye tender, faithful, plaintive doves,
+    Perch on my hands, and sing your absent loves!"--
+
+When instantly the whole _vocal band_ quit their sprays, and surround
+the person of their daily benefactor, some settling upon his head,
+others entangle their feet in his beard, and in the true sense of the
+word, take his bread even out of his mouth; but it is freely given:
+their confidence is so great, (for the holy father is their bondsman)
+that the stranger too partakes of their familiarity and caresses. These
+hermits are not allowed to keep within their walls either dog, cat,
+bird, or any living thing, lest their attention should be withdrawn from
+heavenly to earthly affections. I am sorry to arraign this good man; he
+cannot be said to transgress the law, but he certainly _evades_ it; for
+though his feathered band do not live within his walls, they are always
+attendant upon his _court_; nor can any prince or princess on earth
+boast of heads so _elegantly plumed_, as may be seen at the court of St.
+_Catharine_; or of vassals who pay their tributes with half the
+chearfulness they are given and received by the humble monarch of this
+sequestered vale. If his meals are scanty, his dessert is served up with
+a song, and he is hushed to sleep by the nightingale; and when we
+consider, that he has but few days in the whole year which are inferior
+to some of our best in the months of May and June, you may easily
+conceive, that a man who breathes such pure air, who feeds on such light
+food, whose blood circulates freely from moderate exercise, and whose
+mind is never ruffled by worldly affairs, whose short sleeps are sweet
+and refreshing, and who lives confident of finding in death a more
+heavenly residence; lives a life to be envied, not pitied.--Turn but
+your eyes one minute from this man's situation, to that of any monarch
+or minister on earth, and say, on which side does the balance
+turn?--While some princes may be embruing their hands in the blood of
+their subjects, this man is offering up his prayers to God to preserve
+all mankind:--While some ministers are sending forth fleets and armies
+to wreak their own private vengeance on a brave and uncorrupted people,
+this solitary man is feeding, from his own scanty allowance, the birds
+of the air.--Conceive him, in his last hour, upon his straw bed, and see
+with what composure and resignation he meets it!--Look in the face of
+a dying king, or a plundering, and blood-thirsty minister,--what terrors
+the sight of their velvet beds, adorned with crimson plumage, must bring
+to their affrighted imagination!--In that awful hour, it will remind
+them of the innocent blood they have spilt;--nay, they will perhaps
+think, they were dyed with the blood of men scalped and massacred, to
+support their vanity and ambition!--In short, dear Sir, while kings and
+ministers are torn to pieces by a thirst after power and riches, and
+disturbed by a thousand anxious cares, this poor hermit can have but
+one, _i.e._ lest he should be removed (as the prior of the convent has a
+power to do) to some other cell, for that is sometimes done, and very
+properly.
+
+The youngest and most hardy constitutions are generally put into the
+higher hermitages, or those to which the access is most difficult; for
+the air is so fine, in the highest parts of the mountain, that they say
+it often renders the respiration painful. Nothing therefore can be more
+reasonable than, that as these good men grow older, and less able to
+bear the fatigues and inconveniencies the highest abodes unavoidably
+subject them to, should be removed to more convenient dwellings, and
+that the younger and stouter men should succeed them.
+
+As the hermits never eat meat, I could not help observing to him, how
+fortunate a circumstance it was for the safety of his little feathered
+friends; and that there were no boys to disturb their young, nor any
+sportsman to kill the parent.--God forbid, said he, that one of them
+should fall, but by his hands who gave it life!--Give me your hand, said
+I, and bless me!--I believe it did; _but it shortened my visit_:--so I
+stept into the _grot_, and _stole_ a pound of chocolate upon his stone
+table, and myself away.
+
+If there is a happy man upon this earth, I have seen that extraordinary
+man, and here he dwells!--his features, his manners, all his looks and
+actions, announce it;--yet he had not even a single _maravedi_ in his
+pocket:--money is as useless to him, as to one of his black-birds.
+
+Within a gun-shot of this _remnant_ of _Eden_, are the remains of an
+ancient hermitage, called _St. Pedro_. While I was there, my hermit
+followed me; but I too _coveted retirement_. I had just bought a fine
+fowling-piece at _Barcelona_; and when he came, I was availing myself of
+the hallowed spot, to make _my vow_ never to use it. In truth, dear Sir,
+there are some sorts of pleasures too powerful for the body to bear, as
+well as some sort of pain: and here I was wrecked upon the wheel of
+felicity; and could only say, like the poor criminal who suffered at
+_Dijon_,--O God! O God! at every _coup_.
+
+I was sorry my host did not understand English, nor I Spanish enough,
+to give him the sense of the lines written in poor _Shenstone_'s alcove.
+
+    "O you that bathe in courtlye bliss,
+    "Or toyle in fortune's giddy spheare;
+    "Do not too rashly deeme amisse
+    "Of him that hides contented here.
+
+I forgot the other lines; but they conclude thus:
+
+   "For faults there beene in busye life
+    From which these peaceful glennes are free."
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXII.
+
+
+I know you will not like to leave _St. Catherine_'s harmonious cell so
+soon;--nor should I, but that I intend to visit it again. I will
+therefore conduct you to _St. Juan_, about four hundred paces distant
+from it, on the east side of which, you look down a most horrid and
+frightful precipice,--a precipice, so very tremendous, that I am
+persuaded there are many people whose imagination would be so
+intoxicated by looking at it, that they might be in danger of throwing
+themselves over: I do not know whether you will understand my meaning by
+saying so; but I have more than once been so bewildered with such
+alarming _coup d'oeil_ on this mountain, that I began to doubt whether
+my own powers were sufficient to protect me:--Horses, from sudden
+fright, will often run into the fire; and man too, may be forced upon
+his own destruction, to avoid those sensations of danger he has not been
+accustomed to look upon. Perhaps I am talking non-sense; and you will
+attribute what I say to lowness of spirits; on the contrary, I had those
+feelings about me only during the time my eyes were employed upon such
+frightful objects; for my spirits were enlivened by pure air, exercise,
+and temperance:--nay, I remember to have been struck in the same manner,
+when the grand explosion of the fireworks was played off, many years
+ago, upon the conclusion of peace! The blast was so great, that it
+appeared as if it were designed to take with it all earthly things; and
+I felt almost forced by it, and summoned from my seat, and could hardly
+refrain from jumping over a parapet wall which stood before me. The
+building of this hermitage, however, is very secure; nothing can shake
+or remove it, but that which must shake or remove the whole mountain. At
+this cell, small as it is, King Philip the Third dined on the eleventh
+of July 1599;--a circumstance, you may be sure, the inhabitant will
+never forget, or omit to mention. It commands at noon-day a fine
+prospect eastward, and is approached by a good stage of steps. Not far
+from it, on the road side, is a little chapel called St. Michael, a
+chapel as ancient as the monastery itself; and a little below is the
+grotto, in which the image of the Virgin, now fixed in the high altar of
+the church, was found. The entrance of this grotto is converted into a
+chapel, where mass is said every day by one of the monks. All the
+hermitages, even the smallest, have their little chapel, the ornaments
+for saying mass, their water cistern, and most of them a little garden.
+The building consists of one or two little chambers, a little refectory,
+and a kitchen; but many of them have every convenience within and
+without that a single man can wish or desire, except he should wish for
+or desire _such things_ as he was obliged to renounce when he took
+possession of it.
+
+From hence, by a road more wonderful than safe or pleasing, you are led
+on a ridge of mountains to the lofty cell of _St. Onofre_. It stands in
+a cleft in one of the pine heads, six and thirty feet (I was going to
+say) above the earth; its appearance is indeed astonishing, for it seems
+in a manner hanging in the air; the access to it is by a ladder of sixty
+steps, extremely difficult to ascend, and even then you have a wooden
+bridge to cross, fixed from rock to rock, under which is an aperture of
+so terrifying an appearance, that I still think a person, not over
+timid, may find it very difficult to pass over, if he looks under,
+without losing in some degree that firmness which is necessary to his
+own preservation. The best and safest way is, to look forward at the
+building or object you are going to.--Fighting, and even courage, is
+mechanical; a man may be taught it as readily as any other science; and
+I would _pit_ the little timid hermit of _St. Onofre_ to a march, on
+the margin of the precipices on this mountain, against the bravest
+general we have in America. The man that would not wince at the whistle
+of a cannon-ball over his head, may find his blood retire, and his
+senses bewildered, at a dreadful precipice under his feet. _St. Onofre_
+possesses no more space than what is covered in by the tiling, nor any
+prospect but to the South. The inhabitant of it says, he often sees the
+islands of _Minorca_, _Mallorca_, and _Ivica_, and the kingdoms of
+_Valencia_ and _Murcia_. The weather was extremely fine when I visited
+it, but there was a distant haziness which prevented my seeing those
+islands; indeed, my eyes were better employed and entertained in
+examining objects more interesting, as well as more pleasing. Going from
+this hermitage, you have a view of the vale of _St. Mary_, formerly
+called la _Vallee Amere_, through which the river _Lobregate_ runs, and
+which divides the bishoprick of Barcelona from that of _De Vic_.
+
+Lest you should think I am rather too tremendously descriptive of this
+_upland_ journey, hear what a French traveller says, who visited this
+mountain about twenty years ago. After examining every thing curious at
+the convent, he says, "_Il ne me restoit plus rien a voir que
+l'hermitage qui est renomme, il est dans la partie la plus elevee de la
+montagne, & partage en treize habitations, pour autant d'hermites. Le
+plaisir de le voir devoit me dedommager de la peine qu'il me falloit
+prendre pour y monter, en grimpant pendant plus de heux heures. J'aurois
+pre me servir de ma mule, mais il m'auroit fallu prendre un chemin ou
+j'aurois mis le double du tems. Je m'armai donc de courage, & entre dans
+une enceinte par une porte que l'on m'ouvrit avec peine au dehors du
+monastere, je commencai a monter par des degres qui sembloient
+perpendiculaires, tant ils etoient roides; & je fus oblige de
+m'agraffer a des barres qui y font placees expres: ensuite, je me
+trainai par-dessous de grosses pierres, qui sont comme des voutes
+ruinees, dont les ouvertures sont le seul passage qu'il y ait pour
+quiconque a la temerite de s'engager dans ces defiles; apres avoir
+grimpe, environ mille pas, je trouvai un petit terrein uni ou je me
+laissai tomber tout etendu afin de reprendre ma respiration qui
+commencoit a me manquer_." And yet this was only the Frenchman's first
+stage on his way to the first and nearest hermitage; and who I find
+clambered up the very road we did, rather than take the longer route on
+mule-back; and, for aught I know, a route still more dangerous, for
+there are many places where the precipice is perpendicular on both sides
+of a ridge, and where the road is too narrow even to turn the mule; so
+he that sets out, must proceed.
+
+After ascending a ladder fixed in the same pine where _St. Onofre_ is
+situated, at an hundred and fifty paces distant, is the fifth hermitage
+of the penitent _Madalena_; it stands between two lofty pines, and on
+some elevated rocks, and commands a beautiful view, towards noon-day, to
+the East and West; and near to it, in a more elevated pine, stands its
+chapel, from whence you look down (dreadful to behold) a rugged
+precipice and steep hills, upon the convent at two miles distance where
+are two roads, or rather passages, to this cell, both exceedingly
+difficult; by one you mount up a ladder of at least an hundred steps;
+the other is of stone steps, and pieces of timber to hold by; that the
+hermit who dwells there says, the whistling of the wind in tempestuous
+nights sounds like the roaring of baited bulls.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXIII.
+
+
+I must now lead you up to the highest part of the mountain; it is a long
+way up, not less than three thousand five hundred paces from _St.
+Madalena_, and over a very rugged and disagreeable road for the feet,
+which leads, however, to the cell of _St. Geronimo_; from the two
+turrets of which, an immense scene is opened, too much for the head of a
+_low-lander_ to bear; for it not only takes in a view of a great part of
+the mountain beneath, but of the kingdoms of _Arragon_, _Valencia_, the
+Mediterranean Sea, and the islands; but as it were, one half of the
+earth's orbit. The fatigue to clamber up to it is very great; but the
+recompense is ample. This hermitage looks down upon a wood above a
+league in circumference, in which formerly some hermits dwelt; but at
+present it is stocked with cattle belonging to the convent, who have a
+fountain of good water therein. Near this hermitage, in a place they
+call _Poza_, the snow is preserved for the use of the _Religieux_. The
+inhabitant either was not within, or would not be disturbed; so that
+after feasting my eyes on all sides, my conductor led me on eastward to
+the seventh hermitage, called _St. Antonio_, the father of the
+Anchorites; it stands under one of the highest PINES, and the access to
+it is so difficult and dangerous, that very few strangers visit it;--a
+circumstance which whetted my curiosity; so, like the boy after a
+bird's-nest, I _risqued it_, especially as I was pretty sure I should
+_take the old bird sitting_. This hermit had formerly been in the
+service; and though he had made great intercession to the Holy Virgin
+and saints in heaven, as well as much interest with men on earth, he was
+not, I think, quite happy in his exalted station; his turret is so
+small, that it will not contain above two men; the view from it, to the
+East and North, is very fine; but it looks down a most horrible and
+dreadful precipice, above one hundred and eighty toises perpendicular,
+and upon the river _Lobregate_. No man, but he whom custom has made
+familiar to such a tremendous _eye-ball_, can behold this place but with
+horror and amazement; and I was as glad to leave it, as I was pleased to
+have seen it. At about a gun-shot distance from it rises the highest
+pine-head of the mountain, called _Caval Hernot_, which is eighty toises
+higher than any other _cone_, and three thousand three hundred paces
+from the convent below. Keeping under the side of the same hill, and
+along the base of the same pine-head, you are led to the hermitage of
+_St. Salvador_, eight hundred paces from _St. Antonio_, which hermitage
+has two chapels, one of which is hewn out of the heart of the PINE, and
+consequently has a natural as well as a beautiful cupola; the access to
+this cell is very difficult, for the crags project so much, that it is
+necessary to clamber over them on all-four; the prospects are very fine
+to the southward and eastward. The inhabitant was from home; but as
+there was no fastening to his doors, I examined all his worldly goods,
+and found that most of them were the work of his own ingenious hands. A
+little distant from hence stands a wooden cross, at which the road
+divides; one path leads to _St. Benito_, the other to the _Holy_
+Trinity. By the archives of the convent, it appears, that in the year
+1272, _Francis Bertrando_ died at the hermitage of _St. Salvador_, after
+having spent forty-five years in it, admired for his sanctity and holy
+life, and that he was succeeded therein by _François Durando Mayol_, who
+dwelt in it twenty-seven years.
+
+Descending from hence about six or seven hundred paces, you arrive at
+the ninth hermitage, _St. Benito_; the situation is very pleasing, the
+access easy, and the prospects divine. It was founded by an _Abbot_,
+whose intentions were, that it should contain within a small distance,
+four other cells, in memory of the five wounds made in the body of
+Christ. This hermit has the privilege of making an annual entertainment
+on a certain day, on which day all the other hermits meet there, and
+receive the sacrament from the hands of the mountain vicar; and after
+divine service, dine together. They meet also at this hermitage on the
+day of each titular saint, to say mass, and commune with each other.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXIV.
+
+
+I cannot say a word to you on any other subject, till you have taken a
+turn with me in the shrubberies and gardens of the glorious (so they
+call it) hermitage of _St. Ana_. Coming from _St. Benito_, by a brook
+which runs down the middle of the mountain, six hundred paces distant
+from it, stands _St. Ana_, in a spacious situation, and much larger than
+any other, and is nearly in the center of them all. The chapel here is
+sufficiently large for the whole society to meet in, and accordingly
+they do so on certain festivals and holidays, where they confess to
+their mountain vicar, and receive the sacrament, This habitation is
+nobly adorned with large trees; the ever-green oak, the cork, the
+cypress, the spreading fig-tree, and a variety of others; yet it is
+nevertheless dreadfully exposed to the fury of some particular winds;
+and the buildings are sometimes greatly damaged, and the life of the
+inhabitant endangered, by the boughs which are torn off and blown about
+his dwelling. The foot-road from it to the monastery is only one
+thousand three hundred paces, but it is very rugged and unsafe; the
+mule-road is above four times as far: it was built in 1498, and is the
+hermitage where all the pilgrims pay their ordinary devotion.
+
+Eight hundred and fifty paces distant, on the road which leads to the
+hermitage of _St. Salvador_, stands, in a solitary and deep wood, the
+hermitage of the _Holy Trinity_. Every part of the building is neat, and
+the simplicity of the whole prepares you to expect the same simplicity
+of manners from the man who dwells within it: and a venerable man he is;
+but he seemed more disposed to converse with his neighbours, _Messrs.
+Nature_, than with us. His trees, he knows, never flatter or affront
+him; and after welcoming us more by his humble looks than civil words,
+he retired to his long and shady walk; a walk, a full gun-shot in
+length, and nothing in nature certainly can be more beautiful; it forms
+a close arbour, though composed of large trees, and terminates in a view
+of a vast range of pines, which are so regularly placed side by side,
+and which, by the reflection of the sun on their yellow and well
+burnished sides, have the appearance of the pipes of an organ a mile in
+circumference. The Spaniards say that the mountain is a block of coarse
+jasper, and these _organ pipes_, it must be confessed, seem to confirm
+it; for they are so well polished by the hand of time, that were it not
+too great a work for man, one would be apt to believe they had been cut
+by an artist.
+
+Five hundred and sixty paces from the hermitage of the Holy Trinity,
+stands _St. Cruz_; it is built under the foot of one of the smaller
+pines; this is the nearest cell of any to the convent, and consequently
+oftenest visited, being only six hundred and sixty steps from the bottom
+of the mountain.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXV.
+
+
+I am now come to _St. Dimas_, the last, and most important, if not the
+most beautiful of all the hermits' habitations. This hermitage is
+surrounded on all sides by steep and dreadful precipices, some of which
+lead the eyes straight down, even to the river _Lobregate_; it can be
+entered only on the east side by a draw-bridge, which, when lifted up,
+renders any access to it almost impossible. This hermitage was formerly
+a strong castle, and possessed by a _banditti_, who frequently plundered
+and ravaged the country in the day-time, and secured themselves from
+punishment, by retiring to this fast hold by night. As it stands, or
+rather hangs over the buildings and convent below, they would frequently
+lower baskets by cords, and demand provisions, wine, or whatever
+necessaries or luxuries the convent afforded; and if their demands were
+not instantly complied with, they tumbled down rocks of an immense size,
+which frequently damaged the buildings, and killed the people beneath:
+indeed, it was always in their power to destroy the whole building, and
+suffer none to live there; but that would have been depriving themselves
+of one safe means of subsistence:--at length the monks, by the
+assistance of good glasses, and a constant attention to the motion of
+their troublesome _boarders_, having observed that the greater part were
+gone out upon the _marauding_ party, persuaded seven or eight stout
+farmers to believe, that heaven would reward them if they could scale
+the horrid precipices, and by surprise seize the castle, and secure the
+few who remained in it;--and these brave men accordingly got into it
+unobserved, killed one of the men, and secured the others for a public
+example. The castle was then demolished, and a hermitage called _St.
+Dimas_, or the Good Thief, built upon the spot. The views from it are
+very extensive and noble to the south and eastward.
+
+And now, Sir, having conducted you to make a short visit to each of
+these wonderful, though little abodes, I must assure you, that a man
+well versed in _author craft_ might write thirteen little volumes upon
+subjects so very singular. But as no written account can give a perfect
+idea of the particular beauties of any mountain, and more especially of
+one so unlike all others, I shall quit nature, and conduct you to the
+works of art, and treasures of value, which are within the walls of the
+holy sanctuary below; only observing, what I omitted to mention, that
+the great rains which have fallen since the creation of all things, down
+the sides of this steep mount, have made round the whole base a
+prodigious wide and deep trench, which has the appearance of a vast
+river course drained of its water. In this deep trench lie an infinite
+number of huge blocks of the mountain, which have from age to age caved
+down from its side, and which renders the _tout au tour_ of the mountain
+below full as extraordinary as the pointed pinnacles above: beside this,
+there are many little recesses on the sides of the hill below, so
+adorned by stately trees and natural fountains, that I know not which
+part of the enchanted spot is most beautiful. I found in one of these
+places a little garden, fenced in by the fallen rocks, a spring of so
+clear and cool a water, and the whole so shaded by, oaks, so warmed by
+the sun, and so superlatively romantic, that I was determined to find
+out the owner of it, and have set about building a house or a hut to the
+garden, and to have made it my abode; but, alas! upon enquiry, I found
+the well was a holy one, and that the water, the purest and finest I
+ever saw or tasted could only be used for holy purposes. And here let me
+observe, that the generality of strangers who visit this mountain, come
+prepared only to stay one day;--but it is not a day, nor a week, that
+is sufficient to see half the smaller beauties which a mountain, so
+great and wonderful of itself, affords on all sides, from the highest
+pinacle above, to the foundation stones beneath.
+
+But I should have told you, that there are other roads to some of the
+hermitages above, which, by twisting and turning from side to side, are
+every week clambered up by a blind mule, who, being loaded with thirteen
+baskets containing the provision for the hermits, goes up without any
+conductor, and taking the hermitages in their proper order, goes as near
+as he can to each, and waits till the hermit has taken his portion; and
+proceeds till he has discharged his load, and his trust, and then
+returns to his stable below. I did not see this animal on the road, but
+I saw some of his _offerings there_, and you may rely upon the truth of
+what I tell you.
+
+Before I quit the hermits, however, I must tell you, that the hardships
+and fatigues which some of them voluntarily inflict upon themselves, are
+almost incredible: they cannot, like the monks in _Russia_, sit in water
+to their chins till they are froze up, but they undergo some penances
+almost as severe.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXVI.
+
+
+_Pere Pascal_ having invited me to high mass, and to hear a Spanish
+sermon preached by one of their best orators, we attended; and though I
+did not understand the language sufficiently to know all I heard, I
+understood enough to be entertained, if not edified. The decency of the
+whole congregation too, was truly characteristic of their profession.
+There sat just before us a number of lay-brothers, bare-headed, with
+their eyes fixed the whole time upon the ground; and tho' they knew we
+were strangers, and probably as singular in their eyes as they could be
+in ours, I never perceived one of them, either at or after the service
+was over, to look, or even glance an eye at us. The chapel, or church of
+this convent, is a very noble building; and high over the great altar is
+fixed the image of the Virgin, which was found eight hundred years ago
+in a deep cave on the side of the mountain: they say the figure is the
+work of St. Luke; if that be true, St. Luke was a better carver than a
+painter, for this figure is the work of no contemptible artist; it is of
+wood, and of a dark-brown it is of wood, and of a dark-brown or rather
+black colour, about the size of a girl of twelve years of age; her
+garments are very costly, and she had on a crown richly adorned with
+_real_ jewels of great value; and I believe, except our Lady of
+_Loretto_, the paraphernalia of her person is superior to all the saints
+or crowned heads in Europe. She holds on her knees a little Jesus, of
+the same complexion, and the work of the same artist. The high altar is
+a most magnificent and costly structure, and there constantly burn
+before it upwards of fourscore large silver lamps. The balustrades
+before the altar were given by King Philip the Third, and cost seven
+thousand crowns; and it cost fourteen thousand more to cut away the rock
+to lay the foundation of this new church, the old one being so small,
+and often so crowded by pilgrims and strangers, that many of the monks
+lost their lives in it every year. The whole expence of building the new
+one, exclusive of the inward ornaments, is computed at a million of
+crowns; and the seats of the choir, six and thirty thousand livres. The
+old church has nothing very remarkable in it but some good ancient
+monuments, one of which is of _Bernard Villomarin_, Admiral of Naples; a
+man (as the inscription says) illustrious in peace and war. There is
+another of _Don John d'Arragon, Dux Lunæ_, who died in 1528; he was
+nephew to King Ferdinand. But the most singular inscription in this old
+church is one engraven on a pillar, under which _St. Ignatius_ spent a
+whole night in prayer before he took the resolution of renouncing the
+world, which was in the year 1522.
+
+After mass was over, we were shewn into a chamber behind the high altar,
+where a door opened to the recess, in which the Virgin is placed, and
+where we were permitted, or rather required to kiss her hand. At the
+same time, I perceived a great many pilgrims entering the apartments,
+whose penitential faces plainly discovered the reverence and devotion
+with which they approached her sacred presence. When we returned, we
+were presented to the Prior; a lively, genteel man, of good address;
+who, with _Pere Tendre_, the Frenchman, shewed us an infinite quantity
+of jewels, vessels of gold and silver, garments, &c. which have been
+presented by Kings, Queens, and Emperors, to the convent, for the
+purpose of arraying this miraculous image. I begin to suspect that you
+will think I am become half a Catholic;--indeed, I begin to think so
+myself; and if ever I publicly renounce that faith which I now hold, it
+shall be done in a pilgrimage to _Montserrat_; for I do not see why God,
+who delights so much in variety, as all his mighty works testify; who
+has not made two green leaves of the same tint,--may not, nay, ought
+not to be worshipped by men of different nations, in variety of forms. I
+see no absurdity in a set of men meeting as the Quakers do, and sitting
+in silent contemplation, reflecting on the errors of their past life,
+and resolving to amend in future. I think an honest, good Quaker, as
+respectable a being as an Archbishop; and a monk, or a hermit, who think
+they merit heaven by the sacrifice they make for it, will certainly
+obtain it: and as I am persuaded the men of this society think so, I
+highly honour and respect them: I am sure I feel myself much obliged to
+them. They have a good library, but it is in great disorder; nor do I
+believe they are men of much reading; indeed, they are so employed in
+confessing the pilgrims and poor, that they cannot have much time for
+study.
+
+I forgot to tell you, that at _Narbonne_ I had been accosted by a young
+genteel couple, a male and female, who were upon a _pilgrimage_; they
+were dressed rather neat than fine, and their garments were adorned with
+cockle and other marine shells; such, indeed, all the poorer sort of
+pilgrims are characterised with. They presented a tin box to me, with
+much address, but said nothing, nor did I give them any thing; indeed, I
+did not _then_ know, very well, for what purpose or use the charity they
+claimed was to be applied. This young couple were among the strangers
+who were now approaching the sacred image. I was very desirous of
+knowing their story, who they were, and what sins people so young, and
+who looked so good, had been guilty of, to think it necessary to come so
+far for absolution. _Their sins on the road_, I could be at no loss to
+guess at; and as they were such as people who love one another are very
+apt to commit, I hope and believe, they will obtain forgiveness of
+them.--They were either people of some condition, or very accomplished
+_Chevaliers d'Industrie_; though I am most inclined to believe, they
+were _brother and sister_, of some condition.
+
+After visiting the Holy Virgin, I paid my respects to the several monks
+in their own apartments, under the conduct of _Pere Pascal_, and was
+greatly entertained.--I found them excellently lodged; their apartments
+had no finery, but every useful convenience; and several good
+harpsichords, as well as good performers, beside an excellent organist.
+The Prior, in particular, has so much address, of the polite world about
+him, that he must have lived in it before he made a vow to retire from
+it.
+
+I never saw a more striking instance of national influence than in the
+person of _Pere Tendre_, the Frenchman!--In spite of his holy life, and
+living among Spaniards of the utmost gravity of manners, I could have
+known him at first sight to have been a Frenchman. I never saw, even
+upon the _Boulevards_ at Paris, a more lively, animated, or chearful
+face.
+
+Indeed, one must believe, that these men are as good as they appear to
+be; for they have reason enough to believe, that every hour may be their
+last, as there hangs over their whole building such a terrifying mass of
+rock and pine heads, so split and divided, that it is difficult to
+perceive by what powers they are sustained: many have given way, and
+have no other support than the base they have made by slipping in part
+down, among the smaller rocks and broken fragments. About an hundred
+years ago, one vast block fell from above, and buried under it the
+hospital, and all the sick and their attendants; and where it still
+remains, a dreadful monument, and memento, to all who dwell near it!--I
+should fear (God avert the day!) that the smallest degree of an
+earthquake would bury all the convent, monks, and treasure, by one fatal
+_coup_.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXVII.
+
+
+Before I bring forth the treasures of this hospitable convent, and the
+jewels of _Neustra Senora_, it may be necessary to tell you, that they
+could not be so liberal, were not others liberal to them; and that they
+have permission to ask charity from every church, city, and town, in the
+kingdoms of France and Spain, and have always lay-brothers out,
+gathering money and other donations. They who feed all who come, must,
+of course, be fed themselves; nor has any religious house in Europe
+(_Loretto_ excepted) been more highly honoured by Emperors, Kings,
+Popes, and Prelates, than this: nay, they have seemed to vie with each
+other, in bestowing rich and costly garments, jewels of immense value,
+and gold and silver of exquisite workmanship, to adorn the person of
+_Neustra Senora_; as the following list, though not a quarter of her
+_paraphernalia_, will evince: but before I particularize them, it may be
+proper to mention, the solemn manner in which the Virgin was moved from
+the old to the new church, by the hands of King Philip the Third, who
+repaired thither for that purpose privately as possible, to prevent the
+prodigious concourse of people who would have attended him had it been
+generally known. He staid at the convent four days, in which time he
+visited all the hermitages above, in one; but returned, greatly
+fatigued, and not till ten o'clock at night. After resting himself the
+next day, he heard mass, and being confessed, assisted at the solemnity
+of translating the Virgin, in the following manner:--After all the
+monks, hermits, and lay-brothers had heard mass, and been confessed, the
+Virgin was brought down and placed upon the altar in the old church, and
+with great ceremony, reverence, and awe, they cloathed her in a rich
+gold mantle, the gift of the Duke of _Branzvick_, the sleeves of which
+were so costly, that they were valued at eighteen thousand ducats. The
+Abbots, Monks, hermits, &c. who were present, wore cloaks of rich gold
+brocade, and in the procession sung the hymn _Te Deum Laudamus_; one of
+whom bore a gold cross, of exquisite workmanship, which weighed fifty
+marks, and which was set with costly jewels. The procession consisted of
+forty-three lay-brothers, fifteen hermits, and sixty-two monks, all
+bearing wax-tapers; then followed the young scholars, and a band of
+music, as well as an infinite number of people who came from all parts
+of the kingdom to attend the solemnity; for it was impossible to keep an
+act of so extraordinary a nature very private. When the Virgin was
+brought into the new church, she was placed on a tabernacle by four of
+the most ancient monks; the King held also a large lighted taper, on
+which his banner and arms were emblazoned, and being followed by the
+nobles and cavaliers of his court, joined in the procession; and having
+placed themselves in proper order in the great cloyster of the church,
+the monks sung a hymn, addressed to the Virgin, accompanied by a noble
+band of music: this being over, the King taking the Virgin in his arms,
+placed her on the great altar; and having so done, took his wax taper,
+and falling on his knees at her feet, offered up his prayers near a
+quarter of an hour: this ceremony being over, the monks advanced to the
+altar, and moved the Virgin into a recess in the middle of it, where she
+now stands: after which, the Abbot, having given his pontifical
+benediction, the King retired to repose himself for a quarter of an
+hour, and then set off for _Martorell_, where he slept, and the next day
+made his entry into _Barcelona_.
+
+Among an infinite number of costly materials which adorn this beautiful
+church, is a most noble organ, which has near twelve hundred pipes. In
+the _Custodium_ you are shewn three crowns for the head of the Infant
+Jesus, two of which are of pure gold, the third of silver, gilt, and
+richly adorned with diamonds; one of the gold crowns is set with two
+hundred and thirty emeralds, and nineteen large brilliants; the other
+has two hundred and thirty-eight diamonds, an hundred and thirty pearls,
+and sixteen rubies; it cost eighteen thousand ducats.
+
+There are four crowns also for the head of the Virgin; two of plated
+gold, richly set with diamonds, two of solid gold; one of which has two
+thousand five hundred large emeralds in it, and is valued at fifty
+thousand ducats; the fourth, and richest, is set with one thousand one
+hundred and twenty-four diamonds, five of which number are valued at
+five hundred ducats each; eighteen hundred large pearls, of equal size;
+thirty-eight large emeralds, twenty-one zaphirs, and five rubies; and at
+the top of this crown is a gold ship, adorned with diamonds of eighteen
+thousand dollars value. The gold alone of these crowns weighs
+twenty-five pounds, and, with the jewels and setting, upwards of fifty.
+These crowns have been made at _Montserrat_, from the gold and separate
+jewels presented to the convent from time to time by the crowned heads
+and princes of Europe. There is also another small crown, given by the
+Marquis de _Aytona_, set with sixty-six brilliants.
+
+The Infanta gave four silver candlesticks, which cost two thousand four
+hundred ducats.
+
+Ann of Austria, daughter to Philip the third, gave a garment for the
+Virgin, which cost a thousand ducats.
+
+There are thirty chalices of gilt plate, and one of solid gold, which
+cost five thousand ducats.
+
+Prince Charles of Austria, with his consort Christiana of Brunswick,
+visited _Montserrat_ in the year 1706, and having kissed the Virgin's
+hand, left at her feet his gold-hilted sword, set with seventy-nine
+large brilliants. This sword was given the Emperor by Anne, Queen of
+England.
+
+In the church are six silver candlesticks, nine palms high, made to hold
+wax flambeaux. There are diamonds and jewels, given by the Countess de
+Aranda, Count Alba, Duchess of Medina, and forty other people of high
+rank, from the different courts of Europe, to the value of more than an
+hundred thousand ducats.--But were I to recite every particular from the
+list of donations, which my friend, _Pere Pascal_, gave me, and which
+now lies before me, with the names of the donors, they would fill a
+volume instead of a letter.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXVIII.
+
+
+I know you will expect to hear something of the Ladies of Spain; but I
+must confess I had very little acquaintance among them: when they appear
+abroad in their coaches, they are dressed in the modern French fashion,
+but not in the extreme; when they walk out, their head and shape is
+always covered with a black or white veil, richly laced; and however
+fine their gowns are, they must be covered with a very large black silk
+petticoat; and thus holding the fan in one hand, and hanging their
+_chapelets_ over the wrist of the other, they walk out, preceded by one
+or two shabby-looking servants, called pages, who wear swords, and
+always walk bare-headed.
+
+I have already told you, that the most beautiful, indeed the only
+beautiful woman, I saw at _Barcelona_, was the Intendant's daughter;
+and I assure you, her, black petticoat and white veil could not conceal
+it; nor, indeed, is the dress an unbecoming one. Among the peasants, and
+common females, you never see any thing like beauty, and, in general,
+rather deformity of feature. No wonder then, where beauty is scarce, and
+to be found only among women of condition, that those women are much
+admired, and that they gain prodigious influence over the men.--In no
+part of the world, therefore, are women more caressed and attended to,
+than in Spain. Their deportment in public is grave and modest; yet they
+are very much addicted to pleasure; nor is there scarce one among them
+that cannot, nay, that will not dance the _Fandango_ in private, either
+in the decent or indecent manner. I have seen it danced both ways, by a
+pretty woman, than which nothing can be more _immodestly agreeable_; and
+I was shewn a young Lady at _Barcelona_, who in the midst of this dance
+ran out of the room, telling her partner, she could _stand it_ no
+longer;--he ran after her, to be sure, and must be answerable for the
+consequences. I find in the music of the _Fandango_, written under one
+bar, _Salida_, which signifies _going out_; it is where the woman is to
+part a little from her partner, and to move slowly by herself; and I
+suppose it was at _that bar_ the lady was so overcome, as to determine
+not to return. The words _Perra Salida_ should therefore be placed at
+that bar, when the ladies dance it in the high _gout_.
+
+The men dress as they do in France and England, except only their long
+cloak, which they do not care to give up. It is said that Frenchmen are
+wiser than, from the levity of their behaviour, they seem to be; and I
+fancy the Spaniards look wiser from their gravity of countenance, than
+they really are; they are extremely reserved; and make no professions of
+friendship till they feel it, and know the man, and then they are
+friendly in the highest degree.
+
+I met with a German merchant at _Barcelona_, who told me he had dealt
+for goods to the value of five thousand pounds a year with a Spaniard in
+that town; and though he had been often at _Barcelona_ before, that he
+had never invited him to dine or eat with him, till that day.
+
+The farrier who comes to shoe your horse has sometimes a sword by his
+side; and the barber who shaves you crosses himself before he _crosses
+your chin_.
+
+There is a particular part of the town where the ladies of easy virtue
+live; and if a friend calls at the apartment of one of those females,
+who happens to _be engaged_, one of her neighbours tells you, she is
+_amancebados y casarse a mediacarta_; _i.e._ that she is
+half-married.--If you meet a Spanish woman of any fashion, walking
+alone without the town, you may join her, and enter into whatever _sort
+of conversation_ you chuse, without offence; and if you pass one without
+doing so, she will call you _ajacaos_, and contemn you: this is a custom
+so established at Madrid, that if a footman meets a lady of quality
+alone, he will enter into some indecent conversation with her; for which
+reason, the ladies seldom walk but with their husbands, or a male friend
+by their side, and a foot-boy before, and then no man durst speak, or
+even look towards them, but with respect and awe:--a blow in Spain can
+never be forgiven; the striker must die, either _privately_ or publicly.
+
+No people on earth are less given to excess in eating or drinking, than
+the Spaniards; the _Olio_, or _Olla_, a kind of soup and _Bouilli_, is
+all that is to be found at the table of some great men: the table of a
+_Bourgeois_ of Paris is better served than many _grandees_ of Spain;
+their chocolate, lemonade, iced water, fruits, &c. are their chief
+luxuries; and the chocolate is, in some houses, a prodigious annual
+expense, as it is offered to every body who comes in, and some of the
+first houses in Madrid expend twenty thousand _livres_ a year in
+chocolate, iced waters, &c. The grandees of Spain think it beneath their
+dignity to look into accounts, and therefore leave the management of
+their household expenses to servants, who often plunder and defraud them
+of great sums of money.
+
+Unlike the French, the Spaniards (like the English) very properly look
+upon able physicians and surgeons in a very respectable light:--Is it
+not strange, that the French nation should trust their health and lives
+in the hands of men, they are apt to think unworthy of their intimacy or
+friendship?--Men, who must have had a liberal education, and who ought
+not to be trusted in sickness, if their society was not to be coveted in
+health. Perhaps the Spanish physicians, who of all others have the
+least pretensions, are the most caressed. In fevers they encourage their
+patients to eat, thinking it necessary, where the air is so subtile, to
+put something into the body for the distemper to feed upon; they bleed
+often, and in both arms, that the blood may be drawn forth _equally_;
+the surgeons do not bleed, but a set of men called _sangerros_ perform
+that office, and no other; the surgeons consider it dishonourable to
+perform that operation. They seldom trepan; a surgeon who attempted to
+perform it, would himself be perhaps in want of it. To all flesh wounds
+they apply a powder called _coloradilla_, which certainly effects the
+cure; it is made of myrrh, mastic, dragon's blood, bol ammoniac,
+&c.--When persons of fashion are bled, their friends send them, as soon
+as it is known, little presents to amuse them all that day; for which
+reason, the women of easy virtue are often bled, that their lovers may
+shew their attention, and be _bled too_.--The French disease is so
+ignorantly treated, or so little regarded, that it is very general; they
+consider a _gonorrhoea_ as health to the reins; and except a tertian
+ague, all disorders are called the _calentura_, and treated alike, and I
+fear very injudiciously; for there is not, I am told, in the whole
+kingdom, any public academy for the instruction of young men, in physic,
+surgery, or anatomy, except at Madrid.
+
+Notwithstanding the sobriety, temperance, and fine climate of Spain, the
+Spaniards do not, in general, live to any great age; they put a
+prodigious quantity of spice into every thing they eat; and though
+sobriety and temperance are very commendable, there are countries where
+eating and drinking are carried to a great excess, by men much more
+virtuous than those, where temperance, perhaps, is their principal
+virtue.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXIX.
+
+
+I forgot to tell you that, though I left the Convent, I had no desire to
+leave the spot where I had met with so cordial a reception; nor a
+mountain, every part of which afforded so many scenes of wonder and
+delight. I therefore hired two rooms at a wretched _posada_, near the
+two ancient towers below, and where I had left my horse, that I might
+make my daily excursions on and about the mountain, as well as visit
+those little solitary habitations above once more. My host, his wife,
+and their son and daughter, looked rather cool upon us; they liked our
+money better than our company; and though I made their young child some
+little presents, it scarce afforded any return, but prevented rudeness,
+perhaps. The boys of the village, though I distributed a little money
+every day to the poor, frequently pelted me with stones, when they
+gained the high ground of me; and I found it necessary, when I walked
+out, to take my fuzee. I would have made a friend of the priest, if I
+could have found him, but he never appeared!--It was a poor village, and
+you may easily conceive our residence in such a little place, where no
+stranger ever staid above an hour, occasioned much speculation. My
+servant too (a French deserter) had neither the politeness nor the
+address so common to his countrymen; but I knew I was _within a few
+hours_ of honest _Pere Pascal_; and while the hog, mule, and ass of my
+host continued well, I flattered myself I was not in much danger; had
+either of those animals been ill, I should have taken my leave; for if a
+suspicion had arose that an heretic was under their roof, they would
+have been at no loss to account for the cause or the calamity which had,
+or might befall them.--During my residence at this little _posada_, I
+saw a gaudy-dressed, little, ugly old man, and a handsome young woman,
+approach it; the man smiled in my face, which was the only smile I had
+seen in the face of a stranger for a fortnight; he told me, what he need
+not, that he was a Frenchman, and a noble Advocate of _Perpignan_; that
+his name was _Anglois_, and that his ancestors were English; that he had
+walked on foot, with his maid, from _Barcelona_, in order to pay his
+devotions to the Holy Virgin of _Montserrat_, though he had his own
+chaise and mules at _Barcelona_: he seemed much fatigued, so I gave him
+some chocolate, for he was determined, he said, to get up to the convent
+that night. During this interview, he embraced me several times,
+professed a most affectionate regard for me and my whole family; and I
+felt enough for him, to desire he would fix the day of his return, that
+I might not be out upon my rambles, and that he would dine and spend the
+evening with me; in which case, I would send him back to _Barcelona_ in
+my _cabriolet_; all which he chearfully consented to; and having lent
+him my _couteau de chasse_, as a more convenient weapon on ass-back than
+his fine sword, we parted, reluctantly, for five days; that was the time
+this _noble Advocate_ had allotted for making his peace with the Holy
+Virgin;--I say, his peace with the Holy Virgin; for he was very
+desirous of leaving _his_ virgin with us, as she was an excellent cook,
+and a most faithful and trusty servant, both which he perceived we
+wanted; yet in spite of his encomiums, there was nothing in the
+behaviour of the girl that corresponded with such an amiable character:
+she had, indeed a beautiful face, but strongly marked with something,
+more like impudence than boldness, and more of that of a pragmatic
+mistress than an humble servant; and therefore we did not accept, what I
+was very certain, she would not have performed. I impatiently, however,
+waited their return, and verily believed the old man had bought his
+crimson velvet breeches and gold-laced waistcoat in honour of the
+Virgin, and that his visit to her was a pious one.--He returned to his
+time, and to a sad dinner indeed! but it was the best we could provide.
+He had lost so much of that vivacity he went up with, that I began to
+fear I had lost his friendship, or he the benediction of the Holy
+Virgin. Indeed, I had lost it in some measure, but it was transferred
+but a little way off; for he took the first favourable occasion to tell
+my wife, no woman had ever before made so forcible an impression upon
+him, and said a thousand other fine things, which I cannot repeat,
+without losing the esteem I still have for my countryman; especially as
+he did not propose staying only _one night_ with us, nay, that he would
+depart the next morning _de bon matin_. During the evening, all his
+former spirits returned, as well as his affection for me: he told me, he
+suspected I wanted money, and if that was the case, those wants should
+be removed; so taking out a large parcel of gold _duras_, he offered
+them, and I am persuaded too, he would have lent or given them to me. I
+arose early, to see that my man and chaise were got in good order, to
+conduct so good a friend to _Barcelona_; but not hearing any thing of
+_Monsieur Anglois_, I directed my servant to go into his chamber, to
+enquire how he did;--my man returned, and said, that _Madame_ was awake,
+but that _Monsieur_ still sleeps. Madame! what Madame? said I!--Is it
+the young woman who came with him? I then found, what I had a little
+suspected, that the mountain virgin was not the _only_ virgin to whom
+_Monsieur Anglois_ made his vows. He soon after, however, came down,
+drank chocolate with us, and making a thousand professions of inviolable
+regard, he set off in my chaise for _Barcelona_; but I should have told
+you, not till he had made me promise to visit him at _Perpignan_, where
+he had not only a town, but country house, at my service.--All these
+professions were made with so much openness, and seeming sincerity,
+that I could not, nor did doubt it; and as I was determined then to
+leave that unhospitable country, and return to France, I gave him my
+_passa-porte_, to get it _refreshed_ by the Captain-General at
+_Barcelona_, that I might return, and pass _by_ the walls only of a town
+I can never think of but with some degree of pain, and should with
+horror, but that I now know there is one man lives in it, and did
+then,[D] who has lamented that he had not an opportunity to shew me
+those acts of hospitality his nature and his situation often give him
+occasion to exercise; but the _etiquette_ is, for the stranger to visit
+first; and I found but little encouragement to visit a German Gentleman,
+though married to an English Lady, after the hostile manners I had
+experienced from my _friends_ and _countrymen_, Messrs. _Curtoys_,
+_Wombwell_, &c.
+
+[D] Mr. THALDITZER.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXX.
+
+
+In the archives of _Montserrat_ they shew you a letter written to the
+Abbe by King Philip the second, who begins, "venerable and devout
+_Religieux_," and tells him, he approves of his zeal, of his building a
+new church at _Montserrat_, charges him to continue his prayers for him,
+and, to shew his zeal for that holy house, informs him, that the bearer
+of his letter is _Etienne Jordan_, the most famous sculptor then in
+Spain, who is to make the new altar-piece at the King's expence, and
+they agreed to pay _Jordan_ ten thousand crowns for the design he laid
+before them: the altar was made at _Valladolid_, and was brought to
+_Montserrat_ on sixty-six waggons; and as Jordan did much more to the
+work than he had engaged to perform, the King gave him four thousand
+crowns over and above his agreement, and afterwards gave nine thousand
+crowns more, to gild and add further ornaments to it.
+
+At the death of Philip the Second, his son, Philip, the Third, assisted
+in person to remove the image of the Virgin from the old to the new
+church; which I shall hereafter mention more fully. Before this noble
+altar, in which the figure of the Virgin stands in a nitch about the
+middle of it, are candlesticks of solid silver, each of which weighs
+eighty pounds; they are a yard and a half high; and yet these are mere
+trifles, when compared to the gold and jewels which are shewn
+occasionally.
+
+The monks observe very religiously their statutes; nor is there a single
+hour in the day that you find the church evacuated.--I always heard at
+least two voices chanting the service, when the monks retire from the
+church, which is not till seven o'clock at night; the pilgrims continue
+there in prayer the greater part of the night.
+
+I should have told you, that beside the superior among the hermits,
+there are two sorts of them, neither of which can possess a hermitage
+till they have spent seven years in the monastery, and given proofs of
+their holy disposition, by acts of obedience, humility, and
+mortification; during, which they spend most of their time, night as
+well as day, in the church, but they never sing or chant. After the
+expiration of the seven years, the Abbot takes the advice of his
+brethren, and if they think the probationer's manners and life entitle
+him to a solitary life above, he is sent,--but not, perhaps, without
+being enjoined to wait upon some old hermit, who is past doing the
+necessary offices of life for himself.--Their habit, as I said before,
+is brown, and they wear their long beards; but sometimes the hermits are
+admitted into holy orders, and then they wear black, and shave their
+beards: however, they are not actually fixed to the lonely habitations
+at first, but generally take seven or eight months trial. Many of the
+abbes, whose power, you may be sure, is very great, and who receive an
+homage from the inferiors, very flattering, have, nevertheless, often
+quitted their power for a retirement above. They observe religiously
+their abstinence from all sorts of flesh; nor are they permitted to eat
+but within their cells. When any of them are very ill, they are brought
+down to the convent; and all buried in one chapel, called St. Joseph.
+
+The lay-brothers are about fourscore in number; they wear a brown habit,
+and are shaved; their duty is to distribute bread, wine, and other
+necessaries, to the poor and the pilgrims, and lodge them according to
+their condition: and many of them are sent into remote parts of the
+kingdom, as well as France and other Catholic countries, to collect
+charity; while those who continue at home assist in getting in their
+corn, and fetching provisions from the adjacent towns, for which
+purposes they keep a great number, upwards of fifty mules.--These men
+too have a superior among them, to whom they are all obedient.
+
+There are also a number of children and young students, educated at the
+convent who are taken in at the age of seven or eight years, many of
+whom are of noble families; they all sleep in one apartment, but
+separate beds, where a lamp constantly burns, and their decent
+deportment is wonderful. Dom Jean de Cardonne, admiral of the galleys,
+who succoured Malta when it was besieged by the Turks, was bred at
+_Montserrat_, and when he wrote to the Abbe, "Recommend me," he said,
+"to the prayers of my little brethren."
+
+As I have already told you of the miracle of a murdered and violated
+virgin coming to life, and of a child of three months old saying,
+_Guerin, rise, thy sins are forgiven thee_; perhaps you will not like to
+have further proofs of what miracles are wrought here, or I could give
+you a long list, and unanswerable arguments to prove them.
+
+_Frere Benoit d'Arragon_ was a hermit on this mountain, whose sanctity
+of life has made his name immortal in the hermitage of St. Croix. The
+following sketch of his life is engraven.
+
+   "Occidit hac sacrã Frater Benedictus in sede,
+    Inclytus & sama, & religione sacer,
+    Hic sexaginta & septem castissimus annos,
+    Vixit in his saxis, te, Deus alme, peccans
+    Usque senex, senio mansit curvatus & annis
+    Corpus humo retulit, venerat unde prius
+    Ast anima exultans, clarum repetivit olympum,
+    Nunc sedet in summo glorificata throno."
+
+It appears, that Louis the Fourteenth, King of France, gave a certain
+sum to this convent, to say mass and pray for the soul of his deceased
+mother; the sum however was not large, being something under fifty
+pounds; and the donation is recorded in the chapel of _St. Louis_, upon
+a brass lamp.
+
+_P.S._ The time that this wonderful mountain became the habitation of a
+religious community, may be pretty nearly ascertained by the following
+singular epitaph, on a beautiful monument, still legible in the great
+church of _Tarragona_.
+
+
+   "_Hic quiescit Corpus sanctæ memoriæ Domini Joannis filii Domini
+   Jacobi, Regis Arragonum, qui decimo septimo anno ætatis suæ
+   factus Archiepiscopus Toletanus, sic dono scientiæ infusus
+   Divinitus & gratia prædicationis floruit, quod nullus ejusdem
+   ætatis in hoc ei similis crederetur. Carnem suam jejuniis &
+   ciliciis macerans, in vigesimo octavo anno ætatis suæ factus
+   Patriarcha Alexandrinus & Administrator Ecclesiæ Tarraconensis
+   ordinato per eum, inter multa alia bona opera_ novo Monasterio
+   scalæ Dei _Diacessis Tarraconensis, ut per ipsam scalam ad Coelum
+   ascenderet reddidit spiritum Creatori XIV. kalendas Septembris,
+   anno Domini MCCCXXXIV. anno vero ætatis suæ XXXIII. pro quo Deus
+   tam in vita, quam post mortem ejusdem est multa miracula
+   operatus_."
+
+
+This very young Bishop was the son of James the second, and his Queen
+_Dona Blanca_; and that he was Prior of the monastery of Montserrat,
+appears in their archives; for I find the names of several hermits of
+this mountain, that came down to pay homage to him.--_Dederunt
+obedientiam domino Joanni Patriarchæ Alexandrino, & administratori
+prioratus Montis Serrati_, &c.--It is therefore probable, that he was
+the first Prior, and that the convent was built about the year 1300; but
+that the mountain was inhabited by hermits, or men who retired from the
+world many ages before, cannot be doubted.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXXI.
+
+
+DEAR SIR,
+
+I have had (since I mentioned the Spanish Ladies in a former letter) an
+opportunity of seeing something more of them; what they may be at
+_Madrid_, I cannot take upon me to say; but I am inclined to believe,
+that notwithstanding what you have heard of Spanish beauty, you would
+find nature has not been over liberal as to the persons of either sex in
+Spain; and though tolerable good features upon a brown complexion, with
+very black hair finely combed and pinned up with two or three gold
+bodkins, may be very pleasing, as a _new object_, yet a great deficiency
+would appear, were you to see the same women dressed in the high fashion
+of England or France. England, for real and natural female beauty,
+perhaps surpasses all the world; France, for dress, elegance, and ease.
+The Spanish women are violent in their passions, and generally govern
+every body under their roof; husbands who contend that point with them,
+often finish their days in the middle of a street, or in a prison; on the
+other hand, I am told, they are very liberal, compassionate, and
+charitable. They have at _Barcelona_ a fine theatre, and tolerable good
+music; but the actors of both sexes are execrable beyond all imagination:
+their first woman, who they say is rich by means of one _talent or
+other_, (for me, like my little Lyons water girl, has _two talents_) is
+as contemptible in her person as in her theatrical abilities: it is no
+wonder, indeed; for these people are often taken from some of those
+gipsey troops, I mentioned in a former letter, and have, consequently, no
+other qualifications for the stage but impudence instead of confidence,
+and ignorance instead of a liberal education. Perhaps you will conclude,
+that the theatre at _Madrid_ affords much better entertainment; on the
+contrary, I am well assured it is in general much worse: a Gentleman who
+understands the language perfectly, who went to _Madrid_ with no other
+view but to gratify his curiosity, in seeing what was worthy of notice
+there, went only once to the theatre, where the heat of the house, and
+the wretchedness of the performance, were equally intolerable; nor are
+the subjects very inviting to a stranger, as they often perform what they
+call "_Autos Sacramentales_"--_sacramental representations_. The people
+of fashion, in general, have no idea of serving their tables with
+elegance, or eating delicately; but rather, in the stile of our
+fore-fathers, without spoon or fork, they use their own fingers, and give
+drink from the glass of others; foul their napkins and cloaths
+exceedingly, and are served at table by servants who are dirty, and often
+very offensive. I was admitted, by accident, to a Gentleman's house, of
+large fortune, while they were at dinner; there were seven persons at a
+round table, too small for five; two of the company were visitors; yet
+neither their dinner was so good, nor their manner of eating it so
+delicate, as may be seen in the kitchen of a London tradesman. The
+dessert (in a country where fruit is so fine and so plenty) was only a
+large dish of the seeds of _pomegranates_, which they eat with wine and
+sugar. In truth, Sir, an Englishman who has been in the least accustomed
+to eat at genteel tables, is, of all other men, least qualified to travel
+into either kingdoms, and particularly into Spain; especially, if what
+Swift says be true, that "a nice man is a man of dirty ideas,"--I know
+not the reason, whether it proceeds from climate, or food, or from the
+neglect of the poorer order of the people; but _head combing_ seems to be
+a principal part of the day's business among the women in Spain; and it
+is generally done rather publicly.--The most lively, chearful, neat young
+woman, I saw in Spain, lived in the same house I did at _Barcelona_; she
+had a good complexion, and, what is very uncommon, rather light hair;
+and though perfectly clean and neat in her apparel, yet I observed a
+woman, not belonging to the house, attended every morning to comb this
+girl's head, and I believe it was _necessary_ to be combed. I could not
+very well ask the question; but I suspect that there are people by
+profession called _headcombers_; every shop door almost furnishes you
+with a specimen of that business; and if it is so common in _Barcelona_,
+among a rich and industrious people, you may imagine, it is infinitely
+more so among the slothful part of the inland cities and smaller
+towns;--but this is not the only objection a stranger (and especially an
+English Protestant) will find to Spain; the common people do not look
+upon an Englishman as a Christian; and the life of a man, not a
+Christian, is of no more importance in their eyes than the life of a dog:
+it is not therefore safe for a protestant to trust himself far from the
+maritime cities, as an hundred unforeseen incidents may arise, among
+people so ignorant and superstitious, to render it very unsafe to a man
+known to be a Protestant. If it be asked, how the Consuls, English
+merchants, &c. escape?--I can give no other reason than what a Spaniard
+gave me, when I put that question to him:--"Sir," said he, "we have men
+here, (meaning Barcelona) who are Protestants all day, and Papists all
+night; and we have a chapel where they go, into which no other people are
+admitted." However, I was convinced, before I went into Spain this time,
+from what I remembered formerly, that it was necessary to appear a good
+Catholic; so that I always carried a little crucifix, or two, some beads,
+and other _accidental_ marks of my faith; and where I staid any time, or,
+indeed, where I slept upon the road, I took occasion to let some of those
+_powerful protectors_ be seen, as it were, by chance;--it is very
+necessary to avail one's self of such innocent frauds, in a country where
+innocence itself may not be sufficient to shield you from the fury of
+religious bigotry, where people think they are serving God, by destroying
+men: The best method to save yourself, is by serving God in the same
+manner they do, till you are out of their power. I really thought, that
+Philosophy and Reason entered into Spain at the same gate that the
+Jesuits were turned out of the kingdom; and, I suppose, some did; but it
+must be many years before it is sufficiently diffused over the whole
+nation, to render it a country like France; where men, who behave with
+decency and decorum, may live, or pass through, without the least
+apprehension or inconvenience on the score of religion; if they do not
+meddle with politics or fortifications.
+
+That you may not imagine my suspicions of the danger of passing thro'
+Spain are ill founded, I will relate what happened to two English
+Gentlemen of fashion at _Marcia_ as I had it from the mouth of one of
+them lately:--they had procured letters of recommendation from some
+friends to the _Alguazile_, or chief magistrate of that town; and as
+there were some unfavourable appearances at their first entering
+_Marcia_, and more so at their _posada_, they thought it right to send
+their letters directly to the _Alguazile_; who, instead of asking them
+to his house, or visiting them, sent a servant to say he was ill, and
+who was directed to invite them to go that night to the comedy: they
+thought it right, however, to accept the invitation, extraordinary as it
+was: the _Alguazile_'s servant conducted them to the theatre, and paid
+(for he was directed so to do, he said) for their admittance; and having
+conducted his strangers into the pit, he retired. The comedy was then
+begun; but, nevertheless, the eyes of the whole house were turned upon
+them, and their's, to their great astonishment, upon the _sick
+Alguazile_ with his whole family. Those near whom they at first stood,
+retired to some distance: they could not, he said, consider the manner
+in which they were looked at, and retired from, but to arise from
+disgust or dislike, more than from curiosity. This reception, and the
+manner in which they had been sent there, deprived them of all the
+amusement the house afforded; for though the performers had no great
+excellence, there was, among the female part of the audience, more
+beauty than they expected. Mr. B----, one of the Gentlemen, at length
+discovered near him in the pit a man whom he knew to be an Irishman, and
+in whole countenance he plainly perceived a desire to speak, but he
+seemed with-held by prudence. At length, however, he was got near enough
+to his countryman to hear him say, without appearing to address himself
+to any body, "_Go hence! go hence_!" They did so; and the next morning,
+tho' it was a fine town, which they wished to examine, and to spend some
+time in, set off early for _Carthagena_, where they had some particular
+friends, to whom they related the _Alguazile_'s very extraordinary
+behaviour, as well as that of the company at the theatre. It was near
+the time of the Carnival at _Carthagena_: the conduct of _Don Marco_ to
+the two gentlemen strangers, became the subject of conversation, and
+indeed of indignation, among the Spaniards of that civilized city; and
+the _Alguazile_, who came to the Carnival there soon after, died by the
+hands of an assassin; he was stabbed by a mask in the night. Now suppose
+this man lost his life at _Carthagena_, for his ill behaviour to the two
+strangers at _Marcia_, or for any other cause, it is very certain, if
+natives are so liable to assassination, strangers are not more secure.
+
+P.S. To give you some idea of the address of the pulpit oratory in
+Spain, about sixty or seventy years ago, (and it is not in general much
+better at present) take the following specimen, which I assure you, is
+strictly true:--
+
+A preacher holding forth in the place called _Las_ Mancanas at Madrid,
+after informing his auditors of the sufferings of Jesus Christ,
+added,--and is it not strange, that we still continue to sin on, and
+live without repentance? O Lord God! said he, why sufferest thou such
+ungrateful and wretched sinners to live?--And instantly giving himself a
+violent box on the ear, the whole assembly followed his example, and
+four thousand _soufflets_ were given and received in the twinkling of an
+eye.--The French Embassador, from whose _memoires_ I take this story,
+was upon that instant bursting out in laughter at the pious ceremony,
+had he not been checked by one of his friends, who happened to stand
+near, and who assured him, that his rank and character would not have
+saved him, had he been so indiscreet, for the enraged populace would
+have cut him in a thousand pieces; whereupon he hid his face in his
+handkerchief, and boxed his own ears more for the love of himself than
+from gratitude to his Redeemer.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXXII.
+
+
+There are in Spain twelve councils of state, viz. of _War_, of
+_Castile_, of the _Inquisition_, of the royal orders of _St. Iago_, of
+_Arragon_, of the _Indies_, of the chamber of _Castile_, of the
+_Croisade_, of the _State_, of _Italy_, of the _Finances and Treasure_,
+and lastly, that (of no use) of _Flanders_.
+
+The council of _War_ is composed of experienced men of various orders,
+who are thought capable of advising upon that subject, and not of any
+determinate number.
+
+That of _Castile_ has a president and sixteen other members, beside a
+secretary and inferior officers; it is the first of all the councils,
+and takes cognizance of civil as well as criminal matters. The King
+calls this council only OUR council, to mark its superiority to all
+others. The president is a man of great authority, and is treated with
+the utmost respect; nor does he ever visit any body.
+
+The council of the _Inquisition_, established by _Don Fernando_ in 1483,
+has an inquisitor general for its president, who is always a _Grandee_
+of the first condition; he has six counsellors, who are called apostolic
+inquisitors. This court, (the power of which has, fortunately for
+mankind, been of late years greatly abridged) has a great number of
+inferior officers, as well as _holy spies_, all over the kingdom,
+particularly at _Seville_, _Toledo_, _Valladolid_, _Barcelona_, and
+other places, where these horrid tribunals are fixed; each is governed
+by three counsellors, who, however, are dependant on that of Madrid; and
+to whom they are obliged every month to give a particular account of
+what has passed through their hands. These men have not power to
+imprison a priest, a religious, nor even a gentleman, without obtaining
+the consent of the supreme court above; they meet at _Madrid_ twice
+every day, and two of the King's council always attend at the afternoon
+meeting.
+
+Of the council of the three royal orders of Spain; that of _Santiago_ is
+the first; the other two are _Calatrava_ and _Alcantara_. It is composed
+of a president, six counsellors, and other officers.
+
+The president of the council of _Arragon_ is called the vice chancellor;
+who is assisted by nine counsellors, and inferior officers. This council
+attend to the public state of the kingdom of _Arragon_, as well as to
+the islands of _Majorca_, _Ivica_, &c.
+
+The council of the _Indies_ was established in 1511, for the
+conservation and augmentation of the new kingdoms discovered by
+_Columbus_ in South America, in 1492; and where the Spaniards have at
+this time four thousand nine hundred leagues of land, including _Mexico_
+and _Peru_; land divided into many kingdoms and provinces, in which they
+had built, in the year 1670, upwards of eight thousand churches, and
+more than a thousand convents. They have there a patriarch, six
+arch-bishops, and thirty-two bishops, and three tribunals of the
+inquisition. This council is composed of a president, a grand
+chancellor, and twelve counsellors, a treasurer, secretary, advocates,
+agents, and an infinite number of inferior officers. They meet twice a
+week, to regulate all the affairs, both by land and sea, relative to
+that part of the King's dominions.
+
+The council of the _Croisade_ is composed of a president, who is called
+the commissary general, and who has great privileges. The clergy are
+obliged to pay something annually to it; and if any one finds a purse of
+money in the streets, they are obliged to deliver it to the secretary of
+this council.
+
+The council of _State_ is composed of men of the first birth and
+understanding about the court. The King presides, and is assisted by
+the archbishop of _Toledo_. This council is not confined to any certain
+number; they meet three times a week, to deliberate on the most
+important affairs of the kingdom.
+
+The council of _Italy_ attends to the affairs of _Naples_, _Sicily_, and
+_Milan_; it is composed of a president, and six counsellors, three of
+whom are Spaniards, one Neapolitan, one Italian, and one Sicilian; each
+of which have their separate charge on the affairs of those countries.
+
+The council of _Finances and Treasure_ is composed of a president, who
+is called _presidente de hazienda_, that is, superintendant of the
+finances; eight counsellors, and a great number of other officers,
+beside treasurers, controllers, &c, who have a great share of the most
+important affairs of the nation to regulate; they hear causes, and are
+not only entrusted with the treasures of the kingdom, but with
+administration of justice to all the king's subjects. You may easily
+judge what a number of officers compose this council, when I tell you,
+that they have twenty-six treasurers.
+
+The council of _Flanders_ have now only the _name_; as the King of
+England bears that of France.--The formal manner which men, high in
+office or blood, observe in paying or receiving visits, is very
+singular: the inquisitor-general, for instance, has several black lines
+marked upon the floor of his anti-chamber, by which he limits the
+civilities he is to shew to men, according to the rank or office they
+bear: he has his _black_ marks for an embassador, an envoy, &c. When
+people of condition at Madrid propose to make a visit, it is previously
+announced by a page, to know the day and hour they can be received; and
+this ceremony is often used on ordinary visits, as well as those of a
+more public nature: the page too has his coach to carry him upon these
+errands. I have seen the account of a visit made by the Cardinal of
+_Arragon_ to the Admiral of _Castile_, the train of which filled the
+whole street; he was carried by six servants in a magnificent chair, and
+followed by his body coach drawn by eight mules, attended by his
+gentlemen, pages, esquires, all mounted on horseback, and arrayed in a
+most sumptuous manner. Every order of men assume an air of importance in
+Spain. I have been assured, that when a shoemaker has been called upon
+to make a pair of shoes, he would not undertake the work till he had
+first enquired of _Dona_, his wife, whether there was any money in the
+house? if she answered in the affirmative, he would not work. Even the
+beggars do not give up this universal privilege, as the following
+instance will evince:--A foreigner of fashion, who was reading in a
+bookseller's shop in Madrid, was accosted by one of the town beggars,
+who in an arrogant manner asked his charity, in terms which implied a
+demand rather than a favour. The stranger made no reply, nor did he take
+the least notice, but determined to continue reading, and dismiss the
+insolent beggar by his silent contempt: this encreased the beggar's
+hardiness; he told him, he might find time enough to read after he had
+attended to his request, and what he had to say. But still the gentleman
+read on, and disregarded his rudeness. At length, the beggar stept up to
+him, and with an air of the utmost insolence, at the same time taking
+him hold by the arm, added, What! neither charity, nor courtesy? By this
+time, the stranger lost all patience, and was going to correct him for
+his temerity:--Stop, Sir, (said the beggar, in a lower tone of voice)
+hear me;--pardon, me, Sir; do you not know me? No, certainly; replied
+the stranger, But, said he, you ought, for I was secretary to an embassy
+in a certain capital, where we lived together in intimacy; and then told
+him his name, and the particular misfortunes which had reduced him to
+that condition; he expressed himself with art, address, and eloquence,
+and succeeded in getting money from the gentleman, though he could not
+convince him that he was his old acquaintance.
+
+There are in Spain an infinite number of such sort of beggars, who are
+men of sense and letters, and so _au fait_ in the art, that they will
+not be denied. The grand secret of the art of begging is in
+perseverance; and all the _well-bred_ part of beggars do not despair,
+though they have ten refusals. But the worst sort of beggars in Spain,
+are the troops of male and female gipsies: these are the genuine breed,
+and differ widely from all other human beings. In Spain I often met
+troops of these people; and when that interview happens in roads very
+distant from towns or dwellings, the interview is not very pleasing; for
+they ask as if they knew they were not to be refused; and, I dare say,
+often commit murders, when they can do it by surprize. Whenever I saw
+any of these people at a distance, I walked with a gun in my hand, and
+near to the side of my chaise, where there were pistols visible; and by
+shewing them I was not afraid, or, at least, making them believe so,
+they became afraid of us. They are extremely swarthy, with hair as black
+as jet; and form a very picturesque scene under the shade of those rocks
+and trees, where they spend their evenings; and live in a manner by no
+means disagreeable, in a climate so suitable to that style, where bread,
+water, and idleness is certainly preferable to better fare and hard
+labour. It is owing to this universal idleness that the roads, the inns,
+and every thing, but what is absolutely necessary, is neglected; yet,
+bad as the roads are, they are better than the _posada_, or inns. _El
+salir de la posada, es la mejor jornada_,--"_the best part of the
+journey_, say the Spaniards, _is the getting_ _out of the posada_." For
+as neither king nor people are at much expence to make or mend the high
+ways, except just about the capital cities, they are dry or wet, rough
+or smooth, steep or rugged, just as the weather or the soil happens to
+favour or befoul them.--Now, here is a riddle for your son; I know he is
+an adept, and will soon overtake me.
+
+    I'm rough, I'm smooth, I'm wet, I'm dry;
+    My station's low, my title's high;
+    The King my lawful master is;
+    I'm us'd by all, though only his:
+    My common freedom's so well known,
+    I am for that a proverb grown.
+
+The roads in Spain are, like those in Ireland, very _narrow_, and the
+leagues very long. When I complained to an Irish soldier of the length
+of the miles, between Kinsale and Cork, he acknowledged the truth of my
+observation; but archly added, that though they were _long_, they were
+but _narrow_.--Three Spanish leagues make nearly twelve English miles;
+and, consequently, seventeen Spanish leagues make nearly one degree.
+The bad roads, steep mountains, rapid rivers, &c. occasion most of the
+goods and merchandize, which are carried from one part of the kingdom to
+the other, to be conveyed on mule-back, and each mule has generally a
+driver; and as these drivers have their fixed stages from _posada_ to
+_posada_, so must the gentlemen travellers also, because there are no
+other accommodations on the roads but such houses; the stables therefore
+at the _posadas_ are not only very large, but the best part of the
+building, and is the lodging-room of man and beast; all the muleteers
+sleep there, with their cloaths on, upon a bundle of straw: but while
+your supper is preparing, the kitchen is crowded with a great number of
+these dirty fellows, whose cloaths are full of vermin; it would be
+impossible, therefore, for even a good cook to dress a dish with any
+decency or cleanliness, were such a cook to be found; for, exclusive of
+the numbers, there is generally a quarrel or two among them, and at all
+times a noise, which is not only tiresome, but frequently alarming.
+These people, however, often carry large sums of money, and tho' they
+are dirty, they are not poor nor dishonest.--I was told in France, to
+beware of the _Catalans_; yet I frequently left many loose things in and
+about my chaise, where fifty people lay, and never lost any thing.
+
+When I congratulated myself in a letter to my brother, upon finding in
+Wales a Gentleman of the name of Cooke, whose company, conversation, and
+acquaintance, were so perfectly pleasing to me; my brother observed,
+however, that my Welch _friend_ was not a _Welchman_, for, said he,
+"there are no COOKS in Wales;"--but this observation may be with more
+justice applied to Spain; for I think there are no COOKS in Spain; but
+there are, what is better, a great number of honest, virtuous men: I
+look upon the true, genuine Spaniards to be as respectable men as any
+in Europe; and that, among the lower order of them there is more honour
+and honesty than is to be found among more polished nations; and, I dare
+say, there were an hundred Spaniards at _Barcelona_, had they been as
+well informed about my identity as Messrs. Curtoys and Wombwell, that
+would have changed my notes, or lent me money without.
+
+_P.S._ The tour through Spain and Portugal by UDAL ap RHYS, grandfather
+to the now Mr. Price of Foxley in Herefordshire, abounds with more
+falshoods than truths; indeed I have been told it was written, as many
+modern travels are, over a pipe in a chimney corner: and I hope Mr.
+Udal never was in Spain, as "_one fib is more excusable than a
+thousand_."
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXXIII.
+
+NISMES.
+
+
+_Monsr Anglois_ having sent me back my _passa-porte_, signed by _Don
+Philipe Cabine_, the Captain-General of _Barcelona_, accompanied by a
+very kind and friendly letter, I determined to quit the only place in
+Spain which had afforded me pleasure, amusement, and delight. We
+accordingly sat off the next day for _Martorel_, and went to the Three
+Kings, where our Italian host, whose extortions I had complained of
+before, received us with a face of the utmost disdain; and though he had
+no company in his house, put us into much worse apartments than those we
+had been in before. I ordered something for supper, and left it to him,
+as he had given us a very good one before; but he was not only
+determined to punish us in lodging, but in eating also, and sent only
+four little mutton cutlets, so small, that they were not sufficient for
+one, instead of four persons; we pretended, however, not to perceive his
+insolence, that he might not enjoy our punishment; and the next day, as
+I was desirous of looking about me a little, we removed to another
+_posada_, where, about noon, a Canon of great ecclesiastical preferment
+arrived, with a coach, six mules, and a large retinue, to dinner: the
+Canon had no more the marks of a gentleman than a muleteer; and he had
+with him two or three persons, of no better appearance. While his
+dinner, a kind of _olla_, was preparing, I went into the kitchen, where
+the smell of the rancid oil with which it was dressed, would have dined
+two or three men of moderate or tender stomachs; nor had he any other
+dish. There was behind his coach a great quantity of bedding,
+bed-steads, &c. so you will perceive he travelled _comme il faut_. His
+livery servants were numerous, and had on very short livery coats, with
+large sleeves, and still shorter waists. After he had eat a dinner,
+enough to poison a pack of hounds, he sat off in great pomp for
+_Barcelona_, a city I passed the next day with infinite pleasure,
+without entering its inhospitable gates; which I could not have done,
+had not _Mons. Anglois_ saved me that mortification by getting my _passa
+porte refreshed_. I confess, Sir, that while I passed under the
+fortifications of that city, which the high road made necessary, I felt,
+I knew not why, a terror about me, that my frame is in general a
+stranger to; and rather risqued two hours' night travelling, bad and
+dangerous as the roads were, than sleep within four leagues of it; so
+that it was ten o'clock before we got to _Martereau_, a little city by
+the sea side, where we had lodged on our way to _Barcelona_. The next
+day, we proceeded on the same delightful sea coast we had before passed,
+and through the same rich villages, on our way to _Girone_, _Figuiere_,
+&c. and avoided that horrid _posada_ where the Frenchman died, by lying
+at a worse house, but better people: but having bought a brace of
+partridges, and some _red fish_ on the road, we fared sumptuously,
+except in beds, which were straw mattrasses, very hard, and the room
+full of wet Indian corn; but we were no sooner out of our _posada_, than
+the climate and the beautiful country made ample amends for the town and
+_posada_ grievances.
+
+It is contrary to the law of Spain to bring more than a certain quantity
+of Spanish gold or silver out of the kingdom, and I had near an hundred
+pounds in gold _duras_, about the size of our quarter guineas. I
+endeavoured to change them at _Figuiere_, but I found some very artful,
+I may say roguish, schemes laid, to defraud me, by a pretended
+difficulty to get French money, and therefore determined to proceed with
+it to _Jonquiere_, the last village, where it was not probable I could
+find so much French money. I therefore had a very large French _queue_
+made up, within which the greater part of my Spanish gold was bound; and
+as the weight _made_ me hold up my _tete d'or_, the custom-house
+officers there, who remembered my entrance into Spain, found
+half-a-crown put into their hands less trouble than examining my baggage
+gratis; they accordingly _passed_ me on my way to _Bellegarde_, without
+even opening it; and we found the road up to that fortress, though in
+the month of December, full as good as when we had passed it in the
+summer; and after descending on the French side, and crossing the river,
+got to the little _auberge_ at _Boulon_, the same we had held too bad
+when we went into Spain, even to eat our breakfast at; but upon our
+return, worthy of a place of rest, and we accordingly staid there a
+week: beds with curtains, rooms with chimnies, and paper windows, though
+tattered and torn, were luxuries we had been unaccustomed to.--But I
+must not omit to tell you, that on our road down on the French side of
+the _Pyrenees_, two men, both armed with guns, rushed suddenly out of
+the woods, and making towards us, asked, whether we wanted a guard? I
+was walking, perhaps fortunately at that time, with my fuzee in my hand,
+and my servant had a double barrelled pistol in his; and therefore
+forbid them to approach us, and told them, we had nothing else to lose
+but our lives, and that if they did not retire I should look upon them
+as people who meant to plunder, rather than protect us: they accordingly
+retired into the woods, and I began to believe they had no evil intent;
+but finding an _Exempt_ of the _Marechaussee_ at _Boulon_, I told him
+what had passed, and asked him whether his men attended upon that road,
+in coloured cloaths, or any others were allotted, to protect or guard
+travellers? He assured me there were no such people of any kind; that
+his men always moved on horseback, in their proper character, and
+suspected _our guard_ would have been very troublesome, had they found
+us _off our guard_; but he did not offer, nor did I ask him, to send
+after them, though he was a very civil, sensible man, who had been three
+years on duty in _Corsica_; and, consequently, his company, for the week
+I staid in such a poor town, was very agreeable. And as _Mons. Bernard_,
+or some officer of the _Marechaussee_, is always in duty at this town, I
+would advise those who enter into Spain, by that route, to procure a
+couple of those men to escorte them up to _Bellegarde_--an attention
+that no officer in France will refuse to shew, when it is not
+incompatible with his duty.
+
+The rapid water at this town, which I had passed going into Spain, was
+now lower than usual. Here too my horse, as well as his master, lived
+truly _in clover_; and though our habitation was humble, a habitation at
+the very foot of the _Pyrenees_ could not but be very beautiful; no part
+of France is more so; it is indeed a beautiful and noble sight, to see
+the hanging plantations of vines, olives, and mulberry-trees, warmed by
+a hot sun on the sides of those mountains, the upper parts of which are
+covered with a perpetual snow. But beautiful as all that part of the
+country is, there was not a single gentleman's house in the environs.
+
+After a compleat week's refreshment, we proceeded to _Perpignan_ to
+spend our Christmas, where we found the _Chevalier de Maigny_ and his
+Lady, who had given us the letter of recommendation to the French Consul
+at _Barcelona_; who shewed us those marks of civility and politeness,
+French officers in general shew to strangers. There we staid a
+fortnight; and _Mons. de Maigny_ got me a considerable profit, in
+changing my Spanish gold for French.
+
+In this town, I found an unfortunate young Irishman; he had been there
+three months, without a friend or a shilling in his pocket; and as he
+was a man of education and good breeding, I could not so soon forget my
+own situation at _Barcelona_, not to pity his: but what most induced me
+to assist him a little, was, what he feared might have had a contrary
+effect. When I asked him his name, he readily answered, "R--h; an
+unfortunate name!" said he;--"but, as it is my name, I will _wear
+it_."--He had a well-wisher in the town, a French watch-maker, to whom
+he imparted the little kindness I had shewn him; and as it was not
+enough to conduct him on foot to the north side of this kingdom, the
+generous, but poor watch-maker, gave him as much as I had done, and he
+sat off with a light heart, though a _thin pair of breeches_, for his
+own country. He had been to visit a rich relation at Madrid; and, I
+believe, did not meet with so cordial a reception there as he expected.
+
+At this town I drank, at a private gentleman's house, part of a bottle
+of the wine made at a little village hard by, called _Rios Alto_; the
+most delicious wine I ever tasted: but as the spot produces but a small
+quantity, that which is really of the growth is very scarce, as well as
+dear: it has the strength of full port, with a flavour superior to
+burgundy.
+
+_Perpignan_ is the principal city of _Rosillein_; it is well fortified,
+but the works are in a ruinous condition: the streets are narrow and
+dirty, but the Governor's, and the botanic gardens are worthy of notice:
+the climate is remarkably fine, and the air pure. The _Pyrenees_, which
+are at least fifteen miles distant, appear to hang in a manner over the
+town: to see so much snow, and feel so much sun, is very singular. Wood
+is very scarce and dear in that town: I frequently saw mules and asses
+loaded with rosemary and lavender bushes, to sell for firing. The
+barbarous language of the common people of this province, is very
+convenient, as they understand French, and can make themselves
+understood thro' a great part of Spain: from which kingdom not a day
+passes but mules and carriages arrive, except when the heavy rains or
+snow obstruct the communication.--The mules and asses of Spain, and this
+part of France, are not only very useful but valuable beasts: the only
+way to get a valuable one of either sort from Spain, is, to fix upon the
+beast, and promise a round sum to one of the religious mendicants to
+smuggle it out of the kingdom, who covers the animal with bags, baskets,
+and a variety of trumpery, as if he was going into France to collect
+charity: and passes either by _not_ being suspected, or by being a
+_Religieux_ if he is suspected.
+
+As we took exactly the same route from _Perpignan_ to this town as we
+went, except leaving _Cette_ a few leagues on our left; I shall say
+nothing of our return, but that we relished our reception at the French
+inns, and the good cheer we found there, infinitely more than as we
+went: and that we were benighted for some hours before we got into
+_Montpellier_, and caught in the most dreadful storm of rain, thunder
+and lightning I ever was exposed to. I was obliged for two hours to hold
+my horse's bridle on one side, as my man did on the other, and feel with
+sticks for the margin of the road, as it was elevated very high above
+the marshy lands, and if the heel had slipped over on either side, it
+must have overset the chaise into the lowlands: besides which, the
+roaring of the water-streams was so great, that I very often thought we
+were upon the margin of some river or high bridge: nor was my suffering
+quite over even after I got into the city: I could not find my former
+_auberge_, nor meet with any body to direct me: and the water-spouts
+which fell into the middle of those narrow streets almost deluged
+us.--My poor horse, too, found the steep streets, slippery pavement, and
+tons of water which fell upon him, as much as he could well bear: but,
+as the old song says,
+
+    "Alas! by some degree of woe,
+    We every bliss obtain;"
+
+So we found a good fire and good cheer an ample recompence for our wet
+jackets. It was so very dark, that though I led my horse by the head
+above a league, I could but seldom see him: nor do I remember in my
+whole life to have met with any difficulty which so agitated my
+mind:--no: not even at the _bar of the House of Lords_, I did not dread
+the danger so much, as the idea of tumbling my family over a precipice,
+without the power to assist them; or, if they were _gone_, resolution
+enough to _follow them_.
+
+
+END _of the_ FIRST VOLUME.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Year's Journey through France and
+Part of Spain, 1777, by Philip Thicknesse
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+
+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Year's Journey through France and Part of
+Spain, 1777, by Philip Thicknesse
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Year's Journey through France and Part of Spain, 1777
+       Volume 1 (of 2)
+
+Author: Philip Thicknesse
+
+Release Date: August 8, 2005 [EBook #16485]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOURNEY THROUGH FRANCE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by From images generously made available by gallica
+(Bibliothèque nationale de France) at
+http://gallica.bnf.fr., Robert Connal, Chuck Greif and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+<p><a name="Page_0" id="Page_0"></a></p>
+
+<h1>A</h1>
+
+<h1>YEAR'S JOURNEY</h1>
+
+<h1>THROUGH</h1>
+
+<h1>FRANCE,</h1>
+
+<h1>AND</h1>
+
+<h1>PART OF SPAIN.</h1>
+
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>PHILIP THICKNESSE.</h2>
+
+<h2>VOLUME I</h2>
+
+<h3>DUBLIN</h3>
+<h3>Printed by J. Williams, (No. 21.) Skinner-Row.</h3>
+<h3>M,DCC,LXXVII.</h3>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<div class="tr">
+<p class="noindent">Transcriber's Note: Quotes and long-s have been modernized.</p>
+</div>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+
+
+<h2>LETTERS:</h2>
+<p class="noindent">
+<a href="#LETTER_I"><b>I.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_II"><b>II.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_III"><b>III.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_IV"><b>IV.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_V"><b>V.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_VI"><b>VI.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_VII"><b>VII.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_VIII"><b>VIII.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_IX"><b>IX.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_X"><b>X.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XI"><b>XI.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XII"><b>XII.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XIII"><b>XIII.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XIV"><b>XIV.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XV"><b>XV.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XVI"><b>XVI.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XVII"><b>XVII.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XVIII"><b>XVIII.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XIX"><b>XIX.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XX"><b>XX.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XXI"><b>XXI.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XXII"><b>XXII.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XXIII"><b>XXIII.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XXIV"><b>XXIV.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XXV"><b>XXV.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XXVI"><b>XXVI.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XXVII"><b>XXVII.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XXVIII"><b>XXVIII.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XXIX"><b>XXIX.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XXX"><b>XXX.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XXXI"><b>XXXI.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XXXII"><b>XXXII.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+<a href="#LETTER_XXXIII"><b>XXXIII.,&nbsp;</b></a>
+</p>
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+<a name="Page_1" id="Page_1"></a><h2>A JOURNEY, &amp;c.</h2>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<h2><a name="LETTER_I" id="LETTER_I"></a>LETTER I</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Calais</span>, June 20th, 1775</div>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">As you are kind enough to say, that those letters which I wrote from
+this kingdom, nine or ten years ago, were of some use to you, in the
+little tour you made through France soon after, and as they have been
+considered in some degree to be so to many other persons, (since their
+publication) who were unacquainted with the manners and customs of the
+French nation, I shall endeavour to bring together, in this second
+correspondence with you, not only some of the former hints I<a name="Page_2" id="Page_2"></a> gave you,
+but such other remarks as a longer acquaintance with the country, and a
+more extensive tour, may furnish me with; but before I proceed any
+further, let me remind you, of one great fault I was then guilty of; for
+though your partiality to me might induce you to overlook it, the public
+did not, I mean that of writing when my temper was disturbed, either by
+cross incidents I met with upon the road, or disagreeable news which
+often followed me from my own country into this. I need not tell a man
+of your discernment, in what a different light all objects, whether
+animate, or inanimate, appear to those, whose temper is disturbed,
+either by ill health, ill treatment, or, what is perhaps more prevalent
+than either, the chagrin he may feel at not being rated in the
+estimation of others, according to that value he puts upon himself.
+Could Dr. Smollett rise from the dead, and sit down in perfect health,
+and good temper, and read his travels through France and Italy,<a name="Page_3" id="Page_3"></a> he
+would probably find most of his anger turned upon himself. But, poor
+man! he was ill; and meeting with, what every stranger must expect to
+meet at most French inns, want of cleanliness, imposition, and
+incivility; he was so much disturbed by those incidents, that to say no
+more of the writings of an ingenious and deceased author, his travels
+into France, and Italy, are the least entertaining, in my humble
+opinion, of all his works. Indeed I have observed that most travellers
+fall into one extreme, or the other, and either are all panegyric or all
+censure; in which case, all they say cannot be just; for, as all nations
+are governed by men, and the bulk of men of all nations live by artifice
+of one kind or other, the few men who pass among them, without any
+sinister views, cannot avoid feeling, and but few from complaining of
+the ill treatment they meet with; not considering one of Swift's shrewd
+remarks; <i>I never</i> said he, <i>knew a<a name="Page_4" id="Page_4"></a> man who could not bear the
+misfortunes of another perfectly like a Christian</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Remember therefore, when I tell you how ill I have been treated either
+by <i>Lords</i> or <i>Aubergists</i>, or how dirtily served by either, it is to
+prepare myself and you too, to be content with neighbours' fare.</p>
+
+<p>When a man writes remarks upon the manners and customs of other nations,
+he should endeavour to wean himself from all partiality for his own; and
+I need not tell you that I am in <i>full possession</i> of that single
+qualification, which I hope will make you some amends for my defects in
+all the others; for it is certainly unjust, uncandid, and illiberal, to
+pronounce a custom or fashion absurd, because it does not coincide with
+our ideas of propriety. A Turk who travelled into England, would, upon
+his return to Constantinople, tell his countrymen, that at Canterbury;
+(bring out of <i>opium</i>,) his host did not know even what<a name="Page_5" id="Page_5"></a> he demanded;
+and that it was with some difficulty he found out, that there were shops
+in the town where <i>opium</i> was sold, and even then, it was with greater,
+he could prevail upon the vender of it to let him have above half an
+ounce: if he were questioned, why all these precautions? he would tell
+them, laughingly, that Englishmen believe <i>opium</i> to be a deadly poison,
+and those people suspected that he either meant to kill himself, or to
+poison another man with it.</p>
+
+<p>A French gentleman, who travelled some years since into Spain, had
+letters of recommendation to a Spanish Bishop, who received him with
+every mark of politeness, and treated him with much hospitality: soon
+after he retired to his bedchamber, a priest entered it,<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a> holding a
+vessel in his hand, which was covered with a clean napkin; he said
+something; but the<a name="Page_6" id="Page_6"></a> Frenchman understanding but little Spanish,
+intimated by signs his thanks, and desired him to put it down,
+believing, that his friend, the Bishop, had sent him a plate of
+sweetmeats, fruit, iced cream, or some kind of refreshment to eat before
+he went to bed, or to refresh his exhausted spirits in the night; but
+his astonishment was great indeed, when he found the priest put the
+present under the side of the bed; and more so, when he perceived that
+it was only a <i>pot de chambre</i>;&mdash;for, says the Frenchman, "in Spain,
+they do not use the <i>chaise percee</i>!" The Frenchman is surprized at the
+Spaniard, for not using so convenient a vehicle; the Englishman is
+equally surprized, that the Frenchman does;&mdash;the Frenchman is always
+attentive to his own person, and scarce ever appears but clean and well
+dressed; while his house and private apartments are perhaps covered with
+litter and dirt, and in the utmost confusion;&mdash;the Englishman, on the
+other hand, often neglects his external<a name="Page_7" id="Page_7"></a> dress; but his house is always
+exquisitely clean, and every thing in it kept in the nicest order; and
+who shall say, which of the two judge the best for their own ease and
+happiness? I am sure the Frenchman will not give up his powdered hair,
+and laced coat, for a clean house; nor do I believe those fineries would
+sit quietly upon the back of an Englishman, in a dirty one. In short, my
+dear sir, we must take the world, and the things in it, as they are; it
+is a dirty world, but like France, has a vast number of good things in
+it, and such as I meet with, in this my third tour, which shall be a
+long one, if I am not <i>stopped</i> by the way, you shall have such an
+account of as I am able to convey to you: I will not attempt to <i>top the
+traveller</i> upon you, nor raise monuments of wonder, where none are to be
+seen; there is real matter enough to be found upon this great continent,
+to amuse a man who travels slowly over it, to see what is to be seen,
+and who wishes not to be seen<a name="Page_8" id="Page_8"></a> himself. My style of travelling is such,
+that I can never be disturbed in mind for want of respect, but rather be
+surprised when I meet with even common civility. And, after all, what
+does it signify, whether Monsieur <i>ou Tel</i> travels in a laced coat <i>et
+tr&egrave;s bien mis</i>, attended by half a dozen servants, or, as Pope says,</p>
+
+<div class="poem">
+<span class="i14">"will run</span>
+<span class="i0">The Lord knows whither in a chaise and one."</span>
+</div>
+
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 17em;">I am, your's &amp;c.</span><br />
+</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_9" id="Page_9"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_II" id="LETTER_II"></a>LETTER II.</h2>
+
+<div class="place">June 25th, 1766.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">Before I leave Calais, let me remind you, that an English guinea is
+worth more than a <i>Louis d'or</i>; and observe, that the first question <i>my
+friend Mons. Dessein</i>, at the <i>Hotel D'Angleterre</i> will put to you,
+(after he has made his bow, and given you a side look, as a cock does at
+a barley-corn) is, whether you have any guineas to change? because he
+gets by each guinea, full weight, ten <i>Sols</i>. By this hint, you will
+conclude, he will not, upon your return, ask you for your French Gold;
+but in this too you will be mistaken, for he finds an advantage in that
+also; he will, not indeed give you guineas, but, in lieu thereof, he has
+always a large quantity of <i>Birmingham Shillings</i>, to truck with you for
+your<a name="Page_10" id="Page_10"></a> <i>Louis d'ors</i>. I am afraid, when Lord North took into
+consideration the state of the gold coin, he did not know, that the
+better state it is put into in England, is the surest means of
+transporting it into France, and other countries; and that scarce a
+single guinea which travellers carry with them to France, (and many
+hundred go every week) ever returns to England: Beside this, the
+quantity of gold carried over to the ports of <i>Dunkirk</i>, <i>Boulogne</i>, and
+<i>Calais</i>, by the Smugglers, who always pay ready money, is incredible;
+but as money, and matters of that kind, are what I have but <i>little
+concern in</i>, I will not enlarge upon a subject no way interesting to me,
+and shall only observe, that my landlord, <i>Mons. Dessein</i>, who was
+behind-hand with the world ten years ago, is now become one of the
+richest men in <i>Calais</i>, has built a little Theatre in his garden, and
+has united the profitable business of a Banker, to that of a Publican;
+and by studying the <i>Gout</i> of the English<a name="Page_11" id="Page_11"></a> nation, and changing their
+gold into French currency, has made, they say, a <i>Demi Plumb</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Notwithstanding the contiguity of <i>Calais</i> to England, and the great
+quantity of poultry, vegetables, game, &amp;c. which are bought up every
+market-day, and conveyed to your coast, I am inclined to believe, there
+are not many parts of France where a man, who has but little money, can
+make it go further than in this town; nor is there any town in England,
+where the fishery is conducted with so much industry.</p>
+
+<p>Yesterday I visited my unfortunate daughter, at the convent at
+<i>Ardres</i>;&mdash;but why do I say unfortunate? She is unfortunate only, in the
+eyes of the world, not in her own; nor indeed in mine, because she
+assured me she is happy. I left her here, you know, ten years ago, by<a name="Page_12" id="Page_12"></a>
+way of education, and learning the language; but the small-pox, which
+seized her soon after, made such havock on a face, rather favoured by
+nature, that she desired to hide it from the world, and spend her life
+in that retirement, which I had chosen only to qualify her <i>for</i> the
+world. I left her a child; I found her a sensible woman; full of
+affection and duty; and her mangled and seamed face, so softened by an
+easy mind, and a good conscience, that she appeared in my partial eyes,
+rather an agreeable than a plain woman; but she did not omit to signify
+to me, that what others considered her misfortune, she considered (as it
+was not her fault) a happy circumstance; "if my face is plain (said she)
+my heart is light, and I am sure it will make as good a figure in the
+earth, as the fairest, and most beautiful." My only concern is, that I
+find the <i>Prieure</i> of this convent, either for want of more knowledge,
+or<a name="Page_13" id="Page_13"></a> more money, or both, had received, as parlour boarders, some English
+ladies of very suspicious characters. As the conversation of such women
+might interrupt, and disturb that peace and tranquillity of mind, in
+which I found my daughter, I told the <i>Prieure</i> my sentiments on that
+subject, not only with freedom, but with some degree of severity; and
+endeavoured to convince her, how very unwarrantably, if not
+irreligiously she acted. An abandoned, or vicious woman, may paint the
+pleasures of this world in such gaudy colours, to a poor innocent Nun,
+so as to induce her to forget, or become less attentive to the
+professions she has made to the next.</p>
+
+<p>It was near this town, you know, that the famous interview passed
+between Henry the Eighth, and <i>Francis</i> the First, in the year 1520; and
+though it lasted twenty-eight days, and was an event<a name="Page_14" id="Page_14"></a> which produced at
+that time so many amusements to all present, and so much conversation
+throughout Europe, the inhabitants of this, town, or Calais, seem to
+know little of it, but that one of the bastions at <i>Ardres</i> is called
+the Bastion of the Two Kings.&mdash;There still remains, however, in the
+front of one of the houses in <i>Calais</i>, upon an ornamented stone, cut in
+old letter,</p>
+
+<p>
+<span style="margin-left: 14.5em;"><b>God Save the King</b>;</span><br />
+</p>
+
+<p>And I suppose that stone was put, where it now remains, by some loyal
+subject, before the King arrived, as it is in a street which leads from
+the gate (now stopped up) which Henry passed through.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_15" id="Page_15"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_III" id="LETTER_III"></a>LETTER III.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">In a very few days I shall leave this town, and having procured letters
+of recommendation from some men of fashion, now in England, to their
+friends in <i>Spain</i>, I am determined to traverse this, and make a little
+tour into that kingdom; so you may expect something more from me, than
+merely such remarks as may be useful to you on any future tour you make
+in France; I mean to conduct you at least over the <i>Pyrenean</i> hills to
+<i>Barcelona</i>; for, though I have been two or three times before in Spain,
+it was early in life, and when my mind was more employed in observing
+the <i>customs</i> and <i>manors</i> of the birds, and beasts of the field, than
+of their lords and masters, and made too, on the other side of that
+kingdom. Having seen as much of Paris as I desired, some years ago, I
+intend to pass through the provinces of<a name="Page_16" id="Page_16"></a> <i>Artois</i>, <i>Champaigne</i>,
+<i>Bourgogne</i>, and so on to <i>Lyons</i>; by which route you will perceive, I
+shall leave the capital of this kingdom many leagues on my right hand,
+and see some considerable towns, and taste now and then of the most
+delicious wines, on the spots which produce them; beside this, I have a
+great desire to see the remains of a Roman subterranean town, lately
+discovered in <i>Champaigne</i>, which perhaps may gratify my curiosity in
+some degree, and thereby lessen that desire I have: long had of visiting
+<i>Herculaneum</i>, an <i>under-ground</i> town you know, I always said I would
+visit, if a certain person happened to be put <i>under-ground</i> before me;
+but the <span class="smcap">Cause</span>, and the event, in all human affairs, are not to
+be fathomed by men; for though the event happened, the <i>cause</i>
+frustrated my design; and I must cross the <i>Pyranean</i> not the <i>Alpian</i>
+hills. But lest I forget it, let me tell you, that as my travelling must
+be upon <a name="Page_17" id="Page_17"></a>the frugal plan, I have sold my four-wheel post-chaise, to
+<i>Mons. Dessein</i>, for twenty-two guineas, and bought a French
+<i>cabriolet</i>, for ten, and likewise a very handsome English coach-horse,
+(a little touched in the wind indeed) for seven. This equipage I have
+fitted up with every convenience I can contrive, to carry me, my wife,
+two daughters, and all my <i>other</i> baggage; you will conclude therefore,
+<i>light</i> as the latter may be, we are <i>bien charge</i>; but as we move
+slowly, not above seven leagues a day, I shall have the more leisure to
+look about me, and to consider what sort of remarks may prove most
+worthy of communicating from time to time to you. I shall be glad to
+leave this town, though it is in one respect, something like your's,<a name="FNanchor_B_2" id="FNanchor_B_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_B_2" class="fnanchor">[B]</a>
+everyday producing many <i>strange faces</i>, and some very agreeable
+acquaintance. The arrival of the packet-boats from Dover constitutes the
+principal amusement of this town.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18"></a>The greater part of the English <i>transports</i> who come over, do not
+proceed much further than to see the tobacco plantations near <i>St.
+Omer</i>'s; nor is their return home less entertaining than their arrival,
+as many of them are people of such <i>quick parts</i>, that they acquire, in
+a week's tour to <i>Dunkirk</i>, <i>Bologne</i>, and <i>St. Omer</i>'s, the <i>language</i>,
+dress and manners of the country. You must not, however, expect to hear
+again from me, till I am further <i>a-field</i>. But lest I forget to mention
+it in a future letter, let me refresh your memory, as to your conduct at
+Dover, at Sea, and at <i>Calais</i>. In the first of these three disagreeable
+places, (and the first is the worst) you will soon be applied to by one
+of the Captains of the packets, or bye-boats, and if you hire the boat
+to yourself, he will demand five guineas; if you treat with another, it
+is all one, because they are all, except one, partners and equally
+interested; and therefore will abate nothing. Captain Watson is the
+<a name="Page_19" id="Page_19"></a>only one who <i>swims upon his own bottom</i>; and as he is a good seaman,
+and has a clean, convenient, nay an elegant vessel, I would rather turn
+the scale in his favour, because I am, as you will be, an enemy to all
+associations which have a tendency to imposition upon the public, and
+oppression to such who will not join in the general confederacy; yet I
+must, in justice to the Captains of the confederate party, acknowledge,
+that their vessels are all good; <i>well found</i>; and that they are civil,
+decent-behaved men. As it is natural for them to endeavour to make the
+most of each <i>trip</i>, they will, if they can, foist a few passengers upon
+you, even after you have taken the vessel to your own use only. If you
+are alone, this intrusion is not agreeable, but if you have ladies with
+you, never submit to it; if they introduce men, who appear like
+gentlemen upon your vessel, you cannot avoid treating them as such; if
+women, you cannot avoid them treating them with more <a name="Page_20" id="Page_20"></a>attention than may
+be convenient, because they <i>are</i> women; but were it only in
+consideration of the sea-sickness and its <i>consequences</i>, can any thing
+be more disagreeable than to admit people to <i>pot</i> and <i>porringer</i> with
+you, in a small close cabin, with whom you would neither eat, drink, or
+converse, in any other place? but these are not the only reasons; every
+gentleman going to France should avoid making new acquaintance, at
+Dover, at Sea, or at <i>Calais</i>: many <i>adventurers</i> are always passing,
+and many honest men are often led into grievous and dangerous situations
+by such inconsiderate connections; nay, the best, and wisest men, are
+the most liable to be off their guard, and therefore you will excuse my
+pointing it out to you.</p>
+
+<p>I could indeed relate some alarming consequences, nay, some fatal ones,
+which have befallen men of honour and character in this country, from
+such unguarded connections; and such as they would not have been drawn
+into, on the other side of the<a name="Page_21" id="Page_21"></a> "<i>invidious Streight</i>." When an
+Englishman leaves his own country, and is got no further from it than to
+this town, he looks back upon it with an eye of partial affection; no
+wonder then, if he feels more disposed to be kind to a countryman and a
+stranger he may meet in this.&mdash;I do not think it would be difficult to
+point out, what degree of intimacy would arise between two men who knew
+but little of each other, according to the part of the world they were
+to meet in.&mdash;I remember the time, when I only knew your person, and
+coveted your acquaintance; at that time we lived in the same town, knew
+each other's general character, but passed without speaking, or even the
+compliment of the hat; yet had we met in London, we should certainly
+have taken some civil notice of each other: had the interview been at
+York, it is five to one but it would have produced a conversation: at
+Edinburgh, or Dublin, we should have dined, or gone to the play
+together: but if we had met at Barbadoes, I should have been invited to
+spend a <a name="Page_22" id="Page_22"></a>month at your <span class="smcap">Penn</span>, and experienced many of those
+marks of hospitality, friendship, and generosity, I have found from the
+Creoles in general. When you get upon the French coast, the packet
+brings to, and is soon boarded by a French boat, to carry the passengers
+on shore; this passage is much longer than it appears to be, is always
+disagreeable, and sometimes dangerous; and the landing, if the water be
+very low, intolerable: in this case, never mind the advice of the
+Captain; his advice is, and must be regulated by his <i>own</i> and his
+owner's interest, more than your convenience; therefore stay on board
+till there is water enough to sail up to the town, and be landed by a
+plank laid from the packet to the shore, and do not suffer any body to
+persuade you to go into a boat, or to be put on shore, by any other
+method, tho' the <i>packet-men</i> and the <i>Frenchmen</i> unite to persuade you
+so to do, because they are mutually benefited by putting you to more
+expence, and the latter are entertained <a name="Page_23" id="Page_23"></a>with seeing your cloaths
+dirted, or the ladies <i>frighted</i>. If most of the packet-boats are in
+<i>Calais</i> harbour, your Captain will use every argument in his power to
+persuade you to go on shore, in the French boat, because he will, in
+that case, return directly to Dover, and thereby save eight-and-twenty
+shillings port duty. When we came over, I prevailed upon a large company
+to stay on board till there was water enough to sail into the harbour:
+it is not in the power of the Captain to deceive you as to that matter,
+because there is a red flag hoisted gradually higher and higher, as the
+water flows into the harbour, at a little fort which stands upon
+<i>stilts</i> near the entrance of it. When you are got on shore, go directly
+to <i>Dessein</i>'s; and be in no trouble about your baggage, horses, or
+coach; the former will be all carried, by men appointed for that
+purpose, safely to the Custom-house, and the latter wheeled up to your
+<i>Hotel</i>, where you will sit down more quietly, and be entertained more
+decently, than at Dover.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_24" id="Page_24"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_IV" id="LETTER_IV"></a>LETTER IV.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Rheims</span>, in Champagne.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">Little or nothing occurred to me worth remarking to you on my journey
+hither, but that the province of <i>Artois</i> is a fine corn country, and
+that the French farmers seem to understand that business perfectly well.
+I was surprised to find, near <i>St. Omer</i>'s, large plantations of
+tobacco, which had all the vigour and healthy appearance of that which I
+have seen grow in <i>poor</i> America. On my way here, (like the countryman
+in London, in gazing about) I missed my road; but a civil, and, in
+appearance, a substantial farmer, conducted us half a league over the
+fields, and marked out the course to get into it again, without
+returning directly back, a circumstance I much hate, though <a name="Page_25" id="Page_25"></a>perhaps it
+might have been the shorter way. However, before I gained the high road,
+I stumbled upon a private one, which led us into a little village
+pleasantly situated, and inhabited by none other but the poorest
+peasants; whose tattered habits, wretched houses, and smiling
+countenances, convinced me, that chearfulness and contentment shake
+hands oftener under thatched than painted roofs. We found one of these
+villagers as ready to boil our tea-kettle, provide butter, milk, &amp;c. as
+we were for our breakfasts; and during the preparation of it, I believe
+every man, woman, and child of the hamlet, was come down to <i>look at
+us</i>; for beside that wonderful curiosity common to this whole nation,
+the inhabitants of this village had never before seen an Englishman;
+they had heard indeed often of the country, they said, and that it was
+<i>un pays tr&egrave;s riche</i>. There was such a general delight in the faces of
+every age, and so much <a name="Page_26" id="Page_26"></a>civility, I was going to say politeness, shewn
+to us, that I caught a temporary chearfulness in this village, which I
+had not felt for some months before, and which I intend to carry with
+me. I therefore took out my guittar, and played till I set the whole
+assembly in motion; and some, in spite of their wooden shoes, and others
+without any, danced in a manner not to be seen among our English
+peasants. They had "shoes like a sauce-boat," but no "steeple-clock'd
+hose." While we breakfasted, one of the villagers fed my horse with some
+fresh-mowed hay, and it was with some difficulty I could prevail upon
+him to be paid for it, because the trifle I offered was much more than
+his <i>Court of Conscience</i> informed him it was worth. I could moralize
+here a little; but I will only ask you, in which state think you man is
+best; the untaught man, in that of nature, or the man whose mind is
+enlarged by education and a <a name="Page_27" id="Page_27"></a>knowledge of the world? The behaviour of
+the inhabitants of this little hamlet had a very forcible effect upon
+me; because it brought me back to my earlier days, and reminded me of
+the reception I met with in America by what we now call the <i>Savage</i>
+Indians; yet I have been received in the same courteous manner in a
+little hamlet, unarmed, and without any other protection but by the law
+of nature, by those <i>savages</i>;&mdash;indeed it was before the <i>Savages of
+Europe</i> had instructed them in the art of war, or Mr. Whitfield had
+preached <i>methodism</i> among them. Therefore, I only tell you what they
+<i>were</i> in 1735, not what they <i>are at present</i>. When I visited them,
+they walked in the flowery paths of Nature; now, I fear, they tread the
+polluted roads of blood. Perhaps of all the uncivilized nations under
+the sun, the native Indians of America <i>were</i> the most humane; I have
+seen an hundred instances of their humanity and integrity;&mdash;when a white
+man was under the <a name="Page_28" id="Page_28"></a>lash of the executioner, at <i>Savannah in Georgia</i>,
+for using an Indian woman ill, I saw <i>Torno Chaci</i>, their King, run in
+between the offender and the corrector, saying, "<i>whip me, not
+him</i>;"&mdash;the King was the complainant, indeed, but the man deserved a
+much severer chastisement. This was a <i>Savage King</i>. Christian Kings too
+often care not who is whipt, so they escape the smart.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_29" id="Page_29"></a>
+<h2><a name="LETTER_V" id="LETTER_V"></a>LETTER V.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Rheims</span>.</div>
+
+<p class="noindent">We arrived at this city before the bustle which the coronation of
+<i>Louis</i> the 16th occasioned was quite over; I am sorry I did not see it,
+because I now find it worth seeing; but I staid at <i>Calais</i> on purpose
+to avoid it; for having paid two guineas to see the coronation of George
+the Third, I determined never more to be put to any extraordinary
+expence on the score of <i>crowned heads</i>. However, my curiosity has been
+well gratified in hearing it talked over, and over again, and in reading
+<i>Marmontell</i>'s letter to a friend upon that subject; but I will not
+repeat what he, or others have said upon the occasion, because you have,
+no doubt, seen in the English papers a tolerably good one; only that the
+Queen was so overcome with the repeated shouts and plaudits of her new
+subjects, that she was obliged to <a name="Page_30" id="Page_30"></a>retire. The fine Gothic cathedral, in
+which the ceremony was performed, is indeed a church worthy of such a
+solemnity; the portal is the finest I ever beheld; the windows are
+painted in the very best manner; nor is there any thing within the
+church but what should be there. I need not tell you that this is the
+province which produces the most delicious wine in the world; but I will
+assure you, that I should have drank it with more pleasure, had you been
+here to have partook of it. In the cellars of one wine-merchant, I was
+conducted through long passages more like streets than caves; on each
+side of which, bottled <i>Champaigne</i> was piled up some feet higher than
+my head, and at least twelve deep. I bought two bottles to taste, of
+that which the merchant assured me was each of the best sort he had, and
+for which I paid him six livres: if he sells all he had in bottles at
+that time, and at the same price, I shall not exceed the bounds of truth
+if I say, I saw <a name="Page_31" id="Page_31"></a>ten thousand pounds worth of bottled <i>Champaigne</i> in
+his cellars. Neither of the bottles, however, contained wine so good as
+I often drank in England; but perhaps we are deceived, and find it more
+palatable by having sugar in it; for I suspect that most of the
+<i>Champaigne</i> which is bottled for the use of English consumption, is so
+prepared. That you may know however, for the future, whether Champaigne
+or any other wine is so adulterated, I will give you an infallible
+method to prove:&mdash;fill a small long-necked bottle with the wine you
+would prove, and invert the neck of it into a tumbler of clear water; if
+the wine be genuine, it will all remain in the bottle; if adulterated,
+with sugar, honey, or any other sweet substance, the sweets will all
+pass into the tumbler of water, and leave the genuine wine behind. The
+difference between still <i>Champaigne</i>, and that which is <i>mousser</i>, is
+owing to nothing more than the time of the year in which it is bottled.</p>
+
+
+<p><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32"></a>I found in this town an English gentleman, from whom we received many
+civilities, and who made us acquainted with a French gentleman and lady,
+whose partiality to the English nation is so great, that their
+neighbours call their house "<span class="smcap">The English Hotel</span>." The partiality
+of such a family is a very flattering, as well as a very pleasing
+circumstance, to those who are so happy to be known to them, because
+they are not only the first people in the town, but the <i>best</i>; and in
+point of talents, inferior to none, perhaps, in the kingdom. I must not,
+after saying so much, omit to tell you, it is <i>Monsieur &amp; Madame de
+Jardin</i>, of whom I speak; they live in the <span class="smcap">Grande Place</span>,
+<i>vis-a-vis</i> the statue of the King; and if ever you come to Rheims, be
+assured you will find it a <span class="smcap">Good Place</span>. <i>Madame de Jardin</i>
+is not only one of the highest-bred women in France, but one of the first in
+point of letters, and that is saying a great deal, for<a name="Page_33" id="Page_33"></a> France abounds
+more with women of that turn than England. Mrs. Macaulay, Mrs. Carter,
+Miss Aikin, and Mrs. Montague, are the only four ladies I can recollect
+in England who are celebrated for their literary genius; in France, I
+could find you a score or two. To give you some idea of the regard and
+affection <i>Mons. de Jardin</i> has for his wife,&mdash;for French husbands, now
+and then, love their wives as well as we Englishmen do,&mdash;I send you a
+line I found in his study, wrote under his lady's miniature picture:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Chaque instant &agrave; mes yeux la rend<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Plus estimable."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>This town stands in a vast plain, is of great extent, and enclosed
+within high walls, and a deep ditch. The public walks are of great
+extent, nobly planted, and the finest in the whole kingdom. It is,
+indeed, a large and opulent city, and abounds not only with the best
+wine, but every thing that is good; and every thing <a name="Page_34" id="Page_34"></a>is plenty, and
+consequently cheap. The fruit market, in particular, is superior to
+every thing of the kind I ever beheld; but I will not tantalize you by
+saying any more upon that subject. Adieu!</p>
+
+<p><i>P.S.</i> The Antiquarian will find amusement in this town. There are some
+Roman remains worthy of notice; but such as require the information of
+the inhabitant to be seen.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_35" id="Page_35"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_VI" id="LETTER_VI"></a>LETTER VI.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Dijon</span>.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">You will laugh, perhaps, when I tell you, I could hardly refrain from
+tears when I took leave of the <i>De Jardin</i> family at <i>Rheims</i>,&mdash;but so
+it was. Good-breeding, and attention, have so much the appearance of
+friendship, that they may, and often do, deceive the most discerning
+men;&mdash;no wonder, then, if I was unhappy in leaving a town, where I am
+sure I met with the first, and had some reason to believe I should have
+found the latter, had we staid to cultivate it. <i>Bourgogne</i> is, however,
+a much finer province than Champaigne; and this town is delightfully
+situated; that it is a cheap province, you will not doubt, even to
+English travellers, when I tell you, that I had a good supper for four
+persons, three decent beds, good hay, and plenty of corn, for my horse,
+at an inn upon this road, and was <a name="Page_36" id="Page_36"></a>charged only four livres ten sols!
+not quite four shillings. Nor was it owing to any mistake; for I lay the
+following night at just such another inn, and was charged just the same
+price for nearly the same entertainment. They were carriers' inns,
+indeed, but I know not whether they were not, upon the whole, better,
+and cleaner too, than some of the town <i>auberges</i>. I need not therefore
+tell you, I was straggled a little out of <i>le Route Anglois</i>, when I
+found such a <i>bon Marche</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Dijon is pleasantly situated, well built, and the country round about it
+is as beautiful as nature could well make it. The shady walks round the
+whole town are very pleasing, and command a view of the adjacent
+country. The excellence of the wine of this province, you are better
+acquainted with than I am; though I must confess, I have drank better
+burgundy in England than I have yet tasted here: but I am not surprized
+at that; for at Madeira<a name="Page_37" id="Page_37"></a> I could not get wine that was even tolerable.</p>
+
+<p>I found here, two genteel English gentlemen, Mess. Plowden and Smyth,
+from whom we received many marks of attention and politeness.&mdash;Here, I
+imagined I should be able to bear seeing the execution of a man, whose
+crimes merited, I thought, the severest punishment. He was broke upon
+the wheel; so it is called; but the wheel is what the body is fixed upon
+to be exposed on the high road after the execution. This man's body,
+however, was burnt. The miserable wretch (a young strong man) was
+brought in the evening, by a faint torch light, to a chapel near the
+place of execution, where he might have continued in prayer till
+midnight; but after one hour spent there, he walked to, and mounted the
+scaffold, accompanied by his confessor, who with great earnestness
+continually presented to him, and bade him kiss, the crucifix he
+<a name="Page_38" id="Page_38"></a>carried in his hand. When the prisoner came upon the scaffold, he very
+willingly laid himself upon his back, and extended his arms and legs
+over a cross, that was laid flat and fixed fast upon the scaffold for
+that purpose, and to which he was securely tied by the executioner and
+his mother, who assisted her son in this horrid business. Part of the
+cross was cut away, in eight places, so as to leave a hollow vacancy
+where the blows were to be given, which are, between the shoulder and
+elbow, elbow and wrist, thigh and knee, and knee and ancle. When the man
+was securely tied down, the end of a rope which was round his neck, with
+a running noose, was brought through a hole in and under the scaffold;
+this was to give the <i>Coup de Grace</i>, after breaking: a <i>Coup</i> which
+relieved him, and all the agitated spectators, from an infinite degree
+of misery, except only, the executioner and his mother, for they both
+seemed to enjoy the deadly office. When the blows were given, which
+<a name="Page_39" id="Page_39"></a>were made with a heavy piece of iron, in the form of a butcher's
+cleaver without an edge, the bones of the arms and legs were broke in
+eight places; at each blow, the sufferer called out, O God! without
+saying another word, or even uttering a groan. During all this time, the
+Confessor called upon him continually to kiss the cross, and to remember
+Christ, his Redeemer. Indeed, there was infinite address, as well as
+piety, in the conduct of the Confessor; for he would not permit this
+miserable wretch to have one moment's reflection about his bodily
+sufferings, while a matter of so much more importance was depending; but
+even those eight blows seemed nothing to two dreadful after-claps, for
+the executioner then untied the body, turned his back upwards, and gave
+him two blows on the small of the back with the same iron weapon; and
+yet even that did not put an end to the life and sufferings of the
+malefactor! for the finishing stroke was, after all this, done by the
+<a name="Page_40" id="Page_40"></a>halter, and then the body was thrown into a great fire, and consumed to
+ashes. There were two or three executions soon after, but of a more
+moderate kind. Yet I hope I need not tell you, that I shall never attend
+another; and would feign have made my escape from this, but it was
+impossible.&mdash;Here, too, I saw upwards of fourscore criminals linked
+together, by one long chain, and so they were to continue till they
+arrived in the galleys at <i>Marseilles</i>. Now I am sure you will be, as I
+was, astonished to think, an old woman, the mother of the executioner,
+should willingly assist in a business of so horrid a nature; and I dare
+say, you will be equally astonished that the magistrates of the city
+permitted it. Decency, and regard to the sex, alone, one would think,
+should have put a stop to a practice so repugnant to both; and yet
+perhaps, not one person in the town considered it in that light. Indeed,
+no other person would have assisted, and the executioner must have done
+all the <a name="Page_41" id="Page_41"></a>business himself, if his mother had not been one of that part
+of the <i>fair sex</i>, which Addison pleasantly mentions, "<i>as rakers of
+cinders</i>;" for the executioner could not have found a single person to
+have given him any assistance. There was a guard of the <i>Marechaussee</i>,
+to prevent the prisoners' escape; but none that would have lifted up a
+little finger towards forwarding the execution; the office is hereditary
+and infamous, and the officer is shut out of all society. His
+perquisites, however, were considerable; near ten pounds, I think, for
+this single execution; and he had a great deal more business coming on.
+I would not have given myself the pain of relating, nor you the reading,
+the particulars of this horrid affair, but to observe, that it is such
+examples as these, that render travelling in France, in general, secure.
+I say, in general; for there are, nevertheless, murders committed very
+frequently upon the high roads in France; and were those murders to be
+made known by <a name="Page_42" id="Page_42"></a>news-papers, as ours are in England, perhaps it would
+greatly intimidate travellers of their own, as well as other nations.
+But as the murdered, and murderers, are generally foot-travellers,
+though the dead body is found, the murderer is escaped; and as nobody
+knows either party, nobody troubles themselves about it. All over
+France, you meet with an infinite number of people travelling on foot,
+much better dressed than you find, in general, the stagecoach gentry in
+England. Most of these foot-travellers are young expensive tradesmen,
+and artists, who have paid their debts by a light pair of heels; when
+their money is exhausted, the stronger falls upon the weaker, knocks out
+his brains, and furnishes himself with a little money; and these murders
+are never scarce heard of above a league from the place where they are
+committed; for which reason, you never meet a foot-traveller in France,
+without arms, of one kind or other, and carried for one <i>purpose</i>, or
+the <i>other</i>. <a name="Page_43" id="Page_43"></a>Gentlemen, however, who travel only in the day-time, and
+who are armed, have but little danger to apprehend; yet it is necessary
+to be upon their guard when they pass through great woods, and to keep
+in the <i>middle</i> of the road, so as not to be too suddenly surprized;
+because a <i>convenient</i> opportunity may induce two or three <i>honest</i>
+travellers to embrace a favourable occasion of replenishing their
+purses; and as they always murder those whom they attack, if they can,
+those who are attacked should never submit, but defend themselves to the
+utmost of their power. Though the woods are dangerous, there are, in my
+opinion, plains which are much more so; a high hill which commands an
+extensive plain, from which there is a view of the road some miles, both
+ways, is a place where a robber has nothing to fear but from those whom
+he attacks; and he is morally certain of making his escape one way or
+the other: but in a wood, he may be as suddenly surprized, as he is in a
+<a name="Page_44" id="Page_44"></a>situation to surprize others; for this reason, I have been more on my
+guard when I have seen people approach me on an extensive plain, than
+when I have passed through deep woods; nor would I ever let any of those
+people come too near my chaise; I always shewed them the <i>utmost
+distance</i>, and made them return the compliment, by bidding them, if they
+offered to come out of their line, to keep off: this said in a
+peremptory manner, and with a stern look, is never taken ill by honest
+men, and has a forcible effect upon rascals, for they immediately
+conclude you think yourself superior to them, and then they will think
+so too: whatever comes unexpected, is apt to dismay; whole armies have
+been seized with a panic from the most trifling artifice of the opposite
+general, and such as, by a minute's reflection, would have produced a
+contrary effect: the King's troops gave way at Falkirk; the reason was,
+they were dismayed at seeing the rebels (<i>I beg pardon</i>) come down<a name="Page_45" id="Page_45"></a>
+<i>pell mell</i> to attack them with their broad swords! it was a new way of
+fighting, and, they weakly thought, an invincible one; but had General
+Cope previously rode through the ranks, and apprised the troops with the
+manner of their fighting, and assured them how feeble the effect of such
+weapons would be upon men armed with musket and bayonet, which is
+exactly the truth, not a man would have retired; yet, <i>trim-tram</i>, they
+all ran, and the General, it is said, gave the earliest notice of his
+own defeat! But I should have observed, above, that the laws of France
+being different, in different provinces, have the contrary effect in the
+southern parts, to what they were intended. The <i>Seigneur</i> on whose land
+a murdered body is found, is obliged to pay the expence of bringing the
+criminal to justice. Some of these lordships are very small; and the
+prosecuting a murderer to punishment, would cost the lord of the manor
+more than his whole year's income; it becomes his <a name="Page_46" id="Page_46"></a>interest, therefore,
+to hide the dead body, rather than pursue the living villain; and, as
+whoever has property, be it ever so small, has peasants about him who
+will be glad to obtain his favour, he is sure that when any of these
+peasants see a murdered body, they will give him the earliest notice,
+and the same night the body is for ever hid, and no enquiry is made
+after the offender. I saw hang on the road side, a family of nine, a
+man, his wife, and seven children, who had lived many years by murder
+and robberies; and I am persuaded that road murders are very common in
+France; yet people of any condition may nevertheless, travel through
+France with great safety, and always obtain a guard of the
+<i>Marechaussee</i>, through woods or forests, or where they apprehend there
+is any danger.</p>
+
+<p><i>P.S.</i> The following method of buying and selling the wine of this
+province, may be useful to you.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47"></a>To have good Burgundy, that is, wine <i>de la premiere tete</i>, as they term
+it, you must buy it from 400 to 700 livres. There are wines still
+dearer, up to 1000 or 1200 livres; but it is allowed, that beyond 700
+livres, the quality is not in proportion to the price; and that it is in
+great measure a matter of fancy.</p>
+
+<p>The carriage of a queue of wine from Dijon to Dunkirk, or to any
+frontier town near England, costs an hundred livres, something more than
+four sols a bottle; but if sent in the bottle, the carriage will be just
+double. The price of the bottles, hampers, package, &amp;c. will again
+increase the expence to six sols a bottle more; so that wine which at
+first cost 600 livres, or 25 sols a bottle, will, when delivered at
+Dunkirk, be worth 29 sols a bottle, if bought in cask; if in bottles, 39
+sols.&mdash;Now add to this the freight, duties, &amp;c. to London; and as many
+pounds <a name="Page_48" id="Page_48"></a>sterling as all these expences amount to upon a queue of wine,
+just so many French sols must be charged to the price of every bottle.
+The reduction of French sols to English sterling money is very plain,
+and of course the price of the best burgundy delivered in London, easily
+calculated.</p>
+
+<p>If the wine be sent in casks, it is adviseable to choose rather a
+stronger wine, because it will mellow, and form itself in the carriage.
+It should be double casked, to prevent as much as possible, the frauds
+of the carriers. This operation will cost six or eight livres per piece;
+but the great and principal object is, whom to trust to buy the best;
+and convey it safely. I doubt, it must not pass through the hands of
+Mons. C&mdash;&mdash;, if he deals in wine as he does in drapery, and bills of
+exchange.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_49" id="Page_49"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_VII" id="LETTER_VII"></a>LETTER VII.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Lyons</span>.</div>
+
+<p class="noindent">Upon our arrival at <i>Chalons</i>, I was much disappointed; as I intended to
+have embarked on the <i>Soane</i>, and have slipped down here in the <i>coche
+d'eau</i>, and thereby have saved my horse the fatigue of dragging us
+hither: but I could only spare him that of drawing my heaviest baggage.
+The <i>coche d'eau</i> is too small to take horses and <i>cabriolets</i> on board
+at <i>Chalons</i>; but at <i>Lyons</i>, they will take horses, and coaches, or
+houses, and churches, if they could be put on board, to descend the
+Rhone, to <i>Pont St. Esprit</i>, or <i>Avignon</i>. So after we have taken a
+fortnight's rest here, I intend rolling down with the rapid current,
+which the united force of those two mighty rivers renders, as I am
+assured, a short, easy, and delightful passage.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50"></a>Nothing can be more beautiful than the country we passed through from
+<i>Chalons</i> hither. When we got within a few leagues of this great city,
+we found every mountain, hill, and dale, so covered with <i>chateaux</i>,
+country houses, farms, &amp;c. that they appeared like towns, villages, and
+hamlets. Nothing can be a stronger proof of the great wealth of the
+citizens of <i>Lyons</i>, than that they can afford to build such houses,
+many of which are more like palaces, than the country retreat of
+<i>bourgeois</i>. The prospect from the highest part of the road, a league or
+two from Lyons, is so extensive, so picturesque, and so enchantingly
+beautiful, that, impatient as I was to enter into the town, I could not
+refrain stopping at a little shabby wine-house, and drinking coffee
+under their mulberry-trees, to enjoy the warm day, the cooling breeze,
+and the noble prospects which every way surrounded us.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51"></a>The town of <i>Lyons</i>, too, which stands nearly in the center of Europe,
+has every advantage for trade, which men in trade can desire. The
+<i>Soane</i> runs through the centre of it, and is covered with barges and
+boats, loaded with hay, wood, corn, and an infinite variety of goods
+from all parts of the kingdom; while the <i>Rhone</i>, on the other side, is
+still more serviceable; for it not only supplies the town with all the
+above necessaries of life, but conveys its various manufactures down to
+the ports of the <i>Mediterranean</i> sea expeditiously, and at little
+expence. The small boats, which ply upon the Soane as ours do upon the
+Thames, are flat bottomed, and very meanly built; they have, however, a
+tilt to shelter them from the heat, and to preserve the complexion, or
+hide the <i>blushes</i> of your female <i>Patronne</i>:&mdash;yes, my dear Sir,
+Female!&mdash;for they are all conducted by females; many of whom are young,
+handsome, and neatly dressed.<a name="Page_52" id="Page_52"></a> I have, more than once, been disposed to
+blush, when I saw a pretty woman sitting just opposite me, labouring in
+an action which I thought would have been more becoming myself. I asked
+one of these female <i>sculls</i>, how she got her bread in the winter? Oh,
+Sir, said she giving me a very significant look, such a one as you can
+better conceive, than I convey, <i>dans l'hiver J'ai un autre talent</i>. And
+I assure you I was glad she did not exercise <i>both her talents</i> at the
+same time of the year; yet I could not refrain from giving her a double
+fee, for a single fare, as I thought there was something due to her
+<i>winter</i> as well as summer abilities.</p>
+
+<p>But I must not let my little <i>Bateliere's</i> talents prevent me, while I
+think of it, telling you, that I did visit, and stay some days at the
+Roman town lately discovered in Champaigne, which I mentioned to you in
+a former letter: it stood upon a mountain, now called the <i>Chatelet</i>,
+the <a name="Page_53" id="Page_53"></a>foot of which is watered by a good river, and its sides with <i>good
+wine</i>. <i>Monsieur Grignon</i>, whose house stands very near it, and who has
+there an iron manufacture, first discovered the remains of this ancient
+town; his men, in digging for iron ore, found wrought gold, beside other
+things, which convinced <i>Mons. Grignon</i> (who is a man of genius) that it
+was necessary to inform the King with what they had discovered; in
+consequence of which, his Majesty ordered the foundations to be laid
+open; and I had the satisfaction of seeing in <i>Mons. Grignon</i>'s cabinet
+an infinite number of Roman utensils, such as weights, measures, kitchen
+furniture, vases, busts, locks, swords, inscriptions, pottery ware,
+statues, &amp;c. which afforded me, and would you, a great deal of pleasure,
+as well as information. <i>Mons. Grignon</i> the elder, was gone to Paris; a
+circumstance which gave me great concern to hear before I <a name="Page_54" id="Page_54"></a>went to his
+house, but which was soon removed by the politeness, and hospitable
+manner I was received by his son: yet, my only recommendation to either,
+was my being a stranger; and being a stranger is, in general, a good
+recommendation to a Frenchman, for, upon all such occasions, they are
+never shy, or backward in communicating what they know, or of gratifying
+the curiosity of an inquisitive traveller; their houses, cabinets, and
+gardens, are always open; and they seem rather to think they receive,
+than grant a favour, to those who visit them. How many fine gardens,
+valuable cabinets, and curiosities, have we in England, so shut up, that
+the difficulty of access renders them as unentertaining to the public,
+as they are to the sordid and selfish possessors! I am thoroughly
+satisfied that the town I am speaking of was destroyed by fire, and not,
+as has been imagined, by any convulsion of the earth, as I found, among
+a hundred other strong <a name="Page_55" id="Page_55"></a>proofs of it, an infinite number of pieces of
+melted glass, lead, &amp;c. But though I examined the cellars of eight
+hundred Roman citizens, the selfish rogues had not left a single bottle
+of wine.&mdash;I longed to taste the <i>old Falernian</i> wine, of seventeen
+hundred years.</p>
+
+<p>I write from time to time to you; but not without often thinking it is a
+great presumption in me to suppose I can either entertain or instruct
+you; but I proceed, upon your commands, and the authority of Lord Bacon,
+who says, he is surprised to find men make diaries in sea voyages, where
+nothing is to be seen but sky and sea, and for the most part omit it in
+land travels, where so much is to be observed; as if chance were better
+to be registered than observation. When you are tired of my register,
+remember, I can <i>take</i> as well as <i>give a hint</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_56" id="Page_56"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_VIII" id="LETTER_VIII"></a>LETTER VIII.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Port St. Esprit</span>.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">After a voyage of one whole, and one half day, without sail or oar, we
+arrived here from Lyons. The weather was just such as we could wish and
+such as did not drive us out of the seat of my <i>cabriolet</i> into the
+cabbin, which was full of priests, monks, friars, milleners, &amp;c. a
+motley crew! who were very noisy, and what they thought, I dare say,
+very good company; the deck, indeed, afforded better and purer air;
+three officers, and a priest; but it was not till late the first day
+before they took any civil notice of us; and if a Frenchman shews any
+backwardness of that sort, an Englishman, I think, had better <i>hold up</i>;
+this rule I always religiously observe. When the night came on, we
+landed in <a name="Page_57" id="Page_57"></a>as much disorder as the troops were embarked at <i>St. Cas</i>,
+and lodged in a miserable <i>auberge</i>. It was therefore no mortification
+to be called forth for embarkation before day-light. The bad night's
+lodging was, however, amply made up to us, by the beautiful and
+picturesque objects and variety which every minute produced. For the
+banks of this mighty river are not only charged on both sides with a
+great number of towns, villages, castles, <i>chateaux</i>, and farm-houses;
+but the ragged and broken mountains above, and fertile vales between and
+beneath, altogether exhibit a mixture of delight and astonishment, which
+cannot be described, unless I had Gainsborough's elegant pencil, instead
+of my own clumsy pen. Upon comparing notes, we found that the officers,
+(and no men understand the <i>etiquette</i> of travelling better than they
+do,) had not fared much better than we had; one of them therefore
+proposed, that we should all sup together that night at <i>Pont
+St.-Esprit</i>, <a name="Page_58" id="Page_58"></a>where, he assured us, there was one of the best cooks in
+France, and he would undertake to regulate the supper at a reasonable
+price. This was the first time we had eat with other company, though it
+is the general practice in the southern parts of France. Upon entering
+the house, where this <i>Maitre Cuisinier</i> and prime minister of the
+kitchen presided, I began to conceive but an indifferent opinion of the
+Major's judgment; the house, the kitchen, the cook, were, in appearance,
+all against it; yet, in spite of all, I never sat down to so good a
+supper; and should be sorry to sit often at table, where such a one was
+set before me. I will not&mdash;nay, I cannot tell you what we had; but you
+will be surprised to know what we paid,&mdash;what think you of three livres
+each? when I assure you, such a supper, if it were to be procured in
+London, could not be provided for a guinea a head! and we were only
+seven who sat down to it.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59"></a>I must not omit to tell you, that all the second day's voyage we heard
+much talk of the danger there would be in passing the Bridge of <i>Pont
+St. Esprit</i>; and that many horses and men landed some miles before we
+arrived there, choosing rather to walk or ride in the hot sun, than swim
+through <i>so much danger</i>. Yet the truth is, there was none; and, I
+believe, seldom is any. The <i>Patron</i> of the barge, indeed, made a great
+noise, and affected to shew how much skill was necessary to guide it
+through the main arch, for I think the bridge consists of thirty; yet
+the current itself must carry every thing through that approaches it,
+and he must have skill, indeed, who could avoid it. There was not in the
+least degree any fall; but yet, it passed through with such violence,
+that we run half a league in a minute; and very soon after landed at the
+town of Pont. St. Esprit, which has nothing in it very remarkable, but
+this long bridge, <a name="Page_60" id="Page_60"></a>the good cook, and the first olive tree we had seen.</p>
+
+<p>This is Lower <i>Languedoc</i>, you know, and the province in which ten
+thousand pounds were lately distributed by the sagacious Chancellor of
+England, among an hundred French peasants; and though I was <i>weak
+enough</i> to think it <i>my property</i>, I am not wicked enough to envy them
+their good fortune. If the decision made one man wretched; it made the
+hearts of many glad; and I should be pleased to drink a bottle of wine
+with any of my fortunate cousins, and will if I can find them out; for
+they are my cousins; and I would shake an honest cousin by the hand tho'
+he were in wooden shoes, with more pleasure than I would the honest
+Chancellor, who put them <i>so unexpectedly</i> upon a better footing. I
+think, by the <i>laws</i> of England, no money is to be transported into
+other kingdoms; by the JUSTICE of it, it may, and is;&mdash;if so, law and
+justice are <a name="Page_61" id="Page_61"></a>still at variance; which puts me in mind of what a great
+man once said upon reading the confirmation of a decree in the House of
+Lords, from an Irish appeal:&mdash;"It is (said he) so very absurd,
+inconsistent, and intricate, that, in truth, I am afraid it is really
+made according to law."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_62" id="Page_62"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_IX" id="LETTER_IX"></a>LETTER IX.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Nismes</span>.</div>
+
+<p class="noindent">On our way here we eat an humble meal; which was, nevertheless, a most
+grateful <i>repas</i>, for it was under the principal arch of the <i>Pont du
+Gard</i>. It will be needless to say more to you of this noble monument of
+antiquity, than that the modern addition to it has not only made it more
+durable, but more useful: in its original state, it conveyed only horse
+and man, over the River <i>Gordon</i>, (perhaps <i>Gardon</i>) and water, to the
+city of <i>Nismes</i>. By the modern addition, it now conveys every thing
+over it, but water; as well as an high idea of Roman magnificence; for
+beside the immense expence of erecting a bridge of a triple range of
+arches, over a river, and thereby uniting the upper arches to the
+mountains on each side, the source from whence <a name="Page_63" id="Page_63"></a>the water was conveyed,
+is six leagues distant from <i>Nismes</i>. The bridge is twenty-four <i>toises</i>
+high, and above an hundred and thirty-three in length, and was <i>my sole
+property</i> for near three hours; for during that time, I saw neither man
+nor beast come near it; every thing was so still and quiet, except the
+murmuring stream which runs gently under two or three of the arches,
+that I could almost have persuaded myself, from the silence, and rude
+scenes which every way presented themselves, that all the world were as
+dead as the men who erected it. That side of the bridge where none of
+the modern additions appear, is nobly fillagreed by the hand of time;
+and the other side is equally pleasing, by being a well executed support
+to a building which, without its aid, would in a few ages more have
+fallen into ruins.</p>
+
+<p>I was astonished to find so fine a building standing in so pleasant a
+spot, and <a name="Page_64" id="Page_64"></a>which offers so many invitations to make it the abode of some
+hermit, quite destitute of such an inhabitant; but it did not afford
+even a beggar, to tell the strange stories which the common people
+relate; tho' it could not fail of being a very lucrative post, were it
+only from the bounty of strangers, who visit it out of curiosity; but a
+Frenchman, whether monk, or mumper, has no idea of a life of solitude:
+yet I am sure, were it in England, there are many of our, <i>first-rate
+beggars</i>, who would lay down a large sum for a money of <i>such a walk</i>.
+If a moiety of sweeping the kennel from the Mews-gate to the Irish
+coffee-house opposite to it, could fetch a good price, and I was a
+witness once that it did, to an unfortunate beggar-woman, who was
+obliged by sickness to part with half of it; what might not a beggar
+expect, who had the <i>sweeping</i> of the <i>Pont du Gard</i>; or a monk, who
+erected a confessional box near it for the benefit of <i>himself</i>, and the
+fouls of poor travellers?</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65"></a>After examining every part of the bridge, above and below, I could not
+find the least traces of any ancient inscription, except three initial
+letters, C, P, A; but I found cut in <i>demi relief</i> very extraordinary
+kind of <i>priapus</i>, or rather group of them; the country people, for it
+is much effaced, imagine it to be dogs in pursuit of a hare; but if I
+may be permitted to <i>imagine</i> too perhaps, indeed, with no better
+judgment, might not the kind of representations be emblematical of the
+populousness, of the country? though more probably the wanton fancies of
+the master mason, or his journeymen; for they are too diminutive pieces
+of work to bear any proportion to the whole, and are therefore
+blemishes, not ornaments, even allowing that in those ages such kind of
+works were not considered in the light they would be in these days of
+more delicacy and refinement.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_66" id="Page_66"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_X" id="LETTER_X"></a>LETTER X.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Nismes</span>.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">I have now been here some time, and have employed most of it, in
+visiting daily the <i>Maison Carree</i>, the <i>Amphitheatre</i>, the Temple of
+<i>Diana</i>, and other Roman remains, which this town abounds with above all
+others in France, and which is all the town affords worthy of notice,
+(for it is but a very indifferent one.) The greater part of the
+inhabitants are Protestants, who meet publicly between two rocks, at a
+little distance from the city, every Sunday, sometimes not less than
+eighteen thousand, where their pastors, openly and audibly, perform
+divine service, according to the rites of the reformed church: Such is
+the difference between the mild government of <i>Louis</i> the 16th, and that
+which was practised in the reign of his <a name="Page_67" id="Page_67"></a>great grandfather. But reason
+and philosophy have made more rapid strides in France, within these few
+years, than the arts and sciences. It is, however, a great and mighty
+kingdom, blest with every convenience and comfort in life, as well as
+many luxuries, beside good wine; and good wine, drank in moderation (and
+<i>here</i> nobody drinks it otherwise) is not only an excellent cordial to
+the nerves, but I am persuaded it contributes to long life, and good
+health. Here, where wine and <i>eau de vie</i> is so plenty, and so cheap
+too, you seldom meet a drunken peasant, and never see a gentleman
+(<i>except he be a stranger</i>) in that shameful situation.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps there is not, on any part of the Continent, a city or town which
+has been so frequently sacked by foreign invaders, nor so deeply stained
+with human blood, by civil and religious wars, as this: every street and
+ancient building within its walls still exhibit many strong marks of the
+<a name="Page_68" id="Page_68"></a>excesses committed by the hands of domestic as well as foreign
+barbarians, except only the Temple now called, and so called from its
+form, the <i>Maison Carree</i>, which has stood near eighteen hundred years,
+without receiving any other injuries than the injuries of time; and time
+has given it rather the face of age, than that of ruins, for it still
+stands firm and upright; and though not quite perfect in every part, yet
+it preserves all its due proportions, and enough of its original and
+lesser beauties, to astonish and delight every beholder, and that too in
+a very particular manner. It is said, and I have felt the truth of it in
+part, that there does not exist, at this day, any building, ancient or
+modern, which conveys so secret a pleasure, not only to the
+<i>connoisseur</i>, but to the clown also, whenever, or how often soever they
+approach it. The proportions and beauties of the whole building are so
+intimately united, that they may be compared to good breeding in men; it
+is what every body perceives, <a name="Page_69" id="Page_69"></a>and is captivated with, but what few can
+define. That it has an irresistible beauty which delights men of sense,
+and which <i>charms</i> the eyes of the vulgar, I think must be admitted; for
+no other possible reason can be assigned why this building alone,
+standing in the very centre of a city, wherein every excess which
+religious fury could inspire, or barbarous manners could suggest, has
+stood so many ages the only uninsulted monument of antiquity, either
+within or without the walls; especially, as a very few men might, with
+very little labour, soon tumble it into a heap of rubbish.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Amphitheatre</i> has a thousand marks of violences committed upon it,
+by fire, sledges, battering rams, &amp;c. which its great solidity and
+strength alone resisted.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Temple of Diana</i> is so nearly destroyed, that, in an age or two
+more no vestige of it will remain; but the <i>Maison Carree</i> is still so
+perfect and beautiful, that<a name="Page_70" id="Page_70"></a> when <i>Cardinal Alberoni</i> first saw it, he
+said it wanted only <i>une boete d'or pour le defendre des injures de
+l'air</i>; and it certainly has received no other, than such as rain, and
+wind, and heat, and cold, have made upon it; and those are rather marks
+of dignity, than deformity. What reason else, then, can be assigned for
+its preservation to this day; but that the savage and the saint have
+been equally awed by its superlative beauty.</p>
+
+<p>Having said thus much of the perfections of this edifice, I must however
+confess, it is not, nor ever was, perfect, for it has some original
+blemishes, but such as escape the observation of most men, who have not
+time to examine the parts separately, and with a critical eye. There
+are, for example, thirty modillions on the cornice, on one side and
+thirty-two on the other; there are sixty-two on the west side, and only
+fifty-four on the east; with some other little faults which its aged
+<a name="Page_71" id="Page_71"></a>beauty justifies my omitting; for they are such perhaps as, if removed,
+would not add any thing to the general proportions of the whole. No-body
+objected to the moles on Lady Coventry's face; those specks were too
+trifling, where the <i>tout ensemble</i> was so perfect.</p>
+
+<p><i>Cardinal Richlieu</i>, I am assured, had several consultations with
+builders of eminence, and architects of genius, to consider whether it
+was practicable to remove all the parts of this edifice, and re-erect it
+at <i>Versailles</i>: and, I have no doubt, but Lewis the 14th might have
+raised this monument to his fame there, for half the money he expended
+in murdering and driving out of that province sixty thousand of his
+faithful and ingenious subjects, merely on the score of Religion; an
+act, which is now equally abhorred by Catholics, as well as Protestants.
+But, Lord Chesterfield justly observes, that there is no brute so
+fierce, no criminal so <a name="Page_72" id="Page_72"></a>guilty, as the creature called a Sovereign,
+whether King, Sultan, or Sophy; who thinks himself, either by divine or
+human right, vested with absolute power of destroying his
+fellow-creatures.</p>
+
+<p><i>Louis</i> the XIth of France caused the Duke of <i>Nemours</i>, a descendant of
+King <i>Clovis</i>, to be executed at Paris, and placed his children under
+the scaffold, that the blood of their father might run upon their heads;
+in which bloody condition they were returned to the Bastile, and there
+shut up in iron cages: and a King of <span class="smcap">Siam</span>, having lost his
+daughter, and fancying she was poisoned, put most of his court, young
+and old, to death, by the most exquisite torture; by this horrid act of
+cruelty, near two thousand of the principal courtiers suffered the most
+dreadful deaths; the great Mandarins, their wives, and children, being
+all scorched with fire, and mangled with knives, before they were
+<a name="Page_73" id="Page_73"></a>admitted to his last favour,&mdash;that of being thrown to the elephants.</p>
+
+<p>But to have done with sad subjects.&mdash;It was not till the year 1758 that
+it was certainly known at what time, or for what purpose, the <i>Maison
+Carree</i> was erected; but fortunately, the same town which produced the
+building so many ages ago, produced in the latter end of the last, a
+Gentleman, of whom it may be justly said, he left no stone unturned to
+come at the truth. This is <i>Mons. Seguier</i>, whose long life has been
+employed in collecting a cabinet of Roman antiquities, and natural
+curiosities, and whose penetrating genius alone could have discovered,
+by the means he did, an inscription, of which not a single letter has
+been seen for many ages; but this <i>habile observateur</i>, perceiving a
+great number of irregular holes upon the frontal and frize of this
+edifice, concluded that they were the cramp-holes which had formerly
+held an inscription, and which, <a name="Page_74" id="Page_74"></a>according to the practice of the
+Romans, were often composed of single letters of bronze. <i>Mons. Seguier</i>
+therefore erected scaffolding, and took off on paper the distances and
+situation of the several holes, and after nicely examining the
+disposition of them, and being assisted by a few faint traces of some of
+the letters, which had been impressed on the stones, brought forth, to
+the full satisfaction of every body, the original inscription, which
+was laid before <i>l'Academie des Inscriptions &amp; de Belles Lettres de
+Paris</i> of which he is a member, and from whom he received their public
+thanks; having unanimously agreed that there was not a doubt remained
+but that he had produced the true reading: which is as follows:</p>
+
+<br /><br />
+<div class="stone"><div class="center"><br /><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75"></a>
+TAUROBOLIO MATRIS DEUM MAGN&AElig; ID&AElig;&AElig;<br />
+QUOD FACTUM EST EX IMPERIO<br />
+MATRIS ID&AElig;&AElig; DEUM<br />
+PRO SALUTE IMPERATORIS C&AElig;SARIS<br />
+TITI &AElig;LII<br />
+ADRIANI ANTONINI AUGUSTI PII PATRIS PATRI&AElig;<br />
+LIBERORUMQUE EJUS<br />
+ET STATUS COLONI&AElig; LUGDUNENSIS<br />
+LUCIUS &AElig;MILIUS CARPUS SEXTUMVIS<br />
+AUGUSTALIS ITEM DENDROPHORUS<br />
+<br /><br /><br />
+VIRES EXCEPIT ET A VATICANO<br />
+TRANSTULIT ARAMET BUCRANIUM<br />
+SUO IMPENDIO CONSECRAVIT<br />
+SACERDOTE<br />
+QUINTO SAMMIO SECUNDO AB QUINDECEMVIRIS<br />
+OCCABO ET CORONA EXORNATO<br />
+CUI SANCTISSIMUS ORDO LUGDUNENSIS<br />
+PERPETUITATEM SACERDOTIS DECREVIT<br />
+APPIO ANNIA ATILIO BRADUA TITO<br />
+CLODIO VIBIO VARO CONSULIBUS<br />
+LOCUS DATUS DECRETO DECURIONUM.<br /><br />
+</div></div><br /><br />
+
+
+<p>The <i>Maison Carree</i> is not however, quite square, being something more
+in length than breadth; it is eighty-two feet long and thirty-seven and
+a half high, exclusive of the square socle on which it stands, and which
+is, at this time, six feet above the surface; it is divided into two
+parts, one <a name="Page_76" id="Page_76"></a>enclosed, the other open; the facade is adorned with six
+fluted pillars of the Corinthian order, and the cornice and front are
+decorated with all the beauties of architecture. The frize is quite
+plain, and without any of those bas-reliefs or ornaments which are on
+the sides, where the foliage of the olive leaf is exquisitely finished.
+On each side over the door, which opens into the enclosed part, two
+large stones, like the but-ends of joists, project about three feet, and
+these stones are pierced through with two large mortices, six inches
+long, and three wide; they are a striking blemish, and must therefore
+have been fixed, for some very necessary purpose&mdash;for what, I will not
+risque my opinion; it is enough to have mentioned them to you. As to the
+inside, little need be said; but, that, being now consecrated to the
+service of GOD, and the use of the order of <i>Augustines</i>, it is filled
+up with altars, <i>ex votos</i>, statues, &amp;c. but such as we may <a name="Page_77" id="Page_77"></a>reasonably
+conclude, have not, exclusive of a religious consideration, all those
+beauties which were once placed within a Temple, the outward structure
+of which was so highly finished.</p>
+
+<p>Truth and concern compel me to conclude this account of the <i>Maison
+Carree</i>, in lamenting, that the inhabitants of Nismes (who are in
+general a very respectable body of people) suffer this noble edifice to
+be defiled by every species of filth that poverty and neglect can
+occasion. The approach to it is through an old ragged kind of barn door:
+it is surrounded with mean houses, and disgraced on every side with
+filth, and the <i>offerings</i> of the nearest inhabitants. I know not any
+part of London but what would be a better situation for it, than where
+it now stands: I will not except even Rag-fair, nor Hockly in the Hole.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_78" id="Page_78"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XI" id="LETTER_XI"></a>LETTER XI.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Nismes</span>.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">The state in which that once-superb edifice, the Temple of Diana, now
+appears; with concern, I perceived that there remains only enough to
+give the spectator an idea of its former beauty; for though the roof has
+been broken down, and every part of it so wantonly abused yet enough
+remains, within, and without, to bear testimony that it was built, not
+only by the greatest architect, but enriched also by the hands of other
+great artists: indeed, the mason's work alone is, at this day,
+wonderful; for the stones with which it is built, and which are very
+large, are so truly worked, and artfully laid, without either cement or
+mortar, that many of the joints are scarce visible; nor is it possible
+to put the point of a <a name="Page_79" id="Page_79"></a>penknife between those which are most open. This
+Temple too is, like the <i>Maison Carree</i>, shut up by an old barn-door: a
+man, however, attends to open it; where, upon entering, you will find a
+striking picture of the folly of all human grandeur; for the area is
+covered with broken statues, busts, urns, vases, cornices, frizes,
+inscriptions, and various fragments of exquisite workmanship, lying in
+the utmost disorder, one upon another, like the stript dead in a field
+of battle. Here, the ghost of Shakespeare appeared before my eyes,
+holding in his hand a label, on which was engraven those words you have
+so often read in his works, and now see upon his monument.</p>
+
+<p>I have often wondered, that some man of taste and fortune in England,
+where so much attention is paid to gardening, never converted one spot
+to an <i>Il Penseroso</i>, and another to <i>L'Allegro</i>. If a thing of that
+kind was to be done, what would not <a name="Page_80" id="Page_80"></a>a man of such a turn give for an
+<i>Il Penseroso</i>, as this Temple now is?&mdash;where sweet melancholy sits,
+with a look</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"That's fastened to the ground,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">A tongue chain'd up, without a sound."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>The modern fountain of <i>Nismes</i> or rather the Roman fountain recovered,
+and re-built, falls just before this Temple; and the noble and extensive
+walks, which surround this pure and plentiful stream, are indeed very
+magnificent: what then must it have been in the days of the Romans, when
+the Temple, the fountain, the statues, vases, &amp;c. stood perfect, and in
+their proper order? Though this building has been called the Temple of
+Diana, by a tradition immemorial, yet it may be much doubted, whether it
+was so. The Temples erected, you know, to the daughter of Jupiter, were
+all of the Ionic order, and this is a mixture of the Corinthian, and
+Composit. Is it not, therefore, more probable, from the number of niches
+in <a name="Page_81" id="Page_81"></a>it to contain statues, that it was, in fact, a Pantheon? Directly
+opposite to the entrance door, are three great tabernacles; on that of
+the middle stood the principal altar; and on the side walls were twelve
+niches, six on the right-hand are still perfect. The building is eleven
+<i>toises</i> five feet long, and six <i>toises</i> wide, and was thrown into its
+present ruinous state during the civil wars of Henry the Third; and yet,
+in spite of the modern statues, and gaudy ornaments, which the
+inhabitants have bestrewed to decorate their matchless fountain, the
+Temple of Diana is still the greatest ornament it has to boast of.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_82" id="Page_82"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XII" id="LETTER_XII"></a>LETTER XII.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Montpellier</span>.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">Never was a traveller more disappointed than I was upon entering into
+this renowned city; a city, the name of which my ears have been familiar
+to, ever since I first heard of disease or medicine. I expected to find
+it filled with palaces; and to perceive the superiority of the soft air
+it is so celebrated for, above all other places; instead of which, I was
+accompanied for many miles before I entered it with thousands of
+Moschettos, which, in spite of all the hostilities we committed upon
+them, made our faces, hands and legs, as bad in appearance as persons
+just recovering from a plentiful crop of the small-pox, and infinitely
+more miserable. Bad as these flies are in the West-Indies, I suffered
+more in a few days <a name="Page_83" id="Page_83"></a>from them at, and near Montpellier, than I did for
+some years in Jamaica.</p>
+
+<p>However fine and salubrious the air of this town might have been
+formerly, it is far otherwise now; and it may be naturally accounted
+for; the sea has retired from the coast, and has left three leagues of
+marshy ground between it and the town, where the hot sun, and stagnated
+waters, breed not only flies, but distempers also; beside this, there
+is, and ever was, something very peculiar in the air of the town itself:
+it is the only town in France where verdigris is made in any great
+quantity; and this, I am inclined to think, is not a very favourable
+circumstance; where the air is so disposed to cankerise, and corrode
+copper, it cannot be so pure, as where none can be produced; but here,
+every cave and wine-cellar is filled with sheets of copper, from which
+such quantities of verdigris are daily collected, that it is one of the
+principal branches of their trade.<a name="Page_84" id="Page_84"></a> The streets are very narrow, and
+very dirty; and though there are many good houses, a fine theatre, and a
+great number of public edifices beside churches, it makes altogether but
+an indifferent figure.</p>
+
+<p>Without the walls of the town, indeed, there stands a noble equestrian
+statue of Louis the XIVth, surrounded with spacious walks, and adorned
+with a beautiful fountain. Their walks command a view of the
+Mediterranean Sea in front, and the Alps and Pyrenees on the right and
+left. The water too is conducted to a most beautiful <i>Temple d' Eau</i>
+over a triple range of arches, in the manner of the <i>Pont du Gard</i>, from
+a very considerable distance. The modern arches over which it runs, are
+indeed, a great and mighty piece of work; for they are so very large,
+extended so far, and are so numerous, that I could find no person to
+inform me of their exact number; however, I speak within the bounds of
+truth, I hope, when I <a name="Page_85" id="Page_85"></a>say there are many hundred; and that it is a work
+which the Romans might have been proud of, and must therefore convey an
+high idea of the riches and mightiness of a kingdom, wherein one
+province alone could bear, and be willing too to bear, so great an
+expence, and raise so useful, as well as beautiful a monument; for
+beside the immense expence of this triple range of arches, the source
+from whence the water is conveyed is, I think, three leagues distant
+from the town, by which means every quarter of it is plentifully
+supplied with fountains which always run, and which in hot climates are
+equally pleasing, refreshing, and useful.</p>
+
+<p>The town abounds with apothecaries' shops, and I met a great many
+physical faces; so that if the air is not good, I conclude the physic
+is, and therefore laid out two <i>sols</i> for a pennyworth of ointment of
+<i>marsh-mallows</i> which alleviated a little the extreme misery we all were
+in, during our <a name="Page_86" id="Page_86"></a>stay at this celebrated city. If, however, it still has
+a reputation for the cure of a <i>particular disorder</i>, perhaps that may
+arise from the impurity of the air,&mdash;and that the air which is so prone
+to engender verdigris, may wage war with other subtile poisons; yet, as
+I found some of my countrymen there, who had taken a longer trial of the
+air, and more of the physic, than I had occasion for, who neither
+admired one, nor found benefit from the other, I will not recommend
+<i>Montpellier</i> as having any peculiar excellencies within its walls, but
+good wine, and some good actors. It is a dear town, even to the natives,
+and a very imposing one to strangers; and therefore I shall soon leave
+it, and proceed southward.</p>
+
+<p>Perhaps you will expect me to say something of the <i>Sweets</i> which this
+town is so famed for: there are indeed some sweet shops of that sort;
+and they are <i>bien places</i>. At these shops they have ladies'<a name="Page_87" id="Page_87"></a> silk
+pockets, sachels for their shifts, letter cases, and a multitude of
+things of that kind, quilted and <i>larded</i> with something, which does
+indeed give them a most pleasing and lasting perfume. At these shops
+too, beside excellent lavender water, essence of bergamot, &amp;c. they sell
+<i>eau de jasmin de pourri, de cedre, de girofle, sans pareille, de mille
+fleurs, de zephir, de oiellet, de sultan</i> and a hundred other sorts; but
+the <i>essence of bergamot</i> is above all, as a single drop is sufficient
+to perfume a handkerchief; and so it ought to be, for it is very dear.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_88" id="Page_88"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XIII" id="LETTER_XIII"></a>LETTER XIII.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Cette</span>.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">I was very impatient till I had drove my horse from the British to the
+Mediterranean coast, and looked upon a sea from <i>that land</i> which I had
+often, with longing eyes, viewed <i>from the sea</i>, in the year 1745, when
+I was on board the Russel, with Admiral Medley. I have now compleatly
+crossed this mighty kingdom and great continent, and it was for that
+reason I visited <i>Cette</i>. This pretty little sea-port, though it is out
+of my way to <i>Barcelona</i>, yet it proves to be in <i>the way</i> for my poor
+horse; as I found here a Spanish bark, upon which I put part of my
+baggage. I was obliged to have it, however, opened and examined at the
+Custom-house; and as the officer found in it a bass viol, two guittars,
+a fiddle, and some other <a name="Page_89" id="Page_89"></a>musical instruments, he very naturally
+concluded I was a musician, and very kindly intimated to me his
+apprehensions, that I should meet with but very little <i>encouragement in
+Spain</i>: as I had not any better reason to assign for going there, but to
+fiddle, I did not undeceive this good-natured man till the next morning,
+when I owned, I was not sufficiently <i>cunning</i> in the art of music to
+get my bread by it; and that I had unfortunately been bred to a worse
+profession, that of arms; and if I got time enough to <i>Barcelona</i> to
+enter a volunteer in the <i>Walloon</i> guards, and go to <i>Algiers</i>, perhaps
+I might get from his Catholic Majesty, by my services, more than I could
+acquire from his Britannic&mdash;something to live upon in my old age: but I
+had no better encouragement from this Frenchman as an adventurer in
+arms, than in music; he assured me, that Spain was a <i>vilain pays</i>, and
+that France was the only country in the world for a <i>voyageur</i>. But as I
+found that France was the only <a name="Page_90" id="Page_90"></a>country he had <i>voyaged</i> in, and then
+never above twenty leagues from that spot, I thanked him for his advice,
+and determined to proceed; for though it is fifteen miles from
+<i>Montpellier</i>, we are not got out of the latitude of the <i>Moschettos</i>.</p>
+
+<p>On the road here, we met an infinite number of carts and horses, loaded
+with ripe grapes; the gatherers generally held some large bunches (for
+they were the large red grape) in their hands, to present to travellers;
+and we had some from people, who would not even stay to receive a
+trifling acknowledgment for their generosity and politeness.</p>
+
+<p>Nothing could be more beautiful than the prospects which every way
+surrounded us, when we came within three or four miles of this town;
+both sides of the road were covered with thyme and lavender shrubs,
+which perfumed the air; the sea breeze, and the hot sun, made both
+<a name="Page_91" id="Page_91"></a>agreeable; and the day was so clear and fine, that the snow upon the
+<i>Alps</i> made them appear as if they were only ten leagues from us; and I
+could have been persuaded that we were within a few hours drive of the
+<i>Pyrenees</i>; yet the nearest of them was at least a hundred miles
+distant.</p>
+
+<p>The great Canal of <i>Languedoc</i> has a communication with this town, where
+covered boats, neatly fitted up for passengers, are continually passing
+up and down that wonderful and artificial navigation. It is a convenient
+port to ship wine at; but the people have the reputation of playing
+tricks with it, before and after it is put on board; and this opinion is
+a great baulk to the trade it is so happily situated to carry on, and of
+great benefit to the free port of <i>Nice</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_92" id="Page_92"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XIV" id="LETTER_XIV"></a>LETTER XIV.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Perpignan</span>.</div>
+
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,</p>
+
+<p class="noindent">Before I leave this kingdom, and enter into that of Spain, let me
+trouble you with a letter on a subject which, though no ways interesting
+to yourself, may be very much so <i>to a young Gentleman of your
+acquaintance</i> at Oxford, for whose happiness I, as well as you, am a
+little anxious. It is to apprize you, and to warn him, when he travels,
+to avoid the <i>gins and man-traps</i> fixed all over this country; traps,
+which a thorough knowledge of Latin and Greek, combined even with father
+and mother's wit, will not be sufficient to preserve him from, unless he
+is first shewn the manner in which they are set. These traps are not
+made to catch the <a name="Page_93" id="Page_93"></a>legs, but to ruin the fortunes and break the hearts
+of those who unfortunately step into them. Their baits are artful,
+designing, wicked men, and profligate, abandoned, and prostitute women.
+Paris abounds with them, as well as Lyons, and all the great towns
+between London and Rome; and are principally set to catch the young
+Englishman of fortune from the age of eighteen to five and twenty; and
+what is worse, an honest, sensible, generous young man, is always in
+most danger of setting his foot into them. You suspect already, that
+these traps are made only of paper, and ivory, and that cards and dice
+are the destructive engines I mean. Do you know that there are a set of
+men and women, in <i>Paris</i> and <i>Lyons</i>, who live elegantly by lying in
+wait and by catching every <i>bird of passage</i>?&mdash;but particularly the
+English <i>gold-finch</i>. I have seen and heard of such wicked artifices of
+these people, and the fatal consequences to the unfortunate young men
+they have ensnared, that I really think I could never <a name="Page_94" id="Page_94"></a>enjoy a single
+hour of contentment, if I had a large fortune, while a son of mine was
+making what is called the tour of Europe. The minute one of these young
+men arrive, either at <i>Paris</i> or <i>Lyons</i>, some <i>laquais de place</i>, who
+is paid for it, gives the earliest notice to one of the confederacy, and
+he is instantly way-laid by a French <i>Marquis</i>, or an English <i>Chevalier
+d'Industrie</i>, who, with a most insinuating address, makes him believe,
+he is no sooner arrived at <i>Paris</i> than he has found a sincere friend.
+The <i>Chevalier</i> shews him what is most worthy of notice in <i>Paris</i>,
+attends him to <i>Versailles</i> and <i>Marly</i>, cautions him against being
+acquainted with the honest part of the French nation, and introduces him
+to the knaves only of his own and this country; carries him to see
+French Ladies of the <i>first distinction</i>, (and such who certainly <i>live
+in that style</i>) and makes the young man giddy with joy. But alas! it is
+but a short-lived one!&mdash;he is invited; to sup with the <i>Countess</i>; and
+is entertained not only <a name="Page_95" id="Page_95"></a>voluptuously, but they play after supper, and
+he wins too. What can be more delightful to a young man, in a strange
+country, than to be flattered by the French, courted by the English,
+entertained by <i>the Countess</i>, and cheered with success?&mdash;Nay, he
+flatters himself, from the particular <i>attention</i> the <i>Countess</i> shews
+him, above all other men admitted to her toilet, that she has even some
+<i>tendre</i> for his person:&mdash;just at this <i>critical moment</i>, a <i>Toyman
+arrives</i>, to shew <i>Madame la Comtesse</i> a new fashioned trinket; she
+likes it, but has not money enough in her pocket to pay for it:&mdash;- here
+is a fine opportunity to make Madame la Comtesse a present;&mdash;and why
+should not he?&mdash;the price is not above four or five guineas more than
+his last night's winnings;&mdash;he offers it; and, with <i>great difficulty</i>
+and much persuasion, she accepts it; but is quite <i>ashamed</i> to think of
+the trouble he has given himself:&mdash;but, says she, you Englishmen are so
+charming,&mdash;so generous,&mdash;and so&mdash;so&mdash;and looks so sweet <a name="Page_96" id="Page_96"></a>upon him, that
+while her tongue faulters, <i>egad</i> he ventures to cover her confusion by
+a kiss;&mdash;when, instead of giving him the two broad sides of her cheek,
+she is so <i>off her guard</i>, and so overcome, as to present him
+<i>unawares</i>, with a pretty handsome dash of red pomatum from her lovely
+pouting lips,&mdash;and insists upon it that he sups with her, <i>tete a tete</i>,
+that very evening,&mdash;when all this happiness is compleated. In a few
+nights after, he is invited to meet the <i>Countess</i>, and to sup with
+<i>Monsieur le Marquis</i>, or <i>Monsieur le Chevalier Anglais</i>; he is feasted
+with high meat, and inflamed with delicious wines;&mdash;they play after
+supper, and he is stript of all his money, and gives&mdash;drafts upon his
+Banker for all his credit. He visits the Countess the next day; she
+receives him with a civil coolness,&mdash;is very sorry, she says,&mdash;and
+wished much last night for a favourable opportunity to give him a hint,
+not to play after he had lost the first thousand, as she perceived luck
+ran hard against him:&mdash;she <a name="Page_97" id="Page_97"></a>is extremely mortified;&mdash;but; as a friend,
+advises him to go to <i>Lyons</i>, or some provincial town, where he may
+study the language with more success, than in the hurry and noise of so
+great a city as <i>Paris</i>, and apply for further credit. His <i>new friends</i>
+visit him no more; and he determines to take the Countess's advice, and
+go on to <i>Lyons</i>, as he has heard the South of France is much cheaper,
+and there he may see what he can do, by leaving Paris, and an
+application to his friends in England. But at <i>Lyons</i> too, some artful
+knave, of one nation or the other, accosts him, who has had notice of
+his <i>Paris</i> misfortunes;&mdash;he pities him;&mdash;and, rather than see a
+countryman, or a gentleman of fashion and character in distress, he
+would lend him fifty or a hundred pounds. When this is done, every art
+is used to debauch his principles; he is initiated into a gang of
+genteel sharpers, and bullied, by the fear of a gaol, to connive at, or
+to become a party in their <a name="Page_98" id="Page_98"></a>iniquitous society. His good name gives a
+sanction for a while to their suspected reputations; and, by means of an
+hundred pounds so lent to this honest young man, some thousands are won
+from the <i>birds of passage</i>, who are continually passing thro' that city
+to the more southern parts of <i>France</i>, or to <i>Italy</i>, <i>Geneva</i>, or
+<i>Turin</i>.</p>
+
+<p>This is not an imaginary picture; it is a picture I have seen, nay, I
+have seen the traps set, and the game caught; nor were those who set the
+snares quite sure that they might not put a stop to my peregrination,
+for they <i>risqued a supper at me</i>, and let me win a few guineas at the
+little play which began before they sat down to table. Indeed, my dear
+Sir, were I to give you the particulars of some of those unhappy young
+men, who have been ruined in fortune and constitution too, at <i>Paris</i>
+and <i>Lyons</i>, you would be struck with pity on one side, and horror and
+detestation on the other; nor would ever <a name="Page_99" id="Page_99"></a>risque such a <i>finished part</i>
+of your son's education. Tell my Oxonian friend, from me, when he
+travels, never to let either Lords or Ladies, even of his own country,
+nor <i>Marquises</i>, <i>Counts</i>, or <i>Chevaliers</i>, of this, ever draw him into
+play; but to remember that shrewd hint of Lord Chesterfield's to his
+son;&mdash;"When you play with men (says his Lordship) know with <i>whom</i> you
+play; when with women, <i>for what</i> you play."&mdash;But let me add, that the
+only SURE WAY, is never to play at all.</p>
+
+<p>At one of these towns I found a man, whose family I respected, and for
+whom I had a personal regard; he loaded me with civilities, nay, made me
+presents, before I had the most distant suspicions <i>how</i> he became in a
+situation to enable him so to do. He made every profession of love and
+regard to me; and I verily believed him sincere; because I knew he had
+been obliged by a part of my family; <a name="Page_100" id="Page_100"></a>but when I found a coach, a
+country-house, a good table, a wife, and servants, were all supported by
+the <i>chance</i> of a gaming-table, I withdrew myself from all connections
+with him; for, I fear, he who lives to play, may <i>play</i> to <i>live</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Upon the whole, I think it is next to an impossibility for a young man
+of fortune to pass a year or two in <i>Paris</i>, the southern parts of
+France, Italy, &amp;c. without running a great risque of being beggared by
+sharpers, or seduced by artful women; unless he has with him a tutor,
+who is made wise by years, and a frequent acquaintance with the customs
+and manners of the country: an honest, learned Clergyman tutor, is of
+less use to a young man in that situation, than a trusty <i>Valet de
+Chambre</i>. A travelling tutor must know men; and, what is more difficult
+to know, he must know women also, before he is qualified to guard
+against the <a name="Page_101" id="Page_101"></a>innumerable snares that are always making to entangle
+strangers of fortune.</p>
+
+<p>It is certainly true, that the nearer we approach to the sun, the more
+we become familiar with vices of every kind. In the <i>South of France</i>,
+and <i>Italy</i>, sins of the blackest dye, and many of the most unnatural
+kind, are not only committed with impunity, but boasted of with
+audacity; and, as one proof of the corruption of the people, of a
+thousand I could tell you, I must tell you, that seeing at <i>Lyons</i> a
+shop in which a great variety of pictures were hung for sale, I walked
+in, and after examining them, and asking a few questions; but none that
+had the least tendency to want of decorum, the master of the shop turned
+to his wife, (a very pretty woman, and dressed even to a <i>plumed</i>
+head)&mdash;shew <i>Monsieur</i> the little miniature, said he; she then opened a
+drawer and took out a book, (I think it was her mass-book) and brought
+me a <a name="Page_102" id="Page_102"></a>picture, so indecent, that I defy the most debauched imagination
+to conceive any thing more so; yet she gave it me with a seeming decent
+face, and only observed that it was <i>bien fait</i>. After examining it with
+more attention than I should, had I received it from the hands of her
+husband, I returned it to her prayer-book, made my bow, and was
+retiring; but the husband called to me, and said, he had a magazine hard
+by, where there was a very large collection of pictures of great value,
+and that his wife would attend me. My curiosity was heightened in more
+respects than <i>one</i>: I therefore accepted the offer, and was conducted
+up two pair of stairs in a house not far off, where I found a long suite
+of rooms, in which were a large number of pictures, and some, I believe,
+of great value. But I was a little surprised on entering into the
+furthermost apartment, as that had in it an elegant <i>chintz</i> bed, the
+curtains of which were festooned, and the foliages held up <a name="Page_103" id="Page_103"></a>by the
+paintings of two naked women, as large as life, and as indecent as
+nakedness could be painted; they were painted, and well painted too, on
+boards, and cut out in human shape; that at first I did not know whether
+I saw the shadow or the substance; however, as this room was covered
+with pictures, I began to examine them also, with the fair attendant at
+my elbow; but in the whole collection I do not remember there was one
+picture which would not have brought a blush in the face of an English
+Lady, even of the most easy virtue. Yet, all this while, when I asked
+the price of the several parts and pieces, she answered me with a
+gravity of countenance, as if she attended me to sell her goods like
+other shopkeepers, and in the way of business; however, before I left
+the room, I could not, I thought, do less than ask her&mdash;her own price.
+She told me, she was worth nothing; and immediately invited me to take a
+peep through a convex glass at a <a name="Page_104" id="Page_104"></a>picture which was laid under, on the
+table, for that purpose:&mdash;it was a picture of so wicked a tendency, that
+the painter ought to have been put upon a pillory, and the exhibitor in
+the stocks. The Lady observed to me again, that it was well painted;
+but, on the contrary, the only merit it had, was, being quite otherwise,
+I therefore told her, that the subject and idea only was good; the
+execution bad.</p>
+
+<p>Just at this time, several French Gentlemen came in to look at the
+pictures, and my surprise became infinitely greater than ever; they
+talked with her about the several pieces, without betraying the least
+degree of surprise at the subjects, or the woman who shewed them; nor
+did they seem to think it was a matter of any to me; and I verily
+believe the woman was so totally a stranger to sentiment or decency,
+that she considered herself employed in the ordinary way of shopkeepers,
+that of shewing and selling her goods: as her <a name="Page_105" id="Page_105"></a>shop was almost opposite
+to the General Post-office, where I went every day for my letters, I
+frequently saw women of fashion at this shop; whether they visited the
+magazine, or not, I cannot say, but I think there is no doubt but they
+might borrow the <i>mass-book</i> I mentioned above.</p>
+
+<p>I shall leave you to make your own comments upon this subject; and then
+I am sure you will tremble for the fatal consequences which your son, or
+any young man, may, nay must be led into, in a country where Vice is
+painted with all her bewitching colours, in the fore-ground of the
+picture; and where Virtue, if there be any, is thrown so far behind in
+the back shade, that it is ten to one but it escapes the notice of a
+youthful examiner.</p>
+
+<p>I cannot help adding another instance of the profligacy of this town.
+Lord P&mdash;&mdash; being invited by a French Gentleman to spend a day at his
+<i>Chateau</i>, in this country, took occasion to tell his<a name="Page_106" id="Page_106"></a> Lordship, that in
+order to render the day as agreeable as possible to his company, he had
+provided some young people of <i>both sexes</i> to attend, and desired to
+know his Lordship's <i>gout</i>. The young Nobleman concealed his surprise,
+and told his <i>generous</i> host, that he was not fashionable enough to walk
+out of the paths of nature. The same question was then put to the other
+company, in the order of their rank; and the last, an <i>humble
+Frenchman</i>, replied, it was to him <i>egal l'un, et l'autre</i>, just as it
+proved most convenient. This is not a traveller's story; it is a fact;
+and I dare say the Nobleman, who was of the party, will give it the
+sanction of his name, though I cannot with any degree of propriety.</p>
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_107" id="Page_107"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XV" id="LETTER_XV"></a>LETTER XV.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Jonquire</span></div>.
+
+
+<p class="noindent">I have now crossed the <i>Pyrenees</i>, and write this from the first village
+in Spain. These mountains are of such an enormous height, as well as
+extent, that they seem as if they were formed even by nature to divide
+nations. Nor is there any other pass by land into this kingdom but over
+them; for they extend upwards of thirty leagues from the <i>Mediterranean</i>
+Sea, near <i>Perpignan</i> in <i>Rousillon</i> to the city of <i>Pompelina</i> in
+<i>Navarre</i>; I should have said, extend <i>into</i> the <i>Mediterranean</i> Sea,
+for there the extremity projects its lofty head, like a noble fortress
+of nature, into the ocean, far beyond the low lands on either side.
+Indeed the extensive plains on both side these lofty mountains (so
+unusual in the Southern parts of Europe) would almost <a name="Page_108" id="Page_108"></a>make one suspect,
+that nature herself had been exhausted in raising such an immense pile,
+which, as if it were the back-bone of an huge animal, was made to hold,
+and bind together, all the parts of the western world. There are, I
+think, nine passes over these hills into <i>Spain</i>, two or three of which
+are very commodious, and wonderfully <i>picturesque</i>: others are dreadful,
+and often dangerous; the two best are at the extremities; that which I
+have just passed, and the other near <i>Bayonne</i>; the former is not only
+very safe, except just after very heavy and long-continued rains, but in
+the highest degree pleasing, astonishing, and wonderfully romantic, as
+well as beautiful.</p>
+
+<p>At <i>Boulon</i>, the last village in France, twelve long leagues from
+<i>Perpignan</i>, and seemingly under the foot of the <i>Pyrenees</i>, we crossed
+a river, for the first time, which must be forded three or four times
+more, before you begin to ascend the hills; but if the river can be
+safely crossed at <i>Boulon</i>, there can be no difficulty afterwards, <a name="Page_109" id="Page_109"></a>as
+there alone the stream is most rapid, and the channel deepest. At this
+town there are always a set of fellows ready to offer their service, who
+ford the river, and support the carriage; nor is it an easy matter to
+prevent them, when no such assistance is necessary; and I was obliged to
+handle my pistols, to make them <i>unhandle</i> my wheels; as it is more than
+probable they would have overset us in shallow water, to gain an
+opportunity of shewing their <i>politeness</i> in picking us up again. The
+stream, indeed, was very rapid; and I was rather provoked by the
+rudeness of the people, to pass through it without assistance, than
+convinced there needed none.</p>
+
+<p>Having crossed the river four or five times more, and passed between
+rocks, and broken land, through a very uncultivated and romantic vale,
+we began to ascend the <i>Pyrenees</i> upon a noble road, indeed! hewn upon
+the sides of those <a name="Page_110" id="Page_110"></a>adamantine hills, of a considerable width, and an
+easy ascent, quite up to the high <i>Fortress of Bellegarde</i>, which stands
+upon the pinnacle of the highest hill, and which commands this renowned
+pass.</p>
+
+<p>You will easier conceive than I can describe the many rude and various
+scenes which mountains so high, so rocky, so steep, so divided, and, I
+may add too, so fertile, exhibit to the traveler's eyes. The constant
+water-falls from the melted snow above, the gullies and breaches made by
+water-torrents during great rains, the rivulets in the vale below, the
+verdure on their banks, the herds of goats, the humble, but picturesque
+habitations of the goat-herds, the hot sun shining upon the <i>snow-capt</i>
+hills above, and the steep precipices below, all crowd together so
+strongly upon the imagination, that they intoxicate the passenger with
+delight.</p>
+
+<p>The French nation in no instance shew their greatness more than in the
+durable <a name="Page_111" id="Page_111"></a>and noble manner they build and make their high-roads; here,
+the expence was not only cutting the hard mountain, and raising a fine
+road on their sides, but building arches of an immense height from
+mountain to mountain, and over breaks and water-falls, with great
+solidity, and excellent workmanship.</p>
+
+<p>The invalide guard at this fortress take upon themselves, very
+improperly, and I am sure very unwarrantably, to examine strangers who
+pass, with an impertinent curiosity; for they must admit all who come
+with a proper <i>passa-porte</i> into <i>Spain</i>, and durst not admit any
+without it. On my arrival at the Guard-house, they seized my horse's
+head, and called for my <i>passa-porte</i>, in terms very unlike the usual
+politeness of French guards; and while my pass was carried into a little
+office, hard by, to be registered, those who remained on the side of my
+chaise took occasion to ask me of what country I was: I desired to
+<a name="Page_112" id="Page_112"></a>refer them to my <i>passa-porte</i>, (where I knew no information of that
+kind was given,) as it was a question I could not very well answer; but
+upon being further urged, I at length told them, I was an
+<i>Hottentot</i>.&mdash;"<i>Otentot</i>&mdash;<i>Otentot</i>&mdash;pray what king governs that
+country?" said one of them. No king governs the <i>Hottentots</i> replied I.
+"What then, is your country without a king?" said another, with
+astonishment! No; not absolutely so, neither; for the <i>Hottentots</i> have
+a king; but he always keeps a number of ambitious and crafty men about
+his Court, who govern him; and those men, who are generally knaves, feed
+the people with guts, and entrails of beasts, give the king now and then
+a little bit of the main body, and divide the rest among themselves,
+their friends, their favourites, and sycophants. But I soon found, these
+were questions leading to a more <a name="Page_113" id="Page_113"></a>important one; and that was, what
+<i>countryman</i> my horse was;&mdash;for, suspecting him to be an <i>Englishman</i>,
+they would perhaps, if I had been weak enough to have owned it, have
+made me pay a considerable duty for his admission into <i>Spain</i>; though I
+believe it cannot legally be done or levied upon any horse, French, or
+English, (to use an act of parliament phrase) but such "as are not
+actually in harness, nor drawing in a carriage."</p>
+
+<p>The Spaniards too have done their duty, as to the descent of the
+<i>Pyrenees</i> from <i>Bellegarde</i>, but no further; from thence to this
+village, is about the same distance that <i>Boulon</i> is from the foot of
+the mountains on the other side; but though this road is quite destitute
+of art it is adorned highly by nature.</p>
+
+<p>But, before I left <i>Bellegarde</i>, I should have told you, that near that
+Fortress the arms of France and Spain, cut on stone <a name="Page_114" id="Page_114"></a>pillars, are placed
+<i>vis-a-vis</i> on each side of the road; a spot where some times an affair
+of <i>honour</i> is decided by two men, who engage in personal combat; each
+standing in a different kingdom; and where, if one falls, the other need
+not run; for, by the Family Compact, it is agreed, not to give up
+deserters or murderers.</p>
+
+<p>The road is not less romantic on the Spanish, than on the French side of
+the <i>Pyrenees</i>; the face of the country is more beautiful, and the faces
+of all things, animate and inanimate, are quite different; and one would
+be apt to think, that instead of having passed a few hills, one had
+passed over a large ocean: the hogs, for instance, which are all white
+on the French side, are all black on this.</p>
+
+<p>We arrived here upon a Sunday, when the inhabitants had on their best
+apparel: but instead of high head-dresses, false curls, plumes of
+feathers, and a quantity <a name="Page_115" id="Page_115"></a>of powder, the women had their black hair
+combed tight from their foreheads and temples, and tied behind, in
+either red, blue, or black nets, something like the caul of a peruke,
+from which hang large tassels down to the middle of their back; the
+men's hair was done up in nets in the same manner, but not so gaudy.</p>
+
+<p>Before we arrived here, I overtook a girl with a load of fresh hay upon
+her head, whom (<i>at the request of my horse</i>) I entreated to spare me a
+little, but, till she had called back her brother, who had another load
+of the same kind, would not treat with me; they soon agreed, however,
+that my request was reasonable; and so was their demand; and there,
+under the shade of a noble grove of large cork-trees, we and our horse
+eat a most luxurious meal: appetite was the sauce; and the wild scenes,
+and stupendous rocks, which every way surrounded our <i>salle a manger</i>,
+were our dessert.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116"></a>And that you may not be alarmed about this mighty matter, (as it is by
+many thought) of parting from <i>France to Spain</i>, by the way of
+<i>Perpignan</i>, it may not be amiss to say, that I left the last town about
+seven o'clock in the morning, in a heavy French <i>cabriolet</i>, drawn by
+one strong English horse, charged with four persons, and much baggage;
+yet we arrived here about three o'clock the same day; where at our
+supper, we had a specimen of Spanish cookery, as well as Spanish beds,
+bills, and custom-house officers: to the latter, a small donative is
+better bestowed, than the trouble of unpacking all your baggage, and
+much better relished by them: as to the host, he was neither rude, nor
+over civil; the cookery more savoury than clean; the window frames
+without glass, the rooms without chimneys. The demand for such
+entertainment is rather dearer than in France.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117"></a>Before I left <i>Perpignan</i>, I found it necessary to exchange some French
+gold for Spanish, and to be well informed of the two kingdoms. There
+were many people willing to change my money; though but few, indeed, who
+would give the full value. Formerly, you know, the <i>Pyrenees</i> were
+charged with gold, from whence the Phoenicians fetched great quantities
+every year. In the time of the Romans, much of the <i>Pyrenean</i> gold was
+sent to Rome; and a King of Portugal, so lately as the year 1512, had a
+crown and sceptre made of the gold washed from those hills into the
+<i>Tagus</i>; their treasures were known, you may remember, even to Ovid.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Quod suo Tagus amne vehit fluit<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Ignibus aurum."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>But as I did not expect to find a gold mine on my passage into Spain, I
+thought it best to carry a little with me, and leave <a name="Page_118" id="Page_118"></a>nothing to chance;
+and I should have been content to have found, by the help of my gun, the
+bird vulgarly called the <i>Gelinotte des Pyrenees</i>; it has a curved bill
+like a hawk, and two long feathers in the tail; but though I saw a great
+number of different birds, I was not fortunate enough to find the
+<i>Ganga</i>, for that is the true name of a bird, so beautiful in feather,
+and of so delicate a flavour, that it is even mentioned by Aristotle,
+and is a native of these hills.</p>
+
+<p>P.S. I forgot to tell you, that the day we left <i>Cette</i> we stopped,
+according to custom, to eat our cold dinner, in an olive grove; from
+whence we had a noble view of the Mediterranean Sea, and a most
+delightfully situated <i>Chateau</i>, standing upon the banks of a salt-water
+lake, at least twenty miles in circumference, "clear as the expanse of
+heaven;" and that while we were preparing to spread our napkin, a
+gentleman of genteel appearance came out from a neighbouring vineyard,
+and asked <a name="Page_119" id="Page_119"></a>us if any accident had happened, and desired, if we wanted
+any thing, that we would command him, or whatever his house afforded,
+pointing to the <i>Chateau</i>, which had so attracted our notice: we told
+him, our business was to eat our little repast, with his leave, under,
+what we presumed, was his shade also, and invited him to partake with
+us. He had already captivated us by his polite attention, and by his
+agreeable conversation: we lamented that we had not better pretensions
+to have visited his lovely habitation. We found he was well acquainted
+with many English persons of fashion, who have occasionally resided at
+Montpellier; and I am sure, his being a winter inhabitant of that city,
+must be one of the most favourable circumstances the town affords. These
+little attentions to strangers, are never omitted by the well-bred part
+of the French nation. I could not refill asking the name of a gentleman,
+to whom I felt myself so much obliged, nor avoid telling him my <a name="Page_120" id="Page_120"></a>own,
+and what had passed at the town of <i>Cette</i>, relative to the musical
+instruments, as one of the largest was still with us.&mdash;He seemed
+astonished, that I preferred the long and dangerous journey by land, as
+he thought it, to <i>Barcelona</i>, when I might, he said, have run down to
+it over a smooth sea, in the same bark I had put my baggage on board.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_121" id="Page_121"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XVI" id="LETTER_XVI"></a>LETTER XVI.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Girone</span>.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">From <i>Jonquere</i> to <i>Figuere</i> (about four hours journey, so they reckon
+in Spain) the road is intolerable, and the country beautiful; over which
+the traveller may, as nature has done, repose himself upon a flowery
+bed, indeed; for nature surely could not do more for the pleasure and
+profit of man, than she has done from <i>Jonquere</i> to <i>Girone</i>. The town
+of <i>Figuere</i> is, properly speaking, the first town in Spain; for
+<i>Jonquere</i> is rather a hamlet; but <i>Figuere</i> has a decent, comfortable
+appearance, abounds with merchants and tradesmen, and at a little
+distance from it stands the strongest citadel in Spain; indeed it is the
+frontier town of the kingdom. The quietness of the people, and seeming
+tranquility of all ranks and orders <a name="Page_122" id="Page_122"></a>of men in Spain, is very remarkable
+to a person who has just left a kingdom in every respect so different.
+Strangers as we were, and as we must be known to be, we passed
+unnoticed; and when we stopped near a cottage to eat our hedge dinner,
+neither man, woman, or child came near us, till I asked for water, and
+then they brought with it, unasked, dried grapes, and chesnuts, but
+instantly retired. I was charmed with the Arcadian inhabitants, and
+visited the inside of their cabin; but its situation upon a little
+<i>tump</i>, on the bank of a brook, shaded by ever-green oaks, and large
+spreading fig-trees, was all it had to boast of; it had nothing within
+but straw beds, Indian corn, dried grapes, figs, &amp;c.</p>
+
+<p>From <i>Figuere</i> to <i>Girone</i>, which is a good day's journey, the country
+is enclosed, and the hedgerows, corn fields, &amp;c. had in many places the
+appearance of the finest parts of England, only warmed by a hotter sun,
+and adorned with woods and trees <a name="Page_123" id="Page_123"></a>of other species; instead of the
+hawthorn, I found the orange and the pomegranate, the myrtle and the
+cypress; in short, all nature seemed to rejoice here, but man alone.</p>
+
+<p>From many parts of this road we had a view of the <i>Mediterranean</i> Sea,
+and the Golfe <i>de Royas</i>, a fine bay, over which the heads of the
+<i>Pyrenees</i> hang; and on the banks of which there seemed to be, not only
+villages, but large towns; the situations of which appeared so
+enchanting, that I could hardly resist the temptation of visiting
+them;&mdash;and now wonder why I did not; but at that time, I suppose I did
+not recollect I had nothing else to do.</p>
+
+<p>We entered this town rather too late, and were followed to our inn by an
+armed soldier, who demanded, in harsh terms, my attendance upon the
+Governor; I enquired whether it was customary for a Gentleman, just off
+a journey, to be so called upon, and was assured it was not; <a name="Page_124" id="Page_124"></a>that my
+<i>passa-porte</i> was sufficient. I therefore gave that to my conductor, and
+desired him to take it, and return it, which he did, in about half an
+hour; but required to be paid for his trouble&mdash;a request I declined
+understanding.</p>
+
+<p>This is a fortified city, well built, but every house has the appearance
+of a convent. I went into the market, where fruit, flesh, and
+vegetables, were to be sold in abundance; but instead of that noise
+which French and English markets abound with, a general silence and
+gravity reigned throughout; which, can hardly be thought possible, where
+so many buyers and sellers were collected together. I bought a basket of
+figs, but the vender of them spoke to me as softly as if we had been
+engaged in a conspiracy, but she did not attempt to impose; I dare say,
+she asked me no more than she would have demanded of a Spaniard. The
+manners of people are certainly infectious; my spirits <a name="Page_125" id="Page_125"></a>sunk in this
+town; and I wanted nothing but the language, and a long cloak, to make
+me a compleat Spaniard. Our inn was the Golden Fountain; and,
+considering it was in Spain, not a bad one. If the town, however, was
+gloomy, the country round about it exhibited all the beauties nature can
+boast of.</p>
+
+<p>In climates, says some writer, where the earth seems to be the pride and
+masterpiece of nature, rags, and dirt, ghastly countenances, and misery
+under every form, are oftener met with, than in those countries less
+favoured by nature; and the forlorn and wretched condition of the people
+in general seemed to belie and disgrace their native soil. Certain it
+is, that the natives of the southern parts of Europe have neither the
+beauty, the strength, nor comeliness of men born in more northern
+climates. I have seen in the South of France, in Spain, and Portugal,
+the aged especially of both sexes, who hardly <a name="Page_126" id="Page_126"></a>appeared human! nor do
+you see, in general, even among the youthful, much more beauty than that
+which youth alone must give; for youth itself is beauty. Whoever
+compares the natives of Switzerland, England, Ireland, and Scotland,
+with those of Spain, Portugal, or other Southern climates, will find,
+that men born among cold, bleak mountains, are infinitely superior to
+those of the finest climates under the sun. Perhaps, however, this
+difference may arise more from the want of Liberty than the power of
+climate. Oh Liberty! sweet Liberty! without thee life cannot be enjoyed!
+Thou parent of comfort, whose children bless thee, though they dwell
+among the barren rocks, or the most surly regions of the earth! Thou
+blessest, in spite of nature; and in spite of nature, tyranny brings
+curses.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_127" id="Page_127"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XVII" id="LETTER_XVII"></a>LETTER. XVII.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Martory</span>.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">After we left <i>Girone</i> we passed thro' a fine country, but not equal to
+that which is between <i>Jonquire</i> and that town; we lay the first night
+at a <i>veritiable</i> Spanish <i>posada</i>; it was a single house, called the
+<i>Grenade</i>. We arrived there early in the afternoon; and though the
+inside of the house was but so-so, every thing without was charming, and
+our host and his two daughters gave us the best they had, treated us
+with civility enough; and gave us good advice in the prosecution of our
+journey to Barcelona; for about four leagues from this house, we found
+two roads to that city, one on the side of the Mediterranean Sea, the
+other inland. He advised us to take the former, which exactly tallied
+with my inclination, for <a name="Page_128" id="Page_128"></a>wherever the sea-coast affords a road in hot
+climates, that must be the pleasantest; and I was very impatient till we
+got here.</p>
+
+<p>After we had left the high inland road, we had about three leagues to
+the sea side, and the village on its margin where we were to lie; this
+road was through a very wild, uncultivated country, over-run with
+underwood and tall firs. We saw but few houses and met with fewer
+people. When we came near the sea, the country, however, improved upon
+us; and the farms, churches, convents, and beacons, upon the high lands,
+rendered the prospects every way pleasing. We crossed a shallow river
+several times, adorned on both sides with an infinite quantity of tall
+beeches, on one of which trees (boy like) I cut my name, too high for
+<i>other boys</i>, without a ladder, to cut me <i>out</i> again. At length we
+arrived at the village, and at a <i>posada</i>, than which nothing could be
+more dreadful, after the day-light was gone; for beside the rudest
+<a name="Page_129" id="Page_129"></a>mistress, and the dirtiest servants that can be conceived, there lay a
+poor Frenchman dying in the next room to us; nay, I may almost say, in
+the same room with us, for it could hardly be called a door which parted
+us. This poor man, who had not a shilling in his pocket, had lain twenty
+days ill in that house; but was attended by the priests of the town with
+as much assiduity as if he had been a man of fashion: he had been often
+exhorted by them, it seems, to confess, but had refused. The night we
+came, he feared would be his last, and he determined to make his
+confession; I was in the room when he signified his desire so to do; and
+all the people were dismissed by the parish priest. I returned to my
+room, and could now and then hear what the priest said: but the sick
+man's voice was too low: his crimes however, I fear, were of an high
+nature, for we heard the priest say, with a voice of impatience and
+seeming horror, <i>Adonde&mdash;adonde&mdash;adonde</i>?&mdash;Where&mdash;where&mdash;where?</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130"></a>You may imagine, a bad supper, lighted by stinking oil, burning in an
+iron lamp hung against the side of a wall, (for there were no candles to
+be had) and while the sick man was receiving the last sacrament, would
+have been little relished had it been good; that our dirty straw beds
+were no very comfortable retreat; and that day-light the next morning
+was what we most wanted and wished for. Indeed, I never spent a more
+miserable night; but it was amply made up to us by this day's journey to
+<i>Martory</i>, for we coasted it along the sea, which sometimes washed the
+wheels of my chaise At others, we crossed over high head-lands, which
+afforded such extensive views over both elements, as abundantly overpaid
+us for the sufferings of the preceding evening. The roads, indeed, over
+these head-lands were bad enough, in some places dangerous; but between
+walking and riding, with a steady horse, we got on very well.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131"></a>On this coast, we found a village at every league, inhabited by rich
+fishermen, and wealthy ship-builders, and found all these artificers
+busy enough in their professions; in some places, there were an hundred
+men dragging in, by bodily strength, the <i>Saine</i>; at others, still more
+surprising, ships of two hundred tons were building on the dry land,
+where no tide rises to launch them! These villages are built close to
+the sea; nothing intervenes between their houses and the ocean but their
+little gardens, in which, under the shade of their orange, lemon, and
+vine trees, which were loaded with fruit, sat the wives and daughters of
+the fishermen, making black silk lace. Though I call them villages, and
+though they are in reality so, yet the houses were such, in general, as
+would make a good figure even in a fine city; for they were all well
+built, and many adorned on the outside with no contemptible paintings.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132"></a>The town, indeed, from which I write, is situated in the same manner,
+but is a little city, and affords a <i>posada</i>, (I speak by comparison,
+remember) comfortable enough; and the sea a fish, they call the red
+fish, than which nothing can be more delicious; I may venture almost to
+call it the sea woodcock, for it is eaten altogether in the same manner.
+We fared better than my poor horse, for not a grain of oats or barley
+did this city afford; nor has he tasted, or have I seen, a morsel of hay
+since I parted from my little <i>Dona</i>, near the foot of the <i>Pyrenees</i>.
+Tomorrow we have seven hours to <i>Barcelona</i>; I can see the high cape
+under which it stands, and from under which, you shall soon hear again
+from me.</p>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_133" id="Page_133"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XVIII" id="LETTER_XVIII"></a>LETTER XVIII.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Barcelona</span>.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">Upon our arrival at this town, we were obliged to wait at the outward
+gate above half an hour, no person being admitted to enter from twelve
+till one, tho' all the world may go out; that hour being allotted for
+the guards, &amp;c. to eat their dinner. As I had no letter to any person in
+this city, but to the French Consul, I had previously wrote to a Mr.
+Ford, a merchant at Barcelona, with whom I had formerly travelled from
+London to Bath, to beg the favour of him to provide lodgings for me; I
+therefore enquired for Mr. Ford's house, and found myself conducted to
+that of a Mr. Curtoys; Mr. Ford, unfortunately for me, was dead; but the
+same house and business is carried on by Messrs. Adams and Curtoys, who
+had received and opened <a name="Page_134" id="Page_134"></a>my letter. After this family had a little
+<i>reconnoitred</i> mine, Mr. Curtoys came down, and with much civility, and
+an hospitable countenance, told me his dinner was upon the table, and in
+very pressing terms desired that we would partake of it. We found here a
+large family, consisting of his wife, a motherly good-looking woman;
+Mrs. Adams, her daughter by a former husband, a jolly dame; and several
+children. Mrs. Adams spoke fluently the Catalan, French, English, and
+Spanish tongues; all which were necessary at a table where there were
+people who understood but one only of each language. Mr. Curtoys pressed
+us to dine with him a few days after, a favour which I, only, accepted;
+when he told me, he was nominated, but not absolutely fixed in his
+Consulship of this city; that he had obtained it by the favour of Lord
+Rochford, who had spent some days at his house, on his way to Madrid,
+when his Lordship was Ambassador to this Court; <a name="Page_135" id="Page_135"></a>and before I went from
+him, he desired I and my family would dine with him at his country-house
+the next day: instead of which, I waited upon him in the morning, and
+told him, that I had formerly received civilities from his friend, Lord
+Rochford, and believed him once to have been mine; but that,
+unfortunately, I found now it was much otherwise; and observed, that
+perhaps his politeness to me might injure him with his Lordship; and
+that I thought it right to say so much, that he might be guided by his
+own judgment, and not follow the bent of his inclination, if he thought
+it might be prejudicial to his interest; and by the way of a little
+return for the hospitable manner in which he had received and
+entertained me, and my family, I took out an hundred and twenty-five
+pound in Banknotes, and desired him to send them to England; adding,
+that I had about thirty pounds in my pocket, which I hoped would be
+sufficient for my expences, till he had an <a name="Page_136" id="Page_136"></a>account of their safe
+arrival. But instead of his wonted chearful countenance, I was
+<i>contunded</i> with an affected air of the man of business; my bank notes
+were shined against the window, turned and twisted about, as if the
+utmost use they could be of were to light the Consul's pipe after
+supper. I asked him whether he had any doubts of their authenticity; and
+shewed him a letter to confirm my being the person I said I was, written
+to me but a short time before, from his friend Lord Rochford, from whom
+he too had just received a letter: he then observed; that a burnt child
+dreads the fire; that their House had suffered; that a Moor had lately
+passed thro' France, who had put off a great number of false Bank notes,
+and that I might indiscreetly have taken some of them; but assuring him
+that I had received all mine from the hands of Messrs. Hoare, and that I
+would not call upon him for the money till he had <a name="Page_137" id="Page_137"></a>received advice of
+their being good, I took my leave, and left my notes.</p>
+
+<p>But as there was a possibility, nay, a probability, that Mr. Curtoys
+might not have very early advice from England, or might not give it to
+me if he had, (for all his hospitality of countenance and civility was
+departed) I thought it was necessary to secure a retreat; for I should
+have informed you, that I found at his table a Mr. Wombwell, whose uncle
+I had lived in great intimacy with many years before at Gibraltar, and
+who left this man (now a Spanish merchant) all his fortune. Indeed, I
+should have said, that Mr. Wombwell had visited me, and even had asked
+me to dine with him; and as he appeared infinitely superior both in
+understanding, address, and knowledge of the world to good Mr. Curtoys,
+I went to him, with that confidence which a good note, and a good cause,
+gives to every man. I told him the Consul's fears, and <a name="Page_138" id="Page_138"></a>my own, lest I
+might want money before Mr. Curtoys was ready to supply me; in which
+case, and which only, I asked Mr. Wombwell if he would change me a
+twenty pound Bank note, and shewed him one which I then took out of my
+pocket; but Mr. Wombwell too examined my notes, with all the attention
+of a cautious tradesman, and put on all that imperiousness which riches,
+and the haughty Spanish manners to an humble suitor, could suggest. I
+tell you, my dear Sir, what passed between us, more out of pity than
+resentment towards him; he said I will recollect it as nearly as I can,
+"that if you are Mr. Thicknesse, you must have lived a great deal in the
+world; it is therefore unfortunate, you are not acquainted with Sir
+Thomas Gascoyne, a gentleman of fashion, well known in England, and now
+in the same auberge with you." I confessed that I had seen, and
+conversed with Sir Thomas Gascoyne there, and that it was very true, <a name="Page_139" id="Page_139"></a>he
+was to me, and I to him, utter strangers; but I observed, that Sir
+Thomas had been ten years upon his travels, and that I had lived
+fourteen years in retirement before he set out, and therefore that was
+but a weak circumstance of my being an impostor; I observed too, that
+impostors travelled singly, not with a wife and children; and that
+though I by no means wished to force his money out of his pocket, I
+coveted much to remove all suspicions of my being an adventurer, for
+many obvious reasons. This reply opened a glimpse of generosity, though
+sullied with arrogance and pride. "I should be sorry (said he) to see a
+countryman, who is an honest man, in want of money; and therefore, as I
+think it is probable you are Mr. Thicknesse, I will, when you want your
+note changed, change it;" adding, however, that "he thanked God! if he
+lost the money, he could afford it." I then told him, he had put it in
+my power to convince him<a name="Page_140" id="Page_140"></a> I was Mr. Thicknesse, by declining, as I did,
+the boon he offered me; I declined it, indeed, with an honest
+indignation, because I am sure he did not doubt my being Mr. Thicknesse,
+and that <i>he</i>, not <i>I</i>, was the REAL PRETENDER. I had before told him,
+that I had some letters in my pocket written by a Spanish Gentleman of
+fashion, whose hand-writing must be well known in that town;&mdash;but to
+this he observed, that there was not a Moor in Spain who could not write
+Spanish;&mdash;he further remarked, that if I was Mr. Thicknesse, I had, in a
+publication of my travels, spoke of Sir John Lambert, a Parisian Banker,
+in very unhandsome terms, and, for aught he knew, I might take the same
+liberty with his name, in future. I acknowledged that his charge was
+very true, and that his suggestion might be so; that I should always
+speak and publish such truths as I thought proper, either for the
+information of others, or the satisfaction of <a name="Page_141" id="Page_141"></a>myself. Mr. Wombwell,
+however, acknowledged, that Mr. Curtoys, to whom I shewed Lord
+Rochford's letter to me, ought to have been quite satisfied whether I
+was, or was not an impostor; but I still left him under real or
+pretended doubts, with a resolution to live upon bread and water, or the
+bounty of a taylor, my honest landlord; for, tho' a Spaniard, I am sure
+he had that perception, and that humanity too, which Mess. Curtoys and
+Wombwell have not, or artfully concealed from me: yet, in spite of all
+the unkind behaviour of the latter, I could not help shewing him my
+share of vanity too; I therefore sent him a letter, and enclosed therein
+others written to me by the late Lord Holland, the Duke of Richmond,
+Lord Oxford, and many other people of rank; and desired him to give me
+credit, at least, for <i>that</i> which he could lose nothing by&mdash;that of my
+being, if I was an impostor, an ingenuous one. He sent the letters,
+handsomely sealed up, back <a name="Page_142" id="Page_142"></a>again, without any answer; and there
+finished for ever, our correspondence, unless <i>he should renew it</i>.</p>
+
+<p>I am ashamed of saying so much about these men and myself, where I could
+find much better subjects, and some, perhaps, of entertainment; but it
+is necessary to shew how very proper it is for a stranger to take with
+him letters of recommendation when he travels, not only to other
+kingdoms, but to every city where he proposes to reside, even for a
+short time; for, as Mr. Wombwell justly observed, when I have a letter
+of recommendation from my friend, or correspondent, I can have no doubt
+who the bearer is; and I had rather take that recommendation than Bank
+notes.&mdash;I confess, that merchants cannot be too cautious and
+circumspect; I can, and do forgive Mr. Curtoys, for reasons he shall
+shew you under his own hand: but I have too good an opinion of Mr.
+Wombwell's perception to so readily <a name="Page_143" id="Page_143"></a>forget his shrewd reprisals; though
+I must, I cannot refrain from telling you what a flattering thing he
+said to me: I had shewn him a printed paper, signed <i>Junius</i>; said he,
+"If you wrote this, you may be, for aught I know, really JUNIUS." I
+assured him that I was not; for being in Spain, and out of the reach of
+the inquisitorial court of Westminster-Hall, I would instantly avow it,
+for fear I should die suddenly, and carry that secret, like <i>Mrs.
+Faulkner</i>, to the grave with me.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_144" id="Page_144"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XIX" id="LETTER_XIX"></a>LETTER XIX.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Barcelona</span>.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">You will, as I am, be tired of hearing so much about Messrs. Wombwell,
+Curtoys, Adams, and Co.&mdash;but as there are some other persons here, which
+my last letter must have put you in some pain about, I must renew the
+subject. I had, you know, some letters of recommendation to the <i>Marquis
+of Grimaldi</i>, which I had reserved to deliver into his Excellency's
+hands at <i>Madrid</i>; but which I found necessary to send away by the post,
+and to request the honour of his Excellency to write to some Spaniard of
+fashion here, to shew me countenance, and to clear up my suspected
+character. I accordingly wrote to the <i>Marquis</i>, and sent him my letters
+of recommendation, but sixteen days was the soonest I could expect an
+answer. I <a name="Page_145" id="Page_145"></a>therefore, in the mean time, wrote myself to the <i>Intendant</i>
+of <i>Barcelona</i>, a man of sense, and high birth; I told him my name, and
+that I had letters in my pocket from a Spanish Gentleman of fashion,
+whom he knew, which would convince him who I was, and desired leave to
+wait upon him. The Intendant fixed six o'clock the same evening. I was
+received, and conducted into his apartment, for he was ill, by one of
+his daughters; the only woman I had seen in Barcelona that had either
+beauty or breeding;&mdash;this young Lady had both in a high degree. After
+shewing my letters, and having conversed a little with the Intendant, a
+Lady with a red face, and a nose as big as a brandy bottle, accosted me
+in English: "Behold, Sir, (said she) your countrywoman." This was Madam
+O'Reilly, wife to the Governor of <i>Monjuique</i> Castle, and brother to the
+Gentleman of that name, so well known, and so amply provided for, by the
+late and present King of Spain. She was very civil, <a name="Page_146" id="Page_146"></a>and seemed
+sensible. Her husband, the Governor, soon after came in, and the whole
+family smiled upon me. I then began to think I should escape both goal
+and inquisition. Mrs. O'Reilly visited my family. Mr. O'Reilly borrowed
+a house for me, and a charming one too; I say borrowed it, for no
+Spaniard letts his house; I was only to make him some <i>recompense for
+his politeness and generosity</i>. The Intendant even sent Gov. O'Reilly to
+know why Mr. Curtoys had not presented me, on the court-day, to the
+Captain-General. Mr. Consul Curtoys was obliged to give his reasons in
+person; had they been true, they were good: the Intendant accepted them,
+and said he would present me himself. Things seemed now to take a
+favourable turn: Mr. Curtoys visited me on his way back from the
+Intendant's; assured me he had told him that I was a man of character,
+and an honest man; and that though he could not <i>see me</i> as <i>Consul
+Curtoys</i>, he should be glad to see me as <i>Merchant Curtoys</i>. On the
+other hand, the<a name="Page_147" id="Page_147"></a> <i>Marquis of Grimaldi</i>, with the politeness of a
+minister, and the feelings of humanity, wrote me a very flattering
+letter indeed, and sent it by a special <i>courier</i>, who came in four days
+from <i>Madrid</i>. Now, thought I, a fig for your Wombwells, Curtoys, &amp;c.
+The first minister's favour, and the <i>shining countenance</i> of Madam
+O'Reilly, must carry me through every thing. But alas! it was quite
+otherwise;&mdash;the <i>courier</i> who brought my letter had directions to
+deliver it into my own hands; but either by <i>his blunder</i>, or <i>Madam
+O'Reilly's</i>, I did not get it till <i>nine hours</i> after it arrived, and
+then <i>from the hands</i> of <i>Madam O'Reilly's</i> servant. The contents of
+this letter were soon known: the favour of the minister at <i>Madrid</i> did
+not shine upon me at the <i>Court of Barcelona</i>! I visited Madam O'Reilly,
+who looked at me,&mdash;if I may use such a coarse expression,&mdash;"like God's
+revenge against murder." I could not divine what I had done, or what
+omitted to do. I could get no admittance at the Intendant's, neither. I
+proposed going to<a name="Page_148" id="Page_148"></a> <i>Montserrat</i>, and asked my <i>fair</i> countrywoman for a
+letter to one of the monks; but&mdash;<i>she knew nobody there, not she</i>:&mdash;Why
+then, madam, said I, perhaps I had better go back to France:&mdash;Oh! but,
+says she, perhaps the <i>Marquis of Grimaldi</i> will not let you; adding,
+that the laws of France and Spain were very different.&mdash;But, pray,
+madam, said I, what have the laws of either kingdom to do with me, while
+I violate none of them? I am a citizen of the world, and consequently
+free in every country.&mdash;Now, Sir, to decypher all this, which I did by
+the help of some <i>characters</i> an honest Spaniard gave me:&mdash;Why, says he,
+they say you are a <i>great Captain</i>; that you have had an attention shewn
+you by the <i>Marquis of Grimaldi</i>, which none of the O'Reilly's ever
+obtained; and they are afraid that you are come here to take the eldest
+brother's post from him, and that you are to command the troops upon the
+second expedition to <i>Algiers</i>; for every body is <a name="Page_149" id="Page_149"></a>much dissatisfied
+with his conduct on the first; adding, that the Spaniards do not love
+him.&mdash;I told him, that might arise from his being a stranger; but I had
+been well assured, and I firmly believed it, that he is a gallant, an
+able, and a good officer; but, said I, that cannot be the reason of so
+much shyness in the <i>Intendant</i>, even if it does raise any uneasiness in
+the O'Reilly's family:&mdash;Yes, said he, it does; for the Captain-General
+O'Reilly is married lately to one of the Intendant's daughters. So you
+see here was another mine sprung under me; and I determined to set out
+in a day or two for <i>Montserrat</i>. I had but one card more to play, and
+that was to carry the open letter I had to the French Consul, and which,
+I forgot to tell you, I had shewn to the acute, discerning, and
+sagacious merchant Wombwell. It was written by <i>Madame de Maigny</i>, the
+Lady of the <i>Chevalier de Maigny</i>, of the regiment <i>d'Artois</i>, one of
+the Gentlemen with whom I had eat that voluptuous <a name="Page_150" id="Page_150"></a>supper in company at
+<i>Pont St. Esprit</i>; but, as Mr. Wombwell shrewdly observed, my name was
+not even mentioned in that letter, it was the <i>bearer only</i> who was
+recommended; and how could that Lady, any more than Mr. Wombwell, tell,
+but that I had murdered the first bearer, and robbed him of his
+recommendatory letter, and dressed myself in his scarlet and gold-laced
+coat, to practise the same wicked arts upon their lives and fortunes?</p>
+
+<p>Now, you will naturally wish to know how Sir Thomas Gascoyne, my
+<i>vis-a-vis</i> neighbour in the same <i>Hotel</i>, conducted himself. I had,
+before all this fuss, eat, drank, and conversed with him: he is a
+sensible, genteel, well-bred man; and there was with him Mr. Swinburne,
+who was equally agreeable: no wonder, therefore, if I endeavoured to
+cultivate an acquaintance with two such men, so much superior, in all
+respects, to what the town afforded. Sir Thomas, however, <a name="Page_151" id="Page_151"></a>became rather
+reserved; perhaps not more so than good policy made necessary for a man
+who was only just entering upon a grand tour through the whole kingdom,
+from Barcelona to Cadiz, Madrid, &amp;c. &amp;c. I perceived this shyness, but
+did not resent it, because I could not censure it. He had no suspicion
+of me at first; and if he had afterwards, I could not tell what
+circumstances might have been urged against me; and I considered, that
+if a man of his fortune and figure could have been suspected, there was
+much reason for him to join with others in suspecting me.</p>
+
+<p>The Moor, it seems, who had put off the counterfeit bank notes, had been
+advertised in all the foreign papers; his person was particularly
+described; and as application had been made to the Courts of France and
+Spain, to stop the career of such a villain, the Governor of <i>Barcelona</i>
+had, upon Sir Thomas Gascoyne's first <a name="Page_152" id="Page_152"></a>arrival, stopped him, and sent
+for the Consul, verily believing he had got the offender. The Moor was
+described as a short, plump, black man; and as Sir Thomas has black
+eyes, and is rather <i>en bon point</i>, the plain, honest Governor had not
+discernment enough to see that ease and good breeding in Sir Thomas,
+which no Moor, however well he may imitate Bank notes, can counterfeit.
+But as Sir Thomas had letters of credit upon Mr. Curtoys, which
+ascertained his person and rank, this adventure became a laughable one
+to him. It is, indeed, from his mouth I relate it, though, perhaps, not
+with all the circumstances he told me.&mdash;Now, had my person tallied as
+well as Sir Thomas's did with that of the itinerant Moor, I should
+certainly have been in one of the round towers, which stick pretty thick
+in the walls of the fortification of this town.</p>
+
+<p>You will tremble&mdash;I assure you, I do&mdash;when I think of another escape I
+had; <a name="Page_153" id="Page_153"></a>and I will tell you how:&mdash;The day after I left <i>Cette</i>, I came to
+a spot where the roads divide; here I asked two men, which was mine to
+<i>Narbonne</i>? one of them answered me in English; he was a shabby, but
+genteel-looking young man, said he came from <i>Italy</i>, and was going to
+<i>Barcelona</i>; that he had been defrauded of his money at <i>Venice</i> by a
+parcel of sharpers, and was going to <i>Spain</i> to get a passage to
+Holland, of which country he was a native; he was then in treaty, he
+said, with the other man to sell him a pair of breeches, to furnish him
+with money to carry him on; and as I had no servant at that time, he
+earnestly intreated me to take him into my service: I would not do that,
+you may be sure; but lest he might be an unfortunate man, like myself, I
+told him, if he could contrive to lie at the inns I did, I would pay for
+his bed and supper. He accepted an offer, I soon became very sorry I had
+made; and when we arrived at <i>Perpignan</i>, I gave him a little money to
+proceed, but <a name="Page_154" id="Page_154"></a>absolutely forbad him either to walk near my chaise, or to
+sleep at the same inns I did; for as I knew him not, he should not enter
+into another kingdom as one in my <i>suite</i>; and I saw no more of him till
+some days after my arrival at Barcelona, where he accosted me in a
+better habit, and shewed me some real, or counterfeit gold he had got,
+he said, of a friend who knew his father at Amsterdam. He was a bold,
+daring fellow; and it was with some difficulty I could prevail upon him
+not to walk <i>cheek by jole</i> with me along the ramparts.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after this I was informed, that a fine-dressed, little black-eyed
+man was arrived in a bark from Italy. This man proved to be, as Mr.
+Curtoys informed me, the very Moor whom Sir Thomas Gascoyne was
+suspected to be: he was apprehended, and committed to one of the round
+towers. But what will you say, or what would have been my lot, had I
+taken the other man into my service?&mdash;for the minute <i>my white man</i>, for
+he was a <a name="Page_155" id="Page_155"></a><i>whitish</i> Moor, saw the black one arrive, he decamped; they
+were afraid of each other, and both wanted to escape; my man went off on
+foot; the black man was apprehended, while he was in treaty with the
+master of the same bark he came in, to carry him to some other sea-port.
+Now had I come in with such a servant, and with my suspected Bank notes,
+without letters of credit, or recommendation; had the Moor arrived, who
+is the real culprit, and who had been connected with my man, what would
+have become of his master, your unfortunate humble servant?&mdash;I doubt the
+<i>abilities</i> of his Britannic Majesty's Consul would not have been able
+to have divided our degrees of <i>guilt</i> properly; and that I should have
+experienced but little charity on my straw bed, from the humanity of Mr.
+Wombwell. However, I had still one card more to play to reinforce my
+purse; it was one, I thought could not fail, and the money was nearer
+home:&mdash;I had lent, while I was at <a name="Page_156" id="Page_156"></a>Calais, thirty guineas to a French
+officer, for no other reason but because he wanted it: I knew the man;
+and as he promised to pay me in three months, and as that time was
+expired, I applied to Mr. Harris, a Scotch merchant, at his house at
+Barcelona, on whom the London Bankers of the same name give letters of
+credit to travellers. I begged the favour of him to send the note to his
+correspondents at Paris, and to procure the money for me, and when it
+was paid, that he would give it to me at Barcelona; but Mr. Harris too,
+begged to be excused: he started some difficulties, but at length did
+give me a receipt for the note, and promised, reluctantly enough, to
+send it. I began now to think that I should starve indeed. Every article
+of life is high in Spain, and my purse was low. I therefore wrote to Mr.
+Curtoys, to know if he had any tidings of the Bank bills; for I had
+immediately wrote to Messrs. Hoare, to beg the favour of them to send
+Mr. Curtoys the numbers <a name="Page_157" id="Page_157"></a>of those which I received at their house; and
+they very politely informed me, they had so done. Mr. Consul Curtoys
+favoured me with the following answer:</p>
+
+<p>"Mr. Curtoys presents his compliments to Mr. Thicknesse; no ways doubts
+the Bank bills <i>to be good</i>, from London this post under the 24th past,
+they <i>accuse</i> receipt thereof, &amp;c. <i>Barcelona</i>, 12th of December, 1775."</p>
+
+<p>As Mr. Curtoys's correspondent had <i>accused receipt thereof</i>, I thought
+I might too, and accordingly I went and desired my money. The cashier
+was sick, they said, and I was desired to call again the next morning,
+<i>when he would be much better</i>;&mdash;I did so, and received my money; and
+shall set off immediately for <i>Montserrat</i>, singing, and saying what I
+do not exactly agree to; but, being at Rome, I would do as they do
+there: I therefore <a name="Page_158" id="Page_158"></a>taught my children to repeat the following Spanish
+proverb:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Barcelonaes Bu&eacute;no,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Si la Bolsa fu&eacute;no;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Su&eacute;no &ocirc; no fu&eacute;no;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Barcelonaes Bu&eacute;no."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>I will not translate what, I am sure, you will understand the sense of
+much better than you will think I experienced the truth. I hope,
+however, to have done with my misfortunes; for I am going to visit a
+spot inhabited by virtuous and retired men; a place, according to all
+reports, cut out by nature for such who are able to sequester themselves
+from all worldly concerns; and from such strangers as they are I am sure
+I shall meet with more charity for they deal in nothing else than I met
+with humanity or politeness at Barcelona.</p>
+
+<p><i>P.S.</i> I should have told you, that before Sir Thomas Gascoyne left this
+town, <a name="Page_159" id="Page_159"></a>he sent a polite message, to desire to take leave of me and my
+family: I therefore waited upon him; and as he proposed visiting
+Gibraltar, I troubled him with a letter to my son, then on that duty;
+and was sorry soon after to find that my son had left the garrison
+before Sir Thomas could arrive at it. If you ask me how Sir Thomas
+Gascoyne ventured to make so great a tour through a country so aukwardly
+circumstanced for travellers in general, and strangers in particular, I
+can only say, that when I saw him he had but just began his long
+journey, and that he had every advantage which <i>religion</i> and fortune
+could give him. I had none: he travelled with two coaches, two sets of
+horses, two saddle mules, and was protected by a train of servants. I
+had religion, (but it was a bad one in that country) and only one
+footman, who strictly maintained his character, for he always walked.
+Indeed, it is the fashion of all Spanish gentlemen to be followed by
+their <a name="Page_160" id="Page_160"></a>servant on foot. I therefore travelled like a Spaniard; Sir
+Thomas like an Englishman. The whole city of <i>Barcelona</i> was in an
+uproar the morning Sir Thomas's two coaches set off; and I heard, with
+concern, that they both broke down before they got half way to
+<i>Valencia</i>; but, with pleasure, by a polite letter soon after from Mr.
+Swinburne, that they got so far in perfect health.</p>
+
+<p>I am, dear Sir, &amp;c.</p>
+
+<p><i>P.S.</i> Before I quit Barcelona, it will be but just to say, that it is a
+good city, has a fine mole, and a noble citadel, beside <i>Monjuique</i>, a
+strong fort, which stands on a high hill, and which commands the town as
+well as the harbour. The town is very large and strongly fortified,
+stands in a large plain, and is encompassed with a semi-circular range
+of high hills, rather than mountains, which form <i>un coup-d'oeil</i>,
+that is very pleasing, as not only the sides <a name="Page_161" id="Page_161"></a>of the hills are adorned
+with a great number of country houses, but the plain also affords a
+great many, beside several little villages. The roads too near the town
+are very good. As to the city itself, it is rather well built in
+general, than abounding with any particular fine buildings. The
+Inquisition has nothing to boast of now, either within or without,
+having (fortunately for the public) lost a great part of its former
+power: it, however, still keeps an awe upon all who live within its
+verge. I never saw a town in which trade is carried on with more spirit
+and industry; the indolent disposition of the Spaniards of <i>Castile</i>,
+and other provinces, has not extended ever into this part of Spain. They
+have here a very fine theatre; but those who perform upon the stage are
+the refuse of the people, and are too bad to be called by the name of
+actors. They have neither libraries nor pictures worthy of much notice,
+though they boast of one or two paintings in their churches by natives
+of <a name="Page_162" id="Page_162"></a>the town, Fran&ccedil;ois <i>Guirro</i>, and John <i>Arnau</i>. In the custom-house
+hangs a full-length of the present King, so execrable, that one would
+wonder it was not put, with the painter, into the Inquisition, as a
+libel on royalty and the arts. I am told, at <i>La Fete Dieu</i> there are
+some processions of the most ridiculous nature. The fertility of the
+earth in and about the town is wonderful; the minute one crop is off the
+earth, another is put in; no part of the year puts a stop to vegetation.
+In the coldest weather, the market abounds with a great variety of the
+choicest flowers; yet their sweets cannot over-power the intolerable
+smell which salt fish, and stinking fish united, diffuse over all that
+part of the city; and rich as the inhabitants are, you will see the
+legs, wings, breasts, and entrails of fowls, in the market, cut up as
+joints of meat are in other countries, to be sold separately: nor could
+I find in this great city either oil, olives, or wine, that were
+tolerable. I paid a guinea a day at <a name="Page_163" id="Page_163"></a>the <i>Fontain d'Or</i> for my table;
+yet every thing was so dirty, that I always made my dinner from the
+dessert; nor was there any other place but the stable of this dirty inn
+to put up my horse, where I paid twelve livres a week for straw only;
+and whoever lodges at this inn, must pay five shillings a day for their
+dinner, whether they dine there or not.</p>
+
+<p><i>Catalonia</i> is undoubtedly the best cultivated, the richest, and most
+industrious province, or principality, in Spain; and the King, who has
+the <span class="smcap">Sun For His Hat</span>, (for it always shines in some part of his
+dominions) has nothing to boast of, equal to <i>Catalonia</i>.</p>
+
+<p>As I have almost as much abhorrence to the Moors, as even the Spaniards
+themselves, (having visited that coast two or three times, many years
+ago) you may be sure I was grieved to meet, every time I went out, so
+many maimed and wounded <a name="Page_164" id="Page_164"></a>officers and soldiers, who were not long
+returned from the unsuccessful expedition to <i>Algiers</i>. There are no
+troops in the world more steady than the Spaniards; it was not for want
+of bravery they miscarried, but there was some sad mismanagement; and
+had the Moors followed their blows, not a man of them would have
+returned. My servant, (a French deserter) who was upon that expedition,
+says, Gen. O'Reilly was the first who landed, and the last who
+embarked;&mdash;but it is the <span class="smcap">Head</span>, not the <i>arm</i> of a commander in
+chief, which is most wanted. The Moors at <i>le point du jour</i>, advanced
+upon the Spaniards behind a formidable <i>masked and moving battery</i> of
+camels: the Spaniards, believing them, by a faint light, to be cavalry,
+expended a great part of their strength, spirits, and ammunition, upon
+those harmless animals; and it was not till <i>this curtain</i> was removed
+that the dreadful carnage began, in which they lost about nine thousand
+men. There seems to have been some strange <a name="Page_165" id="Page_165"></a>mismanagement; it seems
+probable that there was no very good understanding between the marine
+and the land officers. The fleet were many days before the town, and
+then landed just where the Moors expected they would land. There is
+nothing so difficult, so dangerous, nor so liable to miscarriage, as the
+war of <i>invading</i>: our troops experienced it at <i>St. Cas</i>; and they
+either have, or will experience it in America. The wild negroes in
+Jamaica, to whom Gov. Trelawney wisely gave, what they contended for,
+(<span class="smcap">Liberty</span>) were not above fifteen hundred fit to bear arms. I
+was in several skirmishes with them, and second in command under Mr.
+Adair's brother, a valiant young man who died afterwards in the field,
+who made peace with them; yet I will venture to affirm, that though five
+hundred disciplined troops would have subdued them in an open country,
+the united force of France and England could not have extirpated them
+from their fast holds in the mountains.<a name="Page_166" id="Page_166"></a> Did not a Baker battle and
+defeat two Marshals of France in the Cevennes? And is it probable, that
+all the fleets and armies of Great-Britain can conquer America?&mdash;England
+may as well attempt moving that Continent on this side the Atlantic.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_167" id="Page_167"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XX" id="LETTER_XX"></a>LETTER XX.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Montserrat</span>.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">I never left any place with more secret satisfaction than I did
+<i>Barcelona</i>; exclusive of the entertainment I was prepared to expect, by
+visiting this holy mountain; nor have I been disappointed; but on the
+contrary, found it, in every respect, infinitely superior to the various
+accounts I had heard of it;&mdash;to give a perfect description of it is
+impossible;&mdash;to do that it would require some of those attributes which
+the Divine Power by whose almighty handy it was raised, is endowed with.
+It is called <i>Montserrat</i>, or <i>Mount-Scie</i>,<a name="FNanchor_C_3" id="FNanchor_C_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_C_3" class="fnanchor">[C]</a> by the <i>Catalonians</i>,
+words which signify a cut or <i>sawed mountain</i>; and so called from its
+singular and extraordinary form; for it is so broken, so divided, and
+<a name="Page_168" id="Page_168"></a>so crowned with an infinite number of spiring cones, or <span class="smcap">Pine</span>
+heads, that it has the appearance, at distant view, to be the work of
+man; but upon a nearer approach, to be evidently raised by <span class="smcap">Him</span>
+alone, to whom nothing is impossible. It looks, indeed, like the first
+rude sketch of <span class="smcap">God</span>'s work; but the design is great, and the
+execution such, that it compels all men who approach it, to lift up
+their hands and eyes to heaven, and to say,&mdash;Oh <span class="smcap">God</span>!&mdash;<span class="smcap">How
+wonderful are all Thy works</span>!</p>
+
+<p>It is no wonder then, that such a place should be fixed upon for the
+residence of holy and devout men; for there is not surely upon the
+habitable globe a spot so properly adapted for retirement and
+contemplation; it has therefore, for many ages, been inhabited only by
+monks and hermits, whose first vow is, never to forsake it;&mdash;a vow,
+without being either a hermit or a monk, I could make, I think, without
+repenting.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169"></a>If it be true, and some great man has said so, that "<i>whosoever
+delighteth in solitude, is either a wild beast, or a God</i>;" the
+inhabitants of this spot are certainly more than men; for no wild beast
+dwells here. But it is the <i>place</i>, not the people, I mean at present to
+speak of. It stands in a vast plain, seven leagues they call it, but it
+is at least thirty miles from <i>Barcelona</i>, and nearly in the center of
+the principality of <i>Catalonia</i>. The height of it is so very
+considerable, that in one hour's slow travelling towards it, after we
+left <i>Barcelona</i>, it shewed its pointed steeples, high over the lesser
+mountains, and seemed so very near, that it would have been difficult to
+have persuaded a person, not accustomed to such deceptions, in so clear
+an atmosphere to believe, that we had much more than an hour's journey
+to arrive at it; instead of which, we were all that day in getting to
+<i>Martorel</i>, a small city, still three leagues distant from it, where we
+lay at the Three<a name="Page_170" id="Page_170"></a> Kings, a pretty good inn, kept by an insolent imposing
+Italian. <i>Martorel</i> stands upon the steep banks of the river
+<i>Lobregate</i>, over which there is a modern bridge, of a prodigious
+height, the piers of which rest on the opposite shore, against a Roman
+triumphal arch of great solidity, and originally of great beauty. I
+think I tell you the truth when I say, that I could perceive the
+convent, and some of the hermitages, when I first saw the mountain, at
+above twenty miles distance. From <i>Martorel</i>, however, they were as
+visible as the mountain itself, to which the eye was directed, down the
+river, the banks of which were adorned with trees, villages, houses, &amp;c.
+and the view terminated by this the most glorious monument in nature.
+When I first saw the mountain, it had the appearance of an infinite
+number of rocks cut into <i>conical</i> forms, and built one upon another to
+a prodigious height. Upon a nearer view, each cone appeared of itself a
+mountain; and the <i>tout ensemble</i> compose <a name="Page_171" id="Page_171"></a>an enormous mass of the
+<i>Lundus Helmonti</i>, or plumb-pudding stone, fourteen miles in
+circumference, and what the Spaniards <i>call</i> two leagues in height. As
+it is like unto no other mountain, so it stands quite unconnected with
+any, though not very distant from some very lofty ones. Near the base of
+it, on the south side, are two villages, the largest of which is
+<i>Montrosol</i>; but my eyes were attracted by two ancient towers, which
+flood upon a hill near <i>Colbaton</i>, the smallest, and we drove to that,
+where we found a little <i>posada</i>, and the people ready enough to furnish
+us with mules and asses, for we were now become quite impatient to visit
+the hallowed and celebrated convent, <i>De Neustra Senora</i>; a convent, to
+which pilgrims resort from the furthest parts of Europe, some bearing,
+by way of penance, heavy bars of iron on their backs, others cutting and
+slashing their naked bodies with wire cords, or crawling to it on
+all-fours, like the beasts of the field, to obtain forgiveness of their
+sins, <a name="Page_172" id="Page_172"></a>by the intercession of <i>our Lady of Montserrat</i>.</p>
+
+<p>When we had ascended a steep and rugged road, about one hour, and where
+there was width enough, and the precipices not too alarming, to give our
+eyes the utmost liberty, we had an earnest of what we were to expect
+above, as well as the extensive view below; our impatience to see more
+was encreased by what we had already seen; the majestic convent opened
+to us a view of her venerable walls; some of the hermits' cells peeped
+over the broken precipices still higher; while we, glutted with
+astonishment, and made giddy with delight and amazement, looked up at
+all with a reverential awe, towards that God who raised the
+<span class="smcap">Piles</span>, and the holy men who dwell among them.&mdash;Yes, Sir,&mdash;we
+caught the holy flame; and I hope we came down better, if not wiser,
+than we went up. After ascending full two hours and a half more, we
+arrived on a flat part <a name="Page_173" id="Page_173"></a>on the side, and about the middle of the
+mountain, on which the convent is built; but even that flat was made so
+by art, and at a prodigious expence. Here, however, was width enough to
+look securely about us; and, good God! what an extensive field of earth,
+air, and sea did it open! the ancient towers, which at first attracted
+my notice near <i>Colbaton</i>, were dwindled into pig-sties upon a
+<i>mounticule</i>. At length, and a great length it was, we arrived at the
+gates of the <i>Sanctuary</i>; on each side of which, on high pedestals,
+stand the enormous statues of two saints; and nearly opposite, on the
+base of a rock, which leans in a frightful manner over the buildings,
+and threatens destruction to all below, a great number of human sculls
+are fixed in the form of a cross. Within the gate is a square cloister,
+hung round with paintings of the miracles performed by the Holy Virgin,
+with votive offerings, &amp;c. It was Advent week, when none of the monks
+quit their apartments, but one <a name="Page_174" id="Page_174"></a>whose weekly duty it was to attend the
+call of strangers; nor did the whole community afford but a single
+member (<i>pere tendre</i>, a <i>Fleming</i>) who could speak French. It was <i>Pere
+Pascal</i>, by whom we were shewn every mark of politeness and attention,
+which a man of the world could give, but administered with all that
+humility and meekness, so becoming a man who had renounced it. He put us
+in possession of a good room, with good beds; and as it was near night,
+and very cold, he ordered a brazier of red-hot embers into our
+apartment; and having sent for the cook of the strangers' kitchen, (for
+there are four public kitchens) and ordered him to obey our commands, he
+retired to evening <i>vespers</i>; after which he made us a short visit, and
+continued to do so, two or three times every day, while we staid.
+Indeed, I began to fear we staid too long, and told him so; but he
+assured me the apartment was ours for a month or two, if we pleased.
+During our stay, he admitted me into his <a name="Page_175" id="Page_175"></a>apartments, and filled my box
+with delicious Spanish snuff, and shewed us every attention we would
+wish, and much more than, as <i>unrecommended</i> strangers, we could expect.
+All the poor who come here are fed gratis for three days, and all the
+sick received in the hospital. Sometimes, on particular festivals, seven
+thousand arrive in one day; but people of condition pay a reasonable
+price for what they eat. There was before our apartment a long covered
+gallery; and tho' we were in a deep recess of the rocks, which projected
+wide and high on our right and left, we had in front a most extensive
+view of the <i>world below</i>, and the more distant Mediterranean Sea. It
+was a moon-light night; and, in spite of the cold, it was impossible to
+be shut out of the enchanting lights and shades which her silver beams
+reflected on the rude rocks above, beneath, and on all sides of
+us.&mdash;Every thing was as still as death, till the sonorous convent bell
+warned the Monks to midnight prayer. At two <a name="Page_176" id="Page_176"></a>o'clock, we heard some of
+the tinkling bells of the hermits' cells above give notice, that they
+too were going to their devotion at the appointed hour: after which I
+retired to my bed; but my mind was too much awakened to permit me to
+sleep; I was impatient for the return of day-light, that I might proceed
+still higher; for, miser like, tho' my <i>coffers were too full</i>, I
+coveted more; and accordingly, after breakfast, we eagerly set our feet
+to the first <i>round</i> of the <i>hermit's ladder</i>; it was a stone one
+indeed, but stood in all places dreadfully steep, and in many almost
+perpendicular. After mounting up a vast chasm in the rock, yet full of
+trees and shrubs, about a thousand paces, fatigued in body, and
+impatient for a safe resting place, we arrived at a small hole in the
+rock, through which we were glad to crawl; and having got to the secure
+side of it, prepared ourselves, by a little rest, to proceed further;
+but not, I assure you, without some apprehensions, that if there was no
+better road down, we must <a name="Page_177" id="Page_177"></a>have become <i>hermits</i>. After a second
+clamber, not quite so dreadful as the first, but much longer, we got
+into some flowery and serpentine walks, which lead to two or three of
+the nearest hermitages then visible, and not far off, one of which hung
+over so horrible a precipice, that it was terrifyingly picturesque. We
+were now, however, I thought, certainly in the garden of Eden! Certain I
+am, Eden could not be more beautifully adorned; for God alone is the
+gardener here also; and consequently, every thing prospered around us
+which could gratify the eye, the nose and, the imagination.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Profuse the myrtle spread unfading boughs,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Expressive emblem of eternal vows."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>For the myrtle, the eglantine, the jessamin, and all the smaller kind of
+aromatic shrubs and flowers, grew on all sides thick and spontaneously
+about us; and our feet brushed forth the sweets of the lavender,
+rosemary and thyme, till we arrived at <a name="Page_178" id="Page_178"></a>the first, and peaceful
+hermitage of <i>Saint Tiago</i>. We took possession of the holy inhabitants
+little garden, and were charmed with the neatness, and humble
+simplicity, which in every part characterised the possessor. His little
+chapel, his fountain, his vine arbor, his stately cypress, and the walls
+of his cell, embraced on all sides with ever-greens, and adorned with
+flowers, rendered it, exclusive of its situation, wonderfully pleasing.
+His door, however, was fast, and all within was silent; but upon
+knocking, it was opened by the venerable inhabitant: he was cloathed in
+a brown cloth habit, his beard was very long, his face pale, his manners
+courteous; but he seemed rather too deeply engaged in the contemplation
+of the things of the next world, to lose much of his time with <i>such
+things</i> as <i>us</i>. We therefore, after peeping into his apartments, took
+his benediction, and he retired, leaving us all his worldly possessions,
+but his straw bed, his books, and his beads. This hermitage is confined
+<a name="Page_179" id="Page_179"></a>between two pine heads, within very narrow bounds; but it is artfully
+fixed, and commands at noon day a most enchanting prospect to the East
+and to the North. Though it is upwards of two thousand three hundred
+paces from the convent, yet it hangs so directly over it, that the rocks
+convey not only the sound of the organ, and the voices of the monks
+singing in the choir, but you may hear men in common conversation from
+the piazza below.</p>
+
+<p>This is a long letter; but I know you would not willingly have left me
+in the midst of danger, or before I was safe arrived at the first stage
+towards heaven, and seen one humble host on <span class="smcap">God</span>'s high road.</p>
+
+<p><i>P.S.</i> At two o'clock, after midnight, these people rise, say mass, and
+continue the remainder of the night in prayer and contemplation. The
+hermits tell you, it was upon high mountains that God chose to manifest
+his will:&mdash;<i>fundamenta ejus in <a name="Page_180" id="Page_180"></a>montibus sanctis</i>, say they;&mdash;they
+consider these rocks as symbols of their penitence, and mortifications;
+and their being so beautifully covered with fine flowers, odoriferous
+and rare plants, as emblems of the virtue and innocence of the religious
+inhabitants; or how else, say they, could such rocks produce
+spontaneously flowers in a desart, which surpass all that art and nature
+combined can do, in lower and more favourable soils? They may well think
+so; for human reason cannot account for the manner by which such
+enormous quantities of trees, fruits, and flowers are nourished,
+seemingly without soil. But that which established a church and convent
+on this mountain, was the story of a hermit who resided here many years;
+this was <i>Juan Guerin</i>, who lived on this mountain alone, the austerity
+of whose life was such, that the people below believed he subsisted
+without eating or drinking. As some very extraordinary circumstances
+attended this man's life, all which are universally <a name="Page_181" id="Page_181"></a>believed here, it
+may not be amiss to give you some account of him:&mdash;You must know, Sir,
+then, that the devil envying the happiness of this good man equipped
+himself in the habit of a hermit, and possessed himself of a cavern in
+the same mountain, which still bears the name of the <i>Devil's Grot</i>;
+after which he took occasion to throw himself in the way of poor
+<i>Guerin</i>, to whom he expressed his surprize at seeing one of his own
+order dwell in a place he thought an absolute desert; but thanked God,
+for giving him so fortunate a meeting. Here the devil, and <i>Guerin</i>
+became very intimate, and conversed much together on spiritual matters;
+and things went on well enough between them for a while, when another
+devil chum to the first, possessed the body of a certain Princess,
+daughter of a Count of <i>Barcelona</i>, who became thereby violently
+tormented with horrible convulsions. She was taken to the church by her
+afflicted father. The d&aelig;mon who possessed her, and who, spoke for her,
+said, <a name="Page_182" id="Page_182"></a>that nothing could relieve her from her sufferings but the
+prayers of a devout and pious hermit, named <i>Guerin</i>, who dwelt on
+<i>Montserrat</i>. The father, therefore, immediately repaired to <i>Guerin</i>,
+and besought his prayers and intercession for the recovery of his
+daughter. It so happened (for so the devil would have it) that this
+business could not be perfectly effected in less than nine days; and
+that the Princess must be left that time alone with <i>Guerin</i> in his
+cave. Poor <i>Guerin</i>, conscious of his frail nature, opposed this measure
+with all his might; but there was no resisting the argument and
+influence of the devil, and she was accordingly left. Youth, beauty, a
+cave, solitude, and virgin modesty, were too powerful not to overcome
+even the chaste vows and pious intentions of poor <i>Guerin</i>. The devil
+left the virgin, and possessed the saint. He consulted his false friend,
+and told him how powerful this impure passion was become, and his
+intentions of flying from the danger; but the <a name="Page_183" id="Page_183"></a>devil advised him <i>to
+return to his cell</i>, and pray to God to protect him from sin. <i>Guerin</i>
+took his council, returned and fell into the fatal snare. The devil then
+persuaded him to kill the Princess, in order to conceal his guilt, and
+to tell her father she had forsaken his abode while he was intent on
+prayer. <i>Guerin</i> did so; but became very miserable, and at length
+determined to make a pilgrimage to Rome, to obtain a remission of his
+complicated crimes. The Pope enjoined him to return to <i>Montserrat</i>, on
+all fours, and to continue in that state, without once looking up to
+heaven, for the space of seven years, or 'till a child of three months
+old told him, his sins were forgiven: all which <i>Guerin</i> chearfully
+complied with, and accordingly crawled back to the defiled mountain.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after the expiration of the seven years Count <i>Vifroy</i>, the father
+of the murdered Princess, was hunting on the mountain of <i>Montserrat</i>,
+and passing near <a name="Page_184" id="Page_184"></a><i>Guerin's</i> cave, the dogs entered, and the servant
+seeing a hideous figure concluded they had found the wild beast they
+were in pursuit of: they informed the Count of what they had seen, who
+gave directions to secure the beast alive, which was accordingly done;
+for he was so over-grown with hair, and so deformed in shape, that they
+had no idea of the creature being human. He was therefore kept in the
+Count's stable at <i>Barcelona</i>, and shewn to his visitors as a wonderful
+and singular wild beast. During this time, while a company were
+examining this extraordinary animal, a nurse with a young child in her
+arms looked upon it, and the child after fixing his eyes stedfastly for
+a few minutes on <i>Guerin</i>, said, "<i>Guerin, rise, thy sins are forgiven
+thee</i>!"&mdash;<i>Guerin</i> instantly rose, threw himself at the Count's feet,
+confessed the crimes he had been guilty of, and desired to receive the
+punishment due to them, from the hands of him whom he had so <a name="Page_185" id="Page_185"></a>highly
+injured; but the Count, perceiving that God had forgiven him, forgave
+him also.</p>
+
+<p>I will not trouble you with all the particulars which attended this
+miracle; it will be sufficient to say, that the Count and <i>Guerin</i> went
+to take up the body of the murdered Princess, for burial with her
+ancestors; but, to their great astonishment found her there alive,
+possessing the same youth and beauty she had been left with, and no
+alteration of any kind, but a purple streak about her neck where the
+cord had been twisted, and wherewith <i>Guerin</i> had strangled her. The
+father desired her to return to <i>Barcelona</i>; but she was enjoined by the
+Holy Virgin, she said, to spend her days on that miraculous spot; and
+accordingly a church and convent was built there, the latter inhabited
+by Nuns, of which the Princess (who had risen from the dead) was the
+Abbess. It was called the Abbey <i>des Pucelles</i>, of the <a name="Page_186" id="Page_186"></a>order of <i>St.
+Benoit</i>, and was founded in the year 801. But such a vast concourse of
+people, of both sexes, resorted to it, from all parts of the world, that
+at length it was thought prudent to remove the women to a convent at
+<i>Barcelona</i>, and place a body of <i>Benedictine</i> monks in their place.</p>
+
+<p>Strange as this story is, it is to be seen in the archives of this holy
+house; and in the street called <i>Condal</i>, at <i>Barcelona</i>, may be seen in
+the wall of the old palace of the Count's, an ancient figure, cut in
+stone, which represents the nurse with the child in her arms, and a
+strange figure, on his knees, at her feet, and that is Friar <i>Guerin</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Now, whether you will believe all this story, or not, I cannot take upon
+me to say; but I will assure you, that when you visit this spot, it will
+be necessary to <i>say you do</i>; or you would appear in their eyes <a name="Page_187" id="Page_187"></a>a much
+greater wonder than any thing which I have related, of the Devil, the
+Friar, the Virgin, and the Count.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_188" id="Page_188"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XXI" id="LETTER_XXI"></a>LETTER XXI.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">The second hermitage, for I give them in the order they are usually
+visited, is that of <i>St. Catharine</i>, situated in a deep and solitary
+vale: it however commands a most extensive and pleasing prospect, at
+noon-day, to the East and West. The buildings, garden, &amp;c. are confined
+within small limits, being fixed in a most picturesque and secure recess
+under the foot of one of the high pines. Though this hermit's habitation
+is the most retired and solitary abode of any, and far removed from the
+<i>din</i> of men, yet the courteous, affable, and sprightly inhabitant,
+seems not to feel the loss of human society, though no man, I think, can
+be a greater ornament to human nature. If he is not much accustomed to
+hear the voice of men, he is amply recompensed by the notes of birds;
+for it is their <a name="Page_189" id="Page_189"></a>sanctuary as well as his; for no part of the mountain
+is so well inhabited by the feathered race of beings as this delightful
+spot. Perhaps indeed, they have sagacity enough to know that there is no
+other so perfectly secure. Here the nightingale, the blackbird, the
+linnet, and an infinite variety of little songsters greater strangers to
+my eyes, than fearful of my hands, dwell in perfect security, and live
+in the most friendly intimacy with their holy protector, and obedient to
+his call; for, says the hermit,</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Haste here, ye feather'd race of various song,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Bring all your pleasing melody along!<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">O come, ye tender, faithful, plaintive doves,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">Perch on my hands, and sing your absent loves!"&mdash;<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>When instantly the whole <i>vocal band</i> quit their sprays, and surround
+the person of their daily benefactor, some settling upon his head,
+others entangle their feet in his beard, and in the true sense of the
+word, take his bread even out of his mouth; but it is freely given:
+their confidence is so <a name="Page_190" id="Page_190"></a>great, (for the holy father is their bondsman)
+that the stranger too partakes of their familiarity and caresses. These
+hermits are not allowed to keep within their walls either dog, cat,
+bird, or any living thing, lest their attention should be withdrawn from
+heavenly to earthly affections. I am sorry to arraign this good man; he
+cannot be said to transgress the law, but he certainly <i>evades</i> it; for
+though his feathered band do not live within his walls, they are always
+attendant upon his <i>court</i>; nor can any prince or princess on earth
+boast of heads so <i>elegantly plumed</i>, as may be seen at the court of St.
+<i>Catharine</i>; or of vassals who pay their tributes with half the
+chearfulness they are given and received by the humble monarch of this
+sequestered vale. If his meals are scanty, his dessert is served up with
+a song, and he is hushed to sleep by the nightingale; and when we
+consider, that he has but few days in the whole year which are inferior
+to some of our best in the months of May and June, <a name="Page_191" id="Page_191"></a>you may easily
+conceive, that a man who breathes such pure air, who feeds on such light
+food, whose blood circulates freely from moderate exercise, and whose
+mind is never ruffled by worldly affairs, whose short sleeps are sweet
+and refreshing, and who lives confident of finding in death a more
+heavenly residence; lives a life to be envied, not pitied.&mdash;Turn but
+your eyes one minute from this man's situation, to that of any monarch
+or minister on earth, and say, on which side does the balance
+turn?&mdash;While some princes may be embruing their hands in the blood of
+their subjects, this man is offering up his prayers to God to preserve
+all mankind:&mdash;While some ministers are sending forth fleets and armies
+to wreak their own private vengeance on a brave and uncorrupted people,
+this solitary man is feeding, from his own scanty allowance, the birds
+of the air.&mdash;Conceive him, in his last hour, upon his straw bed, and see
+<a name="Page_192" id="Page_192"></a>with what composure and resignation he meets it!&mdash;Look in the face of
+a dying king, or a plundering, and blood-thirsty minister,&mdash;what terrors
+the sight of their velvet beds, adorned with crimson plumage, must bring
+to their affrighted imagination!&mdash;In that awful hour, it will remind
+them of the innocent blood they have spilt;&mdash;nay, they will perhaps
+think, they were dyed with the blood of men scalped and massacred, to
+support their vanity and ambition!&mdash;In short, dear Sir, while kings and
+ministers are torn to pieces by a thirst after power and riches, and
+disturbed by a thousand anxious cares, this poor hermit can have but
+one, <i>i.e.</i> lest he should be removed (as the prior of the convent has a
+power to do) to some other cell, for that is sometimes done, and very
+properly.</p>
+
+<p>The youngest and most hardy constitutions are generally put into the
+higher hermitages, or those to which the access is most difficult; for
+the air is so fine, in the highest parts of the mountain, that they <a name="Page_193" id="Page_193"></a>say
+it often renders the respiration painful. Nothing therefore can be more
+reasonable than, that as these good men grow older, and less able to
+bear the fatigues and inconveniencies the highest abodes unavoidably
+subject them to, should be removed to more convenient dwellings, and
+that the younger and stouter men should succeed them.</p>
+
+<p>As the hermits never eat meat, I could not help observing to him, how
+fortunate a circumstance it was for the safety of his little feathered
+friends; and that there were no boys to disturb their young, nor any
+sportsman to kill the parent.&mdash;God forbid, said he, that one of them
+should fall, but by his hands who gave it life!&mdash;Give me your hand, said
+I, and bless me!&mdash;I believe it did; <i>but it shortened my visit</i>:&mdash;so I
+stept into the <i>grot</i>, and <i>stole</i> a pound of chocolate upon his stone
+table, and myself away.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194"></a>If there is a happy man upon this earth, I have seen that extraordinary
+man, and here he dwells!&mdash;his features, his manners, all his looks and
+actions, announce it;&mdash;yet he had not even a single <i>maravedi</i> in his
+pocket:&mdash;money is as useless to him, as to one of his black-birds.</p>
+
+<p>Within a gun-shot of this <i>remnant</i> of <i>Eden</i>, are the remains of an
+ancient hermitage, called <i>St. Pedro</i>. While I was there, my hermit
+followed me; but I too <i>coveted retirement</i>. I had just bought a fine
+fowling-piece at <i>Barcelona</i>; and when he came, I was availing myself of
+the hallowed spot, to make <i>my vow</i> never to use it. In truth, dear Sir,
+there are some sorts of pleasures too powerful for the body to bear, as
+well as some sort of pain: and here I was wrecked upon the wheel of
+felicity; and could only say, like the poor criminal who suffered at
+<i>Dijon</i>,&mdash;O God! O God! at every <i>coup</i>.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195"></a>I was sorry my host did not understand English, nor I Spanish enough,
+to give him the sense of the lines written in poor <i>Shenstone</i>'s alcove.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"<b>O you that bathe in courtlye bliss</b>,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">"<b>Or toyle in fortune's giddy spheare</b>;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">"<b>Do not too rashly deeme amisse</b><br /></span>
+<span class="i0">"<b>Of him that hides contented here.</b><br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>I forgot the other lines; but they conclude thus:</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"<b>For faults there beene in busye life</b><br /></span>
+<span class="i0"><b>From which these peaceful glennes are free."</b><br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_196" id="Page_196"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XXII" id="LETTER_XXII"></a>LETTER XXII.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">I know you will not like to leave <i>St. Catherine</i>'s harmonious cell so
+soon;&mdash;nor should I, but that I intend to visit it again. I will
+therefore conduct you to <i>St. Juan</i>, about four hundred paces distant
+from it, on the east side of which, you look down a most horrid and
+frightful precipice,&mdash;a precipice, so very tremendous, that I am
+persuaded there are many people whose imagination would be so
+intoxicated by looking at it, that they might be in danger of throwing
+themselves over: I do not know whether you will understand my meaning by
+saying so; but I have more than once been so bewildered with such
+alarming <i>coup d'oeil</i> on this mountain, that I began to doubt whether
+my own powers were sufficient to protect me:&mdash;Horses, from sudden
+fright, will often run into the fire; and man too, <a name="Page_197" id="Page_197"></a>may be forced upon
+his own destruction, to avoid those sensations of danger he has not been
+accustomed to look upon. Perhaps I am talking non-sense; and you will
+attribute what I say to lowness of spirits; on the contrary, I had those
+feelings about me only during the time my eyes were employed upon such
+frightful objects; for my spirits were enlivened by pure air, exercise,
+and temperance:&mdash;nay, I remember to have been struck in the same manner,
+when the grand explosion of the fireworks was played off, many years
+ago, upon the conclusion of peace! The blast was so great, that it
+appeared as if it were designed to take with it all earthly things; and
+I felt almost forced by it, and summoned from my seat, and could hardly
+refrain from jumping over a parapet wall which stood before me. The
+building of this hermitage, however, is very secure; nothing can shake
+or remove it, but that which must shake or remove the whole mountain. At
+this cell, small as it is, King Philip the Third dined on the <a name="Page_198" id="Page_198"></a>eleventh
+of July 1599;&mdash;a circumstance, you may be sure, the inhabitant will
+never forget, or omit to mention. It commands at noon-day a fine
+prospect eastward, and is approached by a good stage of steps. Not far
+from it, on the road side, is a little chapel called St. Michael, a
+chapel as ancient as the monastery itself; and a little below is the
+grotto, in which the image of the Virgin, now fixed in the high altar of
+the church, was found. The entrance of this grotto is converted into a
+chapel, where mass is said every day by one of the monks. All the
+hermitages, even the smallest, have their little chapel, the ornaments
+for saying mass, their water cistern, and most of them a little garden.
+The building consists of one or two little chambers, a little refectory,
+and a kitchen; but many of them have every convenience within and
+without that a single man can wish or desire, except he should wish for
+or desire <i>such things</i> as he <a name="Page_199" id="Page_199"></a>was obliged to renounce when he took
+possession of it.</p>
+
+<p>From hence, by a road more wonderful than safe or pleasing, you are led
+on a ridge of mountains to the lofty cell of <i>St. Onofre</i>. It stands in
+a cleft in one of the pine heads, six and thirty feet (I was going to
+say) above the earth; its appearance is indeed astonishing, for it seems
+in a manner hanging in the air; the access to it is by a ladder of sixty
+steps, extremely difficult to ascend, and even then you have a wooden
+bridge to cross, fixed from rock to rock, under which is an aperture of
+so terrifying an appearance, that I still think a person, not over
+timid, may find it very difficult to pass over, if he looks under,
+without losing in some degree that firmness which is necessary to his
+own preservation. The best and safest way is, to look forward at the
+building or object you are going to.&mdash;Fighting, and even courage, is
+mechanical; a man may be taught it as readily as any other science; and
+I <a name="Page_200" id="Page_200"></a>would <i>pit</i> the little timid hermit of <i>St. Onofre</i> to a march, on
+the margin of the precipices on this mountain, against the bravest
+general we have in America. The man that would not wince at the whistle
+of a cannon-ball over his head, may find his blood retire, and his
+senses bewildered, at a dreadful precipice under his feet. <i>St. Onofre</i>
+possesses no more space than what is covered in by the tiling, nor any
+prospect but to the South. The inhabitant of it says, he often sees the
+islands of <i>Minorca</i>, <i>Mallorca</i>, and <i>Ivica</i>, and the kingdoms of
+<i>Valencia</i> and <i>Murcia</i>. The weather was extremely fine when I visited
+it, but there was a distant haziness which prevented my seeing those
+islands; indeed, my eyes were better employed and entertained in
+examining objects more interesting, as well as more pleasing. Going from
+this hermitage, you have a view of the vale of <i>St. Mary</i>, formerly
+called la <i>Vallee Amere</i>, through which the river <i>Lobregate</i> runs, and
+which divides the <a name="Page_201" id="Page_201"></a>bishoprick of Barcelona from that of <i>De Vic</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Lest you should think I am rather too tremendously descriptive of this
+<i>upland</i> journey, hear what a French traveller says, who visited this
+mountain about twenty years ago. After examining every thing curious at
+the convent, he says, "<i>Il ne me restoit plus rien a voir que
+l'hermitage qui est renomme, il est dans la partie la plus elevee de la
+montagne, &amp; partage en treize habitations, pour autant d'hermites. Le
+plaisir de le voir devoit me dedommager de la peine qu'il me falloit
+prendre pour y monter, en grimpant pendant plus de heux heures. J'aurois
+pre me servir de ma mule, mais il m'auroit fallu prendre un chemin ou
+j'aurois mis le double du tems. Je m'armai donc de courage, &amp; entre dans
+une enceinte par une porte que l'on m'ouvrit avec peine au dehors du
+monastere, je commencai a monter par des degres qui sembloient
+perpendiculaires, <a name="Page_202" id="Page_202"></a>tant ils etoient roides; &amp; je fus oblige de
+m'agraffer a des barres qui y font placees expres: ensuite, je me
+trainai par-dessous de grosses pierres, qui sont comme des voutes
+ruinees, dont les ouvertures sont le seul passage qu'il y ait pour
+quiconque a la temerite de s'engager dans ces defiles; apres avoir
+grimpe, environ mille pas, je trouvai un petit terrein uni ou je me
+laissai tomber tout etendu afin de reprendre ma respiration qui
+commencoit a me manquer</i>." And yet this was only the Frenchman's first
+stage on his way to the first and nearest hermitage; and who I find
+clambered up the very road we did, rather than take the longer route on
+mule-back; and, for aught I know, a route still more dangerous, for
+there are many places where the precipice is perpendicular on both sides
+of a ridge, and where the road is too narrow even to turn the mule; so
+he that sets out, must proceed.</p>
+
+<p>After ascending a ladder fixed in the same pine where <i>St. Onofre</i> is
+situated, at <a name="Page_203" id="Page_203"></a>an hundred and fifty paces distant, is the fifth hermitage
+of the penitent <i>Madalena</i>; it stands between two lofty pines, and on
+some elevated rocks, and commands a beautiful view, towards noon-day, to
+the East and West; and near to it, in a more elevated pine, stands its
+chapel, from whence you look down (dreadful to behold) a rugged
+precipice and steep hills, upon the convent at two miles distance where
+are two roads, or rather passages, to this cell, both exceedingly
+difficult; by one you mount up a ladder of at least an hundred steps;
+the other is of stone steps, and pieces of timber to hold by; that the
+hermit who dwells there says, the whistling of the wind in tempestuous
+nights sounds like the roaring of baited bulls.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_204" id="Page_204"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XXIII" id="LETTER_XXIII"></a>LETTER XXIII.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">I must now lead you up to the highest part of the mountain; it is a long
+way up, not less than three thousand five hundred paces from <i>St.
+Madalena</i>, and over a very rugged and disagreeable road for the feet,
+which leads, however, to the cell of <i>St. Geronimo</i>; from the two
+turrets of which, an immense scene is opened, too much for the head of a
+<i>low-lander</i> to bear; for it not only takes in a view of a great part of
+the mountain beneath, but of the kingdoms of <i>Arragon</i>, <i>Valencia</i>, the
+Mediterranean Sea, and the islands; but as it were, one half of the
+earth's orbit. The fatigue to clamber up to it is very great; but the
+recompense is ample. This hermitage looks down upon a wood above a
+league in circumference, in which formerly some hermits dwelt; but at
+present it is stocked with cattle belonging to the <a name="Page_205" id="Page_205"></a>convent, who have a
+fountain of good water therein. Near this hermitage, in a place they
+call <i>Poza</i>, the snow is preserved for the use of the <i>Religieux</i>. The
+inhabitant either was not within, or would not be disturbed; so that
+after feasting my eyes on all sides, my conductor led me on eastward to
+the seventh hermitage, called <i>St. Antonio</i>, the father of the
+Anchorites; it stands under one of the highest PINES, and the access to
+it is so difficult and dangerous, that very few strangers visit it;&mdash;a
+circumstance which whetted my curiosity; so, like the boy after a
+bird's-nest, I <i>risqued it</i>, especially as I was pretty sure I should
+<i>take the old bird sitting</i>. This hermit had formerly been in the
+service; and though he had made great intercession to the Holy Virgin
+and saints in heaven, as well as much interest with men on earth, he was
+not, I think, quite happy in his exalted station; his turret is so
+small, that it will not contain above two men; the view from it, to the
+East and<a name="Page_206" id="Page_206"></a> North, is very fine; but it looks down a most horrible and
+dreadful precipice, above one hundred and eighty toises perpendicular,
+and upon the river <i>Lobregate</i>. No man, but he whom custom has made
+familiar to such a tremendous <i>eye-ball</i>, can behold this place but with
+horror and amazement; and I was as glad to leave it, as I was pleased to
+have seen it. At about a gun-shot distance from it rises the highest
+pine-head of the mountain, called <i>Caval Hernot</i>, which is eighty toises
+higher than any other <i>cone</i>, and three thousand three hundred paces
+from the convent below. Keeping under the side of the same hill, and
+along the base of the same pine-head, you are led to the hermitage of
+<i>St. Salvador</i>, eight hundred paces from <i>St. Antonio</i>, which hermitage
+has two chapels, one of which is hewn out of the heart of the PINE, and
+consequently has a natural as well as a beautiful cupola; the access to
+this cell is very difficult, for the crags project so much, that it is
+necessary to clamber over them on <a name="Page_207" id="Page_207"></a>all-four; the prospects are very fine
+to the southward and eastward. The inhabitant was from home; but as
+there was no fastening to his doors, I examined all his worldly goods,
+and found that most of them were the work of his own ingenious hands. A
+little distant from hence stands a wooden cross, at which the road
+divides; one path leads to <i>St. Benito</i>, the other to the <i>Holy</i>
+Trinity. By the archives of the convent, it appears, that in the year
+1272, <i>Francis Bertrando</i> died at the hermitage of <i>St. Salvador</i>, after
+having spent forty-five years in it, admired for his sanctity and holy
+life, and that he was succeeded therein by <i>Fran&ccedil;ois Durando Mayol</i>, who
+dwelt in it twenty-seven years.</p>
+
+<p>Descending from hence about six or seven hundred paces, you arrive at
+the ninth hermitage, <i>St. Benito</i>; the situation is very pleasing, the
+access easy, and the prospects divine. It was founded by an <i>Abbot</i>,
+whose intentions were, that it <a name="Page_208" id="Page_208"></a>should contain within a small distance,
+four other cells, in memory of the five wounds made in the body of
+Christ. This hermit has the privilege of making an annual entertainment
+on a certain day, on which day all the other hermits meet there, and
+receive the sacrament from the hands of the mountain vicar; and after
+divine service, dine together. They meet also at this hermitage on the
+day of each titular saint, to say mass, and commune with each other.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_209" id="Page_209"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XXIV" id="LETTER_XXIV"></a>LETTER XXIV.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">I cannot say a word to you on any other subject, till you have taken a
+turn with me in the shrubberies and gardens of the glorious (so they
+call it) hermitage of <i>St. Ana</i>. Coming from <i>St. Benito</i>, by a brook
+which runs down the middle of the mountain, six hundred paces distant
+from it, stands <i>St. Ana</i>, in a spacious situation, and much larger than
+any other, and is nearly in the center of them all. The chapel here is
+sufficiently large for the whole society to meet in, and accordingly
+they do so on certain festivals and holidays, where they confess to
+their mountain vicar, and receive the sacrament, This habitation is
+nobly adorned with large trees; the ever-green oak, the cork, the
+cypress, the spreading fig-tree, and a variety of others; yet it is
+nevertheless dreadfully exposed to the fury of <a name="Page_210" id="Page_210"></a>some particular winds;
+and the buildings are sometimes greatly damaged, and the life of the
+inhabitant endangered, by the boughs which are torn off and blown about
+his dwelling. The foot-road from it to the monastery is only one
+thousand three hundred paces, but it is very rugged and unsafe; the
+mule-road is above four times as far: it was built in 1498, and is the
+hermitage where all the pilgrims pay their ordinary devotion.</p>
+
+<p>Eight hundred and fifty paces distant, on the road which leads to the
+hermitage of <i>St. Salvador</i>, stands, in a solitary and deep wood, the
+hermitage of the <i>Holy Trinity</i>. Every part of the building is neat, and
+the simplicity of the whole prepares you to expect the same simplicity
+of manners from the man who dwells within it: and a venerable man he is;
+but he seemed more disposed to converse with his neighbours, <i>Messrs.
+Nature</i>, than with us. His trees, he knows, never flatter <a name="Page_211" id="Page_211"></a>or affront
+him; and after welcoming us more by his humble looks than civil words,
+he retired to his long and shady walk; a walk, a full gun-shot in
+length, and nothing in nature certainly can be more beautiful; it forms
+a close arbour, though composed of large trees, and terminates in a view
+of a vast range of pines, which are so regularly placed side by side,
+and which, by the reflection of the sun on their yellow and well
+burnished sides, have the appearance of the pipes of an organ a mile in
+circumference. The Spaniards say that the mountain is a block of coarse
+jasper, and these <i>organ pipes</i>, it must be confessed, seem to confirm
+it; for they are so well polished by the hand of time, that were it not
+too great a work for man, one would be apt to believe they had been cut
+by an artist.</p>
+
+<p>Five hundred and sixty paces from the hermitage of the Holy Trinity,
+stands <i>St. Cruz</i>; it is built under the foot of one of <a name="Page_212" id="Page_212"></a>the smaller
+pines; this is the nearest cell of any to the convent, and consequently
+oftenest visited, being only six hundred and sixty steps from the bottom
+of the mountain.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_213" id="Page_213"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XXV" id="LETTER_XXV"></a>LETTER XXV.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">I am now come to <i>St. Dimas</i>, the last, and most important, if not the
+most beautiful of all the hermits' habitations. This hermitage is
+surrounded on all sides by steep and dreadful precipices, some of which
+lead the eyes straight down, even to the river <i>Lobregate</i>; it can be
+entered only on the east side by a draw-bridge, which, when lifted up,
+renders any access to it almost impossible. This hermitage was formerly
+a strong castle, and possessed by a <i>banditti</i>, who frequently plundered
+and ravaged the country in the day-time, and secured themselves from
+punishment, by retiring to this fast hold by night. As it stands, or
+rather hangs over the buildings and convent below, they would frequently
+lower baskets by cords, and demand provisions, wine, or whatever
+necessaries or luxuries the convent afforded; <a name="Page_214" id="Page_214"></a>and if their demands were
+not instantly complied with, they tumbled down rocks of an immense size,
+which frequently damaged the buildings, and killed the people beneath:
+indeed, it was always in their power to destroy the whole building, and
+suffer none to live there; but that would have been depriving themselves
+of one safe means of subsistence:&mdash;at length the monks, by the
+assistance of good glasses, and a constant attention to the motion of
+their troublesome <i>boarders</i>, having observed that the greater part were
+gone out upon the <i>marauding</i> party, persuaded seven or eight stout
+farmers to believe, that heaven would reward them if they could scale
+the horrid precipices, and by surprise seize the castle, and secure the
+few who remained in it;&mdash;and these brave men accordingly got into it
+unobserved, killed one of the men, and secured the others for a public
+example. The castle was then demolished, and a hermitage called <i>St.
+Dimas</i>, or the Good<a name="Page_215" id="Page_215"></a> Thief, built upon the spot. The views from it are
+very extensive and noble to the south and eastward.</p>
+
+<p>And now, Sir, having conducted you to make a short visit to each of
+these wonderful, though little abodes, I must assure you, that a man
+well versed in <i>author craft</i> might write thirteen little volumes upon
+subjects so very singular. But as no written account can give a perfect
+idea of the particular beauties of any mountain, and more especially of
+one so unlike all others, I shall quit nature, and conduct you to the
+works of art, and treasures of value, which are within the walls of the
+holy sanctuary below; only observing, what I omitted to mention, that
+the great rains which have fallen since the creation of all things, down
+the sides of this steep mount, have made round the whole base a
+prodigious wide and deep trench, which has the appearance of a vast
+river course drained of its water. In this deep trench lie an infinite
+number of huge blocks of <a name="Page_216" id="Page_216"></a>the mountain, which have from age to age caved
+down from its side, and which renders the <i>tout au tour</i> of the mountain
+below full as extraordinary as the pointed pinnacles above: beside this,
+there are many little recesses on the sides of the hill below, so
+adorned by stately trees and natural fountains, that I know not which
+part of the enchanted spot is most beautiful. I found in one of these
+places a little garden, fenced in by the fallen rocks, a spring of so
+clear and cool a water, and the whole so shaded by, oaks, so warmed by
+the sun, and so superlatively romantic, that I was determined to find
+out the owner of it, and have set about building a house or a hut to the
+garden, and to have made it my abode; but, alas! upon enquiry, I found
+the well was a holy one, and that the water, the purest and finest I
+ever saw or tasted could only be used for holy purposes. And here let me
+observe, that the generality of strangers who visit this mountain, come
+prepared <a name="Page_217" id="Page_217"></a>only to stay one day;&mdash;but it is not a day, nor a week, that
+is sufficient to see half the smaller beauties which a mountain, so
+great and wonderful of itself, affords on all sides, from the highest
+pinacle above, to the foundation stones beneath.</p>
+
+<p>But I should have told you, that there are other roads to some of the
+hermitages above, which, by twisting and turning from side to side, are
+every week clambered up by a blind mule, who, being loaded with thirteen
+baskets containing the provision for the hermits, goes up without any
+conductor, and taking the hermitages in their proper order, goes as near
+as he can to each, and waits till the hermit has taken his portion; and
+proceeds till he has discharged his load, and his trust, and then
+returns to his stable below. I did not see this animal on the road, but
+I saw some of his <i>offerings there</i>, <a name="Page_218" id="Page_218"></a>and you may rely upon the truth of
+what I tell you.</p>
+
+<p>Before I quit the hermits, however, I must tell you, that the hardships
+and fatigues which some of them voluntarily inflict upon themselves, are
+almost incredible: they cannot, like the monks in <i>Russia</i>, sit in water
+to their chins till they are froze up, but they undergo some penances
+almost as severe.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_219" id="Page_219"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XXVI" id="LETTER_XXVI"></a>LETTER XXVI.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="noindent"><i>Pere Pascal</i> having invited me to high mass, and to hear a Spanish
+sermon preached by one of their best orators, we attended; and though I
+did not understand the language sufficiently to know all I heard, I
+understood enough to be entertained, if not edified. The decency of the
+whole congregation too, was truly characteristic of their profession.
+There sat just before us a number of lay-brothers, bare-headed, with
+their eyes fixed the whole time upon the ground; and tho' they knew we
+were strangers, and probably as singular in their eyes as they could be
+in ours, I never perceived one of them, either at or after the service
+was over, to look, or even glance an eye at us. The chapel, or church of
+this convent, is a very noble building; and high over the great altar is
+fixed the image of the <a name="Page_220" id="Page_220"></a>Virgin, which was found eight hundred years ago
+in a deep cave on the side of the mountain: they say the figure is the
+work of St. Luke; if that be true, St. Luke was a better carver than a
+painter, for this figure is the work of no contemptible artist; it is of
+wood, and of a dark-brown it is of wood, and of a dark-brown or rather
+black colour, about the size of a girl of twelve years of age; her
+garments are very costly, and she had on a crown richly adorned with
+<i>real</i> jewels of great value; and I believe, except our Lady of
+<i>Loretto</i>, the paraphernalia of her person is superior to all the saints
+or crowned heads in Europe. She holds on her knees a little Jesus, of
+the same complexion, and the work of the same artist. The high altar is
+a most magnificent and costly structure, and there constantly burn
+before it upwards of fourscore large silver lamps. The balustrades
+before the altar were given by King Philip the Third, and cost seven
+thousand crowns; and it cost fourteen thousand more to cut away the rock
+to lay <a name="Page_221" id="Page_221"></a>the foundation of this new church, the old one being so small,
+and often so crowded by pilgrims and strangers, that many of the monks
+lost their lives in it every year. The whole expence of building the new
+one, exclusive of the inward ornaments, is computed at a million of
+crowns; and the seats of the choir, six and thirty thousand livres. The
+old church has nothing very remarkable in it but some good ancient
+monuments, one of which is of <i>Bernard Villomarin</i>, Admiral of Naples; a
+man (as the inscription says) illustrious in peace and war. There is
+another of <i>Don John d'Arragon, Dux Lun&aelig;</i>, who died in 1528; he was
+nephew to King Ferdinand. But the most singular inscription in this old
+church is one engraven on a pillar, under which <i>St. Ignatius</i> spent a
+whole night in prayer before he took the resolution of renouncing the
+world, which was in the year 1522.</p>
+
+<p>After mass was over, we were shewn into a chamber behind the high altar,
+where a door opened to the recess, in <a name="Page_222" id="Page_222"></a>which the Virgin is placed, and
+where we were permitted, or rather required to kiss her hand. At the
+same time, I perceived a great many pilgrims entering the apartments,
+whose penitential faces plainly discovered the reverence and devotion
+with which they approached her sacred presence. When we returned, we
+were presented to the Prior; a lively, genteel man, of good address;
+who, with <i>Pere Tendre</i>, the Frenchman, shewed us an infinite quantity
+of jewels, vessels of gold and silver, garments, &amp;c. which have been
+presented by Kings, Queens, and Emperors, to the convent, for the
+purpose of arraying this miraculous image. I begin to suspect that you
+will think I am become half a Catholic;&mdash;indeed, I begin to think so
+myself; and if ever I publicly renounce that faith which I now hold, it
+shall be done in a pilgrimage to <i>Montserrat</i>; for I do not see why God,
+who delights so much in variety, as all his mighty works testify; who
+has not made two green leaves of the same <a name="Page_223" id="Page_223"></a>tint,&mdash;may not, nay, ought
+not to be worshipped by men of different nations, in variety of forms. I
+see no absurdity in a set of men meeting as the Quakers do, and sitting
+in silent contemplation, reflecting on the errors of their past life,
+and resolving to amend in future. I think an honest, good Quaker, as
+respectable a being as an Archbishop; and a monk, or a hermit, who think
+they merit heaven by the sacrifice they make for it, will certainly
+obtain it: and as I am persuaded the men of this society think so, I
+highly honour and respect them: I am sure I feel myself much obliged to
+them. They have a good library, but it is in great disorder; nor do I
+believe they are men of much reading; indeed, they are so employed in
+confessing the pilgrims and poor, that they cannot have much time for
+study.</p>
+
+<p>I forgot to tell you, that at <i>Narbonne</i> I had been accosted by a young
+genteel <a name="Page_224" id="Page_224"></a>couple, a male and female, who were upon a <i>pilgrimage</i>; they
+were dressed rather neat than fine, and their garments were adorned with
+cockle and other marine shells; such, indeed, all the poorer sort of
+pilgrims are characterised with. They presented a tin box to me, with
+much address, but said nothing, nor did I give them any thing; indeed, I
+did not <i>then</i> know, very well, for what purpose or use the charity they
+claimed was to be applied. This young couple were among the strangers
+who were now approaching the sacred image. I was very desirous of
+knowing their story, who they were, and what sins people so young, and
+who looked so good, had been guilty of, to think it necessary to come so
+far for absolution. <i>Their sins on the road</i>, I could be at no loss to
+guess at; and as they were such as people who love one another are very
+apt to commit, I hope and believe, they will obtain forgiveness of
+them.&mdash;They were either people of some <a name="Page_225" id="Page_225"></a>condition, or very accomplished
+<i>Chevaliers d'Industrie</i>; though I am most inclined to believe, they
+were <i>brother and sister</i>, of some condition.</p>
+
+<p>After visiting the Holy Virgin, I paid my respects to the several monks
+in their own apartments, under the conduct of <i>Pere Pascal</i>, and was
+greatly entertained.&mdash;I found them excellently lodged; their apartments
+had no finery, but every useful convenience; and several good
+harpsichords, as well as good performers, beside an excellent organist.
+The Prior, in particular, has so much address, of the polite world about
+him, that he must have lived in it before he made a vow to retire from
+it.</p>
+
+<p>I never saw a more striking instance of national influence than in the
+person of <i>Pere Tendre</i>, the Frenchman!&mdash;In spite of his holy life, and
+living among Spaniards of the utmost gravity of manners, I could <a name="Page_226" id="Page_226"></a>have
+known him at first sight to have been a Frenchman. I never saw, even
+upon the <i>Boulevards</i> at Paris, a more lively, animated, or chearful
+face.</p>
+
+<p>Indeed, one must believe, that these men are as good as they appear to
+be; for they have reason enough to believe, that every hour may be their
+last, as there hangs over their whole building such a terrifying mass of
+rock and pine heads, so split and divided, that it is difficult to
+perceive by what powers they are sustained: many have given way, and
+have no other support than the base they have made by slipping in part
+down, among the smaller rocks and broken fragments. About an hundred
+years ago, one vast block fell from above, and buried under it the
+hospital, and all the sick and their attendants; and where it still
+remains, a dreadful monument, and memento, to all who dwell near it!&mdash;I
+should fear (God avert the <a name="Page_227" id="Page_227"></a>day!) that the smallest degree of an
+earthquake would bury all the convent, monks, and treasure, by one fatal
+<i>coup</i>.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_228" id="Page_228"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XXVII" id="LETTER_XXVII"></a>LETTER XXVII.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">Before I bring forth the treasures of this hospitable convent, and the
+jewels of <i>Neustra Senora</i>, it may be necessary to tell you, that they
+could not be so liberal, were not others liberal to them; and that they
+have permission to ask charity from every church, city, and town, in the
+kingdoms of France and Spain, and have always lay-brothers out,
+gathering money and other donations. They who feed all who come, must,
+of course, be fed themselves; nor has any religious house in Europe
+(<i>Loretto</i> excepted) been more highly honoured by Emperors, Kings,
+Popes, and Prelates, than this: nay, they have seemed to vie with each
+other, in bestowing rich and costly garments, jewels of immense value,
+and gold and silver of exquisite workmanship, to adorn the person of
+<i>Neustra Senora</i>; as the following list, though <a name="Page_229" id="Page_229"></a>not a quarter of her
+<i>paraphernalia</i>, will evince: but before I particularize them, it may be
+proper to mention, the solemn manner in which the Virgin was moved from
+the old to the new church, by the hands of King Philip the Third, who
+repaired thither for that purpose privately as possible, to prevent the
+prodigious concourse of people who would have attended him had it been
+generally known. He staid at the convent four days, in which time he
+visited all the hermitages above, in one; but returned, greatly
+fatigued, and not till ten o'clock at night. After resting himself the
+next day, he heard mass, and being confessed, assisted at the solemnity
+of translating the Virgin, in the following manner:&mdash;After all the
+monks, hermits, and lay-brothers had heard mass, and been confessed, the
+Virgin was brought down and placed upon the altar in the old church, and
+with great ceremony, reverence, and awe, they cloathed her in a rich
+gold mantle, the gift of the Duke of<a name="Page_230" id="Page_230"></a> <i>Branzvick</i>, the sleeves of which
+were so costly, that they were valued at eighteen thousand ducats. The
+Abbots, Monks, hermits, &amp;c. who were present, wore cloaks of rich gold
+brocade, and in the procession sung the hymn <i>Te Deum Laudamus</i>; one of
+whom bore a gold cross, of exquisite workmanship, which weighed fifty
+marks, and which was set with costly jewels. The procession consisted of
+forty-three lay-brothers, fifteen hermits, and sixty-two monks, all
+bearing wax-tapers; then followed the young scholars, and a band of
+music, as well as an infinite number of people who came from all parts
+of the kingdom to attend the solemnity; for it was impossible to keep an
+act of so extraordinary a nature very private. When the Virgin was
+brought into the new church, she was placed on a tabernacle by four of
+the most ancient monks; the King held also a large lighted taper, on
+which his banner and arms were emblazoned, and being followed by the
+nobles and cavaliers of his <a name="Page_231" id="Page_231"></a>court, joined in the procession; and having
+placed themselves in proper order in the great cloyster of the church,
+the monks sung a hymn, addressed to the Virgin, accompanied by a noble
+band of music: this being over, the King taking the Virgin in his arms,
+placed her on the great altar; and having so done, took his wax taper,
+and falling on his knees at her feet, offered up his prayers near a
+quarter of an hour: this ceremony being over, the monks advanced to the
+altar, and moved the Virgin into a recess in the middle of it, where she
+now stands: after which, the Abbot, having given his pontifical
+benediction, the King retired to repose himself for a quarter of an
+hour, and then set off for <i>Martorell</i>, where he slept, and the next day
+made his entry into <i>Barcelona</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Among an infinite number of costly materials which adorn this beautiful
+church, is a most noble organ, which has near twelve hundred pipes. In
+the <i>Custodium</i> you <a name="Page_232" id="Page_232"></a>are shewn three crowns for the head of the Infant
+Jesus, two of which are of pure gold, the third of silver, gilt, and
+richly adorned with diamonds; one of the gold crowns is set with two
+hundred and thirty emeralds, and nineteen large brilliants; the other
+has two hundred and thirty-eight diamonds, an hundred and thirty pearls,
+and sixteen rubies; it cost eighteen thousand ducats.</p>
+
+<p>There are four crowns also for the head of the Virgin; two of plated
+gold, richly set with diamonds, two of solid gold; one of which has two
+thousand five hundred large emeralds in it, and is valued at fifty
+thousand ducats; the fourth, and richest, is set with one thousand one
+hundred and twenty-four diamonds, five of which number are valued at
+five hundred ducats each; eighteen hundred large pearls, of equal size;
+thirty-eight large emeralds, twenty-one zaphirs, and five rubies; and at
+the top of this crown is a gold ship, adorned with diamonds of eighteen
+thousand <a name="Page_233" id="Page_233"></a>dollars value. The gold alone of these crowns weighs
+twenty-five pounds, and, with the jewels and setting, upwards of fifty.
+These crowns have been made at <i>Montserrat</i>, from the gold and separate
+jewels presented to the convent from time to time by the crowned heads
+and princes of Europe. There is also another small crown, given by the
+Marquis de <i>Aytona</i>, set with sixty-six brilliants.</p>
+
+<p>The Infanta gave four silver candlesticks, which cost two thousand four
+hundred ducats.</p>
+
+<p>Ann of Austria, daughter to Philip the third, gave a garment for the
+Virgin, which cost a thousand ducats.</p>
+
+<p>There are thirty chalices of gilt plate, and one of solid gold, which
+cost five thousand ducats.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Charles of Austria, with his consort Christiana of Brunswick,
+visited <a name="Page_234" id="Page_234"></a><i>Montserrat</i> in the year 1706, and having kissed the Virgin's
+hand, left at her feet his gold-hilted sword, set with seventy-nine
+large brilliants. This sword was given the Emperor by Anne, Queen of
+England.</p>
+
+<p>In the church are six silver candlesticks, nine palms high, made to hold
+wax flambeaux. There are diamonds and jewels, given by the Countess de
+Aranda, Count Alba, Duchess of Medina, and forty other people of high
+rank, from the different courts of Europe, to the value of more than an
+hundred thousand ducats.&mdash;But were I to recite every particular from the
+list of donations, which my friend, <i>Pere Pascal</i>, gave me, and which
+now lies before me, with the names of the donors, they would fill a
+volume instead of a letter.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_235" id="Page_235"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XXVIII" id="LETTER_XXVIII"></a>LETTER XXVIII.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">I know you will expect to hear something of the Ladies of Spain; but I
+must confess I had very little acquaintance among them: when they appear
+abroad in their coaches, they are dressed in the modern French fashion,
+but not in the extreme; when they walk out, their head and shape is
+always covered with a black or white veil, richly laced; and however
+fine their gowns are, they must be covered with a very large black silk
+petticoat; and thus holding the fan in one hand, and hanging their
+<i>chapelets</i> over the wrist of the other, they walk out, preceded by one
+or two shabby-looking servants, called pages, who wear swords, and
+always walk bare-headed.</p>
+
+<p>I have already told you, that the most beautiful, indeed the only
+beautiful <a name="Page_236" id="Page_236"></a>woman, I saw at <i>Barcelona</i>, was the Intendant's daughter;
+and I assure you, her, black petticoat and white veil could not conceal
+it; nor, indeed, is the dress an unbecoming one. Among the peasants, and
+common females, you never see any thing like beauty, and, in general,
+rather deformity of feature. No wonder then, where beauty is scarce, and
+to be found only among women of condition, that those women are much
+admired, and that they gain prodigious influence over the men.&mdash;In no
+part of the world, therefore, are women more caressed and attended to,
+than in Spain. Their deportment in public is grave and modest; yet they
+are very much addicted to pleasure; nor is there scarce one among them
+that cannot, nay, that will not dance the <i>Fandango</i> in private, either
+in the decent or indecent manner. I have seen it danced both ways, by a
+pretty woman, than which nothing can be more <i>immodestly agreeable</i>; and
+I was shewn a young Lady at <i>Barcelona</i>, who in <a name="Page_237" id="Page_237"></a>the midst of this dance
+ran out of the room, telling her partner, she could <i>stand it</i> no
+longer;&mdash;he ran after her, to be sure, and must be answerable for the
+consequences. I find in the music of the <i>Fandango</i>, written under one
+bar, <i>Salida</i>, which signifies <i>going out</i>; it is where the woman is to
+part a little from her partner, and to move slowly by herself; and I
+suppose it was at <i>that bar</i> the lady was so overcome, as to determine
+not to return. The words <i>Perra Salida</i> should therefore be placed at
+that bar, when the ladies dance it in the high <i>gout</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The men dress as they do in France and England, except only their long
+cloak, which they do not care to give up. It is said that Frenchmen are
+wiser than, from the levity of their behaviour, they seem to be; and I
+fancy the Spaniards look wiser from their gravity of countenance, than
+they really are; they are extremely reserved; and make no professions of
+friendship <a name="Page_238" id="Page_238"></a>till they feel it, and know the man, and then they are
+friendly in the highest degree.</p>
+
+<p>I met with a German merchant at <i>Barcelona</i>, who told me he had dealt
+for goods to the value of five thousand pounds a year with a Spaniard in
+that town; and though he had been often at <i>Barcelona</i> before, that he
+had never invited him to dine or eat with him, till that day.</p>
+
+<p>The farrier who comes to shoe your horse has sometimes a sword by his
+side; and the barber who shaves you crosses himself before he <i>crosses
+your chin</i>.</p>
+
+<p>There is a particular part of the town where the ladies of easy virtue
+live; and if a friend calls at the apartment of one of those females,
+who happens to <i>be engaged</i>, one of her neighbours tells you, she is
+<i>amancebados y casarse a mediacarta</i>; <i>i.e.</i> that she is
+half-married.&mdash;If you meet a Spanish woman of any fashion, walking
+<a name="Page_239" id="Page_239"></a>alone without the town, you may join her, and enter into whatever <i>sort
+of conversation</i> you chuse, without offence; and if you pass one without
+doing so, she will call you <i>ajacaos</i>, and contemn you: this is a custom
+so established at Madrid, that if a footman meets a lady of quality
+alone, he will enter into some indecent conversation with her; for which
+reason, the ladies seldom walk but with their husbands, or a male friend
+by their side, and a foot-boy before, and then no man durst speak, or
+even look towards them, but with respect and awe:&mdash;a blow in Spain can
+never be forgiven; the striker must die, either <i>privately</i> or publicly.</p>
+
+<p>No people on earth are less given to excess in eating or drinking, than
+the Spaniards; the <i>Olio</i>, or <i>Olla</i>, a kind of soup and <i>Bouilli</i>, is
+all that is to be found at the table of some great men: the table of a
+<i>Bourgeois</i> of Paris is better served than many <i>grandees</i> of Spain;
+their chocolate, <a name="Page_240" id="Page_240"></a>lemonade, iced water, fruits, &amp;c. are their chief
+luxuries; and the chocolate is, in some houses, a prodigious annual
+expense, as it is offered to every body who comes in, and some of the
+first houses in Madrid expend twenty thousand <i>livres</i> a year in
+chocolate, iced waters, &amp;c. The grandees of Spain think it beneath their
+dignity to look into accounts, and therefore leave the management of
+their household expenses to servants, who often plunder and defraud them
+of great sums of money.</p>
+
+<p>Unlike the French, the Spaniards (like the English) very properly look
+upon able physicians and surgeons in a very respectable light:&mdash;Is it
+not strange, that the French nation should trust their health and lives
+in the hands of men, they are apt to think unworthy of their intimacy or
+friendship?&mdash;Men, who must have had a liberal education, and who ought
+not to be trusted in sickness, if their society was not to be coveted in
+health. Perhaps the <a name="Page_241" id="Page_241"></a>Spanish physicians, who of all others have the
+least pretensions, are the most caressed. In fevers they encourage their
+patients to eat, thinking it necessary, where the air is so subtile, to
+put something into the body for the distemper to feed upon; they bleed
+often, and in both arms, that the blood may be drawn forth <i>equally</i>;
+the surgeons do not bleed, but a set of men called <i>sangerros</i> perform
+that office, and no other; the surgeons consider it dishonourable to
+perform that operation. They seldom trepan; a surgeon who attempted to
+perform it, would himself be perhaps in want of it. To all flesh wounds
+they apply a powder called <i>coloradilla</i>, which certainly effects the
+cure; it is made of myrrh, mastic, dragon's blood, bol ammoniac,
+&amp;c.&mdash;When persons of fashion are bled, their friends send them, as soon
+as it is known, little presents to amuse them all that day; for which
+reason, the women of easy virtue are often bled, that their lovers may
+shew their attention, and be <i>bled too</i>.&mdash;The<a name="Page_242" id="Page_242"></a> French disease is so
+ignorantly treated, or so little regarded, that it is very general; they
+consider a <i>gonorrhoea</i> as health to the reins; and except a tertian
+ague, all disorders are called the <i>calentura</i>, and treated alike, and I
+fear very injudiciously; for there is not, I am told, in the whole
+kingdom, any public academy for the instruction of young men, in physic,
+surgery, or anatomy, except at Madrid.</p>
+
+<p>Notwithstanding the sobriety, temperance, and fine climate of Spain, the
+Spaniards do not, in general, live to any great age; they put a
+prodigious quantity of spice into every thing they eat; and though
+sobriety and temperance are very commendable, there are countries where
+eating and drinking are carried to a great excess, by men much more
+virtuous than those, where temperance, perhaps, is their principal
+virtue.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_243" id="Page_243"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XXIX" id="LETTER_XXIX"></a>LETTER XXIX.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">I forgot to tell you that, though I left the Convent, I had no desire to
+leave the spot where I had met with so cordial a reception; nor a
+mountain, every part of which afforded so many scenes of wonder and
+delight. I therefore hired two rooms at a wretched <i>posada</i>, near the
+two ancient towers below, and where I had left my horse, that I might
+make my daily excursions on and about the mountain, as well as visit
+those little solitary habitations above once more. My host, his wife,
+and their son and daughter, looked rather cool upon us; they liked our
+money better than our company; and though I made their young child some
+little presents, it scarce afforded any return, but prevented rudeness,
+perhaps. The boys of the village, though I distributed a little money
+every day to the poor, frequently pelted <a name="Page_244" id="Page_244"></a>me with stones, when they
+gained the high ground of me; and I found it necessary, when I walked
+out, to take my fuzee. I would have made a friend of the priest, if I
+could have found him, but he never appeared!&mdash;It was a poor village, and
+you may easily conceive our residence in such a little place, where no
+stranger ever staid above an hour, occasioned much speculation. My
+servant too (a French deserter) had neither the politeness nor the
+address so common to his countrymen; but I knew I was <i>within a few
+hours</i> of honest <i>Pere Pascal</i>; and while the hog, mule, and ass of my
+host continued well, I flattered myself I was not in much danger; had
+either of those animals been ill, I should have taken my leave; for if a
+suspicion had arose that an heretic was under their roof, they would
+have been at no loss to account for the cause or the calamity which had,
+or might befall them.&mdash;During my residence at this little <i>posada</i>, I
+saw a gaudy-dressed, little, ugly old man, and a <a name="Page_245" id="Page_245"></a>handsome young woman,
+approach it; the man smiled in my face, which was the only smile I had
+seen in the face of a stranger for a fortnight; he told me, what he need
+not, that he was a Frenchman, and a noble Advocate of <i>Perpignan</i>; that
+his name was <i>Anglois</i>, and that his ancestors were English; that he had
+walked on foot, with his maid, from <i>Barcelona</i>, in order to pay his
+devotions to the Holy Virgin of <i>Montserrat</i>, though he had his own
+chaise and mules at <i>Barcelona</i>: he seemed much fatigued, so I gave him
+some chocolate, for he was determined, he said, to get up to the convent
+that night. During this interview, he embraced me several times,
+professed a most affectionate regard for me and my whole family; and I
+felt enough for him, to desire he would fix the day of his return, that
+I might not be out upon my rambles, and that he would dine and spend the
+evening with me; in which case, I would send him back to <i>Barcelona</i> in
+my <i>cabriolet</i>; all which he chearfully <a name="Page_246" id="Page_246"></a>consented to; and having lent
+him my <i>couteau de chasse</i>, as a more convenient weapon on ass-back than
+his fine sword, we parted, reluctantly, for five days; that was the time
+this <i>noble Advocate</i> had allotted for making his peace with the Holy
+Virgin;&mdash;I say, his peace with the Holy Virgin; for he was very
+desirous of leaving <i>his</i> virgin with us, as she was an excellent cook,
+and a most faithful and trusty servant, both which he perceived we
+wanted; yet in spite of his encomiums, there was nothing in the
+behaviour of the girl that corresponded with such an amiable character:
+she had, indeed a beautiful face, but strongly marked with something,
+more like impudence than boldness, and more of that of a pragmatic
+mistress than an humble servant; and therefore we did not accept, what I
+was very certain, she would not have performed. I impatiently, however,
+waited their return, and verily believed the old man had bought his
+crimson velvet breeches and gold-laced waistcoat <a name="Page_247" id="Page_247"></a>in honour of the
+Virgin, and that his visit to her was a pious one.&mdash;He returned to his
+time, and to a sad dinner indeed! but it was the best we could provide.
+He had lost so much of that vivacity he went up with, that I began to
+fear I had lost his friendship, or he the benediction of the Holy
+Virgin. Indeed, I had lost it in some measure, but it was transferred
+but a little way off; for he took the first favourable occasion to tell
+my wife, no woman had ever before made so forcible an impression upon
+him, and said a thousand other fine things, which I cannot repeat,
+without losing the esteem I still have for my countryman; especially as
+he did not propose staying only <i>one night</i> with us, nay, that he would
+depart the next morning <i>de bon matin</i>. During the evening, all his
+former spirits returned, as well as his affection for me: he told me, he
+suspected I wanted money, and if that was the case, those wants should
+be removed; so taking out a large parcel of gold <i>duras</i>, he offered
+<a name="Page_248" id="Page_248"></a>them, and I am persuaded too, he would have lent or given them to me. I
+arose early, to see that my man and chaise were got in good order, to
+conduct so good a friend to <i>Barcelona</i>; but not hearing any thing of
+<i>Monsieur Anglois</i>, I directed my servant to go into his chamber, to
+enquire how he did;&mdash;my man returned, and said, that <i>Madame</i> was awake,
+but that <i>Monsieur</i> still sleeps. Madame! what Madame? said I!&mdash;Is it
+the young woman who came with him? I then found, what I had a little
+suspected, that the mountain virgin was not the <i>only</i> virgin to whom
+<i>Monsieur Anglois</i> made his vows. He soon after, however, came down,
+drank chocolate with us, and making a thousand professions of inviolable
+regard, he set off in my chaise for <i>Barcelona</i>; but I should have told
+you, not till he had made me promise to visit him at <i>Perpignan</i>, where
+he had not only a town, but country house, at my service.&mdash;All these
+professions were made with so much openness, and seeming <a name="Page_249" id="Page_249"></a>sincerity,
+that I could not, nor did doubt it; and as I was determined then to
+leave that unhospitable country, and return to France, I gave him my
+<i>passa-porte</i>, to get it <i>refreshed</i> by the Captain-General at
+<i>Barcelona</i>, that I might return, and pass <i>by</i> the walls only of a town
+I can never think of but with some degree of pain, and should with
+horror, but that I now know there is one man lives in it, and did
+then,<a name="FNanchor_D_4" id="FNanchor_D_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_D_4" class="fnanchor">[D]</a> who has lamented that he had not an opportunity to shew me
+those acts of hospitality his nature and his situation often give him
+occasion to exercise; but the <i>etiquette</i> is, for the stranger to visit
+first; and I found but little encouragement to visit a German Gentleman,
+though married to an English Lady, after the hostile manners I had
+experienced from my <i>friends</i> and <i>countrymen</i>, Messrs. <i>Curtoys</i>,
+<i>Wombwell</i>, &amp;c.</p>
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_250" id="Page_250"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XXX" id="LETTER_XXX"></a>LETTER XXX.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">In the archives of <i>Montserrat</i> they shew you a letter written to the
+Abbe by King Philip the second, who begins, "venerable and devout
+<i>Religieux</i>," and tells him, he approves of his zeal, of his building a
+new church at <i>Montserrat</i>, charges him to continue his prayers for him,
+and, to shew his zeal for that holy house, informs him, that the bearer
+of his letter is <i>Etienne Jordan</i>, the most famous sculptor then in
+Spain, who is to make the new altar-piece at the King's expence, and
+they agreed to pay <i>Jordan</i> ten thousand crowns for the design he laid
+before them: the altar was made at <i>Valladolid</i>, and was brought to
+<i>Montserrat</i> on sixty-six waggons; and as Jordan did much more to the
+work than he had engaged to perform, the King gave him four thousand
+crowns over and above his agreement, and afterwards gave nine <a name="Page_251" id="Page_251"></a>thousand
+crowns more, to gild and add further ornaments to it.</p>
+
+<p>At the death of Philip the Second, his son, Philip, the Third, assisted
+in person to remove the image of the Virgin from the old to the new
+church; which I shall hereafter mention more fully. Before this noble
+altar, in which the figure of the Virgin stands in a nitch about the
+middle of it, are candlesticks of solid silver, each of which weighs
+eighty pounds; they are a yard and a half high; and yet these are mere
+trifles, when compared to the gold and jewels which are shewn
+occasionally.</p>
+
+<p>The monks observe very religiously their statutes; nor is there a single
+hour in the day that you find the church evacuated.&mdash;I always heard at
+least two voices chanting the service, when the monks retire from the
+church, which is not till seven o'clock at night; the pilgrims continue
+there in prayer the greater part of the night.</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252"></a>I should have told you, that beside the superior among the hermits,
+there are two sorts of them, neither of which can possess a hermitage
+till they have spent seven years in the monastery, and given proofs of
+their holy disposition, by acts of obedience, humility, and
+mortification; during, which they spend most of their time, night as
+well as day, in the church, but they never sing or chant. After the
+expiration of the seven years, the Abbot takes the advice of his
+brethren, and if they think the probationer's manners and life entitle
+him to a solitary life above, he is sent,&mdash;but not, perhaps, without
+being enjoined to wait upon some old hermit, who is past doing the
+necessary offices of life for himself.&mdash;Their habit, as I said before,
+is brown, and they wear their long beards; but sometimes the hermits are
+admitted into holy orders, and then they wear black, and shave their
+beards: however, they are not actually fixed to the lonely habitations
+<a name="Page_253" id="Page_253"></a>at first, but generally take seven or eight months trial. Many of the
+abbes, whose power, you may be sure, is very great, and who receive an
+homage from the inferiors, very flattering, have, nevertheless, often
+quitted their power for a retirement above. They observe religiously
+their abstinence from all sorts of flesh; nor are they permitted to eat
+but within their cells. When any of them are very ill, they are brought
+down to the convent; and all buried in one chapel, called St. Joseph.</p>
+
+<p>The lay-brothers are about fourscore in number; they wear a brown habit,
+and are shaved; their duty is to distribute bread, wine, and other
+necessaries, to the poor and the pilgrims, and lodge them according to
+their condition: and many of them are sent into remote parts of the
+kingdom, as well as France and other Catholic countries, to collect
+charity; while those who continue at home assist in <a name="Page_254" id="Page_254"></a>getting in their
+corn, and fetching provisions from the adjacent towns, for which
+purposes they keep a great number, upwards of fifty mules.&mdash;These men
+too have a superior among them, to whom they are all obedient.</p>
+
+<p>There are also a number of children and young students, educated at the
+convent who are taken in at the age of seven or eight years, many of
+whom are of noble families; they all sleep in one apartment, but
+separate beds, where a lamp constantly burns, and their decent
+deportment is wonderful. Dom Jean de Cardonne, admiral of the galleys,
+who succoured Malta when it was besieged by the Turks, was bred at
+<i>Montserrat</i>, and when he wrote to the Abbe, "Recommend me," he said,
+"to the prayers of my little brethren."</p>
+
+<p>As I have already told you of the miracle of a murdered and violated
+virgin coming to life, and of a child of three <a name="Page_255" id="Page_255"></a>months old saying,
+<i>Guerin, rise, thy sins are forgiven thee</i>; perhaps you will not like to
+have further proofs of what miracles are wrought here, or I could give
+you a long list, and unanswerable arguments to prove them.</p>
+
+<p><i>Frere Benoit d'Arragon</i> was a hermit on this mountain, whose sanctity
+of life has made his name immortal in the hermitage of St. Croix. The
+following sketch of his life is engraven.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Occidit hac sacr&atilde; Frater Benedictus in sede,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">"Inclytus &amp; sama, &amp; religione sacer,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">"Hic sexaginta &amp; septem castissimus annos,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">"Vixit in his saxis, te, Deus alme, peccans<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">"Usque senex, senio mansit curvatus &amp; annis<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">"Corpus humo retulit, venerat unde prius<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">"Ast anima exultans, clarum repetivit olympum,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">"Nunc sedet in summo glorificata throno."<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>It appears, that Louis the Fourteenth, King of France, gave a certain
+sum to this convent, to say mass and pray for the soul of his deceased
+mother; the sum however <a name="Page_256" id="Page_256"></a>was not large, being something under fifty
+pounds; and the donation is recorded in the chapel of <i>St. Louis</i>, upon
+a brass lamp.</p>
+
+<p><i>P.S.</i> The time that this wonderful mountain became the habitation of a
+religious community, may be pretty nearly ascertained by the following
+singular epitaph, on a beautiful monument, still legible in the great
+church of <i>Tarragona</i>.</p>
+
+
+<blockquote><p class="noindent">"<i>Hic quiescit Corpus sanct&aelig; memori&aelig; Domini
+Joannis filii Domini Jacobi, Regis
+Arragonum, qui decimo septimo anno &aelig;tatis
+su&aelig; factus Archiepiscopus Toletanus, sic
+dono scienti&aelig; infusus Divinitus &amp; gratia
+pr&aelig;dicationis floruit, quod nullus ejusdem
+&aelig;tatis in hoc ei similis crederetur. Carnem
+suam jejuniis &amp; ciliciis macerans, in
+vigesimo octavo anno &aelig;tatis su&aelig; factus Patriarcha
+Alexandrinus &amp; Administrator
+Ecclesi&aelig; Tarraconensis ordinato per eum,
+inter multa alia bona opera novo Monasterio
+<a name="Page_257" id="Page_257"></a>sterio scal&aelig;</i> Dei <i>Diacessis Tarraconensis,
+ut per ipsam scalam ad Coelum ascenderet
+reddidit spiritum Creatori</i> XIV. <i>kalendas
+Septembris, anno Domini</i> MCCCXXXIV.
+<i>anno vero &aelig;tatis su&aelig;</i> XXXIII. <i>pro quo
+Deus tam in vita, quam post mortem ejusdem
+est multa miracula operatus</i>."</p></blockquote>
+
+
+<p>This very young Bishop was the son of James the second, and his Queen
+<i>Dona Blanca</i>; and that he was Prior of the monastery of Montserrat,
+appears in their archives; for I find the names of several hermits of
+this mountain, that came down to pay homage to him.&mdash;<i>Dederunt
+obedientiam domino Joanni Patriarch&aelig; Alexandrino, &amp; administratori
+prioratus Montis Serrati</i>, &amp;c.&mdash;It is therefore probable, that he was
+the first Prior, and that the convent was built about the year 1300; but
+that the mountain was inhabited by hermits, or men who retired from the
+world many ages before, cannot be doubted.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_258" id="Page_258"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XXXI" id="LETTER_XXXI"></a>LETTER XXXI.</h2>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Dear Sir</span>,</p>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">I have had (since I mentioned the Spanish Ladies in a former letter) an
+opportunity of seeing something more of them; what they may be at
+<i>Madrid</i>, I cannot take upon me to say; but I am inclined to believe,
+that notwithstanding what you have heard of Spanish beauty, you would
+find nature has not been over liberal as to the persons of either sex in
+Spain; and though tolerable good features upon a brown complexion, with
+very black hair finely combed and pinned up with two or three gold
+bodkins, may be very pleasing, as a <i>new object</i>, yet a great deficiency
+would appear, were you to see the same women dressed in the high fashion
+of England or France. England, for real and natural female beauty,
+perhaps <a name="Page_259" id="Page_259"></a>surpasses all the world; France, for dress, elegance, and ease.
+The Spanish women are violent in their passions, and generally govern
+every body under their roof; husbands who contend that point with them,
+often finish their days in the middle of a street, or in a prison; on
+the other hand, I am told, they are very liberal, compassionate, and
+charitable. They have at <i>Barcelona</i> a fine theatre, and tolerable good
+music; but the actors of both sexes are execrable beyond all
+imagination: their first woman, who they say is rich by means of one
+<i>talent or other</i>, (for me, like my little Lyons water girl, has <i>two
+talents</i>) is as contemptible in her person as in her theatrical
+abilities: it is no wonder, indeed; for these people are often taken
+from some of those gipsey troops, I mentioned in a former letter, and
+have, consequently, no other qualifications for the stage but impudence
+instead of confidence, and ignorance instead of a liberal education.
+Perhaps you will conclude, that the <a name="Page_260" id="Page_260"></a>theatre at <i>Madrid</i> affords much
+better entertainment; on the contrary, I am well assured it is in
+general much worse: a Gentleman who understands the language perfectly,
+who went to <i>Madrid</i> with no other view but to gratify his curiosity, in
+seeing what was worthy of notice there, went only once to the theatre,
+where the heat of the house, and the wretchedness of the performance,
+were equally intolerable; nor are the subjects very inviting to a
+stranger, as they often perform what they call "<i>Autos
+Sacramentales</i>"&mdash;<i>sacramental representations</i>. The people of fashion,
+in general, have no idea of serving their tables with elegance, or
+eating delicately; but rather, in the stile of our fore-fathers, without
+spoon or fork, they use their own fingers, and give drink from the glass
+of others; foul their napkins and cloaths exceedingly, and are served at
+table by servants who are dirty, and often very offensive. I was
+admitted, by accident, to a Gentleman's house, of large fortune, while
+<a name="Page_261" id="Page_261"></a>they were at dinner; there were seven persons at a round table, too
+small for five; two of the company were visitors; yet neither their
+dinner was so good, nor their manner of eating it so delicate, as may be
+seen in the kitchen of a London tradesman. The dessert (in a country
+where fruit is so fine and so plenty) was only a large dish of the seeds
+of <i>pomegranates</i>, which they eat with wine and sugar. In truth, Sir, an
+Englishman who has been in the least accustomed to eat at genteel
+tables, is, of all other men, least qualified to travel into either
+kingdoms, and particularly into Spain; especially, if what Swift says be
+true, that "a nice man is a man of dirty ideas,"&mdash;I know not the reason,
+whether it proceeds from climate, or food, or from the neglect of the
+poorer order of the people; but <i>head combing</i> seems to be a principal
+part of the day's business among the women in Spain; and it is generally
+done rather publicly.&mdash;The most lively, chearful, neat young woman, I
+saw in Spain, lived in the same house I did at <i>Barcelona</i>; she had a
+good <a name="Page_262" id="Page_262"></a>complexion, and, what is very uncommon, rather light hair; and
+though perfectly clean and neat in her apparel, yet I observed a woman,
+not belonging to the house, attended every morning to comb this girl's
+head, and I believe it was <i>necessary</i> to be combed. I could not very
+well ask the question; but I suspect that there are people by profession
+called <i>headcombers</i>; every shop door almost furnishes you with a
+specimen of that business; and if it is so common in <i>Barcelona</i>, among
+a rich and industrious people, you may imagine, it is infinitely more so
+among the slothful part of the inland cities and smaller towns;&mdash;but
+this is not the only objection a stranger (and especially an English
+Protestant) will find to Spain; the common people do not look upon an
+Englishman as a Christian; and the life of a man, not a Christian, is of
+no more importance in their eyes than the life of a dog: it is not
+therefore safe for a protestant to trust himself far from the maritime
+cities, as an hundred <a name="Page_263" id="Page_263"></a>unforeseen incidents may arise, among people so
+ignorant and superstitious, to render it very unsafe to a man known to
+be a Protestant. If it be asked, how the Consuls, English merchants, &amp;c.
+escape?&mdash;I can give no other reason than what a Spaniard gave me, when I
+put that question to him:&mdash;"Sir," said he, "we have men here, (meaning
+Barcelona) who are Protestants all day, and Papists all night; and we
+have a chapel where they go, into which no other people are admitted."
+However, I was convinced, before I went into Spain this time, from what
+I remembered formerly, that it was necessary to appear a good Catholic;
+so that I always carried a little crucifix, or two, some beads, and
+other <i>accidental</i> marks of my faith; and where I staid any time, or,
+indeed, where I slept upon the road, I took occasion to let some of
+those <i>powerful protectors</i> be seen, as it were, by chance;&mdash;it is very
+necessary to avail one's self of such innocent frauds, in a country
+where innocence <a name="Page_264" id="Page_264"></a>itself may not be sufficient to shield you from the
+fury of religious bigotry, where people think they are serving God, by
+destroying men: The best method to save yourself, is by serving God in
+the same manner they do, till you are out of their power. I really
+thought, that Philosophy and Reason entered into Spain at the same gate
+that the Jesuits were turned out of the kingdom; and, I suppose, some
+did; but it must be many years before it is sufficiently diffused over
+the whole nation, to render it a country like France; where men, who
+behave with decency and decorum, may live, or pass through, without the
+least apprehension or inconvenience on the score of religion; if they do
+not meddle with politics or fortifications.</p>
+
+<p>That you may not imagine my suspicions of the danger of passing thro'
+Spain are ill founded, I will relate what happened to two English
+Gentlemen of fashion at <i>Marcia</i> as I had it from the mouth of one <a name="Page_265" id="Page_265"></a>of
+them lately:&mdash;they had procured letters of recommendation from some
+friends to the <i>Alguazile</i>, or chief magistrate of that town; and as
+there were some unfavourable appearances at their first entering
+<i>Marcia</i>, and more so at their <i>posada</i>, they thought it right to send
+their letters directly to the <i>Alguazile</i>; who, instead of asking them
+to his house, or visiting them, sent a servant to say he was ill, and
+who was directed to invite them to go that night to the comedy: they
+thought it right, however, to accept the invitation, extraordinary as it
+was: the <i>Alguazile</i>'s servant conducted them to the theatre, and paid
+(for he was directed so to do, he said) for their admittance; and having
+conducted his strangers into the pit, he retired. The comedy was then
+begun; but, nevertheless, the eyes of the whole house were turned upon
+them, and their's, to their great astonishment, upon the <i>sick
+Alguazile</i> with his whole family. Those near whom they at first stood,
+retired to some <a name="Page_266" id="Page_266"></a>distance: they could not, he said, consider the manner
+in which they were looked at, and retired from, but to arise from
+disgust or dislike, more than from curiosity. This reception, and the
+manner in which they had been sent there, deprived them of all the
+amusement the house afforded; for though the performers had no great
+excellence, there was, among the female part of the audience, more
+beauty than they expected. Mr. B&mdash;&mdash;, one of the Gentlemen, at length
+discovered near him in the pit a man whom he knew to be an Irishman, and
+in whole countenance he plainly perceived a desire to speak, but he
+seemed with-held by prudence. At length, however, he was got near enough
+to his countryman to hear him say, without appearing to address himself
+to any body, "<i>Go hence! go hence</i>!" They did so; and the next morning,
+tho' it was a fine town, which they wished to examine, and to spend some
+time in, set off early for <i>Carthagena</i>, where they had some particular
+friends, to whom they related the <a name="Page_267" id="Page_267"></a><i>Alguazile</i>'s very extraordinary
+behaviour, as well as that of the company at the theatre. It was near
+the time of the Carnival at <i>Carthagena</i>: the conduct of <i>Don Marco</i> to
+the two gentlemen strangers, became the subject of conversation, and
+indeed of indignation, among the Spaniards of that civilized city; and
+the <i>Alguazile</i>, who came to the Carnival there soon after, died by the
+hands of an assassin; he was stabbed by a mask in the night. Now suppose
+this man lost his life at <i>Carthagena</i>, for his ill behaviour to the two
+strangers at <i>Marcia</i>, or for any other cause, it is very certain, if
+natives are so liable to assassination, strangers are not more secure.</p>
+
+<p>P.S. To give you some idea of the address of the pulpit oratory in
+Spain, about sixty or seventy years ago, (and it is not in general much
+better at present) take the following specimen, which I assure you, is
+strictly true:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268"></a>A preacher holding forth in the place called <i>Las</i> Mancanas at Madrid,
+after informing his auditors of the sufferings of Jesus Christ,
+added,&mdash;and is it not strange, that we still continue to sin on, and
+live without repentance? O Lord God! said he, why sufferest thou such
+ungrateful and wretched sinners to live?&mdash;And instantly giving himself a
+violent box on the ear, the whole assembly followed his example, and
+four thousand <i>soufflets</i> were given and received in the twinkling of an
+eye.&mdash;The French Embassador, from whose <i>memoires</i> I take this story,
+was upon that instant bursting out in laughter at the pious ceremony,
+had he not been checked by one of his friends, who happened to stand
+near, and who assured him, that his rank and character would not have
+saved him, had he been so indiscreet, for the enraged populace would
+have cut him in a thousand pieces; whereupon he hid his face in his
+handkerchief, and boxed his own ears more for the love of himself than
+from gratitude to his Redeemer.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_269" id="Page_269"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XXXII" id="LETTER_XXXII"></a>LETTER XXXII.</h2>
+
+
+<p class="noindent">There are in Spain twelve councils of state, viz. of <i>War</i>, of
+<i>Castile</i>, of the <i>Inquisition</i>, of the royal orders of <i>St. Iago</i>, of
+<i>Arragon</i>, of the <i>Indies</i>, of the chamber of <i>Castile</i>, of the
+<i>Croisade</i>, of the <i>State</i>, of <i>Italy</i>, of the <i>Finances and Treasure</i>,
+and lastly, that (of no use) of <i>Flanders</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The council of <i>War</i> is composed of experienced men of various orders,
+who are thought capable of advising upon that subject, and not of any
+determinate number.</p>
+
+<p>That of <i>Castile</i> has a president and sixteen other members, beside a
+secretary and inferior officers; it is the first of all the councils,
+and takes cognizance of civil as well as criminal matters. The King
+calls this council only <span class="smcap">Our</span> council, to mark its superiority to
+all others. The president is a man of great authority, and is treated
+<a name="Page_270" id="Page_270"></a>with the utmost respect; nor does he ever visit any body.</p>
+
+<p>The council of the <i>Inquisition</i>, established by <i>Don Fernando</i> in 1483,
+has an inquisitor general for its president, who is always a <i>Grandee</i>
+of the first condition; he has six counsellors, who are called apostolic
+inquisitors. This court, (the power of which has, fortunately for
+mankind, been of late years greatly abridged) has a great number of
+inferior officers, as well as <i>holy spies</i>, all over the kingdom,
+particularly at <i>Seville</i>, <i>Toledo</i>, <i>Valladolid</i>, <i>Barcelona</i>, and
+other places, where these horrid tribunals are fixed; each is governed
+by three counsellors, who, however, are dependant on that of Madrid; and
+to whom they are obliged every month to give a particular account of
+what has passed through their hands. These men have not power to
+imprison a priest, a religious, nor even a gentleman, without obtaining
+the consent of the supreme court above; <a name="Page_271" id="Page_271"></a>they meet at <i>Madrid</i> twice
+every day, and two of the King's council always attend at the afternoon
+meeting.</p>
+
+<p>Of the council of the three royal orders of Spain; that of <i>Santiago</i> is
+the first; the other two are <i>Calatrava</i> and <i>Alcantara</i>. It is composed
+of a president, six counsellors, and other officers.</p>
+
+<p>The president of the council of <i>Arragon</i> is called the vice chancellor;
+who is assisted by nine counsellors, and inferior officers. This council
+attend to the public state of the kingdom of <i>Arragon</i>, as well as to
+the islands of <i>Majorca</i>, <i>Ivica</i>, &amp;c.</p>
+
+<p>The council of the <i>Indies</i> was established in 1511, for the
+conservation and augmentation of the new kingdoms discovered by
+<i>Columbus</i> in South America, in 1492; and where the Spaniards have at
+this time four thousand nine hundred leagues of land, including <i>Mexico</i>
+and <i>Peru</i>; land divided into many kingdoms and provinces, in which they
+had built, in the <a name="Page_272" id="Page_272"></a>year 1670, upwards of eight thousand churches, and
+more than a thousand convents. They have there a patriarch, six
+arch-bishops, and thirty-two bishops, and three tribunals of the
+inquisition. This council is composed of a president, a grand
+chancellor, and twelve counsellors, a treasurer, secretary, advocates,
+agents, and an infinite number of inferior officers. They meet twice a
+week, to regulate all the affairs, both by land and sea, relative to
+that part of the King's dominions.</p>
+
+<p>The council of the <i>Croisade</i> is composed of a president, who is called
+the commissary general, and who has great privileges. The clergy are
+obliged to pay something annually to it; and if any one finds a purse of
+money in the streets, they are obliged to deliver it to the secretary of
+this council.</p>
+
+<p>The council of <i>State</i> is composed of men of the first birth and
+understanding about the court. The King presides, and <a name="Page_273" id="Page_273"></a>is assisted by
+the archbishop of <i>Toledo</i>. This council is not confined to any certain
+number; they meet three times a week, to deliberate on the most
+important affairs of the kingdom.</p>
+
+<p>The council of <i>Italy</i> attends to the affairs of <i>Naples</i>, <i>Sicily</i>, and
+<i>Milan</i>; it is composed of a president, and six counsellors, three of
+whom are Spaniards, one Neapolitan, one Italian, and one Sicilian; each
+of which have their separate charge on the affairs of those countries.</p>
+
+<p>The council of <i>Finances and Treasure</i> is composed of a president, who
+is called <i>presidente de hazienda</i>, that is, superintendant of the
+finances; eight counsellors, and a great number of other officers,
+beside treasurers, controllers, &amp;c., who have a great share of the most
+important affairs of the nation to regulate; they hear causes, and are
+not only entrusted with the treasures of the kingdom, but <a name="Page_274" id="Page_274"></a>with
+administration of justice to all the king's subjects. You may easily
+judge what a number of officers compose this council, when I tell you,
+that they have twenty-six treasurers.</p>
+
+<p>The council of <i>Flanders</i> have now only the <i>name</i>; as the King of
+England bears that of France.&mdash;The formal manner which men, high in
+office or blood, observe in paying or receiving visits, is very
+singular: the inquisitor-general, for instance, has several black lines
+marked upon the floor of his anti-chamber, by which he limits the
+civilities he is to shew to men, according to the rank or office they
+bear: he has his <i>black</i> marks for an embassador, an envoy, &amp;c. When
+people of condition at Madrid propose to make a visit, it is previously
+announced by a page, to know the day and hour they can be received; and
+this ceremony is often used on ordinary visits, as well as those of a
+more public nature: the page too has his <a name="Page_275" id="Page_275"></a>coach to carry him upon these
+errands. I have seen the account of a visit made by the Cardinal of
+<i>Arragon</i> to the Admiral of <i>Castile</i>, the train of which filled the
+whole street; he was carried by six servants in a magnificent chair, and
+followed by his body coach drawn by eight mules, attended by his
+gentlemen, pages, esquires, all mounted on horseback, and arrayed in a
+most sumptuous manner. Every order of men assume an air of importance in
+Spain. I have been assured, that when a shoemaker has been called upon
+to make a pair of shoes, he would not undertake the work till he had
+first enquired of <i>Dona</i>, his wife, whether there was any money in the
+house? if she answered in the affirmative, he would not work. Even the
+beggars do not give up this universal privilege, as the following
+instance will evince:&mdash;A foreigner of fashion, who was reading in a
+bookseller's shop in Madrid, was accosted by one of the town beggars,
+who in an arrogant manner asked his charity, in <a name="Page_276" id="Page_276"></a>terms which implied a
+demand rather than a favour. The stranger made no reply, nor did he take
+the least notice, but determined to continue reading, and dismiss the
+insolent beggar by his silent contempt: this encreased the beggar's
+hardiness; he told him, he might find time enough to read after he had
+attended to his request, and what he had to say. But still the gentleman
+read on, and disregarded his rudeness. At length, the beggar stept up to
+him, and with an air of the utmost insolence, at the same time taking
+him hold by the arm, added, What! neither charity, nor courtesy? By this
+time, the stranger lost all patience, and was going to correct him for
+his temerity:&mdash;Stop, Sir, (said the beggar, in a lower tone of voice)
+hear me;&mdash;pardon, me, Sir; do you not know me? No, certainly; replied
+the stranger, But, said he, you ought, for I was secretary to an embassy
+in a certain capital, where we lived together in intimacy; and then told
+him his <a name="Page_277" id="Page_277"></a>name, and the particular misfortunes which had reduced him to
+that condition; he expressed himself with art, address, and eloquence,
+and succeeded in getting money from the gentleman, though he could not
+convince him that he was his old acquaintance.</p>
+
+<p>There are in Spain an infinite number of such sort of beggars, who are
+men of sense and letters, and so <i>au fait</i> in the art, that they will
+not be denied. The grand secret of the art of begging is in
+perseverance; and all the <i>well-bred</i> part of beggars do not despair,
+though they have ten refusals. But the worst sort of beggars in Spain,
+are the troops of male and female gipsies: these are the genuine breed,
+and differ widely from all other human beings. In Spain I often met
+troops of these people; and when that interview happens in roads very
+distant from towns or dwellings, the interview is not very pleasing; for
+they ask as if they knew they were not <a name="Page_278" id="Page_278"></a>to be refused; and, I dare say,
+often commit murders, when they can do it by surprize. Whenever I saw
+any of these people at a distance, I walked with a gun in my hand, and
+near to the side of my chaise, where there were pistols visible; and by
+shewing them I was not afraid, or, at least, making them believe so,
+they became afraid of us. They are extremely swarthy, with hair as black
+as jet; and form a very picturesque scene under the shade of those rocks
+and trees, where they spend their evenings; and live in a manner by no
+means disagreeable, in a climate so suitable to that style, where bread,
+water, and idleness is certainly preferable to better fare and hard
+labour. It is owing to this universal idleness that the roads, the inns,
+and every thing, but what is absolutely necessary, is neglected; yet,
+bad as the roads are, they are better than the <i>posada</i>, or inns. <i>El
+salir de la posada, es la mejor jornada</i>,&mdash;"<i>the best part of the
+journey</i>, say the Spaniards, <i>is the getting <a name="Page_279" id="Page_279"></a>out of the posada</i>." For
+as neither king nor people are at much expence to make or mend the high
+ways, except just about the capital cities, they are dry or wet, rough
+or smooth, steep or rugged, just as the weather or the soil happens to
+favour or befoul them.&mdash;Now, here is a riddle for your son; I know he is
+an adept, and will soon overtake me.</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">I'm rough, I'm smooth, I'm wet, I'm dry;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">My station's low, my title's high;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">The King my lawful master is;<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I'm us'd by all, though only his:<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">My common freedom's so well known,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">I am for that a proverb grown.<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>The roads in Spain are, like those in Ireland, very <i>narrow</i>, and the
+leagues very long. When I complained to an Irish soldier of the length
+of the miles, between Kinsale and Cork, he acknowledged the truth of my
+observation; but archly added, that though they were <i>long</i>, they were
+but <i>narrow</i>.&mdash;Three Spanish leagues make nearly twelve English miles;
+and, <a name="Page_280" id="Page_280"></a>consequently, seventeen Spanish leagues make nearly one degree.
+The bad roads, steep mountains, rapid rivers, &amp;c. occasion most of the
+goods and merchandize, which are carried from one part of the kingdom to
+the other, to be conveyed on mule-back, and each mule has generally a
+driver; and as these drivers have their fixed stages from <i>posada</i> to
+<i>posada</i>, so must the gentlemen travellers also, because there are no
+other accommodations on the roads but such houses; the stables therefore
+at the <i>posadas</i> are not only very large, but the best part of the
+building, and is the lodging-room of man and beast; all the muleteers
+sleep there, with their cloaths on, upon a bundle of straw: but while
+your supper is preparing, the kitchen is crowded with a great number of
+these dirty fellows, whose cloaths are full of vermin; it would be
+impossible, therefore, for even a good cook to dress a dish with any
+decency or cleanliness, were such a cook to be found; for, exclusive of
+the <a name="Page_281" id="Page_281"></a>numbers, there is generally a quarrel or two among them, and at all
+times a noise, which is not only tiresome, but frequently alarming.
+These people, however, often carry large sums of money, and tho' they
+are dirty, they are not poor nor dishonest.&mdash;I was told in France, to
+beware of the <i>Catalans</i>; yet I frequently left many loose things in and
+about my chaise, where fifty people lay, and never lost any thing.</p>
+
+<p>When I congratulated myself in a letter to my brother, upon finding in
+Wales a Gentleman of the name of Cooke, whose company, conversation, and
+acquaintance, were so perfectly pleasing to me; my brother observed,
+however, that my Welch <i>friend</i> was not a <i>Welchman</i>, for, said he,
+"there are no COOKS in Wales;"&mdash;but this observation may be with more
+justice applied to Spain; for I think there are no COOKS in Spain; but
+there are, what is better, a great number of honest, virtuous men: I
+look upon the <a name="Page_282" id="Page_282"></a>true, genuine Spaniards to be as respectable men as any
+in Europe; and that, among the lower order of them there is more honour
+and honesty than is to be found among more polished nations; and, I dare
+say, there were an hundred Spaniards at <i>Barcelona</i>, had they been as
+well informed about my identity as Messrs. Curtoys and Wombwell, that
+would have changed my notes, or lent me money without.</p>
+
+<p><i>P.S.</i> The tour through Spain and Portugal by <span class="smcap">Udal</span> ap
+<span class="smcap">Rhys</span>, grandfather to the now Mr. Price of Foxley in
+Herefordshire, abounds with more falshoods than truths; indeed I have
+been told it was written, as many modern travels are, over a pipe in a
+chimney corner: and I hope Mr. Udal never was in Spain, as "<i>one fib is
+more excusable than a thousand</i>."</p>
+
+
+
+<hr style="width: 65%;" />
+<a name="Page_283" id="Page_283"></a><h2><a name="LETTER_XXXIII" id="LETTER_XXXIII"></a>LETTER XXXIII.</h2>
+
+<div class="place"><span class="smcap">Nismes</span>.</div>
+
+
+<p class="noindent"><i>Mons<sup>r</sup> Anglois</i> having sent me back my <i>passa-porte</i>, signed by <i>Don
+Philipe Cabine</i>, the Captain-General of <i>Barcelona</i>, accompanied by a
+very kind and friendly letter, I determined to quit the only place in
+Spain which had afforded me pleasure, amusement, and delight. We
+accordingly sat off the next day for <i>Martorel</i>, and went to the Three
+Kings, where our Italian host, whose extortions I had complained of
+before, received us with a face of the utmost disdain; and though he had
+no company in his house, put us into much worse apartments than those we
+had been in before. I ordered something for supper, and left it to him,
+as he had given us a very good one before; but he was not only
+determined to punish us in lodging, <a name="Page_284" id="Page_284"></a>but in eating also, and sent only
+four little mutton cutlets, so small, that they were not sufficient for
+one, instead of four persons; we pretended, however, not to perceive his
+insolence, that he might not enjoy our punishment; and the next day, as
+I was desirous of looking about me a little, we removed to another
+<i>posada</i>, where, about noon, a Canon of great ecclesiastical preferment
+arrived, with a coach, six mules, and a large retinue, to dinner: the
+Canon had no more the marks of a gentleman than a muleteer; and he had
+with him two or three persons, of no better appearance. While his
+dinner, a kind of <i>olla</i>, was preparing, I went into the kitchen, where
+the smell of the rancid oil with which it was dressed, would have dined
+two or three men of moderate or tender stomachs; nor had he any other
+dish. There was behind his coach a great quantity of bedding,
+bed-steads, &amp;c. so you will perceive he travelled <i>comme il faut</i>. His
+livery servants were numerous, and had on very <a name="Page_285" id="Page_285"></a>short livery coats, with
+large sleeves, and still shorter waists. After he had eat a dinner,
+enough to poison a pack of hounds, he sat off in great pomp for
+<i>Barcelona</i>, a city I passed the next day with infinite pleasure,
+without entering its inhospitable gates; which I could not have done,
+had not <i>Mons. Anglois</i> saved me that mortification by getting my <i>passa
+porte refreshed</i>. I confess, Sir, that while I passed under the
+fortifications of that city, which the high road made necessary, I felt,
+I knew not why, a terror about me, that my frame is in general a
+stranger to; and rather risqued two hours' night travelling, bad and
+dangerous as the roads were, than sleep within four leagues of it; so
+that it was ten o'clock before we got to <i>Martereau</i>, a little city by
+the sea side, where we had lodged on our way to <i>Barcelona</i>. The next
+day, we proceeded on the same delightful sea coast we had before passed,
+and through the same rich villages, on our way to <i>Girone, Figuiere</i>,
+&amp;c. and avoided that horrid<a name="Page_286" id="Page_286"></a> <i>posada</i> where the Frenchman died, by lying
+at a worse house, but better people: but having bought a brace of
+partridges, and some <i>red fish</i> on the road, we fared sumptuously,
+except in beds, which were straw mattrasses, very hard, and the room
+full of wet Indian corn; but we were no sooner out of our <i>posada</i>, than
+the climate and the beautiful country made ample amends for the town and
+<i>posada</i> grievances.</p>
+
+<p>It is contrary to the law of Spain to bring more than a certain quantity
+of Spanish gold or silver out of the kingdom, and I had near an hundred
+pounds in gold <i>duras</i>, about the size of our quarter guineas. I
+endeavoured to change them at <i>Figuiere</i>, but I found some very artful,
+I may say roguish, schemes laid, to defraud me, by a pretended
+difficulty to get French money, and therefore determined to proceed with
+it to <i>Jonquiere</i>, the last village, where it was not probable I could
+find so much French money. I therefore had a very <a name="Page_287" id="Page_287"></a>large French <i>queue</i>
+made up, within which the greater part of my Spanish gold was bound; and
+as the weight <i>made</i> me hold up my <i>tete d'or</i>, the custom-house
+officers there, who remembered my entrance into Spain, found
+half-a-crown put into their hands less trouble than examining my baggage
+gratis; they accordingly <i>passed</i> me on my way to <i>Bellegarde</i>, without
+even opening it; and we found the road up to that fortress, though in
+the month of December, full as good as when we had passed it in the
+summer; and after descending on the French side, and crossing the river,
+got to the little <i>auberge</i> at <i>Boulon</i>, the same we had held too bad
+when we went into Spain, even to eat our breakfast at; but upon our
+return, worthy of a place of rest, and we accordingly staid there a
+week: beds with curtains, rooms with chimnies, and paper windows, though
+tattered and torn, were luxuries we had been unaccustomed to.&mdash;But I
+must not omit to tell you, that on our road down on the French <a name="Page_288" id="Page_288"></a>side of
+the <i>Pyrenees</i>, two men, both armed with guns, rushed suddenly out of
+the woods, and making towards us, asked, whether we wanted a guard? I
+was walking, perhaps fortunately at that time, with my fuzee in my hand,
+and my servant had a double barrelled pistol in his; and therefore
+forbid them to approach us, and told them, we had nothing else to lose
+but our lives, and that if they did not retire I should look upon them
+as people who meant to plunder, rather than protect us: they accordingly
+retired into the woods, and I began to believe they had no evil intent;
+but finding an <i>Exempt</i> of the <i>Marechaussee</i> at <i>Boulon</i>, I told him
+what had passed, and asked him whether his men attended upon that road,
+in coloured cloaths, or any others were allotted, to protect or guard
+travellers? He assured me there were no such people of any kind; that
+his men always moved on horseback, in their proper character, and
+suspected <i>our guard</i> would have been very <a name="Page_289" id="Page_289"></a>troublesome, had they found
+us <i>off our guard</i>; but he did not offer, nor did I ask him, to send
+after them, though he was a very civil, sensible man, who had been three
+years on duty in <i>Corsica</i>; and, consequently, his company, for the week
+I staid in such a poor town, was very agreeable. And as <i>Mons. Bernard</i>,
+or some officer of the <i>Marechaussee</i>, is always in duty at this town, I
+would advise those who enter into Spain, by that route, to procure a
+couple of those men to escorte them up to <i>Bellegarde</i>&mdash;an attention
+that no officer in France will refuse to shew, when it is not
+incompatible with his duty.</p>
+
+<p>The rapid water at this town, which I had passed going into Spain, was
+now lower than usual. Here too my horse, as well as his master, lived
+truly <i>in clover</i>; and though our habitation was humble, a habitation at
+the very foot of the <i>Pyrenees</i> could not but be very beautiful; no part
+of France is more so; it is indeed a <a name="Page_290" id="Page_290"></a>beautiful and noble sight, to see
+the hanging plantations of vines, olives, and mulberry-trees, warmed by
+a hot sun on the sides of those mountains, the upper parts of which are
+covered with a perpetual snow. But beautiful as all that part of the
+country is, there was not a single gentleman's house in the environs.</p>
+
+<p>After a compleat week's refreshment, we proceeded to <i>Perpignan</i> to
+spend our Christmas, where we found the <i>Chevalier de Maigny</i> and his
+Lady, who had given us the letter of recommendation to the French Consul
+at <i>Barcelona</i>; who shewed us those marks of civility and politeness,
+French officers in general shew to strangers. There we staid a
+fortnight; and <i>Mons. de Maigny</i> got me a considerable profit, in
+changing my Spanish gold for French.</p>
+
+<p>In this town, I found an unfortunate young Irishman; he had been there
+three months, without a friend or a shilling in <a name="Page_291" id="Page_291"></a>his pocket; and as he
+was a man of education and good breeding, I could not so soon forget my
+own situation at <i>Barcelona</i>, not to pity his: but what most induced me
+to assist him a little, was, what he feared might have had a contrary
+effect. When I asked him his name, he readily answered, "R&mdash;h; an
+unfortunate name!" said he;&mdash;"but, as it is my name, I will <i>wear
+it</i>."&mdash;He had a well-wisher in the town, a French watch-maker, to whom
+he imparted the little kindness I had shewn him; and as it was not
+enough to conduct him on foot to the north side of this kingdom, the
+generous, but poor watch-maker, gave him as much as I had done, and he
+sat off with a light heart, though a <i>thin pair of breeches</i>, for his
+own country. He had been to visit a rich relation at Madrid; and, I
+believe, did not meet with so cordial a reception there as he expected.</p>
+
+<p>At this town I drank, at a private gentleman's house, part of a bottle
+of the wine <a name="Page_292" id="Page_292"></a>made at a little village hard by, called <i>Rios Alto</i>; the
+most delicious wine I ever tasted: but as the spot produces but a small
+quantity, that which is really of the growth is very scarce, as well as
+dear: it has the strength of full port, with a flavour superior to
+burgundy.</p>
+
+<p><i>Perpignan</i> is the principal city of <i>Rosillein</i>; it is well fortified,
+but the works are in a ruinous condition: the streets are narrow and
+dirty, but the Governor's, and the botanic gardens are worthy of notice:
+the climate is remarkably fine, and the air pure. The <i>Pyrenees</i>, which
+are at least fifteen miles distant, appear to hang in a manner over the
+town: to see so much snow, and feel so much sun, is very singular. Wood
+is very scarce and dear in that town: I frequently saw mules and asses
+loaded with rosemary and lavender bushes, to sell for firing. The
+barbarous language of the common people of this province, is very
+convenient, as they understand French, <a name="Page_293" id="Page_293"></a>and can make themselves
+understood thro' a great part of Spain: from which kingdom not a day
+passes but mules and carriages arrive, except when the heavy rains or
+snow obstruct the communication.&mdash;The mules and asses of Spain, and this
+part of France, are not only very useful but valuable beasts: the only
+way to get a valuable one of either sort from Spain, is, to fix upon the
+beast, and promise a round sum to one of the religious mendicants to
+smuggle it out of the kingdom, who covers the animal with bags, baskets,
+and a variety of trumpery, as if he was going into France to collect
+charity: and passes either by <i>not</i> being suspected, or by being a
+<i>Religieux</i> if he is suspected.</p>
+
+<p>As we took exactly the same route from <i>Perpignan</i> to this town as we
+went, except leaving <i>Cette</i> a few leagues on our left; I shall say
+nothing of our return, but that we relished our reception at the French
+inns, and the good cheer we found there, <a name="Page_294" id="Page_294"></a>infinitely more than as we
+went: and that we were benighted for some hours before we got into
+<i>Montpellier</i>, and caught in the most dreadful storm of rain, thunder
+and lightning I ever was exposed to. I was obliged for two hours to hold
+my horse's bridle on one side, as my man did on the other, and feel with
+sticks for the margin of the road, as it was elevated very high above
+the marshy lands, and if the heel had slipped over on either side, it
+must have overset the chaise into the lowlands: besides which, the
+roaring of the water-streams was so great, that I very often thought we
+were upon the margin of some river or high bridge: nor was my suffering
+quite over even after I got into the city: I could not find my former
+<i>auberge</i>, nor meet with any body to direct me: and the water-spouts
+which fell into the middle of those narrow streets almost deluged
+us.&mdash;My poor horse, too, found the steep streets, slippery pavement, and
+tons of water which <a name="Page_295" id="Page_295"></a>fell upon him, as much as he could well bear: but,
+as the old song says,</p>
+
+<div class="poem"><div class="stanza">
+<span class="i0">"Alas! by some degree of woe,<br /></span>
+<span class="i0">We every bliss obtain;"<br /></span>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>So we found a good fire and good cheer an ample recompence for our wet
+jackets. It was so very dark, that though I led my horse by the head
+above a league, I could but seldom see him: nor do I remember in my
+whole life to have met with any difficulty which so agitated my
+mind:&mdash;no: not even at the <i>bar of the House of Lords</i>, I did not dread
+the danger so much, as the idea of tumbling my family over a precipice,
+without the power to assist them; or, if they were <i>gone</i>, resolution
+enough to <i>follow them</i>.</p>
+
+
+<h3>END <i>of the</i> FIRST VOLUME.</h3>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+<h3>Footnotes</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a>
+<a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> The Bishops in Spain are attended and waited upon by
+inferior clergy.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_B_2" id="Footnote_B_2"></a>
+<a href="#FNanchor_B_2"><span class="label">[B]</span></a> <span class="smcap">Bath</span>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_C_3" id="Footnote_C_3"></a>
+<a href="#FNanchor_C_3"><span class="label">[C]</span></a> The arms of the Abbey are&mdash;A
+saw in the middle of a rock.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_D_4" id="Footnote_D_4"></a>
+<a href="#FNanchor_D_4"><span class="label">[D]</span></a> Mr. <span class="smcap">Thalditzer</span>.</p></div>
+
+<br />
+<br />
+<hr />
+<br />
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Year's Journey through France and
+Part of Spain, 1777, by Philip Thicknesse
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+</pre>
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Year's Journey through France and Part of
+Spain, 1777, by Philip Thicknesse
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Year's Journey through France and Part of Spain, 1777
+       Volume 1 (of 2)
+
+Author: Philip Thicknesse
+
+Release Date: August 8, 2005 [EBook #16485]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK JOURNEY THROUGH FRANCE ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by From images generously made available by gallica
+(Bibliotheque nationale de France) at
+http://gallica.bnf.fr., Robert Connal, Chuck Greif and the
+Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+A
+
+YEAR'S JOURNEY
+
+THROUGH
+
+FRANCE,
+
+AND
+
+PART OF SPAIN.
+
+
+BY
+
+PHILIP THICKNESSE.
+
+
+VOLUME I
+
+
+DUBLIN
+Printed by J. Williams, (No. 21.) Skinner-Row.
+M,DCC,LXXVII.
+
+
+
++----------------------------------------------------------+
+|                                                          |
+| Transcriber's Note: The long-s has been modernized to s. |
+|                                                          |
++----------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+A
+
+JOURNEY, &c.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+
+
+
+LETTER I
+
+CALAIS, June 20th, 1775
+
+DEAR SIR,
+
+As you are kind enough to say, that those letters which I wrote from
+this kingdom, nine or ten years ago, were of some use to you, in the
+little tour you made through France soon after, and as they have been
+considered in some degree to be so to many other persons, (since their
+publication) who were unacquainted with the manners and customs of the
+French nation, I shall endeavour to bring together, in this second
+correspondence with you, not only some of the former hints I gave you,
+but such other remarks as a longer acquaintance with the country, and a
+more extensive tour, may furnish me with; but before I proceed any
+further, let me remind you, of one great fault I was then guilty of; for
+though your partiality to me might induce you to overlook it, the public
+did not, I mean that of writing when my temper was disturbed, either by
+cross incidents I met with upon the road, or disagreeable news which
+often followed me from my own country into this. I need not tell a man
+of your discernment, in what a different light all objects, whether
+animate, or inanimate, appear to those, whose temper is disturbed,
+either by ill health, ill treatment, or, what is perhaps more prevalent
+than either, the chagrin he may feel at not being rated in the
+estimation of others, according to that value he puts upon himself.
+Could Dr. Smollett rise from the dead, and sit down in perfect health,
+and good temper, and read his travels through France and Italy, he
+would probably find most of his anger turned upon himself. But, poor
+man! he was ill; and meeting with, what every stranger must expect to
+meet at most French inns, want of cleanliness, imposition, and
+incivility; he was so much disturbed by those incidents, that to say no
+more of the writings of an ingenious and deceased author, his travels
+into France, and Italy, are the least entertaining, in my humble
+opinion, of all his works. Indeed I have observed that most travellers
+fall into one extreme, or the other, and either are all panegyric or all
+censure; in which case, all they say cannot be just; for, as all nations
+are governed by men, and the bulk of men of all nations live by artifice
+of one kind or other, the few men who pass among them, without any
+sinister views, cannot avoid feeling, and but few from complaining of
+the ill treatment they meet with; not considering one of Swift's shrewd
+remarks; _I never_ said he, _knew a man who could not bear the
+misfortunes of another perfectly like a Christian_.
+
+Remember therefore, when I tell you how ill I have been treated either
+by _Lords_ or _Aubergists_, or how dirtily served by either, it is to
+prepare myself and you too, to be content with neighbours' fare.
+
+When a man writes remarks upon the manners and customs of other nations,
+he should endeavour to wean himself from all partiality for his own; and
+I need not tell you that I am in _full possession_ of that single
+qualification, which I hope will make you some amends for my defects in
+all the others; for it is certainly unjust, uncandid, and illiberal, to
+pronounce a custom or fashion absurd, because it does not coincide with
+our ideas of propriety. A Turk who travelled into England, would, upon
+his return to Constantinople, tell his countrymen, that at Canterbury;
+(bring out of _opium_,) his host did not know even what he demanded;
+and that it was with some difficulty he found out, that there were shops
+in the town where _opium_ was sold, and even then, it was with greater,
+he could prevail upon the vender of it to let him have above half an
+ounce: if he were questioned, why all these precautions? he would tell
+them, laughingly, that Englishmen believe _opium_ to be a deadly poison,
+and those people suspected that he either meant to kill himself, or to
+poison another man with it.
+
+A French gentleman, who travelled some years since into Spain, had
+letters of recommendation to a Spanish Bishop, who received him with
+every mark of politeness, and treated him with much hospitality: soon
+after he retired to his bedchamber, a priest entered it,[A] holding a
+vessel in his hand, which was covered with a clean napkin; he said
+something; but the Frenchman understanding but little Spanish,
+intimated by signs his thanks, and desired him to put it down,
+believing, that his friend, the Bishop, had sent him a plate of
+sweetmeats, fruit, iced cream, or some kind of refreshment to eat before
+he went to bed, or to refresh his exhausted spirits in the night; but
+his astonishment was great indeed, when he found the priest put the
+present under the side of the bed; and more so, when he perceived that
+it was only a _pot de chambre_;--for, says the Frenchman, "in Spain,
+they do not use the _chaise percee_!" The Frenchman is surprized at the
+Spaniard, for not using so convenient a vehicle; the Englishman is
+equally surprized, that the Frenchman does;--the Frenchman is always
+attentive to his own person, and scarce ever appears but clean and well
+dressed; while his house and private apartments are perhaps covered with
+litter and dirt, and in the utmost confusion;--the Englishman, on the
+other hand, often neglects his external dress; but his house is always
+exquisitely clean, and every thing in it kept in the nicest order; and
+who shall say, which of the two judge the best for their own ease and
+happiness? I am sure the Frenchman will not give up his powdered hair,
+and laced coat, for a clean house; nor do I believe those fineries would
+sit quietly upon the back of an Englishman, in a dirty one. In short, my
+dear sir, we must take the world, and the things in it, as they are; it
+is a dirty world, but like France, has a vast number of good things in
+it, and such as I meet with, in this my third tour, which shall be a
+long one, if I am not _stopped_ by the way, you shall have such an
+account of as I am able to convey to you: I will not attempt to _top the
+traveller_ upon you, nor raise monuments of wonder, where none are to be
+seen; there is real matter enough to be found upon this great continent,
+to amuse a man who travels slowly over it, to see what is to be seen,
+and who wishes not to be seen himself. My style of travelling is such,
+that I can never be disturbed in mind for want of respect, but rather be
+surprised when I meet with even common civility. And, after all, what
+does it signify, whether Monsieur _ou Tel_ travels in a laced coat _et
+tres bien mis_, attended by half a dozen servants, or, as Pope says,
+
+                                   "will run
+  The Lord knows whither in a chaise and one."
+
+
+                                  I am, your's &c.
+
+[A] The Bishops in Spain are attended and waited upon by inferior
+clergy.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER II.
+
+June 25th, 1766.
+
+
+Before I leave Calais, let me remind you, that an English guinea is
+worth more than a _Louis d'or_; and observe, that the first question _my
+friend Mons. Dessein_, at the _Hotel D'Angleterre_ will put to you,
+(after he has made his bow, and given you a side look, as a cock does at
+a barley-corn) is, whether you have any guineas to change? because he
+gets by each guinea, full weight, ten _Sols_. By this hint, you will
+conclude, he will not, upon your return, ask you for your French Gold;
+but in this too you will be mistaken, for he finds an advantage in that
+also; he will, not indeed give you guineas, but, in lieu thereof, he has
+always a large quantity of _Birmingham Shillings_, to truck with you for
+your _Louis d'ors_. I am afraid, when Lord North took into
+consideration the state of the gold coin, he did not know, that the
+better state it is put into in England, is the surest means of
+transporting it into France, and other countries; and that scarce a
+single guinea which travellers carry with them to France, (and many
+hundred go every week) ever returns to England: Beside this, the
+quantity of gold carried over to the ports of _Dunkirk_, _Boulogne_, and
+_Calais_, by the Smugglers, who always pay ready money, is incredible;
+but as money, and matters of that kind, are what I have but _little
+concern in_, I will not enlarge upon a subject no way interesting to me,
+and shall only observe, that my landlord, _Mons. Dessein_, who was
+behind-hand with the world ten years ago, is now become one of the
+richest men in _Calais_, has built a little Theatre in his garden, and
+has united the profitable business of a Banker, to that of a Publican;
+and by studying the _Gout_ of the English nation, and changing their
+gold into French currency, has made, they say, a _Demi Plumb_.
+
+Notwithstanding the contiguity of _Calais_ to England, and the great
+quantity of poultry, vegetables, game, &c. which are bought up every
+market-day, and conveyed to your coast, I am inclined to believe, there
+are not many parts of France where a man, who has but little money, can
+make it go further than in this town; nor is there any town in England,
+where the fishery is conducted with so much industry.
+
+Yesterday I visited my unfortunate daughter, at the convent at
+_Ardres_;--but why do I say unfortunate? She is unfortunate only, in the
+eyes of the world, not in her own; nor indeed in mine, because she
+assured me she is happy. I left her here, you know, ten years ago, by
+way of education, and learning the language; but the small-pox, which
+seized her soon after, made such havock on a face, rather favoured by
+nature, that she desired to hide it from the world, and spend her life
+in that retirement, which I had chosen only to qualify her _for_ the
+world. I left her a child; I found her a sensible woman; full of
+affection and duty; and her mangled and seamed face, so softened by an
+easy mind, and a good conscience, that she appeared in my partial eyes,
+rather an agreeable than a plain woman; but she did not omit to signify
+to me, that what others considered her misfortune, she considered (as it
+was not her fault) a happy circumstance; "if my face is plain (said she)
+my heart is light, and I am sure it will make as good a figure in the
+earth, as the fairest, and most beautiful." My only concern is, that I
+find the _Prieure_ of this convent, either for want of more knowledge,
+or more money, or both, had received, as parlour boarders, some English
+ladies of very suspicious characters. As the conversation of such women
+might interrupt, and disturb that peace and tranquillity of mind, in
+which I found my daughter, I told the _Prieure_ my sentiments on that
+subject, not only with freedom, but with some degree of severity; and
+endeavoured to convince her, how very unwarrantably, if not
+irreligiously she acted. An abandoned, or vicious woman, may paint the
+pleasures of this world in such gaudy colours, to a poor innocent Nun,
+so as to induce her to forget, or become less attentive to the
+professions she has made to the next.
+
+It was near this town, you know, that the famous interview passed
+between Henry the Eighth, and _Francis_ the First, in the year 1520; and
+though it lasted twenty-eight days, and was an event which produced at
+that time so many amusements to all present, and so much conversation
+throughout Europe, the inhabitants of this, town, or Calais, seem to
+know little of it, but that one of the bastions at _Ardres_ is called
+the Bastion of the Two Kings.--There still remains, however, in the
+front of one of the houses in _Calais_, upon an ornamented stone, cut in
+old letter,
+
+                             =God Save the King=;
+
+And I suppose that stone was put, where it now remains, by some loyal
+subject, before the King arrived, as it is in a street which leads from
+the gate (now stopped up) which Henry passed through.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER III.
+
+
+In a very few days I shall leave this town, and having procured letters
+of recommendation from some men of fashion, now in England, to their
+friends in _Spain_, I am determined to traverse this, and make a little
+tour into that kingdom; so you may expect something more from me, than
+merely such remarks as may be useful to you on any future tour you make
+in France; I mean to conduct you at least over the _Pyrenean_ hills to
+_Barcelona_; for, though I have been two or three times before in Spain,
+it was early in life, and when my mind was more employed in observing
+the _customs_ and _manors_ of the birds, and beasts of the field, than
+of their lords and masters, and made too, on the other side of that
+kingdom. Having seen as much of Paris as I desired, some years ago, I
+intend to pass through the provinces of _Artois_, _Champaigne_,
+_Bourgogne_, and so on to _Lyons_; by which route you will perceive, I
+shall leave the capital of this kingdom many leagues on my right hand,
+and see some considerable towns, and taste now and then of the most
+delicious wines, on the spots which produce them; beside this, I have a
+great desire to see the remains of a Roman subterranean town, lately
+discovered in _Champaigne_, which perhaps may gratify my curiosity in
+some degree, and thereby lessen that desire I have: long had of visiting
+_Herculaneum_, an _under-ground_ town you know, I always said I would
+visit, if a certain person happened to be put _under-ground_ before me;
+but the CAUSE, and the event, in all human affairs, are not to be
+fathomed by men; for though the event happened, the _cause_ frustrated
+my design; and I must cross the _Pyranean_ not the _Alpian_ hills. But
+lest I forget it, let me tell you, that as my travelling must be upon
+the frugal plan, I have sold my four-wheel post-chaise, to _Mons.
+Dessein_, for twenty-two guineas, and bought a French _cabriolet_, for
+ten, and likewise a very handsome English coach-horse, (a little touched
+in the wind indeed) for seven. This equipage I have fitted up with every
+convenience I can contrive, to carry me, my wife, two daughters, and all
+my _other_ baggage; you will conclude therefore, _light_ as the latter
+may be, we are _bien charge_; but as we move slowly, not above seven
+leagues a day, I shall have the more leisure to look about me, and to
+consider what sort of remarks may prove most worthy of communicating
+from time to time to you. I shall be glad to leave this town, though it
+is in one respect, something like your's,[B] everyday producing many
+_strange faces_, and some very agreeable acquaintance. The arrival of
+the packet-boats from Dover constitutes the principal amusement of this
+town.
+
+[B] BATH.
+
+The greater part of the English _transports_ who come over, do not
+proceed much further than to see the tobacco plantations near _St.
+Omer_'s; nor is their return home less entertaining than their arrival,
+as many of them are people of such _quick parts_, that they acquire, in
+a week's tour to _Dunkirk_, _Bologne_, and _St. Omer_'s, the _language_,
+dress and manners of the country. You must not, however, expect to hear
+again from me, till I am further _a-field_. But lest I forget to mention
+it in a future letter, let me refresh your memory, as to your conduct at
+Dover, at Sea, and at _Calais_. In the first of these three disagreeable
+places, (and the first is the worst) you will soon be applied to by one
+of the Captains of the packets, or bye-boats, and if you hire the boat
+to yourself, he will demand five guineas; if you treat with another, it
+is all one, because they are all, except one, partners and equally
+interested; and therefore will abate nothing. Captain Watson is the
+only one who _swims upon his own bottom_; and as he is a good seaman,
+and has a clean, convenient, nay an elegant vessel, I would rather turn
+the scale in his favour, because I am, as you will be, an enemy to all
+associations which have a tendency to imposition upon the public, and
+oppression to such who will not join in the general confederacy; yet I
+must, in justice to the Captains of the confederate party, acknowledge,
+that their vessels are all good; _well found_; and that they are civil,
+decent-behaved men. As it is natural for them to endeavour to make the
+most of each _trip_, they will, if they can, foist a few passengers upon
+you, even after you have taken the vessel to your own use only. If you
+are alone, this intrusion is not agreeable, but if you have ladies with
+you, never submit to it; if they introduce men, who appear like
+gentlemen upon your vessel, you cannot avoid treating them as such; if
+women, you cannot avoid them treating them with more attention than may
+be convenient, because they _are_ women; but were it only in
+consideration of the sea-sickness and its _consequences_, can any thing
+be more disagreeable than to admit people to _pot_ and _porringer_ with
+you, in a small close cabin, with whom you would neither eat, drink, or
+converse, in any other place? but these are not the only reasons; every
+gentleman going to France should avoid making new acquaintance, at
+Dover, at Sea, or at _Calais_: many _adventurers_ are always passing,
+and many honest men are often led into grievous and dangerous situations
+by such inconsiderate connections; nay, the best, and wisest men, are
+the most liable to be off their guard, and therefore you will excuse my
+pointing it out to you.
+
+I could indeed relate some alarming consequences, nay, some fatal ones,
+which have befallen men of honour and character in this country, from
+such unguarded connections; and such as they would not have been drawn
+into, on the other side of the "_invidious Streight_." When an
+Englishman leaves his own country, and is got no further from it than to
+this town, he looks back upon it with an eye of partial affection; no
+wonder then, if he feels more disposed to be kind to a countryman and a
+stranger he may meet in this.--I do not think it would be difficult to
+point out, what degree of intimacy would arise between two men who knew
+but little of each other, according to the part of the world they were
+to meet in.--I remember the time, when I only knew your person, and
+coveted your acquaintance; at that time we lived in the same town, knew
+each other's general character, but passed without speaking, or even the
+compliment of the hat; yet had we met in London, we should certainly
+have taken some civil notice of each other: had the interview been at
+York, it is five to one but it would have produced a conversation: at
+Edinburgh, or Dublin, we should have dined, or gone to the play
+together: but if we had met at Barbadoes, I should have been invited to
+spend a month at your PENN, and experienced many of those marks of
+hospitality, friendship, and generosity, I have found from the Creoles
+in general. When you get upon the French coast, the packet brings to,
+and is soon boarded by a French boat, to carry the passengers on shore;
+this passage is much longer than it appears to be, is always
+disagreeable, and sometimes dangerous; and the landing, if the water be
+very low, intolerable: in this case, never mind the advice of the
+Captain; his advice is, and must be regulated by his _own_ and his
+owner's interest, more than your convenience; therefore stay on board
+till there is water enough to sail up to the town, and be landed by a
+plank laid from the packet to the shore, and do not suffer any body to
+persuade you to go into a boat, or to be put on shore, by any other
+method, tho' the _packet-men_ and the _Frenchmen_ unite to persuade you
+so to do, because they are mutually benefited by putting you to more
+expence, and the latter are entertained with seeing your cloaths
+dirted, or the ladies _frighted_. If most of the packet-boats are in
+_Calais_ harbour, your Captain will use every argument in his power to
+persuade you to go on shore, in the French boat, because he will, in
+that case, return directly to Dover, and thereby save eight-and-twenty
+shillings port duty. When we came over, I prevailed upon a large company
+to stay on board till there was water enough to sail into the harbour:
+it is not in the power of the Captain to deceive you as to that matter,
+because there is a red flag hoisted gradually higher and higher, as the
+water flows into the harbour, at a little fort which stands upon
+_stilts_ near the entrance of it. When you are got on shore, go directly
+to _Dessein_'s; and be in no trouble about your baggage, horses, or
+coach; the former will be all carried, by men appointed for that
+purpose, safely to the Custom-house, and the latter wheeled up to your
+_Hotel_, where you will sit down more quietly, and be entertained more
+decently, than at Dover.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER IV.
+
+RHEIMS, in Champagne.
+
+
+Little or nothing occurred to me worth remarking to you on my journey
+hither, but that the province of _Artois_ is a fine corn country, and
+that the French farmers seem to understand that business perfectly well.
+I was surprised to find, near _St. Omer_'s, large plantations of
+tobacco, which had all the vigour and healthy appearance of that which I
+have seen grow in _poor_ America. On my way here, (like the countryman
+in London, in gazing about) I missed my road; but a civil, and, in
+appearance, a substantial farmer, conducted us half a league over the
+fields, and marked out the course to get into it again, without
+returning directly back, a circumstance I much hate, though perhaps it
+might have been the shorter way. However, before I gained the high road,
+I stumbled upon a private one, which led us into a little village
+pleasantly situated, and inhabited by none other but the poorest
+peasants; whose tattered habits, wretched houses, and smiling
+countenances, convinced me, that chearfulness and contentment shake
+hands oftener under thatched than painted roofs. We found one of these
+villagers as ready to boil our tea-kettle, provide butter, milk, &c. as
+we were for our breakfasts; and during the preparation of it, I believe
+every man, woman, and child of the hamlet, was come down to _look at
+us_; for beside that wonderful curiosity common to this whole nation,
+the inhabitants of this village had never before seen an Englishman;
+they had heard indeed often of the country, they said, and that it was
+_un pays tres riche_. There was such a general delight in the faces of
+every age, and so much civility, I was going to say politeness, shewn
+to us, that I caught a temporary chearfulness in this village, which I
+had not felt for some months before, and which I intend to carry with
+me. I therefore took out my guittar, and played till I set the whole
+assembly in motion; and some, in spite of their wooden shoes, and others
+without any, danced in a manner not to be seen among our English
+peasants. They had "shoes like a sauce-boat," but no "steeple-clock'd
+hose." While we breakfasted, one of the villagers fed my horse with some
+fresh-mowed hay, and it was with some difficulty I could prevail upon
+him to be paid for it, because the trifle I offered was much more than
+his _Court of Conscience_ informed him it was worth. I could moralize
+here a little; but I will only ask you, in which state think you man is
+best; the untaught man, in that of nature, or the man whose mind is
+enlarged by education and a knowledge of the world? The behaviour of
+the inhabitants of this little hamlet had a very forcible effect upon
+me; because it brought me back to my earlier days, and reminded me of
+the reception I met with in America by what we now call the _Savage_
+Indians; yet I have been received in the same courteous manner in a
+little hamlet, unarmed, and without any other protection but by the law
+of nature, by those _savages_;--indeed it was before the _Savages of
+Europe_ had instructed them in the art of war, or Mr. Whitfield had
+preached _methodism_ among them. Therefore, I only tell you what they
+_were_ in 1735, not what they _are at present_. When I visited them,
+they walked in the flowery paths of Nature; now, I fear, they tread the
+polluted roads of blood. Perhaps of all the uncivilized nations under
+the sun, the native Indians of America _were_ the most humane; I have
+seen an hundred instances of their humanity and integrity;--when a white
+man was under the lash of the executioner, at _Savannah in Georgia_,
+for using an Indian woman ill, I saw _Torno Chaci_, their King, run in
+between the offender and the corrector, saying, "_whip me, not
+him_;"--the King was the complainant, indeed, but the man deserved a
+much severer chastisement. This was a _Savage King_. Christian Kings too
+often care not who is whipt, so they escape the smart.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER V.
+
+RHEIMS.
+
+
+We arrived at this city before the bustle which the coronation of
+_Louis_ the 16th occasioned was quite over; I am sorry I did not see it,
+because I now find it worth seeing; but I staid at _Calais_ on purpose
+to avoid it; for having paid two guineas to see the coronation of George
+the Third, I determined never more to be put to any extraordinary
+expence on the score of _crowned heads_. However, my curiosity has been
+well gratified in hearing it talked over, and over again, and in reading
+_Marmontell_'s letter to a friend upon that subject; but I will not
+repeat what he, or others have said upon the occasion, because you have,
+no doubt, seen in the English papers a tolerably good one; only that the
+Queen was so overcome with the repeated shouts and plaudits of her new
+subjects, that she was obliged to retire. The fine Gothic cathedral, in
+which the ceremony was performed, is indeed a church worthy of such a
+solemnity; the portal is the finest I ever beheld; the windows are
+painted in the very best manner; nor is there any thing within the
+church but what should be there. I need not tell you that this is the
+province which produces the most delicious wine in the world; but I will
+assure you, that I should have drank it with more pleasure, had you been
+here to have partook of it. In the cellars of one wine-merchant, I was
+conducted through long passages more like streets than caves; on each
+side of which, bottled _Champaigne_ was piled up some feet higher than
+my head, and at least twelve deep. I bought two bottles to taste, of
+that which the merchant assured me was each of the best sort he had, and
+for which I paid him six livres: if he sells all he had in bottles at
+that time, and at the same price, I shall not exceed the bounds of truth
+if I say, I saw ten thousand pounds worth of bottled _Champaigne_ in
+his cellars. Neither of the bottles, however, contained wine so good as
+I often drank in England; but perhaps we are deceived, and find it more
+palatable by having sugar in it; for I suspect that most of the
+_Champaigne_ which is bottled for the use of English consumption, is so
+prepared. That you may know however, for the future, whether Champaigne
+or any other wine is so adulterated, I will give you an infallible
+method to prove:--fill a small long-necked bottle with the wine you
+would prove, and invert the neck of it into a tumbler of clear water; if
+the wine be genuine, it will all remain in the bottle; if adulterated,
+with sugar, honey, or any other sweet substance, the sweets will all
+pass into the tumbler of water, and leave the genuine wine behind. The
+difference between still _Champaigne_, and that which is _mousser_, is
+owing to nothing more than the time of the year in which it is bottled.
+
+I found in this town an English gentleman, from whom we received many
+civilities, and who made us acquainted with a French gentleman and lady,
+whose partiality to the English nation is so great, that their
+neighbours call their house "THE ENGLISH HOTEL." The partiality of such
+a family is a very flattering, as well as a very pleasing circumstance,
+to those who are so happy to be known to them, because they are not only
+the first people in the town, but the _best_; and in point of talents,
+inferior to none, perhaps, in the kingdom. I must not, after saying so
+much, omit to tell you, it is _Monsieur & Madame de Jardin_, of whom I
+speak; they live in the GRANDE PLACE, _vis-a-vis_ the statue of the
+King; and if ever you come to Rheims, be assured you will find it a GOOD
+PLACE. _Madame de Jardin_ is not only one of the highest-bred women in
+France, but one of the first in point of letters, and that is saying a
+great deal, for France abounds more with women of that turn than
+England. Mrs. Macaulay, Mrs. Carter, Miss Aikin, and Mrs. Montague, are
+the only four ladies I can recollect in England who are celebrated for
+their literary genius; in France, I could find you a score or two. To
+give you some idea of the regard and affection _Mons. de Jardin_ has for
+his wife,--for French husbands, now and then, love their wives as well
+as we Englishmen do,--I send you a line I found in his study, wrote
+under his lady's miniature picture:
+
+    "Chaque instant a mes yeux la rend
+    Plus estimable."
+
+This town stands in a vast plain, is of great extent, and enclosed
+within high walls, and a deep ditch. The public walks are of great
+extent, nobly planted, and the finest in the whole kingdom. It is,
+indeed, a large and opulent city, and abounds not only with the best
+wine, but every thing that is good; and every thing is plenty, and
+consequently cheap. The fruit market, in particular, is superior to
+every thing of the kind I ever beheld; but I will not tantalize you by
+saying any more upon that subject. Adieu!
+
+_P.S._ The Antiquarian will find amusement in this town. There are some
+Roman remains worthy of notice; but such as require the information of
+the inhabitant to be seen.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER VI.
+
+DIJON.
+
+
+You will laugh, perhaps, when I tell you, I could hardly refrain from
+tears when I took leave of the _De Jardin_ family at _Rheims_,--but so
+it was. Good-breeding, and attention, have so much the appearance of
+friendship, that they may, and often do, deceive the most discerning
+men;--no wonder, then, if I was unhappy in leaving a town, where I am
+sure I met with the first, and had some reason to believe I should have
+found the latter, had we staid to cultivate it. _Bourgogne_ is, however,
+a much finer province than Champaigne; and this town is delightfully
+situated; that it is a cheap province, you will not doubt, even to
+English travellers, when I tell you, that I had a good supper for four
+persons, three decent beds, good hay, and plenty of corn, for my horse,
+at an inn upon this road, and was charged only four livres ten sols!
+not quite four shillings. Nor was it owing to any mistake; for I lay the
+following night at just such another inn, and was charged just the same
+price for nearly the same entertainment. They were carriers' inns,
+indeed, but I know not whether they were not, upon the whole, better,
+and cleaner too, than some of the town _auberges_. I need not therefore
+tell you, I was straggled a little out of _le Route Anglois_, when I
+found such a _bon Marche_.
+
+Dijon is pleasantly situated, well built, and the country round about it
+is as beautiful as nature could well make it. The shady walks round the
+whole town are very pleasing, and command a view of the adjacent
+country. The excellence of the wine of this province, you are better
+acquainted with than I am; though I must confess, I have drank better
+burgundy in England than I have yet tasted here: but I am not surprized
+at that; for at Madeira I could not get wine that was even tolerable.
+
+I found here, two genteel English gentlemen, Mess. Plowden and Smyth,
+from whom we received many marks of attention and politeness.--Here, I
+imagined I should be able to bear seeing the execution of a man, whose
+crimes merited, I thought, the severest punishment. He was broke upon
+the wheel; so it is called; but the wheel is what the body is fixed upon
+to be exposed on the high road after the execution. This man's body,
+however, was burnt. The miserable wretch (a young strong man) was
+brought in the evening, by a faint torch light, to a chapel near the
+place of execution, where he might have continued in prayer till
+midnight; but after one hour spent there, he walked to, and mounted the
+scaffold, accompanied by his confessor, who with great earnestness
+continually presented to him, and bade him kiss, the crucifix he
+carried in his hand. When the prisoner came upon the scaffold, he very
+willingly laid himself upon his back, and extended his arms and legs
+over a cross, that was laid flat and fixed fast upon the scaffold for
+that purpose, and to which he was securely tied by the executioner and
+his mother, who assisted her son in this horrid business. Part of the
+cross was cut away, in eight places, so as to leave a hollow vacancy
+where the blows were to be given, which are, between the shoulder and
+elbow, elbow and wrist, thigh and knee, and knee and ancle. When the man
+was securely tied down, the end of a rope which was round his neck, with
+a running noose, was brought through a hole in and under the scaffold;
+this was to give the _Coup de Grace_, after breaking: a _Coup_ which
+relieved him, and all the agitated spectators, from an infinite degree
+of misery, except only, the executioner and his mother, for they both
+seemed to enjoy the deadly office. When the blows were given, which
+were made with a heavy piece of iron, in the form of a butcher's
+cleaver without an edge, the bones of the arms and legs were broke in
+eight places; at each blow, the sufferer called out, O God! without
+saying another word, or even uttering a groan. During all this time, the
+Confessor called upon him continually to kiss the cross, and to remember
+Christ, his Redeemer. Indeed, there was infinite address, as well as
+piety, in the conduct of the Confessor; for he would not permit this
+miserable wretch to have one moment's reflection about his bodily
+sufferings, while a matter of so much more importance was depending; but
+even those eight blows seemed nothing to two dreadful after-claps, for
+the executioner then untied the body, turned his back upwards, and gave
+him two blows on the small of the back with the same iron weapon; and
+yet even that did not put an end to the life and sufferings of the
+malefactor! for the finishing stroke was, after all this, done by the
+halter, and then the body was thrown into a great fire, and consumed to
+ashes. There were two or three executions soon after, but of a more
+moderate kind. Yet I hope I need not tell you, that I shall never attend
+another; and would feign have made my escape from this, but it was
+impossible.--Here, too, I saw upwards of fourscore criminals linked
+together, by one long chain, and so they were to continue till they
+arrived in the galleys at _Marseilles_. Now I am sure you will be, as I
+was, astonished to think, an old woman, the mother of the executioner,
+should willingly assist in a business of so horrid a nature; and I dare
+say, you will be equally astonished that the magistrates of the city
+permitted it. Decency, and regard to the sex, alone, one would think,
+should have put a stop to a practice so repugnant to both; and yet
+perhaps, not one person in the town considered it in that light. Indeed,
+no other person would have assisted, and the executioner must have done
+all the business himself, if his mother had not been one of that part
+of the _fair sex_, which Addison pleasantly mentions, "_as rakers of
+cinders_;" for the executioner could not have found a single person to
+have given him any assistance. There was a guard of the _Marechaussee_,
+to prevent the prisoners' escape; but none that would have lifted up a
+little finger towards forwarding the execution; the office is hereditary
+and infamous, and the officer is shut out of all society. His
+perquisites, however, were considerable; near ten pounds, I think, for
+this single execution; and he had a great deal more business coming on.
+I would not have given myself the pain of relating, nor you the reading,
+the particulars of this horrid affair, but to observe, that it is such
+examples as these, that render travelling in France, in general, secure.
+I say, in general; for there are, nevertheless, murders committed very
+frequently upon the high roads in France; and were those murders to be
+made known by news-papers, as ours are in England, perhaps it would
+greatly intimidate travellers of their own, as well as other nations.
+But as the murdered, and murderers, are generally foot-travellers,
+though the dead body is found, the murderer is escaped; and as nobody
+knows either party, nobody troubles themselves about it. All over
+France, you meet with an infinite number of people travelling on foot,
+much better dressed than you find, in general, the stagecoach gentry in
+England. Most of these foot-travellers are young expensive tradesmen,
+and artists, who have paid their debts by a light pair of heels; when
+their money is exhausted, the stronger falls upon the weaker, knocks out
+his brains, and furnishes himself with a little money; and these murders
+are never scarce heard of above a league from the place where they are
+committed; for which reason, you never meet a foot-traveller in France,
+without arms, of one kind or other, and carried for one _purpose_, or
+the _other_. Gentlemen, however, who travel only in the day-time, and
+who are armed, have but little danger to apprehend; yet it is necessary
+to be upon their guard when they pass through great woods, and to keep
+in the _middle_ of the road, so as not to be too suddenly surprized;
+because a _convenient_ opportunity may induce two or three _honest_
+travellers to embrace a favourable occasion of replenishing their
+purses; and as they always murder those whom they attack, if they can,
+those who are attacked should never submit, but defend themselves to the
+utmost of their power. Though the woods are dangerous, there are, in my
+opinion, plains which are much more so; a high hill which commands an
+extensive plain, from which there is a view of the road some miles, both
+ways, is a place where a robber has nothing to fear but from those whom
+he attacks; and he is morally certain of making his escape one way or
+the other: but in a wood, he may be as suddenly surprized, as he is in a
+situation to surprize others; for this reason, I have been more on my
+guard when I have seen people approach me on an extensive plain, than
+when I have passed through deep woods; nor would I ever let any of those
+people come too near my chaise; I always shewed them the _utmost
+distance_, and made them return the compliment, by bidding them, if they
+offered to come out of their line, to keep off: this said in a
+peremptory manner, and with a stern look, is never taken ill by honest
+men, and has a forcible effect upon rascals, for they immediately
+conclude you think yourself superior to them, and then they will think
+so too: whatever comes unexpected, is apt to dismay; whole armies have
+been seized with a panic from the most trifling artifice of the opposite
+general, and such as, by a minute's reflection, would have produced a
+contrary effect: the King's troops gave way at Falkirk; the reason was,
+they were dismayed at seeing the rebels (_I beg pardon_) come down
+_pell mell_ to attack them with their broad swords! it was a new way of
+fighting, and, they weakly thought, an invincible one; but had General
+Cope previously rode through the ranks, and apprised the troops with the
+manner of their fighting, and assured them how feeble the effect of such
+weapons would be upon men armed with musket and bayonet, which is
+exactly the truth, not a man would have retired; yet, _trim-tram_, they
+all ran, and the General, it is said, gave the earliest notice of his
+own defeat! But I should have observed, above, that the laws of France
+being different, in different provinces, have the contrary effect in the
+southern parts, to what they were intended. The _Seigneur_ on whose land
+a murdered body is found, is obliged to pay the expence of bringing the
+criminal to justice. Some of these lordships are very small; and the
+prosecuting a murderer to punishment, would cost the lord of the manor
+more than his whole year's income; it becomes his interest, therefore,
+to hide the dead body, rather than pursue the living villain; and, as
+whoever has property, be it ever so small, has peasants about him who
+will be glad to obtain his favour, he is sure that when any of these
+peasants see a murdered body, they will give him the earliest notice,
+and the same night the body is for ever hid, and no enquiry is made
+after the offender. I saw hang on the road side, a family of nine, a
+man, his wife, and seven children, who had lived many years by murder
+and robberies; and I am persuaded that road murders are very common in
+France; yet people of any condition may nevertheless, travel through
+France with great safety, and always obtain a guard of the
+_Marechaussee_, through woods or forests, or where they apprehend there
+is any danger.
+
+_P.S._ The following method of buying and selling the wine of this
+province, may be useful to you.
+
+To have good Burgundy, that is, wine _de la premiere tete_, as they term
+it, you must buy it from 400 to 700 livres. There are wines still
+dearer, up to 1000 or 1200 livres; but it is allowed, that beyond 700
+livres, the quality is not in proportion to the price; and that it is in
+great measure a matter of fancy.
+
+The carriage of a queue of wine from Dijon to Dunkirk, or to any
+frontier town near England, costs an hundred livres, something more than
+four sols a bottle; but if sent in the bottle, the carriage will be just
+double. The price of the bottles, hampers, package, &c. will again
+increase the expence to six sols a bottle more; so that wine which at
+first cost 600 livres, or 25 sols a bottle, will, when delivered at
+Dunkirk, be worth 29 sols a bottle, if bought in cask; if in bottles, 39
+sols.--Now add to this the freight, duties, &c. to London; and as many
+pounds sterling as all these expences amount to upon a queue of wine,
+just so many French sols must be charged to the price of every bottle.
+The reduction of French sols to English sterling money is very plain,
+and of course the price of the best burgundy delivered in London, easily
+calculated.
+
+If the wine be sent in casks, it is adviseable to choose rather a
+stronger wine, because it will mellow, and form itself in the carriage.
+It should be double casked, to prevent as much as possible, the frauds
+of the carriers. This operation will cost six or eight livres per piece;
+but the great and principal object is, whom to trust to buy the best;
+and convey it safely. I doubt, it must not pass through the hands of
+Mons. C----, if he deals in wine as he does in drapery, and bills of
+exchange.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER VII.
+
+LYONS.
+
+
+Upon our arrival at _Chalons_, I was much disappointed; as I intended to
+have embarked on the _Soane_, and have slipped down here in the _coche
+d'eau_, and thereby have saved my horse the fatigue of dragging us
+hither: but I could only spare him that of drawing my heaviest baggage.
+The _coche d'eau_ is too small to take horses and _cabriolets_ on board
+at _Chalons_; but at _Lyons_, they will take horses, and coaches, or
+houses, and churches, if they could be put on board, to descend the
+Rhone, to _Pont St. Esprit_, or _Avignon_. So after we have taken a
+fortnight's rest here, I intend rolling down with the rapid current,
+which the united force of those two mighty rivers renders, as I am
+assured, a short, easy, and delightful passage.
+
+Nothing can be more beautiful than the country we passed through from
+_Chalons_ hither. When we got within a few leagues of this great city,
+we found every mountain, hill, and dale, so covered with _chateaux_,
+country houses, farms, &c. that they appeared like towns, villages, and
+hamlets. Nothing can be a stronger proof of the great wealth of the
+citizens of _Lyons_, than that they can afford to build such houses,
+many of which are more like palaces, than the country retreat of
+_bourgeois_. The prospect from the highest part of the road, a league or
+two from Lyons, is so extensive, so picturesque, and so enchantingly
+beautiful, that, impatient as I was to enter into the town, I could not
+refrain stopping at a little shabby wine-house, and drinking coffee
+under their mulberry-trees, to enjoy the warm day, the cooling breeze,
+and the noble prospects which every way surrounded us.
+
+The town of _Lyons_, too, which stands nearly in the center of Europe,
+has every advantage for trade, which men in trade can desire. The
+_Soane_ runs through the centre of it, and is covered with barges and
+boats, loaded with hay, wood, corn, and an infinite variety of goods
+from all parts of the kingdom; while the _Rhone_, on the other side, is
+still more serviceable; for it not only supplies the town with all the
+above necessaries of life, but conveys its various manufactures down to
+the ports of the _Mediterranean_ sea expeditiously, and at little
+expence. The small boats, which ply upon the Soane as ours do upon the
+Thames, are flat bottomed, and very meanly built; they have, however, a
+tilt to shelter them from the heat, and to preserve the complexion, or
+hide the _blushes_ of your female _Patronne_:--yes, my dear Sir,
+Female!--for they are all conducted by females; many of whom are young,
+handsome, and neatly dressed. I have, more than once, been disposed to
+blush, when I saw a pretty woman sitting just opposite me, labouring in
+an action which I thought would have been more becoming myself. I asked
+one of these female _sculls_, how she got her bread in the winter? Oh,
+Sir, said she giving me a very significant look, such a one as you can
+better conceive, than I convey, _dans l'hiver J'ai un autre talent_. And
+I assure you I was glad she did not exercise _both her talents_ at the
+same time of the year; yet I could not refrain from giving her a double
+fee, for a single fare, as I thought there was something due to her
+_winter_ as well as summer abilities.
+
+But I must not let my little _Bateliere's_ talents prevent me, while I
+think of it, telling you, that I did visit, and stay some days at the
+Roman town lately discovered in Champaigne, which I mentioned to you in
+a former letter: it stood upon a mountain, now called the _Chatelet_,
+the foot of which is watered by a good river, and its sides with _good
+wine_. _Monsieur Grignon_, whose house stands very near it, and who has
+there an iron manufacture, first discovered the remains of this ancient
+town; his men, in digging for iron ore, found wrought gold, beside other
+things, which convinced _Mons. Grignon_ (who is a man of genius) that it
+was necessary to inform the King with what they had discovered; in
+consequence of which, his Majesty ordered the foundations to be laid
+open; and I had the satisfaction of seeing in _Mons. Grignon_'s cabinet
+an infinite number of Roman utensils, such as weights, measures, kitchen
+furniture, vases, busts, locks, swords, inscriptions, pottery ware,
+statues, &c. which afforded me, and would you, a great deal of pleasure,
+as well as information. _Mons. Grignon_ the elder, was gone to Paris; a
+circumstance which gave me great concern to hear before I went to his
+house, but which was soon removed by the politeness, and hospitable
+manner I was received by his son: yet, my only recommendation to either,
+was my being a stranger; and being a stranger is, in general, a good
+recommendation to a Frenchman, for, upon all such occasions, they are
+never shy, or backward in communicating what they know, or of gratifying
+the curiosity of an inquisitive traveller; their houses, cabinets, and
+gardens, are always open; and they seem rather to think they receive,
+than grant a favour, to those who visit them. How many fine gardens,
+valuable cabinets, and curiosities, have we in England, so shut up, that
+the difficulty of access renders them as unentertaining to the public,
+as they are to the sordid and selfish possessors! I am thoroughly
+satisfied that the town I am speaking of was destroyed by fire, and not,
+as has been imagined, by any convulsion of the earth, as I found, among
+a hundred other strong proofs of it, an infinite number of pieces of
+melted glass, lead, &c. But though I examined the cellars of eight
+hundred Roman citizens, the selfish rogues had not left a single bottle
+of wine.--I longed to taste the _old Falernian_ wine, of seventeen
+hundred years.
+
+I write from time to time to you; but not without often thinking it is a
+great presumption in me to suppose I can either entertain or instruct
+you; but I proceed, upon your commands, and the authority of Lord Bacon,
+who says, he is surprised to find men make diaries in sea voyages, where
+nothing is to be seen but sky and sea, and for the most part omit it in
+land travels, where so much is to be observed; as if chance were better
+to be registered than observation. When you are tired of my register,
+remember, I can _take_ as well as _give a hint_.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER VIII.
+
+PORT ST. ESPRIT.
+
+
+After a voyage of one whole, and one half day, without sail or oar, we
+arrived here from Lyons. The weather was just such as we could wish and
+such as did not drive us out of the seat of my _cabriolet_ into the
+cabbin, which was full of priests, monks, friars, milleners, &c. a
+motley crew! who were very noisy, and what they thought, I dare say,
+very good company; the deck, indeed, afforded better and purer air;
+three officers, and a priest; but it was not till late the first day
+before they took any civil notice of us; and if a Frenchman shews any
+backwardness of that sort, an Englishman, I think, had better _hold up_;
+this rule I always religiously observe. When the night came on, we
+landed in as much disorder as the troops were embarked at _St. Cas_,
+and lodged in a miserable _auberge_. It was therefore no mortification
+to be called forth for embarkation before day-light. The bad night's
+lodging was, however, amply made up to us, by the beautiful and
+picturesque objects and variety which every minute produced. For the
+banks of this mighty river are not only charged on both sides with a
+great number of towns, villages, castles, _chateaux_, and farm-houses;
+but the ragged and broken mountains above, and fertile vales between and
+beneath, altogether exhibit a mixture of delight and astonishment, which
+cannot be described, unless I had Gainsborough's elegant pencil, instead
+of my own clumsy pen. Upon comparing notes, we found that the officers,
+(and no men understand the _etiquette_ of travelling better than they
+do,) had not fared much better than we had; one of them therefore
+proposed, that we should all sup together that night at _Pont
+St.-Esprit_, where, he assured us, there was one of the best cooks in
+France, and he would undertake to regulate the supper at a reasonable
+price. This was the first time we had eat with other company, though it
+is the general practice in the southern parts of France. Upon entering
+the house, where this _Maitre Cuisinier_ and prime minister of the
+kitchen presided, I began to conceive but an indifferent opinion of the
+Major's judgment; the house, the kitchen, the cook, were, in appearance,
+all against it; yet, in spite of all, I never sat down to so good a
+supper; and should be sorry to sit often at table, where such a one was
+set before me. I will not--nay, I cannot tell you what we had; but you
+will be surprised to know what we paid,--what think you of three livres
+each? when I assure you, such a supper, if it were to be procured in
+London, could not be provided for a guinea a head! and we were only
+seven who sat down to it.
+
+I must not omit to tell you, that all the second day's voyage we heard
+much talk of the danger there would be in passing the Bridge of _Pont
+St. Esprit_; and that many horses and men landed some miles before we
+arrived there, choosing rather to walk or ride in the hot sun, than swim
+through _so much danger_. Yet the truth is, there was none; and, I
+believe, seldom is any. The _Patron_ of the barge, indeed, made a great
+noise, and affected to shew how much skill was necessary to guide it
+through the main arch, for I think the bridge consists of thirty; yet
+the current itself must carry every thing through that approaches it,
+and he must have skill, indeed, who could avoid it. There was not in the
+least degree any fall; but yet, it passed through with such violence,
+that we run half a league in a minute; and very soon after landed at the
+town of Pont. St. Esprit, which has nothing in it very remarkable, but
+this long bridge, the good cook, and the first olive tree we had seen.
+
+This is Lower _Languedoc_, you know, and the province in which ten
+thousand pounds were lately distributed by the sagacious Chancellor of
+England, among an hundred French peasants; and though I was _weak
+enough_ to think it _my property_, I am not wicked enough to envy them
+their good fortune. If the decision made one man wretched; it made the
+hearts of many glad; and I should be pleased to drink a bottle of wine
+with any of my fortunate cousins, and will if I can find them out; for
+they are my cousins; and I would shake an honest cousin by the hand tho'
+he were in wooden shoes, with more pleasure than I would the honest
+Chancellor, who put them _so unexpectedly_ upon a better footing. I
+think, by the _laws_ of England, no money is to be transported into
+other kingdoms; by the JUSTICE of it, it may, and is;--if so, law and
+justice are still at variance; which puts me in mind of what a great
+man once said upon reading the confirmation of a decree in the House of
+Lords, from an Irish appeal:--"It is (said he) so very absurd,
+inconsistent, and intricate, that, in truth, I am afraid it is really
+made according to law."
+
+
+
+
+LETTER IX.
+
+NISMES.
+
+
+On our way here we eat an humble meal; which was, nevertheless, a most
+grateful _repas_, for it was under the principal arch of the _Pont du
+Gard_. It will be needless to say more to you of this noble monument of
+antiquity, than that the modern addition to it has not only made it more
+durable, but more useful: in its original state, it conveyed only horse
+and man, over the River _Gordon_, (perhaps _Gardon_) and water, to the
+city of _Nismes_. By the modern addition, it now conveys every thing
+over it, but water; as well as an high idea of Roman magnificence; for
+beside the immense expence of erecting a bridge of a triple range of
+arches, over a river, and thereby uniting the upper arches to the
+mountains on each side, the source from whence the water was conveyed,
+is six leagues distant from _Nismes_. The bridge is twenty-four _toises_
+high, and above an hundred and thirty-three in length, and was _my sole
+property_ for near three hours; for during that time, I saw neither man
+nor beast come near it; every thing was so still and quiet, except the
+murmuring stream which runs gently under two or three of the arches,
+that I could almost have persuaded myself, from the silence, and rude
+scenes which every way presented themselves, that all the world were as
+dead as the men who erected it. That side of the bridge where none of
+the modern additions appear, is nobly fillagreed by the hand of time;
+and the other side is equally pleasing, by being a well executed support
+to a building which, without its aid, would in a few ages more have
+fallen into ruins.
+
+I was astonished to find so fine a building standing in so pleasant a
+spot, and which offers so many invitations to make it the abode of some
+hermit, quite destitute of such an inhabitant; but it did not afford
+even a beggar, to tell the strange stories which the common people
+relate; tho' it could not fail of being a very lucrative post, were it
+only from the bounty of strangers, who visit it out of curiosity; but a
+Frenchman, whether monk, or mumper, has no idea of a life of solitude:
+yet I am sure, were it in England, there are many of our, _first-rate
+beggars_, who would lay down a large sum for a money of _such a walk_.
+If a moiety of sweeping the kennel from the Mews-gate to the Irish
+coffee-house opposite to it, could fetch a good price, and I was a
+witness once that it did, to an unfortunate beggar-woman, who was
+obliged by sickness to part with half of it; what might not a beggar
+expect, who had the _sweeping_ of the _Pont du Gard_; or a monk, who
+erected a confessional box near it for the benefit of _himself_, and the
+fouls of poor travellers?
+
+After examining every part of the bridge, above and below, I could not
+find the least traces of any ancient inscription, except three initial
+letters, C, P, A; but I found cut in _demi relief_ very extraordinary
+kind of _priapus_, or rather group of them; the country people, for it
+is much effaced, imagine it to be dogs in pursuit of a hare; but if I
+may be permitted to _imagine_ too perhaps, indeed, with no better
+judgment, might not the kind of representations be emblematical of the
+populousness, of the country? though more probably the wanton fancies of
+the master mason, or his journeymen; for they are too diminutive pieces
+of work to bear any proportion to the whole, and are therefore
+blemishes, not ornaments, even allowing that in those ages such kind of
+works were not considered in the light they would be in these days of
+more delicacy and refinement.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER X.
+
+NISMES.
+
+
+I have now been here some time, and have employed most of it, in
+visiting daily the _Maison Carree_, the _Amphitheatre_, the Temple of
+_Diana_, and other Roman remains, which this town abounds with above all
+others in France, and which is all the town affords worthy of notice,
+(for it is but a very indifferent one.) The greater part of the
+inhabitants are Protestants, who meet publicly between two rocks, at a
+little distance from the city, every Sunday, sometimes not less than
+eighteen thousand, where their pastors, openly and audibly, perform
+divine service, according to the rites of the reformed church: Such is
+the difference between the mild government of _Louis_ the 16th, and that
+which was practised in the reign of his great grandfather. But reason
+and philosophy have made more rapid strides in France, within these few
+years, than the arts and sciences. It is, however, a great and mighty
+kingdom, blest with every convenience and comfort in life, as well as
+many luxuries, beside good wine; and good wine, drank in moderation (and
+_here_ nobody drinks it otherwise) is not only an excellent cordial to
+the nerves, but I am persuaded it contributes to long life, and good
+health. Here, where wine and _eau de vie_ is so plenty, and so cheap
+too, you seldom meet a drunken peasant, and never see a gentleman
+(_except he be a stranger_) in that shameful situation.
+
+Perhaps there is not, on any part of the Continent, a city or town which
+has been so frequently sacked by foreign invaders, nor so deeply stained
+with human blood, by civil and religious wars, as this: every street and
+ancient building within its walls still exhibit many strong marks of the
+excesses committed by the hands of domestic as well as foreign
+barbarians, except only the Temple now called, and so called from its
+form, the _Maison Carree_, which has stood near eighteen hundred years,
+without receiving any other injuries than the injuries of time; and time
+has given it rather the face of age, than that of ruins, for it still
+stands firm and upright; and though not quite perfect in every part, yet
+it preserves all its due proportions, and enough of its original and
+lesser beauties, to astonish and delight every beholder, and that too in
+a very particular manner. It is said, and I have felt the truth of it in
+part, that there does not exist, at this day, any building, ancient or
+modern, which conveys so secret a pleasure, not only to the
+_connoisseur_, but to the clown also, whenever, or how often soever they
+approach it. The proportions and beauties of the whole building are so
+intimately united, that they may be compared to good breeding in men; it
+is what every body perceives, and is captivated with, but what few can
+define. That it has an irresistible beauty which delights men of sense,
+and which _charms_ the eyes of the vulgar, I think must be admitted; for
+no other possible reason can be assigned why this building alone,
+standing in the very centre of a city, wherein every excess which
+religious fury could inspire, or barbarous manners could suggest, has
+stood so many ages the only uninsulted monument of antiquity, either
+within or without the walls; especially, as a very few men might, with
+very little labour, soon tumble it into a heap of rubbish.
+
+The _Amphitheatre_ has a thousand marks of violences committed upon it,
+by fire, sledges, battering rams, &c. which its great solidity and
+strength alone resisted.
+
+The _Temple of Diana_ is so nearly destroyed, that, in an age or two
+more no vestige of it will remain; but the _Maison Carree_ is still so
+perfect and beautiful, that when _Cardinal Alberoni_ first saw it, he
+said it wanted only _une boete d'or pour le defendre des injures de
+l'air_; and it certainly has received no other, than such as rain, and
+wind, and heat, and cold, have made upon it; and those are rather marks
+of dignity, than deformity. What reason else, then, can be assigned for
+its preservation to this day; but that the savage and the saint have
+been equally awed by its superlative beauty.
+
+Having said thus much of the perfections of this edifice, I must however
+confess, it is not, nor ever was, perfect, for it has some original
+blemishes, but such as escape the observation of most men, who have not
+time to examine the parts separately, and with a critical eye. There
+are, for example, thirty modillions on the cornice, on one side and
+thirty-two on the other; there are sixty-two on the west side, and only
+fifty-four on the east; with some other little faults which its aged
+beauty justifies my omitting; for they are such perhaps as, if removed,
+would not add any thing to the general proportions of the whole. No-body
+objected to the moles on Lady Coventry's face; those specks were too
+trifling, where the _tout ensemble_ was so perfect.
+
+_Cardinal Richlieu_, I am assured, had several consultations with
+builders of eminence, and architects of genius, to consider whether it
+was practicable to remove all the parts of this edifice, and re-erect it
+at _Versailles_: and, I have no doubt, but Lewis the 14th might have
+raised this monument to his fame there, for half the money he expended
+in murdering and driving out of that province sixty thousand of his
+faithful and ingenious subjects, merely on the score of Religion; an
+act, which is now equally abhorred by Catholics, as well as Protestants.
+But, Lord Chesterfield justly observes, that there is no brute so
+fierce, no criminal so guilty, as the creature called a Sovereign,
+whether King, Sultan, or Sophy; who thinks himself, either by divine or
+human right, vested with absolute power of destroying his
+fellow-creatures.
+
+_Louis_ the XIth of France caused the Duke of _Nemours_, a descendant
+of King _Clovis_, to be executed at Paris, and placed his children
+under the scaffold, that the blood of their father might run upon their
+heads; in which bloody condition they were returned to the Bastile, and
+there shut up in iron cages: and a King of SIAM, having lost his
+daughter, and fancying she was poisoned, put most of his court, young
+and old, to death, by the most exquisite torture; by this horrid act of
+cruelty, near two thousand of the principal courtiers suffered the most
+dreadful deaths; the great Mandarins, their wives, and children, being
+all scorched with fire, and mangled with knives, before they were
+admitted to his last favour,--that of being thrown to the elephants.
+
+But to have done with sad subjects.--It was not till the year 1758 that
+it was certainly known at what time, or for what purpose, the _Maison
+Carree_ was erected; but fortunately, the same town which produced the
+building so many ages ago, produced in the latter end of the last, a
+Gentleman, of whom it may be justly said, he left no stone unturned to
+come at the truth. This is _Mons. Seguier_, whose long life has been
+employed in collecting a cabinet of Roman antiquities, and natural
+curiosities, and whose penetrating genius alone could have discovered,
+by the means he did, an inscription, of which not a single letter has
+been seen for many ages; but this _habile observateur_, perceiving a
+great number of irregular holes upon the frontal and frize of this
+edifice, concluded that they were the cramp-holes which had formerly
+held an inscription, and which, according to the practice of the
+Romans, were often composed of single letters of bronze. _Mons. Seguier_
+therefore erected scaffolding, and took off on paper the distances and
+situation of the several holes, and after nicely examining the
+disposition of them, and being assisted by a few faint traces of some of
+the letters, which had been impressed on the stones, brought forth, to
+the full satisfaction of every body, the original inscription, which
+was laid before _l'Academie des Inscriptions & de Belles Lettres de
+Paris_ of which he is a member, and from whom he received their public
+thanks; having unanimously agreed that there was not a doubt remained
+but that he had produced the true reading: which is as follows:
+
+
+   +-------------------------------------------------+
+   |        TAUROBOLIO MATRIS DEUM MAGNAE IDAEAE        |
+   |           QUOD FACTUM EST EX IMPERIO            |
+   |                MATRIS IDAEAE DEUM                 |
+   |         PRO SALUTE IMPERATORIS CAESARIS          |
+   |                    TITI AELII                    |
+   |   ADRIANI ANTONINI AUGUSTI PII PATRIS PATRIAE    |
+   |                LIBERORUMQUE EJUS                |
+   |          ET STATUS COLONIAE LUGDUNENSIS          |
+   |         LUCIUS AEMILIUS CARPUS SEXTUMVIS         |
+   |          AUGUSTALIS ITEM DENDROPHORUS           |
+   |                                                 |
+   |           VIRES EXCEPIT ET A VATICANO           |
+   |           TRANSTULIT ARAMET BUCRANIUM           |
+   |            SUO IMPENDIO CONSECRAVIT             |
+   |                    SACERDOTE                    |
+   |     QUINTO SAMMIO SECUNDO AB QUINDECEMVIRIS     |
+   |            OCCABO ET CORONA EXORNATO            |
+   |        CUI SANCTISSIMUS ORDO LUGDUNENSIS        |
+   |        PERPETUITATEM SACERDOTIS DECREVIT        |
+   |         APPIO ANNIA ATILIO BRADUA TITO          |
+   |          CLODIO VIBIO VARO CONSULIBUS           |
+   |         LOCUS DATUS DECRETO DECURIONUM.         |
+   +-------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+The _Maison Carree_ is not however, quite square, being something more
+in length than breadth; it is eighty-two feet long and thirty-seven and
+a half high, exclusive of the square socle on which it stands, and which
+is, at this time, six feet above the surface; it is divided into two
+parts, one enclosed, the other open; the facade is adorned with six
+fluted pillars of the Corinthian order, and the cornice and front are
+decorated with all the beauties of architecture. The frize is quite
+plain, and without any of those bas-reliefs or ornaments which are on
+the sides, where the foliage of the olive leaf is exquisitely finished.
+On each side over the door, which opens into the enclosed part, two
+large stones, like the but-ends of joists, project about three feet, and
+these stones are pierced through with two large mortices, six inches
+long, and three wide; they are a striking blemish, and must therefore
+have been fixed, for some very necessary purpose--for what, I will not
+risque my opinion; it is enough to have mentioned them to you. As to the
+inside, little need be said; but, that, being now consecrated to the
+service of GOD, and the use of the order of _Augustines_, it is filled
+up with altars, _ex votos_, statues, &c. but such as we may reasonably
+conclude, have not, exclusive of a religious consideration, all those
+beauties which were once placed within a Temple, the outward structure
+of which was so highly finished.
+
+Truth and concern compel me to conclude this account of the _Maison
+Carree_, in lamenting, that the inhabitants of Nismes (who are in
+general a very respectable body of people) suffer this noble edifice to
+be defiled by every species of filth that poverty and neglect can
+occasion. The approach to it is through an old ragged kind of barn door:
+it is surrounded with mean houses, and disgraced on every side with
+filth, and the _offerings_ of the nearest inhabitants. I know not any
+part of London but what would be a better situation for it, than where
+it now stands: I will not except even Rag-fair, nor Hockly in the Hole.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XI.
+
+NISMES.
+
+
+The state in which that once-superb edifice, the Temple of Diana, now
+appears; with concern, I perceived that there remains only enough to
+give the spectator an idea of its former beauty; for though the roof has
+been broken down, and every part of it so wantonly abused yet enough
+remains, within, and without, to bear testimony that it was built, not
+only by the greatest architect, but enriched also by the hands of other
+great artists: indeed, the mason's work alone is, at this day,
+wonderful; for the stones with which it is built, and which are very
+large, are so truly worked, and artfully laid, without either cement or
+mortar, that many of the joints are scarce visible; nor is it possible
+to put the point of a penknife between those which are most open. This
+Temple too is, like the _Maison Carree_, shut up by an old barn-door: a
+man, however, attends to open it; where, upon entering, you will find a
+striking picture of the folly of all human grandeur; for the area is
+covered with broken statues, busts, urns, vases, cornices, frizes,
+inscriptions, and various fragments of exquisite workmanship, lying in
+the utmost disorder, one upon another, like the stript dead in a field
+of battle. Here, the ghost of Shakespeare appeared before my eyes,
+holding in his hand a label, on which was engraven those words you have
+so often read in his works, and now see upon his monument.
+
+I have often wondered, that some man of taste and fortune in England,
+where so much attention is paid to gardening, never converted one spot
+to an _Il Penseroso_, and another to _L'Allegro_. If a thing of that
+kind was to be done, what would not a man of such a turn give for an
+_Il Penseroso_, as this Temple now is?--where sweet melancholy sits,
+with a look
+
+    "That's fastened to the ground,
+    A tongue chain'd up, without a sound."
+
+The modern fountain of _Nismes_ or rather the Roman fountain recovered,
+and re-built, falls just before this Temple; and the noble and extensive
+walks, which surround this pure and plentiful stream, are indeed very
+magnificent: what then must it have been in the days of the Romans, when
+the Temple, the fountain, the statues, vases, &c. stood perfect, and in
+their proper order? Though this building has been called the Temple of
+Diana, by a tradition immemorial, yet it may be much doubted, whether it
+was so. The Temples erected, you know, to the daughter of Jupiter, were
+all of the Ionic order, and this is a mixture of the Corinthian, and
+Composit. Is it not, therefore, more probable, from the number of niches
+in it to contain statues, that it was, in fact, a Pantheon? Directly
+opposite to the entrance door, are three great tabernacles; on that of
+the middle stood the principal altar; and on the side walls were twelve
+niches, six on the right-hand are still perfect. The building is eleven
+_toises_ five feet long, and six _toises_ wide, and was thrown into its
+present ruinous state during the civil wars of Henry the Third; and yet,
+in spite of the modern statues, and gaudy ornaments, which the
+inhabitants have bestrewed to decorate their matchless fountain, the
+Temple of Diana is still the greatest ornament it has to boast of.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XII.
+
+MONTPELLIER.
+
+
+Never was a traveller more disappointed than I was upon entering into
+this renowned city; a city, the name of which my ears have been familiar
+to, ever since I first heard of disease or medicine. I expected to find
+it filled with palaces; and to perceive the superiority of the soft air
+it is so celebrated for, above all other places; instead of which, I was
+accompanied for many miles before I entered it with thousands of
+Moschettos, which, in spite of all the hostilities we committed upon
+them, made our faces, hands and legs, as bad in appearance as persons
+just recovering from a plentiful crop of the small-pox, and infinitely
+more miserable. Bad as these flies are in the West-Indies, I suffered
+more in a few days from them at, and near Montpellier, than I did for
+some years in Jamaica.
+
+However fine and salubrious the air of this town might have been
+formerly, it is far otherwise now; and it may be naturally accounted
+for; the sea has retired from the coast, and has left three leagues of
+marshy ground between it and the town, where the hot sun, and stagnated
+waters, breed not only flies, but distempers also; beside this, there
+is, and ever was, something very peculiar in the air of the town itself:
+it is the only town in France where verdigris is made in any great
+quantity; and this, I am inclined to think, is not a very favourable
+circumstance; where the air is so disposed to cankerise, and corrode
+copper, it cannot be so pure, as where none can be produced; but here,
+every cave and wine-cellar is filled with sheets of copper, from which
+such quantities of verdigris are daily collected, that it is one of the
+principal branches of their trade. The streets are very narrow, and
+very dirty; and though there are many good houses, a fine theatre, and a
+great number of public edifices beside churches, it makes altogether but
+an indifferent figure.
+
+Without the walls of the town, indeed, there stands a noble equestrian
+statue of Louis the XIVth, surrounded with spacious walks, and adorned
+with a beautiful fountain. Their walks command a view of the
+Mediterranean Sea in front, and the Alps and Pyrenees on the right and
+left. The water too is conducted to a most beautiful _Temple d' Eau_
+over a triple range of arches, in the manner of the _Pont du Gard_, from
+a very considerable distance. The modern arches over which it runs, are
+indeed, a great and mighty piece of work; for they are so very large,
+extended so far, and are so numerous, that I could find no person to
+inform me of their exact number; however, I speak within the bounds of
+truth, I hope, when I say there are many hundred; and that it is a work
+which the Romans might have been proud of, and must therefore convey an
+high idea of the riches and mightiness of a kingdom, wherein one
+province alone could bear, and be willing too to bear, so great an
+expence, and raise so useful, as well as beautiful a monument; for
+beside the immense expence of this triple range of arches, the source
+from whence the water is conveyed is, I think, three leagues distant
+from the town, by which means every quarter of it is plentifully
+supplied with fountains which always run, and which in hot climates are
+equally pleasing, refreshing, and useful.
+
+The town abounds with apothecaries' shops, and I met a great many
+physical faces; so that if the air is not good, I conclude the physic
+is, and therefore laid out two _sols_ for a pennyworth of ointment of
+_marsh-mallows_ which alleviated a little the extreme misery we all were
+in, during our stay at this celebrated city. If, however, it still has
+a reputation for the cure of a _particular disorder_, perhaps that may
+arise from the impurity of the air,--and that the air which is so prone
+to engender verdigris, may wage war with other subtile poisons; yet, as
+I found some of my countrymen there, who had taken a longer trial of the
+air, and more of the physic, than I had occasion for, who neither
+admired one, nor found benefit from the other, I will not recommend
+_Montpellier_ as having any peculiar excellencies within its walls, but
+good wine, and some good actors. It is a dear town, even to the natives,
+and a very imposing one to strangers; and therefore I shall soon leave
+it, and proceed southward.
+
+Perhaps you will expect me to say something of the _Sweets_ which this
+town is so famed for: there are indeed some sweet shops of that sort;
+and they are _bien places_. At these shops they have ladies' silk
+pockets, sachels for their shifts, letter cases, and a multitude of
+things of that kind, quilted and _larded_ with something, which does
+indeed give them a most pleasing and lasting perfume. At these shops
+too, beside excellent lavender water, essence of bergamot, &c. they sell
+_eau de jasmin de pourri, de cedre, de girofle, sans pareille, de mille
+fleurs, de zephir, de oiellet, de sultan_ and a hundred other sorts; but
+the _essence of bergamot_ is above all, as a single drop is sufficient
+to perfume a handkerchief; and so it ought to be, for it is very dear.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XIII.
+
+CETTE.
+
+
+I was very impatient till I had drove my horse from the British to the
+Mediterranean coast, and looked upon a sea from _that land_ which I had
+often, with longing eyes, viewed _from the sea_, in the year 1745, when
+I was on board the Russel, with Admiral Medley. I have now compleatly
+crossed this mighty kingdom and great continent, and it was for that
+reason I visited _Cette_. This pretty little sea-port, though it is out
+of my way to _Barcelona_, yet it proves to be in _the way_ for my poor
+horse; as I found here a Spanish bark, upon which I put part of my
+baggage. I was obliged to have it, however, opened and examined at the
+Custom-house; and as the officer found in it a bass viol, two guittars,
+a fiddle, and some other musical instruments, he very naturally
+concluded I was a musician, and very kindly intimated to me his
+apprehensions, that I should meet with but very little _encouragement in
+Spain_: as I had not any better reason to assign for going there, but to
+fiddle, I did not undeceive this good-natured man till the next morning,
+when I owned, I was not sufficiently _cunning_ in the art of music to
+get my bread by it; and that I had unfortunately been bred to a worse
+profession, that of arms; and if I got time enough to _Barcelona_ to
+enter a volunteer in the _Walloon_ guards, and go to _Algiers_, perhaps
+I might get from his Catholic Majesty, by my services, more than I could
+acquire from his Britannic--something to live upon in my old age: but I
+had no better encouragement from this Frenchman as an adventurer in
+arms, than in music; he assured me, that Spain was a _vilain pays_, and
+that France was the only country in the world for a _voyageur_. But as I
+found that France was the only country he had _voyaged_ in, and then
+never above twenty leagues from that spot, I thanked him for his advice,
+and determined to proceed; for though it is fifteen miles from
+_Montpellier_, we are not got out of the latitude of the _Moschettos_.
+
+On the road here, we met an infinite number of carts and horses, loaded
+with ripe grapes; the gatherers generally held some large bunches (for
+they were the large red grape) in their hands, to present to travellers;
+and we had some from people, who would not even stay to receive a
+trifling acknowledgment for their generosity and politeness.
+
+Nothing could be more beautiful than the prospects which every way
+surrounded us, when we came within three or four miles of this town;
+both sides of the road were covered with thyme and lavender shrubs,
+which perfumed the air; the sea breeze, and the hot sun, made both
+agreeable; and the day was so clear and fine, that the snow upon the
+_Alps_ made them appear as if they were only ten leagues from us; and I
+could have been persuaded that we were within a few hours drive of the
+_Pyrenees_; yet the nearest of them was at least a hundred miles
+distant.
+
+The great Canal of _Languedoc_ has a communication with this town, where
+covered boats, neatly fitted up for passengers, are continually passing
+up and down that wonderful and artificial navigation. It is a convenient
+port to ship wine at; but the people have the reputation of playing
+tricks with it, before and after it is put on board; and this opinion is
+a great baulk to the trade it is so happily situated to carry on, and of
+great benefit to the free port of _Nice_.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XIV.
+
+PERPIGNAN.
+
+
+DEAR SIR,
+
+Before I leave this kingdom, and enter into that of Spain, let me
+trouble you with a letter on a subject which, though no ways
+interesting to yourself, may be very much so _to a young Gentleman of
+your acquaintance_ at Oxford, for whose happiness I, as well as you, am
+a little anxious. It is to apprize you, and to warn him, when he
+travels, to avoid the _gins and man-traps_ fixed all over this country;
+traps, which a thorough knowledge of Latin and Greek, combined even
+with father and mother's wit, will not be sufficient to preserve him
+from, unless he is first shewn the manner in which they are set. These
+traps are not made to catch the legs, but to ruin the fortunes and
+break the hearts of those who unfortunately step into them. Their baits
+are artful, designing, wicked men, and profligate, abandoned, and
+prostitute women. Paris abounds with them, as well as Lyons, and all
+the great towns between London and Rome; and are principally set to
+catch the young Englishman of fortune from the age of eighteen to five
+and twenty; and what is worse, an honest, sensible, generous young man,
+is always in most danger of setting his foot into them. You suspect
+already, that these traps are made only of paper, and ivory, and that
+cards and dice are the destructive engines I mean. Do you know that
+there are a set of men and women, in _Paris_ and _Lyons_, who live
+elegantly by lying in wait and by catching every _bird of
+passage_?--but particularly the English _gold-finch_. I have seen and
+heard of such wicked artifices of these people, and the fatal
+consequences to the unfortunate young men they have ensnared, that I
+really think I could never enjoy a single hour of contentment, if I
+had a large fortune, while a son of mine was making what is called the
+tour of Europe. The minute one of these young men arrive, either at
+_Paris_ or _Lyons_, some _laquais de place_, who is paid for it, gives
+the earliest notice to one of the confederacy, and he is instantly
+way-laid by a French _Marquis_, or an English _Chevalier d'Industrie_,
+who, with a most insinuating address, makes him believe, he is no
+sooner arrived at _Paris_ than he has found a sincere friend. The
+_Chevalier_ shews him what is most worthy of notice in _Paris_, attends
+him to _Versailles_ and _Marly_, cautions him against being acquainted
+with the honest part of the French nation, and introduces him to the
+knaves only of his own and this country; carries him to see French
+Ladies of the _first distinction_, (and such who certainly _live in
+that style_) and makes the young man giddy with joy. But alas! it is
+but a short-lived one!--he is invited; to sup with the _Countess_; and
+is entertained not only voluptuously, but they play after supper, and
+he wins too. What can be more delightful to a young man, in a strange
+country, than to be flattered by the French, courted by the English,
+entertained by _the Countess_, and cheered with success?--Nay, he
+flatters himself, from the particular _attention_ the _Countess_ shews
+him, above all other men admitted to her toilet, that she has even some
+_tendre_ for his person:--just at this _critical moment_, a _Toyman
+arrives_, to shew _Madame la Comtesse_ a new fashioned trinket; she
+likes it, but has not money enough in her pocket to pay for it:--here
+is a fine opportunity to make Madame la Comtesse a present;--and why
+should not he?--the price is not above four or five guineas more than
+his last night's winnings;--he offers it; and, with _great difficulty_
+and much persuasion, she accepts it; but is quite _ashamed_ to think of
+the trouble he has given himself:--but, says she, you Englishmen are so
+charming,--so generous,--and so--so--and looks so sweet upon him, that
+while her tongue faulters, _egad_ he ventures to cover her confusion by
+a kiss;--when, instead of giving him the two broad sides of her cheek,
+she is so _off her guard_, and so overcome, as to present him
+_unawares_, with a pretty handsome dash of red pomatum from her lovely
+pouting lips,--and insists upon it that he sups with her, _tete a
+tete_, that very evening,--when all this happiness is compleated. In a
+few nights after, he is invited to meet the _Countess_, and to sup with
+_Monsieur le Marquis_, or _Monsieur le Chevalier Anglais_; he is
+feasted with high meat, and inflamed with delicious wines;--they play
+after supper, and he is stript of all his money, and gives--drafts upon
+his Banker for all his credit. He visits the Countess the next day; she
+receives him with a civil coolness,--is very sorry, she says,--and
+wished much last night for a favourable opportunity to give him a hint,
+not to play after he had lost the first thousand, as she perceived luck
+ran hard against him:--she is extremely mortified;--but; as a friend,
+advises him to go to _Lyons_, or some provincial town, where he may
+study the language with more success, than in the hurry and noise of so
+great a city as _Paris_, and apply for further credit. His _new
+friends_ visit him no more; and he determines to take the Countess's
+advice, and go on to _Lyons_, as he has heard the South of France is
+much cheaper, and there he may see what he can do, by leaving Paris,
+and an application to his friends in England. But at _Lyons_ too, some
+artful knave, of one nation or the other, accosts him, who has had
+notice of his _Paris_ misfortunes;--he pities him;--and, rather than
+see a countryman, or a gentleman of fashion and character in distress,
+he would lend him fifty or a hundred pounds. When this is done, every
+art is used to debauch his principles; he is initiated into a gang of
+genteel sharpers, and bullied, by the fear of a gaol, to connive at, or
+to become a party in their iniquitous society. His good name gives a
+sanction for a while to their suspected reputations; and, by means of
+an hundred pounds so lent to this honest young man, some thousands are
+won from the _birds of passage_, who are continually passing thro' that
+city to the more southern parts of _France_, or to _Italy_, _Geneva_,
+or _Turin_.
+
+This is not an imaginary picture; it is a picture I have seen, nay, I
+have seen the traps set, and the game caught; nor were those who set the
+snares quite sure that they might not put a stop to my peregrination,
+for they _risqued a supper at me_, and let me win a few guineas at the
+little play which began before they sat down to table. Indeed, my dear
+Sir, were I to give you the particulars of some of those unhappy young
+men, who have been ruined in fortune and constitution too, at _Paris_
+and _Lyons_, you would be struck with pity on one side, and horror and
+detestation on the other; nor would ever risque such a _finished part_
+of your son's education. Tell my Oxonian friend, from me, when he
+travels, never to let either Lords or Ladies, even of his own country,
+nor _Marquises_, _Counts_, or _Chevaliers_, of this, ever draw him into
+play; but to remember that shrewd hint of Lord Chesterfield's to his
+son;--"When you play with men (says his Lordship) know with _whom_ you
+play; when with women, _for what_ you play."--But let me add, that the
+only SURE WAY, is never to play at all.
+
+At one of these towns I found a man, whose family I respected, and for
+whom I had a personal regard; he loaded me with civilities, nay, made me
+presents, before I had the most distant suspicions _how_ he became in a
+situation to enable him so to do. He made every profession of love and
+regard to me; and I verily believed him sincere; because I knew he had
+been obliged by a part of my family; but when I found a coach, a
+country-house, a good table, a wife, and servants, were all supported by
+the _chance_ of a gaming-table, I withdrew myself from all connections
+with him; for, I fear, he who lives to play, may _play_ to _live_.
+
+Upon the whole, I think it is next to an impossibility for a young man
+of fortune to pass a year or two in _Paris_, the southern parts of
+France, Italy, &c. without running a great risque of being beggared by
+sharpers, or seduced by artful women; unless he has with him a tutor,
+who is made wise by years, and a frequent acquaintance with the customs
+and manners of the country: an honest, learned Clergyman tutor, is of
+less use to a young man in that situation, than a trusty _Valet de
+Chambre_. A travelling tutor must know men; and, what is more difficult
+to know, he must know women also, before he is qualified to guard
+against the innumerable snares that are always making to entangle
+strangers of fortune.
+
+It is certainly true, that the nearer we approach to the sun, the more
+we become familiar with vices of every kind. In the _South of France_,
+and _Italy_, sins of the blackest dye, and many of the most unnatural
+kind, are not only committed with impunity, but boasted of with
+audacity; and, as one proof of the corruption of the people, of a
+thousand I could tell you, I must tell you, that seeing at _Lyons_ a
+shop in which a great variety of pictures were hung for sale, I walked
+in, and after examining them, and asking a few questions; but none that
+had the least tendency to want of decorum, the master of the shop turned
+to his wife, (a very pretty woman, and dressed even to a _plumed_
+head)--shew _Monsieur_ the little miniature, said he; she then opened a
+drawer and took out a book, (I think it was her mass-book) and brought
+me a picture, so indecent, that I defy the most debauched imagination
+to conceive any thing more so; yet she gave it me with a seeming decent
+face, and only observed that it was _bien fait_. After examining it with
+more attention than I should, had I received it from the hands of her
+husband, I returned it to her prayer-book, made my bow, and was
+retiring; but the husband called to me, and said, he had a magazine hard
+by, where there was a very large collection of pictures of great value,
+and that his wife would attend me. My curiosity was heightened in more
+respects than _one_: I therefore accepted the offer, and was conducted
+up two pair of stairs in a house not far off, where I found a long suite
+of rooms, in which were a large number of pictures, and some, I believe,
+of great value. But I was a little surprised on entering into the
+furthermost apartment, as that had in it an elegant _chintz_ bed, the
+curtains of which were festooned, and the foliages held up by the
+paintings of two naked women, as large as life, and as indecent as
+nakedness could be painted; they were painted, and well painted too, on
+boards, and cut out in human shape; that at first I did not know whether
+I saw the shadow or the substance; however, as this room was covered
+with pictures, I began to examine them also, with the fair attendant at
+my elbow; but in the whole collection I do not remember there was one
+picture which would not have brought a blush in the face of an English
+Lady, even of the most easy virtue. Yet, all this while, when I asked
+the price of the several parts and pieces, she answered me with a
+gravity of countenance, as if she attended me to sell her goods like
+other shopkeepers, and in the way of business; however, before I left
+the room, I could not, I thought, do less than ask her--her own price.
+She told me, she was worth nothing; and immediately invited me to take a
+peep through a convex glass at a picture which was laid under, on the
+table, for that purpose:--it was a picture of so wicked a tendency, that
+the painter ought to have been put upon a pillory, and the exhibitor in
+the stocks. The Lady observed to me again, that it was well painted;
+but, on the contrary, the only merit it had, was, being quite otherwise,
+I therefore told her, that the subject and idea only was good; the
+execution bad.
+
+Just at this time, several French Gentlemen came in to look at the
+pictures, and my surprise became infinitely greater than ever; they
+talked with her about the several pieces, without betraying the least
+degree of surprise at the subjects, or the woman who shewed them; nor
+did they seem to think it was a matter of any to me; and I verily
+believe the woman was so totally a stranger to sentiment or decency,
+that she considered herself employed in the ordinary way of shopkeepers,
+that of shewing and selling her goods: as her shop was almost opposite
+to the General Post-office, where I went every day for my letters, I
+frequently saw women of fashion at this shop; whether they visited the
+magazine, or not, I cannot say, but I think there is no doubt but they
+might borrow the _mass-book_ I mentioned above.
+
+I shall leave you to make your own comments upon this subject; and then
+I am sure you will tremble for the fatal consequences which your son, or
+any young man, may, nay must be led into, in a country where Vice is
+painted with all her bewitching colours, in the fore-ground of the
+picture; and where Virtue, if there be any, is thrown so far behind in
+the back shade, that it is ten to one but it escapes the notice of a
+youthful examiner.
+
+I cannot help adding another instance of the profligacy of this town.
+Lord P---- being invited by a French Gentleman to spend a day at his
+_Chateau_, in this country, took occasion to tell his Lordship, that in
+order to render the day as agreeable as possible to his company, he had
+provided some young people of _both sexes_ to attend, and desired to
+know his Lordship's _gout_. The young Nobleman concealed his surprise,
+and told his _generous_ host, that he was not fashionable enough to walk
+out of the paths of nature. The same question was then put to the other
+company, in the order of their rank; and the last, an _humble
+Frenchman_, replied, it was to him _egal l'un, et l'autre_, just as it
+proved most convenient. This is not a traveller's story; it is a fact;
+and I dare say the Nobleman, who was of the party, will give it the
+sanction of his name, though I cannot with any degree of propriety.
+
+
+
+LETTER IV.
+
+JONQUIRE.
+
+
+I have now crossed the _Pyrenees_, and write this from the first village
+in Spain. These mountains are of such an enormous height, as well as
+extent, that they seem as if they were formed even by nature to divide
+nations. Nor is there any other pass by land into this kingdom but over
+them; for they extend upwards of thirty leagues from the _Mediterranean_
+Sea, near _Perpignan_ in _Rousillon_ to the city of _Pompelina_ in
+_Navarre_; I should have said, extend _into_ the _Mediterranean_ Sea,
+for there the extremity projects its lofty head, like a noble fortress
+of nature, into the ocean, far beyond the low lands on either side.
+Indeed the extensive plains on both side these lofty mountains (so
+unusual in the Southern parts of Europe) would almost make one suspect,
+that nature herself had been exhausted in raising such an immense pile,
+which, as if it were the back-bone of an huge animal, was made to hold,
+and bind together, all the parts of the western world. There are, I
+think, nine passes over these hills into _Spain_, two or three of which
+are very commodious, and wonderfully _picturesque_: others are dreadful,
+and often dangerous; the two best are at the extremities; that which I
+have just passed, and the other near _Bayonne_; the former is not only
+very safe, except just after very heavy and long-continued rains, but in
+the highest degree pleasing, astonishing, and wonderfully romantic, as
+well as beautiful.
+
+At _Boulon_, the last village in France, twelve long leagues from
+_Perpignan_, and seemingly under the foot of the _Pyrenees_, we crossed
+a river, for the first time, which must be forded three or four times
+more, before you begin to ascend the hills; but if the river can be
+safely crossed at _Boulon_, there can be no difficulty afterwards, as
+there alone the stream is most rapid, and the channel deepest. At this
+town there are always a set of fellows ready to offer their service, who
+ford the river, and support the carriage; nor is it an easy matter to
+prevent them, when no such assistance is necessary; and I was obliged to
+handle my pistols, to make them _unhandle_ my wheels; as it is more than
+probable they would have overset us in shallow water, to gain an
+opportunity of shewing their _politeness_ in picking us up again. The
+stream, indeed, was very rapid; and I was rather provoked by the
+rudeness of the people, to pass through it without assistance, than
+convinced there needed none.
+
+Having crossed the river four or five times more, and passed between
+rocks, and broken land, through a very uncultivated and romantic vale,
+we began to ascend the _Pyrenees_ upon a noble road, indeed! hewn upon
+the sides of those adamantine hills, of a considerable width, and an
+easy ascent, quite up to the high _Fortress of Bellegarde_, which stands
+upon the pinnacle of the highest hill, and which commands this renowned
+pass.
+
+You will easier conceive than I can describe the many rude and various
+scenes which mountains so high, so rocky, so steep, so divided, and, I
+may add too, so fertile, exhibit to the traveler's eyes. The constant
+water-falls from the melted snow above, the gullies and breaches made by
+water-torrents during great rains, the rivulets in the vale below, the
+verdure on their banks, the herds of goats, the humble, but picturesque
+habitations of the goat-herds, the hot sun shining upon the _snow-capt_
+hills above, and the steep precipices below, all crowd together so
+strongly upon the imagination, that they intoxicate the passenger with
+delight.
+
+The French nation in no instance shew their greatness more than in the
+durable and noble manner they build and make their high-roads; here,
+the expence was not only cutting the hard mountain, and raising a fine
+road on their sides, but building arches of an immense height from
+mountain to mountain, and over breaks and water-falls, with great
+solidity, and excellent workmanship.
+
+The invalide guard at this fortress take upon themselves, very
+improperly, and I am sure very unwarrantably, to examine strangers who
+pass, with an impertinent curiosity; for they must admit all who come
+with a proper _passa-porte_ into _Spain_, and durst not admit any
+without it. On my arrival at the Guard-house, they seized my horse's
+head, and called for my _passa-porte_, in terms very unlike the usual
+politeness of French guards; and while my pass was carried into a little
+office, hard by, to be registered, those who remained on the side of my
+chaise took occasion to ask me of what country I was: I desired to
+refer them to my _passa-porte_, (where I knew no information of that
+kind was given,) as it was a question I could not very well answer; but
+upon being further urged, I at length told them, I was an
+_Hottentot_.--"_Otentot_--_Otentot_--pray what king governs that
+country?" said one of them. No king governs the _Hottentots_ replied I.
+"What then, is your country without a king?" said another, with
+astonishment! No; not absolutely so, neither; for the _Hottentots_ have
+a king; but he always keeps a number of ambitious and crafty men about
+his Court, who govern him; and those men, who are generally knaves, feed
+the people with guts, and entrails of beasts, give the king now and then
+a little bit of the main body, and divide the rest among themselves,
+their friends, their favourites, and sycophants. But I soon found, these
+were questions leading to a more important one; and that was, what
+_countryman_ my horse was;--for, suspecting him to be an _Englishman_,
+they would perhaps, if I had been weak enough to have owned it, have
+made me pay a considerable duty for his admission into _Spain_; though I
+believe it cannot legally be done or levied upon any horse, French, or
+English, (to use an act of parliament phrase) but such "as are not
+actually in harness, nor drawing in a carriage."
+
+The Spaniards too have done their duty, as to the descent of the
+_Pyrenees_ from _Bellegarde_, but no further; from thence to this
+village, is about the same distance that _Boulon_ is from the foot of
+the mountains on the other side; but though this road is quite destitute
+of art it is adorned highly by nature.
+
+But, before I left _Bellegarde_, I should have told you, that near that
+Fortress the arms of France and Spain, cut on stone pillars, are placed
+_vis-a-vis_ on each side of the road; a spot where some times an affair
+of _honour_ is decided by two men, who engage in personal combat; each
+standing in a different kingdom; and where, if one falls, the other need
+not run; for, by the Family Compact, it is agreed, not to give up
+deserters or murderers.
+
+The road is not less romantic on the Spanish, than on the French side of
+the _Pyrenees_; the face of the country is more beautiful, and the faces
+of all things, animate and inanimate, are quite different; and one would
+be apt to think, that instead of having passed a few hills, one had
+passed over a large ocean: the hogs, for instance, which are all white
+on the French side, are all black on this.
+
+We arrived here upon a Sunday, when the inhabitants had on their best
+apparel: but instead of high head-dresses, false curls, plumes of
+feathers, and a quantity of powder, the women had their black hair
+combed tight from their foreheads and temples, and tied behind, in
+either red, blue, or black nets, something like the caul of a peruke,
+from which hang large tassels down to the middle of their back; the
+men's hair was done up in nets in the same manner, but not so gaudy.
+
+Before we arrived here, I overtook a girl with a load of fresh hay upon
+her head, whom (_at the request of my horse_) I entreated to spare me a
+little, but, till she had called back her brother, who had another load
+of the same kind, would not treat with me; they soon agreed, however,
+that my request was reasonable; and so was their demand; and there,
+under the shade of a noble grove of large cork-trees, we and our horse
+eat a most luxurious meal: appetite was the sauce; and the wild scenes,
+and stupendous rocks, which every way surrounded our _salle a manger_,
+were our dessert.
+
+And that you may not be alarmed about this mighty matter, (as it is by
+many thought) of parting from _France to Spain_, by the way of
+_Perpignan_, it may not be amiss to say, that I left the last town about
+seven o'clock in the morning, in a heavy French _cabriolet_, drawn by
+one strong English horse, charged with four persons, and much baggage;
+yet we arrived here about three o'clock the same day; where at our
+supper, we had a specimen of Spanish cookery, as well as Spanish beds,
+bills, and custom-house officers: to the latter, a small donative is
+better bestowed, than the trouble of unpacking all your baggage, and
+much better relished by them: as to the host, he was neither rude, nor
+over civil; the cookery more savoury than clean; the window frames
+without glass, the rooms without chimneys. The demand for such
+entertainment is rather dearer than in France.
+
+Before I left _Perpignan_, I found it necessary to exchange some French
+gold for Spanish, and to be well informed of the two kingdoms. There
+were many people willing to change my money; though but few, indeed, who
+would give the full value. Formerly, you know, the _Pyrenees_ were
+charged with gold, from whence the Phoenicians fetched great quantities
+every year. In the time of the Romans, much of the _Pyrenean_ gold was
+sent to Rome; and a King of Portugal, so lately as the year 1512, had a
+crown and sceptre made of the gold washed from those hills into the
+_Tagus_; their treasures were known, you may remember, even to Ovid.
+
+    "Quod suo Tagus amne vehit fluit
+    Ignibus aurum."
+
+But as I did not expect to find a gold mine on my passage into Spain, I
+thought it best to carry a little with me, and leave nothing to chance;
+and I should have been content to have found, by the help of my gun, the
+bird vulgarly called the _Gelinotte des Pyrenees_; it has a curved bill
+like a hawk, and two long feathers in the tail; but though I saw a great
+number of different birds, I was not fortunate enough to find the
+_Ganga_, for that is the true name of a bird, so beautiful in feather,
+and of so delicate a flavour, that it is even mentioned by Aristotle,
+and is a native of these hills.
+
+P.S. I forgot to tell you, that the day we left _Cette_ we stopped,
+according to custom, to eat our cold dinner, in an olive grove; from
+whence we had a noble view of the Mediterranean Sea, and a most
+delightfully situated _Chateau_, standing upon the banks of a salt-water
+lake, at least twenty miles in circumference, "clear as the expanse of
+heaven;" and that while we were preparing to spread our napkin, a
+gentleman of genteel appearance came out from a neighbouring vineyard,
+and asked us if any accident had happened, and desired, if we wanted
+any thing, that we would command him, or whatever his house afforded,
+pointing to the _Chateau_, which had so attracted our notice: we told
+him, our business was to eat our little repast, with his leave, under,
+what we presumed, was his shade also, and invited him to partake with
+us. He had already captivated us by his polite attention, and by his
+agreeable conversation: we lamented that we had not better pretensions
+to have visited his lovely habitation. We found he was well acquainted
+with many English persons of fashion, who have occasionally resided at
+Montpellier; and I am sure, his being a winter inhabitant of that city,
+must be one of the most favourable circumstances the town affords. These
+little attentions to strangers, are never omitted by the well-bred part
+of the French nation. I could not refill asking the name of a gentleman,
+to whom I felt myself so much obliged, nor avoid telling him my own,
+and what had passed at the town of _Cette_, relative to the musical
+instruments, as one of the largest was still with us.--He seemed
+astonished, that I preferred the long and dangerous journey by land, as
+he thought it, to _Barcelona_, when I might, he said, have run down to
+it over a smooth sea, in the same bark I had put my baggage on board.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XVI.
+
+GIRONE.
+
+
+From _Jonquere_ to _Figuere_ (about four hours journey, so they reckon
+in Spain) the road is intolerable, and the country beautiful; over which
+the traveller may, as nature has done, repose himself upon a flowery
+bed, indeed; for nature surely could not do more for the pleasure and
+profit of man, than she has done from _Jonquere_ to _Girone_. The town
+of _Figuere_ is, properly speaking, the first town in Spain; for
+_Jonquere_ is rather a hamlet; but _Figuere_ has a decent, comfortable
+appearance, abounds with merchants and tradesmen, and at a little
+distance from it stands the strongest citadel in Spain; indeed it is the
+frontier town of the kingdom. The quietness of the people, and seeming
+tranquility of all ranks and orders of men in Spain, is very remarkable
+to a person who has just left a kingdom in every respect so different.
+Strangers as we were, and as we must be known to be, we passed
+unnoticed; and when we stopped near a cottage to eat our hedge dinner,
+neither man, woman, or child came near us, till I asked for water, and
+then they brought with it, unasked, dried grapes, and chesnuts, but
+instantly retired. I was charmed with the Arcadian inhabitants, and
+visited the inside of their cabin; but its situation upon a little
+_tump_, on the bank of a brook, shaded by ever-green oaks, and large
+spreading fig-trees, was all it had to boast of; it had nothing within
+but straw beds, Indian corn, dried grapes, figs, &c.
+
+From _Figuere_ to _Girone_, which is a good day's journey, the country
+is enclosed, and the hedgerows, corn fields, &c. had in many places the
+appearance of the finest parts of England, only warmed by a hotter sun,
+and adorned with woods and trees of other species; instead of the
+hawthorn, I found the orange and the pomegranate, the myrtle and the
+cypress; in short, all nature seemed to rejoice here, but man alone.
+
+From many parts of this road we had a view of the _Mediterranean_ Sea,
+and the Golfe _de Royas_, a fine bay, over which the heads of the
+_Pyrenees_ hang; and on the banks of which there seemed to be, not only
+villages, but large towns; the situations of which appeared so
+enchanting, that I could hardly resist the temptation of visiting
+them;--and now wonder why I did not; but at that time, I suppose I did
+not recollect I had nothing else to do.
+
+We entered this town rather too late, and were followed to our inn by an
+armed soldier, who demanded, in harsh terms, my attendance upon the
+Governor; I enquired whether it was customary for a Gentleman, just off
+a journey, to be so called upon, and was assured it was not; that my
+_passa-porte_ was sufficient. I therefore gave that to my conductor, and
+desired him to take it, and return it, which he did, in about half an
+hour; but required to be paid for his trouble--a request I declined
+understanding.
+
+This is a fortified city, well built, but every house has the appearance
+of a convent. I went into the market, where fruit, flesh, and
+vegetables, were to be sold in abundance; but instead of that noise
+which French and English markets abound with, a general silence and
+gravity reigned throughout; which, can hardly be thought possible, where
+so many buyers and sellers were collected together. I bought a basket of
+figs, but the vender of them spoke to me as softly as if we had been
+engaged in a conspiracy, but she did not attempt to impose; I dare say,
+she asked me no more than she would have demanded of a Spaniard. The
+manners of people are certainly infectious; my spirits sunk in this
+town; and I wanted nothing but the language, and a long cloak, to make
+me a compleat Spaniard. Our inn was the Golden Fountain; and,
+considering it was in Spain, not a bad one. If the town, however, was
+gloomy, the country round about it exhibited all the beauties nature can
+boast of.
+
+In climates, says some writer, where the earth seems to be the pride and
+masterpiece of nature, rags, and dirt, ghastly countenances, and misery
+under every form, are oftener met with, than in those countries less
+favoured by nature; and the forlorn and wretched condition of the people
+in general seemed to belie and disgrace their native soil. Certain it
+is, that the natives of the southern parts of Europe have neither the
+beauty, the strength, nor comeliness of men born in more northern
+climates. I have seen in the South of France, in Spain, and Portugal,
+the aged especially of both sexes, who hardly appeared human! nor do
+you see, in general, even among the youthful, much more beauty than that
+which youth alone must give; for youth itself is beauty. Whoever
+compares the natives of Switzerland, England, Ireland, and Scotland,
+with those of Spain, Portugal, or other Southern climates, will find,
+that men born among cold, bleak mountains, are infinitely superior to
+those of the finest climates under the sun. Perhaps, however, this
+difference may arise more from the want of Liberty than the power of
+climate. Oh Liberty! sweet Liberty! without thee life cannot be enjoyed!
+Thou parent of comfort, whose children bless thee, though they dwell
+among the barren rocks, or the most surly regions of the earth! Thou
+blessest, in spite of nature; and in spite of nature, tyranny brings
+curses.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER. XVII.
+
+MARTORY.
+
+
+After we left _Girone_ we passed thro' a fine country, but not equal to
+that which is between _Jonquire_ and that town; we lay the first night
+at a _veritiable_ Spanish _posada_; it was a single house, called the
+_Grenade_. We arrived there early in the afternoon; and though the
+inside of the house was but so-so, every thing without was charming, and
+our host and his two daughters gave us the best they had, treated us
+with civility enough; and gave us good advice in the prosecution of our
+journey to Barcelona; for about four leagues from this house, we found
+two roads to that city, one on the side of the Mediterranean Sea, the
+other inland. He advised us to take the former, which exactly tallied
+with my inclination, for wherever the sea-coast affords a road in hot
+climates, that must be the pleasantest; and I was very impatient till we
+got here.
+
+After we had left the high inland road, we had about three leagues to
+the sea side, and the village on its margin where we were to lie; this
+road was through a very wild, uncultivated country, over-run with
+underwood and tall firs. We saw but few houses and met with fewer
+people. When we came near the sea, the country, however, improved upon
+us; and the farms, churches, convents, and beacons, upon the high lands,
+rendered the prospects every way pleasing. We crossed a shallow river
+several times, adorned on both sides with an infinite quantity of tall
+beeches, on one of which trees (boy like) I cut my name, too high for
+_other boys_, without a ladder, to cut me _out_ again. At length we
+arrived at the village, and at a _posada_, than which nothing could be
+more dreadful, after the day-light was gone; for beside the rudest
+mistress, and the dirtiest servants that can be conceived, there lay a
+poor Frenchman dying in the next room to us; nay, I may almost say, in
+the same room with us, for it could hardly be called a door which parted
+us. This poor man, who had not a shilling in his pocket, had lain twenty
+days ill in that house; but was attended by the priests of the town with
+as much assiduity as if he had been a man of fashion: he had been often
+exhorted by them, it seems, to confess, but had refused. The night we
+came, he feared would be his last, and he determined to make his
+confession; I was in the room when he signified his desire so to do; and
+all the people were dismissed by the parish priest. I returned to my
+room, and could now and then hear what the priest said: but the sick
+man's voice was too low: his crimes however, I fear, were of an high
+nature, for we heard the priest say, with a voice of impatience and
+seeming horror, _Adonde--adonde--adonde_?--Where--where--where?
+
+You may imagine, a bad supper, lighted by stinking oil, burning in an
+iron lamp hung against the side of a wall, (for there were no candles to
+be had) and while the sick man was receiving the last sacrament, would
+have been little relished had it been good; that our dirty straw beds
+were no very comfortable retreat; and that day-light the next morning
+was what we most wanted and wished for. Indeed, I never spent a more
+miserable night; but it was amply made up to us by this day's journey to
+_Martory_, for we coasted it along the sea, which sometimes washed the
+wheels of my chaise At others, we crossed over high head-lands, which
+afforded such extensive views over both elements, as abundantly overpaid
+us for the sufferings of the preceding evening. The roads, indeed, over
+these head-lands were bad enough, in some places dangerous; but between
+walking and riding, with a steady horse, we got on very well.
+
+On this coast, we found a village at every league, inhabited by rich
+fishermen, and wealthy ship-builders, and found all these artificers
+busy enough in their professions; in some places, there were an hundred
+men dragging in, by bodily strength, the _Saine_; at others, still more
+surprising, ships of two hundred tons were building on the dry land,
+where no tide rises to launch them! These villages are built close to
+the sea; nothing intervenes between their houses and the ocean but their
+little gardens, in which, under the shade of their orange, lemon, and
+vine trees, which were loaded with fruit, sat the wives and daughters of
+the fishermen, making black silk lace. Though I call them villages, and
+though they are in reality so, yet the houses were such, in general, as
+would make a good figure even in a fine city; for they were all well
+built, and many adorned on the outside with no contemptible paintings.
+
+The town, indeed, from which I write, is situated in the same manner,
+but is a little city, and affords a _posada_, (I speak by comparison,
+remember) comfortable enough; and the sea a fish, they call the red
+fish, than which nothing can be more delicious; I may venture almost to
+call it the sea woodcock, for it is eaten altogether in the same manner.
+We fared better than my poor horse, for not a grain of oats or barley
+did this city afford; nor has he tasted, or have I seen, a morsel of hay
+since I parted from my little _Dona_, near the foot of the _Pyrenees_.
+Tomorrow we have seven hours to _Barcelona_; I can see the high cape
+under which it stands, and from under which, you shall soon hear again
+from me.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XVIII.
+
+BARCELONA.
+
+
+Upon our arrival at this town, we were obliged to wait at the outward
+gate above half an hour, no person being admitted to enter from twelve
+till one, tho' all the world may go out; that hour being allotted for
+the guards, &c. to eat their dinner. As I had no letter to any person in
+this city, but to the French Consul, I had previously wrote to a Mr.
+Ford, a merchant at Barcelona, with whom I had formerly travelled from
+London to Bath, to beg the favour of him to provide lodgings for me; I
+therefore enquired for Mr. Ford's house, and found myself conducted to
+that of a Mr. Curtoys; Mr. Ford, unfortunately for me, was dead; but the
+same house and business is carried on by Messrs. Adams and Curtoys, who
+had received and opened my letter. After this family had a little
+_reconnoitred_ mine, Mr. Curtoys came down, and with much civility, and
+an hospitable countenance, told me his dinner was upon the table, and in
+very pressing terms desired that we would partake of it. We found here a
+large family, consisting of his wife, a motherly good-looking woman;
+Mrs. Adams, her daughter by a former husband, a jolly dame; and several
+children. Mrs. Adams spoke fluently the Catalan, French, English, and
+Spanish tongues; all which were necessary at a table where there were
+people who understood but one only of each language. Mr. Curtoys pressed
+us to dine with him a few days after, a favour which I, only, accepted;
+when he told me, he was nominated, but not absolutely fixed in his
+Consulship of this city; that he had obtained it by the favour of Lord
+Rochford, who had spent some days at his house, on his way to Madrid,
+when his Lordship was Ambassador to this Court; and before I went from
+him, he desired I and my family would dine with him at his country-house
+the next day: instead of which, I waited upon him in the morning, and
+told him, that I had formerly received civilities from his friend, Lord
+Rochford, and believed him once to have been mine; but that,
+unfortunately, I found now it was much otherwise; and observed, that
+perhaps his politeness to me might injure him with his Lordship; and
+that I thought it right to say so much, that he might be guided by his
+own judgment, and not follow the bent of his inclination, if he thought
+it might be prejudicial to his interest; and by the way of a little
+return for the hospitable manner in which he had received and
+entertained me, and my family, I took out an hundred and twenty-five
+pound in Banknotes, and desired him to send them to England; adding,
+that I had about thirty pounds in my pocket, which I hoped would be
+sufficient for my expences, till he had an account of their safe
+arrival. But instead of his wonted chearful countenance, I was
+_contunded_ with an affected air of the man of business; my bank notes
+were shined against the window, turned and twisted about, as if the
+utmost use they could be of were to light the Consul's pipe after
+supper. I asked him whether he had any doubts of their authenticity; and
+shewed him a letter to confirm my being the person I said I was, written
+to me but a short time before, from his friend Lord Rochford, from whom
+he too had just received a letter: he then observed; that a burnt child
+dreads the fire; that their House had suffered; that a Moor had lately
+passed thro' France, who had put off a great number of false Bank notes,
+and that I might indiscreetly have taken some of them; but assuring him
+that I had received all mine from the hands of Messrs. Hoare, and that I
+would not call upon him for the money till he had received advice of
+their being good, I took my leave, and left my notes.
+
+But as there was a possibility, nay, a probability, that Mr. Curtoys
+might not have very early advice from England, or might not give it to
+me if he had, (for all his hospitality of countenance and civility was
+departed) I thought it was necessary to secure a retreat; for I should
+have informed you, that I found at his table a Mr. Wombwell, whose uncle
+I had lived in great intimacy with many years before at Gibraltar, and
+who left this man (now a Spanish merchant) all his fortune. Indeed, I
+should have said, that Mr. Wombwell had visited me, and even had asked
+me to dine with him; and as he appeared infinitely superior both in
+understanding, address, and knowledge of the world to good Mr. Curtoys,
+I went to him, with that confidence which a good note, and a good cause,
+gives to every man. I told him the Consul's fears, and my own, lest I
+might want money before Mr. Curtoys was ready to supply me; in which
+case, and which only, I asked Mr. Wombwell if he would change me a
+twenty pound Bank note, and shewed him one which I then took out of my
+pocket; but Mr. Wombwell too examined my notes, with all the attention
+of a cautious tradesman, and put on all that imperiousness which riches,
+and the haughty Spanish manners to an humble suitor, could suggest. I
+tell you, my dear Sir, what passed between us, more out of pity than
+resentment towards him; he said I will recollect it as nearly as I can,
+"that if you are Mr. Thicknesse, you must have lived a great deal in the
+world; it is therefore unfortunate, you are not acquainted with Sir
+Thomas Gascoyne, a gentleman of fashion, well known in England, and now
+in the same auberge with you." I confessed that I had seen, and
+conversed with Sir Thomas Gascoyne there, and that it was very true, he
+was to me, and I to him, utter strangers; but I observed, that Sir
+Thomas had been ten years upon his travels, and that I had lived
+fourteen years in retirement before he set out, and therefore that was
+but a weak circumstance of my being an impostor; I observed too, that
+impostors travelled singly, not with a wife and children; and that
+though I by no means wished to force his money out of his pocket, I
+coveted much to remove all suspicions of my being an adventurer, for
+many obvious reasons. This reply opened a glimpse of generosity, though
+sullied with arrogance and pride. "I should be sorry (said he) to see a
+countryman, who is an honest man, in want of money; and therefore, as I
+think it is probable you are Mr. Thicknesse, I will, when you want your
+note changed, change it;" adding, however, that "he thanked God! if he
+lost the money, he could afford it." I then told him, he had put it in
+my power to convince him I was Mr. Thicknesse, by declining, as I did,
+the boon he offered me; I declined it, indeed, with an honest
+indignation, because I am sure he did not doubt my being Mr. Thicknesse,
+and that _he_, not _I_, was the REAL PRETENDER. I had before told him,
+that I had some letters in my pocket written by a Spanish Gentleman of
+fashion, whose hand-writing must be well known in that town;--but to
+this he observed, that there was not a Moor in Spain who could not write
+Spanish;--he further remarked, that if I was Mr. Thicknesse, I had, in a
+publication of my travels, spoke of Sir John Lambert, a Parisian Banker,
+in very unhandsome terms, and, for aught he knew, I might take the same
+liberty with his name, in future. I acknowledged that his charge was
+very true, and that his suggestion might be so; that I should always
+speak and publish such truths as I thought proper, either for the
+information of others, or the satisfaction of myself. Mr. Wombwell,
+however, acknowledged, that Mr. Curtoys, to whom I shewed Lord
+Rochford's letter to me, ought to have been quite satisfied whether I
+was, or was not an impostor; but I still left him under real or
+pretended doubts, with a resolution to live upon bread and water, or the
+bounty of a taylor, my honest landlord; for, tho' a Spaniard, I am sure
+he had that perception, and that humanity too, which Mess. Curtoys and
+Wombwell have not, or artfully concealed from me: yet, in spite of all
+the unkind behaviour of the latter, I could not help shewing him my
+share of vanity too; I therefore sent him a letter, and enclosed therein
+others written to me by the late Lord Holland, the Duke of Richmond,
+Lord Oxford, and many other people of rank; and desired him to give me
+credit, at least, for _that_ which he could lose nothing by--that of my
+being, if I was an impostor, an ingenuous one. He sent the letters,
+handsomely sealed up, back again, without any answer; and there
+finished for ever, our correspondence, unless _he should renew it_.
+
+I am ashamed of saying so much about these men and myself, where I could
+find much better subjects, and some, perhaps, of entertainment; but it
+is necessary to shew how very proper it is for a stranger to take with
+him letters of recommendation when he travels, not only to other
+kingdoms, but to every city where he proposes to reside, even for a
+short time; for, as Mr. Wombwell justly observed, when I have a letter
+of recommendation from my friend, or correspondent, I can have no doubt
+who the bearer is; and I had rather take that recommendation than Bank
+notes.--I confess, that merchants cannot be too cautious and
+circumspect; I can, and do forgive Mr. Curtoys, for reasons he shall
+shew you under his own hand: but I have too good an opinion of Mr.
+Wombwell's perception to so readily forget his shrewd reprisals; though
+I must, I cannot refrain from telling you what a flattering thing he
+said to me: I had shewn him a printed paper, signed _Junius_; said he,
+"If you wrote this, you may be, for aught I know, really JUNIUS." I
+assured him that I was not; for being in Spain, and out of the reach of
+the inquisitorial court of Westminster-Hall, I would instantly avow it,
+for fear I should die suddenly, and carry that secret, like _Mrs.
+Faulkner_, to the grave with me.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XIX.
+
+BARCELONA.
+
+
+You will, as I am, be tired of hearing so much about Messrs. Wombwell,
+Curtoys, Adams, and Co.--but as there are some other persons here, which
+my last letter must have put you in some pain about, I must renew the
+subject. I had, you know, some letters of recommendation to the _Marquis
+of Grimaldi_, which I had reserved to deliver into his Excellency's
+hands at _Madrid_; but which I found necessary to send away by the post,
+and to request the honour of his Excellency to write to some Spaniard of
+fashion here, to shew me countenance, and to clear up my suspected
+character. I accordingly wrote to the _Marquis_, and sent him my letters
+of recommendation, but sixteen days was the soonest I could expect an
+answer. I therefore, in the mean time, wrote myself to the _Intendant_
+of _Barcelona_, a man of sense, and high birth; I told him my name, and
+that I had letters in my pocket from a Spanish Gentleman of fashion,
+whom he knew, which would convince him who I was, and desired leave to
+wait upon him. The Intendant fixed six o'clock the same evening. I was
+received, and conducted into his apartment, for he was ill, by one of
+his daughters; the only woman I had seen in Barcelona that had either
+beauty or breeding;--this young Lady had both in a high degree. After
+shewing my letters, and having conversed a little with the Intendant, a
+Lady with a red face, and a nose as big as a brandy bottle, accosted me
+in English: "Behold, Sir, (said she) your countrywoman." This was Madam
+O'Reilly, wife to the Governor of _Monjuique_ Castle, and brother to the
+Gentleman of that name, so well known, and so amply provided for, by the
+late and present King of Spain. She was very civil, and seemed
+sensible. Her husband, the Governor, soon after came in, and the whole
+family smiled upon me. I then began to think I should escape both goal
+and inquisition. Mrs. O'Reilly visited my family. Mr. O'Reilly borrowed
+a house for me, and a charming one too; I say borrowed it, for no
+Spaniard letts his house; I was only to make him some _recompense for
+his politeness and generosity_. The Intendant even sent Gov. O'Reilly to
+know why Mr. Curtoys had not presented me, on the court-day, to the
+Captain-General. Mr. Consul Curtoys was obliged to give his reasons in
+person; had they been true, they were good: the Intendant accepted them,
+and said he would present me himself. Things seemed now to take a
+favourable turn: Mr. Curtoys visited me on his way back from the
+Intendant's; assured me he had told him that I was a man of character,
+and an honest man; and that though he could not _see me_ as _Consul
+Curtoys_, he should be glad to see me as _Merchant Curtoys_. On the
+other hand, the _Marquis of Grimaldi_, with the politeness of a
+minister, and the feelings of humanity, wrote me a very flattering
+letter indeed, and sent it by a special _courier_, who came in four days
+from _Madrid_. Now, thought I, a fig for your Wombwells, Curtoys, &c.
+The first minister's favour, and the _shining countenance_ of Madam
+O'Reilly, must carry me through every thing. But alas! it was quite
+otherwise;--the _courier_ who brought my letter had directions to
+deliver it into my own hands; but either by _his blunder_, or _Madam
+O'Reilly's_, I did not get it till _nine hours_ after it arrived, and
+then _from the hands_ of _Madam O'Reilly's_ servant. The contents of
+this letter were soon known: the favour of the minister at _Madrid_ did
+not shine upon me at the _Court of Barcelona_! I visited Madam O'Reilly,
+who looked at me,--if I may use such a coarse expression,--"like God's
+revenge against murder." I could not divine what I had done, or what
+omitted to do. I could get no admittance at the Intendant's, neither. I
+proposed going to _Montserrat_, and asked my _fair_ countrywoman for a
+letter to one of the monks; but--_she knew nobody there, not she_:--Why
+then, madam, said I, perhaps I had better go back to France:--Oh! but,
+says she, perhaps the _Marquis of Grimaldi_ will not let you; adding,
+that the laws of France and Spain were very different.--But, pray,
+madam, said I, what have the laws of either kingdom to do with me, while
+I violate none of them? I am a citizen of the world, and consequently
+free in every country.--Now, Sir, to decypher all this, which I did by
+the help of some _characters_ an honest Spaniard gave me:--Why, says he,
+they say you are a _great Captain_; that you have had an attention shewn
+you by the _Marquis of Grimaldi_, which none of the O'Reilly's ever
+obtained; and they are afraid that you are come here to take the eldest
+brother's post from him, and that you are to command the troops upon the
+second expedition to _Algiers_; for every body is much dissatisfied
+with his conduct on the first; adding, that the Spaniards do not love
+him.--I told him, that might arise from his being a stranger; but I had
+been well assured, and I firmly believed it, that he is a gallant, an
+able, and a good officer; but, said I, that cannot be the reason of so
+much shyness in the _Intendant_, even if it does raise any uneasiness in
+the O'Reilly's family:--Yes, said he, it does; for the Captain-General
+O'Reilly is married lately to one of the Intendant's daughters. So you
+see here was another mine sprung under me; and I determined to set out
+in a day or two for _Montserrat_. I had but one card more to play, and
+that was to carry the open letter I had to the French Consul, and which,
+I forgot to tell you, I had shewn to the acute, discerning, and
+sagacious merchant Wombwell. It was written by _Madame de Maigny_, the
+Lady of the _Chevalier de Maigny_, of the regiment _d'Artois_, one of
+the Gentlemen with whom I had eat that voluptuous supper in company at
+_Pont St. Esprit_; but, as Mr. Wombwell shrewdly observed, my name was
+not even mentioned in that letter, it was the _bearer only_ who was
+recommended; and how could that Lady, any more than Mr. Wombwell, tell,
+but that I had murdered the first bearer, and robbed him of his
+recommendatory letter, and dressed myself in his scarlet and gold-laced
+coat, to practise the same wicked arts upon their lives and fortunes?
+
+Now, you will naturally wish to know how Sir Thomas Gascoyne, my
+_vis-a-vis_ neighbour in the same _Hotel_, conducted himself. I had,
+before all this fuss, eat, drank, and conversed with him: he is a
+sensible, genteel, well-bred man; and there was with him Mr. Swinburne,
+who was equally agreeable: no wonder, therefore, if I endeavoured to
+cultivate an acquaintance with two such men, so much superior, in all
+respects, to what the town afforded. Sir Thomas, however, became rather
+reserved; perhaps not more so than good policy made necessary for a man
+who was only just entering upon a grand tour through the whole kingdom,
+from Barcelona to Cadiz, Madrid, &c. &c. I perceived this shyness, but
+did not resent it, because I could not censure it. He had no suspicion
+of me at first; and if he had afterwards, I could not tell what
+circumstances might have been urged against me; and I considered, that
+if a man of his fortune and figure could have been suspected, there was
+much reason for him to join with others in suspecting me.
+
+The Moor, it seems, who had put off the counterfeit bank notes, had been
+advertised in all the foreign papers; his person was particularly
+described; and as application had been made to the Courts of France and
+Spain, to stop the career of such a villain, the Governor of _Barcelona_
+had, upon Sir Thomas Gascoyne's first arrival, stopped him, and sent
+for the Consul, verily believing he had got the offender. The Moor was
+described as a short, plump, black man; and as Sir Thomas has black
+eyes, and is rather _en bon point_, the plain, honest Governor had not
+discernment enough to see that ease and good breeding in Sir Thomas,
+which no Moor, however well he may imitate Bank notes, can counterfeit.
+But as Sir Thomas had letters of credit upon Mr. Curtoys, which
+ascertained his person and rank, this adventure became a laughable one
+to him. It is, indeed, from his mouth I relate it, though, perhaps, not
+with all the circumstances he told me.--Now, had my person tallied as
+well as Sir Thomas's did with that of the itinerant Moor, I should
+certainly have been in one of the round towers, which stick pretty thick
+in the walls of the fortification of this town.
+
+You will tremble--I assure you, I do--when I think of another escape I
+had; and I will tell you how:--The day after I left _Cette_, I came to
+a spot where the roads divide; here I asked two men, which was mine to
+_Narbonne_? one of them answered me in English; he was a shabby, but
+genteel-looking young man, said he came from _Italy_, and was going to
+_Barcelona_; that he had been defrauded of his money at _Venice_ by a
+parcel of sharpers, and was going to _Spain_ to get a passage to
+Holland, of which country he was a native; he was then in treaty, he
+said, with the other man to sell him a pair of breeches, to furnish him
+with money to carry him on; and as I had no servant at that time, he
+earnestly intreated me to take him into my service: I would not do that,
+you may be sure; but lest he might be an unfortunate man, like myself, I
+told him, if he could contrive to lie at the inns I did, I would pay for
+his bed and supper. He accepted an offer, I soon became very sorry I had
+made; and when we arrived at _Perpignan_, I gave him a little money to
+proceed, but absolutely forbad him either to walk near my chaise, or to
+sleep at the same inns I did; for as I knew him not, he should not enter
+into another kingdom as one in my _suite_; and I saw no more of him till
+some days after my arrival at Barcelona, where he accosted me in a
+better habit, and shewed me some real, or counterfeit gold he had got,
+he said, of a friend who knew his father at Amsterdam. He was a bold,
+daring fellow; and it was with some difficulty I could prevail upon him
+not to walk _cheek by jole_ with me along the ramparts.
+
+Soon after this I was informed, that a fine-dressed, little black-eyed
+man was arrived in a bark from Italy. This man proved to be, as Mr.
+Curtoys informed me, the very Moor whom Sir Thomas Gascoyne was
+suspected to be: he was apprehended, and committed to one of the round
+towers. But what will you say, or what would have been my lot, had I
+taken the other man into my service?--for the minute _my white man_, for
+he was a _whitish_ Moor, saw the black one arrive, he decamped; they
+were afraid of each other, and both wanted to escape; my man went off on
+foot; the black man was apprehended, while he was in treaty with the
+master of the same bark he came in, to carry him to some other sea-port.
+Now had I come in with such a servant, and with my suspected Bank notes,
+without letters of credit, or recommendation; had the Moor arrived, who
+is the real culprit, and who had been connected with my man, what would
+have become of his master, your unfortunate humble servant?--I doubt the
+_abilities_ of his Britannic Majesty's Consul would not have been able
+to have divided our degrees of _guilt_ properly; and that I should have
+experienced but little charity on my straw bed, from the humanity of Mr.
+Wombwell. However, I had still one card more to play to reinforce my
+purse; it was one, I thought could not fail, and the money was nearer
+home:--I had lent, while I was at Calais, thirty guineas to a French
+officer, for no other reason but because he wanted it: I knew the man;
+and as he promised to pay me in three months, and as that time was
+expired, I applied to Mr. Harris, a Scotch merchant, at his house at
+Barcelona, on whom the London Bankers of the same name give letters of
+credit to travellers. I begged the favour of him to send the note to his
+correspondents at Paris, and to procure the money for me, and when it
+was paid, that he would give it to me at Barcelona; but Mr. Harris too,
+begged to be excused: he started some difficulties, but at length did
+give me a receipt for the note, and promised, reluctantly enough, to
+send it. I began now to think that I should starve indeed. Every article
+of life is high in Spain, and my purse was low. I therefore wrote to Mr.
+Curtoys, to know if he had any tidings of the Bank bills; for I had
+immediately wrote to Messrs. Hoare, to beg the favour of them to send
+Mr. Curtoys the numbers of those which I received at their house; and
+they very politely informed me, they had so done. Mr. Consul Curtoys
+favoured me with the following answer:
+
+"Mr. Curtoys presents his compliments to Mr. Thicknesse; no ways doubts
+the Bank bills _to be good_, from London this post under the 24th past,
+they _accuse_ receipt thereof, &c. _Barcelona_, 12th of December, 1775."
+
+As Mr. Curtoys's correspondent had _accused receipt thereof_, I thought
+I might too, and accordingly I went and desired my money. The cashier
+was sick, they said, and I was desired to call again the next morning,
+_when he would be much better_;--I did so, and received my money; and
+shall set off immediately for _Montserrat_, singing, and saying what I
+do not exactly agree to; but, being at Rome, I would do as they do
+there: I therefore taught my children to repeat the following Spanish
+proverb:
+
+    "Barcelonaes Bueno,
+    Si la Bolsa fueno;
+    Sueno o no fueno;
+    Barcelonaes Bueno."
+
+I will not translate what, I am sure, you will understand the sense of
+much better than you will think I experienced the truth. I hope,
+however, to have done with my misfortunes; for I am going to visit a
+spot inhabited by virtuous and retired men; a place, according to all
+reports, cut out by nature for such who are able to sequester themselves
+from all worldly concerns; and from such strangers as they are I am sure
+I shall meet with more charity for they deal in nothing else than I met
+with humanity or politeness at Barcelona.
+
+_P.S._ I should have told you, that before Sir Thomas Gascoyne left this
+town, he sent a polite message, to desire to take leave of me and my
+family: I therefore waited upon him; and as he proposed visiting
+Gibraltar, I troubled him with a letter to my son, then on that duty;
+and was sorry soon after to find that my son had left the garrison
+before Sir Thomas could arrive at it. If you ask me how Sir Thomas
+Gascoyne ventured to make so great a tour through a country so aukwardly
+circumstanced for travellers in general, and strangers in particular, I
+can only say, that when I saw him he had but just began his long
+journey, and that he had every advantage which _religion_ and fortune
+could give him. I had none: he travelled with two coaches, two sets of
+horses, two saddle mules, and was protected by a train of servants. I
+had religion, (but it was a bad one in that country) and only one
+footman, who strictly maintained his character, for he always walked.
+Indeed, it is the fashion of all Spanish gentlemen to be followed by
+their servant on foot. I therefore travelled like a Spaniard; Sir
+Thomas like an Englishman. The whole city of _Barcelona_ was in an
+uproar the morning Sir Thomas's two coaches set off; and I heard, with
+concern, that they both broke down before they got half way to
+_Valencia_; but, with pleasure, by a polite letter soon after from Mr.
+Swinburne, that they got so far in perfect health.
+
+I am, dear Sir, &c.
+
+_P.S._ Before I quit Barcelona, it will be but just to say, that it is a
+good city, has a fine mole, and a noble citadel, beside _Monjuique_, a
+strong fort, which stands on a high hill, and which commands the town as
+well as the harbour. The town is very large and strongly fortified,
+stands in a large plain, and is encompassed with a semi-circular range
+of high hills, rather than mountains, which form _un coup-d'oeil_,
+that is very pleasing, as not only the sides of the hills are adorned
+with a great number of country houses, but the plain also affords a
+great many, beside several little villages. The roads too near the town
+are very good. As to the city itself, it is rather well built in
+general, than abounding with any particular fine buildings. The
+Inquisition has nothing to boast of now, either within or without,
+having (fortunately for the public) lost a great part of its former
+power: it, however, still keeps an awe upon all who live within its
+verge. I never saw a town in which trade is carried on with more spirit
+and industry; the indolent disposition of the Spaniards of _Castile_,
+and other provinces, has not extended ever into this part of Spain. They
+have here a very fine theatre; but those who perform upon the stage are
+the refuse of the people, and are too bad to be called by the name of
+actors. They have neither libraries nor pictures worthy of much notice,
+though they boast of one or two paintings in their churches by natives
+of the town, Francois _Guirro_, and John _Arnau_. In the custom-house
+hangs a full-length of the present King, so execrable, that one would
+wonder it was not put, with the painter, into the Inquisition, as a
+libel on royalty and the arts. I am told, at _La Fete Dieu_ there are
+some processions of the most ridiculous nature. The fertility of the
+earth in and about the town is wonderful; the minute one crop is off the
+earth, another is put in; no part of the year puts a stop to vegetation.
+In the coldest weather, the market abounds with a great variety of the
+choicest flowers; yet their sweets cannot over-power the intolerable
+smell which salt fish, and stinking fish united, diffuse over all that
+part of the city; and rich as the inhabitants are, you will see the
+legs, wings, breasts, and entrails of fowls, in the market, cut up as
+joints of meat are in other countries, to be sold separately: nor could
+I find in this great city either oil, olives, or wine, that were
+tolerable. I paid a guinea a day at the _Fontain d'Or_ for my table;
+yet every thing was so dirty, that I always made my dinner from the
+dessert; nor was there any other place but the stable of this dirty inn
+to put up my horse, where I paid twelve livres a week for straw only;
+and whoever lodges at this inn, must pay five shillings a day for their
+dinner, whether they dine there or not.
+
+_Catalonia_ is undoubtedly the best cultivated, the richest, and most
+industrious province, or principality, in Spain; and the King, who has
+the SUN FOR HIS HAT, (for it always shines in some part of his
+dominions) has nothing to boast of, equal to _Catalonia_.
+
+As I have almost as much abhorrence to the Moors, as even the Spaniards
+themselves, (having visited that coast two or three times, many years
+ago) you may be sure I was grieved to meet, every time I went out, so
+many maimed and wounded officers and soldiers, who were not long
+returned from the unsuccessful expedition to _Algiers_. There are no
+troops in the world more steady than the Spaniards; it was not for want
+of bravery they miscarried, but there was some sad mismanagement; and
+had the Moors followed their blows, not a man of them would have
+returned. My servant, (a French deserter) who was upon that expedition,
+says, Gen. O'Reilly was the first who landed, and the last who
+embarked;--but it is the HEAD, not the _arm_ of a commander in chief,
+which is most wanted. The Moors at _le point du jour_, advanced upon
+the Spaniards behind a formidable _masked and moving battery_ of
+camels: the Spaniards, believing them, by a faint light, to be cavalry,
+expended a great part of their strength, spirits, and ammunition, upon
+those harmless animals; and it was not till _this curtain_ was removed
+that the dreadful carnage began, in which they lost about nine thousand
+men. There seems to have been some strange mismanagement; it seems
+probable that there was no very good understanding between the marine
+and the land officers. The fleet were many days before the town, and
+then landed just where the Moors expected they would land. There is
+nothing so difficult, so dangerous, nor so liable to miscarriage, as
+the war of _invading_: our troops experienced it at _St. Cas_; and they
+either have, or will experience it in America. The wild negroes in
+Jamaica, to whom Gov. Trelawney wisely gave, what they contended for,
+(LIBERTY) were not above fifteen hundred fit to bear arms. I was in
+several skirmishes with them, and second in command under Mr. Adair's
+brother, a valiant young man who died afterwards in the field, who made
+peace with them; yet I will venture to affirm, that though five hundred
+disciplined troops would have subdued them in an open country, the
+united force of France and England could not have extirpated them from
+their fast holds in the mountains. Did not a Baker battle and defeat
+two Marshals of France in the Cevennes? And is it probable, that all
+the fleets and armies of Great-Britain can conquer America?--England
+may as well attempt moving that Continent on this side the Atlantic.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XX.
+
+MONTSERRAT.
+
+
+I never left any place with more secret satisfaction than I did
+_Barcelona_; exclusive of the entertainment I was prepared to expect,
+by visiting this holy mountain; nor have I been disappointed; but on
+the contrary, found it, in every respect, infinitely superior to the
+various accounts I had heard of it;--to give a perfect description of
+it is impossible;--to do that it would require some of those attributes
+which the Divine Power by whose almighty handy it was raised, is
+endowed with. It is called _Montserrat_, or _Mount-Scie_,[C] by the
+_Catalonians_, words which signify a cut or _sawed mountain_; and so
+called from its singular and extraordinary form; for it is so broken,
+so divided, and so crowned with an infinite number of spiring cones,
+or PINE heads, that it has the appearance, at distant view, to be the
+work of man; but upon a nearer approach, to be evidently raised by HIM
+alone, to whom nothing is impossible. It looks, indeed, like the first
+rude sketch of GOD's work; but the design is great, and the execution
+such, that it compels all men who approach it, to lift up their hands
+and eyes to heaven, and to say,--Oh GOD!--HOW WONDERFUL ARE ALL THY
+WORKS!
+
+[C] The arms of the Abbey are--A saw in the middle of a rock.
+
+It is no wonder then, that such a place should be fixed upon for the
+residence of holy and devout men; for there is not surely upon the
+habitable globe a spot so properly adapted for retirement and
+contemplation; it has therefore, for many ages, been inhabited only by
+monks and hermits, whose first vow is, never to forsake it;--a vow,
+without being either a hermit or a monk, I could make, I think, without
+repenting.
+
+If it be true, and some great man has said so, that "_whosoever
+delighteth in solitude, is either a wild beast, or a God_;" the
+inhabitants of this spot are certainly more than men; for no wild beast
+dwells here. But it is the _place_, not the people, I mean at present to
+speak of. It stands in a vast plain, seven leagues they call it, but it
+is at least thirty miles from _Barcelona_, and nearly in the center of
+the principality of _Catalonia_. The height of it is so very
+considerable, that in one hour's slow travelling towards it, after we
+left _Barcelona_, it shewed its pointed steeples, high over the lesser
+mountains, and seemed so very near, that it would have been difficult to
+have persuaded a person, not accustomed to such deceptions, in so clear
+an atmosphere to believe, that we had much more than an hour's journey
+to arrive at it; instead of which, we were all that day in getting to
+_Martorel_, a small city, still three leagues distant from it, where we
+lay at the Three Kings, a pretty good inn, kept by an insolent imposing
+Italian. _Martorel_ stands upon the steep banks of the river
+_Lobregate_, over which there is a modern bridge, of a prodigious
+height, the piers of which rest on the opposite shore, against a Roman
+triumphal arch of great solidity, and originally of great beauty. I
+think I tell you the truth when I say, that I could perceive the
+convent, and some of the hermitages, when I first saw the mountain, at
+above twenty miles distance. From _Martorel_, however, they were as
+visible as the mountain itself, to which the eye was directed, down the
+river, the banks of which were adorned with trees, villages, houses, &c.
+and the view terminated by this the most glorious monument in nature.
+When I first saw the mountain, it had the appearance of an infinite
+number of rocks cut into _conical_ forms, and built one upon another to
+a prodigious height. Upon a nearer view, each cone appeared of itself a
+mountain; and the _tout ensemble_ compose an enormous mass of the
+_Lundus Helmonti_, or plumb-pudding stone, fourteen miles in
+circumference, and what the Spaniards _call_ two leagues in height. As
+it is like unto no other mountain, so it stands quite unconnected with
+any, though not very distant from some very lofty ones. Near the base of
+it, on the south side, are two villages, the largest of which is
+_Montrosol_; but my eyes were attracted by two ancient towers, which
+flood upon a hill near _Colbaton_, the smallest, and we drove to that,
+where we found a little _posada_, and the people ready enough to furnish
+us with mules and asses, for we were now become quite impatient to visit
+the hallowed and celebrated convent, _De Neustra Senora_; a convent, to
+which pilgrims resort from the furthest parts of Europe, some bearing,
+by way of penance, heavy bars of iron on their backs, others cutting and
+slashing their naked bodies with wire cords, or crawling to it on
+all-fours, like the beasts of the field, to obtain forgiveness of their
+sins, by the intercession of _our Lady of Montserrat_.
+
+When we had ascended a steep and rugged road, about one hour, and where
+there was width enough, and the precipices not too alarming, to give our
+eyes the utmost liberty, we had an earnest of what we were to expect
+above, as well as the extensive view below; our impatience to see more
+was encreased by what we had already seen; the majestic convent opened
+to us a view of her venerable walls; some of the hermits' cells peeped
+over the broken precipices still higher; while we, glutted with
+astonishment, and made giddy with delight and amazement, looked up at
+all with a reverential awe, towards that God who raised the
+PILES, and the holy men who dwell among them.--Yes, Sir,--we
+caught the holy flame; and I hope we came down better, if not wiser,
+than we went up. After ascending full two hours and a half more, we
+arrived on a flat part on the side, and about the middle of the
+mountain, on which the convent is built; but even that flat was made so
+by art, and at a prodigious expence. Here, however, was width enough to
+look securely about us; and, good God! what an extensive field of earth,
+air, and sea did it open! the ancient towers, which at first attracted
+my notice near _Colbaton_, were dwindled into pig-sties upon a
+_mounticule_. At length, and a great length it was, we arrived at the
+gates of the _Sanctuary_; on each side of which, on high pedestals,
+stand the enormous statues of two saints; and nearly opposite, on the
+base of a rock, which leans in a frightful manner over the buildings,
+and threatens destruction to all below, a great number of human sculls
+are fixed in the form of a cross. Within the gate is a square cloister,
+hung round with paintings of the miracles performed by the Holy Virgin,
+with votive offerings, &c. It was Advent week, when none of the monks
+quit their apartments, but one whose weekly duty it was to attend the
+call of strangers; nor did the whole community afford but a single
+member (_pere tendre_, a _Fleming_) who could speak French. It was _Pere
+Pascal_, by whom we were shewn every mark of politeness and attention,
+which a man of the world could give, but administered with all that
+humility and meekness, so becoming a man who had renounced it. He put us
+in possession of a good room, with good beds; and as it was near night,
+and very cold, he ordered a brazier of red-hot embers into our
+apartment; and having sent for the cook of the strangers' kitchen, (for
+there are four public kitchens) and ordered him to obey our commands, he
+retired to evening _vespers_; after which he made us a short visit, and
+continued to do so, two or three times every day, while we staid.
+Indeed, I began to fear we staid too long, and told him so; but he
+assured me the apartment was ours for a month or two, if we pleased.
+During our stay, he admitted me into his apartments, and filled my box
+with delicious Spanish snuff, and shewed us every attention we would
+wish, and much more than, as _unrecommended_ strangers, we could expect.
+All the poor who come here are fed gratis for three days, and all the
+sick received in the hospital. Sometimes, on particular festivals, seven
+thousand arrive in one day; but people of condition pay a reasonable
+price for what they eat. There was before our apartment a long covered
+gallery; and tho' we were in a deep recess of the rocks, which projected
+wide and high on our right and left, we had in front a most extensive
+view of the _world below_, and the more distant Mediterranean Sea. It
+was a moon-light night; and, in spite of the cold, it was impossible to
+be shut out of the enchanting lights and shades which her silver beams
+reflected on the rude rocks above, beneath, and on all sides of
+us.--Every thing was as still as death, till the sonorous convent bell
+warned the Monks to midnight prayer. At two o'clock, we heard some of
+the tinkling bells of the hermits' cells above give notice, that they
+too were going to their devotion at the appointed hour: after which I
+retired to my bed; but my mind was too much awakened to permit me to
+sleep; I was impatient for the return of day-light, that I might proceed
+still higher; for, miser like, tho' my _coffers were too full_, I
+coveted more; and accordingly, after breakfast, we eagerly set our feet
+to the first _round_ of the _hermit's ladder_; it was a stone one
+indeed, but stood in all places dreadfully steep, and in many almost
+perpendicular. After mounting up a vast chasm in the rock, yet full of
+trees and shrubs, about a thousand paces, fatigued in body, and
+impatient for a safe resting place, we arrived at a small hole in the
+rock, through which we were glad to crawl; and having got to the secure
+side of it, prepared ourselves, by a little rest, to proceed further;
+but not, I assure you, without some apprehensions, that if there was no
+better road down, we must have become _hermits_. After a second
+clamber, not quite so dreadful as the first, but much longer, we got
+into some flowery and serpentine walks, which lead to two or three of
+the nearest hermitages then visible, and not far off, one of which hung
+over so horrible a precipice, that it was terrifyingly picturesque. We
+were now, however, I thought, certainly in the garden of Eden! Certain I
+am, Eden could not be more beautifully adorned; for God alone is the
+gardener here also; and consequently, every thing prospered around us
+which could gratify the eye, the nose and, the imagination.
+
+    "Profuse the myrtle spread unfading boughs,
+    Expressive emblem of eternal vows."
+
+For the myrtle, the eglantine, the jessamin, and all the smaller kind of
+aromatic shrubs and flowers, grew on all sides thick and spontaneously
+about us; and our feet brushed forth the sweets of the lavender,
+rosemary and thyme, till we arrived at the first, and peaceful
+hermitage of _Saint Tiago_. We took possession of the holy inhabitants
+little garden, and were charmed with the neatness, and humble
+simplicity, which in every part characterised the possessor. His little
+chapel, his fountain, his vine arbor, his stately cypress, and the walls
+of his cell, embraced on all sides with ever-greens, and adorned with
+flowers, rendered it, exclusive of its situation, wonderfully pleasing.
+His door, however, was fast, and all within was silent; but upon
+knocking, it was opened by the venerable inhabitant: he was cloathed in
+a brown cloth habit, his beard was very long, his face pale, his manners
+courteous; but he seemed rather too deeply engaged in the contemplation
+of the things of the next world, to lose much of his time with _such
+things_ as _us_. We therefore, after peeping into his apartments, took
+his benediction, and he retired, leaving us all his worldly possessions,
+but his straw bed, his books, and his beads. This hermitage is confined
+between two pine heads, within very narrow bounds; but it is artfully
+fixed, and commands at noon day a most enchanting prospect to the East
+and to the North. Though it is upwards of two thousand three hundred
+paces from the convent, yet it hangs so directly over it, that the rocks
+convey not only the sound of the organ, and the voices of the monks
+singing in the choir, but you may hear men in common conversation from
+the piazza below.
+
+This is a long letter; but I know you would not willingly have left me
+in the midst of danger, or before I was safe arrived at the first stage
+towards heaven, and seen one humble host on GOD's high road.
+
+_P.S._ At two o'clock, after midnight, these people rise, say mass, and
+continue the remainder of the night in prayer and contemplation. The
+hermits tell you, it was upon high mountains that God chose to manifest
+his will:--_fundamenta ejus in montibus sanctis_, say they;--they
+consider these rocks as symbols of their penitence, and mortifications;
+and their being so beautifully covered with fine flowers, odoriferous
+and rare plants, as emblems of the virtue and innocence of the religious
+inhabitants; or how else, say they, could such rocks produce
+spontaneously flowers in a desart, which surpass all that art and nature
+combined can do, in lower and more favourable soils? They may well think
+so; for human reason cannot account for the manner by which such
+enormous quantities of trees, fruits, and flowers are nourished,
+seemingly without soil. But that which established a church and convent
+on this mountain, was the story of a hermit who resided here many years;
+this was _Juan Guerin_, who lived on this mountain alone, the austerity
+of whose life was such, that the people below believed he subsisted
+without eating or drinking. As some very extraordinary circumstances
+attended this man's life, all which are universally believed here, it
+may not be amiss to give you some account of him:--You must know, Sir,
+then, that the devil envying the happiness of this good man equipped
+himself in the habit of a hermit, and possessed himself of a cavern in
+the same mountain, which still bears the name of the _Devil's Grot_;
+after which he took occasion to throw himself in the way of poor
+_Guerin_, to whom he expressed his surprize at seeing one of his own
+order dwell in a place he thought an absolute desert; but thanked God,
+for giving him so fortunate a meeting. Here the devil, and _Guerin_
+became very intimate, and conversed much together on spiritual matters;
+and things went on well enough between them for a while, when another
+devil chum to the first, possessed the body of a certain Princess,
+daughter of a Count of _Barcelona_, who became thereby violently
+tormented with horrible convulsions. She was taken to the church by her
+afflicted father. The daemon who possessed her, and who, spoke for her,
+said, that nothing could relieve her from her sufferings but the
+prayers of a devout and pious hermit, named _Guerin_, who dwelt on
+_Montserrat_. The father, therefore, immediately repaired to _Guerin_,
+and besought his prayers and intercession for the recovery of his
+daughter. It so happened (for so the devil would have it) that this
+business could not be perfectly effected in less than nine days; and
+that the Princess must be left that time alone with _Guerin_ in his
+cave. Poor _Guerin_, conscious of his frail nature, opposed this measure
+with all his might; but there was no resisting the argument and
+influence of the devil, and she was accordingly left. Youth, beauty, a
+cave, solitude, and virgin modesty, were too powerful not to overcome
+even the chaste vows and pious intentions of poor _Guerin_. The devil
+left the virgin, and possessed the saint. He consulted his false friend,
+and told him how powerful this impure passion was become, and his
+intentions of flying from the danger; but the devil advised him _to
+return to his cell_, and pray to God to protect him from sin. _Guerin_
+took his council, returned and fell into the fatal snare. The devil then
+persuaded him to kill the Princess, in order to conceal his guilt, and
+to tell her father she had forsaken his abode while he was intent on
+prayer. _Guerin_ did so; but became very miserable, and at length
+determined to make a pilgrimage to Rome, to obtain a remission of his
+complicated crimes. The Pope enjoined him to return to _Montserrat_, on
+all fours, and to continue in that state, without once looking up to
+heaven, for the space of seven years, or 'till a child of three months
+old told him, his sins were forgiven: all which _Guerin_ chearfully
+complied with, and accordingly crawled back to the defiled mountain.
+
+Soon after the expiration of the seven years Count _Vifroy_, the father
+of the murdered Princess, was hunting on the mountain of _Montserrat_,
+and passing near _Guerin's_ cave, the dogs entered, and the servant
+seeing a hideous figure concluded they had found the wild beast they
+were in pursuit of: they informed the Count of what they had seen, who
+gave directions to secure the beast alive, which was accordingly done;
+for he was so over-grown with hair, and so deformed in shape, that they
+had no idea of the creature being human. He was therefore kept in the
+Count's stable at _Barcelona_, and shewn to his visitors as a wonderful
+and singular wild beast. During this time, while a company were
+examining this extraordinary animal, a nurse with a young child in her
+arms looked upon it, and the child after fixing his eyes stedfastly for
+a few minutes on _Guerin_, said, "_Guerin, rise, thy sins are forgiven
+thee_!"--_Guerin_ instantly rose, threw himself at the Count's feet,
+confessed the crimes he had been guilty of, and desired to receive the
+punishment due to them, from the hands of him whom he had so highly
+injured; but the Count, perceiving that God had forgiven him, forgave
+him also.
+
+I will not trouble you with all the particulars which attended this
+miracle; it will be sufficient to say, that the Count and _Guerin_ went
+to take up the body of the murdered Princess, for burial with her
+ancestors; but, to their great astonishment found her there alive,
+possessing the same youth and beauty she had been left with, and no
+alteration of any kind, but a purple streak about her neck where the
+cord had been twisted, and wherewith _Guerin_ had strangled her. The
+father desired her to return to _Barcelona_; but she was enjoined by the
+Holy Virgin, she said, to spend her days on that miraculous spot; and
+accordingly a church and convent was built there, the latter inhabited
+by Nuns, of which the Princess (who had risen from the dead) was the
+Abbess. It was called the Abbey _des Pucelles_, of the order of _St.
+Benoit_, and was founded in the year 801. But such a vast concourse of
+people, of both sexes, resorted to it, from all parts of the world, that
+at length it was thought prudent to remove the women to a convent at
+_Barcelona_, and place a body of _Benedictine_ monks in their place.
+
+Strange as this story is, it is to be seen in the archives of this holy
+house; and in the street called _Condal_, at _Barcelona_, may be seen in
+the wall of the old palace of the Count's, an ancient figure, cut in
+stone, which represents the nurse with the child in her arms, and a
+strange figure, on his knees, at her feet, and that is Friar _Guerin_.
+
+Now, whether you will believe all this story, or not, I cannot take upon
+me to say; but I will assure you, that when you visit this spot, it will
+be necessary to _say you do_; or you would appear in their eyes a much
+greater wonder than any thing which I have related, of the Devil, the
+Friar, the Virgin, and the Count.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXI.
+
+
+The second hermitage, for I give them in the order they are usually
+visited, is that of _St. Catharine_, situated in a deep and solitary
+vale: it however commands a most extensive and pleasing prospect, at
+noon-day, to the East and West. The buildings, garden, &c. are confined
+within small limits, being fixed in a most picturesque and secure recess
+under the foot of one of the high pines. Though this hermit's habitation
+is the most retired and solitary abode of any, and far removed from the
+_din_ of men, yet the courteous, affable, and sprightly inhabitant,
+seems not to feel the loss of human society, though no man, I think, can
+be a greater ornament to human nature. If he is not much accustomed to
+hear the voice of men, he is amply recompensed by the notes of birds;
+for it is their sanctuary as well as his; for no part of the mountain
+is so well inhabited by the feathered race of beings as this delightful
+spot. Perhaps indeed, they have sagacity enough to know that there is no
+other so perfectly secure. Here the nightingale, the blackbird, the
+linnet, and an infinite variety of little songsters greater strangers to
+my eyes, than fearful of my hands, dwell in perfect security, and live
+in the most friendly intimacy with their holy protector, and obedient to
+his call; for, says the hermit,
+
+    "Haste here, ye feather'd race of various song,
+    Bring all your pleasing melody along!
+    O come, ye tender, faithful, plaintive doves,
+    Perch on my hands, and sing your absent loves!"--
+
+When instantly the whole _vocal band_ quit their sprays, and surround
+the person of their daily benefactor, some settling upon his head,
+others entangle their feet in his beard, and in the true sense of the
+word, take his bread even out of his mouth; but it is freely given:
+their confidence is so great, (for the holy father is their bondsman)
+that the stranger too partakes of their familiarity and caresses. These
+hermits are not allowed to keep within their walls either dog, cat,
+bird, or any living thing, lest their attention should be withdrawn from
+heavenly to earthly affections. I am sorry to arraign this good man; he
+cannot be said to transgress the law, but he certainly _evades_ it; for
+though his feathered band do not live within his walls, they are always
+attendant upon his _court_; nor can any prince or princess on earth
+boast of heads so _elegantly plumed_, as may be seen at the court of St.
+_Catharine_; or of vassals who pay their tributes with half the
+chearfulness they are given and received by the humble monarch of this
+sequestered vale. If his meals are scanty, his dessert is served up with
+a song, and he is hushed to sleep by the nightingale; and when we
+consider, that he has but few days in the whole year which are inferior
+to some of our best in the months of May and June, you may easily
+conceive, that a man who breathes such pure air, who feeds on such light
+food, whose blood circulates freely from moderate exercise, and whose
+mind is never ruffled by worldly affairs, whose short sleeps are sweet
+and refreshing, and who lives confident of finding in death a more
+heavenly residence; lives a life to be envied, not pitied.--Turn but
+your eyes one minute from this man's situation, to that of any monarch
+or minister on earth, and say, on which side does the balance
+turn?--While some princes may be embruing their hands in the blood of
+their subjects, this man is offering up his prayers to God to preserve
+all mankind:--While some ministers are sending forth fleets and armies
+to wreak their own private vengeance on a brave and uncorrupted people,
+this solitary man is feeding, from his own scanty allowance, the birds
+of the air.--Conceive him, in his last hour, upon his straw bed, and see
+with what composure and resignation he meets it!--Look in the face of
+a dying king, or a plundering, and blood-thirsty minister,--what terrors
+the sight of their velvet beds, adorned with crimson plumage, must bring
+to their affrighted imagination!--In that awful hour, it will remind
+them of the innocent blood they have spilt;--nay, they will perhaps
+think, they were dyed with the blood of men scalped and massacred, to
+support their vanity and ambition!--In short, dear Sir, while kings and
+ministers are torn to pieces by a thirst after power and riches, and
+disturbed by a thousand anxious cares, this poor hermit can have but
+one, _i.e._ lest he should be removed (as the prior of the convent has a
+power to do) to some other cell, for that is sometimes done, and very
+properly.
+
+The youngest and most hardy constitutions are generally put into the
+higher hermitages, or those to which the access is most difficult; for
+the air is so fine, in the highest parts of the mountain, that they say
+it often renders the respiration painful. Nothing therefore can be more
+reasonable than, that as these good men grow older, and less able to
+bear the fatigues and inconveniencies the highest abodes unavoidably
+subject them to, should be removed to more convenient dwellings, and
+that the younger and stouter men should succeed them.
+
+As the hermits never eat meat, I could not help observing to him, how
+fortunate a circumstance it was for the safety of his little feathered
+friends; and that there were no boys to disturb their young, nor any
+sportsman to kill the parent.--God forbid, said he, that one of them
+should fall, but by his hands who gave it life!--Give me your hand, said
+I, and bless me!--I believe it did; _but it shortened my visit_:--so I
+stept into the _grot_, and _stole_ a pound of chocolate upon his stone
+table, and myself away.
+
+If there is a happy man upon this earth, I have seen that extraordinary
+man, and here he dwells!--his features, his manners, all his looks and
+actions, announce it;--yet he had not even a single _maravedi_ in his
+pocket:--money is as useless to him, as to one of his black-birds.
+
+Within a gun-shot of this _remnant_ of _Eden_, are the remains of an
+ancient hermitage, called _St. Pedro_. While I was there, my hermit
+followed me; but I too _coveted retirement_. I had just bought a fine
+fowling-piece at _Barcelona_; and when he came, I was availing myself of
+the hallowed spot, to make _my vow_ never to use it. In truth, dear Sir,
+there are some sorts of pleasures too powerful for the body to bear, as
+well as some sort of pain: and here I was wrecked upon the wheel of
+felicity; and could only say, like the poor criminal who suffered at
+_Dijon_,--O God! O God! at every _coup_.
+
+I was sorry my host did not understand English, nor I Spanish enough,
+to give him the sense of the lines written in poor _Shenstone_'s alcove.
+
+    "O you that bathe in courtlye bliss,
+    "Or toyle in fortune's giddy spheare;
+    "Do not too rashly deeme amisse
+    "Of him that hides contented here.
+
+I forgot the other lines; but they conclude thus:
+
+   "For faults there beene in busye life
+    From which these peaceful glennes are free."
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXII.
+
+
+I know you will not like to leave _St. Catherine_'s harmonious cell so
+soon;--nor should I, but that I intend to visit it again. I will
+therefore conduct you to _St. Juan_, about four hundred paces distant
+from it, on the east side of which, you look down a most horrid and
+frightful precipice,--a precipice, so very tremendous, that I am
+persuaded there are many people whose imagination would be so
+intoxicated by looking at it, that they might be in danger of throwing
+themselves over: I do not know whether you will understand my meaning by
+saying so; but I have more than once been so bewildered with such
+alarming _coup d'oeil_ on this mountain, that I began to doubt whether
+my own powers were sufficient to protect me:--Horses, from sudden
+fright, will often run into the fire; and man too, may be forced upon
+his own destruction, to avoid those sensations of danger he has not been
+accustomed to look upon. Perhaps I am talking non-sense; and you will
+attribute what I say to lowness of spirits; on the contrary, I had those
+feelings about me only during the time my eyes were employed upon such
+frightful objects; for my spirits were enlivened by pure air, exercise,
+and temperance:--nay, I remember to have been struck in the same manner,
+when the grand explosion of the fireworks was played off, many years
+ago, upon the conclusion of peace! The blast was so great, that it
+appeared as if it were designed to take with it all earthly things; and
+I felt almost forced by it, and summoned from my seat, and could hardly
+refrain from jumping over a parapet wall which stood before me. The
+building of this hermitage, however, is very secure; nothing can shake
+or remove it, but that which must shake or remove the whole mountain. At
+this cell, small as it is, King Philip the Third dined on the eleventh
+of July 1599;--a circumstance, you may be sure, the inhabitant will
+never forget, or omit to mention. It commands at noon-day a fine
+prospect eastward, and is approached by a good stage of steps. Not far
+from it, on the road side, is a little chapel called St. Michael, a
+chapel as ancient as the monastery itself; and a little below is the
+grotto, in which the image of the Virgin, now fixed in the high altar of
+the church, was found. The entrance of this grotto is converted into a
+chapel, where mass is said every day by one of the monks. All the
+hermitages, even the smallest, have their little chapel, the ornaments
+for saying mass, their water cistern, and most of them a little garden.
+The building consists of one or two little chambers, a little refectory,
+and a kitchen; but many of them have every convenience within and
+without that a single man can wish or desire, except he should wish for
+or desire _such things_ as he was obliged to renounce when he took
+possession of it.
+
+From hence, by a road more wonderful than safe or pleasing, you are led
+on a ridge of mountains to the lofty cell of _St. Onofre_. It stands in
+a cleft in one of the pine heads, six and thirty feet (I was going to
+say) above the earth; its appearance is indeed astonishing, for it seems
+in a manner hanging in the air; the access to it is by a ladder of sixty
+steps, extremely difficult to ascend, and even then you have a wooden
+bridge to cross, fixed from rock to rock, under which is an aperture of
+so terrifying an appearance, that I still think a person, not over
+timid, may find it very difficult to pass over, if he looks under,
+without losing in some degree that firmness which is necessary to his
+own preservation. The best and safest way is, to look forward at the
+building or object you are going to.--Fighting, and even courage, is
+mechanical; a man may be taught it as readily as any other science; and
+I would _pit_ the little timid hermit of _St. Onofre_ to a march, on
+the margin of the precipices on this mountain, against the bravest
+general we have in America. The man that would not wince at the whistle
+of a cannon-ball over his head, may find his blood retire, and his
+senses bewildered, at a dreadful precipice under his feet. _St. Onofre_
+possesses no more space than what is covered in by the tiling, nor any
+prospect but to the South. The inhabitant of it says, he often sees the
+islands of _Minorca_, _Mallorca_, and _Ivica_, and the kingdoms of
+_Valencia_ and _Murcia_. The weather was extremely fine when I visited
+it, but there was a distant haziness which prevented my seeing those
+islands; indeed, my eyes were better employed and entertained in
+examining objects more interesting, as well as more pleasing. Going from
+this hermitage, you have a view of the vale of _St. Mary_, formerly
+called la _Vallee Amere_, through which the river _Lobregate_ runs, and
+which divides the bishoprick of Barcelona from that of _De Vic_.
+
+Lest you should think I am rather too tremendously descriptive of this
+_upland_ journey, hear what a French traveller says, who visited this
+mountain about twenty years ago. After examining every thing curious at
+the convent, he says, "_Il ne me restoit plus rien a voir que
+l'hermitage qui est renomme, il est dans la partie la plus elevee de la
+montagne, & partage en treize habitations, pour autant d'hermites. Le
+plaisir de le voir devoit me dedommager de la peine qu'il me falloit
+prendre pour y monter, en grimpant pendant plus de heux heures. J'aurois
+pre me servir de ma mule, mais il m'auroit fallu prendre un chemin ou
+j'aurois mis le double du tems. Je m'armai donc de courage, & entre dans
+une enceinte par une porte que l'on m'ouvrit avec peine au dehors du
+monastere, je commencai a monter par des degres qui sembloient
+perpendiculaires, tant ils etoient roides; & je fus oblige de
+m'agraffer a des barres qui y font placees expres: ensuite, je me
+trainai par-dessous de grosses pierres, qui sont comme des voutes
+ruinees, dont les ouvertures sont le seul passage qu'il y ait pour
+quiconque a la temerite de s'engager dans ces defiles; apres avoir
+grimpe, environ mille pas, je trouvai un petit terrein uni ou je me
+laissai tomber tout etendu afin de reprendre ma respiration qui
+commencoit a me manquer_." And yet this was only the Frenchman's first
+stage on his way to the first and nearest hermitage; and who I find
+clambered up the very road we did, rather than take the longer route on
+mule-back; and, for aught I know, a route still more dangerous, for
+there are many places where the precipice is perpendicular on both sides
+of a ridge, and where the road is too narrow even to turn the mule; so
+he that sets out, must proceed.
+
+After ascending a ladder fixed in the same pine where _St. Onofre_ is
+situated, at an hundred and fifty paces distant, is the fifth hermitage
+of the penitent _Madalena_; it stands between two lofty pines, and on
+some elevated rocks, and commands a beautiful view, towards noon-day, to
+the East and West; and near to it, in a more elevated pine, stands its
+chapel, from whence you look down (dreadful to behold) a rugged
+precipice and steep hills, upon the convent at two miles distance where
+are two roads, or rather passages, to this cell, both exceedingly
+difficult; by one you mount up a ladder of at least an hundred steps;
+the other is of stone steps, and pieces of timber to hold by; that the
+hermit who dwells there says, the whistling of the wind in tempestuous
+nights sounds like the roaring of baited bulls.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXIII.
+
+
+I must now lead you up to the highest part of the mountain; it is a long
+way up, not less than three thousand five hundred paces from _St.
+Madalena_, and over a very rugged and disagreeable road for the feet,
+which leads, however, to the cell of _St. Geronimo_; from the two
+turrets of which, an immense scene is opened, too much for the head of a
+_low-lander_ to bear; for it not only takes in a view of a great part of
+the mountain beneath, but of the kingdoms of _Arragon_, _Valencia_, the
+Mediterranean Sea, and the islands; but as it were, one half of the
+earth's orbit. The fatigue to clamber up to it is very great; but the
+recompense is ample. This hermitage looks down upon a wood above a
+league in circumference, in which formerly some hermits dwelt; but at
+present it is stocked with cattle belonging to the convent, who have a
+fountain of good water therein. Near this hermitage, in a place they
+call _Poza_, the snow is preserved for the use of the _Religieux_. The
+inhabitant either was not within, or would not be disturbed; so that
+after feasting my eyes on all sides, my conductor led me on eastward to
+the seventh hermitage, called _St. Antonio_, the father of the
+Anchorites; it stands under one of the highest PINES, and the access to
+it is so difficult and dangerous, that very few strangers visit it;--a
+circumstance which whetted my curiosity; so, like the boy after a
+bird's-nest, I _risqued it_, especially as I was pretty sure I should
+_take the old bird sitting_. This hermit had formerly been in the
+service; and though he had made great intercession to the Holy Virgin
+and saints in heaven, as well as much interest with men on earth, he was
+not, I think, quite happy in his exalted station; his turret is so
+small, that it will not contain above two men; the view from it, to the
+East and North, is very fine; but it looks down a most horrible and
+dreadful precipice, above one hundred and eighty toises perpendicular,
+and upon the river _Lobregate_. No man, but he whom custom has made
+familiar to such a tremendous _eye-ball_, can behold this place but with
+horror and amazement; and I was as glad to leave it, as I was pleased to
+have seen it. At about a gun-shot distance from it rises the highest
+pine-head of the mountain, called _Caval Hernot_, which is eighty toises
+higher than any other _cone_, and three thousand three hundred paces
+from the convent below. Keeping under the side of the same hill, and
+along the base of the same pine-head, you are led to the hermitage of
+_St. Salvador_, eight hundred paces from _St. Antonio_, which hermitage
+has two chapels, one of which is hewn out of the heart of the PINE, and
+consequently has a natural as well as a beautiful cupola; the access to
+this cell is very difficult, for the crags project so much, that it is
+necessary to clamber over them on all-four; the prospects are very fine
+to the southward and eastward. The inhabitant was from home; but as
+there was no fastening to his doors, I examined all his worldly goods,
+and found that most of them were the work of his own ingenious hands. A
+little distant from hence stands a wooden cross, at which the road
+divides; one path leads to _St. Benito_, the other to the _Holy_
+Trinity. By the archives of the convent, it appears, that in the year
+1272, _Francis Bertrando_ died at the hermitage of _St. Salvador_, after
+having spent forty-five years in it, admired for his sanctity and holy
+life, and that he was succeeded therein by _Francois Durando Mayol_, who
+dwelt in it twenty-seven years.
+
+Descending from hence about six or seven hundred paces, you arrive at
+the ninth hermitage, _St. Benito_; the situation is very pleasing, the
+access easy, and the prospects divine. It was founded by an _Abbot_,
+whose intentions were, that it should contain within a small distance,
+four other cells, in memory of the five wounds made in the body of
+Christ. This hermit has the privilege of making an annual entertainment
+on a certain day, on which day all the other hermits meet there, and
+receive the sacrament from the hands of the mountain vicar; and after
+divine service, dine together. They meet also at this hermitage on the
+day of each titular saint, to say mass, and commune with each other.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXIV.
+
+
+I cannot say a word to you on any other subject, till you have taken a
+turn with me in the shrubberies and gardens of the glorious (so they
+call it) hermitage of _St. Ana_. Coming from _St. Benito_, by a brook
+which runs down the middle of the mountain, six hundred paces distant
+from it, stands _St. Ana_, in a spacious situation, and much larger than
+any other, and is nearly in the center of them all. The chapel here is
+sufficiently large for the whole society to meet in, and accordingly
+they do so on certain festivals and holidays, where they confess to
+their mountain vicar, and receive the sacrament, This habitation is
+nobly adorned with large trees; the ever-green oak, the cork, the
+cypress, the spreading fig-tree, and a variety of others; yet it is
+nevertheless dreadfully exposed to the fury of some particular winds;
+and the buildings are sometimes greatly damaged, and the life of the
+inhabitant endangered, by the boughs which are torn off and blown about
+his dwelling. The foot-road from it to the monastery is only one
+thousand three hundred paces, but it is very rugged and unsafe; the
+mule-road is above four times as far: it was built in 1498, and is the
+hermitage where all the pilgrims pay their ordinary devotion.
+
+Eight hundred and fifty paces distant, on the road which leads to the
+hermitage of _St. Salvador_, stands, in a solitary and deep wood, the
+hermitage of the _Holy Trinity_. Every part of the building is neat, and
+the simplicity of the whole prepares you to expect the same simplicity
+of manners from the man who dwells within it: and a venerable man he is;
+but he seemed more disposed to converse with his neighbours, _Messrs.
+Nature_, than with us. His trees, he knows, never flatter or affront
+him; and after welcoming us more by his humble looks than civil words,
+he retired to his long and shady walk; a walk, a full gun-shot in
+length, and nothing in nature certainly can be more beautiful; it forms
+a close arbour, though composed of large trees, and terminates in a view
+of a vast range of pines, which are so regularly placed side by side,
+and which, by the reflection of the sun on their yellow and well
+burnished sides, have the appearance of the pipes of an organ a mile in
+circumference. The Spaniards say that the mountain is a block of coarse
+jasper, and these _organ pipes_, it must be confessed, seem to confirm
+it; for they are so well polished by the hand of time, that were it not
+too great a work for man, one would be apt to believe they had been cut
+by an artist.
+
+Five hundred and sixty paces from the hermitage of the Holy Trinity,
+stands _St. Cruz_; it is built under the foot of one of the smaller
+pines; this is the nearest cell of any to the convent, and consequently
+oftenest visited, being only six hundred and sixty steps from the bottom
+of the mountain.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXV.
+
+
+I am now come to _St. Dimas_, the last, and most important, if not the
+most beautiful of all the hermits' habitations. This hermitage is
+surrounded on all sides by steep and dreadful precipices, some of which
+lead the eyes straight down, even to the river _Lobregate_; it can be
+entered only on the east side by a draw-bridge, which, when lifted up,
+renders any access to it almost impossible. This hermitage was formerly
+a strong castle, and possessed by a _banditti_, who frequently plundered
+and ravaged the country in the day-time, and secured themselves from
+punishment, by retiring to this fast hold by night. As it stands, or
+rather hangs over the buildings and convent below, they would frequently
+lower baskets by cords, and demand provisions, wine, or whatever
+necessaries or luxuries the convent afforded; and if their demands were
+not instantly complied with, they tumbled down rocks of an immense size,
+which frequently damaged the buildings, and killed the people beneath:
+indeed, it was always in their power to destroy the whole building, and
+suffer none to live there; but that would have been depriving themselves
+of one safe means of subsistence:--at length the monks, by the
+assistance of good glasses, and a constant attention to the motion of
+their troublesome _boarders_, having observed that the greater part were
+gone out upon the _marauding_ party, persuaded seven or eight stout
+farmers to believe, that heaven would reward them if they could scale
+the horrid precipices, and by surprise seize the castle, and secure the
+few who remained in it;--and these brave men accordingly got into it
+unobserved, killed one of the men, and secured the others for a public
+example. The castle was then demolished, and a hermitage called _St.
+Dimas_, or the Good Thief, built upon the spot. The views from it are
+very extensive and noble to the south and eastward.
+
+And now, Sir, having conducted you to make a short visit to each of
+these wonderful, though little abodes, I must assure you, that a man
+well versed in _author craft_ might write thirteen little volumes upon
+subjects so very singular. But as no written account can give a perfect
+idea of the particular beauties of any mountain, and more especially of
+one so unlike all others, I shall quit nature, and conduct you to the
+works of art, and treasures of value, which are within the walls of the
+holy sanctuary below; only observing, what I omitted to mention, that
+the great rains which have fallen since the creation of all things, down
+the sides of this steep mount, have made round the whole base a
+prodigious wide and deep trench, which has the appearance of a vast
+river course drained of its water. In this deep trench lie an infinite
+number of huge blocks of the mountain, which have from age to age caved
+down from its side, and which renders the _tout au tour_ of the mountain
+below full as extraordinary as the pointed pinnacles above: beside this,
+there are many little recesses on the sides of the hill below, so
+adorned by stately trees and natural fountains, that I know not which
+part of the enchanted spot is most beautiful. I found in one of these
+places a little garden, fenced in by the fallen rocks, a spring of so
+clear and cool a water, and the whole so shaded by, oaks, so warmed by
+the sun, and so superlatively romantic, that I was determined to find
+out the owner of it, and have set about building a house or a hut to the
+garden, and to have made it my abode; but, alas! upon enquiry, I found
+the well was a holy one, and that the water, the purest and finest I
+ever saw or tasted could only be used for holy purposes. And here let me
+observe, that the generality of strangers who visit this mountain, come
+prepared only to stay one day;--but it is not a day, nor a week, that
+is sufficient to see half the smaller beauties which a mountain, so
+great and wonderful of itself, affords on all sides, from the highest
+pinacle above, to the foundation stones beneath.
+
+But I should have told you, that there are other roads to some of the
+hermitages above, which, by twisting and turning from side to side, are
+every week clambered up by a blind mule, who, being loaded with thirteen
+baskets containing the provision for the hermits, goes up without any
+conductor, and taking the hermitages in their proper order, goes as near
+as he can to each, and waits till the hermit has taken his portion; and
+proceeds till he has discharged his load, and his trust, and then
+returns to his stable below. I did not see this animal on the road, but
+I saw some of his _offerings there_, and you may rely upon the truth of
+what I tell you.
+
+Before I quit the hermits, however, I must tell you, that the hardships
+and fatigues which some of them voluntarily inflict upon themselves, are
+almost incredible: they cannot, like the monks in _Russia_, sit in water
+to their chins till they are froze up, but they undergo some penances
+almost as severe.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXVI.
+
+
+_Pere Pascal_ having invited me to high mass, and to hear a Spanish
+sermon preached by one of their best orators, we attended; and though I
+did not understand the language sufficiently to know all I heard, I
+understood enough to be entertained, if not edified. The decency of the
+whole congregation too, was truly characteristic of their profession.
+There sat just before us a number of lay-brothers, bare-headed, with
+their eyes fixed the whole time upon the ground; and tho' they knew we
+were strangers, and probably as singular in their eyes as they could be
+in ours, I never perceived one of them, either at or after the service
+was over, to look, or even glance an eye at us. The chapel, or church of
+this convent, is a very noble building; and high over the great altar is
+fixed the image of the Virgin, which was found eight hundred years ago
+in a deep cave on the side of the mountain: they say the figure is the
+work of St. Luke; if that be true, St. Luke was a better carver than a
+painter, for this figure is the work of no contemptible artist; it is of
+wood, and of a dark-brown it is of wood, and of a dark-brown or rather
+black colour, about the size of a girl of twelve years of age; her
+garments are very costly, and she had on a crown richly adorned with
+_real_ jewels of great value; and I believe, except our Lady of
+_Loretto_, the paraphernalia of her person is superior to all the saints
+or crowned heads in Europe. She holds on her knees a little Jesus, of
+the same complexion, and the work of the same artist. The high altar is
+a most magnificent and costly structure, and there constantly burn
+before it upwards of fourscore large silver lamps. The balustrades
+before the altar were given by King Philip the Third, and cost seven
+thousand crowns; and it cost fourteen thousand more to cut away the rock
+to lay the foundation of this new church, the old one being so small,
+and often so crowded by pilgrims and strangers, that many of the monks
+lost their lives in it every year. The whole expence of building the new
+one, exclusive of the inward ornaments, is computed at a million of
+crowns; and the seats of the choir, six and thirty thousand livres. The
+old church has nothing very remarkable in it but some good ancient
+monuments, one of which is of _Bernard Villomarin_, Admiral of Naples; a
+man (as the inscription says) illustrious in peace and war. There is
+another of _Don John d'Arragon, Dux Lunae_, who died in 1528; he was
+nephew to King Ferdinand. But the most singular inscription in this old
+church is one engraven on a pillar, under which _St. Ignatius_ spent a
+whole night in prayer before he took the resolution of renouncing the
+world, which was in the year 1522.
+
+After mass was over, we were shewn into a chamber behind the high altar,
+where a door opened to the recess, in which the Virgin is placed, and
+where we were permitted, or rather required to kiss her hand. At the
+same time, I perceived a great many pilgrims entering the apartments,
+whose penitential faces plainly discovered the reverence and devotion
+with which they approached her sacred presence. When we returned, we
+were presented to the Prior; a lively, genteel man, of good address;
+who, with _Pere Tendre_, the Frenchman, shewed us an infinite quantity
+of jewels, vessels of gold and silver, garments, &c. which have been
+presented by Kings, Queens, and Emperors, to the convent, for the
+purpose of arraying this miraculous image. I begin to suspect that you
+will think I am become half a Catholic;--indeed, I begin to think so
+myself; and if ever I publicly renounce that faith which I now hold, it
+shall be done in a pilgrimage to _Montserrat_; for I do not see why God,
+who delights so much in variety, as all his mighty works testify; who
+has not made two green leaves of the same tint,--may not, nay, ought
+not to be worshipped by men of different nations, in variety of forms. I
+see no absurdity in a set of men meeting as the Quakers do, and sitting
+in silent contemplation, reflecting on the errors of their past life,
+and resolving to amend in future. I think an honest, good Quaker, as
+respectable a being as an Archbishop; and a monk, or a hermit, who think
+they merit heaven by the sacrifice they make for it, will certainly
+obtain it: and as I am persuaded the men of this society think so, I
+highly honour and respect them: I am sure I feel myself much obliged to
+them. They have a good library, but it is in great disorder; nor do I
+believe they are men of much reading; indeed, they are so employed in
+confessing the pilgrims and poor, that they cannot have much time for
+study.
+
+I forgot to tell you, that at _Narbonne_ I had been accosted by a young
+genteel couple, a male and female, who were upon a _pilgrimage_; they
+were dressed rather neat than fine, and their garments were adorned with
+cockle and other marine shells; such, indeed, all the poorer sort of
+pilgrims are characterised with. They presented a tin box to me, with
+much address, but said nothing, nor did I give them any thing; indeed, I
+did not _then_ know, very well, for what purpose or use the charity they
+claimed was to be applied. This young couple were among the strangers
+who were now approaching the sacred image. I was very desirous of
+knowing their story, who they were, and what sins people so young, and
+who looked so good, had been guilty of, to think it necessary to come so
+far for absolution. _Their sins on the road_, I could be at no loss to
+guess at; and as they were such as people who love one another are very
+apt to commit, I hope and believe, they will obtain forgiveness of
+them.--They were either people of some condition, or very accomplished
+_Chevaliers d'Industrie_; though I am most inclined to believe, they
+were _brother and sister_, of some condition.
+
+After visiting the Holy Virgin, I paid my respects to the several monks
+in their own apartments, under the conduct of _Pere Pascal_, and was
+greatly entertained.--I found them excellently lodged; their apartments
+had no finery, but every useful convenience; and several good
+harpsichords, as well as good performers, beside an excellent organist.
+The Prior, in particular, has so much address, of the polite world about
+him, that he must have lived in it before he made a vow to retire from
+it.
+
+I never saw a more striking instance of national influence than in the
+person of _Pere Tendre_, the Frenchman!--In spite of his holy life, and
+living among Spaniards of the utmost gravity of manners, I could have
+known him at first sight to have been a Frenchman. I never saw, even
+upon the _Boulevards_ at Paris, a more lively, animated, or chearful
+face.
+
+Indeed, one must believe, that these men are as good as they appear to
+be; for they have reason enough to believe, that every hour may be their
+last, as there hangs over their whole building such a terrifying mass of
+rock and pine heads, so split and divided, that it is difficult to
+perceive by what powers they are sustained: many have given way, and
+have no other support than the base they have made by slipping in part
+down, among the smaller rocks and broken fragments. About an hundred
+years ago, one vast block fell from above, and buried under it the
+hospital, and all the sick and their attendants; and where it still
+remains, a dreadful monument, and memento, to all who dwell near it!--I
+should fear (God avert the day!) that the smallest degree of an
+earthquake would bury all the convent, monks, and treasure, by one fatal
+_coup_.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXVII.
+
+
+Before I bring forth the treasures of this hospitable convent, and the
+jewels of _Neustra Senora_, it may be necessary to tell you, that they
+could not be so liberal, were not others liberal to them; and that they
+have permission to ask charity from every church, city, and town, in the
+kingdoms of France and Spain, and have always lay-brothers out,
+gathering money and other donations. They who feed all who come, must,
+of course, be fed themselves; nor has any religious house in Europe
+(_Loretto_ excepted) been more highly honoured by Emperors, Kings,
+Popes, and Prelates, than this: nay, they have seemed to vie with each
+other, in bestowing rich and costly garments, jewels of immense value,
+and gold and silver of exquisite workmanship, to adorn the person of
+_Neustra Senora_; as the following list, though not a quarter of her
+_paraphernalia_, will evince: but before I particularize them, it may be
+proper to mention, the solemn manner in which the Virgin was moved from
+the old to the new church, by the hands of King Philip the Third, who
+repaired thither for that purpose privately as possible, to prevent the
+prodigious concourse of people who would have attended him had it been
+generally known. He staid at the convent four days, in which time he
+visited all the hermitages above, in one; but returned, greatly
+fatigued, and not till ten o'clock at night. After resting himself the
+next day, he heard mass, and being confessed, assisted at the solemnity
+of translating the Virgin, in the following manner:--After all the
+monks, hermits, and lay-brothers had heard mass, and been confessed, the
+Virgin was brought down and placed upon the altar in the old church, and
+with great ceremony, reverence, and awe, they cloathed her in a rich
+gold mantle, the gift of the Duke of _Branzvick_, the sleeves of which
+were so costly, that they were valued at eighteen thousand ducats. The
+Abbots, Monks, hermits, &c. who were present, wore cloaks of rich gold
+brocade, and in the procession sung the hymn _Te Deum Laudamus_; one of
+whom bore a gold cross, of exquisite workmanship, which weighed fifty
+marks, and which was set with costly jewels. The procession consisted of
+forty-three lay-brothers, fifteen hermits, and sixty-two monks, all
+bearing wax-tapers; then followed the young scholars, and a band of
+music, as well as an infinite number of people who came from all parts
+of the kingdom to attend the solemnity; for it was impossible to keep an
+act of so extraordinary a nature very private. When the Virgin was
+brought into the new church, she was placed on a tabernacle by four of
+the most ancient monks; the King held also a large lighted taper, on
+which his banner and arms were emblazoned, and being followed by the
+nobles and cavaliers of his court, joined in the procession; and having
+placed themselves in proper order in the great cloyster of the church,
+the monks sung a hymn, addressed to the Virgin, accompanied by a noble
+band of music: this being over, the King taking the Virgin in his arms,
+placed her on the great altar; and having so done, took his wax taper,
+and falling on his knees at her feet, offered up his prayers near a
+quarter of an hour: this ceremony being over, the monks advanced to the
+altar, and moved the Virgin into a recess in the middle of it, where she
+now stands: after which, the Abbot, having given his pontifical
+benediction, the King retired to repose himself for a quarter of an
+hour, and then set off for _Martorell_, where he slept, and the next day
+made his entry into _Barcelona_.
+
+Among an infinite number of costly materials which adorn this beautiful
+church, is a most noble organ, which has near twelve hundred pipes. In
+the _Custodium_ you are shewn three crowns for the head of the Infant
+Jesus, two of which are of pure gold, the third of silver, gilt, and
+richly adorned with diamonds; one of the gold crowns is set with two
+hundred and thirty emeralds, and nineteen large brilliants; the other
+has two hundred and thirty-eight diamonds, an hundred and thirty pearls,
+and sixteen rubies; it cost eighteen thousand ducats.
+
+There are four crowns also for the head of the Virgin; two of plated
+gold, richly set with diamonds, two of solid gold; one of which has two
+thousand five hundred large emeralds in it, and is valued at fifty
+thousand ducats; the fourth, and richest, is set with one thousand one
+hundred and twenty-four diamonds, five of which number are valued at
+five hundred ducats each; eighteen hundred large pearls, of equal size;
+thirty-eight large emeralds, twenty-one zaphirs, and five rubies; and at
+the top of this crown is a gold ship, adorned with diamonds of eighteen
+thousand dollars value. The gold alone of these crowns weighs
+twenty-five pounds, and, with the jewels and setting, upwards of fifty.
+These crowns have been made at _Montserrat_, from the gold and separate
+jewels presented to the convent from time to time by the crowned heads
+and princes of Europe. There is also another small crown, given by the
+Marquis de _Aytona_, set with sixty-six brilliants.
+
+The Infanta gave four silver candlesticks, which cost two thousand four
+hundred ducats.
+
+Ann of Austria, daughter to Philip the third, gave a garment for the
+Virgin, which cost a thousand ducats.
+
+There are thirty chalices of gilt plate, and one of solid gold, which
+cost five thousand ducats.
+
+Prince Charles of Austria, with his consort Christiana of Brunswick,
+visited _Montserrat_ in the year 1706, and having kissed the Virgin's
+hand, left at her feet his gold-hilted sword, set with seventy-nine
+large brilliants. This sword was given the Emperor by Anne, Queen of
+England.
+
+In the church are six silver candlesticks, nine palms high, made to hold
+wax flambeaux. There are diamonds and jewels, given by the Countess de
+Aranda, Count Alba, Duchess of Medina, and forty other people of high
+rank, from the different courts of Europe, to the value of more than an
+hundred thousand ducats.--But were I to recite every particular from the
+list of donations, which my friend, _Pere Pascal_, gave me, and which
+now lies before me, with the names of the donors, they would fill a
+volume instead of a letter.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXVIII.
+
+
+I know you will expect to hear something of the Ladies of Spain; but I
+must confess I had very little acquaintance among them: when they appear
+abroad in their coaches, they are dressed in the modern French fashion,
+but not in the extreme; when they walk out, their head and shape is
+always covered with a black or white veil, richly laced; and however
+fine their gowns are, they must be covered with a very large black silk
+petticoat; and thus holding the fan in one hand, and hanging their
+_chapelets_ over the wrist of the other, they walk out, preceded by one
+or two shabby-looking servants, called pages, who wear swords, and
+always walk bare-headed.
+
+I have already told you, that the most beautiful, indeed the only
+beautiful woman, I saw at _Barcelona_, was the Intendant's daughter;
+and I assure you, her, black petticoat and white veil could not conceal
+it; nor, indeed, is the dress an unbecoming one. Among the peasants, and
+common females, you never see any thing like beauty, and, in general,
+rather deformity of feature. No wonder then, where beauty is scarce, and
+to be found only among women of condition, that those women are much
+admired, and that they gain prodigious influence over the men.--In no
+part of the world, therefore, are women more caressed and attended to,
+than in Spain. Their deportment in public is grave and modest; yet they
+are very much addicted to pleasure; nor is there scarce one among them
+that cannot, nay, that will not dance the _Fandango_ in private, either
+in the decent or indecent manner. I have seen it danced both ways, by a
+pretty woman, than which nothing can be more _immodestly agreeable_; and
+I was shewn a young Lady at _Barcelona_, who in the midst of this dance
+ran out of the room, telling her partner, she could _stand it_ no
+longer;--he ran after her, to be sure, and must be answerable for the
+consequences. I find in the music of the _Fandango_, written under one
+bar, _Salida_, which signifies _going out_; it is where the woman is to
+part a little from her partner, and to move slowly by herself; and I
+suppose it was at _that bar_ the lady was so overcome, as to determine
+not to return. The words _Perra Salida_ should therefore be placed at
+that bar, when the ladies dance it in the high _gout_.
+
+The men dress as they do in France and England, except only their long
+cloak, which they do not care to give up. It is said that Frenchmen are
+wiser than, from the levity of their behaviour, they seem to be; and I
+fancy the Spaniards look wiser from their gravity of countenance, than
+they really are; they are extremely reserved; and make no professions of
+friendship till they feel it, and know the man, and then they are
+friendly in the highest degree.
+
+I met with a German merchant at _Barcelona_, who told me he had dealt
+for goods to the value of five thousand pounds a year with a Spaniard in
+that town; and though he had been often at _Barcelona_ before, that he
+had never invited him to dine or eat with him, till that day.
+
+The farrier who comes to shoe your horse has sometimes a sword by his
+side; and the barber who shaves you crosses himself before he _crosses
+your chin_.
+
+There is a particular part of the town where the ladies of easy virtue
+live; and if a friend calls at the apartment of one of those females,
+who happens to _be engaged_, one of her neighbours tells you, she is
+_amancebados y casarse a mediacarta_; _i.e._ that she is
+half-married.--If you meet a Spanish woman of any fashion, walking
+alone without the town, you may join her, and enter into whatever _sort
+of conversation_ you chuse, without offence; and if you pass one without
+doing so, she will call you _ajacaos_, and contemn you: this is a custom
+so established at Madrid, that if a footman meets a lady of quality
+alone, he will enter into some indecent conversation with her; for which
+reason, the ladies seldom walk but with their husbands, or a male friend
+by their side, and a foot-boy before, and then no man durst speak, or
+even look towards them, but with respect and awe:--a blow in Spain can
+never be forgiven; the striker must die, either _privately_ or publicly.
+
+No people on earth are less given to excess in eating or drinking, than
+the Spaniards; the _Olio_, or _Olla_, a kind of soup and _Bouilli_, is
+all that is to be found at the table of some great men: the table of a
+_Bourgeois_ of Paris is better served than many _grandees_ of Spain;
+their chocolate, lemonade, iced water, fruits, &c. are their chief
+luxuries; and the chocolate is, in some houses, a prodigious annual
+expense, as it is offered to every body who comes in, and some of the
+first houses in Madrid expend twenty thousand _livres_ a year in
+chocolate, iced waters, &c. The grandees of Spain think it beneath their
+dignity to look into accounts, and therefore leave the management of
+their household expenses to servants, who often plunder and defraud them
+of great sums of money.
+
+Unlike the French, the Spaniards (like the English) very properly look
+upon able physicians and surgeons in a very respectable light:--Is it
+not strange, that the French nation should trust their health and lives
+in the hands of men, they are apt to think unworthy of their intimacy or
+friendship?--Men, who must have had a liberal education, and who ought
+not to be trusted in sickness, if their society was not to be coveted in
+health. Perhaps the Spanish physicians, who of all others have the
+least pretensions, are the most caressed. In fevers they encourage their
+patients to eat, thinking it necessary, where the air is so subtile, to
+put something into the body for the distemper to feed upon; they bleed
+often, and in both arms, that the blood may be drawn forth _equally_;
+the surgeons do not bleed, but a set of men called _sangerros_ perform
+that office, and no other; the surgeons consider it dishonourable to
+perform that operation. They seldom trepan; a surgeon who attempted to
+perform it, would himself be perhaps in want of it. To all flesh wounds
+they apply a powder called _coloradilla_, which certainly effects the
+cure; it is made of myrrh, mastic, dragon's blood, bol ammoniac,
+&c.--When persons of fashion are bled, their friends send them, as soon
+as it is known, little presents to amuse them all that day; for which
+reason, the women of easy virtue are often bled, that their lovers may
+shew their attention, and be _bled too_.--The French disease is so
+ignorantly treated, or so little regarded, that it is very general; they
+consider a _gonorrhoea_ as health to the reins; and except a tertian
+ague, all disorders are called the _calentura_, and treated alike, and I
+fear very injudiciously; for there is not, I am told, in the whole
+kingdom, any public academy for the instruction of young men, in physic,
+surgery, or anatomy, except at Madrid.
+
+Notwithstanding the sobriety, temperance, and fine climate of Spain, the
+Spaniards do not, in general, live to any great age; they put a
+prodigious quantity of spice into every thing they eat; and though
+sobriety and temperance are very commendable, there are countries where
+eating and drinking are carried to a great excess, by men much more
+virtuous than those, where temperance, perhaps, is their principal
+virtue.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXIX.
+
+
+I forgot to tell you that, though I left the Convent, I had no desire to
+leave the spot where I had met with so cordial a reception; nor a
+mountain, every part of which afforded so many scenes of wonder and
+delight. I therefore hired two rooms at a wretched _posada_, near the
+two ancient towers below, and where I had left my horse, that I might
+make my daily excursions on and about the mountain, as well as visit
+those little solitary habitations above once more. My host, his wife,
+and their son and daughter, looked rather cool upon us; they liked our
+money better than our company; and though I made their young child some
+little presents, it scarce afforded any return, but prevented rudeness,
+perhaps. The boys of the village, though I distributed a little money
+every day to the poor, frequently pelted me with stones, when they
+gained the high ground of me; and I found it necessary, when I walked
+out, to take my fuzee. I would have made a friend of the priest, if I
+could have found him, but he never appeared!--It was a poor village, and
+you may easily conceive our residence in such a little place, where no
+stranger ever staid above an hour, occasioned much speculation. My
+servant too (a French deserter) had neither the politeness nor the
+address so common to his countrymen; but I knew I was _within a few
+hours_ of honest _Pere Pascal_; and while the hog, mule, and ass of my
+host continued well, I flattered myself I was not in much danger; had
+either of those animals been ill, I should have taken my leave; for if a
+suspicion had arose that an heretic was under their roof, they would
+have been at no loss to account for the cause or the calamity which had,
+or might befall them.--During my residence at this little _posada_, I
+saw a gaudy-dressed, little, ugly old man, and a handsome young woman,
+approach it; the man smiled in my face, which was the only smile I had
+seen in the face of a stranger for a fortnight; he told me, what he need
+not, that he was a Frenchman, and a noble Advocate of _Perpignan_; that
+his name was _Anglois_, and that his ancestors were English; that he had
+walked on foot, with his maid, from _Barcelona_, in order to pay his
+devotions to the Holy Virgin of _Montserrat_, though he had his own
+chaise and mules at _Barcelona_: he seemed much fatigued, so I gave him
+some chocolate, for he was determined, he said, to get up to the convent
+that night. During this interview, he embraced me several times,
+professed a most affectionate regard for me and my whole family; and I
+felt enough for him, to desire he would fix the day of his return, that
+I might not be out upon my rambles, and that he would dine and spend the
+evening with me; in which case, I would send him back to _Barcelona_ in
+my _cabriolet_; all which he chearfully consented to; and having lent
+him my _couteau de chasse_, as a more convenient weapon on ass-back than
+his fine sword, we parted, reluctantly, for five days; that was the time
+this _noble Advocate_ had allotted for making his peace with the Holy
+Virgin;--I say, his peace with the Holy Virgin; for he was very
+desirous of leaving _his_ virgin with us, as she was an excellent cook,
+and a most faithful and trusty servant, both which he perceived we
+wanted; yet in spite of his encomiums, there was nothing in the
+behaviour of the girl that corresponded with such an amiable character:
+she had, indeed a beautiful face, but strongly marked with something,
+more like impudence than boldness, and more of that of a pragmatic
+mistress than an humble servant; and therefore we did not accept, what I
+was very certain, she would not have performed. I impatiently, however,
+waited their return, and verily believed the old man had bought his
+crimson velvet breeches and gold-laced waistcoat in honour of the
+Virgin, and that his visit to her was a pious one.--He returned to his
+time, and to a sad dinner indeed! but it was the best we could provide.
+He had lost so much of that vivacity he went up with, that I began to
+fear I had lost his friendship, or he the benediction of the Holy
+Virgin. Indeed, I had lost it in some measure, but it was transferred
+but a little way off; for he took the first favourable occasion to tell
+my wife, no woman had ever before made so forcible an impression upon
+him, and said a thousand other fine things, which I cannot repeat,
+without losing the esteem I still have for my countryman; especially as
+he did not propose staying only _one night_ with us, nay, that he would
+depart the next morning _de bon matin_. During the evening, all his
+former spirits returned, as well as his affection for me: he told me, he
+suspected I wanted money, and if that was the case, those wants should
+be removed; so taking out a large parcel of gold _duras_, he offered
+them, and I am persuaded too, he would have lent or given them to me. I
+arose early, to see that my man and chaise were got in good order, to
+conduct so good a friend to _Barcelona_; but not hearing any thing of
+_Monsieur Anglois_, I directed my servant to go into his chamber, to
+enquire how he did;--my man returned, and said, that _Madame_ was awake,
+but that _Monsieur_ still sleeps. Madame! what Madame? said I!--Is it
+the young woman who came with him? I then found, what I had a little
+suspected, that the mountain virgin was not the _only_ virgin to whom
+_Monsieur Anglois_ made his vows. He soon after, however, came down,
+drank chocolate with us, and making a thousand professions of inviolable
+regard, he set off in my chaise for _Barcelona_; but I should have told
+you, not till he had made me promise to visit him at _Perpignan_, where
+he had not only a town, but country house, at my service.--All these
+professions were made with so much openness, and seeming sincerity,
+that I could not, nor did doubt it; and as I was determined then to
+leave that unhospitable country, and return to France, I gave him my
+_passa-porte_, to get it _refreshed_ by the Captain-General at
+_Barcelona_, that I might return, and pass _by_ the walls only of a town
+I can never think of but with some degree of pain, and should with
+horror, but that I now know there is one man lives in it, and did
+then,[D] who has lamented that he had not an opportunity to shew me
+those acts of hospitality his nature and his situation often give him
+occasion to exercise; but the _etiquette_ is, for the stranger to visit
+first; and I found but little encouragement to visit a German Gentleman,
+though married to an English Lady, after the hostile manners I had
+experienced from my _friends_ and _countrymen_, Messrs. _Curtoys_,
+_Wombwell_, &c.
+
+[D] Mr. THALDITZER.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXX.
+
+
+In the archives of _Montserrat_ they shew you a letter written to the
+Abbe by King Philip the second, who begins, "venerable and devout
+_Religieux_," and tells him, he approves of his zeal, of his building a
+new church at _Montserrat_, charges him to continue his prayers for him,
+and, to shew his zeal for that holy house, informs him, that the bearer
+of his letter is _Etienne Jordan_, the most famous sculptor then in
+Spain, who is to make the new altar-piece at the King's expence, and
+they agreed to pay _Jordan_ ten thousand crowns for the design he laid
+before them: the altar was made at _Valladolid_, and was brought to
+_Montserrat_ on sixty-six waggons; and as Jordan did much more to the
+work than he had engaged to perform, the King gave him four thousand
+crowns over and above his agreement, and afterwards gave nine thousand
+crowns more, to gild and add further ornaments to it.
+
+At the death of Philip the Second, his son, Philip, the Third, assisted
+in person to remove the image of the Virgin from the old to the new
+church; which I shall hereafter mention more fully. Before this noble
+altar, in which the figure of the Virgin stands in a nitch about the
+middle of it, are candlesticks of solid silver, each of which weighs
+eighty pounds; they are a yard and a half high; and yet these are mere
+trifles, when compared to the gold and jewels which are shewn
+occasionally.
+
+The monks observe very religiously their statutes; nor is there a single
+hour in the day that you find the church evacuated.--I always heard at
+least two voices chanting the service, when the monks retire from the
+church, which is not till seven o'clock at night; the pilgrims continue
+there in prayer the greater part of the night.
+
+I should have told you, that beside the superior among the hermits,
+there are two sorts of them, neither of which can possess a hermitage
+till they have spent seven years in the monastery, and given proofs of
+their holy disposition, by acts of obedience, humility, and
+mortification; during, which they spend most of their time, night as
+well as day, in the church, but they never sing or chant. After the
+expiration of the seven years, the Abbot takes the advice of his
+brethren, and if they think the probationer's manners and life entitle
+him to a solitary life above, he is sent,--but not, perhaps, without
+being enjoined to wait upon some old hermit, who is past doing the
+necessary offices of life for himself.--Their habit, as I said before,
+is brown, and they wear their long beards; but sometimes the hermits are
+admitted into holy orders, and then they wear black, and shave their
+beards: however, they are not actually fixed to the lonely habitations
+at first, but generally take seven or eight months trial. Many of the
+abbes, whose power, you may be sure, is very great, and who receive an
+homage from the inferiors, very flattering, have, nevertheless, often
+quitted their power for a retirement above. They observe religiously
+their abstinence from all sorts of flesh; nor are they permitted to eat
+but within their cells. When any of them are very ill, they are brought
+down to the convent; and all buried in one chapel, called St. Joseph.
+
+The lay-brothers are about fourscore in number; they wear a brown habit,
+and are shaved; their duty is to distribute bread, wine, and other
+necessaries, to the poor and the pilgrims, and lodge them according to
+their condition: and many of them are sent into remote parts of the
+kingdom, as well as France and other Catholic countries, to collect
+charity; while those who continue at home assist in getting in their
+corn, and fetching provisions from the adjacent towns, for which
+purposes they keep a great number, upwards of fifty mules.--These men
+too have a superior among them, to whom they are all obedient.
+
+There are also a number of children and young students, educated at the
+convent who are taken in at the age of seven or eight years, many of
+whom are of noble families; they all sleep in one apartment, but
+separate beds, where a lamp constantly burns, and their decent
+deportment is wonderful. Dom Jean de Cardonne, admiral of the galleys,
+who succoured Malta when it was besieged by the Turks, was bred at
+_Montserrat_, and when he wrote to the Abbe, "Recommend me," he said,
+"to the prayers of my little brethren."
+
+As I have already told you of the miracle of a murdered and violated
+virgin coming to life, and of a child of three months old saying,
+_Guerin, rise, thy sins are forgiven thee_; perhaps you will not like to
+have further proofs of what miracles are wrought here, or I could give
+you a long list, and unanswerable arguments to prove them.
+
+_Frere Benoit d'Arragon_ was a hermit on this mountain, whose sanctity
+of life has made his name immortal in the hermitage of St. Croix. The
+following sketch of his life is engraven.
+
+   "Occidit hac sacra Frater Benedictus in sede,
+    Inclytus & sama, & religione sacer,
+    Hic sexaginta & septem castissimus annos,
+    Vixit in his saxis, te, Deus alme, peccans
+    Usque senex, senio mansit curvatus & annis
+    Corpus humo retulit, venerat unde prius
+    Ast anima exultans, clarum repetivit olympum,
+    Nunc sedet in summo glorificata throno."
+
+It appears, that Louis the Fourteenth, King of France, gave a certain
+sum to this convent, to say mass and pray for the soul of his deceased
+mother; the sum however was not large, being something under fifty
+pounds; and the donation is recorded in the chapel of _St. Louis_, upon
+a brass lamp.
+
+_P.S._ The time that this wonderful mountain became the habitation of a
+religious community, may be pretty nearly ascertained by the following
+singular epitaph, on a beautiful monument, still legible in the great
+church of _Tarragona_.
+
+
+   "_Hic quiescit Corpus sanctae memoriae Domini Joannis filii Domini
+   Jacobi, Regis Arragonum, qui decimo septimo anno aetatis suae
+   factus Archiepiscopus Toletanus, sic dono scientiae infusus
+   Divinitus & gratia praedicationis floruit, quod nullus ejusdem
+   aetatis in hoc ei similis crederetur. Carnem suam jejuniis &
+   ciliciis macerans, in vigesimo octavo anno aetatis suae factus
+   Patriarcha Alexandrinus & Administrator Ecclesiae Tarraconensis
+   ordinato per eum, inter multa alia bona opera_ novo Monasterio
+   scalae Dei _Diacessis Tarraconensis, ut per ipsam scalam ad Coelum
+   ascenderet reddidit spiritum Creatori XIV. kalendas Septembris,
+   anno Domini MCCCXXXIV. anno vero aetatis suae XXXIII. pro quo Deus
+   tam in vita, quam post mortem ejusdem est multa miracula
+   operatus_."
+
+
+This very young Bishop was the son of James the second, and his Queen
+_Dona Blanca_; and that he was Prior of the monastery of Montserrat,
+appears in their archives; for I find the names of several hermits of
+this mountain, that came down to pay homage to him.--_Dederunt
+obedientiam domino Joanni Patriarchae Alexandrino, & administratori
+prioratus Montis Serrati_, &c.--It is therefore probable, that he was
+the first Prior, and that the convent was built about the year 1300; but
+that the mountain was inhabited by hermits, or men who retired from the
+world many ages before, cannot be doubted.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXXI.
+
+
+DEAR SIR,
+
+I have had (since I mentioned the Spanish Ladies in a former letter) an
+opportunity of seeing something more of them; what they may be at
+_Madrid_, I cannot take upon me to say; but I am inclined to believe,
+that notwithstanding what you have heard of Spanish beauty, you would
+find nature has not been over liberal as to the persons of either sex in
+Spain; and though tolerable good features upon a brown complexion, with
+very black hair finely combed and pinned up with two or three gold
+bodkins, may be very pleasing, as a _new object_, yet a great deficiency
+would appear, were you to see the same women dressed in the high fashion
+of England or France. England, for real and natural female beauty,
+perhaps surpasses all the world; France, for dress, elegance, and ease.
+The Spanish women are violent in their passions, and generally govern
+every body under their roof; husbands who contend that point with them,
+often finish their days in the middle of a street, or in a prison; on the
+other hand, I am told, they are very liberal, compassionate, and
+charitable. They have at _Barcelona_ a fine theatre, and tolerable good
+music; but the actors of both sexes are execrable beyond all imagination:
+their first woman, who they say is rich by means of one _talent or
+other_, (for me, like my little Lyons water girl, has _two talents_) is
+as contemptible in her person as in her theatrical abilities: it is no
+wonder, indeed; for these people are often taken from some of those
+gipsey troops, I mentioned in a former letter, and have, consequently, no
+other qualifications for the stage but impudence instead of confidence,
+and ignorance instead of a liberal education. Perhaps you will conclude,
+that the theatre at _Madrid_ affords much better entertainment; on the
+contrary, I am well assured it is in general much worse: a Gentleman who
+understands the language perfectly, who went to _Madrid_ with no other
+view but to gratify his curiosity, in seeing what was worthy of notice
+there, went only once to the theatre, where the heat of the house, and
+the wretchedness of the performance, were equally intolerable; nor are
+the subjects very inviting to a stranger, as they often perform what they
+call "_Autos Sacramentales_"--_sacramental representations_. The people
+of fashion, in general, have no idea of serving their tables with
+elegance, or eating delicately; but rather, in the stile of our
+fore-fathers, without spoon or fork, they use their own fingers, and give
+drink from the glass of others; foul their napkins and cloaths
+exceedingly, and are served at table by servants who are dirty, and often
+very offensive. I was admitted, by accident, to a Gentleman's house, of
+large fortune, while they were at dinner; there were seven persons at a
+round table, too small for five; two of the company were visitors; yet
+neither their dinner was so good, nor their manner of eating it so
+delicate, as may be seen in the kitchen of a London tradesman. The
+dessert (in a country where fruit is so fine and so plenty) was only a
+large dish of the seeds of _pomegranates_, which they eat with wine and
+sugar. In truth, Sir, an Englishman who has been in the least accustomed
+to eat at genteel tables, is, of all other men, least qualified to travel
+into either kingdoms, and particularly into Spain; especially, if what
+Swift says be true, that "a nice man is a man of dirty ideas,"--I know
+not the reason, whether it proceeds from climate, or food, or from the
+neglect of the poorer order of the people; but _head combing_ seems to be
+a principal part of the day's business among the women in Spain; and it
+is generally done rather publicly.--The most lively, chearful, neat young
+woman, I saw in Spain, lived in the same house I did at _Barcelona_; she
+had a good complexion, and, what is very uncommon, rather light hair;
+and though perfectly clean and neat in her apparel, yet I observed a
+woman, not belonging to the house, attended every morning to comb this
+girl's head, and I believe it was _necessary_ to be combed. I could not
+very well ask the question; but I suspect that there are people by
+profession called _headcombers_; every shop door almost furnishes you
+with a specimen of that business; and if it is so common in _Barcelona_,
+among a rich and industrious people, you may imagine, it is infinitely
+more so among the slothful part of the inland cities and smaller
+towns;--but this is not the only objection a stranger (and especially an
+English Protestant) will find to Spain; the common people do not look
+upon an Englishman as a Christian; and the life of a man, not a
+Christian, is of no more importance in their eyes than the life of a dog:
+it is not therefore safe for a protestant to trust himself far from the
+maritime cities, as an hundred unforeseen incidents may arise, among
+people so ignorant and superstitious, to render it very unsafe to a man
+known to be a Protestant. If it be asked, how the Consuls, English
+merchants, &c. escape?--I can give no other reason than what a Spaniard
+gave me, when I put that question to him:--"Sir," said he, "we have men
+here, (meaning Barcelona) who are Protestants all day, and Papists all
+night; and we have a chapel where they go, into which no other people are
+admitted." However, I was convinced, before I went into Spain this time,
+from what I remembered formerly, that it was necessary to appear a good
+Catholic; so that I always carried a little crucifix, or two, some beads,
+and other _accidental_ marks of my faith; and where I staid any time, or,
+indeed, where I slept upon the road, I took occasion to let some of those
+_powerful protectors_ be seen, as it were, by chance;--it is very
+necessary to avail one's self of such innocent frauds, in a country where
+innocence itself may not be sufficient to shield you from the fury of
+religious bigotry, where people think they are serving God, by destroying
+men: The best method to save yourself, is by serving God in the same
+manner they do, till you are out of their power. I really thought, that
+Philosophy and Reason entered into Spain at the same gate that the
+Jesuits were turned out of the kingdom; and, I suppose, some did; but it
+must be many years before it is sufficiently diffused over the whole
+nation, to render it a country like France; where men, who behave with
+decency and decorum, may live, or pass through, without the least
+apprehension or inconvenience on the score of religion; if they do not
+meddle with politics or fortifications.
+
+That you may not imagine my suspicions of the danger of passing thro'
+Spain are ill founded, I will relate what happened to two English
+Gentlemen of fashion at _Marcia_ as I had it from the mouth of one of
+them lately:--they had procured letters of recommendation from some
+friends to the _Alguazile_, or chief magistrate of that town; and as
+there were some unfavourable appearances at their first entering
+_Marcia_, and more so at their _posada_, they thought it right to send
+their letters directly to the _Alguazile_; who, instead of asking them
+to his house, or visiting them, sent a servant to say he was ill, and
+who was directed to invite them to go that night to the comedy: they
+thought it right, however, to accept the invitation, extraordinary as it
+was: the _Alguazile_'s servant conducted them to the theatre, and paid
+(for he was directed so to do, he said) for their admittance; and having
+conducted his strangers into the pit, he retired. The comedy was then
+begun; but, nevertheless, the eyes of the whole house were turned upon
+them, and their's, to their great astonishment, upon the _sick
+Alguazile_ with his whole family. Those near whom they at first stood,
+retired to some distance: they could not, he said, consider the manner
+in which they were looked at, and retired from, but to arise from
+disgust or dislike, more than from curiosity. This reception, and the
+manner in which they had been sent there, deprived them of all the
+amusement the house afforded; for though the performers had no great
+excellence, there was, among the female part of the audience, more
+beauty than they expected. Mr. B----, one of the Gentlemen, at length
+discovered near him in the pit a man whom he knew to be an Irishman, and
+in whole countenance he plainly perceived a desire to speak, but he
+seemed with-held by prudence. At length, however, he was got near enough
+to his countryman to hear him say, without appearing to address himself
+to any body, "_Go hence! go hence_!" They did so; and the next morning,
+tho' it was a fine town, which they wished to examine, and to spend some
+time in, set off early for _Carthagena_, where they had some particular
+friends, to whom they related the _Alguazile_'s very extraordinary
+behaviour, as well as that of the company at the theatre. It was near
+the time of the Carnival at _Carthagena_: the conduct of _Don Marco_ to
+the two gentlemen strangers, became the subject of conversation, and
+indeed of indignation, among the Spaniards of that civilized city; and
+the _Alguazile_, who came to the Carnival there soon after, died by the
+hands of an assassin; he was stabbed by a mask in the night. Now suppose
+this man lost his life at _Carthagena_, for his ill behaviour to the two
+strangers at _Marcia_, or for any other cause, it is very certain, if
+natives are so liable to assassination, strangers are not more secure.
+
+P.S. To give you some idea of the address of the pulpit oratory in
+Spain, about sixty or seventy years ago, (and it is not in general much
+better at present) take the following specimen, which I assure you, is
+strictly true:--
+
+A preacher holding forth in the place called _Las_ Mancanas at Madrid,
+after informing his auditors of the sufferings of Jesus Christ,
+added,--and is it not strange, that we still continue to sin on, and
+live without repentance? O Lord God! said he, why sufferest thou such
+ungrateful and wretched sinners to live?--And instantly giving himself a
+violent box on the ear, the whole assembly followed his example, and
+four thousand _soufflets_ were given and received in the twinkling of an
+eye.--The French Embassador, from whose _memoires_ I take this story,
+was upon that instant bursting out in laughter at the pious ceremony,
+had he not been checked by one of his friends, who happened to stand
+near, and who assured him, that his rank and character would not have
+saved him, had he been so indiscreet, for the enraged populace would
+have cut him in a thousand pieces; whereupon he hid his face in his
+handkerchief, and boxed his own ears more for the love of himself than
+from gratitude to his Redeemer.
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXXII.
+
+
+There are in Spain twelve councils of state, viz. of _War_, of
+_Castile_, of the _Inquisition_, of the royal orders of _St. Iago_, of
+_Arragon_, of the _Indies_, of the chamber of _Castile_, of the
+_Croisade_, of the _State_, of _Italy_, of the _Finances and Treasure_,
+and lastly, that (of no use) of _Flanders_.
+
+The council of _War_ is composed of experienced men of various orders,
+who are thought capable of advising upon that subject, and not of any
+determinate number.
+
+That of _Castile_ has a president and sixteen other members, beside a
+secretary and inferior officers; it is the first of all the councils,
+and takes cognizance of civil as well as criminal matters. The King
+calls this council only OUR council, to mark its superiority to all
+others. The president is a man of great authority, and is treated with
+the utmost respect; nor does he ever visit any body.
+
+The council of the _Inquisition_, established by _Don Fernando_ in 1483,
+has an inquisitor general for its president, who is always a _Grandee_
+of the first condition; he has six counsellors, who are called apostolic
+inquisitors. This court, (the power of which has, fortunately for
+mankind, been of late years greatly abridged) has a great number of
+inferior officers, as well as _holy spies_, all over the kingdom,
+particularly at _Seville_, _Toledo_, _Valladolid_, _Barcelona_, and
+other places, where these horrid tribunals are fixed; each is governed
+by three counsellors, who, however, are dependant on that of Madrid; and
+to whom they are obliged every month to give a particular account of
+what has passed through their hands. These men have not power to
+imprison a priest, a religious, nor even a gentleman, without obtaining
+the consent of the supreme court above; they meet at _Madrid_ twice
+every day, and two of the King's council always attend at the afternoon
+meeting.
+
+Of the council of the three royal orders of Spain; that of _Santiago_ is
+the first; the other two are _Calatrava_ and _Alcantara_. It is composed
+of a president, six counsellors, and other officers.
+
+The president of the council of _Arragon_ is called the vice chancellor;
+who is assisted by nine counsellors, and inferior officers. This council
+attend to the public state of the kingdom of _Arragon_, as well as to
+the islands of _Majorca_, _Ivica_, &c.
+
+The council of the _Indies_ was established in 1511, for the
+conservation and augmentation of the new kingdoms discovered by
+_Columbus_ in South America, in 1492; and where the Spaniards have at
+this time four thousand nine hundred leagues of land, including _Mexico_
+and _Peru_; land divided into many kingdoms and provinces, in which they
+had built, in the year 1670, upwards of eight thousand churches, and
+more than a thousand convents. They have there a patriarch, six
+arch-bishops, and thirty-two bishops, and three tribunals of the
+inquisition. This council is composed of a president, a grand
+chancellor, and twelve counsellors, a treasurer, secretary, advocates,
+agents, and an infinite number of inferior officers. They meet twice a
+week, to regulate all the affairs, both by land and sea, relative to
+that part of the King's dominions.
+
+The council of the _Croisade_ is composed of a president, who is called
+the commissary general, and who has great privileges. The clergy are
+obliged to pay something annually to it; and if any one finds a purse of
+money in the streets, they are obliged to deliver it to the secretary of
+this council.
+
+The council of _State_ is composed of men of the first birth and
+understanding about the court. The King presides, and is assisted by
+the archbishop of _Toledo_. This council is not confined to any certain
+number; they meet three times a week, to deliberate on the most
+important affairs of the kingdom.
+
+The council of _Italy_ attends to the affairs of _Naples_, _Sicily_, and
+_Milan_; it is composed of a president, and six counsellors, three of
+whom are Spaniards, one Neapolitan, one Italian, and one Sicilian; each
+of which have their separate charge on the affairs of those countries.
+
+The council of _Finances and Treasure_ is composed of a president, who
+is called _presidente de hazienda_, that is, superintendant of the
+finances; eight counsellors, and a great number of other officers,
+beside treasurers, controllers, &c, who have a great share of the most
+important affairs of the nation to regulate; they hear causes, and are
+not only entrusted with the treasures of the kingdom, but with
+administration of justice to all the king's subjects. You may easily
+judge what a number of officers compose this council, when I tell you,
+that they have twenty-six treasurers.
+
+The council of _Flanders_ have now only the _name_; as the King of
+England bears that of France.--The formal manner which men, high in
+office or blood, observe in paying or receiving visits, is very
+singular: the inquisitor-general, for instance, has several black lines
+marked upon the floor of his anti-chamber, by which he limits the
+civilities he is to shew to men, according to the rank or office they
+bear: he has his _black_ marks for an embassador, an envoy, &c. When
+people of condition at Madrid propose to make a visit, it is previously
+announced by a page, to know the day and hour they can be received; and
+this ceremony is often used on ordinary visits, as well as those of a
+more public nature: the page too has his coach to carry him upon these
+errands. I have seen the account of a visit made by the Cardinal of
+_Arragon_ to the Admiral of _Castile_, the train of which filled the
+whole street; he was carried by six servants in a magnificent chair, and
+followed by his body coach drawn by eight mules, attended by his
+gentlemen, pages, esquires, all mounted on horseback, and arrayed in a
+most sumptuous manner. Every order of men assume an air of importance in
+Spain. I have been assured, that when a shoemaker has been called upon
+to make a pair of shoes, he would not undertake the work till he had
+first enquired of _Dona_, his wife, whether there was any money in the
+house? if she answered in the affirmative, he would not work. Even the
+beggars do not give up this universal privilege, as the following
+instance will evince:--A foreigner of fashion, who was reading in a
+bookseller's shop in Madrid, was accosted by one of the town beggars,
+who in an arrogant manner asked his charity, in terms which implied a
+demand rather than a favour. The stranger made no reply, nor did he take
+the least notice, but determined to continue reading, and dismiss the
+insolent beggar by his silent contempt: this encreased the beggar's
+hardiness; he told him, he might find time enough to read after he had
+attended to his request, and what he had to say. But still the gentleman
+read on, and disregarded his rudeness. At length, the beggar stept up to
+him, and with an air of the utmost insolence, at the same time taking
+him hold by the arm, added, What! neither charity, nor courtesy? By this
+time, the stranger lost all patience, and was going to correct him for
+his temerity:--Stop, Sir, (said the beggar, in a lower tone of voice)
+hear me;--pardon, me, Sir; do you not know me? No, certainly; replied
+the stranger, But, said he, you ought, for I was secretary to an embassy
+in a certain capital, where we lived together in intimacy; and then told
+him his name, and the particular misfortunes which had reduced him to
+that condition; he expressed himself with art, address, and eloquence,
+and succeeded in getting money from the gentleman, though he could not
+convince him that he was his old acquaintance.
+
+There are in Spain an infinite number of such sort of beggars, who are
+men of sense and letters, and so _au fait_ in the art, that they will
+not be denied. The grand secret of the art of begging is in
+perseverance; and all the _well-bred_ part of beggars do not despair,
+though they have ten refusals. But the worst sort of beggars in Spain,
+are the troops of male and female gipsies: these are the genuine breed,
+and differ widely from all other human beings. In Spain I often met
+troops of these people; and when that interview happens in roads very
+distant from towns or dwellings, the interview is not very pleasing; for
+they ask as if they knew they were not to be refused; and, I dare say,
+often commit murders, when they can do it by surprize. Whenever I saw
+any of these people at a distance, I walked with a gun in my hand, and
+near to the side of my chaise, where there were pistols visible; and by
+shewing them I was not afraid, or, at least, making them believe so,
+they became afraid of us. They are extremely swarthy, with hair as black
+as jet; and form a very picturesque scene under the shade of those rocks
+and trees, where they spend their evenings; and live in a manner by no
+means disagreeable, in a climate so suitable to that style, where bread,
+water, and idleness is certainly preferable to better fare and hard
+labour. It is owing to this universal idleness that the roads, the inns,
+and every thing, but what is absolutely necessary, is neglected; yet,
+bad as the roads are, they are better than the _posada_, or inns. _El
+salir de la posada, es la mejor jornada_,--"_the best part of the
+journey_, say the Spaniards, _is the getting_ _out of the posada_." For
+as neither king nor people are at much expence to make or mend the high
+ways, except just about the capital cities, they are dry or wet, rough
+or smooth, steep or rugged, just as the weather or the soil happens to
+favour or befoul them.--Now, here is a riddle for your son; I know he is
+an adept, and will soon overtake me.
+
+    I'm rough, I'm smooth, I'm wet, I'm dry;
+    My station's low, my title's high;
+    The King my lawful master is;
+    I'm us'd by all, though only his:
+    My common freedom's so well known,
+    I am for that a proverb grown.
+
+The roads in Spain are, like those in Ireland, very _narrow_, and the
+leagues very long. When I complained to an Irish soldier of the length
+of the miles, between Kinsale and Cork, he acknowledged the truth of my
+observation; but archly added, that though they were _long_, they were
+but _narrow_.--Three Spanish leagues make nearly twelve English miles;
+and, consequently, seventeen Spanish leagues make nearly one degree.
+The bad roads, steep mountains, rapid rivers, &c. occasion most of the
+goods and merchandize, which are carried from one part of the kingdom to
+the other, to be conveyed on mule-back, and each mule has generally a
+driver; and as these drivers have their fixed stages from _posada_ to
+_posada_, so must the gentlemen travellers also, because there are no
+other accommodations on the roads but such houses; the stables therefore
+at the _posadas_ are not only very large, but the best part of the
+building, and is the lodging-room of man and beast; all the muleteers
+sleep there, with their cloaths on, upon a bundle of straw: but while
+your supper is preparing, the kitchen is crowded with a great number of
+these dirty fellows, whose cloaths are full of vermin; it would be
+impossible, therefore, for even a good cook to dress a dish with any
+decency or cleanliness, were such a cook to be found; for, exclusive of
+the numbers, there is generally a quarrel or two among them, and at all
+times a noise, which is not only tiresome, but frequently alarming.
+These people, however, often carry large sums of money, and tho' they
+are dirty, they are not poor nor dishonest.--I was told in France, to
+beware of the _Catalans_; yet I frequently left many loose things in and
+about my chaise, where fifty people lay, and never lost any thing.
+
+When I congratulated myself in a letter to my brother, upon finding in
+Wales a Gentleman of the name of Cooke, whose company, conversation, and
+acquaintance, were so perfectly pleasing to me; my brother observed,
+however, that my Welch _friend_ was not a _Welchman_, for, said he,
+"there are no COOKS in Wales;"--but this observation may be with more
+justice applied to Spain; for I think there are no COOKS in Spain; but
+there are, what is better, a great number of honest, virtuous men: I
+look upon the true, genuine Spaniards to be as respectable men as any
+in Europe; and that, among the lower order of them there is more honour
+and honesty than is to be found among more polished nations; and, I dare
+say, there were an hundred Spaniards at _Barcelona_, had they been as
+well informed about my identity as Messrs. Curtoys and Wombwell, that
+would have changed my notes, or lent me money without.
+
+_P.S._ The tour through Spain and Portugal by UDAL ap RHYS, grandfather
+to the now Mr. Price of Foxley in Herefordshire, abounds with more
+falshoods than truths; indeed I have been told it was written, as many
+modern travels are, over a pipe in a chimney corner: and I hope Mr.
+Udal never was in Spain, as "_one fib is more excusable than a
+thousand_."
+
+
+
+
+LETTER XXXIII.
+
+NISMES.
+
+
+_Monsr Anglois_ having sent me back my _passa-porte_, signed by _Don
+Philipe Cabine_, the Captain-General of _Barcelona_, accompanied by a
+very kind and friendly letter, I determined to quit the only place in
+Spain which had afforded me pleasure, amusement, and delight. We
+accordingly sat off the next day for _Martorel_, and went to the Three
+Kings, where our Italian host, whose extortions I had complained of
+before, received us with a face of the utmost disdain; and though he had
+no company in his house, put us into much worse apartments than those we
+had been in before. I ordered something for supper, and left it to him,
+as he had given us a very good one before; but he was not only
+determined to punish us in lodging, but in eating also, and sent only
+four little mutton cutlets, so small, that they were not sufficient for
+one, instead of four persons; we pretended, however, not to perceive his
+insolence, that he might not enjoy our punishment; and the next day, as
+I was desirous of looking about me a little, we removed to another
+_posada_, where, about noon, a Canon of great ecclesiastical preferment
+arrived, with a coach, six mules, and a large retinue, to dinner: the
+Canon had no more the marks of a gentleman than a muleteer; and he had
+with him two or three persons, of no better appearance. While his
+dinner, a kind of _olla_, was preparing, I went into the kitchen, where
+the smell of the rancid oil with which it was dressed, would have dined
+two or three men of moderate or tender stomachs; nor had he any other
+dish. There was behind his coach a great quantity of bedding,
+bed-steads, &c. so you will perceive he travelled _comme il faut_. His
+livery servants were numerous, and had on very short livery coats, with
+large sleeves, and still shorter waists. After he had eat a dinner,
+enough to poison a pack of hounds, he sat off in great pomp for
+_Barcelona_, a city I passed the next day with infinite pleasure,
+without entering its inhospitable gates; which I could not have done,
+had not _Mons. Anglois_ saved me that mortification by getting my _passa
+porte refreshed_. I confess, Sir, that while I passed under the
+fortifications of that city, which the high road made necessary, I felt,
+I knew not why, a terror about me, that my frame is in general a
+stranger to; and rather risqued two hours' night travelling, bad and
+dangerous as the roads were, than sleep within four leagues of it; so
+that it was ten o'clock before we got to _Martereau_, a little city by
+the sea side, where we had lodged on our way to _Barcelona_. The next
+day, we proceeded on the same delightful sea coast we had before passed,
+and through the same rich villages, on our way to _Girone_, _Figuiere_,
+&c. and avoided that horrid _posada_ where the Frenchman died, by lying
+at a worse house, but better people: but having bought a brace of
+partridges, and some _red fish_ on the road, we fared sumptuously,
+except in beds, which were straw mattrasses, very hard, and the room
+full of wet Indian corn; but we were no sooner out of our _posada_, than
+the climate and the beautiful country made ample amends for the town and
+_posada_ grievances.
+
+It is contrary to the law of Spain to bring more than a certain quantity
+of Spanish gold or silver out of the kingdom, and I had near an hundred
+pounds in gold _duras_, about the size of our quarter guineas. I
+endeavoured to change them at _Figuiere_, but I found some very artful,
+I may say roguish, schemes laid, to defraud me, by a pretended
+difficulty to get French money, and therefore determined to proceed with
+it to _Jonquiere_, the last village, where it was not probable I could
+find so much French money. I therefore had a very large French _queue_
+made up, within which the greater part of my Spanish gold was bound; and
+as the weight _made_ me hold up my _tete d'or_, the custom-house
+officers there, who remembered my entrance into Spain, found
+half-a-crown put into their hands less trouble than examining my baggage
+gratis; they accordingly _passed_ me on my way to _Bellegarde_, without
+even opening it; and we found the road up to that fortress, though in
+the month of December, full as good as when we had passed it in the
+summer; and after descending on the French side, and crossing the river,
+got to the little _auberge_ at _Boulon_, the same we had held too bad
+when we went into Spain, even to eat our breakfast at; but upon our
+return, worthy of a place of rest, and we accordingly staid there a
+week: beds with curtains, rooms with chimnies, and paper windows, though
+tattered and torn, were luxuries we had been unaccustomed to.--But I
+must not omit to tell you, that on our road down on the French side of
+the _Pyrenees_, two men, both armed with guns, rushed suddenly out of
+the woods, and making towards us, asked, whether we wanted a guard? I
+was walking, perhaps fortunately at that time, with my fuzee in my hand,
+and my servant had a double barrelled pistol in his; and therefore
+forbid them to approach us, and told them, we had nothing else to lose
+but our lives, and that if they did not retire I should look upon them
+as people who meant to plunder, rather than protect us: they accordingly
+retired into the woods, and I began to believe they had no evil intent;
+but finding an _Exempt_ of the _Marechaussee_ at _Boulon_, I told him
+what had passed, and asked him whether his men attended upon that road,
+in coloured cloaths, or any others were allotted, to protect or guard
+travellers? He assured me there were no such people of any kind; that
+his men always moved on horseback, in their proper character, and
+suspected _our guard_ would have been very troublesome, had they found
+us _off our guard_; but he did not offer, nor did I ask him, to send
+after them, though he was a very civil, sensible man, who had been three
+years on duty in _Corsica_; and, consequently, his company, for the week
+I staid in such a poor town, was very agreeable. And as _Mons. Bernard_,
+or some officer of the _Marechaussee_, is always in duty at this town, I
+would advise those who enter into Spain, by that route, to procure a
+couple of those men to escorte them up to _Bellegarde_--an attention
+that no officer in France will refuse to shew, when it is not
+incompatible with his duty.
+
+The rapid water at this town, which I had passed going into Spain, was
+now lower than usual. Here too my horse, as well as his master, lived
+truly _in clover_; and though our habitation was humble, a habitation at
+the very foot of the _Pyrenees_ could not but be very beautiful; no part
+of France is more so; it is indeed a beautiful and noble sight, to see
+the hanging plantations of vines, olives, and mulberry-trees, warmed by
+a hot sun on the sides of those mountains, the upper parts of which are
+covered with a perpetual snow. But beautiful as all that part of the
+country is, there was not a single gentleman's house in the environs.
+
+After a compleat week's refreshment, we proceeded to _Perpignan_ to
+spend our Christmas, where we found the _Chevalier de Maigny_ and his
+Lady, who had given us the letter of recommendation to the French Consul
+at _Barcelona_; who shewed us those marks of civility and politeness,
+French officers in general shew to strangers. There we staid a
+fortnight; and _Mons. de Maigny_ got me a considerable profit, in
+changing my Spanish gold for French.
+
+In this town, I found an unfortunate young Irishman; he had been there
+three months, without a friend or a shilling in his pocket; and as he
+was a man of education and good breeding, I could not so soon forget my
+own situation at _Barcelona_, not to pity his: but what most induced me
+to assist him a little, was, what he feared might have had a contrary
+effect. When I asked him his name, he readily answered, "R--h; an
+unfortunate name!" said he;--"but, as it is my name, I will _wear
+it_."--He had a well-wisher in the town, a French watch-maker, to whom
+he imparted the little kindness I had shewn him; and as it was not
+enough to conduct him on foot to the north side of this kingdom, the
+generous, but poor watch-maker, gave him as much as I had done, and he
+sat off with a light heart, though a _thin pair of breeches_, for his
+own country. He had been to visit a rich relation at Madrid; and, I
+believe, did not meet with so cordial a reception there as he expected.
+
+At this town I drank, at a private gentleman's house, part of a bottle
+of the wine made at a little village hard by, called _Rios Alto_; the
+most delicious wine I ever tasted: but as the spot produces but a small
+quantity, that which is really of the growth is very scarce, as well as
+dear: it has the strength of full port, with a flavour superior to
+burgundy.
+
+_Perpignan_ is the principal city of _Rosillein_; it is well fortified,
+but the works are in a ruinous condition: the streets are narrow and
+dirty, but the Governor's, and the botanic gardens are worthy of notice:
+the climate is remarkably fine, and the air pure. The _Pyrenees_, which
+are at least fifteen miles distant, appear to hang in a manner over the
+town: to see so much snow, and feel so much sun, is very singular. Wood
+is very scarce and dear in that town: I frequently saw mules and asses
+loaded with rosemary and lavender bushes, to sell for firing. The
+barbarous language of the common people of this province, is very
+convenient, as they understand French, and can make themselves
+understood thro' a great part of Spain: from which kingdom not a day
+passes but mules and carriages arrive, except when the heavy rains or
+snow obstruct the communication.--The mules and asses of Spain, and this
+part of France, are not only very useful but valuable beasts: the only
+way to get a valuable one of either sort from Spain, is, to fix upon the
+beast, and promise a round sum to one of the religious mendicants to
+smuggle it out of the kingdom, who covers the animal with bags, baskets,
+and a variety of trumpery, as if he was going into France to collect
+charity: and passes either by _not_ being suspected, or by being a
+_Religieux_ if he is suspected.
+
+As we took exactly the same route from _Perpignan_ to this town as we
+went, except leaving _Cette_ a few leagues on our left; I shall say
+nothing of our return, but that we relished our reception at the French
+inns, and the good cheer we found there, infinitely more than as we
+went: and that we were benighted for some hours before we got into
+_Montpellier_, and caught in the most dreadful storm of rain, thunder
+and lightning I ever was exposed to. I was obliged for two hours to hold
+my horse's bridle on one side, as my man did on the other, and feel with
+sticks for the margin of the road, as it was elevated very high above
+the marshy lands, and if the heel had slipped over on either side, it
+must have overset the chaise into the lowlands: besides which, the
+roaring of the water-streams was so great, that I very often thought we
+were upon the margin of some river or high bridge: nor was my suffering
+quite over even after I got into the city: I could not find my former
+_auberge_, nor meet with any body to direct me: and the water-spouts
+which fell into the middle of those narrow streets almost deluged
+us.--My poor horse, too, found the steep streets, slippery pavement, and
+tons of water which fell upon him, as much as he could well bear: but,
+as the old song says,
+
+    "Alas! by some degree of woe,
+    We every bliss obtain;"
+
+So we found a good fire and good cheer an ample recompence for our wet
+jackets. It was so very dark, that though I led my horse by the head
+above a league, I could but seldom see him: nor do I remember in my
+whole life to have met with any difficulty which so agitated my
+mind:--no: not even at the _bar of the House of Lords_, I did not dread
+the danger so much, as the idea of tumbling my family over a precipice,
+without the power to assist them; or, if they were _gone_, resolution
+enough to _follow them_.
+
+
+END _of the_ FIRST VOLUME.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Year's Journey through France and
+Part of Spain, 1777, by Philip Thicknesse
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