Selected quad for the lemma: country_n
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A70100
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Voyages and travels over all Europe Containing all that is most curious in that part of the world. In eight tomes. Done out of French.
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Fer, Nicolas de, 1646-1720.
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1693
(1693)
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Wing F726; ESTC R216771
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137,558
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320
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Austria An Image of our Lady in Ivory enrich'd with Pretious Stones A Missal in Manuscript the Cover of which is enrich'd with Plates of Gold A Manuscript of the Four Evangelists written above Eleven hundred Years ago in Letters of Gold and Silver upon Purple Vellum In the Third Ambrie The Head of St. Denis enrich'd with Pretious Stones His Cross of Wood all cover'd with Gold and Precious Stones as also his Travelling Stick The right Hand Flesh and Bone of the Apostle St. Thomas in a Shrine of Gold enrich'd with Pearls Rubies and great Pearls An enamell'd Shrine where through a Christal you see the Lower Chap of St. Lewis The Crown of the same St. Lewis of massy Gold beset with Pretious Stones A Seal of Gold with a Saphir Stone wherein his Image is engrav'd with these Letters S. L. A Sword which he brought in his first Expedition from the Holy Land A wooden Cup of Tamarisk wherein he drank A Shrine which he carried along with him in his Expeditions with a Bone of St. Denis His Hand of Justice of Silver gilt The Clasp of his Cloak of the same beset with Pretious Stones A Chalice of Oriental Agate with a great number of Pretious Stones The Effigies of the Queen of Sheba upon a Brouch of Agate A Gondola of Agate and Onyx The two Crowns of Lewis XIV the one of Gold the other enamell'd In the Fourth Ambrie A great Image Silver gilt of St. Benedict extreamly Rich. A great Cross of massy Gold cover'd with Pearl and enrich'd with large Saphirs The Oratory of Charlemain all of Gold where the multitudes of Saphirs Emraulds Agates and Oriental Pearls that glitter in it vastly enhaunce the Price of it This Oratory preserves an Arm of St. George The Crown of Charlemain all of Gold and embellish'd like the Oratory This Crown is carry'd to Reims at the Coronation of our Kings with the Scepter the Hand of Justice the Spurs the Clasp for the Mantle the Book of Ceremonies and Prayers for the Coronation All the Ornaments are of that Richness as befits the Use which is made of ' em The Crown of Gold that Joane of Eureux were enrich'd with Rubies Saphirs and Pearl serves for the Coronation of the Queens that is Perform'd at St. Denis Several Vessels of Gold Chrystal and other Materials very Rich. The Portraiture of Nero upon an Agate which is look'd upon as one of the Noblest Pieces of Curiosity in the Treasury In other Cupboards in General There are moreover Four other Ambries which do not contain such vast Wealth but only Reliques or Antiquities of which these are the most considerable An enamell'd Shrine embellish'd with Pretious Stones wherein lyes the Body of St. Lewis Judas's Lanthorn the Sword of the Maid of Orlean's a Unicorn's Horn seven foot long and a Stool of Copper which as they say was Dagobert's Throne Beside all these things of which I have given you a Catalogue there are several other things very remarkable which I insert not here for fear of being Tedious and therefore to conclude this Chapter I shall only inform the Reader that the Monks who shew the Treasury very distinctly give an accompt of every thing and tell you the time and the occasion that all these Curiosities were brought to this Place CHAP. XXIII Of Normandy and the Country of Maine NOrmandy is a very fair large Province of France with the Title of a Dukedom bounded Eastward by the Island of France and Picardy by the Ocean to the North by Bretagne to the West and Beausse and le Maine to the South The length of it is Seventy two Leagues de la Croix says 73. from Aumale to the Coast of Courantin and Thirty in breadth 37. says de la Croix from Alenson to the City of Eu The Name of it is absolutely German for Noort-Man signifies a Man of the North so that the Name it bears was given it by the People of the North that Pipirated upon the Seas and afterwards settl'd themselves in Normandy and ravag'd the Country to the very Walls of Paris William the Norman laid Claim to England and Invading it under Pretence of Title his Successors Kings of England became Masters of Normandy But Philip the August united it to the Crown of France Charles the Seventh expell'd the English This Province being the most Northern part of the Kingdom is also the Goldest It is divided into Upper and Lower It abounds in all sorts of Fruit especially Pears and Apples of which they make Cider and which serves 'em instead of Wine for Wine they have none but what they fetch from the Neighbouring Provinces As for Corn it produces more then suffices the Inhabitants The Dyers also have their Madder and Woad from thence The Humour of the Common People does 'em no great Credit They are look'd upon to have more defects then Perfections The Normans are accus'd to be very cholerick litigious upon every Trifle and not to be too great Slaves to their words when their Interest is concern'd So then when you deal with a Norman the first Question is whether he will insist upon the Privileges of the Country that is to say whether he will go from his word when the Bargain is concluded And therefore when a Man has fail'd of his word 't is a common thing to say He is a Norman But the Gentry and Persons well educated who have a share of Honour are to be excepted out of this Number Moreover they have as great an Antipathy against the Bretons as the Bretons have against them Rouen is the Principal City of Normandy dignify'd with an Archbishop's See and the Seat of a Parliament a Chamber of Accompts an Audit of the Treasurers of France a Chamber of Money and a Presidial Court The Parliament had that Name given it first of all by Francis I. in 1515. whereas before it was call'd the Court of Exchequer founded by Philip the Fair in 1286. This City is seated upon the Banks of the River Seine on the one side on the other in a Valley environ'd with Hills thick spread with Wood. From the East come little Rivers which run through the Town keep the Streets clean and after they have turn'd several Mills fall into the Seine But the nearness of it to the Sea is that which makes it a Town of great Trade when Commerce is open Among those things which it has most remarkable we are to admire the Bridge of Boats over the Seine Two hundred and seventy Paces in length For though it be all Pav'd and appear as firm as a Bridge of Stone yet it rises and sinks according to the Ebbing and Flowing of the Sea This Bridge was made to supply the want of another Stone Bridge of 15 Arches that was ruin'd and was accompted one of the Fairest Bridges in France The Castle is fortified with Eleven great Towers which all Vessels outward or inward bound are engag'd to salute with Three Guns at
VOYAGES AND TRAVELS OVER ALL Europe CONTAINING All that is most Curious in that Part of the WORLD In Eight TOMES Done out of French LONDON Printed for H. Rhodes next Bride-Lane in Fleetstreet and J. Harris at the Harrow in the Poultry 1693. FRENCH F. H. van Hove Sculp Licensed Jan. 20th 1692-93 Edm. Bohun TO THE READER 'T Is a Custom among Travellers that are Persons of Curiosity that when they come to any City or Town of Note one of the first Questions which they put to their Hosts is generally what is most-remarkable in the Place To this Monsieur la Fer Geographer to the Dauphin of France makes a particular Answer so far as concerns the most Considerable Cities and Towns of Europe in Eight small Tomes of Historical Travels successively intended to be presented to your View wherein he gives a neat and short Accompt of what is most worthy the Observation of a Quaint and Inquisitive Traveller in all the most Eminent Places of this the Most Noble fourth Part of the World A pleasing Pocket Information for a Traveller where e're he comes to desire to see and not to ask what is to be seen He gives yee moreover the true Character of the several People by telling yee their Predominant Humours which is no less a useful Direction for him to manage his Conversation with that variety of Strangers among whom his Curiosity or his Business leads him These Historical Travels will consist of Eight Volumes of which the First as you see begins with France The Second will treat of Spain and Portugal The Third of Italy The Fourth of Germany Switzerland and Hungary The Fifth of Muscovy Turky and Tartary The Sixth will enclose Poland Swedeland and Denmark The Seventh Holland and the Low-Countries And the Eighth will Comprehend England Scotland and Ireland Neither is it to be thought that these are Collections and Relations of the Author by hear-say for he tells yee that he had been Abroad in Forreign Countries about Twelve or Thirteen Years and that all that while he made his Remarks upon the Religion Customs Humours and Strength of several Nations and observ'd what was most rare and curious in their Countries Confessing withal that he took into his assistance the Memoirs of a certain Learned Friend of his who had been Two and Twenty Years Collecting 'em together but liv'd not long enough to put 'em into Order About the same time came forth the King's Geographer de la Croix's Universal Geographie or his New Method for the Understanding that Science but besides that there is little in it but what has been repeated over and over again and that we had nothing to do with learning Geography I made a Vow had I been a Novice not to learn it by his New Method which is the Obscurest that ever I met with in regard he has so conceal'd and hid up his Towns in References and Subdivisions of Provinces that he that looks for any City must run from Post to Pillar and be at a tedious and unnecessary Trouble prevented by the common Alphabetical Way before he can find it out However I made this Use of him that where he had any thing Proper for our Vse which la Ferr had for brevity omitted I thought it but reason that one Brother should help another and to that end I took out all that was material in him and made for our Purpose Which as it serves to Complete la Ferr so it does de la Croix no Injury who may go on with his New Method for all us 'T is to be confess'd That out of a natural Propensity of the French to brag of their own Country Monsieur la Ferr is sometimes too apt to fall into Extasies and Raptures in Applause of the Beauties and Prodigies of Transcending France and the Conquests of his Invincible Monarch But though we could not but leave some sprinklings of his Folly in some places as well because we could not interrupt his Sence as to shew the Nature of the French Bird yet care has been taken to Prune off the greatest part of those Impertinencies and to keep him as close as possible to his Text For in short the Thing in the main is Vseful and Pleasant as being the most Delightful part of Geography altogether a Novelty and prosecuted with Judgment by the Author to the great Benefit and Ease of those who not having the Opportunity or Bodies fitted to endure the Tempers of various Climates are by this means enabled to Travel over whole Countries and Regions with their Eyes and have all the Curiosities of Europe brought home to their own Studies at the Labour and Expence of other Men. ADVERTISEMENT YOu will meet with many Hard Names of French Courts and Jurisdictions in the following Relations which many in England understand no more then the French understand our Cursitors Custos Brevium's Philizers Sheriffs Turns Wardmoots c. And therefore we thought it convenient to give a short Exposition of what the Reader will frequently find repeated in this first Volume BAilliage is the Precinct Office Jurisdiction of a Bailly A Bailli is a Magistrate appointed within a Province or certain Precinct to execute Justice maintain the Peace and preserve the People from Oppression Vexation and Wrong To which purpose he takes Cognizance of Treasons committed False Money Coin'd of Robberies Murthers Rebellions c. He makes Proclamation in his own Name calls the Ban and Arriere Ban and leads forth those that are rais'd by it He also determines Appeals from the Sentences of the Provosts and other Inferiour Judges Chamber of Accompts The Court of Accompts or of the Exchequer of which there is one in every Town of France where there is a Parlament Chamber of Money Chambre de Monnoyes is a Soveraign Court wherein the Currantness Weight and Value of Money are examin'd and the Disorders and Offences of Mintmen Coyners and Clippers punish'd Which Court has two Presidents and Eight general Assistants belonging to it The Exchequer of Normandy is an Assembly of High Justiciaries wherein the Decrees Orders Commissions and Injunctions awarded by Bailli's Viscounts c. may be 〈◊〉 and avoided A Chancery By the Chanceries of Cities are meant the Perites Chanceleries or the Chanceries of Parlaments which are visited once a Year by the Masters of Requests in their Circuits assign'd them by the Grand Chancellor of France Consular Jurisdiction The Consuls in the good Towns of France are Five Honest and Substantial Citizens who Determine all Cases of Debt not exceeding 400 Livres Tournois a Livre Tournois is Two Shillings English between Merchant and Merchant their Authority continues a Year and the utmost Punishment they can inflict extends but to Imprisonment Election The Office and Circuit of an Eleu who is a General Assessor of the Kings Aids and Subsidies who rates and taxes the Villages and Parishes of the Election or Division wherein he resides Generality A Place for the General Receipt of