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A48701
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A journey to Paris in the year 1698 by Dr. Martin Lister.
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Lister, Martin, 1638?-1712.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing L2525; ESTC R14927
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102,964
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264
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A JOURNEY TO PARIS In the Year 1698. By Dr. Martin Lister LONDON Printed for Jacob Tonson at the Judges-Head near the Inner-Temple-Gate in Fleet street and at Gray's-Inn-Gate in Gray's-Inn-Lane 1699. To His Excellency JOHN Lord Sommers Baron of Evesham Lord High Chancellor of England and one of the Lords-Justices of England My LORD WIsdom is the Foundation of Justice and Equity and it seems not to be perfect without it comprehends also Philosophy and Natural Learning and whatever is of good Relish in Arts. It is certain my Lord for the Honour of your high Station that the greatest Philosophers of this Age were of your Predecessors nor is your Lordship in any thing behind them as tho nothing inspired People with more Equity than a true value for Vseful Learning and Arts. This hath given me the boldness to offer your Lordship this short Account of the Magnificent and Noble City of Paris and the Court of that great King who hath given Europe so long and vehement Disquiet and cost England in particular so much Blood and Treasure 'T is possible my Lord you may find a leisure Hour to read over these few Papers for your Diversion wherein I promise my self you will meet with nothing Offensive but clean Matter of Fact and some short Notes of an unprejudiced Observer But that I may no longer importune you perpetually busied in so laborious and useful an Imployment I beg leave to subscribe my self My LORD Your Lordships Most Humble and most Obedient Servant Martin Lister THE Reader is desired to Correct with a Pen these Faults before he begins because they obscure the Sense As for the Literal Faults they are easie to be mended by the Eye Page 39. l. 1. read Metopae Page 81. line 5. read laminons P. 93. l. 19. r. limned P. 108. l. 29. r. interpolations P. 139. l. 30. r. had sold P. 150. l. 8. r. Shoots P. 58. l. 7. dele in Tab. 3. Cochlea terrestris Americana F. Plumier Tab â— Vabalatus Zenobia Tab. 1. Fig. 1. Vesparum quarundam Canadensium Favus Fig. 2. Fig. 3. A JOURNEY TO PARIS In the Year 1698. Introduction to the Reader THis Tract was Written chiefly to satisfie my own Curiosity and to delight my self with the Memory of what I had seen I busied my self in a place where I had little to do but to walk up and down well knowing that the Character of a Stranger gave me free admittance to Men and Things The French Nation value themselves upon Civility and build and dress mostly for Figure This Humour makes the Curiosity of Strangers very easie and welcome to them But why do you trouble us with a Journey to Paris a place so well known to every body here For very good Reason to spare the often telling my Tale at my return But we know already all you can say or can read it in the Present State of France and Description of Paris two Books to be had in every Shop in London 'T is right so you may and I advise you not to neglect them if you have a mind to judge well of the Grandeur of the Court of France and the immense Greatness of the City of Paris These were Spectacles I did indeed put on but I found they did not fit my sight I had a mind to see without them and in Matters of this Nature as vast Cities and vast Palaces I did not care much to use Microscopes or Magnifying Glasses But to content you Reader I promise you not to trouble you with Ceremonies either of State or Church or Politicks for I entred willingly into neither of them but only where they would make a part of the Conversation or my Walk was ordered me You 'l easily find by my Observations that I incline rather to Nature than Dominion and that I took more pleasure to see Monsieur Breman in his white Wastcoat digging in the Royal Physick Garden and sowing his Couches than Monsieur Saintot making room for an Ambassador and I found my self better disposed and more apt to learn the Names and Physiognomy of a Hundred Plants than of 5 or 6 Princes After all I had much rather have walked a 100 paces under the meanest Hedge in Languedoc than any the finest Alley at Versailles or St. Clou so much I prefer fair Nature and a warm Sun before the most exquisite performances of Art in a cold and barren Climate Another Reason that I give you little or no trouble in telling you Court Matters is that I was no more concerned in the Embassy than in the sailing of the Ship which carried me over 'T is enough for me with the rest of the People of England to feel the good Effects of it and to pass away this Life in Peace and Quietness 'T is a happy turn for us when Kings are made Friends again This was the end of this Embassy and I hope it will last our days My Lord Ambassador was infinitely caressed by the King his Ministers and all the Princes 'T is certain the French are the most Polite Nation in the World and can Praise and Court with a better Air than the rest of Mankind However the generality of the Kingdom were through great necessity well disposed to receive the Peace The Bigots and some Disbanded Officers might be heard at our first going to grumble but those also gave over and we heard no more of them when we came away but to the Business I happily arrived at Paris after a tedious Journey in very bad Weather for we set out of London the 10th of December and I did not reach Paris till the first of January for I fell sick upon the Road and stay'd 5 days at Bologne behind the Company till my Fever abated yet notwithstanding so rude a Journey I recovered and was perfectly cured of my Cough in 10 days which was the chiefest reason of my leaving London at that time of the year and never had the least return of it all the Winter though it was as fierce there as I ever felt it in England This great benefit of the French Air I had experienced 3 several times before and had therefore long'd for a passage many years but the continuance of the War was an insuperable Obstacle to my Desires Therefore the first opportunity which offered it self I readily embraced which was my Lord Portland's Acceptance of my Attendance of him in his Extraordinary Embassie who ordered me to go before with one of my good Friends who was sent to prepare Matters against his arrival Now that I might not wholly trust my Memory in what I saw at Paris I set down my Thoughts under certain Heads I. Of Paris in General THough I had much spare time the 6 Months I staid in that City yet the rudeness of the Winter Season kept me in for some time Again I believe I did not see the Tithe of what deserves to be seen and well considered because for many things I wanted a