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<DATE>2008-11-05</DATE>
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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B080916.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 5 -->
<HEAD>AN ACCOUNT Of the mi&s;erable and lamentable Condition Of the Subjects of France, In a LETTER from a Gentleman of <HI>Paris,</HI> of good Credit, to his Kin&s;man here in <HI>London.</HI></HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub"><HI>Licenced the</HI> 13th <HI>of</HI> March, 1693/4.</HEAD>
<OPENER><DATELINE><HI>Paris,</HI> <DATE>the 24th of <HI>February,</HI> 1694.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>ILE tell you that we are here in a very deplorable condition, the mi&s;ery is &s;o great that it is incredible: There dye many People every day, &s;mall and great, with hunger and nece&s;&s;ity. There is nothing heard Day and Night in the &s;treets but the groans of the Poor which cry out for hunger, and that they have eaten no Bread the&s;e three days, and are forced to &s;eek in the filth thrown in the &s;treets &s;uch na&s;ty things as the Dogs will hardly eat. They go to the Butchers to fetch buckets of blood of Beeves and Sheep, which they boyl in Water without Salt, and when tis thickned they eat it for want of Bread, and what is more &s;urpri&s;ing, is, when any Hor&s;e dies and the Skinner carries the Carca&s;s to the place appointed for it, the poor People run after the Carrian more eagerly (without compari&s;on) than the Dogs, to take every one a piece to eat: and eight days &s;ince there dyed a Hor&s;e, belonging to a Neighbour of of mine, of Rottenne&s;s and the Farcye: as &s;oon as he was skinn'd he was taken away in the Court, &s;o that he could not re&s;erve any for his Dogs.</P>
<P>This pa&s;&s;eth the thought and the imagination to &s;ee that a Kingdom (&s;o abounding and rich as <HI>France</HI> was very lately, where you would &s;ay God was plea&s;ed to &s;hed abroade his mo&s;t precious Ble&s;&s;ings, is now in &s;o lamen|table a condition. It is vi&s;ible, that there appears an extraordinary Cha&s;ti&s;e|ment of Heaven, and that &s;ince he hath withdrawn his Light from among&s;t us, for our Cha&s;ti&s;ement he hath withdrawn his mo&s;t precious favours. Its feared that in Summer there will happen &s;ome dangerous Sickne&s;s by the bad &s;u&s;tenance and &s;o many na&s;ty things which the greate&s;t number of the People eat to &s;u&s;tain their hunger and their life.</P>
<P>And as if a bloody War were not enough, and a trouble&s;ome one too, which occa&s;ions great di&s;tractions every where, tis to be feared that it will draw after it the two other Plagues upon us for the crimes and the great number of &s;ins we have committed, which have provoked Heaven again&s;t Mortals; in&s;omuch that our cries and groans do not reach him to have pi|ty on us: and I mu&s;t avow that we have de&s;erved it and condemn our &s;elves in his holy Pre&s;ence: I a&s;&s;ure you (my dear Cou&s;in) that I live here a langui&s;hing life deprived of all &s;piritual food, and as for what is nece&s;&s;ary for this Corporal life. We liv'd better heretofore for 400 Livers than we can now for 1000; which throws daily a great many People into extream want and nece&s;&s;ity, and to &s;ell all they have to live and get Bread.</P>
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<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>J. Wilkins,</HI> 1694.</P>
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