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<DATE>2013-10-16</DATE>
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<NAME>Anne Simpson</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE STATE OF FRANCE, As it &s;tood in the IX^t^h yeer of this pre&s;ent Monarch, LEWIS XIIII.</P>
<P><HI>Written to a Friend</HI> By <HI>J. E.</HI></P>
<P>LONDON, Printed by <HI>T.M.</HI> for <HI>M.M. G Bedell</HI> &amp; <HI>T Collins.</HI> at the middle Temple gate, <HI>Fleet&s;treet.</HI> 1652.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="prefatory letter">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>The State of FRANCE, as it &s;tood in the Ninth yeer of this pre&s;ent Monarch <HI>LEWIS the XIIII,</HI> Written to a Friend.</HEAD>
<P>_SInce I had fir&s;t the honour to bee one of tho&s;e who&s;e Conver&s;ation you have che|ri&s;hed with &s;o many &s;ignall obligations, and, as it were, currents of civility; I can hard|ly
<PB REF="3">think, that (when by &s;o ma|ny literal expre&s;&s;es and per&s;o|nal commands, you enjoin me to deliver &s;omething in <HI>writing,</HI> touching the late &s;ubject of our di&s;cour&s;e) you have either cau&s;e to delight in my triviall con|ceptions, or de&s;igne my di&s;cre|dit: For however your in&s;tan|ces have at la&s;t prevailed, yet your Honor is no le&s;&s;e concer|ned to be tender how you publi&s;h my defects, while&s;t in them onely (though the faults be mine) men will &s;o perem|ptorily conclude your want of judgment, and condemn your Election. But you have pro|mi&s;ed to be di&s;creet, and I &s;hall then make a &s;aving adventure
<PB REF="3">of my Reputation with you, who have candor and charity not from the <HI>Multitude,</HI> but the &s;tock of your own <HI>worth</HI> and ingenuous Education; of which this <HI>E&s;&s;ay</HI> will be rather an Hi&s;tory, then any thing o|therwi&s;e capable to informe you, who know already &s;o much more, and better, then I can po&s;&s;ibly either write or relate.</P>
<P>But to begin once, &s;ince it is my fate to obey you; I &s;hall nothing alter the <HI>Scene,</HI> which was then Pre&s;ented you, when you were plea&s;ed (as it &s;ince appears) to take notice of tho&s;e ca&s;uall Di&s;cour&s;es of mine, wherein I po&s;ted over the
<PB REF="4">be&s;t Remarks, and mo&s;t mate|riall Ob&s;ervations which my weak Judgment had been able to recollect, during my &s;o ma|ny <HI>Pererrations,</HI> and unprofi|table <HI>Sojourn</HI> abroad, and e&s;pe|cially in this Kingdome of <HI>France.</HI></P>
<P>Nor wil I vex your patience with any <HI>Topographicall</HI> De&s;cri|ptions, as being the daily &s;ub|ject of your Contemplations, when at any time you plea&s;e to refre&s;h your &s;elf among&s;t tho&s;e exqui&s;ite <HI>Cards</HI> of the late&s;t and mo&s;t accurate <HI>Editi|ons:</HI> But repre&s;ent, in as &s;uc|cinct a Method as I am able, what in order to Affairs (as in the Government of this mo&s;t
<PB REF="4">active and Illu&s;trious Monar|chie they now &s;tand) I conceive to be chiefly proper and requi|&s;ite for a Gentleman of our Nation (under the notion of a <HI>Traveller</HI>) to be able to render an accompt of at his Return: And therefore, before I proceed further, I will complie with your de&s;ire, and &s;peak a word or two (by way of Introducti|on, or Digre&s;&s;ion rather) of my <HI>&s;entiment</HI> and opinion tou|ching <HI>Forraign Travel</HI> in Gene|ral, wherein I &s;hall al&s;o deal very impartially with all the world concerning mine own particular, as being (I hope) taking my long farewel there|of.</P>
<PB REF="5">
<P>That which fir&s;t rendred me of this <HI>Apodemick</HI> humour, (I &s;hall not di&s;cour&s;e here of <HI>Mercuriall</HI> complexions, whom <HI>Phy&s;iognomi&s;ts</HI> affirm to be <HI>Indi|vidua vaga's,</HI> like my &s;elf) pro|ceeded from a certain vaine Emulation which I had to &s;ee the be&s;t of Education, which every body &s;o decrying at Home, made me conceive, was a commodity onely to be brought from a far Countrie; and I cannot &s;ay, without a little ambition too of <HI>knowing,</HI> or at lea&s;t of having the pri|viledg to <HI>talk</HI> &s;omething more then others could rea&s;onably pretend to, that had never bin out of &s;ight of their owne
<PB REF="5">chimnies &s;moke: All which was a Ridiculous affectation, contracted fir&s;t from the ordi|nary <HI>Radomontadas</HI> of &s;uch as have &s;een &s;trange places, and great want of di&s;cretion, and &s;o fondly tran&s;ported with the plea&s;ure onely, and temptation of <HI>Novelties,</HI> the very in&s;tru|mental cau&s;es of this un&s;etled extravagancy.</P>
<P>True it is, <HI>Non omnis fert om|nia Tellus:</HI> for the great and good God hath di&s;creetly, and very wi&s;ely di&s;po&s;ed, in the furni&s;hing and adorning (as I may &s;ay) of this <HI>Terre&s;trial Ca|binet,</HI> having left no one part or corner thereof without &s;ome thing &s;pecially different,
<PB REF="6">and admirably remarkable, ei|ther in the compo&s;ition, qua|lity or u&s;e; all of them, ac|cording to their po&s;ition, &s;itu|ation, and effects, admirably commodious, and dependant; of which divine <HI>Oeconomy</HI> there may be infinitely more &s;po|ken, then will be &s;utable to this de&s;ign, after I have infer|red that for the&s;e re&s;pects only, a <HI>Traveller</HI> has &s;ome excu&s;e, as well as encouragement to go abroad and &s;ee the world.</P>
<P>Now then, for as much as the end of all our <HI>Appetites,</HI> wi&s;ely <HI>inquired</HI> into, ought to be the principal <HI>Mira,</HI> and terme to all our actions, he that would travell rationally, and
<PB REF="6">like a <HI>Philo&s;opher,</HI> mu&s;t indu&s;tri|ou&s;ly apply him&s;elf to the pur|&s;uit of &s;uch things, as (through|out all his <HI>Peregrinations</HI>) may re&s;ult mo&s;t to the profit, and Emolument of his own Coun|try at his Return; whether in the accompli&s;hing of his per|&s;on or affairs, there being no|thing more veritable, then that &s;aying of <HI>Homer,</HI>
<Q><L><GAP DESC="foreign">.</L>
<L><HI>Turpe quidem man&s;i&s;&s;e diu, vacu&uacute;mque redire.</HI></L></Q> And therefore <HI>Peregrinatio ani|mi imperio, &amp; corporis mini&s;terio debet perfici:</HI> For &s;o it was that <HI>Ptolomies</HI> young Noblemen, of who&s;e rich fraight and return wee read of; travelled, and brought home with them
<PB REF="7">wares of more value, then if they had tran&s;ported Gold and Pearles. For the &s;ame cau&s;e PYTHAGORAS took leave of his Friends and native Coun|try, to which hee afterwards returned with the Learning of the <HI>Aegyptians,</HI> as <HI>Strabo</HI> in his <HI>&s;eventh Book</HI> and <HI>fourteenth Chapt.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. And not as <HI>Plinie</HI> affirmeth, <HI>Exiliis verius quam peregrinatio|nibus &s;u&s;ceptis:</HI> Nay, his pa&s;|&s;ion and thir&s;t after this excel|lent Commerce was &s;o admi|rable, that the &s;ame Authour <HI>in Syren.</HI> tells us, he made no|thing of <HI>Circumci&s;ing</HI> him&s;elf, that &s;o hee might with the more freedom, and le&s;&s;e &s;u&s;pi|cion
<PB REF="7">pry into their profound|e&s;t My&s;teries: For therefore were the <HI>Egyptian</HI> Prie&s;ts cal|led <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>incommunicable,</HI> and <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>imparticipable. Clem. Alex.</HI></P>
<P>Such a de&s;igne led THA|LES, EUDOXUS, APOL|LONIUS, nay PLATO him|&s;elf, and divers other renown|ed Per&s;onages, <GAP DESC="foreign">. To comprehend (&s;aith <HI>Plutarch</HI>) the My&s;teries of <HI>Philo&s;ophy</HI> and <HI>Divinitie:</HI> As it &s;eems, e&s;tee|ming the <HI>Aegyptians</HI> to be the mo&s;t Ancient and Noble peo|ple of the whole World, both for the wi&s;dom of their <HI>Con&s;ti|tutions,</HI> and exceeding Reverence which they bare to <HI>Learning:</HI>
<PB REF="8">The&s;e being indeed the fruits &amp; mo&s;t noble acqui&s;itions, which a Gentleman (who is a quali|fied <HI>Traveller</HI>) &s;hould &s;tudy and endeavour to furni&s;h him&s;elfe with whil&s;t he is abroad.</P>
<P>But the&s;e, &s;ome may object, are <HI>Heathen</HI> examples, <HI>Chri&s;ti|ans</HI> are content to be le&s;&s;e curious, and &s;tay at home: Saint <HI>Hierom</HI> &s;hall be mine In&s;tance on this occa&s;ion: and truely, it is worth the reading what he hath delivered in one of his <HI>Epi&s;t. ad Paulinum,</HI> you &s;hall find it praefixed (among&s;t &s;everall other) to <HI>Sixtus</HI> his Edition of the Bible, when (after tho&s;e words, <HI>Legimus in veteribus hi&s;toriis quo&s;dam lu&s;tra&s;&s;e
<PB REF="8">provincias, novos adi&s;&s;e Populos, maria tran&s;i&s;&s;e: ut eos quos ex libris noverant, coram quoque viderent, &amp;c.</HI>) making a very ample <HI>repetition</HI> of what I have before &s;poken in the per&s;ons of other men, and e&s;pecially of the incomparable <HI>Pythagoras,</HI> and tho&s;e noble youths who went out of <HI>France</HI> and <HI>Spaine,</HI> only to <HI>hear</HI> the eloquence of <HI>Livie,</HI> when <HI>quos ad contemplati|onem &s;ui ip&s;a Roma non traxerat, unius hominis fama perduxit,</HI> re|ferring us to the eight volums which <HI>Philo&s;tratus</HI> hath pur|po&s;ely written on this &s;ubject; thus he expo&s;tulates, <HI>Quid lo|quar de &s;aeculi hominibus,</HI> &amp;c. what do I troubling you with old
<PB REF="9">&s;tories? when the <HI>Apo&s;tle Paul</HI> him&s;elfe, that ve&s;&s;ell of E|lection, and Doctour of the <HI>Gentiles</HI> di&s;per&s;ed the Chri&s;tian Religion through &s;o great a part of the world; by his al|mo&s;t perpetuall <HI>Peregrination,</HI> after his miraculous conver&s;i|on; the like may be affirmed of the re&s;t of the <HI>Apo&s;tles,</HI> and even our <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed Saviour</HI> him|&s;elf: but I recommend you to the Authour. On the other &s;ide, as we have ju&s;tly cen&s;ured tho&s;e who meerly run abroad out of that vanity of &s;pirit, and &s;uch trivial con&s;iderations as I have already reproached in my &s;elf, &s;o are we likewi&s;e to di&s;|band another &s;ort of <HI>travellers,</HI>
<PB REF="9">who&s;e <HI>Cynical</HI> re&s;ervedne&s;&s;e, de|clares to the world that they have only minded the &s;en&s;ua|lity and &s;atisfaction of a pri|vate <HI>Gu&s;to:</HI> communicating u&s;ually at their return but what may ju&s;tly merit that re|priment which <HI>Socrates</HI> once gave to a young man who would render him no accompt <HI>of all</HI> his long ab&s;ence, <HI>quod &s;e|cum peregrinatus fuerit:</HI> in the mean time, as much to be ab|horred is all maner &s;trangne&s;s, di&s;dain, Affectation and loqua|city, by which &s;o many travel|lers now a days (for the mo&s;t part) di&s;tingui&s;h them&s;elves from the Vulgar, to that over acted degree of mimi|call
<PB REF="10">folly, as one would ea&s;i|ly imagine they had all this while lived in Pen&s;ion rather among&s;t Apes, and Parrats, than ever either &s;een, or con|ver&s;ed with per&s;ons of Inge|nuity or Honour.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<P>To proeeed therfore, pre&s;up|po&s;e Travell <HI>ut &s;u&s;cipiatur propter unum aliquem finem,</HI> as we have already con&s;tituted it: we are yet to give our young &s;ubject leave to be &s;o far <HI>practical,</HI> as that he do not &s;lip any opportunity by which he may inform him|&s;elf as well in things even <HI>Me|chanically</HI> curious and u&s;efull, as altogether in the My&s;teries of Government and <HI>Polity,</HI>
<PB REF="10">which indeed are more <HI>appo|&s;itely</HI> termed <HI>Philo&s;ophicall.</HI> Tho&s;e who have impo&s;ed on them&s;elves, and others, &s;o ma|ny different &s;pecies of <HI>travell,</HI> as it may be &s;aid to contein <HI>Theoreticall</HI> parts in it, that is to &s;ay, the <HI>Metaphy&s;icall, Phy&s;icall,</HI> and <HI>Mathematicall,</HI> are, in my ap|prehen&s;ion, more exact and tedious in their <HI>Analy&s;ing,</HI> then perhaps they needed to have been; of them therefore I &s;ay no more: it &s;hall be &s;ufficient for him whom I &s;end abroad, that he conform him&s;elf to &s;uch precepts as are onely <HI>nece&s;&s;ary,</HI> not cumber&s;ome; which Rule he &s;hall likewi&s;e do well to ob&s;erve even in his
<PB REF="11">very nece&s;&s;ary <HI>accoutrements</HI> and <HI>port-manteau.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, &s;uppo&s;ing him to be a <HI>Young Gentleman</HI> apt for all <HI>Impre&s;sions,</HI> but from his <HI>primary education</HI> inclined to the mo&s;t worthy: having &s;et his Foot upon the <HI>Continent,</HI> his fir&s;t &s;tudy &s;hall be to ma&s;ter the <HI>tongue</HI> of the Country wherein hee re&s;olves to Re|&s;ide; which ought to be un|der&s;tood perfectly, written congruou&s;ly, and &s;poken intel|ligently: after which he may do well to accompli&s;h him|&s;elf in &s;uch <HI>exerci&s;es,</HI> as are mo&s;t commendable at home, and be&s;t attayned abroad; which will be a means of rendring
<PB REF="11">him very fit, and apt for the generall &s;ociety of that <HI>Nation</HI> among&s;t whom hee conver&s;es, and con&s;equent|ly the better qualifie him to frequent, without blu&s;h, &s;uch particular places, and per&s;ons by whom he may be&s;t profit him&s;elfe in the My&s;teries of their Polity, or what other perfection they are renowned for, according as his par|ticular <HI>Genius</HI> and inclinations import him. But this hee &s;hall never attain unto, till he begin to be &s;omwhat ripe|ned and &s;ea&s;oned in a place; for it is not every man that cro&s;&s;es the <HI>Seas,</HI> hath been of
<PB REF="12">an <HI>Academy,</HI> learned a <HI>Corran|to,</HI> and &s;peaks the <HI>Language,</HI> whom I e&s;teem a Traveller (of which piece mo&s;t of our <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> are in the&s;e countryes at pre&s;ent) but he that (in &s;tead of making the <HI>Tour,</HI> as they call it) or, as a late Em|ba&s;&s;ador of ours <HI>facetiou&s;ly,</HI> but &s;harply reproached, (like a Goo&s;e &s;wimms down the Ri|ver) having ma&s;tered the <HI>Tongue,</HI> frequented the <HI>Court,</HI> looked into their <HI>cu&s;tomes,</HI> been pre&s;ent at their <HI>pleadings,</HI> ob|&s;erved their <HI>Military Di&s;cipline,</HI> contracted acquaintance with their <HI>Learned men,</HI> &s;tudied their <HI>Arts,</HI> and is famili|ar
<PB REF="12">with their <HI>di&s;po&s;itions,</HI> makes this accompt of his time. The principal advantages which a Gentleman thus made, may ob&s;erve, and apply, are <HI>Truth, Taciturnitie, facetiou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> with|out moro&s;ity, <HI>courage, mode&s;ty, hardine&s;&s;e, patience, frugality,</HI> and an excellent temper in the Regiment of his health and <HI>Affections,</HI> e&s;pecially in point of <HI>Drink</HI> and <HI>Tobacco,</HI> which is our Northerne, Nationall, and mo&s;t &s;ordid of <HI>Vices.</HI> It is (I confe&s;&s;e) a thing extreamly difficult to be at all times, and in all places thus re&s;erved, and as it were obliged to a Temper &s;o <HI>Statick</HI> and exact among all
<PB REF="13">conver&s;ations; nor for mine own part, do I e&s;teem it in all ca&s;es nece&s;&s;ary, provided a man be furni&s;hed with &s;uch a &s;tock of prudence, as he know how, and when to make u&s;e even of his companions ex|travagancies, (as then frequent|ly betraying more freely their inclinations, then at times of their more &s;erious recolle|ction, and fir&s;t addre&s;&s;es.) Seeing I find it generally im|po&s;&s;ible for a <HI>Traveller</HI> to evade &s;ome occa&s;ions &amp; encounters, which (if he be at all practi|cal) he will <HI>nolens volens,</HI> per|ceive him&s;elf ingaged into at &s;ome one time or other. But
<PB REF="13">to recover this deviation, and return to our purpo&s;e; the vertues which our Traveller is to bring home when he doth <HI>Repatriare</HI> (as <HI>Solinus</HI> terms it) are either publick, &s;uch name|ly as concern the &s;ervice of his Country; or Private, and altogether per&s;onall, in order to his particular advantage and &s;atisfaction: and, be|leeve it <HI>Sir,</HI> if he reap &s;ome contentment extraordinary, from what he hath ob&s;erved abroad, The pains, &s;ollici|tations, watchings, Perills, journeys, ill enterteinment, ab&s;ence from Friends, and innumerable like inconveni|ences,
<PB REF="14">joyned to his va&s;t expen|ces, do very dearly, and by a &s;trange kind of extortion, pur|cha&s;e that &s;mal experience and reputation which he can vaunt to have acquired from abroad.</P>
<P>Tho&s;e who boa&s;t of <HI>Philolo|gicall</HI> Peregrinations (fal&s;ly &s;o called) which they undertake meerly for the flouri&s;h and Tongue of a Place, po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e onely a Paret-vertue; It is one of the <HI>Shels</HI> of Travel (though I confe&s;&s;e, the kernel is not to be procured without it: And <HI>Topical;</HI> in which I finde the <HI>Dutch</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, generally mo&s;t accurate and indu&s;trious; both of them &s;erve well for the en|tertainment
<PB REF="14">of Women and Children, who are common|ly more imported with won|der and <HI>Romance,</HI> then that &s;olid and reall Emolument, which is (through the&s;e <HI>In|&s;truments</HI>) to be conveyed us from abroad.</P>
<P>It is written of <HI>Uly&s;&s;es,</HI> that hee &s;aw many Cities indeed, but withall his Remarks of mens Manners and Cu&s;toms, was ever preferred to his coun|ting Steeples, and making <HI>Tours:</HI> It is this <HI>Ethicall</HI> and <HI>Morall</HI> part of Travel, which embelli&s;heth a Gentleman, in the fir&s;t place, having a due re&s;pect to the <HI>Religion,</HI> which
<PB REF="15">accompli&s;heth a Chri&s;tian: In &s;hort, they are all &s;everally very commendable, accom|modated to <HI>Per&s;ons</HI> and <HI>Pro|fe&s;sions;</HI> nor &s;hould a <HI>Ca|valier</HI> neglect to be &s;een in all of them: But for that my in|tention is here to make an Introduction onely into mine own OBSERVATIONS, I &s;hall forbear to enter &s;o large and ample a Field, as the through handling of this Argument would in&s;en&s;ibly oblige mee to do, it having likewi&s;e been &s;o abundantly treated of al|mo&s;t by every Pen which hath prevaricated on this <HI>Subject;</HI> though, in my &s;lender judg|ment,
<PB REF="15">and under favour, I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e, without any real and ingenuous &s;atisfation either to Truth, or Curio&s;ity.</P>
<P>To conclude (Sir) and con|tract this tedious tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, I conjure you to beleeve, that I offer nothing to you in this di&s;cour&s;e, out of any the lea&s;t &s;elf opinion, cen&s;ure of other men, vanity, or o&s;tentation. No, I am a&s;&s;ured you will find me far enough from that <HI>IdiopathiaE,</HI> and common di|&s;temper of <HI>Travellers;</HI> all I &s;hall pretend being but to commu|nicate unto you, how I have lo&s;t part of tho&s;e &s;even yeares, and more; which, not be|ing
<PB REF="16">(as in truth they ought to have been) wholly exerci|&s;ed in the Benefit I might have reaped from your &s;o|ciety at home, I am obliged in Honour, and for Ju&s;tifi|cation of my &s;elf, to render you an Accompt how they have been di&s;pen&s;ed abroad. I am very con&s;cious to my &s;elf, how much mine owne little intere&s;t hath &s;uffered, during mine ab&s;ence, in the judge|ment of your &s;tayed and more Thriving <HI>Geniu&s;es,</HI> and &s;uch as might ju&s;tly indeed derive <HI>Characters,</HI> and Progno&s;ticks from a raw and un&s;ettled &s;pi|rit, &s;uch as was mine: but
<PB REF="16">con&s;idering that all tho&s;e tran|&s;irory <HI>Accidents</HI> of Fo tune and the world, can no way farther extend them&s;elves, then to a very imperfect &s;atisfaction of our regular and hone&s;t Ap|petites, (be&s;ides that which they ought yeeld unto o|thers,) neither he who &s;tayes at <HI>home,</HI> nor he that goes <HI>a|broad,</HI> is (in mine opinion) to be altogether cen&s;ured and bla|med; and truely, he that can accommodate him&s;elf to &s;o re|tired and contemplative a life, as certainly that of a pure <HI>Country Gentlemans</HI> is, frees him&s;elf of an innumerable Ho&s;t of troubles, and impor|tunities
<PB REF="17">which a Traveller runs through, and is in a manner compelled to entertain. Con|formable to that of the mo&s;t incomparable</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Claudian, De Sene Veronen&s;i, Epig.</HI></BIBL>
<L><HI>Foelix qui propriis aevum tran&s;egit in arvis:</HI></L>
<L><HI>Ip&s;a domus puerum quem videt, ip&s;a &s;enem:</HI></L>
<L><HI>Qui baculo nitens, in qua reptavit arena</HI></L>
<L><HI>Unius numerat &s;ecula longa ca&s;ae.</HI></L>
<L><HI>Illum non vario traxit fortuna tumultu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Nec bibit ignotas mobilis bo&s;pes aquas.</HI></L>
<L><HI>Non freta mercator timuit, non cla&s;sica miles:</HI></L>
<L><HI>Non rauci lites pertulit ille fori.</HI></L>
<L><HI>Indocilis rerum, vicinae ne&s;cius urbis,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Ad&s;pectu frui<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ur liberiore poli.</HI></L>
<L><HI>Frugibus alternis, non Con&s;ule, computat annum:</HI></L>
<L><HI>Autumnum pomis, ver &s;ibi flore notat.</HI></L>
<L><HI>Idem conditager Soles, idem que reducit,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Metiturque &s;uo ru&s;ticus orbe diem.</HI></L>
<L><HI>Ingentem meminit parvo qui germine quercum,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Aequae unumque videt con&s;enui&s;&s;e nemus.</HI></L>
<L><HI>Broxima cui nigris Verona remotior Indis,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Benacumque putat litora rubra lacum.</HI></L>
<PB REF="17">
<L><HI>Sed tamen indomitae vires, firmi&s;que lacertis</HI></L>
<L><HI>Aetas robu&s;tum tertia cernit avum.</HI></L>
<L><HI>Erret, &amp; extremos alter &s;crutetur I beros,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Plus habet hic vitae, plus habet ille Viae.</HI></L></Q>
<P>The &s;erious contemplation whereof, made me &s;ometimes (being at <HI>Naples</HI>) break forth in this youthful, but naturall <HI>Ode</HI> again&s;t <HI>Travell,</HI> which I wil here pro|nounce for my finall
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Scal. lib</HI> 3. Poet c. 106. <HI>dict.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">: being a &s;peech which was made to the Citizens by him that was returned home after his long travell.</NOTE> <HI>Epibate|rium.</HI></P>
<Q><L>Happie that man who lives content</L>
<L>With his own <HI>Home</HI> and <HI>Continent,</HI></L>
<L>Tho&s;e chiding &s;treams his banks docurb,</L>
<L>E&s;teems the <HI>Ocean</HI> to his <HI>Orb;</HI></L>
<L>Round which, when he a walk does take,</L>
<L>Thinks to perform as much as <HI>Drake.</HI></L>
<L>For other <HI>Tongues,</HI> he takes no thought,</L>
<L>Then what his <HI>Nur&s;e</HI> or <HI>Mother</HI> taught.</L>
<L>He's not di&s;turbd with the rude cryes</L>
<L>Of the
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">The guide or Me&s;&s;enger in Italy, which in the Morning calls to Hor&s;e.</NOTE> <HI>Procaccia's</HI> [Up and Ri&s;e.]</L>
<PB REF="18">
<L>But charmd in down, &s;leeps by the &s;ide</L>
<L>Of his cha&s;t Love, or Loyall Bride,</L>
<L>In who&s;e &s;mooth Arms no &s;ooner hurld,</L>
<L>But he enjoys another <HI>world;</HI></L>
<L>Where his Enfranchi&s;'d hand may &s;tray,</L>
<L>O're the warm &s;now, or milkie way,</L>
<L>And thence as oft as it declines</L>
<L><NOTE N="&dagger;" PLACE="marg">Haec Comic&egrave; dicta, cave ne mal&egrave; capiat.</NOTE> Tow'rds tho&s;e more rich and hidden Mines,</L>
<L>Scornes us that travell <HI>Lands</HI> and <HI>Seas,</HI></L>
<L>Beleeves no <HI>Kingdomes</HI> like to <HI>the&s;e.</HI></L>
<L><HI>If then at home &s;uch joyes be had,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Oh how unwi&s;e are we, how mad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI></L></Q>
<P>This I did once write, and this I &s;o beleeve, (as if God ble&s;&s;e me with a &s;ucce&s;&s;efull Returne into my Native Country) I &s;hall endeavour <HI>Vivere, non dicere huic veritati:</HI> and though the Con&s;cience of my per&s;onall inabilities, can never tempt me with the vanity to think of any publick Ad|vancement,
<PB REF="18">for having &s;pent the prime of my years and youth abroad; yet the content|ment, and &s;atisfaction which I purpo&s;e and fancie to my &s;elf, if I may obtaine leave but to enjoy that private condition and Fortune, which Heaven hath decided me at home, &s;o that I can but rubb out of this, into a better world, without the lea&s;t impeachment to my <HI>Religion</HI> and <HI>Loyalty, Sublimi fe|riam &s;ydera vertice:</HI> I &s;hall have arrived at the <HI>&s;umm</HI> and very top of mine innocent wi&s;hes. But, if in the mean time, it be otherwi&s;e ordained, I have learned likewi&s;e to &s;ub|mit
<PB REF="19">my &s;elf unto the will of God, as being very apt to beleeve that excellent <HI>Apoph|thegme</HI> of the Wi&s;e man, <HI>Quod Omne &s;olum &s;it Forti Patria.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<P><HI>But now to our</HI> TRAVELLER again.</P>
<P>The principall places of <HI>EUROPE,</HI> wherein a Gen|tleman may, <HI>uno intuitu,</HI> behold as in a <HI>Theater</HI> the chief and mo&s;t &s;ignall Actions which (out of his owne Countrey) concerne this later Age and part of the World, are the <HI>Netherlands,</HI> comprehending <HI>Flanders,</HI> and the divided <HI>Pro|vinces;</HI> which is a perfect <HI>En|cycle</HI>
<PB REF="19">and Synop&s;is of what&s;oe|ver one may el&s;ewhere &s;ee in all the other Countryes of <HI>Europe;</HI> And for this end, I willingly recommend them to be fir&s;t vi&s;ited, no other|wi&s;e, then do tho&s;e who di|rect us in the &s;tudy of Hi&s;tory to the reading fir&s;t of &s;ome au|thentick <HI>Epitome,</HI> or univer&s;all <HI>Chronology,</HI> be&s;ore we adventure to launch forth into that va&s;t and profound <HI>Ocean</HI> of volumi|nous Authours. From thence I would advi&s;e him to traver&s;e <HI>Germany,</HI> (altogether contrary to the Vulgar Method) by rea|&s;on of that &s;o u&s;efull Tongue, which he will find very diffi|cult,
<PB REF="20">and with much re|gret, and many conflicts at|tained unto, after the facill, and more &s;mooth Languages are once throughly imbibed, not omitting (comparatively) even the <HI>French</HI> it &s;elf. From this <HI>Region</HI> you naturally &s;lide into <HI>Italy,</HI> and then Em|barquing for <HI>Spain,</HI> return by a direct cour&s;e unto <HI>Paris;</HI> where indeed, I would have the Principall aboad of a Gen|tleman to be, not only in Re|lation to the <HI>Court,</HI> and <HI>exerci|&s;es</HI> acquired in that City; but al&s;o in re&s;pect to his expen&s;es. This may &s;eem a <HI>Paradox</HI> to &s;ome; but for my part, I ne|ver
<PB REF="20">found any <HI>wood</HI> to a great town; and when my Traveller hath ca&s;t it up, and made a true Audite of all <HI>Extraordinaries,</HI> he will find, what for <HI>removalls,</HI> and what for the perill of di&s;|bauched and frequent <HI>colla|tionings</HI> (for in all other little towns his acquaintance will be univer&s;all, the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> per|petually intervi&s;iting, with a gro&s;&s;e ingredient of <HI>Dutch,</HI>) a very little, or incon&s;iderable di&s;proportion in the total Ac|compt.</P>
<P>Thus I propo&s;e <HI>France</HI> in the la&s;t place, for many other re|&s;pects which here I purpo&s;ely omit to enumerate, that I may
<PB REF="21">avoid the <HI>taedium</HI> of &s;o long a di&s;cour&s;e; but e&s;pecially, for this, that our <HI>Traveller</HI> may have the more time and re&s;o|lution to conquer the <HI>Lan|guage,</HI> and go through tho&s;e hardy and mo&s;t eminent <HI>ex|erci&s;es</HI> which are there to bee learned in their choice&s;t per|fection and native lu&s;tre; af|ter which, with a competent tincture of their be&s;t conver|&s;ation (for the over re&s;erved|ne&s;&s;e of the <HI>Italian,</HI> and &s;everi|ty of the <HI>Spanyard,</HI> as well as the blunt garb of the <HI>Dutch,</HI> would in an <HI>Engli&s;hman</HI> be a little Pal|liated; for fear it become affe|cted) he may return home,
<PB REF="21">and be ju&s;tly reputed a mo&s;t accompli&s;hed Cavalier.</P>
<P>To the other part of your Reque&s;t, Sir, that I &s;hould give you &s;ome touches of the <HI>Low Countryes,</HI> and other pla|ces (be&s;ides the wrong I &s;hould do to tho&s;e perfect relations al|ready extant) ob&s;erving them at a time when my judgment was not altogether &s;o mature, &amp; my &s;elf &s;o much a <HI>Dutch Traveller,</HI> (as I have before rendred you the <HI>Character</HI>) I had rather make an <HI>Apology</HI> for what I have already, and promi&s;e yet to &s;ay, then proceed to depo&s;e allegations under mine own hand, of the lo&s;&s;e of &s;o much precious time;
<PB REF="22">and betray mine Ignorance.</P>
<P>Touching <HI>Italy,</HI> the <HI>States</HI> are &s;o many, and their <HI>policy</HI> &s;o different, that it would co&s;t me more lea&s;ure then I have now to &s;pend, to reduce, and di&s;cipline my &s;cattered papers, and &s;uch indige&s;ted collections as require a more formal <HI>Me|thod,</HI> and indeed, a better pen.</P>
<P>Nor could your <HI>Servant</HI> in truth, have been po&s;&s;ibly indu|ced to di&s;cover thus far his e|gregious imperfections; did not your Arguments carry in them &s;ome &s;pecious reproach, as well as your Per&s;on &s;o great an authority over me, when you plea&s;e to per&s;wade your
<PB REF="22">&s;elf the Advantage I mu&s;t needs (&s;ay you) have had by my extraordinary Relations to Per&s;ons of affaire, as well as what I might happly in this ca&s;e gather lawfully out of &s;uch as have the late&s;t written on this Subject. So that how|ever (and as indeed the very truth is) I was lea&s;t of all in|qui&s;itive how others were go|verned, finding it &s;o difficult a <HI>Province</HI> to Regulate my &s;elf, yet mine endeavor to pacifie your importunity, and render you a demon&s;tration of mine inabi|lities to co~ply with any future expectation of this Nature, hath in fine, extorted this from me, as an intire re&s;ignation &amp; &s;a|crifice
<PB REF="23">of my reputation to that obedience which I profe&s;&s;edly ow you, ever more preferring the &s;atisfaction of &s;o noble a Friend, to the very promulgati|on of my own &s;hame and mo&s;t vi&s;ible imbecilities.</P>
<P>So then (to approach our pur|po&s;e) &s;eeing all tho&s;e <HI>Nations</HI> (before &s;poken of) and &s;everal <HI>governments</HI> &s;eem at this in&s;tant <HI>Epoche</HI> of time, to con&s;pire as it were, and deferr to the pre&s;ent <HI>Grandezza</HI> of the <HI>French</HI> Empire, as likewi&s;e con&s;idering in what Relation we of <HI>England</HI> are con|cerned, I have e&s;teemed it be&s;t meriting my reflections and your patience, to fini&s;h, and dre&s;&s;e this <HI>Peece,</HI> as judging it
<PB REF="23">mo&s;t worthy the con&s;idera|tion.</P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<P>ERRATA's committed (in ab&s;ence of the Author, almo&s;t the whole time this Book was in Pre&s;&s;e) the inge|nuous Reader is de&s;ired to reform, thus: Page 8 in marg. for <HI>ate</HI> read <HI>late.</HI> pag. 10 in mar. r. <HI>Character.</HI> p. 27 r. <HI>Ma|re&s;chal.</HI> p. 32 l. ult. a [,] betwixt De&uuml;anes Tailles p. 34 lin. 9 a parenthelis at certain (&amp;c. pag. 16 r. <HI>Trea&s;urers</HI> p. 36 r. of <HI>the</HI> Tailles p. 50 r. which <HI>is drivin of that Trade,</HI> pag. 51. lin. 1. a parenthe&s;is at (for &amp;c p. 52 in mar. r. Cap. p 53 r. <HI>whom we</HI> p. 56. after <HI>Legate</HI> dele [,] p 57 r. <HI>it</HI> will be &amp;c p. 6<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> r <HI>France.</HI> p 62. r. <HI>each</HI> Souldiers head. <HI>ibid.</HI> read <HI>in Gari&s;on.</HI> p. 68. r. <HI>their</HI> hands. p. 69 r. <HI>but for that</HI> p 70 after <HI>State Affairs</HI> dele[:] <HI>Ibid.</HI> r. <HI>of far greater</HI> &amp;c. p 73 r. <HI>poverty.</HI> p 74. r. <HI>obiects</HI> p 78 r. <HI>are</HI> e&s;timated. p. 81. dele <HI>or</HI> before <HI>intere&s;ts</HI> p. 87 for <HI>of</HI> &s;trength r. <HI>a</HI> &s;trength. p. 90 r. <HI>mu&s;t</HI> of con&s;equence &amp;c. with divers <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">o her mi&s;|interpunctations.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="24">
<PB N="1" REF="24">
<HEAD>The STATE OF FRANCE.</HEAD>
<P>_I Will begin with a &s;aying of <HI>Nich.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Machiavels</HI> &s;aying of <HI>France,</HI></NOTE> <HI>Ma|chiavel: La Corona &egrave; li Regi di Francia &s;o|no hoggi pi&ugrave; richi, &amp; pi&ugrave; potenti che mai.</HI> The Crown and Kings of <HI>France,</HI> are at this day more opulent and mighty then ever they were; &s;o that Prince of <HI>Polititians,</HI> a great while &s;ince: and without contro|ver&s;ie, had he any rea&s;on to give it out &s;o in his time, we have much more to affirm the &s;ame in the&s;e our dayes, wherein they have e|merged,
<PB N="2" REF="25">as it were, the &s;ole victo|rious and Flouri&s;hing Nation of <HI>Europe,</HI> in who&s;e bo&s;ome <HI>Na|ture</HI> hath even built this goodly Kingdome.</P>
<P>That where a Soveraigne Prince is able to maintain an ab|&s;olute and unarbritrary juri&s;di|ction over his &s;ubjects,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Victory and greatne&s;&s;e the effect of &s;overaigne power and prudent Councell.</NOTE> managed with an active and prudent <HI>Councell,</HI> there, and rarely el&s;e|where, doth victory and great|ne&s;&s;e ble&s;&s;e and favour a Nati|on with any permanent &s;ucce&s;s, is a verity mo&s;t demon&s;trable: whether we reflect on the pre&s;ent Age,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">From the example of the Romans, Athenians.</NOTE> or tho&s;e frequent Exam|ples of the <HI>Romanes</HI> and <HI>Atheni|ans,</HI> who&s;e de&s;ertion and aban|doning of their Royall &s;uperiours fomented &s;uch confu&s;ion and di|&s;traction among&s;t the <HI>Noblemen</HI> and <HI>Plebeians,</HI> as could never be afterwards compo&s;ed even to the ultimate de&s;truction and lamen|table <HI>cata&s;trophe</HI> of tho&s;e mo&s;t il|lu&s;trious Republicks.</P>
<P>But in vaine do wee &s;eek for
<PB N="3" REF="25">other In&s;tances of this great Truth, then the pre&s;ent progre&s;|&s;ion, and almo&s;t quotidian con|que&s;ts of the now flouri&s;hing <HI>Ot|toman</HI> Family; which,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">and Otto|manians; though now a dangerous Truth.</NOTE> as it is the mo&s;t invincible upon earth, &s;o mu&s;t we needs acknowledg it to be the mo&s;t <HI>independent</HI> and ab|&s;olute which the&s;e later times have likely produced unto us. But for that this is a Verity which may now adayes co&s;t a man his <HI>Teeth</HI> (to lo&s;e nothing el&s;e in the pur&s;uit) I &s;hall pro&s;ecute it no further then may &s;erve to illu|&s;trate what it is which hath of late rendred &s;o potent and <HI>ag|grandized</HI> this pre&s;ent a&s;piring, &amp; formidable Monarchy, <HI>France;</HI> of which I &s;hall next e&s;&s;ay to give a brief <HI>Character.</HI></P>
<P>And now, as in de&s;cription of <HI>Bodies naturall, Di&s;&s;ections</HI> begin ever with the &s;upreme and more noble Regions; &s;o in <HI>anatomi&s;ing</HI> the Kingdom of <HI>France,</HI> which con&s;i&s;ts of a Body <HI>Politick,</HI> I will commence with the Head, that is,
<PB N="4" REF="26">the <HI>King;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Kings of France ab&s;olute &s;ince Lewis the 11. his &s;aying.</NOTE> whom <HI>here</HI> I may call as <HI>Ab&s;olute,</HI> &s;ince <HI>Lewis the Eleventh</HI> hath &s;o long &s;ince (to u&s;e his own <HI>expre&s;sion</HI>) put them <HI>hors de page;</HI> that is, freed them from that grand authority, which, till his time, the <HI>Parliament</HI> indeed ex|erci&s;ed over them; &s;o that now the &s;ame rea&s;on which moved the late <HI>kings</HI> to <HI>depo&s;e</HI> or tran&s;late Saint <HI>Denys</HI> their ancient <HI>Patron,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">S Denys the patron of F. depo&s;ed, to gratifie the B. Virgin.</NOTE> and to put his Kingdome for|mally under the protection of the <HI>ble&s;&s;ed Virgin,</HI> is e&s;teemed good rea&s;on,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">For with the&s;e words of cour&s;e, the Secretary (it &s;eems) concluded the Arre&s;t, whereby it was confer|red, which gave many occa&s;ion to reproach it.</NOTE> and &s;ufficient Logick for all his pre&s;ent Commands what&s;oever: <HI>Car tel e&s;t no&s;tre bon plai&s;ir:</HI> for &s;uch is our good will and plea&s;ure.</P>
<Q><L><HI>Sic volo, &s;ic jubeo, Stat pro Rati|one Voluntas.</HI></L>
<L>For &s;o we will, &s;o we command,</L>
<L>Our will do's for our Rea&s;on &s;tand.</L></Q>
<P>The Monarchy of France (from a <HI>Democratick</HI> &s;tate) was founded <HI>Anno,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Monar|chy of Fr. when foun|ded.</NOTE> 420. and hath continued it &s;elf under three &s;everall <HI>Ra|ces;</HI>
<PB N="5" REF="26">viz. of <HI>Mero&uuml;e&s;e,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">cont nued under three Races.</NOTE> <HI>Charle mayn</HI> &s;on of <HI>Pepin,</HI> and la&s;tly, <HI>Hue-ca|pet;</HI> from whom this Royal hou&s;e of <HI>Bourbon</HI> derives its &s;ucce&s;&s;ion, branched from <HI>Robert</HI> Earle of <HI>Clermont</HI> fourth &s;on of, Saint <HI>Lewis;</HI> &s;o that the King at pre&s;ent Reigning is the &s;ixty fifth Mo|narch of <HI>France,</HI> without that a|ny of the <HI>Feminine Sex</HI> hath or|dinarily intervened;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">no woman intervening.</NOTE> as they af|firm at lea&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">From the Sa|lick law; be|ing a meer pre|tence to in|validate the title of Eng|land:</NOTE> from a very invete|rate Law, which they intitle the <HI>Salique,</HI> being indeed but a meer <HI>Romance</HI> of their own feigning, a piece of <HI>legier de main,</HI> by which they have &s;o long pretended with the great &s;hadow of Ju&s;tice to elude and invalidate the title of our former and ancient Kings of <HI>England,</HI> as to <HI>&s;ucce&s;sion</HI> in the right of their Mothers and Wives.</P>
<P>Touching that other Legend of their <HI>Sainte Ampoule,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">as well as their Sainte Ampoule.</NOTE> which in the time of <HI>Clo&uuml;is fir&s;t Chri&s;tian King of France</HI> was (as they give out) brought by an Angel from
<PB N="6" REF="27">Heaven, &amp; re&s;erved at <HI>Rhemes</HI> for the Royal <HI>Chri&s;me,</HI> we will give it leave to pa&s;&s;e as a vulgar, yet not impolitick errour, or imperti|nent tradition:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Daugh|ters of Fr. &s;ometimes married to private per|&s;ons, yet re|&s;erve their Titles and Surnanes.</NOTE> however, by the device afore&s;aid, the <HI>Daughters</HI> &s;ucceed not to the Crowne, &s;ome of them having oftentimes marti|ed them&s;elves unto private men, but &s;till re&s;erved their Titles, to|gether with the <HI>Surname of France,</HI> which it &s;eems is an ho|nour permitted them during life, to &s;hew from what <HI>&s;tock</HI> they o|riginally derived.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">And the Queens ad|mitted to the Regency du|ring the mi|nority of the Kings.</NOTE> Notwith&s;tan|ding this, the <HI>Queens</HI> of <HI>France,</HI> are u&s;ually admitted to the <HI>Re|gency</HI> during the <HI>Minority</HI> of the <HI>King,</HI> which is at the age of fourteen <HI>years, in choative;</HI> until which term, they with their <HI>coun|&s;ell</HI> admini&s;ter the publick Affairs of <HI>State,</HI> without equall or Con|troule.</P>
<P>Concerning the <HI>Title</HI> or <HI>ad|junct</HI> of the Kings of <HI>France,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The title of the F. Kings</NOTE> which is <HI>mo&s;t Chri&s;tian,</HI> and <HI>elde&s;t &s;on of the Church,</HI> they make no
<PB N="7" REF="27">&s;mal boa&s;ts; for not having been a <HI>complement</HI> (as they name it) &s;ent them from <HI>Rome,</HI> as were tho&s;e of other <HI>Kings;</HI> but de|&s;cended, time out of Mind, from their own vertue, merits, and Pi|ety.</P>
<P>The <HI>Elde&s;t &s;on of France</HI> is during the life of his Father,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">of his elde&s;t &s;on.</NOTE> cal|led the <HI>Dauphin,</HI> from a &s;tipula|tion (as it &s;eems) made with <HI>&V;m|bert:</HI> who bequeathed that Pro|vince conditionally to <HI>Philip de Valois.</HI></P>
<P>To &s;peak &s;omething particu|larly of this little-great Monarch <HI>Lewis the fourteenth,</HI> born <HI>Sept.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Birth and Character of the pre&s;ent King.</NOTE> 5. 1638 after the Queen his Mo|ther had been <HI>above</HI> twenty yeers without I&s;&s;ue, as his production was almo&s;t miraculous (not to repeate here any bold di&s;qui&s;iti|ons, with tho&s;e who give them|&s;elves a liberty in the&s;e days, to &s;peak evil of dignities) &s;o is his per&s;on a Character doubtle&s;s of no le&s;&s;e Maje&s;ty, and fair hopes; and certainly, if his Education be
<PB N="8" REF="28">fitted to the progno&s;ticks of his Nature, he cannot but emerge a Prince of &s;ingular Qualities and e|gregious perfections: This I am willing to adde from that <HI>Me|chanick</HI> and Artificial breeding,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Artifice of the French Queen and publick mi|ni&s;ters in the are kings Education.</NOTE> which men <HI>conceive</HI> &s;ome of his progenitors and neere&s;t relation received; that &s;o not being alto|gether &s;o dextrous and knowing in <HI>King-craft,</HI> as their high cal|ling required, they might with le&s;s &s;u&s;picion and more ea&s;e &s;uf|fer them&s;elves to be governed, by the coun&s;els and inclinations of &s;uch, who&s;e <HI>my&s;tery</HI> and ambiti|on it hath ever been to continue by this means their Greatne&s;&s;e, and reinforce their Authority.</P>
<P>This pre&s;ent King hath one onely Brother,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Duke of Anjou his Character.</NOTE> who is called the <HI>Duke of Anjou:</HI> but more fre|quently di&s;tingui&s;hed by the name of <HI>Mon&s;ieur;</HI> a child of an extraordinary prompt and ready &s;pirit.</P>
<P>The other principall branches of this Royall Family,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Duke of Orleans his character.</NOTE> are in the
<PB N="9" REF="28">fir&s;t place, <HI>Ga&s;ton Jean Bapti&s;t,</HI> the Kings <HI>&V;ncle,</HI> and <HI>Duke of Orleans,</HI> Lieutenant General of the K. and Governor of <HI>Langue|doc;</HI> the &s;ame, who during &s;o many years as his Brother was without <HI>off-&s;pring,</HI> had tho&s;e fair hopes of a <HI>Crown;</HI> which how|ever his merit and abilities for &s;uch a jewel be commonly di&s;pu|ted, to his no great advantage, certainly there is no man alive in competition with him for his exqui&s;ite skill in <HI>Medailes,</HI> To|pical <HI>memory,</HI> and extraordina|ry knowledge in <HI>Plants:</HI> in both which faculties the mo&s;t reputed <HI>Antiquaries</HI> &amp; greate&s;t <HI>Botani&s;ts</HI> do (and that with rea&s;on) ac|knowledg him both their Prince, and &s;uperiour.</P>
<P>The Elde&s;t daughter of this <HI>Duke,</HI> is <HI>Anne Marie D'orleans,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mademoi|&s;elle her character.</NOTE> particularly called <HI>Mademoi&s;elle, Sans que&uuml;e per eminentiam,</HI> as be|ing the fir&s;t in praeeminence, and (after the <HI>Queen</HI>) greate&s;t La|dy in <HI>France,</HI> to give whom the
<PB N="10" REF="29"><HI>Epithetes</HI> of her great worth, were to &s;poile all her <HI>&s;ex</HI> of their Prai&s;es, and make her as much envied, as &s;he is indeed ju&s;tly to be admired.</P>
<P>The next in Blood and Ranke is <HI>Lo&uuml;is de Bourbon</HI> the Prince of <HI>Condy,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prince of Condy his de&s;cent and haracter.</NOTE> the &s;on of <HI>Henry de Bour|bon,</HI> who (to &s;o little purpo&s;e) was yet &s;o miraculou&s;ly &s;aved in the la&s;t bloudy and inhumane <HI>Pari&s;ian Ma&s;&s;acre.</HI> This Prince is <HI>Grand Mai&s;tre of France,</HI> Go|vernour of <HI>Bourgongne and Bery,</HI> de&s;cended by a direct line ma&s;cu|line of <HI>Francois de Bourbon,</HI> &s;e|cond brother of <HI>Antonee of Bourbon,</HI> Earle of <HI>Marle,</HI> af|terwards <HI>Duke of Vando&s;me,</HI> and <HI>King of Navarr,</HI> the Father of <HI>Henry the Great,</HI> and of <HI>Charlot Catherine de la Trimo&uuml;ille,</HI> his &s;econd Wife.</P>
<P>A Prince, who&s;e merit in field, and &s;ucce&s;sfull Atchieve|ments, high extraction, and extraordinary parts, prompt him &s;ometimes to Enterpri&s;es be|yond
<PB N="11" REF="29">the duty or prai&s;e of a Loy|al &s;ubject; for their lives not a more Ambitious young man up|on earth, having outlived his im|pri&s;onment, once cha&s;ed his ene|my the Cardinal; and not &s;atisfied with this revenge (or what ever other a&s;&s;urances the <HI>State</HI> can render him) puts fair by a fre&s;h Rebellion to &s;peede a pro&s;perous <HI>Traytor;</HI> or perfect his Infa|mie.</P>
<P>His brother is <HI>Armand de Bourbon</HI> Prince of <HI>Conty,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prince of Conty his Character.</NOTE> &s;eeming|ly de&s;igned for the <HI>Church,</HI> but <HI>&s;u&s;ceptible</HI> of any other advan|tage; a prince of a weak fa|brick and con&s;titution, but &s;ound intellectuals. They have like|wi&s;e a Si&s;ter called, <HI>Mary,</HI> Wife to the Duke <HI>de Longuevill.</HI></P>
<P>How the daughters of <HI>France</HI> have been di&s;po&s;ed of into <HI>Eng|land, Spain, Savoy, Mantoa,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">daughters of F. how di&s;|po&s;ed of.</NOTE> &amp;c. will be here &s;uperfluous to relate.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The naturall i&s;&s;ue of the K of F. how e&s;teemed.</NOTE></P>
<P>Touching the <HI>Natural i&s;&s;ue</HI> of the Kings of <HI>France</HI> (who are e|ver
<PB N="12" REF="30">in this kind Country in very great Reputation and place, &s;uta|ble to their birth, (by their fa|thers &s;ide) I cannot learne that the late King had any; nay, it is reported, he did &s;o abhorre <HI>Pa|liardize,</HI> that he &s;carce thought any other act to be &s;in in compa|ri&s;on of it: contrary to the opinion of his wi&s;e Coun&s;elor and <HI>Cardi|nall de Richlieu,</HI> who (as I have &s;ometime heard) did u&s;e often to &s;ay, that a <HI>Concubine was the hone&s;t mans recreation:</HI> a Prie&s;t|ly <HI>Aphori&s;m,</HI> and &s;poken like a Churchman.</P>
<P>Now to &s;ay &s;omething of the <HI>Soveraignety</HI> of the Kings of <HI>France,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Sove|raignty of the French Kingdome, how it be|came &s;o ab|&s;olute.</NOTE> we will &s;tep a little back, and &s;ee by what meanes and de|grees it became &s;o ab&s;olute.</P>
<P>Whil&s;t the <HI>Nobility</HI> of <HI>France</HI> were in a manner free and inde|pendent Princes (for &s;uch was heretofore the mo&s;t part of them) how are <HI>Hi&s;tories</HI> loud with their carriages and deport|ment towards their Soveraigns?
<PB N="13" REF="30">What checks upon every occa|&s;ion were they ready to give them? Witne&s;&s;e tho&s;e frequent impre&s;&s;es of a certain Duke of <HI>Gienne, Bourbon, Bretagne,</HI> and others of the &s;ame rank; nor hath the&s;e later times exempted the Crown it felf from the dange|rous con&s;equences which &s;o ma|ny fortified <HI>Towns, Governments,</HI> and <HI>Places</HI> of importance have &s;o often menaced, and in effect nota|bly brilding the head of Maje&s;ty; untill the defunct and great <HI>Car|dinall de Richlieu</HI> found out a &s;peedy and fortunate expedient to reduce them to obedience,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">C. <HI>de Rich|lieu</HI> his &s;ub|tility in re|ducing it to that inde|pendency.</NOTE> and that not onely by &s;ubjugating the <HI>Po&s;ts</HI> them&s;elves, which he performed by &s;trength; but like|wi&s;e by &s;o dextrou&s;ly intere&s;&s;ing the <HI>Gentry</HI> and <HI>refractory Nobi|lity,</HI> both by honours and blood, to the Court and his faction, which he did by policy: In <HI>fine,</HI> he &s;o handled the Cards, that the better &s;ort of people became tractable out of meer re&s;pect to
<PB N="14" REF="31">their Relations; and the meaner by an inevitable con&s;traint, as well as the example of their <HI>Chiefs,</HI> were compelled to a due &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion; &s;o that now the So|vereignty of <HI>France</HI> is become &s;o <HI>Independent</HI> and ab&s;olute, that albeit it do &s;till reteine a &s;hadow of the ancient form, yet it is, du|ly con&s;idered, a thing heavenly wide and different:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Kings ab&s;olute power, both,</NOTE> For in the Kings &s;ole power it is to <HI>re&s;olve</HI> of, and <HI>di&s;&s;olve warrs;</HI> by him are the <HI>Lawes interpreted; Let|ters of grace,</HI> of <HI>Naturality,</HI> and other <HI>Acts</HI> given out; he it is im|po&s;eth <HI>Taxes,</HI> from which (by a &s;peciall decree) the <HI>Church</HI> her &s;elfe is not exempt;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">In Church and State.</NOTE> nay, al|beit the <HI>Pope</HI> his own holine&s;&s;e con&s;ent not; from all who&s;e Ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticall <HI>Cen&s;ures, Fulmina|tions,</HI> and <HI>Anathema's</HI> he e&s;teems him&s;elfe al&s;o priviledged, and therefore nominates all <HI>Spiritu|all per&s;ons</HI> to their preferments and dignities: Notwith&s;tanding all this; the hand&s;omer to di&s;|gui&s;e
<PB N="15" REF="31">and apparell the&s;e his <HI>vo|lunties,</HI> and render them at the lea&s;t <HI>&s;pecious</HI> proceedures of <HI>Ju|&s;tice,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Thou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">h un|der colour of Ju&s;tice &amp;</NOTE> he permits none of his <HI>E|dicts</HI> to pa&s;&s;e as <HI>authentick</HI> untill the Court of <HI>Parliament</HI> (who is ab&s;olutely at his devotion) have fir&s;t verified them; a favour, this likewi&s;e out of complement too,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Comple|ment.</NOTE> <HI>non tam nece&s;&s;itatis, quam huma|nitatis,</HI> as a <HI>Civilian</HI> (who&s;e glo&s;&s;e it is) hath warily termed it.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Parliament of <HI>France</HI> a name only.</NOTE> So that as for the Parliaments of <HI>France</HI> (be&s;ides the name and <HI>Formality</HI>) there is in truth, now no &s;uch thing in Nature; which together with their ancient liber|ties, how de&s;ervedly they lo&s;t them, may be ea&s;ily di&s;covered in their frequent <HI>Rebellions.</HI> In a word, he who would per|fectly, and without more a|doe under&s;tand by what <HI>Law</HI> and <HI>Rule</HI> the <HI>Kings of France</HI> impo&s;e on their <HI>Va&s;&s;als,</HI> may &s;ee it <HI>&s;ummarily,</HI> yet very legibly ingraven by that forementioned <HI>Cardinall,</HI> upon that excellent
<PB N="16" REF="32"><HI>Artellery,</HI> which defend his Ma|je&s;ties <HI>Citadell</HI> at <HI>Haver de grace</HI> in <HI>Normandy;</HI> where you may run and read the be&s;t of <HI>Tenures,</HI> as the times are now, in this <HI>E|pigraph, &mdash;RATIO &V;LTI|MA REG&V;M,</HI> though for this &s;lavery of theirs, they may in &s;ome degree thank our <HI>Country|men,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">By what means di&s;|compo&s;ed.</NOTE> who&s;e forces being embowel|led among&s;t them, hindred the A&s;&s;embling of the <HI>Three E&s;tates</HI> (as they &s;hould have done:) whereupon the <HI>King</HI> being ne|ce&s;&s;itated to make his &s;imple <HI>E|dicts</HI> pa&s;&s;e for <HI>Authentick Laws</HI> (although this power were deli|vered to him during his wars on|ly) was the rea&s;on why the peo|ple could never recover or &s;eize on them &s;ince. A Jewel this of too great value (&s;ome think) to bee intru&s;ted to one per&s;on, upon what pretence or nece&s;&s;ity &s;oe|ver. To the <HI>King</HI> and his im|mediate I&s;&s;ue, in dignity and rank, are the <HI>Dukes</HI> and <HI>Peers</HI> of <HI>France.</HI></P>
<PB N="17" REF="32">
<P>But fir&s;t, It is to be ob&s;erved, that the <HI>Princes of the Blood</HI> of this Kingdom po&s;&s;e&s;s their Lands and Revenues under the name of <HI>Appanage,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Their E|&s;tates rever|table to the Crown by Appanage.</NOTE> and not as ab&s;olute Proprietaries; by which means all their <HI>E&s;tates</HI> return again to the <HI>Crown</HI> by the right of <HI>Rever&s;ion,</HI> to the end that the <HI>domaine</HI> abide intire; and for other the like rea&s;ons: the Duke of Sully <HI>Hen|ry Richmont,</HI> heretofore called <HI>Bois Belle</HI> (on which there hangs a Story) only excepted.</P>
<P>We will pa&s;&s;e over their origi|nal, which would be extreme dif|ficult to inve&s;tigate,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Their Ori|ginall, Au|thority,</NOTE> and proceed to their Authority, which was fir&s;t e&s;tabli&s;hed by <HI>Hughes Capet</HI> and his de&s;cendants, who there|upon obliged them to hold their Lands of the <HI>Crown</HI> immediately; by which means he al&s;o gained many that before were di&s;affected to him; as the Earls of <HI>Flanders,</HI> the Archbi&s;hop of <HI>Rheims,</HI> and divers others, who had been at the fir&s;t great oppo&s;ers of this
<PB N="18" REF="33"><HI>&V;&s;urper.</HI> Now of the&s;e <HI>Peers,</HI> there were at the fir&s;t Twelve onely ordained:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">and Num|ber.</NOTE> to wit, <HI>&s;ix</HI> of the <HI>Spiritualty,</HI> and as many of the <HI>Temporalty:</HI> but at this day their number is become indefinite, de|pending &s;olely on the plea&s;ure of the King: And the&s;e are &s;o na|med, not for that they pretend to any equality of Dignity with their Soveraign, but their mutual <HI>parity</HI> in authority one among&s;t another.</P>
<LIST>
<HEAD>The Eccle&s;ia&s;ticks were</HEAD>
<ITEM>1 <HI>Th' Archbi&s;hop and Duke of Rheims.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;ia&s;ti|call,</NOTE></ITEM>
<ITEM>2 <HI>The Bi&s;hop and Duke de Laon.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3 <HI>The BP and Duke de Langres.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>4 <HI>The Bi&s;hop and Earl of Beau|vais.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>5 <HI>The Bi&s;hop and Earl of Noyon.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>6 <HI>The Bi&s;hop and Comte de Cha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">|lons</HI> in Champagne.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<HEAD>The &s;ix Temporal were</HEAD>
<ITEM>The <HI>Dukes</HI> of 1 <HI>Bourgongne.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Temporall.</NOTE></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Dukes</HI> of 2 <HI>Normandie.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Dukes</HI> of 3 <HI>Guyenne.</HI></ITEM>
<PB N="19" REF="33">
<ITEM>The <HI>Compts</HI> of 4 <HI>Tholou&s;e.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Temporal.</NOTE></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Compts</HI> of 5 <HI>Champagne.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Compts</HI> of 6 <HI>Flanders.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The&s;e <HI>twelve Peers</HI> compo&s;ed likewi&s;e in times pa&s;t the <HI>Parlia|ment</HI> of France; from whence it is to this day called (as once with us) the <HI>Court of Peers.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Their im|munities &amp; priviledges.</NOTE></P>
<P>Now, among&s;t &s;undry other <HI>Immunities</HI> &amp; <HI>Priviledges</HI> which they injoy, this is none of the lea&s;t, that they can neither be di&s;po&s;ed of, nor <HI>appealed</HI> in judg|ment, but onely in the Court of <HI>Parliament,</HI> where they have their Places as the <HI>Princes of the Blood</HI> have: for before the In&s;titution of that high <HI>Tribunal</HI> in this Kingdom, the <HI>Peers</HI> were tho&s;e which judged all Cau&s;es that were ordinarily brought before the <HI>King;</HI> nor did he manage any thing el&s;e either in War or Peace, without their &s;peciall aid and a&s;&s;i&s;tance. Moreover, this digni|tie to &s;ome hath been granted for <HI>life,</HI> &s;ome <HI>per&s;onal,</HI> others onely
<PB N="20" REF="34">to the <HI>Males de&s;cending,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Women ca|pable of Paireries.</NOTE> &s;ome for <HI>ever;</HI> yea, and even <HI>women</HI> them|&s;elves are alike capable of <HI>Paire|ries.</HI></P>
<P>It would take up too much time, &s;hould I trouble you with their &s;everall Functions and <HI>Char|ges</HI> at the <HI>Coronation,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Charges at the Corona|tion.</NOTE> more fit for an <HI>Herauld,</HI> than an <HI>Hi&s;torian;</HI> this onely is ob&s;ervable, that al|beit there were never &s;o many <HI>Peers</HI> pre&s;ent, Tho&s;e onely who bare the Titles of the &s;ix <HI>Spiri|tuall,</HI> and &s;ix <HI>Temporall</HI> before noted, <HI>officiate</HI> at the Ceremony; for which very purpo&s;e, tho&s;e who are wanting, or extinct, have yet their <HI>Repre&s;entatives,</HI> who upon this occa&s;ion &s;tand for, and &s;upply their Per&s;ons.</P>
<P>We have &s;poken now of the King and prime Nobility;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Crown of France, and Officers belonging to it.</NOTE> Let us next &s;urvey the <HI>Crown,</HI> and the prime Officers thereunto be|longing.</P>
<P>The late Author of the <HI>E|&s;tat de France</HI> hath divided them
<PB N="21" REF="34">into <HI>three Ancients, three Modern,</HI> and <HI>three Dome&s;tique;</HI> which truly, is not an unequall <HI>tricho|tomy:</HI> But for that I intend to perfect what I have already e&s;ta|bli&s;hed touching the <HI>Court,</HI> I wil commence with the <HI>three la&s;t</HI> in this partition, and &s;o come to tho&s;e which more immediately appertaine to the <HI>State</HI> after|wards.</P>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Dome|&s;tique Offi|cers.</NOTE>
<LIST>
<HEAD>The three Dome&s;tick Officers and Charges are,</HEAD>
<ITEM>The <HI>Grand Mai&s;tre of France,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Grand Chambellan of Fr.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The <HI>Grand E&s;cuyer of France.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The <HI>office of the Grand Mai&s;tre de France,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The office of the Grand Mai&s;tre de France.</NOTE> is &s;uperintendent of the Kings hou&s;e, and hath ab&s;o|lute juri&s;diction over all the dome&s;tick officers and Provi&s;ions of his <HI>Maje&s;ties</HI> table; and is a place of &s;o &s;upreme Authority, that it is &s;eldome conferred &s;ave upon one of the Princes of the Blood; The <HI>Prince of Condy</HI> at pre&s;ent unde&s;ervedly inheriting his fathers charge therein.</P>
<PB N="22" REF="35">
<P>Under the <HI>Grand Mai&s;tre,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Subordinate officers to him.</NOTE> are many &s;ubordinate officers; as <HI>Mai&s;tres de Ho&s;tel, Butlers, Carvers, Gentlemen waiters,</HI> and a whole Regiment of o|thers, which are reduced to no certain number: One thing is to be noted,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">ceremony at the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">eath of the king.</NOTE> that when the King dyes, the <HI>Grand Ma&s;tre</HI> breaketh his &s;taffe of office, not only as an embleme of the di&s;mi&s;&s;ion of the re&s;t, but likewi&s;e to &s;hew that their charges are only depen|dant upon the life of the <HI>King,</HI> albeit afterward, the <HI>&s;ucce&s;&s;or</HI> for the mo&s;t part re-e&s;tabli&s;h them.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The high Cha~berlain and officers &s;ubordinate to him.</NOTE></P>
<P>Next to the <HI>G. M.</HI> is the <HI>High Chamberlain</HI> of <HI>France,</HI> who hath the &s;upervi&s;all and di&s;|po&s;ition of all officers of the Kings <HI>Bedchamber</HI> and <HI>Wardrobe,</HI> gives or denyes acce&s;&s;e to his Ma|je&s;tie; under him there are four chief Gentlemen of the Chamber, called, <HI>les quatres premiers gentils hommes de la chambre du Roy;</HI> one of the&s;e ever lies in the <HI>Kings
<PB N="23" REF="35">Bedchamber,</HI> or very neer to it. Under the&s;e are the Ma&s;ters of the Wardrobe, very lucrative places, to whom are &s;ubordinate the Pages, &amp;c.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, the <HI>Grand E&s;cuyer,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Grand E&s;cuyer, his authority.</NOTE> or Ma&s;ter of the Hor&s;e, &s;uperinten|dent of the <HI>Premier E&s;cuyer</HI> and other Officers of the &s;tables; his charge it is to march on Hor&s;e|back before the King, bearing a Sword and Belt, when his Maje|&s;ty entreth into any City; but in tho&s;e towns which have a <HI>Parlia|ment</HI> he carries (in place thereof) a Ca&s;que of blew velvet <HI>&s;eme&egrave;d</HI> with flowre <HI>de lys,</HI> his own hor&s;e Capari&s;oned with the like. He pretends al&s;o authority over the Ma&s;ters of the <HI>Po&s;t,</HI> Offices of wonderfull gain; but it is now otherwi&s;e &s;ettled. The <HI>Ma&s;ter of the Hor&s;e hath</HI> likewi&s;e under him four and twenty <HI>Pages,</HI> who being the &s;ons of prime Noblemen, are educated in all &s;uch exerci&s;es as become their quality. The <HI>Grand E&s;cuyer</HI> is at pre&s;ent the <HI>Prince of Harcourt.</HI></P>
<PB N="24" REF="36">
<P>The <HI>Premier E&s;cuyer</HI> (whom I have before mentioned) hath particular care of the Kings <HI>lit|tle Stable,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Premier E&s;|cuyer.</NOTE> where the coach hor|&s;es are kept, as al&s;o over the Pa|ges, who be no le&s;&s;e then fifty in number, and the Kings <HI>foot-men;</HI> in effect he commands equally both the great and little &s;tables, &s;o that the charge of the <HI>Premier E&s;cuyer</HI> is not much inferiour to that of <HI>Ma&s;ter</HI> of the Hor&s;e him&s;elf.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Secretaries of the Kings Chamber and Cabinet</NOTE></P>
<P>The King hath likewi&s;e foure <HI>Secretaries</HI> of his <HI>Chamber,</HI> and three of his Cabinet: to &s;peak truth, the multitude of tho&s;e who &s;tile them&s;elves <HI>Secretaries</HI> to the King, is &s;uch, that what with the greatne&s;&s;e of their number, and incon&s;iderablene&s;&s;e of mo&s;t of their per&s;ons, the dignity of the charge is extremely Eclip|&s;ed.</P>
<P>The Kings <HI>Bibliothecarius,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Biblio|thecarius, Controlers Trea&s;urers, Mare&s;hals des Loges.</NOTE> <HI>Su|perintendant of the Moveables of the Crown, Controlers, Trea|&s;urers, Mare&s;hals des Loges, la
<PB N="25" REF="36">Capitaine de la Porte,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Capitain de la porte, &amp;c.</NOTE> who hath under him a guard of fifty Hal|berds, &amp;c. and of other inferi|our officers of all &s;orts under tho&s;e above five hundred more, though never half of them wai|ting at a time, and &s;o not con|&s;tantly eating at Court,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Order, &s;plen|dor, &amp; ho&s;|pitality, of the Engli&s;h Court pre|ferred.</NOTE> as did heretofore mo&s;t of the officers of the <HI>Kings of England;</HI> the &s;plen|dor, ho&s;pitality, order, and decent magnificence of who&s;e &s;ervice and attendance in this kind, I am confident no Court of Europe hath ever approach'd or Paral|lell'd.</P>
<P>There are likewi&s;e of Church men,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Great Almoner.</NOTE> <HI>The Greate Almoner of France,</HI> upon whom depend all of that Robe in the Court; un|der him is al&s;o the <HI>Premier Al|moner,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chaplains, Clerks, con|fe&s;&s;ors.</NOTE> and &s;ubordinate to him the &s;everall <HI>Chaplains, Clerks, Confe&s;&s;ors.</HI></P>
<P>Now before I proceed, &s;om|thing I &s;hould &s;peak of tho&s;e Royal officers which &s;uperintend the <HI>Kings plea&s;ures</HI> and ordinary
<PB N="26" REF="37">Recreations,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">pertaining to the Kings plea&s;ure: as Veneur, Fau connier' &amp;c.</NOTE> &s;uch is the <HI>Grand Veneur</HI> and <HI>Fauconnier,</HI> the chief <HI>Hunter,</HI> and ma&s;ter of the <HI>Game,</HI> places not only of very great ho|nour, but al&s;o of Command; but a word of them &s;hall &s;uffice, as offices rather of dignity then policy.</P>
<P>Touching the officers belong|ing in particular to the <HI>Queens hou&s;hold,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Officers be|longing to the Queens in particular much like tho&s;e of the Kings.</NOTE> I &s;hall herein like|wi&s;e much contract my &s;elf, ha|ving &s;o amply di&s;cour&s;ed of tho&s;e which appertain unto the King; and the rather, in regard that in mo&s;t of the <HI>&s;ubalternate,</HI> they &s;o much re&s;emble the one the other:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Except maids of honour. Knights, &amp;c</NOTE> Yet &s;he hath different|ly one <HI>Dame d' Honneur,</HI> of Extra|ordinaries many more; &s;ix <HI>Maids of Honour,</HI> twelve <HI>Chamber</HI>-maids called <HI>Filles de la Reyne:</HI> a <HI>Knight</HI> of <HI>Honor</HI> divers <HI>Ma&s;ters, Cup|bearers,</HI> &amp; <HI>carvers;</HI> a chief <HI>Groom,</HI> under whom are a great many <HI>pa|ges and footmen:</HI> al&s;o <HI>Secretaries, Trea&s;urers,</HI> &amp;c. She hath like|wi&s;e her <HI>Grand Aumo&s;nier</HI> and
<PB N="27" REF="37">a <HI>Premier Aumo&s;nier,</HI> Eccle&s;ia|&s;ticks, and the like, as before was &s;aid of the King.</P>
<P>And now having &s;urveied the Principal officers of the <HI>Court,</HI> I know you are ready to enquire of me where the Guard of this great Monarch is all this while? I will but only mention the <HI>grand Prevo&s;t,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Grand prevo&s;t, his command.</NOTE> at pre&s;ent the <HI>Mare&s;hal d' Hoquencourt,</HI> whom I may not omit, and then I will draw them forth in their &s;everal or|ders:</P>
<P>Not only the <HI>Grand Prevo&s;t</HI> is an office which extends it &s;elfe over all the officers (already men|tioned) which belong to his Maje&s;ties Hou&s;hold, but it hath likewi&s;e command ab&s;olute for &s;ix leagues round about <HI>Paris,</HI> and the <HI>Court,</HI> every way, which is in truth a very great and no|ble juri&s;diction; be&s;ides he is judg of all cau&s;es, as well <HI>civills,</HI> as <HI>criminels,</HI> which are incident in Court, and hath for this Re|&s;pect two <HI>Leutenans,</HI> Fifty <HI>Ar|chers</HI>
<PB N="28" REF="38">of the Kings Guard, and &s;e|verall other officers: To him appertaineth the impo&s;ing of the price of <HI>Bread, wine, fle&s;h, fi&s;h, hay,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Guard of the King of F.</NOTE> <HI>oates,</HI> with &s;undry other very important priviledges. But behold, here comes the <HI>Guard,</HI> The fir&s;t which pre&s;ent them|&s;elves are.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">100 Gen|tlemen.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>Le Cent Gentils hommes,</HI> &s;o named from their primary re&s;tri|ction (albeit now double in num|ber) they are called the Kings Company, and wait on him upon all days of Ceremony, and like occa&s;ions.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mu&s;quetiers on horsback</NOTE> Next</P>
<P>The <HI>Mu&s;quetiers on Hor&s;e|back,</HI> which during the <HI>Regency</HI> have been di&s;&s;olved, but are now in great probability to be ree&s;ta|bli&s;hed by the King: they were compo&s;ed of a hundred and fifty hor&s;emen, cho&s;en out from a|mong&s;t the prime youth of the chiefe&s;t families of <HI>France,</HI> and at the fir&s;t in&s;tituted by <HI>Lewis the thirteenth,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Late Kings curio&s;ity in choo&s;ing them.</NOTE> father of this pre&s;ent King, who was &s;o <HI>Phy&s;iognomi|cally</HI>
<PB N="29" REF="38">punctual in their Election, that it is reported, he would ad|mit none who were of a Red hair: The&s;e waited on his Ma|je&s;tie in Per&s;on when ever hee went abroad: but after the&s;e, and the more Ancient farr (who be|&s;ides their immediate attendance on the Per&s;on of the King wee are to accompt as principall and &s;olid Forces of the State) are the <HI>Guards of French, Scotch, and Swi&s;&s;e:</HI> Of all whom, be|cau&s;e tho&s;e who approach neere&s;t to the per&s;on of his Maje&s;ty are the <HI>Scotch</HI> (by an extraordinary &amp; &s;pecial good fortune (it &s;eems) ever e&s;teemed faithfull to this King and Crown only, for they are very neer his per&s;on, and therefore called the <HI>Guard de La Manch</HI>) I will fir&s;t begin with them.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Scotchguard or guard de la Manch.</NOTE> They con&s;i&s;t of an hun|dred <HI>Archers,</HI> and four <HI>Exempts,</HI> who carry a <HI>&s;taffe</HI> or Trunche|on in &s;tead of an <HI>halberd,</HI> with the re&s;t, from whence they are &s;o denominated: The&s;e wait
<PB N="30" REF="39">on the King, and ob&s;erve him in all motions, joyned al&s;o with &s;ome other of his Maje&s;ties guards, wherof &s;ome bear halberds, others Carabines, whether the King be at Table, in Coach, or in his bed|chamber. But this guard of <HI>Scots,</HI> as &s;ympathizing with the calamity of their Nation, is of late years very much impaired, divers French &s;uborned in their places,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Decay of the Scots at pre&s;ent.</NOTE> and many of their privi|ledges lo&s;t and infringed, in&s;o|much as it &s;eems at pre&s;ent to re|tain rather a name then a real Being.</P>
<P>The <HI>Swi&s;&s;e</HI> (for being likewi&s;e &s;trangers) I produce in the next place:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Guard of Swi&s;&s;e.</NOTE> The guard of this grim Nation, is compo&s;ed of <HI>&s;ixteen Companies:</HI> but of the&s;e the more immediately attending as the Kings con&s;tant Guard are only an hundred of them, who all weare the Kings cloath, mar|ching which halberds on their &s;houlders, drum always beating, and fife playing before his Maje|&s;ty,
<PB N="31" REF="39">when'ere he &s;tirs but into the City.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, the <HI>Guard of French,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Guard of F. or Regiment des Guards.</NOTE> called the <HI>Regiment des Guards,</HI> with the <HI>Swi&s;&s;e</HI> (compo&s;ing two entire Companies) guard all the avenues and precincts of the <HI>Kings Palace:</HI> They are both of them two Regiments, whereof each is made up of 30 companies, con&s;i&s;ting of two hundred men a piece, if full; and Be&s;ides the&s;e there is al&s;o another <HI>Companie de Gens d' Armes,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gens d'arms Cavalry.</NOTE> who are <HI>Cava|lieres,</HI> &amp; &s;erve quarterly on hor&s;e back.</P>
<P>Thus is this great <HI>Monarch</HI> &s;o inviron'd with men of iron whereever he goes, that one who &s;hould meet him abroad, though but upon the mo&s;t or|dinary occa&s;ion, would &s;uppo&s;e them an Army Marching rather to defend or invade &s;ome di&s;tre&s;|&s;ed Province, then the private guard only of a Princes Per&s;on; &s;o carefull have the Kings of <HI>France</HI> ever been to maintain this
<PB N="32" REF="40">principle of greatne&s;&s;e and &s;ecuri|ty the very <HI>quinte&s;&s;ence</HI> certainly of true Polity,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">True &s;igna|tures of Ab|&s;olute Mo|nar hy.</NOTE> and infallible&s;t &s;ignatures of an ab&s;olute juri&s;di|ction.</P>
<P>It would now peradventure be thought proper here to &s;peak next of the <HI>Militia,</HI> having al|ready placed the <HI>Guards,</HI> who in|deed compo&s;e &s;o con&s;iderable a part thereof: but becau&s;e wee have now done with the court,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Officers of State.</NOTE> we will in the next ca&s;t our eyes upon the State, and afterwards &s;ecure it.</P>
<P>But fir&s;t a word or two tou|ching the Kings <HI>Revenue,</HI> &amp; <HI>Coun|&s;el;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ks Revenue</NOTE> as being the very Nerves and Pillars of all earthly gran|deur.</P>
<P>The ordinary <HI>Revenue</HI> of the Kings of <HI>France</HI> is extreamly un|certain, albeit va&s;tly augmented within the&s;e late few years, and (be&s;ides from the <HI>Domains</HI> for|merly engaged to the Crowne) are infinitely increa&s;ed by the <HI>Do&uuml;anes Tailles,</HI> and other <HI>cu|&s;tomes</HI>
<PB N="33" REF="40">ari&s;ing upon all manner of Merchandize; a trea&s;ure alto|gether uncertain, and therefore impo&s;ed &s;till as occa&s;ion requi|reth, and at the plea&s;ure of the King. In order to this, are e|&s;tabli&s;hed &s;everall <HI>grand Officers</HI> of whom in order fir&s;t.</P>
<P>The <HI>Superintendent of the Fi|nances,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Superinten+dent des Fi|nances, or Cuo&s;tumes.</NOTE> equivalent to our <HI>quo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">|dam</HI> Lord <HI>High Trea&s;urer,</HI> and officers depending on him. This is he who doth ab&s;olutely di&s;|po&s;e of the <HI>Farmes</HI> and <HI>Cu&s;toms</HI> of the King, hath the charge and di&s;pen&s;ation of the <HI>Revenues:</HI> In &s;hort, it is a place &s;o immen|&s;ly lucrative, and prodigiou&s;ly rich, (as being obnoxious to no Account) that there is no man able to make a ju&s;t e&s;timate of their gaine. Subordinate to him are <HI>four other Intendents,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Thre&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">tiers de l' E&s;par|gne.</NOTE> and as many <HI>Trea&s;urers de l' E&s;pargne,</HI> whereof one of each wait every moneth, and the&s;e are tho&s;e great <HI>Financiers,</HI> who &s;uck the very bloud of the people; for
<PB N="34" REF="41">which (like the <HI>Jewi&s;h Publicani</HI> their <HI>Brethren</HI>) they are &s;uffi|ciently bla&s;phemed by them upon all occa&s;ions.</P>
<P>The <HI>Tre&s;oriers de l' E&s;pargne</HI> (which are as Chancellours of the Exchequer have an alterna|tive office; becau&s;e the num|ber of them is not alwayes cer|tain, places of that va&s;t Reve|nue, that they are frequently &s;old at no le&s;&s;e then a million of livers: for this the <HI>E&s;pargne</HI> is re&s;embled to the Ocean &s;ea, into which, like &s;o many rivers, all the other <HI>Receipts,</HI> generall and parti|cular, of the Kings Revenue, do praecipitate them&s;elves, and pay their tribute. From hence all other the <HI>Trea&s;ures,</HI> as well or|dinary as extraordinary, of the <HI>Wars, Generals of the Provinces, Maritime Officers,</HI> Payers of <HI>Pub|lick rents, Courts, &amp;c.</HI> receive money, and advance for their &s;e|veral and re&s;pective di&s;tributions.</P>
<P>There are likewi&s;e be&s;ides the&s;e, the Trea&s;urers of the <HI>Par|ties
<PB N="35" REF="41">Ca&s;uelles,</HI> who are four.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Trea&s;u|rers of the parties Ca|&s;uelles.</NOTE> The&s;e have charge to receive all monies proceeding from the &s;ale of offi|ces, (which is a gain here openly avowed.) But that which much countervails the inconvenience of their ca&s;ualties, unto which they are incident, is, that though a man depo&s;it a va&s;t &s;umme, and even exhau&s;t him&s;elfe for the purchace, they are yet hereditary,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ca&s;ual Offi|ces heredi|tary even to Widows, and how.</NOTE> &s;o that even the <HI>Widow</HI> of the defunct, may delegate it to a Deputy, or <HI>Proxy,</HI> the King on|ly re&s;erving a &s;mall annuall rent, which they call <HI>La Paulet;</HI> in de|fault of which payment, or that the per&s;on die without having re|&s;igned his office. The&s;e Trea&s;u|rers di&s;po&s;e of it to the Kings u&s;e and benefit.</P>
<P>The <HI>Controuler General des Finances,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Comptrol|lers General of the Cu|&s;tomes.</NOTE> his office it is to regi|&s;ter all receipts and expences; but for the pre&s;ent, it remaines extinct.</P>
<P>The&s;e Trea&s;urers are di&s;tribu|ted into <HI>Generalities</HI> or <HI>Bur|aux</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bureaux &amp; Generalties</NOTE>
<PB N="36" REF="42">(&s;o called from a &s;tuff of that name which covereth the table,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bureaux and Gene|ralties.</NOTE> as our Exchequer) the Ge|neralties are twenty two great Cities, and each of tho&s;e have their generall and particular <HI>Re|ceivers,</HI> which la&s;t bring the mo|nies of <HI>Tailles</HI> (which certain elected officers impo&s;e or a&s;&s;e&s;&s;e upon the Pari&s;hes) unto the re|&s;pective <HI>Collectors</HI> who receive it:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">How the taxes are collected.</NOTE> and the&s;e at <HI>Paris</HI> render it into the Office afore&s;aid.</P>
<P>The ancient Kings of <HI>France</HI> had other wayes then the&s;e to &s;ub&s;i&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Kings of France had other wayes of &s;ub&s;i&s;ting till King Pepin.</NOTE> till <HI>Pepin</HI> and &s;ome later Princes of the third Line, &s;o much augmented the <HI>Domaine</HI> of the Crown; as by <HI>Appanages,</HI> which through defect of I&s;&s;ue Male now revert unto it; al&s;o by po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of Lands and <HI>Seignio|ries</HI> annexed to the <HI>Crown,</HI> by <HI>Rents, Fifts,</HI> and other rights proceeding from <HI>Fiefs.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Impo&s;itions by Edicts.</NOTE> By <HI>Im|po&s;itions</HI> and dues which are pay|able by <HI>Edicts.</HI> By a number of Lands who owe faith, and do <HI>ho|mage</HI>
<PB N="37" REF="42">to the Prince.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Droict d' Aubaine, death of &s;trangers, Ba&s;tardy, Vacancy through death, Fir&s;t-fruits and dues from Eccle&s;ia|&s;ticks.</NOTE> By the <HI>Droct d' Aubaine,</HI> by which the goods of &s;trangers dying in <HI>France,</HI> mo&s;t inho&s;pitality e&s;cheat to the King; putting (in this re&s;pect) no difference between them, and <HI>Ba&s;tards</HI> unnaturalized. By the goods vacant through death, &amp;c. By <HI>Annates</HI> or Fir&s;t fruits, Dues from certain <HI>Archbi&s;hopricks</HI> and <HI>Bi&s;hopricks,</HI> to the number of 30, and more: as likewi&s;e innume|rable other wayes, which here it were too long to reckon up.</P>
<P>Nor can the <HI>Domain</HI> be other|wi&s;e alienated, then (as already hath been &s;aid) in ca&s;e of <HI>Ap|panages:</HI> The other upon &s;ome extraordinary and de&s;perate ne|ce&s;&s;ity, as in occa&s;ion of warre, yet then al&s;o but upon con|dition of <HI>Redemption,</HI> and that they be both fir&s;t <HI>verified</HI> in Parliament. But the&s;e it &s;eems of late, not &s;ufficing the pub|lick expen&s;es of &s;o great a Prince and his many Armies; Tho&s;e <HI>Tailles</HI> and &s;ub&s;idiary a&s;&s;i&s;tances
<PB N="38" REF="43">before mentioned, have been more frequently levied;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The ordina|ry entertain|ment of the Souldiery.</NOTE> yea now (&s;ince <HI>Charles the &s;eventh</HI>) made the Ordinary Entertaine|ment of the <HI>Souldiery.</HI> Not|with&s;tanding the <HI>Gentry and No|bility</HI> (for the&s;e tearms are coinci|dent and convertible in France) <HI>Churchmen,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gentry and Clergy ex|empt of Ta|xes.</NOTE> and their <HI>dependants</HI> are exempt from the&s;e contribu|tions; an immunity which they enjoy as a di&s;tinction, which ours of the &s;ame quality in <HI>England</HI> never &s;o much as ta&s;ted off; &s;o that (among&s;t us) if a per&s;on be not <HI>Rich,</HI> let him be never &s;o well borne,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nobility no advantage in England.</NOTE> the <HI>Pea&s;ant</HI> is as good a man every whit for any priviledg which the other enjoys above him; through which defect, as there remains little encourage|ment and reward for ancient vertue or future indu&s;try, &s;o mu&s;t it needs, in time both utterly con|found, and degenerate the race of the mo&s;t illu&s;trious Families, which have yet hitherto remai|ned.</P>
<PB N="39" REF="43">
<P>The <HI>Aides</HI> (which <HI>I</HI> therefore the rather mention,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Aid<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">s, what, and when in&s;ti|tuted.</NOTE> becau&s;e it was in&s;tituted upon occa&s;ion of King <HI>John's</HI> impri&s;onment in <HI>England</HI>) is now become a perpetual and generall <HI>Tax</HI> upon all &s;orts of Commodities whatever,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">All commo|dities taxa|ble in France, wheat onely exempted.</NOTE> excep|ting <HI>wheat</HI> only, which is the &s;ole individual in all <HI>France</HI> free from any Impo&s;t.</P>
<P>But that which &s;ea&s;ons all the re&s;t, and is indeed a principal in|gredient to the Kings Va&s;t reve|nue, is the <HI>Gabels</HI> upon <HI>Salt;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gabels up|on Salt.</NOTE> which yeelds this Monarch more then <HI>Twenty Millions of Livers:</HI> for which re&s;pect there are divers officers appertaining therto, &s;ome whereof have power to con&s;train men to buy a certain quantity of the King whether they wil or no;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rigour of exacting.</NOTE> a rigour, &s;ome interpret extreamly approaching the very height of extortion: &s;ome particular pla|ces yet of the Kingdome, (as to|wards the Frontiers, and &s;ea towns) are exempted, and have their &s;alt quit of any impo&s;t at all.</P>
<PB N="40" REF="44">
<P>The&s;e are in fine the mo&s;t prin|cipall quarries <HI>from</HI> whence this <HI>Monarch</HI> diggs forth and fetches his trea&s;ure and revenue,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">K. of Fran|ces's Reve|nue 14 mil|lions &s;ter|ling.</NOTE> which tho&s;e who are yet thought to have made a favourable <HI>Audite,</HI> do not blu&s;h to affirm, ammounts unto more then <HI>an hundred and fourty Millions of Livers,</HI> which is about <HI>fourteen Millions of our mony:</HI> nay &s;ome, that in <HI>Car|dinall Richlieus</HI> time, it was brought to an <HI>hundred and fifty:</HI> which portentous and mon&s;trous Trea&s;ure, together with the man|nagement and manner of exa|cting it, might (as &s;ome think) &s;erve a little to extenuate that which was yet thought a propor|tion too large for a mo&s;t excel|lent prince, who&s;e whole Reve|nue could never yet be &s;tretched to above one <HI>Million &s;terling</HI> in all, <HI>viis et modis.</HI> Which is &s;ome thirteen &s;hort of that, which the <HI>Kings of France</HI> at pre&s;ent en|joy.</P>
<P>Now 'ere we define the more
<PB N="41" REF="44">di&s;tinct <HI>Mini&s;ters of State,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Supream coun&s;els of France.</NOTE> wee wil fir&s;t &s;peak &s;everally of the &s;u|pream <HI>Coun&s;els</HI> which are two: The chief is called the <HI>&s;ecret</HI> or (more frequently) <HI>le Con&s;eil d'en hault,</HI> that is,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Le Coun&s;el d'en hault, of this coun|&s;el are the Duke of Or|leans, Prince of Cond&eacute;; The Cardi|nall and 4 principall Secretaries of State.</NOTE> (after our old En|gli&s;h &s;tile) the <HI>Cabinet Coun&s;el;</HI> be|cau&s;e it is commonly held in the Kings <HI>Bedchamber:</HI> for which re&s;pect you may rea&s;onably imagine it to be compo&s;ed but of few, and tho&s;e the prime and mo&s;t illu&s;trious per&s;ons of charge and title in the Kingdome: &s;o that (according to the nature of affaires) it is &s;ometimes reduced unto two or three only: but upon intelligences and tran&s;acti|ons of <HI>State,</HI> as tho&s;e which con|cern matter of <HI>warr, forrain Alliances,</HI> &amp;c. Then there is a fuller number of other <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> required to be pre&s;ent.</P>
<P>The other Con&s;eil is termed <HI>le Con&s;eil d'E&s;tat &amp; priv&eacute;</HI> where,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The coun&s;el of State.</NOTE> when the King him&s;elf &s;its not, the <HI>Precedency</HI> is given to the fir&s;t <HI>Prince of the Blood then pre&s;ent,</HI>
<PB N="42" REF="45">and in default of their ab&s;ence, to the <HI>Chancelour,</HI> who, together with the <HI>Trea&s;urer</HI> or <HI>Superin|tendent,</HI> hath principal authori|ty in all tho&s;e Courts I have, or &s;hall &s;peak of; and this <HI>Court</HI> (be&s;ides the above named who are chief) is compo&s;ed of many <HI>Coun&s;ellours of State,</HI> who are all per&s;ons of great merit, and com|monly &s;uch as have given &s;ignal te&s;timonies of their abilities and addre&s;&s;e by their long &s;ervices, as <HI>Amba&s;&s;adors and Orators</HI> to for|raign Princes; or <HI>officers</HI> in other <HI>juri&s;dictions</HI> and <HI>Coun&s;els:</HI> al&s;o to this <HI>Court</HI> appertaine foure <HI>Secretaries</HI> that &s;erve quarterly: eighteen <HI>Mai&s;tres de Reque&s;ts,</HI> who (according to the nature of the affaire) with the Intendents, make the <HI>Reports,</HI> having fir&s;t re|&s;olved the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e among&s;t them&s;elves, according to which the <HI>Arre&s;t</HI> is &s;ometimes gi|ven.</P>
<P>In this <HI>Coun&s;ell</HI> pa&s;&s;e all mat|ters belonging either to <HI>Warr</HI> or
<PB N="43" REF="45"><HI>Peace,</HI> and all other concerne|ments of the <HI>Crown</HI> whatever; for here they determine <HI>definitively,</HI> which judgment &s;o pa&s;&s;ed, is ter|med an <HI>Arre&s;t</HI> or <HI>Act of Councell;</HI> howbeit, in cau&s;es of high con|&s;equence they are often revoked both from <HI>this Tribunall</HI> (yea, and the <HI>Parliament</HI> it &s;elf al&s;o) unto the <HI>Coun&s;eil d'-en-hault</HI> al|though a Coun&s;ell but of a later <HI>Initiation.</HI> Branches from this are al&s;o the Coun&s;ell of the <HI>Fi|nances</HI> or Cu&s;tomes, called the <HI>Councel of direction;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Coun|&s;ell of di|rection.</NOTE> where all the affaires of the <HI>Exchequer</HI> are di&s;po&s;ed: likewi&s;e the <HI>Chancelor</HI> holdeth another Coun&s;ell,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Coun|&s;ell of Par|ties.</NOTE> called the <HI>Coun&s;eil des parties,</HI> wherein the <HI>Proce&s;&s;es</HI> of particular parties and <HI>Recu&s;ations</HI> have their pro|per hearing; and to this al&s;o belong quarterly <HI>Secretaries</HI> a|part.</P>
<P>Now the manner of proceed|ing in the&s;e <HI>Courts</HI> goes according to the di&s;po&s;ition of the &s;everall affairs,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The manner of proceed|ing in the&s;e Courts.</NOTE> by the <HI>Reports</HI> made rea|dy,
<PB N="44" REF="46"><HI>reformed</HI> and fir&s;t &s;igned, which is by <HI>them,</HI> then by the <HI>Chancellor</HI> if it be at the <HI>coun|&s;ell of parties;</HI> if at the <HI>Finances,</HI> by the <HI>Duke of Orleans, Mon&s;^r, the Prince,</HI> and <HI>Superintendents,</HI> who deliver them to the <HI>Grefier</HI> or Clerk, by whom they are to be allowed, that is <HI>paragraphed</HI> in Parchment, to which they &s;ub|joyne a <HI>commi&s;&s;ion</HI> which is &s;ea|led by the <HI>chancellor,</HI> if they are to be immediately executed. O|ther <HI>Arre&s;ts</HI> and Acts of Coun&s;el are executed by an <HI>u&s;her</HI> or Ser|gaent of the Coun&s;el, who wears a chaine of Gold about his neck, with a <HI>Medail</HI> pendent, where|in there is impre&s;&s;ed the Kings pi|cture.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Grand Con|&s;eil.</NOTE></P>
<P>There is likewi&s;e another <HI>Councell,</HI> called the <HI>Grand con|&s;eil,</HI> in which al&s;o the <HI>Chancel|lor</HI> pre&s;ides virtually, though &s;el|dom pre&s;ent in per&s;on; and this is Compo&s;ed of four <HI>Pre&s;idents,</HI> and a hundred and fifty Coun|&s;ellers, who &s;erve by <HI>Seme&s;ter:</HI>
<PB N="45" REF="46">and this <HI>court</HI> is chiefly, and in|deed only conver&s;ant in affaires <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tical,</HI> &s;uch as concerne <HI>Bi&s;hopricks, Priories, Ho&s;pitals,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>collation</HI> and <HI>pre&s;entation</HI> to Benefices in the juri&s;diction ei|ther of <HI>King</HI> or <HI>Pope</HI> within this Realme; and therefore here is the <HI>Kings</HI> Advocate, and <HI>proctor Generall</HI> continually attend|ing.</P>
<P>And now (returning to our former divi&s;ion) we may remem|ber that the more ancient officers of the <HI>Crown</HI> were likewi&s;e three: viz. The <HI>Conne&s;table,</HI> the <HI>Mare&s;|chal</HI> and the <HI>Chancellor:</HI> I &s;hall forbear a while to &s;peak much of the two fir&s;t, till I come to treat particularly concerning matters of warr:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Officers of State &amp; Ju|&s;tice. Chancelour of France.</NOTE> we are now in affaires of <HI>State</HI> and Ju&s;tice, wherein this la&s;t in our divi&s;ion as chiefe and &s;overaign; his office is to di&s;|patch and modifie all the <HI>Graces</HI> and <HI>gifts</HI> of the King, is <HI>keeper</HI> of the <HI>Great &s;eale,</HI> with which hee confirmes all the <HI>Ordinances, E|dicts,
<PB N="46" REF="47">declarations</HI> and <HI>plea&s;ure</HI> of his Maje&s;ty; for which re&s;pect he hath in <HI>Parliament</HI> his &s;eat on the left hand of the King, when he is there pre&s;ent. But there are no dayes properly de&s;ign|ed for <HI>&s;ealing,</HI> that wholly de|pending upon the will of the <HI>Chancellour.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Days and manner of Sealing.</NOTE> The manner thereof is this: The <HI>chancellour</HI> &s;its at the middle of a large Table, upon which is placed a <HI>cabinet</HI> or coffer (wherein there is locked all the publick <HI>&s;eals</HI> of France) the key of which he carries about his neck: at the End of this Table are two <HI>Ma&s;ters of Reque&s;ts,</HI> with whom he may advi&s;e in ca&s;e the affaire require it; and over a|gain&s;t the <HI>Chancelor</HI> one of the four <HI>Referendaries</HI> of France who reads all the <HI>Letters, Arre&s;ts,</HI> and other expeditions, which if ap|proved, are accommodated with <HI>Yellow wax</HI> fitting and ready for the &s;eale, and &s;o put up into a box to be controuled by the <HI>Kings Secretaries,</HI> who mu&s;t fir&s;t
<PB N="47" REF="47">allow and <HI>Paragraph</HI> them, and then they are &s;ealed: for <HI>Expe|dition</HI> of highe&s;t con&s;equence, as <HI>Treaties, Edicts, Abolitions,</HI> &amp;c. in <HI>green wax:</HI> but the &s;eals of <HI>Dauphine</HI> are in <HI>red:</HI> Moreover the <HI>character</HI> of the <HI>Chancelor</HI> is e&s;teemed &s;o &s;acred &amp; Inviolable, that it remains altogether indele|ble but by <HI>death</HI> onely;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Guard des &s;ceaux.</NOTE> yet not|with&s;tanding upon decadency, or di&s;grace with the King, there is commonly one called <HI>Gard des Sceaux,</HI> who executeth his charg &amp; hath al&s;o the &s;ame authority; for the <HI>Seales</HI> may be taken away at his Maje&s;ties plea&s;ure, but not the <HI>Chancelor&s;hip,</HI> which as it is never to dye, but with his Per&s;on, &s;o may he not put on <HI>Mourning</HI> for the <HI>King him&s;elf,</HI> his <HI>Father</HI> or <HI>Mother</HI> if any of them decea&s;e, as being in&s;en&s;ible of all other <HI>Relations,</HI> and con&s;i|derations be&s;ides the &s;ole intere&s;t of the <HI>People:</HI> his habite is a Robe of <HI>black Velvet</HI> doubled, or lined with Crim&s;on plu&s;h: be|fore
<PB N="48" REF="48">him goe two <HI>Searjeants,</HI> with chains of Gold, who bear 2 rich <HI>maces</HI> of gold on their &s;houlders.</P>
<P>The <HI>Secretaries of State</HI> and commands of the King are <HI>four</HI> in number;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Secretaries of State.</NOTE> who&s;e functions, for being different, de&s;erve to bee mentioned in the next place. One of the&s;e Secretaries is for Expedi|tions altogether <HI>forraign:</HI> one for affaires <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall</HI> and be|nefices; a third for matters only appertaining to the <HI>Kings hou&s;e,</HI> and the fourth, &s;erves for affairs and concernements of <HI>war;</HI> and thus have they the whole King|dom &s;o <HI>cantoniz'd</HI> betwixt them, that upon all particular Exi|gences of the <HI>Provinces,</HI> e|very one knows his divi&s;ion: In <HI>Court</HI> and pre&s;ence of the King, they waite alternatively by <HI>Months;</HI> for he u&s;es them likewi&s;e in affaires of the <HI>ca|binet,</HI> which for not being mat|ter of State, hee will not have made known or divul|ged.</P>
<PB N="49" REF="48">
<P>La&s;tly,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma&s;ters of Reque&s;ts.</NOTE> The <HI>Ma&s;ters of Reque&s;t</HI> (of whom there are at pre&s;ent no le&s;&s;e then &s;even|ty) are as it were <HI>A&s;&s;e&s;&s;ors</HI> of the <HI>Chancellour,</HI> and compo&s;e the body of the Court of <HI>Parli|ament,</HI> (of which we &s;hall &s;hort|ly &s;peak) and have their Seats next to the <HI>Coun&s;ellers,</HI> but not exceeding four at a time. In ab&s;ence of the <HI>Pre&s;idents,</HI> they pre&s;ide al&s;o in many other <HI>Judi|catures,</HI> and <HI>Bailliages:</HI> the&s;e make report and &s;ign the <HI>Reque&s;t of Ju&s;tice,</HI> and &s;ometimes the af|faires of the <HI>Exchequer:</HI> they are likewi&s;e many times cho&s;en for <HI>Extraordinary Emba&s;&s;ades,</HI> as wel as Commi&s;&s;ioners for his Ma|je&s;ty in the Cities and Provinces, where they judg and determine upon all affairs of the Crowne with mo&s;t ab&s;olute power and authority.</P>
<P>The re&s;t of the Officers more immediately belonging to the Kings Revenue I have touched at large already. I
<PB N="50" REF="49">come now to the <HI>Parlia|ments of France,</HI> of whom there hath hitherto been &s;o much talke.</P>
<P>The <HI>Ju&s;tice of France</HI> (in the equal di&s;pen&s;ation whereof &s;hould be the glory and diadem of a Prince in Peace,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Parliament of France,</NOTE> as is the multitude of people his vi&s;ible &s;trength in warr) is doubtle&s;&s;e very good, but wonderfully ill executed; which happens through the &s;ordid corruption of &s;uch as di&s;pen&s;e it for mony and favour, without which there is nothing to be hoped for in this <HI>Kingdom:</HI> and good rea&s;on there &s;hould bee &s;ome gaine made of that which the dividers thereof buy &s;o dear, purcha&s;ing their places and offices at &s;uch exce&s;&s;ive charges, that they are con&s;trained to fell their Vertue to him who bidds mo&s;t for it. But this is not (I &s;uppo&s;e) the only Monopoly which drives that trade.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">by whom e|&s;tabli&s;hed.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>Philip the Faire</HI> e&s;tabli&s;hed
<PB N="51" REF="49">the <HI>Parliament of Paris;</HI> for before it was <HI>Ambulatory,</HI> and onely ob&s;erved the motion of the King) whither both <HI>Eccle|&s;ia&s;ticks</HI> and <HI>&s;eculars</HI> repaired. As it is now con&s;tituted, it is compo|&s;ed of <HI>Five hou&s;es</HI> or chambers: <HI>La Grand Chambre</HI> hath twenty five <HI>Coun&s;ellers,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">La grand chambre des Enque&s;ts.</NOTE> who take cog|ni&s;ance of affairs of highe&s;t Con|&s;equence: and of five <HI>Chambres des Enque&s;ts,</HI> to either of which there is al&s;o about the &s;ame num|ber of <HI>Coun&s;ellers:</HI> likewi&s;e two other Chambers, one whereof is called <HI>La Tournelle,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">La Tour|nelle.</NOTE> wherein are pleaded only matters <HI>Crimi|nall,</HI> compo&s;ed of two Coun|&s;ellours of the <HI>Grand Chambre,</HI> and of two of every <HI>Chambre des Enque&s;ts.</HI> The <HI>Chambre del' E|dict</HI> that is of the <HI>Edict of Nan|tes,</HI> which only toucheth the af|faires of the <HI>Prote&s;tants,</HI> and is al|&s;o compo&s;ed of two <HI>Coun&s;ellers,</HI> out of each of the &s;ix other Chambers, who are nomina|ted every &s;econd year by the
<PB N="52" REF="50"><HI>Chancellour</HI> and the <HI>Prote&s;tant deputy Generall.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">De l' Ed<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ct for the Pro+te&s;tan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">s P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;ident au Mort<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">er. becau&s;e there &s;tandeth a cup <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ade in fa&s;hion of a mo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">er over the mantling of the Arms in lieu of a wreath and helmet.</NOTE></P>
<P>In the great <HI>Chambre</HI> pre&s;i|deth the <HI>Pre&s;ident au Mortier,</HI> who pre&s;enteth the ancient <HI>Dukes</HI> and <HI>Peers:</HI> the&s;e <HI>pre&s;idents</HI> are Coun&s;ellers of <HI>State</HI> the fir&s;t day of their reception, and have about their neck an hood of vel|vet, lined with furr, from whence &s;ome affirme they derive their name: they are now in num|ber &s;even or eight, having of late been encrea&s;ed.</P>
<P>To all the other <HI>Chambers of Parliament</HI> there are like|wi&s;e <HI>Pre&s;idents:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pre&s;idents, Con&s;eillers, Advocats &amp; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">rocteurs.</NOTE> viz. two at the <HI>Tournelle,</HI> and one at the <HI>Edict:</HI> To each <HI>Chambre des Enque&s;ts</HI> are two, but the&s;e la&s;t for being only <HI>commi&s;sionated Coun&s;ellers,</HI> have no places as <HI>pre&s;idents</HI> in ful a&s;&s;emblies of <HI>Parliament.</HI> Be|&s;ides <HI>pre&s;idents</HI> and Coun&s;ellers; there is moreover a <HI>Procureur,</HI> and two <HI>Advocates General,</HI> who intervene in all Cau&s;es which con|cern either the King or State:
<PB N="53" REF="50">be&s;ides an Infinity of other <HI>Ad|vocates</HI> who are rather to count by m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">titudes then numbers e|&s;tabli&s;hed, only the <HI>proctors</HI> have of late years been reduced to a|bout 600.</P>
<P>There is likewi&s;e a <HI>Greffier en chef,</HI> or <HI>clerk of the Parliament,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Clerk of the pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">lia<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t.</NOTE> one of the mo&s;t luerative charges of <HI>France,</HI> as e&s;teemed to be no le&s;&s;e worth then an 100 Crowns of Gold a day: This office ha|ving now &s;ucce&s;&s;ively remained in the family of <HI>Mon&s;ieur, du Tillet</HI> neer three hundred years, we could not pa&s;&s;e his name in &s;ilence; La&s;tly, of <HI>Com|mi&s;es, Searjeants, &V;&s;hers,</HI> and under officers there are in very great numbers.</P>
<P>All the Officers of Parliament wear a long <HI>Gown,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rob<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">rs of the Officers of Parlia<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> and &s;quare <HI>cap,</HI> but the <HI>Pre&s;idents au Mor|tier</HI> and <HI>Coun&s;ellours,</HI> upon &s;o|lemn occa&s;ions, put on Robes of <HI>&s;carlet,</HI> which are trimmed with black velvet.</P>
<P>The Solemne <HI>Arre&s;ts or Acts
<PB N="54" REF="51">of Parliament</HI> are pronounced four times the year:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Arre&s;ts of Parl. when pronounced.</NOTE> viz. on <HI>Chri&s;tmas Eves eve,</HI> on the <HI>Tue&s;|day</HI> before <HI>Ea&s;ter,</HI> on <HI>Whit&s;on Eves eve,</HI> and the &s;eventh day of <HI>Sept.</HI> till which, from the mor|row after the fea&s;t of St <HI>Martine it continues:</HI> but the <HI>Parliament</HI> doth not open untill &s;uch time as the King renews their Commi&s;|&s;ion.</P>
<P>there are be&s;ides <HI>Paris,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cities be|&s;ides Paris, that have parliaments</NOTE> the&s;e nine Cities which have Parlia|ments,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 <HI>Toulou&s;e.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2 <HI>Ro&uuml;en.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3 <HI>Bourdeaux.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>4 <HI>Dijon.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>5 <HI>Grenoble.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>6 <HI>Aix.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>7 <HI>Rheims.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>8 <HI>Pau.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>9 <HI>Mets.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Who&s;e Con&s;titution and Compo&s;ition are alike to that of <HI>Paris,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">In what they differ from the Par. of Paris.</NOTE> except that of <HI>Mets</HI>
<PB N="55" REF="51">and <HI>Ro&uuml;en,</HI> who&s;e Pre&s;ident and Coun&s;ellers of late &s;erve &s;eme|&s;traly, that is half during one &s;ix months, and halfe the other: &s;ome of the Parliaments al&s;o have no chamber of <HI>Edict,</HI> as <HI>Rheims,</HI> and <HI>Dijon,</HI> &s;o that the <HI>Prote&s;tants</HI> of tho&s;e parts repaire to <HI>Paris</HI> to plead; and in <HI>Toulou&s;e, Bordeaux,</HI> and <HI>Grenoble,</HI> for default thereof, tho&s;e of the <HI>Religion</HI> have e&s;ta|bli&s;hed them Chambers <HI>Mi|parties,</HI> that is, of equal num|bers of <HI>Romani&s;ts;</HI> nor have the other <HI>Parliaments</HI> &s;o many chambers of <HI>Enque&s;ts,</HI> as not (in truth) needing them</P>
<P>Likewi&s;e this <HI>Prerogative</HI> hath the Parliament of <HI>Paris,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prerogative of the P. of Paris.</NOTE> that it hath the &s;ole honour to be cal|led the <HI>Court of Peers;</HI> for here only can they of right be judg|ed: yet this <HI>priviledg</HI> was not a|ble to protect them, at what time the late great <HI>Cardinal de Richlieu</HI> made bold to infringe it, when it &s;erved to his pur|po&s;e.</P>
<PB N="56" REF="52">
<P>In all the&s;e Parliaments afore|&s;aid the <HI>Advocates</HI> plead covered,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">How the Advocates and proctors plead.</NOTE> but the <HI>Prectors</HI> both <HI>bareheaded and kneeling.</HI></P>
<P>Moreover, the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of the <HI>Parliament of Paris,</HI> be&s;ides the <HI>verifying</HI> of the Kings <HI>Edicts, Ordinances, and letters Patents</HI> (as hath been already touched) is the di&s;pen&s;ing of all other Ju|&s;tice <HI>Civill</HI> and <HI>Criminall:</HI> here the <HI>Appanages</HI> of the crown are regulated, the erection of new <HI>dignities, Modification</HI> of the <HI>Popes Legats, Commi&s;&s;ions,</HI> pro|cedures to <HI>Bani&s;hment, Let|ters</HI> of <HI>naturalty, Pardons</HI> and the like &s;upream tran&s;actions of State have their genuine and na|turall &s;ource.</P>
<P>The <HI>Bi&s;hops</HI> in <HI>Parlia|ment</HI> have right of <HI>place,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Bi&s;hops and eccle&s;ia&s;ticks in Parli+ament have place, no de|liberative Voice, ex|cept B. of Paris, and abbot of St. Denys.</NOTE> but no <HI>deliberative Voice,</HI> except only the <HI>Archbi&s;hop of Pa|ris,</HI> and <HI>Abbot of Saint De|nys.</HI> Thus much &s;hall &s;uffice to have been &s;poken touching the <HI>Parliaments.</HI></P>
<PB N="57" REF="52">
<P>The <HI>Chamber of compts</HI> (which comes next in order) is a ju|ri&s;diction and <HI>Court</HI> apart,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chamber of compts, its high au|thority and number.</NOTE> that concernes &amp; judges the accompt of all the <HI>Receivers, Trea&s;urers</HI> and <HI>officers</HI> paid into, or received out of he Kings <HI>Exchequers,</HI> for which cau&s;e all their <HI>Letters, Edicts, Ordinances,</HI> &amp;c. are read, regi&s;tred, and verified. Here it is that homage for <HI>Feifs</HI> mo|ving from the <HI>Crown</HI> are acknow|ledged. It hath belonging to it ten <HI>Pre&s;idents, Mon&s;ieur Ni|colas,</HI> who is the fir&s;t (having from Father to Son con&s;erved this charge neer two hundred years in his Family) hath re|fu&s;ed for his charge 1400000 Livers, which the late <HI>D'Eme|ry</HI> offered him for it. To it al&s;o appertaineth <HI>&s;eventy Mai|&s;tres des compts, eighty Audi|tors:</HI> in fine, it is a <HI>Court</HI> of that high Authority, that it hath &s;ometimes &s;tood even in com|petition with the Parliament it &s;elf. There are eight of the&s;e
<PB N="58" REF="53">in France.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chambers des Reque&s;ts du Palais.</NOTE> Be&s;ides this Court, there are likewi&s;e the two <HI>Cham|bres des Reque&s;ts du Palais,</HI> where is pleaded the Priviledg of the <HI>Royall offices,</HI> and hou&s;e|hold; and therefore they con|&s;i&s;t of Coun&s;ellers of <HI>parliament,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>The <HI>Cour des Monnoyes</HI> com|po&s;ed of three <HI>Pre&s;idents,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cour des Monnoyes.</NOTE> twenty four <HI>Con&s;eillers,</HI> the&s;e con|cerne the <HI>Mint</HI> in all parti|culars.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mint.</NOTE></P>
<P>Al&s;o the Admiralty,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Admiralty and Table de Marbre.</NOTE> called the <HI>Table de Marbre</HI> in&s;ti|tuted for <HI>Maritime affaires.</HI> And la&s;tly,</P>
<P><HI>Les Eaux &amp; Forre&s;ts,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Waters and Forre&s;ts.</NOTE> with &s;ome other inferiour <HI>courts,</HI> wher|of we have already &s;ufficiently &s;poken el&s;ewhere.</P>
<P>And &s;o I am come out of <HI>We&s;tmin&s;ter-hall</HI> to the other two of our three ancient <HI>Of|ficers,</HI> viz. the <HI>Conne&s;table</HI> and <HI>Mare&s;chall</HI> of France, being the la&s;t of our divi&s;ion and will naturally lead us to
<PB N="59" REF="53">di&s;cour&s;e &s;omething of the <HI>Mi|litia.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Conne&s;table,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Military of|ficers, and fir&s;t the Conne&s;t a|ble of F.</NOTE> albeit an of|fice, to a greater then which the <HI>King him&s;elf</HI> can promote no <HI>&s;ubject,</HI> yet for that it is not a charge which is always in being, but upon extraordinary Emer|gencies and grand occa&s;ions, will be needle&s;&s;e to &s;ay more of it, then that this Office holdeth ranke immediately after the <HI>Princes of the blood;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The D. of Orleans is as it were Conne&s;table now.</NOTE> and in <HI>Par|liament</HI> it is before the <HI>Dukes</HI> and <HI>Pairs:</HI> The <HI>Conne&s;table</HI> therefore is chief, &s;uperiour, and <HI>Genera|li&s;&s;imo</HI> over the <HI>Armies</HI> of France, for which re&s;pect he hath his ju|ri&s;diction in the Court of the <HI>Ta|ble de Marbre;</HI> but at this day the <HI>Mare&s;chals</HI> &s;upplying this high office (although pro|perly &s;peaking, but his <HI>Lieu|tenants</HI>) come next to be &s;po|ken of.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mare&s;chals de Fr.</NOTE></P>
<P>The <HI>Mare&s;chals de France,</HI> or rather, &s;o many <HI>Generals,</HI> are the onely per&s;ons of Enterpri&s;e and
<PB N="60" REF="54">Action in their Armies, both at home and abroad; being com|monly men who are elevated to tho&s;e <HI>Charges,</HI> purely by their own Valour and Demerits: &s;o that as their number is indeter|minate, &s;o there is no Souldier, of what condition &s;oever, but may po&s;&s;ibly by his vertue a&s;pire to this preferment. I &s;aid even now, that their Juri&s;diction did much re&s;emble that of the <HI>Conne&s;tables;</HI> nor can they be deve&s;ted of this honour during their lives. Be|fore the&s;e <HI>Mare&s;chals</HI> are deter|mined all matters of private quar|rels and defies incident to the <HI>No|ble&s;&s;e;</HI> for which cau&s;e they have their <HI>Provo&s;ts</HI> or <HI>Lieutenants</HI> in all the greate&s;t Cities of the King|dome. They bear in their <HI>At|chievements</HI> a <HI>Truncheon Salter|wi&s;e azure, &s;eme&eacute;d with Flowr de lyces or.</HI></P>
<P>Finally,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">La&s;t divi&s;io~</NOTE> (which is the la&s;t part of our divi&s;ion) the three Modern Offices of the Crown, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The <HI>Admiral of the French.</HI></ITEM>
<PB N="61" REF="54">
<ITEM>2. <HI>Le Colonel de l' Infanterie.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. <HI>Le Grand Mai&s;tre de l'Ar|tillerie.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>In the fir&s;t place the <HI>Admiral,</HI> (who holds likewi&s;e his place du|ring life) is Generall of all the <HI>Kings forces</HI> by <HI>&s;ea,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Admirall.</NOTE> and under him are al the <HI>Marine juri&s;dicti|ons.</HI> The <HI>charge</HI> hath in times pa&s;t been divided unto more, both <HI>Guyenne</HI> and <HI>Provence</HI> ha|ving enjoyed theirs apart: but the defunct <HI>Cardinall de Richlieu</HI> (who hath left this high office to his <HI>Nephew</HI>) united them all un|der one: his juri&s;diction al&s;o is at the <HI>Table de Marbre,</HI> where (for being but &s;ubalternate judges) their places in Parliament is at the lower end. The charge is now in the per&s;on of the <HI>Queen Regent,</HI> &s;ome &s;ay, the <HI>Duke of Vendo&s;me:</HI> likewi&s;e the <HI>General des Galeres</HI> hath here his &s;eate,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">General des Galeres.</NOTE> which is a place of very notable gaine and Authority on the coa&s;ts of the <HI>Mediterranean &s;eas,</HI> where his <HI>Maje&s;ties Gallies</HI> do
<PB N="62" REF="55">both harbour and ride.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Colonel of the Infantry</NOTE></P>
<P>Next is the Colonell of the <HI>French Infantery,</HI> which is a charge one of the mo&s;t con&s;idera|ble in all re&s;pects, of <HI>France,</HI> e&s;pe|cially for Gain, receiving <HI>eight &s;olz</HI> every Mu&s;ter for every &s;ouldiers head his authority being gene|rally over all the <HI>French-foot,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma&s;ters of the Camp.</NOTE> and hath for his <HI>Lieutenant Co|lonels</HI> the <HI>Mai&s;tres de Camp:</HI> un|der his name i&s;&s;ue all <HI>Ordinances of Warr.</HI></P>
<P>There is likewi&s;e a Colonel <HI>General des Sui&s;&s;es,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Colonel General des Sui&s;&s;es</NOTE> who hath juri&s;diction over all tho&s;e Merce|naries, as well tho&s;e of the <HI>Kings Guard,</HI> as tho&s;e who &s;erve in the field and in the <HI>Gari&s;on;</HI> of which there are con&s;tantly about eight thou&s;and in this Dominion.</P>
<P>La&s;t of all,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Grand Mai|&s;tre de l'Ar|till<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">e.</NOTE> the <HI>Grand Mai&s;tre de l'Artillerie,</HI> which is a charge equal with a <HI>Mare&s;chall of France:</HI> under his tuition and conduct is the <HI>Ar&s;enall of Paris,</HI> all the <HI>Can|non and Ammunition</HI> of warre in the Kingdome, for which cau&s;e he
<PB N="63" REF="55">hath his <HI>Lieutenants, Captains,</HI> and other officers belonging to the <HI>Carriages</HI> in great number: be|&s;ides all this, he hath the manage|ment of <HI>five millions</HI> of Livers, to|gether with the arbitrary di&s;|po&s;ition of above eight hun|dred <HI>Officers;</HI> of all which he is obliged to no particular ac|compt.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Grand pri|curde France Mr. of the Religion of Malta.</NOTE></P>
<P>There is likewi&s;e the <HI>Grand Prieur de France,</HI> which for being a quality of high reputation is not to be pretermitted. The <HI>Ma&s;ter|&s;hip</HI> of <HI>the Religion</HI> and Order of <HI>Malta</HI> for the French being not le&s;&s;e worth then 10000 pounds yearly: his ordinary <HI>Re&s;idence</HI> is at the Temple, a quarter in the town of <HI>Paris</HI> as is that of ours in <HI>London</HI> &s;o called.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Coun&s;ell of War.</NOTE></P>
<P>The <HI>Councel of Warr</HI> is com|monly held in the <HI>Palace of the Duke of Orleans,</HI> as being <HI>Lieu|tenant</HI> General of all the Kings Forces, and therefore little re|mote (as hath been &s;aid) from the dignity and charge of high <HI>Con|ne&s;table.</HI>
<PB N="64" REF="56">Thus we have done with the <HI>Courts and Officers of France:</HI> now we will take a Pro&s;pect of the <HI>Forces.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>King of France</HI> hath com|monly four <HI>Armies</HI> in field:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Con&s;tant ar|mies of Fr.</NOTE> viz. that of <HI>Flanders,</HI> of <HI>Germanie,</HI> of <HI>Italy,</HI> and that of <HI>Catalogna;</HI> wherein the <HI>King, Queen, Mon|&s;ieur, the Duke of Anjou, the Duke of Orleans, Princes of the Blood, and Mare&s;chals</HI> of France have their &s;everall and individu|all <HI>Companies,</HI> who&s;e <HI>Lieute|nants</HI> enjoy many &s;ingular pre|cedencies above other Offi|cers of the <HI>Armies:</HI> All the&s;e con&s;i&s;t of well armed hor&s;e.</P>
<P>The <HI>light hor&s;e</HI> are at pre&s;ent commanded by the <HI>Master of the Camp.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Light hor&s;e and other forces under continuall pay.</NOTE> The King hath com|monly under pay about <HI>a hundred and forty Cornets</HI> of cavalry di&s;tri|buted into 56 <HI>Regiments,</HI> be&s;ides of <HI>Strangers twelve:</HI> Of <HI>Infantry</HI> the King hath two hundred and ten, whereof &s;ome <HI>Regiments</HI>
<PB N="65" REF="56">have thirty Companies, and every company payed for eigh|ty men effective. Moreover, his <HI>Maje&s;tie</HI> hath divers Regi|ments of &s;trangers, whereof enough hath been &s;aid in the be|ginning.</P>
<P>The <HI>Armada Naval</HI> may be compo&s;ed of about <HI>twenty men of Warr,</HI> and as many Gallies;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Armada Naval.</NOTE> I have &s;hewed you before how the&s;e Forces are payed, and therefore we will proceed to the <HI>Governours of the Provinces,</HI> as being likewi&s;e Men of <HI>Armes.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Governours of Provin|ces</HI> have their <HI>Commi&s;&s;ions</HI> (which are &s;imple and depending on the plea&s;ure of the King) <HI>ve|rified</HI> in <HI>Parliament,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Governours of prov<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">nces, cities and &s;orts.</NOTE> where they have their <HI>&s;eats</HI> next after the <HI>premiers pre&s;idents:</HI> they are in &s;ome degree equivalent to our <HI>Lieutenants of the &s;hire,</HI> but exer|ci&s;e a much more vigorous power, which is yet re&s;trained to matters of <HI>Armes;</HI> for in other ju&s;tice
<PB N="66" REF="57">they meddle not at all. So likewi&s;e the <HI>Governors of Cities, Fortre&s;&s;es,</HI> and places of &s;trength, all which are cho&s;en of per&s;ons of Blood, Valour and merit. But before we altogether quit this &s;ubject of Armes, it wil not be im|pertinent to &s;ay &s;omthing here of the order of <HI>Knighthood in</HI> France.</P>
<P>I &s;hall not much amu&s;e you with tho&s;e <HI>orders</HI> which are &s;o far antiquated,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Orders of Chevalrie in France.</NOTE> that even the He|ralds them&s;elves can &s;carcely ren|der us any certain accompt: Such is that which is named <HI>de la Genette,</HI> In&s;tituted by <HI>Charls Martel,</HI> or the Order <HI>de l'E&s;toile</HI> by King <HI>John,</HI> the Order of the <HI>Croi&s;ant, Porc E&s;pic,</HI> nor much concerning the order of Saint <HI>Michael</HI> it &s;elf,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">In&s;tituted 1469 by Lewis the eleventh.</NOTE> although not ma|ny ages &s;ince fir&s;t in&s;tituted, and for a long while, the prin|cipal Order in the Kingdome; compo&s;ed but of 36, becau&s;e (as the manner of this <HI>Nation</HI> is to be as &s;oon weary of their new inven|ons, as children are of Rattles)
<PB N="67" REF="57">they begin to have this Order al|ready in contempt,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ordre de S. Michael.</NOTE> albeit the chain and pendent badg be com|monly re&s;erved in the <HI>Coat Ar|mours,</HI> together with that which is now in Vogue, and next en&s;ues.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ordre du <HI>S.</HI> E&s;prit. In|&s;titution.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>L'Ordre du S. E&s;prit</HI> was in|&s;tituted on <HI>new years Day, Anno</HI> 1579, <HI>by Henry the third,</HI> and ho|noured with that name, becau&s;e he was both born, and afterwards Elected <HI>King of Polonia</HI> on <HI>Whit&s;onday:</HI> This Prince re&s;trai|ned the number al&s;o to thirty &s;ix; but that is likewi&s;e as indefinite as it plea&s;es the King: how|ever, it remaines yet the <HI>Order</HI> of greate&s;t e&s;teem, and therefore let us look a while upon the Cere|monies of the <HI>Inauguration.</HI></P>
<P>The day of their <HI>Reception</HI> they appear all in <HI>Cloath of &s;ilver,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Reception.</NOTE> their cloaks (e&s;pecially the capes) cut <HI>a l'antique,</HI> of black velvet; which they put off and change, to receive on them a robe of <HI>green</HI> Velvet ful of Embroydred <HI>tongues of fire:</HI> then re|maining on their knees, the King
<PB N="68" REF="58">hands between the palmes of his own, &s;triking them lightly upon the &s;houlder, and <HI>ki&s;&s;es</HI> their Cheeke.</P>
<P>Ordinarily they wear a Flame,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Order.</NOTE> or Orange colour Cro&s;&s;e of vel|vet upon the left &s;ide of their cloakes, in the mid&s;t whereof is embo&s;ted a <HI>dove</HI> of &s;ilver, and about it a glory of Rayes, like that which our Knights of the Garter in England do wear, as ha|ving fir&s;t a&s;&s;umed that <HI>mode</HI> from the <HI>French,</HI> albeit for Antiquity of the <HI>Order,</HI> ours &s;tands much before it.</P>
<P>About their bodies likewi&s;e they wear a <HI>blew ribbon</HI> which of late they have <HI>watered,</HI> and at the end of that a <HI>Cro&s;&s;e of Gold</HI> in the mid&s;t whereof there is enna|mailed a <HI>White Dove:</HI> and this is all which I finde ob&s;erva|ble.</P>
<P>We have been hitherto very &s;i|lent of the <HI>State Eccle&s;ia&s;tick</HI> in particular,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">State Hie|rarchical.</NOTE> which although it come la&s;t in <HI>Order,</HI> yet was it one
<PB N="69" REF="58">of the fir&s;t in mine <HI>intention,</HI> as con&s;i&s;ting of <HI>Per&s;ons</HI> who be&s;ides their qualities both for Extracti|on and <HI>Letters,</HI> po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e alone one third part of the total Revenue of <HI>France.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Arch Bi&s;hops</HI> of this king|dom are in number fifteen,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Archbi&s;hops &amp; Bi&s;hops.</NOTE> where|of he of <HI>Lyons</HI> is the <HI>Primate</HI> and <HI>Metropolitan,</HI> and &s;ome of the&s;e be <HI>Peers. Bi&s;hopricks,</HI> two hundred and one.</P>
<P>Of this <HI>Hierarchy</HI> is compo&s;ed <HI>l' Egli&s;e Gallicane,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">L'Egli&s;e Gallicane.</NOTE> which by the <HI>concordats</HI> made with the <HI>Pope,</HI> hath &s;undry rights and priviled|ges extraordinary, which for that they are not much incident to our di&s;cour&s;e, we will purpo&s;ely o|mit, and content our &s;elves with what hath been briefly &s;poken.</P>
<P>Having thus, as I was able, fini&s;hed my <HI>de&s;igne</HI> and your <HI>re|que&s;t,</HI> with what &s;uccinctne&s;&s;e &amp; per&s;picuity I might (for herein I am obliged to &s;ome <HI>Relations,</HI> more di&s;cour&s;es, and a little expe|rience)
<PB N="70" REF="59">I will make bold (the better to let you under&s;tand the full nature of things as they &s;ub|&s;i&s;t and are govern'd at pre&s;ent) to rea&s;&s;ume the <HI>Argument,</HI> &amp; de|liver you the be&s;t and more &s;olid opinions of men concerning the particulars already &s;poken of.</P>
<P>The <HI>Government of France</HI> doth at pre&s;ent rather totter then &s;tand upon the late great <HI>Cardi|nals</HI> &s;ub&s;truction;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pre&s;ent Go|vernment of France.</NOTE>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Q. Regent.</NOTE> the <HI>Queen Regent</HI> having ever &s;ince his de|cea&s;e continued in the principall mini&s;try of State affairs:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Card. Maza|tini.</NOTE> Her fa|vourite <HI>Mazarini,</HI> a per&s;on of (to &s;peak with the world) farre greater fortune, then either ex|traction or vertue; however he hath &s;teered this great ve&s;&s;el of Monarchy a long time, and that amid&s;t &s;o many &s;tormes, and in &s;uch foul weather, as whether his craft or courage exceeds it is not yet decided: certaine it is, that as he hath longer held in, then by &s;ome wi&s;e men it was judg'd he could, &s;o &s;ome late acti|ons
<PB N="71" REF="59">of his (interpreted to have been ingratefull enough) make o|thersdaily co~fident of his ab&s;olute ruine: and in truth, he doth play &s;o hazardous a game at pre&s;ent, that as the hand is univer&s;ally turned, it were great odds to lay on Confu&s;ions &s;ide, &s;o prodigious a fatality now threatning <HI>Princes,</HI> that if <HI>France</HI> compo&s;e not &s;udden+ly, the&s;e calamities I am confident, will <HI>epidemically</HI> vi&s;ite <HI>Europe</HI> for a time. And why it &s;hould be that this active <HI>Nation</HI> have endured &s;o many <HI>Strangers</HI> to governe them thus in cheif,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Government by &s;trangers incident to this monar|chie.</NOTE> I am much to &s;eek for a rea&s;on, when I &s;tea|dily behold the univer&s;al prompt|ne&s;&s;e of the <HI>Noble&s;&s;e;</HI> unle&s;&s;e peradventure to avoid emulation at <HI>Court</HI> 'twixt &s;o many greater Princes and Subjects, as might el&s;e pretend to highe&s;t Authority, they rather &s;ubmit them&s;elves to the meane&s;t <HI>Alien.</HI> But this by way of <HI>glo&s;&s;e</HI> and <HI>&s;pecies,</HI> not o|pinion. The &s;ubtill have e|ver been too hard for the &s;imple:
<PB N="72" REF="60">and though the law deny women &s;ucce&s;&s;ion to the Crown, yet the Fate of the kingdome, and ad|dre&s;&s;es of the &s;ex, furni&s;h'd them a title which hath fully recompen|&s;ed for that injury.</P>
<P>The <HI>Noble&s;&s;e</HI> of <HI>France</HI> com|prehend the <HI>Gentry,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Noble&s;&s;e of France, and Gentry the &s;ame thing.</NOTE> under one and the &s;ame common term; nor indeed is there in any <HI>Kingdome</HI> (&s;ave ours onely) that &s;evere di|&s;tinction of <HI>Minores</HI> and <HI>Ma|jores</HI> among&s;t the <HI>Nobility:</HI> a difference which &s;ome think nei|ther &s;uits with true policy or ju|&s;tice. But quitting this deci&s;ion to whom it belongs, we are (as I &s;aid) in this <HI>Dominion</HI> to take, the <HI>Noble&s;&s;e</HI> (that is the <HI>Gentry</HI>) for the &s;ole vi&s;ible body, and con&s;equently the <HI>Plebeians</HI> of a far more vile,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Plebeians, their mi&s;ery.</NOTE> and naturally &s;la|vi&s;h genius, then they really are in any part of <HI>Chri&s;tendome</HI> be|&s;ides; which meanne&s;&s;e of &s;pirit I ea&s;ily conjecture to have been long &s;ince contracted from the o|ver &s;everity and liberty of their
<PB N="73" REF="60">Superiors; their incomparable paucity, and exce&s;&s;ive oppre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>Other <HI>immunities,</HI> be&s;ides the fore rehear&s;ed, which the <HI>Noble&s;s</HI> enjoy in <HI>France,</HI> is, that with their <HI>Pen&s;ions</HI> and <HI>Governments,</HI> they are likewi&s;e exempted from all <HI>Contributions</HI> upon their own <HI>de|mains;</HI> which doth &s;o far oblige them to their <HI>Prince,</HI> that there are none which render him &s;uch real and con&s;iderable &s;ervice, up|on all urgent and brisk occa&s;ions,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Service the Nob<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">lity of France <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">eld their Prince. Ban and Ar|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">er<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">Ban.</NOTE> as do the <HI>Gentry;</HI> e&s;pecially, at what time the <HI>Ban</HI> and <HI>Arrier-Ban</HI> be &s;ummoned to their &s;everal a&s;&s;ignations: And to this He|roique life of the <HI>Field,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chevalry, t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ei<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> gene|ral profe&s;&s;i|on.</NOTE> they are generally addicted, as being there|to excellently di&s;ciplined from their very <HI>Cradles;</HI> by which means, certainly they become the be&s;t e&s;teemed, and mo&s;t adroict <HI>Cavalry of Europe;</HI> nor doth this early education of them <HI>abroad,</HI> prejudice the State at home; for being kept, and di&s;&s;evered from projecting of commotion in the
<PB N="74" REF="61"><HI>Country,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rebellions for the mo&s;t part impro|&s;perous in France; and why?</NOTE> their <HI>Rebellions</HI> have been for the mo&s;t part, though fre|quent, yet impro&s;perous, &s;o con|&s;iderable a party ever remaining with the <HI>Prince,</HI> who&s;e per&s;onal pre&s;ence with them in the <HI>Field,</HI> gives an extraordinary life, and loyalty to their Actions.</P>
<P>As touching the <HI>Plebeians</HI> or <HI>Roturiers</HI> of <HI>France;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Commons, their liti+gious nature in France.</NOTE> truly I e|&s;teem them for the mo&s;t mi&s;era|ble object, that one may likely behold upon the face of the Earth; e&s;pecially, tho&s;e which live towards the <HI>Frontiers,</HI> &s;o im|mea&s;urably exhau&s;ted by <HI>Taxa|tions, Gabels, Impo&s;itions, Spoyls,</HI> and <HI>Contributions,</HI> unto which they are generally obnoxious: The re&s;t of the <HI>two fir&s;t E&s;tates,</HI> together with al their dependants, living onely upon their <HI>Revenues,</HI> remain free and exempt; but that which addes not a little to their <HI>Ruine,</HI> is (for all this) their extraor|dinary <HI>litigious nature,</HI> and <HI>vindi|cative di&s;po&s;ition,</HI> e&s;pecially tho&s;e of <HI>Normandy, Bretagne, Ga&s;cogny,</HI>
<PB N="75" REF="61">and <HI>Provence;</HI> &s;o that, what with the premi&s;es, delay of their <HI>Pro|ce&s;s,</HI> and the abominable corrup|tion of <HI>Ju&s;tice,</HI> this rank of people &s;eldom or never arrive to any con&s;iderable Fortune or Compe|tency, by their own wit or indu|&s;try, as do &s;o many of our <HI>Yeomen</HI> and <HI>Farmers</HI> in <HI>England.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Farmers in England.</NOTE> By the&s;e means al&s;o, their &s;pirits becoming &s;o abjectly deba&s;ed, they are not able to afford their <HI>Prince</HI> that ready &s;ervice in matter of <HI>Arms,</HI> as indeed their multitudes and nece&s;&s;ities, both promi&s;e and re|quire: To &s;upply which defect, in all <HI>Expeditions of Con&s;equence,</HI> the <HI>King</HI> makes u&s;e of the <HI>Ga&s;|cons</HI> and <HI>Bi&s;caians,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Auxiliaries in the French Ar|mies.</NOTE> who being bred about the Confines and Frontiers of <HI>Spain,</HI> are much the better Soldiers, and e&s;teemed for the be&s;t <HI>Infantry</HI> of <HI>France;</HI> as al&s;o of the <HI>Dutch, Scotch, Iri&s;h, Italian,</HI> and others, in whom, to|gether with the <HI>Sui&s;&s;e</HI> (a mo&s;t principal Ingredient) con&s;i&s;teth their greate&s;t <HI>Foot confidence;</HI> the
<PB N="76" REF="62">more con&s;iderable part, whereof being <HI>mercenary Auxiliaries,</HI> and very frequently left in great arrears, might peradventure ad|mini&s;ter to <HI>Politicians</HI> &s;ufficient cau&s;e of &s;u&s;pition and di&s;cour&s;e; but the event having hitherto, for many ages pa&s;t, been nothing prejudicial, takes away any far|ther occa&s;ion of di&s;pute.</P>
<P>The <HI>People of Trade</HI> and <HI>Me|chanicks,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mecha|niques of France.</NOTE> are nothing &s;o contemp|tible as the <HI>common&s;ort,</HI> of whom we have &s;poken a little; many of them living very decently and hand&s;omly in their hou&s;es, e&s;pe|cially the better &s;ort of <HI>Mer|chants,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Merchants.</NOTE> who are better furni&s;hed then the re&s;t; howbeit, in com|petition with our <HI>Country-men</HI> of the &s;ame <HI>quality,</HI> to be e&s;teemed, in truth, but as mean <HI>Mounte|banks,</HI> and incon&s;iderable <HI>Pedlers.</HI> Tho&s;e of greate&s;t Wealth and Commerce, being &s;ome crafty <HI>Italian</HI> or <HI>Portugues,</HI> who (du|ring the time of the late, and pre|&s;ent <HI>Cardinal</HI>) have ama&s;&s;ed very
<PB N="77" REF="62">con&s;iderable E&s;tates, and great Riches And here we may pro|perly ob&s;erve, That no <HI>Gentleman</HI> will in <HI>France</HI> binde his yonge&s;t &s;on to any <HI>Trade</HI> or <HI>Mechanique Calling</HI> whatever, under that of a <HI>Military life,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Appren<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">i|&s;age c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">unt|ed a diminu|tion of ho|nor in France.</NOTE> as e&s;teeming eve|ry <HI>Apprenti&s;age</HI> and &s;ubjection, a &s;tain and diminution to the Ho|nor and Dignity of his <HI>Family;</HI> the like al&s;o, they for the mo&s;t part ob&s;erve in their <HI>Marriages</HI> and <HI>Alliances:</HI> but herein the <HI>German</HI> is mo&s;t religious.</P>
<P>The <HI>Nobility and Gentry</HI> of this Kingdom differ much from the <HI>garb</HI> of living in <HI>England,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">No<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ilities Garbe of living in France.</NOTE> both within, (and till of late) without doors: They have many of them va&s;t e&s;tates, either in Lands or Offices; the Revenues whereof they chu&s;e rather to &s;pend at <HI>Paris,</HI> and other great Cities, in a &s;pecious <HI>Retinue</HI> of <HI>Coaches, Pa|ges,</HI> and <HI>Laquaies,</HI> then &s;uffer them&s;elves to be eaten up at <HI>home</HI> in the country in the likene&s;&s;e of <HI>Beef and Mu&s;tard,</HI> among their
<PB N="78" REF="63">unthankful <HI>Neighbours.</HI> This af|fection of theirs to re&s;ide for the mo&s;t part in the chief <HI>Towns</HI> of the Kingdom,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Corporati|ons.</NOTE> is the rea&s;on why the <HI>Corporations</HI> are little con&s;i|derable, as not daring to be brew|ing and hatching &s;uch <HI>Factions,</HI> as where the Gentry and civiller &s;ort of Mankinde are univer&s;ally given to <HI>&s;olitary</HI> and <HI>unactive lives</HI> in the country. Be&s;ides, the Gentlemen are generally gi|ven to tho&s;e laudable Magnificen|cies of <HI>Building,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Magnifi|cence of the Nobility &amp; Gentry.</NOTE> and furni&s;hing their <HI>Palaces</HI> with the mo&s;t pre|cious Moveables, much of the <HI>luxe</HI> and <HI>exce&s;&s;e</HI> of <HI>Italy,</HI> being now far entred among&s;t them, as may well &s;erve to exemplifie, when in the <HI>Dutche&s;s of Chaulmes</HI> her Palace neer the <HI>Place Royal in Paris,</HI> the <HI>pennaches,</HI> or tu&s;ts of plumes belonging to one of her <HI>beds</HI> onely, is e&s;timated worth <HI>fourteen thou&s;and livers,</HI> which amounts to neer a <HI>thou&s;and pounds</HI> &s;terling of our money.</P>
<P>Every <HI>great Per&s;on</HI> who builds
<PB N="79" REF="63">here,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Great pre|tenders to learning.</NOTE> however qualified with <HI>in|tellectuals,</HI> pretends to his <HI>Elabo|ratory</HI> and <HI>Library:</HI> for the fur|ni&s;hing of which la&s;t, he doth not much amu&s;e him&s;elf in the particular elections of either <HI>Au|thors</HI> or <HI>Impre&s;&s;ions;</HI> but having erected his ca&s;es and mea&s;ured them, accords with a <HI>Stationer</HI> to furni&s;h him with &s;o many <HI>gilded Folioes,</HI> &s;o many <HI>yard of quarto's,</HI> and <HI>octavo's</HI> by the great, till his <HI>Bibliotheke</HI> be full of Volumes. And yet &s;ome of them, both have excellent books, and are very po|lite <HI>Scholers:</HI> but the <HI>Noble&s;&s;e</HI> do not naturally &s;o addict them|&s;elves to &s;tudie, as the <HI>Gown-men</HI> do; accounting it a life &s;o <HI>con|templative,</HI> and below their &s;pi|rits,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phy&s;ick and Law de&s;pi|&s;ed by the Nobility of France.</NOTE> that no <HI>Gentlemans</HI> nece&s;&s;ity what&s;oever &s;hall ea&s;ily engage him to &s;eek any &s;upport, either by <HI>Phy&s;ick</HI> or <HI>Law:</HI> both which <HI>Profe&s;&s;ions</HI> are (as in truth they highly merit) in very laudable e|&s;teem and reputation among&s;t us in <HI>England.</HI></P>
<PB N="80" REF="64">
<P>The <HI>State Eccle&s;ia&s;tick</HI> (com|prehending that of the <HI>Religion</HI>) is of two &s;orts;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">State Eccle|&s;ia&s;tick of France.</NOTE> the greater part whereof being <HI>Pontificians,</HI> and the <HI>Prote&s;tants,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prote&s;tants.</NOTE> commonly called tho&s;e of the <HI>Religion,</HI> (and by them with this adjunct, <HI>Pre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">endue Reform&eacute;e</HI>) who exerci&s;e the Do|ctrine and Di&s;cipline of <HI>Gene|va.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Roman Catholicks</HI> of France are nothing &s;o preci&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Roman Ca|th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">cks of Fra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">, how they differ from others of the &s;ame Religion.</NOTE> &s;e|cret, and <HI>bigoti&s;h</HI> as are either the <HI>Recu&s;ants</HI> of <HI>England, Spain,</HI> or <HI>Italy;</HI> but are for the mo&s;t part an <HI>indifferent &s;ort of Chri&s;tians,</HI> na|turally not &s;o &s;uper&s;titious and devout, nor in &s;uch <HI>Va&s;&s;allage</HI> to his <HI>Holine&s;&s;e,</HI> as in other parts of <HI>Europe,</HI> where the &s;ame opinions are profe&s;&s;ed; which <HI>indifferency,</HI> whether I may approve of, or condemn, I need not declare here.</P>
<P>As for the <HI>poor Prote&s;tants,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prote&s;tants, how eclip&s;|ed &amp; weak|ned of late.</NOTE> they are now &s;o incon&s;iderable, &s;ince the late Succe&s;&s;es of the <HI>Cardinal Richlieu,</HI> and e&s;pecially our <HI>Na|tions
<PB N="81" REF="64">reproach,</HI> and their misfor|tune at <HI>La Rochelle;</HI> that for the pre&s;ent they po&s;&s;e&s;s no one place of &s;trength, or any other &s;ingular immunity above others, as being defeated of all <HI>Eminent Per&s;ons,</HI> either of <HI>Birth</HI> or <HI>Charge,</HI> who might be able to defend or Coun|&s;el them at need; the <HI>Court</HI> ha|ving now rendred mo&s;t of them <HI>Pro&s;elytes,</HI> by <HI>Preferments</HI> or <HI>In|tere&s;ts,</HI> or other effectual means: Howbeit, &s;uch as remain (and of which too there are likewi&s;e a very con&s;iderable body) are per|mitted peaceably to enjoy their <HI>Con&s;ciences,</HI> upon renovation of the late <HI>Edict of Pacification;</HI> and are undoubtedly, in ca&s;e of any con&s;iderable <HI>Rebellion,</HI> capa|ble to form a very ballancing and pondrous party; but with no|thing that <HI>front</HI> and confidence which within the&s;e <HI>twenty years</HI> pa&s;t, they might have done; when they dur&s;t even beard the <HI>King,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The cau&s;e of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> and protect &s;uch as retired to them, from his di&s;plea&s;ure, in
<PB N="82" REF="65">mo&s;t of his, now &s;tronge&s;t Towns and places of <HI>Importance:</HI> But the <HI>Scean</HI> is now much altered, and they &s;hrewdly contracted, e&s;pecially &s;ince the &s;tir under that late and incomparable per&s;on, the <HI>D. of Rohan:</HI> the folly of their own private Intere&s;ts, having e|vidently proved their fatal de|&s;truction; as it is mo&s;t frequent|ly &s;een to fall out (fir&s;t or la&s;t) among&s;t all contrivers of <HI>Civil</HI> and <HI>Popular Di&s;&s;entions.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Fate of civil di&s;&s;entions. Little Schi&s;m a|mong&s;t the Prote&s;tants, betwixt them&s;elves, and why.</NOTE> How|ever, thus far I mu&s;t needs vindi|cate the <HI>Prote&s;tants of France,</HI> That we finde not among&s;t them tho&s;e frequent <HI>Schi&s;matiques</HI> and broachers of ridiculous <HI>Enthu|&s;ia&s;ms,</HI> as abound among&s;t us; every particular &s;o unanimou&s;ly concurring with their <HI>Pa&s;tor,</HI> That, in truth, they are herein not unworthy to be commended; though that <HI>vertue</HI> likewi&s;e were the more e&s;timable, were it not certainly con&s;trained by the vigi|lancy of their <HI>Antagoni&s;ts,</HI> who watch all advantages to di&s;com,
<PB N="83" REF="65">po&s;e, and defame them. To be &s;hort, though they have lo&s;t many great ones, and much &s;trength, and that the form of their Di&s;ci|pline invite few, yet the light of their attempts hath invited &s;o many to look into the rea&s;on of things beyond the mask of <HI>Tra|dition,</HI> and <HI>my&s;tery</HI> of <HI>Policy,</HI> that it is both thought, and well known, That even divers of tho&s;e who are per&s;ons of greate&s;t emi|nency, both in <HI>Church and State,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Inclinations of many great ones to a Reforma|tion.</NOTE> have &s;o good an inclination to change &s;ome points of the recei|ved opinions, That were it not more out of <HI>&s;ecular</HI> con&s;iderati|on, to lo&s;e their preferments, then any other inconveniency, many of them would openly <HI>profe&s;s</HI> them&s;elves <HI>Jan&s;eniani&s;ts,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jan&s;enia|ni&s;ts, Mou|lini&s;ts.</NOTE> <HI>Moulini&s;ts, &amp;c.</HI> Who&s;e opini|ons, as they infinitely propagate among&s;t them, &s;o do they come on a great way towards a <HI>Refor|mation.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Forces of France</HI> is that which renders it (as indeed it doth
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Forces of France.</NOTE>
<PB N="84" REF="66">all other Kingdoms) mo&s;t for|midable <HI>abroad,</HI> and &s;ecure at <HI>home.</HI></P>
<P>The <HI>Frame</HI> and <HI>Po&s;iture</HI> of the <HI>Continent,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Advantage|ous &s;ite of France.</NOTE> &s;ituated as it were in the <HI>Navel</HI> of all the <HI>Chri&s;tian World,</HI> qualifies it to collect, unite and di&s;po&s;e of her forces; for it hath <HI>Spain</HI> and <HI>Italy</HI> before it, <HI>England</HI> behinde; The <HI>Seas</HI> up|on the right, and <HI>Germany</HI> upon the left-hand; at one corner the <HI>Neatherlands,</HI> and the <HI>Cantons</HI> of the <HI>Sui&s;&s;e</HI> at the other; all of them potent, con&s;iderable, and active <HI>Neighbors;</HI> and where they intermit, it is a worthy pro&s;pect to behold, how <HI>Nature</HI> hath &s;erved and defended her with the <HI>Pyrenes, Alps, Ocean,</HI> and <HI>Mediterranean Seas,</HI> while&s;t &s;he &s;itting &s;ecure from any &s;ubitane|ous irruption or natural <HI>preten&s;ion,</HI> may well be pronounced, a fair and mo&s;t <HI>Ju&s;t Empire;</HI> and e&s;pe|cially, &s;ince the later acce&s;&s;ion of <HI>Bretagne, Guyenne, Normandy</HI> (once the goodly portions of the
<PB N="85" REF="66"><HI>Engli&s;h</HI>) and <HI>Bourgogne,</HI> who are now all of them under one <HI>Prince,</HI> as having enjoyed hereto|fore every one their proper <HI>Dukes;</HI> by who&s;e favor or &s;pleen there was always a facile entrance for any potent &s;tranger to di&s;turbe the re&s;t of the <HI>Kingdom;</HI> the con|&s;equencies whereof, have filled almo&s;t every modern <HI>Chronicle.</HI> And to the &s;tronger twi&s;ting of this Cord, &s;uch prudence hath been had of late times, that all tho&s;e great and powerful hou&s;es remain now no more divided (as &s;till among&s;t the <HI>Princes</HI> of <HI>Italy</HI> and <HI>Germany</HI>) the <HI>Cadets</HI> and yonger <HI>Brothers,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cadets and yonger Bro|thers, all Soldiers of Fortune.</NOTE> minding for the mo&s;t part no greater preferments, then what they cut out with their Sword, and merit in <HI>Field</HI> by be|ing <HI>Soldiers</HI> of <HI>Fortune.</HI></P>
<P>As for the <HI>Forces by Sea,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Francis the fir&s;t, re|proached, and why?</NOTE> as it was never great, &s;o we do not read, That ever any &s;ignal <HI>action</HI> hath been atchieved by any of their <HI>Navigations;</HI> for which cau&s;e, <HI>Francis the fir&s;t,</HI> was once
<PB N="86" REF="67">pritty well re&s;olved to make u&s;e of the <HI>Turk,</HI> and call in that &s;tout <HI>Mi&s;ercant,</HI> to the eternal reproach, both of that <HI>Prince</HI> and <HI>Nation;</HI> notwith&s;tanding, at this in&s;tant,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Maritime Forces and Havens.</NOTE> their <HI>Maritime</HI> &s;trength is not totally &s;o contemptible, having a very &s;tately and con&s;ide|rable <HI>Armada</HI> of hand&s;om <HI>Gal|lies,</HI> in mo&s;t of their <HI>Mediterra|nean Ports,</HI> as at <HI>Toulon, Mar&s;e|illes,</HI> and other places, which are Ve&s;&s;els of excellent u&s;e and &s;er|vice upon tho&s;e <HI>Seas:</HI> On the <HI>Ocean,</HI> I confe&s;s, both their <HI>Ship|ping</HI> and <HI>Traffique</HI> have been a|like trivial; and yet of late, they have greatly augmented their Fleet, e&s;pecially &s;ince the time (to our <HI>Nations</HI> egregious &s;hame and di&s;honor) that they have made &s;o large inroads and gaps into <HI>Flanders,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Late Ac|qui&s;ts.</NOTE> towards the <HI>Sea Coa&s;ts;</HI> Witne&s;s tho&s;e &s;trong Towns and Havens of <HI>Dunkirk, Mardike, &amp;c.</HI> Stout Forts, and very commodious Harbors for <HI>&s;hipping;</HI> &s;o that a little time (if
<PB N="87" REF="67">we will &s;till &s;uffer it) may like|wi&s;e furni&s;h them with Ships enough to make them &s;tand in a bolder competition with their Neighbors.</P>
<P>But the more principall Nerve of the French <HI>Power</HI> con&s;i&s;ts in his <HI>Forces at Land;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Land Forces</NOTE> and among&s;t them (as hath already been touched) chiefly his <HI>Cavalry,</HI> which is of &s;trength and &s;pectacle both of admiration and gallantry,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cavalry of France the be&s;t of Eu|rope.</NOTE> they being for the greater part compo&s;ed of <HI>Gentlemen,</HI> who ge|nerally &s;o bequeath them&s;elves to this &s;ervice, that hee who (a|mong&s;t them) hath not <HI>made</HI> two or three <HI>Campagnas</HI> (as they u&s;e to term it) by that time he is 18 yeers of age (is e&s;teemed as a per&s;on <HI>la&s;che,</HI> that is, of a &s;oft education and &s;mall repute: Be|&s;ides,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Hor&s;e an exerci&s;e proper to the French youth. Their Aca|demies and other Gym|na&s;ticks.</NOTE> the <HI>Hor&s;e</HI> is an exerci&s;e unto which they have &s;o naturall a di&s;|po&s;ition and addre&s;&s;e, that the whole earth doth not contain &s;o many <HI>Academies</HI> dedicated chief|ly to this Di&s;cipline, &amp; other mar|tiall
<PB N="88" REF="68"><HI>Gymnastiques,</HI> wherein they hand&s;omly attain to competent perfection in what&s;oever is active and proper for their youth and inclinations.</P>
<P>And what incomparable <HI>&s;oul|diers</HI> this Country hath in all a|ges bred,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Souldiery of France com|mended.</NOTE> we need look out no further for te&s;timony, then their many pa&s;t and pre&s;ent Acqui&s;iti|ons and Enterpri&s;es, under <HI>Har|court, Condy, Ga&s;&s;ion,</HI> and infinite others: be&s;ides, (what is no tri|vial mark of our a&s;&s;ertion) the multitudes of &s;uch who are at pre&s;ent imployed in the Services of Forraign Princes. Very un|denyable it is,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Spani&s;h and Fr. In&s;antry compared</NOTE> that the <HI>Spani&s;h</HI> Infantry is too hard for the <HI>French</HI> Foot: for the <HI>Pea&s;ants</HI> of <HI>France</HI> (of whom they &s;hould na|turally con&s;i&s;t) are thought (and that upon good grounds) to be more then accidentally improper and <HI>mal-adroict</HI> for that &s;ervice: Howbeit, we finde (and that by quotidian experience) that <HI>Cu|&s;tome,</HI> or &s;omething el&s;e more pro|pitious,
<PB N="89" REF="68">hath much altered and reformed their Natures, even in this particular in&s;tance: And for ought I perceive, they keep what they have gotten, and become as good Soldiers, as tho&s;e who brag &s;o much of their <HI>low&s;ie</HI> and <HI>tena|cious Epitheton:</HI> But I mu&s;t con|fe&s;s, how few <HI>Indigene</HI> and na|turall <HI>Spaniards</HI> &s;erve now again&s;t them; all the old brave foot having been for the greater part &s;lain, or continued unrecruted, at and &s;ince the &s;ignal Battel of <HI>Ro|croy,</HI> where (thogh with their own de&s;tinies) they bravely made good that general and worthy repute w^c^h the world hath of the <HI>Infan|try</HI> of that Nation. And however, had this reproach a more &s;olid ground,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">A &s;aying of Machiavel.</NOTE> yet that &s;aying of <HI>Ma|chiavel</HI> in his <HI>Ritratto,</HI> That <HI>Le Fanterie che &s;i fanno in</HI> Francia <HI>non po&s;&s;ono e&s;&s;er buono per che gli &egrave;, gran tempo che non hanno hauuto guerra, e per que&s;to non hanno &s;pe|rienza alcuna, &amp;c.</HI> Is now no more an Argument, Then that
<PB N="90" REF="69">the <HI>premi&s;es</HI> being changed, the Conclu&s;ion mu&s;t needs remain, con&s;idering that the <HI>Cau&s;e</HI> being taken away, through their pre&s;ent exerci&s;e, and perpetual <HI>War,</HI> the <HI>Effect and Defect</HI> cannot of con|&s;equence en&s;ue, as we have already &s;ufficiently proved: or admit it were yet &s;o, I hope the <HI>Sui&s;&s;e</HI> and other faithful <HI>Mercenaries</HI> to that Crown, abundantly &s;up|ply all the&s;e wants and prejudices; mo&s;t of which, yet notwith&s;tand|ing, for my part, were, I think, fir&s;t hired rather out of con&s;idera|tion of <HI>diver&s;ion,</HI> and &s;ince <HI>cu&s;tom,</HI> then otherwi&s;e out of any pure nece&s;&s;ity. That likewi&s;e which made the <HI>Armies</HI> of <HI>France</HI> &s;o incon&s;iderable for native Foot Soldiers, may with much rea&s;on too (if we plea&s;e) be attributed unto <HI>Lewis the Eleventh</HI> his di&s;|arming of the <HI>Commons;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Con&s;equence of di&s;arming the Com|mons.</NOTE> by which advice, the <HI>King</HI> indeed became more <HI>ab&s;olute</HI> at home among&s;t his <HI>Va&s;&s;als,</HI> but a great deal le&s;s for|midable <HI>abroad</HI> among&s;t his <HI>Ene|mies:</HI>
<PB N="91" REF="69">And herein it was, that his <HI>Neighbors</HI> &s;tood him in &s;tead.</P>
<P>Another thing rendring this <HI>Kingdom</HI> very con&s;iderable for an <HI>Army,</HI> is,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">France a|bundant in people and Victuals.</NOTE> their <HI>Prolifique</HI> mul|tiplying; for <HI>Europe</HI> embraceth not a more <HI>populous Nation,</HI> nor more abounding in <HI>Victuals,</HI> which is the <HI>belly</HI> of that cruel Bea&s;t, called <HI>War;</HI> &s;o <HI>Fertil,</HI> I &s;ay it is, That when <HI>Charls the fift</HI> entred into <HI>France</HI> by <HI>Pro|vence,</HI> and afterwards by <HI>Cham|paigne,</HI> it nouri&s;hed (be&s;ides the many Garri&s;ons thereof) more then an Hundred and fifty thou|&s;and Ravenous Soldiers; and even in the time of <HI>Charls the &s;ixth,</HI> there were found in this <HI>King|dom,</HI> Twenty thou&s;and Hor&s;e, and Thirty thou&s;and Foot, all con&s;i&s;ting of &s;trangers; and Fif|teen thou&s;and Hor&s;e, and One hundred thou&s;and Foot, all of <HI>Natural French.</HI> And verily, when we have &s;eriou&s;ly &s;urveigh|ed the complication of <HI>Enemies,</HI> which once inve&s;ted this <HI>King|dom,</HI>
<PB N="92" REF="70">when for <HI>Extent</HI> and <HI>Com|mand,</HI> it was far inferior to what it is at pre&s;ent, &s;ince the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> have been di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, <HI>Navar</HI> adjoyned, and other additions of great &s;trength: I &s;ay, when <HI>England, Germany, Spain,</HI> and <HI>Italy,</HI> invaded it on all parts, in the Reign of <HI>Francis the fir&s;t,</HI> as it will appear, how potent and able this Kingdom united, is to defend it &s;elf: So doth the con|&s;ideration of it &s;eem to me mo&s;t &s;trange, and altogether porten|tous.</P>
<P>Adde to the&s;e advantages,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Store of Arms, Am|munition, and Artille|ry.</NOTE> their &s;tore of good <HI>Arms</HI> and <HI>Muni|tion,</HI> excellent <HI>Artillery,</HI> many famous and well furni&s;hed <HI>Ma|gazines;</HI> in &s;um, Why &s;hould I farther tire you with particulars, when their pre&s;ent <HI>Exploits,</HI> and almo&s;t continual <HI>Triumphs,</HI> have planted the <HI>Flower de Lyces</HI> where ever they break ground. Wit|ne&s;s tho&s;e renowned adventures &s;ince <HI>Charlemaigne,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ancient and late Acqui&s;ts</NOTE> <HI>St. Lewis, Charls d'Anjou, Charls the eighth,
<PB N="93" REF="70">&amp;c.</HI> who&s;e Heroicque Atchieve|ments and glorious Trophies, have filled all Hi&s;tories and Countreys, even as far as <HI>A&s;ia</HI> her &s;elf; witne&s;s their Expediti|ons and Succe&s;&s;es at <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> in <HI>Egypt, Barbary, Cyprus, Greece, Naples, Saxony, Hungary,</HI> and &s;undry other places, even in the&s;e our times, and before our own doors; witne&s;s all their late <HI>Ac|qui&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Conque&s;ts</HI> in <HI>Catalu|nia, Spain, Italy, Flanders, &amp;c.</HI> Be&s;ides the Signal Battels and Sieges of <HI>Nordlingen, Rocroy, Perpignian, Theonvil, Arras, Dunkirk, &amp;c.</HI> Not to repeat the miraculous, or rather ingenious reduction of <HI>La Rochel, Mont|pelier,</HI> and other impregnable holds appertaining to the <HI>Pro|te&s;tants:</HI> So that if now we &s;ee them begin to decline, and re|fund what they have &s;o ha&s;tily &s;wallowed down, it is but the common fate of all <HI>humane under|takings,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The com|mon fate of all humane Enterpri&s;es</NOTE> all things having a period in this World, that had a begin|ning.</P>
<PB N="94" REF="71">
<P>And now,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Church neer a third part of France.</NOTE> albeit the <HI>Church</HI> (who is neer a good third part of <HI>France</HI>) doth in mo&s;t places (as the Proverb goes) neither lo&s;e nor defend any thing; yet here in times of publick and emer|gent nece&s;&s;ities, have they been made contribute mo&s;t bountiful|ly towards the maintaining of <HI>Armies</HI> and Supplyes.</P>
<P>Nor are the <HI>Frontiers,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Frontiers &amp; Maritime coa&s;ts how fortified at pre&s;ent.</NOTE> and <HI>Maritime</HI> coa&s;ts of this Kingdom &s;o ill fortified now, as in former times; but there hath been of late &s;o through a reformation and care had in that regard, that it were hard to call to minde a con|&s;iderable place at pre&s;ent but is capable to &s;upport a long and &s;trenuous re&s;i&s;tance; e&s;pecially tho&s;e Harbours and Keys of the Countrey which re&s;pect our Coa&s;ts: as <HI>Haver, Calais, Diepe,</HI> and divers other places of Im|portance.</P>
<P>In fine,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">State of Fr. at pre&s;ent.</NOTE> <HI>France</HI> is at this pre|&s;ent grown to that <HI>&s;tature,</HI> &s;o well <HI>planted,</HI> and commodiou&s;ly
<PB N="95" REF="71">laid to it &s;elf, that (but for their own madne&s;&s;e, and the feared fate of the&s;e times, which already begins to work) in the reall In|tere&s;t &amp; balance with her <HI>Neigh|bours,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">High time that a Non ultra were fixed to her greatne&s;&s;e.</NOTE> it were high time &s;he were now a little ob&s;erved, and a <HI>Non ultra</HI> fixed unto her proceedings and future a&s;pirings: Nor doubt I at all, but if the <HI>Low Countries</HI> were able to pre&s;erve her <HI>Neu|trality,</HI> but <HI>England</HI> with <HI>Spain</HI> (as poor and contemptible as &s;he is now grown) may one day &s;o exerci&s;e this ambitious Kingdom, as &s;he may be glad to contain her &s;elf within her own Confines, without mole&s;ting or incommo|ding of her <HI>Neighbours.</HI></P>
<P>I deny not,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The great|ne&s;s of Spain &s;u&s;picious, and how far it concerns us.</NOTE> that even the great|ne&s;&s;e of <HI>Spain</HI> her &s;elf were as much to be apprehended, equally as dangerous, did not her ac|cu&s;tomed &s;welling and unnatural <HI>Plethory</HI> mo&s;t certainly incline to a <HI>Tympanie,</HI> rather then &s;hew it proceeded from any &s;trong and <HI>&s;ane con&s;titution:</HI> their over|gra&s;ping
<PB N="96" REF="72">humour,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The humour of the Spa|niard liken|ed.</NOTE> being much like his, who de&s;iring a good handfull of <HI>&s;and,</HI> by griping it over hard, lo&s;eth more through his fingers, then he can carry away in all his palm:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">England's be&s;t bulwark and balance.</NOTE> So that in this ca&s;e, our onely be&s;t Bulwark is <HI>France;</HI> and <HI>(vice ver&s;&acirc;)</HI> op|po&s;'d to their power, <HI>Spain,</HI> &s;o long as this <HI>antipathie</HI> among&s;t them continues, and they remain in one entire bodie. For this cau&s;e it was,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Qu. Eliza|beths policy</NOTE> and for no other, that <HI>Queen Elizabeth</HI> would very wi&s;ely by no means con&s;ent to that offer of <HI>Cantonizing</HI> this Kingdom, when in the time of the late <HI>League</HI> &s;he was offered a con&s;iderable &s;hare. But on the other &s;ide,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Danger in the Acce&s;&s;i|on of the Low Coun|tries to Fr.</NOTE> the Acce&s;&s;ion of the <HI>Low Countries</HI> to this Empire, were beyond all compari&s;on more perillous, then if they had al&s;o never &s;tarted a&s;ide from their lawfull <HI>Ma&s;ter;</HI> and this by rea|&s;on of their <HI>Situation, Vicinity, Ports, Traffick, Towns of defence,</HI> the infinite di&s;advantages where|of
<PB N="97" REF="72">we &s;hould &s;oon acknowledge to our co&s;t and ignominy.</P>
<P>As touching the <HI>Prote&s;tants,</HI> they are yet &s;o numerous in <HI>France,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">That the Spaniard hath no pre|tence to a|lienate the French &s;ub|jects, by his in&s;truments the Je&s;uits, and why?</NOTE> and the <HI>Roman Catho|licks</HI> &s;o aver&s;e in that point, as there can never &s;pring up the lea&s;t appearance of hope that the King of <HI>Spain</HI> &s;hould ever pretend any thing in this Country by way of inclination or defection; how|ever, the late <HI>Je&s;uites</HI> (notwith|&s;tanding all tho&s;e &s;trict <HI>Edicts</HI> and <HI>Bans</HI> made again&s;t them) begin to &s;warme and re-e&s;tabli&s;h them&s;elves. And &s;o I have done with the more generall remarks worthy your con&s;ideration. I &s;hal onely &s;ay a word or two of the <HI>people,</HI> and of <HI>Paris</HI> in particular, and &s;o fini&s;h this task.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Genius and nature of the people.</NOTE></P>
<P>Concerning the <HI>Nature</HI> and <HI>Genius</HI> of the <HI>Inhabitants,</HI> that which the <HI>Prince of Politicians</HI> gives out of the <HI>French,</HI> where he affirms, that <HI>I France&s;i &s;ono per natura pi&ugrave;fieri, che gagliardi &ograve; de|&s;tri,</HI> Upon what <HI>Ce&s;ar</HI> of old
<PB N="98" REF="73">&s;aid of the <HI>Galli In&s;ubres,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cae&s;ars &s;ay|ing of the Galli In&s;u|bres.</NOTE> that in the beginning they appeared more then <HI>Men,</HI> but proved in the conclu&s;ion le&s;&s;e then <HI>Women,</HI> re|tains in it &s;till &s;omething of their pre&s;ent promptne&s;&s;e, and as &s;ud|den di&s;couragement: Upon which ob&s;ervation, the fore-cited <HI>Florentine</HI> notably advi&s;eth, <HI>Chi vuole &s;uperare j France&s;i &s;i guar|di dal primo loro impeto, &amp;c.</HI> That he who would vanqui&s;h the <HI>French,</HI> &s;hould be &s;ure to with|&s;tand and break their fir&s;t <HI>brusk</HI> and on&s;et; becau&s;e they u&s;ually ru&s;h on upon danger like a tor|rent, and in a de&s;perate fury, when they fir&s;t charge and joyn battell:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">French fury at on&s;et.</NOTE> but as nothing which is violent is permanent, &s;o <HI>expecta|tion</HI> as &s;oon ruines, and utterly daunts their courage.</P>
<P>But as for their <HI>Intellectuals,</HI> and more noble part, &s;uch of them as dedicate them&s;elves to Letters and <HI>Erudition,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Learned men in France.</NOTE> prove as polite <HI>Scholers</HI> and as trim Wits as any <HI>Italian</HI> of them all. The
<PB N="99" REF="73">greater part of them, I confe&s;&s;e, and ordinary <HI>Pretenders,</HI> plea&s;e them&s;elves more in <HI>Analyticall</HI> and cur&s;ory &s;peculations, to which one may take <HI>po&s;t</HI> at eve|ry <HI>pillar</HI> in the &s;treets,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pedantry of &s;ome profe&s;|&s;ors.</NOTE> where you &s;hal never fail of &s;ome braga|docio <HI>Hippias,</HI> who like &s;ome <HI>In|tellectus univer&s;alis,</HI> profe&s;&s;es, and will undertake to render any man an exact and perfect <HI>Phi|lo&s;opher, Divine, Orator, Chymi&s;t;</HI> or to teach him all <HI>Languages,</HI> and indeed, what not, within the &s;pace of a month or two: which kind of Table Method and <HI>Lul|lian art,</HI> renders many of them, even to the very <HI>Mechanicks,</HI> mo&s;t egregious talkers, and intolerably <HI>pragmaticall.</HI></P>
<P>Add unto this,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Their level|ing of lear|ning.</NOTE> their <HI>levelling of Learning,</HI> and <HI>laying all Au|thors in common,</HI> by their intem|perate <HI>Tran&s;lations,</HI> having but of very late put all the <HI>Orations of Cicero</HI> into <HI>French,</HI> as it is long &s;ince that the <HI>Poets</HI> have been made <HI>Orators:</HI> for there is no|thing
<PB N="100" REF="74">more frequent then the turning of them into <HI>pro&s;e.</HI></P>
<P>Among&s;t the <HI>Faculties of Pa|ris,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Facul|ties of Paris</NOTE> there are &s;ome good and <HI>dextrous Divines;</HI> but their School <HI>Exerci&s;es</HI> are dull and perfunctory things, in competi|tion with what was wont to be performed here in our <HI>&V;niver|&s;ities.</HI></P>
<P>Generally,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phy&s;icians &amp; Chirurgians of Prance, their Me|thod and ill &s;ucce&s;&s;e.</NOTE> the <HI>Chirurgians</HI> of <HI>France</HI> are Pretenders to <HI>Phy&s;ick,</HI> and the <HI>Phy&s;ician</HI> as great a friend to the <HI>Emperick;</HI> e&s;pecially in point of <HI>Phlebotomie,</HI> which is their <HI>Panacea</HI> for all Di&s;ea&s;es. And albeit they have bred &s;ome able and accompli&s;h'd <HI>Proficients</HI> of all the&s;e kindes; yet their common practice in tedious and <HI>Chronique,</HI> as well as acute di&s;|ea&s;es, imports them rather to a &s;udden ea&s;e of the <HI>patient,</HI> then any intire recovery, or &s;ecurity from relap&s;e; for they &s;tudy more to weaken and enervate the Body, then the Di&s;ea&s;e: &s;o that they recover few of <HI>langui&s;hing Fe|vers,</HI>
<PB N="101" REF="74">which <HI>relap&s;e</HI> not as &s;oon a|gain, and for the mo&s;t part pe|ri&s;h: contrary both to the <HI>Me|thod</HI> and &s;ucce&s;s of our <HI>Phy&s;icians</HI> in <HI>England;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prai&s;e of Engli&s;h Phy&s;icians.</NOTE> into one of who&s;e hands I had rather put my <HI>life,</HI> then to a whole <HI>Colledg</HI> of the&s;e <HI>French Leaches.</HI></P>
<P>In the <HI>Mechanicks,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">French Me|chanicks in|comparable.</NOTE> they are univer&s;ally <HI>excellent, inventive,</HI> and <HI>happy;</HI> and are of late too become far more &s;tay'd and <HI>con|&s;tant</HI> in point of <HI>habit</HI> and <HI>fa&s;hion</HI> then they were wont to be: for I will undertake, our native levity and wantonne&s;&s;e in that kinde, hath of late yeers infinitely ex|ceeded them.</P>
<P>The <HI>French Children</HI> are the faire&s;t letter that <HI>Nature,</HI> I think,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">French chil|dren and youth.</NOTE> can &s;hew through all the humane <HI>Alphabet;</HI> but though they be <HI>Angels</HI> in the <HI>cradle,</HI> yet are they more like <HI>Divels</HI> in the <HI>&s;addle:</HI> age generally &s;hewing, that what &s;he &s;o &s;oon be&s;towes, &s;he takes as fa&s;t away; for the <HI>French</HI> (after twenty) pre&s;ently &s;trike forty in
<PB N="102" REF="75">their faces, and e&s;pecially among&s;t their <HI>Women,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sudden de|cay of Wo|men.</NOTE> who are then ex|tremely decayed, when ours, if not <HI>beautifull,</HI> are yet very <HI>tole|rable</HI> at tho&s;e years; which, whe|ther it proceeds from the <HI>&s;iccity</HI> of the air, <HI>drinking water, ill diet,</HI> or other <HI>accident,</HI> I dare not ea|&s;ily determine; and yet I am the rather inclined to think, &s;ome|thing of that nature it mu&s;t needs be, when we finde the <HI>women</HI> of <HI>Quality</HI> for the mo&s;t part as ex|qui&s;ite Beauties as any the whole world produces, without di&s;pa|raging <HI>our Ladies</HI> at home, whom I would be unwilling this <HI>Para|graph</HI> &s;hould in the lea&s;t degree offend.</P>
<P>I cannot affirm that the <HI>youth</HI> of the <HI>Gentry</HI> and <HI>Noble&s;&s;e</HI> of <HI>France</HI> are bred altogether &s;o <HI>li|terate</HI> as mo&s;t of our <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> and <HI>Dutch</HI> are;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Youth of the French Gen|try not bred to letters, and why?</NOTE> being, as I &s;aid, of le&s;&s;e <HI>phlegme,</HI> and more prompt then to fix to tho&s;e unactive &s;tu|dies; Nor are they at all &s;o cu|rious and inqui&s;itive in their <HI>Tra|vels,</HI>
<PB N="103" REF="75">unto which fewer al&s;o are inclined,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Humour in Travelling.</NOTE> but &s;eem abundantly &s;atisfied, to be able to &s;ay, They have been in &s;uch, or &s;uch a place.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">No tru&s;t to the cu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">d p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">earance</NOTE></P>
<P>It is a true ob&s;ervation of one, That a <HI>French man</HI> appears a <HI>child</HI> at all ages; but in practice and negotiation you &s;hall finde him a <HI>man.</HI> It is the <HI>Field</HI> and <HI>Court</HI> which the <HI>Gentry</HI> affect as the be&s;t of Education;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Indifferency of the Fr. in religion.</NOTE> and thence I am inclined to beleeve, they contract among&s;t them that <HI>in|differency</HI> of beleeving and living, in which they are generally more open and free then even the <HI>Ita|lians;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The French not &s;o di&s;|banched as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">he Engli&s;h youth at pre&s;ent.</NOTE> albeit yet not in all points &s;o <HI>enormous</HI> as the depraved youth of <HI>England,</HI> who&s;e prodigious <HI>di&s;baucheries</HI> and late unheard of extravagancies, far &s;urpa&s;&s;e the madne&s;&s;e of all other <HI>civilized Nations</HI> what&s;oever.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nor more given to Ga|ming</NOTE> <HI>Gaming</HI> al|&s;o they frequent,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Nothing &s;o much to drink and tobacco.</NOTE> but are in no one vice &s;o abandoned, as to the exhau&s;ting their <HI>E&s;tates,</HI> e&s;pecial|ly in point of <HI>drink</HI> and <HI>Tobacco;</HI>
<PB N="104" REF="76">which, though it have of late got &s;ome footing upon the more <HI>vile &s;ort,</HI> and infected &s;ome <HI>Northern parts</HI> of the <HI>Kingdom;</HI> yet few per&s;ons of Quality u&s;e either in <HI>exce&s;&s;e:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">but adorers of bread and pottage.</NOTE> But what they do not in <HI>drink,</HI> they pay in <HI>bread,</HI> and are &s;trange devourers of <HI>Corn;</HI> they adore a <HI>good pottage</HI> (whatever the re&s;t of the <HI>Repa&s;t</HI> be) as the <HI>Egyptians</HI> did <HI>garlick:</HI> nor will a true <HI>Mon&s;ieur</HI> be brought at any rate to ta&s;te a gla&s;&s;e of wine, <HI>&s;ans premier manger;</HI> which al|though they neither do &s;o much, nor &s;it &s;o long at it, yet they u&s;e to <HI>collation</HI> more often, the mo&s;t temperate of them.</P>
<P>The <HI>pa&s;&s;ions</HI> of the people are &s;uddenly imported and puffed up with a <HI>Victory,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Elevated &amp; dejected &s;ud|denly with victory or lo&s;&s;e.</NOTE> and as &s;oon deje|cted with the lea&s;t repul&s;e or lo&s;s. They are prodigall,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Splendid in externals.</NOTE> and &s;plendid in <HI>externals,</HI> but &s;eldome undoe them&s;elves in <HI>hou&s;e-keeping and ho&s;pitality:</HI> The be&s;t &s;ort eat like <HI>Princes,</HI> and far exceed our Ta|bles; the <HI>common</HI> wor&s;e then
<PB N="105" REF="76"><HI>dogs:</HI> generally, &s;o they flouri&s;h and appear for a <HI>month or two</HI> in the <HI>Summer,</HI> they will fare hard enough the re&s;t of the yeer be|&s;ides;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Full of In|tere&s;t,</NOTE> and &s;uch as minde onely their profit, have little <HI>charity,</HI> where they &s;ee no evident <HI>Inter|e&s;t.</HI> They are exceedingly <HI>cour|teous,</HI> and have generally their <HI>tongues well hung;</HI> which promp|titude of theirs,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">of a joviall conver&s;ati|on, hand&s;om addre&s;s, and well &s;poken</NOTE> as it becomes them well in <HI>encounter,</HI> &s;o they are for the mo&s;t part, of <HI>joviall conver&s;ation,</HI> and far from that con&s;trained addre&s;&s;e which is na|turall to our <HI>&s;ullen Nation,</HI> who never think our &s;elves acquainted, till we treat one another with <HI>Jack and Tom;</HI> familiarities,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Cen&s;ure of the rude fa|miliaritie of the Engli&s;h.</NOTE> which, as we finde no where el&s;e in u&s;e, &s;o they commonly termi|nate in vaine and rude A&s;&s;ocia|tions.</P>
<P>The <HI>French</HI> are the &s;ole Na|tion in <HI>Europe</HI> that do <HI>idolize</HI> their <HI>Soveraign,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">French re|verencers of their King.</NOTE> unto whom the have likewi&s;e a more free and immediate <HI>acce&s;&s;e</HI> (without much
<PB N="106" REF="77"><HI>ceremony</HI>) then ordinarily is to be &s;een in any other <HI>Princes Court:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">and his affa|bility to them.</NOTE> and this affabilitie and freedom gains them as &s;trangely to him; which (certainly) is an excellent art in the one, and no le&s;&s;e a ver|tue in the other. But on the con|trary, their <HI>choler</HI> throughly &s;tir|red, there never wants &s;ome <HI>Ra|viliac</HI> or <HI>cut-throat</HI> to perpetrate their malice; &s;o un&s;table is <HI>popu|lar confidence.</HI></P>
<P>Finally,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Their opini|on and hate of the En|gli&s;h.</NOTE> they have a naturall dread and hate to the <HI>Engli&s;h,</HI> as e&s;teeming us for the mo&s;t part, a fierce, rude, and barbarous <HI>Nati|on:</HI> but their <HI>antipathy</HI> to a <HI>Spa|niard</HI> is deadly and irreconcilable.</P>
<P>For their <HI>Bodies,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Stature,</NOTE> they are both Sexes of <HI>mean &s;tature,</HI> rather in <HI>good point,</HI> then either lean or gro&s;&s;e;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">complexion,</NOTE> generally, &s;wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">t of com|plexion, except &s;uch as have mix|ed towards the <HI>North</HI> and <HI>Ea&s;t:</HI> the <HI>Women</HI> have commonly <HI>black eyes, rare teeth,</HI> and <HI>&s;weet voyces;</HI> and certainly, &s;o gentile and na|turall an <HI>addre&s;&s;e</HI> even in their
<PB N="107" REF="77">mo&s;t ordinary actions, that one may as ea&s;ily di&s;tingui&s;h them by <HI>it,</HI> as their <HI>tongues:</HI> In fine,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">promptne&s;s,</NOTE> they are extremely <HI>prompt,</HI> and imagine to comprehend all upon an <HI>in|&s;tant,</HI> which makes many to give out and tire in the journey before they be half way: for all which,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">and cheerful &s;upinity of the people.</NOTE> and their oppre&s;&s;ions to boot, there lives not under the <HI>cope</HI> of <HI>heaven</HI> a more <HI>frank galiard,</HI> and <HI>&s;upine</HI> people: howbeit many of them will not &s;tick to <HI>repine,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Victories unwelcom, to the Fr. and why?</NOTE> and cen&s;ure even their own <HI>Victories</HI> and &s;ucce&s;&s;es, whereof every one but &s;eems to add a heavier weight to their <HI>Oppre&s;&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P>Now,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The be&s;t &amp; mo&s;t com|pendious Map of a Country.</NOTE> as every <HI>Metropolitan</HI> and <HI>Royal</HI> City is likely the be&s;t <HI>Map</HI> of the <HI>Country</HI> wherein it &s;tands; &s;o may <HI>Paris</HI> be e&s;teem'd the mo&s;t exact <HI>Compendium</HI> of <HI>France.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Paris is a City</HI> in a <HI>Ring,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Paris, &s;ite, Edifices, &amp;c.</NOTE> whereof the <HI>Louvre</HI> or Palace of the King is the <HI>Diamond:</HI> And truly, con&s;idering the va&s;tne&s;&s;e of its circumference, &s;o incompara|bly
<PB N="108" REF="78">built all of the <HI>living Rock,</HI> whereupon it is &s;eated (which for beauty, ea&s;ie working, and la&s;tingne&s;s, renders it a prehemi|nence above many more co&s;tly Materials) I think no <HI>City</HI> in the whole world equalizes it. I have &s;een <HI>Naples, Rome, Florence, Ge|noa,</HI> and <HI>Venice;</HI> all &s;tately Cities, and full of Princely <HI>Fabricks;</HI> but then I compare the extent, and here are many <HI>Centuries</HI> of <HI>Noblemens Hou&s;es,</HI> both within the Town and the Environs, which altogether approach, if not exceed the be&s;t of them. This I will boldly affirm, that for the <HI>Streets, Sububrs,</HI> and <HI>common buil|dings,</HI> it infinitely excels any City el&s;e in <HI>Europe:</HI> for publick <HI>Edi|fices,</HI> &s;ome of the <HI>Ho&s;pitals</HI> are fair Foundations and hand&s;ome Piles; but the <HI>Convents</HI> and <HI>Churches</HI> come far &s;hort of the Towns before recited: yet that of the <HI>Sorbonne</HI> and <HI>Je&s;uites,</HI> are not much inferiour to &s;ome of the be&s;t and mo&s;t modern Pieces
<PB N="109" REF="78">of <HI>Architecture</HI> extant.</P>
<P>The <HI>River of Seine,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The River of Seine.</NOTE> which di|vides it, is nothing comparable, for &s;weetne&s;&s;e and good conditi|on, to our <HI>Royal</HI> River of <HI>Thames:</HI> yet it would deceive any man in the <HI>u&s;e,</HI> when he &s;hall &s;eriou&s;ly examine and con&s;ider the huge <HI>Ve&s;&s;els</HI> of burden (though not <HI>Ships</HI>) it brings up, full of <HI>Com|modities</HI> and nece&s;&s;ary <HI>Provi&s;ions.</HI> In conclu&s;ion, <HI>Paris</HI> wants nothing but <HI>clean Streets,</HI> and a redre&s;&s;e of the multitude of <HI>Coaches, La|quays,</HI> and throngs of <HI>Mankind;</HI> with all which,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Number of people &amp;c. in Paris too great.</NOTE> it is generally &s;o <HI>pe&s;tered,</HI> that it appears a miracle to me, how &s;o many <HI>backs</HI> are <HI>clothed,</HI> and <HI>bellies</HI> maintained (in a Town of no eminent Staple) as you may behold in one day, if you walk the &s;treets and publick <HI>Carfours;</HI> Mo&s;t of the <HI>Hou&s;es</HI> ordinarily harbouring <HI>&s;ix,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">True cau&s;e of our re|proaching their Na|&s;tine&s;&s;e.</NOTE> as often <HI>ten families</HI> betwixt <HI>heaven</HI> and <HI>hell,</HI> the <HI>Garrets</HI> and the <HI>Cellars:</HI> and this I take to be the true cau&s;e of that <HI>Nastine&s;&s;e</HI> which we u&s;u|ally
<PB N="110" REF="79">impute to the <HI>Nation: Per|&s;ons of Quality,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Per&s;ons of quality more neat and &s;umptuous then any in England.</NOTE> and &s;uch as have room enough, being far more <HI>proper</HI> and <HI>&s;umptuous</HI> in their hou&s;es, then the be&s;t of us here in <HI>England,</HI> however we arrogate the <HI>contrary.</HI></P>
<P>Touching the <HI>Extent of this City,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The extent of Paris and London dif|ficult to be compared, and why?</NOTE> it hath been, and is &s;till a great controver&s;ie among&s;t our Countrey-men <HI>Travellers,</HI> which is the larger, <HI>This</HI> or <HI>London,</HI> every one &s;peaks according to his inclinations: But the <HI>figures</HI> of them both are &s;o different, that it would be a very diffi|cult matter to reconcile them, by making an exact tryall: and peradventure, all things con&s;i|dered; there is as yet no very great inequality: but if we may conjecture from the buildings at pre&s;ent,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prodigious increa&s;e of buildings.</NOTE> and prodigious enlarge|ment of their <HI>Suburbs</HI> on all &s;ides, what a little time and <HI>Peace</HI> will render it, it mu&s;t, without doubt, in a &s;hort time outgrow the contention, and far exceed it.
<PB N="111" REF="79">for I finde no end of their ere|cting not onely of particular <HI>hou&s;es,</HI> but even of whole <HI>&s;treets,</HI> and tho&s;e &s;o incomparably fair and <HI>uniform,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Beauty of the now new Edifices of Paris.</NOTE> that you would i|magine your &s;elf rather in &s;ome <HI>Italian Opera,</HI> where the diver&s;ity of <HI>Scenes</HI> &s;urpri&s;e the beholder, then beleeve your &s;elf to be in a reall <HI>Citie.</HI> This is onely to be ob&s;erved in their prime <HI>Build|dings</HI> and <HI>Palaces,</HI> that the be&s;t <HI>Fabricks</HI> commonly promi&s;e le&s;s towards the <HI>Front</HI> or Street, then you will finde them within the <HI>Court;</HI> which is cau&s;ed by the high walls and <HI>tarraces</HI> that thwart them: a piece of <HI>Mode|&s;tie,</HI> which in other <HI>Appearances</HI> and out&s;ides they do not u&s;ually practi&s;e.</P>
<P>But what our <HI>City of London</HI> hath not in hou&s;es and <HI>Palaces,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">London for Shops, Ta|verns, o|ther drink|ing Schools, and Noi&s;e, exceeding all C<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">ies of the world.</NOTE> &s;he hath in <HI>Shops</HI> and <HI>Taverns;</HI> which render it &s;o open by day, and cheerfull in the night, that it appears to be a perpetuall <HI>Wake,</HI> or <HI>Wedding</HI> to the behol|der;
<PB N="112" REF="80">for &s;o <HI>mad</HI> and lowd a <HI>Town,</HI> is no where to be found in the whole world.</P>
<P>The <HI>Government</HI> and <HI>Policy</HI> of this <HI>Preve&s;t&eacute;</HI> is exerci&s;ed by <HI>Judges,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Governme~t of Paris.</NOTE> called <HI>Lieutenants Civils</HI> and <HI>Criminels;</HI> who, for pur|cha&s;ing their <HI>Offices</HI> of the <HI>Court,</HI> &s;ell their Ju&s;tice at extraordinary rate, to &s;uch as have u&s;e of that rare <HI>Commodity.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prevo&s;t of Merchand<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> They have al|&s;o a <HI>Prevost of the Merchands, &amp; les E&s;chevins,</HI> which is an Of|fice more re&s;embling our <HI>Re|corder</HI> and <HI>Sheriff,</HI> then <HI>Major:</HI> Likewi&s;e the <HI>Archbi&s;hop</HI> hath a &s;pirituall juri&s;diction here;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Archbi&s;hop of Paris, &amp;c.</NOTE> as al&s;o &s;ome particular <HI>Abbots</HI> and <HI>Priors:</HI> And with all this, I cannot &s;ay, it is well governed; the di&s;orders of every day and night will convince me,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Di&s;orders of Paris in the night, how they might be prevented</NOTE> if I &s;hould, when &s;o many execrable <HI>Murthers</HI> and <HI>Villanies</HI> are com|mitted in the &s;treets; an incon|venience which might yet be ea&s;ily prevented, if they would but imitate our <HI>Policy,</HI> and form
<PB N="113" REF="80">their <HI>Watches</HI> of con&s;tant and re&s;pon&s;ible per&s;ons.</P>
<P>Neither is the <HI>&s;trength</HI> of this renowned City any thing con&s;ide|rable in &s;tre&s;&s;e of a <HI>Siege,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Strength of Paris no|thing in a &s;iege.</NOTE> or re|&s;pect of other naturall advantage, &s;ave onely fire: nay, &s;o open it is to the <HI>Conquerour,</HI> that <HI>S^r De|nys</HI> (which lies but two leagues remote from it) hath oftentimes been the <HI>Frontier of France;</HI> &amp; had not the late <HI>Mare&s;chal de Ga&s;&s;ion</HI> as deerly,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mare&s;chal de Ga&s;tion pre&s;erved Paris from the Spany|ard.</NOTE> as bravely purcha&s;ed their <HI>Liberty</HI> at the &s;ignal battel of <HI>Rocroy,</HI> the <HI>Spainyard,</HI> 'tis be|leeved, might (without the lea&s;t ob&s;tacle, have marched up to the very gates of <HI>Paris.</HI></P>
<P>But the incomparable <HI>Aire</HI> of <HI>Paris</HI> is that which fortifies the <HI>In|habitants:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Aire of Paris cele|brated.</NOTE> &s;o that very &s;eldom hath a <HI>Plague</HI> or other <HI>Epidemical Con|tagion</HI> made here that havock and lamentable <HI>deva&s;tation,</HI> which it &s;o frequently doth in our putrifi|ed <HI>climate,</HI> and accidentally &s;uf|focated <HI>City:</HI> contrary to that <HI>Vulgar</HI> (but mo&s;t fal&s;e) <HI>Traditi|on,</HI>
<PB N="114" REF="81">which I find in every mans mouth;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The ordina|ry tradition among&s;t us, that the plague is ne|ver out of Paris, refu|ted.</NOTE> that the <HI>Pe&s;tilence</HI> is never out of <HI>Paris:</HI> but this (be|&s;ides the <HI>&s;iccity</HI> of the aire) many <HI>Naturali&s;ts</HI> a&s;cribe to the over <HI>&s;ulphurous</HI> exhalations of the &s;treets, and dry attracting quality of the <HI>Pla&s;ter,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Quality of the Pla&s;ter of Paris.</NOTE> which, bears or gives the <HI>Name</HI> to this <HI>goodly ci|ty.</HI></P>
<Q><HI>Cert &egrave; id firmi&s;&s;imum Imperium e&s;t, quo obedientes gaudent.</HI></Q>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<P>Thus, Sir, by the <HI>a&s;|&s;i&s;tance</HI> of your <HI>Patience,</HI> I have adventured to draw the <HI>Curtain,</HI> di&s;|covering a very ample <HI>Theatre,</HI> in a &s;hort time, and repre&s;ented it in as
<PB N="115" REF="81">narrow a <HI>Circumference,</HI> as tho&s;e <HI>Arti&s;ts</HI> who intro|duce a multitude of <HI>&s;pe|cies</HI> through an <HI>Optick,</HI> into &s;ome dark room or clo&s;et: And the &s;imi|litude peradventure will not appear <HI>unapt,</HI> when you con&s;ider the rever|&s;ed <HI>Method,</HI> and <HI>confu&s;ed Stile</HI> in which it is de|&s;cribed. But as wri|ting of <HI>Hi&s;tories</HI> is not my <HI>Trade,</HI> I know you have not commanded me to undergo this <HI>Task,</HI> to make thereby any advantage of my <HI>Imperfections,</HI> but ap|prove
<PB N="116" REF="82">mine <HI>Obedience.</HI> And now, although I doubt not but many a|ble <HI>Per&s;ons</HI> have mo&s;t excellently treated upon this very <HI>Subject,</HI> appro|priated to their <HI>Times;</HI> yet I will be bold to af|firm, and that <HI>&s;ans va|nitie,</HI> none hath lately performed it with grea|ter <HI>faith, &s;uccinctne&s;&s;e,</HI> and in more <HI>natural Colours.</HI> For hee that will truely comprehend the <HI>Govern|ment</HI> and <HI>Genius</HI> of this <HI>Kingdome,</HI> mu&s;t <HI>pro&s;pect</HI> and look out every day for new <HI>di&s;coveries; France</HI>
<PB N="117" REF="82">being now no more the thing it was <HI>forty yeers</HI> &s;ince, then the <HI>garb</HI> and <HI>fa&s;hion</HI> at that time, to the <HI>habit</HI> and <HI>Mode</HI> now in u&s;e among&s;t them, equally as <HI>different,</HI> as <HI>incomparable:</HI> And in truth, (to di&s;abu&s;e the World) the <HI>complexion</HI> and <HI>Cra&s;is</HI> of this Body <HI>Politick</HI> is of &s;o high con|cernment to the <HI>health,</HI> and good e&s;tate of our poor <HI>Nation,</HI> that to pre|&s;evre her in entire <HI>habit</HI> and <HI>Con&s;titution,</HI> there can never be too often <HI>in&s;pections</HI> into the <HI>State</HI>
<PB N="118" REF="83">and <HI>Regiment</HI> of this <HI>Kingdom.</HI> This is the opinion of</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Paris, <DATE>this 15 of Febr. 1652. Stilo novo.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SALUTE>Sir, </SALUTE> <SIGNED>Your mo&s;t affectio|nate Friend, and mo&s;t obedient Servant, <HI>J.E.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="83">
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
