HUNTING IN FRANCE. 262 Extract from Thickneffe's useful Hints to thofe who make the Tour of France. May lifh porter he pleafed into the city of Paris. A moft generous return! for it is inconceivable what a profit must arite from fuch an indulgence. A French burgois, however rich, not even the fermiers generaux, are ever permitted to hunt with the king. As the king hunts three times a fanel, pahad been presented, I cond week in his foreft near this town during the whole winter, I was defirous of partaking of that diverfion, which I could not with propriety do, till I had been prefented to him; for he always afks who ftrangers are? and I did not chufe to put myself in the way of a brug, and a Je ne se pas; I therefore took the liberty to apply, by letter, (affigning my reafons) to his excellency the earl of Rochford, the prefent ambaffador to this court, to present me to the king, who foon after gave me notice to attend at Verfailles for that purpose. And, at the fame time, I was honoured with an invitation from the countess of Rochford, to dine with her there, it being the day on which her excellency was to have her first audience of the queen, and the royal family of France. This was one instance of the pleafant and captivating manner in which their excellencies confer honor and favours; for it not only gave me an opportunity of feeing that whole ceremony of the first audience of an ambafladress from my own country, but gave me an opportunity of feeing a table, where no expence or art was spared, to render it as magnificent as poffible; but of which I fhall fpeak hereafter, left I forget to tell you an anecdote of the famous Alderman Parfons, who you know refided many years in France, and who, mounted on a very fine English gelding, à la mode d'Anglois, joined the king at one of thefe hunts. His black cap, buckskin breeches, &c. foon attracted the notice of the king who inquiring who he was? a waggifh nobleman replied, Il eft un chevalier de Malta! Is he faid the king (not understanding the pun upon an English word) then where is his cross? The alderman, however, was not only permitted to hunt, but the king ook fo much notice of him, and his horfe, that he foon after fent him the horfe as a prefent; and the king, in return, gave him leave to import, day free, whatever quantity of Eng ftantly partook of that diverfion; and 263 P. S. I cannot omit informing you, that the dinner was brought to the table by a regiment of whiskered Swiss foldiers! while a great number of idle fervants ftood behind the chairs of their ladies and mafters with their hats on; and what was ftill more extraordinary, I faw four boys (which, upon inquiry, I found were affiftants in the kitchen) ftand directly oppofite to the ambassadrefs and the dutchess D'Choifeul, with night-caps on their heads, which no time could have rendered more filthy, and their aprons and other apparel equally obnoxious; but this was an inftance of the ease and freedom, for which the kingdom of France is celebrated: indeed it is fuch an alie of magnificence, elegance, riches, and poverty, that disagreeable and difgufting objects do not feem to strike the eyes and minds of the natives of France, as it does thofe of other nations. Were the poor day-labourers and wigenerous capable, by their labour and induftry, to keep themselves, their families, and their little habitations, in the fame neat, fimple manner that the induftrious part of the poor of England do, France would be the most delightful country in the world, either to pafs through, or to refide in; but the extreme poverty of the poor, and the poor day-labourers in particular, renders their villages, nay even their great towns, very filthy. The fermiers generaux opprefs them beyond conception, and they toil from morning till night, expofed to the inclemency of all weathers, and yet live a much more wretched life than any of the African flaves, in our colonies, or in their own. But their lively difpofition bears them through all with chearfulness, and they confider they are getting their own bread, while they are in fact toiling for wretches, who deferve not the name of men. The luxury in which the fermiers generaux live in France is scarce credible! the poverty and dirt of the poor is equally as offenfive. That good king Henry the Fourth of France had ufed to fay, he would with to govern fo, that every one of his meanest subjects might have a poullard in his pot on a Sunday." 1768. A French Court Entertainment. in fact this was a ftudied piece of addrefs, that the ambassadrefs might be prefented to him at the fame time, as it would certainly be very aukward, and indeed very abfurd, for an ambaffadrefs to vifit the king upon fuch an occafion. Monfieur le Dauphin, and his brother the compte de Provence, made ufe of the fame addrefs, and vifited their mother, madame la Dauphin, during the time the ambassadres had audi ence of her. Upon this occafion a great number of Englishmen of very high rank attended the ambassadrefs, among whom was the new created duke of Northumberland, whofe elegant dress, richly adorned with jewels, made no small addition to the cavalcade, and the whole ceremony was conducted in all respects, with fuitable dignity to the occafion. After the ceremo ny, which must have proved very fatiguing to the ambaffadrefs, by the feve rity of the weather, and the great diftance of the feveral apartments of the royal family from each other, a moft noble and fumptuous entertainment was provided in the palace, for the ambaffadrefs and her company. To give you a defcription of the dinner is more than I am able; but the table at which I dined (for I found afterwards there was another) was illuminated with upwards of fixty wax lights, and the defert was inconceivably magnificent. I had the honour to fit between an archbifhop of France and an Irish earl and was well entertained in all refpects. There is a great deal of wine drank in all France during dinner, but none after. The climate, the wine, the fruit, and the ease and good breeding of the first people of France, are indeed very powerful arguments in favour of the country; but on the other hand, the dirt and poverty of the numerous poor (and they are very numerous) renders it very inferior to England in that refpect. Champaign is feldom brought to elegant tables in France; they pare it to us Bri:ons; out of politeness, and a conviction that it is not wholefome for themfelves. In my next I fhall endeavour to fatisfy you in other articles you defire to know; mean while, I am ever yours." • Lord Mazarine. POETICAL EDWIN and ANGELINA. A Ballad. By Dr. Goldfmith. URN, gentle hermit of the dale, To where yon taper cheers the vale, For here, forlorn and loft I tread, Forbear, my fon, the hermit cries, No flocks that range the valley free, But from the mountain's graffy fide, Then, pilgrim, turn, thy cares forego; Nor wants that little long." Bar in a wilderness obfcure The lonely masfion lay, A refuge for the neighbouring poor, No ftores beneath its humble thatch But nothing could a charm impart And tears began to flow. His rifing cares the hermit fpy'd, Alas! the joys that fortune brings, And what is friendship but a name, To warm the turtle's nest. For fhame, fond youth, thy forrows hufk, Swift mantling to the view, The bashful look, the rifing breaft, « And, ah, forgive a ftranger rude, Whom love has taught to fray: My father liv'd befide the Tyne, And all his wealth was mark'd as mine, To win me from his tender arms, Each hour a mercenary crowd 265 When anguifh, fear, and poverty unite, To cheer the gloom, and chafe each dreary fpright; To bid the tender infant rear its head, Nor pining want, nor chilling Boreas dread, Are actions worthy of a noble foul, And speed the British fame from Pole to Pole. Let not the venal or the grave exclaim, "The fons of want fhould check each am'rous flame, [please "Nor fhould unportion'd virgins feek to "Their wanton fancies at th expence of eafe. "Those pangs are voluntary which they bear, "Then why should we for their imprudence care ?" [hereAvaunt, ye wretches! but no fuch are Who ne'er for human mis'ry fhed a tear. Has not kind heav'n alike throughout our [grace, Diffus'd each native charm, each blooming The rich and poor, are made alike to feel The power of beauty, and the pow'r of feel: Engroffing gold, can they not be content Would they engrofs each bleffing heav'n has race, lent? Happy the bard by this kind audience grac'd, [rafte Whole joy is goodness, and whofe judgment No envious hils, no bafe malicious fneer, No fnarling critic can our author fear : Secure of candour-he refigns his caufe To Virtue's judgment, and Good-nature's laws. EPILOGUE. Spoken by a Soldier and a Sailor, who, after the curtain is let down, come from each fide of the flage, and meet in the middle. Soldier. What honeft Petavero! Sailor. Peter Prime! Sold. Ha! where haft been, my boy, this tedious time? [blacks, Sail. I've bin to trim the nabobs, fight the And cram with their rupees our empty fachs: But what haft thou been at, my heart of oak; What brought you here to fee thefe acting folk ? POETICAL ESSAYS in MAY, 1768. In humble, fimpleft habit clad, The bloffom opening to the day The dew, the bloffom on the tree, With charms inconftant fhine; Their charms were his, but woe to me, Their conftancy was mine! For ftill I try'd each fickle art, Importunate and vain; And while his paffion touch'd my heart, Till quite dejected with my fcorn, In fecret, where he died. But mine the forrow, mine the fault, Thus let me hold thee to my heart, The OCCASIONAL PROLOGUE and EPI- PROLOGUE. HE Roman bard was deem'd a glorious Twight, Who taught to mingle profit with delight; To foothe the forrows of diafterous love, move ; May, 1768. Sold. Neceffity-for faith to tell you true, Her orange basket dangling in her hand. Her main-fheet feem'd to fwell before the Sol. bad An empty belly, and an empty purfe, Though 266 POETICAL ESSAYS in MAY, 1768. Though when my country call'd, I've flood In fields of death-to fee the wife I lov'd, bleed. Sail. Well thou'rt an honeft fellow-fhake But when on death, alas! thou try'ft thy art, Death's repartee was throwing of his dart. Seeing at the Exhibition in Spring Gardens, the Portrait (by Mr. Hone) of Zamparini in the Character of Cecchina. And with thefe dollars, mend the prefent WHY fay that Zamparini's left our flaw. There! look around! As gen'rous worthies as e'r trod the ground. Thefe gents. and nobles, bleflings on them fall, Reliev'd their foldier, and preferv'd poor Moll. Why, man, they've got a house in Brownlowstreet, Where, once a week, for this intent they meet; Yonder fhe ftands !-observe her artful smile : To the PRINTER, &c. SIR, J. L. O increase the number of employments And there they club their heads, and gold T for women, the fociety for the encou galore, To drive diftress from ev'ry poor man's door; And while to ferve our king abroad we roam, They fave our wives from mifery at home. This play you've seen, was all of their invention, To raise supplies to ferve their kind intention. Sail. Aye, fay you fo?-'fore Georgewilt have a quid? Giving bis box. If I before had known it, I'd have flid A guinea in the honeft fellow's hand That kept the door-the thing is nobly plann'd -- If thus it is they use their pow'r and wealth, I'll fight their battles, and I'll drink their health; Wherever danger calls, I'll be their man, Let Don or Monfieur hurt them if they can. WH EPITAPH OF BONNEL THORNTON, Efq. ragement of arts, manufactures and commerce, kindly and judicioufly beflow premiums on fuch of the fair fex as excell in certain ufeful branches of the polite arts.-Her majefty Queen Charlotte, to promote a very curious fpecies of needle-work, executed in the highest perfection by Mrs. Wright, gracioully fatisfies her for the inftruction and fupport of feveral young gentlewomen, daughters of clergymen or officers.-The thought of this rifing, elegant inftitution, which 'tis hoped may in time employ many; and the fight of an extraordinary piece of needlework, gave occafion to the following lines. I am, Sir, Your most humble fervant, JOHN LOCKMAN. ZEPHYRUS and FLORA. ADIALOGUE. On fecing Flowers drawn and worked for the Cradle of the Royal Infants, by Mrs. Wright of Great Newport Street. F LORA and Zephyrus, from Tempe's To Britain flew, in an aufpicious gale: To decorate the cradle be my care. Says Zephyrus, yon rare affemblage view, Of flow'rets red, white, yellow, green and blue. [fondly blend, How bright thofe wreathes, where roles And gay Anemones their lustre lend! Where woodbines fpread, and tulips proudly glow, In colours vivid as th' ætherial bow; 'Tis now, oh! death! thy poignant fling we own; 'Tis now, oh! grave! thy victory is shown! J. B. Vain every ligh, and impotent each tear! Thy name with Swift and Rubela's full *Pile a late poom called he Battle of the Wigs. St. James's. Be |