TO MR. WEST. I AM coming away all so fast, and leaving be hind me, without the least remorse, all the beauties of Sturbridge Fair. Its white bears may roar, its apes may wring their hands, and crocodiles cry their eyes out, all's one for that; I shall not once visit them, nor so much as take my leave. The university has published a severe edict against schismatical congregations, and created half a dozen new little procterlings to see its orders executed, being under mighty apprehensions lest Henley and his gilt tub should come to the fair and seduce their young ones; but their pains are to small pur pose, for lo, after all, he is not coming. I am at this instant in the very agonies of leaving College, and would not wish the worst of my enemies a worse situation. If you knew the dust, the old boxes, the bedsteads, and tutors that are about my ears, you would look upon this letter as a great effort of my resolution and unconcernedness in the midst of evils. I fill up my paper with a loose sort of version of that scene in Pastor Fido that begins, Care selve beati.† Sept. 1738. TO HIS MOTHER. Which is, being interpreted, Love does not live at the Custom-house; however by what style, title or denomination soever you choose to be dignified, or distinguished hereafter, these three words will stick by you like a bur, and you can no more get quit of these and your christian name, than St. Anthony could of his pig. My motions at present (which you are pleased to ask after) are much like those of a Amiens, April 1, N. S. 1739. pendulum or (Dr. Longically‡ speaking) oscillato- As we made but a very short journey to day, ry. I swing from chapel or hall home, or from and came to our inn early, I sit down to give you home to chapel or hall. All the strange incidents some account of our expedition. On the 29th (acthat happen in my journeys and returns I shall be cording to the style here) we left Dover at twelve sure to acquaint you with; the most wonderful is, at noon, and with a pretty brisk gale, which pleased that it now rains exceedingly, this has refreshed every body mighty well, except myself, who was the prospect, as the way for the most part lies be- extremely sick the whole time; we reached Calais tween green fields on either hand, terminated with by five: the weather changed, and it began to buildings at some distance, castles, I presume, and snow hard the minute we got into the harbour, of great antiquity. The roads are very good, be- where we took the boat, and soon landed. Calais ing, as I suspect, the works of Julius Cæsar's army, is an exceedingly old, but very pretty town, and for they still preserve, in many places, the appear- we hardly saw any thing there that was not so ance of a pavement in pretty good repair, and if they were not so near home, might perhaps be as much admired as the Via Appia; there are at present several rivulets to be crossed, and which serve at present to enliven the view all around. The country is exceeding fruitful in ravens and such black cattle; but, not to tire you with my travels, I abrubtly conclude. new and so different from England, that it surprised us agreeably. We went the next morning to the great church, and were at high mass (it being Easter Monday.) We saw also the Convent of the Capuchins, and the nuns of St. Doninic; with these last we held much conversation, especially with an English nun, a Mrs. Davis, of whose work I sent you, by the return of the packet, a letter-case to remember her by. In the afternoon we took a post-chaise (it still snowing very hard) for Boulogne, which was only eighteen miles further. This chaise is a strange sort of Mr. Waipole was just named to that post, which he ex- conveyance, of much greater use than beauty, rethanged soon after for that of Usher of the Exchequer. Dr. Long the master of Pembroke-Hall, at this time read ectures in experimental philosophy. All that follows is a humorous hyperbolic description of e quadrangle of Peter House. • Orator Henley. 1 This Latin version is extremely elegiac by as it is only a version I do not insert it sembling an ill-shaped chariot, only with the door |ing astride on a little ass, with short petticoats, opening before instead of the side; three horses and a great head-dress of blue wool. * TO MR. WEST. Paris, April 12, 1739. draw it, one between the shafts, and the other two on each side, on one of which the postillion rides, and drives too. This vehicle will, upon occasion, go fourscore miles a day, but Mr. Walpole, being in no hurry, chooses to make easy journeys of it, and they are easy ones indeed; for the motion is Enfin donc me voici à Paris. Mr. Walpole is much like that of a sedan; we go about six miles gone out to supper at Lord Conway's, and here 1 an hour, and commonly change horses at the end remain alone, though invited too. Do not think of it. It is true they are no very graceful steeds, I make a merit of writing to you preferably to a but they go well, and through roads which they good supper; for these three days we have been say are bad for France, but to me they seem gra- here, have actually given me an aversion to eating vel walks and bowling greens; in short, it would in general. If hunger be the best sauce to meat, be the finest travelling in the world, were it not for the French are certainly the worst cooks in the the inns, which are mostly terrible places indeed. world; for what tables we have seen have been But to describe our progress somewhat more regu-so delicately served, and so profusely, that, after larly, we came into Boulogne when it was almost rising from one of them, one imagines it impossidark, and went out pretty early on Tuesday morn-ble ever to eat again. And now, if I tell you all I ing; so that all I can say about it is, that it is a have in my head, you will believe me mad; mais large, old, fortified town, with more English in it n'importe, courage, allons! for if I wait till my than French. On Tuesday we were to go to Abbé-head grow clear and settle a little, you may stay ville, seventeen leagues, or fifty-one short English long enough for a letter. Six days have we been miles; but by the way we dined at Moutreuil, coming hither, which other people do in two: they much to our hearts' content, on stinking mutton, have not been disagreeable ones: through a fine, cutlets, addled eggs, and ditch water. Madame open country, admirable roads, and in an easy the hostess made her appearance in long lappets conveyance; the inns not absolutely intolerable, -of bone lace, and a sack of linsey-woolsey. We and images quite unusual presenting themselves supped and lodged pretty well at Abbéville, and on all hands. At Amiens we saw the fine cathehad time to see a little of it before we came out dral, and eat paté de perdix: passed through the this morning. There are seventeen convents in park of Chantilly by the Duke of Bourbon's pait, out of which we saw the chapels of the Minims, lace, which we only beheld as we passed; broke and the Carmelite nuns. We are now come fur- down at Lausarche; stopped at St. Denis, saw all ther thirty miles to Amiens, the chief city of the the beautiful monuments of the kings of France, province of Picardy. We have seen the Cathe- and the vast treasures of the abbey, rubies, and dral, which is just what that of Canterbury must emeralds as big as small eggs, crucifixes and vows, have been before the Reformation. It is about the crowns and reliquaires, of inestimable value; but same size, a huge Gothic building, beset on the of all their curiosities the thing the most to our outside with thousands of small statues, and with- tastes, and which they indeed do the justice to in adorned with beautiful painted windows, and a esteem the glory of their collection, was a vase of vast number of chapels dressed out in all their an entire onyx, measuring at least five inches over, finery of altar-pieces, embroidery gilding, and mar- three deep, and of great thickness. It is at least ble. Over the high altar are preserved, in a very two thousand years cld, the beauty of the stone large wrought shrine of massy gold, the relics of and sculpture upon it (representing the mysteries St. Firmin, their patron saint. We went also to of Bacchus) beyond expression admirable; we the chapels of the Jesuits and Ursuline nuns, the have dreamed of it ever since. The jolly old Belatter of which is very richly adorned. To-morrow nedictine, that showed us the treasures, had in his we shall lie at Clermont, and next day reach Paris. youth been ten years a soldier; he laughed at all The country we have passed through hitherto has the relics, was very full of stories, and mighty been flat, open, but agreeably diversified with vil- obliging. On Saturday evening we got to Paris, lages, fields well cultivated, and little rivers. On and were driving through the streets a long while every hillock is a wind-mill, a crucifix, or a Virgin before we knew where we were. The minute we Mary dressed in flowers, and a sarcenet robe; one sees not many people or carriages on the road; now and then indeed you meet a strolling friar, a countryman with his great muff, or a woman rid came, voilà Milors Holdernesse, Conway, and his brother; all stayed supper, and till two o'clock in the morning, for here nobody ever sleeps; it is not the way. Next day go to dine at my Lord Hoidernesse's, there was the Abbé Prevôt, author o • This was before the introduction of post-chaises here, or it Cleveland, and several other pieces much esteem. would no leve peared a circumstance worthy notice. ed: the rest were English. At night we went w * TO MR. WEST. the Pandure; a spectacle literally, for it is nothing|losophc Marić, and here they performed as well but a beautiful piece of machinery of three scenes. in comedy; there is a Mademoiselle Quinaut, The first represents the chaos, and by degrees the somewhat in Mrs. Clive's way, and a Monsieu separation of the elements: the second, the temple Grandval, in the nature of Wilks, who is the of Jupiter, and the giving of the box to Pandora: genteelest thing in the world. There are several the third the opening of the box, and all the mis- more would be much admired in England, and chiefs that ensued. An absurd design, but exe-many (whom we have not seen) much celebrated cuted in the higl.est perfection, and that in one of here. Great part of our time is spent in seeing the finest theatres in the world; it is the grande churches and palaces full of fine pictures, &c, the sales des machines in the Palais des Tuilleries. quarter of which is not yet exhausted. For my Next day dined at Lord Waldegrave's; then to part I could entertain myself this month merely the opera. Imagine to yourself for the drama four with the common streets and the people in them acts entirely unconnected with each other, each founded on some little history, skilfully taken out of an ancient author, e. g. Ovid's Metamorphoses, &c. and with great address converted into a French piece of gallantry. For instance, that Paris, May 22, 1739. which I saw, called the Ballet de la Paix, had its AFTER the little particulars aforesaid I should first act built upon the story of Nireus. Homer have proceeded to a journal of our transactions having said that he was the handsomest man of his for this week past, should have carried you post time, the poet, imagining such a one could not want from hence to Versailles, hurried you through the a mistress, has given him one. These two come in gardens to Trianon, back again to Paris, so away and sing sentiment in lamentable strains, neither to Chantilly. But the fatigue is perhaps more than air nor recitative; only, to one's great joy, they you can bear, and moreover I think I have reason are every now and then interrupted by a dance, to stomach your last piece of gravity. Supposing or (to one's great sorrow) by a chorus that borders you were in your soberest mood, I am sorry you the stage from one end to the other, and screams, should think me capable of ever being so dissipé, past all power of simile to represent. The second so evaporé, as not to be in a condition of relishing act was Baucis and Philemon. Baucis is a beau- any thing you could say to me. And now, if you tiful young shepherdess, and Philemon her swain. have a mind to make your peace with me, arouse Jupiter falls in love with her, but nothing will prevail ye from your megrims and your melancholies, and upon her; so it is all mighty well, and the chorus (for exercise is good for you) throw away your sing and dance the praises of Constancy. The two night-cap, call for your jack-boots, and set out with other acts were about Iphis and Ianthe, and the me, last Saturday evening, for Versailles-and so judgment of Paris. Imagine, I say, all this trans- at eight o'clock, passing through a road speckled acted by cracked voices, trilling divisions upon with vines, and villas, and hares, and partridges, two notes and a half, accompanied by an orchestra we arrive at the great avenue, flanked on either of humstrums, and a whole house more attentive hand, with a double row of trees about half a mile than if Farinelli sung, and you will almost have long, and with the palace itself to terminate the formed a just notion of the thing. Our astonish-view; facing which, on each side of you, is placed ment at their absurdity you can never conceive; a semi-circle of very handsome buildings, which we had enough to do to express it by screaming an form the stables. These we will not enter inte, hour louder than the whole dramatis person. We because you know we are no jockies. Well! and have also seen twice the Comedie Francoise; first, is this the great front of Versailles? What a huge the Mahomet Second, a tragedy that has had a heap of littleness! It is composed, as it were of great run of late; and the thing itself does not three courts, all open to the eye at once, and gra want its beauties, but the actors are beyond mea- dually diminishing till you come to the royal apart sure delightful. Mademoiselle Gausin (M. Vol-ments, which on this side present but half a dozen taire's Zara) has with a charming (though little) windows and a balcony. This last is all that can person, the most pathetic tone of voice, the finest be called a front, for the rest is only great wings expression in her face, and most proper action imaginable. There is also a Dufrêne, who did the chief character, a handsome man and a prodigious fine actor. The second we saw the Phi • The French opera has only three acts, but often a progue on a different subject, which (as Mr. Walpole informs ine, who saw it at the same time) was the case in this very representation. The hue of all this mass is black, dirty red, and yellow; the first proceeding from stone changed by age; the second, from a mixture of brick; and the last from a profusion of tarnished gilding. You can not see a more disagreeable tout-ensemble; and, to finish the matter, it is all stuck over in many places with small busts of a tawny hue be tween every two windows. We pass through thas to go into the garden, and here the case is indeed This day TO HIS MOTHER. Rheims, June 21, N. S. 1739. altered; nothing can be vaster and more magnifi- are both esteemed, and lately come out. ent than the back front; before it a very spacious se'ennight we go to Rheims. errace spreads itself, adorned with two large basins; these are bordered and lined (as most of the others) with white marble, with handsome statues of bronze reclined on their edges. From hence you descend a huge flight of steps into a semi-cir WE have now been settled almost three weeks cle formed by woods that are cut all round into in this city, which is more considerable upon acniches, which are filled with beautiful copies of all count of its size and antiquity, than from the numthe famous antique statues in white marble. Just ber of its inhabitants, or any advantages of comin the midst is the basin of Latona; she and her merce. There is little in it worth a stranger's cuchildren are standing on the top of a rock in the riosity, besides the cathedral church, which is a middle, on the sides of which are the peasants, vast Gothic building of a surprising beauty and some half, some totally changed into frogs, all which lightness, all covered over with a profusion of little throw out water at her in great plenty. From this statues, and other ornaments. It is here the kings place runs on the great alley, which brings you of France are crowned by the archbishop of unto a complete round, where is the basin of Apol-Rheims, who is the first peer, and the primate of to, the biggest in the gardens. He is rising in his the kingdom. The holy vessel made use of on car out of the water, surrounded by nymphs and that occasion, which contains the oil, is kept in the tritons, all in bronze, and finely executed; and church of St. Nicasius hard by, and is believed to these, as they play, raise a perfect storm about hiin; have been brought by an angel from heaven at the Deyond this is the great canal, a prodigious long coronation of Clovis, the first Christian king. The piece of water, that terminates the whole. All streets in general have but a melancholy aspect, this you have at one coup d'œil in entering the the houses all old; the public walks run along the garden, which is truly great. I can not say as side of a great moat under the ramparts, where much of the general taste of the place; every thing one hears a continual croaking of frogs; the counyou behold savours too much of art; all is forced, try round about is one great plain covered with all is constrained about you; statues and vases vines, which at this time of the year afford no vesowed every where without distinction; sugar-loaves ry pleasing prospect, as being not above a foot high. and mince-pies of yew; scrawl-work of box, and What pleasures the place denies to the sight, it ittle squirting jets-d'eau, besides a great sameness makes up to the palate; since you have nothing to in the walks, can not help striking one at first drink but the best champaigne in the world, and sight, not to mention the silliest of labyrinths, and all sorts of provisions equally good. As to other all Æsop's fables in water; since these were de-pleasures, there is not that freedom of conversation signed in usum Delphini only. Here then we among the people of fashion here, that one sees in walk by moonlight, and hear the ladies and the other parts of France; for though they are not nightingales sing. Next morning, being Whit-very numerous in this place, and consequently sunday, make ready to go to the Installation of must live a good deal together, yet they never come nine knights du Saint Esprit, Cambis is one:* to any great familiarity with one another. As my nigh mass is celebrated with music, great crowd, lord Conway had spent a good part of his time much incense, king, queen, dauphin, mesdames, among them, his brother, and we with him, were cardinals, and court! knights arrayed by his ma- soon introduced into all their assemblies. As soon jesty reverences before the altar, not bows, but as you enter, the lady of the house presents each curtsies; stiff hams; much tittering among the of you a card, and offers you a party at quadrille; adies; trumpets, kettle-drums, and fifes. My dear you sit down, and play forty deals without interWest, I am vastly delighted with Trianon, all of mission, excepting one quarter of an hour, when ns with Chantilly; if you would know why, you every body rises to eat of what they call the goutmust have patience, for I can hold my pen no long-er, which supplies the place of our tea, and is a er, except to tell you that I saw Britannicus last service of wine, fruits, cream, sweetmeats, crawaight; all the characters, particularly Agrippina fish, and cheese. People take what they like and und Nero done to perfection; to-morrow Phædra sit down again to play; after that, they make little and Hippolytus. We are making you a little parties to go to the walks together, and then alı sundle of petite pieces; there is nothing in them, the company retire to their separate habitations. out they are acting at present; there are two Creillon's Letters, and Amusemens sur le langage es Bêtes, said to be one Bougeant, a Jesuit; they • The Comte de Cambis was lately returned from his ein. assy in England. Very seldom any suppers or dinners are given, and this is the manner they live among one another; not so much out of any aversion they have to plea sure, as out of a sort of formality they have con tracted by not being much frequented by peo ple who have lived at Paris. It is sure they de no hate gaiety any more than the rest of their when he comes er every three years to noid that contry-people, and can enter into diversions, that assembly as governor of the province. A qua-te: are once proposed, with a good grace enough; for of a mile out or he town is a famous andey of instance, the other evening we happened to be got Carthusians, which we are just returned from see together in a company of eighteen people, men and ing. In their caapel are tuc tomos of the ancie women of the best fashion here, at a garden in the dukes of Burgu.ady, that were so powerful, till, a town, to walk; when one of the ladies bethought the death of Charles the Bold, the last of them. herself of asking, why should not we sup here ? this part of his dominions was united by Loun Immediately the cloth was laid by the side of a XI. to the crown of France. To-morrow we are fountain under the trees, and a very elegant sup- to pay a visit to the abbot of the Cistercians, who per served up: after which another said, Come, lives a few leagues off, and who uses to receive all let us sing; and directly began herself. From strangers with great civility; nis abbey is one of singing we insensibly fell to dancing, and singing the richest in the kingaum; he keeps open house in a round: when somebody mentioned the vio- always, and lives with great magnificence. We lins, and immediately a company of them was or- have seen enough of this town already, to make us dered. Minuets were begun in the open air, and regret the time we spent at Kheims; it is full of then some country-dances, which held till four people of condition, who seem to form a much more o'clock next morning: at which hour the gayest agreeable society than we found in Champaigne, lady there proposed, that such as were weary but as we shall stay here but two or three days should get into their coaches, and the rest of them longer, it is not worth whiie to be introduced into should dance before them with the music in the their houses. On Monday or Tuesday we are to van; and in this manner we paraded through all set out for Lyons, which is two days' journey disthe principal streets of the city, and waked every tant, and from thence you shall hear again from body in it. Mr. Walpole had a mind to make a me. custom of the thing, and would have given a ball in the same manner next week, but the women did not come into it; so I believe it will drop, and they will return to their dull cards, and usual formalities. We are not to stay above a month longer here, and shall then go to Dijon, the chief city of Burgundy, a very splendid and a very gay town; at least such is the present design. TO HIS FATHER. TO MR. WEST. Lyons, Sep. 18, N. S. 1739. Scavez vous bien, mon cher ami, que je vous hais, que je vous deteste ! voila, des termes un peu fortes; and that will save me, upon a just computation, a page of paper and six drops of ink; which, if I confired mysen to reproaches of a more moderate nature, I shou De obliged to employ in using you according to your deserts. What! to let any Dijon, Friday, Sept. 11, N. S. 1739. body reside three months at Rheims, and write but We have made three short days' journey of it once to them? Please to consult Tully de Amicit. from Rheims hither, where we arrived the night page 5, line 25, and you will find it said in express before last. The road we have passed through has terms, " Ad aneum inter Remos relegatum mense been extremely agreeable: it runs through the uno quinquies scrioum esto;" nothing more plain, most fertile part of Champaigne, by the side of the or less liable to raise interpretations. Now be river Marne, with a chain of hills on each hand at cause, I suppose, it will give you pain to know we some distance, entirely covered with woods and are in being; 1 take this opportunity to tell you that vineyards, and every now and then the ruins of we are at the ancient and celebrated Lugdunum, some old castle on their tops: we lay at St. Dizier a city situatea unor the confluence of the Rhône the first night, and at Langres the second, and got and Saône Arar, I should say) two people, who, nither the next evening, time enough to have a full though of tempers extremely unlike, think fit to view of this city on entering it. It lies in a very join hands nere, and make a little party to travel extensive plain covered with vines and corn, and to the Meanerranean in company; the lady comes consequently is plentifully supplied with both. gliding along through the fruitful plains of Bernced not tell you that it is the chief city of Burgundy, increawili lenitate, ita ut oculis in utram gundy, nor that it is of great antiquity; consiaer- partem nuu judicari non possit; the gentleman ing which, one should imagine it ought to be larger runs a rough ard roaring down from the mounthan one finds it. However, what it wants in ex-tains of switzerland to meet her; and with all her tent is made up in beauty and cleanliness, and in soft rs sne likes him never the worse: she goes rich convents and churches, most of which we navetrine middle of the city in state, and he ren. The palace of the States is a magnificent | passes incog. withou the walls, but waits for her new building, where the duke of Bourbon is lodged a £ttle below. The houses here are so high, and |