Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 1.djvu/469

 12 S. I. JUNE 10, 1916.]

NOTES AND QUERIES.

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of 'em inhabited, nor are they built for dwelling nouses. Their only use is on acc't of the Racotte or crop. For ye Lands of France, you may please to observe, a re not possess'd, like those of Engl'd, bv Country gentlemen, and Farmers who live upon 'em : but by the inhabitants of Towns & Villages. Not a shop-keeper, or handicraft, scarce a Cobler but has a little Estate in Land, consisting of at least a Vineyard, with sometimes a bit of arable. There are many thous'ds of these Blens or Estates w'ch are not worth above half-a- crown p. ann. a-piece. But to ye better sort of 'em, there is also belonging a little house, w'th a Garden & a barn. Hither, then, do ye owners repair in July, to over-see ye reaping and threshing of their corn, in September, to gather & press their Grapes : After w'ch they shut up their doors, <fc rarely go near 'ein, unless to make Collation. The reason of all this is resolvable into ye humour of ye French, who cannot bear to be alone. Solitude & Silence are desolation and death to 'em. Their only pleasure is to Shine in ye Eyes of others, and where there is no person to admire their witt, their person, or their dress, they are undone. Hence it is, that their country people cannot live, like ours, dispersed in single houses and Farms ; but their Peasants and Farmers either get into ye Citties near at them, or they form towns and Villages among 'emselves : From these ye plough -man goes out daily w'th his team, and the shepherd w'th his flock, in ye morning, and return w'th 'em at Night, to Shelter within the Avails. Tis for ye like reason y't you find their Gentry, rather than live Solitary in their Own Chateaux, will pig into any little hole in a neigh- bouring town, and let their Country houses go to ruin.

The French are a people born for society, & have cultivated ye art of being agreeable in it, beyond all other People. Tis almost ye only art they do study ; As, in reality, to this are reducable almost all ye pleasures they enjoy. Their own Families afford 'em no Entertainment : As soon as a French man is up in a Morning, he throws himself out of doors, & quarters himself on ye public at least till noon. The first crowd he can thrust his head into, he is happy. In Towns & Villages where there are no houses of rendezvous to repair to, He posts himself at ye corner of some street, with his back to ye Wall, till some other person conies by in ye same circumstances. These fall into chat, and are soon joyned by two or three more : Thus by degrees is formed what they call a Calotte, w'ch is gaining & losing in bulk till twelve o'clock, when ye assembly breaks up, & all repair to dinner. They set long at table, and after rising make their parties at Cards, w'ch employ 'em till supper ; After w'ch is ye fine time for walking : Accordingly they sally out in ye dusk, men & women, linked arm in arm, and walk, talk, make love, sing & dance till past midnight.

Englishmen who come into France are apt to think ye Country uninhabited ; because they do not everywhere meet with houses dispersed, as in England. A man will frequently travel eight or ten miles without seeing anything like a house. When he quits one town or village, he may generally take his leave of mankind till he arrives at yc next. Yet is France, taking one part w'th another, better peopled than England. In reality it swarms with Inhabitants : every country town & Village is a fruitful beehive, where a multitude

of people is crouded into ye least compass. Their towns make no figure : a scurvy place seemingly not comparable to one of our worst market- towns,, shall contain three times as many Inhabitants.. Pezenas, a Village where I lived some time, w'ch does not stand on much more ground y'n Colney- hatch, contains, I dare say, more people than St. Albans. In Languedoc & Provence One every where meets with miserable holes in ye clefts of Mountains, & rocks, w'ch for Inhabitants would outnumber some of our Shire-towns.

The reason is, y't the french live close : They croud as near one another as they can get. Their streets are so narrow, y't an Ass loaden w'th Wood will clear 'em from end to end, & drive every soul in a-doors : And their houses are so high y't you generally have four or five families over one another's heads. For a single family to- have a whole house, is a thing hardly known, except among people of ye first rate. Every story is intended for a separate family, and has all Accommodations accordingly. Hence it is that their towns are very dirty, & in winter very- dark & Cold. But they think all this more than atoned for, by their being cool, & keeping out of ye Sun in Summer. This is certainly ill judged ; for ye closeness & crookedness of ye streets, if it keep out ye sun, keeps out ye Wind, & prevents y't free- Ventilation of ye air w'ch would coof 'em : so y't they lose as much by their contrivance- as they gain, & make their mansions unpleasant into ye bargain. This they seem to be growing- sensible of ; so ye most of ye towns built of late, are in another tast, quite open & airy. As ye old ones decay, they will all be reformed to this model ;. But it will be many ages first : For ye French Towns are almost im-mortal. They are built excessively massive & Solid, most of 'em of Free- stone ; so that they defy both time & fire. Their ordinary houses will stand four or five hundred years. The Walls and everything about them are treble ye strength & thickness of ours ; and the timber is hi proportion : indeed, it needs it, considering ye load it has to sustain ; for the Floors are all paved, up to ye very Garrets. The Worst article in them is ye Windows, Which are rarely glazed. In ye Lyonnois & Dauphiny they are generally paperd, W'ch is said to be done in favour of ye Manufacturers of gold & silver stuffs,. & brocades w'ch abound here. Tis pretended, y't ye light of a glass window dazzles, and disturbs ye Workman. But if this were all, I do not see why ye houses of ye Nobility should have no other y'n paper windows. But 'tis still worse in most other Provinces, where you have neither glass nor- paper, nor anything to defend you but wooden volets, or shutters : So y't you must either sit in the Dark, or w'th y'r windows open to all Weathers..

I Propose to set out tomorrow for Rochel(le), & Nantes, in my way to Paris. I have been here five weeks, W ch is much too long, occasion'd by a mistake in a remittance of Money to Me. This has thrown me into ye very hottest, & worst part of ye year for travelling. But my motions will not be very quick, nor my journeys long. The banks of ye Loire, when once I can reach 'em, will yield me Shelter & refreshment. There will be no great Vintage this year, in these parts : The Frost about Bordeaux, and ye Hail in most other provinces hare made great slaughter among ye vines.

Remember me to all Friends. My best wishes are with Mrs. Longman. Forget not to make