Page:The lives of the poets of Great Britain and Ireland to the time of Dean Swift - Volume 4.djvu/116

106 In ſome part of our author’s life (for we cannot juſtly aſcertain the time) he gratified an inclination of viſiting France. As curioſity no doubt induced him to paſs over to that country, he loſt no time in making ſuch obſervations as could enable him to diſcern the ſpirit, and genius of that polite people. His taſte for architecture excited him to take a ſurvey of the fortifications in that kingdom; but the ardour of his curioſity drew him into a ſnare, out of which he found great difficulty to eſcape. When he was one day ſurveying ſome fortifications with the ſtricteſt attention, he was taken notice of by an Engineer, ſecured by authority, and then carried priſoner to the Baſtile in Paris. The French were confirmed in ſuſpicions of his deſign, by ſeveral plans being found in his poſſeſſion at the time he was ſeized upon; but as the French, except in cafes of Hereſy, uſe their priſoners with gentleneſs and humanity, Sir John found his confinement ſo endurable, that he amus’d himſelf in drawing rude draughts of ſome comedies. This circumſtance raiſing curioſity in Paris, ſeveral of the nobleſſe viſited him in the Baſtile, when Sir John, who ſpoke their language with fluency and elegance, inſinuated himſelf into their favour by the vivacity of his wit, and the peculiarity of his humour. He gained ſo much upon their affections, that they repreſented him to the French King in an innocent light, and by that means procured his liberty ſome days before the ſollicitation came from England.

Sir John Vanbrugh formed a project of building a ſtately theatre in the Hay-market, for which he had intereſt enough to raiſe a ſubſcription of thirty perſons of quality at 100 l. each, in conſideration whereof, every ſubſcriber for his own life, ſhould be admitted to whatever