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them for three roastings, besides the hazard of mak ing potage with the rump. Fowl also they have in good plenty; especially such as the king found in Scotland to say truth, that which they have is sufficient for nature and a friend, were it not for the mistress or the kitchen-wench. I have heard much fame of the French cooks; but their skill lieth not in the neat handling of beef or mutton. They have (as generally have all this nation) good fancies, and are special fellows for the making of puff pastes, and the ordering of banquets. Their trade is not to feed the belly, but the palate. It is now time you were set down, where the first thing you must do is to say your own grace; private graces are as ordinary there as private masses, and from thence I think they learned them. That done, fall to where you like best; they observe no method in their eating, and if you look for a carver you may rise fasting. When you are risen, if you can digest the sluttishness of the cookery, (which is most abominable at first sight) I dare trust you in a garrison; follow him to church, and there he will shew himself most irreligious and irreverent; I speak not of all, but the general. At a mass in Cordelier's church in Paris, I saw two French papists, even when the most sacred mystery of their faith was celebrating, break out into such a blasphemous and atheistical laughter, that even an Ethnick would have hated it: it was well

they were known to be catholics, otherwise some French hot-head or other would have sent them laughting to Pluto.

The French language is indeed very sweet and delectable; it is cleared of all harshness by the cutting and leaving out the consonants, which maketh it fall off the tongue very volubly: yet in mine opinion it is rather elegant than copious; and therefore is much troubled for want of words to find out periphrases. It expresseth very much of itself in the action; the head, body, and shoulders, concur all the pronouncing of it; and he that hopeth to speak it with a good grace, must have something in him of the mimic. It is enriched with a full number of significant proverbs, which is a great help to the French humour in scoffing, and very full of courtship, which maketh all the people complimental; the poorest cobler in the village hath his court cringes, and his eau bemste de cour, his court holy water, as perfectly as the prince of Condé.

In the passadoes of their courtship, they express themselves with much variety of gesture; and indeed it doth not misbecome them. Were it as graceful in the gentlemen of other nations as in them, it were worth your patience; but the affectation of it is scurvy and ridiculous. Quocumque salutationis artificio corpus inflectant, putes nihil istá institutione magis convenire. Vicinæ autem gentes ridiculo errore decepta,

ejusdem venustatis imitationem ludicram faciunt et ingratam as one happily observed at being amongst them. I have heard of a young gallant son to a great lord of one of the three British kingdoms, that spent some years in France to learn fashions; at his re turn he desired to see the king, and his father procured him an interview. When he came within the presence chamber he began to compose his head, and carried it as though he had been ridden with a martingale; next he fell to draw back his legs, and thrust out his shoulders, and that with such a graceless apishness, that the king asked him if he meant to shoulder him out of his chair; and so left him to act out his compliments to the hangings. In their courtship they bestow even their highest titles upon those of the lowest condition. This is the vice also of their common talk. The beggar begetteth monsieurs and madames to his sons and daughters, as familiarly as the king: were there no other reason to persuade me that the Welch or Britons were the descendants of the Gauls, this only were sufficient, that they would all be gentlemen.

His discourse runneth commonly on two wheels, treason and ribaldry; I never heard people talk less reverently of their prince, nor more saucily of his actions; scarce a day passeth away without some seditious pamphlet printed and published, in the disgrace of the king or of some of his courtiers. These

are every man's money, and he that buyeth them is not coy of the contents, be they never so scandalous of all humours the most harsh and odious. Take him from this (which you can hardly do till he hath told all) and then he falleth upon his ribaldry; without these crutches his discourse would never be able to keep pace with his company. Thus shall you have them relate the stories of their own uncleanness, with a face as confident as if they had had no accident to please their hearers more commendable. Thus will they reckon up the several profanations of pleasure, by which they have dismanned themselves; sometimes not sparing to descend unto particulars. A valiant captain never gloried more in the number of the cities he had taken, than they do of the several women they have prostituted.

Egregiam vero laudem, et spolia ampla!

Foolish and most perishing wretches, by whom each several incontinency is twice committed, first in the act, and secondly in the boast.

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BOYLE.

ROBERT BOYLE, the seventh son and fourteenth child of Richard earl of Cork, was born at Lismore in the county of Cork, and province of Munster in Ireland, 1626-7. He was taught Latin by one of the earl's chaplains; and French by a Frenchman resident in the house. When eight years of age, he entered at Eton-school, under Mr. Harrison, then master of that seminary; where having remained about four years, he was sent, in 1638, with his brother Francis, lately married, on his travels to the continent, under the superintendance of Mr. Marcombes. They landed at Dieppe in Normandy, and proceeded thence to Rouen, Paris, Lyons, and finally to Geneva, where, his governor having a family, he and

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