of the pleasure I
have in writing to her, than chusing to do it in this seat of various
amusements, where I am _accableed_ with visits, and those so full of
vivacity and compliments, that 'tis full employment enough to
hearken, whether one answers or not. The French ambassadress at
Constantinople has a very considerable and numerous family here, who
all come to see me, and are never weary of making inquiries. The air
of Paris has already had a good effect on me; for I was never in
better health, though I have been extremely ill all the road from
Lyons to this place. You may judge how agreeable the journey has
been to me; which did not want that addition to make me dislike it.
I think nothing so terrible as objects of misery, except one had the
God-like attribute of being capable to redress them; and all the
country villages of France shew nothing else. While the post horses
are changed, the whole town comes out to beg, with such miserable
starved faces, and thin tattered cloths, they need no other
eloquence, to persuade one of the wretchedness of their condition.
This is all the French magnificence, till you come to Fountainbleau,
when you are shewed one thousand five hundred rooms in the king's
hunting palace. The apartments of the royal family are very large,
and richly gilt; but I saw nothing in the architecture or painting
worth remembering. The long gallery, built by Henry IV. has
prospects of all the king's houses. Its walls are designed after the
taste of those times, but appear now very mean. The park is, indeed,
finely wooded and watered, the trees well grown and planted, and in
the fish-ponds are kept tame carp, said to be, some of them, eighty
years of age. The late king passed some months every year at this
seat; and all the rocks round it, by the pious sentences inscribed
on them, shew the devotion in fashion at his court, which I believe
died with him; at least, I see no exterior marks of it at Paris,
where all peoples thoughts seem to be on present diversion.

THE fair of St Lawrence is now in season. You may be sure I have
been carried thither, and think it much better disposed than ours of
Bartholomew. The shops being all set in rows so regularly and well
lighted, they made up a very agreeable spectacle. But I was not at
all satisfied with the _grossierte_ of their harlequin, no more than
with their music at the opera, which was abominably grating, after
being used to that of Italy. Their