lister's TRAVELS IN FRANCE. 7

and churches, the gates of the city; add the great alteration of the ftreets, thekeys upon the river, the pavements; all thefe have had great additions, or are quitenew.

In the river amongfl the bridges, both above and below, are a vaft number of boats,of wood, hay, charcoal, corn, and wine, and other commodities. But when a fuddenthaw comes, they are often in danger of being fplit and crushed to pieces upon thebridges; which alfo are fometimes damaged by them. There have been great lolfes tothe owners of fuch boats and goods.

It has been propofed to dig near the city a large bafin for a winter harbour;but this has not had the face of profit to the government; fo they are ftill left toexecute their own project. There are no laws or projects fo effectual here, aswhat bring profit to the government. Farming is admirably well underltoodhere.

Amongfl the living objects to be feen in the ftreets of Paris , the counfellors andchief officers of the courts of juftice make a great figure; they and their wives havetheir trains carried up ; fo there are abundance fo be feen walking about the ftreets inthis manner. It is for this that places of that nature fell fo well. A man that has aright to qualify a wife with this honour, {hall command a fortune; and the carryinga great velvet cuffiion to church is fuch another bufinefs. The place of a lawyer is va-lued a third part dearer for this.

Here are alfo daily to be feen in the ftreets great variety of monks, in ftrange un-ufual habits to us Engliffimen ; thefe make an odd figure, and furniffi well a picture.

I cannot but pity the miftaken zeal of thefe poor men ; that put thcmfelves into reli-gion, as they call it, and renounce the world, and fubmit themfelves to moft fevererules of living and diet; forne of the orders are decently enough cloathed, as the Je-fuits, the fathers of the oratory, &c. but moft are very particular and obfolete in theirdrefs, as being the ruftic habit of old times, without linen, or ornaments of the prefentage.

As to their meagre diet, it is much againft nature, and the improved diet of man-kind. The Mofaic law provided much better for Jews , a chofen people; that wasinftituted for cleanlinefs and healtlr. Now for the Chriftian law, though it commandshumility and patience under fufferings, and mortification and abftinence from finfullulls and pleafures ; yet by no means adillinft food, but liberty to cat any thing v/hat-foever, much lefs naftinefs; and the papifts themfelves in other things are of this mind ;for their churches are clean, pompoufly adorned and perfumed. It is enough, if w r echance to fuffer perfecution, to endure it with patience, and all the miferable circum-ftances that attend it; but wantonly to perfecute ourfelves, is to do violence to C.hrifti-anity, and to put ourfelves in a worfe Hate than the Jews were; for to choofe the wordof food, which is four herbs and filh, and fuch like tralh, and to lie worfe, alwaysrough, in courfe and nafty woollen frocks upon boards; to go barefoot in a coldcountry, to deny themfelves the comforts of this life, and the converfation of men;this, I fay, is to hazard our healths, to renounce the greateft bleffings of this life, andin a manner to deftroy ourfelves. Thefe men, I fay, cannot but be in the mainchagrin, and therefore as they are out of humour with the world, fo they mult intime be weary of fuch flavilhand fruitlefs devotion, which is not attended with an activelife.

The great multitude of poor wretches in all parts of this city is fuch, that a manin a coach, a-foot, in the ffiop, is not able to do any bufinefs for the numbers andimportunities of beggars; and to hear their miferies is very lamentable; and if you

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