lt and mostly of brick; 'tis extremely populous, but as that may
be accounted for, from the principles of their diet,--there is nothing
curious in that neither.--A traveller may see it to satisfy himself--he
must not omit however taking notice of La Tour de Guet, upon any
account; 'tis so called from its particular destination, because in war
it serves to discover and give notice of the enemies which approach the
place, either by sea or land;--but 'tis monstrous high, and catches the
eye so continually, you cannot avoid taking notice of it if you would.

It was a singular disappointment to me, that I could not have permission
to take an exact survey of the fortifications, which are the strongest
in the world, and which, from first to last, that is, for the time they
were set about by Philip of France, Count of Bologne, to the present
war, wherein many reparations were made, have cost (as I learned
afterwards from an engineer in Gascony)--above a hundred millions of
livres. It is very remarkable, that at the Tete de Gravelenes, and where
the town is naturally the weakest, they have expended the most money;
so that the outworks stretch a great way into the campaign, and
consequently occupy a large tract of ground--However, after all that is
said and done, it must be acknowledged that Calais was never upon any
account so considerable from itself, as from its situation, and that
easy entrance which it gave our ancestors, upon all occasions, into
France: it was not without its inconveniences also; being no less
troublesome to the English in those times, than Dunkirk has been to
us, in ours; so that it was deservedly looked upon as the key to both
kingdoms, which no doubt is the reason that there have arisen so many
contentions who should keep it: of these, the siege of Calais, or rather
the blockade (for it was shut up both by land and sea), was the most
memorable, as it with-stood the efforts of Edward the Third a whole
year, and was not terminated at last but by famine and extreme misery;
the gallantry of Eustace de St. Pierre, who first offered himself a
victim for his fellow-citizens, has rank'd his name with heroes. As it
will not take up above fifty pages, it would be injustice to the reader,
not to give him a minute account of that romantic transaction, as well
as of the siege itself, in Rapin's own words:

Chapter 3.LXXXIX.

--But courage! gentle reader!--I scorn it--'tis enough to have thee in
my power--but to