FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48  
49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   >>   >|  
may imagine something of the probable resulting effect. Certainly it is most imposing. The visitor, who wishes to make himself acquainted with the older, and more original, national character of the French--whether as respects manners, dresses, domestic occupations, and public places of resort--will take up his residence in the _Rue du Bac_, or at the _Hotel des Bourbons_; within twenty minutes walk of the more curious objects which are to be found in the Quartiers Saint Andre des Arcs, du Luxembourg, and Saint Germain des Pres. Ere he commence his morning perambulations, he will look well at his map, and to what is described, in the route which he is to take, in the works of Landon and of Legrand, or of other equally accurate topographers. Two things he ought invariably to bear in mind: the first, not to undertake too much, for the sake of saying how _many_ things he has seen:--and the second, to make himself thoroughly master of what he _does_ see. All this is very easily accomplished: and a fare of thirty sous will take you, at starting, to almost any part of Paris, however remote: from whence you may shape your course homewards at leisure, and with little fatigue. Such a visitor will, however, sigh, ere he set out on his journey, on being told that the old Gothic church of _St. Andre-des-Arcs_--the Abbey of _St. Victor_--the churches of the _Bernardins_, and of _St. Etienne des Pres_, the _Cloisters_ of _the Cordeliers_, and the _Convent of the Celestins_ ... exist no longer ... or, that their remains are mere shadows of shades! But in the three quarters of Paris, above mentioned, he will gather much curious information--in spite of the havoc and waste which the Revolution has made; and on his return to his own country he will reflect, with pride and satisfaction, on the result of his enterprise and perseverance. To my whimsically formed taste, OLD PARIS has in it very much to delight, and afford valuable information. Not that I would decry the absolute splendor, gaiety, comfort, and interminable variety, which prevail in its more modern and fashionable quarters. And certainly one may fairly say, that, on either side the Seine, Paris is a city in which an Englishman,-- who is resolved to be in good humour with all about him, and to shew that civility to others which he is sure to receive from the better educated classes of society here--cannot fail to find himself pleased, perfectly at ease, and well contented with
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48  
49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

things

 

quarters

 

information

 
curious
 

visitor

 

return

 

Victor

 

Revolution

 

churches

 
enterprise

perseverance

 

church

 

result

 
satisfaction
 

Bernardins

 

country

 

reflect

 

Gothic

 

longer

 

shades


remains

 

shadows

 
Cordeliers
 

Cloisters

 

Etienne

 

Convent

 

gather

 
Celestins
 

mentioned

 
gaiety

civility
 

humour

 
Englishman
 

resolved

 
receive
 

pleased

 

perfectly

 

contented

 

educated

 

classes


society

 

absolute

 

valuable

 

afford

 

formed

 

delight

 

splendor

 

fairly

 
fashionable
 

modern