umstances as these,
but they occupy in fact a high place in the scale of human comfort; and,
joined to the cheapness of the necessaries of life, (which we inferred
from the price of two or three articles of consumption,) must have their
weight in rendering Avignon a desirable place of banishment. Banishment,
I say; for I have no better name by which to express a prolonged
residence abroad, especially in cases where the mind has lost its power
of deriving amusement from trifles.

With the exception of its fine walls, its Gothic bridge, and the
legate's palace, Avignon possesses in itself no remarkable architectural
feature, or fine combination of buildings. Its churches are numerous;
but no one remarkable above the rest, as far at least as external
appearance is concerned; and we had not time for a very minute internal
survey. The Hopital des Fous, however, is an establishment well
calculated to gratify the laudable curiosity of the humane; and to judge
from all we witnessed, may perhaps exhibit points of internal regulation
worthy the attention of professional men. Nothing indeed can exceed the
quiet, orderly behaviour of the patients there confined, whom we found
walking about at perfect liberty in a square court planted with trees.
Many of them wore a certain air of content and satisfaction which could
not be mistaken, and all seemed much gratified by the notice of the mild
sensible ecclesiastic who accompanied us, and who presides over the
establishment. No coercion, as we understood from him, is used, save
restriction from walking with their fellow patients, and the restraint
of handcuffs, when rendered necessary in cases of violent conduct. I
particularly observed also, that he had never any occasion to exert that
command of the eye, on which so much stress is laid as a means of
intimidation, but passed all their little follies off with a smile, in
which we were frequently inclined to join. One poor patient accosted us
with high titles of nobility, dwelling on the peculiar pleasure he
experienced from our visit; another, an old man of a very venerable
appearance, called our attention to a dirty stone which he held in his
hand, affirming it to be a piece of Henri Quatre's identical foot: but
none were troublesome or obtrusive, and most appeared to be deriving as
much enjoyment from their own little vagaries as their melancholy state
would admit of.[30] Their apartments, built round the square, are neat
and airy, eac