eighteenth century. It was a veritable literary salon. Voltaire was a
constant patron; and until the close of the historic cafe, after an
existence of more than two centuries, his marble table and chair were
among the precious relics of the coffee house. His favorite drink is
said to have been a mixture of coffee and chocolate. Rousseau, author
and philosopher; Beaumarchais, dramatist and financier; Diderot, the
encyclopedist; Ste.-Foix, the abbe of Voisenon; de Belloy, author of the
_Siege of Callais_; Lemierre, author of _Artaxerce_; Crebillon; Piron;
La Chaussee; Fontenelle; Condorcet; and a host of lesser lights in the
French arts, were habitues of Francois Procope's modest coffee saloon
near the Comedie Francaise.

Naturally, the name of Benjamin Franklin, recognized in Europe as one of
the world's foremost thinkers in the days of the American Revolution,
was often spoken over the coffee cups of Cafe de Procope; and when the
distinguished American died in 1790, this French coffee house went into
deep mourning "for the great friend of republicanism." The walls, inside
and out, were swathed in black bunting, and the statesmanship and
scientific attainments of Franklin were acclaimed by all frequenters.

The Cafe de Procope looms large in the annals of the French Revolution.
During the turbulent days of 1789 one could find at the tables, drinking
coffee or stronger beverages, and engaged in debate over the burning
questions of the hour, such characters as Marat, Robespierre, Danton,
Hebert, and Desmoulins. Napoleon Bonaparte, then a poor artillery
officer seeking a commission, was also there. He busied himself largely
in playing chess, a favorite recreation of the early Parisian
coffee-house patrons. It is related that Francois Procope once compelled
young Bonaparte to leave his hat for security while he sought money to
pay his coffee score.

After the Revolution, the Cafe de Procope lost its literary prestige and
sank to the level of an ordinary restaurant. During the last half of the
nineteenth century, Paul Verlaine, bohemian, poet, and leader of the
symbolists, made the Cafe de Procope his haunt; and for a time it
regained some of its lost popularity. The Restaurant Procope still
survives at 13 rue de l'Ancienne Comedie.

History records that, with the opening of the Cafe de Procope, coffee
became firmly established in Paris. In the reign of Louis XV there were
600 cafes in Paris. At the close of the eighteenth