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travels through france and italy-第114章

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tion; or in a  paultry village; where the post…master is the principal  inhabitant; and in such a case; if you should be ill…treated; by  being supplied with bad horses; if you should be delayed on  frivolous pretences; in order to extort money; if the postilions  should drive at a waggon pace; with a view to provoke your  impatience; or should you in any shape be insulted by them or  their masters; and I know not any redress you can have; except by  a formal complaint to the comptroller of the posts; who is  generally one of the ministers of state; and pays little or no  regard to any such representations。 I know an English gentleman;  the brother of an earl; who wrote a letter of complaint to the  Duc de Villars; governor of Provence; against the post…master of  Antibes; who had insulted and imposed upon him。 The duke answered  his letter; promising to take order that the grievance should be  redressed; and never thought of it after。 Another great  inconvenience which attends posting in France; is that if you are  retarded by any accident; you cannot in many parts of the kingdom  find a lodging; without perhaps travelling two or three posts  farther than you would choose to go; to the prejudice of your  health; and even the hazard of your life; whereas on any part of  the post…road in England; you will meet with tolerable  accommodation at every stage。 Through the whole south of France;  except in large cities; the inns are cold; damp; dark; dismal;  and dirty; the landlords equally disobliging and rapacious; the  servants aukward; sluttish; and slothful; and the postilions  lazy; lounging; greedy; and impertinent。 If you chide them for  lingering; they will continue to delay you the longer: if you  chastise them with sword; cane; cudgel; or horse…whip; they will  either disappear entirely; and leave you without resource; or  they will find means to take vengeance by overturning your  carriage。 The best method I know of travelling with any degree of  comfort; is to allow yourself to become the dupe of imposition;  and stimulate their endeavours by extraordinary gratifications。 I  laid down a resolution (and kept it) to give no more than four  and twenty sols per post between the two postilions; but I am now  persuaded that for three…pence a post more; I should have been  much better served; and should have performed the journey with  much greater pleasure。 We met with no adventures upon the road  worth reciting。 The first day we were retarded about two hours by  the dutchess Dlle; and her son the duc de Rft; who by  virtue of an order from the minister; had anticipated all the  horses at the post。 They accosted my servant; and asked if his  master was a lord? He thought proper to answer in the  affirmative; upon which the duke declared that he must certainly  be of French extraction; inasmuch as he observed the lilies of  France in his arms on the coach。 This young nobleman spoke a  little English。 He asked whence we had come; and understanding we  had been in Italy; desired to know whether the man liked France  or Italy best? Upon his giving France the preference; he clapped  him on the shoulder; and said he was a lad of good taste。 The  dutchess asked if her son spoke English well; and seemed mightily  pleased when my man assured her he did。 They were much more free  and condescending with my servant than with myself; for; though  we saluted them in passing; and were even supposed to be persons  of quality; they did not open their lips; while we stood close by  them at the inn…door; till their horses were changed。 They were  going to Geneva; and their equipage consisted of three coaches  and six; with five domestics a…horseback。 The dutchess was a  tall; thin; raw…boned woman; with her head close shaved。 This  delay obliged us to lie two posts short of Macon; at a solitary  auberge called Maison Blanche; which had nothing white about it;  but the name。 The Lionnois is one of the most agreeable and best…cultivated  countries I ever beheld; diversified with hill; dale;  wood; and water; laid out in extensive corn…fields and rich  meadows; well stocked with black cattle; and adorned with a  surprising number of towns; villages; villas; and convents;  generally situated on the brows of gently swelling hills; so that  they appear to the greatest advantage。 What contributes in a  great measure to the beauty of this; and the Maconnois; is the  charming pastoral Soame; which from the city of Chalons winds its  silent course so smooth and gentle; that one can scarce discern  which way its current flows。 It is this placid appearance that  tempts so many people to bathe in it at Lions; where a good  number of individuals are drowned every summer: whereas there is  no instance of any persons thus perishing in the Rhone; the  rapidity of it deterring every body from bathing in its stream。  Next night we passed at Beaune where we found nothing good but  the wine; for which we paid forty sols the bottle。 At Chalons our  axle…tree took fire; an accident which detained us so long; that  it was ten before we arrived at Auxerre; where we lay。 In all  probability we must have lodged in the coach; had not we been  content to take four horses; and pay for six; two posts  successively。 The alternative was; either to proceed with four on  those terms; or stay till the other horses should come in and be  refreshed。 In such an emergency; I would advise the traveller to  put up with the four; and he will find the postilions so much  upon their mettle; that those stages will be performed sooner  than the others in which you have the full complement。

There was an English gentleman laid up at Auxerre with a broken  arm; to whom I sent my compliments; with offers of service; but  his servant told my man that he did not choose to see any  company; and had no occasion for my service。 This sort of reserve  seems peculiar to the English disposition。 When two natives of  any other country chance to meet abroad; they run into each  other's embrace like old friends; even though they have never  heard of one another till that moment; whereas two Englishmen in  the same situation maintain a mutual reserve and diffidence; and  keep without the sphere of each other's attraction; like two  bodies endowed with a repulsive power。 We only stopped to change  horses at Dijon; the capital of Burgundy; which is a venerable  old city; but we passed part of a day at Sens; and visited a  manufacture of that stuff we call Manchester velvet; which is  here made and dyed to great perfection; under the direction of  English workmen; who have been seduced from their own country。 At  Fontainebleau。 we went to see the palace; or as it is called; the  castle; which though an irregular pile of building; affords a  great deal of lodging; and contains some very noble apartments;  particularly the hall of audience; with the king's and queen's  chambers; upon which the ornaments of carving and gilding are  lavished with profusion rather than propriety。 Here are some rich  parterres of flower…garden; and a noble orangerie; which;  however; we did not greatly admire; after having lived among the  natural orange groves of Italy。 Hitherto we had enjoyed fine  summer weather; and I found mysel
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