lO INTRODUCTION INTO EUROPE. 



was brought to Paris by Thevenot, its use, however, 

 being confined solely to his own immediate family and a 

 few friends. Up to this period, however, and for many 

 years after, it had never been seen and scarcely ever 

 heard of by the public at large in that country. But in 

 1660 "several bales of coffee" were shipped from 

 Alexandria to Marseillaise, and in 167 1 the first coffee- 

 house was opened in the latter city near the Exchange, 

 " where the merchants met to smoke, talk business and 

 divert themselves with play." But it was not until the 

 year 1669 that Coffee drinking became popular in France, 

 though infrequent travelers had brought with them from 

 the East a few pounds of the then curious berry. In 

 that year Solieman Aga was sent as Ambassador from 

 Mahomet IV. to the court of Louis XIV., where he 

 soon became a " Hon," through the splendid and unique 

 entertainments at which he figured as host. On bended 

 knees, the black slaves of the Ambassador, arrayed in 

 the most gorgeous Oriental costumes, presented the 

 choicest Moka, in tiny cups of egg-shell porcelain, hot, 

 strong and fragrant, poured out on saucers of gold and 

 silver, placed on embroidered silk napkins fringed with 

 gold bullion, to the grand dames who fluttered their fans 

 with many grimaces, and bent their piquant faces 

 berouged, bepowdered and bepatched over the new 

 and steaming beverage. Such was the half-barbaric 

 occasion by which Coffee first became generally known 

 to that nation, which is now so largely dependent upon 

 the "brown berry of Arabia." The Parisians imme- 

 diately became quite enthusiastic over it, the aristocracy 

 adopting it as the fashionable beverage, it being recorded 

 that the daughters of Louis XIV. had Coffee imported 

 expressly for the use of the royal household, at a cost 

 of ;^ 1 5,000 yearly. 



