PALAIS ROYAL. 429 



Its lituation in the centre of the city, has rendered 

 it always a place of rendezvous both for the natives and 

 foreigners. The fhady walks of its gardens, its refresh- 

 ing lawns and bowers, on the verdure whereof the eye 

 is recreated after beholding the black walls and dirty 

 ftreets of the town ; the decent freedom of converfa- 

 tion and carriage that here prevails ; the fafety from the 

 attacks of a fflfpicious police ; thefe, together with 

 other advantages, formerly made the old gardens of 

 the palais royal a favourite walking-place with people 

 of the profeffions as well as pedeftrians of all denomina- 

 tions, and have produced around them fhops and ware- 

 houfes of all kinds, for bodily and mental enjoyment, in 

 gay diversity. 



One Hill hears the old Frenchmen fpeak with 

 raptures of the gardens of the palais royal, in the 

 ftate wherein they knew them when they were boys ; 

 particularly of a large walk of ehefnut-trees, which 

 took up the whole length of the garden on one 

 fide. Under thefe a man was in perfect fecurity from 

 the moil violent heats, as well as from the mo ft im- 

 petuous rains. From eleven in the morning all was 

 brifk and lively. Whatever was beautiful and fine in 

 Paris was fare to be met with there. On each lide 

 were benches, which never were empty of people of all 

 ranks, from all quarters and countries of the world. 

 Near about the middle of it flood a tree, under which 

 the croud was thicker than in the other parts of the 

 walk. It was the rendezvous of all the politicians, and, 

 under the name of FArhre de Cracovie, was more 

 famous than any tree in the world. Beneath the ffaade 

 of its majeftic boughs all the affairs of the world were 



a<!j afted > 



