£A£AT$ ROYAL. 43! 



fkunmiig- the day-light. After feven their lifters of the 

 inferior orders entered, who were confcious that -their 

 charms llnone beft by twilight or in the ab fence of the fun; 

 and as their numbers increafed fo thofe of the walkers 

 who did not come merely on their account, diminifhed. 

 All people of fedate character then left the gardens ; 

 and t)f both fexes only fuch flaid behind as had none, 

 and thought it not neceffary to pretend to any; and 

 therefore allowed themfelves in fuch gallantries as often 

 drew upon them the animadverlions of the SuifTe du 

 palais, who accompanied his lectures with found lafhes 

 of his whip, as they drove them before him ; fiill 

 oftener they were more feverely punifhed by the gal- 

 lantries themfelves. We fee then, that even in this 

 refpect too the antient gardens of the palais royal were 

 the prototype of the modern. 



The various interefts which fuch numbers at that 

 time had in the palais royal made it defirable to live 

 near it. Accordingly lodgings were much dearer in 

 the vicinity of it than in any other quarter of the town* 

 As the gardens were particularly much reforted to by 

 foreigners, fo feveral hotels were fitted up- and fur- 

 nifhed purpofely for ftrangers. A firft floor in one of 

 thefe hotels even then colt fifty new louis-d'ors per 

 month ; and though there were fo many of them, yet 

 they were feldom empty. A houfe within a fmall dif- 

 tance from the palais royal at that time brought in fifty 

 per cent more than it would have done in any other 

 part' of the town ; and the articles of trade that were 

 much called for about this fpot, fetched a far greater 

 price than in the remoter quarters. 



We 



