4-76 PALAIS ROYAL. 



When the theatrical performances are over, the 

 curiohties of art and nature are here to be feen for 

 money ; which have a run for a time, and then are no 

 more heard of. The cabinet of wax figures, kept here 

 by a German, named Curtius, feems to fucceed, and 

 even to meet with great encouragement. It occupies 

 two arcades, and exhibits a great number of remarkable 

 perfons of both fexes, elegantly intermixed with chil- 

 dren, flowers, fruit, ckc. 



A giantefs alfo made a fhew of herfelf here all this 

 fummer for money. The hand-bill flyled her la jolie 

 geante pruffienne, becaufe every thing, we may fup ■ 

 pofe, that is faid to be worth feeing here muft be jolt, 

 whatever objections might be made to the contradicr 

 tion in terms between jolie and geante. I found a tole- 

 rably large, but by no means a gigantic female figure, 

 with an ugly wen over the left eye, and as ugly a ro- 

 tundity, no longer to be concealed, under the muflin 

 chemife, which very plainly announced the approach- 

 ing appearance of ^. joli gcanL She and her attendant 

 told me a parcel of ftories of high patrons, of country- 

 parties, he. in the pomeranian dial eel:. On combining 

 all circumilances together,, it feemed to me very probable 

 that the renter of the Palais Royal, whofe tafte in 

 certain matters is a little diftorted, might have fallen 

 on the conceit of indulging his humour with this 

 giantefs, and it feemed to me as if, every time fhe 

 fpoke of her exalted patrons, fhe let fall her eyes with 

 great complacency on the exaltation of her chemife. 



On one of the firit days of my being here, I was . 

 ihewn, under the wooden galleries, the beautiful Zuli- 

 ma, a half-naked female figure, which, with flefli- 



colourcd 



