ACCOUNT OP THE CITY OP HIERES. 357 



ACCOUNT OP THE CITY OP HIERES, AND THE 

 CIRCUMJACENT COUNTRY. 



FROM THE JOURNAL OF A LITERARY GENTLEMAN, 



I WAS fortunate enough, the very day after 

 my arrival, to hire a neat, new-built and convenient 



country houfe ; for which I paid only forty livres the 

 month. I therefore immediately got into it, and made 

 the proper difpofitions for a itay of a couple of months. 

 I brought from Lauzanne a letter of recommendation 

 to M. Alhiet, one of the irioft considerable inhabitants 

 of Hieres. On hearing that he was at prefent gone to 

 his eftate about an hour's journey from the city, I di- 

 rectly fent him the letter by a meflenger. He had the 

 civility to come to town the following day, and affifted 

 me in making the little arrangements I found neceffary, 

 with great politenefs. One difcovers on fuch occasions 

 the high value that ought to be fet on complaifance 

 and friendly officioufnefs. But for the affiftance of 

 this worthy gentleman I mould have been exceedingly 

 at a lofs, as I was perfectly a ftranger to every perfon 

 in the place, and had not a word of the language 5 for 

 the provenzal dialect which is peculiar to thefe people, 

 feems to have fcarcely any refemblance whatever to the 

 french. He fettled my whole houfhold, and procured 

 me a cook-maid, who was perhaps the only one in all 

 Hieres that could fpeak french. I prefently had occa- 

 lion to think, that lincerity and officious kindnefs were 

 the native virtues of the inhabitants here. The few 



A a 3 pet- 



