459 
PARI S. 
chateau of Vauvert, built by Robert II. the fon of Hugh 
Capet, having been abandoned, a report was propagated, 
that innumerable demons had made it their abode. The 
inoflr frightful forms were feen,and the molt terrific noifes 
were heard every night. No one dared to approach the 
fatal walls after funl'et, and the inhabitants of the neigh¬ 
bouring houfes fled in terror from their dwellings. The 
monks of the Carthufian monaltery of Gentilly, whofe de¬ 
fire of aggrandifement overcame their fears of the myfte- 
rious inhabitants of the chateau, or who poflibly were 
already qualified to give a good account of thel'e noc¬ 
turnal revels, petitioned St. Louis to grant them the de¬ 
fected edifice and its domains, pledging themfelves to ex- 
orcife the fiends, and to deliver the neighbourhood front 
the difturbers of its repofe. They took pofl'effion of the 
chateau with much impofing folemnity; and the demons 
were required to quit for ever the domains which were 
now confecrated to the fervice of God. They heard, 
trembled, and obeyed. Neither the vigils of the gholtly 
fathers, nor the flumbers of the fupenlitious peafants, 
were again difturbed. The monaftery remained about 600 
years, but it appeared at its diflolution that theexorcilin 
of the friars had been effectual. 
The Library of the Arfenal now forms part of the li¬ 
brary of the Luxembourg. This magnificent collection 
was purchafed by the count d’Artois, from the celebra¬ 
ted Paulmy d’Argenfon. It contains 75,000 printed vo¬ 
lumes, and 6000 MSS. Many of the miffals are beautifully 
illuminated on vellum. One is called the Breviary of 
Rene king of Naples and Sicily, with a title in Moorifh 
Arabic; another is inletters of gold, of the ninth cen¬ 
tury, containing the four evangelifts. In this library, 
alfo, are a globe conftruCfed for the purpofe of teaching 
the halt Dauphin geography; and Heps made for Marie 
Antoinette, that move by a fpring, and may be directed 
to any part of the room at pleafure, by the perfon fitting 
on them. 
This library contains alfo a magnificent collection of 
works on the military art: but it is not confined to them ; 
it is rich in general hiftory, foreign literature, and Italian 
poetry. 
When the Pruflians arrived in Paris, on their fecond 
expedition, they appeared to be difpofed to defpoil this 
library of its molt valuable works. M. Treneuil, the li¬ 
brarian, and even the French minifter of the interior, in¬ 
terfered in vain; but the energetic remonftrances of the 
celebrated Humboldt preferved it from deftruCtion. 
Near the Luxembourg is the Church of St. Sulpice .— 
The majeltic portico was the work of Servandoni. Its 
grand proportions, the boldnefs of the defign, and the 
fublime effeCt which it produces, are univerfally acknow¬ 
ledged. It iscompofed of two orders, the Doric and the 
Ionic, placed above each other. The Doric columns are 
forty feet high, and five feet in diameter, with an enta¬ 
blature of ten feet. The Ionic pillars are thirty-eight 
feet in height, and four feet eight inches in diameter, 
with an entablature of nine feet. A tower rifes on each 
fide of the portico to the height of no feet. They were 
originally of a different ftyle of architecture, and were 
not fuppofed to accord well with the other parts of the 
building : they are indebted to M. Chalgrin for their pre- 
fen t appearance. 
The in'terior of the building, in which the Corinthian 
order reigns, is not lefs interefting than the exterior. 
The compofition of the principal altar between the nave 
and the choir is grand and fublime. Its form is that of 
an ancient tomb of beautiful marble. Thefpacious choir 
is decorated with the coloflal ftatues of our Saviour, St. 
Peter, St. Paul, and St.John the Evangelift, by Bouchar- 
don. It is terminated by a magnificent chapel, dedicated 
to the Virgin. Above the altar of white marble rife fome 
columns of blue marble, of the compofite order, with gilt 
chapiters, fupporting an entablature crowned by nume¬ 
rous figures in bronze. The cupola, inimitably reprefent- 
ing the Affumption, is by Lemoine: and the ingenious 
manner in which the light is admitted produces a ma¬ 
gical effeCt. The veffeis containing the holy water are 
curio.ully formed of two immenfe Ikulls, which the re¬ 
public of Venice prefented to Francis I. They are placed 
on a rock executed by Pigal. This interelting edifice 
was fadly defpoiled during the revolution. 
The fubterranean church is remarkable for its extent; 
and gives a tolerable idea of the ancient catacombs. 
In front of the church is one of thofe fountains with 
which Paris fo much abounds. It is a pleafing little 
flruCture, but loft in the immenfity of the area in which 
it is fituated. It is a maffive fquare, with an entablature 
on each fide, ornamented by bas-reliefs in marble, repre- 
fenting Peace, Agriculture, Commerce, and the Arts. 
On two of the tides are fculptures in white marble, in the 
form of the upper part of a vafe, whence the water falls 
into femicircular cifterns of marble, and thence into a 
circular bafin. 
There is another fountain in the fame ftreet, the Rue 
de Vaugirard. This fountain is compofed of two pilaf- 
ters, furmounted by a pediment. A bas-relief reprefents 
Leda on the banks of the Eurotas, and Jupiter under the 
form of a fwan. The artift, who had only a fmall ftream 
of water at his difpola), has very taftefully made it ifl'ue 
from the beak of an elegant bird. 
Hotel Bourbon ; now called the Palace of the Repre- 
fentatives, Chamber of Deputies, orHoufe of Commons; 
Rue de 1 ’Univerfite.—This palace was built by the duchefs 
of Bourbon, in 1722, after the defigns of Girardini, an 
Italian architefl. It was afterwards confiderably impro¬ 
ved and enlarged by the prince of Conde. It is delight¬ 
fully fituated on the banks of the Seine, at the foot of 
the Pont Louis XVI. and oppofite to the Place Louis 
XV. and commands a pleafing view of the Tuileries and 
the Eiyfian Fields. It was intended to be a country- 
houfe more than a palace, and the character of the edifice 
on the river-fide accords with this deftination. Its prin¬ 
cipal entrance towards the ftreet combines fimplicity 
and grandeur. It confifts of one noble portico, with a 
colonnade of the Corinthian order on each fide. The 
front towards the bridge confifts of twelve Corinthian 
columns, furmounted by a well-proportioned pediment. 
It would have been confiderably improved, had its pillars 
been fluted and snore maffive, and had the ftone of which 
it is conftrudted been of a fofter white. The ftatues of 
Sully, Colbert, l’Hopital, and d’Agnefleau, decorate the 
fides of the pediment, and at the bottom of the fteps are 
Minerva and the Genius of France. 
When Louis XVI. erected the bridge that bears his 
name, immediately before one of the pavilions of this pa¬ 
lace, the neceflity of railing the neighbouring ground 
deftroyed much of the beauty of this edifice; and, cauling 
it to appear as if it were funk in a valley, gave to the too- 
diminutive proportions of the building an air of infigni- 
ficance. The prince to whom the palace belonged per¬ 
ceived and lamented this, and determined to enlarge and 
almoft rebuild the edifice. But the Revolution ordered 
it otherwife. The Palace of Bourbon was among the firft 
that was ravaged and mutilated, and it remained unoc¬ 
cupied and unappropiated until the Council of Five 
Hundred was eftablifhed in it. 
On the oppofite fides of the fquare are two halls, dedi¬ 
cated to Peace and Viflory. Thel'e communicate on one 
fide with the apartments of the palace, and on the other 
with two ftone ftaircafes of exquifite workmanlhip, leading 
to the upper part of the Hall of the Reprefentatives. 
This hall was built in the third year of the Revolution, 
on the fite of fome of the apartments of the old palace. 
At the foot of the bridge of Louis XVI. is an avenue for 
the ufe of the members ; and nearly facing the Rue de 
Lille is the way to the public tribune. The hall is a very 
handfome room, in the form of a half oval. It is orna¬ 
mented with fix ftatues, reprefenting Lycurgus, Solon, 
Demofthenes, Brutus, Cato, and Cicero. Near the pre- 
fident’s chair are two figures in bas-relief, of Hiftory and 
Fame. 
4 -. 
