550 Account’ of Thomas Major's: Confinement in the Bastille. [July 15 
“ Franee 
~-wards,) than what. he had been pleased to, 
communicate to mes I had the- honour 
of his protection, and inscribed a copper= 
piaie to him, by his permission, for which 
he made me a generous present.* His 
son, Monsieur Devoyer D’Argenson, “was 
greatly my friend ind encourager; he 
endeavoured to persuade me to-settle in 
France, by telling me, be would give me 
apar iments in his house, procure -me any 
paintings that I wished to engrave, and 
“obtain for mea particular order from the 
king (as being a- protestant, ) for my re- 
ception as a member of the Royal Aca- 
demy of Painting, at Paris’; whereby pi 
should be one of the king’s- engravers, 
_ with a pension of four’ hundred -livres. 
“'Phis would also exempt me from the 
capitatian tax, and privilege me to have 
a printing-press: of my own, with other 
immunities. At his desire, 1 engraved 
two fine paintings, in his collection. (which 
at that time was-very capital). I -dedi- 
cated Unem to: hina;; and “Leila them 
~) PE Brancei 4 As 
_Sdmé 3 rack after my agen to Lon: 
don,’ shen (by -my ‘place, as king’s - 
756) I became ace 
chief enetaver, in 
guainted cei ian Sharpe, esq. clerk 
of the privy ~counci,~tie informed me 
of thé risk I had ron in the Bastilles 
The French .had sent six. regiments to 
assist the Scotch: in the-rebellion, one of 
them was the Irish -regiment of 
James; commonly called: the -Ivish Bri+ 
gade, which, after the defeat of the rebels 
at the battle of Culloden, was taken al- 
most entire. | “A / debate arose i our 
council, whether they should be treated 
as prisoners of war, or as rebels, being 
subjects of the king, and coming in open 
rebellion? The French, apprized Of this, 
arrested all the English they could find, 
who were protestants, by way of reprisal. 
Fortunately for.us, it was determined, 
(though. by three ‘voices only,) to treat 
them as’ prisoners: of war, Had they 
been dealt -with otherwise, we, in France, 
who were in durance,. should, in alk 
probability, have-fallen dernieenle victims 
to the manes-of the Irish regiment ; and 
as a poor retaliation for the just sentence 
passed.on the rebel lords, Kilmarnock; 
and’ Balmirino,’ who véry déservedly met 
their fate on Tower- hill, August 18, 
1746, by the hands of the common éxe 
me a de. Campagne, from 
Teniers. 
+ Le Voveveute, from Ppeem Le Manege, 
from i Soom 
éwhich wa’ three- years aftet= 
-ecuted April 19,..1747. 
mands 
Fitz - 
James the Second, ‘uninterréd, 
family are seated on that throne. 
ecutioner,, for their treachery to their 
king and country, by their endeavours to 
subvert, the government, and to intro- 
duce popery and: slavery. Lord Lovett, 
(who died a Roman catholic,) was ex- 
Had the Pre- 
tender gained. his ends, from his bigotry 
and Superstition, we might naturally have 
expected the same bloody scenes to have 
been acted. again, (as in Queen Mary’s 
time,) and notwithstanding all his pro- 
testations against it, had he once obtained 
power. | This was evident from his be- 
haviour at Paris, on the Féte de Dieu, 
or Feast of God., The host being carried 
through the streets with great pomp and 
magnificence, he was then at the window 
kneeling, | and paying adoration to the 
consecrated wafer, believing it to be 
God himself. Happening to turn his 
head, and observing the Scotch officers 
who were with him, to be standing, he 
cast on them an angry look, for their not 
complying with this idolatrous ceremony. 
Mr. Dumesnil, a master of languages, 
(who taught the Camerons French,) was 
present, and told me that the Scotch, 
being presbyterians, were greatly dis 
pleased at it, thinking it hard that their 
should’ be ‘enslaved, - “who had 
risked their lives, ahandoeed their 
country, and ube their fortunes in 
his service. 
In the chapel, at the Scotch college, 
in_Paris, I saw the remains of King 
to be 
carried to England, and deposited it 
Westminster-Abbey,. “when any of his 
It is 
covered with, a black velvet pall, and a 
large cross of svhite sattin thereon, 
Much of the velvet had been. carried 
away piece-meal, by his votaries, who 
had ~hung a variety of crutches and 
bandages against the walls, in token of 
miraculous cures performed by hin. 
After the peace was made, many En- 
glish resorted to Paris, as usual, Some: 
of our wits being told by the Scotch 
priests, the history of those miracles, 
observed, that it was very strange, since 
he had such power, that he had not 
placed his son on the throne. This wit- 
ticism. was reported to the archbishop, 
who very judicigusly ordered the removal . 
of those trophies, to prevent further re- 
flectiuns ‘and, sarcasms on his sanctity 
and power, . 
Had I’ known the real cause of my 
confinement, and the critical juncture E_ 
was in, I certainly should have. felt 
greater ‘ansicties. for my we Ifare, as self | 
- preservation 
‘ { 
