which indeed feldom happened, and then only on account of affairs that had been already before the counsellors of ftate.

< Thursday morning was generally difengaged, it was the day appropriated for fecret audiences, for family converfations, and domeftic affairs. On Friday, after mafs, was the time fixed on for confeffion, which time was never fhortened for any other bufinefs, and often lasted almost till the hour of dinner. At Trianon, and at Marly, the king commonly went from mafs to Madame Maintenon's apartment, if the was not gone to Saint-Cyr, no one was permitted to interrupt this tête-à-tête, the king bolted the door when he entered, and if it was abfolutely neceffary for any one to speak to him, he always opened it himself. At Fontainbleau he continued with her till dinner, for hunting or walking commonly fhortened the morning. The hour of dinner was one o'clock. If the council was prolonged, the dinner waited, and the king was not informed of it, for he disliked being hurried when he was engaged in bufinefs.

The king always dined alone in his chamber; he ordered the dinner. himself, three courfes without fruit. The table being carried into the chamber, the principal courtiers entered, and the reft of the court. The first gentleman in waiting ferved the king, when the grand chamberlain was not there. M. de Gêvres, duke of Trêmes, allerts, that one day the grand chamberlain arriving after the dinner began, could not take away the course, and was openly condemned by the king. The firft gentleman commanded in the chamber, and did nothing, the grand chamberlain ferved without commanding. I have feen M. de Bouillon, grand chamberlain, arrive in the midst of dinner, the duke de Beauvilliers, firft gentleman, wifhed to refign his place to him, but he has refused it, under pretence of a cold.

I have feen alfo, but very rarely, Monfeigneur, and Meffeigneurs his fons, at the private dinner ftanding, without the king offering them a feat, any more than the princes of the blood. I have feen, in fhort, very often Monfieur going out from the council of difpatches, the only one he affifted at, give the napkin and remain ftanding. The king feeing that he did not leave the room, asked him if he would not be feated, he bowed, and the king ordered a feat to be brought. A ftool was then placed behind him, and the king faid, brother, fit down, he then bowed, and fat down till the end of the dinner, when he prefented the napkin. At other times, when he came from Saint Cloud, the king would afk him to dine with him, if he accepted of this invitation, a knife and fork were laid, not oppofite his brother, but at the bottom of the table, which was fquare. The firft gentleman, or grand chamberlain, who served the king, alfo ferved Monfieur, and he received his fervice with marked politenefs. When he was at dinner, he enlivened the converfation, for the king commonly spoke very little, unless he found there fome of the nobles whom he was particularly intimate with, to whom he chatted. He feldom had mufic at dinner, unless on fome great holiday, or at Fontainbleau. No lady ever dined with him, excepting the Maréchale de la Motte, whom I have fometimes feen dine with him; fhe continued this habit from the time when she was governess of his children, and used to bring them to him. As foon as fhe appeared, a feat was brought, and fhe fat down. After dinner the king left the table, and went immediately to his cabinet. This was the moment for people of diftinction to speak to him, and he VOL. VIII, ftopped

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ftopped at the door to liften to them. He was rarely followed by any one into his clofet, and when he permitted it, he always drew the perfon towards the window neareft the door, which was immediately that. The first phyfician, who had affifted at the dinner, only had a right to attend him in the cabinet, where his familiar friends were permitted to follow. The king amufed himself a few minutes feeding his greyhound, and chatting carelessly, as people do whilft their dinner is digelting. When he hunted, he changed his drefs, and defcended by the back ftairs into the marble court. From thefe ftairs to his carriage, any one might speak to him, and the fame when he returned.

Lewis XIV. was extremely fond of the open air, for when he was deprived of it, his health fuffered, and he was troubled with headaches and vapours: confequently he was little fenfible of the effects of heat, cold, or rain, and it was only very bad weather which could prevent his going out. On fundays and holidays, and when he did not chufe a grand hunt, he went a fhooting in the park, and no man in France had a better aim, or did it more gracefully, Once a week, at least, and frequently at Marly and Fontainbleau, he hunted the ftag, the uniform was blue, lined with red and trimmed with gold. The king wifhed to fee a certain number of people, but not too many; because a croud difturbed the chace. He thought it very ridiculous in any one, to go without liking it, and he was never difpleased with thofe who did not attend. At the chace, and indeed every where elfe, he would not permit the people to be driven away rudely. He looked at the mob with great kindness and condefcenfion, bowed to the ladies, and never did any thing which could displease or hurt any of them. He frequently went to fee his men at work, and walked in his gardens. He carried fometimes ladies into the foreft, and had a collation brought there for them. At Fontainbleau, his airings round the canal were a magnificent fight, efpecially to those who were on the other fide, who faw it reflected in the water. He was accompanied by all his court, either on foot, on horfeback, or in a caleche. In his other excurfions, he was only followed by thofe who were in waiting. When he only rode to Trianon, or to Marly, and did not fleep there, no one put on their hats, but when he flept there, and paffed fome days in going out of the caftle, he always faid aloud Meffieurs, le chapeau, and inftantly courtiers, officers, &c. put on their hats, and he would have been difpleafed if any one had not done fo.

At Marly he would have high playing continually at lanfquenet and many tables for other games. He paffed from one table to another to look on, and played little himself, excepting during the long winter evenings, with fome lady, or a fimple game of commerce, towards the end. He had formerly been an excellent player at billiards, and he made good players play before him, and at the tennis ball, which he had alfo excelled in.

On the days which were not fast days, and when there was no council, he went to dine at Marly with Madame de Maintenon and other ladies. After dinner, the minifter, who wished to converse with him arrived, and when his bufinefs was finished, if they did not walk, he converfed, liftened to mufic, played at cards, or helped to draw lotteries, the tickets of which coft nothing, but were all prizes. They were composed of trinkets, jewels, and filks, but there were never

any

any fnuff boxes, because he could not endure fnuff, or fuffer those who ufed it to approach him. In his youth he had been very fond of perfumes, but a liking for orange-flower-water was the only one that remained. All that Madame de Maintenon gained at those lotteries, fhe gave to him immediately.

In fummer the king was engaged with his minifters, even at Marly, immediately after dinner, as we have juft faid. During the fhort days, he was alfo employed with the minifters, at Madame de M.'s but before he went to her, when he returned from walking or the chase, after having changed his drefs, he entered again into his cabinet to hear important difpatches, to write the letters and notes which he wifhed to write himself, or to read memorials: he feldom read any thing elfe. He went from thence to Madame de Maintenon's, where he found the minifter whom he had defired to attend, and whom he generally kept till fupper-time. At ten o'clock the maître d'hotel in waiting informed the captain of the guards who was in Madame de Maintenon's antichamber, he inftantly made his appearance at the door of the chamber, and told the king that fupper was ferved. The king ftill remained a quarter of an hour with Madame de Maintenon, drew her curtains, and went to fup in public with mufic. At Versailles he had only his fons and daughters to fup with him. Elsewhere he admitted ladies but never any gentlemen, excepting princes the day of their nuptials, when he made a point of inviting them. The circle was always numerous and well dreffed, particularly on the evening before the excurfions to Marly. The women who wished to go there, laboured to be obferved by the magnificence of their drefs, which was called prefenting themfelves for Marly. The gentlemen afked it, in two words in the morning, Sire, Marly. However fhort this ceremony was, it, at laft, importuned the king, and he appointed one of his domeftics to inform thofe who were fixed on.

After fupper, the king entered into his chamber; stood fome moments with his back againft the bed-poft, and then bowing to the ladies, ftepped into his closet.

He remained there about an hour with his family; he fitting in one arm-chair, and Monfieur in another, for in private they lived like brothers; but the meffeigneurs were left ftanding or fitting on a ftool like the reft. Ladies of honour, the princefies, &c. and the gentlemen, waited in an adjoining room. At Fontainbleau, the princeffes and ladies of honour entered and formed the circle, ftanding or fitting as far as the feats went, or fitting on the floor without cushions. But none of the gentlemen were feated excepting the princes. The converfation in general turned on indifferent things. The king, before he retired, fed his dogs, and when he returned into his chamber; and after faying his prayers, rofe, and wifhed the company good night, with an inclination of the head. Whilft they were going out, he flood by the fire and gave orders. Then began the private audience, and the courtiers might speak to him of their own affairs, provided they were important and did not take up much time. He undressed himfelf, and went to bed between twelve and one o'clock. Ten or a dozen years before the king's death, the court finished when he arose from fupper.'

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ART.

ART. VI. Hiftorical and Biographical Sketches of the Progrefs of Botany in England, from its Origin to the Introduction of the Linnaan Syftem. By Richard Pulteney, M. D. F. R. S. In two Vols. 8vo. 744 p. Price 10s. fewed. Cadell. 1790. DR. Pulteney, already well known to the public for an accurate General View of the Writings of the celebrated Linnæus, now fteps forth with the patriotic defign of recording those efforts which British authors have made in the fame career of botany. That fuch a work fhould be complete, we are hardly to expect from a first attempt; nor does the learned and candid author offer it as fuch to the public as far as it goes, however, we may venture to affert, that it is very accurate and fatisfactory.

The dedication is to Sir Jofeph Banks.

In the preface Dr. P. informs us, that he had once planned a British Flora on an extenfive scale, including, befides the medical and oeconomical hiftory of each plant, a pinax, in which he defigned to have distinguished, the first discoverer of each fpecies, and to have arranged fynonyms in chronological order. To fuch a work, the sketches were intended as an introduction. We cannot but lament that fo good a plan, in the hands of fo able a mafter, has been relinquifhed; as we cannot however enjoy the houfe, we are thankful for the veftibule.

The work is divided into chapters. Of thefe we shall give. the contents, accompanied with fuch extracts, as either give the beft idea of the book, or may contribute moft to the inftruction or amusement of the reader.

Chap. 1. Primæval Botany-State of it in the Druidicaland Saxon times.

Chap. 2. Middle ages.-Henry of Huntingdon in the time of Stephen and Henry 11.-Henry Arviel, about 1280.-John Bray, in the time of Richard 11.-Gilbert Legle or Gilbertus Anglicus, in the 13th century.-John Arden of Newark, the reviver of furgery in England, in the middle of the 14th century. Henry Daniel, about 1379.-Walter de Henley, de Yconomia five Houfbandria.-Nicholas Bollar.-Johannes de S. Paulo.-Henricus Calcoenfis.-William Horman.-Lift of many anonymous manufcripts, belonging to thefe dark ages; probably compilations from Apuleius, Æmilius Macer, &c.

Chap. 3. Middle ages continued to the revival of learning.Manufcripts of Theophraftus, Diofcorides and Pliny, fcarce in England. Reftoration of ancient knowledge by printing Pliny in 1468 or 1469.-Diofcorides 1478 in Latin, and 1495 in Greek, by Aldus.-Theophraftus, firft without date, at Venice, and by Aldus in 1495 and 1498.-The æra of commentators. --Rife of true inveftigation by Brunsfelfius, Tragus, Fuchfius, Val. Cordus, Gefner, Cæfalpinus, Clufius, Turner.-Famous

Mss. of Diofcorides, with illuminated figures; the Conftantinopolitan in folio, in the imperial library at Vienna, faid to have been copied about the year 492; and the Neapolitan in quarto, fuppofed to be more ancient.

Chap. 4. Account of the earliest original works in botany, The Book of Nature, between 1475 and 1478, in German.Herbarius, the herbal of Mentz, in 1484.-Ortus (i. c. Hortus) Sanitatis 1485, afcribed to Cuba; the bafis of all herbals for many years. And of the Grete Herbal in 1516, the first botanical publication in England, of any confequence, printed for Peter Treveris.-Afcham and Copland, herbalift's of the aftrologic fect.-Firft botanical gardens-Of Attalus king of Pergamus-Crete the phyfic-garden of Rome-Caftor had a botanic garden at Rome.-The first public inftitutions of this kind, at Padua, in 1533, and Bologna in 1547.-Earliest private gardens were thole of Euricius Cordus-Manardus-Nordecius at Caffel-Gefner at Zurich, in 1560.-Turner at Cologne and Wells.-Duke of Somerfet, at Sion Houfe.

Chap. 5. Dr. William Turner. The true æra of botany in England commences with him. At Bologna, attends the lectures of Gainus, the first who erected a feparate profefforial chair for botanical science. Publishes the first part of his hiftory of plants at London, in 1551, under the title of a New Herball-the 2d part at Cologn, in 1562. In 1568 thefe were reprinted at Cologn; with a third part: imprinted at Collen, 1566. The arrangement is alphabetical: the figures are 592, about go of which are new; the reft are the fame which ferved for the 8vo. edition of Fuchfius.

Chap 6. Dr. William Bulleyn. He publifhed Bulwarke of Defence, fol. 1562,-one part of which is entitled a Book of Simples, being an herbal in the form of a dialogue, at the end of which are the cuts of fome plants in wood.'

Dr. Thomas Penny, the friend of Gefner and Clufius, died in 1589.-John Maplet, author of A Green Foreft,' in 1567. Peter Morning, The Treasure of Euonymus,' with wooden cuts, imprinted by John Day, 4to. 1575.

Chap. 7. Henry Lyte, Efq.-Author of A Niewe Herball, or Hiftorie of Plantes-firft fet forth in the Doutche or Almaigne Tongue,' by Rembert Dodoens, and now firft tranflated by H. Lyte Efquyer, 1578.-1050 fpecies defcribed, and 870 figured, of these about 30 are new ones.

Chap. 8. Matthias de Lobel, born, 1538, at Lifle. Studied at Montpelier under Rondeletius, phyfician to William Prince of Orange, and to the States of Holland.-Uncertain when he came into England, probably before 1570, the date of his Adverfaria, printed in London.-Attended Lord Zouch, in 1592, in his embaffy to the court of Denmark.-Superintended a phyfic-garden at Hackney, cultivated at the expence of his

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patron.