furnish'd for his Reception. Some Moments after his Arrival the Marshal de Villeroy came from the King to make his Excuses that he was not at the Louvre to receive him, by reason his Majesty's tender Years and Constitution did not permit him to sit up so late. They laid that the Czar was not satisfy'd with this Excuse, nor with the Regent for not coming to meet him. 'Tis certain that he appeared to be very much out of Temper all the Evening, would eat no Supper, and took but one Glass of Beer: Nor would he stay at the Louvre, saying, That the Furniture of his Apartment was too rich; and that his Attendants, who were not the most cleanly, might happen to spoil it. 'Twas one o'clock in the Morning when the Czar was pleas'd to shift his Lodging, and the Marshal de Tesse would have been sadly put to it, had he not caus'd the Palace of Lesdiguieres to be furnish'd by way of Precaution. The Czar thought this House also too richly furnish'd, and notwithstanding all they could say he would not lie in a magnificent Bed which was put up in the Apartment that was to be his, but caus'd a little Bed to be set up for himself in the Wardrobe. Next day the Regent came and paid him a Visit, when the Prince de Kourakin the Czar's Ambassador to Holland serv'd for their Interpreter. The Visit lasted near an Hour, and there all the Ceremonial was settled that was to be observ'd to the Russian Monarch.
After this the King went to see him first, being accompanied from the Palace of the Thuilleries, with the chief Lords and Officers of the Crown. The Czar receiv'd his Majesty as he alighted from the Coach, and took him in his Arms with a Transport of Fondness; at which the young
Monarch seem'd a little surpriz'd. He said to the Czar, That he was very glad to see him safe arrived at Paris; that he wish'd him Pleasure as long as he staid in his Dominions; that he should have the same Respect paid to him as to himself, and that he had given Orders for the Court-Service always to give way to his. Then the two Monarchs went hand in hand into a Chamber where two Chairs of State were plac'd. The Czar being the Stranger sate on the Right Hand. The Duke du Maine and the Marshal de Villeroy stood behind the King's Chair of State, and answer'd the Questions which the Czar ask'd his Majesty. After a short Visit the King rose first, and was accompanied to his Coach by the Czar, who at taking Leave of his Majesty caught him up again in his Arms, and hoisting him higher than his Head, said, He wish'd that his Grandeur and Power might surpass that of the late King Lewis XIV. He help'd the King into his Coach, and did not return till it mov'd off.
Next day the Czar went to the Thuilleries with the same Train as the King has when he goes abroad, and rode in the King's Coach attended by the chief Lords of his Court, who sat over-against him, and at the Coach-Doors. As soon as he enter'd the Court, the King went to the Gate of the Castle, receiv'd him at his landing, and then conducted him to his Apartment, always giving the Czar the Right Hand. I never saw more People at the Thuilleries than there were on that day, insomuch that the two Monarchs had scarce room to pass. The Czar shew'd a prodigious Care of the King, kept him up by one Hand, and wav'd the other to keep off such as were apt to croud too near him. After a Visit no longer than that which
the King made to the Prince, his Majesty reconducted him to the Coach, and the Czar return'd to his House with the same Train that had accompanied him. When that Prince return'd to his Apartment, he told the Marshal, That he was very much surpriz'd at the infinite Croud of People in the way. To which the Marshal made Answer, That the French had so great a Veneration for his Person, and so high an Idea of his illustrious Qualities, that no wonder they were so eager to see a Prince, who they knew beforehand was deserving of their Admiration. The Czar seem'd very well pleas'd with this Answer, yet he desir'd, That for the future, when he went abroad, the People might be oblig'd to keep out of his way. He paid a Visit next day to the Regent and to Madame. The latter talk'd to him for two Hours in High-Dutch, and the Czar answer'd the Princess in Low-Dutch. When he was withdrawn he said to M. de S——, That Madame was extremely inquisitive; that she wanted to knew every thing; and that she had ask'd him too many Questions; but that after all, he told her no more than what he was willing she should know.
The Czar was very curious to see every thing that was worth seeing in and about Paris. He inform'd himself of every thing, and took care to write every thing in his Pocket-book that he thought remarkable. He rose at Day-break, and rambled about from one Place to another till Night. To prevent all manner of Incumbrance he chose to make use of none but the Marshal de Tesse's Coaches, tho' that Nobleman would have been well enough contented without such Preference, because he kill'd several of his Horses; and the poor Marshal himself must have sunk
under the Fatigue of the perpetual Motion that he was oblig'd to, if the Czar had staid much longer; but this Monarch lost no time, and examin'd every thing with equal Nicety and Dispatch, because he intended to be gone as soon as he had satisfy'd his Curiosity.
The Court spar'd nothing to pay this Prince all due Honors. The Regent for this purpose order'd a general Review of all the King's Houshold Troops, and of the French and Swiss Guards in the Walks of Roule and in the Elysian Fields. The Czar repair'd thither on horseback, and 'twas expected he would have staid out the whole Review; but he only rode briskly in the Front of the first Line, without casting his Eyes on the Troops, and then clapping Spurs to his Horse, without paying any Compliment to the Regent, he return'd full Gallop to Paris. From thence he went directly to St. Ouen, where the Duke de Tresmes, First Gentleman of the Bed-Chamber, and Governor of Paris, gave him an Entertainment, with which he seem'd better pleas'd than with the Review. He was loth to consent to the Admission of the Ladies into the Orangery where the Table was spread, and only spoke to Madame de Bethune, Daughter of the Duke de Tresmes, for which Distinction she was oblig'd to M. de Bethune, who having been a good while in Poland, talk'd the Polish Language very well, which procur'd him the Honor of being able to converse with his Czarish Majesty. The chief Noblemen, after the Example of the Duke de Tresmes, made Entertainments for the Russian Monarch. The Duke Regent also prepar'd a Grand Feast for him at St. Cloud; but just as the Czar was setting out from Paris, he was seiz'd with a violent Fit of the Cholic,
which hinder'd his going abroad; nor do I know that he had a Sight of the Castle of St. Cloud at all. He seem'd to be more delighted with Versailles than any other Place, insomuch that he caus'd a Plan of it to be taken, and said, He would have a Building something like to it erected in his own Country. With this View he engag'd Workmen of all sorts, and promis'd them great Advantages to encourage them to go to Muscovy. A great number suffer'd themselves to be taken in, and the Regent consented to let them go out of the Kingdom; but we are assur'd that the Promises made to them were not perform'd, and the Generality thought themselves very happy when they were return'd to France. This Prince was not liberal; and what Presents he made were only valuable as they came from so great a Prince. I saw a poor Soldier of the Invalids make him a Present of a Plan of that Hospital, which had cost him ten Years Labor; but tho' the Prince seem'd to think it a fine Piece, yet the Soldier had a very small Reward. The King of France, however, made him a noble Present, and thereby convinc'd him how different the Temper of the French was from that of the Muscovites. The Czar, in short, return'd towards his Dominions very well satisfy'd with France, and went first to Holland where the Czarina staid for him; and from thence he proceeded by Land to Petersbourg.
The Czar's Residence in France had brought such a vast Number of Foreigners to Paris, that the City being more populous than ever, new Pleasures were thought of to divert them. A private Gentleman made a Proposal to me, which if I could have succeeded in, would have been of very great Service to me at that Juncture;