The Duke of Lorrain's Houshold is considerable, and every thing is establish'd there on a good Footing. His Hunting-Equipages are magnificent, and so well furnish'd, that Foreigners who accompany the Prince into the Field, are equipp'd with Horses out of his Stables. The Prince's Attendance is almost the same as that of the Princes of France, and all his Houshold on the same Footing. The Marquis de Craon was then the Great Chamberlain and Prime Minister. He was a very courteous Nobleman, and treated all that had Business with him with extraordinary Civility. He had great Credit at Court, and the Prince was mighty bountiful to him; insomuch that after having heap'd Wealth
upon this Favorite, he had a mind to see him promoted to the eminent Dignity of Prince, which upon the Duke's Desire the Emperor conferr'd upon him accordingly. Not long after, one of the Prince of Craon's Daughters was married to a Prince of the Lorrain Family, viz. the Prince de Lixin, formerly known by the Name of the Chevalier de Lorrain, who is now the Duke of Lorrain's Steward of the Houshold. His Father-in-law has given him his fine House at Craon, not far from Luneville. Madame de Craon, who is a Partner in her Husband's Fortune and Credit, is Lady of Honor to the Duchess, and very much esteem'd by the Duke. I had the Honor to see this Prince spend the Afternoons at her House, and the Courtiers, after the Example of their Master, did justice to the Lady's Merit.
From Luneville I went to Nancy, which is the Capital City of Lorrain, and was formerly the Residence of the Sovereigns of the Country. It stands but a little distance from the River Meurte, in the midst of a beautiful Plain; and is divided into two Parts, viz. the Old and New Towns. I had the Honor to tell you, that the French made a Conquest of it in 1631. It had good Reason to remember, that it was once under a Foreign Dominion; for its Fortifications were so demolish'd in 1668, that there was but one Rampart remaining without a Parapet; and in this Condition it was restor'd to its Sovereign at the Peace of Ryswic. Not many years after, when Lewis XIV. enter'd into the War for maintaining his Grandson upon the Spanish Throne, he oblig'd the Duke of Lorrain to receive a Garison at Nancy. The Duke was so disgusted at this Proceeding, that tho' the King
had given Orders to his Officers, to pay his Royal Highness all the due Honors and Respect, he would not stay in a Town, of which he might be said to be Sovereign, but not the Master; and retir'd to Luneville, where he continu'd ever after, tho' Nancy was evacuated at the Treaty of Baden.
A little way from Nancy, in the Road to Paris, there's a Chapel and a Cross, said to have been erected upon the very Spot where Charles the last Duke of Burgundy was kill'd in 1476, when he was besieging the Town, then in possession of René Duke of Lorrain. There's a Copper-plate affix'd to the Cross upon the High-way, on which may be read the Particulars.
Between Nancy and Toul, which is in the Paris Road, one passes thro' the forest of Haye, wherein Lewis XIV. caus'd a Way to be cut, which will be a lasting Monument to Posterity, of the Magnificence of that Great Prince. Those who are bound to Toul cross the Moselle in a Ferry-boat about a League on this side that Town, to which they arrive over a pretty large Plain. The Learned give a very ancient Original to the City of Toul; for they pretend it was first founded by Tullus Hostilius King of the Romans: But you may believe as much of this as you please. All that I can say of the Town, after having view'd it well, is, that 'tis very ill built, and not worthy of the Attention of the Curious. 'Tis a Bishopric Suffragan of Triers, and one of the three Bishoprics of Lorrain that were yielded to France.
From Toul I traveled to Bar-le-Duc, the Capital of the Duchy of Bar. This Duchy is dependant on the Crown of France, tho' 'tis
part of the Dominions of Lorrain, and is under the Jurisdiction of a Parliament. The Dukes of Lorrain were formerly oblig'd, either in their own Person, or by an Envoy, to perform Homage to the King of France, upon the Death either of a King, or of a Duke; which Obligation was chang'd, or rather limited, during the Regency of the Duke of Orleans, in a Journey which the Duke and Duchess of Lorrain made to Paris in 1718, when it was regulated, That a Duke of Bar should be oblig'd to pay Homage but once in his Life to a King of France; but that he should pay it in Person. This Convention was register'd in the Parliament of Paris. But this was not the only Advantage which the Duke reap'd from his Journey; for the Regent, at the Request of his Sister, restor'd a great number of Villages to him that ought to have been restor'd to the Duke of Lorrain at the Peace of Ryswic, and which the Ministry of France had thought fit to keep.
From Bar-le-Duc to Chalons, 'tis a wild desert Country, yet very fruitful in Corn. The Roads are detestable if it rains ever so little; which added to the length of the Post-Stages, renders it a very disagreeable Journey. They say 'twas in these Fields that the King Meroveus, Aëtius General of the Romans, and Theodoric King of the Visigoths, fought so bloody a Battle in 451, with Attila King of the Huns, that they kill'd two hundred thousand of his Men. But this is a Fact which I will not warrant. The Situation of Chalons is very advantageous. The River Marne which runs into the Seine almost at the Entrance of Paris, is a great Convenience for the Merchants of that City. This City is in Champaigne, and its Bishop has the Title of Count
and Peer of France. The ancient Counts of Champaigne resided here, and the Palace they liv'd in is still to be seen. The Parliament of Paris was transferr'd hither in 1592; and there that illustrious Assembly pass'd that famous Arrêt against the Pope's Legate, and the League, which under the Pretence of Religion tended to deprive Henry III's lawful Successor, Henry IV. of the Crown of France.