The Memoirs of Charles-Lewis, Baron de Pollnitz, Volume IV / Being the Observations He Made in His Late Travels from Prussia thro' Germany, Italy, France, Flanders, Holland, England, &C. in Letters to His Friend. Discovering Not Only the Present State of the Chief Cities and Towns; but the Characters of the Principal Persons at the Several Courts.

by Freiherr von Karl Ludwig Pöllnitz

When the Emperor is return’d to his Apartment, he retires to a Chamber call’d la Retirade, or the Withdrawing-Room, where he stays till Dinner-time, which, when ’tis serv’d up, the great Chamberlain goes and acquaints the Emperor, who comes and sits down at Table with the Empress, attended by all the Ladies. A Chamberlain or Treasurer of the Chambers presents the Bason for their Majesties to wash in, who afterwards seat themselves in Two-arm Chairs: The Table did not appear to me to be serv’d with very great Delicacy. The Plate is old-fashion’d, and all the Dishes were set without any Regularity. Their Imperial Majesties have particular Plates to themselves, for which Reason small Plates are commonly made use of; and I have seen no less than Five or Six Spoons upon the Table at a Time: The Emperor covers himself as soon as he is seated; then the Nuncio and Ambassadors likewise cover themselves, and keep their Standing round the Table, till their Majesties have drank; their Liquor is presented to them by a Chamberlain; after their Majesties have drank to one another’s Healths, the Steward, the great Chamberlain, the Master of the Horse and the Captain of the Guards step forward to receive the Emperor’s Orders, and to know how his Majesty will dispose of himself in the Afternoon. The Ladies of Honour and the Officers belonging to the Empress advance to that Princess in like manner, to know her Pleasure,

and then every body retires, unless there is Music, which happens very often: The Dinner does not last much above an Hour: Their Majesties stay at Table till every thing is taken away, even so much as the Cloth, but then a fresh one is laid on, upon which the Treasurer places a Bason and an Ewer of Silver gilt, and presents them to their Majesties to wash. The great Chamberlain presents the Napkin to the Emperor, as the Lady of Honour does to the Empress: This done, their Majesties retire to their Withdrawing-Rooms, tho’ they often go out a Hunting, or to shoot at a Mark.

When the Emperor shoots at a Mark, several Persons are enter’d down in a List to shoot with him, and there are Prizes distributed by those who are of the Society of Shooters, of whom the Emperor gives the first Prize, the Empress the second, and then all the rest, according to the Seniority of their Admission into the Society. At their Return from this Diversion, the Emperor grants Audience to those that send to desire it by the great Chamberlain, who takes Care to let them know the Time when his Majesty is to be spoke with. These Audiences are given without Ceremony, and they that receive them are introduc’d by the Chamberlain in waiting. The Emperor stands up and is cover’d, leaning with his Back against a Table, with a Canopy over him, and an Arm-Chair by his Side: The Person that approaches for Audience bends the Knee Three times, first as he comes in, next when he is in the middle of the Room, and the third time when he begins to speak. The Emperor hearkens with Attention, gives a gracious Answer, and if there be any thing obscure in what is deliver’d to him, he desires an Explanation. When the

Person has made an End of speaking, he bends one Knee to the Ground, and stretches forth his Hand, as a Signal that he desires to kiss that of the Emperor, which his Majesty never refuses. Then the Person retires, going backwards, and making the Three Obeisances that he made at Entrance. The same Ceremonies are observ’d in the Audiences of the Empresses; in order to obtain one from the Empress Regent, Application is made to the great Steward of her Household, who desires it, and then notifies what Hour will be most convenient for the Empress to grant it. At these Audiences there attends but one Lady of Honour, who keeps her proper Distance far enough to be out of the Hearing of what is said, while her Majesty’s great Steward stays at the Door in the Antichamber.

A shocking Abuse is crept into the Court of Vienna, in the Article of Audiences: The next Day after they have been had, the Domestics of the great Chamberlain and the great Steward come to demand a Fee for the Service done by their Masters in giving the Notice to their Majesties; and I have known some so impertinent, as to fix the Sum they claim’d a Right to. The Hundred Swiss and the very Ushers come likewise to wish happy Success to the Audience that has been obtain’d, merely for what they can get.

As soon as the Audiences are over, the Empress goes into a Room call’d, The Looking-Glass Room, because ’tis the only one in her Apartment where there are such Glasses: There her Majesty finds the Ladies, who kiss her Hand one after the Other, after which the Empress sits down to Play; none but the Ladies have the Honour to play with her, or have Permission to enter into that Room, excepting indeed the Emperor, the

great Chamberlain, the great Steward, and the Princes who are related to the Empress. While they are at Play, the Ladies are seated round the Table, without observing any Precedence; nor is it even as ’tis in France, where the Honour of the Tabouret or Stool to sit on is paid only to the Duchesses; for at Vienna those who are call’d Duchesses by way of Railery, are treated as if they were such in Reality.

There’s another Custom at Vienna, very different from the Practice at other Courts of Europe: Here are no Days fix’d for Drawing-Rooms or Circles, so that the Ladies, when they think proper, send to the Lady of Honour in waiting, to know of her at what time they may pay their Court to the Empress; and then they repair to the Palace at the Time appointed.

Towards Supper-time the Emperor goes to see the Empress; when the Company gives over Play, and the Empress rises, and admits those Ladies that are not to stay at Supper to kiss her Hand; after which their Majesties seat themselves at Table, which is serv’d much after the same manner as at Dinner: Their Majesties always sup in the Empress’s Apartment, where Two Wax Candles are plac’d upon the Table, which are chang’d Three or Four Times by one of the Maids of Honour: When she takes off a Candle, to give it to the Treasurer to snuff it, she makes a profound Curt’sy, and makes another when she replaces it on the Table. On the Gala or Festival Days, there is Music during the Repast. After the Bason has been presented to their Majesties to wash their Hands in, the Governess or Mother of the Maids presents the Napkin to the Emperor; and a Maid of Honour, who is at the same time Lady of the Golden Key, presents

it to the Empress. When the Archduchesses sup with their Majesties, the same Bason is presented to them that the Emperor has wash’d in, and a Maid of Honour presents them with the Napkin; and when the Emperor is risen from the Table, the Two first Archduchesses give the Emperor his Hat, and the Empress her Fan and Gloves; but, in the Absence of the Archduchesses, this is done by a Lady of Honour and a Maid of Honour, who must also be a Lady of the Golden Key: After this, the Ladies who waited at Supper kiss the Empress’s Hand, as her Majesty goes out of the Room, into the Chamber of Looking-Glasses. As soon as their Majesties are in this Chamber every body retires, to go to the Assembly, which, when I was at Vienna, was held at the House of Madame de Rabutin, whither came all the Beau Monde. Prince Eugene of Savoy was there too every Night, where he play’d constantly at Picquet with the Countess de Badiani and some other Ladies. About 11 o’Clock the Company retir’d to the Places where they had appointed to sup, tho’ Supper is a Meal they seldom indulge themselves with, all the grand Entertainments being made at Dinners, and those extremely late.