But, When The
Time Of My Departure Drew Near, He Refused To Take It, At The
Same Time Insisting Upon Having The Key Of The House And Garden,
As Well As On Being Paid The Whole Rent Directly, Though It Would
Not Be Due Till The Middle Of September.
I was so exasperated at
this treatment from a man whom I had cultivated with particular
respect, that I determined to contest it at law:
But the affair
was accommodated by the mediation of a father of the Minims, a
friend to both, and a merchant of Nice, who charged himself with
the care of the house and furniture. A stranger must conduct
himself with the utmost circumspection to be able to live among
these people without being the dupe of imposition.
I had sent to Aix for a coach and four horses, which I hired at
the rate of eighteen French livres a day, being equal to fifteen
shillings and nine-pence sterling. The river Var was so swelled
by the melting of the snow on the mountains, as to be impassable
by any wheel-carriage; and, therefore, the coach remained at
Antibes, to which we went by water, the distance being about nine
or ten miles. This is the Antipolis of the antients, said to have
been built like Nice, by a colony from Marseilles. In all
probability, however, it was later than the foundation of Nice,
and took its name from its being situated directly opposite to
that city. Pliny says it was famous for its tunny-fishery; and to
this circumstance Martial alludes in the following lines
Antipolitani, fateor, sum filia thynni.
Essem si Scombri non tibi missa forem.
I'm spawned from Tunny of Antibes, 'tis true.
Right Scomber had I been, I ne'er had come to you.
The famous pickle Garum was made from the Thynnus or Tunny as
well as from the Scomber, but that from the Scomber was counted
the most delicate. Commentators, however, are not agreed about
the Scomber or Scombrus. Some suppose it was the Herring or
Sprat; others believe it was the mackarel; after all, perhaps it
was the Anchovy, which I do not find distinguished by any other
Latin name: for the Encrasicolus is a Greek appellation
altogether generical. Those who would be further informed about
the Garum and the Scomber may consult Caelius Apicius de
recogninaria, cum notis, variorum.
At present, Antibes is the frontier of France towards Italy,
pretty strongly fortified, and garrisoned by a battalion of
soldiers. The town is small and inconsiderable: but the basin of
the harbour is surrounded to seaward by a curious bulwark founded
upon piles driven in the water, consisting of a wall, ramparts,
casemates, and quay. Vessels lie very safe in this harbour; but
there is not water at the entrance of it to admit of ships of any
burthen. The shallows run so far off from the coast, that a ship
of force cannot lie near enough to batter the town; but it was
bombarded in the late war. Its chief strength by land consists in
a small quadrangular fort detached from the body of the place,
which, in a particular manner, commands the entrance of the
harbour. The wall of the town built in the sea has embrasures and
salient angles, on which a great number of cannon may be mounted.
I think the adjacent country is much more pleasant than that on
the side of Nice; and there is certainly no essential difference
in the climate. The ground here is not so encumbered; it is laid
out in agreeable inclosures, with intervals of open fields, and
the mountains rise with an easy ascent at a much greater distance
from the sea, than on the other side of the bay. Besides, here
are charming rides along the beach, which is smooth and firm.
When we passed in the last week of April, the corn was in the
ear; the cherries were almost ripe; and the figs had begun to
blacken. I had embarked my heavy baggage on board a London ship,
which happened to be at Nice, ready to sail: as for our small
trunks or portmanteaus, which we carried along with us, they were
examined at Antibes; but the ceremony was performed very
superficially, in consequence of tipping the searcher with half-a-crown,
which is a wonderful conciliator at all the bureaus in
this country.
We lay at Cannes, a neat village, charmingly situated on the
beach of the Mediterranean, exactly opposite to the isles
Marguerites, where state-prisoners are confined. As there are
some good houses in this place, I would rather live here for the
sake of the mild climate, than either at Antibes or Nice. Here
you are not cooped up within walls, nor crowded with soldiers and
people: but are already in the country, enjoy a fine air, and are
well supplied with all sorts of fish.
The mountains of Esterelles, which in one of my former letters I
described as a most romantic and noble plantation of ever-greens,
trees, shrubs, and aromatic plants, is at present quite desolate.
Last summer, some execrable villains set fire to the pines, when
the wind was high. It continued burning for several months, and
the conflagration extended above ten leagues, consuming an
incredible quantity of timber. The ground is now naked on each
side of the road, or occupied by the black trunks of the trees,
which have been scorched without falling. They stand as so many
monuments of the judgment of heaven, filling the mind with horror
and compassion. I could hardly refrain from shedding tears at
this dismal spectacle, when I recalled the idea of what it was
about eighteen months ago.
As we stayed all night at Frejus, I had an opportunity of viewing
the amphitheatre at leisure. As near as I can judge by the eye,
it is of the same dimensions with that of Nismes; but shockingly
dilapidated. The stone seats rising from the arena are still
extant, and the cells under them, where the wild beasts were
kept.
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