Our Consul, Who Is A Very
Honest Man, Told Me, He Had Lived Four And Thirty Years In The
Country, Without Having Once Eat Or Drank In Any Of Their Houses.
The noblesse of Nice cannot leave the country without express
leave from the king; and this leave, when obtained, is for a
limited time, which they dare not exceed, on pain of incurring
his majesty's displeasure.
They must, therefore, endeavour to
find amusements at home; and this, I apprehend, would be no easy
task for people of an active spirit or restless disposition. True
it is, the religion of the country supplies a never-failing fund
of pastime to those who have any relish for devotion; and this is
here a prevailing taste. We have had transient visits of a
puppet-shew, strolling musicians, and rope-dancers; but they did
not like their quarters, and decamped without beat of drum. In
the summer, about eight or nine at night, part of the noblesse
may be seen assembled in a place called the Pare; which is,
indeed, a sort of a street formed by a row of very paltry houses
on one side, and on the other, by part of the town-wall, which
screens it from a prospect of the sea, the only object that could
render it agreeable. Here you may perceive the noblesse stretched
in pairs upon logs of wood, like so many seals upon the rocks by
moon-light, each dame with her cicisbeo: for, you must
understand, this Italian fashion prevails at Nice among all ranks
of people; and there is not such a passion as jealousy known.
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