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A JOURNEY THROUGH FLANDERS, HOLLAND, &e.
BY M. REGNARD.
[Newly tranflated from the Stereotype edition of the Works of this celebrated comic Poet.
Paris, 1801. ‘Tom. v.]
WE left Paris in the Bruffells’ diligence on the twenty-fixth day of April, 1681.
T intended to fleep at Senlis, where I expected to find M. de Fercourt, who had fet out
from Paris three days before. All our fellow-paflengers were young men, the eldeft
of whom was below twenty-eight years of age; five of them were Dutchmen, one of
whom was M. de Wafenau, captain of the Prince of Orange’s guards: we had alfo in
our company a little Spanifh abbé, who was going to take pofleflion of a petty canon-
fhip at Bruffells. ‘This little prieft, humph-backed and humph-breafted, was a fource
of entértainment to us during the whole journey. We went next day to Pont, where
we dined, after which we travelled to fleep at Gournai, where the refidence of the prefi-
dent Amelot is fituated: the chateau is furrounded with water, and the garden is inter-
fected with various rivulets, which add confiderably to its beauty. We left this place
early in the morning, that we might be enabled to reach and fleep at Peronne, which is
called La Pucelle, on account of its unfhaken fidelity to the royal caufe during the civil
war. It isa {mall town, but extremely {trong on the fide by which it is entered, on
account of marfhes, which render any approach to it difficult, and which form a number
of large and deep ditches, occafioning a thoufand windings before the city can be ar-
rived at. The river Somme laves its walls, and defends it on the fame fide, fo that the
place is almoft inacceflible. ‘Thefe ditches produce excellent carp, which are famous
throughout all France, as well as numbers of ducks, the pies made of which are equally
efteemed. ‘The diftance from Peronne to Cambray is feven leagues. While we were
on the road we were attacked with fuch a violent {torm that our horfes, frightened and
blinded with conftant flafhes of lightning, which created day in the midit of darknefs,
overturned the coach in a deep ditch, where, in confequence of the violent fall, we
were in danger of ending our days; but fortune fo ordered matters that not one of us
was wounded : we efcaped with being completely drenched in water ; and after we had
been angled and drawn like fifh from the coach, nearly in the fituation of thofe who
come out ofa mine, in which they had been immerfed to the ears, we were obliged to
travel a league and a half on foot to Cambray, which, as may eafily be conceived, we
entered in a very dirty and difagreeable condition.
This city by no means deferves the renown which it has acquired in France: it is
only formidable by the mifchief which its garrifons have done to our peafantry ; and I
-am aftonifhed at the difturbance which it excited before it was taken by the greatett of
kings. The faét is, Cambray of itfelf is of no importance; it is the caftle only which
is capable of making any defence, and the city had no ftrength but what it derived from
its protection ; and the works which are now carrying on at this place furnifh a con-
vincing proof that there is no intention of immediately giving it back ; and that the
Spaniards who belicved it fo ftrong, that they faid, “ If the King of France wifhes to
take Cambray, he mutt build one,” have now taken leave of it for ever. ‘his fortrefs,
fo famous throughout the world, was begun by Charles the Fifth, and has been increafed
by many fortifications, which render it a very refpectable place its walls are aftonifh-
ingly high, owing to the great depth of the ditches; but they are not on this account
the ftronger, as they are almoft wholly undermined. We were conducted every where.
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