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220 REGNARD’s JOURNEY TO LAPLAND.
Telechi is the chief of the army, and fupports the rebels. This Prince of Tranfylvania
pays eighty thoufand crowns of tribute to the Grand Seignior : this year he has paid
double tribute, becaufe fome Turks had been killed on the territory of Tranfylvania.
Bethlem Gabor was the firft who beeame tributary to the Porte ; he paid ten falcons.
His fucceffor Michael Bafons was obliged to pay ten thoufand crowns; and Ragotfkt
paid twenty ; and the prefent Prince pays eighty thoufand.
We travelled from Javarow to Javarouf in fix days; it is a diftance of about forty
leagues. Javarouf is the moft abominable place, not only of Poland, but of the whole
world. The court remained here this winter, on account of the pregnancy of the
queen, who intended to ly-in at this place. The court ftops but a fhort time in one
place: it travels conftantly, and in the moft agreeable manner imaginable; for the
whole of Poland is the fineft country for hunting I have ever feen, and this journey is a
continued chace. We had the honour to falute the King, and’to kifs the hand of the
Queen. This Prince received us with all that goodnefs which he fhews to every one,
and efpecially to ftrangers: he took great pleafure in making us relate the particulars
of our voyage to Lapland, and he never ceafed to interrogate us refpetting it. The
Queen had equal curiofity, and wifhed to be informed of every particular. This Prin-
cefs is one of the moft accomplifhed in Europe; the is about thirty-eight years old, and
nature has been pleafed to impart to her a portion of ail her gifts : the is the fineft perfon
at court, the handfomeft,and the moft witty : it it only to fee her that fhe may be known 5
but one is the better perfuaded of her excellencies, when one has had the honour of con-
verfing with her. It was fhe who placed the crown on the King’s head ; and ambition,
which is the noble failing of great fouls, was enjoyed by this Princefs in the higheft _
degree. It was fhe who incited the King to endeavour to afcend the throne; and for
this purpofe fhe fpared neither money nor promifes, and exerted herfelf fo much that
fhe was at length fuccefsful, notwithftanding the great intrigues of the Prince of Lor-
rain. It is true that the arrival of M. de Bethune was of no little ufe; he arrived the
night before the diet was to have been finifhed, when it was intended to proclaim the
Prince of Lorrain King the day after; he made fuch ufe of the little time he had, and
he managed the members of the diet fo fuccefsfully, that they prolonged it for fome
days, during which time he had leifure to a with that fuccefs which he met with.
The royal family is the moft accomplifhed which can be any where met with. The
eldeft Prince is called Louis-Henry-Jacob ; the King of France, the Queen of England,
and his grandfather, were his god-fathers and god-mother. This Prince is in his
fourteenth year, and promifes every thing that can be expected from a great prince;
he is handfome, dances well, and fpeaks four languages as well as his own, the Gerinan,
Latin, French, and Polifh: to gratify the King, who knows thefe languages perfectly,
he fays, that he wifhes to learn all the languages of Europe. The Princes, about fix
or feven years of age, is very handfome, and was crowned before fhe was born. The
Prince Alexander, fix years old, is the moft amiable prince that can be feen: there is
alfo the Prince Amour, three or four years old. ‘The Queen, who is at prefent preg-
nant, has had fourteen children, and is {till as frefh, and in as good health as a woman
of twenty years of age. I had the honour of holding the game of the King at ombre,
of playing with him, and to crown me with honour, of eating with him at his table, the
ambaflador being placed on his right, and I on his left. The mafter of the horfe was
there with the ftaroilat of ———. We this day accompanied the King to the chace.
Poland is a country wholly adapted for this amufement: this is exprefled by the word
itfelf; for Poln, from whence the word is derived, fignifies /evel country in the Sclavo-
nian language. But the chace isnot conducted here as in France: they make - en-
clofure
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