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REGNARD’S JOURNEY TO LAPLAND. 221
clofure of nets, near which they place foldiers, who drive out the game at an opening
which is left for that purpofe : they fend ina great number of dogs at this opening, accom-
panied by huntfmen on horfeback, to affift them, who drive out all the animals which it
contains. . Every one takes his poft, two mufket-fhot diftant from each other, and when
any animal appears, whether wolf, fox, roe-buck, &c. they let loofe fuch a nutber of
greyhounds, that the animal mult be very fleet if it can efcape. We were extremely fuc-
cefsful this day : in lefs than four hours we took more than ten roe-bucks, three wolves,
five or fix foxes, and a number of hares; but what rendered the hunt delightful and
bloody, was a wild boar of the fize of a horfe, who was killed after a long conteft with
the dogs: he killed fome of them, mangled others, and wounded both men and horfes ;
but at length he was killed by the fhot of a blunder-bufs: they carried him on a little
cart to the King, and every body owned that they had never feen fo furious an animal.
It was neceflary to procure a chariot for the removal of the mangled dogs, in the fame
manner as the wounded are removed after a battle.
We faw at the court M. de Vitri, ambaffador extraordinary, who received us with
particular kindnefs, During all the time we were at court, we had no other houte and
no other table than his. We faw at his houfe M. de Valalé, his equerry ; M. Noblet,
who departed for France the day after we arrived; Mefl. Peliffier and Devilles, fecre-
taries ; the Marquis of Arquien, to whom the Queen gives twenty thoufand livres a-year:
this is the rendezvous of all the French for pleafure and for play ; the Count of Ma-
tigny his fon, who is captain of dragoons, and to whom the Queen gives two thoufand
crowns. We faw at the houfe of the Marquis of Arquien M. D’Alerac, M. de Va-
lale, &c.
The Queenvhas three French gentlemen, Meff. Ryon, Forges, and Villars, who was
in the Swifs regiment of Monfieur: he made a tour through France.
We knew at the court the mafter of the horfe, M. Jalonfky, vice-chancellor of the
Queen, who is a man of genius; M. Sarinfki, King’sfecretary ; M. Dalanty, an Italian,
fecretary of the King; and M. Dumont de |’Efpine, valet-de-chambre.
In Poland it is a cuftom to make prefents on feftival-days. The Princefs Radzivil is
called Catharine ; her féte took place while we were at the court : the Queen made her
-aprefent, and wifhed that there fhould be a dance at the court.
Thefe kinds of dances never terminate ; and from the beginning to the end every one
dances with his own partner without ftopping.
They have a mode of dancing in the Ruffian manner, which is very pleafant: M. the
Chevalier Lubomirfki, grand-enfign of the kingdom, dances it perfectly well.
They never dance more than at marriages, where the King is at all the expence dur-
ing the fix or feven days, in which the wife does not live with her hufband; and
the day in which fhe is put into his poffeffion he treats every body.
The Poles are proud, are extremely vain of their high rank, and lay out every thing
to procure a fine horfe, an elegant drefs, and a beautiful fabre: they are handfome ;
but in this the women do not refemble them ;_ with difficulty could two be found at the
court who weré fupportable. They gratify themfelves with a number of attendants ;
and the petty nobles, who have nothing to live on, attach themfelves to fome of the
richer.
The women almoft never go abroad, and go to embrace their hufband’s thigh when
they return home: this is the moft cuftomary mode of falutation in Poland; and the
women of quality are faluted inno other manner than by embracing their thigh. There
are fome whofe embraces are a little too rough, and who are very willing to feel that
which they embrace. ‘heir drefles are very rich, and are wholly covered with gold
and
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