A Cicé， archbishop of Bordeaux， a Dillon， archbishop of Narbonne， a Brienne， archbishop of Toulouse， a Castellane， bishop of Mende and seignior-suzerain of the whole of Gévaudan， an archbishop of Cambrai， duke of Cambray， seignior-suzerain of the whole of Cambrésis， and president by birth of the provincial States-General， are nearly all princes ； why not parade themselves like princes？ Hence， they build， hunt and have their clients and guests， a lever， an antechamber， ushers， officers， a free table， a complete household， equipages， and， oftener still， debts， the finishing touch of a grand seignior. In the almost regal palace which the Rohans， hereditary bishops of Strasbourg and cardinals from uncle to nephew， erected for themselves at Saverne，[78] there are 700 beds， 180 horses， 14 butlers， and 25valets. "The whole province assembles there；" the cardinal lodges as many as two hundred guests at a time， without counting the valets； at all times there are found under his roof "from twenty to thirty ladies the most agreeable of the province， and this number is often increased by those of the court and from Paris. . . . The entire company sup together at nine o'clock in the evening， which always looks like a fête，" and the cardinal himself is its chief ornament. Splendidly dressed， fine-looking， gallant， exquisitely polite， the slightest smile is a grace. "His face， always beaming， inspired confidence； he had the true physiognomy of a man expressly designed for pompous display."Such likewise is the attitude and occupation of the principal lay seigniors， at home， in summer， when a love of the charms of fine weather brings them back to their estates. For example， Harcourt in Normandy and Brienne in Champagne are two chateaux the best frequented. "Persons of distinction resort to it from Paris， eminent men of letters， while the nobility of the canton pay there an assiduous court."[79] There is no residence where flocks of fashionable people do not light down permanently to dine， to dance， to hunt， to gossip， to unravel，[80] (parfiler) to play comedy. We can trace these birds from cage to cage； they remain a week， a month， three months， displaying their plumage and their prattle. From Paris to Ile-Adam， to Villers-Cotterets， to Frétoy， to Planchette， to Soissons， to Rheims， to Grisolles， to Sillery， to Braine， to Balincourt， to Vaudreuil， the Comte and Comtesse de Genlis thus bear about their leisure， their wit， their gaiety， at the domiciles of friends whom， in their turn， they entertain at Genlis. A glance at the exteriors of these mansions suffices to show that it was the chief duty in these days to be hospitable， as it was a prime necessity to be in society.[81] Their luxury， indeed， differs from ours. With the exception of a few princely establishments it is not great in the matter of country furniture； a display of this description is left to the financiers. "But it is prodigious in all things which can minister to the enjoyment of others， in horses， carriages， and in an open table， in accommodations given even to people not belonging to the house， in boxes at the play which are lent to friends， and lastly， in servants， much more numerous than nowadays." Through this mutual and constant attention the most rustic nobles lose the rust still encrusting their brethren in Germany or in England. We find in France few Squire Western and Barons de Thunder-ten-Troenck； an Alsatian lady， on seeing at Frankfort the grotesque country squires of Westphalia， is struck with the contrast.[82] Those of France， even in distant provinces， have frequented the drawing-rooms of the commandant and intendant， and have encountered on their visits some of the ladies from Versailles； hence they always show some familiarity with superior manners and some knowledge of the changes of fashion and dress." The most barbarous will descend， with his hat in his hand， to the foot of his steps to escort his guests， thanking them for the honor they have done him. The greatest rustic， when in a woman's presence， dives down into the depths of his memory for some fragment of chivalric gallantry. The poorest and most secluded furbishes up his coat of royal blue and his cross of St. Louis that he may， when the occasion offers， tender his respects to his neighbor， the grand seignior， or to the prince who is passing by.
Thus is the feudal staff wholly transformed， from the lowest to the highest grades. Taking in at one glance its 30 or 40，000 palaces， mansions， manors and abbeys， what a brilliant and engaging scene France presents！ She is one vast drawing-room， and I detect only drawing room company. Everywhere the rude chieftains once possessing authority have become the masters of households administering favors.
Their society is that in which， before fully admiring a great general， the question is asked， "is he amiable？" Undoubtedly they still wear swords， and are brave through pride and tradition， and they know how to die， especially in duels and according to form. But worldly traits have hidden the ancient military groundwork； at the end of the eighteenth century their genius is to be wellbred and their employment consists in entertaining or in being entertained.
_____________________________________________________________________Notes：
[1]. "Mémoires de Laporte" (1632). "M. d'Epernon came to Bordeaux， where he found His Eminence very ill. He visited him regularly every morning， having two hundred guards to accompany him to the door of his chamber." - "Mémoires de Retz." "We came to the audience， M. de Beaufort and myself； with a corps of nobles which might number three hundred gentlemen； MM. the princes had with them nearly a thousand gentlemen." - All the memoirs of the time show on every page that these escorts were necessary to make or repel sudden attacks.
[2]. Mercier， "Tableau de Paris." IX. 3.