| Memoires et Observations faites par un Voyageur en Angleterre, sur ee qu’il y a trouvé de plus remarquable, tant a l’egard de la Religion que de la Politique, des mceurs, des curiositez naturelles, et quantity de Faites historiques. Avec un description particuliere de ce qu’il y a de plus curieux dans Londres. Le tout enrichi de Figures.
Lege sed Elige. A la Haye. Chez Henri Van Bulderen, Marchand Libraire, dans le Pooten, à l’enseigne de Mezeray. 1698. Voyage D’ltalie. Par Maximilien Misson. Edition augmentée de remarques nouvelles et interessantes. [4 tomes.] A Amsterdam; et se vend à Paris
Damonneville, Quay des Augustines. 1743. [The fourth edition, published at the Hague in 1702, was in three volumes, and entitled, “Nouveau Voyage d’ltalie.” There had been extant since 1670 the work of an older writer, R. Lassels, entitled, “The Voyage of Italy.”] |
M. Misson’s Memoirs and Observations in his travels over England. With some account of Scotland and Ireland. Disposed in alphabetical order. Written originally in French, and translated by Mr Ozell. London, Printed for D. Browne, A. Bell, J. Darby, A. Bettesworth, J. Pembertun, C. Rivington, J. Hooke, R Cruttenden, T. Cox, J. Batley, F. Clay, and E. Symon. 1719. (Price 5s.)
A New Voyage to Italy, with curious observations on several other countries, as Germany. Switzerland, Savoy, Geneva, Flanders, and Holland, together with useful Instructions to those who shall travel thither. [4 vols.] By Mr Misson. The fifth edition, with large additions throughout the whole, and adorned with several new figures. London. Printed for J. & J. Bonwick, C. Rivington, S. Birt, T. Osborne, E. Comyns, E. Wicksteed, C. Ward & R. Chandler, and J. & R. Tonson. 1739. |
His account of the miracles and prophecies of the French Prophets was entitled, “Theatre Sacre des Cevennes, ou Recit des prodiges arrivees dans cette partie du Languedoc.” Lond.: 1707.
His “Memoires et Observations” were finished on the day when news arrived in England of the signing of the Treaty of Ryswick. It is from the translation, published twenty-one years afterwards, that I now select a series of passages, from which we discover some of Maximilian Misson’s sensations in his adopted country, and of his sentiments concerning it. [This translation, having come into my possession soonest, was my quarry, and having now compared it with the original French, I find it accurate and well executed. The book consists of articles, arranged alphabetically according to their headings — an arrangement which occasioned the only change made by the translator. For instance, the first article in the original was headed Angleterre; but the translated article, being headed England, had to be transferred so as to appear under the letter E.] We picture a refugee on his voyage from France. Finding himself at port and wishing to reach London, he has asked information as to means of transit. He is therefore now able to inform us (p. 331):—
“They have several ways of travelling in England, and the prices are all fixed. The post is under a good regulation throughout, and the horses are better than those in France. There are coaches that go to all the great towns by moderate journeys, and others which they call Flying Coaches, that will travel twenty leagues a day and more; but these don’t go to all places. They have no Messageries de Chevaux as in France, but you may hire horses for what time you please. The sea and the rivers also furnish their respective conveniences for travelling. I say nothing of the waggons, which are great carts, covered in, that lumber along very heavily; only a few poor old women make use of this vehicle.”
In London he remarks upon the old streets, whose houses are (p. 134) “the scurviest things in the world, nothing but wood and plaster, and nasty little windows, but with one little casement to open — the stories low, widened one over another all awry, and in appearance ready to fall.” He admires, however, the streets built since the great fire; “the houses are built with brick, with even fronts, without magnificence or anything like it, but with sufficient symmetry and neatness, roofed with tile, and generally built high enough. Balconies are very much in use. All the rooms have ceilings, and the windows are large and sashed; the ground- floors and the first floors are always wainscottcd — sometimes the second floors also.”
He notices (p. 283) how Englishmen, when they meet, no more dream of pulling off their hats than women would think of pulling off their head-gear; they salute one another by giving one another their hands, and shaking them heartily, but (p. 74) without that flood of compliments that usually pours out of the mouth of the French, Italians, &c.
“Other nations upbraid this as incivility; but every one follows his own ideas, and the idea of the English is, that civility does not consist wholly of outward demonstrations, which very often are hypocritical and deceitful.”
