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160 ANNUAL REGISTAR came from Thomas Holles, Efq; Memeber of the Royal and Anti-qurian Societies. ----- Our author giving an account of the Society of Arts, observes, that these persons are astonished at those speculations upon agriculture, which idle reasoners indulge in other countries: speculations which being useful only to particular people, who have brought them into vogue, answer no other pur-pose but to fill periodical writings. If, say they, these people really desire to serve that cause of argricul-ture, why do they not, in places where the courvee * robs it of so many hands, whose time is infi-nitely precious, make united efforts to deliver it from that yoke, either by convincing the government of the inconveniencies attending it, or by applying some remedy to the evil, by the way of subscription, if it be thought necessary? In a conversation upon this sub-ject, an English gentleman, who was very fond of husbandry, told me, that happening to travel in the autumn of the year 1767, from Germany to Paris, through Bur-gundy and Champagne, he slopt in the evening at a village upon the road to Langers, named Su-zainne-court. As he did not chose to sup, and saw that the principal inns in the village were filled with coaches and wagons, he alighted at the kind of hovel, where he found a bed for himself and a stable for his horse, and there fixed his quar-ters for that night. Whilst he waited till bed-time, and was free from the noise unavoidable in great inns, which he had prudently shunned, he amused himself with conversing with the mistress of the house, a widow-woman, when sud-denly entered the syndic of the village, at the head of twenty pea-sants, for whom he required gite * in the king's name. These peasants made part of a body of sixty or eighty, who were come from different quarters, to begin next day a grand courvee upon the road of Suzainne-court. The English gentleman, whose views disconcerted by the ap-pearance of this crowd, made a particular enquiry into the cause of their meeting. They had been summoned eight or ten leagues off, with their carts and their oxen; but it was found impossible to bring their teams so far, on account of a most rugged road through moun-tains and craggy places, which neither their carriages nor their oxen were able to get over. The peasants, drawn up in a row round the kitchen-table, seemed to be very pensive, and to revolve in their minds the fine which they which they owed their king, and which they were obliged the next day to make good in the presence of the inspector, or go to prison. This fine being proportioned to the number of oxen that each was to bring with him, it was necessary to take an account, which should distinguish the quota for each individual, and give the [[footnote]]A day's work due from the vassal to his lord, to be done in person, or by his cattle, plough, or team. T. Gite is a power to lie at the house of a tenant, vassal, or subject, in passing along by it. T. sum 161 For the YEAR 1772. sum total to be paid to the inspector. Upon this occasion, they had recourse to the assistance of the English gen-tleman, who quickly answered their quest on, and calculated the sum, which amounted to about fifty livres; this they drew, with a very sorrowful countenance, out of their pockets, in all sorts of money, en-veloped in paper, and, together with the account, it was locked up by the landlady. This affair being adjusted, whilst these poor wretches were busied near the fire in warming some but-ter and wine, which were given them in charity, to foment their feet, all mangled and torn with walking over flints, the widow asked them whether they were for supper? Some had bread, and made a bargain to have it boiled up with water, salt, and a little but-ter, at two sols a head: others agreed for the bread and the sea-soning: many having neither bread nor money, withdrew to the barn, there to repair their exhausted strength by repose, that they might be able to go through the toil of the next day. The English gentleman then asked the widow, whether she could get a little sauce to make a soup expeditiously by mixing it with butter and greens. She said she had the gravy of some beef a la mode, which had been the chief provision of her house during four days. The gentleman agreed for it: a large pot having been filled up to the brim, and again put upon the fire, he caused as much bread to be given to the company as they chose; she cut it into slices, and put them into four great earthen dishes, which were no sooner replenished with broth, than it was swallowed Vol. XV. up with all the silence of a Carthu-sian refectory. He then caused three musty cheeses to be served up, with bread still at the discre-tion of the company. The whole entertainment cost him five livres eight sols, and procured him a thousand blessings, with the most servant prayers, which those good people put up to heaven for him, returning him thanks in a body. The gentleman accompanied his relation of this affair with many observations upon the fine, upon its legality, upon the character of those who ordered it with one hand, and at the same time received it with the other, upon the use it was put to, upon the increase of labour arising from it, &c. He added, that happening since to be at a fine country seat, which be-longed to a man who had made a fortune by paving the high road, he had scarce come to the know-ledge of that circumstance, when he fled with all haste, fearing lest the house should tumble down, and crush him together with the owner. ----- The following observations upon a remarkable and interesting part of the history of this country, seem to place it in a point of view, which has hitherto escaped the no-tice of out historians. Our author says, That most hi-storians look upon the haughtiness and inflexibility of Clement VII. as the source of that revolution which destroyed the power of the clergy in England: reflecting on this important event; I have fallen into a train of thoughts, which as they seem to afford some new lights, M I shall
