and noble city of Paris, and the court of that great king, who has given Europe such long and vehement disquiet, and has cost England in particular so much blood and treasure.

It is possible, my Lord, that you may find a leisure hour to read over these papers for your diversion; and I promise you that you will meet with nothing in them that is offensive, but pure matters of fact, and the concise remarks of an unprejudiced observer.

But that I may no longer importune you, who are so perpetually busied in such laborious yet useful employments,

I beg leave to subscribe myself,

My Lord, your Lordship's

most humble and most obedient servant,

MARTIN LISTER.

PREFACE

BY THE

Editor.

THE work now re-presented to the public, was originally written and published in the year 1698, by Dr. LISTER, a physician of great eminence in London, who attended the Earl of Portland in his Einbassy to France, to negociate the Treaty of Peace of Ryswick.

On this occasion Dr. LISTER resided at Paris for six months, during which time he employed his leisure in conversing with the literati of that Capital, in inspecting its various museums of natural and artificial curiosities and antiquities, the libraries and gardens, the palaces and mansions. Whatever he saw he recorded, and, at his return, made the whole subjectmatter of a volume, to which he gave the title of a Journey to Paris in the year 1698.

He has enlivened his narrative with many anecdotes of distinguished individuals, and with a variety of reflections and remarks that bespeak the profound scholar, the enlightened man of the world, and the accomplished gentleman.

This work, which was very well received, is thought worthy of republication, not only as being out of print and obsolete, but as affording descriptions of ancient magnificence and grandeur-now no more.

The office of the Editor has neither been confined to the correction of the text, nor to the alteration of the stile; he has found it necessary to correct many redundancies, and to supply some omissions; he has, moreover, added copious biographical and historical notes and illustrations, and anecdotes of many of the individuals to which the original work refers. For these he is solely responsible..

SKETCH

OF THE

LIFE OF DR. LISTER.

MARTIN LISTER was born about the year 1638. His family, which came originally from Yorkshire, was at the time of his birth settled in the county of Buckingham, and had produced several individuals who became eminent in the medical profession. Among these was Sir Matthew Lister, who had the distinguished honour to be physician to King Charles the first, and President of the College of Physicians.

Martin enjoyed the great advantage to be educated under the direction of his uncle Sir Matthew, and was sent to St. John's College, Cambridge, where he took his Bachelor's degree in arts in the year 1658; and at the Restoration in 1660, he was, in consequence of his determined and steady loyalty, appointed fellow of his college by Royal Mandate. Two years afterwards he proceeded Master of Arts, and, applying himself to physic, travelled to France, for the purpose of enlarging his knowledge, and was very assiduous in the pursuit of it. In 1670 he returned to England, and settled at York, where he acquired great and deserved reputation as an accomplished and scientific physician.

The time which he was able to spare from the

exercise of his profession, he devoted with equal zeal and fondness to the investigation of the natural history and antiquities of several parts of England, but particularly the north, and frequently made journeys for that sole purpose. The communications which he was thus enabled to make to the Royal Society, on the different subjects of meteorology, hydrology, mineralogy, botany, zoology, anatomy, pharmacy and antiquities, in addition to the treatises which he had previously published on natural history, were so numerous, so various, and so important, as to procure his admission as a member of that illustrious body. He also contributed to the Ashmolean Museum, at Oxford, many ancient coins, altars, and other antiquities, together with a great number of natural curiosities. To the same museum he sent likewise the drawings which had been made by his two daughters, from which the plates in his Synopsis Conchyliorum were engraved.

His reputation stood now so high in the kingdom, although he resided at so great a distance from the metropolis, that he was importuned to remove thither; and yielding to the solicitations of his friends and the public, he settled in London in the year 1683. In the spring of the same year he was created Doctor of Physic at Oxford by diploma, at the particular recommendation of the Lord Chancellor, and was soon after elected a fellow of the College of Physicians.

Having now for the long period of twenty-six years, been unremittingly engaged in the duties of his profession, and other fatiguing pursuits, he thought it prudent to indulge himself in a more sedentary life; and, his health being much impaired, he was glad for