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30th; 1781: 〃Killed 460 head to day。〃 In 1780 he brings down 20;534

head; in 1781; 20;291; in fourteen years; 189;251 head; besides 1;254

stags; while boars and bucks are proportionate; and it must be noted

that this is all done by his own hand; since his parks approach his

houses。  …  Such; in fine; is the character of a 〃 well…appointed

household;〃 that is to say; provided with its dependencies and

services。  Everything is within reach; it is a complete world in itself

and self…sufficient。  One exalted being attaches to and gathers around

it; with universal foresight and minuteness of detail; every

appurtenance it employs or can possibly employ。  …  Thus; each prince;

each princess has a professional surgery and a chapel;'18' it would

not answer for the almoner who says mass or the doctor who looks after

their health to be obtained outside。  So much stronger is the reason

that the king should have ministrants of this stamp; his chapel

embraces seventy…five almoners; chaplains; confessors; masters of the

oratory; clerks; announcers; carpet…bearers; choristers; copyists; and

composers of sacred music; his faculty is composed of forty…eight

physicians; surgeons; apothecaries; oculists; operators; bone…setters;

distillers; chiropodists and spagyrists (a species of alchemists)。  We

must still note his department of profane music; consisting of one

hundred and twenty…eight vocalists; dancers; instrumentalists;

directors and superintendents; his library corps of forty…three

keepers; readers; interpreters; engravers; medallists; geographers;

binders and printers; the staff of ceremonial display; sixty…two

heralds; sword…bearers; ushers and musicians; the staff of

housekeepers; consisting of sixty…eight marshals; guides and

commissaries。  I omit other services in haste to reach the most

important;… that of the table; a fine house and good housekeeping

being known by the table。



There are three sections of the table service;'19' the first for

the king and his younger children; the second; called the little

ordinary; for the table of the grand…master; the grand…chamberlain and

the princes and princesses living with the king; the third; called the

great ordinary; for the grand…master's second table; that of the

butlers of the king's household; the almoners; the gentlemen in

waiting; and that of the valets…de…chambre; in all three hundred and

eighty…three officers of the table and one hundred and three waiters;

at an expense of 2;177;771 livres; besides this there are 389;173

livres appropriated to the table of Madame Elisabeth; and 1;093;547

livres for that of Mesdames; the total being 3;660;491 livres for the

table。  The wine…merchant furnished wine to the amount of 300;000

francs per annum; and the purveyor game; meat and fish at a cost of

1;000;000 livres。  Only to fetch water from Ville…d'Avray; and to

convey servants; waiters and provisions; required fifty horses hired

at the rate of 70;591 francs per annum。  The privilege of the royal

princes and princesses 〃to send to the bureau for fish on fast days

when not residing regularly at the court;〃 amounts in 1778 to 175;116

livres。  On reading in the Almanach the titles of these officials we

see a Gargantua's feast spread out before us。  The formal hierarchy of

the kitchens; so many grand officials of the table;  …  the butlers;

comptrollers and comptroller…pupils; the clerks and gentlemen of the

pantry; the cup…bearers and carvers; the officers and equerries of the

kitchen; the chiefs; assistants and head…cooks; the ordinary

scullions; turnspits and cellarers; the common gardeners and salad

gardeners; laundry servants; pastry…cooks; plate…changers; table…

setters; crockery…keepers; and broach…bearers; the butler of the table

of the head…butler;  …  an entire procession of broad…braided backs

and imposing round bellies; with grave countenances; which; with order

and conviction; exercise their functions before the saucepans and

around the buffets。



One step more and we enter the sanctuary; the king's apartment。  Two

principal dignitaries preside over this; and each has under him about

a hundred subordinates。  On one side is the grand chamberlain with his

first gentlemen of the bedchamber; the pages of the bedchamber; their

governors and instructors; the ushers of the antechamber; with the

four first valets…de…chambre in ordinary; sixteen special valets

serving in turn; his regular and special cloak…bearers; his barbers;

upholsterers; watch…menders; waiters and porters; on the other hand is

the grand…master of the wardrobe; with the masters of the wardrobe and

the valets of the wardrobe regular and special; the ordinary trunk…

carriers; mail…bearers; tailors; laundry servants; starchers; and

common waiters; with the gentlemen; officers and secretaries in

ordinary of the cabinet; in all 198 persons for domestic service; like

50 many domestic utensils for every personal want; or as sumptuous

pieces of furniture for the decoration of the apartment。  Some of them

fetch the mall and the balls; others hold the mantle and cane; others

comb the king's hair and dry him off after a bath; others drive the

mules which transport his bed; others watch his pet greyhounds in his

room; others fold; put on and tie his cravat; and others fetch and

carry off his easy chair。'20' Some there are whose sole business it is

to fill a corner which must not be left empty。  Certainly; with respect

to ease of deportment and appearance these are the most conspicuous of

all; being so close to the master they are under obligation to appear

well; in such proximity their bearing must not create a discord。  …

Such is the king's household; and I have only described one of his

residences; he has a dozen of them besides Versailles; great and

small; Marly; the two Trianons; la Muette; Meudon; Choisy; Saint…

Hubert; Saint…Germain; Fontainebleau; Compiègne; Saint…Cloud;

Rambouillet;'21' without counting the Louvre; the Tuileries and

Chambord; with their parks and hunting…grounds; their governors;

inspectors; comptrollers; concierges; fountain tenders; gardeners;

sweepers; scrubbers; mole…catchers; wood…rangers; mounted and foot…

guards; in all more than a thousand persons。  Naturally he entertains;

plans and builds; and; in this way expends 3 or 4 millions per

annum。'22' Naturally; also; he repairs and renews his furniture; in

1778; which is an average year; this costs him 1;936;853 livres。

Naturally; also; he takes his guests along with him and defrays their

expenses; they and their attendants; at Choisy; in 1780; there are

sixteen tables with 345 seats besides the distributions; at Saint…

Cloud; in 1785; there are twenty…six tables; 〃an excursion to Marly of

twenty…one days is a matter of 120;000 livres extra expense;〃 the

excursion to Fontainebleau has cost as much as 400;000 and 500;000

livres。  His removals; on the average; cost half a million and more per

annum。'23' …  To complete our idea of this immense paraphernalia it

must be borne in mind that the artisans and merchants belonging to

these various official bodies are obliged; through the privileges they

enjoy; to follow the court 〃on its journeys that it may be provided on

the spot with apothecaries; armorers; gunsmiths; sellers of silken and

woollen hosiery; butchers; bakers; embroiderers; publicans; cobblers;

belt…makers; candle…makers; hatters; pork…dealers; surgeons;

shoemakers; curriers; cooks; pinkers; gilders and engravers; spur…

makers; sweetmeat…dealers; furbishers; old…clothes brokers; glove…

perfumers; watchmakers; booksellers; linen…drapers; wholesale and

retail wine…dealers; carpenters; coarse…jewelry haberdashers;

jewellers; parchment…makers; dealers in trimmings; chicken…roasters;

fish…dealers; purveyors of hay; straw and oats; hardware…sellers;

saddlers; tailors; gingerbread and starch…dealers; fruiterers; dealers

in glass and in violins。〃'24' One might call it an oriental court

which; to be set in motion; moves an entire world: 〃when it is to move

one must; if one wants to travel anywhere; take the post in well in

advance。〃 The total is near 4;000 persons for the king's civil

household; 9;000 to 10;000 for his military household; at least 2;000

for those of his relatives; in all 15;000 individuals; at a cost of

between forty and fifty million livres; which would be equal to double

the amount to day; and which; at that time; constituted one…tenth of

the public revenue。'25' We have here the central figure of the

monarchical show。  However grand and costly it may be; it is only

proportionate to its purpose; since the court is a public institution;

and the aristocracy; with nothing to do; devotes itself to filling up

the king's drawing…room。



III。  THE KING'S ASSOCIATES。



The society of the king。  … Officers of the household。  … Invited

guests。



Two causes maintain this affluence; one the feudal form still

preserved; and the other the new centralization j

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