The present state of France containing a general description of that kingdom corrected and purged from the many gross mistakes in the French copy, enriched with additional observations and remarks of the new compiler, and digested into a method conformable to that of the state of England / by R.W. ...

Of the Great Pantler, Cup-Bearer, and Carver.

These three Officers are always present at great Ceremonies, where they have Rank, as they had at the Kings Coronation, &c.

They have 600 l. a year each, as Wages, paid them on the Book of the establishment of the House∣hold, in which they are only stiled, First Pantler, First Cup-bearer, and First Ʋsher-Carver.

We shall tell you their Offices, in speaking of the Gentlemen-Waiters, or Servitors, who daily their Functions.

The present Great Pantler is, Timoleon Count de Cosse, of which Office, it is observable, that there remains still an ancient Custom in the Kings House, that upon every New-Years-Day, and on the four principal Feasts in the Year, as soon as the King is gone out of his Chamber, to go to Mass, the Ser∣deau, or Voider, cries aloud three times, either out of a Balcony, or from the Stairs head; M. such a one, Great Pantler of France, lay the Cloth for the King.

The Great Cup-bearer is an Office set up instead of the Great Bottler, or Butler; which was anti∣ently one of the Principal Officers of the Crown, from the time of Charles the Great, to a consider∣able time after the rise of the Kings of the third Race, he used to Sign all Charters, and Letters Pa∣tents, and to be present at all Assemblies, as other great Officers are.

The Great Ʋsher-Carver is the last of the three.

The Great Pantler has a Jurisdiction at the Pa∣lace, which is at Paris, what Westminster-Hall has here: as we shall shew further when we come to speak of that.

All the Bakers of Paris are obliged on every next Sunday after the Epiphany, to go and do homage to the Great Pantler, between the hands of his Lieu∣tenant-General, and to pay him, as they call it, the good Denier. Besides, all Master-Bakers, newly made free, are bound likewise to come and present the Rosemary-Pot to the Lieutenant-General, for the Great Pantler.