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. ...

CHAP. XXIII.

Of the Council of State, and of the Masters of Requests.

THE Present King Ordered by the first Article of his Regulation, dated the first of January, 1673. That the Council of State should be compo∣sed, of the Lord Chancellour and Lord Keeper of the Seats, of 21 Councellours of State in Ordinary, whereof three are to be Church-men, and three Sword-men; of the Comptroller-General of the Finances, of the two Intendants of the Finances, all of them in Ordinary, and of twelve other Coun∣cellours in State, that shall serve half-yearly.

The present Comptroller-General of the Finances, is Claudius le Pelletier, Honorary Councellour in the Parliament of Paris, formerly Councellour of State in Ordinary, who was advanced to this Great Office upon the Death of the late Mr. Colbert.

The two Intendants of the Finances, are

• Michael le Pelletier de Sousy, Councellour of State, And
• Francis le Tonnelier de Breteuil, also Councellour of State.

By the 85th Article of the new Regulation, the Advocates of the Councils, that were formerly 200, were reduced to 170, the present Dean of them, is Mr. Caussan.

The new Departments of the Comptroller-General, and of the Intendants of the Finances, are these.

1. To Mr. Pelletier, the Comptroller-General, be∣long,

The Revenue of Commerce and Trade.

The united Farms, viz.

The Gabelles of France.

The Aids and Entries.

The Parties Casual, or Casual Revenues.

The five Great Farms.

The Convoy of Bordeaux.

The Patents of Languedoc, and other little Farms.

The Revenue arising from the Barrage and Pave∣ment of Paris.

The Revenues of Burgundy, Britany, and Lan∣guedoc.

The Turcies and Levies.

The Extraordinary Revenues for the War.

Those of the Artillery.

The Revenues raised on the Clergy.

Of Coinage.

Of the Provostship of Nants.

Of the Bridges and Causeys.

Of the Kings and Queens Domains, or Crown-Lands.

Of the Waters and Forests.

2. Mr. Pelletier de Souzy, has

The Gabelles of Provence, and Dauphiné, and the Customs of Valence.

The Gabelles of Languedoc, and the Country of Lyons.

The Gabelles and Quarantieme, or fortieth of Lyons.

The Gabelles of Mets, Toul, and Verdun.

The Farm of the nine Livers, and eighteen pence of Picardie.

The Farm of Ingrande.

The Revenue of Fish, Paper and Beer.

That of Ashes.

Of the marking of Iron.

Of the Grants and Gifts of Cities.

The Revenues of Provence, and Navarre.

Of Artois, and other Conquered Places.

Of Mets, Toul, and Verdun.

Of the Parliament of Paris.

Of the Grand Council.

Of the Leagues of the Suiffers.

The Rents upon the Guildhall, or Town-House of Paris.

3. Mr. De Breteuil, has

The eighteen Generalities of the Countries of Election.

The greater and lesser Tax, called the Taille & Taillon.

The Revenue of the Chamber of Accounts, or Counting-Chamber at Paris.

That of the Court of Aids at Paris.

There are four Secretaries of the Council, who are M. Berrier, M. de Beauchamol, M. Ranchin, and M. Coquille: And M. Bartillat, and M. Du Mets, with the Title of Commissionated Keepers of the Treasure-Royal, exercise by turns, what was for∣merly exercised by three Persons, with the Title of Treasurers of the Main Treasury, or Exchequer, called L' Epargne, or Spare Revenue.

There are eighty Masters of Requests in Ordinary of the Kings Houshold, that officiate quarterly.

The Officers called les Gens du Roy, are

One Proctor-General M. Lewis Maboul, who like∣wise performs the Function of Advocate-General.

One Advocate-General, M. Francis-Nicholas Ber∣thelot.

The Secretaries of the Court of Finances, are the same with those of the Council of State.

There are four Secretaries-Registrers of the Privy-Council; four Commissioners of the Register of the Council, and four Registrers-Keepers of the Council-Bags: all officiating quarterly. And one Chief Registrer of the Requests of the Houshold.

There are eight Ushers, or Door-Keepers in Or∣dinary belonging to the Kings Councils; and eight other Ushers of the Requests of the Houshold.

There is also held another Council called the Council of Parties, because it was established to take cognisance of the Processes or Suits moved by particular Parties one among another, whether it be upon their Appeals from the Judges of a particu∣lar Jurisdiction, or of a Parliament, or any other entire Jurisdiction; or for particular Affairs be∣tween City and City; or between one private Per∣son and another, that this Council has called before it, or of which it has reserved the cognisance to it self.

The Councellors of State that sit in this Council of Parties, or in the Council of the Finances, are for the most part, Persons that have served a long time in other Courts, or Jurisdictions, as in the Parliament, Grand-Council, and even in the very Body of the Masters of Requests, or in Embassies to Foreign Princes and States: Those of the last sort enjoy the Quality and Pension of Councellours of State, at their return from their Ambassages, but

yet have not all Entrance into the Council: Some of them serve there all the year, and some but six Months, their Salary, when they serve all the year, is 2000 Crowns to each: They are sworn by the Chancellour.

Anciently there were three Masters of Requests taken out of the Body of the Parliament, that used to stand at the Door of the Kings Lodgings, leaning with their Elbows on the Rails, ready to receive all Requests or Petitions, that people had a mind to present to the King: And if they were businesses of no great consequence, they commonly dispatcht them immediately, but if they were of Consequence, then they made report of them to the King, when he was in his Chamber, or when he was going to Mass, or a walking: And when business begun to increase, they waited no more at the Door, but near the Kings Person, who committed to their Exami∣nation, all the Petitions that were presented him. They usually had Lodgings in the Kings Palace, and were tabled at Court.

They at present, take cognisance in their Court, of Masters of the Requests of the Houshold, of the personal and possessory Causes of the Crown-Officers, and of the Officers that are Commoners and Tabled in the Royal Housholds, and others that have the priviledge of Committimus. There lies an Appeal from them to the Parliament of Paris, unless it be when a Sovereign Jurisdiction is given them by a solemn remission of any cause to them by the Coun∣cil of State.

They serve likewise in the Chancery, and in the Council of State, where they report and sign all Petitions that come thither, and have extraordinary Commissions in the Provinces where they are Inten∣dants of Justice, of Policy, and of the Finances, or Revenues; as also in the Armies where they have a very great Authority and Power: They have power to preside in the place of the Presidents in all Seneschalchies and Baily-wicks.

The Habit used by the Masters of Requests, at great Ceremonies and Solemnities, is a Scarlet-Gown, as being of the Body of the Parliaments, where they have Entrance, Place, and Voice, or freedom of Suffrage, and opinion deliberative.

When the Masters of Requests march all in a Bo∣dy, accompanying the Chancellour, as they did in the year 1660. at the Kings solemn Entry; they wear as they did then, black Velvet-Gowns, with golden Girdles, and Hat-Bands.