A new description of Paris containing a particular account of all the churches, palaces, monasteries ... with all other remarkable matters in that great and famous city / translated out of French.

The SORBONNE.

THis beautiful House requires to be treated of with a particular application, in regard it is one of the principal Ornaments of Paris, as well for the great reputation of those Learn∣ed Men which come from hence, as for the beau∣ty of the Architecture in its buildings. Cardi∣nal de Richelieu beautified it as we see it at present. Before that it was but an old Colledge consist∣ing of very mean building, yet was it however a place of mighty great Reputation. It was first Founded by Robert de Sorbonne, Almoner to St. Lewis, who furnisht him with means wherewith to perform the Work, as apears by the following Inscription in the Church, graved on a Brass plate.

LUDOVICUS REX FRANCO RUM, SUB QUO FUNDATA FUIT DOMUS SORBONAE. CIRCA ANNUM DOMINI.
M CCLII.

Lewis King of France, by whose Favour this House of the Sorbonne was Founded about the Year of our Lord M CCLII.

The Cardinal de Richelieu, who took all occasions to Immortalize his Name, caused this Colledge to be Rebuilt, and spared no Costs to make it truly magnificent. For this purpose he employed the Sieur Mercier an able Architect, who after some Years time brought the work almost to the point of per∣fection as we see it; however it was not quite finisht by him, for he dyed before he could give it his last Hand. That which we are first to observe is the square place before the Church Door, and hath a Passage into the Ruë de la Harpe. This place is, in truth, not large, by reason of some Houses built before it, belong∣ing to the Colledge des Tresoriers, however this hinders not but that it is very handsom. On both hands it is fronted with very fair Houses. On one hand is a great Body of Lodgings stone built of Two Stories high, in Bossage Rustick; and here is the Divinity School for those Scholars who come from abroad to hear the Lectures which are made here by Six Doctors, Three in the Morning and Three in the Afternoon, who change from hour to hour. This School is great and high, and it is sometimes made use of when a Thesis is maintain'd by some Person of Qua∣lity. On the Right Hand in this Court is the Chapel belonging to the Colledge of Clugni. It takes up almost one side of this Court, and makes no unhandsom Show, although it be of Go∣thick building; but gives the Beholder occasion to observe with pleasure, the difference between that gross and Rustick sort of building in the Ages past, and the regular and studied manner now used in this. As you enter into this open place or Court, and cast your Eyes upon

the Portal of the Church, you cannot desire a finer object. The proportions are so true, and the points of the view so well contrived, that the distant parts of this Edifice seem to stand over the Portal, and to be placed in the stand∣ing where they are, to serve for a greater Or∣nament to the Front. The Dome is none of the highest. It is accompanied like that of Val de Grace, with Four little ones, with Statues, with bands of Lead gilt, and with a Balustrade of Iron about the little Lanthorn which is on the top of all the work. All these different things do agree so well one with another, that one can∣not wish to see a more beautiful piece of Ar∣chitecture. The Portal of the Church consists of Two orders of Pillars, Corinthian, and Com∣posite. The second Story are only Pilasters. Both above and below, between the Pillars, are Niches, in which are placed Statues of very good Workmanship; as also are those on the outside, and those within, between the Corinthian Pila∣sters that support the Roof. The inside of the Church is but small, and is not altogether so light as it might have been; however, all things there are well disposed: The Pavement is of Marble: The Dome is very well painted, and so are the Four Fathers of the Church which are between the Arcades that sustain it; these are in Fresquo, and of colours very shining. The great Altar is not yet begun; but doubt∣less it will be magnificent, if they follow the de∣signs which are shewn: It is to be all of Mar∣ble, composed of Six great Pillars of Jasper, with their Capitals and other Ornaments gilt. The lesser Altars, which are already finished, do promise, that if the great Altar be of the

same gust, one cannot see any thing more deli∣cate. The Altar of the Virgin was finish'd not long ago; it is of white Marble, with Orna∣ments of Brass gilt, which shew admirably. From hence we ought to go into the inward parts of the House, in the midst of which is a square Court encompast about with Buildings, part of which are higher than the rest, which gives an air of Grandeur and Majesty to the Portico of the Church. As you see it on this side, hardly can any thing appear better: At the bot∣tom of this Court it appears raised upon Fifteen steps, and consists of ten great Corinthian Pillars, distant from the building more than Six Foot: These Pillars support a Fronton in which are the Armes of Cardinal de Richelieu, with two Statues on each side. On the Freese you read this In∣scription:

ARMANDUS JOANNES CARD. DUX DE RICHELIEU, SORBO∣NAE PROVISOR, AEDIFICAVIT DOMUM ET EXALTAVIT TEM∣PLUM SANCTUM DOMINO.
M. DC. XLII.

Armand John, Cardinal and Duke of Richelieu, Curator of the Sorbonne, built this House, and erected a Holy Temple to the Lord.
M. DC. XLII.

Under this beautiful Portico you see the Door into the Church, which is of the same disposition

with that of the Rotundae in Rome: The Archi∣tect has imitated it as near as he could. All the Apartments about this Court are inhabited by the Doctors of this House, who have a particular right to dwell here. Some of these Doctors have very pretty Libraries of their own, but these are not so easie to be seen as the great Library which is common to all the House, where all the Doctors study. It is very long and very high, and runs over the head of two great ground Rooms, in which the Sorbonnists maintain their Theses and Disputations. M. le Masle, Prior des Roches, and Secretary to Cardinal de Richelieu, gave the greatest part of the Books you see here, which are very good ones. Monsieur the Cardinal gave his also, among which are some very rare Manuscripts, distin∣guisht from others by his Armes on the Covers; among the rest, there is one of Titus Livius in two great Folio Volumes, written in Parchment, it is of an old Translation into French about the Reign of Charles the Fifth, adorn'd with Mineatures at the beginning of every Chapter, and with Flourishes in the Margin, which are curiously Painted with that delicate Gold colour, the secret of which has been lost for these two last Ages, it having been formerly used as an ordina∣ry Colour, and is of such an admirable brightness that it never sullies. Besides this there are ma∣ny other very rare Manuscripts in one of the Presses at the end, on that side next the Chim∣ney, most of them bound in red Turkey Lea∣ther. In this Library are a greater number of Divinity Books than of any other sort. Besides you may may see here a great quantity of Bi∣bles of different sorts, which have been Collect∣ed

together with great care. At each end there is a Chimney, over which are placed the Pi∣ctures of Monsieur the Cardinal in his Ceremo∣nious habit, and of Monsieur le Masle, both in their full length; over that next the door is a Bust of the Cardinal, in Brass, wrought by the Sieur Varin, which came from among the Goods of the Dutchess of Aiguillon, who after her death bequeath'd this, with other Goods, to this House, she having had the use of them during her Life, by the Will of the Cardinal de Richelieu her Un∣cle. There is also another lesser Library in a private place of the House, but it contains only those Books of which there has happen'd to be two of a sort in the great Library, or such as the other Library cannot hold, in regard the number does increase daily, because most Au∣thors present their Works here. The King himself hath presented to this place all the curi∣ous Prints which he has caused to be graved, of which there are four or five great Volumes in Folio, neatly bound, which are the Carousel, the Tapistries, the curious Dissections which have been made at the Academy of Sciences, and some others; in such sort as this Library ought to be esteem'd as one of the best and most numerous that can be seen, tho' it be not yet quite perfected. But it is with this as with others which are in greater esteem, it being almost im∣possible to render any one Library compleat, be∣cause of the difficulty of recovering some scarce Books, which oftentimes make the chief beauty of a▪ Library, and which cannot be met with without mighty pains. Besides since Printing, the number of Books is so increast, and there are so many publisht in all parts of the World, that all cannot be had.

Over the Church Door, on that side next the Place is the following Inscription:

DEO OPT. MAX.
ARMANDUS CARDINALIS DE
RICHELIEU.

To Almighty God,
Armand Cardinal of Richelieu.

After you have seen the most Remarkable things in the Sorbonne, you pass forward in the Rüe de la Harpe; turning back again through the open place before the Church, you come next to

The Colledge d'Harcour, one of the best of the University, in which they keep Exercise for the lower Schools, which are full of Pensioners, and such as come from abroad. The Gate is fair and of a very regular design, it is Vault fashion, adorn'd with Bossages, with a great Cornish, and an Attique over that. If they had contrived a Court before it, it would have appear'd with more advantage.

As you descend lower you pass by the Col∣ledges of Justice, of Baïeux, of Narbonne, and that of Séez, in which the Schools have been laid down for some years past.

Lower is the Church of St. Cosmus, in which there is nothing remarkable unless it be the Epitaph of Monsieur Dupuy, so well known to all Men of Learning. The House of St. Cosmue stands near this Church, in which House the Chirurgions do ordinarily meet to make their

Dissections in relation to the Anatomy of humane Bodies, upon which sometimes they make Learn∣ed Lectures.

Over against the Rüe de Sorbonne, in the Rüe de Mathurins, stands the Hôtel de Cluni, belong∣ing to the Abbot of that name. This Hôtel was formerly call'd the Palais des Termes, because of some old Ruines here remaining of the Thermae or Baths, as some thought, of the Emperor Julian the Apostate. And you ought not to neglect going for this purpose to a Neighbouring House in the Rüe de la Harpe, at the sign of the Iron-Cross, where the Messenger of Chartres lodges; you will see there several old Arches, which ar∣gue great Antiquity, and within them a kind of Hall whose Roof is very high, and contrived without Cordons; this is very likely to have been used for some profane Temple. The three Niches in the South Wall sorve to support this Conjecture, in regard they might have been so contrived for Statues, but we cannot determin any thing, and the silence of Historians in this matter leaves People at Liberty to make what Conjectures they please. The other parts are very well built, and assure us it was hereto∣fore some great House. The Roof is so strong that they have laid upon it so much Earth as to make a little Garden, in which are Flowers and small Trees growing; and those who dwell in the Hôtel de Cluni, come and walk here as on a Tarrass made on purpose.

This is all that is to be seen in this Street. Further on, and at the end of the Rüe de la vielle Bouclerie, which determines at the little open place before the Pont St. Michael, near to a House which almost makes the very Corner of the

Street, you may observe a great stone, which serves for a Boundary, upon which is cut after an ugly fashion the Figure of a Man; but as ill as it is one may easily distinguish the Head. Historians tell us, That this is the representa∣tion of one call'd John le Clerc, a Locksmith by trade, and Porter of the Gate de Bussi; who in the time of those Troubles which happen'd in the Reign of Charles the Sixth, after the Pari∣sians had expel'd the Burgundians out of this City, where they had committed a thousand Disor∣ders, had the Treachery to open to them that Gate in the night time, which put the Burgesses into an Alarm. After all these troubles were over, the Parisians intending a revenge upon the Author of them, and not able to apprehend his person, he being fled, they caused his Esfigies to be made in stone, and by Sentence of the Provost of Paris, all the Inhabitants were order∣ed to cast something in his Face, in detestation of his Treason, and this was accordingly executed. Since that time this Statue has been removed to this place to keep off the Wheels of Coaches and Carts, from injuring the House where it stands. Turning on the left Hand you enter into

The Street of St. Andrew des Arcs. The Parish Church which gives name to this Street is consi∣derable for several things, which the Curious will meet with in it. It was formerly but a small Chapel, and stood in the middle of a Field, planted with Vines or Fruit-Trees, belonging to the Monks of St. Germain des Prez. But all these things have been alter'd a long time. Some think that this Church is called St. Andrew des Arcs, by reason of some old Arches that were

hereabouts. The building it self hath nothing singular, but you ought not to neglect to go into this Church to see the Tombs of several Fa∣mous persons; such were Messieurs de Thou, whose Monuments are in the Chapel of St. Christo∣pher, which they built from the Ground. The name of these great Men hath attain'd so great veneration among the Learned, that most of them make no difficulty to say, That France ne∣ver produced more Illustrious Persons. And the History which was writ by one of them, is look'd upon as the very Model and best thing of the kind in these last Ages. It is writ in Latin, which has occasion'd Strangers not only to read it, but to have so great an esteem for it, that they apply themselves to this Historian more than any. In this Chapel you may see a Bust of Monsieur de Thou in Marble, with his Epitaph, which recites at large the great Imployments which he enjoy'd.

D. O. M.
Christophoro Thuano Augus. F. Jac. Equiti, qui omnib. Toga munerib. summa cum eruditionis, integritatis, prudentiae laude perfunctus, amplis∣simosque honores sub Franc. I. Henric. II. Re∣gib. consecutus, Senatus Paris. Praeses deinde Princeps sacri Consistorii Consiliarius, mox Henr. tunc Aurel. ac demum Franc. Andeg. D. Can∣cellarius: Tandem cum de Judiciario ordine emendando questura Regno fraudib. ac rapinis vindicando, & Scholar. disciplina restituenda cogitaret, nulla inclinatae aetatis incommoda an∣teà expertus, ex improvisa febri decessit.

UXOR LIBERIQUE MOER. P.
VIXIT ANN. LXXIV. D. 5.
OBIIT ANNO SALUTIS 1582 CALEND.
NOVEMB.

Sacred to Almighty God.
To the Memory of Christopher de Thou, Knight, the Brother of James, who having passed through all the Offices of the Long-Robe, with the com∣mendation of his Learning, Honesty and Prudence, and having arrived to very great Honours under Francis the First, and Henry the Second Kings of France: Being President of the Parliament at Paris; after that chief Counsellor of the Holy Consistory, and then Chancellor to Henry Duke of Orleans, and at last to Francis Duke of Anjou. At length when he designed to correct the Courts of Justice, to deliver the Revenue of the King∣dom from Cheats and Defalcations, and to re∣store the Discipline of the Ʋniversities, having per∣ceived in himself none of the inconveniencies of old Age, he died suddenly of a Fever.
His Wife and Children, with much Sorrow, erect∣ed this.
He lived 74. Years and 5. Days.
He died in the Year of Salvation 1582. on the Calends of November.

You may also read in the same Chapel the Epitaph of his Eldest Son, and of several other

persons of this Family who are here interr'd.

In St. Anthony's Chapel, near this, are the Tombs of several Ancestors of the Chancellor Seguier, to whom France owes a great part of her Renown in Learning. These Illustrious Fa∣thers of a Son no way degenerating, were of the same name with him, Peter Seguier, and did execute in their times the principal Charges in Parliament, as may be seen by the Inscriptions in this Chapel.

On the same Church you may read the Epi∣taph of the Princess of Conti, who deceased in the Year 1668. and whose Piety is still Reve∣rend in the Eyes of the whole World. This is in the Quire on one side of the high Altar. Up∣on the Monument is placed a handsom Figure of White Marble representing Hope Afflicted: it was wrought by M. Girardon. Felow the Fi∣gure is this Inscription:

A LA GLOIRE DE DIEU,
ET A LA MEMOIRE ETERNELLE
D'ANNE-MARIE MARTINOZZY,
PRINCESSE DE CONTY.
Qui detrompée du monde dés l'âge de XIX, ans, vendit ses pierreries pour nourrir pendant la famine de 1662. les pauvres de Berry, de Campagne, & de Picardie, pratiqua toutes les austeritez que sa santé put soussrir, demeura veuve à l'âge de XXIX. ans, consacra le reste de sa vie à éle∣ver en Princes Chretiens les Princes ses En∣fans, & à maintenir les Loix temporelles & ecclesiastiques dans ses Terres, se reduisit à

une dépence tres-modeste, restitua tous les biens dont l'acquisition lui fut suspecte jusqu' à la somme de D. CCC, mille livres, distribua toute son épargne aux Pauvres, dans ses Ter∣res & dans toutes les parties da Monde, & passa soudainement à l'éternité aprés XVL. ans de perseverance, le IV. Fevrier M. DC. LXXII. âgée de XXXVI. ans.
Priez Dieu pour elle.
LOUIS ARMAND DE BOURBON, PRINCE DE CONTI, ET FANCOIS∣LOUIS DE BOURBON, PRINCE DE LA ROCHE-SUR-YON, ses Enfans ont posé ce Monument.

To the Glory of God,
And the Eternal Memory of
ANNA-MARIA MARTINOZZY,
Princess of CONTY;
Who being undeceived and weaned from the World at the Age of Nineteen Years, sold her Jewels in the Famine 1662. for the relief of the Poor in Berry, Champagne and Picardy, practised all the Austerities which a Religious and Holy Life can endure; became a Widow at the Age of 29. Years, and consecrated the rest of her Life, to the Education of her Sons like true Christian Prin∣ces: and to the maintaining the Laws Temporal and Ecclesiastick in her Lands, reduced her self to a mean expence, restored all the Goods she had,

which were any ways suspected by her to be unjustly gotten, to the Summ of Eight hundred thousand Li∣vres, distributed all the Overplus of her Revenue to the Poor in her Lands, and indeed in all parts of the World, and after Sixteen Years of perseverance, past suddainly to Eternity on the Fourth of Febru∣ary, M. D C. LXXII. Aged Thirty six Years.
Pray to God for her.
Lewis Armand de Bourbon, Prince of Conti, and Francois-Louis de Bourbon, Prince de la Roche-Sur-Yon, her Sons raised this Monument.

In all this Quarter there is nothing considera∣ble but only the Hôtel de Thou, where formerly lived the Famous persons of that Name, who also built it. The Famous Library, of which we formerly made mention, and which Monsieur de Menars purchased some Years ago, did for a long time remain in this House.

The Hôtel de Megrigni is not far off; this is also in the Rüe des Poitevins. This last is built with much regularity; and though the Apartments are not very spacious, yet are they convenient.

In the Rüe Haute-Feüille, at the further end next the Cordeliers, stands the Colledge of the Premonstrantes. In this Colledge the Religious of that Order study in the way, to attain their degrees in the University. The Church hath been considerably repair'd of late Years by the care of Monsieur Colbert, Abbot, and General of this Order, who hath caused it to be adorn'd within, throughout, with a handsom Wainscot.