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This Street begins at the Rüe St. Antoine. The first thing to be seen is
The Hôtel de Effiat, a great building very well raised, composed of four wings with a great Court in the middle. It was built by the late Mareschal of that name Sur-Intendant of the Fi∣nances, and great Master of the Artillery of France under Lewis XIII. Monsieur Pelletier Con∣troller General of the Finances dwells here at pre∣sent. After this you come to
The House of M. Amelot de Bisüeil Master of Requests. Here the Curious must rest them∣selves, and take time to consider all the fine things that are here, for all that is in this House deserves to be exactly viewed and considered. The first door you come at gives you a pattern of all the rest: It is adorned with Statues, the Joiners Work it self is wrought with very good Bas-reliefs, and the Locks are of very curious and particular Art. The Court is in truth something of the least, but the Entry or passage on the right hand is extraordinary. It is adorned with Pillars and Busts, and paved with Marble. Still the Stair∣case is more beautiful yet. Above it is open in manner of a Lanthorn, with a Balcony gilt and a Plafon over all full of Sculpture and the best designed Ornaments, and two great Statues in the Pallier. After this you enter into the great Hall, open on both sides, with Pictures between Window and Window, repre∣senting Flocks and Herds in Grottoes on the Sea∣side, of a very singular design, and very pleasing to the sight. That which deserves to be consi∣dered most attentively is the Plafon, in the mid∣dle of which is a great Picture done by an excel∣lent Master, about this is a Freeze full of Orna∣ments made of Stuc, upon a Ground of Gold, marvellously well wrought. Here you may see ancient Vases adorned with Triumphs, Sphinxes, Brasiers, Vizards, and in a word, all sorts of Gro∣tesque, very odd and fanciful, and yet extreme handsom. A great Cornish runs round this Hall, whose Carving is admirable, at the further end is the Chimny of the same Workmanship all gilt, and over it a great Trophy after the old Roman manner. After this you enter into an Anti Cham∣ber,
where are several great Looking-Glasses, and from thence into a Chamber whose Plafon and Ornaments are still more rare and rich than all we have yet mentioned; the Furniture is of Crim∣son Velvet, embroidered with Gold and Silver, and the Tapistry within the Alcove is embroidered extremely rich. The Parquet of the Estade is of inlaid Work, where in the middle among di∣vers Ornaments are the Arms of the Master of the House. On the left hand is the Chappel, which is in Truth but little, but to make amends, it is adorned as much as possible with all things con∣venient. The Pictures that are in it are painted by very good Masters. On the right hand you enter into the Cabinet, the last Room of this Apartment, and the most beautiful of all. It is furnished instead of Tapistry with Wainscot, ex∣quisitely well gilded; on the Pannels of which are Vases with Festons of Flowers after nature, and divers little Birds flying about, after the man∣ner of Vanbouck one of the ablest Masters of his time for this sort of Work.
The Plafon and the Chimny are adorned after the same manner. All the Chambers of which we have been speaking look upon a Court, whose sides are adorned with Architectures, Figures and Perspectives, painted in Fresquo. On the other side is the second Apartment joyned to this. Where first you find a magnificent Chamber af∣ter the Italian manner, whose Plafon is opened Cupulo-wise, right Angular, with a Balastrade above, very well gilt. Over the Chimney is a Bas∣relief painted over like Brass, it is of extraordi∣nary Workmanship, and represents Jason Sacri∣ficing on the Sea shore in order to obtain a hap∣py return to this Country, after he had got away
the Golden Fleece. From this Chamber you go into the Gallery, whose sides are set off with Co∣rinthian Pilasters, and with Pictures representing the Story of Psyche, painted by Corneille; so al∣so was the Plafon, which is one of the finest that can be seen.
On the right hand is a small Library, whose Ornaments suit perfectly well with the disposi∣tion of the place. In fine, nothing is wanting to this House, all is surprisingly neat, and you see nothing but what is Magnifick, and what deserved admiration, for even those things which in other places are of the least account, have here their peculiar Beauties, as the Window-Boards, which are of Cedar inlaid with Ebony and Ivory. The Locks and Bolts are of polished Steel, so deli∣cately wrought as if they were of Silver; not to speak of the Moveables, as the Tables and Look∣ing-glasses, which are inriched with Tortoise-shell and Ivory, and adorned with Mouldings of Brass gilt, and carved 〈◊〉〈◊〉 delicately.
One cannot see in any other place more curi∣ous Painting finished with more pains than here. In short those who have examined all the Beauties of this House do all agree that a greater number of delicacies cannot possibly be collected in so small a place, and that the Master to whom they belong could not have brought 'em into this condition without a very considerable Expence, and a perfect knowledge and skill in the choice of what is truly excellent. This curious Build∣ing is of the Sieur Cottard's designing.
Over against this stands the Hôtel d'O, at pre∣sent converted into a Convent of Nuns of the Order of St. Austin.
On the left hand, in the Rüe des blancs-Manteaux, you see the Convent that gave the Street this name, in which is nothing singular un∣less it be the Pavement of the Quire which is all of Marble. At present it is inhabited by Monks of St. Bennet; formerly they were called Guilli∣mins, being first founded by St. William, who ordered them to wear white Cloaks, which they afterwards left off.
There is nothing more considerable in the old Rüe du Temple.
From hence you enter into the Rüe Barbette, where you have the Hôtel de Estrees. This stands near the place where was formerly the Palace of Isabel de Bavieres, Wise of Charles VI. King of France, not far from which place happened the Murder of Lewis Duke of Orleans, Assassina∣ted by the Duke of Burgundy, which caused all those Divisions between those two Houses, and was the Original of those horrible troubles, which troubled France, during many years, and never ended till towards the conclusion of the Reign of Charles VII.
Near the Capuchins du Marais in the Street called Rüe de Touraine is a great piece of Per∣spective, in the Garden of the Sieur Turmeny. It is a Sun-dial placed on a Piece of Rustick Ar∣ehitecture among Trees, which at a distance makes a very handsom shew.
Over the Fountain in the Rüe de Poitou, not far from hence, you may read this Inscription,
Hic Nymphae agrestes effundite civibus ur∣nas, Ʋrbanas Praetor vos dedit esse Deas. 1675.
You Country Nymphs pour here your Wa∣ter down The Provost makes you Deities o'th' Town. 1675.
From the old Ruë du Temple yo go to the great Street of St. Lewis, passing through the Ruë de la Couture St. Gervais, in which is a mag∣nific house built by the Sieur Aubert, where lives at present the Venetian Ambassador. This house is one of the fairest and most capacious, and the Stair-case one of the best contrived that can be seen. All the Ornaments of this building are very becoming.