The refinements of the science were lost upon Louis XVI, whose robust appetite needed only to be appeased by "pieces of resistance"--the art, nevertheless, continuing to flourish under the nobility, the wealthy financiers, and the ecclesiastics. New discoveries continued to be made, and the relation of cookery to man's psychical nature--the affinity of the spirit with the stomach--became more and more apparent. Thus it was observed by the Maréchal de Mouchy, who so valiantly defended the king when the palace was attacked by a mob, that the flesh of the pigeon possesses especial sedative or consoling virtues. It was accordingly his wont, whenever he had lost a relative or a friend, to say to his cook: "You will serve me with two roast pigeons for dinner; I have noticed that after eating a brace of pigeons I arise from the table feeling much more resigned." During the Revolution, when the court had ceased to exist and private establishments were no longer maintained, cookery necessarily languished for a period--to blossom anew in that familiar feature of the French capital, the restaurant. Internal dissension, in closing the hôtels of the wealthy, was thus the means of throwing numbers of master-cooks out of employment, who subsequently turned restaurateurs, and not a few of whom became millionaires. With the restaurants, the dealers in delicacies and provisions increased proportionately, and dining and good living advanced apace. A striking example of a gastronomer philanthropist is that of the Vicomte de Barras, surnamed _le beau_, who flourished during the Directory, and who was celebrated for his dinners, his prodigality, and his gallantry. During his later years he continued to entertain sumptuously, although obliged to confine himself to a single dish--a large plate of rusk moistened with the juice of an underdone leg of mutton. At his banquets a lackey was always stationed back of the chair of each guest to see that he was never obliged to wait. Among the countless menus of his entertainments, the following, signed by himself and accompanied by a note in his own handwriting, will show the excellence of his dinners and his solicitude for his guests. It will be noted that, apart from the lavish provision made for the gentler sex in the dessert, the menu was one of quality as opposed to mere quantity: Carte Dinatoire Pour La Table Du Citoyen Directeur et Général Barras, Le Décadi 30 Floréal. Douze personnes. 1 potage. 2 plats de rôt. 1 relevé. 6 entremets. 6 entrées. 1 salade. 24 plats de dessert. Le potage aux petits oignons à la ci-devant minime. Le relevé, un troncon d'esturgeon à la broche. Les Six Entrées: