The Comic Almanack, Volume 1: An Ephemeris in Jest and Earnest, Containing Merry Tales, Humerous Poetry, Quips, and Oddities
David Hume · en
Obliged to stop my journal—so very
ill.
"TUESDAY, _Boulogne_—Landed here half dead, having lost the tide, and
obliged to pass another night at sea. All very ill. Pa's lumbago
confirmed, and Ma's rheumatism _très mal_.—Unable to go to Paris; and
our places having been paid for all the way, obliged to forfeit the
money; Pa very cross, Ma very uncomfortable. 5 O'CLOCK, P.M.—Pa has just
been in to say that the French lady refuses to give up Ma's _sac de
nuit_, containing all her valuables; and that, as it was landed in her
name, there's no remedy.—A call from Marquis—advises us not to make a
rumpus about it, for fear of being taken up as smugglers. His lordship's
valet not being yet arrived, under the unpleasant necessity of borrowing
five pounds of Pa. Pa very suspicious, until Marquis showed us his
passport, where they have taken him two black eyes, a nose _aquilin_,
black _cheveux_, and five feet three inches of _taille_. Only think,
Adelaide dear! what a picture of a lover!
"WEDNESDAY.—Passed a dreadful night, not having been able to sleep a
wink for the _punaises_. Ma bit all over, and her face as big as two.
_Moi aussi_, my eyes completely swelled up, all but one little corner,
just enough to see what a fright I am in the looking-glass. Unable to
get any assistance from the people at the inn, our _manuel du voyageur_
not containing any dialogue between a chambermaid and a lady bitten by
bugs; and Pauline, Ma's maid, that she hired by advertisement, having
left us the moment we landed, her only motive in engaging herself at all
being to get her passage paid back to her native country.—Can't get
anything that we can eat at the inn, and reduced to sea biscuits and
water. I have again tried to make our wants known to the _fille de
chambre_, but without success, they _do_ speak such very bad French in
the provinces—quite a _patois_, in fact. Hope we shall do better in
Paris.—Marquis called, and recommended Pa to hire a _valet de place_.
Kindly undertook to provide him one, who speaks French and English, and
understands the horrible _patois_ of the Boulognese. This will take a
good deal off my hands, who am obliged to be _interpreteur_ to the whole
party.—_Alexis_, the new _valet de place_, arrives.—Got something
eatable at last, and are to start for Paris _demain matin_.
"THURSDAY.—Up at five. _Déjeûner_, and start for Paris at seven—Marquis
in same _diligence_. Weather dreadfully hot. Rival diligence got the
start, and _will_ keep before us all day, the French laws not allowing
one coach to pass another. Dust dreadful—and worse for us than any of
the rest, as we had taken our seats in front of the _voiture_, for the
sake of seeing the country—and, after all, no country to see. Proposed
to some _gentilhommes_ inside to change places with Ma and me; but met
with a flat refusal. Begin to think French gentlemen are not much more
_poli_ than English ones.—Dined at Abbeville, and arrived at Amiens late
at night, very tired and ill.