Years Journey through France and Part of Spain | Page 9

of so horrid a nature; and I dare say,
you will be equally astonished that the magistrates of the city permitted
it. Decency, and regard to the sex, alone, one would think, should have
put a stop to a practice so repugnant to both; and yet perhaps, not one
person in the town considered it in that light. Indeed, no other person
would have assisted, and the executioner must have done all the
business himself, if his mother had not been one of that part of the fair
sex, which Addison pleasantly mentions, "_as rakers of cinders_;" for
the executioner could not have found a single person to have given him
any assistance. There was a guard of the Marechaussee, to prevent the
prisoners' escape; but none that would have lifted up a little finger

towards forwarding the execution; the office is hereditary and infamous,
and the officer is shut out of all society. His perquisites, however, were
considerable; near ten pounds, I think, for this single execution; and he
had a great deal more business coming on. I would not have given
myself the pain of relating, nor you the reading, the particulars of this
horrid affair, but to observe, that it is such examples as these, that
render travelling in France, in general, secure. I say, in general; for
there are, nevertheless, murders committed very frequently upon the
high roads in France; and were those murders to be made known by
news-papers, as ours are in England, perhaps it would greatly
intimidate travellers of their own, as well as other nations. But as the
murdered, and murderers, are generally foot-travellers, though the dead
body is found, the murderer is escaped; and as nobody knows either
party, nobody troubles themselves about it. All over France, you meet
with an infinite number of people travelling on foot, much better
dressed than you find, in general, the stagecoach gentry in England.
Most of these foot-travellers are young expensive tradesmen, and artists,
who have paid their debts by a light pair of heels; when their money is
exhausted, the stronger falls upon the weaker, knocks out his brains,
and furnishes himself with a little money; and these murders are never
scarce heard of above a league from the place where they are
committed; for which reason, you never meet a foot-traveller in France,
without arms, of one kind or other, and carried for one purpose, or the
other. Gentlemen, however, who travel only in the day-time, and who
are armed, have but little danger to apprehend; yet it is necessary to be
upon their guard when they pass through great woods, and to keep in
the middle of the road, so as not to be too suddenly surprized; because a
convenient opportunity may induce two or three honest travellers to
embrace a favourable occasion of replenishing their purses; and as they
always murder those whom they attack, if they can, those who are
attacked should never submit, but defend themselves to the utmost of
their power. Though the woods are dangerous, there are, in my opinion,
plains which are much more so; a high hill which commands an
extensive plain, from which there is a view of the road some miles,
both ways, is a place where a robber has nothing to fear but from those
whom he attacks; and he is morally certain of making his escape one
way or the other: but in a wood, he may be as suddenly surprized, as he

is in a situation to surprize others; for this reason, I have been more on
my guard when I have seen people approach me on an extensive plain,
than when I have passed through deep woods; nor would I ever let any
of those people come too near my chaise; I always shewed them the
utmost distance, and made them return the compliment, by bidding
them, if they offered to come out of their line, to keep off: this said in a
peremptory manner, and with a stern look, is never taken ill by honest
men, and has a forcible effect upon rascals, for they immediately
conclude you think yourself superior to them, and then they will think
so too: whatever comes unexpected, is apt to dismay; whole armies
have been seized with a panic from the most trifling artifice of the
opposite general, and such as, by a minute's reflection, would have
produced a contrary effect: the King's troops gave way at Falkirk; the
reason was, they were dismayed at seeing the rebels (_I beg pardon_)
come down pell mell to attack them with their broad swords! it was a
new way of fighting, and, they weakly thought, an invincible one; but
had General Cope previously rode through the ranks, and apprised the
troops with the manner of