AN
ACCOUNT
Of
the
miserable
and
lamentable
Condition
Of
the
Subjects
of
France
,
In
a
LETTER
from
a
Gentleman
of
Paris
,
of
good
Credit
,
to
his
Kinsman
here
in
London
.
Licenced
the
13th
of
March
,
1693/4.
Paris
,
the
24th
of
February
,
1694.
SIR
,
I
LE
tell
you
that
we
are
here
in
a
very
deplorable
condition
,
the
misery
is
so
great
that
it
is
incredible
:
There
dye
many
People
every
day
,
small
and
great
,
with
hunger
and
necessity
.
There
is
nothing
heard
Day
and
Night
in
the
streets
but
the
groans
of
the
Poor
which
cry
out
for
hunger
,
and
that
they
have
eaten
no
Bread
these
three
days
,
and
are
forced
to
seek
in
the
filth
thrown
in
the
streets
such
nasty
things
as
the
Dogs
will
hardly
eat
.
They
go
to
the
Butchers
to
fetch
buckets
of
blood
of
Beeves
and
Sheep
,
which
they
boyl
in
Water
without
Salt
,
and
when
t
is
thickned
they
eat
it
for
want
of
Bread
,
and
what
is
more
surprising
,
is
,
when
any
Horse
dies
and
the
Skinner
carries
the
Carcass
to
the
place
appointed
for
it
,
the
poor
People
run
after
the
Carrian
more
eagerly
(
without
comparison
)
than
the
Dogs
,
to
take
every
one
a
piece
to
eat
:
and
eight
days
since
there
dyed
a
Horse
,
belonging
to
a
Neighbour
of
of
mine
,
of
Rottenness
and
the
Farcye
:
as
soon
as
he
was
skinn'd
he
was
taken
away
in
the
Court
,
so
that
he
could
not
reserve
any
for
his
Dogs
.
This
passeth
the
thought
and
the
imagination
to
see
that
a
Kingdom
(
so
abounding
and
rich
as
France
was
very
lately
,
where
you
would
say
God
was
pleased
to
shed
abroade
his
most
precious
Blessings
,
is
now
in
so
lamentable
a
condition
.
It
is
visible
,
that
there
appears
an
extraordinary
Chastisement
of
Heaven
,
and
that
since
he
hath
withdrawn
his
Light
from
amongst
us
,
for
our
Chastisement
he
hath
withdrawn
his
most
precious
favours
.
It
s
feared
that
in
Summer
there
will
happen
some
dangerous
Sickness
by
the
bad
sustenance
and
so
many
nasty
things
which
the
greatest
number
of
the
People
eat
to
sustain
their
hunger
and
their
life
.
And
as
if
a
bloody
War
were
not
enough
,
and
a
troublesome
one
too
,
which
occasions
great
distractions
every
where
,
t
is
to
be
feared
that
it
will
draw
after
it
the
two
other
Plagues
upon
us
for
the
crimes
and
the
great
number
of
sins
we
have
committed
,
which
have
provoked
Heaven
against
Mortals
;
insomuch
that
our
cries
and
groans
do
not
reach
him
to
have
pity
on
us
:
and
I
must
avow
that
we
have
deserved
it
and
condemn
our selves
in
his
holy
Presence
:
I
assure
you
(
my
dear
Cousin
)
that
I
live
here
a
languishing
life
deprived
of
all
spiritual
food
,
and
as
for
what
is
necessary
for
this
Corporal
life
.
We
liv'd
better
heretofore
for
400
Livers
than
we
can
now
for
1000
;
which
throws
daily
a
great
many
People
into
extream
want
and
necessity
,
and
to
sell
all
they
have
to
live
and
get
Bread
.