THE Follies of France; OR, A True RELATION of the Extravagant rejoicings that were made by the French King's Command, in most Cities of France, for the pretended Death of His Majesty (WILLIAM, KING of Great-Britain) contained in a Letter, written from a Roman Catholic Citizen of Paris (by way of Holland) to his Correspondent in London.  
Translated from the French Original.   

THE present Letter having very fortunately fallen into my hands, I judged it worthy to be committed to the Press, that all the World might be informed of those excessive Transports, and other unaccountable Fopperies that were transacted in France by order of the Court, upon the imaginary Death of King WILLIAM; and particularly, because the Author seems to be so abundantly assured of the truth of all these proceed, being an Eye-witness of them at Paris.   

Paris, August the 8th. 1690. SIR,  
I Have been very regular and constant in Writing to you, nevertheless I was obliged to take some time to put myself in a capacity of satisfying your last demands, that I might send you nothing, but the Truth; and withal, a particular account of every memorable Circumstance. You'll be no loser by this delay of mine, since instead of a bare Letter, you receive a kind of an Epistle. However it is, Sir, you'll find an exact relation of what I have either been an Eye-witness, or informed myself from unquestionable hands upon this occasion.  
The defeat of the Irish Army, and the return of King James, was matter of extraordinary mortification, not only to our Court, but to all France in general: However this Consternation (Heaven be praised) was not of long continuance, and our sorrow was immediately converted into joy by reason of the mighty News which the King commanded to be published from the Twenty seventh to the Twenty eighth Night of the last Month, by the Cannon of the Bastile, which was discharged about Three a C●ock in the Morning; and by the Commissioners, who, at the same time, knocked at the Doors of every Citizen without any difference, crying aloud with all their force, Arise, get up, and make Bonfires, the Prince of Orange, and Marshal Schomberg are dead. This solemn declaration, made by His Majesty's Order, obliged the whole Town to get up, and pass the remainder of the night, and the following day, in Bonfires, and all other public testimonies of joy: One could hear nothing but Trumpets, Drums, Hautboys, Fifes, Flutes and Sackbuts; one could see nothing but Tables furnished in every Street, where Wine was not spared in the least. The Religious Fraternities distinguished themselves, and particularly the good Fathers the Cordeliers, who spent all night long a prodigious quantity of Petards, and other Fireworks in their Garden; and distributed their Wine about in abundance. The same was likewise done at the Guild-hall of the City, by the express Command of the Provost of the Merchants. All the people without exception, and especially those of higher quality, as they passed in their Coaches through the City, were stopped on their way, and forced to drink a Health to King James, and the Prince of Wales, and to cry out aloud, The Prince of Orange is dead. They burned the Effigies of the Prince, and his Royal Spouse the Princess in several places, as they had done before at their Bonfires for the Battle of Flerus, and the Naval Engagement. They dragged them through the City, where they made a solemn Procession; and there was neither Man nor Woman, great nor small among the People, who did not throw Dirt and Stones at them. Nay, their Indignation was carried higher, they hanged the Prince of Orange in Effigies in abundance of Places: amongst the rest they led him up and down by way of Procession, with a Devil who was to carry him to Hell, having before him a piece of Paper thus inscribed, I have waited for thee these two years. During these mighty rejoicings, they broke open the Houses of several of the New Converts, and particularly a Grocer's in the Fawxburghs of St. ; they affixed to their Gates a Portraiture of the Prince of Orange, crying He's dead. They demanded money of others to exempt them from pillaging, and forced 'em to give it, after having committed a thousand Outrages upon their Persons. In fine, Sir, I am able to acquaint you, That not the most advantageous Successes we ever met with, nay not the Birth of an Infant of France, however it was universally desired, ever found so agreeable an entertainment, which gave occasion for one of our celebrated Poets to say;  

Though Paris such Triumphs and Joy has expressed,  
For the Prince that in Ireland was slain:  
The news of his death does not half full my breast,  
As the fear of his rising again.   
You will see, Sir a great deal of pleasant Poetry on this Subject in a certain remarkable Paper, which I have sent you, composed after the manner of an Interment, which they have made of the Prince's Body in Ireland; it being a very curious Piece engraved here in the City, by one of the most eminent Masters in that Art, and is every where publicly Sold.  
With this good News of the Prince of Orange's Death, we have received some either welcome Passages, as well from Savoy, as Germany. If they happen to prove true, we shall scarce find Wood enough to furnish out our Bonfires; and we assuredly hope before the end of the Campaign, to have no more Enemies to exercise our Valour upon, let their numbers be never so great.  
These Revellings and Masquerades continued till the 29th of the last Month in this City, at Versailles, and St Germain's en lay, where three or four thousand Persons being assembled together, they made their Supplications to King James, who arrived there on the 25th to inform them, whether the News of the death of his Son in Law was certain: And some of the King's Officers assuring them that nothing was more sure, they made the same rejoicing at St. Germains as they did in this City; which Examples were copied by those of Lions, where the Shops was shut up for the space of three days successively, as well as in several other places, for the greater solemnisation of this Festival.  
It was not only at Lions, and other principal Cities, that the People testified so much joy for the Death of the Prince of Orange, our irreconciliable Enemy: Sedan particularly distinguished itself among the rest; as one of my Friends, a Gentleman of very good Credit acquainted me, who happened to be upon the Spot, when this Affair was transacting; and it was not many days ago.  
On Sunday the 30th of July, They caused such Bonfires to be made there, as they had never seen before upon any occasion. The meanest Person was rated at a good round Sum to defray the Expense, without reckoning the Burgesses, who endeavoured all they could to outvie one another in the Magnificence of the Show. They were not forgetful to cause several Representations of the Prince to be made. His Highness was exposed to several Fires, having a Tobacco pipe in his Mouth; he was carried to the two Fauxbourgs in a large Frame, and the Princess his Royal Consort, was after the like manner carried to the House of the Capouchins; they had both of them Inscriptions before and behind, with these words in vast legible Characters, The Usurpers. There was never a Person present, who did not p●a● forth some horrible Reproaches or other upon both of them. They began the Festival before the Lodgings of the Governor, with thirty discharges of Cannon, and three Volleys of the whole Garrison. All the several Companies marched in Procession to the Dauphin-Fountain, which run with Wine in abundance, and all those that had a mind to it, drank their Belly full. All the principal Officers performed wonderful things, and afterwards received a splendid Entertainment from the Governor. There arrived here a Courier with especial Orders to signify to them the Death of the Prince of Orange. Immediately after this, the chief Magistrate of the Place, published this agreeable News through the whole Town with the Harmony of Drums, Violins, Hautboys and Flutes, crying in a loud and intelligible Voice, Come along Gentlemen redouble your Joys, That Tyrant the Prince of Orange is dead, the Usurper is dead, redouble your Bonfires. Then the Artillery was discharged, and the same instant, five Pieces of Canon began to thunder, which extremely affrighted the weak and giddy Multitude. This triumph continued all the Night, till eight in the Morning, at which time all the ingenious Wits of the Town laid their Heads together, to concert the matter how they should order the Funeral of the Prince of Orange. A certain Spark, Hamoir by Name, began the Sport with making the Epitaph, which is such a wretched piece of Stupidity and Dulness that I would not give myself the trouble to transcribe it for you. Another Virtuoso, whose Name was Van Veld, a Native of Leiden, made the Prince's Effigies, which had the Honour afterwards to be burnt There was like wise another Picture of him, to serve at the Interment, at which entertaining Ceremony, every Body was obliged to assist: They dragged it through the whole Town to the Torcy, than it was hanged with the Heels upwards for a considerable space; at last it was thrown into the Garene, which is the receptacle of all the Filth and Ordure of the City. There was a prodigious Concourse of People all the while; but he that made himself the most remarkable for his extraordinary Zeal, was the above mentioned Mons. Hamoir, who carried about a certain kind of a Kettle, in shape somewhat resembling a Coffin: He had along with him a company of Mourners; Lepine the Drummer, commonly called the Cuckold, had a Frying-pan covered over with black Cloth, upon which he beat a very mournful Tune before the Corpse, that was encompassed with a trusty Guard of Halberdiers. One Jardon, who was Born at Veroye, and had been often at Mastricht, signalised himself very particularly in this honourable Action, by abundance of foolish things he both said and did, during the time of this pretty Representation. Th● Women too had their share in this Festival my Friend assuring me, that there were several of them, who to celebrate the Show with that Devoir and Solemnity 〈◊〉 was requisite, abandoned themselves to all manner of Debauchery. The holy Fools of Donchery pursued the Frolic, somewhat farther than those of Sedan; but the religious Lunatics of Maizieres, behaved themselves so, as if they had been actually possessed. If I were acquainted with the Bravery and Valour of Gossip Poncelet of Rheims upon this score, I had not failed to send you a full Information. That which is exceeding remarkable in regard of the Couriers is this, that they arrived at all these places exactly at the same time, although they are not equally distant from Paris.  
It is high time now to draw towards a Conclusion, and yet I cannot prevail with myself to do it, without saying something of what happened at Bayeux, in lower Normandy. About Fifteen days ago; they solemnised the Death of the Prince of Orange there, with such an extraordinary Zeal, that one durst not contradict so ill grounded a piece of News, without running the hazard of being stoned. They ordered several Representations of the Prince to be made there; some of which were cast into the common Jakes others were Hanged, and some fell into the pious Hands of the Butchers, who divided them into four Quarters, after the same manner as they serve the poor Beast, who have ●●sted the Civilities of the Slaughter-house In short, there is no sort of brutality to be imagined, which these well-bred Gentlemen did not commit upon this occasion, amidst the tumult and hurry of so public a Rejoicing  
Neither was there less done at deep, that at Bayeux, on the score of this Solemnity.  
The Name of the Prince of Orange, is here become so odious and execrable, that they cannot endure to see him so much as in a piece of Painting. It is almost an Age ago, since at a certain House in deep, there was setup the Prince of Orange's Head for a Sign. The Judge of the Town enjoined the Master of the House to take down the Sign immediately; the Master at first made some difficulty to do it, representing to the Judge, that he ought to address himself to the Proprietor of the House; and that for his part, he being but only a Tenant, the Expense and Charge was not in Justice to fall upon him. But all these Remonstrances were to no purpose; he was obliged to obey without any more ado; and by Order of the Justice, to set up the Prince of Wales, in the place of the Prince of Orange, who was immediately hurried away to Prison, with beating of Drums, and other great Triumphing.  
I have found all these Passages so very singular and extraordinary, that I was desirous to communicate them to you, who are my particular good Friend, and from whom I would willingly conceal nothing. If there should happen hereafter any thing, that deserves to be transmitted to you, I will not fail to oblige you with it by the first opportunity. Entertain, I beseech you, Sir, the same Complaisance for your Friend, if any curious matters should happen in your parts. However send me nothing which is not exactly true, and therein follow 〈◊〉 Example of  
your most humble and most obedient Servant. Farewell.  
FINIS   

Licenced, August 11. 1690.  
J. F.   

Lond●n: Printed for Timothy Goodwin, at the Maidenhead against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleetstreet. 1690.