He appears to have begun to be known under the title of the Count of St Germain during the early s. Germain as being arrested in London on suspicion of espionage this was during the Jacobite rebellion of , but released without charge:.
The other day they seized an odd man, who goes by the name of Count St. He has been here these two years, and will not tell who he is, or whence, but professes [two wonderful things, the first] that he does not go by his right name; and the second that he never had any dealings with any woman — nay, nor with any succedaneum.
He sings, plays on the violin wonderfully, composes, is mad, and not very sensible. He is called an Italian, a Spaniard, a Pole; a somebody that married a great fortune in Mexico, and ran away with her jewels to Constantinople; a priest, a fiddler, a vast nobleman.
The Prince of Wales has had unsatiated curiosity about him, but in vain. However, nothing has been made out against him; he is released; and, what convinces me that he is not a gentleman, stays here, and talks of his being taken up for a spy.
The Count gave two private musical performances in London in April and May He is everything with everybody: But the Character and Philosopher is what he seems to pretend to, and to be a good deal conceited of: Germain appeared in the French court around In , he was employed by Louis XV for diplomatic missions.
Germain in Paris salons. Inevitably, hearsay of his routine got confused with the original. Giacomo Casanova describes in his memoirs several meetings with the "celebrated and learned impostor".
Of his first meeting, in Paris in , he writes:. The most enjoyable dinner I had was with Madame de Robert Gergi, who came with the famous adventurer, known by the name of the Count de St.
This individual, instead of eating, talked from the beginning of the meal to the end, and I followed his example in one respect as I did not eat, but listened to him with the greatest attention.
It may safely be said that as a conversationalist he was unequalled. Germain gave himself out for a marvel and always aimed at exciting amazement, which he often succeeded in doing.
For a while he gave them paints and cosmetics; he flattered them, not that he would make them young again which he modestly confessed was beyond him but that their beauty would be preserved by means of a wash which, he said, cost him a lot of money, but which he gave away freely.
He had contrived to gain the favour of Madame de Pompadour , who had spoken about him to the king , for whom he had made a laboratory, in which the monarch — a martyr to boredom — tried to find a little pleasure or distraction, at all events, by making dyes.
The king had given him a suite of rooms at Chambord, and a hundred thousand francs for the construction of a laboratory, and according to St.
Germain the dyes discovered by the king would have a materially beneficial influence on the quality of French fabrics. This extraordinary man, intended by nature to be the king of impostors and quacks, would say in an easy, assured manner that he was three hundred years old, that he knew the secret of the Universal Medicine, that he possessed a mastery over nature, that he could melt diamonds, professing himself capable of forming, out of ten or twelve small diamonds, one large one of the finest water without any loss of weight.
All this, he said, was a mere trifle to him. Notwithstanding his boastings, his bare-faced lies, and his manifold eccentricities, I cannot say I thought him offensive.
In spite of my knowledge of what he was and in spite of my own feelings, I thought him an astonishing man as he was always astonishing me.
Germain travelled to The Hague. In Amsterdam, he stayed at the bankers Adrian and Thomas Hope and pretended he came to borrow money for Louis XV with diamonds as collateral.
British diplomats concluded that St. However, Britain would not treat with St. Germain unless his credentials came directly from the French king.
Germain and demand his arrest. Count Bentinck de Rhoon , a Dutch diplomat, regarded the arrest warrant as internal French politicking, in which Holland should not involve itself.
However, a direct refusal to extradite St. Germain was also considered impolitic. De Rhoon, therefore, facilitated the departure of St. This passport was made out "in blank", allowing St.
Germain to travel in May from Hellevoetsluis to London under an assumed name, showing that this practice was officially accepted at the time. Germain arrived in Altona in Schleswig , where he made an acquaintance with Prince Charles of Hesse-Kassel , who also had an interest in mysticism and was a member of several secret societies.
The count showed the Prince several of his gems and he convinced the latter that he had invented a new method of colouring cloth. Germain needed to proceed with the project.
The prince later recounts in a letter that he was the only person in whom the count truly confided. The count died in his residence in the factory on 27 February , while the prince was staying in Kassel , and the death was recorded in the register of the St.
He was buried in a private grave. It must be somewhat obvious by now that it is unlikely you will leave the neighborhood without overeating or getting drunk.
Give in, I recommend both. The interior is stunning, and when you arrive from the airport late and step outside after a quick shower for a bite to eat, this place will remind you why you just flew miles on your overextended credit card.
There is a special menu for 45 euros which is a good solution. A better solution is to go to the restaurants page and find one that is not mentioned in every travel guide ever written.
In general, my advice it to avoid restaurants with big menu specials on colored cardboard, and by all means NEVER be coerced into entering by a fast-talking, grinning, multilingual "patron".
The people who stand in restaurant doorways and try to "snag" tourists are paid to do that. They count on those of you who are too polite to refuse their enthusiasm.
Do not start a conversation about your home state or whether you like grilled fish, or state your nationality the more you say, the harder it is to escape.
Be rude, you are in Paris after all! Another focal point in St. Germain is the St. Organ concerts are performed at the St. Sulpice, mostly works for the Organ.
On Sundays you can actually climb the stairs and find yourself "inside" an organ with about pipes going full blast. Try to get there around noon to be included in this, or arrive at The organ was considered to be one of the best three in the French Kingdom.
It was rebuilt to accommodate more modern technology without altering its historic design. It is still one of only three " stop" organs in the world.
Sulpice flanked by some of the priciest real estate in Paris in other words, if you live here you are lucky. Right next to the square is the small rue des Cannettes which has a number of nice little restaurants, cafes a brewery and even the Birdland Jazz Bar.
That whole little section which includes rue Guisard , rue Princesse and rue Mabillon seems to have more than its share of good food and nightly activity.
Normally I remember to take a card but a guy had a heart attack and was taken out on a stretcher and it sort of distracted me from my task.
I am sure it was nothing in the food that caused it. They have poetry and novel readings by the same local writers who shop and browse here as well as many who are just passing through.
Both Baudelaire and the Marquis de Sade were baptized in the church, which is an amazing thought in itself, and makes you wonder how effective that little ritual was in making them holy… The Square is a great place to sit down or lie on a bench near the fountains and cool off during the hot summer months.
It attracts musicians and street performers who are sometimes quite good. It was Delacroix who painted the frescoes in the nearby church.
There are a number of gourmet and specialty shops including a Greek shop a few restaurants, some clothing shops, you know, like a mall.
If the weather is nice, take a break and wander through the Beautiful Luxembourg gardens. After a horrific shopping spree in the multitudinous shops of St.
Germain, this is an ideal place to find a chair by the main fountain and lounge in the sun. There is another fountain on the southeast end of the park, which is covered in Ivy and is more private.
Certain areas are also reserved for children, with swings, merry-go-rounds and ponies for rent. The grass is accessible in some spots, but not in others, but bicycles are not allowed.
This explains the somewhat rigid feel of the park lots of rules written on signs, but is apparently the price we pay for having such cultivated aesthetics, the flowerbeds which are rotated at a stunning rate, the groomed perfection of the trees and shrubs, the lack of any garbage.
As a form of resistance, it will appear that every teenager in Paris has chosen this spot to make out in public. If you are a puritan type, and easily distressed by such public displays of affection, I recommend you stay in your hotel room and hide under the bed.
Germain is bisected by the Boulevard St. Germain , which serves as the central axis of the area running roughly parallel to the river.
Most of the above mentioned sights are within five minutes walk of the Boulevard. Also on the Boulevard be sure to stop in at the tourism office for Brittany where you will see their incredible collection of sardine cans.
You can buy them with sardines of course and you too can have a sardine collection that will impress your friends who are probably ignorant of the large variety of sardines that exist in Brittany.
I bought a dozen or so cans and besides being beautiful they are quite good.
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