Et la meilleure chose, on la gate souvent. 
    Pour la vouloir outrer, et pousser trop avant.

I must, however, observe, that here are assembled the three finest statues in the world, the Laocoon, the Venus de Clomene, from the collection of the Medici family, and the Apollo Belvidere, which was found amongst the ruins of Antrum, about the end of the 15th century; and eveu in imagining the most perfect nature, it is difficult to form an idea of such perfection as is here exhibited; but much as I admired the Apollo, I was yet more delighted by contemplating the excellence displayed in the graceful figure of the Venus.

The gallery of paintings at the palace of the Luxemburg (which is now called the palace of the Peers of France, as they sit at present in the hall, formerly occupied by Buonaparte’s Conservative Senate) although vastly inferior to that at the Louvre, both as to the number, and value of the collection it contains; yet it is well worthy the attention of the stranger, and the circumstance of its not being too crowded is favourable to the visitant, whose attention is not so much divided here as by the attractions of the greater collection, where he is often at a loss which way he shall turn.  Here are statues of Bacchus and Ariadne.  The gallery of Rubens contains twenty-one pictures by that great master, representing the history of Mary of Medicis; it also contains his Judgment of Paris.  The gallery of Vernet contains a series of views of the principal sea-ports of France, by that painter, and also Poussin’s picture of the Adoration of the Magi.  Here are also two celebrated pictures by that great modern painter, David—­Brutus after having condemned his Son, and the Oath of the Horatii, which appeared to me worthy of the favourable report I had before heard of them.

This palace has a spacious and handsome garden; the front of Queen’s College, Oxford, is an imitation on a reduced scale of its facade to the street.

After the paintings, I next inquired after the Libraries which Paris contains; these are very numerous, but as I had so much to see, I contented myself with visiting the two principal ones, first, the royal library, Rue Richelieu.  This contains the library of Petrarch, which alone would render it an object of curiosity.  Here are also the globes of the Jesuit Coronelli, which are upwards of thirty-four feet in circumference.  The Cabinet of Antiquities contains the collection of Count Caylus.  The number of printed volumes is stated to amount to 350,000.  The manuscripts are not less than 72,000.  Here is also a vast and very valuable collection of medals, and about 5000 engravings.  All persons are permitted to read here from ten until two o’clock.

The second Library which I visited was one which formerly belonged to that celebrated Minister, Cardinal Mazarin, and is now in the Palais des Beaux Arts, on the opposite side of the river from the Louvre.  This collection consists of 60,000 volumes, amongst which are many works of great value.