Robert Darnton
An Early Information Society

Map Links Describing Café Talk

For background information about the police reports and the subjects discussed in the cafés, click on "Café Talk as Reported by Police Spies."

Click on the titles of the cafés below to view the corresponding map.

1. Café de Coton, rue Saint-Denis: "At the Café de Coton, someone said that several doctors [of theology] from the Sorbonne had submitted a petition to the Parlement on the subject of the Constitution [i.e., the papal bull Unigenitus, which condemned Nouveau Testament en français avec des réflexions morales sur chaque verset, the Jansenist treatise by Pasquier Quesnel, as heretical]. Someone said the Parlement had met two days ago, but no one knows what happened . . . Someone replied, 'Ma foi, Messieurs, all this makes me nervous. The common people are to be feared, because hunger will drive them to do things that they would never think of doing normally' . . . Someone said, 'The archbishop [Louis Antoine de Noailles, the archbishop of Paris] doesn't know what he's doing. He was supposed to be clever and learned. But, ma foi, he isn't at all, because I've heard that he doesn't know how to reply to the arguments made against him' . . . Another said, 'Par Dié, Monsieur, if your Jesuits had written Père Quesnel's book, they would say it was the best book ever, after the New Testament. But because they didn't write it, they say it's no good.' "

[From another report:] "In the Café Coton, a gentleman read aloud a letter that he had received from Troyes in Champagne. He did not mention a fire but said there was a hail storm so terrible that the smallest hailstones were as big as a hen's egg and that it had smashed and broken all the roofs and windows. As to the vineyards, you can imagine their state—completely damaged. Fortunately, all the cattle had been driven inside. But it happened so fast that some people were killed."

2. Café de Foy, Palais-Royal: "Some said that they had heard the Controller General [Le Peletier des Forts, appointed on June 15, 1726, at the time of the revaluation of the currency] was teetering and might fall. Others said, 'Come on, that's nothing more than what you hear in the current songs. It looks very unlikely; and if he left the government, the cardinal [André Hercule Fleury, the dominant figure in the government by June 1726] would leave also. It's nothing more than a false alarm.' "

[From another report:] "At the Café de Foy someone said, 'Well, there you have it: M. d'Angervilliers has got what he wanted.' [In July 1728, Nicolas Prosper Bauyn d'Angervilliers bested his rival, François Victor Le Tonnelier de Breteuil in the struggle to succeed Claude Le Blanc, who died in office as minister of war]. Another said, 'Yes, but who would have believed it? Everyone thought it would be M. de Breteuil.' Others said, 'Well, it's said that M. de Breteuil used all his pull to get the job. Some claim that even the queen intervened with the king on his behalf, but I can assure you that that isn't true. M. de Breteuil did not pull any strings. If measures had been taken, he would not have refused.' Someone said, 'M. d'Angervilliers is a hard man. The army officers will be plenty surprised when they hear the news.' Others said, ‘He'll change. When you are in a position like that one, you know what you have to do. Furthermore, he is informed about the troops. He got to know about their situation during the time when he was intendant at Strasbourg. That's precisely the reason why the officers know him well.’ Another said, 'Monsieur Hérault is remaining where he is [René Hérault was lieutenant general of police from 1725 to 1740]. It is M. Courson who was named intendant of Paris.' Another said, 'Ma foi, if they had moved him [Hérault], that would have raised a terrible uproar, because he is loved by everyone, from the low to the high.' Another said, 'The common people love him a great deal.' Others replied, 'That's quite something. It isn't easy to win the affection of the rabble.' "

[From another report:] "At the Café de Foy, someone said that the king would leave Versailles at seven o'clock and that he would take supper at Petitbourg; and that after supper he would leave directly for Fontainebleau and that he would hear Mass at three o'clock; and then at one o'clock in the afternoon he would go hunting. That's how the orders have been given. Someone said, 'Ma foi, it must be that the Lord loves him a great deal, because he doesn't spare himself and after all that fatigue, at his age, it must be said that he is fortunate.' Another said, 'Even after the mishaps he has had, he is still well, God be thanked—and I can assure you, France needs him to be healthy . . .' Others said that the queen will go to Fontainebleau on the ninth of next month and, if it pleases God, she will become pregnant with a dauphin. That is all that we must hope for."

[From another report:] "At the Café de Foy, someone said, 'Parbleu, Messieurs, you never saw anything more beautiful than Paris yesterday evening [probably the festivities after the birth of the dauphin on September 4, 1729]. The king made his entrance to the Hôtel de Ville as gaily as you can imagine, speaking to everyone with the utmost affability. He took his supper joyfully while an orchestra of 24 performed a concert. They say the meal was of the greatest magnificence.' "

3. Café de Rousseau, rue Saint Antoine: "At the Café de Rousseau, someone asked how the queen was getting along. Some replied that she wasn't at all well and that she had been bled at the arm and at the foot. Others said that that could not be true, because if it were, it would have been talked about more. Someone said, ‘I bet she is miserable because she didn't give birth to a dauphin.’ [The queen gave birth to twin girls on August 14, 1727.] ‘But, ma foi, the common people are even more unhappy, because it's thought that if we had a dauphin, if God had given us that grace, that there would be some big changes.’ Others said, 'There had better be some, because, par ma foi, these hard times can't go on.' "

[From another report:] "Someone said, 'Messieurs, I can give you a piece of news: we are certainly going to have a war. And I will tell you something more: it's said that France, Spain, and the [Holy Roman] Empire have lined up against Holland and England.' Another said, 'I've heard the same thing, but I don't know whether that will happen.' Another replied, 'Ah! It would be great if those three crowns joined up to humble the pride and the insolence of the English and the Dutch, especially the English.' Another said, 'Ma foi, I don't believe that things will go that far. You'll see that when England sees that, she will agree to come to terms.' And someone responded, 'Ma foi, they will get the better [of England], . . . even though England is plenty strong at sea.' "

[From another report:] "In [the Café de] Rousseau, someone said that M. d'Angervilliers had been sworn in this morning. Nonetheless, quite a few people did not believe that he would become a minister. 'Still, there he is,' [said someone]. 'All too true,' another replied. 'And M. Courson intendant of Paris. That could not fail to happen, because he is the brother-in-law of the controller general.' Another said, 'Ma foi, there stand three pillars that won't fall over soon; they are plenty strong.' Another said, 'That's true, but things could change.' Another said, 'Ma foi, Messieurs, it's none of our business; apparently they are considered capable enough. The common people are happy that they let M. Hérault remain as lieutenant general of police.' "

4. Café de la veuve Joseph, Pont Notre Dame: "At the Café de Joseph on the Pont Notre Dame, someone said, 'Par Dieu, there sure are a lot of libelous pamphlets in circulation. They are said to be very satirical, and I'll tell you more: Somebody went to visit a friend of mine who is an abbé and planted one of them on him. He said you couldn't imagine anything more horrible, and if he could find out who had tried to trick him, he would have taken drastic action. But he did not do anything. He was careful to get rid of it and immediately burned it, for fear that someone wanted to do him in . . . ' Another said, 'This fire has been so well set that I defy anyone to extinguish it. There are too many big shots mixed up with it.' "

5. Café de Feret, butte Saint Roche: [After remarks that d'Angervilliers had been well received at the Hôtel des Invalides and was expected to be an effective minister:] "Everyone is making an effort to say good things about him, and a little while ago they talked about him as if he were the devil himself. Well, that's how people are . . . [They say that he and the controller general] are perfectly suited for one another."

6. Café Gradot, quai de l'Ecole: "In the Café Gradot they don't talk about anything except the weather and theatrical compositions."

[From another report:] "At the Café Gradot, someone said that the peace had been settled [in November 1729, the Treaty of Seville settled conflicts involving Britain, the Netherlands, the Austrian Habsburgs, France, and Spain], that all the powers had agreed to it, and that this had even appeared in the manuscript newsletters. Someone replied, ‘I'll tell you, and I have it from a good source, that Spain has completely fallen in with England, Holland, and France, and that an alliance has been established, with the proviso that England should keep Port Mahon and Gibraltar. To do that, they have committed themselves to give the kingdoms of Sicily and Naples to the king of Spain. He had given Sicily with a payment of more than a million to the Emperor in exchange for a promise to help him get Gibraltar and Port Mahon. But it turned out that he [the Emperor] only pretended to prepare for war and did not keep his word to the king of Spain. So today, the king of Spain is saying, "I have found a way to do better, and I'm going to keep to it."’ Someone else replied, 'This affair is being talked about as if it were a sure thing, but I find it hard to believe that Spain would quarrel with the Emperor. If that is the case, the Emperor is in a bad way, because he has other troubles. He has M. de Bonneval to be afraid of, because they say that he [Bonneval] has been named minister of war and that he has troops whom he has taught to drill in the Imperial manner . . . and he is a very brave soldier.' "

7. Café Dupuy, rue Saint-Honoré: "In the cafés everyone is talking about the queen's expected labor; and judging from the remarks they made, they are truly full of joy, because they hope very much to have a dauphin. They say she went into labor this morning at eight o'clock. In the Café Dupuy, someone said that the king had said that if the queen gave birth to a girl, he would leave the next morning for Fontainebleau; and if it was a dauphin, he would remain for two weeks before leaving. Someone said, 'Parbleu, Messieurs, if God grants us the grace of having a dauphin, you will see Paris and the river all in fire [i.e., illuminated with fireworks]. Everyone is praying for that.' "

9. Café Conti, Pont Neuf: [On the reports about the terms of the Treaty of Seville whereby Spain would acknowledge the British claim to Port Mahon and Gibraltar and Britain would support the claims of the Spanish prince Don Carlos to a throne in Italy:] "Someone replied, 'That's what they say, but I don't believe a word of it, certainly not that one would want to sacrifice the Emperor for England. And after all, it's not in France's interest that Messieurs les Anglais should have Gibraltar and Port Mahon. Say what you want: if this is true, then it is only a maneuver by the queen of Spain.' "

[From another report, which recounts discussions about who will be named intendant of Paris:] "Others said, 'Ma foi, things could not be worse, because what good has the cardinal [Fleury] accomplished since he has been in power?' Another said, 'It's true that he hasn't done a great deal, but he hasn't done anything harmful, either.' Others replied, 'You count as nothing the affair of the life annuities?' Another said, 'It's the controller general who did that.' 'Yes, but if he [Fleury] hadn't agreed to it, it would not have taken place.' "

10. Café de Paul, rue des Mauvaises-Paroles: "In many other cafés, they discussed the house that collapsed in the rue de la Huchette. Some calculate that ten or twelve people were crushed to death. Others say seven or eight. And in the Café de Paul by the Grande Poste someone said that under the pillars of the market at les Halles there are three or four completely rotten houses; and people want to pull them down. But with money, you can get anything. Presents have been given to this person and that person, and by this means, they will let a lot of people die in exchange for greasing a palm with thirty or forty pistoles [300–400 livres tournois, nearly the equivalent of a year's salary for an unskilled worker]."

12. Café de la Régence, rue Saint-Honoré: [After a discussion of measures taken by the police to repress sodomy:] "Someone said, 'The Inquisition has taken over in Paris, because everywhere you hear about raids made at night.' "

13. Café de Poncelet, quai de l'Ecole: [After remarks about the exiling of the curé of Saint Sulpice, who had sent a letter to the king saying the common people were dying of hunger—probably an allusion to the widespread famine after the poor harvests of 1725:] "Some replied that he [the curé] deserved it and that a prelate had no business getting mixed up with state affairs . . . after which they settled down to playing chess and checkers."

14. Café de Moisy, rue Saint-Séverin: [After remarks that the Jansenist agitation was getting out of hand, someone commented:] "That will inevitably cause an uprising . . . because the Jansenists are a diabolical party."

16. Café de Baptiste, rue Dauphine: "Someone said that the queen had felt some prickling, a sign she would give birth soon, probably sometime today. There was a stranger present who said, 'I will bet 50 louis d'or [1,200 livres tournois], if you like, that she will produce a dauphin.' Someone replied, 'Monsieur, we hope so more than anyone, because it is in our interest.' He said, 'Last week I had the honor of seeing her walk, and I carefully observed her eye, and it's sure that it will be a dauphin. I have enough expertise to know.' "

17. Café de Ferré, Pont Saint-Michel: [After a report that some curés had been disciplined for refusing to accept the bull Unigenitus:] "Someone said, 'I don't understand why anyone would want to force a person to do something that his conscience tells him not to do' . . . Another said, 'Ah! Ma foi! The Jesuits are enjoying a complete triumph.' Another said, 'Oh! They haven't got there yet. They have to stand up against some powerful opposition.' "

18. Café de La Haude, rue Saint-Martin: "They have read the pastoral letter [the mandement of October 23, 1728, by Archbishop Noailles accepting Unigenitus as an article of faith]. They said that it was superb and that it fully conforms to the precepts of the Gospel."

[From another report concerning a battle between the police and some smugglers caught with a haul of illegal calicoes:] "At the café of widow La Haude, rue Saint-Martin, someone said, 'Messieurs, they captured a lot of contraband goods, and they also say that there were plenty of people killed, because four guards have disappeared—that's for sure, they say; no one knows what has become of them. And a brigadier and a sub-brigadier were killed.' A chevalier de Saint-Louis replied, 'If I had access to His Majesty, I would give him some advice about how to eliminate smuggling without spending a penny. He would issue an order forbidding anyone to wear illegal material. As soon as a princess or a duchess disobeyed my order, I would send her into exile for three or four years, however great a princess or duchess she might be. Then you'd see that no one would dare to wear it anymore' . . . Another said, 'If His Majesty restricted the permission to wear such material to prostitutes, it would have a greater effect. Nobody would wear it.' Another replied, ‘Messieurs, that would not happen at all. We are no longer living in the era of Henri IV. These police raids bring in a profit for more than one or two persons.’"

19. Café de Lescures, près de la Comédie: "They talked about M. Le Blanc [the war minister, who died in office in July 1728] and said he was doing poorly. Someone said, 'There will surely be some changes, because each minister has his own favorites. Provided they name a good subject to the position, the rest doesn't matter.' There were some who said it would be M. d'Angervilliers. Two gentlemen wearing the cross of Saint Louis replied heatedly, 'It's obvious, Messieurs, that you have nothing better to do than to hope for what will do the most damage to the state.' Someone answered, 'I don't think that he would hurt the state at all if he became minister of war. He is intelligent, a man of merit.' They replied, 'True enough, but it always damages the state when an army officer has to deal with a minister who is a tyrant. I am not the only one who says so; it's the general opinion of all the officers, and officers don't like to be tyrannized. Anyhow, come what may, the cardinal de Fleury is what is needed for the public good.' Another remarked, 'Ma foi, you said it. Wherever you go, you hear of nothing but that, but what's the good of troubling yourself to no purpose?' 'That's not it: everyone has his own preferences, some for some, others for others. As to me, if M. Le Blanc disappears, I would prefer M. de Breteuil and so would three-thirds of my comrades, because we know him and we don't know the others.' After that, they settled down to talking about the forthcoming marriage of M. le Duc, and some of the gentlemen took sides in favor of it. [The duc de Bourbon, who lost his position as principal minister in June 1726, was a widower who married the fourteen-year-old Charlotte de Hesse-Rheinfels in July 1728.]"

21. Café de Bourbon, rue Bourtibourg: [In discussing the confiscation of contraband textiles by the police:] "Someone said, ‘The problem is that the Compagnie des Indes wants everything for itself’ . . . Another said, 'I've been told that they confiscated goods worth more than a hundred thousand écus [300,000 livres]. All that will go to them [the directors of the Compagnie des Indes] and not to the king.' Another said, 'All I want to know is: Will they execute the men they arrested? According to the king's orders, they are supposed to be hanged.' Another replied, 'But they are dangerous, because smugglers of this sort are soldiers, who are a real threat, since they are capable of setting a whole town on fire. They have said openly, "We are not thieves or assassins. It's true that we defy the orders of the king, but this is all we have to live on." ' "

22. Café de Procope, rue de la Comédie: "In the Café de Procope they read the harangues of M. de Toulousin, an actor in the Comédie Française, and they laughed like madmen."

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