At St. Geronde: go to the Croix Blanche, the most execrable receptacle of filth, vermin, impudence, and imposition that ever exercised the patience, or wounded the feelings of a traveller. A withered hag, the daemon of beastliness, presides there. I laid, not rested, in a chamber over a stable, whose effluviae through the broken floor were the least offensive of the perfumes afforded by this hideous place. It could give me nothing but two stale eggs, for which I paid, exclusive of all other charges, 20/. Spain brought nothing to my eyes that equalled this sink, from which an English hog would turn with disgust.
From Arthur Young’s travels in France during the years 1787, 1788, 1789, with an introduction, biographical sketch, and notes, edited by Miss Betham-Edwards (1892)
Corrections are always appreciated!
I assumed that “sink” was itself a typo, but I checked Dr. Johnson’s dictionary and learned that at the time Young was writing, the noun “sink” meant “A drain. A jakes. Any place where corruption is gathered.” Rather like Trump’s cabinet, then. “Sink” it is!
[Private message – not for publication]
Hi Brad,
In this fascinating quote from Arthur Young, there seems to be one typo that you might like to correct: the word “stink” should be “sink”.
See page 57 of the online copy of the book you have linked to at https://archive.org/details/arthuryoungstrav00youn
I also checked a Google Books online copy of this book which also gives that word as “sink”.
Best wishes,
Paul
P.S. I hope you don’t mind me sending you typo corrections. I am not sending you every one I spot as I read my way through your website but just the more important ones, such as those that appear in headings or, as here, in a quoted extract.