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The two gates like this were called
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the Porte Saint-Denis and
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the Porte Saint-Martin.
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And it was when Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
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tried to escape,
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and probably disguised as retainers for some wealthy baroness,
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they were able to get through this particular gate because the guards
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were bourrs, they were all drunk from having
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been at a wedding.
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And then the tax collected on what you brought into the city passed
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right through this gate.
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You had to pay a tax on what you brought into the city,