the Mr. of Ogilvy and I went wt hir, hir mother and Mr. Gandy ther Tutor,
in their coach (for which I payed satly,[70] that being their policy) to
their country village 9 leagues of, situat in the midest of the forest of
Orleans, much of which is now converted into manured land. This tyme was
the first adventure I made of speaking the language, wheir they ware
pleased all to give me applause testifieng that I spake much for my tyme. I
took coach tymously in the morning before halfe 6 and returned the day
after about 8 at night. By the way we saw 2 places wery weill worth the
sieng, Shynaille and Chasteau neuf: Shynaille[71] for its garden and the
other both for its house and garden. At Synaille a great number of
waterworks; creatures of all shapes most artificially casting furth water:
heir ye may sy a frog sputing to a great hieght, their a Serpent and a man
of marble treading on his neck, the water gliding pleasantly partly out at
his meickle too, partly out at the Serpents mouth: in a 3 part a dog, in a
4, Lions; and all done most livelylie. We regrated that the prettiest
machine of all was broken; wheir was to be sein wtin a little bounds above
300 spouts sending furth water and that in sundry formes. In one place it
would arise uprightly as a spear; in another as a feather; in a trid[72] it
sould rise sydelings and so furth, and when it had left of ye sould not be
able to discern whence the water ishued. The main thing in the house of
Chasteau neuf was the rich furniture and hingings; yet the richest Tapistry
that used to be in that house was at that tyme in Paris; the master of the
house being one of the Kings Counsellers; yet these we saw ware wery rich;
some of them ware of leather stamped marvelously weill wt gold; others in
silver; others wrought but wondrous livelylie. From the house we saw the
extent of the yard, which was a monster to sy, being like a little country
for bigness, and yet in marvelous good order in all things, but especially
in the regularity of its walks, each corresponding so weill to the other;
having also a pretty forrest of tries on every syd of it: the circuit of
this yard will be nothing under 3 miles. I never saw a woman worse glid[73]
then she was (tho otherwise a weelfawored women) that took us thorow the
house. At night we lay at their country village.
[70] i.e. Sautly, saltly.
[71] I cannot find this name in the maps.
[72] Third.
[73] Gleyed, squint-eyed.
On the morning we went and hard the curé say Mass, wheir saw a thing we
had not sien before, to wit in a corner of the Church having 4 or 5 rocks
of tow, some tied wt red snoods, some wt blew. On the sieng of this I was
very sollicitous to know what it might mean. Having made my selfe
understood about it I was told that when any honest women died she might
leive a rock full of tow to be hung up in the church as a symboll that they
ware vertuous thrifty women. This put me in mind of Dorcas whose coats and
thrift the women showed to Paull after she was died. Mass being ended I
went and fell in discours with the Curé. We was not long together when we
fell hot be the ears: first we was on the Jansenists opinion about
Prædestination, which by a bull from the present Pope, Alex'r the 7, had
bein a litle before condemned at Paris; then we fell in one frie wil, then
one other things, as Purgatory, etc.; but I fand him a stubborn fellow, one
woluntary blind. We was in dispute above a hower and all in Latin: in the
tyme gathered about us neir the half of the parish, gazing on me as a fool
and mad man that durst undertake to controlle their curé, every word of
whose mouth, tho they understood it no more nor the stone in the wall did,
they took for ane oracle, which minds me of the miserablenese and
ignorantnese of the peasants of France above all other commonalty of the
world; our beggars leading a better life then the most part of them do.
In our returning amongs the best merriments we had was my French, which
moved us sewerall tymes to laughter; for I stood not on steeping stones to
have assurance that it was right what I was to say, for if a man seek that,
he sall never speak right, since he cannot get assurance at the wery first
but most acquire it by use. 4 leagues from Orleans, we lighted at
Gargeau[74] wt Maddle.[75] Ever after this Mademoiselle and I was wery
great, which I know not whow the Mr. of Ogilvy took, I being of much
shorter standing their in Orleans then he was.
[74] Now Jargeau.
[75] Mademoiselle.
Just the Sabath before my parting from Orleans began the Jesuits Logick and
Ethick theses to be disputed: the Mr. of Ogilvy and I went to hear, who
bleetly[76] stayed at behind all almost; I, as give I had bein a person
interested thrust into the wery first rank wheir at the distributor I
demanded a pair of Theses, who civilly gave me a pair, against which tho I
had not sein them till then, I durst have ventred a extemporary argument,
give I had knowen their ceremonies they used in their disputing and
proponing, which I fand litle differing from our oune mode. The most part
of the impugners ware of the religious orders; some of them very sharply,
some tolerably and some pittifully. The first that began was a Minim
against a Logicall Thes[is] that was thus, _Relatio et Terminus non
distinguuntur_. The fellows argument was that usual one, _quæ separantur
distinguuntur et hæc_, etc.; the Lad answered by a distinction, _quæ
separantur per se verum: per accidens, falsum_; and so they went on. The
lad chanced to transmit a proposition one tyme: the fellow in a drollery
replied, _si tu transmittas ego--revocabo_. Thus have we dwelt enough on
Orleans, its hy tyme for us to leeve it.
[76] Blately, modestly.
On the 2'd day after this dispute, being the 14 of July wt the French and
consequently the 4 wt the Scots, I took boat at Orleans, the Mr. of Ogilvy
wt James his man, as also Danglebern accompanieng me to the boat. I left
Salt[77] Orleans and sett up for Blois. In the boat among others were 3 of
the order of Charité (as they call it) who beginning to sing their
redicoulous matins, perceiving that I concurred not wt them, they
immediatly suspected me for a Hæretick. One of them put me in mind of
honest James Douy not only for his wisage but also for his zeall and ardeur
he showed to have me converted and brought back to the mother church. That
he seimed to me to personate Mr. Douy not only in his wisage but also in
his strickness and bigotry--being oftner in telling of his beads then both
his other 2 companions fat-looged stirrows[78] ware--made me fall into the
abstract notion that thess who resemble in wisage usually agry in nature
and manners, which at that tyme I thought was to be imputed to that
influence which the temperament or crasis 4 _primarum qualitatum_ hath on
the soull to make it partaker of its nature.
[77] Dear, expensive.
[78] Fat-eared fellows. I presume that loog is lug, ear.
Betuixt Orleans and Blois of tounes on the river we saw first Merug,[79]
then Baniency.[80] At night we came to Blois, wheir I was the day after to
wiew the Toune. I fand it situat on a wery steep eminence, in some places
as wearisom to go up as our Kirkheugh. I went and saw the Kings Garden as
they call it; but nowise in any posture; only theirs besydes it a large
gallery on every syde, wheirof I counted 60 windows, and that at a
considerable distance one from another; it hath pillars also for every
window on whelk it stands. I went nixt and saw the Castle whilk stands on a
considerable eminence, only its the fatality theirof not to be parfaited,
which hath happened by the death of the Duke of Orleans, who had undertaken
the perfecting of it and brought it a considerable length. On the upmost
top of that which he hath done stands his portraict in marble. She that
showed in the rooms was a gay oldmouthed wife who in one chamber showed me
wheir one of the Kings was slain, the very place wheir he fell (the Duke of
Guise, author of the Parísien massacre) and the back door at which the
Assasinates entered: in another wheir one of their Kings as also seweral of
the nobility ware keipt prisoners, and the windows at whilk one of ther
queen mothers attempted to escape, but the tow proving to short she fell
and hurt hirself.
[79] Meung, now Meun.
[80] Beaugency.
When I was in the upmost bartizan we had one of the boniest prospects that
could be. About 2 leagues from us in the corner of a forest we saw the
Castle of Chamburgh,[81] a place wery worthy the sieng (as they say) for
the regularity of its bastimens. We saw wtin a league also tuo pretty
houses belonging to Mr. Cuthbert, whom we would have to be a Scot. I went
and saw sewerall Churches heir. I lay not at the Galere, but at the Chass
Royall: part of the company went to the Croix Blanche.
[81] Chambord.
I cannot forget one passage that behappened me heir: bechance to supper I
demanded give he could give me a pullet, he promises me it. My pullet comes
up, and wt it instead of its hinder legs the hinder legs of a good fat
poddock. I know them weill enough because I had sien and eaten of them at
Orleans. I consedering the cheat called up my host and wt the French I
had, demanded him, taking up the leg, what part of the pullet that might
be, he wt a deal of oaths and execrations would have made me believe it was
the legs of a pullet, but his face bewrayed his cause; then I eated civilly
the rest of my pullet and left the legs to him: such damned cheats be all
the French.
Having bein a day at Blois I took boat for Tours in new company againe, of
some Frenchmen, a Almand and a Dutchman; wt whom I had again to do
vindicating my prince as the most just prince in the world in all his
procedures wt the Hollandez. The fellow behaved himselfe wery proudly.
Betuixt Blois and Tours we saw Amboise, which is in estime especially by
reason of its casle. As we was wtin halfe a league of Tours by the
carelesnese of the matelots and a litle pir of wind that rose we fell upon
a fixt mill in the river, so that the boat ran a hazard of being broken to
peices, but we wan of, only 3 or 4 dales in hir covert was torn of.
Arriving at Tours about 3 a cloack we all tooke another boat to carry us
about a league from the city to sie a convent of the Benedictines
(Marmoustier) a very stupendious peice give ended. It hath also a very
beautifull church, many of the pillars of it being of marble, others of
alabastre, and that of sundry coleurs, some red, some white, etc.: whence
on the entry theirs a prohibition hung up interdicting all from engraving
their name or any other thing on the pillars, least of deforming them. One
of the fathers of the order came and did let us sy the relicts of the
church which ware the first relicts I saw neir at hand: I having sien some
at a distance carried in processions at Orleans. Their we saw the heart of
Benedictus, the founder of their order, enclosed in a crystall and besett
wt diamonds most curiously. We of our company, being 6, ware all of the
Religion, whence we had no great respects for the relict; but their ware
som others their that ware papists; who forsooth bit[82] to sit doune on
their knees and kist. At which I could not contein my selfe from laughing.
[82] Were obliged.
Their saw we also a great number of old relicts of one St. Martin. They had
his scull enclosed (give his scull and not of some theife it may be) in a
bowll of beaten silver. In a selver[83] besyde was shank bones, finger
bones and such like wery religiously keipt. He showed us among others also
a very massy silver crosse watered over wt gold very ancient, which he said
was gifted them by a Englishman. I on that enquired whow they might call
him. He could not tell til he cost up his book of memorials of that church;
and then he found that they called him Bruce, on which I assured him that
that was a Scots name indeed of a wery honorable family.
[83] Salver.
Then we returned back to Tours, wheir we went first to sie their mail[84]
(which I counted by ordinar paces of whilk it was 1000.7 arbres).[85] About
the distance of less than halfe a league we saw the Bridge that lays over
the river of Chere, which payes its tribut to the Loier at Langes,[86] a
little beneath Tours. Next we went and saw some of their churches. In their
principal was hinging a iron chaine by way of a trophee. I demanding what
it might mean, I was told it was brought their by the Chevaliers or Knights
of Malta.
[84] English, mall. Originally an alley where a game was played with a
_mail_, a strong, iron-bound club, with long, flexible handle, and
a ball of boxwood.
[85] Arbre (arbour) probably means 'a shaded or covered alley or
walk.'--Murray's _New English Dict_., s.v. 'Arbour.' The history
of the word, with its double derivation from the Anglo-Saxon root
of 'harbour' and the Latin _arbor_, is very curious. See
Introduction, p. 1, note 2.
[86] Langest in Blaeuw's map, now Langeais.
We lodged at the Innes.[87] To-morrow tymously we took boat for Saumur (St.
Louis). Al the way we fand nothing but brave houses and castles standing on
the river, and amongst other that of Monsoreau tuo leagues large from
Saumur, wheir the river of Chattellerault or Vienne, which riseth in the
province of Limosin, tumbleth it selfe into the Loier; this Monsereau is
the limits of 2 provinces; of Torrain, to the east of whilk Tours is the
capital, and of Anjou to the west, in whilk is Saumur, but Angiers is the
capitall. When we was wtin a league of Saumurs they ware telling us of the
monstrous outbreakings the river had made wtin these 12 years upon all the
country adiacent, which made us curious to go sie it. Whence we landed; and
being on the top of the bank we discovered that the river had bein seiking
a new channell in the lands adiacent, and had left a litle young Loier
behind it; the inundations of this river seims so much the stranger to
many, that finding it so shallow generally that we could not go a league
but we had our selfes to row and work of some bed of sand or other, makes
men to wonder whence it sould overflow so. Thir beds randers it wery
dangerous in the winters; yea in our coming doun we saw in 3 or 4 places
wheir boats had bein broken or sunk thir last winter; some part or other of
them appearing above as beacons. In sewerall places it wines so on the land
that it makes considerable islands, yea such as may give some rent by year.
At last we landed at Saumur, but before I leive the,[88] fair Loier, what
sall I say to thy commedation? Surely if anything might afford pleasure to
mans unsatiable appetit it most be the, give they be any vestiges of that
terrestrial paradise extant, then surely they may lively be read in the.
Whow manie leagues together ware their nothing to be sein but beautiful
arbres,[89] pleasant arrangements of tries, the contemplation of which
brought me into a very great love and conceit of a solitary country life,
which brought me also to pass a definitive sentence that give I ware once
at home, God willing, I would allot the one halfe of the year to the
country and the other halfe for the toune. Is it not deservedly, O Loier,
that thou art surnamed the garden of France, but I can stay no longer on
the, for I am posting to Mr. Doul my countrymans house, who accepts us
kindly. His wife was in the country, seing give the pleasures of the samen
might discuss and dissipat the melancholy she was in for the parting of her
sone, whom his father had some dayes before send for England, to wit, for
Oxford, meirly that he might be frie from his mothers corruptions, who
answering him to franckly in mony, the lad began to grow debaucht. Behold
the French women as great foolls as others. On the morrow after she
returned, amongs other expressions, she said, that it gave heer
encouragdement to let hir sone go wt the better will that she saw that I,
as a young man, had left my native country to come travell.
[87] Innes for inn, cf. p. 38 at top.
[88] i.e. thee.
[89] See p. 20, note 3.
I went and saw my Lord Marquis of Douglasse[90] at Mr. Grayes, whom I was
informed to live both wery quietly and discontentedly, mony not being
answered him as it sould be to one of his quality; and this by reason of
discord amongs his curators, multitude wheirof hath oft bein sein to
redound to the damage of Minors. He was wearing his winter cloath suit for
lack of another. He had a very civill man as could be to his governour, Mr.
Crightoune, for whom I had a letter from William Mitchell.
[90] James, second marquis, born 1646, died 1700.
Sabath fornoon we went togither and hard sermon in their church, which is
wtin the Toune; afternoon we took a walk out to a convent which they call
St. Florans. By the way he communicated to me his intentions for leaving
the Marquis, whom he thought wtin some few moneths would return for
Scotland, his affairs demanding his oune presence, as also his resolutions
of going into Italy give it took foot. I demanding him whow a man that came
abroad might improve his tyme to the best advantage, and what was the best
use that might be made of travelling. He freely told me that the first
thing above all was to remember our Creator in the dayes of our youth, to
be serious wt our God: not to suffer ourselfes to grow negligent and slack
in our duty we ow to God, and then to seik after good and learned company
whence we may learn the customes of the country, the nature and temper of
the peaple, and what wast diversity of humours is to be sein in the world.
He told me also a expression that the Protestant Minister at Saumur used to
him, whereby he taxed the most part of strangers as being ignorant of the
end they came abroad for, to wit, that these that came to sie Saumur all
they had to writ doune in their book was that they went and saw such a
church, that they drank good wines, and got good wictuals at the Hornes, a
signe wheir strangers resorts.
The convent we fand to be liker a castle than a Religious house. We saw a
large window, the covert wheirof was stenchells like those that are on the
windows of the Abby at Holyrood House; but very artificially all beat out
of one peice of iron, but not ioined and soudred togither as they used to
be. Saumurs is a pretty little toune wt fields upon all hands most
pleasant.
I, amongs other things, enquired at Mr. Doull what was their manner in
graduating their students their. He told me it was wholly the same wt that
in other places. They give out Theses which the students defended, only
they had a pretty ceremony about the close: each of these to be graduat got
a laurell branch, on the leaves wheirof was every mans name engraven in
golden letters. Item, he said that when he reflected on the attendance that
the Regents in Scotland gave to ther classes, he thought he saw another
Egyptiacall bondage, for wt them they attended only 4 dayes of the weeks,
and in thess no longer than they took account of ther former lesson, and
gave them out a new one, which they send them home to gett.
On a afternoon I was their I made a tour doune throu the suburbs of the
toune to the Convent of Nostre Dame des Ardilliers.[91] On my return Mr.
Doull and Mr. Crightoun demanding of me wheir I had bein, I freely told:
wheirupon they fell to to scorne me, asking what I went to seek their. I
told meerly to walk. They alleadged that John Ogilvy at Orleans bit to have
told me of the place; that it was the most notorious part of France for
uncleanness, and that women that could not gett children at home, coming
their ware sure to have children. To speak the truth the place seimed to me
wery toun like, for their came a woman to me and spered whey I all alone.
[91] The Church of Notre Dame d'Ardiliers, of the sixteenth century,
was enlarged by Richelieu and Madame de Montespan.
The night before my parting from Saumur a young gallant of the toune, to
show his skill, showed the wholle toune some fireworks in a boat on the
river, but they ware wery pittifull, the principall thing we saw being only
some fireballs which they cost up in the air to a considerable hight som
tymes.
Theirs one thing we most not forget in the river. In our coming doune in
sewerall places on the syde of the rivers bank we saw pleasant little
excrescencyes of litle rocks and craigs, which makes exceidingly to the
commendation of the places. In thes craigs are built in houses, which be
the vertue of Antiperistasis is cold in summer and hot in winter, tho their
be some of them they dare not dwell in in winter by reason of the looseness
of the earth then.
Having stayed 2 dayes in Saumur I hired horse for Poictiers, only the
fellow who aught the horse running at my foot. We rode by Nostre Dame and
along the side of Loier as far as Monsereau. Heir I'm sure I was thrie
miles togither under the shade of wast valnut tries on each syde ladened wt
fruit, great abondance of which I meit all the way thorow. At Monsereau I
left Loier, and struck south east be the banks of the river of Chasteleraut
in Turrain, of whilk Tours is the capitall, the most renouned toune of
France for manufacturies of silks of all sorts. We dined at Chinon,
standing on that river 5 great leagues from Saumur. As we ware about a
league from Chinon, I leiving my guid a considerable distance behind me,
thinking that I bit always to keep close be the river syde, I went about a
mile wrong. The fellow thinking I was in the right way he strikes in the
right; I begines to look behind me. I cannot get my eye upon him; stands a
long tym under a shade very pensive. First I saw some sheirers (for in
France it was harvest then, being only the beginning of July wt the Scots)
at their dinner. I imagined that the fellow might have sit doune wt them to
take scare.[92] After waiting a long tyme I began to steep back, and
drawing neir the sheirers I could not discover him, whence a new suspition
entred in my head, because I had given him at Chinon, on his demand, 14
livres of 17 which I was to give him to defray all my charges to Poictiers,
that he had sliped away wt that that he might bear no more of my charges,
being sure enough that he would get his horse when I brought it to
Poictiers. All this tyme I never dreamed I could be out of the way, yet I
spered at the sheirers what might be the way to Richelieu, who told me I
was not in the way. Then I know the fellow bit to be gone that way, whence
I posted after him, and about a league from that place I overtook him
laying halfe sleiping in a great deall of care, the poor fellow wery blaith
to sy me. I demanded what was his thoughts, whether he thought I was a
voler that had run away wt his horse. He said he quaestioned not in the
least my honesty but he began to suspect I might have fallen amongs
robbers.
[92] Share, pot-luck.
Thus we came to Chopigni,[93] a pretty village a league from Richelieu, and
about 5 a cloack we entred Richelieu, a toune that give yeell consider its
bigness it hath not its match in France. For being about a mile in circuit,
besides a wery strong wall, it hath a considerable ditch environing it
having something of the nature of a pond; for it abounds wt all sorts of
fisches. The French calls it une canale. Being entred the toune ye have one
of the prettiest prospects thats imaginable. It hath only one street, but
that consisting of such magnifick stately houses that each house might be a
palace. Ye no sooner enter unto the toune but ye have the clear survey of
the whole wt its 4 ports; which comes to pass by the aequality of the
houses on both sydes of the street, which are ranked in such a straight
line that a Lyncaean or sharpest eye sould not be able to discover the
least inaequality of one houses coming out before another. They are all
reased also to the same hieght, that ye sall not sy one chimly hier then
another: for they are al 3 story hy and built after that same mode window
answering to window; so that ye sall sy a rank of about a hundred windows
in a straight line.
[93] Champigny.
But I hast to the Castle, which is bueatiously environed wt that same
canale on the banks of which are such pleasant arrangements
(palissades)[94] and umbrages of tries making allies to the length of halfe
a mile; in which I fand that same I had observed in the toune: the tries
ranked so aequally that its wonderfull to hear; tho monstrously hy yet all
of them observing such a aequality that ye sould find none arrogating
superiority over his neighbour. We entred the castle by a stately draw
bridge over the canale. Over the first gate stands a marble Lowis the 13,
this present kings father, on horseback: on his right hand stands Mars the
God of Armes; on his left Hercules wt his great truncheon or club.
[94] Interlined, palissades. Rows of trees planted close. Term
derived from fortification. See Littré's _Dict_.