some plot or conspiracy against the King or estat and could not prove it.
The Law is the same wt us, tho it seimes to carry injustice. On all hands I
am in danger: if I do not reveale it I am aequally guilty of the treason as
the actors are; if I rewealle it, I am immediatly made prisoner, tortured
to show all I know of it, put to prove what I say, in which if I failly I
lose my life. What can a man do when he have no proofes? He most tho'
reveall it and consequently lose his life; since after the truth sal appear
and he sal be held be all to have died gloriously as a weill wisher to his
country.
Its was strange of Cardinal Richelieu who know[224] all things that past
thorow France as if he had bein present, and 2 of the most intimate sould
not have spoken ill of him at Poictiers but he sould have knowen it or 4
dayes at Paris. Some imputed it to a familiar spirit he had, others to his
spies he had every wheir. He was _toute en toute_ in France in his tyme.
[224] Lauder's way of spelling knew. Compare p. 98, slow for slew.
The French mock at our sweit sauses and sugared sallades. Their salt is a
great deall better and more sawory then ours is. That which we parfait be
the fire, which cannot but in some measure consume the strenth of its
savorinesse, the sun denieng us it, they parfait be the sun. In Bearn or
Navarre they make it be the fire as we do; but they make more cont of that
which comes from the Rochel, which the Hollanders, Dans, and others carries
in abondance then of their. On the place wheir they make it its sold for a
sous marky[225] la livre, which costs at Poictiers 20 sous. In 2 heurs tyme
the sun will converte a great ditch full of sea water unto upright salt:
that they showle out, fills it again, and so in 3 moneth, May, Juin, July,
they make more salt then the fire maks in 2 years in Scotland: and wt lesse
cost and lesse pain. That our salt is whitter, its the effect of the fire,
since they could render theirs as white but it sould lose so werie much of
its savory. Their is a ile neir to that of St Christople which hath
montaines of Salt. The sea casts in the water on the dry land and the sun
convertes it immediatly, which beats their so violently that no corn can
grow; it rises but its brunt or it come to the head. The sugar growes
marvelously weill in it.
[225] _Sou marqué_. Copper coin worth fifteen deniers. That
was the value of the _sou parisis_. The _sou tournois_ was worth
twelve deniers.
The day before great fests, as _les Roys_[226] _Toussaints_, etc., their
fellows that wt white surplices and a pigful[227] of holy water wt a spung
in it goes thorow al the Catholick houses be-sprinkling the persons as also
the house, and so sanctifieng them that the Dewil dare not enter their;
passing by the Protestants houses as infected; or rather, as the Angel who
smote the first born of the Egyptians past the Israelits. At _Toussaints_
al are in ther best cloaths.
[226] Epiphany.
[227] Jarful.
Of the fal of our first parents its enquired what might have happened in
the case of the women alone sould have fallen, the man keiping his
integrity: wheither the children would have bein culpable wt the mother, or
innocent wt the father. 2'do if any children had bein born before the fal
they sould have bein exempt from the curse or not. 3'o if our parents fell
the same day they ware created. 4to who would be Cains wife, ether his
mother or a sister.
Upon what the Scripture teaches us, that for the 40 years the Israelites
ware in the wilderness their shoes nor their garments waxed not old, it may
be enquired what they did for cloaths to their childeren that ware born in
the wilderness, also theirs one that was 10 years old, another 20, at their
coming furth out of Egypt, they had cloathes and shoes meit for them at
that age, it may be demanded whow the same cloaths gained[228] them when
they came to be 30 or 40 year old. It seimes to be said that the cloaths
waxt wide as they grew.
[228] Fitted.
It may be demanded also, whither it was really a miracle in passing the rid
sea or give it was only at a low ebbe, since Moses know weill enough both
the sea and the desart, having feid his father-in-laws flocks their about
long tyme.
I demand, if our first parents had keipt their state of innocence whither
they would have procreat their children in that same faschion that man and
woman does now. It seims that they sould have copulated carnally, since
theirs no other raison assignable whey God sould have made distinction of
sex, since these sould have bein in wain: _at Deus et Natura nihil faciunt
frustra_. On the other hand I dare not say they sould have copulate
carnally when I consider the brutality and filthinesse of the act which
does no wayes agree wt the perfection wheirin they ware created. On the
supposition that they had keipt their innocence and begotten children, I
demand whither the children at their coming furth of the bellie sould have
had the vigueur that Adam had when he was created; or whither they bit to
be born litle that could nether speak nor go for the first 6 quarters of a
year as at present. This it seimes absurd to think, since that would have
argued wery much imperfection in the man, which I wil be wery loath to
think him capable of as he was in that state: the other syde seimes as
absurd, since its inconceivable to think whow Ewe could have born a strong,
robuste man of Adams strenth at the age of 30 years in hir womb.
I demand also whither Adam after he had lived many hundred years on earth
sould have died, gone to heaven and left the earth to his posterity, and so
after a long tyme his posterity to theirs. Necessity seimes to say that it
sould have bein so, since that if the fathers had not so made way to their
sons, or some ages the world sould not hold them all, for I suppose all
that hes lived in the world since Adam ware on the world at present, wt
them that are living on it even now, I am inclinable to think that we would
be put to seik some other new world besyde Americk to hold them. To think
on the other hand that he sould have died is as absurd, since its confessed
that the trie of Life was given him as a sacrament and signe he sould not
lay under the strock of death, for as death comes from that contrariety and
discord of the elements of whilk our bodies are composed, so the fruit of
this trie, at least typicaly, had the wertue of maintaining the contrary
elements in a parfait concord and by consequence of vindicating a man from
Death.
I demand in what season of the year the world was created. I find a great
rable of the Scolasticks, as testifies Lerees[229] in his physical
_disputa. de mundo_, teaching that it was in the spring tyme; and that the
sun began his course in the first degree of Aries; that it is from this
that the Astrologians begines their calculations, at Aries as the first
signe of the Zodiack; that it was at this tyme that Christ suffered,
restauring the world at that same season wheirin it fell. But who sies not
the emptinesse of their reasons. Theirs another rank who think it was
created in the Automne, since that Moses mentioned rip apples, which in the
spring tyme are only virtually in their cause. Others wt greater reason
condamne al thir autheurs as temerare and rash, since that Spring in our
Hemispbere is Automne in the other.
[229] Lery or Leri, Jean de, was a traveller and Protestant divine,
but I do not find trace of such a work as this.
About the Bi-location of bodies, I would demand the Popelings, in the case
wheirin a army is made up of one man replicate in 1000 places, whither he
shall have the strenth of one man or 1000: if one be wounded or slain, if
all the rest shal be wounded or slain: also whither he can be hot at Paris
and cold at Edin'r, headed at Paris, hanged at Edin'r, dy at Paris, live in
good health at Edin'r, wt infinite other alleaged by Lerees and others.
When he was at Poictiers a Gentleman accused of seweral murders and
imprisoned escaped in womens cloaths about the gloaming, whom we saw passe
thorow the street, giveng al ground of suspicion by the terror and
amazement he was in; letting a scarf fal in on part, his napkin in another,
his goun taille fell doune in a thrid. Yet none seazed on him. At the port
of the toune he had a horse waiting for him on which he escaped.
A litle after that a Mareschal, or ferrier, or Smith felled on of his boyes
at the Scotes Walk because he demanded money of him, escaped to Lusignan,
wheir he was taken.
Just about the same tyme on a stormy, vindy night a rich Candlemakers
(which office is not so dishonorable heir as wt us, their daughters wil be
going in their satins) booth was broken up, 40 pistols, which he had
receaved in payment just the day before, and which he had left in a box of
the table, stollen. Persones wil do weill then to keip quiet any mony they
have as weill as they can: according the tenor of my fathers letter.
On the day after _Toussaint_ is a feste til noon called _les
Trespassez_[230]. The papists prayes for their dead ancestres, over their
graves mumbling so many paters and so many ave'es.
[230] _Trépassés_, All Souls.
They have a apple in France called _pomme de Calvile_, its all rid thorow
to the wery heart, _pomme blanche_.
In case of fire in a toune the neirest bel, or the bel of that paroiche
wheir it is, ringes.
In Octobre heir, tho reasonably sharp, they have upright[231] Summer
weather, its so fair.
[231] Equivalent to 'downright.'
Our peirs that growes at home are all out as delicious, vitness the
carnock, as any we have eaten in France, tho they grow their in greater
abondance. As to the Apples we most not conteste wt them, since beseids
many brave sorts they have the pipin, which I conceive most be that they
call Reynett, brought unto France from Italy by Queen Blanche, mother of
St. Louis: it was first fund in Africk. The _pomme Minion_ is better then
any of ours: our Marican seimes to be a degenerat sort of it.
The silver hat-strings are much in use at present: they sell them by the
weight. The tabby doublets wt the silk [called wats][232] furring wtin are
also in faschion: wery warm in winter, cost 20 franks. Men and women from
the least to the greatest, yea not the wery keel wifes and fruit wifes, but
they have manchon muffes. A man cannot get a good one under a pistol: some
of a meiner size are sold for 6 or 4 francks. Our best furrings comes out
of Musco'e. Chamois gloves and linnens mad of goats skines, which are found
better in Poictou then in any other province of France, are not in so great
cont[233] wt them as wt us; yet they find them wondrously warm; some
thinkes them strenthning and corroborative of a feeble hand. We have sein
som buy them to lay swallings of their handes. Perruvicks, besydes they are
most faschious, they are destructive both to the body, since they are wery
unwholsome, engendring humeurs; as also to the purse, they being
extravagantly dear thorow all France, especially at Paris, wheir its a wery
mean one a man will get for 4 pistols; and a man can have no fewer then 2
at a tyme, on to change another.
[232] Interlined. Wats, _ouates_.
[233] Estimation.
We have spoken wt some Catolicks that have bein at Geneve. The disciplin is
very strick their yet. A Catholick if a craftsman they suffer him to
excerce his trade 3 moneth: they'le let him stay no longer. If a man swear
their, he'el be layd in prison, lay their 24 howers wtout meat or drink. A
man cannot speak wt a woman on the Street wtout giving scandal. The Sabath
is keipt as we do, nothing to be sold their on it, as thorow France its the
greatest market day of the week, the peasants bringing in al they have to
sell in abondance. Its the resort of al the banished Germans, Italians and
other strangers that would enjoy the excercise of their Religion freely and
purely.
In shaving a man, its impossible for a Frenchman to cut a man; they have
such a net way of baging the flech: also it would do a man good to be
washen wt their water, whiles rose water, whiles smelling of musck: tho
their fingers stinkes whiles, the French dighting their staille[234] wt
their fingers, thinking it prodigality to do it wt paper: yett ther Kings
of old did so, to teach their peaple frugality: hence it is that the
Frenchman wil not eat til he wash: wil not eat wt ye til ye wash: for my
oune part I would not eat wt a Frenchman til he wash.
[234] Foundation, breech.
Fresch egges are wery dear wairs in France. At Paris they are 5 pence a
peice, at Poictiers a shiling a dozen. They fry their egges differently
from us: they break them first in a plate: in the meantym they fry a
considerable lump of butter, then pours in the egges salting and spicing
them. Their hens are not so fertile as ours.
Our speaking of egges mindes me of Christophorus Colomba Lusitanian, a
experienced skiper, first discowrer of the new world, tho he had gotten
some encouradgements and conclusions about it from on Vespucius Americus
Florentin, from whom it gets its denomination of America. Colomba on a tyme
walking on the harbory of Lisbon, a toune knowen for the emporium of the
east, such a boystrous wind blow to him iust of the sea that he could not
get his feet holden; on this he began to reason that the wind could not
come of the Sea, but that of necessity their bit to[235] be land beyond
that sea, tho unknoun, of whilk[236] that wind bit to[235] blow, for the
vapors or exhalations drawen of the sea are not so grosse as thess that
montes of the land: and be consequence cannot produce such boystrous
vindes. This his opinion he imparted to sewerall: at lenth it came to
Ferdinando'es ears, who at the persuasions of Isabella his queen, a woman
of greater spirit and more action then hir husband, equippes Columba a
fleet, wt which after he had born out many stormes he gained his point,
returning wt some few of his shipes that ware left him loadened wt the gold
of the country.
[235] Must.
[236] i.e. though unknown, off which.
The King accepted him wery kindly, as he had reason, but his courtiers out
of that enwious nature of detracting from the merites of others, thinking
that theirs no way of gaining themselfes credit unless they backhit at
others, each most passe their seweral werdict on his attempt, al
concluding that it was nothing, that any man might have done it. The
honest, silly man hears them at this tyme patiently, when they have al done
he calles for a egge: desires them al to try if the could make it stand on
the end of it: they, not knowing his designe, try it all: it goes round
about al the table, not one of them can make it stand so. Then he takes the
egge, brakes the bottome of it, and so it standes upright, they being al
most ashamed, else further he addes, As now after I have let you sie whow
to do it, ye think nothing to make a egge stand upright: tho none of you
could do it before: sikelike after I have found you the gate to the new
world ye think nothing of it tho ye could not have done it yourselfes. They
thought themselfes wery far out.
Horrid and unchristian was the outrages the Spaniards committed on the poor
natives. They slow them like beasts. Further they carried over whole
shipeful of mastives which they hunted the naked Indians with; and I know
not how many millions ware torn this way.
The sogers ware so beastly that they could not refrain from laying and
abusing the Indian women, which gave them the _verole picot_ or French pox,
surely the just iudgement of god, wt a iudgement not knowen to former ages,
punishing men wt shame in this world. The Spaniards brought it from America
to Naples, infected some Napolitan women wt it, whence called _Morbus
Napolitanus_; thir women gave it to some French sogers who brought it unto
France, whence called wt us French pox, now its become universall. Philip
of Spaine who died August 1665 was owergoon wt it, they say.
The Indians calles the Spaniards Veracochié, which in their language
signifies scume of the sea. Out of contempt and because they assaulted them
first from the sea, they curse the sea always that vomited out sick
monstres. Some chances to tel them of heaven and hell: wheiron they have
demanded wheir the Spaniards would go to: they hearing that they would go
to heaven, they sayed they would not go their then, for the Spaniards ware
to bloody and cruell to stay wt.
To informe our selfes fully of the singularites of America and other
things it will be fitting for us to buy _Pancerollas[237] Vetera deperdita_
and his _Nova reperta_, as also Howels[238] Letters, Osburnes[239] advices
to his sone, etc.
[237] Panceroli, Guido, 1523-1599, Italian jurist. The work referred
to is _Kerum memorabilium jam olim deperditarum at contra recens
atque ingeniose inventarum_. Hamburg, 1599.
[238] Howell, James, 1594-1666, Historiographer Royal to Charles II.,
published several series of _Familiar Letters_.
[239] Osborne, Francis, 1589-1659, author. _The Advice to a Son_
was written for his son when at Oxford.
Its a custome in Pictou that if a gentlewomen would have hir galland passe
his gates[240] or any other to a other they have no more ado but to set the
wood on one of the ends of it in the chemly and they wil not readily stay.
[240] Go away.
In France the father of the bride, if on life, accompany'es his daughter to
the church; the worthiest of the company leading hir home, as wt us: yet at
Saumur the bridegrome leds home his oune spouse.
In France they observe that they have usually great rains about Martimess,
which we saw werified. When a great rain hath fallen we have sein al sortes
of peaple, prentises wt others, wt racks and shovles cume furth to cleange
the gutters and make the passage clear that it may not damme before their
doores; for the streets are but narrow at Poictiers and none of the
neitest. Orleans hath wery neit streets, amongs others on that goes from
the end of toune to the other.
A woman laying in child birth they call _commair_.
Our curds and whey (which they make not so oft as we) they call _caill
botte_.[241] Milk is a great delicat in France. I never hard it cried up
and doune the streits, as its wt us, tho they have many cries we have not.
[241] _Caillebotte_, curds,
They report of their sorciers and sorciares victches that they have their
assembles and dances wt the Dewill, especially the evening of _Marde gras_.
They look on the _corbique_ or raven as a bad prognostick of death; the pie
tells that some strangers's to come.
The Jesuites whipes their scollers wery cruelly, yea they whipt on to death
at Poictiers: yet the father could obtaine nothing against them. The
greatest affront that can be done to a woman is to cut the tayle of hir
goune from hir, or even to cast ink in her face, since that a lovely face
is the principal thing that commends a woman, hence as the greatest
reproach a man can be upraided wt is _bougre_ or _j'en foute_; so the
greatest of their railings against a woman is to say, _vous avez eu la robe
coupé au queue_. It hath bein practicat on some.
A man would take good heed that he never desire a woman a drink in company,
for the Frenchwomen take it in very il part, and some hath gotten on the
cheak for it.
They think a man does them honour in making them go before him; so that a
Frenchman wil never readily steep in before any woman of faschion, tho it
be just contraire in our country.
The 11 of November is St. Martins day, a very merry day in France. They
passe it in eating, drinking and singing excesivelie. Every one tasts his
new wine that day, and in tasting it takes to much; their be wery few but
they are full. The Suisses and Alemmands (who drink like fisches, as we
know in Mr. le Baron and his creatures at Orleans, each man each night
could not sleip wt out his broll[242] or pot, which the Frenches their
_L'abbé Flacour_ and _Brittoil_ mockt at) findes only 3 good festes in
France, Mr. St. Martin,[243] Mr. les trois Rois, and Mr. marde gras,
because al drinkes bitch full thess dayes.
[242] I have not found this word elsewhere.
[243] It was customary to speak of saints as Monsieur St. Martin,
Mme. Ste. Catherine, etc. Lauder extends the usage (whether
correctly or not) to Mardi Gras.
On the morrow after opened the Palais, which sits neir 10 moneth togither,
whither we went to sie the faschion. First their massers have not silver
masses as ours have, only litle battons, yea the massers to the parliament
at Paris have no more. Next none most bring nether swords nor spurs wtin
any of the bars: the reason whey swords have bein discharged is because
that judges and conseillers have bein several tymes assasinate on the bench
be desperate persons poussed forward be revenge; whence a man bringing on
wtin the bar wil be made prisoner: yet we had ours the first day.
The judges being sit doune on the bench, the Kings Advocat began a
harangue, reading it of his papers, wery elegantly extolling the lily or
_fleur de lis_ above al other flowers, and then France and its Kings above
all other nations, alleging that the whitnese and brightnese of the lily
denotated the purity and integrity of justice thats don in France. He
ending, the president in his scarlat robes (for they war al so that day wt
their 4 nooked black bonnets lined wt scarlet) began a very weill conceaved
harangue in the commendation of justice and vertu. That being done they
gave their oath wt the Advocats and procureurs or Agents (for they swear
anew every sitting doune of the Palais, when we give but one oath for all
wt us and that at the entry vnto to the office); the judges that they sal
passe no sentence contrare to ther conscience, but that they sal judge
_2dum allegata et probata_; the Advocats that they shal never patronize a
false cause; and if any cause they have taken in hand appeir after to them
false, that they sall immediatly forsake it: that they shal plead the
causes of the widow and orpheling, etc.
The Praesidial of Poitou at Poictiers is the greatest of France: yea it
consistes of mo conseillers or judges (to wit, about 30 wt 2 Kings
Advocats, 2 Kings procureurs), is of greater extent then several
parliaments: their be not so many membres in the parliament of Grenoble,
which is for Dauphiné, etc. The parliament of Dijon for Burguiogne hath not
so great extent.
The song they sing at St. Martins is thus:
'Pour celebrer la St. Martins,
Il nous fault tous chantre et boire
Celuy quy a converty L'eau au Vin
Pour luy que ne doibt on point faire
A[244] le bon vein, bon vein, bon vein,
Chasse de la melancolie
Je te boire[245] Jusque a la lie.'
[244] Probably for Ah!
[245] For _boirai_.
My host after his drinking of his glasse of wine, usually lifting up his
eyes to heaven in admiration, shakt his head (as we remember Charles his
nurse did at the seck),[246] crying, oh but win is a good thing (tho poor
man I never saw him drunk), protesting that he would not live in our
country because he could not drink ordinarly win so cheap.
[246] Sack.
Its a little strange to sie what alteration a sad accident may procure in a
man: befor that scandal he fel under by his wife wt Mr. Douglas, to wit, in
the tyme of Mr. Hope and my cousin Mr. Elies (as he and his wife
confesses), he was one of gailliardest, merriest fellows that one could
find amongs 100, ever since that, tho' he reteans something of his former
gailliardness, taking it by fits, yet he is not like the man he was, as
Madame hath told me. I seeing him mo jalous then a dog of his wife because
she loved so weill to play at the carts and wandring from hir house to hir
commorads, likt better their houses then hir oune. Oh, but she was blith
when he went to the country upon any affair, she minding him of his affairs
at Partenay or elsewheir to have him away; and in the interim from the
morning to 12 howers at even, even whiles at midnight, she would not have
bein wtin a hower.
There ware only 5 or 6 of the women of the Religion that ware players at
carts (as Mr. Dailly reproached sewerall tymes his wife, that she bit be on
of them) all thir, when he was goon, come branking[247] ay to hir house,
collationing togither. The first 3 moneth I was their she used all the
persuasions she could to draw me to be on of their society, or at least to
bear hir halfe in the gaine and the losse (whiles she would loss 2 crounes,
tho she made hir husband beleife she wan), but I would do none of them
(remembering my fathers expresse to beware of play, especially at carts and
wt sick creatures), alleadging always that I knew nothing of the play. They
offered to learn me, for they came seweral tymes a purpose to draw me on,
but I sayd I had other thing ado. I am exceedingly weill satisfied at this
present I did not engage. She hath told me ay, O Mr. Hope have played wt
us: I replied Mr. Hope might do what he pleased. Return Mr Dailly when he
please he could never find his wife wtin: some tymes he would have come
home at 12 howers wheir she expected not: when she would come home and find
him their, oh whow coldly would she welcome him and the least thing would
that day put her out of hir patience, for she had ether in the afternoon
tristed to come again to them, or tristed them to come to hir.