Thus shortly out of many things, Henry the 4't was a most galliard,
pleasant, and merry prince: his queens Marguerit (as we show else wheir)
was thought to play by him. On a tyme as he was making himselfe merry
dancing a ballat wt some of his nobility, each being obliged to make a
extemporary sonnet as it cam about to him to dance, the our-word[248]
being, _un cucou mene un autre_, it fel the Marquis of Aubigni (who was of
Scots progeny, his goodsire was Robert Stuart Mareschal of France under
François the first; it was this Aubigni who told Henry when he was wounded
by the Jesuists scoller in the mouth, God, sire, hath suffered you to be
stoobed in the mouth, etc.) to dance wt the King in his hand and make his
couplets, which I fand right quick:
[248] Ourword, overword, refrain, like ourcome and ourturn.
'Si toutes les femmes vouloyent
les hommes cuco seroyent;
les Roys comme les autres,
un cuco mene un autre,'
Henry confessed he had win at him in his sonnet.
Follows some enigmes found in a Romance penned by Beroaldus,[249] named _le
voyage des princes fortunez_, wtout the explication, whence Mr Daillé set
me on work to resolve them: resolved sewerall betuixt us.
[249] Beroalde de Verville, François, 1558-1612, philosopher,
mathematician, and author of lighter works. _The Voyage_ was
published in 1610. Paris.
Un pere a douze fils qui lui naissent sans femme,
Ces douze aussi sans femme engendrent des enfants;
Quand un meurt l'autre naist et tous vivent sans ame.
Noires les filles sont, et les males sont blancs.
(The Year.)
Un corp qui n'a point d'ame a une ame mouuante,
N'ayant point de raison il rend raison des temps;
Bien quil n'ait pas de vie une vie agissante
Sans vie se fait vivre marchant sur ses dents.
(A cloack.)
Their follows that of a coffin that none care for, then,
Voulant aller au ciel, si je suis empeschée,
Les ieuz des assistans en larmes couleront;
Si pleurent sans regret ie ne suis pas faschée
Car quaud j'iray au ciel leur larmes cesseront.
(Its rick.)[250]
[250] Reek, smoke.
Le vivant de moy vive sa nurriture amasse
Je recoy les vivans haut et bas se suivans
Lorsque ie suis tué sur les vivans je passe,
Et ie porte les vifs par dessus les vivans.
(A oak wt its fruit feiding swine,
then cut and made in a ship
cairyes men over fisches.)
Bienque ie sois petit i'ay une soeur geante
Qui me rends de grands coups qu'encore je lui rends;
Nous faisons ceste guerre entre nous bien seante.
Car c'est pour la beauté de nos propre parens.
(The hammer and smiths studie.)
Je n'ay sang, os, ny chair, nerfe, muscles ni artere,
Bien que i'en sois produit et n'en tien rien du toute
Propre a bien et a mal je fais effect contraire.
Sans voix parlant apres qu'on ne a trunche la bout.
(A pen.)
Non male, non femelle, ains tout oeill en substance
Sans cesser il produit des enfans differens.
De la mort des ses fils ses fills[251] ont naissance
Et d'icelles mourant d'autres fills sont naisant.
[251] For _filles_.
(The Sun wt the day and night.)
Selon mon naturel ie m'escoule legere.
Mais par fois mon voisin m'estraint de ses liens.
Adonque on me void la mere de ma mere
Et puis fille de ma fille en apres ie deviens.
(Ice reduced to water.)
Ma soeur est comme moy de grande bouche fournis.
Elle l'a contre bas et moy deuer les cieux
I'ayde aux conservateurs d'appetit et de vie--
Et ma soeur (as I friend to the sick, so she) aux coeur devotieux.
(A bel and the Apothecaries morter.)
D'une estoffe solide a point on me fait faire
Pour servir au endroits ou loge la soucy.
Mon maistre me cognoit lui estre necessaire,
Car ie lui garde tout, il me tien chere ausi.
(A key.)
Elle a le poill dedans et dehors est sa graisse
Et si peut elle ainsi au jour failly praevoir
Mesme en plein nuict les autres elle adresse
Faisant voir a plusieurs ce quelle ne peut voir.
(A candle.)
On cognoist au oiseau qui n'a point de plumage
Qui donne a ses petits de son teton le laict.
When it sies we sie not; when we sy it sies not.
(A batt.)
Ouvert de l'un des bouts une queue on me donne
Afin qu'avec le bec je la traine par tout,
Puis conduite au labeur que ma Dame ordonne
Je laisse a chasque pas de ma queue le bout.
(A neidle.)
Trois ames en un corps distinguées d'essence
Ensemble subsistoyent not knowing they ware so many,
Deux enfin ont pris l'air, puis de mesme apparence
En trois corps distinguez chacum les a peu voir.
(A woman wt tuines.)
We saw a book, originally written in Latin by a Spaniard,[252] translated
in French, entituled, Histoire du grand royaume de la Chine situe aux Indes
Orientales, contenant la situation, Antiquité, fertilité, Religion,
ceremonies, sacrifices, Rois, Magistrats Moeurs, us,[253] Loix, et autres
choses memorables du dit Royaume, etc., containing many things wery
remarkable and weill worth the reading. showing how its bounded on al
hands, having the Tartars for its neirest neibhours, whom it descrives
whow it was discovered first by the Portugais, and the Spaniards at Mexico
in Americk.
[252] Gonzalez de Mendoza.
[253] Usages.
To the wondrous fertility of the country, much of it laying to the same
climat wt Italy, the Inhabitants addes great industry: no vagabonds nor
idle persons being suffered amongs them but punished vigorously. They have
no cloath. The meanest of the natives are cloathed in silk: its so rife
their that its to be had almost for nothing.
France also hath some silk wormes wtin it selfe; but besydes the peins they
most be at to feid them wt fresch mulberry leaves, they have no great
abondance of them, whence they draw the most of their silk from Italy wheir
its in great abondance; as Florence, litle republic of Lucques, Messin, as
also from Grenade. Oranges of Chine are knowen for the best of the world.
Cannel[254] (which growes not in France) is in its excellency their.
[254] Cinamon.
In selling and buying all things solid they weight them, even their mony,
which hath no stamp, as in selling selks and other sick things, wheirin
ther cannot be so meikle knavery as in metting them by elles.
Great abondance of silk caddez[255] cotton produced by a trie (not growing
in france, but just as the tries distilles the pick)[256] as of musk, wt
the manner whow they make it.
[255] A kind of cloth.
[256] Pitch.
The realme is found some 1800 leagues in longitude; 3000 in circumference.
Its divided unto 15 great Provinces, each plenished wt wast cities, som of
them taking 2 dayes to compasse them.
Their follows a description of the natural disposition, traits of face,
sorts of cloaths wt the excercises the men and women are addicted to. They
are al Pagans, worshiping plurality of gods, seweral things in their
religion symbolizing wt the Christian, which may be imputed to some seeds
of the Gospel the Aposle Thomas sowed their in going to the Indians, wheir
he was martyred.
Divers good laws they have; one discharging expressely and prohibiting al
natives of going out wtout the Royaume, for fear of bringing in strange
customes, descharging any strangers to enter wtout express licence. The
rights of succession of children to parents are almost the same as wt us.
By infallible records to their admiration they fand that both the art of
artillery, invented as was thought in Germany, and printing, invented, as
is beleived, by Jean de Guttenberg, Allemand, not 200 years ago, ware
amongs them, and of al older standing. Infinite other things we remit to be
sought in the _Histoir_.
We are informed that a lardship of 5000 livres rent wil sell in France for
a 100,000 livres; and by consequence a place of 15,000 livres a year at a
100,000 crounes;[257] the prix being ay 20 years rents. It may wary in many
places of France. Location-conduction[258] of lands, called their ferming,
are wery usuall in France; yea, the most part of Gentlemens houses rises wt
that, having bein first fermier or goodmen[259] (as we calle them) of the
place. The ordinar tyme of the take is 5 or 7 year, not on of a 100, and
yea being wiser then we wt our 19 and doubled 19 year takes.[260] In the
contract they have many fin clauses by whilk the fermier is bound to
meliorat the ground in all points as by planting of hedges and fruit tries,
substituting by ingraftments young ones in the room of old ones decayed;
finaly he is tyed to do all things comme un bon pere de famille feroit.
[257] The crown is hero taken at 3 livres, or 5s. sterling (taking the
livre at 1s. 8d. sterling).
[258] _Locatio conductio_, the Roman contract of letting and
hiring.
[259] According to Jamieson's _Dict_. goodman meant (1) a
proprietor or laird, (2)then a _small_ proprietor, (3)latterly, a
farmer.
[260] Tacks, leases.
We have already exemplified the hatred thats betuixt the Castillan und
Portugaize, we'el only tel another. A Spaniard Bischop was once preaching
on that, Let brotherly love continue, he say'd the French are our brother,
the Italian our brother, Allemand, Scotes, English, etc., our brether; yea,
I durst almost say that the Portugaiz is our brother almost also.
Many other stories I could report heir, as that of the poor man who fand
himselfe marvelously filled wt the smell of meat in a cooks choop happened
at Paris, and how the cook was payed by the gingling the mony, related by
Cleark in his Exemples: that of the gentleman runing a race and giving the
last to the Dewil, and the Dewils depriving the last of his shaddow; tho I
can not conceive how the Dewil can hinder a body to cast a shaddow unless
he perpetually interpose himself betuixt that man and the sun: that of the
English to be married to a Scotsman, whom William Broun was admonishing of
hir duty, that the man was the head of the woman, she quickly replieing
that he bit to be her head, she bit to be the hat on his head above him,
William sayd, that he would take his hat then and fling it amongs his feet:
that of the tooth drawer and the lavement out of the History of
Francion:[261] that of him who playing at the bowls in John Tomsons greine
wt a English Captaine, casting out togither, wrong his nose so sore til it
bled againe; being pershued by the Englishman for the wrong done, and put
to his answers, being demanded of the fact, he replied he had only wipt his
nose a litle straiter than he used to do his oune: that of King James and
the collier, ye sould obey a man in his oune house: that apparition Henry
the 4t saw as he was hunting in his pare at Fontainbleau, crying, _Amendez
vous_: also that daughter of Brossier that feigned the Demoniack so weill
wt its circumstancies, to be found in Du Serres[262] History of Henry the
4t.: that of the Scotsman at Paris who wan so much be a slight promising
the peaple to let them sy a horse wt its taille wheir its head sould be:
that of on Martin Merry, who on a tyme pressing to win in to sie the King,
the great Tresorier of England was at the door, who seing him so pert
demanded him whither he would go; he replied, he would sie the King; the
Thersorer told him he could not sie the King; then, he replied, I know what
I'le do then; the thresorer thinking he was bravado'ing him, demanded him
what can ye do, Sir; he answered, I'le go back the way I came then, My
Lord; he finding the answer wery good, he immediatly went and told the King
what had passed, who commanded Martin to be brought in and fel to and
talked wt him. Also the story of the Baron de la Crasse, place, place,
etc. Also the comoedy intituled Les Visionnaires. Also the reply of a
excellent painter who had children wery deformed, on demanding whow it came
that he drow sick exquisite portraits and had such il made children, ye
neid not wonder at that, sayd he, since I make my portraits in the day and
my children in the night.
[261] See p. 82, note.
[262] Jean de Serres, 1540-1598, author of works on the history of
France and theology.
A man may get his portrait drawen in France, especially at Orleans, for a
Pistoll. J. Ogilvy'es hal is all hung about wt portrait's of Gentlemen, al
Scots, save only one Englishman (whom Lostis[263] alleadged to have the
manliest face of all the company; we on the contrare, that he had the
sheipest), one womans called Richeson, whom my L. Rutherfurd[264] was in
great conceit of; Johns oune portrait is tuise their, his eldest sones as a
litle boy, his daughters, My Lord [Bards],[265] Newbyths,[266] My Lord
Cinhoules[267] brother, wt whom J. Ogilvie came to France as page; Sir
Robert Flecher of Salton, who died the winter before I came to France;
David Ramsay, a brother of the Provests,[268] so like him that I took it
for the Provests at first. Mr. Hayes was the last that was drawen, who
parted from J.'s house to make the tour of France the March before I
arrived, wt divers other pictures. At Mr. Douls house we remarked the same
in his sale;[269] only they ware all Englishmen, save on Sword whose father
was Provest of Aberdeen, and who when King Charles the 1t was at Newcastle
chapt him on his shoulder and impudently told him, he had spent our meikle.
[263] Query, l'hostesse, l'hôtesse, Mme Ogilvy.
[264] Probably Andrew Rutherfurd, first lord, a lieutenant-general in
the French service, created Lord Rutherfurd, 1661. Governor of
Dunkirk, Earl of Teviot, 1663, governor of Tangier, where he was
killed, 1664. His patent as Lord Rutherfurd entitled him to
bequeath the peerage to whom he pleased, and he left it to his
kinsman Sir Thomas Rutherfurd of Hunthill, served heir 1665, died
1668.
[265] Interlined.
[266] Sir John Baird, advocate, 1647, lord of Session (title Newbyth)
1667, superseded 1681, restored 1689, died 1698, aged seventy-
seven.
[267] Kinnoul's.
[268] Sir Andrew Ramsay, afterwards a lord of Session (title
Abbotshall). Lauder married his daughter.
[269] _Salle_, hall.
We most not forget the Capucin, who, gazing on a stage play, had his prick
stowed[270] from him instead of his purse. Also the good sport we have
made wt Spiny when we presented him the rose filled wt snuffe, dewil!
willain! ye most be hooled,[271] ye most, etc. I'm sorry for your case,
etc. Also that we made wt Dowy when on night in our Basseler[272] year at
night after the examination we put out the candles, I skein[273] brist him
til he farted; then he brought Mr. Hew on us, he crieng, Douglas, Doug.;
Lauder L., my hat amang you. Russel lay like a mart[274] in the midst of
the stair; wt many other sports.
[270] Stown, stolen.
[271] Husked, probably gelded.
[272] Bachelor.
[273] Possibly J. Skein (Skene); brist = squeezed.
[274] Carcass of an ox or cow killed about Martinmas for winter
provision.
The Laws of France permits, or at least forgives, a man to slay his wife if
he take hir in the wery act of adultery; but if he slay hir after a litle
interwall, as if he give hir lieve to pray a space, he is punished as a
murderer, since its to be praesumed that that iust fury which the willanous
act of his wife pouses him to, and which excuses his fact (since according
to Solomon even wery Jalousie is the fury of a man) is layd in that
interwal, so that he cannot be excused from murder. Both hath bein
practicat seweral tymes in France.
The punishment of women that beats their good men in Poictiers is that they
are monted on a asse wt their face to the taile, in this posture conveyed
ignominiously thorow all the toune: the hangman accompanieng them.
We most not forget the sport K. James made wt his fool who to chasse away
the axes[275] had flied[276] him, and whow the poor fellow was found dead.
[275] Ague.
[276] Frightened.
The K. of France drawes more then a 100 million a year as revenues out of
France besydes extraordinary taxations.
Theirs a wery observable difference betuixt on thats drunk wt win and on
drunk wt beir, the win perpetually causes to stagger and fall forward; the
beir and alle[277] backward.
[277] Ale.
A women drowen[278] is carried wt the water on her belly, a man on his
back.
[278] Drowned.
Their ware 4 peasants in a French village on a tyme discoursing about the
King. They sayd it was a brave thing to be a King. If I ware King (said the
first) I would rest wt ease all the day on that hy stack wt my vomb up to
the sun: the 2nd, if I ware King I would eat my sup every day swimming wt
bacon: the 3d, I would feid my swine _a cheval_: the 4t, Alas, ye have left
me nothing to choose; ye have chosen all the best things.
Francois the 1t was a King that loved exceedingly to discourse and hear the
minds of al ranks of peaple, as even our James. For that effect he seweral
tymes disguised himselfe and all alone gon to discours wt common peaple. On
a tyme he fand a poor man digging a ditch: he demanded what he wan every
day by his peins. 5 pence at most, quothe he. What family have ye? I have
my wife, 4 bairns and my old mother whom I nourish; but, further, I most
divide my 5 pence into 3 parts every day: by on part I pay my debt, another
I lean, the thrid, nourishes us. Whow can that be, can 10 turners[279]
maintain you a whole day? Sir, 10 I give to my old mother every day as
payment of what she bestowed on me when I was young; 10 I lean[280] to my
children, that when I am old and cannot work they may pay me again; the
other 10 is betuixt my wife and me. The King proponed this to the courtiers
to resolve him, etc.
[279] Turner, a copper coin equal to two pennies Scots or one bodle.
Thus the 5 English pence, which the man got, are equal to 5 sous
or 5 shillings Scots, and so to 60 deniers or 60 pennies Scots, or
30 turners.
[280] Lend.
In France a man wil do weill to take heid what women he medles wt; for if
he get a woman of degre below himself wt child he most ether mary hir or
tocher hir: if his aequal, ether marry hir or be hanged (which few
chooses): if she be far above his condition (especially if a valet engrosse
his masters daughter or sister not married) he is hanged wtout al process
_brevi manu_; the maid is thrust unto a convent to lead repentance their
for hir lifetyme, since she hath prostrat hir honor so basely.
While I was at Poictiers a young fellow got a wanton cocquette, a cream
keiper, wt child. For fear he sould be put to marry hir he quietly went and
enrolled himselfe amongs the sogers whom the King was levieng at Poictiers.
She gets notice of it, causes clap him fast and lay him prisoner. The
Captain came to seik back his soger, since he was under the protection of
the King, but he could not praevaile: they replied, if he war their for
debt they would villingly release him, but since he was criminal they could
not.
A soger may make his testament _quolibet modo_ in France: he may write it
on the sand, the dust as his paper, his sword he may make his pen and his
blood his ink, according to Justin. T. Institut.[281] _de Testam. Militis_.
[281] Justinian, _Inst_., 2. II.
Seweral tymes they have bein 3 moneth wtout a drop of rain in France, in
which cases they make a great deall of Processions to obtain rain, tho they
never do anything.
Some winters it freezes so hard wt us (as Mr. James [P. Ramsay][282] is
Author, to wit, that winter after the visitation in 1646 when the Colledge
was translated to Lighgow),[283] that in a basin of water after ye have
lift your hand out of the water ere ye dip it again it was al covered wt a
thin striphen[284] ice, and the 3d, 4t, etc. tymes.
[282] Interlined. It appears to be a correction. Patrick Ramsay was
'laureated' in 1646.
[283] The plague in Edinburgh, 1645-6, obliged the University to
remove to Linlithgow for a few months.--Waldie's _History of
Linlithgow_.
[284] Striffan, film.
On the 17 of November opened the Law University at Poictiers, at present
the most famous and renouned in France, usually consisting of above tuo 100
scholers, some coming to it from Navarre in the very skirts of Spain,
sewerals from Tholouse, Bordeaux, Angiers, Orleans, Paris, Rouan, yea from
Berry it selfe, tho formerly Bourges was more renouned--their's almost
nothing to be had their now--and tho in all these places their be
Universities.
On its opening Mr. Umeau, our Alex'rs Antagonist, and who that year
explained of the D.,[285] belonging _ad nuptias_, made a harangue of wery
neit Latin, which is the property of this University. His text was out of
the 4't book of the C.T.[286] 5 _de condictio Indeb. l., penultima_, whence
he took occasion to discourse of the Discord amongs the Jurise.[287]
raising 2 _quoest. 1'o, utrum recentiores sunt proeferendi antiquioribus:
2'do, utrum juniores natu maioribus_, wheir he ran out on the advantage of
youth: _Quot video Juvenes candidatos tot mihi videor videre aequissimos
Servios, sublimissimos Papinianos gravissimos Ulpianos, et disertissimos
Cicerones: quod plura[288] stellae indubio[289] sunt jae magnitudines in
Sphaerâ nostra Literariâ._
[285] Digest.
[286] Code, title.
[287] Jurisconsults.
[288] Query, _plures_.
[289] Query, _sindubio_.
The Rector of the University was their, the Mair, the Eschewines, the
President of the Palais, the University of the Physicians, wt a great heap
of al orders, especially Jesuits.
We might easily discover that basenese we are so subiect to in detracting
from what al others do'es but ourselves in that groundless censur of many
things in this harangue which our Alex'r had wt another of his partizans.
Mr. Filleau (very like Edward Edgar) gives a paratitle on the title _pro
socio_: he is on of the merriest carles that can be, but assuredly the
learnest man in that part of France, for the Law. _Pro socio, pro socio_,
quoth he, whats that to say _pro socio_, Trib.[290] speaks false Latin or
non-sense, always wt sick familiar expressions.
[290] Tribonian.
Mr. Roy, whoss father was Doctor before him, explained that year T.C.[291]
_de rescindenda vendit_. Mr. Gaultier, who left Angiers and came to be a
Doctor their, explained the title of the canon L.,[292] _de simoniâ et ne
quid pro spiritualibus exigatur_.
[291] Title of the Code.
[292] Lex.
For Mr. Alex'r its some 17 years since he came to France; he had nothing
imaginable. Seing he could make no fortune unless he turned his coat, he
turned Papist; and tho he had passed his course of Philosophy at Aberden,
yet he began his grammar wt the Jesuits; then studied his philosophy, then
married his wife (who was a bookbinders wife in the toune and had bein a
women of very il report), 50 year old and mor, only for hir gear, and she
took him because he was bony.[293] Studied hard the Law (Pacius,[294] as he
told me, giving him the 1 insight) and about some 5 year ago having given
his trials was choosen _institutaire,_. He is nothing wtout his books, and
if ye chap him on that he hath not latley meditate on, he is very confused.
He is not wery much thought of by the French, he affectats to rigirous a
gravity like a Spaniards, for which seweral (as my host) cannot indure him.
Also his pensioners are not the best treated. We have sein P. and D. Humes
seweral tymes breakfast: they had nothing but a litle crust of bread
betuixt them both, and not a mutching botle of win for my.[295] I never
almost breakfasted but I had the whole loave at my discretion, as much win
as I please, a litle basquet ful of the season fruites, as cherries, pears,
grapes: in winter wt apples. Also by Ps confession he drinks of another
win, better than that his pensionars drinks of. Also if their be on dish
better then another its set doune before him: he chooses and then his
pensionars when its iust contrare wt me.
[293] Bonnie.
[294] Pacius, Julius, 1550-1635, jurist.
[295] Me.
He began his lessons 23 of November. A Frenchman casting up the Rubrics of
the D.,[296] he fand _de edendo_. He showed himselfe wery offended whey
Tribo. had forgot, T.[297] _de Bibendo_ also.
[296] Digest.
[297] Titulus.
We most not forget to buy Gellius and Quintilians Declamations at Paris.
A Coachman was felled dead dressing his horses; 5 masons ware slain at the
Carmelits by the falling of a wal on them.
Mr. Alex'r in salaire hath only 600 livres, the other 4 each a 1000, also
seweral obventions and casualities divided amongs them, of which he gets no
scare, as when any buyes the Doctorat. He is a hasty capped body. Once one
of his servants brook a lossen,[298] he went mad, and amongs other
expressions he had this: these maraudes[299] their break more to me in a
moment then I can win in tuo moneth. They have no discourse at table. He
cars not for his wife. That night the _oubliour_[300] was their and she
would not send another plat[301] he threatned to cast hir and hir family
over the window.
[298] Pane of glass.
[299] Rascals.