who came round in the evening selling small round cakes,
_oublies_.
[301] Plate.
We on night fel to telling of notes of preachings, as of the Englisman
preaching on that, In came Tobit, and much controverted whither they called
it baty, light feit or watch;[302] and of the minister that sayd, Christ,
honest man, liked not war, sayd to Peter; and of on preaching on that, And
Abram gave up the ghost, sayd that it was wery debated if it was for want
of breath or not, that he durst not determin it. Of a Preist preaching on
the miracle wt whilk Christ feed a multitude wt 5 loaves, it was not so
great a miracle, quoth he, as ye trow, for every on of the loaves was as
meikle as this Kirk: a baxter being at the pulpit fit[303] started up and
demanded wheir they got a oven to bake them in, and a pole to put them in
and take them out. Ye are to curious, quoth the preist, go and bake your
oune bread and medle not wt Christs, they had other ovens in the days then
they have now and other poles to, and do ye not think but Christ could have
lent them a pole. Also on who praying for the King our dread soveraine
Charles by the grace [of God] King of S[cots], etc., supream governour,
instead of under the[304] and they sone Christ, sayd over the. Also of
another who praying for the Illustrious Duke of York, sayd the Lusty Duk.
Also whow a hostesse at Camphire served Mr. R. Macquaire, being their to
dine, wt a great deall of other company, he was desired to seik a blissing,
he began so long winded grace that the meat was all spilt and cold ere he
had done. The wife was wood[305] angry. The nixt day comes, the meat was no
sooner put to the fire but she comes to Mr. R. and bids him say the grace.
Whats your haste Margerit, is the meat ready yet? No, Sir, but its layd to
the fire, and ere ye have ended your grace, it wil be ready. We most not
forget the Swisse, who coming in a cabaret at Poictiers demanding for win,
drank for his oune hand 15 pints, calling for a reckning they gave him up
16 pints. He told they ware cheating him of a pint, for he know weill the
measure of his womb, that it held no more but 15 pints, wheirupon he would
pay no more but for 15. Also of the Preist who bringing our Saviour in the
Sacrament to a young galliard very sick, sayd, behold, Sir, Christ is come
to visit you. The sick party replied, I sie very weil that Christ is their
by the carrier of him, for as he was knowen at his entry unto Jerusalem by
his asse that carried him, so do I know him at present.
[302] The meaning is whether Tobit's dog was to be called a comman cur
(baty), or a greyhound, or a watch-dog. The dog does not appear in
the English version of the Apocrypha, but in the Vulgate.--Tob.
vi. I. Profectus est autem Tobias et canis sequutus est eum, et
mansit ... juxta fluvium Tiberis.--xi. 9. Tunc praecucurrit canis
... et quasi nuncius adveniens, blandimento suae caudae gaudebat.
[303] Foot.
[304] Thee.
[305] Mad.
Wonderful was the temperance and moderation of the ancient Romans, yea
greater then whats to be found amongs Christians even now. They know[306]
no more but on diet a day, and that sober enough. At the first tyme that
some Greeks came to Rome, and the Romans saw them, according to the custome
of their country, eat thrise a day, they condamned them for the greatest
gluttons that could be.
[306 1] Knew, as on p. 91.
That story of the General (Fabritius) Roman is weill knowen: who at his
ennemies brought a wast sum of mony to bribe his fidelity to the
commonwealth, they fand him busy stooving a pot of herbes to his supper,
wheiron he answered them, that a man as he, that could be content wt sick a
disch, could not readily be temted wt all their gold. Also of him who being
choosen Dictator they fetched him from the plough to his dignity, sick was
their industry.
For a long tyme amongs the Romans old age was held such a ignominious thing
that they could not get the scurviest coalsteeler in Rome that would act
the person of a old man, not so much as in Comoedy.
For 500 years, and above, after the building of Rome, it [divorce][307] was
not knowen for a man to put away his wife. The first was one Spcius[308]
Carvilius, who under the praetext of sterility divorced from his wife.
[307] Interlined.
[308] Spurius.
We most buy that infamous book of Miltones against the late King,[309] wt
Claudius Salmasius answer.[310] Surely it shal stand as long as the world
stands for a everstanding memorandum of his impudence and ignorance: its
nothing but a faggot of iniury (calomnies), theirs not on right principle
either moral or politick to be found in it al; its penned by a pedant, a
scoolmaster, on who deserved at the cheapest to be torn in peices by 4
horses. Neither in our judgement, tho he deserves not to be refuted, hath
Salmasius done so weill to the cause.
[309] _Iconoclastes_, 1649.
[310] _Defensio Regia_, by Claude de Saumaise, 1588-1653.
A Parisian Advocat cited some civil Laws of whilk he was not sure: his
Antagonist retorting that their ware not sick a Law nether in the C nor
D,[311] he replied, if it be not their yet it sould be their tho.
[311] Code nor Digest.
About the 12' of December 1665 at Poictiers ware programmes affixed thorow
the toune intimating that the Physitians Colledge would sit doune shortly,
and that their Doyen Deacon, on Renatus Cothereau, a wery learned man in
his lessons, _Podagram hominum terrorem artuum que flagellum medicinali
bettio acriter prosequeretur_; hence it hath[312] this exclamation,
_accurite[313] itaque cives festinate arthici_.
[312] Meaning, probably, 'then follows.'
[313] For _accurrite_.
The same Renatus had a harangue at the beginning wherin he descryved very
pedantically the lamentable effects it produces on the body of man: amongs
his salutations, I observed this, _Themidis nostra Argonauta sacratissime,
fidelissime, æquissime_. They get no auditors to their lessons, whence its
only but for faschions sake that they begin their colledge, of which they
have nothing but the name.
We have observed heir in France that on their shortest day, the 22 of
December, the sun sets not but a hower, almost, after its set to us, to wit
at 4 acloack, and that they have light a quarter almost after 5. Also
looking to their Almanacks I fand that it rose on the shortest day at 7
acloack and some minuts, when it rises not to us but after 8, so that they
have in winter at Juile[314] a hower at morn, as much at even, of sun more
then we have. Their 2 howers we gain of them in the summer, for at our
longest day we have a hower sooner the morning the sun then they have; we
have it at 3 howers, they have it not til 4 wt some minuts. At even also we
have a hower of sun after that he get to them on our longest day, for by
their Almanacks he sets on that day in France, or at least at Poictiers, at
7 acloack wt some minuts, wt us not til after 8.
[314] Yule.
Their is a very considerable difference betuixt the French summers and the
Scots: to wit, in their heat; but surely we could remark none in their
winters. Its true we had no considerable cold before Juile, Nöel (tho their
fel a drift of snow about the end of Octobre, French account), yet we fand
it sickerly when it came, so that I do not remember that I felt it colder
in Scotland then it was for a space togither. Its true it leasts not so
long heir as it does wt us.
Juile is a great feste in France. The Papists are very devote on it, yea so
religious that they go all to Church at midnight to hear Masse, for a
preist hath that day power to say thry masses consecutife, when at another
tyme he can say no more but on at a tyine. I went after dinner and hard the
cordelier at St. Pierre. The rest of our Scotsmen ware so curious as to go
hear Midnight Masses. As for me I had no skil of it it was so cold; and
surely I did not repent it considering the affront that they got, that they
ware forced to render their swords at the command of the Intendant who the
night before was come to toune from the Grand Jour[315] that was then in
Auuergne. This he caused do following the mode of Paris, wheir no man is
suffered to carry a sword that night, both by reason of many quarrels begun
that night, as also of sewerals that take occasion to decide former
quarrels on that night. Surely they had no satisfaction in that Mass.
[315] High Commission sent down by the king to the provinces as a final
Court of Appeal.
During the tyme I was heir I fel in discourse wt the Jesuites, going once
to sy our countryman Pere Broune, who was wery kind to us al, and came and
saw me after.
About the tyme was that poor smith, of whom we made mention before,
execute, who was the first we ever did sie in France. Tho he had receaved
his sentence at Poictiers, yet that could serve til he was taken to Paris
(for the Capital tounes of France are not royal boroughs as our are, having
the power of heading and hanging wtin themselfes), wheir he was condemned
to be broken on the wheel, to be _rouée_, tho according to the custome of
France he know not that he was sentenced til about 2 howers before he was
broken, for by concealing it up til then they keip them from taking wiolent
courses to prevent their death which they would take if they know of it, as
killing themselfes, or means to ecscape, tho otherwise it be very il for
their souls, they having so short tyme to prepare themselfes for death.
They made this poor fellow beleive that he was only condemned to the
galleys, at which he laught, telling that it appeared they knew not he was
a smith, so that he could easily file his chaines and run away. About 12
acloak on that day he was to be execeut he was conveyed to the Palais to
hear his sentence, wheir it was read to him on his knees, the hangman
_bourreau_ at his back wt a tow in his hand. The sentence being read he
puts the tow about his neck wt thir words, _le Roy wous salou, mon amy_, to
show him that its the King that causes him dy. His sentence is read to him
again at the foot of the Palais, as give ye sould say at the coming of the
Parlement close, or Ladies Steeps;[316] and then a third tyme on the
schaffold.
[316] Steps close to St. Giles's Church. See Wilson, _Memorials of
Edinburgh_, 1891, vol. i. p. 260.
Their ware mo then 10,000 spectators at the Marcher Vieux. In the midle of
it their was a little _eschaustaut_[317] erected, on which ware nailed 2
iests after the forme of a St. Androws crosse, upon whilk the poor fellow
was bond on his back, wt his 2 armes and his 2 thigs and legs on the 4
nooks of the crosse, having bein strip naked to his shirt. After he had
prayed a little and the 2 carmes[318] that assisted him, the _bourreau_
made himselfe ready to execute the sentence, which was that he sould get 2
strooks quick and the rest after he was stranguled.
[317] _Echafaud,_ scaffold.
[318] Carmelites.
At Paris in breaking great robbers, for the better exemple they do not
strangle them at all; but after they have broken all their bones to peices
almost, they leave them to dy on the rack.
To return to our poor miserable, the _bourreau_ wt a great baton of iron
began at the armes and brook them wt tuo strooks, then his knees, then a
strook on every thigh, then 2 on the belly, and as many on the stomack; and
after all thir, yea after the 20 strook, he was not fully dead. The
tow[319] brak twice that was ordained to strangle him. In sying what this
cattif suffered made us conclud that it was a cruel death to be broken in
that sort.
[319] Rope.
We cannot forget how coldrif the French women seimed to be in the winter.
The marchands wifes and thorow all the shops every one have their lame
choffer[320] ful of rid charcoal wt their hands in among the mids of it
almost. The beggar wifes going up and doune the streits had them also.
* * * * * [321]
[320] Earthenware chafing dish.
[321] Twenty-two lines erased in MS.
We cannot forget the shift that the poor folk which have no bowets[322]
(which generally are not so good as ours) take when they go out under
night, as I have sein them when I have bein going or coming from Mr.
Alex'rs, and it would have bein so dark that I could not sy my finger
before me. It is they take a peice wood thats brunt only at one end, and
goes thorow the toune waging[323] it from one syde to the other, it casting
a litle light before him. It would almost fly[324] a man in a dark night to
sie it at a distance, and always approaching him, til he keen what it is.
[322] Lanterns.
[323] Wagging.
[324] Frighten.
We cannot but insert a not of a Northren Ministers preaching. His text was
about Piters threefold denial of Christ, and that wt oaths. Beloved, its
wery much controverted amongs the learned what ware the oaths that Piter
swoore, yet the most part condeschends that they ware thir: the 1, God
confound me, if I keen such a man; the 2, Devil ding me in testons;[325]
the third, by Gods wounds, I do not keen him. Mungo Murray of the life gard
was in the kirk, and resolving to make sport came to the Minister after the
kirk was scailed, telling him that he agreed wt him about the 1 [first] 2
oaths that they ware so, but he could not be of his mind about the thrid,
by Gods wounds, for Christ had not yet received any wounds, so that he
could not swear by Gods wounds. The Minister began, Sir, I am very glad
that ye take the freedom to propon your doubts, for its a signe of
attention. As to your difficulty, ye would know that a man when he is
sorest prest he wil swear sorest, so that Peter keipt the greatest oath
last; also ye would know that it was a Profetical oath, as give he sould
have sayd, by the wounds that Christ is to receave.
[325] Teston or testoon, a small silver coin. The last in Scotland were
coined by Mary in 1561, value 5s. Scots.
In the Hylands their was a minister that was to give the Communion to his
Parish wheir it had not bein given 6 or 7 years before. For that effect
they sent to Monross[326] to buy the win, which being come, he and his
elders bit to tast it for fear of poisoning their honest parishioners. Er
ever they wist of themselfes they fand it so good that they licked it out
every drap, and was forced to give the communion in good rid aile.
[326] Montrose.
We most not forget the story of the English Capitaine, who thinking to flie
his Hostesse, he was so frighted himselfe, his man wtout his direction
having bought a great oxes hyde and covered himselfe wt it, that looping
over the stair for hast he brake on of his legs.
Wheir 2 layes in a chamber togither, their are many wayes to flie on
another. We might take a litle cord or a strong threed when the other is
sleiping, bind it to his covering or bed cloaths, then going to our oun bed
wt a end of the string in our hand, making ourselfes to be sleiping, draw
the string to us, and the cloaths wil follow, and he wil be wery ready to
think that its a spirit. Also ty a string to 2, 3 chair feet, and so draw
them up and doune the house. He that knows nothing of it wil impute it to a
ghest.
Any tymes I was angry at the Frenchmen, if so be I was familiar wt them, I
fell to and abuse them in Scots, as logerhead, ye are a sheip, etc. Their
was no way I could anger them worse then to speak in Scots to them.
The consuetuds and rights of nations about hunting and halking throughout
the most part of the Christian world are wondrously degenerated from the
right of nature and nations and the Civil Law following the footsteps of
both. According to thir, all men have æqualy the liberty of chassing of
wild beasts, no sort of folk being excepted, and that not only in their
oune land but also in any others, since vild beasts, wheir ever they be
they are always wild beasts, apparteening to none; for if that the wild
beast is on my ground sould make that it be estimd myne, then leiving my
ground it leives of to be myn, and by entring unto my neibhours it begins
to be his, and so it might change a 100 masters in one day, which is
absurd. We might as weill say that the piot that bigs[327] on my try is
myne.
[327] Magpie that builds.
This liberty is exceedingly impared by the consuetudes at present, so that
nether can we hunt all beasts, the King having excepted dears, harts, etc.,
so that its not lawful for any to chasse or kil under the pein of a fine
500 francks, except only the King and some few others, great peirs, who
have their permission from the King.
Nether is it permitted for all indifferently to hunt, clergymen are
decharged it, Peasants also. Its confessed also by al that Kings may
discharge their subjects the pastime and pleasure of hunting, especially
thess who holds their lands in fief immediatly of the King, which he called
fiefs royalles, whom he may hinder to hunt in their oune ground, ower which
they have ful power otherwise to sel it, woodset it, gift it, or do wt it
what I please: the same power have the inferior seigneurs. Lords in giving
lands to vassals, men who have bein serviceable to them in many occasions
whom they cannot recompence in mony, they give them a tennement of land,
they usualy retain the right of hunting in these lands only to themselfes.
Halking in France is a excercise not permitted to any under a gentleman.
We have sein its not permitted to al to hunt; also its not permitted to
hunt al beasts; also its not permited now to hunt indifferentley in al
places. The Kings keips their parks filled wt wild beasts, wheir its not
leasum for any to hunt but themselfes, as Fontainbleau and St. James Park.
The nobility have also the same right of keiping sick parks; as witnese
upon the rode bothe of England and France we meit wt noblemens incloseurs
wheir would [be] 2 or 300 dears.
Yea, in France its not lawful to shoot wt the gun in another mans ground;
so that if a man take another guning in his ground, he usualy takes the gun
from him and breaks over his shoulders. If he can hinder a man to shoot in
his ground, much more may be hinder him to hunt, since the on is more
praeiudicial to him then the others; for its done wt greater noice, also
does more damnage to the cornes or wines.
What might be the reasons that have moved the Princes to hem in so narrow
bounds the rights of Hunting by the right of nature and civil Law so patant
to all are to be found in Vesembec,[328] paratitlo _de acquir[endo rerum
dominio._ ], For fear that the whole race of beasts sould soon or sin[329]
be totally exstirpated wt the multitude of hunters, if al ware permitted to
hunt. 2do, Least to many (as we sie at present) being to much taken wt the
plaisir of the sport sould forget their businesses of consequence. As to
that obiection, that hunting being from the right of natur, which is
unchangable, it cannot be prohibited by any civil Law, I say hunting is not
from the rights of nature commanding but permitting.
[328] Matthew Wesenbec, Dutch jurist, 1531-1586.
[329] Sooner or later.
Its a custome in France that when a young woman unmarried is condemned to
dy for some offence (unlesse the fault be al the grivevuser) that if the
hangman be unmarried he may sick hir in marriage and get hir hir life that
way: that their hes bein seweral that have refused it and choosen rather to
die. This hes great resemblance wt that custome in England that a man being
sentenced to dy, if a common whore demand him in marriage she wil get him;
it being a charitable work to recal a whore from hir loose and prophan life
by making hir marry. Yet surely both the on custome and the other is but a
corruptel and a mocking at Justice.
The accent the French gives the Latin is so different from ours that
sometymes we would not have understood some of them (for the most part I
understood them weil enought), nor some of them us. Ether we or they most
be right, but I dout not to affirm but that the accent they give it,
straining it to the pronuntiation of their oune language, is not natural,
but a vicious accent, and that we have the natural. My reason is, because
if their be any wayes to know what was the Accent the ancient Romans
prononced the Latin wt it is the Accent that the Italians gives it and
their oune language, which is a degenerated Latin, who be the Romans
posterity; but so be they give it the same very accent that we do: the
French ware never able to answer me this.
As to ther pronuntiation of the Greek I could never keip myselfe from
laughting when they had occasion to read Greek or any Greek sentence, even
their Doctors of Law: vitnesse le Berche at Orleans whom I attended 2
moneths, that Greek that occurres in the 2 T. 1 book of the
instituts,[330] [Greek: ton nomon hoi], he pronunced it [Greek: hi; men
agraphoi], prononced it [Greek: hagraphi; hoi, i; men engraphoi, phi]: as
we observed also in Mr. Filleau at Poictiers, [Greek: dunamenon] esti, he
pronunced the 2 last syllabes damned long. [Car [Greek: son kaphson]
urens.][331] We could give infinite mo instances wheir they prononce it
undoubtedly wrong.
[330] Justinian, _Inst_. i. 2: [Greek: ton nhomon ohi men
heggraphoi, ohi oe hagraphoi].
[331] Interlined. The meaning apparently is that the French pronounced
[Greek: kahnson], a New Testament and Septuagint word for burning
heat, as if it were written [Greek: kaphson].
They do not name their points in writing as we do, that which we cal comma
(following the Greek) they cal it alwayes _Virgula_; our colon, _duo
puncta_; semicolon, _punctum cum virgula_. When we say _nova Linea_ they
say _a capite_, wt sundry others like that.
A woman witness is receaved in France in any causes whither civil or
criminal: only wt this difference that for one man their most be 2 women,
id est, wheir 2 men being ocular witnesses of a murder wil condemne a man,
their most be 4 women, under which their witnes is not admitted.
They have their penny bridiles[332] in France as weil as we in Scotland.
When a servant women marries, her master brings wt him folk to their
wedding as he can get, who casts in into the plat according to their
pleasure. They wil be ready enough to promise on back the halfe of his
again wt the dessein so to engage the rest to give more.
[332] See _Scotland and the Protectorate_, C.H. Firth (S.H.S.),
vol. xxxi. p. 410, note.
About the begining of February 1666 came Comoedians to Poictiers. I went
and saw them severall tymes. The first was called Odip, who resolved the
Sphinx his enigma: was so unfortunat to slay his father by ignorance, marry
his mother, and to conclud al to put out his oune eyes: the fellow acted
his griefe exceeding lifelylie. The farce was _le Marriage du rien_. A fool
fellow in a scoolmasters habit wt a ugly nose, which I was angry at, a
scoop hat, comes on the stage wt his daughter, who proposes to him that she
apprehended furiusly that she might dy a maid and never tast of the
pleasure in marriage. In comes a poet to suit hir, fals out in the
commendation of Poesy; hir father shoots him away, saying that al the Poets
ware fools. In comes a painter who praising his art, whom also he puts
away, saying that the painter ware poor drunken fellows. After came a
Musician, who fell to sing: he called him a cheater. Then came in a
Astronomer, whom he put away because he could not tel whither he would give
him his daughter or not. Then came in a Captain, a floop[333] like fellow
wt his sword about him, making a wery fool reverence, who rodomontades a
space, telling that he had made the Devils tremble; that he was that
Achilles in Homer, that Eneas in Virgil, that Aiax in Ovid, and that al
that historians wrot of brave men was only of him. At last came in one that
called himself nothing, that would assume no title to himselfe. Not finding
anything to obiect against him he accepted of him.
[333] Floop or flup, awkward.
In the comoedy when the King stood very scrupulously on his word, his
sister fel to to convince him that it was a shame to a King to be slave of
his word, which was the great maxim of Cardinal Mazarini, as I was
informed. Having sent to consult the oracle of Delphos, and it not deigning
to answer him, in a rage he cried furth, _flectere si superos nequeo_, etc.
When a person dies in France they are very careful to mark in what posture
after their death their feet are in; for if they be unæqually laying, on of
them drawen up, they strongly beleive that by that the dead calls his or
hir neirest friend let it be wife, father, or brother, on of which wil dy
shortly after.