Series 1 > Journals of Sir John Lauder, Lord Fountainhall, with his observations on public affairs and other memoranda, 1665-1676

28
JOURNAL OF JOHN LAUDER
have also Diomedes and Glaucus frendly renconter wt the
exambion they made of their armes.
In another chamber we found wery delicat weill wrought
Tapistry wheirin ware to be sien, besydes sewerall other stories
taken out of Homer, the funestous and lamentable taking of
Troy.
In this same chamber saw we hinging the cardinals oune
portraiture to the full, in his ride robes and his cardinals
hat wt a letter in his hand to tel that he was the Kings
secretary: his name is beneath. Armandus Richeleus ana¬
grammatized Hercules alter. Surely the portrait represents
a man of wery grave, wise and reverend aspect. Besydes him
hinges the portraict of his father and mother. His father had
bein a souldier; the cardinal was born in Richeliew.
In another chamber was hinging 3 carts1 (al done by Samp¬
son), the one exceeding large of France done by one Sanson, the
Kinges Geographer; the 2nd of Italy wt the lies adiacent of
Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, etc.; the 3d of the countryes that lyes
on the famous river of Rhein, which runes thorow Germany,
and in the low countries embrasses the sea.
At length we came unto a very large gallery, wheir hinges the
emblems of al the things of greatest consequence that happened
in France during the tyme of the Cardinall, as the beseigding
of tounes that revolted, and the stratagemes by whilk some of
them were taken. At each end of the gallery stands a table,
but I sal confine my selfe to speak only of the one. Removing a
cover of leather their appeares a considerable large table as long
as etc., the richest beyond controversy of France : it consistes of
precious stones and diamonds, but joined wt such wonderfull
artifice that a man would easily take it for one inteer stone of
sewerall colours, the proportion also of their joinctures, each
colour answering to another, makes much to the commendation
of it. Give their be a rid Sardix heir, it hath direictly of that
same very bigness another Sardix answering to it their; or ye
may suppose it to be a blew saphir. In the wery center and
midle of the table is planted about the meikledoom2 of a
truncher 3 a beautifull green smaradyes; round about it stands
1 Maps. 2 Size. 3 Trencher.