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

TRADITIONS AND FABLES
37
draw Christ of him; but he tuise sticked it, wt which being
angred he drew out a knife and stobbed the person to the
heart; and out of his countenance as he was wrestling wt
the pangs of death he drow Christ on the cross more lively
then ever any had done, boasting that he cared not to dy for
his murder since he had Christ beholden to him for drawing
him so livelylie. I remember also of a passage that Howell in
a letter he writes from Geneva hes, that Calvin having bein
banished once by a prevalent faction from the city again being
restored, he sould proudly and blasphemously have applied
to himselfe that saying of David, proper to Christ, the stone
which the builders refused the same is become the head of the
corner. But granting that all thir to be true, as they are not,
they ware but personall escapes, neither make they me to think
a white worse of his doctrine. But as to the point of miracles
its notoriously knowen that the Church of Rome abuses the
world wt false miracles more then any: for besydes these
fopperies we have discovered of Ste. Radegonde they have also
another. Thus once St. Hilary (who was bischop of Poictiers
about the 6 century, and who hes a church that bears his
name, erected on the wast syde of the toune a little from the
Scotes walk), about a league from the toune (thus reportes les
annales de Aquitaine), as he was riding on his mule Christ
meit him. His beast, as soon as it saw our Saviour, fell doune
on the knees of it. As a testimony wheirof that it fell doune
they show at this day the impressa both its knee and its
foot hes made miracoulously in the rock, but this is fort mol a
propos ; since they seem to mak their St. Hilary Balaam ; and
his mulct Balaam his ass which payed reverence to God before
its mastre. This fable minded me of the story we have heir at
home, that we can show in Leith Wind craigs the impressa that
Wallace made wt his foot when he stood their and shoot over
the steeple of Edenburgh. Yet their all these things are
beleived as they do the bible.
When we was wtout the city we discovered that it would
signify litle if it wanted the convents and religious houses,
which ware the only ornaments of the city. This much for
the 14 of August, I had not bein so much out a fortnight
before put it all together.