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

46
JOURNAL OF JOHN LAUDER
at that instant, and that in a glasse, I made my selfe as wery
angry at him, telling him that I desired not to know it by such
means. On that he gott up the laughter, demanding if I thought
he had it be ill means; for his oune part he sayd he never saw
the Dewill.
Not only is it usuall heir to show what folkes are doing
tho ther be 1000 miles distant; but their1 also that will
bring any man or woman to ye if ye like, let them be in the
popes Conclave at Rome; but incontrovertably its the Devill
himselfe that appeires in this case. The tricks also of robbing
the bride groomes of their faculty that they can do nothing to
the wives is very ordinar heir; as also that of bewitching
gentlewomen in causing them follow them lasciviously and wt
sundry indecent gestures; and this they effectuat sometymes by
a kind of pouder they have and mix in amongs hir wine;
some tymes by getting a litle of hir hair, which they boill wt
pestiferous herbs; whilk act when its parfaited the women
who aught the hair will come strangely, let hir be the
modestest woman in Europe, wheir the thing is doing, and do
any thing the persones likes.
Plumes are in wery great abondance heir, and that of many
sorts. We have bein offered the quatrain, thats 26 of plumes,
wery like that we call the whitecorne, tho’ not so big, for 2
deniers or a double, thats for 8 penies the 100; and they sel
them cheaper.
Great is the diversity amongs peirs their. Mr. Daille hath
told me that at least theirs 700 several sorts of peirs that grows
in France, al distinguasble be the tast. We ourselfes have sien
great diversity. Theirs a wery delicious sort of poir they call
the poir de Rosette, because in eating it ye seime as give ye
ware smelling a rose. They have also among the best of the
peirs poir de Monsieur, and de Madame. They have the
poir de piss, the poir blancb.ette (which comes wery neir
our safron peer we have at home), and trompe valet, a
excelent peir, so called because to look to ye would not think
it worth anything, whence the valets or servants, who comes to
seik good peirs to their masters, unless they be all the better
versed, will not readily buy it, whence it cheats them. They
their=there are.