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

58
JOURNAL OF JOHN LAUDER
all the appartenances of it, as also canons wt all other sort of
Artillerie; for he was a great engineer.
There are amongs the French nobility some great deall
richer then any subject of our Kings ; for the greatest subject of
the King of Englands is the Due of Ormond, or the Earle of
Northumberland, nether of which tho hath above 30,000
pounds sterling, which make some 300,000 livres in french
money, which is ordinar for a peir in France. The last of
which, to wit, my Lord Northumberland, by reason of that
great power and influence he hath in the north of England,
his oune country, the parliament of England of old hath found
it not a miss to discharge him the ever going their, and that
for the avoiding and eviting of insurrectiones which, if he
ware amongs them, he could at his pleasure raise. Surely this
restraint neids not be tedious to him since he is confined in a
beautiful prison, to wit, London; yea he may go thorow all
the world save only Northumberland, he may come to Scotland
whilkes benorth Northumberland be sea.1 It may be it might
be telling Scotland that by sick another act they layd a
constrainct on that house of Huntly, the Cock of the north.
If so, the French Jesuits sould not have such raison to boast
(as we have heard them), and the papists sould not have so
great footing in the north as they have.
We most not forgett the drolleries we have had wt our host
Mr. Daille when I would have heard him at the garde robe, to
sport my selfe whiles, I would have come up upon him or he
had bein weill begun and prayed him to make hast by reason
I was exceedingly straitned when they would have bein no
such thing, wheiron he would have raisen of the stooll or he
had bein halfe done and up wt his breecks, it may be whiles
wt something in them.
In our soups, which we got once every day, and which we
have descryved already, such was Madames frugality that the
one halfe of it she usually made of whiter bread, and that
was turned to my syde of the board, the other halfe or a better
part she made of the braner, like our rye loaves, and that
was for hir and hir husband.
I have not traced the authority for this statement.