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

JOURNAL OF JOHN LAUDER
wt to much study, a third besottedly fool wt drunkness,
a 4th Hypocondriack, and so wt all the rest marvelous per¬
tinently. At last as they ware going out he sayd: Gentle¬
men, I beleife ye wondred at the folly of many ye have sein ;
but theirs a fool (pointing at him) whom ye’el admire more
then them all, that poor fellow beleifes him selfe to be the
beloved Aposle St. John, but to let you sie that he is not St.
John, and whow false his beleife is, I that am St. Piter (for he
chiefly held himselfe to be St. Peter) who keips the gates of
heaven never opend the door to let him in yet. The gentle¬
men thought wery strange to find him so deiply fooll when
they reflected whow pertinently he had discoursed to them
before and not discovered the least foly. They ware informed
that he was once a doctor in the colledge of Sorbonne, and
that to much study had reduced him to that. It would
appear he hes studied to profundly Peters primacy above the
rest of the Aposles.
The Protestant Churches throw Poictou keip a solemne
fast 28 of Octobre, wt the Papists St. Simons day. The
occasion was to deprecate Gods wrath which he showed he
had conceived by reason he threathned them in sewerall places
wt Scarcity of his word and removing of his candlestick, since
sewerall temples ware throwen doune, as that at Partenay, etc.
For that effect they sent 4 of the Religion, the eminentest
amongs them in the Province to the King wt a supplica¬
tion. We had 3 preachings. We eated no flech that day for
fear of giving occasion to the Papists to mock : we suped on a
soup, fried egges, roosted chaistains, and apples wt peirs.
Sewerall schollers have made paction wt the Dewil, under the
Proviso he would render them wery learned, which hath bein
discovered. One at Tholouse gave his promise to the Dewil,
which having confessed, they resolve to precede iudicially
against him. Since the Dewil loves not iustic, they send a
messenger to the place wheir they made the pact to cite him
to compeir and answer. He not compairing they declaire him
contumacious; and as they procede to condemn him as guilty,
behold a horrid bruit about the hous and the obligation the
lad had given him droops of the rigging1 amongs the mids of
Rooftree.