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

98
JOURNAL OF JOHN LAUDER
their seweral werdict on his attempt, al concluding that it was
nothing, that any man might have done it. The honest, silly
man hears them at this tyme patiently, when they have al done
he calles for a egge: desires them al to try if the could make
it stand on the end of it: they, not knowing his designe, try
it all: it goes round about al the table, not one of them can
make it stand so. Then he takes the egge, brakes the bottome
of it, and so it standes upright, they being al most ashamed,
else further he addes, As now after I have let you sie whow
to do it, ye think nothing to make a egge stand upright: tho
none of you could do it before; sikelike after I have found you
the gate to the new world ye think nothing of it tho ye could
not have done it yourselfes. They thought themselfes wery
far out.
Horrid and unchristian was the outrages the Spaniards
committed on the poor natiyes. They slow them like beasts.
Further they carried oyer whole shipeful of mastives which
they hunted the naked Indians with; and I know not how
many millions ware torn this way.
The sogers ware so beastly that they could not refrain from
laying and abusing the Indian women, which gave them the
verole picot or French pox, surely the just iudgement of god,
wt a iudgement not knowen to former ages, punishing men wt
shame in this world. The Spaniards brought it from America
to Naples, infected some Napolitan women wt it, whence called
Morbus Napolitanus; thir women gave it to some French
sogers who brought it unto France, whence called wt us French
pox, now its become universall. Philip of Spaine who died
August 1665 was owergoon wt it, they say.
The Indians calles the Spaniards Veracochie, which in their
language signifies scume of the sea. Out of contempt and
because they assaulted them first from the sea, they curse the
sea always that vomited out sick monstres. Some chances to
tel them of heaven and hell: wheiron they have demanded
wheir the Spaniards would go to: they hearing that they
would go to heaven, they sayed they would not go
their then, for the Spaniards ware to bloody and cruell to
stay wt.
To informe our selfes fully of the singularites of America