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

110
JOURNAL OF JOHN LAUDER
Also the good sport we have made wt Spiny when we pre¬
sented him the rose filled wt snuffe, dewil! willain! ye most
be hooled,1 ye most, etc. I’m sorry for your case, etc. Also
that we made wt Dowy when on night in our Basseler 2 year at
night after the examination we put out the candles, I skein3
brist him til he farted; then he brought Mr. Hew on us, he
crieng, Douglas, Doug.; Lauder L., my hat amang you. Russel
lay like a mart4 in the midst of the stair; wt many other sports.
The Laws of France permits, or at least forgives, a man to
slay his wife if he take hir in the wery act of adultery; but if
he slay hir after a litle interwall, as if he give hir lieve to
pray a space, he is punished as a murderer, since its to be
prassumed that that iust fury which the willanous act of his
wife pouses him to, and which excuses his fact (since according
to Solomon even wery Jalousie is the fury of a man) is layd in
that interwal, so that he cannot be excused from murder. Both
hath bein practicat seweral tymes in France.
The punishment of women that beats their good men in
Poictiers is that they are monted on a asse wt their face to the
taile, in this posture conveyed ignominiously thorow all the
toune : the hangman accompanieng them.
We most not forget the sport K. James made wt his fool
who to chasse away the axes5 had flied6 him, and whow
the poor fellow was found dead.
The K. of France drawes more then a 100 million a year as
revenues out of France besydes extraordinary taxations.
Theirs a wery observable difference betuixt on thats drunk
wt win and on drunk wt beir, the win perpetually causes to
stagger and fall forward; the beir and alle 7 backward.
A women drowen8 is carried wt the water on her belly, a
man on his back.
Their ware 4 peasants in a French village on a tyme dis¬
coursing about the King. They sayd it was a brave thing to be
a King. If I ware King (said the first) I would rest wt ease all
the day on that hy stack wt my vomb up to the sun : the 2nd,
1 Husked, probably gelded. 2 Bachelor.
3 Possibly J. Skein (Skene); brist=squeezed.
4 Carcass of an ox or cow killed about Martinmas for winter provision.
5 Ague. 6 Frightened. 7 Ale. 8 Drowned.