in the commendation of justice and vertu.  That being done they gave their oath wt the Advocats and procureurs or Agents (for they swear anew every sitting doune of the Palais, when we give but one oath for all wt us and that at the entry vnto to the office); the judges that they sal passe no sentence contrare to ther conscience, but that they sal judge 2dum allegata et probata; the Advocats that they shal never patronize a false cause; and if any cause they have taken in hand appeir after to them false, that they sall immediatly forsake it:  that they shal plead the causes of the widow and orpheling, etc.

The Praesidial of Poitou at Poictiers is the greatest of France:  yea it consistes of mo conseillers or judges (to wit, about 30 wt 2 Kings Advocats, 2 Kings procureurs), is of greater extent then several parliaments:  their be not so many membres in the parliament of Grenoble, which is for Dauphine, etc.  The parliament of Dijon for Burguiogne hath not so great extent.

The song they sing at St. Martins is thus: 

  ’Pour celebrer la St. Martins,
  Il nous fault tous chantre et boire
  Celuy quy a converty L’eau au Vin
  Pour luy que ne doibt on point faire
  A[244] le bon vein, bon vein, bon vein,
  Chasse de la melancolie
  Je te boire[245] Jusque a la lie.’

    [244] Probably for Ah!

    [245] For boirai.

My host after his drinking of his glasse of wine, usually lifting up his eyes to heaven in admiration, shakt his head (as we remember Charles his nurse did at the seck),[246] crying, oh but win is a good thing (tho poor man I never saw him drunk), protesting that he would not live in our country because he could not drink ordinarly win so cheap.

    [246] Sack.

Its a little strange to sie what alteration a sad accident may procure in a man:  befor that scandal he fel under by his wife wt Mr. Douglas, to wit, in the tyme of Mr. Hope and my cousin Mr. Elies (as he and his wife confesses), he was one of gailliardest, merriest fellows that one could find amongs 100, ever since that, tho’ he reteans something of his former gailliardness, taking it by fits, yet he is not like the man he was, as Madame hath told me.  I seeing him mo jalous then a dog of his wife because she loved so weill to play at the carts and wandring from hir house to hir commorads, likt better their houses then hir oune.  Oh, but she was blith when he went to the country upon any affair, she minding him of his affairs at Partenay or elsewheir to have him away; and in the interim from the morning to 12 howers at even, even whiles at midnight, she would not have bein wtin a hower.