I went and heard the Jesuits preach, a very learned fellow, but turbulent, spurred and hotbrained; affecting strange gestures in his delivery mor beseiming a Comoedian then a pulpit man.  Truly ever since in seing the Comoedians act I think I sy him.  He having signed himselfe, using the words In nomine patris, filij, etc., and parfaited all the other ceremonies we mentioned already, he began to preach.  The text was out of some part of Esay, thus, Et sepulcrum ipsius erat gloriosum.  He branched out his following discourse unto 2:—­1. the Virgines Death; 2. hir assumption.  As to hir death he sayd she neided not have undergoon it but give she liked, since death is the wages of sin, mais Nostre Dame estoit affranchie de toutes sorte de peche, soit originell, soit actuell.  In hir death he fand 3 priviledges she had above all others:  first she died most voluntarly, villingly, and gladly; when to the most of men Death’s a king of terrors. 2ndly, she died of no sickness, frie of all pain, languor or angoisse. 3dly, hir body after death was not capable of corruption, since its absurd to think that that holy body, which carried the Lord of Glory 9 moneths, layes under the laws of corruption.  For thir privelegdes he cited Jean Damascen and their pope Victor.  But it was no wonder she putrified no, for she was not 3 dayes in the grave (as he related to us) when she was assumed in great pomp, soul and body, unto heaven, Christ meiting hir at heavens port and welcoming hir.

He spoke much to establish monstrous merite; laying doune for a principle that she had not only merited heaven, and indeed the first place their, being the princess of heaven; but also had supererogated by hir work for others to make them merit, which works the church had in its treasury to sell at mister.[113] He made heaven also a vendre (as it is indeed amongs them), but taking himselfe and finding the expression beastly and mercenarie he began to speir, but whow is it to sell, is it not for your bonnes oeuures, your penances, repentance, etc.  This was part of his sermon.

    [113] Mister, need.

That Strachan that was regent at Aberdeen and turned papist, I was informed that he was in a society of Jesuits at Naples.

This order ever since it was a order hath bein one of the most pestilent orders that ever was erected, being ever a republick in a republick wheir ever they be; which caused Wenice throw them out of hir, and maugre the pope who armed Spaine against hir for it holds them out unto this day.  They contemne and disdain all the rest of the orders in comparation of themselfes; they being indeed that great nerve and sinew that holds all the popes asustataes[114] togither; whence they get nothing but hatred again from the other religious, who could wt ease generally sy them all hanged, especially the Peres de l’Oratoire, who are usually all Jansenists, so that ye sall seldome find these 2 orders setled in one city, tho they be