Enquiring on a tyme at Madame Daille and others whow the murders perpetrate by that fellow that lived at the port St. Lazare came to be discovered, I was informed that after he had committed these villanies on marchands and others for the space of 10 years and above, the house began to be hanted wt apparitions and spirits, whence be thought it was tyme for him to quatte it, so that he sould it for litle thing, and retired to the country himselfe.  He that had bought the house amongs others reformations he was making on it, he was causing lay a underseller wt stone, whilk while they are digging to do, they find dead bodies, which breeds suspicion of the truthe, wheirupon they apprehend him who, after a fainte deniall, confesses it; and as they are carrieing him to Paris to receave condigne punishment, they not garding him weell, some sayes he put handes in himselfe, others that his complices in the crime, fearing that he might discover them, to prevent it they layd wait for him and made him away by the way, for dead folk speaks none.

On the 22 of Septembre 1665 parted from this for Paris 4 of our society, Mr. Patrick, David and Alex’r Humes, wt Colinton.  We 3 that ware left behind hired horses and put them the lenth of Bonnevette, 3 leagues from Poictiers (it was built by admiral Chabot[148] in Francis the firsts time, and he is designed in the story Admirall de Bonnivette).  By this we bothe gratified our commorades and stanched our oune curiosity we had to sie that house.  It’s its fatality to stand unfinished; by reason of whilk together wt its lack of furniture it infinitly comes short of Richelieu.  It may be it may yeeld nothing to it in its bastiments, for its all built of a brave stone, veill cut, which gives a lustre to the exterior.  Yet we discovered the building many wayes irregular, as in its chimlies, 4 on the one side and but 3 on the other.  That same irregularity was to found in the vindows.  In that which theirs up of it theirs roome to lodge a king and his palace.  Al the chambres are dismantled, wtout plenishing save only one in which we fand som wery weill done pictures, as the present Kings wt the Queens, Cardinal Mazarin’s (who was a Sicilian, a hatmakers sone) and others.  The thing we most noticed heir was a magnifick stair or trumpket most curiously done, and wt a great deall of artifice, wt great steps of cut stone, the lenth of which I measured and fand 20 foot.  I saw also a very pretty spatious hall, which made us notice it, and particularly Colinton, who told me that Colinton hous had not a hall that was worth, whence he would take the pattern of that.  We fand it thre score 12 foot long, and iust the halfe of it broad, thats to say 36.  Above the chimly of the roome are written in a large broad the 10 commandements.

    [148] Philippe de Chabot, amiral de Brion.  Guillaume Gouffier, amiral
        da Bonnivet, was another of Francis I’s admirals.

Heir we bade adieu to our commorads, they forward to Micbo that night, 2 leagues beyond Bonnevette, to morrow being to dine at Richelieu and lay at Loudun; we back to Poictiers.