[211] Rooftree.

Thorow all Languedoc and Provence the olive tries is as common as the walnuts in Poictou:  oranges thorow much of France and in seweral places China oranges.  Lentils, the seeds rise and mile[212] growes abondantly towards Saumer:  the Papists finds them wery delicate in caresme or Lent.  Its wonderful to sie what some few degries laying neerer the sun fertilizes a country.

    [212] Mil, millet.

France is a country that produceth abondantly all that the heart of man can desire, only they are obligded to fetch their spices (tho they furnish other countries wt saffran which growes in seweral places of Poictou, costes 15 livres the pound at the cheapest) from Arabia, their sugar from America and the Barbado Islands:  yet wtout ether of the tuo they could live wery weill.

A man may live 10 years in France or he sy a French man drink their oune Kings health.  Amongs on another they make not a boast to call him[213] bougre, coquin, frippon, etc.  I have sein them in mockery drink to the King of Frances coachhorses health.

    [213] i. e. think nothing of calling him.

The plumdamy, heir prunecuite,[214] they dry so in a furnace.

    [214] Prune, dried plum.

About the end of Octobre the peasants brings in their fruits to Poictiers to sel, especially their Apples, and that in loadened chariots.  The beggar wifes and stirrows[215] ware sure to be their, piking them furth in neiwfulles[216] on all sydes.  I hav sein the peasents and them fall be ears thegither, the lads wt great apples would have given him sick a slap on the face that the cowll[217] would have bein almost like to greet; yet wt his rung[218] he would have given them a sicker neck herring[219] over the shoulders.  I am sure that the halfe of them was stollen from many of them or they got them sold.

    [215] Lads, boys.

    [216] Handfuls.

    [217] Fellow.  See Jamieson’s Dict, s.v.  ‘Coulie.’

    [218] Staff.

    [219] ‘A smart wipe.’  I have not traced the expression ‘neck herring.’

When we have had occasion to tel the Frenchman what our Adwocats would get at a consultation, 10,20 crounes, whiles they could not but look on it as a abuse, and think that our Justice was wery badly regulate and constitute.  Thorow France a Adwocat dare take no more than a quartescus[220] for a consultation, but for that he multiplies them; for a psisitians advice as much.  Surely if it be enquired whose ablest to do it, France by 20 degries might be more prodigal this way then we are; but their are wiser.  Theris above 200 Adwocats at Poictiers.  Of these that gets not employment they say, he never lost a cause, whey, because he never plaid one.  Also, that theirs not good intelligence betuixt the Jugde and him, whey, because they do not speak togither.

    [220] Quart d’ecu, a silver coin, quarter of an ecu.  See
        Introduction, p. xlii.  The cardecue was a common coin in Scotland.