great families: but it was much better.
After dinner company divided, some to cards, others
to talk. My Lady Sandwich and I up to settle
accounts, and pay her some money. And mighty
kind she is to me, and would fain have had me gone
down for company with her to Hinchingbroke; but for
my life I cannot. At night to supper, and so
to talk; and which, methought, was the most extraordinary
thing, all of us to prayers as usual, and the young
bride and bridegroom too and so after prayers, soberly
to bed; only I got into the bridegroom’s chamber
while he undressed himself, and there was very merry,
till he was called to the bride’s chamber, and
into bed they went. I kissed the bride in bed,
and so the curtaines drawne with the greatest gravity
that could be, and so good night. But the modesty
and gravity of this business was so decent, that it
was to me indeed ten times more delightfull than if
it had been twenty times more merry and joviall.
Whereas I feared I must have sat up all night, we
did here all get good beds, and I lay in the same I
did before with Mr. Brisband, who is a good scholler
and sober man; and we lay in bed, getting him to give
me an account of home, which is the most delightfull
talke a man can have of any traveller: and so
to sleep. My eyes much troubled already with
the change of my drink. Thus I ended this month
with the greatest joy that ever I did any in my life,
because I have spent the greatest part of it with
abundance of joy, and honour, and pleasant journeys,
and brave entertainments, and without cost of money;
and at last live to see the business ended with great
content on all sides. This evening with Mr.
Brisband, speaking of enchantments and spells; I telling
him some of my charms; he told me this of his owne
knowledge, at Bourdeaux, in France. The words
these:
Voyci
un Corps mort,
Royde
come un Baston,
Froid
comme Marbre,
Leger
come un esprit,
Levons
to au nom de Jesus Christ.
He saw four little girles, very young ones, all kneeling,
each of them, upon one knee; and one begun the first
line, whispering in the eare of the next, and the
second to the third, and the third to the fourth, and
she to the first. Then the first begun the second
line, and so round quite through, and, putting each
one finger only to a boy that lay flat upon his back
on the ground, as if he was dead; at the end of the
words, they did with their four fingers raise this
boy as high as they could reach, and he [Mr. Brisband]
being there, and wondering at it, as also being afeard
to see it, for they would have had him to have bore
a part in saying the words, in the roome of one of
the little girles that was so young that they could
hardly make her learn to repeat the words, did, for
feare there might be some sleight used in it by the
boy, or that the boy might be light, call the cook