See the continuations of the changes and alterations and remarkable emergents of and in the Session in another paper book besyde me that opens by the lenth.
(4)
OBSERVATIONS ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS, 1669-1670[626]
[626] From MS. II.
[In anno 1669 died the Q. mother of England. In anno 1670 died madame our K's sister mons'r the Duc of Orleans his Ladie she having bein in England but a litle while before. On the 24 of October 1670 was the church of the Blackfriars in Glasgow touched with lightning of thunder about seven a cloak of the morning, and having brok throu the roof it catcht hold upon its jests and had undoubtedly brunt the church to ashes had it not bein extiuguished in tyme. They say it brook also on their great church at the head of the toun.
What follows in thir 9 leives is copied and enlarged alibi.
In anno 1667 the French make ane invasion upon the Spanish Netherlands, and after he had ransact the country and made himselfe master of divers tounes][627] as Doway, Lisle, Tournay, etc., a peace was at last concluded in May 1668, wheirof the articles ware, 1'o to be perpetuall. 2'do so soon as the peace is published all hostility most cease. 3'do the French to keip the couquiest of the late campaigne. 4'to that he hold them with their dependances in soverainetie and the Spaniard to yeald them to him for ever. 5'to that the French King restore la France conté. 6'to the Spaniard most restore all places tane by him in the war. 7'o that all princes authorize the treatie and that nothing be retracted of the traitty of the Pyrenees save what is disposed on by this: To be mutually interchanged, ratified, and sworne by oath.
[627] The first page, as above, within brackets, is scored out in MS.
Upon the 27 of September 1669 was Candie toune (being the losse of the wholle Ile to the Venetians) surrendred to the Turks after a long seige wheir the French got a great overthrow, and their Admirall the Duc de Beaufort was killed with many other persons of note: and wheir Monsieur Annand our Master Annands brother behaved himselfe most gallantly, and since hes bein so hylie complemented for that his service by the Venetian senat that I beleive never was any stranger more. He is admitted unto all their counsels and sits upon their Ducks right hand: the Englishs ware so affrontedly impudent as in their new books first to cal him ane Englishman, and being challenged for that they designed him after a subject of his Maj. of Great Brittain, so loath are they to give us our due praise.
In anno 1670 was ane insurrection of the paisants of the country of Vivarets in Daulphinée in France, upon the occasion of some extraordinarie tax cruelly exacted. They ware soon dissipat. Their is presently, in October 1670, a fellow called Ratzin[628] who hes taken up armes in Mosco agt the Emperor, and hes got of followers neir 100,000 men: he was a gunner, had a brother, who, being put to death for some crime, he in revenge of his brothers death hes made this commotion craving nothing lesse but that thesse who ware the cause of his brother's death (now they are the greatest men about the Ducks persone) may be delivered up to him.