ABSTRACT
Being come to La Rochelle, we found there Monsieur de Monts and Monsieur de Poutrincourt, that were come in post, and our ship called the Jonas, of the burthen of 150 tons, ready to pass out of the chains of the town, to tarry for wind and tide. The tide I say, because that a great ship laden cannot come to sea from La Rochelle but in spring tides, upon the new and full moon, by reason that in the town road there is no sufficient depth. In the meanwhile we made good cheer, yea, so good that we did long to be at sea to make diet, which we did but too soon, being once come thither; for during two whole months we saw not a whit of land, as we will farther tell anon. But the workmen, through their good cheer (for they had every one two shillings a day's hire) did play marvellous pranks in Saint Nicholas quarter, where they were lodged, which was found strange in a town so reformed as La Rochelle is, in the which no notorious riots nor dissolutions be made; and indeed one must behave himself orderly there, unless he will incur the danger either of the censure of the mayor or of the ministers of the town. Some of those disordered men were put in prison, which were kept in the town-house till the time of going, and had been further punished had it not been upon consideration of the voyage, where they knew they should not have all their eases, but should afterwards pay dear enough their mad bargain in putting the said Master Macquin and Master Georges to so much trouble to keep them in order. I will not, for all that;, put in the number of this disordered people, all the rest, for there were some very civil and respective. But I will say that the common people is a dangerous beast. And this maketh me remember the Croquans' war, 55 amongst whom I was once in my life, being in Quercy. It was the strangest thing in the world to see the confusion of those wooden-shoed fellows, from whence they took the name of Croquans (that is to say Hookers) because that their wooden shoes, nailed before and behind, did hook or Stick fast at every Step. This confused people had neither rhyme nor reason among them; everyone was Master there; some armed with an hedge-hook at a staff's end, others with some rusty sword, and so accordingly.
