1661] DIARY OF PATRICK GORDON. 35 pressing earuestnes, and haveing rejected or refused the conditions offered

Passages from the diary of General Patrick Gordon of Auchleuchries : A.D. 1635-A.D. 1699"

1661] DIARY OF PATRICK GORDON. 35

pressing earuestnes, and haveing rejected or refused the conditions offered
me in Crosna, by Collouel Laniziinsky, to take a compagny, and which, he
told me, he did by the generall's command ; being afrayed that it might be
objected to me hereafter, I thought fitt to looke about me for other service,
though not to engage but upon good conditions. And, first, I had great
temptations from the Moskowitish ambassadours ; for haveing, by ordor, con-
ducted some of their chieffe officers to them, about their ransome, as also,
they haveing ransomed two officers from me, they very earnestly desired
their colonells to engage me in the Tzaars service, to the which I seemed
to give halfe a willing eare. So they promised that I should not be longer
detained as three yeares, one yeare whereoff to serve for major, and two for
lievtennent-colonell. Yet did I not accept of these offers, but only kept
them in hand, to have another string for my bow ; nor, perhaps, had ever
embraced them, if another accident had not fallen out.

About the same tyme, the Roman Emperours ambassadour, the Baron
d'Isola, gott orders from the Emperour to engage officers to levy a
regiment of horse ; to which purpose he engaged Lievtennant-collonell
Gordon, commonly called Steelhand, who, useiug all the pressing reasons
he could to perswade me to engage with him, telling me of the honourable
service, the good pay, with the advantage and easines of the levyes at this
tyme, wherewith being overcome, after mature consideration, I resolved to
engage ; and so wee entered into capitulation, fowre of us, to levy a regi-
ment of 800 horse. The persons were Steelhand, colonell ; Lievtennant-
collonell John Watson, Maior Davidson, and myself. I engaged to levy
two compleet compagnyes, being to receive for each horseman forty reichs
dollars, the nominating of the officers behig the colonells ; and I made an
apart capitulation with the colonell, being to take on officers for the two
compagnyes, except the ruitmaster, I myself to be eldest ruitmaster, and to
have thirty-fyve reichs dollers for each hor.seman tl;at I should bring to
muster place or rendevows above my two companyes. One of the reasons
which induced me to engage here, was the great advantage I expected by
the levying ; for I had notice that the Elector of Rrandeburg had disbanded
foure regiments of horse in Prussia, so that many would be glad to enter
into service againe, and I doubted not to bring my companyes and more to
the locality which wee were to have in Silesia, and the rendevous, at the
rate of fyfteen or twenty reichs dollers a horseman, besides the advantage