50 DIARY OF PATKICK GORDON. [1661 pretending themselves affronted, began to convoy the writer with the Streltsees

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

50 DIAEY OF PATKICK GORDON. [1661

pretending themselves affronted, began to convoy the writer with the Strelt-
sees rudely out of doores ; who, being come out into the streets, called their
comerades to help, and breake into the house againe, and into the garden,
where they found the brandy, which they tooke, and some souldiers with it.
But more souldiers comeing upon the tumult, not only tooke back the
souldiers and brandy, but falling by the eares with the Streltsees, drove
them to the citty gates, where, being recruited with others, who lived there,
they drove the souldiers back againe. By this tyme the party es encreased,
the Streltsees being about seven hundred, and the sojours about eighty ; but
the street being narrow, and the sojours more desperate and resolute, drove
the Streltsees into the gates of the White Wall, at which tyme six hundred
Streltsees comeing from the maine guard of the Castle, cut of the passage
of those who were gott within the gates, and tooke twenty seven of them,
who, after examination, the next day, were beat with the knute, and sent to
Sibiria.

The next : A Russe captaine, called Affonasse Constantino [witsch] Spiri-
donuf, haveing commanded these souldiers befor wee received them, and
being now in the regiment, and a crafty fellow, had acquired and assumed
such authority among and over the sojours, that he acted many things in-
consisting -with command. I told and forbidd him many tymes, but all would
not help. I complained to the Colonel [Crawfuird] who, being a person un-
willing to be troubled with any business, slighted it ; wherewith, I being not
well satisfyed, and this captaine haveing one night entrapped some souldiers
playing at cards, he not only tooke all the money which they had at play,
but imprisoned them by the provost marshall untill they gave him a great
deale more, in all about sixty rubles, and then let them go ; and all this
without my knowledge, which ought not to be, I haveing the chieffe com-
mand. I being advertised of this the next day, could not containe myself,
but sent for him in the evening, and, haveing dispatched the guard and my
servants, all except one, out of the way, he being come into the roome, I
began to expostulate with him, telling him, that I could not suffer such
abuses any longer, and that I would break his neck one tyme or another.
Whereat he beginning to storme, I gott him by the head, and flinging him
downe, with a fresh, short, oaken cudgcll, T so belrboured liis back and sides,
that he was scarce able to rise ; whereupon, telling him that I would break
his neck if he played such tricks hereafter, I packed him out of doores. He