Page:Comical history of Simple John and his twelve misfortunes (13).pdf/19

19 to get a bath of the old plaister

MISFORTUNE VIII.

The next morning, she sent him to a farm-house for a pigful of buttermilk,and as he was returning through the fields, the farmer’s bull and another bull were fighting; the farmer’s bull being like to loss, John runs in behind him, and sets his head to the bull’s tail, on purpose to help him to push against the other; but the poor bull thought John was some other bull attacking him behind, fled aside, and the other bull came full drive upon John, pushed him down, broke the pig, and spilt the milk. So John went home to get his auld plaister, which began to be a usual diet to him, and so he regarded it the less.

MISFORTUNE X.

His mother-in-law, with several auld witty wives, held a private council on John’s conduct, and bad luck, and conclnded he was bewitched.