Page:History of Jack and the giants (2).pdf/3



IN the reign of king Arthur, near the land's end of England, namely in the county of Cornwall, there lived a wealthy farmer, who had one only ſon commonly known by the name of Jack the Giant-killer. He was briſk and of a lively ready wit, ſo that whatever he could not perform by ſtrength, he completed by ſtratagem, ingenious wit, and policy; never was any perſon heard of that could worſt him; nay, the very learned many times he baffled by his cunning, ſharp, and ready inventions.

For inſtance, when he was no more than ſeven years of age, his father the farmer, ſent him into the field to look after his oxen, which were then feeding in a pleaſant paſture. A country vicar, by chance one day coming acroſs the field, called to Jack, and aſked him ſeveral queſtions, in particular, how many commandments there were? Jack told him There were nine. The parſon replied, there are ten. Nay, (quoth Jack) maſter parſon you are out of that; it is true there were ten, but you broke one of them with your own maid Margery. The parſon replied Thou art an arch wag Jack. Well, maſter parſon, quoth Jack, you have aſked me one queſtion, and I have anſwered it, I beſeech you let me aſk you another; Who made theſe oxen? The parſon replied, God made them, child. You are out again, quoth Jack, for God made them bulls, but my father and his man Hobſon made oxen of them. Theſe were the witty anſwers of Jack. The parſon finding himſelf fooled, trudged away, leaving Jack in a fit of laughter.