Page:History of Jack and the giants (6).pdf/2

 THE

HISTORY

OF

JACK AND THE GIANTS.

PART FIRST.

Of his Birth and Parentage, and what paſt between him and the Country Vicar. N 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. He was briſk, and of a lively ready wit, ſo that whatever he could not perform by ſtrength, he completed by 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 invention

For inſtance, when he was no more than ſeven 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 Jack, and aſked him ſeveral queſtions, in particular, How many commandments were there? Jack told him There were nine. The parſon replied, 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