Page:Merry humours, wise sayings, and curious adventures of George Buchanan.pdf/22

 George's advice in this hard matter. Why, so George, I will give you my opinion in a minute; you must cause the tailor to stand in the street where old gentleman was when he was killed by the tail and then let the old gentleman's son, the tailor adversary, get up to the window from whence tailor fell, and jump down, and so kill the tailor as did his father. The tailor's adversary hearing sentence past, he would not venture to jump out the window, and so the tailor got clear off.

George went into the mint one day when they we melting gold. One of them asked George, if he would have his hat full of gold? George readily accord but it burned the bottom out of his hat, as they know it would, and for the bout foiled George. However George to be up with them, bought a fine large h and caused a plate of copper to be put betwixt the and the lining; and returning next day they jesting asked him, if he would have another hatful of gold He said he would. They gave it red hot, and Geo now laughed at them in his turn; telling them, t his new hat was a good one, and stood fire better the the old one, and so carried it off honestly; and be afterwards prosecuted for to return it, he excuse himself, telling the judge that he took nothing what was given him, and therefore he was honorably acquited, and the others heartily laughed at.

George being now far advanced in years, and be weary of the great fatigue and folly of the co fashions, a short time before his death, he had a gr desire to visit his native country, and the place of nativity. Therefore he petitioned the king permission to do so, which was granted. So he out for Scotland, and went to the parish of Buchan in Dumbartonshire, where he visited all his relation