Page:Merry tales of the wise men of Gotham (1).pdf/7

 WISE MEN of GOTHAM. 7 from their neſt preſently Immediate- ly he took a coulter and heated it red hot, and thruſt into the ſtraw, at the end of his forge, and ſet it on fire, and burnt it up. Then ſaid the ſmith. I told thee id fire them out of their neſt. TALE VII. ON Good Friday, the men of Go- tham, conſulted together, what to do with their white herrings, ſprats, and falt-tiſh, and agreed, that all ſuch fiſh ſhould be caſt into the pond or pool in the midſt of the town, that the num- ber of them might increaſe againſt the next year Therefore every one who had any fiſh left. did caſt them imme- diately into the pond Then ſaid one, I have gotten ſo many red-herrings; Well, ſaid another, and I have left ſo many whittings; Another immediate- ly cried out, I have as yet gotten, ſo many ſprats left; And, ſaid the last, I have gotten ſo many ſalt fithes, let them go together in the great pond, without any diſtinction, and we may. be ſure to fare like lords the next year. At the beginning of the next Lent they immediately went about drawing the pond, imgining they ſhould have the