Page:The Early Kings of Norway.djvu/257

 THE PORTRAITS OF JOHN KNOX. 247 ' were drinking their Sunday's penny, and he, being ' penses." " The good Angel (said I), who is man's ' high matters : we mean, what honest man will do ' was musing (said the Friar) what that should mean, ' not give to us a letter of Cursing for a plack," {say^ ' better nor the sleeping boy that will have three shil- ' lings of fee, a sark and a pair of shoon " {shirt and 'pair of shoes) "in the year. And therefore, if their
 * merry tale ; how, after a sermon he had made at
 * Dumfermling, he came to a house where gossips
 * dry, asked drink. " Yes, Father, (said one of the
 * gossips) ye shall have drink ; but ye maun first
 * resolve ane doubt which is lisen among us, to wit,
 * what servant will serve a man best on least ex-
 * keeper, who makes greatest service without ex-
 * penses." " Tush (said the gossip), we mean no so
 * greatest service for least expenses?" And while I
 * he said, " I see, Father, that the greatest clerks are
 * not the wisest men. Know ye not how the Bishops
 * and their officials serve us husbandmen ? Will they
 * farthing English), "to last for a year, to curse all
 * that look ower our dyke ? and that keeps our com
 * cursing dow " {avail) " anything, we hold the Bishops