Page:Witty & entertaining exploits of George Buchanan.pdf/12

12 PART II George happened one time to be in company with a bishop, and so they fell to dispute anent education, and he blanked the bishop remarkably, and the bishop himself owned he was worsted. Then one of the company addressed himself to him in these words: thou Scot, said he should not have left thy country. For what I says he, because thou has carried all the wisdom that is in it thither with the No, no, says he, the shepherds in Scotland will dis. pate with any bishop in London, and exceed them very fir in education. The bishops then took this as an affront, and several noblemen affirmed it to be as the Scot had said: bets were laid on each side, and three of the bishops were chosen, and sent away to Scotland to dispute it with the shepherds, accompanied with several others, who were to bear witness of what they should hear pass between them. Now, George knowing which way they went, imme- diately took another road and was in Scotland before them. He then made an acquaintance with a shepherd on the border whose pasture lay on the wayside where the bishops were to pass; and there he mounted himself in a shepherd's dress; and when he saw the bishops appear, he conveyed his flock to the roadside, and fell a chanting at a Latin ballad. When the bishop came up to George, one of the asked him in French, what o'clock it was ! To which he answered in Hebrew, it is directly about the time of the day it was yesterday at this time, Another asked him in Greek, what countryman he was ! To which he answered in Flemish, if he knew that, you would be as wise as myself. A third asked hire in Dutch, where was you educated ! To