Page:Witty & entertaining exploits of George Buchanan.pdf/13

13 which he answered in Earn, herding my sheep beteen this and Lochaber. This they desired him to explain into English, which he immediately did. Now, said the one to another, we need not proceed any further. What, says George, are you butchers ? I'II sell you a few sheep To this they made no answer, but went away shamefully, and said, they believed the Scots had been through all the nations in the world for their education, or the devil bad taught them. Now, when George had ended this dispute with the bishops, he stripped off his shep- herd's dress, and up through England he goes, with all the haste imaginable, so that he arrived at the place from whence they net out, three days before the judges, and went every day asking if they were come, so that he might not be suspected. As soon as they arrived, all that were concerned in the dis-pute, and many more came crowding in to hear what news from the Scottish shepherds, and to know what was done. No sooner had the three gentlemen declared what had passed between the bishops and the shepherds, whom they found on the Scots border, but the old bishop made answer, and think you, and he, that a shepherd could answer these questions It has been one else but the devil; for the Scots ministers themselves could not do it: they are but ignorant of such matters, a parcel of beardless boys. Then George thought it was time to take speech in land. Well, my lord bishop, says George, you call them a parcel of ignorant beardless boys. You have a great long beard yourself, my lord bishop, and if free were measured by beards, you bishops and the goats would have it all, and this will be quite averse to Scripture. What, says the bishop, are you a Soot1 Yes, says George, I am a Soot. Well,