Page:Witty & entertaining exploits of George Buchanan.pdf/22

 George, one day easing himself at the corner of a dedge, was espied by an English squire who began to mock him, asking him why he did not keckle like the hens? But George, whose wit was always ready, told him he was afraid to keckle, lost be would come and snatch up the egg, which rebuff made the squire walk off as mute as a fish.

George was professor of the College of St. Andrew's, and slipt out one day in his gown and slippers, and went on his travels through Italy, and several other foreign countries, and after seven years returned with the same dress he went off in; and entering the college, took possession of his seat there; but the professor in his room quarrelled with him for so doing. Ay, says George, it is a very odd thing that a man cannot take a walk out in his slip- pers, but the other will take up his seat. And so set the other professor about his business.

Two drunken fellows one day fell a beating one another on the streets of London, which caused a great crowd of people to throng together to see what it was. A tailor being at work up in a garret, about three or four stories high, and he hearing the noise in the street, looking over the window, but could not well see them; he began to stretch him- self, making a long neck, until he fell down out of the window, and alighted on an old man who was walking on the street; the poor tailor was more afraid than hart, but the man he fell on died di- rectly. His son caused the tailor to be apprehended, and tried for the murder of his father, the jury could not bring it in wilful murder, neither could they altogether free the tailor; the jury gave it over to the judges, and the judges to the king. The king asked George's advice in this hard matter.