Page:Witty & entertaining exploits of George Buchanan.pdf/9

9 he wants an invitation to come over and dine with you, and then return in a friendly manner; but you are going to charge him with a breach of peace before he has given any signal of offence or war; his letter is indeed dark and mystical, but send him an answer according to his question. Now, George being ordered to write the answer, it was as follows: "And ye come-And ye come-And ye come. " This being sent to the French king, he admired it beyond expression, saying, it was an answer more valiant and daring than be expected. So the enmity he intended, was extinguished, and turned into love 5. It happened once that a malignant party in Scotland sent up a great spokesman to the king and parliament, for the reducing of the church; George hearing of his coming, went away and met him on the bridge, and the salutation that he gave him was the cutting off his head, and throwing it over the bridge. He then ran to the king with all his might, and fell down before him, pleading most heartily for a pardon, or without it he was a dead man. The king most seriously asked him what he had done now To which he answered, he had only thrown the Scots Bishop's hat over the bridge, which made the king to laugh, to hear him ask pardon for such sealed by the king's hand, than he said, indeed my sovereign, I threw his hat over the bridge, but his head was in it. O Geordie, Geordie, says the king, thou will never give over till thou be hanged. 6. A nobleman in England agreed with the king how to put a trick upon George, to try his manly courage, in sending him to a certain place for a bag of money, On his way home, through St. James park, they caused a sturdy fellow to go and set upon
 * 1) small fault; but be had no sooner got the pardon