Page:Witty and entertaining exploits of Geo. Buchanan.pdf/7

Rh the greatest fool, the young spark permitted him to jump first, which he according to order did, and jumped within a foot of the place where the ground was falsified. The young man seeing this, made his performance with great airs and all d is might so that he jumped a loot over George, but up to the .oxters in clean dung! whereat the whole multitude of spectators cried out with huzzas and laughter. Now, says George I told you wo would end in and about where we began, and that is in clean dirt.

2 On a time after this, the king and his court were going into the country, and they would have George to ride before them in the fool’s dress; whereupto be seemed unwilling, but it was the king's pleasure. So George was mounted upon an old horse with a pair of old liven boots, the heels hanging down, and a palmer coat, patched over with pictures of divers kinds. George rode before them in his posture, which caused great laughter and diversion, until they came to an inn, where they alighted to dine; and in the time they were at dinner George went into the stables and with a knife cut all the horses chafts, net sore but so as they might bleed. Now, as soon as dinner was over and they mounted on their horses again— George riding before them as usual, in his palmer coat and old boots— they begun to make their game of him ; then George tuning about suddenly and clapping his hands with loud langhter,—the king asked him what made him laugh so: Laugh, says George, how can I but laugh when horses cannot hold their peace? O, my sovereign, says he, don’t you see how your horses have rent their I halts laughing at my old boots! Then every man looking at his horse’s mouth, they were all in a race against George. The king, causing George to dismount directly, and charged him never to let him see his face on English ground.