Page:Witty and entertaining exploits of George Buchanan (10).pdf/19

 After this, George being ſent with the Britiſh ambaſſador into Italy, by the way of Paris: and as they were viewing the beautiful ſtatues, and large buildings of that ſpacious city: the King, and many of his nobles in company, as they were walking through the King's garden, among the images of the ſaints, they came to the image of the virgin Mary, who ſtood in a melancholy poſture with the babe is her arms, one of the noblemen fays to the British ambaſſador, don't you think, but ſhe looks as ſhe were angry? O yes, ſays George, ſhe's angry when ſhe fees Engliſhmen and Frenchmen in friendſhip and unity one with another. No, no, ſaid the French king, ſhe loves nothing better than the reconciliation of enemies; peace and unity is her delight. Then George gets in below the ſtatue, and looks up; O, ſays George, I know what is the matter now, ſome body has riven a great nail in her arſe, I ſee the head of it ſticking out, it would vex any living be's a piece of wood. At this the king was greatly enraged againſt George for ſaying ſo, for calling her a piece of wood; and nothing would ſatisfy the King, unleſs that George would fall down and worſhip the virgin Mary and crave mercy of her for the blaſphemous reproaches wherewith he had reproached her. Then George cries out, О may it pleaſe your majeſty to omit it at this time, I dare not look her in the face, ſhe frowns on me with ſuch an angry countenance, this dutiful command of your's muſt be delayed until I return from Italy, and then I ſhall fulfil your demand, in paying all dutiful reſpects and worſhip unto her, according to what ſhe is. So here the ambaſſador ſtood bound for George, that he ſhould perform this piece of worſhip at his return, according to the king's pleaſure.

Now, during their ſtay in Italy, they chanced to be in a nobleman's houſe where they kept but few ſervants. Becauſe of a ſpirit that did haunt the houſe for the ſpace of 200 years before that time, ſo that no ſervant could work any kind of labour in or about the houſe for it, except cooks, for what they vulgarly called a Brownie, it did all itſelf, and would ſuffer no fellow labourer to work along with it. On the next morning, George got up pretty early, called for water to waſh himſelf; then directly comes the Brownie with a baſon of water in the one hand, and a clean cloth in the other. George perceiving him having ſuch a pale ghoſtly countenance, not to be an earthly creature, ſaid, of what nation art thou? To which it anſwered in Galic or Earſe, a coun-