Page:Witty and entertaining exploits of George Buchanan (10).pdf/22

 for? What, ſir, ſays the young prieſt, I cry for you to hold your peace. Then, ſays George, come here then, and cry for me, and go ſell my coals, and I will hold my peace. Sell your coals, ſays the prieſt, do you know unto whom you ſpeak? Yes, I do, ſays George, but you do not. What are you? ſays the prieſt; I am a mortal, and ſo are you, ſays George. What is your father's name, ſince you will not tell your own fays the prieſt: You may go aſk that at my mother, ſays George, for I was not ſufficient when ſhe got me to to know him. What, ſays the prieſt, do you not know your own father? I know my mother, and my mother did know my father, ſays George, and that is ſufficient, and more than you can ſay, perhaps. The prieſt thinking he was coming too near him, thought to put him off with a ſcriptural queſtion, by aſking him, If he knew who was Melchizedec's father? Indeed, maſter prieſt, ſays George, Melchizedec's deſcent was not counted, neither is yours, then who can declare your generation. The prieſt, at this anſwer, would ſtand the argument no longer, but cloſed the window in great haſte, while the king, and all who knew the prieſt to be a foundling, were like to ſplit their ſides laughing; ſo George went off with his coals, and the prieſt became more humble than he was, formerly, for he thought, that every body knew who he was, when the coalman knew ſo well.

One night after this, an English 'ſquire, who profeſſed to be better verſed in poetry than George, laid a wager with another gentleman, five guineas againſt one, that George could not metre the firſt words he would ſay to him in the morning, when newly awaked out of his ſleep; ſo the gentleman went the night before, and told George the ſtory, and bade him be on his guard, for in the morning they would certainly come, and that right early. At midnight and you will, ſays George, I'll order my ſervant to let you in. So the Engliſh 'quire ſat up all night conferring with his friends, whether to put a high verſe to him, or mean and ſimple words, thinking that George would be ſitting up all night, meditating on an anſwer; ſo they all agreed, that mean and ſimple words he would not be thinking on, and have no anſwer provided for ſuch. Then away they came in the morning very early, with ſeveral gentlemen in company to hear the diverſion. George's ſervant opened the door according to his maſter's orders. The 'ſquire entered the room firſt, and wakened George out of his ſleep, then ſaid,