Page:Witty and entertaining exploits of George Buchanan (11).pdf/21



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For which I do myself abhor, Shame caus'd me make another door.

These lines George battered on the inside of the coach, and when he came within a mile of London he took a knife and cut a great hole in the backside of the coach, through which he came out; and to make his promise good to the coachman, that he was to give him the other dollar as soon as ever he saw him come out of the coach-door. The poor coachman drove on till he came to the aforeaid inn, where he alighted and opened the door to let out his passenger; but seeing the coach empty, and a great hole in the backside of it, he cried, I believe I have had the devil in the coach, and he has taken away the backside of it with him The people of the inn came flocking about to see what was done; and then perceived the lines on the inside of the coach, which the bishop came and read himself, they all concluded it to be done by George, but could make nothing of it; for the bishop said, to pursue might well make it worse, but no better.

George went into the mint one day, when they were melting gold. One of then asked George if he would have his hat full of gold? George readily accepted, but it burnt the bottom out of his hat as they knew it would, and for that bout they foiled George. However, George to be even with them bought a fine large hat, and caused a plate of copper to be put betwixt the hat and the lining; and returning next day, they jestingly asked him if he would have another hat full of gold? he said he would: they gave it red hot, and George now laughed at them in his turn, telling them, That his new hat was a good one and stood fire better than the old one. And so he carried it