Page:Witty and entertaining exploits of George Buchanan (17).pdf/23

( 23 ) ed the window and with great airs called out unto him, You ſir, what do your cry for? Why ſaid George, I cry for people to come and buy my coals and give me money for them: but what do you cry 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 fell my coals, and I will hold my peace. Sell your coals! ſays the prieſt, do you know unto whom you ſpeak? Yes, I do know, 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 me your own? ſays the prieſt. You muſt go aſk that at my mother, ſays George, for I am not ſufficient, when he got me 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, thought to put him off with a Scriptural queſtion, by asking him, If he knew who was Melchizedek's father? Indeed, maſter prieſt, ſays George, Melchizedek'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 with laughing o George went off with his coals and the prieſt became more humble then he was formerly, for he thought that every body knew what 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 me. re the firſt word 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 bid him be on his guard for in the morning they would certainly come and that right early. At midnight if you will, ſays George. I'll order my ſervants to let you in. So the Engliſh 'ſquire ſat up all night conferring with his friends whether he would put a high verſs to him, or mean ſimple words, thinking that George would be ſitting up all night meditating on an anſwer, ſo all agreed that mean and ſimple words would be the beſt, as he would not be thinking on them, and have no anſwer provided. Then away they came in the morning early, with ſeveral gentlemen company to hear the diverſon, George's ſervant opened the