Page:Witty and entertaining exploits of George Buchanan (3).pdf/22

 could, and run off. This he did, but the miser told him he was not such a fool as to follow him for he knew he designed to play the fool to have him fined again. By these means the poor fellow was enriched, and afterwards lived honestly.

George being at dinner one day where the broth was exceeding hot, burnt his mouth at the same time letting a loud fart. It is very good for me says George that you made your escape, for I should have burnt you alive had you staid.

Two drunken fellows fell awaiting one another on the streets of London which caused a great crowd of people to throng together to see what it was; a tailor being at work in a garret about three or four stories high and hearing a noise in the street looked over the window but could not see them: so he began to stretch himself making a long neck, until he fell down out of the window and alighted upon an old man who was walking the street. The poor tailor was more afraid and hurt, but the man he fell on died directly. His son caused the tailor to be apprehended and tried. The jury could not bring it in as wilful murder, neither could they altogether free the tailor: The jury gave it over to the judges and the judges to the king. The king asked George's advice in the matter. Why, says George, I will give you my opinion in a minute; you must cause the tailor to stand on the street in the same place where the old gentleman was when killed by the tailor, then let the gentleman's son, the tailor's adversary, go to the window from whence the tailor fell, a jump down and so kill the tailor, as he did his father, for I can make no more of it: you see it was a great mercy for the tailor that he had the old gentleman beneath him else he had been killed on the spot, and that it was the old gentleman's fate or misfortune to die there. The tailor's adversary