Page:Witty and entertaining exploits of George Buchannan.pdf/22

( 22 ) line ſo that none knew his original, and had been faſtered and ed ted out of charity by the king's father, yet he was d an miſer, and as p tle in his own conceit himſelf. Now, the kings know y ſ ce, in m, deſired the chaplains to who he allud to loud m ing ſuch a terr mplain pp ed window, and with , caſting out unto him, You, Sir, o do you cry ſure; Why, ſaid, ſ y people to and buy my coals and give ey ſhe the ; but what do you cry for Why, Sirǃ ſays the young preiſt, ery for you to hold your face. Then, ſays, come en and cry for m, and go ſell my coals, I will hold my peace Sell your coalsǃ ſays the prieſt, do you know unto whom you ſpeak? Yes, I do know, ſays George, but you do not. What and you ſays the prieſt, I am a mortal, and ſo are you, ſays George What is your father's name, ſince you will get tell me your own? ſays the prieſt, You muſt go aſk that at my 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, ys 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 Scriptual 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 your, 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 ſoundling, 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 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 metre the firſt words he would ſay to him in the morning, when newly awakened out of his ſleep; ſo the gentleman went the night before and told George the ſtory, and him he on his guard, me in the morning they would ly come, and that right early. At midnight if you will ſays George, I'll order my ſervant to let you in. So the Engliſh ſquire ſat up all night conferring with his friends whether he would put a high verſe to him, or moan ſimple words, thinking that George would be ſitting up all night meditating on an anſwer; to all agreed that mean and ſimple words he would not be thinking on, and have no anſw-