Page:Witty and entertaining exploits of George Buchannan.pdf/27

( 27 ) biſhop ſaid, To purſue him, would only make it worſe, and no better.

George was invited one day by a great lawyer to come and in a fine building, which he had lately built of fine free ſtones and marble. He deſired George to gueſs what it was built with George anſwers, Do u think that I do not know what it is built with? Not you do not, ſays the lawyer. Yes I do ſays George, it cannot ſtand long, for malice and hatred is the mortar of, and the ſtones are the bed of fooliſh people, poliſhed over with the tongue of an aſs-O! Sir, don't you remember that an aſs was made an advocate, and ſpoke againſt Balaam? Tha lawyer in this would give no anſwer, but took good night of George.

Three merchant pedlars, (as they profeſſed to be; came with a pack of goods, to put a trick on a widow woman who kept an inn on the highway ſide. After they had drunk very hearty, they deſired the woman to lay up the pack ſecurely, and charged her ſtrictly, before witneſſes to deliver it to none of them, unless they came all together for it again. And about three weeks thereafter, two of the returned, and deſired the weoman to give them the pack, telling her, that the other, man was gone to ſuch a fair with another pack, where they were all to meet, and they were fellow traveller conjuct in trade, and how they all had a right to the pack alike; whereupon the poor ſimple woman, not dreading any further harm, gave them the pack. So in a few days thereafter, the other man comes and demands the pack. The honeſt woman told him plainly, that the other two men had been there before d got it away. Then he began to demonſtrate to the woman what great danger ſhe was in, and forthwith raiſed proceſs againſt her by law, which coſt the poor woman a vaſt of money to deal, as the plea continued more than two full years; and a great court being one day to ſit upon the proceſs to decide it, which would undoubtedly have been done in favour of the purſuer, the proof being to clear, and the woman hot denying what the bargain was when he got the park to keep. The poor woman being great ſtraits, her purſe being turned empty, and her attorney ſaid her plainly, as her money was gone, he could no longer defend her. The woman nce more ph ked up her heart, and sent to London to employ a new attorney to ſpeak for hers, but for front of of the could get name to und l it. George bring in houſe, where be heard the poor widow making a m complaint to one of the attorneys, who gave her or ſatisfaction, for when ſhe money d, or give in defence of it, the went