Page:Witty and entertaining exploits of George Buchannan.pdf/31

( 31 ) they would find thes out and know whether he was a at r not; to be told their wames, and women were ſent to Scotland too. The firſt was Duddingſton, near Edinburgh; when they come there, and aſked for the bone bridge, the people ſhewed them ſteps m between every door, of the ſkulls of ſheep-heads, which they uſed as ſtepping ſtones. The ſecond was a little country village, between Stirling and Perth, called Auchte ler, where there is a large ſtrand, and which runs through the of the town, and almoſt at every door there a ſtone ſaid on the ſtrand, whereupon they p to the appetite neighbours; and when a flood came, they could lift their wooden bridges in caſe they ſhould be taken away; and this they called their draw bridges. The third was a village near Cambur- ſton, which they paſſed through from the one end to the other, but there was not a ſtair in it all; ſo they reunited to England, and told what kind of bu e and draw bridges they were, and how there was not a ſtair in all that place, therefore no man could run in below it.

Now George being old, and highly advanced in years, inding his natural ſtrenght and ſtute of health daily decaying, he petitioned King James to let him return to Scotland, to viſit his friends and lands of his nativity; which e willingly granted, (not thinking that his deſign was never to return;) for George had a great deſire to reſign his ul and breath in that part of the world, where he receives hem, and that his body and bones might be laid among his nceſtors, which it was counted a great honour in former ges.

So accordingly George came to the Pariſh of Bachannas, the weſt of Scotland, where he viſited all his friends and elations before his death, during which the king ſent ſeve- meſſages for him to return in all haſte he could; but he ſolutely refuſed, telling him, that he would never e him ain, which grieved the king very much to hear him ex- reſs himſelf in that manner. After that the king ſent him letter threatening him very ſharply, if he did an appear London, in the ſpace of ten days, he ſhould bring him to ondon whether he would or not. Unto which, as an an- r, George ſent him a famous letter of admonition, both ent the government of his kingdom, and the well being his ſoul; which cauſed the king weep very bitterly, w read it over, with the following verſe;

My honour'd liege, and ſovereign King, Of your beating great I dread nothing; On your feud and favour TH cely venture; E'er that day, I'll be where fair kings enter.