Amusing Prose Chap Books. Various

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       The like was never known,

       His kindness I shall still repeat,

       And so shall my wife Joan.

      I'll laugh when I sit in my stall,

       And merrily will sing;

       That I with my poor last and awl,

       Am fellow with the king.

       But it is more I must confess,

       Than I at first did know;

       But Harry Tudor, ne'ertheless,

       Resolves it shall be so.

      And now farewell unto Whitehall,

       I homeward must retire;

       To sing and whistle in my stall,

       My Joan will me desire.

       I do but think how she shall laugh,

       When she hears of this thing,

       That he that drank her nut-brown ale,

       Was England's Royal King.

Chapter VI.

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      How the cobbler became a courtier.

      Now the king considering the pleasant humour of the cobbler, how innocently merry he was and free from any design; that he was a person that laboured very hard, and took a great deal of pains for a small livelihood, was pleased, out of his princely grace and favour, to allow him a liberal annuity of forty merks a year, for the better support of his jolly humour and the maintenance of his wife Joan, and that he should be admitted one of his courtiers, and that he might have the freedom of his cellar whenever he pleased.

      Which being so much beyond expectation, did highly exalt the cobbler's humour, much to the satisfaction of the king.

      So after a great many legs and scrapes, he returned home to his wife Joan, with the joyful news of his reception at court, which so well pleased her that she did not think much at the great pains she took in decking him for the journey.

THE MERRY TALES

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      OF THE

      WISE MEN OF GOTHAM.

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Tale I.

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      There were two men of Gotham, and one of them was going to Nottingham market to buy sheep, and both met together on Nottingham bridge. "Well met," said one to the other; "whither are you going?" said he that came from Nottingham. "Marry," said he that was going thither, "I am going to the market to buy sheep." "Buy sheep!" said the other, "which way will you bring them home?" "Marry," said the other, "I will bring them over this bridge." "By Robin Hood," said he that came from Nottingham, "but thou shalt not." "By my maid Margery," said the other, "but I will." "You shall not," said the one. "I will," said the other. Then they beat their staves one against the other and then against the ground, as if a hundred sheep had been betwixt them. "Hold there," said the one. "Beware of my sheep leaping over the bridge," said the other. "I care not," said the one. "They shall all come this way," said the other. "But they shall not," said the one. "Then," said the other, "if thou makest much ado, I will put my finger in thy mouth." "A groat thou wilt," said the other. And as they were in contention, another wise man that belonged to Gotham, came from the market with a sack of meal on his horse, and seeing his neighbours at strife about sheep and none betwixt them, said he, "Ah! fools, will you never learn wit? Then help me," continued he, "to lay this sack upon my shoulder." They did so and he went to the side of the bridge and shook out the meal into the river, saying, "How much meal is there in my sack, neighbour?" "Marry," said one, "there is none." "Indeed," replied this wise man, "even so much wit is there in your two heads, to strive for what you have not." Now which was the wisest of these three I leave thee to judge.

Tale II.

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      There was a man of Gotham that rode to the market with two bushels of wheat, and, lest his horse should be damaged by carrying too great a burden, he was determined to carry the corn himself upon his own neck, and still kept riding upon his horse till he arrived СКАЧАТЬ