A man of Gotham took a young buzzard and invited four or five
gentlemen's servants to the eating of it; but the wife killed an old
goose, and she and two of her gossips ate up the buzzard, and the old
goose was laid to the fire for the gentlemen's servants. So when they
came the goose was set before them. "What is this?" said one of them.
The goodman said, "A curious buzzard." "A buzzard! why it is an old
goose, and thou art an knave to mock us," and so departed in great
anger. The fellow was sorry that he had affronted them, and took a bag
and put the buzzard's feathers in it; but his wife desired him, before
he went, to fetch a block of wood, and in the interim she pulled out the
buzzard's feathers and put in the goose's. The man, taking the bag, went
to the gentlemen's servants and said, "Pray, be not angry with me, you
shall see I had a buzzard, for here be the feathers." Then, he opened
the bag and took out the goose's feathers; upon which one of them took a
cudgel and gave him a dozen of stripes, saying, "Why, you knave, could
you not be content to mock us at home, but you are come here to mock us
also."
TALE XV.
A man's wife of Gotham was brought to bed of a male child, and the
father invited the gossips who were children of eight or ten years of
age. The eldest child's name was Gilbert, the second's name was
Humphrey, and the godmother was called Christabel. Their relations
admonished them divers times, that they must all say after the parson.
And when they were come to the church, the priest said, "Be you all
agreed of the name?" "Gilbert, Humphrey, and Christabel," said the same.
The priest then said, "Wherefore came you hither?" They immediately said
the same. The priest being amazed could not tell what to say, but
whistled and said, "Whey," and so did they. The priest being angry,
said, "Go home, you fools, go home." Then Gilbert, Humphrey, and
Christabel did the same. The priest then provided godfathers and
godmothers himself.
TALE XVI.
A young man of Gotham went a wooing a fair maid: his mother warned him
beforehand, saying, "Whenever you look at her, cast a sheep's eye at
her, and say, 'How dost thou, my sweet pigmy?'" The fellow went to a
butcher and bought seven or eight sheep eyes. And when this lusty wooer
was at dinner, he would look upon the fair wench and cast in her face a
sheep's eye, saying, "How dost thou do, my sweet pigmy?" "How do I do,"
said the wench; "swine's face, what do you mean by casting a sheep's eye
at me?" "O! sweet pigmy, have at thee with another." "I defy thee,
swine's face," said the wench. "What my sweet old pigmy, be content, for
if you live to next year you will be a foul sow." "Walk, knave, walk,"
said she, "for if you live till next year you will be a fool."
TALE XVII.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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