Ancient, Curious, and Famous WillsHarris, Virgil M. (Virgil McClure)
History
Ancient, Curious, and Famous Wills
Harris, Virgil M. (Virgil McClure)
Wills
Says Corcotta Porcellus: “If ever I have done thee any wrong, if I have
sinned in any way, if I have smashed any wee pots with my feet, O Master
Cook, grant pardon to thy suppliant!”
Says the cook Magirus: “Halloo, boy! go bring me a carving-knife out of
the kitchen, that I may make a bloody Porcellus of him.”
Porcellus is caught by the servants, and brought out to execution on the
xvi before the Lucernine Kalends, just when young colewort sprouts are
in plenty, Clybaratus and Piperatus being Consuls.
Now when he saw that he was about to die, he begged hard of the cook an
hour’s grace, just to write his will. He called together his relations,
that he might leave them some of his victuals; and he said:
“I will and bequeath to my papa, Verrinus Lardinus, 30 bush. of acorns.
“I will and bequeath to my mamma, Veturina Scrofa, 40 bush. of Laconian
corn.
“I will and bequeath to my sister, Quirona, at whose nuptials I may not
be present, 30 bush. of barley.
“Of my mortal remains, I will and bequeath my bristles to the cobblers,
my teeth to squabblers, my ears to the deaf, my tongue to lawyers and
chatterboxes, my entrails to tripemen, my hams to gluttons, my stomach
to little boys, my tail to little girls, my muscles to effeminate
parties, my heels to runners and hunters, my claws to thieves; and, to a
certain cook, whom I won’t mention by name, I bequeath the cord and
stick which I brought with me from my oak grove to the sty, in hopes
that he may take the cord and hang himself with it.
“I will that a monument be erected to me, inscribed with this, in golden
letters:
“M. GRUNNIUS CORCOTTA PORCELLUS, who lived 999 years,--six months more,
and he would have been 1000 years old.
“Friends dear to me whilst I lived, I pray you to have a kindness
towards my body, and embalm it well with good condiments, such as
almonds, pepper and honey, that my name may be named through ages to
come.
“O my masters and my comrades, who have assisted at the drawing up of
this testament, order it to be signed.
(Signed) LUCANICUS.
PERGILLUS.
MYSTIALICUS.
CELSANUS.
LARDIO.
OFFELLICUS.
CYMATUS.”
WILLS OF THE EARL OF MELLENT AND OTHERS
(1118)
Robert, the famous Earl of Mellent and Leicester, one of the early
crusaders in the Holy Land, died in 1118, in the abbey of Preaux, where
his body was buried; but his heart, by his own order, was conveyed to
the hospital at Brackley, to be there preserved in salt. Isabella,
daughter of William E. Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, who died at
Berkhampstead in 1239, ordered her heart to be sent in a silver cup to
her brother, then Abbot of Tewkesbury, to be there buried before the
high altar. The heart of John Baliol, Lord of Barnard Castle, who died
in 1269, was, by his widow’s desire, enclosed in an ivory casket, richly
enamelled with silver. There are many bequests of hearts on record other
than the above.
WILL OF SALADIN
(1193)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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