English Jests and Anecdotes, Collected from Various SourcesVarious
General
English Jests and Anecdotes, Collected from Various Sources
Various
Anecdotes -- England; English wit and humor
A gentleman, playing on the lute under his mistress’s window; she
disdaining his presence and despising his service, caused her servants
to pelt him thence with stones; of which disgrace complaining
afterwards to a friend of his, his friend told him that he had much
mistaken the gentle woman; for what greater grace could she do to your
music than _to make the very stones dance about you, as they did to
Orpheus_.
ONE FOWLE A GENTLEMAN.
One _Fowle_ by name, petitioning to a great man in this kingdom, was
a long while delayed. At length, somewhat importunate, he stirred the
nobleman’s patience so far that in a great rage he bad him get him gone
for a woodcock as he was, at which the petitioner, smiling, humbly
thanked his Lordship for that present courtesy. The lord, turning back
and supposing he had flouted, asked him what courtesy? “Why, truly, my
lord,” said he, “I have known myself a _Fowle_ these fifty years and
upwards, but never knew what fowl till now your lordship told me.” His
answer pleased, and his suite was despatched with all possible speed.
AN ABOMINABLE TRUTH.
A notable braggard boasted how it was his chance to meet with two of
his arch-enemies at once. “The one,” said he, “I tossed so high in the
air, that had he had at his back a baker’s basket full of bread, though
he had eaten all the way, he would have been starved in his fall ere he
had reached the ground; the other he struck so deep into the earth that
he left no more of him to be seen above ground but his head and one of
his arms, and those to no other end than to put off his hat to him, as
he had occasion to pass that way.”
A PAINTED FACE.
A lady, that used to plaister her face extremely so by art, to repair
the decays of nature, was on a time, with divers others, invited abroad
to dinner. But one of them, an acquaintance of her’s, wished her by no
means to go. “Why?” said my lady. “Marry,” replies the gentleman, “’tis
ten to one we shall be wondrous merry, and _you cannot well laugh, for
fear of shewing two faces_.”
A TUTOR AND HIS SCHOLAR.
A young lad of a college in Oxford, when he should have been in the
public hall at disputations, a little before the time fell asleep, and
by that means failed of coming down. His tutor, being then moderator,
missed him, and after exercise was done went up to his study, where,
finding him asleep, he waked him, chid him for sleeping at that time
of day, and angrily asked him why he was not at disputations. The
youth, after a little yawning and stretching, replied, “Truly, sir, _I
did not dream of it_.”
PETER MARTYR.
One Peter Martyr, a great scholar, and very famous in his time, had
been a long time suitor for a bishopric, but was still crossed in
his suit. At last four friars-confessors were preferred together to
four vacant Sees, and he not remembered, which he hearing of, said,
“Methinks amongst so many confessors one _Martyr_ would not have done
amiss.”
A YOUNG MASTER OF ARTS.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account