Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 1Daniel, George
General
Merrie England in the Olden Time, Vol. 1
Daniel, George
England -- Social life and customs
And some capital jokes are recorded of him in this same “Nest of
Ninnies.” There was another fool, “leane Leonard,” who belonged to
“a kinde gentleman” in “the merry Forrest of Sherwood,” a gluttonous
fellow, of unbounded assurance and ready wit. “This leane, greedy foole,
having a stomaeke, and seeing the butler out of the way, his appetite
was such, as loath to tarry, he breakes open the dairy-house, eates and
spoiles new cheeseeurds, cheesecakes, overthrowes creame bowles, and
having filled his belly, and knew he had done evill, gets him gone to
Mansfield in Sherwood, as one fearefull to be at home: the maydes came
home that morning from milking, and finding such a masaker of their
dairie, almost mad, thought a yeares wages could not make amends: but
'O the foole, leane Leonard,' they cryed, 'betid this mischiefe!' They
complayned to their master, but to no purpose, Leonard was farre inough
off; search was made for the foole, but hee was gone none new whither,
and it was his pro-pertie, having done mischiefe, never to come home of
himselfe, but if any one intreated him, he would easy be won.
“All this while, the foole was at Mansfield in Sherwood, and stood
gaping at a shoomaker's stall; who, not knowing him, asked him what he
was? 'Goe look,' says hee; 'I know not my selfe.' They asked him where
he was borne? 'At my mother's backe,' says he.--'In what country?' quoth
they.--'In the country,' quoth he, 'where God is a good man.' At last one
of the three journeymen imagined he wras not very wise, and flouted him
very merrily, asking him if he would have a stitch where there was a
hole? (meaning his mouth.) 'Aye,' quoth the foole, 'if your nose may bee
the needle.' The shoomaker could have found in his heart to have tooke
measure on his pate with a last in steede of his foote; but let him goe
as he was.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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