Fit to appear Yore our father the pope." "Now, welcome, sire abbot," the king he did say, "'Tis well thourt come back to keep thy day: For and if thou canst answer my questions three, Thy life and thy living both saved shall be. "And first, when thou seest me here in this stead, With my crown of gold so fair on my head, Among all my liege-men so noble of birth, Tell me to one penny what I am worth." "For thirty pence our Saviour was sold Among the false Jews, as I have been told: And twenty-nine is the worth of thee, For I think thou art one penny worser than he." The king he laughed, and swore by St Bittel, "I did not think I had been worth so little! --Now secondly tell me, without any doubt, How soon I may ride this whole world about." "You must rise with the sun, and ride with the same Until the next morning he riseth again; And then your grace need not make any doubt But in twenty-four hours you'll ride it about." The king he laughed, and swore by St John, "I did not think it could be gone so soon! --Now from the third question thou must not shrink, But tell me here truly what I do think." "Yea, that shall I do, and make your grace merry; You think I'm the abbot of Canterbury; But I'm his poor shepherd, as plain you may see, That am come to beg pardon for him and for me." The king he laughed, and swore by the mass, "I'll make thee lord abbot this day in his place!" "Now nay, my liege, be not in such speed, For alack I can neither write nor read." "Four nobles a week, then I will give thee, For this merry jest thou hast shown unto me; And tell the old abbot when thou comest home, Thou hast brought him a pardon from good King John." (_Bittel_, Botolph (?)) THE KING AND THE COUNTRYMAN [Illustration: 0287) There was an old chap in the west country, A flaw in the lease the lawyers had found, 'Twas all about felling of five oak trees, And building a house upon his own ground. Right too looral, looral, looral--right too looral la! Now, this old chap to Lunnun would go, To tell the king a part of his woe, Likewise to tell him a part of his grief, In hopes the king would give him relief. Now, when this old chap to Lunnun had come, He found the king to Windsor had gone; But if he'd known he'd not been at home, He danged his buttons if ever he'd come. Now, when this old chap to Windsor did stump, The gates were barred, and all secure, But he knocked and thumped with his oaken clump, There's room within for I to be sure. But when he got there, how he did stare, To see the yeomen strutting about; He scratched his head, and rubbed down his hair, In the ear of a noble he gave a great shout: "Pray, Mr Noble, show I the King; Is that the King that I see there? I see'd an old chap at Bartlemy fair Look more like a king than that chap there. "Well, Mr King, pray how dye do?