The Wise and Ingenious Companion, French and English;: or, A Collection of the Wit of the Illustrious Persons, Both Ancient and ModernBoyer, Abel
General
The Wise and Ingenious Companion, French and English;: or, A Collection of the Wit of the Illustrious Persons, Both Ancient and Modern
Boyer, Abel
Anecdotes; Wit and humor
The Duke of _Ossuna_, Viceroy of _Naples_, passing by _Barcelona_,
and having got leave to release some Slaves, he went aboard the
_Cape Gally_, and passing through the Crew of Slaves, he ask’d
divers of them what their Offences were; every one excus’d himself
upon several pretences, one saying, That he was put in out of
Malice; another by Bribery of the Judge, but all of them unjustly.
Among the rest, there was one sturdy little black Man, and the
Duke asking him what he was in for. _My Lord_, said he, _I cannot
deny but I am justly put in here, for I wanted Money, and so took
a Purse hard by_ Tarragona _to keep me from Starving._ The Duke,
with a little Staff he had in his Hand, gave him two or three blows
upon the Shoulders, saying, _You Rogue, what do you do amongst so
many honest, innocent Men? Get you out of their Company._ So he was
freed, and the rest remained still to Tug at the Oar.
91
Le Duc d’_Ossone_, Viceroy de _Naples_, passant par _Barcelone_,
& voulant se servir du Droit qu’il avoit de delivrer quelques
Forçats, alla sur la Galere Capitainesse, & passant par la
Chiourme, il interrogea plusieurs Forcats touchant leurs Crimes.
Ils s’excuserent tous sur divers Pretextes; les uns disant qu’ils
ètoient là par malice, les autres parce que leur Juge avoit été
corrompu; mais tous injustement. Parmi ceux-ci il se rencontra un
petit noirand esperlucat, & comme le Duc lui demanda pourquoi il
ètoit là: _Monseigneur_, dit il, _je ne saurois nier que ce ne
soit avec justice qu’on m’a mis ici; car me trouvant sans argent,
je pris une Bourse pres de_ Tarrascon _pour m’empêcher de mourir
de faim_. Le Duc, avec un petit baton qu’il avoit en sa main, lui
donna deux ou trois coups sur l’épaule, & lui dit, _Coquin, qu’est
ce que tu fais ici parmi tant de gens de bien qui sont innocens?
Sors promtement de leur Compagnie._ Ansi il fut mis en liberté, &
les autres demeurerent pour tirer à la Rame.
92
_James_ I. King of _England_, asking the Lord Keeper _Bacon_,
what he thought of the _French_ Ambassador; he answer’d, that he
was a _tall, proper_ Man. _Ay_, replied the King, _What think you
of his Head-piece? Is he a proper Man for an Ambassador?_ _Sir_,
said _Bacon_, _Tall Men are like high Houses, wherein commonly the
uppermost Rooms are worst furnished._
92
_Jaques_ I. Roy d’_Angleterre_ demandant au Chancellier _Bacon_,
ce qu’il pensoit de l’Ambassadeur de _France_; il respondit que
c’ètoit un homme de belle taille. _Ouy_, repliqua le Roy, _mais que
dites vous de sa tête? Est-elle propre pour une Ambassade?_ _Sire_,
dit _Bacon_, _les Gens grands sont comme les Maisons de cinq ou six
etages, ou les Chambres les plus hautes sont ordinairement les plus
mal garnies._
93
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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