[361] Cobbler.

Its marked of the Aurelians[362] that they cannot drink standing, but that tho they have never so litle to drink, they most sit doune.  Henry the 4’t, as he was a very mery man, being at Orleans at a tyme, and my Lord maire and his Eschevins being come to sie him, he would try the truth of this.  He first causes remove all the chaires and stools out of the roome, so that nothing was left that a man could sit doune on:  then caused bring in win, and drinks to my L. mairs good health, then ordains him to pledge him, who begins to look about him for a seat; no, nay seat for him, wheir on he began to suspect the King had done it a purpose, he resolves to give his Majesty sport.  He causes on of his Aldermen to sit doune on his knees and his hand, so that he may drink of his drink to the King on his back sitting, which he did, and at which the King did laught no litle.

    [362] People of Orleans.

In the tyme of our late stirs one of the name of Gordon, called black Adam,[363] had broken in on a willage in some part of the north, and had made such a pillage that he had left nothing that was in the least worth the carrieng away.  One of the women of the willage bewailling her lose wt her neighbours, demanded whow they called that wicked man that that had them the scaith.  They call him Adam, quoth another, I know no more.  Adam, quoth she.  Adam began the world and I think he sal end it to.

    [363] Edom o’ Gordon.

The Irishes hes a damned respect for St. Phatrick, of whom they say, that if Christ had no bein Christ, St. Phatrick would have bein Christ, as he ware the most worthy person after Christ.

In the first part of the Romance termed Almahide or l’esclave Reyne, penned by the renouned Scudery,[364] dedicated to Mademoiselle, the Kings sister, are brought in the toun of Grenade in a uproar by reason of 2 mighty factions, the Abencerrages, of whilk Abindarrays is the head; and the Zegris, whose head is Mohavide, betuixt whilk 2 the whole toune is divided.  It comes to a cruel fight in the spatious place of Viwaramble, notwtstanding what the Mufti wt the Alcoran in his hand could say to dissuade them, who is descryved wt all the rest of the religious orders.

    [364] George de Scuderi, 1601-1667.

Amongs the Abencerrages was eminently conspicous the bell esclave on the head of Moray Zel, the father of Sultane Queenes party, for fear of whom the queen suffers no small greife.  At last by the mediation of the King they are brought to peace; only Mohavide subornes a Alfaguy to accuse criminelly the sclave for being found wt armes in his handes against the law of the Alcoran:  whos harangue is answered and refuted by Moray Zell.  The King, after deip deliberation and a magnanimous harangue of the sclave, himselfe assolyies him.  This reased a curiosity in Roderick de Navarre, a great Spaniard, prisoner of the Mores at that tyme, having sein the valeur of the sclave, to know what he might be:  whence one Ferdnand, a old slave of the Sultane queen, begines him his story thus: