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THE PORTRAITS OF JOHN KNOX. 247
- merry tale ; how, after a sermon he had made at
- Dumfermling, he came to a house where gossips
' were drinking their Sunday's penny, and he, being
- dry, asked drink. " Yes, Father, (said one of the
- gossips) ye shall have drink ; but ye maun first
- resolve ane doubt which is lisen among us, to wit,
- what servant will serve a man best on least ex-
' penses." " The good Angel (said I), who is man's
- keeper, who makes greatest service without ex-
- penses." " Tush (said the gossip), we mean no so
' high matters : we mean, what honest man will do
- greatest service for least expenses?" And while I
' was musing (said the Friar) what that should mean,
- he said, " I see, Father, that the greatest clerks are
- not the wisest men. Know ye not how the Bishops
- and their officials serve us husbandmen ? Will they
' not give to us a letter of Cursing for a plack," {say^
- farthing English), "to last for a year, to curse all
- that look ower our dyke ? and that keeps our com
' better nor the sleeping boy that will have three shil- ' lings of fee, a sark and a pair of shoon " {shirt and 'pair of shoes) "in the year. And therefore, if their
- cursing dow " {avail) " anything, we hold the Bishops
