Wise Men of Gotham.
not count himself. Well, said the courtier, what will you give me, and I will find the twelfth man? Sir, said they, all the money we have got. Give me the money, said he; he then began with the first, and gave him a stroke over the shoulders with his whip, which made him groan, saying, Here is one, and so he served them all, and they groaned at the matter. When he came to the last, he paid him well, saying, Here is the twelfth man; God's blessing on thy heart, said they, for finding our brother.
TALE XI.
A man of Gotham riding along the high-way, saw a cheese, so drew his sword and pricked it with the point, in order to pick it up. Another man came by and alighted, and picked it up, and rode away with it. The man of Gotham rides back to Nottingham to buy a long sword to pick up the cheese; and returning to the place where the cheese did lie, he pulled out his sword, pricking the ground, and said, If I had had but this sword, I should have had the cheese myself, but now another has got it.
