登陆注册
5188000000161

第161章

I could twang the psaltery a bit.'That was well.Could I tell stories?' Ay, by the score.'Then,' said he, 'I hire you from this moment.' 'What to do?' said I.'Nought crooked, Sir Candour,' says he.'I will feed thee all the way and find thee work; and take half thine earnings, no more.' 'Agreed,' said I, and gave my hand on it, 'Now, servant,' said he, 'we will dine.But ye need not stand behind my chair, for two reasons - first I ha' got no chair;and next, good fellowship likes me better than state.' And out of his wallet he brought flesh, fowl, and pastry, a good dozen of spices lapped in flax paper, and wine fit for a king.Ne'er feasted I better than out of this beggar's wallet, now my master.

When we had well eaten I was for going on.'But,' said he, 'servants should not drive their masters too hard, especially after feeding, for then the body is for repose, and the mind turns to contemplation;' and he lay on his back gazing calmly at the sky, and presently wondered whether there were any beggars up there.I told him I knew but of one, called Lazarus.'Could he do the cul de jatte better than I?' said he, and looked quite jealous like.I told him nay; Lazarus was honest, though a beggar, and fed daily of the crumbs fal'n from a rich man's table, and the dogs licked his sores.'Servant,' quo' he, 'I spy a foul fault in thee.

Thou liest without discretion: now the end of lying being to gull, this is no better than fumbling with the divell's tail.I pray Heaven thou mayest prove to paint better than thou cuttest whids, or I am done out of a dinner.No beggar eats crumbs, but only the fat of the land; and dogs lick not a beggar's sores, being made with spearwort, or ratsbane, or biting acids, from all which dogs, and even pigs, abhor.My sores are made after my proper receipt;but no dog would lick e'en them twice.I have made a scurvy bargain: art a cozening knave, I doubt, as well as a nincompoop.'

I deigned no reply to this bundle of lies, which did accuse heavenly truth of falsehood for not being in a tale with him.He rose and we took the road; and presently we came to a place where were two little wayside inns, scarce a furlong apart.'Halt,' said my master.'Their armories are sore faded - all the better.Go thou in; shun the master; board the wife; and flatter her inn sky high, all but the armories, and offer to colour them dirt cheap.'

So I went in and told the wife I was a painter, and would revive her armories cheap; but she sent me away with a rebuff.I to my master.He groaned.'Ye are all fingers and no tongue,' said he;'I have made a scurvy bargain.Come and hear me patter and flatter.' Between the two inns was a high hedge.He goes behind it a minute and comes out a decent tradesman.We went on to the other inn, and then I heard him praise it so fulsome as the very wife did blush.'But,' says he, 'there is one little, little fault;your armories are dull and faded.Say but the word, and for a silver franc my apprentice here, the cunningest e'er I had, shall make them bright as ever.Whilst she hesitated, the rogue told her he had done it to a little inn hard by, and now the inn's face was like the starry firmament.'D'ye hear that, my man?' cries she, '"The Three Frogs" have been and painted up their armories; shall "The Four Hedgehogs" be outshone by them?' So I painted, and my master stood by like a lord, advising me how to do, and winking to me to heed him none, and I got a silver franc.And he took me back to 'The Three Frogs,' and on the way put me on a beard and disguised me, and flattered 'The Three Frogs,' and told them how he had adorned 'The Four Hedgehogs,' and into the net jumped the three poor simple frogs, and I earned another silver franc.Then we went on and he found his crutches, and sent me forward, and showed his "cicatrices d'emprunt," as he called them, and all his infirmities, at 'The Four Hedgehogs,' and got both food and money.

'Come, share and share,' quoth he: so I gave him one franc.'Ihave made a good bargain,' said he.'Art a master limner, but takest too much time.' So I let him know that in matters of honest craft things could not be done quick and well.'Then do them quick,' quoth he.And he told me my name was Bon Bec; and I might call him Cul de Jatte, because that was his lay at our first meeting.And at the next town my master, Cul de Jatte, bought me a psaltery, and set himself up again by the roadside in state like him that erst judged Marsyas and Apollo, piping for vain glory.So I played a strain.'Indifferent well, harmonious Bon Bec,' said he haughtily.'Now tune thy pipes.' So I did sing a sweet strain the good monks taught me; and singing it reminded poor Bon Bec, Gerard erst, of his young days and home, and brought the water to my een.

But looking up, my master's visage was as the face of a little boy whipt soundly, or sipping foulest medicine.'Zounds, stop that bellyache blether,' quoth he, 'that will ne'er wile a stiver out o' peasants' purses; 'twill but sour the nurses' milk, and gar the kine jump into rivers to be out of earshot on't.What, false knave, did I buy thee a fine new psaltery to be minded o' my latter end withal? Hearken! these be the songs that glad the heart, and fill the minstrel's purse.' And he sung so blasphemous a stave, and eke so obscene, as I drew away from him a space that the lightning might not spoil the new psaltery.However, none came, being winter, and then I said, 'Master, the Lord is debonair.Held I the thunder, yon ribaldry had been thy last, thou foul-mouthed wretch.'

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 告白芭蕾:米斯蒂·科普兰传

    告白芭蕾:米斯蒂·科普兰传

    本书是是美国著名非裔芭蕾舞蹈家米斯蒂·科普兰的自传。在书中,她仔细讲述了自己如何在基本被白人所占据的芭蕾舞圈内取得惊人的成就,以及自己对于生命与芭蕾的感悟。新线影业已经获得了这部自传的电影版权。
  • 珠宝的前世今生

    珠宝的前世今生

    每一枚珠宝的后面都藏着一些传奇,一些故事。那些围绕着珠宝展开的爱情与战争,无不说明珠宝的魅力不在特洛伊战争中的海伦之下。在故事的流行色彩后面,珠宝知识被轻松而愉悦地娓娓道来。时尚、知识、传奇,尽熔铸于作者精悍幽默的行文之间。
  • 恶魔宝宝:误惹花心总裁(完结)

    恶魔宝宝:误惹花心总裁(完结)

    --------马甲--弃----
  • 亿万盛宠只为你

    亿万盛宠只为你

    他们是青梅竹马,两人的日常就是斗斗小嘴,互怼互损。他嘴上说嫌弃她,实际心里在意得要命,看她跟别的男生亲近,他就醋劲大发,索性把她绑在自己身边,成为他一个人的专属。出版名《我和你的微甜时光》,甜宠文,1v1。
  • Thus Spake Zarathustra

    Thus Spake Zarathustra

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 尿祸

    尿祸

    尽管我要写的几个人物没有载入任何史书,没有被史学家以及任何人称之为“民族英雄”,但是,他们的故事却被人们传诵了几十年,而且他们已拥有了一座庞大的红石敖包。由此可以证明,它将是一个动人的故事——驼道尽头的耻辱驼队在沙漠中缓缓行进,驼铃叮咚……巴根眼睛盯着索丽娅的脊背,心痒得不行。索丽娅骑在驼峰上,衣服将肩头、腰肢箍得浑圆,随着驼峰的起伏使得她整个后身都活跳起来。巴根真想跳下自己的驼背跃到她的身后,可是他不敢。
  • 盛妆

    盛妆

    ——王爷!王妃离开王府三天了!——所以她,后悔了?——没有,王妃和太监私奔了。
  • 都市之最牛神豪系统

    都市之最牛神豪系统

    宿主收购电商龙头阿理爸爸,获得一次抽奖机会,叮,恭喜宿主,抽到一只软萌可爱的皮卡丘。宿主捐助十万个希望小学,获得一次抽奖机会,叮,恭喜宿主,喜获鹿鼎记世界邀请,去清朝撩小姐姐。宿主投资电影《战龙2》,获得一次抽奖机会,叮,恭喜宿主,抽中王母的千年蟠桃,吃上一口,金刚护体,益寿延年。重回三年前,获得最牛神豪系统的宁星辰,是真谛秀,从此蛇皮走位,开始了无脑败家,开跑车吃辣条的sao操作。宁星辰不屑一笑:呵呵,追女主播?不可能的,这辈子都不可能!有朝一日龙得水,定要长江水倒流。
  • 千瘴

    千瘴

    “陆璃!你可知她罪孽深重!就算入了十八层地狱也无法消其业障!”上生星君大声痛斥。“我知道。”“你可知道她一怒,居然取了十万生灵性命!”火德星君怒目圆睁。“你还不速速将她交出,好给天下生灵一个交代!”陆璃抬眸望向天庭众人,慢慢的笑了。“我既与她拜了天地,昭告九州。”他理了理衣袖,抚过袖子上绣着的小花“那便是夫妻一体,你们如若想带我家娘子走······”“你待如何?”火德星君气的大叫。“九州之水倒流,不知各位仙君档不挡得住。”陆璃眯了眯眼,语气轻松的像是在说今天天气很好一般。“珍珍,我愿为你倒流九州之水,愿为你背千年业障,只求你,再一次与我结为夫妻。”“君上,我愿为你削去仙骨,愿为你魂飞魄散,只求你,忘了我吧。”
  • Tea-table Talk

    Tea-table Talk

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。