24 THE HISTORY OF. &c. could not ſand the tanner, I have brought him to you. At which words he fell on his knees and cried. Long live our gracious ſovereign king and queen Who did their royal perſons ſo demean, As in familiar fort to joke with us, And I rejoice to find it is no worſe. ' Ariſe honeſt cobler, quoth the King, and ' merry be thy heart I have tried thy patience, ' and will prove thy friend and thy forty merks ' per annum, which I formerly gave the hall be ' much more by my bounty. Thou that have fifty pounds a-year in land, Which lies upon the ſouth tide of the Strand; I am the royal giver, thou the taker, And I will have it called the coblera'ſ Acre. Poor Criſpin and his wife were tranſported with joy at this glorious coming off and the more at the queen's gift, which was a purſe of gold. They then preſented the court with a comical farce, called. The Forked Friends or the Fiddler and his Wife, where with they finished the day, to the great joy of all the beholders. Being diſmiſſed, with great ap- paluſe the cobler and Joan returned home, where, in a ſhort time he built a row of hoaſes, calling the place, The Coblers Acre, according to the king's requeſt; which a continued after the Cobler's death but at this time it is turned a more magnifi- cent building, and has loll it's former name. Yet during life the Cobler at the court, Was well belovd and freely entertained, Where be afforded much delightfa ſport, So long as Harry Tudor liv'd and reigo'd. The King died firſt, the Cobler followed after, But not till he had often fill'd the court with laughter FINIS.
Page:History of the king and the cobler (1).pdf/24
