"Now, neighbours," he said, "how much meal is there in my sack?"

"Marry," said they, "there is none at all."

"Now, by my faith," said he, "even as much wit as is in your two heads
to stir up strife about a thing you have not."

Which was the wisest of these three persons, judge yourself.

_Of Hedging a Cuckoo_

Once upon a time the men of Gotham would have kept the Cuckoo so that
she might sing all the year, and in the midst of their town they made a
hedge round in compass and they got a Cuckoo, and put her into it, and
said, "Sing there all through the year, or thou shalt have neither meat
nor water." The Cuckoo, as soon as she perceived herself within the
hedge, flew away. "A vengeance on her!" said they. "We did not make our
hedge high enough."

_Of Sending Cheeses_

There was a man of Gotham who went to the market at Nottingham to sell
cheese, and as he was going down the hill to Nottingham bridge, one of
his cheeses fell out of his wallet and rolled down the hill. "Ah,
gaffer," said the fellow, "can you run to market alone? I will send one
after another after you."

Then he laid down his wallet and took out the cheeses, and rolled them
down the hill. Some went into one bush; and some went into another.

"I charge you all to meet me near the market-place;" and when the fellow
came to the market to meet his cheeses, he stayed there till the market
was nearly done. Then he went about to inquire of his friends and
neighbours, and other men, if they did see his cheeses come to the
market.

"Who should bring them?" said one of the market men.

"Marry, themselves," said the fellow; "they know the way well enough."

He said, "A vengeance on them all. I did fear, to see them run so fast,
that they would run beyond the market. I am now fully persuaded that
they must be now almost at York." Whereupon he forthwith hired a horse
to ride to York, to seek his cheeses where they were not, but to this
day no man can tell him of his cheeses.

_Of Drowning Eels_

When Good Friday came, the men of Gotham cast their heads together what
to do with their white herrings, their red herrings, their sprats, and
other salt fish. One consulted with the other, and agreed that such fish
should be cast into their pond (which was in the middle of the town),
that they might breed against the next year, and every man that had salt
fish left cast them into the pool.

"I have many white herrings," said one.

"I have many sp