Poor Robin's jests: or, The compleat jester Being a collection of several jests not heretofore published. Now newly composed and written by that well-known gentleman, Poor Robin, knight of the burnt island, and well-willer to the mathematicks. Together with the true and lively effigies of the said author. Licensed Feb. 2. 1666. Roger L'Estrange.

How Taylors came to be of the bloud-Royal.

WHen King Henry the fifth was Prince of Wales, he was a very dissolute Prince, and with a company of Roysters that belonged to him, would oftentimes Rob on the High way; and though for the most part they bore away the prize, yet of∣tentimes they met with stout opposition. It happend one time that they were so hard∣ly matcht, that his party received many blows, and amongst the rest he had some cuts or slashes given him on a doublet he then wore, which for the rarity of it his Father took special notice of: therefore, that it might not be espyed, it was carried to a Taylors to mend: the Taylor having viewed it, and considering it could not be well mended without taking in pieces, threw it unto his Journey-man to un-rip, and he being poor and proud, Taylor-like, scorning such inferiour work as to un-rip, threw it to the under-prentice, who in slash∣ing the seames, chanced to find a Lowse,

and thereupon cryed out, I have found a Lowse in the Princes doublet; his Master hear∣ing of it, bid the boy give it to him, that by eating thereof he might become of the blood-royal: the Journey-man hearing him say so, claimed likewise a share, as being the person that should have mended it; so that there rose great contention betwixt them, which of them should have the Lowse: at last, to save the effusion of blood, both of them chusing rather to feed then to fight, it was agreed betwixt them to cut the Lowse in two, and either of them to eat half, by which meanes they might both become of the Royal-blood: the under-Prentice who had found the Lowse, thought it hard measure that he should have no share amongst them, but to live and die a poor Peasant: at last, casting his eyes aside on the Sheares, he espyed them all stained with the blood of the Lowse which had been shed in the dividing of her, wherefore lick∣ing the blood off with his tongue, he also became of the Royal-blood; so that by eating that which had sucked the blood of the Prince, Taylors have ever since been of the blood-Royal.