SI ANNALS OF ROGER BE flOVEBEN. A.D. 883. there are instances quoted even to this day ; as the following, for instance. He was sitting at table opposite the king, who was on the other side of it, and the cups having gone round and the courses ended, Charles becoming more merry than usual, after some other things, on observing John do something offensive to the French notions of good breeding, he pleasantly rebuked him, and said, "What is there between a sot and a Scot?" On which he turned back this hard hit on its author, and made answer, " A table only." What could be be more facetious than this reply ? The king had asked him with reference to the different notions of manners, whereas John made answer with reference to the distance of space. Nor indeed was the king offended ; for, being captivated by this prodigy of science, he was unwilling to manifest displeasure by even a word against the master, for by that name he usually called him. At another time, when the servant had presented a dish to the king at table, which contained two very large fishes, besides one somewhat smaller, he gave it to the master, that he might share it with two clerks who were sitting near him. They were persons of gigantic stature, while he himself was small in person. On this, ever devising something merry, in order to cause amusement to those at table, he kept the two large ones for himself, and divided the smaller one between the two clerks. On the king finding fault with the unfairness of the division, "Nay," said he, " I have acted right and fairly. For here is a small one," alluding to himself, "and here are two great ones," touching the fishes ; then, turning to the clerks, "here are two great ones," said he, pointing at the clerks, "and here is a small one," touching the fish. At the request, also, of Charles, he translated the " Hierar-chia," of Dionysius the Areiopagite, from Greek into Latin, word fbr word ; the consequence of which is, that the Latin version can be hardly understood from having been rendered rather according to the Greek order of the words than according to our own idiom. He also composed a treatise, which he entitled rrtpl φοβιών μιριαμοϋ,1 that is to say, " On the Divisions of Nature ; " very useful for solving the perplexity as to some questions, making some allowance, however, for him on cer- ' Roger of Wendover says that the title was πιρί ψνσικων μιρίσματος ; meaning much the same thing.