Frederick North, prime minister of England from 1770 to 1782, was accustomed to sleep during the parliamentary harangues of his adversaries, leaving Sir Grey Cooper to note down anything remarkable.
During a debate on ship building, some tedious speaker entered on a historical detail, in which, commencing with Noah's ark, he traced the progress of the art downwards. When he came to building the Spanish Armada,* Sir Grey inadvertently awoke the slumbering prime minister.
"At what era has the honourable gentleman arrived?" asked North.
"We are now in the reign of Queen Elizabeth," answered Sir Grey.
"Dear me, why not let me sleep a century or two more?"
腓特烈．諾思一七七零年到一七八二年任英國首相。他在國會，見政敵大發議論，往往就昏昏入睡，由格雷．庫珀爵士把須注意論點記下來。
有一次，國會辯論船舶建造，有個議員長篇大論，縷述造船技術進步史，由諾亞方舟談起，漸次及於當代。他談到西班牙無敵艦隊*之建造時，庫珀爵士不慎弄醒了睡夢中的諾思。
諾思問：「那位賢兄講到那個時代？」
庫珀爵士回答：「我們到了伊莉莎白女王時代。」
「唉，怎麼不讓我多睡一兩個世紀？」
*西班牙無敵艦隊一五八八年犯英國，敗績。當時英國君主為伊莉莎白一世。