The Nursery Rhyme Book 1 – Anonymous · Verses Across
Literature · For Children
The Nursery Rhyme Book 1The Nursery Rhyme Book (part 1)
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Literature · For Children
The Nursery Rhyme Book 1
The Nursery Rhyme Book (part 1)
AnonymousEnglish
The Nursery Rhyme Book
THE NURSERY RHYME BOOK
EDITED BY ANDREW LANG
ILLUSTRATED BY L. LESLIE BROOKE
Copyright 1897 by F. Warne & Co.
LONDON . FREDERICK WARNE AND CO . AND NEW YORK
MDCCCXCVII
Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
At the Ballantyne Press
TO read the old Nursery Rhymes brings back queer lost memories of a
man's own childhood. One seems to see the loose floppy picture-books of
long ago, with their boldly coloured pictures. The books were tattered
and worn, and my first library consisted of a wooden box full of these
volumes. And I can remember being imprisoned for some crime in the
closet where the box was, and how my gaolers found me, happy and
impenitent, sitting on the box, with its contents all round me,
reading.
There was "Who Killed Cock Robin?" which I knew by heart before I could
read, and I learned to read (entirely "without tears") by picking out
the letters in the familiar words. I remember the Lark dressed as a
clerk, but what a clerk might be I did not ask. Other children, who are
little now, will read this book, and remember it well when they have
forgotten a great deal of history and geography. We do not know what
poets wrote the old Nursery Rhymes, but certainly some of them were
written down, or even printed, three hundred years ago. Grandmothers
have sung them to their grandchildren, and they again to theirs, for
many centuries. In Scotland an old fellow will take a child on his knee
for a ride, and sing--
"This is the way the ladies ride,
Jimp and sma',--"
a smooth ride, then a rough trot,--
"This is the way the cadgers ride.
Creels and a'!"
Such songs are sometimes not printed, but they are never forgotten.
About the people mentioned in this book:--We do not exactly know who Old
King Cole was, but King Arthur must have reigned some time about 500 to
600 A.D. As a child grows up, he will, if he is fond of poetry, read
thousands of lines about this Prince, and the Table Round where his
Knights dined, and how four weeping Queens carried him from his last
fight to Avalon, a country where the apple-trees are always in bloom.
But the reader will never forget the bag-pudding, which "the Queen next
morning fried." Her name was Guinevere, and the historian says that she
"was a true lover, and therefore made she a good end." But she had a
great deal of unhappiness in her life.
I cannot tell what King of France went up the hill with twenty thousand
men, and did nothing when he got there. But I do know who Charley was
that "loved good ale and wine," and also "loved good brandy," and was
fond of a pretty girl, "as sweet as sugar-candy." This was the banished
Prince of Wales, who tried to win back his father's kingdom more than a
hundred years ago, and gained battles, and took cities, and would have
recovered the throne if his officers had followed him. But he was as
unfortunate as he was brave, and when he had no longer a chance, perhaps
he did love good ale and wine rather too dearly. As for the pretty
girls, they all ran after him, and he could not run away like Georgey
Porgey. There is plenty of poetry about Charley, as well as about King
Arthur.
About King Charles the First, "upon a black horse," a child will soon
hear at least as much as he can want, and perhaps his heart "will be
ready to burst," as the rhyme says, with sorrow for the unhappy King.
After he had his head cut off, "the Parliament soldiers went to the
King," that is, to his son Charles, and crowned him in his turn, but he
was thought a little too gay. Then we come to the King "who had a
daughter fair, and gave the Prince of Orange her."
There is another rhyme about him:--
"O what's the rhyme to porringer?
Ken ye the rhyme to porringer?
King James the Seventh had ae dochter,
And he gave her to an Oranger.
Ken ye how he requited him?
Ken ye how he requited him?
The lad has into England come,
And ta'en the crown in spite o' him.
The dog, he shall na keep it lang,
To flinch we'll make him fain again;
We'll hing him hie upon a tree,
And James shall have his ain again."
The truth is, that the Prince of Orange and the King's daughter fair
(really a very pretty lady, with a very ugly husband) were not at all
kind to the King, but turned him out of England. He was the grandfather
of Charley who loved good ale and wine, and who very nearly turned out
King Georgey Porgey, a German who "kissed the girls and made them cry,"
as the poet likewise says. Georgey was not a handsome King, and nobody
cared much for him; and if any poetry was made about him, it was very
bad stuff, and all the world has forgotten it. He had a son called Fred,
who was killed by a cricket-ball--an honourable death. A poem was made
when Fred died:--
"Here lies Fred,
Who was alive and is dead.
If it had been his father,
I would much rather;
If it had been his brother,
Still better than another;
If it had been his sister,
No one would have missed her;
If it had been the whole generation,
So much the better for the nation.
But as it's only Fred,
Who was alive and is dead,
Why there's no more to be said."
This poet seems to have preferred Charley, who wore a white rose in his
bonnet, and was much handsomer than Fred.
Another rhyme tells about Jim and George, and how Jim got George by the
nose. This Jim was Charley's father, and the George whom he "got by the
nose" was Georgey Porgey, the fat German. Jim was born on June 10; so
another song says--
"Of all the days that's in the year,
The Tenth of June to me's most dear,
When our White Roses will appear
To welcome Jamie the Rover."
But, somehow, George really got Jim by the nose, in spite of what the
poet says; for it does not do to believe all the history in song-books.
After these songs there is not much really useful information in the
Nursery Rhymes. Simple Simon was not Simon Fraser of Lovat, who was
sometimes on Jim's side, and sometimes on George's, till he got his head
cut off by King George. That Simon was not simple.
The Babes in the Wood you may read about here and in longer poems; for
instance, in a book called "The Ingoldsby Legends." It was their wicked
uncle who lost them in the wood, because he wanted their money. Uncles
were exceedingly bad long ago, and often smothered their nephews in the
Tower, or put out their eyes with red-hot irons. But now uncles are the
kindest people in the world, as every child knows.
About Brian O'Lin there is more than this book says:--
"Brian O'Lin had no breeches to wear;
He bought him a sheepskin to make him a pair,
The woolly side out, and the other side in:
'It's pleasant and cool,' says Brian O'Lin."
He is also called Tom o' the Lin, and seems to have been connected with
Young Tamlane, who was carried away by the Fairy Queen, and brought back
to earth by his true love. Little Jack Horner lived at a place called
Mells, in Somerset, in the time of Henry VIII. The plum he got was an
estate which had belonged to the priests. I find nobody else here about
whom history teaches us till we come to Dr. Faustus. He was not "a
very good man"; that is a mistake, or the poem was written by a friend
of the Doctor's. In reality he was a wizard, and raised up Helen of Troy
from the other world, the most beautiful woman who ever was seen. Dr.
Faustus made an agreement with Bogie, who, after the Doctor had been gay
for a long time, came and carried him off in a flash of fire. You can
read about it all in several books, when you are a good deal older. Dr.
Faustus was a German, and the best play about him is by a German poet.
As to Tom the Piper's Son, he was probably the son of a Highlander, for
they were mostly on Charley's side, who was "Over the hills and far
away." Another song says--
"There was a wind, it came to me
Over the south and over the sea,
And it has blown my corn and hay
Over the hills and far away.
But though it left me bare indeed,
And blew my bonnet off my head,
There's something hid in Highland brae,
It has not blown my sword away.
Then o'er the hills and over the dales,
Over all England, and thro' Wales,
The broadsword yet shall bear the sway,
Over the hills and far away!"
Tom piped this tune, and pleased both the girls and boys.
About the two birds that sat on a stone, on the "All-Alone Stone," you
can read in a book called "The Water-Babies."
Concerning the Frog that lived in a well, and how he married a King's
daughter and was changed into a beautiful Prince, there is a fairy tale
which an industrious child ought to read. The frog in the rhyme is not
nearly so lucky.
After these rhymes there come a number of riddles, of which the answers
are given. Then there are charms, which people used to think would help
in butter-making or would cure diseases. It is not generally thought now
that they are of much use, but there can be no harm in trying. Nobody
will be burned now for saying these charms, like the poor old witches
long ago. The Queen Anne mentioned on page 172 was the sister of the
other Princess who married the Prince of Orange, and she was Charley's
aunt. She had seventeen children, and only one lived to be as old as ten
years. He was a nice boy, and had a regiment of boy-soldiers.
"Hickory Dickory Dock" is a rhyme for counting out a lot of children.
The child on whom the last word falls has to run after the others in the
game of "Tig" or "Chevy." There is another of the same kind:--
"Onery
Twoery
Tickery
Tin
Alamacrack
Tenamalin
Pin
Pan
Musky Dan
Tweedleum
Twiddleum
Twenty-one
Black fish
White trout
Eery, Ory
You are out."
Most of the rhymes in this part of the book are sung in games and dances
by children, and are very pretty to see and hear. They are very old,
too, and in an old book of travels in England by a Danish gentleman, he
gives one which he heard sung by children when Charles II. was king.
They still sing it in the North of Scotland.
In this collection there are nonsense songs to sing to babies to make
them fall asleep.
Bessy Bell and Mary Gray, on page 207, were two young ladies in Scotland
long ago. The plague came to Perth, where they lived, so they built a
bower in a wood, far off the town. But their lovers came to see them in
the bower, and brought the infection of the plague, and they both died.
There is a little churchyard and a ruined church in Scotland, where the
people who died of the plague, more than two hundred years ago, were
buried, and we used to believe that if the ground was stirred, the
plague would fly out again, like a yellow cloud, and kill everybody.
There is a French rhyme like "Blue-Eye Beauty"--
"Les yeux bleus
Vont aux cieux.
Les yeux gris
Vont a Paradis.
Les yeux noirs
Vont a Purgatoire."
None of the other rhymes seem to be anything but nonsense, and nonsense
is a very good thing in its way, especially with pictures. Any child who
likes can get Mrs. Markham's "History of England," and read about the
Jims, and Georges, and Charleys, but I scarcely think that such children
are very common. However, the facts about these famous people are told
here shortly, and if there is any more to be said about Jack and Jill, I
am sure I don't know what it is, or where the hill they sat on is to be
found in the geography books.
Page
I. Historical 29
II. Literal and Scholastic 41
III. Tales 53
IV. Proverbs 75
V. Songs 85
VI. Riddles and Paradoxes 121
VII. Charms and Lullabies 143
VIII. Gaffers and Gammers 153
IX. Games 167
X. Jingles 189
XI. Love and Matrimony 197
XII. Natural History 217
XIII. Accumulative Stories 247
XIV. Relics 261
Notes 275
Index of First Lines 279
Page
Frontispiece--Little Bo-Peep 4
Title-Page 5
Heading to Preface 7
Medallion--Frederic. Walliae Princeps 12
Tailpiece to Preface 19
Heading to Contents 21
Heading to List of Illustrations 23
Title (Historical) 29
Old King Cole 31
Good King Arthur 33
Over the water to Charley 36
Title (Literal and Scholastic) 41
Great A, little a 43
A was an archer 45
When he whipped them he made them dance 48
Mistress Mary, how does your garden grow? 50
Title (Tales) 53
The man in the moon 55
There was a crooked man 57
Simple Simon met a pieman 59
He ran fourteen miles in fifteen days 61
The lion and the unicorn 62
His bullets were made of lead 64
Went to sea in a bowl 65
He used to wear a long brown coat 70
Taffy came to my house and stole a piece of beef 72
He caught fishes in other men's ditches 73
Title (Proverbs) 75
To put 'em out's the only way 77
When the wind is in the east 80
Then 'tis at the very best 81
Title (Songs) 85
There I met an old man 87
Says t'auld man tit oak tree 91
Whenever they heard they began for to dance 95
Even pigs on their hind legs would after him prance 96
So Doll and the cow danced "the Cheshire round" 97
He'll sit in a barn 101
Merry are the bells, and merry do they ring 104
He rode till he came to my Lady Mouse hall 107
Tailpiece 110
His mare fell down, and she made her will 115
Three pretty girls were in them then 118
Title (Riddles and Paradoxes) 121
I went to the wood and got it 123
Arthur O'Bower has broken his band 125
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall 129
Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess 133
If all the world was apple-pie 135
The man in the wilderness asked me 137
Here am I, little jumping Joan 140
Title (Charms and Lullabies) 143
Cushy cow bonny, let down thy milk 145
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper 146
Where's the peck of pickled pepper 147
Hush-a-bye, baby 149
Home again, come again 151
Title (Gaffers and Gammers) 153
There was an old woman lived under a hill 155
She had so many children she didn't know what to do 159
He was dancing a jig 165
Title (Games) 167
There were three jovial Welshmen 169
Here comes a candle to light you to bed 174
The Five Pigs 177
Can I get there by candle-light? 183
Little Jackey shall have but a penny a day 185
This is the way the ladies ride 187
This is the way the gentlemen ride 187
This is the way the farmers ride 187
Title (Jingles) 189
Went to bed with his trousers on 191
Hey! diddle, diddle 193
The fly shall marry the humble-bee 195
Title (Love and Matrimony) 197
Jack fell down, and broke his crown 199
A little boy and a little girl lived in an alley 201
Tommy Snooks and Bessy Brooks 203
Jack Sprat could eat no fat 206
Betwixt them both, they lick'd the platter clean 207
There I met a pretty miss 209
Here comes a lusty wooer 211
Title (Natural History) 217
I sent him to the shop for a hap'orth of snuff 219
Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been? 221
Four-and-twenty tailors went to kill a snail 224
There was a piper, he'd a cow 226
A long-tail'd pig, or a short-tail'd pig 229
Dame, what makes your ducks to die? 231
Little Tom Tinker's dog 233
Pussy and I very gently will play 234
Lady bird, lady bird, fly away home 235
I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen 237
Higgley Piggley, my black hen 238
He's under the hay-cock fast asleep 241
There I met an old man that would not say his prayers 243
She whipped him, she slashed him 245
Title (Accumulative Stories) 247
This is the house that Jack built 249
The old woman and her pig 255
Title (Relics) 261
Willy boy, Willy boy, where are you going? 263
What are little boys made of? 265
Girls and boys, come out to play 267
Daffy-down-dilly has come up to town 269
Barber, barber, shave a pig 271
Wished to leap over a high gate 273
Heading to Notes 275
Heading to Index of First Lines 279
OLD King Cole
Was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.
Every fiddler, he had a fiddle,
And a very fine fiddle had he;
Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers.
Oh, there's none so rare,
As can compare
With King Cole and his fiddlers three!
WHEN good King Arthur ruled this land,
He was a goodly king;
He stole three pecks of barley-meal,
To make a bag-pudding.
A bag-pudding the king did make,
And stuff'd it well with plums:
And in it put great lumps of fat,
As big as my two thumbs.
The king and queen did eat thereof,
And noblemen beside;
And what they could not eat that night,
The queen next morning fried.
I HAD a little nut-tree, nothing would it bear
But a silver nutmeg and a golden pear;
The King of Spain's daughter came to visit me,
And all was because of my little nut-tree.
I skipp'd over water, I danced over sea,
And all the birds in the air couldn't catch me.
THE King of France, and four thousand men,
They drew their swords, and put them up again.
THE King of France went up the hill,
With twenty thousand men;
The King of France came down the hill,
And ne'er went up again.
PLEASE to remember
The Fifth of November.
Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
OVER the water, and over the sea,
And over the water to Charley;
Charley loves good ale and wine,
And Charley loves good brandy,
And Charley loves a pretty girl,
As sweet as sugar-candy.
Over the water, and over the sea,
And over the water to Charley;
I'll have none of your nasty beef,
Nor I'll have none of your barley;
But I'll have some of your very best flour,
To make a white cake for my Charley.
AS I was going by Charing Cross,
I saw a black man upon a black horse;
They told me it was King Charles the First;
Oh, dear! my heart was ready to burst!
HIGH diddle ding,
Did you hear the bells ring?
The parliament soldiers are gone to the King!
Some they did laugh, some they did cry,
To see the parliament soldiers pass by.
HECTOR PROTECTOR was dressed all in
green;
Hector Protector was sent to the Queen.
The Queen did not like him,
Nor more did the King;
So Hector Protector was sent back again.
WHAT is the rhyme for poringer?
The King he had a daughter fair,
And gave the Prince of Orange her.
AS I walked by myself,
And talked to myself,
Myself said unto me,
Look to thyself,
Take care of thyself,
For nobody cares for thee.
I answered myself,
And said to myself,
In the self-same repartee,
Look to thyself,
Or not look to thyself,
The self-same thing will be.
POOR old Robinson Crusoe!
Poor old Robinson Crusoe!
They made him a coat
Of an old nanny goat,
I wonder how they could do so!
With a ring a ting tang,
And a ring a ting tang,
Poor old Robinson Crusoe!
THERE was a monkey climbed up a tree,
When he fell down, then down fell he.
There was a crow sat on a stone,
When he was gone, then there was none.
There was an old wife did eat an apple,
When she had eat two, she had eat a couple.
There was a horse going to the mill,
When he went on, he stood not still.
There was a butcher cut his thumb,
When it did bleed, then blood did come.
There was a lackey ran a race,
When he ran fast, he ran apace.
There was a cobbler clouting shoon,
When they were mended, they were done.
There was a chandler making candle,
When he them strip, he did them handle.
There was a navy went into Spain,
When it returned, it came again.
JIM and George were two great lords,
They fought all in a churn;
And when that Jim got George by the nose,
Then George began to girn.
See saw, sack-a-day;
Monmouth is a pretie boy,
Richmond is another,
Grafton is my onely joy;
And why should I these three destroy,
To please a pious brother!
The boys are sons of Charles II. The pious brother is James, Duke of
York.
GREAT A, little a,
Bouncing B!
The cat's in the cupboard,
And can't see me.
IF ifs and ands,
Were pots and pans,
There would be no need for tinkers!
TELL tale, tit!
Your tongue shall be slit,
And all the dogs in the town
Shall have a little bit.
BIRCH and green holly, boys,
Birch and green holly.
If you get beaten, boys,
'Twill be your own folly.
COME when you're called,
Do what you're bid,
Shut the door after you,
Never be chid.
WAS an Archer, and shot at a frog,
B was a Butcher, and had a great dog.
C was a Captain, all covered with lace,
D was a Drunkard, and had a red face.
E was an Esquire, with pride on his brow,
F was a Farmer, and followed the plough.
G was a Gamester, who had but ill luck,
H was a Hunter, and hunted a buck.
I was an Innkeeper, who loved to bouse,
J was a Joiner, and built up a house.
K was King William, once governed this land,
L was a Lady, who had a white hand.
M was a Miser, and hoarded up gold,
N was a Nobleman, gallant and bold.
O was an Oyster Wench, and went about town,
P was a Parson, and wore a black gown.
Q was a Queen, who was fond of good flip,
R was a Robber, and wanted a whip.
S was a Sailor, and spent all he got,
T was a Tinker, and mended a pot.
U was an Usurer, a miserable elf,
V was a Vintner, who drank all himself.
W was a Watchman, and guarded the door,
X was expensive, and so became poor.
Y was a Youth, that did not love school,
Z was a Zany, a poor harmless fool.
A WAS an apple-pie;
B bit it;
C cut it;
D dealt it;
E ate it;
F fought for it;
G got it;
H had it;
J joined it;
K kept it;
L longed for it;
M mourned for it;
N nodded at it;
O opened it;
P peeped in it;
Q quartered it;
R ran for it;
S stole it;
T took it;
V viewed it,
W wanted it;
X, Y, Z, and amperse-and,
All wish'd for a piece in hand.
PAT-A-CAKE, pat-a-cake, baker's man!
(So I will, master), as fast as I can:
Pat it, and prick it, and mark it with T,
Put in the oven for Tommy and me.
MULTIPLICATION is vexation,
Division is as bad;
The Rule of Three doth puzzle me,
And Practice drives me mad.
DOCTOR FAUSTUS was a good man,
He whipt his scholars now and then;
When he whipp'd them he made them dance,
Out of Scotland into France,
Out of France into Spain,
And then he whipp'd them back again!
A DILLER, a dollar,
A ten o'clock scholar,
What makes you come so soon?
You used to come at ten o'clock,
But now you come at noon.
WHEN V and I together meet,
They make the number Six compleat.
When I with V doth meet once more,
Then 'tis they Two can make but Four.
And when that V from I is gone,
Alas! poor I can make but One.
THIRTY days hath September,
April, June, and November;
February has twenty-eight alone,
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting leap-year, that's the time
When February's days are twenty-nine.
MISTRESS MARY, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With cockle-shells, and silver bells,
And pretty maids all a row.
IN fir tar is,
In oak none is.
In mud eel is,
In clay none is.
Goat eat ivy,
Mare eat oats.
CROSS patch,
Draw the latch,
Sit by the fire and spin;
Take a cup,
And drink it up,
Then call your neighbours in.
I LOVE my love with an A, because he's Agreeable.
I hate him because he's Avaricious.
He took me to the Sign of the Acorn,
And treated me with Apples.
His name's Andrew,
And he lives at Arlington.
ONE, two,
Buckle my shoe;
Three, four,
Shut the door;
Five, six,
Pick up sticks;
Seven, eight,
Lay them straight;
Nine, ten,
A good fat hen;
Eleven, twelve,
Who will delve?
Thirteen, fourteen,
Maids a-courting;
Fifteen, sixteen,
Maids a-kissing;
Seventeen, eighteen,
Maid a-waiting;
Nineteen, twenty,
My stomach's empty.
THE man in the moon,
Came tumbling down,
And ask'd his way to Norwich,
He went by the south,
And burnt his mouth
With supping cold pease-porridge.
MY dear, do you know,
How a long time ago,
Two poor little children,
Whose names I don't know,
Were stolen away on a fine summer's day,
And left in a wood, as I've heard people say.
And when it was night,
So sad was their plight,
The sun it went down,
And the moon gave no light.
They sobbed and they sighed, and they bitterly cried,
And the poor little things, they lay down and died.
And when they were dead,
The Robins so red
Brought strawberry-leaves
And over them spread;
And all the day long
They sung them this song:
"Poor babes in the wood! Poor babes in the wood!
And don't you remember the babes in the wood?"
THERE was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
SIMPLE SIMON met a pieman,
Going to the fair;
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Let me taste your ware."
Says the pieman to Simple Simon,
"Show me first your penny."
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Indeed I have not any."
Simple Simon went a-fishing
For to catch a whale:
All the water he had got
Was in his mother's pail!
I'LL tell you a story
About Jack a Nory,--
And now my story's begun:
I'll tell you another
About Jack his brother,--
And now my story's done.
THERE was a man, and he had nought,
And robbers came to rob him;
He crept up to the chimney-pot,
And then they thought they had him.
But he got down on t' other side,
And then they could not find him.
He ran fourteen miles in fifteen days,
And never looked behind him.
THE lion and the unicorn
Were fighting for the crown;
The lion beat the unicorn
All round about the town.
Some gave them white bread,
And some gave them brown;
Some gave them plum-cake,
And sent them out of town.
THERE was a fat man of Bombay,
Who was smoking one sunshiny day,
When a bird, called a snipe,
Flew away with his pipe,
Which vexed the fat man of Bombay.
TOM, Tom, the piper's son,
Stole a pig, and away he run!
The pig was eat, and Tom was beat,
And Tom went roaring down the street.
BRYAN O'LIN, and his wife, and wife's mother,
They all went over a bridge together;
The bridge was broken, and they all fell in,
The deuce go with all! quoth Bryan O'Lin.
THERE was a little man,
And he had a little gun,
And his bullets were made of
He went to the brook
And saw a little duck,
And he shot it right through the head, head, head.
He carried it home
To his old wife Joan,
And bid her a fire for to make, make, make;
To roast the little duck
He had shot in the brook,
And he'd go and fetch her the drake, drake, drake.
THREE wise men of Gotham
Went to sea in a bowl:
And if the bowl had been stronger,
My song would have been longer.
DOCTOR FOSTER went to Glo'ster
In a shower of rain;
He stepped in a puddle, up to his middle,
And never went there again.
ROBIN the Bobbin, the big-bellied Ben,
He ate more meat than fourscore men;
He ate a cow, he ate a calf,
He ate a butcher and a half;
He ate a church, he ate a steeple,
He ate the priest and all the people!
A cow and a calf,
An ox and a half,
A church and a steeple,
And all the good people,
And yet he complained that his stomach wasn't full.
ROBIN and Richard were two pretty men;
They laid in bed till the clock struck ten;
Then up starts Robin and looks at the sky,
Oh! brother Richard, the sun's very high:
The bull's in the barn threshing the corn,
The cock's on the dunghill blowing his horn,
The cat's at the fire frying of fish,
The dog's in the pantry breaking his dish.
OLD Mother Goose, when
She wanted to wander,
Would ride through the air
On a very fine gander.
Mother Goose had a house,
'Twas built in a wood,
Where an owl at the door
For sentinel stood.
This is her son Jack,
A plain-looking lad,
He is not very good,
Nor yet very bad.
She sent him to market,
A live goose he bought,
Here, mother, says he,
It will not go for nought.
Jack's goose and her gander
Grew very fond;
They'd both eat together,
Or swim in one pond.
Jack found one morning,
As I have been told,
His goose had laid him
An egg of pure gold.
Jack rode to his mother
The news for to tell;
She call'd him a good boy,
And said it was well.
Jack sold his gold egg
To a rogue of a Jew,
Who cheated him out of
The half of his due.
Then Jack went a-courting
A lady so gay,
As fair as the lily,
And sweet as the May.
The Jew and the Squire
Came behind his back,
And began to belabour
The sides of poor Jack.
The old Mother Goose
That instant came in,
And turned her son Jack
Into famed Harlequin.
She then with her wand
Touch'd the lady so fine,
And turn'd her at once
Into sweet Columbine.
The gold egg into the sea
Was thrown then,--
When Jack jump'd in,
And got the egg back again.
The Jew got the goose,
Which he vow'd he would kill,
Resolving at once
His pockets to fill.
Jack's mother came in,
And caught the goose soon,
And mounting its back,
Flow up to the moon.
OLD Abram Brown is dead and gone,
You'll never see him more;
He used to wear a long brown coat,
That button'd down before.
MY lady Wind, my lady Wind,
Went round about the house to find
A chink to get her foot in:
She tried the key-hole in the door,
She tried the crevice in the floor,
And drove the chimney soot in.
And then one night when it was dark,
She blew up such a tiny spark,
That all the house was pothered:
From it she raised up such a flame,
As flamed away to Belting Lane,
And White Cross folks were smothered.
And thus when once, my little dears,
A whisper reaches itching ears,
The same will come, you'll find:
Take my advice, restrain the tongue,
Remember what old nurse has sung
Of busy lady Wind.
PUNCH and Judy
Fought for a pie;
Punch gave Judy
A sad blow on the eye.
TAFFY was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief;
Taffy came to my house and stole a piece of beef:
I went to Taffy's house, Taffy was not at home;
Taffy came to my house and stole a marrow-bone.
I went to Taffy's house, Taffy was not in;
Taffy came to my house and stole a silver pin:
I went to Taffy's house, Taffy was in bed,
I took up a poker and flung it at his head.
LITTLE Tommy Tittlemouse
Lived in a little house;
He caught fishes
In other men's ditches.
LITTLE Jack Horner sat in a corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb, and he pulled out a plum,
And said, "What a good boy am I!"
SOLOMON GRUNDY,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday:
This is the end
Of Solomon Grundy.
TO make your candles last for a',
You wives and maids give ear-o!
To put 'em out's the only way,
Says honest John Boldero.
ST. SWITHIN's day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain:
St. Swithin's day, if thou be fair,
For forty days 'twill rain na mair.
IF wishes were horses,
Beggars would ride;
If turnips were watches,
I would wear one by my side.
NATURE requires five,
Custom gives seven!
Laziness takes nine,
And Wickedness eleven.
[Hours of Sleep.
SEE a pin and pick it up,
All the day you'll have good luck;
See a pin and let it lay,
Bad luck you'll have all the day!
NEEDLES and pins, needles and pins.
When a man marries his trouble begins.
BOUNCE buckram, velvet's dear;
Christmas comes but once a year.
A MAN of words and not of deeds,
Is like a garden full of weeds;
And when the weeds begin to grow,
It's like a garden full of snow;
And when the snow begins to fall,
It's like a bird upon the wall;
And when the bird away does fly,
It's like an eagle in the sky;
And when the sky begins to roar,
It's like a lion at the door;
And when the door begins to crack,
It's like a stick across your back;
And when your back begins to smart,
It's like a penknife in your heart;
And when your heart begins to bleed,
You're dead, and dead, and dead, indeed.
IF you sneeze on Monday, you sneeze for danger;
Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger;
Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a letter;
Sneeze on a Thursday, something better;
Sneeze on a Friday, sneeze for sorrow;
Sneeze on a Saturday, see your sweetheart to-morrow.
WHEN the wind is in the east,
'Tis neither good for man nor beast;
When the wind is in the north,
The skilful fisher goes not forth;
When the wind is in the south,
It blows the bait in the fishes' mouth;
When the wind is in the west,
Then 'tis at the very best.
HE that would thrive
Must rise at five;
He that hath thriven
May lie till seven;
And he that by the plough would thrive,
Himself must either hold or drive.
A SWARM of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay;
A swarm of bees in June
Is worth a silver spoon;
A swarm of bees in July
Is not worth a fly.
YEOW mussent sing a' Sunday,
Becaze it is a sin,
But yeow may sing a' Monday
Till Sunday cums agin.
A SUNSHINY shower
Won't last half an hour.
FOR every evil under the sun,
There is a remedy, or there is none.
If there be one, try and find it;
If there be none, never mind it.
THE art of good driving's a paradox quite,
Though custom has prov'd it so long;
If you go to the left, you're sure to go right,
If you go to the right, you go wrong.
AS the days lengthen,
So the storms strengthen.
THE fair maid who, the first of May,
Goes to the fields at break of day,
And washes in dew from the hawthorn tree,
Will ever after handsome be.
FRIDAY night's dream,
On the Saturday told,
Is sure to come true,
Be it never so old.
EARLY to bed, and early to rise,
Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
MONDAY'S bairn is fair of face,
Tuesday's bairn is full of grace,
Wednesday's bairn is full of woe,
Thursday's bairn has far to go,
Friday's bairn is loving and giving,
Saturday's bairn works hard for its living,
But the bairn that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.
FOR want of a nail, the shoe was lost;
For want of the shoe, the horse was lost;
For want of the horse, the rider was lost;
For want of the rider, the battle was lost;
For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost;
And all from the want of a horseshoe nail.
MARCH winds and April showers
Bring forth May flowers.
ONE misty moisty morning,
When cloudy was the weather,
There I met an old man
Clothed all in leather;
Clothed all in leather,
With cap under his chin,--
How do you do, and how do you do,
And how do you do again!
THE fox and his wife they had a great strife,
They never eat mustard in all their whole life;
They eat their meat without fork or knife,
And loved to be picking a bone, e-ho!
The fox jumped up on a moonlight night;
The stars they were shining, and all things bright;
Oh, ho! said the fox, it's a very fine night
For me to go through the town, e-ho!
The fox when he came to yonder stile,
He lifted his lugs and he listened a while!
Oh, ho! said the fox, it's but a short mile
From this unto yonder wee town, e-ho!
The fox when he came to the farmer's gate,
Who should he see but the farmer's drake;
I love you well for your master's sake,
And long to be picking your bone, e-ho!
The grey goose she ran round the hay-stack,
Oh, ho! said the fox, you are very fat;
You'll grease my beard and ride on my back
From this into yonder wee town, e-ho!
Old Gammer Hipple-hopple hopped out of bed,
She opened the casement, and popped out her head;
Oh! husband, oh! husband, the grey goose is dead,
And the fox is gone through the town, oh!
Then the old man got up in his red cap,
And swore he would catch the fox in a trap;
But the fox was too cunning, and gave him the slip,
And ran through the town, the town, oh!
When he got up to the top of the hill,
He blew his trumpet both loud and shrill,
For joy that he was safe
Through the town, oh!
When the fox came back to his den,
He had young ones both nine and ten,
"You're welcome home, daddy, you may go again,
If you bring us such nice meat
From the town, oh!"
MY father he died, but I can't tell you how;
He left me six horses to drive in my plough:
With my wing wang waddle oh,
Jack sing saddle oh,
Blowsey boys buble oh,
Under the broom.
I sold my six horses and I bought me a cow,
I'd fain have made a fortune but did not know how:
With my, &c.
I sold my cow, and I bought me a calf;
I'd fain have made a fortune, but lost the best half!
With my, &c.
I sold my calf, and I bought me a cat;
A pretty thing she was, in my chimney corner sat:
With my, &c.
I sold my cat, and bought me a mouse;
He carried fire in his tail, and burnt down my house:
With my, &c.
SAYS t'auld man tit oak tree,
Young and lusty was I when I kenn'd thee;
I was young and lusty, I was fair and clear,
Young and lusty was I mony a lang year;
But sair fail'd am I, sair fail'd now,
Sair fail'd am I sen I kenn'd thou.
POLLY put the kettle on,
Polly put the kettle on,
Polly put the kettle on,
And let's drink tea.
Sukey take it off again,
Sukey take it off again,
Sukey take it off again,
They're all gone away.
LITTLE Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,
And can't tell where to find them;
Leave them alone, and they'll come home,
And bring their tails behind them.
Little Bo-peep fell fast asleep,
And dreamt she heard them bleating;
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For they were still a-fleeting.
Then up she took her little crook,
Determin'd for to find them;
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they'd left all their tails behind 'em.
SING a song of sixpence,
A bag full of rye;
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie;
When the pie was open'd,
The birds began to sing;
Was not that a dainty dish,
To set before the king?
The king was in his counting-house
Counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlour
Eating bread and honey;
The maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes,
There came a little blackbird,
And snapt off her nose.
JOHNNY shall have a new bonnet,
And Johnny shall go to the fair,
And Johnny shall have a blue ribbon
To tie up his bonny brown hair.
And why may not I love Johnny?
And why may not Johnny love me?
And why may not I love Johnny
As well as another body?
And here's a leg for a stocking,
And here is a leg for a shoe,
And he has a kiss for his daddy,
And two for his mammy, I trow.
And why may not I love Johnny?
And why may not Johnny love me?
And why may not I love Johnny,
As well as another body?
ELSIE MARLEY is grown so fine,
She won't get up to serve the swine,
But lies in bed till eight or nine,
And surely she does take her time.
And do you ken Elsie Marley, honey?
The wife who sells the barley, honey?
She won't get up to serve her swine,
And do you ken Elsie Marley, honey?
TOM he was a piper's son,
He learn'd to play when he was young,
But all the tunes that he could play,
Was "Over the hills and far away;"
Over the hills, and a great way off,
And the wind will blow my top-knot off.
Now Tom with his pipe made such a noise,
That he pleas'd both the girls and boys,
And they stopp'd to hear him play
"Over the hills and far away."
Tom with his pipe did play with such skill,
That those who heard him could never keep still;
Whenever they heard they began for to dance,
Even pigs on their hind legs would after him prance.
As Dolly was milking her cow one day,
Tom took out his pipe and began for to play;
So Doll and the cow danced "the Cheshire round,"
Till the pail was broke, and the milk ran on the ground.
He met old Dame Trot with a basket of eggs;
He used his pipe, and she used her legs;
She danced about till the eggs were all broke;
She began for to fret, but he laughed at the joke.
He saw a cross fellow was beating an ass,
Heavy laden with pots, pans, dishes, and glass;
He took out his pipe and played them a tune,
And the jackass's load was lightened full soon.
LONDON BRIDGE is broken down,
Dance o'er my Lady Lee;
London Bridge is broken down,
With a gay lady.
How shall we build it up again?
Dance o'er my Lady Lee;
How shall we build it up again?
With a gay lady.
Build it up with silver and gold,
Dance o'er my Lady Lee;
Build it up with silver and gold,
With a gay lady.
Silver and gold will be stole away,
Dance o'er my Lady Lee;
Silver and gold will be stole away,
With a gay lady.
Build it up with iron and steel,
Dance o'er my Lady Lee;
Build it up with iron and steel,
With a gay lady.
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
Dance o'er my Lady Lee;
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
With a gay lady.
Build it up with wood and clay,
Dance o'er my Lady Lee;
Build it up with wood and clay,
With a gay lady.
Wood and clay will wash away,
Dance o'er my Lady Lee;
Wood and clay will wash away,
With a gay lady.
Build it up with stone so strong,
Dance o'er my Lady Lee;
Huzza! 'twill last for ages long,
With a gay lady.
I love sixpence, pretty little sixpence,
I love sixpence better than my life;
I spent a penny of it, I spent another,
And took fourpence home to my wife.
Oh, my little fourpence, pretty little fourpence,
I love fourpence better than my life;
I spent a penny of it, I spent another,
And I took twopence home to my wife.
Oh, my little twopence, my pretty little twopence,
I love twopence better than my life;
I spent a penny of it, I spent another,
And I took nothing home to my wife.
Oh, my little nothing, my pretty little nothing,
What will nothing buy for my wife?
I have nothing, I spend nothing,
I love nothing better than my wife.
The north wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor Robin do then?
Poor thing!
He'll sit in a barn,
And to keep himself warm,
Will hide his head under his wing.
Poor thing!
A CARRION crow sat on an oak,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
Watching a tailor shape his cloak;
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.
Wife, bring me my old bent bow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
That I may shoot yon carrion crow;
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.
The tailor he shot and missed his mark,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
And shot his own sow quite through the heart;
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.
Wife, bring brandy in a spoon,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
For our old sow is in a swoon;
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.
MERRY are the bells, and merry would they ring;
Merry was myself, and merry could I sing;
With a merry ding-dong, happy, gay, and free,
And a merry sing-song, happy let us be!
Waddle goes your gait, and hollow are your hose;
Noddle goes your pate, and purple is your nose;
Merry is your sing-song, happy, gay, and free,
With a merry ding-dong, happy let us be!
Merry have we met, and merry have we been;
Merry let us part, and merry meet again;
With our merry sing-song, happy, gay, and free,
And a merry ding-dong, happy let us be!
HOT-CROSS Buns!
Hot-cross Buns!
One a penny, two a penny,
Hot-cross Buns!
Hot-cross Buns!
Hot-cross Buns!
If ye have no daughters,
Give them to your sons.
THREE blind mice, see how they run!
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with the carving-knife;
Did you ever see such fools in your life?
Three blind mice.
YOU shall have an apple,
You shall have a plum,
You shall have a rattle-basket,
When your dad comes home.
THERE was a frog liv'd in a well,
Kitty alone, Kitty alone;
There was a frog liv'd in a well,
Kitty alone, and I!
There was a frog liv'd in a well,
And a farce mouse in a mill;
Cock me cary, Kitty alone,
Kitty alone and I.
This frog he would a-wooing ride,
Kitty alone, &c.;
This frog he would a-wooing ride,
And on a snail he got astride,
Cock me cary, &c.
He rode till he came to my Lady Mouse hall,
Kitty alone, &c;
He rode till he came to my Lady Mouse hall,
And there he did both knock and call;
Cock me cary, &c.
Quoth he, "Miss Mouse, I'm come to thee,"
Kitty alone, &c.;
Quoth he, "Miss Mouse, I'm come to thee,
To see if thou canst fancy me;"
Cock me cary, &c.
Quoth she, "Answer I'll give you none,"
Kitty alone, &c.;
Quoth she, "Answer I'll give you none,
Until my uncle Rat come home;"
Cock me cary, &c.
And when her uncle Rat came home,
Kitty alone, &c.;
And when her uncle Rat came home,
"Who's been here since I've been gone?"
Cock me cary, &c.
"Sir, there's been a worthy gentleman,"
Kitty alone, &c.;
"Sir, there's been a worthy gentleman,
That's been here since you've been gone;"
Cock me cary, &c.
The frog he came whistling through the brook,
Kitty alone, &c.
The frog he came whistling through the brook,
And there he met with a dainty duck,
Cock me cary, &c.
This duck she swallow'd him up with a pluck,
Kitty alone, Kitty alone;
This duck she swallow'd him up with a pluck,
So there's an end of my history book.
Cock me cary, Kitty alone,
Kitty alone and I.
Merry.
THERE were two birds sat on a stone,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
One flew away, and then there was one,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
The other flew after, and then there was none,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
And so the poor stone was left all alone,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de!
"WHERE are you going, my pretty maid?"
"I'm going a-milking, sir," she said.
"May I go with you, my pretty maid?"
"You're kindly welcome, sir," she said.
"What is your father, my pretty maid?"
"My father's a farmer, sir," she said.
"Say, will you marry me, my pretty maid?"
"Yes, if you please, kind sir," she said.
"What is your fortune, my pretty maid?"
"My face is my fortune, sir," she said.
"Then I can't marry you, my pretty maid!"
"Nobody asked you, sir," she said.
THERE was a jolly miller
Lived on the river Dee:
He worked and sung from morn till night,
No lark so blithe as he;
And this the burden of his song
For ever used to be--
I jump mejerrime jee!
I care for nobody--no! not I,
Since nobody cares for me.
IF I'd as much money as I could spend,
I never would cry old chairs to mend;
Old chairs to mend, old chairs to mend,
I never would cry old chairs to mend.
If I'd as much money as I could tell,
I never would cry old clothes to sell;
Old clothes to sell, old clothes to sell,
I never would cry old clothes to sell.
MY maid Mary
She minds her dairy,
While I go a-hoeing and mowing each morn.
Merrily run the reel
And the little spinning-wheel
Whilst I am singing and mowing my corn.
UP at Piccadilly oh!
The coachman takes his stand,
And when he meets a pretty girl,
He takes her by the hand.
Whip away for ever oh!
Drive away so clever oh!
All the way to Bristol oh!
He drives her four-in-hand.
"JACKY, come give me thy fiddle,
If ever thou mean to thrive:"
"Nay; I'll not give my fiddle
To any man alive.
"If I should give my fiddle,
They'll think that I'm gone mad,
For many a joyful day
My fiddle and I have had."
I'LL sing you a song,
Though not very long,
Yet I think it as pretty as any.
Put your hand in your purse,
You'll never be worse,
And give the poor singer a penny.
LITTLE Polly Flinders
Sat among the cinders,
Warming her pretty little toes.
Her mother came and caught her,
And whipped her little daughter
For spoiling her nice new clothes.
JOHN COOK had a little grey mare; he, haw, hum!
Her back stood up, and her bones they were bare; he, haw, hum!
John Cook was riding up Shuter's bank; he, haw, hum!
And there his nag did kick and prank; he, haw, hum!
John Cook was riding up Shuter's hill; he, haw, hum!
His mare fell down, and she made her will; he, haw, hum!
The bridle and saddle were laid on the shelf; he, haw, hum!
If you want any more you may sing it yourself; he, haw, hum!
RIDE away, ride away, Johnny shall ride,
And he shall have pussy-cat tied to one side,
And he shall have little dog tied to the other,
And Johnny shall ride to see his grandmother.
THE Queen of Hearts,
She made some tarts,
All on a summer's day;
The Knave of Hearts,
He stole those tarts,
And took them clean away.
The King of Hearts
Called for the tarts,
And beat the Knave full sore;
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vowed he'd steal no more.
THERE was a little woman, as I've been told,
Who was not very young, nor yet very old;
Now this little woman her living got,
By selling codlins, hot, hot, hot.
DAME, get up and bake your pies,
Bake your pies, bake your pies;
Dame, get up and bake your pies
On Christmas Day in the morning.
Dame, what makes your maidens lie,
Maidens lie, maidens lie;
Dame, what makes your maidens lie
On Christmas Day in the morning?
Dame, what makes your ducks to die,
Ducks to die, ducks to die;
Dame, what makes your ducks to die
On Christmas Day in the morning?
Their wings are cut and they cannot fly,
Cannot fly, cannot fly;
Their wings are cut and they cannot fly
On Christmas Day in the morning.
COLD and raw the north wind doth blow,
Bleak in a morning early;
All the hills are covered with snow,
And winter's now come fairly.
I SAW three ships come sailing by,
Come sailing by, come sailing by;
I saw three ships come sailing by,
On New Year's Day in the morning.
And what do you think was in them then,
Was in them then, was in them then?
And what do you think was in them then,
On New Year's Day in the morning?
Three pretty girls were in them then,
Were in them then, were in them then;
Three pretty girls were in them then,
On New Year's Day in the morning.
And one could whistle, and one could sing,
And one could play on the violin--
Such joy there was at my wedding,
On New Year's day in the morning.
WEE Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown,
Rapping at the window, crying through the lock,
"Are the children in their beds, for now it's eight o'clock?"
WHEN Little Fred was called to bed,
He always acted right;
He kissed Mamma, and then Papa,
And wished them all good night.
He made no noise, like naughty boys,
But gently upstairs
Directly went, when he was sent,
And always said his prayers.
I WENT to the wood and got it;
I sat me down and looked at it;
The more I looked at it the less I liked it;
And I brought it home because I couldn't help it.
[A thorn.
HICK-A-MORE, Hack-a-more,
On the king's kitchen door;
All the king's horses,
And all the king's men,
Couldn't drive Hick-a-more, Hack-a-more,
Off the king's kitchen door!
[Sunshine.
AS soft as silk, as white as milk,
As bitter as gall, a thick wall,
And a green coat covers me all.
[A walnut.
LONG legs, crooked thighs,
Little head, and no eyes.
[Pair of tongs.
ARTHUR O'BOWER has broken his band,
He comes roaring up the land;--
The King of Scots, with all his power,
Cannot turn Arthur of the Bower!
[A storm of wind.
THERE was a king met a king
In a narrow lane;
Says this king to that king,
"Where have you been?"
"Oh! I've been a hunting
With my dog and my doe."
"Pray lend him to me,
That I may do so."
"There's the dog take the dog."
"What's the dog's name?"
"I've told you already."
"Pray tell me again."
IN marble walls as white as milk,
Lined with a skin as soft as silk;
Within a fountain crystal clear,
A golden apple doth appear.
No doors there are to this stronghold.
Yet things break in and steal the gold.
[An egg.
FLOUR of England, fruit of Spain,
Met together in a shower of rain;
Put in a bag tied round with a string,
If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a ring.
[A plum-pudding.
I HAVE a little sister, they call her Peep, Peep;
She wades the waters deep, deep, deep;
She climbs the mountains high, high, high;
Poor little creature she has but one eye.
[A star.
HIGGLEDY piggledy
Here we lie,
Pick'd and pluck'd,
And put in a pie.
My first is snapping, snarling, growling,
My second's industrious, romping, and prowling.
Higgledy piggledy
Here we lie,
Pick'd and pluck'd,
And put in a pie. [Currants.
HUMPTY DUMPTY sate on a wall;
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
Three score men and three score more
Cannot place Humpty Dumpty as he was before.
[An egg.
THIRTY white horses upon a red hill,
Now they tramp, now they champ, now they stand still.
[Teeth and gums.
THOMAS A TATTAMUS took two T's,
To tie two tups to two tall trees,
To frighten the terrible Thomas a Tattamus!
Tell me how many T's there are in all THAT.
OLD mother Twitchett had but one eye,
And a long tail which she let fly;
And every time she went over a gap,
She left a bit of her tail in a trap.
[A needle and thread.
LITTLE Nancy Etticoat
In a white petticoat,
And a red rose.
The longer she stands
The shorter she grows.
[A candle.
BLACK we are but much admired;
Men seek for us till they are tired.
We tire the horse, but comfort man;
Tell me this riddle if you can.
[Coals.
THERE were three sisters in a hall;
There came a knight amongst them all:
Good morrow, aunt, to the one;
Good morrow, aunt, to the other;
Good morrow, gentlewoman, to the third;
If you were my aunt,
As the other two be,
I would say good morrow,
Then, aunts, all three.
FORMED long ago, yet made to-day,
Employed while others sleep;
What few would like to give away,
Nor any wish to keep.
[A Bed.
AS I was going to St. Ives,
I met a man with seven wives;
Every wife had seven sacks,
Every sack had seven cats,
Every cat had seven kits:
Kits, cats, sacks, and wives.
How many were there going to St. Ives?
AS I went through the garden gap,
Who should I meet but Dick Red-cap!
A stick in his hand, a stone in his throat,
If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a groat.
[A cherry.
AS I was going o'er Westminster bridge,
I met with a Westminster scholar;
He pulled off his cap, an' drew off his glove,
And wished me a very good morrow.
What is his name?
TWO legs sat upon three legs,
With one leg in his lap;
In comes four legs,
And runs away with one leg.
Up jumps two legs,
Catches up three legs,
Throws it after four legs,
And makes him bring back one leg.
[One leg is a leg of mutton; two legs, a man; _three
legs, a stool; four legs, a dog_.
ELIZABETH, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess,
They all went together to seek a bird's nest.
They found a bird's nest with five eggs in,
They all took one, and left four in.
THERE was a man of Thessaly,
And he was wond'rous wise;
He jump'd into a quickset hedge,
And scratch'd out both his eyes.
But when he saw his eyes were out,
With all his might and main
He jump'd into another hedge,
And scratch'd 'em in again.
I WOULD if I cou'd,
If I cou'dn't, how cou'd I?
I cou'dn't, without I cou'd, cou'd I?
Cou'd you, without you cou'd, cou'd ye?
Cou'd ye, cou'd ye?
Cou'd you, without you cou'd, cou'd ye?
THREE children sliding on the ice
Upon a summer's day,
As it fell out, they all fell in,
The rest they ran away.
Now had these children been at home,
Or sliding on dry ground,
Ten thousand pounds to one penny
They had not all been drown'd.
You parents all that children have,
And you that have got none,
If you would have them safe abroad,
Pray keep them safe at home.
IF all the world was apple-pie,
And all the sea was ink,
And all the trees were bread and cheese,
What should we have for drink?
PETER WHITE will ne'er go right.
Would you know the reason why?
He follows his nose where'er he goes,
And that stands all awry.
THERE was a little Guinea-pig,
Who, being little, was not big;
He always walked upon his feet,
And never fasted when he eat.
When from a place he ran away,
He never at that place did stay;
And while he ran, as I am told,
He ne'er stood still for young or old.
He often squeak'd and sometimes vi'lent,
And when he squeak'd he ne'er was silent;
Though ne'er instructed by a cat,
He knew a mouse was not a rat.
One day, as I am certified,
He took a whim and fairly died;
And, as I'm told by men of sense,
He never has been living since.
THE man in the wilderness asked me
How many strawberries grew in the sea.
I answered him as I thought good,
As many as red herrings grew in the wood.
MY true love lives far from me,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.
Many a rich present he sends to me,
Petrum, Partrum, Paradise, Temporie,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.
He sent me a goose without a bone;
He sent me a cherry without a stone.
Petrum, &c.
He sent me a Bible no man could read;
He sent me a blanket without a thread.
Petrum, &c.
How could there be a goose without a bone?
How could there be a cherry without a stone?
Petrum, &c.
How could there be a Bible no man could read?
How could there be a blanket without a thread?
Petrum, &c.
When the goose is in the egg-shell, there is no bone;
When the cherry is in the blossom, there is no stone.
Petrum, &c.
When the Bible is in the press no man it can read;
When the wool is on the sheep's back, there is no thread.
Petrum, &c.
I SAW a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing on the sea;
And, oh! it was all laden
With pretty things for thee!
There were comfits in the cabin,
And apples in the hold
The sails were made of silk,
And the masts were made of gold.
The four-and-twenty sailors
That stood between the decks,
Were four-and-twenty white mice
With chains about their necks.
The captain was a duck,
With a packet on his back;
And when the ship began to move,
The captain said, "Quack! quack!"
HERE am I, little jumping Joan.
When nobody's with me,
I'm always alone.
O THAT I was where I would be,
Then would I be where I am not!
But where I am there I must be,
And where I would be I cannot.
TOBACCO reek! tobacco reek!
When you're well, 'twill make you sick.
Tobacco reek! tobacco reek!
'Twill make you well when you are sick.
THERE was an old woman, and what do you think?
She lived upon nothing but victuals and drink:
Victuals and drink were the chief of her diet;
This tiresome old woman could never be quiet.
[Mind your punctuation.]
I SAW a peacock with a fiery tail,
I saw a blazing comet drop down hail,
I saw a cloud wrapped with ivy round,
I saw an oak creep upon the ground,
I saw a pismire swallow up a whale,
I saw the sea brimful of ale,
I saw a Venice glass full fifteen feet deep,
I saw a well full of men's tears that weep,
I saw red eyes all of a flaming fire,
I saw a house bigger than the moon and higher,
I saw the sun at twelve o'clock at night,
I saw the man that saw this wondrous sight.
THERE was a man and he was mad,
And he jump'd into a pea-swad;
The pea-swad was over-full,
So he jump'd into a roaring bull;
The roaring bull was over-fat,
So he jump'd into a gentleman's hat;
The gentleman's hat was over-fine,
So he jump'd into a bottle of wine;
The bottle of wine was over-dear,
So he jump'd into a bottle of beer;
The bottle of beer was over-thick,
So he jump'd into a club-stick;
The club-stick was over-narrow,
So he jump'd into a wheel-barrow;
The wheel-barrow began to crack,
So he jump'd on to a hay-stack;
The hay-stack began to blaze,
So he did nothing but cough and sneeze!
The pod or shell of a pea.
CUSHY cow bonny, let down thy milk,
And I will give thee a gown of silk;
A gown of silk and a silver tee,
If thou wilt let down thy milk to me.
If you love me, pop and fly;
If you hate me, lie and die.
[_Said to pips placed in the fire; a species of divination
practised by children._
PETER PIPER picked a peck
of pickled pepper;
A peck of pickled pepper Peter
Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper,
Where's the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked?
MATTHEW, Mark, Luke, and John,
Guard the bed that I lay on!
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels round my head;
One to watch, one to pray,
And two to bear my soul away!
COME, butter, come,
Come, butter, come!
Peter stands at the gate,
Waiting for a butter'd cake;
Come, butter, come!
BYE, baby bunting,
Daddy's gone a hunting,
To get a little hare's skin
To wrap a baby bunting in.
HUSHY baby, my doll, I pray you don't cry,
And I'll give you some bread and some milk by-and-by;
Or perhaps you like custard, or maybe a tart,--
Then to either you're welcome, with all my whole heart.
DANCE to your daddy,
My little babby;
Dance to your daddy,
My little lamb.
You shall have a fishy,
In a little dishy;
You shall have a fishy
When the boat comes in.
HUSH-A-BYE, baby, on the tree top;
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock;
When the bough bends, the cradle will fall;
Down will come baby, bough, cradle, and all.
RABBIT, rabbit, rabbit-pie!
Come, my ladies, come and buy,
Else your babies they will cry.
HEY, my kitten, my kitten,
And hey, my kitten, my deary!
Such a sweet pet as this
Was neither far nor neary.
Here we go up, up, up,
And here we go down, down, downy;
And here we go backwards and forwards,
And here we go round, round, roundy.
YOUNG lambs to sell!
Young lambs to sell!
If I'd as much money as I can tell,
I never would cry, Young lambs to sell!
Rock-a-bye, baby, thy cradle is green;
Father's a nobleman, mother's a queen;
And Betty's a lady, and wears a gold ring;
And Johnny's a drummer, and drums for the king.
To market, to market,
To buy a plum bun;
Home again, come again,
Market is done.
Hickup, hickup, go away!
Come again another day;
Hickup, hickup, when I bake,
I'll give to you a butter-cake.
Hickup, snicup,
Rise up, right up,
Three drops in the cup
Are good for the hiccup.
Swan swam over the sea--
Swim, swan, swim,
Swan swam back again,
Well swam swan.
THERE was an old woman
Lived under a hill,
And if she's not gone
She lives there still.
THERE was an old woman, as I've heard tell,
She went to market her eggs for to sell;
She went to market all on a market-day,
And she fell asleep on the king's highway.
There came by a pedlar whose name was Stout;
He cut her petticoats all round about;
He cut her petticoats up to the knees,
Which made the old woman to shiver and freeze.
When this little woman first did wake,
She began to shiver and she began to shake;
She began to wonder and she began to cry,
"Oh! deary, deary me, this is none of I!
"But if it be I, as I do hope it be,
I've a little dog at home, and he'll know me;
If it be I, he'll wag his little tail,
And if it be not I, he'll loudly bark and wail."
