NURSERY RHYMES
OF
ENGLAND,
Collected chiefly from Oral Tradition.
EDITED BY
JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, ESQ.
FOURTH EDITION, WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.
LONDON:
JOHN RUSSELL SMITH
,
4, OLD COMPTON STREET, SOHO SQUARE.
MDCCCXLVI.
/ p.i /
TO
THE FOURTH EDITION.
THE present edition of this little work, which, in former impressions, has met with a circulation far beyond the most sanguine expectations of those who have shared in the task of endeavouring to render it worthy of public patronage, has been enlarged by the addition of a Supplement, chiefly selected from collections formed in various parts of the country. These reached our hands too recently to be included in the original classification, a defect which will not, perhaps, be considered of much importance; nor can it, indeed, interfere with the utility of the / p.ii /
work. We shall, however, hope that public favour may enable us at some future period to remove the incongruity.
We beg to offer our best thanks to the correspondents who have kindly furnished us with corrections and additions to this collection. A valuable communication from MR. GEORGE STEPHENS deserves our special acknowledgement, and several important papers have reached us anonymously. We need scarcely say that any further contributions in the power of our readers to supply will be very acceptable. They may be addressed to MR. HALLIWELL, care of MR. J. RUSSELL SMITH, 4, Old Compton Street, Soho Square, London.
Nov.
21
st
, 1845.
/
p.iii /
PREFACE
TO
THE THIRD EDITION.
~~~~~~~~
THE patronage the public have bestowed on the previous editions of this little volume enable us to appear before them once more, but in nearly a new form, and with superior attractions. Neither pains nor expense have been spared to render our pages still more acceptable to our little readers, as well as to "children of a larger growth;" and / p.iv /
it is believed that the illustrations will be considered as forming an attractive feature in the present edition, or, at all events, agreeable adjuncts to the text. The classification also has been revised; many new pieces have been added, and others have taken the place of those which were considered the least interesting in the former impressions.
So much of our early popular ballad literature has perished, that although from internal evidence it would appear that a large number of our nursery songs are at least as ancient as the time of Queen Elizabeth, yet we have not succeeded in tracing many; but a few antiquarian novelties will be found in the following pages, and in time probably further discoveries / p.v /
will be made. Perhaps one of the most curious in this way is the early version of the Carrion Crow, at p.53, which is still found in the chapbook collections, and with less variation than might have been expected after the lapse of more than two hundred years. The dissemination of scraps like these through all parts of England, in forms very slightly varying from each other during a long period of years, may be considered one of the most singular facts in the history of our literature.
In the expectation of rendering our collection an unexceptionable contribution to a juvenile library, every allusion that could possibly offend the most fastidious reader has been carefully excluded, and rhymes founded on portions of / p.vi /
the Scriptures have been altogether omitted. These facetious compositions frequently degenerate into mere vulgarities.
An ingenious writer has lately endeavoured to find the "originals" of our nursery rhymes in the ancient Dutch language, and if the odd similarities produced by him in aid of his theory had been discovered instead of invented, it would have been an interesting subject for antiquarian investigation. But as it is, we are afraid Mr. Ker will rarely receive thanks for treating them so barbarously; nor do we owe any obligations to those who have attempted to substitute popular science in that place in the education of infants which those truly English compositions have so long occupied. We cannot / p.vii /
help thinking that harmless and euphonious nonsense may reasonably be considered a more useful instrument in the hands of children than that overstraining of the intellect in very early age, which must unavoidably be the result of a more refined system:
"Roscia, dic sodes, melior lex, an puerorum naenia?"
11. PARADOXES
12. LULLABIES
13. JINGLES
14. LOVE AND MATRIMONY
15. NATURAL HISTORY
16. ACCUMULATIVE STORIES
17. LOCAL
18. RELICS
19. LIFE AND DEATH OF TOM THUMB
FIRST CLASS---HISTORICAL.
I.
O
LD 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!
In Lewis's 'History of Great Britain,' fol. Lond. 1729, three kings of Britain of the same name are mentioned.]
II.
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.
ROBIN HOOD, Robin Hood,
Is in the mickle wood!
Little John, Little John,
He to the town is gone.
Robin Hood, Robin Hood,
Is telling his beads,
All in the green wood,
Among the green weeds.
Little John, Little John,
If he comes no more,
Robin Hood, Robin Hood,
He will fret full sore!
IV.
ONE moonshiny night
As I sat high,
Waiting for one
To come by;
The boughs did bend,
My heart did ache
To see what hole the fox did make.
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.
VI.
WE make no spare
Of John Hunkes' mare;
And now I
Think she will die;
He thought it good
To put her in the wood,
To seek where she might ly dry;
If the mare should chance to fale,
Then the crownes would for her sale.
VII.
[From MS. Sloane, 1489, fol.19, written in the time of Charles I.]
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.
IX.
THE king of France, with twenty thousand men,
Went up the hill, and then came down again;
The king of Spain, with twenty thousand more,
Climb'd the same hill the French had climb'd before.
X.
THE king of France, the king of France, with forty thousand men,
Oh, they all went up the hill, and so---came back again!
XI.
AT the siege of Belle-isle
I was there all the while,
All the while, all the while,
At the siege of Belle-isle.
[The tune to the following may be found in the 'English Dancing Master,' 1651, p.37.]
THE rose is red, the grass is green,
Serve Queen Bess our noble queen;
Kitty the spinner
Will sit down to dinner,
And eat the leg of a frog;
All good people
Look over the steeple,
And see the cat play with the dog.
XIII.
PLEASE to remember
The fifth of November,
Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
There was a crow sat on a stone, There was an old wife did eat an apple, There was a horse going to the mill, There was a butcher cut his thumb, There was a lackey ran a race, There was a cobbler clowting shoon, There was a chandler making candle, There was a navy went into Spain, XXVI. XXXIX. Bessy kept the garden gate, And when she came to the church stile, When she came to the church door, On looking up, on looking down, Then she unto the parson said, ------------------ I went to Taffy's house, Taffy was not in;
XIV.
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!
OVER the water, and over the lee,
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.
XVI.
[The following is partly quoted in an old song in MS.Ashmole, 36, fol.113.]
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!
XVII.
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
XVIII.
HIGH ding a ding, and ho ding a ding,
The parliament soldiers are gone to the king;
Some with new beavers, some with new bands,
The parliament soldiers are all to be hang'd.
XIX.
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!
XX.
WHAT is the rhyme for poringer?
The king he had a daughter fair,
And gave the Prince of Orange her.
XXI.
[The following nursery song alludes to William III and George prince of Denmark ]
WILLIAM and Mary, George and Anne,
Four such children had never a man:
They put their father to flight and shame,
And call'd their brother a shocking bad name.
THERE was a monkey climb'd up a tree,
When he fell down, then down fell he.
When he was gone, then there was none.
When she had eat two, she had eat a couple.
When he went on, he stood not still.
When it did bleed, then blood did come.
When he ran fast, he ran apace.
When they were mended, they were done.
When he them strip, he did them handle.
When it return'd it came again.
[The following may possibly allude to King George and the Pretender.]
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 gern.
XXIV.
LITTLE General Monk
Sat upon a trunk,
Eating a crust of bread;
There fell a hot coal
And burnt in his clothes a hole,
Now General Monk is dead.
Keep always from the fire:
If it catch your attire,
You too, like Monk, will be dead.
XXV.
[From the 'Westmoreland and Cumberland Dialects,' p.89, 8vo, Lond. 1839.]
EIGHTY-EIGHT wor Kirby feight,
When nivver a man was slain;
They yatt their meaat, an drank ther drink,
An sae com merrily heaam agayn.
SECOND CLASS---LITERAL.
O
NE, two, three,
I love coffee,
And Billy loves tea.
How good you be,
One, two, three,
I love coffee,
And Billy loves tea.
XXVII.
A, B, C, tumble down D,
The cat's in the cupboard and can't see me.
[Finis.]
F for fig, J for jig,
And N for knuckle bones,
I for John the waterman,
And S for sack of stones.
XXIX.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 !
I caught a hare alive:
6, 7, 8, 9, 10 !
I let her go again.
XXX.
GREAT A, little a,
Bouncing B !
The cat's in the cupboard,
And she can't see.
XXXI.
ONE's none;
Two's some;
Three's a many;
Four's a penny;
Five is a little hundred.
[Tom Thumb's alphabet.]
A was an archer, and shot at a frog,
B was a butcher, and kept a bull-dog.
C was a captain, all covered with lace,
D was a drunkard, and had a red face.
E was an esquire, with insolent 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 lov'd 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 silly old fool.
A was an apple-pie;
B bit it;
C cut it;
D dealt it;
E eat 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;
[Handwritten entry] U upset it;
V viewed it;
W wanted it;
X, Y, Z, and &, all wish'd for a piece in hand.
XXXIV.
MISS one, two, and three could never agree,
While they gossiped round a tea-caddy.
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,
Maids a waiting;
Nineteen, twenty,
My stomach's empty.
XXXVI.
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.
A, B, C, and D,
Pray playmates agree.
E, F, and G,
Well so it shall be.
J, K, and L,
In peace we will dwell.
M, N, and O,
To play let us go.
P, Q, R, and S,
Love may we possess.
W, X, and Y,
Will not quarrel or die.
Z, and &,
Go to school at command.
APPLE-PIE, pudding, and pancake,
All begins with an A.
THIRD CLASS---TALES.
[The following stanzas are founded on the well-known Scotch tale.]
B
ESSY BELL and Mary Gray,
They were two bonny lasses :
They built their house upon the lea,
And covered it with rashes.
And Mary kept the pantry :
Bessy always had to wait,
While Mary lived in plenty.
THERE was a lady all skin and bone,
Sure such a lady was never known:
This lady went to church one day,
She went to church all for to pray.
She sat her down to rest a little while:
When she came to the churchyard,
There the bells so loud she heard.
She stopt to rest a little more ;
When she came the church within,
The parson pray'd 'gainst pride and sin.
She saw a dead man on the ground:
And from his nose unto his chin,
The worms crawl'd out, the worms crawl'd in.*
Shall I be so when I am dead?
Oh yes ! oh yes! the parson said,
You will be so when you are dead.
* This line, slightly altered, has been adopted in Lewis's
ballad of "Alonzo the brave and fair Imogine." The version
given above was obtained from Lincolnshire, and differs
slightly from the one in 'Gammer Gurton's Garland,' 8vo,
Lond. 1810, pp.29-30.
OLD Boniface he loved good cheer,
And took his glass of Burton,
And when the nights grew sultry hot,
He slept without a shirt on.
XLII.
[Tale for the 1st of March.]
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.
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.
XLIII.
LITTLE Jack Horner sat in the corner,
Eating a Christmas pie:
He put in his thumb, and he took out a plum,
And said, "What a good boy am I!"
THE STORY OF CATSKIN.
His lady's again in the way, The gentleman answered gruff, The lady at this declaration, She sent her away to be nurs'd, Fifteen summers are fled, Her dresses so grand and so gay, She knock'd at a castle gate, My lady look'd long in her face, So Catskin was under the cook, There is now a grand ball to be, "You go with your Catskin robe, A basin of water she took, She washed every stain from her skin, When she entered, the ladies were mute, He pray'd her his partner to be, "Pray tell me, fair maid, where you live?" "Kind sir, if the truth I must tell, Then she flew from the ball-room, and put The young lord, the very next day, There's another grand ball to be, "You go with your Catskin robe, In a rage the ladle she took, She washed every blood-stain off My lord, at the ball-room door, When he asked her to dance, she again "Pray tell me," said he, "where you live?" "Kind sir, if the truth I must tell, Then she flew from the ball, and put on My lord did again, the next day, Now another grand ball is to be, "You go with your Catskin robe, In a fury she took the skimmer, She washed the stains of blood My lord, at the ball-room door, When he asked her to dance, she again "Pray tell me, fair maid, where you live?" Kind sir, if the truth I must tell, Then she flew from the ball, and threw on But not by my lord unseen, --- Next day he took to his bed, He told him how dearly he lov'd her, There's a struggle of pride and love, Then my lord got quickly well, To a wayfaring woman and child, The child gave the alms to the child, This throw went to Catskin's heart, They set out in my lord's own coach; They put up at the head inn, When folks are away, in short time Her father repented too late, The old gentleman sat by the fire, But my lord drew a chair close by, The old man alarm'd, cried aloud, Then my lord brought his wife and child The bells, ringing up in the tower, XLVI. And then one night when it was dark, And thus when once, my little dears, L. Mother Goose had a house, This is her son Jack, She sent him to market, Jack's goose and her gander Jack found one morning, Jack rode to his mother, Jack sold his gold egg Then Jack went a courting The Jew and the Squire The old Mother Goose, She then with her wand, The gold egg into the sea The Jew got the goose, Jack's mother came in, The bull's in the barn threshing the corn, LXII. Says Punch to Judy Says the pieman to Simple Simon, Simple Simon went to town, Simple Simon went a fishing Simple Simon went to look The King of Hearts A cow and a calf, [An older version of the following, from a MS. dated 1570, is printed in Davies's 'Key to Hutton's Mathematics," 1840, p.18.] XCI.
THERE once was a gentleman grand,
Who lived at his country seat;
He wanted an heir to his land,
For he'd nothing but daughters yet.
So she said to her husband with joy,
"I hope some or other fine day,
To present you, my dear, with a boy."
"If't should turn out a maid or a mouse,
For of both we have more than enough,
She shan't stay to live in my house."
Almost fainted away with pain;
But what was her sad consternation,
When a sweet little girl came again.
Without seeing her gruff papa;
And when she was old enough,
To a school she was packed away.
Now she left good Mrs. Jervis;
To see home she was forbid, --
She determined to go and seek service.
She carefully rolled in a knob;
Which she hid in a forest away,
And put on a Catskin robe.
And pray'd for charity;
They sent her some meat on a plate,
And kept her a scullion to be.
And prais'd her great beauty;
I'm sorry I've no better place,
And you must our scullion be.
A very sad life she led,
For often a ladle she took,
And broke poor Catskin's head.
When ladies their beauties show;
"Mrs. Cook," said Catskin, "dear me,
How much I should like to go!"
You dirty impudent slut!
Among the fine ladies and lords,
A very fine figure you'd cut."
And dash'd in poor Catskin's face :
But briskly her ears she shook,
And went to her hiding-place.
In some crystal waterfall;
Then put on a beautiful dress,
And hasted away to the ball.
Overcome by her figure and face;
But the lord, her young master, at once
Fell in love with her beauty and grace;
She said, "Yes!" with a sweet smiling glance;
All night with no other lady
But Catskin, our young lord would dance.
For now was the sad parting-time;
But she no other answer would give,
Than this distich of mystical rhyme,---
At the sign of the Basin of Water I dwell."
On her Catskin robe again;
And slipt in unseen by the cook,
Who little thought where she had been.
To his mother his passion betrayed,
He declared he never would rest,
Till he'd found out this beautiful maid.
Where ladies their beauties show;
"Mrs. Cook," said Catskin, "dear me,
How much I should like to go!"
You dirty impudent slut!
Among the fine ladies and lords,
A very fine figure you'd cut."
And broke poor Catskin's head;
But off she went shaking her ears,
And swift to her forest she fled.
In some crystal waterfall;
Put on a more beautiful dress,
And hasted away to the ball.
Was waiting with pleasure and pain;
He longed to see nothing so much
As the beautiful Catskin again.
Said "Yes!" with her first smiling glance ;
And again, all the night, my young lord
With none but fair Catskin did dance.
For now 'twas the parting-time;
But she no other answer would give,
Than this distich of mystical rhyme,---
At the sign of the Broken-Ladle I dwell."
Her Catskin robe again;
And slipt in unseen by the cook,
Who little thought where she had been.
Declare to his mother his mind,
That he never more happy should be,
Unless he his charmer should find.
Where ladies their beauties show;
"Mrs. Cook," said Catskin, "dear me,
How much I should like to go!"
You impudent, dirty slut!
Among the fine ladies and lords,
A very fine figure you'd cut."
And broke poor Catskin's head;
But heart-whole and lively as ever,
Away to her forest she fled.
In some crystal waterfall;
Then put on her most beautiful dress,
And hasted away to the ball.
Was waiting with pleasure and pain;
He longed to see nothing so much
As the beautiful Catskin again.
Said "Yes!" with her first smiling glance;
And all the night long, my young lord
With none but fair Catskin would dance.
For now was the parting-time;
But she no other answer would give,
Than this distich of mystical rhyme,---
At the sign of the Broken-Skimmer I dwell."
Her Catskin cloak again;
And slipt in unseen by the cook,
Who little thought where she had been.
For this time he followed too fast;
And, hid in the forest green,
Saw the strange things that past.
And sent for the doctor to come;
And begg'd him no other than Catskin,
Might come into his room.
Not to have her his heart would break :
Then the doctor kindly promis'd,
To the proud old lady to speak.
For she fear'd her son would die ;
But pride at the last did yield,
And love had the mastery.
When he was his charmer to wed ;
And Catskin, before a twelvemonth,
Of a young lord was brought to bed.
Lady Catskin one day sent an alms ;
The nurse did the errand, and carried
The sweet little lord in her arms.
This was seen by the old lady-mother ;
"Only see," said that wicked old woman,
"How the beggars' brats take to each other!"
She flung herself down on her knees,
And pray'd her young master and lord
To seek out her parents would please.
They travelled, but nought befel
Till they reach'd the town hard by,
Where Catskin's father did dwell.
Where Catskin was left alone ;
But my lord went to try if her father
His natural child would own.
What great alterations appear!
For the cold touch of death had all chill'd
The hearts of her sisters dear.
And the loss of his youngest bemoan'd,
In his old and childless state,
He his pride and cruelty own'd.
And hardly looked up at my lord;
He had no hopes of comfort
A stranger could afford.
And said, in a feeling tone,
"Have you not, sir, a daughter, I pray,
You never would see or own?"
"A hardened sinner am I !
I would give all my worldly goods,
To see her before I die."
To their home and parent's face,
Who fell down and thanks returned
To God, for his mercy and grace.
Are sending a sound to the heart ;
There's a charm in the old church-bells,
Which nothing in life can impart !
ST. DUNSTAN, as the story goes,
Once pulled the devil by the nose,
With red-hot tongs, which made him roar,
That he was heard ten miles or more.
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.
LITTLE blue Betty lived in a den,
She sold good ale to gentlemen :
Gentlemen came every day,
And little blue Betty hopp'd away.
She hopp'd up stairs to make her bed,
And she tumbled down and broke her head.
XLVIII.
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.
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.
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 !
To preach the word of God :
When he came there, he sat in his chair,
And gave all the people a nod.
DOCTOR Foster went to Glo'ster,
In a shower of rain;
He stepp'd in a puddle up to his middle,
And wouldn't go there again.
LI.
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.
OLD Mother Goose, when
She wanted to wander,
Would ride through the air
On a very fine gander.
'Twas built in a wood,
Where an owl at the door
For sentinel stood.
A plain-looking lad,
He is not very good,
Nor yet very bad.
A live goose he bought,
Here, mother, says he,
It will not go for nought.
Grew very fond,
They'd both eat together,
Or swim in one pond.
As I have been told,
His goose had laid him
An egg of pure gold.
The news for to tell,
And said it was well.
To a rogue of a Jew,
Who cheated him out of
The half of his due.
A lady so gay,
As far as the lily,
And sweet as the May.
Came behind his back,
And began to belabour
The sides of poor Jack.
That instant came in,
And turned her son Jack
Into fam'd Harlequin.
Touch'd the lady so fine,
And turn'd her at once
Into sweet Columbine.
Was thrown then, ---
When Jack jump'd in,
And got the egg back again.
Which he vow'd he would kill,
Resolving at once
His pockets to fill.
And caught the goose soon,
And mounting its back,
Flew up to the moon.
LIII.
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.
LIV.
LITTLE Tommy Tittlemouse
Lived in a little house;
He caught fishes
In other men's ditches.
LV.
THERE was a rat, for want of stairs,
Came down the rope to say his prayers.
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.
LVII.
THERE was a jolly miller
Lived on the river Dee,
He look'd upon his pillow,
And there he saw a flea.
Oh ! Mr. Flea,
You have been biting me,
And you must die:
So he crack'd his bones
Upon the stones,
And there he let him lie.
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.
THREE wise men of Gotham
Went to sea in a bowl:
And if the bowl had been stronger,
My song would have been longer.
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 cock's on the dunghill blowing his horn,
The cat's at the fire frying of fish,
The dog's in the pantry breading his dish.
Stole a pig, and away he run!
The pig was eat, and Tom was beat,
And Tom went roaring down the street.
PUNCH and Judy
Fought for a pie;
Punch gave Judy
A knock of the eye.
Will you have any more?
Says Judy to Punch,
My eye's too sore.
SIMPLE Simon met a pieman
Going to the fair:
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Let me taste your ware."
"Show me first your penny."
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Indeed I have not any."
To buy a piece of meat:
He tied it to his horse's tail,
To keep it clean and sweet.
For to catch a whale:
All the water he had got
Was in his mother's pail.
If plums grew on a thistle;
He pricked his fingers very much,
Which made poor Simon whistle.
ON Christmas eve I turn'd the spit,
I burnt my fingers, I feel it yet;
The cock-sparrow flew over the table;
The pot began to play with the ladle;
The ladle stood up, like a naked man,
And vow'd he'd fight the frying-pan;
The frying-pan, behind the door,
Said he never saw the like before;
And the kitchen clock, I was going to wind,
Said he never saw the like behind!
THE Queen of Hearts
She made some tarts,
All on a summer's day:
The Knave of Hearts
He stole the tarts,
And took them clean away.
Call'd for the tarts,
And beat the knave full sore:
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vow's he'd steal no more.
He eat more meat than fourscore men;
He eat a cow, he eat a calf,
He eat a butcher and a half;
He eat a church, he eat a steeple,
He eat the priest and all the people!
An ox and a half,
A church and a steeple,
And all the good people,
And yet he complain'd that his stomach wasn't full.
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.
Had a cat,
It had but one ear;
It went to buy butter,
When butter was dear.
And they all lived in a basin of water;
The basin bended,
My story'd ended,
If the basin had been stronger,
My story would have been longer.
S
T 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.
You wives and maids give ear-o!
To put 'em out's the only way,
Says honest John Boldero.
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.
Have all the week to dry;
They that wash on Tuesday
Are not so much awry;
They that wash on Wednesday
Are not so much to blame;
They that wash on Thursday,
Wash for shame;
They that wash on Friday,
Wash in need;
And they that wash on Saturday,
Oh! they're sluts indeed.
When a man marries his trouble begins.
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.
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.
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!
Go to bed second, a golden pheasant;
Go to bed third, a golden bird!
'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.
BOUNCE BUCKRAM, velvet's dear;
Christmas comes but once a year.
D
OCTOR 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!
And I walk on two;
The last donkey I saw
Was very like you.
CROSS patch,
Draw the latch,
Sit by the fire and spin;
Take a cup,
And drink it up,
Then call your neighbours in.
But now I am a great boy I'm fit to serve the king;
I can hand a musket, and I can smoke a pipe,
And I can kiss a pretty girl at twelve o'clock at night.
Put your finger in your eye,
And tell your mother it wasn't I.
LXXXVI.
[Instead of "muscles" in the last line, other copies have
columbines
, and some cowslips
.]
MISTRESS MARY, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With cockle-shells, and silver bells,
And muscles all a row.
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.
Your tongue shall be slit,
And all the dogs in the town
Shall have a little bit.
IN fir tar is,
In oak none is.
In mud eel is,
In clay none is.
Goat eat ivy,
Mare eat oats.
MULTIPLICATION is vexation,
Division is as bad;
The Rule of Three doth puzzle me,
And Practice drives me mad.
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.
XCII.
O
NE 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!