THE

N U R S E R Y   R H Y M E S

OF

ENGLAND.



[ p.ii ]




PRINTED BY C. ADLARD, BARTHOLOMEW CLOSE.



[ p.iii ]



THE


N U R S E R Y   R H Y M E S


OF


ENGLAND,


Obtained principally from Oral Tradition.



COLLECTED AND EDITED BY

JAMES ORCHARD HALLIWELL, ESQ.


" Roscia, die sodes, melior lex, an puerorum Naenia?"
HORAT.



SECOND EDITION,

WITH ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS.




LONDON:
JOHN RUSSELL SMITH,
4, OLD COMPTON STREET, SOHO SQUARE.

MDCCCXLIII.

(enlargement)


[ p.v ]



IF IT BE NOT SACRILEGE TO ASSOCIATE THE NAME

OF

An Eminent Writer

WITH THE

TRADITIONAL POETRY OF OUR CHILDHOOD,


THE FOLLOWING COLLECTION

IS INSCRIBED,


AS

A TRIFLING MARK OF ESTEEM AND FRIENDSHIP,


TO

J.  R.  PLANCHÉ,  ESQ.



[ p.vii ]



P R E F A C E.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~


      THE first edition of this work was printed at the close of the year 1841, with a view only to a limited circulation among the members of the PERCY SOCIETY ; but a demand for it, somewhat unusual when it is considered that its appearance was never advertised to the public, has occasioned the present edition, in which it is believed considerable improvements as well as additions will be found.
      It has been the Editor's principal object to form as genuine a collection of the old vernacular rhymes of the English nursery as he possibly could, without admitting any very modern compositions, at least none belonging to the present century. It may, perhaps, be difficult to prove the antiquity of all of them—in fact / p.viii / very few can be traced back even as far as the sixteenth century; but there is a peculiar style in most of the ancient ones that could not very well be imitated without detection by a practised ear.
      Many of the most popular nursery rhymes are merely fragments of old ballads, and some of my readers will probably detect more plagiarisms of this kind than I have yet been enabled to discover. The subject is a truly curious one, and it would perhaps occasion some difficulty to the most ingenious theorist to form a conjecture, that would account for the universal dissemination of these strange scraps, and their tradition through several centuries.
      An ingenious writer has lately endeavoured to find the "originals" of our nursery rhymes in the ancient German language, and if the odd similarities produced by him in aid of his theory had been discovered instead of invented, it would have formed an interesting subject for antiquarian investigation. But as it is, I am afraid Mr. Ker will rarely receive thanks for treating so barbarously our dear old nænia ; certainly not from the humble Editor, and those who with him regard with no very favorable eyes the attempts that have been made / p.ix / by Mrs. Child, and other American writers, to substitute popular science in that place in the education of infants, which these truly English compositions have so long occupied. I cannot 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.
      If the indulgence of the public should be so far extended to my efforts in this very humble walk of literature, as to enable me at some future period to attempt a more complete collection, I shall hope to render the classification less open to criticism than it is at present. The difficulties of doing so in many cases must be my apology; and it is evident that the correct nomenclature cannot always be obtained.
      Should my readers remember any nursery rhymes not inserted in this volume, or any different versions of those here printed, and confer the great favour of communicating them to me,*
---------------------------
   * Directed to me, care of Mr. J. R. Smith, 4, Old Compton Street, Soho Square, London.
---------------------------
they will be duly and thankfully / p.x / acknowledged. On a former occasion I had to acknowledge my obligations to Sir E. F. BROMHEAD, Bart., and WILLIAM HENRY BLACK, Esq. I have now to add my best thanks to R. S. SHARPE, Esq., WILLIAM CHAPPELL, Esq., and E. F. RIMBAULT, Esq., for a few interesting contributions.

J.  O.  HALLIWELL


I., O.; Oct. 31st, 1842.



[ p.xi ]


C O N T E N T S.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


PAGE
1. HISTORICAL 1
2. TALES 21
3. JINGLES 97
4. RIDDLES 111
5. PROVERBS 120
6. LULLABIES 124
7. CHARMS 128
8. GAMES 132
9.PARADOXES 157
10. LITERAL 160
11. SCHOLASTIC 163
12. CUSTOMS 166
/ p.xii /
PAGE
13. SONGS 170
14. FRAGMENTS 202
15. TRANSLATIONS 206
16. APPENDIX 212
17. NOTES 219
18. INDEX 251



[ p.1 ]


N U R S E R Y    R H Y M E S.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


FIRST CLASS—HISTORICAL.


I.
      [THE traditional Nursery Rhymes of England commence with a legendary satire on King Cole, who reigned in Britain, as the old chronicles inform us, in the third century after Christ. According to Robert of Gloucester, he was the father of St. Helena, and if so, Butler must be wrong in ascribing an obscure origin to the celebrated mother of Constantine. King Cole was a brave and popular man in his day, and ascended the throne of Britain on the death of Asclepiod, amidst the acclamations of the people, or as Robert of Gloucester expresses himself, the "folc was tho of this lond y-paid wel y-nou." The following curious metrical history of King Cole is taken from Robert of Gloucester's Chronicle, in MS. Cotton. Calig., A. xi. fol. 30:

Cole was a noble mon, and gret poer adde an honde;
Erl he was of Colchestre, here in thisse londe,
And Colchestre after is name i-cluped is ich understonde.
Ure loverd, among other thinges, him sende a vair sonde,
That he adde an holi doghter at Colchestre in this lond,
That Seint Eleyne is i-cluped, that the holi rode vond.
/ p.2 /
Bituene ure king Asclepiod and this erl withoute faile,
Ther wer a gret worre, and that hii smite bataile;
And the erl Cole slou then king and, tho he adde thun over hond,
King he let him crownen here of this lond.
That folc was tho of this lond y-paid wel y-nou,
That he adde y-wonne the kinedom and he the other slou.
The tydinge to Rome come, that the kyng as lawe was,
That hom adde i-don so moche ssame, hii were glad of that cas.
The noble prince hii sende hider the gode knight Costance,
That wan hom alle poer of Spaine and ek of France.
That he ssolde ek this lond winne agen to Rome,
So that this noble prince and is men hider come.
Tho the king Cole it under get, he dradde in is mod,
Vor he was so noble knight that no mon him ne withstod:
To him he sende of acord, gif it were is wille,
That he wolde to Rome abuye and lete al contek be stille;
And under bere is truage, other dude bivore,
Vor wat he hulde the kinedom wanne the truage were y-bore,
Constance it grauntede and nom is truage,
And nom also to be siker of him good ostage,
And graunted him that kinedom and that pes of Rome,
And bilevede in this lond to-gadere bothe i-some.
A monthe it was therafter that Cole wel sik lay,
And deide, as God it wolde, withinne the eightethe day."

      I find also another history of King Cole in the Chronicle of Brute, MS. Harl. 4690, fol. 11, as follows: "Thenne reigned this Asclepades in pees, ffor thatt oon of his erles that hight Cole made a faire towne ayenste the kingges wille, and cleped that towne Colechester by his name; werefore the king was wrothe, and wold have destroyed the erle and beganne to werre, and had grete strengthe, and gaff bateille to the erle: butte the erle defended him myghtly with his power, and slowghe the king himself in the bataile; and thanne was Coel y-crowned king of this londe, and he reigned and governed the ream nobely, and was a gode man and welbeloved among the Brytonnes. Whenne thei of Rome herden that Asclepades was y-sleye, they were wonderly glad, ad senten another / p.3 / grete prince of the Romaynes, the whiche hete Constance, and come to the King Cole to chalenge his trewage thatt was woned to paiedd to Rome. But the king answeryd and seid thatt resoun wolde and right, and so thei accordedenne withoute contekke, and dwelledenne togeder with ffryenschippe. And thenne the kyng gaff to this Constance his daughter Elyne to wyfe, for she was fayre and wyse, and well y-lettred; and thanne this Constance wedded her with grete worschipp. Than anone after that, Cole dyghed in the xiii. yere of his reigne, and is entier entered atte Colchester." At Colchester there is a large earth-work, supposed to have been a Roman amphitheatre, which goes popularly by the name of "King Cole's kitchen." According to Jeffery of Monmouth, King Cole's daughter was well skilled in music, but we unfortunately have no evidence to show that her father was attached to that science, further than what is contained in the following lines, which are of doubtful antiquity. The song was very popular a century ago, and may be found in Gay's ballad opera of Achilles, printed in 1733, and other similar pieces. I may mention also that in Lewis's "History of Great Britain," fol. Lond. 1729, three kings of Britain of the same name are mentioned.]

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 fine 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!


/ p.4 /

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


III.
   [The following song, relating to Robin Hood, the celebrated outlaw, is well known at Worksop, in Nottinghamshire, where it constitutes one of the nursery series.]
ROBIN HOOD, Robin Hood,
Is in the mickle wood!
Little John, Little John,
He to the town is gone.
/ p.5 /
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.
[St. Hugh of Lincoln, a child's ballad. From Godalming in Surrey.]
HE tossed the ball so high, so high,
     He tossed the ball so low ;
He tossed the ball in the Jews' garden,
     And the Jews were all below.

Oh ! then out came the Jew's daughter,
     She was dressed all in green ;
Come hither, come hither, my sweet pretty fellow,
     And fetch your ball again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/ p.6 /

V.
     [The original of "The house that Jack built" is presumed to be a hymn in Sepher Haggadah, fol.23, a translation of which is here given. The historical interpretation was first given by P. N. Leberecht, at Leipsic, in 1731, and is printed in the "Christian Reformer," vol. xvii, p.28. The original is in the Chaldee language, and it may be mentioned that a very fine Hebrew manuscript of the fable, with illuminations, is in the possession of George Offor, Esq. of Hackney.]
1. A kid, a kid, my father brought
For two pieces of money :
                 A kid, A kid.

2. Then came the cat, and ate the kid
That my father bought
For two pieces of money :
                 A kid, a kid.

3. Then came the dog, and bit the cat,
That ate the kid,
That my father bought
For two pieces of money :
                 A kid, a kid.

4. Then came the staff, and beat the dog,
That bit the cat,
That ate the kid,
That my father bought
For two pieces of money :
                 A kid, a kid.
/ p.7 /
5. Then came the fire, and burned the staff,
That beat the dog,
That bit the cat,
That ate the kid,
That my father bought
For two pieces of money :
                 A kid, a kid.

6. Then came the water, and quenched the fire,
That burned the staff,
That beat the dog,
That bit the cat,
That ate the kid,
That my father bought
For two pieces of money :
                 A kid, a kid.

7. Then came the ox, and drank the water,
That quenched the fire,
That burned the staff,
That beat the dog,
That bit the cat,
That ate the kid,
That my father bought
For two pieces of money :
                 A kid, a kid.

8. Then came the butcher, and slew the ox,
That drank the water,
/ p.8 /
That quenched the fire,
That burned the staff,
That beat the dog,
That bit the cat,
That ate the kid,
That my father bought
For two pieces of money :
                 A kid, a kid.

9. Then came the angel of death and killed the butcher,
That slew the ox,
That drank the water,
That quenched the fire,
That burned the staff,
That beat the dog,
That bit the cat,
That ate the kid,
That my father bought
For two pieces of money :
                 A kid, a kid.

10. Then came the Holy One, blessed be He !
And killed the angel of death,
That killed the butcher,
That slew the ox,
That drank the water,
That quenched the fire,
That burned the staff,
That beat the dog,
/ p.9 /
That bit the cat,
That ate the kid,
That my father bought
For two pieces of money :
                 A kid, a kid.

      The following is the interpretation:
      1. The kid, which was one of the pure animals, denotes the Hebrews.
      The father, by whom it was purchased, is Jehovah, who represents himself as sustaining this relation to the Hebrew nation. The two pieces of money signify Moses and Aaron, through whose mediation the Hebrews were brought out of Egypt.
      2. The cat denotes the Assyrians, by whom the ten tribes were carried into captivity.
      3. The dog is symbolical of the Babylonians.
      4. The staff signifies the Persians.
      5. The fire indicates the Grecian empire under Alexander the Great.
      6. The water betokens the Roman, or the fourth of the great monarchies to whose dominions the Jews were subjected.
      7. The ox is a symbol of the Saracens, who subdued Palestine, and brought it under the caliphate.
      8. The butcher that killed the ox denotes the crusaders, by whom the Holy Land was wrested out of the hands of the Saracens.
      9. The angel of death signifies the Turkish power, by which the land of Palestine was taken from the Franks, and to which it is still subject.
      10. The commencement of the tenth stanza is designed to show that God will take signal vengeance on the Turks, immediately after whose overthrow the Jews are to be restored to their own land, and live under the government of their long-expected Messiah.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


/ p.10 /

VI.

   [The following version of a popular rhyme is in one of Douce's books. I consider it to refer to the rebellious times of Richard II.]
MY father he died, I cannot tell how,
But he left me six horses to drive out my plough :
With a wimmy lo! wommy lo! Jack Straw blazey boys!
Wimmy lo! Wommy lo! Wob, wob, wob!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VII.

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 bubble 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.

/ p.11 /
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.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VIII.

[The same song as the preceding, dictated by a lady now living in the Isle of Man, but a far better version.]
MY daddy is dead, but I can't tell you how ;
But he left me six horses to follow the plough :
     With my whim wham waddle ho !
     Strim stram straddle ho !
     Bubble ho ! pretty boy,
     Over the brow.

I sold my six horses to buy me a cow,
And wasn't that a pretty thing to follow the plough ?
      With my, &c.

I sold my cow to buy me a calf ;
For I never made a bargain, but I lost the best half.
      With my, &c.

/ p.12 /
I sold my calf to buy me a cat,
To sit down before the fire, to warm her little back:
      With my, &c.

I sold my cat to buy me a mouse,
But she took fire in her tail, and so burnt up my house:
      With my, &c.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IX.
[The following perhaps refers to Joanna of Castile, who visited the court of Henry the Seventh, in the year 1506.]
I had a little nut-tree, nothing would it bear
But a golden nutmeg and a silver pear ;
The king of Spain's daughter came to visit me,
And all for the sake of my little nut tree.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

X.
   [There is an old proverb which says that "a cat may look at a king." Whether the same adage applies equally to a female sovereign, and is referred to in the following nursery song, or whether it alludes to the glorious Queen Bess, is now a matter of uncertainty.]
PUSSY cat, pussy cat, where have you been ?
I've been up to London to look at the Queen.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there ?
I frighten'd a little mouse under the chair.


/ p.13 /

XI.
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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XII.
[From MS. Sloane, 1489, fol.19, written about the year 1600. Mr. Wright informs me this relates to events in the reign of James I.]
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 was there one.

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, the blood did come.

/ p.14 /
There was a lackey ran a race,
When he ran fast, he ran apace.

There was a cobbler clowting shoon,
When they were mended, they were done.

There was a chandler making candle,
When he them stript, he did them handle.

There was a navy went into Spain,
When it returned it came again.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XIII.
        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 little General Monk is dead.
        Keep always from the fire :
        If it catch your attire,
You too, like Monk, will be dead.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/ p.15 /

XIV.
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!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XV.
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.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XVI.
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.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/ p.16 /

XVII.
[Taken from MS. Douce, 357, fol.124. See Echard's "History of England," book iii, chap.1.]
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 ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


XVIII.
    [Written on occasion of the marriage of Mary, the daughter of James Duke of York, afterwards James II., with the young Prince of Orange. See the entire song in the next number, but the following three lines are those now appropriated to the nursery.]
WHAT is the rhyme for porringer ?
The king he had a daughter fair,
And gave the Prince of Orange her.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/ p.17 /

XIX.
[From "Jacobite Minstrelsy," 12mo, Glasgow, 1828, p. 28.]
OH what's the rhyme to porringer ?
Ken ye the rhyme to porringer ?
King James the Seventh had ae daughter,
And he gae 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 of him.

The dog, he shall na keep it long,
To flinch we'll make him fain again ;
We'll hing him high upon a tree,
And James shall hae his ain again.
Ken ye the rhyme to grasshopper ?
Ken ye the rhyme to grasshopper ?
A hempen rein, and a horse o tree,
A psalm book—and a presbyter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XX.
[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.


/ p.18 /

XXI.
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


XXII.
BOBBY SHAFTO'S gone to sea,
With silver buckles at his knee ;
He'll come home and marry me,
            Pretty Bobby Shafto !

Bobby Shafto's fat and fair,
Combing down his yellow hair ;
He's my love for evermore !
            Pretty Bobby Shafto !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


/ p.19 /

XXIII.
[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.
    [The following is a fragment of a song on the subject, which was introduced by Russell in the character of Jerry Sneak. Mr. Sharpe showed me a copy of the song with the music to it.]
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 !


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/ p.20 /

XXV.
       [In a little tract, called "The Pigges Corantoe, or Newes from the North," 4to, Lond. 1642, this is called "Old Tarlton's Song." This fact is mentioned in Mr. Collier's "Hist. Dram. Poet." vol. ii. p.352, and also in the preface to Mr. Wright's "Political Ballads," printed for the Percy Society. It is perhaps a parody on the popular epigram on "Jack and Jill." I do not know the period of the battle to which it appears to allude.]
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


XXVI.
[From MS. Sloane, 1489, fol. 19, written about the year 1600.]
THE king of France, and four thousand men,
They drew their swords and put 'em up again.
============================


/ p.21 /



SECOND CLASS—TALES.


XXVII.
THERE was an old woman had three sons,
Jerry, and James, and John :
Jerry was hung, James was drowned,
John was lost and never was found,
And there was an end of her three sons,
Jerry, and James, and John !


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XXVIII.
THERE was a man of Newington,
      And he was wondrous 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


/ p.22 /

XXIX.
WHEN I was a bachelor, I lived by myself,
And all the bread and cheese I laid upon the shelf ;
The rats and the mice they made such a strife,
I was forc'd to go to London to buy me a wife ;
The roads were so bad, and the lanes were so narrow,
I was forced to bring my wife home in a wheelbarrow.
The wheelbarrow broke, and my wife had a fall ;
Deuce take the wheelbarrow, wife, and all.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XXX.
ROWSTY dowt, my fire's all out,
My little dame is not at home !
I'll saddle my cock, and bridle my hen,
And fetch my little dame home again!
Home she came, tritty trot,
She asked for the porridge she left in the pot ;
Some she ate and some she shod,
And some she gave to the truckler's dog ;
She took up the ladle and knocked its head,
And now poor Dapsy dog is dead !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


/ p.23 /

XXXI.
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.
You go before with the bottle and bag,
And I will come after on little Jack Nag.
You go first, and open the gate,
And I'll come after, and break your pate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XXXII.
[From MS. Bib. Reg. 8 A. V. fol. 52, of the time of Henry VIII.]
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.


/ p.24 /

XXXIII.
I HAD a little dog, and his name was Blue Bell,
I gave him some work, and he did it very well ;
I sent him up stairs to pick up a pin,
He stepped in the coal-scuttle up to the chin.
I sent him to the garden to pick some sage,
He tumbled down and fell in a rage;
I sent him to the cellar, to draw a pot of beer,
He came up again and said there was none there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XXXIV.
       THERE was a little man,
      And he woo'd a little maid,
And he said, little maid, will you wed, wed, wed ?
      I have little more to say,
      Than will you, yea or nay,
For least said is soonest mended—ded, ded, ded.

      The little maid replied,
      Some say a little sighed,
But what shall we have for to eat, eat, eat ?
      Will the love that you're so rich in
      Make a fire in the kitchen ?
Or the little god of Love turn the spit—spit, spit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


/ p.25 /

XXXV.
       I HAD a little moppet,
      I put it in my pocket,
And fed it with corn and hay ;
      Then came a proud beggar,
      And swore he would have her,
And stole little moppet away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XXXVI.
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 !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XXXVII.
THERE was a little Guinea-pig,
Who, being little, was not big,
He always walked upon his feet,
And never fasted when he eat.
/ p.26 /
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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XXXVIII.
DID you not hear of Betty Pringle's pig ?
It was not very little, nor yet very big ;
The pig sat down upon a dunghill,
And then poor piggy he made his will.

Betty Pringle came to see this pretty pig,
That was not very little, nor yet very big ;
This little piggy it lay down and died,
And Betty Pringle sat down and cried.

Then Johnny Pringle buried this very pretty pig,
That was not very little, nor yet very big ;
So here's an end of the song of all three,
Johnny Pringle, Betty Pringle, and the little Piggie.


/ p.27 /

XXXIX.
THREE wise men of Gotham
Went to sea in a bowl :
And if the bowl had been stronger,
My song would have been longer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XL.
     [The following was most probably taken from a poetical tale in the "Choyce Poems," 12mo, Lond. 1662. As it is a very popular nursery song, I shall give the tale to which I allude in No. XLI.]
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.


/ p.28 /

XLI.
[From "Ovid de Arte Amandi, &c. Englished, together with Choice Poems, and rare Pieces of Drollery." 1662.]
SOME Christian people all give ear,
    Unto the grief of us,
Caused by the death of three children dear ;
    The which it hap'ned thus.

And eke there befel an accident,
    By fault of a carpenter's son,
Who to saw chips his sharp axe lent,
    Wo woeth the time may Lon—

May London say, wo woeth the carpenter,
    And all such block-head fools,
Would he were hang'd up like a serpent here,
    For jesting with edge-tools.

For into the chips there fell a spark,
    Which put out in such flames,
That it was known in Southwark,
    Which lies beyond the Thames.

For lo, the bridge was wondrous high,
    With water underneath,
O'er which as many fishes fly,
    As birds therein doth breath.

/ p.29 /
And yet the fire consum'd the bridge,
    Not far from place of landing ;
And though the building was full big,
    It fell down not-with-standing.

And eke into the water fell
    So many pewter dishes,
That a man might have taken up very well
    Both boil'd and roasted fishes.

And that the bridge of London town,
    For building that was sumptuous,
Was all by fire half burnt down,
    For being too contumptious :

And thus you have all but half my song,
    Pray list to what comes after ;
For now I have cool'd you with the fire,
    I'll warm you with the water.

I'll tell you what the river's name is,
    Where these children did slide-a,
It was fair London's swiftest Thames,
    That keeps both time and tide-a.

All on the tenth of January,
    To the wonder of much people,
'Twas frozen o'er, that well 'twould bear
    Almost a country steeple.

/ p.30 /
Three children sliding thereabouts,
    Upon a place too thin,
That so at last it did fall out,
    That they did all fall in.

A great lord there was that laid with the king,
    And with the king great wager makes :
But when he saw he could not win,
    He seight, and would have drawn stakes.

He said it would bear a man for to slide,
    And laid a hundred pound ;
The king said it would break, and so it did,
    For three children there were drown'd.

Of which one's head was from his should-
    Ers stricken, whose name was John,
Who then cry'd out as loud as he could,
    "O Lon-a, Lon-a, London !

"Oh! tut,-tut,-turn from thy sinful race,"
    Thus did his speech decay :
I wonder that in such a case
    He had no more to say.

And thus being drown'd, alack, alack,
    The water run down their throats,
And stopt their breath three hours by the clock,
    Before they could get any boats.

/ p.31 /
Ye parents all that children have,
    And ye that have none yet ;
Preserve your children from the grave,
    And teach them at home to sit.

For had they at a sermon been,
    Or else upon dry ground,
Why then I would have never been seen,
    If that they had been drown'd.

Even as a huntsman ties his dogs,
    For fear they should go from him ;
So tie your children with severity's clogs,
    Untie 'em, and you'll undo 'em.

God bless our noble parliament,
    And rid them from all fears !
God bless all the commons of this land,
    And God bless some o' th' peers !


~~~~~~~~~~~~~


XLII.
THERE was an old man in a velvet coat,
He kiss'd a maid and gave her a groat ;
The groat was crack'd, and would not go,—
Ah, old man, d'ye serve me so ?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/ p.32 /

XLIII.
THERE was an old man,
And he had a calf,
      And that's half :
He took him out of the stall,
And put him on the wall;
      And that's all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XLIV.
    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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XLV.
    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.


/ p.33 /

XLVI.
[The following is quoted in the song of Mad Tom. See my Introduction to Shakespeare's Mids. Night's Dream, p.55.]
THE man in the moon drinks claret,
    But he is a dull Jack-a-Dandy ;
Would he know a sheep's head from a carrot,
    He should learn to drink cider and brandy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XLVII.
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 !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XLVIII.
THERE was an old woman
    Liv'd under a hill,
She put a mouse in a bag,
    And sent it to mill ;

The miller did swear,
    By the point of his knife,
He never took toll
    Of a mouse in his life !


/ p.34 /

XLIX.
FOUR and twenty tailors went to kill a snail,
The best man among them durst not touch her tail ;
She put out her horns like a little kyloe cow,
Run, tailors, run, or she'll kill you all e'en now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

L.
JACK SPRAT could eat no fat,
    His wife could eat no lean ;
And so, betwixt them both, you see,
    They lick'd the platter clean.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LI.
       LITTLE Jack Jingle,
      He used to live single :
But when he got tired of this kind of life,
He left off being single, and liv'd with his wife.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


/ p.35 /

LII.
     [The last verse of the following song is popular in our nurseries, and must be of great antiquity, as it is alluded to in MS. Lansd. 762, in a poem of the time of Henry VII. See Reliquiæ Antiquæ, vol. i. p. 288.]
COME all ye brisk young bachelors,
    That wish to have good wives ;
I'd have you be precautious,
    How you spend your lives.
For women they are as various,
    As the fish are in the sea ;
They're ten times more precarious,
    Than a winter or summer's day !

When first you begin to court them,
    They're as mild as any dove,
And you will think them,
    Full worthy of your love ;
But when you do get married,
    The case is altered then ;
For you will find, my friend,
    They can let loose their tongues !

Now Aristotle chose
    A most commodious wife,
As ever was in this land, sir,
    A partner for his life ;

/ p.36 /
But soon he found out
    'Twas all a hum,
You must not stay to pick them,
    But take them as they come !

Blank or prize 'tis all a chance,
Shut your eyes and then advance!
Whiche'er you touch be pleased at once,
For you must pay, let who will dance.

There was a victim in a cart,
    One day for to be hung :
And his reprieve was granted,
    And the cart was made to stand :
"Come marry a wife and save your life !"
    The judge aloud did cry.
"Oh why should I corrupt my life ?"
    The victim did reply :
"For here's a crowd of every sort,
And why should I prevent the sport ?
The bargain's bad in every part—
The wife's the worst ; drive on the cart !"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/ p.37 /

LIII.
        THE lion and the unicorn,
Were fighting for the crown ;
        The lion beat the unicorn,
All round about the town.
        Some gave him white bread,
And some gave him brown ;
        Some gave him plum cake,
And sent him out of town.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LIV.
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 !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LV.
LITTLE Miss Mopsey,
Sat in the shopsey,
    Eating of curds and whey ;
There came a little spider,
Who sat down beside her,
    And frightened Miss Mopsey away !


/ p.38 /

LVI.
TOM married a wife on Sunday,
Beat her well on Monday,
Bad was she on Tuesday,
Middling was she on Wednesday,
Worse was she on Thursday,
Dead was she on Friday ;
Glad was Tom on Saturday night,
To bury his wife on Sunday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LVII.
SOLOMON GRUNDY,
Born on 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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


/ p.39 /

LVIII.
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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LIX.
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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LX.
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-oh !

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-oh !

/ p.40 /
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-oh !

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-oh !

The gray 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-oh !

The farmer's wife she jump'd out of bed,
And out of the window she popped her head !
Oh, husband ! oh, husband ! the geese are all dead,
    For the fox has been through the town, e-oh !

The farmer he loaded his pistol with lead,
And shot the old rogue of a fox through the head ;
Ah, ha, said the farmer, I think you're quite dead ;
    And no more you'll trouble the town, e-oh !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


/ p.41 /

LXI.
    [The "Song of the False Fox," printed from a MS. at Cambridge, of the fifteenth century in Reliquiæ Antiquæ, vol. i, p. 4, is here given on account of its similarity to the preceding song.]
THE fals fox camme unto owre croft,
And so oure gese ful fast he sought ;
      With how, fox, how ! With hey, fox, hey !
      Comme no more unto oure howse to bere owre gese aweye.

The fals fox camme unto oure stye,
And toke oure gese there by and by ;
      With how, &c.

The fals fox camme into oure yerde,
And there he made the gese aferde ;
      With how, &c.

The fals fox camme unto oure gate,
And toke our gese there were they sate ;
      With how, &c.

The fals fox camme to owre halle dore,
And shrove oure gese there in the flore ;
      With how, &c.

The fals fox camme into oure halle,
And assoyled oure gese both grete and small ;
      With how, &c.

/ p.42 /
The fals fox camme unto oure cowpe,
And there he made our gese to stowpe ;
      With how, &c.

He toke a gose fast by the neck,
And the goose thoo begann to quek ;
      With how, &c.

The good wyfe camme out in her smok,
And at the fox she threw hir rok ;
      With how, &c.

The good mann camme out with his flayle,
And smote the fox upon the tayle ;
      With how, &c.

He threw a gose upon his bak,
And furth he went thoo with his pak ;
      With how, &c.

The good man swore, yf that he myght,
He wolde hym slee or it were nyght ;
      With how, &c.

The fals fox went into his denne,
And there he was full mery thenne ;
      With how, &c.

He camme agene the next wek,
And toke awey both henne and chek ;
      With how, &c.

/ p.43 /
The good man saide unto his wyfe,
This fals fox lyveth a mery lyfe ;
      With how, &c.

The fals fox camme uppon a day,
And with oure gese he made a ffray ;
      With how, &c.

He toke a gose fast by the nek,
And made her to sey wheccumquek ;
      With how, &c.

I pray the, fox, said the goose thoo,
Take of my fethers, but not of my to,
      With how, &c.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXII.
THERE was an old man, who lived in a wood,
      As you may plainly see ;
He said he could do as much work in a day,
      As his wife could do in three.
With all my heart, the old woman said,
      If that you will allow,
To-morrow you'll stay at home in my stead,
      And I'll go drive the plough.
/ p.44 /
But you must milk the Tidy cow,
      For fear that she go dry ;
And you must feed the little pigs
      That are within the sty ;
And you must mind the speckled hen,
      For fear she lay away ;
And you must reel the spool of yarn
      That I spun yesterday.

The old woman took a staff in her hand,
      And went to drive the plough ;
The old man took a pail in his hand,
      And went to milk the cow :
But Tidy hinched, and Tidy flinched,
      And Tidy broke his nose,
And Tidy gave him such a blow,
      That the blood ran down to his toes !

High ! Tidy ! Ho ! Tidy ! high !
      Tidy ! do stand still,
If ever I milk you, Tidy, again,
      'Twill be sore against my will !
He went to feed the little pigs,
      That were within the sty ;
He hit his head against the beam,
      And he made the blood to fly.

He went to mind the speckled hen,
      For fear she'd lay astray ;
And he forgot the spool of yarn
      His wife spun yesterday.

/ p.45 /
So he swore by the sun, the moon, and the stars,
      And the green leaves on the tree,
If his wife didn't do a day's work in her life,
      She should ne'er be ruled by he.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXIII.
THERE was a man in our toone, in our toone, in our
         toone,
There was a man in our toone, and his name was Billy
        Pod;
And he played upon an old razor, an old razor, an old
        razor,
And he played upon an old razor, with my fiddle fiddle
        fe fum fo.

And his hat it was made of the good roast beef, the
        good roast beef, &c.
And his hat it was made of the good roast beef, and his
        name was Billy Pod ;
And he played upon an old razor, &c. &c.

And his coat it was made of the good fat tripe, the
        good fat tripe, the good fat tripe,
And his coat it was made of the good fat tripe, and his
        name was Billy Pod ;
And he played upon an old razor, &c.

/ p.46 /
And his breeks they were made of the bawbie baps,
        the bawbie baps, &c.
And his breeks they were made of the bawbie baps, and
        his name was Billy Pod ;
And he played upon an old razor, &c.

And there was a man in tither toone, in tither toone,
        in tither toone,
And there was a man in tither toone, and his name was
        Edrin Drum ;
And he played upon an old laadle, an old laadle, an old
        laadle,
And he played upon an old laadle, with my fiddle
        fiddle fe fum fo.

And he eat up all the good roast beef, the good roast
        beef, &c. &c.
And he eat up all the good fat tripe, the good fat
        tripe, &c. &c.
And he eat up all the bawbie baps, &c. and his name
        was Edrin Drum.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


/ p.47 /

LXIV.
        THERE was a little man,
        And he had a little gun,
And his bullets were made of lead, lead, lead.
        He went to a brook,
        And fired at a duck,
And shot him 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'd shot in the brook,
And he'd go and fetch her the drake, drake, drake.

        The drake was a swimming,
        With his curly tail ;
The little man made it his mark, mark, mark.
        He let off his gun,
        But he fired too soon,
And the drake flew away with a quack, quack, quack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXV.
THE little priest of Felton,
The little priest of Felton,
He kill'd a mouse within his house,
And ne'er a one to help him.


/ p.48 /

LXVI.
LUCY LOCKET lost her pocket,
    Kitty Fisher found it ;
But the devil a penny was there in it,
    Except the binding round it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXVII.
JACK and Jill went up the hill,
      To fetch a pail of water ;
Jack fell down, and broke his crown,
      And Jill came tumbling after.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXVIII.
SAYS Aaron to Moses,
Let's cut off our noses:
Says Moses to Aaron,
'Tis the fashion to wear 'em.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXIX.
SAYS Moses to Aaron,
That fellow's a swearing :
Says Aaron to Moses,
He's drunk I supposes.

/ p.49 /

LXX.
AARON said unto Moses,
Let's sit down and fuddle our noses,*
Then said Moses unto Aaron,
'Twill do us more harm than you're aware on,
So lend us your tobacco-box, for I've got ne'er a one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXXI.
BESSY BELL and Mary Gray,
    They were two bonnie lasses :
They built their house upon the lea,
    And covered it with rushes.

Bessy kept the garden gate,
    And Mary kept the pantry :
Bessy always had to wait,
    While Mary lived in plenty.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     * See a similar line in Ritson's "Northern Garlands," 8vo, Lond. 1810, p. 39.


/ p.50 /

LXXII.
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 !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


/ p.51 /

LXXIII.
UP street and down street,
    Each window's made of glass ;
If you go to Tommy Tickler's house,
    You'll find a pretty lass :

Hug her and kiss her,
    And take her on your knee ;
And whisper very close,
    Darling girl, do you love me?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXXIV.
ROBIN the Bobbin, the big-bellied Ben,
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 !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXXV.
PEG, Peg, with a wooden leg,
    Her father was a miller :
He tossed the dumpling at her head,
    And said he could not kill her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/ p.52 /

LXXVI.
    [The tale of Jack Horner has long been appropriated to the nursery. The four lines which follow are the traditional ones, and they form part of "The pleasant History of Jack Horner, containing his witty Tricks and pleasant Pranks, which he plaied from his Youth to his riper Years," 12mo; a copy of which is in the Bodleian Library. I have reprinted it at the end of this volume.]
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 !"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXXVII.
     [This nursery song may probably commemorate a part of Tom Thumb's history, extant in a little Danish work, treating of "Swain Tomling, a man no bigger than a thumb, who would be married to a woman three ells and three quarters long." See Mr. Thoms' Preface to Tom à Lincoln, p.xi.]
I HAD a little husband,
    No bigger than my thumb ;
I put him in a pint pot,
    And there I bade him drum :
I bridled him, and saddled him,
    And sent him out of town :
I gave him a pair of garters
    To tie up his little hose ;
And a little silk handkerchief,
    To wipe his little nose.


/ p.53 /

LXXVIII.
THERE was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children she didn't know what to do ;
She gave them some broth without any bread,
She whipped them all well and put them to bed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXXIX.
[Another version, from "Infant Institutes," 8vo, Lon. 1797, p. 31.]
THERE was an old woman, and she liv'd in a shoe,
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do :
She crumm'd 'em some porridge without any bread,
And she borrow'd a beetle, and she knock'd 'em all o'th'head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXXX.
[The following is a Scotch version of the same song. The concluding stanzas appear to be borrowed from "Mother Hubbard."]
THERE was a wee bit wifie,
    Who lived in a shoe ;
She had so many bairns,
    She kenn'd na what to do.
/ p.54 /
She gaed to the market
    To buy a sheep-head ;
When she came back
    They were a'lying dead.
She went to the wright
    To get them a coffin ;
When she came back
    They were a'lying laughing.
She gaed up the stair,
    To ring the bell ;
The bell-rope broke,
    And down she fell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXXXI.
AS I went over the water,
    The water went over me,
I heard an old woman crying,
    Will you buy some furmity ?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXXXII.
TAFFY was a Welchman [lit.], 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.
/ p.55 /
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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXXXIII.
OLD Dr. Foster * went to Gloster,
    To preach the word of God :
When he came there, he sat in his chair,
    And gave all the people a nod.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXXXIV.
    [The following lines, slightly altered, in a little black-letter book by W. Wager, printed about the year 1560; See also a whole song, ending with these lines, in Ritson's "North Country Chorister," 8vo, Durham, 1802, p.1.]
BRYAN O'LIN, and his wife, and wife's mother,
All went over a bridge together :
The bridge was loose, and they all tumbled in,
What a precious concern ! cried Bryan O'Lin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* Perhaps the clergyman mentioned by Pope:
"Let modest Foster, if he will, excel
Ten metropolitans in preaching well."


/ p.56 /

LXXXV.
THE carrion crow, he sat upon an oak,
And he called the tailor a cheating folk ;
"Sing heigho, the carrion crow,
Fol de rol, de rol, de rol, de rhino."

Wife, fetch me my good strong bow,
That I may kill the carrion crow.
"Sing heigho," &c.

The tailor shot, and missed his mark,
And shot the old sow through the heart.
"Sing heigho," &c.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXXXVI.
[Another version]
A carrion crow sat on an oak,
Watching a tailor shape his cloak :
Wife, said he, bring me my bow,
That I may shoot yon carrion crow.

The tailor shot and miss'd his mark,
And shot his own sow through the heart ;
Wife, bring me some brandy in a spoon,
For our old sow is in a swoon.


/ p.57 /

LXXXVII.
[Another version from MS. Sloane, 1489, fol. 17, written about the year 1600.]
HIC hoc, the carrion crow,
For I've shot something too low :
I have quite missed my mark,
And shot the poor sow to the heart ;
Wife, bring treacle in a spoon,
Or else the poor sow's heart will down.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXXXVIII.
THERE was an old woman sat spinning,
And that's the first beginning ;
She had a calf,
And that's half ;
She took it by the tail,
And threw it over the wall,
And that's all.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LXXXIX.
SOME little mice sat in a barn to spin ;
Pussy came by, and she popped her head in ;
"Shall I come in, and cut your threads off ?"
"Oh! no, kind sir, you will snap our heads off ?"


/ p.58 /

XC.
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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XCI.
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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XCII.
AS I was walking o'er little Moorfields,
I saw St. Paul's a running on wheels,
                           With a fee, fo, fum.
Then for further frolics I'll go to France,
While Jack shall sing and his wife shall dance,
                          With a fee, fo, fum.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


/ p.59 /

XCIII.
[From Worcestershire.]
     THERE was a little nobby colt,
His name was Nobby Grey ;
      His head was made of pouce straw,
His tail was made of hay ;
          He could ramble, he could trot,
          He could carry a mustard-pot,
          Round the town of Woodstock.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XCIV.
TOMMY TROT, a man of law,
Sold his bed and lay upon straw :
Sold the straw and slept on grass,
To buy his wife a looking-glass.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XCV.
THERE was a lady lov'd a swine,
    Honey, quoth she,
Pig, Hog, wilt thou be mine?
    Hoogh, quoth he.

I'll build thee a silver sty,
    Honey, quoth she ;
And in it thou shalt lie :
    Hoogh, quoth he.

/ p.60 /
Pinn'd with a silver pin,
    Honey, quoth she ;
That you may go out and in :
    Hoogh, quoth he.

Wilt thou have me now,
    Honey? quoth she ;
Hoogh, hoogh, hoogh, quoth he,
    And went his way.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XCVI.
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,
"Lauk a mercy on me, this is none of I !

/ p.61 /
"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 !"

Home went the little woman all in the dark,
Up got the little dog, and he began to bark ;
He began to bark, so she began to cry
'Lauk a mercy on me, this is none of I !"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XCVII.
LITTLE Jack Dandy-prat was my first suitor ;
He had a dish and a spoon, and he'd some pewter ;
He'd linen and woollen, and woollen and linen,
A little pig in a string cost him five shilling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

XCVIII.
       LITTLE Mary Ester,
      Sat upon a tester,
Eating of curds and whey ;
      There came a little spider,
      And sat him down beside her,
And frightened Mary Ester away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/ p.62 /

XCIX.
    [This nursery rhyme is quoted in Beaumont and Fletcher's "Bonduca," Act v, sc.2. It is probable also that Sir Toby alludes to this song in "Twelfth Night," Act ii, sc.3, when he says, "Come on; there is sixpence for you; let's have a song."
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.

Jenny was so mad,
    She didn't know what to do ;
She put her finger in her ear,
    And crackt it right in two.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/ p.63 /

C.
THE cock's on the dunghill a blowing his horn ;
The bull's in the barn a thrashing of corn ;
The maids in the meadow are making of hay ;
The ducks in the rivers are swimming away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CI.
YANKEE DOODLE came to town,
     How do you think they serv'd him ?
One took his bag, another his scrip,
     The quicker for to starve him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CII.
LITTLE Jenny Wren fell sick upon a time,
When in came Robin Red-breast, and brought her bread and wine ;
" Eat, Jenny, drink, Jenny, all shall be thine !"
Then Jenny she got better, and stood upon her feet,
And says to little Robin, "I love thee not a bit !"
Then Robin he was angry and flew upon a twig,
" Hoot upon thee, fie upon thee, ungrateful chit !"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/ p.64 /

CIII.
[Another version.]
JENNY WREN fell sick
     Upon a merry time ;
In came Robin Red-breast,
     And brought her sops and wine.

Eat well of the sop, Jenny,
     Drink well of the wine ;
Thank you, Robin, kindly,
     You shall be mine.

Jenny, she got well,
     And stood upon her feet,
And told Robin plainly,
     She lov'd him not a bit.

Robin being angry,
     Hopped upon a twig,
Saying, out upon you,
     Fy upon you, bold fac'd jig !


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/ p.65 /

CIV.
THE STORY OF CATSKIN.

    [As related by an old nurse, aged eighty-one. The story is of oriental origin ; but the song, as recited, was so very imperfect, t