Halliwell: The Nursery Rhymes of England, 1846, 4th edition

THE

NURSERY RHYMES

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 ]

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. 21st, 1845.

[ p.iii ]

PREFACE
TO
THE THIRD EDITION.

~~~~~~~~

HE 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?"

[ p.ix ]

CONTENTS.
~~~~~~~~~

CLASS	PAGE
1. HISTORICAL	1
2. LITERAL	11
3. TALES	17
4. PROVERBS	41
5. SCHOLASTIC	45
6. SONGS	49
7. RIDDLES	73
8. CHARMS	83
9. GAFFERS AND GAMMERS	87
10. GAMES	99

[ p.x ]

CLASS	PAGE
11. PARADOXES	125
12. LULLABIES	129
13. JINGLES	135
14. LOVE AND MATRIMONY	143
15. NATURAL HISTORY	159
16. ACCUMULATIVE STORIES	173
17. LOCAL	185
18. RELICS	189
19. LIFE AND DEATH OF TOM THUMB	205

[ p.xi ]

[ p.1 ]

FIRST CLASS—HISTORICAL.

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!

/ p.2 /

[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 long y-paid wel y-nou." At Colchester there is a large earthwork, supposed to have been a Roman amphitheatre, which goes popularly by the name of "King Cole's kitchen." According to Jeffrey 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 foregoing lines, which are of doubtful antiquity.
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.

/ p.3 /

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.

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.

[The following lines were obtained in Oxfordshire. The story to which it alludes is related by Matthew Paris.]

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.

/ p.4 /

[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 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.

[From a MS. in the old Royal Library, in the British Museum, the exact reference to which is mislaid. It is written, if I recollect rightly, in a hand of the time of Henry VIII, in an older manuscript.]

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.

/ p.5 /

VIII.

[In a tract, called 'Pigges Corantoe, or Newes from the North,' 4to, Lond. 1642, p.3, this is called "Old Tarlton's Song." It is perhaps a parody on the popular epigram of "Jack and Jill." I do not know the period of the battle to which it appears to allude, but Tarlton died in the year 1588, so that the rhyme must be earlier.]

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.

[Another version. The nurse sings the first line, and repeats it, time after time, until the expectant little one asks, what next? Then comes the climax.]

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.

/ p.6 /

XII.

[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.

XIV.

[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!

/ p.7 /

XV.

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.

/ p.8 /

XIX.

[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!

XX.

[Written on occasion of the marriage of Mary, the daughter of James duke of York, afterwards James II, with the young Prince of Orange. The song from which these lines are taken may be seen in 'The Jacobite Minstrelsy,' 12mo, Glasgow, 1828, p.28.]

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.

/ p.9 /

XXII.

[From MS. Sloane, 1489, fol.19, written in the time of Charles I. It appears from MS. Harl. 390, fol.85, that these verses were written in 1626, against the Duke of Buckingham.]

THERE was a monkey climb'd 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 clowting 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 return'd it came again.

/ p.10 /

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.

        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.

[ p.11 ]

SECOND CLASS—LITERAL.

XXVI.

ONE, 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.

/ p.12 /

XXVIII.

[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.

/ p.13 /

XXXII.

[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.

/ p.14 /

XXXIII.

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.

/ p.15 /

XXXV.

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.

/ p.16 /

XXXVII.

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.

XXXVIII.

APPLE-PIE, pudding, and pancake,
All begins with an A.

[ p.17 ]

THIRD CLASS—TALES.

XXXIX.

[The following stanzas are founded on the well-known Scotch tale.]

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

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

/ p.18 /

XL.

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.

And when she came to the church stile,
She sat her down to rest a little while:
When she came to the churchyard,
There the bells so loud she heard.

When she came to the church door,
She stopt to rest a little more ;
When she came the church within,
The parson pray'd 'gainst pride and sin.

On looking up, on looking down,
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.*

Then she unto the parson said,
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.

/ p.19 /

XLI.

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.

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.

XLIII.

[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, and this extended story is in substance the same with 'The Fryer and the Boy,' 12mo, Lond. 1617, and both of them are taken from the more ancient story of 'Jack and his step-dame,' which has been printed by Mr. Wright.]

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!"

/ p.20 /

XLIV. 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, that a few necessary additions and alterations have been made.]

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.

His lady's again in the way,
So she said to her husband with joy,
"I hope some or other fine day,
To present you, my dear, with a boy."

The gentleman answered gruff,
"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."

The lady at this declaration,
Almost fainted away with pain;
But what was her sad consternation,
When a sweet little girl came again.

She sent her away to be nurs'd,
Without seeing her gruff papa;
And when she was old enough,
To a school she was packed away.

/ p.21 /

Fifteen summers are fled,
Now she left good Mrs. Jervis;
To see home she was forbid, —
She determined to go and seek service.

Her dresses so grand and so gay,
She carefully rolled in a knob;
Which she hid in a forest away,
And put on a Catskin robe.

She knock'd at a castle gate,
And pray'd for charity;
They sent her some meat on a plate,
And kept her a scullion to be.

My lady look'd long in her face,
And prais'd her great beauty;
I'm sorry I've no better place,
And you must our scullion be.

So Catskin was under the cook,
A very sad life she led,
For often a ladle she took,
And broke poor Catskin's head.

There is now a grand ball to be,
When ladies their beauties show;
"Mrs. Cook," said Catskin, "dear me,
How much I should like to go!"

/ p.22 /

"You go with your Catskin robe,
You dirty impudent slut!
Among the fine ladies and lords,
A very fine figure you'd cut."

A basin of water she took,
And dash'd in poor Catskin's face :
But briskly her ears she shook,
And went to her hiding-place.

She washed every stain from her skin,
In some crystal waterfall;
Then put on a beautiful dress,
And hasted away to the ball.

When she entered, the ladies were mute,
Overcome by her figure and face;
But the lord, her young master, at once
Fell in love with her beauty and grace;

He pray'd her his partner to be,
She said, "Yes!" with a sweet smiling glance;
All night with no other lady
But Catskin, our young lord would dance.

"Pray tell me, fair maid, where you live?"
For now was the sad parting-time;
But she no other answer would give,
Than this distich of mystical rhyme,—

"Kind sir, if the truth I must tell,
At the sign of the Basin of Water I dwell."

/ p.23 /

Then she flew from the ball-room, and put
On her Catskin robe again;
And slipt in unseen by the cook,
Who little thought where she had been.

The young lord, the very next day,
To his mother his passion betrayed,
He declared he never would rest,
Till he'd found out this beautiful maid.

There's another grand ball to be,
Where ladies their beauties show;
"Mrs. Cook," said Catskin, "dear me,
How much I should like to go!"

"You go with your Catskin robe,
You dirty impudent slut!
Among the fine ladies and lords,
A very fine figure you'd cut."

In a rage the ladle she took,
And broke poor Catskin's head;
But off she went shaking her ears,
And swift to her forest she fled.

She washed every blood-stain off
In some crystal waterfall;
Put on a more beautiful dress,
And hasted away to the ball.

/ p.24 /

My lord, at the ball-room door,
Was waiting with pleasure and pain;
He longed to see nothing so much
As the beautiful Catskin again.

When he asked her to dance, she again
Said "Yes!" with her first smiling glance ;
And again, all the night, my young lord
With none but fair Catskin did dance.

"Pray tell me," said he, "where you live?"
For now 'twas the parting-time;
But she no other answer would give,
Than this distich of mystical rhyme,—

"Kind sir, if the truth I must tell,
At the sign of the Broken-Ladle I dwell."

Then she flew from the ball, and put on
Her Catskin robe again;
And slipt in unseen by the cook,
Who little thought where she had been.

My lord did again, the next day,
Declare to his mother his mind,
That he never more happy should be,
Unless he his charmer should find.

Now another grand ball is to be,
Where ladies their beauties show;
"Mrs. Cook," said Catskin, "dear me,
How much I should like to go!"

/ p.25 /

"You go with your Catskin robe,
You impudent, dirty slut!
Among the fine ladies and lords,
A very fine figure you'd cut."

In a fury she took the skimmer,
And broke poor Catskin's head;
But heart-whole and lively as ever,
Away to her forest she fled.

She washed the stains of blood
In some crystal waterfall;
Then put on her most beautiful dress,
And hasted away to the ball.

My lord, at the ball-room door,
Was waiting with pleasure and pain;
He longed to see nothing so much
As the beautiful Catskin again.

When he asked her to dance, she again
Said "Yes!" with her first smiling glance;
And all the night long, my young lord
With none but fair Catskin would dance.

"Pray tell me, fair maid, where you live?"
For now was the parting-time;
But she no other answer would give,
Than this distich of mystical rhyme,—

Kind sir, if the truth I must tell,
At the sign of the Broken-Skimmer I dwell."

/ p.26 /

Then she flew from the ball, and threw on
Her Catskin cloak again;
And slipt in unseen by the cook,
Who little thought where she had been.

But not by my lord unseen, —
For this time he followed too fast;
And, hid in the forest green,
Saw the strange things that past.

Next day he took to his bed,
And sent for the doctor to come;
And begg'd him no other than Catskin,
Might come into his room.

He told him how dearly he lov'd her,
Not to have her his heart would break :
Then the doctor kindly promis'd,
To the proud old lady to speak.

There's a struggle of pride and love,
For she fear'd her son would die ;
But pride at the last did yield,
And love had the mastery.

Then my lord got quickly well,
When he was his charmer to wed ;
And Catskin, before a twelvemonth,
Of a young lord was brought to bed.

/ p.27 /

To a wayfaring woman and child,
Lady Catskin one day sent an alms ;
The nurse did the errand, and carried
The sweet little lord in her arms.

The child gave the alms to the child,
This was seen by the old lady-mother ;
"Only see," said that wicked old woman,
"How the beggars' brats take to each other!"

This throw went to Catskin's heart,
She flung herself down on her knees,
And pray'd her young master and lord
To seek out her parents would please.

They set out in my lord's own coach;
They travelled, but nought befel
Till they reach'd the town hard by,
Where Catskin's father did dwell.

They put up at the head inn,
Where Catskin was left alone ;
But my lord went to try if her father
His natural child would own.

When folks are away, in short time
What great alterations appear!
For the cold touch of death had all chill'd
The hearts of her sisters dear.

/ p.28 /

Her father repented too late,
And the loss of his youngest bemoan'd,
In his old and childless state,
He his pride and cruelty own'd.

The old gentleman sat by the fire,
And hardly looked up at my lord;
He had no hopes of comfort
A stranger could afford.

But my lord drew a chair close by,
And said, in a feeling tone,
"Have you not, sir, a daughter, I pray,
You never would see or own?"

The old man alarm'd, cried aloud,
"A hardened sinner am I !
I would give all my worldly goods,
To see her before I die."

Then my lord brought his wife and child
To their home and parent's face,
Who fell down and thanks returned
To God, for his mercy and grace.

The bells, ringing up in the tower,
Are sending a sound to the heart ;
There's a charm in the old church-bells,
Which nothing in life can impart !

/ p.29 /

XLV.

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.

St.Dunstan pulling the devil by the nose

XLVI.

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.

/ p.30 /

XLVII.

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.

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.31 /

XLIX.

OLD Doctor Foster went to Glo'ster,
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.

/ p.32 /

LII.

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,

/ p.33 /

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 far 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 fam'd 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.

/ p.34 /

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,
Flew up to the moon.

LIII.

The following lines, slightly altered, occur in a little black-letter book by W. Wagner, printed about the year 1560; entitled, 'A very mery and pythie commedie, called, the longer thou livest, the more foole thou art.' 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,
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.

/ p.35 /

LVI.

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.

LVIII.

    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.

/ p.36 /

LIX.

[The "foles of Gotham" are mentioned as early as the fifteenth century in the 'Townley Mysteries;' and at the commencement of the sixteenth century, Dr. Andrew Borde made a collection of stories about them, not however including the following, which rests on the authority of nursery tradition.]

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

LX.

[The following two stanzas although they belong to the same piece, are often found separated from each other.]

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 breading his dish.

LXI.

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.

/ p.37 /

LXII.

PUNCH and Judy
Fought for a pie;
Punch gave Judy
A knock of the eye.

Says Punch to Judy
Will you have any more?
Says Judy to Punch,
My eye's too sore.

LXIII.

[The tale of Simple Simon forms one of the chap-books, but the following verses are those generally sung in the nursery.]

SIMPLE Simon met a pieman
Going to the fair:
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
"Let me taste your ware."

/ p.38 /

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 to town,
To buy a piece of meat:
He tied it to his horse's tail,
To keep it clean and sweet.

Simple Simon went a fishing
For to catch a whale:
All the water he had got
Was in his mother's pail.

Simple Simon went to look
If plums grew on a thistle;
He pricked his fingers very much,
Which made poor Simon whistle.

LXIV.

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!

/ p.39 /

LXV.

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.

The King of Hearts
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.

LXVI.

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!

     A cow and a calf,
     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.

/ p.40 /

LXVII.

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.

LXVIII.

     JACK SPRAT
    Had a cat,
It had but one ear;
    It went to buy butter,
When butter was dear.

LXIX.

THERE was a king, and he had three daughters,
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.

[ p.41 ]

FOURTH CLASS—PROVERBS.

LXX.

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.

LXXI.

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.

/ p.42 /

LXXII.

[The following is quoted in Miege's 'Great French Dictionary,' fol. Lond. 1687, 2d part.]

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.

LXXIII.

THEY that wash on Monday
     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.

LXXIV.

NEEDLES and pins, needles and pins,
When a man marries his trouble begins.

/ p.43 /

LXXV.

[One version of the following song, which I believe to be the genuine one, is written on the last leaf of MS. Harl. 6580, between the lines of a fragment of an old charter, originally used for binding the book, in a hand of the end of the seventeenth century, but unfortunately it is scarcely adapted for the "ears polite" of modern days.]

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.

LXXVI.

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.

/ p.44 /

LXXVII.

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!

LXXVIII.

GO to bed first, a golden purse;
Go to bed second, a golden pheasant;
Go to bed third, a golden bird!

LXXIX.

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.

LXXX.

[The following proverb is alluded to in Clarke's 'Phraseologia Puerilis,' 12mo, Lond. 1655, p.21. See also Brand's 'Popular Antiquities,' vol i, p.266, and the 'Archæologist,' p.182.]

BOUNCE BUCKRAM, velvet's dear;
Christmas comes but once a year.

[ p.45 ]

FIFTH CLASS—SCHOLASTIC.

LXXXI.

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!

LXXXII.

A DONKEY walks on four legs,
And I walk on two;
The last donkey I saw
Was very like you.

/ p.46 /

LXXXIII.

    CROSS patch,
    Draw the latch,
Sit by the fire and spin;
    Take a cup,
    And drink it up,
Then call your neighbours in.

LXXXIV.

WHEN I was a little boy my mammy kept me 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.

LXXXV.

CRY, baby, cry,
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.

/ p.47 /

LXXXVII.

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.

LXXXVIII.

TELL tale, tit!
Your tongue shall be slit,
And all the dogs in the town
Shall have a little bit.

LXXXIX.

[The joke of the following consists in saying it so quick that it cannot be told whether it is English or gibberish. For the version now printed, which is more complete than the one given by Chambers, I am indebted to Professor de Morgan, who has heard it in Dorsetshire. It is remarkable that the last two lines are quoted in MS. Sloan. 4, of the fifteenth century, as printed in the 'Reliq. Antiq.,' vol i, p.324.]

In fir tar is,
In oak none is.
In mud eel is,
In clay none is.
Goat eat ivy,
Mare eat oats.

/ p.48 /

XC.

[An older version of the following, from a MS. dated 1570, is printed in Davies's 'Key to Hutton's Mathematics," 1840, p.18.]

MULTIPLICATION is vexation,
Division is as bad;
The Rule of Three doth puzzle me,
And Practice drives me mad.

XCI.

[The following memorial lines are by no means modern. They occur, with slight variations, in an old play, called 'The Returne from Parnassus,' 4to, Lond. 1606; and another version may be seen in Winter's 'Cambridge Almanac' for 1635. See the 'Rara Mathematica,' p.119.]

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.

[ p.49 ]

SIXTH CLASS—SONGS.

XCII.

[This is the version generally given in nursery collections, but is somewhat different in the 'Pills to Purge Melancholy,' 1719, vol.iv, p.148.]

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!

/ p.50 /

XCIII.

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, the good roast beef,
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.

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.

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

/ p. 51 /

And there was a man in tither toone, in tither
      toone, in tither toone,
And there was a man in tigher 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.

XCIV.

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!

/ p. 52 /

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 !

XCV.

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.

/ p. 53 /

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.

XCVI.

[Another version from MS. Sloane, 1489, fol. 17, written in the time of Charles I.]

HIC hoc, the carrion crow,
For I have 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.

/ p.54 /

XCVII.

[The original of the following is to be found in 'Deuteromelia, or the second part of Músicks Melodie,' 4to, Lond. 1609, where the music is also given.]

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.

XCVIII.

[The music to the following song, with different words, is given in 'Melismata,' 4to, Lond. 1611. See also the 'Pills to Purge Melancholy,' 1719, vol. i, p.14. The well-known song, 'A frog he would a wooing go,' appears to have been borrowed from this. See Dauney's 'Ancient Scottish melodies,' 1838, p.53. The story is of old date, and in 1580 there was licensed 'A most strange weddinge of the frogge and the mouse,' as appears from the books of the Stationers' Company, quoted in Warton's Hist. Engl. Poet., ed. 1840, vol.iii, p.360.]

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, [*merry.
     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.

/ p.55 /

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.

/ p.56 /

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.

XCIX.

[Song of a little boy while passing his hour of solitude in a corn field.]

AWA' birds, away!
Take a little, and leave a little,
And do not come again;
For if you do,
I will shoot you through,
And there is an end of you.

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.

/ p.57 /

CI.

[A song of the fifteenth century, somewhat similar to the following, is printed in the 'Reliquiæ Antiquæ,' vol. i, p. 4, from a MS. at Cambridge.]

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-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-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!

/ p.58 /

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!

CII.

I'LL sing you a song:
The days are long,
The woodcock and the sparrow:
The little dog has burnt his tail,
And he must be hanged to-morrow.

CIII.

[A north-country song.]

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.

/ p.59 /

CIV.

[The following lines are part of an old song, the whole of which may be found in 'Deuteromelia,' 1609, and also in MS. Additional, 5336, fol. 5.]

OF all the gay birds that e'er I did see,
The owl is the fairest by far to me;
For all the day long she sits on a tree,
And when the night comes away flies she.

CV.

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.

/ p.60 /

CVI.

[Part of this is in a song called 'Jockey's Lamentation,' in the 'Pills to Purge Melancholy,' 1719, vol. v, p.317.]

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.

/ p.61 /

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.

Tom playing his bagpipes with old dame Trot dancing

/ p.62 /

CVII.

AS I was going up the hill,
I met with Jack the piper,
And all the tunes that he could play
Was "Tie up your petticoats tighter."

I tied them once, I tied them twice,
I tied them three times over;
And all the songs that he could sing
Was "Carry me safe to Dover."

CVIII.

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!

CIX.

AS I was going along, long, long,
A singing a comical song, song, song,
The lane that I went was so long, long, long,
And the song that I sung was as long, long, long,
And so I went singing along.

/ p.63 /

CX.

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.

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 again with iron and steel,
Dance o'er my lady lee;
Built 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.

/ p.64 /

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.

CXI.

       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!

CXII.

[From W. Wager's play, called 'The longer thou livest, the more foole thou art,' 4to, Lond.]

THE white dove sat on the castle wall,
I bend my bow and shoot her I shall;
I put her in my glove both feathers and all;
I laid my bridle upon the shelf,
If you will any more, sing it yourself.

/ p.65 /

CXIII.

WOOLEY FOSTER has gone to sea,
With silver buckles at his knee,
When he comes back he'll marry me,
Bonny Wooley Foster.

Wooley Foster has a cow,
Black and white about the mow,
Open the gates and let her through,
Wooley Foster's ain cow.

Wooley Foster has a hen,
Cockle button, cockle ben,
She lays eggs for gentlemen,
But none for Wooley Foster.

CXIV.

[The following catch is found in Ben Jonson's 'Masque of Oberon,' and is a most common nursery song at the present day.]

BUZ, quoth the blue fly,
   Hum, quoth the bee,
Buz and hum they cry,
   And so do we:
In his ear, in his nose,
   Thus, do you see?
He ate the dormouse,
   Else it was he.

/ p. 66 /

CXV.

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?

CXVI.

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.67 /

CXVII.

TRIP upon trenchers, and dance upon dishes,
My mother sent me for some barm, some barm;
She bid me tread lightly, and come again quickly,
For fear the young men should do me some harm.
    Yet didn't you see, yet didn't you see,
    What naughty tricks they put upon me:
            They broke my pitcher,
                   And spilt the water,
            And huff'd my mother,
                   And chid her daughter,
    And kiss'd my sister instead of me.

CXVIII.

[From 'Histrio-mastix, or, the Player Whipt,' 4to, Lond. 1610. Mr. Rimbault tells me this is common in Yorkshire.]

         SOME up, and some down,
         There's players in the town,
You wot well who they be;
         The sun doth arise,
         To three companies,
One, two, three, four, make wee!

         Besides we that travel,
         With pumps full of gravel,
Made all of such running leather:
         That once in a week,
         New masters we seek,
And never can hold together.

/ p.68 /

CXIX.

[Douce, in his MS. Additions to Ritson's 'Grammer Gurton's Garland,' gives one version of the following song, in which Jack Straw is introduced in the chorus.]

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.

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.

/ p.69 /

CXX.

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 still were all 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.

It happen'd one day, as Bo-peep did stray,
Under a meadow hard by:
There she espy'd their tails side by side,
All hung on a tree to dry.

She heav'd a sign and wip'd her eye,
And over the hillocks went stump-o;
And tried what she could, as a shepherdess should,
To tack again each to its rump-o.

/ p.70 /

CXXI.

ABOUT the bush, Willy,
About the bee-hive,
About the bush, Willy,
I'll meet thee alive.

Then to my ten shillings,
Add you but a groat,
I'll go to Newcastle,
And buy a new coat.

Five and five shillings,
Five and a crown;
Five and five shillings,
Will buy a new gown.

Five and five shillings,
Five and a groat;
Five and five shillings,
Will buy a new coat.

/ p.71 /

The King sitting at table with his pie before him

CXXII.

[The first line of 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.2, when he says, "Come on; there is sixpence for you; let's have a song.' In 'Epulario, or the Italian banquet,' 1589, is a receipt "to make pies so that the birds may be alive in them, and flie out when it is cut up," a mere device, live birds being introduced after the pie is made. This may be the original subject of the following 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?

/ p.72 /

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.73 ]

SEVENTH CLASS—RIDDLES.

CXXIII.

[ANN.] THERE was a girl in our towne,
Silk an' satin was her gowne,
Silk an' satin, gold an' velvet
Guess her name, three times I've tell'd it.

/ p.74 /

CXXIV.

[A COFFIN.] THERE was a man made a thing,
And he that made it did it bring;
But he 'twas made for did not know
Whether 'twas a thing or no.

CXXV.

[A HEDGEHOG.] AS I went over Lincoln bridge,
I met mister Rusticap;
Pins and needles on his back,
A going to Thorney fair.

CXXVI.

[ONE LEG IS A LEG OF MUTTON; TWO LEGS, A MAN; THREE LEGS, A STOOL; FOUR LEGS, A DOG.]

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.

/ p.75 /

CXXVII.

[A BED.] F