Anonymous

There once was a lady from Guam, Who said, "Now the sea is so calm I will swim, for a lark";

A flea and a fly in a flue, Were imprisoned; now what could they do? Said the fly, "let us flee."

A genius who once did aspire To invent an aerial flyer, When asked, "Does it go?"

Every rose has its thorn There's fuzz on all the peaches. There never was a dinner yet

A friend of mine was married to a scold, To me he came, and all his troubles told. Said he, "She's like a woman raving mad."

The Food Scientist tells us: "A deficiency of iron, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and the other mineral salts, colloids and vitamines of vegetable origin leads to numerous forms of physical disorder." I yearn to bite on a Colloid With phosphorus, iron and Beans;

You can always tell the English, You can always tell the Dutch, You can always tell the Yankees -

I wish that my room had a floor; I don't so much care for a door; But this crawling around

A maiden once, of certain age, To catch a husband did engage; But, having passed the prime of life

I remember, I remember, Ere my childhood flitted by, It was cold then in December,

The following is a recipe for an author: Take the usual number of fingers, Add paper, manila or white,

Little drops in water - Little drops on land - Make the aviator,

There once were some learned M.D.'s, Who captured some germs of disease, And infected a train

There was an old man with a beard, Who said, "It is just as I feared! - Two owls and a hen,

A thing of beauty is a joy forever; Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

In good looks I am not a star. There are others more lovely by far. But my face - I don't mind it,

A man to whom illness was chronic, When told that he needed a tonic, Said, "O Doctor dear,

There once was an old man of Lyme. Who married three wives at a time: When asked, "Why a third?"

There was a young man from the city, Who met what he thought was a kitty; He gave it a pat,

There was a young lady from Boston, A two-horned dilemma was tossed on, As to which was the best,

I sat one night beside a blue-eyed girl, The fire was out, and so, too, was her mother; A feeble flame around the lamp did curl,

There once were two cats in Kilkenny, And each cat thought that there was one cat too many, And they scratched and they fit and they tore and they bit,

There was a young lady whose dream Was to feed a black cat on whipt cream, But the cat with a bound

I love thee, Mary, and thou lovest me, Our mutual flame is like th' affinity That doth exist between two simple bodies:

Quoth John to Joan, will thou have me; I prithee now, wilt? and I'll marry thee, My cow, my calf, my house, my rents,

She went round and asked subscriptions For the heathen black Egyptians And the Terra del Fuegians,

There was a young man from the West, Who loved a young lady with zest; So hard did he press her

Augustus Fitzgibbons Moran Fell in love with Maria McCann. With a yell and a whoop

There was an old man who said, "How Shall I flee from this horrible cow? I will sit on this stile

Do not worry if I scurry from the grill room in a hurry, Dropping hastily my curry and retiring into balk; Do not let it cause you wonder if, by some mischance or blunder,

A young theologian named Fiddle Refused to accept his degree; "For," said he, "'tis enough to be Fiddle,

There was a young lady named Maud, A very deceptive young fraud; She never was able

A Colonel, who used to assert That naught his digestion could hurt, Was forced to admit

There was a young lady of Cork, Whose Pa made a fortune in pork; He bought for his daughter

There was a young man of Dunbar, Who playfully poisoned his Ma; When he'd finished his work,

Here's to the girls of the American shore, I love but one, I love no more, Since she's not here to drink her part,

The Frenchman loves his native wine; The German loves his beer; The Englishman loves his 'alf and 'alf,

Sing a song of sick gents, Pockets full of rye, Four and twenty highballs,

Here's to the man who is wisest and best, Here's to the man who with judgment is blest. Here's to the man who's as smart as can be -

I thought it mushroom when I found It in the woods, forsaken; But since I sleep beneath this mound,

Maria Brown, Wife of Timothy Brown, aged 80 years.

Said an envious, erudite ermine: "There's one thing I cannot determine: When a man wears my coat,

There was a young man so benighted, He never knew when he was slighted; He would go to a party,

There was a young girl named O'Neill, Who went up in the great Ferris wheel; But when half way around

There once was a pious young priest, Who lived almost wholly on yeast; "For," he said, "it is plain

Here's to the four hinges of Friendship - Swearing, Lying, Stealing and Drinking. When you swear, swear by your country;

There was an old man in a hearse, Who murmured, "This might have been worse; Of course the expense

There was a young person named Ned, Who dined before going to bed, On lobster and ham

May good humor preside when good fellows meet, And reason prescribe when'tis time to retreat.

A glass is good, a lass is good, And a pipe to smoke in cold weather, The world is good and the people are good,

"Here's a health to thee and thine From the hearts of me and mine; And when thee and thine

Take a robin's leg (Mind, the drumstick merely); Put it in a tub

Here's to the host and the hostess, We're honored to be here tonight; May they both live long and prosper,

There is gladness in his gladness, when he's glad, There is sadness in his sadness, when he's sad; But the gladness in his gladness,

The girl with the ruby lips we like, The lass with teeth of pearl, The maid with the eyes like diamonds,

Here lies our sovereign lord, the king, Whose word no man relies on, Who never said a foolish thing,

Here's to a kiss: Give me a kiss, and to that kiss add a score, Then to that twenty add a hundred more;

Here's to the red of the holly berry, And to its leaf so green; And here's to the lips that are just as red,

There was a negro preacher, I have heard, In Southern parts before rebellion stirred, Who did not spend his strength in empty sound;

This world that we're a-livin' in Is mighty hard to beat, For you get a thorn with every rose -

They told him gently he was made Of nicely tempered mud, That man no lengthened part had played

The knot was tied; the pair were wed, And then the smiling bridegroom said Unto the preacher, "Shall I pay

Here's to the men! God bless them! Worst of me sins, I confess them! In loving them all; be they great or small,

Men are four: He who knows and knows not that he knows, - He is asleep - wake him;

Since for kissing thee, Minguillo, Mother's ever scolding me, Give me swiftly back, thou dear one,

There was an old man of Nantucket Who kept all his cash in a bucket; But his daughter, named Nan,

There was a young fellow named Paul, Who went to a fancy dress ball; They say, just for fun

As the days lengthen, So the storms strengthen.

Twelve pears hanging high, Twelve knights riding by; Each knight took a pear,

Jack be nimble, And Jack be quick: And Jack jump over

[From Yorkshire and Essex. A nursery-cry. - It is also sometimes sung in the streets by boys who have small figures of wool, wood, or gypsum, & c. of lambs to sell.] Young Lambs to sell! Young Lambs to sell!

[From Yorkshire. A nursery-cry.] Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit-Pie! Come, my ladies, come and buy;

To market, to market, To buy a plum cake; Home again, home again,

Rock well my cradle, And "bee baa," my son; You shall have a new gown,

Where was a sugar and fretty? And where was jewel and spicy? Hush-a-bye, babe in a cradle,

Diddledy, diddledy, dumpty; The cat ran up the plum-tree. I'll lay you a crown

As Tommy Snooks and Bessy Brooks Were walking out one Sunday, Says Tommy Snooks to Bessy Brooks,

Little Jack Jingle, He used to live single: But when he got tired of this kind of life,

When shall we be married, My dear Nicholas Wood? We will be married on Monday,

Tommy Trot, a man of law, Sold his bed and lay upon straw: Sold the straw and slept on grass,

We're all dry with drinking on't. We're all dry with drinking on't; The piper spoke to the fiddler's wife,

Rosemary green, And lavender blue, Thyme and sweet marjoram,

"John, come sell thy fiddle, And buy thy wife a gown." "No, I'll not sell my fiddle,

Up hill and down dale; Butter is made in every vale, And if that Nancy Cook

Jack in the pulpit, out and in; Sold his wife for a minikin pin.

Did you see my wife, did you see, did you see, Did you see my wife looking for me? She wears a straw bonnet, with white ribbands on it,

"Little maid, pretty maid, whither goest thou?" "Down in the forest to milk my cow." "Shall I go with thee?" "No, not now;

I am a pretty wench, And I come a great way hence, And sweethearts I can get none:

Birds of a feather flock together, And so will pigs and swine; Rats and mice will have their choice,

[The practice of sowing hempseed on Allhallows Even is often alluded to by earlier writers, and Gay, in his 'Pastorals,' quotes part of the following lines as used on that occasion.] Hemp-seed I set, Hemp-seed I sow,

Jack Sprat could eat no fat, His wife could eat no lean; And so, betwixt them both, you see,

Master I have, and I am his man, Gallop a dreary dun; Master I have, and I am his man,

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,

THE KEYS OF CANTERBURY. Oh, madam, I will give you the keys of Canterbury, To set all the bells ringing when we shall be merry,

He.    If you with me will go, my love, You shall see a pretty show, my love, Let dame say what she will:

On Saturday night, Shall be all my care To powder my locks

I doubt, I doubt my fire is out, My little wife isn't at home; I'll saddle my dog, and I'll bridle my cat,

Young Roger came tapping at Dolly's window, Thumpaty, thumpaty, thump! He asked for admittance, she answered him "No!"

Thomas and Annis met in the dark. "Good morning," said Thomas. "Good morning," said Annis.

Saw ye aught of my love a coming from ye market! A peck of meal upon her back, A babby in her basket;

[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 & Lincoln,' p. xi.] I had a little husband, No bigger than my thumb;

"Madam, I am come to court you, If your favour I can gain." "Ah, Ah!" said she, "you are a bold fellow,

Can you make me a cambric shirt, Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme; Without any seam or needlework?

Where have you been to-day, Billy, my son? Where have you been to-day, my only man! I've been a-wooing, mother; make my bed soon,

I married my wife by the light of the moon, A tidy housewife, a tidy one; She never gets up until it is noon,

There was a little maid, and she was afraid, That her sweetheart would come unto her; So she went to bed, and cover'd up her head

Up street, and down street, Each window's made of glass; If you go to Tommy Tickler's house,

Oh! mother, I shall be married to Mr. Punchinello. To Mr. Punch, To Mr. Joe,

Little John Jiggy Jag, He rode a penny nag, And went to Wigan to woo;

Bonny lass, canny lass, willta be mine? Thou'se neither wesh dishes, nor sarrah ( serve) the swine, Thou sall sit on a cushion, and sew up a seam,

Bessy Bell and Mary Gray,[*] They were two bonny lasses: They built their house upon the lea,

Margaret wrote a letter, Seal'd it with her finger, Threw it in the dam

Jack and Jill went up the hill, To fetch a pail of water; Jack fell down, and broke his crown,

Little Tom Dandy Was my first suitor, He had a spoon and dish,

There was a little pretty lad, And he lived by himself, And all the meat he got

Rowley Powley, pudding and pie, Kissed the girls and made them cry; When the girls begin to cry,

I'll buy you a tartan bonnet, And some feathers to put on it, Tartan trews and a phillibeg,

[The first line of the following is the burden of a song in the 'Tempest,' act i, sc. 2. and also of one in the 'Merchant of Venice, act iii, sc. 2.] Ding dong bell, Pussy's in the well!

Hey ding a ding, what shall I sing? How many holes in a skimmer? Four and twenty, - my stomach is empty;

Cock a doodle doo! My dame has lost her shoe; My master's lost his fiddling stick,

Little Tee Wee, He went to sea In an open boat;

Love your own, kiss your own. Love your own mother, hinny, For if she was dead and gone,

Here comes a lusty wooer, My a dildin, my a daldin; Here comes a lusty wooer,

O rare Harry Parry, When will you marry? When apples and pears are ripe.

Blue eye beauty, Grey eye greedy, Black eye blackie,

Curly locks! curly locks! wilt thou be mine? Thou shalt not wash dishes, nor yet feed the swine; But sit on a cushion and sow a fine seam,

I had a little hobby-horse, and it was well shod, It carried me to the mill-door, trod, trod, trod; When I got there I gave a great shout,

The cuckoo's a fine bird, He sings as he flies; He brings us good tidings,

The cuckoo's a vine bird, A zengs as a vlies; A brengs us good tidins,

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,

The cat sat asleep by the side of the fire, The mistress snored loud as a pig: Jack took up his fiddle, by Jenny's desire,

Sing, sing, what shall I sing? The cat has eat the pudding-string; Do, do, what shall I do?

[I do not know whether the following may have reference to the game of handy-dandy, mentioned in 'King Lear,' act iv, sc. 6, and in Florio's 'New World of Words,' 1611, p. 57.] Handy Spandy, Jack-a-dandy, Loved plum-cake and sugar-candy;

Tiddle liddle lightum, Pitch and tar; Tiddle liddle lightum,

Sing jigmijole, the pudding-bowl, The table and the frame; My master he did cudgel me

Hyder iddle diddle dell, A yard of pudding's not an ell; Not forgetting tweedle-dye,

Brave news is come to town, Brave news is carried; Brave news is come to town,

Willy, Willy Wilkin, Kissed the maids a-milking, Fa, la, la!

It's once I courted as pretty a lass, As ever your eyes did see; But now she's come to such a pass,

Sylvia, sweet as morning air, Do not drive me to despair: Long have I sighed in vain,

What care I how black I be, Twenty pounds will marry me; If twenty won't, forty shall,

O the little rusty, dusty, rusty miller! I'll not change my wife for either gold or siller.

"Where have you been all the day, My boy Willy?" "I've been all the day,

[This is part of a little work called 'Authentic Memoirs of the little Man and the little Maid, with some interesting particulars of their lives,' which I suspect is more modern than the following. Walpole printed a small broadside containing a different version.] There was a little man, And he woo'd a little maid,

There was a little boy and a little girl Lived in an alley; Says the little boy to the little girl,

A cow and a calf, An ox and a half, Forty good shillings and three;

Deedle, deedle, dumpling, my son John Went to bed with his trowsers on; One shoe off, the other shoe on,

Dibbity, dibbity, dibbity, doe. Give me a pancake And I'll go.

Feedum, fiddledum fee, The cat's got into the tree. Pussy, come down,

Little Jack a Dandy Wanted sugar-candy, And fairly for it cried;

Gilly Silly Jarter, Who has lost a garter? In a shower of rain,

Hub a dub dub, Three men in a tub; And who do you think they be?

Hey diddle, dinketty, poppety, pet, The merchants of London they wear scarlet; Silk in the collar, and gold in the hem,

Fiddle-de-dee, fiddle-de-dee, The fly shall marry the humble-bee. They went to the church, and married was she,

Hey, dorolot, dorolot! Hey, dorolay, dorolay! Hey, my bonny boat, bonny boat,

Come dance a jig To my Granny's pig, With a raudy, rowdy, dowdy;

A cat came fiddling out of a barn, With a pair of bag-pipes under her arm; She could sing nothing but fiddle cum fee,

Hey! diddle, diddle, The cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon;

Doodledy, doodledy, doodledy, dan, I'll have a piper to be my good man; And if I get less meat, I shall get game,

Tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee Resolved to have a battle, For tweedle-dum said tweedle-dee

Pussicat, wussicat, with a white foot, When is your wedding? for I'll come to't. The beer's to brew, the bread's to bake,

Ding, dong, darrow, The cat and the sparrow; The little dog has burnt his tail,

Little Dicky Dilver Had a wife of silver, He took a stick and broke her back,

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig, Home again, home again, dancing a jig; Ride to the market to buy a fat hog,

Doodle, doodle, doo, The princess lost her shoe; Her highness hopp'd,

As I was going up Pippen-hill, Pippen-hill was dirty, There I met a pretty miss,

Rompty-iddity, row, row, row, If I had a good supper, I could eat it now.

[Magotty-pie is given in MS. Lands. 1033, fol. 2, as a Wiltshire word for a magpie. See also 'Macbeth,' act iii, sc. 4. The same term occurs in the dictionaries of Hollyband, Cotgrave, and Minsheu.] Round about, round about, Magotty-pie,

High, ding, cockatoo-moody, Make a bed in a barn, I will come to thee; High, ding, straps of leather,

[Our collection of nursery songs may appropriately be concluded with the Quaker's commentary on one of the greatest favourites - Hey! diddle, diddle. We have endeavoured, as far as practicable, to remove every line from the present edition that could offend the most fastidious ear; but the following annotations on a song we cannot be induced to omit, would appear to suggest that our endeavours are scarcely likely to be attended with success.] "Hey! diddle, diddle, The cat and the fiddle" -

[This should be accompanied by a kind of pantomimic dance, in which the motions of the body and arms express the process of weaving; the motion of the shuttle, & c.] Weave the diaper tick-a-tick tick, Weave the diaper tick -

[Used in Somersetshire in counting out the game of pee-wip or pee wit.] One-ery, two-ery, hickary, hum, Fillison, follison, Nicholson, John,

Whoop, whoop, and hollow, Good dogs won't follow, Without the hare cries "pee wit."

Tom Brown's two little Indian boys, One ran away, The other wouldn't stay, -

Here goes my lord A trot, a trot, a trot, a trot, Here goes my lady

There was a man, and his name was Dob, And he had a wife, and her name was Mob, And he had a dog, and he called it Cob,

[Two children sit opposite to each other; the first turns her fingers one over the other, and says:] "May my geese fly over your barn?" [The other answers, Yes, if they'll do no harm. Upon which the first unpacks the fingers of her hand, and waving it over head, says:]

Now we dance looby, looby, looby, Now we dance looby, looby, light, Shake your right hand a little

[One child, called the Old Dame, sits on the floor, and the rest, joining hands, form a circle round her, and dancing, sing the following lines:] Children. To Beccles! to Beccles! To buy a bunch of nettles!

DROP-GLOVE. [Children stand round in a circle, leaving a space between each. One walks round the outside, and carries a glove in her hand, saying:] I've a glove in my hand,

[The following lines are said by the nurse when moving the child's foot up and down.] The dog of the kill,[*] He went to the mill

[In the following, the various parts of the countenance are touched as the lines are repeated; and at the close the chin is struck playfully, that the tongue may be gently bitten.] Eye winker, Tom Tinker,

Thumb bold, Thibity-thold, Langman,

[A game of the fox.] Fox a fox, a brummalary, How many miles to Lummaflary? Lummabary.

[A Christmas custom in Lancashire. The boys dress themselves up with ribands, and perform various pantomimes, after which one of them, who has a blackened face, a rough skin coat, and a broom in his hand, sings as follows.] Here come I, Little David Doubt;

[The following lines are repeated by the nurse when sliding her hand down the child's face.] My mother and your mother Went over the way;

[The following is quoted in Parkin's reply to Dr. Stukeley's second number of 'Origines Roystonian',' 4to, London, 1748, p. vi.] Peter White will ne'er go right, Would you know the reason why?

O that I was where I would be, Then would I be where I am not! But where I am must be,

[The following was sung to the tune of Chevy Chase. It was taken from a poetical tale in the 'Choyce Poems,' 12mo, London, 1662, the music to which may be seen in D'Urfey's 'Pills to Purge Melancholy,' 1719, vol. iv, p. 1.] Three children sliding on the ice Upon a summer's day,

There was a man of Newington, And he was wond'rous wise, He jump'd into a quickset hedge,

[The following occurs in a MS. of the seventeenth century, in the Sloane Collection, the reference to which I have mislaid.] The man in the wilderness asked me, How many strawberries grew in the sea?

Up stairs, down stairs, upon my lady's window, There I saw a cup of sack and a race of ginger; Apples at the fire, and nuts to crack,

I would if I cou'd, If I cou'dn't, how cou'd I? I cou'dn't, without I cou'd, cou'd I?

If all the world was apple-pie, And all the sea was ink, And all the trees were bread and cheese,

Tobacco wick! tobacco wick! When you're well, 'twill make you sick: Tobacco wick! tobacco wick!

[The conclusion of the following resembles a verse in the nursery history of Mother Hubbard.] There was an old woman, and what do you think? She lived upon nothing but victuals and drink:

Here am I, little jumping Joan; When nobody's with me, I'm always alone.

There was an old woman had nothing, And there came thieves to rob her; When she cried out she made no noise,

There was a little Guinea-pig, Who, being little, was not big; He always walked upon his feet,

[Mind your punctuation!] I saw a peacock with a fiery tail, I saw a blazing comet drop down hail,

If a man who turnips cries Cries not when his father dies, It is a proof that he would rather

My true love lives far from me, Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie. Many a rich present he sends to me,

There was a man and he was mad, And he jump'd into a pea-swad;[A] The pea-swad was over-full,

I saw a ship a-sailing, A-sailing on the sea; And, oh! it was all laden

Barney Bodkin broke his nose, Without feet we can't have toes; Crazy folks are always mad,

Hushy baby, my doll, I pray you don't cry, And I'll give you some bread and some milk by and bye; Or, perhaps you like custard, or may-be a tart, -

Dance, little baby, dance up high, Never mind, baby, mother is by; Crow and caper, caper and crow,

[The following is quoted in Florio's 'New World of Words,' fol., London, 1611, p. 3.] To market, to market, To buy a plum bun:

Dance to your daddy, My little babby, Dance to your daddy;

Tom shall have a new bonnet, With blue ribbands to tie on it, With a hush-a-bye and a lull-a-baby,

I won't be my father's Jack, I won't be my mother's Gill, I will be the fiddler's wife,

Bye, baby bumpkin, Where's Tony Lumpkin? My lady's on her death-bed,

[From 'The Pleasant Com[oe]die of Patient Grissell,' 1603.] Hush, hush, hush, hush! And I dance mine own child,

Hush thee, my babby, Lie still with thy daddy, Thy mammy has gone to the mill,

Hey, my kitten, my kitten, And hey, my kitten, my deary! Such a sweet pet as this

There were two blackbirds, Sitting on a hill, The one nam'd Jack,

Tip, top, tower, Tumble down in an hour.

1. I went up one pair of stairs. 2. Just like me. 1. I went up two pair of stairs.

Number number nine, this hoop's mine; Number number ten, take it back again.

[This is acted by two or more girls, who walk or dance up and down, turning, when they say, "turn, cheeses, turn." The "green cheeses," as I am informed, are made with sage and potatoe-tops. Two girls are said to be "cheese and cheese."] Green cheese, yellow laces, Up and down the market-places,

Danty baby diddy, What can a mammy do wid'e, But sit in a lap,

Rock-a-bye, baby, thy cradle is green; Father's a nobleman, mother's a queen; And Betty's a lady, and wears a gold ring;

Bye, O my baby! When I was a lady, O then my poor baby did'nt cry!

Hush-a-bye, a ba lamb, Hush-a-bye a milk cow, You shall have a little stick

Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top, When the wind blows, the cradle will rock, When the bough bends, the cradle will fall,

[A favourite lullaby in the north of England fifty years ago, and perhaps still heard. The last word is pronounced bee.] Hush-a-bye, lie still and sleep, It grieves me sore to see thee weep,

Ride, baby, ride, Pretty baby shall ride, And have a little puppy-dog tied to her side,

Bye, baby bunting, Daddy's gone a hunting, To get a little hare's skin

Give me a blow, and I'll beat 'em, Why did they vex my baby? Kissy, kiss, kissy, my honey,

My dear cockadoodle, my jewel, my joy, My darling, my honey, my pretty sweet boy; Before I do rock thee with soft lullaby,

To market ride the gentlemen, So do we, so do we; Then comes the country clown,

Ride a cock-horse to Coventry-cross; To see what Emma can buy; A penny white cake I'll buy for her sake,

Ride a cock-horse to Banbury-cross, To see an old lady upon a white horse, Rings on her fingers, and bells on her toes,

[Song set to five toes.] 1. Let us go to the wood, says this pig; 2. What to do there? says that pig;

[Children hunting bats.] Bat, bat, (clap hands,) Come under my hat,

This pig went to market, Squeak mouse, mouse, mousey; Shoe, shoe, shoe the wild colt,

[From Yorkshire. A game to alarm children.] Flowers, flowers, high-do! Sheeny, greeny, rino! -

1. This pig went to the barn. 2. This eat all the corn. 3. This said he would tell.

[The two following are fragments of a game called "The Lady of the Land," a complete version of which has not fallen in my way.] Here comes a poor woman from baby-land, With three small children in her hand:

I can make diet bread, Thick and thin; I can make diet bread,

This is the way the ladies ride; Tri, tre, tre, tree, Tri, tre, tre, tree!

Here we come a piping, First in spring, and then in May; The queen she sits upon the sand,

The first day of Christmas, My true love sent to me A partridge in a pear tree.

[A game on the fingers.] Heetum peetum penny pie, Populorum gingum gie;

[A game-rhyme.] Trip and go, heave and hoe, Up and down, to and fro;

[A number of boys and girls stand round one in the middle, who repeats the following lines, counting the children until one is counted out by the end of the verses.] Ring me (1), ring me (2), ring me rary (3), As I go round (4), ring by ring (5),

[Another game, played exclusively by boys. Two, who are fixed upon for the purpose, leave the group, and privately arrange that the pass-word shall be some implement of a particular trade. The trade is announced in the dialogue, and then the    fun is, that the unfortunate wight who guesses the "tool" is    beaten with the caps of his fellows till he reaches a fixed goal, after which he goes out in turn.] "Two broken tradesmen, Newly come over,

Clap hands, clap hands, Hie Tommy Randy, Did you see my good man?

[A song set to five fingers.] 1. This pig went to market; 2. This pig staid at home;

[A game at ball.] Cuckoo, cherry tree, Catch a bird, and give it to me;

[Two of the strongest children are selected, A and B; A stands within a ring of the children, B being outside.] A. Who is going round my sheepfold? B. Only poor old Jacky Lingo.

Highty cock O! To London we go, To York we ride;

This is the key of the kingdom. In that kingdom there is a city. In that city there is a town.

[Children stand round, and are counted one by one, by means of this rhyme. The child upon whom the last number falls is out, for "Hide or Seek," or any other game where a victim is required. A cock and bull story of this kind is related of the historian Josephus. There are other versions of this, and one may be seen in 'Blackwood's Magazine' for August, 1821, p. 36.] Hickory (1), Dickory (2), Dock (3), The mouse ran up the clock (4),

Clap hands, clap hands! Till father comes home; For father's got money,

One old Oxford ox opening oysters; Two tee-totums totally tired of trying to trot to Tadbury; Three tall tigers tippling tenpenny tea;

[The following lines are sung by children when starting for a race.] Good horses, bad horses, What is the time of day?

See-saw, jack a daw, What is a craw to do wi' her? She has not a stocking to put on her,

[The following is a game played as follows: A string of boys and girls, each holding by his predecessor's skirts, approaches two others, who with joined and elevated hands form a double arch. After the dialogue, the line passes through, and the last is caught by a sudden lowering of the arms - if possible.] How many miles is it to Babylon? - Threescore miles and ten.

See-saw sacradown, Which is the way to London town? One foot up, and the other down,

Here stands a post, Who put it there? A better man than you;

[A stands with a row of girls (her daughters) behind her; B, a suitor, advances.] B.    Trip trap over the grass: If you please will you let one of your [eldest] daughters come,

[The "Three Knights of Spain" is a game played in nearly the same manner as the preceding. The dramatis person' form themselves in two parties, one representing a courtly dame and her daughters, the other the suitors of the daughters. The last party, moving backwards and forwards, with their arms entwined, approach and recede from the mother party, which is stationary, singing to a very sweet air. See Chambers' 'Popular Rhymes,' p. 66.] Suitors. We are three brethren out of Spain,

[A game on the slate.] Eggs, butter, bread, Stick, stock, stone dead!

[An exercise during which the fingers of the child are enumerated.] Thumbikin, Thumbikin, broke the barn, Pinnikin, Pinnikin, stole the corn.

[In the following childish amusement, one extends his arm, and the other in illustration of the narrative, strikes him gently with the side of his hand at the shoulder and wrist; and then at the word "middle," with considerable force, on the flexor muscles at the elbow-joint.] My father was a Frenchman, He bought for me a fiddle,

[Patting the foot on the five toes.] Shoe the colt, shoe! Shoe the wild mare;

[Game on a child's features.] Here sits the Lord Mayor                            forehead. Here sit his two men                                eyes.

[A play with the face. The child exclaims:] Ring the bell!            giving a lock of its hair a pull. Knock at the door!    tapping its forehead.

[A star.] I have a little sister, they call her peep, peep; She wades the waters deep, deep, deep;

[A needle and thread.] Old mother Twitchett had but one eye, And a long tail which she let fly;

[An egg.] In marble walls as white as milk, Lined with a skin as soft as silk;

[A horse-shoer.] What shoe-maker makes shoes without leather, With all the four elements put together?

[A candle.] Little Nancy Etticoat, In a white petticoat,

Hickup, hickup, go away! Come again another day; Hickup, hickup, when I bake,

Hickup, snicup, Rise up, right up! Three drops in the cup

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,

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,

Old woman, old woman, shall we go a shearing? Speak a little louder, sir, I am very thick of hearing. Old woman, old woman, shall I love you dearly?

Old Mother Niddity Nod swore by the pudding-bag, She would go to Stoken Church fair; And then old Father Peter said he would meet her

There was an old woman sat spinning, And that's the first beginning; She had a calf,

There was an old woman, her name it was Peg; Her head was of wood, and she wore a cork-leg. The neighbours all pitch'd her into the water,

A little old man and I fell out; How shall we bring this matter about? Bring it about as well as you can,

There was an old woman, And she sold puddings and pies; She went to the mill,

There was an old woman Lived under a hill; And if she's not gone,

There was an old woman toss'd up in a basket Nineteen times as high as the moon; Where she was going I couldn't but ask it,

There was an old man who liv'd in Middle Row, He had five hens and a name for them, oh! Bill and Ned and Battock,

There was an old woman of Leeds Who spent all her time in good deeds; She worked for the poor

Old Betty Blue Lost a holiday shoe, What can old Betty do?

There was an old man of Tobago, Who lived on rice, gruel, and sago; Till, much to his bliss,

Old mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard, To get her poor dog a bone;

[The first two lines of the following are the same with those of a song in D'Urfey's 'Pills to Purge Melancholy,' vol. v, p. 13.] There was an old woman Lived under a hill,

[The following is part of a comic song called 'Success to the Whistle and Wig,' intended to be sung in rotation by the members of a club.] There was an old woman had three sons, Jerry, and James, and John:

[The tale on which the following story is founded is found in a MS. of the fifteenth century, preserved in the Chetham Library at Manchester.] There was an old man, who lived in a wood, As you may plainly see;

Oh, dear, what can the matter be? Two old women got up in an apple tree; One came down,

There was an old man, And he had a calf, And that's half;

Father Short came down the lane, Oh! I'm obliged to hammer and smite From four in the morning till eight at night,

There was an old woman called Nothing-at-all, Who rejoiced in a dwelling exceedingly small: A man stretched his mouth to its utmost extent,

There was an old woman of Norwich, Who lived upon nothing but porridge; Parading the town,

Dance, Thumbkin, dance, [Keep the thumb in motion. Dance, ye merrymen, every one:

A little old man of Derby, How do you think he served me? He took away my bread and cheese,

There was an old woman in Surrey, Who, was morn, noon, and night in a hurry; Call'd her husband a fool,

[Rhymes used by children to decide who is to begin a game.] One-ery, two-ery, Ziccary zan;

[A game of the Fox. In a children's game, where all the little actors are seated in a circle, the following stanza is used as question and answer.] Who goes round my house this night? None but cruel Tom!

[The following is used by schoolboys, when two are starting to run a race.] One to make ready, And two to prepare;

[At the conclusion, the captive is privately asked if he will have oranges or lemons (the two leaders of the arch having previously agreed which designation shall belong to each), and he goes behind the one he may chance to name. When all are thus divided into two parties, they conclude the game by trying to pull each other beyond a certain line.] Gay go up and gay go down, To ring the bells of London town.

[One child holds a wand to the face of another, repeating these lines, and making grimaces, to cause the latter to laugh, and so to the others; those who laugh paying a forfeit.] Buff says Buff to all his men, And I say Buff to you again;

[Game with the hands.] Pease-pudding hot, Pease-pudding cold,

Awake, arise, pull out your eyes, And hear what time of day; And when you have done, pull out your tongue,

Queen Anne, queen Anne, you sit in the sun, As fair as a lily, as white as a wand. I send you three letters, and pray read one,

GAME OF THE GIPSY. [One child is selected for Gipsy, one for Mother, and one for Daughter Sue. The Mother says, - I charge my daughters every one

[This game begins thus: Take this - What's this? - A gaping, wide-mouthed, waddling frog, & c.] Twelve huntsmen with horns and hounds, Hunting over other men's grounds!

[A string of children, hand in hand, stand in a row. A child (A) stands in front of them, as leader; two other children (B and C) form an arch, each holding both the hands of the other.] A.    Draw a pail of water, For my lady's daughter;

[The following seems to belong to the last game; but it is usually found by itself in the small books of children's rhymes.] Sieve my lady's oatmeal, Grind my lady's flour,

[Currants.] Higgledy piggledy Here we lie,

Thomas a Tattamus took two Ts, To tie two tups to two tall trees, To frighten the terrible Thomas a Tattamus!

[The man had one eye, and the tree two apples upon it.] There was a man who had no eyes, He went abroad to view the skies;

[Cleopatra.] The moon nine days old, The next sign to cancer;

[Pair of tongs.] Long legs, crooked thighs, Little head and no eyes.

There were three jovial Welshmen, As I have heard them say, And they would go a-hunting

Is John Smith within? - Yes, that he is. Can he set a shoe? -

Margery Mutton-pie, and Johnny Bopeep, They met together in Grace-church Street; In and out, in and out, over the way,

Intery, mintery, cutery-corn, Apple seed and apple thorn; Wine, brier, limber-lock,

[The game of water-skimming is of high antiquity, being mentioned by Julius Pollux, and also by Eustathius, in his commentary upon Homer. Brand quotes a curious passage from Minucius Felix; but all antiquaries seem to have overlooked the very curious notice in Higgins' adaptation of Junius's 'Nomenclator,' 8vo, London, 1585, p. 299, where it is called "a duck and a drake, and a halfe-penie cake." Thus it is probable that lines like the following were employed in this game as early as 1585; and it may be that the last line has recently furnished a hint to Mathews in his amusing song in 'Patter v. Clatter.'] A duck and a drake, A nice barley-cake,

Ride a cock-horse to Banbury-cross, To see what Tommy can buy; A penny white loaf, a penny white cake,

See, Saw, Margery Daw, Sold her bed and lay upon straw; Was not she a dirty slut,

See, saw, Margery Daw, Little Jackey shall have a new master; Little Jackey shall have but a penny a day,

1. I am a gold lock. 2. I am a gold key. 1. I am a silver lock.

Ride a cock-horse to Banbury-cross, To buy little Johnny a galloping-horse; It trots behind, and it ambles before,

[From MS. Sloane, 1489, fol. 16, written in the time of Charles I.] There were three sisters in a hall, There came a knight amongst them all;

[Isabel.] Congeal'd water and Cain's brother, That was my lover's name, and no other.

[Teeth and Gums.] Thirty white horses upon a red hill, Now they tramp, now they champ, now they stand still.

[Coals.] Black we are, but much admired; Men seek for us till they are tired.

As I was going o'er Westminster bridge, I met with a Westminster scholar; He pulled off his cap an' drew off his glove,

[A charm somewhat similar to the following may be seen in the 'Townley Mysteries,' p. 91. See a paper in the 'Arch'ologia,' vol. xxvii, p. 253, by the Rev. Lancelot Sharpe, M.A. See also MS. Lansd. 231, fol. 114, and Ady's 'Candle in the Dark,' 4to, London, 1650, p. 58.] Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Guard the bed that I lay on!

[Ady, in his 'Candle in the Dark,' 4to, Lond. 1656, p. 59, says that this was a charm to make butter come from the churn. It was to be said thrice.] Come, butter, come, Come, butter, come!

[From Dr. Wallis's "Grammatica Lingu' Anglican'," 12mo, Oxon. 1674, p. 164. This and the nine following are said to be certain cures for the hiccup if repeated in one breath.] When a Twister a twisting, will twist him a twist; For the twisting of his twist, he three times doth intwist;

A Thatcher of Thatchwood went to Thatchet a thatching; Did a thatcher of Thatchwood go to Thatchet a thatching? If a thatcher of Thatchwood went to Thatchet a thatching,

[Sometimes 'off a pewter plate' is added at the end of each line.] Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper; A peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked;

Swan swam over the sea - Swim, swan, swim; Swan swam back again,

My father he left me, just as he was able, One bowl, one bottle, one lable, Two bowls, two bottles, two lables,

Robert Rowley rolled a round roll round, A round roll Robert Rowley rolled round; Where rolled the round roll Robert Rowley rolled round?

My grandmother sent me a new-fashioned three cornered cambric country cut handkerchief. Not an old-fashioned three cornered cambric country cut handkerchief, but a new-fashioned three cornered cambric country cut handkerchief.

Three crooked cripples went through Cripplegate, and through Cripplegate went three crooked cripples.

[A Star.] Higher than a house, higher than a tree; Oh, whatever can that be?

[An Egg.] Humpty dumpty sate on a wall, Humpty dumpty had a great fall;

[The allusion to Oliver Cromwell satisfactorily fixes the date of the riddle to belong to the seventeenth century. The answer is, a rainbow.] Purple, yellow, red, and green, The king cannot reach it nor the queen;

Pease-porridge hot, pease-porridge cold, Pease-porridge in the pot, nine days old. Spell me that without a P,

[A Chimney.] Black within, and red without; Four corners round about.

There was a man rode through our town, Gray Grizzle was his name; His saddle-bow was gilt with gold,

[A Hedgehog.] As I went over Lincoln bridge I met mister Rusticap;

[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;

[A Bed.] Formed long ago, yet made to-day, Employed while others sleep;

As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives, Every wife had seven sacks,

[A Cinder-sifter.] A riddle, a riddle, as I suppose, A hundred eyes, and never a nose.

[A Well.] As round as an apple, as deep as a cup, And all the king's horses can't pull it up.

[A Cherry.] As I went through the garden gap, Who should I meet but Dick Red-cap!

Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy and Bess, They all went together to seek a bird's nest. They found a bird's nest with five eggs in,

[The Holly Tree.] Highty, tighty, paradighty clothed in green, The king could not read it, no more could the queen;

See, see! what shall I see? A horse's head where his tail should be.

[A fire-brand with sparks on it.] As I was going o'er London Bridge, And peep'd through a nick,

[An Icicle.] Lives in winter, Dies in summer,

When I went up sandy hill, I met a sandy boy; I cut his throat, I sucked his blood,

[The following, with a very slight variation, is found in Ben    Jonson's 'Masque of Queen's,' and it is singular to account for its introduction into the modern nursery.] I went to the toad that lies under the wall, I charmed him out, and he came at my call;

I had a little castle upon the sea-side, One half was water, the other was land; I open'd my little castle door, and guess what I found;

Old father Graybeard, Without tooth or tongue; If you'll give me your finger,

Cushy cow bonny, let down thy milk, And I will give thee a gown of silk; A gown of silk and a silver tee,

[Said to pips placed in the fire; a species of divination practised by children.] If you love me, pop and fly; If you hate me, lay and die.

He that goes to see his wheat in May, Comes weeping away.

The mackerel's cry, Is never long dry.

In July, Some reap rye; In August,

[Proverbial many years ago, when the guinea in gold was of a higher value than its nominal representative in silver,] A guinea it would sink, And a pound it would float;

The fair maid who, the first of May, Goes to the fields at break of day, And washes in dew from the hawthorn tree

[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;

Elsie Marley is grown so fine, She won't get up to serve the swine, But lies in bed till eight or nine,

London bridge is broken down, Dance o'er my lady lee; London bridge is broken down,

Old Father of the Pye, I cannot sing, my lips are dry; But when my lips are very well wet,

[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,

My maid Mary She minds her dairy, While I go a hoing and mowing each morn,

Jacky, come give me thy fiddle, If ever thou mean to thrive: Nay; I'll not give my fiddle

[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;

I love sixpence, pretty little sixpence, I love sixpence better than my life; I spent a penny of it, I spent another,

Merry are the bells, and merry would they ring, Merry was myself, and merry could I sing; With a merry ding-dong, happy, gay, and free,

Hot-cross Buns! Hot-cross Buns! One a penny, two a penny

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

[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,

As I was going up the hill, I met with Jack the piper, And all the tunes that he could play

There were two birds sat on a stone, Fa, la, la, la, lal, de; One flew away, and then there was one,

[Song on the bells of Derby on foot-ball morning, a custom now discontinued:] Pancakes and fritters, Say All Saints and St. Peters;

How does my lady's garden grow? How does my lady's garden grow? With cockle shells, and silver bells,

There was a jolly miller Lived on the river Dee: He worked and sung from morn till night,

As I was going along, long, long, A singing a comical song, song, song, The lane that I went was so long, long, long,

Where are you going, my pretty maid? I'm going a-milking, sir, she said. May I go with you, my pretty maid?

I have been to market, my lady, my lady; Then you've not been to the fair, says pussy, says pussy; I bought me a rabbit, my lady, my lady;

My father left me three acres of land, Sing ivy, sing ivy; My father left me three acres of land,

[The original of the following is to be found in 'Deuteromelia, or the second part of Musicks 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,

[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 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,

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;

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!

A carrion crow sat on an oak, Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do, Watching a tailor shape his cloak;

[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:

[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,

Whistle, daughter, whistle, whistle daughter dear; I cannot whistle, mammy, I cannot whistle clear. Whistle, daughter, whistle, whistle for a pound;

I'll sing you a song, Though not very long, Yet I think it as pretty as any,

Dame, get up and bake your pies, Bake your pies, bake your pies; Dame, get up and bake your pies,

[Ann.] There was a girl in our towne, Silk an' satin was her gowne,

[A thorn.] I went to the wood and got it, I sat me down and looked at it;

[Gloves.] As I was going o'er London Bridge, I met a cart full of fingers and thumbs!

[Sunshine.] Hick-a-more, Hack-a-more, On the king's kitchen-door;

[A pen.] When I was taken from the fair body, They then cut off my head,

[Snuff.] As I look'd out o' my chamber window I heard something fall;

[A tobacco-pipe.] I went into my grandmother's garden, And there I found a farthing.

For every evil under the sun, There is a remedy, or there is none. If there be one, try and find it;

The art of good driving 's a paradox quite, Though custom has prov'd it so long; If you go to the left, you're sure to go right,

Friday night's dream On the Saturday told, Is sure to come true,

When the sand doth feed the clay, England woe and well-a-day! But when the clay doth feed the sand,

A diller, a dollar, A ten o'clock scholar, What makes you come so soon?

Made in London, Sold at York, Stops a bottle

Ten and ten and twice eleven, Take out six and put in seven; Go to the green and fetch eighteen,

[A walnut.] As soft as silk, as white as milk, As bitter as gall, a thick wall,

[A swarm of bees.] As I was going o'er Tipple Tine, I met a flock of bonny swine;

[An egg.] Humpty Dumpty lay in a beck,[*] With all his sinews round his neck;

Every lady in this land Has twenty nails upon each hand, Five and twenty hands and feet,

[A storm of wind.] Arthur O'Bower has broken his band, He comes roaring up the land; -

[Tobacco.] Make three-fourths of a cross, And a circle complete;

There was a king met a king In a narrow lane, Says this king to that king,

[A plum-pudding.] Flour of England, fruit of Spain, Met together in a shower of rain;

Tell tale, tit! Your tongue shall be slit, And all the dogs in the town

[The joke or the following consists in saying it so quick that it cannot be told whether it is English or gibberish. 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.

[The dominical letters attached to the first days of the several months are remembered by the following lines.] At Dover Dwells George Brown Esquire, Good Christopher Finch, And David Friar.

Birch and green holly, boys, Birch and green holly. If you get beaten, boys,

[On arriving at the end of a book, boys have a practice of reciting the following absurd lines, which form the word    finis backwards and forwards, by the initials of the words,] - Father Iohnson Nicholas Iohnson's son - Son Iohnson Nicholas Iohnson's Father.

About the bush, Willy, About the bee-hive, About the bush, Willy,

A pretty little girl in a round-eared cap I met in the streets t'other day; She gave me such a thump,

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,

Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep, And can't tell where to find them; Leave them alone, and they'll come home,

Jeanie come tie my, Jeanie come tie my, Jeanie come tie my bonnie cravat;

The north wind doth blow, And we shall have snow, And what will poor Robin do then?

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,

[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,

Johnny shall have a new bonnet, And Johnny shall go to the fair, And Johnny shall have a blue ribbon

As I was walking o'er little Moorfields, I saw St. Paul's a running on wheels, With a fee, fo, fum.

When V and I together meet, They make the number Six compleat. When I with V doth meet once more,

Multiplication is vexation, Division is as bad; The Rule of Three doth puzzle me,

[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;

My story's ended, My spoon is bended: If you don't like it,

The rose is red, the grass is green; And in this book my name is seen.

Cross patch, Draw the latch, Sit by the fire and spin;

Come when you're called, Do what you're bid, Shut the door after you,

Speak when you're spoken to, Come when one call; Shut the door after you,

I love my love with an A, because he's Agreeable. I hate him because he's Avaricious. He took me to the Sign of the Acorn,

When I was a little boy, I had but little wit It is some time ago, and I've no more yet; Nor ever ever shall, until that I die,

[A laconic reply to a person who indulges much in supposition.] If ifs and ands, Were pots and pans,

Mistress Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With cockle-shells, and silver bells,

Doctor Faustus was a good man, He whipt his scholars now and then; When he whipp'd them he made them dance,

[A Greek bill of fare.] LEGOMOTON, Acapon,

Oh, where are you going, My pretty maiden fair, With your red rosy cheeks,

Polly put the kettle on, Polly put the kettle on, Polly put the kettle on,

[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,

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,

Little Tom Dogget, What dost thou mean, To kill thy poor Colly

Lend me thy mare to ride a mile? She is lamed, leaping over a stile. Alack! and I must keep the fair!

[A north-country song.] Says t'auld man tit oak tree, Young and lusty was I when I kenn'd thee;

You shall have an apple, You shall have a plum, You shall have a rattle-basket,

Up at Piccadilly oh! The coachman takes his stand, And when he meets a pretty girl,

[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;

Pit, Pat, well-a-day, Little Robin flew away; Where can little Robin be?

The little priest of Felton, The little priest of Felton, He kill'd a mouse within his house,

[The following verses are said by Aubrey to have been sung in his time by the girls of Oxfordshire in a sport called Leap Candle, which is now obsolete.] The tailor of Bicester, He has but one eye;

Dick and Tom, Will and John, Brought me from Nottingham.

At Brill on the Hill, The wind blows shrill, The cook no meat can dress;

A man went a hunting at Reigate, And wished to leap over a high gate; Says the owner, "Go round,

Cripple Dick upon a stick, And Sandy on a sow, Riding away to Galloway,

High diddle doubt, my candle out, My little maid is not at home: Saddle my hog, and bridle my dog,

Around the green gravel the grass grows green, And all the pretty maids are plain to be seen; Wash them with milk, and clothe them with silk,

As I was going to sell my eggs, I met a man with bandy legs, Bandy legs and crooked toes,

Old Sir Simon the king, And young Sir Simon the 'squire, And old Mrs. Hickabout

A good child, a good child, As I suppose you be, Never laughed nor smiled

How do you do, neighbour? Neighbour, how do you do? I am pretty well,

Jacky, come give me thy fiddle If ever thou mean to thrive; Nay, I'll not give my fiddle,

Blenky my nutty-cock, Blenk him away; My nutty-cock's never

To market, to market, to buy a plum-cake, Back again, back again, baby is late; To market, to market, to buy a plum-bun,

St. Thomas's-day is past and gone, And Christmas is a-most a-come, Maidens arise,

Driddlety drum, driddlety drum, There you see the beggars are come; Some are here, and some are there,

Little boy, pretty boy, where was you born? In Lincolnshire, master: come blow the cow's horn. A half-penny pudding, a penny pie,

My father and mother, My uncle and aunt, Be all gone to Norton,

I lost my mare in Lincoln lane, And couldn't tell where to find her, Till she came home both lame and blind,

Little lad, little lad, where wast thou born? Far off in Lancashire, under a thorn, Where they sup sour milk in a ram's horn.

The girl in the lane, that couldn't speak plain, Cried "gobble, gobble, gobble:" The man on the hill, that couldn't stand still,

Hink, minx! the old witch winks, The fat begins to fry: There's nobody at home but jumping Joan,

Baby and I Were baked in a pie, The gravy was wonderful hot:

What are little boys made of, made of, What are little boys made of? Snaps and snails, and puppy-dog's tails;

Rain, rain, go away, Come again another day; Little Arthur wants to play.

Peg, peg, with a wooden leg, Her father was a miller: He tossed the dumpling at her head,

Parson Darby wore a black gown, And every button cost half-a-crown; From port to port, and toe to toe,

When Jacky's a very good boy, He shall have cakes and a custard; But when he does nothing but cry,

Blow, wind, blow! and go, mill, go! That the miller may grind his corn; That the baker may take it,

The quaker's wife got up to bake, Her children all about her, She gave them every one a cake,

As I went over the water, The water went over me, I heard an old woman crying,

Wash, hands, wash, Daddy's gone to plough, If you want your hands wash'd,

My little old man and I fell out, I'll tell you what 'twas all about: I had money, and he had none,

Who comes here? A grenadier. What do you want?

Go to bed, Tom! Go to bed, Tom! Drunk or sober,

If a body meet a body, In a field of fitches; Can a body tell a body

Charley wag, Eat the pudding and left the bag.

Girls and boys, come out to play, The moon doth shine as bright as day; Leave your supper, and leave your sleep,

Hannah Bantry in the pantry, Eating a mutton bone; How she gnawed it, how she clawed it,

Little girl, little girl, where have you been? Gathering roses to give to the queen. Little girl, little girl, what gave she you?

Hark, hark, The dogs do bark, Beggars are coming to town;

We're all in the dumps, For diamonds are trumps; The kittens are gone to St. Paul's!

What's the news of the day, Good neighbour, I pray? They say the balloon

Little Mary Ester, Sat upon a tester, Eating of curds and whey;

How many days has my baby to play? Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,

Shake a leg, wag a leg, when will you gang? At midsummer, mother, when the days are lang.

Willy boy, Willy boy, where are you going? I'll go with you, if I may. I'm going to the meadow to see them a mowing,

To market, to market, a gallop, a trot, To buy some meat to put in the pot; Threepence a quarter, a groat a side,

Come, let's to bed, Says Sleepy-head; Tarry a while, says Slow:

Daffy-down-dilly has come up to town, In a yellow petticoat, and a green gown.

Little Tom Tucker Sings for his supper; What shall he eat?

I can weave diaper thick, thick, thick, And I can weave diaper thin, I can weave diaper out of doors

[The following is quoted in the song of Mad Tom.] The man in the moon drinks claret, But he is a dull Jack-a-Dandy;

[A marching air.] Darby and Joan were dress'd in black, Sword and buckle behind their back;

Barber, barber, shave a pig, How many hairs will make a wig? "Four and twenty, that's enough."

If all the seas were one sea, What a great sea that would be! And if all the trees were one tree,

I had a little moppet, I put it in my pocket, And fed it with corn and hay;

The barber shaved the mason, As I suppose Cut off his nose,

Little Poll Parrot Sat in his garret, Eating toast and tea;

[The snail scoops out hollows, little rotund chambers, in limestone, for its residence. This habit of the animal is so important in its effects, as to have attracted the attention of geologists, and Dr. Buckland alluded to it at the meeting of the British Association in 1841. See Chambers' 'Popular Rhymes,' p. 43. The following rhyme is a boy's invocation to the snail to come out of such holes.] Snail, snail, come out of your hole, Or else I will beat you as black as a coal.

Sneel, snaul, Robbers are coming to pull down your wall; Sneel, snaul,

Burnie bee, burnie bee, Tell me when your wedding be? If it be to-morrow day,

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,

The winds they did blow, The leaves they did wag; Along came a beggar boy,

I had a little cow, to save her, I turned her into the meadow to graze her; There came a heavy storm of rain,

In the month of February, When green leaves begin to spring, Little lambs do skip like fairies,

Pussy sits behind the fire, How can she be fair? In comes the little dog,

The dove says coo, coo, what shall I do? I can scarce maintain two. Pooh, pooh, says the wren, I have got ten,

A little cock sparrow sat on a green tree, ( tris) And he cherruped, he cherruped so merry was he; ( tris) A little cock-sparrow sat on a green tree,

Bow, wow, wow, Whose dog art thou? Little Tom Tinker's dog,

Pitty Patty Polt, Shoe the wild colt! Here a nail;

How d' 'e dogs, how? whose dog art thou, Little Tom Tinker's dog! what's that to thou? Hiss! bow, a wow, wow!

Bobbin-a-Bobbin bent his bow, And shot at a woodcock and kill'd a yowe: The yowe cried ba, and he ran away,

Snail, snail, put out your horns, I'll give you bread and barleycorns.

[The following song is given in Whiter's 'Specimen, or a Commentary on Shakespeare,' 8vo, London, 1794, p. 19, as common in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. Dr. Farmer gives another version as an illustration of a ditty of Jacques in 'As You Like It,' act ii, sc. 5. See Malone's Shakespeare, ed. 1821, vol. vi, p. 398; Caldecott's 'Specimen,' 1819, note on 'As You Like It,' p. 11; and Douce's 'Illustrations,' vol. i, p. 297.] Dame, what makes your ducks to die? What the pize ails 'em? what the pize ails 'em?

Lady bird, lady bird, fly away home, Thy house is on fire, thy children all gone, All but one, and her name is Ann,

Little Robin Redbreast sat upon a tree, Up went Pussy cat, and down went he; Down came Pussy cat, and away Robin ran;

There was a little boy went into a barn, And lay down on some hay; An owl came out and flew about,

Higglepy Piggleby, My black hen, She lays eggs

Snail, snail, shut out your horns; Father and mother are dead: Brother and sister are in the back yard,

I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen, She washed me the dishes, and kept the house clean: She went to the mill to fetch me some flour;

Pussey cat sits by the fire, How did she come there? In walks the little dog,

[A north country version of a very common nursery rhyme, sung by a child, who imitates the crowing of a cock.] Cock-a-doodle-do, My dad's gane to ploo;

Pretty John Watts, We are troubled with rats, Will you drive them out of the house?

Jack Sprat Had a cat, It had but one ear;

On Christmas eve I turn'd the spit, I burnt my fingers, I feel it yet; The cock sparrow flew over the table;

See, saw, Margery Daw, The old hen flew over the malt house, She counted her chickens one by one,

Hurly, burly, trumpet trase, The cow was in the market place, Some goes far, and some goes near,

Little cock robin peep'd out of his cabin, To see the cold winter come in, Tit, for tat, what matter for that,

There was an old woman had three cows, Rosy, and Colin, and Dun; Rosy and Colin were sold at the fair,

I'll away yhame, And tell my dame, That all my geese

[Imitated from a pigeon.] Curr dhoo, curr dhoo, Love me, and I'll love you!

I like little pussy, her coat is so warm, And if I don't hurt her she'll do me no harm; So I'll not pull her tail, nor drive her away,

The pettitoes are little feet, And the little feet not big; Great feet belong to the grunting hog,

Charley Warley had a cow. Black and white about the brow; Open the gate and let her go through,

I had a little cow; Hey-diddle, ho-diddle! I had a little cow, and it had a little calf,

The Cock. Lock the dairy door, Lock the dairy door! The Hen.    Chickle, chackle, chee,

I had a little pony, His name was Dapple-gray, I lent him to a lady,

Little boy blue, come blow up your horn, The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn; Where's the little boy that looks after the sheep?

Bah, bah, black sheep, Have you any wool? Yes, marry, have I,

Hussy, hussy, where's your horse? Hussy, hussy, gone to grass! Hussy, hussy, fetch him home,

Leg over leg, As the dog went to Dover; When he came to a stile,

Rowsty dowt, my fire's all out, My little dame is not at home! I'll saddle my cock, and bridle my hen,

Some little mice sat in a barn to spin; Pussy came by, and popped her head in; "Shall I come in, and cut your threads off?"

The sow came in with the saddle, The little pig rock'd the cradle The dish jump'd over the table

"What do they call you?" "Patchy Dolly." "Where were you born?"

As I went over the water, The water went over me. I saw two little blackbirds sitting on a tree:

As I went over the water, The water went over me. I saw two little blackbirds sitting on a tree:

[A Dorsetshire version.] 'Twas the twenty-ninth of May, 'twas a holiday, Four and twenty tailors set out to hunt a snail;

Goosey, goosey, gander, Where shall I wander? Up stairs, down stairs,

Goosy, goosy, gander, Who stands yonder? Little Betsy Baker;

I sell you the key of the king's garden: I sell you the string that ties the key, & c. I sell you the rat that gnawed the string, & c.

[Traditional pieces are frequently so ancient, that possibility will not be outraged by conjecturing the John Ball of the following piece to be the priest who took so distinguished a part in the rebellion temp. Richard II.] John Ball shot them all; John Scott made the shot,

1.    This is the house that Jack built. 2.    This is the malt That lay in the house that Jack built.

King's Sutton is a pretty town, And lies all in a valley; There is a pretty ring of bells,

[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 Offer, Esq. of Hackney.] 1.    A kid, a kid, my father bought, For two pieces of money:

"An old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a little crooked sixpence. 'What,' said she, 'shall I do with this little sixpence? I will go to market, and buy a little pig.' As she was coming home, she came to a stile: the piggy would not go over the stile. "She went a little further, and she met a dog. So she said to the dog, 'Dog! bite pig; piggy won't go over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.' But the dog would not. "She went a little further, and she met a stick. So she said, 'Stick! stick! beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.' But the stick would not.

Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse both lived in a house, Titty Mouse went a leasing, and Tatty Mouse went a leasing, So they both went a leasing.

There was a little nobby colt, His name was Nobby Gray; His head was made of pouce straw,

Croak! said the Toad, I'm hungry, I think, To-day I've had nothing to eat or to drink, I'll crawl to a garden and jump through the pales,

Gray goose and gander, Waft your wings together, And carry the good king's daughter

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 had a little dog, and they called him Buff; I sent him to the shop for a hap'orth of snuff; But he lost the bag, and spill'd the snuff,

A pie sate on a pear-tree, A pie sate on a pear-tree, A pie sate on a pear-tree,

As titty mouse sat in the witty to spin, Pussy came to her and bid her good ev'n, "Oh, what are you doing, my little 'oman?"

Shoe the colt, Shoe the colt, Shoe the wild mare,

Betty Pringle had a little pig, Not very little and not very big, When he was alive he lived in clover,

Cock Robin got up early, At the break of day, And went to Jenny's window,

I had two pigeons bright and gay, They flew from me the other day; What was the reason they did go?

Little Bob Robin, Where do you live? Up in yonder wood, sir,

Jack Sprat's pig, He was not very little, Nor yet very big;

[The Proverb of Barnaby Bright is given by Ray and Brand as referring to St. Barnabas.] Barnaby Bright he was a sharp cur, He always would bark if a mouse did but stir;

Pussy cat eat the dumplings, the dumplings, Pussy cat eat the dumplings. Mamma stood by,

The robin and the wren, They fought upon the parrage pan; But ere the robin got a spoon,

All of a row, Bend the bow, Shot at a pigeon,

The cock doth crow, To let you know, If you be wise,

The cock doth crow, To let you know, If you be wise,

There was an owl lived in an oak, Wisky, wasky, weedle; And every word he ever spoke

When the snow is on the ground, Little Robin Red-breast grieves; For no berries can be found,

[An ancient Suffolk song for a bad singer.] There was an old crow Sat upon a clod:

Cuckoo, Cuckoo, What do you do? In April

"Robert Barnes, fellow fine, Can you shoe this horse of mine?" "Yes, good sir, that I can,

Catch him, crow! carry him, kite! Take him away till the apples are ripe; When they are ripe and ready to fall,

Dickery, dickery, dare, The pig flew up in the air; The man in brown soon brought him down,

Johnny Armstrong kill'd a calf, Peter Henderson got the half; Willy Wilkinson got the head,

Hickety, pickety, my black hen, She lays eggs for gentlemen; Gentlemen come every day

Pussy sat by the fire-side In a basket full of coal-dust; Bas-

Little Robin Red-breast Sat upon a rail: Niddle naddle went his head,

Little Robin Red-breast, Sat upon a hirdle; With a pair of speckled legs,

Hie hie, says Anthony, Puss in the pantry Gnawing, gnawing

Little Tommy Tacket, Sits upon his cracket; Half a yard of cloth will make him coat and jacket;

A long-tail'd pig, or a short-tail'd pig, Or a pig without e'er a tail, A sow-pig, or a boar-pig,

Once I saw a little bird, Come hop, hop, hop; So I cried, little bird,

[The following stanza is of very considerable antiquity, and is common in Yorkshire.] Lady-cow, lady-cow, fly thy way home, Thy house is on fire, thy children all gone,

Riddle me, riddle me, ree, A hawk sate upon a tree; And he says to himself, says he,

There was a piper, he'd a cow, And he'd no hay to give her He took his pipes and played a tune,

Eat, Birds, eat, and make no waste, I lie here and make no haste; If my master chance to come,

Pussy cat Mole, Jump'd over a coal, And in her best petticoat burnt a great hole.

As I went to Bonner, I met a pig Without a wig,

There was a little one-eyed gunner Who kill'd all the birds that died last summer.

Old King Cole Was a merry old soul, And a merry old soul was he;

When good king Arthur ruled this land, He was a goodly king; He stole three pecks of barley-meal,

[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!

[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,

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,

Robin the Bobbin, the big-bellied Ben, He eat more meat than fourscore men; He eat a cow, he eat a calf,

There was a fat man of Bombay, Who was smoking one sunshiny day, When a bird, called a snipe,

My dear, do you know, How a long time ago, Two poor little children,

There was a man, and he had naught, And robbers came to rob him; He crept up to the chimney pot,

There was a little man, And he had a little gun, And he went to the brook,

There was a jolly miller Lived on the river Dee, He look'd upon his pillow,

The Story Of The Three Little Pigs. Once upon a time there was an old sow with three little pigs, and as she had not enough to keep them, she sent them out to seek their fortune. The first that went off met a man with a bundle of straw, and said to him, "Please, man, give me that straw to build me a house;" which the man did, and the little pig built a house with it. Presently came along a wolf, and knocked at the door, and said, - "Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

Little Tommy Tittlemouse Lived in a little house; He caught fishes

Little King Boggen he built a fine hall. Pye-crust, and pastry-crust, that was the wall; The windows were made of black-puddings and white,

The lion and the unicorn Were fighting for the crown; The lion beat the unicorn

Tom, Tom, the piper's son, Stole a pig, and away he run! The pig was eat, and Tom was beat,

In Arthur's court Tom Thumb[*] did live, A man of mickle might; The best of all the table round,

[The following lines, slightly altered, occur in a little black-letter book by W. Wagner, printed about the year 1561; 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:

Old Mother Goose, when She wanted to wander, Would ride through the air

I'll tell you a story About Jack a Nory, - And now my story's begun:

A dog and a cock, A journey once took, They travell'd along till 'twas late;

[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:

[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;

Old Abram Brown is dead and gone, You'll never see him more; He used to wear a long brown coat,

Little Tom Tittlemouse, Lived in a bell-house; The bell-house broke,

Tommy kept a chandler's shop, Richard went to buy a mop, Tommy gave him such a knock,

When I was a little girl, about seven years old, I hadn't got a petticoat, to cover me from the cold; So I went into Darlington, that pretty little town,

Pemmy was a pretty girl, But Fanny was a better; Pemmy looked like any churl,

[A 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:

Moss was a little man, and a little mare did buy, For kicking and for sprawling none her could come nigh; She could trot, she could amble, and could canter here and there,

[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;

There was a king and he had three daughter, And they all lived in a basin of water; The basin bended,

The man in the moon, Came tumbling down, And ask'd his way to Norwich,

Our saucy boy Dick, Had a nice little stick Cut from a hawthorn tree;

St. Swithin's day, if thou dost rain, For forty days it will remain: St. Swithin's day, if thou be fair,

To make your candles last for a', You wives and maids give ear-o! To put 'em out's the only way,

If wishes were horses, Beggars would ride; If turnips were watches,

[Hours of sleep.] Nature requires five, Custom gives seven!

Three straws on a staff, Would make a baby cry and laugh.

[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;

See a pin and pick it up, All the day you'll have good luck; See a pin and let it lay,

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

When the wind is in the east, 'Tis neither good for man nor beast; When the wind is in the north,

Bounce Buckram, velvet's dear; Christmas comes but once a year.

[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;

[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;

[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.

[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;

[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!

A man of words and not of deeds, Is like a garden full of weeds; For when the weeds begin to grow,

If you sneeze on Monday, you sneeze for danger; Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger; Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a letter;

A pullet in the pen Is worth a hundred in the fen!

He that would thrive Must rise at five; He that hath thriven

[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;

As the days grow longer, The storms grow stronger.

They that wash on Monday Have all the week to dry; They that wash on Tuesday

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

[In Suffolk, children are frequently reminded of the decorum due to the Sabbath by the following lines.] Yeow mussent sing a' Sunday, Becaze it is a sin,

A sunshiny shower, Won't last half an hour.

At the siege of Belle-isle I was there all the while, All the while, all the while,

[The tune to the following may be found in the 'English Dancing Master,' 1631, p. 37.] The rose is red, the grass is green, Serve Queen Bess our noble queen;

Good Queen Bess was a glorious dame, When bonny King Jemmy from Scotland came; We'll pepper their bodies,

[The word tory has changed greatly in its meaning, as it originated in the reign of Elizabeth, and represented a class of "bog-trotters," who were a compound of the knave and the highwayman. For many interesting particulars see Crofton Croker's 'Researches in the South of Ireland,' 4to, 1824, p. 52.] Ho! Master Teague, what is your story? I went to the wood and kill'd a tory;

High diddle ding, Did you hear the bells ring? The parliament soldiers are gone to the king!

One, two, Buckle my shoe; Three, four,

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,

[Tom Thumb's Alphabet.] A was an archer, and shot at a frog, B was a butcher, and had a great dog.

A was an apple-pie; B bit it; C cut it;

A for the ape, that we saw at the fair; B for a blockhead, who ne'er shall go there; C for a collyflower, white as a curd;

Solomon Grundy, Born on a Monday, Christened on Tuesday,

The Story Of Catskin. There once was a gentleman grand, Who lived at his country seat;

[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;

Punch and Judy, Fought for a pie, Punch gave Judy

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,

Please to remember The fifth of November, Gunpowder treason and plot;

[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,

Over the water, and over the lee, And over the water to Charley. Charley loves good ale and wine,

[The following is partly quoted in an old song in a MS. at Oxford, Ashmole, No. 36, fol. 113.] As I was going by Charing Cross, I saw a black man upon a black horse;

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,

Hector Protector was dressed all in green; Hector Protector was sent to the Queen. The Queen did not like him,

[The following is a fragment of a song on the subject, which was introduced by Russell in the character of Jerry Sneak.] Poor old Robinson Crusoe! Poor old Robinson Crusoe!

[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,

[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:

Eighty-eight wor Kirby feight, When nivver a man was slain; They yatt their meaat, an drank ther drink

[A song on King William the Third.] As I walk'd by myself, And talked to myself,

[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.

[The following may possibly allude to King George and the Pretender.] Jim and George were two great lords, They fought all in a churn;

Little General Monk Sat upon a trunk, Eating a crust of bread;

One, two, three, I love coffee, And Billy loves tea.

A, B, C, tumble down D, The cat's in the cupboard and can't see me.

[Finis.] F for fig, J for jig, And N for knuckle bones,

1, 2, 3, 4, 5! I caught a hare alive; 6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

Great A, little a, Bouncing B! The cat's in the cupboard,

Miss one, two, and three could never agree, While they gossiped round a tea-caddy.

One's none; Two's some; Three's a many;

A, B, C, and D, Pray, playmates, agree, E, F, and G,

Hickery, dickery, 6 and 7, Alabone Crackabone 10 and 11, Spin span muskidan;

Apple-pie, pudding, and pancake, All begins with an A.

Of all life's plagues I recommend to no man To hire as a domestic a deaf woman. I've got one who my orders does not hear,

Can the Burbanks of the glorious West Either make or buy or sell An onion with an onion's taste

With due condescension, I'd call your attention To what I shall mention of Erin so green, And without hesitation I will show how that nation

There was a great swell in Japan, Whose name on a Tuesday began; It lasted through Sunday

Little grains of short weight, Little crooked twists, Fill the land with magnates

A dinner, coffee and cigars, Of friends, a half a score. Each favorite vintage in its turn, -

I never see my rector's eyes; He hides their light divine; For when he prays, he shuts his own,

A scrupulous priest of Kildare, Used to pay a rude peasant to swear, Who would paint the air blue,

A father once said to his son, "The next time you make up a pun, Go out in the yard

Clean and dress a wriggle, add a pint of nearly milk, Smother with a pillow any sneeze; Baste with talcum powder and mark upon its back -

To a presence that's much more than queenly, Add a manner that's quite Vere de Vere; You feel like a worm in her sight when she says,

Take a boy with bare feet as a starter Add thrift and sobriety, mixed - Flavor with quarts of religion,

To a cupful of negative goodness Add the pleasure of giving advice. Sift in a peck of dry sermons,

To a quart of boiling temper add a pint of Irish stew Together with cracked nuts, long beats and slugs; Serve hot with mangled citizens who ask the time of day -

To the power that already lies in her hands You add equal rights with the gents; You'll find votes that used to bring two or three plunks,

To fearful and wonderful rolling of "r's," And a voice cold as thirty below, Add a dash of red pepper, some ginger and sass

Stuff a hired dress-suit case with an effort to please, Add a half-dozen stumbles and trips; Remove his right thumb from the cranberry sauce,

Take a personal hatred of authors, Mix this with a fiendish delight In refusing all efforts of genius

Four hundred and twenty-two movements - Emanuel, Swedish and Swiss - It's a wonder the hand can keep playing,

Librettos of all of the operas, Some shears and a bottle of paste, Curry the hits of last season,

To one slice of ham add assortment of roles. Steep the head in mash notes till it swells, Garnish with onions, tomatoes and beets,

A pound and three-quarters of kitten, Three ounces of flounces and sighs; Add wiggles and giggles and gurgles,

For every ill beneath the sun There is some remedy or none; If there be one, resolve to find it;

Said a great Congregational preacher To a hen, "You're a beautiful creature." And the hen, just for that,

There was a young man from Ostend, Who vowed he'd hold out to the end; But when half way over

There was a young fellow named Hall, Who fell in the spring in the fall; 'Twould have been a sad thing

She smiles, my darling smiles, and all The world is filled with light; She laughs - 'tis like the bird's sweet call,

There was a young person called Smarty, Who sent out his cards for a party; So exclusive and few

Here's to the Bachelor, so lonely and gay, For it's not his fault, he was born that way; And here's to the Spinster, so lonely and good;

There once was a lonesome, lorn spinster, And luck had for years been ag'inst her; When a man came to burgle

In the spring the housemaid's fancy Lightly turns from pot and pan To the greater necromancy

I'd rather be a Could Be If I could not be an Are; For a Could Be is a May Be,

Here's to a temperance supper, With water in glasses tall, And coffee and tea to end with

I have felt the thrill of passion in the poet's mystic book And I've lingered in delight to catch the rhythm of the brook; I've felt the ecstasy that comes when prima donnas reach

There was an old fellow named Green, Who grew so abnormally lean, And flat, and compressed,

The Mrs. never misses Any bargain sale, For the female of the species

There was a young woman named Sue, Who wanted to catch the 2:02; Said the trainman, "Don't hurry

It is told, in Buddhi-theosophic schools, There are rules. By observing which, when mundane labor irks

When these things following be done to our intent, Then put women in trust and confident. When nettles in winter bring forth roses red,

There was a young lady named Ruth, Who had a great passion for truth. She said she would die

One morning when Spring was in her teens, A morn to a poet's wishing, All tinted in delicate pinks and greens,

A woman is like to, but stay, What a woman is like, who can say? There is no living with or without one.

"You have heard," said a youth to his sweetheart, who stood While he sat on a corn-sheaf, at daylight's decline, "You have heard of the Danish boy's whistle of wood;

Here's to the ladies, the good, young ladies; But not too good, for the good die young, And we want no dead ones.

Here's to the soldier and his arms, Fall in, men, fall in; Here's to woman and her arms,

Here's to the world, the merry old world, To its days both bright and blue; Here's to our future, be it what it may,