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The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Nursery Rhyme Book, by Unknown

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: The Nursery Rhyme Book

Author: Unknown

Editor: Andrew Lang

Illustrator: L. Leslie Brooke

Release Date: August 6, 2008 [EBook #26197]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NURSERY RHYME BOOK ***

Produced by David Edwards, Emmy and the Online Distributed

Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was
produced from scanned images of public domain material
from the Google Print project.)

[2]

The Nursery
Rhyme Book
[3]
LiĴle Bo-Peep
Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.
At the Ballantyne Press
 O read the old Nursery Rhymes brings back queer lost memories of a manʹs
own childhood. One seems to see the loose floppy picture-books of long ago,
with their boldly coloured pictures. The books were taĴered and worn, and my
first library consisted of a wooden box full of these volumes. And I can remember
being imprisoned for some crime in the closet where the box was, and how my
gaolers found me, happy and impenitent, siĴing on the box, with its contents all
round me, reading.

There was ʺWho Killed Cock Robin?ʺ which I knew by heart before I could
read, and I learned to read (entirely ʺwithout tearsʺ) by picking out the leĴers in
the familiar words. I remember the Lark dressed as a clerk, but what a clerk might
be I did not ask. Other children, who are liĴle now, will read this book, and
remember it well when they have forgoĴen a great deal of history and geography.
We do not know what poets wrote the old Nursery Rhymes, but certainly some of
them were wriĴen down, or even printed, three hundred years ago.
Grandmothers have sung them to their grandchildren, and they again to theirs, for
many centuries. In Scotland an old fellow will take a child on his knee for a ride,
and sing—

ʺThis is the way the ladies ride,

Jimp and smaʹ,—ʺ

a smooth ride, then a rough trot,—

ʺThis is the way the cadgers ride.

Creels and aʹ!ʺ

Such songs are sometimes not printed, but they are never forgoĴen.

About the people mentioned in this book:—We do not exactly know who Old
King Cole was, but King Arthur must have reigned some time about 500 to 600
A.D. As a child grows up, he will, if he is fond of poetry, read thousands of lines
about this Prince, and the Table Round where his Knights dined, and how four
weeping Queens carried him from his last fight to Avalon, a country where the
apple-trees are always in bloom. But the reader will never forget the bag-pudding,
which ʺthe Queen next morning fried.ʺ Her name was Guinevere, and the
historian says that she ʺwas a true lover, and therefore made she a good end.ʺ But
she had a great deal of unhappiness in her life.

I cannot tell what King of France went up the hill with twenty thousand men,
and did nothing when he got there. But I do know who Charley was that ʺloved
good ale and wine,ʺ and also ʺloved good brandy,ʺ and was fond of a preĴy girl, ʺas
sweet as sugar-candy.ʺ This was the banished Prince of Wales, who tried to win
back his fatherʹs kingdom more than a hundred years ago, and gained baĴles, and
took cities, and would have recovered the throne if his officers had followed him.
But he was as unfortunate as he was brave, and when he had no longer a chance,
perhaps he did love good ale and wine rather too dearly. As for the preĴy girls,
they all ran aĞer him, and he could not run away like Georgey Porgey. There is
plenty of poetry about Charley, as well as about King Arthur.

About King Charles the First, ʺupon a black horse,ʺ a child will soon hear at
least as much as he can want, and perhaps his heart ʺwill be ready to burst,ʺ as the
rhyme says, with sorrow for the unhappy King. AĞer he had his head cut off, ʺthe
Parliament soldiers went to the King,ʺ that is, to his son Charles, and crowned him
in his turn, but he was thought a liĴle too gay. Then we come to the King ʺwho had
a daughter fair, and gave the Prince of Orange her.ʺ

There is another rhyme about him:—

ʺO whatʹs the rhyme to porringer?

Ken ye the rhyme to porringer?
King James the Seventh had ae dochter,
And he gave her to an Oranger.

Ken ye how he requited him?

Ken ye how he requited him?
The lad has into England come,
And taʹen the crown in spite oʹ him.

The dog, he shall na keep it lang,

To flinch weʹll make him fain again;
Weʹll hing him hie upon a tree,
And James shall have his ain again.ʺ

The truth is, that the Prince of Orange and the Kingʹs daughter fair (really a
very preĴy lady, with a very ugly husband) were not at all kind to the King, but
turned him out of England. He was the grandfather of Charley who loved good ale
and wine, and who very nearly turned out King Georgey Porgey, a German who
ʺkissed the girls and made them cry,ʺ as the poet likewise says. Georgey was not a
handsome King, and nobody cared much for him; and if any poetry was made
about him, it was very bad stuff, and all the world has forgoĴen it. He had a son
called Fred, who was killed by a cricket-ball—an honourable death. A poem was
made when Fred died:—

ʺHere lies Fred,

Who was alive and is dead.
If it had been his father,
I would much rather;
If it had been his brother,
Still beĴer than another;
If it had been his sister,
No one would have missed her;
If it had been the whole generation,
So much the beĴer for the nation.
But as itʹs only Fred,
 Who was alive and is dead,
Why thereʹs no more to be said.ʺ

This poet seems to have preferred

Charley, who wore a white rose in his
bonnet, and was much handsomer than
Fred.

Another rhyme tells about Jim and

George, and how Jim got George by the
nose. This Jim was Charleyʹs father, and
the George whom he ʺgot by the noseʺ
was Georgey Porgey, the fat German.
Jim was born on June 10; so another
song says—

ʺOf all the days thatʹs in the year,

The Tenth of June to meʹs most dear,
When our White Roses will appear
To welcome Jamie the Rover.ʺ

But, somehow, George really got Jim by the nose, in spite of what the poet says;
for it does not do to believe all the history in song-books.

AĞer these songs there is not much really useful information in the Nursery
Rhymes. Simple Simon was not Simon Fraser of Lovat, who was sometimes on
Jimʹs side, and sometimes on Georgeʹs, till he got his head cut off by King George.
That Simon was not simple.

The Babes in the Wood you may read about here and in longer poems; for
instance, in a book called ʺThe Ingoldsby Legends.ʺ It was their wicked uncle who
lost them in the wood, because he wanted their money. Uncles were exceedingly
bad long ago, and oĞen smothered their nephews in the Tower, or put out their
eyes with red-hot irons. But now uncles are the kindest people in the world, as
every child knows.

About Brian OʹLin there is more than this book says:—

ʺBrian OʹLin had no breeches to wear;

He bought him a sheepskin to make him a pair,
The woolly side out, and the other side in:
ʹItʹs pleasant and cool,ʹ says Brian OʹLin.ʺ

He is also called Tom oʹ the Lin, and seems to have been connected with Young
Tamlane, who was carried away by the Fairy Queen, and brought back to earth by
his true love. LiĴle Jack Horner lived at a place called Mells, in Somerset, in the
time of Henry VIII. The plum he got was an estate which had belonged to the
priests. I find nobody else here about whom history teaches us till we come to Dr.
Faustus. He was not ʺa very good manʺ; that is a mistake, or the poem was wriĴen
by a friend of the Doctorʹs. In reality he was a wizard, and raised up Helen of Troy
from the other world, the most beautiful woman who ever was seen. Dr. Faustus
made an agreement with Bogie, who, aĞer the Doctor had been gay for a long
time, came and carried him off in a flash of fire. You can read about it all in several
books, when you are a good deal older. Dr. Faustus was a German, and the best
play about him is by a German poet.

As to Tom the Piperʹs Son, he was probably the son of a Highlander, for they
were mostly on Charleyʹs side, who was ʺOver the hills and far away.ʺ Another
song says—

ʺThere was a wind, it came to me

Over the south and over the sea,
And it has blown my corn and hay
Over the hills and far away.
But though it leĞ me bare indeed,
And blew my bonnet off my head,
Thereʹs something hid in Highland brae,
It has not blown my sword away.
Then oʹer the hills and over the dales,
Over all England, and throʹ Wales,
The broadsword yet shall bear the sway,
Over the hills and far away!ʺ

Tom piped this tune, and pleased both the girls and boys.

About the two birds that sat on a stone, on the ʺAll-Alone Stone,ʺ you can read
in a book called ʺThe Water-Babies.ʺ

Concerning the Frog that lived in a well, and how he married a Kingʹs daughter
and was changed into a beautiful Prince, there is a fairy tale which an industrious
child ought to read. The frog in the rhyme is not nearly so lucky.

AĞer these rhymes there come a number of riddles, of which the answers are
given. Then there are charms, which people used to think would help in buĴer-
making or would cure diseases. It is not generally thought now that they are of
much use, but there can be no harm in trying. Nobody will be burned now for
saying these charms, like the poor old witches long ago. The Queen Anne
mentioned on page 172 was the sister of the other Princess who married the
Prince of Orange, and she was Charleyʹs aunt. She had seventeen children, and
only one lived to be as old as ten years. He was a nice boy, and had a regiment of
boy-soldiers.

ʺHickory Dickory Dockʺ is a rhyme for counting out a lot of children. The child
on whom the last word falls has to run aĞer the others in the game of ʺTigʺ or
ʺChevy.ʺ There is another of the same kind:—
 ʺOnery
Twoery
Tickery
Tin
Alamacrack
Tenamalin
Pin
Pan
Musky Dan
Tweedleum
Twiddleum
Twenty-one
Black fish
White trout
Eery, Ory
You are out.ʺ

Most of the rhymes in this part of the book are sung in games and dances by
children, and are very preĴy to see and hear. They are very old, too, and in an old
book of travels in England by a Danish gentleman, he gives one which he heard
sung by children when Charles II. was king. They still sing it in the North of
Scotland.

In this collection there are nonsense songs to sing to babies to make them fall
asleep.

Bessy Bell and Mary Gray, on page 207, were two young ladies in Scotland long
ago. The plague came to Perth, where they lived, so they built a bower in a wood,
far off the town. But their lovers came to see them in the bower, and brought the
infection of the plague, and they both died. There is a liĴle churchyard and a
ruined church in Scotland, where the people who died of the plague, more than
two hundred years ago, were buried, and we used to believe that if the ground
was stirred, the plague would fly out again, like a yellow cloud, and kill everybody.

There is a French rhyme like ʺBlue-Eye Beautyʺ—

ʺLes yeux bleus

Vont aux cieux.
Les yeux gris
Vont à Paradis.
Les yeux noirs
Vont à Purgatoire.ʺ

None of the other rhymes seem to be anything but nonsense, and nonsense is a
very good thing in its way, especially with pictures. Any child who likes can get
Mrs. Markhamʹs ʺHistory of England,ʺ and read about the Jims, and Georges, and
Charleys, but I scarcely think that such children are very common. However, the
facts about these famous people are told here shortly, and if there is any more to
be said about Jack and Jill, I am sure I donʹt know what it is, or where the hill they
sat on is to be found in the geography books.

Page
I. Historical 29
II. Literal and Scholastic 41
III. Tales 53
IV. Proverbs 75
V. Songs 85
VI. Riddles and Paradoxes 121
VII. Charms and Lullabies 143
VIII. Gaffers and Gammers 153
IX. Games 167
X. Jingles 189
XI. Love and Matrimony 197
 XII. Natural History 217
XIII. Accumulative Stories 247
XIV. Relics 261
Notes 275
Index of First Lines 279

Page
Frontispiece—LiĴle Bo-Peep 4
Title-Page 5
Heading to Preface 7
Medallion—Frederic. Walliæ Princeps 12
Tailpiece to Preface 19
Heading to Contents 21
Heading to List of Illustrations 23
Title (Historical) 29
Old King Cole 31
Good King Arthur 33
Over the water to Charley 36
Title (Literal and Scholastic) 41
Great A, liĴle a 43
A was an archer 45
When he whipped them he made them dance 48
Mistress Mary, how does your garden grow? 50
Title (Tales) 53
The man in the moon 55
There was a crooked man 57
Simple Simon met a pieman 59
He ran fourteen miles in fiĞeen days 61
The lion and the unicorn 62
His bullets were made of lead 64
Went to sea in a bowl 65
He used to wear a long brown coat 70
Taffy came to my house and stole a piece of beef 72
He caught fishes in other menʹs ditches 73
Title (Proverbs) 75
To put ʹem outʹs the only way 77
When the wind is in the east 80
Then ʹtis at the very best 81
Title (Songs) 85
There I met an old man 87
Says tʹauld man tit oak tree 91
Whenever they heard they began for to dance 95
Even pigs on their hind legs would aĞer him prance 96
So Doll and the cow danced ʺthe Cheshire roundʺ 97
Heʹll sit in a barn 101
Merry are the bells, and merry do they ring 104
He rode till he came to my Lady Mouse hall 107
Tailpiece 110
His mare fell down, and she made her will 115
Three preĴy girls were in them then 118
Title (Riddles and Paradoxes) 121
I went to the wood and got it 123
Arthur OʹBower has broken his band 125
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall 129
Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess 133
If all the world was apple-pie 135
The man in the wilderness asked me 137
Here am I, liĴle jumping Joan 140
Title (Charms and Lullabies) 143
Cushy cow bonny, let down thy milk 145
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper 146
Whereʹs the peck of pickled pepper 147
Hush-a-bye, baby 149
Home again, come again 151
Title (Gaffers and Gammers) 153
There was an old woman lived under a hill 155
She had so many children she didnʹt know what to do 159
He was dancing a jig 165
Title (Games) 167
There were three jovial Welshmen 169
Here comes a candle to light you to bed 174
The Five Pigs 177
Can I get there by candle-light? 183
LiĴle Jackey shall have but a penny a day 185
This is the way the ladies ride 187
This is the way the gentlemen ride 187
This is the way the farmers ride 187
Title (Jingles) 189
Went to bed with his trousers on 191
Hey! diddle, diddle 193
The fly shall marry the humble-bee 195
Title (Love and Matrimony) 197
Jack fell down, and broke his crown 199
A liĴle boy and a liĴle girl lived in an alley 201
Tommy Snooks and Bessy Brooks 203
Jack Sprat could eat no fat 206
Betwixt them both, they lickʹd the plaĴer clean 207
There I met a preĴy miss 209
Here comes a lusty wooer 211
Title (Natural History) 217
I sent him to the shop for a hapʹorth of snuff 219
Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been? 221
Four-and-twenty tailors went to kill a snail 224
There was a piper, heʹd a cow 226
A long-tailʹd pig, or a short-tailʹd pig 229
Dame, what makes your ducks to die? 231
LiĴle Tom Tinkerʹs dog 233
Pussy and I very gently will play 234
Lady bird, lady bird, fly away home 235
I had a liĴle hen, the preĴiest ever seen 237
Higgley Piggley, my black hen 238
Heʹs under the hay-cock fast asleep 241
There I met an old man that would not say his prayers 243
She whipped him, she slashed him 245
Title (Accumulative Stories) 247
This is the house that Jack built 249
The old woman and her pig 255
Title (Relics) 261
Willy boy, Willy boy, where are you going? 263
What are liĴle boys made of? 265
Girls and boys, come out to play 267
Daffy-down-dilly has come up to town 269
Barber, barber, shave a pig 271
Wished to leap over a high gate 273
Heading to Notes 275
Heading to Index of First Lines 279
 LD King Cole
Was a merry old soul,
And a merry old soul was he;
He called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.

Every fiddler, he had a fiddle,

And a very fine fiddle had he;
Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee, went the fiddlers.
Oh, thereʹs none so rare,
As can compare
With King Cole and his fiddlers three!

HEN 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 stuffʹd 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.
 HAD a liĴle nut-tree, nothing would it bear
But a silver nutmeg and a golden pear;
The King of Spainʹs daughter came to visit me,
And all was because of my liĴle nut-tree.
I skippʹd over water, I danced over sea,
And all the birds in the air couldnʹt catch me.

HE King of France, and four thousand men,

They drew their swords, and put them up again.
 HE King of France went up the hill,
With twenty thousand men;
The King of France came down the hill,
And neʹer went up again.

LEASE to remember
The FiĞh of November.
Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.

VER the water, and over the sea,

And over the water to Charley;
Charley loves good ale and wine,
And Charley loves good brandy,
And Charley loves a preĴy girl,
As sweet as sugar-candy.

Over the water, and over the sea,

And over the water to Charley;
Iʹll have none of your nasty beef,
Nor Iʹll have none of your barley;
But Iʹll have some of your very best flour,
To make a white cake for my Charley.
 S 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!

IGH 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.

ECTOR PROTECTOR was dressed all in

green;
Hector Protector was sent to the Queen.
The Queen did not like him,
Nor more did the King;
So Hector Protector was sent back again.

HAT is the rhyme for poringer?

The King he had a daughter fair,
And gave the Prince of Orange her.

S I walked by myself,
And talked to myself,
Myself said unto me,
Look to thyself,
Take care of thyself,
For nobody cares for thee.

I answered myself,
And said to myself,
In the self-same repartee,
Look to thyself,
Or not look to thyself,
The self-same thing will be.

OOR 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!

HERE was a monkey climbed up a tree,

When he fell down, then down fell he.

There was a crow sat on a stone,

When he was gone, then there was none.

There was an old wife did eat an apple,

When she had eat two, she had eat a couple.

There was a horse going to the mill,

When he went on, he stood not still.

There was a butcher cut his thumb,

When it did bleed, then blood did come.

There was a lackey ran a race,

When he ran fast, he ran apace.

There was a cobbler clouting shoon,

When they were mended, they were done.

There was a chandler making candle,

When he them strip, he did them handle.

There was a navy went into Spain,

When it returned, it came again.
 IM and George were two great lords,
They fought all in a churn;
And when that Jim got George by the nose,
Then George began to girn.

ee saw, sack-a-day;
Monmouth is a pretie boy,
Richmond is another,
GraĞon is my onely joy;
And why should I these three destroy,
To please a pious brother![1]
[1] The boys are sons of Charles II. The pious brother is James,
Duke of York.
 REAT A, liĴle a,
Bouncing B!
The catʹs in the cupboard,
And canʹt see me.

IF ifs and ands,

Were pots and pans,
There would be no need for tinkers!

ELL tale, tit!

Your tongue shall be slit,
And all the dogs in the town
Shall have a liĴle bit.

IRCH and green holly, boys,

Birch and green holly.
If you get beaten, boys,
 ʹTwill be your own folly.

OME when youʹre called,

Do what youʹre bid,
Shut the door aĞer you,
Never be chid.

WAS an Archer, and shot at a frog,

B was a Butcher, and had a great dog.
C was a Captain, all covered with lace,
D was a Drunkard, and had a red face.
E was an Esquire, with pride on his brow,
F was a Farmer, and followed the plough.
G was a Gamester, who had but ill luck,
H was a Hunter, and hunted a buck.
I was an Innkeeper, who loved to bouse,
J was a Joiner, and built up a house.
K was King William, once governed this
land,
L was a Lady, who had a white hand.
M was a Miser, and hoarded up gold,
N was a Nobleman, gallant and bold.
O was an Oyster Wench, and went about town,
P was a Parson, and wore a black gown.
Q was a Queen, who was fond of good flip,
R was a Robber, and wanted a whip.
S was a Sailor, and spent all he got,
T was a Tinker, and mended a pot.
U was an Usurer, a miserable elf,
V was a Vintner, who drank all himself.
W was a Watchman, and guarded the door,
X was expensive, and so became poor.
Y was a Youth, that did not love school,
Z was a Zany, a poor harmless fool.

WAS an apple-pie;
B bit it;
C cut it;
D dealt it;
E ate it;
F fought for it;
G got it;
H had it;
J joined it;
K kept it;
L longed for it;
M mourned for it;
N nodded at it;
O opened it;
P peeped in it;
Q quartered it;
R ran for it;
S stole it;
T took it;
V viewed it,
W wanted it;
X, Y, Z, and amperse-and,
All wishʹd for a piece in hand.

AT-A-CAKE, pat-a-cake, bakerʹs 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.

ULTIPLICATION is vexation,
Division is as bad;
The Rule of Three doth puzzle me,
And Practice drives me mad.
 OCTOR FAUSTUS was a good man,
He whipt his scholars now and then;
When he whippʹd them he made them dance,
Out of Scotland into France,
Out of France into Spain,
And then he whippʹd them back again!

DILLER, a dollar,
A ten oʹclock scholar,
What makes you come so soon?
You used to come at ten oʹclock,
But now you come at noon.

HEN V and I together meet,

They make the number Six compleat.
When I with V doth meet once more,
Then ʹtis they Two can make but Four.
And when that V from I is gone,
Alas! poor I can make but One.

HIRTY days hath September,

April, June, and November;
February has twenty-eight alone,
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting leap-year, thatʹs the time
When Februaryʹs days are twenty-nine.

ISTRESS MARY, quite contrary,

How does your garden grow?
With cockle-shells, and silver bells,
And preĴy maids all a row.

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

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

LOVE my love with an A, because heʹs Agreeable.

I hate him because heʹs Avaricious.
He took me to the Sign of the Acorn,
And treated me with Apples.
His nameʹs Andrew,
And he lives at Arlington.

NE, 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;
FiĞeen, sixteen,
Maids a-kissing;
Seventeen, eighteen,
Maid a-waiting;
Nineteen, twenty,
My stomachʹs empty.
THE man in the moon,
Came tumbling down,
And askʹd his way to Norwich,
He went by the south,
And burnt his mouth
With supping cold pease-porridge.

MY dear, do you know,

How a long time ago,
Two poor liĴle children,
Whose names I donʹt know,
Were stolen away on a fine summerʹs day,
And leĞ in a wood, as Iʹve heard people say.

And when it was night,

So sad was their plight,
The sun it went down,
And the moon gave no light.
They sobbed and they sighed, and they biĴerly cried,
And the poor liĴle things, they lay down and died.

And when they were dead,

The Robins so red
Brought strawberry-leaves
And over them spread;
And all the day long
They sung them this song:
ʺPoor babes in the wood! Poor babes in the wood!
And donʹt you remember the babes in the wood?ʺ
 HERE 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 liĴle crooked house.

IMPLE SIMON met a pieman,

Going to the fair;
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
ʺLet me taste your ware.ʺ

Says the pieman to Simple Simon,

ʺShow me first your penny.ʺ
Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
ʺIndeed I have not any.ʺ

Simple Simon went a-fishing

For to catch a whale:
All the water he had got
Was in his motherʹs pail!
 LL tell you a story
About Jack a Nory,—
And now my storyʹs begun:
Iʹll tell you another
About Jack his brother,—
And now my storyʹs done.

SIMPLE SIMON

HERE was a man, and he had nought,

And robbers came to rob him;
He crept up to the chimney-pot,
And then they thought they had him.
But he got down on tʹ other side,
And then they could not find him.
He ran fourteen miles in fiĞeen days,
And never looked behind him.

HE 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.

HERE was a fat man of Bombay,

Who was smoking one sunshiny day,
When a bird, called a snipe,
Flew away with his pipe,
Which vexed the fat man of Bombay.

OM, Tom, the piperʹs son,

Stole a pig, and away he run!
The pig was eat, and Tom was beat,
And Tom went roaring down the street.

RYAN OʹLIN, and his wife, and wifeʹs mother,

They all went over a bridge together;
The bridge was broken, and they all fell in,
The deuce go with all! quoth Bryan OʹLin.

HERE was a liĴle man,

And he had a liĴle gun,
And his bullets were made of
He went to the brook
And saw a liĴle duck,
And he shot it right through the head, head, head.

He carried it home
To his old wife Joan,
And bid her a fire for to make, make, make;
To roast the liĴle duck
He had shot in the brook,
And heʹd go and fetch her the drake, drake, drake.

HREE wise men of Gotham

Went to sea in a bowl:
And if the bowl had been stronger,
My song would have been longer.
 OCTOR FOSTER went to Gloʹster
In a shower of rain;
He stepped in a puddle, up to his middle,
And never went there again.

OBIN the Bobbin, the big-bellied Ben,

He ate more meat than fourscore men;
He ate a cow, he ate a calf,
He ate a butcher and a half;
He ate a church, he ate a steeple,
He ate the priest and all the people!
A cow and a calf,
An ox and a half,
A church and a steeple,
And all the good people,
And yet he complained that his stomach wasnʹt full.

OBIN and Richard were two preĴy men;

They laid in bed till the clock struck ten;
Then up starts Robin and looks at the sky,
Oh! brother Richard, the sunʹs very high:

The bullʹs in the barn threshing the corn,

The cockʹs on the dunghill blowing his horn,
The catʹs at the fire frying of fish,
The dogʹs in the pantry breaking his dish.

LD Mother Goose, when

She wanted to wander,
Would ride through the air
On a very fine gander.

Mother Goose had a house,

ʹTwas 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.

Jackʹs goose and her gander

Grew very fond;
Theyʹd both eat together,
Or swim in one pond.

Jack found one morning,

As I have been told,
His goose had laid him
An egg of pure gold.

Jack rode to his mother

The news for to tell;
She callʹd him a good boy,
And said it was well.

Jack sold his gold egg

To a rogue of a Jew,
Who cheated him out of
The half of his due.

Then Jack went a-courting

A lady so gay,
As fair as the lily,
And sweet as the May.

The Jew and the Squire

Came behind his back,
And began to belabour
The sides of poor Jack.

The old Mother Goose

That instant came in,
And turned her son Jack
Into famed Harlequin.

She then with her wand

Touchʹd the lady so fine,
And turnʹd her at once
Into sweet Columbine.

The gold egg into the sea

Was thrown then,—
When Jack jumpʹd in,
And got the egg back again.

The Jew got the goose,

Which he vowʹd he would kill,
Resolving at once
His pockets to fill.

Jackʹs mother came in,

And caught the goose soon,
And mounting its back,
Flow up to the moon.
 LD Abram Brown is dead and gone,
Youʹll never see him more;
He used to wear a long brown coat,
That buĴonʹd down before.

Y 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 liĴle dears,

A whisper reaches itching ears,
The same will come, youʹll find:
Take my advice, restrain the tongue,
Remember what old nurse has sung
Of busy lady Wind.

UNCH and Judy

Fought for a pie;
Punch gave Judy
A sad blow on the eye.
 AFFY was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief;
Taffy came to my house and stole a piece of beef:
I went to Taffyʹs house, Taffy was not at home;
Taffy came to my house and stole a marrow-bone.

I went to Taffyʹs house, Taffy was not in;

Taffy came to my house and stole a silver pin:
I went to Taffyʹs house, Taffy was in bed,
I took up a poker and flung it at his head.

ITTLE Tommy TiĴlemouse

Lived in a liĴle house;
He caught fishes
In other menʹs ditches.
 ITTLE Jack Horner sat in a corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb, and he pulled out a plum,
And said, ʺWhat a good boy am I!ʺ

OLOMON 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.
 O make your candles last for aʹ,
You wives and maids give ear-o!
To put ʹem outʹs the only way,
Says honest John Boldero.

T. SWITHINʹs day, if thou dost rain,

For forty days it will remain:
St. Swithinʹs day, if thou be fair,
For forty days ʹtwill rain na mair.

F wishes were horses,

Beggars would ride;
If turnips were watches,
I would wear one by my side.

ATURE requires five,

Custom gives seven!
Laziness takes nine,
And Wickedness eleven. [Hours of Sleep.

EE a pin and pick it up,

All the day youʹll have good luck;
See a pin and let it lay,
Bad luck youʹll have all the day!

EEDLES and pins, needles and pins.

When a man marries his trouble begins.

OUNCE buckram, velvetʹs dear;

Christmas comes but once a year.

MAN of words and not of deeds,

Is like a garden full of weeds;
And when the weeds begin to grow,
Itʹs like a garden full of snow;
And when the snow begins to fall,
Itʹs like a bird upon the wall;
And when the bird away does fly,
Itʹs like an eagle in the sky;
And when the sky begins to roar,
Itʹs like a lion at the door;
And when the door begins to crack,
Itʹs like a stick across your back;
And when your back begins to smart,
Itʹs like a penknife in your heart;
And when your heart begins to bleed,
Youʹre dead, and dead, and dead, indeed.
 F you sneeze on Monday, you sneeze for danger;
Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger;
Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a leĴer;
Sneeze on a Thursday, something beĴer;
Sneeze on a Friday, sneeze for sorrow;
Sneeze on a Saturday, see your sweetheart to-morrow.

HEN the wind is in the east,

ʹTis 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 fishesʹ mouth;
When the wind is in the west,
Then ʹtis at the very best.

E 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.

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.
Is not worth a fly.

EOW mussent sing aʹ Sunday,

Becaze it is a sin,
But yeow may sing aʹ Monday
Till Sunday cums agin.

SUNSHINY shower
Wonʹt last half an hour.

OR every evil under the sun,

There is a remedy, or there is none.
If there be one, try and find it;
If there be none, never mind it.

HE art of good drivingʹs a paradox quite,

Though custom has provʹd it so long;
If you go to the leĞ, youʹre sure to go right,
If you go to the right, you go wrong.
 S the days lengthen,
So the storms strengthen.

HE fair maid who, the first of May,

Goes to the fields at break of day,
And washes in dew from the hawthorn tree,
Will ever aĞer handsome be.

RIDAY nightʹs dream,

On the Saturday told,
Is sure to come true,
Be it never so old.

ARLY to bed, and early to rise,

Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

ONDAYʹS bairn is fair of face,

Tuesdayʹs bairn is full of grace,
Wednesdayʹs bairn is full of woe,
Thursdayʹs bairn has far to go,
Fridayʹs bairn is loving and giving,
Saturdayʹs bairn works hard for its living,
But the bairn that is born on the Sabbath day
Is bonny and blithe, and good and gay.

OR want of a nail, the shoe was lost;

For want of the shoe, the horse was lost;
For want of the horse, the rider was lost;
For want of the rider, the baĴle was lost;
For want of the baĴle, the kingdom was lost;
And all from the want of a horseshoe nail.

ARCH winds and April showers

Bring forth May flowers.
 NE misty moisty morning,
When cloudy was the weather,
There I met an old man
Clothed all in leather;
Clothed all in leather,
With cap under his chin,—
How do you do, and how do you do,
And how do you do again!

HE fox and his wife they had a great strife,

They never eat mustard in all their whole life;
They eat their meat without fork or knife,
And loved to be picking a bone, e-ho!

The fox jumped up on a moonlight night;

The stars they were shining, and all things bright;
Oh, ho! said the fox, itʹs a very fine night
For me to go through the town, e-ho!

The fox when he came to yonder stile,

He liĞed his lugs and he listened a while!
Oh, ho! said the fox, itʹs but a short mile
From this unto yonder wee town, e-ho!

The fox when he came to the farmerʹs gate,

Who should he see but the farmerʹs drake;
I love you well for your masterʹs sake,
And long to be picking your bone, e-ho!

The grey goose she ran round the hay-stack,

Oh, ho! said the fox, you are very fat;
Youʹll grease my beard and ride on my back
From this into yonder wee town, e-ho!

Old Gammer Hipple-hopple hopped out of bed,

She opened the casement, and popped out her head;
Oh! husband, oh! husband, the grey goose is dead,
And the fox is gone through the town, oh!

Then the old man got up in his red cap,

And swore he would catch the fox in a trap;
But the fox was too cunning, and gave him the slip,
And ran through the town, the town, oh!

When he got up to the top of the hill,

He blew his trumpet both loud and shrill,
For joy that he was safe
Through the town, oh!

When the fox came back to his den,

He had young ones both nine and ten,
ʺYouʹre welcome home, daddy, you may go again,
If you bring us such nice meat
From the town, oh!ʺ

Y father he died, but I canʹt tell you how;

He leĞ me six horses to drive in my plough:
With my wing wang waddle oh,
Jack sing saddle oh,
Blowsey boys buble oh,
Under the broom.
I sold my six horses and I bought me a cow,
Iʹd fain have made a fortune but did not know how:
With my, &c.

I sold my cow, and I bought me a calf;

Iʹd fain have made a fortune, but lost the best half!
With my, &c.

I sold my calf, and I bought me a cat;

A preĴy 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.

AYS tʹauld man tit oak tree,

Young and lusty was I when I kennʹd thee;
I was young and lusty, I was fair and clear,
Young and lusty was I mony a lang year;
But sair failʹd am I, sair failʹd now,
Sair failʹd am I sen I kennʹd thou.
 OLLY put the keĴle on,
Polly put the keĴle on,
Polly put the keĴle on,
And letʹs drink tea.

Sukey take it off again,

Sukey take it off again,
Sukey take it off again,
Theyʹre all gone away.

ITTLE Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,

And canʹt tell where to find them;
Leave them alone, and theyʹll come home,
And bring their tails behind them.

LiĴle Bo-peep fell fast asleep,

And dreamt she heard them bleating;
But when she awoke, she found it a joke,
For they were still a-fleeting.

Then up she took her liĴle crook,

Determinʹd for to find them;
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For theyʹd leĞ all their tails behind ʹem.

ING a song of sixpence,

A bag full of rye;
Four and twenty blackbirds
Baked in a pie;

When the pie was openʹd,

The birds began to sing;
Was not that a dainty dish,
To set before the king?

The king was in his counting-house

Counting out his money;
The queen was in the parlour
Eating bread and honey;

The maid was in the garden

Hanging out the clothes,
There came a liĴle blackbird,
And snapt off her nose.

OHNNY 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 hereʹs 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?

LSIE MARLEY is grown so fine,

She wonʹt get up to serve the swine,
But lies in bed till eight or nine,
And surely she does take her time.

And do you ken Elsie Marley, honey?

The wife who sells the barley, honey?
She wonʹt get up to serve her swine,
And do you ken Elsie Marley, honey?

OM he was a piperʹs son,

He learnʹd to play when he was young,
But all the tunes that he could play,
Was ʺOver the hills and far away;ʺ

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 pleasʹd both the girls and boys,
And they stoppʹd to hear him play
ʺOver the hills and far away.ʺ

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 aĞer 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 ʺthe Cheshire round,ʺ
Till the pail was broke, and the milk ran on the ground.

He met old Dame Trot with a basket of eggs;

He used his pipe, and she used her legs;
She danced about till the eggs were all broke;
She began for to fret, but he laughed at the joke.

He saw a cross fellow was beating an ass,

Heavy laden with pots, pans, dishes, and glass;
He took out his pipe and played them a tune,
And the jackassʹs load was lightened full soon.

ONDON BRIDGE is broken down,

Dance oʹer my Lady Lee;
London Bridge is broken down,
With a gay lady.

How shall we build it up again?

Dance oʹer my Lady Lee;
How shall we build it up again?
With a gay lady.

Build it up with silver and gold,

Dance oʹer my Lady Lee;
Build it up with silver and gold,
With a gay lady.

Silver and gold will be stole away,

Dance oʹer my Lady Lee;
Silver and gold will be stole away,
With a gay lady.
Build it up with iron and steel,
Dance oʹer my Lady Lee;
Build it up with iron and steel,
With a gay lady.

Iron and steel will bend and bow,

Dance oʹer my Lady Lee;
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
With a gay lady.

Build it up with wood and clay,

Dance oʹer my Lady Lee;
Build it up with wood and clay,
With a gay lady.

Wood and clay will wash away,

Dance oʹer my Lady Lee;
Wood and clay will wash away,
With a gay lady.

Build it up with stone so strong,

Dance oʹer my Lady Lee;
Huzza! ʹtwill last for ages long,
With a gay lady.

love sixpence, preĴy liĴle sixpence,

I love sixpence beĴer than my life;
I spent a penny of it, I spent another,
And took fourpence home to my wife.

Oh, my liĴle fourpence, preĴy liĴle fourpence,

I love fourpence beĴer than my life;
I spent a penny of it, I spent another,
And I took twopence home to my wife.

Oh, my liĴle twopence, my preĴy liĴle twopence,

I love twopence beĴer than my life;
I spent a penny of it, I spent another,
And I took nothing home to my wife.

Oh, my liĴle nothing, my preĴy liĴle nothing,

What will nothing buy for my wife?
I have nothing, I spend nothing,
I love nothing beĴer than my wife.

The north wind doth blow,

And we shall have snow,
And what will poor Robin do then?
Poor thing!

Heʹll sit in a barn,

And to keep himself warm,
Will hide his head under his wing.
Poor thing!

HEʹLL SIT IN A BARN.

CARRION crow sat on an oak,

Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
Watching a tailor shape his cloak;
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.

Wife, bring me my old bent bow,

 Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
That I may shoot yon carrion crow;
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.

The tailor he shot and missed his mark,

Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
And shot his own sow quite through the heart;
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.

Wife, bring brandy in a spoon,

Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
For our old sow is in a swoon;
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.

ERRY are the bells, and merry would they ring;

Merry was myself, and merry could I sing;
With a merry ding-dong, happy, gay, and free,
And a merry sing-song, happy let us be!

Waddle goes your gait, and hollow are your hose;

Noddle goes your pate, and purple is your nose;
Merry is your sing-song, happy, gay, and free,
With a merry ding-dong, happy let us be!
Merry have we met, and merry have we been;
Merry let us part, and merry meet again;
With our merry sing-song, happy, gay, and free,
And a merry ding-dong, happy let us be!

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

Hot-cross Buns!
Hot-cross Buns!
If ye have no daughters,
Give them to your sons.

HREE blind mice, see how they run!

They all ran aĞer the farmerʹs wife,
Who cut off their tails with the carving-knife;
Did you ever see such fools in your life?
Three blind mice.

OU shall have an apple,

You shall have a plum,
You shall have a raĴle-basket,
When your dad comes home.

HERE was a frog livʹd in a well,

KiĴy alone, KiĴy alone;
There was a frog livʹd in a well,
KiĴy alone, and I!

There was a frog livʹd in a well,

 And a farce[1] mouse in a mill;
Cock me cary, KiĴy alone,
KiĴy alone and I.

This frog he would a-wooing ride,

KiĴy alone, &c.;
This frog he would a-wooing ride,
And on a snail he got astride,
Cock me cary, &c.

He rode till he came to my Lady Mouse hall,

KiĴy 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, ʺMiss Mouse, Iʹm come to thee,ʺ

KiĴy alone, &c.;
Quoth he, ʺMiss Mouse, Iʹm come to thee,
To see if thou canst fancy me;ʺ
Cock me cary, &c.

Quoth she, ʺAnswer Iʹll give you none,ʺ

KiĴy alone, &c.;
Quoth she, ʺAnswer Iʹll give you none,
 Until my uncle Rat come home;ʺ
Cock me cary, &c.

And when her uncle Rat came home,

KiĴy alone, &c.;
And when her uncle Rat came home,
ʺWhoʹs been here since Iʹve been gone?ʺ
Cock me cary, &c.

ʺSir, thereʹs been a worthy gentleman,ʺ

KiĴy alone, &c.;
ʺSir, thereʹs been a worthy gentleman,
Thatʹs been here since youʹve been gone;ʺ
Cock me cary, &c.

The frog he came whistling through the brook,

KiĴy 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 swallowʹd him up with a pluck,

KiĴy alone, KiĴy alone;
This duck she swallowʹd him up with a pluck,
So thereʹs an end of my history book.
Cock me cary, KiĴy alone,
KiĴy alone and I.
[1] Merry.

HERE 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 aĞer, and then there was none,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
And so the poor stone was leĞ all alone,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de!

HERE are you going, my preĴy maid?ʺ

ʺIʹm going a-milking, sir,ʺ she said.
ʺMay I go with you, my preĴy maid?ʺ
ʺYouʹre kindly welcome, sir,ʺ she said.
ʺWhat is your father, my preĴy maid?ʺ
ʺMy fatherʹs a farmer, sir,ʺ she said.

ʺSay, will you marry me, my preĴy maid?ʺ

ʺYes, if you please, kind sir,ʺ she said.
ʺWhat is your fortune, my preĴy maid?ʺ
ʺMy face is my fortune, sir,ʺ she said.
ʺThen I canʹt marry you, my preĴy maid!ʺ
ʺNobody asked you, sir,ʺ she said.

HERE was a jolly miller

Lived on the river Dee:
He worked and sung from morn till night,
No lark so blithe as he;
And this the burden of his song
For ever used to be—
I jump mejerrime jee!
I care for nobody—no! not I,
Since nobody cares for me.

F Iʹd 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 Iʹd 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.

Y maid Mary
She minds her dairy,
While I go a-hoeing and mowing each morn.

Merrily run the reel

And the liĴle spinning-wheel
Whilst I am singing and mowing my corn.

P at Piccadilly oh!
The coachman takes his stand,
And when he meets a preĴy girl,
He takes her by the hand.
Whip away for ever oh!
Drive away so clever oh!
All the way to Bristol oh!
He drives her four-in-hand.

ACKY, come give me thy fiddle,

If ever thou mean to thrive:ʺ
ʺNay; Iʹll not give my fiddle
To any man alive.

ʺIf I should give my fiddle,

Theyʹll think that Iʹm gone mad,
For many a joyful day
My fiddle and I have had.ʺ

LL sing you a song,

Though not very long,
 Yet I think it as preĴy as any.
Put your hand in your purse,
Youʹll never be worse,
And give the poor singer a penny.

ITTLE Polly Flinders

Sat among the cinders,
Warming her preĴy liĴle toes.
Her mother came and caught her,
And whipped her liĴle daughter
For spoiling her nice new clothes.

OHN COOK had a liĴle grey mare; he, haw, hum!

Her back stood up, and her bones they were bare; he,
haw, hum!

John Cook was riding up Shuterʹs bank; he, haw, hum!

And there his nag did kick and prank; he, haw, hum!

John Cook was riding up Shuterʹs 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!

IDE away, ride away, Johnny shall ride,

And he shall have pussy-cat tied to one side,
And he shall have liĴle dog tied to the other,
And Johnny shall ride to see his grandmother.

HE Queen of Hearts,
She made some tarts,
All on a summerʹs day;
The Knave of Hearts,
He stole those tarts,
And took them clean away.

The King of Hearts

Called for the tarts,
And beat the Knave full sore;
The Knave of Hearts
Brought back the tarts,
And vowed heʹd steal no more.

HERE was a liĴle woman, as Iʹve been told,

Who was not very young, nor yet very old;
Now this liĴle woman her living got,
By selling codlins, hot, hot, hot.

AME, get up and bake your pies,

Bake your pies, bake your pies;
Dame, get up and bake your pies
On Christmas Day in the morning.

Dame, what makes your maidens lie,

Maidens lie, maidens lie;
Dame, what makes your maidens lie
On Christmas Day in the morning?

Dame, what makes your ducks to die,

Ducks to die, ducks to die;
Dame, what makes your ducks to die
On Christmas Day in the morning?

Their wings are cut and they cannot fly,

Cannot fly, cannot fly;
Their wings are cut and they cannot fly
On Christmas Day in the morning.

OLD and raw the north wind doth blow,

Bleak in a morning early;
All the hills are covered with snow,
And winterʹs now come fairly.
 saw three ships come sailing by,
Come sailing by, come sailing by;
I saw three ships come sailing by,
On New Yearʹs Day in the morning.

And what do you think was in them then,

Was in them then, was in them then?
And what do you think was in them then,
On New Yearʹs Day in the morning?

Three preĴy girls were in them then,

Were in them then, were in them then;
Three preĴy girls were in them then,
On New Yearʹs Day in the morning.

And one could whistle, and one could sing,

And one could play on the violin—
Such joy there was at my wedding,
On New Yearʹs day in the morning.
 EE Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs in his nightgown,
Rapping at the window, crying through the lock,
ʺAre the children in their beds, for now itʹs eight oʹclock?ʺ

HEN LiĴle Fred was called to bed,

He always acted right;
He kissed Mamma, and then Papa,
And wished them all good night.

He made no noise, like naughty boys,

But gently upstairs
Directly went, when he was sent,
And always said his prayers.
 WENT to the wood and got it;
I sat me down and looked at it;
The more I looked at it the less I liked it;
And I brought it home because I couldnʹt help it.
[A thorn.

ICK-A-MORE, Hack-a-more,
On the kingʹs kitchen door;
All the kingʹs horses,
And all the kingʹs men,
Couldnʹt drive Hick-a-more, Hack-a-more,
Off the kingʹs kitchen door!
[Sunshine.

S soĞ as silk, as white as milk,

As biĴer as gall, a thick wall,
And a green coat covers me all.
[A walnut.
 ONG legs, crooked thighs,
LiĴle head, and no eyes.
[Pair of tongs.

RTHUR OʹBOWER has broken his band,

He comes roaring up the land;—
The King of Scots, with all his power,
Cannot turn Arthur of the Bower!
[A storm of wind.
ARTHUR OʹBOWER HAS BROKEN HIS BAND

HERE was a king met a king

In a narrow lane;
Says this king to that king,
ʺWhere have you been?ʺ

ʺOh! Iʹve been a hunting

With my dog and my doe.ʺ
ʺPray lend him to me,
That I may do so.ʺ

ʺThereʹs the dog take the dog.ʺ

ʺWhatʹs the dogʹs name?ʺ
ʺIʹve told you already.ʺ
 ʺPray tell me again.ʺ

N marble walls as white as milk,

Lined with a skin as soĞ as silk;
Within a fountain crystal clear,
A golden apple doth appear.
No doors there are to this stronghold.
Yet things break in and steal the gold.
[An egg.

LOUR of England, fruit of Spain,

Met together in a shower of rain;
Put in a bag tied round with a string,
If youʹll tell me this riddle, Iʹll give you a ring.
[A plum-pudding.

HAVE a liĴle sister, they call her Peep, Peep;

She wades the waters deep, deep, deep;
She climbs the mountains high, high, high;
Poor liĴle creature she has but one eye.
[A star.

HIGGLEDY piggledy
Here we lie,
Pickʹd and pluckʹd,
And put in a pie.
My first is snapping, snarling, growling,
My secondʹs industrious, romping, and prowling.
Higgledy piggledy
Here we lie,
Pickʹd and pluckʹd,
And put in a pie. [Currants.
 UMPTY DUMPTY sate on a wall;
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
Three score men and three score more
Cannot place Humpty Dumpty as he was before.
[An egg.

HIRTY white horses upon a red hill,

Now they tramp, now they champ, now they stand
still.
[Teeth and gums.

HOMAS A TATTAMUS took two Tʹs,

To tie two tups to two tall trees,
To frighten the terrible Thomas a TaĴamus!
Tell me how many Tʹs there are in all THAT .

LD mother TwitcheĴ had but one eye,

And a long tail which she let fly;
And every time she went over a gap,
She leĞ a bit of her tail in a trap.
[A needle and thread.

ITTLE Nancy EĴicoat

In a white peĴicoat,
And a red rose.
The longer she stands
The shorter she grows.
[A candle.

LACK we are but much admired;

Men seek for us till they are tired.
We tire the horse, but comfort man;
Tell me this riddle if you can.
[Coals.

HERE were three sisters in a hall;

There came a knight amongst them all:
Good morrow, aunt, to the one;
Good morrow, aunt, to the other;
Good morrow, gentlewoman, to the third;
If you were my aunt,
As the other two be,
I would say good morrow,
Then, aunts, all three.

ORMED long ago, yet made to-day,

Employed while others sleep;
What few would like to give away,
Nor any wish to keep.
[A Bed.
 S I was going to St. Ives,
I met a man with seven wives;
Every wife had seven sacks,
Every sack had seven cats,
Every cat had seven kits:
Kits, cats, sacks, and wives.
How many were there going to St. Ives?

S I went through the garden gap,

Who should I meet but Dick Red-cap!
A stick in his hand, a stone in his throat,
If youʹll tell me this riddle, Iʹll give you a groat.
[A cherry.

S I was going oʹer Westminster bridge,

I met with a Westminster scholar;
He pulled off his cap, anʹ drew off his glove,
And wished me a very good morrow.
What is his name?

WO 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 aĞer four legs,
And makes him bring back one leg.
[One leg is a leg of muĴon; two legs, a man; three legs, a
stool; four legs, a dog.
 LIZABETH, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess,
They all went together to seek a
birdʹs nest.
They found a birdʹs nest with five eggs in,
They all took one, and leĞ four in.

HERE was a man of Thessaly,

And he was wondʹrous wise;
He jumpʹd into a quickset hedge,
And scratchʹd out both his eyes.
But when he saw his eyes were out,
With all his might and main
He jumpʹd into another hedge,
And scratchʹd ʹem in again.

WOULD if I couʹd,
If I couʹdnʹt, how couʹd I?
I couʹdnʹt, without I couʹd, couʹd I?
Couʹd you, without you couʹd, couʹd ye?
Couʹd ye, couʹd ye?
Couʹd you, without you couʹd, couʹd ye?

HREE children sliding on the ice

Upon a summerʹs day,
As it fell out, they all fell in,
 The rest they ran away.

Now had these children been at home,

Or sliding on dry ground,
Ten thousand pounds to one penny
They had not all been drownʹd.

You parents all that children have,

And you that have got none,
If you would have them safe abroad,
Pray keep them safe at home.

F all the world was apple-pie,

And all the sea was ink,
And all the trees were bread and cheese,
What should we have for drink?

ETER WHITE will neʹer go right.

Would you know the reason why?
He follows his nose whereʹer he goes,
 And that stands all awry.

HERE was a liĴle Guinea-pig,

Who, being liĴle, was not big;
He always walked upon his feet,
And never fasted when he eat.

When from a place he ran away,

He never at that place did stay;
And while he ran, as I am told,
He neʹer stood still for young or old.

He oĞen squeakʹd and sometimes viʹlent,

And when he squeakʹd he neʹer was silent;
Though neʹer instructed by a cat,
He knew a mouse was not a rat.

One day, as I am certified,

He took a whim and fairly died;
And, as Iʹm told by men of sense,
He never has been living since.
 HE man in the wilderness asked me
How many strawberries grew in the sea.
I answered him as I thought good,
As many as red herrings grew in the wood.

Y true love lives far from me,

Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.
Many a rich present he sends to me,
Petrum, Partrum, Paradise, Temporie,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

He sent me a goose without a bone;

He sent me a cherry without a stone.
Petrum, &c.

He sent me a Bible no man could read;

He sent me a blanket without a thread.
Petrum, &c.

How could there be a goose without a bone?

How could there be a cherry without a stone?
Petrum, &c.
How could there be a Bible no man could read?
How could there be a blanket without a thread?
Petrum, &c.

When the goose is in the egg-shell, there is no bone;

When the cherry is in the blossom, there is no stone.
Petrum, &c.

When the Bible is in the press no man it can read;

When the wool is on the sheepʹs back, there is no thread.
Petrum, &c.

SAW a ship a-sailing,

A-sailing on the sea;
And, oh! it was all laden
With preĴy things for thee!

There were comfits in the cabin,

And apples in the hold
The sails were made of silk,
And the masts were made of gold.

The four-and-twenty sailors

That stood between the decks,
Were four-and-twenty white mice
With chains about their necks.

The captain was a duck,

With a packet on his back;
And when the ship began to move,
The captain said, ʺQuack! quack!ʺ
 ERE am I, liĴle jumping Joan.
When nobodyʹs with me,
Iʹm always alone.

THAT I was where I would be,

Then would I be where I am not!
But where I am there I must be,
And where I would be I cannot.

OBACCO reek! tobacco reek!

When youʹre well, ʹtwill make you sick.
Tobacco reek! tobacco reek!
ʹTwill make you well when you are sick.

HERE was an old woman, and what do you think?

She lived upon nothing but victuals and drink:
Victuals and drink were the chief of her diet;
 This tiresome old woman could never be quiet.

[Mind your punctuation.]

SAW a peacock with a fiery tail,
I saw a blazing comet drop down hail,
I saw a cloud wrapped with ivy round,
I saw an oak creep upon the ground,
I saw a pismire swallow up a whale,
I saw the sea brimful of ale,
I saw a Venice glass full fiĞeen feet deep,
I saw a well full of menʹs tears that weep,
I saw red eyes all of a flaming fire,
I saw a house bigger than the moon and higher,
I saw the sun at twelve oʹclock at night,
I saw the man that saw this wondrous sight.

HERE was a man and he was mad,

And he jumpʹd into a pea-swad;[1]
The pea-swad was over-full,
So he jumpʹd into a roaring bull;
The roaring bull was over-fat,
So he jumpʹd into a gentlemanʹs hat;
The gentlemanʹs hat was over-fine,
So he jumpʹd into a boĴle of wine;
The boĴle of wine was over-dear,
So he jumpʹd into a boĴle of beer;
The boĴle of beer was over-thick,
So he jumpʹd into a club-stick;
The club-stick was over-narrow,
So he jumpʹd into a wheel-barrow;
The wheel-barrow began to crack,
So he jumpʹd on to a hay-stack;
The hay-stack began to blaze,
So he did nothing but cough and sneeze!
[1] The pod or shell of a pea.
 USHY cow bonny, let down thy milk,
And I will give thee a gown of silk;
A gown of silk and a silver tee,
If thou wilt let down thy milk to me.
If you love me, pop and fly;
If you hate me, lie and die.
[Said to pips placed in the fire; a species of divination
practised by children.

ETER PIPER picked a peck of pickled pepper;

A peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked;

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper,

Whereʹs the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked?

ATTHEW, Mark, Luke, and John,

Guard the bed that I lay on!
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels round my head;
One to watch, one to pray,
And two to bear my soul away!

OME, buĴer, come,

Come, buĴer, come!
Peter stands at the gate,
Waiting for a buĴerʹd cake;
Come, buĴer, come!
 YE, baby bunting,
Daddyʹs gone a hunting,
To get a liĴle hareʹs skin
To wrap a baby bunting in.

USHY baby, my doll, I pray you donʹt cry,

And Iʹll give you some bread and some milk
by-and-by;
Or perhaps you like custard, or maybe a tart,—
Then to either youʹre welcome, with all my whole heart.

ANCE to your daddy,

My liĴle babby;
Dance to your daddy,
My liĴle lamb.

You shall have a fishy,

In a liĴle dishy;
You shall have a fishy
When the boat comes in.
 USH-A-BYE, baby, on the tree top;
When the wind blows, the cradle will rock;
When the bough bends, the cradle will fall;
Down will come baby, bough, cradle, and all.

ABBIT, rabbit, rabbit-pie!

Come, my ladies, come and buy,
Else your babies they will cry.

EY, my kiĴen, my kiĴen,

And hey, my kiĴen, my deary!
Such a sweet pet as this
Was neither far nor neary.

Here we go up, up, up,

And here we go down, down, downy;
And here we go backwards and forwards,
And here we go round, round, roundy.
 YOUNG lambs to sell!
Young lambs to sell!
If Iʹd as much money as I can tell,
I never would cry, Young lambs to sell!

ock-a-bye, baby, thy cradle is green;

Fatherʹs a nobleman, motherʹs a queen;
And BeĴyʹs a lady, and wears a gold ring;
And Johnnyʹs a drummer, and drums for the king.

o market, to market,
To buy a plum bun;
Home again, come again,
Market is done.
 ickup, hickup, go away!
Come again another day;
Hickup, hickup, when I bake,
Iʹll give to you a buĴer-cake.

ickup, snicup,
Rise up, right up,
Three drops in the cup
Are good for the hiccup.

wan swam over the sea—

Swim, swan, swim,
Swan swam back again,
Well swam swan.
 HERE was an old woman
Lived under a hill,
And if sheʹs not gone
She lives there still.

HERE was an old woman, as Iʹve heard tell,

She went to market her eggs for to sell;
She went to market all on a market-day,
And she fell asleep on the kingʹs highway.

There came by a pedlar whose name was Stout;

He cut her peĴicoats all round about;
He cut her peĴicoats up to the knees,
Which made the old woman to shiver and freeze.

When this liĴle woman first did wake,

She began to shiver and she began to shake;
She began to wonder and she began to cry,
ʺOh! deary, deary me, this is none of I!

ʺBut if it be I, as I do hope it be,

Iʹve a liĴle dog at home, and heʹll know me;
If it be I, heʹll wag his liĴle tail,
And if it be not I, heʹll loudly bark and wail.ʺ
Home went the liĴle woman all in the dark;
Up got the liĴle dog, and he began to bark;
He began to bark, so she began to cry,
ʺOh! deary, deary me, this is none of I!ʺ

LD woman, old woman, shall we go a shearing?ʺ

ʺSpeak a liĴle louder, sir, I am very thick of
hearing.ʺ
ʺOld woman, old woman, shall I love you dearly?ʺ
ʺThank you, kind sir, I hear you very clearly.ʺ

HERE was an old woman tossʹd up in a basket

Nineteen times as high as the moon;
Where she was going I couldnʹt but ask it,
For in her hand she carried a broom.

ʺOld woman, old woman, old woman,ʺ quoth I,

ʺO whither, O whither, O whither, so high?ʺ
ʺTo brush the cobwebs off the sky!ʺ
ʺShall I go with thee?ʺ ʺAy, by-and-by.ʺ

LITTLE old man and I fell out;

ʺHow shall we bring this maĴer about?ʺ
ʺBring it about as well as you can;
Get you gone, you liĴle old man!ʺ

HERE was an old woman of Leeds

Who spent all her time in good deeds;
She worked for the poor
Till her fingers were sore,
This pious old woman of Leeds!
 HERE was an old woman
Lived under a hill;
She put a mouse in a bag,
And sent it to mill.

The miller declarʹd

By the point of his knife,
He never took toll
Of a mouse in his life.

HERE was an old woman who lived in a shoe;

She had so many children she didnʹt know what to
do;
She gave them some broth without any bread;
She whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.
SHE HAD SO MANY CHILDREN SHE DIDNʹT
KNOW WHAT TO DO

HERE was an old woman had three sons,

Jerry, and James, and John:
Jerry was hung, James was drowned,
John was lost and never was found,
And there was an end of the three sons,
Jerry, and James, and John!
 HERE was an old man of Tobago,
Who lived on rice, gruel, and sago,
Till, much to his bliss,
His physician said this—
ʺTo a leg, sir, of muĴon you may go.ʺ

HERE was an old woman of Norwich,

Who lived upon nothing but porridge;
Parading the town,
She turned cloak into gown,
This thriĞy old woman of Norwich.

HERE was an old woman called Nothing-at-all,

Who rejoiced in a dwelling exceedingly small;
A man stretched his mouth to its utmost extent,
And down at one gulp house and old woman went.

HERE was an old man,

And he had a calf,
And thatʹs half;
He took him out of the stall,
And put him on the wall;
And thatʹs all.

OLD BeĴy Blue

Lost a holiday shoe,
What can old BeĴy do?
Give her another
To match the other,
And then she may swagger in two.
 LD Mother Hubbard
Went to the cupboard
To get her poor dog a bone;
But when she came there
The cupboard was bare,
And so the poor dog had none.

She went to the bakerʹs

To buy him some bread,
But when she came back
The poor dog was dead.

She went to the joinerʹs

To buy him a coffin,
But when she came back
The poor dog was laughing.

She took a clean dish

To get him some tripe,
But when she came back
He was smoking his pipe.

She went to the fishmongerʹs

To buy him some fish,
And when she came back
He was licking the dish.

She went to the ale-house

To get him some beer,
But when she came back
The dog sat in a chair.

She went to the tavern

For white wine and red,
But when she came back
The dog stood on his head.

She went to the haĴerʹs

To buy him a hat,
But when she came back
He was feeding the cat.

She went to the barberʹs

To buy him a wig,
But when she came back
He was dancing a jig.

She went to the fruitererʹs

To buy him some fruit,
But when she came back
He was playing the flute.

She went to the tailorʹs

To buy him a coat,
But when she came back
He was riding a goat.

She went to the cobblerʹs

To buy him some shoes,
But when she came back
He was reading the news.

She went to the sempstress

To buy him some linen,
But when she came back
The dog was spinning.

She went to the hosierʹs

To buy him some hose,
But when she came back
He was dressʹd in his clothes.

The dame made a curtsey,

The dog made a bow;
The dame said, ʺYour servant,ʺ
The dog said, ʺBow, wow.ʺ

HERE were three jovial Welshmen,

As I have heard them say,
And they would go a-hunting
 Upon St. Davidʹs day.

All the day they hunted,

And nothing could they find
But a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing with the wind.

One said it was a ship;

The other he said nay;
The third said it was a house,
With the chimney blown away.

And all the night they hunted,

And nothing could they find
But the moon a-gliding,
A-gliding with the wind.

One said it was the moon;

The other he said nay;
The third said it was a cheese,
And half oʹt cut away.

And all the day they hunted,

And nothing could they find
But a hedgehog in a bramble-bush,
And that they leĞ behind.

The first said it was a hedgehog;

The second he said nay;
The third it was a pin-cushion,
And the pins stuck in wrong way.

And all the night they hunted,

And nothing could they find
But a hare in a turnip field,
And that they leĞ behind.

The first said it was a hare;

The second he said nay;
The third said it was a calf,
And the cow had run away.

And all the day they hunted,

And nothing could they find
But an owl in a holly-tree,
 And that they leĞ behind.

One said it was an owl;

The other he said nay;
The third said ʹtwas an old man,
And his beard growing grey.

ACK, be nimble,
And, Jack, be quick;
And, Jack, jump over
The candlestick.

UEEN ANNE, Queen Anne, you sit in the sun,

As fair as a lily, as white as a wand.
I send you three leĴers, and pray read one;
You must read one, if you canʹt read all;
So pray, Miss or Master, throw up the ball.

[Children hunting bats.]

AT, bat (clap hands),
Come under my hat,
And Iʹll give you a slice of bacon;
And when I bake,
Iʹll give you a cake,
If I am not mistaken.

[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.]

AY go up and gay go down,

 To ring the bells of London town.

Bullʹs eyes and targets,

Say the bells of St. Margʹretʹs.

Brickbats and tiles,

Say the bells of St. Gilesʹ.

Halfpence and farthings,

Say the bells of St. Martinʹs.

Oranges and lemons,

Say the bells of St. Clementʹs.

Pancakes and friĴers,

Say the bells of St. Peterʹs.

Two sticks and an apple,

Say the bells at Whitechapel.

Old Father Baldpate,

Say the slow bells at Aldgate.

You owe me ten shillings,

Say the bells at St. Helenʹs.

Pokers and tongs,

Say the bells at St. Johnʹs.

KeĴles and pans,

Say the bells at St. Annʹs.

When will you pay me?

Say the bells at Old Bailey.

When I grow rich,

Say the bells at Shoreditch.

Pray when will that be?

Say the bells of Stepney.

I am sure I donʹt know,

Says the great bell at Bow.

Here comes a candle to light you to bed,

 And here comes a chopper to chop off your head.

[Game on a childʹs features.]

ERE sits the Lord
[Forehead.
Mayor;
[Eyes.
Here sit his two men;
[Right cheek.
Here sits the cock;
[LeĞ cheek.
Here sits the hen;
[Tip of nose.
Here sit the liĴle chickens;
[Mouth.
Here they run in,
Chinchopper, chinchopper,
[Chuck the chin.
Chinchopper, chin!

ANCE, Thumbkin, dance; [Keep the thumb in motion.

Dance, ye merrymen, every [All the fingers in motion.
one; [The thumb only moving.
For Thumbkin, he can dance alone, [DiĴo.
Thumbkin, he can dance alone; [The first finger moving.
Dance, Foreman, dance, [The whole moving.
Dance, ye merrymen, every one;
But, Foreman, he can dance alone,
Foreman, he can dance alone.

[And so on with the others, naming the second finger ʺLongman,ʺ the third finger ʺRingman,ʺ and
the fourth finger ʺLiĴleman.ʺ LiĴleman cannot dance alone.]
 [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 ʺHide and Seek,ʺ or any other game where a victim is required.]

ICKORY (1), Dickory (2), Dock (3),

The mouse ran up the clock (4);
The clock struck one (5);
The mouse was gone (6);
O(7), u(8), t(9), spells OUT !

[A game at ball.]
UCKOO, cherry-tree,
Catch a bird, and give it to me;
Let the tree be high or low,
Let it hail, rain, or snow.

[A song set to five fingers.]

1. THIS pig went to market;

2. This pig stayed at home;
3. This pig had a bit of meat,
4. And this pig had none;
5. This pig said, ʺWee, wee, wee!
I canʹt find my way home.ʺ
 THE FIVE PIGS

[A play with the face. The child exclaims:]

ING the
[Giving a lock of its hair a pull.
bell!
[Tapping its forehead.
Knock at the door!
[Pulling up its nose.
Draw the latch!
[Opening its mouth and puĴing in its finger.
And walk in!

[Game with the hands.]

EASE-PUDDING hot,
Pease-pudding cold,
Pease-pudding in the pot,
 Nine days old.
Some like it hot,
Some like it cold,
Some like it in the pot,
Nine days old.

S John Smith within?ʺ—

ʺYes, that he is.ʺ
ʺCan he set a shoe?ʺ—
ʺAy, marry, two,
Here a nail, there a nail,
Tick, tack, too.ʺ

1. I WENT up one pair of stairs.

2. Just like me.
1. I went up two pair of stairs.
2. Just like me.
1. I went into a room.
2. Just like me.
1. I looked out of a window.
2. Just like me.
1. And there I saw a monkey.
2. Just like me.

1. I AM a gold lock.
2. I am a gold key.
1. I am a silver lock.
2. I am a silver key.
1. I am a brass lock.
2. I am a brass key.
1. I am a lead lock.
2. I am a lead key.
1. I am a monk lock.
2. I am a monk key!
 Suitors.
E are three brethren out of Spain,
Come to court your daughter Jane.
Mother.
My daughter Jane she is too young,
And has not learned her mother-tongue.
Suitors.
Be she young, or be she old,
For her beauty she must be sold.
So fare you well, my lady gay,
Weʹll call again another day.
Mother.
Turn back, turn back, thou scornful knight,
And rub thy spurs till they be bright.
Suitors.
Of my spurs take you no thought,
For in this town they were not bought;
So fare you well, my lady gay,
Weʹll call again another day.
Mother.
Turn back, turn back, thou scornful knight,
And take the fairest in your sight.
Suitor.
The fairest maid that I can see,
Is preĴy Nancy—come to me.

Here comes your daughter safe and sound,

Every pocket with a thousand pound,
Every finger with a gay gold ring.
Please to take your daughter in.

IDE a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,

To buy liĴle Johnny a galloping-horse;
It trots behind, and it ambles before,
And Johnny shall ride till he can ride no more.

IDE a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,

 To see what Tommy can buy;
A penny white loaf, a penny white cake,
And a twopenny apple-pie.

[The following is a game played thus: A string of boys and girls, each holding by his predecessorʹs
skirts, approaches two others, who with joined and elevated hands form a double arch. AĞer the
dialogue, the line passes through, and the last is caught by a sudden lowering of the arms—if possible.]

OW many miles is it to Babylon?ʺ—

ʺThreescore miles and ten.ʺ
ʺCan I get there by candle-light?ʺ—
ʺYes, and back again!
If your heels are nimble and light,
You may get there by candle-light.ʺ

IDE a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,

To see an old lady upon a white horse;
Rings on her fingers, and bells on her toes,
And so she makes music wherever she goes.

[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 ladyʹs daughter.
My fatherʹs a king, and my motherʹs a queen;
My two liĴle sisters are dressʹd in green,
Stamping grass and parsley,
Marigold leaves and daisies.

One rush, two rush,

Pray thee, fine lady, come under my bush.

[A passes by under the arch, followed by the whole string of children, the last of whom is taken
captive by B and C. The verses are repeated, until all are taken.]

EE-SAW sacradown,
Which is the way to London town?
One foot up and the other down,
And that is the way to London town.

EE, saw, Margery Daw

Sold her bed and lay upon straw.
Was not she a dirty slut,
To sell her bed and lie in the dirt!

EE, saw, Margery Daw,

 LiĴle Jackey shall have a new master;
LiĴle Jackey shall have but a penny a day,
Because he canʹt work any faster.

[The following is used by schoolboys, when two are starting to run a race.]
NE to make ready,
And two to prepare;
Good luck to the rider,
And away goes the mare.

[A game on the slate.]

GGS, buĴer, bread,
Stick, stock, stone dead!
Stick him up, stick him down,
Stick him in the old manʹs crown!

HO goes round my house this night?

None but bloody Tom!
Who steals all the sheep at night?
None but this poor one.

HOOP, whoop, and hollow,

Good dogs wonʹt follow,
Without the hare cries ʺPee-wit.ʺ
 HIS is the way the ladies ride:
Tri, tre, tre, tree,
Tri, tre, tre, tree!
This is the way the ladies ride:
Tri, tre, tre, tre, tri-tre-tre-tree!

This is the way the

gentlemen ride:
Gallop-a-trot,
Gallop-a-trot!
This is the way the
gentlemen ride:
Gallop-a-gallop-
a-trot!

This is the
way the farmers ride:
Hobbledy-hoy,
Hobbledy-hoy!
This is the way the farmers ride:
Hobbledy hobbledy-hoy!

ERE stands a post.

ʺWho put it there?ʺ
ʺA beĴer man than you:
Touch it if you dare!ʺ

HERE were two blackbirds

SiĴing on a hill,
The one namʹd Jack,
The other namʹd Jill.
Fly away Jack!
Fly away Jill!
Come again Jack!
Come again Jill!
 EEDLE, deedle, dumpling, my son John
Went to bed with his trousers on;
One shoe off, the other shoe on,
Deedle, deedle, dumpling, my son John.
 OCK-a-doodle-doo!
My dame has lost her shoe;
My masterʹs lost his fiddling-stick,
And donʹt know what to do.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!
What is my dame to do?
Till master finds his fiddling-stick,
Sheʹll dance without her shoe.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!
My dame has lost her shoe,
And masterʹs found his fiddling-stick;
Sing doodle-doodle-doo!

Cock-a-doodle-doo!
My dame will dance with you,
While master fiddles his fiddling-stick,
For dame and doodle-doo.

Cock-a-doodle-doo!
Dame has lost her shoe;
Gone to bed and scratchʹd her head,
And canʹt tell what to do.
 EY! diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The liĴle dog laughʹd
To see the sport,
While the dish ran aĞer the spoon.

USSICAT, wussicat, with a white foot,

When is your wedding? for Iʹll come to ʹt.
The beerʹs to brew, the breadʹs to bake,
Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, donʹt be too late.

ING, dong, bell,

Pussyʹs in the well!
Who put her in?—
LiĴle Tommy Lin.
Who pulled her out?—
Dog with long snout.
What a naughty boy was that
To drown poor pussy-cat,
Who never did any harm,
But killʹd the mice in his fatherʹs barn.

IDDLEDY, diddledy, dumpty;

The cat ran up the plum-tree.
Iʹll lay you a crown
Iʹll fetch you down;
So diddledy, diddledy, dumpty.

IDDLE-DE-DEE, fiddle-de-dee,
The fly shall marry the humble-bee.
They went to the church, and married was she:
The fly has married the humble-bee.

O market, to market, to buy a fat pig;

Home again, home again, dancing a jig
Ride to the market to buy a fat hog;
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.

ANDY spandy, Jack-a-dandy,

Loved plum-cake and sugar-candy;
He bought some at a grocerʹs shop,
And out he came, hop, hop, hop.

WEEDLE-DUM and Tweedle-dee

Resolved to have a baĴle
For Tweedle-dum said Tweedle-dee
Had spoiled his nice new raĴle.

Just then flew by a monstrous crow

As big as a tar-barrel,
Which frightened both the heroes so
They quite forgot their quarrel.

UB a dub dub,
Three men in a tub:
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick-maker;
Turn ʹem out, knaves all three!
 ack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down and broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling aĞer.

OSEMARY green,
And lavender blue,
Thyme and sweet marjoram,
Hyssop and rue.

RAVE news is come to town;

Brave news is carried;
Brave news is come to town
Jemmy Dawsonʹs married.

YLVIA, sweet as morning air,

Do not drive me to despair:
Long have I sighed in vain,
Now I am come again:
Will you be mine or no, no-a-no,—
Will you be mine or no?

Simon, pray leave off your suit,

For of your courting youʹll reap no fruit.
I would rather give a crown
Than be married to a clown;
Go for a booby, go, no-a-no,—
Go, for a booby, go.

HERE was a liĴle boy and a liĴle girl

Lived in an alley;
Says the liĴle boy to the liĴle girl,
ʺShall I, oh! shall I?ʺ

Says the liĴle girl to the liĴle boy,

ʺWhat shall we do?ʺ
Says the liĴle boy to the liĴle girl,
ʺI will kiss you.ʺ
 HEN I was a bachelor I lived by myself,
And all the meat I got I put upon a shelf;
The rats and the mice did lead me such a life
That I went to London to get myself a wife.

The streets were so broad and the lanes were so narrow,

I could not get my wife home without a wheelbarrow;
The wheelbarrow broke, my wife got a fall,
Down tumbled wheelbarrow, liĴle wife, and all.

LUE eye beauty,

Grey eye greedy,
Black eye blackie,
Brown eye brownie.
 S Tommy Snooks and Bessy Brooks
Were walking out one Sunday,
Says Tommy Snooks to Bessy Brooks,
ʺTo-morrow will be Monday.ʺ

H, madam, I will give you the keys of Canterbury,

To set all the bells ringing when we shall be merry,
If you will but walk abroad with me,
If you will but walk with me.

Sir, Iʹll not accept of the keys of Canterbury,

To set all the bells ringing when we shall be merry;
Neither will I walk abroad with thee,
Neither will I talk with thee!

Oh, madam, I will give you a fine carved comb,

To comb out your ringlets when I am from home,
If you will but walk with me, &c.
Sir, Iʹll not accept, &c.

Oh, madam, I will give you a pair of shoes of cork,

One made in London, the other made in York,
If you will but walk with me, &c.
Sir, Iʹll not accept, &c.

Madam, I will give you a sweet silver bell,

To ring up your maidens when you are not well,
If you will but walk with me, &c.
Sir, Iʹll not accept, &c.

Oh, my man John, what can the maĴer be?

I love the lady and the lady loves not me!
Neither will she walk abroad with me,
Neither will she talk with me.

Oh, master dear, do not despair,

The lady she shall be, shall be your only dear;
And she will walk and talk with thee,
And she will walk with thee!

Oh, madam, I will give you the keys of my chest,

To count my gold and silver when I am gone to rest,
If you will but walk abroad with me,
If you will but talk with me.

Oh, sir, I will accept of the keys of your chest,

To count your gold and silver when you are gone to rest,
And I will walk abroad with thee,
And I will talk with thee!

ACK in the pulpit, out and in,

Sold his wife for a minikin pin.

ACK SPRAT could eat no fat,

His wife could eat no lean:
And so, betwixt them both, you see,
They lickʹd the plaĴer clean.

ESSY 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.

THERE was a liĴle man,

And he wooʹd a liĴle maid,
And he said, ʺLiĴle maid, will you wed, wed, wed?
I have liĴle more to say,
Than will you, yea or nay,
For least said is soonest mended-ded, ded, ded.ʺ

The liĴle maid replied,

Some say a liĴle sighed,
ʺBut what shall we have for to eat, eat, eat?
Will the love that youʹre so rich in
Make a fire in the kitchen?
Or the liĴle god of love turn the spit, spit, spit?ʺ
 P hill and down dale,
BuĴer is made in every vale,
And if that Nancy Cook
Is a good girl,
She shall have a spouse,
And make buĴer anon,
Before her old grandmother
Grows a young man.

S I was going up Pippen-hill,

Pippen-hill was dirty
There I met a preĴy miss,
And she dropt me a curtsey.

LiĴle miss, preĴy miss,

Blessings light upon you!
If I had half-a-crown a day
Iʹd spend it all on you.
 ERE comes a lusty wooer,
My a dildin, my a daldin;
Here comes a lusty wooer,
Lily bright and shine aʹ.

ʺPray, who do you woo,

My a dildin, my a daldin?
Pray, who do you woo,
Lily bright and shine aʹ?ʺ

ʺFor your fairest daughter,

My a dildin, my a daldin;
For your fairest daughter,
Lily bright and shine aʹ.ʺ

ʺThen there she is for you,

My a dildin, my a daldin;
Then there she is for you,
Lily bright and shine aʹ.ʺ
HERE COMES A LUSTY WOOER

ASTER I have, and I am his man,

Gallop a dreary dun;
Master I have, and I am his man,
And Iʹll get a wife as fast as I can;
With a heighly gaily gamberally,
Higgledy piggledy, niggledy, niggledy,
Gallop a dreary dun.

HAD a liĴle husband,

No bigger than my thumb;
I put him in a pint pot,
And there I bid him drum.

I bought a liĴle horse,

That galloped up and down;
I bridled him, and saddled him,
And sent him out of town.

I gave him some garters

To garter up his hose,
And a liĴle handkerchief
To wipe his preĴy nose.

ID 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,
And dimity peĴicoats over her knee.

DOUBT, I doubt, my fire is out;

My liĴle wife isnʹt at home;
Iʹll saddle my dog, and Iʹll bridle my cat,
 And Iʹll go fetch my liĴle wife home.

OVE your own, kiss your own,

Love your own mother, hinny,
For if she was dead and gone,
Youʹd neʹer get such another, hinny.

URLY locks! curly locks! wilt thou be mine?

Thou shalt not wash dishes, nor yet feed the swine,
But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam,
And feed upon strawberries, sugar, and cream!

EORGEY PORGEY, pudding and pie,

Kissed the girls and made them cry;
When the girls come out to play,
Georgey Porgey runs away.

HERE was a lady loved a swine:

ʺHoney,ʺ quoth she,
ʺPig-hog, wilt thou be mine?ʺ
ʺGrunt,ʺ quoth he.

ʺIʹll build thee a silver stye,

Honey,ʺ quoth she;
ʺAnd in it thou shall lie;ʺ
ʺGrunt,ʺ quoth he.

ʺPinned with a silver pin,

Honey,ʺ quoth she,
ʺThat you may go out and in;ʺ
ʺGrunt,ʺ quoth he.
ʺWilt thou now have me,
Honey,ʺ quoth she;
ʺGrunt, grunt, grunt,ʺ quoth he,
And went his way.

HERE have you been all the day,

My boy Willy?ʺ
ʺIʹve been all the day
Courting of a lady gay:
But, oh! sheʹs too young
To be taken from her mammy.ʺ

ʺWhat work can she do,

My boy Willy?
Can she bake and can she brew,
My boy Willy?ʺ
ʺShe can brew and she can bake,
And she can make our wedding-cake:
But, oh! sheʹs too young
To be taken from her mammy.ʺ

ʺWhat age may she be? What age may she be?
My boy Willy?ʺ
ʺTwice two, twice seven,
Twice ten, twice eleven:
But, oh! sheʹs too young
To be taken from her mammy.ʺ
 HAD a liĴle dog, and they called him Buff;
I sent him to the shop for a hapʹorth of snuff;
But he lost the bag, and spillʹd the snuff:
ʺSo take that cuff—and thatʹs enough.ʺ
 URNIE bee, burnie bee,
Tell me when your wedding be?
If it be to-morrow day,
Take your wings and fly away.

OME liĴle mice sat in a barn to spin;

Pussy came by, and popped her head in;
ʺShall I come in and cut your threads off?ʺ
ʺOh no, kind sir, you will snap our heads off?ʺ

LL of a row,
Bend the bow,
Shot at a pigeon,
And killed a crow.

REY goose and gander,

WaĞ your wings together,
And carry the good kingʹs daughter
Over the one strand river.
 USSY-CAT, pussy-cat, where have you been?
Iʹve been to London to look at the queen.
Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, what did you there?
I frightenʹd a liĴle mouse under the chair.

UCKOO, Cuckoo,
What do you do?
ʺIn April
I open my bill;
In May
I sing night and day;
In June
I change my tune;
In July
Away I fly;
In August
Away I must.ʺ
 ICKETY, pickety, my black hen,
She lays eggs for gentlemen;
Gentlemen come every day
To see what my black hen doth lay.

HE cock doth crow,

To let you know,
If you be wise,
ʹTis time to rise.

OBERT BARNES, fellow fine,

Can you shoe this horse of mine?
ʺYes, good sir, that I can,
As well as any other man:
Thereʹs a nail, and thereʹs a prod,
And now, good sir, your horse is shod.ʺ

[Bird boyʹs song.]

AT, birds, eat, and make no waste;
I lie here and make no haste:
If my master chance to come,
You must fly, and I must run.

IE, hie,ʺ says Anthony,

ʺPuss in the pantry,
Gnawing, gnawing
A muĴon muĴon-bone;
See now she tumbles it,
See now she mumbles it,
See how she tosses
The muĴon muĴon-bone.ʺ
 OUR 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 liĴle Kyloe cow;
Run, tailors, run, or sheʹll kill you all eʹen now.

HE cuckooʹs a fine bird:

He sings as he flies;
He brings us good tidings;
He tells us no lies.

He sucks liĴle birdsʹ eggs

To make his voice clear;
And when he sings ʺCuckoo!ʺ
The summer is near.
 ROAK!ʺ said the Toad, ʺIʹm hungry, I think;
To-day Iʹve had nothing to eat or to drink;
Iʹll crawl to a garden and jump through the pales,
And there Iʹll dine nicely on slugs and on snails.ʺ
ʺHo, ho!ʺ quoth the Frog, ʺis that what you mean?
Then Iʹll hop away to the next meadow stream;
There I will drink, and eat worms and slugs too,
And then I shall have a good dinner like you.ʺ

HERE was a piper, heʹd a cow,

And heʹd no hay to give her;
He took his pipes and played a tune:
ʺConsider, old cow, consider!ʺ

The cow considered very well,

For she gave the piper a penny,
That he might play the tune again,
Of ʺCorn rigs are bonnie.ʺ
 PIE sate on a pear-tree,
A pie sate on a pear-tree,
A pie sate on a pear-tree.
Heigh O, heigh O, heigh O!
Once so merrily hoppʹd she,
Twice so merrily hoppʹd she,
Thrice so merrily hoppʹd she.
Heigh O, heigh O, heigh O!

NCE I saw a liĴle bird

Come hop, hop, hop;
So I cried, ʺLiĴle bird,
Will you stop, stop, stop?ʺ
And was going to the window,
To say, ʺHow do you do?ʺ
But he shook his liĴle tail,
And far away he flew.

HE winds they did blow;

The leaves they did wag;
Along came a beggar boy,
And put me in his bag.

He took me up to London;
A lady did me buy,
Put me in a silver cage,
And hung me up on high,

With apples by the fire,

And nuts for to crack,
Besides a liĴle feather bed
To rest my liĴle back.

OCK ROBIN got up early

 At the break of day,
And went to Jennyʹs window,
To sing a roundelay.

He sang Cock Robinʹs love

To the preĴy Jenny Wren;
And when he got unto the end,
Then he began again.

ETTY PRINGLE had a liĴle pig,

Not very liĴle and not very big;
When he was alive he lived in clover;
But now heʹs dead, and thatʹs all over.
So Billy Pringle he laid down and cried,
And BeĴy Pringle she laid down and died;
So there was an end of one, two, and three:
Billy Pringle he,
BeĴy Pringle she,
And the piggy wiggy.

LONG-TAILʹD pig, or a short-tailʹd pig,

Or a pig without eʹer a tail,
A sow-pig, or a boar-pig,
Or a pig with a curly tail.

LITTLE cock-sparrow sat on a green tree (tris),

And he cherruped, he cherruped, so merry was he
(tris);
A liĴle cock-sparrow sat on a green tree,
And he cherruped, he cherruped, so merry was he.
A naughty boy came with his wee bow and arrow (tris),
Determined to shoot this liĴle cock-sparrow (tris);
A naughty, &c.
Determined, &c.

ʺThis liĴle cock-sparrow shall make me a stew (tris),

And his giblets shall make me a liĴle pie tooʺ (tris);
ʺOh, no,ʺ said the sparrow, ʺI wonʹt make a stew;ʺ
So he flapped his wings, and away he flew.

ITTLE Robin Red-Breast

Sat upon a rail:
Niddle-naddle went his head!
Wiggle-waggle went his tail.

AME, what makes your ducks to die?

What the pize ails ʹem? what the pize ails ʹem?
They kick up their heels, and there they lie;
What the pize ails ʹem now?
Heigh, ho! heigh, ho!
Dame, what makes your ducks to die?
What a pize ails ʹem? what a pize ails ʹem?
Heigh, ho! heigh, ho!
Dame, what ails your ducks to die?
Eating oʹ polly-wigs, eating oʹ polly-wigs.
Heigh, ho! heigh, ho!
 N the month of February,
When green leaves begin to spring,
LiĴle lambs do skip like fairies,
Birds do couple, build, and sing.

USSY cat sits by the fire;

How did she come there?
In walks the liĴle dog,
Says, ʺPussy! are you there?ʺ

ʺHow do you do, Mistress Pussy?

Mistress Pussy, how dʹye do?ʺ
ʺI thank you kindly, liĴle dog,
I fare as well as you!ʺ

HERE was a liĴle boy went into a barn,

And lay down on some hay;
An owl came out and flew about,
And the liĴle boy ran away.

HE dove says, ʺCoo, coo, what shall I do?

I can scarce maintain two.ʺ
ʺPooh, pooh,ʺ says the wren; ʺI have got ten,
And keep them all like gentlemen!ʺ
 OW, wow, wow,
Whose dog art thou?
ʺLiĴle Tom Tinkerʹs dog,
Bow, wow, wow.ʺ

EG over leg,
As the dog went to Dover;
When he came to a stile,
Jump he went over.

LOVE liĴle pussy, her coat is so warm;

And if I donʹt hurt her sheʹll do me no harm.
So Iʹll not pull her tail nor drive her away,
But pussy and I very gently will play.

[Imitated from a pigeon.]

URR dhoo, curr dhoo,
Love me, and Iʹll love you!

ADY bird, lady bird, fly away home;

Thy house is on fire, thy children all gone—
All but one, and her name is Ann,
And she crept under the pudding-pan.

USSY sits behind the fire—

How can she be fair?
In comes the liĴle dog:
ʺPussy, are you there?
ʺSo, so, Mistress Pussy,
Pray how do you do?ʺ
ʺThank you, thank you, liĴle dog,
Iʹm very well just now.ʺ
 ITTLE Robin-Redbreast sat upon a tree;
Up went Pussy cat, and down went he;
Down came Pussy cat, and away Robin ran:
Says liĴle Robin-Redbreast, ʺCatch me if you can.ʺ
LiĴle Robin-Redbreast jumpʹd upon a wall;
Pussy cat jumpʹd aĞer him, and almost got a fall;
LiĴle Robin chirpʹd and sang, and what did Pussy say?
Pussy cat said ʺMew,ʺ and Robin jumpʹd away.

ARY had a preĴy bird

With feathers bright and yellow—
Slender legs—upon my word—
He was a preĴy fellow.

HAD a liĴle hen, the preĴiest ever seen;

She washed me the dishes, and kept the house clean;
She went to the mill to fetch me some flour;
She brought it home in less than an hour;
She baked me my bread, she brewʹd me my ale;
She sat by the fire, and told many a fine tale.
 IGGLEY PIGGLEY,
My black hen,
She lays eggs
For gentlemen;
Sometimes nine,
And sometimes ten.
Higgley Piggley,
My black hen!

OME, take up your hats, and away let us haste

To the BuĴerflyʹs ball, and the Grasshopperʹs feast;
The trumpeter, Gad-fly, has summoned the crew,
And the revels are now only waiting for you.
On the smooth-shaven grass, by the side of a wood,
Beneath a broad oak which for ages had stood,
See the children of earth, and the tenants of air,
To an eveningʹs amusement together repair.
And there came the Beetle, so blind and so black,
Who carried the Emmet, his friend, on his back;
And there came the Gnat and the Dragon-fly too,
With all their relations, green, orange, and blue.
And there came the Moth, with her plumage of down,
And the Hornet with jacket of yellow and brown;
And with him the Wasp, his companion, did bring;
But they promised that evening to lay by their sting.
Then the sly liĴle Dormouse peeped out of his hole,
And led to the feast his blind cousin the Mole;
And the Snail, with her horns peeping out of her shell,
Came, fatigued with the distance, the length of an ell.
A mushroom the table, and on it was spread
A water-dock leaf, which their table-cloth made.
The viands were various, to each of their taste,
And the Bee brought the honey to sweeten the feast.
With steps most majestic the Snail did advance,
And he promised the gazers a minuet to dance;
But they all laughed so loud that he drew in his head,
And went in his own liĴle chamber to bed.
Then, as evening gave way to the shadows of night,
Their watchman, the Glow-worm, come out with his light.
So home let us hasten, while yet we can see,
For no watchman is waiting for you or for me.

AH, bah, black sheep,

Have you any wool?
ʺYes, marry, have I,
Three bags full:
One for my master,
And one for my dame,
But none for the liĴle boy
Who cries in the lane.ʺ
 iĴle boy blue, come, blow up your horn;
The sheepʹs in the meadow, the cowʹs in the corn.
ʺWhereʹs the liĴle boy that looks aĞer the sheep?ʺ
ʺHeʹs under the hay-cock fast asleep.ʺ
ʺWill you wake him?ʺ ʺNo, not I;
For if I do, heʹll be sure to cry.ʺ

OD bless the master of this house,

The mistress bless also,
And all the liĴle children
That round the table go;

And all your kin and kinsmen,

That dwell both far and near;
I wish you a merry Christmas,
And a happy New Year.

ITTLE girl, liĴle girl, where have you been?

ʺGathering roses to give to the queen.ʺ

ʺLiĴle girl, liĴle girl, what gave she you?ʺ

ʺShe gave me a diamond as big as my shoe.ʺ

OOSEY, goosey, gander,

Where shall I wander?
Upstairs, downstairs,
And in my ladyʹs chamber.
There I meet an old man
That would not say his prayers;
I took him by the leĞ leg,
And threw him downstairs.

ENNY WREN fell sick,

Upon a merry time;
In came Robin-Redbreast
And brought her sops and wine.

ʺEat well of the sops, Jenny,

Drink well of the wine.ʺ
ʺThank you, Robin, kindly,
 You shall be mine.ʺ

Jenny she got well,

And stood upon her feet,
And told Robin plainly
She loved him not a bit.

Robin, being angry,

Hopped upon a twig,
Saying, ʺOut upon you. Fie upon you.
Bold-faced jig.ʺ

HE hart he loves the high wood,

The hare she loves the hill,
The knight he loves his bright sword,
The lady—loves her will.

HAD a liĴle pony,

His name was Dapple-grey
I lent him to a lady,
To ride a mile away.
She whipped him, she slashed him,
She rode him through the mire;
I would not lend my pony now
 For all the ladyʹs hire.

FARMER went troĴing

Upon his grey mare;
Bumpety, bumpety, bump!
With his daughter behind him,
So rosy and fair;
Lumpety, lumpety, lump!

A raven cried ʺCroak;ʺ

And they all tumbled down;
Bumpety, bumpety, bump!
The mare broke her knees,
And the farmer his crown;
Lumpety, lumpety, lump.

The mischievous raven

Flew laughing away;
Bumpety, bumpety, bump!
And vowed he would serve them
The same the next day;
Bumpety, bumpety, bump!
 HIS is the house that Jack built.

2. This is the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

3. This is the rat,

That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

4. This is the cat,

That killʹd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

5. This is the dog,

That worried the cat,
That killʹd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

6. This is the cow with the crumpled horn,

That tossʹd the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killʹd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

7. This is the maiden all forlorn,

That milkʹd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
 That killʹd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

8. This is the man all taĴerʹd and torn,

That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milkʹd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killʹd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

9. This is the priest all shaven and shorn,

That married the man all taĴerʹd and torn,
That kissʹd the maiden all forlorn,
That milkʹd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killʹd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

10. This is the cock that crowʹd in the morn,

That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all taĴerʹd and torn,
That kissʹd the maiden all forlorn,
That milkʹd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killʹd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.

11. This is the farmer sowing his corn,

That kept the cock that crowʹd in the morn,
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all taĴerʹd and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milkʹd the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killʹd the rat,
That ate the malt,
That lay in the house that Jack built.
 N old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a liĴle crooked
sixpence. ʺWhat,ʺ said she, ʺshall I do with this liĴle sixpence? I will go to
market, and buy a liĴle pig.ʺ

As she was coming home, she came to a stile; but the pig would not go over the
stile.

She went a liĴle farther, and she met a dog. So she said to the dog—

ʺDog, dog, bite pig!

Pig wonʹt get over the stile;
And I shanʹt get home to-night.ʺ

But the dog would not.

She went a liĴle farther, and she met a stick. So she said—

ʺStick, stick, beat dog!

Dog wonʹt bite pig?
Pig wonʹt get over the stile,
And I shanʹt get home to-night.ʺ

But the stick would not.

She went a liĴle farther, and she met a fire. So she said—

ʺFire, fire, burn stick!

Stick wonʹt beat dog;
Dog wonʹt bite pig;
Pig wonʹt get over the stile,
And I shanʹt get home to-night.ʺ

But the fire would not.

She went a liĴle farther, and she met some water. So she said—

ʺWater, water, quench fire!

Fire wonʹt burn stick;
Stick wonʹt beat dog;
Dog wonʹt bite pig;
Pig wonʹt get over the stile,
And I shanʹt get home to-night.ʺ

But the water would not.

She went a liĴle farther, and she met an ox. So she said—
 ʺOx, ox, drink water!
Water wonʹt quench fire;
Fire wonʹt burn stick;
Stick wonʹt beat dog;
Dog wonʹt bite pig;
Pig wonʹt get over the stile,
And I shanʹt get home to-night.ʺ

THE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG

But the ox would not.

She went a liĴle farther, and she met a butcher. So she said—

ʺButcher, butcher, kill ox!

Ox wonʹt drink water;
Water wonʹt quench fire;
 Fire wonʹt burn stick;
Stick wonʹt beat dog;
Dog wonʹt bite pig;
Pig wonʹt get over the stile,
And I shanʹt get home to-night.ʺ

But the butcher would not.

She went a liĴle farther, and she met a rope. So she said—

ʺRope, rope, hang butcher!

Butcher wonʹt kill ox;
Ox wonʹt drink water;
Water wonʹt quench fire;
Fire wonʹt burn stick;
Stick wonʹt beat dog;
Dog wonʹt bite pig;
Pig wonʹt get over the stile,
And I shanʹt get home to-night.ʺ

But the rope would not.

She went a liĴle farther, and she met a rat. So she said—

ʺRat, rat, gnaw rope!

Rope wonʹt hang butcher;
Butcher wonʹt kill ox;
Ox wonʹt drink water;
Water wonʹt quench fire;
Fire wonʹt burn stick;
Stick wonʹt beat dog;
Dog wonʹt bite pig;
Pig wonʹt get over the stile,
And I shanʹt get home to-night.ʺ

But the rat would not.

She went a liĴle farther, and she met a cat. So she said—

ʺCat, cat, kill rat;

Rat wonʹt gnaw rope;
Rope wonʹt hang butcher;
Butcher wonʹt kill ox;
Ox wonʹt drink water;
Water wonʹt quench fire;
Fire wonʹt burn stick;
Stick wonʹt beat dog;
Dog wonʹt bite pig;
 Pig wonʹt get over the stile,
And I shanʹt get home to-night.ʺ

The cat said, ʺIf you will give me a saucer of milk, I will kill the rat.ʺ

So the old woman gave the cat the milk, and when she had lapped up the
milk—

The cat began to kill the rat;

The rat began to gnaw the rope;
The rope began to hang the butcher;
The butcher began to kill the ox;
The ox began to drink the water;
The water began to quench the fire;
The fire began to burn the stick;
The stick began to beat the dog;
The dog began to bite the pig;
The pig jumped over the stile,
And so the old woman got home that night.

HIS is the key of the kingdom.

In that kingdom there is a city.
In that city there is a town.
In that town there is a street.
In that street there is a lane.
In that lane there is a yard.
In that yard there is a house.
In that house there is a room.
In that room there is a bed.
On that bed there is a basket.
In that basket there are some flowers.
Flowers in the basket, basket in the bed, bed in the room,
&c. &c.
 ILLY boy, Willy boy, where are you going?
Iʹll go with you, if I may.
ʺIʹm going to the meadow to see them a mowing;
Iʹm going to help them, make hay.ʺ

HE girl in the lane, that couldnʹt speak plain,

 Cried, ʺGobble, gobble, gobble.ʺ
The man on the hill, that couldnʹt stand still,
Went hobble, hobble, hobble.

INK, minx! the old witch winks,

The fat begins to fry:
Thereʹs nobody at home but liĴle jumping Joan,
Father, mother, and I.

ANNAH BANTRY in the pantry,

Eating a muĴon bone;
How she gnawed it, how she clawed it,
When she found she was alone!

ITTLE Miss Muffet

Sat on a tuffet,
Eating of curds and whey;
There came a spider,
And sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
ʺWhat are LiĴle Boys made of?ʺ
HAT are liĴle boys made of, made of;
What are liĴle boys made of?
ʺSnaps and snails, and puppy-dogsʹ tails;
And thatʹs what liĴle boys are made of, made of.ʺ

What are liĴle girls made of, made of, made of;
What are liĴle girls made of?
ʺSugar and spice, and all thatʹs nice;
And thatʹs what liĴle girls are made of, made of.ʺ

HATʹS the news of the day,

Good neighbour, I pray?
ʺThey say the balloon
Is gone up to the moon.ʺ

INGʹS SUTTON is a preĴy town,

And lies all in a valley;
There is a preĴy ring of bells,
Besides a bowling-alley:
Wine and liquor in good store,
PreĴy maidens plenty;
Can a man desire more?
There ainʹt such a town in twenty.

OME, letʹs to bed,

Says Sleepy-head;
ʺTarry a while,ʺ says Slow;
ʺPut on the pot,ʺ
Says Greedy-gut,
ʺLetʹs sup before we go.ʺ
 irls and boys, come out to play;
The moon doth shine as bright as day;
Leave your supper, and leave your sleep,
And come with your playfellows into the street.
Come with a whoop, come with a call,
Come with a good will or not at all.
Up the ladder and down the wall,
A halfpenny roll will serve us all.
You find milk, and Iʹll find flour,
And weʹll have a pudding in half-an-hour.

OW many days has my baby to play?

Saturday, Sunday, Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
Saturday, Sunday, Monday.

ROUND the green gravel the grass grows green,

And all the preĴy maids are plain to be seen;
Wash them with milk, and clothe them with silk,
And write their names with a pen and ink.
 S I was going to sell my eggs,
I met a man with bandy legs,
Bandy legs and crooked toes;
I tripped up his heels, and he fell on his nose.

Y liĴle old man and I fell out;

Iʹll tell you what ʹtwas all about:
I had money, and he had none,
And thatʹs the way the row begun.

AFFY-

DOWN-
DILLY
has come
up to
town

In a
yellow
peĴicoat
and a
green
gown.

ARBY and Joan were dressʹd in black,

Sword and buckle behind their back;
Foot for foot, and knee for knee,
Turn about Darbyʹs company.

F all the seas were one sea,

What a great sea that would be!
And if all the trees were one tree,
What a great tree that would be!
And if all the axes were one axe,
What a great axe that would be!
And if all the men were one man,
What a great man he would be!
And if the great man took the great axe,
And cut down the great tree,
And let it fall into the great sea,
What a splish splash that would be!

AIN, rain, go away;

Come again another day;
LiĴle Arthur wants to play.
 ARBER, barber, shave a pig;
How many hairs will make a wig?
ʺFour-and-twenty, thatʹs enough:ʺ
Give the barber a pinch of snuff.

ITTLE Tom Tucker

Sings for his supper;
What shall he eat?
White bread and buĴer.
How shall he cut it,
Without eʹer a knife?
How will he be married
Without eʹer a wife?

HO comes here?
ʺA grenadier.ʺ
ʺWhat do you want?ʺ
ʺA pot of beer.ʺ
ʺWhere is your money?ʺ
ʺIʹve forgot.ʺ
ʺGet you gone,
You drunken sot!ʺ

O market, to market, to buy a plum-cake;

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

LOW, wind, blow! and go, mill, go!

That the miller may grind his corn;
That the baker may take it,
And into rolls make it,
And send us some hot in the morn.
 MAN went a hunting at Reigate,
And wished to leap over a high gate;
Says the owner, ʺGo round,
With your gun and your hound,
For you never shall leap over my gate.ʺ

HERE was a liĴle nobby colt,

His name was Nobby Gray;
His head was made of pouce straw,
His tail was made of hay.
He could ramble, he could trot,
He could carry a mustard-pot,
Round the town of Woodstock,
Hey, Jenny, hey!

WEʹRE all in the dumps,

For diamonds are trumps;
The kiĴens are gone to St. Paulʹs!
The babies are bit,
The moonʹs in a fit,
And the houses are built without walls.
 HE origin of the right nursery rhymes is, of course, popular, like the origin of
ballads, tales (Märchen), riddles, proverbs, and, indeed, of literature in
general. They are probably, in England, of no great antiquity, except in certain
cases, where they supply the words to some childʹs ballet, some dance game. A
game may be of prehistoric antiquity, as appears in the rudimentary forms of
backgammon, Pachin and Patullo, common to Asia, and to the Aztecs, as Dr. Tylor
has demonstrated. The childʹs game—
ʺBuck, buck,
How many fingers do I hold up?ʺ

was known in ancient Rome as bucca, though it would be audacious to infer that it
arrived in Britain since the Norman Conquest. Hop-scotch is also exceedingly
ancient, and the curious will find the theories of its origin in Mr. Gommeʹs learned
work on Childrenʹs Dances and Songs, published by the Folk-Lore Society. Dr.
Nicholsonʹs book on the Folk-Lore of Children in Sutherland, still unpublished
when I write, may also be consulted. One of the songs collected by Dr. Nicholson
was copied down by a Danish traveller in London during the reign of Charles II.
Robert Chambersʹs ʺPopular Rhymes of Scotlandʺ is also a treasure of this kind of
antiquities. It is probable that the Lowland rhymes have occasionally Gaelic
counterparts, as the nursery tales certainly have, but I am unacquainted with any
researches on this topic by Celtic scholars.

In Mr. Halliwellʹs Collection, from which this volume is abridged, no manuscript

authority goes further back than the reign of Henry VIII., though King Arthur and
Robin Hood are mentioned. The obscure ScoĴish taunt, levelled at Edward I.
when besieging Berwick, is much in the manner of a nursery rhyme:—

ʺKyng Edward,
When thu havest Berwic,
Pike thee!
When thu havest geton,
Dike thee!ʺ

This, as Sir Herbert Maxwell says, ʺseems deficient in salt,ʺ but was felt to be
irritating by the greatest of the Plantagenets. The jingles on the King of France,
against the Scots in the time of James I., against the Tory, or Irish rapparee, and
about the Gunpowder Plot, are of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth
centuries. The Great Rebellion supplies ʺHector Protectorʺ and ʺThe Parliament
soldiers are gone to the king;ʺ ʺOver the water and over the seaʺ (or lee) is a parody
of a Jacobite diĴy of 1748, and refers genially to that love of ale and wine which
Prince Charles displayed as early as he showed military courage, at the age of
fourteen, when he distinguished himself at the siege of Gaeta. His grandfather,
James II., lives in ʺThe rhyme for porringer;ʺ his father in ʺJim and George were two
great lords.ʺ Tout finit par des chansons.

Of non-historical jingles, Mr. Halliwell found traces in MSS. as old as the

fiĞeenth century. But it would be a very rare accident that led to their being
wriĴen down when nobody dreamed of studying Folk-Lore with solemnity. ʺThirty
days hath Septemberʺ occurs in the ʺReturn from Parnassus,ʺ of Shakspeareʹs date,
and a few snatches, like ʺWhen I was a liĴle boy,ʺ occur in Shakspeare himself, just
as a German version of ʺMy Minnie me slewʺ comes in Goetheʹs Faust. Indeed, the
scraps of magical versified spells in Märchen are entirely of the character of
nursery rhymes, and are of dateless antiquity. The rhyme of ʺDr. Faustusʺ may be
nearly as old as the mediæval legend dramatised by Marlowe. The Elizabethan and
Jacobean dramatists put nursery rhymes in the mouths of characters; a few jingles
creep into the Miscellanies, such as ʺThe Pills to purge Melancholy.ʺ Among these
(1719) is ʺTom the piperʹs son,ʺ who played ʺOver the hills and far away,ʺ a song
oĞen adapted to Jacobite uses. In 1719, when the Spanish plan of aid to James III.
collapsed, pipers must have been melancholy enough.

Melismata (1611) already knows the ʺFrog who lived in a well,ʺ and in
Deuteromelia (1609) occurs the ʺThree blind mice.ʺ On the Riddles, or DevineĴes,
chapters might be, and have been wriĴen. They go back to Samsonʹs time, at least,
and are as widely distributed as proverbs, even among Wolufs and Fijians. The
most recent discussion is in Mr. Max Müllerʹs ʺContributions to the Science of
Mythologyʺ (1897). For using ʺcharms,ʺ like ʺCome, buĴer, come,ʺ many an old
woman was burned by the wisdom of our ancestors. Such versified charms,
deducunt carmima lunam, are the karakias of the Maoris, and the mantras of Indian
superstition. The magical papyri of ancient Egypt are full of them. In our own
rhyme, ʺHiccup,ʺ regarded as a personal kind of fiend (ʺAnimismʺ), is charmed
away by a promise of a buĴer-cake. There is a collection of such things in Reginald
Scotʹs ʺDiscovery of WitchcraĞ.ʺ Thus our old nursery rhymes are smooth stones
from the brook of time, worn round by constant friction of tongues long silent. We
cannot hope to make new nursery rhymes, any more than we can write new fairy
tales.
 Page
A CARRION crow sat on an oak 103
A diller, a dollar 49
A farmer went troĴing 246
A liĴle cock-sparrow sat on a green tree 230
A liĴle old man and I fell out 157
A long-tailʹd pig, or a short-tailʹd pig 229
A man of words and not of deeds 79
A man went a hunting at Reigate 273
A pie sat on a pear-tree 227
A sunshiny shower 82
A swarm of bees in May 82
A was an apple-pie 46
A was an Archer, and shot at a frog 45
All of a row 220
Around the green gravel the grass grows green 268
Arthur OʹBower has broken his band 124
As I walked by myself 38
As I was going by Charing Cross 37
As I was going oʹer Westminster Bridge 132
As I was going to sell my eggs 268
As I was going to St. Ives 131
As I was going up Pippen-hill 209
As I went through the garden gap 132
As soĞ as silk, as white as milk 124
As the days lengthen 83
As Tommy Snooks and Bessy Brooks 203

BAH, bah, black sheep 240

Barber, barber, shave a pig 271
Bat, bat 172
Bessy Bell and Mary Gray 207
BeĴy Pringle had a liĴle pig 229
Birch and green holly, boys 44
Black we are but much admired 130
Blow, wind, blow! and go, mill, go! 273
Blue eye beauty 202
Bounce Buckram, velvetʹs dear 79
Bow, wow, wow 233
Brave news is come to town 200
Bryan OʹLin, and his wife, and wifeʹs mother 63
Burnie bee, burnie bee 220
Bye, baby bunting 148

COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO! 192
Cock Robin got up early 228
Cold and raw the north wind doth blow 117
Come, buĴer, come 147
Come, letʹs to bed 266
Come, take up your hats, and away let us haste 239
Come when youʹre called 44
ʺCroak!ʺ said the Toad, ʺIʹm hungry, I thinkʺ 225
Cross patch 51
Cuckoo, cherry-tree 176
Cuckoo, Cuckoo 222
Curly locks! curly locks! wilt thou be mine? 214
Curr dhoo, curr dhoo 235
Cushy cow bonny, let down thy milk 145

DAFFY -DOWN-DILLY has come up to town 269

Dame, get up and bake your pies 117
Dame, what makes your ducks to die? 231
Dance, Thumbkin, dance 175
Dance to your daddy 148
Darby and Joan were dressʹd in black 270
Deedle, deedle, dumpling, my son John 191
Did you see my wife, did you see, did you see? 214
Diddledy, diddledy, dumpty 194
Ding, dong, bell 194
Doctor Faustus was a good man 48
Doctor Foster went to Gloʹster 65
Draw a pail of water 184

EARLY to bed, and early to rise 83

Eat, birds, eat, and make no waste 223
Eggs buĴer, bread 186
Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess 133
Elsie Marley is grown so fine 94

FIDDLE-DE-DEE, fiddle-de-dee 195

Flour of England, fruit of Spain 128
For every evil under the sun 82
For want of a nail, the shoe was lost 84
Formed long ago, yet made to-day 131
Four and twenty tailors went to kill a snail 224
Friday nightʹs dream 83

GAY go up and gay go down 172

Georgey Porgey, pudding and pie 215
Girls and boys, come out to play 267
God bless the master of this house 242
Goosey, goosey, gander 243
Great A, liĴle a 43
Grey goose and gander 220

HANDY Spandy, Jack-a-dandy 196

Hannah Bantry in the pantry 264
He that would thrive 81
Hector Protector was dressed all in green 37
Here am I, liĴle jumping Joan 140
Here comes a lusty wooer 210
Here sits the Lord Mayor 175
Here stands a post 188
Hey! diddle, diddle 193
Hey, my kiĴen, my kiĴen 150
Hick-a-more, Hack-a-more 124
Hickety, pickety, my black hen 222
Hickory, Dickory, Dock 176
Hickup, hickup, go away! 152
Hickup, snicup 152
ʺHie, hie,ʺ says Anthony 223
Higgledy piggledy 128
Higgley Piggley 238
High diddle ding 37
Hink, minx! the old witch winks 264
Hot-cross Buns 105
How many days has my baby to play? 268
How many miles is it to Babylon? 183
Humpty Dumpty sate on a wall 129
Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top 149
Hushy baby, my doll, I pray you donʹt cry 148

I AM a gold lock 180

I doubt, I doubt, my fire is out 214
I had a liĴle dog, and they called him Buff 219
I had a liĴle hen, the preĴiest ever seen 237
I had a liĴle husband 213
I had a liĴle nut-tree, nothing would it bear 35
I had a liĴle pony 245
I have a liĴle sister, they call her Peep, Peep 128
I love liĴle pussy, her coat is so warm 234
I love my love with an A, because heʹs Agreeable 51
I love sixpence, preĴy liĴle sixpence 99
I saw a peacock with a fiery tail 141
I saw a ship a-sailing 139
I saw three ships come sailing by 118
I went to the wood and got it 123
I went up one pair of stairs 180
I would if I couʹd 134
If all the seas were one sea 270
If all the world was apple-pie 135
If Iʹd as much money as I could spend 112
If ifs and ands 44
If wishes were horses 78
If you love me, pop and fly 146
If you sneeze on Monday, you sneeze for danger 80
Iʹll sing you a song 114
Iʹll tell you a story 58
In fir tar is 51
In marble walls as white as milk 127
In the month of February 232
Is John Smith within? 179
JACK and Jill went up the hill 199
Jack, be nimble 171
Jack in the pulpit, out and in 206
Jack Sprat could eat no fat 206
Jacky, come give me thy fiddle 113
Jenny Wren fell sick 244
Jim and George were two great lords 40
John Cook had a liĴle grey mare; he, haw, hum! 114
Johnny shall have a new bonnet 93

KINGʹS SUTTON is a preĴy town 266

LADY bird, lady bird, fly away home 235

Leg over leg 234
LiĴle Bo-peep has lost her sheep 92
LiĴle boy blue, come, blow up your horn 241
LiĴle girl, liĴle girl, where have you been? 242
LiĴle Jack Horner sat in a corner 74
LiĴle Miss Muffet 264
LiĴle Nancy EĴicoat 130
LiĴle Polly Flinders 114
LiĴle Robin-Redbreast 230
LiĴle Robin-Redbreast sat upon a tree 236
LiĴle Tom Tucker 272
LiĴle Tommy TiĴlemouse 73
London Bridge is broken down 98
Long legs, crooked thighs 124
Love your own, kiss your own 214

MARCH winds and April showers 84

Mary had a preĴy bird 236
Master I have, and I am his man 213
MaĴhew, Mark, Luke, and John 147
Merry are the bells, and merry would they ring 104
Mistress Mary, quite contrary 50
Mondayʹs bairn is fair of face 84
Multiplication is vexation 47
My dear, do you know 56
My father he died, but I canʹt tell you how 90
My lady Wind, my lady Wind 71
My liĴle old man and I fell out 268
My maid Mary 112
My true love lives far from me 138

NATURE requires five 78

Needles and pins, needles and pins 79

O THAT I was where I would be 140

Oh, madam, I will give you the keys of Canterbury 204
Old Abram Brown is dead and gone 70
Old BeĴy Blue 162
Old King Cole 31
Old Mother Goose, when 67
Old Mother Hubbard 163
Old Mother TwitcheĴ had but one eye 130
Old woman, old woman, shall we go a-shearing? 157
Once I saw a liĴle bird 227
One misty moisty morning 87
One to make ready 186
One, two 52
Over the water, and over the sea 36

PAT -A-CAKE, pat-a-cake, bakerʹs man! 47

Pease-pudding hot 179
Peter Piper picked a peck 146
Peter White will neʹer go right 136
Please to remember 35
Polly put the keĴle on 92
Poor old Robinson Crusoe 38
Punch and Judy 71
Pussicat, wussicat, with a white foot 194
Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been? 221
Pussy-cat sits by the fire 232
Pussy sits behind the fire 236

QUEEN ANNE, Queen Anne, you sit in the sun 172

RABBIT , rabbit, rabbit-pie 149

Rain, rain, go away 270
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross (1) 182
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross (2) 182
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross 184
Ride away, ride away, Johnny shall ride 116
Ring the bell 179
Robert Barnes, fellow fine 223
Robin and Richard were two preĴy men 66
Robin the Bobbin, the big-bellied Ben 66
Rock-a-bye, baby, thy cradle is green 150
Rosemary green 200
Rub a dub dub 196

SAYS tʹauld man tit oak tree 91

See a pin and pick it up 78
See, saw, Margery Daw (1) 185
See, saw, Margery Daw (2) 185
See saw, sack-a-day 40
See-saw sacradown 184
Simple Simon met a pieman 58
Sing a song of sixpence 93
Solomon Grundy 74
Some liĴle mice sat in a barn to spin 220
St. Swithinʹs day, if thou dost rain 78
Swan swam over the sea 152
Sylvia, sweet as morning air 200

TAFFY was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief 72

Tell tale, tit 44
The art of good drivingʹs a paradox quite 83
The cock doth crow 222
The cuckooʹs a fine bird 225
The dove says ʺCoo, coo, what shall I do?ʺ 233
The fair maid who, the first of May 83
The fox and his wife they had a great strife 88
The girl in the lane, that couldnʹt speak plain 264
The hart he loves the high wood 244
The King of France, and four thousand men 35
The King of France went up the hill 35
The lion and the unicorn 62
The man in the moon 55
The man in the wilderness asked me 137
The north wind doth blow 100
The old woman and her pig 253
The Queen of Hearts 116
The winds they did blow 228
There was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile 57
There was a fat man of Bombay 63
There was a frog livʹd in a well 106
There was a jolly miller 112
There was a king met a king 127
There was a lady loved a swine 215
There was a liĴle boy and a liĴle girl 201
There was a liĴle boy went into a barn 232
There was a liĴle Guinea-pig 136
There was a liĴle man 64
There was a liĴle man 208
There was a liĴle nobby colt 274
There was a liĴle woman, as Iʹve been told 116
There was a man, and he had nought 61
There was a man and he was mad 142
There was a man of Thessaly 133
There was a monkey climbed up a tree 39
There was a piper, heʹd a cow 226
There was an old man 162
There was an old man of Tobago 161
There was an old woman 155
There was an old woman 158
There was an old woman, and what do you think 141
There was an old woman, as Iʹve heard tell 156
There was an old woman called Nothing-at-all 162
There was an old woman had three sons 161
There was an old woman of Leeds 158
There was an old woman of Norwich 161
There was an old woman tossʹd up in a basket 157
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe 158
There were three jovial Welshmen 169
There were three sisters in a hall 131
There were two birds sat on a stone 111
There were two blackbirds 188
Thirty days hath September 49
Thirty white horses upon a red hill 129
This is the house that Jack built 249
This is the key of the kingdom 260
This is the way the ladies ride 187
This pig went to market 176
Thomas a TaĴamus took two Tʹs 130
Three blind mice, see how they run! 105
Three children sliding on the ice 134
Three wise men of Gotham 65
Tobacco reek! tobacco reek! 141
To make your candles last for aʹ 77
To market, to market 151
To market, to market, to buy a fat pig 195
To market, to market, to buy a plum-cake 272
Tom he was a piperʹs son 95
Tom, Tom, the piperʹs son 63
Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee 196
Two legs sat upon three legs 132

UP at Piccadilly oh! 113

Up hill and down dale 208

WE are three brethren out of Spain 181

Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town 119
Weʹre all in the dumps 274
What are liĴle boys made of, made of? 265
What is the rhyme for poringer? 37
Whatʹs the news of the day? 266
When good King Arthur ruled this land 32
When I was a bachelor I lived by myself 202
When liĴle Fred was called to bed 120
When the wind is in the east 80
When V and I together meet 49
Where are you going, my preĴy maid? 111
Where have you been all the day? 216
Who comes here? 272
Who goes round my house this night? 186
Whoop, whoop, and hollow 186
Willy boy, Willy boy, where are you going? 263

YEOW mussent sing aʹ Sunday 82

You shall have an apple 106
Young lambs to sell! 150

THE END
 Transcriberʹs Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

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