The big book of NURSERY RHYMES

To the Youngest Baby of All with the Love of the Compiler and the Artist.

Printed in Great Britain by Blackie & Son, Ltd., Glasgow

BLACKIE & SON LTD., 50 OLD BAILEY, LONDON, AND 17 STANHOPE STREET, GLASGOW
BLACKIE & SON (INDIA) LTD., BOMBAY; BLACKIE & SON (CANADA) LTD., TORONTO

CURLY LOCKS
Thou shalt sit on a
cushion and sew a
fine seam. And feed
upon strawberries
sugar and cream.

The big book of Nursery Rhymes
Edited by Walter Jerrold
Illustrated by Charles Robinson
Published by Blackie and Son, Ltd
London

INTRODUCTION

THE very title, Nursery Rhymes, which has come to be associated with a great body of familiar verse, is in itself sufficient indication of the manner in which that verse has been passed down from generation to generation. Who composed the little pieces it is, save in a few cases, impossible to say: some are certainly very old and were doubtless repeated thousands of times before their first appearance in print. References to certain favourites may be found in the pages of the dramatists of Elizabeth's time.

Attempts are sometimes made to read into these Rhymes a deeper significance than the obvious and simple one which has accounted for their enduring popularity in the Nursery, but this volume has no concern with such profound interpretations, any more than have the little people who love the old jingles best.

The earliest known collection of Nursery Rhymes was published about 1760 by John Newbery, the first publisher who devoted his attention to very young readers. In his book, which included songs from the plays of Shakespeare, some of the Rhymes appeared with titles which sound strange to our ears; thus "Ding, Dong, Bell" was called "Plato's Song", while "There were Two Birds sat on a Stone" was "Aristotle's Song". To each Rhyme was appended a moral maxim, as for example, to "Is John Smith within?" is added "Knowledge is a treasure, but practice is the key to it". Most of the Rhymes in this little Newbery collection, amongst them "There was a little Man and he wooed a little Maid" and "The Wise Men of Gotham", are repeated in the present volume so far as may be in accordance with that early text. Others have been compared with early versions in chap-books issued late in the eighteenth century or early in the nineteenth.

Students divide our rhymes into narrative pieces, historical, folk-lore, game rhymes, counting-out rhymes, jingles, fragments, and so forth, but for the children for whom and by whom they are remembered, and for whose sake they are here collected and pictured anew, they are just—Nursery Rhymes.

CONTENTS

"Herebe!
ginsthe!!
bigbo !!!
okofnur!!!!
se!ryrh! ymes!"

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS

The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts,
All on a summer's day;

The Knave of Hearts he stole those tarts,
And took them clean away.

The King of Hearts called for those tarts,
And beat the Knave full sore.

The Knave of Hearts
brought back those tarts,
And vowed he'd steal no more.

SAINT SWITHIN'S DAY

St. Swithin's day, if thou dost rain,
For forty days it will remain;
St. Swithin's day, if thou be fair,
For forty days 't will rain no more.

DANCE TO YOUR DADDIE

Dance to your daddie,
My bonnie laddie,
Dance to your daddie, my bonnie lamb!
You shall get a fishie
On a little dishie,
You shall get a fishie when the boat comes hame!

Dance to your daddie,
My bonnie laddie,
Dance to your daddie, and to your mammie sing!
You shall get a coatie,
And a pair of breekies,
You shall get a coatie when the boat comes in!

THE MAN IN THE MOON

The man in the moon
Came tumbling down
And asked the way to Norwich;
He went by the south,
And burnt his mouth
With eating cold pease porridge.

SIMPLE SIMON

SIMPLE SIMON met a pie-man,
Going to the fair;
Says Simple Simon to the pie-man,
"Let me taste your ware."

Says the pie-man unto Simon,
"First give me a penny."
Says Simple Simon to the pie-man,
"I have not got any."

He went to catch a dicky-bird,
And thought he could not fail,
Because he had got a little salt
To put upon his tail.

He went to ride a spotted cow,
That had got a little calf,
She threw him down upon the ground,
Which made the people laugh.

Then Simple Simon went a-hunting,
For to catch a hare,
He rode a goat about the street,
But could not find one there.

He went for to eat honey
Out of the mustard-pot,
He bit his tongue until he cried,
That was all the good he got.

SIMPLE SIMON went a-fishing
For to catch a whale;
And all the water he had got
Was in his mother's pail.

He went to take a bird's nest,
Was built upon a bough;
A branch gave way, and Simon fell
Into a dirty slough.

He went to shoot a wild duck,
But the wild duck flew away;
Says Simon, "I can't hit him,
Because he will not stay."

ONCE Simon made a great Snowball,
And brought it in to roast;
He laid it down before the fire,
And soon the ball was lost.

HE went to slide upon the ice,
Before the ice would bear;
Then he plunged in above his knees,
Which made poor Simon stare.

He went to try if cherries ripe
Grew upon a thistle;
He pricked his finger very much,
Which made poor Simon whistle.

He washed himself with blacking-ball,
Because he had no soap:
Then, then, said to his mother,
"I'm a beauty now, I hope."

He went for water in a sieve,
But soon it all ran through;
And now poor Simple Simon
Bids you all adieu.

TOAD AND FROG

"Croak," said the toad, "I'm hungry I think,
To-day I've had nothing to eat or to drink;
I'll crawl to a garden and jump through the pales,
And there I'll dine nicely on slugs and on snails."

"Ho, ho!" quoth the frog, "is that what you mean?
Then I'll 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."

LITTLE JACK HORNER

Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner
Eating of Christmas pie;

He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And cried "What a good boy was I!"

THE WOOING

There was a little man,
Who wooed a little maid;
And he said: "Little maid, will you wed, wed, wed?
I have little more to say,
So will you ay or nay
For the least said is soonest mend-ed, ded, ded."

Then the little maid replied:
"Should I be your little bride,
Pray what must we have for to eat, eat, eat?
Will the flame that you're so rich in
Light a fire in the kitchen?
Or the little god of Love turn the spit, spit, spit?"

HANDY PANDY

Handy Pandy, Jack-a-Dandy,
Loves plum-cake and sugar-candy;
He bought some at a grocer's shop,
And out he came, hop, hop, hop.

THE KILKENNY CATS

There were once two cats of Kilkenny,
Each thought there was one cat too many;
So they fought and they fit,
And they scratched and they bit,
Till, excepting their nails
And the tips of their tails,
Instead of two cats, there weren't any.

BLOW WIND BLOW

Blow, 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.

ONE, TWO, THREE, AND FOUR LEGS

Two legs sat upon three legs,
With one leg in his lap;
In comes four legs,
And runs away with one leg.

Up jumps two legs,
Catches up three legs,
Throws it after four legs,
And makes him bring back one leg.

BLUE BELL BOY

I HAD a little boy,
And called him Blue Bell;
Gave him a little work,
He did it very well.

I bade him go upstairs
To bring me a gold pin;
In coal-scuttle fell he,
Up to his little chin.

He went to the garden
To pick a little sage;
He tumbled on his nose,
And fell into a rage.

He went to the cellar
To draw a little beer;
And quickly did return
To say there was none there.

COCK-A-DOODLE-DO

Cock-a-doodle-do!
My dame has lost her shoe;
My master's lost his fiddle-stick,
And don't know what to do.

Cock-a-doodle-do!
What is my dame to do?
Till master finds his fiddle-stick,
She'll dance without her shoe.

JOHN COOK'S GREY MARE

JOHN COOK had a little grey mare; he, haw, hum!
Her back stood up, and her bones they were bare; he, haw, hum!

John Cook was riding up Shuter's bank; he, haw, hum!
And there his nag did kick and prank; he, haw, hum!

John Cook was riding up Shuter's hill; he, haw, hum!
His mare fell down, and she made her will; he, haw, hum!

The bridle and saddle were laid on the shelf; he, haw, hum!
If you want any more you may sing it yourself; he, haw, hum!

BUZ AND HUM

BUZ, quoth the blue fly,
Hum, quoth the bee,
Buz and hum they cry,
And so do we.

In his ear, in his nose,
Thus, do you see?
He ate the dormouse,
Else it was he.

TOMMY TITTLEMOUSE

Little Tommy Tittlemouse
Lived in a little house;
He caught fishes
In other men's ditches.

A AND B AND SEE

Great A, little a, bouncing B,
The cat's in the cupboard and she can't see.

DOCTOR FOSTER

DOCTOR Foster went to Glo'ster,
In a shower of rain;
He stepped in a puddle right up to his middle,
And never went there again.

DAFFY DOWN DILLY

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

QUEEN ANNE

Queen Anne, Queen Anne,
you sit in the sun,
As fair as a lily,
as white as a wand.
I send you three letters,
and pray read one,
You must read one, if you can't read all
So pray Miss or Master throw up the ball.

HO MY KITTEN

HO my kitten, a kitten,
And ho! my kitten, my deary!
Such a sweet pet as this
Was neither far nor neary.

Here we go up, up, up,
Here we go down, down, down;
Here we go backwards and forwards,
And here we go round, round, round.

LAVENDER BLUE

Lavender blue and rosemary green,
When I am king you shall be queen;
Call up my maids at four o'clock,
Some to the wheel and some to the rock,
Some to make hay and some to shear corn,
And you and I will keep ourselves warm.

THE QUARRELSOME KITTENS

TWO little kittens one stormy night,
They began to quarrel and they began to fight;
One had a mouse and the other had none,
And that's the way the quarrel begun.

"I'll have that mouse," said the biggest cat.
"You'll have that mouse? we'll see about that!"
"I will have that mouse," said the eldest son.
"You sha'n't have the mouse," said the little one.

I told you before 't was a stormy night
When these two little kittens began to fight;
The old woman seized her sweeping broom,
And swept the two kittens right out of the room.

The ground was covered with frost and snow,
And the two little kittens had nowhere to go;
So they laid them down on the mat at the door,
While the old woman finished sweeping the floor.

Then they crept in, as quiet as mice,
All wet with the snow, and as cold as ice,
For they found it was better, that stormy night,
To lie down and sleep than to quarrel and fight.

THE FLY AND THE HUMBLE-BEE

FIDDLE-DE-DEE, fiddle-de-dee,
The fly shall marry the humble-bee;

They went to church and married was she,
The fly has married the humble-bee.

CAT AND DOG

Pussy sits beside the fire,
How can she be fair?
In comes the little dog,
"Pussy, are you there?

So, so, Mistress Pussy,
Pray, how do you do?"

"Thank you, thank you, little dog,
I'm very well just now."

BOBBY SHAFT

Bobby Shaft is gone to sea,
With silver buckles at his knee;
When he'll come home he'll marry me,
Pretty Bobby Shaft!

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

THE LITTLE CLOCK

There's a neat little clock,
In the schoolroom it stands,
And it points to the time
With its two little hands.
And may we, like the clock,
Keep a face clean and bright,
With hands ever ready
To do what is right.

LITTLE MAID

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

BAT, BAT

Bat, bat,
Come under my hat,
And I'll give you a slice of bacon;

And when I bake,
I'll give you a cake,
If I am not mistaken.

CHRISTMAS

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat,
Please to put a penny in an old man's hat;
If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do,
If you haven't got a ha'penny, God bless you.

PETER WHITE

Peter White will ne'er go right,
And would you know the reason why?
He follows his nose where'er he goes,
And that stands all awry.

SLEEP BABY SLEEP

SLEEP, baby, sleep,
Our cottage vale is deep;
The little lamb is on the green,
With woolly fleece so soft and clean—
Sleep, baby, sleep!

Sleep, baby, sleep,
Down where the woodbines creep;
Be always like the lamb so mild,
A kind, and sweet, and gentle child—
Sleep, baby, sleep!

UP PIPPEN HILL

As I was going up Pippen Hill,
Pippen Hill was dirty;
There I met a pretty miss,
And she dropped me a curtsey.

Little miss, pretty miss,
Blessings light upon you!
If I had half a crown a day,
I'd spend it all upon you.

A FALLING OUT

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

TOM, THE PIPER'S SON

Tom, Tom, the piper's son,
Stole a pig and away he run!
The pig was eat and Tom was beat,
And Tom went howling down the street.

PEG

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

A DIFFICULT RHYME

What is the rhyme for porringer?
The king he had a daughter fair,
And gave the Prince of Orange her.

THE OLD WOMAN TOSSED IN A BASKET

There was an old woman tossed up in a basket
Seventeen times as high as the moon;
Where she was going I couldn't but ask it,
For in her hand she carried a broom.

"Old woman, old woman, old woman," quoth I,
"Where are you going to up so high?"
"To brush the cobwebs off the sky!"
"May I go with thee?" "Aye, by-and-by."

POOR OLD ROBINSON CRUSOE

POOR old Robinson Crusoe!
Poor old Robinson Crusoe!
They made him a coat
Of an old nanny goat,
I wonder why they could do so!
With a ring a ting tang,
And a ring a ting tang,
Poor old Robinson Crusoe!

TWO LITTLE DOGS

Two little dogs sat by the fire,
Over a fender of coal-dust;
When one said to the other dog,
"If Pompey won't talk, why, I must."

SATURDAY, SUNDAY

On Saturday night
Shall be all my care
To powder my locks
And curl my hair.
On Sunday morning
My love will come in,
When he will marry me
With a gold ring.

MERCHANTS OF LONDON

Hey diddle dinkety, poppety, pet.

The merchants of London they wear scarlet;
Silk in the collar, and gold in hem,
So merrily march the merchantmen.

THE OWL IN THE OAK

THERE was an owl lived in an oak,
Whiskey, whaskey, weedle;
And all the words he ever spoke
Were fiddle, faddle, feedle.

A sportsman chanced to come that way,
Whiskey, whaskey, weedle;
Says he, "I'll shoot you, silly bird,
So fiddle, faddle, feedle!"

GEORGY PORGY

Georgy Porgy, pudding and pie,
Kissed the girls and made them cry.
When the boys came out to play,
Georgy Porgy ran away.

TO MARKET

To market, to market,
To buy a fat pig;
Home again, home again,
Jiggety jig.

To market, to market,
To buy a fat hog;
Home again, home again,
Jiggety jog.

THE LITTLE GUINEA-PIG

There was a little Guinea-Pig,
Who, being little, 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 ne'er stood still for young or old.

He often squeak'd and sometimes vi'lent,
And when he squeak'd he ne'er was silent:
Though ne'er instructed by a cat,
He knew a mouse was not a rat.

One day, as I am certified,
He took a whim, and fairly died;
And, as I'm told by men of sense,
He never has been living since.

A NICK AND A NOCK

A nick and a nock,
A hen and a cock,
And a penny for my master.

PANCAKE DAY

Great A, little A,
This is pancake day;
Toss the ball high,
Throw the ball low,
Those that come after
May sing heigh-ho!

HUSH-A-BYE BABY

Hush-a-bye, baby,
On the tree top,
When the wind blows,
The cradle will rock;

When the bough breaks,
The cradle will fall,
Down tumbles baby,
Cradle, and all.

IN MARBLE HALLS

IN marble halls as white as milk,
Lined with a skin as soft as silk;

Within a fountain crystal clear,
A golden apple doth appear;

No doors there are to this stronghold,
Yet thieves break in and steal the gold.

JACK SPRAT'S PIG

Jack Sprat had a pig, who was not very little,
Nor yet very big;
He was not very lean, he was not very fat;
He'll do well for a grunt,
Says little Jack Sprat.

ROBIN-A-BOBIN

Robin-a-Bobin
Bent his bow,
Shot at a pigeon,
And killed a crow.

BANDY-LEGS

As 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.

A APPLE PIE

A Apple Pie

A was an apple pie.

B bit it.

C cut it.

D dealt it.

E eat it.

F fought for it.

G got it.

H had it.

J joined it.

K kept it.

L longed for it.

M mourned for it.

N nodded for it.

O opened it.

P peeped in it.

Q quartered it.

R ran for it.

S stole for it.

T took it.

V viewed it.

W wanted it.

X Y and Z all wished a piece of it.

THE PUMPKIN EATER

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,
Had a wife and couldn't keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And there he kept her very well.

HUSH-A-BYE, BABY

Hush-a-bye, baby,
Daddy is near;
Mamma is a lady,
And that's very clear.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

BIRDS of a feather flock together,
And so will pigs and swine;
Rats and mice will have their choice,
And so will I have mine.

COCK-A-DOODLE-DO

Oh, my pretty cock! Oh, my handsome cock!
I pray you, do not crow before day,
And your comb shall be made of the very beaten gold,
And your wings of the silver so gray.

HUSH, BABY, MY DOLLY

Hush, baby, my dolly, I pray you don't cry,
And I'll give you some bread and some milk by and by;
Or perhaps you like custard, or maybe a tart,
Then to either you're welcome, with all my heart.

I HAD A LITTLE PONY

I HAD a little pony
His name was Dapple-Grey,
I lent him to a lady,
To ride a mile away.
She whipped him, she lashed him,
She rode him through the mire;
I would not lend my pony now
For all the lady's hire.

SNAIL

Snail, snail, come out of your hole,
Or else I'll beat you as black as a coal.
Snail, snail, put out your horns,
Here comes a thief to pull down your walls.

MY LADY WIND

My lady Wind, my lady Wind,
Went round about the house to find
A chink to get her foot in:
She tried the keyhole in the door,
She tried the crevice in the floor,
And drove the chimney soot in.

And then one night, when it was dark,
She blew up such a tiny spark,
That all the house was pothered:
From it she raised up such a flame,
As flamed away to Belting Lane,
And White Cross folks were smothered.

And thus when once, my little dears,
A whisper reaches itching ears,
The same will come, you'll find:
Take my advice, restrain the tongue,
Remember what old nurse has sung
Of busy lady Wind!

LITTLE JENNY WREN

AS little Jenny Wren
Was sitting by the shed,
She waggled with her tail,
And nodded with her head.

She waggled with her tail,
And nodded with her head,
As little Jenny Wren
Was sitting by the shed.

POOR ROBIN

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

He'll sit in a barn,
And to keep himself warm
Will hide his head under his wing.
Poor thing!

PUSSY CAT

Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been?
I've been up to London to look at the queen.

Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, what did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under the chair.

DANCE, LITTLE BABY

Dance, little Baby, dance up high,
Never mind, Baby, Mother is by;
Crow and caper, caper and crow,
There, little Baby, there you go;
Up to the ceiling, down to the ground,
Backwards and forwards, round and round;
Dance, little Baby, and Mother will sing,
With the merry coral, ding, ding, ding!

OF WASHING

They that wash on Friday, wash in need;
And they that wash on Saturday, oh! they're sluts indeed.

DICKERY, DICKERY, DARE

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

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT

This is the house that Jack built.

THIS is the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the rat,

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

This is the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

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

This is the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the man all tattered and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tattered and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the cock that crowed in the morn,
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tattered and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is the farmer sowing his corn,
That kept the cock that crowed in the morn,
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn,
That married the man all tattered and torn,
That kissed the maiden all forlorn,
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn,
That tossed the dog,
That worried the cat,
That killed the rat,
That ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built.

A FROG HE WOULD AWOOING GO

A frog he would a-wooing go,
Heigho! says Rowley,
Whether his mother would let him or no.
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

So off he set with his opera hat,
Heigho! says Rowley,
And on the road he met with a rat.
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

"Pray, Mr. Rat, will you go with me?"
Heigho! says Rowley,
"Kind Mistress Mousey for to see!"
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

When they reached the door of Mousey's hall,
Heigho! says Rowley,
They gave a loud knock, and they gave a loud call.
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

"Pray, Mistress Mouse, are you within?"
Heigho! says Rowley;
"Oh, yes, kind sirs, I'm sitting to spin."
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

"Pray, Mistress Mouse, will you give us some beer?"
Heigho! says Rowley,
"For Froggy and I are fond of good cheer."
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

"Pray, Mr. Frog, will you give us a song?"
Heigho! says Rowley;
"But let it be something that's not very long."
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

"Indeed, Mistress Mouse," replied Mr. Frog,
Heigho! says Rowley,
"A cold has made me as hoarse as a hog."
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

"Since you have caught cold, Mr. Frog," Mousey said,
Heigho! says Rowley,
"I'll sing you a song that I have just made."
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

But while they were all a merry-making,
Heigho! says Rowley,
A cat with her kittens came tumbling in.
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

The cat she seized the rat by the crown,
Heigho! says Rowley,
The kittens they pulled the little mouse down.
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

This put Mr. Frog in a terrible fright,
Heigho! says Rowley;
He took up his hat and he wished them good-night.
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

But as Froggy was crossing over a brook,
Heigho! says Rowley,
A lily-white duck came and gobbled him up.
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

So there was an end of one, two, and three,
Heigho! says Rowley,
The Rat, the Mouse, and the little Frog-gee!
With a rowley powley, gammon and spinach,
Heigho! says Anthony Rowley.

THE MOUSE AND THE MILLER

There was an old woman
Lived under a hill,
She put a mouse in a bag,
And sent it to mill;
The miller did swear
By the point of his knife,
He never took toll
Of a mouse in his life!

LITTLE BETTY BLUE

Little Betty Blue
Lost her holiday shoe,
What shall little Betty do?
Buy her another
To match the other,
And then she'll walk upon two.

OF THE CUTTING OF NAILS

CUT them on Monday, you cut them for health;
Cut them on Tuesday, you cut them for wealth;
Cut them on Wednesday, you cut them for news;
Cut them on Thursday, a pair of new shoes;
Cut them on Friday, you cut them for sorrow;
Cut them on Saturday, you'll see your true-love to-morrow;
Cut them on Sunday, and you will have ill fortune all through the week.

THE ORANGE STEALER

Dingty, diddledy, my mammy's maid,
She stole oranges, I'm afraid;
Some in her pockets, some in her sleeve,
She stole oranges, I do believe.

I LOVE SIXPENCE

I LOVE sixpence, a jolly, jolly sixpence,
I love sixpence as my life;
I spent a penny of it, I spent a penny of it,
I took a penny home to my wife.

I love fourpence, a jolly, jolly fourpence,
I love fourpence as my life;
I spent two pence of it, I spent two pence of it,
And I took two pence home to my wife.

I love nothing, a jolly, jolly nothing,
I love nothing as my life;
I spent nothing of it, I spent nothing of it,
I took nothing home to my wife.

DIDDLEY-DIDDLEY-DUMPTY

DIDDLEY-DIDDLEY-DUMPTY,
The cat ran up the plum-tree,
Half a crown
To fetch her down,
Diddley-diddley-dumpty.

SAMMY SOAPSUDS

When little Sammy Soapsuds
Went out to take a ride,
In looking over London Bridge,
He fell into the tide.

His parents never having taught
Their loving Sam to swim,
The tide soon got the mastery,
And made an end of him.

THE ROSE IS RED

The rose is red, the violet blue,
The gilly flower sweet, and so are you.

These are the words you bade me say
For a pair of new gloves on Easter Day.

THE WIND

When the wind is in the East,
'Tis neither good for man nor beast;
When the wind is in the North,
The skilful fisher goes not forth;
When the wind is in the South,
It blows the bait in the fish's mouth;
When the wind is in the West,
Then 'tis at the very best.

A WARNING

THE robin and the red-breast,
The robin and the wren;

If ye take from their nest,
Ye'll never thrive again!

The robin and the red-breast,
The martin and the swallow;
If ye touch one of their eggs,
Bad luck will surely follow.

FINGERS AND TOES

Every lady in this land
Has twenty nails upon each hand
Five and twenty on hands and feet.
All this is true, without deceit.

COCK-CROW

COCKS crow in the morn
To tell us to rise,
And he who lies late
Will never be wise;

For early to bed
And early to rise,
Is the way to be healthy
And wealthy and wise.

MY MAID MARY

My maid Mary she minds the dairy,
While I go a-hoeing and mowing each morn;
Gaily run the reel and the little spinning-wheel,
Whilst I am singing and mowing my corn.

ROBIN AND WREN

The Robin and the Wren
Fought about the parritch-pan;
And ere the Robin got a spoon,
The Wren had ate the parritch down.

BUY ME A MILKING-PAIL

BUY me a milking-pail,
Mother, mother."
"Betsy's gone a-milking,
Beautiful daughter."

"Sell my father's feather-bed,
Mother, mother."
"Where will your father lie,
Beautiful daughter?"

"Put him in the boys' bed,
Mother, mother."
"Where will the boys lie,
Beautiful daughter?"

"Put them in the pigs' stye,
Mother, mother."
"Where will the pigs lie,
Beautiful daughter?"

"Put them in the salting-tub,
Mother, mother.
Put them in the salting-tub,
Mother, mother."

HUMPTY-DUMPTY

HUMPTY-DUMPTY sat on a wall,
Humpty-Dumpty had a great fall;

Threescore men, and threescore more,
Cannot place Humpty-Dumpty as he was before.

WHAT ARE LITTLE BOYS MADE OF?

What are little boys made of, made of?
What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails;
That's what little boys are made of, made of.

What are little girls made of, made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice, and all things nice,
That's what little girls are made of, made of.

THERE WAS A LITTLE MAN

THERE was a little man, and he had a little gun,
And his bullets they were made of lead, lead, lead.
He shot Johnny Sprig through the middle of his wig,
And knocked it right off his head, head, head.

A MEDLEY

ON Christmas Eve I turned the spit,
I burnt my fingers, I feel it yet;
The cock sparrow flew over the table,
The pot began to play with the ladle;
The ladle stood up like a naked man,
And vowed he'd fight the frying-pan;
The frying-pan behind the door
Said he never saw the like before;
And the kitchen clock I was going to wind
Said he never saw the like behind.

THE WISE MEN OF GOTHAM

Three wise men of Gotham
They went to sea in a bowl;
And if the bowl had been stronger,
My song had been longer.

TO THE BIRDS

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

HEY! DIDDLE, DIDDLE

HEY! diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The little dog laughed
To see such craft,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.

TWO LITTLE BIRDS

There were two blackbirds
Sat upon a hill,
The one named Jack,
The other named Jill.
Fly away, Jack!
Fly away, Jill!
Come again, Jack!
Come again, Jill!

THE LITTLE COCK SPARROW

A LITTLE Cock Sparrow sat on a green tree,
And he chirruped, he chirruped, so merry was he;
A little Cock Sparrow sat on a green tree,
And he chirruped, he chirruped, so merry was he.

A naughty boy came with his wee bow and arrow,
Determined to shoot this little Cock Sparrow;
A naughty boy came with his wee bow and arrow,
Determined to shoot this little Cock Sparrow.

"This little Cock Sparrow shall make me a stew,
And his giblets shall make me a little pie too."
"Oh, no!" said the sparrow, "I won't make a stew."
So he flapped his wings and away he flew!

DAME TROT

Dame Trot and her cat
Sat down for to chat;
The Dame sat on this
side.
And Puss sat on that.

IF

IF you are to be a gentleman, as I suppose you be,
You'll neither laugh nor smile for a tickling of the knee.

HOW DO YOU DO?

How do you do, neighbour?
Neighbour, how do you do?
Very well, I thank you.
How does Cousin Sue do?
She is very well,
And sends her love to you,
And so does Cousin Bell.
Ah! how, pray, does she do?

THERE WAS A LITTLE BOY

There was a little boy and a little girl,
Lived in an alley;
Says the little boy to the little girl,
"Shall I, oh, shall I?"

Says the little girl to the little boy,
"What shall we do?"
Says the little boy to the little girl,
"I will kiss you."

THE MAN IN THE WILDERNESS

The 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.

THOMAS A'TATTAMUS

THOMAS A'TATTAMUS took two T's
To tie two tups to two tall trees,
To frighten the terrible Thomas A'Tattamus!
Tell me how many T's there are in all that.

LITTLE GIRL, LITTLE GIRL

Little girl, little girl, where have you been?
Gathering roses to give to the Queen.
Little girl, little girl, what gave she you?
She gave me a diamond as big as my shoe.

OLD KING COLE

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

He called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,

And he called for his fiddlers three.

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

LENGTHENING DAYS

As the days grow longer
The storms grow stronger

HARK, HARK! THE DOGS DO BARK

HARK, hark! the dogs do bark,
Beggars are coming to town;
Some in jags, and some in rags,
And some in velvet gown.

BESSY BELL AND MARY GRAY

Bessy Bell and Mary Gray,
They were two bonny lasses;
They built their house upon the lea,
And covered it with rashes.

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

WEE WILLIE WINKIE

WEE WILLIE WINKIE runs through the town,
Up stairs and down stairs, in his nightgown,
Rapping at the window, crying through the lock:
"Are the children in their beds, for it's past eight o'clock."

BAA, BAA, BLACK SHEEP

Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wool?
Yes, marry, have I, three bags full:
One for my master, one for my dame,
But none for the little boy who cries in the lane.

EARLY RISING

HE that would thrive,
Must rise at five;
He that hath thriven,
May lie till seven;
And he that by the plough would thrive,
Himself must either hold or drive.

THE TAILORS AND THE SNAIL

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

BUTTONS

BUTTONS, a farthing a pair,
Come, who will buy them of me?
They're round and sound and pretty,
And fit for the girls of the city.
Come, who will buy them of me,
Buttons, a farthing a pair?

SULKY SUE

Here's Sulky Sue;
What shall we do?
Turn her face to the wall
Till she comes to.

HECTOR PROTECTOR

Hector Protector was dressed all in green;
Hector Protector was sent to the Queen.
The Queen did not like him, No more did the King;
So Hector Protector was sent back again.

JERRY AND JAMES AND JOHN

THE OLD WOMAN WHO LIVED IN A SHOE

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

NEEDLES AND PINS

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

THE SONG OF MYSELF

As 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.

TIT-TAT-TOE

TIT-TAT-TOE,
My first go,
Three jolly butcher-boys
All of a row;
Stick one up,
Stick one down,
Stick one in the old man's crown.

THE WAY TO LONDON TOWN

SEE-SAW, sacaradown,
Which is the way to London town?
One foot up, the other foot down,
That is the way to London town.

CÆSAR'S SONG

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

GREEN GRAVEL

Around the green gravel the grass grows green,
And all the pretty maids are plain to be seen;
Wash them with milk, and clothe them with silk,
And write their names with a pen and ink.

WASH ME AND COMB ME

Wash me and comb me,
And lay me down softly,
And lay me on a bank to dry,
That I may look pretty,
When somebody comes by.

TEN FINGERS

One, two, three, four, five,
Once I caught a fish alive,
Six, seven, eight, nine, ten,
But I let him go again.

Why did you let him go?
Because he bit my finger so.
Which finger did he bite?
The little one upon the right.

THE CODLIN WOMAN

There was a little woman, as I've been told,
Who was not very young, nor yet very old,
Now this little woman her living got,
By selling codlins, hot, hot, hot!

OF PIGS

A LONG-TAILED pig and a short-tailed pig,
Or a pig without e'er a tail,
A sow pig, or a boar pig,
Or a pig with a curly tail.

GOOD KING ARTHUR

WHEN good King Arthur ruled this land
He was a goodly king;
He stole three pecks of barley-meal
To make a bag-pudding.

A bag-pudding the king did make,
And stuff'd it well with plums;
And in it put great lumps of fat,
As big as my two thumbs.

The king and queen did eat thereof,
And noble men beside;
And what they could not eat that night,
The queen next morning fried.

SOLOMON GRUNDY

SOLOMON Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday,
This is the end
Of Solomon Grundy.

THREE BLIND MICE

Three blind mice, three blind mice,
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
She cut off their tails with a carving knife;
Did you ever see such a thing in your life
As three blind mice?

CROSS-PATCH

CROSS-PATCH, draw the latch,
Sit by the fire and spin;
Take a cup, and drink it up,
Then call your neighbours in.

YANKEE DOODLE

Yankee Doodle came to town,
Mounted on a pony;
He stuck a feather in his cap
And called it Maccaroni.

Yankee Doodle came to town,
Yankee Doodle dandy,
He stuck a feather in his cap
And called it sugar-candy.

TWINKLE, TWINKLE, LITTLE STAR

TWINKLE, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Then the traveller in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark:
How could he see where to go,
If you did not twinkle so?

In the dark blue sky you keep,
Often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye
Till the sun is in the sky.

How your bright and tiny spark
Lights the traveller in the dark!
Though I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.

BOYS AND GIRLS

Boys and girls come out to play,
The moon doth shine as bright as day;

Come with a whoop, and come with a call,
Come with a good will or come not at all.

Lose your supper and lose your sleep,
Come to your playfellows in the street.

Up the ladder and down the wall,
A halfpenny loaf will serve us all;

You find milk, and I'll find flour,
And we'll have a pudding in half an hour.

SING IVY

I ploughed it with a ram's horn,
Sing ivy, sing ivy;
And sowed it all over with one peppercorn,
Sing holly, go whistle, and ivy!

I harrowed it with a bramble bush,
Sing ivy, sing ivy;
And reaped it with my little pen-knife,
Sing holly, go whistle, and ivy!

PUSSYCAT MEW

Pussycat Mew jumped over a coal,
And in her best petticoat burnt a great hole.

Poor Pussy's weeping, she'll have no more milk,
Until her best petticoat's mended with silk!

GOOSEY, GOOSEY, GANDER

GOOSEY, goosey, gander,
Whither dost thou wander?
Up stairs and down stairs,
And in my lady's chamber.

There I met an old man
That would not say his prayers;
I took him by the left leg,
And threw him down stairs.

THE MAN AND HIS CALF

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

RIDE A COCK-HORSE

Ride 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.

SEEKING A WIFE

When I was a bachelor, I lived by myself,
And all the bread and cheese I got I put upon a shelf,
The rats and the mice did lead me such a life,
That I went up 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, little wife, and all.

DOCTOR FAUSTUS

DOCTOR FAUSTUS was a good man,
He whipped his scholars now and then;
When he whipped them he made them dance
Out of Scotland into France,
Out of France into Spain,
And then he whipped them back again.

POLLY, PUT THE KETTLE ON

Polly, put the kettle on,
Polly, put the kettle on,
Polly, put the kettle on,
And we'll have tea.

Sukey, take it off again,
Sukey, take it off again,
Sukey, take it off again,
They're all gone away.

THE BLACKSMITH

ROBERT BARNES, fellow fine,
Can you shoe this horse of mine?
"Yes, good sir, that I can,
As well as any other man;
Here's a nail, and there's a prod,
And now, good sir, your horse is shod."

THE FOUNT OF LEARNING

Here's A, B, and C, D, E, F, and G,
H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q,
R, S, T, and U,
W, X, Y, and Z.
And here's the child's dad
Who is sagacious and discerning,
And knows this is the fount of all learning.

OF ARITHMETIC

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

OVER THE WATER TO CHARLEY

Over the water, and over the lea,
And over the water to Charley.
Charley loves good ale and wine,
And Charley loves good brandy;
And Charley loves a pretty girl,
As sweet as sugar-candy.
Over the water, and over the sea,
And over the water to Charley,
I'll have none of your nasty beef,
Nor I'll have none of your barley;
But I'll have some of your very best flour,
To make a white cake for my Charley.

THREE JOLLY WELSHMEN

There were three jolly Welshmen,
As I have heard say,
And they went a-hunting
Upon St. David's 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 he 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 he said it was a cheese,
With half o' it cut away.

THE DAYS OF THE MONTH

THIRTY days hath September,
April, June, and November;
February has twenty-eight alone,
All the rest have thirty-one,
Except in leap-year, when's the time
That February has twenty-nine.

A VARIED SONG

A DILLER, A DOLLAR.

A diller, a dollar,
A ten o'clock scholar;
What makes you come so soon?
You used to come at ten o'clock,
But now you come at noon.

A PIE SAT ON A PEAR-TREE

A PIE sat on a pear-tree,
A pie sat on a pear-tree,
A pie sat on a pear-tree,
Heigh O, heigh O, heigh O!
Once so merrily hopped she,
Twice so merrily hopped she,
Thrice so merrily hopped she,
Heigh O, heigh O, heigh O!

THE GIRL IN THE LANE

The girl in the lane, that couldn't speak plain,
Cried gobble, gobble, gobble;

The man on the hill, that couldn't stand still,
Went hobble, hobble, hobble.

THREE MEN IN A TUB

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

The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick-maker;
Turn 'em out, knaves all three!

LITTLE MISS MUFFET

LITTLE Miss Muffet,
She sat on a tuffet,
Eating of curds and whey;
There came a big spider,
And sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

THE BOY AND THE OWL

There was a little boy went into a field,
And lay down on some hay;

An owl came out and flew about,
And the little boy ran away.

COCK ROBIN'S COURTING

Cock Robin got up early,
At the break of day,
And went to Jenny's window
To sing a roundelay.

He sang Cock Robin's love
To the little Jenny Wren,
And when he got unto the end,
Then he began again.

FOR EVERY EVIL

For every evil under the sun,
There is a remedy, or there is none.
If there be one, seek till you find it;
If there be none, never mind it.

WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY

When I was a little boy,
I washed my mammy's dishes,
I put my finger in my eye,
And pulled out golden fishes.

ANDREW

AS I was going o'er Westminster Bridge,
I met with a Westminster scholar;
He pulled off his cap, an' drew off his glove,
And wished me a very good morrow.
What is his name?

MARY'S CANARY