She minds her dairy,
While I go a hoing and mowing each morn,
Merrily run the reel
And the little spinning wheel
Whilst I am singing and mowing my corn.
CLX.
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.
CLXI.
Wooley Foster has gone to sea,
With silver buckles at his knee,
When he comes back he'll marry me,--
Bonny Wooley Foster!
Wooley Foster has a cow,
Black and white about the mow,
Open the gates and let her through,
Wooley Foster's ain cow!
Wooley Foster has a hen,
Cockle button, cockle ben,
She lay eggs for gentlemen,
But none for Wooley Foster!
CLXII.
[The following catch is found in Ben Jonson's 'Masque of
Oberon,' and is a most common nursery song at the present
day.]
Buz, quoth the blue fly,
Hum, quoth the bee,
Buz and hum they cry,
And so do we:
In his ear, in his nose,
Thus, do you see?
He ate the dormouse,
Else it was he.
CLXIII.
As I was going up the hill,
I met with Jack the piper,
And all the tunes that he could play
Was "Tie up your petticoats tighter."
I tied them once, I tied them twice,
I tied them three times over;
And all the songs that he could sing
Was "Carry me safe to Dover."
CLXIV.
There were two birds sat on a stone,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
One flew away, and then there was one,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
The other flew after, and then there was none,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de;
And so the poor stone was left all alone,
Fa, la, la, la, lal, de!
CLXV.
How does my lady's garden grow?
How does my lady's garden grow?
With cockle shells, and silver bells,
And pretty maids all of a row.
CLXVI.
There 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.
CLXVII.
As I was going along, long, long,
A singing a comical song, song, song,
The lane that I went was so long, long, long,
And the song that I sung was as long, long, long,
And so I went singing along.
CLXVIII.
Where are you going, my pretty maid?
I'm going a-milking, sir, she said.
May I go with you, my pretty maid?
You're kindly welcome, sir, she said.
What is your father, my pretty maid?
My father's a farmer, sir, she said.
Say, will you marry me, my pretty maid?
Yes, if you please, kind sir, she said.
Will you be constant, my pretty maid?
That I can't promise you, sir, she said.
Then I won't marry you, my pretty maid!
Nobody asked you, sir! she said.
CLXIX.
[Song on the bells of Derby on foot-ball morning, a custom now
discontinued:]
Pancakes and fritters,
Say All Saints and St. Peters;
When will the _ball_ come,
Say the bells of St. Alkmun;
At two they will throw,
Says Saint Werabo;
O! very well,
Says little Michel.
CLXX.
I have been to market, my lady, my lady;
Then you've not been to the fair, says pussy, says pussy;
I bought me a rabbit, my lady, my lady;
Then you did not buy a hare, says pussy, says pussy;
I roasted it, my lady, my lady;
Then you did not boil it, says pussy, says pussy;
I eat it, my lady, my lady;
And I'll eat you, says pussy, says pussy.
CLXXI.
My father left me three acres of land,
Sing ivy, sing ivy;
My father left me three acres of land,
Sing holly, go whistle and ivy!
I ploughed it with a ram's horn,
Sing ivy, sing ivy;
And sowed it all over with one pepper corn,
Sing holly, go whistle and ivy!
I harrowed it with a bramble bush,
Sing ivy, sing ivy;
And reaped it with my little penknife,
Sing holly, go whistle and ivy!
I got the mice to carry it to the barn,
Sing ivy, &c.
And thrashed it with a goose's quill,
Sing holly, &c.
I got the cat to carry it to the mill,
Sing ivy, &c.
The miller he swore he would have her paw,
And the cat she swore she would scratch his face,
Sing holly, go whistle and ivy!
CLXXII.
[The original of the following is to be found in
'Deuteromelia, or the second part of Musicks Melodie,' 4to,
Lond. 1609, where the music is also given.]
Three blind mice, see how they run!
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with the carving-knife,
Did you ever see such fools in your life?
Three blind mice.
CLXXIII.
[The music to the following song, with different words, is
given in 'Melismata,' 4to, Lond. 1611. See also the 'Pills to
Purge Melancholy,' 1719, vol. i, p. 14. The well-known song,
'A frog he would a wooing go,' appears to have been borrowed
from this. See Dauney's 'Ancient Scottish Melodies,' 1838, p.
53. The story is of old date, and in 1580 there was licensed
'A most strange weddinge of the frogge and the mouse,' as
appears from the books of the Stationers' Company, quoted in
Warton's Hist. Engl, Poet., ed. 1840, vol. iii, p. 360.]
There was a frog liv'd in a well,
Kitty alone, Kitty alone;
There was a frog liv'd in a well,
Kitty alone, and I!
There was a frog liv'd in a well,
And a farce[*] mouse in a mill, [*merry
Cock me cary, Kitty alone,
Kitty alone, and I.
This frog he would a wooing ride,
Kitty alone, &c.
This frog he would a wooing ride,
And on a snail he got astride,
Cock me cary, &c.
He rode till he came to my Lady Mouse hall,
Kitty alone, &c.
He rode till he came to my Lady Mouse hall,
And there he did both knock and call,
Cock me cary, &c.
Quoth he, Miss Mouse, I'm come to thee,
Kitty alone, &c.
Quoth he, Miss Mouse, I'm come to thee,
To see if thou canst fancy me,
Cock me cary, &c.
Quoth she, answer I'll give you none,
Kitty alone, &c.
Quoth she, answer I'll give you none,
Until my uncle Rat come home,
Cock me cary, &c.
And when her uncle Rat came home,
Kitty alone, &c.
And when her uncle Rat came home,
Who's been here since I've been gone?
Cock me cary, &c.
Sir, there's been a worthy gentleman,
Kitty alone, &c.
Sir, there's been a worthy gentleman,
That's been here since you've been gone,
Cock me cary, &c.
The frog he came whistling through the brook,
Kitty alone, &c.
The frog he came whistling through the brook,
And there he met with a dainty duck,
Cock me cary, &c.
This duck she swallow'd him up with a pluck,
Kitty alone, Kitty alone;
This duck she swallow'd him up with a pluck,
So there's an end of my history book.
Cock me cary, Kitty alone,
Kitty alone and I.
CLXXIV.
There was a man in our toone, in our toone, in our toone,
There was a man in our toone, and his name was Billy Pod;
And he played upon an old razor, an old razor, an old razor,
And he played upon an old razor, with my fiddle fiddle fe fum fo.
And his hat it was made of the good roast beef, the good roast beef,
the good roast beef,
And his hat it was made of the good roast beef,
and his name was Billy Pod;
And he played upon an old razor, &c.
And his coat it was made of the good fat tripe, the good fat tripe,
the good fat tripe,
And his coat it was made of the good fat tripe,
and his name was Billy Pod;
And he played upon an old razor, &c.
And his breeks were made of the bawbie baps, the bawbie baps,
the bawbie baps,
And his breeks were made of the bawbie baps,
and his name was Billy Pod;
And he played upon an old razor, &c.
And there was a man in tither toone, in tither toone, in tither
toone,
And there was a man in tither toone, and his name was Edrin Drum;
And he played upon an old laadle, an old laadle, an old laadle,
And he played upon an old laadle, with my fiddle fiddle fe fum fo.
And he eat up all the good roast beef, the good roast beef, &c. &c.
And he eat up all the good fat tripe, the good fat tripe, &c. &c.
And he eat up all the bawbie baps, &c. and his name was Edrin Drum.
CLXXV.
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!
CLXXVI.
A carrion crow sat on an oak,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
Watching a tailor shape his cloak;
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.
Wife, bring me my old bent bow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
That I may shoot yon carrion crow;
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.
The tailor he shot and missed his mark,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do,
And shot his own sow quite through the heart;
Sing heigh ho, the carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, hi ding do.
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.
[Illustration]
CLXXVII.
[Another version from MS. Sloane, 1489, fol. 17, written in
the time of Charles I.]
Hic hoc, the carrion crow,
For I have shot something too low:
I have quite missed my mark,
And shot the poor sow to the heart;
Wife, bring treacle in a spoon,
Or else the poor sow's heart will down.
CLXXVIII.
[Song of a little boy while passing his hour of solitude in a
corn-field.]
Awa' birds, away!
Take a little, and leave a little,
And do not come again;
For if you do,
I will shoot you through,
And there is an end of you.
CLXXIX.
If I'd as much money as I could spend,
I never would cry old chairs to mend;
Old chairs to mend, old chairs to mend;
I never would cry old chairs to mend.
If I'd as much money as I could tell,
I never would cry old clothes to sell;
Old clothes to sell, old clothes to sell;
I never would cry old clothes to sell.
CLXXX.
Whistle, daughter, whistle, whistle daughter dear;
I cannot whistle, mammy, I cannot whistle clear.
Whistle, daughter, whistle, whistle for a pound;
I cannot whistle, mammy, I cannot make a sound.
CLXXXI.
I'll sing you a song,
Though not very long,
Yet I think it as pretty as any,
Put your hand in your purse,
You'll never be worse,
And give the poor singer a penny.
CLXXXII.
Dame, 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.
[Illustration]
SEVENTH CLASS--RIDDLES.
CLXXXIII.
[Ann.]
There was a girl in our towne,
Silk an' satin was her gowne,
Silk an' satin, gold an' velvet,
Guess her name, three times I've tell'd it.
CLXXXIV.
[A thorn.]
I 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 couldn't help it.
CLXXXV.
[Sunshine.]
Hick-a-more, Hack-a-more,
On the king's kitchen-door;
All the king's horses,
And all the king's men,
Couldn't drive Hick-a-more, Hack-a-more,
Off the king's kitchen-door!
CLXXXVI.
[A pen.]
When I was taken from the fair body,
They then cut off my head,
And thus my shape was altered;
It's I that make peace between king and king,
And many a true lover glad:
All this I do and ten times more,
And more I could do still,
But nothing can I do,
Without my guider's will.
CLXXXVII.
[Snuff.]
As I look'd out o' my chamber window
I heard something fall;
I sent my maid to pick it up,
But she couldn't pick it all.
CLXXXVIII.
[A tobacco-pipe.]
I went into my grandmother's garden,
And there I found a farthing.
I went into my next door neighbour's,
There I bought a pipkin and a popkin--
A slipkin and a slopkin,
A nailboard, a sailboard,
And all for a farthing.
CLXXXIX.
[Gloves.]
As I was going o'er London Bridge,
I met a cart full of fingers and thumbs!
CXC.
Made in London,
Sold at York,
Stops a bottle
And _is_ a cork.
CXCI.
Ten and ten and twice eleven,
Take out six and put in seven;
Go to the green and fetch eighteen,
And drop one a coming.
CXCII.
[A walnut.]
As soft as silk, as white as milk,
As bitter as gall, a thick wall,
And a green coat covers me all.
CXCIII.
[A swarm of bees.]
As I was going o'er Tipple Tine,
I met a flock of bonny swine;
Some green-lapp'd,
Some green-back'd;
They were the very bonniest swine
That e'er went over Tipple Tine.
CXCIV.
[An egg.]
Humpty Dumpty lay in a beck,[*]
With all his sinews round his neck;
Forty doctors and forty wrights
Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty to rights!
[Footnote *: A brook.]
CXCV.
[A storm of wind.]
Arthur O'Bower has broken his band,
He comes roaring up the land;--
The King of Scots, with all his power,
Cannot turn Arthur of the Bower!
CXCVI.
[Tobacco.]
Make three-fourths of a cross,
And a circle complete;
And let two semicircles
On a perpendicular meet;
Next add a triangle
That stands on two feet;
Next two semicircles,
And a circle complete.
CXCVII.
There was a king met a king
In a narrow lane,
Says this king to that king,
"Where have you been?"
"Oh! I've been a hunting
With my dog and my doe."
"Pray lend him to me,
That I may do so."
"There's the dog _take_ the dog."
"What's the dog's name?"
"I've told you already."
"Pray tell me again."
CXCVIII.
[A plum-pudding.]
Flour of England, fruit of Spain,
Met together in a shower of rain;
Put in a bag tied round with a string,
If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a ring.
CXCIX.
Every lady in this land
Has twenty nails upon each hand,
Five and twenty hands and feet,
All this is true without deceit.
CC.
Twelve pears hanging high,
Twelve knights riding by;
Each knight took a pear,
And yet left eleven there!
CCI.
[A star.]
I have a little sister, they call her peep, peep;
She wades the waters deep, deep, deep;
She climbs the mountains high, high, high;
Poor little creature she has but one eye.
CCII.
[A needle and thread.]
Old mother Twitchett had but one eye,
And a long tail which she let fly;
And every time she went over a gap,
She left a bit of her tail in a trap.
CCIII.
[An egg.]
In marble walls 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 strong-hold.
Yet things break in and steal the gold.
CCIV.
[A horse-shoer.]
What shoe-maker makes shoes without leather,
With all the four elements put together?
Fire and water, earth and air;
Ev'ry customer has two pair.
CCV.
[Currants.]
Higgledy piggledy
Here we lie,
Pick'd and pluck'd,
And put in a pie.
My first is snapping, snarling, growling,
My second's industrious, romping, and prowling.
Higgledy piggledy
Here we lie,
Pick'd and pluck'd,
And put in a pie.
CCVI.
Thomas a Tattamus took two Ts,
To tie two tups to two tall trees,
To frighten the terrible Thomas a Tattamus!
Tell me how many Ts there are in all THAT.
CCVII.
[The man had one eye, and the tree two apples upon it.]
There was a man who had no eyes,
He went abroad to view the skies;
He saw a tree with apples on it,
He took no apples off, yet left no apples on it.
CCVIII.
[Cleopatra.]
The moon nine days old,
The next sign to cancer;
Pat rat without a tail;--
And now, sir, for your answer,
CCIX.
[A candle.]
Little Nancy Etticoat,
In a white petticoat,
And a red nose;
The longer she stands,
The shorter she grows.
CCX.
[Pair of tongs.]
Long legs, crooked thighs,
Little head and no eyes.
CCXI.
[From MS. Sloane, 1489, fol. 16, written in the time of
Charles I.]
There were three sisters in a hall,
There came a knight amongst them all;
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.
CCXII.
[Isabel.]
Congeal'd water and Cain's brother,
That was my lover's name, and no other.
CCXIII.
[Teeth and Gums.]
Thirty white horses upon a red hill,
Now they tramp, now they champ, now they stand still.
CCXIV.
[Coals.]
Black 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.
CCXV.
[A Star.]
Higher than a house, higher than a tree;
Oh, whatever can that be?
CCXVI.
[An Egg.]
Humpty 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.
CCXVII.
[The allusion to Oliver Cromwell satisfactorily fixes the date
of the riddle to belong to the seventeenth century. The answer
is, a rainbow.]
Purple, yellow, red, and green,
The king cannot reach it nor the queen;
Nor can old Noll, whose power's so great:
Tell me this riddle while I count eight.
CCXVIII.
Pease-porridge hot, pease-porridge cold,
Pease-porridge in the pot, nine days old.
Spell me _that_ without a P,
And a clever scholar you will be.
CCXIX.
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?
CCXX.
[A Chimney.]
Black within, and red without;
Four corners round about.
CCXXI.
There was a man rode through our town,
Gray Grizzle was his name;
His saddle-bow was gilt with gold,
Three times I've named his name.
CCXXII.
[A Hedgehog.]
As I went over Lincoln bridge
I met mister Rusticap;
Pins and needles on his back,
A going to Thorney fair.
CCXXIII.
[One leg is a leg of mutton; two legs, a man; three legs, a
stool; four legs, a dog.]
Two legs sat upon three legs,
With one leg in his lap;
In comes four legs,
And runs away with one leg.
Up jumps two legs,
Catches up three legs,
Throws it after four legs,
And makes him bring back one leg.
CCXXIV.
[A Bed.]
Formed long ago, yet made to-day,
Employed while others sleep;
What few would like to give away,
Nor any wish to keep.
CCXXV.
[A Cinder-sifter.]
A riddle, a riddle, as I suppose,
A hundred eyes, and never a nose.
CCXXVI.
[A Well.]
As round as an apple, as deep as a cup,
And all the king's horses can't pull it up.
CCXXVII.
[A Cherry.]
As 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 you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a groat.
CCXXVIII.
Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy and Bess,
They all went together to seek a bird's nest.
They found a bird's nest with five eggs in,
They all took one, and left four in.
CCXXIX.
As 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?
CCXXX.
[The Holly Tree.]
Highty, tighty, paradighty clothed in green,
The king could not read it, no more could the queen;
They sent for a wise man out of the East,
Who said it had horns, but was not a beast!
CCXXXI.
See, see! what shall I see?
A horse's head where his tail should be.
CCXXXII.
[A fire-brand with sparks on it.]
As I was going o'er London Bridge,
And peep'd through a nick,
I saw four and twenty ladies
Riding on a stick!
CCXXXIII.
[An Icicle.]
Lives in winter,
Dies in summer,
And grows with its root upwards!
CCXXXIV.
When I went up sandy hill,
I met a sandy boy;
I cut his throat, I sucked his blood,
And left his skin a hanging-o.
CCXXXV.
I had a little castle upon the sea-side,
One half was water, the other was land;
I open'd my little castle door, and guess what I found;
I found a fair lady with a cup in her hand.
The cup was gold, filled with wine;
Drink, fair lady, and thou shalt be mine!
CCXXXVI.
Old father Graybeard,
Without tooth or tongue;
If you'll give me your finger,
I'll give you my thumb.
[Illustration]
EIGHTH CLASS--CHARMS.
CCXXXVII.
Cushy 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.
CCXXXVIII.
[Said to pips placed in the fire; a species of divination
practised by children.]
If you love me, pop and fly;
If you hate me, lay and die.
CCXXXIX.
[The following, with a very slight variation, is found in Ben
Jonson's 'Masque of Queen's,' and it is singular to account
for its introduction into the modern nursery.]
I went to the toad that lies under the wall,
I charmed him out, and he came at my call;
I scratch'd out the eyes of the owl before,
I tore the bat's wing, what would you have more.
CCXL.
[A charm somewhat similar to the following may be seen in the
'Townley Mysteries,' p. 91. See a paper in the 'Archaeologia,'
vol. xxvii, p. 253, by the Rev. Lancelot Sharpe, M.A. See also
MS. Lansd. 231, fol. 114, and Ady's 'Candle in the Dark,' 4to,
London, 1650, p. 58.]
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
Guard the bed that I lay on!
Four corners to my bed,
Four angels round my head;
One to watch, one to pray,
And two to bear my soul away!
CCXLI.
[Ady, in his 'Candle in the Dark,' 4to, Lond. 1656, p. 59,
says that this was a charm to make butter come from the churn.
It was to be said thrice.]
Come, butter, come,
Come, butter, come!
Peter stands at the gate,
Waiting for a butter'd cake;
Come, butter, come!
CCXLII.
[From Dr. Wallis's "Grammatica Linguae Anglicanae," 12mo, Oxon.
1674, p. 164. This and the nine following are said to be
certain cures for the hiccup if repeated in one breath.]
When a Twister a twisting, will twist him a twist;
For the twisting of his twist, he three times doth intwist;
But if one of the twines of the twist do untwist,
The twine that untwisteth, untwisteth the twist.
Untwirling the twine that untwisteth between,
He twirls, with the twister, the two in a twine:
Then twice having twisted the twines of the twine
He twisteth the twine he had twined in twain.
The twain that, in twining, before in the twine,
As twines were intwisted; he now doth untwine:
'Twixt the twain inter-twisting a twine more between,
He, twirling his twister, makes a twist of the twine.
CCXLIII.
A Thatcher of Thatchwood went to Thatchet a thatching;
Did a thatcher of Thatchwood go to Thatchet a thatching?
If a thatcher of Thatchwood went to Thatchet a thatching,
Where's the thatching the thatcher of Thatchwood has thatch'd?
CCXLIV.
[Sometimes 'off a pewter plate' is added at the end of each
line.]
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper;
A peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper,
Where's the peck of pickled pepper Peter Piper picked?
CCXLV.
My father he left me, just as he was able,
One bowl, one bottle, one lable,
Two bowls, two bottles, two lables,
Three, &c. [_And so on ad. lib. in one breath._]
CCXLVI.
Robert Rowley rolled a round roll round,
A round roll Robert Rowley rolled round;
Where rolled the round roll Robert Rowley rolled round?
CCXLVII.
My grandmother sent me a new-fashioned three cornered cambric country
cut handkerchief. Not an old-fashioned three cornered cambric country
cut handkerchief, but a new-fashioned three cornered cambric country
cut handkerchief.
CCXLVIII.
Three crooked cripples went through Cripplegate, and through
Cripplegate went three crooked cripples.
CCXLIX.
Swan swam over the sea--
Swim, swan, swim;
Swan swam back again,
Well swam swan,
CCL.
Hickup, hickup, go away!
Come again another day;
Hickup, hickup, when I bake,
I'll give to you a butter-cake.
CCLI.
Hickup, snicup,
Rise up, right up!
Three drops in the cup
Are good for the hiccup.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
NINTH CLASS--GAFFERS AND GAMMERS.
CCLII.
There was an old woman, as I've heard tell,
She went to market her eggs for to sell;
She went to market all on a market-day,
And she fell asleep on the king's highway.
There came by a pedlar whose name was Stout,
He cut her petticoats all round about;
He cut her petticoats up to the knees,
Which made the old woman to shiver and freeze.
When this little woman first did wake,
She began to shiver and she began to shake,
She began to wonder and she began to cry,
"Oh! deary, deary me, this is none of I!
"But if it be I, as I do hope it be,
I've a little dog at home, and he'll know me;
If it be I, he'll wag his little tail,
And if it be not I, he'll loudly bark and wail."
Home went the little woman all in the dark,
Up got the little dog, and he began to bark;
He began to bark, so she began to cry,
"Oh! deary, deary me, this is none of I!"
CCLIII.
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe,
She had so many children she didn't know what to do;
She gave them some broth without any bread,
She whipped them all well and put them to bed.
CCLIV.
Old woman, old woman, shall we go a shearing?
Speak a little louder, sir, I am very thick of hearing.
Old woman, old woman, shall I love you dearly?
Thank you, kind sir, I hear you very clearly.
CCLV.
There was an old woman sat spinning,
And that's the first beginning;
She had a calf,
And that's half;
She took it by the tail,
And threw it over the wall,
And that's all.
CCLVI.