Her head was of wood, and she wore a cork-leg.
The neighbours all pitch'd her into the water,
Her leg was drown'd first, and her head follow'd a'ter.
CCLVII.
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!
CCLVIII.
There was an old woman,
And she sold puddings and pies;
She went to the mill,
And the dust flew in her eyes:
Hot pies and cold pies to sell!
Wherever she goes,--
You may follow her by the smell.
CCLIX.
Old Mother Niddity Nod swore by the pudding-bag,
She would go to Stoken Church fair;
And then old Father Peter said he would meet her
Before she got half-way there.
CCLX.
There was an old woman
Lived under a hill;
And if she's not gone,
She lives there still.
CCLXI.
There was an old woman toss'd up in a basket
Nineteen times as high as the moon;
Where she was going I couldn't but ask it,
For in her hand she carried a broom.
Old woman, old woman, old woman, quoth I,
O whither, O whither, O whither, so high?
To brush the cobwebs off the sky!
Shall I go with thee? Aye, by and by.
CCLXII.
There was an old man who liv'd in Middle Row,
He had five hens and a name for them, oh!
Bill and Ned and Battock,
Cut-her-foot and Pattock,
Chuck, my lady Prattock,
Go to thy nest and lay.
CCLXIII.
There 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!
CCLXIV.
Old Betty Blue
Lost a holiday shoe,
What can old Betty do?
Give her another
To match the other,
And then she may swagger in two.
CCLXV.
Old 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 baker's
To buy him some bread,
But when she came back
The poor dog was dead.
She went to the joiner's
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.
[Illustration]
She went to the fishmonger's
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 hatter's
To buy him a hat,
But when she came back
He was feeding the cat.
She went to the barber's
To buy him a wig,
But when she came back
He was dancing a jig.
She went to the fruiterer's
To buy him some fruit,
But when she came back
He was playing the flute.
She went to the tailor's
To buy him a coat,
But when she came back
He was riding a goat.
She went to the cobbler's
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 hosier's
To buy him some hose,
But when she came back
He was dress'd in his clothes.
The dame made a curtsey,
The dog made a bow;
The dame said, your servant,
The dog said, bow, wow.
[Footnote *: Probably _loffing_ or _loffin'_, to complete the
rhyme. So in Shakspeare's 'Mids. Night's Dream,' act ii, sc. 1:
"And then the whole quire hold their hips, and _loffe_."]
CCLXVI.
[The first two lines of the following are the same with those
of a song in D'Urfey's 'Pills to Purge Melancholy,' vol. v, p.
13.]
There was an old woman
Lived under a hill,
She put a mouse in a bag,
And sent it to mill;
The miller declar'd
By the point of his knife,
He never took toll
Of a mouse in his life.
CCLXVII.
[The following is part of a comic song called 'Success to
the Whistle and Wig,' intended to be sung in rotation by the
members of a club.]
There was an old woman had three sons,
Jerry, and James, and John:
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!
CCLXVIII.
[The tale on which the following story is founded is found
in a MS. of the fifteenth century, preserved in the Chetham
Library at Manchester.]
There was an old man, who lived in a wood,
As you may plainly see;
He said he could do as much work in a day,
As his wife could do in three.
With all my heart, the old woman said,
If that you will allow,
To-morrow you'll stay at home in my stead,
And I'll go drive the plough:
But you must milk the Tidy cow,
For fear that she go dry;
And you must feed the little pigs
That are within the sty;
And you must mind the speckled hen,
For fear she lay away;
And you must reel the spool of yarn
That I spun yesterday.
The old woman took a staff in her hand,
And went to drive the plough:
The old man took a pail in his hand,
And went to milk the cow;
But Tidy hinched, and Tidy flinched,
And Tidy broke his nose,
And Tidy gave him such a blow,
That the blood ran down to his toes.
High! Tidy! ho! Tidy! high!
Tidy! do stand still;
If ever I milk you, Tidy, again,
'Twill be sore against my will!
He went to feed the little pigs,
That were within the sty;
He hit his head against the beam,
And he made the blood to fly.
He went to mind the speckled hen,
For fear she'd lay astray,
And he forgot the spool of yarn
His wife spun yesterday.
So he swore by the sun, the moon, and the stars,
And the green leaves on the tree,
If his wife didn't do a day's work in her life,
She should ne'er be ruled by he.
CCLXIX.
There was an old man of Tobago,
Who lived on rice, gruel, and sago;
Till, much to his bliss,
His physician said this--
"To a leg, sir, of mutton you may go."
CCLXX.
Oh, dear, what can the matter be?
Two old women got up in an apple tree;
One came down,
And the other staid till Saturday.
CCLXXI.
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.
CCLXXII.
Father Short came down the lane,
Oh! I'm obliged to hammer and smite
From four in the morning till eight at night,
For a bad master, and a worse dame.
CCLXXIII.
There was an old woman called Nothing-at-all,
Who rejoiced in a dwelling exceedingly small:
A man stretched his mouth to its utmost extent,
And down at one gulp house and old woman went.
CCLXXIV.
There was an old woman of Norwich,
Who lived upon nothing but porridge;
Parading the town,
She turned cloak into gown,
This thrifty old woman of Norwich.
CCLXXV.
A little old man of Derby,
How do you think he served me?
He took away my bread and cheese,
And that is how he served me.
CCLXXVI.
There was an old woman in Surrey,
Who, was morn, noon, and night in a hurry;
Call'd her husband a fool,
Drove the children to school,
The worrying old woman of Surrey.
[Illustration]
TENTH CLASS--GAMES.
CCLXXVII.
[Rhymes used by children to decide who is to begin a game.]
One-ery, two-ery,
Ziccary zan;
Hollow bone, crack a bone,
Ninery, ten:
Spittery spot,
It must be done;
Twiddleum twaddleum,
Twenty-one.
Hink spink, the puddings stink,
The fat begins to fry,
Nobody at home, but jumping Joan,
Father, mother, and I.
Stick, stock, stone dead,
Blind man can't see,
Every knave will have a slave,
You or I must be he.
CCLXXVIII.
[A game of the Fox. In a children's game, where all the little
actors are seated in a circle, the following stanza is used as
question and answer.]
Who goes round my house this night?
None but cruel Tom!
Who steals all the sheep at night?
None but this poor one.
CCLXXIX.
Dance, Thumbkin, dance,
[_Keep the thumb in motion._
Dance, ye merrymen, every one:
[_All the fingers in motion._
For Thumbkin, he can dance alone,
[_The thumb only moving_.
Thumbkin, he can dance alone,
[_Ditto._
Dance, Foreman, dance,
[_The first finger moving._
Dance, ye merrymen, every one;
[_The whole moving._
But Foreman, he can dance alone,
Foreman, he can dance alone.
[and So on With the Others--naming the 2d Finger Longman--the
3d Finger Ringman--and the 4th Finger Littleman. Littleman
Cannot Dance Alone.]
CCLXXX.
[The following is used by schoolboys, when two are starting to
run a race.]
One to make ready,
And two to prepare;
Good luck to the rider,
And away goes the mare.
CCLXXXI.
[At the conclusion, the captive is privately asked if he will
have oranges or lemons (the two leaders of the arch having
previously agreed which designation shall belong to each),
and he goes behind the one he may chance to name. When all
are thus divided into two parties, they conclude the game by
trying to pull each other beyond a certain line.]
Gay go up and gay go down,
To ring the bells of London town.
Bull's eyes and targets,
Say the bells of St. Marg'ret's.
Brickbats and tiles,
Say the bells of St. Giles'.
Halfpence and farthings,
Say the bells of St. Martin's.
Oranges and lemons,
Say the bells of St. Clement's.
Pancakes and fritters,
Say the bells of St. Peter's.
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. Helen's.
Pokers and tongs,
Say the bells at St. John's.
Kettles and pans,
Say the bells at St. Ann's.
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 don't 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.
CCLXXXII.
[One child holds a wand to the face of another, repeating
these lines, and making grimaces, to cause the latter
to laugh, and so to the others; those who laugh paying a
forfeit.]
Buff says Buff to all his men,
And I say Buff to you again;
Buff neither laughs nor smiles,
But carries his face
With a very good grace,
And passes the stick to the very next place!
CCLXXXIII.
[Game with the hands.]
Pease-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.
CCLXXXIV.
Awake, arise, pull out your eyes,
And hear what time of day;
And when you have done, pull out your tongue,
And see what you can say.
CCLXXXV.
GAME OF THE GIPSY.
[One child is selected for Gipsy, one for Mother, and one for
Daughter Sue. The Mother says,--
I charge my daughters every one
To keep good house while I am gone.
You and _you_ (_points_) but specially _you_,
[_Or sometimes_, but specially _Sue_.]
Or else I'll beat you black and blue.
During the Mother's absence, the Gipsy comes in, entices a
child away, and hides her. This process is repeated till all
the children are hidden, when the Mother has to find them.]
CCLXXXVI.
[This game begins thus: Take this--What's this?--A gaping,
wide-mouthed, waddling frog, &c.]
Twelve huntsmen with horns and hounds,
Hunting over other men's grounds!
Eleven ships sailing o'er the main,
Some bound for France and some for Spain:
I wish them all safe home again:
Ten comets in the sky,
Some low and some high;
Nine peacocks in the air,
I wonder how they all came there,
I do not know and I do not care;
Eight joiners in joiner's hall,
Working with the tools and all;
Seven lobsters in a dish,
As fresh as any heart could wish;
Six beetles against the wall,
Close by an old woman's apple stall;
Five puppies of our dog Ball,
Who daily for their breakfast call;
Four horses stuck in a bog,
Three monkeys tied to a clog;
Two pudding-ends would choke a dog.
With a gaping, wide-mouthed, waddling frog.
CCLXXXVII.
[A string of children, hand in hand, stand in a row. A child
(A) stands in front of them, as leader; two other children
(B and C) form an arch, each holding both the hands of the
other.]
A. Draw a pail of water,
For my lady's daughter;
My father's a king, and my mother's a queen,
My two little sisters are dress'd in green,
Stamping grass and parsley,
Marigold leaves and daisies.
B. 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.]
CCLXXXVIII.
[The following seems to belong to the last game; but it is
usually found by itself in the small books of children's
rhymes.]
Sieve my lady's oatmeal,
Grind my lady's flour,
Put it in a chesnut,
Let it stand an hour;
One may rush, two may rush,
Come, my girls, walk under the bush.
CCLXXXIX.
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.
CCXC.
There were three jovial Welshmen,
As I have heard them say,
And they would go 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 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 o't cut away.
And all the day they hunted,
And nothing could they find
But a hedgehog in a bramble bush,
And that they left behind.
The first said it was a hedgehog,
The second he said, nay;
The third it was a pincushion,
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 left 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 left behind.
One said it was an owl,
The other he said, nay;
The third said 'twas an old man,
And his beard growing grey.
CCXCI.
Is John Smith within?--
Yes, that he is.
Can he set a shoe?--
Ay, marry, two,
Here a nail, there a nail,
Tick, tack, too.
CCXCII.
Margery Mutton-pie, and Johnny Bopeep,
They met together in Grace-church Street;
In and out, in and out, over the way,
Oh! says Johnny, 'tis chop-nose day.
CCXCIII.
Intery, mintery, cutery-corn,
Apple seed and apple thorn;
Wine, brier, limber-lock,
Five geese in a flock,
Sit and sing by a spring,
O-U-T, and in again.
CCXCIV.
[The game of water-skimming is of high antiquity, being
mentioned by Julius Pollux, and also by Eustathius, in his
commentary upon Homer. Brand quotes a curious passage from
Minucius Felix; but all antiquaries seem to have overlooked
the very curious notice in Higgins' adaptation of Junius's
'Nomenclator,' 8vo, London, 1585, p. 299, where it is called
"a duck and a drake, and a halfe-penie cake." Thus it is
probable that lines like the following were employed in this
game as early as 1585; and it may be that the last line has
recently furnished a hint to Mathews in his amusing song in
'Patter _v_. Clatter.']
A duck and a drake,
A nice barley-cake,
With a penny to pay the old baker;
A hop and a scotch,
Is another notch,
Slitherum, slatherum, take her.
CCXCV.
See, 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!
CCXCVI.
See, saw, Margery Daw,
Little Jackey shall have a new master;
Little Jackey shall have but a penny a day,
Because he can't work any faster.
CCXCVII.
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!
CCXCVIII.
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury-cross,
To buy little Johnny a galloping-horse;
It trots behind, and it ambles before,
And Johnny shall ride till he can ride no more.
CCXCIX.
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.
CCC.
Jack be nimble,
And Jack be quick:
And Jack jump over
The candle-stick.
CCCI.
[This should be accompanied by a kind of pantomimic dance, in
which the motions of the body and arms express the process of
weaving; the motion of the shuttle, &c.]
Weave the diaper tick-a-tick tick,
Weave the diaper tick--
Come this way, come that
As close as a mat,
Athwart and across, up and down, round about,
And forwards, and backwards, and inside, and out;
Weave the diaper thick-a-thick thick,
Weave the diaper thick!
CCCII.
[Used in Somersetshire in counting out the game of pee-wip or
pee wit.]
One-ery, two-ery, hickary, hum,
Fillison, follison, Nicholson, John,
Quever, quauver, Irish Mary,
Stenkarum, stankarum, buck!
CCCIII.
Whoop, whoop, and hollow,
Good dogs won't follow,
Without the hare cries "pee wit."
CCCIV.
Tom Brown's two little Indian boys,
One ran away,
The other wouldn't stay,--
Tom Brown's two little Indian boys.
CCCV.
There were two blackbirds,
Sitting on a hill,
The one nam'd Jack,
The other nam'd Jill;
Fly away Jack!
Fly away Jill!
Come again Jack!
Come again Jill!
CCCVI.
Tip, top, tower,
Tumble down in an hour.
CCCVII.
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.
CCCVIII.
Number number nine, this hoop's mine;
Number number ten, take it back again.
CCCIX.
Here goes my lord
A trot, a trot, a trot, a trot,
Here goes my lady
A canter, a canter, a canter, a canter!
Here goes my young master
Jockey-hitch, Jockey-hitch, Jockey-hitch, Jockey-hitch:
Here goes my young miss,
An amble, an amble, an amble, an amble!
The footman lays behind to tipple ale and wine,
And goes gallop, a gallop, a gallop, to make up his time.
CCCX.
[This is acted by two or more girls, who walk or dance up
and down, turning, when they say, "turn, cheeses, turn." The
"green cheeses," as I am informed, are made with sage and
potatoe-tops. Two girls are said to be "cheese and cheese."]
Green cheese, yellow laces,
Up and down the market-places,
Turn, cheeses, turn!
CCCXI.
To market ride the gentlemen,
So do we, so do we;
Then comes the country clown,
Hobbledy gee, Hobbledy gee;
First go the ladies, nim, nim, nim;
Next come the gentlemen, trim, trim, trim;
Then comes the country clowns, gallop-a-trot.
CCCXII.
Ride a cock-horse to Coventry-cross;
To see what Emma can buy;
A penny white cake I'll buy for her sake,
And a twopenny tart or a pie.
CCCXIII.
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury-cross,
To see an old lady upon a white horse,
Rings on her fingers, and bells on her toes,
And so she makes music wherever she goes.
CCCXIV.
[Song set to five toes.]
1. Let us go to the wood, says this pig;
2. What to do there? says that pig;
3. To look for my mother, says this pig;
4. What to do with her? says that pig;
5. Kiss her to death, says this pig.
CCCXV.
[A number of boys and girls stand round one in the middle, who
repeats the following lines, counting the children until one
is counted out by the end of the verses.]
Ring me (1), ring me (2), ring me rary (3),
As I go round (4), ring by ring (5),
A virgin (6) goes a maying (7),
Here's a flower (8), and there's a flower (9),
Growing in my lady's garden (10),
If you set your foot awry (11),
Gentle John will make you cry (12),
If you set your foot amiss (13),
Gentle John (14) will give you a kiss.
[The child upon whom (14) falls is then taken out, and
forced to select one of the other sex. The middle child then
proceeds.]
This [lady or gentleman] is none of ours,
Has put [him or her] self in [the selected child's] power,
So clap all hands, and ring all bells, and make the wedding o'er.
[_All clap hands._]
[If the child taken by lot joins in the clapping, the selected
child is rejected, and I believe takes the middle place.
Otherwise, I think, there is a salute.]
CCCXVI.
[Another game, played exclusively by boys. Two, who are fixed
upon for the purpose, leave the group, and privately arrange
that the pass-word shall be some implement of a particular
trade. The trade is announced in the dialogue, and then the
fun is, that the unfortunate wight who guesses the "tool" is
beaten with the caps of his fellows till he reaches a fixed
goal, after which he goes out in turn.]
"Two broken tradesmen,
Newly come over,
The one from France and Scotland,
The other from Dover."
"What's your trade?"
[Carpenters, nailors, smiths, tinkers, or any other is
answered, and on guessing the instrument "plane him, hammer
him, rasp him, or solder him," is called out respectively
during the period of punishment.]
CCCXVII.
Clap hands, clap hands,
Hie Tommy Randy,
Did you see my good man?
They call him Cock-a-bandy.
Silken Stockings on his legs,
Silver buckles glancin',
A sky-blue bonnet on his head,
And oh, but he is handsome.
CCCXVIII.
[A song set to five fingers.]
1. This pig went to market;
2. This pig staid at home;
3. This pig had a bit of meat;
4. And this pig had none;
5. This pig said, Wee, wee, wee! I can't find my way home.
CCCXIX.
[Children hunting bats.]
Bat, bat, (_clap hands_,)
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.
CCCXX.
[A game at ball.]
Cuckoo, cherry tree,
Catch a bird, and give it to me;
Let the tree be high or low,
Let it hail, rain, or snow.
CCCXXI.
[Two of the strongest children are selected, A and B; A stands
within a ring of the children, B being outside.]
A. Who is going round my sheepfold?
B. Only poor old Jacky Lingo.
A. Don't steal any of my black sheep.
B. No, no more I will, only by one,
Up, says Jacky Lingo. (_Strikes one._)
[The child struck leaves the ring, and takes hold of B behind;
B in the same manner takes the other children, one by one,
gradually increasing his tail on each repetition of the
verses, until he has got the whole; A then tries to get them
back; B runs away with them; they try to shelter themselves
behind B; A drags them off, one by one, setting them against
a wall, until he has recovered all. A regular tearing game, as
children say.]
CCCXXII.
Highty cock O!
To London we go,
To York we ride;
And Edward has pussy-cat tied to his side;
He shall have little dog tied to the other,
And then he goes trid trod to see his grandmother.
CCCXXIII.
This 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.
CCCXXIV.
[Children stand round, and are counted one by one, by means
of this rhyme. The child upon whom the last number falls is
_out_, for "Hide or Seek," or any other game where a victim is
required. A cock and bull story of this kind is related of the
historian Josephus. There are other versions of this, and one
may be seen in 'Blackwood's Magazine' for August, 1821, p.
36.]
Hickory (1), Dickory (2), Dock (3),
The mouse ran up the clock (4),
The clock struck one (5),
The mouse was gone (6);
O (7), U (8), T (9), spells OUT!
CCCXXV.
One old Oxford ox opening oysters;
Two tee-totums totally tired of trying to trot to Tadbury;
Three tall tigers tippling tenpenny tea;
Four fat friars fanning fainting flies;
Five frippy Frenchmen foolishly fishing for flies;
Six sportsmen shooting snipes;
Seven Severn salmons swallowing shrimps;
Eight Englishmen eagerly examining Europe;
Nine nimble noblemen nibbling nonpareils;
Ten tinkers tinkling upon ten tin tinderboxes with ten tenpenny
tacks;
Eleven elephants elegantly equipt;
Twelve typographical topographers typically translating types.
CCCXXVI.
[The following lines are sung by children when starting for a
race.]
Good horses, bad horses,
What is the time of day?
Three o'clock, four o'clock,
Now fare you away.
CCCXXVII.
See-saw, jack a daw,
What is a craw to do wi' her?
She has not a stocking to put on her,
And the craw has not one for to gi' her.
CCCXXVIII.
[The following is a game played as follows: A string of
boys and girls, each holding by his predecessor's skirts,
approaches two others, who with joined and elevated hands form
a double arch. After the dialogue, the line passes through,
and the last is caught by a sudden lowering of the arms--if
possible.]
How many miles is it to Babylon?--
Threescore miles and ten.
Can I get there by candle-light?--
Yes, and back again!
If your heels are nimble and light,
You may get there by candle-light.
CCCXXIX.
Clap hands, clap hands!
Till father comes home;
For father's got money,
But mother's got none.
Clap hands, &c.
Till father, &c.
CCCXXX.
See-saw sacradown,
Which is the way to London town?
One foot up, and the other down,
And that is the way to London town.
CCCXXXI.