Front matter (continued 2)
Reading edition

LOVE your own, kiss your own, Love your own mother, hinny, For if she was dead and gone, You'd ne'er get such another, hinny.

CURLY locks! curly locks! wilt thou be mine? Thou shalt not wash dishes, nor yet feed the swine, But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam, And feed upon strawberries, sugar, and cream!

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

THERE was a lady loved a swine: "Honey," quoth she, "Pig-hog, wilt thou be mine?" "Grunt," quoth he. "I'll build thee a silver stye, Honey," quoth she; "And in it thou shall lie;" "Grunt," quoth he. "Pinned with a silver pin, Honey," quoth she, "That you may go out and in;" "Grunt," quoth he. "Wilt thou now have me, Honey," quoth she; "Grunt, grunt, grunt," quoth he, And went his way.

WHERE have you been all the day, My boy Willy?" "I've been all the day Courting of a lady gay: But, oh! she's too young To be taken from her mammy." "What work can she do, My boy Willy? Can she bake and can she brew, My boy Willy?" "She can brew and she can bake, And she can make our wedding-cake: But, oh! she's too young To be taken from her mammy." "What age may she be? What age may she be? My boy Willy?" "Twice two, twice seven, Twice ten, twice eleven: But, oh! she's too young To be taken from her mammy."



I HAD a little dog, and they called him Buff; I sent him to the shop for a hap'orth of snuff; But he lost the bag, and spill'd the snuff: "So take that cuff—and that's enough."

BURNIE bee, burnie bee, Tell me when your wedding be? If it be to-morrow day, Take your wings and fly away.

SOME little mice sat in a barn to spin; Pussy came by, and popped her head in; "Shall I come in and cut your threads off?" "Oh no, kind sir, you will snap our heads off?"

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

GREY goose and gander, Waft your wings together, And carry the good king's daughter Over the one strand river.

PUSSY-CAT, pussy-cat, where have you been? I've been to London to look at the queen. Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, what did you there? I frighten'd a little mouse under the chair.

CUCKOO, Cuckoo, What do you do? "In April I open my bill; In May I sing night and day; In June I change my tune; In July Away I fly; In August Away I must."

HICKETY, pickety, my black hen, She lays eggs for gentlemen; Gentlemen come every day To see what my black hen doth lay.

THE cock doth crow, To let you know, If you be wise, 'Tis time to rise.

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

[Bird boy's song.]
EAT, birds, eat, and make no waste; I lie here and make no haste: If my master chance to come, You must fly, and I must run.

"HIE, hie," says Anthony, "Puss in the pantry, Gnawing, gnawing A mutton mutton-bone; See now she tumbles it, See now she mumbles it, See how she tosses The mutton mutton-bone."

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

THE cuckoo's a fine bird: He sings as he flies; He brings us good tidings; He tells us no lies. He sucks little birds' eggs To make his voice clear; And when he sings "Cuckoo!" The summer is near.

"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."

THERE was a piper, he'd a cow, And he'd no hay to give her; He took his pipes and played a tune: "Consider, old cow, consider!" The cow considered very well, For she gave the piper a penny, That he might play the tune again, Of "Corn rigs are bonnie."

A PIE sate on a pear-tree, A pie sate on a pear-tree, A pie sate on a pear-tree. Heigh O, heigh O, heigh O! Once so merrily hopp'd she, Twice so merrily hopp'd she, Thrice so merrily hopp'd she. Heigh O, heigh O, heigh O!

ONCE I saw a little bird Come hop, hop, hop; So I cried, "Little bird, Will you stop, stop, stop?" And was going to the window, To say, "How do you do?" But he shook his little tail, And far away he flew.

THE winds they did blow; The leaves they did wag; Along came a beggar boy, And put me in his bag. He took me up to London; A lady did me buy, Put me in a silver cage, And hung me up on high, With apples by the fire, And nuts for to crack, Besides a little feather bed To rest my little back.

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

BETTY PRINGLE had a little pig, Not very little and not very big; When he was alive he lived in clover; But now he's dead, and that's all over. So Billy Pringle he laid down and cried, And Betty Pringle she laid down and died; So there was an end of one, two, and three: Billy Pringle he, Betty Pringle she, And the piggy wiggy.

A LONG-TAIL'D pig, or a short-tail'd pig, Or a pig without e'er a tail, A sow-pig, or a boar-pig, Or a pig with a curly tail.

A LITTLE cock-sparrow sat on a green tree (tris), And he cherruped, he cherruped, so merry was he (tris); A little cock-sparrow sat on a green tree, And he cherruped, he cherruped, so merry was he. A naughty boy came with his wee bow and arrow (tris), Determined to shoot this little cock-sparrow (tris); A naughty, &c. Determined, &c. "This little cock-sparrow shall make me a stew (tris), And his giblets shall make me a little pie too" (tris); "Oh, no," said the sparrow, "I won't make a stew;" So he flapped his wings, and away he flew.

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

DAME, what makes your ducks to die? What the pize ails 'em? what the pize ails 'em? They kick up their heels, and there they lie; What the pize ails 'em now? Heigh, ho! heigh, ho! Dame, what makes your ducks to die? What a pize ails 'em? what a pize ails 'em? Heigh, ho! heigh, ho! Dame, what ails your ducks to die? Eating o' polly-wigs, eating o' polly-wigs. Heigh, ho! heigh, ho!

IN the month of February, When green leaves begin to spring, Little lambs do skip like fairies, Birds do couple, build, and sing.

PUSSY cat sits by the fire; How did she come there? In walks the little dog, Says, "Pussy! are you there?" "How do you do, Mistress Pussy? Mistress Pussy, how d'ye do?" "I thank you kindly, little dog, I fare as well as you!"

THERE was a little boy went into a barn, And lay down on some hay; An owl came out and flew about, And the little boy ran away.

THE dove says, "Coo, coo, what shall I do? I can scarce maintain two." "Pooh, pooh," says the wren; "I have got ten, And keep them all like gentlemen!"

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

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

I LOVE little pussy, her coat is so warm; And if I don't hurt her she'll do me no harm. So I'll not pull her tail nor drive her away, But pussy and I very gently will play.

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

LADY bird, lady bird, fly away home; Thy house is on fire, thy children all gone— All but one, and her name is Ann, And she crept under the pudding-pan.

PUSSY sits behind 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."

LITTLE Robin-Redbreast sat upon a tree; Up went Pussy cat, and down went he; Down came Pussy cat, and away Robin ran: Says little Robin-Redbreast, "Catch me if you can." Little Robin-Redbreast jump'd upon a wall; Pussy cat jump'd after him, and almost got a fall; Little Robin chirp'd and sang, and what did Pussy say? Pussy cat said "Mew," and Robin jump'd away.

MARY had a pretty bird With feathers bright and yellow— Slender legs—upon my word— He was a pretty fellow.

I HAD a little hen, the prettiest ever seen; She washed me the dishes, and kept the house clean; She went to the mill to fetch me some flour; She brought it home in less than an hour; She baked me my bread, she brew'd me my ale; She sat by the fire, and told many a fine tale.

HIGGLEY PIGGLEY, My black hen, She lays eggs For gentlemen; Sometimes nine, And sometimes ten. Higgley Piggley, My black hen!

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

BAH, bah, black sheep, Have you any wool? "Yes, marry, have I, Three bags full: One for my master, And one for my dame, But none for the little boy Who cries in the lane."

Little boy blue, come, blow up your horn; The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn. "Where's the little boy that looks after the sheep?" "He's under the hay-cock fast asleep." "Will you wake him?" "No, not I; For if I do, he'll be sure to cry."

GOD bless the master of this house, The mistress bless also, And all the little children That round the table go; And all your kin and kinsmen, That dwell both far and near; I wish you a merry Christmas, And a happy New Year.

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."

GOOSEY, goosey, gander, Where shall I wander? Upstairs, downstairs, And in my lady's chamber. There I meet an old man That would not say his prayers; I took him by the left leg, And threw him downstairs.

JENNY WREN fell sick, Upon a merry time; In came Robin-Redbreast And brought her sops and wine. "Eat well of the sops, Jenny, Drink well of the wine." "Thank you, Robin, kindly, You shall be mine." Jenny she got well, And stood upon her feet, And told Robin plainly She loved him not a bit. Robin, being angry, Hopped upon a twig, Saying, "Out upon you. Fie upon you. Bold-faced jig."

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

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 slashed him, She rode him through the mire; I would not lend my pony now For all the lady's hire.

A FARMER went trotting Upon his grey mare; Bumpety, bumpety, bump! With his daughter behind him, So rosy and fair; Lumpety, lumpety, lump! A raven cried "Croak;" And they all tumbled down; Bumpety, bumpety, bump! The mare broke her knees, And the farmer his crown; Lumpety, lumpety, lump. The mischievous raven Flew laughing away; Bumpety, bumpety, bump! And vowed he would serve them The same the next day; Bumpety, bumpety, bump!



THIS is the house that Jack built. 2. This is the malt That lay in the house that Jack built. 3. This is the rat, That ate the malt, That lay in the house that Jack built. 4. This is the cat, That kill'd the rat, That ate the malt, That lay in the house that Jack built. 5. This is the dog, That worried the cat, That kill'd the rat, That ate the malt, That lay in the house that Jack built. 6. This is the cow with the crumpled horn, That toss'd the dog, That worried the cat, That kill'd the rat, That ate the malt, That lay in the house that Jack built. 7. This is the maiden all forlorn, That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn, That tossed the dog, That worried the cat, That kill'd the rat, That ate the malt, That lay in the house that Jack built. 8. This is the man all tatter'd and torn, That kissed the maiden all forlorn, That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn, That tossed the dog, That worried the cat, That kill'd the rat, That ate the malt, That lay in the house that Jack built. 9. This is the priest all shaven and shorn, That married the man all tatter'd and torn, That kiss'd the maiden all forlorn, That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn, That tossed the dog, That worried the cat, That kill'd the rat, That ate the malt, That lay in the house that Jack built. 10. This is the cock that crow'd in the morn, That waked the priest all shaven and shorn, That married the man all tatter'd and torn, That kiss'd the maiden all forlorn, That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn, That tossed the dog, That worried the cat, That kill'd the rat, That ate the malt, That lay in the house that Jack built. 11. This is the farmer sowing his corn, That kept the cock that crow'd in the morn, That waked the priest all shaven and shorn, That married the man all tatter'd and torn, That kissed the maiden all forlorn, That milk'd the cow with the crumpled horn, That tossed the dog, That worried the cat, That kill'd the rat, That ate the malt, That lay in the house that Jack built.

AN old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a little crooked sixpence. "What," said she, "shall I do with this little sixpence? I will go to market, and buy a little pig."
As she was coming home, she came to a stile; but the pig would not go over the stile.
She went a little farther, and she met a dog. So she said to the dog—
"Dog, dog, bite pig! Pig won't get over the stile; And I shan't get home to-night."
But the dog would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a stick. So she said—
"Stick, stick, beat dog! Dog won't bite pig? Pig won't get over the stile, And I shan't get home to-night."
But the stick would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a fire. So she said—
"Fire, fire, burn stick! Stick won't beat dog; Dog won't bite pig; Pig won't get over the stile, And I shan't get home to-night."
But the fire would not.
She went a little farther, and she met some water. So she said—
"Water, water, quench fire! Fire won't burn stick; Stick won't beat dog; Dog won't bite pig; Pig won't get over the stile, And I shan't get home to-night."
But the water would not.
She went a little farther, and she met an ox. So she said—
"Ox, ox, drink water! Water won't quench fire; Fire won't burn stick; Stick won't beat dog; Dog won't bite pig; Pig won't get over the stile, And I shan't get home to-night."
THE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG

But the ox would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a butcher. So she said—
"Butcher, butcher, kill ox! Ox won't drink water; Water won't quench fire; Fire won't burn stick; Stick won't beat dog; Dog won't bite pig; Pig won't get over the stile, And I shan't get home to-night."
But the butcher would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a rope. So she said—
"Rope, rope, hang butcher! Butcher won't kill ox; Ox won't drink water; Water won't quench fire; Fire won't burn stick; Stick won't beat dog; Dog won't bite pig; Pig won't get over the stile, And I shan't get home to-night."
But the rope would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a rat. So she said—
"Rat, rat, gnaw rope! Rope won't hang butcher; Butcher won't kill ox; Ox won't drink water; Water won't quench fire; Fire won't burn stick; Stick won't beat dog; Dog won't bite pig; Pig won't get over the stile, And I shan't get home to-night."
But the rat would not.
She went a little farther, and she met a cat. So she said—
"Cat, cat, kill rat; Rat won't gnaw rope; Rope won't hang butcher; Butcher won't kill ox; Ox won't drink water; Water won't quench fire; Fire won't burn stick; Stick won't beat dog; Dog won't bite pig; Pig won't get over the stile, And I shan't get home to-night."
The cat said, "If you will give me a saucer of milk, I will kill the rat."
So the old woman gave the cat the milk, and when she had lapped up the milk—
The cat began to kill the rat; The rat began to gnaw the rope; The rope began to hang the butcher; The butcher began to kill the ox; The ox began to drink the water; The water began to quench the fire; The fire began to burn the stick; The stick began to beat the dog; The dog began to bite the pig; The pig jumped over the stile, And so the old woman got home that night.

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.



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

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.

HINK, minx! the old witch winks, The fat begins to fry: There's nobody at home but little jumping Joan, Father, mother, and I.

HANNAH BANTRY in the pantry, Eating a mutton bone; How she gnawed it, how she clawed it, When she found she was alone!

LITTLE Miss Muffet Sat on a tuffet, Eating of curds and whey; There came a spider, And sat down beside her, And frightened Miss Muffet away.
"What are Little Boys made of?"

WHAT are little boys made of, made of; What are little boys made of? "Snaps and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails; And that's what little boys are made of, made of." What are little girls made of, made of, made of; What are little girls made of? "Sugar and spice, and all that's nice; And that's what little girls are made of, made of."

WHAT'S the news of the day, Good neighbour, I pray? "They say the balloon Is gone up to the moon."

KING'S SUTTON is a pretty town, And lies all in a valley; There is a pretty ring of bells, Besides a bowling-alley: Wine and liquor in good store, Pretty maidens plenty; Can a man desire more? There ain't such a town in twenty.

COME, let's to bed, Says Sleepy-head; "Tarry a while," says Slow; "Put on the pot," Says Greedy-gut, "Let's sup before we go."

Girls and boys, come out to play; The moon doth shine as bright as day; Leave your supper, and leave your sleep, And come with your playfellows into the street. Come with a whoop, come with a call, Come with a good will or not at all. Up the ladder and down the wall, A halfpenny roll will serve us all. You find milk, and I'll find flour, And we'll have a pudding in half-an-hour.

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

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.

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.

MY little old man and I fell out; I'll tell you what 'twas all about: I had money, and he had none, And that's the way the row begun.
DAFFY- Down- Dilly has come up to town In a yellow petticoat and a green gown.



DARBY and Joan were dress'd in black, Sword and buckle behind their back; Foot for foot, and knee for knee, Turn about Darby's company.

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

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

BARBER, barber, shave a pig; How many hairs will make a wig? "Four-and-twenty, that's enough:" Give the barber a pinch of snuff.

LITTLE Tom Tucker Sings for his supper; What shall he eat? White bread and butter. How shall he cut it, Without e'er a knife? How will he be married Without e'er a wife?

WHO comes here? "A grenadier." "What do you want?" "A pot of beer." "Where is your money?" "I've forgot." "Get you gone, You drunken sot!"

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

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.

A MAN went a hunting at Reigate, And wished to leap over a high gate; Says the owner, "Go round, With your gun and your hound, For you never shall leap over my gate."

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

WE'RE all in the dumps, For diamonds are trumps; The kittens are gone to St. Paul's! The babies are bit, The moon's in a fit, And the houses are built without walls.


THE origin of the right nursery rhymes is, of course, popular, like the origin of ballads, tales (Märchen), riddles, proverbs, and, indeed, of literature in general. They are probably, in England, of no great antiquity, except in certain cases, where they supply the words to some child's ballet, some dance game. A game may be of prehistoric antiquity, as appears in the rudimentary forms of backgammon, Pachin and Patullo, common to Asia, and to the Aztecs, as Dr. Tylor has demonstrated. The child's game—
"Buck, buck, How many fingers do I hold up?"
was known in ancient Rome as bucca, though it would be audacious to infer that it arrived in Britain since the Norman Conquest. Hop-scotch is also exceedingly ancient, and the curious will find the theories of its origin in Mr. Gomme's learned work on Children's Dances and Songs, published by the Folk-Lore Society. Dr. Nicholson's book on the Folk-Lore of Children in Sutherland, still unpublished when I write, may also be consulted. One of the songs collected by Dr. Nicholson was copied down by a Danish traveller in London during the reign of Charles II. Robert Chambers's "Popular Rhymes of Scotland" is also a treasure of this kind of antiquities. It is probable that the Lowland rhymes have occasionally Gaelic counterparts, as the nursery tales certainly have, but I am unacquainted with any researches on this topic by Celtic scholars.
In Mr. Halliwell's Collection, from which this volume is abridged, no manuscript authority goes further back than the reign of Henry VIII., though King Arthur and Robin Hood are mentioned. The obscure Scottish taunt, levelled at Edward I. when besieging Berwick, is much in the manner of a nursery rhyme:—
"Kyng Edward, When thu havest Berwic, Pike thee! When thu havest geton, Dike thee!"
This, as Sir Herbert Maxwell says, "seems deficient in salt," but was felt to be irritating by the greatest of the Plantagenets. The jingles on the King of France, against the Scots in the time of James I., against the Tory, or Irish rapparee, and about the Gunpowder Plot, are of the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The Great Rebellion supplies "Hector Protector" and "The Parliament soldiers are gone to the king;" "Over the water and over the sea" (or lee) is a parody of a Jacobite ditty of 1748, and refers genially to that love of ale and wine which Prince Charles displayed as early as he showed military courage, at the age of fourteen, when he distinguished himself at the siege of Gaeta. His grandfather, James II., lives in "The rhyme for porringer;" his father in "Jim and George were two great lords." Tout finit par des chansons.
Of non-historical jingles, Mr. Halliwell found traces in MSS. as old as the fifteenth century. But it would be a very rare accident that led to their being written down when nobody dreamed of studying Folk-Lore with solemnity. "Thirty days hath September" occurs in the "Return from Parnassus," of Shakspeare's date, and a few snatches, like "When I was a little boy," occur in Shakspeare himself, just as a German version of "My Minnie me slew" comes in Goethe's Faust. Indeed, the scraps of magical versified spells in Märchen are entirely of the character of nursery rhymes, and are of dateless antiquity. The rhyme of "Dr. Faustus" may be nearly as old as the mediæval legend dramatised by Marlowe. The Elizabethan and Jacobean dramatists put nursery rhymes in the mouths of characters; a few jingles creep into the Miscellanies, such as "The Pills to purge Melancholy." Among these (1719) is "Tom the piper's son," who played "Over the hills and far away," a song often adapted to Jacobite uses. In 1719, when the Spanish plan of aid to James III. collapsed, pipers must have been melancholy enough.
Melismata (1611) already knows the "Frog who lived in a well," and in Deuteromelia (1609) occurs the "Three blind mice." On the Riddles, or Devinettes, chapters might be, and have been written. They go back to Samson's time, at least, and are as widely distributed as proverbs, even among Wolufs and Fijians. The most recent discussion is in Mr. Max Müller's "Contributions to the Science of Mythology" (1897). For using "charms," like "Come, butter, come," many an old woman was burned by the wisdom of our ancestors. Such versified charms, deducunt carmima lunam, are the karakias of the Maoris, and the mantras of Indian superstition. The magical papyri of ancient Egypt are full of them. In our own rhyme, "Hiccup," regarded as a personal kind of fiend ("Animism"), is charmed away by a promise of a butter-cake. There is a collection of such things in Reginald Scot's "Discovery of Witchcraft." Thus our old nursery rhymes are smooth stones from the brook of time, worn round by constant friction of tongues long silent. We cannot hope to make new nursery rhymes, any more than we can write new fairy tales.

Page
A carrion crow sat on an oak103
A diller, a dollar49
A farmer went trotting246
A little cock-sparrow sat on a green tree230
A little old man and I fell out157
A long-tail'd pig, or a short-tail'd pig229
A man of words and not of deeds79
A man went a hunting at Reigate273
A pie sat on a pear-tree227
A sunshiny shower82
A swarm of bees in May82
A was an apple-pie46
A was an Archer, and shot at a frog45
All of a row220
Around the green gravel the grass grows green268
Arthur O'Bower has broken his band124
As I walked by myself38
As I was going by Charing Cross37
As I was going o'er Westminster Bridge132
As I was going to sell my eggs268
As I was going to St. Ives131
As I was going up Pippen-hill209
As I went through the garden gap132
As soft as silk, as white as milk124
As the days lengthen83
As Tommy Snooks and Bessy Brooks203
Bah, bah, black sheep240
Barber, barber, shave a pig271
Bat, bat172
Bessy Bell and Mary Gray207
Betty Pringle had a little pig229
Birch and green holly, boys44
Black we are but much admired130
Blow, wind, blow! and go, mill, go!273
Blue eye beauty202
Bounce Buckram, velvet's dear79
Bow, wow, wow233
Brave news is come to town200
Bryan O'Lin, and his wife, and wife's mother63
Burnie bee, burnie bee220
Bye, baby bunting148
Cock-a-doodle-doo!192
Cock Robin got up early228
Cold and raw the north wind doth blow117
Come, butter, come147
Come, let's to bed266
Come, take up your hats, and away let us haste239
Come when you're called44
"Croak!" said the Toad, "I'm hungry, I think"225
Cross patch51
Cuckoo, cherry-tree176
Cuckoo, Cuckoo222
Curly locks! curly locks! wilt thou be mine?214
Curr dhoo, curr dhoo235
Cushy cow bonny, let down thy milk145
Daffy-down-dilly has come up to town269
Dame, get up and bake your pies117
Dame, what makes your ducks to die?231
Dance, Thumbkin, dance175
Dance to your daddy148
Darby and Joan were dress'd in black270
Deedle, deedle, dumpling, my son John191
Did you see my wife, did you see, did you see?214
Diddledy, diddledy, dumpty194
Ding, dong, bell194
Doctor Faustus was a good man48
Doctor Foster went to Glo'ster65
Draw a pail of water184
Early to bed, and early to rise83
Eat, birds, eat, and make no waste223
Eggs butter, bread186
Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess133
Elsie Marley is grown so fine94
Fiddle-de-dee, fiddle-de-dee195
Flour of England, fruit of Spain128
For every evil under the sun82
For want of a nail, the shoe was lost84
Formed long ago, yet made to-day131
Four and twenty tailors went to kill a snail224
Friday night's dream83
Gay go up and gay go down172
Georgey Porgey, pudding and pie215
Girls and boys, come out to play267
God bless the master of this house242
Goosey, goosey, gander243
Great A, little a43
Grey goose and gander220
Handy Spandy, Jack-a-dandy196
Hannah Bantry in the pantry264
He that would thrive81
Hector Protector was dressed all in green37
Here am I, little jumping Joan140
Here comes a lusty wooer210
Here sits the Lord Mayor175
Here stands a post188
Hey! diddle, diddle193
Hey, my kitten, my kitten150
Hick-a-more, Hack-a-more124
Hickety, pickety, my black hen222
Hickory, Dickory, Dock176
Hickup, hickup, go away!152
Hickup, snicup152
"Hie, hie," says Anthony223
Higgledy piggledy128
Higgley Piggley238
High diddle ding37
Hink, minx! the old witch winks264
Hot-cross Buns105
How many days has my baby to play?268
How many miles is it to Babylon?183
Humpty Dumpty sate on a wall129
Hush-a-bye, baby, on the tree top149
Hushy baby, my doll, I pray you don't cry148
I am a gold lock180
I doubt, I doubt, my fire is out214
I had a little dog, and they called him Buff219
I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen237
I had a little husband213
I had a little nut-tree, nothing would it bear35
I had a little pony245
I have a little sister, they call her Peep, Peep128
I love little pussy, her coat is so warm234
I love my love with an A, because he's Agreeable51
I love sixpence, pretty little sixpence99
I saw a peacock with a fiery tail141
I saw a ship a-sailing139
I saw three ships come sailing by118
I went to the wood and got it123
I went up one pair of stairs180
I would if I cou'd134
If all the seas were one sea270
If all the world was apple-pie135
If I'd as much money as I could spend112
If ifs and ands44
If wishes were horses78
If you love me, pop and fly146
If you sneeze on Monday, you sneeze for danger80
I'll sing you a song114
I'll tell you a story58
In fir tar is51
In marble walls as white as milk127
In the month of February232
Is John Smith within?179
Jack and Jill went up the hill199
Jack, be nimble171
Jack in the pulpit, out and in206
Jack Sprat could eat no fat206
Jacky, come give me thy fiddle113
Jenny Wren fell sick244
Jim and George were two great lords40
John Cook had a little grey mare; he, haw, hum!114
Johnny shall have a new bonnet93
King's Sutton is a pretty town266
Lady bird, lady bird, fly away home235
Leg over leg234
Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep92
Little boy blue, come, blow up your horn241
Little girl, little girl, where have you been?242
Little Jack Horner sat in a corner74
Little Miss Muffet264
Little Nancy Etticoat130
Little Polly Flinders114
Little Robin-Redbreast230
Little Robin-Redbreast sat upon a tree236
Little Tom Tucker272
Little Tommy Tittlemouse73
London Bridge is broken down98
Long legs, crooked thighs124
Love your own, kiss your own214
March winds and April showers84
Mary had a pretty bird236
Master I have, and I am his man213
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John147
Merry are the bells, and merry would they ring104
Mistress Mary, quite contrary50
Monday's bairn is fair of face84
Multiplication is vexation47
My dear, do you know56
My father he died, but I can't tell you how90
My lady Wind, my lady Wind71
My little old man and I fell out268
My maid Mary112
My true love lives far from me138
Nature requires five78
Needles and pins, needles and pins79
O that I was where I would be140
Oh, madam, I will give you the keys of Canterbury204
Old Abram Brown is dead and gone70
Old Betty Blue162
Old King Cole31
Old Mother Goose, when67
Old Mother Hubbard163
Old Mother Twitchett had but one eye130
Old woman, old woman, shall we go a-shearing?157
Once I saw a little bird227
One misty moisty morning87
One to make ready186
One, two52
Over the water, and over the sea36
Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man!47
Pease-pudding hot179
Peter Piper picked a peck146
Peter White will ne'er go right136
Please to remember35
Polly put the kettle on92
Poor old Robinson Crusoe38
Punch and Judy71
Pussicat, wussicat, with a white foot194
Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, where have you been?221
Pussy-cat sits by the fire232
Pussy sits behind the fire236
Queen Anne, Queen Anne, you sit in the sun172
Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit-pie149
Rain, rain, go away270
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross (1)182
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross (2)182
Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross184
Ride away, ride away, Johnny shall ride116
Ring the bell179
Robert Barnes, fellow fine223
Robin and Richard were two pretty men66
Robin the Bobbin, the big-bellied Ben66
Rock-a-bye, baby, thy cradle is green150
Rosemary green200
Rub a dub dub196
Says t'auld man tit oak tree91
See a pin and pick it up78
See, saw, Margery Daw (1)185
See, saw, Margery Daw (2)185
See saw, sack-a-day40
See-saw sacradown184
Simple Simon met a pieman58
Sing a song of sixpence93
Solomon Grundy74
Some little mice sat in a barn to spin220
St. Swithin's day, if thou dost rain78
Swan swam over the sea152
Sylvia, sweet as morning air200
Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief72
Tell tale, tit44
The art of good driving's a paradox quite83
The cock doth crow222
The cuckoo's a fine bird225
The dove says "Coo, coo, what shall I do?"233
The fair maid who, the first of May83
The fox and his wife they had a great strife88
The girl in the lane, that couldn't speak plain264
The hart he loves the high wood244
The King of France, and four thousand men35
The King of France went up the hill35
The lion and the unicorn62
The man in the moon55
The man in the wilderness asked me137
The north wind doth blow100
The old woman and her pig253
The Queen of Hearts116
The winds they did blow228
There was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile57
There was a fat man of Bombay63
There was a frog liv'd in a well106
There was a jolly miller112
There was a king met a king127
There was a lady loved a swine215
There was a little boy and a little girl201
There was a little boy went into a barn232
There was a little Guinea-pig136
There was a little man64
There was a little man208
There was a little nobby colt274
There was a little woman, as I've been told116
There was a man, and he had nought61
There was a man and he was mad142
There was a man of Thessaly133
There was a monkey climbed up a tree39
There was a piper, he'd a cow226
There was an old man162
There was an old man of Tobago161
There was an old woman155
There was an old woman158
There was an old woman, and what do you think141
There was an old woman, as I've heard tell156
There was an old woman called Nothing-at-all162
There was an old woman had three sons161
There was an old woman of Leeds158
There was an old woman of Norwich161
There was an old woman toss'd up in a basket157
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe158
There were three jovial Welshmen169
There were three sisters in a hall131
There were two birds sat on a stone111
There were two blackbirds188
Thirty days hath September49
Thirty white horses upon a red hill129
This is the house that Jack built249
This is the key of the kingdom260
This is the way the ladies ride187
This pig went to market176
Thomas a Tattamus took two T's130
Three blind mice, see how they run!105
Three children sliding on the ice134
Three wise men of Gotham65
Tobacco reek! tobacco reek!141
To make your candles last for a'77
To market, to market151
To market, to market, to buy a fat pig195
To market, to market, to buy a plum-cake272
Tom he was a piper's son95
Tom, Tom, the piper's son63
Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee196
Two legs sat upon three legs132
Up at Piccadilly oh!113
Up hill and down dale208
We are three brethren out of Spain181
Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town119
We're all in the dumps274
What are little boys made of, made of?265
What is the rhyme for poringer?37
What's the news of the day?266
When good King Arthur ruled this land32
When I was a bachelor I lived by myself202
When little Fred was called to bed120
When the wind is in the east80
When V and I together meet49
Where are you going, my pretty maid?111
Where have you been all the day?216
Who comes here?272
Who goes round my house this night?186
Whoop, whoop, and hollow186
Willy boy, Willy boy, where are you going?263
Yeow mussent sing a' Sunday82
You shall have an apple106
Young lambs to sell!150