Part 5

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.

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 'Archæologia,' 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 Linguæ Anglicanæ," 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.

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.

There was an old woman, her name it was Peg; 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.

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.

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.