A History of Nursery Rhymes Part 14

"The king was in his counting-house, Counting out his money, The queen was in the parlour Eating bread and honey.

"The maid was in the garden Hanging out the clothes, Then came a little blackbird And snapped off her nose."

In Shakespeare's _Twelfth Night_ Sir Toby alludes to the "Sing a Song a Sixpence," Act II., Sc. 3:--

"Come on, there is a sixpence for you; let's have a song."

In Beaumont and Fletcher's _Bonduca_ it is also quoted.

"There was an old man in a velvet coat, He kiss'd a maid and gave her a groat; The groat was cracked and would not go, Ah, old man, d'ye serve me so?"

"See-saw a penny a day, Tommy must have a new master.

Why must he have but a penny a day?

Because he can work no faster."

"One a penny, two a penny, hot-cross buns, If your daughters do not like them give them to your sons; But if you should have none of these pretty little elves You cannot do much better if you eat them all yourselves."

Written about 1608:--

"There's never a maiden in the town but she knows that malt's come down; Malt's come down, malt's come down from an old angel to a French crown.

The greatest drunkards in the town are very, very glad that malt's come down."

In New York the children have a common saying when making a swop or change of one toy for another, and no bargain is supposed to be concluded between boys and girls unless they interlock fingers--the little finger on the right hand--and repeat the following doggerel:--

"Pinky, pinky bow-bell, Whoever tells a lie Will sink down to the bad place, And never rise up again."

NUMERICAL NURSERY RHYME.

"One, two, buckle my shoe; Three, four, shut the door; Five, six, pick up sticks; Seven, eight, lay them straight; Nine, ten, a good fat hen; Eleven, twelve, who will delve?

Thirteen, fourteen, maids a-courting; Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen; Seventeen, eighteen, maids a-waiting; Nineteen, twenty, my stomach's empty."

BAKER'S MAN.

"Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker's man.

Yes, I will, master, as fast as I can.

p.r.i.c.k it and p.r.i.c.k it, and mark it with B, And toss it in the oven for baby and me."

CHAPTER X.

Sc.r.a.pS.

"Oh, slumber, my darling, thy sire is a knight; Thy mother a lady so lovely and bright.

The hills and the dales and the towers which you see, They all shall belong, my dear baby, to thee."

"Bye, baby b.u.mpkin, where's Tony Lumpkin?

My lady's on her death-bed, with eating half a pumpkin."

"Nose, nose, jolly red nose.

And who gave thee this jolly red nose?

Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, And they gave me this jolly red nose."

Story-telling in the Reformation period was so prevalent that the wonderful tales were satirised in the following rhyme, dated 1588:--

"I saw a man in the moon. Fie, man, fie.

I saw a hare chase a hound. Fie, man, fie.

Twenty miles above the ground. Fie, man, fie.

Who's the fool now?"

"I saw a goose ring a hog, And a snail bite a dog!

I saw a mouse catch a cat, And a cheese eat a rat. Fie, man, fie.

Who's the fool now?"

A Henry VIII. rhyme:--

"My pretty little one, my pretty honey one, She is a jolly one, and as gentle as can be; With a beck she comes anon, With a wink and she is gone."

"Peg, Peg, with a wooden leg, Her father was a miller; He tossed a dumpling at her head, And swore that he would kill her."

"Round about, round about Maggotty pie (magpie), My father loves good ale, And so do I."

"Old father long-legs will not say his prayers, Take him by the left leg and throw him downstairs."