A History of Nursery Rhymes Part 16

"Hi diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, The cow jumped over the moon, The little dog laughed to see such fine sport, And the dish ran away with the spoon."

"Baa! baa! black sheep, have you any wool?

Yes, sir; yes, sir, three bags full, One for the master, another for the maid, And one for the little child that cried in the lane."

"Here comes a poor duke out of Spain, He comes to court your daughter Jane."

"Ride to the market to buy a fat pig, Home again, home again, jiggerty-jig.

Ride to the market to buy a fat hog, Home again, home again, jiggerty-jog."

"Cross-patch, draw the latch, Sit by the fire and spin; Take a cup and drink it up, And call your neighbours in."

"The man of the _South_[I] he burnt his mouth By eating cold plum porridge, The man in the moon came down too soon To ask the way to Norwich."

A LANCAs.h.i.+RE FRAGMENT.

"Dance a babby diddy, What'll th' mammy do wi' thee?

Come sit on her lap, theart rosy and fat, Dance a babby diddy."

"d.i.c.kery, d.i.c.kery, dock, The mouse ran up the clock, The clock struck one, The mouse ran down, d.i.c.kery, d.i.c.kery, dock.

The clock struck three, The mouse ran away, d.i.c.kery, d.i.c.kery, dock.

The clock struck ten, The mouse came again, d.i.c.kery, d.i.c.kery, dock."

"There was an old woman toss'd up in a blanket Ninety-nine times as high as the moon, But where she was going no mortal could tell, For under her arm she carried a broom.

'Old woman, old woman, old woman,' said I, 'Whither, ah! whither, whither so high?'

'Oh, I'm sweeping the cobwebs off the sky, And I'll be with you by-and-by!'"

The wildest idea is suggested by the rhyme of--

"We're all in the dumps, for diamonds are trumps, And the kittens are gone to St. Paul's; All the babies are bit, and the moon's in a fit, And the houses are built without walls."

The economy of the little boy who lived all alone is seen in--

"When I was a little boy I lived by myself, All the bread and cheese I got I put upon the shelf."

"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 dressed up in green."

The baby game of tickling the palm of the hand will be remembered in--

"Round about, round about, runs the little hare, First it runs that way, then it runs up there."

A PROVERB.

"Needles and pins, needles and pins, When you get married your trouble begins; Trouble begins, trouble begins, When you get married your trouble begins."

A COMPLIMENT.

"The rose is red, the violet's blue, Pinks are sweet, and so are you."

THE REVERSE.

"The rose is red, the violet's blue, The gra.s.s is green, and so are you."

"Little Tommy Tupper, waiting for his supper, What must he have?

Some brown bread and b.u.t.ter."

FOOTNOTES:

[I] _South Devon._

CHAPTER XI.

SONGS.

"WILL THE LOVE THAT YOU'RE SO RICH IN."

"There was a little man and he woo'd a little maid, And he said, 'Little maid, will you wed--wed--wed?

I have little more to say than will you--Yea or Nay?

For the least said is soonest mended--ded--ded--ded.'

"The little maid replied, some say a little sighed, 'But what shall we have for to eat--eat--eat?

Will the love that you're so rich in Make a fire in the kitchen, Or the little G.o.d of Love turn the spit, spit, spit?'"