The Nursery Rhymes of England Part 22

As I was going o'er London Bridge, And peep'd through a nick, I saw four and twenty ladies Riding on a stick!

CCx.x.xIII.

[An Icicle.]

Lives in winter, Dies in summer, And grows with its root upwards!

CCx.x.xIV.

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.

CCx.x.xV.

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!

CCx.x.xVI.

Old father Graybeard, Without tooth or tongue; If you'll give me your finger, I'll give you my thumb.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

EIGHTH CLa.s.s--CHARMS.

CCx.x.xVII.

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.

CCx.x.xVIII.

[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.

CCx.x.xIX.

[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 'Archaeologia,'

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 b.u.t.ter come from the churn.

It was to be said thrice.]

Come, b.u.t.ter, come, Come, b.u.t.ter, come!

Peter stands at the gate, Waiting for a b.u.t.ter'd cake; Come, b.u.t.ter, come!

CCXLII.

[From Dr. Wallis's "Grammatica Linguae Anglicanae," 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._]