The Nursery Rhymes of England Part 25

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 Sat.u.r.day.

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.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

TENTH CLa.s.s--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, n.o.body 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.]

CCLx.x.x.

[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.

CCLx.x.xI.

[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.