The Nursery Rhymes of England Part 39

"The cow jumped over the moon"--

Oh no! Mary, thee musn't say that, for that is a falsehood; thee knows a cow could never jump over the moon; but a cow may jump under it; so thee ought to say--"The cow jumped _under_ the moon." Yes,--

"The cow jumped under the moon; The little dog laughed"--

Oh Mary, stop. How can a little dog laugh? thee knows a little dog can't laugh. Thee ought to say--"The little dog _barked_--to see the sport,"

"And the dish ran after the spoon"--

Stop, Mary, stop. A dish could never run after a spoon; thee ought to know that. Thee had better say--"And the _cat_ ran after the spoon." So,--

"Hey! diddle, diddle, The cat and the fiddle, The cow jump'd _under_ the moon; The little dog _bark'd_, To see the sport, And the _cat_ ran after the spoon!"

[Ill.u.s.tration]

FOURTEENTH CLa.s.s.

LOVE AND MATRIMONY.

CCCCx.x.xIX.

As I was going up Pippen-hill, Pippen-hill was dirty, There I met a pretty miss, And she dropt me a curtsey.

Little miss, pretty miss, Blessings light upon you!

If I had half-a-crown a day, I'd spend it all on you.

CCCCXL.

Brave news is come to town, Brave news is carried; Brave news is come to town, Jemmy Dawson's married.

CCCCXLI.

w.i.l.l.y, w.i.l.l.y Wilkin, Kissed the maids a-milking, Fa, la, la!

And with his merry daffing, He set them all a laughing.

Ha, ha, ha!

CCCCXLII.

It's once I courted as pretty a la.s.s, As ever your eyes did see; But now she's come to such a pa.s.s, She never will do for me.

She invited me to her own house, Where oft I'd been before, And she tumbled me into the hog-tub, And I'll never go there any more.

CCCCXLIII.

Sylvia, sweet as morning air, Do not drive me to despair: Long have I sighed in vain, Now I am come again, Will you be mine or no, no-a-no,-- Will you be mine or no?

Simon pray leave off your suit, For of your courting you'll reap no fruit, I would rather give a crown Than be married to a clown; Go for a b.o.o.by, go, no-a-no,-- Go, for a b.o.o.by, go.

CCCCXLIV.

What care I how black I be, Twenty pounds will marry me; If twenty won't, forty shall, I am my mother's bouncing girl!

CCCCXLV.

"Where have you been all the day, My boy w.i.l.l.y?"

"I've been all the day, Courting of a lady gay: But oh! she's too young To be taken from her mammy."

"What work can she do, My boy w.i.l.l.y?

Can she bake and can she brew, My boy w.i.l.l.y?"

"She can brew and she can bake, And she can make our wedding cake: But oh! she's too young To be taken from her mammy."

"What age may she be? What age may she be?

My boy w.i.l.l.y?"

"Twice two, twice seven, Twice ten twice eleven: But oh! she's too young To be taken from her mammy."

CCCCXLVI.

[This is part of a little work called 'Authentic Memoirs of the little Man and the little Maid, with some interesting particulars of their lives,' which I suspect is more modern than the following. Walpole printed a small broadside containing a different version.]

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 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?"

CCCCXLVII.

There was a little boy and a little girl Lived in an alley; Says the little boy to the little girl, "Shall I, oh! shall I?"

Says the little girl to the little boy, "What shall we do?"

Says the little boy to the little girl, "I will kiss you."

CCCCXLVIII.

A cow and a calf, An ox and a half, Forty good s.h.i.+llings and three; Is that not enough tocher For a shoe-maker's daughter, A bonny la.s.s with a black e'e?