Now, Tom with his pipe made such a noise That he well pleased both the girls and boys, And they always stopped to hear him play "Over the hills and far away."

Jack Horner

Jack Horner was a pretty lad, Near London he did dwell; His father's heart he made full glad, His mother loved him well.

While little Jack was sweet and young, If he by chance should cry, His mother pretty sonnets sung, With a lul-la-lul-la-by,

With such a dainty curious tone, As Jack sat on her knee, That soon, ere he could go alone, He sang as well as she.

A pretty boy of curious wit, All people spoke his praise, And in the corner he would sit In Christmas holidays.

When friends they did together meet, To pa.s.s away the time-- Why, little Jack, be sure, would eat His Christmas pie in rhyme.

He said, "Jack Horner, in the corner, Eats good Christmas pie, And with his thumbs pulls out the plums, And says, 'Good boy am I!'"

Little Tom Tucker Sings for his supper; What shall he eat?

White bread and b.u.t.ter.

How shall he cut it Without e'er a knife?

How shall he be married Without e'er a wife?

Simple Simon met a pieman, Going to the fair; Says Simple Simon to the pieman, "Let me taste your ware."

Says the pieman to Simple Simon, "Show me first your penny."

Says Simple Simon to the pieman, "Indeed I have not any."

Simple Simon went a-fishing For to catch a whale; But all the water he could find Was in his mother's pail!

Jack and Jill went up the hill, To fetch a pail of water; Jack fell down, and broke his crown, And Jill came tumbling after.

Up Jack got and home did trot As fast as he could caper; Went to bed to mend his head With vinegar and brown paper.

Jill came in and she did grin, To see his paper plaster.

Mother, vexed, did whip her next, For causing Jack's disaster.

Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn, The sheep's in the meadow, the cow's in the corn.

Where's the boy that looks after the sheep?

He's under the hayc.o.c.k, fast asleep.

Little Miss m.u.f.fet, She sat on a tuffet, Eating of curds and whey; There came a great spider, And sat down beside her, Which frightened Miss m.u.f.fet away.

Lucy Locket lost her pocket, Kitty Fisher found it; But never a penny was there in't Except the binding round it.

My maid Mary She minds her dairy, While I go a-hoeing and mowing each morn.

Merrily run the reel And the little spinning-wheel While I am singing and mowing my corn.

Bessy Bell and Mary Gray, They were two bonny la.s.ses: They built their house upon the lea, And covered it with rushes.

Bessy kept the garden gate, And Mary kept the pantry; Bessy always had to wait, While Mary lived in plenty.

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow?

With c.o.c.kle-sh.e.l.ls and silver bells And pretty girls all of a-row.

Curly Locks! Curly Locks! wilt thou be mine?

Thou shalt not wash dishes, nor yet feed the swine, But sit on a cushion and sew a fine seam, And feast upon strawberries, sugar, and cream!

Old King Cole Was a merry old soul, And a merry old soul was he; He called for his pipe, And he called for his bowl, And he called for his fiddlers three.

Every fiddler he had a fine fiddle, And a very fine fiddle had he; "Twee tweedle dee, tweedle dee," went the fiddlers.

Oh, there's none so rare, As can compare With King Cole and his fiddlers three.

There was an old woman went up in a basket Seventy times as high as the moon; And where she was going, I could not but ask it, For under her arm she carried a broom.

"Old woman, old woman, old woman," said I, "Whither, O whither, O whither so high?"

"I'm sweeping the cobwebs off the sky!"

"Shall I go with thee?" "Ay, by and by."

VI

NURSERY NONSENSE

Old Mother Goose, when She wanted to wander, Would ride through the air On a very fine gander.

Mother Goose had a house, 'T was built in a wood, Where an owl at the door For sentinel stood.

She had a son Jack, A plain-looking lad; He was not very good, Nor yet very bad.

She sent him to market, A live goose he bought: "Here! mother," says he, "It will not go for nought."

Jack's goose and her gander Grew very fond; They'd both eat together, Or swim in one pond.

Jack found one morning, As I have been told, His goose had laid him An egg of pure gold.

Jack rode to his mother, The news for to tell.