Transcriber’s Note: Table of Contents added. Where the poem is unnamed, the first line has been used and noted in italics.

AUNT KITTY’S
STORIES.

175 Illustrations.

CONTENTS

[Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep]
[Hickety, pickety, my black hen]
[Dickery, dickery, dare]
[Driddlety drum, driddlety drum]
[A little pig found a fifty dollar note]
[This is the way the ladies go]
[THE MARRIAGE OF COCK ROBIN AND JENNY WREN]
[A carrion crow sat on an oak]
[What a pretty bunch of flowers]
[This goose got in the house]
[THE ROBIN IN WINTER]
[FOUR LITTLE BOYS]
[THE LITTLE FISH THAT WOULD NOT DO AS IT WAS BID]
[THOUGHTLESS JULIA]
[YOUNG SOLDIERS]
[LEARNING BY HEART]
[IMPROVEMENT]
[THE LITTLE COWARD]
[IDLE CHILDREN]
[THE LITTLE GIRL THAT BEAT HER SISTER]
[A VERY GOOD BOY]
[THE PLUM CAKE]
[THE GIDDY GIRL]
[THE FLOWER AND THE LITTLE MISS]
[THE KITE]
[Simple Simon met a pieman]
[I had a little hobby horse]
[He that would thrive]
[Tom, Tom, the piper’s son]
[A Farmer went trotting upon his grey mare]
[Old woman, old woman, shall we go a-shearing?]
[Little Tommy Tittlemouse]
[Little Miss Muffett]
[Eggs, butter, cheese, bread]
[Rain, rain]
[Tom he was a Pi-per’s son]
[I had a little dog, they called him Buff]
[Molly, my sister, and I fell out]
[Solomon Grundy]
[Handy Spandy, Jack a-dandy]
[Go to bed Tom, go to bed Tom]
[Mary had a pretty bird]
[Lit-tle boy blue, come blow your horn]
[I had a lit-tle po-ny]
[Pe-ter White]
[See, see. What shall I see?]
[I had a little hen, the prettiest ever seen]
[Ride a cock horse]
[Pus-sy cat ate the dump-lings, the dump-lings]
[I have a lit-tle sister; they call her Peep, Peep]
[This lit-tle pig went to mar-ket]
[One misty, moisty morning]
[Father Short came down the lane]
[There was an old woman had three sons]
[Hink, minx! the old witch winks]
[CLIMBING ON BACKS OF CHAIRS]
[THE SQUIRREL]
[THE SHEEP]
[A PRESENT FOR ALFRED]
[THE FAIRING]
[THE GOOD BOY]
[MISS SOPHIA]
[PRETTY PUSS]
[POLITENESS]
[MAMA, HOW HAPPY I CAN BE]
[A FINE THING]
[SLEEPY TOM]
[SANDY]
[THE CARE OF BIRDS]
[WILLIE WINKIE]
[COME WHEN YOU ARE CALLED]
[DOG POMPEY]
[MISS PEGGY]
[THE BIRD]
[THE SETTING SUN]
[GOOD MAMA]
[GOOD LITTLE FRED]
[THE DIZZY GIRL]
[NEAT LITTLE CLARA]
[HINTY, MINTY]
[Come here, my bonnie]
[CARELESS MARIA]
[THE PARROT]
[WHY EMMA IS LOVED]
[THE GOOD SCHOLAR]
[NAUGHTY SAM]
[Two legs sat upon three legs]
[As I was going up primrose Hill]
[There was an old man of Tobago]
[Pease pudding hot]
[When I was a ba-che-lor, I liv-ed by my-self]
[To market, to market, to buy a fat pig]
[Jacky, come give me thy fiddle]
[Old King Cole]
[High diddle doubt, my candle’s out]
[Bat, bat, come under my hat]
[I’ll tell you story]
[My little old man and I fell out]
[Little Tommy Grace]
[Pus-sy sits be-side the fire. How can she be fair?]
[Oh, the rus-ty, dus-ty, rus-ty mill-er]
[There was a crook-ed man, and he went a crook-ed mile]
[The Li-on and the U-ni-corn were fight-ing for the crown]
[Thomas a Tat-ta-mus took two T’s]
[A little boy went into a barn]
[If all the world were water]
[Jack be nimble]
[Cur-ly locks, cur-ly locks, wilt thou be mine?]
[Mar-ge-ry Mut-ton-pie, and John-ny Bo-peep]
[Is John Smith with-in?]
[Old Mother Goose]
[One, two, buckle my shoe]
[Jack Sprat could eat no fat]
[See a pin and pick it up]
[Leg over leg]
[There was an old wo-man who liv-ed in a shoe]
[There was an old woman]
[We are all in the dumps]
[Hot cross buns, hot cross buns]
[See, saw, Mar-ge-ry Daw]
[Ro-bin and Rich-ard are two pret-ty men]
[Little Nancy Etticote]
[See saw, sacradown, sacradown]
[There was a Piper had a Cow]
[Sing a song of six-pence, a pock-et full of Rye]
[A diller, a dollar]
[Bye, baby bumpkin]
[As I was going to sell my eggs]
[Once I saw a little bird come hop, hop, hop]
[Willy boy, Willy boy, where are you going?]
[Little Robin Red-breast sat upon a rail]
[Ding, dong, darrow]
[Pit, pat, well-a-day]
[Lit-tle Jack Hor-ner sat in a cor-ner]
[Lit-tle Tom Tuck-er]
[Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle]
[A dog and a cat went out together]
[Little Polly Flinders]
[Four and twen-ty tai-lors went to kill a snail]
[A little cock-sparrow sat on a tree]
[Bless you, bless you, bonny bee]
[One day, an old cat and her kittens]
[Doctor Foster went to Gloster]
[John Cook had a little gray mare; he, haw, hum!]
[Dingty, diddlety, my mammy’s maid]
[A horse and cart]
[Who ever saw a rabbit]
[Boys and girls, come out to play]
[Jog on, jog on, the footpath way]
[Hush-a-bye, baby, upon the tree top]
[DINNER]
[THE NEW DOLL]
[GETTING UP]
[THE LINNET’S NEST]
[PLAYING WITH FIRE]
[GRATEFUL LUCY]
[RUN AND PLAY]
[THE CUT]
[SLEEPY HARRY]
[BREAKFAST AND PUSS]
[FRIGHTENED BY A COW]
[THE DUNCE OF A KITTEN]
[SENSIBLE CHARLES]
[PUT DOWN THE BABY]
[DIRTY HANDS]
[FRANCES AND HENRY]
[POISONOUS FRUIT]
[DRESSED OR UNDRESSED]
[BAPTISM IN CHURCH]
[THE PET LAMB]
[Be you to others kind and true]
[HYMN]
[TIME TO RISE]
[FOR NANNIE]
[THE PUSSY CAT]
[Give to the Father praise]
[THE FROLICSOME KITTEN]
[PENANCE FOR BEATING A BROTHER]
[THE NEW BOOK]
[THE DOG]
[THE COW]
[THE BUTTERFLY]
[There was an old wo-man tos-sed up in a bas-ket]
[To make your candles last for a’]
[A milking, a milking, my maid]
[Old father Grey Beard]
[There was an old woman, as I’ve heard tell]
[Bye, baby bunting]
[Away Birds, away!]
[Ba-a, ba-a, black sheep]
[One mis-ty morn-ing]
[Dee-dle, dee-dle, dump-ling, my son John]
[Swan, swan, over the sea]
[I had a lit-tle Hus-band, no big-ger than my thumb]
[Ma-ry, Ma-ry, quite con-tra-ry]
[Hey, my kit-ten, my kit-ten]
[Here we go up, up, up]
[Some lit-tle mice sat in a barn to spin]
[Ding, dong, bell, Pus-sy’s in the well]
[As I was going along, long, long]
[Dance a baby diddit]
[Hush, baby, my doll, I pray you, don’t cry]
[Jack Spratt’s pig]
[The man in the moon]
[There was an old wo-man, and what do you think?]
[A Frog he would a-wooing go]
[Here am I, little jumping Joan]
[Jack and Gill went up the hill]
[Pus-sy cat, pus-sy cat, where have you been?]
[GOOD NIGHT]
[HOT APPLE PIE]
[LUCY AND DICKY]
[THE FAIRY MAN]
[COME PLAY IN THE GARDEN]
[THE UMBRELLA]
[NO BREAKFAST FOR GROWLER]
[CLEVER LITTLE THOMAS]
[SULKING]
[GIVING WITH PRUDENCE]
[THE FIELD DAISY]
[THE MOUSE]
[SHORT ADVICE]
[LEARNING TO GO ALONE]
[CHARITY]
[FOR A LITTLE GIRL THAT DID NOT LIKE TO BE WASHED]
[THE SNOW BALL]
[Jenny Wren fell sick upon a merry time]
[There was a lit-tle man, and he had a lit-tle gun]
[Daf-fy-down-Dil-ly has come up to town]
[Mul-ti-pli-ca-tion is a vex-a-tion]
[Goo-sey, goo-sey, gan-der, whi-ther shall I wan-der?]
[Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater]
[When good King Arthur ruled his land]
[As I went to Bonner]
[Pitty Patty Polt]
[Brow, brow, brinkie]
[Shoe the wild horse, and shoe the grey mare]
[Lady-bird, Lady-bird]
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
[Hush-a-bye, baby]
[Cross patch]
[Bow-wow-wow]
[Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall]
[The Queen of Hearts]
[Naughty Willey Bell]
[The queen of hearts]
[To market, to market, a gallop, a trot]
[The North Wind doth blow]
[When I was a little boy, my mother kept me in]
[Mary had a pretty bird]
[Miss Jane had a bag, and a mouse was in it]
[MAJA’S ALPHABET]

“Little Bo-peep and her sheep,
before she lost them.”

Little Bo-peep has lost her sheep,
And cannot tell where to find ’em;
Leave them alone, and they’ll come home,
And bring their tails behind ’em.

Little Bo-peep fell fast asleep,
And dreamt she heard them bleating;
When she awoke, she found it a joke,
For still they all were fleeting.

Then up she took her little crook,
Determined for to find them;
She found them indeed, but it made her heart bleed,
For they’d left their tails behind them.

It happen’d one day, as Bo-peep did stray
Unto a meadow hard by—
There she espied their tails side by side,
All hung on a tree to dry.

She heaved a sigh, and wiped her eye,
And over the hillocks she raced;
And tried what she could, as a shepherdess should,
That each tail should be properly placed.

Hickety, pickety, my black hen,
She lays good eggs for gentlemen;
Gentlemen come every day,
To see what my black hen doth lay.

Dickery, dickery, dare,
The pig flew up in the air,
The man in brown soon brought him down.
Dickery, dickery, dare.

Driddlety drum, driddlety drum,
There you see the beggars are come:
Some are here and some are there,
And some are gone to Chidley fair.

A little pig found a fifty dollar note,
And purchased a hat and a very fine coat,
With trowsers, and stockings, and shoes;
Cravat, and shirt-collar, and gold-headed cane;
Then proud as could be, did he march up the lane,
Says he, I shall hear all the news.

This is the way the ladies go—
Nim, nim, nim.
This is the way the gentlemen go—
Trot, trot, trot.
This is the way the hunters go—
Gallop, gallop, gallop.

THE MARRIAGE OF COCK ROBIN AND JENNY WREN.

It was on a merry time, when Jenny Wren was young,
So neatly as she danced, and so sweetly as she sung,—

Robin Redbreast lost his heart—he was a gallant bird;
He doff’d his hat to Jenny, and thus to her he said:—

“My dearest Jenny Wren, if you will but be mine,
You shall dine on cherry-pie, and drink nice currant-wine.

“I’ll dress you like a Goldfinch, or like a Peacock gay;
So if you’ll have me, Jenny, let us appoint the day.”

Jenny blushed behind her fan, and thus declared her mind,
“Then let it be to-morrow, Bob; I take your offer kind.

“Cherry pie is very good! so is currant-wine!
But I will wear my brown gown, and never dress too fine.”

Robin rose up early, at the break of day;
He flew to Jenny Wren’s house, to sing a roundelay.

He met Cock and Hen, and bade the Cock declare,
This was his wedding-day with Jenny Wren the fair.

The Cock then blew his horn, to let the neighbors know,
This was Robin’s wedding-day, and they might see the show.

And first came Parson Rook, with his spectacles and band;
And one of Mother Goose’s books, he held within his hand.

Then follow’d him the Lark, for he could sweetly sing,
And he was to be clerk at Cock Robin’s wedding.

He sung of Robin’s love for little Jenny Wren;
And when he came unto the end, then he began again.

The Bullfinch walk’d by Robin, and thus to him did say,
“Pray, mark, friend Robin Redbreast, that Goldfinch dress’d so gay;—

“What though her gay apparel becomes her very well;
Yet Jenny’s modest dress and look must bear away the bell!”

Then came the Bride and Bridegroom; quite plainly was she dress’d,
And blush’d so much, her cheeks were as red as Robin’s breast.

But Robin cheer’d her up; “My pretty Jen,” said he,
“We’re going to be married, and happy we shall be.”

The Goldfinch came on next, to give away the Bride;
The Linnet, being bride’s-maid, walk’d by Jenny’s side.

And as she was a-walking, said, “Upon my word,
I think that your Cock Robin is a very pretty bird!”

“And will you have her, Robin, to be your wedded wife?”
“Yes, I will,” says Robin, “and love her all my life.”

“And you will have him, Jenny, your husband now to be?”
“Yes, I will,” says Jenny, “and love him heartily.”

The Blackbird and the Thrush, and charming Nightingale,
Whose sweet jug sweetly echoes through every grove and dale;—

The Sparrow and Tom Tit, and many more, were there:
All came to see the wedding of Jenny Wren the fair.

“Oh, then,” says Parson Rook, “who gives this maid away?”
“I do,” says the Goldfinch, “and her fortune I will pay;—

“Here’s a bag of grain of many sorts, and other things beside;
Now happy be the Bridegroom, and happy be the Bride!”

Then on her finger fair, Cock Robin put the ring;
“You’re married now,” says Parson Rook; while the Lark aloud did sing,—

“Happy be the Bridegroom, and happy be the Bride!
And may not man, nor bird, nor beast, this happy pair divide.”

The birds were ask’d to dine; not Jenny’s friends alone,
But every pretty songster that had Cock Robin known.

They had a cherry-pie, besides some currant-wine,
And every guest brought something, that sumptuous they might dine.

Now they all sat or stood, to eat and to drink;
And every one said what he happen’d to think.

They each took a bumper, and drank to the pair,
Cock Robin the Bridegroom, and Jenny the fair.

The dinner-things removed, they all began to sing;
And soon they made the place near a mile round to ring.

The concert it was fine; and every bird tried
Who best should sing for Robin, and Jenny Wren the Bride.

When, in came the Cuckoo, and made a great rout;
He caught hold of Jenny, and pull’d her about.

Cock Robin was angry, and so was the Sparrow,
Who fetch’d in a hurry his bow and his arrow.

His aim then he took, but he took it not right;
His skill was not good, or he shot in a fright;—

For the Cuckoo he miss’d,—but Cock Robin he kill’d!
And all the birds mourn’d that his blood was so spill’d.

A carrion crow sat on an oak,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do,
Watching a tailor shape his coat!
Sing he, sing ho, the old carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do.

Wife, bring me my old beat bow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do,
That I may shoot yon carrion crow,
Sing he, sing ho, the old carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do.

The tailor shot, and he missed his mark,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do,
And shot the miller’s sow right through the heart;
Sing he, sing ho, the old carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do.

Wife! oh wife! bring brandy in a spoon;
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do,
For the old miller’s sow is in a swoon;
Sing he, sing ho, the old carrion crow,
Fol de riddle, lol de riddle, he ding do.

What a pretty bunch of flowers
Little Annie’s got
Did they grow in the meadows,
Or in a flower-pot?

They grew in the wood,
In the deep, deep shade,
Where little Annie plucked them,
And this nose-gay made.

This goose got in the house,
He’d the courage of a mouse,
So he quacked, and he hissed at the kitten;

But as she stood at bay,
He quickly ran away;
Afraid of being scratched as well as bitten.

THE ROBIN IN WINTER.

Little Robin, welcome here,
Welcome to my frugal cheer;
Winter chills thy mossy bed,
Come then daily, and be fed.

Little Robin, fear no harm,
Dread not here the least alarm;
All will share with you their bread,
Come then daily, and be fed.

Little Robin, let thy song
Now and then thy stay prolong;
We will give thee food instead,
Come then daily, and be fed.

FOUR LITTLE BOYS.

Come, let us play,
Said Tommy Gay;
Well, then, What at
Said Simon Pratt;
At trap and ball,
Said Neddy Hall;
Well, so we will,
Said Billy Gill.

For cakes I’ll play,
Said Tommy Gay;
I’m one for that,
Said Simon Pratt;
I’ll bring them all,
Said Neddy Hall;
And I’ll sit still,
Said Billy Gill.

What a hot day,
Said Tommy Gay;
Then let us chat,
Said Simon Pratt;
On yonder hill,
Said Billy Gill;
Aye, one and all,
Said Neddy Hall.

Come with me, pray,
Said Tommy Gay;
Trust me for that,
Said Simon Pratt;
They eat them all,
Gay, Pratt, and Hall;
And all were ill,
But Billy Gill.

The Little Fish that would not do as it was bid.

Dear mother, said a little Fish,
Pray, is not that a fly?
I’m very hungry, and I wish
You’d let me go and try.

Sweet innocent, the mother cried,
And started from her nook,
That horrid fly is put to hide
The sharpness of the hook!

Now, as I’ve heard, this little Trout
Was young and foolish too,
And so he thought he’d venture out,
To see if it were true.

And round about the hook he played,
With many a longing look,
And, Dear me, to himself he said
I’m sure, that’s not a hook.

I can but give one little pluck:
Let’s see; and so I will.
So on he went, and lo, it stuck
Quite through his little gill.

And as he faint and fainter grew,
With hollow voice he cried,
Dear mother, if I’d minded you,
I need not now have died.

Thoughtless Julia.

Julia did in the window stand;
Mama then sitting by,
Saw her put out her little hand,
And try to catch a fly.

O do not hurt the pretty thing,
Her prudent mother said;
Crush not its leg or feeble wing,
So beautifully made.

YOUNG SOLDIERS.

Hey, rub-a-dub, dub! here come the boys,
For the Soldiers all make way;
Young Robinet at their head is set
All dressed as warrior gay.

See how he swings his bright tin sword,
To his followers behind;
While from his cap a squirrel’s tail
Flies streaming in the wind.

This is good fun, my merry boys,
To see you I am glad;
But mind you, in reality,
War is a business bad.—

Here’s old Ben Bolt, a soldier brave,
Who lost his legs in war;
With crutch and cane, he hobbles ’round
And shows you many a scar.

In scenes of fearful blood and strife,
Ah! many low are lain,
And many a young and gallant heart
Is numbered with the slain.

LEARNING BY HEART.

’Tis time that my baby should learn
What so oft he has heard, to repeat,
So shall he some sugar-plums earn;
Then let us begin, my Sweet.

For baby is three years old,
And has senses and memory too,
A great many things he’s been told,
And he can remember a few.

He can tell me, I know, a few things,
Of the garden, the sky, and the weather;
That a bird has two legs and two wings,
But he cannot say ten lines together.

Then let us, my baby, begin,
And try these few lines here to learn,
It will not be a difficult thing,
And then he’ll some sugar-plums earn.

IMPROVEMENT.

Another story, Mother dear,
Did young Maria say;
You read so nice, so loud and clear,—
Another story, pray.

I love that book, I do indeed,
So take it up again;
I think I see the things you read,
You make it all so plain.

What would I give to read like you,
Why nothing comes amiss!
O, any thing I’ll gladly do,
If you will teach me this.

Maria, then, must learn to spell,
If she would read like me;
She soon may learn to read as well;
O, that I will, said she.

THE LITTLE COWARD.

Why here’s a foolish little man!
Laugh at him, Donkey, if you can:
And Cat and Dog, and Cow and Calf
Come, ev’ry one of you and laugh!

For, only think, he runs away,
If honest Donkey does but bray;
And when the Bull begins to bellow
He’s like a crazy little fellow!

Poor Brindle Cow can hardly pass
Along the hedge to nip the grass,
Or wag her tail to lash the flies,
But off the little booby hies!

And when old Tray comes running too,
With bow, wow, wow, for how d’ye do,
And means it all for civil play,
’Tis sure to make him run away!

But all the while you’re thinking, may be
Ah! well, but this must be a baby.
O, cat and dog, and cow and calf,
I’m not surpris’d to see you laugh,
He’s five years old, and almost half!

Idle Children.

Children who with idle habits
From the school-room haste away,
Wishing out of doors to ramble
Ere they do their lessons say—

They shall have no tasks or reading,
But they must to school be sent,
Because they are a bad life leading,
And this shall be their punishment.

But those who quickly say their lessons,
By mama shall still be taught,
And afterwards, nice stories telling,
Shall hear the books papa has bought.

THE LITTLE GIRL THAT BEAT HER SISTER.

Go, go, my naughty girl, and kiss
Your little sister dear;
I must not have such things as this,
Nor noisy quarrels hear.

What! little children scold and fight,
That ought to be so mild;
O Mary, ’tis a shocking sight
To see an angry child.

I can’t imagine, for my part,
The reason of your folly:
As if she did you any hurt,
By playing with your dolly!

See, how the little tears do run
Fast from her watery eye;
Come, my sweet innocent, have done,
’Twill do no good to cry.

Go, Mary, wipe her tears away,
And make it up with kisses;
And never turn a pretty play
To such a pet as this is.

A VERY GOOD BOY.

Mama, my head (poor William said)
So very badly aches,
Tell Brother there, I cannot bear
The tiresome noise he makes.

I’m sure, said John, if I had known,
Dear Brother, you were ill,
I would have read, or drawn, instead,
And have remain’d quite still.

Good boys, said she, O ever be
Thus kind to one another;
I am, my dear, much pleased to hear
Your answer to your Brother.

THE PLUM CAKE.

Let us buy,
Said Sally Fry;
Something nice,
Said Betsy Price;
What shall it be?
Said Kitty Lee;
A nice plum cake,
Said Lucy Wake.

A piece for me,
Said Kitty Lee;
A slice I’ll take,
Said Lucy Wake;
Give me a slice,
Said Betsy Price;
All by-and-by,
Said Sally Fry.

I’ll save some cake,
Said Lucy Wake;
And so will I,
Said Sally Fry;
Well, I’ll agree,
Said Kitty Lee;
’Twill do for twice,
Said Betsy Price.

A piece with ice,
Said Betsy Price;
I’ll put some by,
Said Sally Fry;
The third for me,
Said Kitty Lee;
The fourth I’ll take
Said Lucy Wake.

THE GIDDY GIRL.

Miss Helen was always too giddy to heed
What her mother had told her to shun;
For frequently, over the street in full speed,
She would cross where the carriages run.

And out she would go to a very deep well,
To look at the water below;
How naughty! to run to a dangerous well,
Where her mother forbade her to go!

One morning, intending to take but one peep,
Her foot slipt away from the ground;
Unhappy misfortune! the water was deep,
And giddy Miss Helen was drown’d.

THE FLOWER AND THE LITTLE MISS.

About getting up.

Pretty Flower, tell me why
All your leaves do open wide,
Every morning, when on high
The noble sun begins to ride?

This is why, my lady fair,
If you would the reason know,
For betimes the pleasant air
Very cheerfully doth blow.

And the birds on every tree
Sing a merry, merry tune;
And the busy honey bee
Comes to suck my sugar soon.

This is all the reason why
I my little leaves undo.
Little Miss, come wake and try,
If I have not told you true.

THE KITE.

John White
Flew his kite,
On a boisterous day,
A gale
Broke the tail,
And it soon flew away.

And while
On a stile,
He sat sighing and sad,
Charley Gray
Came that way,
A good natured lad.

“Don’t cry;
Wipe your eye,”
Said he, “little Jack;
Stay here;
Never fear,
And I’ll soon bring it back.”

To the stile,
With a smile,
He presently brought
The kite,
And John White
Thanked him much, as he ought.

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;
All the water he had got,
Was in his mother’s pail.

Simple Simon went to look
If plums grew on a thistle,
He pricked his fingers very much,
Which made poor Simon whistle.

Then Simple Simon went a-hunting,
For to catch a hare;
He rode on a goat about the street,
But could not find one there.

He went for water in a sieve
But soon it all run through;
And now poor Simple Simon
Bids you all adieu!

I had a little hobby horse,
And it was dapple grey,
Its head was made of pea-straw,
Its tail was made of hay.
I sold it to an old woman
For a copper groat;
And I’ll not sing my song again
Without a new coat.

He that would thrive,
Must rise at five;
He that hath thriven,
May lie till seven;
And he that by the plough would thrive,
Himself must either hold or drive.

Tom, Tom, the piper’s son,
Stole a pig and away he run;
The pig was eat,
And Tom was beat,
And Tom ran crying down the street.

A Farmer went trotting upon his grey mare,
Bumpety bumpety bump,
With his daughter behind him so rosy and fair,
Lumpety lumpety lump.

A raven cried croak, and they all tumbled down
Bumpety bumpety bump;
The mare broke her knees and the farmer his crown,
Lumpety lumpety lump.

The mischievous raven flew laughing away,
Bumpety bumpety bump,
And vowed he would serve them the same next day,
Lumpety lumpety lump.

Old woman, old woman, shall we go a-shearing?
Speak a little louder, sir, I am very thick o’ hearing.
Old woman, old woman, shall I kiss you dearly?
Thank you, kind sir, I hear very clearly.

Little Tommy Tittlemouse
Lived in a little house;
He caught fishes
In other men’s ditches.

Little Miss Muffett
She sat on a tuffett,
Eating of curds and whey;
There came a little spider
Who sat down beside her,
And frightened Miss Muffett away.

Eggs, butter, cheese, bread,
Stick, stock, stone, dead,
Stick him up, stick him down,
Stick him in the old man’s crown.

Rain, rain,
Go away,
Come again
April day;
Little Johnny
Wants to play.

Tom he was a Pi-per’s son,
He learned to play when he was young;
But all the tunes that he could play,
Was “O-ver the hills and far away.”

Now, Tom with his pipe made such a noise,
That he pleas-ed both the girls and boys,
And they all stop-ped to hear him play,
“O-ver the hills and far a-way.”

Tom with his pipe did play with such skill,
That those who heard him could ne-ver stand still;
When-e-ver they heard him they be-gan to dance,
Even pigs on their hind-legs would after him prance.

He met old Dame Trott with a basket of eggs,
He u-sed his pipe and she u-sed her legs;
She danc-ed a-bout till the eggs were all broke,
She be-gan to fret, but he laugh-ed at the joke.

He saw a cross fel-low was beat-ing an ass,
Hea-vy la-den with pots, pans, dish-es, and glass;
He took out his pipe and play-ed them a tune,
And the Jack-ass’s load was light-en-ed full soon.

I had a little dog, they called him Buff,
I sent him to the shop for a three cents worth of snuff:
But he lost the bag, and spilt the snuff,
So take that cuff, and that’s enough.

Molly, my sister, and I fell out,
And what do you think it was about?
She loved coffee, and I loved tea,
And that was the reason we couldn’t agree.

Solomon Grundy,
Born on a Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Very ill on Thursday,

Worse on Friday,
Died on Saturday,
Buried on Sunday,
This is the end
Of Solomon Grundy.

Handy Spandy, Jack a-dandy,
Loves plum-cake and sugar-candy;
He bought some at a grocer’s shop,
And out he came, hop-hop-hop.

Go to bed Tom, go to bed Tom—
Merry or sober, go to bed Tom.

Mary had a pretty bird,
Feathers bright and yellow,
Slender legs, upon my word
He was a pretty fellow.
The sweetest notes he always sung,
Which much delighted Mary,
And often where the cage was hung,
She stood to hear Canary.

Lit-tle boy blue, come blow your horn;
The sheep’s in the mea-dow, the cow’s in the corn.
Where’s the lit-tle boy that looks af-ter the sheep?
He’s un-der the hay-cock fast a-sleep.

I had a lit-tle po-ny;
They call-ed him dap-ple grey.
I lent him to a lady,
To ride a mile a-way.
She whip-ped him, she slash-ed him,
She rode him through the mire;
I would not lend my po-ny now,
For all the lady’s hire.