HERE was a girl in our towne,

Silk an' satin was her gowne,

Silk an' satin, gold an' velvet,

Guess her name, three times I've tell'd it.

I went to the wood and got it,

I sat me down and looked at it;

The more I looked at it the less I liked it,

And I brought it home because I couldn't help it.

Hick-a-more, Hack-a-more,

On the king's kitchen-door;

All the king's horses,

And all the king's men,

Couldn't drive Hick-a-more, Hack-a-more,

Off the king's kitchen-door!

When I was taken from the fair body,

They then cut off my head,

And thus my shape was altered;

It's I that make peace between king and king,

And many a true lover glad:

All this I do and ten times more,

And more I could do still,

But nothing can I do,

Without my guider's will.

As I look'd out o' my chamber window

I heard something fall;

I sent my maid to pick it up,

But she couldn't pick it all.

I went into my grandmother's garden,

And there I found a farthing.

I went into my next door neighbour's,

There I bought a pipkin and a popkin—

A slipkin and a slopkin,

A nailboard, a sailboard,

And all for a farthing.

As I was going o'er London Bridge,

I met a cart full of fingers and thumbs!

Made in London,

Sold at York,

Stops a bottle

And is a cork.

Ten and ten and twice eleven,

Take out six and put in seven;

Go to the green and fetch eighteen,

And drop one a coming.

As soft as silk, as white as milk,

As bitter as gall, a thick wall,

And a green coat covers me all.

As I was going o'er Tipple Tine,

I met a flock of bonny swine;

Some green-lapp'd,

Some green-back'd;

They were the very bonniest swine

That e'er went over Tipple Tine.

Humpty Dumpty lay in a beck,*

With all his sinews round his neck;

Forty doctors and forty wrights

Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty to rights!

Arthur O'Bower has broken his band,

He comes roaring up the land;—

The King of Scots, with all his power,

Cannot turn Arthur of the Bower!

Make three-fourths of a cross,

And a circle complete;

And let two semicircles

On a perpendicular meet;

Next add a triangle

That stands on two feet;

Next two semicircles,

And a circle complete.

There was a king met a king

In a narrow lane,

Says this king to that king,

"Where have you been?"

"Oh! I've been a hunting

With my dog and my doe."

"Pray lend him to me,

That I may do so."

"There's the dog take the dog."

"What's the dog's name?"

"I've told you already."

"Pray tell me again."

Flour of England, fruit of Spain,

Met together in a shower of rain;

Put in a bag tied round with a string,

If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a ring.

Every lady in this land

Has twenty nails upon each hand,

Five and twenty hands and feet,

All this is true without deceit.

Twelve pears hanging high,

Twelve knights riding by;

Each knight took a pear,

And yet left eleven there!

I have a little sister, they call her peep, peep;

She wades the waters deep, deep, deep;

She climbs the mountains high, high, high;

Poor little creature she has but one eye.

Old mother Twitchett had but one eye,

And a long tail which she let fly;

And every time she went over a gap,

She left a bit of her tail in a trap.

In marble walls as white as milk,

Lined with a skin as soft as silk;

Within a fountain crystal clear,

A golden apple doth appear.

No doors there are to this strong-hold.

Yet things break in and steal the gold.

What shoe-maker makes shoes without leather,

With all the four elements put together?

Fire and water, earth and air;

Ev'ry customer has two pair.

Higgledy piggledy

Here we lie,

Pick'd and pluck'd,

And put in a pie.

My first is snapping, snarling, growling,

My second's industrious, romping, and prowling.

Higgledy piggledy

Here we lie,

Pick'd and pluck'd,

And put in a pie.

Thomas a Tattamus took two Ts,

To tie two tups to two tall trees,

To frighten the terrible Thomas a Tattamus!

Tell me how many Ts there are in all THAT.

There was a man who had no eyes,

He went abroad to view the skies;

He saw a tree with apples on it,

He took no apples off, yet left no apples on it.

The moon nine days old,

The next sign to cancer;

Pat rat without a tail;—

And now, sir, for your answer,

Little Nancy Etticoat,

In a white petticoat,

And a red nose;

The longer she stands,

The shorter she grows.

Long legs, crooked thighs,

Little head and no eyes.

There were three sisters in a hall,

There came a knight amongst them all;

Good morrow, aunt, to the one,

Good morrow, aunt, to the other,

Good morrow, gentlewoman, to the third,

If you were my aunt,

As the other two be,

I would say good morrow,

Then, aunts, all three.

Congeal'd water and Cain's brother,

That was my lover's name, and no other.

Thirty white horses upon a red hill,

Now they tramp, now they champ, now they stand still.

Black we are, but much admired;

Men seek for us till they are tired.

We tire the horse, but comfort man

Tell me this riddle if you can.

Higher than a house, higher than a tree;

Oh, whatever can that be?

Humpty dumpty sate on a wall,

Humpty dumpty had a great fall;

Three score men and three score more

Cannot place Humpty Dumpty as he was before.

Purple, yellow, red, and green,

The king cannot reach it nor the queen;

Nor can old Noll, whose power's so great:

Tell me this riddle while I count eight.

Pease-porridge hot, pease-porridge cold,

Pease-porridge in the pot, nine days old.

Spell me that without a P,

And a clever scholar you will be.

As I was going o'er Westminster bridge,

I met with a Westminster scholar;

He pulled off his cap an' drew off his glove,

And wished me a very good morrow.

What is his name?

Black within, and red without;

Four corners round about.

There was a man rode through our town,

Gray Grizzle was his name;

His saddle-bow was gilt with gold,

Three times I've named his name.

As I went over Lincoln bridge

I met mister Rusticap;

Pins and needles on his back,

A going to Thorney fair.

Two legs sat upon three legs,

With one leg in his lap;

In comes four legs,

And runs away with one leg.

Up jumps two legs,

Catches up three legs,

Throws it after four legs,

And makes him bring back one leg.

Formed long ago, yet made to-day,

Employed while others sleep;

What few would like to give away,

Nor any wish to keep.

A riddle, a riddle, as I suppose,

A hundred eyes, and never a nose.

As round as an apple, as deep as a cup,

And all the king's horses can't pull it up.

As I went through the garden gap,

Who should I meet but Dick Red-cap!

A stick in his hand, a stone in his throat,

If you'll tell me this riddle, I'll give you a groat.

Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy and Bess,

They all went together to seek a bird's nest.

They found a bird's nest with five eggs in,

They all took one, and left four in.

As I was going to St. Ives,

I met a man with seven wives,

Every wife had seven sacks,

Every sack had seven cats,

Every cat had seven kits:

Kits, cats, sacks, and wives,

How many were there going to St. Ives?

Highty, tighty, paradighty clothed in green,

The king could not read it, no more could the queen;

They sent for a wise man out of the East,

Who said it had horns, but was not a beast!

See, see! what shall I see?

A horse's head where his tail should be.

As I was going o'er London Bridge,

And peep'd through a nick,

I saw four and twenty ladies

Riding on a stick!

Lives in winter,

Dies in summer,

And grows with its root upwards!

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.

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!

Old father Graybeard,

Without tooth or tongue;

If you'll give me your finger,

I'll give you my thumb.