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.

                                                                    [A thorn.

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!

                                                [Sunshine.

AS soft as silk, as white as milk,
As bitter as gall, a thick wall,
And a green coat covers me all.

                                                  [A walnut.

          LONG legs, crooked thighs,
          Little head, and no eyes.
                                   [Pair of tongs.

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!

                                                  [A storm of wind.

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.”

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 stronghold. 
Yet things break in and steal the gold.

                                                  [An egg.

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.

                                                [A plum-pudding.

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.

                                                  [A star.

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. [Currants.

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.

                                                            [An egg.

          THIRTY white horses upon a red hill,
          Now they tramp, now they champ, now they stand still.
                                        [Teeth and gums.

          THOMAS A TATTAMUS took two T’s,
          To tie two tups to two tall trees,
          To frighten the terrible Thomas a Tattamus! 
          Tell me how many T’s there are in all THAT.

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.

                                                      [A needle and thread.

LITTLE Nancy Etticoat
In a white petticoat,
And a red rose. 
The longer she stands
The shorter she grows.

                                  [A candle.

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.

                                                    [Coals.

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.

FORMED long ago, yet made to-day,
Employed while others sleep;
What few would like to give away,
Nor any wish to keep.
[A Bed.

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?

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.

                                                                  [A cherry.

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?

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.
[One leg is a leg of mutton; two legs, a man; three
legs, a stool; four legs, a dog.

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.

THERE was a man of Thessaly,
And he was wond’rous wise;
He jump’d into a quickset hedge,
And scratch’d out both his eyes. 
But when he saw his eyes were out,
With all his might and main
He jump’d into another hedge,
And scratch’d ’em in again.

I WOULD if I cou’d,
If I cou’dn’t, how cou’d I? 
I cou’dn’t, without I cou’d, cou’d I? 
Cou’d you, without you cou’d, cou’d ye? 
Cou’d ye, cou’d ye? 
Cou’d you, without you cou’d, cou’d ye?

THREE children sliding on the ice
Upon a summer’s day,
As it fell out, they all fell in,
The rest they ran away.

Now had these children been at home,
Or sliding on dry ground,
Ten thousand pounds to one penny
They had not all been drown’d.

You parents all that children have,
And you that have got none,
If you would have them safe abroad,
Pray keep them safe at home.

IF all the world was apple-pie,
And all the sea was ink,
And all the trees were bread and cheese,
What should we have for drink?

PETER WHITE will ne’er go right. 
Would you know the reason why? 
He follows his nose where’er he goes,
And that stands all awry.

THERE was a little Guinea-pig,
Who, being little, was not big;
He always walked upon his feet,
And never fasted when he eat.

When from a place he ran away,
He never at that place did stay;
And while he ran, as I am told,
He ne’er stood still for young or old.

          He often squeak’d and sometimes vi’lent,
          And when he squeak’d he ne’er was silent;
          Though ne’er instructed by a cat,
          He knew a mouse was not a rat.

          One day, as I am certified,
          He took a whim and fairly died;
          And, as I’m told by men of sense,
          He never has been living since.

THE man in the wilderness asked me
How many strawberries grew in the sea. 
I answered him as I thought good,
As many as red herrings grew in the wood.

MY true love lives far from me,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie. 
Many a rich present he sends to me,
Petrum, Partrum, Paradise, Temporie,
Perrie, Merrie, Dixie, Dominie.

He sent me a goose without a bone;
He sent me a cherry without a stone. 
Petrum, &c.

He sent me a Bible no man could read;
He sent me a blanket without a thread. 
Petrum, &c.

How could there be a goose without a bone? 
How could there be a cherry without a stone? 
Petrum, &c.

How could there be a Bible no man could read? 
How could there be a blanket without a thread? 
Petrum, &c.

When the goose is in the egg-shell, there is no bone;
When the cherry is in the blossom, there is no stone. 
Petrum, &c.

When the Bible is in the press no man it can read;
When the wool is on the sheep’s back, there is no thread. 
Petrum, &c.

I SAW a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing on the sea;
And, oh! it was all laden
With pretty things for thee!

There were comfits in the cabin,
And apples in the hold
The sails were made of silk,
And the masts were made of gold.

The four-and-twenty sailors
That stood between the decks,
Were four-and-twenty white mice
With chains about their necks.

The captain was a duck,
With a packet on his back;
And when the ship began to move,
The captain said, “Quack! quack!”

HERE am I, little jumping Joan. 
When nobody’s with me,
I’m always alone.

O THAT I was where I would be,
Then would I be where I am not! 
But where I am there I must be,
And where I would be I cannot.

          TOBACCO reek! tobacco reek! 
          When you’re well, ’twill make you sick. 
          Tobacco reek! tobacco reek! 
          ’Twill make you well when you are sick.

          THERE was an old woman, and what do you think? 
          She lived upon nothing but victuals and drink: 
          Victuals and drink were the chief of her diet;
          This tiresome old woman could never be quiet.

[Mind your punctuation.]

          I SAW a peacock with a fiery tail,
          I saw a blazing comet drop down hail,
          I saw a cloud wrapped with ivy round,
          I saw an oak creep upon the ground,
          I saw a pismire swallow up a whale,
          I saw the sea brimful of ale,
          I saw a Venice glass full fifteen feet deep,
          I saw a well full of men’s tears that weep,
          I saw red eyes all of a flaming fire,
          I saw a house bigger than the moon and higher,
          I saw the sun at twelve o’clock at night,
          I saw the man that saw this wondrous sight.

          THERE was a man and he was mad,
          And he jump’d into a pea-swad;
          The pea-swad was over-full,
          So he jump’d into a roaring bull;
          The roaring bull was over-fat,
          So he jump’d into a gentleman’s hat;
          The gentleman’s hat was over-fine,
          So he jump’d into a bottle of wine;
          The bottle of wine was over-dear,
          So he jump’d into a bottle of beer;
          The bottle of beer was over-thick,
          So he jump’d into a club-stick;
          The club-stick was over-narrow,
          So he jump’d into a wheel-barrow;
          The wheel-barrow began to crack,
          So he jump’d on to a hay-stack;
          The hay-stack began to blaze,
          So he did nothing but cough and sneeze!