I HAD a little dog, and they called him Buff;
I sent him to the shop for a hap’orth of snuff;
But he lost the bag, and spill’d the snuff: 
“So take that cuff ­and that’s enough.”

BURNIE bee, burnie bee,
Tell me when your wedding be? 
If it be to-morrow day,
Take your wings and fly away.

SOME little mice sat in a barn to spin;
Pussy came by, and popped her head in;
“Shall I come in and cut your threads off?”
“Oh no, kind sir, you will snap our heads off?”

ALL of a row,
Bend the bow,
Shot at a pigeon,
And killed a crow.

GREY goose and gander,
Waft your wings together,
And carry the good king’s daughter
Over the one strand river.

PUSSY-CAT, pussy-cat, where have you been? 
I’ve been to London to look at the queen. 
Pussy-cat, pussy-cat, what did you there? 
I frighten’d a little mouse under the chair.

CUCKOO, Cuckoo,
What do you do? 
“In April
I open my bill;
In May
I sing night and day;
In June
I change my tune;
In July
Away I fly;
In August
Away I must.”

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

          THE cock doth crow,
          To let you know,
          If you be wise,
          ’Tis time to rise.

          ROBERT BARNES, fellow fine,
          Can you shoe this horse of mine? 
          “Yes, good sir, that I can,
          As well as any other man: 
          There’s a nail, and there’s a prod,
          And now, good sir, your horse is shod.”

[Bird boy’s song.]

          EAT, birds, eat, and make no waste;
          I lie here and make no haste: 
          If my master chance to come,
          You must fly, and I must run.

          “HIE, hie,” says Anthony,
          “Puss in the pantry,
          Gnawing, gnawing
          A mutton mutton-bone;
          See now she tumbles it,
          See now she mumbles it,
          See how she tosses
          The mutton mutton-bone.”

FOUR and twenty tailors went to kill a snail;
The best man among them durst not touch her tail. 
She put out her horns like a little Kyloe cow;
Run, tailors, run, or she’ll kill you all e’en now.

THE cuckoo’s a fine bird: 
He sings as he flies;
He brings us good tidings;
He tells us no lies.

He sucks little birds’ eggs
To make his voice clear;
And when he sings “Cuckoo!”
The summer is near.

“CROAK!” said the Toad, “I’m hungry, I think;
To-day I’ve had nothing to eat or to drink;
I’ll crawl to a garden and jump through the pales,
And there I’ll dine nicely on slugs and on snails.” 
“Ho, ho!” quoth the Frog, “is that what you mean? 
Then I’ll hop away to the next meadow stream;
There I will drink, and eat worms and slugs too,
And then I shall have a good dinner like you.”

THERE was a piper, he’d a cow,
And he’d no hay to give her;
He took his pipes and played a tune: 
“Consider, old cow, consider!”

The cow considered very well,
For she gave the piper a penny,
That he might play the tune again,
Of “Corn rigs are bonnie.”

A PIE sate on a pear-tree,
A pie sate on a pear-tree,
A pie sate on a pear-tree. 
Heigh O, heigh O, heigh O! 
Once so merrily hopp’d she,
Twice so merrily hopp’d she,
Thrice so merrily hopp’d she. 
Heigh O, heigh O, heigh O!

          ONCE I saw a little bird
          Come hop, hop, hop;
          So I cried, “Little bird,
          Will you stop, stop, stop?”
          And was going to the window,
          To say, “How do you do?”
          But he shook his little tail,
          And far away he flew.

THE winds they did blow;
The leaves they did wag;
Along came a beggar boy,
And put me in his bag.

He took me up to London;
A lady did me buy,
Put me in a silver cage,
And hung me up on high,

With apples by the fire,
And nuts for to crack,
Besides a little feather bed
To rest my little back.

COCK ROBIN got up early
At the break of day,
And went to Jenny’s window,
To sing a roundelay.

He sang Cock Robin’s love
To the pretty Jenny Wren;
And when he got unto the end,
Then he began again.

BETTY PRINGLE had a little pig,
Not very little and not very big;
When he was alive he lived in clover;
But now he’s dead, and that’s all over. 
So Billy Pringle he laid down and cried,
And Betty Pringle she laid down and died;
So there was an end of one, two, and three: 
Billy Pringle he,
Betty Pringle she,
And the piggy wiggy.

A LONG-TAIL’D pig, or a short-tail’d pig,
Or a pig without e’er a tail,
A sow-pig, or a boar-pig,
Or a pig with a curly tail.

A LITTLE cock-sparrow sat on a green tree (tris),
And he cherruped, he cherruped, so merry was he (tris);
A little cock-sparrow sat on a green tree,
And he cherruped, he cherruped, so merry was he.

A naughty boy came with his wee bow and arrow (tris),
Determined to shoot this little cock-sparrow (tris);
A naughty, &c. 
Determined, &c.

“This little cock-sparrow shall make me a stew (tris),
And his giblets shall make me a little pie too” (tris);
“Oh, no,” said the sparrow, “I won’t make a stew;”
So he flapped his wings, and away he flew.

LITTLE Robin Red-Breast
Sat upon a rail: 
Niddle-naddle went his head! 
Wiggle-waggle went his tail.

Dame, what makes your ducks to die? 
What the pize ails ’em? what the pize ails ’em? 
They kick up their heels, and there they lie;
What the pize ails ’em now? 
Heigh, ho! heigh, ho! 
Dame, what makes your ducks to die? 
What a pize ails ’em? what a pize ails ’em? 
Heigh, ho! heigh, ho! 
Dame, what ails your ducks to die? 
Eating o’ polly-wigs, eating o’ polly-wigs. 
Heigh, ho! heigh, ho!

IN the month of February,
When green leaves begin to spring,
Little lambs do skip like fairies,
Birds do couple, build, and sing.

PUSSY cat sits by the fire;
How did she come there? 
In walks the little dog,
Says, “Pussy! are you there?”

“How do you do, Mistress Pussy? 
Mistress Pussy, how d’ye do?”
“I thank you kindly, little dog,
I fare as well as you!”

THERE was a little boy went into a barn,
And lay down on some hay;
An owl came out and flew about,
And the little boy ran away.

THE dove says, “Coo, coo, what shall I do? 
I can scarce maintain two.” 
“Pooh, pooh,” says the wren; “I have got ten,
And keep them all like gentlemen!”

BOW, wow, wow,
Whose dog art thou? 
“Little Tom Tinker’s dog,
Bow, wow, wow.”

LEG over leg,
As the dog went to Dover;
When he came to a stile,
Jump he went over.

I LOVE little pussy, her coat is so warm;
And if I don’t hurt her she’ll do me no harm. 
So I’ll not pull her tail nor drive her away,
But pussy and I very gently will play.

          [Imitated from a pigeon.]

          CURR dhoo, curr dhoo,
          Love me, and I’ll love you!

LADY bird, lady bird, fly away home;
Thy house is on fire, thy children all gone ­
All but one, and her name is Ann,
And she crept under the pudding-pan.

PUSSY sits behind the fire ­
How can she be fair? 
In comes the little dog: 
“Pussy, are you there? 
“So, so, Mistress Pussy,
Pray how do you do?”
“Thank you, thank you, little dog,
I’m very well just now.”

LITTLE Robin-Redbreast sat upon a tree;
Up went Pussy cat, and down went he;
Down came Pussy cat, and away Robin ran: 
Says little Robin-Redbreast, “Catch me if you can.” 
Little Robin-Redbreast jump’d upon a wall;
Pussy cat jump’d after him, and almost got a fall;
Little Robin chirp’d and sang, and what did Pussy say? 
Pussy cat said “Mew,” and Robin jump’d away.

MARY had a pretty bird
With feathers bright and yellow ­
Slender legs ­upon my word ­
He was a pretty fellow.

I HAD a little hen, the prettiest ever seen;
She washed me the dishes, and kept the house clean;
She went to the mill to fetch me some flour;
She brought it home in less than an hour;
She baked me my bread, she brew’d me my ale;
She sat by the fire, and told many a fine tale.

HIGGLEY PIGGLEY,
My black hen,
She lays eggs
For gentlemen;
Sometimes nine,
And sometimes ten. 
Higgley Piggley,
My black hen!

COME, take up your hats, and away let us haste
To the Butterfly’s ball, and the Grasshopper’s feast;
The trumpeter, Gad-fly, has summoned the crew,
And the revels are now only waiting for you. 
On the smooth-shaven grass, by the side of a wood,
Beneath a broad oak which for ages had stood,
See the children of earth, and the tenants of air,
To an evening’s amusement together repair. 
And there came the Beetle, so blind and so black,
Who carried the Emmet, his friend, on his back;
And there came the Gnat and the Dragon-fly too,
With all their relations, green, orange, and blue. 
And there came the Moth, with her plumage of down,
And the Hornet with jacket of yellow and brown;
And with him the Wasp, his companion, did bring;
But they promised that evening to lay by their sting. 
Then the sly little Dormouse peeped out of his hole,
And led to the feast his blind cousin the Mole;
And the Snail, with her horns peeping out of her shell,
Came, fatigued with the distance, the length of an ell. 
A mushroom the table, and on it was spread
A water-dock leaf, which their table-cloth made. 
The viands were various, to each of their taste,
And the Bee brought the honey to sweeten the feast. 
With steps most majestic the Snail did advance,
And he promised the gazers a minuet to dance;
But they all laughed so loud that he drew in his head,
And went in his own little chamber to bed. 
Then, as evening gave way to the shadows of night,
Their watchman, the Glow-worm, come out with his light. 
So home let us hasten, while yet we can see,
For no watchman is waiting for you or for me.

BAH, bah, black sheep,
Have you any wool? 
“Yes, marry, have I,
Three bags full: 
One for my master,
And one for my dame,
But none for the little boy
Who cries in the lane.”

Little boy blue, come, blow up your horn;
The sheep’s in the meadow, the cow’s in the corn. 
“Where’s the little boy that looks after the sheep?”
“He’s under the hay-cock fast asleep.” 
“Will you wake him?” “No, not I;
For if I do, he’ll be sure to cry.”

GOD bless the master of this house,
The mistress bless also,
And all the little children
That round the table go;

And all your kin and kinsmen,
That dwell both far and near;
I wish you a merry Christmas,
And a happy New Year.

LITTLE girl, little girl, where have you been? 
“Gathering roses to give to the queen.”

“Little girl, little girl, what gave she you?”
“She gave me a diamond as big as my shoe.”

GOOSEY, goosey, gander,
Where shall I wander? 
Upstairs, downstairs,
And in my lady’s chamber. 
There I meet an old man
That would not say his prayers;
I took him by the left leg,
And threw him downstairs.

JENNY WREN fell sick,
Upon a merry time;
In came Robin-Redbreast
And brought her sops and wine.

“Eat well of the sops, Jenny,
Drink well of the wine.” 
“Thank you, Robin, kindly,
You shall be mine.”

Jenny she got well,
And stood upon her feet,
And told Robin plainly
She loved him not a bit.

Robin, being angry,
Hopped upon a twig,
Saying, “Out upon you.  Fie upon you. 
Bold-faced jig.”

THE hart he loves the high wood,
The hare she loves the hill,
The knight he loves his bright sword,
The lady ­loves her will.

I HAD a little pony,
His name was Dapple-grey
I lent him to a lady,
To ride a mile away. 
She whipped him, she slashed him,
She rode him through the mire;
I would not lend my pony now
For all the lady’s hire.

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 the next day;
Bumpety, bumpety, bump!