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.

-Gaffer Was. From Yorkshire.

There was a man went over the Wash,
Grizzle grey was his horse;

Bent was his saddle-bow:

I've told you his name three times,
And yet you don't know!

-The same as the last.

-A pen.

From Norfolk.

I am become of flesh and blood,
As other creatures be;

Yet there's neither flesh nor blood
Doth remain in me.

I make kings that they fall out,

I make them agree;

And yet there's neither flesh nor blood

Doth remain in me.

Riddles similar to this are current in most

languages. Mr. Stephens has kindly furnished me with the following one obtained in Sweden:

Af kött och blod är jag upprunnen,

Men ingen blod är i mig funnen;
Många herrar de mig bära,

Med hvassa knifvar de mig skära.

Mången har jag gifvit ära,

Mången har jag tagit af,
Mången har jag lagt i graf.

Of flesh and blood sprung am I ever ;
But blood in me that find ye never.
Many great lords bear me proudly,
With sharp knives cutting me loudly.

Many I've graced right honorably :
Rich ones many I've humble made
Many within their grave I've laid!

The pen has been a fertile subject for the modern riddle-writer. The best production of the kind was printed a few months ago in the Times newspaper, contributed by Miss Agnes Strickland.

Into my house came neighbour John,
With three legs and a wooden one ;
If one be taken from the same,
Then just five there will remain.

-He had a IV legged stool with him, and taking away the left-hand numeral, there remains V.

Two legs sat upon three legs,
With four legs standing by ;
Four then were drawn by ten:
Read my riddle ye can't,

However much ye try.

-An amplification of the above, the milkmaid of course sitting on a three-legged stool.

Over the water,

And under the water,

And always with its head down!

-A nail in the bottom of a ship.

As straight as a maypole,

As little as a pin,

As bent as a bucker,

And as round as a ring.

I do not know the solution of this riddle. A bucker is a bent piece of wood by which slaughtered sheep are hung up by their expanded hind legs, before being cut

out.

--A nettle.

Hitty Pitty within the wall,
Hitty Pitty without the wall:
If you touch Hitty Pitty,
Hitty Pitty will bite you.

MS. Harl. 1962, xvii. cent.

The first letter of our fore-fadyr,

A worker of wax,

An I and an N;

The colour of an ass:

And what have you then?

An ancient rebus

- Abindon, or Abingdon, in Berks. given in Lelandi Itin. ed. 1744, ii. 136.

-A

pump.

I saw a fight the other day;
A damsel did begin the fray.
She with her daily friend did meet,
Then standing in the
open street;
She gave such hard and sturdy blows,
He bled ten gallons at the nose;
Yet neither seem to faint nor fall,
Nor gave her any abuse at all.

MS. Harl. 1962, xvij. cent.

A water there is I must pass,
A broader water never was;
And yet of all waters I ever did see,
To pass over with less jeopardy.

-The dew. From the same MS.

There is a bird of great renown,
Useful in city and in town;
None work like unto him can do ;
He's yellow, black, red, and green,
A very pretty bird I mean;
Yet he's both fierce and fell:

I count him wise that can this tell.

-A bee. From the same MS.

As I went over Hottery Tottery,
I looked into Harbora Lilly;
I spied a cutterell

Playing with her cambril.
I cryed, Ho, neighbour, ho!
Lend me your cue and your goe,
To shoot at yonder cutterell

Playing with her cambril,

And you Ishall have the curle of her loe.

-A man calling to his neighbour for a gun to shoot a deer, and he should have her humbles. MS. ibid.

As I went through my houter touter,
Houter trouter, verly;

I see one Mr. Higamgige

Come over the hill of Parley.

But if I had my carly verly,

Carly verly verly;

I would have bine met with Mr. Higamgige

Come over the hill of Parley.

-A man going over a hill, and a fly lighting on his head. MS. ibid.

THE FOUR SISTERS.

I have four sisters beyond the sea,
Para-mara, dictum, domine.

And they did send four presents to me,
Partum, quartum, paradise, tempum,
Para-mara, dictum, domine!

The first it was a bird without e'er a bone ;
Para-mara, dictum, &c.

The second was a cherry without e'er a stone;
Partum, quartum, &c.

The third it was a blanket without e'er a thread,

Para-mara, dictum, &c.

The fourth it was a book which no man could read,
Partum, quartum, &c.

How can there be a bird without e'er a bone?
Para-mara, dictum, &c.

How can there be a cherry without e'er a stone?
Partum, quartum, &c.

How can there be a blanket without e'er a thread?
Para-mara, dictum, &c.

How can there be a book which no man can read?
Partum, quartum, &c.

When the bird's in the shell, there is no bone;
Para-mara, dictum, &c.

When the cherry's in the bud, there is no stone;
Partum, quartum, &c.

When the blanket's in the fleece, there is no thread;
Para-mara, dictum, &c.

When the book's in the press, no man can read

Partum, quartum, &c.

;

Several versions of this metrical riddle are common in the North of England, and an ingenious antiquary has suggested that it is a parody on the old monkish songs! It will remind the reader of the Scottish ballad of Captain Wedderburn's Courtship,