XXV.

[In a little tract, called "The Pigges Corantoe, or Newes from the North," 4to, Lond. 1642, this is called "Old Tarlton's Song." This fact is mentioned in Mr. Collier's "Hist. Dram. Poet." vol. ii. p. 352, and also in the preface to Mr. Wright's "Political Ballads," printed for the Percy Society. It is perhaps a parody on the popular epigram on " Jack and Jill." I do not know the period of the battle to which it appears to allude.]

The king of France went up the hill,
With twenty thousand men ;

The king of France came down the hill,
And ne'er went up again.

XXVI.

[From MS. Sloane, 1489, fol. 19, written about the year 1600.]

The king of France, and four thousand men,
They drew their swords and put 'em up again.

SECOND CLASS—TALES.

XXVII.

There was an old woman had three sons,

Jerry, and James, and John:

Jerry was hung, James was drowned,

John was lost and never was found,

And there was an end of her three sons, Jerry, and James, and John!

XXVIII.

There was a man of Newington,
And he was wondrous wise,

He jump'd into a quickset hedge,

And scratched 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.

XXIX.

When I was a bachelor, I lived by myself,
And all the bread and cheese I laid upon the shelf;
The rats and the mice they made such a strife,

I was forced to go to London to buy me a wife;
The roads were so bad, and the lanes were so narrow,
I was forced to bring my wife home in a wheelbarrow.
The wheelbarrow broke, and my wife had a fall;
Deuce take the wheelbarrow, wife, and all.

XXX.

Rowsty dowt, my fire's all out,
My little dame is not at home!

I'll saddle my cock, and bridle my hen,
And fetch my little dame home again!

Home she came, tritty trot,

She asked for the porridge she left in the pot;

Some she ate and some she shod,

And some she gave to the truckler's dog;
She took up the ladle and knocked its head,
And now poor Dapsy dog is dead!

XXXI.

Robin and Richard

Were two pretty men ;

They laid in bed

Till the clock struck ten;

Then up starts Robin

And looks at the sky,

Oh! brother Richard,

The sun's very high.

You go before with the bottle and bag,

And I will come after on little Jack Nag.
You go first, and open the gate,

And I'll come after, and break your pate.

XXXII.

[From MS. Bib. Reg. 8 A. V. fol. 52, of the time of Henry VIII.]

We make no spare

Of John Hunkes' mare;

And now I

Think she will die :

He thought it good

To put her in the wood,

To seek where she might ly dry;

If the mare should chance to fale,
Then the crownes would for her sale.

XXXIII.

I had a little dog, and his name was Blue Bell,
I gave him some work, and he did it very well;
I sent him up stairs to pick up a pin,

He stepped in the coal-scuttle up to the chin.
I sent him to the garden to pick some sage,
He tumbled down and fell in a rage;

I sent him to the cellar, to draw a pot of beer,

He came up again and said there was none there.

XXXIV.

There was a little man,

And he woo'd a little maid,

And he said, little maid, will you wed, wed, wed?

I have little more to say,

Than will you, yea or nay,

For least said is soonest mended—ded, ded, ded.

The little maid replied,

Some say a little sighed,

But what shall we have for to eat, eat, eat?

Will the love that you're so rich in

Make a fire in the kitchen?

Or the little god of Love turn the spit—spit, spit