Harry's Ladder to Learning Part 5

Tell-tale, t.i.t!

Your tongue shall be slit, And all the dogs in the town Shall have a little bit!

Little Miss m.u.f.fet Sat on a tuffet, Eating of curds and whey; There came a little spider, Who sat down beside her, And frighten'd Miss m.u.f.fet away.

Robin and Richard were two pretty men, They lay a-bed till the clock struck ten; Then up starts Robin and looks at the sky, "Oh! oh! brother Richard, the sun's very high; You go before with bottle and bag, And I'll follow after on little Jack Nag."

"Come, let's to bed," says Sleepy-head; "Let's stay awhile," says Slow: "Put on the pot," says Greedy-sot, "We'll sup before we go."

Robin the Bobbin, the big-bellied Ben, He ate more meat than fourscore men; He ate a cow, he ate a calf, He ate a butcher and a half; He ate a church, he ate a steeple, He ate the priest and all the people!

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Tom, Tom, the piper's son, Stole a pig and away he ran.

The pig was eat, and Tom was beat, And Tom ran crying down the street.

Shoe the horse, shoe the colt, Shoe the wild mare; Here a nail, there a nail, Yet she goes bare.

Goosey goosey gander, Whither dost thou wander?

Up stairs, down stairs, In my lady's chamber: There I met an old man Who would not say his prayers; I took him by the left leg, And threw him down the stairs.

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There was an old woman went up in a basket, Seventy times as high as the moon; What she did there I could not but ask it, For in her hand she carried a broom.

"Old woman, old woman, old woman," said I, "Whither, oh whither, oh whither, so high?"

"To sweep the cobwebs from the sky, And I shall be back again by and by."

Pease-pudding hot, Pease-pudding cold, Pease-pudding in the pot, Nine days old.

Some like it hot, Some like it cold, Some like it in the pot, Nine days old.

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Little Nan Etticoat, In a white petticoat, And a red nose; The longer she stands The shorter she grows.

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Little Jack Jingle, He used to live single: But when he got tired of this kind of life, He left off being single, and got him a wife.

Little Robin Red-breast sat upon a tree, Up went p.u.s.s.y-cat, and down went he; Down came p.u.s.s.y-cat, and away Robin ran: Says little Robin Red-breast, "Catch me if you can."

Little Robin Red-breast hopp'd upon a wall, p.u.s.s.y-cat jump'd after him, and almost got a fall.

Little Robin chirp'd and sang, and what did p.u.s.s.y say?

p.u.s.s.y-cat said, "Mew," and Robin flew away.

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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, Yet this grumbling old woman could never be quiet.

There was a little man, And he had a little gun, And his bullets were made of lead, lead, lead; He went to the brook, And saw a little duck, And he shot it through the head, head, head.

He carried it home To his old wife Joan, And bid her a fire for to make, make, make; To roast the little duck He had shot in the brook, And he'd go and fetch her the drake, drake, drake.

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I had a little pony, His name was Dapple Gray, I lent him to a lady, To ride a mile away.

She whipp'd him, She lash'd him, She rode him Through the mire; I would not lend My pony now For all the lady's hire.