"--Scotch
version of Bryan O'Lynn--"Cripple Dick"--"Pan, Pan,
Play"--"Gi'e a thing"--A Gruesome Riddle--"King and
Queen of Cantelon"--Hidee--"Wha's your Daddie?"--"The
Moon is a Lady" 162

XIII. A favourite Nursery Hymn--The Latin version of the
Virgin's Lullaby 169

XIV. "There was a maid came out of Kent"--"Martin Smart"--"Great
A, little B"--A Nursery Tale--"A duck, a drake"--"Hark!
Hark!"--A B C Jingles--A Catch Rhyme 173

XV. BELL RHYMES--"Banbury Cross"--"Gay go up, and gay go
down"--"Mary, Mary, quite contrary"--The Provencal
"Ding-dong" 178

XVI. Political Significations of Nursery Rhymes--"Come,
Jack"--"A man of words"--Pastorini, Lord Grey,
Lyttleton, Dan O'Connell, and Lord Brougham caricatured 185

INTRODUCTION

Without advancing any theory touching the progression of the mother's
song to her babe, other than declaring lullabies to be about as old as
babies, a statement which recalls to mind an old story, entitled "The
Owl's Advice to an Inquisitive Cat."

"O cat," said the sage owl of the legend, "to pass life agreeably most
of all you need a philosophy; you and I indeed enjoy many things in
common, especially night air and mice, yet you sadly need a philosophy
to search after, and think about matters most difficult to discover."
After saying this the owl ruffled his feathers and pretended to think.

But the cat observed that it was foolish to search after such things.
"Indeed," she purringly said, "I only trouble about easy matters."

"Ah! I will give you an example of my philosophy, and how inquiry ought
to be made. You at least know, I presume," scoffingly exclaimed the owl,
"that the chicken arises from the egg, and the egg comes from the hen.
Now the object of true philosophy is to examine this statement in all
its bearings, and consider which was first, the egg or the bird."

The cat was quite struck with the proposition.

"It is quite clear," went on the owl, "to all but the ignorant, one or
other appeared first, since neither is immortal."

The cat inquired, "Do you find out this thing by philosophy?"

"Really! how absurd of you to ask," concluded the feathered one. "And I
thank the gods for it, were it as you sug