ught by the priests in those days many Popish charms. The old woman,
amongst other rhymes, repeated--

"Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
The bed be blest that I lay on."

This was to be repeated yearly, thrice on Twelfth Night, and it would
act as a charm until the following year against evil spirits.

In 1601 a charm in general esteem against lightning was a laurel leaf.

"Reach the bays" (or laurel leaves), "and wear one."
"I'll tie a garland here about his head,
'Twill keep my boy from lightning."

Even Tiberius Caesar wore a chaplet of laurel leaves about his neck.
Pliny reported that "laurel leaves were never blasted by lightning."

MONEY RHYMES.

"How a lass gave her lover three slips for a tester,
And married another a week before Easter."

* * * * *

"Little Mary Esther sat upon a tester,
Eating curds and whey;
There came a big spider, and sat down beside her,
And frightened little Mary Esther away!"

* * * * *

"Sing a song of sixpence,
A pocket full of rye;
Four-and-twenty blackbirds,
Baked in a pie.

"When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing,
Was not that a dainty dish
To set before the king?

"The king was in his counting-house,
Counting out his money,
The queen was in the parlour
Eating bread and honey.

"The maid was in the garden
Hanging out the clothes,
Then came a little blackbird
And snapped off her nose."

In Shakespeare's _Twelfth Night_ Sir Toby alludes to the "Sing a Song a
Sixpence," Act II., Sc. 3:--

"Come on, there is a sixpence for you; let's have a song."

In Beaumont and Fletcher's _Bonduca_ it is also quoted.

* * * * *

"There was an old man in a velvet coat,
He kiss'd a maid and gave her a groat;
The groat was cracked and would not go,
Ah, old man, d'ye serve me so?"

* * * * *

"See-saw a penny a day, Tommy must have a new master.
Why must he have but a penny a day?
Because he can work no faster."

* * * * *

"One a penny, two a penny, hot-cross buns,
If your daughters do not like them give them to your sons;
But if you should have none of these pretty little elves
You cannot do much better if you eat them al