l yourselves."

Written about 1608:--

"There's never a maiden in the town but she knows that malt's come
down;
Malt's come down, malt's come down from an old angel to a French
crown.
The greatest drunkards in the town are very, very glad that malt's
come down."

In New York the children have a common saying when making a swop or
change of one toy for another, and no bargain is supposed to be
concluded between boys and girls unless they interlock fingers--the
little finger on the right hand--and repeat the following doggerel:--

"Pinky, pinky bow-bell,
Whoever tells a lie
Will sink down to the bad place,
And never rise up again."

NUMERICAL NURSERY RHYME.

"One, two, buckle my shoe;
Three, four, shut the door;
Five, six, pick up sticks;
Seven, eight, lay them straight;
Nine, ten, a good fat hen;
Eleven, twelve, who will delve?
Thirteen, fourteen, maids a-courting;
Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen;
Seventeen, eighteen, maids a-waiting;
Nineteen, twenty, my stomach's empty."

BAKER'S MAN.

"Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker's man.
Yes, I will, master, as fast as I can.
Prick it and prick it, and mark it with B,
And toss it in the oven for baby and me."

CHAPTER X.

SCRAPS.

"Oh, slumber, my darling, thy sire is a knight;
Thy mother a lady so lovely and bright.
The hills and the dales and the towers which you see,
They all shall belong, my dear baby, to thee."

* * * * *

"Bye, baby bumpkin, where's Tony Lumpkin?
My lady's on her death-bed, with eating half a pumpkin."

* * * * *

"Nose, nose, jolly red nose.
And who gave thee this jolly red nose?
Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves,
And they gave me this jolly red nose."

* * * * *

Story-telling in the Reformation period was so prevalent that the
wonderful tales were satirised in the following rhyme, dated 1588:--

"I saw a man in the moon. Fie, man, fie.
I saw a hare chase a hound. Fie, man, fie.
Twenty miles above the ground. Fie, man, fie.
Who's the fool now?"

"I saw a goose ring a hog,
And a snail bite a dog!
I saw a mouse catch a cat,
And a cheese eat a rat. Fie, man, fie.
Who's the fool now?"

* *