The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Babes in the Wood, by Anonymous

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Title: The Babes in the Wood
One of R. Caldecott's Picture Books

Author: Anonymous

Illustrator: Randolph Caldecott

Release Date: September 23, 2006 [EBook #19361]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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[Illustration: The BABES in the WOOD.
ONE OF R. CALDECOTT'S PICTURE BOOKS
Frederick Warne and Co. Ltd.]

_Printed in Great Britain_

THE BABES
IN THE WOOD

[Illustration: SORE SICKE THEY WERE AND LIKE TO DYE]

The BABES IN THE WOOD.

[Illustration]

Now ponder well, you parents deare,
These wordes which I shall write;
A doleful story you shall heare,
In time brought forth to light.

A gentleman of good account
In Norfolke dwelt of late.
Who did in honour far surmount
Most men of his estate.

Sore sicke he was, and like to dye,
No helpe his life could save;
His wife by him as sicke did lye,
And both possest one grave.

[Illustration]

No love between these two was lost,
Each was to other kinde;
In love they liv'd, in love they dyed,
And left two babes behinde:

The one a fine and pretty boy,
Not passing three yeares olde;
The other a girl more young than he
And fram'd in beautye's molde.

The father left his little son,
As plainlye doth appeare,
When he to perfect age should come
Three hundred poundes a yeare.

And to his little daughter Jane
Five hundred poundes in gold,
To be paid downe on marriage-day,
Which might not be controll'd:

[Illustration]

But if the children chanced to dye,
Ere they to age should come,
Their uncle should possesse their wealth;
For so the wille did run.

[Illustration: NOW, BROTHER, said the dying man, LOOK TO MY CHILDREN
DEARE.]

"Now, brother," said the dying man,
"Look to my children deare;
Be good unto my boy and girl,
N