Nursery Rhyme. DXCVI. Accumulative Stories.

"An old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a little crooked sixpence. 'What,' said she, 'shall I do with this little sixpence? I will go to market, and buy a little pig.' As she was coming home, she came to a stile: the piggy would not go over the stile.

"She went a little further, and she met a dog. So she said to the dog, 'Dog! bite pig; piggy won't go over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.' But the dog would not.

"She went a little further, and she met a stick. So she said, 'Stick! stick! beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.' But the stick would not.

"She went a little further, and she met a fire. So she said, 'Fire! fire! burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig,' ( and so forth, always repeating the foregoing words.) But the fire would not.

"She went a little further, and she met some water. So she said, 'Water! water! quench fire; fire won't burn stick,' & c. But the water would not.

"She went a little further, and she met an ox. So she said, 'Ox! ox! drink water; water won't quench fire' & c. But the ox would not.

"She went a little further, and she met a butcher. So she said, 'Butcher! butcher! kill ox; ox won't drink water,' & c. But the butcher would not.

"She went a little further, and she met a rope. So she said, 'Rope! rope! hang butcher; butcher won't kill ox,' & c. But the rope would not.

"She went a little further, and she met a rat. So she said, 'Rat! rat! gnaw rope; rope won't hang butcher,' & c. But the rat would not.

"She went a little further, and she met a cat. So she said, 'Cat! cat! kill rat; rat won't gnaw rope,' & c. But the cat said to her, 'If you will go to yonder cow, and fetch me a saucer of milk, I will kill the rat.' So away went the old woman to the cow.

"But the cow said to her, 'If you will go to yonder haystack,[*] and fetch me a handful of hay, I'll give you the milk.' So away went the old woman to the haystack; and she brought the hay to the cow.

"As soon as the cow had eaten the hay, she gave the old woman the milk; and away she went with it in a saucer to the cat.

"As soon as the cat had lapped up the milk, the cat began to kill the rat; the rat began to gnaw the rope; the rope began to hang the butcher; the butcher began to kill the ox; the ox began to drink the water; the water began to quench the fire; the fire began to burn the stick; the stick began to beat the dog; the dog began to bite the pig; the little pig in a fright jumped over the stile; and so the old woman got home that night."

Unknown

The identity of this poet is not known. Their works, which are often of significant historical or cultural value, have been attributed to 'Unknown'. This designation is commonly used when the creator of works, ranging from ancient texts to more modern writings, remains anonymous or uncredited. Despite the lack of personal details, the impact and importance of these works endure, offering insight into the eras and cultures from which they originated.

Unknown

Nursery Rhyme. CCCCIV. Lullabies.

Unknown , Simple Poetry

Nursery Rhyme. CCXLVII. Charms.

Unknown , Simple Poetry

Nursery Rhyme. CCCCXLV. Love And Matrimony.

Unknown , Simple Poetry

Nursery Rhyme. CCLVI. Gaffers And Gammers.

Unknown , Simple Poetry

English

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Nursery Rhyme. DXCVII. Accumulative Stories.

Titty Mouse and Tatty Mouse both lived in a house,
Titty Mouse went a leasing, and Tatty Mouse went a leasing,
    So they both went a leasing.

Titty Mouse leased an ear of corn, and Tatty Mouse
            leased an ear of corn,
    So they both leased an ear of corn.

Titty Mouse made a pudding, and Tatty Mouse made a pudding,
    So they both made a pudding.

And Tatty Mouse put her pudding into the pot to boil,
But when Titty went to put hers in, the pot tumbled over,
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Then Tatty sat down and wept; then a three legged stool said, Tatty why do you weep? Titty's dead, said Tatty, and so I weep; then said the stool, I'll hop, so the stool hopped; then a besom in the corner of the room said, Stool, why do you hop? Oh! said the...

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Nursery Rhyme. LV. Tales. The Story Of The Three Little Pigs.

The Story Of The Three Little Pigs.

Once upon a time there was an old sow with three little pigs, and as she had not enough to keep them, she sent them out to seek their fortune. The first that went off met a man with a bundle of straw, and said to him, "Please, man, give me that straw to build me a house;" which the man did, and the little pig built a house with it. Presently came along a wolf, and knocked at the door, and said, -

"Little pig, little pig, let me come in."

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The wolf then answered to that, -

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Dame Fidget And Her Silver Penny

Versified by Mrs. Clara Doty Bates.


A Wee, wee woman
Was little old Dame Fidget,
And she lived by herself
In a wee, wee room,
And early every morning,
So tidy was her habit,
She began to sweep it out
With a wee, wee broom.

To sweep for the cinders,
Though never were there any,
She whisked about, and brushed about,
Humming like a bee;
When, odd enough, one day
She found a silver penny,
Shining in a corner,
As bright as bright could be.

She eyed it, she took it
Between her thumb and finger;
She put it in the sugar bowl
And quickly shut the lid;
And after planning over carefully
The way to spend it,
She resolved to go to market
And to buy herself a kid.

And that she did next day; but, ah,<...

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Nursery Rhyme. CCLXVIII. Gaffers And Gammers.

        [The tale on which the following story is founded is found in a MS. of the fifteenth century, preserved in the Chetham Library at Manchester.]

    There was an old man, who lived in a wood,
        As you may plainly see;
    He said he could do as much work in a day,
        As his wife could do in three.
    With all my heart, the old woman said,
        If that you will allow,
    To-morrow you'll stay at home in my stead,
        And I'll go drive the plough:

    But you must milk the Tidy cow,
        For fear that she go dry;
    And you must feed the little pigs
        That are within the sty;
    And you must mind the speckled hen,
        For fear she lay away;
    And you must reel the spool of yarn
        That I spun yesterday....

Unknown

Nursery Rhyme. DXCIV. Accumulative Stories.

        1.    This is the house that Jack built.

        2.    This is the malt
                That lay in the house that Jack built.

        3.    This is the rat,
                That ate the malt
                That lay in the house that Jack built.

        4.    This is the cat,
                That kill'd the rat,
                That ate the malt
                That lay in the house that Jack built.

        5.    This is the dog,
                That worried the cat,
                That kill'd the rat,
                That ate the malt
                That lay in the house that Jack built.

        6.    This is the cow with the crumpled horn,
                That toss'd the dog,
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Unknown

Nursery Rhyme. DXCV. Accumulative Stories.

        [The original of 'The house that Jack built' is presumed to be a hymn in Sepher Haggadah, fol. 23, a translation of which is here given. The historical interpretation was first given by P. N. Leberecht, at Leipsic, in 1731, and is printed in the 'Christian Reformer,' vol. xvii, p. 28. The original is in the Chaldee language, and it may be mentioned that a very fine Hebrew manuscript of the fable, with illuminations, is in the possession of George Offer, Esq. of Hackney.]

    1.    A kid, a kid, my father bought,
            For two pieces of money:
                                                    A kid, a kid.

    2.    Then came the cat, and ate the kid,
            That my father bought
            For two pieces of money:
                             ...

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