Nursery Rhyme. LXV. Tales.

        [The "foles of Gotham" are mentioned as early as the fifteenth century in the 'Townley Mysteries;' and, at the commencement of the sixteenth century, Dr. Andrew Borde made a collection of stories about them, not however, including the following, which rests on the authority of nursery tradition.]

    Three wise men of Gotham
    Went to sea in a bowl:
    And if the bowl had been stronger,
    My song would have been longer.

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.

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Nursery Rhyme. LXXX. Proverbs.

Unknown , Simple Poetry

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Unknown , Simple Poetry

Nursery Rhyme. CCXVI. Riddles.

Unknown , Simple Poetry

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Unknown , Simple Poetry

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Nursery Rhyme. LXVI. Tales.

        [The following two stanzas, although they belong to the same piece, are often found separated from each other.]

    Robin and Richard were two pretty men;
    They laid in bed till the clock struck ten;
    Then up starts Robin, and looks at the sky,
    Oh! brother Richard, the sun's very high:

    The bull's in the barn threshing the corn,
    The cock's on the dunghill blowing his horn,
    The cat's at the fire frying of fish,
    The dog's in the pantry breading his dish.

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Nursery Rhyme. LIII. Tales.

    There was a man, and he had naught,
        And robbers came to rob him;
    He crept up to the chimney pot,
        And then they thought they had him.

    But he got down on t'other side,
        And then they could not find him;
    He ran fourteen miles in fifteen days,
        And never look'd behind him.

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Nursery Rhyme. XLVI. Tales.

        [The tale of Simple Simon forms one of the chap-books, but the following verses are those generally sung in the nursery.]

    Simple Simon met a pieman
        Going to the fair;
    Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
        "Let me taste your ware."

    Says the pieman to Simple Simon,
        "Show me first your penny."
    Says Simple Simon to the pieman,
        "Indeed I have not any."

    Simple Simon went a fishing
        For to catch a whale:
    All the water he had got
        Was in his mother's pail.

Unknown

Nursery Rhyme. LXXVI. Tales.

    There was a king and he had three daughter,
    And they all lived in a basin of water;
        The basin bended,
        My story's ended.
    If the basin had been stronger,
    My story would have been longer.

Unknown

Nursery Rhyme. LXXVII. Tales.

        The man in the moon,
        Came tumbling down,
    And ask'd his way to Norwich,
        He went by the south,
        And burnt his mouth
    With supping cold pease-porridge.

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Nursery Rhyme. XLVIII. Tales.

    There was a crooked man, and he went a crooked mile,
    He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile:
    He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,
    And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

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