Custom-rhymes
: CUSTOM RHYMES: Popular Rhymes And Nursery Tales
It is greatly to be feared that, notwithstanding the efforts made within
the last few years by individuals who have desired to see the
resuscitation of the merry sports and customs of old England, the spirit
which formerly characterised them is not to be recovered. The mechanical
spirit of the age has thrown a degree of ridicule over observances which
have not been without use in their day; and might even now be rendered
beneficial to the public, were it possible to exclude the influence
which tells the humbler subject such matters are below his regard. Yet
it must be confessed that most of our ancient customs are only suited to
the thinly-populated rural districts, where charity, goodwill, and
friendship may be delicately cultivated under the plea of their
observance.
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Conclusion
Our collection of vernacular scraps, which, like the "brave beggars of Coudingham fair," have been gathered from the lanes and by-ways, is now brought to a conclusion. They are, it must be confessed, but literary vagrants at the best; but they bre... Connla And The Fairy Maiden
Connla of the Fiery Hair was son of Conn of the Hundred Fights. One day as he stood by the side of his father on the height of Usna, he saw a maiden clad in strange attire towards him coming. "Whence comest thou, maiden?" said Connla. "I come... Convent Gnothi
The Queen gave money to the old woman, and bought the apple from her. Then she peeled it, ate it, and threw the rind out of the window, and it so happened that a mare that was running loose in the court below ate up the rind. After a time the Qu... Cornelia's Jewels
BY JAMES BALDWIN It was a bright morning in the old city of Rome many hundred years ago. In a vine-covered summer-house in a beautiful garden, two boys were standing. They were looking at their mother and her friend, who were walking amon... Counsel without help is useless.
The Ass and the Wolf AN ASS feeding in a meadow saw a Wolf approaching to seize him, and immediately pretended to be lame. The Wolf, coming up, inquired the cause of his lameness. The Ass replied that passing through a hedge he had trod with ... Counting The Fingers
This is the thumb, you see; This finger shakes the tree; And then this finger comes up; And this one eats the plums up; This little one, says he, "I'll tell of you, you'll see!" That one is the thumb... Counting-out Rhymes
The operation of counting-out is a very important mystery in many puerile games. The boys or girls stand in a row, and the operator begins with the counting-out rhyme, appropriating a word to each, till he comes to the person who receives the last w... Court News
BY LUCY FITCH PERKINS The king and queen went out to-day, A-riding on a load of hay. The king fell off and lost his crown, The queen fell, too, and tore her gown. ... Crinkleroot; Or Who Hid The Salad?
<p>It has long been the custom of the Brownies to have a great feast on the first of the merry month of May, to celebrate the return of the spring.</p> <div> <img src="/images/i073.png" alt="The Crinkleroot; or Who Hid the Salad?" title="The Crinklero... Cromwell And His Ironsides
When Charles I came to the throne of England, it was soon seen that he was as bad a king as his father James I had been. He did not care at all for the good of his country and his people, but thought only of his own pleasure. He took away men's ... Cross Patch
Cross patch, Draw the latch, Sit by the fire and spin; Take a cup, And drink it up, And call your neighbors in. ... Crows
In Essex they have a rhyme respecting crows very similar to that above quoted regarding magpies. The following lines are said to be true, if crows fly towards you: One's unlucky, Two's lucky; Three is health, Four is wea... Crystals
If you pour salt into water and stir it, the salt will begin to melt and will entirely disappear; but if you pour more and still more salt into it, the salt will in the end not dissolve, and no matter how much you may stir after that, the salt wil... Cuckstone
If you would go to a church miswent, You must go to Cuckstone in Kent. So said because the church is "very unusual in proportion." Lelandi Itin. ed. 1744, ii. 137. ... Cuffy And The Cave
Nimble did not spend all his spare moments with the other Spike Horns. Once in a while he met Cuffy Bear prowling about near the foot of Blue Mountain. But Nimble never had a mock battle with Cuffy. Cuffy Bear was a famous boxer. And in each of hi... Cuffy Bear Wakens
The winter after Nimble lost his spike horns was a mild one. The snowfall was light. And Nimble was able to roam up and down Pleasant Valley and about Blue Mountain as he pleased. It happened that a certain bright day in early spring found him f... Cuffy Is Missing
Far up on the dark mountainside, in the driving snow, Nimble waited in front of the cave where Cuffy Bear had vanished. And all the time Nimble was growing more uneasy. He feared that Cuffy Bear might be in some sort of trouble. Nimble looked a... Cunning Ileane
Once upon a time something happened. If it had not happened, it would not be told. There was once an emperor who had three daughters; the oldest was beautiful, the middle one more beautiful, but the youngest, Ileane, was so fair that even the sun ... Cupid And Psyche
BY JOSEPHINE PRESTON PEABODY THE ENCHANTED PALACE Once upon a time, through that Destiny that overrules the gods, Love himself gave up his immortal heart to a mortal maiden. And thus it came to pass:-- There was a certain king who had three ... Custom-rhymes
It is greatly to be feared that, notwithstanding the efforts made within the last few years by individuals who have desired to see the resuscitation of the merry sports and customs of old England, the spirit which formerly characterised them is no... Dabbling In The Dew
The following pretty ballad appears to be a humorous imitation of an Elizabethan eclogue-song. Its style guarantees its antiquity: Oh, where are you going, My pretty maiden fair, With your red rosy cheeks, And your co... Daffy-down-dilly
Daffy-down-dilly is new come to town, With a petticoat green, and a bright yellow gown, And her white blossoms are peeping around. ... Dame Cricket's Story
"Come, children, it is time to get up," said Dame Cricket to her ten little crickets. "Hurry, now, and take your bath and put on your little black caps and your little brown suits. The sun has almost gone down over the hill and the birds will... Dame Grumble And Her Curious Apple Tree
I Long, long ago, in a country quite close to the top of the earth, where the North Wind blew fiercely each spring, there lived a woman called Dame Grumble. Now Dame Grumble had an Apple Tree which she loved exceedingly, although it vexed her b... Dame Martha's Step-daughter Or The Grandmother Of The Gnomes
Dame Martha lived at the foot of a high mountain. Her cottage was large enough to give shelter only to herself and two young girls, one of them her own child and the other the child of Dame Martha's late husband, who, about six months before this ... Dancing Looby
Now we dance looby, looby, looby, Now we dance looby, looby, light. Shake your right hand a little And turn you round about. Now we dance looby, looby, looby, Shake your right hand a little, Shake your ... Daphne
BY OVID (ADAPTED) In ancient times, when Apollo, the god of the shining sun, roamed the earth, he met Cupid, who with bended bow and drawn string was seeking human beings to wound with the arrows of love. "Silly boy," said Apollo, "what dost th... Daphne
Daphne was the daughter of the River Peneus. She was a beautiful child and her father loved her more than anything else in the world. Her home was in a cave which he had cut for her in a great white cliff. The walls of the cave were of marb... Dapplegrim
THERE was once upon a time a couple of rich folks who had twelve sons, and when the youngest was grown up he would not stay at home any longer, but would go out into the world and seek his fortune. His father and mother said that they thought he was... David Livingstone
At one time many people believed that the middle of Africa was a sandy desert, where nothing could live but camels and ostriches. But they were mistaken. The great traveller, David Livingstone, journeyed into this unknown country, and he found tha... Day-dreaming
Now there was once a man at Bagdad who had seven sons, and when he died he left to each of them one hundred dirhems; and his fifth son, called Alnaschar the Babbler, invested all this money in some glassware, and, putting it in a big tray, from wh... Days Of Birth
Monday's child is fair in face, Tuesday's child is full of grace, Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go, Friday's child is loving and giving, Saturday's child works hard for its living... Deep-sea Violets
In a modest hut upon the sea-shore, half-hidden from sight by an enormous bank of drifted sand, lived a fisherman and his wife, with their twin-children, John and Emma. Theirs was a hard life, and full of privations; but the husband and wife lo... Denmark
Justice is administered in Denmark in the first instance by the judges of the hundreds in the rural communities and by the city magistrates in the urban districts. Appeals from such courts lie to the superior courts of Copenhagen and Viborg, and i... Diablo And The Dogwood
<div> <img src="/images/i038.png" alt="The Dogwood Bloom" title="The Dogwood Bloom" height="400" width="267" /> The Dogwood Bloom </div> <p>What a glorious thing is the Maytime Dogwood in our woods! How it does sing out its song! More loudly and clear... Diamond Cut Diamond
In a village in Hindustan there once lived a merchant who, although he rose early, worked hard, and rested late, remained very poor; and ill-luck so dogged him that he determined at last to go to some distant country and there to try his fortune. ... Dick O' The Cow
"Now Liddesdale has layen lang in, There is na ryding there at a'; The horses are a' grown sae lither fat, They downa stir out o' the sta'. Fair Johnie Armstrong to Willie did say-- 'Billy, a riding we will gae; ... Dick Swiveller And The Marchioness
RICHARD SWIVELLER, a good-hearted, though somewhat queer young man, the clerk of Sampson Brass, a scheming lawyer, often found time hanging heavily on his hands; and for the better preservation of his cheerfulness therefore, and to prevent his fac...