New Year's Day
: CUSTOM RHYMES: Popular Rhymes And Nursery Tales
God bless the master of this house,
The mistress also,
And all the little children
That round the table go;
And all your kin and kinsmen,
That dwell both far and near;
I wish you a merry Christmas,
And a happy new year.
Wassel or Wassal.--A remnant of this part of our Saxon manners still
exists at Yarmouth, and strange to say, in no other part of the Isle of
Wight. On the first day of the new year the children collect together
and sing wassel or wassal through the streets; the following is their
song (see p. 249):
Wassal, wassal, to our town!
The cup is white and the ale is brown;
The cup is made of the ashen tree,
And so is the ale of the good barley;
Little maid, little maid, turn the pin,
Open the door and let us come in;
God be here, God be there.
I wish you all a happy new year!
More
-
Mrs Deer Explains
For the first time in his life Nimble felt quite grown up. He forgot that he had not yet lived a whole summer. He had made a suggestion to his mother which she had promptly acted upon. It had never happened before. And that was enough to cause him... Mrs Veal's Ghost
Now you are going to hear a ghost story published, but he says, not written, by Daniel Defoe the author of 'Robinson Crusoe.' If you read it carefully, you will find how very curious it is. Miss Veal, or as she was then called according to custo... Muckle-mou'ed Meg
"O wha hasna heard o' the bauld Juden Murray, The Lord o' the Elibank Castle sae high? An' wha hasna heard o' that notable foray, Whan Willie o' Harden was catched wi' the kye?" Of all the towers and castles which belonged t... Munachar And Manachar
There once lived a Munachar and a Manachar, a long time ago, and it is a long time since it was, and if they were alive now they would not be alive then. They went out together to pick raspberries, and as many as Munachar used to pick Manachar ... My Cock Lily-cock
An inferior version of the following, which was obtained from Essex, is printed in Mr. Chambers's Popular Rhymes of Scotland, ed. 1847, p. 190. A Swedish version, or rather a variation, in Lilja, p. 17, commences as follows: "I served a farmer for f... My Daughter Jane
Eccleshall version, played as a game by the schoolgirls. See the Nursery Rhymes of England, p. 114. Suitors. Here come two dukes all out of Spain, A courting to your daughter Jane. Mother. My daughter Jane, she is ... My Dearest Is A Lady
BY MIRIAM S. CLARK My dearest is a lady, she wears a gown of blue, She sits beside the window where the yellow sun comes through; The light is shining on her hair, and all the time she sews, She sings a song about a knight, a ... My Dolly
Hush, Dolly, bye, Dolly, sleep, Dolly, dear, See what a bed, Dolly, I've for you here; Therefore, to sleep, Dolly! don't fret and cry; Lay down your head, Dolly, shut up your eye. When the bright morn, Dolly, once more ha... My Little Garden
See my little garden, How I rake it over, Then I sow the little brown seeds, And with soft earth cover. Now the raindrops patter On the earth so gayly; See the big round sun smile On my garden daily. ... My Lord Bag Of Rice
Long, long ago there lived in Japan a brave warrior known to all as Tawara Toda, or "My Lord Bag of Rice." His true name was Fujiwara Hidesato, and there is a very interesting story of how he came to change his name. One day he sallied forth in... My Maid Mary
My maid Mary She minds her dairy, While I go a-hoeing and mowing each morn. Merrily runs the reel And the little spinning-wheel While I am singing and mowing my corn. ... My Possessions
I'm a rich man, If ever there was one: I've a horse and an apple, And both are my own. But some others might wish Such fine presents to keep; So I'll take them to bed, To hold while asleep. ... My Sow Has Pigged
A game at cards, played now only by children. It is alluded to by Taylor the Water-poet, in his Motto, 12mo. Lond. 1622, and it is also mentioned in Poor Robin's Almanac for 1734. The following distich is used in this game: Higgory, diggory... Nagoba The Snake-king
Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat. In it there lived a Brahman who had seven little daughters-in-law. In the fulness of time the month of Shravan came and with it Nagpanchmi Day [12]. In honour of the festival, one little daughter-in-la... Naming The Fingers
BY LAURA E. RICHARDS This is little Tommy Thumb, Round and smooth as any plum. This is busy Peter Pointer: Surely he's a double-jointer. This is mighty Toby Tall, He's the biggest one of all. This is dainty R... Nature-songs
Rhymes upon natural objects and rural sayings are perhaps more generally interesting than any other relics of the popular anthology. They not unfrequently contain scientific truths, and have been considered worthy of examination by the philosopher... Ned And Rover And Jack
A boy named Ned had a little puppy-dog named Rover. One day, Ned's papa gave him a nice new toy wagon. Ned was pulling it around the yard when he saw Rover. "Come, Rover!" he said, "I will give you a fine ride." So he took Rover and put him in the w... Neglect The Fire
And You Cannot Put It Out Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy... Nelson And Hardy
Lord Nelson was one of the greatest seamen that ever lived. He commanded the British fleet at the battle of Trafalgar, when the navies of France and Spain were beaten, and England was saved from a great danger. He did not look like a famous admira... Nettles Grow In An Angry Bush
Nettles grow in an angry bush, An angry bush, an angry bush; Nettles grow in an angry bush, With my High, Ho, Ham! This is the way the lady goes, The lady goes, the lady goes; This is the way the la... New Year's Day
God bless the master of this house, The mistress also, And all the little children That round the table go; And all your kin and kinsmen, That dwell both far and near; I wish you a merry Christmas, ... Niddy-noddy
A simple but very amusing game at cards, at which any number can play. The cards are dealt round, and one person commences the game by placing down a card, and the persons next in succession who hold the same card in the various suits place them dow... Niels And The Giants
On one of the great moors over in Jutland, where trees won't grow because the soil is so sandy and the wind so strong, there once lived a man and his wife, who had a little house and some sheep, and two sons who helped them to herd them. The elder o... Nimble's Mistake
One morning Nimble's mother said to him, "To-night, just as the moon rises, we'll start for Farmer Green's garden patch." He knew what that meant. It meant that he was going to know, at last, what carrots tasted like. And he was delighted. "Y... Nine Lives Of A Cat
<p class = "illustration"> <img src = "/images/cover.jpg" width = "447" height = "565" alt = "NINE LIVES OF A CAT by CHARLES BENNETT" /> </p> <!-- png 02 --> <p class = "page"> </p> <!-- png 03 --> <p class = "illustration"> <img src = "/images/... Nippit Fit And Clippit Fit
In a country, far across the sea, there once dwelt a great and mighty Prince. He lived in a grand Castle, which was full of beautiful furniture, and curious and rare ornaments. And among them was a lovely little glass shoe, which would only fit th... Nix Naught Nothing
Once upon a time there lived a King and a Queen who didn't differ much from all the other kings and queens who have lived since Time began. But they had no children, and this made them very sad indeed. Now it so happened that the King had to go an... Noel
N. for a word of deniance, E. with a figure of L. fiftie, Spelleth his name that never Will be thriftie. MS. Sloane 2497, of the sixteenth century. ... Nonsense Alphabet
BY EDWARD LEAR A was an ant Who seldom stood still, And who made a nice house In the side of a hill. a Nice little ant! B was a book With a binding of blue, And pictu... Nonsense Rhyme
from the Negro quarters Jay-bird a-sittin' on a Hickory limb. He winked at me, I winked at him. 'Taint gwine to rain no mo'. Hawk and Buzzard went to law; Hawk fell down and broke his jaw. 'Taint gwine to... North Acre
The Lord Dacre Was slain in North Acre. North Acre is or was the name of the spot where Lord Dacre perished at the battle of Towton in 1461. He is said to have been shot by a boy out of an elder tree. ... Norwegian Bird-legends
The Norwegians have several quaint old legends connected with some of their birds. This is the story of the goldcrest, known in Norway as the "bird-king": Once upon a time the golden eagle determined to be publicly acknowledged as king of the b... Not Angles But Angels
In old days the people of England were not all free, as they are now. Sometimes young men, and women, and little children were sold as slaves, and had to work hard for their masters. Many of these slaves were sent to Rome, for the Romans thought... Noureddin And The Fair Persian
Balsora was the capital of a kingdom long tributary to the caliph. During the time of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid the king of Balsora, who was his cousin, was called Zinebi. Not thinking one vizir enough for the administration of his estates he ... Number Rhymes
1, 2, 3, 4, 5 One Two Three Four Five I caught a hare alive. Six Seven Eight Nine Ten I let it go again. ... Nursery Antiquities
Although the names of Scott and Grimm may be enumerated amongst the writers who have acknowledged the ethnological and philosophic value of traditional nursery literature, it is difficult to impress on the public mind the importance of a subject a... Nursery Songs
The earliest and simplest form in which the nursery song appears is the lullaby, which may be defined a gentle song used for the purpose of inducing sleep. The term was generally, though not exclusively, confined to nurses: Philomel, with m... Oeyvind And Marit
Oeyvind was his name. A low barren cliff overhung the house in which he was born, fir and birch looked down on the roof, and wild-cherry strewed flowers over it. Upon this roof there walked about a little goat, which belonged to Oeyvind. He was kept... Oh Where Are You Going?
Oh, where are you going, My pretty maiden fair, With your red rosy cheeks, And your coal-black hair? I'm going a-milking, Kind sir, says she, And it's dabbling in the dew Where you'll find me. ... Oh Where Do Fairies Hide Their Heads?
BY THOMAS HAYNES BAYLY Oh, where do fairies hide their heads When snow lies on the hills, When frost has spoiled their mossy beds, And crystallized their rills? Beneath the moon they cannot trip In circles o'er...