Gammer Gurton's Garland.

OR

THE NURSERY PARNASSUS

A Choice Collection of Pretty Songs and Verses for the Amusement of all Little Good Children who can neither read nor run.

LONDON, 1810 REPRINTED FOR HUGH HOPKINS, GLASGOW 1866

Printed by R. Clark, Edinburgh.

"Gammer Gurton's Garland, or the Nursery Parnassus," was originally issued at Stockton, as a small twopenny brochure, in 32mo, without a date, "printed by and for R. Christopher." Sir Harris Nicholas says it appeared in the year 1783, "one of the most prolific of Ritson's pen." Haslewood is of opinion that it appeared about the same period as "The Bishopric Garland, or Durham Minstrel," which was printed at Stockton for the same R. Christopher in 1784. "Gammer Gurton's Garland" was again printed, with additions, 1809, in 8vo. This little work, a great favourite with those for whose amusement it was compiled, has been more than once reprinted since. The present edition has been very carefully executed, and rendered complete by the addition of an index.

The impression has been limited to one hundred copies small paper, and twelve copies large paper.

Glasgow, mdccclxvi.

[Pg 1]

PART I.

THE FROG AND MOUSE.

[A] Merry.

THE LADY AND THE SWINE.

[Pg 4]

THE CAMBRICK SHIRT.

THE CELEBRATED SONG OF

LONDON BRIDGE IS BROKEN DOWN.

[Pg 7]

THE SONG OF

THE THREE CHILDREN.

Tune—"Chevy Chace."

ROBIN, BOBBIN, RICHARD, AND JOHN:

OR, THE WREN SHOOTING.

[Pg 9]

THE SHORT COURTSHIP:

OR, THE LUSTY WOOER.

[Pg 10]

THE SONG OF

THE OLD WOMAN THAT WAS TOSS'D IN A BLANKET.

THE OLD MAN AND THE OAK.

A NORTH-COUNTRY SONG.

[Pg 11]

A SOLEMN DIRGE.

TRIP UPON TRENCHES.

A MELANCHOLY SONG.

[Pg 12]

T'OTHER LITTLE TUNE.

A VERY PLEASANT SONG.

THE SONG OF

THE THREE WISE MEN OF GOTHAM,

WHO WENT TO SEA IN A BOWL.

[Pg 13]

SONG OF SIXPENCE.

[B] Quoted in Beaumont and Fletcher's Bonduca, act v. sc. ii.

THE SONG OF

THE CAT AND THE FIDDLE.

[Pg 14]

THE WOODCOCK, THE SPARROW, AND THE LITTLE DOG.

THE SONG OF

THE TWO BIRDS.

[Pg 15]

THE SURPRISING OLD WOMAN.

THE MIRACULOUS GUINEA-PIG.

THE SONG OF THE

PIPER AND THE FIDDLER'S WIFE.

A FAMOUS SONG ABOUT

BETTY PRINGLE'S PIG.

THE NURSE'S SONG.

[C] A corruption of the French nurse's threat in the fable: He bas! la le loup! Hush! there's the wolf.

ANOTHER.

[Pg 18]

ANOTHER.

[Pg 19]

PART II.

A MAN OF WORDS.

[Pg 20]

THE VALENTINE.

THREE BRETHREN OUT OF SPAIN.

ROBIN AND RICHARD.

[Pg 22]

ROBIN THE ROBIN.

BAH, BAH, BLACKSHEEP.

PATTY CAKE.

WHO'S THERE?

CROSS PATCH.

[Pg 24]

MISTRESS MARY.

THE OLD MAN AND HIS CALF.

JACK A NORY.

[Pg 25]

GREAT A.

SEE SAW.

[Pg 26]

[Pg 27]

[Pg 28]

[Pg 29]

[Pg 30]

[Pg 31]

[Pg 32]

THE SPEECH OF THE HORSE THAT SPOKE TO HIS MASTER.

[D] N.B.—Don't you think he might as well have kept the last piece of advice to himself?

Sometimes the speech of the horse reminds his master of that which is better:

Before the cock-horse is mounted, we should learn to remember:

[Pg 33]

[Pg 34]

[Pg 35]

[Pg 36]

[Pg 37]

PART III.

THE MERRY BELLS OF LONDON.

THE GAY LADY THAT WENT TO CHURCH.

[E] This line has been adopted in the modern ballad of Alonzo and Fair Imogene.

ARITHMETICK.

TELLING OUT.

THE SEDATE PREACHER.

THE DEAF OLD WOMAN.

EVENING DITTY.

[F] It was probably the custom, on repeating these lines, to hold the snail to a candle, in order to make it quit the shell. In Normandy it was the practice, at Christmas, for boys to run round fruit-trees, with lighted torches, singing these lines:

[Pg 43]

[Pg 44]

[Pg 45]

[Pg 46]

[Pg 47]

[G] This is a Scottish ditty, on whirling round a piece of lighted paper to the child. The paper is called the dingle doosey.

[Pg 48]

[Pg 49]

PART IV.

GILES COLLINS AND PROUD LADY ANNA.

[Pg 51]

LITTLE BO-PEEP.

[Pg 52]

WATER SKIMMING.

THE JOLLY TESTER.

[Pg 53]

THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF THE GREY MARE.

THE SEARCH AFTER FORTUNE.

DAME WIDDLE WADDLE.

[Pg 55]

THE MAD FOLKS OF THE MAD TOWN.

THE TAYLOR'S COURTSHIP.

[Pg 57]

OLD CHAIRS AND OLD CLOTHES.

THE LITTLE LOVERS.

[Pg 58]

NEW BROOMS, BROOMS, O!

THE PARLIAMENT SOLDIERS.

[Pg 59]

JACK DANDY-PRAT.

TWO BLACKBIRDS.

THE DUCK AND THE DRAKE.

[Pg 60]

THE MILK PAILS.

[Pg 61]

THE LADY'S SONG IN LEAP YEAR.

THE END.

[Pg 62]

[Pg 63]

INDEX OF FIRST LINES.