WHEN I WAS A BACHELOR. When I was a bachelor, I lived by myself, upon a shelf; The rats and the mice they made such a strife, I was forced to go to London to buy me a wife. The roads were so bad, and the lanes were so narrow, I was forced to bring my wife home in a wheel barrow; The wheelbarrow broke, and my wife had a fall, And down came the wheelbarrow, wife, and all. As like as two peas. Forgive and forget. THERE WAS A MAN AND HE HAD NAUGHT. There was a man and he had naught, And then they thought they had him; I love sixpence, a jolly, jolly sixpence, I spent a penny of it, I spent a penny of it, I love four pence, a jolly, jolly four pence. I spent two pence of it, I spent two pence of it, I took two pence home to my wife. I love nothing, a jolly, jolly nothing, I love nothing as my life; I spent nothing of it, I spent nothing of it, I took nothing home to my wife. THE FOX AND THE GRAPES. A hungry Fox saw some grapes hanging from a vine high up from the ground. As he looked, he longed to get them, but could not. At last, growing tired of leaping and springing, he left them hanging there and went on his way, muttering, "Let those who will have them. They're green and sour! I will let them alone." THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE. "What a dull, heavy creature," said the Hare, "this Tortoise is." "And yet," answered the Tortoise, "I'll run with you, for a wager." Done," said the Hare, and they asked the Fox to be the judge. They started together, and the Tortoise kept jogging on, till he came to the end of the course. The Hare, when he had gone half-way, laid himself down, and took a nap; "for," says he, "I can catch up with the Tortoise when I please." When he awoke, though he ran as fast as he could, the Tortoise got to the post before him and won the wager. THE CAT, THE APE, AND THE NUTS. A Cat and an Ape sat one day by the fire, in which were some nuts, put there to roast in the coals. The nuts had begun to crack with the heat, and the Ape said to the Cat: "It is clear that your paws were made to pull out those nuts. Put in a paw and draw them out. Your paws are just like hands.” The Cat liked this idea, and put out her paw for the nuts; but she at once drew back with a cry, for she had burnt her paw with the hot coals. But she tried again, and this time pulled out one nut; then she pulled two, then three, but each time burnt her paw. When she could pull out no more, she looked round, and found that the Ape had used the time to crack the nuts and eat them. A MAN OF WORDS. A man of words and not of deeds, London bridge is broken down, How shall we build it up again? Build it up with silver and gold, Dance over my Lady Lee; Build it up with silver and gold, With a gay lady. Silver and gold will be stolen away, Dance over my Lady Lee; |