CXXXVII.

Up at Piccadilly oh! The coachman takes his stand, And when he meets a pretty girl, He takes her by the hand; Whip away for ever oh! Drive away so clever oh! All the way to Bristol oh! He drives her four-in-hand.

[Illustration]

CXXXVIII.

[The first line of this nursery rhyme is quoted in Beaumont and Fletcher's _Bonduca_, Act v, sc. 2. It is probable also that Sir Toby alludes to this song in _Twelfth Night_, Act ii, sc. 2, when he says, "Come on; there is sixpence for you; let's have a song." In _Epulario, or the Italian banquet_, 1589, is a receipt "to make pies so that the birds may be alive in them and flie out when it is cut up," a mere device, live birds being introduced after the pie is made. This may be the original subject of the following song.]

Sing a song of sixpence, A bag full of rye; Four and twenty blackbirds Baked in a pie;

When the pie was open'd, The birds began to sing; Was not that a dainty dish, To set before the king?

The king was in his counting-house Counting out his money; The queen was in the parlour Eating bread and honey;

The maid was in the garden Hanging out the clothes, There came a little blackbird, And snapt off her nose.

Jenny was so mad, She didn't know what to do; She put her finger in her ear, And crackt it right in two.

Lend me thy mare to ride a mile? She is lamed, leaping over a stile. Alack! and I must keep the fair! I'll give thee money for thy mare. Oh, oh! say you so? Money will make the mare to go!