A Son Of Adam : A SON OF ADAM A MAN was one day working. It was very hot, and he was digging. By and by he stopped to rest and wipe his face; and he was very angry to think he had to work so hard only because of Adam's sin. So he complained bitterly, and said some very hard words about Adam. It happened that his...
Catskin : CATSKIN WELL, there was once a gentleman who had fine lands and houses, and he very much wanted to have a son to be heir to them. So when his wife brought him a daughter, bonny as bonny could be, he cared nothing for her, and said, 'Let me never see her face.' So she grew up a bonny girl, though...
The Hedley Kow : THE HEDLEY KOW THERE was once an old woman, who earned a poor living by going errands and suchlike, for the farmers' wives round about the village where she lived. It wasn't much she earned by it; but with a plate of meat at one house, and a cup of tea at another, she made shift to get on somehow...
My Own Self : MY OWN SELF IN a tiny house in the North Countrie, far away from any town or village, there lived not long ago a poor widow all alone with her little son, a six-year-old boy. The house-door opened straight on to the hillside and all round about were moorlands and huge stones, and swampy hollows;...
The Golden Ball : THE GOLDEN BALL THERE were two lasses, daughters of one mother, and as they came from the fair, they saw a right bonny young man stand at the house-door before them. They never saw such a bonny man before. He had gold on his cap, gold on his finger, gold on his neck, a red gold watch-chain -- eh...
The Lambton Worm : THE LAMBTON WORM A WILD young fellow was the heir of Lambton, the fine estate and hail by the side of the swift-flowing Wear. Not a Mass would he hear in Brugeford Chapel of a Sunday, but a-fishing he would go. And if he did not haul in anything, his curses could be heard by the folk as they went...
Title Page : MORE ENGLISH FAIRY TALES Collected And Edited By JOSEPH JACOBS ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN D. BATTEN. London, D. Nutt [1894] Scanned And Redacted By Phillip Brown. Additional Proofing And Formatting By John B. Hare, April 2003. This Text Is In The Public Domain. These Files May Be Used For Any...
The Hobyahs : THE HOBYAHS ONCE there was an old man and woman and a little girl, and they all lived in a house made of hempstalks. Now the old man had a little dog named Turpie and one night the Hobyahs came and said, 'Hobyah! Hobyah! Hobyah! Tear down the hempstalks, eat up the old man and woman, and carry off...
The Wee, Wee Mannie : THE WEE, WEE MANNIE ONCE upon a time, when all big folks were wee ones and all lies were true, there was a wee, wee Mannie that had a big, big Coo. And out he went to milk her of a morning, and said -- 'Hold still, my Coo, my hinny, Hold still, my hinny, my Coo, And ye shall have for your dinner...
The Buried Moon : THE BURIED MOON LONG ago, in my grandmother's time, the Carland was all in bogs, great pools of black water, and creeping trickles of green water, and squishy mools which squirted when you stepped on them. Well, granny used to say how long before her time the Moon herself was once dead and buried...
Gobborn Seer : GOBBORN SEER ONCE there was a man, Gobborn Seer, and he had a son called Jack. One day he sent him out to sell a sheepskin, and Gobborn said, 'You must bring me back the skin and the value of it as well.' So Jack started, but he could not find any who would leave him the skin and give him its price...
Preface : PREFACE THIS volume will come, I fancy, as a surprise both to my brother folklorists and to the public in general. It might naturally have been thought that my former volume "(English Fairy Tales) "had almost exhausted the scanty remains of the traditional folk-tales of England. Yet I shall be much...
Stupid's Cries : STUPID'S CRIES THERE was once a little boy, and his mother sent him to buy a sheep's head and pluck; afraid he should forget it, the lad kept saying all the way along: 'Sheep's head and pluck! Sheep's head and pluck!' Trudging alone, he came to a stile; but in getting over he fell and hurt himself...
Lawkamercyme : LAWKAMERCYME There was an old woman, as I've heard tell, She went to the market her eggs for to sell; She went to the market, all on a market-day, And she fell asleep on the king's highway. There came by a pedlar, whose name was Stout, He cut her petticoats round about; He cut her petticoats up...
Untitled : Title Page Preface The Pied Piper Hereafterthis The Golden Ball My Own Self Black Bull of Norroway Yallery Brown Three Feathers Sir Gammer Vans Tom Hickathrift The Hedley Kow Gobborn Seer Lawkamercyme Tattercoats The Wee Bannock Johnny Gloke Coat o' Clay The Three Cows The Blinded Giant Scrapefoot...
Johnny Gloke : JOHNNY GLOKE JOHNNY GLOKE was a tailor by trade, but like a man of spirit he grew tired of his tailoring, and wished to follow some other path that would lead to honour and fame. But he did not know what to do at first to gain fame and fortune, so for a time he was fonder of basking idly in the sun...
The Little Bull Calf : THE LITTLE BULL-CALF CENTURIES of years ago, when almost all this part of the country was wilderness, there was a little boy, who lived in a poor bit of property and his father gave him a little bull-calf, and with it he gave him everything he wanted for it. But soon after his father died, and his...
The Wee Bannock : THE WEE BANNOCK GRANNIE, grannie, come tell us the story of the wee bannock.' 'Hout, childer, ye've heard it a hundred times afore. I needn't tell it over again.' 'Ah! but, grannie, it's such a fine one. You must tell it. Just once.' 'Well, well, if ye'll all promise to be good, I'll tell it ye...
The Three Cows : THE THREE COWS THERE was a farmer, and he had three cows, fine fat beauties they were. One was called Facey, the other Diamond, and the third Beauty. One morning he went into his cowshed, and there he found Facey so thin that the wind would have blown her away. Her skin hung loose about her, all...
Black Bull Of Norroway : BLACK BULL OF NORROWAY IN Norroway, long time ago, there lived a certain lady, and she had three daughters: The oldest of them said to her mother: 'Mother, bake me a bannock, and roast me a collop, for I'm going away to seek my fortune.' Her mother did so; and the daughter went away to an old witch...
Scrapefoot : SCRAPEFOOT ONCE upon a time, there were three Bears who lived in a castle in a great wood. One of them was a great big Bear, and one was a middling Bear, and one was a little Bear. And in the same wood there was a Fox who lived all alone, his name was Scrapefoot. Scrapefoot was very much afraid...
Hereafterthis : HEREAFTERTHIS ONCE upon a time there was a farmer called Jan, and he lived all alone by himself in a little farmhouse. By and by he thought that he would like to have a wife to keep it all vitty for him. So he went a-courting a fine maid, and he said to her: 'Will you marry me?' 'That I will, to be...
Puddock, Mousie And Ratton : PADDOCK, MOUSIE, AND RATTON There lived a Puddock in a well, And a merry Mousie in a mill. Puddock he would a-wooing ride Sword and pistol by his side. Puddock came to the Mousie's inn, 'Mistress Mousie, are you within?' MOUSIE 'Yes, kind sir, I am within, Softly do I sit and spin.' PUDDOCK 'Madam...
Princess Of Canterbury : PRINCESS OF CANTERBURY THERE lived formerly in the County of Cumberland a nobleman who had three sons, two of whom were comely and clever youths, but the other a natural fool, named Jack, who was generally engaged with the sheep: he was dressed in a parti-coloured coat, and a steeple-crowned h...
The Wise Men Of Gotham : THE WISE MEN OF GOTHAM Of Buying of Sheep THERE were two men of Gotham, and one of them was going to market to Nottingham to buy sheep, and the other came from the market, and they both met together upon Nottingham bridge. 'Where are you going?' said the one who came from Nottingham. 'Marry,' said...
Introductory Notes : INTRODUCTORY NOTES NOTES AND REFERENCES FOR MORE ENGLISH FAIRY TALES For some general remarks on the English folk-tale and previous collectors, I must refer to the introductory observations added to the Notes and References of "English Fairy Tales, "in the third edition. With the present instalment...
The Children In The Wood : THE CHILDREN IN THE WOOD Now ponder well, you parents dear, These words which I shall write; A doleful story you shall hear, In time brought forth to light. A gentleman of good account, In Norfolk dwelt of late, Who did in honour far surmount Most men of his estate. Sore sick he was and like to die...
Notes : NOTES 44. THE PIED PIPER SOURCE Abraham Elder, "Tales and Legends of the Isle of Wight "(London, 1839), pp. 157 -- 64. Mr Nutt, who has abridged and partly rewritten the story from a copy of Elder's book in his possession, has introduced a couple of touches from Browning.PARALLELS The well-known...
The Pied Piper : THE PIED PIPER NEWTOWN, or Franchville, as 'twas called of old, is a sleepy little town, as you all may know, upon the Solent shore. Sleepy as it is now, it was once noisy enough, and what made the noise was -- rats. The place was so infested with them as to be scarce worth living in. There wasn't...
Sir Gammer Vans : SIR GAMMER VANS LAST Sunday morning at six o'clock in the evening as I was sailing over the tops of the mountains in my little boat, I met two men on horseback riding on one mare: so I asked them, 'Could they tell me whether the little old woman was dead yet who was hanged last Saturday week...
Coat O' Clay : COAT O' CLAY ONCE on a time, in the parts of Lindsey, there lived a wise woman. Some said she was a witch, but they said it in a whisper, lest she should overhear and do them a mischief, and truly it was not a thing one could be sure of, for she was never known to hurt anyone, which, if she were...
The Pedlar Of Swaffham : THE PEDLAR OF SWAFFHAM IN the old days when London Bridge was lined with shops from one end to the other, and salmon swam under the arches, there lived at Swaffham, in Norfolk, a poor pedlar. He'd much ado to make his living, trudging about with his pack at his back and his dog at his heels...
Tom Hickathrift : TOM HICKATHRIFT BEFORE the days of William the Conqueror there dwelt a man in the marsh of the Isle of Ely whose name was Thomas Hickathrift, a poor day labourer, but so stout that he could do two days' work in one. His one son he called by his own name, Thomas Hickathrift, and he put him to good...
King John And The Abbot Of Canterbury : KING JOHN AND THE ABBOT OF CANTERBURY IN the reign of King John there lived an Abbot of Canterbury who kept up grand state in his Abbey. A hundred of the Abbot's men dined each day with him in his refectory, and fifty knights in velvet coats and gold chains waited upon him daily. Well, King John...
The Three Wishes : THE THREE WISHES ONCE upon a time, and be sure 'twas a long time ago, there lived a poor woodman in a great forest, and every day of his life he went out to fell timber. So one day he started out, and the goodwife filled his wallet and slung his bottle on his back, that he might have meat and drink...
The Old Witch : THE OLD WITCH ONCE upon a time there were two girls who lived with their mother and father. Their father had no work, and the girls wanted to go away and seek their fortunes. Now one girl wanted to go to service, and her mother said she might if she could find a place. So she started for the town...
The Stars In The Sky : THE STARS IN THE SKY ONCE on a time and twice on a time, and all times together as ever I heard tell of, there was a tiny lassie who would weep all day to have the stars in the sky to play with; she wouldn't have this, and she wouldn't have that, but it was always the stars she would have. So one...
A Pottle O' Brains : A POTTLE O' BRAINS ONCE in these parts, and not so long gone neither, there was a fool that wanted to buy a pottle o' brains, for he was ever getting into scrapes through his foolishness, and being laughed at by everyone. Folk told him that he could get everything he liked from the wise woman th...
The King Of England And His Three Sons : THE KING OF ENGLAND AND HIS THREE SONS ONCE upon a time there was an old king who had three sons; and the old king fell very sick one time and there was nothing at all could make him well but some golden apples from a far country. So the three brothers went on horseback to look for some of these...
The Blinded Giant : THE BLINDED GIANT AT Dalton, near Thirsk, in Yorkshire, there is a mill. It has quite recently been rebuilt; but when I was at Dalton, six years ago, the old building stood. In front of the house was a long mound which went by the name of 'the giant's grave', and in the mill you can see a long...
Old Mother Wiggle Waggle : OLD MOTHER WIGGLE-WAGGLE The fox and his wife they had a great strife, They never ate mustard in all their whole life; They ate their meat without fork or knife And loved to be picking a bone, e-ho! The fox went out, one still, clear night, And he prayed the moon to give him light, For he'd a long...
News : NEWS! MR G. Ha! Steward, how are you, my old boy? How do things go on at home? STEWARD. Bad enough, your honour; the magpie's dead! MR G. Poor mag! so he's gone. How came he to die? STEWARD. Overate himself, sir. MR G. Did he indeed? A greedy dog. Why, what did he get that he liked so well? STEWARD...
Tamlane : TAMLANE YOUNG TAMLANE was son of Earl Murray, and Burd Janet was daughter of Dunbar, Earl of March. And when they were young they loved one another and plighted their troth. But when the time came near for their marrying, Tamlane disappeared, and none knew what had become of him. Many, many days...
Three Feathers : THREE FEATHERS ONCE upon a time there was a girl who was married to a husband that she never saw. And the way this was, was that he was only at home at night, and would never have any light in the house. The girl thought that was funny, and all her friends told her there must be something wrong...
The King O' The Cats : THE KING O' THE CATS ONE winter's evening the sexton's wife was sitting by the fireside with her big black cat, Old Tom, on the other side, both half asleep and waiting for the master to come home. They waited and they waited, but still he didn't come, till at last he came rushing in, calling out...
Yallery Brown : YALLERY BROWN ONCE upon a time, and a very good time it was, though it wasn't in my time, nor in your time, nor anyone else's time, there was a young lad of eighteen or so named Tom Tiver working on the Hall Farm. One Sunday he was walking across the west field 'twas a beautiful July night, warm...
Rushen Coatie : RUSHEN COATIE THERE was once a king and a queen, as many a one has been; few have we seen, and as few may we see. But the queen died, leaving only one bonny girl, and she told her on her deathbed: 'My dear, after I am gone, there will come to you a little red calf, and whenever you want anything...
Tattercoats : TATTERCOATS IN a great palace by the sea there once dwelt a very rich old lord, who had neither wife nor children living, only one little granddaughter, whose face he had never seen in all her life. He hated her bitterly, because at her birth his favourite daughter died; and when the old nurse...
Habetrot And Scantlie Mab : HABETROT AND SCANTLIE MAB A WOMAN had one fair daughter, who loved play better than work, wandering in the meadows and lanes better than the spinning-wheel and distaff. The mother was heartily vexed at this, for in those days no lassie had any chance of a good husband unless she was an industrious...
