IX

GRANDMOTHER'S WISDOM

He that would thrive
Must rise at five;

He that hath thriven

May lie till seven;

And he that by the plough would thrive, Himself must either hold or drive.

Cock crows in the morn,

To tell us to rise,
And he who lies late

Will never be wise.

For early to bed,

And early to rise,
Is the way to be healthy
And wealthy and wise.

A swarm of bees in May
Is worth a load of hay;

As the days grow longer

The storms grow stronger.

When the days begin to lengthen
Then the cold begins to strengthen.

March winds and April showers
Bring forth May flowers.

Evening red and morning gray
Set the traveller on his way,
But evening gray and morning red,
Bring the rain upon his head.

When Jacky's a very good boy,

He shall have cakes and a custard; But when he does nothing but cry,

He shall have nothing but mustard.

Rainbow at night
Is the sailor's delight;
Rainbow at morning,
Sailors, take warning.

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November;
February has twenty-eight alone,
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting leap-year, that's the time
When February's days are twenty-nine.

For every ill beneath the sun
There is a cure or there is none;
If there be one, try to find it;
If there be none, never mind it.

They that wash on Monday
Have all the week to dry;
They that wash on Tuesday
Are not so much awry;
They that wash on Wednesday
Are not so much to blame;
They that wash on Thursday
Wash for very shame;

They that wash on Friday
Wash because of need;

And they that wash on Saturday,
Oh, they are lazy indeed!

If you sneeze on Monday, you sneeze for dan

ger;

Sneeze on a Tuesday, kiss a stranger;

Sneeze on a Wednesday, sneeze for a letter;
Sneeze on a Thursday, something better;

Sneeze on a Friday, sneeze for sorrow;
Sneeze on a Saturday, joy to-morrow.

When the wind is in the east,
'Tis good for neither man nor beast;
When the wind is in the north,

The skilful fisher goes not forth;