You fool, you! You had no sooner got the bagpipes than you changed them for the gloves, which were not worth one-quarter of the money; and when you had got the gloves, you changed them for a poor miserable stick; and now for your forty guineas, cow, bagpipes, and gloves, you have nothing to show but that poor miserable stick, which you might have cut in any hedge." On this the bird laughed immoderately, and Mr. Vinegar, falling into a violent rage, threw the stick at its head. The stick lodged in the tree, and he returned to his wife without money, cow, bagpipes, gloves, or stick, and she instantly gave him such a sound cudgelling that she almost broke every bone in his skin.

DCCLXXXVII.

THE STORY OF CHICKEN-LICKEN.*

As Chicken-licken went one day to the wood, an acorn fell upon her poor bald pate, and she thought the sky had fallen. So she said she would go and tell the King the sky had fallen. So Chicken-licken turned back, and met Hen-len. "Well, Henlen, where are you going?" And Hen-len said, "I'm going to the wood for some meat." And Chicken-licken said, "Oh! Hen-len, don't go, for I was going, and the sky fell upon my poor bald pate, and I'm going to tell the King." So Hen-len turned back with Chicken-licken, and met Cock-lock. "Oh! Cock-lock, where are you going?" And Cock-lock said, "I'm going to the wood for some meat." Then Hen-len said, "Oh! Cock-lock, don't go, for I was going, and I met Chicken-licken, and Chicken

* A shorter and very different version of this is given by Mr. Chambers, p. 211.

licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the King."

So Cock-lock turned back, and met Duck-luck. "Well, Duckluck, where are you going?" And Duck-luck said, "I'm going to the wood for some meat." Then Cock-lock said, "Oh! Duckluck, don't go, for I was going, and 1 met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-licken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the King."

So Duck-luck turned back, and met Drake-lake. "Well, Drake-lake, where are you going?" And Drake-lake said, “I'm going to the wood for some meat." Then Duck-luck said, "Oh! Drake-lake, don't go, for I was going, and I met Cock-lock, and Cock-lock met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-licken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the King."

So Drake-lake turned back, and met Goose-loose. "Well, Goose-loose, where are you going?" And Goose-loose said, "I'm going to the wood for some meat." Then Drake-lake said, "Oh! Goose-loose, don't go, for I was going, and I met Duckluck, and Duck-luck met Cock-lock, and Cock-lock met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-licken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the King."

So Goose-loose turned back, and met Gander-lander. "Well, Gander-lander, where are you going?" And Gander-lander said, "I'm going to the wood for some meat." Then Goose-loose said, "Oh! Gander-lander, don't go, for I was going, and I met

Drake-lake, and Drake-lake met Duck-luck, and Duck-luck met Cock-lock, and Cock-lock met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chickenlicken, and Chicken-licken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the King."

So Gander-lander turned back, and met Turkey-lurkey. "Well, turkey-lurkey, where are you going?" And Turkey-lurkey said, "I'm going to the wood for some meat." Then Gander-lander said, "Oh! Turkey-lurkey, don't go, for I was going, and I met Goose-loose, and Goose-loose met Drake-lake, and Drake-lake met Duck-luck, and Duck-luck met Cock-lock, and Cock-lock met Hen-len, and Hen-len met Chicken-licken, and Chickenlicken had been at the wood, and the sky had fallen on her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the King."

So Turkey-lurkey turned back, and walked with Gander-lander, Goose-loose, Drake-lake, Duck-luck, Cock-lock, Hen-len, and Chicken-licken. And as they were going along, they met Foxlox. And Fox-lox said, "Where are you going, my pretty maids?" And they said, "Chicken-licken went to the wood, and the sky fell upon her poor bald pate, and we are going to tell the King." And Fox-lox said, “Come along with me, and I will show you the way." But Fox-lox took them into the fox's hole, and he and his young ones soon ate up poor Chicken-licken, Hen-len, Cock-lock, Duck-luck, Drake-lake, Goose-loose, Ganderlander, and Turkey-lurkey, and they never saw the King to tell him that the sky had fallen

DCCLXXXVII.

THE MISER AND HIS WIFE.*

ONCE upon a time there was an old miser, who lived with his wife near a great town, and used to put by every bit of money His wife was a simple woman, and quarrelling, but she was obliged to Now, sometimes, when there was a

he could lay his hands on. they lived together without put up with very hard fare. sixpence she thought might be spared for a comfortable dinner or supper, she used to ask the miser for it, but he would say, "No, wife, it must be put by for Good Fortune." It was the same with every penny he could get hold of, and, notwithstanding all she could say, almost every coin that came into the house was "put by for Good Fortune."

The miser said this so often that some of his neighbours heard him, and one of them thought of a trick by which he might get the money. So the first day that the old chuff was away from home, he dressed himself like a wayfaring man, and knocked at the door. "Who are you?" said the wife. He answered, "I am Good Fortune, and I am come for the money which your husband has laid by for me." So this simple woman, not suspecting any trickery, readily gave it to him, and when her good man came home, told him very pleasantly that Good Fortune had called for the money which had been kept so long for him.

* "Let us cast away nothing," says Mr. Gifford, "for we know not what use we may have for it." So will every one admit whose reading has been sufficiently extensive to enable him to judge of the value of the simplest traditional tales. The present illustrates a passage in Ben Jonson in a very remarkable manner :

-Say we are robbed,

If any come to borrow a spoon or so;

I will not have Good Fortune or God's Blessing
Let in while I am busy.

DCCLXXXVIII.

THE THREE QUESTIONS.

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 was a natural fool, named Jack, who was generally dressed in a parti-coloured coat and a steeple-crowned hat with a tassel, as became his condition. Now, the King of the East Angles had a beautiful daughter, who was distinguished by her great ingenuity and wit, and he issued a decree that whoever should answer three questions put to him by the Princess should have her in marriage, and be heir to the crown at his decease. Shortly after this decree was published, news of it reached the ears of the nobleman's sons, and the two clever ones determined to have a trial, but they were sadly at a loss to prevent their idiot brother from going with them. They could not by any means get rid of him, and were compelled at length to let Jack accompany them. They had not gone far before Jack shrieked with laughter, saying, “I have found an egg." "Put it in your pocket," said the brothers. A little while afterwards he burst out into another fit of laughter on finding a crooked hazel stick, which he also put in his pocket; and a third time he again laughed extravagantly because he found a nut. That also was put with his other treasures.

When they arrived at the palace, they were immediately admitted on mentioning the nature of their business, and were ushered into a room where the Princess and her suite were sitting. Jack, who never stood on ceremony, bawled out,