He rode an ass about the streets, _
But couldn’t find one there.
Simple Simon went a-fishing
For to catch a whale:
All the water he had got
Was in his mother’s pail.
He went for to eat honey
Out of the mustard-pot,
He bit his tongue until he cried,
That was all the good he got.
He went to ride a spotted cow,
That had a little calf,
She threw him down upon the ground,
Which made the people laugh.
Once Simon made a great snowball,
And brought it in to roast;
He laid it down before the fire,
And soon the ball was lost.
He went to slide upon the ice,
Before the ice would bear;
Then he plunged in above his knees,
Which made poor Simon stare.
8—2