Page 286 [286]
MOTHER GOOSES NURSERY REYMES.
So turning to his horse, he said,
“T am in haste to dine;
’T was for your pleasure you came here,
You shall go back for mine.”
Ah! luckless speech, and bootless boast !
For which he paid full dear;
For while he spake, a braying ass
Did sing most loud and clear;
Whereat his horse did snort, as he
Had heard a lion roar,
And galloped off with all his might,
As he had done before.
Away went Gilpin, and away
Went Gilpin’s hat and wig:
He lost them sooner than at first,
For why—they were too big.
Now Mistress Gilpin, when she saw
Her husband posting down
Into the country far away,
She pulled out half-a-crown ;