BREAKING UP.
At the conclusion of each Year,
When Christmas comes with plenteous chee_
At breaking up the Youth's so gay;
Enjoy their annual holiday.
ARCHERS.
The youthful Archer, bends his bow,
Swift thro' the air the arrows go,
To hit the target, now they try;
With steady hand and eager eye.
SWINGING.
Young Kitty riding in the Arbour green
On a strong rope as may be seen;
Whilst Robert with another string,
Directs the motion of the swing.
BLIND MAN'S BUFF.
The little folks as blythe as May,
At Blindman's buff do often play;
So nible each doth act their part,
To escape the Blindman is their art.
WHIPPING TOP.
Each youth doth try to strike the top,
In humming motion see it hop,
And back and forwards now it skips,
Lash'd by the thongs of several whips.
SEE SAW.
Poor Nancy falls upon the ground
And Harry’s head is turning round;
As mounting high up in the air
Which happen’d by the want of care.
SAILING.
To sail his boat young Arthur tries,
Like Vessels of a larger size,
Is pleased to see it swiftly glide,
Along the river with the tide.
PLAYING SOLDIERS.
Whilst playing thus you little know
The hardships soldiers undergo,
Far from their friends they are doom’d to par_
Which causes many an aching heart.
The great A Play.
CHUCK-FARTHING.
AS you value your pence,
At the hole take your aim,
Chuck all safely in,
And you'll win the game.
MORAL.
Chuck-fathing, like trade,
Requires great care;
The more you observe,
The better you'll fare.
The little a Play.
Flying the KITE.
UPHELD in the air, the gaudy kite,
High as an eagle takes her flight;
But if the winds their breath restrain,
She tumbles headlong down again.
RULE of LIFE.
Soon as thou seest the dawn of day,
To GOD thy adoration pay.
The great B Play.
Dancing round the MAY-POLE.
WITH garlands here the May-pole crown'd,
And all the swains a dancing round,
Compose a num'rous jovial ring,
To welcome in the cheerful spring.
RULE of LIFE.
Leave God to manage, and to grant,
That which his wisdom sees thee want.
The little B Play.
TAW.
KNUCKLE down to your taw,
Aim well, shoot away:
Keep out of the ring,
And you'll soon learn to play.
MORAL.
Time rolls like a Marble,
And awes every state:
Then husband each moment
Before 'tis too late.
The great C Play.
HOOP and HIDE.
GO hide out, and hoop,
While I go to sleep:
If you I can't find,
My post I must keep.
MORAL.
With carefulness watch
Each moment that flies,
To keep peace at home,
And ward off surprize.
The little c Play.
THREAD the NEEDLE.
HERE hand in hand the boys unite,
And form a very pleasant sight ;
Then thro' each other's arms they fly,
As thread does thro' the needle's eye.
RULE of LIFE.
Talk not too much; sit down content,
That your discourse be pertinent.
The great D Play.
FISHING,
THE artful angler baits his hook,
And throws it gently in the brook;
Which the fish view with greedy eyes
And soon are taken by surprize.
RULE of LIFE.
Learn well the motion of the mind;
Why you are made, for what design'd.
The little d Play.
BLINDMAN'S-BUFF.
BEREFT of all light,
I stumble alone;
But, if I catch you,
My doom is your own.
MORAL.
How blind is that man,
Who scorns the advice
Of friends, who intend
To make him more wise.
The great E Play.
SHUTTLE-COCK.
THE Shuttle-Cock struck
Does backward rebound;
But, if it be miss'd
It falls to the ground.
MORAL.
Thus chequer'd in life,
As fortune does flow;
Her smiles lift us high,
Her frowns sink us low.
The little e Play.
KING I AM.
AMBITION here fires every heart,
And all assume the Monarch's part;
For a few minutes, tho' in play,
Each rules with arbitrary sway.
RULE of LIFE.
Descend into thyself, to find
The imperfections of thy mind.
The great F Play.
PEG-FARTHING.
SOON as the ring is once compos'd
The coin is in the center clos'd;
And then the wished-for prize to win,
The top that drives it out must spin.
RULE of LIFE.
Be silent if you doubt your sense,
And always speak with diffidence.
The little f Play.
KNOCK OUT AND SPAN.
STRIKE out your Taw strong;
For the very next man,
Will bear off the prize,
If you come to a Span.
MORAL.
The Span, my dear boy,
Should your monitor be;
'Tis the lesson of life,
As we oftentimes see.
The great G Play.
HOP, STEP, and JUMP.
HOP short and Step safe,
To make your Jump long;
This art oft has beat
Th' efforts of a strong.
MORAL.
The old maxim take,
T' embellish your book:
Think well ere you talk,
And, ere you leap, look.
The little g Play.
BOYS and GIRLS come out to play.
AFTER a sultry summer's day,
When the moon shines and stars are gay;
The nymphs and swains well pleas'd advance,
And spend the evening in a dance.
RULE of LIFE.
Reflect to-day upon the last,
And freely own thy errors past.
The great H Play.
I sent a LETTER to my LOVE.
THE lads and lasses here are seen,
All gaily tripping o'er the green;
But one among them to her cost,
The treasure of her heart has lost.
RULE of LIFE.
If prosperous, of pride beware:
Changes of fortune frequent are.
The little h Play.
PITCH and HUSSEL.
PO SE your hand fairly,
And pitch plum your flat;
Then shake for all heads,
And turn down the hat.
MORAL.
How fickle's the game!
So fortune or fate,
Decrees our repentance,
When oft 'tis too late.
The great I Play.
CRICKET.
THIS lesson observe,
When you play at cricket,
Catch all fairly out,
Or bowl down the wicket.
MORAL.
This maxim regard,
Now you're in your prime;
Look ere 'tis too late:
By the forelock take time.
The little i Play.
STOOL-BALL.
THE ball once struck with art and care,
And drove impetuous thro' the air,
Swift round his course the gamster flies,
Or his stool's taken by surprise.
RULE of LIFE.
Bestow your alms whene'er you see
An object of necessity.
The great K Play.
SWIMMING.
WHEN the sun's beams have warm'd the air,
Our youth to some cool brook repair;
In whose refreshing streams they play,
To the last remnant of the day.
RULE of LIFE.
Think ere you speak ; for words once flown.
Once utter'd, are no more your own.
The little k Play.
BASE-BALL
THE ball once struct off,
Away flies the toy
To the next desin'd post,
And then home with joy.
MORAL.
Thus Britons, for lucre
Fly over the main ;
But, with pleasure transported,
Return back again.
The great L Play.
TRAP-BALL.
TOUCH lightly the trap,
And strike low the ball;
Let none catch you out,
And you'll beat them all.
MORAL.
Learn hence, my dear boy,
To avoid ev'ry snare,
Contriv'd to involve you
In sorrow and care.
The little I Play.
TIP-CAT.
THE gamester here his art displays,
And drives the cat a thousand ways ;
For, should he miss when once 'tis toss'd,
He's out--And all his sport is lost.
RULE of LIFE.
Debates and quarrels always shun;
No one by peace was e'er undone.
The great M Play.
FIVES.
WITH what great force the little ball
Rebounds, when struck against the wall!
See how intent each gamester stands;
Mark well his eyes, his feet, his hands!
RULE of LIFE.
Know this (which is enough to know)
Virtue is happiness below.
The little m Play.
LEAP-FROG.
THIS stoops down his head,
Whilst that springs up high:
But then you will find,
He'll stoop by-and-by.
MORAL.
Just so 'tis at court ;
To-day you're in place,
To-morrow perhaps,
You're quite in disgrace.
The great N Play.
BIRDS-NESTING.
HERE two naughty boys,
Hard-hearted in jest,
Deprive a poor bird
Of her young and her nest.
MORAL.
Thus men out of joke
(Be't spoke to their shame)
Too often make free
With others good name.
The little n Play.
TRAIN-BANDING.
THE serjeant hero here appears,
Strutting before his grenadiers ;
And leads his mighty valiant men,
First up the hill, then down again.
RULE of LIFE.
Judge not between two friends, but see,
If you can bring them to agree.
The great O Play.
All the BIRDS in the AIR.
HERE various boys stand round the room,
Each does some favourite bird assume;
And if the slave once hits his name,
He's then made free and crowns the game.
RULE of LIFE.
Live well, and then die soon or late,
For ever happy is your state.
The little o Play.
HOP-HAT.
O'ER this hat and that,
Boys hop to the last;
Which once in their mouths,
Behind them is cast.
MORAL.
Thus men often struggle,
Some bliss to obtain ;
Which once in their pow'r,
They treat with disdain.
The great P Play.
SHOOTING.
THO' some birds, too heedless,
Dread no danger nigh ;
Yet still by the fowlers
The instantly die.
MORAL.
From hence we may learn
That by one thoughtless trip
Strange accidents happen
'Twixt the cup and the lip.
The little p Play.
HOP-SCOTCH.
FIRST make with chalk an oblong square,
With wide partitions here and there;
Then to the first a tile convey;
Hop in--then kick the tile away.
RULE of LIFE.
Strive with good sense to stock your mind,
And to that sense be virtue join'd.
The great Q Play.
Who will play at my SQUARES.
THIS well-invented game design'd
To strike the eve and form the mind
And he most doubtless aims aright,
Who joins instruction with delight.
RULE of LIFE.
So live with men, as if God's eye,
Did into every action pry.
The little q Play.
RIDING.
IN quest of his game,
The sportsman rides on;
But falls off his horse
Before he has done.
MORAL.
Thus youth without thought,
Their amours pursue;
The' an age of pain
Does often accrue.
The great R.
GReat A, B, and C,
And tumble down D,
The cat's a blind buff,
And cannot see.
a, b, c, d.
The little r.
GReat E, F, and G,
Come here follow me,
And we'll jump over
The Rosemary Tree.
e, f, g.
The great S,
HEre's great H, and I,
With the Christmas-pye:
Who will eat the plums out?
I, H, and I.
h, i.
The little s.
HEre's great K, and L,
Pray Dame can you tell,
Who put the pig-hog
Down into the well!
k, l.
The great T.
HEre's great M, and N,
Are come back again,
To bring the good boy
A fine Golden Pen.
m, n.
The little t.
SO great O, and P,
Pray what do you see?
A naughty boy whipt,
But this is not me.
o, p.
The great U.
HEre's great Q and R,
Are both come from far,
To bring good news,
About the French war.
q, r.
The little u.
So S, T, and U,
Pray how do you do?
We thank you--the better
For seeing of you.
s, t, u.
The great W.
HEre's great W, and X,
Good friends do not vex,
All things will do well,
Dear W and X.
w, x.
The little w.
THere's great Y, and Z,
On a horse that is mad:
If you fall down, farewel
Poor great Y and Z.
y, z.
[continues the alphabet into fables]