John Dickson Batten (8
October 1860 – 5 August 1932), born in Plymouth, Devon, was an English
painter of figures in oils, tempera and fresco and a book illustrator
and printmaker.
Frontispiece
Tom Tit Tot
Well, she backed a step or two, and she
looked at
it, and then she laughed out, and says
she, pointing
ilier finger at it:
" Nimmy nimmy not
Your name 's Tom Tit Tot."
Well, when that heard her, that gave
an awful shriek
and away that flew into the dark, and
she never saw
it any.
The Three Sillies
But the woman thought it was easier
to get the cow up the ladder than to get
the grass down,...
Mr. Vinegar
Now, one day, when Mr. Vinegar was from
home, Mrs. Vinegar, who was a very good
housewife, was busily sweeping her house,
when an unlucky thump of the broom brought the whole house clitter-clatter,
clitter-clatter, about her ears.
Nix Nought Nothing
...but the giant's daughter called on all
the fish in the sea to come and drink the
water, and very soon they drank it dry.
Jack Hannaford
Sure enough he did so, for Jack leaped
on the horse, and rode away with it. The farmer walked
home
without his horse.
Binnorie
Then they all wondered, and the harper
told them how he had seen the princess lying drowned on the bank near the bonny
mill-dams o' Binnorie, and how he had afterwards made this harp out of her hair
and breast-bone. Just then the harp began
singing again, and this is what it sang out loud and clear:
" And there sits my sister who drowned
me
By the bonny mill-dams o' Binnorie."
And the harp snapped and broke, and never
sang more.
Jack and his Golden Snuff-Box
And when he opened it, out there hopped
three little
red men, and asked Jack: "What is
your will with us?"
In the morning Jack arose and put on
his invisible coat and magic cap and shoes, and prepared himself for the fray. Now,
when he had reached the top of the mountain he soon discovered the two fiery
griffins, but passed them without fear, because of his invisible coat.
Mollie Whuppie
Molly crept out and reached over the
bed, and got hold of the giant'shand, and she pulled and she pulled until she got
off the ring ; but just as she got it off the giant got up, and gripped her by the
hand…
The Red Ettin
So the young man went on, and by-and-by
he saw a multitude of very dreadful beasts, with two heads, and on every head four
horns.
The History of Tom Thumb
As Tom's clothes had suffered much in
the batterpudding, and the inside of the fish, his majesty ordered him a new suit
of clothes, and to be mounted as a knight on a mouse.
' But it is so, and it was so. Here 's
hand and ring I have to show," and pulled out the lady's hand from her dress,
and pointed it straight at Mr. Fox. At once her brothers and her friends drew their
swords and cut Mr. Fox into a thousand pieces.
Before long the bear was left so far
behind that he saw he might as well give up the hunt
first as last, so he stretched
himself out by the roadside to rest.
Johnny-cake came up close, and leaning
towards the fox screamed out : I 've outrun an old man, AND AN OLD WOMAN, AND A
LITTLE BOY, AND TWO WELL-DIGGERS, AND TWO DITCH-DIGGERS, AND A BEAR, AND A WOLF,
AND I CAN OUTRUN YOU TOO-O-O !"
"You can, can you?" yelped
the fox, and he snapped up the Johnny-cake in his sharp teeth in the twinkling of
an eye.
...the herons were down among them
scattering the men-at-arms
The Laidly Worm of Spindleston Heugh.
The Fish and the Ring
Now that very night a band of robbers
broke into the inn, and searched the girl, who had no money, and only the letter.
So they opened this and read it, and thought it a shame. The captain of the robbers
took a pen and paper and wrote this letter:
' Dear Brother,—Take the bearer and
marry her to my son immediately.
" Yours affectionately,
"
Humphrey.“
So she presented him with an ass out
of the stable, and he had but to pull
Neddy's ears to make him begin at once
to ee—aw !
And when he brayed there dropped from
his mouth silver sixpences, and halfcrowns, and golden guineas.
The Well of the World's End
Suddenly she heard a croaking voice,
and she looked up and saw a great frog with goggle eyes looking at her and speaking
to her.
" What 's the matter, dearie ? "
it said.
Master of all Masters
A girl once went to the fair to hire
herself for servant. At last a funny-looking old gentleman
engaged her, and took her home to his
house. When she got there, he told her that he had
something to teach her, for that in his
house he had his own names for things. He said to her : " What will you call
me ?" " Master or mister, or whatever you please sir," says she.
He said : " You must call me ‘master of all masters’
The Three Heads of the Well
…then, coming to the well, she had no
sooner sat down than a golden head came up singing :
" Wash me and comb me,
And lay me down softly.
And lay me on a bank to dry,
That I may look pretty,
When somebody passes by."
