LESSONS FOR CHILDREN FROM THREE TO FOUR YEARS OLD.
LONDON:
INTED FOR J. JOHNSON, NO. 72, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD. 1788.
LESSONS FOR CHILDREN, FROM THREE TO FOUR YEARS OLD
CHARLES, here are more stories for you,—stories about good boys, and naughty boys, and silly boys; for you know what it is to be good now. And there is a story about two foolish Cocks that were always quarrelling, which is very naughty. You do not quarrel? No. I am glad of it; but if you see any little boys that quarrel you may tell them the story of the Two Cocks. This is it:
There was once a Hen who lived in a farm-yard, and she had a large brood of chickens. She took a great deal of care of them, and gathered them under her wings every night, and fed them, and nursed them very well: and they were all very good, except two Cocks, that were always quarrelling with one another. They were hardly out of the shell before they began to peck at each other; and when they grew bigger they fought till they were all bloody. If one picked up a barley-corn the other always wanted to have it. They never looked pretty, because their feathers were pulled off in fighting till they were quite bare; and they picked at one another's eyes till they were both almost blind. The old Hen very often told them how naughty it was to quarrel so; but they did not mind her.
So one day these two Cocks had been fighting, as they always did; and the biggest Cock, whose name was Chanticleer, beat the other, and crowed over him, and drove him quite out of the yard. The Cock that had been beat slunk away and hid himself; for he was vexed he had been conquered, and he wanted sadly to be revenged; but he
id not know how to manage
, for he was not strong
ough himself. So, after thinking a great deal, he went to an old sly Fox that lived near, and said to him, Fox, if you will come with me I will shew you where there is a large fat Cock in a farm-yard, and you may cat him up if you will. The Fox was very glad, for he was hungry enough; and he said, Yes, I will come with all my heart, and I will not leave a feather of him. So they went together, and the Cock shewed Reynard the way into the farm-yard; and there was poor Chanticleer asleep upon the perch. And the Fox seized him by the neck, and ate him up; and the other Cock stood by and crowed for joy. But when the Fox had done, he said, Chanticleer was very good, but I have not had enough; and so he flew upon the other Cock, and ate him up too in a moment.
I will tell you a story.
There was a little boy whose name was Harry; and his papa and mamma sent him to school. Now Harry was a clever fellow, and loved his book; and he got to be first in his class. So his mamma got up one morning very early and called Betty the maid, and said, Betty, I think we must make a cake for Harry, for he has learned his book very well. And Betty said, Yes, with all my heart. So they made a nice cake. It was very large, and stuffed full of plums and sweetmeats, orange and citron; and it was iced all over with sugar: it was white and smooth on the top like snow. So this cake was sent to the school. When little Harry saw it he was very glad, and jumped about for joy, and he hardly stayed for a knife to cut a piece, but gnawed it like a little dog. So he ate till the bell rang for school, and after school he ate again, and ate till he went to bed; nay, his bed-fellow told me that he laid his cake under his pillow, and sat up in the night to eat some. So he ate till it was all gone.—But presently after this little boy was very sick and ill, and every body said, I wonder what is the matter with Harry—he used to be so brisk, and play about more nimbly than any of the boys; and now he looks pale and is very ill. And somebody said, Harry has had a rich cake, and eat it all up very soon, and that has made him
. So they sent for Dr.
amomile, and he gave him
do not know how much
tter stuff. Poor Harry did
like it at all, but he was
rced to take it, or else he
ould have died, you know.
at last he got well again, but his mamma said
would send him no mo
cakes.
Now there was anoth
boy, who was one of Harry
school-fellows: his name
Peter; the boys used
call him Peter Careful.
Peter had written his mam
very neat pretty letter—
ere was not one blot in
all. So his mamma sent
a cake. Now Peter
ought with himself, I will
ot make myself sick with
is good cake, as silly Harry
id; I will keep it a great
hile. So he took the cake, and tugged it up stairs. I was very heavy: he cou
hardly carry it. And
locked it up in his box,
once a day he crept slily
stairs, and ate a very litt
piece, and then locked
box again. So he kept
several weeks, and it was n
one, for it was very large;
ut, behold! the mice got
nto his box and nibbled
ome. And the cake grew
ry and mouldy, and at
ast was good for nothing
all. So he was obliged
throw it away, and it
rieved him to the very heart, and no body was sorry
him.
Well; there was anothe
little boy at the same schoo
whose name was Billy. And one day his mamma sent him a cake, because she love
him dearly, and he loved he
dearly. So when the cak
ame, Billy said to his schoolfellows I have got a cake, come let us go and eat it. So they came about him like a parcel of bees; and Billy took a slice of cake himself, and then gave a piece to one, and a piece to another, and
piece to another, till it was almost gone. Then Billy put the rest by, and said, I will eat it to-morrow. So he went to play, and the boys all played together very merrily. But presently after an old blind Fiddler came into the court: he had a long white beard; and, because he was blind, he had a little dog in a string to lead him. So he came into the court, and sat down upon a stone, and said, My pretty lads, if you will, I will play you a tune. And they all left off their sport, and came and stood round him. And Billy saw that while he played the tears ran down his cheeks. And Billy said, Old man, why do you cry? And the old man said, Because I am very hungry—I have nobody to give me any dinners or suppers—I have nothing in the world but this little dog; and I cannot work. If I could work I would. Then Billy went without saying a word, and fetched the rest of his cake which he had intended to have eaten another day, and he said, Here, old man! here is some cake for you. The old man said, Where is it? for I am blind, I cannot see it. So Billy put it into his hat. And the Fiddler thanked him, and Billy was more glad than if he had eaten ten cakes.
Pray which do you love best? do you love Harry, or Peter, or Billy best?
Little boy, come to me. Tell me how far from home have you been in your life? I think I should like to go a great long way with you, and see what we could see: for there are a great many places in the world besides home. Bring your hat. Good-bye, Papa. Farewell, Billy, and Harry, and every body. We are going a great way off. And we shall go down the lane, and through the church-yard, and by the corner house, and over the stile, till we have got quite into the fields. How pretty the fields will look! for it will be summer days again before we go. And there will be yellow flowers, and white flowers, and grass, and trees, and hedges; and the grasshoppers will chirp, chirp, under our feet. Do not try to catch them; it will only hinder us, and we have a great way to go.
Pray what are those pretty creatures that look so meek and good-natured, and have soft thick white wool upon their backs, like a great coat, and make a noise like the little baby when it cries? Those are sheep and lambs. And what are those creatures with horns, that are bigger than the sheep? Some of them are black, and some red: they make a loud noise, but they do not look as if they would hurt any body. Those are cows that give milk. Stroke them. Poor cows! Stand still and look back. Now we cannot see papa's house at all; and we can see only the top of the church steeple. Let us go a little farther. Now look back. Now we cannot see the church at all. Farewell! We are going a great way. Shall we ever come back again? Yes, we shall come back again; but we must go on now. Come, make haste.
What is that tall thing that has four great arms which move very fast? I believe if I was near it they would strike me down. It is a Wind-mill. Those arms are the sails. The wind turns them round. And what is a wind-mill for? It is to grind corn. You could have no bread if the corn were not ground. Well, but here is a river: how shall we do to get over it? Why do not you see how those ducks do? they swim over. But I cannot swim. Then you must learn to swim, I believe: it is too wide to jump over. O here is a Bridge! Somebody has made a bridge for us quite over the river. That somebody was very good, for I do not know what we should have done without it; and he was very clever too. I wonder now he made it. I am sure I could not make such a bridge.
Well, we must go on, on, on; and we shall see more
ivers, and more fields, and owns bigger than our town a great deal—large towns, and fine churches, streets and people—more than there is at the fair. And we shall have a great many high hills to climb. I believe I must get somebody to carry the little boy up those high hills. And sometimes we shall
through dusty sandy roads; and sometimes through green
anes, where we shall hear the birds sing. Sometimes we shall go over wide commons, where we shall see no
rees, nor any house; and
arge heaths, where there
hardly any grass—only some purple flowers, and a few black nosed little sheep. Ha! did you see that pretty brown creature that ran across the path? Here is another; and look! there is another: there are a great many. They are Rabbits. They live here, and make themselves houses in the ground. This is a rabbit-warren.
Now we are come amongst a great many trees—more trees than there are in the orchard by a great many; and taller trees. There is oak, and ash, and elm. This is a Wood. What great boughs the trees have! like thick arms. The sun cannot shine amongst the trees, they are so thick. Look, there is a squirrel! jumping from one tree to another. He is very nimble. What a pretty tail he has!
Well; when we have gone on a great many days, through a great many fields and towns, we shall come to a great deep water, bigger a great many times than the
iver, for you can see over
he river, you know—you
an see fields on the other side: but this is so large, and so wide, you can see nothing but water, water, as far as ever you can carry your eyes. And it is not smooth, like the river; it is all rough, like the great pot in the kitchen when it is boiling. And it is so deep it would drown you if you were as tall as two church steeples. I wonder what they call this great water! there is an old, old fisherman, sitting upon a stone drying himself; for he is very wet. I think we will ask him. Pray, fisherman, what is this great water? It is the Sea: did you never hear of the sea? What! is this great water the same sea that is in our map at home? Yes, it is. Well, this is very strange! we are come to the sea that is in our map. But it is very little in the map. I can lay my finger over it. Yes; it is little in the map, because every thing is little in the map: the towns are little, and the rivers are little.
Pray, Fisherman, is there any thing on the other side of this sea? Yes; fields, and towns, and people. Will you go and see them? I should like to go very well; but how must we do to get over? for there is no bridge here. Do not you see those great wooden boxes that swim upon the water? They are bigger than all papa's house. There are tall poles in the middle, as high as a tree. Those are masts. See! now they are spreading the sails. Those white sheets are the sails. They are like wings. These wooden boxes are like houses with wings. Yes, and I will tell you what, little boy! they are made on purpose to go over the sea; and the wind blows them along faster than a horse can trot. What do they call them? They call them Ships. You have seen a ship in a picture. Shall we get in? What have those men in the ship got on? they have jackets and trowsers on, and checked shirts. They are sailors. I think we will make you a sailor; and then instead of breeches you must have a pair of trowsers. Do you see that sailor, how he climbs up the ropes? He is very nimble. He runs up like a monkey. Now he is at the top of the mast. How little he looks! But we must get in. Come, make haste: they will not stay for us. What are you doing? picking up shells! We must get into a boat first, because the ship is not near enough. Now we are in.
Now we are upon the great sea. Blow, blow wind! Sail away ship! There are little rooms in the ship. Those little rooms are called cabins. Let us walk about, and look at the ship. Why, you cannot walk steady: I am afraid you are tipsy! Because the ship rolls about. But the sailors can walk steady. The sea is not like the river; it is greenish. Well; here is water enough if we should be thirsty. Yes, here is water enough; but you would not like to drink it. It is salt and bitter. You could not drink it. How fast we go! Now the fields are a great way off. Now we cannot see any green fields at all, nor any houses, nor any thing but the great deep water. It is water all round as far as ever we can see. Yes, and sky; we can see the sky too. All sky over our heads, and all water every where round us! Do not be afraid, little boy! Blow, blow, wind! sail away ship! I see some things in the sea at a great distance. Those are more ships and boats. How very small they are! they look like nut shells in a great pond. O, Now we are coming to the green fields and towns on the other side of the sea! I can see them a little. Now I can see them very plain. And here is a little piece of green land, with the water running all round it. That is an island. A piece of land with water all round it, is an island. But we are not going there; we are going to the great land.
Now we are at the land, Get out of the ship. Pray what country is this? This is France. France! why France is in the map too. And pray what is the name of that country we came from, where we live, and where papa lives? It is England. And the deep sea is between France and England? Yes, you know it is so in the map.
O, France is a pretty place It is warmer than our country: and here are pretty flowers, and fine fruit, and large grapes. I never saw such large grapes in all my life. And the vines grow in the fields; they do not grow against walls, as our vines do. And there are a great many people, men, and women, and little boys and girls, singing, and dancing about, and so merry! nothing can be like it. I think we will live here, and send for papa and Arthur. Let us go and talk with those people. Here, you little girl! pray give us some
your nice fruit.
Serviteur Monsieur.
What do you say little girl? I do not understand you. I cannot help that. Here is an old man cutting the vines; we will speak to him. Pray, old man, will you give us some of your fruit? We are come a great way to see you.
Serviteur Monsieur.
What do you say? We do not know what
Serviteur Monsieur
is, It is French. But we do not understand French. I cannot help that; you must go home and learn. And why do you speak French? Because this is France. Did not you know that every body speaks French in France? Ha, ha, ha! He he, he! Ho, ho, ho, ho! Here is a foolish little boy come a great way over the sea, and does not know that every body speaks French in France. Ha, ha, ha! He, he, he! Ho, ho, ho! Here is a foolish little boy come a great way over the sea, and does not know that every body speaks French in France. Ha, ha ha! He he, he! Ho, ho, ho!—What shall we do, little boy? every body laughs at us; and all the little birds twitter and chirp at us. We will go home again. Farewell, France! We will not go to France again till papa has taught us to talk French. Let us get into the ship again. Blow, wind! sail away, ship! Now we are
ot back again. Pray, papa,
ach the little boy French before he goes a great way abroad again.
You know how many legs a Horse has? Yes, a Horse has four legs. And do you know what an animal is called that has four legs? It is called a Quadruped. The Cow is a quadruped; and the Dog, and the Lion, and all the beasts. But birds are not quadrupeds, for they have only two legs. Some quadrupeds have hoofs. The Horse has hoofs; so has the Ass, and the Cow: but the Dog has no hoofs; the Dog has toes with claws; so the Dog is not hoofed, but digitated; and the Cat, and the Squirrel, and a great many more are digitated. The hoof of the horse is whole, it is all in one piece; but the hoof of the Cow is parted, as if it were two hoofs. That is being cloven-footed; the hoof is cloven. The Cow, and the Sheep, and the Hog, and the Stag, are all cloven-footed; but the Horse, and the Ass, have whole hoofs.
The Ass says, I am a Quadruped; I am a very patient good creature. I have hoofs, and very long ears: I bray very loud. The horse is frightened when I bray, and starts back; but I am very meek, and never hurt any thing. My young ones are colts: I suckle them. I am not so big as a horse, and I cannot gallop fast, but I work very hard. Sometimes I carry little boys on my back, two or three at a time, and they whip me, and prick my sides, to make me go faster. I carry greens to market, and turnips, and potatoes; and sometimes I carry a great load of pans, and mugs, and pots, with which my back is almost broke; and I get nothing for my dinner but a few prickly thistles, and some coarse grass from off the common: and I have no stable to go into as a Horse has; I always lie out in the fields, in the snow, and in the rain; but I am very contented. I give milk as well as the Cow; and my milk is very good for people that are sick, to make them well again.
Ha! what is there amongst the furze? I can see only its eyes. It has very large full eyes. It is a Hare. It is in its form, squatting down amongst the bushes to hide itself, for it is very fearful. The Hare is very innocent and gentle. Its colour is brown; but in countries which are very cold it turns white as snow. It has a short bushy tail; its lip is parted, and very hairy; and it always moves its lips. Its hind egs are very long, that it may run the better. The Hare feeds upon herbs, and roots, and the bark of young trees, and green corn; and sometimes it will creep through the hedge, and steal into the gardens, to eat pinks and a little parsley; and it loves to play and skip about by moon-light, and to bite the tender blades of grass when the dew is upon them; but in the daytime it sleeps in its form. It sleeps with its eyes open because it is very fearful and timid; and when it hears the least noise it starts and pricks up its large ears. And
the huntsman sounds his horn, and the poor harmless Hare hears the Dogs coming, then it it runs away very swiftly straight forward, stretching its legs, and leaves them all behind. But the Dogs pursue her, and she grows tired, and cannot run so fast as at first. Then she doubles, and turns, and runs back to her form, that the hounds may not find her; but they run with their noses to the ground, smelling till they have found her out. So when she has run five or six miles, at last she stops, and pants for breath, and can run no further. Then the hounds come up, and tear her, and kill her. Then when she is dead, her little limbs which moved so fast, grow quite stiff, and cannot move at all. A snail could go faster than a hare when it is dead: and its poor little heart, that beat so quick, is quite still and cold; and its round full eyes are dull and dim; and its soft furry skin is all torn and bloody. It is good for nothing now but to be roasted.
All birds that swim in the water are web-footed. Their toes are joined together by a skin that grows between them; that is being web-footed; and it helps the birds to swim well, for then their feet are like the fins of a fish.
The Swan says, My name
Swan: I am a large bird,
arger than a goose. My bill is red, but the sides of it are black, and I have black about my eyes. My legs are dusky, but my feet are red, and I am web-footed. My body is all white,
white as snow, and very beautiful. I have a very long neck. I live in rivers and lakes. I eat plants that grow in the water, and seeds, and little infects, and snails. I do not look pretty when I walk upon the ground, for I cannot walk well at all; but when I am in the water, swimming smoothly along, arching my long neck, and dipping my white breast, with which I make way through the water, I am the most graceful of all birds. I build my nest in a little island amongst the reeds and rushes. I make it of sticks and long grass: it is very large and high. Then I lay my eggs, which are white, and very large, larger a great deal than a goose's egg; and I sit upon them for two months; then they are hatched, and my young ones come out. They are called cygnets. They are not white at first, but greyish. If any body was to come near me when I am in my nest, sitting upon my eggs, or when I have my young ones, I should fly at him; for I am very fierce to defend my young: and if you were to come to take them away, I should beat you down with my strong pinion, and perhaps break your arm. I live a very great while.
The Sun says, My name is Sun: I am very bright. I rise in the east; and when I rise then it is day. I look in at your window with my bright golden eye, and tell you when it is time to get up; and I say, Sluggard, get up: I do not shine for you to lie in your bed and sleep, but I shine for you to get up and work, and read, and walk about. I am a great traveller, I travel all over the sky; I never stop, and I never am tired. I have a crown upon my head of bright beams, and I send forth my rays every where. I shine upon the trees and the houses, and upon the water; and every thing looks sparkling and beautiful when I shine upon it. I give you light, and I give you heat, for I make it warm. I make the fruit ripen, and the corn ripen. If I did not shine upon the fields, and upon the gardens nothing would grow. I am up very high in the sky, higher than all trees, higher than the clouds, higher than every thing. I am a great way off. If I were to come nearer you I should scorch you to death, and I should burn up the grass, for I am all made of hot glowing fire. I have been in the sky a great while. Four years ago there was no Charles; Charles was not alive then, but there was a Sun. I was in the sky before papa and mamma were alive, a great many long years ago; and I am not grown old yet. Sometimes I take off my crown of bright rays and wrap up my head in thin silver clouds, and then you may look at me; but when there are no clouds, and I shine with all my brightness at noon-day, you cannot look at me, for I should dazzle your eyes, and make you blind. Only the Eagle can look at me then: the Eagle with his strong piercing eye can gaze upon me always. And when I am going to rise in the morning and make it day, the Lark flies up in the sky to meet me, and sings sweetly in the air: and the Cock crows loud to tell every body that I am coming: but the Owl and the Bat fly away when they see me, and hide themselves in old walls and hollow trees; and the Lion and the Tiger go into their dens and caves, where they sleep all the day. I shine in all places. I shine in England, and in France, and in Spain, and all over the earth. I am the most beautiful and glorious creature that can be seen in the whole world.
The Moon says My name is Moon; I shine to give you light in the night when the sun is set. I am very beautiful and white like silver. You may look at me always, for I am not so bright as to dazzle your eyes, and I never scorch you. I am mild and gentle. I let even the little glowworms shine, which are quite dark by day. The stars shine all round me, but I am larger and brighter than the stars, and I look like a large pearl amongst a great many small sparkling diamonds. When you are asleep I shine through your curtains with my gentle beams, and I say Sleep on, poor little tired boy, I will not disturb you. The nightingale sings to me, who sings better than all the birds of the air. She sits upon a thorn and sings melodiously all night long, while the dew lies upon the grass, and every thing is still and silent all around.
THE END.