e
wind blew these cradles would rock! A young man of the party observing
this, pulled off a piece of bark and wrote off the above words, which is
believed to be the first poetry written in America." Several have
curious histories.

Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner
Eating his Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb
And pulled out a plum,
And said, What a good boy am I!

Master Horner, it appears, was not a myth, but a real personage.
Tradition tells that when Henry VIII. suppressed the monasteries, and
drove the poor old monks from their nests, the title-deeds of the Abbey
of Mells, including the sumptuous grange built by Abbot Bellwood, were
demanded by the Commissioners. The Abbot of Glastonbury determined
instead that he would send them to London; and, as the documents were
very valuable, and the road was infested by thieves, to get them to the
metropolis safely he ordered a pie to be made, as fine as ever smoked on
a refectory table, inside of which the precious documents were placed,
and this dainty he entrusted to a lad named Horner to carry up to London
and deliver into the hands of the party for whom it was intended. But
the journey was long, the day was cold, the boy was hungry, the pie was
tempting, and the chances of detection, the youth presumed, were small.
So he broke the crust of the pie, and behold the parchment! He pulled it
forth innocently enough, wondering by what chance it could have reached
there, and arrived in town. The parcel was delivered, but the
title-deeds of Mells Abbey estate were missing. Jack had them in his
pocket, and--now learning their value--he kept them there. These were
the juiciest plums in the pie. Great was the rage of the Commissioners,
heavy the vengeance they dealt out to the monks. But Jack kept his
secret and the documents, and when peaceful times were restored he
claimed the estates and received them. So goes the story; and it may be
true. But, then, in the light of its truth, whether Master Horner
deserved the title of "good boy" bestowed on him by the rhyme will be
more than doubtful.

We all know the lines,

Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow;
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day,
It was against the rule,
And made the children laugh and play,
To see a lamb at school.

These verses were founded, it appears, on an actual circumstance, an