JACK HORNER.
ALMOST every child has been early taught to repeat the lines:
“Little Jack HornerSat in the corner,Eating a Christmas pie;He put in his thumb,And pulled out a plum,And said, ‘What a brave boy am I!’”
“Little Jack HornerSat in the corner,Eating a Christmas pie;He put in his thumb,And pulled out a plum,And said, ‘What a brave boy am I!’”
“Little Jack HornerSat in the corner,Eating a Christmas pie;He put in his thumb,And pulled out a plum,And said, ‘What a brave boy am I!’”
“Little Jack Horner
Sat in the corner,
Eating a Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said, ‘What a brave boy am I!’”
And Jack has generally been regarded as a nice, fat little boy, who, having pleased his mother by his good conduct, has been rewarded by a pie of his own. And we have thought of him as sitting quietly in the chimney-corner, enjoying his pie; and when he pulled out that plum, wondering if it were full of plums.
But among the many “investigations” of the present day, it appears that Jack Horner, though a boy, was a “defaulter” to a serious amount, and the plum which he pulled out of his pie cost the life of another.
A tradition which had its rise in the county of Somersetshire, England, has at last found a place in history, and seems to be looked upon as reliable.
During the imperious reign of Henry VIII., he procured by an act of Parliament the abolishment of several hundred monasteries, and a court was established for the management of their revenues and their silver, all of which he ordered granted for his benefit.
When this act came in force, at the monastery at Wells it was determined by the abbot that the title-deeds of the abbey estates, and the valuable grange attached, should not be confiscated by the king, but sent to the commissioners at London.
The abbot, wishing for some safe method of conveying them, finally hit upon this curious device. To avoid their being taken, he thought the safest method would be to put them in a pie, which should be sent as a present to one of the commissioners. The trustiest messenger, and one little likely to excite suspicion, was a boy named Jack Horner, the son of poor parents, living in the neighborhood of the monastery. He set out on foot carrying the pie.
It was a tiresome journey, and the road probably had few attractions, so, selecting a comfortable corner on the wayside, Jack sat down to rest. Like most boys on such occasions, he began to think of something to eat; and, having no well-filled bag to go to, he thought he might take a little from the inside of the pie, and it would never be missed.
So, “he put in his thumb,” when to his astonishment he found only papers. This was poor satisfaction to the hungry lad, but he had wit enough to conclude that papers sent in such a manner must be valuable, so he determined to pocket one, which he did, and pursued his journey.
Upon delivering the pie, it was at once discovered that the chief deed was missing, and, as it was thought the abbot had withheld it, an order was at once sent for his execution, for not the slightest suspicion seems to have fallen upon Jack.
Years after, the paper was found in the possession of Jack’s family, which, being the deed to abbey estates, was a “plum” of some value.
1. Tell in your own words the meaning of the rhyme of “Little Jack Horner.”2. Do you know any other Mother Goose rhyme that has a hidden meaning?
1. Tell in your own words the meaning of the rhyme of “Little Jack Horner.”
2. Do you know any other Mother Goose rhyme that has a hidden meaning?