LONDON:

FREDERICK WARNE AND CO.

BEDFORD STREET, COVENT GARDEN.

270. g. 272.

LONDON

SAVILL, EDWARDS AND CO., PRINTERS, CHANDOS STREET,

COVENT-GARDEN.

CONTENTS.

The King of Brentford's Testa-

ment

....

W. M. Thackeray

The Yarn of the Nancy Bell W. S. Gillert

The Mermaid of Margate........ Thomas Hood..............

The Terriers and the Rats and

R. Brough

the Mice and the Cats

A Mormon Romance-Reginald

Gloverson

.........

Hans Breitmann's Party
The Changed.

A Giant's Discomforts
Prithee

Rip Van Winkle
The Coming Man
The Schoolhouse

The Raffle for the Elephant......

The Usurer's Daughter

The Judgment of the Poets

A Strange Dream

Phaethon; or, the Amateur

Coachman

.........

The Nail in the Shutter

A Fairy Tale.

The Newcastle Apothecary

St. Romuald

Lost and Found .....

A Tale of the Tropics

Good Ale

How Commodore Trunnion went

************

to get Married

The Ball-room Belles

The Plague in the Forest.........

The Present to the Priest.........

John Gilpin

Mrs. Brown's Vote Solicited......

The Height of the Ridiculous

From "Hood's Magazine" 73

From "Fun"

75

ib.

96

97

Sir John Suckling

Washington Irving......

By a Minor(ies) Poet...... 95

James Russell Lowell ...

Anonymous

Thomas Hood......

George Colman

Robert Southey

From "Atlantic Monthly" 109

Tom Hood

John Still.........

101

104

107

126

127

PAGE

8

11

15

20
24

Tobias George Smollett... 129

From "Fun"

135

26

44

45

46

59

61

62

69

71

77

137

140

147

155

160

Anonymous

J. A. Sterry..

The Tale of a Toilet..

The Apple Dumplings and a King Dr. Wolcot

The Stag-eyed Lady..

Thomas Hood

COMIC READINGS.

THE KING OF BRENTFORD'S TESTAMENT.

W. M. THACKERAY.

THE noble king of Brentford
Was old and very sick,
He summon'd his physicians

To wait upon him quick;
They stepp'd into their coaches

And brought their best physick.

They cramm'd their gracious master
With potion and with pill;
They drench'd him and they bled him:
They could not cure his ill.
"Go fetch," says he, "my lawyer,
I'd better make my will."

The monarch's royal mandate
The lawyer did obey;

The thought of six-and-eightpence,
Did make his heart full gay.
"What is't," says he, "your majesty
Would wish of me to-day?"

"The doctors have belabour'd me
With potion and with pill:
My hours of life are counted,
O man of tape and quill!
Sit down and mend a pen or two,
I want to make my will.