Original Size — Medium-Size
With the boots was our hero at once in his glory.
He returned at full speed to the house of the giant,
And finding the wife to his orders compliant,
Made her hand him more treasure at once from the coffer
Than the whole Bank of England is able to offer,
And took it straightway to his parents, by which
He made, like a ‘tickler good joke, the poor rich.
So his and his brothers’
And father’s and mother’s
Good fortune he made—not to name any others..
And as for the Ogre, what chanced to become of him
I know not—I never asked Hop o’ my Thumb of him;
But one can’t but suppose
That such giants as those
Which in nursery legends and stories one knows,
By defaming the race must inflict quite a pang
On the large hearts of giants like Anak and Chang,
“While this way or that way each rapidly shoots off
Hop o’ my Thumb takes the Seven League Boots off
(Though, their size for their suffering some remedy gives,
Since one learns the more patience the longer one lives).
So we ’ll trust that this giant,
So fierce and defiant,
Got punished. Indeed, on one fact I’m reliant-
His gold was all taken by Hop o’ my Thumb!
And so being left with a very small sum,
Namely, nothing, ’t is likely ere long he began
To fall in arrear—and so sank to a van,-
A poor sort of coop
In which he’d to stoop
(E’en the greatest must bow if their fortunes will droop).
Then at revels and fairs he’d be shown as a sight-
As “A Giant”—see handbills—“unrivalled in height,
Allowed on all sides to be taller than any
That ever existed. Admission, one penny.
N.B. Babies in arms free of charge are admitted.”
In which case e’en a monster like that’s to be pitied.
l’envoi.
Five Favourite Fairy Fables old,-
The efforts of a muse, which eke
Are efforts to amuse,—are told,
And my farewell ’t is time to speak,
Since ended now this book of mine is,
With one more “f” for’t—adding
FINIS