TOM
THUMB

been tied to the thistle, he would certainly have
jumped on its back and tried if he could be carried
away a sail in the air.

One day a field-mouse came and looked at him.
Tom was afraid of the mouse, so he called to his
mother, who came up, and the mouse darted away.
One day whilst Tom was tied to the thistle, the
cow seeing his oakleaf cap, took poor Tom and
the thistle at one mouthful.

But, being missed, his mother went
Calling him everywhere,
“Where art thou, Tom? Where art thou, Tom?’
Quoth he, ‘Here, mother, here!
Within the red cow’s mouth am I
Full nearly swallowed up,’
Which made his mother weep and sigh
That thus the cow should sup.

Tom kicked and scratched till the cow dropped
him from her mouth. His mother caught him in
her apron as he was falling, or he would have been
greatly hurt.
One day Tom went with his father into the fields
a-ploughing ; and the father made him a whip of
barley straw wherewith to drive the oxen, but
Tom’s foot slipped and he fell into the furrow,
without the father observing it.
A crow flying by saw the barley straw, stooped and
carried Tom off to the top of a giant’s castle.
The giant took Tom in the palm of his hand and
laughed much to see how small he was. Tom
had his little sword of a needle at his side and he
pricked the giant with it, and he shook his hand,
and Tom gave a jump and went out at the window
and fell into the sea, where a fish swallowed him.
The fish was soon after caught, and brought to
the castle of King Arthur. His steward bought it
and ordered the cook to boil it for dinner. When
the cook was opening the fish, to his great aston-
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