TOM
THUMB

He was received by the king with every token of
affection and delight, and tournaments were pro-
claimed in his honour.

Thus he at tilt and tournament
Was entertained so,

That all the rest of Arthur’s knights
Did him much pleasure show.

As Tom’s clothes had suffered much in the batter-
pudding and in the furrow, and in the inside of the
fish, the king ordered him a new suit of clothes,
and gave him a mouse to ride.

Of butterfly’s wings his shirt was made,
His boots of chicken’s hide ;

And by a nimble fairy blade,

Well learned in the tailoring trade,
His clothing was supplied.

A needle dangled by his side;

A dapper mouse he used to ride:
Thus strutted Tom in stately pride!

Tom used to go out hunting on his mouse with
the king and the knights.

Arthur also ordered a little chair to be made, in
order that Tom might sit on his table, and he gave
him as well acarriage drawn by six white mice.
At last the queen got jealous of Tom, because the
king made so much of him, and she determined to
be'rid of him, and when the king was away she
had him shut up in prison in a mouse-trap, but he
managed to squeeze himself between the bars, and
seeing a lame butterfly he climbed on its back, and
the butterfly carried him away. However, in pass-
ing over the sea he became giddy and fell off, ©
when he was again swallowed by a fish, which
was caught and set out for sale in the town of Rye,
where a steward hagegled for it with the fisherman
who had caught it.

204.