The Poetry Corner

Nursery Rhyme. CCCLXXVI. Paradoxes.

By Unknown

There was a man and he was mad, And he jump'd into a pea-swad;[A] The pea-swad was over-full, So he jump'd into a roaring bull; The roaring bull was over-fat, So he jump'd into a gentleman's hat; The gentleman's hat was over-fine, So he jump'd into a bottle of wine; The bottle of wine was over-dear, So he jump'd into a bottle of beer; The bottle of beer was over-thick, So he jump'd into a club-stick; The club-stick was over-narrow, So he jump'd into a wheel-barrow; The wheel-barrow began to crack, So he jump'd on to a hay-stack; The hay-stack began to blaze, So he did nothing but cough and sneeze! [Footnote A: The pod or shell of a pea.]