5
wonderful to relate! was not a bit bigger
than his father's thumb.
The fairy queen, who had taken an in-
terest in the little fellow, came in at the
window while the mother was sitting up
in the bed admiring him. The queen
kissed the child, and, giving it the name
of Tom Thumb, sent for some of the fair-
ies, who dressed her little favourite accord-
ing to the instructions she gave them;
An oak-leaf hat he had for his crown; His shirt of web by spiders spun; With jacket wove of thistle's down; His trowsers were of feathers done. His stockings, of apple-rind, they tie With eyelash from his mother's eye: His shoes were made of mouse's skin, Tann'd with the downy hair within.
It is remarkable, that Tom never grew
any larger than his father's thumb, which
was only of an ordinary size; but as he
got older he became very cunning and
full of tricks. When he was old enough
to play with the boys, and had lost all his
own cherry-stones, he used to creep into
the bags of his playfellows, fill his pockets
