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<v Speaker 1>Long ago, in the merry days of good King Arthur,

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<v Speaker 1>there lived a plowman and his wife. They were very poor,

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<v Speaker 1>but would have been contented and happy if only they

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<v Speaker 1>could have had a little child. One day, having heard

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<v Speaker 1>of the great fame of the magician Merlin, who was

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<v Speaker 1>living at the court of King Arthur, the wife persuaded

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<v Speaker 1>her husband to go and tell him of their trouble.

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<v Speaker 1>Having arrived at the court, the man besought Merlin, with

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<v Speaker 1>tears in his eyes, to give them a child, saying

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<v Speaker 1>that they would be quite content, even though it should

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<v Speaker 1>be no bigger than his thumb. Merlin determined to grant

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<v Speaker 1>the request, and what was the countryman's astonishment to find

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<v Speaker 1>when he reached home that his wife had a son, who,

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<v Speaker 1>wonderful to relate, was no bigger than his father's thumb.

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<v Speaker 1>The parents were now very happy, and the christening of

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<v Speaker 1>the little fellow took place with great ceremony. The fairy Queen,

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<v Speaker 1>attended by all her company of the elves, was present

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<v Speaker 1>at the feast. She kissed the little child, and giving

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<v Speaker 1>it the name of Tom Thumb, told her fairies to

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<v Speaker 1>fetch the tailors of her court, who dressed her little godsend.

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<v Speaker 1>According to her orders, his hat was made of a

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<v Speaker 1>beautiful oak leaf, his shirt of a fine spider's web,

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<v Speaker 1>and his hose and doublet were a thistle down. His

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<v Speaker 1>stockings were made with the rind of a delicate green apple,

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<v Speaker 1>and the garters were two of the finest little hairs imaginable,

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<v Speaker 1>plucked from his mother's eyebrows, while his shoes were made

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<v Speaker 1>of the skin of a little mouse. When he was

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<v Speaker 1>thus dressed, the fairy Queen kissed him once more, and,

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<v Speaker 1>wishing him all good luck, flew off with the fairies

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<v Speaker 1>to her court. As Tom grew older, he became very

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<v Speaker 1>amusing and full of tricks, so that as mother was

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<v Speaker 1>afraid to let him out of her sight. One day,

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<v Speaker 1>while she was making a batter pudding, Tom stood on

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<v Speaker 1>the edge of the bowl with a lighted candle in

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<v Speaker 1>his hand, so that she might see that the pudding

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<v Speaker 1>was made properly. Unfortunately, however, when her back was turned,

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<v Speaker 1>Tom fell into the bull, and his mother, not missing him,

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<v Speaker 1>stirred him up in the pudding, tied it in a cloth,

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<v Speaker 1>and put it into the pot. The batter filled Tom's

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<v Speaker 1>mouth and prevented him from calling out, but he had

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<v Speaker 1>no sooner felt the hot water than he kicked and

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<v Speaker 1>struggled so much that the pudding jumped about in the pot,

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<v Speaker 1>and his mother, thinking the pudding was bewitched, was nearly

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<v Speaker 1>frightened out of her wits. Pulling it out of the pot,

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<v Speaker 1>she ran with it to her door and gave it

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<v Speaker 1>to a tinker who was passing. He was very thankful

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<v Speaker 1>for it and looked forward to having a better dinner

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<v Speaker 1>than he had enjoyed for many a long day. But

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<v Speaker 1>his pleasure did not last long, for as he was

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<v Speaker 1>getting over a stile, he happened a sneeze very hard,

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<v Speaker 1>and Tom, who had been quite quiet inside the pudding

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<v Speaker 1>for some time, called out at the top of his

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<v Speaker 1>little voice, hallo pickins. This so terrified the tinker that

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<v Speaker 1>he flung away the pudding and ran off as fast

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<v Speaker 1>as he could. The pudding was all broken to pieces

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<v Speaker 1>by the fall, and Tom crept out, covered with batter,

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<v Speaker 1>and ran home to his mother, who had been looking

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<v Speaker 1>everywhere for him and was delighted to see him again.

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<v Speaker 1>She gave him a bath in a cup, which soon

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<v Speaker 1>washed off all the pudding, and he was none the

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<v Speaker 1>worse for his adventure. A few days after this, Tom

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<v Speaker 1>accompanied his mother when she went into the fields to

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<v Speaker 1>milk the cows, and, fearing he might be blown away

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<v Speaker 1>by the wind, she tied him to a sofitle with

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<v Speaker 1>a little piece of thread. While she was milking, a

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<v Speaker 1>cow came by, bit off the thistle and swallowed up Tom.

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<v Speaker 1>Poor Tom did not like her big teeth, and called

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<v Speaker 1>out loudly, mother, mother, but where are you Tommy? My,

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<v Speaker 1>dear Tommy, cried out his mother, wringing her hands. Here, Mother,

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<v Speaker 1>he shouted inside the red cow's mouth, and saying that

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<v Speaker 1>he began to kick and scratch till the poor cow

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<v Speaker 1>was nearly mad, and at length tumbled him out of

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<v Speaker 1>her mouth. On seeing this, his mother rushed to him,

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<v Speaker 1>caught him in her arms, and carried him safely home.

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<v Speaker 1>Some days after this, his father took him to the

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<v Speaker 1>fields a plowing, and gave him a whip made of

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<v Speaker 1>a barley straw with which to drive the oxen. But

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<v Speaker 1>little Tom was soon lost in a furrow. An eagle,

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<v Speaker 1>seeing him, picked him up and flew with him to

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<v Speaker 1>the top of a hill where stood a giant's castle.

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<v Speaker 1>The giant put him at once into his mouth, intending

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<v Speaker 1>to swallow him up. But Tom made such a great

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<v Speaker 1>disturbance when he got inside that the monster was soon

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<v Speaker 1>glad to get rid of him, and threw him far

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<v Speaker 1>away into the sea. But he was not drowned, for

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<v Speaker 1>he had scarcely touched the water before he was swallowed

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<v Speaker 1>by a large fish, which was shortly afterwards captured and

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<v Speaker 1>brought to King Arthur as a present by the fisherman.

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<v Speaker 1>When the fish was opened, every one was astonished at

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<v Speaker 1>finding Tom inside. He was at once carried to the King,

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<v Speaker 1>who made him his court dwarf. Long time he lived

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<v Speaker 1>in jollity, beloved of the court, and none like Tom

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<v Speaker 1>was so esteemed amongst the better sort. The Queen was

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<v Speaker 1>delighted with the little boy and made him dance a

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<v Speaker 1>galliard on her left hand. He danced still well. The

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<v Speaker 1>King Arthur gave him a ring, which he wore round

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<v Speaker 1>his waist like a girdle. Tom soon began to long

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<v Speaker 1>to see his parents again, and begged the King to

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<v Speaker 1>allow him to go home for a short time. This

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<v Speaker 1>was readily permitted, and the King told him he might

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<v Speaker 1>take with him as much money as he could carry.

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<v Speaker 1>And so away goes lusty Tom, with threepence at his back,

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<v Speaker 1>a heavy burthen which should make his very bones to crack.

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<v Speaker 1>He had to rest more than a hundred times by

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<v Speaker 1>the way, but after two days and two nights he

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<v Speaker 1>reached his father's house in safety. His mother saw him

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<v Speaker 1>coming and ran out to meet him, and there was

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<v Speaker 1>great rejoicing at his arrival. He spent three happy days

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<v Speaker 1>at home, and then set out for the court once more.

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<v Speaker 1>Shortly after his return, he one day displeased the king, so,

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<v Speaker 1>fearing the royal anger, he crept into an empty flower pot,

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<v Speaker 1>where he lay for a long time. At last he

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<v Speaker 1>ventured to peep out, and, seeing a fine, large butterfly

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<v Speaker 1>on the ground close by, he stole out of his

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<v Speaker 1>hiding place, jumped on its back, and was carried up

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<v Speaker 1>into the air. The king and nobles all strove to

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<v Speaker 1>catch him, but at last poor Tom fell from his

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<v Speaker 1>seat into a watering pot, in which he was almost drowned.

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<v Speaker 1>Only luckily the gardener's child saw him and pulled him out.

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<v Speaker 1>The King was so pleased to have him safe once

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<v Speaker 1>more that he forgot to scold him and made much

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<v Speaker 1>of him instead. Tom afterwards lived many years at court.

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<v Speaker 1>One of the best beloved of King Arthur's knights. Thus

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<v Speaker 1>he at tilt and tournament was entertained, so that all

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<v Speaker 1>the rest of Arthur's knights did him much pleasure, show

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<v Speaker 1>with good Sir Launcelot, du Lake, Sir Tristram, and Sir Guy.

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<v Speaker 1>Yet none compared to Brave Tom Thumb in Acts of Chivalry.

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<v Speaker 1>End of Tom Thumb by L. Leslie Brooke