THE 
 
 HISTORY 
 OF 
 
 GILES GINGERBREAD, 
 
 A LITTLE BOY, 
 
 fJ^ho Lived upon Learning* 
 
 BY TOM TRIP. 
 
 EUBSLLISHED WITH WOOD^CVTS* 
 
 YORK : 
 
 Printed by J. Kendrew, Colli ergate* 
 
OLD GAFFER GINGERBREAD. 
 
 TOM TRIP^ to his C 07)1 J) anions. 
 
 Old Gingerbread, with Avisdom sound, 
 Sells useful know led p^e by tlie pound, 
 And feeds the litlTe folks, who're good, 
 At once with learning' and with food. 
 What say you, friends, Shall we go buy ? 
 Aye, aye ! — Who^s first then, you or I ? 
 And aw^ay they ran for a book. 
 
THE HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 
 GILES GIHGSRBHEAD, 
 
 A LITTLE BOV, 
 
 TVho lived upon Lcanih^g. 
 
 BY TOM TRIP. 
 
 decor,ati:d avttij rtTS. 
 
 YOilK : 
 
 rihitcd ai.a Sold by J. JvcniUcvv, Cj]i:cr..''ate, 
 
 / 
 
Roman Capital Letters. 
 
 ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRS 
 TUVWXYZ iECS 
 
 Old English Capital a^d Small Letters. 
 
 ^ 38 C 53 (tP # <!5 ?i> 3£ J 1^ 314^T |i 
 n'hcla tt ^ijij klinn a ^iH'^ in b 
 
 Italic Capital and Small Letters. 
 
 ABCDEF GH J JKLMNOP 
 QRST U V WX Y Z M (E 
 
 abed cj'g h i J k I vi n o p q r s t u 
 
^-iii J.. A. iiJ.Lj 
 
 GILES GINGEKBIiEAD. 
 
 CHAP. L 
 
 One clay as GafFer Gingerbread was 
 coiTHDgfrom work, he saw little Giles, 
 who was ragged as a cott, getting up 
 behind Sir Tobv Thompson's coacJ? : 
 upon which he called to him : here. 
 
6 
 
 Giles, come hither to me. I see, says 
 his father, you want to get upon the 
 coach, but you are ch'mbing at the 
 wa-ong place^ Giles ; you should en- 
 deavour to get in at the door. Yes, 
 father, said the boy, but that place is 
 not for poor folks. Not for poor folks, 
 replied the father, yes, but it is ; a 
 poor man or a poor boy may get a 
 coach if he Mil] endeavour to deserve 
 it. Merit and industry may entitle a 
 man to tiny thing. Why, Sir Toby, 
 was poor oi-ce, yes, as poor as thee, 
 Giles : do not be disheartened, boy, 
 only when you ciimb, climb in a pro- 
 per manner, and at the right place, 
 and I will tell you ho>v Sir Toby 
 managed it. But see, the Pig has got 
 out of the sty. • Put him in first, and 
 then I will tell you. Giles ran as 
 ia^t as he cuuld to put in tiie Pig, fas 
 
i 
 
 you here sec) for he had learned to do 
 
 
 
 
 ^-^-**T^friffT'ai rTirir-nr-M<rfni 
 
 as he was bid, or he would never have 
 made eitlH^r a good hoy or a ^^r^j^t 
 man. There is no doing ^ny good 
 for boys and girls who are obstinate, 
 and will not take advice and do as 
 they are bid. Bo, no ! such child- 
 ren never have made great i^i en and 
 women; but are neglected and de- 
 spised. 
 
n 
 
 CHAP. 11. 
 
 An Episode ; shewing how Sir Toby 
 Thompson became a great man, and 
 obtained so much money^ and such 
 a fine coach. 
 
 Giles came b^ck puffing and blow- 
 ing, now father, tell me, now father, 
 tell me, says he, how I may get such 
 a fine coach as Sir Toby's Ay, says 
 the father, that I will, Giles; I will 
 tell you how Sir Toby got his, and 
 :5r^'Ou behnve in the same manner that 
 Sir Toby did, you may get one also, 
 and take up. your poor father to ride 
 -with you, when he is grown old and 
 w^eary. 
 
 Sir Toby Thompson was the son of 
 Goody Thompson, and lived at this 
 
little Hut upon the Green. His mo* 
 ther was a poor widow^ and had three 
 
 children. Toby was the eldest, and 
 as she was obliged to go out every- 
 day to washing, scouring", and such 
 sort of work, she left little Toby at 
 home to take care of his brother and 
 sister^ and lead them about. 
 
 It happened one day that Goody 
 
10 
 
 Thompson had no victuals to leave the 
 children;, and they were all crying at 
 
 tlie time, when Mr. Goodwill, a rich 
 J.OTuion tradesman, who had a house 
 in this county, was going- by. Bless 
 me, says Mrs. Goodwill, who was with 
 her husband, vvdiat is the matter w^ith 
 these poor children, and steppfng up 
 to the little one, what do you cry for? 
 
11 
 
 said she ; I am hungry, answered the 
 child ; and I want some bread, cried 
 the other. And what do you cry 
 for ? says Mrs. Goodwill to Toby ; 
 because 1 have no bread to give to my 
 brother and sister, says the boy. This 
 is a hard case, says Mrs. Goodwill ; I 
 pity the poorchildren, let ustake them 
 home with us and feed them. Ay, 
 with all my heart, says Mr. Goodwill; 
 I pity both the children and their 
 mother, and I like the biggest boy 
 much ; for he who could forget his 
 own wants, and cry for those of his 
 brother and sister, must have a good 
 heart- So for all they were fine folkS;, 
 Mr. Goodv/ill took up one child, and 
 Mrs. Goodwill the other, and carried 
 them on, leaving Toby to trot by 
 himself, as you may see. 
 

 When the children had a belly full, 
 the}^ no Iciiger cried ; but went to 
 play till the evenings when their mo- 
 ther came crj/iiig- for them^ and told 
 Mr. and Mrs. Goodwill her case. 
 
 Mr. Goodwill gave her money^ and 
 allowed her so much a week^ towards 
 the maintenance of lierself and child- 
 ren^ and took little Toby and sent him 
 to school ; where he behaved very 
 
13 
 
 well i and soon learnt to read and 
 to write. After some time, Mr. Good- 
 will took him home to his house in 
 London, to run errands, and do any- 
 other business for the servants and 
 clerks in his shop and counting- 
 house. 
 
 Now it happened that though Mr. 
 Goodwill was a very honest, charit- 
 able, and good man, yet he was not 
 
li 
 
 altoo-ethcr so wise and prudent as one 
 yoiild expect a man to be who lived 
 in London^ and knew the world; for 
 he was very fond of horses, frequently 
 went to Newmarket, and other races, 
 and kept two race-horses himself, 
 which ran away with half of the pro- 
 fit of his trade. They were kept at a 
 great expence, turned his thoughts 
 from business, and led him into bett- 
 ing and gaming, which were scan- 
 dalous. At the time that he was so 
 taken up with his horses, he had the 
 misfortune 4o have a servant in his 
 house who was not honest ; which 
 Toby discovered, and wrote to his mas- 
 ter about it, but. in a disguised hand, 
 and without putting any name to the 
 letter. Enquiry was made, and mo- 
 ney and goods were missing. Upon 
 wliich all the servants were examined 
 
15 
 
 except Toby, and as he was a boy, and 
 thouoht incapable of defending him- 
 self, the thief laid the robbery on him. 
 Mr. Goodwill, -without that considera- 
 tion which is necessary on these occa- 
 sions, ordered him immediately to 
 pack up his things, and go about his 
 business. Yes sir, says Toby, crying, 
 but first hear me. I know that you 
 have been defrauded, sir, and I thought 
 it my duty, as you was my master, to 
 inform you of it. I wrote you a let- 
 ter, sir, in a feigned hand, and with- 
 out a name, when you was at New- 
 market, but at the corner of the letter 
 you will find a private mark, by which 
 you may know it to be mine, and I 
 should not have done this had I been 
 guilty of the robl>ery. No sir, you 
 have been a father to me ; and I have 
 been just and honest to you; but this 
 
16 
 
 man has not, (pointing to the thief,) 
 for I saw him take goods privately 
 out of the warehouse, and carry them 
 to the pawnbrokers. The master was 
 astonished ! he looked at the letter, 
 found the mark, and saw the boy was 
 innocent, and then searching the 
 pawnbrokers, the goods were found. 
 Toby knew it was his duty not only 
 to be honest himself^ but if possible, 
 to make others so, and you will pre- 
 sently see how God Almighty blessed 
 him for it, and how he was rewarded 
 for his fidelity. 
 
 After this, Mr. Goodwill placed 
 great confidence in Toby, and his af- 
 fairs so prospered, that he became 
 very rich. He then took in Toby as 
 a partner with him, and at his death 
 left him the whole trade, and a larcre 
 5um of money, which is still inqreas- 
 
17 
 
 ing ; and from being a little ragged 
 boy, and living in the hut, he now 
 rides in his coach. 
 
 Think of this, my dear Giles, and 
 learn your book, and say your pray- 
 ers, and go to church, and be honest, 
 good, and industrious, that you may 
 get ^ coach also. 
 
18 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 How little Giles ^ first acquired Ms 
 
 learning. 
 
 AS soon as Gaffer Gingerbread had 
 finished this story of Sir Toby and his 
 coach, little Giles ran up to his father^ 
 and beg'S'ed that he would give him a 
 book^ cind teach him to read, that he 
 
19 
 
 mi|{iit become as great a man as Sir 
 Toby Thompson. 
 
 Gaffer Gingerbread^ who was a 
 
 pretty good scholar pulled a book out 
 
 of his pockety and sitting down under 
 
 a tree with Giles on his lap, now^ says 
 
 he, if you will be a good boy, and 
 
 mind what I say, you may soon learn 
 
 to read. You must know% Giles, that 
 
 all the words in the world are spelt, 
 
 or made up, of these twenty-four 
 
 marks or letters, pulling out of hi^ 
 
 pocketan alphabet cut in pieces, which 
 
 he had made of gingerbread, for he 
 
 was by trade a gingerbread baker- 
 
 These he placed in this manner : 
 
 abcdefghijklmn opq 
 rstuvwxy z 
 
 All the words in the world, said 
 Giles, laughing ; yes, sirrah, says the 
 
to 
 
 father, what clo you laugh at? I say 
 all the words in the world • all the 
 words that you and all the people in 
 the world can think on, may be spelt 
 with these letters differently placed. 
 Then let rue hear you spell top, said 
 Giles, so you shall, said the father. 
 See here is a /, an o, and a p, — and 
 these placed together make top. Ay, 
 that isalittleword, says Giles, but you 
 cannot spell plumb-pudding; >vhy, 
 yes, I can, said the father, see here is 
 a p, an /, a u, an m, and a 6, which 
 placed thus, make jjhanb ; and here is 
 another p, and aw, a 6?, and another 
 dy an iy an ;z, and a g^ which being 
 placed thus, make pudding; these two 
 words put together make plumb' pnd^ 
 diiifr. 
 
 Let me spell, father, says Giles, and 
 taking the gingerbread letters in his 
 
c 
 
 21 
 
 hand, wliat shall I spell, said he; why^ 
 the name of the thing you see, quoth 
 the father, then Fli spell goose, says 
 the boy ; so saying, he took up a g, 
 a w, an /, and an e, and placed them 
 thus, gtife ; you blockhead, is that 
 your manner of spelling, says the fa- 
 ther, who would certainly have been 
 angry, but at this instant, farmer Mil- 
 ton s hog ran at the geese and goslings 
 
0O 
 
 that were before him, ntn Giles, ritn^ 
 said the father, away he liew to save 
 the ^j^-osh'no-s, which he did with the 
 the help of the gander, who laid hold 
 of the hoo's ear to keej) him off 
 
 See what aifcction these creatures 
 have for their voiino;, and what care 
 they take of tlicm, what will not a fa« 
 ther and mother do to preserve their 
 children ; and children ought to do 
 the same to tlieir paients, but thej^ are 
 naughty children wfio do not consider 
 this, though God /\lmighty has pro- 
 mised long life to those who do. ^' Ho- 
 nour tiiy father and thy mother^ that 
 thy davs may I)e lon^ in the land 
 which the Lord thv God o^iveth thee/' 
 
 Giles came l:)ack crying, (see here 
 he is.) and toid his father that tiie 
 geese liisseii and laughed at him. Ay^ 
 that is because yuu caruiot read^ an^ 
 
23 
 
 swered the father, come hither, Giles, 
 says he^ you must lecirn to know all 
 the letters, and the sound thev have 
 alone, and when joined to others, l)er. 
 fore you can spell ^ind read. In the 
 word you attempted to S])el]^ you 
 have taken anj^ instead oFan .v, and a 
 n instead of oo, for want of know in i^ 
 the letters and their sou!]ds, here take 
 up this hj and look at him wed : you 
 

 see he is very different from the rest 
 Upon this, Giles took up the letters, 
 and then he read A, A, says he. Ay, 
 Mr. A^ I shall know you again, apple 
 for that B, B, you are not at all like 
 A, Mr. B, I should be a blockhead if 
 I did not know you. C, C, I shall 
 know you Mr. C, indeed, and so will 
 every body that loves custard, D, 
 D, drum and dumpling will make me 
 know you, Mr. D. E, E, eggs and 
 eel-pie for ever. F, F, fine folks and 
 furmity for you, Mr. F. G, G, Gin- 
 gerbread and gooseberry fool will al- 
 ways make me love you Mr. G. H, 
 H, hog's puddings and hot cockles for 
 ever. I, I, Jack Jones the inkle 
 weaver, will put me in mind of you, 
 Mr. I. K, K, come, Mr. li, yon shall 
 help me to make a kite. L, L, my 
 Uttle lamb and my lark will help me 
 
25 
 
 to remember you, Mr. L. M, M> 
 Money for you Mr. M, when I can 
 get it, and when I fool it away, you 
 shall call me monkey. N, N, nuts 
 and Naney for ever. O, O, oranges, 
 one a penny, two a penny, oranges. 
 P, P, Punch and the puppet show, 
 huzza. Q, Q, you stand for quail^ 
 Mr. Q, and I shall always thmk on 
 you when I see a queer fellow. R, 
 R, you are a raven, Mr. R, and a rat 
 catcher. S, stands for swan. T, T, 
 oh, Mr. T, I know you by my top and 
 trumpet. U, U, Unicorn for that- 
 W, W, a man can never forfeit yoti 
 when he has a wild duck for dinner. 
 X, X, you look so cross, that I shall 
 know^ you again by your double face. 
 Y, Y, you are like my yellow ham- 
 mer, Mr. Y. Z, is a zany, who loves 
 not his book, or his master, or school. 
 
26" 
 
 Giles wa*? fond of his book, and as 
 his father gave him a new one every 
 day, which lie eat up, it may be truly 
 said he lived i^pon learning. Sir To- 
 by, hearino- wl)at a good boy he was, 
 took him to Loiulon in Jiis coach, and 
 no doubt, he will soon get one of his 
 own ; when he does, we shall let our 
 readers know it. Farewell. 
 
 Giles Gingerbread he lov*d cream, 
 
 custard and curds ; 
 And good books so well, that he eat 
 
 lip his words. 
 
 iftiiijwiMi ii""! II I wiii juiiiwbI 
 
li 
 
 
 •PW 
 
 5?En:^^ 
 
 ;r.£?-;:-T^ 
 
 rr::: 
 
 ■'-v^t'o .-. -. 
 
 iii.«t"''*'|j 
 
 te|f 
 
 
 
 ^w 
 
 
 !««ii«aeR& 
 
 
 
 See here's little Giles, 
 
 With his Gingerbread book. 
 For which he cloth long-. 
 
 And at which he doth look ^ 
 Till by longing and looking. 
 
 He gets it by heart. 
 And then he eats it up. 
 
 As we eat up a tart. 
 
THE BOY 
 
 WHO KNEW NOTHING. 
 
 A boy tliere was^, so wiltl and g^y, 
 He minded nothing bat his play, 
 Nor would he give t!ie smallest heed 
 To learn to write, or learn to read. 
 Of cyphering he could nothing do. 
 Nor tell how many would make two ; 
 In short, he used no more his head. 
 Than if his brains were made of lead ; 
 One way indeed he us'd it well, 
 And what that was, I now will tell ; 
 Why on his head, and either hand. 
 He took a pride upright to stand ; 
 And to see his heels in the air. 
 Made children laugh, and blockheads 
 
 stare ; 
 He thought a mighty feat he'd done^ 
 And caird it making rare good iun. 
 

 
 9 
 
 Besides this, on bis hands and pate^ 
 He could move on at a great rate; 
 And, like a wheel, go round and 
 
 round, {^ground. 
 
 Head, hands, and feet, upon th^ 
 He also well could climb a tree. 
 Just like a squirrel, or monkey ; 
 And had he been of either race, 
 On neither had he brought disgrace* 
 But born, as he was, of human kind. 
 And bless'd with sense, with speech, 
 
 and mind, 
 It was a shame to spend his days 
 Only in learning monkey ways. 
 In vain it was, his parents strove, 
 To make him more his lesson love ; 
 Do what they would he still resisted. 
 And in Iiis foolish pranks persisted. 
 Day after day new plans they tried. 
 Whilst hourly he those plans defied. 
 And idled on through every day, 
 Till his whole youth waii past avvay» 
 
n 
 
 
 
 9 
 
 His vonth was ffone, and with it fled 
 All charms of standing on his head. 
 Nor could he any longer feel 
 Hie joy of turning like a wheel, 
 Nor could the climhing of a tree^ 
 Afford him now the smallest olee. 
 In shorty tho' grown both old and 
 
 grey 
 
 Nor able for to skip or play. 
 
 He was as silly as a boy, 
 
 Without one friend, without one joy; 
 
 Despis'd by all his name who knew. 
 
 Unable any thing to do 
 
 But eat, and sleep, and sometimes 
 
 walk, 
 Unfit to join in social talk; 
 For so unculturM was his mind, 
 No conversation Could he find. 
 Jn fine, unto the human race 
 He was a burden and disgrace. 
 
31 
 VRAISE FOR THE GOSPEL 
 
 Lord, I ascrihe it to thy grnce, 
 And not to chnnce as others do, 
 
 'I'hcit i was born of iJInistian race, 
 And not a Ileatl^.i or a Jew. 
 
 What u'onki the ancient Jewish kind's,- 
 And Jewish propnets once have t*;iv'n ? 
 
 Could they have heard tliose glorious things 
 Which Christ reveal'd and brought from 
 heav n. 
 
 How glad the heathens v.^ould have been^ 
 • That worshiped idols,- wood, and stone, 
 If they the book of Oud h.ad aeen, 
 Of Jesus and his gospel known ! 
 
 Then if this gospel I refuse, 
 
 liow^ shall I e'er lift up rny eyes ? 
 
 For all the Gentiles and the Jevvs 
 Against me will in judgment rise, 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 Pnutcd and Sold by J. Kendrew, Colliergate. 
 
 i 
 
 Mtwmm 
 
PENNY BOOKS 
 
 PRINTED AND SOLD 
 
 BY 
 
 J. KENDREW, COLLIERGATE, 
 
 YORK. 
 
 Mrs. Lovechild^s Golden Present 
 
 Silver Penny . - - 
 
 Death and Burial of Cock Robin 
 
 Little Red Riding Hood 
 
 The Cries of York 
 
 Surprising Adventures of Puss in Boots 
 
 Sister's Gift ; or the Bad Boy Reformed 
 
 Tom Thumb's Folio - - 
 
 The History of Giles Gingerbread 
 
 Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe 
 
 The Hermit of the Forest 
 
 Entertainments at the Royal Circus 
 
 The House that Jack Built 
 
 The World turned Upside Down -• 
 
 The Cries of London - - 
 
 Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard and 
 
 her Dog, in Three P^rts 
 Cinderilla ; or, the Little Glass Slipper 
 A New-Year's Gift 
 A Collection of Fables - - 
 
 Riddles . • •