Tom Thumb

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Long ago, in the merry days of Good King Arthur, there lived a plowman in his wife.

They were very poor, but would have been contented and happy if only they could have had a little

child.

One day, having heard of the great fame of the magician Merlin, who was living at the court

of King Arthur, the wife persuaded her husband to go and tell him of their trouble.

Having arrived at the court, the man besought Merlin with tears and his eyes to give him

a child, saying that they would be quite content even though it should be no bigger than

his thumb.

Merlin determined to grant the request, and what was the countryman's astonishment to

find when he reached home that his wife had a son, who wonderful to relate, was no bigger

than his father's thumb.

The parents were now very happy, and the christening of the little fellow took place with great

ceremony.

The fairy queen, attended by all her company of elves, was present at the feast.

She kissed the little child, and, giving it the name of Tom Thumb, told her fairies to

fetch the tailors of her court, who dressed her little gods in according to her orders.

His hat was made of a beautiful oak leaf, his shirt of a fine spider's web, and his

hose and doublet were a fissled down.

His stockings were made with the rind of a delicate green apple, and the garters were two

of the finest little hairs imaginable, plucked from his mother's eyebrows, while his shoes

were made of the skin of a little mouse.

When he was thus dressed, the fairy queen kissed him once more, and wishing him all good

luck flew off with the fairies to her court.

As Tom grew older, he became very amusing and full of tricks, so that his mother was

afraid to let him out of her sight.

One day, while she was making a batter pudding, Tom stood on the edge of the bowl with the

lighted candle in his hand, so that she might see that the pudding was made properly.

Unfortunately, however, when her back was turned, Tom fell into the bowl, and his mother,

not missing him, stirred him up in the pudding, tied in a cloth, and put it into the pot.

The batter filled Tom's mouth and prevented him from calling out, but he had no sooner

felt to the hot water than he kicked and struggled so much that the pudding jumped about

in the pot, and his mother, thinking the pudding was bewitched, was nearly frightened

out of her wits.

Pulling it out of the pot, she ran with it to her door, and gave it to a tinker who

was passing.

He was very thankful for it, and looked forward to having a better dinner than he had

enjoyed for many a long day.

But his pleasure did not last long.

For as he was getting over a style, he happened to sneeze very hard, and Tom, who had been

quite quiet inside the pudding for some time, called out at the top of his little voice.

Hello, pickens!

This so terrified the tinker that he flung away the pudding and ran off as fast as he

could.

The pudding was all broken to pieces by the fall, and Tom crept out, covered with batter,

and ran home to his mother, who had been looking everywhere for him, and was delighted

to see him again.

She gave him the bath in a cup, which soon washed off all the pudding, and he was none

the worse for his adventure.

A few days after this, Tom accompanied his mother when she went into the fields to milk

the cows, and fearing he might be blown away by the wind, she tied him to a sothisle with

a little piece of thread.

While she was milking, a cow came by, bit off the fissile, and swallowed up Tom.

Poor Tom did not like her big teeth, and called out loudly.

Mother!

Mother!

But where are you, Tommy, my dear Tommy?

He tied out his mother, ringing her hands.

Here, mother, he shouted, inside the red cow's mouth!

And saying that, he began to kick and scratch till the poor cow was nearly mad, and at length

tumbled him out of her mouth.

On seeing this, his mother rushed to him, caught him in her arms, and carried him safely

home.

Some days after this, his father took him to the field to plowing, and gave him a whip

made of a barley straw with which to drive the oxen.

Little Tom was soon lost in furrow.

An eagle seeing him, picked him up and flew with him to the top of the hill, where stood

a giant's castle.

The giant put him at once into his mouth, intending to swallow him up, but Tom made such a great

disturbance when he got inside that the monster was soon glad to get rid of him, and threw

him far away into the sea.

But he was not drowned, freed, scarcely touched the water before he was swallowed by a large

fish, which was shortly afterwards captured and brought to King Arthur as a present by

the fisherman.

When the fish was opened, everyone was astonished at finding Tom inside.

He was at once carried to the King who made him his court dwarf.

Long time he lived injolity, beloved of the court, and none like Tom was so esteemed amongst

the better sort.

The queen was delighted with the little boy, and made him dance a gallured on her left hand.

He danced still well, the King Arthur gave him a ring which he wore around his waist like

a girdle.

Tom soon began to long to see his parents again, and begged the King to allow him to go home

for a short time.

This was readily permitted, and the King told him he might take with him as much money as

he could carry.

And so away goes lusty Tom, with three pence at his back, a heavy burden which should

make his very bones to crack.

He had to rest more than a hundred times by the way, but after two days and two nights,

he reached his father's house in safety.

His mother saw him coming and ran out to meet him, and there was great rejoicing at his

arrival.

He spent three happy days at home, and then set out for the court once more.

Shortly after his return, he one day displeased the King, so fearing the royal anger he crept

into an empty flower pot where he lay for a long time.

At last he ventured to peep out, and seeing a fine, large butterfly on the ground close

by, he stole out of his hiding place, jumped on its back, and was carried up into the air.

The King and Noble's all strove to catch him, but at last poor Tom fell from his seat into

a watering pot in which he was almost drowned, only luckily the gardener's child saw him

and pulled him out.

The King was so pleased to have him safe once more that he forgot to scold him, and made

much of him instead.

Tom afterwards lived many years at court, one of the best beloved of King Arthur's

knights.

Thus he at tilt in tournament was entertained so, that all the rest of Arthur's knights

did him much pleasure show.

With good sir Lancelot de laik, Sir Tristan and Sir Guy, yet none compared to brave Tom

Thum in acts of chivalry.

The King of Thum Thum by El Leslie Brook.