"Jack
and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after."
Aditional
verses
"Up
Jack got and home did trot
As fast as he could caper
He went to bed and bound his head
With vinegar and brown paper.
So Jack
and Jill went up the hill
To fetch the pail of water,
And took it home to Mother dear,
Who thanked her son and daughter." |
 |
It is
believed that the roots of this nursery rhyme is in France. Jack
and Jill referred to are said to be Louis XVI - Jack -who was
deposed and beheaded (lost his crown) followed by his Queen Marie
Antoinette - Jill - (who came tumbling after). The words and
lyrics were made more acceptable for the nursery by giving it
a happy ending and has further been altered by the passage of
time. The first publication date for the lyrics of Jack and Jill
rhyme is 1795 - which ties-in with the history and origins (the
actual beheadings occurred in 1793).
It is
also speculated that "Jack & Jill" actually refers
to an event in English history in the 17th century. King Charles
I tried to reform the taxes on liquid measures. He was blocked
by Parliament, so subsequently ordered that the volume of a Jack
(1/2 pint) be reduced, but the tax remained the same. This meant
that he still received more tax, despite the Parliament veto.
Hence "Jack fell down and broke his crown" (many pint
glasses in the UK still have a line marking the 1/2 pint level
with a crown above it) "and Jill came tumbling after".
The reference to "Jill", (actually a "gill",
or 1/4 pint) is an indication that the gill dropped in volume
as a consequence. |
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