The Marriage of the Frog and the Mouse

This is a very classic song, and there are many versions (it's usually referred to “Frog Went a Courtin'”). This one is Thomas Ravenscroft, from his Melismata (1609). Unfortunately, Ravenscroft's scansion is very bad (by my admittedly questionable standards), so I've modified his lyrics somewhat. I'll put the two versions side by side, with my version annotated.

• 1. I changed “she” to “he,” since if she came to the millpin, the question is superfluous.

  2. This was a purely editorial change: the last person to speak was the mouse.

  3. Nowadays marriage is a two syllable word; the original stanza scans if you pronounce all three syllables: marr-i-age. However, “make” doesn't rhyme with “rat.”

  4. According to the OED, “gib” is a familiar name for a cat, often a tomcat. The modern version of the song also refers to a tomcat, so I've made the changes.

  5. This should be pronounced in the adjectival version, so it rhymes with flat.

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