The Truth About Mother Goose

The Little Magic

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Transcript

00:00 [music]

00:20 What's the truth about Mother Goose? Let's clear up all the mystery.

00:25 Her nursery rhymes from olden times are really part of history.

00:29 What's the truth about Mother Goose? The rhymes that children learn today.

00:34 Let's read the signs between the lines, conduct a thorough expose.

00:39 We'll find within these pages, as we go behind the scene,

00:44 famous people, famous places, and what the verses really mean.

00:49 What's the truth about Mother Goose? Turn these pages and you'll see.

00:53 We'll get the truth, the facts forsooth, solve this age-old mystery.

01:01 Little Jack Horner sat in a corner, eating his Christmas pie.

01:08 He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum and said, "What a good boy am I."

01:14 [music]

01:19 According to the facts, the history of this little rhyme goes back to 16th century London.

01:27 Jack Horner was the servant of a city official on his way to deliver a Christmas present to King Henry VIII.

01:35 In those days, it was a custom when bringing presents to the king to put them in a pie.

01:41 And these presents, as Jack Horner knew, were usually something of great value.

01:49 [music]

01:54 And since Jack was a bit of a knave, he stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plum.

02:02 [music]

02:07 Which happened to be the deed to a valuable estate.

02:11 [whistling]

02:19 [music]

02:26 Boy!

02:30 When King Henry sent for the city official, he hurried to court expecting some special favor in return for his present.

02:38 And we can be sure that King Henry let him have it.

02:46 And as for Jack Horner, he took up residence on his stolen estate where he lived happily ever after.

02:52 Unless, of course, he was haunted by a certain nursery rhyme that became surprisingly popular at that time.

03:00 Little Jack Horner sat in a corner eating a Christmas pie.

03:08 Put in his thumb, pulled out a plum, said, "What a good boy am I!"

03:15 Jack Horner, Jack Horner, Jack Horner!

03:21 [music]

03:24 Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

03:31 With silver bells and cockle shells and pretty maids all in a row.

03:40 The Mary in this old rhyme was Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, who came from France to take over the throne of Scotland,

03:48 bringing with her the gay French ways, extravagant tastes, and a love of frivolity.

03:55 Such conduct was frowned upon by the dour Scots who believed in preserving the stern dignity of the court.

04:02 And therefore Mary was considered quite contrary.

04:07 The silver bells refer to the elaborate decoration on her dresses,

04:12 and her love of exotic foods such as cockles account for the cockle shells.

04:17 And the pretty maids all in a row were her ladies-in-waiting.

04:22 But behind this playful little rhyme lies one of the most sinister and tragic stories in all history.

04:30 Four years after her arrival in Scotland, she married Lord Darnley, a selfish weakling, who Mary soon came to despise.

04:38 And the beautiful Queen turned her attentions to a French poet who lost his head completely

04:45 when the dour Scots interfered.

04:49 Then followed a romance with a court musician, but this too ended on a tragic note

04:56 when the infuriated Darnley interfered.

05:00 Then came the Earl of Bothwell

05:10 and the end of Lord Darnley.

05:14 And three weeks later, Mary and Bothwell were married.

05:19 Now Mary was considered much too contrary, and the outraged Scots rose against her,

05:25 forced her abdication, and sent her to the island prison of Loch Levin.

05:30 After a few months, Mary's irresistible charms so captivated the jailer's son

05:36 that he risked his life to help her escape.

05:44 Then, in an attempt to regain the throne, Mary organized a sizable army,

05:50 which was defeated after a violent battle.

05:53 Oh, dear.

05:55 And she fled to England to take refuge with her cousin, Queen Elizabeth.

06:01 But Elizabeth became jealous of Mary's great popularity.

06:05 This dazzling beauty had become the darling of the court

06:09 and a rival for the crown and must be eliminated.

06:16 Mary! Mary!

06:17 Although Mary was warned of the danger, she was still contrary and went her merry way.

06:23 This was her fatal mistake.

06:26 And she was accused and condemned as a traitor to the government.

06:31 But Mary refused to plead for mercy and remained quite contrary to the end.

06:39 Mary, Mary, quite contrary,

06:44 how does your garden grow

06:49 with silver bells and carcass shells

06:55 and pretty maids all in a row?

07:01 London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down.

07:09 London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady.

07:16 The history behind this famous nursery song is the story of Old London Bridge,

07:23 a story which begins in 1176

07:26 when it was decided to build a permanent bridge of stone to unite North and South London.

07:32 [music]

07:52 After the bridge was finished in 1209,

07:55 it was sanctified by the addition of a beautiful two-story chapel over the central pier.

08:03 And rows of elaborately designed houses were added over the length of the bridge,

08:08 transforming the plain Gothic structure into a thing of such picturesque beauty

08:13 that it was acclaimed one of the wonders of the world.

08:28 The street floors were rented to merchants who did a bustling business,

08:32 drawing their customers from the tide of traffic coming and going over the bridge.

08:46 The upper stories of the bridge houses were elaborately furnished apartments

08:50 with projecting bay windows and rooftop balconies

08:54 where residents could enjoy the invigorating air off the river

08:58 and contemplate the spectacular view.

09:15 Little wonder that Hans Holbein and William Hogarth

09:18 and many other famous painters chose to live on London Bridge.

09:27 On one occasion, a tournament was held on the bridge

09:30 and spectators crowded every available space

09:33 to watch two knights prove their courage in glorious combat.

09:37 (drum roll)

09:47 (whistle)

10:14 (triumphant music)

10:24 London Bridge was often the scene of spectacular displays and lavish celebrations

10:29 which marked great moments in English history.

10:41 While living on London Bridge was both grand and glamorous,

10:45 there were times when it was equally hazardous.

10:48 Now and then a cargo ship would break away from its moorings

10:52 and a bowsprit would come crashing through a window.

10:55 (crash)

11:00 The greatest threat to the bridge and its inhabitants was fire.

11:04 One such disaster occurred in 1666

11:08 when a fire started in the King's Bakery in Pudding Lane.

11:12 At first it was of little consequence.

11:15 Then suddenly a strong east wind spread the fire beyond control

11:22 and it swept across the city and onto the bridge.

11:25 (fire crackling)

11:32 (train whistle)

11:34 (screaming)

11:47 This was the famous Great Fire of London

11:50 which reduced the world's largest city

11:53 to a vast panorama of ashes and charred rubble

11:57 and left London Bridge a bare and blackened ruin.

12:04 During the reconstruction of London, the bridge houses were rebuilt

12:08 and its endless tide of humanity returned.

12:15 But as the centuries passed, London Bridge began to feel its age.

12:19 (music)

12:28 A lot of water had passed under the old bridge,

12:31 undermining its foundations.

12:33 (tires screeching)

12:35 The intense heat of the fires had dangerously weakened its arches

12:39 and heavy timbers braced the tottering houses

12:43 (tires screeching)

12:46 and violent tremors ran throughout the whole structure.

12:51 (crash)

12:55 The once magnificent bridge, which had been the pride of London

12:59 and proclaimed as one of the wonders of the world,

13:02 was declared a public nuisance and was ridiculed in rhyme and song.

13:08 (laughing)

13:21 (splashing)

13:23 (tires screeching)

13:26 Finally, on July the 4th, 1823,

13:30 the death warrant of the old bridge was signed

13:33 and it was demolished.

13:36 A new bridge was built in its place,

13:38 the London Bridge which stands today.

13:41 (music)

13:45 But the original London Bridge still lives on in the famous Old Nursery Song.

13:51 ♪ London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. ♪

13:57 ♪ London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady. ♪

14:02 ♪ Quick and quake, old London Bridge. ♪

14:04 ♪ Have a ball till your arches fall. ♪

14:07 ♪ Jump and jive, old London Bridge, my fair lady. ♪

14:11 ♪ That's the truth about Mother Goose. ♪

14:14 The whole truth?

14:16 The absolute historical truth?

14:18 Well, as far as we know,

14:21 ♪ that's the truth about Mother Goose. ♪

14:24 ♪ Now you've solved the mystery. ♪

14:26 ♪ That's all we know, that's all to show. ♪

14:28 ♪ We'll close our book of history. ♪

14:35 (music)

14:40 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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