"S:

Samuel dear
our Lord did fear




Samuel annoits

Whom God appoints

These are kind of neat, in that they dove tail. You could use them both in a lesson on Samuel, or the letter "S."

"R"

Young pious Ruth

left all for truth.

Rachel doth mourn

for her first born.

"Q"

Queen Esther sues
and saves the Jews




Queen Esther comes in royal state
to save the Jews from dismal fate.

"P"

Peter denied

his lord and cried.

The "Royal Oak"

It's amazing what you can find on the internet! With nothing more than the quizzical little rhyme "The royal oak, it was the tree that saved his royal majesty," [see "R" in the rhyming alphabet] I typed in "British king oak tree," and this is what I got:

The Royal Oak is the name given to the oak tree within which King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The tree was located in Boscobel Wood, which was part of the park of Boscobel House. Charles confirmed to Samuel Pepys in 1680 that while he was hiding in the tree, a Parliamentarian soldier passed directly below it. The story was popular after the Restoration; numerous large dishes painted in slip with the Boscobel Oak, supported by the Lion and Unicorn, with the king's face peeping from the branches were made by the Staffordshire potter Thomas Toft.[1]

Read the rest of the story on wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Oak.

When the primer first came out, of course, the colonialists were still British subjects, but by the time of the 1805 edition, which is where I got this one from, they were independent--but obviously still strong connected.

"O"

Young Obadias,

David, Josias

still were pious.

The royal Oak, it was the tree

that saved his royal majesty.

Don't quite get the 1805 version--something out of English history, perhaps? I may see if I can do some research and find out. As always, I like the 1777 version best, because teaches Scripture as well as the alphabet.

"N"

Noah did view
the world made new.



Nightingales sing

in time of spring.

"M"

Moses was he

whose Israel's host

led through the sea.

The moon gives light

in time of night.

"L"

Lot fled to Zoar
saw fiery shower
on Sodom pour.




The Lion bold

the Lamb doth hold.

I know, I know... none of the words in the first one rhyme.

"K"

Proud Korah's troop was swallowed up.

This is one of the ones that really doesn't rhyme any more. I tried desperately to rewrite it, but ended in leaving it as it was. I have also run out of the illustrated pages I had been working on. Hopefully I will get a chance to finish them at some point, and then I will post them.

"J"

Job feels the rod, yet blesses God.

"I"

Isaiah heard and spoke God's Word.

This is one of the ones that I had to make up, so I don't have any wood cut illustrations for it.

"H"

My book and heart must never part.

"G"

As runs the Glass, our life does pass.

"F"

The judgement made Felix afraid.

The idle fool is whipped at school.

Humm... I guess schools in 1805 weren't opposed to corporal punishment, were they?

"E"

Elijah hid, by ravens fed.

An Eagle's flight is out of sight.

"D"

The deluge drowned the earth around.

Or, the 1805 version:

The dog will bite a thief at night.

"C"

Christ crucified for sinners died.


Or, the later (and rather sinister) version:

The cat doth play and after slay.

There are lots of different versions this picture. We can all just take our own guesses at the lesson behind it.

"B"

Heaven to find, the Bible mind.

Or, the 1805 version,

Thy life to mend, this book attend.

"A"

In Adam's fall we sinned all.