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Introduction
"Goody Two Shoes" was published in April 1765, and few nursery
books have had a wider circulation, or have retained their position
so long. The number of editions that have been published both in
England and America is legion, and it has appeared in mutilated
versions under the auspices of numerous publishing houses in London
and the provinces, although of late years there have been no new
issues. Even in 1802, Charles Lamb in writing to Coleridge,
said--
" "Goody Two Shoes" is almost out of print. Mrs Barbauld's
stuff has banished all the old classics of the nursery, and the
shopman at Newbery's hardly deigned to reach them off an old
exploded corner of a shelf, when Mary asked for them. Mrs
Barbauld's and Mrs Trimmer's nonsense lay in piles about.
Knowledge, [ix]insignificant and vapid as Mrs Barbauld's
books convey, it seems must come to a child in the shape of
knowledge; and his empty noddle must be turned with conceit of his
own powers when he has learnt that a horse is an animal, and Billy
is better than a horse, and such like, instead of that beautiful
interest in wild tales, which made the child a man, while all the
time he suspected himself to be no bigger than a child. Science has
succeeded to poetry no less in the little walks of children than
with men. Is there no possibility of averting this sore evil? Think
what you would have been now, if instead of being fed with tales
and old wives' fables in childhood, you had been crammed with
geography and natural history!
"Hang them!--I mean the cursed Barbauld [x]crew, those blights and
blasts of all that is human in man and child."
There must, however, be many parents still living who remember
the delight that the little story gave them in their younger days,
and they will, no doubt, be pleased to see it once more in the form
which was then so familiar to them. The children of to-day, too,
will look on it with some curiosity, on account of the fact that it
is one of the oldest of our nursery tales, and amused and edified
their grand-parents and great grand-parents when they were
children, while they cannot fail to be attracted by its simple,
pretty, and interesting story.
Excerpts:
Some Days after this a more dreadful Accident befel Little
Madge. She happened to be coming late from teaching, when it
rained, thundered, and lightened, and therefore she took Shelter in
a Farmer's Barn [58]at a Distance from the Village. Soon after,
the Tempest drove in four Thieves, who, not seeing such a little
creep-mouse Girl as Two-Shoes, lay down on the Hay next to
her, and began to talk over their Exploits, and to settle Plans for
future Robberies. Little Margery on hearing them, covered
herself with Straw. To be sure she was sadly frighted, but her good
[59]Sense taught her, that the only Security
she had was in keeping herself concealed; therefore she laid very
still, and breathed very softly. About Four o'Clock these wicked
People came to a Resolution to break both Sir William Dove's
House, and Sir Timothy Gripe's, and by Force of Arms to carry off all
their Money, Plate and Jewels; but as it was thought then
too late, they agreed to defer it till the next Night.
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