Answers to the Riddles from "A booke of Gilloflowers" 1560's
All
'Spelling' errors are original. Letters in ( ) are implied by diacritic
marks.
Answer #1
The father the yeere: the xii.so(n)nes, y(e) xii.months: the lx.children, the xxx.dayes, and xxx.nights.
Answer #2
A Ship.
Answer #3
A mans minde.
Answer #4
A footeball made of a bladder.
Answer #5
An old man being in prison, his daughter comming to visite him, woulde geue him sucke of her breasts + so nourish him.
Answer #6
An Onion.
Answer #7
Men trauellng in the snow are beaten with it, and carry the dead bodies on their garments vntill they come to a fire, which makes them vanish away.
Answer #8
Hempe.
Answer #9
A chicken, being first an Egge, + then a chicken.
Answer #10
A lute.
Answer #11
Play at all kinde of games,
Answer #12
Wheat being the Newter ge(n)der, in Latin is turned into farinam, meale, which is the feminine, which is then co(n)nerted into bread, + so nourisheth them that bake it.
Answer #13
A man co(m)ming to a fou(n)taine to drinke, saw a serpent climbing vp on a tree, to deuour a neast of young Egles, which serpent hee slewe with hus sworde, and so saued their liues, beeing about then to drink of the water, the young birdes, scraping out the filth of their nests fowled it in such sort, that it letted him from drinking: a spaniel that he had there with him, tasting of it, was presently poysoned.
Answer #14
Salt.
Answer #15
The night and day.
Answer #16
A paire of sheares.
Answer #17
A good tongue and a bad.
Answer #18
A mayde beeing in loue with a young man, desires him to geue her a husbande, which in marriyng with her hee might doe.