II.

  Rats!
They fought the dogs and killed the cats,
  And bit the babies in the cradles,

  And ate the cheeses out of the vats.

  And licked the soup from the cook's own ladles,

Split open the kegs of salted sprats,
Made nests inside men's Sunday hats,

And even spoiled the women's chats,

  By drowning their speaking
  With shrieking and squeaking
In fifty different sharps and flats.