A Was an Archer

A was an Archer, and shot at a frog,
B was a Butcher, and kept a great dog.
C was a Captain, all covered with lace,
D was a Dunce, with a very sad face.
E was an Esquire, with insolent brow,
F was a Farmer, and followed the plough.
G was a Gamester, who had but ill luck,
H was a Hunter, and hunted a buck.
I was an Innkeeper, who loved to bouse,
J was a Joiner, and built up a house.
K was a King, so mighty and grand,
L was a Lady, who had a white hand.
M was a Miser, and hoarded up gold,
N was a Nobleman, gallant and bold.
O was an Oysterman, and went about town,
P was a Parson, and wore a black gown.
Q was a Queen, who wore a silk slip,
R was a Robber, and wanted a whip.
S was a Sailor, and spent all he got,
T was a Tinker, and mended a pot.
U was an Usurer, a miserable elf.
V was a Vintner, who drank all himself.
W was a Watchman, and guarded the door,
X was eXpensive, and so became poor.
Y was a Youth, that did not love school,
Z was a Zany, a poor, harmless fool.

There are many rhymes that are based on the alphabet in Mother Goose and nursery rhyme collections, and I find them especially interesting... because there wasn't always 26 characters in the English alphabet! Early versions of the alphabet rhymes show that I and J were actually the same character, as were V and U... and a W was litterally just a UU ... a double U! This rhyme has all the modern characters in it, and the earliest I've seen this particular jingle referenced is in an 1803 article in the Monthly Review from London, England.