[originaltext] The Mother Goose Stories, so well known to children all over

The Mother Goose Stories, so well known to children all over the world, are commonly said to have been written by a little old woman for her grandchildren. According to some people, she lived in Boston, and her real name was Elizabeth Vergoose. Her son-in-law, a printer named Thomas Fleet, was supposed to have published the famous stories and poems for small children in 1719. However, no copy of this book has ever been found, and most scholars doubt the troth of this story-- and doubt, moreover, that Mother Goose was ever a real parson. They point out that the name is a direct translation of the French "Mere I’Ohe." In 1679 the Frenchman Charles Perrault published the first book in which this name was used. The collection contains eight tales, including "Sleeping Beauty", "Cinderell," and "Puss in Boots." But Perrault did not originate these stories; they were already quite popular in his day, and he only collected them.