Can You Solve This Old-Timey Riddle? #1

In the 1770s, a collection of riddles entitled Food for the Mind was published in London, for “the great and the little good boys and girls in England, Scotland, and Ireland.” The collection was anonymous, with its author known only as “John-the-Giant-Killer, Esq.”—a nod to the children’s fairytale character Jack the Giant Killer. Whoever they were, “John” wrote almost 100 short poetic riddles and verses in Food for the Mind, each of which was accompanied by a simple picture which served as its solution.

It is fair to say that some of the riddles are more complex and more difficult to solve than others, with answers ranging from the likes of a clock or a pair of scissors to higher concepts like royalty and travel. The riddle below is admittedly at the more straightforward end of the scale—but can you solve it?

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