I'd like the entire poem and background to a nursery rhyme (possibly
from Mother Goose Stories)....for the following:  "Jack Sprat ate no
fat. His wife ate no lean." .....

Greetings!

There is nothing like a nice nursery rhyme to provide soothing
comfort.

The strains of Ring around the Rosie, conjuring up images of the
Plague.  Jack and Jill, and their sordid little sexual escapades that
caused Jack to be killed by a boulder.  Poor Jill "came following
after", according to reliable sources, when she died in childbirth. 
Sounds kinda like a Jerry Springer episode.  No, it's just some warm
little ditties that were created, by some very clever people, as a way
to describe some notable events throughout history.

Jack Spratt could eat no fat, 
His wife could eat no lean, 
And so betwixt them both, 
They licked the platter clean.

After some research, it seems that this popular nursery rhyme is about
that lovely couple, Charles I of England and his wife Henrietta Maria.

Seems good ole Charlie I wanted to start a war with Spain.  When
Parliament nixed the financing, therefore leaving him "lean" as far as
the money was concerned.  So he dissolved Parliament and imposed a
hefty war tax, and other dirty dealings, upon his people.

A great description of this rhyme was found on a website called, A
Rhyme and A Reason.  The site suggests that Charles I of England, and
his wife Henrietta Maria , "licked England clean to feed their own
bloodthirsty appetites."


Links of interest:

A Rhyme and Reason
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/3041/sprat.html


Search terms:

"nursery rhyme"+"jack sprat"+history

This analysis from the Ian Munro's website at the University of
Alberta's suggests that not every nursery rhyme has a dark side,
whatever the popular conception.
http://www.ualberta.ca/~imunro/versions.html