Cockles hissed in the fire. A boy theorized they hissed because their house was on fire.
Obtain facts before making an opinion.
L’Estrange version
Some people were roasting of cockles, and they hiss’d in the fire. Well (says a block-headed boy) these are villanous creatures sure, to sing when their houses are a-fire over their heads.
Moral
Nothing can be well that’s out of season.
Gherardo Image from 1480
Perry #054