{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_41728/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_41728","id":"gutenberg_41728","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41728","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Archaeology & Anthropology","Category: British Literature","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Folklore -- Great Britain","Games -- Great Britain"],"text":"Produced by David Edwards, Harry Lam\u00e9, the Music Team (Anne\nCelnik, monkeyclogs, Sarah Thomson and others) and the\nOnline Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net\n(This file was produced from images generously made\navailable by The Internet Archive)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n +-------------------------------------------------------------------+\n | TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: |\n | |\n | Text printed in italics in the original work is presented here |\n | between underscores, as in _text_. Similarly, bold face in the |\n | original is represented as =text=. |\n | |\n | Footnotes have been moved to the end of the description of the |\n | game. |\n | |\n | [Illustration] means that there is an illustration present in the |\n | text; [Music] means a transcription in musical notation. |\n | |\n | [Greek: text] represents a transcription of Greek text. [zeta] |\n | and [yogh] represent the named characters. The oe-ligature has |\n | been transcribed as [oe]. |\n | |\n | More Transcriber's Notes may be found at the end of this text. |\n +-------------------------------------------------------------------+\n\n\n\n\nVOL. I.\n\nACCROSHAY-NUTS IN MAY\n\n Medium 8vo, xix.--424 pp. With numerous Diagrams and Illustrations.\n Cloth uncut. 12s. 6d. nett.\n\n\nSome Press Notices\n\n _Notes and Queries._--\"A work of supreme importance.\u00a0.\u00a0. a\n scholarly, valuable, and delightful work.\"\n\n _Spectator._--\"Interesting and useful to the antiquarian, historian,\n and philologist, as well as to the student of manners and customs.\"\n\n _Saturday Review._--\"Thorough and conscientious.\"\n\n _Critic_ (New York).--\"A mine of riches to the student of folk-lore,\n anthropology, and comparative religion.\"\n\n _Antiquary._--\"The work of collection and comparison has been done\n with obvious care, and at the same time with a con amore\n enthusiasm.\"\n\n _Zeitschrift f\u00fcr vergl. Literaturgeschichte._--\"In jeder Beziehung\n ersch\u00f6pfend und musterg\u00fcltig.\"\n\n _Zeitschrift f\u00fcr P\u00e4dagogie._--\"Von hoher wissenschaftlicher\n Bedeutung.\"\n\n\n[_All rights reserved_]\n\n\n\n\n THE\n TRADITIONAL GAMES\n Of England, Scotland, and Ireland\n\n WITH\n\n TUNES, SINGING-RHYMES, AND METHODS OF PLAYING\n ACCORDING TO THE VARIANTS EXTANT AND\n RECORDED IN DIFFERENT PARTS\n OF THE KINGDOM\n\n\n COLLECTED AND ANNOTATED BY\n ALICE BERTHA GOMME\n\n\n VOL. II.\n\n OATS AND BEANS-WOULD YOU KNOW\n\n\n TOGETHER WITH A MEMOIR ON THE STUDY\n OF CHILDREN'S GAMES\n\n\n LONDON\n DAVID NUTT, 270-71 STRAND\n 1898\n\n\n Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.\n\n At the Ballantyne Press\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\n\nThe completion of the second volume of my Dictionary has been delayed\nfrom several unforeseen circumstances, the most important being the\ndeath of my most kind and learned friend the Rev. Dr. Gregor. The loss\nwhich folk-lore students as a body sustained by this lamented scholar's\ndeath, was in my own case accentuated, not only by many years of kindly\ncommunication, but by the very special help which he generously gave me\nfor this collection.\n\nThe second volume completes the collection of games on the lines already\nlaid down. It has taken much more space than I originally intended, and\nI was compelled to add some important variants to the first volume, sent\nto me during the compilation of the second. I have explained in the\nmemoir that the two volumes practically contain all that is to be\ncollected, all, that is to say, of real importance.\n\nThe memoir seeks to show what important evidence is to be derived from\nseparate study of the Traditional Games of England. That games of all\nclasses are shown to contain evidence of ancient custom and belief is\nremarkable testimony to the anthropological methods of studying\nfolk-lore, which I have followed. The memoir fills a considerable space,\nalthough it contains only the analytical portion of what was to have\nbeen a comprehensive study of both the analytical and comparative sides\nof the questions. Dr. Gregor had kindly promised to help me with the\nstudy of foreign parallels to British Games, but before his death it\nbecame apparent that this branch of the subject would almost need a\nseparate treatise, and his death decided me to leave it untouched. I do\nnot underrate its importance, but I am disposed to think that the survey\nI have given of the British evidence will not be materially shaken by\nthe study of the comparative evidence, which will now be made the\neasier.\n\nI ought perhaps to add, that the \"Memoir\" at the end of this volume was\nread as a paper at the evening meeting of the Folk Lore Society, on\nMarch 16th, 1898.\n\nI have again to thank my many kind correspondents for their help in\ncollecting the different versions of the games.\n\nA. B. G.\n\n24 DORSET SQUARE, N.W.\n\n\n\n\nLIST OF AUTHORITIES\n\nADDENDUM TO VOL. I.\n\n\nENGLAND.\n\n BEDFORDSHIRE--\n Bedford Mrs. Haddon.\n\n BERKSHIRE--\n Welford Mrs. S. Batson.\n\n BUCKINGHAMSHIRE--\n Buckingham _Midland Garner._\n\n CAMBRIDGESHIRE Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_.\n Barrington, Girton Dr. A. C. Haddon.\n Cambridge Mrs. Haddon.\n\n CORNWALL Miss I. Barclay.\n\n DERBYSHIRE Miss Youngman, _Long Ago_, vol. i.\n\n DEVONSHIRE Miss Chase.\n Chudleigh Knighton { Henderson's _Folk-lore of the Northern\n { Counties of England_.\n\n DORSETSHIRE--\n Broadwinsor _Folk-lore Journal_, vol. vii.\n\n GLOUCESTERSHIRE Northall's _English Folk Rhymes_.\n\n HAMPSHIRE--\n Gambledown Mrs. Pinsent.\n\n HERTFORDSHIRE--\n Harpenden, Stevenage Mrs. Lloyd.\n\n HUNTINGDONSHIRE--\n St. Neots Miss Lumley.\n\n KENT Miss L. Broadwood.\n\n LANCASHIRE--\n Manchester Miss Dendy.\n Liverpool Mrs. Harley.\n\n LEICESTERSHIRE _Leicestershire County Folk-lore._\n\n LINCOLNSHIRE--\n Brigg Miss J. Barker.\n Spilsby Rev. R. Cracroft.\n\n LONDON Dr. Haddon, A. Nutt, Mrs. Gomme.\n Blackheath Mr. M. L. Rouse.\n Hoxton Rev. S. D. Headlam.\n Marylebone Mrs. Gomme.\n\n MIDDLESEX Mrs. Pocklington-Coltman.\n\n NORFOLK Mrs. Haddon.\n Hemsby Mrs. Haddon.\n\n NORTHUMBERLAND Hon. J. Abercromby.\n\n OXFORDSHIRE Miss L. Broadwood.\n\n STAFFORDSHIRE Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_.\n Wolstanton Miss Bush.\n\n SUFFOLK Mrs. Haddon.\n Woolpit, near Haughley Mr. M. L. Rouse.\n\n SURREY--\n Ash Mrs. Gomme.\n\n SUSSEX--\n Lewes Miss Kimber.\n\n WORCESTERSHIRE--\n Upton on Severn Miss. L. Broadwood.\n\n YORKSHIRE Miss E. Cadman.\n\n\nSCOTLAND.\n\n_Notes and Queries._ Pennant's _Voyage to the Hebrides_.\n\n ABERDEENSHIRE--\n Aberdeen Mr. M. L. Rouse.\n Aberdeen Training College Rev. Dr. Gregor.\n Corgarff, Fraserburgh, } Rev. Dr. Gregor.\n Meiklefolla, Rosehearty, }\n Tyrie\n\n ARGYLLSHIRE--\n Connell Ferry, near Oban Miss Harrison.\n\n BANFFSHIRE--\n Cullen, Macduff Rev. Dr. Gregor.\n\n BERWICKSHIRE A. M. Bell (_Antiquary_, vol. xxx.).\n\n ELGIN AND NAIRN--\n Dyke } Rev. Dr. Gregor.\n Strichen }\n\n FORFARSHIRE--\n Forfar Rev. Dr. Gregor.\n\n KINCARDINESHIRE--\n Banchory Rev. Dr. Gregor.\n\n KIRCUDBRIGHTSHIRE--\n Auchencairn { Miss M. Haddon.\n { Dr. A. C. Haddon.\n Crossmichael Rev. Dr. Gregor.\n Galloway } Mr. J. G. Carter.\n Dalry }\n Kirkcudbright }Mr. J. Lawson.\n Laurieston }\n New Galloway Rev. Dr. Gregor.\n\n LINLITHGOWSHIRE--\n Linlithgow Mrs. Jamieson.\n\n PERTHSHIRE--\n Auchterarder Miss E. S. Haldane.\n Perth Rev. Dr. Gregor.\n\n ROSS-SHIRE Rev. Dr. Gregor.\n\n WIGTONSHIRE--\n Port William School Rev. Dr. Gregor.\n\n\nIRELAND.\n\nCarleton's _Stories of Irish Peasantry_.\n\n CORK--\n Cork Mr. I. J. Dennachy.\n\n DOWN--\n St. Andrews Miss H. E. Harvey.\n\n DUBLIN--\n Dublin Mrs. Coffey.\n Howth Miss H. E. Harvey.\n\n KERRY--\n Kerry I. J. Dennachy.\n Waterville Mrs. B. B. Green.\n\n LEITRIM--\n Kiltubbrid Mr. L. L. Duncan.\n\n WATERFORD--\n Waterford Miss H. E. Harvey.\n\n\nWALES.\n\nRoberts' _Cambrian Popular Antiquities_.\n\n\n\n\nLIST OF GAMES\n\n\n OATS and Beans and Barley.\n Obadiah.\n Odd or Even.\n Odd-man.\n Old Dame.\n Old Roger is Dead.\n Old Soldier.\n Oliver, Oliver, follow the King.\n One Catch-all.\n Oranges and Lemons.\n 'Otmillo.\n Over Clover.\n\n PADDY from Home.\n Paip.\n Pallall.\n Pally Ully.\n Pat-ball.\n Pay-swad.\n Pednameny.\n Peesie Weet.\n Peg and Stick.\n Peg-fiched.\n Peggy Nut.\n Peg-in-the-Ring.\n Peg-top.\n Penny Cast.\n Penny Hop.\n Penny Prick.\n Penny Stanes.\n Ph[oe]be.\n Pick and Hotch.\n Pi-cow.\n Pigeon Walk.\n Pig-ring.\n Pillie-Winkie.\n Pinch.\n Pinny Show.\n Pins.\n Pirley Pease-weep.\n Pitch.\n Pitch and Hustle.\n Pitch and Toss.\n Pit-counter.\n Pits.\n Pize Ball.\n Plum Pudding.\n Plum Pudding and Roast Beef.\n Pointing out a Point.\n Poncake.\n Poor and Rich.\n Poor Mary sits a-weeping.\n Poor Widow.\n Pop Goes the Weasel.\n Pop-the-Bonnet.\n Poppet-Show.\n Port the Helm.\n Pots, or Potts.\n Pray, Pretty Miss.\n Pretty Little Girl of Mine.\n Pretty Miss Pink.\n Prick at the Loop.\n Prickey Sockey.\n Prickie and Jockie.\n Priest-Cat (1).\n Priest-Cat (2).\n Priest of the Parish.\n Prisoner's Base.\n Puff-the-Dart.\n Pun o' mair Weight.\n Punch Bowl.\n Purposes.\n Push in the Wash Tub.\n Push Pin.\n Push the Business On.\n Puss in the Corner.\n Pussy's Ground.\n Pyramid.\n\n QUAKER.\n Quaker's Wedding.\n Queen Anne.\n Queen Mary.\n Queen of Sheba.\n\n RAGMAN.\n Rag-stag.\n Rakes and Roans.\n Rakkeps.\n Range the Bus.\n Rax, or Raxie-boxie, King of Scotland.\n Relievo.\n Religious Church.\n Rigs.\n Ring.\n Ring a Ring o' Roses.\n Ring by Ring.\n Ringie, Ringie, Red Belt.\n Ring-me-rary.\n Ring-taw.\n Rin-im-o'er.\n Robbing the Parson's Hen-Roost.\n Rockety Row.\n Roll up Tobacco.\n Roly-poly.\n Ronin the Bee.\n Rosy Apple, Lemon and Pear.\n Roundabout, or Cheshire Round.\n Round and Round the Village.\n Round and Round went the Gallant Ship.\n Round Tag.\n Rounders.\n Rounds.\n Row-chow-Tobacco.\n Rowland-Ho.\n Rumps.\n Rusty.\n\n SACKS.\n Saddle the Nag.\n Saggy.\n Sailor Lad.\n Sally go Round the Moon.\n Sally Water.\n Sally Sober.\n Salmon Fishers.\n Salt Eel.\n Save All.\n Say Girl.\n Scat.\n Scop-peril.\n Scotch-hoppers.\n Scots and English.\n Scratch Cradle.\n Scrush.\n Scurran-Meggy.\n See-Saw.\n See-Sim.\n Shame Reel, or Shamit Dance.\n She Said, and She Said.\n Shepherd and Sheep.\n Shepherds.\n Shinney, or Shinty, or Shinnops.\n Ship.\n Ship Sail.\n Shiver the Goose.\n Shoeing the Auld Mare.\n Shue-Gled-Wylie.\n Shuttlefeather.\n Shuvvy-Hawle.\n Silly Old Man.\n Skin the Goatie.\n Skipping.\n Skyte the Bob.\n Smuggle the Gig.\n Snail Creep.\n Snapping Tongs.\n Snatch Apple.\n Snatch Hood.\n Soldier.\n Solomon.\n Sort'em-billyort'em.\n Sow-in-the-Kirk.\n Span Counter.\n Spang and Purley.\n Spangie.\n Spannims.\n Spawnie.\n Spinny-Wye.\n Splints.\n Spurn point.\n Spy-arm.\n Stacks.\n Stag.\n Stagging.\n Steal the Pigs.\n Stealy Clothes.\n Steik and Hide.\n Sticky-stack.\n Sticky Toffey.\n Stiff Police.\n Stik-n Snael.\n Stocks.\n Stones.\n Stool-ball.\n Strik a Licht.\n Stroke.\n Stroke Bias.\n Sun and Moon.\n Sunday Night.\n Sun Shines.\n Sweer Tree.\n Swinging.\n\n TAIT.\n Teesty-Tosty.\n Teter-cum-Tawter.\n Tee-to-tum.\n Thimble Ring.\n Thing done.\n Thread the Needle.\n Three Days' Holidays.\n Three Dukes.\n Three Flowers.\n Three Holes.\n Three Jolly Welshmen.\n Three Knights from Spain.\n Three Little Ships.\n Three Old Bachelors.\n Three Sailors.\n Through the Needle Eye, Boys.\n Thun'er Spell.\n Tick.\n Tickle me Quickly.\n Ticky Touchwood.\n Tig.\n Time.\n Tip it.\n Tip-Cat.\n Tip-tap-toe.\n Tiring Irons.\n Tisty Tosty.\n Titter-totter.\n Tit-tat-toe.\n Tods and Lambs.\n Tom Tiddler's Ground.\n Tops.\n The Totum, or Tee-to-tum.\n Touch.\n Tower of London.\n Town Lovers.\n Trades.\n Trap, Bat, and Ball.\n Tray-trip.\n Tres-acre.\n Tribet.\n Trippit and Coit.\n Trip and Go.\n Trip-trout.\n Troap.\n Troco, Trucks.\n Troule-in-Madame.\n Trounce-Hole.\n Troy Town.\n Truncher.\n Trunket.\n Truss.\n Tuilyie-wap.\n Turn, Cheeses, Turn.\n Turn Spit Jack.\n Turn the Ship.\n Turn the Trencher, or, My Lady's Toilet.\n Turvey.\n Tutt-ball.\n Twelve Days of Christmas.\n Twelve Holes.\n\n UNCLE John is Ill in Bed.\n Up the Streets.\n\n WADDS and the Wears (1).\n Wadds and the Wears (2).\n Waggles.\n Wallflowers.\n Warney.\n Way-Zaltin.\n We are the Rovers.\n Weary.\n Weave the Diaper.\n Weigh the Butter.\n When I was a Young Girl.\n Whiddy.\n Whigmeleerie.\n Whip.\n Whishin Dance.\n Who goes round my Stone Wall.\n Widow.\n Wiggle-Waggle.\n Wild Boar.\n Wild Birds.\n Willie, Willie Wastell.\n Wind up the Bush Faggot.\n Wind, The.\n Wink-egg.\n Witch, The.\n Witte-Witte-Way.\n Wolf.\n Wolf and the Lamb.\n Would you know how doth the Peasant.\n\n\n\n\nADDENDA\n\n\n A' THE BIRDIES.\n All the Boys.\n American Post.\n As I was Walking.\n Auld Grannie.\n\n BALL.\n Bannockburn.\n Black Doggie.\n Bonnet Ridgie.\n Button.\n\n CANLIE.\n Carry my Lady to London.\n Cat and Dog Hole.\n Catch the Salmond.\n Chicken come Clock.\n Chippings, or Cheapings.\n Chucks.\n Churning.\n Codham, or Codhams.\n Colley Ball.\n\n DAN'L my Man.\n Deil amo' the Dishes.\n Dig for Silver.\n Dillsee Dollsie Dee.\n Doagan.\n Down in Yonder Meadow.\n Draw a Pail of Water.\n Drop Handkerchief.\n Dumb Crambo.\n Dump.\n\n EENDY, Beendy.\n\n FARMER'S Den.\n Fire on the Mountains.\n Fool, Fool, come to School.\n French Jackie.\n\n GALLOPING, Galloping.\n Gallant Ship.\n Galley, Galley Ship.\n Glasgow Ships.\n Granny's Needle.\n Green Gravel.\n Green Grass.\n Green Grass (2).\n\n HEAP the Cairn.\n Hear all!\n Hen and Chickens.\n High Windows.\n Hot Cockles.\n\n ISABELLA.\n\n JENNY Jones.\n Jockie Rover.\n Jolly Lads.\n Jolly Miller.\n\n KEYS of Heaven.\n Kick the Block.\n\n LADY of the Land.\n Leap-Frog.\n London Bridge.\n Lubin, Looby Loo.\n\n MAGICIAN.\n Mannie on the Pavement.\n Merry-ma-Tanza.\n Milking Pails.\n My Delight's in Tansies.\n\n NAMER and Guesser.\n Needle Cases.\n Nuts in May.\n\n ODD Man.\n Old Cranny Crow.\n Old Johanny Hairy, Crap in!\n\n PAPER of Pins.\n Pickie.\n Poor Widow.\n\n QUEEN Anne.\n\n RASHES.\n\n SALLY Water.\n Shuffle the Brogue.\n Soldiers, Soldiers.\n\n THREE Dukes.\n Three Knights.\n Tug of War.\n\n WE are the Rovers.\n When I was a Young Girl.\n\n\n\n\nANALYSIS OF \"MEMOIR\"\n\n\n Children's games, a definite branch of folk-lore--Nature of material\n for the study--Games fall into one of two sections--Classification\n of the games--Under customs contained in them--Under implements of\n play--Skill and chance games--Importance of classification--Early\n custom contained in skill and chance games--In diagram games--Tabu\n in game of \"Touch\"--Methods of playing the games--Characteristics of\n line form--Of circle forms--Of individual form--Of the arch\n forms--Of winding-up form--Contest games--War-cry used in contest\n games--Early marriage customs in games of line form--Marriage by\n capture--By purchase--Without love or courtship--Games formerly\n played at weddings--Disguising the bride--Hiring servants\n game--Marriage customs in circle games--Courtship precedes\n marriage--Marriage connected with water custom--\"Crying for a young\n man\" announcing a want--Marriage formula--Approval of friends\n necessary--Housewifely duties mentioned--Eating of food by bride and\n bridegroom necessary--Young man's necessity for a wife--Kiss in the\n ring--Harvest customs in games--Occupations in games--Funeral\n customs in games--Use of rushes in games--Sneezing action in\n game--Connection of spirit of dead person with trees--Perambulation\n of boundaries--Animals represented--Ballads sung to a\n dance--Individual form games--Hearth worship--Objection to giving\n light from a fire--Child-stealing by witch--Obstacles in path when\n pursuing witch--Contest between animals--Ghosts in games--Arch form\n of game--Contest between leaders of parties--Foundation sacrifice in\n games--Encircling a church--Well worship in games--Tug-of-war\n games--Alarm bell ringing--Passing under a yoke--Creeping through\n holed stones in games--Under earth sods--Customs in \"winding up\"\n games--Tree worship in games--Awaking the earth spirit--Serpentine\n dances--Burial of maiden--Guessing, a primitive element in\n games--Dramatic classification--Controlling force which has\n preserved custom in games--Dramatic faculty in mankind--Child's\n faculty for dramatic action--Observation of detail--Children's games\n formerly an amusement of adults--Dramatic power in savages--Dramatic\n dances among the savage and semi-civilised--Summary and conclusion.\n\n\n\n\nCHILDREN'S GAMES\n\n\nOats and Beans and Barley\n\n[Music]\n\n--Madeley, Shropshire (Miss Burne).\n\n[Music]\n\n--_Northants Notes and Queries_, ii. 161 (R. S. Baker)\n\n[Music]\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n I. Oats and beans and barley grow!\n Oats and beans and barley grow!\n Do you or I or any one know\n How oats and beans and barley grow?\n First the farmer _sows_ his seed,\n Then he _stands_ and takes his ease,\n _Stamps_ his foot, and _claps_ his hands,\n Then _turns round_ to view the land.\n Waiting for a partner, waiting for a partner!\n Open the ring and take one in!\n\n Now you are married you must obey,\n You must be true to all you say,\n You must be kind, you must be good,\n And help your wife to chop the wood!\n\n--Much Wenlock (Burne's _Shropshire Folklore_, p. 508).\n\n II. Oats and beans and barley grow!\n Does you or I or any one know\n Where oats and beans and barley grow?\n\n So the farmer sows his seed;\n So he stands and takes his ease;\n Stamps his foot and claps his hands,\n And turns him round to view the lands.\n Waiting for a partner! waiting for a partner!\n\n Now young couple you must obey,\n You must be true in all you say,\n You must be wise and very good,\n And help your wife to chop the wood.\n\n--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).\n\n III. Does you or I, or anie one knowe\n Where oates and beanes and barlie growe?\n Where oates and beanes and barlie growe?\n The farmer comes and sowes ye seede,\n Then he standes and takes hys ease,\n Stamps hys foote, and slappes hys hand,\n And turnes hym rounde to viewe ye land.\n Waiting for a partner,\n Waiting for a partner,\n Open the ringe and take mee in,\n Make haste and choose youre partner.\n\n Now you're married you must obey,\n Must bee true to alle you saye,\n Must bee kinde and verie goode,\n And helpe your wyfe to choppe ye woode.\n\n--Raunds (_Northants Notes and Queries_, i. 163).\n\n IV. Oats and beans and barley grows,\n You or I or any one knows,\n You or I or any one knows,\n Where oats and beans and barley grows.\n\n Thus the farmer sows his seed,\n Stamps his feet and claps his hands,\n And turns around to view the land.\n Waiting for a partner,\n Waiting for a partner,\n\n Now you are married, &c.\n [same as Much Wenlock.]\n\n--East Kirkby, Lincolnshire (Miss K. Maughan).\n\n V. Oats, beans, and barley grows,\n You or I or any one knows.\n Thus the farmer sows his seed,\n Thus he stands and takes his ease,\n Stamps his feet and folds his hands,\n And turns him round to view the lands.\n Oh! waitin' for a partner,\n Waitin' for a partner.\n\n Now you're married, &c.\n [same as Much Wenlock.]\n\n--Winterton (Miss Fowler).\n\n VI. Oats and wheat and barley grows,\n You and I and every one knows\n Where oats and wheat and barley grows.\n As the farmer sows his seed,\n Folds his arms and takes his ease,\n Stamps his feet and claps his hands,\n And turns him round to view the land.\n Waiting for a partner,\n Waiting for a partner,\n Waiting for a partner,\n To open the ring\n And take one in.\n\n Now you're married, &c.\n [same as Much Wenlock.]\n\n--Tean, North Staffs. (Miss Keary).\n\n VII. Oats and beans and barley grow,\n You and I and every one know;\n You and I and every one know\n That oats and beans and barley grow.\n\n Thus the farmer sows his seed,\n Thus he stands and takes his ease,\n Stamps his foot and claps his hands,\n And turns him round to view the land.\n Waiting for a partner,\n Waiting for a partner.\n\n Now you're married you must obey, &c.\n [same as Much Wenlock.]\n\n--Brigg, Lincolnshire (Miss Barker).\n\n VIII. Oats and beans and barley-corns, you or I or any one else,\n You or I or any one else, oats or beans or barley-corns;\n Thus the farmer sows his seed,\n Thus he stands and takes his ease,\n Stamps his foot, and claps his hands,\n And turns him round to view the land.\n Waiting for a partner, waiting for a partner;\n Open the ring and take one in,\n Waiting for a partner.\n Now you're married, &c.\n [same as Much Wenlock.]\n\n--Nottingham (Miss E. A. Winfield).\n\n IX. Oats and beans, barley and groats,\n Oats and beans, barley and groats;\n You, nor I, nor anybody knows\n How oats and beans and barley grows.\n Thus the farmer sows his seed,\n Thus he stands and takes his feed,\n Stamps his foot and claps his hand,\n And turns around to view the land.\n Waiting for a partner, waiting for a partner.\n Slip the ring, and take one in,\n And kiss her when you get her in;\n Now that you're married you must agree,\n You must be kind to all you see;\n You must be kind, you must be good,\n And help your man [wife] to chop the wood.\n\n--Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).\n\n X. Wuts and be\u00e4ns and barley graws,\n As you and I and every one knaws.\n\n . . . . .\n\n Wa\u00e4tin' for a pardner.\n\n Fust the farmer saws his se\u00e4ds,\n Then he stands and ta\u00e4ke his e\u00e4se,\n Stomps his fe\u00e4t and clops his hands,\n And turns him round to view his lands.\n Wa\u00e4tin' for a pardner.\n\n Now you're married you must oba\u00e4y;\n Must be trewe to all you sa\u00e4y;\n Must be kind and must be good,\n And help your wife to chop the wood.\n Wa\u00e4tin' for a pardner.\n\n--Spilsby, N. Lincs. (Rev. R. Cracroft).\n\n XI. Oats and beans and barley corn,\n Oats and beans and barley corn;\n You and I and nobody else,\n But oats and beans and barley corn.\n As the farmer sows his seed,\n As he stands to take us in,\n Stamps his feet and claps his hands,\n Turns around to field and lands.\n Waiting for a partner,\n Waiting for a partner,\n Open the gate and let her come out,\n And see the one you love the best.\n\n Now we're merry and wish you joy,\n First the girl, and then the boy,\n Seven years after, seven years past,\n Kiss one another and go to your class.\n\n--Hampshire (Miss Mendham).\n\n XII. Where the wheat and barley grows,\n You and I and nobody knows,\n Where the wheat and barley grows,\n You and I and nobody knows.\n As the farmer sows his seed,\n As he stands and takes his ease,\n Stamps his foot and claps his hand,\n Turns around to view the land.\n Waiting for a partner,\n Waiting for a partner.\n Open the ring, take her in,\n Kiss her when you get her in.\n Now you're married you must be good,\n To make your husband chop the wood.\n\n--Cowes, Isle of Wight (Miss E. Smith).\n\n XIII. Oats and beans and barley corns,\n You nor I nor any one knows;\n You nor I nor any one knows\n How oats and beans and barley grows.\n As the sower sows his seed,\n As he stands he takes his ease,\n Stamps his foot and claps his hands,\n And turns him round to view the land.\n Waiting for a partner,\n Open the ring and take one in.\n Now you're married, &c.\n [same as Much Wenlock.]\n\n--Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire (Miss Youngman).\n\n XIV. Hop or beans or barley corn,\n You or I or any one all:\n First the farmer sows his seed,\n Then he stands and takes his ease;\n He stamped his foot and he clapped his hand,\n And turned around the bugle land,\n Waiting for a partner, a partner, a partner,\n He opened the ring and called one in,\n And now he's got a partner.\n Now you're married we wish you good joy,\n First the girl and then the boy;\n Love one another like sister and brother,\n And pray each couple to kiss together.\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n XV. See the farmer sow his seed,\n See he stands and takes them in,\n Stamps his foot and claps his hand,\n And turns him round to view the land.\n O! waiting for a partner,\n O! waiting for a partner,\n Open the ring and take one in.\n\n Now you're married, &c.\n [same as Much Wenlock.]\n\n--Earls Heaton, Yorks. (H. Hardy).\n\n XVI. A waitin' fur a pardner,\n A waitin' fur a pardner,\n You an' I an' ev'ry one knows\n How whoats an' beans an' barley grows.\n Fost tha farmer saws 'is seeds,\n Then he stans' an' teks 'is ease,\n Stamps 'is feet an' claps 'is 'ands,\n And turns him round to view tha lands.\n A waitin' fur a pardner,\n A waitin' fur a pardner,\n You an' I an' iv'ry one knows\n How whoats an' beans an' barley grows.\n\n Now you're married, &c.\n [same as Much Wenlock.]\n\n--Boston, Lincs. (_Notes and Queries_, 7th series, xii. 493).\n\n XVII. Oats and beans and barley grows\n Not so fine as the farmer sows,\n You nor I nor nobody knows\n Oats and beans and barley grows.\n This is the way the farmer sows,\n The farmer sows, the farmer sows,\n This is the way the farmer sows.\n Here he stands and takes his ease,\n Stamps his foot and claps his hands,\n And turns around to view the land,\n Waiting for a partner, waiting for a partner,\n Open the ring and take one in,\n And kiss him (or her) as he (or she) enters.\n\n--Aberdeen Training College (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XVIII. Waitin' for a partner,\n Waitin' for a partner,\n Open the ring and take one in,\n And now you've got your partner.\n\n Now you're married, &c.\n [same as Much Wenlock.]\n\n--Wakefield, Yorks. (Miss Fowler).\n\n(_c_) The players form a ring by joining hands, with one child, usually\na boy, standing in the centre. The ring walks round, singing the first\nfour lines. At the fifth line the ring stands still, and each child\nsuits her actions to the words sung. At \"the farmer sows his seed,\" each\nplayer pretends to scatter seed, then they all fold their arms and\n\"stand at ease,\" \"stamp their feet,\" and \"clap their hands\" together in\norder, and finally each child turns herself round. Then they again clasp\nhands and move round the centre child, who at the words \"open the ring\nand take one in\" chooses and takes into the ring with him one player\nfrom it. These two stand together while the ring sings the marriage\nformula. At the end the child first in the centre joins the ring; the\nsecond child remaining in the centre, and in her turn choosing another\nfrom the ring.\n\nThis is the (Much Wenlock) way of playing. Among the variants there are\nsome slight differences. In the Wakefield version (Miss Fowler), a\nlittle boy is placed in the centre of the ring first, he chooses a girl\nout of the ring at the singing of the third line and kisses her. They\nstand hand in hand while the others sing the next verse. In the Tean\nversion (Miss Keary), the children turn round with their backs to the\none in the centre, and stand still when singing \"Waiting for a\npartner.\" In the Hampshire (Miss Mendham), Brigg (Miss Barker), and\nWinterton (Miss Peacock) versions, the children dance round instead of\nwalking. The Rev. Mr. Roberts, in a version from Kirkby-on-the-Bain\n(N.W. Lincolnshire), says: \"There is no proper commencement of this\nsong. The children begin with 'A waitin' fur a pardner,' or 'Oats and\nbeans,' just as the spirit moves them, but I think 'A waitin'' is the\nusual beginning here.\" In a Sheffield version sent by Mr. S. O. Addy,\nfour young men stand in the middle of the ring with their hands joined.\nThese four dance round singing the first lines. After \"views his lands\"\nthese four choose sweethearts, or partners, from the ring. The eight\njoin hands and sing the remaining four lines. The four young men then\njoin the larger ring, and the four girls remain in the centre and choose\npartners next time. The words of this version are almost identical with\nthose of Shropshire. In the Isle of Man version (A. W. Moore), when the\nkiss is given all the children forming the ring clap their hands. There\nis no kissing in the Shropshire and many other versions of this game,\nand the centre child does not in all cases sing the words.\n\n(_d_) Other versions have been sent from Winterton, Leadenham, and\nLincoln, by Miss Peacock, and from Brigg, while the _Northamptonshire\nNotes and Queries_, ii. 161, gives another by Mr. R. S. Baker. The words\nare practically the same as the versions printed above from Lincolnshire\nand Northants. The words of the Madeley version are the same as the Much\nWenlock (No. 1). The Nottingham tune (Miss Youngman), and three others\nsent with the words, are the same as the Madeley tune printed above.\n\n(_e_) This interesting game is essentially of rural origin, and probably\nit is for this reason that Mr. Newell did not obtain any version from\nEngland for his _Games and Songs of American Children_, but his note\nthat it \"seems, strangely enough, to be unknown in Great Britain\" (p.\n80), is effectually disproved by the examples I have collected. There is\nno need in this case for an analysis of the rhymes. The variants fall\ninto three categories: (1) the questioning form of the words, (2) the\naffirming form, and (3) the indiscriminate form, as in Nos. xvi. to\nxviii., and of these I am disposed to consider the first to represent\nthe earliest idea of the game.\n\nIf the crops mentioned in the verses be considered, it will be found\nthat the following table represents the different localities:--\n\n +------+-----------------------------------------------------------+\n | |Northants. |\n | | |Lancashire. |\n | | | |Lincolnshire. |\n | | | | |Shropshire. |\n | | | | | |Staffordshire. |\n | | | | | | |Nottingham. |\n | | | | | | | |Isle of Man. |\n | | | | | | | | |Hants. |\n | | | | | | | | | |Isle of |\n | | | | | | | | | |Wight. |\n | | | | | | | | | | |Nor- |\n | | | | | | | | | | |folk.|\n +------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+\n |Oats | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | ... | ... |\n |Beans | + | + | + | + | ... | + | + | + | ... | + |\n |Barley| + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + | + |\n |Wheat | ... | ... | ... | ... | + | ... | ... | ... | + | ... |\n |Groats| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |\n |Hop | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | + | ... | ... | + |\n +------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+\n\nThe first three are the more constant words, but it is curious that\nNorfolk, not a hop county, should have adopted that grain into the game.\nHops are grown there on rare occasions, and it is probable that the game\nmay have been introduced from a hop county.\n\nIn _Northants Notes and Queries_, i. 163-164, Mr. R. S. Baker gives a\nmost interesting account of the game (No. iii.) as follows:--\"Having\nbeen recently invited to join the Annual Christmas Entertainment of the\nRaunds Church Choir, I noticed that a very favourite pastime of the\nevening was one which I shall call 'Choosing Partners.' The game is\nplayed thus: The young men and maidens join hands indiscriminately, and\nform a ring; within the ring stand a lad and a lass; then they all step\nround the way the sun goes, to a plain tune. During the singing of the\ntwo last lines [of the first part] they all disjoin hands, stop and\nstamp their feet and clap their hands and turn right round\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. then\njoin hands [while singing the second verse]. The two in the middle at\n['Open the ring'] choose each of them a partner of the opposite sex,\nwhich they do by pointing to the one chosen; then they continue round,\nto the words [sang in next verse], the two pairs of partners crossing\nhands, first right and then left, and revolving opposite ways\nalternately. The march round is temporarily suspended for choosing\npartners. The partners salute [at 'Now you're married'], or, rather,\neach lad kisses his chosen lass; the first two partners go out, the game\ncontinues as before, and every one in the ring has chosen and been\nchosen, and every lad has saluted every lass. The antiquity of the\npastime is evidenced by its not mentioning wheat; wheat was in remote\ntimes an exceptional crop--the village people lived on oatmeal and\nbarley bread. It also points, possibly, to a period when most of the\nland lay in grass. Portions of the open fields were cultivated, and\nafter a few years of merciless cropping were laid down again to\nrecuperate. 'Helping to chop the wood' recalls the time when coal was\nnot known as fuel. I am indebted for the correct words of the above to a\nRaunds maiden, Miss B. Finding, a native of the village, who kindly\nwrote them down for me.\" Mr. Baker does not say how Miss Finding got the\npeculiar spelling of this version. It would be interesting to know\nwhether this form of spelling was used as indicative of the\npronunciation of the children, or of the supposed antiquity of the game.\nThe Rev. W. D. Sweeting, also writes at the same reference, \"The same\ngame is played at the school feast at Maxey; but the words, as I have\ntaken them down, vary from those given above. We have no mention of any\ncrop except barley, which is largely grown in the district; and the\nrefrain, repeated after the second and sixth lines, is 'waiting for the\nharvest.' A lady suggested to me that the two first lines of the\nconclusion are addressed to the bride of the game, and the two last,\nwhich in our version run, 'You must be kind and very good,' apply to the\nhappy swain.\"\n\nThis interesting note not only suggests, as Mr. Baker and Mr. Sweeting\nsay, the antiquity of the game and its connection with harvest at a time\nwhen the farms were all laid in open fields, but it points further to\nthe custom of courtship and marriage being the outcome of village\nfestivals and dances held after spring sowing and harvest gatherings. It\nseems in Northamptonshire not to have quite reached the stage of the\npure children's game before it was taken note of by Mr. Baker, and this\nis an important illustration of the descent of children's games from\ncustoms. As soon as it has become a child's game, however, the process\nof decadence sets in. Thus, besides verbal alterations, the lines\nrelating to farming have dropped out of the Wakefield version. It is\nabundantly clear from the more perfect game-rhymes that the waiting for\na partner is an episode in the harvest customs, as if, when the outdoor\nbusiness of the season was finished, the domestic element becomes the\nnext important transaction in the year's proceedings. The curious\nfour-lined formula applicable to the duties of married life may indeed\nbe a relic of those rhythmical formul\u00e6 which are found throughout all\nearly legal ceremonies. A reference to Mr. Ralston's section on marriage\nsongs, in his _Songs of the Russian People_, makes it clear that\nmarriages in Russia were contracted at the gatherings called Besyedas\n(p. 264), which were social gatherings held during October after the\ncompletion of the harvest; and the practice is, of course, not confined\nto Russia.\n\nIt is also probable that this game may have preserved the tradition of a\nformula sung at the sowing of grain, in order to propitiate the earth\ngoddess to promote and quicken the growth of the crops. Turning around\nor bowing to fields and lands and pantomimic actions in imitation of\nthose actually required, are very general in the history of sympathetic\nmagic among primitive peoples, as reference to Mr. Frazer's _Golden\nBough_ will prove; and taking the rhyming formula together with the\nimitative action, I am inclined to believe that in this game we may have\nthe last relics of a very ancient agricultural rite.\n\n\nObadiah\n\nThe players stand in a row. The child at the head of the row says, \"My\nson Obadiah is going to be married, twiddle your thumbs,\" suiting the\naction to the word by clasping the fingers of both hands together, and\nrapidly \"twiddling\" the thumbs. The next child repeats both words and\nactions, and so on all along the row, all the players continuing the\n\"twiddling.\" The top child repeats the words, adding (very gravely),\n\"Fall on one knee,\" the whole row follows suit as before (still\ntwiddling their thumbs). The top child repeats from the beginning,\nadding, \"Do as you see me,\" and the rest of the children follow suit, as\nbefore. Just as the last child repeats the words, the top child falls on\nthe child next to her, and all go down like a row of ninepins. The whole\nis said in a sing-song way. This game was, so far as I can ascertain,\ntruly East Anglian. I have never been able to hear of it in other parts\nof England or Wales.--Bexley Heath (Miss Morris). Also played in London.\n\nSee \"Solomon.\"\n\n\nOdd or Even\n\nA boys' game, played with buttons, marbles, and halfpence. Peacock's\n_Manley and Corringham Glossary_; also mentioned in Brogden's\n_Provincial Words (Lincolnshire)_. Mr. Patterson says (_Antrim and Down\nGlossary_)--A boy shuts up a few small objects, such as marbles, in one\nhand, and asks his opponent to guess if the number is odd or even. He\nthen either pays or receives one, according as the guess is right or\nwrong. Strutt describes this game in the same way, and says it was\nplayed in ancient Greece and Rome. Newell (_Games_, p. 147) also\nmentions it.\n\nSee \"Prickie and Jockie.\"\n\n\nOdd-man\n\nA game played with coins. Brogden's _Provincial Words, Lincolnshire_.\n\n\nOld Dame\n\n I. I'll away to t'beck to wash my neck,\n When I get there, I'll ask t'ould dame what o'clock it is?\n It's one, and you'll be hanged at two.\n\n I'll away to t'beck to wash my neck,\n When I get there, I'll ask t'ould dame what o'clock it is?\n It's two, and you'll be hanged at three.\n\n[This is repeated until the old woman says, \"It's eleven, and you'll be\nhanged at twelve.\"]\n\n--Yorkshire (Miss E. Cadman).\n\n II. To Beccles, to Beccles,\n To buy a bunch of nettles,\n Pray, old dame, what's o'clock?\n One, going for two.\n\n To Beccles, to Beccles,\n To buy a bunch of nettles,\n Pray, old dame, what's o'clock?\n Two, going for three, &c.\n\n[And so on until \"eleven going for twelve\" is said, then the\nfollowing:--]\n\n Where have you been?\n To the wood.\n What for?\n To pick up sticks.\n What for?\n To light my fire.\n What for?\n To boil my kettle.\n What for?\n To cook some of your chickens.\n\n--Halliwell, _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 229.\n\n(_b_) One child sits upon a little stool. The others march round her in\nsingle file, taking hold of each other's frocks. They say in a sing-song\nmanner the first two lines, and the old woman answers by telling\nthem the hour. The questions and answers are repeated until the old\nwoman says, \"It's eleven, and you'll be hanged at twelve.\" Then the\nchildren all run off in different directions and the old woman runs\nafter them. Whoever she catches becomes old woman, and the game is\ncontinued.--Yorkshire (Miss E. Cadman). In the version given from\nHalliwell there is a further dialogue, it will be seen, before the old\nwoman chases.\n\n(_c_) The use of the Yorkshire word \"beck\" (\"stream\") in the first\nvariant suggests that this may be the original version from which the\n\"Beccles\" version has been adapted, a particular place being substituted\nfor the general. The game somewhat resembles \"Fox and Goose.\"\n\n\nOld Roger is Dead\n\n[Music]\n\n--Earls Heaton (H. Hardy).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Bath (A. B. Gomme).\n\n I. Old Rogers is dead and is laid in his grave,\n Laid in his grave,\n Laid in his grave;\n Old Rogers is dead and is laid in his grave,\n He, hi! laid in his grave.\n\n There grew an old apple tree over his head,\n Over his head,\n Over his head;\n There grew an old apple tree over his head,\n He, hi! over his head.\n\n The apples grew ripe, and they all fell off,\n They all fell off,\n They all fell off;\n The apples grew ripe, and they all fell off,\n He, hi! they all fell off.\n\n There came an old woman a-picking them up,\n Picking them up,\n Picking them up;\n There came an old woman a-picking them up,\n He, hi! picking them up.\n\n Old Rogers jumps up and he gives her a knock,\n Gives her a knock,\n Gives her a knock;\n Old Rogers jumps up and he gives her a knock,\n He, hi! gives her a knock.\n\n He makes the old woman go hipperty hop,\n Hipperty hop,\n Hipperty hop;\n He makes the old woman go hipperty hop,\n He, hi! hipperty hop.\n\n--Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy).\n\n II. Old Roger is dead, and lies in his grave, um, ah! lies in\n his grave;\n There grew an old apple tree over his head, um, ah! over his\n head.\n The apples are ripe and ready to drop, um, ah! ready to\n drop;\n There came an old woman, picking them up.\n\n--Hanbury, Staffs. (Miss Edith Hollis).\n\n III. Sir Roger is dead and is low in his grave,\n Is low in his grave, is low in his grave;\n Sir Roger is dead and is low in his grave,\n Hey hie! is low in his grave.\n\n They planted an apple tree over his head,\n Over his head, over his head;\n They planted an apple tree over his head,\n Hey hie! over his head.\n\n When they grew ripe they all fell off,\n All fell off, all fell off;\n When they grew ripe they all fell off,\n Hey hie! all fell off.\n\n There came an old woman and gathered them up,\n Gathered them up, gathered them up;\n There came an old woman and gathered them up,\n Hey hie! gathered them up.\n\n Sir Roger got up and gave her a nudge,\n Gave her a nudge, gave her a nudge;\n Sir Roger got up and gave her a nudge,\n Hey hie! gave her a nudge.\n\n Which made her go off with a skip and a hop,\n With a skip and a hop, with a skip and a hop;\n Which made her go off with a skip and a hop,\n Hey hie! with a skip and a hop.\n\n--Ordsall, Nottinghamshire (Miss Matthews).\n\n IV. Sir Roger is dead and he's laid in his grave,\n Laid in his grave, laid in his grave;\n Sir Roger is dead and he's laid in his grave,\n Heigh-ho! laid in his grave.\n\n There grew a fine apple tree over his head,\n Over his head, over his head;\n There grew a fine apple tree over his head,\n Heigh-ho! over his head.\n\n The apples were ripe and they all fell off,\n All fell off, all fell off;\n The apples were ripe and they all fell off,\n Heigh-ho! all fell off.\n\n There came an old woman and picked them all up,\n Picked them all up, picked them all up;\n There came an old woman and picked them all up,\n Heigh-ho! picked them all up.\n\n Sir Roger jumped up and he gave her a push,\n Gave her a push, gave her a push;\n Sir Roger jumped up and he gave her a push,\n Heigh-ho! gave her a push.\n\n Which made the old woman go hickety-hock,\n Hickety-hock, hickety-hock;\n Which made the old woman go hickety-hock,\n Heigh-ho! hickety-hock.\n\n--Brigg, Lincolnshire (Miss J. Barker).\n\n V. Sir Roger is dead and laid in his grave,\n Hee, haw! laid in his grave.\n They planted an apple tree over his head,\n Hee, haw! over his head.\n The apples are ripe and ready to fall,\n Hee, haw! ready to fall.\n There came a high wind and blew them all off,\n Hee, haw! blew them all off.\n There came an old woman to pick them all up,\n Hee, haw! pick them all up.\n There came a little bird and gave her a tap,\n Hee, haw! gave her a tap.\n Which made the old woman go hipperty hop,\n Hee, haw! hipperty hop.\n\n--Tong, Shropshire (Miss Burne).\n\n VI. Poor Johnnie is dead and he lies in his grave,\n Lies in his grave, lies in his grave;\n Poor Johnnie is dead and he lies in his grave,\n He-ho! lies in his grave.\n\n They planted an apple tree over his head,\n Over his head, over his head;\n They planted an apple tree over his head,\n He-ho! over his head.\n\n The apples got ripe and they all fell off,\n All fell off, all fell off;\n The apples got ripe and they all fell off,\n He-ho! all fell off.\n\n Here comes an old woman a-picking them up,\n A-picking them up, a-picking them up;\n Here comes an old woman a-picking them up,\n He-ho! a-picking them up.\n\n Poor Johnnie got up and gave her a thump,\n And gave her a thump, and gave her a thump;\n Poor Johnnie got up and gave her a thump,\n He-ho! gave her a thump.\n\n He made the old woman go hippity-hop,\n Hippity-hop, hippity-hop!\n He made the old woman go hippity-hop,\n He-ho! hippity-hop!\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n VII. Cock Robin is dead and has gone to his grave;\n There grew on old apple tree over his head;\n The apples were ripe and ready to drop,\n O my, flippity flop!\n\n There came an old woman to pick them all up,\n Cock Robin rose up and gave her a knock,\n And made the old woman go flippity flop!\n O my, flippity flop!\n\n--Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase).\n\n VIII. Old Roger is dead and gone to his grave,\n H'm ha! gone to his grave.\n\n They planted an apple tree over his head,\n H'm ha! over his head.\n\n The apples were ripe and ready to fall,\n H'm ha! ready to fall.\n\n There came an old woman and picked them all up,\n H'm ha! picked them all up.\n\n Old Roger jumped up and gave her a knock,\n H'm ha! gave her a knock.\n\n Which made the old woman go hippity hop,\n H'm ha! hippity hop!\n\n--Bath, from a Nursemaid (A. B. Gomme).\n\n IX. Cock Robin is dead and lies in his grave,\n Hum-ha! lies in his grave.\n Place an old apple tree over his head,\n Hum-ha! over his head.\n When they were ripe and ready to fall,\n Hum-ha! ready to fall.\n There comes an old woman a-picking them up,\n Hum-ha! a-picking them up.\n Cock Robin jumps up and gives her a good knock,\n Hum-ha! gives her a good knock.\n\n--Derbyshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, i. 385).\n\n X. Poor Roger is dead and lies low in his grave,\n Low in his grave, low in his grave,\n E. I. low in his grave.\n\n There grew an old apple tree over his head,\n Over his head, over his head,\n E. I. over his head.\n\n When the apples were ripe they all fell off,\n All fell off, all fell off,\n E. I. all fell off.\n\n There was an old woman came picking them up,\n Picking them up, picking them up,\n E. I. picking them up.\n\n Poor Roger jumped up and gave her a nudge,\n Gave her a nudge, gave her a nudge,\n E. I. gave her a nudge.\n\n Which made the old woman go lippety lop,\n Lippety lop, lippety lop,\n E. I. lippety lop.\n\n--Newark, Nottinghamshire (S. O. Addy).\n\n XI. Poor Toby is dead and he lies in his grave,\n He lies in his grave, he lies in his grave;\n They planted an apple tree over his head,\n Over his head, over his head.\n\n The apples grew ripe and beginning to fall,\n Beginning to fall, beginning to fall;\n The apples grew ripe and beginning to fall,\n Beginning to fall, beginning to fall.\n\n There came an old woman picking them up,\n Picking them up, picking them up;\n Poor Toby rose up and he gave her a kick,\n Gave her a kick, gave her a kick.\n\n And the poor old woman went hipperty hop,\n Hipperty hop, hipperty hop;\n And the poor old woman went hipperty hop,\n Hipperty hop along.\n\n--Belfast (W. H. Patterson).\n\n XII. There was an old woman we buried her here,\n Buried her here, buried her here;\n There was an old woman we buried her here,\n He--ho! buried her here.\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n(_b_) A ring is formed by children joining hands; one child, who\nrepresents Sir Roger, lays down on the ground in the centre of the ring\nwith his head covered with a handkerchief. The ring stands still and\nsings the verses. When the second verse is begun, a child from the ring\ngoes into the centre and stands by Sir Roger, to represent the apple\ntree. At the fourth verse another child goes into the ring, and pretends\nto pick up the fallen apples. Then the child personating Sir Roger jumps\nup and knocks the child personating the old woman, beating her out of\nthe ring. She goes off hobbling on one foot, and pretending to be hurt.\nIn the Ordsall game the children dance round when singing the verses\ninstead of standing still, the action of the game being the same. In the\nTong version, the action seems to be done by the ring. Miss Burne says\nthe children go through various movements, finally all limping round.\nThe Newark (Notts), and Bath versions are played as first described,\nPoor Roger being covered with a cloak, or an apron, and laying down in\nthe middle of the ring. A Southampton version has additional\nfeatures--the ring of children keep their arms crossed, and lay their\nhands on their chests, bending their heads and bodies backwards and\nforwards, in a mourning attitude, while they sing; in addition to which,\nin the Bath version, the child who personates the apple tree during the\nsinging of the third verse raises her arms above her head, and then lets\nthem drop to her sides to show the falling apples.\n\n(_c_) Various as the game-rhymes are in word detail, they are\npractically the same in incident. One remarkable feature stands out\nparticularly, namely, the planting a tree over the head of the dead, and\nthe spirit-connection which this tree has with the dead. The robbery of\nthe fruit brings back the dead Sir Roger to protect it, and this must be\nhis ghost or spirit. In popular superstition this incident is not\nuncommon. Thus Aubrey in his _Remains of Gentilisme_, notes that \"in the\nparish of Ockley some graves have rose trees planted at the head and\nfeet,\" and then proceeds to say, \"They planted a tree or a flower on the\ngrave of their friend, and they thought the soule of the party deceased\nwent into the tree or plant\" (p. 155). In Scotland a branch falling from\nan oak, the Edgewell tree, standing near Dalhousie Castle, portended\nmortality to the family (Dalyell, _Darker Superstitions_, p. 504).\nCompare with this a similar superstition noted in Carew's _History of\nCornwall_, p. 325, and Mr. Keary's treatment of this cult in his\n_Outlines of Primitive Belief_, pp. 66-67. In folk-tales this incident\nalso appears; the spirit of the dead enters the tree and resents robbery\nof its fruit, possession of which gives power over the soul or spirit of\nthe dead.\n\nThe game is, therefore, not merely the acting of a funeral, but more\nparticularly shows the belief that a dead person is cognisant of actions\ndone by the living, and capable of resenting personal wrongs and\ndesecration of the grave. It shows clearly the sacredness of the grave;\nbut what, perhaps to us, is the most interesting feature, is the way in\nwhich the game is played. This clearly shows a survival of the method of\nportraying old plays. The ring of children act the part of \"chorus,\" and\nrelate the incidents of the play. The three actors say nothing, only act\ntheir several parts in dumb show. The raising and lowering of the arms\non the part of the child who plays \"apple tree,\" the quiet of \"Old\nRoger\" until he has to jump up, certainly show the early method of\nactors when details were presented by action instead of words. Children\nsee no absurdity in being a \"tree,\" or a \"wall,\" \"apple,\" or animal.\nThey simply _are_ these things if the game demands it, and they think\nnothing of incongruities.\n\nI do not, of course, suggest that children have preserved in this game\nan old play, but I consider that in this and similar games they have\npreserved methods of acting and detail (now styled traditional), as\ngiven in an early or childish period of the drama, as for example in the\nmumming plays. Traditional methods of acting are discussed by Mr.\nOrdish, _Folk-lore_, ii. 334.\n\n\nOld Soldier\n\nOne player personates an old soldier, and begs of all the other players\nin turn for left-off garments, or anything else he chooses. The formula\nstill used at Barnes by children is, \"Here comes an old soldier from the\nwars [or from town], pray what can you give him?\" Another version is--\n\n Here comes an old soldier from Botany Bay,\n Have you got anything to give him to-day.\n\n--Liverpool (C. C. Bell).\n\nThe questioned child replying must be careful to avoid using the words,\nYes! No! Nay! and Black, White, or Grey. These words are tabooed, and a\nforfeit is exacted every time one or other is used. The old soldier\nwalks lame, and carries a stick. He is allowed to ask as many questions,\ntalk as much as he pleases, and to account for his destitute condition.\n\n(_c_) Some years ago when colours were more limited in number, it was\ndifficult to promise garments for a man's wear which were neither of\nthese colours tabooed. Miss Burne (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 526), in\ndescribing this game says, \"The words Red or Blue are sometimes\nforbidden, as well as Yes or No,\" and adds that \"This favourite old game\ngives scope for great ingenuity on the part of the beggar, and 'it seems\nnot improbable' (to use a time-honoured antiquarian phrase!) that the\nexpression 'To come the old soldier over a person' may allude to it.\"\nHalliwell (_Nursery Rhymes_, p. 224) describes the game as above.\n\n\nOliver, Oliver, follow the King!\n\n Oliver, Oliver, follow the King!\n Oliver, Oliver, last in the ring!\n _Jim Burguin_ wants a wife, and a wife he shall have,\n _Nelly_ he kissed at the back-cellar door,\n _Nelly_ made a pudding, she made it over sweet,\n She never stuck a knife in till he came home at night,\n So next Monday morning is our wedding-day,\n The bells they shall ring, and the music shall play!\n Oliver, Oliver, follow the King! (_da capo_).\n\n--Berrington (Burne's _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 508).\n\n(_b_) The children form a ring and move round, singing the first two\nlines. Then they curtsey, or \"douk down,\" all together; the one who is\nlast has to tell her sweetheart's name. The other lines are then sung\nand the game is continued. The children's names are mentioned as each\none names his or her sweetheart.\n\nThis is apparently the game of which \"All the Boys,\" \"Down in the\nValley,\" and \"Mary Mixed a Pudding up,\" are also portions.\n\n\nOne Catch-all\n\nThe words \"Cowardy, cowardy custard\" are repeated by children playing at\nthis game when they advance towards the one who is selected to catch\nthem, and dare or provoke her to capture them. Ray, _Localisms_, gives\nCostard, the head; a kind of opprobrious word used by way of contempt.\nBailey gives Costead-head, a blockhead; thus elucidating this\nexclamation which may be interpreted, \"You cowardly blockhead, catch me\nif you dare\" (Baker's _Northamptonshire Glossary_).\n\nThe words used were, as far as I remember,\n\n Cowardy, cowardy custard, eat your father's mustard,\n Catch me if you can.\n\nTo compel a person to \"eat\" something disagreeable is a well-known form\nof expressing contempt. The rhyme was supposed to be very efficacious in\nrousing an indifferent or lazy player when playing \"touch\" (A. B.\nGomme).\n\n\nOranges and Lemons\n\n[Music]\n\nAn older and more general version of the last five bars (the tail piece)\nis as follows:--\n\n[Music]\n\n--London (A. B. Gomme).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Yorkshire (H. Hardy).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n I. Oranges and lemons,\n Say the bells of St. Clement's;\n You owe me five farthings,\n Say the bells of St. Martin's;\n When will you pay me,\n Say the bells of Old Bailey;\n When I grow rich,\n Say the bells of Shoreditch;\n When will that be?\n Say the bells of Stepney;\n I'm sure I don't know,\n Says the Great Bell of Bow.\n Here comes a light to light you to bed;\n Here comes a chopper to chop off your head;\n The last, last, last, last man's head.\n\n--London (A. B. Gomme).\n\n II. Oranges and lemons,\n Say the bells of St. Clement's;\n You owe me four farthings,\n Say the bells of St. Martin's;\n When will you pay me?\n Say the bells of Old Bailey;\n When I grow rich,\n Say the bells of Shoreditch;\n When will that be?\n Say the bells of Stepney;\n I'm sure I don't know,\n Says the Great Bell of Bow.\n Here comes a candle to light you to bed;\n Here comes a chopper to chop off your head;\n Last, last, last, last, last man's head.\n\n--Winterton and Leadenham, Lincolnshire; also Nottinghamshire (Miss M.\nPeacock).\n\n III. Oranges and lemons,\n Says the bells of S. Clemen's.\n Brickdust and tiles,\n Says the bells of S. Giles.\n You owe me five farthings,\n Says the bells of S. Martin's.\n I do not know you,\n Says the bells of S. Bow.\n When will you pay me?\n Says the bells of Old Bailey.\n When I get rich,\n Says the bells of Shoreditch.\n Here comes a candle to light you to bed,\n Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.\n\n--Derbyshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, i. 386).\n\n IV. Oranges and lemons,\n The bells of St. Clemen's;\n You owe me five farthings,\n The bells of St. Martin's;\n When will you pay me?\n Say the bells of Old Bailey;\n When I grow rich,\n Say the bells of Shoreditch;\n When will that be?\n Say the bells of Shorlea;\n I don't know,\n Says the Great Bell Bow.\n Here comes the candle to light you to bed,\n Here comes the chop to chop off your head.\n Chop, chop, chop, &c.\n\n--Middlesex (Miss Winfield).\n\n V. Orange or lemon,\n The bells of St. Clement's [or the bells are a clemming].\n I owe you five farthings,\n And when shall I pay you,\n To-day or to-morrow?\n To-morrow will do.\n Here come some great candles\n To light you to bed,\n Here come some great choppers\n To chop off your head.\n Come under, come under,\n Come run as you ought;\n Come under, come under,\n Until you are caught;\n Then stand just behind us\n And pull either way;\n Which side pulls the strongest\n That side wins the day.\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n VI. Oranges and lemons,\n The bells of St. Clement's.\n I owe you three farthings,\n When shall I pay you?\n When I get rich.\n Here comes a candle to light you to bed,\n Here comes a hatchet to chop off your head.\n\n--Brigg (from a Lincolnshire friend of Miss Barker).\n\n VII. Oranges and lemons,\n Say the bells of St. Clemen's.\n I owe you five farthins,\n Say the bells of St. Martin's.\n When shall I pay you?\n Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,\n Thursday, Friday, Saturday,\n Or Sunday?\n\n--Symondsbury, Dorset (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 216).\n\n VIII. I owe you five farthings.\n When will you pay me,\n To-day or to-morrow?\n Here comes a candle to light you to bed,\n Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.\n\n--Broadwinsor, Dorset (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 217).\n\n IX. Oranges and lemons, the bells of St. Clement's [or St.\n Helen's].\n I owe you five farthings. And when will you pay me?\n I'm sure I don't know.\n Here comes a candle to light you to bed,\n Here comes a chop'n bill to chop off your head--\n Chop--chop--chop--chop.\n [Or Here comes a chop'n bill to chop off the last man's\n head.]\n\n--Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy).\n\n X. Lend me five shillings,\n Said the bells of St. Helen's.\n\n When will you pay me?\n Said the bells of St. Philip's.\n\n I do not know,\n Said the Great Bell of Bold.\n\n Ring a ding, ding,\n Ring a ding, ding,\n Ring a ding, ding, ding, ding.\n\n--Earls Heaton (Herbert Hardy, as told him by A. K.).\n\n XI. Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement's;\n You owe me five farthings, and when will you pay me?\n Say the bells of Old Bailey.\n When I grow rich, say the bells of Shoreditch.\n And the last one that comes shall be chop, chop.\n\n--Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 86).\n\n XII. Orange and lemon,\n Say the bells of St. Martin (or the bells of Sweet Lemon);\n I owe you five farthings,\n But when shall I pay you?\n\n Here comes a candle\n To light you to bed,\n Here comes a hatchet\n To chop off your head.\n\n--Eckington, Derbyshire (S. O. Addy).\n\n XIII. Oranges and lemons,\n The bells of St. Clement's;\n I owe you five farthings,\n And when will you pay me?\n Oh, that I can't tell you;\n Sim, Bim, bim, bow, bay.\n\n--Settle, Yorks. (Rev. W. E. Sykes).\n\n XIV. Oranges or lemons,\n The bells of St. Clement's;\n You owe me five farthings,\n Pray, when will you pay me?\n Here come the clappers to knock you down backwards, carwoo!\n\n--Suffolk (Mrs. Haddon).\n\n XV. Oranges and lemons, say the bells of St. Clement's;\n Brick dust and tiles, say the bells of St. Giles;\n You owe me three farthings, say the bells of St. Martin's;\n When will you pay me? say the bells of Old Bailey;\n When I grow rich, say the bells of Shoreditch;\n When will that be? say the bells of Stepney;\n I'm sure I don't know, says the Great Bell of Bow.\n\n--Perth (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XVI. Pancakes and fritters,\n Says the bells of St. Peter's;\n Where must we fry 'em?\n Says the bells of Cold Higham;\n In yonder land thurrow (furrow),\n Says the bells of Wellingborough;\n You owe me a shilling,\n Says the bells of Great Billing;\n When will you pay me?\n Says the bells of Widdleton Cheney;\n When I am able,\n Say the bells at Dunstable;\n That will never be,\n Says the bells at Coventry;\n Oh, yes, it will,\n Says Northampton Great Bell;\n White bread and sop,\n Says the bells at Kingsthorp;\n Trundle a lantern,\n Says the bells at Northampton.\n\n--Northamptonshire (Baker's _Words and Phrases_).\n\n(_c_) This game is generally played as follows:--\n\nTwo of the taller children stand facing each other, holding up their\nclasped hands. One is named Orange and the other Lemon. The other\nplayers, grasping one another's dresses, run underneath the raised arms\nand round Orange, and then under the arms again and round Lemon, while\nsinging the verses. The three concluding lines are sung by \"Orange\" and\n\"Lemon\" in a slow emphatic manner, and at the word \"head\" they drop\ntheir arms over one of the children passing between them, and ask her\nsecretly whether she will be _orange_ or _lemon_. The captive chooses\nher side, and stands behind whichever leader she selects, placing her\narms round her waist. The game continues till every one engaged in it\nhas ranged herself behind one or other of the chiefs. When the two\nparties are ranged a \"tug of war\" takes place until one of the parties\nbreaks down, or is pulled over a given mark.\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 1\n\nFig. 2\n\nFig. 3]\n\nIn the Middlesex version (Miss Winfield) the children form a ring and go\nround singing the verses, and apparently there is neither catching the\n\"last man\" nor the \"tug.\" Mr. Emslie says he has seen and played the\ngame in Middlesex, and it always terminated with the cutting off the\nlast man's head. In the Symondsbury version the players drop their hands\nwhen they say \"Sunday.\" No tug is mentioned in the first Earls Heaton\nversion of the game (Mr. Hardy). In the second version he says bells are\nrepresented by children. They should have in their hands, bells, or some\narticle to represent them. All stand in a row. First, second, and third\nbells stand out in turn to sing. All rush for bells to sing chorus. Miss\nBarclay writes: The children of the Fernham and Longcot choir, playing\non Christmas Eve, 1891, pulled across a handkerchief. In Monton,\nLancashire, Miss Dendy says the game is played as elsewhere, but without\nwords. In a Swaffham version (Miss Matthews), the girls sometimes call\nthemselves \"Plum pudding and roast beef,\" or whatever fancy may suggest,\ninstead of oranges and lemons. They join hands high enough for the\nothers to pass under, which they do to a call of \"Ducky, Ducky,\"\npresently the hands come down and catch one, who is asked in\n_confidence_ which she likes best. The game then proceeds in the usual\nway, one side trying to pull the other over a marked line. Oranges and\nlemons at Bocking, Essex, is an abbreviated variant of the rhyme printed\nby Halliwell (_Folk-lore Record_, iii., part II., 171). In\nNottinghamshire, Miss Peacock says it is sometimes called \"Tarts and\nCheesecakes.\" Moor (_Suffolk Words_) mentions \"Oranges and Lemons\" as\nplayed by both girls and boys, and adds, \"I believe it is nearly the\nsame as 'Plum Pudding and Roast Beef.'\" In the Suffolk version sent by\nMrs. Haddon a new word is introduced, \"carwoo.\" This is the signal for\none of the line to be caught. Miss Eddleston, Gainford, Durham, says\nthis game is called--\n\n Through and through the shally go,\n The last shall be taken.\n\nMr. Halliwell (_Nursery Rhymes_, No. cclxxxi.) adopts the verses\nentitled, \"The Merry Bells of London,\" from Gammer Gurton's _Garland_,\n1783, as the origin of this game. In Aberdeen, Mr. M. L. Rouse tells me\nhe has heard Scotch children apparently playing the same game, \"Oranges\nand Lemons, ask, Which would you have, 'A sack of corn or a sack of\ncoals?'\"\n\n(_d_) This game indicates a contest between two opposing parties, and a\npunishment, and although in the game the sequence of events is not at\nall clear, the contest taking place after the supposed execution, these\ntwo events stand out very clearly as the chief factors. In the endeavour\nto ascertain who the contending parties were, one cannot but be struck\nwith the significance of the bells having different saint's names. Now\nthe only places where it would be probable for bells to be associated\nwith more than one saint's name within the circuit of a small area are\nthe old parish units of cities and boroughs. Bells were rung on\noccasions when it was necessary or advisable to call the people\ntogether. At the ringing of the \"alarm bell\" the market places were\nquickly filled by crowds of citizens; and by turning to the customs of\nthese places in England, it will be found that contest games between\nparishes, and between the wards of parishes, were very frequent (see\nGomme's _Village Community_, pp. 241-243). These contests were generally\nconducted by the aid of the football, and in one or two cases, such as\nat Ludlow, the contest was with a rope, and, in the case of Derby, it is\nspecially stated that the victors were announced by the joyful ringing\nof their parish bells. Indeed, Halliwell has preserved the \"song on the\nbells of Derby on football morning\" (No. clxix.) as follows:--\n\n Pancake and fritters,\n Say All Saints and St. Peter's;\n When will the _ball_ come,\n Say the bells of St. Alkmun;\n At two they will throw,\n Says Saint Werabo;\n O! very well,\n Says little Michel.\n\nThis custom is quite sufficient to have originated the game, and the\nparallel which it supplies is evidence of the connection between the\ntwo. Oranges and lemons were, in all probability, originally intended\nto mean the _colours_ of the two contesting parties, and not _fruits_ of\nthose names. In contests between the people of a town and the authority\nof baron or earl, the adherents of each side ranged themselves under and\nwore the colours of their chiefs, as is now done by political partizans.\n\nThe rhymes are probably corrupted, but whether from some early cries or\ncalls of the different parishes, or from sentences which the bells were\nsupposed to have said or sung when tolled, it is impossible to say. The\n\"clemming\" of the bells in the Norfolk version (No. 5) may have\noriginated \"St. Clements,\" and the other saints have been added at\ndifferent times. On the other hand, the general similarity of the rhymes\nindicates the influence of some particular place, and, judging by the\nparish names, London seems to be that place. If this is so, the main\nincident of the rhymes may perhaps be due to the too frequent\ndistribution of a traitor's head and limbs among different towns who had\ntaken up his cause. The exhibitions of this nature at London were more\nfrequent than at any other place. The procession of a criminal to\nexecution was generally accompanied by the tolling of bells, and by\ntorches. It is not unlikely that the monotonous chant of the last lines,\n\"Here comes a light to light you to bed,\" &c., indicates this.\n\n\n'Otmillo\n\nA boy (A) kneels with his face in another's (B) lap; the other players\nstanding in the background. They step forward one by one at a signal\nfrom B, who says to each in turn--\n\n 'Otmillo, 'Otmillo,\n Where is this poor man to go?\n\nA then designates a place for each one. When all are despatched A\nremoves his face from B's knees, and standing up exclaims, \"Hot! Hot!\nHot!\" The others then run to him, and the laggard is blinded instead of\nA.--Warwickshire (Northall's _Folk Rhymes_, p. 402).\n\nThis is probably the same game as \"Hot Cockles,\" although it apparently\nlacks the hitting or buffeting the blinded wizard.\n\n\nOver Clover\n\nThe name for the game of \"Warner\" in Oxfordshire. They have a song used\nin the game commencing--\n\n Over clover,\n Nine times over.\n\n--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\nSee \"Stag Warning.\"\n\n\nPaddy from Home\n\n[Music]\n\n--Long Eaton, Notts. (Miss Youngman).\n\n Paddy from home has never been,\n A railway train he's never seen,\n He longs to see the great machine\n That travels along the railway.\n\n--Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire borders (Miss Youngman).\n\n(_c_) The children form a ring, and hold in their hands a string tied at\nthe ends, and on which a ring is strung. They pass the ring from one to\nanother, backwards and forwards. One child stands in the centre, who\ntries to find the holder of the ring. Whoever is discovered holding it\ntakes the place of the child in the centre.\n\n(_d_) This game is similar to \"Find the Ring.\" The verse is, no doubt,\nmodern, though the action and the string and ring are borrowed from an\nolder game. Another verse used for the same game at Earl's Heaton (Mr.\nHardy) is--\n\n The ring it is going;\n Oh where? oh where?\n I don't care where,\n I can't tell where.\n\n\nPaip\n\nThree cherry stones are placed together, and another above them. These\nare all called a castle. The player takes aim with a cherry stone, and\nwhen he overturns the castle he claims the spoil.--Jamieson. See \"Cob\nNut.\"\n\n\nPallall\n\nA Scottish name for \"Hop Scotch.\"--Jamieson.\n\n\nPally Ully\n\nSee \"Hop Scotch.\"\n\n\nPat-ball\n\nA child's name for the simple game of throwing a ball from one to\nanother.--Lowsley's _Berkshire Glossary_.\n\n\nPay-swad\n\nA boys' game, somewhat similar to \"Duckstone.\" Each boy, when he threw\nhis stone, had to say \"Pay-swad,\" or he had to go down\nhimself.--Holland's _Cheshire Glossary_.\n\nSee \"Duckstone.\"\n\n\nPednameny\n\nA game played with pins: also called \"Pinny Ninny,\" \"Pedna-a mean,\"\n\"Heads and Tails,\" a game of pins.--Courtenay's _West Cornwall\nGlossary_.\n\n\nPeesie Weet\n\nThe game of \"Hide and Seek.\" When the object is hidden the word\n\"Peesie-weet\" is called out.--Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire (Rev. W.\nGregor).\n\nSee \"Hide and Seek (2).\"\n\n\nPeg and Stick\n\nThe players provide themselves with short, stout sticks, and a peg (a\npiece of wood sharpened at one or both ends). A ring is made, and the\npeg is placed on the ground so as to balance. One boy then strikes it\nwith his stick to make it spring or bounce up into the air; while in the\nair he strikes it with his stick, and sends it as far as he possibly\ncan. His opponent declares the number of leaps in which the striker is\nto cover the distance the peg has gone. If successful, he counts the\nnumber of leaps to his score. If he fails, his opponent leaps, and, if\nsuccessful, the number of leaps count to his score. He strikes the next\ntime, and the same process is gone through.--Earls Heaton, Yorks.\n(Herbert Hardy).\n\nSee \"Tip-cat.\"\n\n\nPeg-fiched\n\nA west country game. The performers in this game are each furnished with\na sharp-pointed stake. One of them then strikes it into the ground, and\nthe others, throwing their sticks across it, endeavour to dislodge it.\nWhen a stick falls, the owner has to run to a prescribed distance and\nback, while the rest, placing the stick upright, endeavour to beat it\ninto the ground up to the very top.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\n\nPeggy Nut\n\nA boyish game with nuts.--Dickinson's _Cumberland Glossary_.\n\n\nPeg-in-the-Ring\n\nA game of \"Peg-top.\" The object of this game is to spin the top within a\ncertain circle marked out, in which the top is to exhaust itself without\nonce overstepping the bounds prescribed (Halliwell's _Dict.\nProvincialisms_). Holloway (_Dictionary_) says, \"When boys play at\n'Peg-top,' a ring is formed on the ground, within which each boy is to\nspin his top. If the top, when it has ceased spinning, does not roll\nwithout the circle, it must remain in the ring to be pegged at by the\nother boys, or he redeems it by putting in an inferior one, which is\ncalled a 'Mull.' When the top does not roll out, it is said to be\n'mulled.'\" Mr. Emslie writes: \"When the top fell within the ring the\nboys cried, 'One a penny!' When two had fallen within the ring it was,\n'Two a penny!' When three, 'Three a penny, good as any!' The aim of each\nspinner was to do what was called 'drawing,' _i.e._, bring his top down\ninto the ring, and at the same time draw the string so as to make the\ntop spin within the ring, and yet come towards the player and out of the\nring so as to fall without.\"\n\nSee \"Tops.\"\n\n\nPeg-top\n\nOne of the players, chosen by lot, spins his top. The other players\nendeavour to strike this top with the pegs of their own tops as they\nfling them down to spin. If any one fails to spin his top in due form,\nhe has to lay his top on the ground for the others to strike at when\nspinning. The object of each spinner is to split the top which is being\naimed at, so as to release the peg, and the boy whose top has succeeded\nin splitting the other top obtains the peg as his trophy of victory. It\nis a matter of ambition to obtain as many pegs in this manner as\npossible.--London (G. L. Gomme).\n\nSee \"Peg-in-the-Ring,\" \"Tops.\"\n\n\nPenny Cast\n\nA game played with round flat stones, about four or six inches across,\nbeing similar to the game of quoits; sometimes played with pennies when\nthe hobs are a deal higher. It was not played with pennies in\n1810.--Easther's _Almondbury Glossary_. In an article in _Blackwood's\nMagazine_, August 1821, p. 35, dealing with children's games, the writer\nsays, Pennystanes are played much in the same manner as the quoits or\ndiscus of the ancient Romans, to which warlike people the idle tradesmen\nof Edinburgh probably owe this favourite game.\n\nSee \"Penny Prick.\"\n\n\nPenny Hop\n\nA rude dance, which formerly took place in the common taverns of\nSheffield, usually held after the bull-baiting.--Wilson's Notes to\n_Mather's Songs_, p. 74, cited by Addy, _Sheffield Glossary_.\n\n\nPenny Prick\n\n\"A game consisting of casting oblong pieces of iron at a\nmark.\"--Hunter's _Hallamsh. Gloss._, p. 71. Grose explains it, \"Throwing\nat halfpence placed on sticks which are called hobs.\"\n\n Their idle houres, I meane all houres beside\n Their houres to eate, to drinke, drab, sleepe, and ride,\n They spend at shove-boord, or at pennie-pricke.\n\n--Scots' _Philomythie_, 1616.\n\nHalliwell gives these references in his _Dictionary_; Addy, _Sheffield\nGlossary_, describes it as above; adding, \"An old game once played by\npeople of fashion.\"\n\nSee \"Penny Cast.\"\n\n\nPenny Stanes\n\nSee \"Penny Cast.\"\n\n\nPh[oe]be\n\nThe name of a dance mentioned in an old nursery rhyme. A correspondent\ngave Halliwell the following lines of a very old song, the only ones he\nrecollected:--\n\n Cannot you dance the Ph[oe]be?\n Don't you see what pains I take;\n Don't you see how my shoulders shake?\n Cannot you dance the Ph[oe]be?\n\n--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\nThese words are somewhat of the same character as those of \"Auntie\nLoomie,\" and are evidently the accompaniment of an old dance.\n\nSee \"Lubin.\"\n\n\nPick and Hotch\n\nThe game of \"Pitch and Toss.\"--Brogden's _Provincial Words_,\nLincolnshire. It is called Pickenhotch in Peacock's _Manley and\nCorringham Glossary_.\n\n\nPi-cow\n\nA game in which one half of the players are supposed to keep a castle,\nwhile the others go out as a foraging or marauding party. When the\nlatter are all gone out, one of them cries _Pee-ku_, which is a signal\nto those within to be on the alert. Then those who are without attempt\nto get in. If any one of them gets in without being seized by the\nholders of the castle, he cries to his companions, _The hole's won_; and\nthose who are within must yield the fortress. If one of the assailants\nbe taken before getting in he is obliged to change sides and to guard\nthe castle. Sometimes the guards are successful in making prisoners of\nall the assailants. Also the name given to the game of Hide and\nSeek.--Jamieson.\n\n\nPigeon Walk\n\nA boy's game [undescribed].--Patterson's _Antrim and Down Glossary_.\n\n\nPig-ring\n\nA game at marbles where a ring is made about four feet in diameter, and\nboys \"shoot\" in turn from any point in the circumference, keeping such\nmarbles as they may knock out of the ring, but loosing their own \"taw\"\nif it should stop within.--Lowsley's _Berkshire Glossary_. See \"Ring\nTaw.\"\n\n\nPillie-Winkie\n\nA sport among children in Fife. An egg, an unfledged bird, or a whole\nnest is placed on a convenient spot. He who has what is called the first\n_pill_, retires a few paces, and being provided with a cowt or rung, is\nblindfolded, or gives his promise to wink hard (whence he is called\n_Winkie_), and moves forward in the direction of the object, as he\nsupposes, striking the ground with the stick all the way. He must not\nshuffle the stick along the ground, but always strike perpendicularly.\nIf he touches the nest without destroying it, or the egg without\nbreaking it, he loses his vice or turn. The same mode is observed by\nthose who succeed him. When one of the party breaks an egg he is\nentitled to all the rest as his property, or to some other reward that\nhas been previously agreed on. Every art is employed, without removing\nthe nest or egg, to mislead the blindfolded player, who is also called\nthe Pinkie.--Jamieson. See \"Blind Man's Stan.\"\n\n\nPinch\n\nThe game of \"Pitch-Halfpenny,\" or \"Pitch and Hustle.\"--Halliwell's\n_Dictionary_. Addy (_Sheffield Glossary_) says this game consists of\npitching halfpence at a mark.\n\nSee \"Penny Cast,\" \"Penny Prick.\"\n\n\nPinny Show\n\nA child's peep-show. The charge for a peep is a pin, and, under\nextraordinary circumstances of novelty, two pins.\n\nI remember well being shown how to make a peep or poppet-show. It was\nmade by arranging combinations of colours from flowers under a piece of\nglass, and then framing it with paper in such a way that a cover was\nleft over the front, which could be raised when any one paid a pin to\npeep. The following words were said, or rather sung, in a sing-song\nmanner:--\n\n A pin to see the poppet-show,\n All manner of colours oh!\n See the ladies all below.\n\n--(A. B. Gomme).\n\nPansies or other flowers are pressed beneath a piece of glass, which is\nlaid upon a piece of paper, a hole or opening, which can be shut at\npleasure, being cut in the paper. The charge for looking at the show is\na pin. The children say, \"A pin to look at a pippy-show.\" They also\nsay--\n\n A pinnet a piece to look at a show,\n All the fine ladies sat in a row.\n Blackbirds with blue feet\n Walking up a new street;\n One behind and one before,\n And one beknocking at t'barber's door.\n\n--Addy's _Sheffield Glossary_.\n\nIn Perth (Rev. W. Gregor) the rhyme is--\n\n A pin to see a poppy show,\n A pin to see a die,\n A pin to see an old man\n Sitting in the sky.\n\nDescribed also in Holland's _Cheshire Glossary_, and Lowsley's\n_Berkshire Glossary_. Atkinson's _Cleveland Glossary_ describes it as\nhaving coloured pictures pasted inside, and an eye-hole at one of the\nends. The _Leed's Glossary_ gives the rhyme as--\n\n A pin to look in,\n A very fine thing.\n\nNorthall (_English Folk-rhymes_, p. 357), also gives a rhyme.\n\n\nPins\n\nOn the 1st of January the children beg for some pins, using the words,\n\"Please pay Nab's New Year's gift.\" They then play \"a very childish\ngame,\" but I have not succeeded in getting a description of\nit.--Yorkshire.\n\nSee \"Prickie and Jockie.\"\n\n\nPirley Pease-weep\n\nA game played by boys, \"and the name demonstrates that it is a native\none, for it would require a page of close writing to make it\nintelligible to an Englishman.\" The rhyme used at this play is--\n\n Scotsman, Scotsman, lo!\n Where shall this poor Scotsman go?\n\n Send him east, or send him west,\n Send him to the craw's nest.\n\n--_Blackwood's Magazine_, August 1821, p. 37.\n\nThe rhyme suggests comparison with the game of \"Hot Cockles.\"\n\n\nPitch\n\nA game played with pennies, or other round discs. The object is to pitch\nthe penny into a hole in the ground from a certain point.--Elworthy,\n_West Somerset Words_.\n\nProbably \"Pick and Hotch,\" mentioned in an article in _Blackwood's\nMag._, Aug. 1821, p. 35. Common in London streets.\n\n\nPitch and Hustle\n\n\"Chuck-Farthing.\" The game of \"Pitch and Toss\" is very common, being\nmerely the throwing up of halfpence, the result depending on a guess of\nheads or tails.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\n\nPitch and Toss\n\nThis game was played by two or more players with \"pitchers\"--the stakes\nbeing buttons. The ordinary bone button, or \"scroggy,\" being the unit of\nvalue. The \"pitcher\" was made of lead, circular in form, from one and a\nhalf inch to two inches in diameter, and about a quarter of an inch\nthick, with an \"[H]\" to stand for \"Heads\" cut on one side, and a \"[T]\"\nfor \"Tails\" on the other side. An old-fashioned penny was sometimes\nused, and an old \"two-penny\" piece I have by me bears the marks of much\nservice in the same cause. A mark having been set up--generally a\nstone--and the order of play having been fixed, the first player, A,\nthrew his \"pitcher\" to the mark, from a point six or seven yards\ndistant. If he thought he lay sufficiently near the mark to make it\nprobable that he would be the nearest after the others had thrown, he\nsaid he would \"lie.\" The effect of that was that the players who\nfollowed had to lie also, whatever the character of their throw. If A's\nthrow was a poor one he took up his \"pitcher.\" B then threw, if he threw\nwell he \"lay,\" if not he took up his pitcher, in hope of making a better\nthrow, as A had done. C then played in the same manner. D followed and\n\"lay.\" E played his pitcher, and had no choice but to lie. F followed in\nthe same way. These being all the players, A threw again, and though his\nsecond might have been worse than his first, he has to lie like the\nothers. B and C followed. All the pitchers have been thrown, and are\nlying round the mark, in the following order of proximity--for that\nregulates the subsequent play--B's is nearest, then D's follows, in\norder by A, C, F, E. B takes the pitchers, and piles them up one above\nthe other, and tosses them into the air. Three (let us say) fall head\nup, D's, A's, and F's. These three B keeps in his hand. D, who was next\nnearest the mark, takes the three remaining pitchers, and in the same\nmanner tosses them into the air. B's and C's fall head up, and are\nretained by D. A, who comes third, takes the remaining pitcher, E's, and\nthrows it up. If it falls a head he keeps it, and the game is finished\nexcept the reckoning; if it falls a tail it passes on to the next\nplayer, C, who throws it up. If it falls a head he keeps it, if a tail,\nit is passed on to F, and from him to E, and on to B, till it turns up a\nhead. Let us suppose that happens when F throws it up. The game is now\nfinished, and the reckoning takes place--\n\n B has three pitchers, D's, A's, and F's.\n D \" two \" B's and C's.\n F \" one \" E's.\n A, C, and E have none.\n\nStrictly speaking, D, A, and F should each pay a button to B. B and C\nshould each pay one to D. E should pay one to F. But in practice it was\nsimpler, F holding one pitcher had, in the language of the game, \"freed\nhimself.\" D had \"freed himself,\" and was in addition one to the good. B\nhad \"freed himself,\" and was two to the good. A, C, and E, not having\n\"freed themselves,\" were liable for the one D had won and the two B had\nwon, and settled with D and B, without regard to the actual hand that\nheld the respective pitchers. It simplified the reckoning, though\ntheoretically the reckoning should have followed the more roundabout\nmethod. Afterwards the game was begun _de novo_. E, who was last, having\nfirst pitch--the advantage of that place being meant to compensate him\nin a measure for his ill luck in the former game. The stakes were the\nplain horn or bone buttons--buttons with nicks were more valuable--a\nplain one being valued at two \"scroggies,\" or \"scrogs,\" the fancy ones,\nand especially livery buttons, commanding a higher price.--Rev. W.\nGregor. See \"Buttons.\"\n\n\nPit-counter\n\nA game played by boys, who roll counters in a small hole. The exact\ndescription I have not been able to get.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\n\nPits\n\nA game at marbles. The favourite recreation with the young fishermen in\nWest Cornwall. Forty years ago \"Pits\" and \"Towns\" were the common games,\nbut the latter only is now played. Boys who hit their nails are looked\non with great contempt, and are said \"to fire Kibby.\" When two are\npartners, and one in playing accidentally hits the other's marble, he\ncries out, \"No custance,\" meaning that he has a right to put back the\nmarble struck; should he fail to do so, he would be considered\n\"out.\"--_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 60. There is no description of the\nmethod of playing. It may be the same as \"Cherry Pits,\" played with\nmarbles instead of cherry stones (vol. i. p. 66). Mr. Newell, _Games and\nSongs of American Children_, p. 187, says \"The pits are thrown over the\npalm; they must fall so far apart that the fingers can be passed between\nthem. Then with a fillip of the thumb the player makes his pit strike\nthe enemy's and wins both.\"\n\n\nPize Ball\n\nSides are picked; as, for example, six on one side and six on the other,\nand three or four marks or tuts are fixed in a field. Six go out to\nfield, as in cricket, and one of these throws the ball to one of those\nwho remain \"at home,\" and the one \"at home\" strikes or pizes it with his\nhand. After pizing it he runs to one of the \"tuts,\" but if before he can\nget to the \"tut\" he is struck with the ball by one of those in the\nfield, he is said to be _burnt_, or out. In that case the other side go\nout to field.--Addy's _Sheffield Glossary_.\n\nSee \"Rounders.\"\n\n\nPlum Pudding\n\nA game at marbles of two or more boys. Each puts an equal number of\nmarbles in a row close together, a mark is made at some little distance\ncalled taw; the distance is varied according to the number of marbles in\na row. The first boy tosses at the row in such a way as to pitch just on\nthe marbles, and so strike as many as he can out of the line; all that\nhe strikes out he takes; the rest are put close together again, and two\nother players take their turn in the same manner, till all the marbles\nare struck out of the line, when they all stake afresh and the game\nbegins again.--Baker's _Northamptonshire Glossary_.\n\n\nPlum Pudding and Roast Beef\n\nMentioned by Moor, _Suffolk Words and Phrases_, as the name of a game.\nUndescribed, but nearly the same as French and English.\n\n\nPointing out a Point\n\nA small mark is made on the wall. The one to point out the point, who\nmust not know what is intended, is blindfolded, and is then sent to put\nthe finger on the point or mark. Another player has taken a place in\nfront of the point, and bites the finger of the blindfolded\npointer.--Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n\nPoncake\n\nName of a girl's game the same as Cheeses.--Holland's _Cheshire\nGlossary_. See \"Turn Cheeses, Turn.\"\n\n\nPoor and Rich\n\nAn old game mentioned in Taylor's _Motto_, sig. D, iv. London, 1622.\n\n\nPoor Mary sits a-weeping\n\n[Music]\n\n[Music]\n\n--Barnes (A. B. Gomme).\n\n[Illustration: \"Poor Mary sits a-weeping.\"]\n\n I. Poor Mary sits a-weepin',\n A-weepin', a-weepin';\n Poor Mary sits a-weepin'\n On a bright summer's day.\n\n Pray, Mary, what're you weepin' for,\n A-weepin' for, a-weepin' for?\n Pray, Mary, what're you weepin' for?\n On a bright summer's day.\n\n I'm weepin' for a sweetheart,\n A sweetheart, a sweetheart;\n I'm weepin' for a sweetheart,\n On a bright summer's day.\n\n Pray, Mary, choose your lover,\n Your lover, your lover;\n Pray, Mary, choose your lover\n On a bright summer's day.\n\n Now you're married, I wish you joy;\n First a girl, and then a boy;\n Seven years after, son and daughter;\n Pray, young couple, come kiss together.\n\n Kiss her once, kiss her twice,\n Kiss her three times over.\n\n--Barnes, Surrey (A. B. Gomme).\n\n II. Poor Mary is weeping, is weeping, is weeping,\n Poor Mary is weeping on a bright summer's day.\n\n Pray tell me what you're weeping for, weeping for, weeping\n for,\n Pray tell me what you're weeping for, on a bright summer's\n day?\n\n I'm weeping for my true love, my true love, my true love,\n I'm weeping for my true love, on a bright summer's day.\n\n Stand up and choose your lover, your lover, your lover,\n Stand up and choose your lover, on a bright summer's day.\n\n Go to church with your lover, your lover, your lover,\n Go to church with your lover, on a bright summer's day.\n\n Be happy in a ring, love; a ring, love; a ring, love.\n Kiss both together, love, on this bright summer's day.\n\n--Upton-on-Severn, Worcestershire (Miss Broadwood).\n\n III. Pray, Sally, what are you weeping for--\n Weeping for--weeping for?\n Pray, Sally, what are you weeping for,\n On a bright shiny day?\n\n I am weeping for a sweetheart--\n A sweetheart--a sweetheart;\n I am weeping for a sweetheart,\n On a bright shiny day.\n\n Pray, Sally, go and get one--\n Go and get one--get one;\n Pray, Sally, go and get one,\n On a bright shiny day.\n\n Pray, Sally, now you've got one--\n You've got one--got one;\n Pray, Sally, now you've got one,\n On a bright sunny day.\n\n One kiss will never part you--\n Never part you--part you;\n One kiss will never part you,\n On a bright sunny day.\n\n--Dorsetshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 209).\n\n IV. Poor ---- sat a-weeping,\n A-weeping, a-weeping;\n Poor ---- sat a-weeping,\n On a bright summer's day.\n\n I'm weeping for a sweetheart,\n A sweetheart, a sweetheart;\n I'm weeping for a sweetheart,\n On a bright summer's day.\n\n Oh, pray get up and choose one,\n And choose one, and choose one;\n Oh, pray get up and choose one,\n On a bright summer's day.\n\n Now you're married, you must obey;\n You must be true to all you say.\n You must be kind, you must be good,\n And help your wife to chop the wood.\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n V. Poor Mary sat a-weeping, a-weeping, a-weeping,\n Poor Mary sat a-weeping, down by the sea-side.\n\n By the side of the river, by the side of the river,\n She sat down and cried.\n\n Oh, pray get up and choose one, and choose one, and choose\n one,\n Oh, pray get up and choose one, down by the sea-side.\n\n Now you're married, I wish you joy;\n Father and mother you must obey;\n Love one another like sister and brother,\n And pray, young couple, come kiss one another.\n\n--Colchester (Miss G. M. Frances).\n\n VI. Poor Mary is a-weeping, a-weeping, a-weeping,\n Poor Mary is a-weeping on a fine summer's day.\n\n What is she weeping for, weeping for, weeping for,\n What is she weeping for on a fine summer's day?\n\n She's weeping for her sweetheart, her sweetheart, her\n sweetheart,\n She's weeping for her sweetheart on a fine summer's day.\n\n Pray get up and choose one, choose one, choose one,\n Pray get up and choose one on a fine summer's day.\n\n Pray go to church, love; church, love; church, love;\n Pray go to church, love, on a fine summer's day.\n\n Pray put the ring on, ring on, ring on,\n Pray put the ring on, on a fine summer's day.\n\n Pray come back, love; back, love; back, love;\n Pray come back, love, on a fine summer's day.\n\n Now you're married, we wish you joy;\n Your father and mother you must obey;\n Love one another like sister and brother;\n And now it's time to go away.\n\n--(_Suffolk County Folk-lore_, pp. 66, 67.)\n\n VII. Poor Mary sits a-weeping, a-weeping, a-weeping,\n Poor Mary sits a-weeping on a bright summer's day.\n\n Pray tell me what you are weeping for, weeping for, weeping\n for,\n Pray tell me what you are weeping for on a bright summer's\n day?\n\n I'm weeping for a sweetheart, a sweetheart, a sweetheart,\n I'm weeping for a sweetheart on a bright summer's day.\n\n Poor Mary's got a shepherd's cross, a shepherd's cross, a\n shepherd's cross,\n Poor Mary's got a shepherd's cross on a bright summer's day.\n\n--Berkshire (Miss Thoyts, _Antiquary_, xxvii. 254).\n\n VIII. Mary sits a-weeping, a-weeping, a-weeping,\n Mary sits a-weeping, close by the sea-side.\n\n Mary, what are you weeping for, weeping for, weeping for,\n Mary, what are you weeping for, close by the sea-side?\n\n I'm a-weeping for my sweetheart, my sweetheart, my\n sweetheart,\n I'm a-weeping for my sweetheart, close by the sea-side.\n\n Pray get up and choose one, and choose one, and choose one,\n Pray get up and choose one, close by the sea-side.\n\n--Winterton and Lincoln (Miss M. Peacock).\n\n IX. Poor Mary sits a-weeping, a-weeping,\n Poor Mary sits a-weeping, on a bright summer's day.\n\n She is weeping for her lover, her lover,\n She is weeping for her lover on a bright summer's day.\n\n Stand up and choose your lover, your lover,\n Stand up and choose your lover, on a bright summer's day.\n\n And now she's got a lover, a lover,\n And now she's got a lover, on a bright summer's day.\n\n--Hanbury, Staffs. (Miss E. Hollis).\n\n X. Oh, what is Nellie weeping for,\n A-weeping for, a-weeping for?\n Oh, what is Nellie weeping for,\n On a cold and sunshine day?\n\n I'm weeping for my sweetheart,\n My sweetheart, my sweetheart;\n I'm weeping for my sweetheart\n On a cold and sunshine day.\n\n So now stand up and choose the one,\n And choose the one, and choose the one;\n So now stand up and choose the one,\n On a cold and sunshine day.\n\n--Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire (Miss Matthews).\n\n XI. Poor Mary sits a-weeping, a-weeping, a-weeping,\n Poor Mary sits a-weeping, on a bright summer's day.\n\n Pray what are you a-weeping for, a-weeping for, a-weeping\n for,\n Pray what are you a-weeping for on a bright summer's day?\n\n She's weeping for a lover, a lover, a lover,\n She's weeping for a lover, this bright summer's day.\n\n Rise up and choose your lover, your lover, your lover,\n Rise up and choose your lover, this bright summer's day.\n\n Now Mary she is married, is married, is married,\n Now Mary she is married this bright summer's day.\n\n--Enborne School, Newbury, Berks. (Miss M. Kimber).\n\n XII. Poor Sarah's a-weeping,\n A-weeping, a-weeping;\n Oh, what is she a-weeping for,\n A-weeping for, a-weeping for?\n\n I'm weeping for a sweetheart,\n A sweetheart, a sweetheart;\n I'm weeping for a sweetheart\n This bright summer day.\n\n Oh, she shall have a sweetheart,\n A sweetheart, a sweetheart;\n Oh, she shall have a sweetheart\n This bright summer day.\n\n Go to church, loves,\n Go to church, loves.\n Say your prayers, loves,\n Say your prayers, loves.\n Kiss your lovers,\n Kiss your lovers;\n Rise up and choose your love.\n\n--Liphook, Hants. (Miss Fowler).\n\n XIII. Poor Mary sits weeping, weeping, weeping,\n Poor Mary sits weeping on a bright summer's day;\n On the carpet she must kneel till the grass grows on the\n field.\n\n Stand up straight upon your feet,\n And show me the one you love so sweet.\n\n Now you're married, I wish you joy;\n First a girl, and second a boy;\n If one don't kiss, the other must,\n So kiss, kiss, kiss.\n\n--Cambridge (Mrs. Haddon).\n\n XIV. Poor Mary is a-weeping, a-weeping, a-weeping,\n Poor Mary is a-weeping on a bright summer's day;\n Pray what is she a-weeping for, a-weeping for, a-weeping\n for,\n Pray what is she a-weeping for, on a bright summer's day?\n\n I'm weeping for my true love, my true love, my true love,\n I'm weeping for my true love, on a bright summer's day.\n\n Stand up and choose your true love, your true love, your\n true love,\n Stand up and choose your true love, on a bright summer's\n day.\n\n Ring a ring o' roses, o' roses, o' roses,\n Ring a ring o' roses; a pocketful of posies.\n\n--Ogbourne, Wilts. (H. S. May).\n\n XV. Poor Sally is a-weeping, a-weeping, a-weeping,\n Poor Sally is a-weeping, down by the sea-side.\n Pray tell me what you're weeping for, you're weeping for,\n you're weeping for,\n Pray tell me what you're weeping for, down by the sea-side?\n\n I'm weeping for my sweetheart, my sweetheart, my sweetheart,\n I'm weeping for my sweetheart, down by the sea-side.\n\n A ring o' roses,\n A pocketful of posies;\n Isham! Isham!\n We all tumble down.\n\n--Manton, Marlborough, Wilts. (H. S. May).\n\n XVI. Poor Mary is a-weeping, a-weeping, a-weeping,\n On a fine summer's day;\n What is she weeping for, weeping for, weeping for?\n\n She is weeping for her lover, her lover, her lover;\n And who is her love, who is her lover?\n\n Johnny Baxter is her lover, Johnny Baxter is her lover;\n And where is her lover, where is her lover?\n\n Her lover is a-sleeping, her lover is a-sleeping,\n Is a-sleeping at the bottom of the sea.\n\n--South Devon (_Notes and Queries_, 8th Series, i. 249, Miss R. H.\nBusk).\n\n XVII. Poor Mary, what are you weeping for?\n You weeping for?\n You weeping for?\n Poor Mary, what are you weeping for,\n On a bright summer's day?\n\n Pray tell us what you are weeping for?\n You are weeping for?\n You are weeping for?\n\n Pray tell us what you are weeping for,\n On a bright summer's day.\n\n My father he is dead, sir;\n Is dead, sir;\n Is dead, sir.\n My father he is dead, sir,\n On a bright summer's day.\n\n--Earls Heaton (Herbert Hardy).\n\n XVIII. Poor Mary is a-weeping, a-weeping, a-weeping,\n Poor Mary is a-weeping, on a fine summer's day.\n Pray tell me what you're weeping for? &c.\n\n Because my father's dead and gone, is dead and gone, is dead\n and gone;\n Because my father's dead and gone, on a fine summer's day.\n\n She is kneeling by her father's grave, her father's grave,\n her father's grave;\n She is kneeling by her father's grave, on a fine summer's\n day.\n\n Stand up and choose your love, choose your love, choose your\n love;\n Stand up and choose your love, on a bright summer's day.\n\n--(Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XIX. Oh, what is Jennie weeping for,\n A-weeping for, a-weeping for?\n Oh, what is Jennie weeping for,\n All on this summer's day?\n\n I'm weeping for my own true love,\n My own true love, my own true love;\n I'm weeping for my own true love,\n All on this summer's day.\n\n Rise up and choose another love,\n Another love, another love;\n Rise up and choose another love,\n All on this summer's day.\n\n--Berwickshire (A. M. Bell, _Antiquary_, xxx. 16).\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Barnes. | Enborne. | Dorsetshire. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Poor Mary sits a- |Poor Mary sits a- | -- |\n | |weeping. |weeping. | |\n | 2.|Pray, Mary, what are |Pray, what are you a- |Pray, Sally, what are |\n | |you weeping for? |weeping for? |you weeping for? |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.|I'm weeping for a |She's weeping for a |I'm weeping for a |\n | |sweetheart. |lover. |sweetheart. |\n | 5.|On a bright summer's |This bright summer's |On a bright shiny day.|\n | |day. |day. | |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.|Pray, Mary, choose |Rise up and choose | -- |\n | |your lover. |your lover. | |\n |11.| -- | -- |Pray, Sally, go and |\n | | | |get one. |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- | -- | -- |\n |14.|Now you're married, I |Now Mary she is | -- |\n | |wish you joy. |married. | |\n |15.|First a girl, then a | -- | -- |\n | |boy. | | |\n |16.|Seven years after, son| -- | -- |\n | |and daughter. | | |\n |17.| -- | -- |Pray, Sally, now |\n | | | |you've got one. |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- | -- | -- |\n |22.| -- | -- | -- |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.|Pray, young couple, | -- | -- |\n | |come kiss together. | | |\n |25.| -- | -- |One kiss will never |\n | | | |part you. |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n |28.| -- | -- | -- |\n |29.|Kiss her once, twice, | -- | -- |\n | |kiss three times over.| | |\n |30.| -- | -- | -- |\n |31.| -- | -- | -- |\n |32.| -- | -- | -- |\n |33.| -- | -- | -- |\n |34.| -- | -- | -- |\n |35.| -- | -- | -- |\n |36.| -- | -- | -- |\n |37.| -- | -- | -- |\n |38.| -- | -- | -- |\n |39.| -- | -- | -- |\n |40.| -- | -- | -- |\n |41.| -- | -- | -- |\n |42.| -- | -- | -- |\n |43.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Upton. | Sporle. | Colchester. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Poor Mary is weeping. |Poor [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0] sat a- |Poor Mary sat a- |\n | | |weeping. |weeping. |\n | 2.|Pray, tell me what | -- | -- |\n | |you're weeping for. | | |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.|I am weeping for my |I'm weeping for a | -- |\n | |true love. |sweetheart. | |\n | 5.|On a bright summer's |On a bright summer's | -- |\n | |day. |day. | |\n | 6.| -- | -- |By the side of the |\n | | | |river. |\n | 7.| -- | -- |She sat down and |\n | | | |cried. |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.|Stand up and choose |Pray, get up and |Pray, get up and |\n | |your lover. |choose one. |choose one. |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- | -- | -- |\n |14.| -- | -- |Now you're married, I |\n | | | |wish you joy. |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- |Now you're married you| -- |\n | | |must obey. | |\n |19.| -- |You must be true to | -- |\n | | |all you say. | |\n |20.| -- |You must be kind and | -- |\n | | |good. | |\n |21.| -- |Help wife to chop | -- |\n | | |wood. | |\n |22.| -- | -- |Father and mother you |\n | | | |must obey. |\n |23.| -- | -- |Love one another like |\n | | | |sister and brother. |\n |24.| -- | -- |Pray, young couple, |\n | | | |come kiss together. |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.|Go to church with your| -- | -- |\n | |lover. | | |\n |27.|Be happy in a ring, | -- | -- |\n | |love. | | |\n |28.| -- | -- | -- |\n |29.|Kiss both together, | -- | -- |\n | |love. | | |\n |30.| -- | -- | -- |\n |31.| -- | -- | -- |\n |32.| -- | -- | -- |\n |33.| -- | -- | -- |\n |34.| -- | -- | -- |\n |35.| -- | -- | -- |\n |36.| -- | -- | -- |\n |37.| -- | -- | -- |\n |38.| -- | -- | -- |\n |39.| -- | -- | -- |\n |40.| -- | -- | -- |\n |41.| -- | -- | -- |\n |42.| -- | -- | -- |\n |43.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Winterton. | Forest of Dean. | Liphook. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Mary sits a-weeping. | -- |Poor Sarah's a- |\n | | | |weeping. |\n | 2.|Mary, what are you |Oh! what is Nellie |Oh, what is she a- |\n | |weep'ng for? |weeping for? |weeping for? |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.|I'm weeping for a |I'm weeping for my |I'm weeping for a |\n | |sweetheart. |sweetheart. |sweetheart. |\n | 5.| -- | -- |This bright summer's |\n | | | |day. |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.|Close by the sea side.| -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- |On a cold and sunshine| -- |\n | | |day. | |\n |10.|Pray, get up and |Now stand up and |Rise up and choose |\n | |choose one. |choose one. |your lover. |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- |She shall have a |\n | | | |sweetheart. |\n |13.| -- | -- | -- |\n |14.| -- | -- | -- |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- | -- | -- |\n |22.| -- | -- | -- |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- |Go to church, love. |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n |28.| -- | -- |Say your prayers, |\n | | | |love. |\n |29.| -- | -- |Kiss your lovers. |\n |30.| -- | -- | -- |\n |31.| -- | -- | -- |\n |32.| -- | -- | -- |\n |33.| -- | -- | -- |\n |34.| -- | -- | -- |\n |35.| -- | -- | -- |\n |36.| -- | -- | -- |\n |37.| -- | -- | -- |\n |38.| -- | -- | -- |\n |39.| -- | -- | -- |\n |40.| -- | -- | -- |\n |41.| -- | -- | -- |\n |42.| -- | -- | -- |\n |43.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Earls Heaton. | Suffolk. | Berkshire. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- |Poor Mary sits a- |Poor Mary sits a- |\n | | |weeping. |weeping. |\n | 2.|Poor Mary, what are |What is she weeping | -- |\n | |you weeping for? |for? | |\n | 3.|Pray tell us what you | -- |Pray tell me what she |\n | |are weeping for? | |is weeping for?| |\n | 4.| -- |She's weeping for a |I'm weeping for a |\n | | |sweetheart. | |\n | 5.|On a bright summer's |On a fine summer's |On a bright summer's |\n | |day. |day. |day. |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.| -- |Pray get up and choose| -- |\n | | |one. | |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- | -- | -- |\n |14.| -- |Now you're married, we| -- |\n | | |wish you joy. | |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- | -- | -- |\n |22.| -- |Father and mother you | -- |\n | | |must obey. | |\n |23.| -- |Love one another like | -- |\n | | |brother and sister. | |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- |Pray go to church, | -- |\n | | |love. | |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n |28.| -- | -- | -- |\n |29.| -- | -- | -- |\n |30.|My father he is dead, | -- | -- |\n | |sir. | | |\n |31.| -- | -- | -- |\n |32.| -- |Pray put the ring on. | -- |\n |33.| -- |Pray come back, love. | -- |\n |34.| -- |Now it's time to go | -- |\n | | |away. | |\n |35.| -- | -- |Mary's got a |\n | | | |shepherd's cross. |\n |36.| -- | -- | -- |\n |37.| -- | -- | -- |\n |38.| -- | -- | -- |\n |39.| -- | -- | -- |\n |40.| -- | -- | -- |\n |41.| -- | -- | -- |\n |42.| -- | -- | -- |\n |43.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Staffordshire. | Newbury. | South Devon. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Poor Mary sits a- |Poor Mary sits a- |Poor Mary is a- |\n | |weeping. |weeping. |weeping. |\n | 2.| -- |Pray what are you |What is she weeping |\n | | |weeping for? |for? |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.|She's weeping for her |She's weeping for a |She's weeping for her |\n | |lover. |lover. |lover. |\n | 5.|On a bright summer's |This bright summer's |On a fine summer's |\n | |day. |day. |day. |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- |[See No. 41.] |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.|Stand up and choose |Rise up and choose | -- |\n | |your lover. |your lover. | |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- | -- | -- |\n |14.| -- |Now Mary she is | -- |\n | | |married. | |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- | -- | -- |\n |22.| -- | -- | -- |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n |28.| -- | -- | -- |\n |29.| -- | -- | -- |\n |30.| -- | -- | -- |\n |31.| -- | -- | -- |\n |32.| -- | -- | -- |\n |33.| -- | -- | -- |\n |34.| -- | -- | -- |\n |35.| -- | -- | -- |\n |36.|Now she's got a lover.| -- | -- |\n |37.| -- | -- |Who is her lover? |\n |38.| -- | -- |I. O. is her lover. |\n |39.| -- | -- |Where is her lover? |\n |40.| -- | -- |Her lover is sleeping.|\n |41.| -- | -- |At the bottom of the |\n | | | |sea. |\n |42.| -- | -- | -- |\n |43.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Cambridge. | Ogbourne. | Manton. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Poor Mary is a- |Poor Mary is a- |Poor Sally is a- |\n | |weeping. |weeping. |weeping. |\n | 2.| -- |Pray what is she |Pray tell me what |\n | | |weeping for? |you're weeping for. |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- |I'm weeping for my |I'm weeping for my |\n | | |true love. |sweetheart. |\n | 5.| -- |On a bright summer's | -- |\n | | |day. | |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- |Down by the seaside. |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.|Stand up upon your |Stand up and choose | -- |\n | |feet and show the one |your true love. | |\n | |you love so sweet. | | |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.|On the carpet she | -- | -- |\n | |shall kneel till the | | |\n | |grass grows on the | | |\n | |field. | | |\n |14.|Now you're married I | -- | -- |\n | |wish you joy. | | |\n |15.|First a girl and | -- | -- |\n | |second a boy. | | |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- | -- | -- |\n |22.| -- | -- | -- |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n |28.| -- | -- | -- |\n |29.|If one don't kiss, the| -- | -- |\n | |other must. | | |\n |30.| -- | -- | -- |\n |31.| -- | -- | -- |\n |32.| -- | -- | -- |\n |33.| -- | -- | -- |\n |34.| -- | -- | -- |\n |35.| -- | -- | -- |\n |36.| -- | -- | -- |\n |37.| -- | -- | -- |\n |38.| -- | -- | -- |\n |39.| -- | -- | -- |\n |40.| -- | -- | -- |\n |41.| -- | -- | -- |\n |42.| -- |Ring a ring o' roses a|A ring of roses a |\n | | |pocketful of posies. |pocketful of posies. |\n |43.| -- | -- |We all tumble down. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Berwickshire. | Scotland. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|What is Jennie weeping|Poor Mary is a- |\n | |for? |weeping. |\n | 2.| -- |Pray tell me what |\n | | |you're weeping for. |\n | 3.| -- | -- |\n | 4.|I'm weeping for my own| -- |\n | |true love. | |\n | 5.|All on this summer's |On a fine summer's |\n | |day. |day. |\n | 6.| -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- |\n |10.| -- |Stand up and choose |\n | | |your love. |\n |11.| -- | -- |\n |12.|Rise up and choose | -- |\n | |another love. | |\n |13.| -- | -- |\n |14.| -- | -- |\n |15.| -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- |\n |19.| -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- |\n |21.| -- | -- |\n |22.| -- | -- |\n |23.| -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- |\n |28.| -- | -- |\n |29.| -- | -- |\n |30.| -- |Because my father's |\n | | |dead and gone. |\n |31.| -- |She's kneeling by her |\n | | |father's grave. |\n |32.| -- | -- |\n |33.| -- | -- |\n |34.| -- | -- |\n |35.| -- | -- |\n |36.| -- | -- |\n |37.| -- | -- |\n |38.| -- | -- |\n |39.| -- | -- |\n |40.| -- | -- |\n |41.| -- | -- |\n |42.| -- | -- |\n |43.| -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n(_b_) A ring is formed by the children joining hands. One child kneels\nin the centre, covering her face with her hands. The ring dances round,\nand sings the first two verses. The kneeling child then takes her hands\nfrom her face and sings the next verse, still kneeling. While the ring\nsings the next verse, she rises and chooses one child out of the ring.\nThey stand together, holding hands while the others sing the marriage\nformula, and kiss each other at the command. The ring of children dance\nround quickly while singing this. When finished the first \"Mary\" takes a\nplace in the ring, and the other child kneels down (Barnes and other\nplaces). At Enborne school, Newbury (Miss Kimber), this game is played\nby boys and girls. All the children in the ring sing the first two\nverses. Then the boys alone in the ring sing the next verse; all the\nring singing the fourth. While singing this the kneeling child rises and\nholds out her hand to any boy she prefers, who goes into the ring with\nher. When he is left in the ring at the commencement of the game again,\na boy's name is substituted for that of \"Mary.\" There appears to be no\nkissing. In the Liphook version (Miss Fowler), after the girl has chosen\nher sweetheart the ring breaks, and the two walk out and then kneel\ndown, returning to the ring and kissing each other. A version identical\nwith that of Barnes is played by the girls of Clapham High School. All\ntunes sent me were similar to that given.\n\n(_c_) The analysis of the game rhymes is on pp. 56-60.\n\nThis analysis shows that the incidents expressed by the rhymes are\npractically the same in all the versions. In the majority of the cases\nthe weeping is depicted as part of a ceremony, by which it is known that\na girl desires a lover; she is enabled then to choose one, and to be\nmarried. The marriage formula is the usual one in the Barnes' version,\nbut follows another set of words in three other versions. In the cases\nwhere the marriage is neither expressed by a formula, nor implied by\nother means (Winterton and Forest of Dean), the versions are evidently\nfragments only, and probably at one time ended, as in the other cases,\nwith marriage. But in three other cases the ending is not with marriage.\nThe Earls Heaton and Scottish versions represent the cause of weeping as\nthe death of a father, the Berkshire version introduces the apparently\nunmeaning incident of Mary bearing a shepherd's cross, and the South\nDevon version represents the cause of weeping the death of a lover at\nsea. It is obvious that at places where sailors abound, the incident of\nweeping for a sailor-lover who is dead would get inserted, and the fact\nof this change only occurring once in the versions I have collected,\ntells all the more strongly in favour of the original version having\nrepresented marriage and love, and not death, but it does not follow\nthat the marriage formula belongs to the oldest or original form of the\ngame. I am inclined to think this has been added since marriage was\nthought to be the natural and proper result of choosing a sweetheart.\n\n(_d_) The change in some of the verses, as in the Cambridge version, is\ndue to corruption and the marked decadence now occurring in these games.\nNo. 13 in the analysis is from the game \"Pretty little girl of mine,\"\nand Nos. 42-3 \"Ring o' Roses.\"\n\n\nPoor Widow\n\n I. Here's an old widow who lies alone,\n Lies alone, lies alone,\n Here's an old widow who lies alone,\n She wants a man and can't get one.\n Choose one, choose two, choose the fairest.\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is [Mary Hamilton], come unto me.\n Now she is married and tied to a bag,\n She has got a man with a wooden leg.\n\n--Belfast (W. H. Patterson).\n\n II. There was an old soldier he came from the war,\n His age it was sixty and three.\n Go you, old soldier, and choose a wife,\n Choose a good one or else choose none.\n\n Here's a poor widow she lives her lone,\n She hasn't a daughter to marry but one.\n Come choose to the east, choose to the west,\n And choose the very one you love best.\n\n Here's a couple married in joy,\n First a girl and then a boy,\n Seven years after, and seven years come,\n Pree[1] young couple kiss and have done.\n\n--Belfast (W. H. Patterson).\n\n III. There was a poor widow left alone,\n And all her children dead and gone.\n Come, choose you east,\n Come, choose you west,\n Take the man you love best.\n Now they're married,\n I wish them joy,\n Every year a girl or a boy,\n I hope this couple may kiss each other.\n\n--Nairn (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n(_b_) One child is chosen to act the part of the widow. The players join\nhands and form a circle. The widow takes her stand in the centre of the\ncircle in a posture indicating sorrow. The girls in the circle trip\nround and round, and sing the first five lines. The widow then chooses\none of the ring. The ring then sings the marriage formula, the two kiss\neach other, and the game is continued, the one chosen to be the mate of\nthe first widow becoming the widow in turn (Nairn).\n\n(_c_) This game is probably the same as \"Silly Old Man.\" Two separate\nversions may have arisen by girls playing by themselves without boys.\n\n [1] Sometimes \"pray,\" but \"pree\" seems to be the Scotch for\n taste:--\"pree her moo\" = taste her mouth = to kiss.\n\n\nPop Goes the Weasel\n\n Half a pound of tup'ny rice,\n Half a pound of treacle;\n Mix it up and make it nice,\n Pop goes the weasel.\n\n--Earls Heaton (Herbert Hardy).\n\n(_b_) Children stand in two rows facing each other, they sing while\nmoving backwards and forwards. At the close one from each side selects a\npartner, and then, all having partners, they whirl round and round.\n\n(_c_) An additional verse is sometimes sung with or in place of the\nabove in London.\n\n Up and down the City Road;\n In and out the Eagle;\n That's the way the money goes,\n Pop goes the weasel.\n\n--(A. Nutt).\n\nMr. Nutt writes: \"The Eagle was (and may be still) a well-known tavern\nand dancing saloon.\"\n\n\nPop-the-Bonnet\n\nA game in which two, each putting down a pin on the crown of a hat or\nbonnet, alternately pop on the bonnet till one of the pins crosses the\nother; then he at whose pop or tap this takes place, lifts the\nstakes.--Teviotdale (Jamieson). The same game is now played by boys with\nsteel pens or nibs.\n\nSee \"Hattie.\"\n\n\nPoppet-Show\n\nSee \"Pinny Show.\"\n\n\nPort the Helm\n\nThis is a boys' game. Any number may join in it. The players join hands\nand stand in line. The leader, generally a bigger boy, begins to bend\nround, at first slowly, then with more speed, drawing the whole line\nafter him. The circular motion is communicated to the whole line, and,\nunless the boys at the end farthest from the leader run very quickly,\nthe momentum throws them off their feet with a dash if they do not drop\ntheir hold.--Keith, Nairn (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n\nPots, or Potts\n\nThrowing a ball against a wall, letting it bounce and catching it,\naccompanied by the following movements:--\n\n1. Simply three times each.\n\n2. Throw, twist hands, and catch.\n\n3. Clap hands in front, behind, in front.\n\n4. Turn round.\n\n5. Beat down ball on ground three times, and catch.\n\n6. Again on ground and catch (once) at end of first \"pot,\" and twice for\nsecond \"pot.\"\n\n--Hexham (Miss J. Barker).\n\n\nPray, Pretty Miss\n\n I. Priperty Miss, will you come out,\n Will you come out, will you come out?\n Priperty Miss, will you come out\n To help us with our dancing?\n\n No!\n\n The naughty girl, she won't come out,\n She won't come out, she won't come out;\n The naughty girl, she won't come out\n To help us with our dancing.\n\n Priperty Miss, will you come out,\n Will you come out, will you come out?\n Priperty Miss, will you come out\n To help us with our dancing?\n\n Yes!\n\n Now we've got another girl,\n Another girl, another girl;\n Now we've got another girl\n To help us with our dancing.\n\n--Fochabers (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n II. Pray, pretty Miss, will you come out,\n Will you come out, will you come out?\n Pray, pretty Miss, will you come out\n To help me in my dancing?\n\n No!\n\n Then you are a naughty Miss!\n Then you are a naughty Miss!\n Then you are a naughty Miss!\n Won't help me in my dancing.\n\n Pray, pretty Miss, will you come out,\n Will you come out, will you come out?\n Pray, pretty Miss, will you come out\n To help me in my dancing?\n\n Yes!\n\n Now you are a good Miss!\n Now you are a good Miss!\n Now you are a good Miss!\n To help me in my dancing.\n\n--Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 47, 48).\n\n III. Pray, pretty Miss, will you come out to help us in our\n dancing?\n No!\n Oh, then you are a naughty Miss, won't help us with our\n dancing.\n Pray, pretty Miss, will you come out to help us in our\n dancing?\n Yes!\n Now we've got our jolly old lass to help us with our\n dancing.\n\n--Sheffield, Yorks. (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 87).\n\n IV. Oh, will you come and dance with me,\n Oh, will you come and dance with me?\n No!\n\n[They say as above to the next girl, who says \"Yes.\"]\n\n Now we've got our bonny bunch\n To help us with our dancing.\n\n--Hurstmonceux, Sussex (Miss Chase).\n\n(_b_) The Scottish version of this game is played as follows:--All the\nplayers stand in a line except two, who stand facing them. These two\njoin hands crosswise, and then advancing and retiring, sing to the child\nat the end of the line the first four lines. The first child refuses,\nand they then dance round, singing the second verse. They sing the first\nverse again, and on her compliance she joins the two, and all three\ndance round together, singing the last verse. The three then advance and\nretire, singing the first verse to another child.\n\nThe Cornish version is played differently: a ring is formed, boy and\ngirl standing alternately in the centre. The child in the middle holds\na white handkerchief by two of its corners; if a boy he would single out\none of the girls, dance backwards and forwards opposite to her, and sing\nthe first verse. If the answer were \"No!\" spoken with averted head over\nthe left shoulder, he sang the second verse. Occasionally three or four\nin turn refused. When the request was granted the words were changed to\nthe fourth verse. The handkerchief was then carefully spread on the\nfloor; the couple knelt on it and kissed: the child formerly in the\nmiddle joined the ring, and the other took his place, or if he preferred\nit remained in the centre; in that case the children clasped hands and\nsang together the first verse over again, the last to enter the ring\nhaving the privilege of selecting the next partner.\n\n(_c_) Miss Courtney says (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 47), that this game is\nquite a thing of the past. Of the Hurstmonceux version, Miss Chase says,\n\"This game is not fully remembered. It was played about 1850.\" The words\nindicate an invitation to the dance similar to those in \"Cushion Dance,\"\n\"Green Grass.\"\n\n\nPretty Little Girl of Mine\n\n[Music]\n\n--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Tean, North Staffordshire (Miss Burne).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Eccleshall (Miss Burne).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Nottingham (Miss Youngman).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Hanbury, Staffordshire (Edith Hollis).\n\n I. Here's a pretty little girl of mine,\n She's brought me many a bottle of wine;\n A bottle of wine she gave me too--\n See what this little girl can do.\n\n On the carpet she shall kneel\n As the grass grows on the fiel';\n Stand upright on your feet,\n And choose the one you love so sweet.\n\n Now you are married I wish you joy,\n First a girl and then a boy;\n Seven years after, son and daughter;\n Pray, young couple, kiss together.\n\n--Symondsbury, Dorset (Folk-lore Journal, vii. 207).\n\n II. Oh, this pretty little girl of mine,\n Brought me many a bottle of wine;\n A bottle of wine and a guinea, too,\n See what my little girl _can_ do.\n\n Down on the carpet she shall kneel,\n As the grass grows in the field;\n Stand upright on your feet,\n And choose the one you love so sweet.\n\n Now I'm married and wish you joy,\n First a girl and then a boy;\n Seven years after, seven years past,\n Kiss one another and go to your class.\n\n--Hampshire (Miss Mendham).\n\n III. Here's a pretty little girl of mine,\n Who's brought her bottle and glass of wine;\n A glass of wine and a biscuit too,\n See what my pretty girl will do.\n\n On the carpet she shall kneel,\n While the grass grows in the field;\n Stand upright upon your feet,\n Choose the one you love so sweet.\n\n When you're married I wish you joy,\n First a girl and second a boy,\n Seven years after, son and daughter,\n Now, young couple, kiss together.\n\n--Gambledown, Hants (Mrs. Pinsent).\n\n IV. Oh! this pretty little girl of mine,\n Has cost me many a bottle of wine;\n A bottle of wine and a guinea or two,\n So see what my little girl can do.\n\n Down on the carpet she shall kneel,\n While the grass grows on her field;\n Stand upright upon your feet,\n And choose the one you love so sweet.\n\n Now you are married you must obey,\n Must be true in all you say;\n You must be kind and very good,\n And help your wife to chop the wood.\n\n--Maxey (_Northants Notes and Queries_, i. 214).\n\n V. Here's a pretty little girl of mine,\n She's cost me many a bottle of wine;\n A bottle of wine and a guinea too,\n See what my little girl can do.\n\n Down on the carpet she must kneel,\n As the grass grows in the field;\n Stand upright upon her feet,\n And choose the one she loves so sweet.\n\n Now you're married I wish you joy,\n Father and mother you must obey;\n Love one another like sister and brother,\n And pray, young couple, come kiss one another.\n\n--Colchester (Miss G. M. Frances).\n\n VI. Oh! this pretty little girl of mine,\n She bought me many a bottle of wine,\n A bottle of wine she gave me too,\n So see what my little girl could do.\n\n Stand up, stand up upon your feet,\n And choose the one you love so sweet.\n\n--Liphook, Hants (Miss Fowler).\n\n VII. See what a pretty little girl have I,\n She brings me many a bottle of wi';\n A bottle of wine and a biscuit too,\n See what a little girl can do.\n On the carpet she shall kneel,\n As the grass grows in the fiel';\n Stand upright upon your feet,\n And choose the one you love so sweet.\n\n Now you're married we wish you joy,\n First a girl and then a boy,\n Seven years after, son and daughter,\n May you couple kiss together.\n\n--South Devon (_Notes and Queries_, 8th series, i. 249; Miss R. H.\nBusk).\n\n VIII. See what a pretty little girl I am,\n She gave me many a bottle of wine,\n Many a bottle of wine, and a biscuit too,\n See what a pretty little girl can do.\n On the carpet you shall kneel,\n Stand up straight all in the field,\n Choose the one that you love best.\n\n Now we are married and hope we enjoy,\n First a girl and then a boy,\n Seven years after and seven years to come,\n May young company kiss have done.\n\n--Holywood, Co. Down (Miss C. M. Patterson).\n\n IX. See what a pretty little girl I am!\n Brought me many a bottle o' wine!\n Bottle o' wine to make me shine!\n See what a pretty little girl I am!\n\n Upon the carpets we shall kneel,\n As the grass grows in yonder field;\n Stand up lightly on your feet,\n And choose the one you love so sweet.\n\n Now these two are going to die,\n First a girl, and then a boy;\n Seven years at afterwards, seven years ago,\n And now they are parted with a kiss and a go.\n\n--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).\n\n X. See this pretty little maid of mine!\n She's brought me many a bottle of wine;\n A bottle of wine, a good thing, too;\n See what this pretty maid can do!\n\n Down on the carpet she must kneel,\n Till the grass grows on her feet;\n Stand up straight upon thy feet,\n Choose the very one that you love sweet.\n\n Take her by her lily-white hand,\n Lean across the water;\n Give a kiss,--one, two, three,--\n To Mrs. ----'s daughter.\n\n--Suffolk (Mrs. Haddon).\n\n XI. See what a pretty little girl I am!\n They brought me many a bottle of wine--\n Bottle of wine to make me shine;\n See what a pretty little girl I am!\n\n On the carpets we must kneel,\n As the grass grows in yonder field;\n Rise up lightly on your feet,\n And kiss the one you love so sweet.\n\n My sister's going to get married,\n My sister's going to get married,\n My sister's going to get married,\n Ee! Ii! Oh!\n\n Open your gates as wide as high,\n And let the pretty girls come by,\n And let the {jolly} matrons[2] by.\n {bonny}\n One in a bush,\n Two in a bush,\n Ee! Ii! Oh!\n\n--Colleyhurst, Manchester (Miss Dendy).\n\n XII. On the carpet you shall kneel\n Where the grass grows fresh and {green;\n {clean;\n Stand up, stand up on your pretty feet,\n And show me the one you love so sweet.\n Now Sally's got married, we wish her good joy,\n First a girl, and then a boy;\n Seven years arter, a son and darter,\n So, young couple, kiss together.\n\nOr,\n\n Seven years now, and seven to come,\n Take her and kiss her and send her off home.\n\n--Eccleshall, Staffs. (Miss Burne).\n\n XIII. On the carpet you shall kneel,\n As the grass grows on the field;\n Stand up straight upon your feet,\n And tell me the one you love so sweet.\n\n ---- is married with a good child,\n First with a girl and then with a boy;\n Seven years after son and daughter,\n Play with a couple and kiss together.\n\n--Tean, North Staffs. (from a Monitor in the National School).\n\n XIV. On the carpet you shall kneel,\n As the grass grows in the field;\n Stand up, stand up upon your feet,\n And tell me whom you love so sweet.\n\n Now you're married I wish you joy,\n First a girl, and then a boy;\n Seven years after son and daughter,\n Come, young couple, come kiss together.\n\n--Middlesex (Miss Winfield).\n\n XV. On the carpet you shall kneel,\n As the grass grows in the field;\n Stand up, stand up on your feet,\n Show the girl you love so sweet.\n\n Now you're married I hope you'll enjoy\n A son and a daughter, so\n Kiss and good-bye.\n\n--Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire (Miss Youngman).\n\n XVI. Down on the carpet you shall kneel,\n While the grass grows on your field;[3]\n Stand up straight upon your feet,\n And choose the one you love so sweet.\n Marry couple, married in joy,\n First a girl and then a boy;\n Seven years after, seven years come,\n Please,[4] young couple, kiss and have done.\n\n--Belfast (W. H. Patterson).\n\n XVII. On the carpet you shall kneel,\n While the grass grows fresh and green;\n Stand up straight upon your feet,\n And kiss the one you love so sweet.\n\n Now they're married, love and joy,\n First a girl and then a boy;\n Seven years after, seven years ago,\n Now's the time to kiss and go.\n\n--Liverpool and neighbourhood (Mrs. Harley).\n\n XVIII. On the carpet you shall kneel,\n As the grass grows in the field;\n Stand up, stand up on your feet,\n And shew me the girl you love so sweet.\n Now Sally's married I hope she'll enjoy,\n First with a girl and then with a boy;\n Seven years old and seven years young,\n Pray, young lady, walk out of your ring.\n\n--Derbyshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, i. 385).\n\n XIX. On the carpet you shall kneel,\n Where the grass grows fresh and green;\n Stand up, stand up on your pretty feet,\n And show me the one you love so sweet.\n\n--Berrington (Burne's _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 509).\n\n[Same ending as Eccleshall version.]\n\n XX. On the carpitt you shall kneel,\n While the grass grows in the field;\n Stand up, stand up on your feet,\n Pick the one you love so sweet.\n\n--Wakefield, Yorks. (Miss Fowler).\n\n XXI. King William was King David's son,\n And all the royal race is run;\n Choose from the east, choose from the west,\n Choose the one you love the best.[5]\n\n Down on this carpet you shall kneel,\n While the grass grows in yond field;\n Salute your bride and kiss her sweet,\n Rise again upon your feet.\n\n--Hanging Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy).\n\n XXII. On the carpet you shall kneel, while the grass grows at your\n feet;\n Stand up straight upon your feet, and choose the one you\n love so sweet.\n Now Sally is married, life and joy, first a girl and then a\n boy;\n Seven years after, seven years ago, three on the carpet,\n kiss and go.\n\n--Hanbury, Staffordshire (Miss Edith Hollis).\n\n XXIII. I had a bonnet trimmed wi' blue.\n Why dosn't w\u00ebare it? Zo I do;\n I'd w\u00ebare it where I con,\n To t\u00ebake a walk wi' my young mon.\n My young mon is a-gone to sea,\n When he'd come back he'll marry me.\n Zee what a purty zister is mine,\n Doan't 'e think she's ter'ble fine?\n She's a most ter'ble cunn\u00e8n too,\n Just zee what my zister can do.\n On the carpet she can kneel,\n As the grass grow in the fiel'.\n Stand upright upon thy feet,\n And choose the prettiest you like, sweet.\n\n--Hazelbury Bryan, Dorset (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 208).\n\n XXIV. Kneel down on the carpets, we shall kneel;\n The grass grows away in yonder fiel',\n Stand up, stand up upon your feet,\n And show me the one you love so sweet.\n\n Now they get married, I wish they may joy\n Every year a girl or a boy;\n Loving together like sister and brother,\n Now they are coupled to kiss together.\n\n--Galloway, N.B. (J. G. Carter).\n\n(_c_) This game is played in the same way in all the different variants\nI have given, except a slight addition in the Suffolk (Mrs. Haddon). A\nring is formed by the children joining hands--one child stands in the\ncentre. The ring dances or moves slowly round, singing the verses. The\nchild in the centre kneels down when the words are sung, rises and\nchooses a partner from the ring, kisses her when so commanded, and then\ntakes a place in the ring, leaving the other child in the centre. In\nthose cases where the marriage formula is not given, the kissing would\nprobably be omitted.\n\n(_d_) Of the twenty-four versions given there are not two alike, and\nthis game is distinguished from all others by the singular diversity of\nits variants; although the original structure of the verses has been\npreserved to some extent, they seem to have been the sport of the\ninventive faculty of each different set of players. Lines have been\nadded, left out, and altered in every direction, and in the example from\nHazelbury Bryan, in Dorsetshire (No. xxiii.), a portion of an old song\nor ballad has been added to the game rhyme. These alterations occur not\nonly in different counties, but in the same counties, as may be seen by\nthe Dorset, Hants, Staffordshire, and Northants examples. Mr. Carter\nsays of the Galloway game that the kissing match sometimes degenerates\ninto a spitting match, according to the temper of the parties concerned.\nIn the Suffolk version (Mrs. Haddon), at the words \"Lean across the\nwater,\" the two in the centre lean over the arms of those forming the\nring. These words and action are probably an addition. They belong to\nthe \"Rosy Apple, Lemon and Pear\" game.\n\nThese peculiar characteristics of the game do not permit of much\ninvestigation into the original words of the game-rhyme, but they serve\nto illustrate, in a very forcible manner, the exactly opposite\ncharacteristics of nearly all the other games, which preserve, in almost\nstereotyped fashion, the words of the rhymes. It appears most probable\nthat the verses belonged originally to some independent game like\n\"Sally, Sally Water,\" and that, when divorced from their original\ncontext, they lent themselves to the various changes which have been\nmade. The minute application of modern ideas is seen in the version from\nGambledown, where \"A bottle of wine and a guinea, too,\" becomes \"A\nbottle of wine and a biscuit, too;\" and at West Haddon, in\nNorthamptonshire, a variant of the marriage formula is given in\n_Northants Notes and Queries_, ii. 106, as--\n\n Now you're married, we wish you joy,\n First a girl and then a boy;\n Cups and saucers, sons and daughters,\n Now join hands and kiss one another.\n\nAnother version from Long Itchington, given in _Notes and Queries_, 7th\nseries, x. 450, concludes with--\n\n Up the kitchen and down the hall,\n Choose the fairest of them all;\n Seven years now and seven years then,\n Kiss poor Sally and part again.\n\n [2] Matron is _not_ a word in common use among Lancashire people.\n\n [3] _d_ not sounded.\n\n [4] Another version has \"pree,\" which means in Scotch, _taste_, hence\n _kiss_.\n\n [5] At Earls Heaton two verses or lines are added, viz.:--\n\n \"If she is not here to take her part,\n Choose another with all your heart.\"\n\n\nPretty Miss Pink\n\n Pretty Miss Pink, will you come out,\n Will you come out, will you come out?\n Pretty Miss Pink, will you come out,\n To see the ladies dancing?\n\n No, I won't.\n\n Pretty Miss Pink, she won't come out,\n Won't come out, won't come out, &c.\n She will come out.\n Pretty Miss Pink, she has come out, &c.\n\n--Winterton, Lincs and Nottinghamshire (Miss M. Peacock.)\n\n(_b_) The children place themselves in a row. They each choose a colour\nto represent them. One player must be _pink_. Another player stands\nfacing them, and dances to and fro, singing the first four lines. The\ndancer then sings the next two lines, and Miss Pink having answered\nrushes forward, catches hold of the dancer's hand, and sings the next\nverse. Each colour is then taken in turn, but Miss Pink must always be\nfirst.\n\n(_c_) This is clearly a variant of \"Pray, Pretty Miss,\" colours being\nused perhaps from a local custom at fairs and May meetings, where girls\nwere called by the colours of the ribbons they wore.\n\n\nPrick at the Loop\n\nA cheating game, played with a strap and skewer at fairs, &c, by persons\nof the thimble-rig class, probably the same as the game called \"Fast and\nLoose.\"\n\n\nPrickey Sockey\n\nChristmas morning is ushered in by the little maidens playing at the\ngame of \"Prickey Sockey,\" as they call it. They are dressed up in their\nbest, with their wrists adorned with rows of pins, and run about from\nhouse to house inquiring who will play at the game. The door is opened\nand one cries out--\n\n Prickey sockey for a pin,\n I car not whether I loss or win.\n\nThe game is played by the one holding between her two forefingers and\nthumbs a pin, which she clasps tightly to prevent her antagonist seeing\neither part of it, while her opponent guesses. The head of the pin is\n\"sockey,\" and the point is \"prickey,\" and when the other guesses she\ntouches the end she guesses at, saying, \"this for prickey,\" or \"this for\nsockey,\" At night the other delivers her two pins. Thus the game is\nplayed, and when the clock strikes twelve it is declared up; that is, no\none can play after that time.--_Mirror_, 1828, vol. x. p. 443.\n\nSee \"Headicks and Pinticks.\"\n\n\nPrickie and Jockie\n\nA childish game, played with pins, and similar to \"Odds or\nEvens,\"--Teviotdale (Jamieson), but it is more probable that this is the\ngame of \"Prickey Sockey,\" which Jamieson did not see played.\n\n\nPriest-Cat (1)\n\nSee \"Jack's Alive.\"\n\n\nPriest-Cat (2)\n\nA peat clod is put into the shell of the crook by one person, who then\nshuts his eyes. Some one steals it. The other then goes round the circle\ntrying to discover the thief, and addressing particular individuals in a\nrhyme--\n\n Ye're fair and leal,\n Ye canna steal;\n Ye're black and fat,\n Ye're the thief of my priest-cat!\n\nIf he guesses wrong he is in a wadd, if right he has found the\nthief.--Chambers' _Popular Rhymes_, p. 128.\n\nThis is an entirely different game to the \"Priest-Cat\" given by\nMactaggart (see \"Jack's Alive\"), and seems to have originated in the\ndiscovery of stolen articles by divination.\n\n\nPriest of the Parish\n\nWilliam Carleton describes this game as follows:--\"One of the boys gets\na wig upon himself, goes out on the floor, places the boys in a row,\ncalls on his man Jack, and says to each, 'What will you be?' One\nanswers, 'I'll be Black Cap,' another, 'Red Cap,' and so on. He then\nsays, 'The priest of the parish has lost his considering-cap. Some says\nthis, and some says that, but I say my man Jack.' Man Jack then, to put\nit off himself, says, 'Is it me, sir?' 'Yes you, sir.' 'You lie, sir.'\n'Who then, sir?' 'Black Cap.' If Black Cap then doesn't say, 'Is it me,\nsir?' before the priest has time to call him he must put his hand on his\nham and get a pelt of the brogue. A boy must be supple with the tongue\nin it.\"--_Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry_, p. 106 (Tegg's\nreprint).\n\nThis game is no doubt the original form of the game imperfectly played\nunder the name of \"King Plaster Palacey\" (see _ante_, i. 301).\n\n\nPrisoner's Base or Bars\n\nThe game of \"The Country Base\" is mentioned by Shakespeare in\n\"Cymbeline\"--\n\n \"He, with two striplings (lads more like to run\n The country base, than to commit such slaughter),\n Made good the passage.\"--Act v., sc. 3.\n\nAlso in the tragedy of Hoffman, 1632--\n\n \"I'll run a little course\n At _base_, or barley-brake.\"\n\nAgain, in the Antipodes, 1638--\n\n \"My men can runne at _base_.\"\n\nAlso, in the thirtieth song of Drayton's \"Polyolbion\"--\n\n \"At hood-wink, barley-brake, at tick, or _prison-base_.\"\n\nAgain, in Spenser's \"Faerie Queen,\" v. 8--\n\n \"So ran they all as they had been at _bace_.\"\n\nStrutt (_Sports and Pastimes_, p. 78), says, \"This game was much\npractised in former times. The first mention of this sport that I have\nmet with occurs in the Proclamations at the head of the Parliamentary\nproceedings, early in the reign of Edward III., where it is spoken of as\na childish amusement; and prohibited to be played in the avenues of the\npalace at Westminster during the Sessions of Parliament, because of the\ninterruption it occasioned to the members and others in passing to and\nfro.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. The performance of this pastime requires two parties of equal\nnumber, each of them having a base or home, as it is usually called to\nthemselves, at the distance of about twenty or thirty yards. The players\nthen on either side taking hold of hands extend themselves in length and\nopposite to each other, as far as they conveniently can, always\nremembering that one of them must touch the base; when any one of them\nquits the hand of his fellow and runs into the field, which is called\ngiving the chase, he is immediately followed by a second from the former\nside, and he by a second opponent; and so on alternately, until as many\nare out as choose to run, every one pursuing the man he first followed\nand no other; and if he overtake him near enough to touch him, his party\nclaims one toward their game, and both return home. Then they run forth\nagain and again in like manner, until the number is completed that\ndecides the victory; this number is optional. It is to be observed that\nevery person on either side who touches another during the chase, claims\none for his party.\"\n\nStrutt describes the game in Essex as follows:--\"They play this game\nwith the addition of two prisons, which are stakes driven into the\nground, parallel with the home boundaries, and about thirty yards from\nthem; and every person who is touched on either side in the chase is\nsent to one or other of these prisons, where he must remain till the\nconclusion of the game, if not delivered previously by one of his\nassociates, and this can only be accomplished by touching him, which is\na difficult task, requiring the performance of the most skilful players,\nbecause the prison belonging to either party is always much nearer to\nthe base of their opponents than to their own; and if the person sent to\nrelieve his confederate be touched by an antagonist before he reaches\nhim, he also becomes a prisoner, and stands in equal need of\ndeliverance.\"--_Sports and Pastimes_, p. 80.\n\n[Illustration]\n\nBut this is not quite the same as it is played in London. There the\nschool ground is divided in the following manner:-- The boys being\ndivided into equal sides, with a captain for each, one party takes up\nits quarters in A, the other in B. Lots are chosen as to which side\ncommences. Then one member of the side so chosen (say B) starts off for\nthe middle of the playground and cries out \"Chevy, Chevy Chase, one,\ntwo, three;\" thereupon it becomes the object of the side B to touch him\nbefore reaching home again. If unsuccessful one from side B goes to the\nmiddle, and so on until a prisoner is secured from one of the sides.\nThen the struggle commences in earnest, after the fashion described by\nStrutt as above. If a boy succeeds in getting to the prison of his side\nwithout being touched by an opponent, he releases a prisoner, and brings\nhim back home again to help in the struggle. The object of the\nrespective sides is to place all their opponents in prison, and when\nthat is accomplished they rush over to the empty home and take\npossession of it. The game then begins again from opposite sides, the\nwinning side counting one towards the victory.--London (G. L. Gomme).\n\nThis was once a favourite game among young men in North Shropshire (and\nCheshire). It was played yearly at Norton-in-Hales Wakes, and the\nwinning party were decorated with ribbons. Men-servants, in the last\ncentury, were wont to ask a day's holiday to join or witness a game of\n\"Prison-bars,\" arranged beforehand as a cricket-match might be (see\n_Byegones_, 2nd May 1883). A form of the game still survives there among\nthe school-children, under the name of \"Prison Birds.\" The Birds arrange\nthemselves in pairs behind each other, facing a large stone or stump\nplaced at some little distance. Before them, also facing the stone,\nstands one player, called the Keeper. When he calls, \"Last pair out!\"\nthe couple next behind him run to the stone and touch hands over it. If\nthey can do so without being touched by the Keeper, they are free, and\nreturn to a position behind the other birds; but any one whom he touches\nmust remain behind the stone \"in prison.\"--Ellesmere (Burne's\n_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 524).\n\nThe Ellesmere inhabitants were formerly accustomed to devote their\nholiday occasions to the game, and in the year 1764 the poet laureate of\nthe town (Mr. David Studley) composed some lines on the game as it was\nplayed by the Married _v._ Single at Ellesmere. They are as follows:--\n\n \"Ye lovers of pleasure, give ear and attend,\n Unto these few lines which here I have penned,\n I sing not of sea fights, of battles nor wars,\n But of a fine game, which is called 'Prison Bars.'\n\n This game was admired by men of renown,\n And played by the natives of fair Ellesmere town;\n On the eighth day of August in the year sixty-four,\n These nimble heel'd fellows approached on the moor.\n\n Twenty-two were the number appear'd on the green,\n For swiftness and courage none like them were seen;\n Eleven were married to females so fair,\n The other young gallants bachelors were.\n\n Jacob Hitchen the weaver commands the whole round,\n Looks this way, and that way, all over the ground,\n Gives proper directions, and sets out his men,\n So far go, my lads, and return back again.\n\n Proper stations being fixed, each party advance,\n And lead one another a many fine dance.\n There's Gleaves after Ellis, and Platt after he,\n Such running before I never did see.\n\n Huzza! for the young men, the fair maids did say,\n May heaven protect you to conquer this day,\n Now, my brave boys, you're not to blame,\n Take courage, my lads, nine and eight is the game.\n\n Now behold the Breeches makers, master and man,\n Saddlers, Slaters, and Joiners, do all they can;\n The Tailor so nimble, he brings up the rear,\n Cheer up, my brave boys, you need not to fear.\n\n Alas! poor old Jacob, thy hopes are in vain,\n Dick Chidley is artful, and spoils all thy schemes.\n The Barber is taken, the Currier is down,\n The Sawyer is tired, and so is the Clown.\"\n\nThe moor referred to in the last line of the second verse was the\nPitchmoor. The Clown was a nickname for one of the players, who, on\nhearing the song repeated in the presence of the author, became so\nexasperated, that, to appease him, the words \"the game is our'n\" were\nsubstituted for the words \"so is the Clown \"in the last line of the\nconcluding verse.\n\n\nPuff-the-Dart\n\nA game played with a long needle inserted in some worsted, and blown at\na target through a tin tube.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_. This game is\nalso mentioned in Baker's _Northamptonshire Glossary_.\n\n\nPun o' mair Weight\n\nA rough play among boys, adding their weight one upon another, and all\nupon the one at the bottom.--Dickinson's _Cumberland Glossary_.\n\n\nPunch Bowl\n\n I. Round about the punch bowl,--\n One, two, three;\n If anybody wants a bonnie lassie,\n Just take me.\n\nAnother form of words is--\n\n The fillan o' the punch bowl,\n That wearies me;\n The fillan o't up, an' the drinkan' o't doon,\n An' the kissan o' a bonnie lass,\n That cheeries me.\n\n--Fochabers (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n II. Round about the punch bowl,\n Punch bowl, punch bowl;\n Round about the punch bowl, one, two, three.\n\n First time never to fall,\n Never to fall, never to fall;\n First time never to fall, one, two, three.\n\n Second time, the catching time,\n Catching time, catching time;\n Second time, the catching time, one, two, three.\n\n Third time, the kissing time,\n Kissing time, kissing time,\n Third time, the kissing time, one, two, three.\n\n--Belfast (W. H. Patterson).\n\n III. Round about the punch bowl,--one, two, three;\n Open the gates and let the bride through.\n\n Half-a-crown to know his name, to know his name, to know his\n name,\n Half-a-crown to know his name,\n On a cold and frosty morning.\n\n Ah! (Michael Matthews) is his name, is his name, is his\n name;\n (Michael Matthews) is his name,\n On a cold and frosty morning.\n\n Half-a-crown to know her name, to know her name, to know her\n name,\n Half-a-crown to know her name,\n On a cold and frosty morning.\n\n (Annie Keenan) is her name, is her name, is her name,\n (Annie Keenan) is her name,\n On a cold and frosty morning.\n\n They'll be married in the morning,\n Round about the punch bowl, I [? Hi!].\n\n--Annaverna, Ravensdale, Co. Louth, Ireland (Miss R. Stephen).\n\n(_b_) The Fochabers' game is played by girls only. The players join\nhands and form a ring. They dance briskly round, singing the verse. The\nlast word, \"me,\" is pronounced with strong emphasis, and all the girls\njump, and if one falls she has to leave the ring. The game is carried on\nuntil all the players fall. In the Belfast game, at the words \"one, two,\nthree,\" the players drop down in a crouching position for a few seconds.\nIn the Louth (Ireland) game the players all curtsey after the first\nline, and the one who rises last is the bride. She is led outside the\nring by another, and asked to whom she is engaged. She tells without\nletting those in the ring hear, and the two return to the ring saying\nthe second line. Then all the ring sing the next three lines, and then\nthe girl who has been told the name tells it to the ring, who thereupon\nsing or say the remaining lines of the verse.\n\n(_c_) The Louth version has more detail in its movements, and probably\nrepresents the oldest form. At all events, it supplies the reason for\nthe words and movements, which are not quite so obvious in the other\nversions. Many ancient monoliths are known as \"Punch Bowls,\" and it may\nbe that this game is the relic of an old marriage ceremony, \"at the\nstones.\"\n\n\nPurposes\n\nA kind of game. \"The prettie game which we call purposes\" (Cotgrave in\n_v._ \"Opinion\").--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\n\nPush in the Wash Tub\n\nA ring of girls is formed. Two go in opposite directions outside the\nring, and try to get back first to the starting-point; the one\nsucceeding stops there, rejoining the ring, the other girl _pushes_\nanother girl into the ring, or _wash tub_, with whom the race is\nrenewed.--Crockham Hill, Kent (Miss Chase).\n\n\nPush-pin, or Put-pin\n\nA child's play, in which pins are pushed with an endeavour to cross\nthem. So explained by Ash, but it would seem, from Beaumont and\nFletcher, vii. 25, that the game was played by aiming pins at some\nobject.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\n \"To see the sonne you would admire,\n Goe play at push-pin with his sire.\"\n\n--_Men's Miracles_, 1656, p. 15.\n\n \"Love and myselfe, beleeve me on a day,\n At childish push-pin for our sport did play.\"\n\n--Herrick's _Works_, i. 22.\n\nThere is an allusion to it under the name of put-pin in Nash's\n_Apologie_, 1593--\n\n \"That can lay down maidens bedds,\n And that can hold ther sickly heds;\n That can play at put-pin,\n Blow poynte and near lin.\"\n\nTwo pins are laid upon a table, and the object of each player is to push\nhis pin across his opponent's pin.--Addy's _Sheffield Glossary_.\n\nSee \"Hattie,\" \"Pop the Bonnet.\"\n\n\nPush the Business On\n\n I. I hired a horse and borrowed a gig,\n And all the world shall have a jig;\n And I'll do all 'at ever I can\n To push the business on.\n To push the business on,\n To push the business on;\n And I'll do all 'at ever I can\n To push the business on.\n\n--North Kelsey, Anderby, and near the Trent, Nottinghamshire (Miss M.\nPeacock).\n\n II. Beeswax and turpentine make the best of plaster,\n The more you try to pull it off, it's sure to stick the\n faster.\n I'll buy a horse and hire a gig,\n And all the world shall have a jig;\n And you and I'll do all we can\n To push the business on,\n To push the business on;\n And we'll do all that ever we can\n To push the business on.\n\n--Brigg, Lincolnshire (Miss Barker, from a Lincolnshire friend).\n\n III. I'll buy a horse and steal a gig,\n And all the world shall have a jig;\n And I'll do all that ever I can\n To pass the business on.\n To pass the business on,\n To pass the business on;\n And I'll do all that ever I can\n To pass the business on.\n\n--Wolstanton, North Staffs. (Miss Bush, Schoolmistress)\n\n IV. We'll borrow a horse and steal a gig,\n And round the world we'll have a jig;\n And I'll do all that ever I can\n To push the business on.\n\n--Earls Heaton (Herbert Hardy).\n\n V. I'll hire a horse and steal a gig,\n And all the world shall have a jig;\n And I'll do all that ever I can\n To push the business on,\n To push the business on, to push the business on,\n And I'll do all that ever I can to push the business on.\n\n--Settle, Yorkshire (Rev. W. S. Sykes).\n\n(_b_) The players stand in a circle, boy and girl alternately, and sing\nthe lines. At the fourth line they all clap their hands, keeping time\nwith the song. When singing the seventh line each boy takes the girl on\nhis left hand,--dances round with her and places her on his right hand.\nThis is done till each girl has been all round the circle, and has been\nturned or danced with by each boy. In the Wolstanton version (Miss\nBush), after singing the first four lines, the children fall behind one\nanother, march round, clapping their hands and singing; at the seventh\nline they all join in couples and gallop round very quickly to the end.\nWhen they finish, the girls stand at the side of the boys in couples,\nand change places every time they go round until each girl has partnered\neach boy. At Hexham there is rather more of the regular dance about the\ngame at the beginning. At the fourth line they set to partners and swing\nround, the girls changing places at the end, and continuing until they\nhave been all round each time with a different partner.\n\n(_c_) This game seems of kin to the old-fashioned country dances. Miss\nBush writes that this game was introduced into the school playground\nfrom Derbyshire a few years ago, and is sung to a simple tune.\n\n\nPuss in the Corner\n\nThe children stand at fixed points: one stands in the middle and chants,\n\"Poor puss wants a corner.\" The others beckon with the fore-finger, and\ncalling, \"Puss, puss,\" run from point to point. Puss runs also to one of\nthe vacant spaces. The one left out becomes puss.--Monton, Lancashire\n(Miss Dendy).\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThe players place themselves each in some \"coign of vantage,\" as the\nplay place allows; one player in the middle is \"out.\" Those in the\ncorners change places with each other at choice, calling, \"Puss, puss,\npuss,\" to attract each other's attention. The one who is out watches his\nopportunity to slip into a vacant corner, and oblige some one else to be\n\"out.\" A favourite game _in the streets_ of Market Drayton.--Burne's\n_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 523.\n\nWhen we played this game, the child who was to be \"Puss\" was invariably\ndecided upon by a counting-out rhyme. He or she being the last of the\nfive players \"not he.\" The words we used when wishful to change corners\nwere, \"Puss, puss, give me a drop of milk.\" The players in the corners\nbeckoned with the finger to an opposite player in another corner (A. B.\nGomme).\n\nThe game in Scotland is called \"Moosie in the Corner,\" and is played by\nboys or girls, or by both together, either outside or in a room. Each\nplayer takes a corner, and one stands in the middle. On a given signal,\nusually by calling out the word \"Change,\" a rush is made from the\ncorners. The aim of the one standing in the middle is to reach a vacant\ncorner. If the game is played in a room, as many chairs, or other seats,\nare placed as there are players, less one. Each takes a seat, and one is\nleft standing. On the word \"Change\" being called out, each jumps from\nthe seat and makes for another. The one standing strives to get a seat\nin the course of the change.--Nairn and Macduff (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n\nPussy's Ground\n\nName for Tom Tiddler's Ground in Norfolk.\n\nSee \"Tom Tiddler's Ground.\"\n\n\nPyramid\n\nA circle of about two feet in diameter is made on the ground, in the\ncentre of which a pyramid is formed by several marbles. Nine are placed\nas the base, then six, then four, and then one on the top. The keeper of\nthe pyramid then desires the other players to shoot. Each player gives\nthe keeper one marble for leave to shoot at the pyramid, and all that\nthe players can strike out of the circle belong to them.--London streets\n(A. B. Gomme), and _Book of Sports_.\n\nSee \"Castles.\"\n\n\nQuaker\n\nMen and women stand alternately in a circle, and one man begins by\nplacing his left hand on his left knee, and saying, \"There was an old\nQuaker and he went so.\" This is repeated all round the circle; the first\nman then says the same thing again, but this time he places his _right_\nhand on his _right_ knee. Then he places his hand on the girl's\nshoulder, then round her neck, and on her far shoulder, then looks into\nher face, and, lastly, kisses her.--Sharleston, Yorks (Miss Fowler).\n\n\nQuaker's Wedding\n\n Hast thou ever been to a Quaker's wedding?\n Nay, friend, nay.\n Do as I do; twiddle thy thumbs and follow me.\n\nThe leader walks round chanting these lines, with her eyes fixed on the\nground. Each new comer goes behind till a long train is formed, then\nthey kneel side by side as close together as possible. The leader then\ngives a vigorous push to the one at the end of the line [next herself,\nand that one to the next], and the whole line tumble over.--Berkshire\n(Miss Thoyts in the _Antiquary_, xxvii. 194).\n\nSee \"Obadiah,\" \"Solomon.\"\n\n\nQueen Anne\n\n I. Lady Queen Ann she sits in her stand,\n And a pair of green gloves upon her hand,\n As white as a lily, as fair as a swan,\n The fairest lady in a' the land;\n Come smell my lily, come smell my rose,\n Which of my maidens do you choose?\n I choose you one, and I choose you all,\n And I pray, Miss (\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0), yield up the ball.\n The ball is mine, and none of yours,\n Go to the woods and gather flowers.\n Cats and kittens bide within,\n But we young ladies walk out and in.\n\n--Chambers' _Pop. Rhymes_, p. 136.\n\n II. Queen Anne, Queen Anne, who sits on her throne,\n As fair as a lily, as white as a swan;\n The king sends you three letters,\n And begs you'll read one.\n\n I cannot read one unless I read all,\n So pray (\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0) deliver the ball.\n\n The ball is mine and none of thine,\n So you, proud Queen, may sit on your throne,\n While we, your messengers, go and come.\n\n(Or sometimes)--\n\n The ball is mine, and none of thine,\n You are the fair lady to sit on;\n And we're the black gipsies to go and come.\n\n--Halliwell's _Pop. Rhymes_, p. 230.\n\n III. Queen Anne, Queen Anne, you sit in the sun,\n As fair as a lily, as white as a wand,\n I send you three letters, and pray read one.\n You must read one, if you can't read all,\n So pray, Miss or Master, throw up the ball.\n\n--Halliwell's _Pop. Rhymes_, p. 64.\n\n IV. Here we come a-piping,\n First in spring and then in May.\n The Queen she sits upon the sand,\n Fair as a lily, white as a wand:\n King John has sent you letters three,\n And begs you'll read them unto me.\n We can't read one without them all,\n So pray, Miss Bridget, deliver the ball.\n\n--Halliwell's _Pop. Rhymes_, p. 73.\n\n V. Queen Anne, Queen Anne,\n She sot in the sun;\n So fair as a lily,\n So white as a nun;\n She had a white glove on,\n She drew it off, she drew it on.\n\n Turn, ladies, turn.\n\n The more we turn, the more we may,\n Queen Anne was born on Midsummer Day;\n We have brought dree letters from the Queen,\n Wone of these only by thee must be seen.\n We can't r\u00ebade wone, we must r\u00ebade all,\n Please (\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0) deliver the ball.\n\n--Dorsetshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 229).\n\n VI. Here come we to Lady Queen Anne,\n With a pair of white gloves to cover our hand;\n As white as a lily, as fair as the rose,\n But not so fair as you may suppose.\n\n Turn, ladies, turn.\n\n The more we turn the more we may,\n Queen Anne was born on Midsummer Day.\n\n The king sent me three letters, I never read them all,\n So pray, Miss ----, deliver the ball.\n\n The ball is yours, and not ours,\n You must go to the garden and gather the flowers.\n\n The ball is ours, and not yours,\n We go out and gather the flowers.\n\n--Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 52-53).\n\n VII. Queen Anne, Queen Anne, she sits in the sun,\n As fair as a lily, so white and wan;\n A pair of kid gloves she holds in her hand,\n There's no such a lady in all the fair land.\n\n Turn all.\n\n The more we turn the better we are,\n For we've got the ball between us.\n\n--North Kelsey, Lincolnshire (Miss M. Peacock).\n\n VIII. Lady Queen Anne she sits on a stand [sedan],\n She is fair as a lily, she is white as a swan;\n A pair of green gloves all over her hand,\n She is the fairest lady in all the land.\n Come taste my lily, come smell my rose,\n Which of my babes do you choose?\n I choose not one, but I choose them all,\n So please, Miss Nell, give up the ball.\n\n The ball is ours, it is not yours,\n We will go to the woods and gather flowers;\n We will get pins to pin our clothes,\n You will get nails to nail your toes.\n\n--Belfast (W. H. Patterson).\n\n IX. Queen Anne, Queen Anne, she sits in the sun,\n As fair as a lily, as brown as a bun;\n We've brought you three letters, pray can you read one?\n I can't read one without I read all,\n So pray ---- deliver the ball.\n\n You old gipsy, sit in the sun,\n And we fair ladies go and come;\n The ball is mine, and none o' thine,\n And so good-morning, Valentine.\n\n--Swaffham. Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n X. Queen Anne, Queen Anne, she sits in the sun,\n As fair as a lily, as brown as a bun.\n\n Turn, fair ladies, turn.\n\n We bring you three letters, and pray you read one.\n I cannot read one without I read all,\n So please (\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0) give up the ball.\n\n[If the wrong guess is made the girls say--]\n\n The ball is ours, and none of yours,\n And we've the right to keep it.\n\n[If the right child is named, they say--]\n\n The ball is yours, and is not ours,\n And you've the right to take it.\n\n[Some of the children said this rhyme should be--]\n\n The ball is ours, and none of yours,\n So you, black gipsies, sit in the sun,\n While we the fair ladies go as we come.\n\n--London (A. B. Gomme).\n\n XI. Queen Anne, Queen Anne, she sits in the sun,\n As fair as a lily, as white as a swan;\n I bring you three letters, so pray you choose one,\n I cannot read one without I read all,\n So pray ---- give up the ball.\n\n[If the wrong girl is asked, they say--]\n\n The ball is ours, it is not yours,\n And we've the right to keep it.\n\n[When the right one is guessed--]\n\n The ball is yours, it is not ours,\n And you've the right to keep it.\n\n--Barnes, Surrey (A. B. Gomme).\n\n XII. The lady Queen Anne she sat in a tan (sedan),\n As fair as a lily, as white as a swan;\n The Queen of Morocco she sent you a letter,\n So please to read one.\n\n I won't read one except them all,\n So please, Miss ----, deliver the ball.\n\n--Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 87).\n\n XIII. Queen Ann, Queen Ann,\n She sits in the sun,\n As fair as a lily, and bright as one;\n King George has sent you three letters,\n And desires you to read one.\n\n I cannot read one\n Without I read all,\n So pray, Miss (\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0),\n Deliver the ball.\n\n[Rhyme when right is seldom in use, and the one when wrong forgotten.]\n\n The ball is ours, and none of yours,\n So, black gipsies, sit in the sun,\n And we, fair ladies, go as we come.\n\n--Sussex, about 1850 (Miss Chase).\n\n XIV. Queen Ann, Queen Ann,\n She sat in the sun;\n A pair of white gloves to cover her hands,\n As white as a lily, as red as a rose,\n To which young lady do you propose?\n\n--Devon (Miss Chase).\n\n XV. Here come seven sisters,\n And seven milken daughters,\n And with the ladies of the land,\n And please will you grant us.\n\n I grant you once, I grant you twice,\n I grant you three times over;\n A for all, and B for ball,\n And please [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0] deliver the ball.\n\n--Bocking, Essex (_Folk-lore Journal_, vi. 211).\n\n[Illustration]\n\n(_b_) Sides are chosen, and two lines are formed; the words are said by\neach line alternately. One line, in which is the Queen, standing still\nor sitting down, the other line advancing and retiring while singing the\nwords. The latter line gives one of their number a ball or some other\nsmall object to hold in the hand in such a manner that it cannot be\nperceived. All the players on this side then assume the same\nposition--either all put their hands behind them or fold their arms, put\ntheir hands under their armpits, or under their skirts or pinafores. The\nobject of the other side is to guess which child in the line has the\nball. The line which has the ball commences the game by advancing\nsinging or saying the first three or four lines. Queen Anne answers, and\nthen names one of the girls on the opposite side whom she suspects to\nhave the ball, and if she be right in her guess the lines change sides.\nIf she be wrong, the line retires in triumph, the girl who possesses the\nball holding it up to show the Queen she is wrong. The children all\ncurtsey when leaving the Queen's presence. Another girl of the line then\ntakes the ball and the game continues till the right holder of the ball\nis named. When the Queen tells the line of players to \"turn,\" they all\nspin round, coming back to face the Queen, and then stand still again.\nIn the North Kelsey version (Miss Peacock) there is only one player on\nQueen Anne's side, the rest form the line. This is also the case with\nthe Cornish game.\n\n(_c_) The analysis of the game-rhymes is as follows:--\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Scotland (Chambers). | Halliwell (1). | Halliwell (2). |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 2.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 3.|Lady Q. Anne. |Q. Anne, Anne. | Queen Anne. |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.|Sits in her stand. | -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- |Sits on her throne. | -- |\n | 7.| -- | -- |Sits in the sun. |\n | 8.|Pair of green gloves | -- | -- |\n | |on her hand. | | |\n | 9.|White as a lily, fair |Fair as lily, white as| -- |\n | |as a swan. |swan. | |\n |10.| -- | -- |Fair as lily, white as|\n | | | |wand. |\n |11.|Fairest lady in the | -- | -- |\n | |land. | | |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.|Smell my lily, smell | -- | -- |\n | |my rose. | | |\n |14.|Which of my maidens do| -- | -- |\n | |you choose? | | |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- |King sends three |I send you three |\n | | |letters. |letters. |\n |19.| -- |Begs you'll read one. |Pray read one. |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.|Choose you one and |Cannot read one |You must read one, |\n | |choose you all. |unless I read all. |if you can't all. |\n |22.| -- | -- | -- |\n |23.|Pray, Miss, yield up |Pray [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0] deliver |Pray, Miss [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0], |\n | |the ball. |the ball. |throw up the ball. |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.|The ball is mine, and |The ball is mine, and | -- |\n | |none of yours. |none of thine. | |\n |26.| -- |You, proud Queen, may | -- |\n | | |sit on your throne. | |\n |27.| -- |While we, your | -- |\n | | |messengers, go and | |\n | | |come. | |\n |28.|Go to the woods and | -- | -- |\n | |gather flowers. | | |\n |29.| -- | -- | -- |\n |30.| -- |The ball is mine, and | -- |\n | | |none of thine. | |\n |31.| -- |You are the fair lady | -- |\n | | |to sit on. | |\n |32.| -- |And we're black gip- | -- |\n | | |sies to go and come. | |\n |33.| -- | -- | -- |\n |34.| -- | -- | -- |\n |35.|Cats and kittens, bide| -- | -- |\n | |within. | | |\n |36.|We young ladies walk | -- | -- |\n | |out and in. | | |\n |37.| -- | -- | -- |\n |38.| -- | -- | -- |\n |39.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Halliwell (3). | Dorsetshire. | Cornwall. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Here we come a-piping.| -- | -- |\n | 2.|First in Spring, then | -- | -- |\n | |in May. | | |\n | 3.| -- |Queen Anne. |Lady Queen Anne. |\n | 4.|Queen. | -- | -- |\n | 5.|Sits upon the sand. | -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- |Sot in the sun. | -- |\n | 8.| -- |White glove on. |Pair of white gloves |\n | | | |to cover our hand. |\n | 9.| -- | -- |White as lily, fair as|\n | | | |rose. |\n |10.|Fair as lily, white as|Fair as lily, white as| -- |\n | |wand. |nun. | |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- |Not so fair as you may|\n | | | |suppose. |\n |13.| -- | -- | -- |\n |14.| -- | -- | -- |\n |15.| -- |Turn, ladies. |Turn, ladies. |\n |16.| -- |More we turn, more we |More we turn, more we |\n | | |may. |may. |\n |17.| -- |Queen Anne was born on|Q. Anne was born on |\n | | |midsummer day. |midsummer day. |\n |18.|King John has sent |We've brought three |King sent me three |\n | |three letters. |letters. |letters. |\n |19.|Begs you'll read them | -- | -- |\n | |unto me. | | |\n |20.| -- |One of these only by | -- |\n | | |you must be seen. | |\n |21.|We can't read one |We can't read one, | -- |\n | |without all. |must read all. | |\n |22.| -- | -- |I never read them all.|\n |23.|Pray, Miss [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0], |Please [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0] deliver |Pray, Miss [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0], |\n | |deliver the ball. |the ball. |deliver the ball. |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- |The ball is yours, and|\n | | | |not ours. |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n |28.| -- | -- |Go to the garden and |\n | | | |gather flowers. |\n |29.| -- | -- | -- |\n |30.| -- | -- |The ball is ours, and |\n | | | |none of yours. |\n |31.| -- | -- | -- |\n |32.| -- | -- | -- |\n |33.| -- | -- |We must go to the |\n | | | |garden and gather |\n | | | |flowers. |\n |34.| -- | -- | -- |\n |35.| -- | -- | -- |\n |36.| -- | -- | -- |\n |37.| -- | -- | -- |\n |38.| -- | -- | -- |\n |39.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| North Kelsey. | Belfast. | Swaffham. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 2.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 3.|Queen Anne. |Lady Queen Anne. | Queen Anne. |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- |Sits on a stand. | -- |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.|Sits in the sun. | -- |Sits in the sun. |\n | 8.|Pair of kid gloves in |Pair of green gloves | -- |\n | |her hand. |all over her hand. | |\n | 9.| -- |Fair as lily, white as| -- |\n | | |swan. | |\n |10.|Fair as lily, white | -- |Fair as lily, brown as|\n | |and wan. | |bun. |\n |11.|No such lady in the |Fairest lady in the | -- |\n | |land. |land. | |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- |Taste my lily, smell | -- |\n | | |my rose. | |\n |14.| -- |Which of my babes do | -- |\n | | |you choose? | |\n |15.|Turn all. | -- | -- |\n |16.|More we turn, better | -- | -- |\n | |we are. | | |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- |We've brought three |\n | | | |letters. |\n |19.| -- | -- |Pray can you read one.|\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- |Choose not one but | -- |\n | | |choose all. | |\n |22.| -- | -- | -- |\n |23.| -- |Please, Miss Nell, |Pray deliver the ball.|\n | | |give up the ball. | |\n |24.|We've got the ball | -- | -- |\n | |between us. | | |\n |25.| -- | -- |You, old gipsy sit in |\n | | | |the sun. |\n |26.| -- | -- |We fair ladies, go and|\n | | | |come. |\n |27.| -- |The ball is ours, it |The ball is mine, and |\n | | |is not yours. |none of thine. |\n |28.| -- |We'll go to the woods | -- |\n | | |and gather flowers. | |\n |29.| -- | -- | -- |\n |30.| -- | -- | -- |\n |31.| -- | -- | -- |\n |32.| -- | -- | -- |\n |33.| -- | -- | -- |\n |34.| -- | -- | -- |\n |35.| -- | -- | -- |\n |36.| -- | -- | -- |\n |37.| -- |We will get pins to | -- |\n | | |pin our clothes. | |\n |38.| -- |You will get nails to | -- |\n | | |nail your toes. | |\n |39.| -- | -- |So good morning |\n | | | |Valentine. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| London. | Barnes. | Hersham. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 2.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 3.|Queen Anne. |Queen Anne. |Lady Queen Anne. |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- |Sits in a tan. |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.|Sits in the sun. |Sits in the sun. | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- |Fair as lily, white as|Fair as lily, white as|\n | | |swan. |swan. |\n |10.|Fair as lily, brown as| -- | -- |\n | |bun. | | |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- | -- | -- |\n |14.| -- | -- | -- |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.|We bring you three |I bring you three |Queen of Morocco sent |\n | |letters. |letters. |you a letter. |\n |19.| Pray you read one. |Pray you choose one. |Please to read one. |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.|Cannot read one |Cannot read one |I won't read one |\n | |without all. |without all. |except all. |\n |22.| -- | -- | -- |\n |23.|Please give up the |Pray give up the ball.|Please, Miss [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0], |\n | |ball. | |deliver the ball. |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.|The ball is ours, and |The ball is ours, it | -- |\n | |none of yours. |is not yours. | |\n |28.| -- | -- | -- |\n |29.|And we've the right to|And we've the right to| -- |\n | |keep it. |keep it. | |\n |30.|The ball is yours, and|The ball is yours, it | -- |\n | |not ours. |is not ours. | |\n |31.|You, black gipsies, | -- | -- |\n | |sit in the sun. | | |\n |32.|While we, fair ladies,| -- | -- |\n | |go as we come. | | |\n |33.| -- | -- | -- |\n |34.| -- |And you've the right | -- |\n | | |to keep it. | |\n |35.| -- | -- | -- |\n |36.| -- | -- | -- |\n |37.| -- | -- | -- |\n |38.| -- | -- | -- |\n |39.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Sussex. | Devon. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- | -- |\n | 2.| -- | -- |\n | 3.|Queen Ann. |Queen Ann. |\n | 4.| -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- | -- |\n | 7.|Sits in the sun. |Sat in the sun. |\n | 8.| -- |Pair of white gloves |\n | | |to cover her hand. |\n | 9.| -- |White as lily, red as |\n | | |rose. |\n |10.|Fair as lily, bright | -- |\n | |as one. | |\n |11.| -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- |\n |13.| -- | -- |\n |14.| -- |To which young lady do|\n | | |you propose? |\n |15.| -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- |\n |18.|King Geo. has sent you| -- |\n | |three letters. | |\n |19.|Desires you to read | -- |\n | |one. | |\n |20.| -- | -- |\n |21.|Cannot read one | -- |\n | |without all. | |\n |22.| -- | -- |\n |23.|Pray, Miss [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0], | -- |\n | |deliver the ball. | |\n |24.| -- | -- |\n |25.|So, black gipsies, sit| -- |\n | |in the sun. | |\n |26.|We fair ladies, go as | -- |\n | |we come. | |\n |27.|The ball is ours, and | -- |\n | |none of yours. | |\n |28.| -- | -- |\n |29.| -- | -- |\n |30.| -- | -- |\n |31.| -- | -- |\n |32.| -- | -- |\n |33.| -- | -- |\n |34.| -- | -- |\n |35.| -- | -- |\n |36.| -- | -- |\n |37.| -- | -- |\n |38.| -- | -- |\n |39.| -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+\n\nThis game appears to be in such a state of decadence that it is\ndifficult to do more than suggest an origin. It may be that \"Queen Anne\"\nrepresents an oracle, and the petition is addressed to her to discover\nthe stolen treasure; but more probably the players represent disguised\ndamsels, one of whom is a bride whose identity has to be found out by\nher showing or possessing some object which belongs to or has been given\npreviously by her suitor. The \"guessing\" or \"naming\" a particular person\nruns through all the versions, and is undoubtedly the clue to the game.\nIf the Belfast version is the nearest to the original of those at\npresent existing, and there is every probability that this is so,\nespecially as Chambers' version is so similar, an early form of the game\nmight be restored, and from this its origin may be ascertained. Using\nthe first four lines of one of Halliwell's versions, and what appear to\nbe the common lines of the other versions, the reading is--\n\n_Suitor and Friends._\n\n Here we come a-piping,\n First in Spring and then in May.\n The Queen she sits upon the sand,\n Fair as a lily, white as a wand [swan].\n Here's a pair of {white} gloves to cover the hands [suitors offer\n {green} gloves],\n\n Of the fairest lady in all the land.\n\n_Guardian (or Mother) and Maidens._\n\n Come {taste} my lily, come {taste} my rose,\n {smell} {smell}\n For which of my maidens do you propose?\n\n_Suitors or Queen Anne._\n\n I chose but one, I chose from all,\n I pray, Miss (\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0), receive the ball [throwing ball to one girl,\n who catches it].\n\nOr--\n\n I pray this hand receive the ball, [putting a ball into the extended\n hands of one of three girls.]\n\nGuardian then disguises three girls (one with the ball) with veils or\nother coverings, so that they precisely resemble each other, and returns\nwith the girls to the suitors, saying to the girls--\n\n Turn, ladies, turn; turn, ladies, turn;\n\nand to the suitors--\n\n Come choose your own, come choose from all.\n I've brought you three letters, pray can you read one?\n\n_Suitor_\n\n(touching one of the disguised girls).\n\n I cannot read one without I read all.\n I pray, Miss (\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0), yield up the ball.\n\n_Disguised Maiden_\n\n(one who did not receive the ball).\n\n The ball is mine, and none of thine,\n And so, good morning, Valentine.\n\n_Chorus of Maidens_ (curtseying).\n\n We will go to the wood and gather flowers,\n We will get pins to pin our clothes,\n You will get nails to nail your toes.\n Cats and kittens bide within,\n But we, young maidens, come out and in.\n\nThe inference being that the chosen maiden is still free until the\nsuitor can try again, and is fortunate enough to indicate the right\nmaiden.\n\nIf this conjectural restoration of the verses be accepted on the\nevidence, it would suggest that this game originated from one of the not\nuncommon customs practised at weddings or betrothals--when the suitor\nhas to discriminate between several girls all dressed precisely alike\nand distinguish his bride by some token. (See \"King William.\") This\nincident of actual primitive custom also obtains in folk tales, thus\nshowing its strong hold upon popular tradition, and hence increasing the\nprobability that it would reappear in games. It must be remembered that\nthe giving of gloves was a significant fact in betrothals.\n\nThis game is said by some to have its origin in the use of the sedan\nchair. A version taken from a newspaper cutting (unfortunately I had not\nrecorded the name and date, but think it was probably the _Leeds\nMercury_ some years ago) gives the following rhyme. The writer does not\nsay whether he knows it as a game--\n\n Lady Lucan she sits in a sedan,\n As fair as a lily, as white as a swan;\n A pair of green gloves to doff and to don.\n My mistress desires you will read one,\n I can't read one without them all,\n So I pray this hand decline the ball.\n\nIn this version there is still the puzzle to solve, or riddle to read.\n\n\nQueen Mary\n\n[Music: Verses 1, 2.]\n\n[Music: Verses 3, 4, 5.]\n\n--Hexham (Miss J. Barker).\n\n I. Queen Mary, Queen Mary, my age is sixteen,\n My father's a farmer on yonder green;\n He has plenty of money to dress me in silk--\n Come away, my sweet laddie, and take me a walk.\n\n One morning I rose and I looked in the glass,\n I thought to myself what a handsome young lass;\n My hands by my side, and a gentle ha, ha,\n Come away, my sweet lassie, and take me a walk.\n\n Father, mother, may I go, may I go, may I go;\n Father, mother, may I go, to buy a bunch of roses?\n Oh yes, you may go, you may go, you may go;\n Oh yes, you may go, buy a bunch of roses!\n\n Pick up her tail and away she goes, away she goes, away\n she goes;\n Pick up her tail and away she goes, to buy a bunch of\n roses.\n\n--Sang by the children of Hexham Workhouse (Miss J. Barker).\n\n II. Queen Mary, Queen Mary, my age is sixteen,\n My father's a farmer on yonder green;\n He has plenty of money to keep me sae braw,\n Yet nae bonnie laddie will tak' me awa'.\n\n The morning so early I looked in the glass,\n And I said to myself what a handsome young lass;\n My hands by my side, and I gave a ha, ha,\n Come awa', bonnie laddie, and tak' me awa'.\n\n--Berwickshire, A. M. Bell, _Antiquary_, xxx. 17.\n\n III. My name is Queen Mary,\n My age is sixteen,\n My father's a farmer in Old Aberdeen;\n He has plenty of money to dress me in black--\n There's nae [no] bonnie laddie 'ill tack me awa'.\n Next mornin' I wakened and looked in the glass,\n I said to myself, what a handsome young lass;\n Put your hands to your haunches and give a ha, ha,\n For there's nae bonnie laddie will tack ye awa'.\n\n--N. E. Scotland (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n IV. My name is Queen Mary,\n My age is sixteen,\n My father's a farmer in yonder green;\n He's plenty of money to dress in silk [fu' braw'],\n For there's nae bonnie laddie can tack me awa'.\n One morning I rose and I looked in the glass,\n Says I to myself, I'm a handsome young lass;\n My hands by my edges, and I give a ha, ha,\n For there's nae bonnie laddie t' tack me awa'.\n\n--Cullen (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n(_b_) The Scottish game is played by girls. The players join hands, form\na circle with one in the centre, and dance round singing. At the words\n\"'ill tack me awa',\" the centre player chooses another one, and the two\nwheel round. Then the singing proceeds. At the exclamation \"ha! ha!\" the\nplayers suit the action to the words of the line. In the Cullen game the\ngirls stand in a row with one in front, who sings the verses and chooses\nanother player from the line. The two then join hands and go round and\nround, singing the remaining verses.\n\n\nQueen of Sheba\n\nTwo rows of people sit on chairs face to face on each side of a door,\nleaving just sufficient space between the lines for a player to pass. At\nthe end of the rows furthest from the door sits the \"Queen of Sheba,\"\nwith a veil or shawl over her head. A player, hitherto unacquainted with\nthe game, is brought to the door, shown the Queen, and told to go up\nbetween the rows, after being blindfolded, to kiss her, taking care,\nmeanwhile, to avoid treading on the toes of the people on each side the\nalley leading to the lady. While his mind is diverted by these\ninstructions, and by the process of blindfolding, the Queen gives up her\nseat to \"the King,\" who has been lurking in the background. He assumes\nthe veil and receives the kiss, to the amusement of every one but the\nuninitiated player.\n\n--Anderby, Lincolnshire, and near the Trent, Nottinghamshire (Miss M.\nPeacock).\n\n\nRagman\n\nAn ancient game, at which persons drew by chance poetical descriptions\nof their characters, the amusement consisting--as at modern games of a\nsimilar kind--in the peculiar application or misapplication of the\nverses so selected at hazard by the drawers.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\nHalliwell goes on to say that the meaning of this term was first\ndeveloped by Mr. Wright in his _Anecdota Literaria_, 1844, where he has\nprinted two collections of ancient verses used in the game of \"Ragman.\"\nMr. Wright conjectures that the stanzas were written one after another\non a roll of parchment; that to each stanza a string was attached at the\nside, with a seal or piece of metal or wood at the end; and that when\nused the parchment was rolled up with all the strings and their seals\nhanging together, so that the drawer had no reason for choosing one more\nthan another, but drew one of the strings by mere chance, and which he\nopened to see on what stanza he had fallen. If such were the form of the\ngame, we can very easily imagine why the name was applied to a charter\nwith an unusual number of seals attached to it, which, when rolled up,\nwould present exactly the same appearance. Mr. Wright is borne out in\nhis opinion by an English poem, termed \"Ragmane roelle,\" printed from\nMS., Fairfax, 16:--\n\n \"My ladyes and my maistresses echone,\n Lyke hit unto your humbyble wommanhede,\n Resave in gr\u00e9 of my sympill persone\n This rolle, which, withouten any drede,\n Kynge Ragman me bad me sowe in brede,\n And cristyned yt the merour of your chaunce;\n Drawith a strynge, and that shal streight yow leyde\n Unto the verry path of your governaunce.\"\n\nThat the verses were generally written in a roll may perhaps be gathered\nfrom a passage in Douglas's Virgil:--\n\n \"With that he raucht me ane roll: to rede I begane,\n The royetest ane ragment with mony ratt rime.\"\n\nHalliwell also quotes the following:--\n\n \"Venus, whiche stant withoute lawe,\n In non certeyne, but as men drawe\n Of Ragemon upon the chaunce,\n Sche leyeth no peys in the balaunce.\"\n\n--Gower, MS. _Society of Antiquaries_, 134, 244.\n\nThe term rageman is applied to the devil in \"Piers Ploughman,\" 335.\n\n\nRag-stag\n\nSee \"Stag Warning.\"\n\n\nRakes and Roans\n\nA boys' game, in which the younger ones are chased by the larger boys,\nand when caught carried home pick-a-back.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\nMoor (_Suffolk Words and Phrases_) says this game is often called\n\"Rakes\" only, and is the same, probably, that is thus alluded to: \"To\nplay Reaks, to domineer, to show mad pranks.\" The jest of it is to be\ncarried home a pig-back, by the less swift wight who you may catch.\n\n\nRakkeps\n\nA game among boys [undescribed].--Dickinson's _Cumberland Glossary_.\n\n\nRange the Bus\n\nSides are chosen, and a line made across the playground. One of the\nsides goes up and the other goes down, and throws their bonnets on the\nground. Then one side tries to get one of the opposite side across the\nline and crown him, and one of the opposite side tries to crown him\nback. If another boy can catch this player before he gets near him, he\nis crowned also. All the time the one side is trying to take the\nbonnets.--Old Aberdeen (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nSee \"French and English,\" \"Scotch and English.\"\n\n\nRax, or Raxie-boxie, King of Scotland\n\nThe players, except one, take their stand at one side, and one stands at\nthe other side in front of them. When all are ready, the one in front\ncalls out \"Cock,\" or \"Caron,\" when all rush across to the other side,\nand he tries to catch one of them in crossing. The one caught helps to\ncatch the others as they run back. Each time the players run from the\none side to the other the word \"Cock,\" or \"Caron,\" is called out, and\nthe change is continued till all are caught--each one as caught becoming\na catcher. In Tyrie the game is called \"Dyke King\" when played by boys,\nand \"Queen\" when played by girls. The word \"King,\" or \"Queen,\" is\ncalled out before each run, according as the game is played by boys or\ngirls.--Ballindalloch (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nThis game is called \"Red Rover\" in Liverpool (Mr. C. C. Bell). \"Red\nRover\" is shouted out by the catcher when players are ready to rush\nacross.\n\nSee \"King C\u00e6sar.\"\n\n\nRelievo\n\nThis game is played by one child trying to catch the rest. The first\nprisoner taken joins hands with the captor and helps in the pursuit, and\nso on till all the playmates have been taken.--Anderby, Lincs. (Miss M.\nPeacock).\n\nThis game is the same as \"Chickiddy Hand,\" \"Stag Warning.\"\n\n\nReligious Church\n\nThe children stand in a line. One child on the opposite side, facing\nthem, says--\n\n Have you been to a religious church?\n\nRow of children answer--\n\n No!\n Have I asked you?\n No!\n Put your fingers on your lips and follow me.\n\nAll the row follow behind her to some other part of the ground, where\nshe stands with her back to them, and they form a new row. One child out\nof the row now steps forward, and standing behind the first girl says--\n\n Guess who stands behind you?\n\nIf the first girl guesses right she keeps her old place, and they begin\nagain. If she is wrong the child who has come from the row takes her\nplace, and a new game is begun. Of course the child who asks the last\nquestion alters its voice as much as possible, so as not to be\nrecognised.--Liphook, Hants. (Miss Fowler).\n\n\nRigs\n\nA game of children in Aberdeenshire, said to be the same as Scotch and\nEnglish, and also called Rockety Row.--Jamieson's _Dictionary_.\n\n\nRing\n\nSee \"Ring-taw.\"\n\n\nRing a Ring o' Roses\n\n[Music]\n\n--Marlborough (H. S. May).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Yorkshire (H. Hardy).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Sporle (Miss Matthews).\n\n I. Ring a ring o' roses,\n A pocket-full o' posies;\n One for me, and one for you,\n And one for little Moses--\n Hasher, Hasher, Hasher, all fall down.\n\n--Winterton, Lincoln, and Leadenham (Miss M. Peacock).\n\n II. A ring, a ring o' roses,\n A pocket-full o' posies;\n One for Jack, and one for Jim, and one for little Moses--\n A-tisha! a-tisha! a-tisha!\n\n--Shropshire (Burne's _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 511).\n\n III. A ring, a ring o' roses,\n A pocket-full o' posies;\n A curchey in, and a curchey out,\n And a curchey all together.\n\n--Edgmond (Burne's _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 571).\n\n IV. Ring, a ring o' roses,\n A pocket full o' posies;\n Up-stairs and down-stairs,\n In my lady's chamber--\n Husher! Husher! Cuckoo!\n\n--Wakefield, Yorks. (Miss Fowler).\n\n V. Ring, a ring of roses,\n Basket full of posies--\n Tisha! Tisha! all fall down.\n\n--Penzance, Cornwall (Mrs. Mabbott).\n\n VI. Ring, a ring a roses,\n A pocketful of posies;\n Hush, oh! hush, oh!\n All fall down!\n\n--Colchester, Essex (Miss G. M. Frances).\n\n VII. Ring, a ring a rosy,\n A pocket full of posies;\n One for you, and one for me,\n And one for little Moses--\n Atishm! Atishm!\n\n--Beddgelert (Mrs. Williams).\n\n VIII. A ring, a ring of roses,\n A pocket full of posies--\n Hist! hush! last down dead!\n\n--Gainford, Durham (Miss A. Eddleston).\n\n IX. Ring, a ring a row-o,\n See the children go-o,\n Sit below the goose-berry bush;\n Hark! they all cry Hush! hush! hush!\n Sitty down, sit down.\n\n Duzzy, duzzy gander,\n Sugar, milk, and candy;\n Hatch-u, hatch-u, all fall down together.\n\n--South Shields (Miss Blair, aged 9).\n\n X. Ringey, ringey rosies,\n A pocketful of posies--\n Hach-ho, hach-ho, all fall down.\n\nAnother version--\n\n Hash-ho! Tzhu-ho! all fall down.\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n XI. Windy, windy weather,\n Cold and frosty weather,\n When the wind blows\n We all blow together.\n I saw Peter!\n When did you meet him?\n Merrily, cherrily [so pronounced]\n All fall down.\n\n A ring, a ring of roses,\n A pocketful of posies--\n Ashem, ashem, all fall down.\n\n--Sheffield (S. O. Addy).\n\n(_b_) A ring is formed by the children joining hands. They all dance\nround, singing the lines. At the word \"Hasher\" or \"Atcha\" they all raise\ntheir hands [still clasped] up and down, and at \"all fall down\" they sit\nsuddenly down on the ground. In Lancashire (Morton) they pause and\ncurtsey deeply. The imitation of sneezing is common to all. Miss Peacock\nsays, in Nottinghamshire they say \"Hashem! Hashem!\" and shake their\nheads. In the Sheffield version the children sing the first eight lines\ngoing round, and all fall down when the eighth is sang. They then form a\nring by holding hands, and move round singing the next three lines, and\nthen they all fall either on their knees or flat on their faces.\n\n(_c_) Versions of this game, identical with the Winterton one, have been\nsent me by Miss Winfield, Nottingham; others, almost identical with the\nsecond Norfolk version, from Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy), North\nStaffs. Potteries, Norbury, Staffs., (Miss A. Keary), Earls Heaton,\nYorks. (H. Hardy). Addy, _Sheffield Glossary_, gives a version almost\nidentical with the last Sporle version.\n\nAddy, _Sheffield Glossary_, compares the old stories about rose-laughing\nin Grimm's _Teut. Myth._ iii. 1101. \"Gifted children of fortune have the\npower to laugh roses, as Treyja wept gold. Probably in the first\ninstance they were Pagan beings of light, who spread their brightness in\nthe sky over the earth--'rose children,' 'sun children.'\" This seems to\nme to be a very apposite explanation of the game, the rhymes of which\nare fairly well preserved, though showing in some of the variants that\ndecay towards a practical interpretation which will soon abolish all\ntraces of the mythical origin of game-rhyme. It may, however, simply be\nthe making, or \"ringing,\" a ring or circle of roses or other flowers and\nbowing to this. Mr. Addy's suggestion does not account for the imitation\nof sneezing, evidently an important incident, which runs through all\nversions. Sneezing has always been regarded as an important or\nsupernatural event in every-day life, and many superstitious beliefs and\npractices are connected with it both in savage and civilised life.\nNewell (_Games and Songs of American Children_, p. 127) describes \"Ring\naround the Rosie,\" apparently this game, but the imitation of sneezing\nhas been lost.\n\n\nRing by Ring\n\n Here we go round by ring, by ring,\n As ladies do in Yorkshire;\n A curtsey here, a curtsey there,\n A curtsey to the ground, sir.\n\n--Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 86).\n\nThere is no description of the way this game is played, but it is\nevidently a similar game to \"Ring-a-Ring o' Roses.\"\n\n\nRingie, Ringie, Red Belt\n\nTake a small splint of wood, kindle it, and when it is burning turn it\nrapidly round in a circle, repeating the words--\n\n Ringie, ringie, Red Belt, rides wi' the king,\n Nae a penny in's purse t'buy a gold ring.\n Bow--ow--ow, fat dog art thou,\n Tam Tinker's dog, bow--ow--ow.\n\n--Corgarff (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nThis goes by the name of \"Willie Wogie\" at Keith, but no words are\nrepeated as the splint is whirled.\n\nSee \"Jack's Alive.\"\n\n\nRing-me-rary\n\n I. Ring me (1), ring me (2), ring me rary (3),\n As I go round (4) ring by ring (5),\n A virgin (6) goes a-maying (7);\n Here's a flower (8), and there's a flower (9),\n Growing in my lady's garden (10).\n If you set your foot awry (11),\n Gentle John will make you cry (12);\n If you set your foot amiss (13),\n Gentle John (14) will give you a kiss.\n\n This [lady or gentleman] is none of ours,\n Has put [him or her] self in [child's name] power;\n So clap all hands and ring all bells, and make the wedding\n o'er.\n\n--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 67.\n\n II. As I go round ring by ring,\n A maiden goes a-maying;\n And here's a flower, and there's a flower,\n As red as any daisy.\n If you set your foot amiss,\n Gentle John will give you a kiss.\n\n--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 125.\n\n(_b_) A number of boys and girls stand round one in the middle, who\nrepeats the lines, counting the children until one is counted out by the\nend of the verse. The child upon whom (14) falls is then taken out and\nforced to select one of the other sex. The middle child then proceeds to\nsay the three last lines. All the children clap hands during the saying\n(or singing) of the last line. If the child taken by lot joins in the\nclapping, the selected child is rejected, and, I believe, takes the\nmiddle place. Otherwise, I think there is a salute.--Halliwell.\n\n(_c_) This game is recorded by no authority except Halliwell, and no\nversion has reached me, so that I suppose it is now obsolete. It is a\nvery good example of the oldest kind of game, choosing partners or\nlovers by the \"lot,\" and may be a relic of the May-day festival, when\nthe worship of Flora was accompanied by rites of marriage not in accord\nwith later ideas.\n\n\nRing-taw\n\nA rough ring is made on the ground, and the players each place in it an\nequal share in \"stonies,\" or alleys. They each bowl to the ring with\nanother marble from a distance. The boy whose marble is nearest has the\nfirst chance to \"taw;\" if he misses a shot the second boy, whose marble\nwas next nearest to the ring, follows, and if he misses, the next, and\nso on. If one player knocks out a marble, he is entitled to \"taw\" at the\nrest in the ring until he misses; and if a sure \"tawer\" not one of the\nothers may have the chance to taw. Any one's \"taw\" staying within the\nring after being tawn at the \"shots,\" is said to be \"fat,\" and the owner\nof the \"taw\" must then replace any marbles he has knocked out in the\nring.--Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy). Halliwell (_Dictionary_)\ndescribes this game very much as above, except that a fine is imposed on\nthose who leave the taw in the ring. Ross and Stead (_Holderness\nGlossary_) give this game as follows:--\"Two boys place an equal number\nof marbles in the form of a circle, which are then shot at alternately,\neach boy pocketing the marbles he hits.\" Addy (_Sheffield Glossary_)\nsays, \"Ring-taw\" is a marble marked with a red ring used in the game\nof marbles. This is commonly called \"ring\" for short. Evans\n(_Leicestershire Glossary_) describes the game much the same as above,\nbut adds some further details of interest. \"If the game be knuckle-up\nthe player stands and shoots in that position. If the game be\nknuckle-down he must stoop and shoot with the knuckle of the first\nfinger touching the ground at taw. In both cases, however, the player's\ntoe must be on taw. The line was thus called taw as marking the place\nfor the toe of the player, and the marble a taw as being the one shot\nfrom the taw-line, in contradistinction to those placed passively in the\nring-'line' in the one case, and 'marble' in the other being dropped as\nsuperfluous.\"--Strutt (_Sports and Pastimes_, p. 384) alludes to the\ngame.\n\nIn Ireland this game is also called \"Ring,\" and is played with marbles\nand buttons. A ring is marked out on a level hard place, and every boy\nputs down a button. The buttons are lightly struck in the centre of the\nring, and all play their marbles to the buttons. The nearest to them\nplay first. The line from which they play is generally about eight feet\naway, and everybody does his best to strike the buttons. Any put out are\nkept by the boy putting them out, and if a boy strikes a button, or\nbuttons, out, he can play on until he misses.--Waterville, Cos. Kerry\nand Cork, T. J. Dennachy (through Mrs. B. B. Green of Dublin).\n\n\nRin-im-o'er\n\nA game among children, in which one stands in the middle of a street,\nroad, or lane, while others run across it within a certain given\ndistance from the person so placed, and whose business it is to catch\none in passing, when he is released, and the captive takes his\nplace.--Teviotdale (Jamieson's _Dictionary_).\n\nIt nearly resembles \"Willie Wastle.\"\n\n\nRobbing the Parson's Hen-Roost\n\nThis game is played by every player, except one (the questioner),\nchoosing a word, and introducing it into his phrase whenever he gives an\nanswer. For example, X, Y, and Z have chosen the words elephant,\nkey-hole, and mouse-trap.\n\nQuestioner. \"What did you steal from the parson's hen-roost?\"\n\nX. \"An elephant.\"\n\nQ. \"How did you get into the hen-roost?\"\n\nY. \"Through the key-hole.\"\n\nQ. \"Where did you put what was stolen?\"\n\nZ. \"Into a mouse-trap.\"\n\nAnd so on with the other players.--Lincoln [generally known] (Miss M.\nPeacock).\n\nThe players choose a name, and another player asks them questions,\nbeginning with, \"The Parson's hen-roost was robbed last night, were you\nthere?\" To all questions each player must answer by repeating his own\nname only: if he forgets and says, \"Yes\" or \"No,\" he has to take the\nquestioner's place.--Haxey, Lincolnshire (Mr. C. C. Bell).\n\n\nRockety Row\n\nA play in which two persons stand with their backs to each other, one\npassing his arms under the shoulders of the other, they alternately lift\neach other from the ground.--Jamieson's _Dictionary_.\n\nSee \"Bag o' Malt,\" \"Weigh the Butter.\"\n\n\nRoll up Tobacco\n\nSee \"Bulliheisle,\" \"Eller Tree,\" \"Wind up the Bush Faggot.\"\n\n\nRoly-poly\n\n[Illustration]\n\nA game played with a certain number of pins and a ball, resembling half\na cricket ball. One pin is placed in the centre, the rest (with the\nexception of one called the Jack) are placed in a circle round it; the\nJack is placed about a foot or so from the circle, in a line with the\none in the circle and the one in the centre. The centre one is called\nthe King, the one between that and the Jack, the Queen. The King counts\nfor three, the Queen two, and each of the other pins for one each,\nexcept Jack. The art of the game lies in bowling down all the pins\nexcept Jack, for if Jack is bowled down, the player has just so many\ndeducted from his former score as would have been added if he had not\nstruck the Jack (Holloway's _Dict. Provincialisms_). This game was\nformerly called \"Half-bowl,\" and was prohibited by a statute of Edward\nIV. (Halliwell's _Dictionary_). Brockett (_North Country Words and\nPhrases_) says it is a game played at fairs and races. It is, under the\nname of \"Kayles,\" well described and illustrated by Strutt (_Sports and\nPastimes_, p. 270, 271), which is reproduced here. It will be seen that\nJamieson describes it as played with a pole or cudgel. He says this game\nno doubt gave origin to the modern one of \"Nine-pins;\" though\nprimitively the Kayle-pins do not appear to have been confined to any\ncertain number nor shape.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. The Kayle-pins appear to have been\nplaced in one row only. He also says that \"Half-bowl,\" played in\nHertfordshire, was called \"Roly-poly.\"\n\n[Illustration]\n\nJamieson (_Dictionary_) gives this as \"Rollie-poly,\" a game of\nnine-pins, called also _Kayles_. The name \"Rollie-poly\" was given to it\nbecause it was played with a pole, or cudgel, by which the pins were\nknocked over. In the West of Scotland, where this game was in great\nrepute in olden times, it formed one of the chief sports of\nFastern's-e'en, and was a favourite amusement at fairs and races. The\nawards for successful throwing were generally in the form of small cakes\nof gingerbread, which were powerful incentives to the game, and never\nfailed to attract players in response to the cry, \"Wha'll try the lucky\nKayles?\"\n\n\nRonin the Bee\n\nA rude game. A cazzie, or cassie, is unexpectedly thrown over the head\nof a person. When thus blindfolded he is pressed down, and buckets of\nwater are thrown upon the cassie till the victim is thoroughly\nsaturated.--Jamieson's _Dictionary_.\n\nSee \"Carrying the Queen a Letter,\" \"Ezzeka.\"\n\n\nRosy Apple, Lemon and Pear\n\n[Music]\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n I. Rosy apple, lemon, or pear,\n Bunch of roses she shall wear;\n Gold and silver by her side,\n I know who will be the bride.\n Take her by her lily-white hand,\n Lead her to the altar;\n Give her kisses,--one, two, three,--\n Mrs. (child's name) daughter.\n\n--Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 58).\n\n II. Rosy apple, lemon, and pear,\n A bunch of roses she shall wear;\n Gold and silver by her side,\n Choose the one shall be her bride.\n Take her by her lily-white hand,\n Lead her to the altar;\n Give her kisses,--one, two, three,--\n To old mother's runaway daughter.\n\n--Symondsbury, Dorsetshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 210).\n\n III. Rosy apple, lemon, and a pear,\n A bunch of ribbons she shall wear;\n Gold and silver by her side,\n I know who will be her bride.\n Take her by the lily-white hand,\n Lead her over the water;\n Give her kisses,--one, two, three,--\n For Mrs. ---- daughter.\n\n--Maxey, Northants. (Rev. W. D. Sweeting).\n\n IV. Rosy apple, lemon, and a pear,\n Bunch of roses you shall wear;\n Gold and silver by your side,\n I know who shall be a bride.\n Take her by the lily-white hand,\n Lead her 'cross the water;\n Give her kisses,--one, two, three,--\n For Mrs. (So-and-so's) daughter.\n\n--Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase).\n\n V. Rosie had an apple and a pear,\n A bunch of roses she shall wear;\n Gold and silver by her side,\n I knows who shall be her bride.\n Take her by the lily-white hand,\n Lead her across the water;\n Give her a kiss, and one, two, three,\n Old Mother Sack-a-biddy's daughter!\n\n--Ogbourne, Wilts. (H. S. May).\n\n VI. Rosy apples, mellow pears,\n Bunch of roses she shall wear;\n Gold and silver by her side,\n Tell me who shall be her bride.\n Take her by her lily-white hand,\n Lead her across the ocean;\n Give her a kiss, and one, two, three,\n Mrs. ---- daughter.\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n VII. A rosy apple, lemon, and a pear,\n A bunch of roses she shall wear;\n Gold and silver by your side,\n Choose the one to be your bride.\n Take her by her lily-white hand,\n Lead her to the altar;\n Give her a kiss by one, two, three,\n Mrs. ---- daughter.\n\n--Cowes, I. of Wight (Miss E. Smith).\n\n VIII. Roses up, and roses down,\n Roses in the garden;\n I wadna gie ye a bunch o' flowers\n For tenpence halfpenny farden.\n Take her by the lily-white hand,\n Lead her across the water;\n Gie her a kiss, and one, two, three,\n For she's a lady's daughter.\n\n--Berwickshire (A. M. Bell) _Antiquary_, xxx. 16.\n\n IX. Maggie Littlejohn, fresh and fair,\n A bunch of roses in her hair;\n Gold and silver by her side,\n I know who is her bride.\n Take her by the lily-white hand,\n Lead her over the water;\n Give her kisses,--one, two, three,--\n For she's a lady's daughter.\n Roses up, and roses down,\n And roses in the garden;\n I widna give a bunch of roses\n For twopence ha'penny farthing.\n\n--Rev. W. Gregor.\n\n X. Roses up, and roses down,\n And roses in the garden;\n I widna gie a bunch o' roses\n For tippence ha'penny farden.\n So and so, fresh and fair,\n A bunch o' roses she shall wear;\n Gold and silver by her side,\n Crying out, \"Cheese and bride\" (bread).\n Take her by the lily-white hand,\n Lead her on the water;\n Give her kisses,--one, two, three,--\n For she's her mother's daughter.\n\n--Fraserburgh (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XI. Roses up, and roses down,\n And roses in the garden;\n I wadna gie a bunch o' roses\n For twopence ha'penny farthin'.\n ----, fresh and fair,\n A bunch of roses she shall wear;\n Gold and silver by her side,\n I know who's her bride.\n Take her by the lily-white hand,\n And lead her o'er the water;\n And give her kisses,--one, two, three,--\n For she's the princess' daughter.\n\n--Cullen (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XII. Maggie Black, fresh and fair,\n A bunch of roses she shall wear;\n I know who I'll take.\n Give her kisses,--one, two, three,--\n For she's a lady's daughter.\n Roses in, and roses out,\n Roses in a garden;\n I would not give a bunch of roses\n For twopence halfpenny \"farden.\"\n\n--Nairn (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n(_c_) The players form a ring, one child stands in the centre, who\nchooses a sweetheart from the ring when the fifth line is sung; the two\nkiss, the first child takes her place in the ring, the second child\nremains in the centre, and the game begins again. This is the method\nadopted in most of the versions. The Symondsbury game is slightly\ndifferent; the first part is the same, but when the last line is sung\nthe child who was first in the middle must run away and take a place in\nthe ring as soon as she can. The second one remains in the centre. The\nMaxey (Northants.) version is altogether different. All the children but\none stand in a row. The one stands in front of them and sings the lines\nby herself; at the last line she selects one from the line by naming\nher. These two then sing the lines, \"swinging round,\" so described by\nMr. Sweeting's informant. They then select a third when singing the last\nline, and the three then swing round. This is repeated till all the\nchildren from the line come into the ring.\n\nIn the Scotch versions the players all stand in a line, with one in\nfront, and sing. At the end of the fourth line the one in front chooses\none from the line, and all again sing, mentioning the name of the one\nchosen (Fraserburgh). At Cullen, one child stands out of the line and\ngoes backwards and forwards singing, then chooses her partner, and the\ntwo go round the line singing.\n\n(_d_) A version which I collected in Barnes is not so perfect as those\ngiven here, only the four first lines being sung. A Kentish version sent\nme by Miss Broadwood is almost identical with the Deptford game. Miss\nBroadwood's version commences--\n\n Rosy apple, miller, miller, pear.\n\nAn Ipswich version is almost identical with that of Hersham, Surrey\n(Lady C. Gurdon's _Suffolk County Folk-lore_, p. 64), except that it\nbegins \"Golden apple\" and ends with the marriage formula--\n\n Now you're married, I wish you joy,\n Father and mother you must obey;\n Love one another like sister and brother,\n And now's the time to kiss away.\n\n(_e_) This game is probably derived from the mode of dressing the bride\nin the marriage ceremony, and is not very ancient. The line \"Lead her to\nthe altar\" probably indicates the earliest version, corrupted later into\n\"Lead her across the water,\" and this would prove a comparatively modern\norigin. If, however, the \"altar\" version is a corruption of the \"water\"\nversion, the game may go back to the pre-Christian marriage ceremony,\nbut of this there is little evidence.\n\n\nRoundabout, or Cheshire Round\n\nThis is danced by two only, one of each sex; after leading off into the\nmiddle of an imaginary circle, and dancing a short time opposite to each\nother, the one strives by celerity of steps in the circumference of the\ncircle to overtake and chase the other round it; the other in the\nmeantime endeavouring to maintain an opposite situation by equal\ncelerity in receding.--Roberts' _Cambrian Popular Antiquities_, p. 46.\n\nHalliwell gives Round, a kind of dance. \"The round dance, or the dancing\nof the rounds.\"--_Nomenclator_, 1585, p. 299. There was a sort of song\nor ballad also so called.--_Dict. Provincialisms._\n\n\nRound and Round the Village\n\n[Music]\n\n--Barnes, Surrey (A. B. Gomme).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Hanbury, Staff. (Edith Hollis).\n\n I. Round and round the village,\n Round and round the village;\n Round and round the village,\n As we have done before.\n\n In and out the windows,\n In and out the windows;\n In and out the windows,\n As we have done before.\n\n Stand and face your lover,\n Stand and face your lover;\n Stand and face your lover,\n As we have done before.\n\n Follow her to London,\n Follow her to London;\n Follow her to London,\n As we have done before.\n\n Kiss her before you leave her,\n Kiss her before you leave her;\n Kiss her before you leave her,\n As we have done before.\n\n--Barnes, Surrey (taken down from children of village school--A. B.\nGomme).\n\n II. Round and round the village,\n Round and round the village;\n Round and round the village,\n As you have done before.\n\n In and out the window,\n In and out the window;\n In and out the window,\n As you have done before.\n\n Stand and face your lover,\n Stand and face your lover;\n Stand and face your lover,\n As you have done before.\n\n--Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase).\n\n III. Round and round the village,\n In and out of the window;\n Stand and face your lover,\n As you have done before.\n\n Stand and face your lover,\n Stand and face your lover;\n Oh, stand and face your lover,\n As you have done before.\n\n Follow me to London,\n Follow me to London;\n Oh, follow me to London,\n As you have done before.\n\n--Wakefield, Yorks. (Miss Fowler).\n\n IV. Round and round the village,\n In and out of the window;\n Stand and face your lover,\n As you have done before;\n Oh, stand and face your lover,\n As you have done before, O.\n\n Follow me to London,\n Follow me to London;\n Follow me to London,\n As you have done before.\n\n--Winterton and Bottesford, Lincolnshire (Miss M. Peacock).\n\n V. Round and round the village,\n Round and round the village;\n Round and round the village,\n As you have done before.\n\n In and out the windows,\n In and out the windows;\n In and out the windows,\n As you have done before.\n\n Stand and face your lover,\n Stand and face your lover;\n Stand and face your lover,\n As you have done before.\n\n Shake hands with your lover,\n Shake hands with your lover;\n Shake hands with your lover,\n As you have done before.\n\n--From girls of Clapham High School (Miss F. D. Richardson).\n\n VI. Out and in the villages,\n Out and in the villages;\n Out and in the villages,\n As you have done before.\n Out and in the windows,\n Out and in the windows;\n Out and in the windows,\n As you have done before.\n Stand before your lover,\n Stand before your lover;\n Stand before your lover,\n As you have done before.\n\n--Cullen (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n VII. Go round and round the village,\n Go round and round the village,\n As we have done before.\n\n Go in and out the window,\n Go in and out the window,\n As we have done before.\n\n Come in and face your lover,\n Come in and face your lover,\n As we have done before.\n\n I measure my love to show you,\n I measure my love to show you,\n As we have done before.\n\n I kneel because I love you,\n I kneel because I love you,\n As we have done before.\n\n Follow me to London,\n Follow me to London,\n As we have done before.\n\n Back again to Westerham,\n Back again to Westerham,\n As we have done before.\n\n--Crockham Hill, Kent (Miss Chase).\n\n VIII. Walking round the village,\n Walking round the village;\n Walking round the village,\n As we have done before.\n\n In and out the windows,\n In and out the windows;\n In and out the windows,\n As you have done before.\n\n Stand and face your lover,\n Stand and face your lover;\n Stand and face your lover,\n As you have done before.\n\n Now they go off courting,\n Now they go off courting;\n Now they go off courting,\n As they have done before.\n\n Chase her back to Scotland,\n Chase her back to Scotland;\n Chase her back to Scotland,\n As you have done before.\n\n--Penzance, Cornwall (Mrs. Mabbott).\n\n IX. Round about the village,\n Round about the village;\n Round about the village,\n As you have done before.\n\n In and out of the windows,\n In and out of the windows;\n In and out of the windows,\n As you have done before.\n\n I stand before my lover,\n I stand before my lover;\n I stand before my lover,\n As I have done before.\n\n Follow me to London,\n Follow me to London;\n Follow me to London,\n As you have done before.\n\n Dance away to Fairyland,\n Dance away to Fairyland;\n Dance away to Fairyland,\n As we have done before.\n\n--Stevenage, Herts. (Mrs. Lloyd, taught to a friend's children by a\nnurse from Stevenage).\n\n X. All round the village,\n All round the village;\n All round the village,\n As we have done before.\n\n In and out of the window,\n In and out of the window;\n In and out of the window,\n As we have done before.\n\n Stand and face your lover,\n Stand and face your lover;\n Stand and face your lover,\n As we have done before.\n\n Kiss her if you love her,\n Kiss her if you love her;\n Kiss her if you love her,\n As we have done before.\n\n Take her off to London,\n Take her off to London;\n Take her off to London,\n As we have done before.\n\n--Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy).\n\n XI. All round the village,\n All round the village;\n All round the village,\n As you have done before.\n\n In and out the windows,\n In and out the windows;\n In and out the windows,\n As you have done before.\n\n Stand and face your lover,\n Stand and face your lover;\n Stand and face your lover,\n As you have done before.\n\n Follow her to London,\n Follow her to London;\n Follow her to London,\n As you have done before.\n\n--Tean, North Staffs, (from a Monitor in the School).\n\n XII. Round and round the village, &c.,\n As you have done before.\n\n In and out the windows, as you have done before.\n\n Stand and face your lover, &c.\n\n Follow me to London, &c.\n\n--Roxton, St. Neots (Miss E. Lumley).\n\n XIII. Out and in the windows,\n Out and in the windows;\n Out and in the windows,\n As you have done before.\n\n Stand before your lover,\n Stand before your lover;\n Stand before your lover,\n As you have done before.\n\n Follow her to London,\n Follow her to London;\n Follow her to London,\n Before the break of day.\n\n--Fraserburgh (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XIV. In and out of the window,\n In and out of the window;\n In and out of the window,\n As you have done before.\n\n Stand and face your lover,\n Stand and face your lover;\n Stand and face your lover,\n As you have done before.\n\n Give me a kiss, my darling,\n Give me a kiss, my darling;\n Give me a kiss, my darling,\n As you have done before.\n\n Follow me to London,\n Follow me to London;\n Follow me to London,\n As you have done before.\n\n--Hanbury, Staffordshire (Miss E. Hollis).\n\n XV. Marching round the ladies,\n Marching round the ladies, as you have done before.\n In and out the windows,\n In and out the windows, as you have done before.\n Stand and face your lover,\n Stand and face your lover, as you have done before.\n Follow me to London,\n Follow me to London, as you have done before.\n Bring me back to Belfast,\n Bring me back to Belfast, as you have done before.\n\n--Belfast, Ireland (W. R. Patterson).\n\n XVI. Come gather again on the old village green,\n Come young and come old, who once children have been.\n Such frolics and games as ne'er before were seen,\n We join in riots and play [? riotous].\n Take her off to London,\n Take her off to London,\n Take her off to London.\n\n In and out the windows,\n In and out the windows;\n In and out the windows,\n As you have gone before.\n\n Round about the village,\n Round about the village;\n Round about the village,\n As you have gone before.\n\n Soon we will get married,\n Soon we will get married;\n Soon we will get married,\n And never more depart.\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n XVII. Three jolly sailor boys\n Lately come ashore,\n Spend their time in drinking lager wine,\n As they have done before.\n\n We go round, and round, and round,\n As we have done before;\n And this is a girl, and a very pretty girl,\n A kiss for kneeling there.\n\n Go in and out the window,\n Go in and out the window;\n Go in and out the window,\n As we have done before.\n\n Follow me to London,\n Follow me to London;\n Follow me to London,\n As we have done before.\n\n Go back and face your lover,\n Go back and face your lover;\n Go back and face your lover,\n As we have done before.\n\n--Brigg (from a Lincolnshire friend of Miss J. Barker).\n\n XVIII. Up and down the valley,\n Up and down the valley;\n Up and down the valley,\n As I have done before.\n\n In and out the window,\n In and out the window;\n In and out the window,\n As I have done before.\n\n Stand and face your lover,\n Stand and face your lover;\n Stand and face your lover,\n As I have done before.\n\n Follow me to London,\n Follow me to London;\n Follow me to London,\n As I have done before.\n\n--Settle, Yorks. (Rev. W. S. Sykes).\n\n XIX. In and out the willows,\n In and out the willows;\n In and out the willows,\n As you have done before.\n\n Stand and face your lover,\n Stand and face your lover;\n Stand and face your lover,\n As you have done before.\n\n Follow me to London,\n Follow me to London;\n Follow me to London,\n As you have done before.\n\n--West Grinstead, Sussex (_Notes and Queries_, 8th Series, i. 249, Miss\nBusk).\n\n[Illustration: Fig. 1\n\nFig. 2\n\nFig. 3\n\nFig. 4\n\nFig. 5]\n\n(_c_) The children join hands and form a ring with one child standing\noutside. The ring stands perfectly still throughout this game and sings\nthe verses, the action being confined to at first one child, and then to\ntwo together. During the singing of the first verse the outside child\ndances round the ring on the outside. When the ring commences to sing\nthe second verse the children hold up their arms to form arches, and the\nchild who has been running round outside runs into the ring under one\npair of joined hands, and out again under the next pair of arms,\ncontinuing this \"in and out\" movement until the third verse is\ncommenced. The child should try and run in and out under all the joined\nhands. At the third verse the child stops in the ring and stands facing\none, whom she chooses for her lover, until the end of the verse; the\nchosen child then leaves the ring, followed by the first child, and they\nwalk round the ring, or they walk away a little distance, returning at\nthe commencement of next verse. In the first three versions the second\nchild is chased back and caught by the first child. In the Clapham\nversion the two shake hands in the last verse. The Barnes version has\nkissing for its finale. The Hanbury also has kissing, but it precedes\nthe following to London. In the Brigg, Lincolnshire (Miss Barker), a\nchild stands in the middle and points with her finger to each one she\npasses; finally selects one, who leaves the ring and kneels in front of\nthe girl in the middle. At the end of the second verse the kneeling\nchild gets up and the first child goes in and out under the arms of the\nplayers, followed by the other. At the fourth they reverse and go back\nunder the arms in the opposite direction, finally stopping in the middle\nof the ring, when another child is chosen and the first one in goes out.\nIn the Winterton and Bottesford versions (Miss Peacock), at the words\n\"Stand and face your lover,\" the child who has been going \"in and out\"\nstands before the one she chooses, beckons to her, and sings the next\nverse. Then the chosen one chases her until she can catch her. In the\nCrockham Hill version (Miss Chase) the love is measured out with a\nhandkerchief three times, and after kneeling in the road, the chosen\npartner follows round the ring and reverses for the return.\n\n(_d_) The analysis of the game-rhymes is on pp. 134-39. This shows that\nwe are dealing with a game which represents a village, and also the\nhouses in it. The village only disappears in six out of the twenty\nversions. In three of these (Hanbury, Fraserburgh, and West Grinstead)\nthe line has gone altogether. In the fourth (Lincolnshire) it becomes\n\"Round and round and round,\" no mention being made of the village. In\nthe fifth (Belfast) the line has become \"Marching round the ladies.\" In\nthe sixth (Settle) it has become \"Up and down the valley,\" which also\noccurs in another imperfect version, of which a note was sent me by Miss\nMatthews from the Forest of Dean, where the line has become \"Round and\nround the valley.\" The substitution of \"ladies\" for \"village\" is very\nsignificant as evidence that the game, like all its compeers, is in a\ndeclining stage, and is, therefore, not the invention of modern times.\nThe idea of a circle of children representing a village would\nnecessarily be the first to die out if the game was no longer supported\nby the influence of any custom it might represent. The line of decadence\nbecomes in this way an important argument for the discovery of the\noriginal form.\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Cornwall, Penzance. | Kent, Crockham Hill. | Herts, Stevenage. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 2.|Walking round the |Go round and round the|Round about the |\n | |village. |village. |village. |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.|As we have done |As we have done |As you have done |\n | |before. |before. |before. |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.|In and out the |Go in and out the |In and out of the |\n | |windows. |windows. |windows. |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.|As you have done |As we have done |As you have done |\n | |before. |before. |before. |\n |13.|Stand and face your | -- |Stand before my lover.|\n | |lover. | | |\n |14.| -- |Come in and face your | -- |\n | | |lover. | |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.|As you have done |As we have done |As I have done before.|\n | |before. |before. | |\n |17.|Now they go off | -- | -- |\n | |courting. | | |\n |18.| -- |I measure my love to | -- |\n | | |show you. | |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- | -- | -- |\n |22.| -- | -- | -- |\n |23.|As they have done |As we have done | -- |\n | |before. |before. | |\n |24.| -- |I kneel because I love| -- |\n | | |you. | |\n |25.| -- |As we have done | -- |\n | | |before. | |\n |26.|Chase her back to | -- | -- |\n | |Scotland. | | |\n |27.| -- |Follow me to London. |Follow me to London. |\n |28.| -- | -- | -- |\n |29.|As you have done |As we have done |As you have done |\n | |before. |before. |before. |\n |30.| -- | -- | -- |\n |31.| -- |Back again to | -- |\n | | |Westerham. | |\n |32.| -- | -- |Dance away to |\n | | | |fairyland. |\n |33.| -- | -- | -- |\n |34.| -- |As we have done |As we have done |\n | | |before. |before. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Yorks, Earls Heaton. | N. Staffordshire, | Surrey, Clapham. |\n | | | Tean. | |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 2.|All round the village.|All round the village.|Round and round the |\n | | | |village. |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.|As we have done |As you have done |As you have done |\n | |before. |before. |before. |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.|In and out of the |In and out the window.|In and out the window.|\n | |window. | | |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.|As we have done |As you have done |As you have done |\n | |before. |before. |before. |\n |13.|Stand and face your |Stand and face your |Stand and face your |\n | |lover. |lover. |lover. |\n |14.| -- | -- | -- |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.|As we have done |As you have done |As you have done |\n | |before. |before. |before. |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.|Kiss her if you love | -- | -- |\n | |her. | | |\n |20.| -- | -- |Shake hands with your |\n | | | |lover. |\n |21.| -- | -- | -- |\n |22.| -- | -- | -- |\n |23.|As we have done | -- |As you have done |\n | |before. | |before. |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- |Follow her to London. | -- |\n |28.|Take her off to | -- | -- |\n | |London. | | |\n |29.|As we have done |As you have done | -- |\n | |before. |before. | |\n |30.| -- | -- | -- |\n |31.| -- | -- | -- |\n |32.| -- | -- | -- |\n |33.| -- | -- | -- |\n |34.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Lincolnshire. | Surrey, Barnes. | Norfolk, Sporle. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Three jolly sailor | -- |Come gather again on |\n | |boys. | |the old village green.|\n | 2.| -- |Round and round the |Round about the |\n | | |village. |village. |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.|We go round and round | -- | -- |\n | |and round. | | |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.|As we have done |As we have done |As you have done |\n | |before. |before. |before. |\n | 8.|And this a girl and a | -- | -- |\n | |very pretty girl. | | |\n | 9.|A kiss for kneeling | -- | -- |\n | |here. | | |\n |10.|Go in and out the |In and out the |In and out the |\n | |window. |windows. |windows. |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.|As we have done |As we have done |As you have done |\n | |before. |before. |before. |\n |13.| -- |Stand and face your | -- |\n | | |lover. | |\n |14.| -- | -- | -- |\n |15.|Go back and face your | -- | -- |\n | |lover. | | |\n |16.|As we have done |As we have done | -- |\n | |before. |before. | |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.| -- |Kiss her before you | -- |\n | | |leave her. | |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- | -- |Soon we will get |\n | | | |married. |\n |22.| -- | -- | -- |\n |23.| -- |As we have done | -- |\n | | |before. | |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.|Follow me to London. |Follow her to London. | -- |\n |28.| -- | -- |Take her off to |\n | | | |London. |\n |29.|As we have done |As we have done | -- |\n | |before. |before. | |\n |30.| -- | -- | -- |\n |31.| -- | -- | -- |\n |32.| -- | -- | -- |\n |33.| -- | -- | -- |\n |34.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Staffordshire, | Belfast. | Wakefield. |\n | | Hanbury. | | |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 2.| -- | -- |Round and round the |\n | | | |village. |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- |Marching round the | -- |\n | | |ladies. | |\n | 7.| -- |As you have done | -- |\n | | |before. | |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.|In and out of the |In and out the |In and out of the |\n | |windows. |windows. |window. |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.|As you have done |As you have done | -- |\n | |before. |before. | |\n |13.|Stand and face your |Stand and face your |Stand and face your |\n | |lover. |lover. |lover. |\n |14.| -- | -- | -- |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.|As you have done |As you have done |As you have done |\n | |before. |before. |before. |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- | -- | -- |\n |22.|Give me a kiss, my | -- | -- |\n | |darling. | | |\n |23.|As you have done | -- | -- |\n | |before. | | |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.|Follow me to London. |Follow me to London. |Follow me to London. |\n |28.| -- | -- | -- |\n |29.|As you have done |As you have done |As you have done |\n | |before. |before. |before. |\n |30.| -- | -- | -- |\n |31.| -- | -- | -- |\n |32.| -- | -- | -- |\n |33.| -- |Bring me back to | -- |\n | | |Belfast. | |\n |34.| -- |As you have done | -- |\n | | |before. | |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Lincolnshire, | Deptford. | Cullen. |\n | | Winterton. | | |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 2.|Round and round the |Round and round the | -- |\n | |village. |village. | |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- |Out and in the |\n | | | |villages. |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- |As you have done |As you have done |\n | | |before. |before. |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.|In and out of the |In and out the |Out and in the |\n | |window. |windows. |windows. |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- |As you have done |As you have done |\n | | |before. |before. |\n |13.|Stand and face your |Stand and face your |Stand before your |\n | |lover. |lover. |lover. |\n |14.| -- | -- | -- |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.|As you have done |As you have done | -- |\n | |before. |before. | |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- | -- | -- |\n |22.| -- | -- | -- |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.|Follow me to London. | -- | -- |\n |28.| -- | -- | -- |\n |29.|As you have done | -- | -- |\n | |before. | | |\n |30.| -- | -- | -- |\n |31.| -- | -- | -- |\n |32.| -- | -- | -- |\n |33.| -- | -- | -- |\n |34.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Roxton. | Fraserburgh. | Settle. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 2.|Round and round the | -- | -- |\n | |village. | | |\n | 3.| -- | -- |Up and down the |\n | | | |valley. |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.|As you have done | -- |As I have done before.|\n | |before. | | |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.|In and out the |Out and in the |In and out the window.|\n | |windows. |windows. | |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.|As you have done |As you have done |As I have done before.|\n | |before. |before. | |\n |13.|Stand and face your |Stand before your |Stand and face your |\n | |lover. |lover. |lover. |\n |14.| -- | -- | -- |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- |As you have done |As I have done |\n | | |before. |before. |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- | -- | -- |\n |22.| -- | -- | -- |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.|Follow me to London. |Follow her to London. |Follow me to London. |\n |28.| -- | -- | -- |\n |29.| -- | -- |As I have done before.|\n |30.| -- |Before the break of | -- |\n | | |day. | -- |\n |31.| -- | -- | -- |\n |32.| -- | -- | -- |\n |33.| -- | -- | -- |\n |34.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+\n |No.| West Grinstead. |\n +---+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- |\n | 2.| -- |\n | 3.| -- |\n | 4.| -- |\n | 5.| -- |\n | 6.| -- |\n | 7.| -- |\n | 8.| -- |\n | 9.| -- |\n |10.|In and out the |\n | |windows. |\n |11.| -- |\n |12.|As you have done |\n | |before. |\n |13.|Stand and face your |\n | |lover. |\n |14.| -- |\n |15.| -- |\n |16.|As you have done |\n | |before. |\n |17.| -- |\n |18.| -- |\n |19.| -- |\n |20.| -- |\n |21.| -- |\n |22.| -- |\n |23.| -- |\n |24.| -- |\n |25.| -- |\n |26.| -- |\n |27.|Follow me to London. |\n |28.| -- |\n |29.|As you have done |\n | |before. |\n |30.| -- |\n |31.| -- |\n |32.| -- |\n |33.| -- |\n |34.| -- |\n +---+----------------------+\n\nThe next incident, No. 10 of the analysis, goes through all the games\nexcept one (West Grinstead), where the very obvious corruption of\n\"willows\" for \"windows\" occurs. This incident takes us to the houses of\nthe village; and thus the two lines show us a procession, first, going\nround outside the boundary of the village, and, secondly, proceeding in\nserpentine fashion through the houses. Incident 13 has a few variations\nwhich do not point to anything more than verbal alteration, due to the\nchanges which have occurred in the conception of the game. Incidents 17\nto 22 are not constant to all the versions, and their variations are of\nan unimportant character. Incident 27 is an important element in the\ngame. The prevalence of London as the place of assignation is probably\ndue to the influence of that city in the popular mind; but the real\nsignificance seems to be that the lover-husband follows his bride to her\nown village. In only two versions is this incident varied (No. 28) to\nindicate that the husband took his wife with him, and only three\nversions have dropped out the incident altogether.\n\nAbnormal incidents occur in only seven versions, and they are not of\ngreat significance. The Lincolnshire and Sporle versions have a line of\ngeneral introduction (No. 1) before the game proper begins. Incidents 8\nand 9 occur only in the Lincolnshire version, and do not disturb the\ngeneral movement beyond indicating that the game has become, or is\nbecoming, an indoor game. Incident 21 is obviously a modern line. Nos.\n26 and 31 suggest a chase after a fugitive pair which, as they do not\noccur in other versions, must be considered as later introductions,\nbelonging, however, to the period when runaway marriages were more\nfrequent than they are now, and thus taking us back to, at least, the\nbeginning of this century; while the significant and pretty variant No.\n32 shows that the game has lost touch with the actual life of the\npeople. No. 30 in the Fraserburgh version has a suspicious likeness to a\nline in the American song \"I'm off to Charlestown,\" but as it occurs\nonly in this one version it cannot count as an important element in the\nhistory of the game.\n\n(_e_) Miss Matthews notes a Forest of Dean version. The children form a\nring, singing, \"Round and round the valley, where we have been before,\"\nwhile one child walks round the outside. Then they stand with uplifted\nhands, joined together, and sing, \"In and out of the windows, as we have\ndone before,\" while the child threads her way in and out of the ring.\nThen they sing, \"Stand and face your lover, as we have done before;\" the\nchild then stands in the centre of the ring and faces some one, whom she\nafterwards touches, and who succeeds her. A version from North\nDerbyshire (Mr. S. O. Addy) is practically the same as the Tean, North\nStaffs. version, except that the third verse is \"Run to meet your\nlover,\" instead of \"Stand and face your lover.\" The first child, during\nthe singing of the third verse, walks round outside the ring, and\ntouches one she chooses, who then runs away. While the fourth verse is\nbeing sung she is chased and caught, and the game begins again with the\nsecond child walking round the village. So far as Lancashire is\nconcerned, Miss Dendy says, \"I have no good evidence as yet that it is a\nLancashire play. I think it has been imported here by board-school\nmistresses from other counties.\"\n\n(_f_) The burden of this game-rhyme is undoubtedly the oldest part that\nhas been preserved to modern times. It runs through all the versions\nwithout exception, though variations in the other lines is shown by the\nanalysis to occur. The words of the line, \"As we have done before,\"\nconvey the idea of a recurring event, and inasmuch as that event is\nundoubtedly marriage, it seems possible to suggest that we have here a\nsurvival of the periodical village festival at which marriages took\nplace. If the incidents in the game compare closely with incidents in\nvillage custom, the necessary proof will be supplied, and we will first\nexamine how far the words of the rhyme and the action of the game supply\nus with incidents; and, secondly, how far these incidents have been kept\nup in the village custom.\n\nThere is nothing in the words to suggest that the incidents which the\ngame depicts belong to a fixed time, but it is an important fact that\nthey are alluded to as having previously taken place. If, then, we have\neventually to compare the game with a fixed periodical custom, we can\nat least say that the rhymes, though not suggesting this, do not oppose\nit.\n\nThis game belongs to the group of \"custom games.\" The first\ncharacteristic which suggests this is that the children, who join hands\nand form a circle, are always stationary, and do not move about as in\ndance games. To the minds of the children who play the game, each child\nin the circle represents something other than human beings, and this\n\"something\" is indicated in the first and second verses, which speak of\nthe \"windows,\" of houses, and a journey round \"a village.\" In this game,\ntoo, the children, who thus represent a village, also act as \"chorus,\"\nfor they describe in the words they sing the various actions of those\nwho are performing their parts, as in the game of \"Old Roger.\"\n\nWith this evidence from the game itself, without reference to anything\noutside, it is possible to turn to custom to ascertain if there is\nanything still extant which might explain the origin of the game.\nChildren copy the manners and customs of their elders. If they saw a\ncustom periodically and often practised with some degree of ceremonial\nand importance, they would in their own way act in play what their\nelders do seriously.\n\nSuch a custom is the perambulation of boundaries, often associated with\nfestive dances, courtship, and marriage. More particularly indicative of\nthe origin of the game is the Helston Furry Dance--\"About the middle of\nthe day the people collect together to dance hand-in-hand round the\nstreets, to the sound of the fiddler playing a particular tune, which\nthey continue to do till it is dark. This is called a 'Faddy.' In the\nafternoon the gentility go to some farmhouse in the neighbourhood to\ndrink tea, syllabab, &c, and return in a morrice-dance to the town,\nwhere they form a Faddy and dance through the streets till it is dark,\nclaiming a right of going through any person's house, in at one door and\nout at the other.\"--_Gent. Mag. Lib. Manners and Customs_, p. 217. \"In\none, if not more, of the villages,\" says Mr. Gregor (_Folk-lore N.E.\nScotland_, p. 98), \"when the marriage takes place in the home of the\nbride the whole of the marriage party makes the circuit of the\nvillage.\" In South-Eastern Russia, on the eve of marriage the bride\ngoes the round of the village, throwing herself on her knees before the\nhead of each house. In an Indian custom the bride and bridegroom are\nconveyed in a particular \"car\" around the village.--Gomme, _Folk-lore\nRelics_, pp. 214, 215. According to Valle, a sixteenth century\ntraveller, \"At night the married couples passed by, and, according to\ntheir mode, went round about the city with a numerous company.\"--Valle's\n_Travels in India_ (Hakluyt Soc.), p. 31.[6]\n\nIn these marriage customs there is ample evidence to suggest that the\nIndo-European marriage-rite contained just such features as are\nrepresented in this game, and the changes from rite to popular custom,\nfrom popular custom to children's game, do much to suggest consideration\nof the evidence that folk-lore supplies.\n\nThis game is not mentioned by Halliwell or Chambers, nor, so far as I am\naware, has it been previously printed or recorded in collections of\nEnglish games. It appears in America as \"Go round and round the Valley\"\n(Newell, _Games_, p. 128).\n\nSee \"Thread the Needle.\"\n\n [6] Among the Ovaherer\u00ed tribe, at the end of the festive time, the\n newly-married pair take a walk to visit all the houses of the\n \"Werst.\" The husband goes first and the wife closely follows\n him.--_South African Folk-lore Journal_, i. 50.\n\n\nRound and Round went the Gallant Ship\n\n I. Round and round went the gallant, gallant ship,\n And round and round went she;\n Round and round went the gallant, gallant ship,\n Till she sank to the bottom of the sea, the sea, the sea,\n Till she sank to the bottom of the sea.\n\nAll go down as the ship sinks.\n\n--Cullen (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n II. Three times round goes our gallant ship,\n And three times round went she;\n Three times round went our gallant ship,\n Then she sank to the bottom of the sea.\n\nAs the players all \"bob\" down they cry out \"the sea, the sea, the sea.\"\n\n--Aberdeen Training College (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n\nRound Tag\n\nA large ring is formed, two deep, with wide right and left hand\nintervals between each couple, and one child stands in the ring and\nanother outside. When the play begins the child in the middle runs and\nplaces herself in front of one of the groups of two, thus forming a\ngroup of three. Thereupon the third child, that is, the one standing on\nthe outer ring, has to run and try to get a place in front of another\ntwo before the one outside the ring can catch her. Then she who is at\nthe back of this newly-formed three must be on the alert not to be\ncaught, and must try in her turn to gain a front place. The one catching\nhas all along to keep outside the ring, but those trying to escape her\nmay run in and out and anywhere; whoever is caught has to take the\ncatcher's place.--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n[Illustration]\n\nThis game, called \"Short Terrace\" at East Kirkby, is played in the same\nway as that described from Sporle, with the exception that three players\nstand together instead of one in the centre to start the game. The\nplayer who stands immediately outside the circle is called the\n\"clapper;\" it is his object to _hit_ the player who stands behind two\nothers.--East Kirkby, Lincolnshire (Miss K. Maughan).\n\n\"Twos and Threes\" is the name by which this game is known in Hampshire,\nMonton in Lancashire (Miss Dendy), and other places. It is played in\nprecisely the same manner as at Sporle.\n\nHalliwell's _Dictionary_ says of this game as played in Devon, \"A round\ngame, in which they all stand in a ring.\"\n\nSee \"Tag.\"\n\n\nRounders\n\nThis is a boys' game. A round area is marked out by boundary sticks, and\nat a chosen point of the boundary the base is fixed. This is marked out\nindependently of the boundary, but inside it. Sides are then chosen. One\nside are the \"ins,\" and strike the ball; the other side are the \"outs,\"\nand deliver the ball, scout, and endeavour to get their opponents, the\n\"ins,\" out as soon as possible. The ball (an indiarubber one) is\ndelivered by the \"feeder,\" by pitching it to a player, who stands inside\nthe base armed with a short stick. The player endeavours to strike the\nball as far away as possible from the fielders or scouts. As soon as the\nball is struck away he runs from the base to the first boundary stick,\nthen to the second, and so on. His opponents in the meantime secure the\nball and endeavour to hit him with it as he is running from stage to\nstage. If he succeeds in running completely round the boundary before\nthe ball is returned it counts as one rounder. If he is hit he is out of\nthe game. He can stay at any stage in the boundary as soon as the ball\nis in hand, getting home again when the next player of his own side has\nin turn hit the ball away. When a ball is returned the feeder can bounce\nit within the base, and the player cannot then run to any new stage of\nthe boundary until after the ball has again been hit away by another\nplayer. If a player misses a ball when endeavouring to strike at it he\nhas two more chances, but at the third failure he is bound to run to the\nfirst boundary stick and take his chance of being hit with the ball. If\na ball is caught the whole side is out at once; otherwise, the side\nkeeps in until either all the players have been hit out with the ball or\nuntil the base is crowned. This can be done by bouncing the ball in the\nbase whenever there is no player there to receive the delivery from the\nfeeder. When a complete rounder is obtained, the player has the\nprivilege either of counting the rounder to the credit of his side, or\nof ransoming one of the players who have been hit out, who then takes\nhis part in the game as before. When all but one of the players are\n\"out,\" this last player in hitting the ball must hit it away so as to be\nable to make a rounder, and return to the base before his opponents get\nback the ball to crown the base.\n\nAn elaborate form of this game has become the national game of the\nUnited States.\n\n\nRounds\n\nSee \"Roundabout.\"\n\n\nRow-chow-Tobacco\n\nSee \"Bulliheisle,\" \"Eller Tree,\" \"Snail Creep,\" \"Wind up the Bush\nFaggot.\"\n\n\nRowland-Ho\n\nA Christmas game.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\n\nRumps\n\nA game with marbles [undescribed].--Dickinson's _Cumberland Glossary_.\n\n\nRusty\n\nA boys' game, exactly the same as \"Ships.\"--Addy's _Sheffield Glossary_.\n\n\nSacks\n\nA number of children place their closed fists on top of one another in a\npile. The leader asks, pointing to the topmost fist, \"What's in that\nsack?\" Answer, Potatoes, or anything the child chooses. The leader tips\nit off with her finger, saying, \"Knock it away,\" and so to the very\nundermost fist, when she asks, \"What's in this sack?\" The answer must\nbe, \"Bread and cheese;\" and then the following dialogue takes place:--\n\n Where's my share?\n The mouse eat it.\n Where's the mouse?\n The cat killed it.\n Where's the cat?\n The dog worried it.\n Where's the dog?\n The cow tossed it.\n Where's the cow?\n The butcher killed it.\n Where's the butcher?\n Behind the door.\n\nAnd who ever speaks the first word shall get a sound round box on the\near.--Co. Cork (Mrs. B. B. Green).\n\n\nSaddle the Nag\n\nAn equal number of players is chosen on each side. Two chiefs are chosen\nby lot. One of the chiefs takes his stand by a wall, and all his party\nbend their backs, joined in a line. One of the opposite side leaps on\nthe back of the one farthest from the one standing at the wall, and\ntries to make his way over the backs of all the stooping boys, up to the\none standing. Those stooping move and wriggle to cast him off, and if\nthey succeed in doing so, he stands aside till all his side have tried.\nWhen all have tried and none succeed in crowning the one standing, the\nsides change. If one or more succeed, then each such has a second chance\nbefore the sides change. Each side commonly has six chances. The side\nthat succeeds in oftenest touching the chief's head wins the game.--Dyke\n(Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nSee \"Skin the Goatie.\"\n\n\nSaggy\n\nA game with marbles [undescribed].--Dickinson's _Cumberland Glossary_.\n\n\nSailor Lad\n\n A sailor lad and a tailor lad,\n And they were baith for me;\n I wid raither tack the sailor lad,\n And lat the tailor be.\n\n What can a tailor laddie dee\n Bit sit and sew a cloot,\n When the bonnie sailor laddie\n Can turn the ship aboot.\n\n He can turn her east, and he can turn her west,\n He can turn her far awa';\n He aye tells me t' keep up my hairt\n For the time that he's awa'.\n\n I saw 'im lower his anchor,\n I saw 'im as he sailed;\n I saw 'im cast his jacket\n To try and catch a whale.\n\n He skips upon the planestanes,\n He sails upon the sea;\n A fancy man wi' a curly pow\n Is aye the boy for me,\n Is aye the boy for me;\n A fancy man wi' a curly pow\n Is aye the boy for me.\n\n He daurna brack a biscuit,\n He daurna smoke a pipe;\n He daurna kiss a bonnie lass\n At ten o'clock at night.\n\n I can wash a sailor's shirt,\n And I can wash it clean;\n I can wash a sailor's shirt,\n And bleach it on the green.\n Come a-rinkle-tinkle, fal-a-la, fal-a-la,\n Aboun a man-o'-war.\n\n--Rosehearty (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nA circle is formed by joining hands. They dance round and sing.\nSometimes at Rosehearty two play the game by the one taking hold of the\nother's left hand with her right.\n\n\nSally go Round the Moon\n\n Sally go round the moon,\n Sally go round the stars;\n Sally go round the moon\n On a Sunday afternoon.\n\n--Deptford, Kent (Miss E. Chase).\n\nThree or more girls take hold of hands, forming a ring; as they spin\nround they sing the lines. They then reverse and run round in the other\ndirection with an _O!_ or repeat over again.\n\nThis game is mentioned in the _Church Reformer_, by the Rev. S. D.\nHeadlam, as one being played at Hoxton, but no account of how the game\nis played is given.\n\n\nSally Water\n\n[Music]\n\n--Yorkshire (Mr. H. Hardy).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Lancashire (Miss Dendy).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Enborne (Miss Kimber).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Welford (Mrs. Stephen Batson).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Liverpool (Mr. C. C. Bell).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Beddgelert, Wales (Mrs. Williams).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Nottingham (Miss Youngman).\n\n I. Sally, Sally Water,\n Sprinkle in the pan;\n Rise, Sally, rise, Sally,\n And choose a young man.\n Choose [or bow] to the east,\n Choose [or bow] to the west,\n And choose [or bow to] the pretty girl [or young man]\n That you love best.\n\n[Another version has:\n\n Choose for the best one,\n Choose for the worst one,\n Choose for the pretty girl\n That you love best.]\n\n And now you're married I wish you joy;\n First a girl and then a boy;\n Seven years after son and daughter;\n And now, young people, jump over the water.\n\n--Symondsbury, Dorsetshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 207).\n\n II. Sally, Sally Walker, sprinkle water in the pan;\n Rise, Sally, rise, Sally, and seek your young man;\n Turn to the east and turn to the west,\n And choose the one that you love best.\n\n Now you're married we wish you joy,\n First a girl and then a boy,\n Seven years after a son and a daughter,\n So young lovers kiss together.\n\n--Chudleigh Knighton, Devon (Henderson's _Folk-lore of the Northern\nCounties_, p. 27).\n\n III. Sally, Sally Water,\n Sprinkle in the pan;\n Hi! Sally; Ho! Sally,\n Choose a young man;\n Choose for the best,\n Choose for the worst,\n Choose for the very one you love best.\n\n Now you're married we wish you joy,\n First a girl and then a boy,\n Seven years after sister and brother;\n Kiss each other and come out of the water.\n\n--Somersetshire, _Notes and Queries_, 8th series, i. 249 (Miss R. H.\nBusk).\n\n IV. Sally Waters, Sally Waters, come sprinkle in the pan;\n Rise, Sally; rise, Sally, for a young man!\n Choose for the best, choose for the worst,\n Choose for the very one you love the best.\n\n Now you are married, we wish you joy;\n First a girl and then a boy,\n Seven years afterwards son and daughter;\n Pray, young couple, kiss together.\n\n--London version (Miss Dendy).\n\n V. Sally, Sally Walker,\n Sprinkling in a pan;\n Rise, Sally; rise, Sally,\n For a young man.\n\n Come, choose from the east,\n Come, choose from the west,\n Come, choose out the very one\n That you love best.\n\n Now there's a couple\n Married in joy;\n First a girl,\n And then a boy.\n\n Now you're married;\n You must obey\n Every word\n Your husband says.\n\n Take a kiss\n And walk away,\n And remember the promise\n You've made to-day.\n\n--Fochabers (Rev. W. M'Gregor).\n\n VI. Sally, Sally Waters,\n Sprinkled in the pan;\n Rise, Sally, rise, Sally,\n For a young man,\n Choose the best and choose the worst,\n And choose the prettiest you love best.\n\n--Welford, Berks (Mrs. Stephen Batson).\n\n VII. Sally, Sally Wallflower,\n Sprinkled in the pan, &c.,\n Now you're married, &c.,\n On the carpet you shall kneel, &c.\n\n--_Notes and Queries_, 5th series, iii.\n\n VIII. Sallie, Sallie Waters,\n Sprinkled in a pan;\n Rise, Sallie, rise, Sallie,\n Choose a young man.\n Choose the best, and\n Choose the worst, and\n Choose the one that you love best.\n\n Now that you are married,\n I'm sure we wish you joy,\n First a girl, then a boy;\n Seven years after,\n Son and daughter,\n Pray, young couple, come kiss together.\n\n--Enborne, Berks; Marlborough, Wilts; Lewes, Sussex (Miss Kimber).\n\n IX. Sally, Sally Waters,\n Sprinkle in a pan;\n Cry, Sally, cry, Sally,\n For a young man.\n Come choose the worst,\n Come choose the best,\n Come choose the young man\n That you like the best.\n\n And now you're married\n I wish yer good joy,\n Every year a girl and a boy.\n Come love one another\n Like sister and brother,\n And kiss together for joy.\n\n Clash the bells,\n Clash the bells.\n\n--Maxey, Northants; and Suffolk (Rev. W. D. Sweeting).\n\n X. Sally, Sally Water, sprinkle in the pan;\n Rise, Sally, rise, Sally, for a young man.\n Pick and choose, but choose not me,\n Choose the fairest you can see.\n\n Now Sally is married, we wish her much joy,\n First a girl and then a boy;\n Seven years after a son and a daughter,\n Please to come and kiss together.\n\n--Summertown, Oxford (A. H. Franklin in _Midland Garner_, N. S. ii. 32).\n\n XI. Sally, Sally Waters, sprinkle in the pan;\n Rise, Sally, rise, Sally, for a young man.\n Choose for the worst, choose for the best,[7]\n Choose for the prettiest that you loves best.\n Now you are married, &c.\n\n--Longcot, Berkshire, (Miss J. Barclay).\n\n XII. Sally, Sally Waters,\n Sprinkle in a pan;\n Cry, Sally, cry, Sally,\n For a young man.\n\n Rise up, Sally,\n Dry your tears;\n Choose the one you love the best,\n Sally, my dear.\n\n--Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy).\n\n XIII. Sally, Sally Water, sprinkle in the pan,\n Is not ---- a nice young man? and\n Is not (girl's name) as good as he?\n They shall be married if they can agree.\n I went to her house and I dropped a pin,\n I asked if Mrs. ---- was in.\n She is not within, she is not without,\n She is up in the garret walking about.\n Down she comes as white as milk,\n With a rose in her bosom as soft as silk.\n She off with her glove and showed me her ring,\n To-morrow, to-morrow the wedding begins.\n\n--Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 88).\n\n XIV. Sally, Sally Walker, come sprinkle your pan,\n For down in the meadows there's a nice young man;\n Rise up, Sally, don't look sad,\n For you shall have a husband, good or bad.\n\n On the carpet you shall kneel\n Till the grass grows round your feet;\n Stand up straightly on your feet,\n And choose the one you love so sweet.\n\n Now Sally's married, we wish her joy,\n First a girl, then a boy;\n If it's a boy, we'll buy him a cap,\n If it's a girl, we will buy her a hat.\n If one won't do, will buy you two,\n If two won't do, will buy you three,\n If three won't do, will get you four,\n If four won't do, will get no more,\n So kiss and shake hands, and come out.\n\n--Tong, Shropshire (Miss C. F. Keary).\n\n XV. Sally, Sally Water, come sprinkle your pan (_or_ plants),\n For down in the meadows there lies a young man.\n Rise, Sally, rise, and don't you look sad,\n For you shall have a husband, good or bad.\n Choose you one, choose you two,\n Choose the fairest you can see!\n\n The fairest one as I can see,\n Is _Jenny Wood_, pray come to me!\n\n Now you are married, I wish you good joy,\n First a girl and then a boy;\n Seven years now, and seven to come,\n Take her and kiss her, and send her off home.\n\n--_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 509.\n\n XVI. Sally, Sally Water (or Slauter),\n Come sprinkle in your can,\n Why do you get married\n To a foolish young man?\n Pick the worst, and pick the best,\n And pick the one that you love best.\n\n . . . . .\n\n To a nice young man\n\n . . . . .\n\n So kiss and say good-bye.\n\n [My informant forgets the rest.]\n\n --Nottinghamshire (Miss M. Peacock).\n\n XVII. Sally Water, Sally Water,\n Come sprinkle your can,\n Why don't you rise, Sally,\n And choose a young man?\n Come choose of the wisest,\n Come choose of the best,\n Come choose of the young man\n That lies in your breast.\n\n--Gloucestershire and Warwickshire (Northall, 378).\n\n XVIII. Sally Water, Sally Water,\n Come, sprinkle your can;\n Who do you lie mourning,\n All for a young man?\n Come, choose of the wisest,\n Come, choose of the best,\n Come, choose of the young men\n The one you love best.\n\n--Addy's _Sheffield Glossary_.\n\n XIX. Sally, Sally Salter,\n Sprinkle in some water;\n Knock it in a mortar,\n And send it in a silver saucer\n To ---- ---- door.\n\n--Stixwould, Lincolnshire, seventy years ago (Miss M. Peacock).\n\n XX. Sally Water, Sally Water,\n Springin' in a pan;\n Cry, Sally, cry, Sally,\n For a young man;\n Choose for the worst 'un,\n Choose for the best 'un,\n Choose the little gell 'at you love the best.\n\n Now you're married\n I wish you joy;\n First a girl, and then a boy;\n Seven years after\n Son and daughter.\n Pray, young couple, come kiss together.\n\n--Wakefield, Yorkshire (Miss Fowler).\n\n XXI. Sally, Sally Water,\n Come, water your can,\n Such a young lady before a young man;\n Rise, Sally Water,\n Don't look so sad,\n For you shall have a husband, good or bad.\n\n Now you're married we wish you joy;\n Father and mother, you need not cry;\n Kiss and kiss each other again;\n Now we're happy, let's part again.\n\n--Long Itchington, Warwickshire (_Northamptonshire Notes and Queries_,\nii. 105).\n\n XXII. Sally, Sally Slarter,\n Sitting by the water,\n Crying out and weeping\n For a young man.\n Rise, Sally, rise,\n Dry up your eyes;\n Turn to the east,\n Turn to the west,\n Turn to the young man\n That you love the best.\n So now you've got married\n I hope you'll enjoy\n Your sons and your daughters,\n So kiss and good-bye.\n\n--Addy's _Sheffield Glossary_.\n\n XXIII. Sally, Sally Walker, sprinkled in a pan;\n What did she sprinkle for? for a young man;\n Sprinkle, sprinkle, daughter, and you shall have a cow;\n I cannot sprinkle, mother, because I don't know how.\n Sprinkle, sprinkle, daughter, and you shall have a man;\n I cannot sprinkle, mother, but I'll do the best I can.\n Pick and choose, but don't you pick me;\n Pick the fairest you can see.\n The fairest one that I can see is ----. Come to me.\n Now you're married I wish you much joy;\n Your father and mother you must obey;\n Seven long years a girl and a boy;\n So hush, a bush, bush, get out of the way.\n\n--Buckingham (Thos. Baker in _Midland Garner_, New Series, ii. 31).\n\n XXIV. Little Sally Walker sitting in a sigh,\n Weeping and waiting for a young man.\n Come choose you east, come choose you west,\n The very one that you love best.\n\n--Nairn (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXV. Little Sally Walker sitting on the sand,\n Crying and weeping for a young man.\n Rise, Sally, rise, Sally, wipe away your tears,\n Try for the east, and try for the west,\n Try for the (little) very one you love best.\n\n Now they're married I wish them joy,\n Every year a girl and boy,\n Loving each other like sister and brother,\n I hope to see them meet again.\n\n--Fraserburgh (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXVI. Little Sally Sander\n Sitting in the sander,\n Weeping and crying for her young man.\n Rise, Sally, rise\n And wipe away your tears;\n Choose to the east,\n Choose to the west,\n And choose to the very one that you love best.\n Now you're married we wish you joy,\n First a girl and then a boy;\n Twelve months after son and daughter,\n All join hands and kiss together.\n\n--Penzance, Cornwall (Mrs. Mabbott).\n\n XXVII. Sally, Sally Walker, tinkle in a can;\n Rise up, Sally, and choose a young man.\n Look to the east, and look to the west,\n Choose the one that you love the best.\n\n--Settle, Yorkshire (Rev. W. S. Sykes).\n\n XXVIII. Sally Water, Sally Water,\n Come sprinkle your fan;\n Sally, Sally Waters, sprinkle in a pan;\n Rise, Sally, rise, Sally, for a young man.\n Choose to the east, and choose to the west,\n And choose the dearest one that you love best.\n\n Now you're married, we wish you joy,\n First a girl and then a boy;\n Love one another like sister and brother,\n And never lose time by kissing one another.\n\n--West Haddon (_Northamptonshire Notes and Queries_, ii. 104).\n\n XXIX. Little Sally Waters, sitting in the sun,\n Crying and weeping for her young man.\n Rise, Sally, rise, wipe up your tears,\n Fly to the east, fly to the west,\n Fly to the one that you love the best.\n\n--Brigg, Lincolnshire (Miss Barker).\n\n XXX. Hie Sally Walker, hie Sally Ken,\n Hie Sally Walker, follow young men.\n Choose to the east, and choose to the west,\n Choose to the very one you love best.\n\n Marriage comfort and marriage joy,\n First a girl and then a boy.\n Seven years after, seven years to come,\n Fire on the mountain, kiss and run.\n\n--Belfast, Ireland (W. H. Patterson).\n\n XXXI. Little Alice Sander\n Sat upon a cinder,\n Weeping and crying for her young man.\n Rise up, Alice, dry your tears,\n Choose the one that you love best,\n Alice my dear.\n\n Now they have got married\n I hope they will joy,\n Seven years afterwards, seven years ago,\n Now is the time to kiss and go.\n\n--Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy).\n\n XXXII. Rise, Sally Walker,\n Rise if you can,\n Rise, Sally Walker, and follow your good man;\n Choose to the east, and choose to the west,\n Choose to the one you love best.\n There is a couple married in joy,\n Past a girl and then a boy,\n Seven years after, seven years to come,\n Kiss you couple, kiss and be done.\n A' the many hours to us a happy life,\n Except ---- and he wants a wife.\n A wife shall he have,\n And a widower shall he be,\n Except ---- that sits on his knee,\n A guid fauld hoose and a blacket fireside,\n Draw up your gartens and show all your bride.\n\n--(Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXXIII. Arise, Sally Walker, arise, if you can,\n Arise, Sally Walker, and follow your good man;\n Come choose to the east, come choose to the west,\n Come choose to the very one you love best.\n\n This is a couple married with joy;\n First a girl and then a boy,\n Seven years after and seven years to come,\n This young couple married and begun.\n [The Christian name of a girl] made a pudding so nice and\n sweet,\n [Boy's Christian name] took a knife and tasted it.\n Taste love, taste love, don't say No,\n The next Sunday morning\n To church we shall go.\n Clean the brazen candlesticks,\n And clean the fireside,\n Draw back the curtains.\n And lat's see the bride.\n A' the men in oor toon leads a happy life,\n Except [a boy's full name], and he wants a wife.\n A wife shall he hae, and a widow she shall be;\n For look at [a girl's full name] diddling on's knee.\n He paints her cheeks and he curls her hair,\n And he kisses the lass at the foot o' the stair.\n\n--Tyrie (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n[The form of words at Cullen is the same for the first seven lines, and\nthen the words are:--]\n\n XXXIV. This young couple be married and be done,\n A' the men in oor toon leads a happy life,\n Except ---- and he wants a wife.\n A wife he shall have, and a widow she shall be,\n Except [a girl's name] that sits on his knee,\n Painting her face and curling her hair,\n Kissing [a girl's name] at the foot o' the stair.\n\n--Cullen (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXXV. Rise, Sally Walker, rise if you can,\n Rise, Sally Walker, follow your gudeman.\n Come choose to the east, come choose to the west,\n Come choose to the very one that you love best.\n\n Now they're married I wish them joy,\n Every year a girl or boy,\n Loving each other like sister and brother,\n And so they may be kissed together.\n\n Cheese and bread for gentlemen,\n And corn and hay for horses,\n A cup of tea for a' good wives,\n And bonnie lads and lassies.\n When are we to meet again?\n And when are we to marry?\n Raffles up, and raffles down, and raffles a' a dancin',\n The bonniest lassie that ever I saw,\n Was [child in the centre] dancin'.\n\n--Aberdeen Training College (Rev. W. Gregor.)\n\n XXXVI. Sally, Sally Walker, sitting in the sun,\n Weeping and wailing for a young man,\n Rise, Sally, rise, and wipe away your tears,\n Fly to the east, fly to the west,\n And fly to the very one that you love best.\n\n Uncle John is very sick,\n He goes a courting night and day;\n Sword and pistol by his side,\n Little Sally is his bride.\n He takes her by the lily white hand,\n He leads her over the water;\n Now they kiss and now they clap,\n Mrs. Molly's daughter.\n\n--Nairn, Perth, Forfar (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXXVII. Sally, Sally Waters, why are you so sad?\n You shall have a husband, either good or bad;\n Then rise, Sally Waters, and sprinkle your pan,\n For you're just the young woman to get a nice man.\n\n Now you're married, we wish you joy,\n Father and mother and little boy,\n Love one another like sister and brother,\n And now, good people, kiss each other.\n\n--Halliwell, _Popular Rhymer_, p. 229.\n\n XXXVIII.Rise, Sally Walker,\n Rise if you can (Northumberland),\n Sprinkle in the pan (Yorks. and Midlands),\n Rise, Sally Walker,\n For a young man.\n Choose to the east,\n Choose to the west,\n Choose to the { very one (Northumberland),\n { pretty girl (Yorks., &c.)\n You love best.\n\n Now you're married,\n I wish you joy,\n First a girl,\n And then a boy.\n\n Seven years after, }\n Seven years over, }(Northumberland).\n Now's the time to }\n Kiss and give over. }\n\n Five years after }\n A son and daughter, } (Yorks., &c.)\n Pray, young couple, }\n Kiss away. }\n\n--Hexham (Miss J. Barker).\n\n XXXIX. Sally Waters, Sally Waters, come rise if you can,\n Come rise in the morning, all for a young man;\n Come choose, come choose, come choose if you can,\n Come choose a good one or let it alone.\n\n--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).\n\n XL. Sally Waters, Sally Waters,\n Come rise if you can,\n Come rise in the morning,\n All for a young man.\n First to the east, then to the west,\n Then to the bonny lass that you love best.\n\n Now, Sally, you are married,\n I hope you'll agree,\n Seven years at afterwards, seven years ago,\n And now they are parted with a kiss and a blow.\n\n--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).\n\nThe last two lines were supplied by a girl in a very poor district of\nManchester (note by Miss Dendy).\n\n XLI. Rise, Sally Walker, rise, if you can,\n Rise, Sally Walker, and follow your gueedman,\n Choose to the east, and choose to the west,\n Choose to the one that you love best.\n There is a couple married in joy,\n First a girl and then a boy,\n Seven years after, seven years to come.\n\n--Rosehearty (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XLII. Little Polly Sanders sits on the sand,\n Weeping and crying for her young man;\n Rise up, Polly, wipe your tears,\n Pick the one you love so sweet.\n Now Polly's got married, we hope she'll have joy,\n For ever and ever a girl or a boy.\n If one won't do, she must have two,\n So I pray you, young damsels, to kiss two and two.\n\n--Liverpool (C. C. Bell).\n\n XLIII. Here sits poor Sally on the ground,\n Sighing and sobbing for her young man.\n Arise, Sally, rise, and wipe your weeping eyes,\n And turn to the east, and turn to the west,\n And show the little boys that you love best.\n\n A bogie in, a bogie out,\n A bogie in the garden,\n I wouldn't part with my young man\n For fourpence ha'penny farthing.\n\n--Long Eaton, Nottingham (Miss Youngman).\n\n[In London the above is:]--\n\n XLIV. A beau in front and a beau behind,\n And a bogie in the garden oh!\n I wouldn't part with my sweetheart\n For tuppence (two) ha'penny farthing.\n\n--London (Mrs. Merck).\n\n XLV. Sally Walker, Sally Walker,\n Come spring time and love,\n She's lamenting, she's lamenting,\n All for her young man.\n Come choose to the east, come choose to the west,\n Come choose the one that you love best.\n\n Here's a couple got married together,\n Father and mother they must agree,\n Love each other like sister and brother,\n I pray this couple to kiss together.\n\n--Morpeth (Henderson's _Folk-lore of Northern Counties_, p. 26).\n\n XLVI. Rise, Sally Walker, rise if you can,\n Rise, Sally Walker, and choose your good man,\n Choose to the east, and choose to the west,\n And choose the very one you love best.\n Now they're married, wish them joy,\n First a girl, and then a boy,\n Seven years after, seven years to come,\n Now's the time to kiss and be done.\n\n--Gainford, Durham (Miss A. Edleston).\n\n XLVII. Little Alexander sitting on the sand,\n Weeping and crying for a young man;\n Rise up, Sally, and wipe your tears,\n Pick the very one that you like best.\n Now, Sally, now married, I hope she'll (or you'll) enjoy,\n For ever and ever with that little boy\n (or with her or your young boy).\n\n--Beddgelert, Wales (Mrs. Williams).\n\n XLVIII. Rice, Sally Water, rice if you can,\n Rice, Sally Water, and choose your young man;\n Choose to the east, choose to the west,\n Choose to the prettiest that you love.\n\n Now you're married, we wish you good joy,\n First a little girl, and then a little boy;\n Seven years after, seven years to come,\n Seven years of plenty, and kiss when you done.\n\n--Norfolk (Mrs. Haddon).\n\n(_c_) A ring is formed by the children joining hands. One girl kneels or\nsits down in the centre, and covers her face with her hands as if\nweeping. The ring dances round and sings the words. The child in the\ncentre rises when the command is given, and chooses a boy or girl from\nthe ring, who goes into the centre with her. These two kiss together\nwhen the words are said. The child who was first in the centre then\njoins the ring, the second remaining in the centre, and the game\ncontinues.\n\nAll versions of this game are played in the same way, except slight\nvariations in a few instances. Kissing does not prevail in all the\nversions. In the Earls Heaton game, the child who kneels in the centre\nalso pretends to weep and dries her tears before choosing a partner.\nMiss Burne, in _Shropshire Folklore_, says the girl kneels\ndisconsolately in the middle of the ring. In the Stixwould version, the\nchild stands in the centre holding in her hands something resembling a\nsaucer; she then pretends to \"knock it in a mortar,\" and gives the\nsaucer to the one whom she chooses. This one exchanges places with her.\nIn the Northants version, at the words \"clash the bells,\" the children\ndash down their joined hands to imitate ringing bells. Addy, _Sheffield\nGlossary_, says one girl sits in the middle weeping. When the girl has\nchosen, the young man remains in the centre, and the word \"Sally\" is\nchanged to \"Billy,\" or some other name, and \"man\" to \"girl.\" In the\nBeddgelert version, the centre child wipes her eyes with a handkerchief\nin the beginning of the game. Several other versions have been sent me,\nall being the same as those printed here, or varying so slightly, it is\nunnecessary to repeat them.\n\n(_d_) The analysis of the game-rhymes is as follows:--\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Dorsetshire. | Devonshire. | Somersetshire. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Sally Water. | -- |Sally Water. |\n | 2.| -- |Sally Walker. | -- |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.|Sprinkle in pan. |Sprinkle water in the |Sprinkle in the pan. |\n | | |pan. | |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.| -- | -- | -- |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.|Rise and choose a |Rise and seek a young |Hi, choose a young |\n | |young man. |man. |man. |\n |14.| -- | -- | -- |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.|Choose east, west. |Turn east, west. | -- |\n |19.| -- | -- |Choose best, worst. |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.|Choose the best loved.|Choose the best loved.|Choose the best loved.|\n |22.|Now you're married, |Now you're married, |Now you're married, |\n | |&c. |&c. |&c. |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| London. | Fochabers. | Berkshire. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Sally Waters. | -- |Sally Waters. |\n | 2.| -- |Sally Walker. | -- |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.|Sprinkle in the pan. |Sprinkling in a pan. |Sprinkled in the pan. |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.| -- | -- | -- |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.|Rise for a young man. |Rise for a young man. |Rise for a young man. |\n |14.| -- | -- | -- |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- |Choose east, west. | -- |\n |19.|Choose best, worst. | -- |Choose best, worst. |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.|Choose the best loved.|Choose the best loved.|Choose the best loved.|\n |22.|Now you're married, | -- | -- |\n | |&c. | | |\n |23.| -- |You must obey, &c. | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Crockham Hill, Kent. | Wiltshire. | Northants. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- |Sally Waters. |Sally Waters. |\n | 2.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 3.|Sally Wallflowers. | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.|Sprinkled in the pan. |Sprinkled in a pan. |Sprinkle in a pan. |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.| -- | -- | -- |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- |Rise and choose a | -- |\n | | |young man. | |\n |14.| -- | -- |Cry for a young man. |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.| -- |Choose best, worst. |Choose best, worst. |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- |Choose the best loved.|Choose the best loved.|\n |22.| -- |Now you're married, |Now you're married, |\n | | |&c. |&c. |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Oxford. | Yorkshire. | Surrey. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Sally Water. |Sally Waters. |Sally Water. |\n | 2.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.|Sprinkle in the pan. |Sprinkle in a pan. |Sprinkle in the pan. |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.| -- | -- | -- |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.|Rise for a young man. | -- | -- |\n |14.| -- |Cry for a young man. | -- |\n |15.| -- | -- |Is not -- a nice young|\n | | | |man. |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.|Choose fairest. | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- |Choose the best loved.| -- |\n |22.|Now she's married, &c.| -- | -- |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- |They shall be married |\n | | | |if they agree, &c. |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Shropshire (1). | Shropshire (2). | Notts. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- |Sally Water. |Sally Water. |\n | 2.|Sally Walker. | -- | -- |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.|Sprinkle in your pan. |Sprinkle in your pan. |Sprinkle in your can. |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.| -- | -- | -- |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- |Rise,for you shall | -- |\n | | |have a husband. | |\n |14.| -- | -- | -- |\n |15.|Down in the meadow | -- |Why do you marry a |\n | |there's a nice young | |foolish young man. |\n | |man. | | |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.| -- | -- |Pick worst, best. |\n |20.| -- |Choose fairest. | -- |\n |21.| -- | -- |Choose the best loved.|\n |22.| -- |Now you're married, | -- |\n | | |&c. | |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.|On the carpet she | -- | -- |\n | |shall kneel, &c. | | |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Gloucestershire. | Sheffield. | Lincolnshire. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Sally Water. |Sally Water. | -- |\n | 2.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- |Sally Salter. |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.|Sprinkle your can. |Sprinkle your can. | -- |\n | 7.| -- | -- |Sprinkle in some |\n | | | |water. |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.| -- | -- | -- |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.|Why don't you rise for| -- | -- |\n | |a young man. | | |\n |14.| -- |Who do you lie | -- |\n | | |mourning for a young | |\n | | |man. | |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- |Send it in a silver |\n | | | |saucer to [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0]. |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- | -- |\n |19.|Choose wisest, best. |Choose wisest, best. | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.|Choose the one that |Choose the best loved.| -- |\n | |lies in your breast. | | |\n |22.| -- | -- | -- |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Wakefield. | Warwickshire. | Sheffield. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Sally Water. |Sally Water. | -- |\n | 2.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- |Sally Slarter. |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- |Water your can. |Sitting by the water. |\n | 8.|Springin' in a pan. | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.| -- | -- | -- |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- |Rise for a husband. | -- |\n |14.|Cry for a young man. | -- |Crying for a young |\n | | | |man. |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.| -- | -- |Turn east, west. |\n |19.|Choose worst, best. | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.|Choose the best loved.| -- |Choose the best loved.|\n |22.|Now you're married, |Now you're married, |Now you're married, |\n | |&c. |&c. |&c. |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Bucks. | Nairn. | Fraserburgh. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 2.|Sally Walker. |Sally Walker. |Sally Walker. |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.|Sprinkled in a pan. | -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- |Sitting in a sigh. | -- |\n |10.| -- | -- |Sitting on the sand. |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- | -- | -- |\n |14.| -- |Weeping for a young |Weeping for a young |\n | | |man. |man. |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.|Sprinkle for a young | -- | -- |\n | |man. | | |\n |18.| -- |Choose east, west. |Try east, west. |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.|Choose fairest. | -- | -- |\n |21.| -- |Choose the best |Choose the best loved.|\n | | |loved. | |\n |22.|Now you're married, | -- |Now they're married, |\n | |&c. | |&c. |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Cornwall. | Settle. | Northants. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- | -- |Sally Water. |\n | 2.| -- |Sally Walker. | -- |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.|Sally Sander. | -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- | -- |Sprinkle in a pan. |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.|Sitting in the sander.| -- | -- |\n |11.| -- |Tinkle in a can. | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- |Rise and choose a |Rise for a young man. |\n | | |young man. | |\n |14.|Weeping for a young | -- | -- |\n | |man. | | |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.|Choose east, west. |Look east, west. |Choose east, west. |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.|Choose the best loved.|Choose the best loved.|Choose the best loved.|\n |22.|Now you're married, | -- |Now you're married, |\n | |&c. | |&c. |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Brigg. | Belfast. | Earls Heaton. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Sally Waters. | -- | -- |\n | 2.| -- |Sally Walker. | -- |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- |Alice Sander. |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.| -- | -- |Sat upon a cinder. |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.|Sitting in the sun. | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- |Hi for a young man. | -- |\n |14.|Crying for a young | -- |Weeping for a young |\n | |man. | |man. |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.|Fly east, west. |Choose east, west. | -- |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.|Choose the best loved.|Choose the best loved.|Choose the best loved.|\n |22.| -- |Married, &c. |Now they're married, |\n | | | |&c. |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Scotland. | Tyrie. | Aberdeen. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 2.|Sally Walker. |Sally Walker. |Sally Walker. |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.| -- | -- | -- |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.|Rise for a young man. |Rise for a young man. |Rise for a young man. |\n |14.| -- | -- | -- |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.|Choose east, west. |Choose east, west. |Choose east, west. |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.|Choose the best loved.|Choose the best loved.|Choose the best loved.|\n |22.|Now they are married, |Now they're married, |Now they're married, |\n | |&c. |&c. |&c. |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Nairn. | Halliwell. | Hexham. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- |Sally Water. | -- |\n | 2.|Sally Walker. | -- |Sally Walker. |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- | -- |Sprinkle in the pan. |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.| -- | -- | -- |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.|Sitting in the sun. | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- | -- |Rise for a young man. |\n |14.|Weeping for a young | -- | -- |\n | |man. | | |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- |Sprinkle for a young | -- |\n | | |man. | |\n |18.|Fly east, west. | -- |Choose east, west. |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.|Fly to the best loved.| -- |Choose the best loved.|\n |22.| -- |Now you're married, |Now you're married, |\n | | |&c. |&c. |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.|Goes courting, &c. | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Lancashire. | Rosehearty. | Notts. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.|Sally Waters. | -- |Sallie [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0]. |\n | 2.| -- |Sally Walker. | -- |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.| -- | -- |Sitting on the ground.|\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.|Rise for a young man. |Rise for a good man. | -- |\n |14.| -- | -- |Sobbing for a young |\n | | | |man. |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.|First east, west. |Choose east, west. |Turn east, west. |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.|Then to the bestloved.| -- |Turn to the best |\n | | | |loved. |\n |22.|Now you're married, |There's a couple, &c. | -- |\n | |&c. | | |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- |A bogie in, &c. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n |No.| Morpeth. | Gainford. | Norfolk. |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n | 1.| -- | -- |Sallie [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0]. |\n | 2.|Sally Walker. |Sally Walker. | -- |\n | 3.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 4.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 5.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 6.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 7.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 8.| -- | -- | -- |\n | 9.| -- | -- | -- |\n |10.| -- | -- | -- |\n |11.| -- | -- | -- |\n |12.| -- | -- | -- |\n |13.| -- |Rise and choose your |Rise and choose. |\n | | |good man. | |\n |14.|Lamenting for a young | -- | -- |\n | |man. | | |\n |15.| -- | -- | -- |\n |16.| -- | -- | -- |\n |17.| -- | -- | -- |\n |18.|Choose east, west. |Choose east, west. |Choose east, west. |\n |19.| -- | -- | -- |\n |20.| -- | -- | -- |\n |21.|Choose the best loved.|Choose the best loved.|Choose the prettiest. |\n |22.|Here's a couple, &c. |Now they're married, |Now you're married, |\n | | |&c. |&c. |\n |23.| -- | -- | -- |\n |24.| -- | -- | -- |\n |25.| -- | -- | -- |\n |26.| -- | -- | -- |\n |27.| -- | -- | -- |\n +---+----------------------+----------------------+----------------------+\n\n +---+----------------------+\n |No.| Beddgelert. |\n +---+----------------------+\n | 1.|Sallie [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0]. |\n | 2.| -- |\n | 3.| -- |\n | 4.| -- |\n | 5.| -- |\n | 6.| -- |\n | 7.| -- |\n | 8.| -- |\n | 9.| -- |\n |10.|Sitting in sand. |\n |11.| -- |\n |12.| -- |\n |13.| -- |\n |14.|Crying for a young |\n | |man. |\n |15.| -- |\n |16.| -- |\n |17.| -- |\n |18.| -- |\n |19.| -- |\n |20.| -- |\n |21.|Pick the one you like |\n | |best. |\n |22.|Now you're married, |\n | |&c. |\n |23.| -- |\n |24.| -- |\n |25.| -- |\n |26.| -- |\n |27.| -- |\n +---+----------------------+\n\nThe first thing to note from this analysis are the words Sally and\nWater. In twenty-three versions they are Sally Water or Waters, in\nseventeen versions it is Sally Walker, in six versions it is another\nname altogether, while in two versions it is Sallie only. The most\nconstant name, therefore, points to Sally Water as the oldest version;\nand it is noticeable that in the Lincolnshire and Sheffield versions,\nwhere the name is not Sally Water, the word water is introduced later on\nin the line which directs the action of sprinkling water. Is it\npossible, then, that Sally Water may be a corruption from an earlier\nform where Sally is some other word, not the name of a girl, as it is\nusually supposed to be, and the word water is connected, not with the\nname of the maiden, but with the action of sprinkling which she is\ncalled upon to perform? If we could surmise that the early form was\n\"Sallie, Sallie, water sprinkle in the pan,\" the accusative being placed\nbefore the verb, the problem would be solved in this manner; but there\nis no warrant for this poetical licence in popular verses, and I prefer\nto suggest that \"water\" got attached as a surname by simple\ntransposition, such as the Norfolk and Beddgelert versions allow as\nevidence. It follows from this that Walker and other names appear as\ndegraded forms of the original, and do not enter into the question of\norigins, a point which may readily be conceded, considering that the\ngeneral evidence of all these singing games is, that no special names\nare ever used, but that names change to suit the players. The next\nincident in the analysis is the ceremony of \"sprinkling the water,\"\nwhich is constant in twenty-one versions, while the Wakefield \"Springin'\nin the pan,\" the Settle \"Tinkle in a can,\" Halliwell's \"Sprinkle for a\nyoung man,\" and the eight versions in which this incident is wholly\nabsent in any form, are evident corruptions. The tendency of the\ncorruption is shown by this to be that the \"sprinkling of water\" came to\nbe omitted from the verse, and therefore the other variants--\n\n Sitting by the water (Sheffield),\n Water your can (Warwickshire),\n Sitting in a sigh (Nairn),\n Sitting on the sand (Fraserburgh and Beddgelert).\n Sitting in the sander (Cornwall),\n Sitting in the sun (Brigg and Nairn),\n Sat upon a cinder (Earls Heaton),\n Sitting on the ground (Notts.),\n\nare but the steps through which the entire omission of the water\nincident was finally attained. The third incident is \"Rise and choose\" a\nyoung man, the alternative being \"Crying for a young man.\" The first\nindicates a kneeling and reverential attitude before the water, and\noccurs in twenty-one versions, while the second only occurs in fourteen\nversions.\n\nThe expression \"crying\" is really to \"announce a want,\" as \"wants\" were\nformerly cried by the official \"crier\" of every township, and indeed as\nchildren still in games \"cry\" the forfeits; but losing this meaning, the\nexpression came to mean crying in the sense of \"weeping,\" and appearing\nto the minds of children as a natural way of expressing a want, would\ntherefore succeed in ousting any more archaic notion. The incident of\ncrying for a lover appears in other singing games, as, for instance, in\n\"Poor Mary.\" Especially may this be considered the process which has\nbeen going on when it is seen that \"choosing\" is an actual incident of\nthe game, even in those cases where \"crying\" has replaced the kneeling.\nThe choosing incident also assumes two forms, namely, with respect to\n\"east and west\" in twenty-two versions, and \"best and worst\" in nine\nversions. Now, the expression, \"for better for worse,\" is an old\nmarriage formula preserved in the vernacular portion of the ancient\nEnglish marriage service (see Palgrave, _English Commonwealth_, ii., p.\ncxxxvi.); and I cannot but think that we have the same formula in this\ngame, especially as the final admonition in nearly all the versions is\nto choose \"the one loved best.\" Following upon this comes the very\ngeneral marriage formula noted so frequently in these games. It is\nslightly varied in some versions, and is replaced by a different\nformula, but one that also appears in other games, in two or three\nversions. One feature is very noticeable in the less common versions of\nthis game, viz., the assumption of the marriage being connected with the\nbirth of children, and the indulgences of the lovers, as in the Tong\nand Scottish versions xxxii., xxxiii., and xxxiv.\n\n(_e_) In considering the probable origin of the game, the first thing\nwill be to ascertain as far as possible what ideas the words are\nintended to convey. Taking note of the results of the analysis, so far\nas they show the corruptions which have taken place in the words, it\nseems clear that though it is not possible to restore the original\nwords, their original meaning is still preserved. This is, that they\naccompanied the performance of a marriage ceremony, and that a chief\nfeature of this ceremony was connected with some form of water-worship,\nor some rite in which water played a chief part. Now it has been noted\nbefore that the games of children have preserved, by adaptation, the\nmarriage ceremony of ancient times (_e.g._, \"Merry ma Tansa,\" \"Nuts in\nMay,\" \"Poor Mary,\" \"Round and Round the Village\"); but this is the first\ninstance where such an important particularisation as that implied by\nwater-worship qualifies the marriage ceremony. It is therefore necessary\nto see what this exactly means. Mr. Hartland, in his _Perseus_ (i.\n167-9), draws attention to the general significance of the water\nceremonial in marriage customs, and Mr. F. B. Jevons, in his\nintroduction to Plutarch's _Romane Questions_, and in the _Transactions\nof the Folk-lore Congress_, 1891, deals with the subject in reference to\nthe origin of custom obtaining among both Aryan and non-Aryan speaking\npeople. In this connection an important consideration arises. The\nEsthonian brides, on the morning after the wedding, are taken to make\nofferings to the water spirit, and they throw offerings into the spring\n(or a vessel of water), overturn a vessel of water in the house, and\nsprinkle their bridegrooms with water. The Hindoo offerings of the bride\nwere cast into a water vessel, and the bride sprinkles the court of the\nnew house with water by way of exorcism, and also sprinkles the\nbridegroom (Jevons, _loc. cit._, p. 345). Here the parallel between the\nnon-Aryan Esthonian custom and the Aryan Hindoo custom is very close,\nand it is a part of Mr. Jevons' argument that, among the Teutons, with\nwhom alone of Aryan speaking peoples the Esthonians came into contact,\nthe custom was limited to the bride simply stepping over a vessel of\nwater. There is certainly something a great deal more than the parallel\nto the Teutonic custom in the game of \"Sally, Sally Water,\" and as it\nequates more nearly to Hindoo and Esthonian custom, the question is,\nDoes it help Mr. Jevons in the important point he raises? I think it\ndoes. A custom is very low down among the strata of survivals when it is\nonly to be recognised as part of a children's singing game, and the\nproposition it suggests is that children have preserved more of the old\ncustom than was preserved by the people who adopted a portion of it into\ntheir marriage ceremony. A custom so treated must be older than the\nmarriage ceremony with which it thus came into contact, and if this is a\ntrue conclusion, we have in this children's game a relic of the\npre-Celtic peoples of these islands--a relic therefore going back many\ncenturies for its origin, and which is of inestimable service in\ndiscussing some important problems of the ethnic significance of\nfolk-lore. These conclusions are entirely derived from the significant\nposition which this game occupies in relation to Esthonian (non-Aryan)\nand to Teutonic (Aryan) marriage customs respectively, and therefore it\nis of considerable importance to note that it entirely fits in with the\nconclusion which my husband has drawn as to the non-Aryan origin of\nwater-worship (see Gomme's _Ethnology of Folk-lore_, pp. 79-105).\n\nThere is, however, something further which seems to bring this game into\nline with non-Aryan marriage customs. The marriage signified by the game\nis acknowledged and sanctioned by the presence of witnesses; is made\nbetween two people who choose each other without any form of compulsion;\nis accompanied by blessings upon the young couple and prognostications\nof the birth of children. These points show that the marriage ceremony\nbelongs to a time when the object of the union was to have children, and\nwhen its duration was not necessarily for life. It is curious to note\nthat water worship is distinctly connected with the desire to have\nchildren (_Proc. Roy. Irish Acad._, 3rd ser., ii. 9); and that the idea\nof the temporary character of the marriage status of the lower classes\nof the people is still extant I have certain evidence of. Early in\nNovember of 1895, a man tried for bigamy gave as his defence that he\nthought his marriage was ended with his first wife, as he had been away\nseven years. It is a frequently told story. A year and a day and seven\nyears are the two periods for which the popular mind regards marriage\nbinding. \"I was faithful to him for seven years, and had more than my\ntwo children,\" a woman said to me once, as if two children were the\nrequired or expected number to be born in that period. If there is a\npopular belief of this kind, it is strangely borne out by this\ngame-rhyme. \"First a girl, and then a boy,\" may also be shown to be a\nresult to be desired and prayed for, in the popular belief that a man's\ncycle of life is not complete until he is the father of a daughter, who,\nin her turn, shall have a son. Miss Hawkins Dempster obtained evidence\nof such a belief from the lips of a man who considered he was entitled\nto marry another woman, as his wife had only borne him sons, and\ntherefore his life was not (like hers) complete.\n\nThe free choice of both woman and man is opposed to the theory of our\npresent marriage ceremony, where permission or authority to marry is\nonly necessary for the woman, the man being able to do as he pleases.\nThis is now regarded as a sign of women's early subjection to the\nauthority of men and their subordinate place in the household. But it\ndoes not follow that this was the relative position of men and women\nwhen a ceremony was first found needful and instituted. I am inclined to\nthink it must have been, rather, the importance attached to the woman's\nact of ratification, in the presence of witnesses, of her formal promise\nto bear children to a particular man. Marriage would then consist of\ncontracts between two parties for the purpose of, and which actually\nresulted in, the birth of children; of concubinage, or the wife\nconsenting to children being born to her husband by another woman in her\nstead, if she herself failed in this respect (such children being hers\nand her husband's jointly); of marriage without ceremony or set purpose,\nresulting from young people being thrown together at feast times,\ngathering in of harvests, &c., which might or might not result in the\nbirth of children. These conditions of the marriage rite are at variance\nwith what we know of the Aryan marriage generally and its results; and\nthat they flow from the customs preserved in the game under\nconsideration is further proof of the origin of the game from a marriage\nrite of the pre-Celtic people of these islands. The \"kissing together\"\nof the married couple is the token to the witnesses of their mutual\nconsent to the contract.\n\nAttention has already been directed to the fact that parts of the\nformula preserved in this game are also found in other games, and it may\npossibly be assumed therefrom that the same origin must be given to\nthese games as to \"Sally Water.\" The objection to such a conclusion is\nmainly that it is impossible to decide to which game the popular\nmarriage formula originally belonged, and from which it has been\nborrowed by the other games. Seeing how exactly it fits the\ncircumstances of \"Sally Water,\" it might not be too much to suggest that\nit rightly belongs to this game. Another point to be noted is that the\ntune to which the words of the marriage formula are sung is always the\nsame, irrespective of that to which the previous verses are sung, and\nthis rule obtains in all those games in which this formula appears--a\nfurther proof of the antiquity of the formula as an outcome of the early\nmarriage ceremony.\n\n [7] Redruth version--\n\n Fly for the east, fly for the west,\n Fly for the very one you love best.\n\n\nSally Sober\n\nA game among girls [undescribed].--Dickinson's _Cumberland Glossary_\n(_Supplement_).\n\n\nSalmon Fishers\n\n I. Cam' ye by the salmon fishers,\n Cam' ye by the roperee?\n Saw ye a sailor laddie\n Sailing on the raging sea?\n Oh, dear ----, are ye going to marry?\n Yes, indeed, and that I am.\n Tell to me your own true lover,\n Tell to me your lover's name?\n _He's_ a bonnie lad, _he's_ a bonnie fellow,\n Oh, he's a bonnie lad,\n Wi' ribbons blue and yellow,\n Stockings of blue silk;\n Shoes of patent leather,\n Points to tie them up.\n A gold ring on his finger.\n Did you see the ship he came in?\n Did you see it comin' in?\n Every lassie wi' her laddie,\n Every widow wi' her son.\n Mother, struck eight o'clock,\n Mother, may I get out?\n For my love is waiting\n For to get me out.\n First he gave me apples,\n Then he gave me pears,\n Then he gave me a sixpence\n To kiss him on the stairs.\n Oh, dear me, I wish I had my tea,\n To write a letter to my love\n To come back and marry me.\n\n--Rosehearty (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n II. Cam' ye by the salmon fishers?\n Cam' ye by the roperee?\n Saw ye a sailor laddie\n Waiting on the coast for me?\n I ken fahr I'm gyain,\n I ken fahs gyain wi' me;\n I ha'e a lad o' my ain,\n Ye daurna tack 'im fae me.\n Stockings of blue silk,\n Shoes of patent leather,\n Kid to tie them up,\n And gold rings on his finger.\n Oh for six o'clock!\n Oh for seven I weary!\n Oh for eight o'clock!\n And then I'll see my dearie.\n\n--Fochabers (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n III. Come ye by the salmon fishers?\n Come ye by the roperee?\n Saw ye my dear sailor laddie\n Sailing on the raging sea?\n Tip for gold and tip for silver,\n Tip for the bonnie laddie I do adore;\n My delight's for a sailor laddie,\n And shall be for evermore.\n Sit you down, my lovely Elsie,\n Take your baby on your knee;\n Drink your health for a jolly sailor,\n He will come back and marry you.\n He will give you beads and ear-rings,\n He will give you diamonds free;\n Sailors they are bonnie laddies,\n Oh, but they are neat and clean!\n They can kiss a bonnie lassie\n In the dark, and A, B, C;\n When the sailors come home at evening\n They take off their tarry clothes,\n They put on their light blue jackets,\n That is the way the sailors go.\n\n--Rev. W. Gregor.\n\nA circle is formed, and the children dance round singing. Before\nbeginning they agree which of the players is to be named in the fifth\nline of the Rosehearty version.\n\nJamieson's _Dictionary_ (_sub voce_), \"Schamon's Dance,\" says, \"Some\nparticular kind of dance anciently used in Scotland.\"\n\n Blaw up the bagpyp than,\n The schamon's dance I mon begin,\n I trow it sall not pane.\n\n--\"Peblis to the Play,\" _Chronicles of Scottish Poetry_, i. 135.\n\nPinkerton defines salmon as \"probably _show-man_, _shaw-man_.\"\n\nSee \"Shame Reel, or Shamit Dance.\"\n\n\nSalt Eel\n\nThis is something like \"Hide and Find.\" The name of Salt Eel may have\nbeen given it from one of the points of the game, which is to baste the\nrunaway individual, whom you may overtake, all the way home with your\nhandkerchief, twisted hard for that purpose. Salt Eel implies on board\nship a rope's ending, and on shore an equivalent process.--Moor's\n_Suffolk Words and Phrases_.\n\n\nSave All\n\nTwo sides are chosen in this game. An even number of boys, say eight on\neach side. Half of these run out of the line, and are chased by half of\nthe boys from the other side. If two out of four get \"home\" to door or\nlamp-post, they _save all_ the prisoners which have been made; if two\nout of four are caught before the others get \"home,\" the side catching\nthem beats.--Deptford (Miss Chase).\n\n\nSay Girl\n\nA game undescribed, recorded by the Rev. S. D. Headlam as played by some\nHoxton school children.--_Church Reformer_, 1894.\n\n\nScat\n\nA paper-knife, or thin slip of wood, is placed by one player on his open\npalm. Another takes it up quickly, and tries to \"scat\" his opponent's\nhand before he can draw it away. Sometimes a feint of taking the\npaper-knife is made three or four times before it is really done. When\nthe \"scat\" is given, the \"scatter\" in his turn rests the knife on his\npalm. Scat is the Cornish for \"slap.\"--_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 50.\n\n\nScop-peril, or Scoperel\n\nName for teetotum ordinarily manufactured by sticking a pointed peg\nthrough a bone button.--Easther's _Almondbury Glossary_; also in SW.\nLincolnshire, Cole's _Glossary_.\n\nSee \"Totum.\"\n\n\nScotch-hoppers\n\nIn _Poor Robin's Almanack_ for 1677, in the verses to the reader, on the\nback of the title-page, concerning the chief matters in the volume,\namong many other articles of intelligence, the author professes to\nshow--\n\n\"The time when school boys should play at _Scotch-hoppers_.\"\n\nAnother allusion occurs in the same periodical for 1707--\"Lawyers and\nPhysitians have little to do this month, and therefore they may (if they\nwill) play at _Scotch-hoppers_. Some men put their hands into peoples'\npockets open, and extract it clutch'd, of that beware. But counsel\nwithout a cure, is a body without a soul.\" And again, in 1740--\"The\nfifth house tells ye whether whores be sound or not; when it is good to\neat tripes, bloat herrings, fry'd frogs, rotten eggs, and monkey's tails\nbutter'd, or an ox liver well stuck with fish hooks; when it is the most\nconvenient time for an old man to play at _Scotch-hoppers_ amongst the\nboys. In it also is found plainly, that the best armour of proof against\nthe fleas, is to go drunk to bed.\"\n\nSee \"Hopscotch,\" \"Tray-Trip.\"\n\n\nScots and English\n\nBoys first choose sides. The two chosen leaders join both hands, and\nraising them high enough to let the others pass through below, cry--\n\n Brother Jack, if ye'll be mine,\n I'll gie ye claret wine;\n Claret wine is good and fine,\n Through the needle ee, boys.\n\nLetting their arms fall they enclose a boy and ask him to which side he\nwill belong, and he is disposed of according to his own decision. The\nparties being at length formed, are separated by a real or imaginary\nline, and place at some distance behind them, in a heap, their hats,\ncoats, &c. They stand opposite to each other, the object being to make a\nsuccessful incursion over the line into the enemy's country, and bring\noff part of the heap of clothes. It requires both address and swiftness\nof foot to do so without being taken by the foe. The winning of the game\nis decided by which party first loses all its men or its property. At\nHawick, where the legendary mimicry of old Border warfare peculiarly\nflourishes, the boys are accustomed to use the following rhymes of\ndefiance:--\n\n King Covenanter, come out if ye daur venture!\n Set your foot on Scots' ground, English, if ye daur!\n\n--Chambers' _Popular Rhymes_, p. 127.\n\nThe following version was written down in 1821 under the name of Scotch\nand English:--Two parties of boys, divided by a fixed line, endeavoured\nto pull one another across this line, or to seize by bodily strength or\nnimbleness a \"wad\" (the coats or hats of the players) from the little\nheap deposited in the different territories at a convenient distance.\nThe person pulled across or seized in his attempt to rob the camp was\nmade a prisoner and conducted to the enemy's station, where he remained\nunder the denomination of \"stinkard\" till relieved by one of the same\nside, or by a general exchange of prisoners.--_Blackwood's Magazine_,\nAugust 1821, p. 25. The _Denham Tracts_, i. 150, gives a version of the\ngame much the same as these, except that the words used by the English\nare, \"Here's a leap into thy kingdom, dry-bellied Scot.\" See also\nHutton's _History of Roman Wall_ (1804), p. 104. Brockett's account,\nunder the title of \"Stealy Clothes, or Watch Webs,\" is as follows:--The\nplayers divide into two parties and draw a line as the boundary of their\nrespective territories. At an equal distance from this line each player\ndeposits his hat or some other article of his dress. The object of the\ngame is to seize and convey these singly to your own store from that of\nthe enemy, but if you are unfortunately caught in the attempt, you not\nonly restore the plunder but become a prisoner yourself. This evidently\ntakes its origin from the inroads of the English and Scotch; indeed, it\nis plainly proved from the language used on the occasion, which consists\nin a great measure of the terms of reproach still common among the\nBorderers.--Brockett's _North Country Words_.\n\nJamieson, also, describes the game under the title of \"English and\nScotch,\" and says the game has originated from the mutual incursions of\nthe two nations.\n\nSee \"French and English,\" \"Prisoner's Base,\" \"Rigs.\"\n\n\nScratch Cradle\n\nThe game of \"Cat's Cradle.\"\n\n\nScrush\n\nA game much like Shinty between two sides of boys, each with bandies\n(scrushes) trying to knock a roundish stone over the other's\nline.--Barnes' _Dorset Glossary_. See \"Shinney.\"\n\n\nScurran-Meggy\n\nA game much in vogue in Cumberland during the last century, and in which\na peculiar form of top called a \"scurran top\" was used.--Halliwell's\n_Dictionary_.\n\n\nSee-Saw\n\n[Music]\n\n--London (A. B. Gomme).\n\n I. Titty cum tawtay,\n The ducks in the water;\n Titty cum tawtay,\n The geese follow after.\n\n--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 213.\n\n II. See-saw, Margery Daw,\n Sold her bed to lie upon straw;\n Wasn't she a dirty slut\n To sell her bed to lie upon dirt?\n\n--London (A. B. Gomme).\n\n III. See-saw, Margery Daw,\n Johnny shall have a new master;\n He shan't have but a farthing a day,\n Because he can't work any faster.\n\n--London (G. L. Gomme).\n\n IV. See-saw, sacradown,\n Which is the way to London town?\n One boot up, and the other down,\n And that is the way to London town.\n\n--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, No. cccxxx.\n\n V. The poor man was digging,\n To and fro, to and fro;\n And his spade on his shoulder,\n To and fro, to and fro.\n\n The poor man was digging,\n To and fro, to and fro;\n And he caught the black cross,\n To and fro, to and fro.\n\n--Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).\n\nA common game, children sitting on either end of a plank supported on\nits centre, and made to rock up and down. While enjoying this\nrecreation, they sing the verse. Addy, _Sheffield Glossary_, gives Ranty\nor Rantypole, a plank or pole balanced evenly, upon which children rock\nup and down in see-saw fashion. Jamieson, _Etymological Dictionary_,\ngives Coup-the-Ladle as the name for See-saw in Aberdeen. Moor, _Suffolk\nWords and Phrases_, describes this game, and gives the same words to be\nsung while playing as Halliwell's above. Grose gives \"Weigh,\" to play at\nSee-saw. Holloway, _Dictionary of Provincialisms_, says, in Norfolk\nSee-saw is called Titti cum Totter; and in Gainford, Durham, Ewiggy\nShog. Halliwell gives versions of Nos. II. and III. in his _Nursery\nRhymes_, and also other verses with the opening words \"See-saw,\" namely,\n\"See-saw, Jack-a-Daw,\" \"See-saw, Sack-a-day;\" but these are not\nconnected with the game by Halliwell, and there is nothing in the words\nto indicate such a connection. Mactaggart, _Gallovidian Encyclop\u00e6dia_,\ncalls the game \"Coggle-te-Carry,\" but gives no verses, and Strutt calls\nit \"Titter Totter.\"--_Sports_, p. 303. He does not give any rhymes,\nexcept to quote Gay's poem, but it is possible that the rhyme to his\ngame may be No. I. Brogden gives \"Hightte\" as the game of See-saw. The\nManx version has not before been published, and Mr. Moore says is now\nquite forgotten in the Isle. The game is called \"Shuggy-shoo\" in Irish,\nand also \"Copple-thurrish,\" evidently \"Horse and Pig,\" as if the two\nanimals were balancing against each other, and alternately becoming\nelevated and depressed.--_Ulster Journ. Arch._, vi. 102. The child who\nstands on the plank in the centre and balances it, is frequently called\nthe \"canstick\" or \"candlestick.\"\n\n\nSee-Sim\n\nA children's game. If one of the party is blindfolded, it is\n\"Blind-Sim.\"--Spurden's _East Anglian Glossary_.\n\n\nShame Reel, or Shamit Dance\n\nIn several counties of Scotland this was the name of the first dance\nafter the celebration of marriages. It was performed by the bride and\nbest man and the bridegroom and best maid. The bride's partner asked\nwhat was to be the \"sham spring,\" and she commonly answered, \"Through\nthe world will I gang wi' the lad that lo'es me,\" which, on being\ncommunicated to the fiddlers, was struck up, and the dance went on\nsomewhat punctiliously, while the guests looked on in silence, and\ngreeted the close with applause. This dance was common in Forfarshire\ntwenty years ago.--Jamieson's _Dictionary_.\n\nSee \"Cushion Dance,\" \"Salmon Fishers.\"\n\n\nShe Said, and She Said\n\nThis game requires two confederates; one leaves the room, and the other\nin the secret asks a player in the room to whisper to him whom she (or\nhe) loved; he then calls in his companion, and the following dialogue is\ncarried on:--\n\n \"She said, and she said!\n And what did she say?\"\n \"She said that she loved.\"\n \"And whom did she love?\n Suppose she said she loved ----?\"\n \"No! she never said that, whatever she said.\"\n\nAn indefinite number of names are mentioned before the right one. When\nthat came, to the surprise of the whisperer, the answer is--\n\n \"Yes! she said that.\"\n\nThe secret was very simple; the name of a widow or widower known to both\nplayers was always given before that whispered.--Cornwall (_Folk-lore\nJournal_, v. 50).\n\n\nShepherd and Sheep\n\nChildren choose, by \"counting out,\" or otherwise, a Shepherd and a Wolf\n(or Mother Sheep, and Wolf). The Wolf goes away, and the rest of the\nplayers are the Sheep (or Lambs) and stand in a row. The Shepherd counts\nthem--Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, &c. Then--\n\n_Shepherd_--\"What shall I bring home for you for dinner, Sunday, I'm\ngoing to market?\"\n\nSunday chooses something--roast veal, apple tart, or anything else that\nshe likes. Then Monday, Tuesday, and the rest choose also. Shepherd goes\naway, saying--\n\n \"Mind you are all good children.\"\n\nThe Wolf comes directly the Shepherd goes out of sight, and takes away\none of the Sheep. Shepherd comes back and begins to distribute the\ndifferent things--\n\n \"Sunday, Monday,----why, where's Tuesday?\" (or Wednesday, as the\n case may be.)\n\nThe Children cry in chorus--\n\n \"Old Wolf came down the chimney and took him (or her) away.\"\n\nThis formula is repeated till all the children (sheep) are stolen.\n\nThe Shepherd now goes to the Wolf's house to look for his sheep--\n\n _Shepherd_--\"Good morning, have you seen my sheep?\"\n\n _Wolf_--\"Yes, they went down Red Lane.\"\n\n [Shepherd looks down Red Lane.]\n\n _Shepherd_--\"I've been down Red Lane, and they're not there.\"\n\n _Wolf_--\"I've just seen them pass, they're gone down Green Lane,\"\n &c. These questions and answers continue as long as the children's\n fancy holds out; then the Shepherd comes back.\n\n _Shepherd_--\"I've looked everywhere, and can't find them. I b'lieve\n you've got them? I smell meat; may I go up and taste your soup?\"\n\n _Wolf_--\"You can't go upstairs, your shoes are too dirty.\"\n\n _Shepherd_--\"I'll take off my shoes\" (pretends to take them off).\n\n _Wolf_--\"Your stockings are too dirty.\"\n\n _Shepherd_--\"I'll take off my stockings\" (suits the action).\n\n _Wolf_--\"Your feet are too dirty.\"\n\n _Shepherd_--\"I'll cut my feet off\" (pretends to cut them off).\n\n (Milder version, \"I'll wash my feet.\")\n\n _Wolf_--\"Then the blood'll run about.\"\n\n (Milder version, \"Then they'll wet my carpet.\")\n\n _Shepherd_--\"I'll tie up my feet.\"\n\n (Or, \"I'll wipe my feet\")\n\n _Wolf_---\"Well, now you may go up.\"\n\n _Shepherd_--\"I smell my sheep.\"\n\nThe Shepherd then goes to one child, pretends to taste--using fingers of\nboth hands as though holding a spoon and fork--on the top of the child's\nhead, saying, \"That's my sheep,\" \"That's Tuesday,\" &c., till he comes to\nthe end of the row, then they all shout out and rush home to the fold,\nthe Wolf with them. A fresh Shepherd and Wolf are chosen, and the game\nstarts once more.--Cornwall (Miss I. Barclay).\n\nOne player is chosen to be the Shepherd, another the Thief, and the rest\nthe sheep, who are arranged in a long row. The Shepherd pretends to be\nasleep; the Thief takes away one of the sheep and hides it; he then\nsays--\n\n _Thief_--\"Shepherdy, shepherdy, count your sheep!\"\n\n _Shepherd_--\"I can't come now, I'm fast asleep.\"\n\n _Thief_--\"If you don't come now, they'll all be gone,\n So shepherdy, shepherdy, come along!\"\n\nThe Shepherd counts the sheep, and missing one, asks where it is gone.\nThe Thief says, \"It is gone to get fat!\" The Shepherd goes to sleep\nagain, and the same performance is repeated till all the sheep are\nhidden; the Shepherd goes in search of them, and when found they join\nhim in the pursuit of the Thief.--Oswestry (Burne's _Shropshire\nFolk-lore_, p. 520).\n\nMr. Northall (_Folk Rhymes_, p. 391) gives a version from Warwickshire,\nand says he believes the Shepherd's dog to be the true thief who hides\nhis propensity in the dialogue--\n\n Bow, wow, wow, What's the matter now?\n A leg of a louse came over my house,\n And stole one of my fat sheep away.\n\nThe game is played as in Shropshire. The dialogue in the Cornish game is\nsimilar to that of \"Witch.\" See \"Wolf.\"\n\n\nShepherds\n\nOne child stands alone, facing the others in a line opposite. The single\nchild shouts, \"Shepherds, shepherds, give warning.\" The others reply,\n\"Warn away! warn away!\" Then she asks, \"How many sheep have you got?\"\nThey answer, \"More than you can carry away.\" She runs and catches\none--they two join hands and chase the rest; each one, as caught,\njoining hands with the chasers until all are caught.--Liverpool (Mr. C.\nC. Bell.) See \"Stag,\" \"Warney.\"\n\n\nShinney, or Shinty, or Shinnops\n\nA writer in _Blackwood's Magazine_, August 1821, p. 36, says: The boys\nattempt to drive with curved sticks a ball, or what is more common, part\nof the vertebral bone of a sheep, in opposite directions. When the\nobject driven along reaches the appointed place in either termination,\nthe cry of hail! stops the play till it is knocked off anew by the boy\nwho was so fortunate as to drive it past the gog. In the Sheffield\ndistrict it is played as described by Halliwell. During the game the\nboys call out, \"Hun you, shin you.\" It is called Shinny in\nDerbyshire.--Addy's _Sheffield Glossary_. Halliwell's description does\nnot materially differ from the account given above except that when the\nknur is down over the line it is called a \"bye.\"--(_Dictionary_). In\n_Notes and Queries_, 8th series, viii. 446; ix. 115 _et seq._, the game\nis described as played in Lincolnshire under the name of \"Cabsow,\" which\nperhaps accounts for the Barnes game of Crab-sowl.\n\nIn Perthshire it is described as a game in which bats somewhat\nresembling a golf club are used. At every fair or meeting of the country\npeople there were contests at racing, wrestling, putting the stone, &c.,\nand on holidays all the males of a district, young and old, met to play\nat football, but oftener at shinty.--_Perthshire Statistical Account_,\nv. 72; Jamieson's description is the same.\n\nMactaggart's _Gallovidian Encyclop\u00e6dia_ says: A game described by Scotch\nwriters by the name of Shintie; the shins, or under parts of the legs,\nare in danger during the game of being struck, hence the name from\nshin.--Dickinson, _Cumberland Glossary_, mentions Shinny as a boyish\ngame, also called Scabskew, catty; it is also the name of the\ncrook-ended stick used in the game. Patterson, _Antrim and Down\nGlossary_, under name Shinney, says, This game is played with shinneys,\n_i.e._, hooked sticks, and a ball or small block of wood called the\n\"Golley,\" or \"Nag.\"\n\nIn London this game is called Hockey. It seems to be the same which is\ndesigned _Not_ in Gloucestershire; the name being borrowed from the\nball, which is made of a knotty piece of wood.--Grose's _Glossary_.\n\nIt has been said that Shinty and Hockey differ in this respect, that in\nthe latter two goals are erected, each being formed by a piece of stick\nwith both ends stuck in the ground. The players divide into two parties;\nto each of these the care of one of the goals belongs. The game consists\nin endeavouring to drive the ball through the goal of the opposite\nparty.--_Book of Sports_ (1810), pp. 11-13. But in Shinty there are also\ntwo goals, called hails; the object of each party being to drive the\nball beyond their own hail, but there is no hole through which it must\nbe driven. The ball, or knot of wood, is called Shintie.\n\nSee \"Bandy,\" \"Camp,\" \"Chinnup,\" \"Crab-sowl,\" \"Doddart,\" \"Hockey,\"\n\"Scrush.\"\n\n\nShip\n\nA boy's game. It is played in two ways--(1) Of a single character. One\nboy bends down against a wall (sometimes another stands pillow for his\nhead), then an opponent jumps on his back, crying \"Ships\" simply, or\n\"Ships a-sailing, coming on.\" If he slips off, he has to bend as the\nother; but if not, he can remain as long as he pleases, provided he does\nnot laugh or speak. If he forgets to cry \"Ships,\" he has to bend down.\n(2) Sometimes sides are chosen; then the whole side go down heads and\ntails, and all the boys on the other side have to jump on their backs.\nThe game in each case is much the same. The \"naming\" was formerly \"Ships\nand sailors coming on.\"--Easther's _Almondbury Glossary_. Mr. H. Hardy\nsends an account from Earls Heaton, which is practically the same as\nthese.\n\n\nShip Sail\n\nA game usually played with marbles. One boy puts his hand into his\ntrousers pocket and takes out as many marbles as he feels inclined; he\ncloses his fingers over them, and holds out his hand with the palm down\nto the opposite player, saying, \"Ship sail, sail fast. How many men on\nboard?\" A guess is made by his opponent; if less he has to give as many\nmarbles as will make up the true number; if more, as many as he said\nover. But should the guess be correct he takes them, and then in his\nturn says, \"Ship sail,\" &c.--Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 59).\n\nSee \"Handy Dandy,\" \"Neivvie-nick-nack.\"\n\n\nShiver the Goose\n\nA boys' game. Two persons are trussed somewhat like fowls; they then hop\nabout on their \"hunkers,\" each trying to upset the other.--Patterson's\n_Antrim and Down Glossary_.\n\nSee \"Curcuddie.\"\n\n\nShoeing the Auld Mare\n\nA dangerous kind of sport. A beam of wood is slung between two ropes, a\nperson gets on to this and contrives to steady himself until he goes\nthrough a number of antics; if he can do this he shoes the auld mare, if\nhe cannot do it he generally tumbles to the ground and gets hurt with\nthe fall.--Mactaggart's _Gallovidian Encyclop\u00e6dia_.\n\n\nShue-Gled-Wylie\n\nA game in which the strongest acts as the Gled or Kite, and the next in\nstrength as the mother of a brood of birds; for those under her\nprotection, perhaps to the number of a dozen, keep all in a string\nbehind her, each holding by the tail of one another. The Gled still\ntries to catch the last of them, while the mother cries \"Shue! Shue!\"\nspreading out her arms to keep him off. If he catch all the birds he\nwins the game.--Fife, Teviotdale (Jamieson).\n\nSee \"Fox and Geese,\" \"Gled-Wylie,\" \"Hen and Chickens.\"\n\n\nShuttlefeather\n\nThis game is generally known as \"Battledore and Shuttlecock.\" The\nbattledore is a small hand bat, formerly made of wood, then of a skin\nstretched over a frame, and since of catgut strings stretched over a\nframe. The shuttlecock consists of a small cork into which feathers of\nequal size are fixed at even distances. The game may be played by one,\ntwo, or more persons. If by one person, it merely consists of batting up\nthe shuttlecock into the air for as long a time as possible; if by two\npersons, it consists of batting the shuttlecock from one to the other;\nif by more than two, sides are chosen, and a game has been invented, and\nknown as \"Badminton.\" This latter game is not a traditional game, and\ndoes not therefore concern us now.\n\nStrutt (_Sports and Pastimes_, p. 303) says this is a sport of long\nstanding, and he gives an illustration, said to be of the fourteenth\ncentury, from a MS. in the possession of Mr. F. Douce. This would\nprobably be the earliest mention of the game. It appears to have been a\nfashionable pastime among grown persons in the reign of James I. In the\n_Two Maids of Moreclacke_, 1609, it is said, \"To play at Shuttlecock\nmethinkes is the game now,\" and among the anecdotes related of Prince\nHenry, son to James I., is the following: \"His Highness playing at\nshittle-cocke with one farr taller than himself, and hittyng him by\nchance with the shittle-cock upon the forehead\" (_Harl. MS._, 6391).\nAmong the accounts of money paid for the Earl of Northumberland while he\nwas prisoner in the Tower for supposed complicity in the Gunpowder Plot,\nis an item for the purchase of shuttlecocks (_Hist. MSS. Com._, v. p.\n354).\n\nBut the popular nature of the game is not indicated by these facts. For\nthis we have to turn to the doings of the people. In the villages of the\nWest Riding the streets may be seen on the second Sunday in May full of\ngrown-up men and women playing \"Battledore and Shuttlefeathers\"\n(Henderson's _Folk-lore of the Northern Counties_, p. 80). In Leicester\nthe approach of Shrove Tuesday (known amongst the youngsters as\n\"Shuttlecock Day\") is signalised by the appearance in the streets of a\nnumber of children playing at the game of \"Battledore and Shuttlecock.\"\nOn the day itself the streets literally swarm with juveniles, and even\ngrown men and women engage in the pastime. Passing through a by-street\nthe other day I heard a little girl singing--\n\n Shuttlecock, shuttlecock, tell me true\n How many years have I to go through?\n One, two, three, four, &c.\n\n--_Notes and Queries_, 3rd series, iii. 87.\n\nThe occurrence of this rhyme suggests that there is some sort of\ndivination in the oldest form of the game, and it appears to me that the\norigin of the game must be sought for among the ancient practices of\ndivination. An example is found among the customs of the children of\nGlamorganshire during the cowslip season. The cowslip heads are strung\non a piece of thread and tied into a \"posty,\" and the play is to throw\nit up a tolerable height, catching it on the distended palm with a blow\nthat sends it up again, while the player sings:--\n\n Pisty, posty, four and forty,\n How many years shall I live?\n One, two, three, four, &c.\n\nOf course, if it falls to the ground uncaught, or even if caught in the\nclenched hand, there is an end of the player's \"life.\" There is a good\ndeal of emulation amongst the children as to who shall live the longest\n(_Notes and Queries_, 3rd ser., iii. 172). Miss Burne (_Shropshire\nFolk-lore_, p. 530) mentions the same custom, giving the rhyme as--\n\n Toss-a-ball, toss-a-ball, tell me true\n How many years I've got to go through,\n\nand she says the cowslip is thence called a \"tissy-ball.\" In this custom\nwe have no artificial aids to form a game, but we have a significant\nform of divination from natural flowers, accompanied by a rhyming\nformula exactly parallel to the rhymes used in the Leicestershire game\nof \"Shuttlecock,\" and I conclude therefore that we have here the true\norigin of the game. This conclusion is confirmed when it is found that\ndivinatory verses generally accompany the popular form of the game.\n\nAt Wakefield the children playing \"Battledore and Shuttlecock\" take it\nin turn, and say the following sentences, one clause to each bat, and\nrepeated until the shuttlecock falls:--\n\n1st. This year, next year, long time, never.\n\n2nd. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.\n\n3rd. Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar-man,\nthief.\n\n4th. Silk, satin, cotton, rags.\n\n5th. Coach, carriage, wheelbarrow, donkey-cart.--Miss Fowler\n\nAt Deptford the rhymes were--\n\n Grandmother, grandmother,\n Tell me the truth,\n How many years have I been to school?\n One, two, three, &c.\n\n Grandmother, grandmother,\n Tell me no lie,\n How many children\n Before I die?\n One, two, three, &c.\n\nIn the same way the following questions are put and answered:--\n\n How old am I?\n How long am I going to live?\n How many children shall I have?\n\n Black currant,\n Red currant,\n Raspberry tart,\n Tell me the name\n Of my sweetheart.\n A, B, C, D, &c.\n\nTinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, potter's boy, flour boy, thief.\n\nSilk, satin, cotton, muslin, rags.\n\nCoach, carriage, wheelbarrow, dungcart.\n\nOn their buttons they say: \"Bought, given, stolen,\" to show how\nacquired.--Miss Chase.\n\nIn London the rhymes were--\n\n One, two, buckle my shoe,\n Three, four, knock at the door,\n Five, six, pick up sticks,\n Seven, eight, lay them straight,\n Nine, ten, a good fat hen,\n Eleven, twelve, ring the bell,\n Thirteen, fourteen, maids a courting,\n Fifteen, sixteen, maids in the kitchen,\n Seventeen, eighteen, mistress waiting,\n Nineteen, twenty, my plate's empty.\n\n One, two, three, four,\n Mary at the cottage door,\n Eating cherries off a plate,\n Five, six, seven, eight.\n\n Up the ladder, down the wall,\n A twopenny loaf to serve us all;\n You buy milk and I'll buy flour,\n And we'll have pudding in half an hour.\n One, two, three, four, five, six, &c.\n\nThis year, next year, some time, never, repeated.\n\nA, B, C, D, E, &c., repeated for the initial letter of the future\nhusband's name.\n\nTinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, apothecary, ploughboy, thief, for\nfuture husband's vocation.\n\nMonday, Tuesday, &c., for the wedding day.\n\nSilk, satin, cotton, rags, for the material of the wedding gown.\n\nCoach, carriage, wheelbarrow, dungcart, for conveyance on wedding day.\n\nBig house, little house, pigsty, barn, for future home.--(A. B. Gomme.)\n\nIt will be seen that many of these divination formul\u00e6 are used in other\nconnections than that of \"Shuttlecock,\" but this rather emphasises the\ndivinatory character of the game in its original form.--See \"Ball,\"\n\"Teesty-tosty.\"\n\n\nShuvvy-Hawle\n\nA boys' game at marbles. A small hole is made in the ground, and marbles\nare pushed in turn with the side of the first finger; these are won by\nthe player pushing them into the shuvvy-hawle.--Lowsley's _Berkshire\nGlossary_.\n\n\nSilly Old Man\n\n[Music]\n\n--Leicester (Miss Ellis).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).\n\n I. Silly old man, he's all alone,\n He wants a wife and can't get one;\n Round and round and choose a good one,\n Or else choose none.\n\n This young couple are married together,\n Their fathers and mothers they must obey;\n Love one another like sister and brother,\n And down on their knees and kiss one another.\n\n--Leicester (Miss Ellis).\n\n II. Silly old man, he walks alone,\n He walks alone, he walks alone;\n Silly old man, he walks alone,\n He wants a wife and can't get one.\n\n All go round and choose your own,\n Choose your own, choose your own;\n All go round and choose your own,\n And choose a good one or else choose none.\n\n Now young couple you're married together,\n Married together, married together;\n Now young couple you're married together,\n Your father and mother you must obey.\n So love one another like sister and brother,\n And now young couple pray kiss together.\n\n--Lancashire (_Notes and Queries_, 5th series, iv. 157).\n\n III. Silly old maid (_or_ man), she walks alone,\n She walks alone, she walks alone;\n Silly old maid, she walks alone,\n She wants a man (_or_ wife) and she can't get one.\n\n Go around and choose your own,\n Choose your own, choose your own;\n Go around and choose your own,\n And take whoever you like in.\n\n Now these two are married together,\n Married together, married together;\n Now these two are married together,\n I pray love, kiss again.\n\n--Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).\n\n IV. Here's a silly ould man that lies all alone,\n That lies all alone, that lies all alone;\n Here's a silly ould man that lies all alone,\n He wants a wife and he can get none.\n\n Now young couple you're married together,\n You're married together, you're married together;\n You must obey your father and mother,\n And love one another like sister and brother.\n I pray, young couple, you'll kiss together.\n\n--Carleton's _Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry_, p. 107.\n\n V. Silly old man, he walks alone,\n Walks alone, walks alone;\n Silly old man, he walks alone,\n Wants a wife and he canna get one.\n\n All go round and choose your own,\n Choose your own, choose your own;\n All go round and choose your own,\n Choose a good one or let it alone.\n\n Now he's got married and tied to a peg,\n Tied to a peg, tied to a peg;\n Now he's got married and tied to a peg,\n Married a wife with a wooden leg.\n\n--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).\n\n VI. Silly old maid, she lives alone,\n She lives alone, she lives alone;\n [Silly old maid, she lives alone,]\n Wants a husband but can't get one.\n\n So now go round and choose your own,\n Choose your own, choose your own;\n Now go round and choose your own,\n Choose the very one you love best.\n\n Now young couple, you're married for ever,\n Your father and mother you must obey;\n Love another like sister and brother,\n And now young couple, pray kiss together.\n\n--Dublin (Mrs. Lincoln).\n\n(_c_) The children form a ring, joining hands. A child, usually a boy,\nstands in the middle. The ring dances round and sings the verses. The\nboy in the centre chooses a girl when bidden by the ring. These two then\nstand in the centre and kiss each other at the command. The boy then\ntakes a place in the ring, and the girl remains in the centre and\nchooses a boy in her turn. In the Dublin and Isle of Man versions a girl\nis first in the centre; in the Manx version (A. W. Moore) the two\nchildren hold hands when in the centre.\n\n(_d_) In the _Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry_, Mr. Carleton\ngives this game as one of those played by young people of both sexes at\nfuneral wakes. It is played in the same way as the game now is; boys and\ngirls stand alternately in a ring holding hands, choosing each other in\nturn, and kissing. The other versions do not differ materially from each\nother, except that the Lancashire version described by Miss Dendy has\nevidently been corrupted quite lately, because a purer form is quoted\nfrom the same county in _Notes and Queries_. The game seems to be one of\nthe group of marriage games arising from the fact that at any gathering\nof people for the purpose of a ceremonial, whether a funeral or a\nfestival, it was the custom to form matrimonial alliances. The words are\nused for kiss-in-the-ring games, and also in some marriage games when\nthe last player is left without a partner.\n\n\nSkin the Goatie\n\nOne boy takes his stand in an upright position at a wall. Another boy\nstoops with his head in the breast of the one standing upright. A third\nboy jumps stride-leg on his back, and tries to \"crown,\" _i.e._, put his\nhand on the head of the boy at the wall. The boy on whose back he is\ntries every means by shifting from side to side, and by throwing up his\nback, to prevent him from doing so, and to cast him off. If he succeeds\nin doing so, he takes his stand behind the stooping boy in the same\nposition. Another boy then tries to do the same thing over the two\nstooping boys. If he succeeds in crowning the standing boy, he takes his\nstation at the wall. If not, he takes his stand behind the two stooping\nboys. The game goes on till a boy \"crowns\" the one standing at the\nwall.--Banchory (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nSee \"Saddle the Nag.\"\n\n\nSkipping\n\nStrutt says (_Sports_, p. 383), \"This amusement is probably very\nancient. Boys often contend for superiority of skill in this game, and\nhe who passes the rope about most times without interruption is the\nconqueror. In the hop season a hop-stem, stripped of its leaves, is used\ninstead of a rope, and, in my opinion, it is preferable.\" On Good Friday\non Brighton beach the fisher folk used to play at skipping, six to ten\ngrown-up people skipping at one rope.\n\nApart from the ordinary, and probably later way of playing, by one child\nholding a rope in both hands, turning it over the head, and either\nstepping over it while running, or standing still and jumping until the\nfeet catch the rope and a trip is made, skipping appears to be performed\nin two ways, jumping or stepping across with (1) more or less\ncomplicated movements of the rope and feet, and (2) the ordinary jumping\nover a turned rope while chanting rhymes, for the purpose of deciding\nwhether the players are to be married or single, occupation of future\nhusband, &c.\n\nOf the first class of game there are the following variants:--\n\n\"Pepper, salt, mustard, cider, vinegar.\"--Two girls turn the rope slowly\nat first, repeating the above words, then they turn it as quickly as\npossible until the skipper is tired out, or trips.\n\n\"Rock the Cradle.\"--In this the holders of the rope do not throw it\ncompletely over, but swing it from side to side with an even motion like\nthe swinging of the pendulum of a clock.\n\n\"Chase the Fox.\"--One girl is chosen as a leader, or fox. The first runs\nthrough the rope, as it is turned towards her, without skipping; the\nothers all follow her; then she runs through from the other side as the\nrope is turned from her, and the others follow. Then she runs in and\njumps or skips once, and the others follow suit; then she skips twice\nand runs out, then three times, the others all following in turn until\none trips or fails. The first one to do this takes the place of one of\nthe turners, the turner taking her place as one of the skippers.\n\n\"Visiting.\"--One girl turns the rope over herself, and another jumps in\nand faces her, while skipping in time with the girl she visits. She then\nruns out again without stopping the rope, and another girl runs in.\n\n\"Begging.\"--Two girls turn, and two others run and skip together side by\nside. While still skipping they change places; one says, as she passes,\n\"Give me some bread and butter;\" the other answering, \"Try my next door\nneighbour.\" This is continued until one trips.\n\n\"Winding the Clock.\"--Two turn the rope, and the skipper counts one,\ntwo, three, up to twelve, turning round each time she jumps or skips.\n\n\"Baking Bread.\"--Two girls turn, and another runs in with a stone in her\nhand, which she puts down on the ground, and picks up again while\nskipping.\n\n\"The Ladder.\"--The girls run in to skip, first on one foot and then the\nother, with a stepping motion.\n\nTwo other games are as follows:--(1.) Two ropes are used, and a girl\nholds either end in each hand, turning them alternately; the skipper has\nto jump or skip over each in turn. When the rope is turned inwards, it\nis called \"double dutch,\" when turned outwards, \"French dutch.\" (2.) The\nskipper has a short rope which she turns over herself, while two other\ngirls turn a longer rope over her head.\n\nThe second class of games consists of those cases where the skipping is\naccompanied by rhymes, and is used for the purpose of foretelling the\nfuture destiny of the skipper. These rhymes are as follows (all\ncollected by Miss Chase):--\n\n Ipsey, Pipsey, tell me true\n Who shall I be married to?\n A, B, C, &c.\n\nLetters--initial of one to whom you'll be married.--Hurstmonceux,\nSussex.\n\n Half pound tuppeny rice,\n Half a pound of treacle,\n Penny 'orth of spice\n To make it nice,\n Pop goes the weazle.\n\n--Crockham Hill, Kent.\n\n When I was young and able,\n I sat upon the table;\n The table broke,\n And gave me a poke,\n When I was young and able.\n\n[The children now add that when singing\n\n Pass the baker,[8]\n Cook the tater,\n\nis the full couplet.]--Deptford.\n\n Every morning at eight o'clock,\n You all may hear the postman's knock.\n 1, 2, 3, 4. There goes \"Polly.\"\n\nGirl named running out, and another girl running in\ndirectly.--Marylebone.\n\n Up and down the ladder wall,\n Ha'penny loaf to feed us all;\n A bit for you, and a bit for me,\n And a bit for Punch and Judy.\n\n--Paddington Green.\n\nAs they run thus, each calls in turn, \"Red, yellow, blue, white.\" Where\nyou are tripped, the colour stopped on marks that of your wedding\ngown.--Deptford.\n\nEach of the two girls turning the rope takes a colour, and as the line\nof children run through, they guess by shouting, \"Red?\" \"Green?\" When\nwrong nothing happens; they take the place of turner, however, if they\nhit upon her colour. Another way is to call it \"Sweet stuff shop,\" or\n\"green grocers,\" and guess various candies and fruits until they choose\nright.--Deptford.\n\nWhen several girls start running in to skip, they say,\n\n \"All in, a bottle of gin,\"\n\nand as they leave at a dash, they cry--\n\n \"All out, a bottle of stout.\"\n\nWhile \"in\" jumping, the turners time the skippers' movements by a sing\nsong.\n\n Up and down the city wall,\n Ha'penny loaf to feed us all;\n I buy milk, you buy flour,\n You shall have _pepper_ in half an hour.\n\n--Deptford.\n\nAt pepper turn swiftly.\n\n Up and down the ladder wall,\n Penny loaf to feed us all;\n A bit for you, and a bit for me,\n And a bit for all the familee.\n\n--Marylebone.\n\n Up and down the city wall,\n In and out \"The Eagle,\"\n That's the way the money goes,\n Pop goes the weazel.\n\n--From \"A London Maid.\"\n\n Dancing Dolly had no sense,\n For to fiddle for eighteenpence;\n All the tunes that she could play,\n Were \"Sally get out of the donkey's way.\"\n\n--Deptford.\n\n My mother said\n That the rope must go\n Over my head.\n\n--Deptford.\n\n Andy Pandy,\n Sugardy candy,\n French almond\n Rock.\n\n--Deptford.\n\n B-L-E-S-S-I-N-G.\n Roses red, roses white,\n Roses in my garden;\n I would not part\n With my sweetheart\n For tuppence hapenny farthing.\n\nA, B, C, &c., to X, Y, Z.--Deptford.\n\n Knife and fork,\n Lay the cloth,[9]\n Don't forget the salt,\n Mustard, vinegar,\n Pepper!\n\n--Deptford.\n\nThey sometimes make a girl skip back and forth the long way of the rope,\nusing this dialogue--\n\nGirl skipping.--\"Father, give me the key.\"\n\nFather.--\"Go to your mother.\"\n\nGirl jumping in opposite direction.--\"Mother, give me the key.\"\n\nMother.--\"Go to your father.\"\n\n Lady, lady, drop your handkerchief,\n Lady, lady, pick it up.\n\nSuiting action to the words, still skipping.\n\nRhyme to time the jumps--\n\n Cups and saucers,\n Plates and dishes,\n My old man wears\n Calico breeches.\n\n [8] To change from left to right side, crossing a second skipper, is\n called \"Pass the Baker.\"\n\n [9] In Marylebone add here, \"Bring me up a leg of pork.\"\n\n\nSkyte the Bob\n\nThis game might be played by two, three, or more. A small stone of a\nsquarish form, called the \"bob,\" was placed on a level piece of ground.\nOn this stone each player placed an old button, for buttons were the\nstakes. A point was fixed several yards from the stone, and a line was\ndrawn. Along this line, \"the stance,\" the players took their stand, each\nholding in his hand a small flat stone named \"the pitcher.\" This stone\nwas thrown so as to strike \"the bob\" and make the buttons fall on \"the\npitcher,\" or nearer it than \"the bob.\" The button or buttons that lay\nnearer \"the pitcher\" than \"the bob\" fell to the lot of the player. The\nsecond player did the same, but he had to guard against driving any of\nthe buttons nearer the first player's stone. If a button was nearer his\nstone than \"the bob,\" or the first player's stone, he claimed it. The\nthird player followed the same course if all the buttons had not been\nwon by the two players. If the buttons were not all won at the first\nthrow, the first player had a second chance, and so on till all the\nbuttons were won. If two played, if each won a button, they alternately\nbegan, but if one gained the two buttons, the other began. When three\nplayed, if one had two for his share he played last in the following\ngame, and the one that had nothing played first. If the players, when\nthree played, were experts, the one whose lot it was to play second, who\nwas called the \"poust,\" lost heavily, and to be \"pousted\" was always\nlooked upon as a misfortune, for the reason that the first player often\nby the first throw gained the whole stake, and then in the following\ngame the last player became the first, and the gainer in the foregoing\ngame became the last. If this player carried off the whole stake, he in\nthe next game took the last place, and the last took the first, and so\nbetween the two good players the \"poust\" had no chance.--Aberdeenshire\n(Rev. W. Gregor).--See \"Buttons.\"\n\n\nSmuggle the Gig\n\nMr. Ballantyne describes the game as played in his young days at Biggar\nas follows:--Two boys would each select his own side. \"First pick\" was\ndecided by lot. A third boy took two straws, one shorter than the other,\nand held them between his finger and thumb in such a way that only\nequal lengths were visible. Each leader drew a straw. The one who drew\nthe longest had \"first pick\" of all the intended players, the other\nleader had the next; alternate choice was then made by them until both\nsides were complete, and were ranged by their leaders. Then lots were\nagain drawn as to which side should go out first. The side going out had\nto show the Gig; anything easily carried in the hand sufficed. The\n\"outs\" went out from the den twenty or thirty yards, sometimes round the\nend of a house, to \"smuggle the Gig\"--that is, to give one of their\nnumber the Gig to carry, care being taken that the \"ins\" did not know\nwho had it. During this time the leader of the ins called \"out\" in a\nloud voice--\n\n Zimerie, twaerie, hickeri seeven,\n Aucherie, daucherie, ten and eleven;\n Twall ran musha dan\n Tweedledum, twadledum, twenty-one. Time's up!\n\nOuts had all to appear by \"Ready\" when the chase began. Boundary limits\nwere fixed, beyond which outs could not run and ins could not stand,\nwithin a fixed distance of the den. This den was a place marked by a\nmark or rut in the ground, about four feet by six feet. The outs\nendeavoured (particularly the one carrying the Gig) to get into the den\nbefore any one could catch and \"crown\" him. The pursued, when caught,\nwas held by the pursuer, his cap taken off, and the palm of the hand was\nplaced on the crown of his head. As he did so the pursuer would say,\n\"Deliver up the Gig.\" If he had it not, the pursuer went off after\nanother player. If he had the Gig, and succeeded in getting into the den\nwithout being \"crowned,\" outs won the game; but if the Gig was caught\nand \"crowned,\" ins won.\n\nAt Fraserburgh the players are divided equally. A spot is marked off,\ncalled the Nestie. Any small object known to all is chosen as the Gig.\nOne half of the players receive the Gig and retire, so as not to be seen\ndistinctly by the other half that remains in and near the Nestie. The\nGig is concealed on the person of one of the players that retire. When\neverything is ready those having the Gig move towards the Nestie, and\nthose in the Nestie come to meet them. The aim is to catch the player\nwho has the Gig before reaching the Nestie. If this is done the same\nplayers again hide the Gig, but if the Gig is discovered, the players\ndiscovering it now hide it.\n\nAt Old Aberdeen sides are chosen, then a small article (such as a knife)\nis made the _gig_. Then one side, determined by a toss, goes out and\nsmuggles the gig and cries out, \"Smuggle the gig.\" Then the other side\nrushes in and tries to catch the one that has the \"gig.\" If the one that\nhas the gig is free, the same side goes out again.--Rev. W. Gregor.\n\nSee \"Gegg.\"\n\n\nSnail Creep\n\nIn Mid-Cornwall, in the second week of June, at St. Roche, and in one or\ntwo adjacent parishes, a curious dance is performed at their annual\n\"feasts.\" It enjoys the rather undignified name of \"Snail Creep,\" but\nwould be more properly called the \"Serpent's Coil.\" The following is\nscarcely a perfect description of it:--\"The young people being all\nassembled in a large meadow, the village band strikes up a simple but\nlively air and marches forward, followed by the whole assemblage,\nleading hand-in-hand (or more closely linked in case of engaged\ncouples), the whole keeping time to the tune with a lively step. The\nband, or head of the serpent, keeps marching in an ever-narrowing\ncircle, whilst its train of dancing followers becomes coiled around it\nin circle after circle. It is now that the most interesting part of the\ndance commences, for the band, taking a sharp turn about, begins to\nretrace the circle, still followed as before, and a number of young men,\nwith long leafy branches in their hands as standards, direct this\ncounter movement with almost military precision.\"--W. C. Wade (_Western\nAntiquary_, April 1881).\n\nA game similar to the above dance is often played by Sunday school\nchildren in West Cornwall, at their out-of-door summer treats, called by\nthem \"Roll tobacco.\" They join hands in one long line, the taller\nchildren at their head. The first child stands still, whilst the others\nin ever-narrowing circles dance around singing until they are coiled\ninto a tight mass. The outer coil then wheels sharply in a contrary\ndirection, followed by the remainder, retracing their steps.--Courtney's\n_Cornish Feasts and Folk-lore_, p. 39. A Scottish game, \"Row Chow\nTobacco,\" described by Jamieson, is played in the same way, the boy at\nthe extremity being called the \"Pin.\" A clamorous noise succeeds\nthe \"winding up,\" the players crying out \"Row Chow Tobacco\" while\ngiving and receiving the fraternal hug. The words are pronounced\nRowity-chowity-bacco. The naming of this game in connection with tobacco\nis curious. It is undoubtedly the same as \"Snail Creep.\" I am inclined\nto think that all these games are connected with an ancient form of\nTree-worship, and that the analogy of tobacco-rolling is quite modern.\n\nSee \"Bulliheisle,\" \"Eller Tree,\" \"Tuilyie-waps,\" \"Wind up the Bush\nFaggot.\"\n\n\nSnapping Tongs\n\nSee \"Musical Chairs.\"\n\n\nSnatch Apple\n\nA game similar to \"Bob Cherry,\" but played with an apple.--Halliwell's\n_Dictionary_.\n\n\nSnatch Hood\n\nAn undescribed boy's game mentioned in a statute of Edward III.'s\ntime.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\n\nSoldier\n\n I am an old soldier, I come from the war,\n Come from the war;\n I am an old soldier, I come from the war,\n And my age it is sixty-and-three.\n\n I have but one son and he lies alone, lies alone,\n I have but one son and he lies alone;\n And he's still making moan for lying alone.\n\n Son, go choose a wife of your own,\n Choose a good one or else choose none,\n Or bring none home to me.\n\n Now they're got married, they're bound to obey,\n Bound to obey in every degree;\n And as you go round kiss all but me.\n\n--Belfast, Ireland (W. H. Patterson).\n\nThe players form a ring and sing the first three verses. Then one of the\nplayers chooses a girl from the ring. The first three verses are again\nsung until the whole ring is arranged in couples; then the first couple\nkneels in the middle, and the rest dance round them singing the marriage\nformula; then the second couple, and so on, each couple kissing.\n\n\nSolomon\n\nThe players knelt in a line; the one at the head, in a very solemn tone,\nchaunted, \"Solomon had a great dog;\" the others answered in the same\nway, \"Just so\" (this was always the refrain). Then the first speaker\nmade two or three more ridiculous speeches, ending with, \"And at last\nthis great dog died, and fell down,\" giving at the same time a violent\nlurch against his next neighbour, who, not expecting it, fell against\nhis, and so on, to the end of the line.--Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_,\nv. 50).\n\nSee \"Obadiah,\" \"Quaker's Wedding.\"\n\n\nSort'em-billyort'em\n\nA Lancashire game, very similar to \"Hot Peas and Bacon.\"--Halliwell's\n_Dictionary_.\n\n\nSow-in-the-Kirk\n\nA large hole is made in the ground, surrounded by smaller ones,\naccording to the number of the players, every one of whom has a shintie,\nor hooked stick. The middle hole is called the kirk. He who takes the\nlead in the game is called the sow-driver. His object is to drive a\nsmall piece of wood or bone, called the sow, into the large hole or\nkirk; while that of his opponents, every one of whom keeps his shintie\nin one of the smaller holes, is to frustrate his exertions by driving\nback the sow. If he succeeds, either in knocking it into one of the\nsmall holes, while one of his antagonists is in the act of striking it\nback, he is released from the drudgery of being driver. In the latter\ncase, the person whose vacancy he has occupied takes the servile station\nwhich he formerly held.--Lothian (Jamieson). This is said to be the same\ngame with \"Church and Mice\" in Fife. Jamieson's description is not very\nlucid. It appears that each player must hold his shintie with its end in\nhis hole, and it is only when he takes it out to prevent the sow-driver\ngetting his sow into or towards the kirk, that the sow-driver has the\nchance of putting the sow into the player's hole, and so causing that\nplayer to take the place of sow-driver.\n\nSee \"Kirk the Gussie.\"\n\n\nSpan Counter\n\nA common game among boys. \"You shall finde me playing at Span\nCounter.\"--Dekker's _Northward Hoe_. Toone, _Etymological Dictionary_,\nmentions this as a juvenile game played with counters.\n\n Boys shall not play\n At span counter or blow pipe.\n\n--Donne (_Satire_ iv.).\n\nDr. Grosart, in noting this passage, says, \"I rather think the game is\nstill played by boys when they directly, or by rebound, endeavour to\nplay their button or marble into a hole.\" Strutt briefly notes the game\nas being similar to \"Boss Out.\"--_Sports_, p. 384. Halliwell\n(_Dictionary_) simply gives the quotation from Donne's Poems, p. 131,\nmentioning the game.\n\nSee \"Boss Out.\"\n\n\nSpang and Purley\n\nA mode resorted to by boys of measuring distances, particularly at the\ngame of marbles. It means a space and something more.--Brockett's _North\nCountry Words_.\n\n\nSpangie\n\nA game played by boys with marbles or halfpence. A marble or halfpenny\nis struck against the wall. If the second player can bring his so near\nthat of his antagonist as to include both within a _span_, he claims\nboth as his.--Jamieson.\n\nThis is the same game as \"Banger,\" \"Boss Out.\" Probably the Old English\ngame of \"Span Counter,\" or \"Span Farthing,\" was originally the\nsame.--See Johnson's _Dictionary_.\n\n\nSpannims\n\nA game at marbles played in the eastern parts of England.--Halliwell's\n_Dictionary_.\n\n\nSpawnie\n\nThe same game as \"Spangie.\"--Keith (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n\nSpinny-Wye\n\nThe name of a game among children at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. I suspect this\nis nearly the same with \"Hide and Seek.\" \"I spye\" is the usual\nexclamation at a childish game called \"Hie, spy, hie.\"--Brand, ii. 442.\n\n\nSplints\n\nA game at marbles, in which they are dropped from the hand in\nheaps.--Easther's _Almondbury Glossary_.\n\n\nSpurn point\n\nAn old game (undescribed) mentioned in the play _Apollo Shroving_,\nLondon, 1627, p. 49.\n\n\nSpy-arm\n\nA game of Hide-and-Seek, with this difference, that when those are found\nwho are hid the finder cries Spy-arm; and if the one discovered can\ncatch the discoverer, he has a ride upon his back to the\ndools.--Mactaggart's _Gallovidian Encyclop\u00e6dia_.\n\nSee \"Hide and Seek\" (1).\n\n\nStacks\n\nA stack in the centre of the stackyard was selected, and round a part of\none side a rut was marked in the earth usually by the toe-bit of the\nploughman's boot. This enclosure, not over four feet wide at the\nbroadest part, was called the den. One of the players, selected to be\nthe catcher, stood within this den, and when all the players were ready\nturned his face to the stack, and counted out loud the numerals from one\nto twenty, the last with a great shout. During the count the players ran\nround the stacks out of sight, but no hiding nor leaving the stackyard,\nthis was \"not fair.\" When twenty was heard one would shout back \"Ready!\"\nThen out came the catcher. He was not permitted to stand in or near the\nden, but went out among the stacks and caught as many players as he\ncould before they reached the den. The great aim of those \"out\" was to\nget into the den unseen and untouched. If all the players got in, then\nthe catcher had to try again; but when all were caught (which was seldom\nor never), the last one caught was catcher for the next game. When one\nplayer was touched by the catcher he or she had to remain in the den\ntill the rest were all in.--Biggar (Wm. Ballantyne).\n\nMr. Ballantyne says, \"This game usually ended in a promiscuous\n'catching' and 'touching' game, each lad trying to catch the lass he\nliked best, and some lads, for the fun of the thing, would try and get a\nparticular girl first, her wishes and will not being considered in the\nmatter; and it seemed to be an unwritten law among them for the lass to\n'gang wi' the lad that catched her first,' yet I have known lassies take\nthis opportunity to favour the lad they preferred. It was the correct\nthing for the people to visit each other's farms in rotation to play\n'the stacks.'\" This game was played when all the crops of grain were in\nthe stackyard under thack and rape (?nape). Then it was customary for\nthe servant lads and lasses of neighbours' \"ferm toons\" to gather\ntogether and play at this game. Mr. Ballantyne considers it was the\nthird of three festivals formerly held at the ingathering of the crops.\n\nSee \"Barley Break.\"\n\n\nStag\n\nA boys' game. One boy issues forth and tries to \"tig\" another,\npreviously saying this nominy, or the first two lines--\n\n Stag, stag arony,\n Ma' dog's bony,\n Them 'at Aw catch\n 'Ill ha' to go wi' me.\n\nWhen one boy is tigged (or \"tug\") the two issue forth hand in hand, and\nwhen more, all hand in hand. The other players have the privilege of\nbreaking the chain, and if they succeed the parties forming it are\nliable to be ridden back to the den. At Lepton, where the game was\npublicly played, the boundaries were \"Billy tour end, Penny Haas end,\nand I' Horsin step.\" So played in 1810, and is still.--Easther's\n_Almondbury Glossary_.\n\nIn the Sheffield district it is called \"Rag Stag,\" and is usually\nplayed in the playground, or yard, attached to a school. Any number can\nplay. A place is chalked out in a corner or angle formed by the walls or\nhedges surrounding the playground. This is called the den, and a boy\nstands within the den. Sometimes the den is formed by chalking an area\nout upon a footpath, as in the game of \"Bedlams.\" The boy in the den\nwalks or runs out, crying, \"Rag-stag, jinny I over, catching,\" and\nhaving said this he attempts to catch one of the boys in the playground\nwho have agreed to play the game. Having caught him he takes him back\ninto the den. When they have got into the den they run out hand-in-hand,\none of them crying, \"Rag-stag, jinny I over, touching,\" whilst the other\nimmediately afterwards calls out, \"Rag-stag, jinny I over, catching.\"\nThey must keep hold of each other's hands, and whilst doing so the one\nwho cried out \"Touching\" attempts to touch one of the boys in the\nplayground, whilst the one who cried \"Catching\" attempts to catch one of\nsuch boys. If a boy is caught or touched, the two boys who came out of\nthe den, together with their prisoner, run back as quickly as possible\ninto the den, with their hands separated. If whilst they are running\nback into the den any boy in the playground can catch any one of the\nthree who are running back, he jumps on his back and rides as far as the\nden, but he must take care not to ride too far, for when the boys who\nare already caught enter the den they can seize their riders, and pull\nthem into the den. In this case the riders too are caught. The process\nis repeated until all are caught.--Addy's _Sheffield Glossary_.\n\nAnother name for the game is \"Stag-out.\" One player is Stag, and has a\nplace marked out for his bounds. He stands inside, and then rushes out\nwith his hands clasped together, and endeavours to touch one of the\nother players, which being accomplished, he has the privilege of riding\non the boy's back to his bounds again.--_Book of Sports._ In a London\nversion the hands were held above the head, and joined by interlacing\nthe thumbs, the fingers being outspread, the boy had to touch another\nwhile in this position.\n\nIn Shropshire it is called \"Stag-warning.\" One boy is chosen Stag; he\nruns about the playground with his clasped hands held palms together in\nfront of him, trying to tick (= touch) others. Each whom he touches\njoins hands with him, and they run together in an ever-lengthening\nchain, sweeping the playground from end to end, the boys at each end of\nthe chain \"ticking\" others with their disengaged hands, till all are\ncaught but one, who becomes the next \"Stag.\" The Stag gives notice of\nhis start by exclaiming--\n\n Stag-warning, stag-warning,\n Come out to-morrow morning!\n\n--Shrewsbury.\n\n Stag a-rag a-rorning\n Very frosty morning!\n What I cannot catch to-night I'll catch to-morrow morning!\n\n--Chirbury (Burne's _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 523).\n\nThe game is mentioned by Mr. Patterson in his _Antrim and Down\nGlossary_. Northall's _English Folk Rhymes_, p. 392, gives a\nWarwickshire and Staffordshire version, in which the first player\n\"ticked\" or \"tagged\" becomes Stag when the first game is concluded, all\nhaving been caught. The words used are--\n\n Stag aloney,\n My long poney,\n Kick the bucket over.\n\nHalliwell (_Dictionary_) also describes the game, and indicates its\norigin. The boy chosen for the game clasps his hands together, and,\nholding them out, threatens his companions as though pursuing them with\nhorns, and a chase ensues in which the Stag endeavours to strike one of\nthem, who then becomes Stag in his turn. Unfortunately, Halliwell does\nnot, in this instance, give his authority, but if it is taken from the\nplayers themselves, it is a sufficient account of the origin of the\ngame, apart from the evidence of the name. All this group of games is\nevidently to be traced to one original, though in different places the\ndetail of the game has developed somewhat differently. It evidently\ncomes down from the time when stags were hunted not so much for sport as\nfor food.\n\nSee \"Chickidy Hand,\" \"Hornie,\" \"Hunt the Stagie,\" \"Shepherds,\"\n\"Warney.\"\n\n\nStagging\n\nA man's game. Two men have their ankles tied together and their wrists\ntied behind their backs. They then try to knock each other\ndown.--Patterson's _Antrim Glossary_.\n\nSee \"Hirtschin Hairy.\"\n\n\nSteal the Pigs\n\nThe game represents the stealing of a woman's children and the recovery\nof them. The mother, before beginning to wash, disposes of her children\nin a safe place. She proceeds to do her washing. While she is busy a\nchild-snatcher comes and takes away one. The others begin to cry. The\nmother hears them crying. She goes and asks the reason of their crying,\nand is told that a woman came and took away one of them. She scolds and\nbeats them all; tells them to be more careful for the time to come, and\nreturns to her washing. Again the children cry, and the mother goes to\nsee what is the matter with them, and is told the same thing. She\nrepeats her admonition and bodily correction, and returns to her work.\nThis process is repeated till all the children are stolen. After\nfinishing her washing, she goes to her children and finds the last one\ngone. She sets out in search of them, and meets a woman whom she\nquestions if she had seen her children. She denies all knowledge of\nthem. The mother persists, and at last discovers all her stolen\nchildren. She demands them back. The stealer refuses, and puts them\nbehind her and stands on her defence. A tussel takes place. The mother\nin the long run rescues her children.--Fraserburgh (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nSee \"Mother, Mother, Pot boils over,\" \"Witch.\"\n\n\nStealy Clothes\n\nSee \"Scots and English.\"\n\n\nSteik and Hide\n\nThe game of Hide and Seek.--Aberdeen (Jamieson).\n\n\nSticky-stack\n\nA game among young people in running up the face or cut part of a\nhay-stack to try who can put in a stick the highest.--Brockett's _North\nCountry Words_.\n\n\nSticky Toffey\n\nName of a game (undescribed) recorded by the Rev. S. D. Headlam, as\nplayed by Hoxton School children at Hoxton.--_Church Reformer_, 1894.\n\n\nStiff Police\n\nA game (undescribed) recorded by the Rev. S. D. Headlam, as played by\nHoxton School children.--_Church Reformer_, 1894.\n\n\nStik-n Snael (Stick and Snell)\n\nGame of cat.--Elworthy, _West Somerset Words_. The short stick, pointed\nat both ends, is called a snell.\n\n\nStocks\n\nA schoolboys' game. Two boys pick a side, and there is one den only, and\nthey toss to see which side shall keep it. The side which wins the toss\nthen goes out, and when two boys have got a good distance off they cry\n\"Stocks.\" The boys who keep the den run after them to catch them. When\none is caught his capturer counts ten while he holds him (in a more\nprimitive but less refined state, spat over his head) and cries\n_Stocks_. This prisoner is taken into the den. If they are all caught\nthe other side turns out. But if one of the outer side can manage to run\nthrough the den and cry \"Stocks,\" all the prisoners are relieved, and\ncan go out again.--Easther's _Almondbury Glossary_. See \"Stacks.\"\n\n\nStones\n\nA circle of stones is formed according to the number of players,\ngenerally five or seven each side. One of the out party stands in the\ncentre of the circle, and lobs at the different stones in rotation; each\nhit a player gives all his side must change stations, in some places\ngoing round to the left and in others to the right. The stones are\ndefended by the hand or a stick, according as a ball or stick is lobbed.\nAll the players are out if the stone is hit, or the ball or stick\ncaught, or one of the players is hit while running. In different\ncounties or places these games are more or less modified.--Dublin,\n_Folk-lore Journal_, ii. 264-265.\n\nMr. Kinahan, who describes this game, adds a very instructive note,\nwhich is worth quoting:--\n\n\"These games I have seen played over half a century ago, with a\nlob-stick, but of later years with a ball, long before a cricket club\nexisted, in Trinity College, Dublin, and when the game was quite unknown\nin a great part of Ireland. At the same time, they may have been\nintroduced by some of the earlier settlers, and afterwards degenerated\ninto the games mentioned above; but I would be inclined to suspect that\nthe Irish are the primitive games, they having since been improved into\ncricket. At the present day these games nearly everywhere are succeeded\nby cricket, but often of a very primitive form, the wickets being stones\nset on end, or a pillar of stones; while the ball is often wooden, and\nvery rudely formed.\"\n\n\nStool-ball\n\nThe first mention of this game is by Smyth in his _Berkeley\nManuscripts_. In the reign of Elizabeth, the Earl of Leicester, with an\nextraordinary number of attendants and multitudes of country people, and\n\"whom my neighbours parallel to Bartholomew faire in London, came to\nWotton, and thence to Michaelwood Lodge, castinge down part of the\npales, which like a little park then enclosed the Lodge (for the gates\nwere too narrow to let in his Trayne), and thence went to Wotton Hill,\nwhere hee plaid a match at stoball.\"--_Gloucestershire County\nFolk-lore_, p. 26.\n\nThe earliest description of the game, however, is by Aubrey. He says \"it\nis peculiar to North Wilts, North Gloucestershire, and a little part of\nSomerset near Bath. They smite a ball, stuffed very hard with quills and\ncovered with soale leather, with a staffe, commonly made of withy, about\nthree feet and a half long. Colerne down is the place so famous and so\nfrequented for stobball playing. The turfe is very fine and the rock\n(freestone) is within an inch and a halfe of the surface which gives the\nball so quick a rebound. A stobball ball is of about four inches\ndiameter and as hard as a stone. I do not heare that this game is used\nanywhere in England but in this part of Wiltshire and Gloucestershire\nadjoining.\" (Aubrey's _Natural History of Wiltshire_, p. 117;\n_Collections for North Wilts_, p. 77). It is no doubt the same game as\nStool-ball, which is alluded to by Herrick in 1648 (_Hesperides_), and\nin Poor Robin's Almanack for 1677 (see Halliwell's _Dictionary_).\nD'Urfey's _Don Quixote_, written in 1694, alludes to it as follows:--\n\n \"Down in a vale, on a summer's day,\n All the lads and lasses met to be merry;\n A match for kisses at stool-ball to play,\n And for cakes and ale, and cider and perry.\"\n\n_Chorus;_\n\n \"Come all, great, small, short, tall--\n Away to stool-ball.\"\n\nIt is also alluded to in Poor Robin's Almanack for 1740:\n\n \"Now milkmaids pails are deckt with flowers,\n And men begin to drink in bowers,\n The mackarels come up in shoals,\n To fill the mouths of hungry souls;\n Sweet sillabubs, and lip-lov'd tansey,\n For William is prepared by Nancy.\n Much time is wasted now away,\n At pigeon-holes, and nine-pin play,\n Whilst hob-nail Dick, and simpring Frances,\n Trip it away in country dances;\n At _stool-ball_ and at barley-break,\n Wherewith they harmless pastime make.\"\n\nIt is described by Strutt in _Sports and Pastimes_, p. 103, as a variety\nof game more commonly known as \"goff\" or \"bandy ball,\" the paganica of\nthe Romans, who also stuffed their balls with feathers. According to Dr.\nJohnson, the balls are driven from stool to stool, hence the name.\n\nIn spite of Aubrey's opinion as to the limited range of this game, it\nappears to have been pretty generally played. Thus, Roberts' _Cambrian\nAntiquities_ says, \"Stool-ball, resembling cricket, except that no bats\nare used and that a stool was substituted for the wicket, was in my\nmemory also a favourite game on holydays, but it is now seldom or ever\nplayed. It generally began on Easter Eve\" (p. 123). It was also an old\nSussex game. Mr. Parish's account is that it was \"similar in many\nrespects to cricket, played by females. It has lately been revived in\nEast Sussex by the establishment of stool-ball clubs in many villages.\nThe elevens go long distances to play their matches; they practise\nregularly and frequently, display such perfection of fielding and\nwicket-keeping as would put most amateur cricketers to shame. The rules\nare printed and implicitly obeyed.\"--Parish's _Dictionary of Sussex\nDialect_.\n\nMiss Edith Mendham says of the Sussex game, it is supposed to derive its\nname from being played by milkmaids when they returned from milking.\nTheir stools were (I think) used as wickets, and the rules were as\nfollows:--\n\n1. The wickets to be boards one foot square, mounted on a stake, which,\nwhen fixed in the ground, must be four feet nine inches from the ground.\n\n2. The wickets to be sixteen yards apart, the bowling crease to be eight\nyards from the wicket.\n\n3. The bowler to stand with one foot behind the crease, and in bowling\nmust neither jerk nor throw the ball.\n\n4. The ball to be of that kind known as \"Best Tennis,\" No. 3.\n\n5. The bats to be of wood, and made the same size and shape as\nbattledores.\n\n6. The striker to be out if the ball when bowled hits the wicket, or if\nthe ball be caught in the _hands_ of any of the opposing side, or if in\nrunning, preparing to run, or pretending to run, the ball be thrown or\ntouch the wicket before the striker reaches it, and the ball in all\ncases must strike the face of the wicket, and in running the striker\nmust at each run strike the wicket with her bat.\n\n7. There should be eleven players on each side.\n\n8. Overs to consist of eight balls.\n\nMiss F. Hagden, in her short History of Alfriston, Sussex, says, \"In the\nJubilee year the game of stool-ball was revived and played in the Tye\nfield. The rules resemble those of cricket, but the wickets are square\nboards on posts; the bowler stands in the centre of the pitch, the bats\nused are round boards with a handle. The game in Alfriston seems now to\nhave died out again, but in many villages there are regular clubs for\nthe girls,\" p. 43. It also appears to be a game among Lancashire\nchildren to this day. A stool is used as a wicket, at which it is\nattempted to throw the ball; a player stands near the stool, and using\nhis or her hand as a bat, wards off the blow. If the ball hits the stool\nthe thrower takes the place at wicket; or if the ball is caught the\ncatcher becomes the guardian of the stool. Stool-ball, like all ball\ngames, was usually played at Easter for tansy cakes. Mr. Newell (_Games\nand Songs_) says this game is recorded by the second governor of\nMassachusetts as being played under date of the second Christmas of the\ncolony.\n\nSee \"Bittle-battle,\" \"Cricket,\" \"Stool-ball.\"\n\n\nStrik a Licht\n\nA version of hide and seek. One player is chosen to be \"it.\" The other\nplayers go away to a distance and \"show a light,\" to let \"it\" understand\nthey are ready. They then hide, and the first one found has to be \"it\"\nin place of the previous seeker.--Aberdeen (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nSee \"Hide and Seek.\"\n\n\nStroke\n\nA game at marbles, where each player places a certain number on a line\nand plays in turns from a distance mark called \"scratch,\" keeping such\nas he may knock off.--Lowsley's _Berkshire Glossary_.\n\n\nStroke Bias\n\nBrome, in his _Travels over England_, 1700, p. 264, says: \"The Kentish\nmen have a peculiar exercise, especially in the eastern parts, which is\nnowhere else used in any other country, I believe, but their own; it is\ncalled 'Stroke Bias,' and the manner of it is thus. In the summer time\none or two parishes convening make choice of twenty, and sometimes more,\nof the best runners which they can cull out in their precincts, who send\na challenge to an equal number of racers within the liberties of two\nother parishes, to meet them at a set day upon some neighbouring plain;\nwhich challenge, if accepted, they repair to the place appointed,\nwhither also the county resort in great numbers to behold the match,\nwhen having stripped themselves at the goal to their shirts and drawers,\nthey begin the course, every one bearing in his eye a particular man at\nwhich he aims; but after several traverses and courses on both sides,\nthat side, whose legs are the nimblest to gain the first seven strokes\nfrom their antagonists, carry the day and win the prize. Nor is this\ngame only appropriated to the men, but in some places the maids have\ntheir set matches too, and are as vigorous and active to obtain a\nvictory.\"\n\n\nSun and Moon\n\n\"A kinde of play wherein two companies of boyes holding hands all\non a rowe, doe pull with hard hold one another, till one be\novercome.\"--Quoted by Halliwell (_Dictionary_), from _Thomasii\nDictionarium_, London, 1644.\n\n\nSunday Night\n\n I. Sunday night an' Nancy, oh!\n My delight and fancy, oh!\n All the world that I should know\n If I had a Katey, oh!\n\n \"He! ho! my Katey, oh!\n My bonny, bonny Katey, oh!\n All the world that I should keep\n If I had a Katey, oh!\"\n\n--Liphook, Hants (Miss Fowler).\n\n II. Sunday night and brandy, O!\n My life and saying so,\n My life and saying so,\n Call upon me Annie, O!\n I Annie, O!\n Bonnie, bonnie Annie, O!\n She's the girl that I should like\n If I had an Annie, O!\n\n--Earls Heaton, Yorks. (H. Hardy).\n\n(_b_) The children stand in a row with backs against a wall or fence,\nwhilst one stands out and stepping backwards and forwards to the tune\nsings the first verse. Then she rushes to pick out one, taking her by\nthe hands and standing face to face with her, sings the other verse.\nThen the two separate their hands, and standing side by side sing the\nfirst verse over again, taking another girl from the row, and so on\nagain.\n\n\"Monday night,\" or \"Pimlico,\" is the name of a singing game mentioned by\nthe Rev. S. D. Headlam, in _The Church Reformer_, as played by children\nin the schools at Hoxton, which he says was accompanied by a kind of\nchaunt of a very fascinating kind.\n\n\nSun Shines\n\n The sun shines above and the sun shines below,\n And a' the lasses in this school is dying in love I know,\n Especially (girl's name) she's beautiful and fair;\n She's awa wi' (a boy's name) for the curl o's hair.\n In comes (girl's name) mother with the glass in her han',\n Says--My dearest daughter, I'm glad you're gettin a man,\n I'm glad you're gettin a man and a cooper to trade,\n And let a' the world say he is a rovin' blade.\n\n--Fraserburgh (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nAll sing to \"especially,\" boy chooses girl, and then the two whirl\nround, and all sing to the end.\n\n\nSweer Tree\n\nTwo persons sit down feet to feet and catch a stick with their hands;\nthen whoever lifteth the other is the strongest.--Mactaggart's\n_Gallovidian Encyclop\u00e6dia_.\n\nCompare \"Honey pots.\"\n\n\nSwinging\n\nRhymes were said or sung by children and young people when swinging.\nThey were of the same character, and in many instances the same as those\ngiven in \"See-saw\" and \"Shuttlefeather,\" and were used formerly for\npurposes of divination. The following extract, from the _Pall Mall\nGazette_ of Sept. 19th, 1895, seems to indicate an early notion\nconnected with swinging. It is taken from one of the articles in that\npaper upon Jabez Balfour's diary during his residence in the Argentine\nRepublic:--\"On the 2nd November he (Balfour) mentions a curious Bolivian\ncustom on All Souls' Day, when 'they erect high swings, and old and\nyoung swing all day long, in the hope that while they swing they may\napproach the spirits of their departed friends as they fly from\nPurgatory to Paradise.' Two days later he adds: 'I have to-day heard\nanother explanation of the Bolivian practice of swinging on All Souls'\nDay. They swing as high as they can so as to reach the topmost branches\nof the trees, and whenever they are thereby able to pull off a branch\nthey release a soul from Purgatory.'\"--_Notes and Queries_, 8th series,\nvi. 345. With this may be compared one of the methods and words used\nwhile swinging which I remember playing, namely, that while swinging,\neither in a room or garden, the object was to endeavour to touch either\na beam in the ceiling or the top branches of a tree, singing at the same\ntime a rhyme of which I only recollect this fragment:\n\n One to earth and one to heaven,\n And _this_ to carry my soul to heaven.\n\nThe last was said when the effort was made to touch the ceiling or tree\nwith the feet.--(A. B. Gomme.)\n\nMiss Chase has sent me the following rhymes:\n\n I went down the garden\n And there I found a farth'ng;\n I gave it to my mother\n To buy a little brother;\n The brother was so cross\n I sat him on the horse;\n The horse was so bandy\n I gave him a drop (_or_ glass) of brandy;\n The brandy was so strong\n I set him on the pond;\n The pond was so deep\n I sent him off to sleep;\n The sleep was so sound\n I set him on the ground;\n The ground was so flat\n I set him on the cat;\n The cat ran away\n With the boy on his back;\n And a good bounce [A great push here]\n Over the high gate wall.\n\nSaid while swing stops itself:--\n\n Die, pussy, die,\n Shut your little eye,\n When you wake,\n Find a cake;\n Die, pussy, die.\n\n--Deptford.\n\n Wingy, wongy,\n Days are longy,\n Cuckoo and the sparrow;\n Little dog has lost his tail,\n And he shall be hung to-morrow.\n\n--Marylebone.\n\nThe Deptford version is practically the same as known in several parts\nof the country, and Mr. Gerish has printed a Norfolk version in\n_Folk-lore_ (vi. 202), which agrees down to the line \"sent him off to\nsleep,\" and then finishes with--\n\n With a heigh-ho!\n Over the bowling green.\n\nWhen they came to the \"heigh-ho\" a more energetic push than usual was\ngiven to the occupant of the swing, who was then expected to vacate the\nswing and allow another child a turn. Thus the rhyme served as an\nallowance of time to each child.\n\nAn amusement of boys in Galloway is described as on the slack rope,\nriding and shoving one another on the curve of the rope: they recite\nthis to the swings--\n\n Shuggie show, druggie draw,\n Haud the grip, ye canna fa';\n Haud the grup or down ye come,\n And danceth on your braid bum.\n\n--Mactaggart's _Gallovidian Encyclop\u00e6dia_.\n\nBrockett (_North Country Words_) describes as a swing: a long rope\nfastened at each end, and thrown over a beam, on which young persons\nseat themselves and are swung backwards and forwards in the manner of a\npendulum.\n\nSee \"Merritot.\"\n\n\nTait\n\nThe Dorset game of \"See-saw.\"--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\n\nTeesty-Tosty\n\nThe blossoms of cowslips collected together tied in a globular form, and\nused to toss to and fro for an amusement called \"Teesty-Tosty,\" or\nsimply sometimes \"Tosty.\"--Somerset (Holloway's _Dict. of\nProvincialisms_).\n\nA writer in _Byegones_ for July 1890, p. 142, says, \"Tuswball\" means a\nbunch. He gives the following rhyme, used when tossing the ball:--\n\n Tuswball, tuswball, tell unto me\n What my sweetheart's name shall be.\n\nThen repeating letters of the alphabet until the ball falls, and the\nletter last called will indicate the sweetheart's name.\n\nSee \"Ball,\" \"Shuttlefeather,\" \"Trip Trout.\"\n\n\nTeter-cum-Tawter\n\nThe East Anglian game of \"See-saw.\"--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\n\nTee-to-tum.\n\nSee \"Totum.\"\n\n\nThimble Ring\n\n I come with my ringle jingles\n Under my lady's apron strings.\n First comes summer, and then comes May,\n The queen's to be married on midsummer day.\n Here she sits and here she stands,\n As fair as a lily, as white as a swan;\n A pair of green gloves to draw on her hands,\n As ladies wear in Cumberland.\n I've brought you three letters, so pray you read one,\n I can't read one unless I read all,\n So pray, Miss Nancy, deliver them all.\n\n--Sheffield (S. O. Addy).\n\nA number of young men and women form themselves into an oval ring, and\none stands in the centre. A thimble is given to one of those who form\nthe ring, and it is passed round from one to another, so that nobody\nknows who has it. Then the one who stands in the centre goes to the man\nat the top of the oval ring and says, \"My lady's lost her gold ring.\nHave you got it?\" He answers \"Me, sir? no, sir.\" The one in the middle\nsays, \"I think you lie, sir, but tell me who has got it.\" Then he points\nout the one who has the thimble, of which he takes possession, and then\nsays the above lines. Then the one who was found to have had the thimble\ntakes the place of the one inside the ring, and the game is repeated.\n\nHalliwell gives a version of this game under the name of Diamond Ring\n(_Nursery Rhymes_, p. 223), but the words used consist only of the\nfollowing lines:--\n\n My lady's lost her diamond ring,\n I pitch upon you to find it.\n\nIn the two following games from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire there are no\nwords used in rhymes or couplets.\n\nOne child stands in the centre of a ring, which is formed by each member\nclasping the wrist of his or her left hand neighbour with the left hand,\nthus leaving the right hand free. A thimble is provided, and is held by\none of the players in the right hand. No circular movement is necessary,\nbut as the tune is sung, the right hand of each member is placed\nalternately in that of their right and left hand neighbour, each\nperforming the action in a swinging style, as if they had to pass the\nring on, and in such a manner, that the one standing in the centre\ncannot detect it. The thimble may be detained or passed on just as the\nplayers think fit. The words are the following:--\n\n The thimble is going,\n I don't know where.\n\nVaried with\n\n It's first over here,\n\nOr\n\n It's over there,\n\nas the case may be, or rather may not be, in order to throw the victim\nin the centre off the scent.--West Riding of Yorkshire (Miss Bush).\n\nThe players sit in a row or circle, with their hands held palm to palm\nin their laps. The leader of the game takes a thimble, and going to\nevery member of the company in turn, pretends to slip it between their\nfingers, or to hide it in their pinafores, saying as she does so--\"I\nbring you my lady's thimble, you must hold it fast, and very fast\nindeed.\" Whereon each child thus addressed should assume an air of\ntriumph suitable to the possession of such a treasure. After the whole\nparty have gone through the farce of receiving the thimble, the girl who\ncarried it round calls a player from the circle to discover who holds\nit. For every wrong guess a fine must be paid. When the searcher\ndiscovers the thimble she begins a new round of the game by taking the\nplace of leader; and so on, till the accumulation of forfeits is\nsufficient to afford amusement in \"loosing the tines.\" The game is\ncalled \"Lady's Thimble.\"--Lincoln, Scawby and Stixwould 76 years ago\n(Miss M. Peacock).\n\nThe rhyme used in the Sheffield game is that used in \"Queen Anne,\" but\nit appears to have no relevance to this game.\n\n\nThing done\n\nA game described by Ben Jonson in his play of _Cynthia's Revels_ (act\niv. scene 1). The passage is as follows:--\n\n \"PHANTASTE. Nay, we have another sport afore this, of 'A thing done,\n and who did it,' &c.\n\n \"PHILANTIA. Ay, good Phantaste, let's have that: distribute the\n places.\n\n \"PHANTASTE. Why, I imagine A thing done; Hedon thinks who did it;\n Maria, with what it was done; Anaides, where it was done; Argurion,\n when it was done; Amorphus, for what cause was it done; you,\n Philantia, what followed upon the doing of it; and this gentleman,\n who would have done it better.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\"\n\nGifford thinks that this sport was probably the diversion of the age,\nand of the same stamp with our modern \"Cross Purposes,\" \"Questions,\" and\n\"Commands,\" &c.\n\n\nThread the Needle\n\n[Music]\n\n--Miss Dendy.\n\n[Music]\n\n--Harpenden (Miss Lloyd).\n\n I. Thread my grandmother's needle!\n Thread my grandmother's needle!\n Thread my grandmother's needle!\n Open your gates as wide as high,\n And let King George and me go by.\n It is so dark I cannot see\n To thread my grandmother's needle!\n _Who stole the money-box?_\n\n--London (Miss Dendy).\n\n II. Open your gates as wide as I, [high?]\n And let King George's horses by;\n For the night is dark and we cannot see,\n But thread your long needle and sew.\n\n--Belfast (W. H. Patterson).\n\n III. Thread the tailor's needle,\n The tailor's blind, so he can't see;\n So open the gates as wide as wide,\n And let King George and his lady pass by.\n\n--Bocking, Essex (_Folk-lore Record_, iii. 170).\n\n IV. Thread my grandmother's needle,\n Thread my grandmother's needle;\n It is too dark we cannot see\n To thread my grandmother's needle.\n\n--Harpenden (Mrs. Lloyd).\n\n V. Thread the needle,\n Thread the needle,\n Nine, nine, nine,\n Let King George and I pass by.\n\n--Liphook, Hants (Miss Fowler).\n\n VI. Open the gates as wide as wide,\n And let King George go through with his bride;\n It is so dark, we cannot see\n To threaddle the tailor's needle.\n\n--Parish _Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect_.\n\n VII. Brother Jack, if ye were mine,\n I would give you claret wine;\n Claret wine's gude and fine--\n Through the needle-e'e, boys!\n\n--_Blackwood's Magazine_, August 1821.\n\n VIII. Through the needle-e'e, boys,\n One, two, three, boys.\n\n--Ross-shire (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n IX. Hop my needle, burn my thread,\n Come thread my needle, Jo-hey.\n\n--Lincoln (C. C. Bell).\n\n X. Come thread a long needle, come thread,\n The eye is too little, the needle's too big.\n\n--Hanbury, Staffs. (Miss Edith Hollis).\n\n XI. Thread the needle thro' the skin,\n Sometimes out and sometimes in.\n\n--Warwickshire, Northall's _Folk Rhymes_, 397.\n\n XII. Open the gates as wide as the sky,\n And let King George and his lady go by.\n\n--Ellesmere, Burne's _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 321.\n\n(_b._) The children stand in two long rows, each holding the hands of\nthe opposite child, the two last forming an arch. They sing the lines,\nand while doing so the other children run under the raised arms. When\nall have passed under, the first two hold up their hands, and so on\nagain and again, each pair in turn becoming the arch. Mrs. Lloyd\n(Harpenden version) says the two first hold up a handkerchief, and the\nchildren all run under, beginning with the last couple. In the London\nversion (Miss Dendy) the \"last line is called out in quite different\ntones from the rest of the rhyme. It is reported to have a most\nstartling effect.\" The Warwickshire version is played differently. The\nplayers, after passing under the clasped hands, all circle or wind round\none of their number, who stands still.\n\n(_c._) In some cases the verse, \"How many miles to Babylon?\" is sung\nbefore the verses for \"Thread the needle,\" and the reference made\n(_ante_, vol. i., p. 238) to an old version seems to suggest the origin\nof the game. This, at all events, goes far to prove that the central\nidea of the game is not connected with the sewing needle, but with an\ninteresting dance movement, which is called by analogy, Thread the\nneedle. It is, however, impossible to say whether the verses of this\ngame are the fragments of an older and more lengthy original, which\nincluded both the words of \"How many miles to Babylon\" and \"Thread the\nneedle,\" or whether these two were independent games, which have become\njoined; but, on the whole, I am inclined to think that \"Thread the\nneedle,\" at all events, is an independent game, or the central idea of\nan independent game, and one of some antiquity.\n\nThis game is well illustrated by custom. At Trowbridge, in Wilts, a\ngame, known as \"Thread the needle,\" used to be the favourite sport with\nthe lads and lasses on the evening of Shrove Tuesday festival. The vocal\naccompaniment was always the following:--\n\n Shrove Tuesday, Shrove Tuesday, when Jack went to plough,\n His mother made pancakes, she didn't know how;\n She tipped them, she tossed them, she made them so black,\n She put so much pepper she poisoned poor Jack.\n\n--_Notes and Queries_, 5th series, xi. p. 227.\n\nAt Bradford-on-Avon, as soon as the \"pancake bell\" rang at eleven A.M.,\nthe school children had holiday for the remainder of the day, and when\nthe factories closed for the night, at dusk the boys and girls of the\ntown would run through the streets in long strings playing \"Thread the\nneedle,\" and whooping and hallooing their best as they ran, and so\ncollecting all they could together by seven or eight o'clock, when they\nwould adjourn to the churchyard, where the old sexton had opened the\nchurchyard gates for them; the children would then join hands in a long\nline until they encompassed the church; they then, with hands still\njoined, would walk round the church three times; and when dismissed by\nthe old sexton, would return to their homes much pleased that they\n\"Clipped the Church,\" and shouting similar lines to those said at\nTrowbridge.\n\nAt South Petherton, in South Somerset, sixty or seventy years ago, it\nwas the practice of the young folk of both sexes to meet in or near the\nmarket-place, and there commence \"Threading the needle\" through the\nstreets, collecting numbers as they went. When this method of recruiting\nceased to add to their ranks, they proceeded, still threading the\nneedle, to the church, which they tried to encircle with joined hands;\nand then, whether successful or not, they returned to their respective\nhomes. Old people, who remember having taken part in the game, say that\nit always commenced in the afternoon or evening of Shrove Tuesday,\n\"after having eaten of their pancakes.\" In _Leicestershire County\nFolk-lore_, p. 114, Mr. Billson records that it was formerly the custom\non Shrove Tuesday for the lads and lasses to meet in the gallery of the\nWomen's Ward in Trinity Hospital to play at \"Thread the Needle\" and\nsimilar games.\n\nAt Evesham the custom is still more distinctly connected with the game,\nas the following quotation shows:--\"One custom of the town is connected\nwith a sport called 'Thread my needle,' a game played here by the\nchildren of the town throughout the various streets at sunset upon\nEaster Monday, and at no other period throughout the year. The players\ncry while elevating their arms arch-wise--\n\n Open the gates as high as the sky,\n And let Victoria's troops pass by.\"\n\n--May's _History of Evesham_, p. 319.\n\nAs all these customs occur in the early spring of the year, there is\nreason to think that in this game we have a relic of the oldest sacred\ndances, and it is at least a curious point that in two versions\n(Bocking and Ellesmere) the Anglo-Saxon title of \"Lady\" is applied to\nthe Queen.\n\nThe writer in _Blackwood's Magazine_, who quotes the rhymes as\n\"immemorial,\" says: \"Another game played by a number of children, with a\nhold of one another, or 'tickle tails,' as it is technically called in\nScotland, is 'Through the needle-e'e.'\" Moor (_Suffolk Words and\nPhrases_) mentions the game. Patterson (_Antrim and Down Glossary_)\ngives it as \"Thread the needle and sew.\" Barnes (_Dorset Glossary_)\ncalls it \"Dred the wold woman's needle,\" in which two children join\nhands, and the last leads the train under the lifted arms of the first\ntwo. Holloway (_Dictionary of Provincialisms_) says the children form a\nring, holding each other's hands; then one lets go and passes under the\narms of two who still join hands, and the others all follow, holding\neither by each other's hands or by a part of their dress. \"At\nEllesmere,\" Miss Burne says, \"this game was formerly called 'Crew Duck.'\nIt now only survives among little girls, and is only played on a special\nday.\" It is alluded to in _Poor Robin's Almanack_ for 1738: \"The summer\nquarter follows spring as close as girls do one another when playing at\nThread my needle; they tread upon each other's heels.\" Strutt calls this\n\"Threading the Taylor's needle.\" Newell (_Games of American Children_)\ngives some verses, and describes it as played in America.\n\nSee \"How many miles to Babylon,\" \"Through the Needle 'ee.\"\n\n\nThree Days' Holidays\n\nTwo players hold up their joined hands, the rest pass under one by one,\nrepeating, \"Three days' holidays, three days' holidays!\" They pass under\na second time, all repeating, \"Bumping day, bumping day!\" when the two\nleaders strike each player on the back in passing. The third time they\nsay, \"Catch, catch, catch!\" and the leaders catch the last in the train\nbetween their arms. He has the choice of \"strawberries or grapes,\" and\nis placed behind one of the leaders, according to his answer. When all\nhave been \"caught,\" the two parties pull against each other.--Berrington\n(Burne's _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 522).\n\n\"Holidays,\" says Miss Burne, \"anciently consisted of three days, as at\nEaster and Whitsuntide, which explains the words of this game;\" and the\nmanorial work days were formerly three a week. See \"Currants and\nRaisins.\"\n\n\nThree Dukes\n\n[Music]\n\n--Madeley, Shropshire (Miss Burne).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Biggar, Lanarkshire (W. Ballantyne).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).\n\n I. Here come three dukes a-riding,\n A-riding, a-riding;\n Here come three dukes a-riding,\n With a rancy, tancy, tay!\n\n What is your good will, sirs?\n Will, sirs? will, sirs?\n What is your good will, sirs?\n With a rancy, tancy, tay!\n\n Our good will is to marry,\n To marry, to marry;\n Our good will is to marry,\n With a rancy, tancy, tay!\n\n Marry one of us, sirs,\n Us, sirs, us, sirs;\n Marry one of us, sirs,\n With a rancy, tancy, tay!\n\n You're all too black and greasy [or dirty],\n Greasy, greasy;\n You're all too black and greasy,\n With a rancy, tancy, tay!\n\n We're good enough for you, sirs,\n You, sirs, you, sirs;\n We're good enough for you, sirs,\n With a rancy, tancy, tay!\n\n You're all as stiff as pokers,\n Pokers, pokers;\n You're all as stiff as pokers,\n With a rancy, tancy, tay!\n\n We can bend as much as you, sirs,\n You, sirs, you, sirs;\n We can bend as much as you, sirs,\n With a rancy, tancy, tay!\n\n Through the kitchen and down the hall,\n I choose the fairest of you all;\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is pretty Miss ----, walk with me.\n\n--Madeley, Salop (Miss Burne), 1891.\n\n[Another Shropshire version has for the fourth verse--\n\n Which of us will you choose, sirs?\n\nOr,\n\n Will you marry one of my daughters?]\n\n II. Here comes three dukes a-riding, a-riding,\n With a ransome dansome day!\n\n Pray what is your intent, sirs, intent, sirs?\n With a ransome dansome day!\n\n My intent is to marry, to marry!\n\n Will you marry one of my daughters, my daughters?\n\n You are as stiff as pokers, as pokers!\n\n We can bend like you, sir, like you, sir!\n\n You're all too black and too blowsy, too blowsy,\n For a dilly-dally officer!\n\n Good enough for _you_, sir! for _you_, sir!\n\n If I must have any, I will have this,\n So come along, my pretty miss!\n\n--Chirbury (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 517).\n\n III. Here come three dukes a-riding,\n A-riding, a-riding;\n Here come three dukes a-riding,\n With a rancy, tancy, tee!\n\n Pray what is your good will, sirs?\n Will, sirs, will, sirs?\n Pray what is your good will, sirs?\n With a rancy, tancy, tee!\n\n My will is for to marry you,\n To marry you, to marry you;\n My will is for to marry you,\n With a rancy, tancy, tee!\n\n You're all so black and blousey (blowsy?),\n Sitting in the sun so drowsy;\n With silver chains about ye,\n With a rancy, tancy, tee!\n\nOr,\n\n [With golden chains about your necks,\n Which makes you look so frowsy.]\n\n Walk through the kitchen, and through the hall,\n And pick the fairest of them all.\n\n This is the fairest I can see,\n So pray, Miss ----, walk with me.\n\n--Leicester (Miss Ellis).\n\n IV. Here come three dukes a-riding, a-riding, a-riding,\n Here come three dukes riding, riding, riding;\n Ransam, tansam, tisum ma tea (_sic_).\n\n Pray what is your good will, sir, will, sir, will, sir?\n Pray what is your good will, sir?\n Ransam, tansam, tisum ma tea!\n\n My will is for to marry, to marry, to marry,\n My will is for to marry;\n Ransam, tansam, tisum ma tea!\n\n Pray who will you marry, you marry, you marry?\n Pray who will you marry?\n Ransam, tansam, tisum ma tea!\n\n You're all too black and too brown for me,\n You're all too black and too brown for me,\n Ransam, tansam, tisum ma tea!\n\n We're quite as white as you, sir; as you, sir; as you, sir;\n We're quite as white as you, sir;\n Ransam, tansam, tisum ma tea!\n\n You are all as stiff as pokers, as pokers, as pokers,\n You are all, &c.,\n Ransam, tansam, tisum ma tea!\n\n We can bend as well as you, sir; as you, sir; as you, sir;\n We can bend as well as you, sir;\n Ransam, tansam, tisum ma tea!\n\n Go through the kitchen, and through the hall,\n And take the fairest of them all;\n\n The fairest one that I can see is \"----,\"\n So come to me.\n\n--Oxfordshire version, brought into Worcestershire (Miss Broadwood).\n\n V. Here come three dukes a-riding, a-riding, a-riding;\n With a ransom, tansom, titty foll-la!\n With a ransom, tansom, tay!\n\n And pray what do you want, sirs? want, sirs? want, sirs?\n With a ransom, tansom, titty foll-la!\n With a ransom, tansom, tay!\n\n I want a handsome wife, sir; wife, sir; wife, sir;\n With a ransom, tansom, titty foll-la!\n With a ransom, tansom, tay!\n\n I have three daughters fair, sir; fair, sir; fair, sir;\n With a ransom, tansom, titty foll-la!\n With a ransom, tansom, tay!\n\n They are all too black and too browny,\n They sit in the sun so cloudy;\n With a ransom, tansom, titty foll-la!\n With a ransom, tansom, tay!\n\n Go through my kitchen and my hall,\n And find the fairest of them all;\n With a ransom, tansom, titty foll-la!\n With a ransom, tansom, tay!\n\n The fairest one that I can see,\n Is little ---- ----, so come to me.\n\n--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).\n\n VI. Here come three dukes a-riding, a-riding, a-riding;\n Here come three dukes a-riding, with a ransom, tansom, te!\n\n Pray what is your intention, sir [repeat as above].\n\n My intention is to marry, &c.\n\n Which of us will you choose, sir, &c.\n\n You're all too black and too browsy, &c.\n\n We're good enough for you, sir, &c.\n\n Through the kitchen and over the wall,\n Pick the fairest of us all.\n\n The fairest is that I can see, pretty Miss ----, come to me.\n\n--East Kirkby, Lincolnshire (Miss K. Maughan).\n\n VII. Here come three dukes a-riding,\n A-riding, a-riding;\n Here come three dukes a-riding,\n With a dusty, dusty, die!\n\n What do you want with us, sirs? [repeat as above].\n\n We've come to choose a wife, Miss, &c.\n\n Which one of us will you have, sirs? &c.\n\n You're all too black and too browsy,\n You sit in the sun so drowsy;\n With a golden chain about your neck,\n You're all too black and too browsy.\n\n Quite good enough for you, sirs, &c.\n\n We walk in our chamber,\n We sit in our hall,\n We choose the fairest of you all;\n The fairest one that we can see\n Is little ---- ----, come to me.\n\n--Wakefield, Yorks. (Miss Fowler).\n\n VIII. Here come three dukes a-riding, a-riding, a-riding,\n Here come three dukes a-riding;\n A randy, dandy, very fine day!\n\n And pray what is your will, sirs? &c. [as above].\n\n We come for one of your daughters, &c.\n\n Which one will you have, sir? &c.\n\n They are all as black as a browsie, browsie, browsie, &c.\n\n One can knit, and one can sew,\n One can make a lily-white bow;\n One can make a bed for a king,\n Please take one of my daughters in.\n\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0], come to me.\n\n--Gainford, co. Durham (Miss A. Edleston).\n\n IX. Here comes a poor duke a-riding, a-riding,\n Here comes a poor duke a-riding;\n With the ransom, tansom, tee!\n\n Pray who will you have to marry, sir? &c.\n\n You're all so black and so dirty, &c.\n\n We are quite as clean as you, sir, &c.\n\n Through the kitchen, and through the hall,\n Pick the fairest one of all.\n\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is ----,\n The fairest one that I can see,\n With a ransom, tansom, tee!\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n X. Here comes one duke a-riding,\n A-riding, a-riding;\n Here comes one duke a-riding,\n With a ransom, tansom, terrimus, hey!\n\n What is your intention, sir? &c. [as above].\n\n My intention is to marry, &c.\n\n Marry one of us, sir? &c.\n\n You're all too black and dirty (or greasy), &c.\n\n We're good enough for you, sir, &c.\n\n You're all as stiff as pokers, &c.\n\n We can bend as much as you, sir, &c.\n\n Through the kitchen and through the hall,\n I choose the fairest of you all;\n The fairest one as I can see\n Is pretty ---- ----, come to me.\n\n Now I've got my bonny lass,\n Bonny lass, bonny lass;\n Now I've got my bonny lass\n To help us with our dancing.\n\n--Barnes, Surrey (A. B. Gomme).\n\n XI. Here comes one duke a-riding, a-riding, a-riding;\n Here comes one duke a-riding\n On a ransom, dansom bay!\n\n You're all so black and dirty, &c.\n\n Pray which of us will you choose, sir, &c.\n\n Up in the kitchen, down in the hall,\n And choose the fairest one of all.\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is pretty Miss ----, so come to me.\n\n--Bocking, Essex (_Folk-lore Record_, vol. iii., pt. ii., pp. 170-171).\n\n XII. Here comes one duke a-riding, a-riding, a-riding,\n Here comes one duke a-riding, with a ransom, tansom, ta!\n\n Pray which of us will you choose, sir? &c.\n\n You're all so black and so blousey, &c.\n\n We're quite as white as you, sir, &c.\n\n Up of the kitchen, down of the hall,\n Pick the fairest girl of all;\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is ---- ----, come to me.\n\n--Suffolk (Mrs. Haddon).\n\n XIII. Here comes the Duke of Rideo,\n Of Rideo, of Rideo;\n Here comes the Duke of Rideo,\n Of a cold and frosty morning.\n\n My will is for to get married, &c.\n\n Will any of my fair daughters do? &c.\n [The word \"do\" must be said in a drawling way.]\n\n They are all too black or too proudy,\n They sit in the sun so cloudy;\n With golden chains around their necks,\n That makes them look so proudy.\n\n They're good enough for you, sir! &c.\n\n I'll walk the kitchen and the hall,\n And take the fairest of them all;\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is Miss ----\n So Miss ----, come to me.\n\n Now we've got this pretty girl,\n This pretty girl, this pretty girl;\n Now we've got this pretty girl,\n Of a cold and frosty morning.\n\n--Symondsbury, Dorsetshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 222-223).\n\n XIV. Here come three dukes a-riding, a-riding, a-riding,\n Here come three dukes a-riding;\n With a ransom, tansom, tisamy, tea!\n\n What is your good will, sirs? &c.\n\n My good will is to marry, &c.\n\n One of my fair daughters? &c.\n\n You're all too black and browsy, &c.\n\n Quite as good as you, sirs, &c.\n\n [The dukes select a girl who refuses to go to them.]\n\n O, naughty maid! O, naughty maid!\n You won't come out to me!\n You shall see a blackbird,\n A blackbird and a swan;\n You should see a nice young man\n Persuading you to come.\n\n--Wrotham, Kent (Miss Dora Kimball).\n\n XV. Here comes a duke a-riding, a-riding, a-riding;\n Here comes a duke a-riding, to my nancy, pancy, disimi, oh!\n\n Which of us will you have, sir? &c.\n\n You're all so fat and greasy, &c.\n\n We're all as clean as you, sir, &c.\n\n Come down to my kitchen, come down to my hall,\n I'll pick the finest of you all. The fairest is that girl\n I shall say, \"Come to me.\"\n\n I will buy a silk and satin dress, to trail a yard as we go\n to church,\n Madam, will you walk? madam, will you talk?\n Madam, will you marry me?\n\n I will buy you a gold watch and chain, to hang by your side\n as we go to church;\n Madam, will you walk? madam, will you talk?\n Madam, will you marry me?\n\n I will buy you the key of the house, to enter in when my\n son's out;\n Madam, will you walk? madam, will you talk?\n Madam, will you marry me?\n\n--Earls Heaton, Yorks. (H. Hardy).\n\n XVI. Here comes one duke a-riding,\n With a rancey, tancey, tiddy boys, O!\n Rancey, tancey, tay!\n\n Pray which will you take of us, sir? &c.\n\n You're all as dark as gipsies, &c.\n\n Quite good enough for you, &c.\n\n Then we'll take this one, &c.\n\n[After all are taken, the dukes say]--\n\n Now we've got this bonny bunch, &c.\n\n--Hurstmonceux, Sussex, about 1880 (Miss E. Chase).\n\n[A Devon variant gives for the third verse--\n\n You are all too black and ugly, and ugly, and ugly.\n\nAnd--\n\n You are all too black and _browsie_, &c.\n\nWith the additional verse--\n\n I walked through the kitchen,\n I walked through the hall,\n For the prettiest and fairest\n Of you all.\n\nEnding with--\n\n Now I have got my bonny lass, &c.\n\nAnd something like--\n\n Will you come and dance with me?\n\n--Devon (Miss E. Chase)].\n\n XVII. Here comes a duke a-riding, a-riding, a-riding;\n Here comes a duke a-riding to the ransy, tansy, tay!\n\n Pray what do you come riding for? &c.\n\n For one of your fairy [? fair] daughters, &c.\n\n Will either one of these do? &c.\n\n They're all too black and too dirty, &c.\n\n They're quite as clean as you, sir, &c.\n\n Suppose, then, I take you, Miss, &c.\n\n--Clapham, London (Mrs. Herbertson).\n\n[Another version is played by the duke announcing that he wants a wife.\nThe circle of maids and duke then reply to each other as follows:--\n\n Open the door and let him in.\n\n They're all as stiff as pokers.\n\n Quite as good as you, sir.\n\n I suppose I must take one of them?\n\n Not unless you like, sir.\n\n I choose the fairest of you all,\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is ----, come to me.\n\n--Clapham Middle-class Girls School (Mrs. Herbertson)].\n\n XVIII. Here comes the duke a-riding,\n With my rantum, tantum, tantum, tee!\n Here comes the duke a-riding,\n With my rantum, tantum, tee!\n\n What does the duke a-riding want?\n With his rantum, tantum, tantum, tee, &c.\n\n The youngest and fairest daughter you've got, &c.\n\n--Dublin (Mrs. Coffey).\n\n XIX. Here comes a duke a-riding, a-riding, a-riding;\n Here comes a duke a-riding, a ransom, tansom, tee!\n\n What is your good will, sir, &c.\n\n My will is for to marry, &c.\n\n Will ever a one of us do? &c.\n\n You're all so black and so browsy.\n You sit in the sun and get frowsy,\n With golden chains about your necks,\n You're all so black and so browsy.\n\n Quite as good as you, sir, &c.\n\n[There is more of this, but it has been forgotten by my authority.]\n\n--Thos. Baker, junr. (_Midland Garner_, N. S., ii. 32).\n\n XX. Here comes a duke a-riding,\n With a ransom, tansom, titta passee!\n Here comes a duke a-riding,\n With a ransom, tansom, tee!\n\n Pray what is your good will, sir?\n With a ransom, tansom, titta passee!\n Pray what is your good will, sir?\n With a ransom, tansom, tee!\n\n My will is for to marry you (as above).\n\n Pray which of us will you have, sir? &c.\n\n Through the gardens and through the hall,\n With a ransom, tansom, titta passee!\n I choose the fairest of you all,\n With a ransom, tansom, tee!\n\n--Settle, Yorks. (Rev. W. G. Sykes).\n\n XXI. There came three dukes a-riding, ride, ride, riding;\n There came three dukes a-riding,\n With a tinsy, tinsy, tee!\n\n Come away, fair lady, there is no time to spare;\n Let us dance, let us sing,\n Let us join the wedding ring.\n\n--West of Scotland (_Folk-lore Record_, iv. 174).\n\n XXII. Here come three dukes a-riding,\n A-riding, a-riding.\n\n . . . . .\n\n They will give you pots and pans,\n They will give you brass;\n They will give you pots and pans\n For a pretty lass.\n\n--Penzance, Cornwall (Mrs. Mabbott).\n\n XXIII. Here come four dukes a-riding,\n Ring a me, ding a me, ding.\n\n What is your good will, sirs?\n Ring a me, ding a me, ding.\n\n Our good will's to marry, &c.\n\n Marry one of us then, &c.\n\n You're too poor and shabby, &c.\n\n We're quite as good as you are, &c.\n\n Suppose we have one of you then, &c.\n\n Which one will you have, &c.\n\n We'll have ---- to marry, &c.\n\n Who will you send to fetch her, &c.\n\n We'll send ---- to fetch her.\n\n--Roxton, St. Neots (Miss E. Lumley).\n\n XXIV. Here come three dukes a-riding,\n With me rancy, tansy, tissimy tee,\n Here come three dukes a-riding,\n With a ransom, tansom, tissimy tee.\n Here come three dukes a-riding,\n With a ransom, tansom, tissimy tee.\n\n Pray which of us will you have, sir (repeat as above).\n\n I think I will have this one (repeat).\n\n . . . . .\n\n[Forgotten, but the girls evidently decline to part with one of their\nnumber.]\n\n You are all too black and too blousy (repeat).\n We're far too good for you, sir (repeat).\n\n--Isle of Man (A. W. Moore). Played at a Manx Vicarage nearly sixty\nyears ago (Rev. T. G. Brown).\n\n XXV. Here comes a Jew a riding,\n With the ransom, tansom, tissimi, O!\n\n And pray what is your will, sir? (as above).\n\n Then pray take one of my daughters, &c.\n\n They are all too black and too browsy, &c.\n\n They are good enough for you, sir, &c.\n\n My house is lined with silver, &c.\n\n But ours is lined with gold, sir, &c.\n\n Then I'll take one of your daughters, &c.\n\n--Forest of Dean, Gloucester (Miss Matthews).\n\n XXVI. The Campsie dukes a-riding, a-riding, a-riding;\n The Campsie dukes a riding, come a rincey, dincey, dee.\n\n--Biggar (Wm. Ballantyne).\n\n XXVII. Five dukes comes here a-ridin',\n A-ridin' fast one day;\n Five dukes comes here a-riding,\n With a hansom, dansom day.\n\n What do you want with us, sirs,\n With us, sirs, &c.\n\n We want some wives to marry us,\n To marry us, to marry us, &c.\n\n Will you marry us, Miss Nancy,\n Miss Nancy, Miss Nancy, &c.\n\n We won't marry you to-day, sirs, &c.\n\n Will you marry us to-day, Miss? &c. (to another girl).\n\n We will marry you to-day, sirs, &c.\n\n--London, Regent's Park (A. B. Gomme).\n\n XXVIII. There's three dukes a-riding, a-riding,\n There's three dukes a-riding,\n Come a ransin, tansin, my gude wife.\n Come a ransin, tansin te-dee,\n Before I take my evening walk,\n I'll have a handsome lady,\n The fairest one that I do see.\n\n--Rosehearty, Pitsligo (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXIX. One duck comes a-ridin', sir, a-ridin', sir,\n A-ridin' to marry you.\n\n And what do you want with me, sir?\n\n I come to marry you two.\n\n There's some of us ready to dance, sir;\n Ready to dance and sing;\n There's some of us ready to dance, sir,\n And ready to marry you.\n\n Then come to me, my darlin', my darlin', darlin' day,\n With a ransom, tansom, tansom, tansom tay.\n\n--London, Regent's Park (A. B. Gomme).\n\n XXX. There's a young man that wants a sweetheart--\n Wants a sweetheart--wants a sweetheart--\n There's a young man that wants a sweetheart,\n To the ransom tansom tidi-de-o.\n\n Let him come out and choose his own,\n Choose his own, choose his own;\n Let him come out and choose his own,\n To the ransom tansom tidi-de-o.\n\n Will any of my fine daughters do, &c.\n\n They are all too black and brawny,\n They sit in the sun uncloudy,\n With golden chains around their necks,\n They are too black and brawny.\n\n Quite good enough for you, sir! &c.\n\n I'll walk in the kitchen, and walk in the hall,\n I'll take the fairest among you all;\n The fairest of all that I can see,\n Is pretty Miss Watts, come out to me.\n Will you come out?\n\n Oh, no! oh, no!\n\n Naughty Miss Watts she won't come out,\n She won't come out, she won't come out;\n Naughty Miss Watts she won't come out,\n To help us in our dancing.\n Won't you come out?\n\n Oh, yes! oh, yes!\n\n--Dorsetshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 223-224).\n\n(_c._) Three children, generally boys, are chosen to represent the three\ndukes. The rest of the players represent maidens. The three dukes stand\nin line facing the maidens, who hold hands, and also stand in line.\nSufficient space is left between the two lines to admit of each line in\nturn advancing and retiring. The three dukes commence by singing the\nfirst verse, advancing and retiring in line while doing so. The line of\nmaidens then advances singing the second verse. The alternate verses\ndemanding and answering are thus sung. The maidens make curtseys and\nlook coquettishly at the dukes when singing the fourth verse, and draw\nthemselves up stiffly and indignantly when singing the sixth, bending\nand bowing lowly at the eighth. The dukes look contemptuously and\ncriticisingly at the girls while singing the fifth and seventh verses;\nat the ninth or last verse they \"name\" one of the girls, who then\ncrosses over and joins hands with them. The game then continues by all\nfour singing \"Here come four dukes a-riding,\" and goes on until all the\nmaidens are ranged on the dukes' side.\n\nThis method of playing obtains in most versions of the game, though\nthere are variations and additions in some places. In the Bocking,\nBarnes, Dublin, Hurstmonceux, Settle, Symondsbury, Sporle, Earls Heaton,\nand Clapham versions, where the verses begin with \"Here comes one Duke\na-riding,\" one boy stands facing the girls, and sings the first verse\nadvancing and retiring with a dancing step, or with a step to imitate\nriding. In some instances the \"three Dukes\" advance in this way. In the\nBarnes version, when the chosen girl has walked over to the duke, he\ntakes her hands and dances round with her, while singing the tenth\nverse. In the Symondsbury (Dorset) version the players stand in a group,\nthe duke standing opposite, and when singing the sixth verse, advances\nto choose the girl. When there is only one player left on the maidens'\nside the dukes all sing the seventh verse; they then come forward and\nclaim the last girl, and embrace her as soon as they get her over to\ntheir side. In the Hurstmonceux version, when the girls are all on the\ndukes' side, they sing the last verse. Miss Chase does not say whether\nthis is accompanied by dancing round, but it probably would be. In the\nDublin version, after the third verse, the duke tries to carry off the\nyoungest girl, and her side try to save her. In the Wrotham version,\nafter the girls' retort, \"Quite as good, as you, sir,\" the dukes select\na girl, who refuses to go to them: they then sing the last six lines\nwhen the girl goes over. In the second Dorset version (which appeared in\nthe _Yarmouth Register_, Mass., 1874) the players consisted of a dozen\nboys standing in line in the usual way, and a dozen girls on the\nopposite side facing them. The boys sing the first two verses\nalternately; the girl at first refuses and then consents to go. Dancing\nround probably accompanies this, but there is no mention of it. In\nRoxton, St. Neots, after the verses are sung, the duke and the selected\ngirl clasp hands, and he pulls her across to the opposite side, as in\n\"Nuts in May.\" In Settle (Yorks.) the game is called \"The Dukes of York\nand Lancaster.\" The first duke advances with a dancing step. The game is\nthen played in the usual way until all the players are ranged on the\ndukes' side; then the two original dukes, one of whom is \"red\" and the\nother \"white,\" join hands, and the other players pass under their raised\nhands. The dukes ask each of them, in a whisper, \"red?\" or \"white?\" The\nplayer then goes behind the one he or she has chosen, clasping the\nduke's waist. When all the players have chosen, a tug-of-war ensues\nbetween the two sides. In the Earls Heaton version, the duke sings the\nverses, offering gifts to the girl when she has been selected. In the\nOxfordshire version (Miss Broadwood) one player sings the words of the\nverse, and all join in the refrain as chorus. In the Monton (Lancashire)\nversion the duke sings the last verse, and then takes a girl from the\nopposite side; and in another version from Barnes, in which the words of\nthe last verse are the same as these, one of the dukes' side crosses\nover and fetches the girl. The duke bows lowly before the chosen girl in\nthe Liphook version before she joins his side. In the East Kirkby,\nLincolnshire, version, when the dukes sing the last verse, they advance\ntowards the opposite side, who, when they see the direction in which\nthey are coming, form two arches, by three of the players holding up\ntheir arms, the dukes' side going through one arch and returning through\nthe other, bringing the chosen girl with them. One Clapham version is\nplayed in a totally different manner: the maidens form a circle instead\nof a line, and the duke stands outside this until he is admitted at the\nline which says, \"let him in.\" At the conclusion of the dialogue he\nbreaks in and carries one player off. This is an unusual form; I have\nonly met with one other instance of it.\n\n(_d._) The action in many of these versions is described as very\nspirited: coquetry, contempt, and annoyance being all expressed in\naction as the words of the game demands. The dancing movement of the\nboys in the first verse to imitate riding, though belonging to the\nearlier forms, is, with the exception of two or three versions, only\nretained in those which are commenced by one player, partly, perhaps,\nbecause of the difficulty three or more players experience in \"riding\"\nor \"prancing\" while holding each other's hands in line form. I have seen\nthe game played when the \"prancing\" of the dukes (in a game where there\nwere a dozen or more players on each side at starting, as in the Dorset\nversion) was as important a feature as the maidens' actions in the other\nverses. I think the oldest form of the game is that played by a fairly\nequal number of players on each side, boys on one side and girls on the\nother, rather than that of \"one\" or \"three\" players on the dukes' side,\nand all the others opposite. The game then began with the present words,\n\"Here come three dukes;\" these three each chose a girl at the same time,\nand when these three were wived, another three \"dukes\" would pair with\nthree more of the girls, and after that another three, and so on. This\nform would account for the modern idea that the number of dukes\nincreases on every occasion that the verses are sung, after the first\nwife has been taken over, and until all the girls have been thus chosen.\nThis idea is expressed in some versions by the change of words: \"Here's\na fourth [or fifth, and so on] duke come a riding\" to take a wife, the\nchosen maiden becoming a duke as soon as she has passed over on to the\ndukes' side. The process of innovation may be traced by the methods of\nplaying. Thus, in one version played at Barnes (similar in other\nrespects to No. 10), beginning \"three dukes a riding,\" _three_ girls\nwere chosen by the three first dukes, one by each, at the same time, and\nall three girls walked across with the three dukes to the boys' line,\nand stood next their respective partners. In two imperfect versions I\nhave obtained in Regent's Park, London, the same principle occurs. One\ngirl began--\"One duck comes a ridin',\" and two girls from the opposite\nside walked across; the other \"Five dukes come here a ridin'\" was\nplayed by five players on each side, and this was continued throughout.\nWhen the verses were said, each of the five dukes took a player from the\nopposite side and danced round with her. Again, in those versions\n(Symondsbury and Barnes), where when one player is left on the maidens'\nside without a partner, and all the dukes are mated, the additional\nverse is sung, and this player is taken over too. Beyond these versions\nare the large number beginning with three or more children singing the\nformula of \"three dukes,\" and choosing one girl at a time, until all are\ntaken over on to the dukes' side. Finally, there are the versions, more\nin accord with modern ideas, which commence with one duke coming for a\nwife, and continue by the girls taken over counting as dukes, the\nformula changing into two dukes, and so on.\n\nIf this correctly represents the line of decadence in this game, those\nversions in which additional verses appear are, I think, instances of\nthe tacking on of verses from the \"invitation to the dance\" or \"May\"\ngames; particularly in the cases in which the words \"Now I've got my\nbonny lass\" appear. The Earls Heaton version is curious, in that it has\nseveral verses which remind us of the old and practically obsolete \"Keys\nof Canterbury\" (Halliwell, 96). It may well be that a remembered\nfragment of that old ballad, which was probably once danced as a\ndramatic round, has been tacked on to this game. The expression \"walk\nwith me,\" or \"walk abroad with me,\" is significant of an engaged or\nbetrothed couple. \"I'm walking or walking out with so and so\" is still\nan expression used by young men and young women to indicate an\nengagement. \"She did ought to be married now; she've walked wi' him\nmor'n'er a year now.\" Some of the versions show still more marked signs\nof decadence. The altered wording, \"Here comes a Jew a riding,\" \"Here\ncomes the Duke of Rideo,\" \"A duck comes a ridin',\" and the Scotch\n\"Campsie Dukes a riding;\" a Berkshire version, collected by Miss Thoyts\n(_Antiquary_, xxvii. p. 195), similar to the Shropshire game, but with a\nportion of the verse of \"Milking Pails\" added to it, and the refrain of\n\"Ransome, tansome, tismatee;\" together with the disappearance of some\nof the verses, are all evidently the results of the words being learnt\norally, and imperfectly understood, or not understood at all.\n\nIn this game, said in Lancashire to be the \"oldest play of all,\" judging\nboth by the words and method of playing, we have, I believe, a distinct\nsurvival or remembrance of the tribal marriage--marriage at a period\nwhen it was the custom for men of a clan to seek wives from the girls of\nanother clan, both clans belonging to one tribe. The game is a purely\nmarriage game, and marriage in a matter-of-fact way. Young men of a clan\nor village arrive at the abode of another clan for the purpose of\nseeking wives, probably at a feast or fair time. The maidens are\napparently ready and expecting their arrival. They are as willing to\nbecome wives as the dukes are to become husbands. It is not marriage by\nforce or capture, though the triumphant carrying off of a wife appears\nin some versions. It is exogamous marriage custom, after the tribe had\nsettled down and arranged their system of marriage in lieu of a former\nmore rude system of capture. The suggested depreciation of the girls,\nand their saucy rejoinders, may be looked upon as so much good-humoured\nchaff and banter exchanged between the two parties to enhance each\nother's value, and to display their wit. While it does not follow that\nthe respective parties were complete strangers to one another, these\nlines may indicate that each individual wished \"to have as good a look\nround as possible\" before accepting the offer made. It will be seen that\nthere is no mention of \"love\" in the game, nor is there any individual\ncourtship between boy and girl. The marriage formula does not appear,\nnor is there any sign that a \"ceremony\" or \"sanction\" to conclude the\nmarriage was necessary, nor does kissing occur in the game.\n\nThere is evidence of the tribal marriage system in the survivals of\nexogamy and marriage by capture occasionally to be noted in traditional\nlocal custom. Thus the custom recorded by Chambers (_Book of Days_, i.\n722) of the East Anglians (Suffolk), where whole parishes have\nintermarried to such an extent that almost everybody is related to or\nconnected with everybody else, is distinctly a case in point, the\nintermarrying of \"parishes\" for a long series of years necessarily\nresulting in close inter-relationship. One curious effect of this is\nthat no one is counted as a \"relation\" beyond first cousins; for if\n\"relationship\" went further than that it might \"almost as well include\nthe whole parish.\" The old proverb (also from East Anglia):\n\n \"To change the name, and not the letter,\n Is a change for the worse, and not for the better;\"\n\nthat is, it is unlucky for a woman to marry a man whose surname begins\nwith the same letter as her own, also indicates a survival of the\nnecessity of marrying into another clan or tribal family.\n\nAnother interesting point in the game is the refrain, \"With a rancy,\ntancy, tay,\" which with variations accompanies all versions, and\nseparates this game from some otherwise akin to it. There is little\ndoubt that this refrain represents an old tribal war cry, from which\n\"slogans\" or family \"cries\" were derived. These cries were not only used\nin times of warfare, tribes were assembled by them, each leader of a\nclan or party having a distinguishing cry and blast of a horn peculiar\nto himself, and the sounding of this particular blast or cry would be\nrecognised by men of the same party, who would go to each other's\nassistance if need were. The refrain is sung by all the players in\nOxfordshire and Lancashire, and in some versions the players in this\ngame put their hands to their mouths as if imitating a blast from a\nhorn, and a Lancashire version (about 1820-1830), quoted by Miss Burne,\nhas for the refrain, \"With a rancy, tancy, terry boys horn, with a\nrancy, tancy, tee.\" \"The burden,\" says Miss Burne, \"evidently\nrepresented a flourish of trumpets.\" The Barnes version, \"With a rancy,\ntancy, terrimus hey!\" and many others confirm this.\n\nAn interesting article by Dr. Karl Blind (_Antiquary_, ix. 63-72), on\nthe Hawick riding song, \"Teribus ye Teri Odin,\" points out that this\nslogan, which occurs in the \"Hawick Common-Riding Song,\" a song used at\nthe annual Riding of the Marches of the Common, is an ancient Germanic\nwar-cry. Dr. Blind, quoting from a pamphlet, _Flodden Field and New\nVersion of the Common Riding Song_, says, \"It is most likely that the\ninspiring strains of 'Terribus' would be the marching tune of our\nancestors when on their way for Flodden Field and other border battles,\nfeuds, and frays. The words of the common-riding song have been changed\nat various periods, according to the taste and capacity of poets and\nminstrels, but the refrain has remained little altered.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. The\norigin of the ancient and, at one time, imperative ceremony of the\ncommon-riding is lost in antiquity, and this old, no longer understood,\nexclamation, 'Teribus ye Teri Odin,' has (says Dr. Blind) all through\nages in the meanwhile clung to that ceremony.\"\n\nIf we can fairly claim that the words of this game have preserved an old\nslogan or tribal cry, an additional piece of evidence is supplied to the\nsuggestion that the game is a reflection of the tribal marriage--a\nreflection preserved by children of to-day by means of oral tradition\nfrom the children of a thousand years ago or more, who played at games\nin imitation of the serious and ordinary actions of their elders.\n\n\nThree Flowers\n\n My mistress sent me unto thine,\n Wi' three young flowers baith fair and fine--\n The Pink, the Rose, and the Gilliflower:\n And as they here do stand,\n Whilk will ye sink, whilk will ye swim,\n And whilk bring hame to land?\n\nA group of lads and lasses being assembled round the fire, two leave the\nparty and consult apart as to the names of three others, young men or\ngirls, whom they designate Red Rose, the Pink, and the Gilliflower. If\nlads are first pitched upon, the two return to the fireside circle, and\nhaving selected a lass, they say the above verse to her. The maiden must\nchoose one of the flowers named, on which she passes some approving\nepithet, adding, at the same time, a disapproving rejection of the other\ntwo; for instance, I will sink the Pink, swim the Rose, and bring home\nthe Gilliflower to land. The two young men then disclose the names of\nthe parties upon whom they had fixed those appellations respectively,\nwhen of course it may chance that she has slighted the person she is\nunderstood to be most attached to, or chosen him whom she is believed\nto regard with aversion; either of which events is sure to throw the\ncompany into a state of outrageous merriment.--Chambers' _Popular\nRhymes_, p. 127. Mr. W. Ballantyne has given me a description of this\ngame as played at Biggar when he was a boy, which is practically the\nsame as this.\n\n\nThree Holes\n\n _T_ B\n _a_ o A o o\n _w_ 1 2 3\n\nThree holes were made in the ground by the players driving the heels of\ntheir boots into the earth, and then pirouetting. The game was played\nwith the large marbles (about the size of racket balls) known as\n\"bouncers,\" sometimes as \"bucks.\" The first boy stood at \"taw,\" and\nbowled his marble along the ground into 1. (It was bad form to make the\nholes too large; they were then \"wash-hand basins,\" and made the game\ntoo easy.) Taking the marble in his hand, and placing his foot against\n1, he bowled the marble into 2. He was now \"going up for his firsts.\"\nStarting at 2, he bowled the marble into 3, and had now \"taken off his\nfirsts,\" and was \"coming down for his seconds.\" He then bowled the\nmarble back again into 2, and afterwards into 1. He then \"went up for\nhis thirds,\" bowling the marble into 2, and afterwards into 3, and had\nthen won the game. When he won in this fashion, he was said to have\n\"taken off the game.\" But he didn't often do this. In going up for his\nfirsts, perhaps his marble, instead of going into 2, stopped at A; then\nthe second boy started from taw, and, having sent his marble into 1,\nbowled at A; if he hit the marble, he started for 2, from where his\nmarble stopped; if he missed, or didn't gain the hole he was making for,\nor knocked his antagonist's marble into a hole, the first boy played\nagain, hitting the other marble, if it brought him nearer to the hole he\nwas making for, or else going on. In such a case as I have supposed, it\nwould be the player's aim to knock A on to B, or some place between 2\nand 3, so as to enter 2, and then strike again so as to near 3, enter 3,\nand strike on his way down for his seconds, and near 2 again. These\nwere the chances of the game; but if the boy who started went through\nthe game without his antagonist having a chance, he was said \"to take\noff the game.\"--London (J. P. Emslie).\n\n\nThree Jolly Welshmen\n\nOne child is supposed to be taking care of others, who take hold of her\nor of each other. Three children personate the Welshmen. These try to\nrob the mother or caretaker of her children. They each try to capture as\nmany as they can, and I think the one who gets most is to be mother next\ntime.--Beddgelert (Mrs. Williams).\n\nSee \"Gipsy,\" \"Mother, Mother,\" \"Shepherd and Sheep,\" \"Witch.\"\n\n\nThree Knights from Spain\n\n I. Here come two dukes all out of Spain,\n A courting to your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, she is so young,\n She can't abide your flattering tongue.\n\n Let her be young, or let her be old,\n It is the price, she must be sold,\n Either for silver or for gold.\n So fare you well, my lady gay,\n For I must turn another way.\n\n Turn back, turn back, you Spanish knight,\n And rub your spurs till they be bright.\n\n My spurs they are of a costliest wrought,\n And in this town they were not bought,\n Nor in this town they won't be sold,\n Neither for silver, nor for gold.\n So fare you well, my lady gay,\n For I must turn another way.\n\n Through the kitchen, and through the hall,\n And take the fairest of them all;\n The fairest is, as I can see,\n Pretty Jane--come here to me.\n\n Now I've got my pretty fair maid,\n Now I've got my pretty fair maid,\n To dance along with me,\n To dance along with me!\n\n--Eccleshall, Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 222.\n\n II. Here comes three lords dressed all in green,\n For the sake of your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, she is so young,\n She learns to talk with a flattering tongue.\n\n Let her be young, or let her be old,\n For her beauty she must be sold.\n\n My mead's not made, my cake's not baked,\n And you cannot have my daughter Jane.\n\n--Cambridgeshire, Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 222.\n\n III. We are three brethren out of Spain,\n Come to court your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, she is too young,\n And has not learned her mother tongue.\n\n Be she young, or be she old,\n For her beauty she must be sold.\n So fare you well, my lady gay,\n We'll call again another day.\n\n Turn back, turn back, thou scornful knight,\n And rub thy spurs till they be bright.\n\n Of my spurs take you no thought,\n For in this town they were not bought.\n So fare you well, my lady gay,\n We'll call again another day.\n\n Turn back, turn back, thou scornful knight,\n And take the fairest in your sight.\n The fairest maid that I can see,\n Is pretty Nancy--come to me.\n\n Here comes your daughter, safe and sound,\n Every pocket with a thousand pound,\n Every finger with a gay gold ring,\n Please to take your daughter in.\n\n--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, cccxxxiii.\n\n IV. We are three brethren come from Spain,\n All in French garlands;\n We are come to court your daughter Jean,\n And adieu to you, my darlings.\n\n My daughter Jean, she is too young,\n All in French garlands;\n She cannot bide your flattering tongue,\n And adieu to you, my darlings.\n\n Be she young, or be she old,\n All in French garlands;\n It's for a bride she must be sold,\n And adieu to you, my darlings.\n\n A bride, a bride, she shall not be,\n All in French garlands;\n Till she go through this world with me,\n And adieu to you, my darlings.\n\n[There is here a hiatus, the reply of the lovers being wanting.]\n\n Come back, come back, you courteous knights,\n All in French garlands;\n Clear up your spurs, and make them bright,\n And adieu to you, my darlings.\n\n[Another hiatus.]\n\n Smell my lilies, smell my roses,\n All in French garlands;\n Which of my maidens do you choose?\n And adieu to you, my darlings.\n\n Are all your daughters safe and sound?\n All in French garlands;\n Are all your daughters safe and sound?\n And adieu to you, my darlings.\n\n In every pocket a thousand pounds,\n All in French garlands;\n On every finger a gay gold ring,\n And adieu to you, my darlings.\n\n--Chambers's _Popular Rhymes_, 143.\n\n V. Here come three Spaniards out of Spain,\n A courting to your daughter Jane.\n\n Our daughter Jane, she is too young,\n She hath not learnt the Spanish tongue.\n\n Whether she be young, or whether she be old,\n It's for her beauty she must be sold.\n\n Turn back, turn back, ye Spanish knight,\n And rub your spurs till they be bright.\n\n Our spurs are bright and richly wrought,\n For in this town they were not bought;\n And in this town they shan't be sold,\n Neither for silver nor for gold.\n\n Pass through the kitchen, and through the hall,\n And pick the fairest of them all.\n\n This is the fairest I can see,\n So pray, young lady, walk with me.\n\n--Leicester (Miss Ellis).\n\n VI. Here come three Spaniards out of Spain,\n A courting of your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, she is too young,\n She has not learned the Spanish tongue.\n\n Whether she be young or old,\n She must have a gift of gold;\n So fare you well, my lady gay,\n We'll turn our heads another way.\n\n Come back, come back, thou Spanish knight,\n And pick the fairest in this night.\n\n--Addy's _Sheffield Glossary_.\n\n VII. There were three lords they came from Spain,\n They came to court my daughter Jane;\n\n My daughter Jane, she is too young\n To hear your false and flattering tongue.\n\n So fare thee well, your daughter Jane,\n I'll call again, another day, another year.\n\n Turn back, turn back, and choose\n The fairest one that you can see.\n\n The fairest one that I can see,\n Is pretty Jane, will you come with me.\n\n [Jane says No.]\n\n The proud little girl, she won't come out, she won't come\n out, to help us with our dancing;\n So fare you well, I'll come again another day.\n\n Turn back, turn back, and choose\n The fairest one that you can see.\n\n The fairest one that I can see,\n Is pretty Sarah, will you come with me?\n\n [Yes.]\n\n Now we have got the pretty fair maid\n To help us with our dancing,\n Dance round the ring.\n\n--Belfast (W. H. Patterson).\n\n VIII. There was one lord came out of Spain,\n He came to court our daughter Jane.\n\n Our daughter Jane, she is too young,\n To be controlled by flattering tongue.\n\n Oh! fare thee well. Oh! fare thee well,\n I'll go and court some other girl.\n\n Come back, come back, your coat is wide,\n And choose the fairest on our side.\n\n The fairest one that I can see,\n Come unto me, come unto me.\n\n--Belfast (W. H. Patterson).\n\n IX. There were three lords came out of Spain,\n They came to court my daughter Jane;\n\n My daughter Jane, she is too young\n To bear your false and flattering tongue.\n\n So fare you well, so fare you well,\n I'll go and court some other girl.\n\n Come back, come back, your coat is white,\n And choose the fairest in your sight.\n\n The fairest one that I can see,\n Is [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0] come unto me.\n\n--Belfast (W. H. Patterson).\n\n X. Here come three dukes dressed all in green,\n They come to court your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, she is too young\n To understand your flattering tongue.\n\n Let her be young, or let her be old,\n It is for her beauty she must be sold.\n\n Eighteenpence would buy such a wench,\n As either you or your daughter Jane.[10]\n\n--Middlesex (from Mrs. Pocklington-Coltman's maid).\n\n XI. There came a king from Spain,\n To court your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, she's yet too young\n To be deluded by a flattering tongue.\n\n Whether she's old, or whether she's young,\n It's for her beauty she must come.\n\n Then turn about, her coat is thin,\n And seek the fairest of your right.\n\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is fair and lovely Jan-ie.\n\n Then here's my daughter safe and sound,\n And in her pocket three hundred pound,\n And on her finger a gay gold ring,\n She's fit to walk with any king.\n\n--Annaverna, Ravensdale, Co. Louth (Miss R. Stephens).\n\n XII. There came three dukes a-riding, riding, riding;\n Oh! we be come all out of Spain,\n All for to court your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, she is too young,\n She has not learned her mother-tongue.\n\n Let her be young, or let her be old,\n The fate of beauty's to be sold.\n\n Here's my daughter safe and sound,\n And in her pocket a thousand pound,\n And on her finger a gay gold ring.\n\n Here's your daughter not safe nor sound,\n And in her pocket no thousand pound,\n And on her finger no gay gold ring;\n Open your door and take her in.\n\n--London (Miss Dendy).\n\n XIII. There came three dukes all out of Spain,\n All for to court your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, she is too young,\n She has not learned her mother-tongue.\n\n Let her be young, let her be old,\n The fate of beauty's to be sold.\n\n Walk through the parlour, walk through the hall,\n And choose the fairest one of all.\n\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is little ----, so come to me. No!\n\n Will you come? No!\n\n Naughty one, naughty one, you won't come out\n To join us in our dancing!\n Will you come? Yes!\n\n Now we've got a pretty fair one\n To join us in our dancing.\n\n--Colleyhurst, Manchester (Miss Dendy).\n\n XIV. Two poor gentlemen are come out of Spain,\n Come to court your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, is yet too young\n To understand your flattering tongue.\n\n Let her be young, or let her be old,\n She must be sold for Spanish gold.\n\n Turn back, turn back, you haughty knight,\n And take the fairest in your sight.\n\n This is the fairest I can see,\n So (\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0) must come to me.\n\n--Bexley Heath (Miss Morris).\n\n XV. Here come three lords all dressed in green,\n All for the sake of your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, she is so young,\n She doesn't know her mother-tongue.\n\n[Or,\n\n My cake ain't baked, my ban [_qy._ beer or barm] ain't\n brewed,\n And yew can't hev my daughter Jane.]\n\n Fie upon you and your daughter Jane; [scornfully,]\n Eighteenpence will buy a good wench,\n As well as you and your daughter Jane.\n\n--Swaffham, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n XVI. Here come three lords all dressed in green,\n Here come three lords all come from Spain,\n All for the sake of your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, she is so young,\n She hath no knowledge in her tongue.\n\n--Kent (Miss Fowler).\n\n XVII. I am a gentleman come from Spain;\n I've come to court your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, is yet too young\n To understand your flattering tongue.\n\n Let her be young, or let her be old,\n She must be sold for Spanish gold.\n So fare thee well, my lady gay,\n I'll call upon you another day.\n\n Turn back, turn back, you saucy lad,[11]\n And choose the fairest you can spy!\n\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is pretty Miss ----. Come to me!\n\n I've brought your daughter home safe and sound,\n With money in her pocket here, a thousand pound:\n Take your saucy girl back again.\n\n--Bocking, Essex (_Folk-lore Record_, iii. pt. ii. 171).\n\n XVIII. Here comes three knights all out of Spain,\n A-courting of your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, she is too young,\n She can't abide your flattering tongue.\n\n If she be young, or she be old,\n She for her beauty must be sold.\n\n Go back, go back, you Spanish knight,\n And rub your spurs till they are bright.\n\n My spurs are bright and richly wrought,\n And in this town they were not bought,\n And in this town they shan't be sold,\n Neither for silver nor for gold.\n\n Walk up the kitchen and down the hall,\n And choose the fairest of us all.\n\n Madams, to you I bow and bend,\n I take you for my dearest friend;\n You are two beauties, I declare,\n So come along with me, my dear.\n\n--Wenlock, Condover, Ellesmere, Market Drayton (_Shropshire Folk-lore_,\np. 516).\n\n XIX. Here come three dukes all out of Spain,\n In mourning for your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, is yet too young\n To cast her eyes on such a one.\n\n Let her be young, or let her be old,\n 'Tis for her beauty she must be sold.\n So fare thee well, my lady gay,\n I'll call on you another day.\n\n Turn back, turn back, you saucy Jack,\n Up through the kitchen and through the hall,\n And pick the fairest of them all.\n\n The fairest one that I can see.\n So please, Miss ----, come with me.\n\n--Pembrokeshire, Wales (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 89).\n\n XX. Here's two brothers come from Spain,\n For to court your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, she is too young,\n She has not learned her mother tongue.\n\n Be she young, or be she old,\n For her beauty she must be sold.\n\n But fare thee well, my lady gay,\n And I'll call back some other day.\n\n Come back! come back! take the fairest you see.\n\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is bonnie Jeanie [or Maggie, &c.], so come to me.\n\n Here's your daughter, safe and sound,\n In every pocket a thousand pound,\n On every finger a gay gold ring,\n So, pray, take your daughter back again.\n\n--_People's Friend_, quoted in review of \"Arbroath: Past and Present.\"\n\n XXI. We are three suitors come from Spain,\n Come to court your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane she is too young\n To be beguiled by flattering tongue.\n\n Let her be young, or let her be old,\n For her beauty she must be sold.\n\n Return, return, your coat is white,\n And take the fairest in your sight.\n\n Here's your daughter safe and sound,\n And in her pocket five hundred pound,\n On her finger a gay gold ring,\n Fit to walk with any king.\n\n--Dublin (Mrs. Lincoln).\n\n XXII. Here comes a poor duke out of Spain,\n He comes to court your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane is yet too young,\n She has a false and flattering tongue.\n\n Let her be young, or let her be old,\n Her beauty is gone, she must be sold.\n\n Fare thee well, my lady gay,\n I'll call again another day.\n\n Turn back, turn back, you ugly wight,\n And clean your spurs till they shine bright.\n\n My spurs they shine as bright as snow,\n And fit for any king to show;\n So fare thee well, my lady gay,\n I'll call again another day.\n\n Turn back, turn back, you ugly wight,\n And choose the fairest one you like.\n\n The fairest one that I can see,\n Is you, dear ----, so come with me.\n\n--_Notes and Queries_ (1852), vol. vi. 242.\n\n XXIII. Here comes three knights all out of Spain,\n We have come to court your daughter Jane.\n\n Our daughter Jane she is too young,\n She has not learned the Spanish tongue.\n\n Whether she be young or old,\n 'Tis for her beauty she must be sold.\n\n Turn back, turn back, ye Spanish knights,\n And rub your spurs till they are bright.\n\n Our spurs are bright and richly wrought,\n For in this town they were not bought;\n And in this town they shan't be sold,\n Neither for silver nor for gold.\n\n Turn back, turn back, ye Spanish knights,\n And brush your buckles till they are bright.\n\n Our buckles are bright and richly wrought,\n For in this town they were not bought;\n And in this town they shan't be sold,\n Neither for silver nor for gold.\n\n--Yorkshire (Miss E. Cadman).\n\n XXIV. There was one lord that came from Spain,\n He came to court my daughter Jane;\n\n My daughter Jane, she is too young\n To be controlled by a flattering tongue.\n\n Will you? No.\n Will you? Yes.\n\n[This second one then joins hands with the \"lord,\" and they dance round\ntogether, saying--]\n\n You dirty wee scut, you wouldn't come out\n To help us with our dancing.\n\n--Ballymiscaw school, co. Down (Miss C. N. Patterson).\n\n XXV. There were one lord came out of Spain,\n Who came to court your daughter Jane.\n\n Your daughter Jane, she is too young\n To be controlled by flattering tongue.\n\n Oh! fare thee well; oh! fare thee well;\n I'll go and court some other girl.\n\n Come back, come back, your coat is white,\n And choose the fairest in your sight.\n\n The fairest one that I can see, is ----, come to me.\n\n--Holywood, co. Down (Miss C. N. Patterson).\n\n XXVI. Here's two dukes come out from Spain,\n For to court your daughter Jane;\n\n My daughter Jane is far too young,\n She cannot hear your flattering tongue.\n\n Be she young, or be she old,\n Her beauty must be sold,\n Either for silver or for gold;\n So fare you well, my lady fair,\n I'll call again some other day.\n\n--Galloway (J. G. Carter).\n\n XXVII. Here's one old Jew, just come from Spain,\n To ask alone your daughter Jane.\n\n Our daughter Jane is far too young\n To understand your Spanish tongue.\n\n Go away, Coat-green.\n\n My name is _not_ Coat-green,\n I _step_ my foot, and away I go.\n\n Come back, come back, your coat is green,\n And choose the fairest one you see.\n\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is pretty Alice. Come to me.\n\n I will not come.\n\n Naughty girl, she won't come out,\n She won't come out, she won't come out;\n Naughty girl, she won't come out,\n To see the ladies dancing.\n\n I will come.\n\n Pretty girl, she has come out,\n She has come out, she has come out;\n Pretty girl, she has come out,\n To see the ladies dancing.\n\n--Berwickshire (A. M. Bell, _Antiquary_, vol. xxx. p. 15).\n\n XXVIII. Here come two Jews, just come from Spain,\n To take away your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane is far too young,\n She cannot bear your chattering tongue.\n\n Farewell! farewell! we must not stay;\n We'll call again another day.\n\n Come back, come back, your choice is free,\n And choose the fairest one you see.\n\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is A---- F----. Come to me.\n\n--Cowes, Isle of Wight (Miss E. Smith).\n\n XXIX. There came three dukes a-riding, a-riding, a-riding,\n There came three dukes a-riding,\n To court my daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane is far too young, far too young,\n My daughter Jane is far too young,\n She hath a flattering tongue.\n\n They're all as red as roses, as roses, as roses,\n They're all as red as roses with sitting in the sun.\n\n--Perth (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXX. Here comes a duke a-riding,\n To court your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane is far too young\n To listen to your saucy tongue;\n Go back, go back, you saucy Jack,\n And clean your spurs and\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0.\n\n My spurs are bright as bright can be,\n With a tissima, tissima, tissima tee.\n\n Go through the house, go through the hall,\n And choose the fairest of them all.\n\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is ----. Come to me.\n\n--Clapham School (Mrs. Herbertson).\n\n XXXI. Here comes three dukes a-riding, a-riding,\n Here comes three dukes a-riding, to court your daughter\n Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane is yet too young\n To bear your silly, flattering tongue.\n\n Be she young, or be she old,\n She for beauty must and shall be sold.\n So fare thee well, my lady gay,\n We'll take our horse and ride away,\n And call again another day.\n\n Come back, come back! you Spanish knight,\n And clean your spurs, they are not bright.\n\n My spurs are bright as \"rickety rock\" [and richly wrought],\n And in this town they were not bought,\n And in this town they shan't be sold,\n Neither for silver, copper, nor gold.\n So fare thee well, &c.\n\n Come back! come back! you Spanish Jack [or coxcomb].\n\n Spanish Jack [or coxcomb] is not my name,\n I'll stamp my foot [stamps] and say the same.\n So fare thee well, &c.\n\n Come back! come back! you Spanish knight,\n And choose the fairest in your sight.\n\n This is the fairest I can see,\n So pray, young damsel, walk with me.\n\n We've brought your daughter, safe and sound,\n And in her pocket a thousand pound,\n And on her finger a gay gold ring,\n We hope you won't refuse to take her in.\n\n I'll take her in with all my heart,\n For she and \"me\" were loth to part.\n\n--Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 46, 47).\n\n XXXII. Here comes three dukes all out of Spain,\n For to court your daughter Jane.\n\n My daughter Jane, she is too young,\n She cannot bear your flattering tongue.\n\n Be she young, or be she old,\n For her beauty she must be sold.\n\n So fare thee well, my lady gay,\n We'll call again another day.\n\n Turn back, turn back, you Spanish knight,\n And take the fairest in your sight.\n\n Well through the kitchen and through the hall,\n I take the fairest of you all.\n\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is pretty ----, come to me.\n\n--Gloucestershire (Northall's _Rhymes_, p. 385).\n\n XXXIII. Two poor sailors dressed in blue,\n Two poor sailors dressed in blue,\n Two poor sailors dressed in blue,\n We come for the sake of your daughter Loo.\n\n My daughter Loo, she is too young,\n She cannot bear your flattering tongue.\n\n Whether she be young, or whether she be old,\n It is our duty, she must be sold.\n\n Take her, take her, the coach is free,\n The fairest one that you can see.\n\n The fairest one that we can see,\n Is bonnie [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0]. Come to me.\n\n Here's all your daughters safe and sound,\n In every pocket a thousand pound,\n On every finger a guinea gold ring,\n So please, take one of your daughters in.\n\n--Fochabers, N.E. Scotland (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXXIV. Two poor sailors dressed in blue, dressed in blue, dressed\n in blue,\n Two poor sailors dressed in blue, come for the sake of your\n daughter Loo.\n\n My daughter Loo, she is too young, she is too young, she is\n too young,\n She cannot bear your flattering tongue.\n\n Let her be young, or yet too old, yet too old, yet too old,\n But for her beauty she must be sold.\n\n The haughty thing, she won't come out, she won't come out,\n she won't come out;\n The haughty thing, she won't come out,\n To help us with our dancing.\n\n Now we have got a beautiful maid, a beautiful maid, a\n beautiful maid;\n Now we have got a beautiful maid,\n To help us with our dancing.\n\n--Nairn (Mrs. Jamieson, through Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXXV. One poor sailor dressed in blue, dressed in blue, dressed in\n blue,\n One poor sailor dressed in blue,\n Has come for the sake of your daughter Sue.\n\n My daughter Sue, she is too young,\n She cannot bear your flattering tongue.\n\n Whether she be young, or whether she be old,\n For her beauty she must be sold.\n\n Take her, take her, the coach is free.\n\n The fairest one that I can see is bonny (\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0), come with\n me.\n\n [No!]\n\n The dirty sclipe, she won't come out, she won't come out,\n she won't come out;\n The dirty sclipe, she won't come out to dance along with me.\n\n Now, I have got another poor maid, &c.,\n To come along with me.\n\n--Cullen (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXXVI. Here comes two ladies down from Spain,\n A len (?) [all in] French garland.\n I've come to court your daughter Jane,\n And adieu to you, my darling.\n\n--Scotland (_Notes and Queries_, 3rd series, v. 393).\n\n XXXVII. Here are just three tribes come down from Spain,\n To call upon my sister Jane.\n\n My sister Jane, she is far too young;\n I cannot bear her chattering tongue.\n\n The fairest lily that I can see,\n Is pretty little Lizzie, will ye come to me?\n\n [No!]\n\n The dirty thing, she won't come out, she won't come out, she\n won't come out;\n The dirty thing, she won't come out, to help us with the\n dancing.\n\n [Yes!]\n\n Now we've got a pretty maid, a pretty maid, a pretty maid;\n Now we've got a pretty maid, to help us with the dancing.\n\n--Waterford (Miss H. E. Harvey).\n\n(_b_) The players stand in two lines, facing one another, three boys on\none side and the girls (any number) on the other. The boys advance and\nretire dancing, and saying the first two lines. The girls stand still,\none who personates a mother answers with the next two lines. The boys\nthen advance and reply. When they are retiring the mother says the next\nlines and the boys reply; they then choose a girl and take her over to\ntheir side. The dialogue is generally spoken, not sung. The boys turn\ntheir toes outwards to show their spurs. The number of players on the\ngirls' side is generally an uneven one, the odd one is the mother and\nsays the dialogue. This is the most general way of playing, but there\nare interesting variations. Chambers says two parties play, one\nrepresenting a dame and her daughters, the other the suitors. The\nsuitors move backwards and forwards with their arms entwined. The mother\noffers her daughters when she says \"Smell my lilies,\" and the game ends\nby some little childish trick, but unfortunately, he does not describe\nthis. Miss Ellis (Leicester) says if the number of players suited,\nprobably all the boys, instead of three, would be on one side and the\ngirls on the other, but there is no hard and fast line. They turn out\ntheir toes to show their spurs: when they sing or say, \"Pass through the\nkitchen,\" &c., the girls stretch out their arms, still keeping hold of\nhand, and the boys, forming a long tail, wind in and out under their\narms as they stand. Having previously decided among themselves which\ngirl they shall seize, they go up and down the lines several times,\nuntil the period of suspense and expectation is supposed to have lasted\nlong enough. Then the last boy in the line puts his arms round the\nchosen girl's waist and carries her off. This goes on until there is\nonly one girl left, who recommences the game on her part by singing the\nfirst lines, choosing first a boy, who then becomes a Spaniard. In the\nfirst version from Belfast, the first girl who is asked to go refuses,\nand another is asked, who consents. In the Manchester version (Miss\nDendy), the girl refuses twice, then accepts. The \"mother\" is seated in\nstate with her \"daughters\" round her in the Bexley Heath (Miss Morris)\nversion. The two \"gentlemen\" advance to her and turn haughtily away\nwhen refused. Then they choose a girl and take her over to their side.\nIn the Shropshire (Edgmond) version, two girls, one from each end of the\nline of \"daughters,\" goes over to the knights' side, who also \"bow\" and\n\"bend\" when saying the lines, and the game is repeated saying five,\nseven, &c., knights. Here, also, the last player left on the girls' side\ntakes the knight's part in the next game. Miss Burne adds, at other\nplaces the knights call only one girl by name each time. Both lines in\nthe Shropshire game advance and retire. In the Dublin game (Mrs.\nLincoln), three young boys are chosen for the suitors, one girl is the\nmother, and any number from three to six personate the daughters. The\nfirst boy only speaks the lines. At \"Return, return, your coat is\nwhite,\" he, with the other two \"suitors,\" takes the girl, brings her\nback, and says the last verse. They then sit down, and the second suitor\ndoes the same thing, then the third one. Then the game is begun again\n[with three other boys] until all the daughters have been taken. In the\nversion quoted from _Notes and Queries_, two children, mother and\ndaughter, stand on one side, the other players opposite to them, and\nadvance and retire. The contributor says they chant the words to a\npleasing old melody. The Yorkshire version (Miss E. Cadman) is played in\nthe usual way, both sides advancing and retiring in turn, and at the end\none of the \"knights\" tries to catch one of the girls. They cross the\nroom to each other's places. In Co. Down, at Ballymiscaw, Miss Patterson\nsays one player refuses when asked, and another consents, this one and\nthe \"lord\" then join hands and dance round together, saying the last\nwords. The Annaverna version is sung by one on each side--\"king and the\nmother.\" The Berwickshire game was played by six children, one on one\nside, five on the other. The first lines are sung on both sides; then\nthe rest is dialogue until the girl refuses, when the \"Jew\" dances round\nby himself, singing the words; she then consents, and the two dance\nround with joined hands as in a reel, singing the last verse. The\ndialogue is spoken with animation, and the \"Jew steps his foot\" and\nprances away when saying these words. Twelve children in the Perth\nversion stand in a row, another stands a little in advance, who is\ncalled \"daughter Jane,\" another is the \"mother.\" Three more stand in\nfront of the twelve and are the \"Dukes.\" These dance forwards and\nbackwards before \"Jane and her mother,\" singing the first lines. The\nmother answers. When they sing the last line the \"Dukes\" choose one of\nthe twelve, and sing the words over again until all the twelve are on\nthe \"Dukes'\" side. Then they try to carry off \"Jane\" and the \"mother,\"\nand run until they are caught. In the Clapham school version (Mrs.\nHerbertson), the \"Duke\" tries to drag by force the chosen girl across a\nhandkerchief or other boundary, if successful she goes on his side. In\nthe Cornwall version the \"Dukes\" retire and consult before choosing a\ngirl, then select one. When all have been taken they bring them back in\nthe same order to the \"mother,\" saying the last verse, and the \"mother\"\nreplies in the last two lines. In the London version, the \"Dukes\" take\nthe girl and rob her, then bring her back. In the Fochabers version\n(Rev. W. Gregor), the two \"sailors\" join hands crosswise, walk backwards\nand forwards, and sing the words. The girl crosses over to them when\nchosen. When all are chosen the \"sailors\" bring all the girls before the\nmother, singing the last verse. The mother searches the daughters one\nafter the other, finding neither money nor ring. She then chases the\nsailors, and the one caught becomes mother next game.\n\n(_c_) This game has been said by previous collectors, and at first sight\nmay be thought to be merely a variant of \"Three Dukes,\" but it will on\ninvestigation, I think, prove to be more than this. In the first place,\nthe obvious borrowing from the \"Three Dukes\" of a few words, as in\nversions Nos. 29, 30, and 31, tells against the theory of identity of\nthe two games. Then the form of marriage custom is different, though it\nis still marriage under primitive conditions of society. The personal\nelement, entirely absent from the \"Three Dukes,\" is here one of the\nprincipal characteristics. The marriage is still one without previous\ncourtship or love between two individuals, but the parental element is\npresent here, or at any rate that of some authority, and a sanction is\ngiven, although there is no trace of any actual ceremony. The young men,\nor suitors, apparently desire a particular person in marriage, and\nalthough there is no wooing of that person a demand is made for her.\nThese suitors are, I think, making the demand on the part of another\nrather than for themselves. They are the ambassadors or friends of the\nwould-be bridegrooms, and are soliciting for a marriage in which\npurchase money or dowry is to be paid. The mention of \"gold and silver\"\nin many versions, and the line, \"she must be sold,\" is important.\n\nAll these indications of purchase refer to a time when the custom of\noffering gold, money, or other valuables for a bride was in vogue.\nWhile, therefore, the game has traces of carrying off the bride, this\ncarrying off is in strict accord with the conditions prevalent when\nmarriage by purchase had succeeded to marriage by capture. The\nbargaining spirit is not much \"en evidence\" in this game, not, that is\nto say, in the same sense as is shown in \"Three Sailors,\" p. 282, but\nthere is sufficient evidence of a mercantile spirit to prove that women\nand girls were too valuable to be parted with by their own tribe or\nfamily without something deemed equivalent being given in return. There\nis a desire shown to possess the girl for her beauty; and that a choice\nof a suitor could or would be made is shown by the remarks that she is\ntoo young and does not know the language and customs of this suitor.\n\nThe mention of the spurs conveys the suggestion that the suitors or\nambassadors are men of quality and renown. To win their spurs was an\nobject greatly desired by all young men. Their reply to the taunt that\ntheir spurs are \"dull\" may mean that they are not bright from use, and\nmay also show the idea that these men have come on a journey from some\ndistance for a bride or brides, and this only is responsible for their\nspurs not being as bright as usual. Again, being \"richly wrought\" is\nprobably an indication of wealth or consequence. Mention must be made of\nthe mead not being made nor the cake yet baked, which occurs in two\nversions. If these two versions can be considered old ones, this would\ntend to show evidence of the ceremony of the eating together of\nparticular food, which forms the most important element in primitive\nmarriage ceremonies.\n\nThere occurs in some versions the incident of asking the girl to come,\nand the dancing round when she consents, mostly in connection with the\nincident of invitation to dance. This may not therefore belong, and I do\nnot think it does, to the early forms of this game; but we must remember\nthat dancing formed a part of the marriage ceremonies down to quite a\nlate date, and it is therefore not surprising it should be found in many\nversions.\n\nIt has been suggested that this game has for its origin an historical\nevent in the reign of Edward III., whose daughter Jane married a prince\nof Spain. There is some possibility in this, as doubtless the marriage\nwas conducted by ambassadors first of all with pomp and ceremonial, but\nI think the game really dates from a much earlier period, and if there\nare any grounds for connecting it with this particular royal marriage,\nit may merely have altered and fixed some of the words, such as\n\"daughter Jane,\" \"Lords from Spain,\" \"Spanish gold,\" in people's minds,\nand in this way tended to preserve the game in its modern form.\n\nMr. Addy, in his _Sheffield Glossary_, considers that the mention of the\nthree knights and gifts of gold is a fragment of some old pageant of the\nThree Kings of Cologne, who, according to ancient legend, brought gifts\nto the infant Jesus, but I can see no evidence of this.\n\nIt is somewhat curious that this game is very rarely sung to a tune, nor\nhave I succeeded in obtaining one. It is usually said to a sort of\nsing-song chant, or else it is spoken in dialogue, and that with a good\ndeal of animation.\n\nMr. Newell gives versions, as played in America, similar to many here\ngiven, and Mr. Northall (_Folk Rhymes_, p. 385) gives one from\nGloucestershire and Warwickshire.\n\n [10] Incomplete, there is more of the game, but the maid could not\n remember it.\n\n [11] Probably once \"boy,\" pronounced \"by\" in Essex.\n\n\nThree Little Ships\n\n[Music]\n\n--London (A. B. Gomme).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Rimbault's _Nursery Rhymes_.\n\n I. Three little ships come sailing by,\n Sailing by, sailing by;\n Three little ships come sailing by,\n New Year's day in the morning.\n\n Who do you think was in the ships,\n In the ships, in the ships;\n Who do you think was in the ships,\n New Year's day in the morning?\n\n Three pretty girls were in the ships,\n In the ships, in the ships;\n Three pretty girls were in the ships,\n New Year's day in the morning.\n\n One could whistle, and one could sing,\n One could play on the violin;\n One could whistle, and one could sing,\n New Year's day in the morning.\n\n--London (A. B. Gomme).\n\n II. I saw three ships come sailing by,\n Come sailing by, come sailing by;\n I saw three ships come sailing by\n On New Year's day in the morning.\n\n And what do you think was in them then,\n In them then, in them then;\n And what do you think was in them then,\n On New Year's day in the morning?\n\n Three pretty girls were in them then, &c.\n\n One could whistle, and one could sing,\n The other could play on the violin;\n Such joy was there at my wedding,\n On New Year's day in the morning.\n\n--Rimbault's _Nursery Rhymes_.\n\n III. As I sat on a sunny bank,\n A sunny bank, a sunny bank;\n As I sat on a sunny bank\n On Christmas day in the morning.\n\n I saw three ships come sailing by,\n Come sailing by, come sailing by;\n I saw three ships come sailing by\n On Christmas day in the morning.\n\n And who do you think was in those ships? &c.\n But Joseph and his lady.\n\n And he did whistle, and she did sing,\n And all the bells on earth did ring\n For joy our Saviour he was born\n On Christmas day in the morning.\n\n--Burne's _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 564.\n\n[The above verses, except the last one, are sung at Oswestry with these\nadditional ones:--]\n\n Pray, whither sailed those ships all three? &c.\n Oh! they sailed unto Bethlehem, &c.\n They combed his hair with an ivory comb, &c.\n They washed his face in a golden cup, &c.\n They wiped his face with a lily-white cloth, &c.\n They brushed his shoes with a hairy brush, &c.\n\n--Burne's _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 564.\n\n(_c_) In the London version, which I obtained from a maid-servant--two\nlines of children stand, hand in hand, facing one another. They advance\nand retire in line, with dancing steps, alternately. The children sing\nthe lines. When the last verse is sung a girl from the end of each line\nadvances, and the two dance round together. This is continued until all\nhave danced in turn in the space between the lines.\n\n(_d_) It will be seen that there is a probability of the version I\ncollected as a dance game and Rimbault's nursery song being derived from\nthe Christmas carol, a variant of which I reprint from Miss Burne's\n_Shropshire Folk-lore_. A version of this carol from Kent is given in\n_Notes and Queries_, 3rd series, iii. 7. Mr. A. H. Bullen, in _Carols\nand Poems_, gives an older version of the same. In this version there is\nno mention of whistling, singing, or playing the violin; but in the Kent\nversion, the third verse is the same as the fourth of that collected by\nMiss Burne, and the dance collected by myself. In the _Revue Celtique_,\nvol. iv., Mr. Fitzgerald considers this carol to have been the original\nfrom which the pretty words and dance, \"Duck Dance,\" were derived, see\n_ante_, vol. i. p. 113. If these words and dance owe their origin to the\ncarol, they may both show connection with an older form, when the carol\nwas danced as a dramatic round.\n\n\nThree Old Bachelors\n\n Here come three old bachelors,\n Walking in a row,\n Seeking wives, and can't find 'em;\n So open the ring, and take one in.\n Now you're married, you must obey;\n You must be true to all you say;\n You must be kind, you must be good,\n And help your wife to chop the wood.\n\n--Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy).\n\nMr. Hardy suggests that this is a variant of \"See the Farmer Sow his\nSeed,\" but it more nearly resembles \"Silly Old Man,\" although the\nmarriage formula is that of \"Oats and Beans.\"\n\n\nThree Sailors\n\n[Music]\n\n--London (A. B. Gomme).\n\n I. Here come three sailors, three by three,\n To court your daughter, a fair lady (pronounced ladee);\n [_Or_, And down by your door they bend their knee].\n Can we have a lodging here, here, here?\n Can we have a lodging here?\n\n Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake,\n Here are three sailors we can't take;\n You cannot have a lodging here, here, here,\n You cannot have a lodging here.\n\n Here come three soldiers, three by three,\n To court your daughter, a fair lady;\n Can we have a lodging here, here, here?\n Can we have a lodging here?\n\n Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake,\n Here are three soldiers we can't take;\n You cannot have a lodging here, here, here,\n You cannot have a lodging here.\n\n Here come three kings, three by three,\n To court your daughter, a fair lady;\n Can we have a lodging here, here, here?\n Can we have a lodging here?\n\n Wake, wake, daughter, do not sleep,\n Here come three kings that we can take;\n You can have a lodging here, here, here,\n You can have a lodging here.\n\n Here's my daughter, safe and sound,\n And in her pocket one hundred pound,\n And on her finger a gay gold ring,\n And she is fit to walk with a king.\n\n Here's your daughter, not safe nor sound,\n Nor in her pocket one hundred pound,\n On her finger no gay gold ring,\n I'm sure she's not fit to walk with a king.\n\n--Barnes, Surrey, and London (A. B. Gomme).\n\n II. Here come three tinkers, three by three,\n To court your daughter, fair lady;\n Oh! have you any lodgings here, oh, here?\n Oh! have you any lodgings here?\n\n Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake,\n Here come three tinkers we cannot take;\n We haven't any lodgings here, oh, here,\n We haven't any lodgings here.\n\n Here come three soldiers, three by three,\n To court your daughter, fair lady;\n Oh! have you any lodgings here, oh, here?\n Oh! have you any lodgings here?\n\n Sleep, sleep, daughter, do not wake,\n Here come three soldiers we cannot take;\n We haven't any lodgings here, oh, here,\n We haven't any lodgings here.\n\n Here come three kings, three by three,\n To court your daughter, fair lady;\n Oh! have you any lodgings here, oh, here?\n Oh! have you any lodgings here?\n\n Wake, wake, daughter, do not sleep,\n Here come three kings that we can take;\n We have some lodgings here, oh, here,\n We have some lodgings here.\n\n Here's my daughter, safe and sound,\n And in her pocket five hundred pounds,\n And on her finger a five guinea gold ring,\n And she is fit to walk with a king.\n\n Here's your daughter, nor safe nor sound,\n And in her pocket no five hundred pound,\n And on her finger no five guinea gold ring,\n And she's not fit to walk with the king.\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n III. Here's three sweeps, three by three,\n And down by the door they bend their knee;\n Oh! shall we have lodgings here, oh, here?\n Oh! shall we have lodgings here?\n\n Sleep, dear daughter, do not wake,\n For here's three sweeps coming to take;\n Lodgings here they shall not have,\n So sleep, dear daughter, sleep.\n\n Here's three bakers, three by three,\n And down by the door they bend their knee;\n Oh! shall we have lodgings here, oh, here?\n Oh! shall we have lodgings here?\n\n Sleep, dear daughter, do not wake, &c. (as above).\n\n Here's three kings, three by three, &c. (as above).\n\n Wake, dear daughter, do not sleep,\n For here's three kings coming to take;\n Lodgings here they all may have,\n So wake, dear daughter, wake.\n\n Here's my daughter, safe and sound,\n And on her finger a guinea gold ring,\n And in her pocket a thousand pounds,\n So she is fit to marry a king.\n\n Here's your daughter, safe and sound,\n And on her finger no guinea gold ring,\n And in her pocket no thousand pounds,\n So she's not fit to marry a king.\n\n--Aberdeen Training College (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n IV. Here come three tailors, three by three,\n To court your daughter, fair and fair;\n Have you got a lodger here, oh, here?\n Have you got a lodger here?\n\n Sleep, daughter, sleep, sleep,\n Here come three tailors we can't take;\n We haven't got a lodger here, oh, here,\n We haven't got a lodger here.\n\n[The verses are repeated for \"sailors,\" \"blacksmiths,\" &c., and then\n\"kings,\" and ends in the same way as the preceding version.]\n\n--Swaffham, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n V. Here come three sailors, three by three,\n A courting your daughter, Caroline Mee;\n [Some would sing it \"Because your daughter\"]\n Can we have a lodging here to-night?\n\n Sleep, daughter, do not wake,\n Here's three sailors we can't take;\n You cannot have a lodging here to-night.\n\n Here come three soldiers, three by three,\n A courting your daughter, Caroline Mee;\n Can we have a lodging here to-night?\n\n Sleep, daughter, do not wake,\n Here's three soldiers we can't take;\n You cannot have a lodging here to-night.\n\n[This is repeated for \"kings,\" and the game ends as in the previous\nversions. \"Three\" hundred pounds being substituted for \"five.\"]\n\n--Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase).\n\n VI. Here come some travellers three by three,\n And down by a door they bend their knee.\n \"Can we get lodgings here?\"\n The fairest one that I can see\n Is pretty little ----, come to me,\n And you'll get lodgings here--\n \"Will you come?\" \"Yes,\" or \"No!\"\n\n--Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).\n\n(_c_) The players form in two lines, and stand facing one another. One\nline consists of a mother and daughters. The other of the suitors. The\nmother stands a little in advance of her daughters. They remain\nstationary during the game, the mother alone singing the words on her\nside. The suitors advance and retire in line while singing their verses.\nThe mother turns partly round when singing the two first lines of her\nverses addressing her daughters, and then faces the suitors when singing\nto them the remaining two lines. When she accepts the \"kings\" she\nbrings one of her daughters forward, presents her to the suitors, and\nshows them the money in her pocket, and the ring on her finger. The\ndaughter goes with the kings, who take her a little way apart, pretend\nto rob her of her ring, money, and clothes, and then bring her back to\nher mother, and sing the last verse. They then run off in all\ndirections, and the mother and daughters chase and catch them, and they\nchange sides. Sometimes all the daughters are taken by the suitors\nbefore they are robbed and brought back. The game is also played by five\nplayers only; three representing the sailors or suitors, and two the\nmother and daughter. The mother then chases the suitors, and whoever she\ncatches becomes the daughter the next game. These are the usual methods\nof playing. In the Norfolk version the middle one of the three suitors\ntakes the girl, robs her, and all three bring her back and sing the\nverses. In the Isle of Man version one player sits down, the others join\nhands, advance and retire singing the lines. The girl who is chosen\njoins the one sitting down.\n\n(_d_) This game points to that period of tribal society, when the youths\nof one tribe sought to obtain their wives from the maidens of another\ntribe according to the laws of exogamy, but a definite person is here\nselected for the wife, and it is to the relatives or persons having\nauthority (as in \"Three Knights\") that the demand for the bride is made,\nand not to the girl personally, as in \"Three Dukes.\"\n\nThe game, while not so interesting a one to us as \"Three Dukes,\" and\n\"Three Knights,\" has its particular or peculiar features. It is probably\nlater, and shows more clearly that position and wealth were of\nimportance to a man in the obtaining of a wife. Individually he has not\n(apparently) courted the girl before, but he comes for that purpose now.\nHe may be announcing himself under the various ranks or professions\nmentioned, before stating his real position; or, this may show that the\ngirl having many suitors, and those of all degrees, the \"mother\" or\nrelatives are actuated by purely mercenary motives, and wish to select\nthe best and richest suitor for her. We must remember that it was\naccounted great honour to a girl to have many suitors and amongst these\nmen distinguished by the performance of brave deeds, which had gained\nthem renown and pre-eminence, or wealth. The fact that the rejection or\nacceptance of the suitors is made known to the girl by the \"mother,\" or\nperson having authority, shows that \"sanction\" or permission is\nnecessary, and that \"rejection\" or \"acceptance\" is signified to the\nsuitors in the words, you \"may not,\" or, you \"may\" have a lodging here,\nsignifies admission into the family. This is a most interesting feature.\nThe girl is to \"wake up,\" that would be to rouse up, be merry, dress in\nbridal array and prepare for the coming festival. She is also given to\nthe suitors with \"in her pocket one hundred pounds,\" and \"on her finger\na gay gold ring.\" This, it will be seen, is given her by her \"mother\" or\nperson having authority, and probably refers to the property the girl\nbrings with her to her new abode for her proper maintenance there; the\nring shows likewise her station and degree in her former abode, and is\nthe token that she is fit bride for a king, and must be treated\naccordingly. Curious, too, is \"Here's my daughter safe and sound,\" which\nlooks like a warrant or guarantee of the girl's fitness to be a bride.\nThe expression \"walk with,\" meaning \"to marry,\" again occurs in this\ngame as in \"Three Dukes.\" The line occurring in two versions, \"And down\nby the door they bend their knee,\" is suggestive of courtesy shown to\nthe bride and her family at the threshold of the house.\n\nThe incident of the three kings becoming robbers is not easily\nunderstood. Robbery was common of course, particularly when money and\nvaluables were known to be carried on the person; but I do not think\nthis is sufficient in itself to account for the incident. It may be a\nreflection of the later fact that a man always took possession of his\nwife's personal property after marriage, and considered it his own to do\nas he pleased with. When this idea became codified in written law, the\nidea might readily get reflected in the game, when _kings_ would not be\nunderstood as apparently taking things that did not belong to them,\nunless they were bandits in disguise. This last verse and the robbery\nmay be a later addition to the game, when robbery was of everyday\noccurrence. There may have been (although there is nothing now in any\nversion to warrant the idea) some similar action on the part of the\nkings, such as a further arraying of the bride, and presenting her to\ntheir party or house, which has been misunderstood. Mr. Newell suggests\nthat children having forgotten the original happy finish, and not\nunderstanding the \"haggling\" over the suitors, turned the kings into\nbandits. Children think it such a natural thing to wish to marry kings,\nprinces, and princesses, and are so sincere in thinking it a matter of\ncourse to refuse a sailor or soldier for a king, when it is only a\nquestion of marriage, and not of choosing the one you like the best,\nthat this reason does not to me seem to apply to a game of this kind.\n\n\nThrough the Needle Eye, Boys\n\nTwo leaders each choose a name such as \"Golden Apple\" and \"Golden Pear.\"\nThe remaining children all hold each other's waists in a long string,\nthe \"Golden Apple\" and \"Golden Pear\" holding hands aloft like an arch.\nThe string of children then runs under the arch. The last child that\npasses under is detained by the \"Golden Apple\" and \"Golden Pear\" (they\nhaving dropped hands previously). The detained child is asked in a\nwhisper which she prefers, \"Golden Apple,\" \"Golden Pear;\" she chooses,\nand then stands at the back of the \"Golden Apple\" or \"Golden Pear.\" When\nall the children have passed through, the \"Golden Apple\" and \"Golden\nPear\" hold each other's hands and stand with the others behind them and\npull like a \"Tug of War.\" There should be a line drawn between the\n\"Golden Apple\" and the \"Golden Pear,\" and whichever side pulls the other\nover the line, wins the game.--Northumberland (from a lady friend of\nHon. J. Abercromby).\n\nThe formula sung in Fraserburgh when the players are running under the\nraised arms is--\n\n Clink, clink, through the needle ee, boys,\n One, two, three,\n If you want a bonnie lassie,\n Just tak me.\n\nAfter the tug of war the victors call out \"Rotten eggs, rotten eggs\"\n(Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nThe words used in Galloway are--\n\n Through the needle e'e, boys,\n Through the needle e'e!\n If 'twasna for your granny's sake,\n I wadna let 'e through.\n\n--Galloway (J. G. Carter).\n\nJamieson describes this game in the south of Scotland as follows: \"Two\nchildren form an arch with both hands. The rest, who hold each other by\nthe skirts following in a line, attempt to pass under the arch. The\nfirst, who is called the king, is sometimes laid hold of by those who\nform the arch, each letting fall one of his arms like a portcullis for\nenclosing the passenger. But more generally the king is suffered to\npass, the attempt being reserved for the last; whoever is seized is\ncalled the prisoner. As soon as he is made captive he takes the place of\none of those who formed the arch, and who afterwards stand by his side.\"\n\nIt is differently played in Mearns, Aberdeen, and some other counties. A\nnumber of boys stand with joined hands in a semicircle, and the boy at\none end of the link addresses the boy at the other end of the line:\n\n A---- B----, if ye were mine,\n I wad feed you with claret wine;\n Claret wine is gude and fine,\n Through the needle-ee, boys.\n\nThe boy to whom this is addressed makes room between himself and his\nnext neighbour, as they raise and extend their arms to allow the\nopposite boy to run through the opening followed by all the other boys\nstill linked to each other. If in running through the link should be\nbroken, the two boys who are the cause suffer some punishment.--Ed.\nJamieson's Dictionary.\n\nThe Northumberland game resembles \"Oranges and Lemons.\" The other\nversions are nearer the \"Thread the Needle\" and \"How many Miles to\nBabylon\" games. Both games may be derived from the same custom.\n\nSee \"How many Miles to Babylon,\" \"Thread the Needle.\"\n\n\nThun'er Spell\n\nA thin lath of wood, about six inches long and three or four inches\nbroad, is taken and rounded at one end. A hole is bored in that end, and\nin the hole is tied a piece of cord between two and three yards long. It\nis then rapidly swung round, so as to produce a buzzing sound. The more\nrapidly it is swung, the louder is the noise. It was believed that the\nuse of this instrument during a thunder-storm saved one from being\nstruck with \"the thun'er bolt.\" I have used it with this intention\n(Keith). In other places it is used merely to make a noise. It is\ncommonly deeply notched all round the edges to increase the noise.\n\nSome years ago a herd boy was observed making one in a farm-kitchen\n(Udny). It was discovered that when he was sent to bring the cows from\nthe fields to the farmyard to be milked, he used it to frighten them,\nand they ran frantically to their stalls. The noise made the animals\ndread the bot-fly or \"cleg.\" This torment makes them throw their tails\nup, and rush with fury through the fields or to the byres to shelter\nthemselves from its attacks. A formula to effect the same purpose, and\nwhich I have many and many a time used when herding, was: Cock tail!\ncock tail! cock tail! Bizz-zz-zz! Bizz-zz-zz.--Keith (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nDr. Gregor secured one of these that was in use in Pitsligo, and sent it\nto the Pitt-Rivers Museum at Oxford, where it now lies. Professor Haddon\nhas made a collection of these toys, and has written on their connection\nwith the Australian boomerang.\n\nThey are still occasionally to be met with in country districts, but are\nused simply for the purpose of making a noise.\n\nSee \"Bummers.\"\n\n\nTick\n\nA game mentioned by Drayton, and still played in\nWarwickshire.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_. The same game as \"Touch.\"\n\n\nTickle me Quickly\n\nAn old game (undescribed) mentioned in Taylor's _Motto_, 1622, sig. D,\niv.\n\n\nTicky Touchwood.\n\n Ticky, ticky Touchwood, my black hen,\n She lays eggs for gentlemen;\n Sometimes nine and sometimes ten,\n Ticky, ticky Touchwood, my black hen.\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\nAddy (_Sheffield Glossary_, under \"Tiggy Touchwood\") says, \"One player\nwho is called Tiggy stands out, and each of the others takes hold of or\ntouches a piece of wood, such as a door, or rail, &c. One then leaves\nhis 'wood' and runs across the playground, and if whilst doing so Tiggy\ncan touch him he must stand out or take Tiggy's place.\"\n\nOne child is chosen to be \"Ticky,\" _i.e._, to be on the _qui vive_ to\nlay hold of or touch any one who is not touching wood. If played out of\ndoors it must be clearly defined _what is wood_, trees and all growing\nwood being forbidden. The fun consists in the bold ventures of those who\ntempt \"Ticky\" to run after them, and contrive to touch \"wood\" just\nbefore he touches them. When one is caught he is \"Ticky\" in\nturn.--Swaffham, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\nPlayed within a given boundary, in which were wooden buildings or\nfences. When one of the players was being pursued by the tigger, if he\ntouched wood he could not be made prisoner, but he was not allowed to\nremain long in that position, and directly his hand left wood he was\nliable to instant capture. If when pursued he called out \"a barla!\" he\nwas again exempt from capture, but he could not move from the position\nor place where he or she was when they called out, a barla! When wishing\nto move he had to call out \"Ma barla oot!\" No den in this game, but\nconstant running.--Biggar (Wm. Ballantyne).\n\nLowsley (_Berkshire Glossary_) says, \"Boys have games called Touch-wood\nand Touch-iron, where any one not touching either of the substances\nnamed is liable to be caught by the one standing out.\"\n\nRoss and Stead (_Holderness Glossary_) give this game as Tiggy\nTouchwood, a game similar to Tig, but in which the player must touch\nwood. It is called Ticky, Ticky Touchwood by Brogden (_Lincolnshire\nProvincial Words_), and Tiggy in Addy's _Sheffield Glossary_.\n\nAlso played in another way. One tree or piece of wood was selected for\n\"Home,\" and the players darted out from this saying, \"Ticky, Ticky\nTouchwood,\" then running back to the tree and touching it before Ticky\ncaught them. \"Parley\" or \"fainits\" were the words called out when\nexempt.--London (A. B. Gomme).\n\nIt is also described in Patterson's _Antrim and Down Glossary_.\n\n\nTig.\n\nA game in which one player touches another, then runs off to be pursued\nand touched in turn.\n\nMr. Addy says, \"Children _tig_ each other when they leave school, and\nthere is a rivalry among them to get the last tig. After a boy has said\n_tig-poison_, he is not to be 'tigged' again.\" Brockett says: \"Tig, a\nslight touch (as a mode of salutation), a play among children on\nseparating for the night, in which every one endeavours to get the last\ntouch; called also Last Bat.\"--Brockett's _North Country Words_, and\nconsult Dickinson (_Cumberland Glossary_), also Jamieson. A boys' game,\nin which the player scores by touching one who runs before him.--Stead's\n_Holderness Glossary_. A play among children when separating for the\nnight.--Willan's _Dialect Words of West Riding of Yorks._ Called also\n\"Touch\" and \"Tigga Tiggy,\" in East and West Cornwall; (Courtney and\nCouch), also Patterson's _Antrim and Down Glossary_.\n\nSee \"Canlie,\" \"Cross Tig.\"\n\n\nTime.\n\nThe players stand in a line. Two are chosen, who stand apart, and fix on\nany hour, as one, two, three, &c., or any half-hour. A nestie is marked\noff at some distance from the row of players. One of the two goes in\nfront of the line of players, and beginning at one end asks each the\nhour. This is done till the hour fixed on between the two is guessed.\nThe one that makes the right guess runs to catch the other of the two\nthat fixed the hour, and she makes off to the \"nestie.\" If she is caught\nshe goes to the line of players, and the one that caught her takes her\nplace. If she reaches the \"nestie\" without being caught, she has still\nto run to the line of players; if she does this without being caught\nshe holds her place as one of the time-fixers, but if caught she\ntakes her stand in the line, and the one that caught her becomes\ntime-fixer.--Fraserburgh (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n\nTip it.\n\nThis is played by six players, divided into two sides of three each,\nwith one captain to each side. A ring or other small object is taken by\nthe side which wins the toss, and then both sides sit down to a small\ntable. The in-side puts their hands under the table, and the ring is\ngiven to one of the three players. At a given signal they all bring up\ntheir closed hands on to the table, and the other side has to guess in\nwhich closed fist the ring is. The guesser has the privilege of ordering\n\"off\" the hands which he thinks are empty. If he succeeds in getting the\nempty hands off, he says \"tip it\" to the remaining one. If he guesses\nright the ring changes sides. The game is to keep the ring or other\nobject on one side as long as possible.--London (Alfred Nutt).\n\n\nTip-Cat.\n\nStrutt says this is so denominated from the piece of wood called a cat,\nabout six inches in length, and an inch and a half or two inches in\ndiameter, diminished from the middle to both ends. When the cat is on\nthe ground the player strikes it smartly, when it rises with a rotatory\nmotion high enough for him to hit it again before it falls, in the same\nmanner as a ball. He says there are various methods of playing the game,\nand describes the two following: A large ring is made in the ground; in\nthe middle of this the striker takes his station; his business then is\nto hit the cat over the ring. If he fails in doing so he is out, and\nanother player takes his place; if successful, he judges with his eye\nthe distance the cat is driven from the centre of the ring, and calls\nfor a number at pleasure to be scored towards his game: if the number\ndemanded be found upon measurement to exceed the same number of lengths\nof the bludgeon, he is out; on the contrary, if it does not, he obtains\nhis call. The second way of playing is to make four, six, or eight\nholes in the ground in a circular direction, and at equal distances from\neach other, at every hole is placed a player with his bludgeon: one of\nthe opposite party who stand in the field tosses the cat to the batsman\nwho is nearest him, and every time the cat is struck the players are\nobliged to change their situations, and run once from one hole to\nanother in succession; if the cat be driven to any great distance they\ncontinue to run in the same order, and claim a score towards their game\nevery time they quit one hole and run to another; but if the cat be\nstopped by their opponents and thrown across between any two of the\nholes before the player who has quitted one of them can reach the other,\nhe is out.\n\nMr. Kinahan says there is among old Irish games one sometimes called\ncat, played with three or more players on each side, two stones or holes\nas stations, and a lobber, but the regular cat is played with a stick\nfour inches long, bevelled at each end, called the cat. This bevelled\nstick is laid on the ground, and one end hit with a stick to make it\nrise in the air, when it is hit by the player, who runs to a mark and\nback to his station. The game is made by a number of runs; while the\nhitter is out if he fails three times to hit the cat, or if he is hit by\nthe cat while running.--(_Folk-lore Journal_, ii. 264.) The common game\nof \"tip-cat\" was called _cat-and-kitten_ by Dorset children. The long\nstick represented the \"cat\" and the small pieces the\n\"kitten.\"--(_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 234.) Elworthy (_West Somerset\nWords_) calls it Stick and Snell. Brogden (_Provincial Words,\nLincolnshire_) gives it as tip-cat, as does Lowsley (_Berkshire\nGlossary_), also Trippit and Coit, and Trippit and Rack in some parts of\nthe North.--Brockett's _North Country Words_. Once commonly played in\nLondon streets, now forbidden.\n\nSee \"Cudgel,\" \"Waggles.\"\n\n\nTip-tap-toe.\n\nA square is drawn having nine smaller squares or houses within it. Two\npersons play. They alternately make the one a square and the other a\ncross in any one of the houses. He that first gets three in a line wins\nthe game.--Peacock's _Manley and Corringham Glossary_. Brogden\n(_Provincial Words, Lincolnshire_) calls it Tit-tat-toe, also Lowsley\n(_Berkshire Glossary_).\n\nNorthall says called Tick-tack-toe in Warwickshire and Staffordshire;\nthe rhyme is \"Tick-tack-toe, I've caught you.\"\n\nThis game is called \"Noughts and Crosses,\" in London, probably from\nthose marks being used in the game.\n\nSee \"Kit-Cat-Cannio,\" \"Noughts and Crosses.\"\n\n\nTiring Irons.\n\nAn old game with iron rods and rings.--Holland's _Cheshire Glossary_.\n\n\nTisty Tosty\n\nSee \"Shuttlefeather,\" \"Teesty Tosty.\"\n\n\nTitter-totter\n\nThe game of see-saw.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\n\nTit-tat-toe.\n\nA game played by school children on slates. A round is drawn, which is\ndivided into as many divisions as is thought necessary, sixteen being\ngenerally the least. These divisions are each numbered, the centre\ncontaining a higher figure than any in the divisions, usually 25, 50, or\n100. Several children can play. They each have a place or square\nallotted to them on the slate in which to record the numbers they\nobtain. A space is allotted to \"Old Nick\" or the \"Old Man.\" The players\nalternately take a pencil in their right hand (holding it point\ndownwards on 1, and tapping on each number with it), and shutting their\neyes move round and round the diagram saying--\n\n \"Tit, tat, toe, my first go,\n Three jolly butcher boys all in a row\n Stick one up, stick one down,\n Stick one in the old man's ground.\"\n\nstopping and keeping the pencil in an upright position when the last\nword is said. The player then opens his eyes, and registers in his\nsquare the number at which the pencil stopped. This number is then\nscratched through on the diagram, to signify that it is taken, the other\nplayers proceed in the same manner as the first; then the first one\nbegins again. This is continued till all the numbers are scratched out,\nor till one of the players puts his pencil into the centre, and thus\nwins the game. If all the figures are taken before the centre is\ntouched, the game goes to the \"Old man\" or \"Old Nick.\" Also, if one\nplayer puts his pencil in a division already taken, he records nothing\nand loses that turn; this is also the case if, after the verse is\nrepeated, the pencil is found to be on a division or boundary line or\noutside the round.--London (A. B. Gomme).\n\n[Illustration]\n\nI was taught by a maid servant to play this game on the ground. This\ngirl drew the round and divisions and figures on the gravel path or\nmould in the garden, and sharpened a piece of stick at one end for the\npointer. She did not know the game as one played on slates, but always\nplayed it on the ground in this way.\n\nThis game appears to indicate a lottery, and might originally have had\nsomething to do with allotting pieces of land or other property to\nprospective owners under the ancient common field system. The places\nwhen taken by one player not being available for another, and the fact\nof it being known as played on the ground, and not on slates, are both\nsignificant indications of the suggested origin. The method of allotting\nlands by lottery is described in Gomme's _Village Community_. Mr.\nNewell, _Games_, p. 140, records a similar game called \"Wheel of\nFortune.\"\n\n\nTods and Lambs\n\nA game played on a perforated board with wooden pins.--Jamieson. The\nEditor adds that the game is materially the same as the English \"Fox and\nGeese.\"\n\nSee \"Fox and Geese\" (2).\n\n\nTom Tiddler's Ground\n\n[Music]\n\n--Liverpool (Mrs. Harley).\n\nA line is drawn on the ground, one player stands behind it. The piece so\nprotected is \"Tom Tiddler's ground.\" The other players stand in a row on\nthe other side. The row breaks and the children run over, calling out,\n\"Here we are on Tom Tiddler's ground, picking up gold and silver.\" Tom\nTiddler catches them, and as they are caught they stand on one side. The\nlast out becomes Tom Tiddler.--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).\n\nTom Tiddler's Ground is played at Chirbury under the name of \"Boney\" =\nBonaparte! one boy taking possession of a certain area, and the others\ntrespassing on it, saying, \"I am on Boney's ground.\" If they are caught\nthere, they are put \"in prison\" till released by a touch from a\ncomrade.--Chirbury (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 523-524).\n\n I'm on Tom Tinker's ground,\n I'm on Tom Tinker's ground,\n I'm on Tom Tinker's ground,\n Picking up gold and silver.\n\n--Derbyshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, i. 386).\n\nNorthall (_Folk Rhymes_) gives the following lines, and describes it as\nplayed as above, except that Tom Tinder is provided with a knotted\nhandkerchief, with which he buffets any one caught on his property:--\n\n Here we are on Tom Tinder's ground,\n Picking up gold and silver;\n You pick weeds, and I'll pick seeds,\n And we'll all pick carraway comfits.\n\nIn the Liverpool district the game is called \"Old Daddy Bunchey\" (Mrs.\nHarley), and in Norfolk \"Pussey's Ground\" (Miss Matthews).\n\nIt is also mentioned by Lowsley (_Berkshire Glossary_).\n\n\nTops\n\nThe special games now played with tops are mentioned under their\nrespective titles, but the general allusions to the ancient\nwhipping-tops are important enough to note.\n\nStrutt says the top was known with us as early at least as the\nfourteenth century, when its form was the same as now, and the manner of\nusing it can admit of but little if any difference. Representations of\nboys whipping tops occur in the marginal paintings of the MSS. written\nat this period; and in a work of the thirteenth century, \"Le Miracle de\nSaint Loys,\" the whipping top (Sabot) is mentioned. The top was probably\nin use as a toy long before. Strutt records the following anecdote of\nPrince Henry, son of James I., which he met with in a MS. at the Museum,\nthe author of which speaks of it as perfectly genuine. His words\nare--\"The first tyme that he, the prince, went to the towne of Sterling\nto meete the king, seeing a little without the gate of the towne a stack\nof corne in proportion not unlike to a topp wherewith he used to play;\nhe said to some that were with him, 'Loe there is a goodly topp;'\nwhereupon one of them saying, 'Why doe you not play with it, then?' he\nanswered, 'Set you it up for me, and I will play with it.'\"--_Sports_,\np. 385.\n\nNorthbroke, in his Treatise against Dicing, 1579, p. 86, says: \"Cato\ngiveth counsell to all youth, saying, '_Trocho_ lude, aleas fuge, _playe\nwith the toppe_, and flee dice-playing.'\"\n\nIn the English translation of Levinus Lemnius, 1658, p. 369: \"Young\nyouth do merrily exercise themselves in whipping-top, and to make it\nrun swiftly about, that it cannot be seen, and will deceive the sight.\"\n\nCornelius Scriblerus, in his Instructions concerning the Plays and\nPlaythings to be used by his son Martin, says: \"I would not have Martin\nas yet to scourge a top, till I am better informed whether the trochus\nwhich was recommended by Cato be really our present top, or rather the\nhoop which the boys drive with a stick.\"--_Pope's Works_, vi. 115.\n\nAmong well-known classical allusions may be noted the following mention\nof whipping the top, in Persius's third Satire:\n\n \"Neu quis callidior buxum torquere flagello.\"\n\nThus translated by Dryden:\n\n \"The whirling top they whip,\n And drive her giddy till she fall asleep.\"\n\nThus also in Virgil's _\u00c6neid_, vii. 378:\n\n \"Ceu quondam torto volitans sub verbere turbo,\n Quem pueri magno in gyro vacua atria circum\n Intenti ludo exercent. Ille actus haben\u00e2\n Curvatis fertur spatiis: stupet inscia supra,\n Impubesque manus, mirata volubile buxum:\n Dant animos plag\u00e6.\"\n\nThus translated by Dryden:\n\n \"As young striplings whip the top for sport,\n On the smooth pavement of an empty court;\n The wooden engine whirls and flies about,\n Admired with clamours of the beardless rout,\n They lash aloud, each other they provoke,\n And lend their little souls at ev'ry stroke.\"\n\nAnd so Ovid, Trist. 1. iii. Eleg. 12:\n\n \"Otia nunc istic: junctisque ex ordine ludis\n Cedunt verbosi garrula bella fori.\n Usus equi nunc est, levibus nunc luditur armis:\n Nunc pila, _nunc celeri volvitur orbe trochus_.\"\n\nPassing from these general allusions to the top as a form of amusement,\nwe enter on more significant ground when we take into consideration the\nvarious passages in the early dramatists and other writers (collected\ntogether in Nares' _Glossary_), which show that tops were at one time\nowned by the parish or village.\n\n\"He's a coward and a coystril that will not drink to my niece, till his\nbrains turn like a parish-top.\"--Shakespeare, _Twelfth Night_, i. 3.\n\n \"A merry Greek, and cants in Latin comely,\n Spins like the parish-top.\"\n\n--Ben Jonson, _New Inn_, ii. 5.\n\n \"I'll hazard\n My life upon it, that a boy of twelve\n Should scourge him hither like a parish-top,\n And make him dance before you.\"\n\n--Beaumont and Fletcher, _Thierry and Theod._, ii. 1.\n\n \"And dances like a town top, and reels and hobbles.\"\n\n--Ibid., _Night Walker_, i. 1.\n\nEvery night I dream I am a town-top, and that I am whipt up and down\nwith the scourge stick of love.--\"Grim, the Collier of Croydon,\" ap.\n_Dodsley_, xi. 206.\n\nIn the Fifteen Comforts of Marriage, p. 143, we read: \"Another tells 'em\nof a project he has to make town tops spin without an eel-skin, as if he\nbore malice to the school-boys.\"\n\nPoor Robin, in his Almanack for 1677, tells us, in the Fanatick's\nChronology, it was then \"1804 years since the first invention of\ntown-tops.\"\n\nThese passages seem to refer to a custom of keeping tops by a township\nor parish, and they are confirmed by Evelyn, who, speaking of the uses\nof willow wood, among other things made of it, mentions great\n\"town-topps\" (_Sylva_, xx. 29). The latest writers who give positive\ninformation on the subject are Blackstone, who, in his note on\nShakespeare, asserts that to \"sleep like a town top\" was proverbial, and\nHazlitt, who, in his collection of _English Proverbs_, has \"like a\nparish-top.\" (See also Brand, ii. 448.)\n\nSteevens, in his notes on Shakespeare, makes the positive assertion that\n\"this is one of the customs now laid aside: a large top was formerly\nkept in every village, to be whipt in frosty weather, that the peasants\nmight be kept warm by exercise, and out of mischief, while they could\nnot work.\"\n\nThis passage is repeated in Ellis's edition of Brand, so that there is\nonly one authority for the two statements. The question is whether\nSteevens was stating his own independent knowledge, or whether he based\nhis information upon the passage in Shakespeare which he was\nillustrating. I think there can be no doubt that the custom existed, in\nwhatever way we accept Steevens' statement, and the question is one of\nconsiderable interest.\n\n\"Tops\" is one of those games which are strictly limited to particular\nseasons of the year, and any infringement of those seasons is strictly\ntabooed by the boys. Hone (_Every Day Book_, i. 127), records the\nfollowing rhyme:--\n\n Tops are in, spin 'em agin;\n Tops are out, smuggin' about,\n\nbut does not mention the season. It is, however, the early spring. This\nrhyme is still in use, and may occasionally be heard in the streets of\nLondon in the top season. Smugging is legitimate stealing when boys play\nout of season. \"Marbles furst, then comes tops, then comes kites and\nhoops,\" said a London boy who had acquired some tops by \"smuggin;\" but\nthese rules are fast becoming obsolete, as is also the use of a dried\neel skin as the favourite whip or thong used.\n\nThe keeping of a top by the parish in its corporate capacity is not\nlikely to have arisen for the sake of supplying people with amusement,\nand we must look to a far more ancient origin for this singular custom.\nHone mentions a doubtful story of a top being used in the ritual of one\nof the churches at Paris. (The burial of Alleluia. The top was whipped\nby a choir-boy from one end of the choir to the other: _Every Day Book_,\ni. 100), and if this can be confirmed it would be a link in the chain of\nevidence. But the whole subject requires much more evidence than it is\nnow possible to go into here, though even, as far as we can now go, I am\ntempted to suggest that this well-known toy takes us back to the\nserious rites of ancient religions.\n\nBrady's _Clavis Calendaria_, i. 209, mentions the discontinued custom of\nwhipping tops on Shrove Tuesday as originating in the Popish Carnival as\ntypes of the rigour of Church discipline.\n\nIt is not improbable that the tee-totum is the earliest form of top, and\nas its use is for gambling, it is probable that this and the top were\nformerly used for purposes of divination.\n\nSee \"Gully,\" \"Hoatie,\" \"Hoges,\" \"Peg Top,\" \"Peg in the Ring,\"\n\"Scurran-Meggy,\" \"Totum.\"\n\n\nThe Totum, or Tee-to-tum\n\nThe Totum is really only a top to spin by hand. It is made of a square\npiece of wood or bone, the four sides being each marked with a letter,\nand the peg is put through a hole in the centre. Sometimes the totum is\nshaped to a point on the under side, and a pin fixed in the upper part,\nby which it is twirled round.\n\nThe game played is one of chance; it may be played by two or more,\neither boys or girls, and is played only at Christmas. In Keith the\nletters are A, N, D, T. In playing the stake is one pin, and each plays\nin turn. If the side with A on it falls uppermost the player wins the\nwhole stake--\"A, tack a'.\" If N turns up the player gets nothing--\"N,\nnikil (nihil), nothing.\" If T turns up one pin falls to the player--\"T,\ntack ane.\" If D comes uppermost the player has to lay down a pin--\"D,\ndossie doon.\" At times the game was played by paying a stake to all the\nletters except A, and the words used were--\"D, dip it,\" \"T, tip it,\" and\n\"N, nip it.\"--Keith (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nWe played the game when children usually at Christmas time. The players\nsat round a table. A pool was made, each player putting in the same\namount of stakes, either pins, counters, nuts, or money. One player\ncollected the pool and then spun the tee-totum by his fingers. Whichever\nletter was uppermost when it stopped, the player had to obey.\n\nT, was take all (the contents of the pool).\n\nH, half the contents.\n\nN, nothing.\n\nP, to put into the pool the same amount as the stakes were at first.\n\nWhen this was done the next player spun the totum in his turn. When one\nplayer got T a fresh pool had to be collected.--London (A. B. Gomme).\n\nJamieson's _Dictionary_ says children lay up stores of pins to play at\nthis game at Christmas time.\n\nWilliam Dunbar, the Scottish poet (James IV.), seems to refer to this\ngame in the poem, _Schir, [yogh]it remembir as of befoir_, in the\nwords--\n\n \"He playis with _totum_, and I with _nichell_\" (l. 74).\n\nStrutt (_Sports and Pastimes_, page 385) says the four sides were marked\nwith letters, and describes the game as we now play it in London.\n\nAll tee-totums or whirligigs seem to have some reference to tops, except\nthat the tee-totum is used principally for gambling.\n\nSome have numbers on their sides like dice instead of letters, and some\nare of octagonal shape.\n\nSee \"Lang Larence,\" \"Scop-peril,\" \"Tops.\"\n\n\nTouch\n\nOne player is chosen \"he.\" He then runs amidst the other players and\ntries to touch one, who then becomes \"Tig\" or \"Touch\" in turn.\n\nSee \"Ticky Touchwood,\" \"Tig.\"\n\n\nTower of London\n\nThe Tower is formed by a circle of children, two of whom constitute the\ngate. These two join hands, and raise or lower their arm to open or shut\nthe gate. The Tower is summoned to open its gates to admit \"King George\nand all his merry men,\" how represented I can't remember; but I know\nthat at one point there is a chase, and the prisoner is caught and\nbrought before the king, when there ensues a scrap of dialogue in song\n(Mrs. Harley).\n\nSee \"How many miles to Babylon,\" \"King of the Barbarie.\"\n\n\nTown Lovers\n\n There is a girl of our town,\n She often wears a flowered gown;\n Tommy loves her night and day,\n And Richard when he may,\n And Johnny when he can;\n I think Sam will be the man!\n\n--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, pp. 217-218.\n\nA girl is placed in the middle of a ring and says the lines, the names\nbeing altered to suit the players. She points to each one named, and at\nthe last line the one selected immediately runs away; if the girl\ncatches him he pays a forfeit, or the game is commenced again, the boy\nbeing placed in the middle.\n\n\nTrades\n\nSides are chosen. These stand apart from each other, inside the line of\ntheir den. One side chooses amongst themselves a trade, and then walk\nover to the other side, imitating the actions pertaining to different\nparts of that trade, and giving the initial letter. If the trade is\nguessed by the opposite side, that side chooses the next trade, and\nperforms the actions. If the trade is not guessed, the side is at\nliberty to choose another, and continue until one is guessed.--Forest of\nDean, Gloucestershire (Miss Matthews).\n\nThe players that are to act the dumb tradesmen agree among themselves\nwhat trades are to be imitated. When this point is settled they present\nthemselves before those that are to guess the trade, and proclaim three\npoor tradesmen wanting a trade--dumb. They then begin the work of\nimitation. The onlooker that first discovers the trade calls it out, and\nhe becomes the dumb tradesman during the next round.--Fraserburgh (Rev.\nW. Gregor).\n\nSome of the players form a line, while three others come up and say--\n\n \"Here are three men from Botany Bay,\n Got any work to give us to-day.\"\n\nThe others ask, \"What can you do?\" To which they reply, \"Anything.\" And\nthe others retort, \"Set to work, then.\"\n\nThe three then do some imaginary work, while those in the line have to\nguess what it is.--Ogbourne, Wilts (H. S. May).\n\n \"Two broken tradesmen newly come over,\n The one from France and Scotland, the other from Dover.\"\n \"What's your trade?\"\n\nTwo boys privately arrange that the pass-word shall be some implement of\na particular trade. The trade is announced after the above dialogue, and\ncarpenters, nailors, sailors, smiths, tinkers, or any other is answered;\nand on guessing the instrument, \"Plane him,\" \"Hammer him,\" \"Rasp him,\"\nor \"Solder him,\" is called out; then the fun is that the unfortunate\nwight who guesses the \"tool\" is beaten with the caps of his fellows till\nhe reaches a fixed goal, after which he goes out in turn.--Halliwell's\n_Nursery Rhymes_, cccxvi. In his _Dictionary_ it is called \"Trades, and\nDumb Motions.\"\n\nNorthall (_English Folk-Rhymes_) records this game as being played in\nWarwickshire. The method is practically the same as the Forest of Dean,\nexcept that the \"tradesmen\" are beaten if their trade is easily guessed\nby the others. They may also be beaten if they show their teeth during\nthe operations.\n\n\nTrap, Bat, and Ball\n\nA game played with a trap, a ball, and a small bat. The trap is of wood\nmade like a slipper, with a hollow at the heel end for the ball, and a\nkind of wooden spoon moving on a pivot, in the bowl of which the ball is\nplaced. Two sides play--one side bats, the other fields. One of the\nbatsmen strikes the end or handle of the spoon, the ball then rises into\nthe air, and the art of the game is for the batsman to strike it as far\nas possible with the bat before it reaches the ground. The other side\nwho are \"fielding,\" try either to catch the ball before it falls to the\nground, or to bowl it from where it falls to hit the trap. If they\nsucceed in catching the ball all the \"ins\" are out, and their side goes\nin to strike the ball, and the previous batsmen to field; if the trap is\nhit the batsman is out and another player of his side takes his place.\nThe batsman is also out if he allows the ball to touch the trap when in\nthe act of hitting it.--(A. B. Gomme.)\n\nHalliwell (_Dictionary_) says, \"Nurspell\" in Lincolnshire is somewhat\nsimilar to \"Trap Ball.\" It is played with a kibble, a nur and a spell.\nBy striking the end of the spell with the kibble the nur rises into the\nair, and the game is to strike it with the kibble before it reaches the\nground. He who drives it the greatest distance is the winner. Miss Burne\n(_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 527) says, \"Trib and Knurr,\" otherwise \"Dog\nStick,\" are local names for \"Knur and Spell,\" a superior form of \"Trap\nBall.\" The \"knurr\" is a hard wooden ball, the \"trib\" is the trap or\nreceptacle, the \"Dog Stick\" the sort of club with which it is struck.\nThe game is played as described by Halliwell. She adds it was formerly\nthe favourite pastime of young men on Shrove Tuesday.\n\nAt Bury St. Edmonds, on Shrove Tuesday, Easter Monday, and Whitsuntide\nfestivals, twelve old women side off for a game at \"Trap and Ball,\"\nwhich is kept up with the greatest spirit and vigour until\nsunset.--_Suffolk County Folk-lore_, p. 56. See also Chambers's _Book of\nDays_, i. p. 428, for a similar custom among women at Chester.\n\nSee \"Nur and Spel,\" \"Tribet,\" \"Trippit and Coit.\"\n\n\nTray-Trip\n\nGrose says this was an ancient game, like Scotch-hop, played on a\npavement marked out with chalk into different compartments. According to\nHalliwell (_Dictionary_), it was a game at dice.\n\nSee \"Hop-scotch,\" \"Scotch Hop.\"\n\n\nTres-acre\n\nA game in which generally six are engaged--one taking a station before\ntwo about 12 yards behind him, three 12 yards behind these two. One is\nthe catch-pole. Never more than two can remain; the supernumerary one\nmust always shift and seek a new station. If the catch-pole can get in\nbefore the person who changes his station, he has the right to take his\nplace, and the other becomes pursuer.--Jamieson.\n\nThis is not very descriptive, but the game is evidently the same as\n\"Round Tag\" and \"Twos and Threes,\" played with a small number.\n\n\nTribet\n\nA common children's game played in Lancashire; which, perhaps, may be\nthe primitive form of \"Trap.\" It is played with a \"pum,\" a piece of\nwood about a foot long and two inches in diameter, and a \"tribet,\" a\nsmall piece of hard wood.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\nSee \"Trap, Bat, and Ball.\"\n\n\nTrippit and Coit\n\nA game formerly known under the appellation of \"Trippets,\" Newcastle.\nIt is the same as \"Trip-cat\" in some southern counties. The trippet\nis a small piece of wood obtusely pointed--something like a shoe--hollow\nat one end, and having a tail a little elevated at the other, which\nis struck with a buckstick. It is also called \"Buckstick,\nSpell-and-Ore.\"--Brockett's _North Country Words_. See also Dickinson's\n_Cumberland Glossary_. Halliwell's _Dictionary_ says--The game is almost\npeculiar to the North of England. There is a poem called \"The Trip\nMatch\" in _Mather's Songs_.\n\nSee \"Nur and Spel,\" \"Trap, Bat, and Ball.\"\n\n\nTrip and Go\n\n Trip and go, heave and hoe,\n Up and down, to and fro;\n From the town to the grove,\n Two and two let us rove;\n A-maying, a-playing,\n Love hath no gainsaying;\n So merrily trip and go,\n So merrily trip and go.\n\n--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, cccxlviii.\n\nA game rhyme, but undescribed.\n\n\nTrip-trout\n\nA game in which a common ball is used instead of the cork and feathers\nin \"Shuttlecock.\"--(Kinross) Jamieson.\n\nSee \"Shuttlefeather,\" \"Teesty Tosty.\"\n\n\nTroap\n\nA game played by two persons, with bandies or sticks hooked at the end,\nand a bit of wood called a nacket. At each end of the ground occupied a\nline is drawn. He who strikes off the nacket from the one line, tries to\ndrive it as near the other as possible. The antagonist who stands\nbetween him and the goal tries to throw back with his hand the nacket to\nthe line from which the other has struck it. If he does this he takes\nthe place of the other. If not, the distance is measured between the\nstriking point and the nacket with one of the sticks used in striking,\nand for every length of the stick one is counted against the\ncaster.--(Angus) Jamieson. The editor of Jamieson adds that the name\nmust have been originally the same as the English Trap, although in this\ngame a ball is used instead of a nacket, and it is struck off as in\ncricket.\n\n\nTroco, Trucks\n\nThis was an old English game formerly known as \"trucks.\" Strutt, p. 270,\n299 (who gives an illustration of it), considers this game to be the\noriginal of billiards. Professor Attwell says, _Notes and Queries_, 7th\nseries, xii. 137, \"This game was played at Nassau House School, Barnes,\nfor twenty years. It is played on a lawn with balls, cues, and rings.\"\n\n\nTroule-in-Madame\n\nIn the Benefit of the Auncient Bathes of Buckstones, compiled by John\nJones at the King's Mede, nigh Darby, 1572, 4to. p. 12, we read: \"The\nladyes, gentle woomen, wyves, and maydes, maye in one of the galleries\nwalke; and if the weather bee not aggreeable too theire expectacion,\nthey may haue in the ende of a benche eleuen holes made, intoo the which\nto trowle pummetes, or bowles of leade, bigge, little, or meane, or also\nof copper, tynne, woode, eyther vyolent or softe, after their owne\ndiscretion; the pastyme _troule-in-madame_ is termed.\" Probably similar\nto \"Nine Holes.\"\n\n\nTrounce-Hole\n\nA game at ball resembling trap, but having a hole in the ground for the\ntrap, a flat piece of bone for a trigger, and a cudgel for a\nbat.--Norfolk, Holloway's _Dictionary of Provincialisms_.\n\nSee \"Trunket.\"\n\n\nTroy Town\n\nA game in which a plan of a labyrinth is drawn on a slate and presented\nas a puzzle by boys to their schoolfellows for them to find a way into\nthe central citadel. It appears to owe its origin to the medi\u00e6val mazes\nor labyrinths called \"Troy Towns,\" or \"Troy Walls,\" many of which\nexisted in different parts of England and Wales. It appears that games\nconnected with the midsummer festivals were held in these labyrinths.\nThis may, perhaps, account for the origin of this puzzle being\nconsidered a game. For accounts of labyrinths or mazes called \"Troy\nTowns,\" see _Notes and Queries_, 1st series, xi. 132, 193; 2nd series,\nv. 211-213; 8th series, iv. 96, 97; in which many references are given;\n_Tran. Cymmrodorion Soc._, 1822, i. 67-69; Roberts' _Cambrian\nAntiquities_ (in which is a plan), 212, 213; and _Folk-lore Journal_, v.\n45.\n\n\nTruncher\n\nA game requiring dexterity. A young man lies flat, resting only on his\ntoes at a certain mark at one extremity and on a trencher in each hand\nat the other. He then tries to reach out the trenchers as far as\npossible, and if not held at the right angle and edgewise, down they go\nand he is defeated.--Dickinson's _Cumberland Glossary_.\n\n\nTrunket\n\nA game at ball played with short sticks, and having a hole in the ground\nin lieu of stumps or wickets as in \"Cricket\"; and with these exceptions,\nand the ball being \"cop'd,\" instead of bowled or trickled on the ground,\nit is played in the same way; the person striking the ball must be\ncaught out, or the ball must be deposited in the hole before the stick\nor cudgel can be placed there.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\nSee \"Cudgel,\" \"Trounce Hole.\"\n\n\nTruss\n\nA boy's game like \"Leap-Frog.\"--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\n\nTuilyie-wap\n\nA childish amusement in Teviotdale, in which a number of boys take hold\nof each other's hands and wrap themselves round the one who is at the\nhead; clasping themselves as firmly together as possible, and every one\npushing till the mass falls over.--Jamieson.\n\nSee \"Bulliheisle,\" \"Eller Tree,\" \"Snail-Creep,\" \"Wind the Bush Faggot.\"\n\n\nTurn, Cheeses, Turn\n\n Green cheeses, yellow laces,\n Up and down the market places;\n First a penny and then a groat,\n Turn, cheeses, turn.\n\n--Leicester (Miss Ellis).\n\n Green cheeses, yellow laces,\n Up and down the market places,\n Turn, cheeses, turn!\n\n--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, cccx.\n\nThis is acted by two or more girls who walk or dance up and down,\nturning, when they say \"Turn, cheeses, turn.\"--Halliwell.\n\nI remember playing this game, but my remembrance is very imperfect. As\nfar as I remember, there were two lines or rows of children. They danced\nforwards and backwards, crossing to the opposite side, and turning\nround. At the words, \"Turn, cheeses, turn,\" the cheeses all turned round\nrapidly and then sank on the ground. The players tried to inflate their\ndresses as much as possible, and then stooped down to the ground, so\nthat the dress remained inflated; only the head and shoulders surrounded\nby a ball-like skirt then appeared, intended to represent a cheese. All\njoined hands and danced round at the end. The lines sang were the same\nas the Leicester except the third, which was--\"Some a penny, some a\ngroat, turn, cheeses, turn.\" It was necessary for skirts to be very\n\"full\" to make good cheeses--as wide at the waist as at the bottom of\nthe skirt.--(A. B. Gomme.)\n\nHolland (_Cheshire Glossary_) says, a frequent amusement of girls is\nmaking cheeses. They turn round and round till their dresses fly out at\nthe bottom; then suddenly squatting down, the air confined under the\ndress causes the skirt to bulge out like a balloon. When skilfully done\nthe appearance is that of a girl's head and shoulders peeping out of an\nimmense cushion. Evans' _Leicestershire Glossary_ mentions this game. He\nsays, \"The performers sing a song of which the refrain is 'Turn,\ncheeses, turn,' but I do not remember to have heard the example cited by\nMr. Halliwell-Phillips.\"--_Percy Soc._, iv. p. 122.\n\nI always understood that the green cheeses were sage cheeses--cheeses\ncontaining sage. Halliwell says, \"Green cheeses, I am informed, are made\nwith sage and potato tops. Two girls are said to be 'cheese and\ncheese.'\"\n\n\nTurn Spit Jack\n\nA game at country balls, &c., in which young men compete by singing for\ntheir partners in the next dance.--Patterson's _Antrim and Down\nGlossary_.\n\n\nTurn the Ship\n\nThis is commonly a girls' game. Two join hands and trip along, with\nhands crossed, turning from one side to the other, and crossing their\narms over their heads without letting go their hold of each other,\nsinging at the same time--\n\n Tip, tip, toe, London, lo!\n Turn, Mary Ann, and away you go.\n\nOr--\n\n Tip, tip, toe, leerie, lo!\n Turn the ship and away you go;\n A penny to you, and a penny to me,\n And a penny to turn the basket.\n\n--Fochabers (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n\nTurn the Trencher, or, My Lady's Toilet\n\nAn indoor game played at Christmas time by children and adults. All the\nplayers in the room must be seated. They are then asked by the leader of\nthe game to choose some article of a lady's toilet, which article they\nwill personally represent, such as diamond ring, bracelet, comb, brush,\njug, basin, powder, hair-dye, dress, mantle, &c.--any article, in fact,\nbelonging to the toilet.\n\nThe leader then goes to the centre of the room with a small trencher,\nround card tray, plate, or saucer in her hand. She spins this (the\ntrencher) round as quickly as possible, saying, \"My lady's going out and\nneeds her 'dress,'\" or any other article she chooses to name. The player\nwho has taken the name of \"dress\" must get up from her seat and catch\nthe trencher before it falls. If successful this player then spins the\ntrencher, calling out the name of another article of the toilet. If the\nplayer fails to catch it, a forfeit is demanded by the leader.\nOccasionally the spinner will say, \"My lady's going to a ball (or\nelsewhere), and needs the whole of her toilet.\" When this is said, every\nplayer has to get up and take another place before the trencher falls;\nthe last one to get a place has to take the trencher, and if it is down,\nto pay a forfeit. At the end of the game the forfeits are \"cried\" in the\nusual way.--(A. B. Gomme.)\n\nThis (called \"Truckle the Trencher\") used to be a standard game for\nwinter evenings. A circle was formed, and each one was seated on the\nfloor, every player taking the name of a flower. This game was entered\ninto with the greatest vivacity by staid and portly individuals as well\nas by their juniors.--Dorsetshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 238).\n\nA trencher, saucer, or plate is used. The players sit in a circle, and\none twirls the trencher, at the same time calling out the name of one of\nthe players. He or she jumps up and tries to catch the whirling trencher\nbefore it falls. If it falls or is knocked over, a forfeit is lodged,\nand the player who lodged the forfeit now becomes the twirler. If the\ntrencher is caught, it is handed back and twirled again, and another\nname called out. The game continues till all or, at least, most of the\nplayers have lodged forfeits. It is called \"Turn the Plettie.\"--Macduff\n(Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nThis game is played in the same way in Ireland. It is called \"Twirl the\nTrencher,\" and the players take names of towns or beasts.--(Miss Keane.)\n\nBrogden (_Provincial Words, Lincolnshire_) and Halliwell (_Dictionary_)\nmention it as \"Turn Trencher,\" a game played at Christmas time. Moor\n(_Suffolk Words and Phrases_) calls it \"Move all.\"\n\n\nTurvey\n\n Turvey, turvey, clothed in black,\n With silver buttons upon your back;\n One by one, and two by two,\n Turn about, and that will do.\n\n--Haverfordwest (_Notes and Queries_, 3rd series, v. 394).\n\nThe children marched two and two, in a measured step to a given\ndistance, then turned and marched back again.\n\nSee \"Alligoshee.\"\n\n\nTutt-ball\n\n\"Tut-ball,\"[12] as played at a young ladies' school at Shiffnal fifty\nyears ago. The players stood together in their \"den,\" behind a line\nmarked on the ground, all except one, who was \"out,\" and who stood at a\ndistance and threw the ball to them. One of the players in the den then\nhit back the ball with the palm of the hand, and immediately ran to one\nof three brickbats, called \"tuts,\" which were set up at equal distances\non the ground, in such positions that a player running past them all\nwould describe a complete circle by the time she returned to the den.\nThe player who was \"out\" tried to catch the ball, and to hit the runner\nwith it while passing from one \"tut\" to another. If she succeeded in\ndoing so, she took her place in the den, and the other went \"out\" in her\nstead. This game is very nearly identical with \"rounders.\"--_Shropshire\nFolk-lore_, p. 524.\n\nA game at ball, now only played by boys, but half a century ago by\nadults on Ash Wednesday, believing that unless they did so they would\nfall sick in harvest time. This is a very ancient game, and was\nelsewhere called \"Stool-ball,\" indulged in by the clergy as well as\nlaity to avert misfortune.--Ross and Stead's _Holderness Glossary_. The\ngame is not described.\n\nAddy (_Sheffield Glossary_) says this game is the same as \"Pize-ball.\"\nHalliwell (_Dictionary_) says it is a sort of \"Stob-ball Play.\"\n\nSee \"Cat and Dog,\" \"Rounders,\" \"Stool Ball.\"\n\n [12] _Tut_, a prominence, from A. S. _t\u00f3tian_, whence also E. _tout_,\n q.v.--W. W. S.\n\n\nTwelve Days of Christmas\n\n[Music]\n\n--Rimbault's _Nursery Rhymes_.\n\n I. The first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me\n A partridge in a pear-tree.\n\n The second day of Xmas, my true love sent to me\n Two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear-tree.\n\n The third day of Xmas, my true love sent to me\n Three French hens and two turtle doves and\n A partridge in a pear-tree.\n\n The fourth day of Xmas, my true love sent to me\n Four colly birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and\n A partridge in a pear-tree.\n\n The fifth day of Xmas, my true love sent to me\n Five gold rings, four colly birds, three French hens,\n Two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear-tree.\n\n The sixth day of Xmas, my true love sent to me\n Six geese a-laying, five gold rings,\n Four colly birds, three French hens,\n Two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear-tree.\n\n The seventh day of Xmas, my true love sent to me\n Seven swans a-swimming,\n Six geese a-laying, five gold rings,\n Four colly birds, three French hens,\n Two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear-tree.\n\n The eighth day of Xmas, my true love sent to me\n Eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming,\n Six geese a-laying, five gold rings,\n Four colly birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and\n A partridge in a pear-tree.\n\n The ninth day of Xmas, my true love sent to me\n Nine drummers drumming, eight maids a-milking,\n Seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying,\n Five gold rings, four colly birds, three French hens,\n Two turtle doves, and\n A partridge in a pear-tree.\n\n The tenth day of Xmas, my true love sent to me\n Ten pipers piping, nine drummers drumming,\n Eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming,\n Six geese a-laying, five gold rings,\n Four colly birds, three French hens,\n Two turtle doves, and\n A partridge in a pear-tree.\n\n The eleventh day of Xmas, my true love sent to me\n Eleven ladies dancing, ten pipers piping,\n Nine drummers drumming, eight maids a-milking,\n Seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying,\n Five gold rings, four colly birds,\n Three French hens, two turtle doves, and\n A partridge in a pear-tree.\n\n The twelfth day of Xmas, my true love sent to me\n Twelve lords a-leaping, eleven ladies dancing,\n Ten pipers piping, nine drummers drumming,\n Eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming,\n Six geese a-laying, five gold rings,\n Four colly birds, three French hens,\n Two turtle doves, and\n A partridge in a pear-tree.\n\n--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, cccxlvi.\n\n II. The king sent his lady on the first Yule day,\n A papingo-aye [a peacock];\n Wha learns my carol and carries it away?\n\n The king sent his lady on the second Yule day,\n Three partridges, a papingo-aye;\n Wha learns my carol and carries it away?\n\n The king sent his lady on the third Yule day,\n Three plovers, three partridges, a papingo-aye;\n Wha learns my carol and carries it away?\n\n The king sent his lady on the fourth Yule day,\n A goose that was grey,\n Three plovers, three partridges, a papingo-aye;\n Wha learns my carol and carries it away?\n\n The king sent his lady on the fifth Yule day,\n Three starlings, a goose that was grey,\n Three plovers, three partridges, and a papingo-aye;\n Wha learns my carol and carries it away?\n\n The king sent his lady on the sixth Yule day,\n Three goldspinks, three starlings, a goose that was grey,\n Three plovers, three partridges, and a papingo-aye;\n Wha learns my carol and carries it away?\n\n The king sent his lady on the seventh Yule day,\n A bull that was brown, three goldspinks, three starlings,\n A goose that was grey,\n Three plovers, three partridges, and a papingo-aye;\n Wha learns my carol and carries it away?\n\n The king sent his lady on the eighth Yule day,\n Three ducks a-merry laying, a bull that was brown--\n [The rest to follow as before.]\n\n The king sent his lady on the ninth Yule day,\n Three swans a-merry swimming--\n [As before.]\n\n The king sent his lady on the tenth Yule day,\n An Arabian baboon--\n [As before.]\n\n The king sent his lady on the eleventh Yule day,\n Three hinds a-merry hunting--\n [As before.]\n\n The king sent his lady on the twelfth Yule day,\n Three maids a-merry dancing--\n [As before.]\n\n The king sent his lady on the thirteenth Yule day,\n Three stalks o' merry corn, three maids a-merry dancing,\n Three hinds a-merry hunting, an Arabian baboon,\n Three swans a-merry swimming,\n Three ducks a-merry laying, a bull that was brown,\n Three goldspinks, three starlings, a goose that was grey,\n Three plovers, three partridges, a papingo-aye;\n Wha learns my carol and carries it away?\n\n--Chambers's _Pop. Rhymes_, p. 42.\n\n III. My lady's lap dog,\n Two plump partridges and my lady's lap dog;\n Three grey elephants, two plump partridges and my lady's lap\n dog;\n Four Persian cherry trees, three grey elephants, &c.;\n Five Limerick oysters, four Persian cherry trees, &c.;\n Six bottles of frontignac, &c.;\n Seven swans a-swimming, &c.,\n Eight flip flap, floating fly boats, &c.;\n Nine merchants going to Bagdad, &c.;\n Ten Italian dancing-masters going to teach ten Arabian\n magpies how to dance, &c.;\n Eleven guests going to celebrate the marriage of the\n Princess Baldroulbadour with the Prince of Terra-del-Fuego,\n &c.;\n Twelve triumphant trumpeters triumphantly trumpeting the\n tragical tradition of Telemachus.\n\n--London (A. B. Gomme).\n\n IV. Twelve huntsmen with horns and hounds,\n Hunting over other men's grounds!\n Eleven ships sailing o'er the main,\n Some bound for France and some for Spain;\n I wish them all safe home again.\n Ten comets in the sky,\n Some low and some high;\n Nine peacocks in the air,\n I wonder how they all come there,\n I do not know and I do not care.\n Eight joiners in a joiners' hall,\n Working with the tools and all;\n Seven lobsters in a dish,\n As fresh as any heart could wish;\n Six beetles against the wall,\n Close by an old woman's apple stall;\n Five puppies of our dog Ball,\n Who daily for their breakfast call;\n Four horses stuck in a bog,\n Three monkeys tied to a clog;\n Two pudding ends would choke a dog,\n With a gaping wide-mouthed waddling frog.\n\n--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, cclxxx., cvi.\n\n(_c_) \"The Twelve Days\" was a Christmas game. It was a customary thing\nin a friend's house to play \"The Twelve Days,\" or \"My Lady's Lap Dog,\"\nevery Twelfth Day night. The party was usually a mixed gathering of\njuveniles and adults, mostly relatives, and before supper--that is,\nbefore eating mince pies and twelfth cake--this game and the cushion\ndance were played, and the forfeits consequent upon them always cried.\nThe company were all seated round the room. The leader of the game\ncommenced by saying the first line. Generally the version used was\nsimilar to No. I. In later years the shorter version, No. III., was\nsaid. The lines for the \"first day\" of Christmas was said by each of the\ncompany in turn; then the first \"day\" was repeated, with the addition of\nthe \"second\" by the leader, and then this was said all round the circle\nin turn. This was continued until the lines for the \"twelve days\" were\nsaid by every player. For every mistake a forfeit--a small article\nbelonging to the person--had to be given up. These forfeits were\nafterwards \"cried\" in the usual way, and were not returned to the owner\nuntil they had been redeemed by the penalty inflicted being performed.\n\nIn version No. IV., the game began by the leader saying to the player\nsitting next to her, \"Take this!\" holding the hands as if giving\nsomething. The neighbour answered, \"What's this?\" The leader answered,\n\"A gaping, wide-mouthed, waddling frog.\" The second player then turned\nto the third and repeated, \"A gaping, wide-mouthed, waddling frog,\" and\nso on all round the room. The leader then said, \"Two pudding-ends would\nchoke a dog,\" continuing in the same way until twelve was reached.\nChambers does not describe the way the game given by him was played, but\nit was probably much in the same manner. Rimbault's _Nursery Rhymes_\ngives the tune to which words of the song were repeated. The words given\nare almost identical with No. I., but the tune, copied here, is the only\nrecorded one I have found.\n\n(_d_) It seems probable that we have in these rhymes a remnant of a\npractice of singing or chanting carols or rhymes relating to the custom\nof sending gifts to friends and relatives during the twelve days of\nChristmas. The festival of the twelve days was an important one. The\ngreat mid-winter feast of Yule consisted of twelve days, and from the\nevents occurring during those days it is probable that events of the\nfuture twelve months were foretold.--On the festival of the twelve days\nconsult Keary's _Outlines of Primitive Belief_, p. 381. Miss Burne\nrecords that the twelve days rule the year's weather; as the weather is\non each day of the twelve, so will it be in the corresponding month, and\nfor every mince-pie eaten in friends' houses during these days a happy\nmonth is promised. In the games usually played at this season, viz.,\nthose in which forfeits are incurred, and the redemption of these by\npenances inflicted on the unhappy perpetrators of mistakes, we may\nperhaps see a relic of the observance of certain customs and ceremonies,\nand the penalties likely to be incurred by those persons who omitted to\nreligiously carry them out. It is considered unlucky in the North of\nEngland and Scotland to enter a neighbour's house empty-handed.\nChristmas bounties, and the practice of giving presents of food and corn\nand meal on St. Thomas's Day, 21st December, to the poorer people, when\nthey used to go round to the farmers' houses to collect food to prepare\nfor this festival, may have had its origin in the idea that nothing\ncould be prepared or cooked during the festival of the twelve days. It\nwas a very general practice for work of all kinds to be put entirely\naside before Christmas and not resumed until after Twelfth Day. Dr.\nGregor records that no bread should be baked nor washing done during\nthis period, nor work left unfinished. Jamieson, in a note on Yule, says\nthat the _gifts_ now generally conferred at the New Year seem to have\noriginally belonged to Yule. Among the northern nations it was customary\nfor subjects at this season to present gifts to their sovereign,--these\nwere called Jolagiafir, _i.e._ Yule gifts. The custom in Scotland of\npresenting what we vulgarly call a sweetie-skon, or a loaf enriched with\nraisins and currants, has an analogy to this.\n\nIt is difficult, with the scanty evidence at command, to do more than\nmake the simple suggestions above. The game is evidently in a process of\nvery rapid decadence, and we have probably only poor specimens of what\nwas originally the form of verses sung in the two versions from\nHalliwell and Chambers. The London version, No. III., is only\nrecognisable as belonging to this game from the fact that it was known\nas playing at the \"twelve days,\" was always played on Twelfth Day, and\nit was not considered proper nor polite for the guests to depart until\nthis had been played. This fact has induced me to add the fourth version\nfrom Halliwell, because it appears to me that it may belong to the final\nform which this game is taking, or has taken, namely, a mere collection\nof alliterative nursery words, or rhymes, to puzzle the speaker under a\nrapid repetition, and to exact forfeits for the mistakes made.\n\nSee \"Forfeits.\"\n\n\nTwelve Holes\n\nA game similar to \"Nine Holes,\" mentioned in Florio ed., 1611, p.\n20.--Halliwell's _Dictionary_.\n\n\nUncle John is Ill in Bed\n\n I. Uncle John is ill in bed,\n What shall I send him?\n Three good wishes, and three good kisses,\n And a race of ginger.\n Who shall I send it by?\n By the carrier's daughter;\n Catch her by the lily-white hand\n And carry her over the water.\n _Sally_ goes a-courting night and day,\n Histal, whistal, by her side,\n _Johnny Everall_ by her side.\n\n--Shrewsbury, Chirbury (Burne's _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 511).\n\n II. Uncle Tom is very sick,\n What shall we send him?\n A piece of cake, a piece of bread,\n A piece of apple dumpling.\n Who shall we send it with?\n Mrs. So and So's daughter.\n She is neither without,\n She is neither within,\n She is up in the parlour romping about.\n She came downstairs dressed in silk,\n A rose in her breast as white as milk.\n She pulled off her glove,\n She showed me her ring,\n To-morrow, to-morrow the wedding shall begin.\n\n--Nairn (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n(_b_) The Shropshire version is played by the children forming a ring by\njoining hands. After the eighth line is sung all the children stoop\ndown--the last to do so has to tell her sweetheart's name. In the Scotch\nversion the players stand in a row. They sing the first five lines, then\none player is chosen (who chooses another); the other lines are sung,\nand the two shake hands. Another version from Scotland (Laurieston\nSchool, Kirkcudbright, Mr. J. Lawson), is very similar to the one from\nNairn.\n\nMr. Newell (p. 72) gives versions of this game which are fuller and more\ncomplete than those given here. He thinks it bears traces of ancient\norigin, and may be the last echo of a medi\u00e6val song, in which an\nimprisoned knight is saved from approaching death by the daughter of the\nking, or soldan, who keeps him in confinement.\n\n\nUp the Streets\n\n[Music]\n\n--Liverpool (C. C. Bell).\n\n I. Up the streets and down the streets,\n The windows made of glass;\n Is not [naming one of the children] a nice young lass?\n She can dance, she can sing,\n She can show her wedding-ring.\n Fie, for shame! fie, for shame!\n Turn your back behind you.\n\n--Liverpool (C. C. Bell).\n\n II. Up streets, down streets,\n Windows made of glass;\n Isn't \"Jenny Jenkins\" a handsome young lass?\n Isn't \"Johnny Johnson\" as handsome as she?\n They shall be married,\n When they can agree.\n\n--Monton, Lancashire, Colleyhurst, Manchester (Miss Dendy).\n\n III. Up street and down street,\n Each window's made of glass;\n If you go to Tommy Tickler's house\n You'll find a pretty lass.\n\n--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, cccclxxx.\n\n(_b_) In the Liverpool version the children stand in a ring and sing the\nwords. At \"Fie, for shame,\" the child named ceases to sing, and the\nothers address her particularly. When the verse is ended she turns her\nback to the inside of the ring. All do this in turn. The Monton game is\nplayed the same as \"kiss-in-the-ring\" games.\n\n(_c_) Northall (_English Popular Rhymes_, p. 549), gives a version\nalmost the same as the Monton version. He also quotes some verses from a\npaper by Miss Tennant in the _English Illustrated Magazine_, June 1885,\nwhich she gives as a song of the slums of London. In _Gammer Gurton's\nGarland_ (1783, reprint 1810, p. 34), is a verse which is the same as\nHalliwell's, with two additional lines--\n\n Hug her, and kiss her, and take her on your knee,\n And whisper very close, Darling girl, do you love me?\n\n\nWadds and the Wears (1)\n\nMactaggart, in describing this, says it is one of the most celebrated\namusements of the Ingle ring. To begin it, one in the ring speaks as\nfollows:--\n\n I hae been awa at the wadds and the wears\n These seven lang years;\n And come hame a puir broken ploughman,\n What will ye gie me to help me to my trade?\n\nHe may either say he's a \"puir broken ploughman\" or any other trade, but\nsince he has chosen that trade some of the articles belonging to it must\nalways be given or offered to recruit it. But the article he most wants\nhe privately tells one of the party, who is not allowed to offer him\nanything, as he knows the thing, which will throw the offerer in a wadd,\nand must be avoided as much as possible, for to be in a wadd is a very\nserious matter. Now, the one on the left hand of the \"poor ploughman\"\nmakes the first offer by way of answer to what above was said--\"I'll gie\nye the coulter to help ye to your trade.\" The ploughman answers, \"I\ndon't thank ye for the coulter; I hae ane already.\" Then another offers\nhim another article belonging to the ploughman's business, such as the\nmoolbred, but this also is refused: another gives the sock, another the\nstilts, another the spattle, another the naigs, and so on until one\ngives the soam, which was the article he most wanted, and was the thing\nsecretly told to the one player. This throws the giver into a wadd, out\nof which he is relieved in the following manner:--\n\nThe ploughman says to the one in the wadd, \"Whether will ye hae three\nquestions and two commands, or three commands and two questions to\nanswer, or gang on wi', sae that ye may win out o' the wadd?\" For the\none so fixed has always the choice which of these to take. Suppose he\ntakes the first, two commands and three questions, then a specimen of\nthese may be--\"I command ye to kiss the crook,\" says the ploughman,\nwhich must be completely obeyed by the one in the wadd; his naked lips\nmust kiss the sooty implement. Secondly, says the ploughman, I command\nye to stand up in that neuk and say--\n\n \"Here stan' I, as stiff's a stake,\n Wha 'ill kiss me for pity's sake?\"\n\nwhich must also be done; in a corner of the house must he stand and\nrepeat this couplet, until some tender-hearted lass relieves him. Then\nthe questions are asked, such as--\"Suppose you were in a bed with Maggie\nLowden and Jennie Logan, your twa great sweethearts, what ane o'm wad ye\nding owre the bedside, and what ane wad ye turn to and clap and cuddle?\"\nHe has to choose one, perhaps to the great mirth of the company.\nSecondly, \"Suppose ye were stannin' stark naked on the tap o'\nCairnhattie, whether wad ye cry on Peggie Kirtle or Nell o' Killimingie\nto come wi' your claise?\" He has again to choose. Lastly, \"Suppose ye\nwere in a boat wi' Tibbie Tait, Mary Kairnie, Sally Snadrap, and Kate o'\nMinnieive, and it was to coup wi' ye, what ane o' 'em wad ye sink? what\nane wad ye soom? wha wad ye bring to lan'? and wha wad ye marry?\" Then\nhe has again to choose between the girls named.\n\nChambers gives the following versions of the \"Wadds\":--\n\nThe wadds was played by a group seated round the hearth fire, the lasses\nbeing on one side and the lads on the other. The questions are asked and\nanswers given alternately. A lad first chants--\n\n O it's hame, and it's hame, and it's hame, hame, hame,\n I think this night I maun gae hame.\n\nOne of the opposite party then says--\n\n Ye had better light, and bide a' night,\n And I'll choose you a bonny ane.\n\n O wha will ye choose, an' I wi' you abide?\n The fairest and rarest in a' the country side.\n\nAt the same time presenting an unmarried female by name. If the choice\ngive satisfaction--\n\n I'll set her up on the bonny pear-tree;\n It's straught and tall, and sae is she;\n I wad wake a' night her love to be.\n\nIf the choice do not give satisfaction, from the age of the party--\n\n I'll set her up i' the bank dike;\n She'll be rotten ere I be ripe;\n The corbies her auld banes wadna pike.\n\nIf from supposed want of temper--\n\n I'll set her up on the high crab-tree;\n It's sour and dour, and sae is she;\n She may gang to the mools unkissed by me.\n\nA civil mode of declining is to say--\n\n She's for another, and no for me;\n I thank you for your courtesie.\n\nThe same ritual is gone through with respect to one of the other sex; in\nwhich case such rhymes as the following are used:--\n\n I'll put him on a riddle, and blaw him owre the sea,\n Wha'll buy [Johnie Paterson] for me?\n I'll put him on my big lum head,\n And blaw him up wi' pouther and lead.\n\nOr, when the proposed party is agreeable--\n\n I'll set him on my table head,\n And feed him up wi' milk and bread.\n\nA refusal must be atoned for by a wadd or forfeit. A piece of money, a\nknife, or any little thing which the owner prizes, will serve. When a\nsufficient number of persons have made forfeits, the business of\nredeeming them is commenced, and generally it is then that the amusement\nis greatest. The duty of kissing some person, or some part of the room,\nis usually assigned as a means of redeeming one's wadds. Often for this\npurpose a lad has to kiss the very lips he formerly rejected; or, it may\nbe, he has to kneel to the prettiest, bow to the wittiest, and kiss the\none he loves best before the forfeit is redeemed.--The substance of the\nabove is from a note in Cromek's _Remains of Nithsdale and Galloway\nSong_, p. 114, who says--In this game formerly young men and women\narranged themselves on each side of the fire, and alternately bestowed\nhusbands and wives on each other. Carleton's _Traits and Stories of the\nIrish Peasantry_, p. 106, also describes the game without any material\ndifference.\n\nAnother form of this game, practised in Dumfriesshire in the last\ncentury, and perhaps still, was more common. The party are first fitted\neach with some ridiculous name, not very easy to be remembered, such as\n_Swatter-in-the-Sweet-Milk_, _Butter-Milk-and-Brose_, _the Gray Gled o'\nGlenwhargan Craig_, &c. Then all being seated, one comes up, repeating\nthe following rhymes--\n\n I never stealt Rob's dog, nor never intend to do,\n But weel I ken wha stealt him, and dern'd him in a cleugh,\n And pykit his banes bare, bare, bare eneugh!\n Wha but----wha but----\n\nThe object is to burst out suddenly with one of the fictitious names,\nand thus take the party bearing it by surprise. If the individual\nmentioned, not immediately recollecting the name he bore, failed, on the\ninstant, to say \"No me,\" by way of denying the accusation respecting the\ndog, he was subjected to a forfeit; and this equally happened if he\ncried \"No me,\" when it was the name of another person which was\nmentioned. The forfeits were disposed of as in the former\ncase.--_Popular Rhymes_, pp. 125-126.\n\nIt will be seen that the first version of Chambers more nearly resembles\n\"Hey Wullie Wine\" (vol. i. p. 207), and that the latter part of the\nversion given by Mactaggart is similar to \"Three Flowers\" (ante, p. 255,\nand the first part to \"Trades,\" p. 305). Mr. W. Ballantyne sent me a\nversion from Biggar as played when he was a boy. It is similar to\nMactaggart's.\n\nThis game may indicate an earlier form of playing at forfeits than the\n\"Old Soldier,\" \"Turn the Trencher,\" and kindred English games.\nMactaggart does not state that any article belonging to the person who\nperpetrates the offence was given up and afterwards redeemed by the\nowner performing a penalty. In Chambers' versions this is done. It may\nbe that, in Mactaggart's case, each offending person paid his or her\npenalty immediately after committing the blunder or offence instead of a\nleader collecting the forfeits from all offenders first, and then\n\"crying\" all together afterwards. Whether the game originated in the\npractice of \"tabu,\" or was an outcome of the custom of restitution, or\nransom, legally made for the commission of crimes, such as that called\nwergeld, the penalty or price to be paid to the relatives of a slain\nman, or of punishment for certain offences then being in the hands of a\ncertain class of people, we cannot now decide; but it was customary for\npenalties to be attached to the commission of minor offences, and the\npunishment enforced without appeal to any legally constituted authority.\nThe object of most of the present forfeit games seems to have been to\nmake the offenders ridiculous, or, in the case of the above form of\ngames, to find out the person loved or hated. In Shropshire \"Crying the\nWeds\" is the name given to the game of playing at forfeits. Wadd means a\npledge. Jamieson says \"Wears\" signifies the \"Wars.\" \"At the wars\" is a\ncommon mode still retained of describing the life of a soldier. Ihre\nsupposes that the early term wadd or wed is derived from wadd-cloth,\nfrom this kind of merchandise being anciently given and received instead\nof money; when at any time a pledge was left, a piece of cloth was used\nfor this purpose, and hence a pledge in general would be called wadd.\n\nIn Waldron's description of the Isle of Man (ante, vol. i. p. 139) is an\naccount of a Twelfth Day custom which throws light on the game as\ndescribed by Chambers.\n\nSee \"Forfeits,\" \"Hey Wullie Wine,\" \"Three Flowers,\" \"Trades.\"\n\n\nWadds and the Wears (2)\n\nJamieson describes the game differently. He says--The players being\nequally divided, and a certain space being marked out between them, each\nlays down one or more wadds, or pledges, at that extremity where the\nparty to which he belongs choose their station. A boundary being fixed,\nthe object is to carry off the wadds from the one of these to the other.\nThe two parties advancing to the boundary seize the first opportunity of\ncrossing it, by making inroads on the territories of the other. If one\nwho crosses the line is seized by the opposite party before he has\ntouched any of their wadds, he is set down beside them as a prisoner,\nand receives the name of a \"stinker;\" nor can he be released until one\nof his own party can touch him without being intercepted by any of the\nothers, in which case he is free. If any one is caught in the act of\ncarrying off a wadd, it is taken from him; but he cannot be detained as\na prisoner, in consequence of his having touched it. If he can cross the\nintermediate line with it, the pursuit is at an end. When one party has\ncarried off to their ground all the wadds of the other the game is\nfinished.\n\n\nWaggles\n\nA game of tip-cat. Four boys stand at the corners of a large\npaving-stone; two have sticks, the other two are feeders, and throw the\npiece of wood called a \"cat.\" The batters act much in the same way as in\ncricket, except that the cat must be hit whilst in the air. The batter\nhits it as far away as possible, and whilst the feeder is fetching it,\ngets, if possible, a run, which counts to his side. If either of the\ncats fall to the ground both batters go out, and the feeders take their\nplace. A game called \"Whacks\" is played in a similar way.--London\nStreets (F. H. Low, _Strand Magazine_, Nov. 1891).\n\nSee \"Tip-cat.\"\n\n\nWallflowers\n\n[Music]\n\n--Nottingham (Miss Youngman).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Connell Ferry, near Oban (Miss Harrison).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Beddgelert (Mrs. Williams).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Ogbourne, Wilts. (H. S. May).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Longcot choir girls, Berks. (Miss I. Barclay).\n\n I. Wallflowers, wallflowers, growing up so high,\n All of you young ladies are sure to die.\n Excepting ----, she's the best of all.\n She can hop, and she can skip,\n And she can turn a candlestick.\n Oh my, fie for shame, turn your face to the wall again.\n\n--Fernham and Longcot (Miss I. Barclay).\n\n II. Wallflowers, wallflowers,\n Growing up so high,\n All you young ladies\n Are meant to die.\n Excepting little ----,\n She is the best of all.\n She can skip, and she can dance,\n She can turn the candlestick.\n O my, fie for shame,\n Turn your back to the wall again.\n\n--From London maidservant (Miss E. Chase).\n\n[Illustration]\n\n III. Willy, willy wallflower,\n Growin' up so high,\n We are all maidens,\n We shall all die.\n Excepting ----,\n She's the youngest daughter,\n She can hop,\n She can skip,\n She can turn the candlestick.\n Fee, fie, shame, shame,\n Turn your backs together again:--,\n ----, your sweetheart is dead,\n He's sent you a letter to turn back your head.\n\n--Wakefield, Yorks (Miss Fowler).\n\n IV. Wallflowers, wallflowers,\n Growing up so high,\n We young ladies, we shall die.\n Except 'tis ----,\n She's the youngest daughter.\n She can hop, and she can skip,\n She can play the wire,\n Oh for shame, fie for shame,\n Turn your back and have a game.\n\n--Hampshire (Miss E. Mendham).\n\n V. Wally, wally wallflower,\n Growing up so high--\n All ye young ladies\n You must all die.\n Excepting ----,\n She's the best of all--\n She can hop, and she can skip,\n She can turn the mangle,\n Oh my, fie for shame,\n Turn your back to the wall again.\n\n--Barnes, Surrey (A. B. Gomme).\n\n VI. Wall flowers, wall flowers, growing up so high,\n We are all children, and we shall all die.\n Excepting ----, she's the youngest child,\n She can hop, she can skip,\n She can turn the wedding ring,\n Fie, fie, fie for shame,\n Turn your face to the wall again.\n\n--Nottingham (Miss Youngman).\n\n VII. Wally, wally wall-flower,\n A-growen up so high,\n All we children be sure to die.\n Excepting [naming the youngest]\n 'Cause she's the youngest,\n Oh! fie! for shame! fie! for shame!\n Turn your back to the wall again.\n\n--Symondsbury, Dorset (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 215).\n\n VIII. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers, growing up so high,\n We are all living, and we shall all die.\n Except the youngest here [naming her].\n Turn your back to overshed. (?)\n\n(This last line is repeated three times.)\n\n--Symondsbury, Dorset (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. 215).\n\n IX. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers, growing up so high!\n We shall all be maidens, [and so] we shall all die![13]\n Excepting _Alice Gittins_, she is the youngest flower,\n She can hop, and she can skip, and she can play the hour!\n Three and four, and four and five,\n Turn your back to the wall-side!\n\n_Or_,\n\n She can dance and she can sing,\n She can play on the tambourine!\n Fie, fie! fie, for shame!\n Turn your back upon the game!\n\n--Ellesmere, Berrington, Wenlock (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 513).\n\n X. Willie, willie wall-flowers, growing up so high!\n We are all fair maids, we shall all die!\n Excepting little ----, and she's the youngest here,\n Turn your head towards the south, and she's the one to bear,\n The willie, willie wallflowers.\n\n_Or_,\n\n Oh! for shame, fie, for shame, turn yourself to the wall\n again--\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n XI. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers, growing up so high!\n We are all ladies, we must all die!\n Excepting ----, who is the prettiest child.\n Fie, for shame, fie, for shame, turn your back to the wall\n again.\n\n--Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire (Miss Winfield)\n\n XII. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers, growing up so high!\n We're all ladies, and we shall all die!\n Excepting [naming smallest child in ring],\n She can hop, and she can skip, and she can play the organ!\n Oh! for shame, fie, for shame,\n Turn your back upon our game.\n\n--Enbourne School, Berks. (Miss M. Kimber).\n\n XIII. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers, growing up so high!\n We are all pretty maidens, we all have to die!\n Except ----, she's the youngest girl,\n Ah! for shame, ah! for shame,\n Turn your back to us again.\n I'll wash you in milk,\n I'll dress you in silk,\n I'll write down your name,\n With a gold pen and ink.\n\n--Earls Heaton (Herbert Hardy).\n\n XIV. Oh flower, oh flower, growing up so high!\n We are all children, we have all to die!\n Except ----, she the youngest gay,\n Oh! for shame, fie, for shame,\n Turn your back against the wall.\n\n--Beddgelert (Mrs. Williams).\n\n XV. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers, growing up so high!\n We are all little, and we've got to die!\n Excepting ----, and she's the only one,\n Oh! for shame, fie, for shame,\n Turn your back to the wall again.\n\n--Cowes, Isle of Wight (Miss E. Smith).\n\n XVI. Little Molly white-flower, we are all maidens,\n And we shall all die, except Polly Pegg,\n She's the best of all,\n She can hop, and she can skip, and she can turn the\n candlestick!\n Oh! fie, for shame,\n Turn your back to the wall.\n\n--Hanbury, Staffordshire (Miss Edith Hollis).\n\n XVII. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers, growing up so high!\n We are all playmates, we shall all die!\n Excepting ----, for she's the youngest flower,\n Cry shame, cry shame,\n And turn your face to the wall again.\n\n--Sheffield (S. O. Addy).\n\n XVIII. Wall-flower, wall-flower, growing up so high!\n All the pretty maidens shall not die!\n Excepting ----, she is the youngest child,\n Oh! for shame, fie, for shame!\n Turn your back to the wall again.\n\n--Dean, near Salisbury (Mrs. C. Brough).\n\n XIX. Water, water wall-flower, growing up so high,\n We are all maidens, we must all die,\n Except ----, the youngest of us all.\n She can laugh, and she can dance, and she can play at ball;\n Fie! fie! fie for shame! turn your face to the wall again.\n\n--Connell Ferry, near Oban (Miss Harrison).\n\n XX. Water, water wall-flower, growing up so high,\n We are all maidens, we must all die.\n Except ----, she's the youngest of them all;\n She can dance, she can sing,\n And she can dance the wedding ring (or \"Hieland fling\")\n Fie! fie! fie for shame!\n Turn your back to the wall again.\n\n--Galloway (J. G. Carter).\n\n XXI. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers,\n Growing up so high;\n All ye young maidens\n Are all fit to die.\n Excepting ----, and she's the worst of all,\n She can hop, and she can skip,\n And she can turn the candlestick.\n Fye! fie! for shame,\n Turn your face to the wall again.\n\n--(_Suffolk County Folk-lore_, p. 67.)\n\n XXII. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers, growing up so high,\n All you young ladies will soon have to die;\n Excepting ----, and she's the best of all.\n She can dance, she can skip, she can turn the mangle quick;\n Hi, ho! fie for shame! turn your back to the wall again.\n\n--Cambridge (Mrs. Haddon).\n\n XXIII. Wally, wally wall-flower, growing up so high,\n We are all maidens, and we shall die;\n All except the youngest one, and that is [child's name].\n Choose for the best, choose for the worst,\n Choose the one that you love best.\n\n Now you're married, I wish you joy,\n First a girl and then a boy,\n Seven years after son and daughter,\n Now, young couple, kiss together.\n\n--Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 84).\n\n XXIV. Wally, wally wall-flowers,\n Growing up so high;\n We're all ladies,\n We shall all die.\n Excepting little ----,\n She's the only one;\n She can hop, she can skip,\n She can play the herald,\n Fie! fie! fie for shame!\n Turn your back to the wall again.\n\n--Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase).\n\n XXV. Water, water wall-flower,\n Growing up so high;\n We are all maidens,\n And we must all die.\n ---- is the youngest,\n She must kick,\n And she must fling,\n And she must turn the sofa;\n Fie! fie! fie, for shame!\n Turn your back to the wall again.\n\n XXVI. Except ----, and she's the youngest one,\n She can hop, and she can skip,\n She can turn the sofa;\n Oh fie! fie! fie, for shame!\n Turn your back to the wall again.\n\n--Cullen and Nairn (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXVII. She can skip, she can dance,\n She can ding us all o'er.\n\n--Aberdeen (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXVIII. Green, green grovers, growing up so high,\n We are all maidens,\n And we must all die;\n Except ----, the youngest of us all,\n She can dance, and she can sing,\n She can dance the Hieland fling;\n Fie! fie! fie, for shame!\n Turn your back to us again.\n\n--Nairn (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXIX. Water, water, well stones,\n Growing up so high,\n We are all maidens,\n And we must all die.\n Except ----,\n She's the youngest of us all,\n She can dance, she can sing,\n She can dance the \"Hielan' Fling,\"[14]\n Oh fie, fie, for shame,\n Turn your back to us again.\n\n--Dyke (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XXX. Here's a pot of wall-flowers,\n Growing up so high;\n We're all maidens, and we shall die.\n Excepting [girl's name],\n She can hop, and she can skip,\n And she can play the organ.\n Turn your back, you saucy Jack,\n You tore your mother's gown.\n\n--Northants (Rev. W. Sweeting).\n\n XXXI. Wall-flowers, wall-flowers, growin' up so high,\n Neither me nor my baby shall ever wish to die,\n Especially [girl's name], she's the prettiest flower.\n She can dance, and she can sing, and she can tell the hour,\n With her wee-waw, wy-waw, turn her face to the wall.\n\n--Howth, Dublin (Miss H. E. Harvey).\n\nOr,\n\n Turn your back to all the game.\n\n--Bonmahon, Waterford (Miss H. E. Harvey).\n\n XXXII. Sally, Sally, wall-flower [or Waters],\n Springing up so high,\n We're all fair maids,\n And we shall all die.\n Excepting [girl's name],\n She's the fairest daughter,\n She can hop, and she can skip,\n She can turn the organ.\n Turn your face toward the wall,\n And tell me who your sweetheart's called.\n\n Mr. Moffit is a very good man,\n He came to the door with his hat in his hand,\n He pulled up his cloak, and showed me the ring;\n To-morrow, to-morrow, the wedding begins.\n First he bought the frying-pan,\n Then he bought the cradle,\n And then one day the baby was born,\n Rock, rock the cradle.\n\n--Hurstmonceux, Sussex (Miss Chase).\n\n XXXIII. Water, water, wild flowers,\n Growing up so high,\n We are all maidens,\n And we shall all die,\n Excepting [Eva Irving],\n And she's the youngest of us all,\n And she can hop, and she can skip,\n And she can turn the candlestick,\n [Or \"She can play the organ.\"]\n Piper shame! piper shame!\n Turn your back to the wall again.\n I pick up a pin,\n I knock at the door,\n I ask for ----,\n She's neither in,\n She's neither out,\n She's up the garden skipping about.\n Down come ----, as white as snow,\n Soft in her bosom as soft as glow.\n She pulled off her glove,\n And showed us her ring,\n To-morrow, to-morrow,\n The bells shall ring.\n\n--Ogbourne, Wilts. (H. S. May).\n\n XXXIV. Water, water, wall-flowers, growing up so high,\n We are all maidens, and we must all die,\n Except ----, she's the only one,\n She can dance, she can sing, she can play the organ,\n Fie, fie, fie for shame, turn your face to the wall again.\n Green grevel, green grevel, the grass is so green,\n The fairest young lady that ever was seen.\n O ----, O ----, your true love is dead,\n He'll send you a letter to turn back your head.\n\n--Laurieston School, Kirkcudbright (J. Lawson).\n\n XXXV. [Mary Kelly's] stole away, stole away, stole away,\n [Mary Kelly's] stole away,\n And lost her lily-white flowers.\n\n It's well seen by her pale face, her pale face, her pale\n face,\n It's well seen by her pale face,\n She may turn her face to the wall.\n\n--Belfast (W. H. Patterson).\n\n(_c_) The children form a ring by joining hands. They all dance slowly\nround, singing the words. When the one child is named by the ring she\nturns round, so that her face is turned to the outside of the ring and\nher back inside. She still clasps hands with those on either side of\nher, and dances or walks round with them. This is continued until all\nthe players have turned and are facing outwards.\n\nThis concludes the game in many places, but in others the game is\ncontinued by altering the last line of the verses, and the children\nalternately turning round when named until they all face inside again.\nIn some of the versions the first child to turn her face to the wall is\nthe youngest, and it is then continued by the next youngest, until the\neldest is named. This obtains in Hampshire (Miss Mendham), Nottingham,\nSymondsbury, Shropshire, Beddgelert, Sheffield, Connell Ferry, Oban,\nHersham, Surrey, Dyke. In the London (Miss Chase) and Sheffield versions\nthe child named leaves the ring and turns with her face to a wall. In\nthe Wakefield version Miss Fowler says a child stands in the middle, and\nat the fifth line all the children say their own name. At the end of the\nverse they all unclasp hands, and turn with their faces outside the\ncircle; the verse is repeated, when they all turn again facing inwards,\nand so on over again. In the Nairn version, after all the players have\nturned their faces outside the ring, they all throw their arms over\ntheir heads, and turn so as to face inwards if possible without\ndisjoining hands. The children at Ogbourne, Wilts, clap hands when\nsinging the last two lines of the verses. At Enbourne School it is the\ntallest child who is first named, and who turns her back; presumably the\nnext tallest is then chosen. In the Suffolk game one child stands\noutside the ring; the ring sings the first four lines, and the child\noutside sings the rest. At Wenlock Miss Burne says each child is\nsummoned in turn by name to turn their heads when the last line is said.\nAt Hurstmonceux a girl chooses a boy after her face is turned to the\nwall.\n\n(_d_) The most interesting point about this game is that it appears to\nrefer to a custom or observance which particularly concerns young girls.\nWe cannot say what the custom or observance was originally, but the\nwords point to something in which a young maiden played the principal\npart. \"We are all maidens\" and \"she's the youngest here\" runs through\nmost of the versions. A death seems to be indicated, and it may be that\nthis game was originally one where the death of the betrothed of the\nyoungest maiden was announced. This would account for the \"turning the\nface to the wall,\" which is indicative of mourning and great sorrow and\nloss. The mention of the girl's accomplishments may mean that being so\nyoung and accomplished she would quickly get another suitor, and this\nmight also account for the \"fie for shame!\"--shame to be thinking of\nanother lover so soon; or, on the other hand, the other maidens may\nregret that by the loss of her lover and betrothed this young maiden's\ntalents will be lost in \"old maidenhood,\" as she will not now be\nmarried, and this will be \"a shame.\" She will be, in fact, \"on the\nshelf\" or \"out of sight\" for the rest of her life, and through no fault\nof her own. The \"we are all maidens\" might refer to the old custom of\nmaidens carrying the corpse of one of their number to the grave, and the\nwords may have originally been the lament over her death.\n\nWith reference to the words \"turn the candlestick,\" which occurs in six\nversions, \"M. H. P.,\" in _Notes and Queries_ (7th ser., xi. 256), says:\n\"_Turning the Candlestick_.--A candlestick in the game of 'See-saw' is\nthe Yorkshire name for the child who stands in the centre of the plank,\nand assists the motion by swaying from side to side.\" Toone\n(_Etymological Dictionary_) says--Before the introduction of the modern\ncandlestick, the custom was to have the candle held by a person\nappointed for that purpose, called a candle-holder, and hence the term\nbecame proverbial to signify an idle spectator.\n\n\"I'll be a candle-holder and look on.\"--_Romeo and Juliet._\n\n\"A candle-holder sees most of the game.\"--Ray's _Proverbs_.\n\nIf this should be the meaning of the phrase in these rhymes, \"she can\nturn the candlestick\" may have originally meant that now this maiden\ncan be nothing but a \"looker on\" or \"candle-holder\" in the world. The\nmeaning has evidently been forgotten for a long time, as other\nexpressions, such as \"she can turn the organ,\" have had to be adopted to\n\"make sense\" of the words.\n\nAubrey (_Remaines of Judaisme_, p. 45) mentions the sport called\n\"Dancing the Candlerush,\" played by young girls; in Oxford called \"Leap\nCandle,\" which consisted of placing a candle in the middle of the room\nand \"dancing over the candle back and forth\" saying a rhyme. This may be\nthe \"dance\" referred to in the rhymes.\n\nThe tune of most versions is the same. It is pretty and plaintive, and\naccords with the idea of mourning and grief. The Rev. W. D. Sweeting\nsays the tune in Northants seems to be lost. The game is sung to a sort\nof monotone.\n\nNorthall gives a version from Warwickshire similar to several given\nhere, and Mr. Newell (_Games and Songs of American Children_) gives a\nversion and tune which is similar to that of Hurstmonceux, Surrey.\n\nSee \"Green Grass.\"\n\n [13] At Wenlock they add to the chorus:\n\n O _Alice_! your true love will send you a letter to turn round\n your head!\n And she can turn the handlestick.\n\n [14] Another version from Forfarshire gives \"Green, green, grivers,\"\n and \"Pull the cradle string\" for \"Dance the Hielan' Fling,\" and\n one from Nairn is \"Turn your back to the wall again.\"\n\n\nWarney\n\n I'm the wee mouse in the hole in the wa',\n I'm come out to catch you a'.\n\nOne of the players starts with clasped hands to catch another. When this\nis done they join hands--each one, on being caught, going into the\nnumber to form a chain. If the chain breaks no one can be\ncaught.--Laurieston School, Kirkcudbright (J. Lawson).\n\nSee \"Stag,\" \"Whiddy.\"\n\n\nWay-Zaltin\n\nA sort of horse-game, in which two boys stand back to back with their\narms interlaced; each then alternately bends forward, and so raises the\nother on his back with his legs in the air. This term, too, is sometimes\nused for see-sawing.--Elworthy's _West Somerset Words_. Barnes (_Dorset\nGlossary_) calls this game \"Wayzalt.\" Holloway (_Dict. Prov._) says, in\nHants the game is called \"Weighing.\"\n\nSee \"Weigh the Butter.\"\n\n\nWe are the Rovers\n\n[Music]\n\n--Bath (A. B. Gomme).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Hanbury, Staffs. (Miss Edith Hollis).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Wrotham, Kent (Miss D. Kimball).\n\n I. We are coming to take your land,\n We are the rovers!\n We are coming to take your land,\n [Though you] are the guardian soldiers!\n\n We don't care for your men nor you,\n [Though you] are the rovers!\n We don't care for your men nor you,\n For we are the guardian soldiers!\n\n We will send our dogs to bite,\n We are the rovers!\n We will send our dogs to bite,\n Though you are the guardian soldiers!\n\n We don't care for your dogs nor you,\n Though you're the rovers!\n We don't care for your dogs nor you,\n For we are the guardian soldiers!\n\n Will you have a glass of wine?\n We are the rovers!\n Will you have a glass of wine?\n For respect of guardian soldiers!\n\n A glass of wine won't serve us all,\n Though you're the rovers!\n A glass of wine won't serve us all,\n For we are the guardian soldiers!\n\n Will a barrel of beer then serve you all?\n We are the rovers!\n Will a barrel of beer then serve you all?\n As you are the guardian soldiers!\n\n A barrel of beer won't serve us all,\n Though you're the rovers!\n A barrel of beer won't serve us all,\n For we're gallant guardian soldiers!\n\n We will send our blue-coat men,\n We are the rovers!\n We will send our blue-coat men,\n Though you are the guardian soldiers!\n\n We don't fear your blue-coat men,\n Though you're the rovers!\n We don't fear your blue-coat men,\n For we are the guardian soldiers!\n\n We will send our red-coat men,\n We are the rovers!\n We will send our red-coat men,\n Though you are the guardian soldiers!\n\n We don't mind your red-coat men,\n Though you're the rovers!\n We don't mind your red-coat men,\n For we are the guardian soldiers!\n\n Are you ready for a fight?\n We are the rovers!\n Are you ready for a fight?\n Though you are the guardian soldiers!\n\n Yes, we are ready for a fight,\n Though you're the rovers!\n Yes, we are ready for a fight,\n For we are the guardian soldiers!\n\n--Ellesmere (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 518).\n\n II. We have come for a glass of wine,\n We are the Romans!\n We have come for a glass of wine,\n We are King William's soldiers!\n\n We won't serve you with the wine,\n We are the Romans!\n We won't serve you with the wine,\n We are King William's soldiers!\n\n We will set our dogs to watch,\n We are the Romans!\n We will set our dogs to watch,\n We are King William's soldiers!\n\n We don't care for you and your dogs,\n We are the Romans!\n We don't care for you and your dogs,\n We are King William's soldiers!\n\n We will set our police to watch,\n We are the Romans!\n We will set our police to watch,\n We are King William's soldiers!\n\n We don't care for you and your police,\n We are the Romans!\n We don't care for you and your police,\n We are King William's soldiers!\n\n Are you ready for a fight?\n We are the Romans!\n Are you ready for a fight?\n We are King William's soldiers!\n\n We are ready for a fight,\n We are the Romans!\n We are ready for a fight,\n We are King William's soldiers!\n\n--Wrotham, Kent (Miss D. Kimball).\n\n III. Will you have a gill of ale?\n We are the Romans!\n Will you have a gill of ale?\n For we are the Roman soldiers!\n\n A gill of ale won't serve us all,\n We are the English!\n A gill of ale won't, &c.,\n For we are the English soldiers!\n\n Take a pint and go your way,\n We are, &c. [As above.]\n\n A pint of ale won't serve us all,\n We are, &c.\n\n Take a quart and go your way,\n We are, &c.\n\n A quart of ale won't serve us all,\n We are, &c.\n\n Take a gallon and go your way,\n We are, &c.\n\n A gallon of ale won't serve us all,\n We are, &c.\n\n Take a barrel and go your way,\n We are, &c.\n\n A barrel of ale will serve us all,\n We are, &c.\n\n--Lancashire: Liverpool and its neighbourhood (Mrs. Harley).\n\n IV. Have you any bread and wine,\n For we are the Romans!\n Have you any bread and wine,\n We are the Roman soldiers!\n\n Yes, we have some bread and wine,\n For we are the English!\n Yes, we have some bread and wine,\n We are the English soldiers!\n\n Will you give us a glass of it?\n For we are, &c. [As above.]\n\n Yes, we'll give you a glass of it,\n For we are, &c.\n\n A glass of it won't serve us so,\n For we are, &c.\n\n Then you shan't have any at all,\n For we are, &c.\n\n Then we will break all your glasses,\n For we are, &c.\n\n Then we will go to the magistrates,\n For we are, &c.\n\n Then you may go to the magistrates,\n For we are, &c.\n\n Then let us join our happy ring,\n For we are, &c.\n\n--Hartley Witney, Winchfield, Hants. (H. S. May).\n\n V. Have you any cake and wine?\n For we are the English!\n Have you any cake and wine?\n For we're the English soldiers!\n\n Yes, we have some cake and wine,\n For we are the Romans!\n Yes, we have some cake and wine,\n For we're the Roman soldiers!\n\n Will you give us cake and wine? &c.\n\n No, we won't give you cake and wine, &c.\n\n Then we'll tell our magistrates, &c.\n\n We don't care for your magistrates, &c.\n\n Then we'll tell our highest men, &c.\n\n We don't care for your highest men, &c.\n\n Turn up your sleeves and have a fight,\n For we are the Romans [English]! &c.\n\n--Enbourne School, Berks. (Miss M. Kimber).\n\n VI. Have you any bread and wine?\n We are the Romans!\n Have you any bread and wine?\n For we're the government soldiers!\n\n Yes! we have some bread and wine, &c.\n\n Will you give us a glass of it? &c.\n\n We will give you a glass of it, &c.\n\n A glass of it won't serve us all, &c.\n\n We will give you a gallon of it, &c.\n\n We will break all your glasses, &c.\n\n We will tell the magistrates, &c.\n\n What care we for the magistrates, &c.\n\n Are you ready for a fight? &c.\n\n Yes, we're ready for a fight, &c.\n\n Tuck up your sleeves up to your arms, &c.\n Present! Shoot! Bang! Fire!!\n\n--Maxey, Northamptonshire (Rev. W. D. Sweeting).\n\n VII. Have you any bread and wine?\n We are the English!\n Have you any bread and wine?\n We are the English soldiers!\n\n No, we have no bread and wine,\n We are the Romans!\n No, we have no bread and wine,\n We are the Roman soldiers!\n\n A quart of ale won't serve us all, &c.\n\n Take a gallon and go your way, &c.\n\n A gallon of ale won't serve us all, &c.\n\n We will fetch the magistrate, &c.\n\n We don't care for the magistrate, &c.\n\n We will fetch the p'liceman, &c.\n\n We don't care for the p'liceman, &c.\n\n Are you ready for a fight? &c.\n\n Yes, we're ready for a fight, &c.\n\n--Hanbury, Staffs. (Miss Edith Hollis).\n\n VIII. Have you any bread and wine, bread and wine, bread and wine,\n Have you any bread and wine,\n For we are English soldiers!\n\n Yes, we have some bread and wine, bread and wine, bread and\n wine,\n For we are French soldiers!\n\n Will you give us a quarter of it? &c.\n\n No, we won't give you a quarter of it, &c.\n\n Then we will send the magistrate, &c.\n\n What do we care for the magistrate, &c.\n\n What do we care for the convent dogs, &c.\n\n Are you ready for a fight, &c.\n\n Yes, we are ready for a fight, &c.\n\n--Hurstmonceux, Sussex (Miss E. Chase, 1892).\n\n IX. Have you any bread and wine,\n Bread and wine, bread and wine?\n Have you any bread and wine,\n My Theerie and my Thorie?\n\n Yes, we have some bread and wine, bread and wine, &c.\n\n We shall have one glass of it, one glass of it, &c.\n\n Take one glass and go your way, go your way, &c.\n\n We shall have two glasses of it, two glasses of it, &c.\n\n Take two glasses and go your way, go your way, &c.\n\n[Repeat for three, four, and five glasses of it, then--]\n\n We shall have a bottle of it, a bottle of it, &c.\n\n A bottle of it ye _shall not_ have, ye shall not have, &c.\n\n We will break your glasses all, your glasses all, &c.\n\n We will send for the magistrates, the magistrates, &c.\n\n What care we for the magistrates, the magistrates? &c.\n\n We will send for the policemen, the policemen, &c.\n\n What care we for the policemen, the policemen? &c.\n\n We will send for the red coat men, the red coat men, &c.\n\n What care we for the red coat men, the red coat men? &c.\n\n What kind of men are ye at all, are ye at all? &c.\n\n We are all Prince Charlie's men, Prince Charlie's men, &c.\n\n But what kind of men are _ye_ at all, are _ye_ at all? &c.\n\n We are all King George's men, King George's men, &c.\n\n Are ye for a battle of it, a battle of it? &c.\n\n Yes, we're for a battle of it,\n A battle of it, a battle of it,\n Yes, we're for a battle of it,\n My Theerie and my Thorie.\n\n--Perthshire (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n X. What men are ye of?\n What men are ye of?\n What men are ye of?\n Metherie and Metharie.\n\n We are of King George's men,\n King George's men, King George's men,\n We are of King George's men,\n Metherie and Metharie.\n\n We will send for the policemen, &c.\n\n What care we for the policemen? &c.\n\n We will have a bottle of wine, &c.\n\n You shall not have, &c.\n\n We will have three bottles of wine, &c.\n\n You shall not have, &c.\n\n We will send for Cripple Dick, &c.\n\n What care we for Cripple Dick, &c.\n\n We finish off with a battle three, &c.\n\n--Northumberland (from a lady friend of Hon. J. Abercromby).\n\n XI. We shall have a glass of wine,\n A glass of wine, a glass of wine,\n We shall have a glass of wine,\n Methery I methory.\n\n You shall not have a glass of wine,\n A glass of wine, a glass of wine,\n You shall not have a glass of wine,\n Methery I methory.\n\n Then we'll break your dishes, then, &c.\n\n Then we'll send for the blue coat men, &c.\n\n What care I for the blue coat men, &c.\n\n Then we'll send for the red coat men, &c.\n\n What care we for the red coat men, &c.\n\n We are all King George's men, &c.\n\n We are all King William's men, &c.\n\n--Auchencairn, Kirkcudbright (Prof. A. C. Haddon).\n\n XII. Have you any bread and wine, bread and wine, bread and wine?\n Have you any bread and wine?\n Come a theiry, come a thory.\n\n Yes, we have some bread and wine, &c.\n\n Will you give us a glass of it? &c.\n\n Yes, we'll give you a glass of it, &c.\n\n Will you give us two glasses of it? &c.\n\n Yes, we'll give you two glasses of it, &c.\n\n Will you give us a pint of it? &c.\n\n A pint of it you shall not get, &c.\n\n We will break your window pane, &c.\n\n We will tell the policemen, &c.\n\n What care we for the policemen, &c.\n\n We will tell the red coat men, &c.\n\n What care we for the red coat men, &c.\n\n We will tell the magistrate, &c.\n\n What care we for the magistrate, &c.\n\n Will you try a fight with us? &c.\n\n Yes, we'll try a fight with you, &c.\n\n Are you ready for it now? &c.\n\n Yes, we're ready for it now, &c.\n\n--Perth (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XIII. Have you got any bread and wine, bread and wine, bread and\n wine?\n Have you got any bread and wine?\n Come a theory, oary mathorie.\n\n Yes, we have some bread and wine, &c.\n\n We shall have one glass of it, &c.\n\n You shall not have one glass of it, &c.\n\n To what men do you belong? &c.\n\n We are all King George's men, &c.\n\n To what men do you belong, &c.\n\n We are all King William's men, &c.\n\n We shall have a fight, then, &c.\n\n--Perth (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XIV. Have you any bread and wine,\n Ye o' the boatmen?\n Have you any bread and wine,\n Ye the drunk and sober?\n\n Yes, we have some bread and wine, &c.\n\n Will you give us of your wine, &c.\n\n Take one quart and go your way, &c.\n\n One quart is not enough for us, &c.\n\n Take two quarts and go your way, &c.\n\n[Continue up to six quarts, then--]\n\n Pray, what sort of men are you? &c.\n\n We are all King George's men, &c.\n\n Are you ready for a fight? &c.\n\n Yes, we're ready for a fight, &c.\n\n--Forest of Dean (Miss Matthews).\n\n XV. I will fetch you a pint of beer,\n He I over;\n I will fetch you a pint of beer,\n Whether we are drunk or sober.\n\n I will fetch you a quart of beer,\n He I over;\n I will fetch you a quart of beer,\n Whether we are drunk or sober.\n\n I will fetch you two quarts of beer, &c.\n\n I will fetch you three quarts of beer, &c.\n\n I will fetch you a gallon of beer, &c.\n\n I will fetch you a barrel of beer, &c.\n\n I will fetch the old police, &c.\n\n Are you ready for a fight, &c.\n\n--Earls Heaton (H. Hardy)\n\n[Another variant from Earls Heaton is:--]\n\n Have you got a bottle of gin?\n He I over;\n Have you got a bottle of gin,\n As in that golden story?\n\n--(H. Hardy).\n\n XVI. Have you any bread and wine,\n Bread and wine, bread and wine?\n Have you any bread and wine?\n Cam a teerie, arrie ma torry.\n\n Yes, we have some bread and wine,\n Bread and wine, bread and wine;\n Yes, we have some bread and wine,\n Cam a teerie, arrie ma torry.\n\n We shall have one glass of it, &c.\n\n One glass of it you shall not get, &c.\n\n We are King George's loyal men,\n Loyal men, loyal men;\n We are King George's loyal men,\n Cam a teerie, arrie ma torry.\n\n What care we for King George's men,\n King George's men, King George's men;\n What care we for King George's men,\n Cam a teerie, arrie ma torry.\n\n--_People's Friend_, quoted in a review of \"Arbroath: Past and Present,\"\nby J. M. M'Bain.\n\n XVII. We shall have one glass of wine,\n We are the robbers;\n We shall have one glass of wine,\n For we are the gallant soldiers.\n\n You shall have no glass of wine,\n We are the robbers;\n You shall have no glass of wine,\n For we are the gallant soldiers.\n\n We shall have two glasses of it, &c.\n\n You shall have no glass of it, &c.\n\n We will break your tumblers, then, &c.\n\n We shall send for the policeman, &c.\n\n What care we for the policeman, &c.\n\n We shall send for the red coat men, &c.\n\n What care we for the red coat men, &c.\n\n We shall send for the blue coat men, &c.\n\n What care we for the blue coat men, &c.\n\n We shall send for the magistrate, &c.\n\n What care we for the magistrate, &c.\n\n We shall send for Cripple Dick, &c.\n\n What care we for Cripple Dick, &c.\n\n We shall have a battle then, &c.\n\n Yonder is a battle field, &c.\n\n--Laurieston School, Kirkcudbright (J. Lawson).\n\n XVIII. Here comes three dukes a-riding, a-riding, a-riding;\n Here comes three dukes a-riding, a-riding, a-riding;\n My fair ladies.\n\n Have you any bread and wine, bread and wine, bread and wine?\n Have you any bread and wine, bread and wine, bread and wine,\n My fair ladies?\n\n How do you sell your bread and wine, &c.\n\n I sell it by a gallon, sir, &c.\n\n A gallon is too much, fair ladies, &c.\n\n Sell it by a gallon, my fair ladies, &c.\n\n Then we'll have none at all, &c.\n\n Are you ready for a fight, &c.\n\n Yes, we are ready for a fight, &c.\n My dear sirs.\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n(_c_) The players divide into two sides of about equal numbers, and form\nlines. The lines walk forwards and backwards in turn, each side singing\ntheir respective verses alternately. When the last verse is sung both\nlines prepare for a fight.\n\nThis is the usual way of playing, and there is but little variation in\nthe methods of the different versions. In some versions (Enbourne,\nBerks.; Maxey, Northants., and Bath) sleeves are tucked up previous to\nthe pretended fight, and in one or two places sticks and stones are\nused; again in the Northamptonshire and Bath games, at \"Present! Shoot!\nBang! Fire!!\" imitations are given of firing of guns before the actual\nfight takes place. In the Hants (H. S. May) and Lancashire (Mrs. Harley)\nversions, when the last verse is reached the players all join hands,\nform a ring, and dance round while they sing the last verse. In several\nversions too, when they sing \"We don't care for the magistrates,\" or\nother persons of authority, the players all stamp their feet on the\nground. In the Hurstmonceux version the children double their fists\nbefore preparing to fight. Some pretend to have swords to fight with,\nbut the greater number use their fists. In most of the versions the\nplayers on both sides join in the refrain or chorus.\n\n(_d_) This game represents an attacking or invading party and the\ndefenders. It probably owes its origin to the border warfare which\nprevailed for so long a period between Highlanders and Lowlanders of\nScotland, the Scotch and English of the northern border counties, and in\nthe country called the marches between Wales and England. Contests\nbetween different nationalities living in one town or place, as at\nSouthampton and Nottingham, would also tend to produce this game. That\nthe game represents this kind of conflict rather than an ordinary battle\nbetween independent countries is shown by several significant points.\nThese are, the dialogue between the opposing parties before the fight\nbegins, the mention of bread, ale, or other food, and more particularly\nthe threat to appeal to the civil authorities, called in the different\nversions, magistrates, blue coat men, red coat men, highest men,\npolicemen, and Cripple Dick. Such an appeal is only applicable where the\nopposing parties were, theoretically at all events, subordinate to a\nsuperior authority. The derision, too, with which the threat is received\nby the assailants is in strict accord with the facts of Border society.\nScott in _Waverley_ and the _Black Dwarf_ describes such a raid, and the\nsuggestion to appeal to the civil authority in lieu of a raid is met\nwith the cry of such an act being useless. The passage from the _Black\nDwarf_ is: \"'We maun tak the law wi' us in thae days, Simon,' answered\nthe more prudent elder. 'And besides,' said another old man, 'I dinna\nbelieve there's ane now living that kens the lawful mode of following a\nfray across the Border. Tam o' Whittram kend a' about it; but he died in\nthe hard winter.' 'Hout,' exclaimed another of these discording\ncounsellors, 'there's nae great skill needed; just put a lighted peat on\nthe end of a spear, a hayfork, or siclike, and blaw a horn and cry the\ngathering word, and then it's lawful to follow gear into England and\nrecover it by the strong hand, or to take gear frae some other\nEnglishmen, providing ye lift nae mair than's been lifted frae you.\nThat's the auld Border law made at Dundrennan in the days of the Black\nDouglas.'\" In _Waverley_ the hero suggests \"to send to the nearest\ngarrison for a party of soldiers and a magistrate's warrant,\" but is\ntold that \"he did not understand the state of the country and of the\npolitical parties which divided it\" (chap. xv.). The position of this\npart of the country is best understood from the evidence of legal\nrecords, showing how slowly the king's record ran in these parts. Thus\nMr. Clifford (_Hist. of Private Legislation_) quotes from Hodgson's\n_Hist. of Northumberland_ (vol. iii. pt. 2, p. 171), a paper, in the\nCotton MS., on \"The bounds and means of the 'batable land belonging to\nEngland and Scotland.\" It was written in 1550 by Sir Robert Bowes, a\nNorthumbrian, at the request of the Marquis of Dorset, then Warden\nGeneral of the Marches, and gives a graphic picture of Border life at\nthat time. The writer describes Cassope bridge as \"a common passage for\nthe thieves of Tyndalle, in England, and for the thieves of Liddesdalle,\nin Scotland, with the stolen goods from one realm to the other.\" The\nhead of Tyndalle is a place \"where few true men have list to lodge.\"\nNorth Tyndall \"is more plenished with wild and misdemeaned people\" than\neven South Tyndall. The people there \"stand most by four surnames,\" the\nCharltons, Robsons, Dodds, and Milbornes. \"Of every surname there be\nsundry families, or graves, as they call them, of every of which there\nbe certain headsmen that leadeth and answereth for all the rest. There\nbe some among them that have never stolen themselves, which they call\ntrue men. And yet such will have rascals to steal either on horseback or\nfoot, whom they do reset, and will receive part of the stolen goods.\nThere be very few able men in all that country of North Tyndalle, but\neither they have used to steal in England or Scotland. And if any true\nman of England get knowledge of the theft or thieves that steal his\ngoods in Tyndalle or Ryddesdale, he had much rather take a part of his\ngoods again in composition than pursue the extremity by law against the\nthief. For if the thief be of any great surname or kindred, and be\nlawfully executed by order of justice, the rest of his kin or surname\nbear as much malice, which they call deadly feade (feud), against such\nas follow the law against their cousin the thief, as though he had\nunlawfully killed him with a sword; and will by all means they can seek\nrevenge thereupon.\" At sundry times the dalesmen \"have broken out of all\norder, and have then, like rebels or outlaws, committed very great and\nheinous attempts, as burning and spoiling of whole townships and\nmurdering of gentlemen and others whom they have had grief or malice\nunto, so that for defence of them there have been great garrisons laid,\nand raids and incourses both against them and by them, even as it were\nbetween England and Scotland in time of war. And even at such times they\nhave done more harm than they have received.\" A number of the\nTyndaller's houses are set together, so that they may give each other\nsuccour in frays, and they join together in any quarrel against a true\nman, so that for dread of them \"almost no man dare follow his goods\nstolen or spoiled into that country.\"\n\nThe sides in the game are under the different names or leadership of\nRomans and English, King William's men, rovers and guardian soldiers,\nPrince Charlie's men, King George's men, &c. These names have probably\nbeen given in memory of some local rising, or from some well-known event\nwhich stamped itself upon the recollection of the people. It is very\ncurious that in four or five versions a refrain, which may well be a\nsurvival of some of the slogans or family \"cries\" (see \"Three Dukes\"),\nshould occur instead of the \"Roman\" and \"English\" soldiers, &c. These\nrefrains are, \"My theerie and my thorie,\" \"Metherie and metharie,\"\n\"Methory I methory,\" \"Come a theeiry, come a thory,\" \"Come a theory,\noary mathorie,\" \"Cam a teerie, arrie ma torry,\" and the three which\napparently are still further degradations of these, \"Ye o' the boatmen,\"\n\"Drunk and sober,\" \"He I over.\" That \"slogans\" or \"war cries\" were used\nin this species of tribal war there is little doubt. In the\nNorthumberland and Laurieston versions the name is \"Cripple Dick,\" these\nwords, now considered as the name of a powerful and feared leader, may\nalso indicate the same origin. The versions with these refrains come\nfrom Perthshire (three versions), Authencairn, and Northumberland;\nYorkshire has He I over; while the Romans and English, King George's\nmen, King William's men, guardian soldiers, rovers, &c., are found in\nShropshire, Staffordshire, Gloucester, Kent, Hants, Bath, Berks,\nNorthamptonshire, Sussex, some of which are Border counties to Wales,\nand others have sea-coasts where at different times invasions have been\nexpected. In Sussex, Miss Chase says the game is said to date from the\nalarm of Napoleon's threatened landing on the coast; this is also said\nin Kent and Hampshire. Miss Burne considers the game in Shropshire to\nhave certainly originated from the old Border warfare. She also\nconsiders that the bread and wine, barrels of ale, &c., are indications\nof attempts made to bribe the beleaguered garrison and their willingness\nto accept it; but I think it more probably refers to the fact that some\nfood, cattle, and goods were oftentime given to the raiders by the\nowners of the lands as blackmail, to prevent the carrying off of all\ntheir property, and to avoid fighting if possible. It will be noticed\nthat fighting ensues as the result of a sufficient quantity of food and\ndrink being refused. Scott alludes to the practice of blackmail, having\nto be paid to a Highland leader in _Waverley_, in the raid upon the\ncattle of the baron of Bradwardine (see chap. xv.). The farms were\nscattered, and before the defenders could combine to offer resistance,\ncattle and goods would be carried off, and the ground laid waste, if\nresistance were offered.\n\nThe tune of the Northants game (Rev. W. Sweeting) and Hants (H. S. May)\nare so nearly like the Bath tune that it seemed unnecessary to print\nthem. The tune of the Surrey game is that of \"Nuts in May.\" The words of\nthe Bath version collected by me are nearly identical with the\nShropshire, except that \"We are the Romans\" is said instead of \"We are\nthe Rovers.\" They are not therefore printed here, but I have used this\nversion in my _Children's Singing Games_, series I., _illustrated_. The\ntune of the Hants version (H. S. May) is similar to that of Wrotham,\nKent (Miss D. Kimball).\n\n\nWeary\n\n Weary, weary, I'm waiting on you,\n I can wait no longer on you;\n Three times I've whistled on you--\n Lovey, are you coming out?\n\n I'll tell mamma when I go home,\n The boys won't let my curls alone;\n They tore my hair, and broke my comb--\n And that's the way all boys get on.\n\n--Aberdeen Training College (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nThe girls stand in a row, and one goes backwards and forwards singing\nthe first four lines. She then takes one out of the row, and they swing\nround and round while they all sing the other four lines.\n\n\nWeave the Diaper\n\n Weave the diaper tick-a-tick tick,\n Weave the diaper tick;\n Come this way, come that,\n As close as a mat,\n Athwart and across, up and down, round about,\n And forwards and backwards and inside and out;\n Weave the diaper thick-a-thick thick,\n Weave the diaper thick.\n\n--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 65.\n\n(_b_) This game should be accompanied by a kind of pantomimic dance, in\nwhich the motions of the body and arms express the process of weaving,\nthe motion of the shuttle, &c.\n\n(_c_) Mr. Newell (_Games and Songs of American Children_, p. 80)\nmentions a dance called \"Virginia Reel,\" which he says is an imitation\nof weaving. The first movement represents the shooting of the shuttle\nfrom side to side and the passage of the woof over and under the threads\nof the warp; the last movements indicate the tightening of the threads\nand bringing together of the cloth. He also says that an acquaintance\ntold him that in New York the men and girls stand in rows by sevens, an\narrangement which may imitate the different colours of strands. Mr.\nNewell does not say whether any words are sung during the dancing of the\nreel. Halliwell gives another rhyme (p. 121), which may have belonged to\nthis weaving game. It is extremely probable that in these fragments\ndescribed by him we have remains of one of the old trade dances and\nsongs.\n\n\nWeigh the Butter\n\nTwo children stand back to back, with their arms locked. One stoops as\nlow as he can, supporting the other on his back, and says, \"Weigh the\nbutter;\" he rises, and the second stoops in his turn with \"Weigh the\ncheese.\" The first repeats with \"Weigh the old woman;\" and it ends by\nthe second with \"Down to her knees.\"--_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 58.\n\nThe players turn their backs to each other, and link their arms together\nbehind. One player then bends forward, and lifts the other off his [her]\nfeet. He rises up, and the other bends forward and lifts him up. Thus\nthe two go on bending and rising, and lifting each other alternately,\nand keep repeating--\n\n Weigh butter, weigh cheese,\n Weigh a pun (pound) o' can'le grease.\n\n--Keith (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nMr. Northall (_English Folk Rhymes_) gives this game with the words as--\n\n A bag o' malt, a bag o' salt,\n Ten tens a hundred.\n\nThis game is described as played in the same way in Antrim and Down\n(Patterson's _Glossary_), and also by Jamieson in Roxburgh.\n\nSee \"Way-Zaltin.\"\n\n\nWhen I was a Young Girl\n\n[Music]\n\n--Platt School, nr. Wrotham, Kent (Miss Burne).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Hanbury, Staffs. (Miss Edith Hollis).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Market Drayton, Salop (_Shropshire Folk-lore_).\n\n[Music]\n\n--Ogbourne, Wilts. (H. S. May).\n\n I. When I was a young girl, a young girl, a young girl,\n When I was a young girl, how happy was I.\n This way and that way, and this way and that way,\n And this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When I had a sweetheart, a sweetheart, a sweetheart,\n When I had a sweetheart, how happy was I.\n This way and that way, and this way and that way,\n And this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When I got married, got married, got married,\n When I got married, how happy was I.\n This way and that way, and this way and that way,\n And this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When I had a baby, a baby, a baby,\n When I had a baby, how happy was I.\n This way and that way, and this way and that way,\n And this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When my baby died, died, died,\n When my baby died, how sorry was I.\n This way and that way, and this way and that way,\n And this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When my husband died, died, died,\n When my husband died, how sorry was I.\n This way and that way, and this way and that way,\n And this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When I kept a donkey, a donkey, a donkey,\n When I kept a donkey, how happy was I.\n This way and that way, and this way and that way,\n And this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When I was a washerwoman, a washerwoman, a washerwoman,\n When I was a washerwoman, how happy was I.\n This way and that way, and this way and that way,\n And this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When I was a beggar, a beggar, a beggar,\n When I was a beggar, how happy was I.\n This way and that way, and this way and that way,\n And this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n--Platt School, near Wrotham, Kent (Miss Burne).\n\n II. When I was a young girl, a young girl, a young girl,\n When I was I young girl, how happy was I.\n And this way and that way, and this way and that way, and\n this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When I was a school-girl, a school-girl, a school-girl,\n When I was a school-girl, oh, this way went I.\n And this way and that way, and this way and that way, and\n this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When I was a teacher, a teacher, a teacher,\n When I was a teacher, oh, this way went I.\n And this way and that way, and this way and that way, and\n this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When I had a sweetheart, a sweetheart, a sweetheart,\n When I had a sweetheart, oh, this way went I.\n And this way and that way, and this way and that way, and\n this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When I had a husband, a husband, a husband,\n When I had a husband, oh! this way went I.\n And this way and that way, and this way and that way, and\n this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When I had a baby, a baby, a baby,\n When I had a baby, how happy was I.\n And this way and that way, and this way and that way, and\n this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When my baby died, oh, died, oh, died,\n When my baby died, how sorry was I.\n And this way and that way, and this way and that way, and\n this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When I took in washing, oh, washing, oh, washing,\n When I took in washing, oh, this way went I.\n And this way and that way, and this way and that way, and\n this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When I went out scrubbing, oh, scrubbing, oh, scrubbing,\n When I went out scrubbing, oh, this way went I.\n And this way and that way, and this way and that way, and\n this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When my husband did beat me, did beat me, did beat me,\n When my husband did beat me, oh, this way went I.\n And this way and that way, and this way and that way, and\n this way and that way, and this way went I.\n\n When my husband died, oh, died, oh, died,\n When my husband died, how happy was I.\n And this way and that way, and this way and that way, and\n this way and that way, and this way went I.\n Hurrah!\n\n--Barnes, Surrey (A. B. Gomme).\n\n III. When I was a young gell, a young gell, a young gell,\n When I was a young gell, i' this a way went I.\n An' i' this a way, an' i' that a way, an' i' this a way\n went I.\n\n When I wanted a sweetheart, a sweetheart, a sweetheart,\n When I wanted a sweetheart, i' this a way went I.\n An' i' this a way, an' i' this a way, an' i' this a way\n went I.\n\n When I went a-courting, a-courtin', a-courtin',\n When I went a-courtin', i' this a way went I.\n An' i' this a way, an' i' this a way, an' i' this a way\n went I.\n\n When I did get married, get married, get married,\n When I did get married, i' this a way went I.\n An' i' this a way, an' i' this a way, an' i' this a way\n went I.\n\n When I had a baby, &c.\n\n When I went to church, &c.\n\n My husband was a drunkard, &c.\n\n When I was a washerwoman, &c.\n\n When I did peggy, &c.\n\n My baby fell sick, &c.\n\n My baby did die, &c.\n\n My husband did die, &c.\n\n--Liphook, Wakefield (Miss Fowler).\n\n IV. When I wore my flounces, my flounces, my flounces,\n When I wore my flounces, this a-way went I.\n\n When I was a lady, a lady, a lady,\n When I was a lady, this a-way went I.\n\n When I was a gentleman, a gentleman, a gentleman,\n When I was a gentleman, this a-way went I.\n\n When I was a washerwoman, &c.\n\n When I was a schoolgirl, &c.\n\n When I had a baby, &c.\n\n When I was a cobbler, &c.\n\n When I was a shoeblack, &c.\n\n When my husband beat me, &c.\n\n When my baby died, &c.\n\n When my husband died, &c.\n\n When I was a parson, &c.\n\n--Hanbury, Staffs. (Miss Edith Hollis).\n\n V. When I was a lady, a lady, a lady,\n When I was a lady, a lady was I.\n 'Twas this way and that way, and this way and that.\n\n When I was a gentleman, a gentleman, a gentleman,\n When I was a gentleman, a gentleman was I.\n 'Twas this way and that way, and this way and that.\n\n When I was a schoolgirl, a schoolgirl, a schoolgirl,\n When I was a schoolgirl, a schoolgirl was I, &c.\n\n When I was a schoolboy, a schoolboy, a schoolboy, &c.\n\n When I was a schoolmaster, a schoolmaster, a schoolmaster,\n &c.\n\n When I was a schoolmistress, a schoolmistress, a\n schoolmistress, &c.\n\n When I was a donkey, a donkey, a donkey, &c.\n\n When I was a shoeblack, a shoeblack, a shoeblack, &c.\n\n--Ogbourne, Wilts. (H. S. May).\n\n VI. When I was a naughty girl, a naughty girl, a naughty girl,\n When I was a naughty girl, a-this a-way went I!\n And a-this a-way, and a-that a-way,\n And a-this a-way, and a-that a-way,\n And a-this a-way, and a-that a-way,\n And a-this a-way went I!\n\n When I was a good girl, &c., a-this a-way went I! &c.\n\n When I was a naughty girl, &c.\n\n When I went courting, &c.\n\n When I got married, &c.\n\n When I had a baby, &c.\n\n When the baby cried, &c.\n\n When the baby died, &c.\n\n--Berrington (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 514).\n\n VII. When I was a naughty girl, &c. [as above]\n\n When I went to school, &c.\n\n When I went a-courting, &c.\n\n When I got married, &c.\n\n When I had a baby, &c.\n\n When the baby fell sick, &c.\n\n When my baby did die, &c.\n\n When my husband fell sick, &c.\n\n When my husband did die, &c.\n\n When I was a widow, &c.\n\n Then I took in washing, &c.\n\n Then my age was a hundred and four, &c.\n\n--Market Drayton (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 515).\n\n VIII. First I was a school-maid, a school-maid, how happy was I!\n And a-this a-way, and a-that a-way went I!\n\n And then I got married, how happy was I! &c.\n\n And then I had a baby, how happy was I! &c.\n\n And then my husband died, how sorry was I! &c.\n\n And then I married a cobbler, how happy was I! &c.\n\n And then the baby died, how sorry was I! &c.\n\n And then I married a soldier, how happy was I! &c.\n\n And then he bought me a donkey, how happy was I! &c.\n\n And then the donkey throwed me, how sorry was I! &c.\n\n And then I was a washing-maid, how happy was I! &c.\n\n And then my life was ended, how sorry was I!\n\n--Chirbury (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 515).\n\n IX. When first we went to school--to school--to school--\n How happy was I!\n 'Twas this way and that way,\n How happy was I!\n\n Next I went to service--to service--to service--\n How happy was I!\n 'Twas this way, and that way,\n How happy was I! &c.\n\n Next I had a sweetheart--a sweetheart--a sweetheart--\n How happy was I! &c.\n\n Next I got married--got married--got married--\n How happy was I! &c.\n\n Next I had a baby--a baby--a baby--\n How happy was I! &c.\n\n Next my husband died--he died--he died--\n How sorry was I! &c.\n\n Next my baby died--she died--she died--\n How sorry was I! &c.\n\n--Dorsetshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, vii. pp. 218-219).\n\n X. Oh! when I was a soldier, I did this way, this way.\n\n Oh! when I was a mower, I did this way, this way.\n\n Oh! when I was a hedge cutter, I did this way, this way.\n\n Oh! when I was a boot cleaner, I did this way, this way.\n\n Oh! when I was a teacher, I did this way, this way.\n\n Oh! when I was a governess, I did this way, this way.\n\n Oh! when I had a baby, I did this way, this way.\n\n Oh! when my baby died, I did this way, this way.\n\n--Fernham and Longcot Choir Girls, Berks. (Miss I. Barclay).\n\n XI. When I was a school-boy, a school-boy, a school-boy,\n When I was a school-boy, this way went I.\n\n When I was a school-girl, &c.\n\n When I was a-courting, &c.\n\n When I got married, &c.\n\n When I had a baby, &c.\n\n When my baby died, &c.\n\n When my husband was ill, &c.\n\n When I was a shoe-black, &c.\n\n When I was a washerwoman, &c.\n\n When I was a soldier, &c.\n\n When I was a sailor, &c.\n\n--Frodingham and Nottinghamshire (Miss M. Peacock).\n\n XII. When I was a school girl, a school girl, a school girl,\n When I was a school girl, a this way went I.\n\n When I was a teacher, a teacher, a teacher,\n When I was a teacher, a this way went I.\n\n[Verses follow for courtin'--\n\n married woman,\n having a baby,\n death of baby.]\n\n--Earls Heaton (H. Hardy).\n\n XIII. When I went a courting, I went just so.\n When next I went a courting, I went just so;\n When next I went a courting, I went just so;\n When next I went a courting, I went just so.\n\n--Haxey, Lincolnshire (C. C. Bell).\n\n(_c_) The children join hands and form a ring. They all dance or walk\nround singing the words of the first two lines of each verse. Then all\nstanding still, they unclasp hands, and continue singing the next two\nlines, and while doing so each child performs some action which\nillustrates the events, work, condition, or profession mentioned in the\nfirst line of the verse they are singing; then rejoining hands they all\ndance round in a circle again. The actions used to illustrate the\ndifferent events are: In the versions from Platt school, for \"young\ngirl,\" each child holds out her dress and dances a step first to the\nright, then to the left, two or three times, finishing by turning\nherself quite round; for a \"sweetheart,\" the children turn their heads\nand kiss their hands to the child behind them; for \"got married,\" they\nall walk round in ring form, two by two, arm in arm; for having a baby,\nthey each \"rock\" and \"hush\" a pretended baby; when the baby dies, each\npretends to cry; when the husband dies, they throw their aprons or\nhandkerchiefs over their heads and faces; for \"keeping a donkey,\" each\nchild pretends to beat and drive the child immediately in front of her;\nfor \"washerwoman,\" each pretends to wash or wring clothes; for a\n\"beggar,\" each drops curtseys, and holds out her hand as if asking alms,\nputting on an imploring countenance. The Barnes' version is played in\nthe same way, with the addition of holding the hands together to\nrepresent a book, as if learning lessons, for \"schoolgirl\"; pretending\nto hold a cane, and holding up fingers for silence, when a \"teacher\";\nwhen \"my husband did beat me,\" each pretends to fight; and for \"my\nhusband died,\" each child walks round joyfully, waving her handkerchief,\nand all calling out Hurrah! at the end; the other verses being acted the\nsame as at Platt. The Liphook version is much the same: the children\nbeckon with their fingers when \"wanting a sweetheart\"; kneel down and\npretend to pray when \"at church\"; prod pretended \"clothes\" in a wash-tub\nwith a \"dolly\" stick when \"I did peggy\" is said; and mourn for the\n\"husband's\" death. In the Hanbury game, the children dance round or\nshake themselves for \"flounces \"; hold up dresses and walk nicely for\n\"lady\"; bow to each other for \"gentlemen\"; pretend to mend shoes when\n\"cobblers\"; brush shoes for \"shoeblack\"; clap hands when the \"husband\"\ndies; and kneel when they are \"parsons.\" In the Ogbourne game, the\nchildren \"hold up their dresses as ladies do\" in the first verse; take\noff their hats repeatedly when \"gentlemen\"; pretend to cry when\n\"schoolgirls\"; walking round, swinging their arms, and looking as cocky\nas possible, when \"schoolboys\"; patting each other's backs when\n\"schoolmasters\"; clapping hands for \"schoolmistresses\"; stooping down\nand walking on all fours for a \"donkey\"; and brushing shoes for\n\"shoeblack.\" In the Shropshire games at Berrington, each child \"walks\ndemurely\" for a good girl; puts finger on lip for \"naughty girl\"; walks\ntwo and two, arm in arm, for \"courting\"; holds on to her dress for\n\"married\"; whips the \"baby,\" and cries when it dies. In the Market\nDrayton game, each pretends to tear her clothes for \"naughty girl\";\npretends to carry a bag for \"schoolgirl\"; walk in pairs side by side for\n\"courting\"; the same, arm in arm, for \"married\"; \"hushes\" for a baby,\npretends to pat on the back for sick baby; covers her face with\nhandkerchief when baby dies; pats her chest when husband is sick, cries\nand \"makes dreadful work\" when he dies; puts on handkerchief for a\nwidow's veil for a widow; hobbles along, and finally falls down when \"a\nhundred and four.\" In the Dorset game, when at \"service,\" an imitation\nof scrubbing and sweeping is given; walk in couples for sweethearts, and\nmarried; the remaining verses the same as the Platt version. In the\nFernham game the children shoot out their arms alternately for a\nsoldier; for a mower, they stand sideways and pretend to cut grass; for\nhedge-cutter, they pretend to cut with a downward movement, as with a\nbelt [_qy._ bill] hook, the other action similar to the Platt and Barnes\ngames. In the Frodingham game they stamp and pretend to drill for\n\"schoolboys,\" pretend to sew as \"schoolgirls,\" kiss for \"courting,\" put\non a ring for \"getting married,\" run for a doctor when \"husband\" is ill,\npunch and push each other for \"soldiers,\" and haul ropes for \"sailors.\"\nIn other versions, in which carpenters, blacksmiths, farmers, bakers\nappear, actions showing something of those trades are performed.\n\n(_d_) It will be seen, from the description of the way this game is\nplayed, that it consists of imitative actions of different events in\nlife, or of actions imitating trades and occupations. It was probably at\none time played by both girls and boys, young men and young women. It is\nnow but seldom played by boys, and therefore those verses containing\nlines describing male occupations are not nearly so frequently met with\nas those describing girls' or womens' life only. Young girl, sweetheart,\nor going courtin', marriage, birth of children, loss of baby and\nhusband, widowhood, and the occupations of washing and cleaning, exactly\nsum up the principal and important events in many working womens'\nlives--comprising, in fact, the whole. This was truer many years ago\nthan now, and the mention in many versions of school girl, teacher,\ngoverness, indicate in those versions the influence which education,\nfirst in the shape of dame or village schools, Sunday schools, and\nlatterly Board schools, has had upon the minds and playtime of the\nchildren. These lines may certainly be looked upon as introductions by\nthe children of comparatively modern times, and doubtless have taken the\nplace of some older custom or habit. This game is exactly one of those\nto which additions and alterations of this kind can be made without\ndestroying or materially altering, or affecting, its sense. It can live\nas a simple game in an almost complete state long after its original\nwording has been lost or forgotten, and as long as occupations continue\nand events occur which lend themselves to dumb action. The origin of the\ngame I consider to be those dances and songs performed in imitation of\nthe serious avocations of life, when such ceremonies were considered\nnecessary to their proper performance, and acceptable to the deities\npresiding over such functions, arising from belief in sympathetic magic.\n\nAt harvest homes it was customary for the men engaged in the work of the\nfarm to go through a series of performances depicting their various\noccupations with song and dance, from their engagement as labourers\nuntil the harvest was completed, and at some fairs the young men and\nwomen of the village, in song and dance, would go through in pantomimic\nrepresentation, the several events of the year, such as courting,\nmarriage, &c., and their several occupations.\n\nPerhaps the most singular instance of imitative action being used in a\nsemi-religious purpose, is that recorded by Giraldus Cambrensis in the\ntwelfth century, who, speaking of the church of St. Almedha, near\nBrecknock, says a solemn feast is held annually in the beginning of\nAugust: \"You may see men and girls, now in the church, now in the\nchurchyard, now in the dance, which is led round the churchyard with a\nsong, on a sudden falling on the ground as in a trance, then jumping up\nas in a frenzy, and representing with their hands and feet before the\npeople whatever work they have unlawfully done on feast days; you may\nsee one man put his hands to the plough, and another, as it were, goad\non the oxen, one man imitating a shoemaker, another a tanner. Now you\nmay see a girl with a distaff drawing out the thread and winding it\nagain on the spindle; another walking and arranging the threads for the\nspindle; another throwing the shuttle and seeming to weave\" (_Itinerary\nof Wales_, chap. ii.).\n\nFor the significance of some of the pantomimic actions used, I may\nmention that in Cheshire for a couple to walk \"arm-in-arm\" is\nsignificant of a betrothed or engaged couple.\n\nOther versions have been sent me, but so similar to those given that it\nis unnecessary to give them here. The tunes vary more. In some places\nthe game is sung to that of \"Nuts in May.\" In Barnes the tune used was\nsometimes that of \"Isabella,\" vol. i. p. 247, and sometimes the first\none printed here.\n\nThe game is mentioned by Newell (_Games_, p. 88).\n\n\nWhiddy\n\n Whiddy, whiddy, way,\n If you don't come, I won't play.\n\nThe players, except one, stand in a den or home. One player clasps his\nhands together, with the two forefingers extended, He sings out the\nabove, and the boys who are \"home\" then cry--\n\n Warning once, warning twice,\n Warning three times over;\n When the cock crows out come I,\n Whiddy, whiddy, wake-cock. Warning!\n\nThis is called \"Saying their prayers.\" The boy who begins must touch\nanother boy, keeping his hands clasped as above. These two then join\nhands, and pursue the others; those whom they catch also joining hands,\ntill they form a long line. If the players who are in the home run out\nbefore saying their prayers, the other boys have the right to pummel\nthem, or ride home on their backs.--London (J. P. Emslie, A. B. Gomme).\n\nSee \"Chickidy Hand,\" \"Hunt the Staigie,\" \"Stag,\" \"Warney.\"\n\n\nWhigmeleerie\n\nA game occasionally played in Angus. A pin was stuck in the centre of a\ncircle, from which there were as many radii as there were persons in the\ncompany, with two names of each person at the radius opposite to him.\nOn the pin an index was placed, and moved round by every one in turn,\nand at whatsoever person's radius it stopped, he was obliged to drink\noff his glass.--Jamieson.\n\nA species of chance game, played apparently with a kind of totum.\n\n\nWhip\n\nA boy's game, called in the South \"Hoop or Hoop Hide.\" This is a curious\ninstance of corruption, for the name hoop is pronounced in the local\nmanner as hooip, whence whip.--Easther's _Almondbury Glossary_.\n\n\nWhishin Dance\n\nAn old-fashioned dance, in which a cushion is used to kneel\nupon.--Dickinson's _Cumberland Glossary_.\n\nSee \"Cushion Dance.\"\n\n\nWho goes round my Stone Wall\n\n I. Who's going round my stone wall?\n Nobody, only little Jacky Lingo.\n Pray don't steal none of my fat sheep,\n Unless I take one by one, two by two, three by three,\n Follow me.\n Have you seen anything of my black sheep?\n Yes! I gave them a lot of bread and butter and sent them up\n there [pointing to left or right].\n Then what have you got behind you?\n Only a few poor black sheep.\n Well! let me see.\n\n[The child immediately behind Johnny Lingo shows its foot between her\nfeet, and on seeing it the centre child says]\n\n Here's my black sheep.\n\n--Winterton, Anderby, Nottinghamshire (Miss M. Peacock).\n\n II. Who's that going round my stony walk?\n It's only Bobby Bingo.\n Have you stolen any of my sheep?\n Yes! I stole one last night and one the night before.\n\n--Enbourne School, Berks (Miss M. Kimber).\n\n III. Who goes round this stoney wa'?\n Nane but Johnnie Lingo.\n Tak care and no steal ony o' my fat sheep away!\n Nane but ane.\n\n--Galloway (J. G. Carter).\n\n IV. Who goes round my pinfold wall?\n Little Johnny Ringo.\n Don't steal all my fat sheep!\n No more I will, no more I may,\n Until I've stol'n 'em all away,\n Nip, Johnny Ringo.\n\n--Addy's _Sheffield Glossary_.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n V. Who's that walking round my sandy path?\n Only Jack and Jingle.\n Don't you steal none of my fat geese!\n Yes, I will, or No, I won't. I'll take them one by one, and\n two by two, and call them Jack and Jingle.\n\n--Barnes, Surrey (A. B. Gomme).\n\n VI. Who runs round my pen pound?\n No one but old King Sailor.\n Don't you steal all my sheep away, while I'm a wailer!\n Steal them all away one by one, and leave none but old King\n Sailor.\n\n--Raunds (_Northants Notes and Queries_, i. p. 232).\n\n VII. Who's that walking round my walk?\n Only Jackie Jingle.\n Don't you steal of my fat sheep;\n The more I will, the more I won't,\n Unless I take them one by one,\n And that is Jackie Jingle.\n\n--Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 85).\n\n VIII. Who's going round my sunny wall to night?\n Only little Jacky Lingo.\n Don't steal any of my fat chicks.\n I stole one last night\n And gave it a little hay,\n There came a little blackbird,\n And carried it away.\n\n--Bocking, Essex (_Folk-lore Record_, iii. 170).\n\n IX. Who's that round my stable door [or stony wall]?\n Only little Jack and Jingo.\n Don't you steal any of my fat pigs!\n I stole one last night and the night before,\n Chick, chick, come along with me.\n\n--Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase).\n\n X. Who's this walking round my stony gravel path?\n Only little Jacky Jingle.\n Last night he stole one of my sheep,\n Put him in the fold,\n Along came a blackbird, and pecked off his nose.\n\n--Hampshire (Miss Mendham).\n\n XI. Who is going round my fine stony house?\n Only Daddy Dingo.\n Don't take any of my fine chicks.\n Only this one, O!\n\n--Ellesmere (Burne's _Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 520).\n\n XII. Who is that walking round my stone-wall?\n Only little Johnnie Nero.\n Well, don't you steal any of my fat sheep!\n I stole one last night and gave it a lock of hay,\n Here come I to take another away.\n\n--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n XIII. Who's that going round my pretty garden?\n Only Jacky Jingo.\n Don't you steal any of my fat sheep!\n Oh, no I won't; oh, yes I will; and if I do I'll take them\n one by one, so out comes Jacky Jingo.\n\n--Ogbourne, Wilts. (H. S. May).\n\n XIV. Who's going round my sheepfold?\n Only poor Jack Lingo.\n Don't steal any of my black sheep!\n No, I won't, only buy one.\n\n--Roxton, St. Neots (Miss E. Lumley).\n\n XV. Who goes round my house this night?\n None but Limping Tom.\n Do you want any of my chickens this night?\n None but this poor one.\n\n--Macduff (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XVI. Who goes round my house this night?\n Who but Bloody Tom!\n Who stole all my chickens away?\n None but this poor one.\n\n--Chambers's _Pop. Rhymes_, 122.\n\n XVII. Who goes round the house at night?\n None but Bloody Tom.\n Tack care an' tack nane o' my chickens awa'!\n None but this poor one.\n\n--Keith (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n XVIII. Johnny, Johnny Ringo,\n Don't steal all my faun sheep.\n Nob but one by one,\n Whaul they're all done.\n\n--Easther's _Almondbury Glossary_.\n\n XIX. Who's going round my stone wall?\n Only an old witch.\n Don't take any of my bad chickens!\n No, only this one.\n\n--Hanbury, Staffs. (Miss E. Hollis).\n\n(_b_) The players stand in a circle, but they do not necessarily hold\nhands, nor do they move round. One player kneels or stands in the\ncentre, and another walks round outside the circle. The child in the\ncentre asks the questions, and the child outside (Johnny Lingo) replies.\nWhen the last answer is given, the outside player, or Johnny Lingo,\ntouches one of the circle on the back; this player, without speaking,\nthen follows Johnny Lingo and stands behind her holding her by her\ndress, or round the waist. The dialogue is then repeated, and another\nchild taken. This is continued until all the circle are behind Johnny\nLingo. Then the child in the centre tries to catch one of them, and\nJohnny Lingo tries to prevent it; as soon as one player is caught she\nstands aside, and when all are caught the game is over.\n\nThis is the usual way of playing. The variations are: in Galloway,\nEnbourne, Keith, and Hanbury, the centre player shuts her eyes, or is\nblindfolded. In the Almondbury version, when the centre child gets up to\nlook for his sheep, and finds them (they do not stand behind Johnny\nRingo, but hide), they run about \"baaing;\" when he catches them he\npretends to cut their heads off. In Chambers's description of the game,\nall the players except two sit upon the ground in a circle (sitting or\nlying down also obtains at Barnes), one of the two stands inside, and\nthe other personates \"Bloody Tom.\" Bloody Tom tries to carry off a\nplayer after the dialogue has been said, and the centre child tries to\nprevent this one from being taken, and the rest of the circle \"cower\nmore closely round him.\" In the Macduff version, when all the players\nhave been taken, the centre child runs about crying, \"Where are all my\nchickens?\" Some of the \"chickens,\" on hearing this, try to run away from\n\"Limping Tom\" to her, and he tries to prevent them. He puts them all\nbehind him in single file, and the centre child then tries to catch\nthem; when she catches them all she becomes Limping Tom, and he the\nshepherd or hen. Dr. Gregor says (Keith)--The game is generally played\nby boys; the keeper kneels or sits in the middle of the circle; when all\nthe sheep are gone, and he gets no answers to his questions, he crawls\naway still blindfolded, and searches for the lost sheep. The first\nplayer he finds becomes keeper, and he becomes Bloody Tom. In the\nWinterton version (No. I.) there is a further dialogue. The game is\nplayed in the usual way at the beginning. When Jacko Lingo says, \"Follow\nme\" (he had previously, when saying one by one and two by two, &c.,\ntouched three children on their back in turn), the third one touched\nleaves the ring, and stands behind him holding his clothes or waist.\nThis is done until all the children forming the circle are holding on\nbehind him. The child in the centre then asks the next question. When\nshe says, \"Here's my black sheep,\" she tries to dodge behind Jacky\nLingo, and catch the child behind him. When she has done this she begins\nagain at \"Have you seen anything of my black sheep,\" until she has\ncaught all the children behind Jacky Lingo. In two versions, Deptford\nand Bocking, there is no mention of a player being in the centre, but\nthis is an obvious necessity unless the second player stands also\noutside the circle. In the Raunds version the ring moves slowly round.\nIn the Hants version (Miss Mendham) the children sit in a line. The\nthief takes one at a time and hides them, and the shepherd pulls them\nout of their hiding-places. In the Shropshire game, the chickens crouch\ndown behind their mother, holding her gown, and the fox walks round\nthem.\n\n(_c_) This game appears to represent a village (by the players standing\nstill in circle form), and from the dialogue the children not only\nrepresent the village, but sheep or chickens belonging to it. The other\ntwo players are--one a watchman or shepherd, and the other a wolf, fox,\nor other depredatory animal. The sheep may possibly be supposed to be in\nthe pound or fold; the thief comes over the boundaries from a\nneighbouring village or forest to steal the sheep at night; the watchman\nor shepherd, although at first apparently deceived by the wolf,\ndiscovers the loss, and a fight ensues, in which the thief gets the\nworse, and some of the animals, if not all, are supposed to be\nrecovered. The names used in the game,--pen pound, pinfold, fold, stone\nwall, sunny wall, sandy path, gravel path, sheep fold, garden, house,\nare all indications that a village and its surroundings is intended to\nbe represented, and this game differs in that respect from the ordinary\nFox and Geese and Hen and Chickens games, in which no mention is made of\nthese.\n\nHalliwell records two versions (_Nursery Rhymes_, pp. 61, 68). The words\nand method of playing are the same as some of those recorded above.\nThere is also a version in _Suffolk County Folk-lore_, pp. 65, 66, which\nbeginning with \"Who's going round my little stony wall?\" after the sheep\nare all stolen, continues with a dialogue, which forms a part of the\ngame of \"Witch.\" The Rev. W. S. Sykes sends one from Settle, Yorkshire,\nthe words of which are the same as No. XIV., except that the last line\nhas \"just one\" instead of \"buy one.\" Mr. Newell gives a version played\nby American children.\n\n\nWidow\n\n I. One poor widder all left alone,\n Only one daughter to marry at home,\n Chews [choose] for the worst, and chews for the best,\n And chews the one that yew [you] love best.\n\n Now you're married, I wish ye good joy,\n Ivery year a gal or a boy!\n If one 'out dew, ye must hev tew,\n So pray, young couple, kiss te'gither.\n\n--Swaffham, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).\n\n II. Here is a poor widow who is left alone,\n And all her children married and gone;\n Come choose the east, come choose the west,\n Come choose the one you love the best.\n\n Now since you've got married, I wish you joy,\n Every year a girl and boy;\n Love one another like sister and brother,\n I pray you couple come kiss together.\n\n--Perth (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n III. One poor widow was left alone,\n Daughter, daughter, marry at home;\n Choose the worst, or choose the best,\n Choose the young gentleman you love best.\n\n Now you are married, I wish you joy,\n Father and mother, you must obey,\n Love one another like sister and brother,\n And now, young couple, come kiss together.\n\n--Bexley Heath (Miss Morris.)\n\n IV. One poor widow is left all alone, all alone, all alone,\n Choose the worst, and choose the best,\n And choose the one that you like best.\n\n Now she's married I wish her joy,\n Her father and mother she must obey,\n Love one another like sisters and brothers,\n And now it's time to go away.\n\n--_Suffolk County Folk-lore_, p. 67.\n\n V. One poor widow was left alone,\n She had but one daughter to marry alone;\n Come choose the worst, come choose the best,\n Come choose the young girl that you like best.\n\n--Maxey, Northants (Rev. W. D. Sweeting).\n\n VI. Here's a poor widow she's left alone,\n She has got nothing to marry upon;\n Come choose to the east, come choose to the west,\n Come choose the one that you love best.\n\n Now they're married, we wish them joy,\n Every year a girl and a boy;\n Seven years old, seven years to come,\n Now kiss the couple, and that's well done.\n\n--Auchterarder, N.B. (Miss E. S. Haldane).\n\n(_b_) The children form a ring by joining hands. One player stands in\nthe centre. The ring dance round singing the first verse; the widow then\nchooses one player from the ring, who goes into the centre with her, and\nthe ring dances round singing the second part. The one first in the\ncentre then joins the ring, and the second player becomes the widow and\nchooses in her turn.\n\nThis belongs to the marriage group of Kiss in the Ring games. Northall\n(_English Folk Rhymes_, p. 374), gives a version similar to the above.\n\nSee \"Kiss in the Ring,\" \"Poor Widow,\" \"Sally Water,\" \"Silly Young Man.\"\n\n\nWiggle-Waggle\n\nThe players sit round a table under the presidency of a \"Buck.\" Each\nperson has his fingers clenched, and the thumb extended. Buck from time\nto time calls out as suits his fancy: \"Buck says, Thumbs up!\" or, \"Buck\nsays, Thumbs down!\" or, \"Wiggle-waggle!\" If he says \"Thumbs up!\" he\nplaces both hands on the table, with the thumbs sticking straight up. If\n\"Thumbs down!\" he rests his thumbs on the table with his hands up. If\n\"Wiggle-waggle!\" he places his hands as in \"Thumbs up!\" but wags his\nthumbs nimbly. Everybody at the table has to follow the word of command\non the instant, and any who fail to do so are liable to a\nforfeit.--Evan's _Leicestershire Words_.\n\nSee \"Horns.\"\n\n\nWild Boar\n\n\"Shoeing the Wild Boar,\" a game in which the player sits cross-legged on\na beam or pole, each of the extremities of which is placed or swung in\nthe eyes of a rope suspended from the back tree of an outhouse. The\nperson uses a switch, as if in the act of whipping up a horse; when\nbeing thus unsteadily mounted, he is most apt to lose his balance. If he\nretains it, he is victor over those who fail.--Teviotdale (Jamieson).\n\n\nWild Birds\n\n\"All the Wild Birds in the Air,\" the name of a game in which one acts\nthe dam of a number of birds, who gives distinct names of birds, such as\nare generally known to all that are engaged in the sport. The person who\nopposes tries to guess the name of each individual. When he errs he is\nsubject to a stroke on the back. When he guesses right he carries away\non his back that bird, which is subjected to a blow from each of the\nrest. When he has discovered and carried off the whole, he has gained\nthe game.--Jamieson. Jamieson adds that this sport seems only to be\nretained in Abernethy, Perthshire; and it is probable, from the\nantiquity of the place, that it is very ancient.\n\nSee \"All the Birds in the Air,\" \"Fool, Fool.\"\n\n\nWillie, Willie Wastell\n\n Willie, Willie Wastell,\n I am on your castle,\n A' the dogs in the toun\n Winna pu' Willie doun.\n\n Like Willie, Willie Wastel,\n I am in my castel\n A' the dogs in the toun\n Dare not ding me doun.\n\n--Jamieson.\n\nA writer in the _Gentlemen's Magazine_ for 1822, Part I. p. 401, says\nthat the old distich--\n\n \"Willy, Willy Waeshale!\n Keep off my castle,\"\n\nused in the North in the game of limbo, contains the true etymon of the\nadjective \"Willy.\"\n\nThe same game as \"Tom Tiddler's Ground.\" It is played in the same way.\nJamieson says the second rhyme given shows that the rhyme was formerly\nrepeated by the player holding the castle, and not, as now, by the\nopposing players.\n\nSee \"King of the Castle,\" \"Tom Tiddler's Ground.\"\n\n\nWind up the Bush Faggot\n\n[Music: _Andante_, with determined deliberation.\n\nRepeat from beginning till all are wound up.]\n\n[Music: _Allegro_, with unbounded vigour.\n\n _Note._--(1) The simplicity of time and no _dotted_ notes, also\n _change_ of key for 2/4 music.\n\n (2) The game unites common and triple time very successfully.\n\n (3) Notwithstanding the injunction it is best _not_ to wind up\n too _tight_.]\n\n--Essex (Miss Dendy).\n\nIn the Essex game all the players join hands and form a long line. They\nshould stand in sizes, the tallest should be the first, and should\nstand quite still. All the rest walk round this tallest one, singing--\n\n Wind up the bush faggot, and wind it up tight,\n Wind it all day and again at night,\n\nto the first part of the tune given--that in three-eight time. This is\nto be repeated until all the players are wound round the centre or\ntallest player, in a tight coil. Then they all sing--\n\n Stir up the dumplings, the pot boils over,\n\nto the second part of the tune in 2-4 time. This is repeated, all\njumping simultaneously to the changed time, until there is a general\nscrimmage, with shrieking and laughter, and a break up. The players\nshould look somewhat like a watch spring. [Illustration] As soon as the\nlast one is wound up, no matter in what part of the 3-8 time music they\nmay be, they leave off and begin to jump up and down, and sing to the\n2-4 music.--Essex (Miss Dendy).\n\nThis game is called \"Wind up the Watch\" in Wolstanton, North\nStaffordshire Potteries, and is played in the same manner. The words are\nonly, \"Wind up the Watch,\" and are said. When all the players are wound\nup they begin to unwind, saying, \"Unwind the Watch.\"--Miss Bush. Called\n\"Wind up Jack\" in Shropshire. It is the closing game of any playtime,\nand was played before \"breaking-up\" at a boys' school at Shrewsbury,\n1850-56. The players form a line hand in hand, the tallest at one end,\nwho stands still; the rest walk round and round him or her, saying,\n\"Wind up Jack! Wind up Jack!\" (or at Ellesmere, \"Roll up the\ntobacco-box\"), till \"Jack\" is completely imprisoned. They then \"jog up\nand down,\" crying, \"A bundle o' rags, a bundle o' rags!\"--Berrington,\nEllesmere (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 521).\n\nIn Scotland the game is known as \"Row-chow-Tobacco;\" a long chain of\nboys hold each other by the hands: they have one standing steadily\nat one of the extremities, who is called the _Pin_. Round him the\nrest coil like a watch chain round the cylinder, till the act of\nwinding is completed. A clamorous noise succeeds, in which the cry\nRow-chow-Tobacco prevails; after giving and receiving the\n_fraternal hug_, they disperse, and afterwards renew the process.\nIn West of Scotland, it is Rowity-chow-o'-Tobacco, pronounced,\n_rowity-chowity-bacco_, and as the first syllable of each word is\nshouted, another hug or squeeze is given. The game is not so common as\nformerly. The same game is played in West Cornwall by Sunday-school\nchildren at their out-of-door treats, and is called \"Roll Tobacco.\"\n\nIt is known as \"The Old Oak Tree\" in Lincoln, Kelsey, and Winterton, and\nis played in the same manner. When coiling round, the children sing--\n\n Round and round the old oak tree:\n I love the girls and the girls love me.\n\nWhen they have twisted into a closely-packed crowd they dance up and\ndown, tumbling on each other, crying--\n\n A bottle of rags, a bottle of rags.\n\nIn the Anderby and Nottinghamshire version of the game the children\noften sing--\n\n The old oak tree grows thicker and thicker every Monday morning.\n\n--Miss M. Peacock.\n\nIn Mid-Cornwall, in the second week in June, at St. Roche, and in one or\ntwo adjacent parishes, a curious dance is performed at the annual\n\"feasts.\" It enjoys the rather undignified name of \"Snails Creep,\" but\nwould be more properly called the \"Serpent's Coil.\" The following is\nscarcely a perfect description of it:--\"The young people being all\nassembled in a large meadow, the village band strikes up a simple but\nlively air and marches forward, followed by the whole assemblage,\nleading hand-in-hand (or more closely linked in case of engaged\ncouples), the whole keeping time to the tune with a lively step. The\nband, or head of the serpent, keeps marching in an ever-narrowing\ncircle, whilst its train of dancing followers becomes coiled round it in\ncircle after circle. It is now that the most interesting part of the\ndance commences, for the band, taking a sharp turn about, begins to\nretrace the circle, still followed as before, and a number of young men,\nwith long leafy branches in their hands as standards, direct this\ncounter movement with almost military precision.\"--W. C. Wade (_Western\nAntiquary_, April 1881).\n\nFrom this description of the \"Snail Creep,\" it is not difficult to\narrive at an origin for the game. It has evidently arisen from a custom\nof performing some religious observance, such as encircling sacred trees\nor stones, accompanied by song and dance. \"On May Day, in Ireland, all\nthe young men and maidens hold hands and dance in a circle round a tree\nhung with ribbons and garlands, or round a bonfire, moving in curves\nfrom right to left, as if imitating the windings of a serpent.\"--Wilde\n(_Ancient Cures, Charms, and Usages of Ireland_, 106).\n\nIt is easy to conjecture how the idea of \"winding up a watch,\" or\n\"rolling tobacco,\" would come in, and be thought the origin of the game\nfrom the similarity of action; but it is, I think, evident that this is\nnot the case, from the words \"a bundle o' rags,\" the mention of trees,\nand the \"jogging\" up and down, to say nothing of the existence of\ncustoms in Ireland and Wales similar to that of \"Snail Creep.\" It is\nnoticeable, too, that some of these games should be connected with\ntrees, and that, in the \"Snail Creep\" dance the young men should carry\nbranches of trees with them.\n\nSee \"Bulliheisle,\" \"Eller Tree.\"\n\n\nWind, The\n\n I. The wind, the wind, the wind blows high,\n The rain comes pouring from the sky;\n Miss So-and-So says she'd die\n For the sake of the old man's eye.\n She is handsome, she is pretty,\n She is the lass of the golden city;\n She goes courting one, two, three,\n Please to tell me who they be.\n A. B. says he loves her,\n All the boys are fighting for her,\n Let the boys say what they will\n A. B. has got her still.\n\n--Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire (Miss Matthews).\n\n II. The wind, wind blows, and the rain, rain goes,\n And the clouds come gathering from the sky!\n _Annie Dingley's_ very, very pretty,\n She is a girl of a noble city;\n She's the girl of one, two, three,\n Pray come tell me whose she'll be.\n\n _Johnny Tildersley_ says he loves her,\n All the boys are fighting for her,\n All the girls think nothing of her.\n Let the boys say what they will,\n _Johnny Tildersley's_ got her still.\n\n He takes her by the lily-white hand\n And leads her over the water,\n Gives her kisses one, two, three,\n Mrs. _Dingley's_ daughter!\n\n--Berrington, Eccleshall (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 510).\n\n III. When the wind blows high,\n When the wind blows high,\n The rain comes peltering from the sky.\n She is handsome, she is pretty,\n She is the girl in all the city.\n She [He?] comes courting one, two, three,\n Pray you tell me who she be.\n I love her, I love her,\n All the boys are fighting for her.\n Let them all say what they will,\n I shall love her always still.\n She pulled off her gloves to show me her ring,\n To-morrow, to-morrow, the wedding bells ring.\n\n--Cowes, Isle of Wight (Miss E. Smith).\n\n IV. The wind, the wind, the wind blows high,\n The rain comes falling from the sky.\n She is handsome, she is pretty,\n She is the girl of London city.\n She goes a courting one, two, three,\n Please will you tell me who is he?\n [Boy's name] says he loves her.\n All the boys are fighting for her.\n Let the boys do what they will,\n [Boy's name] has got her still.\n He knocks at the knocker and he rings at the bell,\n Please, Mrs. ----, is your daughter in?\n She's neither ways in, she's neither ways out,\n She's in the back parlour walking about.\n Out she came as white as snow,\n With a rose in her breast as soft as silk.\n Please, my dear, will you have a drop of this?\n No, my dear, I'd rather have a kiss.\n\n--Settle, Yorks. (Rev. W. G. Sykes).\n\n V. The wind, the wind, the wind blows high,\n The rain comes sparkling from the sky,\n [A girl's name] says she'll die\n For a lad with a rolling eye.\n She is handsome, she is pretty,\n She is the flower of the golden city.\n She's got lovers one, two, three.\n Come, pray, and tell me who they be.\n [A boy's name] says he'll have her,\n Some one else is waiting for her.\n Lash the whip and away we go\n To see Newcastle races, oh.\n\n--Tyrie (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n[Another version after--\n\n ---- says he'll have her,\n\nis--\n\n In his bosom he will clap her.]\n\n[Another one after--\n\n She has got lovers one, two, three,\n\ncontinues--\n\n Wait till [a boy's name] grows some bigger,\n He will ride her in his giggie.\n Lash your whip and away you go\n To see Newcastle races, O!]\n\n--Pittulie (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n[And another version gives--\n\n ---- says she'll die\n For the want of the golden eye.]\n\n--Fochabers (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n VI. The wind blows high, and the wind blows low,\n The snow comes scattering down below.\n Is not ---- very very pretty?\n She is the flower of one, two, three.\n Please to tell me who is he.\n ---- says he loves her,\n All the boys are fighting for her.\n Let the boys say what they will,\n ---- loves her still.\n\n--Perth (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\nA ring is formed by the children joining hands, one player standing in\nthe centre. When asked, \"Please tell me who they be,\" the girl in the\nmiddle gives the name or initials of a boy in the ring (or _vice\nversa_). The ring then sings the rest of the words, and the boy who was\nnamed goes into the centre. This is the Forest of Dean way of playing.\nIn the Shropshire game, at the end of the first verse the girl in the\ncentre beckons one from the ring, or one volunteers to go into the\ncentre; the ring continues singing, and at the end the two children\nkiss; the first one joins the ring, and the other chooses in his turn.\nThe other versions are played in the same way.\n\nNorthall (_English Folk-Rhymes_, p. 380) gives a version from\nWarwickshire very similar.\n\n\nWink-egg\n\nElworthy (_West Somerset Words_) says--When a nest is found boys shout,\n\"Let's play 'Wink-egg.'\" An egg is placed on the ground, and a boy goes\nback three paces from it, holding a stick in his hand; he then shuts his\neyes, and takes two paces towards the egg and strikes a blow on the\nground with the stick--the object being to break the egg. If he misses,\nanother tries, and so on until all the eggs are smashed. In Cornwall it\nis called \"Winky-eye,\" and is played in the spring. An egg taken from a\nbird's nest is placed on the ground, at some distance off--the number of\npaces having been previously fixed. Blindfolded, one after the other,\nthe players attempt with a stick to hit and break it.--_Folk-lore\nJournal_, v. 61.\n\nSee \"Blind Man's Stan.\"\n\n\nWitch, The\n\nThis game is played by nine children. One is chosen as Mother, seven are\nchosen for her children, and the other is a Witch. The Mother and Witch\nstand opposite the seven children. The _Mother_ advances and names the\nchildren by the days of the week, saying--\n\n Sunday, take care of Monday,\n Monday, take care of Tuesday,\n Tuesday, take care of Wednesday,\n Wednesday, take care of Thursday,\n Thursday, take care of Friday,\n Friday, take care of Saturday.\n Take care the Old Witch does not catch you, and I'll bring you\n something nice.\n\nThe Mother then goes away, and the Witch advances saying--\n\nSunday, your mother sent me for your best bonnet, she wants to get one\nlike it for Monday. It is up in the top long drawer, fetch it quick.\n\nSunday goes away, and the Witch then seizes Saturday and runs off with\nher.\n\nThe Mother re-enters, and names the children again, Sunday, Monday,\nTuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, misses Saturday, and says--\n\n Where's Saturday?\n\nThe children all cry and say--\n\n The Old Witch has got her.\n\nThis part is then repeated until the Witch has taken all the children\nand put them in a corner one by one, and stands in front to guard them.\nThe Mother sets out to find the children, she sees the Old Witch, and\nsays to her--\n\nHave you seen my children?\n\n_Witch._ Yes, I saw them walking down High Street.\n\n_Mother_ then goes away, does not find them, and comes back asking--\n\nHave you seen my children?\n\n_W._ Yes, I saw them going to school.\n\n_Mother_ then goes away, does not find them, and comes back asking--\n\nHave you seen my children?\n\n_W._ Yes, they are gone to church.\n\n_Mother_ again goes away, does not find them, and comes back asking--\n\nHave you seen my children?\n\n_W._ They are having dinner--you can't see them.\n\n_Mother_ again goes away, does not find them, and comes back asking--\n\nHave you seen my children?\n\n_W._ They are in bed.\n\n_M._ Can't I go up and see them?\n\n_W._ Your shoes are too dirty.\n\n_M._ Can't I take them off?\n\n_W._ Your stockings are too dirty.\n\n_M._ Can't I take them off?\n\n_W._ Your feet are too dirty.\n\n_M._ Can't I cut them off?\n\n_W._ The blood would run on the floor.\n\n_M._ Can't I wrap them up in a blanket?\n\n_W._ The fleas would hop out.\n\n_M._ Can't I wrap them up in a sheet?\n\n_W._ The sheet is too white.\n\n_M._ Can't I ride up in a carriage?\n\n_W._ You would break the stairs down.\n\nThe children then burst out from behind the Witch and they and the\nMother run after her, crying out, \"Burn the Old Witch.\" They continue\nchasing the Witch till she is caught, and the child who succeeds in\ncatching her, takes the part of the Witch in the next game.--Dartmouth\n(Miss Kimber).\n\nThe children choose from their party an Old Witch (who is supposed to\nhide herself) and a Mother. The other players are the daughters, and are\ncalled by the names of the week. The Mother says that she is going to\nmarket, and will bring home for each the thing that she most wishes for.\nUpon this they all name something. Then, after telling them upon no\naccount to allow any one to come into the house, she gives her children\nin charge of her eldest daughter, Sunday, and goes away. In a moment,\nthe Witch makes her appearance, and asks to borrow some trifle.\n\nSunday at first refuses, but, after a short parley, goes into the next\nroom to fetch the required article. In her absence the Witch steals the\nyoungest of the children (Saturday), and runs off with her. Sunday, on\nher return, seeing that the Witch has left, thinks there must be\nsomething wrong, and counts the children, saying, \"Monday, Tuesday,\"\n&c., until she comes to Saturday, who is missing. She then pretends to\ncry, wrings her hands, and sobs out--\"Mother will beat me when she comes\nhome.\"\n\nOn the Mother's return, she, too, counts the children, and finding\nSaturday gone, asks Sunday where she is. Sunday answers, \"Oh, mother! an\nOld Witch called, and asked to borrow ----, and, whilst I was fetching\nit, she ran off with Saturday.\" The Mother scolds and beats her, tells\nher to be more careful in the future, and again sets off for the market.\nThis is repeated until all the children but Sunday have been stolen.\nThen the Mother and Sunday, hand in hand, go off to search for them.\nThey meet the Old Witch, who has them all crouching down in a line\nbehind her.\n\n_Mother._ Have you seen my children?\n\n_Old Witch._ Yes! I think by Eastgate.\n\nThe Mother and Sunday retire, as if to go there, but, not finding them,\nagain return to the Witch, who this time sends them to Westgate, then to\nSouthgate and Northgate. At last one of the children pops her head up\nover the Witch's shoulder, and cries out, \"Here we are, Mother.\" Then\nfollows this dialogue:--\n\n_M._ I see my children, may I go in?\n\n_O. W._ No! your boots are too dirty.\n\n_M._ I will take them off.\n\n_O. W._ Your stockings are too dirty.\n\n_M._ I will take them off.\n\n_O. W._ Your feet are too dirty.\n\n_M._ I will cut them off.\n\n_O. W._ Then the blood will stream over the floor.\n\nThe Mother at this loses patience, and pushes her way in, the Witch\ntrying in vain to keep her out. She, with all her children, then chase\nthe Witch until they catch her; when they pretend to bind her hand and\nfoot, put her on a pile, and burn her, the children fanning the\nimaginary flames with their pinafores. Sometimes the dialogue after\n\"Here we are, mother,\" is omitted, and the Witch is at once\nchased.--Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 53-54).\n\nOne child represents an old woman who is blind, and has eight children.\nShe says she is going to market, and bids her eldest daughter let no one\ninto the house in her absence. The eldest daughter promises. Then a\nsecond old woman knocks, and bribes the daughter, by the promise of a\ngay ribbon, to give her a light. Whilst the daughter is getting the\nlight, the Witch steals a child and carries it off.\n\nThe daughter comes back, and makes all the other children promise not to\ntell their Mother. The Mother returns and says: \"Are all the children\nsafe?\"\n\nThe daughter says, \"Yes.\" \"Then let me count them.\" The children stand\nin a row, and the Mother counts by placing her hands alternately on\ntheir heads. The eldest daughter runs round to the bottom of the row,\nand so is counted twice.\n\nThis is repeated until all the children are gone. At the end the eldest\ndaughter runs away, and the Mother finds all her children gone. Then the\nWitch asks the old woman to dinner, and the children, who have covered\ntheir faces, are served up as beef, mutton, lamb, &c. Finally they throw\noff their coverings and a general scrimmage takes place.--London (Miss\nDendy).\n\nAt Deptford the game is played in the same way, and the dialogue is\nsimilar to the Cornish version, then follows--\n\n I'll ride in a pan.\n That will do.\n\nThe Mother gets inside to her children and says to them in turn, \"Poke\nout your tongue, you're one of mine,\" then they run away home.--Deptford\n(Miss Chase).\n\nIn another Deptford version the children are named for days of the week,\nthe Mother goes out, and the Witch calls and asks--\n\n Please you, give me a match.\n\nThe minder goes upstairs, and the Witch carries a child off. The Mother\ncomes home, misses child, and asks--\n\n Where's Monday?\n She's gone to her grandma.\n\nMother pretends to look for her, and says--\n\n She ain't there.\n She's gone to her aunt's.\n\nChildren own at last--\n\n The bonny Old Witch has took her!\n\nThe Mother beats the Daughter who has been so careless, goes to Witch,\nand says--\n\n Have you any blocks of wood?\n No.\n Can I come in and see?\n No, your boots are too dirty, &c.\n [Same as previous versions.]\n\nA number of girls stand in a line. Three girls out of the number\nrepresent Mother, Jack, and Daughter. The Mother leaves her children in\ncharge of her Daughter, counts them, and says the following:--\n\n I am going into the garden to gather some rue,\n And mind old Jack-daw don't get you,\n Especially you my daughter Sue,\n I'll beat you till you're black and blue.\n\nWhile the Mother is gone Jack comes and asks for a match; he takes a\nchild and hides her up. The Mother comes back, counts her children, and\nfinds one missing. Then she asks where she is, and the Daughter says\nthat Jack has got her. The Mother beats the Daughter, and leaves them\nagain, saying the same words as before, until all the children have\ngone.--Ipswich (_Suffolk Folk-lore_, p. 62).\n\n I'll charge my children every one\n To keep good house till I come home,\n Especially you my daughter Sue,\n Or else I'll beat you black and blue.\n\n--Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 88).\n\nHalliwell gives a version of this which he calls the game of the\n\"Gipsy.\" He gives no dialogue, but his game begins by the Mother saying\nsome lines to the eldest daughter, which are almost identical with those\ngiven from Hersham, Surrey. Mr. Newell gives some interesting American\nversions.\n\nThis game appears in the versions given above to be a child-stealing\ngame, and it may originate from this being a common practice some years\nago, but it will be found on comparison to be so much like \"Mother,\nmother, the pot boils over\" (vol. i. p. 396) that it is more probable\nthat this is the same game, having lost the important element of the\n\"giving of fire,\" or a \"light from the fire\" out of the house, so soon\nas the idea that doing this put the inhabitants of the house into the\npower of the receiver or some evil spirit had become lost as a popular\nbelief. \"Matches\" being asked for and a \"light\" confirms this. It will\nbe seen that a Witch or evilly-disposed person is dreaded by the Mother,\nthe eldest Daughter being specially charged to keep a good look-out. The\nnaming of the children after the days of the week, the counting of them\nby the Mother, and the artifice of the eldest Daughter, in the London\nversion, who gets counted twice, are archaic points. The discovery by\ntasting of the children by their Mother, and their suggested revival;\nthe catching and \"burning\" of the Witch in the Dartmouth and Cornish\ngames, are incidents familiar to us from nursery tales and from the\ntrials of people condemned for witchcraft. Of the Cornish version it is\nsaid that \"it has descended from generation to generation.\"\n\nMr. Newell's versions tend, I think, to strengthen my suggestion in\n\"Mother, the pot boils over,\" that the \"fire\" custom alluded to is the\norigin of that game and this. The fire incident has been forgotten, and\nthe game therefore developed into a child-stealing or gipsy game.\n\nSee \"Mother, Mother.\"\n\n\nWitte-Witte-Way\n\nA game among boys, which I do not remember in the South.--Brockett's\n_North Country Words_. Probably the same as \"Whiddy,\" which see.\n\n\nWolf\n\n I. Sheep, sheep, come home!\n We dare not.\n What are you frightened of?\n The wolf.\n The wolf has gone home for seven days,\n Sheep, sheep, come home.\n\n--Settle, Yorks. (Rev. W. S. Sykes).\n\n II. Sheep, sheep, come home!\n I'm afraid.\n What of?\n The wolf.\n The wolf's gone into Derbyshire,\n And won't be back till six o'clock.\n Sheep, sheep, come home.\n\n--Hanbury, Staffordshire (Miss Edith Hollis).\n\n III. Sheep, sheep, go out!\n I'm afraid.\n What you're 'fraid of?\n Wolf.\n Wolf has gone to Devonshire;\n Won't be back for seven year.\n Sheep, sheep, go out!\n\n--Hurstmonceux, Sussex, as played about forty years ago (Miss E. Chase).\n\n IV. Sheep, sheep, come home!\n I'm afraid.\n What of?\n The wolf.\n The wolf's gone to Devonshire,\n And won't be back for seven year.\n Sheep, sheep, come home.\n\n--Anderby (Miss M. Peacock), Barnes (A. B. Gomme).\n\n V., VI. Won't be back for eleven year.\n\n--Nottinghamshire (Miss M. Peacock).\n\n--Marlborough, Wilts (H. S. May).\n\n(_b_) One player acts as Shepherd, and stands at one side of the\nplayground or field; another acts as Wolf. He crouches in one corner, or\nbehind a post or tree. The other players are sheep, and stand close\ntogether on the opposite side of the ground to the Shepherd. The\nShepherd advances and calls the sheep. At the end of the dialogue the\nsheep run across to the Shepherd and the Wolf pounces out, chases, and\ntries to catch them. Whoever he catches has to stand aside until all are\ncaught. The game is played in this way in all versions sent me except\nHurstmonceux, where there is the following addition:--The Wolf chases\nuntil he has caught all the sheep, and put them in his den. He then\npretends to taste them, and sets them aside as needing more salt. The\nShepherd or Mother comes after them, and the sheep cover their heads\nwith their aprons. The Mother guesses the name of each child, saying,\n\"This is my daughter ----. Run away home!\" until she has freed them all.\n\nVersions of this game, almost identical with the Anderby version, have\nbeen collected from Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews); Crockham Hill, Kent\n(Miss E. Chase); Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. p. 88);\nMarlborough, Wilts (H. S. May); Ash and Barnes, Surrey (A. B. Gomme). In\nNottinghamshire, Derbyshire is the place the wolf is said to have gone\nto. Mr. M. L. Rouse sends the following fuller description of the game\nas played at Woolpit, near Haughley, Suffolk, which gives, I think, the\nclue to the earlier idea of the game:--\n\nThe game was played out of doors in a meadow. Two long parallel lines\nwere drawn about fifty yards apart, forming bases behind them. Two boys\nstood some distance apart between the bases, and the rest of the players\nall stood within one base. One of the two boys in the centre acting as\ndecoy cried \"Sheep, sheep, come home!\" The sheep represented by the boys\nin the base cried back, \"We can't, we're afraid of the Wolf.\" The decoy\nthen said--\n\n The wolf's gone to Devonshire,\n And won't be back for seven year.\n Sheep, sheep, come home.\n\nThe sheep then made rushes from different points, and tried to get\nacross to the other base. The other player in the centre tried to catch\nthe sheep as they ran. Those caught joined the side of the wolf, and\ncaught others in their turn.\n\nIt appears clear that the \"Decoy\" is the correct character in this game\ninstead of a \"shepherd\" or \"master,\" as now given. The decoy is\nevidently assuming the character and voice of the shepherd, or\nshepherd's dog, to induce the sheep to leave the fold where they are\nprotected, in order to pounce upon them as they endeavour to go in the\ndirection the voice calls them. The game owes its origin to times and\nplaces, when wolves were prowling about at night, and sheep were penned\nand protected against them by shepherds and watch-dogs.\n\n\nWolf and the Lamb, The\n\nTwo are chosen--one to represent the wolf and the other the lamb. The\nother players join hands and form a circle round the lamb. The wolf\ntries to break through the circle, and carry off the lamb. Those in the\ncircle do all they can to prevent the wolf from entering within the\ncircle. If he manages to enter the circle and seize the lamb, then other\ntwo are chosen, and the same process is gone through till all have got a\nchance of being the lamb and wolf. This game evidently represents a lamb\nenclosed in a fold, and the attempts of a wolf to break through and\ncarry it off.\n\n--Fraserburgh, Aberdeen, _April 14, 1892_ (Rev. W. Gregor).\n\n\nWould you know how doth the Peasant\n\n[Music]\n\n--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).\n\n I. Would you know how doth the peasant?\n Would you know how doth the peasant?\n Would you know how doth the peasant\n Sow his barley and wheat!\n\n And it's so, so, doth the peasant,\n And it's so, so, doth the peasant,\n And it's so, so, doth the peasant\n Sow his barley and wheat!\n\n Would you know how doth the peasant, &c.,\n Reap his barley and wheat?\n\n It is so, so, doth the peasant, &c.,\n Reap his barley and wheat!\n\n Would you know how doth the peasant, &c.,\n Thresh his barley and wheat?\n\n It is so, so, doth the peasant, &c.,\n Thresh his barley and wheat!\n\n Would you know how doth the peasant, &c.,\n When the seed time is o'er?\n\n It is so, so, doth the peasant, &c.,\n When the seed time is o'er!\n\n Would you know how doth the peasant, &c.,\n When his labour is done?\n\n It is so, so, doth the peasant, &c.,\n When his labour is done!\n\n And it's so, so, doth the peasant,\n And it's so, so, doth the peasant,\n And it's so, so, doth the peasant,\n When his labour is o'er.\n\n--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).\n\n II. It is so, so, does the peasant [or, farmer],\n It is so, so, does the peasant,\n It is so, so, does the peasant,\n When sowing times come.\n\n It is so, so, does the peasant, &c.,\n When reaping time comes.\n\n It is so, so does the peasant, &c.,\n When his threshing times comes.\n\n It is so, so, does the peasant, &c.,\n When the hunting's begun.\n\n It is so, so does the peasant, &c.,\n When the day's work is done.\n\n--Frodingham, Lincoln and Notts (Miss M. Peacock).\n\n(_c_) The leader of this game stands in the middle, the players stand in\na ring round him; when there are a sufficient number of players, several\nrings are formed one within the other, the smallest children in the\ninner ring. The different rings move in alternate directions when\ndancing round. All the children sing the words of each verse and dance\nround. They unclasp hands at the end of each alternate verse, and suit\ntheir actions to the words sung. At the end of the first verse they\nstand still, crook their arms as if holding a basket, and imitate action\nof sowing while they sing the second verse; they then all dance round\nwhile they sing the third, then stand still again and imitate reaping\nwhile they sing the fourth time. Then again dance and sing, stand still\nand imitate \"thrashing\" of barley and wheat; after \"seed time is o'er,\"\nthey drop on one knee and lift one hand as if in prayer, again dancing\nround and singing. Then they kneel on one knee, put their hands\ntogether, lay their left cheek on them, and close their eyes as if\nasleep; while singing, \"when his labour is o'er,\" at the last verse,\nthey all march round, clapping hands in time.\n\nThis is the Monton game. The Frodingham game is played in the same way,\nexcept that the children walk round in a circle, one behind another,\nwhen they sing and imitate the actions they mention. \"When the hunting's\nbegun\" they all run about as if on horseback; \"when the day's work is\ndone,\" they all kneel on one knee and rest their heads on their hands.\n\nThis game is evidently a survival of the custom of dancing, and of\nimitating the actions necessary for the sowing and reaping of grain\nwhich were customary at one time. Miss Dendy says--\"It is an undoubtedly\nold Lancashire game. It is sometimes played by as many as a hundred\nplayers, and is then very pretty. The method of playing varies slightly,\nbut it is generally as described above.\" The fact that this game was\nplayed by such a large number of young people together, points\nconclusively to a time when it was a customary thing for all the people\nin one village to play this game as a kind of religious observance, to\nbring a blessing on the work of the season, believing that by doing so,\nthey caused the crops to grow better and produce grain in abundance.\n\nSee \"Oats and Beans and Barley.\"\n\n\n\n\nADDENDA\n\n\nA' the Birdies. [See \"All the Birds,\" vol. i. p. 2; \"Oranges and\nLemons,\" vol. ii. pp. 25-35.]\n\n A' the birdies i' the air\n Tick tae to my tail.\n\nA contest game of the oranges and lemons class. Two players, who hold\nhands and form the arch, call out the formula, and the other players,\nwho are running about indifferently, go one by one to them and decide,\nwhen asked, which side they will favour, and stand behind one or the\nother.\n\nAfter the tug the side which has lost is called \"Rotten eggs, rotten\neggs.\"--Aberdeen (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n\nAll the Boys. [Vol. i. pp. 2-6.]\n\nTwo versions of this game, one from Howth and another from St. Andrews,\nsent me by Miss H. E. Harvey, do not differ sufficiently from the\nversions i. and ii. printed as above to be given here in full.\n\nThe St. Andrews game, after the line,\n\n \"I love you, and you love me\"\n\n(as printed in vol. i. version ii.), continues--\n\n When we get married, I hope you will agree,\n I'll buy the chest of drawers, you'll buy the cradle.\n Rock, rock, bubbly-jock,\n Send her upstairs, lay her in her bed,\n Send for the doctor before she is dead.\n In comes the doctor and out goes the clerk,\n In comes the mannie with the sugarally hat.\n Oh, says the doctor, what's the matter here?\n Oh, says Johnny, I'm like to lose my dear.\n Oh, says the doctor, nae fear o' that.\n\n\nAmerican Post.\n\nOne player of a party acts as post and leaves the room. When he is\noutside he knocks at the door. Another player, who is the doorkeeper\n(inside), calls out, \"Who's there?\" The reply is, \"American post.\" \"What\nwith?\" \"A letter.\" \"For whom?\" The name of one of the players in the\nroom is given by the post. The one named then must go outside, and kiss\nthe post, and in turn becomes post.--Fraserburgh (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nThis, sometimes called \"Postman,\" is now more generally played as a\npenalty when forfeits are being performed. The player whose penalty it\nis, is the first one to be \"post.\" Postage is demanded, the amount being\npaid by kisses.\n\n\nAs I was Walking.\n\nThe players, usually girls, stand in line up to a wall. One in front\nsings, going backwards and forwards.\n\n As I was walking down a hill, down a hill, down a hill,\n As I was walking down a hill,\n Upon a frosty morning.\n Who do you think I met coming down, coming down, &c.,\n Who do you think I met, &c.\n\nShe then chooses one from the line and both sing:--\n\n I met my true love coming down, &c.\n He gave me kisses, one, two, three (clap hands),\n Upon a frosty morning.--Cullen (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n\nAuld Grannie. [A version of \"Hen and Chickens,\" vol. i. pp. 201, 202.]\n\nHere a variation of dialogue occurs. The game is played as previous Hen\nand Chicken games. The Hen says--\n\n What are ye scrapin' for?\n\nAuld grannie says--\n\n A darning needle?\n\n What are ye going to do with the darning needle?\n\n Mak a poke.\n\n What to do with the poke?\n\n To gang to the peat moss to get some peats.\n\n What for?\n\n To make a fire, to make some tea, to pour over your wee chickens.\n\nAuld grannie rushes at them, and pretends to throw the water over them.\nWhen she has caught some players, and the sides are about equal in\nstrength, the game ends in a tug of war.--Dalry, Galloway (J. G.\nCarter.)\n\nAnother, called \"Grannie's Needle,\" has a slightly different parley.\n\n What are you looking for, granny?\n\n My granny's needle.\n\n What are you going to do with the needle, granny?\n\n To make a bag.\n\n And what are you going to do with the bag, granny?\n\n To gather sand.\n\n What are you going to do with the sand, granny?\n\n To sharpen knives.\n\n And what are you going to do with the knives, granny?\n\n To cut off your chickens' heads.\n\n--Belfast (W. H. Patterson).\n\n\nBall. [Pots, vol. ii. p. 64.]\n\n1. Throw the ball up against a wall three times and catch it.\n\n2. Throw it up and clap hands three times before catching it.\n\n3. Throw it up and put your hands round in a circle.\n\n4. Throw it up and clap your hands before and behind.\n\n5. Throw it up and clap and touch your shoulder.\n\n6. Throw it up and clap and touch your other shoulder.\n\n7. Throw it up three times with your right hand and catch it with your\nright.\n\n8. Throw it up with your left and catch it with your left.\n\n9. Throw it up with your right and catch it with your right, dog snack\nfashion (_i.e._ as a dog snacks, knuckles up).\n\n10. Throw it up with your left and catch it with your left (dog snack).\n\n11. Throw it up and clap and touch your knee.\n\n12. Throw it up and clap and touch your other knee.\n\n13. Throw it up and turn round.\n\nThese actions should each be performed three times.--Laurieston School,\nKircudbrightshire (J. Lawson).\n\nThis is a more complete version of \"Pots.\"\n\nAnother game is--\n\nOne girl takes a ball, strikes it on the ground, and keeps pushing it\ndown with her hand. While she is doing this, the other players stand\nbeside her, and keeping unison with the ball, repeat--\n\n Game, game, ba' ba',\n Twenty lasses in a raw,\n Nae a lad amon them a'\n Bits game, game, ba', ba'.\n\nIf the girl keeps the ball dancing up and down--\"stottin'\" during the\ntime the words are being repeated, it counts one game gained. She goes\non \"stottin'\" the ball, and the others go on repeating the words till\nshe allows the ball to escape from her control.--Fraserburgh (Rev. Dr.\nGregor); Dalry, Galloway (J. G. Carter).\n\nAnother rhyme for a ball game is--\n\n Little wee laddie, foo's yer daidie?\n New come oot o' a basket shadie.\n A basket shadie's ower full,\n New come oot o' a roarin' bull.\n A roarin bull's ower fat,\n New come oot o' a gentleman's hat.\n A gentleman's hat's ower fine,\n New come oot o' a bottle o' wine.\n A bottle o' wine is ower reid,\n New come oot o' a crust o' breid.\n A crust o' breid is ower broon,\n New come oot o' a half-a-croon.\n A half-a-croon is ower little,\n New come oot o' a weaver's shuttle.\n A weaver's shuttle's ower holey,\n New come oot o' a paint pottie,\n Game, game, game, game, game!\n\n--Rev. Dr. Gregor.\n\n\nBannockburn. [See Fool, Fool, come to school, vol. i. p. 132.]\n\nPlayed as \"Fool\" with these differences. The namer cries to the fool in\nthe same formula as the Sussex version (vol. i. p. 133). The fool,\ncalled here \"Bannockburn,\" says, \"Are ye it?\" to each player pointing to\nthem in turn. When she points at the correct one that player runs off.\nBannockburn runs after and tries to catch her. If the first runner can\nget back into the row untouched she gets renamed, if caught she has to\ntake Bannockburn's place.\n\nDuring the naming, Bannockburn tries to overhear the names given. But\nwhen noticed coming near, those being named, cry \"Bannockburn away dune\nthe sea.\"--Dalry, Galloway (J. G. Carter).\n\n\nBlack Doggie.\n\n[see Drop Handkerchief, vol. i. 109-112.]\n\nA form of Drop Handkerchief differing from those versions previously\ngiven.\n\nThe players join hands, form a circle and stretch out as far as each\none's arms will allow. One player is outside the ring. When she sees\nthey can stretch no further she cries out \"Break,\" when they all loose\nhands and stand as far apart as possible. The player outside then goes\nround the ring singing, \"I have a black doggie, but it winna' bite you,\nnor you, nor you,\" until she comes to one whom she chooses; she then\nthrows the handkerchief down on the ground behind this one quietly. If\nthis player does not notice the handkerchief, not one in the circle must\ntell her, or they are \"out.\" The player who dropped the handkerchief\nwalks round until she comes again to the one behind whom she dropped it.\nShe picks it up and tells her she is \"burnt.\" Then this player has to\nstoop down on her knees and is out of the game. Should the selected\nplayer notice the handkerchief, she picks it up and pursues the other\nround and through the ring, following wherever the first one leads until\nshe catches her; they then change places; should she not follow the\nexact way the first player went, she too is out and must go down on her\nknees.--Rosehearty (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nAnother version from Fraserburgh says that the players may either join\nhands in a ring or sit upon the ground on their knees. The outside\nplayer goes round the circle three times, first saying \"Black Doggie\nwinna tack you, nor you.\" Then she goes round again and drops the\nhandkerchief behind any one she pleases. She then runs and is pursued\nuntil caught, the other child following Black Doggie in and out wherever\nshe goes.\n\n\nBonnet Ridgie.\n\n[\"Scots and English,\" vol. ii. pp. 183-184.]\n\nPlayers are chosen alternately by two chiefs. The line is drawn between\nthe two sides, and the caps of each side are placed on the ground at\neach of the ends. When the two sides are ranged, the players try to\ncatch and pull each other across the line. If one is pulled across he is\ncalled a \"slink,\" and must stand till he is set at liberty by one of his\nown side crossing the line and touching him. If this one manages to\ntouch him before he is crowned, _i.e._, has the crown of his head\ntouched by one of his opponents, and if he is able to regain his own\nside before the same operation takes place, both are free. Each player\nwatches an opportunity to gather up the caps of the opposing side. If\none is clever and swift enough to reach the caps and gather them all\nbefore he is crowned, his side wins.--Dyke School (Rev. Dr. Gregor.)\n\n\nButton, The.\n\n[\"Diamond Ring,\" vol. i. p. 96; \"Forfeits,\" p. 137; \"Wads and the\nWears,\" vol. ii. pp. 327-8.]\n\nPlayed as \"Diamond Ring,\" except that all sit round the fire, one man\ntakes a button, puts it between his two hands, and goes round to each of\nthe other players, who have their two hands held out, palms together,\nsaying, \"Don't tell what you got,\" and quietly dropping the button into\none player's hands. He then asks the first man, saying, \"Who has the\nbutton?\" One player is named. The master of the game says then \"What\nforfeit will you give me that he has it?\" The player gives a forfeit. So\non all round, every one guessing and giving a forfeit (including he who\nholds the button, who, of course, keeps his secret). When all the\nforfeits are in the master says, \"Button, button, show, and let all\nfools know;\" then those who have guessed right receive back their\nforfeits. The holder of the button then kneels down to deliver sentences\non the others. The master takes a forfeit and holds it over the\nkneeler's head, saying, \"Fine, fine, superfine, what's the owner of this\nfine thing of [gentleman's or lady's] wear to do?\" The man kneeling\ngives a sentence, such as--to take the broom, ride it three times round\nthe room, and each time kiss the crook hanging in the chimney--and so\non.\n\nIf a man refuses to perform his sentence he is made to kneel down, and\neverything that can be got hold of is piled on his back.--Kiltubbrid,\nCo. Leitrim (L. L. Duncan).\n\n\nCanlie.\n\n[See \"Tom Tiddler's Ground,\" vol. ii. p. 298.]\n\nName for \"Friar's Ground,\" in Co. Cork. \"Canlie\" is the Friar. The game\nis played as at Chirbury.--Co. Cork (Mrs. B. B. Greene).\n\n\nCarry my Lady to London.\n\n[Vol. i. p. 59.]\n\n Carry a lady to London town,\n London town, London town;\n London town's a bonny place,\n It's a' covered o'er in gold and lace.\n\nOr--\n\n Carry a lady to London town,\n London town, London town;\n Carry a lady to London town\n Upon a summer's day.\n\nAnother rhyme for \"Carry my Lady to London,\" and played in the same\nway.--Galloway, N. B. (J. G. Carter).\n\n\nCat and Dog Hole.\n\n[Vol. i. p. 63; \"Tip-cat,\" vol. ii. p. 294.]\n\nTwo versions of this, differing somewhat from those given previously.\n\n(1.) Played by two players. A hole is dug in the ground, and one player\nwith a \"catch-brod\" stands in a stooping attitude in front of it, about\na foot and a-half away, placing one end of the \"catch-brod\" on the\nground. The other player goes to a distance of some yards, to a fixed\npoint called \"the stance.\" From here he throws a ball, intending to\nland it in the hole. The other player's object is to prevent this by\nhitting it away with his \"catch-brod.\" If the bowler succeeds they\nchange places.\n\n(2.) This also is played by two players, and in the same way, except\nthat a stone is substituted for the hole, and the bowler's object is to\nstrike the stone with the ball. Sometimes it is played with three\nplayers, then running is allowed. When the ball is hit the batter tries\nto run to the \"stance\" and back, the bowler or the third player then\ntries to hit the \"stance\" with the ball while the batter is away making\nthe run. If the third player can catch the ball before it touches the\nground he tries to hit the stone with it, thus sending the batter\nout.--Keith (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n\nCatch the Salmond.\n\nTwo boys take each the end of a piece of rope, and give chase to a third\ntill they contrive to get the rope round him. They then pull him hither\nand thither in all directions.\n\n--Banchory (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nEvidently an imitation of net-fishing.\n\n\nChicken come Clock. [See \"Fox and Goose,\" \"Hen and Chicken,\" vol. i. pp.\n139-141, 201; vol. ii. p. 404.]\n\nThe children, boys and girls, squat down and take hold of hands, going\nround, and saying--\n\n Chicken come clock around the rock,\n Looram, lorram, lumber lock.\n Five mile and one o'clock,\n Now the thief is coming.\n In comes Tod with his long rod,\n And vanishes all from victim vad.\n It is, it was, it must be done,\n Tiddlum, toddlum, twenty-one.\n Johnny, my dear, will you give me the loan of your spear,\n Till I fight for one of those Kildares,\n With a hickety, pickety pie.\n\nAt these words one lad, who has been hiding behind a tree, runs in to\ncatch one of the chickens. As the rhyme is finished, they all run, and\nthe fox tries to catch one, another player, the old hen, trying to stop\nhim, the chickens all taking hold of her by the tail.\n\nThe fox has to keep on his hands and feet, and the old hen has to keep\n\"clocking\" on her \"hunkers.\"\n\nSome of the children substitute these words for the latter part of the\nabove:--\n\n The crow's awake, the kite's asleep,\n It's time for my poor chickens\n To get a bit of something to eat--\n What time is it, old granny?\n\n--Kiltubbrid, Co. Leitrim (L. L. Duncan).\n\nMr. Duncan says this game has almost died out, and the people were\nrather hazy about the words they used to say.\n\n\nChippings, or Cheapings.\n\n[See \"Tops,\" vol. ii. pp. 299-303.]\n\nA game with peg tops played by two or more boys. A large button, from\nwhich the shank has been removed, or a round piece of lead about the\nsize of a penny, is placed on the ground between two agreed goals. The\nplayers divide into sides, each side tries to send the button to\ndifferent goals, the tops are spun in the usual way, and then taken up\non the hand while spinning, and allowed to revolve once round the palm\nof the hand, and then thrown on the ground on the button in such a way\nthat the button is projected some distance along the ground. Then a boy\non the opposite side spins his top and tries to hit the button in the\nopposite direction. This is continued alternately until one or other\nside succeeds in getting the button to the goal.--London Streets (A. B.\nGomme).\n\n\nChucks.\n\n[Vol. i. p. 69; also \"Five-stones,\" pp. 122-129, \"Huckle-bones,\" pp.\n239-240.]\n\nA rhyme repeated while playing at \"Chucks\" with five small stones,\nlifting one each time.\n\n Sweep the floor, lift a chair,\n Sweep below it, and lay it down.\n Cream the milk, cream the milk,\n Quick, quick, quick,\n Spread a piece and butter on it thick, thick, thick.\n\n--Perth (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n\nChurning.\n\n Churn the butter-milk, quick, quick, quick,\n I owe my mother a pint of milk.\n\nThis game used to be played on the shore, just as the tide went out,\nwhen the feet sank easily into the sand. The children turned half-way\nround as they repeated the words.--Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).\n\n\nCodham, or Cobhams.\n\n[\"Tip it,\" vol. ii. p. 292.]\n\nA game resembling \"Tip it,\" and a better form of the game. The parties\nare decided by a toss up. The object is passed from hand to hand under\nthe table, until the leader of the opposite side calls out \"up\" or\n\"rise.\" When all the closed hands are on the table, the leader orders\nany hands off which he thinks do not contain the object. If the last\nhand left on the table contains the object the sides change places, if\nnot the same sides repeat, twelve successful guesses making \"game,\" each\nfailure counting one to the opposite side. The game is called \"Up\nJenkins\" in the North of Scotland. The words have to be called out when\nthe hands are called to show. Another name is \"Cudlums;\" this word was\ncalled out when the leader pointed to the hand which he believed held\nthe object.--Bedford (Mrs. A. C. Haddon).\n\n\nColley Ball.\n\n[\"Monday,\" vol. i. p. 389.]\n\nThe same game as \"Monday,\" with this difference. The player who first\nthrows the ball against the wall calls out the name of the child he\nwishes to catch it, saying \"A---- B----, no rakes, no better ball.\" If\nthe ball goes on the ground the one called has to snatch the ball up and\nthrow it at one of the retreating children.--Hemsby, Norfolk (Mrs. A. C.\nHaddon).\n\nAlso sent me from Isle of Man (A. W. Moore), where it is called\n\"Hommer-the-let.\"\n\n\nDan'l my Man.\n\n[\"Jack's Alive,\" vol. i. p. 257.]\n\nA little slip of wood or straw is lit and blown out, and while it is red\nit is passed round from one to another, each man repeating as fast as he\ncan--\n\n Dan'l, my man,\n If ye die in my han',\n The straddle and mat is sure to go on.\n\nThe man in whose hand the spark dies has to go down on his knees. A\nchair, or some other article, is held over him, and he has to guess what\nit is, the others crying out--\n\n Trum,[15] trum, what's over your head?\n\nIf he is wrong it is left on him and another article brought, and so\non.--Kiltubbrid, Co. Leitrim (L. L. Duncan).\n\n [15] \"Trum\" is for the Irish \"trom,\" = heavy.\n\n\nDeil amo' the Dishes, The.\n\n[\"Ghost at the Well,\" vol. i. p. 149.]\n\nOne player acts as mother, and sends off one of the other players (her\ndaughters) to take a message. She comes back, pretends to be frightened,\nand says she can't go, as there's something \"chap, chap, chappin'.\" The\nmother sends another daughter with her this time, telling them \"It's\nonly your father's breeks, drap, drap, drappin'.\" These two return in\nthe same way, saying again \"There's something chap, chap, chappin'.\"\nAnother daughter is now sent with the other two, the mother saying \"Its\nonly the ducks, quack, quack, quackin'.\" They all come back again more\nfrightened saying the same thing. Then the mother and all the others go\ntogether to see what the matter is. They come upon another player who\nhas been sitting apart making a noise with a stone. They all cry out\n\"The deil's amo' the dishes,\" and there is a great chase.--Aberdeen\n(Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n\nDig for Silver.\n\n Dig for silver, dig for gold,\n Dig for the land that I was told.\n As I went down by the water side\n I met my lad with a tartan plaid.\n My wee lad is a jolly sailor,\n And shall be for evermore.\n (Name of boy) took the notion\n To go and sail on the ocean.\n He took poor (name of girl) on his knee,\n And sailed across Kilmarnock sea.\n Stop your weeping, my dear ----,\n He'll come back and marry you.\n He will buy you beads and earrings,\n He will buy you a diamond stone,\n He will buy a horse to ride on,\n When your true love is dead and gone.\n What care I for the beads and earrings,\n What care I for the diamond stone,\n What care I for the horse to ride on,\n When my true love is dead and gone.\n\n--Laurieston School, Kircudbrightshire (J. Lawson).\n\nAnother version is--\n\n Billy Johnston took a notion\n For to go and sail the sea;\n He has left his own true love\n Weeping on the Greenock quay.\n I will buy you beads and earrings,\n I will buy you diamonds three,\n I will buy you beads and earrings,\n Bonny lassie, if you marry me.\n What care I for beads and earrings,\n What care I for diamonds three,\n What care I for beads and earrings,\n When my own true love is far from me.\n\n--Perth (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nCompare with this \"Keys of Heaven,\" p. 437, and \"Paper of Pins,\" p. 450.\n\n\nDilsee Dollsie Dee.\n\n[See \"Here's a Soldier,\" vol. i. p. 206, and \"Three Dukes,\" vol. ii. pp.\n233-255].\n\nA ring is formed, one child standing in the middle, all sing the words--\n\n Which of us all do you love best, do you love best, do you love\n best,\n Which of us all do you love best, my dilsee dollsie dee.\n Which of us all do you love best, my dilsee dollsie dofficer.\n\nThe child in the centre says--\n\n You're all too black and ugly (three times), my dilsee dollsie dee,\n You're all too black and ugly, my dilsee dollsie dofficer.\n\nThe first verse is repeated, and the child in the centre points to one\nin the ring and says--\n\n This is the one that I love best, that I love best, that I love\n best,\n This is the one that I love best, my dilsee dollsie dee.\n This is the one I love the best, my dilsee dollsie dofficer.\n\nThe centre child takes the one selected by the hand, and they stand\ntogether in the centre, while the ring dances round and sings--\n\n Open the gates to let the bride out, to let the bride out, to let\n the bride out,\n Open the gates to let the bride out, my dilsee dollsie dee.\n Open the gates to let the bride out, my dilsee dollsie dofficer.\n\nThe children then unclasp hands, and the two children walk out. Another\nchild goes in the centre and the game is begun again, and continued\nuntil the ring is too small for dancing round. Sometimes, instead of\nthis, the two children return to the ring singing, \"Open the gates and\nlet the bride in,\" and then they take places in the circle, while\nanother goes in the centre.--(Dr. A. C. Haddon.)\n\n\nDoagan.\n\nAn extraordinary game, which was played by Manx children sixty years\nago. A rude wooden representation of the human form was fastened on a\ncross, and sticks were thrown at it, just after the fashion of the\nmodern \"Aunt Sally.\" But it is quite possible that this game, taken in\nconnection with the following very curious words which the children\nrepeated when throwing the sticks, is a survival of a more serious\nfunction--\n\n Shoh dhyt y Doagan.\n \"This to thee, the Doagan.\"\n Cre dooyrt y Doagan?\n \"What says the Doagan?\"\n Dar y chrosh, dar y chron,\n \"Upon the cross, upon the block,\"\n Dar y maidjey beg, jeeragh ny cam,\n \"Upon the little staff, straight or crooked,\"\n Ayns y cheylley veg shid hoal,\n \"In the little wood over yonder.\"\n My verrys oo yn kione jeh'n Doagan,\n \"If thou wilt give the head of the Doagan,\"\n Verym y kione jeeds er y hon.[16]\n \"I will give thy head for it.\"\n\nMr. Moore writes that Kelly, who gives these words in his Dictionary,\nsays that Doagan was a play, and that it refers to the head of Dagon\nbeing broken off. Does he mean the Philistine god of that name? As he is\ncapable of seeing a reference to the god, Baal, in the Manx word for\nMay-day, Boaldyv, it is quite possible that his imagination may lead him\nso far!--Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).\n\n [16] Manx Society, vol. xiii. p. 63.\n\n\nDown in Yonder Meadow.\n\n[Vol. i. p. 99; ii. p. 323; \"All the Boys,\" i. 2-6.]\n\n Down in yonder meadow where the green grass grows,\n Where (name of girl) she bleaches her clothes;\n She sang, she sang, she sang so sweet,\n She sang (name of boy) across the street.\n He kissed her, he kissed her, he bought her a gown,\n He bought her a gown and a guinea gold ring,\n A guinea, a guinea, a guinea gold ring,\n A feather for the church and a pea-brown hat.\n Up the streets and down the streets the windows made of glass,\n Oh, isn't (name of girl) a braw young lass.\n But isn't (name of boy) as nice as she,\n And when they get married I hope they will agree.\n Agree, agree, I hope they will agree,\n And when they get married I hope they will agree.\n\n--Laurieston School, Kirkcudbrightshire (J. Lawson).\n\n Down in yonder meadow where the green grass grows,\n Where so and so (a girl's name) she bleaches her clothes;\n She sang, and she sang, and she sang so sweet,\n Come over (a boy's name), come over, come over the street.\n So and so (same girl's Christian name) made a pudding so nice and\n sweet,\n So and so (same boy's Christian name) took a knife and tasted it.\n Taste, love; taste, love; don't say no,\n For the next Sabbath morning to church we must go.\n Clean sheets and pillowslips, and blankets an' a',\n A little baby on your knee, and that's the best of a'.\n Heepie tarrie, heepie barrie, bo barrie grounds,\n Bo barrie ground and a guinea gold ring,\n A guinea gold ring and a peacock hat,\n A cherry for the church and a feather at the back.\n She paints her cheeks and she curls her hair,\n And she kisses (boy's name) at the foot o' the stair.\n\n--Fraserburgh (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nThe above are played in the same way as previously described.\n\nAnother version, from Perth, says, after the line, \"She sang, and she\nsang\" (as above).\n\n Come over the water, come over the street,\n She baked him a dumpling, she baked it so sweet\n That bonny (Billie Sanders) was fain for to eat, &c.\n\n Down in the meadows where the green grass grows,\n There's where my Nannie she sound her horn;\n She sound, she sound, she sound so sweet;\n\n . . . . .\n\n Nannie made the puddin' so nice and so sweet,\n Johnny took a knife and he taste a bit;\n Love, taste; love, taste, and don't say nay,\n For next Sunday mornin' is our weddin'-day.\n Off wid the thimble and on wid the ring;\n A weddin', a weddin', is goin' to begin.\n O Nannie, O Nannie, O Nannie my joy,\n Never be ashamed for to marry a boy!\n For I am but a boy, and I'll soon be a man,\n And I'll earn for my Nannie as soon as I can.\n And every evenin' when he comes home,\n He takes her for a walk on the Circular Road.\n And every little girl that he sees passin' by,\n He thinks 'tis his Nannie he has in his eye.\n\n--Howth, Dublin (Miss H. G. Harvey).\n\n\nDraw a Pail of Water.\n\n[Vol. i. pp. 100-107].\n\n A lump of sugar,\n Grind your mother's flour,\n Three sacks an hour,\n One in a rush, two in a crush,\n Pray, old lady, creep under the bush (all jump round).\n\n--Girton village, Cambridgeshire (Dr. A. C. Haddon).\n\n\nDrop Handkerchief.\n\n[Vol. i. pp. 109-112; \"Black Doggie,\" vol. ii. p. 407.]\n\nAs played at Fochabers the game varies slightly in the way it is played\nfrom those previously described. The words are--\n\n \"I dropt it, I dropt it, a king's copper next,\n I sent a letter to my love, and on the way I dropt it.\"\n\nThe players forming the ring are forbidden to look round. The one having\nthe handkerchief endeavours to drop it at some one's back without his or\nher knowledge, and then to get _three_ times round the ring without\nbeing struck by the handkerchief. If the player does not manage this she\nhas to sit in the centre of the ring as \"old maid;\" the object in this\nversion evidently is not to let the player upon whom the handkerchief is\ndropped be aware of it.--Fochabers, N.E. Scotland (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n\nDumb Crambo.\n\n[See \"Hiss and Clap,\" vol. i. p. 215.]\n\nThe players divide into two sides: one side goes outside the room, the\nother remains in the room, and decides on some verb to be guessed and\nacted by the other. The outside party is told that the chosen verb\n\"rhymes with ----.\" The outside party decide on some verb, and come in\nand act this word in dumb show, whilst the inside party sit and look on,\nhissing if the guess is wrong, and clapping if the acting shows the\nright word is chosen. No word must pass on either side.--Bedford, and\ngenerally known (Mrs. A. C. Haddon).\n\n\nDump.\n\n[Vol. i. p. 117.]\n\nA version of this game played by three children. The three sit close\ntogether, close their hands and place them over each other, the first\none on the knee of one of them. One then asks, \"Faht's that cockin' up\nthere?\" \"Cock a pistol; cock it aff,\" replies another. The same process\nis gone through till only one hand is left on the knee. Then the one\nwhose hand was uppermost at the beginning of the game says--\n\n Faht's in there?\n Gold and money (is the answer).\n Fahr's my share o't?\n The moosie ran awa' wi't.\n Fahr's the moosie?\n In her hoosie.\n Fahr's her hoosie?\n In the wood.\n Fahr's the wood?\n The fire brunt it.\n Fahr's the fire?\n The water quencht it.\n Fahr's the water?\n The broon bull drank it.\n Fahr's the broon bull?\n At the back a (of) Burnie's hill\n Fahr's the back a Burnie's hill?\n A' claid wi' snaw.\n Fahr's the snaw?\n The sun meltit it.\n Fahr's the sun?\n Heigh, heigh up i' the air.\n\nHe who speaks first, or laughs first, or lats (lets) their teeth be\nseen, gets nine nips, nine nobs, an' nine double douncornes, an' a gueed\nblow on the back o' the head.--Corgarff (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n\nEendy, Beendy.\n\n Eendy, Beendy, baniba, roe,\n Caught a chicken by the toe;\n To the east, to the west,\n To the old crow's nest,\n Hopping in the garden, swimming in the sea,\n If you want a pretty girl, please take me.\n\n--N. Scotland, locality forgotten (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nOne girl dances forward from a line of children singing the words.\nAnother from a line opposite responds, and they dance together. They\nlook first to the east and then to the west by turning their heads in\nthose directions alternately.\n\n\nFarmer's Den, The.\n\nAll players but one form a ring, this one stands in the centre. The ring\ndances round singing the words--\n\n The farmer in his den, the farmer in his den,\n For it's oh, my dearie, the farmer's in his den.\n For the farmer takes a wife,\n For the farmer takes a wife;\n For it's oh, my dearie, the farmer takes a wife.\n\nThe child in centre then chooses one from the circle, who goes in the\nmiddle, and the ring dances round again singing--\n\n For the wife takes a child, &c. (as above).\n\nAnd choosing another child from the ring, then--\n\n For the child takes a nurse, &c. (as above).\n\n For the nurse takes a dog, &c. (as above).\n\nThen all the players join in singing--\n\n For we all clap the dog,\n For we all clap the dog.\n For it's oh! my dearie, we all clap the dog.\n\nWhile singing this all the players pat the one who was chosen as \"dog\"\non his or her back.--Auchencairn, N.B. (Mary Haddon).\n\n\nFire on the Mountains.\n\n[See \"Round Tag,\" vol. ii. pp. 144-145.]\n\nThe players arrange themselves into a double circle with a space between\neach pair. The one at the back stands and the inside players kneel.\nAnother player stands in the centre and cries out, \"Fire on the\nmountain; run, boys, run!\" Those players who are standing in the outer\ncircle begin to run round, those kneeling remaining in that position.\nThey continue running until the centre player cries \"Stop!\" They all\nthen (including the centre player) make a rush to get a stand behind one\nof the kneeling players, the one who is left out going into the\ncentre.--Auchterarder, N.B. (Miss E. S. Haldane).\n\nThis game may possibly suggest an origin for \"Round tag,\" although the\nincident of \"catching\" or \"touching\" a runner does not appear, and the\ninner circle of players apparently are always stationary.\n\n\nFool, Fool, come to School.\n\n[Vol. i. p. 132.]\n\nPlayed in the usual way with the following difference in the formula.\nThe leader says, \"Fool, foolie, come to your schoolie.\" When the fool\ncomes, the leader says, \"What have you been doing to-day?\" Fool says,\n\"Cursin' and swearin'.\" Fool is then chased off, recalled, and again\nquestioned. Fool answers, \"Suppin' my porridge and readin' my Bible.\"\nShe is then welcome, and asked in the usual way to point out one from\nthe school.--Aberdeen (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nAnother formula sent me by Mr. C. C. Bell is to say, when the fool is\nsent back, \"Fool, fool, go back to school, and learn more wit.\"\n\n\nFrench Jackie,\n\nname for \"Round Tag\" and \"Two and Threes,\" in Tyrie (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n\nGalloping.\n\n Galloping, galloping to the fair,\n Courting the girls with the _red_ petticoats;\n Galloping, galloping all day long,\n Courting the girls with the _speckled_ petticoats.\n\nGirls sing this resting one knee on the ground, striking the other knee\nwith their right hand as they say each word. The length of the song\ndepends upon the ingenuity of the players in finding new colours for the\npetticoats each time.--Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).\n\nThe game is not known now.\n\n\nGallant Ship.\n\n[See \"Round and Round the Gallant Ship,\" vol. ii. p. 143.]\n\n Up spoke a boy of our gallant ship,\n And a well-spoken boy was he--\n I have a mother in London town,\n This night she'll be looking for me.\n\n She may look, she may sigh, with the tear in her eye,\n She may look to the bottom of the sea.\n Three times round went our gallant ship,\n And three times round went she!\n And three times round went our gallant ship,\n Till she came to the bottom of the sea!\n\nThe players form a ring and dance round, getting quicker as they sing\n\"Three times round,\" &c. When the last line is sung they let go hands\nand sink to the ground. The player who sinks down first is taken away by\nthe others and asked whom he or she loves best. The ring is then\nreformed, and the child who has given her sweetheart's name is placed in\nthe centre. The ring then dances round singing out the name of the\nsweetheart.\n\n Mrs. Brown is new comed hame,\n A coach and four to carry hame.\n\n--Galloway (J. G. Carter).\n\n\nGalley, Galley Ship.\n\n[See \"Merry-ma-tansa,\" vol. i. pp. 369-376; ii. p. 443.]\n\n Three times round goes the galley, galley ship,\n And three times round goes she;\n Three times round goes the galley, galley ship,\n And she sank to the bottom of the sea.\n\n Choose your neighbours one or two,\n One or two, one or two;\n Choose your neighbours one or two,\n Around about Mary Matanzie.\n\n A treacle scone to tell her name,\n To tell her name, to tell her name;\n A treacle scone to tell her name,\n Around about Mary Matanzie.\n\n A guinea gold watch to tell his name,\n To tell his name, to tell his name;\n A guinea gold watch to tell his name,\n Around about Mary Matanzie.\n\n (Name of boy) is his name,\n Is his name, is his name,\n ---- is his name,\n Around about Mary Matanzie.\n\n--Laurieston School, Kircudbrightshire (J. Lawson).\n\nA version of \"Merry-ma-tansa,\" incomplete. [See vol. i. p. 375.]\n\nAnother is--\n\n Three times around goes our gallant ship,\n And three times around goes she, she, she;\n And three times around goes our gallant ship,\n And she sinks to the bottom of the sea.\n\nPlayed in ring form with one child in centre. All sink down on the\nground when the above lines are sung, and the last to rise must tell the\nname of her sweetheart. Then the circle forms around her, and all sing--\n\n Here's the bride just new come in,\n Just new come in, just new come in;\n Here's the bride just new come in,\n Around the merry guid tanzy.\n\n Guess wha's her guid lad,\n Her guid lad, her guid lad;\n Guess wha's her guid lad,\n Around the merry guid tanzy.\n\n (Willie Broon) is his name,\n Is his name, is his name,\n (Willie Broon) is his name,\n Around the merry guid tanzy.\n\n--St. Andrews and Howth (Miss H. E. Harvey).\n\nMiss Harvey writes: I believe \"tanzy\" is the name of a kind of dance.\n\n\nGlasgow Ships.\n\n Glasgow ships come sailing in,\n Come sailing in, come sailing in;\n Glasgow ships come sailing in,\n On a fine summer morning.\n\n You daurna set your foot upon,\n Your foot upon, your foot upon;\n You daurna set your foot upon,\n Or gentle George will kiss you.\n\n Three times kiss you, four times bless you,\n Five times butter and bread\n Upon a silver salver.\n\n Who shall we send it to,\n Send it to, send it to?\n Who shall we send it to?\n To Mrs. ----'s daughter.\n Take her by the lily-white hand,\n Lead her over the water;\n Give her kisses, one, two, three.\n She is the favourite daughter.\n\n--Perth (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n Glasgow ships come sailing in, &c. (three times)\n Three times bless you, three times kiss you,\n Three times butter and bread upon a silver saucer.\n Whom shall I send it to, I send it to, I send it to?\n To Captain Gordon's daughter.\n\n--Rosehearty (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n The Glasgow ships come sailing in, &c. (as first version).\n Three times down and then we fall, then we fall, then we fall,\n Three times down and then we fall, in a fine summer morning.\n Three times butter and bread, butter and bread, butter and bread,\n Three times butter and bread upon a silver saucer.\n Come, choose you east, come choose you west,\n Come, choose you east, come choose you west,\n To the very one that you love best.\n\n--Nairn (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n Glasgow ships come sailing in, &c. (as first version)\n She daurna set a foot upon, &c.\n Or gentle John will kiss her.\n Three times round the ring, three times bless her,\n I sent a slice of bread and butter upon a silver saucer.\n Whom shall we send it to? &c.\n To Captain ----'s daughter.\n Her love's dead and gone, dead and gone, dead and gone,\n She turns her back to the wa's again.\n She washes her face, she combs her hair,\n She leaves her love at the foot of the stair,\n She wears on her finger a guinea gold ring,\n And turns her back to the wa's again.\n\nAll join hands and form a ring. At the end of verses the girl named\nturns her back, and the game is resumed.--Fochabers (Rev. Dr. Gregor);\nPort William School, Wigtonshire.\n\nIn a version from Auchterarder, N. B., sent by Miss E. S. Haldane, the\nwords are very similar to these. After all the children have turned\ntheir backs to the inside they have what is called the \"pigs' race,\"\nwhich is running swiftly round in this position. See \"Uncle John,\" vol.\nii. pp. 321-322.\n\n\nGranny's Needle.\n\n[See \"Auld Grannie.\"]\n\n\nGreen Gravel.\n\n[Vol. i. pp. 170-183.]\n\n Round apples, round apples, by night and by day,\n There stands a valley in yonder haze;\n There stands poor Lizzie with a knife in her hand,\n There's no one dare touch her, or she'll go mad;\n Her cheeks were like roses, and now they're like snow,\n Poor Lizzie! poor Lizzie! you're dying, I know,\n We'll wash you with milk, and we'll dry [or roll] you with silk,\n And we'll write down your name with a gold pen and ink.\n\n--New Galloway (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nBoys and girls take hands and go round saying--\n\n Round the green gravel\n Grass grows green,\n Many's the lady fit to be seen,\n Washed in milk and dried in silk.\n The last pops down!\n\nThe last boy or girl to pop down has to tell who he (or she) is\ncourting.--Kiltubbrid, Co. Leitrim (L. L. Duncan).\n\n\nGreen Grass.\n\n[Vol. i. pp. 153-169.]\n\nAll the girls arrange themselves in a line, and one stands in front. The\none in front sings--\n\n Dis-a-dis-a green grass,\n Dis-a-dis-a-dis;\n Come all ye pretty fair maids,\n And walk along wi' us.\n Will ye have a duck, my dear (pointing to one of the girls in the\n line),\n Or will ye have a drake,\n Or will ye have a young man\n To answer for your sake?\n\nThe girl pointed to answers--\n\n I'll neither have a duck, my dear,\n Nor will I have a drake;\n But I will have a young man\n To answer for my sake.\n\nShe now leaves the line and takes her stand beside the one that stands\nin front, and all begin to clap their hands and sing--\n\n The bells will ring,\n And the psalms will sing,\n And we'll all claps hands together.\n\nThe two in front then begin to sing what the one first sang, and the\nsame goes on till all are chosen.--Peterhead; St. Andrews (Mrs. Stewart,\nwhen a girl).\n\n Here we go in a merry band,\n Round about the berry buss;\n Come all ye pretty fair maids,\n And dance along with us;\n We shall have a duck and drake,\n We shall have a dragon,\n We shall have a young man,\n The prince of the Saigen.\n The young man dies,\n And leaves the girl a widow.\n The birds shall sing, the bells shall ring,\n And we will all clap hands together.\n Here we go a roving,\n A roving in a band;\n I will take my pretty Mary,\n I will take her by the hand.\n\n--Perth (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nAnother version, very similar to that given in vol. i. pp. 161-162 from\nCongleton Workhouse School, and sent me by Mr. J. Lawson, Laurieston\nSchool, Kirkcudbrightshire, begins, \"Will you take silver and gold?\"\n\nAnother Scottish version of this game is given in _Notes and Queries_,\n3rd ser., v. 393, as follows:--\n\n A duss, a duss of green grass,\n A duss, a duss, a duss;\n Come all you pretty maidens,\n And dance along with us;\n You shall have a duck, my dear,\n And you shall have a dragon,\n And you shall have a young gudeman,\n To dance ere you're forsaken.\n The bells shall ring,\n The birds shall sing,\n And we'll all clap hands together.\n\n\nGreen Grass.\n\n[A game so called by Dr. Gregor, but apparently not belonging to the one\nusually known under that name.]\n\nThe girls stand in a line, and one stands in front. All sing--\n\n Green grass suits us,\n As my boots are lined with silver;\n E. I. O, E. I. O, my ain bonnie (a girl's Christian name).\n\nThe girl in front then chooses the girl named, and both girls join hands\nand wheel round, whilst all sing--\n\n I kissed her once, I kissed her twice,\n I kissed her three times over.\n Hop, hop, the butcher's shop,\n I cannot stay any longer.\n If I stay my mother will say\n I played with the boys up yonder.\n\n--Tyrie (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nAnother version is--\n\n Green grass set her fair, a bunch of gold and silver,\n A white rosette upon her breast, a gold ring on her finger,\n A I O, my Jessie O; I wish I had my Jessie O.\n I kissed her once, &c., as above.\n\n\nHeap the Cairn.\n\n[See \"More Sacks to the Mill,\" vol. i. p. 390.]\n\nOne boy is thrown flat on the ground, then another is thrown over him,\nand then another and another, and the bigger boys dash the smaller ones\non those that are down, while all keep shouting--\n\n Heap the cyarn--\n Dirt and sharn.\n\n--Keith (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nHear all! Let me at her.\n\n Hear all! let me at her;\n Hear all! let me go;\n Hear all! let me at her,\n When my mammy will or no.\n\n ---- has ta'en a notion\n For to go and sail the sea;\n There he's left his own dear ----,\n Weeping on the Greenland sea.\n\n Hold your tongue, my own dear ----,\n Take your baby on your knee.\n Drink his health, my jolly sailors,\n I'll come back and marry thee.\n\n I will buy thee beads and ear-rings,\n I will buy thee diamond stones,\n I will buy thee silken ribbons,\n When thy baby's dead and gone.\n\n ---- says she'll wear the ribbons,\n ---- says she'll wear them a'--\n ---- says she'll wear the ribbons\n When her baby's dead and gone.\n\nA ring is formed, one player in the centre. When the verses are sung the\ngirl in the middle chooses another to take her place.--Fochabers (Rev.\nDr. Gregor.)\n\n\nHen and Chickens.\n\n[See \"Auld Grannie,\" p. 404.]\n\n\nHigh Windows.\n\n[See \"Drop Handkerchief,\" vol. i. pp. 109-112; \"Black Doggie,\" vol. ii.\npp. 407-408.]\n\nBoys hold hands and go round in ring form.\n\nOne player stands in the middle and strikes one of those in the ring\nwith a bit of grass; both players then run out of the ring, and the boy\nwho was in the midst must catch the other before he goes round three\ntimes. At the third time the boys all cry \"High Windows,\" raising their\nhands at the same time to let the two inside the circle.--Kiltubbrid,\nCo. Leitrim (L. L. Duncan).\n\n\nHot Cockles.\n\n[Vol. i. p. 229.]\n\nA version of this game, in which a dell or goal is appointed. The\nplayers stand together, one player places his head between the knees of\nanother, who bends down, and slaps him on the back, keeping time to the\nfollowing rhyme, saying--\n\n Skip, skip, sko,\n Where shall this young man go?\n To the east, or the west?\n Or the young crow's nest?\n\nThe kneeling boy shouts out the name of the dell, and the other players\nall rush off shouting out its name. The one who gets there first wins\nthe game.--Meiklefolla, Aberdeenshire (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n\nHulla-balloo-ballee.\n\n[See \"Lubin,\" vol. i. pp. 352-361.]\n\nOne version of Lubin Loo, from Forfar, Linlithgow, and Argyllshire, is\nthe same as those given in vol. i. A Nairnshire version is called\n\"Hullabaloo-ballee.\"\n\n Hulla-balloo, ballee,\n Hulla-balloo, ballight;\n Hulla-balloo, ballee,\n All on a winter's night,\n Put your right foot in, &c.\n Turn round about.\n\nAt \"turn round about,\" they reverse the direction, and dance round the\nother way, and so on.--Rev. Dr. Gregor; and Mrs Jamieson.\n\nAnother version is--\n\n Old Simon, the king, young Simon, the squire,\n Old Simon, the king, sat round a nice warm fire;\n Keep your right hand in, shove your right hand out,\n Shake it a little, a little, and turn yourself about!\n Keep your right foot in, shove your left foot out,\n Shake it a little, a little, and turn yourself about.\n Hally gallee, gallee, gallee;\n Hally gallo, gallo, gallo;\n Hally gallee, gallee, gallee,\n Upon a Saturday night.\n Keep your right hand in, &c.\n\n--Galloway (J. G. Carter).\n\nSeveral versions of this game are given by Mr. E. W. B. Nicholson in his\ninteresting little book \"Goldspie,\" pp. 176-184. He considers\n\"Hilli-ballu,\" \"Hulla-baloo,\" and similar words to be the original of\nthe English forms \"Here we dance Looby Loo,\" or Lubin, and all of these\nto be derived from hunting cries, such as ha, l\u00e0 bas! loup! uttered by\nhuntsmen to definite musical notes, possibly introduced into songs and\nafterwards adapted as lullabies because of their resemblance to the\nlulling-cries ba (= bye) and lulli.\n\n\nIsabella.\n\n[Vol. i. pp. 247-256.]\n\nTwo or three versions which vary slightly in method of playing may be\ngiven. The first is played in the usual way until the last line is said,\nwhen the player turns her back to the circle facing outwards as in\nWall-flowers.\n\n Isabella, Isabella, Isabella, farewell;\n There is my hand, love, there is my hand, love, farewell!\n Over the mountains, over the mountains, over the mountains,\n farewell!\n Her love's dead and gone, dead and gone, dead and gone!\n Her love's dead and gone, turn your back behind her.\n\n--Perth (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nAnother version is--\n\n Isabella, fare ye wella; Isabella, fare ye wella; Isabella,\n farewell!\n\nOne player then leaves the ring singing--\n\n \"I'm off to the Indies,\" &c.\n\nThe ring all sing--\n\n\"Over the mountains\" (as above) six times, ending with--\n\n \"Isabella, Isabella, farewell\" (as above).\n\nThe player who had previously left the ring returns singing, \"I'm come\nback from the Indies,\" &c.\n\nA ring is formed, one player kneels in the centre, the players in the\nring fix their eyes steadily on the kneeling girl all the\ntime.--Fochabers, N.E. Scotland (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nIn the next version the words of each verse are:--\n\n Isabella, farewella, &c.\n Back from London, &c.\n Go to London, &c.\n Pull the brooch off my bosom, &c.\n Pull the ring off my finger, &c.\n\n--Laurieston School, Kircudbrightshire (J. Lawson).\n\n\nJenny Jones.\n\n[Vol. i. pp. 260-283.]\n\nThe versions printed here vary, it will be seen, from those printed in\nvol. i., principally in the words used towards the end of the game, the\nearlier portions being very similar. The first one is an exceedingly\ninteresting variant, the funeral details being fuller, and the idea of\nthe spirit of the dead or Ghost surviving also.\n\nThe first lines of each verse are as follows:--\n\n I've come to see Jenny Jones,\n How does she do?\n She is washing, &c., you can't see her now.\n I've come to see Jenny Jones, &c.\n She is scrubbing, &c., you can't see her now.\n I've come to see, &c.\n She is ill, &c.\n I've come to see, &c.\n She's very ill, &c.\n I've come to see, &c.\n She's dying, &c.\n I've come to see.\n She's dead.\n We'll come in blue, blue, blue. Will that suit?\n Blue is for sailors, &c. That won't suit.\n We'll come in red, &c.\n Red is for soldiers, &c.\n We'll come in white, &c.\n White is for weddings, &c.\n We'll come in black, &c.\n Black is for mourning, &c. That will suit.\n\nThey then take up Jenny Jones, and carry her to a little distance off,\nlay her on the ground, and all stand round. One child stands over the\ngrave, and while sprinkling Jenny with dust, says--\n\n Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.\n If God won't have you, the devil must.\n\nThen Jenny jumps up and runs after the other children, who try to\nescape. The one she catches is \"Jenny\" next time.--Barrington (Dr. A. C.\nHaddon).\n\nIn another version called \"Georgina\" one player selected to act as\nGeorgina kneels down against a wall, and the others stand round to\nconceal her. Two go apart to act as callers, while another stands near\nthe group as mother. The callers come forward and say--\n\n We came to see Georgina, &c.\n And how is she to-day?\n She's upstairs washing, &c.,\n And you can't see her to-day.\n Farewell, ladies.\n\nThey then retire, but return in a little while, and put the question as\nbefore. She is then \"starching,\" said as above; and next time she is\n\"ironing,\" the fourth time the mother's answer is, \"She fell downstairs\nand broke her arm, and you can't see her to-day;\" the fifth time, \"Two\ndoctors are at her;\" the sixth, she is \"worse;\" and the seventh, she is\n\"dead.\" The two callers remain when this reply is given. At this point\nGeorgina makes a noise by rapping two stones together. The two at once\nexclaim, \"Oh! mother, mother, what's that knocking?\" and she answers,\n\"The coach going by.\" The knocking is repeated, and the question, and\nshe says, \"The wall falling down.\" On the knocking being heard a third\ntime, she tells them to \"take a candle and look.\" They pretend to do so,\nand \"Georgina\" starts up to chase them. They all run off shouting, \"The\nGhost.\"--Strichen and Fochabers (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n I came to see Georgina, Georgina, Georgina,\n I came to see Georgina, and how is she to-day?\n She's upstairs ironing.\n I came to see Georgina, &c. (as above).\n She fell downstairs and broke her muckle toe.\n I'm very sorry to hear that, &c.\n She's dead.\n Bad news, bad news, bad news to-day.\n What shall we dress her in? &c.\n Dress her in red.\n Red is for the soldier, and that won't do, &c.\n What shall we dress her in? &c.\n Dress her in blue.\n Blue is for the sailor, &c.\n What shall we dress her in? &c.\n Dress her in white.\n White is for the angels, that will do, &c.\n Mother, mother, what's that? &c.\n A gig running past.\n Mother, mother, what's that? &c.\n The boys playing at marbles.\n Mother, mother, what's that? what's that? what's that?\n Mother, mother, what's that?\n Georgina's ghost!!\n\nEnding with a general stampede.\n\n--Nairnshire (Mrs. Jamieson).\n\n We've come to see poor Janet,\n And how is she to-day?\n She's up the stairs washing,\n She can't come down to-day.\n Very well, we'll call another day.\n We've come to see poor Janet,\n And how is she to-day?\n She's up the stairs ironing, &c.\n Well, we'll call, &c.\n We've come to see poor Janet, &c.\n She's fallen downstairs and broken her horn toes, &c.\n Poor Janet, we'll call, &c.\n We've come, &c.\n She's dead, &c.\n What's she to be dressed in?\n Red.\n That's for soldiers; that won't do.\n Blue.\n That's for sailors; that won't do.\n White.\n That will do.\n\n--Rosehearty (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nPlayed in usual way until the end. Janet is then carried off and laid\ndown on the ground, but she starts up and chases them.\n\nMany other versions have been sent me, but none with different features.\nThe best is one from Mr. J. G. Carter, Dalry, Galloway, called \"Jenny\nJo,\" but presenting no fresh details, and where white is used for the\nburial. Four children stand on one side with Jenny at their back, the\nother players on the opposite. She is buried with great mourning. In a\nversion from Hemsby (Mrs. Haddon) the words are the same, except: \"White\nis the colour for weddings,\" and black is for funerals. Then Jenny is\ncarried to the grave, the other children walking behind two by two; they\nkneel round Jenny, and have a good cry over her. Another version from\nLaurieston School (Mr. J. Lawson), called \"Jerico,\" very similar to\nabove, gives two additional verses. The first lines are, \"Carry a poor\nsoldier to the grave,\" and \"Now the poor mother's weeping at the grave.\"\nIn one version, after Jenny has been carried to her grave, the children\nstand round and sprinkle earth over her, and say, \"Dust and dust, dust\nand dust,\" and then pretend to strew flowers. This I got in London.\nAnother version from North Scotland begins, \"I come to see _Geneva_\"\ncontinues in usual way until \"she is lying\" instead of \"ill\"; then\n\"she's dying,\" followed by \"she's dead\"; then the funeral. In another\nversion Dr. Haddon sent me, the game is only a fragment. After \"Jenny\nJo's dead and gone, all the day long,\" they continue, \"Pipes and tobacco\nfor Jenny Jo\" (repeat twice), \"Pipes and tobacco for Jenny Jo, all the\nday long.\"\n\n\nJockie Rover.\n\n[See \"Stag,\" vol. ii. pp. 212, 374.]\n\nOne is chosen to be Rover, and a place is marked off called \"The Den,\"\nfrom which he starts, and to which he and the others caught can run for\nprotection. He has to clasp his hands and set off in pursuit of one of\nthe players, whom he must crown without unclasping his hands. Before he\nleaves the den he calls out--\n\n Jockie Rover,\n Three times over,\n If you do not look out,\n I'll gie you a blover.\n\nWhen he catches one he unclasps his hands, and makes for the den along\nwith the one caught. The players close in upon them, and beat them with\ntheir caps. The two now join hands, and before leaving the den repeat\nthe same words, and give chase to catch another. When another is caught,\nthe three run to the den, followed by the others pelting them.\n\nDuring the time they are running to catch another player, every attempt\nis made by the others to break the band by rushing on two outstretched\narms, either from before or from behind. Every time one is taken or the\nband broken, all already taken rush to the den, beaten by those not\ntaken.--Dyke (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nA form of \"Warney,\" \"Whiddy.\"\n\n\nJolly Lads, Bold.\n\n[Vol. i. pp. 294-296.]\n\n Here come two bold, jolly lads,\n Just new come from the shore:\n We'll spend our time in drinking wine,\n As we have done before.\n\nThen the ring dances round, singing--\n\n We will have a round, and a round,\n We will have a pretty, pretty girl,\n For to dance upon the ground.\n Her shoes are made of morocco,\n Her stockings lined with silk,\n Her teeth are white as anything,\n And her skin as white as milk.\n We shall have a round, and a round, &c.\n\n--Auchterarder, N. B. (Miss E. S. Haldane).\n\nA ring is formed by players joining hands. Two other players dance round\nthe ring in opposite directions, singing the first four lines while the\nring stands still. Then the ring dances round singing the rest of the\nlines. The two outside then each take a player from the ring and begin\nagain.\n\nThe words of the dance game, \"Here we go around,\" vol. i. p. 205, are\npractically the same as the latter part of this, and suggests that this\nor a similar round is its original.\n\n\nJolly Miller. [Vol. i. pp. 289-293.]\n\nThis is played with the usual double ring, boys on the outside, girls\ninside, one child in centre. At the last a rush is made to obtain a\nvacant place.\n\n He was a jolly miller,\n He lived by himself.\n As the wheel went round, he made his wealth,\n One hand in his pocket, the other at his back,\n As the mill went round, he made his wealth.\n\nThe girls being in the inside, turn and go the opposite way; and, while\ndoing so, sing--\n\n A hunting we will go,\n A hunting we will go,\n We'll catch a little fox, and we'll put him in a box,\n And a hunting we will go.\n\n--Auchterarder, N. B. (Miss E. S. Haldane).\n\nIn this version the \"grab\" appears to be lost, and the \"hunting\" put in\nbefore the rush for the vacant place is made.\n\n\nKeys of Heaven.\n\n I will give you a golden ring,\n And jewels to hang and birds to sing,\n If you'll be my true lover,\n And true love of mine.\n\n I will give you the keys of the chest,\n And gold enough to dress you in church,\n If you'll be my true lover,\n And true love of mine.\n\n I will give you the keys of even [heaven],\n And angels to wait upon you six and seven,\n If you'll be my true lover,\n And true love of mine.\n\n--Marylebone (A. B. Gomme).\n\nChildren form a ring by joining hands; they dance round. One stands in\ncentre. She chooses another from the ring after singing the words, and\nthe two dance round together.\n\nThis game is evidently but a fragment, the proper way of playing being\nforgotten. It would originally have been played in line form instead of\na circle, and answers of \"No\" or \"Yes,\" or other verses implying\nnegative and then affirmative, given by the chosen or selected girl.\nThese lines, and those given _post_ (p. 450), as \"Paper of pins,\" are\ninteresting fragments probably of one and the same game.\n\n\nKick the Block.\n\n[See vol. i. p. 401.]\n\nA small circle is made, and the stone or block is put in it. A boy\nstands with his foot on the stone and his eyes shut until all the other\nplayers are hid. He then tries to find them, and keep his block in its\nplace. If one should come out when he is away from his block it is\nkicked out, and all the boys that were found hide again.--Laurieston\nSchool, Kirkcudbrightshire (J. Lawson).\n\nAnother version of the same game, sent me by Mr. William P. Merrick,\nShepperton, Middlesex, is called \"Fly Whip.\"\n\nThe same game as \"Mount the Tin,\" played somewhat differently.\n\n\nLady of the Land.\n\n[Vol. i. pp. 313-319.]\n\nA number of girls stand in a line. One of them represents the widow and\nthe other the children. Another stands in front. All sing--\n\n There came a poor widow from Sunderland,\n With all her children in her hand,\n One can bake, and one can sew,\n And one can do the hilygoloo.\n Please take one out.\n\nThe player who is standing alone in front of the other players chooses\none from the line. The two then join right and left hands and wheel\nround in front, all singing--\n\n Oh there's poor (girl's name chosen),\n She has gone without a farthing in her hand,\n Nothing but a guinea gold ring,\n Good-bye (girl's name),\n Good-bye, good-bye.\n\nThe mother shakes hands with the one chosen.\n\n--Fraserburgh (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nAnother version--\n\n There is a poor widow from Sankelone,\n With all her children in her hand,\n One can knit, and one sew,\n And one can play the liligolor.\n\nThe widow then says--\n\n Please take one in,\n Please take one in.\n\nThe one in front picks out one and places her at her back, and she lays\nhold of her dress, then all sing--\n\n Now for poor (girl's name who has been chosen), she is gone,\n Without her father (? farthing) in her hand,\n She has lost her guinea gold ring,\n Good-bye, good-bye,\n Good-bye, good-bye.\n\nThe widow shakes hands with the girl. This is repeated till all are\ntaken out and the widow is left by herself. She cries, and tries to take\nback her daughters. All run off.\n\n--Cullen (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nAnother Isle of Man version varies slightly, beginning, \"We're three\nyoung mothers from Babylon,\" and continuing in a similar way to the one\nin vol. i. p. 315--\n\n One can wash, and one can sew,\n Another can sit by the fire and spin,\n The other can make a fine bed for the king,\n Please, ma'am, to take one in.\n\nThe queen then says--\n\n Come, my dearest\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. and give me your hand,\n And you shall have the nicest things in all this pleasant land.\n\nThe girls are thus gradually chosen.\n\n--Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).\n\n Here's a poor widow from Babylon,\n Six poor children left alone,\n One can bake, and one can brew,\n And one can shape, and one can sew.\n One can sit by the fire and spin,\n And one can make a bed for a king;\n Come Tuesday east, come Tuesday west,\n Come choose the one that you love best.\n\n--Galloway, N. B. (J. G. Carter).\n\n\nLeap-Frog.\n\n[Vol. i. pp. 133, 327, 328.]\n\nThe chief rules of this game, obtaining in N.E. Scotland in Dr. Gregor's\nboyhood, were:--The boy that stooped his back was called \"the bull,\"\npronounced \"bill.\" The bull was not to \"horn,\" _i.e._, throw up his back\nwhen the player placed his hands on it to leap over, or to bend his back\ndown, and that the player was to lay his hands on the bull's back quite\nflat, and not to \"knockle,\" _i.e._, drive the knuckles into it. The best\nway to play was:--A line was drawn beside the bull, over which the heel\nof the player must not pass. All the players, the one after the other in\nsuccession, leaped over the bull. The one last over called out, \"Fit\nit,\" _i.e._, foot it, which meant that the bull had to measure from the\nline a breadth and a length of his foot. This done he stooped, and all\nthe players went over as before, and another breadth and length of foot\nwere added. This went on as long as the players thought they were able\nto leap over the bull. When they thought they could not do so, the last\nplayer called out, \"Hip it,\" _i.e._, take a hop. This done, the bull put\nhimself into position, and each player now took a hop from the line to\nthe bull, and then went over him. Here the same process of footing was\ngone through as before, as long as the players were able to go clear\nover the bull. Then came a step with as much footing as was considered\nsafe, and then came a jump with so much footing. It was now with the\nplayers \"hip, step, an' jump,\" and over the bull. Then more \"fitin',\"\nand perhaps another \"hip,\" and so on--two hips, two steps, two jumps,\nand a flying leap over the bull. It was not often the game reached this\npoint. Some one of the players had failed to pass right over the bull\nand caused him to fall, or had overstepped the line. When any player did\neither the one or the other, he had to become bull.--Keith (Rev. Dr.\nGregor).\n\nThis is a fuller and more complete description than that of \"Foot and\nOver\" (vol. i. p. 133).\n\nAnother mode of playing leap-frog is: the players stand with their backs\nto the leapers, and only bend the head and the leaper's hands are placed\nbetween the shoulders. Instead of running a few yards in front, each\nplayer advances only a few feet, leaving just as much room as to allow\nthe player scope to fall and spring again. This mode requires\nconsiderable agility and practice. The higher the leap, so much the\ngreater the fun.--Keith (Rev. Dr. Gregor.)\n\n\nLondon Bridge.\n\n[Vol. i. pp. 333-350.]\n\nIn the following versions of the game only the first lines of each verse\nare given, as said by each side. Descriptions of method of playing were\nnot in all cases sent me. They are probably the same as those given\nunder this game in vol. i., which is for two players to form an arch by\nholding up their joined hands, and the other players running under it.\n\n (1.) London Bridge is falling down, &c, my fair lady.\n What will it take to build it up? &c.\n Needles and pins will build it up, &c.\n Needles and pins will not hold, &c.\n Bricks and mortar will build it up, &c.\n Bricks and mortar will wash away, &c.\n Silver and gold will build it up, &c.\n Silver and gold will be stolen away, &c.\n We will set a watchman to watch all night, &c.\n What if the watchman falls asleep, &c.\n We will set a dog to bark, &c.\n See the robbers passing by, &c.\n What have the robbers done to you? &c.\n They have broke my locks and stole my gold, &c.\n Off to prison they must go, &c.\n What will you take to set them free? &c.\n\n--Perth (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n (2.) London Bridge is broken down,\n Build it up with lime and stone;\n Lime and stone will build and break;\n Set an old man to watch all night.\n Perhaps this man will run away,\n Ten times the wedding day.\n\n--Tyrie (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n (3.) Broken bridges falling down, falling down, falling down, my\n fair lady.\n What will you give to mend it up? &c.\n\nThose running under the arch say--\n\n A guinea gold ring will mend it up, &c.\n\nThe two players say no.\n\n A pin I'll give to mend it up.\n No!\n A thousand pounds to mend it up;\n This will waste away, my fair lady;\n We'll mend it up with golden pins, my fair lady,\n For golden pins will never rust, never rust, my fair lady.\n\n--Fochabers, N.E. Scotland (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n (4.) The broken bridge is falling down, falling down, falling\n down,\n The broken bridge is falling down, my fair lady;\n Stones and bricks will build it up, &c.\n\n--Nairnshire (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n (5.) Broken bridges falling down,\n My fair lady, which will you have?\n Open the door for the king's soldiers.\n What king are you?\n I am true to the very last one.\n\n--Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).\n\nVersions of this game from Scotland have been sent me, which show great\nsimilarity to those previously printed, but the game is more or less in\na state of decadence. The best version is that from Perth. One from St.\nAndrews, Peterhead, though only consisting of the first verse, has\npreserved the refrains, \"Dance o'er the Lady Lee\" and \"With a gay lady\"\nof Halliwell's version. The others commence \"broken bridges.\" The Isle\nof Man version is still more incomplete. A version sent me by Dr. Haddon\nfrom Barrington is similar to the one given, vol. i. p. 338-9, from\nEnborne School, and is not therefore printed here.\n\n\nMagician.\n\nA mirror is covered with a cover, and a girl or boy is taken into the\nroom. She or he is then asked what animal or thing they would like to\nsee. As soon as the wish is stated, the cover is raised, and the child\nsees his or herself.--London (A. B. Gomme).\n\n\nMannie on the Pavement.\n\nOne player has charge of the pavement. It is his duty to keep the others\noff. The others try how often they can touch the wall, and when the\n\"mannie\" catches one, that one becomes \"mannie.\"--Aberdeen (Rev. Dr.\nGregor).\n\n\nMerry-ma-Tansa.\n\n[Vol. i. pp. 369-376; ii. 422-424.]\n\n Here we go round by jingo ring, by jingo ring, by jingo ring,\n Here we go round by jingo ring, in a cold and frosty morning.\n Twice about and then we fall, and then we fall, and then we fall,\n Twice about and then we fall, in a cold and frosty morning.\n\nAll bend down. The one who rises up last goes into the centre of the\ncircle, and those in the circle sing--\n\n Choose your maidens all around, all around, all around,\n Choose your maidens all around, on a cold and frosty morning.\n\nThe one in the centre chooses two from the ring, and retires with them a\nshort distance away, when the name of a boy is selected as the lover.\nDuring the time the three are standing apart, those in the ring let go\neach other's hands, and take hold of the sides of their dresses, and\nmake as if they were sweeping a house, singing the while--\n\n Swype the hoose till the bride comes hame, the bride comes hame, the\n bride comes hame,\n Swype the hoose till the bride comes hame, on a cold and frosty\n morning.\n\nWhen the three come back, the one that was in the centre takes up the\nsame position, and the two she picked out join those in the circle. Then\nall wheel round and sing--\n\n A golden pin to tell her name, tell her name, tell her name,\n A golden pin to tell her name, in a cold and frosty morning.\n\nThe answer is--\n\n ---- (girl's name is given) is her name, is her name, is her name,\n ---- is her name, in a cold and frosty morning.\n\nThen comes the lover's name--\n\n A golden watch to tell his name, tell his name, tell his name,\n A golden watch to tell his name, in a cold and frosty morning.\n\nThe answer is--\n\n So-and-so is his name, is his name, is his name,\n So-and-so is his name, in a cold and frosty morning.\n\nThe one in the middle is then blindfolded, and all wheel round and\nsing--\n\n Blindfolded dinna catch me, dinna catch me, dinna catch me,\n Blindfolded dinna catch me, on a cold and frosty morning.\n\nThe blindfolded tries to catch one in the ring. The ring should not\nbreak, but it is often broken by the one that is on the eve of being\ncaught. The one caught takes her stand in the centre, and the game\nbegins anew from that point.--Dyke (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nThis is a most interesting variant of this game--blindfolding the\nbridegroom in order that he must first catch his bride, and her attempts\nto elude his caresses, are significant of early custom.\n\n Here we go round by jing-ga-ring,\n Jing-ga-ring, jing-ga-ring;\n Here we go round by jing-ga-ring,\n Around the merry-ma-tansy.\n\n Three times round, and then we fall,\n Then we fall, then we fall;\n\n Three times round, and then we fall,\n Around the merry-ma-tansy.\n\n Choose your maidens all around,\n All around, &c.;\n\n High gates till the bride comes in,\n The bride comes in, &c.\n\n A golden pin to tell her name,\n To tell her name, &c.\n\n (Mary Anderson) is her name,\n Is her name, &c.\n\n Blindfold you all around,\n All around, &c.\n\nA ring with one child in centre, who chooses one from the circle, at the\nend of third verse, after whispering the bride's name together _outside_\nthe circle, they are admitted at \"high gates,\" when all the girls hold\nup their hands in arches as they dance round. All players in the ring\nare then blindfolded, and have to catch the child in the\ncentre.--Nairnshire (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nAnother version is--\n\n Here we go round by jingo-ring,\n By jingo-ring, by jingo-ring,\n Here we go round by jingo-ring,\n And round by merry matansy.\n Twice about, and then we fall,\n And then we fall, and then we fall.\n Twice about, and then we fall,\n And round by merry matansy.\n\n--Fochabers (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nIn another version from St. Andrews and Peterhead, with same words, the\nplayers all flop down, then rise again and dance round.\n\nAnother form of words is--\n\n Here we go round by jingo-ring,\n Jingo-ring, jingo-ring.\n Here we go round by jingo-ring\n In a cold and frosty morning.\n\n Three times round, and then we fall,\n Then we fall, then we fall,\n Three times round, and then we fall,\n In a cold and frosty morning.\n\n--Nairn (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nAnother similar version from N. Scotland, locality not known.\n\n Round about the jingo-ring, &c.\n Round about the jingo-ring, &c.\n First time is catching time, &c, round, &c.\n A fine gold ring to tell her name, &c.\n (---- ----) is her name, &c.\n Third time is kissing time, &c., round, &c.\n\n--London (A. B. Gomme), from Scotch source.\n\n\nMilking Pails.\n\n[Vol. i. pp. 376-388.]\n\nA version sent me by Mr. M. L. Rouse, Blackheath, is similar to those\npreviously printed, varying only at the end. After the \"wash in the\nriver,\" and \"the stream will carry the clothes away,\" the children say,\n\"Men, you may run after them.\" Hereupon they all run off, but the mother\ndoes not chase them. They return, and a dialogue ensues similar to a\npart of \"Mother, may I go out to play,\" follows between the mother and\nchildren:--\n\n\"Where have you been all day?\"\n\n\"Working for Jack, or aunt.\"\n\n\"What did he give you?\"\n\n\"A piece of plum-pudding as big as a flea, or a piece of bread as big as\na house, and a piece of cheese as big as a mouse.\"\n\nThe children then run off again, come quickly back with the news that\nthey had seen a large bull in the meadow.\n\n\"Where's the butcher?\"\n\n\"Behind the stable door cracking nuts, and you may have the shells.\" The\nmother then chases the children, beating all she can catch.\n\n\nMy Delight's in Tansies. [See \"Sunday Night,\" vol. ii. p. 221.]\n\nAll the girls stand in a line except one who stands in front of the\nothers. This one walks or dances backwards and forwards. All sing the\nwords--\n\n My delight's in tansies, O!\n My delight's in bransies, O!\n My delight's in a red, red rose;\n The colour o' my ----\n\nthe name of one in the line chosen by the one in front is said. The two\nin front join right and left hands, and all sing--\n\n Hey ho, my ----, O!\n My bonnie, bonnie ----, O!\n A' the warld wid I gie,\n For a kiss o' ----, O.\n My delight's in Nancy, O!\n My delight's in tancy, O!\n My delight's in a red, red rose,\n [She chooses out a girl]\n Call her, oh! my (a girl's name), O!\n Hey, ho, my ----, O!\n My bonnie, bonnie ----, O!\n A' the warld wad I gie\n For a kiss o' ----, O!\n\n--Fraserburgh (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n\nNamer and Guesser.\n\n[Vol. i. p. 409.]\n\nAnother version of this game. It is begun in the same way. As each\nplayer gets his name, he or she turns their back to the namer. When all\nare named, and are standing with their backs to the namer, the namer\ncalls out, \"Baker, baker, your bread is burnin',\" or \"Bakerie, bakerie,\nyour bread is burnin'.\" The guesser answers, \"Will you give a corner of\nit to me?\" or \"Give me a corner of it,\" and takes a stand beside the\nnamer. The namer then says--\n\n Come, cheese me east,\n Come, cheese me west,\n Come, cheese me to \"Rose.\"\n\nThe guesser points to one of the players. If the guess is right, the\nplayer goes to the guesser's side; if wrong, to the namer's side, when\nall the players except one are chosen. This one gets two names, say\n\"Needles\" and \"Preens.\" The namer then says to the guesser, \"Needles\"\nor \"Preens\"? A guess is made. This is done three times, and each time\nthe names are changed. If the last guess is made correctly, then the\nplayer goes to the guesser, if not, to the namer. Sometimes it is\ndecided by \"the best o' three.\" Then comes the \"tug of war.\" The gaining\nside calls out \"Rotten eggs, rotten eggs!\"--Fraserburgh (Rev. Dr.\nGregor).\n\n\nNeedle Cases.\n\n Needle cases, needle cases, in a silver saucer.\n Who shall I direct it to but Captain ----'s daughter.\n What will you give to tell her name, tell her name, tell her name?\n A hundred pounds and a glass of wine.\n (The girl's name is given, and she then asks)--\n What will you give to tell his name?\n (The others answer)--\n Two hundred pounds and a glass of wine.\n (Boy's name given by girl).\n As I gaed down to borrow a pan,\n I saw her sitting kissing her man;\n She off with the glove and on with the ring.\n To-morrow, to-morrow the wedding begins.\n Clean the brass candlesticks, clean the fireside,\n Draw up the curtains and let's see the bride.\n\nAll the players but one stand in a circle--this one goes round with a\nhandkerchief, singing the first lines. When the girl's name is mentioned\nshe tells her sweetheart's name to the girl with the handkerchief, sits\ndown in the centre, and covers her face with her hands. The one with the\nhandkerchief goes round again, asking, \"What will you give?\" and the\nring answers. Her name is then given, and the girl with the handkerchief\nagain asks, \"What will you give to tell _his_ name?\" The ring answers\nagain, and the sweetheart's name is then given. The girl with the\nhandkerchief goes round again and sings the last lines, the ring singing\nwith her. Then the one in the centre joins the ring, and the game begins\nagain.--Aberdeen (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n\nNuts in May.\n\n[Vol. i. pp. 424-433.]\n\nMany versions of this have been sent me, but none differ materially from\nthose printed previously.\n\n\nOdd Man.\n\nA game played by two or three hundred persons who form a circle; every\none places his stick in the ground before him, by way of barrier. A\nperson called the odd man stands in the middle and delivers his bonnet\nto any one in the ring. This is nimbly handed round, and the owner is to\nrecover it; and on succeeding, takes the place of the person whom he\ntook it from, and that person takes the middle place.--Pennant's \"Voyage\nto the Hebrides,\" p. 231.\n\n\nOld Cranny Crow.\n\n[Vol. i. p. 201; ii. pp. 404-405.]\n\nThis game resembles \"Hen and Chickens,\" but though of that class of game\nit is not, it will be seen, the usual form of \"Hen and Chickens\" at its\nconclusion. The earlier part of the game and dialogue, if any, may,\nhowever, have been similar. Mr. Rouse says: \"I cannot recollect more of\nOld Cranny Crow than that she entices children one by one out for a\nwalk, and steals them from their supposed mother. The mother is then\ninvited to dine by Old Cranny Crow, and has a pie (one of her children)\nset before her, with pepper and salt, which she pretends to eat, and\nwhen doing so discovers it to be just like her Tommy (or other child's\nname). Then Cranny Crow puts another pie before her; this she discovers\nto be just like her Katy. She finds out all her children one by one, and\nthey come to life again and run home.\"--M. L. Rouse, Blackheath. [See\n\"Mother, mother, pot boils over,\" \"Witch.\"]\n\n\nOld Johanny Hairy, Crap in!\n\nAll players sit round the fire and put out their right feet. The Master\nof the game repeats--\n\n Onery, twoery, dickery dary,\n Wispy, spindey, spoke of the lindey,\n Old Johanny Hairy\n Crap in![17]\n\nEach word is repeated to a man; and when the leader comes to \"Crap in,\"\nthe man specified draws in his foot. When all have drawn in their feet\nbut one, this one must then kneel down, and his eyes being blindfolded,\nthe master of the game puts his elbow on his back and strikes him with\nhis elbow or fist, saying--\n\n Hurley, burley, trump the trace,\n The cow ran through the market-place.\n Simon Alley hunt the buck,\n How many horns stand up?\n\nAt the same time holding up several fingers. The man kneeling down has\nto guess the number. If he guesses correctly, the master of the game\ntakes his place. If he fails to guess he is kept down, and another man\ngoes and strikes his back, and so on.--Kiltubbrid, Co. Leitrim (L. L.\nDuncan.)\n\nA version of \"Hot Cockles,\" with interesting variations.\n\nMr. Duncan, when sending me the games he collected, said--\"It is very\npossible that the people may have brought some of the games from England\nwhen returning from harvesting. This, however, does not apply to 'Old\nJohanny Hairy, crap in,' as it is now called in English. Crap isteach is\nthe Irish for 'draw in,' as in Mr. O'Faharty's 'Sports of the Winter'\nthere is a Gaelic version. This, I should imagine, makes it certain\nthat, although well known elsewhere, the game also obtained in the West\nof Ireland.\"\n\n [17] Crap--draw.\n\n\nPaper of Pins.\n\n Paper of pins to you I bring;\n Say is my love worth anything?\n\n Gold and silver to you I bring;\n Say is my love worth anything?\n\n No, I'll not have anything;\n\nor,\n\n Yes, I will have what you bring.\n\nA ring is formed, and one player walks round outside saying the first\nfour lines, stopping at any child she chooses who answers \"Yes\" or \"No.\"\nIf \"Yes,\" the two go into the ring and kiss.--Marylebone, London (A. B.\nGomme).\n\nThis is interesting, as a possible fragment of the old Keys of\nCanterbury [Halliwell's \"Nursery Rhymes,\" No. cccclxvi.] and of the\nPaper of Pins, described so fully by Mr. Newell in \"Games and Songs of\nAmerican Children,\" pp. 51-55.\n\nSee \"Keys of Heaven,\" _ante_, p. 437.\n\n\nPickie. A form of Hopscotch.\n\n[See \"Hopscotch,\" vol. i. pp. 223-227.]\n\n[Illustration]\n\nOne player commences first by winning the toss. The pick (a small flat\nstone) is pitched into No. 1 bed. It is then moved out of this first\nplace, backward across the front line, and not otherwise by touching or\nforcing it with one foot, the other foot being kept up; that is, the\nplayer must hop and use the foot on the ground to strike \"pick.\" No line\nmust be touched. If this happens, or if the pick, when being driven\ntowards the pitching line, gets away otherwise than across the front\nline, the player is \"out,\" and the next boy goes in. All the beds are\ndone likewise, and all must be then done in a reverse way, beginning\nwith No. 10. The first player who completes the game wins.--Waterville,\nCo. Kerry (Mrs. B. B. Green).\n\n\nPoor Widow.\n\n[Vol. ii. pp. 62, 63.]\n\n Here's a poor widow from Babylon,\n All her sons and daughters are gone.\n Come choose to the east, come choose to the west,\n Come choose you the very one that you like best.\n Now they are married I wish them joy,\n Every year a girl and boy.\n Loving each other like sister and brother,\n A happy new couple may kiss together.\n\n--Laurieston School, Kircudbrightshire (J. Lawson).\n\nA circle is formed, two children in the centre, one of whom kneels, the\nother walks round singing--\n\n I am a poor widow go walking around,\n Go walking around, go walking around, my own.\n And all of my children are married but one,\n Are married but one, are married but one, my own.\n\n I put on a nightcap to keep her head warm,\n To keep her head warm, to keep her head warm, my own.\n Then rise up my daughter and choose whom you please,\n And choose whom you please, and choose whom you please, my own.\n\nThe mother then joins the circle, and the daughter becomes poor widow.\nOn the mention of the nightcap a white handkerchief is spread over the\nhead, the circle walking around slowly, and chanting the words slowly\nand dismally.\n\n--Penzance (Miss Courtney).\n\nSee \"Widow,\" _ante_, p. 381.\n\n\nRashes.\n\nA game played by children with rushes in Derbyshire, which is a relic of\nthe old custom of rush-bearing. In the warm days of May and June the\nvillage children proceed in parties to the sedges and banks of dyke and\nbrook, there to gather the finest and best rushes. These are brought\nwith childish ceremony to some favourite spot, and then woven into\nvarious articles, such as baskets, parasols, and umbrellas. Small\narbours are made of green bushes and strewn with rushes, inside which\nthe children sit and sing and play at \"keeping house\" with much lordly\nceremony. At these times they play at a game which consists in joining\nhands in a circle, and going round a heap of rushes singing or saying--\n\n Mary Green and Bessy Bell,\n They were two bonny lasses;\n They built a house in yonder hill,\n And covered it with rashes.\n Rashes, rashes, rashes!\n\nAt each repetition of the word \"rashes\" (rushes) they loosen hands, and\neach picking up a lot of rushes, throw them into the air, so that they\nmay fall on every one in the descent. Many of the articles made with\nrushes are hung over the chimney-piece in houses, and in children's\nbedrooms, as ornaments or samples of skill, and there remain until the\nnext season, or until the general cleaning at Christmas.--Thomas.\nRadcliffe, in \"Long Ago,\" vol. i. p. 49 (1873).\n\n\nQueen Anne.\n\n[Vol. ii. pp. 90-102.]\n\n Lady Queen Anne, she sits in her pan,\n As fair as a lilly, as white as a lamb;\n Come tittle, come tattle, come tell me this tale,\n Which of these ladies doth carry the ball?\n My father sent me three letters, please deliver the ball.\n\nIf a correct guess is made by the opposite side, the queen and the child\nwho had the ball say--\n\n The ball is mine, it is not yours,\n You may go to the garden and pick more flowers.\n\n--Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).\n\n\nSally Water.\n\n[Vol. ii. pp. 150-179.]\n\n Sally, Sally, Walker, sprinkling in a pan,\n Rye, Sally; rye, Sally, for a young man,\n Come, choose to the east, come, choose to the west,\n And come choose to the very one that you love best.\n\nThe choice is made here, and the two stand in the centre as usual.\n\n Now there's a couple married in joy,\n First a girl and then a boy.\n ---- made a pudding nice and sweet,\n ---- took a knife and tasted it.\n Taste, love; taste, love, don't say no,\n Next Monday morning is our marriage day.\n Seven years after, seven years to come,\n This young man shall be kissed and be done.\n\n--Fochabers, N. E. Scotland (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n Sally, Sally, Water, sprinkled in a pan,\n Rise, Sally; rise, Sally, for a young man.\n Choose the best, leave the worst,\n Choose the prettiest you can.\n\n Now you're married we wish you joy,\n First a girl and then a boy,\n Seven years after son and daughter,\n Kiss before you go over the water.\n\n--London (Dr. A. C. Haddon, from Miss E. A. Passmore).\n\nPlayed in usual way.\n\n\nShuffle the Brogue.\n\n[See \"Hunt the Slipper,\" vol. i. pp. 241, 242.]\n\nThe boys sat on their haunches in a circle. One of the players takes a\nsmall object, and hands it from one to another under the legs from\nbehind. The players as they pass the brogue repeat the words--\n\n Shuffle the brogue once,\n Shuffle the brogue twice,\n Shuffle the brogue thrice.\n\nThe object has always to be passed along in the same direction. One\nplayer who is blindfolded has to catch it as it is passing along. The\none in whose hand it is found becomes the catcher. --Crossmichael,\nKirkcudbrightshire (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\n\nSoldiers, Soldiers.\n\n Soldiers, soldiers, march away,\n Monday morning's here again;\n The drums shall rattle, the pipes shall play\n \"Over the hills and far away.\"\n Now you're married I wish you joy,\n First a girl and then a boy;\n If one don't kiss, the other must,\n So kiss, kiss, kiss.\n\n--Girton Village, Cambridgeshire (Dr. A. C. Haddon).\n\nA circle is formed, and the children sing the first four lines. One\nchooses a partner, and they dance round in the ring.\n\n\nThree Dukes.\n\n[Vol. ii. pp. 233-255.]\n\nIn a version of the Three Dukes, collected by Dr. A. C. Haddon, the\nfirst lines are--\n\n Here comes one duke a riding by, a riding by,\n A riding by (repeat).\n Rasima, Tasima, Tisima tay;\n Pray what is your will, sir?\n My will is to get married.\n Will any of my fair daughters do?\n They're all as stiff as pokers.\n We can bend as well as you, sir.\n\nThe duke goes round, chooses one, and sings--\n\n I go to the kitchen, I go to the hall,\n I pick the fairest one of all (as previous versions).\n\n--Girton Village, Cambridgeshire (Dr. A. C. Haddon).\n\n\nThree Knights from Spain. [Vol. ii. pp. 257-279.]\n\nA version of this game called \"Gipsies,\" varies slightly from those\npreviously printed.\n\n Here comes one gipsy come from Spain,\n To call upon your daughter Jane;\n\n Our daughter Jane is far too young,\n To be controlled by flattering tongue.\n\n Oh, very well, I must away;\n I'll call again some other day.\n\n Come back, come back,\n Your tails are flag,\n And choose the fairest one you see.\n\nThe gipsy then chooses a girl from the line of players, and asks her to\ncome. The girl asked replies, \"No.\" Then the gipsy turns round and\ndances, saying, \"Naughty girl, she won't come out (repeat), to help me\nin my dancing.\" Again the gipsy asks the girl, when she replies, \"Yes,\"\nand goes to the gipsy, who says, \"Now we have got the flower of May,\nthe flower of May, &c., to help us with our dancing.\"--Auchencairn, N.\nB. (Mary Haddon).\n\n\nTug-of-War Game.\n\n Apples and oranges, two for a penny,\n Come all ye good scholars, buy ever so many.\n Come choose the east, come choose the west,\n Come choose the one you love the best.\n\nPlayed like \"Oranges and Lemons.\" One child is \"Apple,\" and another\n\"Orange.\"--Ross-shire (Rev. Dr. Gregor).\n\nPlayed in the same way is--\n\n Pancakes and flitters is the wax of cantailers,[18]\n I owe you two farthings, I'll pay you to-morrow;\n Here comes a candle to light you to bed,\n Here comes a hatchet to chop off your head.\n\n--Isle of Man (A. W. Moore).\n\n [18] Mr. Moore says he does not know the meaning of this word.\n\n\nWe are the Rovers.\n\n[Vol. ii. pp. 343-360].\n\nIn a version sent me by Dr. Haddon, there is a slight variation. The\nfirst lines of each verse are--\n\n Have you any bread and wine?\n We are the Romans.\n Have you, &c.\n\n Yes, we have some bread and wine,\n We are the English.\n Yes, we have, &c.\n\n Will you give us some of it, &c.\n No; we'll give you none of it, &c.\n We will tell our magistrates, &c.\n We don't care for your magistrates, &c.\n We will tell our new-born prince, &c.\n We don't care for your new-born prince, &c.\n Are you ready for a fight?\n Yes, we're ready for a fight.\n Tuck up sleeves and have a fight.\n\nGeneral scrimmage follows.--Girton Village, Cambridgeshire (Dr. A. C.\nHaddon).\n\n\nWhen I was a Young Girl.\n\n[Vol. ii. pp. 362-374.]\n\nThe first lines are--\n\n When I was a naughty girl, &c., and this way went I (shrugging\n shoulders),\n When I was a good girl, &c. (folding arms, walking soberly),\n When I was a teacher (beating time or whacking, optional),\n When I went a-courting (walking arm in arm),\n When I had a baby (nursing apron as baby),\n When my baby died (crying),\n When my father beat me (hitting one another),\n When my father died,\n How I did laugh! (laughing).\n\n--Girton Village, Cambridgeshire (Dr. A. C. Haddon).\n\n\n\n\nMEMOIR ON THE STUDY OF CHILDREN'S GAMES\n\n\nChildren's games have not hitherto been studied in the same way as\ncustoms and superstitions and folk-tales have been studied, namely, as a\ndefinite branch of folk-lore. It is well however, to bear in mind that\nthey form a branch by themselves, and that, as such, they contribute to\nthe results which folk-lore is daily producing towards elucidating many\nunrecorded facts in the early history of civilised man.\n\nAlthough games have been used by Dr. Tylor and others as anthropological\nevidence, these authorities have mostly confined themselves to those\ngames of skill or chance which happen to have parallels in savage life;\nand the particular point of their conclusions rests rather upon the\nparallels, than upon the substantive evidence of the games themselves.\n\nI will first point out the nature of the material for the study. It will\nbe seen that the greater number of games printed in these two volumes\nhave been collected by myself and many kind correspondents, from\nchildren in the present day--games that these children have learned from\nother children or from their parents, and in no case, so far as I am\naware, have they been learned from a printed source. To this collection\nI have added all printed versions of the traditional game, that is,\nversions of games written down by the collector of folk-lore and\ndialect--in some cases unconscious collectors of folk custom--from any\navailable source. A distinctive feature of the collection is, therefore,\nthat I have printed all versions of each game known to me which show\ndifferences of words or methods of play. The importance of having all\nthe principal variants from different parts of the country will be\nobvious when definite conclusions as to the origin and significance of\ntraditional games are being considered.\n\nStrutt mentions many games played by boys in his day, but his remarks\nare confined principally to games of skill with marbles, tops, &c., and\ngames like \"Prisoner's Base,\" \"Scots and English,\" \"Hot Cockles,\" &c. He\nrecords none of those interesting dialogue games which we know now as\nsinging games. It may be that these games were in his day, as now, the\nproperty more of girls than of boys, and he may not have looked for or\nthought of recording them, for it can hardly be imagined that he was\nunaware of their existence. He records swinging and ball and shuttlecock\nplaying as girls' amusements, but very little else, and it cannot even\nbe suggested that the singing game and dialogue game have arisen since\nhis time. Indeed, an examination of the games will, I hope, prove for\nthem a very remote origin, showing traces of early beliefs and customs\nwhich children could not have invented, and would not have made the\nsubjects of their play unless those beliefs and customs were as familiar\nto them as cabs, omnibuses, motor cars, and railways, are to the\nchildren of to-day, who use these things as factors in games which they\nmake up.\n\nI do not pretend to have made a complete collection of all versions of\ngames to be found in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It will be seen\nfrom my list that some counties are entirely unrepresented; but I think\nexamples enough have been brought together from a sufficient number of\ndifferent places to show that, even could I obtain the games of every\ncounty, I could not reasonably hope to obtain any that would be\ncompletely different from those appearing here. Versions differing, more\nor less, in words from these would, doubtless, appear, but I do not\nthink an entirely different game, or any variants that would materially\nalter my conclusions, will now be found. All those sent me during the\nprogress of the volumes through the press--and these are a considerable\nnumber--show no appreciable differences.\n\nA detailed examination of each game has led me to draw certain\nconclusions as to the origin of many of the games. These conclusions\ndiffer materially from those advanced by Halliwell, Strutt, or the\nearlier writers, when they have attempted to suggest the origin of a\ngame. I also differ from Mr. Newell in many of the conclusions advanced\nin his admirable collection of American children's games, although I\nfully recognise the importance of his method of research. I believe,\ntoo, that hitherto no attention has been paid to the manner or method in\nwhich the game is played. It is to the \"method\" or \"form\" of play, when\ntaken together with the words, that I wish to draw particular attention,\nbelieving it to be most important to the history of the games.\n\nI do not, of course, claim that all the games recorded in these two\nvolumes are traditional in their present form, or have had independent\norigins; many of these now known under different names have a common\norigin. There is, probably, not one game in the same condition,\nespecially as regards words, as it was fifty or a hundred years ago; but\nI consider the \"form\" or \"method\" would remain practically the same even\nif the words get materially altered.\n\nAll games seem primarily to fall into one of two sections: the first,\ndramatic games; the second, games of skill and chance. Now the game\nproper, according to the general idea, must contain the element of\nwinning or losing. Thus, the games of skill and chance are played either\nfor the express purpose of winning property of some sort from a less\nfortunate or skilful player, or to attain individual distinction. Games\nof this kind are usually called boys' games, and are played principally\nby them; but beyond these generally recognised games is the important\nsection of dramatic games, which are regarded as the property of the\ngirls, and played principally by them.\n\nThese two sections are generally considered as the peculiar\n\nand particular property of each sex. Although this idea is borne out by\na study of the traditional game, it will be found that the boys have\ndramatic games of their own, and the girls have special games of skill\nand chance. It has so happened, however, that the development in the\ncase of the boys' dramatic games has been in the direction of\nincreasing the rules or laws of a game, introducing thereby so much\nvariety that it is difficult to recognise them as descendants of the\ndramatic originals. This has probably been the result of their use in\nschool playgrounds, while the girls' dramatic games, not being utilised\nas a means of exercise, have been left alone, and are dying a natural\ndeath.\n\nIt will be convenient if, at this point, the games are classified as I\nshall use them in discussing the question of origin. The first necessary\nclassification will relate to the incidents which show the customs and\nrites from which the games have descended; the second classification\nwill relate to the dramatic force of the games, as it is from this that\nI hope to construct the ladder by which the game can be shown to have\ndescended from a long past stage of culture.\n\nThe classification, according to incident, is as follows, the name of\neach game referring to the title-name in the dictionary:--\n\n\nMARRIAGE GAMES.\n\n All the Boys.\n Babbity Bowster.\n Cushion Dance.\n Down in the Valley.\n Galley, Galley, Ship.\n Glasgow Ships.\n Hear all! let me at her.\n Here comes a Virgin.\n Here's a Soldier left alone.\n Here stands a Young Man.\n Isabella.\n Jolly Miller.\n King William.\n Kiss in the Ring.\n Mary mixed a Pudding.\n Merry-ma-tanza.\n Nuts in May.\n Oats and Beans.\n Oliver, Oliver, follow the King.\n Pretty little Girl of Mine.\n Queen Anne.\n Rosy Apple.\n Round and round the Village.\n Sally Water.\n Silly Old Man, he walks alone.\n Three Dukes.\n Three Knights.\n Three Sailors.\n Widow.\n\n\nCOURTSHIP AND LOVEMAKING GAMES.\n\n Curly Locks.\n Dig for Silver.\n Gallant Ship.\n Here comes a Lusty Wooer.\n Here I sit on a Cold Green Bank.\n Hey Wullie Wine.\n Jolly Hooper.\n Jolly Sailors.\n Knocked at the Rapper.\n Lady on the Mountain.\n Paper of Pins.\n Pray, pretty Miss.\n Queen Mary.\n Ring me Rary.\n Salmon Fishers.\n Shame Reel.\n Soldier.\n Sun Shines.\n Three Old Bachelors.\n Wind, The.\n\n\nFORTRESS GAMES.\n\n Barbarie, King of the.\n Canlie (Addenda).\n How many Miles to Babylon.\n King of the Castle.\n London Bridge.\n Tower of London.\n Willie Wastell.\n\n\nFUNERAL GAMES.\n\n Booman.\n Green Grass.\n Green Gravel.\n Jenny Jones.\n Old Roger.\n Wallflowers.\n\n\nHARVEST GAMES.\n\n Oats and Beans and Barley.\n Would you know how doth the Peasant?\n\n\nTRADE GAMES.\n\n Dumb Motions.\n Trades.\n\n\nGHOST GAMES.\n\n Deil amo' the Dishes.\n Ghost at the Well.\n Mouse and Cobbler.\n\n\nWELL WORSHIP GAME.\n\n Draw a Pail of Water.\n\n\nRUSH-BEARING GAME.\n\n Rashes.\n\n\nTREE WORSHIP GAME.\n\n Eller Tree.\n\n\nWINDING UP GAMES.\n\n Bulliheisle.\n Port the Helm.\n Snail Creep.\n Tuilzie Wap.\n Wind up the Bush Faggot.\n\n\nTABU GAME.\n\n Old Soldier.\n\n\nDIVINATION GAMES.\n\n Dan'l my Man.\n Hot Cockles.\n Jack's Alive.\n Keppy Ball.\n 'Ot millo.\n Priest Cat.\n Ragman.\n Ringie Red Belt.\n Shuttlefeather.\n Swinging.\n\n\nVICTIMISING OR PENALTY GAMES.\n\n(_Forms of Torture._)\n\n Block, Hammer, and Nail.\n Bonnety.\n Carrying the Queen a Letter.\n Cat Beds.\n Cobbin Match.\n Cry Notchil.\n Dump.\n Ezzeka.\n Father's Fiddle.\n Heap the Cairn.\n Hecklebirnie.\n Hewley Puley.\n Hickety Bickety.\n Hiry Hag.\n Hot Cockles.\n Jack's Alive.\n Magic Whistle.\n More Sacks to the Mill.\n Namers and Guessers.\n Priest of the Parish.\n Pun o' mair Weight.\n Ronin the Bee.\n Sacks.\n Salt Eel.\n Shoe the Auld Mare.\n Wild Birds.\n\n\nCHARM GAMES.\n\n Cockeldy Bread.\n Thun'er Spell.\n\n\nEFFIGY GAME.\n\n Drawing Dun out of the Mire.\n\n\nIMITATION OF SPORT GAMES.\n\n All a Row.\n Cock-fight.\n Hare and Hounds.\n Hunting.\n Knights.\n Puff in the Dart.\n\n\nIMITATION OF SPORTS (WITH ANIMAL) GAMES.\n\n Badger the Bear.\n Bull in the Park.\n Call the Guse.\n Cockertie-hooie.\n Cock-fight.\n Cock's-heading.\n Doncaster Cherries.\n Fox.\n Fox in the Fold.\n Fox in the Hole.\n Frog in the Middle.\n Garden Gate.\n Hare and Hounds.\n Shue-Gled-Wylie.\n Wolf.\n\n\nWEIGHING GAMES.\n\n Bag o' Malt.\n Honey Pots.\n Rockety Row.\n Way Zaltin'.\n Weigh the Butter.\n\n\nWITCH OR CHILD STEALING GAMES.\n\n Gipsy.\n Keeling the Pot.\n Mother, Mother, the Pot boils over.\n Old Cranny Crow.\n Steal the Pigs.\n Three Jolly Welshmen.\n Witch.\n\n\nANIMAL CONTEST GAMES.\n\n Chickens, come clock.\n Fox and Geese.\n Gled-Wylie.\n Hen and Chickens.\n Letting the Buck out.\n Old Dame.\n Shepherds and Sheep.\n Who goes round my Stone Wall?\n Wolf.\n Wolf and Lamb.\n\n\nFISHING GAME.\n\n Catch the Salmond.\n\n\nCHURNING GAME.\n\n Churning.\n\n\nCONUNDRUM GAMES.\n\n Cross Questions.\n Thing done.\n Three Flowers.\n\n\nGUESSING GAMES.\n\n All the Birds in the Air.\n Bannockburn.\n Bird Apprentice.\n Birds, Beasts, and Fishes.\n Brother Ebenezer.\n Buck, Buck.\n Buff.\n Dumb Crambo.\n Fool, Fool, come to School.\n Handy Croopen.\n Handy Dandy.\n Hiss and Clap.\n Hot Cockles.\n King Plaster Palacey.\n Little Dog I call you.\n Namers and Guessers.\n Old Johnny Hairy.\n Priest-Cat (2).\n Religious Church.\n Thimble Ring.\n Trades.\n\n\nCONTEST GAMES.\n\n\n_To take Prisoners._\n\n Bedlams.\n Blackthorn.\n Buckey-how.\n Canlie.\n Chickidy Hand.\n Click.\n Cock.\n Flowers.\n Hornie.\n Hunt the Staigie.\n Johnny Rover.\n King C\u00e6sar.\n King Come-a-lay.\n King of Cantland.\n Lamploo.\n Over Clover.\n Prisoner's Base.\n Range the Bus.\n Rax.\n Relievo.\n Rin-im-over.\n Save all.\n Shepherds.\n Stacks.\n Stag.\n Stag Warning.\n Warney.\n\n\n_Prisoners and Possession of Ground._\n\n Barley Break.\n French and English.\n How many Miles to Babylon (2).\n Pi-cow.\n Prisoner's Base.\n Range the Bus.\n Rigs.\n Scots and English.\n\n\n_Catching and Touching for \"he\" or \"it.\"_\n\n Black Doggie.\n Blackman's Tig.\n Boggle about the Stacks.\n Canlie.\n Cross Tig.\n Cutters and Trucklers.\n Drop Handkerchief.\n Fire on the Mountains.\n Hand in and Hand out.\n High Windows.\n Jinkie.\n King o' the Castle.\n Letting the Buck out.\n Long Terrace.\n Mannie on the Pavement.\n One Catch all.\n Push in the Wash Tub.\n Puss in the Corner.\n Rakes and Roans.\n Round Tag.\n Ticky Touchwood.\n Tig.\n Time.\n Tom Tiddler's Ground.\n Touch.\n Tres-acre.\n Twos and Threes.\n\n\n_Tug of War._\n\n A' the Birdies.\n Namers and Guessers.\n Oranges and Lemons.\n Sun and Moon.\n Three Day's Holidays.\n Through the Needle 'ee.\n\n\nDANCE GAMES.\n\n(_With words and singing._)\n\n All the Soldiers in the Town.\n Alligoshee.\n Auntie loomie.\n As I was walking.\n Ball of Primrose.\n Basket.\n Bell-Horses.\n Betsy Bungay.\n Bingo.\n Bold Jolly Lads.\n Boys and Girls.\n Carry my Lady to London.\n Chicamy.\n Click, Clock, Cluck.\n Contrary, Rules of.\n Dinah.\n Duck Dance.\n Duck under the Water.\n Farmer's Den.\n Frincy-francy.\n Galloping.\n Green Grass (Addenda).\n Green grow the Leaves (2).\n Green grow the Leaves.\n Here we go Around.\n Jenny Mac.\n Jingo Ring.\n Leap Candle.\n Leaves are Green.\n Long Duck.\n Lubin.\n My delight's in Tansies.\n Ph[oe]be.\n Pop goes the Weasel.\n Pray, pretty Miss.\n Pretty Miss Pink.\n Push the Business on.\n Queen Mary.\n Ring by Ring.\n Ring o' Roses.\n Round and Round went the Gallant\n Ship.\n Sailor Lad.\n Sally go round.\n Sunday Night.\n Three Little Ships.\n Town Lovers.\n Trip and Go.\n Turn Cheeses.\n Turn the Ship.\n Turvey Turvey.\n Uncle John.\n Up the Streets.\n Weary.\n Weave the Diaper.\n\n\nDANCE AND SEE-SAW GAMES.\n\n Cobble.\n Cobbler's Hornpipe.\n Curcuddie.\n Cutch-a-Cutchoo.\n Harie Hutcheon.\n Hirtschin Hairy.\n Huckie Buckie down the Brae.\n See-saw.\n Skiver the Guse.\n\n\nHIDE AND SEEK GAMES.\n\n\n(1.) PERSONS--\n\n Bicky.\n Cuckoo.\n Gilty Galty.\n Hide and Seek (1).\n Howly.\n Kick the Block.\n King by your Leave.\n Mount the Tin.\n Salt Eel.\n Spy Arm.\n Strike-a-licht.\n\n\n(2). OBJECTS--\n\n Codham.\n Find the Ring.\n Gigg.\n Hide and Seek (2).\n Kittlie-cout.\n Odd-man.\n Peesie Weet.\n Priest Cat (2).\n Shuffle the Brogue.\n Smuggle the Gig.\n Thimble Ring.\n Tip it.\n\n\nLEAP-FROG AND HOPPING GAMES.\n\n Accroshay.\n Bung the Bucket.\n Cat Gallows.\n Foot and Over.\n Half Hammer.\n Hop Frog.\n Hopscotch.\n Leap-frog.\n Loup the Bullocks.\n Saddle the Nag.\n Ships.\n Skin the Goatie.\n\n\nCARRYING GAMES.\n\n Betsy Bungay.\n Carry my Lady to London.\n King's Chair.\n Knapsack.\n Knights.\n\n\nBLINDFOLD GAMES.\n\n Blind Bell.\n Blindman's Buff.\n Blindman's Stan.\n Buff.\n Cock Stride.\n Dinah.\n French Blindman's Buff.\n Giddy.\n Hot Cockles.\n Kick the Block.\n Muffin Man.\n Old Johnny Hairy, Crap in!\n 'Ot millo.\n Pillie Winkie.\n Pointing out a Point.\n Queen of Sheba.\n\n\nFOLLOW MY LEADER GAMES.\n\n Follow my Gable.\n Follow my Leader.\n Jock and Jock's Man.\n Quaker.\n Quaker's Wedding.\n Religious Church.\n Solomon.\n The Drummer Man.\n\n\nFORFEIT GAMES.\n\n American Post.\n Button.\n Cross Questions.\n Diamond Ring.\n Fire, Air, Water.\n Follow my Gable.\n Forfeits.\n Genteel Lady.\n Jack's Alive.\n Malaga Raisins.\n Mineral, Animal, Vegetable.\n Minister's Cat.\n Mr. Barnes.\n Old Soldier.\n Turn the Trencher.\n Twelve Days of Christmas.\n Wads and the Wears.\n\n\nBALL, HAND.\n\n Ball.\n Ball in the Decker.\n Balloon.\n Balls and Bonnets.\n Burly Whush.\n Caiche.\n Colley Ball.\n Cuck-ball.\n Cuckoo.\n Han'-and-Hail.\n Hats in Holes.\n Keppy Ball.\n Monday, Tuesday.\n Pat-Ball.\n Pize Ball.\n Pots.\n Stones.\n Teesty-Tosty.\n Trip-Trout.\n Tut-ball.\n\n\nBALL, FOOT.\n\n Camp.\n Football.\n Hood.\n\n\nBALL GAMES.\n\n(_With bats and sticks played by rival parties._)\n\n Bad.\n Baddin.\n Bandy-ball.\n Bandy-cad.\n Bandy-hoshoe.\n Bandy-wicket.\n Bittle-battle.\n Buzz and Bandy.\n Cat and Dog.\n Cat and Dog Hole.\n Catchers.\n Cat i' the Hole.\n Chinnup.\n Chow.\n Church and Mice.\n Codlings.\n Common.\n Crab-sowl.\n Crooky.\n Cuck-ball.\n Cudgel.\n Dab-an-Thricker.\n Doddart.\n Hawkey.\n Hockey.\n Hornie Holes.\n Hummie.\n Hurling.\n Jowls.\n Kibel and Nerspel.\n Kirk the Gussie.\n Kit-Cat.\n Lobber.\n Munshets.\n Nur and Spel.\n Peg and Stick.\n Rounders.\n Scrush.\n Shinney.\n Sow-in-the-Kirk.\n Stones.\n Stool-ball.\n Tip-cat.\n Trap-bat and ball.\n Tribet.\n Trippet and coit.\n Troap.\n Trounce hole.\n Trunket.\n Waggles.\n\n\nGAMES OF SKILL AND CHANCE.\n\nAIM--_Throwing sticks or stones to hit particular object._\n\n All in the Well.\n Cockly Jock.\n Cogs.\n Doagan.\n Duck at the Table.\n Duckstone.\n Loggats.\n Mag.\n Nacks.\n Paip.\n Pay Swad.\n Peg-fiched.\n Penny Cast.\n Penny Prick.\n Roly Poly.\n\n\nBUTTONS.\n\n Banger.\n Buttons.\n Cots and Twisses.\n Hard Buttons.\n Pitch and Toss.\n Skyte the Bob.\n\n\nCHANCE, or GAMBLING.\n\n Chuck Farthing.\n Cross and Pile.\n Dab.\n Davie Drap.\n Hairry my Bossie.\n Headicks and Pinticks.\n Heads and Tails.\n Hustle Cap.\n Jingle-the-Bonnet.\n Lang Larence.\n Neivie-nick-nack.\n Odd-man.\n Odd or Even.\n Pednameny.\n Pick and Hotch.\n Pinch.\n\n\nCHERRY STONES.\n\n Cherry Odds.\n Cherry-pit.\n Paip.\n\n\nEGGS.\n\n Blindman's Stan.\n Cogger.\n Jauping Paste-eggs.\n Pillie Winkie.\n Wink-egg.\n\n\nMARBLES.\n\n Boss-out.\n Bridgeboard.\n Bun-hole.\n Capie-hole.\n Castles.\n Chock or Chock-hole.\n Cob.\n Crates.\n Dumps.\n Ho-go.\n Hoilakes.\n Holy Bang.\n Hundreds.\n Hynny-pynny.\n Lab.\n Lag.\n Long-Tawl.\n Marbles.\n Nine holes.\n Pig-ring.\n Pit-Counter.\n Pits.\n Plum pudding.\n Pyramids.\n Ring-taw.\n Ship-sail.\n Shuvvy-Hawle.\n Span-counter.\n Spangle.\n Spannims.\n Splints.\n Stroke.\n Three Holes.\n\n\nNUTS ON STRING.\n\n Cob-nut.\n Cock-battler.\n Cogger.\n Conkers.\n Conquerors.\n Jud.\n Peggy nut.\n\n\nON DIAGRAM OR PLAN.\n\n Corsicrown.\n Fipenny Morell.\n Fox and Geese (2).\n Hap-the-beds.\n Hickety-Hackety.\n Hopscotch.\n Kit-cat-cannio.\n London.\n Nine Men's Morris.\n Noughts and Crosses.\n Pickie.\n Tip-tap-toe.\n Tit-tat-toe.\n Tods-and-lambs.\n Tray Trip.\n Troy Town.\n\n\nPENCE.\n\n Chuck Farthing.\n Chuck Hole.\n\n\nPINS.\n\n Hattie.\n Pinny-Show.\n Pins.\n Pop-the-Bonnet.\n Push-pin.\n\n\nSHUTTLECOCK.\n\nShuttlefeather.\n\n\nSTONES AND DICE.\n\n Chance Bone.\n Checkstones.\n Chucks.\n Dalies.\n Dibbs.\n Ducks and Drakes.\n Gobs.\n Huckle-Bones.\n Jackysteauns.\n\n\nTOPS.\n\n Chippings.\n Gully.\n Hoatie.\n Hoges.\n Peg-in-the-Ring.\n Peg Top.\n Scop-peril.\n Scurran-Meggy.\n Tops.\n Totum.\n Whigmeleerie.\n\n\nWITH FINGERS AND STRING.\n\n Cat's-Cradle.\n\nThis leaves over a few games which do not come under either of these\nchief heads, and appear now to be only forms of pure amusement. These\nare:--\n\n Blow-point.\n Bob Cherry.\n Bummers.\n Chinny-mumps.\n Cuddy among the Powks.\n Dish-a-loof.\n Dust Point.\n Handy Dandy.\n Level Coil.\n Lug and a Bite.\n Lugs.\n Magician.\n Malaga Raisins.\n Musical Chairs.\n Neighbour, I torment thee.\n Obadiah.\n Penny Hop.\n Pigeon Walk.\n Pinny Show.\n Pins.\n Pirly Peaseweep.\n Pon Cake.\n Poor and Rich.\n Prick at the Loop.\n Robbing the Parson's Hen Roost.\n Scat.\n She Said, and She Said.\n Stagging.\n Sticky-stack.\n Stroke Bias.\n Sweer Tree.\n Thing Done.\n Troco.\n Troule-in-Madame.\n Truncher.\n Turn Spit Jack.\n Wiggle Waggle.\n Wild Boar.\n\nIn order to show the importance of this classification, let me first\nrefer to the games of skill. These are (1) where one individual plays\nwith some articles belonging to himself against several other players\nwho play with corresponding articles belonging to them; (2) where one\nplayer attempts to gain articles deposited beforehand by all the players\nas stakes or objects to be played for. These games are played with\nbuttons, marbles, cherry-stones, nuts, pins, and pence. In the second\ngroup, each player stakes one or more of these articles before beginning\nplay, which stakes become the property of the winner of the game. The\nobject of some of the games in the first group is the destruction of the\narticle with which the opponent plays. This is the case with the games\nof \"conkers\" played with nuts on a string, and peg-top; the nuts and top\nare broken, if possible, by the players, to prevent their being used\nagain, the peg of the top being retained by the winner as a trophy. The\nsuccessful nut or top has the merit and glory of having destroyed\npreviously successful nuts or tops. The victories of the one destroyed\nare tacked on and appropriated by each victor in succession. So we see a\nnut or a top which has destroyed another having a record of, say,\ntwenty-five victories, taking these twenty-five victories of its\nopponent and adding them to its own score. In like manner the pegs of\nthe tops slain in peg-top are preserved and shown as trophies. That the\ndestruction of the implements of the game, although not adding to the\nimmediate wealth of the winner, does materially increase his importance,\nis manifest, especially in the days when these articles were\ncomparatively much more expensive than now, or when it meant, as at one\ntime it must have done, the making of another implement.\n\nThese games are of interest to the folk-lorist, as showing connection\nwith early custom. We know that playing at games for stakes involving\nlife or death to the winner, or the possession of the loser's magical or\nvaluable property or knowledge, is not only found in another branch of\nfolk-lore, namely, folk-tales, but there is plenty of evidence of the\nearly belief that the possession of a weapon which had, in the hands of\na skilful chief, done great execution, would give additional skill and\npower to the person who succeeded in obtaining it. When I hear of a\nsuccessful \"conker\" or top being preserved and handed down from father\nto son,[19] and exhibited with tales of its former victories, I believe\nwe have survivals of the form of transmission of virtues from one person\nto another through the means of an acquired object. I do not think that\nthe cumulative reckoning and its accompanying ideas would occur to\nmodern boys, unless they had inherited the conception of the virtue of a\nconquered enemy's weapon being transferred to the conqueror's.\n\n [19] I know of one nut which was preserved and shown to admiring boys\n as a conqueror of 1000.\n\nOther games of skill are those played by two or more players on diagrams\nor plans. Many of these diagrams and plans are found scratched or carved\non the stone flooring or walls of old churches, cathedrals, and monastic\nbuildings, showing that the boys and men of the Middle Ages played them\nas a regular amusement--probably monks were not averse to this kind of\ndiversion in the intervals of religious exercise; plans were also made\non the ground, and the games played regularly by shepherds and other\npeople of outdoor occupation. We know this was so with the well-known\n\"Nine Men's Morris\" in Shakespeare's time, and there is no reason why\nthis should not be the case with others, although \"Nine Men's Morris\"\nappears to have been the favourite. These diagram games are primitive in\nidea, and simple in form. They consist primarily of two players trying\nto form a row of three stones in three consecutive places on the plan;\nthe one who first accomplishes this, wins. This is the case with\n\"Kit-Cat-Cannio\" (better known as \"Noughts and Crosses\") \"Corsicrown\"\nand \"Nine Men's Morris.\"\n\nNow, in \"Noughts and Crosses\" the simplest form of making a \"row of\nthree,\" where only two players play, and in another diagram game called\n\"Tit-Tat-Toe,\" it is possible for neither player to win, and in this\ncase the result is marked or scored to an unknown or invisible third\nplayer, who is called \"Old Nick,\" \"Old Tom,\" or \"Old Harry.\" In some\nversions this third player is allowed to keep all the marks he\nregisters, and to win the game if possible; in others, the next\nsuccessful player takes \"Old Nick's\" score and adds it to his own. Here\nwe have an element which needs explanation, and it is interesting to\nremind oneself of the primitive custom of assigning a certain proportion\nof the crops or pieces of land to the devil, or other earth spirit,\nwhich assignment was made by lot. It seems to me that a game in which an\ninvisible player takes part must come from an era in which unknown\nspirits were believed to take part in people's lives, the interpretation\nof such part being obtained by means of divination.\n\nAgain, in the games played with ball (hand) are remains of divination,\nand the ball games played by two opposite parties with bats and sticks,\nthe origin of our modern cricket and football, have been developed from\nthose early contests which have played such an important part in parish\nand town politics. Even in the simple game of \"Touch\" or \"Tig\" a\nprimitive element can be found. In this game, as in many others, it is\none of the fundamental rules, now unfortunately being disregarded, that\nthe player who is \"he\" or \"it\" must be chosen by lot; one of the\n\"counting out\" rhymes is said until all the players but one are counted\nout--this one is then \"he.\" This \"he\" is apparently a \"tabooed\" person;\nhe remains \"he\" until he succeeds in touching another, who becomes\n\"tabooed\" in turn, and the first is then restored to his own\npersonality. There would be no necessity for this deciding by lot unless\nsomething of an ignominious or \"evil\" character had been originally\nassociated with the \"unnamed\" or \"tabooed\" player. In some games the\nplayer who is counted out is the victim of the rough play or punishment,\nwhich is the motive of the game. It is possible that the game of \"Touch\"\nhas developed from the practice of choosing a victim by lot, or from\ntabooing people suffering from certain diseases or subjected to some\nspecial punishment.\n\nThe \"counting out\" rhymes of children are in themselves an interesting\nand curious study. They contain the remains in distorted form of some of\nthe early numerals. The fact of a counting-out rhyme being used in the\ngames is of itself evidence of antiquity and old usage. For those\ninterested in this branch of study I can refer to the valuable book on\nthis subject by Mr. H. Carrington Bolton, which contains hundreds of\nthese rhymes collected from various sources.\n\nI mention these instances of possible connection between the games of\nskill and ancient belief and custom, to show that the anthropological\nsignificance of traditional games is not absent from what might perhaps\nbe considered quite modern games. This is important to my argument,\nbecause when I turn to the dramatic section of children's games there is\nso much evidence of the survival of ancient custom and belief, that I am\nsupported in the arguments which I shall advance by the fact that the\nwhole province of children's play, and not particular departments,\ncontribute to this evidence. It will be seen from the classification\nthat many customs are dramatised or represented in a more or less\nimperfect form in a large number of games, and that these customs have\nbeen those which obtained a firm hold on the people, and formed an\nintegral part of their daily life. Courtship, love, and marriage form\nthe largest number; then the contest games for the taking of prisoners\nand of territory are the next in point of numbers. Funerals appear as\nthe next most widely spread, then harvest customs, while the practice of\ndivination, the belief in ghosts and charms, well-worship, tree-worship,\nand rush-bearing, witches, and child-stealing, are fully represented.\nNext come imitations of sports (animal), and contest games between\nanimals, and then a number of games in which \"guessing\" is a principal\nfeature, and a large number dealing with penalties or punishments\ninflicted for breach of rules.\n\nA survey of the classification scheme of traditional games introduces\nthe important fact that games contain customs; in other words, that\ngames of skill and chance have come down from a time when practices were\nin vogue which had nothing originally to do with games, and that\ndramatic games have come down from times when the action they dramatise\nwas the contemporary action of the people. It becomes important,\ntherefore, to work more closely into the details of these games, to\nascertain if we can what customs are preserved, to what people or period\nof culture they might have belonged. In many instances enough is said\nunder each game to show the significance of the conclusions, but when\nbrought together and compared one with another these conclusions become\nmore significant. The fact that marriage custom is preserved in a given\nform becomes of immense value when it is found to have been preserved in\nmany games. I shall not go further into the games of skill and chance,\nbut confine myself to the important class of dramatic games.\n\nBy the dramatic game I mean a play or amusement which consists of words\nsung or said by the players, accompanied by certain pantomimic actions\nwhich accord with the words used, or, as I prefer to put it, of certain\ndefinite and settled actions performed by the players to indicate\ncertain meanings, of which the words are only a further illustration.\n\nTo take the method of play first, I have found five distinct and\ndifferent methods:--\n\n(1) The line form of game, played by the children being divided into two\nsides of about an equal number on each side, with a space of ground of\nabout eight or ten feet between the two lines. Each line joins hands,\nand advances and retires in turn while singing or saying their parts.\n\n(2) The circle form, played by the children joining hands and forming a\ncircle, and all walking or dancing round together when singing the\nwords.\n\n(3) The individual form, where the children take separate characters and\nact a little play.\n\n(4) The arch form, in which two children clasp each other's hands, hold\ntheir arms high, and so form a kind of arch, beneath which all the other\nplayers run in single file.\n\n(5) Winding-up form, in which the players, clasping hands, wind round\nanother player until all are wedged closely together, and then unwind\nagain, generally assuming a serpentine form in so doing.\n\nIt will be well, in the first place, to arrange the games played under\neach of these methods:--\n\n\nGAMES PLAYED IN LINE FORM (_with singing and action_).\n\n Babbity Bowster.\n Green Grass.\n Hark the Robbers (_one form_).\n Here comes a Lusty Wooer.\n Here comes one Virgin on her Knee.\n Jenny Jones (_one form_).\n Jolly Hooper (_only one line advance_).\n Lady of the Land.\n London Bridge (_one form_).\n Mary Brown (_one form_).\n Milking Pails.\n Nuts in May.\n Pray, pretty Miss (_one form_).\n Queen Anne.\n Three Dukes.\n Three Knights.\n Three Sailors.\n We are the Rovers.\n\n\nCIRCLE FORM (_singing and action subdivided into three methods_).\n\n (1) Green Gravel.\n Jolly Miller.\n London Bridge (_some versions_).\n Lubin.\n Mulberry Bush.\n Nettles.\n Oats and Beans and Barley.\n Ring a Ring o' Roses.\n Rushes.\n Wallflowers.\n When I was a Young Girl.\n Would You know how doth the Peasant?\n\n (2) All the boys.\n Down in the Valley.\n Glasgow Ships.\n Here stands a Young Man.\n Isabella.\n Jolly Fisherman.\n Jolly Sailors.\n King William.\n Kiss in the Ring.\n Knocked at the Rapper.\n Lady on the Mountain.\n Mary Brown.\n Mary mixed a Pudding.\n Merry-ma-tanza.\n Needle Cases.\n Old Widow.\n Oliver, Oliver, follow the King.\n Poor Mary sits a-weeping.\n Poor Widow.\n Pretty little Girl of Mine.\n Punch Bowl.\n Queen Mary.\n Rosy Apple, Lemon, and Pear.\n Round and Round the Gallant Ship.\n Sally Water.\n Silly Old Man.\n Uncle John.\n Wind.\n\n (3) Booman.\n Old Roger.\n Round and Round the Village.\n Who goes round my Stone Wall?\n\n\nINDIVIDUAL FORM (_dialogue game_).\n\n Auld Grannie.\n Baste the Bear.\n Fox and Goose.\n Ghost at the Well.\n Gipsey.\n Gled-wylie.\n Hen and Chickens.\n Honey Pots.\n Jack, Jack, the Bread's a-burnin'.\n Keeling the Pot.\n King of the Barbarie.\n Lady on yonder Hill.\n Lend Me your Key.\n Mother, may I go out?\n Mother Mop.\n Mother, Mother, the Pot boils over.\n Mouse and Cobbler.\n Old Granny Crow.\n Old Woman.\n Shepherds and Sheep.\n Steal the Pigs.\n Three Jolly Welshmen.\n Witch.\n\nThe arch form of game, or tug-of-war as it is usually called, subdivide\ninto two methods:--\n\n\nARCH FORM.\n\n (1) Draw a Pail of Water.\n Hark the Robbers (_some versions_).\n How many Miles to Babylon.\n London Bridge.\n Long Duck.\n Thread the Needle.\n Through the Needle Eye.\n\n (2) Fool, Fool, come to School.\n Hark the Robbers (_some versions_).\n Little Dog, I call you.\n Namers and Guessers.\n Oranges and Lemons.\n Three Days' Holidays.\n Tug of War.\n\n\nWINDING UP, OR SERPENT'S COIL FORM.\n\n Bulliheisle.\n Eller Tree.\n Port the Helm.\n Snail Creep.\n Tuilzie Wap.\n Winding up the Bush Faggot.\n\nThe first or line form of games is characterised by no one player being\ndistinguished above his fellows; there are no distinct or separate\ncharacters to be played. All the players on one line say the same words\nand perform the same actions; all advance together and retire together.\nEach line stands still while the other line advances, retires, and has\nits \"say.\" In this way questions are asked and answers are given.\nQuestions and answers form an essential part of the line form of game.\nThe one line of players imply action of a party composed of several\npersons who are of the same opinion, and the line on the opposite side\nis a party who hold different opinions, and express these in words and\nby actions; so that in no game played in line form do we get unanimous\naction of all the players, but half and half.\n\nThese line games represent in the main a contest, and there are contests\nof different kinds; that is, war between the people of two different\nlocations, between parishes or border countries of different\nnationalities, and contests for wives, of a more or less friendly\nnature. That the lines or sides indicate people who come from one\ncountry or district to another country or district is shown, I think, by\nthe fact that a line is drawn in the middle of the ground, which line\nseparates the territory of the two sides. Players can go as far as the\nline on their own side, but one step over lands them in the enemy's\nterritory. In a marriage game of the line form, the girl when unwilling\nis pulled across the line, and when willing she walks across to the\nopposite side. It is also clear that in the marriage games the party on\none side represents young men, and on the other side young women.\n\nIn the second group, the circle form, all the players join hands to form\na circle. They all perform the same actions and say the same words. This\ncircle form is used in three ways.\n\nIn the first or simplest class all the players perform the same actions,\nsing the same words all together. There is no division into parties, and\nno individual action or predominance. This method is adopted when a\ncertain recurring custom is celebrated or a special event is\ncommemorated. The event is described in pantomimic action, and\naccompanied with dance and song.\n\nIn the second class the circle is formed, the players all clasp hands,\ndance round together, and sing the same words; but the action is\nconfined to first one and then two players, who are taken by \"choice\"\nfrom those forming the circle. This class principally consists of\ncourtship, love-making, and marriage games. The two principal parties\nconcerned usually have no words to say, though in some \"love\" games the\ncentre player does express his or her own feelings in verse. The fact\nthat this form is used for love and marriage games accounts for the much\nlarger number of games in this class and their greater variety.\n\nIn the third class of the circle game the players form the circle to act\nthe part of \"chorus\" to the story. There are also two, three, or four\nplayers, as required, who act parts in dumb show suitable to the\ncharacter personified. In this class the circle personate both animate\nand inanimate objects. The circle is stationary--at least the players\nforming it do not dance or walk round. They sometimes represent houses;\na village, and animals are usually represented rather than people.\n\nThe circle games I consider to be survivals of dramatic representations\nof customs performed by people of one village or of one town or\ntribe--representations of social customs of one place or people, as\ndistinct from the \"line\" form of games, which represent a custom\nobtaining between two rival villages or tribes. Thus I am inclined to\nconsider the joining of hands in a circle as a sign of amity, alliance,\nand kinship. In the case of the line games hands are clasped by all\nplayers on each side, who are thus in alliance against those on the\nopposite side. When hands are joined all round so that a circle is\nformed, all are concerned in the performance of the same ceremony. There\nis no division into parties, neither is difference of opinion shown\neither by action or words in circle games.\n\nIn the third class of game there are several distinct characters, and\nthe game partakes more of the nature of what we should call a play\nproper, and may be considered an outcome of the circle play. There are\nseveral characters, usually a mother, a witch or old woman, an elder\ndaughter and several younger children, a ghost, and sometimes animals,\nsuch as sheep, wolves, fox, hen, and chickens. The principal characters\n(not more than two or three) are played by different children, and these\nhaving each a part allotted to them, have also a certain amount of\ndialogue to say, and corresponding actions to perform. The remaining\ncharacters, whether children or animals, merely act their part when\naction is required, all doing the same thing, and have no words to say.\nThe dialogue in these games is short and to the point. It has not been\nlearnt from written sources, but orally, and as long as the main idea\nand principal incidents are not departed from, the players may,\naccording to their capacity, add to or shorten the dialogue to heighten\nthe situation. There is no singing in these games, though there is what\nperhaps might be called the remains of rhyme in the dialogue.\n\nThe fourth form, that of the arch, is played in two ways. In the first,\ntwo children clasp their hands and hold them up to form an arch. Under\nthis all the other players run as if going through an arch or gateway,\nand the players are generally stopped by the two who form the arch. Then\na circle is formed, and all the players join hands and dance round\ntogether. In the second way, the arch is formed as above, and all the\nplayers run under. These players are then caught one by one within the\narch, and have to choose one of the two leaders, behind whom they stand.\nA tug-of-war then ensues between the two leaders and their followers.\n\nThe first of these, that ending with the circle or dancing, indicates\nthe celebration of an event in which all the people join, and all are of\none way of thinking--differing from this group of customs celebrated by\nthe simple circle game by each person in turn performing a ceremony,\nsignified in games by the action of going under or through an arch.\n\nThe second way, when the \"tug\" follows, represents a contest, but I do\nnot think the contest is of the same kind as that of the line form. This\nrather represents the leaders of two parties who are antagonistic, who\ncall, in the words of the rhymes, upon the people of a town, or faction,\nto join one of the two sides. The fact that each player in the line or\nstring is caught by the leaders, and has to choose which of them he will\nfight under, together with the tug or pulling of one side over a marked\nline, by the other side, indicates a difference in the kind of warfare\nfrom the line contests, where territory is clearly the cause of the\nstruggle and fight. The line contest shows a fight between people of\ndifferent lands; and the arch contest, a method of choosing leaders by\npeople living in one land or town.\n\nIn the fifth form, \"winding up games,\" the players join hands in a long\nline, and wind round and round one player at the end of the line,\nusually the tallest, who stands still until all are formed in a number\nof circles, something like a watch spring. They then unwind, sometimes\nrunning or dancing, in a serpentine fashion until all are again in\nstraight line. These games probably refer to the custom of encircling\ntrees, as an act of worship. They differ from the circle game in this\nway: The players in a circle game surround something or some one. In the\n\"winding up\" game they not only surround, but attachment or \"hold\" to\nthe thing surrounded has to be kept.\n\nThe fact that these games lend themselves to such treatment, and the\nfact that I am obliged to use the terms, district, tribe, localities,\nobliged to speak of a state of contest between groups, of the sacred\nencircling of a tree, and of other significant usages, go far to suggest\nthat these games must contain some element which belongs to the\nessential part of their form, and my next quest is for this element. I\nshall take each class of game, and endeavour to ascertain what element\nis present which does not necessarily belong to games, or which belongs\nto other and more important branches of human action; and it will depend\non what this element is as to what can ultimately be said of the origin\nof the games.\n\nOf the games played in \"line\" form, \"We are the Rovers\" is the best\nrepresentative of pure contest between two opposing parties. If\nreference is made to the game (vol. ii. pp. 343-356), the words will be\nfound to be very significant. In my account of the game (pp. 356-60), I\nsuggest that it owes its origin to the Border warfare which existed on\nthe Marches between England and Scotland and England and Wales, and I\ngive my reasons, from analysing the game, why I consider it represents\nthis particular form of contest rather than that of a fight between two\nindependent countries. Both sides advancing and retiring in turn, while\nshouting their mutual defiance, and the final fight, which continues\nuntil all of one side are knocked down or captured, show that a\ndeliberate fight was intended to be shown. I draw attention, too, to the\nwar-cry used by each side, which is also significant of one of the old\nmethods of rallying the men to the side of their leader--an especially\nnecessary thing in undisciplined warfare. This game, then, contains\nrelics of ancient social conditions. That such a contest game as this is\nrepresented by the line form combining words, singing, and action, is, I\nsubmit, good evidence of my contention that the line form of game\ndenotes contest. This game, then, I consider a traditional type of\ncontest game.\n\nIt is remarkable that among the ordinary, now somewhat old-fashioned,\ncontest games played by boys there should be some which, I think, are\ndegenerate descendants of this traditional type. There are a number of\nboys' games, the chief features of which are catching and taking\nprisoners and getting possession of an enemy's territory--as in the\nwell-known \"Prisoner's Base\" and \"Scots and English.\" \"Prisoner's Base\"\n(ii. pp. 80-87) in its present form does not appear to have much in\ncommon with games of the type of \"We are the Rovers,\" but on turning to\nStrutt we find an earlier way of playing (_ibid._ p. 80). Now, this\ndescription by Strutt gives us \"Prisoner's Base\" played by two lines of\nplayers, each line joining hands, their homes or bases being at a\ndistance of twenty to thirty feet apart. That the line of players had to\nkeep to their own ground is, I think, manifest, from it being necessary\nfor one of the line to touch the base. There is no mention of a leader.\nThus we have here an undoubted form of a contest game, where the taking\nof prisoners is the avowed motive, played in almost the same manner as\nthe line dramatic game. When the dramatic representation of a contest\nbecame formulated in a definite game, the individual running out and\ncapturing a certain player on the opposite side would soon develop and\nbecome a rule of the game, instead of all on one side trying to knock\ndown all on the other side. It may be a point to remember, too, that in\nprimitive warfare the object is to knock down and kill as many of the\nenemy as possible, rather than the capture of prisoners.\n\nIn other games of a similar kind, the well-known \"Scots and English\"\n(ii. p. 183), for example, we have the ground divided into two parts,\nwith a real or imaginary line drawn in the middle; the players rush\nacross the line and try to drag one of the opposite side across it, or\nto capture the clothes of the players.\n\nIn other boys' games--\"Lamploo,\" \"Rax,\" \"King of Cantland,\" \"King\nC\u00e6sar,\" \"Stag\"--there are the two sides; the players are sometimes all\non one side, and they have to rush across to the other, or there are\nsome players on each side, who rush across to the opposite, trying to\navoid being taken prisoner by a player who stands in the middle between\nthe opposite goals. When this player catches a boy, that boy joins hands\nwith him; the next prisoner taken also joins hands, and these assist in\ncapturing others. This is continued until all the players are caught and\nhave joined hands in a long line, practically reverting to the line form\nof game, and showing, according to my theory of the line game, that all\njoining hands are of one side or party. If the line gets broken the\nplayers can run back to their own side. There are many other games which\nare played in a similar way (see Contest Games), though farther removed\nfrom the original form. In most of these we have practically the same\nthing--the sides have opposite homes, and the leader, though individual\nat first, becomes merged in the group when the line is formed, and the\ngame ends by all the players being on one side. It must be mentioned,\ntoo, that in these boys' games of fighting, the significant custom of\n\"crowning,\" that is, touching the head of the captured one, obtains. If\nthis is omitted the prisoner is at liberty to escape (see \"Cock,\" \"King\nof Cantland\").\n\nAlthough there is no dialogue between the opposing parties in these\ncontest games, there are in some versions undoubted remains of it, now\nreduced to a few merely formal words called a \"nominy.\" These \"nominys\"\nmust be said before the actual fight begins, and the remains are\nsufficient to show that the nominy was originally a defiance uttered by\none side and answered by the other. For these nominys, see \"Blackthorn,\"\n\"Chickidy Hand,\" \"Hunt the Staigie,\" \"Scots and English,\" \"Johnny\nRover,\" \"Shepherds,\" \"Stag,\" \"Warney,\" &c.\n\nThe next most important games in line form are marriage games. In the\nwell-known \"Nuts in May\" (vol. i. p. 424-433) there is a contest between\nthe two parties, but the contest here is to obtain an individual for the\nbenefit of the side. A line is drawn on the ground and a player is\ndeliberately sent to \"fetch\" another player from the opposite side, and\nthat this player is expected to conquer is shown by the fact that he is\nselected for this purpose, and also because the ceremony of \"crowning\"\nprevails in some versions. The boy, after he has pulled the girl across\nthe line, places his hand on her head to complete the capture and to\nmake a prisoner. This custom of \"crowning\" prevails in many games where\nprisoners are made, and I have already mentioned it as occurring in the\nboys' contest games. If the crowning is performed, the capture is\ncomplete; if not performed, the prisoner may escape.\n\nThe evidence of this game, I consider, points to customs which belong to\nthe ancient form of marriage, and to what is technically known as\nmarriage by capture.\n\nIn the game of the \"Three Dukes\" (vol. ii. p. 233-255), it will be\nnoticed that the actions are very spirited. Coquetry, contempt, and\nannoyance are all expressed in action, and the boys imitate riding and\nthe prancing of horses. I must draw special attention to the remarks I\nhave made in my account of the game, and for convenience in comparing\nthe line marriage games I will repeat shortly the principal points here.\n\nIn some versions, the three dukes each choose a wife at the same time,\nand when these three are \"wived\" or \"paired\" another three do the same.\nIn another version \"five\" dukes each choose a wife, and all five couples\ndance round together. But most significant of all is the action of the\ndukes after selecting the girl, trying to carry her off, and her side\ntrying to prevent it.\n\nIn this game, then, I think we have a distinct survival of or\nremembrance of the tribal marriage--marriage at a period when it was the\ncustom for the men of a clan or village to seek wives from the girls of\nanother clan--both belonging to one tribe. The game is a marriage game\nof the most matter-of-fact kind. Young men arrive from a place at some\ndistance for the purpose of seeking wives. The maidens are apparently\nready and expecting their arrival. They are as willing to become wives\nas the men are to become husbands. It is not marriage by force or\ncapture, though the triumphant carrying off of a wife appears. It is\nexogamous marriage custom. The suggested depreciation of the girls, and\ntheir saucy rejoinders, are so much good-humoured chaff and banter\nexchanged to enhance each other's value. There is no mention of \"love\"\nin the game, nor courtship between the boy and girl. The marriage\nformula does not appear, nor is there any sign that a \"ceremony\" or\n\"sanction\" to marry is necessary, nor does \"kissing\" occur. Another\ninteresting point about this game is the refrain, \"With a rancy, tancy,\ntee,\" which refrain, or something similar, accompanies all verses of all\nversions, and separates this game from others akin to it. This refrain\nis doubtless a survival of an old tribal war-cry.\n\nThe game of \"The Three Knights from Spain\" (ii. pp. 257-279), played in\nthe same way as \"Three Dukes,\" may appear at first to be a variant of\nthe \"Three Dukes\"; but it is significant that the form of marriage\ncustom is different, though it is still marriage under primitive\nconditions of society. The personal element, entirely absent from the\n\"Three Dukes,\" is here one of the principal characteristics. The\nmarriage is still one without previous courtship or love between two\nindividuals, but the parental element is present here, or, at any rate,\nif not parental, there is that of some authority, and a sanction to\nmarry is given, although there is no trace of any actual ceremony. The\nyoung men apparently desire some particular person in marriage, and a\ndemand is made for her. The suitors here are, I think, making a demand\non the part of another rather than for themselves. They may be the\nambassadors or friends of the would-be bridegroom, and are soliciting\nfor a marriage in which purchase-money or dowry is to be paid. The\nmention of \"gold\" and \"silver\" and the line, \"She must be sold,\" and the\noffering of presents by the \"Knights,\" are important. These indications\nof purchase refer to a time when the custom of offering gold, money, and\nother valuables for a bride was in vogue. While, therefore, the game has\ntraces of capturing or carrying off the bride, this carrying off is in\nstrict accord with the conditions prevalent when marriage by purchase\nhad succeeded to marriage by capture. There is evidence in this game of\na mercantile spirit, which suggests that women and girls were too\nvaluable to be parted with by their own tribe or family without\nsomething deemed an equivalent in return.\n\nIn another line game, \"Here comes Three Sailors\" (ii. pp. 282-289),\nthere is still more evidence of the mercantile or bargaining spirit.\nHere the representative of the parental element or other authority\nselects the richest and highest in rank of the suitors, and a sum of\nmoney is given with the bride. The suitors are supposed to have\nperformed some actions which have gained them renown and entitled them\nto a wife. The suitors are accepted or rejected by a person having\nauthority, and this authority introduces an interesting and suggestive\nfeature. The suitors are invited to stay or lodge in the house if\naccepted, probably meaning admission into the family. The girl is to\n\"wake up,\" and not sleep, that is, to rouse up, be merry, dress in\nbridal array, and prepare for the coming festival. She is given to the\nsuitors with \"in her pocket one hundred pounds,\" and \"on her finger a\ngay gold ring.\" This is given by the \"mother\" or those having authority,\nand refers, I believe, to the property the girl takes with her to her\nnew abode for her proper maintenance there; the ring shows her station\nand degree, and is a token that she is a fit bride for a \"king.\"\nCurious, too, is the \"Here's my daughter safe and sound,\" which looks\nlike a warrant or guarantee of the girl's fitness to be a bride, and the\nrobbery of the bride may also have originally related to the removal of\nthe bride's wedding-dress or ornaments before she enters on her wifely\nduties.\n\nFollowing these definite marriage games in line form, in which previous\nlove or courtship does not appear, we have several games formerly played\nat weddings, practically as a part of the necessary amusement to be gone\nthrough after a marriage ceremony by the company present, amusements in\nwhich are the traces of earlier custom.\n\n\"Babbity Bowster\" (i. pp. 9-11) is an old Scottish dance or game which\nused to be played as the last dance at weddings and merrymakings. It was\ndanced by two lines of players, lads on one side, girls on the other. A\nlad took a handkerchief--in earlier times a bolster or pillow--and\ndanced out in front of the girls, singing. He then selected a girl,\nthrew the handkerchief into her lap or round her neck, holding both ends\nhimself, and placed the handkerchief at her feet on the floor. His\nobject was to obtain a kiss. This was not given without a struggle, and\nthe line of girls cheered their companion at every unsuccessful attempt\nthe boy made. When a girl took the handkerchief she threw it to a boy,\nwho had to run after and catch her and then attempt to take a kiss. When\nall had done thus they danced in line form. This dance took place at the\ntime when bride and bridegroom retired to the nuptial chamber. It is\nprobable the bride and bridegroom would first go through the dance, and\nafter the bridegroom had caught his bride and they had retired the dance\nwould be continued in sport. The chasing of the bride in sport by her\nnew-made husband at the close of the marriage festivities is mentioned\nin old ballads.\n\nIn the \"Cushion Dance\" (i. pp. 87-94) we have an instance of another\nsimilar old English game sang and danced at weddings. The \"Cushion\nDance,\" though not played in line form, has two other elements of\n\"Babbity Bowster.\" The description is so interesting, I will repeat it\nshortly here. The company were all seated. Two young men left the room,\nand returned carrying, one a square cushion, the other a drinking horn\nor silver tankard. The young man carrying the cushion locked the door,\ntaking the key. The young men then danced round the room to a lively\ntune played by a fiddler, and sang the words of the dance. There is a\nshort dialogue with the fiddler, in which it is announced that \"Jane\nSandars won't come to.\" The fiddler says \"She must come, whether she\nwill or no.\" The young men then dance round again and choose a young\nwoman, before whom they place the cushion and offer the horn or cup. The\ngirl and the young man kneel on the cushion and kiss. Here there is no\ncapturing or chasing of the girl, but her reluctance to be brought to\nthe cushion is stated by another person, and the locking of the door is\nevidently done to prevent escape of the girls.\n\nOther line games contain the element of courting, some versions of\n\"Green Grass,\" for instance (i. pp. 161-62), show boys on one line,\ngirls on the other, inviting girls to come and dance, and promising them\ngifts. After the boys have selected a girl, she is asked if she will\ncome. She replies first No! then Yes! \"Pray, Pretty Miss,\" is similar to\nthese (vol. ii. pp. 65-67).\n\nThe remaining line form of marriage games are probably degenerate\nversions of \"Three Dukes,\" \"Three Knights,\" except \"Here Comes a Lusty\nWooer\" (i. 202) and \"Jolly Hooper\" (i. 287-88). Ritson records the\nfirst of these two in \"Gammer Gurton's Garland,\" 1783; the second is\nprobably a degenerate version of the first or similar version. They are\nboth demands for a bride.\n\nThe other important line games are \"Jenny Jones\" (i. 260-283), \"Lady of\nthe Land,\" and \"Queen Anne.\" I refer here to the Scotch version of\n\"Jenny Jones,\" quoted from Chambers, given in vol. i. p. 281, where\n\"Janet Jo\" is a dramatic entertainment amongst young rustics. Two of the\nparty represent a goodman and a goodwife, the rest a family of\ndaughters. One of the lads, the best singer, enters, demands to court\nJanet Jo. He is asked by the goodwife what he will give for Janet Jo.\nHis offers of a peck o' siller, a peck of gold, are refused; he offers\nmore and is accepted, and told to sit beside his chosen one. He then has\na scramble with her for kisses. Versions of this game which indicate\nfuneral customs will be treated under that head; but love and courtship\nappear in the game, and the courting appears to be that of a young man\nor young men, to whom objection is made, pretended or real; the suitors\nare evidently objects of suspicion to the parental authority, and their\nsincerity is tested by the offers they make.\n\nIn \"Queen Anne,\" vol. ii. pp. 90-102, I have attempted a conjectural\nrendering of what the game might have been, by putting together the\nwords of different versions. If this conjectural restoration be accepted\nas something near the original form, it would suggest that this game\noriginated from one of the not uncommon customs practised at weddings\nand betrothals, where the suitor has to discriminate between several\ngirls all dressed exactly alike, and to distinguish his bride by some\ntoken. This incident of actual primitive custom also obtains in\nfolk-tales, showing its strong hold on popular tradition. Many a lost\nbride in the folk-tales proves her identity by having possession of some\narticle previously given as a token, and this idea may account for the\n\"ball\" incident in this game. (See also \"King William.\")\n\nFrom these games, when thus taken together, we have evidence of the\nexistence of customs obtaining in primitive marriage, and the fact that\nthese customs, namely, those of marriage by capture, marriage by\npurchase, marriage by consent of others than those principally\nconcerned, in other words, marriage between comparative strangers, occur\nin games played in line form, a form used for contest and fighting\ngames, tends to show that the line form is used for the purpose of\nindicating the performance of customs which are supposed to take place\nbetween people living in different countries, towns, and villages, or\npeople of different tribes or of different habits and customs. The more\nimperfect games of this type, though they have lost some of the vigour,\nhave still enough left to show, when placed with the others, a\nconnection with customs performed in the same manner.\n\nIn \"Lady of the Land,\" for instance (vol. i. pp. 313-20), the words\nindicate a lady hiring a poorer woman's daughters as servants, and, no\ndoubt, originates from the country practice of hiring servants at fairs,\nor from hirings being dramatically acted at Harvest Homes. The old\npractice of hirings at fairs is distinctly to be traced in local customs\n(see p. 319), and is a common incident in folk-tales. In this game, too,\nactions would be performed suitable to the work the players undertake to\ndo.\n\nIt is not necessary to mention in detail any of the remaining line\ngames, because they are fragmentary in form, and do not add any further\nevidence to that already stated.\n\nIn considering this group of games it is obvious, I think, that we have\nelements of custom and usage which would not primarily originate in a\ngame, but in a condition of local or tribal life which has long since\npassed away. It is a life of contest, a life, therefore, which existed\nbefore the days of settled politics, when villages or tribal territories\nhad their own customs differing from each other, and when not only\nmatters of political relationship were settled by the arbitrament of the\nsword, but matters now considered to be of purely personal relationship,\nnamely, marriage. While great interest gathers round the particular\nmarriage customs or particular contests indicated in this group of\ngames, the chief point of interest lies in the fact that they are all\ngoverned by the common element of contest.\n\nI will now turn to the circle games. Like the line games, this form\ncontains games which show marriage custom, but it is significant that\nthey all show a distinctly different form of marriage. Thus they all\nshow courtship and love preceding the marriage, and they show that a\ndistinct ceremony of marriage is needful; but this ceremony is not\nnecessarily the present Church ceremony. The two best examples are\n\"Sally Water\" (vol. ii. pp. 149-179) and \"Merry-ma-tansa\" (vol. i. pp.\n369-367).\n\nIn \"Sally Water\" the two principal characters have no words to say, but\none chooses another deliberately, and the bond is sealed by a kiss, and\nin some instances with joining of hands. The circle of friends approve\nthe choice, and a blessing and good wishes follow for the happiness of\nthe married couple, wishes that children may be born to them, and the\nperiod of the duration of the marriage for seven years (the popular\nnotion of the time for which the marriage vows are binding). I have\nprinted a great many versions of this game (about fifty), and note that\nin the majority of them \"Sally\" and \"Water\" are conspicuous words. In\nfact they are usually taken to mean the name of the girl, but on\nexamining the game closely I think it is possible, and probable, that\n\"Sally Water\" may be a corruption of some other word or words, not the\nname of a girl; that the word \"Water\" is connected, not with the name of\nthe maiden, but with the action of sprinkling which she is called upon\nto fulfil. The mention of water is pretty constant throughout the game.\nThere are numerous instances of the corruption of words in the game, and\nthe tendency has been to lose the sprinkling of water incident\naltogether.\n\nThe sitting or kneeling attitude, which indicates a reverential\nattitude, obtains in nearly all versions, as do the words \"Rise and\nchoose a young man,\" and \"Crying for a young man.\" This \"crying\" for a\nyoung man does not necessarily mean weeping; rather I consider it to\nmean \"announcing a want\" in the way \"wants\" or \"losses\" were cried\nformerly by the official crier of a town, and in the same manner as in\ngames children \"cry\" forfeits; but, losing this meaning in this game,\nchildren have substituted \"weeping,\" especially as \"weeping\" with them\nexpresses many \"wants\" or \"woes.\" The incident of \"crying\" for a lover,\nin the sense of wanting a lover, appears in several of these games. I\nhave heard the expression they've been \"cried in church\" used as meaning\nthe banns have been read. The choosing is sometimes \"to the east\" and\n\"to the west,\" instead of \"for the best and worst.\" Now, the expression\n\"for better for worse\" is an old marriage formula preserved in the\nvernacular portion of the ancient English Marriage Service, and I think\nwe have the same formula in this game, especially as the final\nadmonition is to choose the \"one loved best.\" Then comes the very\ngeneral lines of the marriage formula occurring so frequently in these\ngames, \"Now you're married, we wish you joy,\" &c.\n\nIn \"Merry-ma-tansa\" the game again consists of a marriage ceremony, with\nfuller details. The choice of the girl is announced to the assembled\ncircle of friends by a third person, and the friends announce their\napproval or disapproval. If they disapprove, another choice is made.\nWhen they approve, the marriage formula is repeated, and the capacity of\nthe bride to undertake housewifely duties is questioned in verse by the\nfriends (p. 370). All the circle then perform actions imitating sweeping\nand dusting a house, baking and brewing, shaping and sewing. The\nmarriage formula is sung, and prognostications and wishes for the birth\nof children are followed by actions denoting the nursing of a baby and\ngoing to church, probably for a christening. In one version, too, the\nbride is lifted into the circle by two of the players. This may indicate\nthe carrying of the bride into her new home, or the lifting of the bride\nacross the threshold, a well-known custom. In another version (Addenda,\np. 444) after the ceremony the bridegroom is blindfolded and has to\ncatch his bride.\n\nThese two games relate undoubtedly to marriage customs, and to no other\nceremony or practice. They are, so to speak, the type forms to which\nothers will assimilate.\n\nIn \"Isabella\" (vol. i. pp. 247-56) the actions indicate a more modern\nmarriage ceremony. The young couple, after choosing, go to church, clasp\nhands, put on ring, kneel down, say prayers, kiss, and eat dinner. The\nclasping of hands, putting on a ring, and kissing are more like a solemn\nbetrothal before a marriage ceremony.\n\nIn the other marriage games which show remains of a ceremony are those\nof the kind to which \"All the Boys\" belongs (vol. i. pp. 2-6). In this\ngame, customs which belong to a rough and rude state of society are\nindicated. The statement is made that a man cannot be happy without a\nwife. He \"huddles\" and \"cuddles\" the girl, and \"puts her on his knee.\"\n\nThe principal thing here to be noted is the mention in all versions of\nthis game the fact that some food is prepared by the bride, which she\ngives to the bridegroom to eat. This, although called a \"pudding,\"\nrefers, of course, to the bridal cake, and to the old custom of the\nbride preparing it herself, and giving some to her husband first.\n\nOther rhymes of this kind, belonging, probably, to the same game, are\n\"Down in the Valley,\" \"Mary mixed a Pudding,\" \"Oliver, Oliver, follow\nthe King,\" \"Down in Yonder Meadow.\" In all these the making and eating\nof a particular \"pudding\" or food is mentioned as an important item; in\ntwo, catching and kissing the sweetheart is mentioned; and in all,\n\"courting\" and \"cuddling\"; articles for domestic use are said to be\nbought by the bride. The formal ceremony of marriage is contained in the\nverbal contract of the two parties, and the important ceremony of the\nbridegroom and bride partaking of the bridal food. The eating together\nof the same food is an essential part of the ceremony among some savage\nand semi-civilised peoples. The rhymes have a peculiar parallel in the\nrude and rough customs associated with betrothal and marriage which\nprevailed in Wales and the North of England.\n\nIn \"Poor Mary sits a-weeping\" (vol. ii. pp. 46-62) we have very\ndistinctly the desire of the girl for a \"lover.\" She is \"weeping\" for a\nsweetheart, and, as in the case of \"Sally Water,\" her weeping or\n\"crying\" is to make her \"want\" known. She is told by her companions to\nrise and make her choice. In some versions the marriage lines follow, in\nothers the acceptance of the choice ends with the giving of a kiss.\n\nOthers of a similar kind are \"Here stands a Young Man who wants a\nSweetheart\" (vol. i. p. 204), \"Silly Old Man who wants a Wife\" (vol. ii.\n196-99). This is a simple announcement of the young man's need for a\nwife or sweetheart (probably originally intended to announce his having\narrived at manhood, as expressed in the expression, \"he ain't a man till\nhe's got a sweetheart and gone a-courtin'\"). These verses are followed\nby the marriage formula. Games of this kind are used for a kiss in the\nring game, without the chasing and capturing. The ordinary kiss in the\nring games are probably relics of older custom. These consist of one\nperson going round the assembled circle with a handkerchief and choosing\nanother of the opposite sex, after saying a nominy or form of set words.\nThis was probably originally something in the shape of a \"counting out\"\nrhyme, to obtain sweethearts by \"lot.\" A chase follows, and capture of\nthe girl, and the giving and receiving of a kiss in the circle. This was\na method of choosing sweethearts which prevailed until quite a late\nperiod at country festivals and fairs, but at an earlier period was a\nserious function. It is still customary on Easter and Whit-Monday for\nthis game to be played on village greens, and the introduction thus\nafforded is held sufficient to warrant continued acquaintance between\nyoung people.\n\nIn connection with this class of games I must point out that a game such\nas \"Hey, Wullie Wine\" (vol. i. pp. 207-210), though it cannot be\nconsidered exactly a marriage game, points to the matter-of-fact way in\nwhich it was customary for young people to possess sweethearts. It seems\nto have been thought not only desirable, but necessary to their social\nstanding. A slur is cast on the young man or young woman who has no\nlover, and so every facility is given them to make a choice from among\ntheir acquaintances. In the game \"King William\" is a remnant of the\ndisguising of the bride among some of her girl friends and the\nbridegroom's test of recognition, when that custom became one of the\nforms of amusement at weddings.\n\nThe remaining love and marriage games mostly consist of lines said in\npraise of some particular girl or young man, the necessity of him or her\npossessing a sweetheart, and their being married. These are probably\nfragments of the more complete forms preserved in the other games of\nthis class. Marriage games, preceded by courtship or love-making, are\nplayed in the second method of the circle form.\n\nAmong the games played in the first method of the circle form, \"Oats and\nBeans and Barley,\" and \"Would you know how doth the Peasant,\" show\nharvest customs. The first of these (vol. ii. pp. 1-13) shows us a time\nwhen oats, beans, and barley were the principal crops grown, before\nwheat--now, and for some time, one of the principal crops--came into\nsuch general cultivation as at present. All the players join in singing\nthe words and performing the actions. They imitate sowing of seed,\nfolding arms and standing at ease while the corn is growing, clap hands\nand stamp on the ground to awake the earth goddess, and turning round\nand bowing, to propitiate the spirit and do reverence to her. In \"Would\nyou know how doth the Peasant\" (ii. 399-401) we find actions performed\nshowing sowing, reaping, threshing, kneeling, and praying, and then\nresting and sleeping. These actions are in both games accompanied by\ndancing round hand in hand. These two games, then, take us back to a\ntime when a ceremony was performed by all engaged in sowing and reaping\ngrain; when it was thought necessary to the proper growth of the crops\nthat a religious ceremony should be performed to propitiate the earth\nspirit. I believe these games preserve the tradition of the formula sung\nand danced at the spring festivals, about which Mr. Frazer has written\nso fully.\n\n\"Oats and Beans and Barley\" also preserves a marriage formula, and after\nthe religious formula has been sung and danced, courting and marriage\nfollows. A partner is said to be wanted, is chosen, and the marriage\nceremony follows. The addition of this ceremony to the agricultural\ncustom is of considerable significance, especially as the period is that\nof spring, when, according to Westermarck, natural human marriage, as\nalso animal pairing, takes place. It is evidently necessary to this game\nfor all the players to perform the same actions, and the centre player\nis not required until the choosing a partner occurs. There is no centre\nplayer in the other agricultural game, and no marriage occurs.\n\nIn \"When I was a Young Girl\" (ii. pp. 362-374) we have all players\nperforming actions denoting the principal events of their lives from\ngirlhood to old age. When young, enjoyment in the form of dancing is\nrepresented (in present day versions, going to school is taking the\nplace of this), then courting, marriage, nursing a baby, and occupations\nwhich women perform; the death of the baby and of husband follows, and\nthe woman takes in washing, drives a cart to support herself, and\nfinally gets old. Here, again, there is little doubt that this game owes\nits origin to those dances originally sacred in character, in which men\nand women performed actions, accompanied with song and dance, of the\nsame nature as those they wished or intended to perform seriously in\ntheir own lives. \"Mulberry Bush\" is another descendant of this custom.\nIn \"Green Gravel\" and \"Wallflowers\" we have a death or funeral custom.\nOriginally there may have been other actions performed than those the\ngame contains now. These two are noticeable for the players turning\nthemselves round in the course of the play so that they face outwards.\nIt is this turning outwards, or \"to the wall,\" which indicates hopeless\nsorrow and grief, and there is some probability that the death mourned\nis that of a maiden, by the other maidens of the village. The game is\nnot a representation of an ordinary funeral.\n\nI must here refer to the game of \"Rashes\" (Addenda, ii. pp. 452, 453). I\nhave not succeeded in obtaining a version played now, and fear it is\nlost altogether, which is, perhaps, not surprising, as the use of\n\"rushes\" has practically ceased; but, as recorded by Mr. Radcliffe in\n1873, there is no doubt it represented the survival of the time when\nrushes were gathered and used with ceremony of a religious nature.\n\nEven in the extremely simple \"Ring a Ring of Roses\" (ii. 108-111), now\nonly a nursery game played by very young children, there can be traced\na relationship to a dance, in which the use of flowers, and all the\ndancers bowing or falling prostrate to the ground together, with loud\nexclamations of delight obtained. It may well be that sneezing, an\nimitation of which is an essential part of the game, was actually a\nnecessary part of the ceremonial, and sneezing was always considered of\nsacred significance among primitive peoples. It is not probable that\nchildren would introduce this of their own accord in a dance and \"bop\ndown\" game.\n\nThe games played in the third method of this group are also\nrepresentative of custom. In \"Old Roger\" (vol. ii. pp. 16-24), the\ncircle of players is stationary throughout; the circle sings the words\ndescribing the story, and the other players or actors run into the\ncircle and act their several parts in dumb show. The story, it will be\nseen, is not the acting of a funeral, but the planting of a tree over\nthe grave of a dead person by relatives and friends, and the spirit\nconnection which this tree has with the dead. The spirit of the dead\n\"Old Roger\" enters the tree, and resents the carrying away of the fruit\nby the old woman by jumping up and making her drop the apples.\nPossession of the fruit would give her power over the spirit. That the\ntree is sacred is clear; and I am tempted to suggest that we may\npossibly have in this game a survival of the worship of the sacred tree,\nand its attendant priest watching until killed by his successor, as\nshown to us by Mr. Frazer in the story of the \"Golden Bough.\"\n\n\"Round and Round the Village\" (ii. pp. 122-143) shows us the performance\nof a recurring festival very clearly in the words which accompany all\nversions, \"As we have done before.\" This conveys the idea of a special\nevent, the event in the game marriage, and I suggest that we have here a\nperiodical village festival, at which marriages took place. It is\ncharacteristic of this, as in \"Old Roger,\" that the chorus or circle\nstand still and sing the event, while the two characters act. This\nacting is the dancing round the village, going in and out the windows\nand houses, then choosing a lover, and \"follow her to London.\" It is\nquite possible that the perambulation of boundaries with which festive\ndances and courtship were often associated would originate this game.\nThe perambulation was a recurring custom periodically performed, and on\np. 142, vol. ii., I have given some instances of custom which, I think,\nconfirm this.\n\nIn \"Who goes round my Stone Wall\" we find the players in circle form,\nstanding still and representing the houses of a village (the stone\nwall), and also animals. The game represents the stealing of sheep, one\nby one, from the village, by a predatory animal or thief. In this game\nthe circle do not sing the story. That element has disappeared; the two\nactors repeat a dialogue referring to the stealing of the sheep from the\n\"wall.\" This dialogue is short, and is disappearing. The game is not now\nunderstood, and consequently is dying out. \"Booman,\" another of the same\nkind, represents a funeral. The grave is dug in action, Booman is\ncarried to his grave, the dirge is sang over him, and flowers are\npretended to be strewn over.\n\nThere are other circle games, which it is not needful to examine in\ndetail. They are fragmentary, and do not present any fresh features of\ninterest. It is, however, important to note that a few examples have\nevidently been derived from love ballads, drinking songs, and toasts;\nsome of the dance games are of this origin. This may be explained by the\nfact that children, knowing the general form of marriage games, would\nnaturally dance in circle form to any ballad verses in which marriage or\nlove and courtship occurs, and in this manner the ballad would become\napparently a fresh game, though it would only be putting new words to an\nold formula of action.\n\nDr. Jacob Jacobsen, in _Dialect and Place Names of Shetland_, tells us\nthat all the _vissiks_ or ballads have been forgotten since 1750, or\nthereby. They were sung to a dance, in which men and women joined hands\nand formed a ring, moving forwards, and keeping time with their hands\nand feet. Mr. Newell (_Games_, p. 78), records that \"Barbara Allen\" was\nsung and danced in New England at children's parties at a period when\ndancing was forbidden to be taught in schools. \"Auld Lang Syne\" is a\nfurther instance.\n\nIt will easily be seen that the circle games have a distinctive\ncharacteristic compared with the line games. These, as I have already\npointed out, are games of contest, whereas the circle games are games in\nwhich a homogeneous group of persons are performing a ceremony belonging\nentirely to themselves. The ceremony is of a religious character, as in\n\"Oats and Beans and Barley,\" or \"Old Roger,\" dedicated to a spirit\nintimately connected with the group who perform it, and having nothing\nbelonging to any outside group. The position of the marriage ceremony in\nthis group is peculiar. It has settled down from the more primitive\nstate of things shown in the line marriage games, and has acquired a\nmore social and domestic form. Except in the very significant water\ncustom in \"Sally Water,\" which I have suggested (ii. pp. 176, 177) may\ntake us back to perhaps the very oldest stage of culture, all the games\nin this group are evidently of a later formation. Let it be noted, too,\nthat the circle has deep religious significance not entirely absent from\nthe customs of comparatively later times, among which the singing of\n\"Auld Lang Syne\" is the most generally known.\n\nBut in speaking of matters of religious significance, it is important to\nbear in mind that we are not dealing with the religion of the Church.\nEverywhere it is most significant that marriage ceremony, sacred rite,\nsocial custom, or whatever is contained in these games, do not take us\nto the religion of to-day. Non-Christian rites can only be pre-Christian\nin origin, and these games therefore take us to pre-Christian religious\nor social custom, and this is sufficient to stamp them with an antiquity\nwhich alone would certify to the importance of studying this branch of\nfolk-lore.\n\nTo take now the dialogue or individual form of game, the best example\nfor my purpose is \"Mother, Mother, the Pot boils over\" (vol. i. pp.\n396-401). Here the chorus has disappeared; the principal characters tell\nthe story in dialogue, the minor characters only acting when the\ndialogue necessitates it, and then in dumb show. This is an interesting\nand important game. It is a complete drama of domestic life at a time\nwhen child-stealing and witchcraft were rife. A mother goes out to work,\nand returns to find one of her seven children missing. The game\ndescribes the stealing of the children one by one by the witch, but the\nlittle drama tells even more than this. It probably illustrates some of\nthe practices and customs connected with fire-worship and the worship of\nthe hearth. There is a pot, which is a magical one, and which boils over\nwhen each one of the children is stolen and the mother's presence is\nnecessary. A remarkable point is that the witch asks to borrow a light\nfrom the fire. The objection to the giving of fire out of the house is a\nwell-known and widely-diffused superstition, the possession of a brand\nfrom the house fire giving power to the possessor over the inmates. The\nwitch in this game takes away a child when the eldest daughter consents\nto give her a light. The spitting on the hearth gives confirmation to\nthe theory that the desecration of the hearth is the cause of the pot\nboiling over. Instances of magical pots are not rare.[20]\n\n [20] Mr. W. F. Kirby refers me to the form of initiation into\n witchcraft in Saxony, where the candidate danced round a pot\n filled with magic herbs, singing--\n\n \"I believe in this pot,\n And abjure God;\"\n\n or else it was--\n\n \"I abjure God,\n And believe in this pot.\"\n\n\nAfter the children are stolen the mother has evidently a long and\ntroublesome journey in search of them; obstacles are placed in her path\nquite in the manner of the folk-tale. Blood must not be spilled on the\nthreshold. This game, then, which might be considered only as one of\nchild-stealing, becomes, when examined on the theories accompanying the\nancient house ritual, an extraordinary instance of the way beliefs and\ncustoms have been dramatised, and so perpetuated. Other games of a\nsimilar character to this, and perhaps derived from it, are \"Witch,\"\n\"Gipsy,\" \"Steal the Pigs.\"\n\nAmongst other games classified as dialogue games are those in which\nanimals take part. In some there is a contest between a beast of prey,\nusually a fox or wolf, and a hen and her chickens or a goose and her\ngoslings; in others a shepherd or keeper guards sheep from a wolf, and\nin these animals of the chase are hunted or baited for sport. In\nthe animal contest games, \"Fox and Goose,\" \"Hen and Chickens,\"\n\"Gled-wylie,\" \"Auld Grannie,\" \"Old Cranny Crow,\" all played in the\ndialogue form, the dialogue announces that the fox wants some food, and\nhe arouses the suspicion of the goose or hen by prowling around or near\nher dwelling. After a parley, in which he tries to deceive the mother\nanimal, he announces his intention of catching one of the chickens. The\nhen declares she will protect her brood, and a contest ensues. These\ngames have of course arisen from the well-known predatory habits of the\nwolf, fox, and kite. On the other hand, the games illustrating the\nhunting or baiting of animals, such as \"Baste the Bear,\" \"Fox in the\nHole,\" \"Hare and Hounds,\" are simply imitations of those sports.\n\"Baiting the Bear,\" a popular and still played game, has continued since\nthe days of bear-baiting.\n\nI may also mention the games dealing with ghosts. \"Ghost at the Well,\"\n\"Mouse and Cobbler,\" show the prevailing belief in ghosts. Playing at\nGhosts has been one of the most popular of games. These two show the\ngame in a very degenerate condition. I need not, I think, describe in\ndetail any more of the dialogue games. There are none so good as\n\"Mother, the Pot boils over,\" but that was hardly to be expected. The\ncustoms which no doubt were originally dramatised in them all have in\nmany cases been lost, as in the case of some versions of \"Mother, the\nPot boils over.\"\n\nThe dialogue games appear to me to be later in form than both line and\ncircle games. They are, in fact, developments of these earlier forms.\nThus the \"Fox and Goose\" and \"Hen and Chickens\" type is played\npractically in line form, and belongs to the contest group, while the\n\"Witch\" type is probably representative of the circle form. But they\nhave assumed a dramatic character of a very definite shape. This, as\nwill be seen later on, is of considerable importance in the evidence of\nthe ancient origin of games; but I will only point out here that this\ngroup has allowed the dramatic element to have full scope, with the\nresult that a pure dialogue has been evolved, while custom and usage has\nto some extent been pushed in the background.\n\nThe next group is the arch form of game. This I divide into two\nkinds--those ending in circle or dance form, and those ending with a\ncontest between two leaders. Of this first form there are several\nexamples. \"London Bridge\" (i. pp. 333-50) is possibly the most\ninteresting. Two players form the arch, all the others follow in single\nfile. The words of the story are sung while all the players run under or\nthrough the arch. The players are all caught in turn in the arch, and\nthen stand aside; their part is finished. In some cases the game begins\nby all forming a circle, and the verses are sung while the circle dances\nround. The arch is then formed, and all run through it in single file,\nand are caught in turn by being imprisoned between the lowered arms.\nAlso, we find the circle-dancing following the arch ceremony. In my\naccount of this game (vol. i. pp. 341-50), I have drawn attention to the\nincident of a prisoner being taken as indicative of the widespread\ncustom known as the foundation sacrifice, because of the suggested\ndifficulty of getting the bridge to stand when the prisoner is taken. I\nhave given a few instances of the custom, and the tradition that the\nstones of London Bridge were bespattered with the blood of little\nchildren, and that the mortar was tempered with the blood of beasts. In\nstories where a victim is offered as a foundation-sacrifice, the victim,\noften a prisoner, is sometimes forced to enter a hole or cavity left on\npurpose in the building, which is then walled or built up, enclosing the\nvictim. In some, recourse to lottery is had; in others, as at Siam,\nmentioned by Tylor (_Primitive Culture_, i. 97), it was customary, when\na new city gate was being erected, for a number of officers to lie in\nwait and seize the first four or eight persons who happened to pass by,\nand who were then buried alive under the gate-posts. After these customs\nof human sacrifice had ceased to be enforced, animals were slaughtered\ninstead; and later still the ceremony would be performed, as a ceremony,\nby the incident being gone through, the person or animal seized upon\nbeing allowed to escape the extreme penalty by paying a money or other\nforfeit; and it may be this later stage which is represented in the\ngame. The dancing in circle form, which belongs, I think, to the\noriginal method of play, shows us a ceremony in which people of one\nplace are concerned, and would supersede an older line form of game, if\nthere were one, when the custom showed a real victim being taken from\noutsiders by force, who would resist the demand. The circle dance would\nfollow as the completion of the ceremony. The \"line\" form would also be\nthe first portion of the game to disappear when once its meaning was\nlost.\n\nThe game, \"Hark! the Robbers\" (i. 192-99) may be a portion of \"London\nBridge\" made into a separate game by the part of the building being\nlost, or the children who play both games may have mixed up the method\nof playing; but as it ends in some places with a contest and in some\nwith a dance, it is difficult to say which is right.\n\n\"Thread the Needle,\" played by all players running through an arch and\nthen dancing round, is a game well illustrated by customs obtaining on\nShrove Tuesday in different parts of the country. All the children play\n\"Thread the Needle\" in the streets of Trowbridge, Bradford-on-Avon,\nSouth Petherton, Evesham, besides other places, in long lines, whooping\nand shouting as they run through the arches they make. After this they\nproceed to the churchyard, and encompassing the church by joining hands,\ndance all round it three times, and then return to their homes. Here is\nthe undoubted performance of what must have been an old custom,\nperformed at one time by all the people of the town, being continued as\nan amusement of children. It was played at Evesham only on Easter\nMonday, and in three other places only on Shrove Tuesday, and another\ncorrespondent says played only on a special day. In other places where\nit is played the game is not connected with a special day or season. The\ncircle dance does not always occur, and in some cases the children\nmerely run under each other's clasped hands while singing the words. In\nthe places above mentioned we see it as a game, but still connected with\ncustom. It is a pity that the words used by the children on all these\noccasions should not have been recorded too. \"How many Miles to Babylon\"\n(vol. i. pp. 231-238) may with good reason be considered a game of the\nsame kind. It represents apparently a gateway of a town, and a parley\noccurs between the gatekeepers and those wishing to enter or leave the\ntown. Small gateways or entrances to fortified towns were called\nneedle's eyes, which were difficult to enter. But notwithstanding these\napparent identifications with the conditions of a fortified town, I\nthink the practice of going through the arch in this and in the previous\ngame relates to the custom which prevailed at festivals held during\ncertain seasons of the year, when people crept through holed stones or\nother orifices to propitiate a presiding deity, in order to obtain some\nparticular favour. This would be done by a number of people on the same\noccasion, and would terminate by a dance round the church or other spot\nassociated with sacred or religious character. \"Long Duck\" is another\nprobably almost forgotten version of this game.\n\n\"Draw a Pail of Water\" (vol. i. pp. 100-108), though not quite in accord\nwith the arch form in its present state, is certainly one of the same\ngroup. This game I consider to be a descendant of the custom of \"well\nworship.\" In its present form it is generally played by children\ncreeping under the arms of two or four others, who clasp hands and sway\nbackwards and forwards with the other children enclosed in them. The\nswaying movement represents, I believe, the drawing of water from the\nwell. The incidents of the game are:--\n\n (1) Drawing water from a well. (2) For a devotee at a well. (3)\n Collecting flowers for dressing the well. (4) Making a cake for\n presentation. (5) Gifts to the well [a gold ring, silver pin, and\n probably a garter]. (6) Command of silence. (7) The presence of\n devotee at the sacred bush. (8) The reverential attitude (indicated\n by the bowing and falling on the ground).\n\nI can now add another incident, that of the devotee creeping through a\nsacred bush or tree (signified by the creeping under or getting enclosed\nwithin the arms of the leaders). These are all incidents of primitive\nwell worship.\n\nI have from many different versions pieced together the lines as they\nmight appear in earlier versions (i. p. 107).\n\nThis restoration, though it is far from complete, shows clearly enough\nthat the incidents belong to a ceremonial of primitive well worship.\nDressing holy wells with garlands and flowers is very general; cakes\nwere eaten at Rorrington Well, Shropshire, and offerings of pins,\nbuttons, and portions of the dress, as well as small articles worn on\nthe person, are very general; silence is enforced in many instances, and\nsacred trees and bushes are to be found at nearly all holy wells.\nOfferings are sometimes hung in the bushes and trees, sometimes thrown\ninto the well. Miss Burne records in _Shropshire Folk-Lore_ (pp. 414,\n433, 434) that at Rorrington Green, in the parish of Chirbury, is a holy\nwell, at which a wake was celebrated on Ascension Day. The well was\nadorned with green bowers, rushes, and flowers, and a maypole was set\nup. The people used to walk round the hill with fife, drum, and fiddle,\ndancing and frolicking as they went. They threw pins into the well for\ngood luck, and to prevent them from being bewitched, and they also drank\nthe water. Cakes were eaten. These were round flat buns, from three to\nfour inches across, sweetened, spiced, and marked with a cross, and were\nsupposed to bring good luck if kept.\n\nInstances of similar practices at holy wells could be multiplied, and\nthey are exhaustively examined in my husband's book on _Ethnology in\nFolk-Lore_. Halliwell records in his nursery rhymes what is perhaps the\noldest printed version of the rhyme. He says the children form a long\nstring, hand in hand; one stands in front as leader, two hold up their\nclasped hands to form an arch, and the children pass under; the last is\ntaken prisoner. Though this way of playing does not appear to be used\nnow--no version, at least, has reached me--it is clear that the game\nmight be played in this way, probably as a commencement of the\nceremonial, and then the other positions might follow. Halliwell may not\nhave recorded it minutely or have heard of it as a whole, or the version\nsent him may have been in degenerate form. It is, however, clear that\nthe arch form here indicates a ceremonial, and not the taking of a\nprisoner.\n\n\"Oranges and Lemons\" (vol. ii. pp. 25-35) is the best-known game of the\narch form, followed by the contest or tug-of-war. In this game two\nplayers, sometimes chosen by lot, clasp hands and form an arch. They\nhave each a name, which is secret. One is called \"Orange,\" the other is\n\"Lemon.\" They sing the words of the game-rhyme, and the other players\nrun under the arch in a long line or string. At the close of the verses\nwhich ends with the line, \"Here comes a chopper to chop off your head,\"\none of the string of players is caught and is asked which she prefers,\norange or lemon. She chooses, and is told to stand behind that leader\nwho took that name. This is repeated until all the players have been\nseparately caught, have chosen their side, and are standing behind the\nrespective leaders, holding on to each other by clasping each other's\nwaists. A line is then drawn on the ground, and both sides pull; each\nendeavours to drag the other over the line. The tug is generally\ncontinued until one side falls to the ground. Now this is an undoubted\ncontest, but I do not think the contest is quite of the same kind as the\nline game of contest and fighting. The line form is one of invaders and\ninvaded, and the fight is for territory. In this form it seems to me\nthat the contest is more of a social contest, that is, between people of\nthe same place, perhaps between parishes and wards of parishes, or\nburghers and apprentices (townspeople) on one side, and the followers of\nlords or barons (military power) on the other, or of two lords and\nbarons. The leaders are chosen by lot. Each leader has a \"cry\" or\n\"colour,\" which he calls out, and the other players run and place\nthemselves under the banner they choose.\n\nIn my account of this game I draw particular attention to the following\ndetails:--The game indicates contest and a punishment, and although the\nsequence is not clear, as the execution precedes the contest, that is\nnot of particular importance in view of the power of the old baronial\nlords to threaten and execute those of their following who did not join\ntheir armed retainers when required. All rhymes of this game deal with\nsaints' names and with bell ringing. Now, the only places where it would\nbe probable for bells to be associated with different saints' names in\none area would be the old parish units of cities and boroughs. The\nbells were rung on all occasions when it was necessary to call the\npeople together. The \"alarm\" bell tolling quickly filled the open spaces\nand market-places of the towns, and it is a well-known fact that serious\ncontests and contest games between parishes and wards of parishes were\nfrequent. The names \"oranges\" and \"lemons,\" given to the leaders in the\ngame, usually considered to be the fruits of these names, are, in my\nopinion, the names of the \"colours\" of the two rival factions.\n\nThe passing under the arch in this game is not absolutely necessary in\norder that the players may exercise their choice of leaders, nor is the\n\"secrecy\" which is observed necessary either. Even this may have its\norigin in custom. It may signify the compulsory attendance of a vassal\nunder pain of punishment to serve one side, or the taking prisoner and\ncondemning to death for serving on the opponents' or losing side. An\nidea is current that it represents cutting off the last person's head,\nthe last of the string or line of players, and in some places the last\none in the line is always caught instead of one whom the leaders choose\nto enclose in their arms. Of course a \"laggard\" or late arrival would be\nliable to suspicion and punishment, and this idea may be suggested in\nthe game; but I do not think that the game originates from the idea of\ncatching a \"last\" player. The passing under the arch can also be\nattributed to the custom of compelling prisoners to pass under a yoke to\nsignify servitude, and the threat of execution would follow attempt to\nescape or disobedience. Again, prisoners were offered life and freedom\non condition of joining the army of their opponents.\n\nThe other games of this method of play, \"Three Days' Holiday,\" and \"Tug\nof War,\" are the same game under other names, with only a nominy\nsurviving, and the method of play. Several games entered under the title\nof \"Through the Needle Eye,\" are really the \"arch\" type with the \"tug,\"\nthat is the \"Oranges and Lemons\" game, instead of belonging to the\n\"Thread the Needle\" or first form of arch type, as they are usually\nconsidered. The Scottish form, described by Jamieson (ii. p. 290), is an\nexception which should have been included with \"Thread the Needle,\" to\nwhich group it belongs. The other games, \"Through the Needle Eye,\" have\nlost a portion of their play, which probably accounts for the mixture of\nname with the \"Thread the Needle\" games, because of both containing the\narch form. \"Namers and Guessers,\" \"Fool, Fool, come to School,\" \"Little\nDog, I call you,\" practically versions of one and the same game, which I\nhave classed in this type because of the \"tug,\" have an additional\nelement of guessing in them. The leader or namer on one side and the\nguesser on the other take sides. All the players have names given them,\nand it is the first business of the guesser to guess which of the\nplayers has taken a particular name. If he guesses correctly, he takes\nthat player on his side; if incorrectly, he stays on the namer's side.\nAfter he has \"guessed\" at all the players, the \"tug\" follows, and the\nbeaten side has further to run the gauntlet between two lines of the\nsuccessful side. This game, having all its players chosen by guessing,\nby what might have been originally choosing by \"lot\" or by magical\npowers, may have an entirely different meaning, but it is clearly a\ncontest game, although there is no indication as to the why or\nwherefore. The punishment of \"running the gauntlet\" is found in the\ngame, which again indicates military fighting.\n\nThis group of games, though small, is perhaps one of the most indicative\nof early custom, for beyond the custom which is enshrined in each\ngame--foundation sacrifice, well worship, &c.--it will be noticed there\nis a common custom belonging to all the games of this group; this is the\nprocession under the arch. The fact that this common custom can also be\nreferred to primitive usage, confirms my view that the particular\ncustoms in each game owe their origin to primitive usage. Mr. W. Crooke\nhas very kindly supplied me with some notes on this interesting subject,\nand I gladly avail myself of his research:--\n\n \"In Cairo, women walk under the stone on which criminals are\n decapitated, in the hope of curing ophthalmia and getting children.\n They must go in silence, and left foot foremost.\"--Lane, _Modern\n Egyptians_, i. p. 325; Hartland, _Perseus_, i. p. 163.\n\n \"Rheumatism and lumbago cured by crawling under granitic masses in\n Cornwall.\"--Hunt, _Popular Romances_, p. 177.\n\n \"Passing children under bramble to cure rupture.\"--_Ibid._, pp. 412,\n 415.\n\n \"This cures chincough.\"--Aubrey, _Remains_, p. 187.\n\n \"In Scotland, sick children are passed through the great stones of\n Odin at Stennis, and through a perforated monolith at Burkham, in\n Yorkshire.\"--Rogers, _Social Life in Scotland_, i. p. 13.\n\n \"Barren women pass their hands through the holes of the Bore Stone\n at Gask in order to obtain children.\"--_Ibid._, iii. p. 227.\n\n \"Similar rites prevail in Cyprus.\"--Hogarth, _Devia Cypria_, p. 48;\n Gardner, _New Chapters in Greek History_, p. 172.\n\n \"This again gives rise to the use of the gateway through which\n pilgrims pass to temples. Such are the Indian Torana, in this shape,\n which are represented by the Torio, so common in Japan.\n\n \"The Greeks had the same, which they called Dokana ([Greek: dokana],\n from [Greek: dokos], 'a beam'). With them they represented the\n Dioscuri--Castor and Pollux. They are described by Plutarch.\"--_De\n Amor. Fratr._, i. p. 36.\n\n \"Similar arches, covered with charms, were seen at Dahomi by\n Burton.\"--_Mission to Gelele_, i. pp. 218, 286.\n\n \"Women in England creep under a gallows to get children.\" (I have\n mislaid the reference.)\n\n \"There are many 'creeps' or narrow holes in Irish dolmens certainly\n used by people, who had to creep in to worship the ghost or bring\n offerings. Captives intended to be slaughtered had to creep through\n such places.\"--Borlase, _Dolmens of Ireland_, ii. p. 554.\n\n \"Barren women pass their hands through such holes.\"--_Ibid._, ii. p.\n 650.\n\n \"A good picture of such a stone from France.\"--_Ibid._, ii. pp. 626,\n 700, 702, 707.\n\nMr. Albany F. Major has also kindly drawn my attention to the following\ninteresting passages from the sagas, which Dr. Jon Stefansson has kindly\ntranslated as follows:--\n\n \"In old times this had been the custom of brave men, who made an\n agreement (pact) that the one who lived the longest should revenge\n the other's death. They were to go under three earth-sods, and that\n was their oath (ei\u00f0r). This ceremony (leikr) of theirs was in this\n wise, that three long earth-sods (turfs) should be cut loose. All\n the ends were to be fast in the ground (adhere to it), but the coils\n (bends) were to be pulled upward, so that a man might go under\n them. This play Thorgeir and Thormod went through.\"--_F\u00f3stbr\u00e6dra\n Saga_, ed. 1822, ch. i. p. 7.\n\n \"Now is spread about this report of Thorkell and his men, but\n Gudmund had before told [the story] somewhat otherwise. Now that\n tale seemed to those kinsmen of Thorarins somewhat doubtful, and\n they said they would not put trust in it without proof, and they\n claimed for themselves [to share] half the property with Thorkell,\n but Thorkell thought to own it himself alone, and bade go to ordeal\n after their custom. This was then the [form of] ordeal at that time,\n that they should go under an earth-belt, that is, a sod [which] was\n ripped up from the field. The ends of the sod must be fast in the\n field, but the man who was to perform the ordeal must go thereunder.\n Thorkell of the Scarf somewhat suspects whether the death of those\n men can have happened in the way that Gudmund and his men had said\n the latter time. Now, heathen men thought that they had no less at\n stake, when they had to play such a part, than Christian men think\n nowadays when ordeals are held. Then the man who went under the\n earth-belt was clear if the sod fell not on him. Thorkell took\n counsel with two men that they should let themselves fall out about\n something or other, and be there standing near at hand when the\n ordeal was being performed, and should touch the sod so hard that\n all might see that they brought it down. After this the man who was\n to perform the ordeal starts, and as soon as he was come under the\n earth-belt those men who were set to do it sprang to meet each other\n under arms, and they encounter near the bend of the sod and lie\n fallen there, and the earth-belt fell down, as was to be expected.\n At once men spring between them and separate them; that was easy,\n because they were fighting with no risk to life. Thorkell of the\n Scarf asked what people thought of the ordeal; now all his men say\n that it would have done well if no one had spoilt it. Then Thorkell\n took all the loose property, but the land is joined on to\n Hrappstead.\"--_Laxd\u00e6la Saga_, ch. xviii.\n\n \"Berg gave notice of the blow for the Hunawaterthing and began the\n lawsuit there. As soon as men came to the thing they tried to\n arrange a settlement. Berg said that he would not take payment in\n atonement, and would only be reconciled under these terms, that\n Jokull should go under three earth-belts, as was then the custom\n after great transgressions, 'and thus show humility towards me.'\n Jokull said the trolls should take him before he thus bowed himself.\n Thorstein said it was a matter for consideration, 'and I will go\n under the earth-belts.' Berg said then would the matter be paid for.\n The first earth-belt reached to the shoulder, the next to the\n waist-belt, the third to mid-thigh. Then Thorstein went under the\n first. Then said Berg: 'Now I make thee stoop like a swine, who wast\n the loftiest of the Vatnsdale men.' Thorstein answers, 'That hadst\n thou no need to say, but this will be the first return for those\n words, that I will not go under any more.' Finnbogi said, 'That is\n clearly not well said, but then not much comes in repayment for\n Berg's wrong, that he gat from Jokull, if the matter shall here come\n to a standstill, and everything seems to you lowly by the side of\n you Vatnsdale men, and I will challenge thee, Thorstein, to\n holm-gang a week hence by the stackyard which stands on the island\n down before my farm at Borg.'\"--_Vatnsd\u00e6la Saga_, ch. xxxiii.\n\nThese significant customs, I think, bear out my theory as to the origin\nof the games played in the two methods of the arch form.\n\nLastly, I come to the \"winding up\" games. \"Eller Tree\" (i. p. 119) and\n\"Wind up the Bush Faggot\" (ii. pp. 384-387), show a game in which a tree\nor bush is represented, and is probably indicative of tree worship. The\ntallest player represents the tree, and all the other players walk round\nand round in line form, getting closer and closer each time, until all\nare wound round the centre player. They call out when winding round \"The\nold tree gets thicker and thicker,\" and then jump all together, calling\nout \"A bunch of rags,\" and try and tread on each other's toes. This last\naction is evidently performed from not understanding the action of\nstamping, which is, without doubt, the object of the players. It is\nprobable that this game descends from the custom of encircling the tree\n(Mr. Addy suggests the alder-tree) as an act of worship, and the\nallusion to the \"rags\" bears at least a curious relationship to hanging\nrags on sacred trees. A ceremonial of this kind would probably take\nplace each spring, and the stamping on the ground would be, as in \"Oats\nand Beans and Barley,\" a part of the ceremony to awake and arouse the\nearth spirit to the necessity of his care for the trees under his\ncharge. The connection of all the players, by means of the clasped\nhands, with the central figure or tree, may also be considered a means\nof communicating life and action to it; the tree requiring contact with\nliving and moving creatures to enable it to put forth its leaves. In a\nversion of this game from Lincoln, called the \"Old Oak Tree\" (ii. p.\n386), we find practically the same words and same actions, the dancing\nround and jumping up and down are constant features of this game. It\nremains in some degenerate versions from Scotland (_ibid._), where the\ngame has assumed the modern name of \"Rolling Tobacco.\" In \"Wind up the\nBush Faggot\" we have again the tree or bush suggested, and the dancing\nand jumping, or stamping up and down. In Shropshire it is the closing\ngame of any playtime, and was played before \"breaking-up\" at a boys'\nschool in Shrewsbury in 1850-1856. This tends to show that the game had\noriginally been played at a special time or season.\n\nFor an example of this custom I may repeat (from ii. p. 386) that in\nmid-Cornwall, in the second week in June, at St. Roche and one or two\nadjacent parishes, a curious dance, like a serpent's coil, is performed\nat the annual \"feasts.\" The young people are assembled in a meadow, and\nthe band plays a lively tune. The band leads, and all the people follow\nhand in hand. The band or head keeps marching in an ever-narrowing\ncircle, while its train of dancing followers becomes coiled round it in\ncircle after circle. Then the band, taking a sharp turn about, begins to\nretrace the circle, still followed as before, and a number of young men,\nwith long leafy branches in their hands as standards, direct this\ncounter-movement. Although there is no mention of a tree in the account\nround which this ceremony is performed, the custom is so striking as to\nleave very little doubt of their connection. Lady Wilde (_Ancient Cures,\nCharms, and Usages of Ireland_, p. 106) says, \"On May-Day in Ireland all\nthe young men and maidens hold hands, and dance in a circle round a tree\nhung with ribbons or garlands, or round a bonfire, moving in curves from\nleft to right, as if imitating the windings of a serpent.\" This is a\ncloser parallel to the game still, and leaves no doubt as to its\nconnection with custom. There may be, too, some connection between these\nwinding-up or serpentine dances and the Maypole dances on May-Day in\nEngland.\n\nThe detail into which I have gone in the case of these games makes it, I\nthink, unnecessary that I should enter into equal detail in other\ncustoms mentioned in the classification. Thus, with regard to the\nfuneral customs indicated in \"Jenny Jones,\" we have not only a ceremony\nof burial, but the courting of a maiden or maidens by a band of suitors,\nthe opposition of the mother or guardians to their suit, the putting\nforward of domestic occupations as pretexts for refusal; there is also\nthe illness, dying and death of the maiden, the manner of her funeral\nindicated by the colour selected for her burial, followed by the burial\nitself, the singing of the lament or funeral dirge, and, in some\nversions, the rising of the ghost or spirit of the departed. This game\nin its best versions is played in line form. But in those versions where\ntwo children only play the parts of \"mother\" and \"Jenny Jones,\" there is\nalso evidence of the tendency of the game to develop into the individual\nform.\n\nAgain, those games in which \"guessing\" occurs remind us of the important\npart that guessing or chance plays in the beliefs of the savage and\nuncivilised. A person who, by a guess, discovers a special person out of\na number, or the exact number of articles concealed in a hand or under a\nfoot, has something of the supernatural or witch-element about him. This\nis largely the foundation of the belief in witchcraft and the sorcerer.\nIt is not surprising to find, therefore, the guessing-element largely\nextant in the dramatic game. The \"guesser\" is usually chosen by lot by\nmeans of the counting-out rhyme; the leader then proceeds to confuse the\nguesser's or witch's mind by re-naming secretly the rest of the players.\nHe calls the \"guesser,\" and in a doggerel rhyme (the remains or\nimitation probably of an incantation), tells him to pick out or name a\ncertain person or thing. If the guess is correct, the \"guesser\" takes\nthat person to his side, indicating power over that individual or thing.\nIf the \"guesser\" is unsuccessful, he is scouted, mocked, and ill-used.\n\nI now proceed with the second classification referred to on p. 461. Of\nthe games classified on pp. 461-470, _ante_, it will be found on\nexamination that nearly all of them are dramatic in form. This leads me\nat once to suggest that so important a phase of their character needs\nseparate investigation, and this I proceed to do.\n\nIn the first place, it will be found that certain of the games are\nwholly dramatic whatever may be the customs or rites they imitate. These\ngames are of two classes--first, where dramatic action is complete\nthroughout the whole game, that is where singing, action, and words are\nrepresented; secondly, where singing has dropped out, action and words\nonly remaining.\n\nThese two classes are as follows:--\n\n\nDRAMATIC GAMES.\n\n\n(1) SINGING (_containing words, tune, action_).\n\n All the Boys.\n Babbity Bowster.\n Booman.\n Curly Locks.\n Cushion Dance.\n Dillsie, Dollsie Dee.\n Down in the Valley.\n Down in yonder Meadow.\n Galley, Galley, Ship.\n Glasgow Ships.\n Green Grass.\n Green Gravel.\n Hark the Robbers.\n Hear all! let me at her.\n Here comes a Lusty Wooer.\n Here comes a Virgin.\n Here I sit on a Cold Green Bank.\n Here's a Soldier.\n Here stands a Young Man.\n Hey Wullie Wine.\n Isabella.\n Jenny Jones.\n Jolly Fishermen.\n Jolly Hooper.\n Jolly Miller.\n Jolly Rover.\n Jolly Sailors.\n Keys of Heaven.\n King William.\n Kiss in the Ring.\n Knocked at the Rapper.\n Lady of the Land.\n Lady on the Mountain.\n London Bridge.\n Mary Brown.\n Mary mixed a Pudding.\n Merry-ma-tansa.\n Milking Pails.\n Mulberry Bush.\n Needle Cases.\n Nettles Grow.\n Nuts in May.\n Oats and Beans.\n Old Dame.\n Old Roger.\n Oliver, Oliver, follow the King.\n Oranges and Lemons.\n Poor Mary sits a-weepin'.\n Poor Widow.\n Pray, pretty Miss.\n Pretty little Girl.\n Queen Anne.\n Queen Mary.\n Ring me Rary.\n Rosy Apple.\n Round and Round the Village.\n Sally Water.\n Salmon Fishers.\n Silly Old Man.\n Soldier.\n Soldiers.\n Three Dukes.\n Three Knights.\n Three Old Bachelors.\n Three Sailors.\n Wallflowers.\n We are the Rovers.\n When I was a Young Girl.\n Widow.\n Wind.\n Would you know how doth the Peasant?\n\n\n(2) DIALOGUE AND ACTION (_no singing_).\n\n Auld Grannie.\n Barbarie, King of the.\n Chickens, come clock.\n Deil amo' the Dishes.\n Doagan.\n Draw a Pail of Water.\n Dumb Motions.\n Eller Tree.\n Fox and Geese.\n Ghost at the Well.\n Giddy.\n Gipsy.\n Gled-Wylie.\n Hen and Chickens.\n Honey Pots.\n How many Miles to Babylon.\n Jack, Jack, the Bread's a-burning.\n Keeling the Pot.\n King of Barbarie.\n King of the Castle.\n Lady on yonder Hill.\n Lend me your Key.\n Mother, may I go out?\n Mother Mop.\n Mother, Mother, the Pot boils over.\n Mouse and Cobbler.\n Namers and Guessers.\n Old Cranny Crow.\n Old Dame.\n Rashes.\n Shepherds and Sheep.\n Steal the Pigs.\n Thread the Needle.\n Three Jolly Welshmen.\n Tower of London.\n Trades.\n Who goes round my Stone Wall?\n Willie Wastell.\n Witch.\n Wolf.\n\nNearly all the remaining dramatic games form a third class, namely,\nthose where action remains, and where both words and singing are either\nnon-existent or have been reduced to the merest fragments.\n\nIn order to complete the investigation from the point we have now\nreached, it is necessary to inquire what is the controlling force which\nhas preserved ancient custom in the form of children's games. The mere\ntelling of a game or tale from a parent to a child, or from one child to\nanother, is not alone sufficient. There must be some strong force\ninherent in these games that has allowed them to be continued from\ngeneration to generation, a force potent enough to almost compel their\ncontinuance and to prevent their decay. This force must have been as\nstrong or stronger than the customs which first brought the games into\nexistence, and I identify it as the dramatic faculty inherent in\nmankind.\n\nA necessary part of this proposition is, that the element of the\ndramatic in children's games is more ancient than, or at all events as\nancient as, the customs enshrined in the games themselves, and I will\nfirst of all see if this is so.\n\nWith the child the capacity to express itself in words is small and\nlimited. The child does not apparently pay as much attention to the\nlanguage of those adults by whom he is surrounded as he does to their\nactions, and the more limited his vocabulary, the greater are his\nattempts at expressing his thoughts by action. Language to him means so\nlittle unless accompanied by action. It is too cold for a child. Every\none acquainted with children will be aware of their dramatic way of\ndescribing to their mother or nurse the way in which they have received\na hurt through falling down the stairs or out of doors, or from knocking\ntheir heads against articles of furniture. A child even, whose command\nof language is fairly good, will usually not be content to say, \"Oh,\nmother, I fell down and knocked my head against the table,\" but will\nsay, \"Oh, I fell down like this\" (suiting the action to the word by\nthrowing himself down); \"I knocked my head like this\" (again suiting the\naction to the word by knocking the head against the table), and does not\nunderstand that you can comprehend how he got hurt by merely saying so.\nHe feels it necessary to show you. Elders must respond in action as well\nas in words to be understood by children. If \"you kiss the place to make\nit well,\" and if you bind up a cut or sore, something has been done that\ncan be seen and felt, and this the child believes in as a means of\nhealing. A child understands you are sorry he has been hurt, much more\nreadily than if you say or repeat that you are sorry; the words pass\nalmost unheeded, the action is remembered.\n\nEvery one, too, must have noticed the observation of detail a child will\nshow in personifying a particular person. When a little child wishes to\npersonate his father, for instance, he will seat himself in the father's\nchair, cross his legs, pick up a piece of paper and pretend to read, or\nstroke an imaginary beard or moustache, put on glasses, frown, or give a\nlittle cough, and say, \"Now I'm father,\" if the father is in the habit\nof indulging in either of the above habits, and it will be found that\nsitting in the chair (if a special chair is used by the father to sit\nin when at home) is the foundation and most important part of the\nimitation. Other men of the child's acquaintance read papers, smoke,\nwear glasses, &c., but father sits in that chair; therefore to be\nfather, sitting in the chair is absolutely necessary, and is sufficient\nof itself to indicate to others that \"father\" is being personified, and\nnot another person. To be \"mother\" a child will pretend to pour out tea,\nor sew, or do some act of household work, the doing of which is\nassociated with \"mother,\" while a lady visitor or a relative would be\nindicated by wearing hat or bonnet or silk dress, carrying a parasol,\nsaying, \"How do you do?\" and carrying on conversation. Again, too, it is\nnoticeable how a child realises a hurt if blood and swelling ensues\nafter a knock. This is something that can be seen and shown.\n\nWhen wishing to be an animal, a child fixes at once on some\ncharacteristic of that animal which is special to it, and separates it\nfrom other animals similar in other ways. Children never personate\nhorses and cows, for instance, in the same manner. Horses toss their\nheads, shake their manes, paw the ground, prance, and are restless when\nstanding still, gallop and trot, wear harness, and their drivers have\nreins and a whip. When a child is a cow he does none of these things; he\nwalks in a slower, heavier way, lowers the head, and stares about as he\nmoves his head from side to side, lies down on the ground and munches;\nhe has horns, and rubs these against a tree or a fence.\n\nA child of mine, when told that he must not run in the gutter when out\nof doors, because that was not the place for little boys, replied, \"I am\nnot a little boy now, I am a dog, so I may run in the gutter.\" When he\ncame into the path again he became a boy.\n\nAgain the same child, when called by his name and told to come out from\nunder a table, a round one, under which he was lying rubbing his head\nagainst the pedestal centre, because under the table was not the place\nfor little boys, said, \"But I'm not [\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0], I'm a cow, and it's not a\ntable, it's a tree, and I'm rubbing my horns.\"\n\nAgain, when personating a train, the actions used are completely\ndifferent from those used when personating an animal. The child moves at\na steady rate, the feet progressing without raising the legs more than\nnecessary, because engines only have wheels, which keep close to the\nground; they don't jump up like feet do, the arms are used as the\npropeller, and the puffing and screeching, letting off steam, taking in\nwater, are imitated in sound to perfection. This is entirely on the\nchild's own initiative. When children play in groups the same things\noccur. Instances could be given _ad nauseam_. It cannot, therefore,\nsurprise us that in these games children should be found to use actions\nwhich indicate to them certain persons or things, although the words\nthey use may render action unnecessary, as action is to them most\nimportant. Children, when acting these games or dramas, appear not to\nneed the element of dress or of particular garments to indicate their\nadoption of certain characters or characteristics. To display your heels\nand look down at them while doing so signifies a man who wears spurs, a\nknight; to prance along as if a horse, shows a man on horseback, a duke\na-riding. A child lies or stoops down and shuts her eyes, she is dead;\nif she is passively carried by two others a little distance, she is\ngoing to be buried. The child, by standing still, becomes a tree, a\nhouse, or a stone wall. If an animal is required to be shown, down goes\nthe child on hands and knees, bends her head down, and the animal is\nthere. If a gate, fortress, or castle is wanted, two children join\nhands, and their arms are raised or lowered when required for opening\nthe gate, &c. If one child is to personate a \"mother,\" one or two or\nmore smaller children are placed behind or beside her as her children,\nbecause \"mothers have children,\" and so on. Many other examples could\nbe given from these games of the same kind of thing. There is, then, no\ndifficulty as to the reason why children should have continued playing\nat these games when once they had seen their elders play them or similar\nperformances, nor why children should not have embodied in a game or\nplay some of the manners and customs which were constantly going on\naround them in olden times as they do now, imitating the habits and\ncustoms of the men and women and animals by whom they were surrounded.\n\nWe know from the evidence of those who have collected the games that\nmany were played as amusements by young men and women up to a few years\nago. Some are still so played, and some years further back it was a\ngeneral practice for men and women in country districts to play these or\nsimilar games at fairs and festivals; it is unlikely that adults would\nplay seriously at children's games, but children having seen their\nelders playing at these amusements would adopt them and use them in\ntheir turn, until these amusements become in turn too frivolous and\nchildish for them. It is not so very many years since that the then\neducated or cultured classes amused themselves by occupations now deemed\nsilly and unfit even for children of the uneducated class--witness\npractical joking, cock-fighting, &c.\n\nThe natural instinct to dramatic action in children is paralleled by the\nsame instinct in grown-up people when in a state of culture where they\nare chiefly dependent upon their natural capacities for existence. Thus\nevidence of the natural dramatic power in savages and in semi-civilised\nraces is abundant. The dances of savages are strongly dramatic. They\nadvance in lines dancing, gesticulating, and singing, while others sit\nand look on; they dance in circles joining hands, they go down on all\nfours imitating animal postures and noises, they wear masks, special\ndresses and ornaments, and these have significance for their audience.\nSome of these dances are peculiar to and only witnessed by men, others\nperformed by men are witnessed by both sexes. These ceremonial dances\nare performed principally at the celebration of the initiative rites,\nbut some also represent other customs periodically performed.\n\nCatlin's (_North American Indians_) description of the Buffalo dance\namong the Mandan Indians shows the dancers wearing masks made of a\nbuffalo's head and horns, and a tail hanging down behind. The dancers\nwent through the actions of hunting, being shot with bow and arrow,\nskinned and cut up, accompanied by singing and yelling. This dance was\nperformed as a ceremony when food was required and the hunters were at\na loss, and would continue until a herd of buffalos came in sight on the\nprairie.\n\nMr. W. E. Roth gives dances accompanied by songs and pantomimic action\nand games practised by the N.W. Central Australian aborigines.[21]\n\n [21] _Ethnological Studies among the N.W. Central Queensland\n Aborigines._ By Walter E. Roth. 1897. London.\n\nIn \"Secular and Ceremonial Dances of Torres Straits\" (_Zeit. f\u00fcr\nEthnogr._, vi. 1893, p. 131), Dr. Haddon describes a \"saw-fish dance\"\nperformed by natives. He says \"the advent of different seasons of the\nyear is celebrated by ceremonies amongst most peoples; the most frequent\nof these are harvest festivals, or periods of rejoicings at the\nabundance of food. Very frequent also are ceremonies which relate to the\npreparing for crops or the inauguration of a season which promises\nabundant food supply. The saw-fish dance belongs to the latter class.\"\nDr. Haddon visited the men, and saw the making of the masks which he\ndescribes at length. These were worn by the dancers, and consisted of an\nimitation of a human face resting on a crocodile's head, and surmounted\nby a figure of a saw-fish represented in a traditional method. The\ndance, which lasted for hours, was accompanied by singing a chant, the\nwords of which served as a description of the meaning of the dance. This\ndance is performed to ensure a good harvest from the sea.\n\nHe also refers to dramatic death dances and war dances, and describes\nsome interesting forms of other dances, one in which crabs are\nrepresented. He says, all the men dance in single file, and each man\nduring the dance performs some definite movements which illustrate an\naction in real life, such as agricultural, nautical, or fishing\nemployments; for example, a man would crouch and move his hands about as\nif he were planting yams or looking for pearl shell at the bottom of the\nsea. These movements are known to the spectators, though the foreign\nobserver may not catch the allusion. Probably most of these actions have\nbecome more or less conventionalised during innumerable dance\nrepresentations, just as some of the adjuncts to the dance are\ndegenerate representations of objects used in everyday life. In the war\ndance the actions illustrate the method pursued in war, ending with an\nevolution which represented the successful warriors threading the heads\nof the slain on the rattan slings which always hung on their backs when\nthey went out to fight.\n\nMrs. Murray-Aynsley in a paper on the secular and religious dances in\nAsia and Africa (_Folk-lore Journal_, vol. v. pp. 273, 274), describes\nan aboriginal dance which still takes place annually in certain villages\nin the Khassia and Jaintia hills. It generally takes place in May. The\nspecial reason of the dance is the display of all the unmarried girls\nfrom far and near to choose, or be chosen by, suitable parties, and from\ndescription it is probable that the girls choose. Many marriages result\nfrom this one annual dance. The dances take place in a circular\nenclosure which is set apart for this annual feast. The musicians sit in\nthe centre, and the girls form a large circle round the musicians, and\nbehind the girls, holding hands in a larger circle, the men dance and go\nthrough their part of the performance. The girls perform very quiet\nmovements and dance slowly, while the men jig, leap, hop, and wave their\narms, legs, umbrellas, and _daos_ in the wildest confusion, accompanying\ntheir movements with the most savage war-whoops, signifying nothing. It\nis also usual for the men to dance when one of their tribe is buried.\n\nIn the Kulu district at Sultanpore is held the feast of Rugonath, the\nchief god, when the gods belonging to every village in the valley are\nbound to appear and pay him respect. There is feasting, and the men\ndance round and round the palanquins containing the inferior gods. When\nthe excitement is at its height the temple attendants seize the\npalanquins and dance them up and down violently, and make the godlings\nsalaam to each other and to Rugonath, the chief god.\n\nIn Spiti, a valley in the Western Himalayas, the people frequently dance\nfor hours for their own amusement. Men and women dance together, all\njoin hands and form a long line or circle. They commence by singing,\nthen dance to the accompaniment of their own voices, and the fun\nspeedily becomes fast and furious (_ibid._ p. 281).\n\nAmongst the Lamas there are also religious and secular dances performed\nat their feasts or fairs, the religious dances by the Lamas, the secular\nby men and women together, or by each sex separately. In one dance those\nwho take part form themselves into two long lines. Each dancer holds on\nto the one in front of him, as in our game of \"Fox and Goose.\" The two\nstrings of dancers wind in and out, then divide and dance opposite each\nother, advancing and receding with a slow undulating movement, which\ngradually becomes more energetic. Mock sword fights then take place\nbetween two combatants, also sword dances, with two crossed weapons laid\non the ground, and precisely like those performed at our Highland\ngatherings. In the religious dances each man wears a gigantic headpiece,\nwhich comes down as far as the shoulders. Some of the masks are\nornamented. They perform several different dances, in which separate\ncharacters are performed, one a Chinese mandarin and his wife, another,\ntwo actors wear masks resembling ferocious-looking dogs, one places\nhimself against the entrance door, the other guards the door of exit.\nThey remind one, says Mrs. Murray-Aynsley, of the divan-palas, or\ndoorkeepers, whose statues are seen placed as guards on each side of the\nshrine of some old Hindu temple. In Algeria the dancing at weddings is\nperformed by men and women. Before each woman went out to dance she was\nenveloped in a garment which covered her from head to feet, her hands\neven not being visible, the sleeves being drawn over and tied at the\nends so that the hands and arms were enclosed as in a bag. This was\napparently a form of disguise, as one woman was sent back because her\nhusband had discovered her. At a funeral also hired female mourners were\ndancing on the surface of a newly-made grave and uttering wild shrieks.\n\nAn interesting account of the war-dance of the Coorgis is also given\n(_ibid._ p. 251). \"The Coorgis assembled in a clearing in the natural\njungle. The forest was only illumined by jungle. The torch-bearers\nformed a large circle; within the open space, in the centre, were the\nmusicians. One dance was very peculiar, inasmuch as it seemed to be a\nremnant of a period when every man's hand was against his brother's.\nThe performers may consist of any equal number of persons; they always\ndance in pairs. Before they begin each man is given a bundle of sticks\nor bamboos. This he holds in his left hand, and a stouter stick is given\nhim in his right hand. At first all the men dance round and round, with\nhead erect, as if going to war. Presently they narrow the circle and\nassume a crouching attitude, their eyes glancing here, there, and\neverywhere. The respective adversaries have been singled out; the\nintending aggressors make a feint or two, then bend their knees so that\nthey are only about two-thirds of their ordinary stature; at the same\ntime they place their feet together and make a succession of bounds, or\nrather hops, like a frog, and with the sticks the attacking party aim\ncuts at the legs of the men whom they selected as their adversaries. The\nlatter now takes up the same attitude; he wards off attack, and returns\nthe blow if he can. Whether intentionally or not, one party is\nvictorious in the end.\"\n\n\"A curious dance is also executed by Hindu women at Sagar, in the\nCentral Provinces of India (_ibid._ p. 253). Men are present, but as\nspectators only. Some little time before preparations have been made for\nthis feast. Wheat or other grain has been sown in earth placed in pots\nmade of large leaves, held together by thorns of a species of acacia.\nThe richer women walk along, followed by their attendants carrying trays\nfilled with such pots; the poorer people carry their own plants. As soon\nas each procession arrives at the ghat, or flight of steps leading down\nto the lake, every family-circle of friends deposit their pots on the\nground and dance round them. After a time the dancers descend to the\nwater's edge, taking their pots of earth and corn with them. They then\nwash away the soil from the plants, and distribute these amongst their\nfriends. The whole of the ceremony is observed by the men, but they take\nno part in it. It probably fixes the season for sowing some particular\ncrop.\"\n\nThese amongst others are all dances of semi-civilised peoples, and these\ndances, being all of a ceremonial nature, are probably derived from\nolder customs, and performed in commemoration of these.\n\nThere are also surviving some ceremonial dances, such as the singular\nceremony observed at Echternach, in Luxemburg, on Whit-Tuesday, in which\nten or fifteen thousand pilgrims take part. Professor Attwell thus\ndescribes it in _Notes and Queries_ of May 17, 1890:--\n\n\"Early on the morning of Whit-Tuesday pilgrims arrive at Echternach from\nthe neighbouring villages, some alone, or in little family parties, some\nin small bodies personally conducted by their _cur\u00e9s_, singing litanies\nin honour of St. Willibrord. At about eight o'clock the bells of the\nparish church begin to peal, and the clergy, intoning the 'Veni\nCreator,' and preceded by numerous banners, issue from the principal\nporch and march along the bank of the Sure to a stone crucifix, near\nwhich, from an extemporised pulpit, the crowd is addressed. The short\nsermon ended, the procession begins. It is headed by a choir of some\nhundreds of voices chanting antiphonally with the clergy the litanies of\nthe saint. Then come numerous ecclesiastics, followed by a band playing\nthe cadenced music of the dance. The pilgrims are headed by young\nchildren and men and women belonging to the parish, after whom comes the\nthrong, in groups of from three to six persons of either sex. The\ndancers take three jumps forward and one backward, or five forward and\ntwo backward. It is, of course, impossible for a moving crowd consisting\nof many thousands to keep anything like time, save those who are near\none of the many bands of music, which, at irregular intervals, accompany\nthe procession. No special order is observed, but there is no confusion.\nPoor mothers with sickly children in their arms jump side by side with\nyoung well-to-do girls; old men, broken with toil, jump in step with\nvigorous fellows in the heyday of youth. Water and wine are freely\noffered by the townsfolk to the pilgrims, many of whom sink exhausted\nunder the unwonted effort. It sometimes happens that sick persons get\npaid substitutes to perform for them the expiatory jumping. The distance\ntraversed is less than a mile, but the time occupied is fully two hours.\nBefore the church can be entered sixty-four steps have to be mounted.\nBut the singular backward and forward movements and the accompanying\nmusic are continued, not only while the steps are ascended, but during\nthe circumambulation of the church, beneath the altar of which is the\ntomb of the saint. On reaching the hallowed shrine the devotees manifest\ntheir enthusiasm in various ways, kneeling before the altar, which is\nsurrounded by votive offerings, with sobs and gesticulations. When the\nwhole of the immense multitude has passed the shrine, the clergy ascend\nthe altar, the 'Salve Regina' is sung, the Benediction is given, and the\nimposing ceremony is ended.\"\n\nGrimm also records the fact that about the year 1133 in a forest near\nInda (Ripuaria) a ship was built, set upon wheels, and drawn about the\ncountry by men who were yoked to it, first to Aachen (Aix), and up the\nriver to Tongres, Looz, and so on, everywhere with crowds of people\nassembling and escorting it. Wherever it halted there were joyful\nshouts, songs of triumph, and dancing round the ship, kept up till far\ninto the night. This Grimm describes as a recollection of an ancient\nheathen festival. It was utterly repugnant to and opposed strongly by\nthe clergy as a sinful and heathenish piece of work. On the other hand,\nthe secular power authorised and protected it (_Teutonic Mythology_, i.\n258).\n\nThe story of the pied piper of Hamelin probably commemorates a\nprocession similar to the Echternach (see _Folk-lore Journal_, vol. ii.\n209).\n\nWith this may also be noted a dance recorded by Mr. Newell (_Games of\nAmerican Children_, p. 89), who states that the name \"Threading the\nNeedle\" is given to a dance in which hundreds take part; in which from\ntime to time the pair who form the head of the row raise their arms to\nallow the line to pass through, coiling and winding like a great\nserpent. When a French savant asked the peasants of La Ch\u00e2tre why they\nperformed this dance, the answer was, \"To make the hemp grow.\"\n\nI remember when quite a small child planting hemp seeds in a patch of\ngarden ground, and being told by a maid-servant, an illiterate country\ngirl, that the seeds would not grow well unless we danced, we joined\nhands and danced round and round in a circle, then stooped down and\njumped about, saying, \"Please, God, send it all up,\" then again danced\nround. This may have been said only to amuse us, but it may also have\nbeen the remains of an old festival dance. I believe there were more\nwords, but I cannot remember them. Hemp seed is associated with\nceremonies of magical nature, being one of those used by maidens as a\ncharm to enable them to see a future husband.\n\nRepresentation in pantomime of the different actions used in the\nceremonies of sowing the grain, its growth, and the consequent reaping,\nbinding, and carrying the grain, are practised in different parts of the\nglobe. This is brought down to later times by the custom noted on p.\n319, vol. i., where from _Long Ago_ and Best's _Rural Economy of\nYorkshire_ (1641), instances are given of it being customary, at\nharvest-homes, to give representations of \"hirings\" of farm-servants.\nThe hiring of a farm labourer, the work he had to do, his terms of\nservice, and the food to be supplied him, were dramatically performed,\nshowing clearly that it had been customary to go through this sort of\nthing, in earnest of what was expected--in fact, a sort of oral\ncontract, in presence of witnesses.\n\nI will conclude this part of my evidence by a summary of the conclusions\narrived at by anthropological authorities.\n\nSir John Lubbock, in _Origins of Civilisation_ (fifth ed., p. 257),\nsays, \"Dancing among savages is no mere amusement.\" He quotes from\nRobertson's _America_ (iv. p. 133) as follows: \"It is an important\noccupation, which mingles in every occurrence of public or private life.\nIf any intercourse be necessary between two American tribes, the\nambassadors of the one approach in a solemn dance, and present the\ncalumets or emblem of peace; the sachems of the other receives it with\nthe same ceremony. If war is denounced against an enemy, it is by a\ndance expressive of the resentment which they feel, and of the vengeance\nwhich they meditate. If the wrath of their gods is to be appeased, or\ntheir beneficence to be celebrated; if they rejoice at the birth of a\nchild, or mourn the death of a friend--they have dances appropriate to\neach of these situations, and suited to the different sentiments with\nwhich they are animated. If a person is indisposed, a dance is\nprescribed as the most effectual means to restore him to health; and if\nhe himself cannot endure the fatigue of such an exercise, the physician\nor conjurer performs it in his name, as if the virtue of his activity\ncould be transferred to his patient.\"\n\nSir J. Lubbock mentions some special dances practised among different\npeoples, and gives an illustration of a circle dance practised by the\nnatives of Virginia round a circle of upright stones (p. 268).\n\nDr. Tylor (_Anthropology_, p. 296) says, \"Savages and barbarians dance\ntheir joy and sorrow, love and rage, even their magic and religion. The\nforest Indians of Brazil, rattle in hand, stamp in one-two-three time\nround the great earthen pot of intoxicating kawi-liquor; or men or women\ndance a rude courting dance, advancing in lines with a kind of primitive\npolka step; or the ferocious war-dance is performed by armed warriors in\npaint. We have enough of the savage left in us to feel how Australians\nleaping and yelling at a corrobboree by firelight in the forest can work\nthemselves up into frenzy for next day's fight. But with our civilised\nnotions it is not so easy to understand that barbarians' dancing may\nmean still more than this; it seems to them so real, that they expect it\nto act on the world outside. Such an example as the buffalo dance (given\n_ante_, p. 518) shows how, in the lower level of culture, men dance to\nexpress their feeling and wishes. All this explains how in ancient\nreligion dancing came to be one of the chief acts of worship. Religious\nprocessions went with song and dance to the Egyptian temples, and Plato\nsaid all dancing ought to be thus an act of religion.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. Modern\ncivilisation has mostly cast off the sacred dance.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. To see this\nnear its old state the traveller may visit the temples of India, or\namong the Lamas of Tibet watch the mummers in animal masks dancing\nthe demons out or the new year in, to wild music of drums and\nshell-trumpets. Remnants of such ceremonies come down from the religion\nof England before Christian times are still sometimes to be seen in the\ndances of boys and girls round the midsummer bonfire or mummers of\nYuletide.\"\n\nDr. Tylor continues: \"At low levels in civilisation it is clear that\ndancing and play-acting are one. The scenes of hunting and war furnish\nbarbarians with subjects for dances, as when the Gold Coast negroes have\ngone out to war and their wives at home dance a fetish dance in\nimitation of battle to give their absent husbands strength and\ncourage.\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. Historians trace from the sacred dances of ancient Greece\nthe dramatic art of the civilised world. Thus from the festivals of the\nDionysia arose tragedy and comedy. In the classic ages the players' art\ndivided into several branches. The pantomimes kept up the earliest form,\nwhere the dancers acted in dumb show such pieces as the labours of\nHerakles, or Kadmos sowing the dragons teeth, while the chorus below\naccompanied the play by singing the story. The modern pantomime ballets\nwhich keep up remains of these ancient performances show how grotesque\nthe old stage gods and heroes must have looked in their painted masks.\nIn Greek tragedy and comedy the business of the dancers and chorus were\nseparated from that of the actors, who recited or chanted each his\nproper part in the dialogue.\"\n\nGrimm (_Teutonic Mythology_, i. p. 43), says, \"Easter fires, May Day\nfires, Midsummer fires, with their numerous ceremonies, carry us back to\nheathen sacrifices, especially such customs as rubbing the sacred flame,\nrunning through glowing embers, throwing flowers into the fire, baking\nand distributing loaves or cakes, and the circular dance. Dances passed\ninto plays and dramatic representations.\"\n\nIt is then clear that dances accompanied with song and pantomimic action\nhave been used by men and women from the earliest period of which we\nhave record, at all times and upon all occasions. In times of joy and\nmirth, sorrow and loss, victory or defeat, weddings and funerals,\nplagues and pestilences, famine and plenty, civilised and savage alike\ndance, act, and sing their griefs and their joys. The gods of all\nnations have been worshipped by pantomimic dance and song, their altars\nand temples are encircled by their worshippers; and as the occasion was\none of fear or joy, and the god entreated or terrified by his followers,\nso would the actions and voices of the dancers be in accord. When once\ncertain actions were recognised as successful, fitting, or beautiful,\nthey would tend to become repeated and stereotyped, and the same form\nwould be used for other gods, other occasions, and other customs where\nthe requirements were similar or the same. The circle dance, for\ninstance, after being performed several times would necessarily become a\npart of the religious customs or ceremony, and form a part of the\nordinary religious observance. It would become particularly associated\nwith the place where it was first instituted, and might be used to\ninaugurate other festivals. We know that the early Christians when\ntaking over to their use the temples and altars of their so-called\nheathen predecessors, or when erecting a church where a temple had\npreviously stood, held their worship there and performed their dances to\ntheir God as the heathens had done to theirs. The custom of encircling a\nchurch on its festival day existed until lately in several parishes in\nEngland, and this could only be a descendant of the custom once held\nsacred by all the followers of one belief, demonstrating by their action\nin group form the fact that they all believed in the same thing and held\ntogether, by the clasp of hands and the dance round, their determination\nto hold to and keep to it.\n\nIf these customary dances obtained and have survived in religious ritual\nto the present day, is it not to be expected that we should find\nsurvivals in dance form of non-religious customs which also impressed\nthemselves strongly on the minds of the people? Births, marriages,\ndeaths, the sowing and gathering in of the crops; the protection of\ncattle from disease and animals of prey; the necessity for water and\nfire; the protection of the house and the village--have all helped to\nsurround these events with ceremonials which have lasted, and been\ntransmitted from generation to generation, altering to suit later ideas,\nit is true, but preserving through all some trace of the events which\nfirst called them into existence.\n\nIt is because of this tendency to believe more in the power of\nexpression by action, than in the power of expression by language alone,\nthat dramatic action and gesture have formed such a necessary part of\nrepresentation of custom as to become an integral part of it. Limited as\nis our knowledge of the popular plays performed about the country by\ntroops of strolling players before the age of the written play, we know\nthat their chief attraction must have been the dramatic rendering of\ncharacters and events personified by certain well-known actions of the\nactors, accompanied by special style of dress, or portions of dress,\nwhich were recognised as sufficient in themselves to show who and what\nwas being personified. The story was shown more by action than by words;\nthe idea being to present events to the onlooker, and impress them on\nhis mind. It is in these dramatic performances of what was expected we\nhave the germs of the dramatic art that afterwards developed into the\nregular play or drama. Every important custom of life was probably\ndepicted by pantomimic action. We have, first, words, describing the\nevents, sung or said by a chorus of onlookers and dancers, afterwards a\nshort dialogue between the chief characters taking the place of the\nchorus, and then, as the number of characters were increased, the\nrepresentations become something that could be performed independently,\nwithout the need of a particular season or custom to render it\nintelligible.\n\nAt this stage of the primitive drama the characters merely present\nactions of the _dramatis person\u00e6_ time after time, always performed in\nthe same manner, and this would produce conventional methods of\npresenting certain events. We know that events of a religious nature\nwere presented in the same manner by the Church. This must have been in\nconsequence of the attraction plays possessed as depicting pagan\nreligion and events of ordinary life and manners and customs. It is\neasily conceivable that before the era of books and literature, a rough\nsort of presentation of life, present and past, would be eagerly\nwelcomed; and it would not be until the advent of a writer who developed\nthe individual acting, at the expense of the event depicted, that what\nwe know as a play could be written.\n\nMr. Ordish, in his study of Folk drama, published in the Folk-lore\nSociety's journal, has conclusively proved the development of the drama\nindependently of the miracle and mystery plays of the Middle Ages, or\nfrom the old Greek plays, and this development has taken place through\nthe action of the people, always accustomed to the influence of dramatic\nrepresentation. Hence in the remains of the traditional games we have\npreserved a form in which we can see the beginning and early development\nof the drama. When once the line form was firmly established as an\nindication of two opposite parties, it would be used for such indication\nwherever it was required, and thus it became the common property of the\nchildren's game and the early stage. The remains of the line and circle\nform, as denoting opponents and friendly communion can, I think, be\ntraced in old plays and old methods of acting.\n\nIn old pantomimes, the demons or evil spirits and their followers enter\non one side and stand in lines; the good fairy and her followers enter\non the opposite side and stand in line; the principal characters advance\nfrom the line, and talk defiance to each other. We do not have a circle\nform on the stage, but a half-circle, seated on the stage, is or was\nuntil comparatively lately a method of representing a social or family\nparty. Every one who has seen a mummer's play performed, either in or\nout of doors, will be aware that the same method obtains in them--the\nperformers are all on the stage or stand together at once, walking\nforward as each one's name is mentioned, saying his allotted part, and\nthen standing back again, while the next player has his turn.\n\nThe action in these plays has remained in stationary form; as far as the\nmethod goes there has probably been very little difference in the manner\nof presenting them for a long period of time.\n\nThese traditional games are valuable, therefore, for the information\nthey afford in a direction not hitherto thought of, namely, in the study\nof the early drama. If the drama can be seen in its infancy anywhere,\nsurely it can be seen in these children's plays.\n\nThe study of children's games takes us, therefore, into several\ndepartments of research. Many traces of customs that do not belong to\nmodern life, customs that take us back to very early times indeed, are\nbrought before us. The weapons are bows and arrows, the amusements\nhunting and hawking; animals are found in such close relationship with\nhuman beings, that only very primitive conditions of life would allow:\ncontests between men and women occur in such a way that we are taken\nback to one of the earliest known customs of marriage, that known as\nmarriage by capture--then from this stage to a later, where purchase or\nequivalent value obtains; then to a marriage with a ceremony which\ncarries us back to the earliest forms of such ceremonies. That such\ncustoms can be suggested in connection with these games goes far to\nprove that they, in fact, originate the game--that no other theory\nsatisfactorily accounts for all the phenomena.\n\nIn looking for the motive power which has caused the continuity of these\ncustoms to be practised as amusements, we have found that the dramatic\npower inherent in mankind supplies the necessary evidence, and from this\nstage we have been led to an interesting point in the early history of\nthe drama and of the stage. It is not, therefore, too much to say that\nwe have in these children's games some of the oldest historical\ndocuments belonging to our race, worthy of being placed side by side\nwith the folk-tale and other monuments of man's progress from savagery\nto civilisation.\n\nALICE B. GOMME.\n\n\nTHE END\n\n\n Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & CO.\n Edinburgh & London\n\n\n\n\nTranscriber's notes:\n\n\nGeneral:\n\nThis eBook is Volume II of a two-volume work. Volume I is available as\nebook number 41727 via the website of Project Gutenberg\n(https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41727). Because Volume I was published\nin 1894 and Volume II in 1898, there is no symmetry in the references\nbetween the two volumes (for example, Gled Wylie from Volume I does not\nrefer to Shue-Gled-Wylie from Volume II, whereas Shue-Gled-Wylie does\nrefer to Gled Wylie).\n\nThis text follows the original printed work, including inconsistencies.\nInconsistencies include differences in spelling of the names of games\nand locations, differences in transcription of dialect, inconsistencies\nin lay-out, etc. Where changes were made, these are documented below.\n\n\nReferences:\n\nBoth volumes contain some uncertain references to (other) games, caused\nby the naming and/or spelling of game names. Where these differences\nwere trivial (for example, Wolf and Lamb versus Wolf and the Lamb),\ntheir identity has been assumed silently. Following is a list of less\ntrivial references.\n\nThe game Stag is often referred to as Stag Warning, but occasionally\nthey are listed as thought they were separate games.\n\nPage xiv: Lubin, Looby Loo is listed as game in the Addenda, but not\npresent there; Hulla-balloo-ballee is not listed, but present in Addenda\n(including references to Lubin and Looby Loo).\n\nPage 56: reference to the Scottish version. From the text and the\nanalysis this is probably version XVIII.\n\nPage 145: reference to Tag. This game is not listed as such, but\naccording to the description it could be a version of French Jackie,\nwhich is called French Tag in some places.\n\nPage 282: reference to See the Farmer Sow his Seed, which is not a\nseparate game, but one version of Oats and Beans and Barley.\n\nPage 307 and 421: reference to Twos and Threes, which is not a separate\ngame, but a local name for Round Tag.\n\nPage 383: reference to Silly Young Man, which is probably a mistake for\nSilly Old Man.\n\nPage 436: reference to Jolly Lads, which is not a separate game\n(probably the game intended is Jolly Sailors).\n\nPage 467: reference to Drummer Man; no such game listed, the only\nDrummer Man occurs in one of the variants of Follow my Gable.\n\nPage 470: reference to Lugs; there is no such game listed, possibly this\nshould be Luggie.\n\nPage 476: reference to Old Widow; there is no such game listed, it could\nbe a reference to Poor Widow; Baste the Bear, ditto, this is mentioned\nunder Badger the Bear; Old Woman, ditto, this could refer to Dumb\nMotions.\n\n\nTextual remarks:\n\nAt least some of the quotations presented by the author are not verbatim\nquotations, they have been edited by the author (for example Aubrey on\ncockle-bread).\n\nIn the Addenda, the original work uses Arabic rather than Roman numerals\nfor different variants; this has not been changed.\n\nThe original work uses both 2-4 and 2/4 to indicate musical time; this\nhas not been standardised.\n\nPage 199: Love another like sister and brother is probably a mistake\n(Love one another like sister and brother).\n\nPage 336/7: The original work does not give a source or authority for\nvariation XXV.\n\n\nChanges made to the original text:\n\nFootnotes have been moved to end of the description of the game or to\nimmediately underneath the relevant paragraph (in the Memoir).\n\nSources (when printed in smaller type in the original work) have been\nmoved to a separate line where necessary.\n\nIn the Addenda, the references to games have been moved to the next\nline.\n\nFirst page: mustergiltig changed to musterg\u00fcltig (exemplary)\n\nPage vii: Pocklington Coltman changed to Pocklington-Coltman\n\nPage xiii: Teesty-Totsy changed to Teesty-Tosty as in text\n\nPage xv: Game Hulla-balloo-ballee added to list\n\nPage 35: the other player's changed to the other players\n\nPage 56-60: some rows consisting of dashes only were combined in the\noriginal work, these have been split into separate rows\n\nPage 66: Hurstmonceaux changed to Hurstmonceux as elsewhere\n\nPage 67: Hurstmonceaux changed to Hurstmonceux as elsewhere\n\nPage 88: galop changed to gallop as elsewhere\n\nPage 100: square brackets moved from line of verse to explanation, as\nelsewhere [I pray ... the ball], putting ... three girls. changed to I\npray ... the ball, [putting ... three girls.]\n\nPage 101: square bracket after yield up the ball. removed\n\nPage 108: Egmond changed to Edgmont\n\nPage 150: Biddgelert changed to Beddgelert\n\nPage 153: (variant VIII) rise, Sally changed to rise, Sallie\n\nPage 167: Strixwould changed to Stixwould\n\nPage 192: Encyclopedia changed to Encyclop\u00e6dia as elsewhere\n\nPage 212: seldom or ever changed to seldom or never\n\nPage 214: Warkwickshire changed to Warwickshire\n\nPage 221: 1 and 2 changed to I and II as elsewhere\n\nPage 274: come with we changed to come with me\n\nPage 304: Schir, [zeta]it remembir as of befoir changed to Schir,\n[yogh]it remembir as of befoir\n\nPage 321/2: I. and II. added for consistency\n\nPage 323: Collyhurst changed to Colleyhurst as elsewhere\n\nPage 324: Ill changed to I'll\n\nPage 333: Sprole changed to Sporle\n\nPage 347: Hartley Witney changed to Hatley Wintney\n\nPage 359: Authencairn changed to Auchencairn\n\nPage 360: beleagured changed to beleaguered\n\nPage 411: 229-303 changed to 299-303\n\nPage 412: Page 292 changed to Page 294\n\nPage 415: Doagan: placed on separate line as other section headers\n\nPage 423: reference to Wads and the Wears: vol. i changed to vol. ii\n\nPage 438: 315-319 changed to 313-319\n\nPage 462: Tuilzie changed to Tuilyie\n\nPage 464: Johnny Hairy changed to Johanny Hairy\n\nPage 466: Cobler's changed to Cobbler's\n\nPage 469: Spangle changed to Spangie\n\nPage 475: Babity changed to Babbity as elsewhere\n\nPage 476: Granny Crow changed to Cranny Crow; Rushes changed to Rashes\n\nPage 477: Tuilzie changed to Tuilyie\n\nPage 499: and in animals of the chase changed to and in these animals of\nthe chase\n\nPage 482: Johnny Hairy changed to Johanny Hairy\n\nPage 506: Orange and Lemons changed to Oranges and Lemons\n\nPage 517: mother's have children changed to mothers have children\n\nPage 519: \"Secular and Ceremonial Dances\" of Torres Straits changed to\n\"Secular and Ceremonial Dances of Torres Straits\".","title":"The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 2 of 2): With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes, and Methods of Playing etc.","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":161262}