A LANCASHIRE ROUND GAME.

"Will you surrender? Oh, will you surrenderTo the King of the Barbarines?"

During the struggle reinforcements comeup from the rebel camp and try to beat off the king's soldiers, exclaiming—

"We won't surrender, we won't surrenderTo the King of the Barbarines.""We'll make you surrender, we'll make you surrenderTo the King of the Barbarines.""You can't make us surrender, you can't make us surrenderTo the King of the Barbarines.""We'll go to the King, we'll go to the King,To the King of the Barbarines.""You can go to the King, you can go to the King,To the King of the Barbarines."

"We won't surrender, we won't surrenderTo the King of the Barbarines."

"We'll make you surrender, we'll make you surrenderTo the King of the Barbarines."

"You can't make us surrender, you can't make us surrenderTo the King of the Barbarines."

"We'll go to the King, we'll go to the King,To the King of the Barbarines."

"You can go to the King, you can go to the King,To the King of the Barbarines."

The rebels now build an imaginary castle by joining hands. The king's soldiers surround the place, and after a skirmish break it down.

"We'll break down your castle, we'll break down your castleFor the King of the Barbarines."

Two rows of lassies and lads face each other; the boys, hand in hand, move backwards and forwards towards the girls, saying—

"I've got gold, and I've got silver,I've got copper, and I've got brass,I've got all the world can give me,All I want is a nice young lass.""Fly to the east, fly to the west,Fly to the one you love the best."

"I've got gold, and I've got silver,I've got copper, and I've got brass,I've got all the world can give me,All I want is a nice young lass."

"Fly to the east, fly to the west,Fly to the one you love the best."

In the scramble which takes place the young lass of each one's choice is seized. A ring is formed, and a rollicking dance takes places to the characteristic chorus of—

"Fol th' riddle, I do, I do, I do;Fol th' riddle, I do, I do, dey."

"Here we go round the mulberry bush,The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush;Here we go round the mulberry bushOn a cold and frosty morning."This is the way we wash our hands,We wash our hands, we wash our hands;This is the way we wash our handsOn a cold and frosty morning."This is the way we do our hair," etc."This is the way we mend our shoes," etc."This is the way we scrub our clothes," etc."This is the way we dust our room," etc.

"Here we go round the mulberry bush,The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush;Here we go round the mulberry bushOn a cold and frosty morning.

"This is the way we wash our hands,We wash our hands, we wash our hands;This is the way we wash our handsOn a cold and frosty morning.

"This is the way we do our hair," etc.

"This is the way we mend our shoes," etc.

"This is the way we scrub our clothes," etc.

"This is the way we dust our room," etc.

A child stands on a hillock, or slightly elevated ground. A party of children, hand in hand, approach him whom they denominate Mr. Fox with the question—

"Pray, Mr. Fox, what time is it?"

"One o'clock," answers Mr. Fox.

They are safe and fall back to their den.

Making another venture they repeat the question.

"Twelve o'clock," shouts Mr. Fox, at the same time bounding towards them and scattering them in all directions. Those he can catch before they get back to their den are his prisoners, and the game is played until one remains, who of course becomes the fox.

"Twelve o'clock," it is to be observed, is the sly, foxy answer to the question, "Pray, Mr. Fox, what time is it?"

"One," "two," "three," "four," etc., are but evasive replies.

A boisterous game, played by girls, especially favoured in Paddington and Marylebone.

"Mother, buy me a milking can, A, I, O.Where's the money to come from, A, I, O?Sell my father's feather bed.Where must your father sleep?Sleep in the boys' bed.Where will the boys sleep?Sleep in the cradle.Where will the baby sleep?Sleep in the thimble.What shall I sew with?Sew with the poker.Suppose I burn myself?Serve you right."

At the time of saying "serve you right" all the children scamper away from the girl who acts the part of mother. It is littlemore than a mild reproof on the over-indulgent mother who would sell or give anything to satisfy the fancies of her children, and the "serve you right" is a girl's idea of what a foolish mother deserves—less impudent than corrective.

The town and country boys' game of

"Bell horses, bell horses, what time of day,One o'clock, two o'clock, three and away,"

comes into fashion with all the reckless frivolity of early years, when the old English festivities of Maying take place, reminding one of the old custom of bringing the May-pole from the neighbouring woods, when each of the eighty oxen yoked to the May-pole waggon had a nosegay of wild-flowers tied to the horns.

"Here comes a poor sailor from Botany Bay;Pray, what are you going to give him to-day?"

is played as a preliminary game to decide who shall join sides in the coming tug-of-war.

The chief delight of the youngsters playing "Here comes a poor sailor," is in putting and answering questions. All are warned before replying.

"You must say neither 'Yes,' 'No,' 'Nay,''Black,' 'White,' or 'Grey.'—Now what are you going to give him to-day?""A pair of boots.""What colour are they?""Brown.""Have you anything else to give him?""I think so; I'll go and see.""What colour is it?""Red.""What is this made of?" pointing to a coat or other article."Cloth.""And the colour?""Brown.""Have you anything else to give him?""I don't think so.""Would you like a sweet?""Yes."

"You must say neither 'Yes,' 'No,' 'Nay,''Black,' 'White,' or 'Grey.'—Now what are you going to give him to-day?"

"A pair of boots."

"What colour are they?"

"Brown."

"Have you anything else to give him?"

"I think so; I'll go and see."

"What colour is it?"

"Red."

"What is this made of?" pointing to a coat or other article.

"Cloth."

"And the colour?"

"Brown."

"Have you anything else to give him?"

"I don't think so."

"Would you like a sweet?"

"Yes."

The examination is finished, for one of the fatal replies has been given. The child who exclaimed "Yes" goes to a den. After taking all the children through the same form of questioning the youngsters are found divided into two classes, those who avoided answering in the prohibited terms, "Yes," "No," "Nay," "Black," "White," "Grey," and the little culprits in the den or prison who have failed in the examination. The tug-of-war now begins, either class being pitted against the other. No rope is used; arms are entwined round waists, skirts pulled, or coat-tails taken hold of.

This is one of the most universally played chain games in the British Isles. It belongs as much to the child with a rich Dublin brogue as to the Cockney boy, one thing being altered in the verse—the place, "How many miles to Wexford or Dublin" being substituted for Wimbledon. Coventry and Burslem take the child fancy in the North of England.

It probably dates from Tudor times. The expression, "Can I get there by candle-light?" and "He went out of town as far as a farthing candle would light him," were amongst the common sayings of the people of Elizabeth's time.

"How many miles to Wimbledon?Three score and ten.Can I get there by candle-light?Yes! and back again.Then open the gates and let me go.Not without a beck and a bow.Here's a beck and there's a bow;Now open the gates and we'll all pass thro'."

The chain of children first formed to play this game is re-formed into two smaller ones. Hands are then uplifted by one of the sides to form an archway; the other children, marching in single file, approach the sentinel near the gateway of arched hands and ask—

"How many miles to Wimbledon?"

The answer is given—

"Three score and ten," etc.

When the gates are opened those who are alert enough pass through, but others are caught and made prisoners.

"Cowsand horses walk on four legs,Little children walk on two legs;Fishes swim in water clear,Birds fly up into the air.One, two, three, four, five,Catching fishes all alive.Why did you let them go?Because they bit my finger so.Which finger did they bite?This little finger on the right."

The enthusiasm with which children of all ages play this somewhat noisy game can hardly be imagined. Try it, you fun-loving parents, and be rewarded by the tears of joy their mirth and laughter will cause.

It is played after this fashion. However, it will not be amiss to remove the tea-things before anything is attempted. All seated, the parent or nurse then places the first and second fingers of each hand on the coverlet, the youngsters imitating her. Everybody's fingers are now moved up and down in a perpendicular way, like the needle of a sewing machine. All singing—

"Cows and horses walk on four legs."

The next line requires a change, only one finger on each hand being used, and—

"Little children walk on two legs" (sung).

"Fishes swim in water clear"

demands the waving of arms horizontally, to imitate the action of swimming in water.

"Birds fly up into the air."

When this line is sung the hands are heldup, and moved from the wrists like the wings of birds flapping in the air.

"One, two, three, four, five"

is said to the clapping of hands.

"Catching fishes all alive"

is sung to the action of grabbing at supposed fishes with the fingers.

"Why did you let them go?"

Everybody shakes their head and replies—

"Because they bit my finger so!""Which finger did they bite?"

Holding up the little finger, you answer—

"This little finger on the right!"

Some of the thousands of the nursery tales in vogue come to us without a trace as to their origin. In James I.'s time the ending of ballads ran with a tuneful

"Fa, la, la, la, lal, de."

A collection of ballads in book-form by John Hilton, and called "Garlands," are also described as the "Ayres and Fa las" in the title-page.

Halliwell gives "The tale of two birds sitting on a stone" the same date. It is scarcely a tale, but a game still played by all classes of children—

"There were two birds sitting on a stone,Fa, la, la, la, lal, de.One flew away, and then there was one,Fa, la, la, la, lal, de.The other flew after, and then there was none,Fa, la, la, la, lal, de.And so the poor stone was left all alone,Fa, la, la, la, lal, de!"

The way boys play it may be briefly told as follows:—Pieces of paper are wetted and fixed on the fingers, the first finger of each hand. Being thus ornamented, they areplaced on the table or knee, and the rhyme repeated—

"There were two birds sitting on a stone."

Then by a sudden upward movement, throwing the paper on one finger, as it were, over the shoulder, the next finger—the second—is substituted for it, and the hand is again brought down and placed beside the remaining paper bird—

"Fa, la, la, la, lal, de.""One flew away, and then there was one."

The same sleight-of-hand is gone through with the other finger—

"The other flew away, and then there was none,And so the poor stone was left all alone."

Another but more modern game, embodying the same idea, is told in—

"There were two blackbirds sitting on a hill,One named Jack and the other named Jyll.Fly away, Jack, fly away, Jyll.Come again, Jack, come again, Jyll"—

to the wonderment of the child watching the quick change of fingers.

It is the earliest sleight-of-hand trick taught to the nursery child.

A spirited game may be played after this fashion. All seated round the table or fireplace. One child sings a solo—a verse of some nursery rhyme. For instance—

"Hi diddle diddle,The cat and the fiddle,The cow jumped over the moon;The little dog laughed to see such fine sport,And the dish ran away with the spoon."

A chorus of voices takes up the tune and the solo is repeated, after which the alphabet is sung through, and the last letter, Z, sustained and repeated again and again, to bother the next child whose turn it now isto sing the next solo. The new solo must be a nursery rhyme not hitherto sung by any of the company. If unable to supply a fresh rhyme the child stands out of the game and pays forfeit.

In another parlour game of a rather interesting kind the youngest in the room begins by saying—

"I apprentice my son to a butcher; the first thing he sold was a pound of M."

Each has a turn to guess what M may stand for—some kind of meat the butcher usually sells. Should the first person in the circle guess the correct meaning, it becomes his or her turn to ask the next question. Baker or grocer, chemist or draper, in fact any trade may be selected by the person whose turn it is to put the question.

of a thousand years ago is still played by the Christian children of Asia. Like our Western street games of tops and tip-cats it perpetuates the cruelties of the persecutions which their ancestors suffered, a most terrible instance of the child's game outliving the serious performance of that which it represented. The frontier of the Armenian kingdom had been destroyed by one of the Christian Byzantine emperors, thus enabling the Seljouck Turks to pass through the Armenian kingdom, and deal out to the unoffending Asiatic Christians the terrors of pillage by firing their peaceful homesteads. England, France, and Germany have a modification of the game. In France the youngsters hand round a burning faggot, exclaiming—

"Petit bonhomme vit encore."

German children play a similar game with a stick instead of a firebrand, and Halliwell gives the rhyme describing the English game as—

"Jack's alive and in very good health,If he die in your hand you must look to yourself."

An old custom of the Russian maiden—identical with the English girl's habit on St. Valentine's Day—is still in vogue. Going into the street she asks the first man she meets his Christian name, believing that her future husband will be sure to bear the same.

Sports, games, and amusements were unknown until a late day in Jewish history. Within the walls of Jerusalem, or indeed throughout the whole length of Palestine, no theatre, circus, hippodrome, nor even gallery was to be found, until Jason, the Greek-Jew of the Maccabees dynasty, became ruler, and built a place of exercise under the very tower of the Temple itself. (2 Macc. iv. 10-14.) Herod subsequently completed what Jason had begun, and erected a hippodrome within the Holy City to the delight of the younger Hebrews, later building another at Cæsarea.

Even the festivals were not of Mosaic appointment, and it is not difficult to understand how certain gloomy censors and theologians condemn merriment. To serve the Lord with gladness was quite an after-thought of the Israelitish leaders and teachers. But when the great fairs or wakes of the whole nation were held, pastimes and diversions crept in similar to the merry meetings of our own times, and religion, commerce, and amusement became the cardinal features of the great Jewish fairs.

The Guy Fawkes Festival of Judaism, the Purim Feast, appointed by Esther and Mordecai, commemorating deliverance from massacre which Hamar had determined by lot against them, gave occasion for relaxation. Even the most austere and gloomy rejoiced, while the younger people abandoned themselves to dissolute mirth, opposite sexesdressing up in the clothes of each other; a habit at present in favour amongst the coster fraternity of East London on Bank Holidays. The Jews were a peculiar people. No old-time imagery of the older nations enchanted them; they were carefully taught to live for themselves and by themselves, but to make their profit out of others whenever possible to do so. The spoiling of the Egyptians took place more than once in their history. Whatever nation they colonised amongst had to enforce strict laws and rigid punishments in defence of their own less shrewd people.

Even their nursery rhymes are distinctive, full of religious and national sentiment, and may be counted on the fingers of one hand. They necessarily know the ones in common use belonging to the country of their adoption, but so important are the two Hebrew rhymes considered to be that every pious Jew teacheshis child their significance. A translation of the principal one, found in the Sepher Haggadah, a Hebrew hymn in the Chaldee language, runs thus:—

Recitative.

"A kid, a kid, my father boughtFor two pieces of money—A kid! a kid!Then came the cat and ate the kidThat my father bought for two pieces of money.Then came the dog and bit the cat that ate the kid that my father bought for two pieces of money.Then came the staff and beat the dog that bit the cat, etc.Then came the fire that burned the staff, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the kid, etc.Then came the water and quenched the fire, that burned the staff, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the kid, etc.Then came the ox and drank the water, etc.Then came the butcher and slew the ox, that drank the water, etc.Then came the Angel of Death and killed the butcher, etc.Then came the Holy One, Blessed be He! and slew the Angel of Death, that killed the butcher, that slew the ox, that drank the water, that quenched the fire, that burned the staff, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the kid, that my father bought for two pieces of money—A kid! a kid!"

"A kid, a kid, my father boughtFor two pieces of money—A kid! a kid!

Then came the cat and ate the kidThat my father bought for two pieces of money.Then came the dog and bit the cat that ate the kid that my father bought for two pieces of money.Then came the staff and beat the dog that bit the cat, etc.Then came the fire that burned the staff, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the kid, etc.Then came the water and quenched the fire, that burned the staff, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the kid, etc.Then came the ox and drank the water, etc.Then came the butcher and slew the ox, that drank the water, etc.Then came the Angel of Death and killed the butcher, etc.Then came the Holy One, Blessed be He! and slew the Angel of Death, that killed the butcher, that slew the ox, that drank the water, that quenched the fire, that burned the staff, that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the kid, that my father bought for two pieces of money—A kid! a kid!"

Now for the interpretation—for it is a historical and a prophetic nursery rhyme. The kid which Jehovah the father purchased denotes the select Hebrew race; the two pieces of money represent Moses and Aaron; the cat signifies the Assyrians, by whom the ten tribes were taken into captivity; the dog is representative of the Babylonians; the staff typifies the Persians; the fire is Alexander the Great at the head of the Grecian Empire; the water the Roman domination over the Jews; the ox the Saracens who subdued the HolyLand and brought it under the Caliph; the butcher is a symbol of the Crusaders' slaughter; the Angel of Death the Turkish power; the last stanza is to show that God will take vengeance on the Turks when Israel will again become a fixed nation and occupy Palestine. The Edomites (the Europeans) will combine and drive out the Turks.

Everyone, big and little, will recognise the source of the nursery fable of "The house that Jack built."

"This is the house that Jack built.This is the malt that lay in the house that Jack built.This is the rat that ate the malt that lay in the house, etc.This is the cat that killed the rat that ate the malt, etc.This is the dog that worried the cat that killed the rat, etc.This is the cow with a crumpled horn that tossed the little dog over the barn, that worried the cat that killed the rat, etc.This is the maiden all forlorn that milked the cow with a crumpled horn, that tossed the little dog over the barn, etc.This is the man all tatters and torn, that kissed the maiden all forlorn, that milked the cow with a crumpled horn, etc.This is the priest all shaven and shorn, that married the man all tatters and torn to the maiden all forlorn, etc.This is the cock that crowed in the morn, that wakened the priest all shaven and shorn, that married the man, etc.This is the farmer sowing his corn, that fed the cock that crowed in the morn, that wakened the priest all shaven and shorn, that married the man all tatters and torn unto the maiden all forlorn, that milked the cow with a crumpled horn, that tossed the little dog over the barn, that worried the cat, that killed the rat, that ate the malt, that lay in the house that Jack built."

A Scotch and North of England nursery tale, two centuries old, is cast in the same mould, or rather built on the hymn of the Hebrews found in the Sepher Haggadah. It is given below.

"There was an old woman swept her house and found a silver penny,And she went to market and bought a kid;But when she came to drive it home kid would not go.She went a little further and met a stick, and said to it,'Stick, stick, beat kid, kid won't go, 'tis a'most midnight, and hame I must go.'But the stick would not.She went a little further and met a fire.'Fire, fire, burn stick, stick won't beat kid, kid won't go, 'tis a'most midnight, and hame I must go.'But the fire would not.She went a little further and met with water.'Water, water, quench fire, fire won't burn stick,' etc.But the water would not.She went a little further and met an ox.'Ox, ox, drink water,' etc.She went a little further and met a butcher, etc.She went a little further and met a rope, etc.She went a little further and met some grease, etc.'Grease, grease, grease rope.'She went a little further and met a rat.'Rat, rat, eat grease,' etc.She went a little further and met a cat.'Cat, cat, kill rat,' etc.The cat began to bite the rat, the rat began to eat the grease, the grease began to grease the rope, the rope to hang the butcher, the butcher to kill the ox, the ox to drink the water, the water to quench the fire, the fire to burn the stick, the stick to beat the kid, and so the kid went home."

In other accounts of the same tale the kid is a pig, the silver penny a crooked sixpence; the pig would not go over the stile, and the old woman could not get her old man's supper ready.

The several prefigurations are not difficult to make out. Very many of the babblings put into the mouths of English children are of foreign origin; the story of "The Kid" was known in Leipsic and sung by German children in 1731, very possibly coming in this way from the Jewish colony.

In Denmark it is also a favourite with the school children.

The other Jewish rhyme, kept in remembrance by modern Jews, is printed at the end of their Passover Service in English and in Hebrew.

Oneis known as the Chad Gadyâ. It is an arithmetical poem, and begins—

"Who knoweth One?""I know One, One is God, who is over heaven and earth!""Who knoweth two?""I know two, two tables of the Covenant, but One is God, who reigneth over heaven and earth!"

"Who knoweth One?"

"I know One, One is God, who is over heaven and earth!"

"Who knoweth two?"

"I know two, two tables of the Covenant, but One is God, who reigneth over heaven and earth!"

When the Latin of our churches was on the lips of everyone in the Middle Ages, an adaptation of this childish creed was taught to little Christians, beginning—

"Unus est Deus,"

but with a Christian theme.

Fromwhich came the well-known nursery tale of—

"A frog, who would a-wooing go.Hey, oh! says Rowly.Whether his mother would let him or no,With a Rowly Powly Gammon and Spinach,Hey, oh! says Anthony Rowly."

In 1549 the Scottish shepherds sang a song, entitled "The frog that came to the myl dur." In 1580 a later ballad, called "A most strange wedding of a frog and a mouse," was licensed by the Stationers' Company. There is a second version extant inPills to Purge Melancholy.

The following was commonly sung in the early years of Henry VIII.'s reign:—

"It was a frog in the well, Humbledum, humbledum,And the merry mouse in the mill, Tweedle, tweedle, twino.The frog he would a-wooing ride, Humbledum, humbledum,Sword and buckler by his side, Tweedle, tweedle, twino.When upon his high horse set, Humbledum, humbledum,His boots they shone as black as jet, Tweedle, tweedle, twino."Then he came to the merry mill-pin,Saying, 'Lady mouse, be you within?'Then out came the dusty mouse,Saying, 'I'm the lady of this house.'"'Hast thou any mind of me?' asked the gallant Sir Froggy.'I have e'en great mind of thee,' her ladyship replied.'Who shall make our marriage?' suggested the frog.'Our lord, the rat!' exclaimed the mouse.'What shall we have for supper?' the thoughtful frog exclaimed.'Barley, beans, and bread and butter!' generously replied Miss Mouse.But when the supper they were at,The frog, the mouse, and the rat,In came Gib, our cat,And caught the mouse by the back;Then did they separate.The frog leapt on the floor so flat,In came Dick, our drake,And drew the frog into the lake.The rat ran up the wall,And so the company parted all."

"Then he came to the merry mill-pin,Saying, 'Lady mouse, be you within?'Then out came the dusty mouse,Saying, 'I'm the lady of this house.'

"'Hast thou any mind of me?' asked the gallant Sir Froggy.'I have e'en great mind of thee,' her ladyship replied.'Who shall make our marriage?' suggested the frog.'Our lord, the rat!' exclaimed the mouse.'What shall we have for supper?' the thoughtful frog exclaimed.'Barley, beans, and bread and butter!' generously replied Miss Mouse.But when the supper they were at,The frog, the mouse, and the rat,In came Gib, our cat,And caught the mouse by the back;Then did they separate.The frog leapt on the floor so flat,In came Dick, our drake,And drew the frog into the lake.The rat ran up the wall,And so the company parted all."

The rhyming tale of "The frog who would a-wooing go" is similar in every way to the above.

In Japan one of the most notable fairy-tales relates a story of a mouse's wedding.

In the next two reigns, Edward VI. and Philip and Mary's, the musical abilities of the London boy were carefully looked after and cultivated. The ballads he sang recommended him to employers wanting apprentices. Christ's Blue Coat School and Bridewell Seminary offered unusual facilities for voice training. One happy illustration of the customs of the sixteenth century was the habit of the barber-surgeon's boy, who amused the customers, waiting for "next turn" to be shaved or bled, with his ballad or rhyming verse; and a boy with a good voice proved a rare draw to the "bloods" about town, and those who frequented the taverns and ordinaries within the City.

In the next reign the condition of the poor was much improved; the effect of theland sales in Henry VII.'s reign, when the moneyed classes purchased two-thirds of the estates of the nobility, and spent their amassed wealth in cultivating and improving the neglected lands. This factor—as well as the cessation of the Wars of the Roses—was beginning to work a lasting benefit to the poor, as the street cries of 1557 show, for, according to the register of the Stationers' Company that year, a licence was granted to John Wallye and Mrs. Toye to print a ballad, entitled—

"Who lyve so mery and make such sporteAs they that be of the poorest sort?""Who liveth so merry in all the landAs doth the poor widow who selleth the sand?And ever she singeth, as I can guess,'Will you buy my sand—any sand—mistress?'Chorus."Who would desire a pleasanter thingThan all the day long to do nothing but sing?Who liveth so merry and maketh such sportAs those who be of the poorer sort?"

"Who lyve so mery and make such sporteAs they that be of the poorest sort?"

"Who liveth so merry in all the landAs doth the poor widow who selleth the sand?And ever she singeth, as I can guess,'Will you buy my sand—any sand—mistress?'

Chorus.

"Who would desire a pleasanter thingThan all the day long to do nothing but sing?Who liveth so merry and maketh such sportAs those who be of the poorer sort?"

Even Daniel De Foe, writing one hundred and twenty years after, paid a passing tribute to Queen Elizabeth, and said "that the faint-hearted economists of 1689 would show something worthy of themselves if they employed the poor to the same glorious advantage as did Queen Elizabeth."

Going back to the centuries prior to the Tudor period, one is reminded that all the best efforts at minstrelsy—song, glee, or romance—came from the northern counties, or from just on either side the borders.

The prevalence of a northern dialect in the compositions show this suggestion to be in a great degree real. The poems of minstrelsy, however, claim something more than dialect—the martial spirit, ever fever-heat on the borders of the kingdoms of England and Scotland; theage of chivalry furnishing the minstrel with the subject of his poem.

But with the strife of war ended, on Henry VII.'s accession, ballads took the place of war-songs in the heart affections of the people, and they sang songs of peace and contentment. Bard, scald, minstrel, gleeman, with their heroic rhymes and long metrical romances, gave way in the evolution of song and harmony to the ballad-monger with his licence. However, in turn they became an intolerable nuisance, and a wag wrote of them in 1740—

"Of all sorts of wit he's most fond of a ballad,But asses choose thistles instead of a salad."

Another of the wayside songs of Henry VIII.'s time, sung by man, woman, and child, ran—

"Quoth John to Joan, Wilt thou have me?I prithee, now wilt? and I'se marry with theeMy cow, my calf, my house, my rents,And all my land and tenements—Oh, say, my Joan, will that not do?I cannot come each day to woo.I've corn and hay in the barn hard by,And three fat hogs pent up in a sty;I have a mare, and she's coal black;I ride on her tail to save her back.I have cheese upon the shelf,And I cannot eat it all myself.I've three good marks that lie in a ragIn the nook of the chimney instead of a bag."

The London surgeon-barber's boy pleased his master's patrons with a whole host of similar extravagances, but he was not alone in the habit, for so usual was it for the poorest of the poor to indulge in mirth, that literary men of the day wrote against the practice.

In a black-letter book—a copy of which is in the British Museum, date 1560—and entitled, "The longer thou livest morefool thou art," W. Wager, the author, says in the prologue—

"Good parents in good manners do instruct their child,Correcting him when he beginneth to grow wild."

The subject matter of this book also gives a fair view of the customs and habits of the boys of that age. In the character of Moros, a youth enters the stage, "counterfeiting a vain gesture and foolish countenance, singing the 'foote' or burden of many songs, as fools are wont."

Amongst the many rhymes enumerated by Moros, which he claims were taught to him by his mother, occur: "Broome on the hill," "Robin lend me thy bow," "There was a maid came out of Kent," "Dainty love, dainty love," "Come o'er the bourne, Bessie," and

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