Queen Mary

Suitor and Friends.Here we come a-piping,First in Spring and then in May.The Queen she sits upon the sand,Fair as a lily, white as a wand [swan].

Of the fairest lady in all the land.Guardian (or Mother) and Maidens.

Of the fairest lady in all the land.

Guardian (or Mother) and Maidens.

For which of my maidens do you propose?Suitors or Queen Anne.I chose but one, I chose from all,I pray, Miss ( ), receive the ball [throwing ball to one girl, who catches it].

For which of my maidens do you propose?

Suitors or Queen Anne.I chose but one, I chose from all,I pray, Miss ( ), receive the ball [throwing ball to one girl, who catches it].

Or—

I pray this hand receive the ball, [putting a ball into the extended hands of one of three girls.]

Guardian then disguises three girls (one with the ball) with veils or other coverings, so that they precisely resemble each other, and returns with the girls to the suitors, saying to the girls—

Turn, ladies, turn; turn, ladies, turn;

and to the suitors—

Come choose your own, come choose from all.I’ve brought you three letters, pray can you read one?Suitor(touching one of the disguised girls).I cannot read one without I read all.I pray, Miss ( ), yield up the ball.Disguised Maiden(one who did not receive the ball).The ball is mine, and none of thine,And so, good morning, Valentine.Chorus of Maidens(curtseying).We will go to the wood and gather flowers,We will get pins to pin our clothes,You will get nails to nail your toes.Cats and kittens bide within,But we, young maidens, come out and in.

Come choose your own, come choose from all.I’ve brought you three letters, pray can you read one?

Suitor(touching one of the disguised girls).

I cannot read one without I read all.I pray, Miss ( ), yield up the ball.

Disguised Maiden(one who did not receive the ball).

The ball is mine, and none of thine,And so, good morning, Valentine.

Chorus of Maidens(curtseying).

We will go to the wood and gather flowers,We will get pins to pin our clothes,You will get nails to nail your toes.Cats and kittens bide within,But we, young maidens, come out and in.

The inference being that the chosen maiden is still free until the suitor can try again, and is fortunate enough to indicate the right maiden.

If this conjectural restoration of the verses be accepted on the evidence, it would suggest that this game originated from one of the not uncommon customs practised at weddings or betrothals—when the suitor has to discriminate between several girls all dressed precisely alike and distinguish his bride by some token. (See “King William.”) This incident of actual primitive custom also obtains in folk tales, thus showing its strong hold upon popular tradition, and hence increasing the probability that it would reappear in games. It must be rememberedthat the giving of gloves was a significant fact in betrothals.

This game is said by some to have its origin in the use of the sedan chair. A version taken from a newspaper cutting (unfortunately I had not recorded the name and date, but think it was probably theLeeds Mercurysome years ago) gives the following rhyme. The writer does not say whether he knows it as a game—

Lady Lucan she sits in a sedan,As fair as a lily, as white as a swan;A pair of green gloves to doff and to don.My mistress desires you will read one,I can’t read one without them all,So I pray this hand decline the ball.

In this version there is still the puzzle to solve, or riddle to read.[Addendum]

[Play]

Tune Queen Mary Verses 1, 2Tune Queen Mary Verses 3, 4, 5—Hexham (Miss J. Barker).

—Hexham (Miss J. Barker).

Queen Mary, Queen Mary, my age is sixteen,My father’s a farmer on yonder green;He has plenty of money to dress me in silk—Come away, my sweet laddie, and take me a walk.One morning I rose and I looked in the glass,I thought to myself what a handsome young lass;My hands by my side, and a gentle ha, ha,Come away, my sweet lassie, and take me a walk.Father, mother, may I go, may I go, may I go;Father, mother, may I go, to buy a bunch of roses?Oh yes, you may go, you may go, you may go;Oh yes, you may go, buy a bunch of roses!Pick up her tail and away she goes, away she goes, away she goes;Pick up her tail and away she goes, to buy a bunch of roses.

Queen Mary, Queen Mary, my age is sixteen,My father’s a farmer on yonder green;He has plenty of money to dress me in silk—Come away, my sweet laddie, and take me a walk.

One morning I rose and I looked in the glass,I thought to myself what a handsome young lass;My hands by my side, and a gentle ha, ha,Come away, my sweet lassie, and take me a walk.

Father, mother, may I go, may I go, may I go;Father, mother, may I go, to buy a bunch of roses?Oh yes, you may go, you may go, you may go;Oh yes, you may go, buy a bunch of roses!

Pick up her tail and away she goes, away she goes, away she goes;Pick up her tail and away she goes, to buy a bunch of roses.

—Sang by the children of Hexham Workhouse (Miss J. Barker).

II.

Queen Mary, Queen Mary, my age is sixteen,My father’s a farmer on yonder green;He has plenty of money to keep me sae braw,Yet nae bonnie laddie will tak’ me awa’.The morning so early I looked in the glass,And I said to myself what a handsome young lass;My hands by my side, and I gave a ha, ha,Come awa’, bonnie laddie, and tak’ me awa’.

Queen Mary, Queen Mary, my age is sixteen,My father’s a farmer on yonder green;He has plenty of money to keep me sae braw,Yet nae bonnie laddie will tak’ me awa’.

The morning so early I looked in the glass,And I said to myself what a handsome young lass;My hands by my side, and I gave a ha, ha,Come awa’, bonnie laddie, and tak’ me awa’.

—Berwickshire, A. M. Bell,Antiquary, xxx. 17.

III.

My name is Queen Mary,My age is sixteen,My father’s a farmer in Old Aberdeen;He has plenty of money to dress me in black—There’s nae [no] bonnie laddie ’ill tack me awa’.Next mornin’ I wakened and looked in the glass,I said to myself, what a handsome young lass;Put your hands to your haunches and give a ha, ha,For there’s nae bonnie laddie will tack ye awa’.

—N. E. Scotland (Rev. W. Gregor).

IV.

My name is Queen Mary,My age is sixteen,My father’s a farmer in yonder green;He’s plenty of money to dress in silk [fu’ braw’],For there’s nae bonnie laddie can tack me awa’.One morning I rose and I looked in the glass,Says I to myself, I’m a handsome young lass;My hands by my edges, and I give a ha, ha,For there’s nae bonnie laddie t’ tack me awa’.

—Cullen (Rev. W. Gregor).

(b) TheScottish gameis played by girls. The players join hands, form a circle with one in the centre, and dance round singing. At the words “’ill tack me awa’,” the centre player chooses another one, and the two wheel round. Then the singing proceeds. At the exclamation “ha! ha!” the players suit the action to the words of the line. In theCullen gamethe girls stand in a row with one in front, who sings the verses and chooses another player from the line. The two then join hands and go round and round, singing the remaining verses.

Two rows of people sit on chairs face to face on each side of a door, leaving just sufficient space between the lines for a player to pass. At the end of the rows furthest from the door sits the “Queen of Sheba,” with a veil or shawl over her head. A player, hitherto unacquainted with the game, is brought to the door, shown the Queen, and told to go up between the rows, after being blindfolded, to kiss her, taking care, meanwhile, to avoid treading on the toes of the people on each side the alley leading to the lady. While his mind is diverted by these instructions, and by the process of blindfolding, the Queen gives up her seat to “the King,” who has been lurking in the background. He assumes the veil and receives the kiss, to the amusement of every one but the uninitiated player.

—Anderby, Lincolnshire, and near the Trent, Nottinghamshire (Miss M. Peacock).

An ancient game, at which persons drew by chance poetical descriptions of their characters, the amusement consisting—as at modern games of a similar kind—in the peculiar application or misapplication of the verses so selected at hazard by the drawers.—Halliwell’sDictionary. Halliwell goes on tosay that the meaning of this term was first developed by Mr. Wright in hisAnecdota Literaria, 1844, where he has printed two collections of ancient verses used in the game of “Ragman.” Mr. Wright conjectures that the stanzas were written one after another on a roll of parchment; that to each stanza a string was attached at the side, with a seal or piece of metal or wood at the end; and that when used the parchment was rolled up with all the strings and their seals hanging together, so that the drawer had no reason for choosing one more than another, but drew one of the strings by mere chance, and which he opened to see on what stanza he had fallen. If such were the form of the game, we can very easily imagine why the name was applied to a charter with an unusual number of seals attached to it, which, when rolled up, would present exactly the same appearance. Mr. Wright is borne out in his opinion by an English poem, termed “Ragmane roelle,” printed from MS., Fairfax, 16:—

“My ladyes and my maistresses echone,Lyke hit unto your humbyble wommanhede,Resave in gré of my sympill personeThis rolle, which, withouten any drede,Kynge Ragman me bad me sowe in brede,And cristyned yt the merour of your chaunce;Drawith a strynge, and that shal streight yow leydeUnto the verry path of your governaunce.”

That the verses were generally written in a roll may perhaps be gathered from a passage in Douglas’s Virgil:—

“With that he raucht me ane roll: to rede I begane,The royetest ane ragment with mony ratt rime.”

Halliwell also quotes the following:—

“Venus, whiche stant withoute lawe,In non certeyne, but as men draweOf Ragemon upon the chaunce,Sche leyeth no peys in the balaunce.”

—Gower, MS.Society of Antiquaries, 134, 244.

The term rageman is applied to the devil in “Piers Ploughman,” 335.

See “Stag Warning.”

A boys’ game, in which the younger ones are chased by the larger boys, and when caught carried home pick-a-back.—Halliwell’sDictionary.

Moor (Suffolk Words and Phrases) says this game is often called “Rakes” only, and is the same, probably, that is thus alluded to: “To play Reaks, to domineer, to show mad pranks.” The jest of it is to be carried home a pig-back, by the less swift wight who you may catch.

A game among boys [undescribed].—Dickinson’sCumberland Glossary.

Sides are chosen, and a line made across the playground. One of the sides goes up and the other goes down, and throws their bonnets on the ground. Then one side tries to get one of the opposite side across the line and crown him, and one of the opposite side tries to crown him back. If another boy can catch this player before he gets near him, he is crowned also. All the time the one side is trying to take the bonnets.—Old Aberdeen (Rev. W. Gregor).

See “French and English,” “Scotch and English.”

The players, except one, take their stand at one side, and one stands at the other side in front of them. When all are ready, the one in front calls out “Cock,” or “Caron,” when all rush across to the other side, and he tries to catch one of them in crossing. The one caught helps to catch the others as they run back. Each time the players run from the one side to the other the word “Cock,” or “Caron,” is called out, and the change is continued till all are caught—each one as caught becoming a catcher. In Tyrie the game is called “Dyke King” when played by boys, and “Queen” when played by girls.The word “King,” or “Queen,” is called out before each run, according as the game is played by boys or girls.—Ballindalloch (Rev. W. Gregor).

This game is called “Red Rover” in Liverpool (Mr. C. C. Bell). “Red Rover” is shouted out by the catcher when players are ready to rush across.

See “King Cæsar.”

This game is played by one child trying to catch the rest. The first prisoner taken joins hands with the captor and helps in the pursuit, and so on till all the playmates have been taken.—Anderby, Lincs. (Miss M. Peacock).

This game is the same as “Chickiddy Hand,” “Stag Warning.”

The children stand in a line. One child on the opposite side, facing them, says—

Have you been to a religious church?

Row of children answer—

No!Have I asked you?No!Put your fingers on your lips and follow me.

All the row follow behind her to some other part of the ground, where she stands with her back to them, and they form a new row. One child out of the row now steps forward, and standing behind the first girl says—

Guess who stands behind you?

If the first girl guesses right she keeps her old place, and they begin again. If she is wrong the child who has come from the row takes her place, and a new game is begun. Of course the child who asks the last question alters its voice as much as possible, so as not to be recognised.—Liphook, Hants. (Miss Fowler).

A game of children in Aberdeenshire, said to be the same as Scotch and English, and also called Rockety Row.—Jamieson’sDictionary.

See “Ring-taw.”

[Play]

Tune Ring a Ring o' Roses Marlborough—Marlborough (H. S. May).

—Marlborough (H. S. May).

[Play]

Tune Ring a Ring o' Roses Yorkshire—Yorkshire (H. Hardy).

—Yorkshire (H. Hardy).

[Playversion 1,version 2]

Tune Ring a Ring o' Roses Sporle—Sporle (Miss Matthews).

—Sporle (Miss Matthews).

Ring a ring o’ roses,A pocket-full o’ posies;One for me, and one for you,And one for little Moses—Hasher, Hasher, Hasher, all fall down.

—Winterton, Lincoln, and Leadenham (Miss M. Peacock).

II.

A ring, a ring o’ roses,A pocket-full o’ posies;One for Jack, and one for Jim, and one for little Moses—A-tisha! a-tisha! a-tisha!

—Shropshire (Burne’sShropshire Folk-lore, p. 511).

III.

A ring, a ring o’ roses,A pocket-full o’ posies;A curchey in, and a curchey out,And a curchey all together.

—Edgmond (Burne’sShropshire Folk-lore, p. 571).

IV.

Ring, a ring o’ roses,A pocket full o’ posies;Up-stairs and down-stairs,In my lady’s chamber—Husher! Husher! Cuckoo!

—Wakefield, Yorks. (Miss Fowler).

Ring, a ring of roses,Basket full of posies—Tisha! Tisha! all fall down.

—Penzance, Cornwall (Mrs. Mabbott).

VI.

Ring, a ring a roses,A pocketful of posies;Hush, oh! hush, oh!All fall down!

—Colchester, Essex (Miss G. M. Frances).

VII.

Ring, a ring a rosy,A pocket full of posies;One for you, and one for me,And one for little Moses—Atishm! Atishm!

—Beddgelert (Mrs. Williams).

VIII.

A ring, a ring of roses,A pocket full of posies—Hist! hush! last down dead!

—Gainford, Durham (Miss A. Eddleston).

IX.

Ring, a ring a row-o,See the children go-o,Sit below the goose-berry bush;Hark! they all cry Hush! hush! hush!Sitty down, sit down.Duzzy, duzzy gander,Sugar, milk, and candy;Hatch-u, hatch-u, all fall down together.

Ring, a ring a row-o,See the children go-o,Sit below the goose-berry bush;Hark! they all cry Hush! hush! hush!Sitty down, sit down.

Duzzy, duzzy gander,Sugar, milk, and candy;Hatch-u, hatch-u, all fall down together.

—South Shields (Miss Blair, aged 9).

Ringey, ringey rosies,A pocketful of posies—Hach-ho, hach-ho, all fall down.

Another version—

Hash-ho! Tzhu-ho! all fall down.

—Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).

XI.

Windy, windy weather,Cold and frosty weather,When the wind blowsWe all blow together.I saw Peter!When did you meet him?Merrily, cherrily [so pronounced]All fall down.A ring, a ring of roses,A pocketful of posies—Ashem, ashem, all fall down.

Windy, windy weather,Cold and frosty weather,When the wind blowsWe all blow together.I saw Peter!When did you meet him?Merrily, cherrily [so pronounced]All fall down.

A ring, a ring of roses,A pocketful of posies—Ashem, ashem, all fall down.

—Sheffield (S. O. Addy).

(b) A ring is formed by the children joining hands. They all dance round, singing the lines. At the word “Hasher” or “Atcha” they all raise their hands [still clasped] up and down, and at “all fall down” they sit suddenly down on the ground. In Lancashire (Morton) they pause and curtsey deeply. The imitation of sneezing is common to all. Miss Peacock says, in Nottinghamshire they say “Hashem! Hashem!” and shake their heads. In theSheffield versionthe children sing the first eight lines going round, and all fall down when the eighth is sang. They then form a ring by holding hands, and move round singing the next three lines, and then they all fall either on their knees or flat on their faces.

(c) Versions of this game, identical with theWinterton one, have been sent me by Miss Winfield, Nottingham; others, almost identical with the secondNorfolk version, from Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy), North Staffs. Potteries, Norbury, Staffs., (Miss A. Keary), Earls Heaton, Yorks. (H. Hardy). Addy,Sheffield Glossary, gives a version almost identical with the lastSporle version.

Addy,Sheffield Glossary, compares the old stories about rose-laughing in Grimm’sTeut. Myth.iii. 1101. “Gifted children of fortune have the power to laugh roses, as Treyja wept gold. Probably in the first instance they were Pagan beings of light, who spread their brightness in the sky over the earth—‘rose children,’ ‘sun children.’” This seems to me to be a very apposite explanation of the game, the rhymes of which are fairly well preserved, though showing in some of the variants that decay towards a practical interpretation which will soon abolish all traces of the mythical origin of game-rhyme. It may, however, simply be the making, or “ringing,” a ring or circle of roses or other flowers and bowing to this. Mr. Addy’s suggestion does not account for the imitation of sneezing, evidently an important incident, which runs through all versions. Sneezing has always been regarded as an important or supernatural event in every-day life, and many superstitious beliefs and practices are connected with it both in savage and civilised life. Newell (Games and Songs of American Children, p. 127) describes “Ring around the Rosie,” apparently this game, but the imitation of sneezing has been lost.

Here we go round by ring, by ring,As ladies do in Yorkshire;A curtsey here, a curtsey there,A curtsey to the ground, sir.

—Hersham, Surrey (Folk-lore Record, v. 86).

There is no description of the way this game is played, but it is evidently a similar game to “Ring-a-Ring o’ Roses.”

Take a small splint of wood, kindle it, and when it is burning turn it rapidly round in a circle, repeating the words—

Ringie, ringie, Red Belt, rides wi’ the king,Nae a penny in’s purse t’buy a gold ring.Bow—ow—ow, fat dog art thou,Tam Tinker’s dog, bow—ow—ow.

—Corgarff (Rev. W. Gregor).

This goes by the name of “Willie Wogie” at Keith, but no words are repeated as the splint is whirled.

See “Jack’s Alive.”

Ring me (1), ring me (2), ring me rary (3),As I go round (4) ring by ring (5),A virgin (6) goes a-maying (7);Here’s a flower (8), and there’s a flower (9),Growing in my lady’s garden (10).If you set your foot awry (11),Gentle John will make you cry (12);If you set your foot amiss (13),Gentle John (14) will give you a kiss.This [lady or gentleman] is none of ours,Has put [him or her] self in [child’s name] power;So clap all hands and ring all bells, and make the wedding o’er.

This [lady or gentleman] is none of ours,Has put [him or her] self in [child’s name] power;So clap all hands and ring all bells, and make the wedding o’er.

—Halliwell’sNursery Rhymes, p. 67.

II.

As I go round ring by ring,A maiden goes a-maying;And here’s a flower, and there’s a flower,As red as any daisy.If you set your foot amiss,Gentle John will give you a kiss.

—Halliwell’sNursery Rhymes, p. 125.

(b) A number of boys and girls stand round one in the middle, who repeats the lines, counting the children until one is counted out by the end of the verse. The child upon whom (14) falls is then taken out and forced to select one of the other sex. The middle child then proceeds to say the three last lines. All the children clap hands during the saying (or singing) of the last line. If the child taken by lot joins in the clapping, the selected child is rejected, and, I believe, takes the middle place. Otherwise, I think there is a salute.—Halliwell.

(c) This game is recorded by no authority except Halliwell, and no version has reached me, so that I suppose it is nowobsolete. It is a very good example of the oldest kind of game, choosing partners or lovers by the “lot,” and may be a relic of the May-day festival, when the worship of Flora was accompanied by rites of marriage not in accord with later ideas.

A rough ring is made on the ground, and the players each place in it an equal share in “stonies,” or alleys. They each bowl to the ring with another marble from a distance. The boy whose marble is nearest has the first chance to “taw;” if he misses a shot the second boy, whose marble was next nearest to the ring, follows, and if he misses, the next, and so on. If one player knocks out a marble, he is entitled to “taw” at the rest in the ring until he misses; and if a sure “tawer” not one of the others may have the chance to taw. Any one’s “taw” staying within the ring after being tawn at the “shots,” is said to be “fat,” and the owner of the “taw” must then replace any marbles he has knocked out in the ring.—Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy). Halliwell (Dictionary) describes this game very much as above, except that a fine is imposed on those who leave the taw in the ring. Ross and Stead (Holderness Glossary) give this game as follows:—“Two boys place an equal number of marbles in the form of a circle, which are then shot at alternately, each boy pocketing the marbles he hits.” Addy (Sheffield Glossary) says, “Ring-taw” is a marble marked with a red ring used in the game of marbles. This is commonly called “ring” for short. Evans (Leicestershire Glossary) describes the game much the same as above, but adds some further details of interest. “If the game be knuckle-up the player stands and shoots in that position. If the game be knuckle-down he must stoop and shoot with the knuckle of the first finger touching the ground at taw. In both cases, however, the player’s toe must be on taw. The line was thus called taw as marking the place for the toe of the player, and the marble a taw as being the one shot from the taw-line, in contradistinction to those placed passively inthe ring-‘line’ in the one case, and ‘marble’ in the other being dropped as superfluous.”—Strutt (Sports and Pastimes, p. 384) alludes to the game.

In Ireland this game is also called “Ring,” and is played with marbles and buttons. A ring is marked out on a level hard place, and every boy puts down a button. The buttons are lightly struck in the centre of the ring, and all play their marbles to the buttons. The nearest to them play first. The line from which they play is generally about eight feet away, and everybody does his best to strike the buttons. Any put out are kept by the boy putting them out, and if a boy strikes a button, or buttons, out, he can play on until he misses.—Waterville, Cos. Kerry and Cork, T. J. Dennachy (through Mrs. B. B. Green of Dublin).

A game among children, in which one stands in the middle of a street, road, or lane, while others run across it within a certain given distance from the person so placed, and whose business it is to catch one in passing, when he is released, and the captive takes his place.—Teviotdale (Jamieson’sDictionary).

It nearly resembles “Willie Wastle.”

This game is played by every player, except one (the questioner), choosing a word, and introducing it into his phrase whenever he gives an answer. For example, X, Y, and Z have chosen the words elephant, key-hole, and mouse-trap.

Questioner. “What did you steal from the parson’s hen-roost?”

X. “An elephant.”

Q. “How did you get into the hen-roost?”

Y. “Through the key-hole.”

Q. “Where did you put what was stolen?”

Z. “Into a mouse-trap.”

And so on with the other players.—Lincoln [generally known] (Miss M. Peacock).

The players choose a name, and another player asks them questions, beginning with, “The Parson’s hen-roost was robbed last night, were you there?” To all questions each player must answer by repeating his own name only: if he forgets and says, “Yes” or “No,” he has to take the questioner’s place.—Haxey, Lincolnshire (Mr. C. C. Bell).

A play in which two persons stand with their backs to each other, one passing his arms under the shoulders of the other, they alternately lift each other from the ground.—Jamieson’sDictionary.

See “Bag o’ Malt,” “Weigh the Butter.”

See “Bulliheisle,” “Eller Tree,” “Wind up the Bush Faggot.”

Roly-poly

A game played with a certain number of pins and a ball, resembling half a cricket ball. One pin is placed in the centre, the rest (with the exception of one called the Jack) are placed in a circle round it; the Jack is placed about a foot or so from the circle, in a line with the one in the circle and the one in the centre. The centre one is called the King, the one between that and the Jack, the Queen. The King counts for three, the Queen two, and each of the other pins for one each, except Jack. The art of the game lies in bowling down all the pins except Jack, for if Jack is bowled down, the player has just so many deducted from his former score as would have been added if he had not struck the Jack (Holloway’sDict. Provincialisms). This game was formerly called “Half-bowl,” and was prohibited by a statute of Edward IV. (Halliwell’sDictionary). Brockett (North Country Words andPhrases) says it is a game played at fairs and races. It is, under the name of “Kayles,” well described and illustrated by Strutt (Sports and Pastimes, p. 270, 271), which is reproduced here. It will be seen that Jamieson describes it as played with a pole or cudgel. He says this game no doubt gave origin to the modern one of “Nine-pins;” though primitively the Kayle-pins do not appear to have been confined to any certain number nor shape. . . . The Kayle-pins appear to have been placed in one row only. He also says that “Half-bowl,” played in Hertfordshire, was called “Roly-poly.”

Playing Roly-poly

Jamieson (Dictionary) gives this as “Rollie-poly,” a game of nine-pins, called alsoKayles. The name “Rollie-poly” was given to it because it was played with a pole, or cudgel, by which the pins were knocked over. In the West of Scotland, where this game was in great repute in olden times, it formed one of the chief sports of Fastern’s-e’en, and was a favourite amusement at fairs and races. The awards for successful throwing were generally in the form of small cakes of gingerbread, which were powerful incentives to the game, and never failed to attract players in response to the cry, “Wha’ll try the lucky Kayles?”

A rude game. A cazzie, or cassie, is unexpectedly thrown over the head of a person. When thus blindfolded he is pressed down, and buckets of water are thrown upon the cassie till the victim is thoroughly saturated.—Jamieson’sDictionary.

See “Carrying the Queen a Letter,” “Ezzeka.”

[Play]

Tune Rosy Apple, Lemon and Pear—Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).

—Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).

Rosy apple, lemon, or pear,Bunch of roses she shall wear;Gold and silver by her side,I know who will be the bride.Take her by her lily-white hand,Lead her to the altar;Give her kisses,—one, two, three,—Mrs. (child’s name) daughter.

—Hersham, Surrey (Folk-lore Record, v. 58).

II.

Rosy apple, lemon, and pear,A bunch of roses she shall wear;Gold and silver by her side,Choose the one shall be her bride.Take her by her lily-white hand,Lead her to the altar;Give her kisses,—one, two, three,—To old mother’s runaway daughter.

—Symondsbury, Dorsetshire (Folk-lore Journal, vii. 210).

III.

Back to Index Next