Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales Part 17

THE POOR WOMAN OF BABYLON.

One child stands in the middle of a ring formed by the other children joining hands round her. They sing-

Here comes a poor woman from Babylon, With three small children all alone: One can brew, and one can bake, The other can make a pretty round cake.

One can sit in the arbour and spin, Another can make a fine bed for the king.

Choose the one and leave the rest, And take the one you love the best.

The child in the middle having chosen one in the ring of the opposite s.e.x, the rest say,-

Now you're married, we wish you joy; Father and mother you must obey: Love one another like sister and brother, And now, good people, kiss each other!

They then kiss, and the process is repeated till all the children are in the ring. Another game, played in the same way, begins with this verse:

Sally, Sally Waters, why are you so sad?

You shall have a husband either good or bad: Then rise, Sally Waters, and sprinkle your pan, For you're just the young woman to get a nice man.

The partner being chosen, the two kneel down, and the rest sing,-

Now you're married we wish you joy, Father and mother and little boy!

Love one another like sister and brother, And now, good people, kiss each other.

QUEEN ANNE.

Queen Anne, Queen Anne, who sits on her throne, As fair as a lily, as white as a swan; The king sends you three letters, And begs you'll read one.

This is said by all the children but one, who represents the Queen, they having previously hid a ball upon one of their number. The Queen answers,

I cannot read one unless I read all, So pray, --, deliver the ball.

Naming any child she pleases. If she guesses rightly the child who has the ball takes her place as Queen. If wrongly, the child who has the ball says,

The ball is mine, and none of thine, So you, proud Queen, may sit on your throne, While we, your messengers, go and come.

Or, sometimes, these lines,-

The ball is mine, and none of thine, You are the fair lady to sit on: And we're the black gipsies to go and come.

COUNTING-OUT RHYMES.

The operation of counting-out is a very important mystery in many puerile games. The boys or girls stand in a row, and the operator begins with the counting-out rhyme, appropriating a word to each, till he comes to the person who receives the last word, and who is accordingly "out."

This operation is continued till there is only one left, who is the individual chosen for the hero of the game, whatever it may be. The following verses are selected from a host of rhymes employed for this purpose:

One-ery, two-ery, Tick-ery, tee-vy; Hollow-bone, crack-a-bone, Pen and eevy.

Ink, pink, Pen and ink; A study, a stive, A stove, and a sink!

One-ery, two-ery, Tickery, teven; Alabo, crackabo, Ten and eleven: Spin, spon, Must be gone; Alabo, crackabo, Twenty-_one_!

O-U-T spells out.

[Something similar to this is found in Swedish, Arwidsson, iii. 492:

Apala, mesala, Mesinka, meso, Sebedei, sebedo!

Extra, lara, Kajsa, Sara!

Heck, veck, Vallingsack, Gack du din lnge man veck, Ut!]

Igdum, digdum, didum, dest, Cot-lo, we-lo, wi-lo, west; Cot pan, must be done, Twiddledum, twaddledum, twenty-one!

Hytum, skytum, Perridi styxum, Perriwerri wyxum, A bomun D.

IV.-ALPHABET RHYMES.

Amongst the various devices to establish a royal road to infantine learning, none are more ancient or useful than the rhymes which serve to impress the letters of the alphabet upon the attention and memory of children. As early as the fifteenth century, "Mayster Benet," who was rector of Sandon, in Ess.e.x, in 1440, and afterwards a prebend of St.

Paul's, composed or translated an alphabet-rhyme, which not only professed to recall the memory of the letters, but at a time when the benefit of clergy was in vogue, held out the inducement of providing means for avoiding the punishment of death. The following copy is taken from two versions in MS. Harl. 541, compared with each other:

"Who so wyll be wyse and worshyp to wynne, leern he on lettur and loke upon another of the A. B. C. of Arystotle. Noon argument agaynst that, ffor it is counselle for clerkes and knightes a thowsand; and also it myght amend a meane man fulle oft the lernyng of a lettur, and his lyf save. It shal not greve a good man, though gylt be amend. Rede on this ragment, and rule the theraftur, and whoso be grevid yn his goost governe the bettur. Herkyn and here every man and child how that I begynne:

A. to Amerous, to Aventurous, ne Angre the not to moche.

B. to Bold, to Besy, and Bourde not to large.

C. to Curtes, to Cruel, and Care not to sore.

D. to Dulle, to Dredefulle, and Drynk not to oft.

E. to Ellynge, to Excellent, ne to Ernstfulle neyther.

F. to Ferse, ne to Familier, but Frendely of chere.

G. to Glad, to Gloryous, and Gelowsy thow hate.

H. to Hasty, to Hardy, ne to Hevy yn thyne herte.

J. to Jettyng, to Janglyng, and j.a.pe not to oft.

K. to Keping, to Kynd, and ware Knaves tatches among.

L. to Lothe, to Lovyng, to Lyberalle of goodes.

M. to Medlus, to Mery, but as Maner asketh.

N. to Noyous, to Nyce, nor yet to Newefangle.

O. to Orpyd, to Ovyrthwarte, and Othes thou hate.

P. to Preysyng, to Privy, with Prynces ne with dukes.

Q. to Queynt, to Querelous, to Quesytife of questions.

R. to Ryetous, to Revelyng, ne Rage not to meche.

S. to Straunge, ne to Steryng, nor Stare not to brode.

T. to Taylous, to Talewyse, for Temperaunce ys best.

V. to Venemous, to Vengeable, and Wast not to myche.

W. to Wyld, to Wrothfulle, and Wade not to depe, A mesurabulle meane Way is best for us alle."

A. APPLE-PIE.

Eachard, a learned clergyman of the Church of England, published a work in 1671,[36] in which he condescends to ill.u.s.trate his argument by a reference to this celebrated history. Talking of the various modes of preaching adopted by different sects, he proceeds in this manner: "And whereas it has been observed that some of our clergie are sometimes over nice in taking notice of the meer words that they find in texts, so these are so accurate as to go to the very _letters_. As suppose, sir, you are to give an exhortation to repentance upon that of St. Matthew, 'Repent ye, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand:' you must observe that _Repent_ is a rich word, wherein every letter exhorts us to our duty,-Repent, R. readily, E. earnestly, P. presently, E. effectually, N. nationally, T. thoroughly. Again, Repent Roaringly, Eagerly, Plentifully, Heavily (because of _h_), Notably, Terribly. And why not, Repent Rarely, Evenly, Prettily, Elegantly, Neatly, Tightly? And also, why not, A apple-pasty, B bak'd it, C cut it, D divided it, E eat it, F fought for it, G got it, &c. I had not time, sir, to look any further into their way of preaching; but if I had, I am sure I should have found that they have no reason to despise our church upon that account." The worthy divine would have censured the sermon on Malt attributed to the elder Dodd.