[117] The French expression is the same, _l'être_ or _en être_. The
Germans do not use an equivalent, but say to be _in_, to be _out_;
_sein daran, sein daraus_.
[118] An old way of arranging this is for each of the group to put a
finger inside a hat, in order that the words may be told off on the
fingers.
[119] English _onery_, _twoery_, etc. The forms we give date back to
about 1820, before the publication of the "Nursery Rhymes of England."
There are numerous small variations. "_Virgin_ Mary" we have from
informants in the Middle States; "_Irish_ Mary" was the common New
England phrase.
[120] This rhyme was used only by _girls_. Boys employed No. 2, and
would have been laughed at for counting like girls.
[121] Used by _boys_ in the western part of the town, where were the
toll-house and negro settlement.
[122] English rhymes:
Oneery, twoery, ziccary, zan,
Hollowbone, crackabone, ninery, ten--etc.
[123] This class of formulas (Nos. 1 to 8) appear to be mere variations
of the same type, a fact which does not prevent individual forms from
exhibiting a wonderful permanence. We consider as identical a class of
German formulas, very wide-spread and variable, thus:
(_a._) Unichi, dunichi, tipel-te! Tibel, tabel, domine.
(_b._) Eckati peckati zuchati me, Avi schavi domine.
(_c._) Aeniga mäniga tumpel-ti, Tifel, tafel numine.
(_d._) Anigl panigl subtrahi! Tivi tavi, domini.
(_e._) Endeli bändeli deffendé, Gloria tibi domine.
A rhyme quoted by Mr. Ellis from the _Millhill Magazine_ (a school
paper), and credited to America, is similar:
(_f._) Eeney, meeny, tipty te, Teena, Dinah, Domine.
The following formulas from Transylvania are of a simpler type; the
first is said to imitate the _Gipsy_, the second the _Magyar_, speech:
(_g._) Unemi, dunemi, tronemi, ronemi, donemi,
ronza, konza, jewla, dewla, tschok!
(_h._) Aketum, täketum, tinum, tanum, ärsak, märsak, etc.
We take the latter type to be a nearer approach to the original form.
All sorts of intermediate stages can be observed from between these
lists and the more complicated examples; but we find no signs of
numbers above ten, as in the "Anglo-Cymric score." The Russian and
Finnish tongues present similar rhymed lists, while many Italian rhymes
are of like origin, though disguised and extended.
[124] In North Germany:
Ene tene mone mei, Paster Lone bone, strei,
Ene fune herke berke, Wer? wie? wo? was?
As this is but one case of identity out of many hundreds, we suppose
the rhyme borrowed from the English. There are many German rhymes
beginning "Ene mene mu," or similarly; but the variation of the first
sounds is endless: ene dene, ene tene, ene mene, ente twente, entele
mentele, ane tane, unig tunig, oringa loringa, etc.; by association or
rhyme, any nursery song may be introduced, or the first words may be
dropped.
[125] These examples of the "Anglo-Cymric score" (see page 196) were
obtained, No. 15 from Mrs. Ellis Allen of West Newton, now ninety years
of age, who was born at Scituate, Mass., where she learned the formula;
and No. 16 of her daughter, who learned it from an Indian woman, _Mary
Wolsomog_, of Natick. Though mother and daughter, neither had ever
heard the other's version of the score. To illustrate the relation of
this score with Welsh numerals, we add two examples from Mr. Ellis's
paper ("reprinted for private circulation from the Transactions of
the Philological Society for 1877-8-9," pp. 316-372), selected from
his fifty-three versions; the first is from England, the second from
Ireland:
1. aina.
2. peina.
3. para.
4. peddera.
5. pimp.
6. ithy.
7. mithy.
8. owera.
9. lowera.
10. dig.
11. ain-a-dig.
12. pein-a-dig.
13. par-a-dig.
14. pedder-a-dig.
15. bumfit.
16. ain-a-bumfit.
17. pein-a-bumfit.
18. par-a-bumfit.
19. pedder-a-bumfit.
20. giggy.
1. eina.
2. mina.
3. pera.
4. peppera.
5. pinn.
6. chester.
7. nester.
8. nera.
9. dickera.
10. nin.
11. eina dickera.
12. mina dickera.
13. pera dickera.
14. peppera dickera.
15. pumpi.
16. eina pumpi.
17. mina pumpi.
18. pera pumpi.
19. peppera pumpi.
20. ticket.
The modern Welsh numerals, as given by Mr. Ellis:
1. un.
2. dau.
3. tri.
4. pedwar.
5. pump.
6. chwech.
7. saith.
8. wyth.
9. nau.
10. deg.
11. un ar deg.
12. deuddeg.
13. tri ar deg.
14. pedwar ar deg.
15. pymtheg.
16. un ar bymtheg.
17. dau ar bymtheg.
18. tri ar bymtheg.
19. pedwar ar bymtheg.
20. ugain.
The numbers 4, 5, 15, and combinations 1+15, 2+15, 3+15, 4+15, seem to
make the connection unmistakable; but 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9 appear to have
been arbitrarily affected by rhyme and alliteration.
[126] This verse is used as a counting rhyme by children in the state
mentioned.