We shall have two glasses of it, &c._The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland (Vol 2 of 2) With Tunes, Singing-Rhymes, and Methods of Playing etc.

You shall have no glass of it, &c.

We will break your tumblers, then, &c.

We shall send for the policeman, &c.

What care we for the policeman, &c.

We shall send for the red coat men, &c.

What care we for the red coat men, &c.

We shall send for the blue coat men, &c.

What care we for the blue coat men, &c.

We shall send for the magistrate, &c.

What care we for the magistrate, &c.

We shall send for Cripple Dick, &c.

What care we for Cripple Dick, &c.

We shall have a battle then, &c.

Yonder is a battle field, &c.

--Laurieston School, Kirkcudbright (J. Lawson).

XVIII. Here comes three dukes a-riding, a-riding, a-riding;

Here comes three dukes a-riding, a-riding, a-riding;

My fair ladies.

Have you any bread and wine, bread and wine, bread and wine?

Have you any bread and wine, bread and wine, bread and wine,

My fair ladies?

How do you sell your bread and wine, &c.

I sell it by a gallon, sir, &c.

A gallon is too much, fair ladies, &c.

Sell it by a gallon, my fair ladies, &c.

Then we'll have none at all, &c.

Are you ready for a fight, &c.

Yes, we are ready for a fight, &c.

My dear sirs.

--Sporle, Norfolk (Miss Matthews).

(_c_) The players divide into two sides of about equal numbers, and form

lines. The lines walk forwards and backwards in turn, each side singing

their respective verses alternately. When the last verse is sung both

lines prepare for a fight.

This is the usual way of playing, and there is but little variation in

the methods of the different versions. In some versions (Enbourne,

Berks.; Maxey, Northants., and Bath) sleeves are tucked up previous to

the pretended fight, and in one or two places sticks and stones are

used; again in the Northamptonshire and Bath games, at "Present! Shoot!

Bang! Fire!!" imitations are given of firing of guns before the actual

fight takes place. In the Hants (H. S. May) and Lancashire (Mrs. Harley)

versions, when the last verse is reached the players all join hands,

form a ring, and dance round while they sing the last verse. In several

versions too, when they sing "We don't care for the magistrates," or

other persons of authority, the players all stamp their feet on the

ground. In the Hurstmonceux version the children double their fists

before preparing to fight. Some pretend to have swords to fight with,

but the greater number use their fists. In most of the versions the

players on both sides join in the refrain or chorus.

(_d_) This game represents an attacking or invading party and the

defenders. It probably owes its origin to the border warfare which

prevailed for so long a period between Highlanders and Lowlanders of

Scotland, the Scotch and English of the northern border counties, and in

the country called the marches between Wales and England. Contests

between different nationalities living in one town or place, as at

Southampton and Nottingham, would also tend to produce this game. That

the game represents this kind of conflict rather than an ordinary battle

between independent countries is shown by several significant points.

These are, the dialogue between the opposing parties before the fight

begins, the mention of bread, ale, or other food, and more particularly

the threat to appeal to the civil authorities, called in the different

versions, magistrates, blue coat men, red coat men, highest men,

policemen, and Cripple Dick. Such an appeal is only applicable where the

opposing parties were, theoretically at all events, subordinate to a

superior authority. The derision, too, with which the threat is received

by the assailants is in strict accord with the facts of Border society.

Scott in _Waverley_ and the _Black Dwarf_ describes such a raid, and the

suggestion to appeal to the civil authority in lieu of a raid is met

with the cry of such an act being useless. The passage from the _Black

Dwarf_ is: "'We maun tak the law wi' us in thae days, Simon,' answered

the more prudent elder. 'And besides,' said another old man, 'I dinna

believe there's ane now living that kens the lawful mode of following a

fray across the Border. Tam o' Whittram kend a' about it; but he died in

the hard winter.' 'Hout,' exclaimed another of these discording

counsellors, 'there's nae great skill needed; just put a lighted peat on

the end of a spear, a hayfork, or siclike, and blaw a horn and cry the

gathering word, and then it's lawful to follow gear into England and

recover it by the strong hand, or to take gear frae some other

Englishmen, providing ye lift nae mair than's been lifted frae you.

That's the auld Border law made at Dundrennan in the days of the Black

Douglas.'" In _Waverley_ the hero suggests "to send to the nearest

garrison for a party of soldiers and a magistrate's warrant," but is

told that "he did not understand the state of the country and of the

political parties which divided it" (chap. xv.). The position of this

part of the country is best understood from the evidence of legal

records, showing how slowly the king's record ran in these parts. Thus

Mr. Clifford (_Hist. of Private Legislation_) quotes from Hodgson's

_Hist. of Northumberland_ (vol. iii. pt. 2, p. 171), a paper, in the

Cotton MS., on "The bounds and means of the 'batable land belonging to

England and Scotland." It was written in 1550 by Sir Robert Bowes, a

Northumbrian, at the request of the Marquis of Dorset, then Warden

General of the Marches, and gives a graphic picture of Border life at

that time. The writer describes Cassope bridge as "a common passage for

the thieves of Tyndalle, in England, and for the thieves of Liddesdalle,

in Scotland, with the stolen goods from one realm to the other." The

head of Tyndalle is a place "where few true men have list to lodge."

North Tyndall "is more plenished with wild and misdemeaned people" than

even South Tyndall. The people there "stand most by four surnames," the

Charltons, Robsons, Dodds, and Milbornes. "Of every surname there be

sundry families, or graves, as they call them, of every of which there

be certain headsmen that leadeth and answereth for all the rest. There

be some among them that have never stolen themselves, which they call

true men. And yet such will have rascals to steal either on horseback or

foot, whom they do reset, and will receive part of the stolen goods.

There be very few able men in all that country of North Tyndalle, but

either they have used to steal in England or Scotland. And if any true

man of England get knowledge of the theft or thieves that steal his

goods in Tyndalle or Ryddesdale, he had much rather take a part of his

goods again in composition than pursue the extremity by law against the

thief. For if the thief be of any great surname or kindred, and be

lawfully executed by order of justice, the rest of his kin or surname

bear as much malice, which they call deadly feade (feud), against such

as follow the law against their cousin the thief, as though he had

unlawfully killed him with a sword; and will by all means they can seek

revenge thereupon." At sundry times the dalesmen "have broken out of all

order, and have then, like rebels or outlaws, committed very great and

heinous attempts, as burning and spoiling of whole townships and

murdering of gentlemen and others whom they have had grief or malice

unto, so that for defence of them there have been great garrisons laid,

and raids and incourses both against them and by them, even as it were

between England and Scotland in time of war. And even at such times they

have done more harm than they have received." A number of the

Tyndaller's houses are set together, so that they may give each other

succour in frays, and they join together in any quarrel against a true

man, so that for dread of them "almost no man dare follow his goods

stolen or spoiled into that country."

The sides in the game are under the different names or leadership of

Romans and English, King William's men, rovers and guardian soldiers,

Prince Charlie's men, King George's men, &c. These names have probably

been given in memory of some local rising, or from some well-known event

which stamped itself upon the recollection of the people. It is very

curious that in four or five versions a refrain, which may well be a

survival of some of the slogans or family "cries" (see "Three Dukes"),

should occur instead of the "Roman" and "English" soldiers, &c. These

refrains are, "My theerie and my thorie," "Metherie and metharie,"

"Methory I methory," "Come a theeiry, come a thory," "Come a theory,

oary mathorie," "Cam a teerie, arrie ma torry," and the three which

apparently are still further degradations of these, "Ye o' the boatmen,"

"Drunk and sober," "He I over." That "slogans" or "war cries" were used

in this species of tribal war there is little doubt. In the

Northumberland and Laurieston versions the name is "Cripple Dick," these

words, now considered as the name of a powerful and feared leader, may

also indicate the same origin. The versions with these refrains come

from Perthshire (three versions), Authencairn, and Northumberland;

Yorkshire has He I over; while the Romans and English, King George's

men, King William's men, guardian soldiers, rovers, &c., are found in

Shropshire, Staffordshire, Gloucester, Kent, Hants, Bath, Berks,

Northamptonshire, Sussex, some of which are Border counties to Wales,

and others have sea-coasts where at different times invasions have been

expected. In Sussex, Miss Chase says the game is said to date from the

alarm of Napoleon's threatened landing on the coast; this is also said

in Kent and Hampshire. Miss Burne considers the game in Shropshire to

have certainly originated from the old Border warfare. She also

considers that the bread and wine, barrels of ale, &c., are indications

of attempts made to bribe the beleaguered garrison and their willingness

to accept it; but I think it more probably refers to the fact that some

food, cattle, and goods were oftentime given to the raiders by the

owners of the lands as blackmail, to prevent the carrying off of all

their property, and to avoid fighting if possible. It will be noticed

that fighting ensues as the result of a sufficient quantity of food and

drink being refused. Scott alludes to the practice of blackmail, having

to be paid to a Highland leader in _Waverley_, in the raid upon the

cattle of the baron of Bradwardine (see chap. xv.). The farms were

scattered, and before the defenders could combine to offer resistance,

cattle and goods would be carried off, and the ground laid waste, if

resistance were offered.

The tune of the Northants game (Rev. W. Sweeting) and Hants (H. S. May)

are so nearly like the Bath tune that it seemed unnecessary to print

them. The tune of the Surrey game is that of "Nuts in May." The words of

the Bath version collected by me are nearly identical with the

Shropshire, except that "We are the Romans" is said instead of "We are

the Rovers." They are not therefore printed here, but I have used this

version in my _Children's Singing Games_, series I., _illustrated_. The

tune of the Hants version (H. S. May) is similar to that of Wrotham,

Kent (Miss D. Kimball).

Weary

Weary, weary, I'm waiting on you,

I can wait no longer on you;

Three times I've whistled on you--

Lovey, are you coming out?

I'll tell mamma when I go home,

The boys won't let my curls alone;

They tore my hair, and broke my comb--

And that's the way all boys get on.

--Aberdeen Training College (Rev. W. Gregor).

The girls stand in a row, and one goes backwards and forwards singing

the first four lines. She then takes one out of the row, and they swing

round and round while they all sing the other four lines.

Weave the Diaper

Weave the diaper tick-a-tick tick,

Weave the diaper tick;

Come this way, come that,

As close as a mat,

Athwart and across, up and down, round about,

And forwards and backwards and inside and out;

Weave the diaper thick-a-thick thick,

Weave the diaper thick.

--Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 65.

(_b_) This game should be accompanied by a kind of pantomimic dance, in

which the motions of the body and arms express the process of weaving,

the motion of the shuttle, &c.

(_c_) Mr. Newell (_Games and Songs of American Children_, p. 80)

mentions a dance called "Virginia Reel," which he says is an imitation

of weaving. The first movement represents the shooting of the shuttle

from side to side and the passage of the woof over and under the threads

of the warp; the last movements indicate the tightening of the threads

and bringing together of the cloth. He also says that an acquaintance

told him that in New York the men and girls stand in rows by sevens, an

arrangement which may imitate the different colours of strands. Mr.

Newell does not say whether any words are sung during the dancing of the

reel. Halliwell gives another rhyme (p. 121), which may have belonged to

this weaving game. It is extremely probable that in these fragments

described by him we have remains of one of the old trade dances and

songs.

Weigh the Butter

Two children stand back to back, with their arms locked. One stoops as

low as he can, supporting the other on his back, and says, "Weigh the

butter;" he rises, and the second stoops in his turn with "Weigh the

cheese." The first repeats with "Weigh the old woman;" and it ends by

the second with "Down to her knees."--_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 58.

The players turn their backs to each other, and link their arms together

behind. One player then bends forward, and lifts the other off his [her]

feet. He rises up, and the other bends forward and lifts him up. Thus

the two go on bending and rising, and lifting each other alternately,

and keep repeating--

Weigh butter, weigh cheese,

Weigh a pun (pound) o' can'le grease.

--Keith (Rev. W. Gregor).

Mr. Northall (_English Folk Rhymes_) gives this game with the words as--

A bag o' malt, a bag o' salt,

Ten tens a hundred.

This game is described as played in the same way in Antrim and Down

(Patterson's _Glossary_), and also by Jamieson in Roxburgh.

See "Way-Zaltin."

When I was a Young Girl

[Music]

--Platt School, nr. Wrotham, Kent (Miss Burne).

[Music]

--Hanbury, Staffs. (Miss Edith Hollis).

[Music]

--Market Drayton, Salop (_Shropshire Folk-lore_).

[Music]

--Ogbourne, Wilts. (H. S. May).

I. When I was a young girl, a young girl, a young girl,

When I was a young girl, how happy was I.

This way and that way, and this way and that way,

And this way and that way, and this way went I.

When I had a sweetheart, a sweetheart, a sweetheart,

When I had a sweetheart, how happy was I.

This way and that way, and this way and that way,

And this way and that way, and this way went I.

When I got married, got married, got married,

When I got married, how happy was I.

This way and that way, and this way and that way,

And this way and that way, and this way went I.

When I had a baby, a baby, a baby,

When I had a baby, how happy was I.

This way and that way, and this way and that way,

And this way and that way, and this way went I.

When my baby died, died, died,

When my baby died, how sorry was I.

This way and that way, and this way and that way,

And this way and that way, and this way went I.

When my husband died, died, died,

When my husband died, how sorry was I.

This way and that way, and this way and that way,

And this way and that way, and this way went I.

When I kept a donkey, a donkey, a donkey,

When I kept a donkey, how happy was I.

This way and that way, and this way and that way,

And this way and that way, and this way went I.

When I was a washerwoman, a washerwoman, a washerwoman,

When I was a washerwoman, how happy was I.

This way and that way, and this way and that way,

And this way and that way, and this way went I.

When I was a beggar, a beggar, a beggar,

When I was a beggar, how happy was I.

This way and that way, and this way and that way,

And this way and that way, and this way went I.

--Platt School, near Wrotham, Kent (Miss Burne).

II. When I was a young girl, a young girl, a young girl,

When I was I young girl, how happy was I.