Part 23

II. Come all ye young men, with your wicked ways, Sow all your wild oats in your youthful days, That we may live happy, that we may live happy, That we may live happy when we grow old. The day is far spent, the night's coming on, Give us your arm, and we'll joggle along, That we may live happy, &c., &c.

--Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 57).

(_b_) There must be an odd number of players at this game. They form into couples, each standing behind the other, making a ring, the girls inside, one boy standing alone in the middle. As they go round they sing the verse. At the end each boy leaves hold of his partner's arm and catches the arm of the girl in front, the one who is standing in the centre trying in the confusion to get into a place. If he succeeds, the child left out has to be the one in the centre the next time.

(_c_) Mr. Newell (_Games_, p. 101) says this game was called the "Baptist Game" in Virginia, where it is said to be enjoyed by pious people who will not dance. The American game is played in the same way as the English one. Mr. Newell gives the tune to which the game was sung. The words are almost identical. This game is played in the same way as "Jolly Miller," which see.

Johnny Rover

One boy is chosen to be Johnny Rover. The other players stand near him. Rover cries out--

A [I] warn ye ance, A warn you twice; A warn ye three times over; A warn ye a' t' be witty an' wise An flee fae Johnny Rover.

While the words are being repeated all the players are putting themselves on the alert, and when they are finished they run off in all directions, with Rover in full pursuit. If a player is hard pressed he has the privilege of running to "Parley," the place from which the players started, and which in all games is an asylum. If he is caught before he reaches it, he becomes Johnny Rover for the next game. The one first captured becomes Rover.--Keith (Rev. W. Gregor).

Jolly Fishermen

[Music]

--Tean, North Staffs. (Miss Burne).

I. They were two jolly fishermen, They were two jolly fishermen, They were two jolly fishermen, And just come from the sea, And just come from the sea. They cast their nets into the sea, And jolly fish caught we, And jolly fish caught we, And jolly fish caught we, They cast their nets into the sea, And jolly fish caught we.

--Tean and Cheadle, North Staffs. (Miss Burne).

II. There was three jolly fishermen, And they all put out to sea. They cast their nets into the sea, And the [three?] jolly fish caught we.

--North Staffs. Potteries (Mrs. Thomas Lawton).

(_b_) A circle is formed by joining hands, and two children stand in the centre. They walk round. At the seventh line the two in the centre each choose one child from the ring, thus making four in the centre. They then sing the remaining four lines. The two who were first in the centre then go out, and the game begins again, with the other two players in the centre.

(_c_) Miss Burne says this game is more often played as "Three Jolly Fishermen." At Cheadle, North Staffs., a few miles distant from Tean, this game is played by grown-up men and women.

Jolly Hooper

I. Here comes a [or one] jolly hooper, Ring ding di do do, Ring ding di do do.

And who are you looking for, In a ring ding di do do, In a ring ding di do do?

I am looking for one of your daughters, In a ring ding di do do, In a ring ding di do do.

What shall her name be, In a ring ding di do do, In a ring ding di do do?

Her name shall be [Sarah], In a ring ding di do do, In a ring ding di do do.

Sarah shall ramble, In a ring ding di do do, In a ring ding di do do, All around the chimney [jubilee] pot in 1881.

--Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase).

II. I've come for one of your daughters, With a ring a ding a my dolly; I've come for one of your daughters On this bright shining night.

Pray, which have you come for, With a ring a ding a my dolly? Pray which have you come for On this bright shining night?

I've come for your daughter Mary, With a ring a ding a my dolly; I've come for your daughter Mary On this bright shining night.

Then take her, and welcome, With a ring a ding a my dolly; Then take her, and welcome, On this bright shining night [incomplete].

--Sheffield (S. O. Addy).

(_b_) A number of children stand against a wall, and a row of other children face them. They walk backwards and forwards, singing the first and third verses. Then the children who are standing still (against the wall) answer by singing the second and fourth verses. When these are sung the moving line of children take Mary and dance round, singing "some lines which my informant," says Mr. Addy, "has forgotten."

(_c_) I have no description of the way Miss Chase's game is played. It, too, is probably an incomplete version. The words "Ring ding di do do "show a possible connection between this and games of the "Three Dukes a-riding" type. They may or may not be variants of the same game.

See "Here comes a Lusty Wooer," "Here comes a Virgin," "Jolly Rover," "Three Dukes."

Jolly Miller

[Music]

--Epworth, Doncaster (C. C. Bell).

[Music]

--Earls Heaton (H. Hardy).

[Music]

--Derbyshire (Mrs. Harley).

I. There was a jolly miller, and he lived by himself, As the wheel went round he made his pelf; One hand in the hopper, and the other in the bag, As the wheel went round he took his grab.

--Leicester (Miss Ellis).

II. There was a jolly miller, he lived by himself, As the mill went round he made his wealth; One hand in the hopper, another in his bag, As the wheel went round he made his grab.

--Liphook, Hants (Miss Fowler).

III. There was a jolly miller, and he lived by himself, As the wheel goes round he makes his wealth; One hand in his hopper, and the other in his bag, As we go round he makes his grab.

--Monton, Lancashire (Miss Dendy).

IV. There was a jolly miller, and he lived by himself, As the mill went round he gained his wealth; One hand in the hopper, and the other in the bag, As the mill went round he made his grab.

Sandy he belongs to the mill, And the mill belongs to Sandy still, And the mill belongs to Sandy.

--Addy's _Sheffield Glossary_.

V. There was a jolly miller, and he lived by himself, As the wheel went round he made his wealth; One hand in the upper and the other in the bank, As the wheel went round he made his wealth.

--Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy).

VI. There was a jolly miller, and he lived by himself, As the wheel went round he made his grab; One hand in the other, and the other in the bag, As the wheel went round he made his grab.

--Nottinghamshire (Miss Winfield).

VII. There was a jolly miller, and he lived by himself (or by the Dee), The sails went round, he made his ground; One hand in his pocket, the other in his bag.

--North Staffs. Potteries (Miss A. A. Keary).

(_b_) This game requires an uneven number of players. All the children except one stand in couples arm in arm, each couple closely following the other. This forms a double ring or wheel (fig. 1). The odd child stands in the centre. The children forming the wheel walk round in a circle and sing the verse. When they come to the word "grab," those children standing on the _inside_ of the wheel leave hold of their partners' arms, and try to catch hold of the one standing immediately in front of their previous partners. The child in the centre (or Miller) tries (while they are changing places) to secure a partner and place (fig. 2). If he succeeds in doing this, the one then left out becomes the Miller. At Leicester the "odd" child, or "miller," stands _outside_ the wheel or ring, instead of being in the centre, and it is the outside children who change places. Mr. Addy, in the Sheffield version, says, "The young men stand in the outer ring, and the young women in the inner. A man stands within the inner circle, quite near to it. The men try and grasp the arm of the girl in front of them, and the man in the centre also tries to grasp one; the man he displaces taking his place as Miller. Then the three last lines are sung."

[Illustration: Fig. 1.]

[Illustration: Fig. 2.]

(_c_) Versions of this game, almost identical with the Leicester version given here (with the exception that the word "wealth" ends the second line instead of "pelf"), have been sent me from East Kirkby, Lincolnshire (Miss K. Maughan); Epworth, Doncaster (Mr. C. C. Bell); Settle, Yorks. (Rev. W. S. Sykes); Derbyshire (Mrs. Harley); Redhill, Surrey (Miss G. Hope); Ordsall, Nottinghamshire (Miss Matthews); Brigg, Lincolnshire (Miss J. Barker); and there are other versions from Hersham, Surrey (_Folk-lore Record_, v. 86); Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 57); Derbyshire (_Folk-lore Journal_, i. 385); Oswestry, Ellesmere (_Shropshire Folk-lore_, p. 512). Miss Peacock sends a version which obtains at Lincoln, Horncastle, Winterton, and Anderby, Lincolnshire, and in Nottinghamshire; it is identical with the Liphook version. Two versions from Sporle, Norfolk, which vary slightly from the Leicester, have been sent by Miss Matthews. The versions given from Lancashire, Yorks., Nottingham, and North Staffs. have been selected to show the process of decadence in the game. "Hopper" has first become "upper," and then "other." Of the North Staffs. Potteries version Miss Keary says, "How it ends I have never been able to make out; no one about here seems to know either." With the exception of these few variants, it is singular how stereotyped the words of the rhyme have become in this game.

(_d_) This game may owe its origin to the fact of the miller in olden times paying himself in kind from the corn brought to him to be ground. The miller is a well-known object of satire in old ballads and mediaeval writers. It is, however, probable that the custom which formerly prevailed at some of the public festivals, of catching or "grabbing" for sweethearts and wives, is shown in this game. For instance, to account for a Scottish custom it is said that St. Cowie, patron saint of two parishes of Campbeltown, proposed that all who did not find themselves happy and contented in the marriage state, should be indulged with an opportunity of parting and making a second choice. For that purpose he instituted an annual solemnity, at which all the unhappy couples in his parish were to assemble at his church; and at midnight all present were blindfolded and ordered to run round the church at full speed, with a view of mixing the lots in the urn. The moment the ceremony was over, without allowing an instant for the people present to recover from their confusion, the word "Cabbay" (seize quickly) was pronounced, upon which every man laid hold of the first female he met with. Whether old or young, handsome or ugly, good or bad, she was his wife till the next anniversary of this custom (Guthrie's _Scottish Customs_, p. 168). Another old wedding superstition is alluded to by Longfellow:--

"While the bride with roguish eyes, Sporting with them, now escapes and cries, 'Those who catch me, married verily this year will be.'"

See "Joggle Along."

Jolly Rover

[Music]

--Derbyshire (Mrs. Harley).

Here comes one jolly rover, jolly rover, jolly rover, Here comes one jolly rover, jolly rover, jolly rover, A roving all day.

And what do you rove for, rove for, rove for? And what do you rove for? Lily white and shining.

I rove for my pleasure, my pleasure, my pleasure, I rove for my pleasure, my pleasure, my pleasure, Lily white and shining.

And what is your pleasure, your pleasure, your pleasure? What is your pleasure? Lily white and shining.

My pleasure's for to marry you, to marry you, to marry you, My pleasure's for to marry you, Lily white and shining.

So through the kitchen and through the hall, I choose the fairest of them all, The fairest one that I can see Is ----, so come to me.

--Derbyshire (Mrs. Harley).

(_b_) A long row of children walk to and fro. One child, facing them on the opposite side, represents the Rover. He sings the first, third, and fifth verses. The row of children sing the second and fourth in response. After the fifth verse is sung the Rover skips round the long row, singing the sixth verse to the tune of "Nancy Dawson," or "Round the Mulberry bush." He chooses one of them, who goes to the opposite side with him, and the game goes on until all are rovers like himself.

See "Here comes a Lusty Wooer," "Jolly Hooper."

Jolly Sailors

I. Here comes one [some] jolly, jolly sailor boy, Who lately came on shore; He [they] spent his time in drinking wine As we have done before.

We are the Pam-a-ram-a-ram, We are the Pam-a-ram-a-ram, And those who want a pretty, pretty girl, Must kiss her on the shore, Must kiss her on the shore.

--Warwick (from a little girl, through Mr. C. C. Bell).

II. He was a jolly, jolly sailor boy, Who had lately come ashore; He spent his time in drinking wine As he had done before.

Then we will have a jolly, jolly whirl, Then we will have a jolly, jolly whirl, And he who wants a pretty little girl Must kiss her on the shore.

--Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire (Miss Matthews).

III. Here comes one jolly sailor, Just arrived from shore, We'll spend our money like jolly, jolly joes, And then we'll work for more.

We'll all around, around and around, And if we meet a pretty little girl We'll call her to the shore.

--Northants (Rev. W. D. Sweeting).

IV. Here comes four jolly sailor boys, Just lately come ashore; They spend their days in many merry ways, As they have done before.

Round, round the ring we go, Round, round the ring, And he that choose his bonny, bonny lass Must kiss her on the floor.

--Raunds (_Northants Notes and Queries_, i. 232).

V. Here come three jolly, jolly, jolly boys As lately come from shore; We will spend our time on a moonlight night As we have done before.

We will have a round, a round, a round, We will have a round, a round, a round; Let the lad that delights in a bonny, bonny lass, Let him kiss her on the ground.

--Earls Heaton, Yorks. (Herbert Hardy).

VI. Here comes three jolly, jolly sailors, Just arrived on shore; We'll spend our money like merry, merry men, And then we'll work for more.

Hurrah for the round, round ring, Hurrah for the round, round ring; And he that loves a pretty, pretty girl, Let him call her from the ring.

--Shipley, Horsham (_Notes and Queries_, 8th series, i. 210, Miss Busk).

(_b_) This game is played at Warwick as follows:--The children form a large ring, clasping hands and standing still. One child walks round inside the ring, singing the verses. This child then chooses another from the ring, bending on one knee and kissing her hand. The lines are then repeated, the two walking arm in arm round the inside of the ring. Another child is chosen out of the ring by the one who was chosen previously. This goes on until all are chosen out of the ring, walking two by two round inside. When the ring will no longer hold them, the two walk round outside. At Northants the ring walks round, and the child is _outside_ the ring. Partners are chosen, and the two walk round outside the ring. The first two walk together till there is a third, then the three walk together till there is a fourth, then they go in couples. In the Northants version, from Raunds, four boys stand in the centre of the ring. When the verses are sung they choose four girls, and then take their places in the ring. The four girls then choose four lads, and so on. At Earls Heaton the children stand against a wall in a line. Another child walks up and down singing the verses, and chooses a partner. He spreads a handkerchief on the ground, and they kneel and kiss.

(_c_) The Shipley version is a "Kiss in the Ring" game. A version sent by the Rev. W. Slater Sykes from Settle, Yorkshire, is almost identical with the Earls Heaton version. Northall (_Folk Rhymes_, p. 369) says "to kiss on the floor"--_i.e._, not in secret. He gives the words of a sort of musical catch, sung in the Midlands, similar in character to this game, which may once have been used in some courting game. Mr. Newell (_Games_, p. 124) gives a version sung in the streets of New York, and considers it to be a relic of antiquity, a similar round being given in _Deuteromelia_, 1609.

Jowls

A game played by boys, much the same as "Hockey," and taking its name, no doubt, from the mode of playing, which consists in striking a wooden ball or knorr from the ground in any given direction with a sufficiently heavy stick, duly curved at the striking end.--Atkinson's _Cleveland Glossary_.

It is also given in _Yorkshire Glossary_ (Whitby).

See "Bandy," "Doddart," "Hockey."

Jud

A game played with a hazel nut bored and run upon a string.--Dickinson's _Cumberland Glossary_.

Probably the same game as "Conkers."

See "Conkers."

Keeling the Pot

Brockett mentions that a friend informed him that he had seen a game played amongst children in Northumberland the subject of which was "Keeling the Pot." A girl comes in exclaiming, "Mother, mother, the pot's boiling ower." The answer is, "Then get the ladle and keel it." The difficulty is to get the ladle, which is "up a height," and the "steul" wants a leg, and the joiner is either sick or dead (_Glossary North Country Words_). A sentence from _Love's Labours Lost_, "While greasy Joan doth keel the pot," illustrates the use of the term "keel."

See "Mother, Mother, the Pot Boils over."

Keppy Ball

In former times it was customary every year, at Easter and Whitsuntide, for the mayor, aldermen, and sheriff of Newcastle, attended by the burgesses, to go in state to a place called the Forth, a sort of mall, to countenance, if not to join in the play of "Keppy ba" and other sports. This diversion is still in part kept up by the young people of the town (Brockett's _North Country Words_). It is also mentioned in Peacock's _Manley and Corringham Glossary_, and in Ross and Stead's _Holderness Glossary_.

Mr. Tate (_History of Alnwick_) says that a favourite pastime of girls, "Keppy ball," deserves a passing notice, because accompanied by a peculiar local song. The name indicates the character of the game; "kep" is from _cepan_, Anglo-Saxon, "kappan," Teut., "to catch or capture;" for when the game was played at by several, the ball was thrown into the air and "kepped," or intercepted, in its descent by one or other of the girls, and it was then thrown up again to be caught by some other. But when the song was sung it was played out by one girl, who sent the ball against a tree and drove it back again as often as she could, saying the following rhymes, in order to divine her matrimonial future:--

Keppy ball, keppy ball, Coban tree, Come down the long loanin' and tell to me, The form and the features, the speech and degree Of the man that is my true love to be.

Keppy ball, keppy ball, Coban tree, Come down the long loanin' and tell to me How many years old I am to be.

One a maiden, two a wife, Three a maiden, four a wife, &c.

The numbers being continued as long as the ball could be kept rebounding against the tree.

The following from Halliwell's _Nursery Rhymes_, p. 298, is also used for ball divination. To "cook" is to toss or throw.

Cook a ball, cherry tree; Good ball, tell me How many years I shall be Before my true love I do see? One and two, and that makes three; Thankee, good ball, for telling of me.

See "Ball," "Cuckoo," "Monday."

Kibel and Nerspel

This game was played at Stixwold seventy years ago. It resembled "Trap, Bat, and Ball." _Kibel_ = bat, _ner_ = ball of maplewood, _spel_ = trap, with a limock (pliant) stick fastened to it. The score was made by hitting the _ner_ a certain distance, but not by the striker running, as in "Rounders."--Miss M. Peacock.

See "Nur and Spell."

King by your leave

"A playe that children have, where one sytting blyndefolde in the midle, bydeth so tyll the rest have hydden themselves, and then he going to seeke them, if any get his place in the meane space, that same is kynge in his roome."--Huloet, 1572.

See "Hide and Seek."

King Cæsar

One player is chosen to be King Cæsar by lot or naming. All the others stand in two rows, one row at each end of the ground. A line is drawn on the ground in front of them to mark "dens." All the players must keep within this line. King Cæsar stands in the middle of the ground. Any number of the players can then rush across the ground from one den to another. King Cæsar tries to catch one as they run. When he catches a boy he must count from one to ten in succession before he leaves hold of the boy, that boy in the meantime trying to get away. If King Cæsar succeeds in holding a boy, this boy stays in the centre with him and assists in catching the other players (always counting ten before a captive is secured). The dens must always be occupied by some players. If all the players get into one den, King Cæsar can go into the empty den and say, "Crown the base, one, two, three," three times before any of the other players get across to that den. If he succeeds in doing this, he can select a boy to run across from one den to the other, which that boy must do, King Cæsar trying to catch him. Other and bigger boys can help this one to get across, to save him from being captured, either by carrying him or running across with him. The game ends when all have been captured and are in the centre. King Cæsar and the other captured boys can leave the centre if they each successively catch three players.--Barnes (A. B. Gomme).

This game is called "King-sealing" in Dorsetshire.

See "King of Cantland," "Lamploo."

King Come-a-lay

A game played by boys. Two sets of boys, or sides, strive which can secure most prisoners for the King.--Shetland (Jamieson).

King of Cantland