The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume Ii Part 23

(_c_) Versions of this game, identical with the Winterton one, have been sent me by Miss Winfield, Nottingham; others, almost identical with the second Norfolk version, from Monton, Lancas.h.i.+re (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 last Sporle version.

Addy, _Sheffield Glossary_, compares the old stories about rose-laughing in Grimm's _Teut. 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 superst.i.tious 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.

Ring by Ring

Here we go round by ring, by ring, As ladies do in Yorks.h.i.+re; 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."

Ringie, Ringie, Red Belt

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-rary

I. 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.

-Halliwell's _Nursery 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's _Nursery 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 s.e.x. 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 now obsolete. 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 wors.h.i.+p of Flora was accompanied by rites of marriage not in accord with later ideas.

Ring-taw

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 ent.i.tled 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 (_Leicesters.h.i.+re 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 pa.s.sively in the 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 b.u.t.tons. A ring is marked out on a level hard place, and every boy puts down a b.u.t.ton. The b.u.t.tons are lightly struck in the centre of the ring, and all play their marbles to the b.u.t.tons. 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 b.u.t.tons. Any put out are kept by the boy putting them out, and if a boy strikes a b.u.t.ton, or b.u.t.tons, out, he can play on until he misses.-Waterville, Cos. Kerry and Cork, T. J. Dennachy (through Mrs. B. B. Green of Dublin).

Rin-im-o'er

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 pa.s.sing, when he is released, and the captive takes his place.-Teviotdale (Jamieson's _Dictionary_).

It nearly resembles "Willie Wastle."

Robbing the Parson's Hen-Roost

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.

Peac.o.c.k).

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, Lincolns.h.i.+re (Mr. C. C. Bell).

Rockety Row

A play in which two persons stand with their backs to each other, one pa.s.sing his arms under the shoulders of the other, they alternately lift each other from the ground.-Jamieson's _Dictionary_.

See "Bag o' Malt," "Weigh the b.u.t.ter."

Roll up Tobacco

See "Bulliheisle," "Eller Tree," "Wind up the Bush f.a.ggot."

Roly-poly

[Ill.u.s.tration]