The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume I Part 84

Lug and a Bite

A boy flings an apple to some distance. All present race for it. The winner bites as fast as he can, his compeers _lugging_ at his ears in the meantime, who bears it as well as he can, and then he throws down the apple, when the sport is resumed (Halliwell's _Dictionary_).

Brogden's _Lincolns.h.i.+re Provincial Words_ says "Luggery-bite" is a game boys play with fruit. One bites the fruit, and another pulls his hair until he throws the fruit away. The game is also played in Lancas.h.i.+re (_Reliquary_).

See "Bob-Cherry."

Luggie

A boys' game. In this game the boys lead each other about by the "lugs," _i.e._, ears; hence the name (Patterson's _Antrim and Down Glossary_). Jamieson says that the leader had to repeat a rhyme, and if he made a mistake, he in turn became Luggie. The rhyme is not recorded.

Luking

The West Riding name for "Knor and Spell." Playing begins at Easter.-Henderson's _Folk-lore_, p. 84.

See "Nur and Spell."

Mag

A game among boys, in which the players throw at a stone set up on edge.-Barnes (_Dorset Glossary_).

Magic Whistle

All the players but three sit on chairs, or stand in two long rows facing each other. One player sits at one end of the two rows as president; another player is then introduced into the room by the third player, who leads him up between the two rows. He is then told to kneel before the one sitting at the end of the row of players. When he kneels any ridiculous words or formula can be said by the presiding boy, and then he and those players who are nearest to the kneeling boy rub his back with their hands for two or three minutes. While they are doing this the boy who led the victim up to the president fastens a string, to which is attached a small whistle, to the victim's coat or jacket. It must be fastened in such a way that the whistle hangs loosely, and will not knock against his back. The whistle is then blown by the player who attached it, and the kneeling boy is told to rise and search for the Magic Whistle. The players who are seated in the chairs must all hold their hands in such a way that the victim suspects it is in their possession, and proceeds to search. The whistle must be blown as often as possible, and in all directions, by those players only who can do so without the victim being able to either see or feel that he is carrying the whistle with him.-London (A. B. Gomme).

This game is also called "Knight of the Whistle." The boy who is to be made a Knight of the Order of the Whistle, when led up between the two rows of players, has a cloak put round his shoulders and a cap with a feather in it on his head. The whistle is then fastened on to the cloak.

This is described by the Rev. J. G. Wood (_Modern Playmate_, p. 189).

Newell (_Games_, p. 122) gives this with a jesting formula of initiation into knighthood. He says it was not a game of children, but belonged to an older age.

See "Call-the-Guse."

Magical Music

A pleasant drawing-room evening amus.e.m.e.nt.-Moor's _Suffolk Words_.

Probably the same as "Musical Chairs."

Malaga, Malaga Raisins

A forfeit game. The players sat in a circle. One acquainted with the trick took a poker in his right hand, made some eccentric movements with it, pa.s.sed it to his left, and gave it to his next neighbour on that side, saying, "Malaga, Malaga raisins, very good raisins I vow," and told him to do the same. Should he fail to pa.s.s it from right to left, when he in his turn gave it to his neighbour, without being told where the mistake lay, he was made to pay a forfeit.-Cornwall (_Folk-lore Journal_, v. 50).

"Malaga raisins are very good raisins, but I like Valencias better," is the saying used in the London version of this game, and instead of using a poker a paper-knife is used, and it is played at the table. Other formulae for games of this kind are, "As round as the moon, has two eyes, a nose, and a mouth." These words are said while drawing on a table with the forefinger of the _left_ hand an imaginary face, making eyes, nose, and mouth when saying the words. The fun is caused through those players who are unacquainted with the game drawing the imaginary face with the right hand instead of the left. Another formula is to touch each finger of the right hand with the forefinger of the left hand, saying to each finger in succession, "Big Tom, Little Tom, Tommy, Tom, Tom." The secret in this case is to say, "Look here!" before commencing the formula. It is the business of those players who know the game to say the words in such a way that the uninitiated imagine the saying of the words correctly with particular accents on particular words to be where the difficulty lies. If this is well done, it diverts suspicion from the real object of these games.-A. B. Gomme.

Marbles

Brand considers that marbles had their origin in bowls, and received their name from the substance of which the bowls were formerly made.

Strutt (_Sports_, p. 384) says, "Marbles have been used as a subst.i.tute for bowls. I believe originally nuts, round stones, or any other small things that could easily be bowled along were used as marbles." Rogers notices "Marbles" in his _Pleasures of Memory_, l. 137:-

"On yon gray stone that fronts the chancel-door, Worn smooth by busy feet, now seen no more, Each eve we shot the marble through the ring."

Different kinds of marbles are alleys, barios, poppo, stonies.

Marrididdles are marbles made by oneself by rolling and baking common clay. By boys these are treated as spurious and are always rejected. In barter, a bary = four stonies; a common white alley = three stonies.

Those with pink veins being considered best. Alleys are the most valuable and are always reserved to be used as "taws" (the marble actually used by the player). They are said to have been formerly made of different coloured alabaster. See also Murray's _New English Dict._

For the different games played with marbles, see "Boss Out,"

"Bridgeboard," "Bun-hole," "Cob," "Hogo," "Holy Bang," "Hundreds,"

"Lag," "Long-Tawl," "Nine Holes," "Ring Taw."

Mary Brown

I. Here we go round, ring by ring, To see poor Mary lay in the ring; Rise up, rise up, poor Mary Brown, To see your dear mother go through the town.

I won't rise, I won't rise [from off the ground], To see my poor mother go through the town.

Rise up, rise up, poor Mary Brown, To see your dear father go through the town.

I won't rise, I won't rise [from off the ground], To see my dear father go through the town.

Rise up, rise up, poor Mary Brown, To see your dear sister go through the town.

I won't rise, I won't rise from off the ground, To see my dear sister go through the town.

Rise up, rise up, poor Mary Brown, To see your dear brother go through the town.

I won't rise, I won't rise up from off the ground, To see my dear brother go through the town.

Rise up, rise up, poor Mary Brown, To see your dear sweetheart go through the town.

I will rise, I will rise up from off the ground, To see my dear sweetheart go through the town.

-Barnes, Surrey (A. B. Gomme).

II. Rise up, rise up, Betsy Brown, To see your father go through the town.

I won't rise up upon my feet, To see my father go through the street.

Rise up, rise up, Betsy Brown, To see your mother go through the town.

I won't rise up upon my feet, To see my mother go through the street.

[Then follow verses for sister, brother, and lover. When this last is sung, she says-]