The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume Ii Part 21

Oh yes, you may go, you may go, you may go; Oh yes, you may go, buy a bunch of roses!

Pick up her tail and away she goes, away she goes, away she goes; Pick up her tail and away she goes, to buy a bunch of roses.

-Sang by the children of Hexham Workhouse (Miss J. Barker).

II. Queen Mary, Queen Mary, my age is sixteen, My father's a farmer on yonder green; He has plenty of money to keep me sae braw, Yet nae bonnie laddie will tak' me awa'.

The morning so early I looked in the gla.s.s, And I said to myself what a handsome young la.s.s; My hands by my side, and I gave a ha, ha, Come awa', bonnie laddie, and tak' me awa'.

-Berwickshire, A. M. Bell, _Antiquary_, x.x.x. 17.

III. My name is Queen Mary, My age is sixteen, My father's a farmer in Old Aberdeen; He has plenty of money to dress me in black- There's nae [no] bonnie laddie 'ill tack me awa'.

Next mornin' I wakened and looked in the gla.s.s, I said to myself, what a handsome young la.s.s; Put your hands to your haunches and give a ha, ha, For there's nae bonnie laddie will tack ye awa'.

-N. E. Scotland (Rev. W. Gregor).

IV. My name is Queen Mary, My age is sixteen, My father's a farmer in yonder green; He's plenty of money to dress in silk [fu' braw'], For there's nae bonnie laddie can tack me awa'.

One morning I rose and I looked in the gla.s.s, Says I to myself, I'm a handsome young la.s.s; My hands by my edges, and I give a ha, ha, For there's nae bonnie laddie t' tack me awa'.

-Cullen (Rev. W. Gregor).

(_b_) The Scottish game is played by girls. The players join hands, form a circle with one in the centre, and dance round singing. At the words "'ill tack me awa'," the centre player chooses another one, and the two wheel round. Then the singing proceeds. At the exclamation "ha! ha!" the players suit the action to the words of the line. In the Cullen game the girls stand in a row with one in front, who sings the verses and chooses another player from the line. The two then join hands and go round and round, singing the remaining verses.

Queen of Sheba

Two rows of people sit on chairs face to face on each side of a door, leaving just sufficient s.p.a.ce between the lines for a player to pa.s.s. At the end of the rows furthest from the door sits the "Queen of Sheba,"

with a veil or shawl over her head. A player, hitherto unacquainted with the game, is brought to the door, shown the Queen, and told to go up between the rows, after being blindfolded, to kiss her, taking care, meanwhile, to avoid treading on the toes of the people on each side the alley leading to the lady. While his mind is diverted by these instructions, and by the process of blindfolding, the Queen gives up her seat to "the King," who has been lurking in the background. He a.s.sumes the veil and receives the kiss, to the amus.e.m.e.nt of every one but the uninitiated player.

-Anderby, Lincolnshire, and near the Trent, Nottinghamshire (Miss M.

Peac.o.c.k).

Ragman

An ancient game, at which persons drew by chance poetical descriptions of their characters, the amus.e.m.e.nt consisting-as at modern games of a similar kind-in the peculiar application or misapplication of the verses so selected at hazard by the drawers.-Halliwell's _Dictionary_.

Halliwell goes on to say that the meaning of this term was first developed by Mr. Wright in his _Anecdota Literaria_, 1844, where he has printed two collections of ancient verses used in the game of "Ragman."

Mr. Wright conjectures that the stanzas were written one after another on a roll of parchment; that to each stanza a string was attached at the side, with a seal or piece of metal or wood at the end; and that when used the parchment was rolled up with all the strings and their seals hanging together, so that the drawer had no reason for choosing one more than another, but drew one of the strings by mere chance, and which he opened to see on what stanza he had fallen. If such were the form of the game, we can very easily imagine why the name was applied to a charter with an unusual number of seals attached to it, which, when rolled up, would present exactly the same appearance. Mr. Wright is borne out in his opinion by an English poem, termed "Ragmane roelle," printed from MS., Fairfax, 16:-

"My ladyes and my maistresses echone, Lyke hit unto your humbyble wommanhede, Resave in gre of my sympill persone This rolle, which, withouten any drede, Kynge Ragman me bad me sowe in brede, And cristyned yt the merour of your chaunce; Drawith a strynge, and that shal streight yow leyde Unto the verry path of your governaunce."

That the verses were generally written in a roll may perhaps be gathered from a pa.s.sage in Douglas's Virgil:-

"With that he raucht me ane roll: to rede I begane, The royetest ane ragment with mony ratt rime."

Halliwell also quotes the following:-

"Venus, whiche stant withoute lawe, In non certeyne, but as men drawe Of Ragemon upon the chaunce, Sche leyeth no peys in the balaunce."

-Gower, MS. _Society of Antiquaries_, 134, 244.

The term rageman is applied to the devil in "Piers Ploughman," 335.

Rag-stag

See "Stag Warning."

Rakes and Roans

A boys' game, in which the younger ones are chased by the larger boys, and when caught carried home pick-a-back.-Halliwell's _Dictionary_.

Moor (_Suffolk Words and Phrases_) says this game is often called "Rakes" only, and is the same, probably, that is thus alluded to: "To play Reaks, to domineer, to show mad pranks." The jest of it is to be carried home a pig-back, by the less swift wight who you may catch.

Rakkeps

A game among boys [undescribed].-d.i.c.kinson's _c.u.mberland Glossary_.

Range the Bus

Sides are chosen, and a line made across the playground. One of the sides goes up and the other goes down, and throws their bonnets on the ground. Then one side tries to get one of the opposite side across the line and crown him, and one of the opposite side tries to crown him back. If another boy can catch this player before he gets near him, he is crowned also. All the time the one side is trying to take the bonnets.-Old Aberdeen (Rev. W. Gregor).

See "French and English," "Scotch and English."

Rax, or Raxie-boxie, King of Scotland

The players, except one, take their stand at one side, and one stands at the other side in front of them. When all are ready, the one in front calls out "c.o.c.k," or "Caron," when all rush across to the other side, and he tries to catch one of them in crossing. The one caught helps to catch the others as they run back. Each time the players run from the one side to the other the word "c.o.c.k," or "Caron," is called out, and the change is continued till all are caught-each one as caught becoming a catcher. In Tyrie the game is called "d.y.k.e King" when played by boys, and "Queen" when played by girls. The word "King," or "Queen," is called out before each run, according as the game is played by boys or girls.-Ballindalloch (Rev. W. Gregor).

This game is called "Red Rover" in Liverpool (Mr. C. C. Bell). "Red Rover" is shouted out by the catcher when players are ready to rush across.

See "King Caesar."

Relievo

This game is played by one child trying to catch the rest. The first prisoner taken joins hands with the captor and helps in the pursuit, and so on till all the playmates have been taken.-Anderby, Lincs. (Miss M.

Peac.o.c.k).

This game is the same as "Chickiddy Hand," "Stag Warning."

Religious Church

The children stand in a line. One child on the opposite side, facing them, says-