The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume Ii Part 44

The East Anglian game of "See-saw."-Halliwell's _Dictionary_.

Tee-to-tum.

See "Totum."

Thimble Ring

I come with my ringle jingles Under my lady's ap.r.o.n strings.

First comes summer, and then comes May, The queen's to be married on midsummer day.

Here she sits and here she stands, As fair as a lily, as white as a swan; A pair of green gloves to draw on her hands, As ladies wear in c.u.mberland.

I've brought you three letters, so pray you read one, I can't read one unless I read all, So pray, Miss Nancy, deliver them all.

-Sheffield (S. O. Addy).

A number of young men and women form themselves into an oval ring, and one stands in the centre. A thimble is given to one of those who form the ring, and it is pa.s.sed round from one to another, so that n.o.body knows who has it. Then the one who stands in the centre goes to the man at the top of the oval ring and says, "My lady's lost her gold ring.

Have you got it?" He answers "Me, sir? no, sir." The one in the middle says, "I think you lie, sir, but tell me who has got it." Then he points out the one who has the thimble, of which he takes possession, and then says the above lines. Then the one who was found to have had the thimble takes the place of the one inside the ring, and the game is repeated.

Halliwell gives a version of this game under the name of Diamond Ring (_Nursery Rhymes_, p. 223), but the words used consist only of the following lines:-

My lady's lost her diamond ring, I pitch upon you to find it.

In the two following games from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire there are no words used in rhymes or couplets.

One child stands in the centre of a ring, which is formed by each member clasping the wrist of his or her left hand neighbour with the left hand, thus leaving the right hand free. A thimble is provided, and is held by one of the players in the right hand. No circular movement is necessary, but as the tune is sung, the right hand of each member is placed alternately in that of their right and left hand neighbour, each performing the action in a swinging style, as if they had to pa.s.s the ring on, and in such a manner, that the one standing in the centre cannot detect it. The thimble may be detained or pa.s.sed on just as the players think fit. The words are the following:-

The thimble is going, I don't know where.

Varied with

It's first over here,

Or

It's over there,

as the case may be, or rather may not be, in order to throw the victim in the centre off the scent.-West Riding of Yorkshire (Miss Bush).

The players sit in a row or circle, with their hands held palm to palm in their laps. The leader of the game takes a thimble, and going to every member of the company in turn, pretends to slip it between their fingers, or to hide it in their pinafores, saying as she does so-"I bring you my lady's thimble, you must hold it fast, and very fast indeed." Whereon each child thus addressed should a.s.sume an air of triumph suitable to the possession of such a treasure. After the whole party have gone through the farce of receiving the thimble, the girl who carried it round calls a player from the circle to discover who holds it. For every wrong guess a fine must be paid. When the searcher discovers the thimble she begins a new round of the game by taking the place of leader; and so on, till the acc.u.mulation of forfeits is sufficient to afford amus.e.m.e.nt in "loosing the tines." The game is called "Lady's Thimble."-Lincoln, Scawby and Stixwould 76 years ago (Miss M. Peac.o.c.k).

The rhyme used in the Sheffield game is that used in "Queen Anne," but it appears to have no relevance to this game.

Thing done

A game described by Ben Jonson in his play of _Cynthia's Revels_ (act iv. scene 1). The pa.s.sage is as follows:-

"PHANTASTE. Nay, we have another sport afore this, of 'A thing done, and who did it,' &c.

"PHILANTIA. Ay, good Phantaste, let's have that: distribute the places.

"PHANTASTE. Why, I imagine A thing done; Hedon thinks who did it; Maria, with what it was done; Anaides, where it was done; Argurion, when it was done; Amorphus, for what cause was it done; you, Philantia, what followed upon the doing of it; and this gentleman, who would have done it better... ."

Gifford thinks that this sport was probably the diversion of the age, and of the same stamp with our modern "Cross Purposes," "Questions," and "Commands," &c.

Thread the Needle

[Music]

-Miss Dendy.

[Music]

-Harpenden (Miss Lloyd).

I. Thread my grandmother's needle!

Thread my grandmother's needle!

Thread my grandmother's needle!

Open your gates as wide as high, And let King George and me go by.

It is so dark I cannot see To thread my grandmother's needle!

_Who stole the money-box?_

-London (Miss Dendy).

II. Open your gates as wide as I, [high?]

And let King George's horses by; For the night is dark and we cannot see, But thread your long needle and sew.

-Belfast (W. H. Patterson).

III. Thread the tailor's needle, The tailor's blind, so he can't see; So open the gates as wide as wide, And let King George and his lady pa.s.s by.

-Bocking, Ess.e.x (_Folk-lore Record_, iii. 170).

IV. Thread my grandmother's needle, Thread my grandmother's needle; It is too dark we cannot see To thread my grandmother's needle.

-Harpenden (Mrs. Lloyd).

V. Thread the needle, Thread the needle, Nine, nine, nine, Let King George and I pa.s.s by.

-Liphook, Hants (Miss Fowler).

VI. Open the gates as wide as wide, And let King George go through with his bride; It is so dark, we cannot see To threaddle the tailor's needle.

-Parish _Dictionary of the Suss.e.x Dialect_.

VII. Brother Jack, if ye were mine, I would give you claret wine; Claret wine's gude and fine- Through the needle-e'e, boys!