The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume I Part 71

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. Peac.o.c.k.

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 s.p.a.ce, that same is kynge in his roome."-Huloet, 1572.

See "Hide and Seek."

King Caesar

One player is chosen to be King Caesar 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 Caesar stands in the middle of the ground. Any number of the players can then rush across the ground from one den to another. King Caesar 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 Caesar succeeds in holding a boy, this boy stays in the centre with him and a.s.sists 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 Caesar 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 Caesar 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 Caesar 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

A game of children, in which one of a company, being chosen King o'

Cantland, and two goals appointed at a considerable distance from each other, all the rest endeavoured to run from one goal to the other; and those whom the King can seize in their course, so as to lay his hand upon their heads (which operation is called winning them), become his subjects, and a.s.sist him in catching the remainder.-Dumfries (Jamieson).

Jamieson adds: "This game is called 'King's Covenanter' in Roxburgh." He also refers to the game of "King and Queen of Cantelon," recorded by Mactaggart. He considers the origin of this game to be representative of the contentions about the "Debatable Lands" on the border. This game was played at University Coll. School, London, under the name of "Kings" (A.

Nutt).

See "How many miles to Barley Bridge?" "King Caesar."

King o' the Castle

One boy is chosen as King. He mounts on any convenient height, a knoll, or d.y.k.e, or big stone, and shouts-

A'm King o' the Castle, An' fah (who) 'll ding (knock) me doon?

The players make a rush at the King, and try to pull him down. A tussle goes on for a longer or a shorter time, according to the strength of the King and his skill in driving off his a.s.sailants. The boy that displaces the King becomes King, and is in his turn a.s.saulted in the same way. The game may go on for any length of time. Another form of words is-

I'm the King o' the Castle, An' nane can ding me doon.

-Keith (Rev. W. Gregor).

Other words sung by the Scotch children are-

I, w.i.l.l.y Wastle, Stand on my castle, And a' the dogs o' your toon Will no drive Willie Wastle doon.

Chambers (_Popular Rhymes_, p. 114) records the tradition that when Oliver Cromwell lay at Haddington he sent to require the governor of Home Castle, in Berwickshire, to surrender; the governor is said to have replied in the above quatrain of juvenile celebrity.

The London version is for the boys to run up a hillock, when one of them declares as follows-

I'm the King of the Castle; Get down, you dirty rascal,

whereupon he pushes down his companions. If another boy succeeds in getting his place he becomes King, and repeats the doggerel (G. L.

Gomme). This is a very popular boys' game. Newell (_Games_, 164) mentions it as prevalent in Pennsylvania.

See "Tom Tiddler's Ground."

King Plaster Palacey

The players are a King and his three sons named White Cap, Red Cap, Brown Cap. Red Cap says, "Plaster Palacey had a son, whose name was old daddy White Cap." White Cap, in an injured voice, says, "Me, sir?" The King says, "Yes, sir." White Cap answers, "You're a liar, sir." The King then says, "Who then, sir?" White Cap answers, "Old daddy Red Cap."-Deptford, Kent (Miss Chase).

The game as given above is obviously incomplete, and no description as to how the game was played was sent me. Newell (_Games_, p. 145), describes a game, "The Cardinal's Hat," which is probably a variant of the original game, of which the above is only a fragment. I remember once witnessing a game in which a ball was pa.s.sed from player to player, and in which the dialogue was similar. When one player was told that the ball was in his possession, the answer was, "What, me, sir?" "Yes, you, sir." "Not I, sir." "Who then, sir?" "White Cap, sir;" the questions and answers were again repeated for Red Cap, and Blue Cap. When it was Black Cap's turn, I think the ball was thrown by this player to some one else; whoever was. .h.i.t by the ball had to chase and capture one, who became questioner; but my recollection of the game is too slight for me to be certain either of the dialogue or the way the game terminated (A. B.

Gomme). A game described in _Suffolk County Folk-lore_, p. 62, is apparently a version of this. It is there described as a forfeit game.

King William

[Music]

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

I. King William was King David's son, And all the royal race is run; Choose from the east, choose from the west, Choose the one you love the best.