The Traditional Games of England, Scotland, and Ireland Volume I Part 86

"What eileth you? some gay girle (G.o.d it wote) Hath brought you thus on the merry tote."

Merry-ma-tansa

[Music]

-Biggar (Wm. Ballantyne).

I. Here we go round by jingo-ring, Jingo-ring, and jingo-ring, Here we go round by jingo-ring, About the merry-ma-tansa.

Come name the lad you like the best, Like the best, like the best, Come name the lad you like the best, About the merry-ma-tansa.

Guess ye wha's the young gudeman, The young gudeman, the young gudeman, Come guess ye wha's the young gudeman About the merry-ma-tansa.

Honey's sweet and so is he, So is he, so is he, Honey's sweet and so is he, About the merry-ma-tansa.

[Or-

Crab-apples are sour and so is he, So is he, so is he, Crab-apples are sour and so is he, About the merry-ma-tansa.]

Can she bake and can she brew?

Can she shape and can she sew, 'Boot a house can a' things do?

About the merry-ma-tansa?

She can bake and she can brew, She can shape and she can sew, 'Boot a house can a' things do, About the merry-ma-tansa.

This is the way to wash the clothes, Wash the clothes, wash the clothes, This is the way to wash the clothes, About the merry-ma-tansa.

[Then follows verses for wringing clothes, ironing, baking bread, washing hands, face, combing hair, washing and sweeping the house, and a number of other things done in housekeeping. The boy then presents the girl with a ring, and they all sing-]

Now she's married in a goud ring, A gay goud ring, a gay goud ring, Now she's married in a goud ring, About the merry-ma-tansa.

A gay goud ring is a dangerous thing, A cankerous thing, a cankerous thing, A gay goud ring is a dangerous thing, About the merry-ma-tansa.

Now they're married we wish them joy, Wish them joy, wish them joy, Now they're married we wish them joy, About the merry-ma-tansa.

Father and mother they must obey, Must obey, must obey, Father and mother they must obey, About the merry-ma-tansa.

Loving each other like sister and brother, Sister and brother, sister and brother, Loving each other like sister and brother, About the merry-ma-tansa.

We pray this couple may kiss thegither, Kiss thegither, kiss thegither, We pray this couple may kiss thegither, About the merry-ma-tansa.

[If any lad was left without a partner, the ring sing-]

Here's a silly auld man left alone, Left alone, left alone, He wants a wife and can't get none, About the merry-ma-tansa.

-Biggar (William Ballantyne).

II. Here we go the jingo-ring, The jingo-ring, the jingo-ring, Here we go the jingo-ring, About the merry-ma-tansie.

Twice about, and then we fa', Then we fa', then we fa', Twice about, and then we fa', About the merry-ma-tansie.

Guess ye wha's the young goodman, The young goodman, the young goodman, Guess ye wha's the young goodman, About the merry-ma-tansie.

Honey is sweet, and so is he, So is he, so is he, Honey is sweet, and so is he, About the merry-ma-tansie.

[Or-

Apples are sour, and so is he, So is he, so is he, Apples are sour, and so is he, About the merry-ma-tansie.]

He's married wi' a gay gold ring, A gay gold ring, a gay gold ring, He's married wi' a gay gold ring, About the merry-ma-tansie.

A gay gold ring's a cankerous thing, A cankerous thing, a cankerous thing, A gay gold ring's a cankerous thing, About the merry-ma-tansie.

Now they're married, I wish them joy, I wish them joy, I wish them joy, Now they're married, I wish them joy, About the merry-ma-tansie.

Father and mother they must obey, Must obey, must obey, Father and mother they must obey, About the merry-ma-tansie.

Loving each other like sister and brother, Sister and brother, sister and brother, Loving each other like sister and brother, About the merry-ma-tansie.

We pray this couple may kiss together, Kiss together, kiss together, We pray this couple may kiss together, About the merry-ma-tansie.

-Chambers' _Popular Rhymes_, pp. 132-134.

(_b_) At Biggar (Mr. Ballantyne) this game was generally played on the green by boys and girls. A ring is formed by all the children but one, joining hands. The one child stands in the centre. The ring of children dance round the way of the sun, first slowly and then more rapidly.

First all the children in the ring bow to the one in the centre, and she bows back. Then they dance round singing the first and second verses, the second verse being addressed to the child in the centre. She then whispers a boy's name to one in the ring. This girl then sings the third verse. None in the ring are supposed to be able to answer, and the name of the chosen boy is then said aloud by the girl who asked the question.

If the name is satisfactory the ring sing the fourth verse, and the two players then retire and walk round a little. If the name given is not satisfactory the ring sing the fifth verse, and another child must be chosen. When the two again stand in the centre the boys sing the sixth verse. The girls answer with the seventh. Then all the ring sing the next verses, imitating washing clothes, wringing, ironing, baking bread, washing hands, combing hair, &c., suiting their actions to the words of the verses sung. The boy who was chosen then presents a ring, usually a blade of gra.s.s wrapped round her finger, to the girl. The ring then sing the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth verses. When all have chosen, if any lad is left without a partner, the last verse is sung.

The version recorded by Chambers is similar in action, but there are some important differences in detail. The centre child acts as mistress of the ceremonies. The ring of children dance round her, singing the verses. At the end of the first line of the second verse they all courtesy to her, and she returns the compliment. At the conclusion of this verse she selects a girl from the ring and asks her her sweetheart's name, which is imparted in a whisper. Upon this the child in the centre sings the third verse, the ring dancing round as before.

If the ring approves her choice, they sing the fourth verse as in the Biggar version, and if they disapprove, the fifth. Chambers does not say whether another child is selected, if this is the case; but it is probable, as he says, the marriage is finally concluded upon and effected by the ring singing the verses which follow. When singing the first line of the eighth verse all the ring unclasps hands for a moment, and each child performs a pirouette, clapping her hands above her head.

(_c_) It seems very clear from both the versions given that this is a ceremonial dance, round or at a place sacred to such ceremonies as betrothal and marriage. The version given by Chambers suggests this the more strongly, as the child in the centre acts as mistress of the ceremonies, or "go-between," the person who was the negotiator between the parents on either side in bringing a marriage about. The courtesying and bowing of those in the ring to her may show respect for this office.

On the other hand, there is the more important office of priest or priestess of "the stones" suggested by the action of the game, and the reverence to the centre child may be a relic of this. The fact that she asks a girl to tell her her sweetheart's name, and then announces the name of the girl's choice for approval or disapproval by the ring in both versions, points to the time when consent by relations and friends on both sides was necessary before the marriage could be agreed upon-the inquiry regarding the qualifications of the proposed wife, the recital of her housewifely abilities, and the giving of the ring by the boy to the girl are also betrothal customs. It is to be noted that it was a popular belief in ancient times that to wed with a rush-ring was a legal marriage, without the intervention of a priest or the ceremonies of marriage. Poore, Bishop of Salisbury (circa 1217), prohibited the use of them-

"With gaudy girlonds or fresh flowers dight About her necke, or rings of rushes plight."

-Spenser's _Queen_.

And Shakespeare alludes to the custom in the lines-"As fit as ten groats for the hand of an attorney, as Tib's rush for Tom's forefinger."-_All's Well that Ends Well._ The rejoicing and bestowal of the blessing by the ring of friends give an almost complete picture of early Scotch marriage custom. A version of this game, which appeared in the _Weekly Scotsman_ of October 16, 1893, by Edgar L. Wakeman, is interesting, as it confirms the above idea, and adds one or two details which may be important, _i.e._, the "choose your maidens one by one,"

and "sweep the house till the bride comes home." This game is called the "Gala Ship," and the girls, forming a ring, march round singing-

Three times round goes the gala, gala ship, And three times round goes she; Three times round goes the gala, gala ship, And sinks to the bottom of the sea.

They repeat this thrice, courtesying low. The first to courtesy is placed in the centre of the circle, when the others sing:-

Choose your maidens one by one, One by one, one by one; Choose your maidens one by one- And down goes (all courtesy) Merrima Tansa!

She chooses her maidens. They take her to a distance, when she is secretly told the name of her lover. The remainder of the girls imitate sweeping, and sing several stanzas to the effect that they will "sweep the house till the bride comes home," when the bride is now placed within the circle, and from a score to a hundred stanzas, with marching and various imitations of what the lucky bride accomplishes or undergoes, are sung. Each one closes with "Down goes Merrima Tansa" and the head-ducking; and this wonderful music-drama of childhood is not concluded until the christening of the bride's first-born, with-