out, and use his knotted handkerchief.

Whoever he can touch is Fox instead, but the geese run on two legs, and if the Fox puts his other leg down, he is hunted back to his home.

THE OLD DAME.

and

One child, called the Old Dame, sits on the floor, and the rest, joining hands, form a circle round her, dancing, sing the following lines:

Children. To Beccles! to Beccles !

To buy a bunch of nettles!

Pray, Old Dame, what's o'clock ?

Dame. One, going for two.

Children. To Beccles! to Beccles !
To buy a bunch of nettles!

Pray, Old Dame, what's o'clock ?

Dame. Two, going for three.

And so on till she reaches, "Eleven going for twelve." After this the following questions are asked, with the replies.-C. Where have you been? D. To the wood. C. What for? D. To pick up sticks. C. What for? D. To light my fire. C. What for? D. To boil my kettle. C. What for? D. To cook some of your chickens. The children then all run away as fast as they can, and the Old Dame tries to catch one of them. Whoever is caught is the next to personate the Dame.

THE POOR WOMAN OF BABYLON.

One child stands in the middle of a ring formed by the other children joining hands round her. They

sing

Here comes a poor woman from Babylon,
With three small children all alone:
One can brew, and one can bake,

The other can make a pretty round cake.

One can sit in the arbour and spin,"
Another can make a fine bed for the king.
Choose the one and leave the rest,

And take the one you love the best.

The child in the middle having chosen one in the ring of the opposite sex, the rest say,—

Now you're married, we wish you joy;
Father and mother you must obey:
Love one another like sister and brother,
And now, good people, kiss each other!

They then kiss, and the process is repeated till all the children are in the ring. Another game, played in the same way, begins with this verse:

Sally, Sally Waters, why are you so sad?

You shall have a husband either good or bad:
Then rise, Sally Waters, and sprinkle your pan,
For you're just the young woman to get a nice man.
The partner being chosen, the two kneel down, and the
rest sing,-

Now you're married we wish you joy,
Father and mother and little boy!
Love one another like sister and brother,
And now, good people, kiss each other.

QUEEN ANNE.

Queen Anne, Queen Anne, who sits on her throne,
As fair as a lily, as white as a swan;

The king sends you three letters,

And begs you'll read one.

This is said by all the children but one, who represents the Queen, they having previously hid a ball upon one of their number. The Queen answers,

I cannot read one unless I read all,

Naming any child she pleases. If she guesses rightly the child who has the ball takes her place as Queen. If wrongly, the child who has the ball says,

The ball is mine, and none of thine,

So you, proud Queen, may sit on your throne,
While we, your messengers, go and come.

Or, sometimes, these lines,

The ball is mine, and none of thine,

You are the fair lady to sit on:

And we're the black gipsies to go and come.

COUNTING-OUT RHYMES.

The operation of counting-out is a very important mystery in many puerile games. The boys or girls stand in a row, and the operator begins with the counting-out rhyme, appropriating a word to each, till he comes to the person who receives the last word, and who is accordingly "out." This operation is continued till there is only one left, who is the individual chosen for the hero of the game, whatever it may be. The following verses are selected from a host of rhymes employed for this purpose:

One-ery, two-ery,
Tickery, teven;
Alabo, crackabo,

Ten and eleven :
Spin, spon,

Must be gone;
Alabo, crackabo,

Twenty-one!

O-U-T spells out.

[Something similar to this is found in Swedish, Arwidsson, iii. 492:

136

IV.-ALPHABET RHYMES.

Amongst the various devices to establish a royal road to infantine learning, none are more ancient or useful than the rhymes which serve to impress the letters of the alphabet upon the attention and memory of children. As early as the fifteenth century, "Mayster Benet," who was rector of Sandon, in Essex, in 1440, and afterwards a prebend of St. Paul's, composed or translated an alphabet-rhyme, which not only professed to recall the memory of the letters, but at a time when the benefit of clergy was in vogue, held out the inducement of providing means for avoiding the punishment of death. The following copy is taken from two versions in MS. Harl. 541, compared with each other :

"Who so wyll be wyse and worshyp to wynne, leern he on lettur and loke upon another of the A. B. C. of Arystotle. Noon argument agaynst that, ffor it is counselle for clerkes and knightes a thowsand; and also it myght amend a meane man fulle oft the lernyng of a lettur, and his lyf save. It shal not greve a good man, though gylt be amend. Rede on this ragment, and rule the theraftur, and whoso be grevid yn his goost governe the bettur. Herkyn and here every man and child how that I begynne:

A. to Amerous, to Aventurous, ne Angre the not to moche.
B. to Bold, to Besy, and Bourde not to large.
C. to Curtes, to Cruel, and Care not to sore.
D. to Dulle, to Dredefulle, and Drynk not to oft.
E. to Ellynge, to Excellent, ne to Ernstfulle neyther.
F. to Ferse, ne to Familier, but Frendely of chere.
G. to Glad, to Gloryous, and Gelowsy thow hate.
H. to Hasty, to Hardy, ne to Hevy yn thyne herte.
J. to Jettyng, to Janglyng, and Jape not to oft.
K. to Keping, to Kynd, and ware Knaves tatches among.
L. to Lothe, to Lovyng, to Lyberalle of goodes.
M. to Medlus, to Mery, but as Maner asketh.