The Jolly Miller,
And, under this title, a lady, two years since, saw some children playing it at St. Ives, in Cornwall.
“There was a jolly miller, lived by himself,
By grinding corn he got his wealth;
One hand in the upper, the other in the bag,
As the wheel went round, they all called ‘Grab.’ ”
In this county “Tom Tiddler’s Ground” is known as “Mollish’s Land,” “Cat and Mouse” as “The Duffan Ring,” and “Blind Man’s Buff” as “Blind Buck-a-Davy.” To this last the following words are repeated, which I have never seen in print. One of the players takes the blind person by the shoulders, and says:
“How many horses has your father got in his stables?”
A. Three.
“What colour are they?”
A. Red, white, and grey.
(Whirling him round.) “Then turn about, and twist about, and catch whom you may.”
To make barley bread (in other districts, “Cockley bread”) this rhyme is used in West Cornwall:—
“Mother has called, mother has said,
‘Make haste home, and make barley bread.’
Up with your heels, down with your head,
That is the way to make barley bread.”