(c) The analysis of the game rhymes is as follows:—

No.Halli-
well’s Version.		Liphook (Hants).Shrop-
shire.		Focha-
bers (Scot-
land).		Hamp-
shire.		North-
ants.		Norfolk (1).Norfolk (2).Haydon.Earls Heaton.Lincoln-
shire
and
Notting-
hamshire.		Glouces-
tershire.		Belfast.Halli-
well’s Version (No. 2).		Crockham Hill.
1.Draw a pail of water.Draw a pail of water.Draw, draw water.Draw a bucket o’ water.Drawing a bucket of water.Draw a pail of water.Draw a bucket of water.Draw a bucket of water.Draw a bucket of water.Draw a bucket of water.See saw, a bucket of water.———Draw a bucket of water.
2.————————————Sift the lady’s oatmeal.Sieve my lady’s oatmeal.—
3.————————————Sift it into flour.Grind my lady’s flour.—
4.For my lady’s daughter.Send a lady a daughter.For my lady’s daughter.For a lady’s daughter.For my lady’s daughter.For a lady’s daughter.For my lady’s daughter.For the farmer’s daughter.For my lady’s daughter.—————For a lady’s daughter.
5.—————————To wash my lady’s garter.To wash my lady’s garter.————
6.————Put it in a chestnut tree.———————Put it in a chest of drawers.Put it in a chestnut.—
7.————Let it stay an hour.———————Let it lie an hour.Let it stand an hour.—
8.My father’s a king and my mother’s a queen.——————————————
9.My two little sisters are dressed in green.——————————————
10.Stamping grass and parsley.——————————————
11.Marigold leaves and daisies.——————————————
12.One rush, two rush.One o’ my rush, two o’ my rush.One in a rush, two in a bush.One and a hush, two and a rush.One of you rush, two may rush.—One go rush and the other go hush.———One in a rush and two in a bush.One we go rush, two we go push.One of my rush, two of my rush.One may rush, two may rush.One in a bush, two in a bush, three in a bush, four in a bush.
13.—————Give a silver pin for a golden ring.—Give a gold ring and a silver watch.A guinea gold ring and a silver pin.A guinea gold ring and a silver pin.—————
14.Pray thee, fine lady, come under my bush.Please, young lady, creep under the _briar_ bush.Pretty my lady, pop under the bush.Please, young lady, come under my bush.Please, old woman man, creep under the bush.Pray, young lady, pop under.Pretty young lady, bop under my bush.Pray, young lady, pop under.Pray, young lady, pop under.Please, little girl, pop under.To see a fine lady pop under a bush.Lady, come under the corner bush.Please, young lady, come under my bush.Come, my girls, walk under the bush.—
15.————The bush is too high, the bush is too low.———————My bush is too high, my bush is too low.——
16.————Please, old woman, creep under the bush.———————Please, young lady, come under my bow.——
17.————————————Stir up the dumpling.——
18.——————————————And out you go.
No.Halliwell’s Version.Liphook (Hants).Shropshire.Fochabers (Scotland).Hampshire.Northants.Norfolk (1).Norfolk (2).
1.Draw a pail of water.Draw a pail of water.Draw, draw water.Draw a bucket o’ water.Drawing a bucket of water.Draw a pail of water.Draw a bucket of water.Draw a bucket of water.
2.————————
3.————————
4.For my lady’s daughter.Send a lady a daughter.For my lady’s daughter.For a lady’s daughter.For my lady’s daughter.For a lady’s daughter.For my lady’s daughter.For the farmer’s daughter.
5.————————
6.————Put it in a chestnut tree.———
7.————Let it stay an hour.———
8.My father’s a king and my mother’s a queen.———————
9.My two little sisters are dressed in green.———————
10.Stamping grass and parsley.———————
11.Marigold leaves and daisies.———————
12.One rush, two rush.One o’ my rush, two o’ my rush.One in a rush, two in a bush.One and a hush, two and a rush.One of you rush, two may rush.—One go rush and the other go hush.—
13.—————Give a silver pin for a golden ring.—Give a gold ring and a silver watch.
14.Pray thee, fine lady, come under my bush.Please, young lady, creep under the _briar_ bush.Pretty my lady, pop under the bush.Please, young lady, come under my bush.Please, old woman man, creep under the bush.Pray, young lady, pop under.Pretty young lady, bop under my bush.Pray, young lady, pop under.
15.————The bush is too high, the bush is too low.———
16.————Please, old woman, creep under the bush.———
17.————————
18.————————
No.Haydon.Earls Heaton.Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.Gloucestershire.Belfast.Halliwell’s Version (No. 2).Crockham Hill.
1.Draw a bucket of water.Draw a bucket of water.See saw, a bucket of water.———Draw a bucket of water.
2.————Sift the lady’s oatmeal.Sieve my lady’s oatmeal.—
3.————Sift it into flour.Grind my lady’s flour.—
4.For my lady’s daughter.—————For a lady’s daughter.
5.—To wash my lady’s garter.To wash my lady’s garter.————
6.————Put it in a chest of drawers.Put it in a chestnut.—
7.————Let it lie an hour.Let it stand an hour.—
8.———————
9.———————
10.———————
11.———————
12.——One in a rush and two in a bush.One we go rush, two we go push.One of my rush, two of my rush.One may rush, two may rush.One in a bush, two in a bush, three in a bush, four in a bush.
13.A guinea gold ring and a silver pin.A guinea gold ring and a silver pin.—————
14.Pray, young lady, pop under.Please, little girl, pop under.To see a fine lady pop under a bush.Lady, come under the corner bush.Please, young lady, come under my bush.Come, my girls, walk under the bush.—
15.————My bush is too high, my bush is too low.——
16.————Please, young lady, come under my bow.——
17.————Stir up the dumpling.——
18.——————And out you go.

The analysis shows that the majority of the variants retain four principal incidents of what must have been the original form of the game, and the fact of the Gloucestershire version having come down with only two of the incidents, namely, the two most common to all the variants (12 and 14), shows that the game has been in a state of decadence. The four principal incidents, Nos. 1, 4, 12, and 14, point distinctly to some water ceremonial; and if it may be argued that the incidents which occur in only one or two of the variants may be considered to have belonged to the original type, we shall be able to suggest that this game presents a dramatic representation of ancient well-worship. The incidents which occur in one version only are those given by Mr. Halliwell, and unfortunately the locality from which he obtained this variant is unknown. Still it is an earlier version than those which are now printed for the first time, and may without doubt be looked upon as genuine. Taking all the incidents of the various versions as the means by which to restore the earliest version, it would appear that this might have consisted of the following lines:—

Draw a pail of water
For a lady’s daughter;
Her father’s a king, her mother’s a queen,
Her two little sisters are dressed in green,
Stamping grass and parsley, marigold leaves and daisies;
Sift the lady’s oatmeal, sift it into flour,
Put it in a chestnut tree, let it lie an hour;
Give a silver pin and a gold ring,
One and a hush! two and a rush!
Pray, young lady, pop under a bush;
My bush is too high, my bush is too low,
Please, young lady, come under my bow!

(d) This restoration of the words, though it probably is far from complete, and does not make so good a game rhyme as the reduced versions, nevertheless shows clearly enough that the incidents belong to a ceremonial of primitive well-worship. The pulling of the hands backwards and forwards may be taken to indicate the raising of water from a well. If this is conceded, the incidents might be grouped as follows:—

All these are incidents of primitive well-worship (see Gomme’s Ethnology and Folk-lore, pp. 82-103). Garland dressing is very general; cakes were eaten at Rorrington well, Shropshire (Burne’s Shropshire Folk-lore, p. 433); pins and portions of the dress are very general offerings; silence is strictly enforced in many instances, and a sacred tree or bush is very frequently found near the well.

The tune of the Hampshire game (Miss Mendham’s version) is practically the same as that of the “[Mulberry Bush].”