Take her and bake her,
And into pies make her,
And bring her back
When she is done.
They were not brought back, and the “owner” had to catch and bring back each one. When sold, the honey pot is taken to the other side, or “home” of the purchaser. The game goes on till all the honey pots are sold.—London (A. B. Gomme).
In Sporle, a girl clasps her hands under her legs to form a seat, and two others swing her by the arms, saying—
Honey pot, honey pot, over the river;
When the old cat dies you shall have the liver.
—Miss Matthews.
In a version sent by Miss Chase, and told her by a London maidservant, the children sit as in “[Hunt the Slipper].” One steps in a corner out of earshot; the rest are named “Gooseberry Tart,” “Cherry Tart,” &c., by another, who recalls the child in the corner with—
Fool, fool, come to school,
Pick me out a [cherry tart, as the case may be].
If he chooses the wrong one he is told—
Go back and learn your A, B, C.
If rightly—