—Earls Heaton, Yorks. (H. Hardy).
I.
King William was King David’s son,
And all the royal race is run;
Choose from the east, choose from the west,
Choose the one you love the best.
Down on this carpet you shall kneel
While the grass grows in yonder field;
Salute your bride and kiss her sweet,
Rise again upon your feet.
—Hanging Heaton, Yorks. (H. Hardy).
II.
King William was King David’s son,
All the royal race is run;
Choose from the east, choose from the west,
Choose the one that you love best;
If she’s not here to take her part,
Choose another with all your heart.
—Sheffield (S. O. Addy).
(b) In Sheffield a ring of young men and women is formed. A man goes inside the ring and walks round within it, whilst the others sing the verse. The young man then chooses a sweetheart, and the two walk round arm-in-arm within the ring, whilst the same verses are sung. When the singing is ended, the girl picks a young man, and so they all pair off.
(c) Mr. Addy entitles this game “Kiss in the Ring.” It appears, however, from this description to lack the two principal elements of most “[kiss-in-the-ring]” games—the chase between pursued and pursuer, and the kissing in the ring when the capture is made. In the Hanging Heaton version two children kneel and kiss in the middle of the ring. Mr. Newell (Games, p. 73), in describing a game with a similar rhyme, mentions a version which had been sent him from Waterford, Ireland. He says, “We learn from an informant that in her town it was formerly played in this peculiar manner. Over the head of a girl who stood in the centre of a ring was held a shawl, sustained by four others grasping the corners.” The game then proceeded as follows—