—Belfast (W. H. Patterson).
Up the plain and down the plain,
As stippy [slippery] as a glass,
We will go to Mrs. ——
To find a pretty lass.
[Annie] with her rosy cheeks,
Catch her if you can,
And if you cannot catch her
I’ll tell you who’s the man.
[Annie] made a pudding,
She made it very sweet;
She daren’t stick a knife in
Till George came home at neet [night].
Taste [George], taste, and don’t say Nay!
Perhaps to-morrow morning’ll be our wedding day.
[The bells shall ring, and we shall sing,
And all clap hands together.][2]
—Earls Heaton (Herbert Hardy).
(b) A full description of this game could not be obtained in each case. The [Earls Heaton] game is played by forming a ring, one child standing in the centre. After the first verse is sung, a child from the ring goes to the one in the centre. Then the rest of the verses are sung. The action to suit the words of the verses does not seem to have been kept up. In the [Hampshire version], after the line “As a bird upon a tree,” the two children named pair off like sweethearts while the rest of the verse is being sung.
(c) The analysis of the game rhymes is as follows:—
| Hants. | Deptford (Kent). | Belfast. | Earls Heaton (Yorks.). | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Village life. | Village life. | Hunting life. | Roving life. |
| 2. | All the boys happy. | All the boys happy. | All lusty bachelors. | — |
| 3. | Except [ ], who wants a wife. | Except [ ], who wants a wife. | Except [ ], who courts [ ]. | — |
| 4. | He shall court [ ]. | He shall court [ ]. | He courted [ ]. | Seeks for a bride. |
| 5. | Huddles and cuddles, and sits on his knee. | Kisses and cuddles, and sits on his knee. | Huggled and guggled, and took on his knee. | — |
| 6. | — | — | — | Catch the bride. |
| 7. | Mutual expressions of love. | Mutual expressions of love. | — | — |
| 8. | — | — | Asking to marry. | — |
| 9. | Wife makes a pudding. | Girl makes a pudding. | Girl makes a pudding. | Girl makes a pudding. |
| 10. | Husband cuts a slice. | Boy cuts a slice. | Asks boy to taste. | Asks boy to taste. |
| 11. | Fixing of wedding day. | Fixing of wedding day. | Fixing of wedding day. | Fixing of wedding day. |
| 12. | Wife in carriage, husband in cart. | Wife with domestic utensils. | Bride with rings on fingers and bells on toes. | — |
| 13. | — | Grief if wife should die. | — | — |
| 14. | — | — | Bride with a baby. | — |
| 15. | — | Doctor, cat, and devil. | — | — |
| 16. | — | — | Applause for the bride. | Applause for bride. |