—Sheffield, Yorks. (Folk-lore Record, v. 87).
Oh, will you come and dance with me,
Oh, will you come and dance with me?
No!
[They say as above to the next girl, who says “Yes.”]
Now we’ve got our bonny bunch
To help us with our dancing.
—Hurstmonceux, Sussex (Miss Chase).
(b) The [Scottish version] of this game is played as follows:—All the players stand in a line except two, who stand facing them. These two join hands crosswise, and then advancing and retiring, sing to the child at the end of the line the first four lines. The first child refuses, and they then dance round, singing the second verse. They sing the first verse again, and on her compliance she joins the two, and all three dance round together, singing the last verse. The three then advance and retire, singing the first verse to another child.
The [Cornish version] is played differently: a ring is formed, boy and girl standing alternately in the centre. The child in the middle holds a white handkerchief by two of its corners; if a boy he would single out one of the girls, dance backwards and forwards opposite to her, and sing the first verse. If the answer were “No!” spoken with averted head over the left shoulder, he sang the second verse. Occasionally three or four in turn refused. When the request was granted the words were changed to the fourth verse. The handkerchief was then carefully spread on the floor; the couple knelt on it and kissed: the child formerly in the middle joined the ring, and the other took his place, or if he preferred it remained in the centre; in that case the children clasped hands and sang together the first verse over again, the last to enter the ring having the privilege of selecting the next partner.
(c) Miss Courtney says (Folk-lore Journal, v. 47), that this game is quite a thing of the past. Of the [Hurstmonceux version], Miss Chase says, “This game is not fully remembered. It was played about 1850.” The words indicate an invitation to the dance similar to those in “[Cushion Dance],” “[Green Grass].”