In England in 1557 the boys of London town sang a rhyme at their mock wedding feasts of—
"If ever I marry I'll marry a maid,
To marry a widow I'm sore afraid,
For maids are simple and never will grudge,
But widows full oft as they say know too much."
This song was entered at the Stationers' Hall, 1557 A.D.
LONDON STREET GAMES.
A WEDDING.
After the preliminary rhyme of—
"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
All good children go to heaven.
A penny on the water, twopence on the sea,
Threepence on the railway, and out goes she,"
has been said, the lot falls on one of the girls to be the bride. A ring is formed and a merry dance begins, all the children singing this invitation—
"Choose one, choose two, choose the nearest one to you."