The Hermit of Holyport.
Rowley Powley.—As generally inclined to the belief that everything is older than anybody knows of, I am rather startled by "Rowley Powley" not being as old as myself. I remember seeing mentioned somewhere, without any reference to this chorus, that rowley powley is a name for a plump fowl, of which both "gammon and spinach" are posthumous connexions. I cannot help thinking that this may be a clue to some prior occurrence of the chorus, with or without
the song. If "derry down," which has been said to be druidical, were judged of by the last song it went with, how old would be the Druids?
M.
"A Frog he would a-wooing go."—It may perhaps be interesting to some of your correspondents on the subject of "A frog he would a-wooing go," to know that there exists an Irish version of that woeful tale, which differs in several respects from the ballad which has so long been familiar to English ears. The burthen of "Heigho! says Rowley," does not occur in the Hibernian composition, but a still less intelligible chorus supplies its place. The air is exceedingly quaint, and seems to me to bear the stamp of antiquity. The words are as follow:—
"Misther Frog lived in a well,
Heigho! my lanti-iddity!
And the merry mouse in the mill,
Terry heigho! for lang for liddity!
Says Mr. Frog, 'I will go coort,'